The Fellas with Anthony Gargano & Jason Fitz talk NBA Finals, Aaron Rodgers Signing in Pittsburgh, & MORE!

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
You don't listening to Fox Sports Radio radio.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Ah, good morning, Good morning, Ey buddy, happy heavy Abby.
Uh Fox Saturday, it's a Fox Sports Saturday with the
fellas Jason Fitz Anthony Gargano hanging out with you from
the Fox Sports Radio studios. What I still can't believe

(00:27):
the Pacers wow. And then last night, the second overtime
in the Stanley Cup playoffs, this time won by Florida
Marshan in double overtime, puts the Panthers to even the series,
which has been one of the greatest two games of

(00:49):
Stanley Cup files ever. Uh the files are both Winter
Sports have not disappointed. And then a judge rules on
the new salary structure for college athletes. It's a busy,
busy time. Good morning, my good brother man.

Speaker 3 (01:10):
You said the best couple of games. I mean, honestly,
I don't remember Stanley Cup final that's ever been more
riveting than what we've seen after two games, and it was.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
I get it.

Speaker 3 (01:22):
Like, I'm sitting in Connecticut, so there's there's more hockey
fans per capita in this part of the country. I
get that. But I was sitting out with some buddies
last night and people were mesmerized like that. The first
period of that game last night. Some of the goals
were generational, like they were the sort of highlight sport
Center right now was playing one of them. It's like, yeah,
it's insane.

Speaker 2 (01:44):
D McDavid threw his legs the sat up dry title.
Oh my god, he really is Jesus.

Speaker 3 (01:55):
It's it's unreal. Like when you look at what mcday
it is done, and you know he's twenty eight, right,
and so his points per game is off, you know,
the Gretzky paces. But there's a reason that from the
day he was acquired, that from the day he came
into the NHL. People like to make that comparison because

(02:16):
he's just he's one of those special, rare, once in
a lifetime guys that you're watching play. And you know,
this Edmonton team, I thought last night they had so
much spark. I really thought they were gonna get him.
I thought Florida was just gonna have they were gonna
get hit one too many times. So to see Florida
be able to will through some of those amazing goals,

(02:38):
to watch Edmonton's goalie get landed on in a way
that looked awful, I mean there were so many moments
in this game that looked just it was like watching
a video game, like watching a Disney movie version of
an NHL Stanley.

Speaker 2 (02:51):
Cup Final matchup.

Speaker 3 (02:52):
And for Florida win that in double overtime, I just god,
I don't know. I mean, this this thing had all
the drama you could ever want. This series, he has
all the drama you could ever want. Last year went seven.
I just this is much watch TV. We're gonna talk
about the fact that nobody watched Game one of the
NBA Finals, I'm sure, but I don't care if anybody
watches any of.

Speaker 2 (03:13):
This at the Stanley Cup Final.

Speaker 3 (03:14):
You can't take away the fact that it is. It's
some of the best hockey I've ever seen.

Speaker 2 (03:20):
I dude, you nailed it. You absolutely nailed it. You
spot all baby, It's been uh, it's been awesome. They
really I have to tell you, I've really enjoyed the playoffs.
I mean, this year's run in the NHL just I mentally,
but I mean when you get these two teams, because

(03:42):
they were both great in their own you know, they've
both been great, and this collision course, you know, the rematch,
I mean, you're down to talk because this is like
the great like heavyweight fights where they would have you know,
this is the rematch, and and it is. It's just everything, man,
it's goaltending has been awesome, you know, crazy like you

(04:05):
saw five calls in the first period, and then and
then things start to settle down, right, and then Florida
takes the lean. It looks like Florid's gonna get blown
out of the building. Then they settle down, then they
dominate again. They dominate the second period and it's four
to three, and then third period is white knuckle pull
the goalie twice actually because they there's a face off

(04:29):
in their zone in the neutral zone. And next thing
you know, you know, the latest goal ever to force overtime.
Corey Perry, forty years old, scores to go into overtime
and then you take it all overay to double overtime.
That's ridiculous.

Speaker 3 (04:48):
I love the way you said white knuckle in the
third because we just have to remember that Florida, even
though you know, I haven't been necessary the kind of
Florida times on the show, Like I don't think anybody's
really rooting for Florida here, come on, but Florida has
been there so much, and these two teams have so

(05:10):
much playoff experience, these two teams have so much close
game experiences. It's just wild to me to see the
best of the best never be faced. And I think
white knuckle is a really good way to describe it.

Speaker 2 (05:23):
But it never felt the.

Speaker 3 (05:25):
Third never felt like either side tightened up. It just
felt like both sides were being calculated and went to
try and take their knockout punches.

Speaker 2 (05:34):
And it just, man, I don't know.

Speaker 3 (05:36):
I kept watching this thinking the moment's never gonna be
too big for either of these teams, and that's refreshing
in a championship series. You're not sitting here saying, ah,
I don't know if this team can get it. Both
of these teams are capable of doing wild things. If
you're Florida, the fact that you know you've got Game one,
the overtime loser, Game two, you walk out of it
with the win. You're going back home with a one

(05:59):
to one split after surviving the Edmonton environment. Oh, I mean,
Florida's gotta fel pretty good right now. And if you're Edmonton,
you just realize it's gonna be a long dog fight.
Like I just I don't know. If you told me
right now that every every single game was gonna go
to overtime, I wouldn't be surprised.

Speaker 2 (06:15):
It's just it just feels so even yeah, yeah, Like
there are times when you know, this is when you
know it's such an even great matchup, because there are
times when both teams look like they're dominating right in
the same fight, like in the same game, so it

(06:38):
feels like there's a flurry, like you all of a sudden,
you'll see Edmonton dominate the puck and have the puck
in Florida's own for you know, five six minutes, and
and then then the next thing you know, it's Florida
dominating for the stretch and it's wild, Like I don't
I don't think I've ever seen this, right, I don't

(06:59):
think I've I'm trying to think about, you know, these
great epic matchups, and you know, I'm sure going in
my mind when I go back and kind of study it,
you'll you'll find it. But nothing pops out like this,
I mean, because they're both so good, Like they're so deep, right,
Florida is incredibly deep lundell uh at least the line

(07:22):
and like that line is their third line is really good, right,
and then nobody had nobody can ever match up with
when you put dry Sidle on with McDavid. To have
those two are unbelievable. And and they and Bouchard, who's

(07:43):
a ridiculously great offensive defenseman, I mean, man, they're just
they're just too heavy, right, this just too heavyweights. I
love it. Man, It's like I can't get enough of
the whole series.

Speaker 3 (07:55):
Well, and frankly, we talked so much on this show
about what the playoffs are for, Who the playoffs are for,
who your final is for? And it's for in so
many ways, it's for casuals that are just tuning in
and saying, oh yeah, it's the Stanley Cup Final, I
want to watch.

Speaker 2 (08:11):
Oh yeah, it's the super Bowl. I want to watch.
Oh yeah, it's college football championship. I want to watch.

Speaker 3 (08:15):
What a great representation if you think about that that
first period last night, you had electric play making, you
had wild goals, You had I mean chippy they were
getting after each other from the outset of this one.
It's just everybody was ready to kick everybody's ass. So
you had this chippiness to all of it. You had
explosiveness to all of it. It just it was a
beautiful representation of the game. And I think that's an

(08:37):
important thing. I mean to you know, steer it a
little bit towards the NBA conversation. I think the fact that.

Speaker 2 (08:44):
That's coming, you had the NBA conversations is coming.

Speaker 3 (08:47):
I mean, the fact that you had Halliburton making the
shot with point three left, I honestly think that was necessary.
You needed India because all week it was, well, India
is not really going to be competitive. You didn't really
sell There wasn't a lot of selling the sex on this,
like a lot of this wasn't a sexy matchup for everybody, right,

(09:08):
and then Haliburton hits a game winning shot with point
three seconds left, and all of a sudden, the most
overrated player in the NBA according to some it turns
around and hits this shot. It helps build intrigue in
what is actually really good, you know, should be a
really good matchup of actual basketball. You know, it's just
not sexy. Marcus, I think the Stanley Cup Final has

(09:30):
done a really nice job, you know, unintentional. They just
have to have two great teams that played great hockey,
that are playing in a great matchup, it just it
draws people into the game. That's what Indiana and Oklahoma
City are going to have to do tonight. They need
another instant classic to keep the conversation rolling about the
series because people are looking for a reason to tune out,
so you got to give them a reason to tune in.

(09:52):
And the Stanley Cup Final is doing that with every
one of these matchups.

Speaker 2 (09:56):
Yeah, I love that. I mean Game one, I mean
that that finish was incredible, right, really it was. It
was awesome. The reason why and you're right, like, you know,
you don't want to blowouts, and you know kinda needed
to prove that it could be on the same floor
as okay see, and you know, I think they did that.

(10:19):
We'll dive into deeper kind of the ex's and those
of it, but I think both these finals have been
about really, both playoff runs in the NBA and NHL
have been just about the game. It's kind of why
I've enjoyed it the most. Like I'm a loser, all right,
I want to tell you if I'm a stove geek.

(10:40):
I got into this because I like sports, right, Like
I didn't want to be a showman I didn't want
to be on stage. I'm not funny, right, I'm not
a comedian, I'm not a I didn't seek like glory.
I'm really an introvert who likes to write, right, And

(11:00):
I stumbled into, you know, sports media. I like sports.
I love sports. It's one of the things I truly
love in life, and it hasn't waned a bit. I
love sports, and I don't really get into the drama
stuff like we'll get into the Aaron Rodgers and all,
which excites me from a like a field perspective a

(11:21):
little bit, and what he could do. But I like sports,
and I think these finals they're not about star power
and celebrity. They're about the games. Both of them in
their respective sports, are about the games themselves. I mean,
I love watching SGA play. He's a mid range guy

(11:45):
who's a dominant mid range player, who is such a
beautiful basketball player, like his step backs, like he's a
great ballplayer. I'm watching Indiana with their depth. I'm enjoying.
I enjoyed it. I loved Game one. I'm hoping Game
two tonight's the same way. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (12:07):
Look, I think Oklahoma City is the better team. That's
not a hot take. I never really bought the narrative
that this thing was just absolutely gonna be Look, I
think Oklahoma City wins the series, but it doesn't mean
that the games aren't close, because both of these teams
have a lot of depth, and both of these teams
can rotate a lot of people, and both of these
teams can go on big runs scoring wise because of

(12:28):
that depth, right, like they could take advantage of opportunity.
I thought Game one was exactly kind of what I
expected in the enna's never out. They just aren't, like
that's part of the DNA at this point of who
they are as a team. So I think it's fun
basketball to watch. I agree with you. I think there's
sort of a I'm sort of in the middle. I'm
in the middle of all this because I do believe

(12:51):
that since people love to focus so much on star
power and legacy, I think you need these big banner
moments to create eat star power and legacy. So as
much as we could talk about SGA and we could
talk about Haliburton doing it in the finals, is the
moment that everybody has to respect you just if that
is your if the test, the line in the sand

(13:13):
is always well, how many chips do you have?

Speaker 2 (13:15):
The minute you get one, it changes the way that
player is perceived forever.

Speaker 3 (13:19):
So I think that there's a real opportunity for the
league and it's a good one to turn around and say, Okay, look,
we've got a dominant player in Oklahoma City that's running
the league, and we let that happen in Golden State.
We let that happen in Milwaukee. We will let that
happen in Oklahoma City. You know, the world will flock
to it at some point. It's just it has to

(13:40):
become undeniable before some people give it. Dam These are
the moments that can make that. So for me, what
I loved about Haliburton doing what Haliburton has done is
that he hit another big shot. I also would challenge
that there's been a lot of people this year, and
this is healthy. There's been a lot of people in
the last two weeks that have really come out in
me culp with the fact that not a lot of

(14:02):
attention was paid to be paid to either of these
teams throughout the season. And maybe these are moments where
we as a overall sports media can learn from this
and say, hey, we don't always have to flock to
the Lakers and the Celtics, because then we look like
fools when we get.

Speaker 2 (14:17):
To this spot, you know.

Speaker 3 (14:18):
And I think that's a fair media culpa for a
lot of people to cover the NBA, to turn around
and say, hey, maybe we should have spent Like I
watch all of these NBA shows, and I listened to
all these NBA things, and unless you're listening to the
deep dive NBA pods, nobody's been talking about Indiana for
most of the year, right, So there's an opportunity here
for everybody to step back and say, hey, let's appreciate

(14:39):
the basketball and then let's also cover really good basketball
teams next year instead of just covering really good basketball markets.
There's a difference.

Speaker 2 (14:48):
Yeah, yeah, I don't like I vacillate with this, right,
Like I didn't think Indiantic. I thought, okay, she would
cover the ten and a half point in Game one.
And it was interesting watching that game because they just
they were teetering on the knockout, right, Like that was

(15:10):
the thing that to you know, to go back to
the boxing analogy, They're teetering on this knockout there they
kept in fact, you know, Mike Breen kept talking about
like the epic and Darius could bring it up the
epic Oka see run because you're known for these runs.
And it started to come in and every time they

(15:32):
started to get a little margin. Obviously they were up
fifteenth at one point in the fourth quarter, Indiana would
do something. They would be a three. Right. It was
Obi Topping in the second half, TJ McConnell in the
first half of all people, right, uh, he had nine
to lead the Pacers in the first half. Obie Topping

(15:53):
comes back and all these big shots, Miles Turner had
that little flurry to keep him into it, and they
just it was that whole adage of just keep me
in the fight and then I'll get a knockout. And
it's what happened. And it was stunning and it was
thrilling because you're not expecting. I mean, they were a
monster dog in this series. I mean, okay, see was

(16:17):
Bradle tell Us, but I thinking they were mine to
one to win the series eight to one. I mean
that's a big, big favorite. So and then you had
the whole Halliburton story, which is amazing, and look, you
know he Okay sees defenses is you know has a
death grip on you. And they did a really good

(16:39):
job on him. I mean, fished with fourteen points, right,
but to have the moment and to step up in
the march, and he has done it right. You do
it on the big stage in New York, and then
you did it on the bigger stage of the NBA Finals. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (16:54):
I just think Indiana has never been phased by a
moment throughout all of these playoffs. And I think it
was Perk yesterday. And I know a lot of people
ride Park for a lot, but I think it was
Park yesterday that said they've been playing with house money
the whole time, because nobody's ever really considered them a
threat in every series. Every series, it feels like somebody
just dismisses them. I do believe that Oklahoma City is

(17:17):
the better team. I had a hard time finding in
my brain a knockout in Game one because I've seen
Indiana handle every moment. So until I see Indiana really
just get clobbered, I feel like Game two, you know,
but I want to say here, I feel like Game two.
Oklahoma City writes that. But also Oklahoma City has the

(17:37):
same tape that all of us have seen. They knew
the identity of this Indiana team and their ability to
scratch and call their way back time and time again,
and they.

Speaker 2 (17:44):
Still let it happen.

Speaker 3 (17:45):
Like that's wild to me, you know, it's it's wild
to me, how because you're right this thing. Every time
Indiana got it down to like eight, it felt like
Oklahoma City just was like, Nope, that's as close as
it's going to get until the last couple of minutes.
And so what I don't know what to make of
it is does that mean that Oklahoma City just had
a mini melt down a couple of a couple of
little tweaks.

Speaker 2 (18:06):
And they'll be just fine.

Speaker 3 (18:07):
Or does that mean that, you know in Indiana is
gonna turn around and be able to do this time
and time again.

Speaker 2 (18:13):
I don't think so.

Speaker 3 (18:14):
But man, I just I have a hard time counting
this Indiana team out because they've handled every atmosphere in
every environment and every naysayer every step of the way,
and they just never feel faced. It's it's pretty unreal.
It's pretty special to see how calm they stay when
they're down by ten with two and a half minutes left.

(18:36):
It's it's it's really it's it's special.

Speaker 2 (18:39):
It is it is. It's it's the some of all parts, man,
It's it's everything that you're taught playing ball, your whole
life team some of all parts, right, you know, sacrificing
for each other in the greater good, like all those
cliches is all true when you watch, when you watch

(19:02):
them play, and in reality, Okay See is similar, right,
Like Sgay is a legit super, right, better than Tyresse.
But you know, it's not like they have multiple stars,
like chant Homeward is a good player, but he's not
a He's not another super. I mean they're built different,

(19:24):
Like these two teams have changed. We've been talking about
the three star system, right and how that's gone, and
even the two star I mean, really it's all about depth.
That these are the two deepest teams in the league.
And they go at it and they play defense. I mean,
you know, okay See plays. You know they have a

(19:47):
vice on you when they play d It's all things fun, man,
I don't know, can they do it? I agree with you?
I think they I think they're gonna keep the series close.
I would keep car I think okay See wins it.
But I think it's got I think they got enough
to keep everybody's attention. At least they got mine.

Speaker 3 (20:09):
Yeah, this is just beginning. These two finals are we
got a lot to get into today, brother, because these
two finals are giving us all.

Speaker 2 (20:15):
The college the whole college thing is going to be crazy.
And then uh and then Rogers is going to Pittsburgh,
Like this is good stuff live. We got, we got
some fun stuff to dive into. Where the fellas. We're
just getting started on a Fox Sports Saturday.

Speaker 4 (20:34):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to
listen live.

Speaker 2 (20:50):
Wowow Fellas, Jason Fitz Anthony hanging out with you guys.
That was my first concert Saturday.

Speaker 3 (21:03):
No really, I just had to cut you off and
tell you that bon Jovi Bonjovy was my first concert.
I'll never forget it was bon Jovi, skid Row. A
couple of things I remember about that concerto. I remember
skid Row. We were we were.

Speaker 2 (21:17):
In Scarborough, Maine, Okay.

Speaker 3 (21:19):
And I remember skid Row came out and said hello Seattle,
Washington or wherever the f we are, and the crowd
booed them off the stage. So I was always afraid.
I was afraid that we would do that. And what
do you know, We were in Buffalo and I'll never
forget this show. We were in Buffalo, and at the
top of every set list the city, the city's written

(21:42):
in huge block letters, so you don't forget, like that's
that's standard, one on one. So your set list all
over THEO there's like twenty set lists on stage always
has the city that you're in big block letters, and
it said Buffalo. Our production manager, who was a great dude,
just it was the one time he ever made a
mistake like this. He left Cleveland, Ohio on top, ironically,
on top of the of the setlist. So one of

(22:05):
the I think it was Neil Perry grabbed the micro.

Speaker 2 (22:09):
Like, hello Cleveland.

Speaker 3 (22:10):
Again ironic because a family guy, and just we were
at the University of Buffalo. I'll never forget. Like we
were at a University of Buffalo show. I'll never forget that.
But also I remember being this little kid, I was
already I had already gotten into Julliard at this time,
humble breck, and I remember the show started the Bonjovi

(22:32):
New Jersey tour at that time started and they were
all on what I found out later were called toasters.
They're these little platforms that are under the stage and
they pop up on stage makes you fly in the air.
That it was really cool effect. We did it for
one of our Award show performances, but that's how it started.
And Richie Sambora landed after the toaster threw him in
the air, and smoke's flying everywhere, and he's wearing this

(22:53):
long trench coat, and I just remember I was on
my dad's shoulders. They could Dad's smoking a lot of cigarettes.
Later figured out they weren't cigarettes, and I was like, man,
this is so much cooler than classical music. I remember
that transcendent moment so much so it was ironic to
me years later, or amazing, I should say, not ironic.
It was amazing to me. Years later, when the NFL

(23:13):
Draft was in Cleveland, ESPN had me do interviews with
rock and Roll Hall of famers about what it takes
to be a Hall of Famer, Like that was the idea.
Like we did a bunch of pieces for Racy and
one of the guys they came to me at the
very last second They're like, hey, do you have any
interest in Richie Sambora, And I was like, yeah, oh
my god. Like the whole reason I do what I
do is because of Richie Sambora. Like the number of

(23:35):
times I didn't want to play a show because I
was exhausted, and I was like, yeah, there's some you know,
eleven year old kid out there like I was, and
I'll never be as cool as Richie, but you know,
And so that always stuck in my head. And that
was supposed to be a ten minute zoom interview, and
Richie like stayed on that zoom.

Speaker 2 (23:51):
With me for an hour and a half. We hung out.
It was the coolest thing.

Speaker 3 (23:54):
We exchanged numbers and it's still one of the wildest things.

Speaker 2 (23:57):
In a mile.

Speaker 3 (23:58):
Every time I get a text from Richie Sam I
just stop and I'm like, I don't deserve this life.
So that's that's what bad medicine made me think of
this morning.

Speaker 2 (24:06):
No way, no way. That's awesome also work to me.

Speaker 3 (24:13):
Like I don't know about you, Anthony, but like I
was always an other guy guy.

Speaker 2 (24:17):
So like I.

Speaker 3 (24:20):
I never liked John, I liked Richie, I never liked
Axel Rose.

Speaker 2 (24:23):
I like slash. I never really, this is sacrilegs.

Speaker 3 (24:27):
But like, because you know our A's like everybody loved Jordan.
Jordan's fine, but like I just kind of like Scottie Pippen.
I don't know why I like Scottie Pippen, Like is
a little kid going to UNLV games. I didn't Larry
Johnson was great, sure, but I like Stacy Augman Like
I don't know what it is about me, but like
I like Robin better than Batman. It's a weird quirk.
And so you know Richie. Like the funny thing is

(24:48):
like now, if bon Jovi was playing ten minutes down
the road, I wouldn't pay to go see it because
Richie's not there. I have no interest in it. But
if Richie Sambora was playing ten minutes down the house
from the house, yeah you could take my money.

Speaker 2 (24:58):
It's just take my house. I go see that thing,
just because he's what he said more that's cool. Uh,
I guess that would be I'm a case by case,
I'm Jordan's way over Peppin. I hate Robin, I would
go I would go sam Bora over bad Jovi? Uh?

(25:24):
Who else? Who else?

Speaker 3 (25:25):
Did you mention that You're so right to hate Robin,
Like there's nothing cool about Robin now there isn't like
and if they made a big like if if Christopher
Nolan made a big Robin movie, ain't nobody going to
see that?

Speaker 2 (25:38):
That would.

Speaker 3 (25:41):
I could have been like as a kid, I liked
Now I can fully admit the Batman is far cooler.

Speaker 2 (25:48):
Yeah, it's great, trying to think.

Speaker 3 (25:57):
Same with the wrestling thing too, Like I never liked
Taul Cocan, Like I'm glad that we finally figured out
that Haul Cogan sucked because like I didn't like Hull Coogan,
I liked it. I liked Macho Man like I was
in on Matcham I agree?

Speaker 2 (26:07):
Yeah, I go, I go watch a man over Hault.
Yeah I agree with that. I agree, Yeah, definitely, Yeah,
I'm probably kind of similar. I'm you know, but it's
case by case. Like I love Jordan, though I love
Jordan not because everybody loved Jordan, but because I've just

(26:30):
when I he was the I was a I was
for twenty two twenty three, and I was a writer,
and I moved to Chicago and I was you know,
I covered both games and I just used to be
in awe watching him. I mean this is like ninety
three and middle of ninety two, and you know, watching Jordan,

(26:58):
My god, I just being around them, I just thought
he was the coolest too, Like I mean, yeah, the
ultimate killer of all killers. I mean, you you want
to talk about a dude that just would will you
at all times. I just I just had that way

(27:18):
about him when you cover him. I don't know, I
was in awe of the guy. I mean I was young,
but I don't care. I was in all the guy.
The guy. The guy just had that factor. Man, that
in fact or that you know, I'll take anybody's heart
like that. Confidence is like you wish you had that

(27:39):
you and whatever you did in life that you wish
you had that like that, knowing that I'm the greatest
and that's what he was.

Speaker 3 (27:49):
I think, you know, contrary to popular belief, I'm not
a total idiot. So I do know obviously, like if
you're in Jordan of far better basketball player, but.

Speaker 2 (27:58):
We all know that.

Speaker 3 (27:58):
I think for me, it's it was always about, man,
this guy's getting all the flowers they deserve, But what
about the other guy. That's also a big part of
this that we forget because they're living in the shadows,
and I didn't like the guys being stuck in the shadows.
I think that was always sort of part of the
the emphasis for me. But because clearly, like look when

(28:19):
I was, when I was a kid, I grew up
as avid a Lakers fan as I as I am
today a Raiders fan.

Speaker 2 (28:25):
There's no doubt about it.

Speaker 3 (28:27):
Like I was a two team man is a kid,
and I just lived, eat and breathed every ounce of
Lakers as a kid. So you know, but I still
had tremendous respect for Jordan because you knew, you knew
Jordan was that guy.

Speaker 2 (28:40):
Right.

Speaker 3 (28:40):
It's just I don't know, always felt like Scotti Pittman
got a little forgotten, and then it got to the
point where the narrative became so much that he's forgotten
that then his question of like is he now being
over you know what I mean, Like it's it's interesting.
But for me, you know, even in those years that
it was shaking Kobe, it was never shacking Kobe to me,
it was just Kobe Shaq, I don't care about that
was Kobe, you know, And so.

Speaker 2 (29:01):
I was Kobe. I love Kobe, So I was, you know,
and Kobe's Kobe's from Philly, and so you know, I
love Kobe and Kobe was I mean, he was every
bit of Mike two point zero, you know. I mean
that was uncanny watching his rise because he worshiped him.

(29:22):
It's like that. It's like Dylan Rayola with Mahomes. Yeah,
like that kid's gonna be good. I mean, Dylan Reol
is gonna be I know, he's an NFL player, Like
I know he will be a good NFL quarterback. I do.
It's one of those things. And watching that kid last year,
true freshman. And I hate when people criticize athletes for

(29:47):
emulating their heroes. I hate that. I hate that. Kobe
used to get a lot of guff from people because yeah,
he's a Jordan want to be look at that the tongue,
and well guess what it formed him. It helped make
him the player he was that he is. And Rayola,

(30:09):
you know, worships my homes and he does the same
workouts and the same arm angles, and you know, and
think he kind of you know, you watch him and
you could see the influence in him. I think that's beautiful.

Speaker 3 (30:23):
Yeah, it's also interesting to me with a player like
rolla like the expectations were so high a year ago,
and now I think it's maybe teeter totter too far
the opposite way.

Speaker 2 (30:36):
You know.

Speaker 3 (30:37):
It feels like he was such a conversation piece of
a year ago. And that's what we do now. We
want everybody to come in their freshman year and suddenly,
you know, when a bunch of games to go to
the college football playoff, I think it's a heavier lift
than that, you know, So I think he's being slept
on a little bit this year. And it's funny how
that's what we do. You know, we go too too
far one direction and then we overcorrect in the process.

(30:58):
It's really it's gonna be a big year for him
this year.

Speaker 2 (31:00):
I yeah, I'm with you. Let me ask you a question,
because what my buddy tasty Cake dom is it loves
the show, big Fitzie fan says, because he loves Scotty too,
And he's Scotty pipp in top twenty all time. And
I go top twenty. What guy's name Scotty?

Speaker 3 (31:27):
Oh man, that's that is?

Speaker 2 (31:29):
That is? That is harsh? The top twenty guys name Scotty?

Speaker 3 (31:31):
Mean, that is harsh.

Speaker 2 (31:33):
He's not a top twenty player.

Speaker 3 (31:35):
No, no, no, no, no no. I So the question is, no,
he's not a top twenty player. I'm not disputing that
at all. Let me be very clear about that. I
think sometimes we use phrases like top ten or top
twenty without actually sitting there and thinks, right, going through
the list. Yeah, you start going through the list, it's amazing.
Like it's the same thing when everybody says, well, is
he a top ten quarterback? And it's like, yeah, you

(31:56):
think of him as a top ten quarterback? Does that
mean that I've got a a a PowerPoint ready where
I'm gonna get you everyone. You know, he really comes
in lemon, right. Yeah, It's like suddenly he comes in
just a little bit low and all of a sudden,
there we go, you know.

Speaker 2 (32:11):
Right, And when he says top twenty, I know he's
not thinking literally twenty. But my point is he's not
in that neighborhood. He's not in the neighborhood. He's not
close to that neighborhood. Like Scotty Scheffler is closer to
that neighborhood than Scottie Pippen.

Speaker 3 (32:31):
Wow, Wow, that is a Scotty Pippen is not going
to be a fan of yours.

Speaker 2 (32:36):
After hearing that, I do think sorry, I'm like you
love the game was a good listen. He was a
terrific good ballplayer.

Speaker 3 (32:43):
He was great. He was great.

Speaker 2 (32:44):
He was great, He's great. He wasn't an elite shooter
like there there are things that he didn't do like
you know, do you And if he doesn't play with
Michael Jordan, he's he's not he's you know, was he
better than Clyde Drexler? I mean, Clyde Drexler did more
things on the floor, except maybe Scotty was a better
defensive player. Igo Drexler's an offensive player all day long.

Speaker 3 (33:08):
Yeah, yeah, I think Scotty is always going to be
one of the most difficult analysis we have because all
we want to do is figure out what he would
look like in some of those moments, you know, without
Pippen or without you know what I mean, without Jordan,
and that's impossible to do. It's just impossible to do.
So I don't know, if we're being honest, I don't

(33:30):
know what the fairest way to really evaluate the level
of greatness of Scottie Pippen will ever be. And you know,
we we play in these world are hypotheticals because that's
what we all do in the you know, this barbershop conversation.
But you just can't remove the Jordan equation from everything
you've seen, no matter what you try.

Speaker 2 (33:48):
Now, of course, so I got a request and we're
gonna take a t think about it. I have my answer,
but Scottie Pippen or d Wade, all right, I promise
I'd ask you at because he wants to hear what
you have to say. Where the fellas just getting started. Really,
we've got a whole couple hours just peeking out right

(34:11):
here on Fox Sports Radio, Fellas Fitzyn hang over. You
be sure to check out the Fox Sports Radio YouTube channel.
There's a ton of great videos for one of our
many Fox Sports Radio shows. By the way, Rick James

(34:31):
was a concert I went to when I was like
fourteen years old with my cousin.

Speaker 3 (34:39):
Amazing at the spectrum.

Speaker 2 (34:43):
I don't know, I mean talking about smoking the air.
I had no idea with that was My mother was like, oh,
my cousins like three and a half years older than me.
So he was probably seventeen and I think I've just
turned fourteen and he was at the spectrum and uh,

(35:08):
I don't know, you know, sometime in the eighties and
my mother didn't have any idea. She's just like, well,
just make sure you're with Joseph. Make sure you stay
with Joseph, and like, you know, like I think it back,
my son is fifteen. I'm like, there's no way in
the world and let him go to Rick Jamescottson by himself.

(35:34):
Be sure to subscribe so you always have inside access
to wear Fox Sports Radio videos on YouTube, all right,
so just pick her to housecate before me. Who you got,
Scotty or d Wade? Uh, d Wade.

Speaker 3 (35:51):
And I think as much as I was a big
Scotty fan, like, Scotty just wasn't asked to do the
like when d Wade had to do the lyft by
Himselfie did the lift by himself. And when you're talking
about being the number two, I mean, d Wade just
some of those moments.

Speaker 2 (36:08):
You can't get out of your head.

Speaker 3 (36:09):
So I think, you know, it's I'm not trying to
downplay Scottie Pippen, It just feels like the Wade deserves
that that spot thing. Yeah, of course again really hard
for Scotty. I mean, but yeah, it's Stee.

Speaker 2 (36:20):
Way, it's Stee Wade. Yeah, I don't know Dom. Dom's
an amazing basketball guy, but he's got these weird Scottie
Pippen fetish or whatever you want to call it on
the brain. He's trying to tell me that he shut
down Barkley. He never shut down Barkley recovered the series
against Phoenix, No get out that game with That series

(36:43):
went six because of Barkley. Anyway, Like, we got Game
two and I don't know, dude, I don't know how
to look at it. That's the one thing. Because Game
one went when exactly where I thought it would go,
except for the last five minutes of the game.

Speaker 3 (37:04):
So what do you do? Because it's really easy to
focus on that. I think you're right, that is the
right thing to focus on. How did Oklahoma City let
that happen?

Speaker 2 (37:15):
Though?

Speaker 3 (37:16):
Because we've seen this Indiana team do it so many times?
Is okay? Give it to me.

Speaker 2 (37:23):
And by the way, it's tomorrow, I game two, that's right, tomorrow,
Game two to night. We're off. That's good. Actually, I
can have a movie night with my wife. I didn't
see her last night. I was downstairs. It was upstairs.
Okaysee is not a good half court team. We talked

(37:44):
about that, and they were able to really make it
a half court day. You know, you know how these
possessions go, and they were kind of able to make
it a real half court game down the stretch, like
they they were able to put the pressure on when
they hit those threes. It was they were able to

(38:08):
cut it inside to like you remember they cut it
to seven and too like four into one, and that
made the game organically half court where OKAC struggles. Now.
Jalen Williams missed two drives the rim and it opened three.

(38:29):
Like he has to. He's got to play better in
Game two for OKAC because I thought I thought he
had a couple of wide open looks. Is otherwise their
offense is just SGA trying to break down one on
one and off to help.

Speaker 3 (38:49):
Yeah, I think you mentioned Williams. Homer Is also got
to shoot better and shoot more. I mean, I think
he had like eight or nine shots in that game
just as a non factor. It felt like okay See
had some It looks they just weren't finishing some of them.

Speaker 2 (39:03):
So and.

Speaker 3 (39:05):
So, yes, I think that's a big part of what
okac has to do. I also though don't know. I mean,
Indiana turned the ball over a lot in Game one.
Is that gonna be a theme for this series? Or
was that just a little bit of settling down, particularly
in the first half. We got to figure that out,
because if if Indiana manages those turnovers better, they're gonna
feel pretty good.

Speaker 2 (39:24):
Well, they had what eight in the first half. I
was I was texting with Leglar at twenty halftime?

Speaker 3 (39:32):
What was what was she feel? It was somewhere around there.

Speaker 2 (39:35):
It was crazy. It was crazy. All right, we'll dive
into it. We'll X and O geek out Riders coming up.
Steelers Fellas on Fox.

Speaker 1 (39:48):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio Radio.

Speaker 2 (39:51):
Well, good morning, good morning, good morning, Happy Saturday, Jason.
It's Anthony Gargana as we hang out on a fun
June Saturday, talking about all about the Finals. Breather tonight

(40:12):
right tomorrow night, NBA Monday Night, Game three, as that
series goes from Edmonton to Florida. Can't get further than
that Finals, from one end of the earth to the
other end of the earth. Lots to get to today.

(40:34):
The news yesterday, of course, dominated by Aaron Rodgers, so
how much does he love the own the news cycle?

Speaker 3 (40:46):
Oh man, It's it's amazing. How many years in a
row are we going to make Aaron Rodgers the biggest story?
And this is it's very simple to me. If the
Pittsburgh Steelers just got the version of Aaron Rodgers that
they hope, they got the version of December Aaron Rodgers,
the version of Aaron Rodgers that was much better at

(41:08):
the end of last season than he was early in
last season. If that's the Aaron Rodgers that the Pittsburgh
Steelers have, they still have the third best quarterback in
their own division. I mean, if we're talking about right now,
not talking about a legacy, not talking about what you've accomplished,
talking about today, they've got an okay quarterback. I just this,
to me is just so wildly overblown on the great

(41:32):
hope that people want to make it. I get that
they don't have any answer at quarterback, and I get
that Aaron Rodgers is better than nothing. But Aaron Rodgers
isn't better than Lamar. Aaron Rodgers isn't better today than
Joe Burrow. It's just this is an okay quarterback that
last year won what five games with Davante and Garrett Wilson,

(41:52):
and we're making it sound like he's going to go
to Pittsburgh and suddenly win a super Bowl. I just
I think it's fine. I just don't think it's anything
more than five.

Speaker 2 (42:00):
But because it's Aaron Rodgers, everybody wants to freak out
about it. So let's dissect. Let's forget. I agree with you,
but let's forget like all the noise for a second.
Is there any way that he can have the farv
kind of renaissance that he did far did with the Jets,

(42:20):
with the Vikings? So remember, he goes to the Jets, failure,
everybody thinks he's done. He goes to Minnesota and they
have a run, man, And that was a real, real run.
He was, you know, really about to get back to
the super Bowl. And he throwze that crazy pick where
he didn't need to throw the football. But stay true

(42:42):
to himself, as you know, he's always well, he always
played like Icaris go and flying too close to the sun.
Can Rogers make a run? I'm not saying to get
to the super Bowl. I agree with you. I don't
think they're good enough. And but could he have a Renaissance.
Can you know we talked about the Bill he's tendon injury.
That's usually the second year. Like he's healed up now,

(43:05):
maybe he feels more comfortable. I mean, I don't know,
is that possible.

Speaker 3 (43:12):
I would trusted a heck of a lot more if
it wasn't Arthur Smith running the offense. I mean, Arthur
Smith running offenses is fine. It's you know, we gave
a lot of grief to the inability for the Falcons
to be able to do what most expected out of

(43:32):
that talent when he was the head coach there. But
if you just go back all the way to his
time with the Titans, is Arthur Smith the offensive coordinator?
Because I believe when you bring in a quarterback like
Aaron Rodgers right now, then you've got to make sure
you're speaking his language. So that means that you know,
remembering that the success, whatever success he did have with
the Jets, was in an offense that Aaron Rodgers essentially

(43:55):
hand picked, with an offensive coordinator that he absolutely hand
picked until he was fired, with a bunch of weapons
that he absolutely wanted. Brought in the amount of control
that Aaron Rodgers had in his surroundings and situation was very,
very real. Now he goes into Pittsburgh where that's not
necessarily Arthur Smith's path, that's not the same as his path,

(44:20):
that's not the same language necessarily, and then you've got
a much different group of weapons. I just think that
there's a lot to me part of the success you
have when you have Brett Farv is you're just going
to let him go be Brett far Iv. He's just
gonna let him be a gunslinger and do what he
does and trust that he's going to be able to
get a live arm, to get the ball into two
tight windows, and he's going to make the most of it.

(44:40):
That's sort of what Brett did and it worked really
well in that season in Minnesota. Is that how the
Steelers are going to approach offense this year?

Speaker 2 (44:49):
I don't know that I.

Speaker 3 (44:49):
Trust Brett Favre and Arthur Smith together enough. Kevin Clark
had he just be ended a really nice article yesterday
about some of the familiarity that Aaron Rodgers does have
with the offensive concepts of Arthur Smith. But man, it's
the tandem that I just I look at and I'm
kind of met with. I think it would take so
much to break right for Aaron Rodgers to have that

(45:10):
kind of year.

Speaker 2 (45:11):
Yeah, yeah, I mean listen, you know at that age,
I mean who knows, you know, anything could break down.
I mean he looked he did not look good Like
he looked like the weird thing about last year with
him is that his arm often lacks zip like stuff

(45:33):
that he was, you know, like he could get out
of the slumber. He probably made one of the greatest
greatest throws that I remember. It happened against the Cowboys
and the playoffs where it was right before halftime and
he's darting them up the field and he makes a

(45:54):
throw that's twenty yard out at the sidelines and he
he hadded like pressure in his face and the ball
was six inches off the ground right, perfect spot, like
he could put it through a window. Had zip catch
a ball. I mean, probably the greatest arm, like to me,

(46:15):
the best arm of him in Marino in their prime.
But I hear you, he didn't. He looked like he
lost you know, it's fastball last year.

Speaker 3 (46:30):
And also how much does the success of Tom Brady
at his age sort of impact the way we want
to look at Aaron Rodgers right now, Like Aaron Rodgers
is forty one. He's going to be forty two at
the end of the season. Forty two is just forty
two coming off of an achilles injury. All of these

(46:52):
things together, I just I struggle to find enough proof
of concept to make me comfortable in most people doing this,
Like just because Tom Brady did the impossible doesn't mean
that Aaron Rodgers can also do the impossible. And the
list of quarterbacks that have been that successful at the age.

Speaker 2 (47:12):
Of forty one forty two, You're right, Brett fav.

Speaker 3 (47:14):
Had the one year with Minnesota and I think he
was forty or forty one at the time, and obviously
Tom Brady had his success at forty two. That's kind
of about it. And so I don't think it's necessarily
a slight to Aaron Rodgers to also acknowledge that there's
a lot on somebody his age to be able to
do it. Like that's just to me, that's just a

(47:36):
realistic analysis instead of looking at the body of work.
And that's the hardest thing we have to do when
we look at players in general that have had such greatness,
is we have to stop looking at their overall body
of work and just start looking at the way they
play right now and right now. Last time I check,
Gerrett Wilson is still a very, very revered wide receiver

(47:57):
by most people. And DeVante Adams was considered to be
a home run signing for the Rams because he still
has so much left in his tank. So you're telling
me that Aaron Rodgers last year won five games on
a team that had those two weapons, while he was
throwing the football on a team that had better defense
than Pittsburgh has this year. So I just think that

(48:19):
we're still looking through the rose colored glasses of an
MVP Hall of Fame career that Aaron Rodgers has had,
and two things can be true. All of that greatness
can still be there. And I just think we've got
a shell of Aaron Rodgers left.

Speaker 2 (48:34):
Yeah, I mean, you know it's funny he lost in it. Now,
he didn't have the epics super Bowl run, but Joe
Flacco had a really nice run two years ago. Yeah,
I mean he had a nice run. I mean, you know,
probable a lot of numbers and threw the ball like

(48:57):
malloy point bringing him up is flat looked better than
Rogers looked last year. Like throwing the ball.

Speaker 3 (49:09):
I mean any wait, just that sentence Flacco looked better
than Aaron Rodgers did last year is fair and it's
jarring to hear all at the same time, right, Like,
it's jarring to wrap my head around that. And you're right,
and so now let's take it one other step here, Okay,

(49:30):
So what happens? Because I think Schefty's tweet was pretty
meaningful when all this broke down, broke out, and Schefty
came out and said, I'm paraphrasing here.

Speaker 2 (49:37):
I don't have the tweet in front of me.

Speaker 3 (49:38):
But Schefty said, look that Mike Tomlin was a big
part of this, that he's a big part of why
it got done and a big part of why Aaron
Rodgers wants to go there, Like there was a lot
of ownership of Tomlin's name with it. So I ask
you what happens when, again, I don't believe that Mike
Tomlin in any way should be on the hot seat.

(49:59):
I think most team would covet a coach like Mike Tomlin,
and the concept that he should be fired is absolutely.

Speaker 2 (50:03):
Asinine to me.

Speaker 3 (50:05):
What is going to happen to a fan base though
that seems to be tired of nine and eight every
year when the hands quarterback isn't all that great and
they lose the context that there wasn't really a better option,
and this team wins eight or nine games again and
they're just running in place with the hand pick quarterback,
and the Steelers still don't have the quarterback of the future,

(50:26):
and they're not in a good position to draft for
like this. This is the never ending cycle. And I
just I have to wonder at what point everybody just
wants to revolt against Tomlin all because Aaron Rodgers is
washed and he's the best quarterback that they can figure
out today.

Speaker 2 (50:41):
Yeah, And I think what would happen is it's not
that he would deserve to be fired, it would just
be times out. Like I still kind of pushed against it,
but I got it at the time. But it's Amy
Reid in Philadelphia, right, like where you're at a place
for that long, you know. And he won a ton

(51:02):
of games. Now grant, he didn't won a Super Bowl
like Tomlin did, but he won a ton of games.
Was clearly a great coach. And they moved on. And
if town was the town wanted to move on, like
the town was against Andy in that sense I could
totally see the same thing happen at Pittsburgh where.

Speaker 3 (51:25):
And then my immediate question is who's going to be
the lucky benefactor to be Kansas City? Like that's just
you know, like that's the right. It did end up
working out for everybody, But like, man, how many how
many places are going to look around it? Like yet,
we'll fire who we got. You want Tomlin's on the market,
We'll fire who we got.

Speaker 2 (51:44):
That'd be interesting because the one thing, the one difference
between Andy and Mike is Andy was an offensive guy, right,
so have offense will travel right like, so he he
was able to build what he did. Man, I saw
him what he did at Alex Smith he did, hear,

(52:09):
you know, on a lesser note with Doug Peterson and
got them good and the whole thing they found this quarterback,
I mean, truthfully, it's the only thing that Tomlin has
struggled with his OC's and his quarterbacks since bet.

Speaker 3 (52:26):
And I just want to remind everybody the win loss
total in Vegas didn't move, and that's probably because Vegas
presumed that Aaron Rodgers was going to be the quarterback anyway.
But that win loss total, that win projections eight and
a half. So like all of this, all of this talk,
and all of months of handring over, when is Aaron

(52:48):
Rodgers going to come in to win eight or nine
games like that? Is that really going to be enough?
I just I don't know. And the context here that
I think is in because I think it's very fair
to say, hey, there was no quarterback in the draft.
There wasn't a really good answer. That's all very fair,
But it is also going to be very fair to

(53:09):
keep our eyes on how well I don't know Sam
Darnold plays, how well Gino Smith plays, there were quarterbacks
that were available to be moved, how well Justin Fields plays,
knowing full well that he didn't want to be there,
he didn't feel respected and didn't seem to love Arthur
Smith's offense. How well does Russ play if he plays?

(53:29):
These are all going to be fair parts of the
context we have to have around the quarterback position, because
the concept we have today is that it was just Aaron.
But it didn't have to be just Aaron.

Speaker 2 (53:39):
Yeah, I mean, but fairness, Ross is horrible. I mean,
he's done if he can't, no doubt, but you know,
like he can't move if he can't move, he can't play,
and justin fields, I mean, that was not gonna work there.
I mean, you're.

Speaker 3 (53:57):
Gonna win nine games, I mean like I mean, and
I'll buy both of the things you just sold. Well,
what if what if Gino turns around, like I know
my fandom turns around into this conversation for a lot
of people. I'll say this, I don't think the Raiders
are going to be a great team this year. If
Gino is lights out, then everybody else that didn't give
up a third round for him, There's there's questions there.

(54:19):
If Darnold is lights out for Seattle, then everybody that
chose not to get involved in that bidding war, there's
gonna be questions that have to be answered. And if
you're Pittsburgh you didn't do either of those things. That
has to be part of at least the context conversation.
All right, let's go around position.

Speaker 2 (54:33):
Let's want to go through the schedule. Sure, let's see
how anyway would you say? The way that total is
eight and a half eight and a half. All right,
let's see, you gotta win ten right for it to
be successful, you gotta win ten ten fields?

Speaker 3 (54:48):
Right, they're gonna have to win ten in a playoff
game for people to get off Tomlins back.

Speaker 2 (54:53):
At Jets opener. That's the crazy way. The NFL is
the best, like they this is going to happen, and
they got them going to the Jets in Week one.
It's a one o'clock game too, crazy.

Speaker 3 (55:08):
Yeah, yeah, no, that's that's a that's a win and
that's a big The NFL networks gonna be on that,
ESPN is going to be on that, Fox is gonna
be like, everybody's gonna be talking about that all week.

Speaker 2 (55:18):
That's a win home Seattle opener. You're oh my god,
come all over there.

Speaker 3 (55:28):
That's a win for the Steelers because the Seahawks are
going all the way east. The Seahawks are a better
team than the Steelers, but going all the way east, early,
early kickoff for West coast team. Yeah, that that's a
that's a Steelers win.

Speaker 2 (55:38):
Uh at New England's Steelers win.

Speaker 3 (55:44):
The Patriots are the most overhype team in the NFL
this year.

Speaker 2 (55:47):
They are overhauled. I agree.

Speaker 3 (55:50):
The Vegas has them as a favorite in that game
and a total of eleven games. Vegas believes that the
Patriots are gonna win double digit games.

Speaker 2 (55:58):
No, and then show down in Dublin. Steelers and Vikings
go at it in Dublin, Vikings big, Okay, three and
one at the bye?

Speaker 3 (56:14):
Who's the quarterback for the Browns at that point? The
Browns are gonna start zero and six, So Viking, you know,
like I thought you would go to the next game.
No for the Vikings jj JJ quarterback.

Speaker 2 (56:26):
Yeah, j it's gonna be just fine. And you got
no qualms. You're like Minnesota, big yeah, Minnesota. Pick free
one feels right to me though as a start, all right,
Cleveland post buy that's when yep, four and one right Thursday,

(56:49):
October sixteenth at Cincinnati taking the Bengals there, Yeah, yeah,
I agree, all right for four and two Sunday, October
twenty six, Sunday night football Rogers against the Packers in Pittsburgh.

(57:11):
No way, Packers win.

Speaker 3 (57:14):
The Packers are football team.

Speaker 2 (57:17):
Yeah, but it's in Pittsburgh. That's got magic written all
over Jordan Love.

Speaker 3 (57:24):
Everybody tells me I'm not high enough on Jordan Love,
and this is the one time we're not. Like Jordan
Love has the time to stick it to Aaron Rodgers,
Come on in Pittsburgh, I'm taking the Packers in that game.

Speaker 2 (57:37):
I like, I like Green Bay, I do. I like
it more than you do. But I just think that's
one of those that's one of those magic games, like
they're they're just nothing. There's just moments in sports where yeah,
like I assume me he's upright and can play a

(57:58):
little bit now game. This is all predicated that he's
not completely shot. Like I don't know what he's gonna
look like, but if he just is. If I if
I look at last year and then add twenty five
percent to his game, that's kind of what I'm doing extrapolated.

(58:20):
I think A. I think he's shot. B.

Speaker 3 (58:23):
I think there's a very real chance that the Packers
win the North. How do you like that? Like, that's
I'm coming around on the Packers. So I think Packers
are clearly a batter football.

Speaker 2 (58:34):
I did too. I think they're a better team too,
But that doesn't mean they're gonna win. I just think
it's I mean, I just see a Sunday night game
in Pittsburgh right before Halloween. I mean, those people are
that's a great what a scene that'll be. People will
be going nuts. All right, you go listen this is

(58:55):
your exercise. You got a loss? So what do you
got about? Four and three? Four and three? Yep, home Indianapolis,
big win. Yeah, five and three. All right, let's uh,
let's take a quick t we'll call back there.

Speaker 3 (59:13):
Five and three at the break. We're halfway through the season.

Speaker 2 (59:15):
They're five and three at the break. Yeah. There you
go on pace for ten fellas hagging right here. Fox
Sports Radio.

Speaker 4 (59:23):
the nation. Catch all of our shows at foxsports Radio
listen live.

Speaker 2 (59:38):
Black Yellow, Black and yellow, blacky yellow. I can't wait
for football, dude, as great as the finals, and it's
been awesome both sports. I can't wait for football. Cannot wait.
All right, we'll go through a little exercise because the
win total for the Steelers is a and a half.

(01:00:02):
And I know it's stupid because Rogers can go down
at any point. As fragile as he looked last year,
he can go down at any point. So we're just
kind of having some fun looking at the Seiler schedule
and what it might look like. So when last we left,
they were beating the Colts on November to second to

(01:00:24):
go five and three, So you're ready to pick it up?

Speaker 3 (01:00:29):
Oh yeah, yeah, I'm feeling good, feeling good so far?
Five and three all right?

Speaker 2 (01:00:33):
At the Chargers Sunday night, November the twenty fair, uh
November then nine, that's a loss, yeah, I mean at
the charge a big football team, like I could see
that game being at little a blowout. Rogers throws three picks, like,

(01:00:54):
just like I think they beat Green Bay on the
Sunday night. I think they come back and lay a
huge egg at the Chargers, right, and Rogers plays horrible
like he's in can that's it against the Packers and
it comes way down and it is awful. Gets the

(01:01:15):
Chargers third Street picks gets Harball, totally see him shut down. Anyway,
We're at now five and four. Home Cincinnati does Burrow
and the Bengals, they play him twice in five weeks.

(01:01:37):
We got I'll give him.

Speaker 3 (01:01:38):
I'll give him, like Mike my gut says, the Bengals,
but the chance is that they get swept.

Speaker 2 (01:01:44):
That's tough.

Speaker 3 (01:01:45):
So I'll give him a one win here. So you know,
even though my gut says Cincinnati's a better team this year,
I'll give him a split with the Steelers. So I
gave the Steelers the loss the first time. I'll give
the Steelers the win this time. Puts them to six
and four.

Speaker 2 (01:01:59):
All right at Chicago.

Speaker 3 (01:02:05):
See if you had drawn Chicago early in the year,
I take the Steelers here. But now you're talking about November.
Late November, you're talking about Ben Johnson's had plenty of
time to get his offense ready, to get everything rolling.
I think there's a pretty immediate divodend there. I like
Chicago and home against the Steelers.

Speaker 2 (01:02:23):
Okay, I could I could buy that, and then home
against the Bills showdown four in the AFC. Yeah, that's
a that's a slaughter.

Speaker 3 (01:02:38):
That's a Buffalo wins that agreed, Buffalo wins that going away.

Speaker 2 (01:02:42):
Yeah yeah, and then the uh and then they go
and this is this is the slide continues because this
is a tough stretch at Chargers, Cincinnati, at home at Chicago,
Buffalo at Baltimore.

Speaker 3 (01:03:02):
Yeah, and that game is not even close, right, we
can agree on that. Like, look, I think the Ravens
have a chance to be even better than they were
last year. They are clearly better all the way across
the board than the Steelers. So yeah, I'm taking them.
I'm gonna take them big in this one.

Speaker 2 (01:03:16):
Agreed. So where are we at now, six and six
or six and seven, because we were five and three,
So we're at six and seven, six and seven? Oh no,
Miami and home Monday night, December the fifteenth.

Speaker 3 (01:03:36):
Now they get to win here. Okay, yeah, this is right.
I agree, Yeah, yeah, yeah, I argue with it. The
only one I argue with you would be Green Bay.
I just think there's a magic there. But yeah, okay, mak,
it's just a seven and seven, all right, son, seven
and seven and.

Speaker 2 (01:03:55):
Then they gotta go at Detroit.

Speaker 3 (01:04:00):
Now, So right now, I'm going to take Detroit in
this one.

Speaker 2 (01:04:04):
Big.

Speaker 3 (01:04:04):
I do think Detroit is the toughest team in the
NFL this year to predict. They lost so many coaches
and I'm just usually not you know this I approved concept.

Speaker 2 (01:04:17):
I say that all the time.

Speaker 3 (01:04:19):
You've just you've lost positional coaches, you've lost your coordinators.

Speaker 2 (01:04:23):
To me, yea more.

Speaker 3 (01:04:27):
So now you're you've lost two guys on the offensive
line over the course of the offseason. It's just there
are a lot of question like That's why I said
earlier I think that the Packers are positioned to win
the North. I I think the Lions.

Speaker 2 (01:04:40):
Could take a step back this year.

Speaker 3 (01:04:41):
There's still a very good football team. This game is.
They're still better than the Steelers, so they win this game.

Speaker 2 (01:04:47):
To me.

Speaker 3 (01:04:48):
But man, I I don't love much about Like, I
don't love making a lot of big predictions for the
Lions because I think.

Speaker 2 (01:04:55):
They're pretty unpredictable.

Speaker 3 (01:04:57):
But they get to win here, which now puts the
Steelers a seven and eight.

Speaker 2 (01:05:01):
Yeah, I agree with you, honestly. Uh. The only thing
with the Lions lose it rag Now. Man. Oh, that's tough.
Their old line was the best of you know, like
second best behind the Eagles in football, you know, great tackles.

(01:05:25):
They're they're good. But rag Now was your you know,
spirit animal. That's a big loss, dude, big law.

Speaker 3 (01:05:33):
Putting the rookie in there to replace him likely, yes, dude,
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:05:37):
Man, I think I think you're right. I think it's
the Packers division right now. And then that's the kid.
The kid. The kid's the wild card because if JJ
is all that, he's got all the weapons in the world,
and he's got a great coach. I'm I'm sort of
in this spot where.

Speaker 3 (01:05:57):
While all of the North get so much love, I
think there's a pretty substantial question.

Speaker 2 (01:06:05):
For a lot of them.

Speaker 3 (01:06:07):
I think it's fair to say, as we just said,
there's several questions for the lines that need to be answered.
I think it's pretty fair and balanced to say JJ's
probably gonna need a little time to become whoever JJ's
gonna be, considering he didn't play anything last year, so
that takes the vikings back a tick. I think while
I think Ben Johnson is a home run higher for

(01:06:28):
the Bears, I also I've never seen him be a
head coach in the NFL. It's a totally different job
than the coordinator.

Speaker 2 (01:06:33):
We've seen this.

Speaker 3 (01:06:35):
Over and over and over again, where the hot candidate
takes a minute to adjust or isn't the head coach.

Speaker 2 (01:06:40):
That we think he's gonna be.

Speaker 3 (01:06:41):
So if you're sitting here and you're not a Bears fan,
there's pretty easy yeah, But for the Bears. So, I
think the entire North could take a little bit of
a step back this year. So where we saw last
year it felt like, Man, this team's gonna have, this
division's gonna have thirteen fourteen, win teams year in and
year out. Now, I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see

(01:07:01):
a lot of that division come back a little bit
to uh, to the to the sort of to the average.

Speaker 2 (01:07:07):
Yeah, which division steps up? We gotta finish the exercise?
We will? But which division steps up? I guess it's
the East because the Eagles ain't going nowhere, buddy. And then, yeah,
that's all.

Speaker 3 (01:07:24):
I saw an ESPN graphic the other day as I
was walking through the house. It's like it has the
Eagles window shut, Like how did you get that?

Speaker 2 (01:07:32):
How do we get there? Like?

Speaker 3 (01:07:34):
How do we suddenly get to that?

Speaker 2 (01:07:36):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (01:07:37):
But I also think I think Washington, Oh, I think
Washington could take a little step back.

Speaker 2 (01:07:44):
The analytics on it show that.

Speaker 3 (01:07:45):
They got really lucky. I'm not sure I believe in
the Giants, Like I don't know. I mean, if we're
really looking for a division to step up in the NFC,
I don't know what it.

Speaker 2 (01:07:56):
Is, because I think.

Speaker 3 (01:07:58):
There's some pretty serious question for San Francisco. So you know,
I don't know that I love the NFC West. I
don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:08:06):
I justin the East in this sense, right, because Veagles
are still laite the I think Washington, I get the
regression thing.

Speaker 3 (01:08:17):
I still think they're gonna be very good.

Speaker 2 (01:08:19):
Yeah. I love Daniels. Daniels. Daniels is great, Like he's not.
People go, oh c J. Stroud second year, that's that's
not that kid. First of all, used to have had
major O line issues, which hurts CJ and off and

(01:08:41):
on injuries to these receivers. Meanwhile, Jane Daniel's a different
player man because he moves, he's so elegant, and he's
such a weapon and everything he does, I don't think
he takes it. I think he has another great year.
I think he's just jet And I think they got better.

Speaker 3 (01:09:02):
They did get better. Do you think got better?

Speaker 2 (01:09:05):
Yeah? I think your Cowboys.

Speaker 3 (01:09:08):
Yeah. I don't trust the Cowboys coaching at all this
year because we have no idea. I think, like I
do believe Washington got better. I think getting better is
only going to make them stay where they are, take
a little step back because they were so lucky last year.
But better to be lucky than good. I would kill
to have a lucky season, you know, so better to

(01:09:29):
be lucky than good. But I do think a little
step back for Washington's there. The Cowboys are too much
of an unknown for me, and they were last year.

Speaker 2 (01:09:40):
Yeah yeah, I mean, I nobody hates some more than
I do.

Speaker 3 (01:09:44):
But what shy sucks like, I just I don't have
I have no idea. I have no idea what to expect.

Speaker 2 (01:09:51):
That's that's possible. But my only point is, like just
talking about it fairly. I think that they're gonna be
I think I like their draft, you know, I mean
I still think I don't understand what they're doing a
running back. But other than that, I mean, you get
the receiver, uh you know, I mean Prescott's back. The

(01:10:12):
one thing Prescott will do is win regular season games.
So they're gonna be better. I think they. I think
they're better, and truthfully, you gotta wait to see what
the quarterback. But I don't know. I like the Giants.
I like what the Giants have done. I think they've
drafted well. I think they're getting They're on the right track.
They're obviously light years away from the playoffs, but I

(01:10:35):
think as a division, the NFC East is better.

Speaker 3 (01:10:41):
Yeah, I agree with that.

Speaker 2 (01:10:42):
I agree with that for sure. All right, let's finish
this and then we're gonna take quick to you. So
at Cleveland, that's a win.

Speaker 3 (01:10:53):
The Browns are gonna be one of the three worst
teams in football.

Speaker 2 (01:10:56):
Sore. You go.

Speaker 3 (01:10:58):
And eight and the season game against the Ravens.

Speaker 2 (01:11:04):
Against the Ravens where the Ravens won't need the game,
so they win nine and eight. Buddy, No, see, I
got the opposite.

Speaker 3 (01:11:13):
I don't know that the Ravens won't need the game
for seeding, So I got the Ravens in a SUITEP
eight and nine, first ever Timelin losing season.

Speaker 2 (01:11:20):
Wow.

Speaker 3 (01:11:22):
Yeah, Aaron Rodgers gets you eight and nine.

Speaker 2 (01:11:26):
Wow. Man. When you go through that schedule.

Speaker 3 (01:11:29):
It's gonna start hot. It's gonna start hot, y'all. And
not like that's and everybody's gonna say.

Speaker 2 (01:11:34):
Look at this.

Speaker 3 (01:11:34):
They're four and one, and it's like, yep, who you playing?
This matters like it's just it just happens all the time.
Where we're the second half of the season, it's like,
what's happening, Well, nothing, it's just now they're actually playing
the meat of the schedule.

Speaker 2 (01:11:46):
Yeah yeah, I mean, look, you know those they are
no joke. That stretch is nasty. I mean starts with
me act the Chargers home Cincinnati actually ago home Buffalo
at Baltimore. We did we talk about Miami.

Speaker 3 (01:12:07):
We have Miami, right, Yeah, Well we had a big
win for the Steelers over the Dolphins. I don't know
what to do with the Dolphins this year either, Like
it's just it feels like that thing is just house
of cards ready to explode.

Speaker 2 (01:12:18):
Yeah. The reason why I said that is cool. I
felt the same way, like I look at the Dolphins
and I go, I don't like them, and I don't
know what I where they're at right now, and I
like the coach anyway, Uh, lots to do. Let's say
quick t o come right back, fellas right here Fox
Sports Radio, Fellas FITZI cause hanging with you, guys. Don't

(01:12:48):
forget to be sure to tune into Fox Sports Radio
is Countdown presented by Bett MGM every Saturday and Sunday
morning from ninny in the new Eastern six to nine
Pacific will count you down to all the biggest games
sitting in the Countdown presented by Bet MGM every Saturday
and Sunday morning right here on Fox What's Radio on
the iHeartRadio at you know, speaking of concerts, right ball,

(01:13:13):
they are something to bawl yesterday, right, Brian Baldinger, and
he's the greatest, so he says he's got a choice.
He could do Metallica at where are they at? Metallica

(01:13:33):
was at somewhere in Florida yesterday, right, and do that?
I think in Tampa with the Buccaneers, right, a couple
of the Buccaneers guys, because he was at Buccaneers uh
ot As with Todd Balls the other day. So we
could do Metallica with a couple of those dudes. Or

(01:13:56):
Shakira with his girlfriend in Miami.

Speaker 3 (01:14:03):
Okay, A couple of things. Yeah. Number one, I as
a kid, I love Metallica. Who didn't, right? But I'll
be honest. I watched a Metallica documentary like so many
people did, and once I watched like a historic rock
band going through group therapy together to figure out how
to communicate better. I just I don't know. I don't

(01:14:23):
want my I like my rock bands to be a
little edgier than that. And that's you know, somebody. That
therapy has been huge for me in my life. I
love I love it. But the concept of just sitting
down as a band and going through group therapy to
help marriage communication essentially it's just wild to me. I
don't know, lost a little my Metallica edge, so I'll
admit my bias here. But when you go to a concert,
you go to a spectacle, and the spectacle of Shakira is.

Speaker 2 (01:14:48):
From what I've heard, I've been to it this.

Speaker 3 (01:14:50):
Year, but the spectacle of Shakira is epic. It's the
sort of visual that you will never forget.

Speaker 2 (01:14:56):
So to me, i'd rather especially because of the visual
You're you're you're a Shakira fan. Yeah, I love Shakira. Yeah,
I love.

Speaker 3 (01:15:06):
This about you.

Speaker 2 (01:15:08):
I would pick Shakira.

Speaker 3 (01:15:09):
And it's not even close because a Metallica is not as.

Speaker 2 (01:15:14):
Good as they used to be.

Speaker 3 (01:15:15):
That's I think that's a pretty fair you know, no,
no disrespect to legends. I I just think you're probably
gonna get a better visual performance, more bang for your
buck because you're in this massive, like oh my god, performance,
it's going to stand out to you. And Shakira puts
on such a great show you can't you can't just
watch it on YouTube or listen to music and get

(01:15:36):
the same impact. If I was going to really soak
myself into Metallica for a night, I'd pull up some
of their old stuff. I would pull up an old
show on YouTube, I'd crank the volume in the house,
and I would just I'd let it just rumble my
couch that way, rather than go see them in stadium.

Speaker 2 (01:15:52):
If I'm making choices between the two, Shaquira, I will
tell you that now I I get a lot of
foe all off of this. My buddy Joe Ben. So,
Joe Benn and I we've seen Metallica probably four or
five times together, and they just played linking financial Fields.

(01:16:12):
And you know, with my kids schedule, I'm pretty much
apt on a lot of stuff. He is kids are older.
He went and he texted me a video and then
Andrew's like, dude, they were awesome. And I was like, wow,

(01:16:34):
Joe Ben's a great music man, So you would you
would love Joe Benn. He's a he's a he loves
me like he loves every kind of music, and he's
just he's just a fan of music, loves it, goes
the shows every week and he's like, dude, they were great.

Speaker 3 (01:16:55):
And that's incredible. Like that's what I want. I want
people that love to put on a show, and Metallics
is certainly always has right like it's just they always
have put on a show. I usually I defer to
some of those pop acts because there's just more interesting
visual things going on, like in a stadium show. But
you never know, like anybody that can rock it. Like

(01:17:17):
last we talked last week, I was going to Post
Malone and jelly Roll up unti Lette Stadium and I
had really high expectations for Posts and they were met.
That show is absolutely incredible if you're a Post Malone
fan at all, Like the stadium show he's putting on
right now is insane. It's great, and he's such an
engaging performer in general that it was a great watch.

(01:17:38):
But I was stunned. Like I knew jelly Roll was good.
I knew I liked his music. I've never seen him live.
Jelly Roll put on I think what might have been
the most engaging, connective country music performance I've ever seen
in my life. Like, so, you never know. When you
get a great performer that just knows how to relate
to a crowd and connect to a crowd that was

(01:18:00):
above and beyond anything, and that's something Metallica has always had.
Metallica knows how to connect to their audience. So i'lla
I'll give them credit there. Shakira just stands out to
me as such a visual performance. But well in Miami,
if Metallica still.

Speaker 2 (01:18:13):
Bring oh yeah, I mean if you're doing it in Miami. So,
by the way, that's a great sight. Now Brianna is
going to Shakira next week break.

Speaker 5 (01:18:24):
That's so fine. I am so excited. Yes, I cannot,
It's amazing. Yes, So that's gonna be awesome. So I
was like I would as soon as you said, I
was like, Shakira one hundred percent, no.

Speaker 2 (01:18:33):
No doubt.

Speaker 5 (01:18:34):
Yeah, I heard your gasp, she gasped, just in your ear,
not on the air.

Speaker 3 (01:18:42):
Another another factor though in Miami. Always think about who's
going to show up as a special guest that you'll
never see anywhere else. Like it's hard to get guests
worked into concerts. I don't imagine the Metallic is gonna
have a big floor to special guest Shakira in Miami.

Speaker 2 (01:18:57):
You never know.

Speaker 3 (01:18:57):
Like that just feels like you might end up getting
three or four different people out on that stage that
will be unforgettable.

Speaker 2 (01:19:03):
That's a good point. That's a good point.

Speaker 5 (01:19:05):
Who you going with, Bray Shakira one hundred and twenty
thousand percent no doubt in my mind.

Speaker 2 (01:19:11):
Who you going with? Oh with mon seat? Where the
fellas Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 1 (01:19:22):

Speaker 2 (01:19:26):
Good morning, Good morning, e buddy, well a happy happy
Uh Fox Sports Saturday every week. Where the fellas Jason Fitz,
Anthony Gargetti hanging with you guys from the Fox Sports
Radio studios. Uh, We're gonna get back into the playoffs,

(01:19:50):
which have been absolutely scintillating. Last night was one of
the great games you'll ever see. The first two games
of the NHL playoffs. The Stanley Cup Finals have been
just amazing. I can't like the superlatives aren't enough to
aptly say. I'm hoping that you guys watch it. I know,

(01:20:13):
you know we don't talk a ton of hockey. Both
fifteen and I our hockey fans, so you know we
love the sport. But hopefully you can dive in and
just see it because I know that we gather here
to talk about sports every week, and you know you
call the Fox Sports Radio every day because you love

(01:20:34):
it and you love competition. You thrive on competition. You
love to watch it, you love to see greatness, and
that's what that sport, it transcends it. That's what that
series has been so far, ultimate theater.

Speaker 3 (01:20:52):
It is so incredible to me too that if you
went back twenty years and you told hockey fans everywhere
that we would reach a point where in Nashville for
a period, Vegas now Florida, like the amount of domination

(01:21:14):
we've seen from non traditional markets, Like upstanding, every sport
has a different baseline, every support has a different floor.
When you think about how incredible expansion has been for
the NHL over the course of the last thirty years,
and just the fact that again, like nobody from Canada

(01:21:35):
has won a Cup since what ninety three? And I
was talking to a buddy last night as we were
watching the game, saying, imagine if we reached today where
we woke up one day and we said, man, no
American team has won a super Bowl in thirty five years, right,
Like that's insane to think about for a sport that
for generations was dominated by Canada. And to think all

(01:21:58):
the way back to when I was a kid and
Wayne Gretzky was traded to the Kings. I was living
in Vegas as little kid, traded to the Kings, Kings
changed their colors to silver and black, like it was
this big transcendent moment. Everybody was saying, this is so
incredible for the growth of the sport in America. To
go from that moment to where we are now, where
we're getting Florida, I'll say that again, Florida versus Edmonton

(01:22:22):
for the second straight year, and we are at a
spot where you almost take for granted that Florida has
been in so many key positions that even in a
game that they allowed the game time goal with whatever
eighteen seconds left right and then fought through double overtime
to get the win, like this is such a resilient
championship DNA franchise. At this point in the NHL, it's

(01:22:47):
wild just to think about how much the sport, for
all the conversation about you know, a hockey guy, and
doesn't get as much love for where hockey is compared
to where it has been and the growth of the
sport in that sense, I just I think sometimes we
need to press pause on our narratives and acknowledge how
well expansion has treated this sport overall and how special

(01:23:10):
it is.

Speaker 2 (01:23:10):
Like this series we're.

Speaker 3 (01:23:11):
Getting right now is Ooh, unbelievable. And I don't think
hockey's ever been better than it is today.

Speaker 2 (01:23:17):
Yeah, I love it. I love it. And the series
has it all because you're great teams and the whole thing,
but you also have the elite of the elite. And
when you figure McDavid, I mean he does things that
he looks like you're watching NHL twenty twenty five. But

(01:23:42):
like my son Masimo and I we go at it
all the time in NHL twenty five. We have these battles,
emic battles, and McDavid is fastin anybody right, Like you
could see like he's ninety nine for a reason and
feels like that in real time. Like when you watch him,

(01:24:04):
he's just faster than everybody else. He's more spectacular than
anybody else. The assist he makes yesterday to dry cdle
early that game was was freaking unreal.

Speaker 3 (01:24:19):
Yeah, And the vision, the placement, all of those things.
Like we were watching the first period last night, we
were watching a matchup between two teams where there were
a lot of goals and it wasn't because there was
bad goaltending. And that's that's when you know you're watching
something special. Is when you're seeing, you know, combined whatever,

(01:24:40):
it was, five goals in the first period and they
were just amazing shot after amazing shot. Just it's just
it's just absolutely.

Speaker 2 (01:24:49):
Incredible for that. Yeah, it really is McDavid. I mean
he's pushing Marryot for two. Yeah, I mean, he is amazing,
but he is and.

Speaker 3 (01:25:04):
He's only twenty eight.

Speaker 2 (01:25:06):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:25:06):
That's the other part of depending on you. There's so
many factors with health and all of these six but
especially if if McDavid wins a Cup for Edmonton, what
that does for just the way he will be seeing
the importance he has to the game, all of these things.
Just that's real. That's real. And you're talking about something.

Speaker 2 (01:25:30):
Direct line from Gretzky to McDavid. I mean, I looked
it up last night.

Speaker 3 (01:25:36):
It's again it's early in his career, but you know,
Gretzky averaged I think it was about one point nine
points per game at this point. McDavid's averaging about one
point seven points per game.

Speaker 2 (01:25:47):
It's not that far off, you know.

Speaker 3 (01:25:48):
And then you start thinking about impact and you start going, look,
there's for for our generation, it's impossible to think that
there's ever going to be another Gretzky, but for his generation,
he has the opportunity to be that level of impact,
and that's that's really special for somebody that just can
beat you a million different ways.

Speaker 2 (01:26:08):
It was funny because watching Gretzki on the broadcast these
I love the TNT broadcast. I think they do a
great job. I love, I love. You know, Brian Bouche
is a good friend of mine. He's uh, he's terrific.
He's from Philadelphia, and then that studio shows awesome. And

(01:26:31):
watching Gretzky's like just listen to him, you know, you
go back and it's a shame for younger people because
his records are records that are just never be broken
type of records like Babe Ruth, Like, I guess you
want to talk about like just sick numbers, like we

(01:26:52):
talked about Ovechkin and the fact that ovet Skin overtook
him any goals. Now go look at it set you
know what I mean. Well, it's it's great Leovetsk who
have to play for love of twenty years to catch him.

Speaker 3 (01:27:07):
It insists that's it's wild and it's crazy, and it
is more attainable to get an understanding of greatness of
players than ever, simply because YouTube allows it. So the
hope has got to be that, you know, the rising
fans that are learning the sport will go back and

(01:27:28):
just watch. When you see Gretzky on TV, you'll go
back and you watch the old clips and you see
some of what he had and how it stands up still.
You know, that's got to be the hope, because it
is funny to me that sports history, I think twenty
thirty years ago you'd hear about Bill Russell. You can't
really watch Bill Russell nowadays. If you really want to
have an opinion on Lebron versus MJ, you can go

(01:27:49):
back on YouTube and watch all of the MJ stuff
you want, you know, and sometimes for some for some
kids particularly, it doesn't translate. They don't really see it.
Gretzky translates if you watch the old if you watch
the old highlights, those magnificent goals are still otherworldly. It's
still otherworldly, stick ending, it's still otherworldly, body control, like
all of those things are true. That's universal.

Speaker 2 (01:28:10):
Yeah, yeah, totally totally right. All right, I want to
dive into this because we were waiting for the judge
to roll on the NCAA lawsuit and what would happen
and what's the offshoot. So the offshoot is there's going

(01:28:33):
to be a salary cap in place in college sports,
and there's some wild stuff happening across college sports that's
going to impact college football in college basketball in a
huge way, monster way, beginning first with a salary cap.

(01:28:53):
Now there's a twenty million dollars salary cap. That's the
minimum that they could spread their money around. But there's
also the nil which will also go to the pool.
We had a text chain going yesterday and FITZI, you
nailed it. You just said that there's going to be

(01:29:13):
a top it's top heavy and it's only going to
get more top heavy.

Speaker 3 (01:29:19):
Yeah, understanding, And look, I'm gonna be totally transparent with
the world. Our texted last night. One thing I said is, man,
I gotta do some reading. And as much as I
thought I was prepared, you know, we all knew this
this ruling was coming. Once you start reading through it,
I feel like I was in.

Speaker 2 (01:29:36):
College again, Like I'm just trying to figure this stuff out.

Speaker 3 (01:29:38):
You know, as you read through it, it just becomes
so apparent that schools is going to have to either
opt in or opt out of this, and they're gonna
have to figure out how they want to participate in it.
Some schools have already said they're not prepared to meet
the twenty dollars minimum so or twenty million dollar a cap,
So what are they.

Speaker 2 (01:29:54):
Going to do?

Speaker 3 (01:29:54):
Like it is, we are about to have the inevitable
change in college football that is going to lead to
a group of schools that choose to participate in college football.
And I believe a group of schools that decide it's
just not worth it, and they're either going to form
their own sort of like Division III, or they're going
to just figure out, hey, we're not going to have
college football programs anymore. And I'm not sure I fault that. Like,

(01:30:16):
if you're Middle Tennessee State University, it's already impossible to
compete with Alabama. What are you competing for in the
new market. If you're UNLV, you know, obviously I've listed
two places I've lived in, two places that mean a
lot to me. But if you're UNLV, I think you're
going to have to really look in the mirror and
ask yourself how competitive can we be and how much

(01:30:38):
money is it worth? Can we even raise the money consistently?
And one thing that's important to note is that there
will now be a committee that is in charge of
looking at all NIL deals. And they said that about
ninety percent of NIL deals that currently exists that have
come from companies would have been approved, but that number
is far less from collectives. So concept of a collective

(01:31:01):
just paying somebody to come play on top of the
salary cap, that's going to have to get approved by somebody.
That the new sort of ruler of college football that's
going to be named soon, that that that's not gonna
be easy. So I want to stress that we're still
in the wild wild West and there's a lot that
needs to be figured out.

Speaker 2 (01:31:19):
It maybe easier then we figure, well, like there's there
there's gonna be ton millions of dollars paid the kids.
That is not that you that is basically coming from
the collective. Hey, I need X amount of posts, right Like,

(01:31:42):
that's where social media is gonna come to play and
they're gonna get paid a bulk of their money through
social posting influencing.

Speaker 3 (01:31:52):
No, it's a real question is are they is that
still is the committee that reviews every NIL dealer are
they still going.

Speaker 2 (01:31:59):
To a lot those I can't get a real grasp
of that. Honestly, I think so. Yeah. So I had
this one. I had this the ad on from Saint
Joseph's University, Joe Bodensteiner, fascinating, fascinating woman. She ran Notre
Dame football, She helped run Notre Dame football for years.

(01:32:21):
She moved on to Saint jose to become their ad
And it's funny she had taught me. I talked to her, God,
this is a couple about six weeks ago, and she
brought up the one of the judge rules kind of
what would happen and like, they, uh, they they're not
a football school, so they're going all in on basketball.

(01:32:44):
She said, listen, what's gonna happen is you're gonna pick
your lane, like who's gonna take baseball, who's going to
take basketball, who's gonna take both? And then you know
football will be the one where only the biggest of
the bigs will do football and basketball because those will
be the most money and yees. She said that what's

(01:33:07):
going to happen is they'll have this committee or whatever
you want to call it, that's going to look at
all the deals, but it's still going to be the
way it's going to be set up. They're going to
lean toward, you know, allowing the payment. So that includes
the easiest thing in the world is well, they're influencer, right,

(01:33:31):
so I'll pay them to post. I mean, what's it
worth when you have you know, eight hundred thousand followers
and I got a business and they'll just wash it through.

Speaker 3 (01:33:43):
That well, and if it's coming through a business, it
looks like everyone is saying.

Speaker 2 (01:33:48):
Yes, if it's coming through a business.

Speaker 3 (01:33:49):
If it's coming straight through a collective, like there's a
bunch of schools that are going to have to figure
out what to do with their collective. So it's not
as simple as you and I together decide we're gonna
give money to a kid.

Speaker 2 (01:34:01):
To play a temple.

Speaker 3 (01:34:02):
He's gonna have to have something that he's doing to
play a temple in this situation, right, Like you're right,
I mean, we do live in a world, a world
where Kylie Jenner makes a million dollars a post, right,
So what is it worth for you know, somebody with
a huge following to post going to be you know,
obviously a lot, and they're gonna have to figure out

(01:34:22):
what all of that means. I think the eventual and
this is why they continue to say that this is
the first step, not the last step. I think the
eventuality we're headed towards is the college football is going
to look just like the NFL. There's gonna be a
whatever two hundred and fifty million dollars salary cap. However,
I'm just making imaginary numbers. There's gonna be a massive
salary cap, there's gonna be a commissioner, and schools are

(01:34:44):
going to try.

Speaker 2 (01:34:45):
And pull back all control again.

Speaker 3 (01:34:46):
But once we get to that point, we're gonna have
to ask how many schools could you be?

Speaker 5 (01:34:51):
Like?

Speaker 3 (01:34:51):
I don't know if everybody saw this, but yesterday EA
Sports announced that the college football video game this year
is going to pay on a scale, So they're going
to pay schools, not a standard amount. They're going to
pay schools based on how many people actually use that school.

Speaker 2 (01:35:07):
In the game.

Speaker 3 (01:35:08):
So if you are if you buy you know, EA
College Football twenty six, the money that goes to UNLV
is different than the money goes to Alabama because more
people will play as Alabama. And so that's again it's
just continually going to separate the haves and the have nots,
and I don't know how many programs can compete with
the money that's going to be asked to be spent.

(01:35:31):
Like I think there's an eventuality of a CBA and
a revenue split split that's much higher, and we're going
to end up with the NFL and college football looking
the exact same.

Speaker 2 (01:35:42):
I think it will. But I do think you're right
in that it'll be the NFL, but only more probably
think uh AFC is the Big ten and the NFC
is the SCC, Right, the ACC and Big twelve will

(01:36:03):
get folded into it at some point and you'll have
those super conferences locked into divisions. And that's kind of
how kind of I think it's arcing that way. Yeah,
you know, but it should.

Speaker 3 (01:36:19):
Be noted by the way, real quick that Deloitte is
running the NIL clearing so they'll be called nil cooint
for anyone that didn't see this. This is the important thing.
They'll look at every single deal for every single athlete
that is above six hundred dollars in value, and they
will have the right to decide if the deal is
an appropriate amount. So a deal might be submitted for

(01:36:41):
one hundred thousand dollars for an athlete and a third party.
But if they look at it and say, no, it's
actually only worth fifty thousand, they can cut the deal
in half, so they can alter the deals to align
with the suggested figure. It's pretty wild. I just I
genuinely am curious. The first time that gets that gets
questioned in court, how that's going to hold up. That's
the other part of it, right, We don't know, you know.

Speaker 2 (01:37:02):
Like like like if I'm the if I'm the lawyer
for an athlete and I go so, say, Deloitte denies
your fits. He owns uh a widget company, and do
you have this highly successful widget company. You're Larry Ellison, right,

(01:37:25):
and you want to go pay the quarterback. And then
Deloit goes, no, no, no, this deals excessive. Well, if
I'm the lawyer for the kid, I'm going, well, who
are you to tell the market value? The market value
is only what the kid, So his posts are what
they are. You can't tell. You can't tell Larry Ellison

(01:37:47):
or Jason fitz not to pay that kid. That's where
it's worth what it's worth his business. I don't know
how that holds up in court.

Speaker 3 (01:37:57):
I don't know, and nobody yet his answer for me
what all of this means for insurance and workers comp? Like,
I know nobody listening cares about workers comp. I would
just stressed to you that NFL, NFL players, it's a
huge part of life. And now that these kids are
being paid directly by schools, workers comp is going to
become a huge part insurance payouts for players.

Speaker 2 (01:38:19):
You are spot on right, So Jill, in that interview
I was talking about, Jill said, one of the things
that's interesting is so if they have if you have
a court, let's just say you the quarterback in their case,
they're basketball, and the quarterback gets hurt and their doctors
recommend something and the kid says, well, I need to

(01:38:43):
have a second opinion. Well, the university doesn't pay for
those second Like if you want to go to doctor
James Andrews, right, the school doesn't pay for that, Like
you've got to pay for that, And now you the
school could be liable because if their doctors say not

(01:39:04):
everything's good, and then all of a sudden the kid
does not have an NFL career, they could be able
to hook.

Speaker 3 (01:39:13):
It's it's I'll just say I had an agent buddy
that used to sit down with this play. He still does,
I'm sure, sits down with his players and he's like, hey,
if you were injured while playing, remember today's the last
day that you can sign that you can submit any workers'
comp claims. And in different states it works differently. It's
really complicated, and it's legally is that NFL players do

(01:39:34):
with every day. Now that these kids will actually be
employees of the school, it's going to become part of
that too. And nobody's explained to me who's paying for
it and how it's being paid for.

Speaker 2 (01:39:44):
Yeah, it's wild, man, it's crazy. But get but let's
get into the uh because I think that's wild. The
what EA Sports is doing. You gotta flush that out
because how does that work? Where the fellas right here?
Every week Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 4 (01:40:05):
listen live.

Speaker 2 (01:40:18):
Welcome back, Fellas, FITZI and hang in. So here's my question. Well,
we're talking about college in the landscape of college sports,
and don't forget you can stream our show with all
of our Fox Sports Radio shows live twenty four to
seven and the new and improved iHeartRadio app. So just

(01:40:41):
search Fox Sports Radio in the app to stream us
and you can stream us live. And the newest feature
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Radio as one of your presets, just like the presets
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just be sure to preset Fox Sports Radio with the
Heart Radio app and then it will always pop up

(01:41:03):
at the top of your screen, so it's right there
for you. Here's my question, is this a good thing
for college sports? And look, does everybody need to be
in the football right Like you're gonna be choosing certain
schools are gonna choose, you know, we're gonna like go

(01:41:26):
heavy into basketball, or we're gonna go heavy basketball, baseball, softball,
women's basketball, men's basketball. Like you know, like you're gonna
wind up choosing your revenue sports. So let's face it,
you got your monster revenue generator, which is football, and

(01:41:47):
then basketball's too, and then like baseball would be a
different distant third baseball.

Speaker 3 (01:41:54):
Softball, I mean, don't at some level for all of
the hend rate of what does this mean for the
future of college sports? I would argue that maybe it's
that whole method of Like there's a book called From
Good to Great, and it's about analyzing what you're doing
less things and analyzing what you're best at and doing.

Speaker 2 (01:42:14):
That at the highest possible level.

Speaker 3 (01:42:15):
They'll try to be everything to everybody, try to be
exactly who you are to the right people. Look, I'm
sitting twenty minutes from Yukon where I am right now.
What's the point of Yukon football and the new environment.
No offense to people that I know around that program,
But like I asked the question, genuinely, Yukon is not
competing for championships. They're not going to compete for the

(01:42:36):
playoffs more often than not, right, Like, that's not really
part of the lexicon of Yukon football. So every dollar
you're spending on Yukon football, you could be putting into
Yukon basketball, which is by the way, electric, and Yukon
women's basketball, which is by the way electric. Like, those
are two programs that genuinely fill their buildings every single night.

Speaker 2 (01:42:55):
So maybe it will in some ways.

Speaker 3 (01:42:59):
As weird as this all feels, you know, if your
school like that doesn't really have a prominent football program,
should you just consider shuttering it down, putting those resources
into college basketball, and deciding instead that that's the world
you want to compete in.

Speaker 2 (01:43:15):
Maybe we end.

Speaker 3 (01:43:16):
Up with instead of you know, one hundred and something
college football programs, maybe we only end up with forty
or fifty. And then that's where again, the NFL comps
become real. Like, maybe we end up with essentially forty
real college football programs that are all willing to put
the money in that it will take to do that,
and everybody else focuses on college basketball, which will make
the basketball better too, if you're putting all your resources there.

(01:43:38):
I don't think that that's right now. It feels catastrophic
to all of us that are used to what we're
used to. But I mean, in twenty years, how many
people will really give a damn if Duke football doesn't
exist as long as Duke basketball does.

Speaker 2 (01:43:53):
Now, I do think, I do think those those schools
like that you mentioned Duke like Duke football. They they
Duke should be a player in both, right, Like, I.

Speaker 3 (01:44:08):
Don't know if it's on the line for me, so
I'm interested to hear what you have saying this because
they're right on the line.

Speaker 2 (01:44:13):
For me, yeah, I would. I think their duty is
to be in football. Like you've already got all the
resources in basketball, but you could do even more in football.
I don't think I get your point about the streamlining
it because I agree with you, but I think it's

(01:44:34):
going to be more than forty. And I know your
numbers not you know. Yeah, I haven't sat down to
put it right, but I do think. But I mean
by like double like I do think there's going to
be plenty of football schools you're looking at like where

(01:44:54):
the edge is, like you continent interesting because that kind
of reminds me of they would be on the edge
of it, Temple Miama Mater would be on the edge
like they've been struggling and trying to be a player,
and they were with Matt Ruhle for a little bit.
And then it's really they can't get a coach to

(01:45:16):
stay because anytime. That's the real issue with a lot
of these guys is that a lot of these programs
is that when you have any kind of success, the
coach leaves, and now it's worse because now the kids
in the portal, are the kids will leaving just going
to the portal, Like the minute they have a good year,

(01:45:38):
you know, they're gonna go look to make bank and
you're probably not gonna be able to afford to keep them. Now,
those those you see these pop up programs right that
suddenly are in the game, Like, who was it, sm
you spent the most money last.

Speaker 3 (01:45:57):
Year, It's got to be they're right up there with
all that Texas money. I mean, there's no doubt they're
right up there somewhere.

Speaker 2 (01:46:07):
Yeah, And you're.

Speaker 3 (01:46:08):
Right, there are schools like that I'm not thinking Like
SMU certainly is one that I'm thinking I'm not thinking
of in general, So maybe maybe they're more like I
just googled it, like you know, and the quick search
on Yukon, for example, is that Yukon Football pulled in
two point two million dollars in ticket sales during the

(01:46:30):
last report of the year, which is twenty twenty three,
twenty four, So two point two million dollars in ticket sales, Like, yeah,
they get some money for playing some of their other games.
UNLV pulled it up two point five million dollars in
ticket sales. Yeah, they got one point five million dollars
for playing Michigan, you know, but you start looking at
some of these and saying, okay, now, all of a sudden,
in the next five years, you're going to need to

(01:46:50):
hit a salary cap at thirty five million dollars is
where they think it'll grow to in the first five years. Yeah,
thirty five million dollars just for your players, not to mention, however,
extra much for your coaching staff and then your facilities
and everybody else that's around it. You're talking about needing
to have sixty seventy million dollars at least that you
can just throw to football alone. I don't I don't

(01:47:15):
know that there are eighty schools that are going to
be If you need sixty million dollars, then you've got
to be generating one hundred to make that worth it.

Speaker 2 (01:47:24):
How many Actually general they will because of the conference money.
So as long as you're in a Big ten, SCC
ACC Big twelve to a lesser extent, but you know
you're you're going to be making back because the conference money.
The money in football is big, which is why there'll

(01:47:47):
be a second tier of football. Like you'll have your
eighty programs or whatever you want to call it, set
top seventy five. Then you'll have a another tier that
will be in but you want to call it the uh,

(01:48:08):
what's the secondary division called? And you have the EPL,
and then you have whatever the next league is, and
then you can have relegation that sort of thing. But
you'll have that. You'll have that because there's going to
be a need for it TV wise, right like, even
though it's lesser, still money, Like all these networks and

(01:48:32):
streamers are clamoring for football air. They want to air
it because they know that, you know, even the lesser
games are still being viewed.

Speaker 3 (01:48:46):
Yeah, that's a that's a that's a very good point.

Speaker 2 (01:48:48):
And the Big.

Speaker 3 (01:48:49):
Twelve TV deal is around fifty million dollars per school,
so that probably gets you to about halfway on what
you need to be able to meet some of these
vironments just for the football side. So maybe maybe it's there.
I I just don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:49:06):
I hear you.

Speaker 3 (01:49:07):
It's a really good point that TV they need the broadcast,
like all of these subscription services and streaming services, they
need football games to air. And a Mountain West game
is still going to matter because it's it's a viable
TV package.

Speaker 2 (01:49:22):
We're looking at Mac, right, look at match. People fell
in love with the patch, but how much?

Speaker 3 (01:49:28):
And I don't know this, Like I just in this environment.
So I'm looking here the MAC each school, each school
makes six hundred and seventy thousand dollars a year on
that TV deal.

Speaker 2 (01:49:41):
That's it. That's it.

Speaker 3 (01:49:43):
So the MAC conference each school six hundred and seventy
thousand according.

Speaker 2 (01:49:47):
To to Google.

Speaker 3 (01:49:49):
You know that might I don't know. I'm just looking
at that and saying, I don't know. I just don't
know how that's sustainable. I it looks like the MAC
deal is about to go up to one point five
to two point five million dollars per school per year.
I mean, that's just nowhere near what you're gonna have
to have to be competitive in this lens. So you're right,

(01:50:13):
you're gonna have to opt out of this deal, and
you're gonna have to create your own sort of side
hustle of of what it looks like. And you know,
I just don't know. I don't know what the long
term future of that is. Right.

Speaker 2 (01:50:25):
Well, the other aspect is that that we're the next
shoe to drop, which is gonna be a really interesting
one is when they start the billionaires start buying up schools.
M hm, So, which is gonna happen. They're gonna go
in and they're gonna treat them its universe. You'll say,

(01:50:46):
all right, you're we're gonna license the football program to you,
and you'll be the business like you'll pay the school
a rights holder's fee or whatever wherever the phase is,
and you run. You know, Michigan football is run by
uh an owner Larry Elsa insane, Right, that's insane. You're

(01:51:10):
you're right, And it's just insane to think about that
like it is, because you're someone to subsidize all the money.
Like if you're gonna if it's gonna take if it's
if it's if you're gonna take it's gonna take that
much money, then people are gonna come in and they're
gonna wanna they're gonna want to invest in it. It's

(01:51:30):
just just we'll get the stadiums and I don't know
how it's gonna are we gonna end up with owners
that are essentially licensing schools, Like, Hey, I own a
college football team and I'm gonna pay a licensing deal
to Michigan and make that that's already started. The guys
have already acquired ya. I know that that's great.

Speaker 3 (01:51:50):
I mean it makes business sense if I put my
shark tank hat on, like, that makes a ton of
business sense for everybody involved.

Speaker 2 (01:51:56):
But yeah, my god, it's just that.

Speaker 3 (01:51:58):
Like and again all the stems from the court ruling.
But also just now, if you're a fan of if
you go by the EA college football game, I keep
going back to this, and you just want the challenge
of playing is a bad team. So you're like, you
know what, I don't want to play even though I'm
a huge, lifelong, Diehardened Falls fan, I'm gonna pick a
really crappy team to play with. Well, now you're costing
your team money because every time you don't play as

(01:52:20):
your favorite team, that affects the payout your favorite team gets. Like,
that's just a different with a different.

Speaker 2 (01:52:25):
World hat, Cordy olliside explain it to me, because I
don't know how that is, Like how do you? Like?
Why is how did you gotta explain it to me?
Because it doesn't make sense you It doesn't make sense
how that would be the model. So I'm curious to

(01:52:45):
see what the details are where the fellas every week
right here on Fox Sports Radio. Hey, welcome back, fellas. So,
by the way, talking about tyraq dot com. For over
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here you go, ti Iraq play the day. What else

(01:53:29):
but Marchand's game winning goal in the second overtime g
w G today in your ports share had hit Marsha
tell the series any time.

Speaker 3 (01:53:47):
And overtime and the Panthers win game two by four.

Speaker 2 (01:53:51):
The series it's tied and a game apiece. Wow, thrilling stuff.
We'll get back to uh to NBA and NHL playoffs
next hour and another brain will want to discuss it
as well, but just to clarify, and then I want
you to kind of get into the EA thing because
I think that's fascinating too, because a lot of people

(01:54:12):
are asking me, uh, They're listening saying, hey, what is
that like? So, what does it mean? Is gonna go
into just football? Are just basketball? And Notre Dame what
are they doing? And you know Ohio State, and so
what it's gonna look like is for the most part,

(01:54:33):
your big state schools are all going to be everything.
Still they're not gonna it's not gonna change. So all
your big schools, your state schools, Penn State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Michigan,
like they're gonna all the Michigan State, they're all gonna
have all all sports, your bigger sports schools. Notre Dame
is going to have both football and basketball. The ones

(01:54:56):
that are gonna not do football are are your smaller
private Catholic schools. Like I mentioned the ad from Saint Joe's.
They don't have a football team, right, Like those smaller
Catholic schools are just gonna go all in on basketball,
which they already are basically now. Anyway, Saint John's, I mean,

(01:55:20):
go look through go look at those schools and they're
basketball schools. Anyway, Good Zaga like you're not going to
have they're not going to get into football. I don't
think it's going to be a mass like, oh my god,
they're gonna get rid of They're gonna get rid of
you know, football is going to go away. I don't
believe that.

Speaker 3 (01:55:42):
If you're an SEC big ten, if you're one of the.

Speaker 2 (01:55:45):
Power forwards, you're probably right most of the power force.

Speaker 3 (01:55:50):
What happens to Memphis for example, Like I talk to
my buddies in the Memphis station every week. I love
Memphis football, Memphis basketball.

Speaker 2 (01:55:58):
I love that city.

Speaker 3 (01:55:59):
But Memphis football, their program generates in total, including ticket sales,
media deals, sponsorships, around twenty million dollars a year. Is
Memphis going to be willing to lose money every year
to have football? I don't know long term the answer,
Like once we get to the spot that the salary
cap alone is the revenue sharing salary cap is going

(01:56:21):
to be thirty five million dollars. This said in five years,
that's a fifteen million dollar loss per year just to
start with, for Memphis football to be a team that
has very little maybe an outside shot at the College
Football Playoff is the highest ranked group of five. But
like that's you're begging and bleeding for it. I don't
share your confidence that programs like Memphis are going to

(01:56:44):
continue to invest in football in five years. I don't know.
I don't know why you do it. Like we saw
one of the NCAA. I can't forgive me if not
remember which team it was, but one of the NCAA
tournament teams this year from college basketball right after the
tournament declassified down Division III. And you know they did
that because they looked around the landscape and said, hey,

(01:57:04):
it's just no longer financially viable for us to try and.

Speaker 2 (01:57:07):
Rute, especially with basketball, because you're gonna have way more
competition in basketball.

Speaker 3 (01:57:14):
There was a there was a report from one of
the viable college reporters the other day that Jace Richardson
was making over twenty million dollars and in nil for
Michigan State last year. Like if that's if those numbers
are anywhere near real and I haven't done enough of
my own research to be able to verify that, but
like it's gonna become.

Speaker 2 (01:57:34):
Kids, right, Like yeah, but like they're the top, Like
basketball is an easy sport. It's a cheaper sport to do.
Like I agree with you with Like you brought up
a great point about Memphis football, Like I don't know
the antis.

Speaker 3 (01:57:49):
So I'm saying, like Memphis should take that money from
football and instead put it towards basketball because they need
them they could that money could help them compete in basketball.
That's why I think the Memphis Is of the world
will have to look around and decide.

Speaker 2 (01:58:01):
I also think that there's gonna be wealthy Memphis h
grads that go, well, we don't want to alumni that
we go, we don't want to, you know, get rid
of football.

Speaker 3 (01:58:13):
My only question is how wealthy do you have to
be to sustain a program for a decade. I just
don't know what that numbers.

Speaker 2 (01:58:20):
So, but is it would to compete? Like what's your
level of competition? Like they may be in the secondary
league right, Like there's gonna be two leagues. Well, we'll
get into it. We're the Fellas right here. Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 1 (01:58:40):

Speaker 2 (01:58:43):
Ah, good morning, good morning, Come on, good morning, happy,
happy happy Fox Sports Saturday. Summer. We're in, uh, we're
in summer baby, June seventh, hanging out. School's out soon
when school get out? For your right your way up there.

Speaker 3 (01:59:06):
I don't know, I've known it.

Speaker 2 (01:59:08):
Yeah, I know, I don't know. I don't have kids.

Speaker 3 (01:59:11):
I still see school buses driving around, so like school,
school is still going on.

Speaker 2 (01:59:15):
I think it's another week. Like my Anthony is high school.
He's done. But my uh, little one, Masmo, he's he's still. Uh,
he's got all the week and then and then I
don't think he'll be done. Uh, don't forget the podcast.
So here's the deal. Soon as you get off the air,

(01:59:38):
Brianna puts the podcast up, all right, so do his favorite.
Just search Fox Sports Radio where you your podcasts. Be
sure to follow review the podcast right at five stars. Again,
just search Fox Sports Radio wherever you get your podcasts. Right,
you'll see this show posted right after we get off
the air. Jason Fitz Anthony gargantto with our producing production team,

(02:00:00):
Brianna and Mighty Mark. We love them and they do
a great job. And we'll be talking about the playoffs
coming up shortly. The Brain will join us like he
does every Saturday around this time to give us some picks,
but just to put a rap all the college stuff
and the judges ruling yesterday about paying college colleges can

(02:00:25):
pay their athletes directly. We've been talking about how it
will impact football and basketball, and you'll see universities pairing
down their football programs. Some of them won't have football anymore.
I think that's real, but it'll be interesting, FITZI. I
do think there'll be a secondary league. Like I think

(02:00:45):
there'll be two leagues, one that's going to compete for
national championships and then the secondary league, which we'll have
its own championship that will be televised. That you know, again,
TV is a big it's such the biggest, the biggest
driver here that they're still gonna want games. So I

(02:01:07):
think you'll have a secondary league almost like you know,
the secondary basketball tournaments.

Speaker 3 (02:01:15):
The only I guess the reason I'm more skeptical to
that is we've already become such a why does anybody
care about the n I T Society? And it's so
hard to fill some of these stadiums anyway for some
of the smaller programs. So if you are one of
those teams that you know, all right, what are you

(02:01:38):
fighting for? Are you fighting for a group of five championship?

Speaker 2 (02:01:42):
Is?

Speaker 3 (02:01:42):
Does that even resonate anymore? In this new would would
that resonate?

Speaker 2 (02:01:47):
Whatever?

Speaker 3 (02:01:47):
This this relegated league becomes and you can't really call
a relegator just choosing not to spend the money on
it whatever.

Speaker 2 (02:01:53):
But I mean, you know, you're you still have your
uh one double a championship those and they spend it
costs money to run a program.

Speaker 3 (02:02:07):
Sure, but like you're you're right, there's certainly, you know,
there's certainly championships to be won at every level of football.
Nobody just tends to give a damn So I question
in ten years these schools that we're talking about that
are sort of on the fringe, once they've become part
of this secondary unit, like is that are we are

(02:02:29):
people paying attention to that or does it feel more
like the UFL at that point? Like does it feel
more like the It's a great question.

Speaker 2 (02:02:35):
It's a great question. But you know, you got to
find that amount of teams and what's it say when
you have private ownership and there's a lot of there's
a you know, there's a lot of people with a
lot of money that loves that want to get into sports,
and this will be way more affordable than having an

(02:02:56):
NFL team. So if I'm if I'm a big, you know,
big business owner in the South and I'm a wealthy person,
and you know, I could I want to turn Memphis
football into something I don't know, you know, it's I
think I think they'll be I think I'm more optimistic

(02:03:19):
than you are, obviously, And.

Speaker 3 (02:03:21):
Let me say, by the way, you're more optimistic about
all these other programs maintaining I'm not. I don't think
for all the people that sit here and scream, oh
my god, this is the death of college football, I
don't believe that. I believe that college football is going
to look a lot different. I think it's still gonna
be stronger than ever, and I still think it's gonna
be America's number two sport. I just think it's gonna

(02:03:41):
look a lot like the NFL. And I'm really okay
with you, Like I do want to stress that for
anyone listening, like if I this sounds really harsh, but
I'm just gonna have to be harsh for a second.
These schools, and I'm mentioning Memphis, Yukon, even UNLV places
like that. I'm talking about from a football stand, football, yeah, Temple.
Like if these programs eliminate football in five years, the

(02:04:02):
majority of the college football consciousness won't give it.

Speaker 2 (02:04:05):
Damn.

Speaker 3 (02:04:05):
They'll still be watching the three forty teams that are
in the new version of you know, college.

Speaker 2 (02:04:12):
You know, I mean, I don't know, like you know,
to your point, there are those fringe schools I do think,
I mean of the of the power for I mean,
what what programs would be in jeopardy. I mean, I
still think that Vanderbilt keeps its team.

Speaker 3 (02:04:34):
Keep it's negative, Andy makes money.

Speaker 2 (02:04:37):
I know. Well, let's I'm thinking about lower echelon schools
in the SEC. I don't see it. I don't see
anybody SEC going anywhere.

Speaker 3 (02:04:49):
No, I think the SEC is yeah, I can't be obviously,
TV money for the SEC and the Big ten, particularly
to help cover a lot of those losses.

Speaker 2 (02:05:00):
All right, So then now let's go to the ACC.

Speaker 3 (02:05:02):
Although wait, do we think are we one hundred percent
sure that like the really the bottom of the bear?
Like is cal? I don't know the answer to this.
I'm just speculating this. I'm just asking the question, like, yeah,
is cal. Uh? You know, when you talk about ACC
source schools like Cal Wake Forest.

Speaker 2 (02:05:21):
I'd be shocked if if they give up their programs.
I'll be honest with you, that would shock. I. Again,
the money's.

Speaker 3 (02:05:30):
There, Yeah, No, that's that's that's fair. I mean, I
think if we're talking about the power for, the money's
there for most of them, you know, so maybe to
your point, maybe I do have the number way off,
because certainly there's what's sixty eight Power four schools, and
I can't imagine any of them. I'm looking at the

(02:05:51):
Big twelve right now. I can't imagine there's a Big
twelve team that's suddenly just going to decide they don't
want to have football.

Speaker 2 (02:05:56):
They answer, right there, yeah, yeah, notre name, right, I.

Speaker 3 (02:06:02):
Mean, does Purdue keep a football team?

Speaker 2 (02:06:05):
Team? Right?

Speaker 3 (02:06:06):
Yes, yes, talking about the perennial.

Speaker 2 (02:06:09):
Northwestern Purdue, they're keeping football, I would I would think,
right yeah. And then and then you were to have
a dozen schools with big time you know, big time
NFL kind of linkedn lineage, they're gonna there's somebody's gonna

(02:06:30):
go to those schools with an investment into the program.
That's the other thing. You'll get investments into a program.
You get some you get some x NFL player that
wants to be a coach. I mean you see it
that with basketball, Jack right, who's the GMS now right?
Like you see that stuff?

Speaker 3 (02:06:52):
Yeah, I mean that's that's absolutely absolutely you're right for
a lot of these. As I look the power for
I can't find any power for school that I necessarily
think would would walk away from it. You know, it
just doesn't It doesn't make a lot of sense. You're right,
And if we end up with sixty eighteams like frankly, again,
that comes back to how many people are gonna miss

(02:07:13):
the rest? I you know, I don't know. And those
schools can figure out what they want to be. If
if a Conference USA, like if Middle Tennessee really wants
to have football and just loves it so much that
they want to find a way to compete, if there's
enough of those types of schools, then yeah, they'll they'll
find a way and.

Speaker 2 (02:07:30):
That will be it. And again, you know what, maybe
that and that's the secondary league and you're like, well,
who you know, who's who's going to watch? But it's
some good flick. Who watches it? Now? Like people watch
that stuff, they bet on it, they watch it. That's fair.
You throw it on off night, like, yeah, are they
going to watch it compared to you know, Ohio State

(02:07:52):
and Georgia. No. But if you throw it all a
Tuesday night, why do you think people watch that Max
and Max stuff? It's football? Who bets on it? Who
does fantasy? Who just likes them? It's just a football
junkie just wants to watch it. And by the way,
I don't know, like I put it on just to

(02:08:13):
maybe not I watching maction all the time, Like I'm not.
I'm not taking notes usually unless there's a player that
stands out, but like I have it on his background.
You know, I love it. I love a game, So
there's I think that there's room for it. I just can't.

Speaker 3 (02:08:32):
And maybe it's because the other leagues over the years,
like the XFL, have been new and so people don't
buy into it as much. I think maybe you're right.
Maybe that's where my my logic needs to split, because
all I all I think about is secondary leagues don't
really work in my mind. But maybe you're right, you know,
I mean, certainly we there's a line in the sand

(02:08:53):
that we don't pay attention to. Like nobody's watching Wisconsin
Whitewater and it's unfortunate because they won a lot of
D three championships, So you're good football program, but nobody
watches Wisconsin Whitewater games. Is that simply because of the
lack of TV exposure to it, or is that it
would it be the same? I don't know, Like will
people to name two through.

Speaker 2 (02:09:12):
I agree with you. Just nail that TV, soil TV. Yeah,
you know, people will watch it.

Speaker 3 (02:09:19):
I mean, will people watch the Mountain West? If the
Mountain West has absolutely no shot at the college football
playoff and it's considered a different.

Speaker 2 (02:09:25):
League, they have no shot.

Speaker 3 (02:09:27):
Now yeah, well, I mean you're right, you're right. I
mean they have that outside well the highest one.

Speaker 2 (02:09:32):
Yeah, yeah, but you're right on No, you're right.

Speaker 3 (02:09:35):
I will say, By the way, the numbers I found
the numbers on the Madden thing.

Speaker 2 (02:09:38):
By the way, I don't want to. Yeah, explain to
me a favor, Explain how this works and why they're
doing this.

Speaker 3 (02:09:46):
So Madden has decided with the new EA College Sports
twenty six game that they are going to pay universities
for the usage of their name, image likeness based on
a royalty system that's directly tied to how often teams
are you used in gameplay. They think it's a more
fair way to do it, so they're going to pay
on a scale. So this is the quote and this

(02:10:08):
game from a Freedom of Information Act request that actually
Yahoo's able to get, and it says for each college
football product released, they'll provide a percentage for each institution
based on the game played for that institution is a
percentage of the total games played across all institutions. So
here's the sample scenario to make it very easy. Total
royalties five million dollars for the whole game. Right, they'll

(02:10:31):
be a They can now track exactly how many games
have been played because of the way it's all done
online now, so is seven hundred million games. Let's say
one team gets seven million of those games. That means
they would get one percent of the allocation. They would
get fifty thousand dollars. So it's a it's a way
to tie it into the success. But it means that

(02:10:51):
if you as a fan, if you're just sitting there
and you're like, oh man, I'm.

Speaker 2 (02:10:55):
A balls fan.

Speaker 3 (02:10:56):
So you play a season as the Balls and you're like,
that was fun. I don't want to play another season,
and there's the vaalse. Now I'm gonna play as a
different team. So now I'm gonna pick Fandy because I
live in Nashville and I want to make the other
national team understand that what you're doing now is you're
actually costing your favorite team football money that we go
to their football program every time you play as a team,
not your favorite team, you're basically putting money in somebody

(02:11:18):
else's coffer. It's a very unique system that, because of
the ability to track the game online, will actually tie in.
So even when you're scheduling, Like if you're sitting here
and you're a Michigan fan and you schedule Michigan State
on your excuse, you can go in on the game
and change your schedule. When you play that Michigan State game,
you're actually making Michigan State fractions of a cent and

(02:11:40):
all will go into a royalty pile because that's a
game that involves Michigan State even as your opponents. So
it's real. It's revolutionary. But I would say, is somebody
that plays these games all the time? That part of
the fun from the college football standpoint, where I don't
have the same like I always play as the Raiders
are Madden, that that never changes. But when you play
college foot well, to me, part of the fun is saying, Okay,

(02:12:02):
what's the worst program I can turn into a national
championship contender. When you're doing that, you're actually no longer
earning money for your favorite team. It's a wild concept
to wrap your head around, but it also reminds us
that even the college football landscape is accepting that the
haves and the have nots are being separated and literally
everything that happens.

Speaker 2 (02:12:23):
That's wild. Man, that's crazy, very very crazy. That's crazy.
Great story though, man, it's interesting times. Really is fascinating stuff.

Speaker 3 (02:12:34):
And I do think it's important to stress you and
I love college football, and you and I agree that
college football is not dying. College football is not going away,
college football is not having this Oh my god, it's
company of the sport in the future. I think college
football is healthier than ever. And the numbers for the
majority of last year, not for the playoffs, but the
number for the majority of last year showed that. I

(02:12:57):
just I think at the end of the day, all
of this junk we're talking about now will not matter
to a single person once we get into September and
we have the chance to actually watch college football games.

Speaker 2 (02:13:08):
That's right. I mean, it's only gonna matter to the
kids who are playing, who are going to get paid.
I mean, that's it. You know, ultimately, you're still your
team is still going to be your team, and you
know the haves already are haves or you know who
they are and who are vying for a national title?

(02:13:30):
It really is. It's it's so interesting. Well, we'll come back.
Let's take it quick to you a lot of the brain,
but I want to dive into We'll do with him too.
We'll dive into it. Fitzy the NBA tomorrow. I how
we're looking at at game two. We talked a lot
about it earlier and then we got a gush over

(02:13:53):
this NHL again. I'm sorry, I'm freaking well. We love it,
fifty and I love it. I was always up up
there watching the game with you. Man. That was uh,
that was umble. Did you stay the whole time in
the bar? No? No, no double overtime? I know, yeah, yeah, yeah,
I hear there was a five, But you remember the

(02:14:13):
five overtime playoff game, kadya. It was Flyers Penguins. I
was in a bar and two o'clock the bars closed
in Philadelphia, so two o'clock it was like the start
of the Still it was still in the fourth overtime,

(02:14:34):
and the bartenders like, listen, I'll let I'm just gonna
lock the door, but I'll make sure you guys can stay,
and like nobody was gonna leave, so we stayed for
another forty five minutes, and you know it was it
was you know, they still you know, they still served us.

(02:14:54):
What's boast of me? He's like, I got you. I
got you because we were gonna sit there, We're having
another beer, you know what I mean? All right, well,
we'll take quick to you. We'll come back, we'll talk
about the playoffs, Fellas Jason fitz Anthony Garganta right here
on Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 4 (02:15:13):
listen live.

Speaker 2 (02:15:26):
Fellas Jason Fitz Fits Anthony Gargano hanging out with you guys.
On a Saturday, June the seventh, I believe, ninety ninety
seven days to the start of the NFL season, we're

(02:15:49):
winding down NBA, NHL, joining us to break down that
some baseball, like he does each week from a betting standpoint,
the brain, uh brain, Before we get to that stuff.
How incredible was that game last night?

Speaker 6 (02:16:08):
It was one of the best games I've seen. I mean,
you may think that type of probably, I just that
was amazing. I was like so like just like just
enthralled by it. It was unbelievable, unbelievable.

Speaker 3 (02:16:21):
The fitcy that were gusting, right, Yeah, I mean this
is this is one of the best series I think
we could ever. It's fair to save two games in overtime,
double overtime, there's got to be. It was pacing to
be the greatest standing Cup final of all time. And
it's a rematch from last year. Like this, just this,
this series is so incredible for the sport and for

(02:16:42):
fans and just it's the best of the best of
the highest quality of hockey all at once.

Speaker 6 (02:16:48):
To me, watching Hagler Herts accept in hockey, it was unbelievable.

Speaker 2 (02:16:52):
Great analogy, it really was.

Speaker 6 (02:16:55):
And and just watching like the man it's funny sitching
that first overtime. I god, Florida had like so many
chances to you know what I mean, like the breakaways
and one I know what's crazy is the way the
game ended. You know, marshn really barely even it was
you know what I mean, It was almost like such
a weird ending. Yeah it was a breakaway, but he

(02:17:15):
he didn't even really shoot the puck, you know, it
was just just you wouldn't have thought that out of
the way the end that was the last man. But
I thought it was a phenomenal game. Absolutely, It's been
incredible series. I mean, the level of play has been
incredible and just a dude.

Speaker 2 (02:17:31):
How about just watching him like he's he's mc jesus,
He's unbelievable what he does, my god, between the legs
of the passes that he makes. He set out the
game winner in game one, I mean, uh, which was
to Corey, which is unbelievable.

Speaker 6 (02:17:51):
Really was again, can't an, I can't. I could not
agree with you more. I mean, it's just absolutely incredible stuff. Again,
I don't recall enjoying it like a two games more.
I mean I'm sure maybe that have been, but I've
enjoyed more than these two games back to back. I
thought they were that good, that incredible that like again,

(02:18:13):
I just didn't want to take my eyes off it.
It was. It was phenomenal stuff.

Speaker 3 (02:18:18):
Is there anything that you've seen through two games that
makes you think there's a trend worth betting moving forward
in the series?

Speaker 6 (02:18:27):
You know, I mean, I guess just I mean, maybe
just this sheer skill of the players that maybe again
the totals freaking high. I mean, the total is six
and a half, which is just high. And I just
maybe that these teams so good, just and skilled that

(02:18:48):
you know, both teams should score three goals maybe and
then you know, maybe this maybe lean over, which I
usually don't like doing. But as I said, I'm just
these games really when they'm these really all probably in reality,
just fifty fifty games, like you know what I mean.
Like it's like I don't think hoole mice means anything.
I think it's just it'ld be so tight. You know,

(02:19:10):
who gets that break?

Speaker 2 (02:19:12):
Who?

Speaker 6 (02:19:12):
Don't you know what I mean? Who commits a man
cost a penalty?

Speaker 2 (02:19:15):
Uh?

Speaker 6 (02:19:15):
But just an incredible series.

Speaker 2 (02:19:17):
Well you said it about the about the total. I
tell you, I think that's legitimate because the goaltending has
been excellent, Like it sounds crazy. There were five goals
in the first period, but there were no cheap cords
right at all? I mean, I mean, and by the way,
both Skinner and Bob have taken turns standing on their

(02:19:41):
head man like we don't stand on the heads like
they've had. Flower's made great saves, like ridiculous saves.

Speaker 6 (02:19:50):
Oh listen, I'm with you one hundred percent. I say
it the same way, and it was just again, it's
been It's been incredible. Un listen, also got only one
game out, he's going to be like this, but we
could get guys a great first game in the NBA
finals as well, at least to the way end of
it was. It wasn't the wall to wall like NonStop
drama like the NHL. But you know, at least she

(02:20:12):
got a crazy or exciting ending. So at least, you know,
so far for these two sports, they've at least gotten
three games, and I'm sure that they're all like pretty
pretty happy with.

Speaker 2 (02:20:22):
Well you mentioned that, Yeah, the NBA game.

Speaker 3 (02:20:26):
I've been anxious to ask you about this because live
betting is what so much of us are doing in general,
and it's the right approach. Ye, live betting against the
Pacers just seems like it's the wrong approach. Like what
are we supposed to make about this Indiana thing?

Speaker 2 (02:20:41):
Yeah?

Speaker 6 (02:20:42):
I mean listening as you said, like, if you've been
my O being against Indiana, man, you better check your
bank account. Are you still suck? They have money up
to go out to dinner still? Because you're right, they
have just been coming back left, right and up the middle.
It's been incredibly impressed. It's incredibly impressive. Uh and it's
like almost like one of those I mean, they keep
breaking fifty like every every max you know, geek probability,

(02:21:07):
like you know, here, what are the chances of this
where there's no way, there's no way, there's no way,
and you know, it's just they just keep doing it.
Now again, I will say this, it's easier to come
back today than don't win any time there's ever did,
right because the advent of the three and the way
it's become so just ingrained in the world today as

(02:21:28):
opposed to like fifteen years ago, teams weren't shooting threes
like this now the way they shoot threes, it's just
it's easier to come back. But again, all the credit
to Indiana and Anty I know, I me and you've
discussed it with O Caasee as good as they are,
get stuck in the half court. Very pedestrian team, very pedestrian,
which is why I don't deserve this team anywhere near

(02:21:49):
an all time great team. You know, their numbers should
say that they are. I don't put them in a
category of like those warrior teams, those bulls teams, Lakers teams,
heat teams with bron Spurs teams. I don't put him
anywhere near that group because those teams wouldn't struggle like
Batman court.

Speaker 2 (02:22:06):
Well, the problem is they go when it turns half
court like you saw it, you know when in the
end hit those streets the top, it hits the three
to cut it to seven or four, and then they
cut it to one. And each of those possessions as
the lead was dwindling, each of those half court possessions

(02:22:30):
were just SGA trying to break down his man.

Speaker 6 (02:22:34):
Yeah, it's exactly correct. I mean, that is exactly exactly,
exactly correct. And I getting a lot of pressure on him,
for sure, because he doesn't have for him like I
thought that Jalen Williams was. For sure, hopefully can be
that like Robin Tis Batman, but I don't know.

Speaker 2 (02:22:54):
I mean no, And that's the point because a couple
of times he missed, like he missed a couple of
dry Yeah, it's like, dude, you got to make that
man wall was a bunny and then the other one
he had a wide open three. SGA sent them up nicely.
You gotta know if he knocks that down that's ballgame,

(02:23:15):
Like somebody has to step up all because SGA delivers,
man and they collapse on them. Somebody else is to
make shots.

Speaker 6 (02:23:25):
Yeah, it's again, it's listened at the end of the day.
It's like in sports and the biggest moments, right, either
you get it done or you don't. Uh, And if
you don't, I mean that's just you know, the only
you're gonna feel that pain. And Okay, see now this
they lost to Denver game I don't I think I

(02:23:45):
think it was a game one of.

Speaker 2 (02:23:46):
The Denver series.

Speaker 6 (02:23:47):
Remember they were up. I think they were up like
fifteen late and they blew that one and Denver was
never winning and Aaron Gordon hit that great three and
then this game they're winning for forty seven minutes fifty
nine seconds seven And yeah, it's just you'd never want
to lose these kind of playoff games. It's I mean,
obviously I'm captain obvious there, but it hurts. Now they

(02:24:10):
have to go. They have to win the best seven.
They got to win five games, not four, because they
won game one. They want it, did everything, kept showing
the scoreboard. They want it, so, you know, but I
think they're good enough to do it. But obviously, you know,
Indiana's been underrated, and I do give them credit.

Speaker 3 (02:24:26):
Is there is there some logic that you can take
from game one into game two, like how much transfers in?
How much adjustment do you expect like when you're betting it,
how much do you have to sort of hold your
strategy for game two.

Speaker 6 (02:24:41):
Well, the one thing I'll say is, well, it's interesting.
One of the advantages I think fifty that okac's had
throughout these playoffs, right is anytime their bench was on
or whatnot, they anytime they're they always have a good
player from the court. Ok see something it faced teams
that when their bench was on the court, there wasn't

(02:25:03):
always five good productive players in the court because you
have to rest guys at certain points in the game.
Indiana is the only team in the NBA, in my opinion,
where their bench is as good, maybe even better than
the OKC where they always and they always have a
good player on the court. And we saw with top
In and with McConnell those guys play really really well,

(02:25:24):
which I don't think other teams have pressured them with
their bench ever in any of these series where they
could be like Okay, when we have our non starters in,
we can maybe not only not lose, we can maybe
even zoom past you with our bench. And I think
we saw that the Pacers bench was productive, and maybe
I think that's a little bit of a different thing
that OKAC hasn't faced as well, that they're actually facing

(02:25:46):
a team that you know, their depth is actually matched here.
And again I do think that OKAC is the better team.
They will eventually win, but Indiana can hang in terms
of having good quality players.

Speaker 2 (02:25:59):
So how do you kind of approached this thing? Now? Well,
they gave Yeah, it's like like even they got a
blood Like they were a couple of do you use
the boxing nowgy, there were a couple of shots away
from knocking the mout right the leads like eighteen twenty.

(02:26:20):
Now they can't come back.

Speaker 6 (02:26:22):
Well, here's the thing right now, right, who's everyone in
their grandmother's going to want to play? Okay? See it right?
I get it, Like it's like, how could you not
want to play?

Speaker 3 (02:26:31):
Okay?

Speaker 6 (02:26:31):
See, they must win at home game two? They cannot
lose this game obviously. Well I shouldn't say that they
actually still probably could, but realistically it will be very difficult.
If they do lose, it will not be something ideal.
And you figure they're going to win the game, so
everyone's going over to play them. Now that game one
on Anthony opened eight and a half, nine closed. It's

(02:26:54):
high than but mostly nine's okay. So this game got
to eleven and a half, okay because you're getting taxed,
taxed to the heavens if you want to take Okay,
see now it's been bet back down to eleven. I
thought it was liger to twelve. I really did. And
if it went to twelve, I was going to make
a get my feet in the pool and for sure

(02:27:15):
take Indiana gain twelve. But now that's back to eleven.
Definitely lean for me in Indiana. But I just can't
do it. I can't quite get there. It actually bet
my own money on it, but my five Beginiana because
you're getting a two point tax. And again my theory is, guys,
I don't think because Indiana one game one, they're like, okay,
we won game one, Yeah, whatever, if we lose game two,
who cares. I don't know how that mentality could ever

(02:27:37):
be possible. And that's how sometimes when these people think
of these things, say oh, they wanted. They don't you know,
the zigzag theory whatnot. But to me, they just won
game one. They're feeling goods, like, all right, let's let's
let's win them both. That's the seven lad we could
relax from the offseason. I'm even give Max effort knowing that,
why am I throwing any game away? So to me,
I think you're just getting a two point tax when

(02:27:59):
in reality, I think it's the same game as Game one.
And if you liked Indiana in game one plus nine,
I probably like the game two plus eleven. But for me,
I would needed twelve to actually bet the game of myself.
All right, I like the side of mine.

Speaker 3 (02:28:16):
I'm gonna ask you a philosophical question. I wanted to
teach the world how to fish.

Speaker 2 (02:28:19):
For a second.

Speaker 3 (02:28:21):
Has the change in the approach of basketball strategically and
the way it's shot now and the way leads sort
of just are eliminated everywhere? Like, has it changed your
overall concept or strategy? Or I mean, because football feels
so much easier at times, the NBA feels so unpredictable,
does it change for you as a pro any of this?

(02:28:43):
Has it changed the way you approach to sport in general.

Speaker 6 (02:28:46):
It's a great question. Yeah, I mean, listen, obviously, with
you know, the advent of the way the phrase becomes,
so it's just prevalent. Yeah, I mean, obviously, leads can evaporate. Look,
I've done quite well all doing live betting, and I've
done that's actually done very well this postseason as well,
despite all these comebacks, because usually I'm a lot of

(02:29:09):
times taking teams that are doing well and if they
if I think the line is overcorrected for a regression,
I think sometimes they overdo those lines. Now with Indiana,
a lot of these things have come in the last
literally the last two minutes, so it really hasn't effect
because I'm not doing those bets at that time in
the game. Look, I know, with with the way the

(02:29:33):
game is now, leaves can evaporate Crooker than they ever
used to evaporate, right, It's like I do know that.
It's like and two, you didn't used to be a
two points version NFL. Now it's two punk version. It's
easier for if you're down eight right now, you can
actually tie up the game. As close as twenty five
years ago you couldn't. So, but I it hasn't only
affected me a ton city answer your question, but I'm

(02:29:55):
just very cognizant of it is easier for that that
lead be to three. And the teams play conservatively like
we've seen in hockey teams going to a show. If
you can put a conservative show in the NBA and
some of these games, guys, you're gonna get you're gonna
get smacked. And you got to still be aggressive and
score because we've seen it time after time within Dana

(02:30:15):
if you just try to like drive off the clock
and you know it's not gonna work because these teams
can and will score it and make this game close
before you know it all.

Speaker 2 (02:30:24):
Right, because we're up against it. So hit us with
what you got and also I know you can work
it all props for tomorrow night. So you know, hit
us with baseball and the props for tomorrow night. You
got it.

Speaker 6 (02:30:38):
You got it, my friend, it's funny props. Team down,
they'll go quick. But I bet ten props in game
one man Anthony Day fifty. They adjusted like every single
one of them the way I thought was right. The
one that I still think has value again because he's
there's no free lunches but I teach you McConnell over
six and a half points, one over seventy one per
center in the regular season, eleven and six in the postseason.

(02:31:00):
I do think the guy's the most just I just
love the guy. I just think that that line should
be seven and a half. You say, what's the edge?
Roman lands on the seven? That was the edge should
be seven and a half. I like TJ McConnell over
six and a half points. That would be my favorite
prop in the game. And then baseball real quick, guys,
local things are like a lot today. I like the
Astros minus usual lay last one. I think it's like
one twenty in the five inning line against the Guardians

(02:31:21):
front of Brown arguably the best picture in the sport
after school right now over Gavin Williams. I think that's
a very strong play. I like under four and a
half five inning line. Garrett Krousher, who's been brilliant all
year against Ryan Yarbro who for the Yankees. Guys, he's
had like seven brilliant starts to row Red Sox usually don't.

Speaker 2 (02:31:39):
Get fifty an hour. What's that he throws sixty two
miles an hour.

Speaker 6 (02:31:47):
Yeah, but you know what, I mean, I know the case,
my friend, but you know what it's about. He pitched
really well.

Speaker 2 (02:31:53):
The Dodgers couldn't figure them out. She couldn't figure him outs.

Speaker 6 (02:31:56):
On the night he's been he's pitched roll against good
competition to shut out the Dodgers last week and under
five in the five inning line. Taj Browley has been
very very hot. Ryan Weathers is the Marlins death picture
who's been very very solid. I've been fading. Tampa Bay's
offense has been very very profitable for me. I like
under five runs, I don't like the least six.

Speaker 2 (02:32:17):
Rows and acond. You got it, buddy, Good stuff, man,
good luck and enjoy. You're great sportsman. So you see
your buddy, see you, buddy. All right, fellas, we'll come back.
We'll wrap it up right here on this Saturday, July seventh,
Jason Fitz, Anthony Gargana on Fox Sports Radio, take.

Speaker 3 (02:32:42):
It, bro, can't talk over Frank, come on, man, the fellas.
He's Anthony Gogt on Jason Fitz, come on now. I mean,
every time I hear this, it makes me smile so much.
I you know, there's just something about Saturday mornings that
feel special when I was a kid, it was Saturday
Morning cartoons allow by WWF back then now now WWE Now,

(02:33:04):
Saturday Mornings are special because it's the Fellas.

Speaker 2 (02:33:06):
And this whole family that we got up here. Oh
it feels good.

Speaker 3 (02:33:10):
Even in the off season, it just feels good.

Speaker 2 (02:33:13):
I'm with you, brother, I look forward to it. So
they they used to do this thing Sundays with Sinatra
Sunday Mornings. They would always have Sunday's Mornings and you're
right like that, it's a great way to end the show.
And because it's there's something relaxing about it, like pleasing
and still like my parents would listen to it, and uh,

(02:33:36):
you know, it was one of those things. But you're
you're you're spot on, spot on. Every Sunday morning they
would have they would have that gone with My mother
would really my grandmother would be cooking and she would
make this big pot of we call it grainy, which
is tomato sauce with you know, meat balls, and she'd

(02:33:57):
make homemade and yukies and pasta and stuff like that
would be a Sunday morning.

Speaker 3 (02:34:05):
Now, are you just it's just a philosophical question here,
are you one to correct? Like if I'm hanging out
with the family and I say, ricotta, am I getting corrected?

Speaker 2 (02:34:14):
Is that? Like? Is that?

Speaker 3 (02:34:16):
You know there are plenty of people that they start
asking me to say different, you know, plenty of people
that have Italian roots that will come back and be like, no,
it's we're going or whatever, like doesn't feel cool, Like
you know.

Speaker 2 (02:34:28):
No, I wouldn't do that. No, that's you know, second
of all the Italian Americans butcher the Italian language like
it's not regutt right, like I always hear that. You know,
it's supposed to be unacolta, right, like that's the way
the Italians say it, but we bastardize it because we

(02:34:52):
are all all these poor people from the south that
came over from the southern Italy looking for work, and
they opt the last part of the word off. It's
no different than you know, you would say like people
would say I'm bringing instead of bringing, I'm bringing, right,
Like that's what they did because they were uneducated people

(02:35:15):
from the south, So that that's hound the language kind
of developed or.

Speaker 3 (02:35:22):
What you just said was a little clinic, right, And
I love this. I have to stress this to people
when I because I am so when it comes to
most things that are not sports or music related. I
fall somewhere on the path of indifference, like I just
don't pay attention to a lot of the world. And
I understand that that's not always the best way to be,
but it's just for me. One of the hardest things

(02:35:43):
for me to internalize or figure out in general is
that I know a lot about the sports business. I
know a lot about the music business. And I hear
people all the time on TV and radio that are
supposedly experts in both say things that are just flat
out and correct. I know they're incorrect, and you go
to try and correct somebody on something that I've lived

(02:36:04):
and you can't get anybody to believe you. It's it's
one of the good Like you just gave me a
clinic on pronunciation. And the funny thing is, if we
were putting that out on Twitter, there's one hundred people
that would tell you you're an idiot, you know what
you're talking about because they heard it another way. It's
one of the great weird things about the world today
is that you can't you can't convince anybody of the truth,

(02:36:24):
even if you've lived through it. You just have to
accept everybody else. It's it's a very weird world.

Speaker 2 (02:36:30):
We live in.

Speaker 3 (02:36:30):
You can you can convince a conspiracy theorist of another
conspiracy theory easily. You just can never convince them of
the truth, even if you've lived it, been in the room,
they just won't believe you. So it's it's a very
weird world.

Speaker 2 (02:36:42):
Yeah, I'm lucky to try to change anybody. I'd be
honest with you, like, I don't know, I'm lucky to
change people like you want, you know, I mean, I
can tell you it.

Speaker 3 (02:36:51):
Was Cannon Reeves. It was like, I'm at the point
in my life now where if somebody says two plus
two equals five, I'm like, okay, I don't care. Like
there's there's a truth to that.

Speaker 2 (02:37:01):
That's it, man, you know, let live. I just want
to enjoy life, right, I'm not stressed over nonsense. I
want to enjoy my sports right, Like, that's it. I
got a tournament. I gotta drive. We go off the air.
I gotta go drive an hour and twenty minutes of
the rain for a baseball tournament. And I'm gonna go.
All right, it's great, get to watch my kid play.

(02:37:25):
We're all gonna we're all gonna you know, it's the
simple pleasures of life. Man, Saturday afternoon. You know, I'll
come home, I'll make a cocktail, all right, and that'll
be my day. That'll be a nice day. What are
you doing?

Speaker 3 (02:37:39):
The simple pleasures? By the way, Like I it's amazing
how we just forget to enjoy those, Like yeah, I
think this time of year, it's just enjoy. Like there's
a little Polish food festival down the road tomorrow. I'm
just gonna go hang out, just go walk, n.

Speaker 2 (02:37:56):
Like, just enjoy the baby. Look at that.

Speaker 3 (02:38:00):
I mean, my body's a temple. But I might have
a parogi like a PAROCHI.

Speaker 2 (02:38:04):
Oh it's right, you can't. Yeah, you gotta have one.

Speaker 3 (02:38:06):
I have one.

Speaker 2 (02:38:07):
I have one. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Polish festival, got have one. Yeah,
you gotta have one. That's a that's a great item.
That's a fine item. All right. Who you like tomorrow night?

Speaker 3 (02:38:19):
Okay, see okay, see pretty definitively.

Speaker 2 (02:38:23):
Yeah, that means in the air, I feel the same way.
It means Indiana is gonna win. I have a great weekend. Everybody,
We love you.

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