October 28, 2020 • 37 mins
Clay and the crew in LA explain what the Dodgers championship means to Los Angeles and Clay has an issue with the Justin Turner debate. Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze is on a roll and joins the program! Plus, Clay tells you what he thinks of the MLB analytics.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'll Kick the coverage with Clay Travis live every weekday
morning from six to nine a m. E Stone three
to six am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your
local station for I'll Kick the coverage at Fox Sports
Radio dot com or stream us live every morning on
the I Heart Radio app by searching fs are you're
(00:22):
listening to Fox Sports Radio. We'll get to the Dodgers
here in a minute. But according to Ian Rappaport, the
Cowboys are in cell mode. Uh sorry, this is Tom
Pella Saro. Uh. They have informed defensive tackle Don Terry
Po and cornerback Darryl Whorley they'll be released if Dallas
(00:46):
can't trade them today. Uh. Big changes for the Dallas defense,
which was already bad. And remember they just traded Everson Griffin.
And I'm sorry Cowboy fans, but you know things are
going bad when the Lions are trading for your players
like they did because they feel like they have a
(01:06):
chance to make the playoffs and your team is convinced
you have absolutely no chance. So the Cowboys basically cleaning
house again. Don Terry Po and Darryl Worley They're gonna
be released if they can't be traded today. And by
the way, if they've told them that, then I'm guessing
that's their agents leaking this because you don't want to
(01:29):
be traded for. You'd rather be released and able to
sign for whoever you can. And I'm guessing the Cowboys
are not expecting that there will be much value for
those guys. I believe I'm correct. Don Terry po is
the only Cowboy ever to kneel for the national anthem,
So maybe Jerry Jones is considering that to be some
(01:50):
small measure of redemption. The Dodgers, speaking of redemption when
their first title in thirty two years, it is thou
the Ways Coast waking up for with us many people
at a M five seventy l A sports and listening
along Danny g what did this win mean for you?
And also then I'll bring in Roberto, the two foremost
(02:13):
Dodger supporters on this show, And do you feel bad
for stealing my ten year old joy, because otherwise this
should be the Braves moment. I'll start with that. No,
because your son has a lot more years in front
of him than we do. Uh, And we can go
to our graves now peacefully with the Dodgers win a
(02:33):
World Series title win that means something to us as adults, because,
let's be honest, the last time they won thirty two
years ago, we were little kids couldn't appreciate it or
enjoy it the way we can right now. There were
so many grown adults in Southern California across the world
who are Dodger fans that shed tears last night. It's
hard to put into words, but I think the one
(02:55):
thing I'll say is the Dodgers connect families for generations
in decade, aids um I mentioned earlier on the show
that I was listening to A M five seventy l
A Sports last night and by the way, Don Martin
he made an appearance on the air. He called Charlie
Steiner he had during the postgame to to thank the crew.
It was so he's one of our two bosses. It
(03:16):
was really cool to hear him. I've never heard him
on the radio before, so that was interesting. That tells
you how big of a deal it was for the
city last night that the big Boss called in. You know,
listening to the coverage all day, it's crazy. I didn't
turn my TV on yesterday until the World series game started. Instead,
I listened to l A sports radio because I wanted
(03:36):
to hear the callers. I wanted to hear the hosts,
and I just wanted to kind of take it all
in and see what it truly meant to not just
me and my family, but everybody else. In the amount
of phone calls they took from men and women who
explained to the hosts what it meant to them in
their family, uh, loved ones that they've lost, who took
(03:57):
them to Dodger Stadium as kids. And there was one
guy in particular who said his mom passed away when
she was thirty seven and she was a huge Dodgers fan.
He was going to celebrate today by going to the
cemetery in l A and bring flowers and just like
celebrate with her. And there were so many calls like that,
(04:19):
and it really hit home and for me personally. My
grandmother took me and my older brother to our first
Dodgers game when I was in like around kindergarten age.
She had her son umbrella a transistor radio because she
swore up and down that Vince Scully and Bob Barker
were the two greatest broadcasters in the world, and so
(04:39):
she had a lot of Grandma's. By the way, he
thought that Bob Barker was the greatest broadcast during the world.
That's a staple for many people around our age. You
were sick, I couldn't go to school, you'd go to
grandma's house or Grandma would come over and Campbell's chicken
soup and in the prices prices right, watch the game
shows all day and maybe some soap operas too, That's
(04:59):
what I it. Anyway, Yeah, she dreamed of getting that
hundred dollar bill out of Bob Barker's pocket. I'm getting
a kiss from him. And she also had that same
affection for Vince Scully just as a lot of us did.
And even my stepdad, who didn't really support our love
of sports, he still loved the Dodgers and he would
have Vince Scullion in the garage. If he'd make us
(05:20):
clean the garage, he'd say, but you can have the
Dodgers game on the radio. So as a little kid,
that was the soundtrack of the summer of my life.
And there's so many people who can you know, relate
to that. Growing up here in southern California, the Dodgers
are a fabric of family. They brought and connected so
many family members together. Was really my only common ground
(05:43):
I had with my stepdad. And so to hear so
many dozens of Dodger fans call in with those same
similar stories. Yesterday, the city was just bursting at the scenes.
You you could tell it was gonna be the fourth
of July two point oh if the Dodgers got it
done last night, And that's exactly what happened. The city exploded.
(06:04):
Literally you saw that. You've seen the aerial shot, yeah,
of all the fireworks, and I will say, like it
wasn't last year or sorry this year, it was last year.
I was in l A, uh four July four driving
down the four oh five, probably around I don't know,
nine o'clock, coming back from the South Bay to get
back to the near the Fox Lot where I was staying,
(06:27):
and the amount of fireworks that were going off on
either side of the four oh five or like nothing
I've ever seen. I mean, there are a lot of
people who do private fireworks celebrations in l A. And
I saw the video of all the people setting off
fireworks and celebrating the Dodger win, which I know the
Lakers have won a lot more titles, but this feels
(06:48):
way bigger to me than that the Laker win did. Yeah,
and I mean the Laker. The Laker win was big,
but it was muted because of all of the anti
NBA stuff that was all over the inner net and
on the radio and TV. But the Dodgers, obviously, after
a thirty two year wait and coming so close and
all in the Astros debacle and everything that went on
(07:10):
in TV, and to always come so close but to
feel kind of cursed as if it was just never
gonna happen for this squad, I think that just made
it that much more extra suite for Dodger fans. And uh,
you know, I I gotta saved for this year. This
this incredible that we've all experienced and all the highs
(07:32):
and well not all the highs, all the lows and
a couple of highs. Now when I say all the highs,
I'm talking Lakers and Dodgers. So thank you Lakers, thank
you Dodgers, because for you talked about how you couldn't
live in California, Well we do, and so imagine feeling
like you're in some sort of prison sentence and the
only joy we've had. And and by the way, the
(07:53):
year started, my last flight was to the Super Bowl
with you, and that started with Kobe dying. Yeah, and
and so our sports teams kind of rallied around that,
and and it was like do it for Kobe, Mamba mentality,
Let's do it for Kobe, and both the Lakers and
Dodgers focused in and and one rings and it's just
an amazing feeling. What about you, Roberto, that's awesome man.
(08:18):
Daughters on my favorite team. You know, if I'm going
to the games with my dad and brother as a kid,
and then going with my friends at high school and
then after high school, and then I remember taking my
sister to be my designated a driver afterwards and I'm
me getting me getting her into baseball. He had a
designated driver last night too, by the way, exactly got
ahead uber over here from and then uh, now going
(08:41):
with my how much did you drink? Uh? I had
about uh ten beers? You had ten beers and then
you had an uber. You had to take an uber
to the studio for the Dodger Yeah, yeah, I was
thinking that raised you know, not driving man. He got
a uber, so you didn't go to bed you celebrate
the dog kept drinking heck yeah and uh and came
(09:01):
straight to the studio, straight to work. Baby. Well, that's
impressive because there are other members of this show who
have had a few drinks and passed out literally on air.
I don't want to call and cast dispersions upon him,
but his name is Jason Martin and he used to
be the producer. Uh and uh and uh. So that
that is an impressive performance by you. Thank you spend
(09:21):
so much money on these guys over the years. Man
him to finally win, I feel vindicated. Uh, shut some
tears right after they one, and thank you Kevin Cash
for being a moron, Thank you very much. Crazy, absolutely
crazy that he took Blake Snell out of the game
when he did. And these are I think sometimes when
you can allow analytics two teach you and convince you
(09:46):
of things that are illogical. Yeah, manatics, you use the
analytics right there, baby, yeah him in the game. Yeah,
I think sometimes you have to recognize when the numbers
are are kind of lying to you. And uh, that
would have been a good example of one that that
that would have been a good time to to do it,
but they didn't. And the Dodgers end up winning the title. Now,
(10:09):
for those of you also waking up on the West coast,
you may not have seen this. It's going to be
a big controversy today because Justin Turner tested positive during
the eighth inning of this game for COVID. And uh, first,
somehow that major League Baseball testing protocols are all crossed
(10:30):
up that it could even happen that he would test
positive in this scenario in the middle of the game.
That is a flaw of epic magnitude of Major League
Baseball's testing. But they pulled him from the game in
the eighth inning. If that is where the story had ended,
then it probably would vanish fairly quickly, I would think.
(10:51):
But Justin Turner, who has been a longtime member of
the Dodgers and has been through their World Series losses,
wanted to go on the field and celebrate, and so
the Dodgers said that he could. And as a result,
there are videos out there and pictures which are circulating
(11:12):
rapidly through social media and beyond showing him celebrating on
the field despite the fact that he had tested positive
for COVID. Now, now I asked you guys, the question,
What do you think about Justin Turner celebrating on the field? Uh,
the poll question is up nearly what is it? I'm
(11:34):
looking at the numbers right now. We have almost thirty
three thousand of you voted in the first hour and change.
Do you have a problem with Justin Turner testing positive
for COVID and then celebrating on the field with his
teammates after the positive test? See of you say, now?
(11:56):
Of you say, yes, you do have a problem. Let
me go round the horn here, Danny g any problem
with Justin Turner going on the field and celebrating. No,
I can't understand why some people might have a problem
with him taking the picture with the team with no
mask on. But you mentioned it an hour one. He
(12:16):
had been around his teammates for seven innings prior to that, yeah,
plus days and hours before exactly, so I can understand
why his teammates would be comfortable taking the picture with him.
But he's such a big part of the team. There
is no way you could take that team photo without him. Now,
I think some people could say, well, they could just
photo shop him in now, come on, he already lost
(12:40):
a major moment in his life because he should have
been standing at third base. He should have thrown his
glove in the air, jumped around on the mound with
all his teammates. He didn't get to do that. He
would come out later and finally get to lift up
the trophy and take that one picture. That was his celebration. Alright,
No problem from Danny g Roberto, any problem as a
Dodger face another problem, whatsoever? Man? When when they first
(13:02):
celebrated and he wasn't he wasn't out there, man, I
felt so bad from and it was good to see
him out at least to take a team picture. What
about you, dub Yeah, no problem for me. And they
tell him in the eighth inning. I mean in a way,
it's like, why even tell him then, it's already you've
already been with your teammates for four hours. Yeah, and
it is strange that suddenly he leaves in the eighth inning.
And we'll talk to Dr Chow usually tomorrow. But Dr
(13:25):
Chow has continued to emphasize that, first of all, the
number of transmissions that have occurred during the course of
an athletic event appears to be zero. In other words,
there's no way to trans to find a situation where
one team has transferred it to another or it's spread
during the course of an actual athletic event. So uh
(13:45):
so that is worth thinking about. But also, as you
guys are saying, if he had already been exposed to
them basically up to the eighth inning, what difference does
it make in a grand scheme of things if then
he also is exposed to them in some way for
five minutes on the field. I think the decision of
(14:06):
the wife to kiss him is maybe the most interesting
part to me personally, because she knows he has COVID.
They're standing there with the trophy and there's a video
of them kissing. She may also be thinking, well, I've been,
you know, in the same bed with him for for
a month or so or however long they've weekes that
they've been together theoretically, and she may be like, if
(14:29):
I've got it, I've got it. I'm not gonna worry now.
We will get a good photo at least. What about you, Eddie,
how would you assess this? Well? I don't have a
problem with it. And all the quotes I've seen so
far from Dodgers players is that they wanted him out there,
so they are the ones who are around him. So
if they don't care, why would I care. I do
think that there's going to be a little bit of
(14:50):
a challenge in terms of the Corona bros. Are gonna
be all worked up today, and so the question is
going to be what are they gonna do kind of
going forward about the Dodgers going back home? So if if,
usually you would have to quarantine right And by the way,
the big the big bullet that Major League Baseball dodged
(15:12):
because by the time, uh, the NFL kicks off Thursday
tomorrow and we get going into the weekend, all the
college football in the NFL action, everybody will turn the
page on baseball and they won't care. The big bullet
that Baseball dodged is if they don't pull Snell out
of this game, and if the Rays go on and
win Game six, I think they have might have to
(15:35):
postpone Game seven for a week or more, keep testing
all the players, and hope that it's not going to
have spread. I don't think they would have been able
to play games seven tonight. I really don't, unless, and
this could certainly be the case, they do a lot
better and more detailed testing of Justin Turner, and it
(15:56):
turns out that he was false positive like Nick Saban
and as he's not asymptomatic, he just doesn't have the
virus at all. But but the danger for Major League
Baseball would have been, oh, my goodness, if you had
a game seven scheduled, everybody's geared up to watch it,
and then it comes out that that you've got a
(16:18):
positive test and maybe a bunch more positives that come
out in the days ahead. There's no telling how long
they might end up having to postpone just playing the
one game to decide who's gonna be the World Series champion.
Why don't you go ahead and give us an update, uh,
Eddie Garcia, We're about to be joined, by the way
in the next segment by Liberty football coach Hugh Free.
(16:39):
Liberty is undefeated on the season, and we've had coach
Free several times on this show before when he was
an old Miss coach and also when he became the
head coach of Liberty. He's really got things rolling right now,
and they've got still a couple of a CC teams
on the schedule. But Liberty is I believe they are
six and oh they may even be seven and oh,
(17:00):
I know they're undefeated. Be sure to catch live editions
about kicked the coverage with Clay Travis weekdays at six
am Eastern, three am Pacific. We're joined now by Liberty
had Football coach you Freeze coach. I believe I got
it right. Your team is six, and oh they are
on a roll. You're on a bye week now for Halloween,
and then you close out with Virginia Tech, with Western
(17:24):
Carolina within C state, and I believe with U Mass
and potentially Coastal Carolina. So a lot going on here
in general. But what is this season felt like for you? And? Uh,
I guess it feels really good not to be coaching
from a hospital bed at a minimum. You know, that's right, Clay,
(17:48):
it was. It's been an interesting two seasons for sure,
with the staff infection last year and then the COVID
issues this year and um, but man I tell you
to be sitting here undefeated in your two Liberty is
it's just kind of your fork and UM just just
(18:08):
feel very very fortunate and blessed our kids. Or even
though we still have you know, a roster that's you know,
probably at least FCS recruited players. UM to be you
know where we are sitting here today in our open
week is a minute's awesome and it's just great to
see our kids and staff and university getting some some
(18:32):
notoriety because of it. So it's, uh, it's pretty awesome.
Would you have believed that you guys could be six?
And oh? Uh? And I believe I'm correct about six?
And oh if I had told you, hey, when it
gets to Halloween week and you hit a bye, I
know it's been a crazy and there's been a lot
of different changes to the schedule, what would you have
ever believed six? And oh it was possible? Not really,
I I do you know? We we've been fortunate everywhere
(18:55):
I't being with it was Lambeth or Arkansas State or
Ole miss to turn opens very quickly and obviously going
to a bowl game in year one and winning it
last year was was one of the most gratifying seasons
that I've had UM as part of a team and staff.
But you know, you still not having spring ball, and
(19:17):
and then looking at your schedule knowing you're planning a
nine win Western Kentucky team out of the gate, and
then the f I U who I know how many
athletes they have, and the Southern Missus and even the Monro's.
You know, I'm just I'm so I guess I can't
get out of my mind the type of athletes I
know those schools have from those areas. And you know,
(19:40):
you don't have to be the I've told a lot
of people if you were to to measure those teams
in the forty yard dash and uh, the vertical jump
and the short shuttles and all that, we probably don't
have a chance. And and then the Syracuse win, you know,
the first ever UH win against an A C C opponent.
(20:00):
It's just been you know, man, I just I love
our team and our staff and our kids, but I
probably would not have believed it if if you told
me that. What do you attribute to the shift in direction?
To what? What have you done in two years of
liberty that has led to a team being able to
be six? And Oh, I really think it's uh, you know,
I I've I've used the same plan everywhere I've been
(20:23):
and I've never wavered from it, and I think it
brings a chemistry. And you know, I'm I'm pretty uh
self aware of who I am and what my strengths
are and what my weaknesses are, and really try to
hire people that that really balanced my weaknesses, that can
(20:43):
pick me up where I'm not real strong and and
then play to my strengths to where I am. And
I do think that our kids just see a consistency
in me forcing people to to meet the standard that
we said daily. Um and and I think it breeds
offidence in him. Um. And obviously, you know you've got
(21:04):
to have great quarterback play in college football. You just
can't win games without that, and without a pretty damn
good defensive line. And I think we hit in our
one recruiting class on some good defensive lineman. And obviously
Malik Willis is playing at a huge level and a
lot of credit to him. And and I hired a
(21:24):
great quarterback coach and Ken Austin, who you know, I'm
not a I'm not a great quarterback fundamental coach. That's
really not my strength. I'm more of a big picture guy.
And we'll say here's what I want to do. Now
you make sure his his footwork and timing or right
on it. But so I think it's a combination of
all those things. Is just we We've got a great
(21:47):
staff that's on the same page, and the kids see
that and hopefully they see a consistency in the way
we approach every day. Are you a better coach now
than you were when you were at Old Miss? No question?
You know, I uh man if you when you're raised
as an offensive coordinator and you know, all you think
(22:08):
about is men, I'm I'm gonna bring a fast paced,
r P O driven football team, UM that gives people problems,
and I'm gonna try to get as many plays as
I can and score as many points as I can.
And because that's what you want to be known as.
And then that's worked for me UM most years and
(22:30):
worked from mit Ole Miss the first four UM, but
we began to struggle defensively and man, looking back lay
in year five there had I just managed the game
like I do now. You know, I think there's a
good chance. We had a chance to beat Outlabama three
straight years. We're up four to three, and and Florida
(22:53):
State we were up three scores on and I did
not manage those games the way I do now. The
two years I had off UM, I just did a
lot of research, a lot of studying, and then I
became just so aware of complimentary football and how if, man,
(23:13):
if you can keep your defense so our six games
this year, I believe I'm right in saying five of
the six our our defense has only played around sixty
plays instead of the eighty five I used to make
him play. And so I just managed the game differently now.
And I think you just mature as as a coach.
And I think that's the biggest difference. I don't approach
(23:35):
practice any different, or or the way I deal with
kids or staff any different at all, But I do
you let us get up a few scores, and I
start trying to figure out, all right, how do we
just get this thing to the to the house. Do
you enjoy the winds more now? After what you went
through at illness? There's no doubt. Man. I look back
(23:57):
at uh at the Lambeth in Arkansas, States, and then
I was at such peace uh there and it old
miss too for for a large part of it. Um.
But that probably that last year and a half to
two you, I really believe you either drive this professional
It drives you and when you start letting it drive you,
(24:20):
man your ego and your pride, and it can it
can really change. It can even you know, obviously make you, um,
get in positions where you make decisions that men you regret.
And you know, I'm just at a point I'm back
at I'm at peace now and I don't My biggest
(24:40):
thing is can I get to the end of the
day and and and lay down and not have any regrets?
And that's the way I want to, you know, finish
my life, my coaching, my friendships, my relationships with my family.
And it's just, um, it's it makes it's just so
much more enjoyable. And man, if I were to tell
(25:02):
you our schedule here, you would probably laugh at me.
But I just, uh, I don't let it drive me. Man.
We I want our coaches home with their families by
six six thirty every night, except for one. We we
do spend one night grinding pretty hard. But the rest
of them, I want them out of here. I want
them going to to eat with their coat, to wives
(25:23):
and their kids and at their baseball games. And so
we moved our practices to the morning. And it's just, uh,
I think I think we all enjoy it a lot more.
How do you prepare for a team like Virginia Tech
when it's a bye week, So what's different about having
two weeks to get ready for a team, especially a
(25:44):
team as good and uh in your state? There Obviously
it would be a big game for Liberty, probably the
biggest that Liberty has ever played as a university. From
a football perspective, what do you do? What's different? You know,
watching film on them, it it's a huge task. I mean,
they're just you know, they're full of power five players
and and so it's hard to see that that we
(26:07):
match up greatly on film. That doesn't mean but the
great thing about football is you don't have to be
better ten days. You just have to be better that
one day. And having an extra week I do think
is beneficial for us in the fact that number one,
we need to get some people healthy at two positions
we were really we've played the last three games without
(26:29):
some really good players, and so we're gonna get healthy.
And then we really just we took a let's see Tuesday,
today and tomorrow and and we really are just focusing
on certain scenarios in the in that game that's coming,
whether it be p intends, whether it be goal line,
whether it be and and we're not overdoing it, but
(26:50):
we're really focusing on those those particular areas that gets
us a jump start before we head into the next week.
Um and you know, I think it does pay it dividends.
This is a great open week because you know, next
Tuesday is election day and we can't practice and so
that's everyone. Um and and so some people are gonna
(27:12):
lose a day where in fact we've you know, we've
gained it in this open week. We're talking to you Freeze. Uh,
you are fifty one years old. I believe are about
to be fifty one years old. If you're not already, Uh,
you've already had a lot of success in uh in
college football. Some people are going to look at the
success at Liberty and say, other bigger schools are going
(27:36):
to come calling, seeing what you have done in two
years at Liberty. Do you expect that? And if that happens,
what will you say to them? Well? I sure, I
hope I would expect it, you know, And I think
that speaks volumes for what our administration and our kids
have done here. And I actually told our team that yesterday.
I'm so I'm very transparent with our kids and uh
(27:58):
and and tell them, man, any anything you read or
here is a compliment to you, and you know you
should take that as a compliment. And obviously that is
that's something that this this profession brings. And um, I
just I tell them if if there's ever a chance
(28:18):
that that I would have an interest in doing anything different,
they would be the first to know that I have
an interest in something. And UM, but man, you you
just I'm I'm at a point I used to kind
of think. You know, when you're trying to fight to
climb that ladder, and and and and and do that. Man,
you're trying to man, make a phone call or do something.
(28:39):
And I just I don't do any of that anymore.
I just I'm thankful for liberty. I'm thankful that they
took the time like you did to to sit down
with Jill and I hear our story and um and
give us this opportunity. And we found a tremendous home here.
So I have a great, great job. And uh, I
(29:00):
don't think any coach can ever say, hey, I'll never
leave a certain job until you get to a certain
point in your life. But I can tell you this, Um,
there's there's very few that would interest me to leave here,
but obviously those are going to be talked about and
and um, I just want to be honest and transparent
with our kids as through this whole process. But uh
(29:24):
man Ian mccau is an absolute gym for an a D.
And obviously I love the vision that they have here
and they put their resources behind it, and I really
think you can build this into being one of the
top non power of five schools in the nation in
a short amount of time. And so Jill is happy here,
my girls are happy here, and we're just we're blessed.
(29:47):
Do you ever watch SEC games? Do you have any
I always like to ask coaches. I mean, I know
you guys, are you know, locked and loaded on what
you're doing, but you coached at Old miss Do you
ever sneak a glance at what Lane Kiffin is doing
or Mike Leach is doing down at the school that
used to be your rival at Mississippi State, or even
you know, kind of pay attention to what say you
been and the and the crew ad Bama are doing.
(30:08):
Of course I t VO all those games and whenever
I can find time. We've been fortunate this year We've
had all like noon kicks. I love those and so
you get home and and then I have all those
games t vote and I typically don't sleep well on
Saturday nights because you're either you're either you know, jacked
up on adrenaline from the win, or you're disappointed if
(30:31):
you if you lose the game. And so, man'll I'll
run through those games and watch them. Obviously, I still
have a lot of friends, um in the SEC, and
so I kind of want to see what they're doing
and how they did. And uh, but I usually tvomost
all of those games, um, just so I can kind
of watch and see if I can get an idea
(30:51):
or something. And obviously, you know you have friends like
Nick and Gus and and Kirby and those guys that
have have you know, been really all your friends to
your and and so you want to watch those games
and see how they're doing. What happens next? You've got
six and oh, you've got a lot of tough games left.
What is a successful season? You may already be there
(31:13):
for Liberty to finish out this run. We're talking with
Liberty head football coach, you Freeze. Yeah, I think I
think we've already had a successful season. Um, And you know,
I will be determined not to let anything that happens
from this point on diminish it in these kids eyes.
Not Do we want more, Absolutely, We're going to find
(31:33):
everywhere in the world to try to compete. But you know,
when you're looking at that schedule and you've got I
don't know what, I hadn't seen the top twenty five,
but I know last week both NC State and Virginia
Tech and Coastal we're in it, and you know those
are those are some very very difficult games that again,
having only one full season to recruit, it's it's really
(31:56):
you know, your your roster is not quite where you
wanted to be, a lover kid is. But and there's
nobody's fault because you know they were FCS recruited, that's
what they played. So it's uh So, I think we've
already had a successful season. You know, by by the
old Googles were already Bowl eligible, which is you know,
our gold each year. So we're already there. Um, But
(32:18):
do we want more? Absolutely, and do we expect more, Yes,
but certainly think that we've already had a successful season.
Good luck, coach, keep us updated and appreciate you. Swinging
by and hanging with us. Oh, Clay anytime man. Thank
you for your kinds. Fox Sports Radio has the best
(32:39):
sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our
shows at Fox Sports Radio dot com and within the
I Heart Radio app search f s R to listen live.
We are rolling through the program about to finish off
the Wednesday edition. Had to be careful there. Every day
feels very similar still, uh, and so want to make
(32:59):
sure I got you right there? Um. The Dodgers with
a big game six win to notch their first World
Series title in thirty two years, and the celebration in
Los Angeles was carrying on all through the night. Props
to Roberto, who pounded ten beers and ubered into the studio, Dub.
Are you impressed that Roberto pulled to you and might
(33:22):
well have been drunk at the start of the show.
That's my guy right there. And I'm almost forty, dub
almost already. I'll be proud of myself if I'm forty
still doing that? What percentage of people have done the
show drunk or under the influence? Now, Danny, g be honest,
have you no? I gotta be honest, I I haven't.
It's something I need to add to my bucket list.
(33:46):
He's been gone since he did the update I got.
I'll let him do an update early, and he bailed out.
He's already home. Wait wait, wait, wait, I take that back, Clay.
Remember when I visited you in Nashville. Yes, and I
went and taught dubbed some stuff in his studio the
next morning. Yes. Yeah, so I guess I do qualify
for their Yeah. And I was able to order a pizza.
(34:06):
You were able to order a pizza. Pizza in here
a case of modelo. It is uh, it is pretty
wild too to win that title. And to me, the
biggest takeaway, first of all, Clayton Kershaw is now off
of that Dan Marino in the NFL and James Harden
in the NBA, where you have a certifiable, high level
(34:31):
talent that is never going to win a championship. He's
off that forever. And the other aspect of this that
I think stands out is Mookie Bets. I know Corey
Seeger was incredible, and I know how big the Bellinger
home run was, but Mookie Bets, if you are a
Red Sox fan, the fact that they allowed him to
(34:52):
walk and got rid of him is absolutely insane. They
had to get him, They had to get him the
luxury tax. Yeah, I understand that kind yeah, yeah right.
It's not as if, you know, if let's say the
Race who have a fraction of the payroll of the Dodgers,
if the Rays have a player like Mookie Betts and
(35:13):
they have to go get assets for him because they
don't have the revenue to be able to have a
player of Mookie bets stature, I understand how that can
be a part of your overall strategy. We developed talent,
then when that talent gets too expensive, we trade it
for other younger talent, and we continue to refine our
(35:34):
roster in that way. To me, letting Mookie Gibets go
is absolute insanity for a big market team like the
Red Sox. The other thing that I would say is
going to stand out about this World Series in general
is analytics are a tool. They are not and uh
and an infallible tool, by which I mean you still
(35:58):
have to use your instincts and trust your eyes sometimes.
And Blake Snell was pitching so well, he had only
thrown seventy three pitches. I don't understand how any manager
can make the decision in a win or go home
game where the picture one hundred percent doesn't want to
(36:22):
come out. I don't understand how you can pull him
out in that scenario like they did to me. The
Dodgers are excited that he comes out. If you pull
a picture and the opposing team is ecstatic that you've
made the decision, it's probably a sign that you're making
the wrong choice as a manager, and I think that's
certainly what happened with the Rays beyond a shadow of
(36:45):
a doubt. But congratulations the Dodgers, to Danny g and
Roberto my cardboard cutout. Enjoy it for the first time
in thirty two years. For those of you waking up
on the West Coast, enjoy it. Just know, however, that
you stole it from the Raves. This was Atlanta's championship
and they deserved it more. Thanks for having with us
this as an OutKick called Fox Sports Radio. This is
(37:08):
outkicked the coverage with Clay Travis
I'll Kick the coverage with Clay Travis live every weekday
morning from six to nine a m. E Stone three
to six am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your
local station for I'll Kick the coverage at Fox Sports
Radio dot com or stream us live every morning on
the I Heart Radio app by searching fs are you're
(00:22):
listening to Fox Sports Radio. We'll get to the Dodgers
here in a minute. But according to Ian Rappaport, the
Cowboys are in cell mode. Uh sorry, this is Tom
Pella Saro. Uh. They have informed defensive tackle Don Terry
Po and cornerback Darryl Whorley they'll be released if Dallas
(00:46):
can't trade them today. Uh. Big changes for the Dallas defense,
which was already bad. And remember they just traded Everson Griffin.
And I'm sorry Cowboy fans, but you know things are
going bad when the Lions are trading for your players
like they did because they feel like they have a
(01:06):
chance to make the playoffs and your team is convinced
you have absolutely no chance. So the Cowboys basically cleaning
house again. Don Terry Po and Darryl Worley They're gonna
be released if they can't be traded today. And by
the way, if they've told them that, then I'm guessing
that's their agents leaking this because you don't want to
(01:29):
be traded for. You'd rather be released and able to
sign for whoever you can. And I'm guessing the Cowboys
are not expecting that there will be much value for
those guys. I believe I'm correct. Don Terry po is
the only Cowboy ever to kneel for the national anthem,
So maybe Jerry Jones is considering that to be some
(01:50):
small measure of redemption. The Dodgers, speaking of redemption when
their first title in thirty two years, it is thou
the Ways Coast waking up for with us many people
at a M five seventy l A sports and listening
along Danny g what did this win mean for you?
And also then I'll bring in Roberto, the two foremost
(02:13):
Dodger supporters on this show, And do you feel bad
for stealing my ten year old joy, because otherwise this
should be the Braves moment. I'll start with that. No,
because your son has a lot more years in front
of him than we do. Uh, And we can go
to our graves now peacefully with the Dodgers win a
(02:33):
World Series title win that means something to us as adults, because,
let's be honest, the last time they won thirty two
years ago, we were little kids couldn't appreciate it or
enjoy it the way we can right now. There were
so many grown adults in Southern California across the world
who are Dodger fans that shed tears last night. It's
hard to put into words, but I think the one
(02:55):
thing I'll say is the Dodgers connect families for generations
in decade, aids um I mentioned earlier on the show
that I was listening to A M five seventy l
A Sports last night and by the way, Don Martin
he made an appearance on the air. He called Charlie
Steiner he had during the postgame to to thank the crew.
It was so he's one of our two bosses. It
(03:16):
was really cool to hear him. I've never heard him
on the radio before, so that was interesting. That tells
you how big of a deal it was for the
city last night that the big Boss called in. You know,
listening to the coverage all day, it's crazy. I didn't
turn my TV on yesterday until the World series game started. Instead,
I listened to l A sports radio because I wanted
(03:36):
to hear the callers. I wanted to hear the hosts,
and I just wanted to kind of take it all
in and see what it truly meant to not just
me and my family, but everybody else. In the amount
of phone calls they took from men and women who
explained to the hosts what it meant to them in
their family, uh, loved ones that they've lost, who took
(03:57):
them to Dodger Stadium as kids. And there was one
guy in particular who said his mom passed away when
she was thirty seven and she was a huge Dodgers fan.
He was going to celebrate today by going to the
cemetery in l A and bring flowers and just like
celebrate with her. And there were so many calls like that,
(04:19):
and it really hit home and for me personally. My
grandmother took me and my older brother to our first
Dodgers game when I was in like around kindergarten age.
She had her son umbrella a transistor radio because she
swore up and down that Vince Scully and Bob Barker
were the two greatest broadcasters in the world, and so
(04:39):
she had a lot of Grandma's. By the way, he
thought that Bob Barker was the greatest broadcast during the world.
That's a staple for many people around our age. You
were sick, I couldn't go to school, you'd go to
grandma's house or Grandma would come over and Campbell's chicken
soup and in the prices prices right, watch the game
shows all day and maybe some soap operas too, That's
(04:59):
what I it. Anyway, Yeah, she dreamed of getting that
hundred dollar bill out of Bob Barker's pocket. I'm getting
a kiss from him. And she also had that same
affection for Vince Scully just as a lot of us did.
And even my stepdad, who didn't really support our love
of sports, he still loved the Dodgers and he would
have Vince Scullion in the garage. If he'd make us
(05:20):
clean the garage, he'd say, but you can have the
Dodgers game on the radio. So as a little kid,
that was the soundtrack of the summer of my life.
And there's so many people who can you know, relate
to that. Growing up here in southern California, the Dodgers
are a fabric of family. They brought and connected so
many family members together. Was really my only common ground
(05:43):
I had with my stepdad. And so to hear so
many dozens of Dodger fans call in with those same
similar stories. Yesterday, the city was just bursting at the scenes.
You you could tell it was gonna be the fourth
of July two point oh if the Dodgers got it
done last night, And that's exactly what happened. The city exploded.
(06:04):
Literally you saw that. You've seen the aerial shot, yeah,
of all the fireworks, and I will say, like it
wasn't last year or sorry this year, it was last year.
I was in l A, uh four July four driving
down the four oh five, probably around I don't know,
nine o'clock, coming back from the South Bay to get
back to the near the Fox Lot where I was staying,
(06:27):
and the amount of fireworks that were going off on
either side of the four oh five or like nothing
I've ever seen. I mean, there are a lot of
people who do private fireworks celebrations in l A. And
I saw the video of all the people setting off
fireworks and celebrating the Dodger win, which I know the
Lakers have won a lot more titles, but this feels
(06:48):
way bigger to me than that the Laker win did. Yeah,
and I mean the Laker. The Laker win was big,
but it was muted because of all of the anti
NBA stuff that was all over the inner net and
on the radio and TV. But the Dodgers, obviously, after
a thirty two year wait and coming so close and
all in the Astros debacle and everything that went on
(07:10):
in TV, and to always come so close but to
feel kind of cursed as if it was just never
gonna happen for this squad, I think that just made
it that much more extra suite for Dodger fans. And uh,
you know, I I gotta saved for this year. This
this incredible that we've all experienced and all the highs
(07:32):
and well not all the highs, all the lows and
a couple of highs. Now when I say all the highs,
I'm talking Lakers and Dodgers. So thank you Lakers, thank
you Dodgers, because for you talked about how you couldn't
live in California, Well we do, and so imagine feeling
like you're in some sort of prison sentence and the
only joy we've had. And and by the way, the
(07:53):
year started, my last flight was to the Super Bowl
with you, and that started with Kobe dying. Yeah, and
and so our sports teams kind of rallied around that,
and and it was like do it for Kobe, Mamba mentality,
Let's do it for Kobe, and both the Lakers and
Dodgers focused in and and one rings and it's just
an amazing feeling. What about you, Roberto, that's awesome man.
(08:18):
Daughters on my favorite team. You know, if I'm going
to the games with my dad and brother as a kid,
and then going with my friends at high school and
then after high school, and then I remember taking my
sister to be my designated a driver afterwards and I'm
me getting me getting her into baseball. He had a
designated driver last night too, by the way, exactly got
ahead uber over here from and then uh, now going
(08:41):
with my how much did you drink? Uh? I had
about uh ten beers? You had ten beers and then
you had an uber. You had to take an uber
to the studio for the Dodger Yeah, yeah, I was
thinking that raised you know, not driving man. He got
a uber, so you didn't go to bed you celebrate
the dog kept drinking heck yeah and uh and came
(09:01):
straight to the studio, straight to work. Baby. Well, that's
impressive because there are other members of this show who
have had a few drinks and passed out literally on air.
I don't want to call and cast dispersions upon him,
but his name is Jason Martin and he used to
be the producer. Uh and uh and uh. So that
that is an impressive performance by you. Thank you spend
(09:21):
so much money on these guys over the years. Man
him to finally win, I feel vindicated. Uh, shut some
tears right after they one, and thank you Kevin Cash
for being a moron, Thank you very much. Crazy, absolutely
crazy that he took Blake Snell out of the game
when he did. And these are I think sometimes when
you can allow analytics two teach you and convince you
(09:46):
of things that are illogical. Yeah, manatics, you use the
analytics right there, baby, yeah him in the game. Yeah,
I think sometimes you have to recognize when the numbers
are are kind of lying to you. And uh, that
would have been a good example of one that that
that would have been a good time to to do it,
but they didn't. And the Dodgers end up winning the title. Now,
(10:09):
for those of you also waking up on the West coast,
you may not have seen this. It's going to be
a big controversy today because Justin Turner tested positive during
the eighth inning of this game for COVID. And uh, first,
somehow that major League Baseball testing protocols are all crossed
(10:30):
up that it could even happen that he would test
positive in this scenario in the middle of the game.
That is a flaw of epic magnitude of Major League
Baseball's testing. But they pulled him from the game in
the eighth inning. If that is where the story had ended,
then it probably would vanish fairly quickly, I would think.
(10:51):
But Justin Turner, who has been a longtime member of
the Dodgers and has been through their World Series losses,
wanted to go on the field and celebrate, and so
the Dodgers said that he could. And as a result,
there are videos out there and pictures which are circulating
(11:12):
rapidly through social media and beyond showing him celebrating on
the field despite the fact that he had tested positive
for COVID. Now, now I asked you guys, the question,
What do you think about Justin Turner celebrating on the field? Uh,
the poll question is up nearly what is it? I'm
(11:34):
looking at the numbers right now. We have almost thirty
three thousand of you voted in the first hour and change.
Do you have a problem with Justin Turner testing positive
for COVID and then celebrating on the field with his
teammates after the positive test? See of you say, now?
(11:56):
Of you say, yes, you do have a problem. Let
me go round the horn here, Danny g any problem
with Justin Turner going on the field and celebrating. No,
I can't understand why some people might have a problem
with him taking the picture with the team with no
mask on. But you mentioned it an hour one. He
(12:16):
had been around his teammates for seven innings prior to that, yeah,
plus days and hours before exactly, so I can understand
why his teammates would be comfortable taking the picture with him.
But he's such a big part of the team. There
is no way you could take that team photo without him. Now,
I think some people could say, well, they could just
photo shop him in now, come on, he already lost
(12:40):
a major moment in his life because he should have
been standing at third base. He should have thrown his
glove in the air, jumped around on the mound with
all his teammates. He didn't get to do that. He
would come out later and finally get to lift up
the trophy and take that one picture. That was his celebration. Alright,
No problem from Danny g Roberto, any problem as a
Dodger face another problem, whatsoever? Man? When when they first
(13:02):
celebrated and he wasn't he wasn't out there, man, I
felt so bad from and it was good to see
him out at least to take a team picture. What
about you, dub Yeah, no problem for me. And they
tell him in the eighth inning. I mean in a way,
it's like, why even tell him then, it's already you've
already been with your teammates for four hours. Yeah, and
it is strange that suddenly he leaves in the eighth inning.
And we'll talk to Dr Chow usually tomorrow. But Dr
(13:25):
Chow has continued to emphasize that, first of all, the
number of transmissions that have occurred during the course of
an athletic event appears to be zero. In other words,
there's no way to trans to find a situation where
one team has transferred it to another or it's spread
during the course of an actual athletic event. So uh
(13:45):
so that is worth thinking about. But also, as you
guys are saying, if he had already been exposed to
them basically up to the eighth inning, what difference does
it make in a grand scheme of things if then
he also is exposed to them in some way for
five minutes on the field. I think the decision of
(14:06):
the wife to kiss him is maybe the most interesting
part to me personally, because she knows he has COVID.
They're standing there with the trophy and there's a video
of them kissing. She may also be thinking, well, I've been,
you know, in the same bed with him for for
a month or so or however long they've weekes that
they've been together theoretically, and she may be like, if
(14:29):
I've got it, I've got it. I'm not gonna worry now.
We will get a good photo at least. What about you, Eddie,
how would you assess this? Well? I don't have a
problem with it. And all the quotes I've seen so
far from Dodgers players is that they wanted him out there,
so they are the ones who are around him. So
if they don't care, why would I care. I do
think that there's going to be a little bit of
(14:50):
a challenge in terms of the Corona bros. Are gonna
be all worked up today, and so the question is
going to be what are they gonna do kind of
going forward about the Dodgers going back home? So if if,
usually you would have to quarantine right And by the way,
the big the big bullet that Major League Baseball dodged
(15:12):
because by the time, uh, the NFL kicks off Thursday
tomorrow and we get going into the weekend, all the
college football in the NFL action, everybody will turn the
page on baseball and they won't care. The big bullet
that Baseball dodged is if they don't pull Snell out
of this game, and if the Rays go on and
win Game six, I think they have might have to
(15:35):
postpone Game seven for a week or more, keep testing
all the players, and hope that it's not going to
have spread. I don't think they would have been able
to play games seven tonight. I really don't, unless, and
this could certainly be the case, they do a lot
better and more detailed testing of Justin Turner, and it
(15:56):
turns out that he was false positive like Nick Saban
and as he's not asymptomatic, he just doesn't have the
virus at all. But but the danger for Major League
Baseball would have been, oh, my goodness, if you had
a game seven scheduled, everybody's geared up to watch it,
and then it comes out that that you've got a
(16:18):
positive test and maybe a bunch more positives that come
out in the days ahead. There's no telling how long
they might end up having to postpone just playing the
one game to decide who's gonna be the World Series champion.
Why don't you go ahead and give us an update, uh,
Eddie Garcia, We're about to be joined, by the way
in the next segment by Liberty football coach Hugh Free.
(16:39):
Liberty is undefeated on the season, and we've had coach
Free several times on this show before when he was
an old Miss coach and also when he became the
head coach of Liberty. He's really got things rolling right now,
and they've got still a couple of a CC teams
on the schedule. But Liberty is I believe they are
six and oh they may even be seven and oh,
(17:00):
I know they're undefeated. Be sure to catch live editions
about kicked the coverage with Clay Travis weekdays at six
am Eastern, three am Pacific. We're joined now by Liberty
had Football coach you Freeze coach. I believe I got
it right. Your team is six, and oh they are
on a roll. You're on a bye week now for Halloween,
and then you close out with Virginia Tech, with Western
(17:24):
Carolina within C state, and I believe with U Mass
and potentially Coastal Carolina. So a lot going on here
in general. But what is this season felt like for you? And? Uh,
I guess it feels really good not to be coaching
from a hospital bed at a minimum. You know, that's right, Clay,
(17:48):
it was. It's been an interesting two seasons for sure,
with the staff infection last year and then the COVID
issues this year and um, but man I tell you
to be sitting here undefeated in your two Liberty is
it's just kind of your fork and UM just just
(18:08):
feel very very fortunate and blessed our kids. Or even
though we still have you know, a roster that's you know,
probably at least FCS recruited players. UM to be you
know where we are sitting here today in our open
week is a minute's awesome and it's just great to
see our kids and staff and university getting some some
(18:32):
notoriety because of it. So it's, uh, it's pretty awesome.
Would you have believed that you guys could be six?
And oh? Uh? And I believe I'm correct about six?
And oh if I had told you, hey, when it
gets to Halloween week and you hit a bye, I
know it's been a crazy and there's been a lot
of different changes to the schedule, what would you have
ever believed six? And oh it was possible? Not really,
I I do you know? We we've been fortunate everywhere
(18:55):
I't being with it was Lambeth or Arkansas State or
Ole miss to turn opens very quickly and obviously going
to a bowl game in year one and winning it
last year was was one of the most gratifying seasons
that I've had UM as part of a team and staff.
But you know, you still not having spring ball, and
(19:17):
and then looking at your schedule knowing you're planning a
nine win Western Kentucky team out of the gate, and
then the f I U who I know how many
athletes they have, and the Southern Missus and even the Monro's.
You know, I'm just I'm so I guess I can't
get out of my mind the type of athletes I
know those schools have from those areas. And you know,
(19:40):
you don't have to be the I've told a lot
of people if you were to to measure those teams
in the forty yard dash and uh, the vertical jump
and the short shuttles and all that, we probably don't
have a chance. And and then the Syracuse win, you know,
the first ever UH win against an A C C opponent.
(20:00):
It's just been you know, man, I just I love
our team and our staff and our kids, but I
probably would not have believed it if if you told
me that. What do you attribute to the shift in direction?
To what? What have you done in two years of
liberty that has led to a team being able to
be six? And Oh, I really think it's uh, you know,
I I've I've used the same plan everywhere I've been
(20:23):
and I've never wavered from it, and I think it
brings a chemistry. And you know, I'm I'm pretty uh
self aware of who I am and what my strengths
are and what my weaknesses are, and really try to
hire people that that really balanced my weaknesses, that can
(20:43):
pick me up where I'm not real strong and and
then play to my strengths to where I am. And
I do think that our kids just see a consistency
in me forcing people to to meet the standard that
we said daily. Um and and I think it breeds
offidence in him. Um. And obviously, you know you've got
(21:04):
to have great quarterback play in college football. You just
can't win games without that, and without a pretty damn
good defensive line. And I think we hit in our
one recruiting class on some good defensive lineman. And obviously
Malik Willis is playing at a huge level and a
lot of credit to him. And and I hired a
(21:24):
great quarterback coach and Ken Austin, who you know, I'm
not a I'm not a great quarterback fundamental coach. That's
really not my strength. I'm more of a big picture guy.
And we'll say here's what I want to do. Now
you make sure his his footwork and timing or right
on it. But so I think it's a combination of
all those things. Is just we We've got a great
(21:47):
staff that's on the same page, and the kids see
that and hopefully they see a consistency in the way
we approach every day. Are you a better coach now
than you were when you were at Old Miss? No question?
You know, I uh man if you when you're raised
as an offensive coordinator and you know, all you think
(22:08):
about is men, I'm I'm gonna bring a fast paced,
r P O driven football team, UM that gives people problems,
and I'm gonna try to get as many plays as
I can and score as many points as I can.
And because that's what you want to be known as.
And then that's worked for me UM most years and
(22:30):
worked from mit Ole Miss the first four UM, but
we began to struggle defensively and man, looking back lay
in year five there had I just managed the game
like I do now. You know, I think there's a
good chance. We had a chance to beat Outlabama three
straight years. We're up four to three, and and Florida
(22:53):
State we were up three scores on and I did
not manage those games the way I do now. The
two years I had off UM, I just did a
lot of research, a lot of studying, and then I
became just so aware of complimentary football and how if, man,
(23:13):
if you can keep your defense so our six games
this year, I believe I'm right in saying five of
the six our our defense has only played around sixty
plays instead of the eighty five I used to make
him play. And so I just managed the game differently now.
And I think you just mature as as a coach.
And I think that's the biggest difference. I don't approach
(23:35):
practice any different, or or the way I deal with
kids or staff any different at all, But I do
you let us get up a few scores, and I
start trying to figure out, all right, how do we
just get this thing to the to the house. Do
you enjoy the winds more now? After what you went
through at illness? There's no doubt. Man. I look back
(23:57):
at uh at the Lambeth in Arkansas, States, and then
I was at such peace uh there and it old
miss too for for a large part of it. Um.
But that probably that last year and a half to
two you, I really believe you either drive this professional
It drives you and when you start letting it drive you,
(24:20):
man your ego and your pride, and it can it
can really change. It can even you know, obviously make you, um,
get in positions where you make decisions that men you regret.
And you know, I'm just at a point I'm back
at I'm at peace now and I don't My biggest
(24:40):
thing is can I get to the end of the
day and and and lay down and not have any regrets?
And that's the way I want to, you know, finish
my life, my coaching, my friendships, my relationships with my family.
And it's just, um, it's it makes it's just so
much more enjoyable. And man, if I were to tell
(25:02):
you our schedule here, you would probably laugh at me.
But I just, uh, I don't let it drive me. Man.
We I want our coaches home with their families by
six six thirty every night, except for one. We we
do spend one night grinding pretty hard. But the rest
of them, I want them out of here. I want
them going to to eat with their coat, to wives
(25:23):
and their kids and at their baseball games. And so
we moved our practices to the morning. And it's just, uh,
I think I think we all enjoy it a lot more.
How do you prepare for a team like Virginia Tech
when it's a bye week, So what's different about having
two weeks to get ready for a team, especially a
(25:44):
team as good and uh in your state? There Obviously
it would be a big game for Liberty, probably the
biggest that Liberty has ever played as a university. From
a football perspective, what do you do? What's different? You know,
watching film on them, it it's a huge task. I mean,
they're just you know, they're full of power five players
and and so it's hard to see that that we
(26:07):
match up greatly on film. That doesn't mean but the
great thing about football is you don't have to be
better ten days. You just have to be better that
one day. And having an extra week I do think
is beneficial for us in the fact that number one,
we need to get some people healthy at two positions
we were really we've played the last three games without
(26:29):
some really good players, and so we're gonna get healthy.
And then we really just we took a let's see Tuesday,
today and tomorrow and and we really are just focusing
on certain scenarios in the in that game that's coming,
whether it be p intends, whether it be goal line,
whether it be and and we're not overdoing it, but
(26:50):
we're really focusing on those those particular areas that gets
us a jump start before we head into the next week.
Um and you know, I think it does pay it dividends.
This is a great open week because you know, next
Tuesday is election day and we can't practice and so
that's everyone. Um and and so some people are gonna
(27:12):
lose a day where in fact we've you know, we've
gained it in this open week. We're talking to you Freeze. Uh,
you are fifty one years old. I believe are about
to be fifty one years old. If you're not already, Uh,
you've already had a lot of success in uh in
college football. Some people are going to look at the
success at Liberty and say, other bigger schools are going
(27:36):
to come calling, seeing what you have done in two
years at Liberty. Do you expect that? And if that happens,
what will you say to them? Well? I sure, I
hope I would expect it, you know, And I think
that speaks volumes for what our administration and our kids
have done here. And I actually told our team that yesterday.
I'm so I'm very transparent with our kids and uh
(27:58):
and and tell them, man, any anything you read or
here is a compliment to you, and you know you
should take that as a compliment. And obviously that is
that's something that this this profession brings. And um, I
just I tell them if if there's ever a chance
(28:18):
that that I would have an interest in doing anything different,
they would be the first to know that I have
an interest in something. And UM, but man, you you
just I'm I'm at a point I used to kind
of think. You know, when you're trying to fight to
climb that ladder, and and and and and do that. Man,
you're trying to man, make a phone call or do something.
(28:39):
And I just I don't do any of that anymore.
I just I'm thankful for liberty. I'm thankful that they
took the time like you did to to sit down
with Jill and I hear our story and um and
give us this opportunity. And we found a tremendous home here.
So I have a great, great job. And uh, I
(29:00):
don't think any coach can ever say, hey, I'll never
leave a certain job until you get to a certain
point in your life. But I can tell you this, Um,
there's there's very few that would interest me to leave here,
but obviously those are going to be talked about and
and um, I just want to be honest and transparent
with our kids as through this whole process. But uh
(29:24):
man Ian mccau is an absolute gym for an a D.
And obviously I love the vision that they have here
and they put their resources behind it, and I really
think you can build this into being one of the
top non power of five schools in the nation in
a short amount of time. And so Jill is happy here,
my girls are happy here, and we're just we're blessed.
(29:47):
Do you ever watch SEC games? Do you have any
I always like to ask coaches. I mean, I know
you guys, are you know, locked and loaded on what
you're doing, but you coached at Old miss Do you
ever sneak a glance at what Lane Kiffin is doing
or Mike Leach is doing down at the school that
used to be your rival at Mississippi State, or even
you know, kind of pay attention to what say you
been and the and the crew ad Bama are doing.
(30:08):
Of course I t VO all those games and whenever
I can find time. We've been fortunate this year We've
had all like noon kicks. I love those and so
you get home and and then I have all those
games t vote and I typically don't sleep well on
Saturday nights because you're either you're either you know, jacked
up on adrenaline from the win, or you're disappointed if
(30:31):
you if you lose the game. And so, man'll I'll
run through those games and watch them. Obviously, I still
have a lot of friends, um in the SEC, and
so I kind of want to see what they're doing
and how they did. And uh, but I usually tvomost
all of those games, um, just so I can kind
of watch and see if I can get an idea
(30:51):
or something. And obviously, you know you have friends like
Nick and Gus and and Kirby and those guys that
have have you know, been really all your friends to
your and and so you want to watch those games
and see how they're doing. What happens next? You've got
six and oh, you've got a lot of tough games left.
What is a successful season? You may already be there
(31:13):
for Liberty to finish out this run. We're talking with
Liberty head football coach, you Freeze. Yeah, I think I
think we've already had a successful season. Um, And you know,
I will be determined not to let anything that happens
from this point on diminish it in these kids eyes.
Not Do we want more, Absolutely, We're going to find
(31:33):
everywhere in the world to try to compete. But you know,
when you're looking at that schedule and you've got I
don't know what, I hadn't seen the top twenty five,
but I know last week both NC State and Virginia
Tech and Coastal we're in it, and you know those
are those are some very very difficult games that again,
having only one full season to recruit, it's it's really
(31:56):
you know, your your roster is not quite where you
wanted to be, a lover kid is. But and there's
nobody's fault because you know they were FCS recruited, that's
what they played. So it's uh So, I think we've
already had a successful season. You know, by by the
old Googles were already Bowl eligible, which is you know,
our gold each year. So we're already there. Um, But
(32:18):
do we want more? Absolutely, and do we expect more, Yes,
but certainly think that we've already had a successful season.
Good luck, coach, keep us updated and appreciate you. Swinging
by and hanging with us. Oh, Clay anytime man. Thank
you for your kinds. Fox Sports Radio has the best
(32:39):
sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our
shows at Fox Sports Radio dot com and within the
I Heart Radio app search f s R to listen live.
We are rolling through the program about to finish off
the Wednesday edition. Had to be careful there. Every day
feels very similar still, uh, and so want to make
(32:59):
sure I got you right there? Um. The Dodgers with
a big game six win to notch their first World
Series title in thirty two years, and the celebration in
Los Angeles was carrying on all through the night. Props
to Roberto, who pounded ten beers and ubered into the studio, Dub.
Are you impressed that Roberto pulled to you and might
(33:22):
well have been drunk at the start of the show.
That's my guy right there. And I'm almost forty, dub
almost already. I'll be proud of myself if I'm forty
still doing that? What percentage of people have done the
show drunk or under the influence? Now, Danny, g be honest,
have you no? I gotta be honest, I I haven't.
It's something I need to add to my bucket list.
(33:46):
He's been gone since he did the update I got.
I'll let him do an update early, and he bailed out.
He's already home. Wait wait, wait, wait, I take that back, Clay.
Remember when I visited you in Nashville. Yes, and I
went and taught dubbed some stuff in his studio the
next morning. Yes. Yeah, so I guess I do qualify
for their Yeah. And I was able to order a pizza.
(34:06):
You were able to order a pizza. Pizza in here
a case of modelo. It is uh, it is pretty
wild too to win that title. And to me, the
biggest takeaway, first of all, Clayton Kershaw is now off
of that Dan Marino in the NFL and James Harden
in the NBA, where you have a certifiable, high level
(34:31):
talent that is never going to win a championship. He's
off that forever. And the other aspect of this that
I think stands out is Mookie Bets. I know Corey
Seeger was incredible, and I know how big the Bellinger
home run was, but Mookie Bets, if you are a
Red Sox fan, the fact that they allowed him to
(34:52):
walk and got rid of him is absolutely insane. They
had to get him, They had to get him the
luxury tax. Yeah, I understand that kind yeah, yeah right.
It's not as if, you know, if let's say the
Race who have a fraction of the payroll of the Dodgers,
if the Rays have a player like Mookie Betts and
(35:13):
they have to go get assets for him because they
don't have the revenue to be able to have a
player of Mookie bets stature, I understand how that can
be a part of your overall strategy. We developed talent,
then when that talent gets too expensive, we trade it
for other younger talent, and we continue to refine our
(35:34):
roster in that way. To me, letting Mookie Gibets go
is absolute insanity for a big market team like the
Red Sox. The other thing that I would say is
going to stand out about this World Series in general
is analytics are a tool. They are not and uh
and an infallible tool, by which I mean you still
(35:58):
have to use your instincts and trust your eyes sometimes.
And Blake Snell was pitching so well, he had only
thrown seventy three pitches. I don't understand how any manager
can make the decision in a win or go home
game where the picture one hundred percent doesn't want to
(36:22):
come out. I don't understand how you can pull him
out in that scenario like they did to me. The
Dodgers are excited that he comes out. If you pull
a picture and the opposing team is ecstatic that you've
made the decision, it's probably a sign that you're making
the wrong choice as a manager, and I think that's
certainly what happened with the Rays beyond a shadow of
(36:45):
a doubt. But congratulations the Dodgers, to Danny g and
Roberto my cardboard cutout. Enjoy it for the first time
in thirty two years. For those of you waking up
on the West Coast, enjoy it. Just know, however, that
you stole it from the Raves. This was Atlanta's championship
and they deserved it more. Thanks for having with us
this as an OutKick called Fox Sports Radio. This is
(37:08):
outkicked the coverage with Clay Travis
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