December 20, 2025 • 42 mins
Big Ben talks about the Kansas City Chiefs getting eliminated from playoff contention for the first time in over a decade following a loss to the Chargers, the New York Knicks winning the NBA Cup and what that means for the franchise, Maller's Mountain of Money: Krysten Ritter Edition, and more!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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Speaker 2 (00:24):
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All great things come to an end, even bad things
come to an end. In the case of the NFL
Championship runt, in order to win the championship, you got
to make the playoffs. Otherwise you got some explaining to do,
which the Chiefs do well. Come in the beginning of
(00:54):
another hour of the Ben Mahler Show. We are in
the air, ev he wares, We are in cahoots and
we serve up mouthwatering takes like Latcus. They're so good
to coast, border to border and beyond on the mast
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Radio Studios where magic happens and Angie and Brian know
that this portion of the Ben Allas Show made possible
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(02:26):
He says, can you tell me about DraftKings? Well, of course,
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promo code Malor at DraftKings. The crown is yours. As
(02:48):
John Sterling, the voice of the Yankees, taught me back
in the day, you got to sell the soap. We've
sold a lot of soap. But let's talk some sports.
Let's go to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. And I'm
so happy that this happened this year and not last
year because I would have been blamed, you know, it
making all about me. I was able to go to Arrowhead.
I saw the Chiefs last year last November against the Broncos,
(03:12):
one of the craziest games I've ever been at. That
was the game the Broncos had the game winning field
goal blocked and the Chiefs won, and they end up
going to the Super Bowl before they fell apart, and
the hangover has continued. So Kansas City playing host to
the Chargers in an AFC West Brew ha ha in
this key game for Kansas City, Stand Alive, Stand Alive,
(03:35):
taking on the Chargers. I don't know if you watch the
game or not. Now, if you had Kansas City winning
this game and staying alive in the playoff race in
the AFC, you are a big fat loser. You're a loser.
As the Chargers said, turn out the last the parties over,
(03:57):
they eliminate Kansas City from playoff contention. They are d
e a D dead dead debt Derwin James picking off
a pass from Gardner Minshew. Yes, Gardner Minshew, number seventeen
in year program, but number ninety nine in your heart.
(04:19):
Gardner Minshew was in there. He had taken over for
an injured Patrick Mahomes. As we mentioned earlier in this program,
Mahomes done for the season. He was injured late. The
game was already over pretty much at that point, closing seconds,
and so Ken's City goes down. Chargers get a win.
They won by three, and the reigning AFC champions are
(04:40):
no more as they have been exterminated and decommissioned from
the playoffs. Justin Herbert had two unred ten yards. Modest numbers,
and so the quarterback apologists will say, he's hard, he's hard.
What's long with ye out? Okay? Fine? Two hundred ten
yards and a touchdown for the team from so CA.
The Chargers get to ten wins, ten and four consecutive
(05:05):
ten win seasons for the first time since they were
the old San Diego Chargers. Show me your lightning ball
way back in six seven. My god, So the rare
season sweep, very rare season sweep for the Chargers over
the Chiefs. The story here, though, is clearly in the
loser's locker room. This is a pivot point, is it not?
(05:27):
At least it feels like a pivot point that here
we are. The Chiefs have been eliminated. They have been
x communicated from the NFL postseason after all of these years,
first time in ten years, ten years, the Chiefs will
not be hanging out in playoff football. No wild card game.
(05:51):
You don't have to worry about the AFC Championship game.
You don't have to worry about going to the Super
Bowl in San Francisco, although I imagine many of those guys
will go out there to sell all the crap they're
trying to sell you on radio roll. That's usually what happens.
But let us discuss the question, and we're gonna get
into this right now with we're gonna focus on Andy Reid,
all right, So the question is who who gets most
(06:13):
of the blame for Andy Reid's Chiefs missing the plus
who's most to blame for Andy Reid's Chiefs missing the pluffs?
So I've got sewing machine, swamp water, and Applebee's and
we will combine all of these things together and we
will punch you right in your intestines, is what we're
(06:33):
gonna do. So before we get into this, let's hear
from Andy Reid. Everyone's very concerned about the morale, the
morale of Kansas City. Here's what Andy Reid had to
say on that topic.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
Oh yeah, guys are down our best with their butt
to win, to win the game, you know, And I
wouldn't expect anything less. So you know, it's not a
great feeling. I wouldn't expect it to be after losing
a game.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Okay, was anyone expecting any other feeling? They think they
were gonna have like a Chuck E Cheese party, go
down and play some ski ball or something like that,
Like what are you gonna do? So as far as
who's most to blame for the Chiefs missing the playoffs
under Andy Reid number one. Let's start at the very top.
The snake rots from the head down. Let's start with
(07:22):
mahomes magic. It went poof, Oh my god, you can't
say that. Yeah, you can't absolutely say he ends the
year in the injury tent, which is a bummer. However,
let's not let that cloud the reality of the situation.
You watch the NFL this year, long before Mahomes suffered
the season ending injury, Patrick Mahomes went to the candy
(07:45):
shop and he ordered fun dip. Except it wasn't so fun.
The fun dip wasn't fun. Normally, Mahomes has been a wizard,
the wizard of Arrowhead and under pressure pulling rabbits out
of the helmet and this guy's magic wand and all that.
And this year he turned on the sewing machine and
(08:08):
he stitched together a bunch of overthrows and bad reaths
and ill timed giveaways and passes bouncing off receivers, hands
and helmets and all that stuff. And on the deep
ball for Mahomes, it has been the Rocky Mountain horror
show is what it's been here and more picks than
(08:29):
touchdowns for Mahomes, barely completing a third of those deep
passes for the Kansas City Chiefs offense. Now, is he
still an elite player? Sure? Has he had an elite season? No,
he did not have an elite season, and a lot
of butter fingers around him. Butter fingers, a lot of
butterfingers at the worst possible moments, which is part of
the story. And he didn't get much help. But ultimately
(08:53):
a lot of that is on Mahomes though also for
not there were some terrible games, he said the last
month here, as things continued to go the wrong direction.
You also have to point out the drops were often
drive killers. They were Rashie Rice. I hope he is
better now at the driving than he was before, because
(09:13):
he's not very good at football these days. My god,
Travis Kelsey, who's thirty six, I believe he moves like
a cell phone. He might be older than that now,
like a cell phone on low power, like the you know,
the batteries kind of low and it says, all right,
you plug your phone in, you got ten percent power.
And he caught passes the way you'd expect a podcast,
(09:36):
like if we put Joe Rogan out there and said, hey, Joe,
catch some passes, Okay, Joe would catch passes the way
Travis Kelsey caught passes a lot of bricks brick house
like the combodoors. There no separation, no vertical threat at all.
The front office. Now, the other indictment here is on
the Chiefs front office, like they just assume we're gonna
get some guys back, and you know what happens when
(09:57):
you assume and we'll be okay and everything'll be fine.
There sat on their hands at the trade deadline. They
refused to give up any draft picks to try to
complete the roster. They just kind of waited. It was like,
it's like we're out of samples at Costco. Let's wait
until they fill up the sample trade. Okay, well wait,
well they never did. They went home. The people that
(10:17):
put the samples out, their day was done. That was it.
And so you look at everything. Yeah, the defense, Chris Jones,
keeping up with the Joneses. If there's one moment to
me that sums up this entire season for the Chiefs,
it was the game against Jacksonville was I believe a
Monday night game, and you remember Trevor Lawrence fell down
(10:40):
a couple of times and Chris Jones, mister all everything,
defensive star face of the franchise. His effort, his lack
of hustle was next level and just caught on tape
and then got all defensive about it and all that.
Like that kind of sums up this season, just like
(11:01):
the offense had the thing of the jigs that weren't working,
the watching mccolles. But the defense, the numbers weren't terrible,
but then there were these little things like they couldn't
get the do hickey to work, and it was just
a big It was a big mess bottom third and
sacks bottom third and pressures third down stops were not
great for the Chiefs defense, and they couldn't get off
(11:23):
the field. Often when they needed to get off the field,
they couldn't get off the field. So the malor math,
if you knew the male of Math, crunch the numbers
on the Chiefs. Here it's shared blame, which is never fun.
But the buck ultimately does stop with Mahomes because he's
he was able to elevate the players around him, and
this year he did not elevate the players around him
on offense, and the defense wasn't good enough to pick
(11:46):
up the slack and now they find themselves watching the
playoffs when that comes around here in January. All right now,
page two, So continuing the theme of the hour, the
theme of the hour, The question here is Chiefs coach
Andy Reid big Rad. Is Andy Reid in danger of
being whacked? Is he going to be collateral damage from
(12:10):
the Chiefs being failures this year, not even making the playoffs?
So in terms of Andy Reid being in danger, is
he about to get fired?
Speaker 2 (12:19):
No?
Speaker 1 (12:19):
Is he in stranger danger? I'm nodding my head. Yes,
I'm gonna nod my head. Yes, on Andy Reid. I
don't see him being fired. He's like you get out
of here. However, the massage goodbye, I call it the massage.
Whether he's finesse, you know what I'm talking about. Like
this whole thing smells right now, And it doesn't smell
(12:41):
like delicious barbecue at the tailgated arrowhead. It doesn't smell
like that. It's musty, it's funky, and it's kind of
like the equipment. If you've ever been around hockey, the
goalies equipment smells like ass just horrible. Or I guess
any gym bag, any gym bag on a hot, hot day,
(13:02):
sitting out there in the sun, dry, and the summer
just smells really gnarly bad and terrible. And Andy Reid talking
about Mahomes being the Wizard of Arrowhead. Well, Andy Reid
was the maestro of offensive play calling, and this season
the Chiefs attack it looked like his spell book. The
spellbook for Andy Reid was soaked in swamp water and
(13:22):
the pages were sticking together. There was no real creativity,
just kind of reheated leftovers, and it wasn't working and
so and this didn't just pop up one overnight for
the Chiefs. Now, this has been festering. You remember last
year in the second half there were some signs that
things were not going well, and then it bottomed out
(13:43):
in the Super Bowl when the Chiefs got smoked by
the Philadelphia Eagles, and so Big Red was unable to
find the source of the mildew, couldn't find it. And Mahomes,
as good as Mahomes has been this year, he could
not find a can of fabreeze big enough to take
(14:04):
care of the flatulence in the phone booth that was
taking place here. And normally you get a mulligan when
you're a legend we're gonna give that person a mulligan.
They're a legend of the game that the whispers out
of Kansas City are that there are some factions saying
it's time to make a change, and it's the perfect
time now with Mahomes being hurt, cause you bring in
(14:27):
a new coach, you let them settle in. There'll be
no expectations for the chiefs. Kelsey's gonna retire, Mahomes will
be out at least probably half the year. Next year,
you bring a new coaching staff in, they don't have
any real pressure on them. They go in there kind
of set up their own thing. And these are grassroots whispers,
is what they are. You know, pitchforks padded in bubble wrap,
(14:50):
if you will, and all that stuff, and people gonna
lean into the age game. We saw what happened with
Pete Carroll was not fired by the Seattle Seahawks. Although
he was fired, they made it seem like he left
to take an advisor's role. We know that's bull crap
because he immediately came back to coach the Raiders, if
you want to call what he's doing coaching the Raiders,
and so it'd be like, well, Andy Reid's old Let's
(15:12):
just send Grandpa to the retirement home at midnight when
no one's looking, and I just can watch. My advice
now is to watch for leaks, watch for the league
source behind a paywall on the athletic watch for someone
connected to Mahomes questioning Andy Reid, and useful idiots in
(15:35):
the media pushing the Andy slipping stories in the media
that he's not doing this right and he's screwing this
thing up. And then the Mahomes needs a new voice.
As we said and read the saving grace for Andy Reid,
there is a saving grace is there are no obvious replacements,
Like there's no obvious name that they say, Okay, we
(15:57):
get that guy and we're gold. The only one that
would make a little bit of sense will be Cliff Kingsbury,
who's the OC of the Washington Commanders, and he coached
Mahomes in college at Texas Tech. And there's a guy,
how about Cliff Kingsbury was a hot he was hot,
hot to trot. Last year Washington got to the final
(16:18):
four in the NFL playoffs, and then he didn't take
a head coaching job. He was very arrogant. He didn't
like the jobs that were open. And now you think
anyone's gonna go out of the way to hire Cliff
Kingsbury after the Washington offense tank this year. Come on,
he had a chance and he said it out. But
that would be the only one. Arrowhead mahomes Cliff Kingsbury.
There's a connection there. And so unless he leaves the
(16:40):
Beltway and heads over and with a with a whiteboard
in hand and drop plays for Patrick mahomes the loyalty.
So the malord math on Andy Reid, he's in the
danger zone. The good news is there's no one who's
really stepping up. You're like, oh, that guy's gonna get
the job, all right. Final point now to the pop
(17:02):
star in the corner of the room, question, what does
the storyline of the Chiefs being eliminated from playoff considerations?
What does this do for the Taylor Swift fueled NFL
conspiracy theories that have been going around for several years.
(17:23):
So I'll address this. This is the snuffleophagus in the room.
This is what happens when a conspiracy theory runs out
of auxygen. There's no more auction here. The Taylor Swift
fueled NFL rigging crowd. Can we do a wellness check
on them? Are they doing okay? Are they quietly right now?
(17:45):
They're slipping out the emergency exit at the Applebee's, and
they don't want to pay the check. They're like, I
was just going to get out of Apple's. We go
through the emergency exit. We're not paying the check. That's it.
For years, those that partake not farmer John. They're in
engagement farmers is what they are. They're doing engagement farming.
And they've got their tinfoil sombreros on and they swore
(18:08):
up and down on the Holy Bible that the NFL
was greasing the skids, that it was all a rig
deal for Kansas City. It was the Travis kelce Taylor
Swift romance. It was the Golden Boy Patrick Mahomes, a
scripted love story. And if it was a scripted love story,
wouldn't it end with the Super Bowl confetti in the
(18:30):
air everywhere, drippling down, down, down, down down confetti, just
like that February retirement. Then sometime in the spring wedding
Vibes with the biggest wedding in America in many, many years.
There instead Travis Kelcey couldn't I guess we could say
couldn't shake it off. He was unable to shake it
(18:52):
off this year and it was just a bad year.
And he limped off Arrowhead and with a bit of
a blank space. He had a bit of a like
space where the magic used to be, and he was
kind of frozen there. And that stench that the Chiefs
had on offense there. You know, it's just bad bad blood.
(19:13):
There's another one bad blood. So did not go well here,
and the wizardry of the Chiefs obviously away. M Kelsey's
magic gone, the plot armor ripped away for the conspiracy theory.
And this was not cinema. This was definitely not cinema.
(19:34):
It was a documentary, but not the documentary Taylor Swift's
been in here recently. No refs with Q cards, we
didn't have any of that. No Lombardi delivery service on demand,
we didn't get that. Just a football boon doggle. It
was a boone doggle. And now Travis Kelsey can look
at Taylor Swift and mutter, look what you made me do.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
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Speaker 1 (20:08):
Hey is Covino and Rich from Fox Sports Radio Now.
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(20:30):
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Here we are together again and old pro bouncing. But
we don't talk much basketball because players don't really try
that much. You have to pay them a lot of
money to get them to put some effort into that.
(20:50):
But we will begin with the only game in town.
I will credit the NBA scheduling. They did not schedule
us on a Sunday, a Thursday, or a Monday. They
waited till the Tuesday. But our lead this hour from
Viva Las Vegas. Viva Las Vegas, and that is where
championships are crowned. Well, I guess Adam Silver's creepy wet
(21:16):
Dream Year three. Year three played out again, and no,
I am not on the NBA pay roll, so I
do not have to sit here and say this is good,
because it's not. But there they were. They were out
there running around in Vegas, the Crown of Champion. It's
a T shirt and hat kind of a game in
the NBA. Were you watching? Probably not. It wasn't even
(21:38):
on television. It was on the stream, not on television.
Now we used a machete to go into the Amazon
and to watch Oh g and a Newbee twenty eight points,
Jalen Brunson twenty five points and apartures in a pear
tree and the New York Next for the first time
(21:58):
in my life, had champions They had to make up
a championship for the Knicks to win a championship, and
they beat Wemby. They beat Victor Webban Yaba and the Spurs,
who choked in the fourth quarter. The Knicks win by eleven.
The Fugesi NBA Cup goes to New York and so congratulations,
(22:20):
first title in over fifty years. If you're a loser
and count this as a championship for the woe begone
New York Knicks. How cute is that you had Jalen Brunson,
he got the NBA Cup MVP. How special is that?
Speaker 4 (22:36):
Man?
Speaker 1 (22:36):
You always remember that? So special? Carl Anthony Towns, kinnycat
see Minnesota, you traded a winner. How could the Timberwolves
have traded Karl Anthony Towns? Oh my god? Sixteen points,
eleven rebounds. He did miss a bunch of this game
with injury, but they end up winning year, the champs
of the Big Apple as the New York Knicks get
(22:58):
it done. And Mike, how about this, Mike Brown doing
what pat Riley couldn't do. And Jeff Van Gundy and
every other stiff Nick coach, Mike D'Antoni, all these other clowns,
Don Nelson, all these guys that passed through, but me,
he always remember, nicely win a championship. It's a special night.
And here's Mike Brown. One of the great moments in
(23:19):
the NBA history. The next winning the NBA Cup.
Speaker 5 (23:22):
In any event where you're the last one standing and
you're able to hang a banner, especially iconic MSG, you
take that seriously, and all of our guys took it seriously.
But the most exciting part about it, I feel like we're.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
In New loon righter, Let's go what fans we got love?
It does? Yeah, of course he said the same thing
when he coached the Lakers and when he coached Cleveland.
It's it's like a bad stand up comedian. You're the
greatest crowd I've ever had. Let me tell us that
I was in Detroit last night. The people in Detroit
(23:59):
were holes, right, and that you were doing. You did
that in Cleveland. Then you go the next time over,
you go to Pittsburgh. Well, bet me to I was
in Cleveland last night. Those people were schmucks. But you, peeple,
this is a great crowd. I'm a rack, all right.
So let's discuss here as well. Set your Liberty is
down the street from that arena. It's New York, New York.
They have that right there. So let us discuss the
(24:21):
question what does this Knickerbocker's in quote NBA Cup Championship
in quotes, what does this do for the franchise of
this title? So I've got snow globe, crude oil, and
dead wood, and we will combine all of these things
together and we'll charge you fifty bucks to park, because
(24:42):
that's how they roll in Vegas, where they try to
screw over the people that visit that town with overpriced
parking and no freebies anymore because the corporations have taken
over and they're a bunch of losers. I think you
can also have a dirty water dog and a soft
pretzel if you want, But those saft pretzels in New
York anyway, are the same consistency of the concrete that
(25:03):
you walk on. So a my first thought is the
the New York Knicks have done it. They have done it, baby,
Oh my god. I hugged Jason Smith in the hallway,
my friend, longtime Nick suck Up. I said, I've known
you we uede radio back years ago. I said, man,
finally you get to celebrate. You gotta get a T shirt,
(25:23):
you gotta get a hat. You're a champion. And he's
had big smile, cheshire Cat's smile on his face. They
was so happy there. But you got to cue the trumpets.
Right when you win. You cue the trumpets, you release
the doves, you alert the Smithsonian. The knicker Bockers have
won the cup. They have whatever that is. I don't
even know what it is. They just made it up.
Three They even have that. The first year it was
called the NBA Play Something Tournament. I don't remember what's
(25:45):
called they then they changed it. They threw a corporate
sponsor on it, because that makes everything kosher when you
put a corporate sponsor on it. And that's right, you
get the Fugeesy Trophy Capital left Fugheze. Congratulations. There a
glorified stockings stuffer for the Knickerbockers. The Diet Doctor Pepper
Championship for New York. Now, some NBA pundits who you know,
(26:07):
are deep up the tuckis of Adam Silver. They're acting
like New York cracked the Da Vinci code by winning
Miss Championship. Had Jalen brunt They pretended like it was
a real thing. They all played along. Of course I
was getting paid that money money, I would play along
as well. So Jalen Brunson was your little MVP, and
that's special. That's good. He won the MVP. Og Ananobi
(26:29):
was cooking with gas. He was cooking gass. And Carl
Anthony Towns Carl Anthony's he was crawling. Uh he was.
He was out there like a lion. Normally he plays
like a housecat, but none on a and suddenly the Knickerbockers.
This twenty twenty five, twenty six vintage of the Knicks.
This was a Broadway revival. The Demon Slayer is what
(26:52):
it was you talking about slaying demons in December in
like game twenty five or something like that. You beat
the Spurs. Congratulations. Tim Duncan did not score no points
at all. Tony Parker shut down, completely shut down. Congratulates
mazzeltof to the New York Knicks on winning. There James
(27:14):
Dolan strutting around the Big Apple like he just dunked
in the face of pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy
and all the other stiffs that he's paid to coach
the Knicks over the years. There. See, you can't be
a dirt bag owner who won a championship. You see,
I won a championship. I'm James Dolan. I'm a schmuck
and I want a championship because I had to come
up with a made up championship. Calm down there, Calm down.
(27:39):
This is not the Lombardi of course they give that
out in football. This is like I saw it. It looked
like a like a snow globe from a Times Square
gift shop. That's the trophy that you win. You win
a snow globe from a Times Square gift shop. Congratulations.
So the NBA, as Mike Brown alluded to the Hobo
(28:02):
coach Mike Brown, that the NBA mandates you put up
this is so great. You put up a banner so good.
It was embarrassing when the Lakers did it. We mocked them.
I think Milwaukee won last year. That was stupid. And
the Knicks, all those rich people on Wall Street going
(28:26):
to Madeisburgh. Look there's a championships won by the Rangers,
and then there's the Knicks championships you know, back in
the seventy and then oh look there's a twenty twenty
five championship. This is the equivalent of hanging a finger
painting made by your kindergartener at the louver. So so great.
(28:47):
Oh so they got to sell the championship hat and
merch the T shirts. I saw the players wearing the
T shirts after the game and the hats, so they'll
sell those. Well. The Knicks newtre gonna summer a championship, hango.
Speaker 5 (29:04):
Good.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
You don't normally play right after you win a championship.
I mean you take a couple of months off. Are
they gonna struggle down because they won their little championship.
You canna have a hangover from the room temperature water
you got in Vegas. As Matthew mcconne, he said that
iconic scene in the Wolf of Wall Street for Gayzy
(29:28):
fo Ghazi Woozy, it's fairy dust. It doesn't exist. And
you can put that cup in a piggy bank and
it's still gonna be empty. The piggy bank is still
going to be empty. Now, meanwhile, someone that gets it.
Page two here, Sir Charles has chimed in. Charles bark
he recently unloaded prior to this event, mind you, on
(29:49):
the NBA Cup speaking with a long time I got
whacked from his job on the sports radio of the
Bay Area. But Tom Tolbert and longtime Bay Area as back.
Now he's doing a podcast like everyone else is, and
so he had Barkley on because Tolbert knows Barkley because
he used to play in the NBA and played against Barkley.
(30:09):
So Charles Barkley confirmed that he hates hates the fact
that the tournament, the NBA Cup, is all about that
prize money and they have to entice the players to
prioritize those games because the regular season the players obviously
don't care. We all know that it's an open secret here.
(30:32):
And Barkley called it ridiculous that they had to pay
the players essentially a bounty here to get them to
play with extra efforts. So the question how did Charles
Barkley's statement about the NBA Cup being embarrassing? How did
that sound to you? So listen, Charles Barkley obviously preaching
(30:54):
to the choir. It was a symphony. It was an
absolute symphony. Every note, every note was It was just
a standing ovation. Bravo to Charles Barkley. Does it again
at cacophony of goodness, cacoffny of goodness from Charles Barkley. Here,
Sir Charles, Now he did not genuflect to the altar
of staying of Adam. So I was gonna say, stan
(31:14):
Van Gundy, I was watching the game, so you wouldn't
have to. And I'm pretty sure stan Van Gundy had
knee pads with Adam Silver's face on him. I mean,
he was really going to town. Let me tell you,
take a breath there, stand calm down. He was praising
the cup and what a great thing. Dwayne Wade, who's
terrible as a broadcaster. Brother, I think God is on Amazon.
No one watches him, but God does he suck. So
(31:35):
Dwayne Wade was on there and he didn't know what
to say, so he was just kind of agreeing with
Stan Van Gunney. But Stan should get a room. He
wants he wants that job, he loves that good paying
job NBA broadcaster. And no one watches those games, so
nobody cares what he says. But I happen to be watching.
And man, that was some major sucking up to management
(31:56):
by Stan Van Gundy, Like, dude, get a room. So
bad Now, this is how you juxtapost Charles Barkley the
stand van Gutty. Charles Barkley not a houseman, stand van Gutty, houseman,
big difference there. Charles Barkley is crude oil right, he's raw,
he's unfiltered. He stains the carpet, The whole thing tells
the truth, whether you like the smell or not. Okay,
(32:17):
and calling the NBA Cup embarrassing is not a hot
take by Charles Barke. It's basic math. It's basic math
on the mountain of bad ideas on the Mountain of
bad ideas. This gimmick is parked right near the summit,
right near the summit, on the Mountain of bad ideas,
just below Adam Silver spending years years defending load management
(32:42):
as a sound strategy while the product, the quality of
the product, quietly fell apart, like a stale churrow right
in front of his fat face. Not fatty skinny, but
you get the point. Think about this. The NBA had
to bring in a eventually, the keepler elves. They had
(33:02):
to bring in a bunch of elves here and wave
a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
To get these entitled players to try hard. They had
to say, hey, fellas, let me dangle five hundred plus
thousand dollars and please try in December. Thank you, signed
Adam Love y'all. Okay, Meanwhile, this is what I don't
(33:27):
get about, and maybe I'm wrong, and you can call up.
I'll give out the number in a few minutes. You
can explain why I'm misguiding. I don't understand why this
is such a big deal. The average salary, the median
salary in the NBA is twelve million dollars. Do you
understand the median salaries told me as well. Okay, that's
just because there's a lot of guys making fifty million. Okay,
(33:47):
so the minimum getting salary, Like you know how you
hired at McDonald's, you get minimum wage if you're hired
by the NBA. The minimum salary. You know what it is?
You don't, Okay, what do you think you think? Yeah? Number? Okay,
the minimum salary one point two million. Let me repeat
(34:08):
that for the Yeah, in the fact, one point two million.
Uh Now again where I come from. If you make
one point two million, you are wait for it, you're rich,
is what you are. Okay. Uh So you don't have
to shovel snow to make a couple of extra bucks.
You don't have to take an extra job with you know,
(34:28):
delivering food or whatever. You don't have to do any
of that stuff. You're not eating the Marcella and Brooklyn
noodles and of Noodle's diet. You're not doing Ramen and
Adam Silver. Again, I go back to the point this
bozo Adam Silver, who the NBA media doesn't want to
criticize because they love Adam Silver because they get access.
Adam Silver nurtured this culture. Uh he did right, and
(34:51):
now his little baby has grown up into a fire
breathing monster, a giant dragon, a three headed dragon. It
has happened. It's all grown up now, congratulations, all grown up.
And the only way to get the players to care
about a regular season event is to bribe them. That
(35:12):
is not innovation, Adam Silver. That is not That is
desperation is what that is.
Speaker 2 (35:17):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Ben Mellor
Show weekdays at two am Eastern eleven pm Pacific.
Speaker 1 (35:23):
Let's welcome our contestants for Malar's Mountain of Money. Right now,
we have Jed who fled Who's somewhere in the redneck
riviera of Florida? Hello, Jed who fled? Bennie versus Penny's
a real great YouTube channel. So I tell all the
rednecks I know to watch you wearing some plannel I
YouTube channels. He liked. For here, m, I'm not going
(35:49):
full of that.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
Kick me off there to play the game.
Speaker 1 (35:53):
Who would you like to partner up with? Jay? I'd
like to win, so and just we go, do you man?
You know you said Cooper's name first? You want to
go with cool? He said, Ben? First, I heard cool
oh my god. All right, I almost thank you. But
I would be a great choice. Okay, who you picked?
Speaker 2 (36:13):
He got it? Uh? You got it?
Speaker 1 (36:17):
Oh you're in, Coop. There you go. You're in and
Mike is in Wisconsin. Hello, Mike, welcome. Hello? What's going on? Buddy?
You ready to do this?
Speaker 2 (36:26):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (36:27):
Yes? Sure? All right? Mike? And who do you want
to partner up with on the show?
Speaker 2 (36:33):
What do you recommend?
Speaker 1 (36:36):
I think Lorena would be very entertaining. I have not
been picked. I have not been picked. All right, yeah,
look at that. I'm real close. I thought I was
going to get picked.
Speaker 2 (36:49):
That I was hoping.
Speaker 1 (36:50):
I was hoping you would. But Mike came to his senses. Cooper.
The categories quickly.
Speaker 2 (36:54):
All right.
Speaker 4 (36:55):
This is the Kristin Ritter edition of Mauage Amount of Money.
She turns forty four years old today, Happy birthday. The
categories are what happens in Vegas, Breaking bad, don't Trust
the Being, Apartment twenty three and Dexter Resurrection. Uh jed?
Who fled? You were on first Wich category?
Speaker 1 (37:13):
Helen chokey, breaking bed? Okay, breaking bed? And Mike, how
about you? Which Cindgrey would you like?
Speaker 4 (37:19):
God?
Speaker 1 (37:22):
He doesn't remember the categories cool, what happens in Vegas?
Speaker 4 (37:25):
Don't trust the bing Apartment twenty three or Dexter Resurrection Vegas?
Speaker 1 (37:31):
Mike, Mike, which one do you want? Vegas?
Speaker 2 (37:36):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (37:36):
All right, everyone, hold on there, we'll have mallards mountain money.
I didn't think we'd ever get to there, but we're
gonna have malls amount of money. That's a little rough
and only imagine the game's gonna be worse. But we'll
get to that, and we will do it next.
Speaker 2 (37:48):
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. Now Naylor's Mountain of Money. He do you
have what it takes to get to the top? Probably?
Speaker 1 (38:09):
Not? All right, Right to the game we go. Let's
welcome in our contestants. Hello, I believe that's that Jed,
Jed who fled? All right, Jed, we have breaking bad. Uh.
Speaker 4 (38:24):
The category is these athletes have all had drug problems.
Forty five seconds on the clock, Let's begin Hall of Fame.
Quarterback for the Packers War number four. Yes, this guy
loved cocaine. Linebacker for the Giants. Yes, this guy also
loved cocaine. Wide receiver for the Cowboys. Yes, this guy
(38:47):
almost died of an overdose in a brothel. No NBA player.
He was married to Chloe Kardashian. Yes, this guy liked
weed too much. He was a wide receiver for the
He was very good. But yes, Uh, this guy was
a quarterback for the USC Trojans and the Raiders.
Speaker 1 (39:05):
He smoked a lot of weed. What the hell? How really?
Uh like eighties extended dance remix on this?
Speaker 2 (39:15):
All right?
Speaker 1 (39:16):
This guy?
Speaker 4 (39:19):
Okay, all right, Okay, Todd Morenovitch, Okay, Uh, my board
froze here, Coop, So I don't know who's uh that's
your partner?
Speaker 1 (39:32):
Mike? All right, Mike, are you there? Mike? All right?
Very good. We're gonna play the game you picked?
Speaker 4 (39:38):
What do you pick?
Speaker 1 (39:38):
What happens in Vegas? These athletes have all been arrested
in Vegas? Are you ready, Mike? Yes, all right, forty
five seconds on the clock. We need the first and
last name. We're on our way go. Uh. He killed
two people in La played running back for the Bills
Buffalo Billson God a little bit before that. Yeah, well,
(40:00):
nobody knows who that is? Boxer nicknamed money. Yes, running
back for the New Orleans Saints, got into a dust
up at a casino in Vegas. He's currently on the
Saints right now. I can't think of it, okay, running
back for the Green Bay Packers. He played with the Raiders.
(40:21):
Had some problems in Vegas when he was with the Raiders.
I'm trying to blink. Aren't you in Wisconsin? I can't
believe it. Okay, you're choking? How about that? All right? Wow?
I mean, I mean OJ has been dead for a while,
so I guess not maybe people O. J.
Speaker 4 (40:41):
Simpson, Simmons there, Okay, Alvin Kamara and Josh Jacobs is
the current running back?
Speaker 1 (40:49):
All right? We get to go again. How excited is that?
Don't cuss, I don't don't trust the b or whatever?
And uh, dexter, which one do you want?
Speaker 4 (41:02):
Dector?
Speaker 1 (41:03):
Okay? These athletes have all unretired. Here we go forty
five seconds on the o'clock. First and the last name
quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts right now, former charger, Yes,
he played. He was a start with the Lakers in
the eighties. While Larry Bird was with the Celtics. He
was with the Lakers. Now guard guard out of Michigan State. Yeah,
(41:26):
all right, tight end for the Patriots. He's on Fox
right now every Sunday. He's like a meathead, dumb guy,
but he people like him because he used to be
good at football. No, all right, baseball player nicknamed the
Rocket for the Red Sox in the eighties, played with
the Yankees as well in the nineties. I don't know.
Speaker 2 (41:45):
I don't know that.
Speaker 1 (41:46):
Okay, wow, what you have for breakfast? Okay? Wow? Wow.
Magic Johnson is not a household name. No, that was
a good job, Jed, a tremendous job by my Thank you. Mike.
(42:08):
Never never play again, Mike, please say
Thanks for listening to the best of the Ben Mahler
Show podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
from two to six Eastern eleven pm to three am
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and to find your local
station for the Benmatlers Show at Foxsports Radio dot Com.
You can find it there or stream us live every
night on the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
This is the best of the Ben Mahler Show on
Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
All great things come to an end, even bad things
come to an end. In the case of the NFL
Championship runt, in order to win the championship, you got
to make the playoffs. Otherwise you got some explaining to do,
which the Chiefs do well. Come in the beginning of
(00:54):
another hour of the Ben Mahler Show. We are in
the air, ev he wares, We are in cahoots and
we serve up mouthwatering takes like Latcus. They're so good
to coast, border to border and beyond on the mast
and nourishingly powerful microphones of fs are ammnating live from
(01:20):
the Buster, the Skullbuster, from the world famous Fox Sports
Radio Studios where magic happens and Angie and Brian know
that this portion of the Ben Allas Show made possible
apart by our friends at tire Iraq. For over forty years,
Tyraq has been helping customers like our friend, the real
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(01:42):
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see that Robbie, the Mariner fan is barking at me.
He says, hey, can you tell me about haley On? Yes, Robbie,
(02:02):
I will tell you about haley On. Every goal starts
with an assist on and off the field. That's why
haley On and US Soccer are launching for the Assist,
a celebration of everyday acts of support that help people
achieve their goals with iconic brands like Cincinnine, Tom's, voltairean
Adville and Centrum. To learn more, go to haley on
assist dot com. And Justin in Cincinnati is snickering at me.
(02:26):
He says, can you tell me about DraftKings? Well, of course,
all you have to do is ask justin. This show
is sponsored by DraftKings sportsbook and official sports betting partner
of the NFL and NBA. Right now, use the code
Malord to claim your special offer at DraftKings again, that's
promo code Malor at DraftKings. The crown is yours. As
(02:48):
John Sterling, the voice of the Yankees, taught me back
in the day, you got to sell the soap. We've
sold a lot of soap. But let's talk some sports.
Let's go to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. And I'm
so happy that this happened this year and not last
year because I would have been blamed, you know, it
making all about me. I was able to go to Arrowhead.
I saw the Chiefs last year last November against the Broncos,
(03:12):
one of the craziest games I've ever been at. That
was the game the Broncos had the game winning field
goal blocked and the Chiefs won, and they end up
going to the Super Bowl before they fell apart, and
the hangover has continued. So Kansas City playing host to
the Chargers in an AFC West Brew ha ha in
this key game for Kansas City, Stand Alive, Stand Alive,
(03:35):
taking on the Chargers. I don't know if you watch the
game or not. Now, if you had Kansas City winning
this game and staying alive in the playoff race in
the AFC, you are a big fat loser. You're a loser.
As the Chargers said, turn out the last the parties over,
(03:57):
they eliminate Kansas City from playoff contention. They are d
e a D dead dead debt Derwin James picking off
a pass from Gardner Minshew. Yes, Gardner Minshew, number seventeen
in year program, but number ninety nine in your heart.
(04:19):
Gardner Minshew was in there. He had taken over for
an injured Patrick Mahomes. As we mentioned earlier in this program,
Mahomes done for the season. He was injured late. The
game was already over pretty much at that point, closing seconds,
and so Ken's City goes down. Chargers get a win.
They won by three, and the reigning AFC champions are
(04:40):
no more as they have been exterminated and decommissioned from
the playoffs. Justin Herbert had two unred ten yards. Modest numbers,
and so the quarterback apologists will say, he's hard, he's hard.
What's long with ye out? Okay? Fine? Two hundred ten
yards and a touchdown for the team from so CA.
The Chargers get to ten wins, ten and four consecutive
(05:05):
ten win seasons for the first time since they were
the old San Diego Chargers. Show me your lightning ball
way back in six seven. My god, So the rare
season sweep, very rare season sweep for the Chargers over
the Chiefs. The story here, though, is clearly in the
loser's locker room. This is a pivot point, is it not?
(05:27):
At least it feels like a pivot point that here
we are. The Chiefs have been eliminated. They have been
x communicated from the NFL postseason after all of these years,
first time in ten years, ten years, the Chiefs will
not be hanging out in playoff football. No wild card game.
(05:51):
You don't have to worry about the AFC Championship game.
You don't have to worry about going to the Super
Bowl in San Francisco, although I imagine many of those guys
will go out there to sell all the crap they're
trying to sell you on radio roll. That's usually what happens.
But let us discuss the question, and we're gonna get
into this right now with we're gonna focus on Andy Reid,
all right, So the question is who who gets most
(06:13):
of the blame for Andy Reid's Chiefs missing the plus
who's most to blame for Andy Reid's Chiefs missing the pluffs?
So I've got sewing machine, swamp water, and Applebee's and
we will combine all of these things together and we
will punch you right in your intestines, is what we're
(06:33):
gonna do. So before we get into this, let's hear
from Andy Reid. Everyone's very concerned about the morale, the
morale of Kansas City. Here's what Andy Reid had to
say on that topic.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
Oh yeah, guys are down our best with their butt
to win, to win the game, you know, And I
wouldn't expect anything less. So you know, it's not a
great feeling. I wouldn't expect it to be after losing
a game.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Okay, was anyone expecting any other feeling? They think they
were gonna have like a Chuck E Cheese party, go
down and play some ski ball or something like that,
Like what are you gonna do? So as far as
who's most to blame for the Chiefs missing the playoffs
under Andy Reid number one. Let's start at the very top.
The snake rots from the head down. Let's start with
(07:22):
mahomes magic. It went poof, Oh my god, you can't
say that. Yeah, you can't absolutely say he ends the
year in the injury tent, which is a bummer. However,
let's not let that cloud the reality of the situation.
You watch the NFL this year, long before Mahomes suffered
the season ending injury, Patrick Mahomes went to the candy
(07:45):
shop and he ordered fun dip. Except it wasn't so fun.
The fun dip wasn't fun. Normally, Mahomes has been a wizard,
the wizard of Arrowhead and under pressure pulling rabbits out
of the helmet and this guy's magic wand and all that.
And this year he turned on the sewing machine and
(08:08):
he stitched together a bunch of overthrows and bad reaths
and ill timed giveaways and passes bouncing off receivers, hands
and helmets and all that stuff. And on the deep
ball for Mahomes, it has been the Rocky Mountain horror
show is what it's been here and more picks than
(08:29):
touchdowns for Mahomes, barely completing a third of those deep
passes for the Kansas City Chiefs offense. Now, is he
still an elite player? Sure? Has he had an elite season? No,
he did not have an elite season, and a lot
of butter fingers around him. Butter fingers, a lot of
butterfingers at the worst possible moments, which is part of
the story. And he didn't get much help. But ultimately
(08:53):
a lot of that is on Mahomes though also for
not there were some terrible games, he said the last
month here, as things continued to go the wrong direction.
You also have to point out the drops were often
drive killers. They were Rashie Rice. I hope he is
better now at the driving than he was before, because
(09:13):
he's not very good at football these days. My god,
Travis Kelsey, who's thirty six, I believe he moves like
a cell phone. He might be older than that now,
like a cell phone on low power, like the you know,
the batteries kind of low and it says, all right,
you plug your phone in, you got ten percent power.
And he caught passes the way you'd expect a podcast,
(09:36):
like if we put Joe Rogan out there and said, hey, Joe,
catch some passes, Okay, Joe would catch passes the way
Travis Kelsey caught passes a lot of bricks brick house
like the combodoors. There no separation, no vertical threat at all.
The front office. Now, the other indictment here is on
the Chiefs front office, like they just assume we're gonna
get some guys back, and you know what happens when
(09:57):
you assume and we'll be okay and everything'll be fine.
There sat on their hands at the trade deadline. They
refused to give up any draft picks to try to
complete the roster. They just kind of waited. It was like,
it's like we're out of samples at Costco. Let's wait
until they fill up the sample trade. Okay, well wait,
well they never did. They went home. The people that
(10:17):
put the samples out, their day was done. That was it.
And so you look at everything. Yeah, the defense, Chris Jones,
keeping up with the Joneses. If there's one moment to
me that sums up this entire season for the Chiefs,
it was the game against Jacksonville was I believe a
Monday night game, and you remember Trevor Lawrence fell down
(10:40):
a couple of times and Chris Jones, mister all everything,
defensive star face of the franchise. His effort, his lack
of hustle was next level and just caught on tape
and then got all defensive about it and all that.
Like that kind of sums up this season, just like
(11:01):
the offense had the thing of the jigs that weren't working,
the watching mccolles. But the defense, the numbers weren't terrible,
but then there were these little things like they couldn't
get the do hickey to work, and it was just
a big It was a big mess bottom third and
sacks bottom third and pressures third down stops were not
great for the Chiefs defense, and they couldn't get off
(11:23):
the field. Often when they needed to get off the field,
they couldn't get off the field. So the malor math,
if you knew the male of Math, crunch the numbers
on the Chiefs. Here it's shared blame, which is never fun.
But the buck ultimately does stop with Mahomes because he's
he was able to elevate the players around him, and
this year he did not elevate the players around him
on offense, and the defense wasn't good enough to pick
(11:46):
up the slack and now they find themselves watching the
playoffs when that comes around here in January. All right now,
page two, So continuing the theme of the hour, the
theme of the hour, The question here is Chiefs coach
Andy Reid big Rad. Is Andy Reid in danger of
being whacked? Is he going to be collateral damage from
(12:10):
the Chiefs being failures this year, not even making the playoffs?
So in terms of Andy Reid being in danger, is
he about to get fired?
Speaker 2 (12:19):
No?
Speaker 1 (12:19):
Is he in stranger danger? I'm nodding my head. Yes,
I'm gonna nod my head. Yes, on Andy Reid. I
don't see him being fired. He's like you get out
of here. However, the massage goodbye, I call it the massage.
Whether he's finesse, you know what I'm talking about. Like
this whole thing smells right now, And it doesn't smell
(12:41):
like delicious barbecue at the tailgated arrowhead. It doesn't smell
like that. It's musty, it's funky, and it's kind of
like the equipment. If you've ever been around hockey, the
goalies equipment smells like ass just horrible. Or I guess
any gym bag, any gym bag on a hot, hot day,
(13:02):
sitting out there in the sun, dry, and the summer
just smells really gnarly bad and terrible. And Andy Reid talking
about Mahomes being the Wizard of Arrowhead. Well, Andy Reid
was the maestro of offensive play calling, and this season
the Chiefs attack it looked like his spell book. The
spellbook for Andy Reid was soaked in swamp water and
(13:22):
the pages were sticking together. There was no real creativity,
just kind of reheated leftovers, and it wasn't working and
so and this didn't just pop up one overnight for
the Chiefs. Now, this has been festering. You remember last
year in the second half there were some signs that
things were not going well, and then it bottomed out
(13:43):
in the Super Bowl when the Chiefs got smoked by
the Philadelphia Eagles, and so Big Red was unable to
find the source of the mildew, couldn't find it. And Mahomes,
as good as Mahomes has been this year, he could
not find a can of fabreeze big enough to take
(14:04):
care of the flatulence in the phone booth that was
taking place here. And normally you get a mulligan when
you're a legend we're gonna give that person a mulligan.
They're a legend of the game that the whispers out
of Kansas City are that there are some factions saying
it's time to make a change, and it's the perfect
time now with Mahomes being hurt, cause you bring in
(14:27):
a new coach, you let them settle in. There'll be
no expectations for the chiefs. Kelsey's gonna retire, Mahomes will
be out at least probably half the year. Next year,
you bring a new coaching staff in, they don't have
any real pressure on them. They go in there kind
of set up their own thing. And these are grassroots whispers,
is what they are. You know, pitchforks padded in bubble wrap,
(14:50):
if you will, and all that stuff, and people gonna
lean into the age game. We saw what happened with
Pete Carroll was not fired by the Seattle Seahawks. Although
he was fired, they made it seem like he left
to take an advisor's role. We know that's bull crap
because he immediately came back to coach the Raiders, if
you want to call what he's doing coaching the Raiders,
and so it'd be like, well, Andy Reid's old Let's
(15:12):
just send Grandpa to the retirement home at midnight when
no one's looking, and I just can watch. My advice
now is to watch for leaks, watch for the league
source behind a paywall on the athletic watch for someone
connected to Mahomes questioning Andy Reid, and useful idiots in
(15:35):
the media pushing the Andy slipping stories in the media
that he's not doing this right and he's screwing this
thing up. And then the Mahomes needs a new voice.
As we said and read the saving grace for Andy Reid,
there is a saving grace is there are no obvious replacements,
Like there's no obvious name that they say, Okay, we
(15:57):
get that guy and we're gold. The only one that
would make a little bit of sense will be Cliff Kingsbury,
who's the OC of the Washington Commanders, and he coached
Mahomes in college at Texas Tech. And there's a guy,
how about Cliff Kingsbury was a hot he was hot,
hot to trot. Last year Washington got to the final
(16:18):
four in the NFL playoffs, and then he didn't take
a head coaching job. He was very arrogant. He didn't
like the jobs that were open. And now you think
anyone's gonna go out of the way to hire Cliff
Kingsbury after the Washington offense tank this year. Come on,
he had a chance and he said it out. But
that would be the only one. Arrowhead mahomes Cliff Kingsbury.
There's a connection there. And so unless he leaves the
(16:40):
Beltway and heads over and with a with a whiteboard
in hand and drop plays for Patrick mahomes the loyalty.
So the malord math on Andy Reid, he's in the
danger zone. The good news is there's no one who's
really stepping up. You're like, oh, that guy's gonna get
the job, all right. Final point now to the pop
(17:02):
star in the corner of the room, question, what does
the storyline of the Chiefs being eliminated from playoff considerations?
What does this do for the Taylor Swift fueled NFL
conspiracy theories that have been going around for several years.
(17:23):
So I'll address this. This is the snuffleophagus in the room.
This is what happens when a conspiracy theory runs out
of auxygen. There's no more auction here. The Taylor Swift
fueled NFL rigging crowd. Can we do a wellness check
on them? Are they doing okay? Are they quietly right now?
(17:45):
They're slipping out the emergency exit at the Applebee's, and
they don't want to pay the check. They're like, I
was just going to get out of Apple's. We go
through the emergency exit. We're not paying the check. That's it.
For years, those that partake not farmer John. They're in
engagement farmers is what they are. They're doing engagement farming.
And they've got their tinfoil sombreros on and they swore
(18:08):
up and down on the Holy Bible that the NFL
was greasing the skids, that it was all a rig
deal for Kansas City. It was the Travis kelce Taylor
Swift romance. It was the Golden Boy Patrick Mahomes, a
scripted love story. And if it was a scripted love story,
wouldn't it end with the Super Bowl confetti in the
(18:30):
air everywhere, drippling down, down, down, down down confetti, just
like that February retirement. Then sometime in the spring wedding
Vibes with the biggest wedding in America in many, many years.
There instead Travis Kelcey couldn't I guess we could say
couldn't shake it off. He was unable to shake it
(18:52):
off this year and it was just a bad year.
And he limped off Arrowhead and with a bit of
a blank space. He had a bit of a like
space where the magic used to be, and he was
kind of frozen there. And that stench that the Chiefs
had on offense there. You know, it's just bad bad blood.
(19:13):
There's another one bad blood. So did not go well here,
and the wizardry of the Chiefs obviously away. M Kelsey's
magic gone, the plot armor ripped away for the conspiracy theory.
And this was not cinema. This was definitely not cinema.
(19:34):
It was a documentary, but not the documentary Taylor Swift's
been in here recently. No refs with Q cards, we
didn't have any of that. No Lombardi delivery service on demand,
we didn't get that. Just a football boon doggle. It
was a boone doggle. And now Travis Kelsey can look
at Taylor Swift and mutter, look what you made me do.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
Be sure catch live editions of The Ben Meler Show
weekdays at two am Eastern eleven pm Pacific on Fox
Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Hey is Covino and Rich from Fox Sports Radio Now.
In addition to hearing us live weekdays from five to
seven pm Eastern two to four Pacific on Fox Sports Radio,
we're excited to announce a brand new YouTube channel for
the show. Yup. That's right. You can now watch Covino
and Rich live on YouTube every day. All you gotta
do search Covino and Rich FSR on YouTube again. Go
(20:30):
to YouTube search Covino and Rich FSR. Check us out
on YouTube, subscribe, hit that thumbs up icon. Comment away.
Here we are together again and old pro bouncing. But
we don't talk much basketball because players don't really try
that much. You have to pay them a lot of
money to get them to put some effort into that.
(20:50):
But we will begin with the only game in town.
I will credit the NBA scheduling. They did not schedule
us on a Sunday, a Thursday, or a Monday. They
waited till the Tuesday. But our lead this hour from
Viva Las Vegas. Viva Las Vegas, and that is where
championships are crowned. Well, I guess Adam Silver's creepy wet
(21:16):
Dream Year three. Year three played out again, and no,
I am not on the NBA pay roll, so I
do not have to sit here and say this is good,
because it's not. But there they were. They were out
there running around in Vegas, the Crown of Champion. It's
a T shirt and hat kind of a game in
the NBA. Were you watching? Probably not. It wasn't even
(21:38):
on television. It was on the stream, not on television.
Now we used a machete to go into the Amazon
and to watch Oh g and a Newbee twenty eight points,
Jalen Brunson twenty five points and apartures in a pear
tree and the New York Next for the first time
(21:58):
in my life, had champions They had to make up
a championship for the Knicks to win a championship, and
they beat Wemby. They beat Victor Webban Yaba and the Spurs,
who choked in the fourth quarter. The Knicks win by eleven.
The Fugesi NBA Cup goes to New York and so congratulations,
(22:20):
first title in over fifty years. If you're a loser
and count this as a championship for the woe begone
New York Knicks. How cute is that you had Jalen Brunson,
he got the NBA Cup MVP. How special is that?
Speaker 4 (22:36):
Man?
Speaker 1 (22:36):
You always remember that? So special? Carl Anthony Towns, kinnycat
see Minnesota, you traded a winner. How could the Timberwolves
have traded Karl Anthony Towns? Oh my god? Sixteen points,
eleven rebounds. He did miss a bunch of this game
with injury, but they end up winning year, the champs
of the Big Apple as the New York Knicks get
(22:58):
it done. And Mike, how about this, Mike Brown doing
what pat Riley couldn't do. And Jeff Van Gundy and
every other stiff Nick coach, Mike D'Antoni, all these other clowns,
Don Nelson, all these guys that passed through, but me,
he always remember, nicely win a championship. It's a special night.
And here's Mike Brown. One of the great moments in
(23:19):
the NBA history. The next winning the NBA Cup.
Speaker 5 (23:22):
In any event where you're the last one standing and
you're able to hang a banner, especially iconic MSG, you
take that seriously, and all of our guys took it seriously.
But the most exciting part about it, I feel like we're.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
In New loon righter, Let's go what fans we got love?
It does? Yeah, of course he said the same thing
when he coached the Lakers and when he coached Cleveland.
It's it's like a bad stand up comedian. You're the
greatest crowd I've ever had. Let me tell us that
I was in Detroit last night. The people in Detroit
(23:59):
were holes, right, and that you were doing. You did
that in Cleveland. Then you go the next time over,
you go to Pittsburgh. Well, bet me to I was
in Cleveland last night. Those people were schmucks. But you, peeple,
this is a great crowd. I'm a rack, all right.
So let's discuss here as well. Set your Liberty is
down the street from that arena. It's New York, New York.
They have that right there. So let us discuss the
(24:21):
question what does this Knickerbocker's in quote NBA Cup Championship
in quotes, what does this do for the franchise of
this title? So I've got snow globe, crude oil, and
dead wood, and we will combine all of these things
together and we'll charge you fifty bucks to park, because
(24:42):
that's how they roll in Vegas, where they try to
screw over the people that visit that town with overpriced
parking and no freebies anymore because the corporations have taken
over and they're a bunch of losers. I think you
can also have a dirty water dog and a soft
pretzel if you want, But those saft pretzels in New
York anyway, are the same consistency of the concrete that
(25:03):
you walk on. So a my first thought is the
the New York Knicks have done it. They have done it, baby,
Oh my god. I hugged Jason Smith in the hallway,
my friend, longtime Nick suck Up. I said, I've known
you we uede radio back years ago. I said, man,
finally you get to celebrate. You gotta get a T shirt,
(25:23):
you gotta get a hat. You're a champion. And he's
had big smile, cheshire Cat's smile on his face. They
was so happy there. But you got to cue the trumpets.
Right when you win. You cue the trumpets, you release
the doves, you alert the Smithsonian. The knicker Bockers have
won the cup. They have whatever that is. I don't
even know what it is. They just made it up.
Three They even have that. The first year it was
called the NBA Play Something Tournament. I don't remember what's
(25:45):
called they then they changed it. They threw a corporate
sponsor on it, because that makes everything kosher when you
put a corporate sponsor on it. And that's right, you
get the Fugeesy Trophy Capital left Fugheze. Congratulations. There a
glorified stockings stuffer for the Knickerbockers. The Diet Doctor Pepper
Championship for New York. Now, some NBA pundits who you know,
(26:07):
are deep up the tuckis of Adam Silver. They're acting
like New York cracked the Da Vinci code by winning
Miss Championship. Had Jalen brunt They pretended like it was
a real thing. They all played along. Of course I
was getting paid that money money, I would play along
as well. So Jalen Brunson was your little MVP, and
that's special. That's good. He won the MVP. Og Ananobi
(26:29):
was cooking with gas. He was cooking gass. And Carl
Anthony Towns Carl Anthony's he was crawling. Uh he was.
He was out there like a lion. Normally he plays
like a housecat, but none on a and suddenly the Knickerbockers.
This twenty twenty five, twenty six vintage of the Knicks.
This was a Broadway revival. The Demon Slayer is what
(26:52):
it was you talking about slaying demons in December in
like game twenty five or something like that. You beat
the Spurs. Congratulations. Tim Duncan did not score no points
at all. Tony Parker shut down, completely shut down. Congratulates
mazzeltof to the New York Knicks on winning. There James
(27:14):
Dolan strutting around the Big Apple like he just dunked
in the face of pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy
and all the other stiffs that he's paid to coach
the Knicks over the years. There. See, you can't be
a dirt bag owner who won a championship. You see,
I won a championship. I'm James Dolan. I'm a schmuck
and I want a championship because I had to come
up with a made up championship. Calm down there, Calm down.
(27:39):
This is not the Lombardi of course they give that
out in football. This is like I saw it. It looked
like a like a snow globe from a Times Square
gift shop. That's the trophy that you win. You win
a snow globe from a Times Square gift shop. Congratulations.
So the NBA, as Mike Brown alluded to the Hobo
(28:02):
coach Mike Brown, that the NBA mandates you put up
this is so great. You put up a banner so good.
It was embarrassing when the Lakers did it. We mocked them.
I think Milwaukee won last year. That was stupid. And
the Knicks, all those rich people on Wall Street going
(28:26):
to Madeisburgh. Look there's a championships won by the Rangers,
and then there's the Knicks championships you know, back in
the seventy and then oh look there's a twenty twenty
five championship. This is the equivalent of hanging a finger
painting made by your kindergartener at the louver. So so great.
(28:47):
Oh so they got to sell the championship hat and
merch the T shirts. I saw the players wearing the
T shirts after the game and the hats, so they'll
sell those. Well. The Knicks newtre gonna summer a championship, hango.
Speaker 5 (29:04):
Good.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
You don't normally play right after you win a championship.
I mean you take a couple of months off. Are
they gonna struggle down because they won their little championship.
You canna have a hangover from the room temperature water
you got in Vegas. As Matthew mcconne, he said that
iconic scene in the Wolf of Wall Street for Gayzy
(29:28):
fo Ghazi Woozy, it's fairy dust. It doesn't exist. And
you can put that cup in a piggy bank and
it's still gonna be empty. The piggy bank is still
going to be empty. Now, meanwhile, someone that gets it.
Page two here, Sir Charles has chimed in. Charles bark
he recently unloaded prior to this event, mind you, on
(29:49):
the NBA Cup speaking with a long time I got
whacked from his job on the sports radio of the
Bay Area. But Tom Tolbert and longtime Bay Area as back.
Now he's doing a podcast like everyone else is, and
so he had Barkley on because Tolbert knows Barkley because
he used to play in the NBA and played against Barkley.
(30:09):
So Charles Barkley confirmed that he hates hates the fact
that the tournament, the NBA Cup, is all about that
prize money and they have to entice the players to
prioritize those games because the regular season the players obviously
don't care. We all know that it's an open secret here.
(30:32):
And Barkley called it ridiculous that they had to pay
the players essentially a bounty here to get them to
play with extra efforts. So the question how did Charles
Barkley's statement about the NBA Cup being embarrassing? How did
that sound to you? So listen, Charles Barkley obviously preaching
(30:54):
to the choir. It was a symphony. It was an
absolute symphony. Every note, every note was It was just
a standing ovation. Bravo to Charles Barkley. Does it again
at cacophony of goodness, cacoffny of goodness from Charles Barkley. Here,
Sir Charles, Now he did not genuflect to the altar
of staying of Adam. So I was gonna say, stan
(31:14):
Van Gundy, I was watching the game, so you wouldn't
have to. And I'm pretty sure stan Van Gundy had
knee pads with Adam Silver's face on him. I mean,
he was really going to town. Let me tell you,
take a breath there, stand calm down. He was praising
the cup and what a great thing. Dwayne Wade, who's
terrible as a broadcaster. Brother, I think God is on Amazon.
No one watches him, but God does he suck. So
(31:35):
Dwayne Wade was on there and he didn't know what
to say, so he was just kind of agreeing with
Stan Van Gunney. But Stan should get a room. He
wants he wants that job, he loves that good paying
job NBA broadcaster. And no one watches those games, so
nobody cares what he says. But I happen to be watching.
And man, that was some major sucking up to management
(31:56):
by Stan Van Gundy, Like, dude, get a room. So
bad Now, this is how you juxtapost Charles Barkley the
stand van Gutty. Charles Barkley not a houseman, stand van Gutty, houseman,
big difference there. Charles Barkley is crude oil right, he's raw,
he's unfiltered. He stains the carpet, The whole thing tells
the truth, whether you like the smell or not. Okay,
(32:17):
and calling the NBA Cup embarrassing is not a hot
take by Charles Barke. It's basic math. It's basic math
on the mountain of bad ideas on the Mountain of
bad ideas. This gimmick is parked right near the summit,
right near the summit, on the Mountain of bad ideas,
just below Adam Silver spending years years defending load management
(32:42):
as a sound strategy while the product, the quality of
the product, quietly fell apart, like a stale churrow right
in front of his fat face. Not fatty skinny, but
you get the point. Think about this. The NBA had
to bring in a eventually, the keepler elves. They had
(33:02):
to bring in a bunch of elves here and wave
a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
To get these entitled players to try hard. They had
to say, hey, fellas, let me dangle five hundred plus
thousand dollars and please try in December. Thank you, signed
Adam Love y'all. Okay, Meanwhile, this is what I don't
(33:27):
get about, and maybe I'm wrong, and you can call up.
I'll give out the number in a few minutes. You
can explain why I'm misguiding. I don't understand why this
is such a big deal. The average salary, the median
salary in the NBA is twelve million dollars. Do you
understand the median salaries told me as well. Okay, that's
just because there's a lot of guys making fifty million. Okay,
(33:47):
so the minimum getting salary, Like you know how you
hired at McDonald's, you get minimum wage if you're hired
by the NBA. The minimum salary. You know what it is?
You don't, Okay, what do you think you think? Yeah? Number? Okay,
the minimum salary one point two million. Let me repeat
(34:08):
that for the Yeah, in the fact, one point two million.
Uh Now again where I come from. If you make
one point two million, you are wait for it, you're rich,
is what you are. Okay. Uh So you don't have
to shovel snow to make a couple of extra bucks.
You don't have to take an extra job with you know,
(34:28):
delivering food or whatever. You don't have to do any
of that stuff. You're not eating the Marcella and Brooklyn
noodles and of Noodle's diet. You're not doing Ramen and
Adam Silver. Again, I go back to the point this
bozo Adam Silver, who the NBA media doesn't want to
criticize because they love Adam Silver because they get access.
Adam Silver nurtured this culture. Uh he did right, and
(34:51):
now his little baby has grown up into a fire
breathing monster, a giant dragon, a three headed dragon. It
has happened. It's all grown up now, congratulations, all grown up.
And the only way to get the players to care
about a regular season event is to bribe them. That
(35:12):
is not innovation, Adam Silver. That is not That is
desperation is what that is.
Speaker 2 (35:17):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Ben Mellor
Show weekdays at two am Eastern eleven pm Pacific.
Speaker 1 (35:23):
Let's welcome our contestants for Malar's Mountain of Money. Right now,
we have Jed who fled Who's somewhere in the redneck
riviera of Florida? Hello, Jed who fled? Bennie versus Penny's
a real great YouTube channel. So I tell all the
rednecks I know to watch you wearing some plannel I
YouTube channels. He liked. For here, m, I'm not going
(35:49):
full of that.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
Kick me off there to play the game.
Speaker 1 (35:53):
Who would you like to partner up with? Jay? I'd
like to win, so and just we go, do you man?
You know you said Cooper's name first? You want to
go with cool? He said, Ben? First, I heard cool
oh my god. All right, I almost thank you. But
I would be a great choice. Okay, who you picked?
Speaker 2 (36:13):
He got it? Uh? You got it?
Speaker 1 (36:17):
Oh you're in, Coop. There you go. You're in and
Mike is in Wisconsin. Hello, Mike, welcome. Hello? What's going on? Buddy?
You ready to do this?
Speaker 2 (36:26):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (36:27):
Yes? Sure? All right? Mike? And who do you want
to partner up with on the show?
Speaker 2 (36:33):
What do you recommend?
Speaker 1 (36:36):
I think Lorena would be very entertaining. I have not
been picked. I have not been picked. All right, yeah,
look at that. I'm real close. I thought I was
going to get picked.
Speaker 2 (36:49):
That I was hoping.
Speaker 1 (36:50):
I was hoping you would. But Mike came to his senses. Cooper.
The categories quickly.
Speaker 2 (36:54):
All right.
Speaker 4 (36:55):
This is the Kristin Ritter edition of Mauage Amount of Money.
She turns forty four years old today, Happy birthday. The
categories are what happens in Vegas, Breaking bad, don't Trust
the Being, Apartment twenty three and Dexter Resurrection. Uh jed?
Who fled? You were on first Wich category?
Speaker 1 (37:13):
Helen chokey, breaking bed? Okay, breaking bed? And Mike, how
about you? Which Cindgrey would you like?
Speaker 4 (37:19):
God?
Speaker 1 (37:22):
He doesn't remember the categories cool, what happens in Vegas?
Speaker 4 (37:25):
Don't trust the bing Apartment twenty three or Dexter Resurrection Vegas?
Speaker 1 (37:31):
Mike, Mike, which one do you want? Vegas?
Speaker 2 (37:36):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (37:36):
All right, everyone, hold on there, we'll have mallards mountain money.
I didn't think we'd ever get to there, but we're
gonna have malls amount of money. That's a little rough
and only imagine the game's gonna be worse. But we'll
get to that, and we will do it next.
Speaker 2 (37:48):
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. Now Naylor's Mountain of Money. He do you
have what it takes to get to the top? Probably?
Speaker 1 (38:09):
Not? All right, Right to the game we go. Let's
welcome in our contestants. Hello, I believe that's that Jed,
Jed who fled? All right, Jed, we have breaking bad. Uh.
Speaker 4 (38:24):
The category is these athletes have all had drug problems.
Forty five seconds on the clock, Let's begin Hall of Fame.
Quarterback for the Packers War number four. Yes, this guy
loved cocaine. Linebacker for the Giants. Yes, this guy also
loved cocaine. Wide receiver for the Cowboys. Yes, this guy
(38:47):
almost died of an overdose in a brothel. No NBA player.
He was married to Chloe Kardashian. Yes, this guy liked
weed too much. He was a wide receiver for the
He was very good. But yes, Uh, this guy was
a quarterback for the USC Trojans and the Raiders.
Speaker 1 (39:05):
He smoked a lot of weed. What the hell? How really?
Uh like eighties extended dance remix on this?
Speaker 2 (39:15):
All right?
Speaker 1 (39:16):
This guy?
Speaker 4 (39:19):
Okay, all right, Okay, Todd Morenovitch, Okay, Uh, my board
froze here, Coop, So I don't know who's uh that's
your partner?
Speaker 1 (39:32):
Mike? All right, Mike, are you there? Mike? All right?
Very good. We're gonna play the game you picked?
Speaker 4 (39:38):
What do you pick?
Speaker 1 (39:38):
What happens in Vegas? These athletes have all been arrested
in Vegas? Are you ready, Mike? Yes, all right, forty
five seconds on the clock. We need the first and
last name. We're on our way go. Uh. He killed
two people in La played running back for the Bills
Buffalo Billson God a little bit before that. Yeah, well,
(40:00):
nobody knows who that is? Boxer nicknamed money. Yes, running
back for the New Orleans Saints, got into a dust
up at a casino in Vegas. He's currently on the
Saints right now. I can't think of it, okay, running
back for the Green Bay Packers. He played with the Raiders.
(40:21):
Had some problems in Vegas when he was with the Raiders.
I'm trying to blink. Aren't you in Wisconsin? I can't
believe it. Okay, you're choking? How about that? All right? Wow?
I mean, I mean OJ has been dead for a while,
so I guess not maybe people O. J.
Speaker 4 (40:41):
Simpson, Simmons there, Okay, Alvin Kamara and Josh Jacobs is
the current running back?
Speaker 1 (40:49):
All right? We get to go again. How excited is that?
Don't cuss, I don't don't trust the b or whatever?
And uh, dexter, which one do you want?
Speaker 4 (41:02):
Dector?
Speaker 1 (41:03):
Okay? These athletes have all unretired. Here we go forty
five seconds on the o'clock. First and the last name
quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts right now, former charger, Yes,
he played. He was a start with the Lakers in
the eighties. While Larry Bird was with the Celtics. He
was with the Lakers. Now guard guard out of Michigan State. Yeah,
(41:26):
all right, tight end for the Patriots. He's on Fox
right now every Sunday. He's like a meathead, dumb guy,
but he people like him because he used to be
good at football. No, all right, baseball player nicknamed the
Rocket for the Red Sox in the eighties, played with
the Yankees as well in the nineties. I don't know.
Speaker 2 (41:45):
I don't know that.
Speaker 1 (41:46):
Okay, wow, what you have for breakfast? Okay? Wow? Wow.
Magic Johnson is not a household name. No, that was
a good job, Jed, a tremendous job by my Thank you. Mike.
(42:08):
Never never play again, Mike, please say
Host
Ben Maller
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