Carton and Big Mac Debate Coddling Gerrit Cole

**Craig Carton** (0:00)
You know how we do Carton Show, Big Mac back.
Jaxson Dart coming up after 3 o'clock, do some Giants football talk with your starting quarterback. Find out maybe from him if he's going to play it all and start against the Jets. I think both quarterbacks need to play. I was very consistent about that yesterday, but we'll get to more of that coming up after 3 o'clock.

**Chris McMonigle** (0:19)
I'm with you though, I think he should play.

**Craig Carton** (0:20)
14 snaps is all he's taken. Thus far this preseason, so we're going to get to that with Jaxson coming up in just a bit. Here's Gary in Sayreville, New Jersey on the fan. Gary, good afternoon. How are you?

**SPEAKER_3** (0:33)
Craig, you're going to have to talk me down off this bridge.

**Craig Carton** (0:35)
What? What's going on?

**SPEAKER_3** (0:38)
I don't know. You let a guy into your show, he takes five, six weeks off in a row on vacation, comes back. I heard rumors too.
This is the truth. My dentist sister's brother-in-law's kid goes to school with Big Mac's kid.

**Craig Carton** (0:56)
Okay.

**SPEAKER_3** (0:57)
And the kid said that Big Mac calls the show Big Mac and Craig.

**Craig Carton** (1:02)
By the way...

**Chris McMonigle** (1:03)
I do.

**Craig Carton** (1:03)
I've heard that before also.

**SPEAKER_3** (1:05)
I do.

**Chris McMonigle** (1:07)
I told you, I had several names. A felon and a fat man, Big Mac and Craig.

**Craig Carton** (1:11)
Yeah.

**SPEAKER_4** (1:12)
Yeah.

**SPEAKER_3** (1:12)
He's back here 45 minutes ago. 18 minutes of Yankees. Yeah.

**SPEAKER_4** (1:16)
I brought the Yankees up.

**Chris McMonigle** (1:18)
He didn't.

**Craig Carton** (1:19)
I was trying to make him feel comfortable.

**Chris McMonigle** (1:21)
We could joke all we want about the name of the show. It's called The Carton Show. He brought up the Yankees today. We could have easily done Giants.
I didn't bring up the Yankees, but if we're going to bring up Yankees, I'm going to tell them, you're focused too much on when Gerrit Cole pitches.

**Craig Carton** (1:35)
Gerrit Cole should have pitched last night. He didn't. Gerrit Cole should have pitched tonight.

**SPEAKER_4** (1:38)
Why not?

**Craig Carton** (1:39)
Because he's one of your best pitchers.

**SPEAKER_4** (1:42)
He's going to pitch.

**Craig Carton** (1:42)
And I'm trying to win a division title, or at least the number one wild card.

**Chris McMonigle** (1:46)
Elmer Rodriguez is going to pitch at some point, correct?

**Craig Carton** (1:49)
I mean, it appears that way, yes.

**Chris McMonigle** (1:50)
How do I feel about Gerrit Cole pitching, and how do I feel about Elmer Rodriguez pitching? Wouldn't I want to make sure Elmer Rodriguez pitches on what his day is and where I get the best out of him, knowing I'm going to get what I'm going to get out of Gerrit Cole?

**Craig Carton** (2:01)
By the way, he could have pitched tonight on normal rest if Gerrit pitched last night on normal rest.

**Chris McMonigle** (2:05)
No, I get that, yeah. That's what I'm saying. They pushed back Gerrit Cole.

**Craig Carton** (2:08)
They pushed back Cole, and now because you're probably right, Elmer's pitching fast because it's his regular day to pitch, now Gerrit gets pushed back a second day. That's the thing. And again, could it work out two months from now? Maybe it does. We don't even talk about it. But in the moment, our job is to have an opinion in the moment. In the moment, I don't think it makes sense unless you're telling me, and we've discussed this a few times, you and I, that, well, yes, you want to win the division, obviously, and yes, if you don't win the division, you'd rather be the number one wild card seed. So the three game, or the best of three, is at Yankee Stadium, not at Fenway Park, Hassahar is for you recently, right?
But there's also a part of you, because you've said it, that if the Yankees actually fell all the way back to three, you're okay with that too, because it's easier competition.

**Chris McMonigle** (2:57)
Is the goal to win the World Series or the Division?

**SPEAKER_3** (2:58)
I would think it is.

**Chris McMonigle** (2:59)
So winning the Division helps you win the World Series.

**SPEAKER_3** (3:01)
I think so.

**Chris McMonigle** (3:01)
Being the top wild card helps you win the World Series. If you get to the second wild card, you could argue the third wild card is what helps you win the World Series.

**SPEAKER_3** (3:08)
Better than the second.

**Chris McMonigle** (3:09)
Yeah, you can make that argument. I'm not saying that's what I want. I want to hold off the Red Sox. I think secretly I do. Here's the point though. What's the most important part of this team? What is the most important?