January 1, 2026 • 41 mins
In the second hour of the Ben Maller Show, Adam Auslund and Kevin Figgers open the phone lines on this official New Year's Edition of The Ben Maller Show & wonder if there’s anything you would want to change about your favorite sport!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, thanks for listening to the Ben Mahler Show podcast.
It's me Ben. Be sure to catch us live every
weeknight from two to six Eastern eleven pm to three
am Pacific right here on Fox Sports Radio. You can
find your local station for the Ben Malers Show over
at Foxsports Radio dot com, or stream us live every
night on the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. That's right, hour two
of the Ben Malers Show here on Fox Sports Radio
with me, Kevin Figures and he Adam. Also hit us
up on x at k fig one and at follow
Adam A thank you guys for joining us. Happy New
Year out there to the West coast, Happy New ye
and if you're in and for our friends listening Hawaii,
(00:53):
you still got a couple hours.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
To go, y'all get a New Year every day day exactly.
Is this one of those opportunities where it's okay to
get drunk on the radio. It feels like it should be.
If Anderson Cooper and his boyfriend can get drunk on
the CNN broadcast, why can't we?
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Kevin, I guess there's no rules saying that we can't.
The girls are wasted in the other room, greatly frowned upon.
I don't think that's that's the baby, let's go necessarily
true though right now I appreciate the honesty. I do
love that about you. My very first radio job in Oregon,
the morning guys who come in at four am, they
kept a bottle of fireball whiskey in their drawing at
(01:35):
every morning, every morning.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Okay, that was like the first time I felt like
I should stop drinking. I had a fireball incident. I
had a Mario Brothers fireball incident where I woke up
the next morning because the fireball gets you with the
indigestion when you got to get the pepsid ac. Yeah,
the esophagus is burning. It's on fire. That's the worst
option possible. First, of all those Oregon guys, I would
(01:58):
have thought they would have waked and baked, not waked
into fireballs like that too. Okay, maybe a little bit
of both.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Jega bombs down here teeth. Well, I hope you guys
are just college at one point, I'm sorry, just you
bring up fireball and like you know, we're young, we're broke,
we don't have any money, and all we had was
my roommate's older brother had a bottle of Fireball that
he hadn't opened, and he's like, well it was cheap,
you have to pay for it. Yeah, it was an
absolute nightmare.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
You can't smell cinnamon anymore. It's just snauxious than It's
like if you have a certain drink when you're sick,
and then you always associate it with being sick, like
having seven up or something like that. Now I can't
have seven up when I feel fine. It doesn't work
for me. Even sprites too close they had to take
away see or missed because it ruined things for me.
Now it's storry. Yeah, I Fireball's the worst thing ever.
(02:49):
You know what, in twenty twenty six, I'm going to
continue to not drink. That just sealed it for me.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
That's sure.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Just your non resolution fireball incident. I can't have it.
And hopefully you guys out there tonight are being safe,
are staying off the road, are not doing whatever. Michael
Irving was at the Miami game that had him going
like that, or he brought out the belt like none
of us can wear belts anymore. Michael Irving has all
(03:16):
of them.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Kevin, that was an impressive performance by the University of
Miami in a maybe even more oppressive performance by Michael
Irvin down there on the sideline.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Can I say this? Somebody tweeted in that they want
more hate towards Ohio State.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Through you.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
They want more trash talk, even though the story should
be about Miami winning. As Ben Maller would say, the
losing locker room has the bigger story.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Right, Well, look, we did bring up Ryan Day, and
you know the fact that, as their rationalist fans are,
just won a national championship last year, did beat Michigan,
and all of a sudden finds himself in a situation
where people the fan base is upset and there's new
blood at Michigan. I will not downplay again if Michigan
finds a way under Kyle Whittingham to jump up next
(04:05):
year and beat Ohio State going into the playoff, I
do think. I don't think Ohio State realistically is gonna
entertain getting rid of Ryan Day, but I do think
that those conversations are gonna start being had as ridiculous
as they are because that's just where the standard is
for university like that.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Look, Spock's weed, who got to me? I follow out
of may On X who wants us to go after
Ohio State more. I mean, I said they twisted his
nipple ring. That's what Miami did to Ryan Day in
Ohio State excited. I'm just saying, like his Blackbeard is fake.
They're all frauds there, apparently, because they got bounced in
(04:39):
their first game of the playoff this season. And they've
got way too many stickers on their helmets. Okay, it's
not that serious.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Some of them. Do you have to earn those stickers
out it?
Speaker 3 (04:49):
I don't know. They're sticker happy. It felt like there
were way less stickers back in the game or back
in the day.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
So you're saying that that Ryan Days like Oprah, everybody
gets a sticker, whether they earn it or not.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
Yeah, these parts of going around. Everybody gets a star,
everybody got n a plus all that stuff. Ohio State,
maybe that's what they lost the game actually, because they
were over confident, because they felt like they were better
than they actually were. Because every helmet you could barely
see the helmet. They probably didn't feel safe out there.
They thought they were just being protected by damn stickers.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Yeah, well, look I would rip into Ohio State if
they lost to James Madison. It's not like with the
all due respect to James Madison.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
Hey, Mario Cristo ball never wins a big game until now.
If I had a crystal ball and I looked into
it and it said Miami was going to win this game,
I wouldn't believe it.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Well, his game management certainly calls a lot of things
into question, but again, considering how this game played out,
he didn't really have to have a big decision come
come to a head for him because they dominated the
line of scrimmage. Now, maybe that's an indictment of Ohio State,
and maybe because it's happened in back to back games
for them against Indiana and Miami. If you want to
hold that against them, sure, but they still have a
stack roster. They have all the talent in the world.
(06:01):
You said, if they played Miami in Ohios they played
each other ten times, that maybe Miami will win six,
maybe you'll be five and five, because I think that's
just how this game played out.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Okay, wait, don't know. Wait a second. They played Texas,
they barely won. They played Indiana they barely lost, and
the kicker missed a Blair Walsh esque twenty seven yard
or and missed another one in the id. The end
of the first half, they played Miami and they lost
every good team to decent team that they played, because
I don't know how good Texas was. I mean, they
(06:30):
ended up beating Michigan. They finished strong, and arch Manning
looked better. But to start off the season when they
weren't very good, every good team, ohiuse they played. I
don't know, Kevin, they played a lot of nobody's in
between all those close games against decent competition. I think
they may be big fat phonies. They were valued.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
So see, this is what the guy who tweeted you
this is what he wanted.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Is this not what you want?
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Is this what you want?
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Are you not entertained?
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Which is not a bad point at him.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
So you know, I'm just saying I finally got to
a good point in all my hopeless ranting about Ohio State.
They didn't play the stiffest competition.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
No, they weren't battle tested enough. A pretty patty cake
Big Ten schedule all the way around. When you think
about it, what's your schedule and how it falls on
a given year. It has as much to do with
whether or not you make the postseason as anything. Yeah,
so I don't know that that is that is very
much an accurate indictment of them that you had there.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
It just feels like piling on though, going after the
state of Ohio. You know, in Cincinnati, and they haven't
had a lot of success in Cleveland.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
So it's just it's usually just Ohio State University, not
the entire state of Ohio.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
I'm just saying, like, I have a friend from Cleveland, Okay,
Mike Tucker, Mother Tucker. We used to call him, and
I still have a soft spot for those teams that
he rooted for. Now, Ohio State has had a lot
of success in their history. They're an outlier. Not this year,
baby bout.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Okay, God forbid. They don't win the national championship every
single solitary season.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
Health they didn't even come close. Kevin, that was belt
to Assy.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
She had a fat ass, you know what? I Yeah, Mike, Mike,
Michael Irvin, where you business? Two thousand and one, the
last time Miami won a national championship. We're talking about
belta asses. And I look in I love Michael iverin my.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Personal problems, all right, whatever, what do you mean where.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
He's been sear it's about Belta ass and talking trash
about Ohio State. Not that Mike is doing that, but
just piling on Ohio State is a phenomenal program. They're
gonna bounce back. They're not going anywhere. They had a
bad year. It happens. I thought Alabama won the national
championship every single year in the next sabment, even though
they did the majority of the time he was there,
wasn't every year.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
You're right, You're right. He set unrealistic expectations. But the
U is back. First, Texas was back. They made the
playoff last year, made a bit of a run, got
lucky against Arizona State. Now Ohio State is not back.
You Miami, Miami is back. When will USC be back?
(09:02):
Their next stup?
Speaker 2 (09:03):
Right on?
Speaker 3 (09:04):
Who's back?
Speaker 2 (09:05):
A might take some time. How about they find themselves
a defensive coordinator? Yeah, good luck. That's that's a bit
of an issue.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
That final play was unreal. I was watching that. I
don't want to out anyone, but my close personal friend
Carlo Jimenez, voice of the Clippers on the radio side,
went to USC just out.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Of them and gave away his job. His government name
where he lives. I don't want to take this. You
have to take this from Adam Carlough.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
The signature call is Nylon and it's a good one.
But uh, he was not happy seeing that live and
me being the one showing him the play live as
it happened on my phone. I thought live actually first,
and then rewounded for him and made it seemed like
it was going to be live as that frog stomping
happened against USC with TCU the other night.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
That was really really hoping Carlo would just smack the
phone out of your hands as you tried to put
it up to his face.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Well, I got an otter box case or whatever the
hell it is like, it's been through worse.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Come on, just take it, even throw it halfway or
ross into it dome.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
Okay, were we are burying the lead here. First of all,
it's New Year's is happy New Year. We're in for
Ben mallor I'm out of Maslin. He's Kevin Figures and
you know what, let's play it. We haven't played it
in a while.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
It's not funny the padd O'Brien inspired jingle thank you pet.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
It is a New Year's So we got to theme
things out here in the show. Kevin, you had this
brilliant idea, lay it on me.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
I don't know how brilliant it was, but I was thinking,
people talk about New Years and having different resolutions, and
maybe that's something that we can get into a little
deeper at the very end of this hour. But as
far as the sports landscape goes, you know, people talk
about issues that they have with certain sports. I know
instant replay is a big deal in in the NFL,
and what should be reviewed and what shouldn't be reviewed
really in any sport you can. It's about that in
(10:58):
the NBA when it comes to fact goaltending and Major
League Baseball with fair fair foul, or whether it should
be a Skyjas, just any number of things, issues that
you could potentially have with whatever sport you decided to follow,
and if there could be a sport that you would
love to follow, but because of something that really grinds
your gears about it, you've just decided to check out.
(11:18):
I'm out. I don't want to watch it anymore.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
As a burned my saddle with this sport, not only a.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Little bit a little bit. So the question is, if
there's one thing you can change about your favorite sport
or any sport. What would it be and why? Pop
quiz Hotshot.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
Eight seven seven ninety nine on Fox If you guys
want to tell us, I could start with this, Kevin. Now,
this could be something that's pretty universal for many sports.
But I'm gonna say this specifically about the NBA because
it is at least a twenty five year old problem
for the association. We got to get rid of not
(11:55):
just divisions conferences in the National Basketball is sociations.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Is a Fred Rogan special right here the West?
Speaker 3 (12:02):
How dare you?
Speaker 4 (12:04):
Hey?
Speaker 2 (12:04):
That's it through you.
Speaker 3 (12:06):
I'm sorry twenty twenty six and you're still calling me
Fred Rogan. This is going to have a bad take.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
This is the company that you live in or Adamo
table takes like that, Sorry, company of Wolves.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
Look, how the hell was she that quick with it?
I thought I was quick on the instant replay machine. Damn,
you don't count with being quick because you come from.
Speaker 5 (12:27):
Your own brain.
Speaker 6 (12:30):
That's not sexual.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
All right.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
So that's our first one of the new year.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Here you go.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
Look, the NBA has had a problem for over twenty
five years. I can go back to Jordan retiring the
second time with Chicago. Since then, the Western Conference has
dominated and I think won the head to head overall
series against the Eastern Conference every year except for one.
I think it was two thousand and nine when it
(12:57):
was the Lakers in Orlando Magic and the Eastern Conference
actually beat the Western Conference more and the West beat
the East overall record wise that season. That's it. So
we got all these teams that are in a blood
bath and a gauntlet every year. Everybody talks about the
SEC is so difficult to get through in these conferences
and it's not fair. No, no, no. The Western Conference in
(13:20):
the NBA has been the worst case of imbalance between
schedules and not having things leveled out. And if they
could just go one through sixteen, the best team in
either conference, I mean the West might have twelve teams in.
There would definitely be years like that. You do need
(13:41):
to balance things out because the West plays each other
more correct.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
So I was gonna be my question to you is
how do you balance out the schedule with the format
like that?
Speaker 3 (13:48):
You could figure it out. There are ways, dude, I
mean to come on, those.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
People who make way much more money than you that
can figure that out.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
You want to tell, I can get you a toe.
They can figure this out somehow, just smooth things out.
They can go in rotation with certain conferences every year,
like we see in the NFL, where a team from
an NFL division ends up playing a certain AFC division
one year and around robin format that type of thing.
There are much better ways than what we're seeing right now.
(14:16):
And I think it is a serious problem because I
root for teams in the Western Conference, so I'm a
victim of the conference and balance that is going on
in the NBA. Otherwise, the Clippers would have probably fifteen
championships by now if they had the easier route out
of the Eastern Conference. Ben Maller would agree with that. No,
he would.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
No, I don't disagree that Ben would agree. I disagree
with that. Take me off, Excuse me.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
All right, Kevin, you want to give me your New
Year's resolution in sports?
Speaker 2 (14:51):
Yeah, I'm going to go to college football on this one.
And it might sound like a minor thing, but it
actually has a big trickle down effect with a lot
of other situations. We really need to go back to
one national signing period in February for college football, and
I think Petros alluded to this when we spoke to
him last two It's just just with the early December
signing period, it affects so many different things. Coaches get
(15:11):
fired earlier, coaches are in a rush to be hired
earlier so that you don't lose early commitments when it
comes to the December recruiting class. Remember Signing Day used
to be a big deal. Yeah, it used to be
National Signing Day in February. In a couple of weeks
leading up to it, you would have the All American Army,
Navy whatever it was called, a high school All Star game,
and a lot of guys will commit and play there.
(15:32):
They still play the game, but no one really pays
attention to it because all the big time commits have
already done by the time you even get to the
first of the year.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
And I'll take that All Star Game over the NBA
All Star Game. That's something else has to change. But
will take care of it. No Eagles on it.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
I love Noah and the NBC's done a phenomenal job.
But I don't think there's any I don't think there's
any fixing.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
Ah, All right, what are you fixing here?
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Yeah? So I would have the National Signing Day go
back to February like it was. That's the only time
that you can sign an official letter of intent. The
early signing period goes away the idea that you have
to have these seventeen year old kids enter a semester
early or whatever. Does it help, sure, but just put
everybody on a level playing field, because what that does
there is a less coaching ball down. There's less rushing
(16:15):
when it comes to firing and hiring coaches. Guys like
Brian Hartline, you know, won't get their play calling duly
taken away from them because they're so distracted. Back in
the day, guys would get jobs. Coordinators with teams would
get jobs, and they would stay with the team through
bowl season, even if they accepted a head coaching position,
because the landscape just wasn't changing so often while they
were still with their team. It's really hard to manage
(16:37):
being an offensive coordinator or a defensive coordinator for a playoff
team now while also trying to manage all the things
that are potentially happening with your school that you're going
to later. I think if you get to take the
burden of responsibility off of them when it comes to recruiting.
They have done that with the transfer portal, and honestly,
I think I would move the transfer portal to be
even later, maybe have signing the day before the transfer portal,
and do all knock all of that stuff after the
(16:59):
games are there's too many things taking attention away from
the game that's being played on the field. That's what
I just want to separate more of the administrative stuff
away from the play on the field. And I think
that's the biggest issue that college football is facing.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
The college football calendar is an unmitigated disaster, and that
was put under the microscope of course with Lane Kiff
and leaving to go to LSU and how that played out,
and now we got Ole Miss without them tomorrow taking
on Georgia. But Kevin, we've got some phone calls here.
It's always seven ninety nine on Fox. Must be a
good subject. James calling from Tacoma. James, what's up? You're
(17:34):
on FNA. I'm Ada Mosley's Kevin figures in for Ben mallor.
Speaker 7 (17:39):
Hight.
Speaker 4 (17:39):
Not just to NBA, like you suggested, from all sports,
including the NFL. They're seedings top fourteen teams. The NFL
get the playoffs scued. Look what's happening this weekend. If
they lose to the forty nine ers, they go to
the down to the number five seed, and they could
have a thirteen to four record. It has to play
on a road to Campa or Carolina, and which will
(18:02):
have like eight or nine wins. They get the host
whereas she also have thirteen wins and have it pay
on the road.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
Now, James, you are you a Seahawks fan or are
you just a concern sports fanatic and you want you
want fair fairness, that's all. You're unbiased.
Speaker 4 (18:19):
No, I'm a sports fan, even NBA. But they break
to have spurs and OPC finals.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
Ooh yeah, I like where your heads at.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
I agree with you. That's a great call. And we
talked about this with the NFL. We talked about the
Detroit Lions of the proposal they made at the NFL
meetings last year trying to see if they can get
the seeding situation fixed in the NFL so that a
divisions winner doesn't get a guaranteed home playoff game. I
still think that's something they need to pound the table
for because it's utterly ridiculous. And he has a good point,
there's no reason why the loser of Seattle in San
(18:50):
Francisco should be relegated to have to go on the
road to face the team with the worst record. That
doesn't make any sense.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
But if it's the Carolina Panthers, we can make an exception.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Ken, No, we can't.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
You're right, they're gonna lose either way.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
But exactly, I wasn't gonna say that out loud. I
didn't want to like upset you completely.
Speaker 3 (19:07):
But I want fairness. I want teams who want to win.
I want teams who deserve to be in that position
based off record. Look at the NFC West, it might
be the toughest division in sports right now. You have
three teams that are getting in that all could have
twelve wins or more this season. It's been staring in
the NFL in the face since when was the seven
(19:30):
and nine Seahawks team that won the.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
N eleven or twenty twelve?
Speaker 3 (19:33):
I believe, Yeah, So it's been an issue. The problem
is I still think the owners have to vote on it.
They do, and some of these owners with terrible teams,
they're never going to give in, especially Eastern Conference teams
in the NBA. Those owners will never vote for it.
They have to have a majority. It's not going to happen,
but it'd be nice and it's my nearest resolution.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
Still very idealistic, but you know what, I'm right there
with you. I'm right there with you. We have more
calls that we need to get to. It gets you
guys on the other side again ninety nine on Fox
Changes that you would make to your favorite sport or
any sport. Here in the New Year, it's Kevin Figures
Adam Olson filling in for Big Ben Mallor here on
Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 8 (20:10):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Ben Maler
Show weekdays at two am Eastern eleven pm Pacific on
Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
Hey, this is Jason McIntyre.
Speaker 9 (20:22):
Join me every weekday morning on my podcast, Straight Fire
with Jason McIntyre. This isn't your typical sports pod pushing
the same tired narratives down your.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
Throat every day.
Speaker 9 (20:32):
Straight Fire gives you honest opinions on all the biggest
sports headlines, accurate stats to help.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
You win big at the sportsbook, and all the best guests.
Speaker 9 (20:41):
Do yourself a favor and listen to Straight Fire with
Jason McIntyre on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever
you get your podcasts.
Speaker 6 (20:52):
Lions are lighting up. I guess it's a good subject.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
FNA Cottonna, Happy New Year, Welcome back again. I'm out
of mislies, Kevin figures. We're fn A in for Ben
Mallards tonight f and at Holidays special edition. Oh yeah,
the f show here on FSR. All right, Kevin. So
it was a good subject. People are excited about it.
(21:17):
Then when I talk about changes in sports, since people
are making personal changes right now with New Year's resolutions,
why not change up a league, a team do something here?
And it looks like we got uh, Dustin and Bakersfield, Bakersfield,
let's go Dustin Baker Happy New Year.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
Happy.
Speaker 8 (21:39):
You know, I'm taking a little bit of liberty with this,
but I just always wanted to say that, and.
Speaker 4 (21:45):
So people can hear me that something's got to.
Speaker 8 (21:47):
Be done about these owners moving football teams because I
lost my Oakland Raiders. Never going to be the same.
The Chargers aren't the Chargers. They're in LA now, Like
it just doesn't work. You know, something's got to be
done about that because they're just biting the hand that
fed them for so many years.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
Yeah, but how do you how do you hurt these
billionaire owners? What's the land like? Look at the Spanos
is they're making way more money in La Fantasy.
Speaker 8 (22:18):
It would be cool if they were all like the Packers,
owned by the city.
Speaker 6 (22:21):
So I'm just saying.
Speaker 8 (22:22):
It's not a real change that could happen. I feel
like I lost a friend when the Raiders moved.
Speaker 2 (22:28):
I feel you well, by the way, and I grew
up an La Raiders fan, so we stole from Oakland
to begin with the film the first go around and
felt that's it when they went back. So I totally
get it. And here's the issue. I think most people
would love to and they fantasize about, especially American sports,
would love to kind of mirror the European soccer model. Basically,
your team is part of your community, right, There's never
(22:49):
any talk of Everton moving somewhere. That just would never happen.
It's just it's a different vibe. It's a different concept.
Players are walking down the street to interact with everyday
people like it's nothing in their town that like the
soccer team is sort of the heartbeat of the entire
city and a lot of NFL cities. You brought up
the Packers, you know, they're one of those. And unfortunately,
(23:11):
in some senses, I mean all for capitalism, all that,
you know, want to be able to make as much
money as you possibly can. The NFL, these pro sports
leagues are just chasing the almighty dollar and whatever is
most pro or profitable for them. If that means leaving
a city they've been in forever, if it means leaving
the state of Missouri and going to Kansas, even though
it's not that far away, if you're the Kansas City chiefs,
if it's the Chicago Bears potentially talk about flirting with
(23:32):
moving out of Illinois completely. That's what these teams are
going to do, and that's what they've been empowered to do. Unfortunately,
all they care about is making every single solitary stent
they possibly can. They say they care about the fans,
but in reality they really don't. You know who, the
reality of it.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
You know who is right about this?
Speaker 2 (23:48):
All you care money?
Speaker 3 (23:50):
The joker new right, It's about sending a message. I
like this phone call though ideally, yeah, Dustin, I think
we're both with you and an idealistic standpoint. We want
all these teams to stay with the loyal fan bases
that have been through the struggles over the years with them,
and hopefully eventually their faith is rewarded as they get
(24:10):
to the promised Land with these teams before they end
up moving, because that is brutal, it is, all right,
Blind Sea Bass. I think he's a regular here on
the Ben mallor show calling from Nashville, Adam Ashley, Blind SeaBASS,
what's up?
Speaker 4 (24:24):
What have y'all?
Speaker 6 (24:25):
So?
Speaker 10 (24:25):
First off, Kevin with years man, I would agree with
you usually except for this one. I gotta I gotta
disagree because it's early signing periods actually helped us keep
the number one quarterback in the state of Tennessee, in
the state of Tennessee who is playing for my Commodorees
next year. So I'm happy that, you know, deciding day
was early.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
You know, the personal benefit for you, I understand and
I get you for people in this situation, And congratulations
to Vandy in the turnaround they've had. It's been great,
but I think you have more uniformity. But that's just
my thing.
Speaker 10 (24:56):
This has been an amazing season for us, but as
so the rules that what I would change is with
the challenges in all the leagues except for hockey, let's
follow their model. You get one challenge and you get
one time out. If you challenge a play and you
lose it, not only do you lose your time out.
Speaker 5 (25:17):
But you also get a penalty.
Speaker 10 (25:20):
So it'll stop some of this, you know, having to
keep running them back and forth to the to review
a play. If it's not oh dude, i've strength too
much night.
Speaker 11 (25:32):
Oh, if it's not, if.
Speaker 10 (25:34):
It's not a booth review, you get one time out
and if you are one time out and one challenge
and if you lose it. If you lose the challenge,
then it's a fifteen yard penalty for an unfortunate life conduct.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
That's harsh. It's very harsh for those who hate ins
to replay and don't like going back to the command
censor perfect and slowing down the game. I get it.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
One thing. I'll meet you halfway on. I would not
necessarily be opposed to there being more authority and have
the being a sky judge, because now they'll say they'll
look and see if a guy scored, and they'll say
the sky judge said x y or Z and they'll
just keep on pushing. If we did that a lot
more often, it took the challenges and lessen the challenges,
I think the game would move a lot more. We
wouldn't be bogged down as much as we are. So
I do think they should probably adopt more of a
(26:16):
sky judge and have more officials up top telling the
officials on the field, Wow, let's keep it pushing, no
needs to stop here. Well, I think that would help.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
We do have the hawkeye camera now where Jerry Renner
comes out and actually spots the ball on the field.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
Quite what the hawkeye cam is.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
He's pretty exact with it. Actually, he's really good at it. No,
but they are getting better over time. Instant replay across
all sports is still somewhat new compared to you know
how far back we can go with these leagues. Uh,
they're streamlining it. Streamlining it will get there. They'll get
better and better. It'll be refined hopefully and take less
(26:53):
and less time. But I understand what blind and Sea
Bass is saying. Sea Bass kick his assy about apparently
kicked his ass and dropped his ass. Gunner in Minnesota's
calling in Gutner here on the Ben Mallor show. I'm
out of Mosley's Kevin figures in for Big Ben.
Speaker 12 (27:12):
Okay, what's up, guys, how's it going?
Speaker 2 (27:15):
Good? Gun, Happy to know your man. What's on your mind?
Speaker 3 (27:17):
I'm not allowed to drive.
Speaker 12 (27:19):
I got a couple of things I would like to
change the NBA, of course, I would like to switching
kings from East to West, and what's the East? But man,
so I think they go over to the East to
have a rival with Milwaukee and Chicago.
Speaker 5 (27:32):
That'd be great.
Speaker 3 (27:35):
Wait a second, wait, you want to realign?
Speaker 2 (27:37):
Like what, so, who are we.
Speaker 3 (27:40):
You want to realignment? Milwaukee and Chicago are already in
the East.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
Yeah, they've They've moved on. They moved out of the
Western Conference like forty years to the East.
Speaker 3 (27:49):
Yeah, Memph for the East. Yeah, I could see that
a couple of.
Speaker 12 (27:54):
Other seasons, switch them around. I want to see them
a couple of good rivals over there.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
Well if expansion, if when expansion happens, you're going to
see that. By the way, just to balance out on
the levels of the conference is if if you were
potentially going to expand to Las Vegas and Seattle, that's
two Western Conference teams right there, and so you would
think that Memphis would be like a natural move to
the east. Man So, yeah, in Minnesota too.
Speaker 12 (28:19):
Yeah, and I change baseball a little bit too.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
Okay, what do you want to change on baseball?
Speaker 12 (28:26):
Well, those divisions don't making it. Some of the divisions
don't make any sense. I'll tell you that. Because it's
the central Minnesota. I can't see I tendensee in with Minnesota.
In Cleveland and Detroit, how are they They're way.
Speaker 3 (28:45):
Far away from them geographically. We have real issues. But
what I say, why don't we just do away with
divisions and conferences altogether. Let's fix the whole thing right now,
not take just small measures.
Speaker 10 (28:58):
Yeah, that's that's true.
Speaker 12 (28:59):
I agree.
Speaker 7 (28:59):
I agree.
Speaker 2 (29:00):
Well, I'll say this, and this is something stop the
East versus West violence for major League Baseball at the
very least. It's something that Rob Manfred, who have not
been the biggest fan of, but I do like some
of the things he's done. This is actually one thing
that it's on his agenda before he retires here in
a couple of years. He wants to do away with
the American of the National League, and he wants to
make it regional. He wants to make it east and
(29:21):
west and make it more geographically relevant or based as
opposed to having the Ale in the NL. So I
know it's going to ruffle a lot of feathers for
a lot of people, but it wouldn't necessarily bother me
that much.
Speaker 3 (29:33):
Haven't we seen like somebody put together what some of
the faux divisions could be then, or a mock division,
and you have like the Giants and the A's and
the same division with the Angels and the Dodgers because
they're all on the West coast with the Seattle Mariners,
and that's how they're kind of combining things, right. Yeah,
I get that. I just I don't like this East
(29:53):
versus West stuff. Kevin, We've been through this in the nineties.
We have to stop.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
He's just trying to keep the peace, man, I feel it.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
Let's go to Rob calling from Memphis. We're putting your
team in the Eastern Conference soon.
Speaker 12 (30:04):
Rob.
Speaker 3 (30:04):
What's up you're on with Kevin and Adam and for
Ben Maller.
Speaker 6 (30:07):
Hey, it's my birthday. Happy New Year, everybody.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
Happy New Year, and happy birthday to you brother.
Speaker 6 (30:13):
Thank you.
Speaker 5 (30:13):
I appreciate it. I'm going to an Indian conversation as well.
I personally love the NBA Cup and I think we
can improve it a little bit. Even though it was
great this year. I love the intensitary brought out and
see how people are complaining it felt like playoff atmosphere
in the.
Speaker 6 (30:33):
Middle of the season. So come on, you know, I.
Speaker 3 (30:36):
Rob your appreciates with the choir here. I'm glad we
found you tonight. There is somebody who believes in the
NBA Cup.
Speaker 5 (30:43):
Yeah, I mean, I gotta admit I'm a soccer fan
as well, so I'm kind of already accustomed to a
mid season tournament, so you know, it went overwell with me.
But hey, it's just gotten better each year so far.
People just need to give it some time. But what
I would do, though, to add some interest to it,
We need to add some stakes to it.
Speaker 6 (31:01):
We don't care that.
Speaker 5 (31:01):
They get some extra money, you know, good for them,
But to make us care a little bit more, how
about we guarantee them a playoff spot for winning the
NBA Cup or guarantee them a draft spot for the
NBA Cup.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
I am so happy that you said this. This is
something that I've talked about from day one. When it
comes to the Cup. There has to be something in
it for the fans. The players playing harder in an
October and November game is great, they should anyway, But
the system is what it is. They're trying to incentivize
the guys to play harder and give them something to
play towards, which is five hundred grand if they won
(31:37):
the tournament. That's phenomenal for them. I, as a fan
of the team, could care less if they're padding their
pockets with five does nothing for me. So to your point,
maybe it's given them a bonus draft pick at the
end of the first round. Maybe we can say, no, go.
Speaker 6 (31:52):
On, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. No.
Speaker 5 (31:55):
Look, can I say one more thing? How about for
the guys that you know don't make it because I
don't like the idea of tanking, you know, for some
of these teams that I think do it.
Speaker 3 (32:07):
Well, we'll get to that later in the show. By
the way, Rob.
Speaker 5 (32:10):
Continuing, Yeah, to me, tanking is kind of like fixing. Oops,
shouldn't have said that on the radio. But anyway, the
last let's say four teams that are in there, let's
make them play, uh, for that for that draft spot,
you know, for the for the number one draft spot.
How about a you know, a little consolation tournament, you know,
(32:30):
one game tournament for the.
Speaker 2 (32:33):
Must have been listening to me over the past three
or four years, man, I swear this is great. Minds
think alike because I've been saying this to us. How
about having a secondary playoff tournament where you actually have
to play for the first overall pick. Yeah, the players
get the players get compence, the players are going to
make money, and the team is going to play for
a situation where they can actually find a way to
get the top draft pick.
Speaker 3 (32:54):
I mean you might have to make the GM and
the owners play. Who care more than the players about
the first pick? But I do agree that would be
really interesting.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
Well, and that's in the situation like that, Adam, you
would have to incentivize it for the players. It's a
reverse of the NBA Cup.
Speaker 3 (33:06):
You get to keep your job. How about that.
Speaker 2 (33:08):
You're incentivizing it for the fans by tying some sort
of draft compensation with something else into the cup, and
you're incentivating centivizing it for the players financially in a
playing for a draft pick situation.
Speaker 3 (33:19):
These are idea for it, Kevin, Should we keep this
going in the next segment.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
I still have more calls coming in about this. This
has been a fun topic, so let's keep this going.
Speaker 3 (33:27):
Eight seven, seven ninety nine on Fox.
Speaker 2 (33:30):
Nine on Fox, sorry to cut you off, Adam Whead.
Speaker 3 (33:32):
No, I cut you off first. Gosh jinks all right,
coming up next more fn A here in for Ben Mallor.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
Happy New Year. A little bit, a little bit of a.
Speaker 3 (33:43):
Car crash there, we crashed Ben's car just for a second.
He's it's a nice car. It's a nice car. It's
a McLaren. We'll be back next, coming back with your
phone calls. Eight seven, seven ninety nine on Fox. I'm
Adam Allislin. He's Kevin Figures. Happy New Year. It's FNA
in on the Ben Malor Show.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
Please talk to me, please, f and A Cotton Welcome
back in. We are alive from the Fox Sports Radio studios.
Kevin Figures Adam Alson filling in for Ben Malard. Happy
New Year to everybody. Be sure to check out our
brand new YouTube channel for the show. Just search Ben
Malors Show within YouTube. Again, that's Ben Malard's show. Be
sure to hit the subscribe button and don't stop there.
(34:23):
Hit that thumbs up icon and comment away. Let us
know when you agree with us and when you disagree.
Go check out our brand new channel again. Just search
Ben Malers show on YouTube and subscribe.
Speaker 8 (34:33):
Thank god for the Internet.
Speaker 3 (34:34):
All right, we're talking about what change you would make
to your favorite sport, and we got Joel coming in,
calling in from Seattle. Joel, what's up? You're on with
Adam Ousle and Kevin Figures?
Speaker 5 (34:45):
How you doing?
Speaker 7 (34:47):
Happy New Year? I was calling because I'm a long
time I grew up with the SuperSonics and we're opening
Adam Silver. We'll give us our team back.
Speaker 3 (35:00):
But anyway that will happen, that will happen at some point,
Joels hashtag Sonic Scape.
Speaker 7 (35:08):
Other than that, I want I wanted to tell you
about Tommy lasorda rant when he went to take Doug
Raw out in the eighty one versus the Yankees.
Speaker 2 (35:21):
For sure, Yeah, I'm aware of the rant, and I'm
curious of the relevance to what's going on tonight. But
sure is baklava involved. That was a different bakua.
Speaker 7 (35:31):
Yeah, no, that was that was a different one.
Speaker 4 (35:35):
He told He told Doug Raw, you can't get this
guy out.
Speaker 7 (35:38):
That guy out was Vicky Rivers, Jackson and the other guy. Anyway,
it's hilarious.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
You're ash, Yes it is. Yea. Doug Rowl was a
picture for the Dodgers and Tommy the sorta went out
there and Doug was trying to plead his case to
stay in the game, and Tony was basically saying, I
don't give a bleep, give me the bleeping ball. Yes,
very funny, you can look it up. What else do
you have in your mind tonight?
Speaker 7 (36:00):
Or Davy Lopes walks in and says, hey, Tommy, you're
causing the scene, and he says, who won that f
for you?
Speaker 6 (36:09):
Anyway?
Speaker 7 (36:10):
Uh So, I wanted to talk about what do you
think of the game Saturday night? Are the Hawks gonna win?
Speaker 6 (36:18):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (36:18):
We're talking about the Seahawks burs of the forty nine
ers for the number one overall seed in the NFC.
Speaker 7 (36:27):
Gotta gotta bottle up McCaffrey.
Speaker 2 (36:31):
That is true. I will say this. You're gonna have
to listen to fn A on FSR on Friday night
last Saturday morning to figure out what our official prediction
for that game is gonna be. How about that?
Speaker 3 (36:40):
That's a good tease, But you'll hear from Jeff Schwartz.
Speaker 2 (36:44):
Yeah, we will ask Jeff Schwartz about it. Our colleague
here f Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (36:47):
The Swartz is with us tonight.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
Yeah, Seri.
Speaker 3 (36:50):
Schwartz is as big as ours, so.
Speaker 2 (36:51):
He'll give his thoughts on that game and many others
around college and pro football. All right, Joel, appreciate your college.
Speaker 3 (36:56):
Thanks Sean Wisconsin, Sean, what's up with that?
Speaker 7 (37:00):
An A?
Speaker 2 (37:00):
And for Ben Maller, what's going on?
Speaker 3 (37:05):
New Year?
Speaker 2 (37:06):
What's going on?
Speaker 13 (37:07):
Happy New Year to you guys, too.
Speaker 3 (37:10):
Happy near?
Speaker 2 (37:11):
So what's on your mind?
Speaker 3 (37:13):
Sean?
Speaker 13 (37:13):
Oh, you know, I'm a little what I want what
I called in to talk about you guys, I'm talking
about no more. So I'm just gonna switch it up
and say that. You know, I appreciate you guys talking
sports talk on New Year's You know a lot of
people take off on this day, and I just appreciate
you guys being at work.
Speaker 3 (37:32):
Yeah, Draymond Green, people work on holidays. It's not just
basketball players out there. Okay. I know you're making the
ultimate sacrifice. You're real servant to the people. I'm sorry
he can he.
Speaker 6 (37:46):
Needs to retire, but that's beside the point.
Speaker 13 (37:49):
Anyways, I just wanted to give you guys appreciation. Man,
give you guys the props man. Appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (37:54):
I appreciate you listening. Thanks for the support man, Thank you.
Speaker 3 (37:56):
Did we go one segment too long with the college?
What's happening right now?
Speaker 2 (38:00):
Getting later and later until the night or earlier and
earlier into the morning, depending on how you want to
look at it.
Speaker 3 (38:05):
We can try one more.
Speaker 2 (38:06):
That's kind of how this goes. Adam.
Speaker 3 (38:07):
Is this Versace in Seattle, of course, Versace Versace.
Speaker 11 (38:11):
Hello, Hello, Happy New Year, Happy New Year. I want
to say a long time listeners, but I had a
couple of rule changes that I would like the NFL
to adopt, thank god. First one, I hate the on
side kicks. I would much rather than have like a
fourth and fifteen to have the team spoke forward on there.
(38:33):
That would be way better than the onside kick rule
that we got right now, like a slim chance of
it being successful, So fourth and fifteen would be better
to watch.
Speaker 3 (38:42):
I feel like, Kevin, what do you think about that?
Speaker 2 (38:44):
I don't disagree with that at all. If you're going
to tell people that they have to declare for onside kick,
and I understand why they do it for safety purposes.
Then just get rid of it completely and have them
to be able to do it fourth or fifteen. The
conversion rate on it, especially since they've changed it, has
been astronomically low, so what's the point. Yeah, So just
have it be fourth and fifteen or fourth and twenty.
I think the UFL does this. I think they make
(39:04):
it like a fourth and twenty instead of an on
side kick. It's an exciting play. I'd much rather go
that route. So I agree with you on.
Speaker 11 (39:11):
That for sure, for sure. And the other one I
wanted to change is I hate the idea of there
being a tie, So I wish like in the regular
season they have overtime like they do in the playoffs,
so there's no ties.
Speaker 3 (39:25):
Have we gotten I know we got the Cowboys and
the Packers tie this season? Did we get to.
Speaker 2 (39:30):
That was the only one this year?
Speaker 3 (39:32):
I think the average has been two?
Speaker 2 (39:34):
Yeah per year.
Speaker 3 (39:35):
I mean, how many games do they play? Over three
hundred games per year.
Speaker 2 (39:38):
Or something like that, fifty something games or something like that.
Speaker 3 (39:41):
We we can deal with a couple of ties. I
almost like the wonkiness of it and just the awkwardness
of teams being like, well, we played pretty hard tonight
and you know, we wanted to win, but we didn't
lose either.
Speaker 2 (39:51):
So it was the NFL talking out of both sides
of his mouth to a certain degree when they say, like,
we care about players safety, we don't want them out
there playing for much longer than they need to. But yeah,
we're sitting here talking about having potentially eighteen you know
game regular season when you have you know, guys tearing
acls and achilles every other week, yep, yep, yep.
Speaker 11 (40:09):
And then one more thing, one more thing. Some of
the flags that are thrown are terrible. I wish we
to review the flags.
Speaker 3 (40:17):
Review the flags, review the flags.
Speaker 11 (40:19):
Some of them are still are off.
Speaker 3 (40:22):
This is some meta humor going on.
Speaker 2 (40:24):
There absolutely a review.
Speaker 7 (40:26):
The review, review, review.
Speaker 2 (40:29):
The penalty penalties. He wants penalties to be under instant,
replay them play well. It's like, I mean, how much
longer do you want these games to last? I mean,
I think bri has a thought on this. For as
far as pass interference plays, I know that. Well, I'm
just traumatized from twenty eighteen, right.
Speaker 3 (40:45):
We're traumatized from happening to hear about it from you
for so long. Its twenty eighteen. I will never get
over it. Never I'll go.
Speaker 2 (40:51):
Down neither if I were you horrible.
Speaker 3 (40:55):
Have you ever been cheated with one of your teams, Kevin?
Speaker 2 (40:57):
Never once, It's never happened.
Speaker 3 (40:59):
Tuck Rule more Fina coming up next in for Ben
Maller here on Fox Sports Radio
Hey, thanks for listening to the Ben Mahler Show podcast.
It's me Ben. Be sure to catch us live every
weeknight from two to six Eastern eleven pm to three
am Pacific right here on Fox Sports Radio. You can
find your local station for the Ben Malers Show over
at Foxsports Radio dot com, or stream us live every
night on the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. That's right, hour two
of the Ben Malers Show here on Fox Sports Radio
with me, Kevin Figures and he Adam. Also hit us
up on x at k fig one and at follow
Adam A thank you guys for joining us. Happy New
Year out there to the West coast, Happy New ye
and if you're in and for our friends listening Hawaii,
(00:53):
you still got a couple hours.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
To go, y'all get a New Year every day day exactly.
Is this one of those opportunities where it's okay to
get drunk on the radio. It feels like it should be.
If Anderson Cooper and his boyfriend can get drunk on
the CNN broadcast, why can't we?
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Kevin, I guess there's no rules saying that we can't.
The girls are wasted in the other room, greatly frowned upon.
I don't think that's that's the baby, let's go necessarily
true though right now I appreciate the honesty. I do
love that about you. My very first radio job in Oregon,
the morning guys who come in at four am, they
kept a bottle of fireball whiskey in their drawing at
(01:35):
every morning, every morning.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Okay, that was like the first time I felt like
I should stop drinking. I had a fireball incident. I
had a Mario Brothers fireball incident where I woke up
the next morning because the fireball gets you with the
indigestion when you got to get the pepsid ac. Yeah,
the esophagus is burning. It's on fire. That's the worst
option possible. First, of all those Oregon guys, I would
(01:58):
have thought they would have waked and baked, not waked
into fireballs like that too. Okay, maybe a little bit
of both.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Jega bombs down here teeth. Well, I hope you guys
are just college at one point, I'm sorry, just you
bring up fireball and like you know, we're young, we're broke,
we don't have any money, and all we had was
my roommate's older brother had a bottle of Fireball that
he hadn't opened, and he's like, well it was cheap,
you have to pay for it. Yeah, it was an
absolute nightmare.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
You can't smell cinnamon anymore. It's just snauxious than It's
like if you have a certain drink when you're sick,
and then you always associate it with being sick, like
having seven up or something like that. Now I can't
have seven up when I feel fine. It doesn't work
for me. Even sprites too close they had to take
away see or missed because it ruined things for me.
Now it's storry. Yeah, I Fireball's the worst thing ever.
(02:49):
You know what, in twenty twenty six, I'm going to
continue to not drink. That just sealed it for me.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
That's sure.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Just your non resolution fireball incident. I can't have it.
And hopefully you guys out there tonight are being safe,
are staying off the road, are not doing whatever. Michael
Irving was at the Miami game that had him going
like that, or he brought out the belt like none
of us can wear belts anymore. Michael Irving has all
(03:16):
of them.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Kevin, that was an impressive performance by the University of
Miami in a maybe even more oppressive performance by Michael
Irvin down there on the sideline.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Can I say this? Somebody tweeted in that they want
more hate towards Ohio State.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Through you.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
They want more trash talk, even though the story should
be about Miami winning. As Ben Maller would say, the
losing locker room has the bigger story.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Right, Well, look, we did bring up Ryan Day, and
you know the fact that, as their rationalist fans are,
just won a national championship last year, did beat Michigan,
and all of a sudden finds himself in a situation
where people the fan base is upset and there's new
blood at Michigan. I will not downplay again if Michigan
finds a way under Kyle Whittingham to jump up next
(04:05):
year and beat Ohio State going into the playoff, I
do think. I don't think Ohio State realistically is gonna
entertain getting rid of Ryan Day, but I do think
that those conversations are gonna start being had as ridiculous
as they are because that's just where the standard is
for university like that.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Look, Spock's weed, who got to me? I follow out
of may On X who wants us to go after
Ohio State more. I mean, I said they twisted his
nipple ring. That's what Miami did to Ryan Day in
Ohio State excited. I'm just saying, like his Blackbeard is fake.
They're all frauds there, apparently, because they got bounced in
(04:39):
their first game of the playoff this season. And they've
got way too many stickers on their helmets. Okay, it's
not that serious.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Some of them. Do you have to earn those stickers
out it?
Speaker 3 (04:49):
I don't know. They're sticker happy. It felt like there
were way less stickers back in the game or back
in the day.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
So you're saying that that Ryan Days like Oprah, everybody
gets a sticker, whether they earn it or not.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
Yeah, these parts of going around. Everybody gets a star,
everybody got n a plus all that stuff. Ohio State,
maybe that's what they lost the game actually, because they
were over confident, because they felt like they were better
than they actually were. Because every helmet you could barely
see the helmet. They probably didn't feel safe out there.
They thought they were just being protected by damn stickers.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Yeah, well, look I would rip into Ohio State if
they lost to James Madison. It's not like with the
all due respect to James Madison.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
Hey, Mario Cristo ball never wins a big game until now.
If I had a crystal ball and I looked into
it and it said Miami was going to win this game,
I wouldn't believe it.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Well, his game management certainly calls a lot of things
into question, but again, considering how this game played out,
he didn't really have to have a big decision come
come to a head for him because they dominated the
line of scrimmage. Now, maybe that's an indictment of Ohio State,
and maybe because it's happened in back to back games
for them against Indiana and Miami. If you want to
hold that against them, sure, but they still have a
stack roster. They have all the talent in the world.
(06:01):
You said, if they played Miami in Ohios they played
each other ten times, that maybe Miami will win six,
maybe you'll be five and five, because I think that's
just how this game played out.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Okay, wait, don't know. Wait a second. They played Texas,
they barely won. They played Indiana they barely lost, and
the kicker missed a Blair Walsh esque twenty seven yard
or and missed another one in the id. The end
of the first half, they played Miami and they lost
every good team to decent team that they played, because
I don't know how good Texas was. I mean, they
(06:30):
ended up beating Michigan. They finished strong, and arch Manning
looked better. But to start off the season when they
weren't very good, every good team, ohiuse they played. I
don't know, Kevin, they played a lot of nobody's in
between all those close games against decent competition. I think
they may be big fat phonies. They were valued.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
So see, this is what the guy who tweeted you
this is what he wanted.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Is this not what you want?
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Is this what you want?
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Are you not entertained?
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Which is not a bad point at him.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
So you know, I'm just saying I finally got to
a good point in all my hopeless ranting about Ohio State.
They didn't play the stiffest competition.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
No, they weren't battle tested enough. A pretty patty cake
Big Ten schedule all the way around. When you think
about it, what's your schedule and how it falls on
a given year. It has as much to do with
whether or not you make the postseason as anything. Yeah,
so I don't know that that is that is very
much an accurate indictment of them that you had there.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
It just feels like piling on though, going after the
state of Ohio. You know, in Cincinnati, and they haven't
had a lot of success in Cleveland.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
So it's just it's usually just Ohio State University, not
the entire state of Ohio.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
I'm just saying, like, I have a friend from Cleveland, Okay,
Mike Tucker, Mother Tucker. We used to call him, and
I still have a soft spot for those teams that
he rooted for. Now, Ohio State has had a lot
of success in their history. They're an outlier. Not this year,
baby bout.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Okay, God forbid. They don't win the national championship every
single solitary season.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
Health they didn't even come close. Kevin, that was belt
to Assy.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
She had a fat ass, you know what? I Yeah, Mike, Mike,
Michael Irvin, where you business? Two thousand and one, the
last time Miami won a national championship. We're talking about
belta asses. And I look in I love Michael iverin my.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Personal problems, all right, whatever, what do you mean where.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
He's been sear it's about Belta ass and talking trash
about Ohio State. Not that Mike is doing that, but
just piling on Ohio State is a phenomenal program. They're
gonna bounce back. They're not going anywhere. They had a
bad year. It happens. I thought Alabama won the national
championship every single year in the next sabment, even though
they did the majority of the time he was there,
wasn't every year.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
You're right, You're right. He set unrealistic expectations. But the
U is back. First, Texas was back. They made the
playoff last year, made a bit of a run, got
lucky against Arizona State. Now Ohio State is not back.
You Miami, Miami is back. When will USC be back?
(09:02):
Their next stup?
Speaker 2 (09:03):
Right on?
Speaker 3 (09:04):
Who's back?
Speaker 2 (09:05):
A might take some time. How about they find themselves
a defensive coordinator? Yeah, good luck. That's that's a bit
of an issue.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
That final play was unreal. I was watching that. I
don't want to out anyone, but my close personal friend
Carlo Jimenez, voice of the Clippers on the radio side,
went to USC just out.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Of them and gave away his job. His government name
where he lives. I don't want to take this. You
have to take this from Adam Carlough.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
The signature call is Nylon and it's a good one.
But uh, he was not happy seeing that live and
me being the one showing him the play live as
it happened on my phone. I thought live actually first,
and then rewounded for him and made it seemed like
it was going to be live as that frog stomping
happened against USC with TCU the other night.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
That was really really hoping Carlo would just smack the
phone out of your hands as you tried to put
it up to his face.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Well, I got an otter box case or whatever the
hell it is like, it's been through worse.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Come on, just take it, even throw it halfway or
ross into it dome.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
Okay, were we are burying the lead here. First of all,
it's New Year's is happy New Year. We're in for
Ben mallor I'm out of Maslin. He's Kevin Figures and
you know what, let's play it. We haven't played it
in a while.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
It's not funny the padd O'Brien inspired jingle thank you pet.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
It is a New Year's So we got to theme
things out here in the show. Kevin, you had this
brilliant idea, lay it on me.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
I don't know how brilliant it was, but I was thinking,
people talk about New Years and having different resolutions, and
maybe that's something that we can get into a little
deeper at the very end of this hour. But as
far as the sports landscape goes, you know, people talk
about issues that they have with certain sports. I know
instant replay is a big deal in in the NFL,
and what should be reviewed and what shouldn't be reviewed
really in any sport you can. It's about that in
(10:58):
the NBA when it comes to fact goaltending and Major
League Baseball with fair fair foul, or whether it should
be a Skyjas, just any number of things, issues that
you could potentially have with whatever sport you decided to follow,
and if there could be a sport that you would
love to follow, but because of something that really grinds
your gears about it, you've just decided to check out.
(11:18):
I'm out. I don't want to watch it anymore.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
As a burned my saddle with this sport, not only a.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Little bit a little bit. So the question is, if
there's one thing you can change about your favorite sport
or any sport. What would it be and why? Pop
quiz Hotshot.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
Eight seven seven ninety nine on Fox If you guys
want to tell us, I could start with this, Kevin. Now,
this could be something that's pretty universal for many sports.
But I'm gonna say this specifically about the NBA because
it is at least a twenty five year old problem
for the association. We got to get rid of not
(11:55):
just divisions conferences in the National Basketball is sociations.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Is a Fred Rogan special right here the West?
Speaker 3 (12:02):
How dare you?
Speaker 4 (12:04):
Hey?
Speaker 2 (12:04):
That's it through you.
Speaker 3 (12:06):
I'm sorry twenty twenty six and you're still calling me
Fred Rogan. This is going to have a bad take.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
This is the company that you live in or Adamo
table takes like that, Sorry, company of Wolves.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
Look, how the hell was she that quick with it?
I thought I was quick on the instant replay machine. Damn,
you don't count with being quick because you come from.
Speaker 5 (12:27):
Your own brain.
Speaker 6 (12:30):
That's not sexual.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
All right.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
So that's our first one of the new year.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Here you go.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
Look, the NBA has had a problem for over twenty
five years. I can go back to Jordan retiring the
second time with Chicago. Since then, the Western Conference has
dominated and I think won the head to head overall
series against the Eastern Conference every year except for one.
I think it was two thousand and nine when it
(12:57):
was the Lakers in Orlando Magic and the Eastern Conference
actually beat the Western Conference more and the West beat
the East overall record wise that season. That's it. So
we got all these teams that are in a blood
bath and a gauntlet every year. Everybody talks about the
SEC is so difficult to get through in these conferences
and it's not fair. No, no, no. The Western Conference in
(13:20):
the NBA has been the worst case of imbalance between
schedules and not having things leveled out. And if they
could just go one through sixteen, the best team in
either conference, I mean the West might have twelve teams in.
There would definitely be years like that. You do need
(13:41):
to balance things out because the West plays each other
more correct.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
So I was gonna be my question to you is
how do you balance out the schedule with the format
like that?
Speaker 3 (13:48):
You could figure it out. There are ways, dude, I
mean to come on, those.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
People who make way much more money than you that
can figure that out.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
You want to tell, I can get you a toe.
They can figure this out somehow, just smooth things out.
They can go in rotation with certain conferences every year,
like we see in the NFL, where a team from
an NFL division ends up playing a certain AFC division
one year and around robin format that type of thing.
There are much better ways than what we're seeing right now.
(14:16):
And I think it is a serious problem because I
root for teams in the Western Conference, so I'm a
victim of the conference and balance that is going on
in the NBA. Otherwise, the Clippers would have probably fifteen
championships by now if they had the easier route out
of the Eastern Conference. Ben Maller would agree with that. No,
he would.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
No, I don't disagree that Ben would agree. I disagree
with that. Take me off, Excuse me.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
All right, Kevin, you want to give me your New
Year's resolution in sports?
Speaker 2 (14:51):
Yeah, I'm going to go to college football on this one.
And it might sound like a minor thing, but it
actually has a big trickle down effect with a lot
of other situations. We really need to go back to
one national signing period in February for college football, and
I think Petros alluded to this when we spoke to
him last two It's just just with the early December
signing period, it affects so many different things. Coaches get
(15:11):
fired earlier, coaches are in a rush to be hired
earlier so that you don't lose early commitments when it
comes to the December recruiting class. Remember Signing Day used
to be a big deal. Yeah, it used to be
National Signing Day in February. In a couple of weeks
leading up to it, you would have the All American Army,
Navy whatever it was called, a high school All Star game,
and a lot of guys will commit and play there.
(15:32):
They still play the game, but no one really pays
attention to it because all the big time commits have
already done by the time you even get to the
first of the year.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
And I'll take that All Star Game over the NBA
All Star Game. That's something else has to change. But
will take care of it. No Eagles on it.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
I love Noah and the NBC's done a phenomenal job.
But I don't think there's any I don't think there's
any fixing.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
Ah, All right, what are you fixing here?
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Yeah? So I would have the National Signing Day go
back to February like it was. That's the only time
that you can sign an official letter of intent. The
early signing period goes away the idea that you have
to have these seventeen year old kids enter a semester
early or whatever. Does it help, sure, but just put
everybody on a level playing field, because what that does
there is a less coaching ball down. There's less rushing
(16:15):
when it comes to firing and hiring coaches. Guys like
Brian Hartline, you know, won't get their play calling duly
taken away from them because they're so distracted. Back in
the day, guys would get jobs. Coordinators with teams would
get jobs, and they would stay with the team through
bowl season, even if they accepted a head coaching position,
because the landscape just wasn't changing so often while they
were still with their team. It's really hard to manage
(16:37):
being an offensive coordinator or a defensive coordinator for a playoff
team now while also trying to manage all the things
that are potentially happening with your school that you're going
to later. I think if you get to take the
burden of responsibility off of them when it comes to recruiting.
They have done that with the transfer portal, and honestly,
I think I would move the transfer portal to be
even later, maybe have signing the day before the transfer portal,
and do all knock all of that stuff after the
(16:59):
games are there's too many things taking attention away from
the game that's being played on the field. That's what
I just want to separate more of the administrative stuff
away from the play on the field. And I think
that's the biggest issue that college football is facing.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
The college football calendar is an unmitigated disaster, and that
was put under the microscope of course with Lane Kiff
and leaving to go to LSU and how that played out,
and now we got Ole Miss without them tomorrow taking
on Georgia. But Kevin, we've got some phone calls here.
It's always seven ninety nine on Fox. Must be a
good subject. James calling from Tacoma. James, what's up? You're
(17:34):
on FNA. I'm Ada Mosley's Kevin figures in for Ben mallor.
Speaker 7 (17:39):
Hight.
Speaker 4 (17:39):
Not just to NBA, like you suggested, from all sports,
including the NFL. They're seedings top fourteen teams. The NFL
get the playoffs scued. Look what's happening this weekend. If
they lose to the forty nine ers, they go to
the down to the number five seed, and they could
have a thirteen to four record. It has to play
on a road to Campa or Carolina, and which will
(18:02):
have like eight or nine wins. They get the host
whereas she also have thirteen wins and have it pay
on the road.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
Now, James, you are you a Seahawks fan or are
you just a concern sports fanatic and you want you
want fair fairness, that's all. You're unbiased.
Speaker 4 (18:19):
No, I'm a sports fan, even NBA. But they break
to have spurs and OPC finals.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
Ooh yeah, I like where your heads at.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
I agree with you. That's a great call. And we
talked about this with the NFL. We talked about the
Detroit Lions of the proposal they made at the NFL
meetings last year trying to see if they can get
the seeding situation fixed in the NFL so that a
divisions winner doesn't get a guaranteed home playoff game. I
still think that's something they need to pound the table
for because it's utterly ridiculous. And he has a good point,
there's no reason why the loser of Seattle in San
(18:50):
Francisco should be relegated to have to go on the
road to face the team with the worst record. That
doesn't make any sense.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
But if it's the Carolina Panthers, we can make an exception.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Ken, No, we can't.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
You're right, they're gonna lose either way.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
But exactly, I wasn't gonna say that out loud. I
didn't want to like upset you completely.
Speaker 3 (19:07):
But I want fairness. I want teams who want to win.
I want teams who deserve to be in that position
based off record. Look at the NFC West, it might
be the toughest division in sports right now. You have
three teams that are getting in that all could have
twelve wins or more this season. It's been staring in
the NFL in the face since when was the seven
(19:30):
and nine Seahawks team that won the.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
N eleven or twenty twelve?
Speaker 3 (19:33):
I believe, Yeah, So it's been an issue. The problem
is I still think the owners have to vote on it.
They do, and some of these owners with terrible teams,
they're never going to give in, especially Eastern Conference teams
in the NBA. Those owners will never vote for it.
They have to have a majority. It's not going to happen,
but it'd be nice and it's my nearest resolution.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
Still very idealistic, but you know what, I'm right there
with you. I'm right there with you. We have more
calls that we need to get to. It gets you
guys on the other side again ninety nine on Fox
Changes that you would make to your favorite sport or
any sport. Here in the New Year, it's Kevin Figures
Adam Olson filling in for Big Ben Mallor here on
Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 8 (20:10):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Ben Maler
Show weekdays at two am Eastern eleven pm Pacific on
Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
Hey, this is Jason McIntyre.
Speaker 9 (20:22):
Join me every weekday morning on my podcast, Straight Fire
with Jason McIntyre. This isn't your typical sports pod pushing
the same tired narratives down your.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
Throat every day.
Speaker 9 (20:32):
Straight Fire gives you honest opinions on all the biggest
sports headlines, accurate stats to help.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
You win big at the sportsbook, and all the best guests.
Speaker 9 (20:41):
Do yourself a favor and listen to Straight Fire with
Jason McIntyre on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever
you get your podcasts.
Speaker 6 (20:52):
Lions are lighting up. I guess it's a good subject.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
FNA Cottonna, Happy New Year, Welcome back again. I'm out
of mislies, Kevin figures. We're fn A in for Ben
Mallards tonight f and at Holidays special edition. Oh yeah,
the f show here on FSR. All right, Kevin. So
it was a good subject. People are excited about it.
(21:17):
Then when I talk about changes in sports, since people
are making personal changes right now with New Year's resolutions,
why not change up a league, a team do something here?
And it looks like we got uh, Dustin and Bakersfield, Bakersfield,
let's go Dustin Baker Happy New Year.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
Happy.
Speaker 8 (21:39):
You know, I'm taking a little bit of liberty with this,
but I just always wanted to say that, and.
Speaker 4 (21:45):
So people can hear me that something's got to.
Speaker 8 (21:47):
Be done about these owners moving football teams because I
lost my Oakland Raiders. Never going to be the same.
The Chargers aren't the Chargers. They're in LA now, Like
it just doesn't work. You know, something's got to be
done about that because they're just biting the hand that
fed them for so many years.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
Yeah, but how do you how do you hurt these
billionaire owners? What's the land like? Look at the Spanos
is they're making way more money in La Fantasy.
Speaker 8 (22:18):
It would be cool if they were all like the Packers,
owned by the city.
Speaker 6 (22:21):
So I'm just saying.
Speaker 8 (22:22):
It's not a real change that could happen. I feel
like I lost a friend when the Raiders moved.
Speaker 2 (22:28):
I feel you well, by the way, and I grew
up an La Raiders fan, so we stole from Oakland
to begin with the film the first go around and
felt that's it when they went back. So I totally
get it. And here's the issue. I think most people
would love to and they fantasize about, especially American sports,
would love to kind of mirror the European soccer model. Basically,
your team is part of your community, right, There's never
(22:49):
any talk of Everton moving somewhere. That just would never happen.
It's just it's a different vibe. It's a different concept.
Players are walking down the street to interact with everyday
people like it's nothing in their town that like the
soccer team is sort of the heartbeat of the entire
city and a lot of NFL cities. You brought up
the Packers, you know, they're one of those. And unfortunately,
(23:11):
in some senses, I mean all for capitalism, all that,
you know, want to be able to make as much
money as you possibly can. The NFL, these pro sports
leagues are just chasing the almighty dollar and whatever is
most pro or profitable for them. If that means leaving
a city they've been in forever, if it means leaving
the state of Missouri and going to Kansas, even though
it's not that far away, if you're the Kansas City chiefs,
if it's the Chicago Bears potentially talk about flirting with
(23:32):
moving out of Illinois completely. That's what these teams are
going to do, and that's what they've been empowered to do. Unfortunately,
all they care about is making every single solitary stent
they possibly can. They say they care about the fans,
but in reality they really don't. You know who, the
reality of it.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
You know who is right about this?
Speaker 2 (23:48):
All you care money?
Speaker 3 (23:50):
The joker new right, It's about sending a message. I
like this phone call though ideally, yeah, Dustin, I think
we're both with you and an idealistic standpoint. We want
all these teams to stay with the loyal fan bases
that have been through the struggles over the years with them,
and hopefully eventually their faith is rewarded as they get
(24:10):
to the promised Land with these teams before they end
up moving, because that is brutal, it is, all right,
Blind Sea Bass. I think he's a regular here on
the Ben mallor show calling from Nashville, Adam Ashley, Blind SeaBASS,
what's up?
Speaker 4 (24:24):
What have y'all?
Speaker 6 (24:25):
So?
Speaker 10 (24:25):
First off, Kevin with years man, I would agree with
you usually except for this one. I gotta I gotta
disagree because it's early signing periods actually helped us keep
the number one quarterback in the state of Tennessee, in
the state of Tennessee who is playing for my Commodorees
next year. So I'm happy that, you know, deciding day
was early.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
You know, the personal benefit for you, I understand and
I get you for people in this situation, And congratulations
to Vandy in the turnaround they've had. It's been great,
but I think you have more uniformity. But that's just
my thing.
Speaker 10 (24:56):
This has been an amazing season for us, but as
so the rules that what I would change is with
the challenges in all the leagues except for hockey, let's
follow their model. You get one challenge and you get
one time out. If you challenge a play and you
lose it, not only do you lose your time out.
Speaker 5 (25:17):
But you also get a penalty.
Speaker 10 (25:20):
So it'll stop some of this, you know, having to
keep running them back and forth to the to review
a play. If it's not oh dude, i've strength too
much night.
Speaker 11 (25:32):
Oh, if it's not, if.
Speaker 10 (25:34):
It's not a booth review, you get one time out
and if you are one time out and one challenge
and if you lose it. If you lose the challenge,
then it's a fifteen yard penalty for an unfortunate life conduct.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
That's harsh. It's very harsh for those who hate ins
to replay and don't like going back to the command
censor perfect and slowing down the game. I get it.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
One thing. I'll meet you halfway on. I would not
necessarily be opposed to there being more authority and have
the being a sky judge, because now they'll say they'll
look and see if a guy scored, and they'll say
the sky judge said x y or Z and they'll
just keep on pushing. If we did that a lot
more often, it took the challenges and lessen the challenges,
I think the game would move a lot more. We
wouldn't be bogged down as much as we are. So
I do think they should probably adopt more of a
(26:16):
sky judge and have more officials up top telling the
officials on the field, Wow, let's keep it pushing, no
needs to stop here. Well, I think that would help.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
We do have the hawkeye camera now where Jerry Renner
comes out and actually spots the ball on the field.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
Quite what the hawkeye cam is.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
He's pretty exact with it. Actually, he's really good at it. No,
but they are getting better over time. Instant replay across
all sports is still somewhat new compared to you know
how far back we can go with these leagues. Uh,
they're streamlining it. Streamlining it will get there. They'll get
better and better. It'll be refined hopefully and take less
(26:53):
and less time. But I understand what blind and Sea
Bass is saying. Sea Bass kick his assy about apparently
kicked his ass and dropped his ass. Gunner in Minnesota's
calling in Gutner here on the Ben Mallor show. I'm
out of Mosley's Kevin figures in for Big Ben.
Speaker 12 (27:12):
Okay, what's up, guys, how's it going?
Speaker 2 (27:15):
Good? Gun, Happy to know your man. What's on your mind?
Speaker 3 (27:17):
I'm not allowed to drive.
Speaker 12 (27:19):
I got a couple of things I would like to
change the NBA, of course, I would like to switching
kings from East to West, and what's the East? But man,
so I think they go over to the East to
have a rival with Milwaukee and Chicago.
Speaker 5 (27:32):
That'd be great.
Speaker 3 (27:35):
Wait a second, wait, you want to realign?
Speaker 2 (27:37):
Like what, so, who are we.
Speaker 3 (27:40):
You want to realignment? Milwaukee and Chicago are already in
the East.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
Yeah, they've They've moved on. They moved out of the
Western Conference like forty years to the East.
Speaker 3 (27:49):
Yeah, Memph for the East. Yeah, I could see that
a couple of.
Speaker 12 (27:54):
Other seasons, switch them around. I want to see them
a couple of good rivals over there.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
Well if expansion, if when expansion happens, you're going to
see that. By the way, just to balance out on
the levels of the conference is if if you were
potentially going to expand to Las Vegas and Seattle, that's
two Western Conference teams right there, and so you would
think that Memphis would be like a natural move to
the east. Man So, yeah, in Minnesota too.
Speaker 12 (28:19):
Yeah, and I change baseball a little bit too.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
Okay, what do you want to change on baseball?
Speaker 12 (28:26):
Well, those divisions don't making it. Some of the divisions
don't make any sense. I'll tell you that. Because it's
the central Minnesota. I can't see I tendensee in with Minnesota.
In Cleveland and Detroit, how are they They're way.
Speaker 3 (28:45):
Far away from them geographically. We have real issues. But
what I say, why don't we just do away with
divisions and conferences altogether. Let's fix the whole thing right now,
not take just small measures.
Speaker 10 (28:58):
Yeah, that's that's true.
Speaker 12 (28:59):
I agree.
Speaker 7 (28:59):
I agree.
Speaker 2 (29:00):
Well, I'll say this, and this is something stop the
East versus West violence for major League Baseball at the
very least. It's something that Rob Manfred, who have not
been the biggest fan of, but I do like some
of the things he's done. This is actually one thing
that it's on his agenda before he retires here in
a couple of years. He wants to do away with
the American of the National League, and he wants to
make it regional. He wants to make it east and
(29:21):
west and make it more geographically relevant or based as
opposed to having the Ale in the NL. So I
know it's going to ruffle a lot of feathers for
a lot of people, but it wouldn't necessarily bother me
that much.
Speaker 3 (29:33):
Haven't we seen like somebody put together what some of
the faux divisions could be then, or a mock division,
and you have like the Giants and the A's and
the same division with the Angels and the Dodgers because
they're all on the West coast with the Seattle Mariners,
and that's how they're kind of combining things, right. Yeah,
I get that. I just I don't like this East
(29:53):
versus West stuff. Kevin, We've been through this in the nineties.
We have to stop.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
He's just trying to keep the peace, man, I feel it.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
Let's go to Rob calling from Memphis. We're putting your
team in the Eastern Conference soon.
Speaker 12 (30:04):
Rob.
Speaker 3 (30:04):
What's up you're on with Kevin and Adam and for
Ben Maller.
Speaker 6 (30:07):
Hey, it's my birthday. Happy New Year, everybody.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
Happy New Year, and happy birthday to you brother.
Speaker 6 (30:13):
Thank you.
Speaker 5 (30:13):
I appreciate it. I'm going to an Indian conversation as well.
I personally love the NBA Cup and I think we
can improve it a little bit. Even though it was
great this year. I love the intensitary brought out and
see how people are complaining it felt like playoff atmosphere
in the.
Speaker 6 (30:33):
Middle of the season. So come on, you know, I.
Speaker 3 (30:36):
Rob your appreciates with the choir here. I'm glad we
found you tonight. There is somebody who believes in the
NBA Cup.
Speaker 5 (30:43):
Yeah, I mean, I gotta admit I'm a soccer fan
as well, so I'm kind of already accustomed to a
mid season tournament, so you know, it went overwell with me.
But hey, it's just gotten better each year so far.
People just need to give it some time. But what
I would do, though, to add some interest to it,
We need to add some stakes to it.
Speaker 6 (31:01):
We don't care that.
Speaker 5 (31:01):
They get some extra money, you know, good for them,
But to make us care a little bit more, how
about we guarantee them a playoff spot for winning the
NBA Cup or guarantee them a draft spot for the
NBA Cup.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
I am so happy that you said this. This is
something that I've talked about from day one. When it
comes to the Cup. There has to be something in
it for the fans. The players playing harder in an
October and November game is great, they should anyway, But
the system is what it is. They're trying to incentivize
the guys to play harder and give them something to
play towards, which is five hundred grand if they won
(31:37):
the tournament. That's phenomenal for them. I, as a fan
of the team, could care less if they're padding their
pockets with five does nothing for me. So to your point,
maybe it's given them a bonus draft pick at the
end of the first round. Maybe we can say, no, go.
Speaker 6 (31:52):
On, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. No.
Speaker 5 (31:55):
Look, can I say one more thing? How about for
the guys that you know don't make it because I
don't like the idea of tanking, you know, for some
of these teams that I think do it.
Speaker 3 (32:07):
Well, we'll get to that later in the show. By
the way, Rob.
Speaker 5 (32:10):
Continuing, Yeah, to me, tanking is kind of like fixing. Oops,
shouldn't have said that on the radio. But anyway, the
last let's say four teams that are in there, let's
make them play, uh, for that for that draft spot,
you know, for the for the number one draft spot.
How about a you know, a little consolation tournament, you know,
(32:30):
one game tournament for the.
Speaker 2 (32:33):
Must have been listening to me over the past three
or four years, man, I swear this is great. Minds
think alike because I've been saying this to us. How
about having a secondary playoff tournament where you actually have
to play for the first overall pick. Yeah, the players
get the players get compence, the players are going to
make money, and the team is going to play for
a situation where they can actually find a way to
get the top draft pick.
Speaker 3 (32:54):
I mean you might have to make the GM and
the owners play. Who care more than the players about
the first pick? But I do agree that would be
really interesting.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
Well, and that's in the situation like that, Adam, you
would have to incentivize it for the players. It's a
reverse of the NBA Cup.
Speaker 3 (33:06):
You get to keep your job. How about that.
Speaker 2 (33:08):
You're incentivizing it for the fans by tying some sort
of draft compensation with something else into the cup, and
you're incentivating centivizing it for the players financially in a
playing for a draft pick situation.
Speaker 3 (33:19):
These are idea for it, Kevin, Should we keep this
going in the next segment.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
I still have more calls coming in about this. This
has been a fun topic, so let's keep this going.
Speaker 3 (33:27):
Eight seven, seven ninety nine on Fox.
Speaker 2 (33:30):
Nine on Fox, sorry to cut you off, Adam Whead.
Speaker 3 (33:32):
No, I cut you off first. Gosh jinks all right,
coming up next more fn A here in for Ben Mallor.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
Happy New Year. A little bit, a little bit of a.
Speaker 3 (33:43):
Car crash there, we crashed Ben's car just for a second.
He's it's a nice car. It's a nice car. It's
a McLaren. We'll be back next, coming back with your
phone calls. Eight seven, seven ninety nine on Fox. I'm
Adam Allislin. He's Kevin Figures. Happy New Year. It's FNA
in on the Ben Malor Show.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
Please talk to me, please, f and A Cotton Welcome
back in. We are alive from the Fox Sports Radio studios.
Kevin Figures Adam Alson filling in for Ben Malard. Happy
New Year to everybody. Be sure to check out our
brand new YouTube channel for the show. Just search Ben
Malors Show within YouTube. Again, that's Ben Malard's show. Be
sure to hit the subscribe button and don't stop there.
(34:23):
Hit that thumbs up icon and comment away. Let us
know when you agree with us and when you disagree.
Go check out our brand new channel again. Just search
Ben Malers show on YouTube and subscribe.
Speaker 8 (34:33):
Thank god for the Internet.
Speaker 3 (34:34):
All right, we're talking about what change you would make
to your favorite sport, and we got Joel coming in,
calling in from Seattle. Joel, what's up? You're on with
Adam Ousle and Kevin Figures?
Speaker 5 (34:45):
How you doing?
Speaker 7 (34:47):
Happy New Year? I was calling because I'm a long
time I grew up with the SuperSonics and we're opening
Adam Silver. We'll give us our team back.
Speaker 3 (35:00):
But anyway that will happen, that will happen at some point,
Joels hashtag Sonic Scape.
Speaker 7 (35:08):
Other than that, I want I wanted to tell you
about Tommy lasorda rant when he went to take Doug
Raw out in the eighty one versus the Yankees.
Speaker 2 (35:21):
For sure, Yeah, I'm aware of the rant, and I'm
curious of the relevance to what's going on tonight. But
sure is baklava involved. That was a different bakua.
Speaker 7 (35:31):
Yeah, no, that was that was a different one.
Speaker 4 (35:35):
He told He told Doug Raw, you can't get this
guy out.
Speaker 7 (35:38):
That guy out was Vicky Rivers, Jackson and the other guy. Anyway,
it's hilarious.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
You're ash, Yes it is. Yea. Doug Rowl was a
picture for the Dodgers and Tommy the sorta went out
there and Doug was trying to plead his case to
stay in the game, and Tony was basically saying, I
don't give a bleep, give me the bleeping ball. Yes,
very funny, you can look it up. What else do
you have in your mind tonight?
Speaker 7 (36:00):
Or Davy Lopes walks in and says, hey, Tommy, you're
causing the scene, and he says, who won that f
for you?
Speaker 6 (36:09):
Anyway?
Speaker 7 (36:10):
Uh So, I wanted to talk about what do you
think of the game Saturday night? Are the Hawks gonna win?
Speaker 6 (36:18):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (36:18):
We're talking about the Seahawks burs of the forty nine
ers for the number one overall seed in the NFC.
Speaker 7 (36:27):
Gotta gotta bottle up McCaffrey.
Speaker 2 (36:31):
That is true. I will say this. You're gonna have
to listen to fn A on FSR on Friday night
last Saturday morning to figure out what our official prediction
for that game is gonna be. How about that?
Speaker 3 (36:40):
That's a good tease, But you'll hear from Jeff Schwartz.
Speaker 2 (36:44):
Yeah, we will ask Jeff Schwartz about it. Our colleague
here f Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (36:47):
The Swartz is with us tonight.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
Yeah, Seri.
Speaker 3 (36:50):
Schwartz is as big as ours, so.
Speaker 2 (36:51):
He'll give his thoughts on that game and many others
around college and pro football. All right, Joel, appreciate your college.
Speaker 3 (36:56):
Thanks Sean Wisconsin, Sean, what's up with that?
Speaker 7 (37:00):
An A?
Speaker 2 (37:00):
And for Ben Maller, what's going on?
Speaker 3 (37:05):
New Year?
Speaker 2 (37:06):
What's going on?
Speaker 13 (37:07):
Happy New Year to you guys, too.
Speaker 3 (37:10):
Happy near?
Speaker 2 (37:11):
So what's on your mind?
Speaker 3 (37:13):
Sean?
Speaker 13 (37:13):
Oh, you know, I'm a little what I want what
I called in to talk about you guys, I'm talking
about no more. So I'm just gonna switch it up
and say that. You know, I appreciate you guys talking
sports talk on New Year's You know a lot of
people take off on this day, and I just appreciate
you guys being at work.
Speaker 3 (37:32):
Yeah, Draymond Green, people work on holidays. It's not just
basketball players out there. Okay. I know you're making the
ultimate sacrifice. You're real servant to the people. I'm sorry
he can he.
Speaker 6 (37:46):
Needs to retire, but that's beside the point.
Speaker 13 (37:49):
Anyways, I just wanted to give you guys appreciation. Man,
give you guys the props man. Appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (37:54):
I appreciate you listening. Thanks for the support man, Thank you.
Speaker 3 (37:56):
Did we go one segment too long with the college?
What's happening right now?
Speaker 2 (38:00):
Getting later and later until the night or earlier and
earlier into the morning, depending on how you want to
look at it.
Speaker 3 (38:05):
We can try one more.
Speaker 2 (38:06):
That's kind of how this goes. Adam.
Speaker 3 (38:07):
Is this Versace in Seattle, of course, Versace Versace.
Speaker 11 (38:11):
Hello, Hello, Happy New Year, Happy New Year. I want
to say a long time listeners, but I had a
couple of rule changes that I would like the NFL
to adopt, thank god. First one, I hate the on
side kicks. I would much rather than have like a
fourth and fifteen to have the team spoke forward on there.
(38:33):
That would be way better than the onside kick rule
that we got right now, like a slim chance of
it being successful, So fourth and fifteen would be better
to watch.
Speaker 3 (38:42):
I feel like, Kevin, what do you think about that?
Speaker 2 (38:44):
I don't disagree with that at all. If you're going
to tell people that they have to declare for onside kick,
and I understand why they do it for safety purposes.
Then just get rid of it completely and have them
to be able to do it fourth or fifteen. The
conversion rate on it, especially since they've changed it, has
been astronomically low, so what's the point. Yeah, So just
have it be fourth and fifteen or fourth and twenty.
I think the UFL does this. I think they make
(39:04):
it like a fourth and twenty instead of an on
side kick. It's an exciting play. I'd much rather go
that route. So I agree with you on.
Speaker 11 (39:11):
That for sure, for sure. And the other one I
wanted to change is I hate the idea of there
being a tie, So I wish like in the regular
season they have overtime like they do in the playoffs,
so there's no ties.
Speaker 3 (39:25):
Have we gotten I know we got the Cowboys and
the Packers tie this season? Did we get to.
Speaker 2 (39:30):
That was the only one this year?
Speaker 3 (39:32):
I think the average has been two?
Speaker 2 (39:34):
Yeah per year.
Speaker 3 (39:35):
I mean, how many games do they play? Over three
hundred games per year.
Speaker 2 (39:38):
Or something like that, fifty something games or something like that.
Speaker 3 (39:41):
We we can deal with a couple of ties. I
almost like the wonkiness of it and just the awkwardness
of teams being like, well, we played pretty hard tonight
and you know, we wanted to win, but we didn't
lose either.
Speaker 2 (39:51):
So it was the NFL talking out of both sides
of his mouth to a certain degree when they say, like,
we care about players safety, we don't want them out
there playing for much longer than they need to. But yeah,
we're sitting here talking about having potentially eighteen you know
game regular season when you have you know, guys tearing
acls and achilles every other week, yep, yep, yep.
Speaker 11 (40:09):
And then one more thing, one more thing. Some of
the flags that are thrown are terrible. I wish we
to review the flags.
Speaker 3 (40:17):
Review the flags, review the flags.
Speaker 11 (40:19):
Some of them are still are off.
Speaker 3 (40:22):
This is some meta humor going on.
Speaker 2 (40:24):
There absolutely a review.
Speaker 7 (40:26):
The review, review, review.
Speaker 2 (40:29):
The penalty penalties. He wants penalties to be under instant,
replay them play well. It's like, I mean, how much
longer do you want these games to last? I mean,
I think bri has a thought on this. For as
far as pass interference plays, I know that. Well, I'm
just traumatized from twenty eighteen, right.
Speaker 3 (40:45):
We're traumatized from happening to hear about it from you
for so long. Its twenty eighteen. I will never get
over it. Never I'll go.
Speaker 2 (40:51):
Down neither if I were you horrible.
Speaker 3 (40:55):
Have you ever been cheated with one of your teams, Kevin?
Speaker 2 (40:57):
Never once, It's never happened.
Speaker 3 (40:59):
Tuck Rule more Fina coming up next in for Ben
Maller here on Fox Sports Radio
Host
Ben Maller
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