Hour 3 - Sofi Stadium Voted Worst Venue

June 29, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The New York Mets fired their manager over the weekend, and former hitting coach Eric Chavez went on a podcast to air a long list of grievances about the team's front office. The most striking detail: Chavez claims he noticed Juan Soto, the highest-paid player in baseball history, spending his between-inning time lounging on a sofa in the indoor batting cage rather than taking swings. When Chavez brought this to Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns as a culture problem, Stearns reportedly replied that younger players "need to learn that they're not Juan Soto." That exchange, and the broader critique Chavez leveled at the Mets front office, is one of three topics host Ben Maller tackles in this hour, along with the obsession over pitcher Jacob Misiorowski's velocity and a fan survey that ranked SoFi Stadium dead last among U.S. World Cup venues.

The Mets' Culture Problem

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What you'll learn

1 (03:27) **Mets Manager Fired & Eric Chavez Blasts GM David Stearns** - Ben opens with the Mets firing manager Carlos Mendoza and former hitting coach Eric Chavez's critical comments about GM David Stearns.
2 (10:57) **Ben's Take: Stearns Running the Mets Like a Small-Market Team** - Ben argues Chavez's criticism is an "inconvenient truth," not sour grapes.
3 (13:07) **The Obsession with Jacob Misiorowski's Velocity** - Ben shifts to Brewers' pitcher Jacob Misiorowski, who recently threw 105.5 mph, and the public's fixation on him potentially hitting 108 mph.
4 (18:25) **SoFi Stadium Voted Worst World Cup Venue** - Ben discusses a survey ranking SoFi Stadium dead last among 11 U.S. World Cup venues, scoring 5.82/10.
5 (20:58) **Ben's Take: SoFi's Ranking is "The Most California Outcome"** - Ben argues the ranking is not humiliating but an accurate reflection of the venue's business model.
6 (24:25) **Maller Riddle of the Day** - Ben poses the riddle: The Chicago Bears are joining the Chiefs and Bills as the only NFL franchises to get what?
7 (34:55) **Caller Segment: Sebastian & Poppy** - Ben takes calls, including a discussion about the legitimacy of the 2020 NBA bubble championship and a humorous segment where a sleeping caller named Poppy "picks" World Cup games via his snoring.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

In Hour 3 Ben talks about how Sofi stadium was rated as the worst venue amongst all of the World Cup venues this year. He then talks about Brewers Starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski throwing 105 MPH this year and why fans are so obsessed with it.

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