2026 Predictions

Opening Day (night, whatever) is nigh! Our pontificaters make their 2026 predictions! Who will make the final roster? Will Tony Vitello troll fans and have Heliot Ramos not start in left field Wednesday night? How many games will the Giants win? And most importantly, will they make the playoffs? And, many more. Buckle in, this is a long one.On the cocktail side of things, Ben is drinking a French Gimlet while Matthew is drinking a Timber Cove. Recipes below.French Gimlet2 oz Gin3/4 oz Elderflower Liqueur3/4 oz Lime JuiceLime wheel for garnishCombine ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake until chilled and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.Timber Cove2 oz Gin1/2 oz Green Chartreuse1/2 oz Orgeat3/4 oz Lime Juice2 Dashes Orange BittersShake all ingredients until well-chilled and strain into a chilled coupe glass.

10 days and counting! The brothers take their one and only crack at predicting the Opening Day roster. Will the Bryce Eldridge make the team? Will the Giants have a bullpen? Will a Giants great make a triumphant return from the past? The author of this blurb says "no, no, and no!" But the brothers disagree!On the cocktail side of things today Matthew is drinking his version of a Mai Tai while Ben is drinking an Orang & Black Old Fashioned. Recipes below.Matthew's Mai Tai1 1/2 oz Jamaican Rum3/4 oz Orange Curacao3/4 oz Lime Juice1/2 oz Orgeat1/4 oz Smith & Cross or XayamacaAdd first 4 above to shaker w/ crushed ice. Shake 3 seconds. Dump contents into double rocks glass. Float OP rum on top. Garnish with mint bouquetOrange & Black Old Fasioned2 oz Bourbon (Elijah Craig Small Batch)1/2 oz Orange liqueur (Cointreau)2 dashes of Angostura bittersOrange twist for the garnishCombine the bourbon, orange liqueur and bitters in a mixing glass with ice and stir to desired dilution. Strain into a rocks glass over a single large chunk of ice. Express the orange twist over the glass, rub around the rim and drop in the glass.#doitforginny

Do the Giants know we need a bullpen? The brothers discuss the WBC from a Giants perspective and which Giants had a hot week. Then they break down the state of the pitching staff. Spoiler: it's a work in progress.On the cocktail side of things Ben is drinking a Sloppy Joe's #1 (aka Slappy Ben) while Matthew is drinking In a Pinch, Pivot! Recipes below.Sloppy Joe's #13/4 oz White Rum3/4 oz Dry Vermouth1/4 oz Orange Liqueur1 oz Lime Juice1/4 oz GrenadineCombine ingredients with ice in a shaker and shake until chilled. Strain into a martini or coupe glass.In a Pinch, Pivot!2 oz Gin1/2 oz Ginger Liqueur1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup1 oz Lemon Juice2 dashes of Peychaud’s BittersShake everything with ice. Strain into a chilled coupe glass.

So far, so good. Ben & Matthew discuss the early offensiveness of the Giants before breaking down position battles. Does long time farmhand Victor Bericoto have a chance of making the team? Can we expect strike outs to stay low? Oh, and do we need to talk about Hayden Birdsong?On the cocktail side of things, Matthew is drinking a Banana Bliss while Ben is drinking a City Connect. Recipes below.Banana Bliss1 oz Cognac or Brandy3/4 oz Sweet Sherry (Or Dry Sherry)1/4 oz Banana Liqueur (Banane du Bresil or Tempus Fugit)Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until well chilled. Strain into a chilled ice-filled short glass. Garnish with an orange twist.City Connect2 oz Gin1/2 oz Lemon juice2-6 oz Grape SodaCombine the gin and lemon juice in a highball glass and stir. Fill the glass with ice and top with the grape soda. Stir once or twice to combine.

Spring games have begun, time to overreact. The brothers happily break down the first two games of Spring including the rocky start for Hayden Birdsong, the bizarre debut of Robbie Ray and the stellar arms of the new look outfield. After they debate whether Bryce Eldridge will make the opening day roster.On the cocktail side of things Ben is drinking a Naughty Ben while Matthew is drinking a Humuhumunukunukuapua'a. Recipes below.Naughty Ben2 oz Rum (any of your choice)1 - 1 1/2 oz Grenadine1/2 - 1 oz Lime Juice2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters2-6 oz club sodaCombine run, grenadine, lime juice and bitters in a highball glass and stir to combine. Fill the glass with ice and top with club soda.Humuhumunukunukuapua'a2 oz Gin (floral and fun)3/4 oz Lemon Juice3/4 oz Pineapple Juice1/2 oz Orgeat2 Dashes Peychaud’s bittersShake hard with ice until shaker is frosted. Dump everything (even ice) into an empty collins glass or tiki mug. Garnish with your heart’s desires.

The boys are back to weekly episodes just in time for Spring Training silliness. They react to Eldridge shagging fly balls, JHL's calorie intake, and the young pitchers learning new pitches.On the cocktail side of things, today Matthew is drinking a Negroni while Ben is drinking a No Groni. Recipes below.Negroni1 oz London Dry Gin1 oz Campari1 oz Sweet VermouthLarge Orange Twist for garnishCombine gin, Campari and sweet vermouth in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until just chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over a large single chunk of ice. Express orange twist over glass and put twist in glass. Good luck.No Groni1 oz London Dry Gin1 oz Benedictine1 oz Sweet VermouthLarge Orange Twist for garnishCombine gin, Benedictine and sweet vermouth in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until just chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over a large single chunk of ice. Express orange twist over glass and put twist in glass.

Kitchers and patchers report tomorrow! The boys celebrate the end of darkness by catching up on recent roster changes and asking the question: are they satisfied with the roster changes the Giants have made?On the cocktail side of things. today Ben is drinking a Passion Fruit Daiquiri #2 while Matthew is drinking a Cinnamon Toast Crunch Milk Punch. Recipes below.Passion Fruit Daiquiri #23/4 oz Demerara Rum3/4 oz White Rum1/2 oz of Passion Fruit Liqueur3/4 oz of Lime Juice1/2 oz of Simple SyrupCombine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with an edible flower or whatever.Cinnamon Toast Crunch Milk Punch32 oz Whole Milk combined with 4 cups of Cinnamon Toast Crunch + 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon20 oz Bourbon1 oz Tuaca3 1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup2 oz Rich Demerara Syrup6 1/2 oz Lemon Juice1/8 oz Fine Salt6 Dashes Angostura bittersStepsLet milk, cinnamon, and cereal soak for about 30-45 minutes. Mix well. Strain into a large bowl/container.Combine all other ingredients in a pitcher or bowl. Stir well.Pour cocktail ingredients slowly into the milk (not the other way around) while stirring.Let sit, untouched, for 45 minutes.First Strain (fast). Pour mixture through a fine mess strainer with a layer of cheesecloth into a clean container. (You’ll have a cloudy liquid + curds in the strainer)Line a funnel with a coffee filter. Pour the strained liquid through slowly. This will take a lot of time. If you want to speed it up, you can set up 3 or four funnels and pour through each simultaneously. If you want crystal clear, you can run it through a clean filter one more time.Chill for at least 4-6 hours.Serve over a big rock with expressed orange peel or a slight dusting of cinnamon.

Special Guest Alex Pavlovic joins our ruffians to discuss the Harrison Bader signing, the Kai Wei Teng trade, and the otherwise underwhelming off season for the San Francisco Giants.On the cocktail side of things, today Ben is drinking an Astral Plane while Matthew is drinking El Primo. Recipes below. Alex is eschewing a cocktail this time around, but his recipe from his last time on the show is also listed below.Astral Plane2 oz Gin1/2 oz Elderflower liqueur1/2 oz Creme de Violette3/4 oz Lemon juice1 tsp Edible glitter bittersCombine gin, elderflower liqueur, creme de violette and glitter bitters in a shaker with ice. Strain into a stemmed cocktail glass.El Primo2 oz Blanco Tequila1/4 oz Absinthe1 oz Lime Juice1 oz Spiced Agave Syrup1 Dash Orange BittersTo make the syrup: Add 4 parts Agave Nectar to 3 parts water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer while stirring to combine. Remove from heat and add two cinnamon sticks, 5 cloves and 1 star anise. Let steep until cool. Remove spices and store in an airtight container.To make the cocktail: Shake all ingredients with ice until well-chilled. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a lime wheel or cinnamon stick.Old Cenote (via Alex Pavlovic)2 oz bourbon1/4 oz Curacao1/4 oz banana liqueur2 dashes Angostura bittersSmoke (for finishing)Combine bourbon, banana liqueur, and bitters in a mixing glass with ice. Stir for 30 seconds until well-chilled. Strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice. Smoke the cocktail with your cocktail smoking method of choice.

Ben once again published the wrong file yesterday. Matthew & Bob are having an emergency meeting to discuss. In the meantime here's the actual episode we recorded!It's like they don't like what we have or something. The brothers ponder the lack of trades and the news that it's not for a lack of trying. Then Matthew gives a quiz and accuses Ben of failing it. For the record here is Ben's recollection of how he did on the quiz:#1: Correct, because even though I said the wrong answer I knew what the right answer was but didn't want to say it. I also get credit for getting question 1-B right. So at this point I had a score of 200%#2: Wrong, but because I was at 200%, I'm still at %100.#3: Correct. %150#4: Correct. I'm not sure what the percentage is now, but I'm still acing this test.#5: Wrong. No one gets this one right. Stupid question.#6: Correct. I'm killing it.#7: Correct. I'm a stud.#8: Wrong. I don't want the listeners to feel bad, so I answer another incorrectly. Also, I didn't know the answer.#9: Correct. We cheated on this one because Matthew thought I was doing poorly, because he doesn't listen.#10: Correct.#11: Correct.#12: Wrong. Enrique Pequeno should have been the answer.#13: Correct.#14: Wrong.On the cocktail side of things Matthew is drinking a Final Ward while Ben is drinking a Tribute. Recipes below.Final Ward3/4 oz Rye Whiskey3/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur3/4 oz Lemon Juice3/4 oz Green ChartreuseShake all ingredients until well-chilled. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass.Tribute1/2 oz Cognac1 tsp Creme de Violette3 1/2 oz Brut champagne/sparkling wineSpray or rinse a chilled flute glass with the creme de violette. Stir the congac with ice and strain into the flute. Top with the sparkling wine.

It's like they don't like what we have or something. The brothers ponder the lack of trades and the news that it's not for a lack of trying. Then Matthew gives a quiz and accuses Ben of failing it. For the record here is Ben's recollection of how he did on the quiz:#1: Correct, because even though I said the wrong answer I knew what the right answer was but didn't want to say it. I also get credit for getting question 1-B right. So at this point I had a score of 200%#2: Wrong, but because I was at 200%, I'm still at %100.#3: Correct. %150#4: Correct. I'm not sure what the percentage is now, but I'm still acing this test.#5: Wrong. No one gets this one right. Stupid question.#6: Correct. I'm killing it.#7: Correct. I'm a stud.#8: Wrong. I don't want the listeners to feel bad, so I answer another incorrectly. Also, I didn't know the answer.#9: Correct. We cheated on this one because Matthew thought I was doing poorly, because he doesn't listen.#10: Correct.#11: Correct.#12: Wrong. Enrique Pequeno should have been the answer.#13: Correct.#14: Wrong.On the cocktail side of things Matthew is drinking a Final Ward while Ben is drinking a Tribute. Recipes below.Final Ward3/4 oz Rye Whiskey3/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur3/4 oz Lemon Juice3/4 oz Green ChartreuseShake all ingredients until well-chilled. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass.Tribute1/2 oz Cognac1 tsp Creme de Violette3 1/2 oz Brut champagne/sparkling wineSpray or rinse a chilled flute glass with the creme de violette. Stir the congac with ice and strain into the flute. Top with the sparkling wine.