April 10, 2025 • 35 mins
Big Ben talks about Luka Doncic's return to Dallas and the emotional tribute video that the Mavericks played for him before their loss to the Lakers, Vlad Guerrero Jr.'s $325M signing bonus and who it favors more, Maller to the Third Degree, #AskBen, and more!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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This is the best of the Ben Mahler Show on
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Speaker 4 (01:25):
I know Mickey in State forty eight.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Likes that number ten thousand as much as he likes
the Diamondbacks tyract dot com the way tire buying show
would be. So there are many nights when I make
my way into the hallowed hallways of the Ben Maler
Show studio.
Speaker 4 (01:44):
Here the Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Microphones, and I have complete editorial control to talk about
whatever I want. The bosses are all sleeping. They don't
give a crap. As long as I get the commercials in.
I get them in, and so.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
I talk whatever I want.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
But some nights you just kind of have to talk
about things, and this is one of those nights. Now
people accuse me of always talking about the Lakers. This
is a sad story. The Lakers are not gonna win
the championship. There's a lot of people that are gonna
have broken hearts.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
But that is the story. And we have a Mantrea
Heart to heart.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
We go where the news of the day takes us,
even in the dopey sports world. So our lead is
from pro bouncy Ball. The center of the sporting universe
was in the Dallas Metroplex there, and I assume if
you're a casual sportsman, this was something you kind of
wanted to see. Maybe a few minutes of it, you
(02:35):
probably didn't watch the whole game. Is why would you
have the regular season game? But you might have watched
a few minutes.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
Of it, perhaps not. And don't worry.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
We're here so you can go to the movies or
do whatever you're doing. And we watched the games. So
the stars were out. These stars were out Dallas stop.
Now this is not like in La or New York.
Crowd the star now that's Mahomes, Patrick Mahomes is there,
Derrick Henry's and Dirk Noovitchky That's who. They showed, big stars,
(03:05):
huge stars. So it was all about Luka Hookah Luca.
He did some hookah before the game. I think, maybe not,
I don't know, but Luka Doncik went out there, had
a massive first half. It didn't do much in the
second half. He ended up with forty five points in
his first game, almost like it was scripted back in
Dallas since being traded to La La Land and so
(03:27):
Luca went out there, had a big stat line. The
Lakers will be in the playoffs, but probably not for long,
but they wrapped up a playoff spot. Now. Luka Doncik
his return two months after the wacky Tobacci trade out
of finn Air so bad that people are convinced that
there was some funny business going on.
Speaker 4 (03:48):
There was some maneuvering behind the scenes.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
The television executives were involved, and this was all about
getting more money in the TV contract. But he went
out to La. He spent five and a half seasons
with the Mavericks. Most assumed that he would just be
there the rest of his career, or at least the
good years of his career.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
Still had two years left on his contract. So the
forty five.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Points matching Lukas season high, okay, what he damn do?
I also had eight rebound, six assists, four steals, and
a partridge in a paar tree. But it was the
old geezer Bron Bron who led the way there to
the finish line. He had thirteen of his twenty seven
points down this stretch in the fourth quarter. So the
(04:29):
Lakers who did fall by, I'm how embarrassing is that
you're trailing?
Speaker 4 (04:31):
They were trailing in the fourth quarter again.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
I couldn't name three guys on the Mavericks who are
playing right now. And the Lakers were actually losing this
game at one point in the fourth quarter to the
flotsam and jetsum the drek of the Dallas Mavericks. How embarrassing.
And then they rallied back. But man even to be
trailing in the fourth quarter, Holy crap, man, you suck
all right, So let us discuss the question. Let's just
(04:54):
forget about the game. Who cares about the game? Let's
focus in on the sidebar, because it's all about the sidebar.
So let's play a fun fill in the blank game.
Everyone loves a fill in the blank game.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
I do you do?
Speaker 5 (05:08):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Now, I'm gonna go first because I have the microphone,
and then I'll give out the number in a little
bit you can call up and you can fill in
the blank on your own it. So here's the film
The blanket, right, Luka Donciks Emotion Return to Dallas was
blank right, filling the blank?
Speaker 4 (05:24):
So I've got Stephen King, Kitty Cat, and fly Swatter,
and we will.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Combine all of these things together and we are going
to refuse to budge an inch while we make some
cowboy boots and hats, giant cowboy hats and cowboy boots.
Yeah all right, So my word is smaltzy. That is
my word, smalty. Luka Doncics return his emotional return to
(05:54):
Dallas was schmaltzy. For me, it was uncomfortable, and I
understand I'm in the minority.
Speaker 4 (05:59):
This was not for me.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
I get it. This tribute was for the emotionally wounded
Dallas Maverick observer. Nevertheless, way too sappy, Way to pee yea?
Speaker 4 (06:10):
What is that? Sap?
Speaker 1 (06:12):
This two minute montage that played on the job. If
you loved him so much, why did you trade him?
I mean, it's so stupid. It's like he died, but
they're on the jobbo trout for two minutes felt like
two hours, highlighting Luca's journey from being drafted and he was,
of course traded famous draft trade in twenty eighteen Atlanta
(06:37):
and Dallas and then leading the team to not win
a championship and lose in the NBA finals, and you had.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
The full circle of life, the circle of life like
the Lion King. Back in the day of the NBA.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
They had highlights of him as a rookie, big playoff shot.
Of course, I didn't see any highlights of him when
he lost to the Clippers multiple times. Luca in the playoffs,
real real heartstring tugging music.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
It was like a hallmark movie, like a Hallmark movie.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
But in many ways, this experience for the Dallas basketball
team on the court and all together, it was like
a Stephen King novel meets religious revival, pet cemetery, a
horror story. The Mavericks experience the chilling consequences of bringing
a loved one back the life from the other side
(07:27):
and just not quite the same, not quite the same Hookah, Luca,
now he had the great awakening, right, he had the
awakening there for the Dallas fan. You had the passionate sermon,
the rhythmic chanting that was taking place there. The it
was kind of like a house of worship, and there
were testimonials, divine experiences that Luca.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
Did and all of that. It was like a healing session.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
It was therapeutic now page two here, So the Dallas
fans were in it, dizzy. It was a I mentioned
the rhythm make chanting fiery Goo Byrko.
Speaker 4 (08:06):
Now fi all right, went on and on like that.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
But it was a vortex of outrage. So my question
is how should the Maverick ownership deal with the upheaval
from the Natives on Luca Donzik's return to the scene
of the crime.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
So much like.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
A kitty cat here, kitty here, kitty like a kitty
cat with a cheshire cat.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
Smile from ear to ear.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
If you're the Dallas Mavericks ownership you've won, let me
explain why. All right, that spark is still there. The
spark has not left the building. And over my years
of gas baggery, the one constant, going back to my
early days and still alive and well today is is
(09:00):
the thing that you cannot have, the thing that is
the kill shot. In the business of entertainment, the business
of professional sports, is the a word apathy. And there
was no apathy. I didn't see any apathy at all.
I saw no apathy in that building in Dallas. I
(09:21):
saw engagement, I saw raw emotion.
Speaker 4 (09:26):
I saw all that.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
But when apathy happens, when that creeps in, you're cooked
right in. People in sports don't care if you love
them or even if you hate them, as long as
you're interested, just stay interested, and they got you buy
the balls. They've got you by the balls. The apathetic
fan the apathy of the fan base that leads to
(09:51):
fewer tickets being sold, less merch being sold, more importantly,
lower television ratings, which means the ad advertisers pay less
for the commercials and just a general lackluster cloud hanging.
Speaker 4 (10:07):
Over your team so that there's none of that. Now,
does that happen?
Speaker 1 (10:11):
Is this gonna settle in where the Dallas team blows
for years to come and then we have that. Possibly,
But at this point, there were a lot of people
that looked like they still cared about the Mavericks and
they were upset because of the trade. And so if
you own the team, like, oh, okay, I don't care
if you're upset with me, as long as you've watched
the games on TV and supporting our sponsors, all right, now,
(10:32):
last word here. So the mav Rex tried to line
up some sponsorship deals. We heard we heard about this
in the lead up to the game. I don't know if
you saw this or not. Maybe maybe not. I was
bouncing around the echo chamber and I thought it was
interesting and worth a mention.
Speaker 4 (10:47):
So the Mavericks tried to line up some sponsorship deals.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
We were told they were trying to line them up
with some Luca brand partners.
Speaker 4 (10:55):
Get that money, get that dumb money right, and is
return games.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
They thought they'd do some cross promotion and mix in
some of Luca's business partners.
Speaker 4 (11:06):
It turns out, though, that the.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
Luca marching in Shoudo Society said no bueno and they
rejected the idea.
Speaker 4 (11:14):
So what intrigues you the most.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
About this wrinkle in the story that Luca's advisors said
no itx nay on the advertisers a get your own advertiser.
Speaker 4 (11:27):
So hukah Luca.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
In the cartoon bubble them on my top of my
head here went out and got a fly swatter, took
a fly swatter, and he treated the Mavericks like a
pesky insect.
Speaker 4 (11:40):
He whacked them.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
I whacked them with the fly swatter, and it's absolutely
fair game. It is fair game financially, while Luca will
make a lot more money from endorsements, wearing that ugly
purple and gold jersey and having all the fanboys and
historians of the Lakers all his crap. That's true. The
(12:03):
other part of it, though, on court earnings. Dallas did
him dirty. They did him dirty. I've done the mal
of math on this. I believe I'm correct. You can
correct me if I'm wrong. But by the trade, the Mavericks,
if my math is correct, cost Luca around one hundred
million dollars by trading him rather than giving him the
(12:24):
super duper uper Max, the Oui Guey Max contract with
all the extra zeros on it. But since he's traded,
the most he can get is like one hundred million dollars.
I think he'll be okay. I'm pretty sure we don't
need to have a baked sale or a GoFundMe for Luca.
But still one hundred million dollars is money that you're
not going to be able to get that you would
(12:46):
have gotten if you had just stayed with Dallas. And
now to think the Mavericks had the hutzpa to go
out and try to get another money grab by writing
the coattails of Luca, and the deal fell apart after
again Luca's his his posse declined to give its blessing
(13:06):
and said ixnay on the DLA as we said there,
and they also said, which is kind of amusing. They
noted that he now plays for a different team other
than the Mavericks, so like, what are we doing?
Speaker 4 (13:21):
They did give out some T shirts. I understand some
of those are already on.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
The resale market, so if you want to buy one,
go on on the eBay and pick up one of
your shirts.
Speaker 4 (13:32):
I don't know that's worth that much.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
I'm sure there's some sports memorabillion people out there that, oh,
you know, it's actually worth Just save it and put
in a box, and he goes to the Hall of Fame.
Speaker 4 (13:41):
Oh man, watch out, watch out.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Ben Maller
Show weekdays at two am Eastern eleven pm Pacific on
Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
So if you were to make like a Mallord Militia
offensive line, I'd have Robbie the Mariner fan would be
my left tackle. I'd have big Greg as like my
right tackle. And there was a listener I forget his name.
He was in Missouri. He makes bullets all night. He
would be on the offensive line. He'd beat my starting center.
So I need like two more offensive linemen, and then
(14:15):
I'm pretty sure we could beat the Carolina Panthers. We'd
have the most dominant offensive line, large and in charge. Large,
maybe Eugene in Chicago. We could probably put Eugene in
there somewhere on the offensive line. But listen, we've got
the size. We have the size, we've got physicality.
Speaker 4 (14:35):
But our lead this hour is from Toronto. Oh.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
Now, you don't hear a lot of conversation about the
Blue Jays on sports radio.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
Why would you? Why would you?
Speaker 1 (14:49):
But we go places other people don't go because we
are not the mainstream. We are on at hours which
are unholy, so we can go places other people don't go.
Now we have a better understanding of the massive implications
of the big payday that happened a few days ago.
A stutter from up north the bird's nest as Vladimir
(15:15):
Garrero Junior.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
You know by now that he landed a.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Five hundred million dollar deal with the Blue Jays. However,
it is interesting to note that the fine print is
what really stands out about this contract. Now, we had
heard there was no deferred money, and there is no
deferred money. Now, I don't know if you've heard the
news here, maybe not, but we have learned now through
(15:39):
the magnifying glass and reading the minutia of the contract
and not turning away, we have learned that Vlati Guerrero
Junior's contract includes a three one hundred and twenty five
million dollars signing bonus three. Let me repeat that three
(15:59):
hundred in twenty five million, as a signing bust. The
one hundred and seventy five million that's remaining that will
be paid as an actual salar. So to rephrase that
again for those of you a little slow, the Toronto
Baseball team will pay their first basement. They'll pay out
sixty five percent of Guerrero's contract in a signing bonus.
(16:23):
Now that is a sight to behold. Now, both the
bonus and the salary will be sent out in annual installments,
kind of like when you win some contest and they
pay you a year after year. But he'll get a
big fat check for the bonus, big fat check for
the salary over the next fourteen years, next fourteen years.
(16:47):
So let us discuss the question we're gonna play. You
make the call, I love you make the call. Okay,
you make the call. Who does the three hundred and
twenty five million dollars signing bonus favor more? You can
only pick one, Vladimir Guerrero Junior or the team, the
(17:07):
Blue Jays. You make the call. Who gets more out
of this? Is it the player or is it the team?
Now my observation, I've got triggeration, the gap band and embargo,
and we will combine all of these things together.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
We will lock them together like lego blocks, is what
we're going to do. So numb burn?
Speaker 1 (17:34):
Can I get a numb burn? All right? Based on
a minutes long Mallard deliberation in the jury box, the
arrow is pointing firmly at Vladimir Guerrero Junior. And it's
not even close. Now I heard some of you knuckleheads.
You know, the blue Jams are gonna save money, is
(17:55):
not gonna go against the salary cap because it's it's
not gonna be the luxury taxi.
Speaker 4 (17:59):
It's it's good for them. Yeah, you were telling me
there's there's some kind of loophole.
Speaker 5 (18:03):
There's a loophole.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
Ben, this is what everyone's gonna be doing. They're gonna
get around the luxury tax.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
Well, turns out that is the B word bogus capital
b bogus, capital b bogus. The signing bonus is included
in the average annual value in terms of how they
document the luxury tax, meaning that Vladimir Gerrel Junior's annual
(18:31):
luxury tax hit will still be thirty five point seven
million dollars even No, he's not going to be paid
based on the actual salary part of it that so
the winner is Vladdie by a country mile, and what
he is doing with his representation here upon further review,
(18:53):
is tricker ration to avoid the tax collector. Now, I've
seen a lot of stories written, these these think pieces,
these bleeding hard stories about how what a great story
this is for the Toronto baseball team native Canadian Vladimir.
Speaker 4 (19:08):
Guro Junior, who was born in Montreal.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
I believe his dad was playing for the Expos, and
now here he is, and he.
Speaker 4 (19:14):
Wants to stay in Canada.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Well, spoiler bert alert, spoiler alert, turns out that Vladimir
Guerrero Junior actually.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
Resides in Florida.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
And those of you who live in Florida love to
remind me and love to point out how much better
you have it than I do living in California, because
you live in a state without income tax, which means,
if you're a baseball player and you're getting a massive
amount of money sent your way, you will then have
(19:45):
to have the honor of being able to avoid paying
state tax on the bonus, which will generate millions and
millions in value added.
Speaker 4 (19:57):
To the contract.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
So you put your residence in a state that does
not have state income text like, think about that. Oh
my god, do you imagine places where they don't apps,
they don't try to gouge you on everything.
Speaker 4 (20:13):
I can't believe those places exist. Now.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
People have also said this is a lottery situation for
Vladimir Guerrero Junior. And while the three hundred plus million
dollars does appear to be a lottery, it's it doesn't
even justify that. That is not the right phrasing of it.
So I looked it up. I did the research. Do
you know in the history because he plays in Canada,
(20:37):
So in the history of Canadian lotteries, going all the
way back to the start of those Canadian lotteries, there
have been no instances of a single jackpot reaching three
hundred million. In fact, the biggest jackpot they've ever had
in the Canadian lotteries is seventy million. So Vlad's getting
three hundred and twenty five overall five hundred but three
(21:02):
and twenty five signing bonus. And even in the United States,
where they have had lotteries going back to what the
early nineties, and that's a fair amount of time. That's
a lot of money invested by people that they lost
their money bet on the lottery. But since the beginning
of the lottery system, there have been a total of
sixty six sixty six separate jackpots over three hundred, three
(21:27):
hundred or more thirty five and Powerball thirty one in
mega millions. So I would expect some combination of this,
along with the sho Heo Tani contract to be the
new normal.
Speaker 4 (21:42):
This does not help the team as much.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
The sho Heo Tani deal helps the team, and I
support it because it screws over the evil tax losers,
the scumbag politicians in California, So I fully support that absolutely.
And the CBA and Baseball does not restrict though the
amount a team can include any signing bonus, just like
(22:05):
it doesn't limit the amount.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
Of money you can have in deferred payments. So we'll
see what happens going forward.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
Now page two to the Big Blue Wreck not wrecking
crew wreck the Dodgers.
Speaker 4 (22:17):
They did get a win. They wrapped up the road
trip a losing road trip.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
With a matinee win over the Washington Nationals as they
finally got by that natitude on Wednesday. But there was
an interesting quote a quote interesting quote that came out
of the mouth of Tiascar Hernandez, that is a baseball
player for the Dodgers, outfielder, got some swag to him,
(22:43):
got some rasmatask ti Oscar Hernandez. So Tiascar Hernandez claimed
he prefaced this by saying, I'm not making an excuse.
But he chalked up the Dodgers sputtering road trip where
they lost both series to philadel to Washington. He said
the reason that they had some issues on the road
(23:04):
was quote not being used to playing in the cold weather.
So how exactly do you process that particular quote. The
Dodgers had problems on the road because they were not
used to playing in cold weather. So this is face
palm worthy, right, I mean it is right that face
(23:25):
palm worthy is what it is.
Speaker 4 (23:26):
Now.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
Tiasra claimed that again he wasn't making an excuse, and
then made an excuse.
Speaker 4 (23:32):
And as you know.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
From listening to the show, there's two things you should
know by listening to this show. The first thing you
should know is that the term best means as good
as all the rest, Right, That's what that means. The
second thing is everything a person says before the word
butt is a lie.
Speaker 4 (23:49):
When you say I'm not making an excuse.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
But liar, liar, that's it right, So time to go
nineteen eighties funk gap band. You dropped a bomb on me.
And here's a truth, Bob, truth Bob, Truth, Bob, truth Bob.
Every cold weather team, whether they be on the in
(24:12):
the Northeast or the Upper Midwest, every cold weather team
in baseball has a common bond. It's something they share
with every team that plays in a dome or a
West coast city, the grapefruit and the cacti, or go
spring training. Every player, even if they're in cold weather,
(24:34):
they're not used to the cold weather. They just spent
the last month and a half from mid February until
late March in the sunny and mild conditions of Florida.
Speaker 4 (24:46):
In Arizona. I mentioned the other night. I was watching
the Red Sox.
Speaker 1 (24:48):
Blue Jays game a couple of nights ago, and it
looked like the Red Sox were preparing to rob a
bank or a convenience store the way they were out
there all d I mean, it was wild.
Speaker 4 (24:59):
They were.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
It was like they're playing in the Arctic, and that's
a cold weather team and all. But this is about
the Dodgers, is just pathetic and last I checked, when
you get to the World Series, chances are going to
be playing in a cold weather city in the American League,
and chances are pretty good that it will be frigid
as you dance around the diamond at that point.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
Now, speaking of a cold weather city, that wasn't the
World Series. Final point to the Boogie Doown Bronx we
go where the.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
New York Yankees and outfielder Cody Bellinger making some rather
odd headlines here.
Speaker 4 (25:32):
I don't know if you saw this or not.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
Bellinger missed some time recently moves out of the Yankee
lineup because of a meal gone bad.
Speaker 6 (25:43):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
Bellinger now has publicly sworn off chicken wings for five
years because he got food poisoning at a Motor City
hotel eating.
Speaker 4 (25:57):
Said chicken wings.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
So question here we go, is Cody Bellinger's chicken wing
band an overreaction or a smart move? So I have
it as neither a smart move or an overreaction. I
have it as hyperbolate, is what I have it. Do
(26:20):
not believe Bellinger. I don't believe him.
Speaker 4 (26:24):
He's saying it got some headlines.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
Don't believe him. He will not follow and honor the embargo,
he will not do it. There will be wings in
the man's belly within the rest of the baseball season.
Speaker 4 (26:39):
How about that. I don't believe him. Now, I am
not a wing guy. I know that the chicken finger
is better than the wing.
Speaker 1 (26:46):
My favorite are the Ben Mallard chicken fingers at the
Landing in Liberty, Missouri.
Speaker 4 (26:52):
That is my go to for the chicken fingers, not wings.
Chicken fingers.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
However, I realize that there are many that are a
passionate lover of the wing, the chicken, wing, bock chicken,
and you will eat them all the time. Now, if
you love the wing. The part of this which really
is messed up. It appears that the Bellinger said he
(27:17):
was eating no frills wings, basic biach wings, no sauce,
bare bones.
Speaker 4 (27:25):
Now this is the age old food conundrum that you have.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
If you have a job where you travel and you
don't have access to a kitchen, you're then at the
mercy of whoever is preparing your food. It's risky business
and most of the time you eat out, everything will
be fine. But that one time the person the line
cook in the back smoked a little too much weed
(27:51):
and they weren't paying attention, and they forgot to cook
your food the proper way, and so you get some salmonilla.
Speaker 4 (27:59):
That kind of thing.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
Now, I've had food poisoning twice in my life. Have
you had food poison I've had food poisoned twice.
Speaker 4 (28:04):
In my life.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
I once ate a bad ballpark hot dog, man I
was I was really messed up from that.
Speaker 4 (28:12):
That lasted.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
I had the old dysentery there, and then I had
the Crazy Chicken restaurant right across the street from work.
I ate there and also did not cook the chicken properly.
And yeah, but spoiler alert, spoiler alert, Yeah, I still
eat the hot dog, the Frankfurter, the Wiener uh and.
Speaker 4 (28:35):
And the chicken. I still eat chicken box chicken, a
lot of it, tried and true.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
My boycott lasted, at the most, I don't remember exactly,
at the most a couple of a couple of months,
and I was back.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
Be sure to catch live editions of the Ben Meller
Show weekdays at two am Eastern eleven pm Pacific.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
Yet that third degree, this is one Big Ben gets grilled.
Speaker 6 (29:07):
Coo dow loop justin Ben with the revelation that breest
Hall's workload in New York will be dramatically reduced. Apparently
they're gonna go with a three running back scheme. Some
speculated that a trade could be in the works. Ben,
where do you think the best landing spot for Hall
would be?
Speaker 1 (29:24):
Well, the Pittsburgh Steelers would not be bad. I mean,
he doesn't have that much value because even though he's
deemed to be a pretty good player, he's a running back, right,
And so if you if you look at the way
this all breaks down, there's not a ton there. I mean,
you're there are teams that would would acquire, but it's
(29:47):
I'm gonna say Pittsburgh because they didn't really fill that void.
There's some talk they're gonna get a running back to
Cowboys need some help in the running back position.
Speaker 6 (29:54):
Next, with Taylor Jenkins and Michael Malone both being fired
before the end of the NBA season, who do you
think will be first coach to go once it's over all?
Speaker 1 (30:03):
Right, so you look for somebody that has high expectations
that will likely not live up to those high expectations
in the playoffs, Right, So I'm gonna go Doc Rivers.
I'm gonna go Doc Rivers. Wait, in doubt, throw Doc
Rivers name out. Uh and Bucks are okay, you know
obviously in the playoffs and all that, but Doc will
screws something up.
Speaker 4 (30:22):
He always does.
Speaker 6 (30:23):
Next, Ben, what has been the biggest surprise for you
so far in this young twenty twenty five MLB season.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
Well, the biggest surprise is that it's April ninth and
you're asking me the biggest surprises in the baseball season.
Speaker 4 (30:33):
We've been played like it, hardly any games at all.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
But I would say the Orioles off to a terrible start.
I thought they'd be better. And the Atlanta Braves, that's
those are the obvious ones. What's going on with him?
And how did we do?
Speaker 5 (30:45):
Not the Dodgers being in third you fail?
Speaker 1 (30:49):
The Dodgers are ten and have a seven hundred winning
percent place. Flunny mine third place.
Speaker 4 (30:54):
You're a loser.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
You're you're The Ages are in first place. The Ages
have a worst record.
Speaker 2 (30:59):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to
listen live.
Speaker 4 (31:12):
It's now time for time wait ask Twitter said? Is
your questions on Twitter?
Speaker 1 (31:19):
Now?
Speaker 4 (31:21):
Hey, the way we go.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
Is ask Ben your questions are answers for the rest
of the hour. Over to Cooperloo for the reading of
the question.
Speaker 6 (31:30):
All right, Ben, this is a question from gus I.
Guss I believe this is a pretty easy one for me,
but we'll see you guys. He says, if you can
only have one fast food for the rest of your life,
what would it be?
Speaker 4 (31:43):
Raisin Kings next, all the Raider.
Speaker 5 (31:46):
Oh, that is so hard. I love it, not hard? Gosh,
dairy queen? What dairy queen?
Speaker 4 (31:57):
That's the worst answer possible, Coop, go ahead.
Speaker 5 (31:59):
Cool Taco bell That's that's the odd.
Speaker 4 (32:01):
I know you've always loved taco. That's a tough He
also loves diarrhea.
Speaker 5 (32:04):
Tho, I have an iron stomach. It does not affect me.
Speaker 4 (32:08):
You're getting you're getting older.
Speaker 5 (32:10):
I was I was born in the Taco bellop.
Speaker 4 (32:12):
You're getting older? All right? What's that?
Speaker 1 (32:15):
One day you're gonna wake up too and you're gonna
what happened to my stomach? Uh?
Speaker 5 (32:20):
Ferg dog.
Speaker 6 (32:22):
He would like to know would you rather be attacked
by a shark or a swarm of piranhas?
Speaker 4 (32:29):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (32:29):
So I definitely piranhas. Because they're smaller, but the teeth
do look really crazy. I just like a great white shark.
Speaker 4 (32:37):
I'm done. Yeah, they rip your arm off, you bleed
the death. They rip your leg off, you bleed to death.
They eat your head. You're done. What about you?
Speaker 6 (32:45):
Well, I know the piranhas want to eat me, compared
to the shark is kind of actually curious most of
the time, and you can push his nose away.
Speaker 5 (32:53):
So I'm gonna go with the shark. Yeah, your dad cool,
I'm picking the shark for a similar reason.
Speaker 4 (32:59):
You can.
Speaker 5 (32:59):
You can try and fight one shark. But if you've
got to like swarm of piranhas what he's supposed to do,
You're done.
Speaker 4 (33:06):
I got a lot of hands and legs. Go next.
We're eating your clock. We're eating the clock, is what
we're doing, all right?
Speaker 6 (33:11):
Late night drug tester? Uh, he says for the crew,
I need three more numbers for a powerball ticket. Can
each of you give me one lucky number?
Speaker 2 (33:21):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (33:22):
Yeah, twenty nine.
Speaker 5 (33:23):
I was gonna say twenty seven, okay.
Speaker 1 (33:26):
Seven, I was gonna say twenty one, okay, boom, all
in the twenties, no chance that happens. But all in
the twenties, and if it does happen, remember us, Please
remember us?
Speaker 4 (33:35):
All right? What's next year?
Speaker 2 (33:36):
Is?
Speaker 4 (33:36):
Ask Ben? Your questions all answers we claw away.
Speaker 6 (33:40):
Uh. This one is from Milkman Mike. He wants to know,
if you could go back in time, what decade would
you like to live in?
Speaker 1 (33:48):
Oh Man, that's you know, in our lifetime, like the
decades we've lived.
Speaker 5 (33:53):
I say, I don't know, because this says. That says.
He says, what era slash decade?
Speaker 2 (34:00):
So in my.
Speaker 1 (34:01):
Lifetime, I guess I would say maybe like the nineties.
Speaker 4 (34:06):
Yeah, I'd say the nineties. Well what about you, Lorraine?
Speaker 5 (34:09):
Aren't you alive in the nineties, bro?
Speaker 2 (34:12):
Like I?
Speaker 5 (34:14):
I wasn't alive in the I want to do like
grease times.
Speaker 4 (34:18):
No you don't.
Speaker 1 (34:18):
They don't have toilets. I like the don't like everything smelled.
Imagine the body odor. Imagine the body odor around that
only crap. There's no deodorant. You don't want to live
in those times. No toilet paper.
Speaker 5 (34:30):
This is the fifties. Not I would see it.
Speaker 6 (34:35):
If I'm thinking of it the way you're thinking of it, Ben,
and I would be staying my same age. I would
go back to the nineties for sure, even though I
was alive in the nineties. But if I'm going to
one that I was not alive in that I did
not experience, I'd picked the sixties.
Speaker 4 (34:49):
Okay, that's fair enough. What is next?
Speaker 5 (34:51):
Where we got Donkey sausage?
Speaker 4 (34:52):
Would like to know?
Speaker 5 (34:54):
Crunchy or smooth? Peanut butter?
Speaker 1 (34:56):
Yeah, I'm fine, you know, I'm peanut butter. I'll go
either way, crunchy or smooth. I guess I lean towards.
Speaker 5 (35:04):
Smooth, Lorena, I lean towards crunch event.
Speaker 4 (35:07):
Okay, you're an animal. What about your cool?
Speaker 6 (35:09):
If I'm making a PB and J, it's got to
be smooth. But if I'm like melting some on top
of ice cream, crunchy.
Speaker 4 (35:17):
What's the next? Just ask Ben your questions our answers
for the rest of the hour.
Speaker 5 (35:21):
The King Rory was like, No, did you ever fake
being sick to get out of going to school.
Speaker 4 (35:26):
All the time?
Speaker 5 (35:26):
Are you kidding me?
Speaker 4 (35:27):
Come on, we went to school? What about you the
right eye?
Speaker 3 (35:30):
No?
Speaker 5 (35:30):
I never did that. Yes, somebody, Lorena, that's that's what
us may do.
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 Benmathers 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 (00:33):
Well Memory Lane. It is all about the fields. It's
all about the fields. Welcome in the beginning of another
night of the Benmahlor Show.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
We are in the air everywhere you listen, and we
talk the ghost, Border, the Order and beyond on the
mast and.
Speaker 4 (00:58):
Funkily powerful microphones of FSR.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Amminating live from the run as we run in circles
we do all night. We're broadcasting live, not dead. We
are live from the Tiraq dot com studios tyrac dot com.
We'll help you get there and unmatched selection, fast, free shipping,
free road hazard protection, and over ten thousand recommended in starars.
Speaker 4 (01:25):
I know Mickey in State forty eight.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Likes that number ten thousand as much as he likes
the Diamondbacks tyract dot com the way tire buying show
would be. So there are many nights when I make
my way into the hallowed hallways of the Ben Maler
Show studio.
Speaker 4 (01:44):
Here the Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Microphones, and I have complete editorial control to talk about
whatever I want. The bosses are all sleeping. They don't
give a crap. As long as I get the commercials in.
I get them in, and so.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
I talk whatever I want.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
But some nights you just kind of have to talk
about things, and this is one of those nights. Now
people accuse me of always talking about the Lakers. This
is a sad story. The Lakers are not gonna win
the championship. There's a lot of people that are gonna
have broken hearts.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
But that is the story. And we have a Mantrea
Heart to heart.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
We go where the news of the day takes us,
even in the dopey sports world. So our lead is
from pro bouncy Ball. The center of the sporting universe
was in the Dallas Metroplex there, and I assume if
you're a casual sportsman, this was something you kind of
wanted to see. Maybe a few minutes of it, you
(02:35):
probably didn't watch the whole game. Is why would you
have the regular season game? But you might have watched
a few minutes.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
Of it, perhaps not. And don't worry.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
We're here so you can go to the movies or
do whatever you're doing. And we watched the games. So
the stars were out. These stars were out Dallas stop.
Now this is not like in La or New York.
Crowd the star now that's Mahomes, Patrick Mahomes is there,
Derrick Henry's and Dirk Noovitchky That's who. They showed, big stars,
(03:05):
huge stars. So it was all about Luka Hookah Luca.
He did some hookah before the game. I think, maybe not,
I don't know, but Luka Doncik went out there, had
a massive first half. It didn't do much in the
second half. He ended up with forty five points in
his first game, almost like it was scripted back in
Dallas since being traded to La La Land and so
(03:27):
Luca went out there, had a big stat line. The
Lakers will be in the playoffs, but probably not for long,
but they wrapped up a playoff spot. Now. Luka Doncik
his return two months after the wacky Tobacci trade out
of finn Air so bad that people are convinced that
there was some funny business going on.
Speaker 4 (03:48):
There was some maneuvering behind the scenes.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
The television executives were involved, and this was all about
getting more money in the TV contract. But he went
out to La. He spent five and a half seasons
with the Mavericks. Most assumed that he would just be
there the rest of his career, or at least the
good years of his career.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
Still had two years left on his contract. So the
forty five.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Points matching Lukas season high, okay, what he damn do?
I also had eight rebound, six assists, four steals, and
a partridge in a paar tree. But it was the
old geezer Bron Bron who led the way there to
the finish line. He had thirteen of his twenty seven
points down this stretch in the fourth quarter. So the
(04:29):
Lakers who did fall by, I'm how embarrassing is that
you're trailing?
Speaker 4 (04:31):
They were trailing in the fourth quarter again.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
I couldn't name three guys on the Mavericks who are
playing right now. And the Lakers were actually losing this
game at one point in the fourth quarter to the
flotsam and jetsum the drek of the Dallas Mavericks. How embarrassing.
And then they rallied back. But man even to be
trailing in the fourth quarter, Holy crap, man, you suck
all right, So let us discuss the question. Let's just
(04:54):
forget about the game. Who cares about the game? Let's
focus in on the sidebar, because it's all about the sidebar.
So let's play a fun fill in the blank game.
Everyone loves a fill in the blank game.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
I do you do?
Speaker 5 (05:08):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Now, I'm gonna go first because I have the microphone,
and then I'll give out the number in a little
bit you can call up and you can fill in
the blank on your own it. So here's the film
The blanket, right, Luka Donciks Emotion Return to Dallas was
blank right, filling the blank?
Speaker 4 (05:24):
So I've got Stephen King, Kitty Cat, and fly Swatter,
and we will.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Combine all of these things together and we are going
to refuse to budge an inch while we make some
cowboy boots and hats, giant cowboy hats and cowboy boots.
Yeah all right, So my word is smaltzy. That is
my word, smalty. Luka Doncics return his emotional return to
(05:54):
Dallas was schmaltzy. For me, it was uncomfortable, and I
understand I'm in the minority.
Speaker 4 (05:59):
This was not for me.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
I get it. This tribute was for the emotionally wounded
Dallas Maverick observer. Nevertheless, way too sappy, Way to pee yea?
Speaker 4 (06:10):
What is that? Sap?
Speaker 1 (06:12):
This two minute montage that played on the job. If
you loved him so much, why did you trade him?
I mean, it's so stupid. It's like he died, but
they're on the jobbo trout for two minutes felt like
two hours, highlighting Luca's journey from being drafted and he was,
of course traded famous draft trade in twenty eighteen Atlanta
(06:37):
and Dallas and then leading the team to not win
a championship and lose in the NBA finals, and you had.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
The full circle of life, the circle of life like
the Lion King. Back in the day of the NBA.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
They had highlights of him as a rookie, big playoff shot.
Of course, I didn't see any highlights of him when
he lost to the Clippers multiple times. Luca in the playoffs,
real real heartstring tugging music.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
It was like a hallmark movie, like a Hallmark movie.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
But in many ways, this experience for the Dallas basketball
team on the court and all together, it was like
a Stephen King novel meets religious revival, pet cemetery, a
horror story. The Mavericks experience the chilling consequences of bringing
a loved one back the life from the other side
(07:27):
and just not quite the same, not quite the same Hookah, Luca,
now he had the great awakening, right, he had the
awakening there for the Dallas fan. You had the passionate sermon,
the rhythmic chanting that was taking place there. The it
was kind of like a house of worship, and there
were testimonials, divine experiences that Luca.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
Did and all of that. It was like a healing session.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
It was therapeutic now page two here, So the Dallas
fans were in it, dizzy. It was a I mentioned
the rhythm make chanting fiery Goo Byrko.
Speaker 4 (08:06):
Now fi all right, went on and on like that.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
But it was a vortex of outrage. So my question
is how should the Maverick ownership deal with the upheaval
from the Natives on Luca Donzik's return to the scene
of the crime.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
So much like.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
A kitty cat here, kitty here, kitty like a kitty
cat with a cheshire cat.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
Smile from ear to ear.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
If you're the Dallas Mavericks ownership you've won, let me
explain why. All right, that spark is still there. The
spark has not left the building. And over my years
of gas baggery, the one constant, going back to my
early days and still alive and well today is is
(09:00):
the thing that you cannot have, the thing that is
the kill shot. In the business of entertainment, the business
of professional sports, is the a word apathy. And there
was no apathy. I didn't see any apathy at all.
I saw no apathy in that building in Dallas. I
(09:21):
saw engagement, I saw raw emotion.
Speaker 4 (09:26):
I saw all that.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
But when apathy happens, when that creeps in, you're cooked
right in. People in sports don't care if you love
them or even if you hate them, as long as
you're interested, just stay interested, and they got you buy
the balls. They've got you by the balls. The apathetic
fan the apathy of the fan base that leads to
(09:51):
fewer tickets being sold, less merch being sold, more importantly,
lower television ratings, which means the ad advertisers pay less
for the commercials and just a general lackluster cloud hanging.
Speaker 4 (10:07):
Over your team so that there's none of that. Now,
does that happen?
Speaker 1 (10:11):
Is this gonna settle in where the Dallas team blows
for years to come and then we have that. Possibly,
But at this point, there were a lot of people
that looked like they still cared about the Mavericks and
they were upset because of the trade. And so if
you own the team, like, oh, okay, I don't care
if you're upset with me, as long as you've watched
the games on TV and supporting our sponsors, all right, now,
(10:32):
last word here. So the mav Rex tried to line
up some sponsorship deals. We heard we heard about this
in the lead up to the game. I don't know if
you saw this or not. Maybe maybe not. I was
bouncing around the echo chamber and I thought it was
interesting and worth a mention.
Speaker 4 (10:47):
So the Mavericks tried to line up some sponsorship deals.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
We were told they were trying to line them up
with some Luca brand partners.
Speaker 4 (10:55):
Get that money, get that dumb money right, and is
return games.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
They thought they'd do some cross promotion and mix in
some of Luca's business partners.
Speaker 4 (11:06):
It turns out, though, that the.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
Luca marching in Shoudo Society said no bueno and they
rejected the idea.
Speaker 4 (11:14):
So what intrigues you the most.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
About this wrinkle in the story that Luca's advisors said
no itx nay on the advertisers a get your own advertiser.
Speaker 4 (11:27):
So hukah Luca.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
In the cartoon bubble them on my top of my
head here went out and got a fly swatter, took
a fly swatter, and he treated the Mavericks like a
pesky insect.
Speaker 4 (11:40):
He whacked them.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
I whacked them with the fly swatter, and it's absolutely
fair game. It is fair game financially, while Luca will
make a lot more money from endorsements, wearing that ugly
purple and gold jersey and having all the fanboys and
historians of the Lakers all his crap. That's true. The
(12:03):
other part of it, though, on court earnings. Dallas did
him dirty. They did him dirty. I've done the mal
of math on this. I believe I'm correct. You can
correct me if I'm wrong. But by the trade, the Mavericks,
if my math is correct, cost Luca around one hundred
million dollars by trading him rather than giving him the
(12:24):
super duper uper Max, the Oui Guey Max contract with
all the extra zeros on it. But since he's traded,
the most he can get is like one hundred million dollars.
I think he'll be okay. I'm pretty sure we don't
need to have a baked sale or a GoFundMe for Luca.
But still one hundred million dollars is money that you're
not going to be able to get that you would
(12:46):
have gotten if you had just stayed with Dallas. And
now to think the Mavericks had the hutzpa to go
out and try to get another money grab by writing
the coattails of Luca, and the deal fell apart after
again Luca's his his posse declined to give its blessing
(13:06):
and said ixnay on the DLA as we said there,
and they also said, which is kind of amusing. They
noted that he now plays for a different team other
than the Mavericks, so like, what are we doing?
Speaker 4 (13:21):
They did give out some T shirts. I understand some
of those are already on.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
The resale market, so if you want to buy one,
go on on the eBay and pick up one of
your shirts.
Speaker 4 (13:32):
I don't know that's worth that much.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
I'm sure there's some sports memorabillion people out there that, oh,
you know, it's actually worth Just save it and put
in a box, and he goes to the Hall of Fame.
Speaker 4 (13:41):
Oh man, watch out, watch out.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Ben Maller
Show weekdays at two am Eastern eleven pm Pacific on
Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
So if you were to make like a Mallord Militia
offensive line, I'd have Robbie the Mariner fan would be
my left tackle. I'd have big Greg as like my
right tackle. And there was a listener I forget his name.
He was in Missouri. He makes bullets all night. He
would be on the offensive line. He'd beat my starting center.
So I need like two more offensive linemen, and then
(14:15):
I'm pretty sure we could beat the Carolina Panthers. We'd
have the most dominant offensive line, large and in charge. Large,
maybe Eugene in Chicago. We could probably put Eugene in
there somewhere on the offensive line. But listen, we've got
the size. We have the size, we've got physicality.
Speaker 4 (14:35):
But our lead this hour is from Toronto. Oh.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
Now, you don't hear a lot of conversation about the
Blue Jays on sports radio.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
Why would you? Why would you?
Speaker 1 (14:49):
But we go places other people don't go because we
are not the mainstream. We are on at hours which
are unholy, so we can go places other people don't go.
Now we have a better understanding of the massive implications
of the big payday that happened a few days ago.
A stutter from up north the bird's nest as Vladimir
(15:15):
Garrero Junior.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
You know by now that he landed a.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Five hundred million dollar deal with the Blue Jays. However,
it is interesting to note that the fine print is
what really stands out about this contract. Now, we had
heard there was no deferred money, and there is no
deferred money. Now, I don't know if you've heard the
news here, maybe not, but we have learned now through
(15:39):
the magnifying glass and reading the minutia of the contract
and not turning away, we have learned that Vlati Guerrero
Junior's contract includes a three one hundred and twenty five
million dollars signing bonus three. Let me repeat that three
(15:59):
hundred in twenty five million, as a signing bust. The
one hundred and seventy five million that's remaining that will
be paid as an actual salar. So to rephrase that
again for those of you a little slow, the Toronto
Baseball team will pay their first basement. They'll pay out
sixty five percent of Guerrero's contract in a signing bonus.
(16:23):
Now that is a sight to behold. Now, both the
bonus and the salary will be sent out in annual installments,
kind of like when you win some contest and they
pay you a year after year. But he'll get a
big fat check for the bonus, big fat check for
the salary over the next fourteen years, next fourteen years.
(16:47):
So let us discuss the question we're gonna play. You
make the call, I love you make the call. Okay,
you make the call. Who does the three hundred and
twenty five million dollars signing bonus favor more? You can
only pick one, Vladimir Guerrero Junior or the team, the
(17:07):
Blue Jays. You make the call. Who gets more out
of this? Is it the player or is it the team?
Now my observation, I've got triggeration, the gap band and embargo,
and we will combine all of these things together.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
We will lock them together like lego blocks, is what
we're going to do. So numb burn?
Speaker 1 (17:34):
Can I get a numb burn? All right? Based on
a minutes long Mallard deliberation in the jury box, the
arrow is pointing firmly at Vladimir Guerrero Junior. And it's
not even close. Now I heard some of you knuckleheads.
You know, the blue Jams are gonna save money, is
(17:55):
not gonna go against the salary cap because it's it's
not gonna be the luxury taxi.
Speaker 4 (17:59):
It's it's good for them. Yeah, you were telling me
there's there's some kind of loophole.
Speaker 5 (18:03):
There's a loophole.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
Ben, this is what everyone's gonna be doing. They're gonna
get around the luxury tax.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
Well, turns out that is the B word bogus capital
b bogus, capital b bogus. The signing bonus is included
in the average annual value in terms of how they
document the luxury tax, meaning that Vladimir Gerrel Junior's annual
(18:31):
luxury tax hit will still be thirty five point seven
million dollars even No, he's not going to be paid
based on the actual salary part of it that so
the winner is Vladdie by a country mile, and what
he is doing with his representation here upon further review,
(18:53):
is tricker ration to avoid the tax collector. Now, I've
seen a lot of stories written, these these think pieces,
these bleeding hard stories about how what a great story
this is for the Toronto baseball team native Canadian Vladimir.
Speaker 4 (19:08):
Guro Junior, who was born in Montreal.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
I believe his dad was playing for the Expos, and
now here he is, and he.
Speaker 4 (19:14):
Wants to stay in Canada.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Well, spoiler bert alert, spoiler alert, turns out that Vladimir
Guerrero Junior actually.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
Resides in Florida.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
And those of you who live in Florida love to
remind me and love to point out how much better
you have it than I do living in California, because
you live in a state without income tax, which means,
if you're a baseball player and you're getting a massive
amount of money sent your way, you will then have
(19:45):
to have the honor of being able to avoid paying
state tax on the bonus, which will generate millions and
millions in value added.
Speaker 4 (19:57):
To the contract.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
So you put your residence in a state that does
not have state income text like, think about that. Oh
my god, do you imagine places where they don't apps,
they don't try to gouge you on everything.
Speaker 4 (20:13):
I can't believe those places exist. Now.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
People have also said this is a lottery situation for
Vladimir Guerrero Junior. And while the three hundred plus million
dollars does appear to be a lottery, it's it doesn't
even justify that. That is not the right phrasing of it.
So I looked it up. I did the research. Do
you know in the history because he plays in Canada,
(20:37):
So in the history of Canadian lotteries, going all the
way back to the start of those Canadian lotteries, there
have been no instances of a single jackpot reaching three
hundred million. In fact, the biggest jackpot they've ever had
in the Canadian lotteries is seventy million. So Vlad's getting
three hundred and twenty five overall five hundred but three
(21:02):
and twenty five signing bonus. And even in the United States,
where they have had lotteries going back to what the
early nineties, and that's a fair amount of time. That's
a lot of money invested by people that they lost
their money bet on the lottery. But since the beginning
of the lottery system, there have been a total of
sixty six sixty six separate jackpots over three hundred, three
(21:27):
hundred or more thirty five and Powerball thirty one in
mega millions. So I would expect some combination of this,
along with the sho Heo Tani contract to be the
new normal.
Speaker 4 (21:42):
This does not help the team as much.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
The sho Heo Tani deal helps the team, and I
support it because it screws over the evil tax losers,
the scumbag politicians in California, So I fully support that absolutely.
And the CBA and Baseball does not restrict though the
amount a team can include any signing bonus, just like
(22:05):
it doesn't limit the amount.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
Of money you can have in deferred payments. So we'll
see what happens going forward.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
Now page two to the Big Blue Wreck not wrecking
crew wreck the Dodgers.
Speaker 4 (22:17):
They did get a win. They wrapped up the road
trip a losing road trip.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
With a matinee win over the Washington Nationals as they
finally got by that natitude on Wednesday. But there was
an interesting quote a quote interesting quote that came out
of the mouth of Tiascar Hernandez, that is a baseball
player for the Dodgers, outfielder, got some swag to him,
(22:43):
got some rasmatask ti Oscar Hernandez. So Tiascar Hernandez claimed
he prefaced this by saying, I'm not making an excuse.
But he chalked up the Dodgers sputtering road trip where
they lost both series to philadel to Washington. He said
the reason that they had some issues on the road
(23:04):
was quote not being used to playing in the cold weather.
So how exactly do you process that particular quote. The
Dodgers had problems on the road because they were not
used to playing in cold weather. So this is face
palm worthy, right, I mean it is right that face
(23:25):
palm worthy is what it is.
Speaker 4 (23:26):
Now.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
Tiasra claimed that again he wasn't making an excuse, and
then made an excuse.
Speaker 4 (23:32):
And as you know.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
From listening to the show, there's two things you should
know by listening to this show. The first thing you
should know is that the term best means as good
as all the rest, Right, That's what that means. The
second thing is everything a person says before the word
butt is a lie.
Speaker 4 (23:49):
When you say I'm not making an excuse.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
But liar, liar, that's it right, So time to go
nineteen eighties funk gap band. You dropped a bomb on me.
And here's a truth, Bob, truth Bob, Truth, Bob, truth Bob.
Every cold weather team, whether they be on the in
(24:12):
the Northeast or the Upper Midwest, every cold weather team
in baseball has a common bond. It's something they share
with every team that plays in a dome or a
West coast city, the grapefruit and the cacti, or go
spring training. Every player, even if they're in cold weather,
(24:34):
they're not used to the cold weather. They just spent
the last month and a half from mid February until
late March in the sunny and mild conditions of Florida.
Speaker 4 (24:46):
In Arizona. I mentioned the other night. I was watching
the Red Sox.
Speaker 1 (24:48):
Blue Jays game a couple of nights ago, and it
looked like the Red Sox were preparing to rob a
bank or a convenience store the way they were out
there all d I mean, it was wild.
Speaker 4 (24:59):
They were.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
It was like they're playing in the Arctic, and that's
a cold weather team and all. But this is about
the Dodgers, is just pathetic and last I checked, when
you get to the World Series, chances are going to
be playing in a cold weather city in the American League,
and chances are pretty good that it will be frigid
as you dance around the diamond at that point.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
Now, speaking of a cold weather city, that wasn't the
World Series. Final point to the Boogie Doown Bronx we
go where the.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
New York Yankees and outfielder Cody Bellinger making some rather
odd headlines here.
Speaker 4 (25:32):
I don't know if you saw this or not.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
Bellinger missed some time recently moves out of the Yankee
lineup because of a meal gone bad.
Speaker 6 (25:43):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
Bellinger now has publicly sworn off chicken wings for five
years because he got food poisoning at a Motor City
hotel eating.
Speaker 4 (25:57):
Said chicken wings.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
So question here we go, is Cody Bellinger's chicken wing
band an overreaction or a smart move? So I have
it as neither a smart move or an overreaction. I
have it as hyperbolate, is what I have it. Do
(26:20):
not believe Bellinger. I don't believe him.
Speaker 4 (26:24):
He's saying it got some headlines.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
Don't believe him. He will not follow and honor the embargo,
he will not do it. There will be wings in
the man's belly within the rest of the baseball season.
Speaker 4 (26:39):
How about that. I don't believe him. Now, I am
not a wing guy. I know that the chicken finger
is better than the wing.
Speaker 1 (26:46):
My favorite are the Ben Mallard chicken fingers at the
Landing in Liberty, Missouri.
Speaker 4 (26:52):
That is my go to for the chicken fingers, not wings.
Chicken fingers.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
However, I realize that there are many that are a
passionate lover of the wing, the chicken, wing, bock chicken,
and you will eat them all the time. Now, if
you love the wing. The part of this which really
is messed up. It appears that the Bellinger said he
(27:17):
was eating no frills wings, basic biach wings, no sauce,
bare bones.
Speaker 4 (27:25):
Now this is the age old food conundrum that you have.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
If you have a job where you travel and you
don't have access to a kitchen, you're then at the
mercy of whoever is preparing your food. It's risky business
and most of the time you eat out, everything will
be fine. But that one time the person the line
cook in the back smoked a little too much weed
(27:51):
and they weren't paying attention, and they forgot to cook
your food the proper way, and so you get some salmonilla.
Speaker 4 (27:59):
That kind of thing.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
Now, I've had food poisoning twice in my life. Have
you had food poison I've had food poisoned twice.
Speaker 4 (28:04):
In my life.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
I once ate a bad ballpark hot dog, man I
was I was really messed up from that.
Speaker 4 (28:12):
That lasted.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
I had the old dysentery there, and then I had
the Crazy Chicken restaurant right across the street from work.
I ate there and also did not cook the chicken properly.
And yeah, but spoiler alert, spoiler alert, Yeah, I still
eat the hot dog, the Frankfurter, the Wiener uh and.
Speaker 4 (28:35):
And the chicken. I still eat chicken box chicken, a
lot of it, tried and true.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
My boycott lasted, at the most, I don't remember exactly,
at the most a couple of a couple of months,
and I was back.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
Be sure to catch live editions of the Ben Meller
Show weekdays at two am Eastern eleven pm Pacific.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
Yet that third degree, this is one Big Ben gets grilled.
Speaker 6 (29:07):
Coo dow loop justin Ben with the revelation that breest
Hall's workload in New York will be dramatically reduced. Apparently
they're gonna go with a three running back scheme. Some
speculated that a trade could be in the works. Ben,
where do you think the best landing spot for Hall
would be?
Speaker 1 (29:24):
Well, the Pittsburgh Steelers would not be bad. I mean,
he doesn't have that much value because even though he's
deemed to be a pretty good player, he's a running back, right,
And so if you if you look at the way
this all breaks down, there's not a ton there. I mean,
you're there are teams that would would acquire, but it's
(29:47):
I'm gonna say Pittsburgh because they didn't really fill that void.
There's some talk they're gonna get a running back to
Cowboys need some help in the running back position.
Speaker 6 (29:54):
Next, with Taylor Jenkins and Michael Malone both being fired
before the end of the NBA season, who do you
think will be first coach to go once it's over all?
Speaker 1 (30:03):
Right, so you look for somebody that has high expectations
that will likely not live up to those high expectations
in the playoffs, Right, So I'm gonna go Doc Rivers.
I'm gonna go Doc Rivers. Wait, in doubt, throw Doc
Rivers name out. Uh and Bucks are okay, you know
obviously in the playoffs and all that, but Doc will
screws something up.
Speaker 4 (30:22):
He always does.
Speaker 6 (30:23):
Next, Ben, what has been the biggest surprise for you
so far in this young twenty twenty five MLB season.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
Well, the biggest surprise is that it's April ninth and
you're asking me the biggest surprises in the baseball season.
Speaker 4 (30:33):
We've been played like it, hardly any games at all.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
But I would say the Orioles off to a terrible start.
I thought they'd be better. And the Atlanta Braves, that's
those are the obvious ones. What's going on with him?
And how did we do?
Speaker 5 (30:45):
Not the Dodgers being in third you fail?
Speaker 1 (30:49):
The Dodgers are ten and have a seven hundred winning
percent place. Flunny mine third place.
Speaker 4 (30:54):
You're a loser.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
You're you're The Ages are in first place. The Ages
have a worst record.
Speaker 2 (30:59):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to
listen live.
Speaker 4 (31:12):
It's now time for time wait ask Twitter said? Is
your questions on Twitter?
Speaker 1 (31:19):
Now?
Speaker 4 (31:21):
Hey, the way we go.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
Is ask Ben your questions are answers for the rest
of the hour. Over to Cooperloo for the reading of
the question.
Speaker 6 (31:30):
All right, Ben, this is a question from gus I.
Guss I believe this is a pretty easy one for me,
but we'll see you guys. He says, if you can
only have one fast food for the rest of your life,
what would it be?
Speaker 4 (31:43):
Raisin Kings next, all the Raider.
Speaker 5 (31:46):
Oh, that is so hard. I love it, not hard? Gosh,
dairy queen? What dairy queen?
Speaker 4 (31:57):
That's the worst answer possible, Coop, go ahead.
Speaker 5 (31:59):
Cool Taco bell That's that's the odd.
Speaker 4 (32:01):
I know you've always loved taco. That's a tough He
also loves diarrhea.
Speaker 5 (32:04):
Tho, I have an iron stomach. It does not affect me.
Speaker 4 (32:08):
You're getting you're getting older.
Speaker 5 (32:10):
I was I was born in the Taco bellop.
Speaker 4 (32:12):
You're getting older? All right? What's that?
Speaker 1 (32:15):
One day you're gonna wake up too and you're gonna
what happened to my stomach? Uh?
Speaker 5 (32:20):
Ferg dog.
Speaker 6 (32:22):
He would like to know would you rather be attacked
by a shark or a swarm of piranhas?
Speaker 4 (32:29):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (32:29):
So I definitely piranhas. Because they're smaller, but the teeth
do look really crazy. I just like a great white shark.
Speaker 4 (32:37):
I'm done. Yeah, they rip your arm off, you bleed
the death. They rip your leg off, you bleed to death.
They eat your head. You're done. What about you?
Speaker 6 (32:45):
Well, I know the piranhas want to eat me, compared
to the shark is kind of actually curious most of
the time, and you can push his nose away.
Speaker 5 (32:53):
So I'm gonna go with the shark. Yeah, your dad cool,
I'm picking the shark for a similar reason.
Speaker 4 (32:59):
You can.
Speaker 5 (32:59):
You can try and fight one shark. But if you've
got to like swarm of piranhas what he's supposed to do,
You're done.
Speaker 4 (33:06):
I got a lot of hands and legs. Go next.
We're eating your clock. We're eating the clock, is what
we're doing, all right?
Speaker 6 (33:11):
Late night drug tester? Uh, he says for the crew,
I need three more numbers for a powerball ticket. Can
each of you give me one lucky number?
Speaker 2 (33:21):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (33:22):
Yeah, twenty nine.
Speaker 5 (33:23):
I was gonna say twenty seven, okay.
Speaker 1 (33:26):
Seven, I was gonna say twenty one, okay, boom, all
in the twenties, no chance that happens. But all in
the twenties, and if it does happen, remember us, Please
remember us?
Speaker 4 (33:35):
All right? What's next year?
Speaker 2 (33:36):
Is?
Speaker 4 (33:36):
Ask Ben? Your questions all answers we claw away.
Speaker 6 (33:40):
Uh. This one is from Milkman Mike. He wants to know,
if you could go back in time, what decade would
you like to live in?
Speaker 1 (33:48):
Oh Man, that's you know, in our lifetime, like the
decades we've lived.
Speaker 5 (33:53):
I say, I don't know, because this says. That says.
He says, what era slash decade?
Speaker 2 (34:00):
So in my.
Speaker 1 (34:01):
Lifetime, I guess I would say maybe like the nineties.
Speaker 4 (34:06):
Yeah, I'd say the nineties. Well what about you, Lorraine?
Speaker 5 (34:09):
Aren't you alive in the nineties, bro?
Speaker 2 (34:12):
Like I?
Speaker 5 (34:14):
I wasn't alive in the I want to do like
grease times.
Speaker 4 (34:18):
No you don't.
Speaker 1 (34:18):
They don't have toilets. I like the don't like everything smelled.
Imagine the body odor. Imagine the body odor around that
only crap. There's no deodorant. You don't want to live
in those times. No toilet paper.
Speaker 5 (34:30):
This is the fifties. Not I would see it.
Speaker 6 (34:35):
If I'm thinking of it the way you're thinking of it, Ben,
and I would be staying my same age. I would
go back to the nineties for sure, even though I
was alive in the nineties. But if I'm going to
one that I was not alive in that I did
not experience, I'd picked the sixties.
Speaker 4 (34:49):
Okay, that's fair enough. What is next?
Speaker 5 (34:51):
Where we got Donkey sausage?
Speaker 4 (34:52):
Would like to know?
Speaker 5 (34:54):
Crunchy or smooth? Peanut butter?
Speaker 1 (34:56):
Yeah, I'm fine, you know, I'm peanut butter. I'll go
either way, crunchy or smooth. I guess I lean towards.
Speaker 5 (35:04):
Smooth, Lorena, I lean towards crunch event.
Speaker 4 (35:07):
Okay, you're an animal. What about your cool?
Speaker 6 (35:09):
If I'm making a PB and J, it's got to
be smooth. But if I'm like melting some on top
of ice cream, crunchy.
Speaker 4 (35:17):
What's the next? Just ask Ben your questions our answers
for the rest of the hour.
Speaker 5 (35:21):
The King Rory was like, No, did you ever fake
being sick to get out of going to school.
Speaker 4 (35:26):
All the time?
Speaker 5 (35:26):
Are you kidding me?
Speaker 4 (35:27):
Come on, we went to school? What about you the
right eye?
Speaker 3 (35:30):
No?
Speaker 5 (35:30):
I never did that. Yes, somebody, Lorena, that's that's what
us may do.
Host
Ben Maller
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