Best of Chuck & Buck 4-10

·1 hr 14 min·5 clips

Mariners owner John Stanton said they should compete for the World Series, then the team started 4-9.

The episode is a sports talk radio show with fill-in hosts Ashley Ryan, Greg Bell, and Travis Moger, as regular hosts Chuck and Buck are absent. It opens with banter about the hosts' schedules and the Kraken's shootout win the previous night. The primary focus is a lengthy discussion about the Seattle Mariners' poor 4-9 start to the season. The hosts analyze statistical lows, fan frustration, and owner John Stanton's pre-season World Series comments. They debate when panic is justified, noting the team's strong pitching but abysmal hitting and fielding. A significant segment critiques the Mariners' business model, arguing that lucrative promotional nights like Ichiro statue night ensure profitability regardless of on-field performance. The conversation details specific player struggles, like Brandon Donovan's offensive production versus his league-worst defense at third base. The show then shifts to Seattle Kraken topics, interviewing CEO Todd Leiweke. He addresses Ron Francis stepping down, the 'independent audit' of hockey operations led by GM Jason Botterill, and confirms coach Lane Lambert will return. Leiweke also expresses optimism about the NBA returning to Seattle. Later, longtime broadcaster Elise Woodward joins to discuss her new role as play-by-play announcer for the expansion Portland Fire WNBA team. She provides insights on the growth of women's college basketball, the new WNBA collective bargaining agreement, and the challenges of NIL and the transfer portal in college sports. The episode is interspersed with news updates on the Masters golf tournament and advertisements for other iHeartRadio podcasts.

As heard by us

A front-office change turns an independent hockey review into the episode's central, uneasy question.

The episode centers on a hockey organization trying to answer leadership questions after Ron Francis steps down as president and Jason Botterell remains general manager.

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Why you'd press play

If front-office shakeups and the question of an independent hockey audit keep nagging at you, press play.

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