The Bernie Fratto Show talks NBA Summer League, MLB Salary Cap, and Nepotism in Sports.

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You don't listening to Fox Sports Radio Radio.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Well that's right, you heard the man. It is that
time of week. My name is Bernie Frottle. We are
coming to your line from the Fox Sports Radio studios
here in Las Vegas. We'll take you up to three
am Pacific, six am Eastern, and as usual, no shortage
of content tonight, and we're gonna get to all of it.

(00:25):
And before I get to what seems to be the
gift that keeps on giving, I start with a little
story about two hunters out in the wilderness and as
they turned the corner around a tree, they saw a bear,
and the bear saw them, and the bear started to
take take up chase, and one of the hunters kneels down,

(00:45):
reaches into his knapsack, puts on his brand new Nike
tennis shoes, and starts to take off along with his buddy.
And his buddy looks at him and says, wait a minute,
you really think those tennis shoes are going to help
you out run that bear, and looks at his find
and says, I don't have to outrun the bear, I
just have to outrun you. Actually done, Mark, Look, obviously

(01:12):
that's a metaphor. For how I honestly feel about Lebron. Now,
I have no idea what's going to happen in the
next nine months. Perhaps Lebron plays the entire season with
the Lakers, as Mark Medinaz convinced he will. Maybe that happens.
Maybe he's traded midseason. Maybe he's gone before the season.
All I know is I trust my eyes and they

(01:33):
tell me a lot, and something is brewing somewhere. I
just can't tell you what, when, how where.

Speaker 3 (01:39):
It's real simple.

Speaker 2 (01:40):
Lebron has had his feelings hurt by the Lakers, and
this isn't the first time.

Speaker 3 (01:46):
You know, they didn't go for his deal.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
I mean, he's tired at the end of the season
and says, well, I don't know if I'm gonna retire
or don't ask me, oh, you want to play three
more years.

Speaker 3 (01:55):
They claim they didn't ask for an extension. Okay, fine, don't.

Speaker 2 (01:59):
I was in the room, but he wasted no time
in opting in and took us fifty two million dollars,
which is his right. Lebron's feelings are hurt. It's out
there as plain as day. He says he understands the transition.
He understands but he's got frustration because he wants to
be part of a championship team.

Speaker 3 (02:21):
Don't, with all due.

Speaker 2 (02:23):
Respect, when he talks, he's got the credibility of a
dermatologist with acne. It just doesn't fly with me, all right.
I think it started after Luca was acquired in the
trade back on February first, right, And I think Lebron
feels slighted because he helped the Lakers win the championship.
In the bubble, the Lakers have gone through six st
eight losing seasons, and then February first, everything really started

(02:46):
to flip. The Lakers started to transition to Luca as
their central figure, and that's been made clear since. For one,
the Lakers did not approach James about a contract extension,
indicating they're fine, this is your last season to be
under contract with him. So this is the first time
in Lebron's career he's on an expiring contract, and it's

(03:08):
the first time he's not the guy.

Speaker 3 (03:10):
His feelings are hurt.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
Allegedly, they gave Luca heads up about the ownership sale
rather than Lebron. The Lakers also reportedly barely gave Lebron
James advanced notice that Anthony Davis was being traded though
he understood given the sensitive nature of the topic.

Speaker 3 (03:27):
And he's got nothing.

Speaker 2 (03:28):
He ain't got nothing to say, but he wants to
sit there front and center for the whole world to see.

Speaker 3 (03:33):
At the Summer League, he.

Speaker 2 (03:36):
Said he would do what he needed to do to
give him the best chance of winning a championship. Right,
and then he talks about on Twitter he' in Cleveland
and welcome home and un bop up up up by.
Oh but I do this every year, Well you don't
tweet about it every year. For now, Lebron is on
the Lakers, and I know that people keep telling me, well,
they had the third best seed. Well they played the

(03:57):
sixth seed in the playoffs.

Speaker 3 (03:58):
How did that work out? So that that third best
seat is?

Speaker 2 (04:02):
You know that in fifty cents to get you a
cup of coffee, carls Jr. So the blooebirds are coming
out too, by the way, And now and then I'll
peruse comment boards and.

Speaker 3 (04:12):
People will will will weigh in. And when it was reported,
you know this just a couple of days ago.

Speaker 2 (04:19):
Everybody's now aggregating the Ramona Shelbourne and Brian Windhors's story
that was published on Friday, and people are commenting. One
guy named Buck says, who cares? Get him out of
laa steps we can get back to liking the Lakers again.
Nobody needs them hanging around. LBJ got his feeling hurt.
What the hell is kindergarten? That's somebody named Bob. Somebody

(04:40):
named Wade said, Now that's a shame, said no one ever.
Brownie started packing.

Speaker 4 (04:45):
Wow.

Speaker 3 (04:46):
Look, I don't think Lebron and I.

Speaker 2 (04:47):
Know Lebron has a lot of supporters and he's a
good basketball player and he'll go to the Hall of Fame.

Speaker 3 (04:52):
But this isn't ending the way he wanted it to end.

Speaker 2 (04:56):
And I just I am not going to try to
predict what it's going to happen in the next nine months.
But it just doesn't feel like this can cool exist.
This feels to me like, you know, Jimmy Johnson and
Jerry Jones parted ways on March thirtieth, nineteen ninety four,
but it started at a banquet in late January, and

(05:18):
it brewed and went from there and Jones said some
things that Johnson didn't like, and all of a sudden,
the echo chamber started to gossip and one thing led
to another, and finally, Jerry Jones once said five hundred
coaches could have coached those Dallas Cowboys.

Speaker 3 (05:33):
Jimmy Don said, this isn't gonna work.

Speaker 2 (05:36):
So I think now, after several situations and points of
demarcation since February first, it just looks to me like
it's a little but Lebron gonna brewed all season. The
Lakers aren't gonna win a championship next year. Okay, He's
being paid fifty two million dollars. That's just right. The

(05:56):
Lakers agreed to it. That's one third of their entire
salary cap. I already told you how I felt about
DeAndre Adon last week. Missed one hundred and four games
in the last four years. If you're banking on DeAndre
Ayton to be the lynchpin to overcome Houston and Golden
State and Minnesota and Oklahoma City, et cetera, yeah, Okay,

(06:18):
I think you got a better chance of you know,
led Zeppelin re recording the Gilligan's Island theme song and
selling the man copies. We'll get to Lebron a little
bit with Medina, but it's just becoming a tarotact broken
record Let's talk about Cooper Flag. And let me start
by saying this. I covered nine summer leagues.

Speaker 3 (06:37):
I'm not this year. I've had enough.

Speaker 2 (06:42):
Cooper Flag's eighteen years old, and the summer league means nothing.
I am telling you it means nothing. And so what
if Cooper Flag was five to twenty one when he
was double and triple team by a bunch of guys,
would be working nap out of parts next month, playing
with a bunch of guys like a pickup to it
means nothing. And he had thirty one on Saturday night
and even that means nothing. But I was more impressed

(07:03):
with him on Thursday. You know why because he showed
me a level of insure of maturity. Cooper Flag did
that he can impact the game even if his SHOT's
not dropping. That's a sign of maturity. Everything looks better
when the shots are going through.

Speaker 3 (07:19):
The hoop they weren't. So what he makes hustle plays.
He's got energy, He'll block your shot, he'll defend, he'll pass.
His court sense is unreal. His transition game is unbelievable.
He also showed that he doesn't let potential shooting wills
affect him, that he can still contribute. He can compartmentalize,
and he's eighteen years old. As a matter of.

Speaker 2 (07:40):
Fact, I'll go so far as to say in some ways,
Flags quote unquote Soco game on Thursday showed why he
wants the topic in the draft. Even if he has
a bad knight shooting the ball, he's able to do
other things on the floor to make a positive impact
on the game, whether it's defense, hustling for rebounds, making
unselfish players to find open teammates. His versatility was absolutely

(08:05):
on full display.

Speaker 3 (08:08):
And by the way, he's got some star polishing.

Speaker 2 (08:12):
He may not have the greatest handlers in the world,
but he will be much better. And he appeared being
comfortable at the primary ball handler even when the Lakers
applied full court pressure.

Speaker 3 (08:24):
And oh, by the way, he absolutely made the most
important play in what he described as one of the
worst games of his life. With a minute tend to
go in the game, and I'm sure Medenery members this,
Cooper Flag swooped in from the weak side to swat
away DJ Stewart's driving lap and then he pushed the
ball down the floor in transition, drawing three defenders as

(08:47):
he approached the paint. Does the smart thing. He's got
excellent peripheral vision.

Speaker 2 (08:51):
Found teammate Ryan Nemard wide open for a three pointer,
and that gave the Mavericks the lead for good in
an eighty seven eighty five win. And by the way,
I liked ron physical latitude. He showed effort, he showed
physical latitude. I just said that that's department of redundancy department.
He contested shots.

Speaker 3 (09:08):
Look, he's never going to be a good offensive player
in this league. He's going to be a good offensive
player in any league. I don't think he wasn't Sierra Canyon.

Speaker 5 (09:15):
I don't think he was.

Speaker 2 (09:16):
Know he wasn't at Arizona State, and he wasn't with
the Lakers. And I know he got off the bus
and hit a three. Whoopee damn do. But he had
a chance to hit the game winner and he didn't.
And that doesn't mean anything either, because even when Brownie's playing, the.

Speaker 3 (09:29):
Summer League means nothing. They're not projectable.

Speaker 2 (09:33):
Although that game now is the fourth most watched Summer
League game in history, and I realized that if you
look at the box score for Cooper Flag five to
twenty one from the floor, all five from behind the arc,
that's going to stand out. But I think his coaches
and the people who care, the people who know consider
the defensive stop and the insist with the minutes to

(09:55):
go in the game was really the defining moment of
who he is as a very good basketball player, great
basketball player, someone who said, someone who could very well
be the face of the NBA at some point.

Speaker 3 (10:06):
And I'll tell you right now, this dude's going to
sell tickets.

Speaker 2 (10:10):
People are still gonna want to see the stars SGA
love the guy Curry, Okay, but you've seen them all
a million times. The MAVs coaches, I think, were happy
after the game. They talked about that final play. They said,
that's what he does.

Speaker 3 (10:24):
He makes winning plays, whether it's on offense or defense.
He is as advertised, whether it's making the right pass
or having a good defensive possession or scoring the ball,
that's what he does. He's assertive. He's assertive.

Speaker 2 (10:39):
The Lakers were determined to make Cooper flag as uncomfortable
in his new role as possible. They kept trapping him
at half court every time he touched the ball. They
were all over him like white on rice, and they
defended him physically throughout the night. And I think it
was a satdary respect. When you have someone like a
Cooper Flag who can handle the ball, who can shoot

(11:00):
the ball, who can pass, you're going to want the
ball in his hands. Because also he happens to be
a great decision maker. He did it a duke, he
did it in high school. Yeah, he's not perfect. He
makes the mistakes every great player does. You're going to
throw an airon pass once in a while. But at
the end of the day. Okay, So Thursday night, he

(11:20):
finished with ten point six rebounds for USAYS, three steals
out of block, showed his ability to handle the ball, pass,
didn't find his rhythm as a shooter, but he kept
trying to get into his rhythm.

Speaker 3 (11:34):
But what they need to show what did he really show?

Speaker 2 (11:36):
Incredible poise for an eighteen year old with the whole
world watching him. So this is going to be a
fun I think season coming up because you're going to
have the soap opera in Los Angeles, which is just
getting started. Oh my god, that lookout of Lebron's face

(11:58):
at the Summer League game, you know, Austin, it means
he's playing golf up at Lake Tahoe. He's enjoying his summer.
I understand Luca's playing basketball overseas, working on his game.
Good for him, Lebron. He doesn't want to talk, but
he wants to be the center of attention. I realize
he's there to see his son Brownie. He can see
son Brownie anytime. He saw many nights this past year

(12:19):
sa him in high school, saw I'm in college. He
had to go to the summer league.

Speaker 3 (12:22):
And light of what's happening recently, only it reminds me
of the old Howard Stern line. I want to be
invited to every party, and I want to turn them
all down.

Speaker 2 (12:31):
Lebron, Oh my goodness. Be sure to check out the
Fox Sports Radio YouTube channel. There's a ton of great
videos for many of our Fox Sports Radio shows. Just
search Fox Sports Radio on YouTube. You'll see a whole
bunch of video highlights from our shows.

Speaker 3 (12:46):
And be sure to subscribe so you always have instant
access to our Fox Sports Radio videos on YouTube. Coming up,
we talked to Mark Medina. I think Mark's been on
pretty much every show today. Well you should.

Speaker 2 (12:57):
He's got his finger on the pulse and he's right there.
And the belly that easton Deceummer League, and he's a
staple every Saturday night on the Bernie Fraddles Show. A
little Bit Dina Magic are Foxsports Radio Guru. Al Right,
Bernie Fraddleworck comedy line from Las Vegas, Fox Sports Radio Studios.

Speaker 3 (13:12):
Keep it locked. You're listening to the Bernie Frattle Show
on Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 6 (13:16):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
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Speaker 3 (13:28):
Hey, what's up everybody?

Speaker 7 (13:29):
It's me three time pro bowler LeVar Arrington, and I
couldn't be more excited to announce a podcast called Up
on Game?

Speaker 1 (13:37):
What is Up on Game?

Speaker 7 (13:38):
You ass along with my fellow pro bowler TJ. Huschman,
Zada and Super Bowl champion Yep, that's right, Plexico Burris.
You can only name a show with that type of
talent on it. Up on Game We're going to be
sharing our real life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen
to Up on Game with Me LeVar Arrington, TJ. Huschman's

(14:00):
out at Plexico Birds, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts.

Speaker 3 (14:07):
From that, we're.

Speaker 2 (14:10):
Back on the Bernie Frautle Show, Fox Sports Radio Comedy
live from the Fox Sports Radio studios here in a
Las Vegas. Just getting started. We'll take you up to
three am Pacific, six am Eastern's welcome in a gentleman,
three simple words.

Speaker 3 (14:27):
It's that time, Mark Medina Medina Magic.

Speaker 2 (14:32):
Comes to you on the Bernie Frautle Show every Saturday
night at this time our Fox Sports Radio NBA guru, Mark,
I know you're wrapping up a long day here at
the Summer League in Las Vegas, and we have a
few things to get to, but I want to actually
start with this one. Look, I know you're already on
record that's fine as saying when more is said than done,

(14:54):
or actually, what's hell saying? When all is said and
done usually more said than Does you believe Lebron will
be a throughout the remainder of this upcoming season?

Speaker 3 (15:02):
Correct?

Speaker 8 (15:03):
Yeah, I don't think that has changed. You know, there's
a lot of drama that has happened and will continue
to happen, and tonight Lebron showing up to the arena
for Bronni James's game only fueled that but I think
that this is going to be a lot of energy
that leads into really nothing fair enough.

Speaker 3 (15:21):
We'll see what happens. Do you give any credence to
the assertion that.

Speaker 2 (15:28):
Even though Lebron has not asked for a trade or
discussed the possibility of wanting a trade, four teams have
reached out and contacted the Lakers of the representation to
inquire about such matters.

Speaker 3 (15:43):
Do you believe that report has credibility?

Speaker 8 (15:46):
Oh, without a doubt. I mean, but here's the thing.
It's one thing to just gauge interest. There's another to
actually pull something off. So I don't think Lebron has
ever requested a trade. I think that the spirit of
his message with his stable for Rich Paul was that
he wanted the Lakers to still make win now moves
because he has a very short championship window. And you know,

(16:07):
in the fairness to the Lakers, they're always trying to
win a championship every year. But I think what's different
here is they still want to maintain some flexibility for
future years, and because they have Luca Dacis on their team,
they have a little bit more of a comfort level
in doing that. So that being said, the Lakers will
certainly always look and listen for potential better offers, but

(16:30):
the problem is, there aren't any offers out there that exists.
Because Lebron James makes fifty six million dollars, so that
team is going to have to give up a lot
to get him, and at forty one years old, or
you know, at forty but forty one in December, they
don't think teams are going to be willing to do that.
And that's where it comes down here. The Lakers and

(16:51):
the relationship with Lebron James has always been transactional. And
so when I say that he's going to be back
in a Lakers' uniform next season, it's because of transactional.
It's because at some point the Lakers and Lebron will
both conclude, you know what, we might have misgivings about
each other, but this is the best choice available.

Speaker 2 (17:10):
You're alluding to the twenty five to twenty six season,
not beyond that, right, just the twenty five to twenty
six this upcoming season.

Speaker 8 (17:17):
Yeah, and you know what, I thought before all this,
he was going to come back for another year. But
that was only because I thought he was going to
opt out and negotiate a bigger deal and negotiate another
one plus one deal. I was never under any illusion
that he would make a significant pay cut because of
the fact that he's done pay cuts earlier in his career.

(17:40):
He feels like, what's the point in giving discounts to
front office that he hasn't always trusted. And see, he
wants to be an owner someday and he needs as
much liquidity as possible. But I thought that he would
make a little bit of a concession just so he
could get an extra year. But that never happened. And
here we are.

Speaker 2 (18:00):
Yeah, what a shock. I mean, there in lines the
perpetual Lebron contradiction. He wants to win a championship, help
the Lakers in any way, but he's willing to take
up a third of the salary cap at forty one
years old. That doesn't help the Lakers win a championship.
It helps Lebron, though. So here's the issue. Let's look
at it through Mark Walter's eyes, not Lebron's eyes. Do

(18:23):
you really want to keep Lebron all year knowing you're
not gonna win a championship. They're not gonna win a championship.
This next year, and then you lose them for nothing
next year. And I predict Lebron will want to play,
probably play two more years beyond this year. But that's
a conversation for a different day. So if you're Mark Walter,
you want to keep him as a guy who's on

(18:46):
the team and will help sell tickets and on the
occasional night when he's not load managing, you know, scores
obligatory thirty one points and then soak his knee and
you know all that kind of stuff. The long and the
short of it is, you're gonna wave I do him
getting nothing for him next year.

Speaker 3 (19:01):
Do you think Mark Walter really wants to do that.

Speaker 8 (19:04):
No, But I'm looking at through a different lens here.
I mean, one, I don't think insurance to Lebron, even
though he's forty years old, and I'm under no illusion
he's going to play all eighty two games. He's not
a load management player. He's mostly available and he's been
still highly productive. And so that's the thing with Lebron.
He can do the passive aggressive behavior. He's still going

(19:26):
to produce on the floor, and he's still always going
to adjust whatever roles asked of him, and when you
have Luca Docig on your team, that's pretty good because
that allows Luca to be the man. I don't think
Lebron has any problem with that. What he's had a
problem with is he's lost influence in the organization as
far as their need to go all in because he's

(19:48):
on the team. So I think that's point number one.
Point number two. I get a you know, you don't
want to lose him for nothing, but I think they're
going to conclude, you know what, let's have a farewells
for and that's going to increase the bottom line even more.
And I think several years from now, whatever misgivings Lebron
has now, it's going to dissipate in a decade and

(20:11):
he'll look back to the final year with the Lakers
with more fondness than cynicism. And if he's in that
farewell tour, I can't think why he would then want
to send a career Big four. All this, it was
made clear to me and others that the idea of
Lebron taking a huge pay cut to try to win

(20:31):
a championship on a better team wouldn't make sense because
they knew that Lebron would not get any kind of
credit for that championship because it would come with an
asterisk You're wantn't help in any goat debate, and it
would only set him up for more criticism, especially if
he lost. So I'm just not buying this whole idea

(20:52):
that he could join another team.

Speaker 2 (20:53):
Well, listen, you're consistent in I think you try to
maintain your objectivity with Lebron. But the oratory you just
gave Lebron could have easily said to Dave Menemon tonight.
He could have said what you said, he's thinking. He
could have taken the high road, but he didn't.

Speaker 3 (21:11):
He did what the.

Speaker 2 (21:12):
Petulant Lebron always does, and this is who he is.
He could have looked at the microphone and said, I'm
looking forward to season. I've joined my son play tonight.
We'll see what my role is. Let's just focus on
the air.

Speaker 3 (21:21):
Now. Well, he didn't do that, did he? He didn't?

Speaker 4 (21:24):
He not?

Speaker 3 (21:25):
And why not? I mean I know the answer, But
will you tell me why you think he didn't?

Speaker 8 (21:29):
Well, yeah, he he does what you said. He has
a lot of petel and behavior. But I think the
reality is why he did it, now, why he's not
doing it now is because he doesn't need to like.
What I'm trying to tell you is nothing is going
to change until training camp starts. Once training camp starts,
he's going to become company man again. So he's doing

(21:52):
this because I don't think he has a lot of
influence left, but in his mind, he's grasping at whatever
remaining influence. He might have to feel the Lakers pressure
to assemble the best roster around him.

Speaker 5 (22:09):
And that's it.

Speaker 8 (22:10):
And so you know, he's feeding all this stuff because
he hopes that it creates pressure for the Lakers. But
the Lakers are looking at the way I'm outlining it
that they're very practical about it, and they'll just play
the waiting games, say nothing, and once the season starts,
everything else will be about the games itself.

Speaker 2 (22:30):
I understand Lucas playing basketball overseas, honing his games.

Speaker 3 (22:33):
That true.

Speaker 8 (22:35):
Yeah, he definitely has been. I've been told that he's
been working diligently with the training staff and gain himself
a better shape. Now, I'm not under no illusion he's
mister ironman and he's going to be the slim down
guy with a six pack. But I do believe that
he is going to report next season in much better shape,

(22:56):
and we're going to see his best season of his
career next season.

Speaker 2 (23:00):
Austin Reeves, I understand, is enjoying a little golf up
at the tournament in the lake, Tyler.

Speaker 3 (23:04):
Was that true?

Speaker 5 (23:05):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (23:05):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (23:07):
Neither one of those guys saw fit to sit front
and center so the whole world could look at me,
look at me.

Speaker 3 (23:12):
I'm still here, Lebron. There's my problem. And listen, this
is just a conversation we're having, all right.

Speaker 2 (23:18):
I think it's history is going to play itself out.
The Lakers are doing with what they're gonna do. It's
just that the behavior is completely diametrically opposed to what
I think the image of Lebron wants himself to be.

Speaker 3 (23:32):
And I we'll just leave We'll just leave it there.

Speaker 2 (23:35):
You saw Cooper Flag up close and personal, and if
this is I haven't gotten my credential in three years.
I just had enough of the Summer League. It's a
wonderful event, by the way, I just had done enough,
did it enough. But he'd have been one guy I'd
like to see. So you saw him up close and personal.
Mark everybody forgets his kids eighteen years old and what
I saw Friday night, and you could just react to

(23:56):
what I'm going to say. The shots might have not
been dropping, but that showed to me why all the
one reason why he was the number one pick, because
of his poise, because of the ability to impact the
game even though he's not scoring. His energy is transition,
game is defense, his court sense, he's something special.

Speaker 3 (24:13):
Give me your thoughts. You saw him court side.

Speaker 8 (24:15):
Yeah, I think you outlined it really well. Now, he
did have a bounce back performance today against the Santonian Spurs.
Shot a lot better, went ten to twenty one from
the field, game from three, a lot of shots at
the free throw line because he was attacking the room
with a lot of aggressiveness. But I'm with you. Poor
shooting night or not, he showed a lot of great

(24:36):
qualities everywhere else because he had an impact game in
every fast as far as his playmaking, his rebounding, his defense.
I think he's a really great playmaker in the open floor.
You know, he needs to get in better shape, but
all these rookies aren't used to this kind of speed, physicality,
and the fact that they haven't played significant basketball since

(24:58):
their college season ended. But what I thought was really fascinating.
Where a few things. One when a few reporters included myself,
talked to Mark Cuban, he said, exactly what he's what
you just said that he is eighteen years old and
he's just getting started. And Cuban, unprompted, mentioned that there
could be parallels that he and Kobe Bryant are going through. Now.

(25:22):
He made it clear Cooper Flag and the late Kobe
Bryant are not the same kind of players. But the
point that he was making was when Kobe was drafted
in nineteen ninety six, it was straight out of high school.
He needed two years to develop before becoming a defensive
starter in an All Star and he thinks that Cooper
Flag could be the same way because he doesn't have
that kind of pressure to be that franchise savior. Because

(25:45):
Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, D'Angel Russell, Daniel Dafford,
Derek Lively the second they're all on the team, they
have pretty good debt. But he also saw that some
of his patent fadeaways were early signs of what Derk
Nooviski showed during his early years in Dallas. So that

(26:06):
was point number one point number two. I talked with
this trainer, Matt McKenzie earlier today and he was saying
that even though like the Summer League game didn't matter
and he wasn't concerned about his play, that he was
really upset with how poorly he played in his debut.
I mean, afterwards, he told the media he felt like

(26:26):
he was one of the worst games of his life,
and he was caring that, you know, strong criticism and
you know, frustration in between games so much that he
talked with Matt about what can they do to improve
his game, And the message that he was talking about
was just reinforcing, Hey, when your SHOT's not falling, continue

(26:48):
to find ways to impact the rest of the game
with your rebounding, with your defense and your playmaking, and
eventually your shot will fall and lo and behold. Saturday,
his shot did fall. So what I take away from
this he's very self critical, He's very competitive, but he
uses that in a good way because he uses a motivation,
He doesn't lose confidence and he just finds ways to

(27:09):
adjust a hit. He has a much better game his
next valued.

Speaker 3 (27:14):
I want to.

Speaker 2 (27:15):
Talk real quickly Mark about the West End. It's going
to be the Wild Wow West next.

Speaker 5 (27:20):
Year, you got Yeah.

Speaker 2 (27:22):
I actually think mark Oklahoma City because they're younger and
just the way they had handled this offseason, they have
a legitimate chance to repeat. Who presents the biggest challenge
to them? Houston, Denver or Minnesota?

Speaker 8 (27:36):
Yeah, great question, I get. I would say Oklahoma City
would beat all three of semly no major injuries. But
if I had to choose a team that could threaten
the thunder the best, it's the Houston Rockets. I mean,
Kevin Durant is a huge game changer. There's definitely gonna
be questions about his their ability because he's been having
you know, injuries off and on ever since injurying his

(27:57):
achilles in twenty nineteen, but went on the floor. He
is one of the most efficient NBA players still to
this day, and the Rockets didn't give up their major
pieces when they got him in that trade with the Suns.
They still have Alman Thompson, great two way player, very athletic,
one of the best defenders in my view in the NBA,

(28:18):
and then Alberd Sengoon. I think you can make the
case the next season he could be like fifth sixth
best center in the NBA, if not better behind Nikole
Jokic and Joel Embiid, assuming he doesn't have a major injury.
He's become a much more developed player, both defensively and offensively.
He's absorbed the physicality a lot better. And they have

(28:39):
a really good defensive identity and they're very well coached,
So I would take them. Yeah, you can't discount the Nuggets.
They got Nikole Jokic, He's going to play another MVP year.
Jabal Murray's expected to be healthy. Getting Cam Johnson was
a great move because he's a great two way player.
Michael Porter Junior, great score, but inconsistent, doesn't play much defense,

(29:00):
so they're.

Speaker 5 (29:01):
Back in the mix.

Speaker 8 (29:01):
I just think that the Rockets have so much more
depth the Minnesota Timberwolves. Yeah, I would count them as fourth,
but I feel like the Rockets have much more of
a defensive identity than the Timberwolves too.

Speaker 2 (29:14):
Wrap it up with Mark Medina Medina Magic Are Fox
Sports Radio NBA guru. Mark, I don't will why we
don't talk about the other LA team is that much?

Speaker 3 (29:25):
And perhaps some day the basketball gods will throw our
good buddy Ben mall Or a bone and the Clippers will.

Speaker 2 (29:31):
Find them find their way into the NBA finals. Look,
they pick up Brook Lopez.

Speaker 3 (29:35):
If you look at the.

Speaker 2 (29:36):
Clippers season last year, Kawhi didn't play his first game
till after New Year's and after that the Clippers really
played well. And if you look back at that Denver series,
it was a seven game series and they went out
in the first round to two point losses, and they
actually outscored Denver cumulatively. The only concern is that their players,

(29:56):
you know, like James Harden and Leonard and in Nicholas Patoum,
and they're all in their thirties. So did the Clippers
window close last.

Speaker 3 (30:07):
Year or could they have get up off the campus
one time next year and makes some real noise.

Speaker 8 (30:13):
Yeah, I don't think the Clippers will make noise next season.
I mean it's comforting for them that Kawhi Leonard got
through a postseason healthy. But even if they're conservative with them,
or he starts out midway through the season, this idea
that he can just run it back with a better
queen bill of health history is now on his style
with that. That's point number one. Point number two, it's

(30:34):
good that they brought James Harden back He's still playing
really well, but he's a regular season player. In the playoffs,
he continued to be inconsistent. I think the interesting thing
that they did is not sign Norman Pale to an extension.
I thought he was very deserving. He was a great starter,
elevated his game after being six man. But I think

(30:54):
that they did that because they wanted to keep flexibility
to make major moves next year. And so getting John Collins, Yeah,
that's that's good. You have another forward, another body, another
great defender. But that cost cutting move as much as
they're going to miss Norman Palell with his two way consistency,

(31:15):
that could open them up to make some moves, not
this upcoming season, but the following off season. So answer
your question, I don't think that they're going to go
anywhere next season. They'll make the playoffs, but you know,
maybe the second round, but they're not going to be
a huge thread in the West. But they do have
flexibility to make some moves the following off season.

Speaker 2 (31:35):
Mark, I got a feeling you're gonna get hot on
the roulette table tonight, so I'm not gonna hold it
any further.

Speaker 3 (31:39):
Buddy.

Speaker 8 (31:41):
Hey, let's see what numbers should I bet my chips
on six. Okay if I if I win it, I'll
credit you. But if not, a hold against.

Speaker 3 (31:52):
This, absolutely I'll face the music. Mark always appreciate you man.
Have fun tonight, all right, take care of my appreciate
Smart Medina. Medina Magic comes to us every Saturday night
on the Bernie Frattle Show. He is our Fox Sports
Radio NBA guru.

Speaker 2 (32:11):
And you know, Mark maintains his objectivity, I think, and
he covers the Lakers and he sees those guys and.

Speaker 3 (32:18):
We'll see what happens at the end of the day.

Speaker 2 (32:20):
A lot of times, after all is said and done,
more said than done, and the machinations that would have
to be maneuvered to trade Lebron are not going to
be easy. But as I said at the top of
the show, I'm starting to liken this to the Jimmy
Johnson Jerry Jones divide back in ninety four, after Dallas

(32:40):
won their second straight Super Bowl.

Speaker 3 (32:43):
And it just started to leak out. Jerry wasn't getting
enough credit.

Speaker 2 (32:46):
He said some things that got back to Jimmy, and
one thing led to another, and all of a sudden,
Jerry said, it a banquet to anybody when the earshot.
I'll come on, five hundred guys could have coached that team.
Then Jimmy said this isn't gonna work, and they parted
ways on March thirtieth. Took about two months to brew.
And I think as this, I said, Lebron's feelings were hurt,
and I think, is this sore festers over the next

(33:08):
couple of months. I don't know how they coexist simultaneously.
I am not predicting he's going anywhere. I'm not making
any predictions. Nobody knows what's gonna happen. He may very
well be on the roster for the entire season. He
may get traded before the trade deadline or after the
or there are some folks who don't believe he'll ever

(33:29):
suit up again with the Lakers.

Speaker 3 (33:30):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (33:31):
I just don't know, and I'm not gonna guess. But
I do know that when I looked at Lebron's face,
it's written all over his face, and he will try
to be the company man.

Speaker 3 (33:42):
I don't know what he's gonna do it.

Speaker 2 (33:43):
This is gonna be fun to watch because oftentimes the
storylines that are formed have nothing to do with the
box score and everything to do with the dynamic, which will.

Speaker 3 (33:55):
Be our segue. We have a little bit more of
a free forum open Mike night tonight on the midnight hour.

Speaker 2 (34:03):
From where I sit here in Las Vegas, we are
nineteen minutes away from midnight. Literally literally be twelve midnight.
Figuredly you get the last word in the midnight hour.
I'll tee you up on some topics, but we want
to hear from you. Eight seven seven nine ninety six
six three six nine. I'm Bernie Frattle.

Speaker 3 (34:19):
We are company line from the Las Vegas Fox Sports
Radio Studios. Don't go away.

Speaker 2 (34:23):
You're listening to the Bernie Frattle Show on Fox Sports Radio.
Now we're back at the Bernie Frattle Show, Fox Sports Radio.
Come your live from the Fox Sports Radio Studios here
in Las Vegas, twelve minutes away from the midnight hour.

(34:45):
In twelve minutes, it will strap will the I try
to take it in English. That's the time I rent
a tone from that place. The clock will strike twelve
here in twelve minutes in Las Vegas. Literally perhaps were
you live the same situation if you're in the Pacific
time zone, but literally and figuratively it's the twelve min

(35:06):
that hour which means you get the last word. So
let's dive right into it now. We used to do
a thing called the rant, which we still do.

Speaker 3 (35:13):
You don't have to.

Speaker 2 (35:14):
You can call and have your own topic, just you know,
have a good take and don't suck or we'll run
you like somebody used to say, We're not gonna run you.

Speaker 3 (35:22):
We don't run you. Maybe. So look, if you want
to comment on Lebron, you can have you can have
at it.

Speaker 2 (35:30):
Okay, you know, if you want to come in on
Adel Reese being in the cover, you know, the video game, Okay,
that's fine too. Those those are really topics I'm going
to dive into. But if you want to, if you
got something to say, fine, well I want to start tonight.

Speaker 3 (35:47):
Is let's come in out of left field for a
little bit. Is Deon Sanders a hypocrite? Okay?

Speaker 2 (35:54):
You know, I realized there was a time when nil
meant that a player could capitalize on his own profitability
and his own marketability based on his name in image
and like this. But now let's face it, it's just
pay for play. Bryce Underwood, out of Belleville High School
in Michigan, is a freshman quarterback at Michigan this year.
It has never taken a snap in college football. Most

(36:16):
people don't know his name, but he's getting twelve million bucks. Okay,
we'd know about the Texas Tech situation. It didn't seem
to bother Dion though last year when Schudor was making
six point five million and Travis Center was five point
two million, and Dion went on to say there needs
to be a salary cap. Well, I believe there is
one twenty point five million a year. What we need

(36:38):
to do is is you know, structure this transfer thing.
Maybe you can transfer once and that's it, right, put
some put some teeth into this. I'll never forget. When
Dion came out of Florida State, he didn't want to
be drafted by the Lions and he was really relieved
when he got drafted by the Atlanta Falcons and he said, well,
if Detroit would have drafted me, then I had to
put me on Layawa because it wouldn't be able to

(36:59):
afford me. So Deana, he's never been worried except at
Big twelve media day on Wednesday, he was asked how
he believes and Il should be handled. He said he
wishes it was a cap and he went on, the
problem is you got a guy and that's not that
darn good, but he can go to other school. They
give him half a million dollars. You can't compete with that.
You didn't worry about that.

Speaker 3 (37:16):
You know before? Or why now? Is Deon a hypocrite?
Or does Deon really have a point? He says, all
you have to do is look at the playoffs and
see what those teams spend.

Speaker 2 (37:24):
You understand darn well why they're in the playoffs. It's
hard to compete with someone who's getting twenty five to
thirty million to a.

Speaker 3 (37:30):
Darn freshman class. We're not complaining or not.

Speaker 2 (37:32):
Okay, all right, sure sounds like you are, But look,
the truth of the matter is buying a team. It
just has Texas A and M with their you know,
I've chronicled the last three years. They're woes and trying
to buy a football team. And we'll see if it
works for Texas Tech this year. So tell me what
you think about Dion's comments. And again, if you want

(37:53):
to come out on Lebron, fine with me. You want
to come out on injury, whatever, Let's have some fun tonight.

Speaker 3 (37:59):
We don't have to.

Speaker 2 (37:59):
Agree the most boring conversations when everybody agrees e.

Speaker 3 (38:04):
Secondly, let's get your first impression thoughts. There's been so
many overreactions on Cooper Flag and Brownie Thursday night. What
were your takeaways?

Speaker 2 (38:14):
That was the hottest ticket in the history of the
Las Vegas Summer League. It costs two hundred and twenty
three bucks to get in the door. And oh, by
the way, if you wanted to sit courtside three Grand
Laurier Bowl's he for about six forty five The game
didn't tip off I think till two seven pm. People

(38:36):
were lining up at six o'clock in the morning outside
the Thomas and Max Center to secure their spot. And
you know, I'm sure you have some thoughts. Finally, a
little bit of fun here. There was a radio host
in Kansas City that I guess body Shane Patrick Mahomes.
I don't care if the guy's built like a donut salesman,
and I'm not saying he is. But if you had

(38:59):
a game to win and your life is on the line,
which current NFL quarterback would you want with the ball
in his hands in the fourth quarter. I love Lamar Jackson,
it wouldn't be him. I like Josh Allen, It wouldn't
be him. It would be Patrick Mahomes because he's done
it too many times. But how about you, So, do
you think Deanon Sanders is a hypocrite? Didn't seem to

(39:19):
matter when Chador was six point five and Travis was
five point two. That's eleven point seven million dollars right
there between two guys number two. What are your takeaways
on Bronnie and Cooper Flagg the other night and Browny's improved. Look,
he'll never be an offensive player in the NBA, but
he might have a role.

Speaker 3 (39:39):
He could eat up six to eight minutes a game.
We'll see.

Speaker 2 (39:41):
We'll see if the Lakers keep him, if le Bron's gone,
And then Patrick Mahomes, he's the guy I'd want in
the fourth quarter to win a game with my life
is out the line. Which quarterback would you want? And again,
if you want to come in on Lebron open season,
I don't care.

Speaker 3 (39:54):
You could defend him.

Speaker 2 (39:55):
You can say whatever you want to say, except for
the seven words like George Carlin say because that could
get your run. Eight seven seven nine nine on Fox
eight seven seven nine ninety six sixty three six nine,
The callers are what make them in that hour.

Speaker 3 (40:10):
You've been fantastic. We'll take your calls, We'll get you
on the air, and we're looking for what you got
to say is Deanna.

Speaker 2 (40:16):
Hypocrite reaction to Brownie and Cooper Patrick Mahomes, he'd be
my guy to win a game in the fourth quarter.
And if you want to talk about Lebron, Andel Reese
or the price or rice in Nebraska, I don't care,
keep it locked and listen to the Bernie Frattle Show
on Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 1 (40:32):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio Radio.

Speaker 2 (40:39):
That's right, you heard the man Bernie Fraddle Show. Keeps
for rolling right along. My name is Bernie Frottle. We
are a comedy line from the Fox Sports Radio compound
here in Las Vegas.

Speaker 3 (40:48):
Take you up to three am Pacific, six a m.

Speaker 2 (40:51):
Eastern into what has already been a very spirited show,
what promises to be a very spirited midnight hour what
with Dion and Cooper and Bronnie and Patrick Mahomes.

Speaker 3 (41:02):
And again, if you want to comment.

Speaker 2 (41:03):
On Lebron or injuries, take the one you're most passionate about,
run with it. Or if you have a couple going
in the order you want all I can say is
we call it the Midnight Hour eight seven seven on
Fox eight seven seven nine ninety six six three six nine.

Speaker 3 (41:19):
Lit's here from you. Be patient. I promise I'll get
to all of you.

Speaker 2 (41:22):
We begin with Marshawan in California. Marshaan, Is this your
first time calling the midnight hour?

Speaker 5 (41:28):
Gloat?

Speaker 3 (41:29):
Hi, Marshawn, you are on the air. Is this your
first time calling the midnight Hour?

Speaker 9 (41:33):
No, Bernie, this is in Marshawn.

Speaker 10 (41:35):
This is Martin.

Speaker 2 (41:37):
Okay, no problem. I either I can't read or something,
but good to have you on. Welcome back in.

Speaker 3 (41:42):
How are you?

Speaker 11 (41:43):
Hey, Bernie?

Speaker 9 (41:44):
Thanks you a lot.

Speaker 8 (41:45):
Man.

Speaker 10 (41:45):
Let me just get right to it so I don't
waste any of your.

Speaker 9 (41:48):
Time right here, Let's start off.

Speaker 10 (41:50):
With uh Brandon for his name? Up, Cooper, Cooper, Flag
and bron Ronnie Yep.

Speaker 9 (41:59):
I don't know.

Speaker 11 (42:00):
Oh.

Speaker 10 (42:00):
I got a feeling as we got into that huddle.
They probably gave this guy the green light and told
him to hey, man, shoot and take. You can't shoot
anymore because I've never seen him be that inefficient in
his college career, so I don't see him taking.

Speaker 9 (42:13):
I think it was like.

Speaker 10 (42:14):
Thirty one shots to score like twenty points. That's not
his normal game. And I think the next day he
proved that by throwing.

Speaker 9 (42:22):
I think he got thirty one and twenty shots. But Bertie,
I remember when the NBA Finals was on tape delay.

Speaker 8 (42:33):
Yeah, now we're.

Speaker 9 (42:34):
Talking about Now, we're.

Speaker 10 (42:35):
Talking about three thousand dollars for a Summer League court
type ticket.

Speaker 2 (42:41):
People were lined up starting at six am at the
Thomas and Mac on Thursday morning.

Speaker 3 (42:46):
Because I am un sounded well, yeah.

Speaker 2 (42:52):
But remember you've heard me say it a thousand times.
We don't have royalty in this country. Our athletes and
our entertainers are, in fact our royalty. And I think
Cooper Flag at eighteen years old, is incredibly projectable, just
like another eighteen year old was back in two thousand
and three by the name of Lebron James.

Speaker 3 (43:07):
You got the last word.

Speaker 10 (43:09):
But this is my This is my name because I
love Summer League. Why I used to because it was
one of those affordable tickets.

Speaker 9 (43:16):
I may not be able to.

Speaker 10 (43:17):
Afford a regular season game, but I can afford.

Speaker 9 (43:20):
A Summer League game and see two or three and
see people run.

Speaker 10 (43:23):
And I used to love that. We used to have
it out here in Long Beach, over our Long Beach
state second Dion Sanders. Of course he's a hitocrit's hen't
even give money to your guys.

Speaker 9 (43:38):
Give money to your son.

Speaker 4 (43:40):
It's hit.

Speaker 10 (43:42):
But when you're talking about another guy, this is a
guy who went on record and said I will not
recruit any kid who.

Speaker 9 (43:51):
Comes from a single family home, no wing fall.

Speaker 10 (43:55):
Well his the hell this grew up in a single
family home.

Speaker 9 (43:59):
He wasn't with that girl's mama. So I just I'm
a big I'm a big deal supporter, But I really
have a feeling he's.

Speaker 10 (44:09):
Gonna be like the Wizard of Us.

Speaker 9 (44:11):
We're gonna pull back those curtains and we're gonna see
this little tiny man who po some smoke and some
mirrors and he had us convinced you how to change
college football.

Speaker 2 (44:24):
Great way to start us off with the outstanding call.
I love, I love the energy, don't don't, don't be
a stranger. So what you're basically saying is, hey, Dion,
don't be peeing out of my shoes and telling me
it's raining. He does have ten years and fifty four
million dollars. We'll see how they do. Excellent, excellent call.
Michael lepper Crown in Boston, you're up next.

Speaker 4 (44:44):
Oh and welcome to the Midnight Hour. The Red Sox
and far by the.

Speaker 3 (44:48):
Way, Yeah, they're doing well well one nine in a
row or something.

Speaker 4 (44:51):
Nine Yeah, and Big Ben was a very good host
and I was in La.

Speaker 3 (44:55):
But anyways, Ben's a good man.

Speaker 4 (44:58):
I don't think the kickers are going to wear the
time sooner anyway. And Lebron too bad. He feeling is
the heart and I said seem last week he should
come to Boston for one year and he wouldn't have
his feelings so bad. He'd be even though they hit
him there. He could make a difference for one year
and he is productive.

Speaker 3 (45:16):
Well, if we play for free, maybe that could happen.

Speaker 4 (45:19):
But other now, oh no, no, the subjects have a
huge salary cap right now to they have no they
need players. Cooper Flag begging by the way, betting shouldn't
be allowed for the Summer League. In my opinion, Cooper
Flag is a good boy from Maine. Great, he's a lefty,
a great decision maker with great poise. And I can't

(45:41):
wait to see the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas games
this year. They should be a doozy and Kit and
Clark well, Kitten Talk and Angel Rees still have that
great rivalry. And for a quarterback I would put in
I wouldn't put in Drake May probably, Oh my god, okay,
and I I mean maybe he's like he's like Cooper Flags,

(46:02):
he's developing, And I say, de Young Sanders, he's a
total hypocrite.

Speaker 2 (46:08):
All right, Mike, keep pulling down there in Boston. Beautiful
summer there on the Cape Mark and Texas Joint. Just
welcome back in Mark. How are you very good?

Speaker 12 (46:18):
How you doing tonight?

Speaker 3 (46:20):
Doing well?

Speaker 5 (46:22):
Are you there?

Speaker 3 (46:23):
I am here? You got the floor? Okay, regale America
with your thoughts pretty well.

Speaker 13 (46:30):
I'll go with my homes that quarterback.

Speaker 14 (46:32):
Two and three.

Speaker 13 (46:33):
I would take Brady in Montana.

Speaker 3 (46:35):
But they're not playing anymore. I'm talking about your curn guys.

Speaker 2 (46:40):
Probably, although Brady came off the bench right now, I
might take him as well, but go ahead.

Speaker 13 (46:43):
Yeah, but who would you rather have starting Caleber Brady
for the Bears.

Speaker 2 (46:48):
Not Caleb. Ben Johnson's a yeller. I'm curious to see
how that's gonna work out. I'm serious, I'm serious. Ben
Johnson left a premier situation in Detroit.

Speaker 3 (46:58):
Go ahead.

Speaker 14 (46:58):
He's got it.

Speaker 11 (46:59):
He's got a a major challenge in Chicago.

Speaker 3 (47:02):
All right, any thoughts on your you know, takeaway from
Brownie or or Cooper Flat.

Speaker 8 (47:08):
I would say, I'm sorry his dad played a big
role in that.

Speaker 12 (47:13):
I do like flag a lot.

Speaker 2 (47:16):
All right, Mark, appreciate you, man. I want to get
to all the callers. We're gonna get to all you.
Please be patient, I know, don't drop off, man, We're
gonna get to all you. Christopher in North Carolina, you've
been a part of this FIESCA before on Saturday Night.

Speaker 3 (47:27):
How are you?

Speaker 11 (47:29):
I'm doing well, Bernie. This is my last call before
I moved to England.

Speaker 3 (47:33):
So you're moving to England, you could still call in
from there.

Speaker 2 (47:38):
We've had callers from Japan, Italy, Ireland, even Detroit. Yeah,
what's prompting to move?

Speaker 3 (47:48):
Move as a job. Well, that's why I was in
London last year.

Speaker 2 (47:51):
And okay, I'll tell you what you call because we're
a morning drive in London right now. It's nine am
in London, man or eight am. So all right, go ahead,
I'll take all your ad.

Speaker 11 (48:01):
I appreciate Bernie. So let's start with LBJ. So the
all time scoring leader number two. He is the first
NBA player to be a billionaire with all of his investments.
So let's see, he needs fifty two million per what.

Speaker 10 (48:18):
I don't know.

Speaker 11 (48:19):
The man is a greedy anyhow, I won't say that word.
He's greedy. He doesn't care about winning. If he cared
about winning, he would be like any other player that say,
I'm forty two years old, I want my last chance.
I'm going to give the team the money. I don't
need it.

Speaker 2 (48:36):
But no, he's got all the credibility of a dermatologist
with acne. When he's trying to tell us where he
wants to do. One thing, he does another go ahead.

Speaker 11 (48:47):
He's no inference than any player in the NBA that
thinks they want the money was most important. Then that's
all he cares about. He doesn't care about winning. He's
got so many accolades. Why does I'm sorry, I can
go on. I demand is like my favorite NFL quarterback,
and he's no different.

Speaker 14 (49:08):
They're both hypocrits.

Speaker 2 (49:09):
You're talking about Aaron Rodgers, aren't you remember.

Speaker 11 (49:12):
I know I wasn't going to say the word, but
my point is they're hypocrites. They think that they're the
most important thing, Lebron, you're past your prime. You're an
old man. You're on the age of social security. In
the sandpoint of the NBA.

Speaker 3 (49:26):
Go away, you don't get away for three moriars real quickly, Christopher,
do you have anything regarding Diana? Is he a hypocrite?

Speaker 11 (49:34):
Well, I'm going to what's that one? I want to
touch on one last one. It's mister mahomes Kill quarterback.

Speaker 5 (49:41):
I would take.

Speaker 11 (49:42):
Half my roster to give the Kansas City because I
would win, and I would win NFL. Finally, in my
sixty years, I would see a Super Bowl. So bottom line, Bernie,
I would love to see mahomes I don't care what
shape he's in. God bless the man. I'd have him
number one every team because demand's a winner. Thank you
for your time.

Speaker 3 (50:00):
Hey, what city are you moving to in England?

Speaker 10 (50:04):
I'm moving right to London.

Speaker 11 (50:06):
I'm sorry, I'm moving right into London.

Speaker 3 (50:09):
All right, cool, all right, all right, we'll hear from
you again.

Speaker 2 (50:13):
Andre in Massachusetts, glad you're part of this Fiesca to that,
I'm sure you've got a lot to say, Andre, Andre
in Massachusetts. That is a pretty I think we are, Andre, Andre,
how are you, Bud, welcome in, Thank you so.

Speaker 9 (50:29):
Much for having me.

Speaker 13 (50:30):
Thrilled to be here. Quite a bit to get to you.
Let's start off in terms of Cooper Flag and and
Brianni James. Listen, Cooper Flag, it's going to take time
because he gray shirted, right, so he's the second youngest rookie.
He essentially kipped over a senior year of high school
to start at Duke last year. Where did this thing?
Deserves to be the number one overall pick. But he's

(50:53):
a different Cooper Flag is highly skilled, He's a hard
working young man. He's not necessarily this explosive athlete.

Speaker 4 (51:00):
So there is going to be just.

Speaker 13 (51:02):
Like when the young quarterbacks step up into the NFL, right,
it takes them time to adjust to the NFL speed.
That's gonna be the same thing with Cooper Flag. Relative
to Bronni James, I think he's representing himself nicely and
in summer league, you know, and he's staying on the
team and it's a good storyline. Will he be a
rotation player for the Lakers. No, but it's a good storyline.
The NBA getting all their money with the matchup. Now

(51:23):
to the second thing, the straight through line over to
Lebron James in terms of what's going on with his situations.
Here's what it comes down to, point period, end of stories.
Lebron James is now Robins and so he's having essentially
a mid life crisis. That's what we're seeing in real time.
He's always been batman since he's a sophomore at Saint Vincent,
Saint Mary's. You know, couver Sports illustrated as a junior,

(51:46):
the chosen one, all right, But the Lakers with Luca
Don trich Okay or any other team that he goes
to for that matter, he is not going to be
the north Star. He's not going to be the epicenter.
And that's what he is trying to grapple with. Frankly,
I don't like how it's being handled in the early stages,
which is typical Lebron trying to control the narrative, trying

(52:06):
to take back power.

Speaker 5 (52:08):
We see all these.

Speaker 13 (52:09):
Storylines, Oh, you know, they're gonna waige him and he's
gonna buy out his contract, go to all these other teams.
It's not realistic. In everybody, including Lebron James knows it.
Here's why LA is the optimal place for him because
of his business interest. He wants to be a movie mogul.
That's why he's in La to do all the other
things off the court. Never mind the fact that it's

(52:30):
good his family's there, they're settled in Okay, and never
mind the weather, which is better on his aging body.
All Right, that's the best situation for him at the
end of the day. But he's having a hard time realizing.

Speaker 4 (52:41):
Me.

Speaker 13 (52:41):
So that's all this stuff about Cleveland. They already have
a championship team ready with Kenny Atkinson at the Helm
my New York. Okay, these other teams that he's gonna
have to go to number one, he's still not He's
still gonna be Robins. And it's a harder it's a
harder thing to do to start fresh, to try to
compete for a championship than where you are right now.
So it is a fascinating storyline because it really just

(53:04):
comes down to the hubris that we have as human beings,
and lebron La is the best place for you. You
want to do the thing with Bronni, you want to
play with your son Bright, you want to be a
movie mogul, you want to try to compete for championships
with a transcendent star Luka Doncics. LA checked all the boxes,
but you don't have the last word.

Speaker 2 (53:22):
Did you see tonight Andre the look on his face
as he sat there with that little Bill Murray Caddyshack
cap On watching the game mid court there?

Speaker 3 (53:32):
Did you see him do face? He looks like he
just smelled it fart. That's what it get used to it.
That's what he's gonna look like all year's That was real.

Speaker 13 (53:42):
I just feel like if he tries to what is it?
You know, if you try to continue on doing things
the way that you've always done that, which is basically
bulldozing people with this whole player empowerment, he's gonna find
himself in a worse situation business wise and career. It's
just all of those things, Lebron. If you can just

(54:02):
take a step back and give a little bit, I
think LA will be a place for you. If you
want to just continue on with what you've always done,
player empowerment but bulldozing it. His last years are not
going to be what they otherwise, what INCONCLUDI Patty Mahomes
his dad bod you know, and is he still the
best quarterback. To be the man, you got to beat
the man. Okay, so he is for me still the
best quarterback. These guys that I'm pulling for, Lamar, Josh Allen,

(54:25):
Joe Burrow, you got to show it to me, and
particularly Lamar Jackson, even though I hate to point him out.
You know he's passed you for getting through and breaking
through all these MVPs. But until that happens, Patty Mahomes,
Andy Reid, you know what they have set up in
Kansas City. They are the de facto champions. He's the
best quarterback.

Speaker 5 (54:43):
Thanks taking the call.

Speaker 3 (54:43):
Bury always appreciate the energy.

Speaker 2 (54:45):
Andrea all Right, mg in Texas, John South Carolina, Andrew
and Bakersfield, Bryce in Texas, Budon Ocland.

Speaker 3 (54:51):
Don't go anywhere I'm gonna get to all of you.
Have be patient, Crack your favorite beverage, put your feet up,
cool forty five two dayachts. Maybe that's all I need.
I want to hear from all of you, and I'll
try to get to you as quickly as I can
and want to give everybody their due.

Speaker 2 (55:03):
But the midnight hour continues because the great callers like
you for the best pregame show every weekend, be sure
to tune into Fox Sports Radios Countdown presented by BEDMGM
every Saturday and Sunday morning from non am to noon
Eastern six to nine Pacific. We'll count you down to
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(55:24):
BEDMGM every Saturday and Sunday morning, right here on Fox
Sports Radio and the iHeart Radio app.

Speaker 3 (55:29):
I Am Bernie Frida.

Speaker 2 (55:30):
We are come to you live from the Fox Sports
Radio studios here in Las Vegas.

Speaker 3 (55:34):
Keep it locked. You're listening to Midnight Hour, the Bernie
Frattle Show on Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 6 (55:39):
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to
listen live.

Speaker 3 (55:53):
All right back on the Bernie Frattle Show Fox Sports Radio.
The Midnight Hour keeps roller right along.

Speaker 2 (55:59):
Callers have been great eight seven, seven, nine, nine six
six three sixty nine eight seven, seven ninety nine nine Fox.
Let's hear from you, MJ in Texans. Thanks for your patience.
You are up next.

Speaker 3 (56:12):
Good morning, sir, Good morning sir.

Speaker 15 (56:14):
Yeah, I before I get to the main thing I
want to hit on. Uh, you can't get me to
say anything bad about the on maybe the time and
is just bad fair about the silent salary cap. But
he's the greatest athlete that I've ever witnessed, and I'm
talking about pound for pound in the history of sports.

Speaker 3 (56:36):
So I agree with that MJ. I played minor league baseball.

Speaker 2 (56:40):
They put a wrinkle on that Dion was not only
a major league baseball player, which no one ever talks about,
he was a good one.

Speaker 3 (56:45):
So I'm with you on that one.

Speaker 2 (56:47):
We're just having a little fun because it was ironic
that when it benefited him they can spend money. But
now he's trying to you go ahead, you got the floor.
You know where I was going with that.

Speaker 15 (56:58):
Yeah, So I want to I want to talk talk
about I've never since uh it's inception, since I've been
watching tennis, meaning because I wasn't there back then at
the beginning, but I know the history. I've never seen
someone get destroyed the way this lady did today against

(57:22):
what's her name switched?

Speaker 3 (57:27):
Yeah, I know it was six L six Ego swire Tech. Uh, yeah,
that was She's the one who won Yeah.

Speaker 9 (57:36):
That was embarrassing. Man.

Speaker 15 (57:37):
Uh, this lady, just the lady she defeated.

Speaker 3 (57:42):
Her name is Amanda Anisonova.

Speaker 15 (57:45):
Yes, Andersonova. She just came off of thrilling win against
the number one ranked Saba Linka, and to see her
perform the way she did today was pathetic, man. And
to see someone get beat in a final, in a
in a a Grand Slam tendency then, man, that I
couldn't believe that took place today. I went to look

(58:08):
at it thinking it was owned. It was already over
with when I wit to tune in. So I want
to ask you who do you pick to win the day?
Between the Gentleman Center and Alcoats.

Speaker 3 (58:22):
I like Alcarez. But but to your point about this
young lady, Anna Sonova, she's twenty three. She was so nervous.
She just wasn't herself. I think she was caught up
in the moment.

Speaker 2 (58:36):
And that that's why when when we talk about people
like Patrick Mahomes, I call it quantum physics, when you
know the whole role is watching and you you know
you still have to compete. So interesting call, there's interesting
observation anything else on any of other topics that we
talked about today.

Speaker 15 (58:54):
Yeah, I heard you talking about Mahomes and Lamar Jackson,
the uhday modern quarter quarterback. But I watch out for
a guy named c J. Stroud and Shedull Sanders.

Speaker 9 (59:08):
Man.

Speaker 15 (59:08):
Don't be surprised if he's at some point he's starting
uh for Cleveland. Uh uh this year, they might start
Flacco at the beginning, but I believe we're going to
see Dull Sanders at some time during the season and
c J. Stroud going to have a gonna have a
good year.

Speaker 14 (59:28):
Man.

Speaker 15 (59:28):
Look out for the chance.

Speaker 3 (59:29):
CJ. S John's the goods. There's no he's always been
so the Califaria thanks a lot. Uh m j uh.

Speaker 2 (59:37):
I think Schudor has a long way to go, but look,
let's see what happens. I I have my thoughts on that,
but I kind of want to stay on track here.

Speaker 8 (59:45):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (59:46):
John in South Carolina is up next? Is this your
first four A into the midnight hour?

Speaker 5 (59:50):
John?

Speaker 3 (59:55):
Hello, good John? How are you?

Speaker 12 (59:58):
I'm doing great? So first thing I want to say
is I was an ESDN guy into like a year ago,
and I love Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 3 (01:00:14):
That's what we want to hear, John.

Speaker 12 (01:00:16):
I love Fox Sports Radio. You guys have the best
I mean two cups. You know, Colin, Dan Patrick, you
guys are all great. But here's my thing. Everybody, everybody
talks about the trade from uh Luca to the Lakers.
And I'm a California guy born and raised. Okay, I

(01:00:41):
think right now, no doubt that was the best trade
the Dallas Mavericks ever made.

Speaker 2 (01:00:50):
Well, I've always said what I've always said, Jonas, I'm
giving it three years before I passed judgment because uh
Luca's been a pro for twelve years.

Speaker 3 (01:01:00):
And eight in the NBA, and he is who he is.
And all of a sudden, if you look at.

Speaker 2 (01:01:04):
This Mavericks team now with Anthony Davis, if he can
stay healthy, Kyrie and now Cooper Flagg, you know they might.

Speaker 3 (01:01:12):
Have the last laugh.

Speaker 12 (01:01:14):
And Klay Thompson.

Speaker 3 (01:01:17):
Clay Thompson absolutely, I'm.

Speaker 12 (01:01:20):
Gonna tell you right now, I think their roster is
better than the roster they had when they went to
the finals two years ago.

Speaker 3 (01:01:33):
All right, any thoughts on Dianna? Is he a hypocrite?

Speaker 15 (01:01:37):
Oh?

Speaker 12 (01:01:38):
I love Beyon I do too, but on.

Speaker 3 (01:01:41):
This subject, man, he really flipped.

Speaker 5 (01:01:43):
Go ahead, here's my thing.

Speaker 12 (01:01:48):
I'm a father, I was, I was southern California after
the year in nineteen eighty one, I raised my boys.

Speaker 3 (01:01:58):
What did you go to high school in socam Bell Gardens?
Go ahead?

Speaker 12 (01:02:05):
So I raised my boys and I raised them in Tucson, Arizona,
and I raised them to be the best they could be.
And you know they they were not. They were not me,
no doubt, but they were good. My son was first

(01:02:28):
team All State point guard in Arizona as a freshman.
So I wanted him to play football, right, So I
tried to get him to play football, and he's like.

Speaker 8 (01:02:44):
Dad, I just don't like it.

Speaker 12 (01:02:45):
I'm like, you know what, son, do what you gotta do?
You know what I mean? Because I think parents sometimes
are growing kids' life. But I think Dion is a
great He's a great coach.

Speaker 3 (01:03:01):
Yeah, I agree with all that.

Speaker 12 (01:03:03):
He's a great mentor. And I think he gets a
bad rap just by being you know, prime time.

Speaker 3 (01:03:15):
I appreciate it, John Listen.

Speaker 2 (01:03:17):
I think Dion's legacy is secure and he turned around.
Everybody forgets Colorado won one game two years ago. You
were thirteen and twelve. The last two years they're on
the map. They sell out. We'll see what they do
this year. But I don't think anybody would disagree that
Dion's impact on pop culture, the world of sports, the NFL,
college football, even Major League baseball. He's a very interesting,

(01:03:40):
complex guy. And I don't know if anybody remembers this,
but four years ago and he was looking for a coach.
This was not tongue in cheek. I said, hied, Dion Sanders.
He's going to get players. He's going to put you
back on the map. And obviously he wasn't even in
the mix.

Speaker 3 (01:03:56):
But Andrew in Bakersfield, how are you, Andrew? What's up? Man?

Speaker 14 (01:04:01):
Hey?

Speaker 16 (01:04:01):
Bernie?

Speaker 12 (01:04:04):
All right? How you doing tonight?

Speaker 3 (01:04:06):
Well?

Speaker 16 (01:04:06):
Man, okay, now I'm forgetting what I okay? So Lebron okay.
Sorry to break to everybody. He's still batman in LA.
In fact, he's probably still batman in the NBA, and
Steath is Robin okay, and he will continue, in my opinion,

(01:04:26):
to be batman as long as he plays at a
high level, which he is.

Speaker 2 (01:04:33):
Why do you suppose in the Lakers said no thanks
when he wanted a second year or even the third
year onto his contract.

Speaker 3 (01:04:41):
Why do you suppose he said no?

Speaker 16 (01:04:44):
I don't know. I haven't thought about all the details.
I've just kind of thought about it on a bird's
eye view. Okay, Now my rant sort of is how
how often is the CBA for the NBA? How often
does it happen the collective bible?

Speaker 2 (01:05:04):
Well, it's it's all based on the contract. I think
the next CBA is in for about eight more years
something along those lines. You know they can, you know
you can. You can get a three year deal, a
five year deal. Obviously you don't want to, you know,
you want you want as much stability as you can,
you know, I mean, I think, I think it. I

(01:05:29):
think the current CBA runs out in twenty thirty. But
is is youre a point attached to that.

Speaker 16 (01:05:32):
Or Yeah, So there was nothing mentioned to me about
injuries or load management. I think there should be a
penalty for players who try and do load management, and
they should have an independent doctor look and see if

(01:05:53):
he's really injured.

Speaker 2 (01:05:54):
Yeah, but see hold on, hold on, you know, load management.
Steph Curry talked about this two years ago. Sometimes it's planned.
Their theory is that if you send a game out,
you are preventing future injury. So it's almost like biding
your time and pacing yourself by the way, there is
some de facto penalty because if you don't play more

(01:06:15):
than sixty five games, you're not eligible for certain postseason awards.

Speaker 16 (01:06:19):
Yeah, but I don't think they should be skipping any
games for potential injuries.

Speaker 2 (01:06:25):
Right, Well, it's a philosophical discussion. I don't know if
I buy it one hundred percent anything on Dion.

Speaker 16 (01:06:33):
That's all I got.

Speaker 2 (01:06:34):
All right, Thanks Andrew Bryce in Texas. Welcome back in
to the Bernie Frottle Show.

Speaker 17 (01:06:41):
Before I get to what I actually want to talk about.
To answer all your questions about your topics, all hit
it chrits, Bernie, they're all crits, Lebron James, Deion Sanders.

Speaker 5 (01:06:50):
It's okay.

Speaker 17 (01:06:52):
It's what my father used to say. Don't do as
I say?

Speaker 8 (01:06:54):
Or what is it?

Speaker 17 (01:06:56):
Do as I say, not as I do.

Speaker 8 (01:06:58):
That's what it is my.

Speaker 17 (01:07:00):
Dad would always say. But the thing that I really
want to get into, I'm glad that there's another college
night about tennis.

Speaker 13 (01:07:06):
But as you always say, he missed the beat on
What's going on tomorrow?

Speaker 17 (01:07:11):
Yes it is Stiller versus Alkarez. The Alcarez is looking
to become the only second person ever to repeat the
Channel Plans first one being bored who did it.

Speaker 8 (01:07:20):
Three times in a row.

Speaker 17 (01:07:23):
I always got your show and talk about tennis and
how I don't understand how more people are involved in this.
If you watch the French Open last month, this is
going to be a danger of a match.

Speaker 2 (01:07:32):
Fan, Well, it's a rematch which which it is gonna
which gonna which you know, which is going.

Speaker 3 (01:07:37):
To add to the drama. And listen.

Speaker 2 (01:07:41):
One of the reasons that I think tennis in the
United States is it nearly is it popular? As you mentioned,
Bjorn Borgs is the player you know from Mace and
Roe to create who are the Americans? The young American
twenty three year old got smoked Saturday, But uh yeah.

Speaker 17 (01:07:57):
Yet two Americans in the men's final or in the
men's quart of You had Ben Shelton in the quarterfinals
and Taylor Bricks went all the way to the Sydney.
They're knocking on the door, Bernie, the young Americans are
knocking on the door. If they're coming.

Speaker 2 (01:08:11):
Fair enough, they're coming fair enough. I mean, look, it's
a fact. It's an incredible sport. There's something very majestic
about the situation, you know, over at Wimbledon, and uh,
you know, Center Center's looking for his redemption. This is
going to be a blockbuster Wimbledon final five weeks ago.
You saw them and they got after it pretty big

(01:08:33):
at Roland Garros. And we'll see what the TV ratings are.

Speaker 17 (01:08:38):
If I appreciate you, Bernie, you have a great night.

Speaker 2 (01:08:41):
Okay, nothing, I guess on the that's fine. Listen, this
is uh. This is a segment for callers. I try
to I try to lead to witness somewhat.

Speaker 3 (01:08:51):
But eight seven, seven.

Speaker 2 (01:08:53):
Nine to nine on Fox eight seven seven, nine ninety
six six streets sixty nine, plenty of time to get in.

Speaker 3 (01:08:57):
Rick in Louisiana, you are up next. Yes, hello a Rick,
you're you're on the air.

Speaker 5 (01:09:05):
Oh hey, yes, hey, thanks Bernie for taking my call.

Speaker 3 (01:09:08):
How are you bet good sir? Are you all right?

Speaker 5 (01:09:12):
I was just calling. I was gonna talk about Lebron.
Lebron was at the game to look at it some,
but he was also you heard it here that he
was looking at his potential new teammate one women trade.
Both they talked about and Bronnie and that went to

(01:09:35):
Dallas Trade and and then it's going to be a
big reunion between him and Kyrie and Ad and uh
now Russell in Dallas.

Speaker 2 (01:09:48):
Well, I won't rule that out. I think anything could happen.

Speaker 5 (01:09:54):
I think, yeah, yeah, go ahead, and I'm sorry, No,
you got the floor, all right. And the other one
was as far as Dion, Dion is not a hypocrite.
The rule is when it's nepotism, salary count doesn't apply.

Speaker 3 (01:10:19):
What are your thoughts?

Speaker 2 (01:10:20):
Did you hear what the radio host in Kansas City
said about Patrick Mahomes. He kind of body shamed them.
My thoughts are, if it's the fourth quarter of a
football game and it's twenty twenty five, I'm still picking
Mahomes if my life's.

Speaker 5 (01:10:32):
On the line, Okay, I would say it depends on
where the ball is. If the ball is at the
end of the game and the ball is within the five,
maybe the two or three, I'm going with Jalen Hurst
because they still haven't proven that the toos push can
be stopped. But outside of that, I think you need
to put the ball in my homes hands.

Speaker 3 (01:10:56):
Yeah no' That's how I feel. Abou all right, good stuff,
freak anything else, Bud.

Speaker 5 (01:11:01):
Yeah, they need to not extend that NFL season because
then you're going to see more injuries when you start
going up higher them, you know, I know they want
the money and it makes money because you know, NFL
makes the money, you know. But when you start extending
more games, because it's gone to sixteen with now seventeen,
going up to eighteen, you're gonna see a lot more injuries.

(01:11:25):
So no, that's true.

Speaker 2 (01:11:26):
All right, thanks a lot rick, And I know that
that's a real political football right now. Roger Goodell would
like an eighteen game season. The players' unions against it.
It does mean more revenue, but what is the price
that comes along with it?

Speaker 3 (01:11:39):
And LinkedIn's the season.

Speaker 2 (01:11:41):
If they did that, they would probably have a situation
where you'd have two bye weeks and then you'd play
the super Bowl on Sunday before President's Day and people
would have that day off. Anyway, coming up, we wrap
up The Midnight Hour eight seven seven nine nine six
six three six nine eight seven seven ninety nine one
Fox is Deonna Hypocrite based on a Sari cap doots

(01:12:03):
takeaways from Cooper and Brownie and of course, uh the situation.
I still think Patrick Mahomes would be my guy. You
can buy the shame of them all you want. And
Bernie Freddy, We're coming to your line from Las Vegas.
Fox Sports Radio Studios.

Speaker 3 (01:12:15):
Keep it locked. You listened to the Bernie Frale Show,
Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 2 (01:12:20):
All right back on the Bernie Fradle Show, Fox Sports
Radier wrapping up the minute hour. Steve in Los Angeles,
you are up next.

Speaker 14 (01:12:28):
Hey, buddy, first time my rest you show. I really
like it.

Speaker 3 (01:12:31):
Well, thank you, sir.

Speaker 14 (01:12:32):
You're doing a great job. So I want to talk
about a couple of things. One, Lebron James, all right
out here in LA we can't stand him. You know,
I wasn't even a Kobe guy. You know, I'm a
magic Kareem. You know, Lebron James is not the greatest
basketball player of all time. We Kareem ubduing Jabbari, high
school college pros. So if he's all butt hurt, because

(01:12:57):
you know, Scott and Luca without telling him, they sold
the team without calling him, and the new ownership of
the team, they don't care about Lebron, they don't care
about Browny. They get rid of them, ship them out,
Get whatever you can for me.

Speaker 5 (01:13:10):
Did you start.

Speaker 14 (01:13:11):
Rebuilding it on Luca? Which is going to be their plan.
Another thing is we're talking about load management. I'm not
a professional athlete. I'm an industrial athlete. I'm a UPS
driver and have been for thirty eight years. And with
it's one hundred and ten degrees and you have to
work twelve hours delivering three hundred and fifty boxes, ten

(01:13:34):
thousand dollars worth of ten thousand pounds worth of boxes,
you know, being watched by the minute. I have no
sympathy for these guys with the load management. And you
mentioned how Steph Curry said, well, it prevents the next injury.

Speaker 9 (01:13:47):
Guess what.

Speaker 5 (01:13:48):
My back hurts all the time.

Speaker 14 (01:13:49):
When guys you get hurt at work and they twist
their knee, they have to come back to work the
next day.

Speaker 5 (01:13:54):
Because we don't make forty.

Speaker 14 (01:13:55):
Fifty five million dollars a year. You know, Kawhi Leonard
is going to make more money, you know, in one
year than than than you know, most of us. Ten
people will make it a lifetime. One hundred people make
it a lifetime.

Speaker 3 (01:14:10):
That's fair.

Speaker 2 (01:14:11):
I think you're listen. You raise a good issue, Steve.
The current modern athlete. There's more of a disconnect between
the athlete of today and the fan than there ever
has been.

Speaker 3 (01:14:22):
This isn't anything else I want to get to all
the cars and don't be a stranger.

Speaker 8 (01:14:25):
We just real quick.

Speaker 14 (01:14:29):
James Worthy goes on a local you know of five
seventy am out there petros money and he talks about
how they used to have to fly, you know, with
regular people on the plane t w A. His pre
meal game was too you know, hamburgers, large fries and
a coke before he got to the forum. And with

(01:14:50):
these guys and you know, with the with the trainers
and everything, they're just spoiled. And you know they that's
why the NBA is losing fan you know they're now
number three. So but I keep listening to the show
you're doing.

Speaker 2 (01:15:07):
So yeah, good, look forward to hearing from you again.
John and Reno you are up next. Good evening, Good morning,
Yes sir, that too, Yes sirs, time for a cocktail
and a phone call.

Speaker 3 (01:15:19):
All right.

Speaker 18 (01:15:21):
So I got a question Espne. I don't know if
they get paid or what they do. They always talk
about the Cowboys. I'm wondering if Fox are the same
with basketball.

Speaker 3 (01:15:36):
Well, you play, here's what you have to do, and
a sir, let me let me address that. You got
to play the hits.

Speaker 2 (01:15:41):
You've got to play the Hits, John, what's topical, what's polarizing.
The opposite of love is not hate, its indifference. The
Cowboys are still believing or not America's team based on
road attendants all that.

Speaker 3 (01:15:53):
So what you try to do.

Speaker 2 (01:15:55):
Something prompted you to call the name and yeah and
some got in your or what but that and that's
the idea is to stoke that fire by playing the.

Speaker 3 (01:16:04):
Hits go ahead.

Speaker 18 (01:16:06):
It's outside of the markets like La San Francisco, there's
really not a big interest in basketball. You can look
at the ratings, they're down.

Speaker 2 (01:16:16):
Yeah, but it's the storylines behind what's happening. We're not
talking about box scores and scoring titles and championships. We're
talking about the human condition here and how it's manifesting
and sil for the whole world to see. I don't
know if you saw the bronze face at the Summer
League tonight, you know they say have pictures worth a
thousand wards.

Speaker 3 (01:16:36):
That was worth ten million words.

Speaker 2 (01:16:37):
So I will tell you right now, today's July thirteenth,
two three weeks from now, we won't be talking basketball
at all. We'll be in the football. So we're gonna
play the Hits is what we're gonna do. Whatever's topical.
That's the idea.

Speaker 18 (01:16:50):
John, and then Angel Reese. They've been they've been getting
her name wrong. Okay, it's anal grease.

Speaker 3 (01:17:01):
Oh my goodness, all right, John, don't be don't be
a stranger, my man.

Speaker 18 (01:17:07):
Tom, I really enjoy your show.

Speaker 2 (01:17:09):
Thanks a lot, appreciate it, and we'll try to have
more time for you next time. We wrap it up
with Josh here in Las Vegas. Josh, bring us home.

Speaker 13 (01:17:17):
Hey, how doing money? Hey man, are you staying cool?

Speaker 3 (01:17:20):
I'm staying cool? Was it one hundred and thirteen today
something like that?

Speaker 4 (01:17:25):
Yeah?

Speaker 8 (01:17:25):
Yeah, man, Yeah, you know, you put.

Speaker 3 (01:17:26):
On a jacket, go about your business.

Speaker 14 (01:17:28):
Go ahead.

Speaker 5 (01:17:33):
Best fact ever had dad box?

Speaker 18 (01:17:36):
You know all that.

Speaker 3 (01:17:38):
Actually that's very true.

Speaker 13 (01:17:39):
Actually you had to build that body to take them hits,
you know.

Speaker 2 (01:17:45):
I think that's one of the One of the trainers
said that as a rebuttal, I did not hear this
radio personality in Kansas City and the context of which
he said, I don't know.

Speaker 3 (01:17:55):
Maybe he's trying to be cute.

Speaker 2 (01:17:56):
But if I needed to win a game and I
have to deal with today's quarterback, Mahomes is my guy,
go ahead.

Speaker 13 (01:18:02):
Oh well, so yeah, uh and then what are.

Speaker 3 (01:18:06):
We talking about Ron James?

Speaker 2 (01:18:08):
Uh or check check that, Well you can talk about Lebron.
Was Dianna hypocrite? And what were you takeaways from Cooper
and Brown? We just got about a minute, my friend.

Speaker 13 (01:18:16):
Okay, I just think those guys are just arrogant, and
I believe they do great jobs of what they do,
but they rubbed people the wrong way, and I think
that's why they get a lot of bad bubbs.

Speaker 3 (01:18:28):
You couldn't be more right.

Speaker 2 (01:18:29):
I mean, it's a situation where there's something about Lebron
and his demeanor. Now that just you said it, there's
rough people the wrong way. Now, DM doesn't really rub
me the wrong way, but I think on this deal,
these are hypocrite, Bunny.

Speaker 3 (01:18:45):
Yeah.

Speaker 13 (01:18:46):
They get off of like two o'clock in the morning.
So like, I listened to your radio and are you
are you still doing the the show, like the the
bit with the with the crazy calls, and like are
the stories? And then do what's my name?

Speaker 3 (01:19:01):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (01:19:01):
That's coming up in an hour and seven minutes. It's
called what kind of brand new fool of You? Followed
by what my name?

Speaker 3 (01:19:07):
Yes?

Speaker 18 (01:19:08):
Sir?

Speaker 3 (01:19:08):
At the two am Pacific time every Sunday morning.

Speaker 14 (01:19:12):
Good to let you know.

Speaker 13 (01:19:14):
I'm a Vegas guy too, so like, but when I
get in my car at two o'clock this morning, I
make sure I turn on for that is the pretty
much on sports radio. And I've listened to it, and
I only hear you one night a week, but that's
the stuff right there.

Speaker 3 (01:19:30):
Man, Appreciate you.

Speaker 2 (01:19:31):
Thanks driving safe out there, Josh, He's a Vegas roads
can be a little hazardous if you if you get
my drift. Thanks so much to all the callers tonight.
Outstanding job, and we appreciate the thoughts. We don't all
have to agree, like kind of like the players union
in baseball and the owners. What if I told you
we might be looking at another big long workstoppage coming

(01:19:54):
up after the twenty twenty sixth season. I hate to
say it, but I think it's coming. I'll tell you
why and what's going on. You're listening to the.

Speaker 3 (01:20:04):
Bernie Frale Show on Fox Sports Radio. Keep it locked
right here on Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 1 (01:20:10):
You don't listening to Fox Sports Radio Radio.

Speaker 3 (01:20:15):
That's right.

Speaker 2 (01:20:16):
You heard the man, Bernie Fradle Show keeps rolling right along.
My name is Bernie Fraddle. We're comingy alive from the
Las Vegas Fox Sports Radio Studios. Take you up to
three am Pacific, six a m.

Speaker 3 (01:20:29):
Eastern. I want to think all.

Speaker 2 (01:20:31):
The outstanding callers, another raucous midnight hour chopping it up,
had some new ones and some moles standbys, and.

Speaker 3 (01:20:39):
Always appreciate it, always appreciate it.

Speaker 5 (01:20:41):
And I.

Speaker 2 (01:20:44):
Look, you don't like to look too far down the
road and create problems don't exist yet. But with the
All Star Game looming Tuesday night and my finger always
on the pulse of baseball, uh, no one will ever
forget what happened in nineteen ninety four when a player
strike actually canceled the World Series. And it seems like

(01:21:05):
it's unthinkable that there could ever be another work stoppage.
But in fact, after what twenty seven years of labor
piece just in twenty twenty one, the owner was implemented
a lock out over some various economic points, and there
was conflict and it ended ninety nine days with an
agreement on a new CBA. So the question is, after

(01:21:28):
next season, when the CBA needs to be negotiated again,
could the unthinkable happen? Could there be another labor stoppage?
The unfortunate answer is I'm gonna say yes, there's going
to be one.

Speaker 3 (01:21:41):
And if you followed.

Speaker 2 (01:21:43):
These negotiations throughout history, first and foremost, all CBA negotiations
have I've always been contentious and many of them have
resulted in labor stoppage.

Speaker 3 (01:21:56):
This is nothing new.

Speaker 2 (01:21:57):
You go back to nineteen seventy two, the players went
on strike over a pension dispute. It only lasted about
two weeks, but it was it was disrupt They've happened
during the season. The very next year, the owners implemented
a lot implement and excuse me, a lockout during spring
training over salary arbitration. Nineteen seventy six is when things

(01:22:17):
really got going. The owners implemented a lockout during spring
training over the evolving issue of player free agency. That's
you know, the catfish Hunner, Nolan Ryan, Reggie Jackson. Before
free agency, players were you know, relegated.

Speaker 3 (01:22:34):
To a life of indentured servitude.

Speaker 2 (01:22:36):
The case of Kurd Flood if you ever want to
read a sad story, Kurt Flood was a great player
and a great man and retired didn't want to go
to Philadelphia. He challenged baseball reserve clause and for the
life of me, I don't know why they don't have
a Kurt flood Wing in Cooperstown because what he he
did really set the stage to bring baseball out of
the you know, dark ages. In nineteen eighty to play

(01:23:00):
as went on strike during spring training because they didn't
like the structure of free agency. Now, nineteen eighty one
is when it really ish started to get real. Halfway
through the season, the players went on a fifty day
strike that created a split season, and they started to
strike over free agent compensation. Meaning if you're a free
agent and somebody signs you away from your team, how

(01:23:22):
is that team that loses you compensated? Now, you know,
I think the season resumed like August eleventh with the
All Star Game in Cleveland, and you had a split season,
and the Cincinnati Reds were pissed because they had the
best record in all of baseball, but they didn't win

(01:23:43):
either of the split season, so.

Speaker 3 (01:23:44):
They didn't go to the playoffs.

Speaker 2 (01:23:45):
I didn't have any sympathetic sympathy for it, even though
I was part of the Reds organization up until nineteen
eighty because they voted twenty five zero to strike, So
you know, I guess elections have consequences. Right nineteen eighty five,
another one, this was in July. The players struck again
over the pension fund and salaber arbitration. I remember it

(01:24:07):
was right before, right around July fourth and only last in.

Speaker 3 (01:24:10):
For two days.

Speaker 2 (01:24:11):
Actually was in August nineteen ninety the owners implemented a
lockout over salary arbitration and free agency. Now they began
spring training late and push back. Opening Day nineteen ninety
four was the Kreme delacreme. That was the strike. They
walked out August eleventh. They were didn't until the following,

(01:24:32):
you know, season, spring training nineteen ninety five. He had
replacement players in spring training. And the reason is is
because the owners thought they were going to get a
salary cap. The entirety of the nineteen ninety four postseason
was canceled. The nineteen ninety five season was significantly abbreviated,
and the only reason play resumed because a federal judge
reinstated the terms of the previous CB eight ordered back

(01:24:55):
on the field. The players were not going to ever
bow down to a salary cap, and the same situation
happened in twenty twenty one. There was an owner implemented lockout.
There were multiple economic points conflict, and I think the
players checked that the owners locked them out because they
were concerned the players might strike. Lasted ninety nine days

(01:25:18):
there was a new CBA. But even then read between
the lines, the owners want a salary cap. Now you'll know,
you already know that all of the other major leagues,
the NHL, the NBA, and of course the NFL have.

Speaker 3 (01:25:33):
A salary cap.

Speaker 2 (01:25:36):
I'm of the belief this Baseball Union is so strong
they will never succumb to a salary cap.

Speaker 3 (01:25:42):
Now you've got the luxury tax, which is you know,
kind of a fagazy because some teams have no compunction
about paying the luxury tax, which is in the millions
and millions of dollars, like the Dodgers and Yankees and
for a while the Oriels, et cetera.

Speaker 2 (01:25:59):
But I think what's gonna happen again? Specifically, you know,
it's there's always concerned about how revenues are divided between
players and they're the product and the club owners.

Speaker 3 (01:26:11):
But here's the kicker. I'm convinced that the owner's side
and Rob Manfred, they haven't one hundred percent showed their cards.
But come on.

Speaker 2 (01:26:18):
You know what the elephant in the room is. It's
always been they're going to gear up for another salary
cap push. This has been the elephant in the room
for Major League Baseball forever, just about And when you
look at the recent spending at the top of the
market by teams like the Dodgers and to a lesser
extent they Mets, they they're the reason, I think, from

(01:26:39):
a league standpoint and from you know, a competitive standpoint
from other owners, that they believe it's time to have
a salary cap once again. This is not new, all right.
Major League Baseball again already has a luxury tax and
high payrolls. They call it the competitive balance tax, which
puts a gup on some situations. But the Dodgers aren't

(01:27:03):
an all that sensitive to you know, competitive balance tax penalties.
But you know, there hasn't been a repeat World Series
champion twenty five years, and then if you look in
the last few years, we've had multiple ever, you know,
teams win.

Speaker 3 (01:27:19):
The World Series.

Speaker 2 (01:27:20):
The key is there's already whispers, there's whispers that they
want a salary cap. One of the Oriols owners, David Rubertsin,
recently said.

Speaker 3 (01:27:29):
This quote, I wish it would be the case that.

Speaker 2 (01:27:31):
We would have a salary cap in baseball the we
other sports do, and maybe eventually we will. We don't
have that now. I suspect we'll have something closer to
what the NFL and NBA have, but there's no guarantee
of that. I don't see it happening, and I think
this could get very contentious and very ugly because every
time they call for a salary cap in baseball, the

(01:27:52):
rationality is that will promote competitive balance across the sport. See,
this isn't really true. It hasn't been true in the past.
The caps do is limit labor costs, and that appeals
to owner gives them cost certainty. So the owners like
the fact that they can reduce their labor costs. But
the competitive balance stuff, I think it's just a fagazy

(01:28:13):
to rally fans and opinion shapers around the idea because
the perception from the owner side that is you're part
of a cap league, which is they believe better for
franchise values than the alternative. And it's a situation where
they believe that if you just can't continually keep buying
the best players, naturally it will create a you know,

(01:28:36):
a more competitive balance. But the truth of the matter
is the highest payrolls don't always win. As a matter
of fact, the highest payrolls almost never win. Here's where
it really is going to get ugly. I really believe it,
because implementing a Sari cap is going to be you know,
the sisiphus pushing the.

Speaker 3 (01:28:54):
Rock up the hill.

Speaker 2 (01:28:55):
The union has never the Major League Baseball Players Union
has never shown any willing to even discuss the cap.
And even if the Major League Baseball Players Association isn't
quite as strong and ideologically resolute as it was under
Marvin Miller and then Don Fear who you remember Don
Fear seeing his face in nineteen ninety.

Speaker 3 (01:29:14):
Four, agreeing to a salary cap would be.

Speaker 2 (01:29:18):
A complete sea change, change in philosophy, major shift in
philosophy in Major League Baseball, which ain't ever going to happen. Okay,
caps do typically carry some guaranteed, you know, share of
revenue for the players, and it starts to become more
complicated too, because owners will argue that certain things like

(01:29:38):
real estate developments and equity stakes, regional sport networks, those
aren't baseball revenues. While the players will argue that money
source wouldn't exist without baseball in the players playing the games.
So it gets very convoluted, it gets very ugly, and
the bottom line is, you know, you're going to have loggerheads,

(01:29:59):
guys fighting with each other, and it's going to get ugly,
all right. And one of the other things too is
salary cap doesn't necessarily come with a salary floor. Okay,
you have some chronically neglectful owners. Now I'm in the
name names like Bob Nutting and Pittsburgh, or Stuart Sternberg
or the Tampa Bay Rays or Bruce Sherman in Miami,

(01:30:21):
which I.

Speaker 3 (01:30:23):
Can't list them all.

Speaker 2 (01:30:26):
You know, they don't exactly break the bank, do they,
And signing on to a new economic system that enforces
them to invest in payroll is something that's not likable
to them.

Speaker 3 (01:30:37):
Now.

Speaker 2 (01:30:38):
Rob Manfrom recently talked about this long standing skis and
what he said, look, quote, I have owners with really
strong hell views that I need to coalesce into a
position that will ultimately take to the MLBPA, which means
the owners don't always get along either. Okay, I don't
know how many of them want a salary cap, but
a lot of them. Do teams share national broadcast revenues equally,

(01:31:03):
but on the local front, each team contributes forty eight
percent of the local revenues, meaning they're local broadcast contracts,
game day revenues, ticket sales, concession sales, parking, sponsorship, merch
all that stuff. They pool those revenues and then they're
distributed equally among teams. Okay, small market, low revenue teams
benefit quite well from the system. Okay, so you're essentially

(01:31:28):
having the Dodgers, Yankees, Mets, and the high payrole team
pay for the bottom feeders like the Pirates raising Marlins.
And this revenue sharing has been beneficial for small market
teams because they're getting profitability with a lot a lot
of risk. But the question is are they willing to
spend the money, spend that money to make their teams better.

(01:31:48):
That's where the philosophical differences reside. And there are owners
that oppose the revenue sharing the way it is right now,
and I know there's going to be other matters that
will be discuss For one thing, I think the owners
are likely to press for an international draft once again,
and they're probably going to ask the players to approve

(01:32:09):
another round of playoff expansion this time from twelve teams
to fourteen. And those things came up in the last
CBA negotiations and they fell short and they ended up,
you know, getting back on the field because they weren't
going to get their salary cap. But if you think that,
you know, baseball is flourishing right now. They're setting a

(01:32:30):
tenants records, people are enjoying games. You've got excellent penet races,
you've got storylines, you got Aaron Judge looks like this
generation's Babe Ruth. But when you have Tony Clark, who
played for the Tigers. I got to know Tony a
little bit. He's now the executive director of the Major
League Baseball Players Association.

Speaker 3 (01:32:49):
What he said last month quote.

Speaker 2 (01:32:51):
Unless I'm mistaken, the league has come out and said
there is going to be a work stoppage. So I
don't think I'm speaking out of school in that regard.
Throw it all together in a blender and added up
when you look at all the important issues where there's
very little common ground shots across the ball from Rob
Manfred and the fact that people are already lining up
taking sides, and time has a way of going by

(01:33:13):
fast and the future has a way of arriving ahead
of schedule. You've got the rest of the season to enjoy,
and they're twenty twenty six season to enjoy. But do
not be surprised at all if we see a lockout
and a workstoppage after the twenty twenty six season.

Speaker 3 (01:33:32):
I think it's inevitable.

Speaker 2 (01:33:33):
By the way, shortly after the show, our podcasts will
be going up. If you missed any of today's show, Tonight' show,
be sure to check out the podcast. Just search Fox
Sports Radio wherever you get your podcasts, and be sure
to follow and review the podcast and rat it five stars. Again,
just search Fox Sports Radio wherever you get your podcast
and you'll see tonight show posted right after we get

(01:33:54):
off the air. Coming up, as we've been doing, we
continue with our divisional reviews, and tonight we're going to
talk about what I think is probably, at least for
twenty twenty five, the league's most competitive division, the NFC West.
I'm Bernie Fraddle. We're coming to your live from Las Vegas,
Fox Sports Radio Studios. Keep it locked.

Speaker 3 (01:34:16):
You're listening to the Bernie Frattle Show on Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 6 (01:34:20):
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to
listen live.

Speaker 3 (01:34:34):
How We're back at the Bernie Frattle Show Fox Sports Radio.
Come to you live from the Fox Sports Radio studios
here in Las Vegas, just thirty eight minutes away from
the Dance Sensation sweep in the Nation. Kind of brand
new fool of You followed by what My Name? By
the way.

Speaker 2 (01:34:51):
For the best pregame show every weekend, be sure to
tune into Fox Sports Radio's Countdown presented by Ben Mgm,
every Saturday and Sunday morning from non end to New
Eastern six to nine am Pacific, we will count you
down to all the biggest games. Tune into Countdown presented
by Betmgm every Saturday and Sunday morning right here on
Fox Sports Radio and the iHeart Radio App. Well, I

(01:35:17):
think the NFC West is going to be very interesting
this year, and you can argue the case that it's
the most competitive division simply by looking at.

Speaker 3 (01:35:27):
The lower half.

Speaker 2 (01:35:28):
Okay, the Niners have typically been elite, not so much
last year because they were a master unit. But the
Cardinals steady improvement under their new head coach, Jonathan Gannon,
suggests they might surprise some people. Did you know that
Arizona led the division in scoring last year and finished
second in points allowed? You can't rule them out, do

(01:35:51):
I think they're gonna win the Vision though I actually
think the forty nine ers are. They're over under total
based on BETMGM ten and a half wins. I think
they're an eleven win team. The key question Robert Sala
returns can he return this defense to dominance as it
once was. The Niners actually finished eighth last year in
the NFL and yards allowed, but twenty ninth in points allowed.
That's basically because their special teams units were terrible. They

(01:36:15):
ranked last and field position allowed. Still, it's a defense
that did struggle to stop the run. They rarely forced turnovers.
They nearly had two turnovers the last ten weeks of
the season.

Speaker 3 (01:36:26):
And yes, they.

Speaker 2 (01:36:27):
Were hampered by a ton of injuries cluster injuries, and
they also had a very inexperienced coordinator. Now, Robert Sala
was the architect of the defense, and if he can
return it back to its twenty seventeen form, then the
Niners can easily win this division. Maybe not easily, but

(01:36:48):
the Niners did so it's pretty obvious that they they
are focusing on defense because if you know the draft,
which was just three months ago, the Niners open up
with five straight defensive players. But the Niners have also
had some pretty good receivers in the past. That one
they won't have this year is Deebo Samuel. He's in

(01:37:09):
Washington now. Brandon Ayuk is nursing an injury. You will
not be ready for training camp. DeMarcus Robinson could be suspended.
But this is an early opportunity for Juwan. Listen uh
check that it's an early opportunity for Juwan Jennings. He

(01:37:30):
was by the way, they're most maybe the most productive
receiver in twenty twenty four.

Speaker 3 (01:37:35):
Ricky Piersall.

Speaker 2 (01:37:36):
You remember he was shot before the season started, but
recovered and came back and played. And as there's some
other names you haven't heard from, Jacob Cowing, Jordan Watkins,
but Brock Purdy has said he's looked at these guys
and rookies and there they're standing out.

Speaker 3 (01:37:53):
All right.

Speaker 2 (01:37:55):
You got to have a breakout player, and most likely
that breakout player is going to be a linebacker with
the name of Dee winners. Robert Sala said he's one
of the fastest linebackers in the league, and they spent
an early third round pick. He's a weak side linebacker,
but he was outstanding in OTAs. Will the Niners be
better than twenty twenty four, Yes, they have to be,
but the injury risks are still present because you do

(01:38:17):
have an aging cast to stars. All right, they're left
tackle Trent Williams's thirty seven year old, and Christian McCaffrey
feels like an old twenty nine, but he still ranks
fifth among all active players in career touches nineteen hundred
and like any NFL team, health matters. But the Niners
have a very talented eleven rookie class. Eleven picks that

(01:38:40):
were rookies in their class. Add enough talent around them
and solid leadership and good quarterbacking, the Niners can win
eleven twelve games. And oh, by the way, did I
mention the Niners have the league's easiest schedule. Now, there's
no sitting as an easy schedule in the NFL. I
hate that when people say. But in terms of who
they are play playoff teams record community record last year

(01:39:03):
expectation the Natters are grading out is the easiest schedule.
You know the Rams are going to be on their tail.
Their win total is nine and a half wins. I'm
not sure if the Rams win nine, go nine to
eight or ten mints of it. There's too many there's
too many unknowns. The Rams run defense last year was
not good. It was an undersized defense. They were a

(01:39:24):
very poor match for teams like the Eagles. The Eagles
played the Rams twice last year. Did you know they
ran for almost six hundred yards in those two games,
five hundred ninety nine yards by the way, Los Angeles,
the Rams finished twenty sixth then yards allowed per rush.
They did sign a gentleman by the name of This
guy makes my all name team. He's a defensive tackle

(01:39:44):
by the name of Poona Ford five to eleven, three
hundred pound you know, defensive tackle whose specialty is stopping
the run.

Speaker 3 (01:39:55):
Well, let's see if he can do it. As I mentioned,
the position to watch in San Francisco is receiver.

Speaker 2 (01:40:03):
The position to watch in Los Angeles is running back.
Now kyn Williams has really flashed. As a matter of fact,
if he keeps it up, he'd be the first Rams
running back to receive an extension, a contract extension since
well Todd Gurley might be it might be a four
letter Ordinally he got that disastrous extension for eighty one

(01:40:23):
million dollars that didn't quite work out right. Now, the Rams,
believe it or not, they've drafted at least one running
back in the last eight drafts. I would have thought
they would spend some time to develop Blake Korm, who
they got out of Michigan in the third round last year.
He has a very similar skill set to Williams, but
they also brought on a rookie named Jarquest Hunter who
runs a four four forty and so you've got explosiveness

(01:40:46):
there that Kyen and Blake Korum, as good as he is,
don't have. Jordan Whittington a wide receiver promises or should
expect to be a breakout player. He was a preseason
standout last year twenty twenty four, whenever he got the opportunities,
and he was a six round pick and he only
started a couple of games, but he had in the

(01:41:08):
games he started, he had six catches for sixty two
yards and seven catches for eighty nine yards, and one
game he caught three balls and had eighty six yards. Now,
apparently he had a great spring. Puka Naku was on
an excused.

Speaker 3 (01:41:21):
Absence, So Waitington took a ton of snaps and took
a lot of the workload during spring, and he drew
a lot of praise from coaches.

Speaker 2 (01:41:32):
And he should be considered a guy who would jump
in his wide receiver three, but as a guy who
is going to be counted on for a lot of production.

Speaker 3 (01:41:44):
So again the question I asked this about every team.

Speaker 2 (01:41:46):
Will they be better? Will the Rams be better than
they were in twenty twenty four? Well, they started three
and six and twenty twenty three and one and four
last season, but managed to chase the playoff position both years.
But they did address some needs I didn't even mention.
They picked up a DeVante Adams, who they tell us

(01:42:09):
is rejuvenated. They do have some continuity along their offensive line.
They do have an improved interior defensive line, and I
think the Rams are thinn at cornerback. And look, I
got nothing against Matt Stafford. I just have Matt Stafford

(01:42:29):
fatigue from Detroit. And Stafford's a guy you might win with,
You're not gonna win because of Sean mcvado is the
next factor here.

Speaker 3 (01:42:38):
So I only think there are.

Speaker 2 (01:42:39):
Two teams that can win this division, the forty nine
ers in the RAMS. But I'll be surprised if the
forty nine ers don't. But as I mentioned, this is
arguably the most competitive division. Because the team's slated to
finish third and fourth. Their win total is eight and
a half each, which is much more than the bottom
feeders in the other division. So let's start with this.
Their win total is eight and a half. All right,

(01:43:03):
You got Sam Darnald, He's our new starting quarterback. He's
got something to prove after his tenure in Minnesota ended.
He was having a spectacular season, and you remember how
it ended in those final two games. Eleven sacks, a
completion percentage of fifty eight percent, which is not good
over the last two games. And the problem was the pressure,

(01:43:27):
the agapp pressure, which means Seattle, which already has a
leaky offensive line, will have to answer a major question.
Can they protect Sam Donald? Right They have a new
offensive coordinator, Clinton Kubiak, and they got a new offensive
line coach. Three to five spots are settled, but their
center position in right guard is not so that's a

(01:43:50):
major question mark in Seattle. The position to watch there,
it's obviously quarterback. Now, I think they have high hope
for Sam Darnald, but the contract also has an out
after one year in thirty seven million, which means, even
if there's no quarterback competition in twenty twenty five, their
third round pick Jalen Milroe, who they say they're high

(01:44:11):
on out of Alabama, they could project as their twenty
twenty six starter if for some reason Sam Darnold doesn't
fit the bill. Now I do, I have heard that
they are they are implementing certain slot packages for mil Row,
and he's working hard to you know, shake the h

(01:44:32):
shake the label of a first you know, a run
first quarterback who you know can throw. But they are
saying Klint Kubiak is saying, this is a guy who
shows up at four thirty in the morning. Nobody asks
them or nobody. You know, he doesn't nobody. He works
harder than he does, and he's basically trying to fill
in the blanks and find that ceiling so that he

(01:44:54):
can be a legitimate pocket passing major league quarterback. The
breakout player he looked for in Seattle was a linebacker
named Terrese Knight. The defense, believe it or not, ranked
in the top five and opponent's points per game, and
the defense could have a breakout season. They had a
big uptick after Week ten and that coincided with Knight's

(01:45:17):
promotion to a starter, and he averaged nine tackles a
game when his snapcount got up there as a starter.
So the question will the Seahawks be better in than
they weren't twenty twenty four when they had Gino Smith? Okay,
I don't know. It's a flip of the coin. The
team is built on a defense that can stop just
about anyone in a run game. That should be improved.

(01:45:40):
The question, and I'll repeat it. You have to keep
Sam Donald off his back, you have to keep him clean.
And he is replacing Gino Smith, who was serviceable. He
came out of the gate. Remember he had that great
Monday night game two years ago and said, y'all wrote
me up on I ain't right back. But Geno Smith
is a competitor and he showed flashes, but he was

(01:46:02):
never really that consistent in my view. But he had
a ceiling. And the question is was Gino Smith's ceiling
higher than Sam Donald's. Well, if that was the case,
then Seattle won't be better. And if they can't keep
Sam Donald and they can't protect him.

Speaker 3 (01:46:18):
Then they won't be better. Again. They're gonna have.

Speaker 2 (01:46:20):
To have their defense lead the way, which is what
Seattle is primed to do. They do have an easier schedule,
so they'll be Taco playoff noise.

Speaker 3 (01:46:32):
I'm not so.

Speaker 2 (01:46:33):
Sure the Cardinals I think are better than Seattle. Their
win totals eight and a half will not surprise me.
If they win nine games, not at all. How much
better is their defense? That's the key question. The Cardinals
last year quietly finished both top twelve and points scored
in total yards, but the defense was basically average. Now
they had an interesting twenty twenty five draft. Their first

(01:46:53):
five pickture on defense, including Will Johnson from Michigan, Walter Nolan,
a defensive tackle, step in and contribute immediately. They added
some great free agent signings a defensive tackle Cali's Campbell,
an edge rusher Josh Sweat, and another defensive tackle, Dalvin Tomlinson.
So their defense is now a strength. Kyler Murray, all

(01:47:15):
eyes will be on Kyler Murray. He's telling reporters that
his knee injury bothered him throughout the entire twenty twenty
four season, and look for Kyler Murray to run the.

Speaker 3 (01:47:26):
Ball more now.

Speaker 2 (01:47:28):
Last year he averaged a career high in QBR on
passing success, but he ran for only half as many
yards as he did the year before. If he gets
back to the level where he was the year before,
where he ran for eight hundred nineteen yards and eleven touchdowns,
he exploits all these talents. Kyler Murray could have a
Pro Bowl year, and combined with the Cardinals defense, you

(01:47:50):
have to watch his team. Jonathan Gannon has established a
culture there that's legit. One other thing that has to
happen for Arizona to makes him real noise. Marvin Harrison
Junior has to have a genuine breakout year, no question.
As a wide receiver at Ohio State. He had his
moments as a rookie, but he you know, only one

(01:48:13):
hundred plus receiving yards twice was held to fewer than
fifty yards receiving in ten games. Harrison was the number
four overall pick in twenty twenty four. People have called
him a generational receiver. Now he's head into a sophomore year,
he's put on weight, he's gotten stronger. They say he's

(01:48:33):
going to have improved chemistry with Kyler Murray. And by
the way, they didn't target him a lot last year.
He's only targeted on twenty percent of his roots. That
only times for eighty seventh among qualifying players.

Speaker 3 (01:48:44):
That's not a lot for a number four overall pick.
So you have a.

Speaker 2 (01:48:50):
New offensive cordiator and Drew Petsing and he's going to
force targets to his wide receiver one who is going
to be Marvin Harrison. All Right, I checked that Petsing,
he returns. He hasn't necessarily done that in the past years,
but I think you're going to have to this year. Okay,
they have inevitable question.

Speaker 3 (01:49:07):
Will Arizona be better than they were in twenty twenty four. Well,
they had a very good offseason.

Speaker 2 (01:49:14):
Everybody believed that Arizona had as good an offseason as
is anybody in the NFL. And it's maybe the most
talented roster Arizona has had since in ten years. That's
when Carson Palmer was the quarterback in Arizona in twenty fifteen.
They were thirteen and three that year. Now, that is
not a realistic goal or record in twenty twenty five.

(01:49:35):
But could Arizona win ten games?

Speaker 3 (01:49:37):
Absolutely?

Speaker 2 (01:49:39):
They double their win total last year under Jonathan Gannon,
and I think they can do it again this year.
Is there a scenario where they win the division? Maybe,
but that means you're going to have to go into
San Francisco and win, and go into Los Angeles to win. Typically,
teams that win their division they win on the road.
I'm still sticking with the Niners to win the division,
go eleven and six. Not sure if the Rams will

(01:50:01):
be nine to eight or ten and seven. They may
make a run out the playoffs, but they can't afford
to start three and six or one and four like
they've done the last two years. The Seahawks I'm most
dubious about in this division. Sam Donold could come through,
but they need an offensive line to protect him. And
then I think Arizona is gonna be sneaky good and
they're actually really the team to watch.

Speaker 3 (01:50:24):
I really believe that next week we will.

Speaker 2 (01:50:30):
Actually next week I'll be out, So the following week
I'm going to preview the AFC South And he heard
one of the other callers talk about s CJ.

Speaker 3 (01:50:39):
Stroud.

Speaker 2 (01:50:42):
Yes, he had a bit of a sophomore slump this year,
but on the bright side, that just shows how great
he was in his rookie season. And I think detections
are legit.

Speaker 3 (01:50:51):
I mean, you saw the way they spanked the Chargers
in that first round of the playoff. You know again
they need to protect CJ.

Speaker 2 (01:50:59):
Stroud will talk about this in a future show, but
the FC South would be another interesting division with the
Texans and the Colts and well the Jaguars and Titans
not so much battling it out coming up. One of
the things to look forward to this season is there
are a ton of quarterbacks with new teams and that

(01:51:22):
makes for great storylines. Now, does a change of scenery
for quarterbacks always amount to a panacea? Not always, Frankly,
when a veteran quarterback joins a new team, it always
brings a wave of optimism and people start to say
that was our missing piece. Remember that's what we were
told when Aaron Rodgers went to the Jets two years ago. Yeah,
all the pieces are just missing a quarterback. Well, there's

(01:51:44):
a whole batch of quarterback moves in twenty twenty five,
and they checked the same boxes. Let's have a quick
look at how they might fare as they head to
their new team. In twenty twenty five.

Speaker 3 (01:51:57):
I'm Bernie Fridlewerck Comedy line for the Las Vegas Fox
Sports Radio Studios. Keep it locked. You're listening to the
Bernie Frattle Show on Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 2 (01:52:06):
Are back on the Bernie Frattle Show, Fox Sports Radio.
Come to your line for the Fox Sports Radio Studios
here in Las Vegas, just fourteen minutes away from the
Dan Sensation sweep the national kind of brand new food.
You followed by what my name? Before I get into
quarterback expectations and yes, hope springs eternal, but it doesn't
always work out that way. We'll take a quick roll

(01:52:27):
call of all the qbs going to new teams and
what their expectations are. Uh, just to get something off
my chest real quick. As a caller brought up during
the midnight hour, he could see Lebron going to the
Dallas Mavericks. Now, believe it or not, a writer took
the time to rank all twenty nine teams thirty teen,

(01:52:48):
you know, twenty nine of the landing spots.

Speaker 3 (01:52:50):
We know he's not going to Utah, but Dallas is
near the top of the list.

Speaker 2 (01:52:54):
If if James asks for a move, it's a team
to keep an eye on. And you can make a
case because Lebron has already played with their two best
players Anthony daeveson Kyrie Irving, and he tried to play
with them both at the same time in Los Angeles,
so there's a theory that he would fit. Lebron wants

(01:53:14):
to win now, that aligns with Nico Harrison's short term
plan to win now, and obviously.

Speaker 3 (01:53:21):
The two know each other.

Speaker 2 (01:53:23):
I believe through their mutual Nike connections, Lebron in theory,
could be a great mentor for Cooper Flag And we
hear that the Dallas might have something that Lakers want
like Max Christy and plus their twenty twenty nine first
round pick, and because they just made this major trade,

(01:53:45):
that the move would deprive Dallas of most of its
depth and cost a decent chunk of draft capital. And
this is just all wild speculation here, but it's feasible
with other teams involved. Because Irving tried to recruit Lebron
James Dallas two years ago, it's possible. Maybe this time
it works. I know the favorite in the clubhouse is Cleveland.

(01:54:07):
I don't know, though, I mean all roads seemingly lead
back to Cleveland. If Lebron again asks for a deal
and wants to leave Los Angeles, odds are he might
be more comfortable for another homecoming. The Calves were sixty
four win team last year. They were the number one seed.
Now they're ready to win now. The only time they've

(01:54:29):
ever won at the highest level was with Lebron. But
a deal would be immensely complicated. The Calves would have
to aggregate salaries to acquire Lebron, and doing so would
mean hard capping themselves the second Apron. Cleveland would have
to shed about twenty million and salary just to do so.
They'd probably have to trade Darius Garland just for cap
purposes only, and so with other valuable players. Not clear

(01:54:51):
if Cleveland would want to take a swing, big swing
like this right, but I think for those who want
to dream, if you put Lebron and Donovan Mitch and
Evan Mobley on the team together in the weakest decent
this is by far the weakest Eastern Conference as long
back as I can remember, they might have a path
to the finals.

Speaker 3 (01:55:09):
Everybody stays healthy, all right, James to Cleveland.

Speaker 2 (01:55:13):
Well, you know, the short explanation is it's doable, but
it would be costly. It would require sacrifices on both sides.
But again, it has to.

Speaker 3 (01:55:22):
Start with Lebron wanting out and broadcasting that he wants out,
and both teams expressing the desire to want to do it.
I mean, the only other teams that are even mildly
realistic I think are the Golden State Warriors. They tried
to trade for James at the end of the twenty
twenty fourth trade trade deadline. Lebron turned them.

Speaker 2 (01:55:42):
Now, maybe things are different now because he had the
experience of playing with Stephen and the Olympics. He said,
you know, Lebron claims that he and Draymond are close
despite their rivalries, and you know, again, matching money is
not going to be easy. Finally, the Knicks. I mean, look,
Lebron's been having a dance with the Knicks is twenty ten.
He met with him in twenty ten, right before the

(01:56:04):
infamous you know, I'm taking my talents to Miami, which
July eighth, this last Tuesday was the fifteen.

Speaker 3 (01:56:12):
Year anniversary of that.

Speaker 2 (01:56:14):
He's used the Knickson leverage in the past, but it
never made more sense than to do right now. He
might be able to make life easier than Jalen Brunson.

Speaker 3 (01:56:21):
But I don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:56:22):
You got it again, You've got you've got to shuffle
pieces around. Who goes Karl Anthony towns Og. I don'ob
Michael Bridges, Mitchell Robinson. I don't know Josh Hart. The
truth of the matter is they would be long term
du and Donchic teammates. But getting James Frankly might give
the Knicks their best chance to win in fifty years.

Speaker 3 (01:56:45):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:56:46):
It's all speculation and all problem all right. As I
said a minute ago, when a veteran quarterback joins the
new team, it's a wave of optimism because this is
our messy piece. But you don't have to go back
that far to remember. This is what they were saying
when Aaron Rodgers was on his way to the New
York Jets two years ago. That's all they needed the
quarterback right replaced Zach Wilson. We're off and running now.

(01:57:10):
There have been a few moves that have become success stories,
but recent history says when a quarterback, when a veteran
quarterback joins a new team expectations are usually high, and
it usually doesn't go the way teams hope the results.
Oftentimes the team even takes a step back, or at best,

(01:57:31):
a step sideways. Here's the batch of veteran quarterbacks. There's
several in twenty twenty five. And by the way, if
you don't think football is here Saturday, the Chargers rookies
are in camp. We've got the Hall of Fame game
two weeks from next Thursday. We start with Aaron Rodgers.
He goes to Pittsburgh forty two years old. Pittsburgh is

(01:57:54):
in fact the playoff contender. Their win total was eight
and a half. Look, I think they got a shot
because they won ten games last year and the year
before they got to the playoffs with Kenny Pickett.

Speaker 3 (01:58:03):
They got the playoffs with Wilson and Justin Fields. Why not.

Speaker 2 (01:58:06):
Sam Darnold twenty eight, goes to a fringe playoff team.
Their win total is seven and a half. I don't know, man,
I just don't know.

Speaker 3 (01:58:14):
Gino Smith, thirty five years old, gets a three year
deal reunited with Pete Carroll. The win total for the
Raiders is seven and a half. And the sharp people
I know, they're betting yonder.

Speaker 2 (01:58:25):
Daniel Jones heads to Indianapolis, He's probably gonna win the job.

Speaker 3 (01:58:28):
Now.

Speaker 2 (01:58:29):
Anthony Richardson just isn't ready. He's twenty eight years old.
He's in a career reboot mode. He actually has a
road playoff win on his resume when they beat Minnesota.

Speaker 3 (01:58:38):
But the inconsistency drives people nuts.

Speaker 2 (01:58:40):
Although I'm hearing good reports that Daniel Jones is doing
pretty well in Indianapolis.

Speaker 3 (01:58:44):
Their win total is seven and a half, but.

Speaker 2 (01:58:46):
As Daniel Jones the missing link to vault them past Houston,
Come on, you know the answer to that question.

Speaker 3 (01:58:53):
Russell Wilson thirty.

Speaker 2 (01:58:54):
Seven years old going to the New York Giants, here's
where the lowest expectations are of all their win total
five and a half. Same with Justin Fields going to
the other New York team, twenty six years old, new coach,
win total five and a half. Now, based on historical patterns,
the safer bets are the low expectation veterans.

Speaker 3 (01:59:12):
So Russell Wilson and Justin.

Speaker 2 (01:59:14):
Fields, if passed his prolog, actually have the best setup
for exceeding what are very modest win totals.

Speaker 3 (01:59:21):
The danger zone.

Speaker 2 (01:59:22):
Aaron Rodgers faces the most risk, he faces the highest expectations,
and you know there's going to be a spotlight.

Speaker 3 (01:59:29):
Sam Donald and.

Speaker 2 (01:59:32):
Daniel Jones fit the problematic young veterans that hopes they
profile well. It historically disappoints the bottom line. Veteran quarterback
wounds are consistently over valued. They generate excitement, but they
rarely deliver. So Aaron Rodgers, Sam Darnald, Daniel Jones, they
fit the mold to have major disappointing years where we
shall see it's another quarterback carousale.

Speaker 3 (01:59:54):
Keep it locked. What kind of brand new fool is
up next?

Speaker 1 (01:59:58):
Don't listening?

Speaker 13 (01:59:59):
No?

Speaker 2 (01:59:59):
Fox Yep, that's right, you heard the man. The Bernie
Fraddle Show keeps rolling right along. My name is Bernie
frattle Wire. Come to you line from the Fox Sports
Radio studios here.

Speaker 3 (02:00:10):
In Las Vegas.

Speaker 2 (02:00:13):
And yes we've come to that juncture in the show
and that time in the week.

Speaker 3 (02:00:18):
Well you know what, you love it?

Speaker 2 (02:00:19):
You cantley without it because our staff we certainly, as
Yogi Bear would say, you can observe a lot by watching,
and that's what we do. Because across this great land
of arms from sea to Oily Sea and even around
the planet, the globe, the universe. Well, people they do things.
They do things that catch your attention. And sometimes they're

(02:00:40):
innocuous and silly and not real smart. Other times they
become far more dangerous, and oftentimes they involve running and
follow the law and can even land you in jail.
But any one of these behaviors that we observe, any
way you describe it, any way you characterize it, anyway

(02:01:00):
you recognize it, they always always leave us scratching our
head and asking ourselves, what kind of brand new fool
are you?

Speaker 15 (02:01:14):
So?

Speaker 1 (02:01:14):
What kind of brand new fool are you?

Speaker 2 (02:01:17):
Well, tonight we take you to Elkins, West Virginia and
file this under the old cliche, which never made sense
to me.

Speaker 3 (02:01:25):
Stick out like a sore thumb. I've never seen a
sore thumb. I don't know what a sore thumb looks
like or does it stick up. But work with me,
all right, work with me, because.

Speaker 2 (02:01:35):
I bet you've been driving down the road and perhaps
observes a vehicle in front of you or to the
side of you that had a really loud, noisy car
and perhaps their exhaust was blown black smoke and dark
smoke and crazy smoke and You're like, what the hell
is their problem? Okay, they haven't been to small pros
in a while. There's a plug, all right, big thing

(02:01:57):
in California. So take it to Elkins with Virginia. We
introduce you to mister Lindsey Stuter. And he happened to
be driving down the road and minding his own business,
or so he thought. But he had one of those
cars that was making funny noises and emitting lots of smoke.

(02:02:19):
And the deputies with the Randolph County Sheriff's Department took
notice and they pulled him over because quote in the report,
had had an exhaust that was emitting an excessive and
unusual noise according to a criminal complaint. Well, the deputies
then make contact with a vehicles driver, mister stud and

(02:02:40):
a passenger, and deputies learned this is where the fund
began a license and registration please, Well that's when they
found out that mister Studter's operator's license had been suspended
for unpaid citations. Now, uh, as the fund continued, the deputies,

(02:03:03):
who are trained to do this, as they spoke with
mister stud noted quote the annotated in the report, he
had quote constricted pupils and was extremely fidgety while trying
to locate his proper documentation, and then they noticed quote,
a large machete position between the front passenger seat and

(02:03:26):
their center console. At that point, the deputy asked for
the vehicle's occupants to exit. According to the complaint, they
then brought in a canine unit that was used to
sniff the area of the vehicle, which resulted all now
not really gets fun positive indication for the presence of narcotics,

(02:03:46):
which was resulted in a complete search of the vehicle. Now,
during the search, the deputies also located a quote, loaded
hypodermic needle with an unidentified liquid substance, forty seven grams
of meth one ounce determined to be heroin or fentanyl,
a mushroom consistent with psilocybin, a container of THC dabs,

(02:04:09):
four tramadol pills. According to the complaint, guys are walking
apothecary of illegal drugs. Well, it all started by sticking
out like a sore thumb with a bad exhaust. If
it had just gone to the small place had gotten
it fixed, he wouldn't be sitting in jail charged with
possession and intent to deliver a controlled substance and he's
being held in Tigart Regional County Jail. Other than that,

(02:04:33):
missus Lincoln, how's the play? And mister Studter, how is
your day? Mister Studter of Elkins, West Virginia. What kind
of brand new fool are you? Brianna take it away?

Speaker 19 (02:04:45):
Alrighty, So we're actually gonna head to Florida in honor
of Shay, since you know, Sha always loved his Florida bits.
So a Florida horse clinic mistakenly paid a risk optionists,
Yessica A Ruha, aged twenty nine. They paid her were

(02:05:07):
over four hundred thousand dollars of somebody else's salary, So
she was getting her checks every you know, bi weekly,
and she was getting three hundred and forty dollars three
hundred and forty thousand dollars more than she was supposed
to be. Well over a year spanned, and she never
told anybody, So it was about two years and so

(02:05:28):
a please report obtained, Yeah, in early twenty twenty three,
that's when the mistake on the payroll was initially found,
and she just kept just just pocketing that money. So obviously,
like some moral issues with her to just be like, oh, well,
you know, so she has been charged with a grand
theft of one hundred thousand dollars or more and money

(02:05:51):
laundering of also one hundred thousand dollars or more. There
is no time of there's no noe of bail, there's
no option to bail for her, and so she remains
in custody and the Palm Beach made attention center. So
a yessica, aaruha, what kind of brand new fool are you?

Speaker 3 (02:06:12):
I might add, who are the fools that allowed this
to go on for? Was it a year?

Speaker 19 (02:06:16):
Two years?

Speaker 3 (02:06:17):
Two years?

Speaker 1 (02:06:17):
So they didn't notice it?

Speaker 19 (02:06:19):
They didn't notice it. And a Florida horse clinic. I
was kind of thinking about that. I'm like, where where
are the horses in Florida? Like why?

Speaker 3 (02:06:27):
Why where are the.

Speaker 19 (02:06:28):
Horses roam like on the beaches like Palm Beach, like
Miami like that crazy.

Speaker 3 (02:06:33):
Sounds like the people who run the place.

Speaker 19 (02:06:36):
I don't know if it's like a Florida horse clinic.
It's not even like and I think it's like a
vet it says with a vetinarian checks. So maybe they're
just like so rich that they didn't even notice that
they were missing that much money.

Speaker 3 (02:06:48):
It's crazy. And that's why we call this segment what
kind of brand newfooliad never never fails to surprise the
links to the human condition. All right, Brandon who's training
under Branda tonight? Are pretty Are you sure? Welcome in
and you are making your debut for what kind of
brand new fool you? Yes? I am.

Speaker 20 (02:07:06):
And we're gonna stay in Florida. Okay, we're gonna stay
in Florida, you know because typically in honor of Shay,
we'll look up Florida and we find a lot of
great things. So Florida man hijack's Key West sightseeing train
for meth fueled joy ride on his birthday and he
picks up passengers, So let's worry about that. A man

(02:07:27):
in Florida was arrested on his birthday Friday after authorities
caught him with a trackless sightseeing train and even picking
up passengers while high on meth. He was celebrating his
fifty seventh trip around the Sun on Independence Day when
he turned up on a conchour train depot and Key

(02:07:47):
West and allegedly weaseled his way into conducting one of
their vehicles. Yes, Winslow allegedly bamboozled a well meaning employee
into forking over the key after claiming he used to
work at the Okay, what are we doing here? After
claiming why would they give him the keys, claiming he
used to work at the company years prior, and requesting

(02:08:08):
a tour of the train. So this guy's name, Jonathan
Patrick Winslow? What kind of brand new fool?

Speaker 3 (02:08:17):
Are you? Gotta love?

Speaker 2 (02:08:19):
The three names there? Like you know, Lee Harvey Allswell,
John Wilkes Booth. You're not a real criminal?

Speaker 3 (02:08:25):
Nless? You got three names right right, Brandon?

Speaker 2 (02:08:28):
Well, that concludes another rousing edition of what kind of
brand new fool of you? And involving cars driving down
the road with bad exhausts that land a guy in jail.

Speaker 3 (02:08:40):
And horse clinics and hell hijacking a train? What the hell? Yeah,
we've all been there.

Speaker 2 (02:08:44):
Yeah sure, all right, good job, And that now allows
us to segue.

Speaker 3 (02:08:49):
Into our second favorite bit, what my name? All right?

Speaker 2 (02:08:55):
This one kind of shocked me. We're going to be
all over the map tonight. This is random. I am
currently the highest paid punter in the NFL. I make
three point nine to five million. It's just almost four
million a year.

Speaker 3 (02:09:09):
And let's start with you. Brandon. What my name? I'll
give you a clue.

Speaker 2 (02:09:15):
He punts for an AFC West team that hasn't made
the playoffs in nine years.

Speaker 1 (02:09:22):
Oh, I don't know about this one.

Speaker 20 (02:09:24):
I was gonna say the Chiefs punter, but obviously they've
won the division about a bazillion years in a row.

Speaker 1 (02:09:29):
So I'm gonna go TBD on this. I'm gonna take.

Speaker 3 (02:09:31):
That album, no problem. Okay, nope, Well this he's kind
of got an obscure name. I will although his first name.
I'll give you one more clue of Brandon.

Speaker 2 (02:09:41):
His first name is the exact same name of Tony
Soprano's son.

Speaker 20 (02:09:47):
Yeah, I'm I've only finished one season of the Sopranos.

Speaker 2 (02:09:51):
All good, Okay, I'm the highest paid punter in the NFL.
I make just under four million year, and I punt
for a team in the AFC West and we have
made the playoffs in nine years. I'll give you a clue.
It's not the Chiefs, and it's not the Broncos, and

(02:10:13):
it's not the Chargers'. I was gonna go to Brianna,
but yeah, it's all good.

Speaker 1 (02:10:21):
It's all good.

Speaker 3 (02:10:21):
It's all good. It's a winner, Winter Winter Winner.

Speaker 19 (02:10:24):
I was only going to say a J only because
I knew the Sopranos and I don't know what last
name I was going to come up with. So thank
God for Brandon.

Speaker 2 (02:10:32):
This is one of this a random question. Brandy good good,
good job Brandon.

Speaker 18 (02:10:36):
Here.

Speaker 2 (02:10:36):
Look, I was flabbergasted. Now I know Al Davis once.
He's the only guy to ever draft U punter in
the first round. Ray guy in the Hall of Fame,
and we hopefully he probably earns his money because if
you watch your Raiders, they punt a lot.

Speaker 3 (02:10:51):
Right, So we'll leave it right there. All right, let's
go to basketball.

Speaker 2 (02:10:56):
I have missed more shots than anybody in the history
of the NBA.

Speaker 3 (02:11:01):
Brianna, what my name? And I will give you a clue.
He played for a West Coast team, and his name
came up a couple times with callers tonight on the
midnight hour. Brianna, what my name?

Speaker 19 (02:11:13):
Oh gosh, I'm just gonna say Lebron because I'm just praying.

Speaker 3 (02:11:16):
Here, I'll give you he's Nornger playing and he won
five championships with the same team. Kobe Kobe Bryant, Oh
miss Moore shots and any rest his soul miss more
shots than anybody in the history of the NBA. And
while we're on the subject, as a Major League Baseball

(02:11:39):
player that's retired in the Hall of Fame, I have
struck out more times than anybody in history, twenty five
hundred times. Mark Ramsey, what my name? My nickname was, mister.

Speaker 1 (02:11:52):
October Reggie Jackson.

Speaker 3 (02:11:55):
It is, in fact Reggie Jackson. The guys are three
for three, all right.

Speaker 2 (02:12:03):
So cal Raley, aka the Big Dumper Seattle see not Seahawks,
Seattle Mariners to be in the home run derby. He
broke the Mariners record by hitting. He now has thirty
eight home runs. He broke the Mariners record of thirty
five home runs before the All Star break. He broke

(02:12:26):
my record, Brandon, what my name? Here's your clue. He's
in the Hall of Fame. Left handed hitter.

Speaker 3 (02:12:34):
Yeah, Ken griff If that Ken Griffith Jr. Right out
of the gate, had to be right, always had to be.

Speaker 2 (02:12:41):
He's got to be the greatest Mariner of all time? Right, Well,
maybe him an Inchiro meck and met. On that same subject,
cal Rally also broke my American League record of thirty.

Speaker 3 (02:12:56):
Seven home runs before the All Star break. Brianna, what
my name, here's a clue. He played for the New
York Yankees.

Speaker 2 (02:13:05):
He hit three home runs in the nineteen seventy seven
World Series, and his name might have been mentioned on
the show earlier.

Speaker 3 (02:13:10):
Brianna, what my name? Yes, good, guess his nickname is
mister October.

Speaker 19 (02:13:20):
Oh, Reggie Jackson.

Speaker 3 (02:13:21):
It's Reggie Jackson.

Speaker 2 (02:13:23):
You don't take Reggie Jackson hit thirty seven home runs
in nineteen sixty nine before the All Star break. He
only hit ten the rest of the way the second
half of the season. All right, last one. I'm the
only player in Major League Baseball history with thirty nine

(02:13:43):
home runs before the All Star break. Mark Ramsey, what
my name. Here's a clue. I had a lot of
home runs, but I'm not in the Hall of Fame
because of alleged steroid use. Played for the team in
the Bay Area.

Speaker 3 (02:14:01):
My head swoll up to ten times its size when
I was playing. Oh, my father also played in the
major leagues.

Speaker 21 (02:14:09):
Oh his name escapes me, but he headed, like you said,
a giant head.

Speaker 2 (02:14:16):
All right, I'm the only player with thirty nine home
runs in Major League Baseball history, thirty nine home runs
before the All Star break, Brandon, what my Name?

Speaker 3 (02:14:26):
Here's a clue, you got it, Barry Bonds, Martsie guys
swept the board, AJ Cole, Kobe Bryant, Reggie Jackson, Aaron Judge,
Ken Griffey Jr.

Speaker 2 (02:14:36):
Reggie Jackson twice, and Barry Bonds, which now you know
allows us to move on. Another rousing edition of What
My Name? And What kind of brand new food are You?
Is in the books, by the way, the Home Run Derby.
So while I was in Detroit, I covered the two

(02:14:58):
thousand and five All Star Game in Comerica Park, and
that's the year that's infamous because Bobby A. Bray you
won the two thousand and five Home Run Derby with
the then record forty one home runs during the Derby,
but he only hit six home runs in the second
half of the season, and it really raised questions about

(02:15:19):
is there a home run Derby curse?

Speaker 3 (02:15:22):
What happens? Why do these guys fall off? Bobby Bray,
you swing really wasn't the same.

Speaker 2 (02:15:28):
I think the next two or three years you only
had like a combined ten home runs.

Speaker 3 (02:15:32):
And it's not the first time it happened. David Wright.

Speaker 2 (02:15:37):
He also had a situation where he hit twenty home
runs before the All Star break, he only hit six
and that triggered years of tabloid stories and people calling
in the radios shows about how the home run derby
ruined your swing and there's a curse. And what's interesting
is now you know there's more baseball nerds and baseball

(02:15:58):
analytics nerds. We they started to research back about fifteen
years and when they discovered that they don't believe there
is a home run derby curse. Okay, the second half
drops and home runs doesn't happen because you are in
the All Star Game. It just happens because they believe
that there's a natural regression to the mean when you

(02:16:19):
hit so many home runs in the first half of
the year. Now there are eight brave souls that have
entered the home run derby Tuesday night or Monday Night.
Excuse me, Pete Alonzo, Alec Beam, Adolas Garcia, Gunner Henderson
to Oscar Hernanz, the Dodgers, Marcello Is who owned Bobby
Wood Junior. Check that I've given you the wrong names.

(02:16:42):
The one I'm watching is cal Rally because cal Rally
has has gotten himself into a situation where he's got
thirty eight home runs and he doesn't the cheap ones,
and he's a switch hitter, and he gets the ball
up in the air. And history shows that players without
blandish home run rates entering the All Star Game regressed

(02:17:04):
to the mean. They just simply regressed to the mean
of the twenty highest home run rates in the past
five years dropped off in the season's second half. There's
only a couple of counter examples, and you got to
go back to twenty one and twenty two, and both
times it was Aaron Judge. Aaron Judge, who, by the way,

(02:17:27):
I meant to put this on the list today for
what my name. He's the fastest player in baseball history
to three hundred and fifty home runs. And he not
only did it fast, he broke Mark McGuire's record. He
did it two hundred games faster than Mark McGuire did it.

(02:17:49):
But this narrative of the home run derby hangover the
second half slump doesn't really mean.

Speaker 3 (02:17:56):
It really doesn't mean it's a curse.

Speaker 2 (02:17:57):
Okay, get you get the If the sluggers the enter
the contest the All Star break, they change their swings.
They go on to suffer a power outage the second
half of the season, and again since twenty sixteen, sixty
eight percent of all Home Run Derby participants have hit
few home runs per played appearance after the All Star break.

Speaker 3 (02:18:16):
It's a classic case though, of what.

Speaker 2 (02:18:18):
The nerds are calling confusing causation versus correlation, because the
Derby participants and other sluggers that also have big first
half four months totals they aren't even in the All
Star Game, tend to tail off later in the season.
There are no conspiracy theories. By the way, it doesn't
you know, you kind of not have to include inside
the park home runs. But the truth of the matter

(02:18:41):
is a hitter's flaball rate is really your defining characteristics.
You have extreme flyaball hitters like Jose Ramirez who hits
a flyaball forty eight percent of the time, and they
put most of their balls play in the air, which
is twice the rate of ground ball hitters. So the
truth of the matter is conspiracy. Think all you want.
It's just secific form of regression. And you know, I

(02:19:03):
am of the belief that the home run Derby has
jumped the shark it's boring now to me. They've changed
the rules one hundred times. It's harder to follow. They
got a goofy scoring system, and it's just one of
those situations where I think they have to come up
with something new.

Speaker 4 (02:19:16):
Now.

Speaker 3 (02:19:16):
Two years ago, Ken Griffy Jr.

Speaker 2 (02:19:20):
Was At the All Star Game and it says, you
know what, I still think I could win this thing,
and it spawned, you know, guys like Albert Poolholz and
Sammy Sosa. We wanted to do this Veterans home run
derby and I would like to see that. Maybe we'll
talk about that in the future show. I've talked about
it in past shows.

Speaker 3 (02:19:37):
I'm Bernie Fraddroch Comedy Live from the Las Vegas Fox
Sports Radio Studies. The Bernie Fradis Show continues to keep
it locked. He Listen to The Bernie Fradles Show on
Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 6 (02:19:46):
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
dot Com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to
listen live.

Speaker 2 (02:20:01):
We're back on the Bernie Frattle Show Fox Sports Radio.
Come to live from the Las Vegas Fox Sports Radio Studios.
By the way you can stream this show and all
of our Fox Sports Radio shows live twenty four to
seven and the new and improved iHeart Radio app. Just
search Fox Sports Radio in the app to stream us live,
and one of the news features in the app is

(02:20:22):
that you can select Fox Sports Radio is one of
your presets, just like the presets on a radio dial.
So be sure to preset Fox Sports Radio in the
iHeartRadio app and it will always pop up on the
top of your screen. By the way, a little later
in the show, you haven't forgotten, I bet you did.
Last Tuesday, July eighth was the fifteenth anniversary of a

(02:20:45):
very seminal event which frankly changed the landscape. You'd completely
change the map of the NBA. And once that remind you,
you'll the memory of what return. By the way, not
for nothing, don't look now. Another big events coming to
Las Vegas in twenty twenty eight. The Legion Stadium will
host the Final Four. Now, ten years ago, this would

(02:21:07):
have been inconceivable. The NFL shut down Tony or almost
fantasy football convention. At one time, the NFL said they
would never even play an exhibition game here. Yes, and
betting is legal. When we get all that. Now we've
got an NFL team, We've had a Super Bowl here,
We've had an NHL team. We think the A's are

(02:21:28):
coming in twenty twenty eight. Now we're going to have
the Final four and it will bring a tremendous amount
of revenue to Las Vegas. And it's an idea, frankly,
whose time has come. And Legion Stadium is in a
magnificent facility. And we just toasted a regional here two
years ago, Danny Hurley's Yukon team events from the regional

(02:21:49):
past here two years ago. So this has been a
long time in coming and I believe it'll be the
first to many. Well, we're just down the heels now
of World Cup soccer. It will be here before you
know it. And if you're like me, you watched with
great interests last Sunday night the Gold Cup Cocky CAF
final between the US and Mexico, and Mexico prevailed two

(02:22:10):
to one. There was actually some drama in that game. Yeah,
we do cover it all here on the Bernie Frattle Show.
It's time Chris Purfett's World of Soccer.

Speaker 1 (02:22:21):
The Greatest Goals, the thrilling finishes.

Speaker 6 (02:22:30):
The International drama. It's all here in this report from
the World of Soccer.

Speaker 21 (02:22:40):
It's the last little drip of club soccer we'll have
outside of some friendlies until well. The calendar is going
to pick up pretty quickly here again in a couple
of months, because the Club World Cup has given us
no time off.

Speaker 1 (02:22:52):
But what a match we have for the final?

Speaker 21 (02:22:54):
As I thought, it is two European clubs meeting Paris
and Germaine and Chelsea.

Speaker 1 (02:23:00):
I gotta say, who am I picking?

Speaker 21 (02:23:01):
I've gotta go with Parising Germaine in this matchup three
pm Eastern on TBS. This new version of PSG are,
if I may use some British bit of arse kickers,
and have been just housing everyone they have met there
the current champions of UEFA and Europe, thus champions of
the world as far as I'm concerned, and Chelsea walla
good story probably gets dispatched, but who knows, exhaustion might

(02:23:23):
finally catch up with them. It is in East Rutherford,
New Jersey, at Medlife Stadium, where it will be a
ball me eighty two degrees around kickoff time. I know
that doesn't sound like much, but to some Europeans that
sounds particularly warm, and it is a question for Johnny Infantino,

(02:23:44):
who met with the press in the lead up to
the final, and he has gone ahead and said that
he wishes he wants to use stadiums with roofs in
the twenty twenty six Men's World Cup to ease concern
over the severe weather that will be happening, extreme heat
that has plagued this Club World Cup. But in the
real World Cup he wants to go to stadiums that

(02:24:06):
only have roofs and coverings, which will limit I don't
know how much he knows about soccer stadiums around the
United States.

Speaker 1 (02:24:15):
That's going to limit a lot of stuff.

Speaker 21 (02:24:17):
And I think that FIFA was coming in expecting for
the final to be held in MetLife Stadium near New York, So.

Speaker 1 (02:24:25):
What's up with that?

Speaker 21 (02:24:27):
Is that going to be changed pretty dramatically pretty quickly.

Speaker 1 (02:24:31):
Look, it's not good.

Speaker 21 (02:24:34):
This is a question that FIFA has had to deal
with because this is in the summertime for a massively
aerobic sport for a lot of athletes who are used
to playing in fall, spring and winter conditions in calm Europe.
But climate change and global warming has made it such
that in the past twenty plus years, it has become really,

(02:24:56):
really dangerous to play those kind of things outside, and
we'll continue to get dangerous ads temperatures continue to rise
across the globe and there's no way around that.

Speaker 1 (02:25:05):
Global warming effects soccer.

Speaker 21 (02:25:08):
So we'll see where exactly he's going to find all
of these covered stadiums, because I'll tell you the Azteca
in Mexico City that ain't covered. MetLife Stadium ain't covered,
Miami ain't covered. Are we going to play every game
in so far? I sure hope not. He also mentioned
a lot about some of the changes to the format.
He's very hopeful for twenty twenty nine, as to be expected.

(02:25:30):
We'll see later on on the revenues and everything how
much of success this Club World Cup will be for FIFA.

Speaker 1 (02:25:36):
Now, I got to move on to some bad news
from the week.

Speaker 21 (02:25:40):
I had talked up Crystal Palace in the last episode
of the World of Soccer talking about their stunning victory
in the FA Cup and how they be playing in
Europa League.

Speaker 1 (02:25:52):
That won't happen.

Speaker 21 (02:25:53):
They are by punishment of YUEFA getting knocked back down
to YUEFA Conference League, which is the third tier, and
I guess the question is what happened.

Speaker 1 (02:26:02):
It's very simple. There is rules.

Speaker 21 (02:26:04):
Across UEFA, which governs Europe, that they have started to
enforce a little bit stronger about ownership groups who have
stakes in multiple clubs because of the very transparent conflict
of interest that happens between it and Crystal Palace got caught.

Speaker 1 (02:26:22):
In this case, it.

Speaker 21 (02:26:23):
Happens to be the stake of one John Texter, an
American businessman who is railing against Dick, who happens to
own stakes in both Crystal Palace and in the French
club Leone. Now this is where it gets tricky because
Texter has been in the process knowing that this rule
is there, of selling his steak to Woody Johnson, the

(02:26:46):
American owner of the New York Jets. He understands the
rule and he's trying and he has been trying to
get out of it. But the timetable was not good
to n enough for UEFA, and they went after Texter,
who owns forty three percent of the club through Eagle Football,
and also a majority stake in Leon, which is against
the rules. Texter has called it a black eye few
WAIFA that will never fade. It is very disappointing. I

(02:27:09):
think a lot of people wanted to see Crystal Palace
rules and rules in everything, but I think it's very
clear that Crystal Palace is not part of any kind
of nefarious multi clubs setup. It is not one of
these clubs that has been caught in the past trading
players amongst themselves and has never been the case between
Leon and Crystal Palace.

Speaker 1 (02:27:29):
It's regrettable and finally, we continue the.

Speaker 21 (02:27:33):
Story of the late Diego Jota, the Liverpool forward Portuguese
forward who tragically perished in a car crash in Spain
last month alongside his brother.

Speaker 1 (02:27:44):
Liverpool has for the first.

Speaker 21 (02:27:46):
Time in its extremely long career decided to retire a number,
and it is Diego's number twenty, which he wore for
over five years with the club. Scored sixty five goals
help them win the Premier League title. This past year
helped them win a FA Cup and two League Cups.
It is going to be retired across all levels, women's youth,

(02:28:07):
every level of Liverpool. Nobody shall wear the number twenty
again in honor of Diago Jota, who even still in
the Club World Cup going on and in euro Women's
Euros which we really haven't had a chance much to
talk about.

Speaker 1 (02:28:22):
Tributes continue to.

Speaker 21 (02:28:23):
Go in of Jota and his distinct style of celebrating
after a goal, where you sit down, cross your legs
and mimic like you are playing a video game controller.
It was the fun, childlike side of Jota that everyone
loved about the celebration and which has inspired his memory
across tributes coming in from rock bands like Oasis to

(02:28:47):
all levels of soccer. I can't think of a more
fitting honor than having your number retired. I just wish
it wasn't under these circumstances where he is no longer
here to see it. Until next time, Bernie, stay cool
in the summer. This has been the world of soccer.

Speaker 2 (02:29:04):
There you have it, Christopherfett's World of Soccer, and the
steam will pick up between now and next year. The
world of the World Cup will be upon us before.

Speaker 3 (02:29:15):
You know it.

Speaker 2 (02:29:15):
MANI games right there in Los Angeles, coming up. We
wrap up the show and we remember Tuesday, July eighth,
the fifteen year anniversary of an event that frankly changed
the landscape of the NBA. I'm Bernie Frattle. We're comedy
line from the Las Vegas, Fox Sports Radio Studios. Keeping locked.
You're listening to the Bernie Fraddle Show on Fox Sports Radio.

(02:29:37):
All right, we're wrapping it up on the Bernie Frattle Show.
Thanks to my producers Mark and Brianna and Brandon in
training tonight, turning all the dials, keeping this flue together,
brand new fool what my name Answering all the phones,
taking care of all the callers, and keeping the plane
in the air. Appreciate all the teamwork and hard working

(02:30:00):
on the professionalism.

Speaker 3 (02:30:03):
It came and went.

Speaker 2 (02:30:05):
But once I mentioned it, it's going to be right
back in the front of your memory.

Speaker 3 (02:30:11):
Fifteen years ago.

Speaker 2 (02:30:12):
Last Tuesday, July eighth, it was televised in ESPN and
they called it quote the Decision. That was the night
Lebron James declared he was taking his talents to South
Beach to join Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. Now the
announcement really kind of sent shockwaves through the NBA, But

(02:30:34):
it wasn't just that that he would, you know, what
he decided to do with the next stage.

Speaker 3 (02:30:39):
Of his career.

Speaker 2 (02:30:40):
It undeniably it triggered a chain reaction that's rippled across
the NBA and beyond for fifteen years and will continue.
And it wasn't just on the court, it was off
and it affects pretty much every player, every team, every executive,
every franchise, and anybody influencing the NBA because it became

(02:31:00):
one of the most consequential moments in sports history for
one simple reason, the player empowerment era was born. And
that's the most law, that is by far the most
impactful effect, the most long lasting effect.

Speaker 3 (02:31:17):
Of the decision.

Speaker 2 (02:31:18):
And it wasn't even just that. Even Lebron James lead
up to the decision was player empowerment in and of itself.
And I'll jog your memory.

Speaker 3 (02:31:28):
In just a second.

Speaker 2 (02:31:29):
We are still now very much living in the player,
in the player empowerment era to this day. Why you
see guys all the time dictating their landing spots, not
even in just free agency. Jimmy Butler, why don't they
have a out of Miami? That's just one of a
thousand and he you know, Stevie do ord his way
into the Golden State rotation. So players dictate their landing spots,

(02:31:52):
whether it be free agency, They try to maneuver trades,
They put pressure on their teams to get them more
help angle their way to another specific destiny. Draft Knight,
you hear, You've seen it all your It's not going away.
Some of these efforts are obviously more successful than others,
but there's no doubt this is a players league, and

(02:32:13):
the player empowerment in the NBA, I believe is the
most significant of any of this Invinien sports. And it
actually even started before Lebron James had that event, But
the event culminated because what happened.

Speaker 3 (02:32:28):
Lebron first narrowed.

Speaker 2 (02:32:30):
His choice down to six teams, and he took meetings
with every one of them. The Nets, the Knicks, the Knicks,
remember the Knicks, the heat the Clippers, the Calves some
thought he might stay and the Bulls and that order.
And that was during the first few days of July,
before taking another few days to make his decision. But

(02:32:53):
instead of visiting the teams in each of the cities,
Lebron brought the teams to him and took the meetings
in his business office Cleveland.

Speaker 3 (02:33:01):
This is one of the first.

Speaker 2 (02:33:02):
Signs that we were going to see a sea change
in the NBA. Then Lebron took almost a sudden a
full week after the meetings that was another sign. And
when he decided to announce his decision, he didn't just
announce his decision. He did it in a primetime interview
televised an ESPN, and that was, in and of itself,
a decision that again showed that players could really wield

(02:33:26):
their power.

Speaker 3 (02:33:27):
Once Lebron flexed his muscle in this way, players started
to follow suit. Over the years, there have been other
type Division esque processes with a series of meetings where
the location is picked by a player and they come
to him. Now, they haven't all.

Speaker 2 (02:33:43):
Bad TV specials, because most folks agreed that was a mistake,
even though I understand that it raised two or three
million for a boys club in New Jersey. But regardless,
it's one of those situations that I think people look
at Lebron and they read that decision night in the pejorative,
But it didn't change the fact that all of a sudden,

(02:34:04):
now it added a new dimension to free agent lists
and trade demands and preferred destinations. And then all of
a sudden, now you got players weighing on roster decisions,
coaching decisions. Teams practice schedules, when they practice, where they practice,
how they travel, where they stay, who gets to work
for the team behind the scenes, whether it's even assistant

(02:34:26):
coaches or trainers, or even a Sun playing for the team. Right,
the players have the power to determine just about anything
these days, and they take full advantage of it. They
use it at just about every opportunity, and it's.

Speaker 3 (02:34:42):
Become their right.

Speaker 2 (02:34:43):
And you know, if they're for that opportunity, you'd use
it too, if you were able to, I would say
to this day, though, Lebron has himself taken player empowerment
to the highest levels of any player in the history
of the NBA. Okay, starting by his experiences in Miami.
Because Lebron, Wade, and.

Speaker 3 (02:35:03):
Chris Bosch, they all took a little less than the
maximum salary so they could team up and leave enough
room so that the Heat could re sign you Donnas
Haslam and bring in Mike Miller. Now, Lebron James was.

Speaker 2 (02:35:16):
Angry when the Heat used the amnesty provision to get
out of Mike Miller's contract a few years later, and
that actually fired up Lebron to exert even more pressure
on teams. Now, the four years Lebron was in Miami,
they made the finals all four years and they won
two championships, but after watching Miami he used the amnesty provision.

(02:35:38):
He basically, you know, decided that he was never going
to allow some of this, you know what he would
consider to be in a net front office that could
not supply him with you know, whether the Batman, Robin
or whatever you want to like the earlier caller reference. Again,
Lebron ended up going back to Cleveland. He routinely signed

(02:35:59):
one year deals with the player option for a second season.
That way he could leverage and pressure the Cavs into
doing anything his way, making win now moves with the
threat looming that he could leave. And then he brought
in his preferred role players like Miller and James Jones
and G. R. Smith and Kendrick Perkins and Chris Anderson,
well Williams dere Then he even got coaches fired. You

(02:36:22):
can't tell me he didn't get David Black fired and
hired Tylou And then Lebron even relinquished a little bit
control that he had with the Lakers, but he still
exerted his influence to get them to trade for Anthony Davis,
to draft his son Brownie, to hire their coach, and
he routinely puts pressure on the front off the statements

(02:36:44):
and subliminal messages about how the team needs to be
making moves to prioritize his winner to win. By the way,
you notice, since leaving Cleveland, Lebron is not taking anything
less than the max. But that wasn't the only sea
change in the NBA. Something that was called the Scoops
Era was born because Lebron that night hadn't even been

(02:37:07):
on Twitter. He joined Twitter that week because Chris Paul
suggested he, dude, he should.

Speaker 3 (02:37:14):
And you know these days you.

Speaker 2 (02:37:16):
Take you know, well, Adrian wold Janowski's not active anymore,
but scham Scherannia people look for these tweets. And one
of the most memorable parts of the decision week that
was following before, during, and after was on Twitter. It
was it was called the Scoops Era, and it was born.

(02:37:36):
You don't really remember, you didn't always have notification set
for some of your favorite reporters, and you weren't always
hanging on a thread and watching transaction news That week
on Twitter started the blow by blow reporting of Lebron's
various meetings with teams now they supposedly went, and who
was in or out of the mix and which didy
and all that kind of stuff. Now these days, Brian
Wenthurst and they've credited or blamed the decision for creating

(02:37:58):
the scoops here of NBA media. I think on balance
it's a net positive. It's beneficial. It's not always accurate,
but now the scoops is almost the entirety of the
NBA media landscape. I mean, remember when Sean's on February
first tweeted out about Luca going to Dowllas some people
they weren't even sure if it was true or eve

(02:38:19):
Ben hacked.

Speaker 3 (02:38:19):
Nope, it wasn't.

Speaker 2 (02:38:21):
Finally, another big thing that came out of the decision was,
you know, the Big three era that became the norm.
The idea of a big three players is still really
alive and well because basically every time a team makes
a big trade or free agency signing, you see a
graphic on TV somewhere saying this is the new Big three, Like,
who's going to stop these guys?

Speaker 3 (02:38:41):
Right?

Speaker 2 (02:38:42):
So, the Heagles trio didn't start the so called big
three trend in the modern NBA. Believe it or not,
it was actually the Celtics who united Kevin Garnett and
Reale and with Paul Pierce. But once Miami built a
bigger batter, Big three, it kickstarted an arms race. And
it still kind of goes on to this day. Right,
you've got the Big three now, really, Frankly and okay,

(02:39:03):
see with Chad Holgren and SGA and Jared and Jared
not Jared Allen. I'm having a brain cramp, but you
know what I'm talking about.

Speaker 3 (02:39:12):
So it all goes back to that infamous night on
July eighth, twenty ten, and fifteen years later, player empowerment
in the NBA is alive and well, and it all
started with Lebron and the.

Speaker 2 (02:39:25):
Decision, and it was an anniversary that just kind of
flitted behind the night. But now you know, and now
you remember, it's gonna do it for the Bernie Fratter Show.
See you soon up next, Keep it locked. Andy Furman,
the Great Andy Furman,

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