Tracy Sandler & Nikki Kay Talk NBA Finals, Blockbuster NFL Trades, Aaron Judge Injury & More!

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

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Hello, Hello, Hello, I.

Speaker 3 (00:06):
Am Tracy Sandler, joined by the wonderful Nikky Kay.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
That was Rianna Burrow. You heard born of a plause
did Oh my god? I love Iowa Steve.

Speaker 4 (00:17):
Thank you Sam Siah.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
I was close.

Speaker 3 (00:22):
I actually I prefer Iowa Steve. But I'm glad Iowa
Sam is here today.

Speaker 4 (00:26):
Would you rather have the name be mistaken or the
state be mistake? Would you rather be an Illinois Sam
or an iowast I'd rather be Io Steve.

Speaker 3 (00:36):
Okay, Okay, Well I went to Michigan, so I just
may call you like Michigan Jeff.

Speaker 4 (00:41):
Okay, whatever you want, just here today.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
Iowa Sam.

Speaker 4 (00:44):
Don't call me late for dinner. Oh I like that.
We've got on's listening. She'd love that joke.

Speaker 3 (00:52):
A plus Iowa Sam for the second round of applause.
I'm getting your name right, but just because of that,
Thank you, Michigan Jeff.

Speaker 2 (00:58):
All Right, you.

Speaker 3 (00:58):
Guys has been We are already off to such a
fun start. There is so much going on. Your Breonna
mentioned the final friendly between.

Speaker 2 (01:06):
The USA and Germany.

Speaker 4 (01:07):
God, it's such a funny name. Old Cup is here. Well,
you're you're not soccer, you're not football. Your background is
in football. Yeah, that's true.

Speaker 2 (01:16):
It is not it is. It is an American foo.
But I like the idea of a friendly.

Speaker 3 (01:19):
That's what they should call the NFL preseason games friendlies.
I think people would like them better, right.

Speaker 4 (01:25):
But then it kind of the name, the term friendly
has you kind of questioning, like what are we doing?

Speaker 3 (01:31):
But I think with the with preseason football, I questioned
that anyway, what are we doing?

Speaker 2 (01:35):
So I kind of think that could definitely work.

Speaker 3 (01:38):
Here in Los Angeles, the women's US Open is having
at Riviera Country Cup.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
It's a beautiful day here.

Speaker 4 (01:43):
Also in contention for the lead right now, Alison Lee,
who's a hometown story and a hero. She grew up
in Torrance, went to UCLA at thirty one years old.
She she just had her first child thirteen months and
I actually spoke to her about, you know, coming back
as a professional athlete fresh off of having a child,

(02:03):
and how it makes you question and reevaluate everything. What
did she say? Well, she says, you know, when you're
a professional athlete, you're supposed to give everything to your sport,
to your craft, and as a mother, that's no longer
the reality because half of your brain, half of your heart,
and not even half of probably the entirety of it
is with your child who's not with you, and especially

(02:25):
with golf, which is such a mental sport. So I
found that a really remarkable conundrum, right, because you should
be able to do it all, have kids, compete, blah
blah blah. But if you're not able to lock in,
which is no fault of her own, it's just kind
of and and so coming out to this, she really wanted,
she really wanted to prove it.

Speaker 2 (02:46):
Well, that's exciting. I hope she will. I know, thank you,
thank you.

Speaker 4 (02:50):
Yeah, sorry, sorry, that was a I was kind of
shocked looking at the leader board. I was like, oh
my gosh, girl is up there. But also Nelly Korda
making a big she she almost missed the cut.

Speaker 2 (03:02):
Yeah yeah, Nikki is our resident golf expert.

Speaker 4 (03:06):
I love it.

Speaker 2 (03:07):
And she's friendly.

Speaker 4 (03:08):
Thank you.

Speaker 3 (03:09):
The friendly is going to be the word of the
day today, guys. Let me tell you it's not going
to be friendly right now. As everyone who has ever
listened to me knows segways are my passion and what
is not friendly right now?

Speaker 4 (03:21):
NBA Finals, Oh my gosh, the New York Knicks. Well, okay,
why don't you Why don't you say what you got
to say? And then I'm I got a wax poetic
about the Knicks or do you want me to just do.

Speaker 5 (03:31):
You get well?

Speaker 2 (03:31):
I was also gonna wax put it about the Necks?

Speaker 4 (03:33):
Do you you go first? I just I just went
on golf.

Speaker 3 (03:36):
Okay, I'm gonna wax put up of the Nigs. What
I think is very cool about these Knicks here in
these first two games is it's been a different hero.

Speaker 6 (03:43):
You know.

Speaker 2 (03:43):
The first two nights. You have Jalen Brunson, You've Karl
Anthony Towns.

Speaker 3 (03:46):
Who spoke a lot about kind of what he's learned
when he looks at this first team that's a young
team that is making mistakes that I think a young
team in their first time in the finals are making,
and how he's learned along the way.

Speaker 2 (03:58):
It's been fun. But these Knicks, they are fun.

Speaker 3 (04:00):
You know, Nikki that I for the finals have turned
in to a full.

Speaker 2 (04:05):
On Knicks fan.

Speaker 4 (04:06):
We committed, we committed, we did, we committed to it.

Speaker 2 (04:09):
And now I will let you act poetic because I'm friendly.

Speaker 4 (04:12):
They Oh, thank you so much. I mean, first of all,
New York going up to nothing in these finals, winning
both in San Antonio on the road. I think we
can talk about how the Spurs youth, as you mentioned,
did show, especially in those final forty five seconds, weeb
Be overcoming a bad first half showing up in the second.
I think he had twenty two points there. But the

(04:35):
New York Knicks have won thirteen straight playoff games. Yeah,
all all you have to do is look at the
visuals of what's happening in New York right now. I
read a post that crime is at the lowest it's
been in the city because of what this team means
in this moment. It's been fifty three years, right, that's

(04:57):
over half a century. These are playing with magic, the
sports car gods, the karma, juju, the mojo is working
for them. And it's not just the wins. It's the
characters on the team that have kind of united this
fan base.

Speaker 7 (05:14):
Right.

Speaker 4 (05:14):
You mentioned Karl Anthony Towns, Who's who might have had
the best half of basketball in his career.

Speaker 2 (05:19):
I would say it probably was the best half of
basket and.

Speaker 4 (05:22):
Scare and could be. I mean, we'll see how the
rest of the series pans out. You can make a
case he could be the MVP of the finals. But
Jalen Brunson, mister Clutch, the Knight of Gotham, and then
you've got Josh hart O, g Annobi, Mitchell Robinson. Like,
it's just it's really fun to watch this team and

(05:45):
the way they play. They play beautiful offense, Mike Brown's
coaching his tail off.

Speaker 2 (05:50):
It's hard. It's hard not to root for the Knicks
right now, very hard not to root for the Knicks.

Speaker 3 (05:55):
And as you mentioned, obviously a thirteen games they have
lost one game in the playoffs, which is unbelievable. And
all this discussion before the finals, well, the competition was
a great say I said it too. I thought it too,
so I'm totally guilty of it.

Speaker 2 (06:10):
The competition isn't as good in the East.

Speaker 3 (06:12):
It's going to be so much harder when they get
to the finals and they just ignore all of it
and are playing their game.

Speaker 2 (06:19):
And I think you nailed it.

Speaker 4 (06:20):
Their magic right now.

Speaker 2 (06:21):
Yeah, it's pretty fun.

Speaker 4 (06:22):
It's and they withstood, you know, they jumped out to lead.
San Antonio made a run back. It was a game
of runs, and you want a competitive game, right you
don't want the way the Knicks breezed through the East.
But I think a lot of people thought that the
Western Conference finals the thunder Spurs was the de facto

(06:43):
NBA Finals, kind of like what we saw play out
in the Super Bowl with the Seahawks and the Rams.
But New York proven everyone wrong. And I don't know,
have you seen any funny social media things of what's
going on in New York. I heard something like, you know,
they do the blah blah blah blah blah blah something
in five or and there's like my mayor's blah blah blah,

(07:07):
my bagels are blah blah blah. Christian Dior Nixon four.
I actually have no idea, but I do like the rhymes.

Speaker 2 (07:17):
I like the rhymes.

Speaker 4 (07:18):
I like the like where you went there, there's brooms
out in the street. The crowd outside of MSG when
they were on the road was insane.

Speaker 2 (07:25):
I mean the I mean it's hard.

Speaker 3 (07:28):
It's hard to say the series is over, but it's
also hard not to say that the Knicks are going
to sweep just based on what we've seen and not
because obviously last night seem is so competitive, but they
just seem to have the thing which experiences taught them
that they know how to close out a.

Speaker 2 (07:44):
Game, they know how to finish, and right now the
Spurs do not.

Speaker 3 (07:49):
Speaking of social media, though, did you see I like
to call him our nick king, Timothy Shallow resting on
the couch with like compression boots on and saying something
like it's hard on the fans too, and he's getting
a lot of flack for it, which is funny and
I think he knew he was going to, but also
respect because let me tell you as someone who sat

(08:10):
and threw that eighteen inning World Series game this year,
this past year, and the one in twenty eighteen, and
then you go back the next day to the stadium
and you too are tired, and.

Speaker 2 (08:19):
So it's not so easy for us either.

Speaker 4 (08:21):
I had to be after that eighteen inning game. We
left the ballpark at one thirty am. I had to
be back on set at the ballpark at five am.

Speaker 2 (08:31):
That is a tough turround. You should have slept at
the ballpark.

Speaker 4 (08:34):
I'm pretty sure like my eyelashes were falling.

Speaker 1 (08:37):
On you know it was.

Speaker 4 (08:38):
It wasn't a pretty scene. But when Timmy, yeah you went,
tim listen, built different, No and then there was the
scene of Ben Stiller somehow was in the Knicks postgame
press conference standing right alongside Mike Brown's table, just full
boomer mode the phone like he is vlogging it, just
like propped up on the table, like you know how
like when your dad's holding the phone like he's trying

(09:00):
to video something. That was what Ben, good old Ben
was doing right next to Mike. I gotta giggle out
of that one. But that's really really nunny. He might
have been vlogging it. Yeah, maybe Timmy seem him out
of log We might be getting some great visuals from this.
And it's like New Yorkers are so funny. I the
creator a funny group. The creativity out of the fans

(09:21):
that I'm seeing, it's like, I I just love it.
And I saw visuals of the bars being overpacked, so
people in their high rise apartment buildings were projecting the
game on adjacent buildings so that people in the streets
could watch.

Speaker 2 (09:40):
That's incredible.

Speaker 3 (09:41):
And I I'm not saying anything against our Laker fans,
and I love Lakers and all of the things, but
like that just doesn't happen here, no, And I.

Speaker 4 (09:51):
It's interesting because a lot of people us being based
in LA we get this question from visiting, visiting media
or teams or whatever. It's like, Oh, is it a Lakerstown?
Is a Dodgers town? And I think, obviously, right now
it's easy to say the Dodgers have become a fan favorite.
But I heard that I wasn't here in the two

(10:12):
thousand to two thousand and three era. I heard that
there was nothing like this city when the Lakers were
good on that three pete run. Obviously, now they haven't
been as good for as long, but I can only
imagine what it's like. And I just heard people in
New York are kinder to each other. Friendly, yeah, friendly, friendly, friendly,

(10:32):
friendly even if.

Speaker 3 (10:33):
But well, the sports, that's the beauty of sports. It
does bring people together. And talk about that World Series game.
There was a buzz in the city the next day.
It just brings a city together. And the thing about
sports is you're walking into the arena, you're walking into
the stadium, you're walking into the ballpark, and you don't
really care about anything except the people you and the

(10:53):
people next to you all are there to root for
the same team. I mean not all, but both to
root for the same team, and that's the beauty of sports.

Speaker 2 (11:02):
Did you ever see the movie Major League?

Speaker 4 (11:05):
I don't think so.

Speaker 3 (11:06):
Okay, first and foremost, Nikki's gonna have to go because
the first thing she has to do today is go
see the individually. Okay, So I'll be here by myself
the rest of the day.

Speaker 4 (11:13):
Bye.

Speaker 2 (11:13):
You need to You need to watch this movie.

Speaker 3 (11:15):
And when you watch it, you'll see it anyone listening
who's watch it when at.

Speaker 2 (11:20):
The end of that moving spoiler alert, But it's very old,
so I feel it.

Speaker 3 (11:22):
Not that bad's but the Cleveland team wins the pennant
and they show people all of their city hugging each other,
and it's so relatable because you're like, this is sports
and oh, it sounds so fun in New York right now.
And guess what else they're doing. They're making the dot
cakes in.

Speaker 4 (11:39):
Blue and or orange? Oh naturally. How long do you
think your teeth stained blue after having all those blue sprinkles?

Speaker 2 (11:45):
Probably a very long, doesn't matter. No, it's worth it.
It's worth it.

Speaker 4 (11:49):
Not orange.

Speaker 3 (11:49):
But yeah, I would say they stay blue. Maybe the
whole series, Yeah, depending on how long the series goes.
So now it moves to New York, Yes, which is
gonna be bananas.

Speaker 4 (11:59):
The get in ticket at MSG right now minimum are
is over ten thousand dollars.

Speaker 2 (12:03):
Which is crazy.

Speaker 3 (12:05):
I mentioned on the show last week, and I think
we talked about this offline, that the Knicks are giving
a certain amount of tickets to underprivileged youth in New York,
which is amazing.

Speaker 4 (12:15):
Yes, And that's what you hope to see because New
York is I mean, it's been dormant because the Knicks
have been so bad and the Nets haven't been I
think the Nets had a promise of being something to
rally behind. But the New York is a basketball city,
and it's like, you know, you know, the kids playing
in play playgrounds, outdoor playgrounds. You see nuns playing like basketball,

(12:41):
and I think when you think about like that, those roots, right,
and kids love for the game. You don't want to
make it so obsolete and so out of touch and aristocratic, right,
So get those kids in experience a lifetime, Get those
kids in the streets staying out past their bedtime, celebrating

(13:04):
with their parents. I saw a video of a kid
who whose teacher called his parents in the middle of
class because he wouldn't stop chanting Nixon four.

Speaker 2 (13:14):
That's amazing.

Speaker 4 (13:15):
Love, that's iconic, you know, And I it's interesting, right,
Like we want a competitive series, but I want the
city of New I want the New York Knicks to
win in front of home crowds. I mean it won't matter,
I guess if they're on the road because of the
way we've seen the turn out already.

Speaker 2 (13:33):
But it would be cool for that. Absolutely.

Speaker 3 (13:35):
But it's interesting because then with that in mind, they
either have to sweep or it's win and SI.

Speaker 2 (13:40):
Yeah, like that's that's basically it. So this brings up
a question for you.

Speaker 3 (13:45):
Let's pretay you grow up whatever team we can say,
biggest fan, they haven't won in fifty three years, which
is long before you were born. They make it to
the finals and someone offers you a ticket for an
insane amount of money. Are you gonna make other sacrifices
in your life so you can go to the game

(14:07):
or are you.

Speaker 4 (14:07):
Going to say, you know what, I can watch this
on TV. I'm gonna say, you know, get me in
the streets. I want to be with my friends and
my people. And that's you know what.

Speaker 2 (14:15):
Eating dot cakes and yeah, yeah.

Speaker 4 (14:17):
Exactly, eating dot cakes, being out with you know, the masses.
I that that ticket. I mean, I'll go to another
game another time. You know, unless it's an opportunity for
like me and my dad to go, then maybe that's
a reevaluation.

Speaker 3 (14:32):
But yeah, that's a that's a hefty chunk of I
mean ten thousands just insane, Like, that's just insane.

Speaker 2 (14:37):
There's so few people.

Speaker 4 (14:38):
Right who can who can do that? Well, not New
York because there we we also have mentioned this, like,
that's generations of people who have not spent the money,
yes to travel for the nixt and so long, and
it was cheaper for fans to fly first class San
Antonio and even fly back on the same night, not
even stay there.

Speaker 3 (14:58):
Yeah, that's that's pretty amazing. So one way or the other,
ready to get to see their NIX in person. All Right,
you guys, we have so much more to talk about,
including more about the NBA Finals later in the show.

Speaker 2 (15:08):
I'm Tracy Saylor. This is Nicky Kay, And when we
come back, we got some NFL updates. This is Fox
Sports Radio.

Speaker 8 (15:16):
Fox Sports Radio is taking over YouTube and you can
be a part of it. Just go to YouTube and
search Fox Sports Radio. Hit that subscribe button. And smash
that notification bell and catch all the videos from your
favorite shows. Two Pros and a Cup of Joe, Dan Patrick,
Colin Cowherd, Stu GOTTSID Company, Live, Calvino and rich On,
Couple with Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington, The Jason Smith

(15:38):
Show with Mike.

Speaker 1 (15:38):
Harmon, and The Ben Maler Show. Fox Sports Radio on.

Speaker 8 (15:42):
YouTube, Subscribe, hit that thumbs up icon, and comment away.
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at foxsports Radio
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to
listen live.

Speaker 3 (16:00):
Hello and welcome back to Fox Sports Radio. I how
with Sam killing it with the music killing it?

Speaker 4 (16:06):
I am loving it? And remember be sure to subscribe
to the Fox Sports Radio YouTube channel. Just search Fox
Sports Radio on YouTube and you'll see our best videos
from all of our shows. Hit the thumbs up icon,
comment away. Let us know whose takes you agree with
and even those you don't. Just search Fox Sports Radio
on YouTube and subscribe.

Speaker 3 (16:27):
We're listening to Ticket to Ride, and you know who's
got a ticket to ride to Indiana potentially the Chicago Bears.

Speaker 2 (16:33):
You guys, Segus, so are we don't even.

Speaker 4 (16:35):
I don't even.

Speaker 3 (16:36):
I cannot emphasize it enough, but the Chicago Bears maybe
riding into the state of Indiana. The board of directors
have voted to move forward with stadium development. I still
don't tirely believe it, but we shall see. The people
of Chicago are not happy about it, just as the
Bears are getting really good and relevant. Again, this feels very,
very bears y. But the biggest news this week in

(16:59):
the NFL, of course, was Miles Garrett getting traded to
the Los Angeles Rams. I had a vision of the
entire NFC wes that trade coming through, and every one
of the buildings just like deflating.

Speaker 4 (17:14):
It was like a balloon.

Speaker 8 (17:15):
Wah wah.

Speaker 2 (17:17):
But that is going to be huge.

Speaker 3 (17:20):
Might even huger I'm not sure that's actually a word,
but maybe even bigger because Aaron Donald, it feels like
this man is coming out of retire.

Speaker 4 (17:27):
He said he's flirting with it, and for me, that's endgame. Yeah,
he's out, he's coming back.

Speaker 8 (17:32):
He is.

Speaker 3 (17:33):
I would say he's one hundred percent coming back. I
think someone said today it's not a matter of if,
it's a matter of when.

Speaker 4 (17:40):
But that is he's that same shape he has been.
He's been around the franchise, Yes he has. And yeah,
and I think I think it's just inevitable, much like him,
like the force of them together on a.

Speaker 3 (17:57):
Oh I mean quarterbacks be way. Yeah, especially NFC West quarterbacks.
They're going to have to see them multiple times. That
does not sound particularly fun.

Speaker 4 (18:06):
And I just I mean, it's it's not like Jared
Verse was any slouch.

Speaker 9 (18:12):
He was.

Speaker 2 (18:12):
He was just you know, Miles Garrett's the king one
hundred percent.

Speaker 4 (18:17):
You bring him in and it's pushing all the chips
to the table, which the Rams front office has has
proven is a strategy that works in their favorite time
and time again, and they've hit with success in later
draft round or later draft picks. Poka Nikoo was at
the Sparks game last night. Oh was out. Yeah, it's
good to see him.

Speaker 2 (18:37):
Did you have a chance to ask him about Miles Garrett?

Speaker 4 (18:39):
No, I didn't, but I it's it's interesting. I almost
didn't recognize him, but he's got Yeah, but he was
great looking happy, and oh that's awesome. Yeah. So it's
fund seeing it's fund seeing football players out of context.

Speaker 2 (18:53):
Yes, it is, and sometimes you it takes a second.

Speaker 3 (18:56):
Yeah, because you're used to seeing an uniform rotor press
R right it is and or in practice, and so
it sometimes does take a second where.

Speaker 2 (19:04):
You're like, oh, right, that is.

Speaker 4 (19:06):
How do you think the rams addition of Garrett impacts
the shape the status quo of the NFC, particularly the
NFC West.

Speaker 3 (19:17):
Well, I think at the moment, all things as they
are right now, Let's say like no one, no one
in the Rams gets hurt. I mean, I think Miles
Garrett makes them the favorite to win the division. It
makes them the favorite to win the Super Bowl. I mean,
last year Micah Parsons gets traded to the Packers, everyone
assumes the Packers are gonna win it all and that's that.

Speaker 2 (19:39):
And it didn't actually work.

Speaker 3 (19:40):
Even before he got hurt, it was clear throughout the
season it maybe wasn't going to work that way. That
being said, I think the Rams have a much better
quarterback than the Packers do and should everyone stay healthy.

Speaker 2 (19:52):
I think it shakes it up quite a bit.

Speaker 3 (19:55):
It doesn't change I don't think it changes a philosophy.
You don't think it changes things in that way because
these teams and are built to win and play, you know,
scheme up against who they're going to play against and
all of that. But it just adds a wrinkle and
it's just now one more really spectacular player, especially with

(20:15):
the Rams. And you're right, Jared Versus was absolutely no slouch,
but now you're preparing for Miles Garrett and Aaron Donald.
Should Aaron Donald indeed come back, I mean that just
changes who you're about to see dramatically.

Speaker 2 (20:28):
And you look at the rest of Anna Sea West.

Speaker 3 (20:30):
I think the Seattle Seahawks, though lost a lot of guys,
are still a very very good football team and very
foot But I think for a team like the forty
nine Ers, who have George Kittle, Nick Bosa, and Fred
Werner all coming back from injury and aging players, and
they bring in Mike Evans, who is a tremendous wide
receiver but is also an aging wide receiver, I mean,

(20:52):
for a team like that them, it is going to
be interesting with these kind of editions do.

Speaker 4 (20:56):
It's funny because I think, in general, like a fullophy
of swinging for the big stars in sports, I'm always like,
there's something about this that is not going to go right.
But because you know, forsaking the future for saking the
youth and the young talent and something that you had

(21:17):
was a proven concept. But like, like, for some reason,
I think about the Brooklyn Nets when they aligned the
greatest team that never was, which was you know, Kevin Durant,
Kyrie Irving, and James Harden, and it just was too good.
Everyone was hyping them up. Never never came to be anything.
But with football it's different, and with the Rams, it's different,

(21:38):
and they've.

Speaker 2 (21:38):
Proven it, They've done it.

Speaker 4 (21:40):
That's what I was all a leading leading to is
like in general, I'm like, this is too good to
be true. It's not going to work out. But the
Rams have proven that they know what to do and
they like to swing for stars in their prime. I
think also in football is a little bit different than Yeah, it.

Speaker 2 (21:58):
Is definitely different.

Speaker 3 (21:59):
And not only have they've proven that they can do
when it works, they've also proven that they really don't
forsake the future because they were able to rebuild back
really quick.

Speaker 4 (22:07):
That d line was like, it didn't skip a beat, No,
it did taste to Jared Verse thanks to jer Verse
one hundred percent.

Speaker 2 (22:12):
And you know who else doesn't skip a beat?

Speaker 4 (22:14):
Oh wait, wait, we have a scruffle in our friendly.

Speaker 10 (22:16):
Breonna Moureau at the update desk, I was just gonna say,
I thank you guys Jinstick calling it a friendly, because
now they're like scuffling.

Speaker 2 (22:25):
Oh, they sure are a kerfuffle there you go.

Speaker 10 (22:28):
Yeah, we're in stoppage time right now. It's about five
minutes left to go. Germany leading USA two to one.
That's happening in Chicago Soldier Field. Also happening in Chicago,
the Giants are taking on the Cubs. Cubs are kind
of struggling. They are four and six in their last
ten games. They actually bench Danzy Swanson. He's held out
of the lineup, but Pete Crow Armstrong hit his tenth

(22:49):
home run of this season. All tied up at one
score apiece between the Cubs and the Giants. Earlier today,
the Mariners shut out the Tigers a four or nothing,
and a little bit later on we got Game three
of the Stanley Cup Final that starts at a PM
Eastern and a Vegas series is tied at one game apiece.
The status of Golden Knights defenceman Brandon McNabb is still
up in the air after he took a puck to

(23:11):
the face in game two, and earlier at the French Open,
Miria Andreva from Russia defeated Mayo Wallitska in straight sets
for her first Grand Slam title and the WNBA. The
Links took down the Storm eighty eight to sixty eight,
and later on Sabrina Ianascu is out for tonight's game
against the Fever.

Speaker 2 (23:29):
Back to you guys, Thank you, Brianna.

Speaker 3 (23:30):
Tough tough day to be a Midwest baseball team, the
tough couple of weeks be a mid West baseball team.
Sorry to the Tigers and the Cubs, but it is
not a tough day to be covering the New York Knicks.
Our first guest today is Christian Winfield, Nick's beat reporter
for the New York Daily News, also celebrity of a

(23:51):
press conference.

Speaker 2 (23:52):
Christian, Welcome to the show.

Speaker 1 (23:55):
How are you I am?

Speaker 3 (23:57):
You know?

Speaker 7 (23:57):
He says, not a tough day. I have to push
a little bit on that. That game ended around close
to I don't know what time it was. We wrapped
up around midnight and then five am was the time
I had to fly out. They didn't get back to
New York until noon. Got back to my apartment around
one had to write my story for the New York
Daily News, which is up right now. But I'm living
to dream Knicks are up two oh hometown kid from

(24:19):
Brooklyn getting to watching potentially hang a banner for the
first time in fifty three years. I can't complain.

Speaker 3 (24:25):
Earlier on the show, Nikki said that the Knicks are
playing like magic, and I would agree with that. What
is it about this team that makes them so magical?
Not to get wu wu but they do, but to
get woo.

Speaker 4 (24:36):
We've got the sports gods on their side, you know.

Speaker 7 (24:40):
Jalen Brunson likes to wear the shirt that says the
magic is in the work. But I think it's more so,
you know. And I asked Carl with any Towns and
Jalen Brunson about this. It's their resilience, man. It's there's
not a lead or a deficit that they can stare
at that it's too big that makes them feel like,
let's just pack it up and try again tomorrow. This
is a team that's going to fight. This is a

(25:00):
team that was down twenty two. You'll remember in the
Conference finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Even going back last year,
they had to come back from down twenty twice against
the Boston Celtics, and then to avoid going down three,
they had to come back from down twenty two against
the Indiana Pacers. And now we're looking at the conference
finals where they had to come back two times from
down double digits to take this two oh series lead.
It's just to never say never. Team, never say die.

(25:22):
They don't quit, they don't give up. They dig deep,
and you know, they find a way to outlast teams
and really just to rip their hearts. I mean, you're
going into road arenas. First of all, you got this
ridiculous fan base on your side everywhere you go. But
it's just you're ripping team's hearts out because they're realizing
that it's inevitable one way or another. This team is
going to hunt you down. And they did it again

(25:43):
to Victim Wimgyam and the San Antonio Spurs last night.

Speaker 4 (25:46):
Christian I got home from work last night and I
was just lost in the sauce of New York Knicks
fans content. I think New Yorkers are some of the
funniest and most creative fans I have ever known. And
as someone who grew up in southern California, diehard Lakers fan.
I'm like, I want, I kind of am bleeding blue
and orange right now, but I just I just have

(26:08):
to say it's also like what you mentioned, the character
and the resilience of this team obviously spearheaded by someone
like Jalen Brunson, and his story to me is is remarkable,
just undersized. But you know, working in the lab with
his dad NonStop leads Nova to a pair of championships

(26:29):
comes you know, kind of a quiet uh free agent
signing in the grand landscape of things, but now could
be one of the best Knicks in history. And what
have you I guess what have you noticed just about
his leadership and the way he goes about, you know,
elevating all of his teammates while knowing how to be

(26:49):
the Knight of Gotham all in one fell swoop.

Speaker 7 (26:52):
Sure, you know, I think the biggest thing for Jalen
this year has been being okay with letting go a
little bit. You know, the Knicks had this whole coronation
ceremony to name him captain two summers ago, and when
they did that, that was the same summer that they
added McHale Bridges and Karl Anthony Towns, and the big
thing coming into that season was Ken Jalen Bruns and
get off the ball. Right, this is a guy who

(27:12):
you've known to be one of the better scorers for
a guy his size and NBA history. I think we're
comfortable saying that now. But in terms of passing ability,
in terms of you know, his ability to not hold
onto the ball, could he make those adjustments? Could he
get everybody else involved? Knowing that you have to have
all of your teammates really feeling involved in the in
the flow of wing a basketball game to reach this stage.

(27:35):
And he's answered that question. Just look at these last
two games. Jalen has not shot the ball. Well, these
have not been good performances. They've been They've been fine, right,
He's come through down down the stretch. We're talking about
game one thirty point thirty one points or thirty points
on thirty shots. And game two last night he had
twenty points and I think he shot something like seven
to twenty five from the field or something like that.
He was turning the ball over left and right. But

(27:56):
what happens you have Michale Bridges stepping up huge performances.
You have Karl Anthony Towns, who's now in the mix
for NBA Finals MVP. And this is all because Jalen
in many ways has empowered them, because he's let them
know that, hey, I don't need to be able to
do this on my own. You guys can join in
celebrating and sharing the victory with me. And it's just

(28:16):
been more so a total team effort. I think we
saw that last night. Even a guy like Josh r
Josh Shark did not have a good game, yet he's
in foul trouble all night. Landry Sammon comes off the
bench yet again and turns in a tremendous performance. This
is a team that has no ego. Everyone is rooting
for each other and that's why this team is where
they are right now, two wins away from really basketball immortality.

Speaker 3 (28:38):
You mentioned Karl Anthony Towns obviously, and you know this
because you were there, But he talked about after the
game all that he's learned over his various stops in
the playoffs the last several years and what a difference
that has made. And so when you see that in him,
and you see that next you talked about last season
coming back, but when you look at the Spurs and
they're a young team and they're making kind of young

(29:00):
team mistakes in the finals. How valuable has that experience
been for the Knicks and so much of why they're
able to close out these games.

Speaker 7 (29:09):
Well, he looked at a guy like Carl Anthony Towns.
This would be his third straight conference finals appearance and
now he's finally gotten through to the NBA Finals. Talking
about conference finals with Minnesota Conference Finals last year, with
the next time this year, getting over the hump. I
think this is just that calming presence that Kat has
that similar to Jalen, that Jalen also has the skill
set that he has. You're seeing a guy like Wemby,

(29:30):
who's Defensive Player of the Year, finally saying, hey, you
know they've got Kat's a good player. They've got good
players over that not what he was saying about Julius Randall,
who the Knicks traded to get Carl Anthony Towns. Right,
and it's just a complete veteran group. You know, Michael
Bridges has been to the NBA Finals before. Og Nanobi
was hurt when the Raptors made it to the NBA Finals,
but he's been. He was part of that team, got

(29:52):
a lot of guys, and Andrew Salmon, as I mentioned,
the guy has been on a lot of different playoff teams.
Jalen Brunton's been to multiple conference finals. You know, this
is a team of of just veteran guys. And then
Mike Brown. You know, we can't you know. I had
some time to chop it up with Clyd Frazier and
asked him a few different questions and one of them
was about Mike Brown. And the first thing he says
to me is, you know, it's time we give Mike
Brown some kudos. Listen, Mike Brown, you know, walks into

(30:14):
the season with tremendous shoes to fail. Tom Thibodeau, you know,
you can say what you want about him and the
way he coached, but this is a guy who really
restored order to New York City basketball, brought this team
back to relevance, back to back fifty win seasons, gets
into the conference finals for the first time in twenty
five years. Then you fire him. Then after you fire him,
you go looking for a whole bunch of other coaches,

(30:35):
trying to get coaches from other teams, and then you
settle on Mike Brown and say, hey, NBA Finals are bust.
And not only does he gets you to the NBA Finals,
not only are you playing the style of basketball that's
gotten you to I think they've outscored opponents by two
hundred and seventy three points over the last thirteen games.
This is a team that's more connected, that's more bought in,
the style of basketball is modern, and they're playing for

(30:57):
one another. It's a team that you want to rally behind.
It's a team ship that that that the city should
be proud of, that they are proud of as a
team that's right now on the doorstep of bringing a
title home.

Speaker 4 (31:06):
And I gotta say, these guys are are really funny
and entertaining, and the quotes we get out of pressers
and the camaraderie. I know, obviously you got the Nova Knicks,
but uh, Christian, do you wanna do you want to
elaborate on the decision to bring wings into a postgame
press conference?

Speaker 7 (31:23):
Oh my goodness, yes. So, so what goes under the
radar here is that I'm gonna I'm gonna just air moult.
Karl Anthony Town's promised me some wings in Atlanta and
he didn't deliver. Okay, gave me some wings in Atlanta,
and listen, I don't know where you guys are from,
but where I'm from. If you promised me some wings
and you don't deliver, I gotta go get the wings
on my own.

Speaker 6 (31:41):
Okay, I I had to go make the move for myself.

Speaker 7 (31:43):
Now, I just got caught up. The wings were there
were some really good wings. I wasn't expecting the wings
to be that good. In Cleveland, I'm in the locker room.
I grab some wings. I'm realizing, okay, no one's in
the locker room. The press conference is going on. I'm
running from the press conference room. So I'm running from
the locker room to the press conference room whilst I
multaneously eating some chicken at the same time. I get
to the press conference room and I realized I got

(32:04):
sauce on my fing on my fingers, and that's where
I messed up. I licked my fingers, and that's where
Josh Hart folds out. So listen, it happens with that aside.
I just didn't want to have sticky fingers, but it's
you know, we live to fight another day.

Speaker 4 (32:15):
Well, I thought we should so aptly name you Christian
Wingfield Yeah, are you over.

Speaker 1 (32:23):
I don't know.

Speaker 7 (32:23):
I think my family would have some some issues with you. Yeah,
I don't know if we can rename you that just yet.

Speaker 2 (32:29):
Maybe just put the G in parentheses every so often.

Speaker 4 (32:31):
But Christian, I, I mean, I'm really close with Fred
Katz and the content he's He's you know, been able
to crank out of that NIXT locker room. You know,
the notorious fart that loosened up the locker room to
playoff seasons ago. You know, I think this is one
bit in the story and you should be proud that
Josh Hart is able to rise you a little bit.

Speaker 7 (32:52):
Yeah, Fred's got a lot of we'll just say, a
lot of content that's going viral over the last couple
of years in that Nix's locker room.

Speaker 6 (32:57):
We can leave it at that, friends of my guy,
or let me be it.

Speaker 3 (33:01):
So before we let you go, Nick's up to nothing.
It switches to Madison Square Garden as you're watching it.
It is different watching live and you're watching both these teams.
And we've talked about some of the deficiencies of the
Spurs thus far in this series. Does it feel likely
or there's a very I guess a high likelihood that
the Knicks will indeed sweep.

Speaker 7 (33:21):
Oh, this one's over, this one's over. And listen, we
saw the same thing in Philadelphia, right, teams kind of
trying to fight it, right, fight that the idea that
this next team is as good as advertised. We saw
it kind of in Atlanta after Atlanta took that two
to one series lead. I think the worst case was
when Kenny Atkins and said, hey, analytically, we're up to
oh or we're up two to one in this series,

(33:43):
Like teams are fighting the inevitable that these New York Knicks,
there's nothing you can do about it. You had two
opportunities in front of your own home court to win
a game, and now you're telling them you have to
go to Massive Square Garden as a team that's never
been here, hasn't been to the playoffs before, as a
team that was clearly a little bit rattled on your
own home floor.

Speaker 6 (34:01):
This series is over.

Speaker 7 (34:01):
I'm sorry the Knicks are going to sweep to San
Antonio Spurs. I'm not booking a flight back to San Antonio.

Speaker 4 (34:06):
I loan this. I love this out of you.

Speaker 7 (34:09):
And after Game four, I'm going to go outside and
party with the Knicks fans and have it.

Speaker 2 (34:12):
Yes, as you should, You absolutely should. These Dick fans
have been amazing.

Speaker 3 (34:17):
Would you say that outside MSG could potentially be crazier
than inside MSG?

Speaker 2 (34:22):
On Wednesday before Game three?

Speaker 7 (34:26):
The cheapest ticket to get inside MSG right now is
close to ten thousand dollars. That crowd inside that is
going to be tame compared to be compared to the
crowd that's outside.

Speaker 6 (34:35):
I will say this though, before I know you guys are.

Speaker 7 (34:37):
Not going to get me out of here.

Speaker 4 (34:38):
No, no, no, I have one re question for you too.

Speaker 7 (34:40):
Tried their hardest to give the Spurs that game. I
thought we also there were so many questionable calls in
the second and third quarters of Game two. Now there
is a chance that they try that again in Game
three because we all know the Almighty Dollar runs everything.
And I don't think I'm going to get in any
heat for saying this. It was blatant that the reps
were trying to feel that game and they almost did

(35:01):
it right. So there is a chance that that happens
here at MSG. But if that does happen, they're going
to have some issues because the Knicks fans are not
going to let it go down like that. Listen, the
Knicks are the better team in this series on paper,
and I think that they're going to close this thing out.
So I'm looking forward to seeing that happen.

Speaker 3 (35:16):
Well, I am looking forward to reading all of your
stories about it and seeing you.

Speaker 2 (35:20):
Among the Knicks fans. Christian, thank you so so much
for coming on today.

Speaker 3 (35:23):
We will have to have you back. You guys when
we get back. We have our dues and our don'ts.
This is Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 1 (35:31):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio Radio.

Speaker 3 (35:34):
I am Tracy Sandler dancing here in the Fox Sports
Radio studios next to Nikki Ka because Iowa Sam is
just killing it with the music.

Speaker 4 (35:43):
We are getting funky. And remember, with the r Heart app,
you can stream us wherever you are. Catch us and
all of our Fox Sports Radio shows live twenty four
to seven in the new and improved iHeart app. Just
search Fox Sports Radio in the app to stream us
live all day, every day, and be sure to select
Fox Sports Radio as one of your presets in the
iHeart app so it always pops up at the top
of your screen. Again, just search Fox Sports Radio in

(36:05):
the iHeart app.

Speaker 3 (36:07):
And now it is time for a little segment we
like to call the dues and the don'ts highlighting du I.

Speaker 1 (36:13):
Love that putting a spotlight on the don't.

Speaker 9 (36:16):
The subject brings me no joy.

Speaker 1 (36:18):
Don't that's insane. Next time for the dues and the
don'ts in sports?

Speaker 2 (36:24):
All right, Nikki, I have a don't.

Speaker 3 (36:26):
That's a do so to speak, and that is, don't
give up on your talent. The Dodgers signed Roki Sasaki
a couple of years ago at a very rough start
with season. He comes back becomes somewhat of a playoff
hero and icon with his own awesome walkout song by
l La Roki and he this season started off a

(36:47):
little tough. Every start has gotten better. Last night pitches
I believe seven score listenings allows two hits, ten strikeouts,
and it's been building, building and building, and the Dodgers
did not give up on him.

Speaker 2 (36:59):
He did not give up fun himself and now it
is paying dividends.

Speaker 4 (37:03):
I mean I I've loved the arc of that young
man and the confidence he needed to come back from
injury last season and come out of the bullpen. Roky
the closer yep was sensational and to note everything he's
gone through this season. I love it.

Speaker 3 (37:22):
I made by La La Rochi my ring tone for
the World Series, and I might bring it back because
it's kind of amazing when my phone ring isn't it plays.

Speaker 4 (37:32):
Miggey picked yeah walkout song. Maybe Roguel Rojas picked that
walkout song for him because he.

Speaker 3 (37:38):
Was like, you know, it sounds like your name by
Lela Miggeie Ross, who had one of the greatest plays
you'll ever see last in last night's game over throwing
to first base and Freddy Freeman catching it in a
full split so in acrobat.

Speaker 2 (37:51):
And then Freddy hits a walk off yeah, and then
Freddy hits it so.

Speaker 4 (37:54):
The exact same spot that was the Yankees Grand Slam
walk off. I was like, familiar territory.

Speaker 2 (38:00):
I love that nobody does a walk off like Freddy.

Speaker 4 (38:03):
I've got to don't. And it's kind of along similar lines.
Don't count them out as in people who take extended
absences from their sports and might just be returning A
La Serena Williams. Serena Williams is back in the game
after nearly three years of not competing professionally. She will
make her return in the doubles event at the HSBC

(38:26):
Championships at the Queen's Club in London. She posted the
news this week that tournament or event begins on June eighth.
So Serena's back and we were also alluding to Aaron
Dunneld slirting with the idea it is a good week
to be a.

Speaker 2 (38:46):
Superstar considering coming back to your sport.

Speaker 3 (38:48):
Both of them have stayed in tremendous shape and could
easily right right, absolutely, I absolutely love that. All right, Nikki,
I'm going to do another, don't. It kind of goes
against what our guests said before, but I'm gonna say
a long year, don't count them out. I would say,
don't count the Spurs out entirely, just yet.

Speaker 5 (39:06):
I don't know.

Speaker 4 (39:07):
I'm we're Christian, I doring out the brooms. I don't
bring out the brooms.

Speaker 3 (39:12):
Don't count him out, do bring out the brooms. I
just feel like you can't count a guy like Wemby out.
But you know what, I could be wrong about that.
I mean, certainly it looks like we're going in that direction,
but I would just say, don't count them out entirely.

Speaker 4 (39:26):
I just think it's the Knicks or that good that's fair. Yeah,
it's fair team sport. I mean not saying that the
Spurs aren't great, they're just young. But that's that's where
I stand. I think I think he said the fever
of New York might be a little overwhelming. But okay,
I've got another do and it's do start dusting off
that red, white and blue. Oh yeah, you've got the

(39:49):
World Cup on the horizon. Days away. June twelfth, US
men's national team kicks off against Paraguay Hair at Sofi
Stadium in La And for me, honestly, it always sneaks
up on me, the World Cup, right, but I find
myself captivated, you know, and there's no there's no better
time to be like, all right, where are we watching

(40:10):
the match? You know, get in on it, and so
I'm excited. It's weird that we're hosting, but like eight
other cities are all over the place, so but it's
going to be a fun time and just even watching
these friendly visuals right now, USA falling to Germany, but yeah,
it is.

Speaker 2 (40:27):
Kind of funny.

Speaker 4 (40:28):
Do you get patriotic?

Speaker 2 (40:29):
Do get patriotic?

Speaker 3 (40:30):
And I feel like we've been talking about the World
Cup for so long, finally here in June twelfth is
is really not that far away.

Speaker 4 (40:37):
So don't miss it.

Speaker 3 (40:39):
That's right, don't go anywhere, and don't go anywhere, you guys.
We have so much more to discuss. We have more
NBA Finals, We've got Major League Baseball. We have another
amazing guest, Tracy Sandler. Nikki Ka, you are listening to
Fox Sports Saturday.

Speaker 1 (40:56):
You're listening to Fox Sports where you go.

Speaker 2 (40:59):
Hello, Hello, Oh, I am Tracy Sandler. War lause joined
my wow.

Speaker 3 (41:04):
That is Iowa Sam making sure that we are getting
our flowers.

Speaker 2 (41:08):
And I got your name right this hour. I thought
I was Michigan, Mitch, Michigan, Jeff, you were Michigan, Jeff.

Speaker 4 (41:14):
I was going for Nebraska, Dave.

Speaker 3 (41:17):
Basically, there's not a mid Midwest state that you are not,
and you're gonna have a different name for whatever state
you are laying. Yeah, we got Ian Roddy who's staying
Ian Roddy and Brianna Moureau who is also staying Brianna.

Speaker 2 (41:31):
So but Michigan, Jeff. We love having you here. You guys.

Speaker 3 (41:35):
We have had such a fun first hour of the show.
Lots to talk about in the NBA Finals. We've talked
about NFL news. We've had dues and don'ts. However, we
forgot a very important don't that I think is worth
bringing up, and that is, don't run onto the court
to take a selfie with a player in the middle
of an NBA Finals game.

Speaker 4 (41:54):
Get them banned. Get that is a get him banned. Like, honestly,
the internet is ruining people. Yeah, the audacity of that
he looks like a kid, like it was a kid.
And also the execution of the selfie, Like, dude, you
got to know what the height of one, but you
got to stand at least five feet in if you're
going to do it, at least get through his face.

Speaker 9 (42:14):
Did you guys see what what Buffalo Wild Wings tweeted
about it. No, so they said they want help finding
the fans so that they can let him watch the
rest of the NBA Finals.

Speaker 4 (42:24):
Charge we can't glamorize that. Absolutely not.

Speaker 9 (42:28):
We've lost the plot lost.

Speaker 2 (42:29):
Yeah, we have lost the plot.

Speaker 3 (42:30):
And this is why people do it, because they're like, well,
I may never go to NBA Finals again the rest
of my life, but I am going to now be
a star. I'm now going to be a Buffalo Wings influencer.

Speaker 9 (42:39):
I'm not sure if they're still doing it or not.
Like the comment section under that tweet is an absolute
blood bath you might expect. So I don't know what
they're doing.

Speaker 4 (42:46):
I know poor Elmo got really oh Almos should have
gotten roasted.

Speaker 2 (42:50):
Please allow, okay, elaborate on Elmo. Poor Elmo out living was.

Speaker 4 (42:54):
Having a generational return to well, maybe not return, but
social media launch. I guess, okay, okay. So Elmo has
been posting on X and some good one liners throughout
the past couple of major sporting events, and he posted
Elma's a boy, right, I think? So? Okay? Yeah, he
posted Elmo hopes both teams have fun. That's my Almo.

Speaker 2 (43:18):
First of all, your elbow voice is amazing, and Elmo it.

Speaker 4 (43:22):
Got obliterated because you know why, because Elmo a La
Sesame Street. It's from New York.

Speaker 2 (43:32):
Oh, I don't think I realized. I don't put that
part of it together.

Speaker 4 (43:35):
From New York. But this ain't the time, Elmo, This
ain't the time for sportsmanship. It's been fifty three years.

Speaker 2 (43:43):
Do you happen to have any actual Elmos so we
can compare it to Nikki's Elmo? Yeah, wasn't that trying?
Which you guys could see on.

Speaker 3 (44:06):
Okay, first of all, I think you need applause for
fighting that because that was ex facular.

Speaker 2 (44:14):
That was absolutely amazing.

Speaker 9 (44:15):
That's the audio from his Instagram post, which also the
comments were just because that was where he quote like
the comment, the uh the caption sorry, that's the word
I was. The caption for that post was Elmo hopes
both teams have fun.

Speaker 2 (44:29):
Okay, but in fairness to Elmo is no fairness.

Speaker 4 (44:33):
This is not the time Elmo he did.

Speaker 2 (44:36):
I saw that, Elmo that you guys. I just want
to say, this is where we are in the world.

Speaker 3 (44:40):
That a kid storms the court to take a selfie
during the NBA Finals and Elmo has to apologize for
a tweet or an ex post.

Speaker 2 (44:50):
That's where we are right now. Well, poor Elmo, I'm sorry.

Speaker 4 (44:53):
Street is in New York.

Speaker 2 (44:54):
Okay, fine, Elmo, do better? How's that?

Speaker 1 (44:57):
Do better?

Speaker 7 (44:57):
They do?

Speaker 2 (44:57):
And don't just keep on?

Speaker 4 (44:58):
And then and then Elmo quote tweeted it saying.

Speaker 3 (45:03):
Nick Nick's that last message, Elmo didn't mean to spare
you on.

Speaker 2 (45:08):
I did see that, and I thought that was clever
on Elmo's far.

Speaker 4 (45:12):
So I'm saying almost back in a big way.

Speaker 2 (45:15):
And you might have a real future here as an
Elmo impersonator.

Speaker 1 (45:20):
Almo hopes both teams have fun.

Speaker 3 (45:22):
I hope that Sesame Street is listening to this and
knows that if needed, if Elmo loses his voice cheering
for the Knicks, Nikki can come and fill in.

Speaker 4 (45:32):
I just love that the New Yorkers were like, this
is the last straw, Elmo.

Speaker 2 (45:38):
And two vertey come on Elmo. Uh well, Elmo is
going to have a couple of games to watch. Yeah,
I wonder if Elmo can afford a ticket to the
NBA finals.

Speaker 4 (45:48):
Bets I better if he started a four oh one
k back like he might be able to have some,
but he might be like old enough not to pull
out from the four oh one k.

Speaker 2 (46:00):
He might take it.

Speaker 3 (46:02):
But what they should do is put a projector on
Sesame Street. Like they should have like a big screen
with the projector, and their block party should be watching
the games.

Speaker 4 (46:11):
Three and free libations for the injustice that Elmo did
to New York fandom.

Speaker 3 (46:15):
Yeah, poor Elmo, just out there trying to have fun
and having everybody else have fun.

Speaker 2 (46:20):
But let me tell you who's not having fun.

Speaker 3 (46:22):
I did it again with the segways, she's she's there.
I position Tracy transition. Oh I always say im transition Tracy.
I'm really I get you some transition lenses. Oh my god,
really add into the aura.

Speaker 2 (46:35):
I think I actually have transition lenses on my classes
right now. So that so that's right. But who is
not having fun? Our guy Wemby not having fun? Really
not having fun?

Speaker 3 (46:45):
And you know what I'm kind of thinking, And I
really want your opinion on this because I consider you
like my NBA Maven perfect.

Speaker 2 (46:53):
You are really like, thank you, my MBA.

Speaker 4 (46:55):
You get your NFL. NFL is your fiefdom. Thank you,
and thank you. I will I will take I will
take that with pride. I'll put on the cape please.

Speaker 2 (47:05):
And not all heroes wear capes. Some of them wear
really cute skirts on the radio.

Speaker 3 (47:09):
But anyways, Wenby, do you think it's a little bit
he's kind of gotten in his own head here on this.
I was bad, It's not acceptable. I'm not good enough.
Like he's kind of not doing his thing. It feels
like he's putting a lot of extra pressure on himself.

Speaker 4 (47:23):
But I think that's the intricate, complex mindset of all
great ones. Right, there's you're so warped in the mind
of being so hard on yourself and so nothing's good
enough and there's always room for growth. And that's what
it's a maniacal obsession. And I think like we saw

(47:46):
it and we heard it in Kobe Bryant and his
work ethic and people talk about the Mamba mentality. I
also think what we're seeing from Wemby right like he's
playing more minutes than he has his entire career, forty
minute games. He was kind of, I don't want to
say load managed, but he was playing, you know, very
strategic minutes throughout the regular season. And Harry at this

(48:08):
is the most brutal, the brutal stretch of anyone's basketball
career in terms of what it takes to win the
NBA Finals, and I believe it was Shack was swept,
Shaq was swept in ninety five, Lebron was swept in
two thousand and seven in the finals. And it's kind
of like a ride of passage for all of these

(48:29):
generational superstars, megastars, whatever you want in super Nova's So
I think I think this is part of the growing
pains for Victor Webbin Yama and It's interesting because a
lot of people, I mean, my sister's boyfriend, we watched
the first game together and he's like, oh, I want
the Spurs because Wemby, you know, And I'm like this, dude,

(48:52):
I mean, you know, health, health, like thinking of health
and all the luck moving forward. But like this dude's
got years and years and years in front of him.
But watching the New York Knicks right now and the
team and all these different pieces that have been brought together,
it was like this is just lightning in a bottle,

(49:15):
you know. So I think Wenby has to go through
the kind of a rite of passage like this, if that.

Speaker 2 (49:21):
Makes sense, it does. He has to get swept in
order your.

Speaker 3 (49:23):
Generation right exactly in terms of the load management on
him throughout the season. Do you think I understand it?
I do, But basketball is a very physical sport. You
exert a lot of energy. Was it a disservice to
him because then when he gets to this point, it's
almost like he's just he's not prepared or is that
the kind of thing you just can't prepare for until

(49:45):
you start.

Speaker 4 (49:45):
I think maybe if he had gassed out in the
Western Conference finals and they didn't make it that far
then maybe, but no. He had two long, exhaustive series
from the Minnesota Timberwolves that was physical going against Rudy Gobert,
and the Thunder series was seven games in physical And
so I think this is part of it. And you

(50:07):
know now, you don't know until you know, right, And
he's gotten this exposure and workload now in part of
his arsenal, and I'm sure he'll dedicate his entire offseason
to never feeling exhausted again.

Speaker 3 (50:23):
Right, that's probably true. He should he should work out
with Revenge Body Luca. Oh yeah, las off season Luca
did that, or Luca.

Speaker 4 (50:30):
Should be working out with Wemby.

Speaker 3 (50:31):
I don't know how, you know, maybe, yeah, well together, right,
Elmo just wants everybody to.

Speaker 2 (50:36):
Work out together. Elmo is a cop out for Elmo.

Speaker 4 (50:42):
Elmo is soft.

Speaker 2 (50:43):
You know what, I'm afraid you're not going to get
a job with su Street.

Speaker 3 (50:46):
I'll take that right now. They are not bringing you
in to cover for Elmo anymore.

Speaker 4 (50:51):
Elmo forgot where he came from? Or Elmo Elmo I'm
thinking of you put that on the list of things
I'd never thought I'd impersonate a live.

Speaker 3 (51:00):
Radio Okay, I'm definitely gonna put that on the list.
So now I want to talk about something really important
in these games, Mansus Square Garden.

Speaker 2 (51:07):
Yeah, this is the kind of stuff.

Speaker 4 (51:08):
This is what this is. This is Tracy's bag, this
is my bag.

Speaker 3 (51:13):
Celebrity Row has been you cannot you cannot argue it
has been absolutely a plus. Do we think there's gonna
be a major like wild card celebrity and I don't
mean Taylor Swift and Travis Kelsey getting married at MSG?
Is there gonna be a major wild card celebrity on

(51:33):
Celebrity Row for this?

Speaker 4 (51:34):
I just don't know how you get any bigger than
the stars we've seen throughout the run, right It's it's
whether it's Leo at the Lakers, Timothy Chalame, who's you know,
you can argue it's the biggest movie star in the
world right now, Like where do we go?

Speaker 2 (51:49):
Yeah, that's a fair part.

Speaker 4 (51:50):
Would it be a surprise to see Lebron James at MSG? No,
I bet he'll pull up because it's the place to be,
you know, that's fairy like who while he was just
over in your up? But I bet I bet it'll
come for one of the games, just to experience it. Yeah,
I don't know who would. Who would for you be
a shocker because doesn't Martha Stewart go to those games?

Speaker 2 (52:10):
She does and which I think is tremendous.

Speaker 4 (52:13):
Yes, Oh it's remarkable.

Speaker 3 (52:14):
It's that's I forgot Martha stortwins. You're right, we are
so such such power.

Speaker 2 (52:19):
I mean, I guess if.

Speaker 3 (52:21):
I guess if Taylor and Travis went just to experience
you were at the Rockets game Calves Calves. Sorry, I wonder,
but again, I guess they would get I don't know
if they care. But but if you're a basketball fan
and you can go to the finals, do you go
even though you were at the Calves game half asleep
drinking beer when your team lost.

Speaker 4 (52:40):
No, I don't think you can. I mean, but they
they they could too. They could pull up with Selener.
They could pull up with Selena. They definitely could. Oh right,
because Spurs.

Speaker 2 (52:51):
Yeah, it's gonna be we'll see.

Speaker 4 (52:53):
I don't see Justin and Haley going because Justin comes
to Laker games.

Speaker 2 (52:57):
Yeah, I think that that's probably true.

Speaker 3 (52:59):
Maybe Kendall and Jacob there it is Ken Kendall Jenner
and Jacob Blani joining to me and Kylie, Do you
like that I give a nickname to him and say
as if I'm really close with them for like a
double date at the finals.

Speaker 4 (53:14):
Yes, and yeah, I think we'll just see.

Speaker 8 (53:19):
More.

Speaker 4 (53:19):
Maybe it's like more in one presence together, you know,
like like we feel like we're at the Golden Globes almost.

Speaker 2 (53:27):
Yes, the court side. Yeah, at the next game is
I wonder which those people.

Speaker 4 (53:31):
Except what the rate tickets are going here? You might
get some in the mid Bowl, you.

Speaker 3 (53:35):
Must they have even priced out the massive celebrities. We
were talking offline that Josh Hart sometimes takes peanut prena
eminem's from fans. Which celebrity do you think is giving
Josh Hart peanut eminem's during a game?

Speaker 2 (53:50):
That is fun.

Speaker 4 (53:51):
I think Anne Hathaway is giving og Anobi peanut eminem's
because Anne Hathaway loves Ogi. That's well documented. Josh Hart,
I haven't. I have yet to know who has like
celib fan because we know Mariska Hargatea and Jalen Brentson
share a special bond that's later in my feel good stories. Oh,
I can't, but yeah, no, I just I'm excited. I

(54:11):
can't believe we saw it like earlier in this playoffriend
Lenny Kravitz was at one of the games. He to
me is like, ultimate cool dude. Oh, I bet maybe
we'll see jay Z and Beyonce probably. I bet I
bet we will see jay Z jac comes to Laker games.
Yeah that makes sense.

Speaker 3 (54:27):
I mean, I do think if you're a basketball fan, yeah,
there is something to be said that and enjoying it well,
so much to look forward to.

Speaker 2 (54:36):
And we'll see if Wemby can Wemby. But it's not.

Speaker 3 (54:39):
It's not looking good. And I did want to not
count them out, but you and Christian have convinced me this.

Speaker 4 (54:44):
We might get a masterpiece from him, but I think
the Knicks are inevitable.

Speaker 3 (54:48):
Sweet, get your brooms out, New York. Big week ahead
and also Big Show ahead. We have lots more to
discuss in the world of sports, including some Major League
Baseball news and maybe even a little bit more soccer.
Tracy Sandler, Nikki, Kay, you're listening to Fox Sports Saturday
search Swear Tellachi Bye La La Rochi, Swear Rochi. The

(55:16):
reaction I had of this song that that gas of
excitement was so real and so pure.

Speaker 4 (55:22):
This isna Margarita with Chaheena on the rim right now.

Speaker 2 (55:26):
By La La Rochichi. Okay, I will finish now, but
that you've made my day, You've made it. The day
is made. I could go home and take an hour.

Speaker 4 (55:35):
Tracy's speaking Spanish.

Speaker 3 (55:37):
By Laro singing it's such a good song to it's
it's so catchy.

Speaker 2 (55:42):
It's a really really.

Speaker 4 (55:43):
Catchy SALARACKI by La La Rochie.

Speaker 2 (55:47):
I'm Tracy Sandler, who you keep hearing sing by La
La Rochi and that is nicky.

Speaker 1 (55:51):
Kay.

Speaker 4 (55:52):
And remember, for the best pregame show every weekend, be
sure to tune into Fox Sports Radio's Countdown presented by
Bett MGM, every Saturday and Sunday morning from nine am
to noon Eastern six to nine Pacific, we will count
you down to all the biggest games of the weekend.
Tune in to Countdown, presented by Bett MGM every Saturday
and Sunday morning right here on Fox Sports Radio and

(56:14):
the iHeart App.

Speaker 3 (56:15):
Before we head into a little bit of baseball discussion,
I just want to say one of our listeners, Courtney,
messaged me during the break to let me know that
Elmo isn't Aquarius like I am.

Speaker 2 (56:25):
So maybe that's why I was so defensive of him.

Speaker 4 (56:29):
Elma needs to get alive.

Speaker 2 (56:31):
Almost probably not that happy that Aaron Judge, How do
you like that? Secu?

Speaker 3 (56:35):
Aaron Judge has a rib injury and is out at
least four to six weeks. So he says he injured
it like at the end of April and that he's
just been playing through it and now it got really
bad over there.

Speaker 4 (56:45):
Have you ever heard a rib?

Speaker 7 (56:47):
No?

Speaker 4 (56:48):
I have, And it's really confusing because you can't do
anything about it right and it just it feels like
a side ache initially okay, and then you kind of
and then it gets worse and worse and you can't
do anything about it.

Speaker 2 (57:05):
But if you heard it in April.

Speaker 3 (57:06):
And I'm not a doctor or a trainer or any
of those things, but would it have been better off
just has taken the time off.

Speaker 4 (57:13):
Probably yeah, But he probably thought he would. I mean,
he's a big dude. He probably thought he could, you know,
just swing power through it, because it's something. It's one
of those injuries right where you it doesn't inhibit your every.

Speaker 2 (57:25):
Move, but wouldn't it inhibit you swinging?

Speaker 4 (57:28):
You just feel pain?

Speaker 2 (57:30):
And I guess yeah, who among us hasn't felt pain
from time to time.

Speaker 4 (57:34):
I had a really bad blister.

Speaker 3 (57:37):
And therefore Nicky will be reevaluated in four to six weeks.

Speaker 4 (57:40):
Yeah, did you hear about Rory McElroy's foot blister. No,
it was at the most recent tournament and he just
he just made a big stinker about this blister on
his foot and now it was really affecting his golf swing.
But then I got a blister and I was like, well, Rory,
I can power through it.

Speaker 3 (57:59):
Rory, you know what the worst injury name I think
is because that is so painful, not that it's ever
happened to me, but sounds so painful. But it's such
a bad name because it sounds like, oh my gosh,
that can't be that bad.

Speaker 2 (58:09):
Is turf toe? It's so poorly ze to me. It
sounds so lame, but that's what I'm saying. So it
is so painful.

Speaker 3 (58:18):
Rock Purty explained to or Kyle Shana had explained to us,
because Rock Perty explained the pain, but Kyle Shann explained
to us exactly what has a turf toe? And essentially
the ligaments in your big toe like split into two
different directions and.

Speaker 2 (58:33):
It's very very painful. Is it from turf it's the
acknowledge or it doesn't have to feel here.

Speaker 4 (58:40):
I was just thinking it was like a rash, right, And.

Speaker 2 (58:42):
That's the thing.

Speaker 3 (58:43):
That's why it's so poorly named, because people think it's
so ridiculous, like split my big toe. That's kind of
that's what it isn't so you can imagine for a
quarterback or anybody on a field running on that sea
that Nikki just made a face that tells me that
that you understand what that means.

Speaker 2 (59:01):
Yeah, it was. So we need a new name for
turf toe. I don't know who I talked to about that.

Speaker 3 (59:07):
But yeah, trainers, doctors, if you could come up with
something please that's better. It would be good for govern
people because you know, you get a lot of fans
in the comments who are like, oh my god, that's
so ridiculous.

Speaker 2 (59:18):
The dollar's turf toe.

Speaker 1 (59:19):
Come on.

Speaker 4 (59:20):
But I know, we gotta we got to rebrand. We
got to rebrand the turf toe.

Speaker 2 (59:23):
We do have to rebrand the turf toe. You know,
we don't have to rebrand show.

Speaker 3 (59:28):
Hey, Tony, this is a this we are talking baseball
and we are talking turf toe. In this segment and injuries.
But I just want to take a moment for all
of us. I just hope we all realise how lucky
we are to be to be watching this man and
his zero point seven to four ERA and three oh
one batting average.

Speaker 2 (59:47):
I feel like somehow he's gotten better.

Speaker 4 (59:50):
A couple of weeks ago, we were sitting here and
talking about like the quote unquote slump, yeah yeah, and
how everybody was up in arms about not hitting every
game he was a starting he was pitching. Yes, do
you feel like that's all just in the rear view.

Speaker 3 (01:00:09):
I think it's in the rever I think they're gonna
we talked about load management, this different kind of load management.

Speaker 2 (01:00:13):
I think they're gonna keep an eye at it.

Speaker 3 (01:00:15):
I feel like this last week he got a day
off after he was pitching, and but he hit on
the day that he pitched. And I think it's something
they're gonna play with throughout the season because he's very valuable,
and if something happens to him, you've lost two players.
You've now lost one of your best hitters and one
of your best pitchers, and they can't they can't afford
to do that. So I think they're gonna have to

(01:00:36):
just kind of play it by ear and tinker with it.
But it feels like potentially it's that day off after
that is going to be more of a thing than
the day off when he's pitching, especially since he keeps
hitting home runs on the days that he's pitching, and
so that that's usually pretty beneficial to a team.

Speaker 4 (01:00:53):
Absolutely, and you know, it's remarkable that, like this is
one of those Eclipse equinox moments. I guess where we've
got Victor wembin Yama on the basketball floor, who's just
a They call him the Alien and then show Hey
O Tawni the Unicorn, Like it's it's special to see

(01:01:13):
these these really insane like it's not just a gift,
it's like it's a superpower.

Speaker 5 (01:01:22):
It is.

Speaker 2 (01:01:23):
I totally totally agree with that.

Speaker 3 (01:01:25):
And I think the reason the show Hey to O
Tony day off discussion became such a thing and and
might become a talking point is just because we've never
seen anything.

Speaker 2 (01:01:35):
Like this before. There's no one else to compare itson.

Speaker 3 (01:01:37):
I don't think we will. I don't think we ever will.
I don't think we will. There's there's no way. He's
just too incredible. So, I mean, I think anyone who
knows me or listens knows I am a very very
big fan of one show had and his dog Decoy.
But yes, but I just I feel like every week,
I'm like, but we can, even though I'm a fan,

(01:01:57):
we can talk about.

Speaker 2 (01:01:58):
Him because he's very relative relevant.

Speaker 4 (01:02:00):
It is it's it's special, and it only gets augmented
during the postseason. But it's important. I mean, this is
his first full season with the Dodgers pitching and you know,
at the plate, so it's it's remarkable.

Speaker 3 (01:02:16):
It is it is absolutely remarkable, and you know else
is remarkable. For the first time ever, I was filming
while he hit a home run and I was so
excited about that.

Speaker 4 (01:02:23):
Well, that's so funny you mentioned that, because I have
terrible reflex skills of capturing great stuff on great moments
on camera at sporting events. But I have caught multiple
of his home runs. Really yes, because I'm just like,
I just have learned always when he's at the plate,
just films up.

Speaker 3 (01:02:45):
That's probably fair, That's really fair. Well, I got one
and was excited, and you know who's always sitting home run?
In my book, that would be Rihanna Morrot.

Speaker 2 (01:02:55):
What's up, nice? How are you there?

Speaker 4 (01:02:58):
N Oh wow, yeah, that's right.

Speaker 2 (01:03:00):
Well I couldn't do it, so he had to do
it for me, right alrighty. Speaking of a.

Speaker 10 (01:03:04):
Home run, Jordan Alvarez for the Astros his twenty second
home run of the season, a grand slam and the
bottom of the second inning. The Ashros are currently leading
in the Athletics seven to two, bottom of the fourth
inning in Houston. Michael Bush just walked it off in
Chicago as the Cubs beat the Giants three to two.
Peicro Pekro Armstrong his second home run of the game

(01:03:27):
with two outs to the bottom the ninth inning to
tie up the Giants two to two to descended to
extra innings. The Orioles are on top of the Blue
Jays right now six to four, top of the eighth inning,
and the White Sox are crushing the Phillies six to one.

Speaker 2 (01:03:40):
It is the top of the fifth inning.

Speaker 10 (01:03:42):
Other news around the world of sports, Germany took down
USA and the final friendly before the World Cup two
to one at the French Open. Nineteen year old at
Mira Andreva from Russia defeated Maya Wilinski Hollandski in straight
sets for her first Grand Slam title. And we got
Game three of the Stanley Cup Final that starts at
eight pm Eastern and lost Vega series is tied at
one game apiece. Status of Golden Knights defenseman and Brandon

(01:04:04):
McNabb is still up in the air.

Speaker 2 (01:04:05):
After he took a puck to the face in Game two.

Speaker 8 (01:04:08):
And in the.

Speaker 10 (01:04:09):
WNBA, Asia Wilson scored twenty eight points and had fourteen
boards as the Aces defeated the Valkyries eighty four to
seventy nine. The Links took down the Storm eighty eight
to sixty eight for their six straight win.

Speaker 4 (01:04:19):
Thanks for letting me.

Speaker 2 (01:04:20):
Hang out with you guys today. Have a good one.
Thank you for being with us.

Speaker 3 (01:04:24):
All Right, you guys, we are bringing in our next guest,
and that is John Rosie of MLB Network, NHL Media,
Sirius XM.

Speaker 2 (01:04:33):
So many different things, so many hats that he wears. John,
Welcome to the show.

Speaker 5 (01:04:39):
Thank Grazie and NICKI grateful to be on the show.
This is very much the Big ten Hour because I
know that you've got a wolverine and a bruin and
I'm speaking to you here from Ann Arbor, Michigan. This
is the Big Ten. This is the Big ten connection
right here.

Speaker 2 (01:04:55):
Wow, what are you doing in Anna Urber, Michigan.

Speaker 1 (01:04:58):
This is home.

Speaker 6 (01:05:00):
My wife is in Michigan, alum, so we live here.

Speaker 5 (01:05:04):
Tracy knows, as Tracy knows, this is truly God's country.
And Nikki, you're now proud to be an honorary Midwesterner
now that the Bruins have joined the Big Ten.

Speaker 4 (01:05:13):
You know what, I'm proud to boast all the Big
Ten excellence that has been surfacing. You know, some might
say the NCAA Tournament, the college football Playoff runs through
the Big Ten.

Speaker 2 (01:05:28):
Sure does it, Sure does.

Speaker 4 (01:05:30):
Job.

Speaker 3 (01:05:30):
We will be speaking offline about the fabulous, magical place
called ann Arbor that you live in. I must hear more,
but perhaps our listeners want to hear something else.

Speaker 2 (01:05:39):
Weird, but I think they might.

Speaker 3 (01:05:40):
Let's we're going to talk to baseball, but first want
to talk to you about a little bit of soccer.
World Cup is coming up. Final friendly today. Even though
there was a kerfuffle, fine little friendly between Germany and
the US today, it's been a lot of excitement about
the World Cup and we are here, we are And.

Speaker 5 (01:06:00):
So I thought overall, the US played very well today.
Certainly the subs came on, maybe not quite as much
of an offensive push as you would like to see
in the final thirty minutes, but I thought that overall,
I liked the way the team presented itself. And you
mentioned the kerfuffle at the end of the quote unquote
friendly with Germany. I loved it because for a while,

(01:06:22):
I think, going back to when the US missed the
World Cup in twenty eighteen, we were waiting for the
edge to come back to this team, for the identity
to come back to this team. If you think back
in two thousand and two, they.

Speaker 6 (01:06:34):
Make it all the way to the quarterfinal, and.

Speaker 5 (01:06:36):
That was in some ways soccer and high level World
Cup soccer arriving again to the US, and we lost
a little bit of that edge. I feel as though
we got it back late in this game. It was
the perfect tone center.

Speaker 6 (01:06:48):
I realized it wasn't to win.

Speaker 5 (01:06:50):
But everybody that has a soccer ball in their backyard
across our country right now is trying to do what
Anthony Robinson did to score that goal there in the
thirty seventh minute, which an unbel believable volley. You cannot
hit a ball, strike a ball any better than that.
So I thought that was a great moment tim Way,
as I alluded to later on in the game, showing
some grit. So I think overall a pretty good presentation

(01:07:12):
for the American right.

Speaker 4 (01:07:13):
And it seems like Pulisitch is finding his form right
now at the right time. And when you look at
Group D and the confidence you have in the US
to win it, what what are the you know? Give us,
give us some bullet points so that we can we
can all sound knowledgeable. In that first match on Friday, right, well,
I think.

Speaker 5 (01:07:34):
In general there was a conversation about about goaltending and
then coming in or go goalkeeper coming into this this game,
and and and Freeze getting to start again. The second goal,
I didn't love it.

Speaker 6 (01:07:45):
It wasn't his fault.

Speaker 5 (01:07:47):
I thought that the defensive play could have been a
lot tighter in front of him. I thought maybe in
the middle part of the park we were a little
bit laxed there the US was. And so I don't
put that goal on on Freeze the haverrisk go in
the cup first couple of minutes. I thought it was
just a really classy play by a world Cup veteran
in the case of Havert, so I think in general,

(01:08:07):
i'd like to see the defensive play get better. I
think Freeze is now clearly the starting goalkeeper for Padaguay
on Friday, because he played the whole game today. The
way that Pachetino's managed the minutes and the start Turner
I think is in a really good run of form.
But Freeze has been the guy for so long, so
I think he will get to start on Friday. Defensively,

(01:08:28):
the back four i'd like to see. I think the
big question, honestly, if you want to impress your colleagues
to work on Monday morning, is talking about whether or
not Richards is going to be able to play coming in.
He's someone that has been really important at the back line.
You really and I mentioned the second goal. You noticed
his absence there, just that solid fourth that takes away
time and space from the opposition wasn't really there. And

(01:08:50):
that circumstance where Robinson couldn't quite get out there, Miles
Robinson couldn't, So I think that to me is a
big question what is the status of Richards? And then
you're exactly right. I thought he had a really good
game against Senegal, really good match again today. He's finding
some space and creativity that the combinations I like. I
think especially along the left side of the US attack.

(01:09:11):
I really think it's interesting to have Death now becoming
more of a wing player up top to where he
was for a long time playing on the back as
a wing, and now he's more of an attacking wing.
I think it's a really interesting tactical choice by Facchettino.
But the way that Jedi Robinson has improved his game
and again he scored the goal today, has allowed them
to play Death in a more advanced position, which I

(01:09:34):
think in general gives the US a bit more of
another dimension as they get through. But you reference the group,
I think if you're an American soccer fan, you should
believe we need to win this group. Obviously we'll know
a lot more after the Pataguay game on Friday, but
it's Pubaguay, Australia and TURKEYA in that order, all games
the US can win.

Speaker 3 (01:09:54):
It's goren have a lot to talk about. It's going
to be fun. I'm excited. A less than a week away,
but we're going to switch gear for a bit and
talk a little bit of baseball I want to get
your thoughts on Terrek schoo ball and where you think
he will end up, and should he end up at
the Dodgers, will the baseball world have a collective melt

(01:10:14):
down the legs of.

Speaker 2 (01:10:15):
Which we've never seen.

Speaker 5 (01:10:17):
You know, I really, I really root for the little
guy here that the Dodgers, they hardly have any good players.

Speaker 4 (01:10:23):
Those poor Dodgers.

Speaker 5 (01:10:25):
I really feel terribly for them. I know, but when
Nicky's covered the Dodgers, there's no stars that you can
talk to Nicky. There's nobody there, nobody, anybody recognize.

Speaker 4 (01:10:33):
It's very dull. It's a very dull club.

Speaker 5 (01:10:36):
House, very boring, very boring team.

Speaker 6 (01:10:38):
So I think that they're they're a team that.

Speaker 5 (01:10:40):
They certainly could make this move. They could, they could.
They have the capital of the farm system to make
this move and the urgency that we've seen them have
in the past. I do believe that there are probably
other teams that haven't even greater needs than the Dodgers,
for sure, shocking rebelation. The Cubs are a team that

(01:11:01):
I think could do it. That they have some needs,
and they've got some prospects as well. They're finally starting
to play better the Podres I'm sure would love to
do it, but they don't quite have enough enough I
think prospect capital to make the deal move because aj
brother has already traded so many of his prospects in
the last couple of years, the last couple of deadlines.

(01:11:22):
So I think from that perspective, the Dodgers again, they're
part of the mix somewhere, but I think the Cubs
need them a little bit more. And I'll make this
statement too if the Braves. If the Braves end up
having an injury in their rotation, and we are so
far away, almost two full months away from the trade deadline,
so a lot of teams could have some starting pitching
needs that come up. And again, the Braves are a

(01:11:43):
team with a good farm system. I look over at
the American League team like the Blue Jays, who of
course were one base hit away from winning it all
last year.

Speaker 1 (01:11:51):
Was too sorry, Yes, yes.

Speaker 6 (01:11:55):
It would be.

Speaker 5 (01:11:55):
It would be an interesting storyline, right if they find
a way to get that one missing piece. Maybe Schooble
faces the Dodgers in the World Series. Wouldn't that be
a fun storyline? So that the Tigers, I'm sure are
still saying, hey, maybe we get back into this. I'm
a little skeptical of that obviously, as I mentioned, living
in Michigan, following the team carefully, I just think they
they've had a good last week, the Tigers have, but

(01:12:17):
there's still time for the second worst record in the
American League. I just don't see them climbing up the
standings quickly enough to validate a choice to keep Schooble.
So I do think probably about sixty five percent chance
Scooble is somewhere else by the early part of August.

Speaker 4 (01:12:33):
And listen, John, we've you know, it's been the Dodgers,
the Evil Empire, the villains, and rightfully so, I understand
a dynasty in the making is fun to root against.
But when you look at the landscape of the league
right now and the standings, what's a clubhouse that's a
quiet contender and could possibly do some damage in the postseason.

Speaker 5 (01:12:57):
So I'll give you a couple. I think number one
the Guardians. They're a team that we talk a lot
about there. They somehow find themselves in the playoffs often
even though they don't have a top level payroll, they
have played really well. I think they're actually a better
version of themselves now than they were the last couple
of years, and again two years ago they made it
to the ALCS against the Yankees. So they're a better

(01:13:19):
and deeper team, especially at a time now where we
haven't talked about it yet, but Aaron Judge being out
for a long period of talk now with the Yankees,
there's some space for other teams in the American League
to jump back into this and to really stamp themselves
as legit World Series contenders. Obviously that the Yankees expect
to have judged back well.

Speaker 6 (01:13:35):
In advance of the World Series in the playoffs.

Speaker 5 (01:13:37):
But the Guardians are a dangerous team, and I also
believe the Mariners are a dangerous team. They came back
and one today against the Tigers. They've got six starting
pitchers and as you know, very few teams in this
sport even have five, let alone six. So the Mariners
in a really good position. I think they're a team
that could go on a long run, especially after falling
so close. They have a lead on the Blue Jays

(01:14:00):
with six outs to play in the ALCS and Game
seven last year. They've got unfinished business just like the
Jays have unfinished business, and the Dodgers, as we already
talked about here, still are the team to beat in
so many ways as we.

Speaker 6 (01:14:13):
Approach the trade deadline.

Speaker 3 (01:14:14):
You mentioned Aaron Judges injury, and we talked about a
little bit before you came on. But this sounds like
a silly question. But what does this do to the
Yankees for the next four to six weeks? And like
you said, how much space does it.

Speaker 2 (01:14:28):
Give for other teams?

Speaker 5 (01:14:30):
Well, it sort of gives space to other teams. And honestly,
the team that I look at in the American League
East right now is the Tampa Bay Rays. That they've been,
in my judgment, the more consistent team, especially when you
remove number ninety nine from the Yankee lineup for a
long period of time. The Rays have some really good
situational hitters.

Speaker 6 (01:14:51):
They put the ball in play a lot.

Speaker 5 (01:14:52):
It's a little bit of old school baseball. Jonathan Ronda
Junior coming earo a big time power bat. Their pitching
has really gotten act to being at that top echelon
now that McClanahan is healthy again. The bullpen's been pretty good.

Speaker 6 (01:15:06):
So I think, for a lot of different.

Speaker 5 (01:15:07):
Reasons that the Rays are a dangerous team. I think
it may sound a little strident to say it at
this relatively early juncture of the season, but I do
believe the Judge injury will probably cost the Yankees the
American League East. They'll still make the playoffs. I think
it'd be a massive surprise if they didn't make the playoffs.
And you've got teams in the American League that are

(01:15:28):
close to a playoff position where below five hundred.

Speaker 6 (01:15:30):
For Frian out loud.

Speaker 5 (01:15:31):
So the Yankees are still going to make it as
a wildcard even even if they don't win the division.

Speaker 6 (01:15:34):
But I do believe that this injury and.

Speaker 5 (01:15:37):
The diminishment of the lineup, I also think you might
see Ben Rice be a little bit less productive over
the next several weeks because he no longer has that
copilot and Aaron Judge who absorbs so much of the attention. Now,
all of a sudden, Ben Rice becomes the guy other
teams can key on, and I think it's going to
be a little bit harder for Ben Rice to do
his very best. So it does, there's no question about it.

(01:15:58):
This changes the entire dynamic of the American League East
in a way that I believe makes it more likely
the Tampa Bay Rays win the division this year.

Speaker 3 (01:16:07):
Oh interesting, Thank you, thank you John. This is this
has been awesome. I will be watching this throughout the season.
May I just give you a go Blue enjoy a
fabulous day.

Speaker 4 (01:16:18):
In ann our birth tend Go Bruins, Go USA, you
go so many things, big, but we're all the.

Speaker 5 (01:16:26):
Same team now. Yeah big ten, Go USA. Can't wait,
of course to watch out the great cover John on Fox.
I'll get out to a couple of matches myself during
the course of the tournament, so it's gonna be an
amazing experience that yes, I promise you. I will take
very good care of ann Ar before you, Tracy, and
we'll be catching up soon.

Speaker 2 (01:16:42):
Fantastic.

Speaker 4 (01:16:42):
Thanks John.

Speaker 3 (01:16:44):
You guys a week come back. It'll be our feel
good story of the week. It's Fox Sports Saturday. I'm
Tracy Saylor and I'm Nicky King, and we are live
from the Fox Sports Radio studios where Iowa Sam is
just killing it on the songs today and we appreciate
you after us.

Speaker 4 (01:17:04):
We're Saturday maxing right now.

Speaker 3 (01:17:05):
It is Buck Rising and Old and polynes and we
will be handing the reins of the airwaves over to them.

Speaker 2 (01:17:13):
But before we do that remember something to tell you.

Speaker 4 (01:17:15):
Yes, if you missed any of today's show, you'll want
to catch the podcast. Just search Fox Sports Radio wherever
you get your pods from. Right after the show, today's
podcast will be posted. Be sure to follow rate at
five stars and you can even give us a review. Again,
just search Fox Sports Radio wherever you get your podcasts.
Follow the feed. You'll find today's full show posted right
after we get off air.

Speaker 3 (01:17:36):
But before we let you go, we are ready for
our feel good story of the week. And Nikki I
went first on the dews and don't oh, you're gonna
go first on this.

Speaker 4 (01:17:45):
Well, today's just a feel good day. But and you
know what my feel good story is the city of
New York right now. I saw a post that crime
rate has been the lowest ever during these nixt playoff runs.
But I do have a name specific feel good story,
and that's one between Jalen Brunson and Lawn Order superstar

(01:18:07):
Law and Order SBU superstar Mariska Hargatea who is every
a fan favorite. I mean, every how can you not
see that woman and smile? But she's a diehard Knicks fan.
She's often at the games and we're talking middle of February,
not just the postseason, but after one of the playoff games,
Brunson came up to her and hugged her and he
said to her, don't worry, I'll be there. And from afar,

(01:18:31):
it's a confusing interaction. The Nicks had just won the
Eastern Conference finals. What do you mean, Brunson, you'll be there?
What for Risca? Well, Mariska just launched her Broadway show,
and that's Jalen Brunson telling her don't worry, I'll be
in the crowd. I can't wait to watch you shine
in your element. And like, what a beautiful friendship between

(01:18:52):
two stars in their respective fields and supporting one another.
Like I heard that. I heard Mariska relay the story,
and I was like, I'm in beautiful.

Speaker 2 (01:19:03):
That's really sweet. That actually really made me feel that way.

Speaker 4 (01:19:07):
I teared up a little bit.

Speaker 2 (01:19:08):
Well, funny enough, my field.

Speaker 3 (01:19:10):
Good story also involves Jalen Brunson, but a different super fan,
three year old Rayah, who is a huge fan of
Jalen Brunson's, gone viral doing his three point celebration on
social media to celebrate the NBA Finals. Nike has put
her on a billboard, and that is what it's all about.
And it's so flipping adorable. They've met too, She's met

(01:19:35):
Jalen Brunston and she like runs over and gives him
a hug. It's absolutely adorable. I mean, is Jalen Brunson
a walking.

Speaker 2 (01:19:41):
Field good story of the week?

Speaker 4 (01:19:42):
Yes?

Speaker 10 (01:19:43):
That is.

Speaker 3 (01:19:43):
That is basically the question I'm posing to everybody, because
that's really really stead.

Speaker 4 (01:19:48):
I love that he's both of them right right, and
just who his whole story undersized. He took less money.
I mean, yeah, it was like a slight shave, but whatever,
He's still sacrificed sing to make the team better and
the way he leads, and we heard from Christian Wingfield
that he's learned to defer and that he doesn't have

(01:20:10):
to do it all.

Speaker 2 (01:20:11):
You called him Wingfield.

Speaker 4 (01:20:12):
I did that very actually not intentional, but.

Speaker 3 (01:20:16):
That's the in case you missed it earlier in the show,
Christian Winfield Wingfield is the reporter that was eating the
chicken wings in the press conference, and Nikki suggested he
changed his name to Christian Wingfield and.

Speaker 2 (01:20:27):
She just really did.

Speaker 4 (01:20:28):
I love that.

Speaker 2 (01:20:29):
Actually, it's pretty pretty funny.

Speaker 4 (01:20:30):
I was grasping there. But you know what, wings sound
good right now? Wait, you know what?

Speaker 2 (01:20:35):
They sure do?

Speaker 3 (01:20:36):
They sound absolutely delicious. You guys, this has been such
a fun show. It is totally flown by. We got
by La La Rochi, we got Elmo, we got everything
you can possibly have what. As I mentioned earlier, we're
gonna hand the reins over to Buck Rising and Olden Polynies.
You guys, thank you for jording us. Tracy's Taylor, Nikki Kay.
This is Fox Sports Saturday,

All Episodes

Episode Transcript

Fox Sports Radio News

Host

Jonas Knox

Popular Podcasts

Hey Jonas!

Stuff You Should Know

Dateline NBC

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Tracy Sandler & Nikki Kay Talk NBA Finals, Blockbuster NFL Trades, Aaron Judge Injury & More!