Mark Willard & Ryan Hollins React in Real Time to the Pacers Winning the ECF, Talk Steelers QB Plan & More!

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio Radio.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Ready to rock on a Saturday night, Get to double
dip a little bit this weekend on Fox Sports Radio,
and I want to get started by almost borrowing a
line from the Great jay Z. Thank God for granting
me this moment of parody. Gonna change the line a
little bit for the NBA because nobody nobody had what

(00:28):
might be happening during our show tonight, Ryan, nobody had
the Indiana Pacers going to the NBA Finals. Now, obviously
just about everybody probably had the Oklahoma City Thunder. But
I do feel like this is a different kind of
a basketball team, and you are one of the perfect
guys to ask, seeing as you work throughout the season

(00:48):
along with the Houston Rockets, and they are one of
the teams that kind of fit what I am about
to say. First of all, good afternoon, Slash, good evening
to you. It's been a while since we've had a
chance to do this, and I'm excited about it.

Speaker 1 (01:01):
How are you, ma'am?

Speaker 3 (01:02):
I'm doing good, brother. It's been a.

Speaker 2 (01:04):
Minute, man, it has it has other than, of course,
your appearance on my weekday show when.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
The Rockets and Warriors got together.

Speaker 2 (01:11):
A few weeks ago, which was every bit of fun
that it promised to be.

Speaker 1 (01:16):
That was a good one.

Speaker 3 (01:18):
Yeah, it was good.

Speaker 4 (01:18):
I'm sure you know you guys enjoyed it up there
in the Bay, not so much here in Houston. Novel though,
there's a lot of promise, Okay, but no, no one
wanted to see that type of ending and the insult
to injury to the Warriors. You wanted one last crack
at them. You know, you want to assume that.

Speaker 1 (01:37):
Golden State won't be the same Golden State moving forward.

Speaker 3 (01:40):
Not quite sure.

Speaker 4 (01:41):
There's so many things up in the air, but you
wanted one with at least draymonded Steph there.

Speaker 2 (01:45):
One more shot, like, well, look all teams that the
Boston Celtics can say this, everybody who does not go
out by throwing their best pitch. You know, you shed
a little tear for it. But God said, I'm looking
at the whole lay of the land right now. And
this is maybe even a more relevant question as we

(02:06):
move into the offseason, which Sham Sherania recently said is
going to be He predicts the craziest NBA offseason of
all time, which is interesting to me because I think
we know that Kevin Durant's on the move. I think
we think that Giannis is on the move, and that's big.
But for to be the craziest ever, there's got to
be a lot more right now that we don't see

(02:27):
that's on the way. And that's kind of where I
want to start if we look around the league, because listen,
I said it on my show yesterday, I don't think
the timing is right, Like the Bay Area is obsessed
with the idea of getting their hands on Giannis at
Tennecompo and who's not.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
But I don't think the timing makes sense.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
I know that the Warriors can't put together together the
best package, and I still have no idea where it
is that Jannis wants to go, or even that he
wants to go. Quite frankly, but here's what I want
to throw at you. And you know this because it's
going to end on the laps of your team, the
Houston Rockets as.

Speaker 1 (03:10):
Much as anyone in the country.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
You have tons of young assets on a basketball team.
Do you package all of them up and shove them
into the middle so that you can get that one dude?

Speaker 1 (03:25):
Because that one dude, traditionally is.

Speaker 2 (03:28):
What kind of decides who wins the NBA Championship, the
ultra superstar, Jannis Jokic, Lebron Steph that ultrastar. Is that
still the case, Ryan, because I'm looking at a Pacers
team that does not have that, And even though OKC
has the MVP. I think if you go with me

(03:50):
on this, if you look at the way they play basketball,
it's not about overwhelming you with one unbelievable physical presence.
They are a true team team kind of a team.
And so I wonder, with all of those big megastars
who will not be in the NBA finals this year,

(04:10):
is it right for teams to package all of the
picks for the next five years and then all of
the young assets shove him in the middle to go
get one guy Right now?

Speaker 4 (04:23):
You brought up a good point. It doesn't look like
it is in Mark. That's the mindset of a front office.
You know, you want to check trends. You know, in
my NBA you won with the power forward position, in
the shooting guard position being dominant, and then as Lebron
took over, you wanted, you know, your best player with
the ball in his hands, and you kind of put

(04:44):
shooters around him, Steph Curry brought the three point era,
and you're right, Mark, I think teams are trending back
towards having a really solid eight or nine man rotation
and youth seems to be taken over. You got to understand,
you know, Lebron James has essentially dominated the NBA for
how long what what almost twenty years where he's been

(05:07):
productive and you know, had good minutes and you know,
really the focal point of teams. But it's looking like
as we trend into a new space of the NBA
where it's not about just one star, it's about a
team that may be the road.

Speaker 1 (05:22):
So I can tell you this much.

Speaker 4 (05:25):
I'm not a privy to the front office conversations.

Speaker 3 (05:29):
I don't know really what's going on.

Speaker 4 (05:30):
I'm and inquiring just like anybody else, Mark, But you know,
I think the beauty for the Houston Rockets is that
they can sit back and they can evaluate Mark and say,
you know, we're okay, we keep our youth moving forward
and we're okay if we wait make a move.

Speaker 3 (05:46):
And I'll give you.

Speaker 4 (05:47):
A case where it did work out, and look at
the Toronto Raptors. So even though Kawhi Leonard ends up
moving on. They got a championship, dude, like they were
tired of fifty win seasons, And not that you ever
want to get tired of it, but you want to feel.

Speaker 3 (06:00):
Like you have a legit shot.

Speaker 4 (06:02):
So you know, a guy like a Kohi, with culture
and the timing being right, could be that, Mark. So
I don't think you just wave off the idea of
going out and getting a yiannest But you have to
quantify and say is Yianni's worth that?

Speaker 1 (06:18):
It? Is he that good? You know? Does he still
have the juice? And that's the question for an organization.

Speaker 4 (06:24):
And as you brought up, you know, if Milwaukee moves forward,
which I honestly, Mark, I don't think they would be
serious about moving forward, that's what it would have to be.
Like they're wanting there, they wanted in blood Mark, now
hold on. So you're predicting he doesn't go anywhere?

Speaker 1 (06:43):
Is that right?

Speaker 3 (06:44):
I would be.

Speaker 4 (06:45):
Jannis is so loyal I would be surprised if interests
he would. He would essentially have to be forced out
from his personality. And I think the right question.

Speaker 1 (06:54):
I think the right thing would be for Yiannis to go,
But will he do it?

Speaker 3 (06:59):
I would, I'll be surprised to see it at.

Speaker 1 (07:01):
Lead straightforward interesting, I don't see.

Speaker 2 (07:03):
I'm more of the of the mind that the way
it works with the flow of information in twenty twenty five,
if this got out, in other words, the second the
reporters go for the first time in his career, Yanis
will explore this.

Speaker 1 (07:17):
There's a reason that.

Speaker 2 (07:19):
That got put out to the public, and it's because
he does want to move on, and there's a little
bit of a dip of the toe in the.

Speaker 1 (07:26):
Water and see how everyone will react to it.

Speaker 2 (07:28):
And it's not a situation I think where he'll get
criticized or rip. Remember it's not even just the idea
of like staying in Milwaukee. They got him a running mate,
and that running mate just tore his achilles, So like,
you're not winning there. They're not winning there, And you
can wait until you're thirty five, but then it gets

(07:48):
really really hard, just as the Golden State Warriors and
the Los Angeles Lakers. If you want to wait until
your stars have had their thirty fifth birthday, it gets
really tough to stay healthy whole NBA season. Here, here's
kind of where I'm coming from. I don't know that
the Pacers are gonna win tonight. I think they are,
but I.

Speaker 1 (08:07):
Don't know that.

Speaker 2 (08:08):
But if they do, the NBA Finals will officially be
set and they will one hundred percent.

Speaker 1 (08:14):
Be all based on Paul George trades.

Speaker 2 (08:19):
That's how both of these organizations will have built themselves
by being the team that got rid of the big name,
not the team that acquired them. I think that's very,
very important. If you look through the last handful of years,
I know there was ad to LA and that resulted
in a almost normal championship. You get what I'm saying.

(08:42):
Of course you would do that over again if you're
the Lakers.

Speaker 1 (08:45):
That worked.

Speaker 2 (08:47):
But since then, how we doing on moving the big
name and giving up all of the assets. How are
the Phoenix Suns doing? How are they doing? How are
the Lost an Angela's Clippers doing? They're good, They're not
good enough. So all of these teams, and the Rockets
are gonna be faced with this. The Spurs are gonna

(09:09):
be faced with this. You go out, you get the
massive name, and and how we doing versus the team
that plays the long game and then ends up if
they do it right with buckets and picks, buckets and
young assets and all kinds of.

Speaker 1 (09:29):
Mobility going forward. Yeah, no, it's rare.

Speaker 4 (09:34):
And to me, when you do make that pick and
it does work, and I want you to remember this Mark.

Speaker 3 (09:39):
This is the big thing that you see.

Speaker 1 (09:41):
You go into a group that has culture.

Speaker 4 (09:44):
When Kawhi went to Toronto, they had a culture built
of winning. Dwayne Casey was the coach, like you know,
excuse me, Nick Nurse ends up being the coach, but
Dwayne Casey helped build it. But they had culture, They
played hard, they knew each other. You know that core
was a essentially intact with some young talent with og
and an Obi and Pascal Siakam who are really really

(10:07):
good basketball players and we see them featured in the
game right now. So they had a culture built. Now,
the challenge moving forward is if you don't have a
culture and you throw a team in, if you throw
the big names in, it doesn't work because the big
names are trying to create the culture. They're kind of
you know, they're they're putting a lot on their shoulders.

Speaker 3 (10:26):
And that's why we.

Speaker 4 (10:27):
Appreciate what Lebron James did in Cleveland because he kind
of learned from Miami and he was the culture and
you mentioned something earlier, you mentioned the Nets. My opinion,
that's why the Nets never worked. They didn't have a culture.
They really literally cleaned house, clean coaching staff, clean back up,
clean the bench, clean the young talent, and you want

(10:50):
to start new and while it was arguably the greatest
symbol of talent that we've seen, it was not going
to work because you did not have the culture there
in play and then you're trying to build it on
the run and it was just at the end of
the day mark it just wasn't enough time. So I
think that's what you look forward to, and I think

(11:12):
if you sacrifice the culture for a star, that's where
you miss out.

Speaker 2 (11:16):
Okay, So again, a team for which you work is
I think gonna be center stage on this question, because
you know exactly what everybody said about that Houston Rockets
basketball team on the way out in the playoffs. They're young,
they are good, Oh my god, they're great on defense,

(11:39):
they're fantastic on defense. They've got all kinds of pieces.
But what are they missing. They're missing a guy or
they can just put the ball in his hands and
be like, go get us a bucket man. Go get
us a bucket. So from the Jalen Greens of the
world to the future assets Kevin Durant.

Speaker 4 (11:58):
What do you think, man, I think there's no question
that Kevin would be a great fit, and you still
have a big respect for his talent. But I think
the challenge for the Houston Rockets, in my opinion, this
is my own personal opinion, we have a group that
as you see the NBA trend and get older and older,

(12:18):
the youth is what's showing out and those older guys
just don't have it. And while they were able to dominate,
you know, up until thirty five and up until thirty
six like Lebron, you know a lot of those guys
are starting to tell off and you see these young
bucks coming around, and we're gonna claim a new young
champion this season.

Speaker 1 (12:37):
So I don't think it's the worst move if you stay.

Speaker 4 (12:40):
Put and you maybe make one, you know, addition or
two if you're the Houston Rockets. Believe in our Prince
Shanoon and Jay Green and those guys. But if you
do make a move, it's got to be the right move,
you know, And I don't think you I think that
Houston's in a beautiful place, as I say that, where
they wouldn't have to just go and completely clean house Mark,
and that's gold.

Speaker 1 (12:58):
Right.

Speaker 2 (12:58):
I don't know if if I can remember the NBA
ever being like this in my life, I really can't.
I cannot remember a time where the NBA had this
much parody, where this many I mean, obviously Oklahoma City
to this point has set themselves apart, but even they
had to go seven games in round two.

Speaker 1 (13:20):
I can't remember.

Speaker 2 (13:21):
A time when the NBA had this many teams who
felt like they were close and had a shot.

Speaker 4 (13:29):
Well, Mark, if you think about back to Houston, if
you're Houston, right, tell me as you're watching and assessing,
and you mentioned this a little bit earlier, Mark, you're
watching play, they're going, man, courage, just pull that hamstring.
Draymond smart and talking.

Speaker 1 (13:42):
But he can't move his feet like he used to. Man,
Kevin Durant's not to me like, do we.

Speaker 4 (13:48):
Need to go out and get older? Right like this,
like when you're gonna start, do you need to get older?
Because there's a reason the older stars on the market.
It's not just the lack of their team's success. The
teams are saying and we don't know if we can
do it with them anymore. It's not the same.

Speaker 2 (14:03):
It's pretty funny how many people and I get the
way fans think because these players are exciting, but there
are so many fans who look at these names from
Ajanis to a Yokich and beyond, and they go, if
you could, just if you had a chance to add
that player to your team, then bang championship. And I'm like,

(14:23):
you do notice the teams they're on now are not
winning the championship either, so adding that player is not
just a snap make it happen.

Speaker 1 (14:35):
Yanna's played with Lillard, they weren't very good.

Speaker 2 (14:39):
Yo Kicch had a fully healthy staff along with him
there in Denver, they fired their coach right before the playoffs.
Adding these players guarantees you nothing, at least with the
way the NBA is sitting right now, We're live from
the Fox Sports Radio studios, and there's all kinds of
stuff NFL, MLB, the Dodgers of play, and the Yankees.

(15:00):
Right now, the Knicks are playing the Pacers. We're gonna
follow along with all of it and get to all
of it as we work our way through our Saturday
evening with Ryan Hollins on Mark Willard.

Speaker 1 (15:09):
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Speaker 5 (15:12):
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Speaker 2 (15:23):
These right here are the Fox Sports Radio studios. Oh,
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Speaker 1 (15:41):
I'm gonna cauch you down to all the biggest games.

Speaker 2 (15:43):
Tune into Countdown presented by bet MGM every Saturday and
Sunday morning right here on Fox Sports Radio and the
iHeartRadio app. Good start in the Pacers Knicks game right now,
just about a little bit over a minute to go

(16:03):
in the first quarter. Pacers have a very very small edge,
but looks like at least a competitive start from the
Knicks facing elimination tonight.

Speaker 1 (16:14):
What do you see happening in this one?

Speaker 4 (16:16):
You can see the physicalities out of ten these guys
are leaving it on the floor right now, Mark, and
they are getting after it. But yeah, no, this is
a much better pace for New York. You know, if
you're Indy, you want to be in the one ten,
one to twenty range and you see this game really
slowing down. But the gold for the Pacers is that

(16:36):
they rain sleet or snow better than any team I've
seen in years, and it probably almost chimes back to
your Warriors. They move the basketball and when things get tight,
they still move it and play together and make those
extra passes. That trust is there. So that's why Indy's fun,
and they're tough to watch. They're tough to play against

(16:57):
because when you watch the next so let's get smarter,
you're gonna see a cat iso or pick and roll
to ISO with Brunson. And if you watch the Pacers,
they're moving it. If Nie Smith is hot or you know,
Halliburn's hot or Turner's hot, they get the basketball. Rick
is running sets for those guys. And I played with Rick,

(17:18):
and Rick is coach championships and he's also coached rebuilds.
But man, he is doing a fine job right now
with the Pacers.

Speaker 2 (17:26):
They remind me a little bit. And I don't mean
from the stylistic point of view, like you just kind
of detailed. But you remember the Pistons squad that beat
the Lakers that kind of ended the Shaq and Kobe
and Phil Jackson run that Pacers team that was Rip
Hamilton and Chauncey Billups and Ben Wallace and you know

(17:47):
who am I forgetting Rashid Wallace, Tayshaun Prince.

Speaker 1 (17:51):
That whole group. You remember that team?

Speaker 2 (17:53):
Yeah, this feels a little bit like that to me.
This Pacers squad a couple of differences. They're not the
sort of beat you up team, and they're not the
defensive team that that group was. And the other thing
that doesn't remind me that Piston team they won the
title and this Pacers team will not. I'm very comfortable

(18:15):
saying that, really, the Thunder are gonna win this thing.
I'm sorry right now, the Thunder gonna win this I
don't think that's just a four long conclusion right now.
It's not foregone. But that's what I'm going with. That's
what I'm going on.

Speaker 1 (18:29):
Mark Listen, Hey, you got my number.

Speaker 4 (18:33):
I I am just not set on that because here's
the here's the thing. The offense right now, the offense
from the from the.

Speaker 1 (18:46):
UH from OKC it ain't looking great.

Speaker 4 (18:51):
They went off if they went off turnovers, Minnesota was stagnant.

Speaker 1 (18:56):
It was a lot of ant one on one.

Speaker 4 (18:58):
You kind of saw that coming and there they want
to be more athlegged and they.

Speaker 1 (19:03):
Were so disappointing.

Speaker 4 (19:04):
Yeah, I don't think that last series was a true
value of what Okase is Mark.

Speaker 1 (19:11):
T Now, I understand, I understand.

Speaker 2 (19:14):
I just also know this, like, they've got home court advantage.
They lost one home game in these playoffs and it
was a wild, ridiculous comeback by the Nuggets, and and
you know, obviously a sort of a buzzer beating shot
from Aaron Gordon very early on in that series. Outside
of that, the thunder of not just been undefeated at home.

(19:34):
They've won almost all of those games by double digits,
and a lot of them north of twenty and some
of them north of thirty. I just think the history
of the NBA suggests that when you win more than
sixty five games, you're probably gonna win it all.

Speaker 1 (19:47):
You're probably gonna win it all.

Speaker 2 (19:48):
And I don't I don't necessarily see this one being
any different, But we'll see, we'll see.

Speaker 1 (19:54):
What I did mean though, with the comp to the Pistons.

Speaker 2 (19:57):
Is that it's along the lines of what you said,
like when that offense is coming at you, it's a
little different than what you're used to because so many
of the NBA teams, especially come playoff time, Like you
detailed the Knicks, It's like, I know what you're gonna
try to do. It's just a matter of whether or
not I can stop it. The Pacers, I don't know

(20:18):
what they're going to do. I don't need I don't
know who they're going to run the offense through.

Speaker 1 (20:24):
They've got a lot of.

Speaker 2 (20:26):
B plus sort of NBA level stars on their team,
no A pluses, but Siakam, Turner, Halliburton.

Speaker 1 (20:35):
They've just got.

Speaker 2 (20:36):
And then you mentioned some of the knockdown three point
shooters that can get hot.

Speaker 1 (20:39):
Like, I don't know. They just have a lot of options.

Speaker 2 (20:42):
They have a lot of options, which in a way
sometimes makes them even harder to guard.

Speaker 4 (20:46):
Yeah, that's that's what I'm saying. And and OKAYC is
not great offensively, it's it's Shaye, it's it's yeah. And
it's it's on defense. They are special on defense.

Speaker 1 (21:02):
That just good.

Speaker 3 (21:02):
They are special.

Speaker 4 (21:03):
But you're playing against a group that moves the basketball, Mark,
And that's why i'd be looking at.

Speaker 1 (21:12):
You might want to take the confidence down a bit
and that take.

Speaker 2 (21:16):
I'm just telling you, well, but look, we're doing sports radio.
There's no penalty for being wrong. It's just that's how
I feel. I think they're gonna win it. I think
they're gonna win it if everybody wants to come get me.
If they don't, we can. But like that, that's I
hear you. But yeah, man, that's how I feel. I
think the thunder are going to be rested, and I
think they're the class of this thing.

Speaker 1 (21:37):
But you know, been wrong about the Pacers every step
of the way.

Speaker 6 (21:40):
So oh you're one of those Well no, no, I'm
not picking against the I haven't been quite frankly, I
haven't been picking really anything in the Eastern Conference.

Speaker 1 (21:53):
But I'm gonna challenge you.

Speaker 2 (21:56):
You're telling me you didn't think before the playoffs started
Celtic CABS Eastern Conference Finals.

Speaker 4 (22:02):
I told, I told you can go back and check
my time by Mark, I was adamant that the Pacers
are the most disrespected team that went to the Eastern
Conference finals last year and nobody's looking at them, and
they moved the ball they play together and they are tough,
and I told everybody they're gonna beat Cleveland. Listen, what

(22:25):
they're doing is not a surprise. Okay, you gotta go
and check it. And here's the thing, man, they were
abysmal offensively during the season. Halliburton looked interested at moments,
but they're like, they're just a tough group that plays
together and when they hit shots from the outside, they
are hard to guard.

Speaker 1 (22:43):
But like one thing about Rick, like they're gonna run
their stuff.

Speaker 3 (22:46):
Man.

Speaker 1 (22:47):
And hallt Burton's such a he's a unique star.

Speaker 4 (22:51):
Now, Mark, if he had the jah Morant vertical or
the physicality is Zion or the you know, the the
the appeal, the talent of a lebron James Halliburton doesn't
have that.

Speaker 2 (23:04):
But he's efficient, dude, no doubt, no doubt. Listen, if
you were on it early, good on you. I'm still
taking the thunder in the next series about what happens here.
But when you talk, when you talk about a unique
kind of a star like Tyres Halliburton, I don't know, dude.

(23:25):
I got a different kind of unique star. His name
is Steve de Seger. Steve de Seger, unique star, I'm
talking about.

Speaker 1 (23:34):
To both of you.

Speaker 7 (23:35):
Just Dave hello, and by the way, you are on
your regular Sunday time slot.

Speaker 1 (23:39):
Tomorrow I will be here.

Speaker 7 (23:41):
So little programming note for all programming note. With the
baseball on Fox.

Speaker 1 (23:46):
TV right now, it's boring.

Speaker 7 (23:47):
It's already Dodgers ten nothing over the Yankees. What in
the name of Sandy Kofax is going out here? It
was four runs in the first inning for LA six
in the second inning. It's now ten nothing, end of three.
Max Munsey with two hits, four RBIs that includes a
home run, Monsey's two hundredth career homer. The Dodgers somehow

(24:10):
came back to win last night's opener of the weekend series.
They were down five to two, gave up four early
homers to the Yanks, and New York had seven to zero.
Max freed on the mound, and the Dodgers still won
eight to five last night. A couple of homers there
for Shoheo Tani, who has twenty two at Seattle. Those
who aren't seeing the Yankees Dodgers on Fox TV are

(24:32):
seeing this one. Cal Rawley is hit his twenty second
home run of the season, and its Mariners down three
to two against the Twins in the top of the fourth.
In an hour, the Padres will host the Pirates. The
late game will be on FS one Nationals at Arizona
Diamondbacks starter Brandon Fodd is seven and three that starts
at ten ten pm Eastern Time. Cleveland and Atlanta each

(24:54):
one at home. Kansas City as well beat Detroit one nothing,
ending the Tigers five game winning streat road wins for
Saint Louis and Tampa Bay. Miami won nothing over the Giants,
beating Robbie Reyo I had been seven to zero. The
Mets are going to be at Dodger Stadium after this
weekend for a four game series, and the Mets are
now tied for first in the NL East. Philadelphia lost

(25:15):
at home seventeen to seven to the Brewers, who've won
six straight, and the Mets beat Colorado eight to two. Yes,
these do count as full victories, even though Colorado has
been town all weekend. Eight to the final. The Rockies
have lost seven in a row. They are nine and
forty nine this season. There just is no bottom to this.

Speaker 1 (25:35):
Do their run differential next? Do their run differential?

Speaker 7 (25:38):
Hey, I'll tell you this. They have lost every series
they have played this year. They have won not a one.
They've played nineteen series and they have lost all nineteen.
The run differential, they've been outscored by almost two hundred runs.

Speaker 2 (25:55):
In the differential is a bigger number than their run scored,
so that means that their opponents are scoring more than
two runs for every run they score.

Speaker 7 (26:05):
Now that's a tennisday.

Speaker 2 (26:07):
They've played thirty road games, they've won three of them.

Speaker 1 (26:11):
Three.

Speaker 7 (26:13):
The losing starter today, Antonio Senzateela, is now one in
ten with an ERA of seven point one four.

Speaker 1 (26:21):
Wow.

Speaker 7 (26:22):
I repeat, there is no bottom to this. I mean,
the happiest man in America has to be the manager
who's already been fired from this and doesn't have to
go for this. He's still cashing checks, you know, and
he doesn't have to go through this. Also. It's just wow,
what it's going on here. To the NBA Playoffs, The
East Finals could be ending tonight's its early second quarter

(26:45):
at Indiana Pacers twenty eight twenty seven over the New
York Knicks in Game six. Pacers up three games to
two in the series. The NBA Finals begin Thursday, June
the fifth, in Oklahoma City, Stanley Cup Finals starts Wednesday
with Florida at Edmonton. Go Golf won our third round
match at the French Open, Jessica Bagoula and Madison Keys
each advance. Scottie Scheffler leads at the Memorial by one

(27:07):
stroke after a third round sixty eight. Paris and er
Man won the Champions League Final today by a record
five nothing over inter Milan. And at the Women's College
World Series, Texas beat Oklahoma in a surprise four to
two e in Oklahoma City. It's double elimination.

Speaker 1 (27:22):
Back to you, great stuff, Steve, appreciate it soon. I
mean a unique star star.

Speaker 2 (27:28):
Yeah, yeah, say Steve de Sega. We're in the Fox
Sports Radio studios. Ryan, I need you to explain a
few things to me tonight. Always love when I can
sit here and run stuff by someone who's actually lived this.
But you didn't actually live this, this portion of professional sports,

(27:52):
because this rule when you were at UCLA, it wasn't
here yet. And so I'm gonna, you know, Steve just said,
programming note, I'll be on my normal slot with Ephraim
tomorrow night, and I will and one of the things
I'm gonna do on that show tomorrow night is lay
on the sword because he and I had kind of

(28:12):
I don't want to call it a running debate because
it wasn't even really like an opinion, but it was
a conversation with regard to Cooper flag and.

Speaker 1 (28:21):
My thought being that.

Speaker 2 (28:23):
You know, when you're clearly the number one pick in
the draft, Like I thought it was funny that people were.

Speaker 1 (28:28):
Like, oh, I'm not sure if Cooper's coming out.

Speaker 2 (28:31):
I'm like, Cooper's coming out, and Ephraim started talking about
where the whole nil world is right now and how
for Cooper this was a harder decision than maybe you
might think at first glance. Then a story came out
yesterday and it's only a report, but it is an

(28:52):
official report that Cooper flags nil Deal in the only
year that he has played at Duke, that nil Deal
reached twenty eight million dollars. Twenty eight million dollars, And
so I am going to completely throw my car in reverse.

Speaker 1 (29:16):
I am going to do a three point turn, and
I am.

Speaker 2 (29:19):
Going to drive the other way now on the highway,
and I will lay on that sword for Eve from
tomorrow night, because I literally, if that's the case, I
don't know why the hell he went to the league.
Explain to me, give me one good reason, knowing that
injury insurance is out there and you're making thirty million

(29:40):
a year and that number would only go up if
he came back for his sophomore year. We all know,
being the BMOC at Duke University and the best player
in the whole world, I know what's more fun than
real life, and that's college.

Speaker 1 (29:59):
Why on earth did this guy go to the league?

Speaker 4 (30:02):
Well, listen, the NIL is definitely challenging. There's there's no question,
there's vally validity there. But as the number one pick,
you know, don't just look at his contract, he's gonna
be privy to a number of endorsements. H Cooper flag
as a gosh, what the right thing to be say?

Speaker 5 (30:22):
He?

Speaker 1 (30:22):
I guess American born white player. I don't want to offend.

Speaker 4 (30:25):
Anybody by saying that he's gonna be box office.

Speaker 1 (30:28):
You're saying, you're saying he's.

Speaker 4 (30:31):
Gonna have a fan base. Okay, American born white player
goes number one. That's just what it is. I don't again,
I don't want to offend, but that's just that's what's
what it is. So he's gonna have a number of opportunity,
but like like if I pick number ten, like eleven,
like the NCAA can go challenge those guys and say, hey,
you might go to a bad team. Do you want

(30:52):
to go play for, you know, a developing team. Do
you want to deal with that stress? And then Cooper
Flags like I'm going to Dallas.

Speaker 1 (30:59):
Oh yeah, like.

Speaker 4 (31:02):
You're just not shipping off, you know, in the middle anywhere.
Like I'm going to Dallas. Man, this is gonna work.
So againting the challenge is there, But for Cooper Flag, no,
it still makes sense.

Speaker 3 (31:16):
But as that.

Speaker 4 (31:17):
Number gets higher and higher, you know, you're seeing a
number of guys, think three or four of them were
slated as first round draft picks that have that have
backed out and said, man, I'm going back to school
because the price just went up.

Speaker 2 (31:30):
Mark Well, and I don't even know what the Nile
numbers would be for these other players. Like I'll let
you know, yeah, I think you know this, Like the
average American sportsman can name one person.

Speaker 1 (31:42):
Who's gonna be in the NBA Draft this year. One.

Speaker 2 (31:46):
I know the Spurs are gonna get a really good
player at number two. I know there are a bunch
of duke freshmen who are all gonna, you know, be
interesting players at the next level, other lottery picks.

Speaker 1 (31:59):
I know all of the things, but like this is
also my job.

Speaker 2 (32:05):
Most sports fans in this country know Cooper Flag and
that's it. And so that's why his NIL number is
so large. And I fully understand what you're saying about
the opportunities that will come. I would just argue that
those would still be there again next year, that's all.

Speaker 1 (32:22):
And I know you're risking injury and all of these things, but.

Speaker 4 (32:25):
He's gonna take a four year deal in the NBA,
and even like in the NBA, and let's say he
gets injured, right, Let's see, he doesn't have it like
the potential, like as a first round pick, and he
may not be number one next year. That may not
always be there, Mark, Like yes, Mark, that may not
always be there. He may not have a good year.

(32:46):
Maybe a European kid we've never heard of. We just
don't know. And if he goes four years and it
doesn't quite pan out, a team is still gonna pay
him a lot of money because they're like, man, he
was the first pick we saw X, Y and Z
and him. Let's take a shot, and that normally happens
with those guys that are picked that high. A team
is going to be more willing to say, let's take

(33:06):
a shot on him than that middle second rounder.

Speaker 3 (33:09):
You know.

Speaker 4 (33:09):
So it is a smart move when you look at
his future in hand and look, Mark, I get it.
I get every I get everything that you guys are
saying in.

Speaker 1 (33:20):
That twenty eight million dollars. Holy crap. I'll tell you what.

Speaker 2 (33:28):
If I've got a kid making millions of dollars in college,
I would tell him or her to stay there as
long as possible because the fun like, it's a downward
staircase from there. Your time at UCLA, your favorite time
of life. No, no, okay, that's interesting. You know what,
I'll ask you what was I'll ask you what was

(33:49):
coming up next? And also coming up at the top
of the hour, we got weird stuff going on with
at least one NFL team out the quarterback position that
we need to talk about, and we will live in
the Fox Sports Radio studios with Ryan Hollins. I'm Mark Willard,
Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 1 (34:09):

Speaker 2 (34:12):
As usual, Mary in her Bag on the weekend here
on Fox Sports Radio Live, Fox Sports Radio Studios, Ryan.
This is the This is the opportunity I often take whenever,
because this is not normal where I get an opportunity
to chat on Fox Sports Radio right after our colleague Steve.

Speaker 1 (34:33):
Hartman has done a show.

Speaker 2 (34:35):
And I don't know if you know this, but Steve
Hartman burns up the southern califreeways like no one else.
And so my hope is that he's tuned into us
right now and so that he can hear me when
I say this, because this will drive him absolutely batty.
I would like to talk about something related to the

(34:57):
College Football Hall of Fame, and I would like to
tell Steve who has a Heisman vote. I don't know
if he's ever mentioned that to you. Really, Yeah, but
things like the Heisman in the Hall of Fame, which
are usually the first things he thinks about when he

(35:17):
wakes up in the morning, they're.

Speaker 1 (35:20):
Really kind of silly. In my opinion, they're really kind
of silly.

Speaker 2 (35:24):
Not because I have a problem with awards and acknowledgments.
They're silly because of the high falutin nature by which
we elect people for these honors. That's what actually gets me.
And so the college Football Hall of Fame has made
changes to its coaching criteria for making the Hall of Fame,

(35:49):
and my whole body is already cringing when I use
the phrase coaching criteria.

Speaker 1 (35:55):
Yuck, gross, stop it.

Speaker 2 (35:59):
Stop being so arrogant coaching criteria. Look, the bottom line
on any Hall of Fame, if you ask me, is
it's sort of the same way the government decides whether
or not.

Speaker 1 (36:13):
Something is indecent. I'll know it if I see it.

Speaker 2 (36:17):
I will know a Hall of Famer when I see
him or her.

Speaker 1 (36:22):
That's it.

Speaker 2 (36:24):
And so the whole thing is, I grant you very
very subjective, and I personally lean very firmly in the
direction of let people in. Let people in. If they
do great things in sport, let them in. Why does
it hurt you if somebody has got a plaque in
a museum, who cares?

Speaker 1 (36:43):
So? What bothers me about this is two things.

Speaker 2 (36:46):
First of all, they change their criteria, and it makes
Mike Leech eligible. Well, Mike's no longer with us, the
same way that things suddenly changed in the favor of
Pete Rose a couple of weeks ago.

Speaker 1 (36:59):
No longer with us.

Speaker 2 (37:01):
Stop making changes that help people right after they die.

Speaker 1 (37:05):
It's really lame.

Speaker 2 (37:08):
If you have this autonomy, then please just do it
when these people are still with us, so that maybe
they can enjoy.

Speaker 1 (37:15):
This and be acknowledged.

Speaker 2 (37:17):
The other thing that bugs me about it, though, Ryan,
they changed listen to this now.

Speaker 1 (37:22):
Somebody sat around a room and debated this.

Speaker 2 (37:27):
And voted and then came out with white smoke and
thought that this was really significant. Somebody sat down and
changed the requirements on career winning percentage from sixty percent
to fifty.

Speaker 1 (37:45):
Nine point five percent.

Speaker 2 (37:49):
Like, I'm just imagining people yelling at each other in
a hotel ballroom about this, and I'm like, I just
I'm sorry these like you cannot get over yourselves. There
should not be a number at all because it removes
context from the conversation, and I think all of sports
lies in the context, not in the final numbers.

Speaker 1 (38:12):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (38:13):
No, I hear what you're saying, and you know, I
get it.

Speaker 4 (38:17):
You want to preserve the integrity of the game and
the selections, and you want it to be genuine because
all situations are not created equal, and you bring criteria,
you either open the door for somebody or you cut
somebody out over someone something minuscule and You're right. There's
probably one coach in mind when they made this rule change.

Speaker 3 (38:39):
And obviously, hey, you.

Speaker 4 (38:40):
Know you want to be able to bring in names
that bring notoriety. There is money to be made by
these selections. It is a prestigious club. There's value that
comes to the table. Mark, So I get it. But
you have to make these plays and they can be
shifted around one person or one coach, and I think

(39:04):
that's just part of it, because you don't want to
leave out the wrong coach.

Speaker 1 (39:08):
And I'm with you. It does stink when you don't.

Speaker 4 (39:11):
Give coaches or players their flowers when they need it.
I'm like you, Mark, I get it. You want someone
to have their flowers when they're there, when they can
appreciate them, when you can celebrate them. And you know,
it kind of stinks when you don't have those opportunities.
But I think that ultimately, at the end of the day,

(39:32):
that is going to be good for the sport and
for the committee because you get the right players in,
you get the right coaches in, and it brings notoriety.

Speaker 2 (39:41):
I mean, I just think numbers. We look at them
in such a funny way, like, let me do a
quick test with you. We know Emmett Smith has way
more yards than Barry Sanders, who was a better running back.

Speaker 4 (39:53):
Oh, Barry Sanders. If he had that line, he was
in touch for like five yards.

Speaker 1 (39:58):
That Cowboys coorse it was Barry Sanders.

Speaker 2 (40:02):
But the numbers would say, oh, that's all I'm getting out.
Speaking of football, there's one team we need to call
out and we will next.

Speaker 1 (40:10):

Speaker 2 (40:13):
A couple of free throw attempts a minute ago there
for Jalen Brunson. I'll tell you why that kind of
triggers me a little bit. I'll surprise you with this
and Ryan, I really want your take on it. It's
something Ephram and I have been talking a lot about
this year. Would love to get you to weigh in
on this. We're broadcasting live from the Fox Sports Radio studios. Yes,

(40:36):
the Pittsburgh Steelers have had a joke of an offseason.
We'll make fun of them in a little bit, but
let's start with this as the Pacers and Knicks are
doing their thing. It's an elimination game. The Pacers have
a narrow lead about two thirds of the way here
through the second quarter, and we will keep you up
to date. I should tell you this about that Thunder

(40:57):
Pacers series that I do think is going to hop
in and I think the thunder are going to win it.
I'm not rooting for that. I don't know if that
helps you at all. I'm rooting for the Pacers. Want
to know why?

Speaker 1 (41:09):
Why? Because I don't think the Pacers have any foulbaters. Hmmm.

Speaker 2 (41:15):
This is now how, This is how, and I know
that everybody does it to a certain degree, but I'm
talking about the egregious ones.

Speaker 1 (41:23):
And I'll give you the four or five names if
you want.

Speaker 2 (41:26):
In the NBA, but I have, just like many of
us do, a favorite team, and then when that favorite
team is out, I choose who I am rooting for
based on who foul bates less. That is now how
I watch the NBA because I am so turned off.
I am so and some of the players that bother

(41:48):
me are on the team that I root for. So
this is not about anything other than just the purity
of the sport, the game that I love, the game
that I played in high school and loved more than anything,
like I cannot stand.

Speaker 1 (42:06):
The handful of players in the NBA.

Speaker 2 (42:09):
James Harden I cannot stand the players who have followed
suit from James Harden and quite frankly, Chris Paul and others,
the snapping of the head constantly.

Speaker 1 (42:24):
Jalen Brunson last week.

Speaker 2 (42:26):
Grabbed the hand of one of the Pacers players and
slapped his own face with a Pacer player's hand so
that he could head snap and.

Speaker 1 (42:37):
Get a foul CALT and it worked. And I'm sorry.

Speaker 2 (42:41):
If I'm the NBA, you have got to figure out
a way to have the officials either more ready for
this or a review process that maybe even happens after
the fact they promised this years ago. You're supposed to
get fined for flopping, don't You don't, But nobody even

(43:03):
knows that.

Speaker 1 (43:04):
Rule because it doesn't happen.

Speaker 2 (43:06):
But I'm looking at you Harden, I'm looking at you Brunson,
and I'm looking at you MVP.

Speaker 1 (43:15):
I'm looking at you, and I'm now root.

Speaker 2 (43:17):
I actively root against those players because I'll give you
a handful of guys who are doing it at a
high level who don't do that.

Speaker 1 (43:27):
I don't.

Speaker 2 (43:28):
I don't see Halliburton do that. I don't see Anthony
Edwards do that. I don't quite frankly see Steph Curry.

Speaker 1 (43:35):
Do that not nearly as much this head snap thing.

Speaker 2 (43:41):
Nick Wright had that great point on FS one this
week where you know, the whole like asking the bench
for review thing. He had this great take where he's like,
you know what to make that just like a timeout.
If you make that move, great, we're reviewing it. We're
reviewing every time you do that. That's automatically a review
and you'll immediately stop guys from doing it. We gotta

(44:04):
do something about this head snap too. I'm telling you
fans hate it with a capital H.

Speaker 1 (44:10):
It's terrible TV.

Speaker 4 (44:13):
The NBA has it, they just don't enforce it. And
I think what we'll see, Mark is it's gonna end
up being a point of emphasis next year.

Speaker 3 (44:22):
And what do I have.

Speaker 4 (44:23):
It's it's called a flop warning. The first one is
a warning, second one I think it goes technical and
so on and so forth. I think, and it sows
down the game, Mark, So you got to be careful
what you ask for. But I think the review of
the flop warnings, and it's been enforced a couple times
but not really really there. But I think the flop

(44:45):
warnings will be there. And what happens is with the
Hardens and the SGA's. These guys are so good at
the game of basketball that they have mastered the art,
and these are fouls.

Speaker 1 (44:59):
They are getting fouled for the most part.

Speaker 4 (45:01):
Now, there are the occasions like which you just noted,
the like the trickery, you know, and the game happens
so fast. And I challenge anybody as we watch on
TV comfortably.

Speaker 3 (45:12):
And and and we can see it and say that's
a foul. You can't see that.

Speaker 1 (45:17):
Go sit in the front row at a game if
even if you have the.

Speaker 4 (45:21):
Blessing and the chance that maybe you can't afford that,
go to a pickup run if you get a chance,
or even you get to see the pros at the
Drew League in LA or or or or or any
of these places, and get up close and look at
how fast these guys are, and you'll understand the difficulty
for the referees. But I think what we will see

(45:43):
is the point of emphasis that says, you know what,
when you do that, it's gonna be a fine, there's
gonna be a penalty. Uh, it's gonna hey, it's gonna
it may even count as a foul. And that is
gonna change. So the NBA has it, it's just not
enforced enough.

Speaker 2 (46:02):
Well okay, yeah, I here's the part where I'm with you.
I'm not coming after the refs. I I don't know
how they're supposed to do this anymore.

Speaker 1 (46:11):
Well, they don't enforce a flop warning. You see the flop.

Speaker 2 (46:14):
But it's not just Gap and Ryan like the one area.
It's a one area. Where I disagree with you is
that when you sort of refer to the Hardens and
the sgash occasionally there's some history onics where they make
it look like something happened occasionally. If you mean every possession,
then yes, I'll go occasionally. But but but my god,

(46:36):
this head snap thing, it's it's not a flop, but
it is, as you called it, an artistry to making
the official think something happened that didn't happen. And that's
that's kind of what I want the new review to be.
If you get somebody to call there it's a flop,

(46:59):
well if you want to use that word. But I'm
not even just talking about people falling down. I'm talking
about all of the stuff that happens on the drive
where you're making it look like there's contact when there's none.
And then here's here's the ultimate hard part about it
for officials, because they're human beings. So here's what happens.

Speaker 1 (47:19):
Ryan.

Speaker 2 (47:20):
They'll call a foul and then someone will review it
and be like, that's not a foul, and then they'll
go to the review. And I've long thought this is
the biggest problem with review. Who's reviewing the play in
the NBA uh secaucus?

Speaker 4 (47:35):
And I want you guys to know, if you didn't know,
the lead officials, the lead referees there can actually overrule
secaucus if the exactly they have something substantial.

Speaker 1 (47:46):
Exactly, And that's my problem.

Speaker 2 (47:48):
My problem is is the officials on the floor are
reviewing their own call. Could we find a more biased
person on the face of the planet to look at
a decision? You're looking at your own decision. I mean,
my god, think if we did that with all of
the things in life. I mean, go to any couple
that's ever been divorced. They all think they're right. And

(48:10):
so now these officials are heading over to the sideline
so that they can check their own call.

Speaker 1 (48:16):
Of course they're oh, yep, I see contact.

Speaker 2 (48:18):
No you don't, no, you don't not actual contact, So
the whole review process is flawed.

Speaker 1 (48:25):
To me. You need someone with brand new eyes on it.

Speaker 2 (48:28):
And if you determine that a player is trying to
make the officials believe that.

Speaker 1 (48:35):
Contact happened that did not happen, then.

Speaker 2 (48:37):
I like your idea. It's now a foul going in
the other direction. That's what I would do, Mark, Damar,
hear what you're saying. You're a spot on.

Speaker 4 (48:48):
If you are flipping your head back and you are
not receiving contact and it's looked at, that should be
a technical.

Speaker 3 (48:58):
Dam what I heard. You are spot on, Mark. If
you are.

Speaker 4 (49:02):
Flipping your head back and you haven't been hit, that
should be a technical.

Speaker 1 (49:08):
That should be taken out the game.

Speaker 4 (49:10):
If someone trucks you as you drive or shouldering you
and causing that head to go back, that should be reviewable.

Speaker 3 (49:18):
That is that is not good.

Speaker 4 (49:21):
You're at all of it and and it does have
to come down.

Speaker 1 (49:26):
Mark.

Speaker 3 (49:27):
I absolutely agree with.

Speaker 2 (49:28):
You, And I mean I can give you the top
five people who do this, and and I mean we
should be naming the rule after them.

Speaker 4 (49:36):
It's but don't get me wrong, it's a part of
the game because when these guys guard you, the defenders.
They're so physical. So there is an art to drawing fouls,
for sure. But it's Mark, tell me if I'm wrong
with what you're saying.

Speaker 2 (49:49):
It's the theatrics, Yes, yes, Luca, Yes, yes, it's the theatrics,
followed then by the palms up and then by turning
to the bench and flipping your review finger at your
coach while the other team has the ball running the
other way.

Speaker 4 (50:09):
Now, I will say I will say this, Mark, Uh
this year, even Craig Akerbino does a great job calls
the broadcast with me. Yes, with Houston, we have seen that,
and like we even joke with our guys and I'll say, hey,
no NBA player has ever committed a foul. You know,
we'll joke about our guys and kind of even like

(50:32):
even hold our guys accountable.

Speaker 3 (50:34):
We're not just homers, just like.

Speaker 4 (50:35):
Hey, it's not good, you know, may stop stop doing that,
you know, because you throw off the officials. But I
will say the absolute maturity in the group with our guys,
I promise you they actually the play. Our guys were
making reviews and calling for calls, and the coaching staff

(50:56):
was giving trust to a Van Vliet or shingoon and
they were winning those challenges. Hey, I didn't touch that
ball that just went out of bounds. Hey I didn't
foul that guy. And those reviews were accurate. So I
did see, at least from a Houston rocketson the maturity
in our guys. We're joking, hey man, and we were
giving the players credit, like, hey, you're calling for this
foul and it was a foul or didn't go off

(51:18):
you in that place. So you know, I hear it.
I hear it both ways. I don't think it's the
worst thing ever, but you know, I'm a former player too,
so my lens is a little table.

Speaker 1 (51:31):
The emotion. You're not gonna take the emotion out of
the game.

Speaker 2 (51:34):
And if you feel like you didn't touch someone and
they call a foul, you're And we now have this
review process, it's impossible to get these players to not
have an emotional reaction to tell their coach, I didn't
touch it.

Speaker 4 (51:47):
But no because it's a lot, but he could call
it could cost you the game. And I've seen this
and market let me, I says, have you seen it
like kind of like with a star player like a
Lebron or somebody, and then he's wrong and air start
guy like Ylkicch can demand.

Speaker 1 (52:02):
Okay, it happens with the Warriors all the time.

Speaker 2 (52:05):
If Draymond tells Steve Kurder review, it's an automatic review.
If Brandon Pajemski does, Steve will look at him and
go shout up, like we have an iPad behind the bench.
We're looking at it. Won't handle this, don't don't. Don't
tell us what to do. But if Draymond asked, there's
no questions asked. Off we go to the review, right,

(52:27):
and that's yeah, that's that's the resume of a player.

Speaker 1 (52:31):
So anyway, all right.

Speaker 3 (52:34):
We I like it, I like, I like it, but
call the guys out.

Speaker 2 (52:39):
Yeah, no, that's fair. That that's completely fair. It's halftime,
the Pacers are up by four. Let's get kind of
a first half review. And then I do want to
get to the Steelers as well, because I don't get it,
and I've never thought that about the Pittsburgh Steelers before.

Speaker 1 (52:56):
So we'll keep riding on this.

Speaker 2 (52:57):
We're broadcasting live from the Fox Sports Radio studios. Good
Saturday evening to you. That's Ryan Hollins, I'm Mark Willard.
This is Fox Sports Radio. We sit here right here
in the Fox Sports Radio studios. That's Ryan Hollins. I'm
Mark Willard. Good Saturday to you. Be sure to check
out the Fox Sports Radio YouTube channel. A tone of
great videos from many of our Fox Sports Radio shows,

(53:19):
and we are tremendously good looking guys.

Speaker 1 (53:21):
You wouldn't believe it.

Speaker 2 (53:23):
Just search Fox Sports Radio on YouTube and you'll see
a whole bunch of video highlights from our shows. Be
sure to subscribe so you always have instant access to
our Fox Sports Radio videos on YouTube.

Speaker 1 (53:36):
I don't get it, and I usually get it.

Speaker 2 (53:41):
And what I'm talking about is, in this particular case,
the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ryan, It's June tomorrow. OTA's are open.
The NBA Finals start on Thursday. When those things start
happening and the kids get out of school and the

(54:02):
NBA Finals are being played, people start making plans for
their fantasy drafts two months away, people start thinking about
football to a certain degree. Scott Hansen, who is the
host of the Red Zone Channel, tweeted yesterday that were
one hundred days away from the first NFL Sunday, which

(54:24):
means now we're ninety nine days away from the first
NFL Sunday, and one of the most respected organizations in
the history of the sport has decided to not have
a quarterback.

Speaker 1 (54:38):
And I just think.

Speaker 2 (54:39):
It's literally one of the strangest things that I've ever seen.
Our friend and colleague over at FS one Joy Taylor,
this week kind of went on a rant criticizing like
Aaron Rodgers for not being there for OTAs, and people
came down her road because they're like, he's not on

(55:02):
the Steelers and she's like, right, that's kind of my point.

Speaker 1 (55:07):
That's kind of my point.

Speaker 2 (55:08):
So it's become very easy to criticize Aaron Rodgers. Oh,
this narcissist who thinks this, that or the other about
himself and he's not a great player anymore because he's forty.

Speaker 1 (55:20):
I'm done looking at Aaron. If you're waiting on Aaron,
that's now your fault. That is your fault.

Speaker 2 (55:30):
So whether you want to try to trade for Kirk
Cousins or whether you should have had some other sort
of plan BC or D, if the Steelers are truly
still waiting on Aaron Rodgers, we have reached the that's
your fault zone. I cannot believe that they're going to
go through off season activities with a brand new receiving

(55:53):
corps and no quarterback wild good luck competing in your
division with Lamar Jackson and Joe.

Speaker 1 (55:59):
Burrow a blast. Well, I can't believe it.

Speaker 3 (56:03):
You know, they must feel like they have.

Speaker 4 (56:07):
A backup or that position is pretty insignificant, and you know,
you can kind of uh, you know, Tomlin can go
out and get you a winning season, and that's kind
of what they've done. They they've gotten comfortable well since
you know, no Big Ben and just having enough there

(56:27):
and that's really ultimately what it looks like what you
see and just Aaron Rodgers deal.

Speaker 1 (56:35):
I'm not sure what it is.

Speaker 4 (56:36):
I'm not privy what's going on behind the scenes, but uh,
just sign him, get get him what he wants, you know,
get get, get through with it. So I think maybe
they feel like they can get Aaron for less. You know,
maybe there's miscommunication in the front office. Aaron is old
enough to understand, maybe he has more leverage than he's
leading on. But it is definitely pressed into a situation

(56:59):
where you're saying, hey, get this done. And you know, Mark,
come on, man, you know that this is the ugly
part of football, is what negotiations, players have to hold
out to get their money. It's not good, and I
don't think it's something we'll be talking about moving forward.
They'll get it done as soon as it signs. But
right now, in the meanwhile, it's, you know, everybody scratching

(57:20):
their heads.

Speaker 1 (57:21):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (57:21):
I see it as a little bit different than that,
because I really don't think that money.

Speaker 1 (57:28):
Could be much of a hold up for Aaron Rodgers.

Speaker 2 (57:31):
This is not someone that is going to command some
sort of a long term.

Speaker 1 (57:36):
High money deal anymore.

Speaker 2 (57:38):
Like, it's just not who he is, and so if
he's asking for that, then the Steelers should have moved on.
But I don't think he's asking for that. I don't
even know what the hell he's asking for. My best
guess is that he's just old and he doesn't want
to do May in June anymore, which is fine, I
guess from an individual perspective, it's not okay for the Steelers. Again,

(58:01):
if this were I mean, quite frankly, the New Orleans
Saints apparently got caught with their pants down. You know,
Derek Carr retired. Did the Saints know that was coming,
I'd argue yes. Did they address it in the draft
a little bit, but I'd argue the Saints aren't really
trying to win that division because it's a very winnable division,

(58:23):
but it's also therefore kind of a losable spot, like
no one's winning the super Bowl out of that division.
So the Saints are like, Eh, let's just kind of
weave our way through this and you know, maybe we'll
end up with a really good draft pick and we
can address the quarterback thing next year.

Speaker 1 (58:39):
There's no pressure. This is the Steelers.

Speaker 2 (58:44):
I mean, that's kind of what I want if I
were sitting down in front of their execs. I mean,
you can't, dude, You're the Steelers. This is a very
proud fan base. This is a very proud organization. This
is a future Hall of Fame coach. Like be legitimate,
You're illegitimate right now? Yeah, like Will Howard, Mason Rudolph

(59:07):
and Skyler Thompson, Like you're really testing this theory because
like last year it's like, well, they didn't get great
performances out of the quarterback position, yet Russell.

Speaker 1 (59:19):
Wilson was on the team.

Speaker 2 (59:20):
Like that's a I know he's late in his career,
but he's won a super Bowl. Like that's a quarterback
that's an actual quarterback, and some people, mainly the Jets,
think they're backup. Last year it was an actual quarterback.
Justin fields. You don't have any actual quarterbacks on you,

(59:41):
you can't play it, can't start the season like this.

Speaker 4 (59:46):
Yeah, I don't get I get it. No, I understand
the frustration. And again it's like my first statement, Mark,
clearly it's not a position that they're valuing. They feel
like Tomlin can you know, work with whatever is there
and be successful, And he essentially has, like I said,
like I agree with you. Without Ben, Without since Ben Roethlisberger,

(01:00:11):
has it been a Steeler. They haven't really feeled the
position like that. And even if you look around the league,
you know, for a while you got to think you
have Brady played forever, Drew Brees played forever, Eli I
met like like there was such talent at the quarterback position.
I dare to say, Man, the talent levels maybe just

(01:00:32):
from a top to bottom worst it's ever been. There's
more questions and answers, and it's not just as Steelers
with that. But again, I do find it inexcusable not
to have that failed. I'm not sure with the you
know with you know NFL veterans, how big OTAs are,
how valued they are. And again, maybe it's a negotiation

(01:00:53):
gone wrong.

Speaker 1 (01:00:53):
Maybe they know something we don't know. Mark, Yeah, well,
they may know something we don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:00:59):
I'm sure they do, but I would automatically argue, no
matter what it is, they know everybody's going about it
the wrong way. Like do OTAs matter? Not for all teams,
but they do for this one. They absolutely do for
this one. Their best running backs gone, their best wide
receivers gone, their quarterback's gone. You're telling me that at

(01:01:19):
those three positions, you don't need to work out together
in May and June. I would argue vehemently against that, like,
this is absolutely vital time together with whoever these people
are going to be. And we don't even know yet,
right DK Metcalf is there now. I don't even really
know who their number one running back is going to be,

(01:01:42):
and we obviously don't know who their quarterback is going
to be. And I'm of the opinion that when the
calendar hits the j months, you have to know that.

Speaker 4 (01:01:50):
Yeah, No, I get it, I get it, and I
understand it. And with the new core, there's no question there.
But hey, now, I think you should always get effort
in the season. I think it's it's not a good
look when you don't mark. But at the end of
the day, what really are the expectations for the Steelers?

(01:02:11):
You know, what options do they have out there? You know,
if you are going after Aaron Rodgers, he's a vet,
he knows what to do. Obviously, again the gift and
the curse with Timmlan, He's gonna get you to the playoffs.
You'll have a winning season. Hey, that defense is gonna
be intact. But you know, what really are the expectations.

Speaker 2 (01:02:33):
I would argue higher than you think. I know, they're
in a really good division. Higher than you think. I mean, like,
I don't know, Ask me what my expectations are. Every
time Steve de Seger joins us, they're high. They're very
very high.

Speaker 7 (01:02:50):
Exactly the same thing. Sure, let's update the baseball shall wait.
Good evening once again at Dodger Stadium on Fox TV
for most of the country, it's Dodgers fourteen to one
over the Yankees. In the bottom of the sixth. It
was ten to nothing in the second inning. To say
the least, the Dodgers were not favored last night, and
yet came back and win. And we're not favored tonight

(01:03:11):
with Land and Knack on the mound and his ERA
over five, and yet he throws six innings with six strikeouts,
allowed just one run and Aaron Judge homer, his twentieth.
That's the only Yankee scoring the three game sec He's
completed Tomorrow night, and then the Mets are in for
four in LA starting Monday. By the way, for the
Dodgers this evening, Max Munsey, who's been around two twenty

(01:03:35):
or less with the batting average for much of the year,
three hits, three runs, scored, two homers, seven RBIs at
Seattle cow Raley with his twenty second homer, but the
Twins still lead the Mariners three to two in the
bottom of the sixth inning. Earlier, the Mets tied Philadelphia
for first place in the NLS. Philly lost at home

(01:03:55):
to Milwaukee seventeen to seven. It was seventeen to two
in the ninth inning. Talkie's won six in a row.
The Mets sent Colorado to a seventh straight loss, eight
to New York. The final New York at home twenty
three and seven. Colorado overall nine and forty nine. Saint
Louis a two nothing winner at Texas the win to
Sunny Gray. He's six and one. Miami shut out. The

(01:04:17):
Giants won nothing. Kansas City won nothing over Detroit with
a run in the bottom of the eighth. The Tigers
star starter, the Cy Young winner Trek scooble no decision.
He threw seven scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. Tampa Bay
is sixteen to three winner at Houston. Victories at home
for Atlanta and Cleveland, for Baltimore and Toronto as well,
and in Chicago, the Cubs beat Cincinnati to nothing with

(01:04:39):
two runs in the bottom of the eighth. The New
York's next season might be ending tonight ten minutes to
go third quarter at Indiana. Pacers up sixty six fifty
four against the Knicks. Pacers from three point range ten
of eighteen. They're already had three games to two in
the NBA's East Finals. Tyrese Halliburton with seven assists to

(01:04:59):
go with eight points points Pascal Siakam with twenty one
points for the Pacers, who again are up by twelve
early in the third. Just one w NBA game tonight,
Dallas at one in five does not have rookie Page Becker,
she's in concussion protocol, and the Dallas Wings are trailing
at home to Chicago sixty one fifty three. Late in

(01:05:20):
the third Coco goff win her third round match at
the French Open, Scottie Scheffler leads at the Memorial by
one stroke, And at the Women's College World Series, Texas
beat defending champion Oklahoma in Okase four to two to
make the semifinals. Also, Texas Tech has beaten UCLA three
Wand back to you.

Speaker 2 (01:05:38):
All right, Steve, great stuff, appreciate it always. We're live
in the Fox Sports Radio studios tomorrow night. It's not tonight,
but tomorrow night. Usually Arnie Spanier comes on after our show,
Ryan tonight. I think Aaron Torris, excuse me, Aaron Torres
and Olden Polonies are gonna come on.

Speaker 1 (01:05:57):
After this show. And it's good.

Speaker 2 (01:05:58):
It's good that Arnie span Or is not coming on
after the show tonight, because I think he's gonna need
a minute. He just sent out on Twitter a minute ago.

Speaker 1 (01:06:08):
Game series season oh v E R over.

Speaker 2 (01:06:19):
And of course he is famously a very big Knicks fan.
And so here we are. You heard Steve say it
ten minutes to go. Third quarter, Pacers are up twelve.
We've watched in the day and age of the three pointer,
massive deficits get you know, the rally back and get erased.

(01:06:40):
So I don't know why twelve points feels o v
er to Arnie. But yeah, the Pacers just had a
real nice first two minutes of the second half.

Speaker 1 (01:06:50):
What do you see in this one? Where do you
think it's going?

Speaker 3 (01:06:53):
Well?

Speaker 4 (01:06:53):
The Pacers aren't gonna get up and they the Knicks
did have a comeback, but the Pacers aren't going to
get up and just start jacking three pointers.

Speaker 1 (01:07:01):
They're gonna run their offense. Uh.

Speaker 4 (01:07:04):
At the end of the day, they're are gonna pull
a Boston. And it looks like Indiana's getting into a group.
Pascal siaka man they talk about Holli Burden. Is there
enough respect on his name. He's a real champ. He's
got a motor. If he sees single coverage, he can
he can go get busy, he can go get a bucket.
He plays hard on both ends. I think Pascal is

(01:07:27):
really overlooked man for his contributions and and he's he's
really showing his toughness and he's making things happen right now. Mark,
So you know, the more and more that I that
I watch, man, I think Indiana could win the whole thing.
And it's gonna be and if they get through it,
I'm sorry, I don't want to jump to I want
to it's gonna be INDI's offense against the defense of

(01:07:53):
the thunder Way.

Speaker 2 (01:07:55):
Yeah, yeah, no, that's I'll grant you that. That's the
key side of the ball of the key matchup. But
without getting too far ahead of ourselves, because they're they're still.

Speaker 1 (01:08:06):
In this basketball game twenty two minutes. I'm with you.
I think the Pacer is gonna win.

Speaker 2 (01:08:11):
I already said it. I think the Pacer is gonna win.
To night, I think they're gonna lose.

Speaker 3 (01:08:13):
They said they had no shot against Oklahoma.

Speaker 1 (01:08:16):
No, they're very good. I'm very crazy. I don't know.

Speaker 4 (01:08:20):
It's Alahoma City done other than win sixty regular season games.

Speaker 1 (01:08:24):
That makes you just say, there's no shot.

Speaker 2 (01:08:26):
It wasn't sixty, it wasn't sixty. It was almost seventy. Ryan,
that's the team. That's that's why they're gonna win the
next round.

Speaker 4 (01:08:35):
How many seventy win almost seventy win teams have won
the championship.

Speaker 1 (01:08:40):
Mark almost all of them, actually almost all of them,
your all of them. Your Warriors didn't win it when
they did that? Does that? Is that not why I
use the word almost almost No, but the okay, the
Bulls did it. The Bulls won right now.

Speaker 2 (01:08:55):
That's about it, Ryan. If you dive in this is
an age of analytics in sports. Correct If you dive
in to, for example, the history of Oklahoma City's point differential.
If you dive into the analytics of teams that play
like them and and have produced like they did in

(01:09:18):
the regular season, it is almost and I will firmly
say that word almost always a rap. Those teams don't
lose and and neither will this one.

Speaker 1 (01:09:32):
And I'll I get you got my number. I got
your number.

Speaker 2 (01:09:35):
Like if I if I have to come on your
show in two weeks and and be like, dummy me,
I fell for it again, I will. I'm happy to
do that. But I'm gonna I'm gonna speak what I feel.
And I think the thunder are going to win the championship.

Speaker 1 (01:09:50):
I think you're still overlooking the Pacers. Hey, don't get
don't get me wrong.

Speaker 4 (01:09:56):
I did it too, But I think you're still overlooking
the pit like they are really good.

Speaker 1 (01:10:01):
Mark.

Speaker 2 (01:10:01):
I don't think it's overlooking the Pacers, because I would
say this no matter who they play.

Speaker 4 (01:10:06):
I don't think Oklahoma City's good enough for you or
experience enough for.

Speaker 1 (01:10:12):
You to look. I don't even think you like Minnesota.

Speaker 4 (01:10:15):
That well for you to just say it's a four
gone conclusion.

Speaker 1 (01:10:19):
I come right, guy like you to just put so
much on the regular season, Mark, well, I'm not just
putting it on the regular season. Here we are here.

Speaker 2 (01:10:28):
We are like they're waiting, like picking their teeth right now,
waiting for the NBA Finals Game one, in Game two
on their floor.

Speaker 1 (01:10:36):
They're just sitting there waiting for it.

Speaker 2 (01:10:38):
Let's not act like they haven't performed in this postseason.
I know they went to seven games. They flicked Memphis
around like they didn't even exist. They took Jokicic's absolute
best shot. They made Minnesota look absolutely worthless.

Speaker 1 (01:10:53):
I just think they're the team.

Speaker 2 (01:10:55):
So this isn't like the Pacers have been incredible in
these playoffs. They've been incredible in these playoffs, so this
is not against them. I would say this no matter
who Oklahoma City is playing. The only thing people have
against Oklahoma City is the word you just used. They
kind of say, oh, they don't they lack experience. Well,

(01:11:16):
they're they're getting a lot more real fast here, they're
getting a lot more.

Speaker 1 (01:11:20):
You know.

Speaker 2 (01:11:21):
Their playoff front last year was like wet the whistle.
Now they've played three series.

Speaker 1 (01:11:27):
That's all. I just happen to think they're going this thing.

Speaker 4 (01:11:30):
If Aaron Gordon does not pull his hamstring, they do
not get past Jokic.

Speaker 2 (01:11:38):
Oh, yeah, they do. What you're gonna tell me? Gordon
had been cooking Ryan. They did not win Game seven
because Aaron was hurt. They won by eight thousand points.
They're not winning that game with Aaron Gordon having three legs. No,
they're not winning that game. And by the way, I
could easily make the case like from do you want

(01:12:00):
to talk about a team that probably should have been out,
how about the Nuggets. They're two Aaron Gordon buzzer beaters
away from not even making that series. I thought your
ex team, one of your ex teams. I thought the
Clippers were gonna beat Denver.

Speaker 3 (01:12:15):
The Clippers were darn good.

Speaker 2 (01:12:17):
The Clippers are excellent basketball over the Clippers were I agree.

Speaker 1 (01:12:22):
I thought. I thought, were they're really good, really good.

Speaker 2 (01:12:26):
And if it wasn't for that buzzer beating dunk by
slow it down eight one thousandth of a second thing
that happened in that series, I think the Clippers.

Speaker 1 (01:12:36):
Win that series.

Speaker 2 (01:12:39):
So you know, right this is kidd and ugly right now,
Pacers up by fifteen, Pacers up by fifteen. More on
that coming up, also still ahead. We got to get
to the wide receiver position. We got to get to
the problem in baseball. Every time Steve de Seger comes on,
he says something about the Dodgers that's gonna make my

(01:12:59):
points sound silly, but it applies to everybody else pretty much,
and so we'll get to that as well. Around the
corner with Ryan Hollands, Mark Willard, it's Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 1 (01:13:10):
That fifteen point lead went down to eight.

Speaker 2 (01:13:14):
Fast, real fast, and I think it's going to go
down to six here in just a sec. So don't
go away yet on Knicks Pacers, and I actually got
a question for you about the Knicks here in just
a moment. Mark Willard Ryan Hollins were live in the
Fox Sports Radio studios. It's funny with the conversation we
were just having though about the Steelers. I just saw

(01:13:35):
this from longtime sports media guy Dave Damashak, who's a
big Steelers fan, and he quote tweeted something that came
out of Steelers camp today from veteran cornerback Darius Slay.

Speaker 1 (01:13:52):
Been around the league forever.

Speaker 2 (01:13:53):
So they asked him, why'd you show up at OTAs
he said, quote, this is where championship football starts. Everybody
has to buy in, and this is the time to
buy in. I know guys have family and stuff, and
I've got one as well, but if you want to
be a champion, there are some things you have to sacrifice.
I want to be here on time, be present, let

(01:14:15):
guys see my face and show guys it's important to
be here and I am here to win. That's from
veteran cornerback Darius Slay. And he wouldn't have answered it
that way if he didn't know that there's someone who
has not even been announced on the team who is
on the team and should be there. As Damashack sort

(01:14:36):
of said, it's a poorly kept secret that Rogers has
told the Steelers that he's going to be there June tenth, and.

Speaker 1 (01:14:44):
So now you have what I would.

Speaker 2 (01:14:47):
Argue, is you've got infighting with a teammate who's not
even a teammate yet that's what you've got with the Steelers.

Speaker 1 (01:14:55):
And so that's why I say what I say, like
this has just.

Speaker 2 (01:14:58):
Been very, very poorly handled by a proud organization my opinion.

Speaker 3 (01:15:06):
No, you're not wrong. And Darius Slay's my guy.

Speaker 4 (01:15:09):
He's certified enough to say what he just said. I
don't think when he made that statement, anybody's gonna scoff
or question it.

Speaker 1 (01:15:18):
And that's what it should be. And you're setting the table.

Speaker 4 (01:15:22):
And again, I never want to, you know, count another
man's money or why someone shows up or doesn't show up.
But you know he's certified enough to say that. And again,
you know, I'm sure we'll be finding out more things
will unfold, of whose fault it was, or whose choice
it was, or wherever it goes.

Speaker 2 (01:15:45):
All Right, the Pacers are trying to put the finishing
touches on this one. It's still the third quarter and
they're up by nine. Right Now, here's the question I
have for you about the next man, because if this
is it, this is it and the season ends tonight,
how does a Nick Van view this season, how they

(01:16:10):
feel about it.

Speaker 3 (01:16:10):
Oh, they're going to be disgusted, but they shouldn't be.

Speaker 4 (01:16:13):
I mean, they've gone further than they have in what decades.

Speaker 3 (01:16:18):
You have a good group.

Speaker 4 (01:16:21):
I just think the respect is not going to be
put there on the Indiana Pacers. And you have an
extremely delusional and emotional fan base. And man, I want
to say, like like the Knicks fan like they love
their team, they love their organized like they like more
than any like like it is not something lightly and

(01:16:44):
I think that's where we're finding out and singing.

Speaker 3 (01:16:47):
But like even like.

Speaker 4 (01:16:49):
Cowboy fans, Laker fans, like I mean Yankee fans, like
like the emotion for the next it is it is there.

Speaker 2 (01:16:59):
New York, New York's and Basketball town. People just don't
know because the Knicks don't win.

Speaker 1 (01:17:03):
I hate that if there's gonna be this kind of like.

Speaker 4 (01:17:08):
Just just just well, they're not going to properly evaluate
how good of a season it was.

Speaker 2 (01:17:14):
Well, it's interesting you say it the way you do,
because I'm not so sure.

Speaker 1 (01:17:17):
And here's why.

Speaker 2 (01:17:18):
Like I wasn't sort of like insinuating that that that
there's gonna be you know, marching in the streets because
the Knicks.

Speaker 1 (01:17:27):
Lost if they do, indeed louse I.

Speaker 2 (01:17:30):
Well, but here's my like, you're aware right that they
they celebrated with street signs and went crazy when they
made the Eastern Conference finals.

Speaker 4 (01:17:39):
So in other word, that might be that it'll be
a difference time, maybe be the opposite.

Speaker 1 (01:17:44):
But it's like kind of what I'm getting at, and
I and I.

Speaker 2 (01:17:48):
Talked about this last week, like it was completely a
premature celebration. It felt very odd to me that Knicks
fans were celebrating as if they'd won the championship before
they even made the championship round.

Speaker 1 (01:18:01):
So I wonder if all.

Speaker 2 (01:18:04):
Of the years of futility have or have not lowered
the bar a little bit because they were they very classically.
I would argue the fans so far have have behaved
in a way of just they're happy to.

Speaker 1 (01:18:16):
Have been here. They won't like that, but that's that's
the way.

Speaker 4 (01:18:21):
Well, they threw a parade. Yeah, it was premature. They
threw a parade. Give them some credit. They beat the Celtics, Dude,
they beat that did not that premature? I mean, that's
not core. They beat the Celtics and they weren't supposed
to beat the Celtics.

Speaker 1 (01:18:38):
They weren't supposed to come back.

Speaker 2 (01:18:40):
I know, and I think that they were gonna win
that series even if the Tatum injury didn't happen. So
they did, and that's a great accomplishment. But we don't
we don't celebrate that. This is this is New York
that like, we don't. We don't do that in professional sports.

(01:19:00):
We don't celebrate. And let's just celebrate, Mark. You know,
the only time you celebrate a Final four is if
you're a college basketball player, Like, that's what that felt like.

Speaker 1 (01:19:11):
It's been a long time, Mark, Yes, So I wonder,
I wonder if they will be angry.

Speaker 3 (01:19:18):
Yes, I'm sure.

Speaker 4 (01:19:20):
I am very confident NYPD is going to be prepared.

Speaker 2 (01:19:28):
Okay, well, NYPD probably all always going to be prepared.
But I I don't know, man, I if that's if
that's the way you behave when you make it just
to the conference finals, I don't, I don't know. I
don't know what happens next. I'd be interested to see
it very much. Looks like it's going to happen. Pacers

(01:19:49):
are back up by fourteen, all right, we'll get down
to the end of that game.

Speaker 1 (01:19:54):
Plus talk about wide receivers. Next, you're listening to Fox Sports, where.

Speaker 2 (01:19:59):
You and not done yet, not even close, and neither
of the Knicks, but maybe that's getting close. We're broadcasting
live from the Fox Sports radio studios. Just about thirty
ticks left in this third quarter, Pacers up double digits.
We will keep you up to date down the stretch.
The Dodgers are ruining a point that I was going

(01:20:20):
to make about baseball tonight. I'll still try and I
want to talk a little bit about the wide receiver
position and hopefully not paint with too broad of a brush,
all inspired by what's going on with Stefan Diggs, who
is now a member of the Patriots, at least for
the moment.

Speaker 1 (01:20:38):
So we'll get to all of that in this our final.

Speaker 2 (01:20:41):
Hour along with Ryan Hollins Mark Willard having some fun tonight.
I did promise I wanted to ask you something, Ryan,
and this is it's mainly NBA related, but I guess
it could be any sport. This happens all the time,
and a season will end and then you hear about
how a player was actually hurt they were playing through

(01:21:04):
injury like this time of year in the NBA. You
tell me what's it actually like. I'm sure everyone's got
bumps and bruises, but what's the percentage of guys who
are playing right now who have what's actually kind of
like a significant injury.

Speaker 4 (01:21:23):
Everybody's got something, literally, everybody at this time of year
has something, and it's to their discretion if they'd like
to disclose it to the fans or whatnot and say,
hey man, this guy had a knee or an elbow
or a deal like that. And it all depends on
the player, you know, and that's there's rules set in

(01:21:46):
place for that also, so it one hundred percent is
to the discretion of the player to go on and
disclose what their injury is. And sometimes, like these guys
have had it from the season, you know that they're
playing through. And I'm telling you, man, I've seen played
with Dirk KG, Chris Paul, I mean, Vince Carter.

Speaker 3 (01:22:10):
I've seen these guys, these.

Speaker 4 (01:22:12):
Superstars, I mean tape themselves together literally just to be
able to play these games. And you don't know how
bad their bodies are hurting. You just see them running
and jumping. But all these stars, man, kudos to them,
they're putting in working. There are moments where they got
to get out there and just play through it. But
you know, sometimes it does look questionable that a guy

(01:22:33):
is hurting, is like.

Speaker 3 (01:22:34):
Oh, I've been playing through a broken thumb or something.
And then there's a.

Speaker 4 (01:22:37):
Level where you don't really want to disclose how hurt
you are to Mark because you know then it becomes
something you're just tired of hearing about.

Speaker 3 (01:22:45):
But for the most part, man.

Speaker 4 (01:22:46):
These guys are all battling through I mean swollen ankles, knees.
I mean, you'll have a choice where it's like, hey,
do I get surgery?

Speaker 1 (01:22:56):
Do I play through it? And they're like, we'll play
through I'll get surgery after the season, right, And it's common.

Speaker 2 (01:23:01):
And that's actually kind of what inspired my question because
we do see it all of the time. What inspired
my question though, is is the Warriors were eliminated from
the playoffs. There were two smaller role players for the
team who for the most part, they still had some
nice games, but for the most part down the stretch
of the playoffs, they really shot the ball poorly. They

(01:23:22):
shot the ball poorly, and so people were like, man, right,
Steph's got no role players with him. And when Steph
goes out they couldn't win another game, and so the
whole thing ends. And there's a lot of focus on
these two role players, Brandon Pajemski and Moses Moody. And
here's why I ask, because Moses Moody couldn't shoot and
Brandon for the most part, really struggled to shoot. And

(01:23:46):
then within a week of the season ending, both of
them had surgeries on their shooting hands.

Speaker 1 (01:23:53):
And what went through my head was.

Speaker 2 (01:23:56):
God, if I if I were one of you, that
would drive me nuts that it's considered a quote excuse
if you say anything, or if anybody gives anybody a
little bit of slack for their poor performance and playing

(01:24:19):
through it, even though I mean, okay, Moody's got like
ligaments torn in his shooting thumb, I would imagine that
that would make it very hard to shoot a basketball accurately.

Speaker 1 (01:24:34):
Absolutely right.

Speaker 2 (01:24:36):
But for some reason, and especially it seems like today
more than ever, age of social media, the snark and
the big statements and all of that, you're just not
allowed to use that, you're not allowed to even enter
it into the conversation. I know a lot of fans
who are like, if you're healthy enough to go out there,

(01:24:57):
and play healthy enough to go out there and play excuses.

Speaker 1 (01:25:01):
Good lord, that would drive me nuts.

Speaker 2 (01:25:03):
It would drive me nuts to struggle because there are
torn ligaments in my hand. And then I drive home
and everybody's on the radio and TV calling me a schmock.

Speaker 1 (01:25:15):
So what's what's the right what's the right way to
do that?

Speaker 2 (01:25:20):
You even said when you were talking, there are rules
to this with regard to what you disclose.

Speaker 1 (01:25:28):
Well, you don't want to overshadow what's going on.

Speaker 4 (01:25:32):
You're you're you're really tired of you know, you don't
want to have to hear about it all the times.
Look like one of the pacers just went down speaking, yeah,
and there is a there is a pacer on the floor.

Speaker 1 (01:25:44):
I'll get and again too.

Speaker 4 (01:25:46):
Even remember the series between the Warriors and the Rockets
and Curry's hand every every time he walked into the tunnel,
he was on display. And what ended up happening was,
you know, this was a is Dylan Brooks aiming for
his hand or are are they gonna hit his hand?
Is he a hit away? So you don't want to
necessarily bring that on. And it very much is a

(01:26:09):
part of the game, you know, And and and from
a player standpoint, Mark, you know, it's funny, like you'll
see a guy's hand or something beyond the shooting report
this guy reporter or you know, you'll kind of hear
about it or it's like a you know, ends up
being a big deal or so so to speak. Is
and that's so annoying. You want to know why because
every time you hear about a guy that has a

(01:26:30):
knee or something, the guy, the guy plays like there
is nothing going on, like he's absolutely like out bro.

Speaker 1 (01:26:38):
So you when you see that as a player, you're like, oh,
an advantage. And I learned that.

Speaker 4 (01:26:42):
I'm like, oh man, this guy's a little banged up,
and I'm like, man, he's playing like career basketball.

Speaker 1 (01:26:48):
He's absolutely just fine.

Speaker 4 (01:26:50):
So uh, you know you kind of learned to like
shake that off, you know, and it is a part
of things because it can absolutely impact guys and it does.

Speaker 2 (01:26:59):
Mark, No, there's no question, And that's kind of what
I'm getting at. Like I think that conversations in sports
today often lack context, but nobody cares.

Speaker 1 (01:27:13):
I just don't.

Speaker 2 (01:27:14):
I don't know if it's a function of our attention
spans being so short as they are because of the
phones and what have you.

Speaker 1 (01:27:21):
I don't want to sound like an old dude, but like,
that's what it feels like.

Speaker 2 (01:27:24):
I don't know that anybody cares about the context anymore,
and there's always.

Speaker 1 (01:27:37):
Or what someone is struggling through.

Speaker 2 (01:27:40):
And again, it's professional sports, and as you say, this
time of year, everyone's dealing with it. So I'm in
no way am I trying to say, oh, you know,
play a violin for everybody because they lost, and let's
make sure there are oranges at halftime and cookies afterwards.

Speaker 1 (01:27:56):
That's not what I'm getting at.

Speaker 2 (01:27:58):
It's a performance based business and there's billions of dollars
changing hands, so I fully get it.

Speaker 1 (01:28:05):
But there seems to be this.

Speaker 2 (01:28:07):
Clop back, an absolute clop back from the sports world
if stuff like that gets entered into the conversation and
I sort of look at.

Speaker 1 (01:28:17):
It like how can it not? Like how could how
could it not? You know?

Speaker 2 (01:28:23):
And I can give you bunches of examples based on
any of these NBA teams, But you watched closely because
you're an analyst for the Rockets, like you watched what
happened when you know I'm in Thompson ended up.

Speaker 1 (01:28:39):
I thought it was just ended up in the wrong spot.

Speaker 2 (01:28:41):
I didn't think it was a dirty play, but he
comes up underneath Jimmy Butler, and Jimmy Butler lands on
the tailbone, and and Butler missed basically a couple of games,
and then he came back out there and ran around
for the rest of the series, kind of like he
had to go to the bathroom the whole time because
like that, he was in such tremendous pain, and he
had good moments and he had bad moments. But once

(01:29:02):
you come back out there, everyone's like, Okay, you're here,
And I'm like, don't you want don't you want to
look at that through a different lens? You know, he's
an excruciating pain. We've all done the tailbone thing. It hurts,
like hell, can't you enter that into the conversation.

Speaker 1 (01:29:23):
Yeah, you'll.

Speaker 4 (01:29:24):
You'll mention it and you can see a player win
saying and it's tough, and it's honestly, as a former player,
it's one of the things Mark that I always really
stay away from. And the reason that I do it
is because I'll never gauge another guy's pain tolerance. And
I've like had teammates and you're like, oh, he's he's

(01:29:47):
just being soft or whatever, and the guy ends up
having surgery and it's.

Speaker 1 (01:29:50):
Like, no, he wasn't being soft. He was legitimately hurt.

Speaker 4 (01:29:54):
So you you want to stay away from that because
the day that you're hurt, you never want some somebody's
sitting there going, oh, you're you're just soft man, You're
just you know, you're you're faking or whatever. So you know,
you really do your best to be mindful about judging
other guys, because I mean, you know, it's it's a
real thing.

Speaker 2 (01:30:14):
You're you're reminding me of Tony Parker, to be honest
with you, Like I thought, Tony Parker might have might
have been the final straw in Kawhi Leonard's exit from
the San Antonio Spurs, because remember when Kawhi and he's
kind of made a career out of it now in
the age of load management, but you remember when they
were just so frustrated with the length of time that

(01:30:37):
he was taking to come back from his injury. And
at a certain point, Tony Parker was like, I've had
that injury.

Speaker 1 (01:30:44):
It doesn't take that long. And I was like, ooh,
that was like yeah, I mean, hold on, a second.

Speaker 2 (01:30:50):
Not everybody handles every injury, even the same injury, right,
That doesn't it doesn't just go the same way. Sometimes
you have a cold and it goes away in two days.
Other times that cough lasts for a month. So you
can't be like I've got a cold, it goes away
in two days, you know what I mean? Like, I
just thought that was totally out of balance.

Speaker 4 (01:31:09):
Yeah, I thought san Antonio really was out of pocket
with the way they did that, And just from a
teammates standpoint, they kind of and I'm sure there are
things that Kawhi maybe didn't want to be there, but
I think when you when you questioned the injuries.

Speaker 3 (01:31:23):
That was the problem.

Speaker 4 (01:31:24):
Maybe like hey, Kawhi, we kinda you know, put our
stake in our future in you. Everybody's invested in you.
Why don't you want to be here? That's fine, But
I definitely agree that the injury statements towards Kawhi Leonard
they were like they were like super super out of pocket.

Speaker 1 (01:31:43):
Totally. I definitely remember that time totally.

Speaker 2 (01:31:45):
All right, Pacers by eleven less than ten minutes to go,
a trip to the NBA Finals on the line.

Speaker 1 (01:31:53):
We will keep you up to date on all of that.

Speaker 2 (01:31:55):
Steve de Seger is just about fifteen minutes away with
much more on the details. Jerifs Walker, by the way,
was the player who went down for the Pacers jerfs Walker,
So it's one of their bench players. Is only you know,
played a handful of minutes in this game, but just
to let everybody know, that's who went down there for
the Pacers and did exit the game at least for

(01:32:19):
the moment. But lots more to get to. I will
I'm gonna try to do this take even though the
Dodgers have totally ruined it tonight, but I do want
to talk about it with you, and we'll do that
coming up next with Ryan Hollins Mark Willard. Fox Sports Radio.
It's live right here in the Fox Sports Radio studios.

(01:32:40):
You can stream this show and all of the shows
on Fox Sports Radio Live twenty four to seven and
the new and improved iHeartRadio app. Just search Fox Sports
Radio in the app and you can stream us live.
And one of the newest features in the app is
that you can select Fox Sports Radio is one of
your presets, just like the presets on a radio dial,

(01:33:00):
So be sharing a preset Fox Sports radio and the
iHeartRadio app and it'll always pop up right there at
the top of your screen. Hey man, I think this
thing's cooked. I think this thing's cooked. You think this
thing's cooked.

Speaker 4 (01:33:15):
You know what, the way that the playoffs have been
this year, you you can't make that call.

Speaker 1 (01:33:21):
It's true, it's true. I know that.

Speaker 2 (01:33:23):
Yeah, the Pacers are up fourteen right now. Actually now
they're up sixteen, but they were up. They were down
fourteen in this series with two minutes and forty five
seconds ago and they won that game.

Speaker 1 (01:33:37):
Mar Yeah, this one's cooked.

Speaker 4 (01:33:40):
Yeah, you know, we I mean, we don't know we
can assume them, but you know, I mean, the Knicks
have had their share comebacks, right.

Speaker 2 (01:33:48):
Sure, this one's cooked. I'm allowed to make predictions. Of course,
I don't see you. Of course I don't know. Yeah, like,
come on, man, this thing's cooked. You should be happy.
I'm told that on Twitter you predicted that the Indiana
Pacers were going to run the world this year, and
so here they are.

Speaker 4 (01:34:09):
Well, I'm just I'm just giving them some credit. Due
I do think they're gonna handle business, and I just
think it's all about matchups. And you're going, well, how
do they beat the Celtics, but they're getting run by
the Pacers. The Knicks are built to go pound for
pound with you, and they have the wings to guard

(01:34:30):
the Celtics wings, which gave them a shot to win
and they won. And the Pacers aren't just wing heavy,
they're team heavy. They're ball movement heavy. They are elite
offensively because they move the ball and they play together
so they don't just play one on one and they

(01:34:50):
can play in different styles. And like, look right now,
like they are moving the basketball with four minutes left
in the fourth quarter.

Speaker 3 (01:34:57):
They are moving the basketball.

Speaker 4 (01:34:58):
What typical NBA teams run pick and roll to a
one on one isolation and that is it. And Indiana's
showing what trust and team really looks like on the
offensive end.

Speaker 1 (01:35:10):
This thing's cooked. Wow.

Speaker 2 (01:35:13):
They are up by nineteen with forts twenty to go.
The Indiana Pacers are going to go to the NBA
Finals and take on the Oklahoma City Thunder. So, rewinding
back to our previous conversation, are you telling me the
Pacers are going to win that series?

Speaker 1 (01:35:31):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (01:35:31):
I what I'm saying. I think they're the more complete team.
I don't love offensively, what Oklahoma City's brought to the table.
They really need to turn you over to and win
the game. On the defensive end, I think I just
don't think they have enough now. The secret to success
is playing deep teams that trust their lineups. And both

(01:35:53):
the teams that were seeing trust their lineups. When the
Celtics won it, they'd played deep. They weren't giving just
a slow minutes to all their guys. And I think
at the end of the day, that's the difference in
these series that we hadn't you know, we hadn't been
seeing or you're seeing these teams that are just top
heavy with their starting five or one or two guys

(01:36:14):
get the shots. You don't win like that in the
league anymore. And we had the conversation earlier about free agency. Okay,
you trade and you get you honest, Now you don't
have a bench. Now you don't have any depth, yep,
And can you win like that in the NBA? And
I think the Pacers are probably making some front offices rethink,
like a we got to be eight or nine deep,
we got to go younger, And that's what the trend

(01:36:36):
looks like right now.

Speaker 1 (01:36:40):
I'm glad you brought that up.

Speaker 2 (01:36:41):
Actually, my show team, you know, for Monday through Friday
here during the week, just sent me.

Speaker 1 (01:36:48):
Actually, some buddies of mine here in town just sent
me a link.

Speaker 2 (01:36:52):
Apparently something I said on our show yesterday here in
the Bay Area just made newsweek. Yeah, because you want
to know what I said that was so offantiev I said,
I'm out on the idea of Jannis to the Warriors.

Speaker 1 (01:37:11):
I'm out. Wow, I'm out. It doesn't make any No,
it doesn't make any sense.

Speaker 3 (01:37:17):
You guys even get them.

Speaker 2 (01:37:19):
Well, the only way that the Warriors would get him
is if Yannis said, send me to the Warriors, the
same way Anthony Davis was like, send me to the Lakers.
You're one thousand percent right that the Warriors do not
have and anything that could compete with the package that
Houston or San Antonio or many.

Speaker 1 (01:37:38):
Others could produce. But very rarely I think you'd agree
with this.

Speaker 2 (01:37:43):
Star players don't end up on the market and just
be like, I want to trade, send me anywhere. Like
they don't do that. They don't do that. Now, sometimes
the leverage game plays. Dame Lillard wanted to go to Miami.
He ended up Milwaukee, but he was playing with Yannis right, Like,
I don't know if he's necessarily just going to be
able to pick his exact spot, but he's not just

(01:38:04):
going to be like Bucks, trade me, trade me to
Charlotte if you want, that's fine.

Speaker 1 (01:38:08):
He's not going to do that.

Speaker 2 (01:38:10):
So there are people here, because there have been overtures
through the ears between Giannis and Steph, there are people
who who think that that might be interesting. To be honest,
I think it's kind of lappable because why would he
want to go join a core that's all approaching forty
years old. That doesn't make any sense. But let's go

(01:38:32):
down the road. Let's say that he does and he
wants to come play with Steph. The package that you
would have to give in order to make that work would,
as you just said, it would rob your team of
all of its depth. Plus you would rob all of
the future assets from a team that is about to

(01:38:53):
lose its start or retirement.

Speaker 1 (01:38:56):
It doesn't make any sense. So the quote goes.

Speaker 2 (01:39:00):
To Twitter and it's like this dummy doesn't want Yannis
on the team. It's like, no, but they, of course
I've been getting screamed out on Twitter for twenty four hours. Fine,
happens all the time. Goes back to my point last segment.
Context is dead. Nobody wants to listen to the entire point.
They want to grab the one quote and then freak

(01:39:22):
out about it. And now it's in newsweek, okay, whatever Newsweek.
Like that's the larger point. It doesn't make any sense.

Speaker 1 (01:39:31):
Well, do they at least show what you said in full?

Speaker 8 (01:39:35):
Not?

Speaker 1 (01:39:35):
Really? No, And that's not the way it works.

Speaker 2 (01:39:38):
But like I even threw this out, and this is
relevant to more than just the Warriors. Anybody who wants
to go get Yannis right now unless you want, unless
you're like the Rockets or the Spurs, and I think
you have an excess of young assets. Even if I
told you, hey, you'd get Yannis you win the title
next year and people will be like, Okay, sign me up,

(01:39:59):
I'd be like, hold on, as soon as that title's over,
you have to sign up for twelve years of irrelevance.

Speaker 1 (01:40:08):
And missing the playoffs entirely.

Speaker 2 (01:40:11):
You in yes, okay some people Some people would say yes,
others I think with at least top of brain, you
know what I mean, Like, I don't think either of
those are brainless takes. You can say yes, but I
don't think you're an idiot if you say no, because like,
that's one fun year for now a decade plus of irrelevance.

(01:40:35):
You know what I mean, your kids are now in college,
for instance, Like your five year old saw a championship.
Now he's in college. The next time you make the playoffs.
I don't know, man, that's a lot.

Speaker 1 (01:40:48):
To give up.

Speaker 4 (01:40:49):
I'm gonna give you something else, all right, you go
twelve years of irrelevance without a championships. There's some teams
that hadn't won one, that ain't close. They's going to
get one, So it might be you might not have one,
like like it it takes that long, like and that's

(01:41:11):
just a part of sports.

Speaker 1 (01:41:12):
And that's fair.

Speaker 2 (01:41:13):
But obviously, in my particular case, I'm speaking directly to
a fan base that has four in the last decade.

Speaker 4 (01:41:21):
So like, yeah, and my opinion, well here you here's
their logic, Mark and I help you understand it. You
got Steph Curry, right, yeah, maybe the last high level
these next I don't know. I don't want to put
his time staff on what he could be or couldn't be.

(01:41:41):
I'm not gonna do that. But let's say let's say
you got five years, right, all right, let's just fancy
yourself five years after Steph Curry, right, yeah, right, And
it's these are these are real conversations. Don One wants
to have Mark and you have a shot to maximize that,
you might as well do it because the chances of

(01:42:01):
another Steph Curry that can lead you to another four championships,
and it's it's a player.

Speaker 3 (01:42:07):
Basically, players that do it aren't likely.

Speaker 1 (01:42:14):
Full of grace, So why not maximize this one year?

Speaker 4 (01:42:18):
Then we can say based rock Curry gave us five championships.

Speaker 1 (01:42:23):
Boom, yep, you're because it might be another twin that
you don't get another Curry.

Speaker 2 (01:42:29):
I get it, but I also think a he ain't
staying for another five years, promise you b They just
went and got him a running mate who, by the way,
they played to the level of the two seed in
the West after his arrival. Then they eliminated the two seed.

Speaker 1 (01:42:48):
Then Steph got hurt and they got knocked out.

Speaker 2 (01:42:50):
So I'd argue they're already they're they're pretty good right now,
and there are no guarantees if you then strip every
other asset on the team in order to bring in Giannis.
You just said it right before we started this conversation.
Your depth is gone, gone, gone. So I don't think

(01:43:11):
acquiring him, any acquiring team has not guaranteed themselves anything.
He's been playing with Dame Lillard and they couldn't even
get better. They couldn't even get a top four seed.

Speaker 1 (01:43:21):
I don't think it's a guarantee, right, I don't think
it's a guarantee. Guess what your fan base is getting?
Pretty delusional?

Speaker 4 (01:43:28):
Mark, Well, of course, all fantastics, especially when they win,
and it's fair for them to be delusive because they've won.

Speaker 1 (01:43:34):
Yes, like like those things actually happen.

Speaker 3 (01:43:37):
The thing they think about like actually happens.

Speaker 1 (01:43:40):
Here's why.

Speaker 2 (01:43:41):
Here's there's one other piece of it as to why
this ended up in Newsweek. I was like, I don't
want to acquire a Yiannis type. I want to acquire
like a Steve de Sager type. That's that's who I
think push an organization over the top. Wow, give me,
give me, give me, Steve de Sager.

Speaker 7 (01:44:01):
I can assure you I am considerably chery.

Speaker 1 (01:44:03):
Are there, y are? I knew you were there.

Speaker 7 (01:44:06):
By the way the Dodgers have beaten the Yankees on
Fox TV eighteen to two, which is actually not that
bad considering the Yankees used a German shepherd to pitch
the eighth. Max Munsey wound up hitting two home runs
seven RBIs. Actually it was five total homers for the
Dodgers against five different pitchers, the last of which was

(01:44:27):
not a dog, but he pitched like a dog, if
you know what I mean. Three runs, five hits allowed
from a five foot eight middle infielder in the bottom
of the eighth inning. Dodgers had an impressive comeback to
win last night against New York, a team that had
been red hot the last three weeks. It's not looking
like that now. Eighteen to two LA the final tonight.
The two for the Yankees, two home runs for Aaron Judge,

(01:44:49):
his twentieth and twenty first of the season. Meanwhile, the
late games on FS one and there's no outs in
the top of the first and it's nine to nothing,
Washington leading at Arizona. God damn it, and the Diamondbacks
starting pitcher Brandon Fott was seven and three coming in,
did not get an out, allowed six hits, two hit batters,

(01:45:11):
eight runs charged to him. The visitors are still batting.
I repeat with no outs in the first. It's nine
nothing Nationals at Arizona. Well, the Minnesota Twins have scored
a run in the top of the ninth to tie it.
At Seattle, it's now four to four against the Mariners.
Bottom of the ninth. Cal Rawley with his twenty second

(01:45:32):
home run of the season for Seattle, and Yes, the
Indiana Pacers are going to win the Eastern Conference Finals
four games to two. About forty five seconds left, Pacers
lead the Nicks one twenty five to one ZH five.
A dominant second half of the home team, Tyrese Haliburton
up to twenty one points and thirteen assists after a
slow start, Passcal Siakam with thirty one points for the

(01:45:55):
team that will win shortly. The NBA Finals start Thursday
in Oklahomas. Just won WNBA game tonight. Chicago, which was
one and four, got to win at Dallas, which is
one and six ninety four eighty three the final. The
Stanley Cup Final starts Wednesday, Florida at Edmonton. Scottie Scheffler
leads the Memorial by one stroke after a third round

(01:46:15):
sixty eight cocoa golf winner third round match at the
French Open, there's a soccer playoff tonight for the final
spot in next month's Club World Cup, which the US
will host. LAFC is hosting Clube America tonight for that
final spot to qualify into Chelsea's group. Paris and German
took the Champions League final.

Speaker 1 (01:46:34):
Earlier.

Speaker 7 (01:46:34):
In baseball, the Mets won the Phillies loss. The Mets
and Phills now tied for first place in the NL East.
The Mets start a four game series at Dodger Stadium
on Monday night. That Mets win was eight to two
over Colorado, a team that has lost seven in a
row and is nine and forty nine overall. The Phillies
were trailing seventeen to two in the ninth lost seventeen

(01:46:56):
to seven to Milwaukee, which has won six in a row,
and we had a fine of Tampa Bay sixteen to
three at Houston. It is now a final at Indiana
Pacers one twenty five to oneh eight over. The next
New York season is over. The Knicks won fifty one
games this year. Indiana won fifty games in the regular season.

(01:47:16):
The Pacers the four seed going to the NBA Finals.

Speaker 2 (01:47:20):
Back to you, Steve, before you go, this is hilarious, right, Like,
we're going to set up the NBA Finals before we
get to the end of the show. It's now sat
Thunder and Pacers. As you said, but the guys know this.
Ryan knows this, Ian knows this.

Speaker 1 (01:47:37):
Are our producer.

Speaker 2 (01:47:38):
One of the things that I wanted to say today,
and I have data to back myself up here, One
of the things one of the things I wanted to
say today was.

Speaker 1 (01:47:49):
That what's really ailing baseball?

Speaker 2 (01:47:52):
We get pitched clock, and let's stop runner at second
in extra innings, and let's stop the shift.

Speaker 1 (01:47:57):
And all this.

Speaker 2 (01:47:57):
What's really ailing baseball is that in twenty twenty five,
it's too hard to hit. And I arrive here on
a night where the Dodgers have scored fifteen, eighteen, eighteen,
the Brewers have scored seventeen, the Nationals have scored ten,
you're telling me, and there's nobody out in the first

(01:48:19):
inning or.

Speaker 1 (01:48:19):
Something like that. The Rays scored sixteen.

Speaker 2 (01:48:24):
This is akin to when you go to the doctor
because your knee's been hurting every day for three weeks
and they're like, tell me what's wrong, and you're like,
I don't know, it feels perfect today.

Speaker 7 (01:48:32):
I'm ready to run up and down the hallway time
like I have all kinds of it's up.

Speaker 2 (01:48:37):
Do you know that since nineteen seventeen, the four seasons
where hits per game per team have been the lowest.
The four seasons are all in the last five years.

Speaker 7 (01:48:49):
You do have a good point on paper because of
the way pitching staffs and the bullpen are used. Now,
it's just isn't a good day to prove that.

Speaker 1 (01:48:57):
This was the wrong night.

Speaker 2 (01:48:59):
I needed to say this, Like I gotta tell Scott Shapiro,
I needed to do this show at noon.

Speaker 1 (01:49:06):
This is a terrible night to make my point.

Speaker 2 (01:49:10):
Wow, this is like when Steve you know what, I
would love to know, when's the last time this many.

Speaker 1 (01:49:19):
Runs have been scored in a day in baseball? Yeah?

Speaker 7 (01:49:23):
This has been by the end of the next show.

Speaker 1 (01:49:26):
Holy crap.

Speaker 7 (01:49:28):
Anyway, it is two on two out for that FS
one game. The late game, it's ten to nothing top
of the first So Arizona hasn't even batted yet, right,
they're down ten and to say the least, the Nationals
have not only batted around, they're halfway through the order
a second time.

Speaker 1 (01:49:44):
Correct, Yes, yeah, the Nationals. It's like it's not even
one of the good teams.

Speaker 7 (01:49:50):
Yeah, a team with a losing record.

Speaker 2 (01:49:51):
The Nationals have done this. The Rays are barely over
five hundred. They've got I get it. When the Dodgers
score eighteen, they've got an epic, unbelievable lineup.

Speaker 7 (01:50:02):
Although it is a shocker because you know, Mookie Betts
is out this weekend, broken toe, and the Dodgers had
a sub five hundred record the last three weeks, and
the Yankees were dominating the last three weeks. It's what
they can be. It's just not what we've seen. It's
a brand.

Speaker 1 (01:50:18):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:50:19):
And then coincidentally, guys, I'm also looking at the scoreboard today.

Speaker 1 (01:50:26):
Let's see.

Speaker 2 (01:50:27):
Now, the Padres and Pirates are still playing, so we
won't count that.

Speaker 1 (01:50:30):
But the Reds, so count the.

Speaker 2 (01:50:33):
Reds, the Rangers, the Red Sox, the Giants, and the Tigers.

Speaker 1 (01:50:40):
Today we're all shut out.

Speaker 7 (01:50:42):
Correct.

Speaker 1 (01:50:43):
Five teams scored Zippo.

Speaker 7 (01:50:44):
Low scoring games also heaped. There are a couple of
one nothing games today.

Speaker 2 (01:50:49):
So anyway, what do you guys think of my point
it's too hard to hit in baseball?

Speaker 7 (01:50:52):
Yeah, I'll back up your point. As long as you
heard my first sentence. This is a bad night to
prove this right. The way pitching staffs are used is
they'll just have everybody come in from the bullpen and
throw absolutely as hard as he ever has in his life.
And who cares if he blows his arm out. We'll
just get a new pitcher and you'll have another Tommy

(01:51:14):
John surgery.

Speaker 1 (01:51:15):
One hundred four miles an hour. People are throwing hundred four.

Speaker 7 (01:51:18):
There was the Trek Schooble complete game in the last
week where his final pitch, a strikeout to end the game,
was one oh two on a complete game.

Speaker 1 (01:51:27):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:51:28):
Yeah, So anyway, great stuff is always tonight, Steve Ryan,
what'd you think of my fancy point it's too hard
to hit in baseball?

Speaker 4 (01:51:36):
Now, I think that newsweek should pick this up and
this would be, you know great, this would be would
be back to back segments.

Speaker 1 (01:51:45):
You know, Yiannis would love to hear that one.

Speaker 7 (01:51:48):
And you know, stay tuned. There's another segment. He's going
for the hat trick exactly.

Speaker 2 (01:51:54):
That's a perfect response. Yeah, someone's gonna be like, Yo,
there's this dude out west. Somebody needs to check on him.

Speaker 8 (01:52:02):
I've got some numbers here for the highest scoring day
in MLB history, according to Google AI combined as two
hundred and twenty two runs June tenth and sixty two,
nineteen sixty two. Okay, highest in modern era was two
hundred and four back in twenty twenty one, so not
that long ago. But I calculated today there have been
one hundred and thirty seven so far, so still a
ways to go if we want to get that record.

Speaker 2 (01:52:23):
Okay, okay, all right, but the Nationals are still batting,
so stay tuned.

Speaker 7 (01:52:29):
No, they just need like they just left the bases loaded,
so it's only ten to nothing at the end of
half an inning.

Speaker 1 (01:52:37):
Oh gosh, all right, that was funny.

Speaker 2 (01:52:40):
Okay, Ryan, it's it's gonna be Pacers and Thunder your
full breakdown now, that's a fact coming up next shortly
after the show. Podcast goes up. If you missed any
of today's show, be sure to check out the podcast.
Just search Fox Sports Radio wherever you get your podcast,
and be sure to also follow, rate and review the podcast. Again,
just search Fox Sports Radio wherever you get your podcast,

(01:53:04):
and you'll see this show posted right after we get
off the air with Ryan Hollins.

Speaker 1 (01:53:09):
I'm Mark Willard on Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 2 (01:53:14):
Or we're live in the Fox Sports Radio Studios, Aaron
Torres and Olden Polonies. Our friends are standing by, so
hang out with them. I'll be back with you tomorrow
night with e from Salam from five to eight in
the West, eight to eleven in the East. It's been
a real joy to hang out and talk with you

(01:53:34):
again tonight, my ma'am.

Speaker 4 (01:53:36):
Full circle man. Yeah, I think you've forgotten I did
my first ever radio show with you.

Speaker 2 (01:53:42):
I have not forgotten. I will never forget that. I
am honored that that is the case, to be honest
with you.

Speaker 4 (01:53:48):
Yeah, And I'm like, you know what, I always wondered that, like,
was it like, hey, this guy might be doing this
one day, or was it like I don't know how
serious he's taking it. You're like, you know, you seems
like there's a lot of players that want to do it,
you know. And I'm like, I wonder how I came off?

Speaker 1 (01:54:04):
How bad? Was I I was like, hmmm, he's tall.

Speaker 2 (01:54:09):
No, I'm kidd no, I knew I knew that if
you and and actually I never questioned whether or not
you wanted to do it.

Speaker 1 (01:54:16):
That was obvious right away.

Speaker 3 (01:54:17):
Well, the student tie gave it away for me.

Speaker 2 (01:54:19):
I was like man, this dude, because by the way,
I will tell you this, in the ex athlete come
to media world, some of the ex athletes arrive without
realizing that.

Speaker 1 (01:54:31):
The word X is in there.

Speaker 2 (01:54:34):
Yeah, and so I'm here, i am now the world's
gift to media, and I'm like, you still have to
be good, like you have to have something to say
and be able to talk it out.

Speaker 1 (01:54:49):
And if that was never that was never a question
with you ever, ever, ever.

Speaker 2 (01:54:55):
Yeah, So I'm not surprised that here you are, all
of these years later. And so pacers in Thunder. Check
it out. Man, someone's gonna win their first title ever.
I know that the Sonics won a title, but that's
a completely different fan base, so I don't count it.
These two fan bases have never won an NBA championship,

(01:55:16):
and one of them is gonna get their first, which
is awesome.

Speaker 1 (01:55:20):
It is.

Speaker 4 (01:55:21):
And you know, right as we want to anoint like
a new face of the league, we're gonna get our shot,
We're gonna get our opportunity here and there's gonna be someone.

Speaker 3 (01:55:30):
I mean, it would have been you know, it'd have.

Speaker 4 (01:55:32):
Been very newsworthy if the Knicks had have won it
or somehow come through. But nonetheless, man, fantastic season for
the Knicks. That's off to what those guys did. I
hope that there's not like, you know, disparaging comments or
frustrations from you.

Speaker 3 (01:55:49):
Know what it is.

Speaker 4 (01:55:50):
And I hope and I hope what I don't see, Mark,
there's not a lot of respect to the Pacers.

Speaker 3 (01:55:55):
That's a really good basketball club there.

Speaker 1 (01:55:58):
Man.

Speaker 2 (01:55:59):
Well, you know, look, quite frankly, that word respect is
always kind of an interesting one because it comes when
it comes, and sometimes it comes a little bit later
than people would want it to come.

Speaker 1 (01:56:11):
But that's the way it works.

Speaker 2 (01:56:13):
Like, quite frankly, I think that when you're just handicapping
the Western Conference, Oklahoma City was given a lot of
disrespect before this thing started, despite the fact that they
were the clear favorite to come out of the West,
and a lot of people did the Hold on a second, mister,
never been there before. Are you really going to work

(01:56:34):
your way through Nikola Jokic, Lebron James, Steph Curry, Kawhi Leonard,
all of these former You're really gonna work your way
through all these former champions?

Speaker 1 (01:56:44):
Yeah? Yeah they are. They are.

Speaker 2 (01:56:47):
And actually in the end they did it with relative
ease as it turned out in the in the conference finals.
And so you know, I don't think that every either
of these teams are going to be disrespected on the
way out of this upcoming series.

Speaker 4 (01:57:03):
Well how about this, how many people were going Lakers.
There's a lot of people going Lakers to.

Speaker 1 (01:57:10):
Win it all for sure.

Speaker 4 (01:57:11):
Then when you know the Lawyers got hot and you
guys won that Game seven, there are people kind of.

Speaker 1 (01:57:18):
Going, oh, Lawyers, what it all?

Speaker 4 (01:57:19):
You know, but you know what the parody and how
up in the league, up in the air of the
league was. And it's a different NBA because you know,
once upon a time, Mart, you get it.

Speaker 3 (01:57:29):
You could just.

Speaker 1 (01:57:29):
Go, oh, Lebron, his team is good.

Speaker 4 (01:57:32):
You went by player, it was like Lebron, Oh, it's oh,
it's Curry and it's Durrant and you could, you know,
kind of kind of do that. And you can't do
that now. Man, it's a different league. And Mark, you
remember all everyone that would cry.

Speaker 1 (01:57:46):
For there's no parody, and we don't want to know that.
Golden Street's like that's gone.

Speaker 4 (01:57:51):
So you know, don't complain that you got you want parody,
you got it now you got Okay, seeing Indy in
the championship.

Speaker 1 (01:57:57):
Yep, exactly.

Speaker 2 (01:57:58):
And I know that, you know, those who root for
those teams or respect those teams are gonna be bothered
by what gets said now in sports media.

Speaker 1 (01:58:05):
For the next three days.

Speaker 2 (01:58:07):
It's gonna be all about, oh my god, Adam Silver,
if he had hair, he'd be pulling it out because
of these markets. It's Indianapolis and Oklahoma City. This is
not what they want. This is not gonna be good ratings.
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. And that may
all be true, but in the end, I don't know, man,
if you're really a fan of the sport, like who cares?
Who cares? I I think these are these are pretty

(01:58:28):
watchable teams. Again, not a big fan of watching some
of the things that Shay Gilgess Alexander does, But in
the end.

Speaker 1 (01:58:38):
They're pretty watchable teams.

Speaker 2 (01:58:39):
And if you love the NBA, you're you're still gonna
be in on this and and uh and if all
you like is watching you know, huge stars, uh, then
maybe you'll be out.

Speaker 1 (01:58:49):
But but you get what you get.

Speaker 2 (01:58:51):
And all of the NBA conspiracy theories can go to
die this year, that's for sure.

Speaker 4 (01:58:56):
Yeah, no, And you know what, it's just just you can.
We want to watch it, and we want to promote
the league. And I think it's good that we're gonna
get a new star, but like you gotta warm up
to these guys and they have to make their names.
And I'm excited for the new talent and we've asked
for a new face of the league and you know

(01:59:17):
we're gonna get.

Speaker 2 (01:59:18):
It temporarily at least. Yeah, like I you know it does.
A player is branded differently if they've won a ring.
So whether it's Shay or Halliburton kind of slash Siakam,
he's already done it. We'll see man. Hey, great stuff tonight.
Really fun to chat with you.

Speaker 4 (01:59:33):
Good talking with you, Mark, been a long time man.
And we'll do it again.

Speaker 2 (01:59:37):
Soon, no doubt. For Ryan Hollins, I'm Mark Willard. Stay tuned.

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