May 9, 2026 • 40 mins
LaVar, TJ, and Plax talk about the expansion of the CFP and what it means for college football, if the rising NBA ratings means anything for regular TV, quick hits in the Lightning Round, predictions for today’s NBA playoffs, and more!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the show for you too, with LeVar Ary,
test TJ Houshman, Zanna and Plaxico burres j.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
I love the way you break the game down, l A.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
Man, you were jacked by my flag number two overall
and that's nine. And plaques, Man, you were at seven
five seven.
Speaker 4 (00:19):
Product.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
Ain't everybody who plaque was growing up around her?
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Man free of the best to ever do it on
and off the field. Now live from the Fox Sports
Radio studios, here's pro bowlers LaVar Ary test TJ Hushman, Zanna,
and Silver Bowl champion Plaxico Burrets.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
All right, welcome in the hour two. The twenty fourteen
college football playoff is going to kill conference championship games.
And that's a feature, not a bug. All Right. Conference
titles were never as compelling as we pretended them to be.
(01:00):
Now it's pretty evident. Hour two up on Game Fox
Sports Radio, twenty four college football teams. Listen everything we're
talking about. Everything we got going on. Fellas, the other
sixteen teams play first round games on that buy and
the other sixteen teams played first round games on higher
(01:22):
seeds and on campus. The whole thing replaces conference championship weekend.
If you ask me, the twelve team formatch started in
twenty four. We just finished our second season under it,
and now coaches wanted twenty four, just finished doing the twelve,
(01:45):
getting to fourteen, hitting the twenty four. How do you
guys feel about this? I mean, are you on board
with with twenty four teams being in the playoffs? You're
doubling it pretty much you. I mean, I know they
can fit it into the schedule. I know how you
know they can do a lot with it. But I mean,
(02:06):
do you guys feel as though this is the right
move for college football?
Speaker 5 (02:14):
No twenty four teams? What is this?
Speaker 6 (02:18):
Man Like? I really like the way it is now.
I think it's perfect, A.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
Real twelve teams, the twelve team.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
Yes, I believe that, the twelve teams, but not the
way the current Yeah.
Speaker 6 (02:41):
The amount of the amount of teams that are in
a college football playoff now, I believe it's fine now
because there's always going to be the thirteenth team. All
we should have been in it. You go to twenty
four to twenty fifteen, all we should have been in it.
You go to thirty thirty, first team, All we should
have been in it. The amount of teams that they
(03:03):
have in and now are find out the way they
select those teams. They may need to tweak that part
of it. What you mean, may need to tweak it.
It needs to be soft and tweaked. Because mill Leava
had this competition a few weeks ago, it going back
to the Duke versus Virginia game. I'm still up, up,
up in the air trying to figure out what happened
with the ACC.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
Champion didn't get in. And I don't agree. I don't
agree with the Sun Belt. I mean, I mean, it
looks kudos to these schools and these kids, but I
didn't believe that. What I believe it was Odu and
Tulane ended up in the top twelve. I don't agree
with that either those top those things need to be fixed.
Speaker 6 (03:45):
They need to put the best teams in. And that
is always very subjective because you you get the nine
usuld be Power five, not the non power four schools,
and it's like, how how do you know who's better
than who? That part is it's hard to figure out.
(04:06):
But twenty four teams? What they how many games these
kids are gonna play now? Sixteen seventeen games? So they
basically playing the NFL season before they get to the NFL.
And then you want to curb the amount of money
they can get. You want to curb the transfer in it.
Speaker 5 (04:23):
Oh no, no, no no.
Speaker 6 (04:24):
If y'all gonna do this, let these young men continue
to make the amount of money they make. But twenty
four teams is crazy. When when will the season end?
That's what people aren't talking. When will the season end?
Of ar and then are they going to push the
combine back? Because if your season ends in late January
(04:44):
early February, nobody is running or doing anything at the
combine because you don't have enough preparation. You got any knickknacks.
You got to heal, then you got to So are
they gonna push the combine? Then are they going to
push the draft back? You lose week zero? What does
week zero mean? That's only one week, LeVar, that's only
one week, but you're playing two to three extra games.
Speaker 5 (05:03):
Or they start the season two weeks early.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Yeah, I think I think it's gonna come from the.
Speaker 6 (05:08):
Not everybody would have to start the season mid August. Correct, Yes, yes, yeah, August.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
I think it's gonna You're gonna lose Week zero it's
gonna start earlier, is what I would assume.
Speaker 6 (05:18):
And the later, you know how they have like that
three week break in December, do they remove that as well.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
No, I'm not certain how it's handled. I don't I'm
not certain how it gets handled. But what I will
say is is that you're giving You're giving more teams
the opportunity to get in that lose late games. And
and I just wonder how this plays. I mean, do
you have any real incentive to play hard games earlier
(05:50):
on in the year. I think that bowl games are
being destroyed by this as well. So maybe you got
to start thinking about the idea of putting bold games.
And this was discussed on two pros. Maybe putting bowl
games at the beginning of the year neutral syche games
make it a bowl game. You can't keep calling all
of these games, well, you can't keep calling these games
(06:12):
that you're playing postseason bowl games. What there's no reward
to that. These guys are opting out. You're not going
to have a football team to play in these bowl
games because they don't matter. There's no real matter to them.
And then you get into the playoffs. The college football
playoff is a playoff. What you want to ring for
for winning a college football playoff game? Oh, you got
a rose ball ring because you won a rose ball
(06:34):
that was one of the playoff games on the way
to the Super the championship round sounds weird to me.
A playoff is a playoff. You don't get no reward
for making it out of the first round. You get
a reward for winning it all. So I think that
you gotta take a look at putting the bowl game
season at the beginning of the year versus at the
end of the year. It might it might encourage How.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
Would you pick who plays in these bowl game game?
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Well, the schools are going to have to the schools,
the conferences. They're going to have to figure out. Why
wouldn't they.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
You gotta earn. You gotta earn making it to a
bowl game.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
No, that's changed. You gotta man.
Speaker 4 (07:11):
You can't just you can't just hand a school a
bowl game because you can't get all the players to
play in the.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
First Sure, you can't because it doesn't reper It does
not represent the same value that it once did. It
does not, So now that you have a playoff, you
don't just determine who the national champion is by their record,
and okay, the ap pole you gotta play to win it.
(07:40):
You gotta play. And if you're a runner up, you
gotta play to become the runner up.
Speaker 4 (07:44):
It ain't so so they're going to play two sets
of bowl games. No you're not.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
You're gonna play, So how will the.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
National champion be crowned? Those are still games the Sugar, Fiesta,
the Orange. Last time I checked those A Bowl games.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
So listen to what I'm saying. Those games are no
longer labeled bowl games there, they're playoff games. Use the
use the big The major bowl games are the other ones.
They kick rocks Is out of there, like you know,
pop tarts, all that stuff, You're out of there. But
the major ones like the Fiesta Bowl, like the Rose Bowl,
(08:20):
like the Orange Bowl. Make them Peach, make them the
Chick fil a Bowl, make them early season games. You're
going to incentivize bigger teams the one to play against
one another because you're expanding the field by double. Then
if you lose early in a bowl game, you're still
(08:41):
going to get a competitive matchup. But knowing if I
lose this game, it doesn't diminish our ability opportunity to
compete for for the Super for for the playoffs. It
won't and and that goes forward the end of the
year as well. Losing a game because a lot of
teams lose games late in the Sea, and that totally
disrupts and destroys the momentum that they had trying to
(09:04):
make it into the playoffs. This, these amounts of teams,
twenty four teams now makes it way more easier for
a team to take a loss and still make it
into the playoffs. Why would it never work? Why would
it ever work?
Speaker 4 (09:19):
I just don't see how you're going to what teams
are going to play in game one? Okay, how the
old game?
Speaker 3 (09:26):
Then how do you select the top twenty five? Then
how you select the top.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
Twenty five because of the record if they win a conference,
and because of the record and strength of schedule?
Speaker 3 (09:37):
You hold three things go Okay, strength is second schedule.
You have a preseason, You have a preseason poll. It
rates to who you think the top teams are through
twenty five? Correct?
Speaker 4 (09:49):
Yeah, look at what happened in Texas year.
Speaker 3 (09:52):
Kay, but look at what happened to Texas? Were you
high on watching them play in Week one? The same
way you were at the end of the season. No,
so I can get a value out of arch Manning.
I could get a value out of Texas. I could
get a value out of Penn State. Penn State took
a nose dive too. I can get a value out
of seeing these top teams, top rated teams coming into
(10:15):
the season playing against each other in a top rated
bowl and a neutral site environment. To me, I think
that creates more Are you more excited to see a
team play coming into the new season than you see
two top teams play a matchup, then you are seeing
them play against a small school that you know is
getting paid a couple million dollars to come get their
(10:37):
ass spanked. Which one would you be more excited to see?
Speaker 4 (10:41):
I want to see the College Football Playoff or the
end of the year the top eight, top four teams.
But you are not a championship.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
But you are going to see that at the end
of the year because you got to win the tournament
to be able to be the champion. Just because you
playing top talent at the beginning of the year, that
does not diminished the amount of hype that will be
going into the college football Playoff.
Speaker 5 (11:05):
What do you think, TJ.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
Man, I don't think it doesn't work. It just doesn't.
It's so much.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
It might have to be the future.
Speaker 5 (11:18):
You just it's a lot. It's a lot like that
goes into that.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
It is a lot.
Speaker 6 (11:24):
It's a lot that goes into that. And to me,
at the forefront should be the hell for the players
at the gotta be gotta be now how they picked
this and how they picked that. Man, what's going on
with these players because we all know now we're talking
about the patches earlier. It's all about the money. What's
(11:48):
going to generate the most revenue. Whatever generates the most revenue,
it don't matter what anybody say, that's what's gonna happen.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
I just feel like this playoff expanding. Yes, you're you.
You have to first of all, to get you gotta well.
You got to do away with saying amateur. You got
to do away with saying this isn't a job. These
guys got you can't. No, no, you can't, because now
you're talking about to me, I think you get into
(12:19):
the insurance, You get into the insurances, you get into
the liabilities aspects of it, Like you're you're getting into
the added revenue of it all and what it's generating.
I don't think it's that simple of a conversation. You
can still call them amagers, but you're paying them like
they're pros. I think that you got to start structuring
it out where you have a payroll. You got to
(12:40):
start structuring it out where you have salary caps. I
think that you gotta start going down the model of
these guys being employees. These are employees that they're not amateurs,
and and it has to be a structure that is
eventually implemented and integrated into the n c A a
football rank for it to actually survive and operate at
(13:04):
a high level. That is what they are considered healthy.
They're not they're not They're not you could call them
as that, they're not pro. You could call it, well,
they have jobs. So to me, I think that you're.
Speaker 6 (13:20):
You're you're looking, you're you're like over analyzing it. It's
a professional and if you're not a professional, you're an amateur.
Speaker 3 (13:27):
But but someone say, if you get if you get
paid to do what it is what you do, what
are you considered to be You're an amateur. You're an
amateur getting paid. LeVar I'm away. It's a new it's
a new day and time. See the n c A
and got you from when we were playing. You're an
amateur that that's what they used to say. It was an amateur.
(13:47):
We're students. I just went getting bags under the table,
like y'all. Maybe I wasn't.
Speaker 4 (13:51):
I was an acclimate get money that card.
Speaker 3 (13:56):
So y'all, y'all used to get them, y'all used to
get money while I was not supposed to be getting money.
And then a guy like me, who y'all isn't getting
I wasn't getting no money under the table. I didn't
have a job. I was playing ball. That's what I
was doing. That I'm an amateur like So maybe y'all right,
maybe my old school is talking right now. But the
(14:19):
way I've seen it, the way I see it is,
if you aren't getting paid for what you're doing, you're
an amateur. If you're getting paid for what you're doing,
I don't care. If it's not NFL professional, you don't
have to say you are an NFL pro. But let
me tell you something. If you are making a wage
(14:40):
off of a service that you are rendering to an
institution or a company, that has hired you to do it. You,
my goodness, are a professional.
Speaker 4 (14:49):
You are.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
That's what I'm overanalyt That's what a pro is.
Speaker 4 (14:54):
No, it's your profession. Yes, so it's not why employees
are professionals?
Speaker 5 (15:03):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (15:05):
Do you hear what you just said? Plexico birds?
Speaker 4 (15:07):
No, No, they're not.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
What is what is an employee? What is an employee?
Speaker 4 (15:13):
There's a lot of ways to generate wages and that
does not make you a professional. Believe me when I
tell you what is a professional? Because you're an employee,
you're a professional.
Speaker 5 (15:29):
No, there's no.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
Here we go here, we go here. Here's what. Here's
what The Webster's definition and Meaning of professional says of
relating to a characteristic of profession, profession, training, development, experience,
a professional career as a nurse, that that I die.
You engage in a profession that requires academic learning. Okay,
(15:52):
boom boom boom, okay, give me what, give me what
it is, Give me what it is?
Speaker 5 (15:57):
Here?
Speaker 3 (15:57):
We are here, we are here. We are an individual
who earns a living through an activity requiring specialized education, training,
or expertise. You are able to make a living through
what it is that you're doing through a skill. So
(16:17):
I mean, y'all, can.
Speaker 4 (16:20):
You pull out the dictionary all you want ie with you?
Speaker 6 (16:25):
So what other day that dictionary is written by?
Speaker 3 (16:35):
That's Day one, Rocky Marciano. Just try to just try
the soup. All I'm saying is these cats are professionals.
Speaker 4 (16:50):
Y'all think that y'all want to You.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
Don't have to listen. We got another segment that we
gotta do and then another one after that. Uh, the
NBA viewing ship you the viewership, it's up sixteen percent, y'all.
The things are looking good for the NBA this year,
so we're gonna talk about it. NBC back Game seven,
(17:15):
they drew eleven million people and big Tech. I mentioned
it to you. It's threatening to kill local TV news.
You get that on the other side of the break
you're listening to up on game. That's TJ Huschmanzada hating Olivar.
That's Plexico Burst hating Olivar. I'm the one that's getting
hated on. I'm LeVar this Fox Sports Radio, well be
(17:36):
right back after these messages.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
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dot Com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to
listen live.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
Hey is Capino and Rich from Fox Sports Radio. Now.
Speaker 7 (17:53):
In addition to hearing us live weekdays from five to
seven pm Eastern two to fourth Pacific on Fox Sports Radio,
We're excited to announce a brand new YouTube channel for
the show.
Speaker 3 (18:02):
Yup. That's right.
Speaker 7 (18:03):
You can now watch Covino and Rich live on YouTube
every day. All you gotta do search Covino and Rich
FSR on YouTube again, go to YouTube search Covino and
Rich FSR. Check us out on YouTube, subscribe, hit that
dumbs up icon coming away.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
Alright, all right, welcome back in. It's up one game.
Speaker 4 (18:25):
TJ.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
Huschman is out of Plexico burs. I'm LeVar Arrington. NBA
viewership year one of an eleven year, seventy seven billion
dollar deal. NBC back in the league for the first
time since twenty well two thousand and two. Excuse me,
uh yeah, well twenty oh two. The numbers, the viewership.
(18:48):
It's up sixteen percent a year year over year. NBC's
averaging two point eight million viewers a game, up one
hundred and nine percent. Super high. Little time spent watching
the NBA on National and you know TV, it's up
to twenty two percent. In Game seven of seventy six
(19:11):
Ers and the Celtics last week it averaged eleven million viewers,
the most watched First Round Game seven since nineteen ninety nine.
The NBA's you know, they've they've bet on the broadcasting
of TV, and they've bet on big tech. Big tech
is buying sports rights. They're threatening local TV news stations
(19:36):
Fox Fox Corp. They warrant the FCC free TV viewers
could lose access to things like the World Series, Thanksgiving,
NFL football, and the Olympics. If Amazon, Apple keep buying
broadcast sports, it's the last thing to keep local stations alive.
(19:58):
Once that's gone, well, nobody's going to watch local TV.
It's going to go all digital. So big tech is
in the midst of a boom. But the NBA has
big business going on right now. Fellas. NBA viewership up
eighteen percent. To subscribe or not to subscribe? That is
(20:19):
the question. How do you guys, Where do you guys
fall on that?
Speaker 4 (20:22):
You know, I'm gonna start with this. I believe that
the NBA viewership is up, not solely just based on
NBC or you know, subscriptions. I really honest believe it's
the wondn't be effect. I haven't missed the San Antonio
Spurs playoff game yet this season, and I think it
(20:43):
has a lot to do with him, you know, because
he's must see TV and he is on his way
to being the new face of the NBA because you
tune in every night to watch him and you just
sit there and you say, I want to see this
man do something that I've never seen before, and he
does it every single night. And on the flip side
(21:03):
of that, you have a young team in OKC who
I believe SGA is going to be a two time
back to back MVP, and it's an intriguing story from
a young a young team of can he will his
teammates and this organization put them on the back on
his back and win back to back world championships? And
(21:26):
does that world that make them a dynasty moving forward?
So I think personally, I think that the players have
more to do with it than than the than the
NBC and the big tech because you look at all
the all the biggest stars in the NBA, they're not playing.
(21:46):
Kevin Durant is out, Jason Tatum's out, the Jokers at
home watching Steph Curry's at home watching No Halli Burton.
So these young men who who we are watching ant
Man included are players that the fans want to see,
and I believe it has more to do with that
(22:07):
than anything else, because I mean, it's the playoffs are
fun to watch. They haven't been fun to watch over
the past, you know, five or ten years, but this
year it just seems that whenever the San Antonio Spurs
are on television, I'm watching TJ.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
Is big tech killing free tv? Is it a cautionary
tale that you're gonna have to pay for content to
see sports events that you used to see. Gotta be careful,
You gotta be careful.
Speaker 6 (22:41):
Obviously when games are streamed, it's more money to the players,
but ultimately the fans make us who we are, the
tuning in to the games, coming to the games, buying
your jerseys and.
Speaker 5 (23:00):
Just being involved.
Speaker 6 (23:03):
And so when it's not on local television and it's
a platform that has a wall that you have to
subscribe to watch games that for decades were on free TV,
then it becomes a problem. And so as of now,
it isn't a problem because when you look at the
(23:26):
totality of all games played, the percent of how many
games are streamed, isn't that bad. I will say this though,
that the NBA this year was a little different, you know,
because you're used to the games being on a certain channel.
You don't know what channel the game on. You gotta
find it. Oh it's not even on TV. You got
to go stream, it's on this, it's on this. And
(23:47):
so they do need to be careful when it comes
to that because at some point, the streaming companies that
are paying these billions of dollars, if their subscribers aren't
going up, then now they're losing money. And now you
got to go back to network television. But you're going
back to network television in a position of almost begging
(24:08):
and out of power, and what do you do? So
just keep a certain percent on network television. And always
you got to allocate a certain percent of the streaming
because again, it's always a business.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
M All right, let's get an update. On the other
side of update, we're going to do lightning locker. We're
gonna try something different. We're gonna do five rounds of
quick ass answers to topics that we weren't really able
to get to during the course of the show. We're
going to try to do this, but it could be
a next show or it could be a great success.
We're going to see what happens on the other side
(24:42):
of this update, mister Isaac long Cron, what do you.
Speaker 8 (24:45):
Got a right looking forward to your QAA as it were?
Speaker 4 (24:49):
Here we go.
Speaker 8 (24:49):
We've had some developments today in the National Football League
that host the Chicago Vera signing veteran free agent receiver
Scotty Miller. Here is the latest on the Aaron Rodgers situation.
This from Jerry Dulac, who covers the Steelers for the
Pittsburgh Post Gazette. He reports, quote, Aaron Rodgers has been
in town for a couple days, but the Steelers have
not met with him yet and instead have been talking
(25:11):
with his agent. Rodgers has stayed away from the team's
South Side facility while the three day rookie mini camp
has been going on. Unquote, we had a trade today
in Major League Baseball. Cleveland Guardians acquired two time Gold
Glove Award winning catcher Patrick Bailey from the San Francisco
Giants in exchange for a draft pick and a prospect
coming up at three pm Eastern Game three of the
(25:33):
NBA's Eastern Conference Semi Finals from Cleveland, with the Detroit
Pistons leading the Cavaliers two games to none. On Friday night,
in Game three of the Western Conference Semi Finals, the
San Antonio Spurs what at Minnesota one fifteen to one
aweight for a two games to one lead victor Wembin
Yama thirty nine points, fifteen rebounds, five blocks. Earlier Friday night,
(25:54):
the New York Knicks got thirty three from Jalen Brunson
what at Philadelphia oneh eight to ninety four to take
a three games to then lead in that series. Guys,
let QAA commence.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
All right, here we go. Let's try to get through this.
This is gonna be called the Lightning Round. You know what, guys,
give me a one word. You don't even have to
give no justification in round one. Just give me what
you think. Here we go. First one for you, mister
Plexico Burd, since you are a giant legend. WNBA Rebel
Edition uniforms dropped yesterday off fifteen teams. New threads the
(26:31):
New York Liberty, inspired by the Brooklyn Big Bridge. You
like do you like the idea of the design being
of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Speaker 4 (26:43):
I do. Brooklyn Bridge's anonymous with Manhattan. The WNB just
kicked off last night. Brenna Stuart had a career high
opening game season thirty one points. So I love it.
Speaker 3 (26:56):
NHL second Round, TJ, they don't know that at You
just an overall sports junkie sports nerd like be quoting
it like that, dang rain Man. Hurricanes, they're up three
to zero. The Flyers, you know, they're they're losing to
the Hurricanes, Mad the Sabers, they lead the Canadians, and well,
(27:18):
it's wide open. My question to you is who hoists
the Stanley Cup when it's all said and done.
Speaker 6 (27:28):
Man, No One, the Carolina Hurricanes. I'm gonna go with Carolina.
I'm gonna go with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Speaker 5 (27:37):
Man, they.
Speaker 6 (27:39):
At this point when they look like they are the
best team, I'm going with the Hurricanes. But it may be,
you know, I could be a victim of the moment,
you know, of three to zero at this but yeah,
I'm gonna go with the Hurricanes.
Speaker 3 (27:53):
TJ. Staying with you. NFL schedule release drops Thursday, May
fourteenth at eight pm Eastern Time. Which game do you
have to see on Christmas Day?
Speaker 4 (28:07):
Wow?
Speaker 6 (28:08):
See, that's so hard to say which game you would
want to see on Christmas Day because by Christmas we
know who's good and who isn't. So we're gonna have
to go to Rams and whoever the ramp. It's tough
because there's always gonna be two or three teams that
(28:28):
come out of nowhere. And so I believe for sure
the Rams are gonna be a really good team this year.
The Eagles should be a really good team this year.
The Bills, any of those combinations the teams, the Lions,
the Niners. One of those teams hopefully can match up
with each other, but you just never know that. That's
(28:49):
basically the end of the season, you know, Christmas Plex.
Speaker 3 (28:52):
You're a basketball dad, a woman's basketball dad. Here's your
second women's basketball question. Clayon Caitlyn Clark. She plays her
first twenty twenty six game today, the Fever host Wings
one pm Eastern Time on ABC. Over under twenty five
points for Caitlyn.
Speaker 4 (29:14):
Oh Man, if you haven't seen Kitton lately, she basically
you know, she's been in the weight room. She's probably
put on a ten or fifteen pounds. So I'm going
with the other for Katon clock on twenty five points.
And look at what this young woman has done. She
has basically single handedly changed the entire landscape of what
this league is. A new CBA deal, these women's salary
(29:38):
has went up three four hundred percent, So congratulations to
her and these young women who have been fighting and
striving for higher pay, which they have gotten. Basically, I'm
not gonna say it's all her, but i am going
to say that she has single handedly changed this landscape
of this women's basketball league.
Speaker 3 (29:58):
TJ. The Phillies are. They're seventeen and twenty one. They're
nine games back of the Atlanta Braves, and in the
NL East, the Yankees, the Braves, the Cubs all twenty
five or excuse me, twenty six and twelve. Maddenly, he's
the guy that to this question. The Phillies who have
fired their manager since having that poor start. They replaced
(30:23):
Rob Thompson this week with Don Middenley. He takes over
as in a room and well a lot of people
don't know if they have an opportunity or not to
fairly catch up from the deficit. Do you think this
was the right move firing Rob Thompson or did they
overreact and not get it right.
Speaker 6 (30:42):
I wouldn't say they they didn't get it right, but
I would believe it's an overreaction. Man, the Phillies baseball
is nine and nineteen. You mean, but the players got
to hit, The pitchers got to pitch. That ain't the managers.
That ain't his fault. They're not hitting pitching. Well, that's
not that's not it.
Speaker 5 (31:02):
That's not the players, the players, and so everybody.
Speaker 4 (31:08):
Don't you heard a button coach? Don't you hurt a
pitching coach? Listen, man, when you.
Speaker 3 (31:14):
Get bad decision, it's lightning. It's lightning, it's lightened.
Speaker 5 (31:17):
Bad decisions, bad decision.
Speaker 3 (31:19):
All right, here we go Round two. You got five
quick ones, DJ, You led the NFL and receptions in
two thousand and seven with one hundred and twelve catches
a seventh round pick, becoming the receptions champ. Five second
pep talk to an undrafted rookie.
Speaker 4 (31:36):
Go.
Speaker 6 (31:38):
Man, don't complain about how you got into the league
when you get your opportunity to make the most of it.
Speaker 3 (31:44):
Funniest thing Chad Johnson has ever did in the locker room.
Speaker 6 (31:50):
Oh Man, I can't funny crazy, it's too many to name,
but probably when he sent that pepto bismo to the
Cleveland Browns and he was trying to figure how they
was going to react to it, prior to anybody knowing
he was sending it.
Speaker 3 (32:05):
Carson Polmer in his prime or Joe Burrow today, better
Q throw it to you.
Speaker 5 (32:11):
Go oh, I'm going Carson.
Speaker 3 (32:15):
Best route runner you ever played with? Not against?
Speaker 5 (32:19):
Go Chad?
Speaker 3 (32:22):
AFC North in your prime or AFC North today? Which
one's tougher?
Speaker 5 (32:27):
Go oh, in our prime? You could really hit? Come on, now,
that's easy.
Speaker 3 (32:32):
Plexico Burris catching the Super Bowl game winner or knocking
off the eighteen and O Patriots, which feeling hit harder?
Speaker 4 (32:43):
Oh Man grasping that ball in the left corner end zone.
Speaker 3 (32:48):
Game over, Eli Manning, Eli Manning funniest face pre snap,
mid throw or after a touchdown.
Speaker 4 (32:58):
Go well, he has a saying face all the time,
so uh, that's what he had. What you get is
what you see?
Speaker 3 (33:07):
Is it Bill Coward's chin or Tom Coughlin's red face?
Speaker 4 (33:13):
Which the chin the chin? Because you knew when you
see that, when you saw that chin drop, you knew
you had he knew you did something.
Speaker 3 (33:24):
Wrong, Tinwards smile or your touchdown celebrations. Who's the bigger
Steelers icon of your era?
Speaker 4 (33:36):
Of my era?
Speaker 3 (33:39):
Dang all right? Best deep ball you ever caught? Who
threw it? Where? And how far?
Speaker 5 (33:46):
Wow?
Speaker 4 (33:49):
Best deep ball I ever caught probably would have been
Eli Manning two thousand and six in Dallas.
Speaker 5 (33:59):
I believe was like sixty yards.
Speaker 3 (34:01):
In the round. Round four. Both of y'all answered, crazy quick,
Here we go. It's the tag team round. Y'all could
do it together. Toughest stadium you ever played in, goat
Kansas City, Pittsburgh. Okay, best trash talker in NFL history, go.
Speaker 4 (34:22):
And NFL history, geez Jion rand uh Bill Romanowski.
Speaker 3 (34:29):
M hmm. Most overrated player you ever faced?
Speaker 4 (34:34):
Wow, most overrated overrated and you know it. You know
his name? Say uh uh Fred Thomas.
Speaker 5 (34:44):
Man if you have if you're a professional man, ain't
no player overrated?
Speaker 4 (34:48):
Okay, you went saved. You saw t J.
Speaker 5 (34:51):
Mord fact.
Speaker 3 (34:54):
Player you wish you played with but never did.
Speaker 5 (34:57):
Go uh on ELW Tom Brady.
Speaker 3 (35:04):
Best receiver duo of all time, one pair of all time.
Speaker 4 (35:11):
Oh, that's kind of that's tough. I'm going to go
Isaac Bruce and Tory Holt.
Speaker 5 (35:19):
Okay, that was gonna be mindset. I'm gonna go Randy Monson,
Chris Carter.
Speaker 3 (35:24):
That's a good one. All right. Well that's your lightning No, no,
got another one, John Taylor, Oh, Taryll Owen.
Speaker 5 (35:35):
Man, that's gotta be the best. That's gotta Jim Swift
and another one.
Speaker 3 (35:41):
Yeah, that's your lightning round, that's Plexico, that's TJ. They're
both winners. Just keep it coming, man, We're gonna we're
gonna work on that one. We're gonna keep it going. Uh.
If you missed any of you today's show, that's okay.
You can catch it on the podcast. Just search Fox
Sports Radio wherever it is. You get your podcast from
rate review Again, just search for sports radio wherever it
is you get your show. From last segment of the show,
(36:05):
the Sixers are donating tickets to keep Nicks fans out.
I don't think that's gonna happen. We got Plexico Burds,
we got TJ.
Speaker 5 (36:13):
He's a New York.
Speaker 3 (36:14):
Legend, plex Is. We gotta say something about that before
we get up out of here. So we're gonna take
a quick breaking on the other side of the break.
That's what we're gonna wrap up with.
Speaker 5 (36:24):
It's t J.
Speaker 3 (36:24):
Huschman is out of It's Plexico Burds. I'm LeVar Arrington
and this is Up on Game. We'll be right back
Fox Sports Radio. All right, welcome back into Up on Game.
We have some breaking news. Let's go to Isaac Lohancron
for that.
Speaker 5 (36:39):
I loo what you got.
Speaker 1 (36:43):
Breaking news from Fox Sports.
Speaker 8 (36:46):
Baseball Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox has passed away
at the age of eighty four. Cox managed the Atlanta
Braves to the nineteen ninety five World Championship, one of
five National League penancy won with the Braves. So we
managed to in astound fourteen consecutive National League Eastern Division
championships in a row, and guys Chris Purfett pointed this
(37:07):
out Bobby Cox, as it turned out, and longtime former
Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner wind up passing away in
the same week. So with that in mind, I'm gonna
play you some quick audio. This is Ted Turner and
Bobby Cox accepting the World Championship trophy together in nineteen
ninety five.
Speaker 3 (37:27):
Listen, thank you.
Speaker 2 (37:28):
What I just want to say y'all. We love baseball
a lot, and we deserve it and we're gonna enjoy it.
This is really for Ted and the fans, it's all.
You know, they stuck by this organization' franchise a long
time and we've.
Speaker 3 (37:46):
Been close before, but we finally got it. That's all
all right, guys, back to you. Wonderful SoundBite and listen,
manager Cox widely known as the face of the franchise
as the Braves when they had their dominant run. Yeah,
thoughts and prayers to his family and and obviously you
(38:08):
know to the Atlanta the Atlanta Braves organization. Uh yeah,
big losses this week. Let's uh, let's move on. Let's
let's let's finish out the show. And and this last segment,
we wanted to talk about the Philadelphia seventy six ers
and going into this game, they're they're they're urging. They're
(38:31):
they're they're not even urging. They're donating tickets fellas Uh
and beat was begging fans not to to sell their tickets. Uh,
they're giving away fans, donating them to try to maintain
a home court advantage. Does it work? Is this just desperation?
Speaker 5 (38:48):
What?
Speaker 3 (38:49):
What do you how do you guys see this or
feel about this When you see a franchise begging their
fan base and just giving away tickets to their fan
base just the supper worth them.
Speaker 6 (39:01):
Man, ain't no problem with that. The fans is supported
them with time and money. They down three to oh though,
so coming from back from that is virtually impossible, pulling
out all the stops to make sure it's loud and
the players feel the support. But being down and trying
to fight uphill is gonna be tough within itself. And
(39:23):
so if they can entice fans by doing this and
doing that, then I'm all for it.
Speaker 5 (39:29):
But they got to handle their business on the court.
Speaker 6 (39:31):
You you got to win one game before you worry
about two, three and four, and so if they can
get one, you got to go back to New York
and see if you can get another one.
Speaker 5 (39:41):
But I don't mind that, man. The fans are the
reason sports and athletes are what they are. Uh.
Speaker 4 (39:50):
You know what, you shouldn't be worried about the fans.
You should be more concerned about winning the basketball game.
You wouldn't be in this predicament if you want down
three to zero. But that all that is the Philadelphia
fan base, they will turn on you in a heartbeat.
To be swept will be eye opening for this whole
organization from top to bottom. I mean, this is something
(40:12):
that we thought we would not see, especially with the
way that Joel Embiid that has been playing as of late.
But to be down three to zero second round of
the playoffs to watch, you know, the Philadelphia seventy six
is maybe to be swept on their home court. That's
not good. If I'm a fan, I will be frustrated.
Speaker 3 (40:34):
Also, big thanks to our producers and our board bow Perfect.
Appreciate you always keeping us on the rails, keeping everything
running smooth. You could check us out at LaVar Arrington
at Hush eighty four at Plexico Burson. At Fox Sports Radio,
Jonas KNX is coming up next. You just listened to
up on games. Thank you guys for tuning in. This
(40:56):
is Fox Sports Radio.
This is the show for you too, with LeVar Ary,
test TJ Houshman, Zanna and Plaxico burres j.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
I love the way you break the game down, l A.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
Man, you were jacked by my flag number two overall
and that's nine. And plaques, Man, you were at seven
five seven.
Speaker 4 (00:19):
Product.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
Ain't everybody who plaque was growing up around her?
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Man free of the best to ever do it on
and off the field. Now live from the Fox Sports
Radio studios, here's pro bowlers LaVar Ary test TJ Hushman, Zanna,
and Silver Bowl champion Plaxico Burrets.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
All right, welcome in the hour two. The twenty fourteen
college football playoff is going to kill conference championship games.
And that's a feature, not a bug. All Right. Conference
titles were never as compelling as we pretended them to be.
(01:00):
Now it's pretty evident. Hour two up on Game Fox
Sports Radio, twenty four college football teams. Listen everything we're
talking about. Everything we got going on. Fellas, the other
sixteen teams play first round games on that buy and
the other sixteen teams played first round games on higher
(01:22):
seeds and on campus. The whole thing replaces conference championship weekend.
If you ask me, the twelve team formatch started in
twenty four. We just finished our second season under it,
and now coaches wanted twenty four, just finished doing the twelve,
(01:45):
getting to fourteen, hitting the twenty four. How do you
guys feel about this? I mean, are you on board
with with twenty four teams being in the playoffs? You're
doubling it pretty much you. I mean, I know they
can fit it into the schedule. I know how you
know they can do a lot with it. But I mean,
(02:06):
do you guys feel as though this is the right
move for college football?
Speaker 5 (02:14):
No twenty four teams? What is this?
Speaker 6 (02:18):
Man Like? I really like the way it is now.
I think it's perfect, A.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
Real twelve teams, the twelve team.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
Yes, I believe that, the twelve teams, but not the
way the current Yeah.
Speaker 6 (02:41):
The amount of the amount of teams that are in
a college football playoff now, I believe it's fine now
because there's always going to be the thirteenth team. All
we should have been in it. You go to twenty
four to twenty fifteen, all we should have been in it.
You go to thirty thirty, first team, All we should
have been in it. The amount of teams that they
(03:03):
have in and now are find out the way they
select those teams. They may need to tweak that part
of it. What you mean, may need to tweak it.
It needs to be soft and tweaked. Because mill Leava
had this competition a few weeks ago, it going back
to the Duke versus Virginia game. I'm still up, up,
up in the air trying to figure out what happened
with the ACC.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
Champion didn't get in. And I don't agree. I don't
agree with the Sun Belt. I mean, I mean, it
looks kudos to these schools and these kids, but I
didn't believe that. What I believe it was Odu and
Tulane ended up in the top twelve. I don't agree
with that either those top those things need to be fixed.
Speaker 6 (03:45):
They need to put the best teams in. And that
is always very subjective because you you get the nine
usuld be Power five, not the non power four schools,
and it's like, how how do you know who's better
than who? That part is it's hard to figure out.
(04:06):
But twenty four teams? What they how many games these
kids are gonna play now? Sixteen seventeen games? So they
basically playing the NFL season before they get to the NFL.
And then you want to curb the amount of money
they can get. You want to curb the transfer in it.
Speaker 5 (04:23):
Oh no, no, no no.
Speaker 6 (04:24):
If y'all gonna do this, let these young men continue
to make the amount of money they make. But twenty
four teams is crazy. When when will the season end?
That's what people aren't talking. When will the season end?
Of ar and then are they going to push the
combine back? Because if your season ends in late January
(04:44):
early February, nobody is running or doing anything at the
combine because you don't have enough preparation. You got any knickknacks.
You got to heal, then you got to So are
they gonna push the combine? Then are they going to
push the draft back? You lose week zero? What does
week zero mean? That's only one week, LeVar, that's only
one week, but you're playing two to three extra games.
Speaker 5 (05:03):
Or they start the season two weeks early.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Yeah, I think I think it's gonna come from the.
Speaker 6 (05:08):
Not everybody would have to start the season mid August. Correct, Yes, yes, yeah, August.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
I think it's gonna You're gonna lose Week zero it's
gonna start earlier, is what I would assume.
Speaker 6 (05:18):
And the later, you know how they have like that
three week break in December, do they remove that as well.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
No, I'm not certain how it's handled. I don't I'm
not certain how it gets handled. But what I will
say is is that you're giving You're giving more teams
the opportunity to get in that lose late games. And
and I just wonder how this plays. I mean, do
you have any real incentive to play hard games earlier
(05:50):
on in the year. I think that bowl games are
being destroyed by this as well. So maybe you got
to start thinking about the idea of putting bold games.
And this was discussed on two pros. Maybe putting bowl
games at the beginning of the year neutral syche games
make it a bowl game. You can't keep calling all
of these games, well, you can't keep calling these games
(06:12):
that you're playing postseason bowl games. What there's no reward
to that. These guys are opting out. You're not going
to have a football team to play in these bowl
games because they don't matter. There's no real matter to them.
And then you get into the playoffs. The college football
playoff is a playoff. What you want to ring for
for winning a college football playoff game? Oh, you got
a rose ball ring because you won a rose ball
(06:34):
that was one of the playoff games on the way
to the Super the championship round sounds weird to me.
A playoff is a playoff. You don't get no reward
for making it out of the first round. You get
a reward for winning it all. So I think that
you gotta take a look at putting the bowl game
season at the beginning of the year versus at the
end of the year. It might it might encourage How.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
Would you pick who plays in these bowl game game?
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Well, the schools are going to have to the schools,
the conferences. They're going to have to figure out. Why
wouldn't they.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
You gotta earn. You gotta earn making it to a
bowl game.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
No, that's changed. You gotta man.
Speaker 4 (07:11):
You can't just you can't just hand a school a
bowl game because you can't get all the players to
play in the.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
First Sure, you can't because it doesn't reper It does
not represent the same value that it once did. It
does not, So now that you have a playoff, you
don't just determine who the national champion is by their record,
and okay, the ap pole you gotta play to win it.
(07:40):
You gotta play. And if you're a runner up, you
gotta play to become the runner up.
Speaker 4 (07:44):
It ain't so so they're going to play two sets
of bowl games. No you're not.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
You're gonna play, So how will the.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
National champion be crowned? Those are still games the Sugar, Fiesta,
the Orange. Last time I checked those A Bowl games.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
So listen to what I'm saying. Those games are no
longer labeled bowl games there, they're playoff games. Use the
use the big The major bowl games are the other ones.
They kick rocks Is out of there, like you know,
pop tarts, all that stuff, You're out of there. But
the major ones like the Fiesta Bowl, like the Rose Bowl,
(08:20):
like the Orange Bowl. Make them Peach, make them the
Chick fil a Bowl, make them early season games. You're
going to incentivize bigger teams the one to play against
one another because you're expanding the field by double. Then
if you lose early in a bowl game, you're still
(08:41):
going to get a competitive matchup. But knowing if I
lose this game, it doesn't diminish our ability opportunity to
compete for for the Super for for the playoffs. It
won't and and that goes forward the end of the
year as well. Losing a game because a lot of
teams lose games late in the Sea, and that totally
disrupts and destroys the momentum that they had trying to
(09:04):
make it into the playoffs. This, these amounts of teams,
twenty four teams now makes it way more easier for
a team to take a loss and still make it
into the playoffs. Why would it never work? Why would
it ever work?
Speaker 4 (09:19):
I just don't see how you're going to what teams
are going to play in game one? Okay, how the
old game?
Speaker 3 (09:26):
Then how do you select the top twenty five? Then
how you select the top.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
Twenty five because of the record if they win a conference,
and because of the record and strength of schedule?
Speaker 3 (09:37):
You hold three things go Okay, strength is second schedule.
You have a preseason, You have a preseason poll. It
rates to who you think the top teams are through
twenty five? Correct?
Speaker 4 (09:49):
Yeah, look at what happened in Texas year.
Speaker 3 (09:52):
Kay, but look at what happened to Texas? Were you
high on watching them play in Week one? The same
way you were at the end of the season. No,
so I can get a value out of arch Manning.
I could get a value out of Texas. I could
get a value out of Penn State. Penn State took
a nose dive too. I can get a value out
of seeing these top teams, top rated teams coming into
(10:15):
the season playing against each other in a top rated
bowl and a neutral site environment. To me, I think
that creates more Are you more excited to see a
team play coming into the new season than you see
two top teams play a matchup, then you are seeing
them play against a small school that you know is
getting paid a couple million dollars to come get their
(10:37):
ass spanked. Which one would you be more excited to see?
Speaker 4 (10:41):
I want to see the College Football Playoff or the
end of the year the top eight, top four teams.
But you are not a championship.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
But you are going to see that at the end
of the year because you got to win the tournament
to be able to be the champion. Just because you
playing top talent at the beginning of the year, that
does not diminished the amount of hype that will be
going into the college football Playoff.
Speaker 5 (11:05):
What do you think, TJ.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
Man, I don't think it doesn't work. It just doesn't.
It's so much.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
It might have to be the future.
Speaker 5 (11:18):
You just it's a lot. It's a lot like that
goes into that.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
It is a lot.
Speaker 6 (11:24):
It's a lot that goes into that. And to me,
at the forefront should be the hell for the players
at the gotta be gotta be now how they picked
this and how they picked that. Man, what's going on
with these players because we all know now we're talking
about the patches earlier. It's all about the money. What's
(11:48):
going to generate the most revenue. Whatever generates the most revenue,
it don't matter what anybody say, that's what's gonna happen.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
I just feel like this playoff expanding. Yes, you're you.
You have to first of all, to get you gotta well.
You got to do away with saying amateur. You got
to do away with saying this isn't a job. These
guys got you can't. No, no, you can't, because now
you're talking about to me, I think you get into
(12:19):
the insurance, You get into the insurances, you get into
the liabilities aspects of it, Like you're you're getting into
the added revenue of it all and what it's generating.
I don't think it's that simple of a conversation. You
can still call them amagers, but you're paying them like
they're pros. I think that you got to start structuring
it out where you have a payroll. You got to
(12:40):
start structuring it out where you have salary caps. I
think that you gotta start going down the model of
these guys being employees. These are employees that they're not amateurs,
and and it has to be a structure that is
eventually implemented and integrated into the n c A a
football rank for it to actually survive and operate at
(13:04):
a high level. That is what they are considered healthy.
They're not they're not They're not you could call them
as that, they're not pro. You could call it, well,
they have jobs. So to me, I think that you're.
Speaker 6 (13:20):
You're you're looking, you're you're like over analyzing it. It's
a professional and if you're not a professional, you're an amateur.
Speaker 3 (13:27):
But but someone say, if you get if you get
paid to do what it is what you do, what
are you considered to be You're an amateur. You're an
amateur getting paid. LeVar I'm away. It's a new it's
a new day and time. See the n c A
and got you from when we were playing. You're an
amateur that that's what they used to say. It was an amateur.
(13:47):
We're students. I just went getting bags under the table,
like y'all. Maybe I wasn't.
Speaker 4 (13:51):
I was an acclimate get money that card.
Speaker 3 (13:56):
So y'all, y'all used to get them, y'all used to
get money while I was not supposed to be getting money.
And then a guy like me, who y'all isn't getting
I wasn't getting no money under the table. I didn't
have a job. I was playing ball. That's what I
was doing. That I'm an amateur like So maybe y'all right,
maybe my old school is talking right now. But the
(14:19):
way I've seen it, the way I see it is,
if you aren't getting paid for what you're doing, you're
an amateur. If you're getting paid for what you're doing,
I don't care. If it's not NFL professional, you don't
have to say you are an NFL pro. But let
me tell you something. If you are making a wage
(14:40):
off of a service that you are rendering to an
institution or a company, that has hired you to do it. You,
my goodness, are a professional.
Speaker 4 (14:49):
You are.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
That's what I'm overanalyt That's what a pro is.
Speaker 4 (14:54):
No, it's your profession. Yes, so it's not why employees
are professionals?
Speaker 5 (15:03):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (15:05):
Do you hear what you just said? Plexico birds?
Speaker 4 (15:07):
No, No, they're not.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
What is what is an employee? What is an employee?
Speaker 4 (15:13):
There's a lot of ways to generate wages and that
does not make you a professional. Believe me when I
tell you what is a professional? Because you're an employee,
you're a professional.
Speaker 5 (15:29):
No, there's no.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
Here we go here, we go here. Here's what. Here's
what The Webster's definition and Meaning of professional says of
relating to a characteristic of profession, profession, training, development, experience,
a professional career as a nurse, that that I die.
You engage in a profession that requires academic learning. Okay,
(15:52):
boom boom boom, okay, give me what, give me what
it is, Give me what it is?
Speaker 5 (15:57):
Here?
Speaker 3 (15:57):
We are here, we are here. We are an individual
who earns a living through an activity requiring specialized education, training,
or expertise. You are able to make a living through
what it is that you're doing through a skill. So
(16:17):
I mean, y'all, can.
Speaker 4 (16:20):
You pull out the dictionary all you want ie with you?
Speaker 6 (16:25):
So what other day that dictionary is written by?
Speaker 3 (16:35):
That's Day one, Rocky Marciano. Just try to just try
the soup. All I'm saying is these cats are professionals.
Speaker 4 (16:50):
Y'all think that y'all want to You.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
Don't have to listen. We got another segment that we
gotta do and then another one after that. Uh, the
NBA viewing ship you the viewership, it's up sixteen percent, y'all.
The things are looking good for the NBA this year,
so we're gonna talk about it. NBC back Game seven,
(17:15):
they drew eleven million people and big Tech. I mentioned
it to you. It's threatening to kill local TV news.
You get that on the other side of the break
you're listening to up on game. That's TJ Huschmanzada hating Olivar.
That's Plexico Burst hating Olivar. I'm the one that's getting
hated on. I'm LeVar this Fox Sports Radio, well be
(17:36):
right back after these messages.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at foxsports radio
dot Com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to
listen live.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
Hey is Capino and Rich from Fox Sports Radio. Now.
Speaker 7 (17:53):
In addition to hearing us live weekdays from five to
seven pm Eastern two to fourth Pacific on Fox Sports Radio,
We're excited to announce a brand new YouTube channel for
the show.
Speaker 3 (18:02):
Yup. That's right.
Speaker 7 (18:03):
You can now watch Covino and Rich live on YouTube
every day. All you gotta do search Covino and Rich
FSR on YouTube again, go to YouTube search Covino and
Rich FSR. Check us out on YouTube, subscribe, hit that
dumbs up icon coming away.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
Alright, all right, welcome back in. It's up one game.
Speaker 4 (18:25):
TJ.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
Huschman is out of Plexico burs. I'm LeVar Arrington. NBA
viewership year one of an eleven year, seventy seven billion
dollar deal. NBC back in the league for the first
time since twenty well two thousand and two. Excuse me,
uh yeah, well twenty oh two. The numbers, the viewership.
(18:48):
It's up sixteen percent a year year over year. NBC's
averaging two point eight million viewers a game, up one
hundred and nine percent. Super high. Little time spent watching
the NBA on National and you know TV, it's up
to twenty two percent. In Game seven of seventy six
(19:11):
Ers and the Celtics last week it averaged eleven million viewers,
the most watched First Round Game seven since nineteen ninety nine.
The NBA's you know, they've they've bet on the broadcasting
of TV, and they've bet on big tech. Big tech
is buying sports rights. They're threatening local TV news stations
(19:36):
Fox Fox Corp. They warrant the FCC free TV viewers
could lose access to things like the World Series, Thanksgiving,
NFL football, and the Olympics. If Amazon, Apple keep buying
broadcast sports, it's the last thing to keep local stations alive.
(19:58):
Once that's gone, well, nobody's going to watch local TV.
It's going to go all digital. So big tech is
in the midst of a boom. But the NBA has
big business going on right now. Fellas. NBA viewership up
eighteen percent. To subscribe or not to subscribe? That is
(20:19):
the question. How do you guys, Where do you guys
fall on that?
Speaker 4 (20:22):
You know, I'm gonna start with this. I believe that
the NBA viewership is up, not solely just based on
NBC or you know, subscriptions. I really honest believe it's
the wondn't be effect. I haven't missed the San Antonio
Spurs playoff game yet this season, and I think it
(20:43):
has a lot to do with him, you know, because
he's must see TV and he is on his way
to being the new face of the NBA because you
tune in every night to watch him and you just
sit there and you say, I want to see this
man do something that I've never seen before, and he
does it every single night. And on the flip side
(21:03):
of that, you have a young team in OKC who
I believe SGA is going to be a two time
back to back MVP, and it's an intriguing story from
a young a young team of can he will his
teammates and this organization put them on the back on
his back and win back to back world championships? And
(21:26):
does that world that make them a dynasty moving forward?
So I think personally, I think that the players have
more to do with it than than the than the
NBC and the big tech because you look at all
the all the biggest stars in the NBA, they're not playing.
(21:46):
Kevin Durant is out, Jason Tatum's out, the Jokers at
home watching Steph Curry's at home watching No Halli Burton.
So these young men who who we are watching ant
Man included are players that the fans want to see,
and I believe it has more to do with that
(22:07):
than anything else, because I mean, it's the playoffs are
fun to watch. They haven't been fun to watch over
the past, you know, five or ten years, but this
year it just seems that whenever the San Antonio Spurs
are on television, I'm watching TJ.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
Is big tech killing free tv? Is it a cautionary
tale that you're gonna have to pay for content to
see sports events that you used to see. Gotta be careful,
You gotta be careful.
Speaker 6 (22:41):
Obviously when games are streamed, it's more money to the players,
but ultimately the fans make us who we are, the
tuning in to the games, coming to the games, buying
your jerseys and.
Speaker 5 (23:00):
Just being involved.
Speaker 6 (23:03):
And so when it's not on local television and it's
a platform that has a wall that you have to
subscribe to watch games that for decades were on free TV,
then it becomes a problem. And so as of now,
it isn't a problem because when you look at the
(23:26):
totality of all games played, the percent of how many
games are streamed, isn't that bad. I will say this though,
that the NBA this year was a little different, you know,
because you're used to the games being on a certain channel.
You don't know what channel the game on. You gotta
find it. Oh it's not even on TV. You got
to go stream, it's on this, it's on this. And
(23:47):
so they do need to be careful when it comes
to that because at some point, the streaming companies that
are paying these billions of dollars, if their subscribers aren't
going up, then now they're losing money. And now you
got to go back to network television. But you're going
back to network television in a position of almost begging
(24:08):
and out of power, and what do you do? So
just keep a certain percent on network television. And always
you got to allocate a certain percent of the streaming
because again, it's always a business.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
M All right, let's get an update. On the other
side of update, we're going to do lightning locker. We're
gonna try something different. We're gonna do five rounds of
quick ass answers to topics that we weren't really able
to get to during the course of the show. We're
going to try to do this, but it could be
a next show or it could be a great success.
We're going to see what happens on the other side
(24:42):
of this update, mister Isaac long Cron, what do you.
Speaker 8 (24:45):
Got a right looking forward to your QAA as it were?
Speaker 4 (24:49):
Here we go.
Speaker 8 (24:49):
We've had some developments today in the National Football League
that host the Chicago Vera signing veteran free agent receiver
Scotty Miller. Here is the latest on the Aaron Rodgers situation.
This from Jerry Dulac, who covers the Steelers for the
Pittsburgh Post Gazette. He reports, quote, Aaron Rodgers has been
in town for a couple days, but the Steelers have
not met with him yet and instead have been talking
(25:11):
with his agent. Rodgers has stayed away from the team's
South Side facility while the three day rookie mini camp
has been going on. Unquote, we had a trade today
in Major League Baseball. Cleveland Guardians acquired two time Gold
Glove Award winning catcher Patrick Bailey from the San Francisco
Giants in exchange for a draft pick and a prospect
coming up at three pm Eastern Game three of the
(25:33):
NBA's Eastern Conference Semi Finals from Cleveland, with the Detroit
Pistons leading the Cavaliers two games to none. On Friday night,
in Game three of the Western Conference Semi Finals, the
San Antonio Spurs what at Minnesota one fifteen to one
aweight for a two games to one lead victor Wembin
Yama thirty nine points, fifteen rebounds, five blocks. Earlier Friday night,
(25:54):
the New York Knicks got thirty three from Jalen Brunson
what at Philadelphia oneh eight to ninety four to take
a three games to then lead in that series. Guys,
let QAA commence.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
All right, here we go. Let's try to get through this.
This is gonna be called the Lightning Round. You know what, guys,
give me a one word. You don't even have to
give no justification in round one. Just give me what
you think. Here we go. First one for you, mister
Plexico Burd, since you are a giant legend. WNBA Rebel
Edition uniforms dropped yesterday off fifteen teams. New threads the
(26:31):
New York Liberty, inspired by the Brooklyn Big Bridge. You
like do you like the idea of the design being
of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Speaker 4 (26:43):
I do. Brooklyn Bridge's anonymous with Manhattan. The WNB just
kicked off last night. Brenna Stuart had a career high
opening game season thirty one points. So I love it.
Speaker 3 (26:56):
NHL second Round, TJ, they don't know that at You
just an overall sports junkie sports nerd like be quoting
it like that, dang rain Man. Hurricanes, they're up three
to zero. The Flyers, you know, they're they're losing to
the Hurricanes, Mad the Sabers, they lead the Canadians, and well,
(27:18):
it's wide open. My question to you is who hoists
the Stanley Cup when it's all said and done.
Speaker 6 (27:28):
Man, No One, the Carolina Hurricanes. I'm gonna go with Carolina.
I'm gonna go with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Speaker 5 (27:37):
Man, they.
Speaker 6 (27:39):
At this point when they look like they are the
best team, I'm going with the Hurricanes. But it may be,
you know, I could be a victim of the moment,
you know, of three to zero at this but yeah,
I'm gonna go with the Hurricanes.
Speaker 3 (27:53):
TJ. Staying with you. NFL schedule release drops Thursday, May
fourteenth at eight pm Eastern Time. Which game do you
have to see on Christmas Day?
Speaker 4 (28:07):
Wow?
Speaker 6 (28:08):
See, that's so hard to say which game you would
want to see on Christmas Day because by Christmas we
know who's good and who isn't. So we're gonna have
to go to Rams and whoever the ramp. It's tough
because there's always gonna be two or three teams that
(28:28):
come out of nowhere. And so I believe for sure
the Rams are gonna be a really good team this year.
The Eagles should be a really good team this year.
The Bills, any of those combinations the teams, the Lions,
the Niners. One of those teams hopefully can match up
with each other, but you just never know that. That's
(28:49):
basically the end of the season, you know, Christmas Plex.
Speaker 3 (28:52):
You're a basketball dad, a woman's basketball dad. Here's your
second women's basketball question. Clayon Caitlyn Clark. She plays her
first twenty twenty six game today, the Fever host Wings
one pm Eastern Time on ABC. Over under twenty five
points for Caitlyn.
Speaker 4 (29:14):
Oh Man, if you haven't seen Kitton lately, she basically
you know, she's been in the weight room. She's probably
put on a ten or fifteen pounds. So I'm going
with the other for Katon clock on twenty five points.
And look at what this young woman has done. She
has basically single handedly changed the entire landscape of what
this league is. A new CBA deal, these women's salary
(29:38):
has went up three four hundred percent, So congratulations to
her and these young women who have been fighting and
striving for higher pay, which they have gotten. Basically, I'm
not gonna say it's all her, but i am going
to say that she has single handedly changed this landscape
of this women's basketball league.
Speaker 3 (29:58):
TJ. The Phillies are. They're seventeen and twenty one. They're
nine games back of the Atlanta Braves, and in the
NL East, the Yankees, the Braves, the Cubs all twenty
five or excuse me, twenty six and twelve. Maddenly, he's
the guy that to this question. The Phillies who have
fired their manager since having that poor start. They replaced
(30:23):
Rob Thompson this week with Don Middenley. He takes over
as in a room and well a lot of people
don't know if they have an opportunity or not to
fairly catch up from the deficit. Do you think this
was the right move firing Rob Thompson or did they
overreact and not get it right.
Speaker 6 (30:42):
I wouldn't say they they didn't get it right, but
I would believe it's an overreaction. Man, the Phillies baseball
is nine and nineteen. You mean, but the players got
to hit, The pitchers got to pitch. That ain't the managers.
That ain't his fault. They're not hitting pitching. Well, that's
not that's not it.
Speaker 5 (31:02):
That's not the players, the players, and so everybody.
Speaker 4 (31:08):
Don't you heard a button coach? Don't you hurt a
pitching coach? Listen, man, when you.
Speaker 3 (31:14):
Get bad decision, it's lightning. It's lightning, it's lightened.
Speaker 5 (31:17):
Bad decisions, bad decision.
Speaker 3 (31:19):
All right, here we go Round two. You got five
quick ones, DJ, You led the NFL and receptions in
two thousand and seven with one hundred and twelve catches
a seventh round pick, becoming the receptions champ. Five second
pep talk to an undrafted rookie.
Speaker 4 (31:36):
Go.
Speaker 6 (31:38):
Man, don't complain about how you got into the league
when you get your opportunity to make the most of it.
Speaker 3 (31:44):
Funniest thing Chad Johnson has ever did in the locker room.
Speaker 6 (31:50):
Oh Man, I can't funny crazy, it's too many to name,
but probably when he sent that pepto bismo to the
Cleveland Browns and he was trying to figure how they
was going to react to it, prior to anybody knowing
he was sending it.
Speaker 3 (32:05):
Carson Polmer in his prime or Joe Burrow today, better
Q throw it to you.
Speaker 5 (32:11):
Go oh, I'm going Carson.
Speaker 3 (32:15):
Best route runner you ever played with? Not against?
Speaker 5 (32:19):
Go Chad?
Speaker 3 (32:22):
AFC North in your prime or AFC North today? Which
one's tougher?
Speaker 5 (32:27):
Go oh, in our prime? You could really hit? Come on, now,
that's easy.
Speaker 3 (32:32):
Plexico Burris catching the Super Bowl game winner or knocking
off the eighteen and O Patriots, which feeling hit harder?
Speaker 4 (32:43):
Oh Man grasping that ball in the left corner end zone.
Speaker 3 (32:48):
Game over, Eli Manning, Eli Manning funniest face pre snap,
mid throw or after a touchdown.
Speaker 4 (32:58):
Go well, he has a saying face all the time,
so uh, that's what he had. What you get is
what you see?
Speaker 3 (33:07):
Is it Bill Coward's chin or Tom Coughlin's red face?
Speaker 4 (33:13):
Which the chin the chin? Because you knew when you
see that, when you saw that chin drop, you knew
you had he knew you did something.
Speaker 3 (33:24):
Wrong, Tinwards smile or your touchdown celebrations. Who's the bigger
Steelers icon of your era?
Speaker 4 (33:36):
Of my era?
Speaker 3 (33:39):
Dang all right? Best deep ball you ever caught? Who
threw it? Where? And how far?
Speaker 5 (33:46):
Wow?
Speaker 4 (33:49):
Best deep ball I ever caught probably would have been
Eli Manning two thousand and six in Dallas.
Speaker 5 (33:59):
I believe was like sixty yards.
Speaker 3 (34:01):
In the round. Round four. Both of y'all answered, crazy quick,
Here we go. It's the tag team round. Y'all could
do it together. Toughest stadium you ever played in, goat
Kansas City, Pittsburgh. Okay, best trash talker in NFL history, go.
Speaker 4 (34:22):
And NFL history, geez Jion rand uh Bill Romanowski.
Speaker 3 (34:29):
M hmm. Most overrated player you ever faced?
Speaker 4 (34:34):
Wow, most overrated overrated and you know it. You know
his name? Say uh uh Fred Thomas.
Speaker 5 (34:44):
Man if you have if you're a professional man, ain't
no player overrated?
Speaker 4 (34:48):
Okay, you went saved. You saw t J.
Speaker 5 (34:51):
Mord fact.
Speaker 3 (34:54):
Player you wish you played with but never did.
Speaker 5 (34:57):
Go uh on ELW Tom Brady.
Speaker 3 (35:04):
Best receiver duo of all time, one pair of all time.
Speaker 4 (35:11):
Oh, that's kind of that's tough. I'm going to go
Isaac Bruce and Tory Holt.
Speaker 5 (35:19):
Okay, that was gonna be mindset. I'm gonna go Randy Monson,
Chris Carter.
Speaker 3 (35:24):
That's a good one. All right. Well that's your lightning No, no,
got another one, John Taylor, Oh, Taryll Owen.
Speaker 5 (35:35):
Man, that's gotta be the best. That's gotta Jim Swift
and another one.
Speaker 3 (35:41):
Yeah, that's your lightning round, that's Plexico, that's TJ. They're
both winners. Just keep it coming, man, We're gonna we're
gonna work on that one. We're gonna keep it going. Uh.
If you missed any of you today's show, that's okay.
You can catch it on the podcast. Just search Fox
Sports Radio wherever it is. You get your podcast from
rate review Again, just search for sports radio wherever it
is you get your show. From last segment of the show,
(36:05):
the Sixers are donating tickets to keep Nicks fans out.
I don't think that's gonna happen. We got Plexico Burds,
we got TJ.
Speaker 5 (36:13):
He's a New York.
Speaker 3 (36:14):
Legend, plex Is. We gotta say something about that before
we get up out of here. So we're gonna take
a quick breaking on the other side of the break.
That's what we're gonna wrap up with.
Speaker 5 (36:24):
It's t J.
Speaker 3 (36:24):
Huschman is out of It's Plexico Burds. I'm LeVar Arrington
and this is Up on Game. We'll be right back
Fox Sports Radio. All right, welcome back into Up on Game.
We have some breaking news. Let's go to Isaac Lohancron
for that.
Speaker 5 (36:39):
I loo what you got.
Speaker 1 (36:43):
Breaking news from Fox Sports.
Speaker 8 (36:46):
Baseball Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox has passed away
at the age of eighty four. Cox managed the Atlanta
Braves to the nineteen ninety five World Championship, one of
five National League penancy won with the Braves. So we
managed to in astound fourteen consecutive National League Eastern Division
championships in a row, and guys Chris Purfett pointed this
(37:07):
out Bobby Cox, as it turned out, and longtime former
Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner wind up passing away in
the same week. So with that in mind, I'm gonna
play you some quick audio. This is Ted Turner and
Bobby Cox accepting the World Championship trophy together in nineteen
ninety five.
Speaker 3 (37:27):
Listen, thank you.
Speaker 2 (37:28):
What I just want to say y'all. We love baseball
a lot, and we deserve it and we're gonna enjoy it.
This is really for Ted and the fans, it's all.
You know, they stuck by this organization' franchise a long
time and we've.
Speaker 3 (37:46):
Been close before, but we finally got it. That's all
all right, guys, back to you. Wonderful SoundBite and listen,
manager Cox widely known as the face of the franchise
as the Braves when they had their dominant run. Yeah,
thoughts and prayers to his family and and obviously you
(38:08):
know to the Atlanta the Atlanta Braves organization. Uh yeah,
big losses this week. Let's uh, let's move on. Let's
let's let's finish out the show. And and this last segment,
we wanted to talk about the Philadelphia seventy six ers
and going into this game, they're they're they're urging. They're
(38:31):
they're they're not even urging. They're donating tickets fellas Uh
and beat was begging fans not to to sell their tickets. Uh,
they're giving away fans, donating them to try to maintain
a home court advantage. Does it work? Is this just desperation?
Speaker 5 (38:48):
What?
Speaker 3 (38:49):
What do you how do you guys see this or
feel about this When you see a franchise begging their
fan base and just giving away tickets to their fan
base just the supper worth them.
Speaker 6 (39:01):
Man, ain't no problem with that. The fans is supported
them with time and money. They down three to oh though,
so coming from back from that is virtually impossible, pulling
out all the stops to make sure it's loud and
the players feel the support. But being down and trying
to fight uphill is gonna be tough within itself. And
(39:23):
so if they can entice fans by doing this and
doing that, then I'm all for it.
Speaker 5 (39:29):
But they got to handle their business on the court.
Speaker 6 (39:31):
You you got to win one game before you worry
about two, three and four, and so if they can
get one, you got to go back to New York
and see if you can get another one.
Speaker 5 (39:41):
But I don't mind that, man. The fans are the
reason sports and athletes are what they are. Uh.
Speaker 4 (39:50):
You know what, you shouldn't be worried about the fans.
You should be more concerned about winning the basketball game.
You wouldn't be in this predicament if you want down
three to zero. But that all that is the Philadelphia
fan base, they will turn on you in a heartbeat.
To be swept will be eye opening for this whole
organization from top to bottom. I mean, this is something
(40:12):
that we thought we would not see, especially with the
way that Joel Embiid that has been playing as of late.
But to be down three to zero second round of
the playoffs to watch, you know, the Philadelphia seventy six
is maybe to be swept on their home court. That's
not good. If I'm a fan, I will be frustrated.
Speaker 3 (40:34):
Also, big thanks to our producers and our board bow Perfect.
Appreciate you always keeping us on the rails, keeping everything
running smooth. You could check us out at LaVar Arrington
at Hush eighty four at Plexico Burson. At Fox Sports Radio,
Jonas KNX is coming up next. You just listened to
up on games. Thank you guys for tuning in. This
(40:56):
is Fox Sports Radio.
Hosts And Creators
Brady Quinn
LaVar Arrington
Jonas Knox
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