July 16, 2025 • 34 mins
Colin celebrates the MLB All Star game for embracing change and the payoff being one of the more entertaining events of the summer reversing course on what was a declining sport 5 years ago. He believes the WNBA has a major problem that needs to be addressed after Caitlin Clark suffers another injury. Colin also talks to NFL reporter Albert Breer about Nick Saban potentially returning to coach in the pros and if the Cowboys are possible landing spot.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Herd podcast. Be sure to
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by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Here we go.
(00:21):
It is a midweek Wednesday. Hey tell me this is
a slow week. It doesn't feel like it. We've got
a lot to talk about. We are live, We're in Chicago.
It's The Herd, Jmac Major League Baseball. I know on
these shows, nobody likes anybody in power. They don't like.
They don't like people in Canada. If you're the prime minister,
(00:42):
everybody's devisive. Nobody likes commissioners, but Rob Manfred Baseball has
been a case study in how to pivot in a
business that's got tradition and lore and history and a
lot of purists. Last night was three and a half
hours of great television for an exhibition. It was really good?
(01:03):
Was that not fun? That was as good as all? Yeah?
I mean the Pro Bowls unwatchable, NBA All Star Games unwatchable.
I know I'm gonna sound like a Homer. But the
Fox production on that broadcast last night was magnificent, a
masterclass in TV production. Between that the ABS system, lots
of runs. Let's talk about it because major League Baseball
(01:26):
a couple of years ago got over itself and decided
let's lean into entertainment. They didn't need to revolutionize. They
just kind of needed to retro fit. What the twenty
three year olds and thirty one year olds, what do
they want to watch? Home run derby ratings up last night?
I'm sure ratings will be significantly up. Miking Clayton Kershaw
(01:50):
a legend? Are Sandy Kofax? Miking him? I could have
sat and watched that for an hour. Here's a clip.
I can't believe you're doing this, Clayton.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Okay, e there, let's try to throw some cheese real quick.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Hold on.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
All right?
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Going cheese again?
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Oh yeah, that's smart. I mean you and Paul Skeens
are pretty much the same guy right down the middle.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
I'm so glad you didn't swing.
Speaker 4 (02:14):
What do you want, smoltzy?
Speaker 3 (02:15):
What do you want? Cut her in? Slider in?
Speaker 2 (02:18):
I don't throw a cutter smelty slider, son of them?
Speaker 4 (02:21):
All right, what's the count too too, so weird.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Talking to you guys.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
It's kind of.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Hey, sit him.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
Down, thanks guys.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
That was fun.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
That was fun.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
I kind of just sat and watched that. That's fascinating,
an inside glimpse, lean into entertainment, lean into technology. Now
some of baseball's growth, it's because Aaron Judge plays for
the Yankees, no tany plays for the Dodgers, and the
Dodgers have might as well have a Nationalague All Star team,
but they're stars in Kansas City and stars in Pittsburgh,
and the sport just stop fawning over tradition and stop
(02:56):
taking itself so seriously and also wearing the real jerseys
for casuals and purists alike. That last two years have
been amazing by this sport. And so the National League
jumped out to a six nothing lead. I was just
about ready to tweet NL once again better than the AL.
But they had a big six inning, a couple of
home runs for the National League, and it looked like
(03:17):
Paul Stein's was going to walk out of there with
a win. But that didn't last long because the American
League roared back from a six nothing deficit because of Hello,
the Sacramento A's Brent Rooker, let's hear it, wait to
go with Pete A. Lonzo, Let's hear it for the
Sacramento A's bringing the American League back from a six
(03:38):
to nothing deficit. So then as they eventually tied it,
they didn't go to extra innings because teams don't want
to have players then flying home off a fourteen inning game.
So they went to a swing off, and the great
Kyle Schwarber, who just hits bombs for all living went
three for three. And here's how it ended. They rallied
(04:01):
in the game and has rallied in the swing of tricks.
Look out chop house. National League takes the lead four
to three. Unbelievable. The National League wins it in the
first swing off.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Kyle Schumer wins it going three for three.
Speaker 5 (04:23):
I gotta say, you know, it was pretty exciting, Like
all of a sudden, here we go in the in
the camaraderie that you you kind of build these last
couple of days with the team, I think went into
overdrive there, Like guys were i mean our side to
see how excited they were out there, and like, you know,
it's like, you know, whiffleball in the backyard. Here we go,
(04:46):
let's do it again.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Didn't need to revolutionize the sport, speed it up, retro
fit it, make moments big events that felt big last night.
That's the best All Star game in any sport I've
watched in five or six years. And the last time
I saw a great All Star game it was baseballs.
But now, and you know, listen, some of it is
the stars are in Philadelphia, in LA and New York,
(05:09):
the Mets and the Yankees, and and some of it's
that Chicago, but a lot of it is Rob Manfred
just saying, leaning into networks, listening to Fox and other
networks on making more moments big. The technology was great.
It doesn't hurt that Joe Davis sounds like a young
Vin Scully. It just felt magnificent. It felt big, and
(05:31):
baseball has been in about a three year heater. Two
things can be true. You can respect tradition but not
be beholden to it. And that's what baseball has done
a very good job of. And last night fantastic, just
fantastic television. Beginning to end. I watched an hour and
a half of the pregame show. That's how much. I
(05:52):
was into it. Okay, so I said yesterday this. You
know it's July. So any little breadcrumb of an NBA
or star rumor, it's an inferno. I don't buy Lebron
James is going to get traded. He's still really good.
It's an expiring contract. Let's see what happens to the
trade deadline. The Lakers could have even more leverage. But
(06:14):
I'm looking at the betting odds today and they are
heating up that Dallas. Dallas is the favorite now to
get Lebron James. Well, if that's the case, Lebron wins again.
No state tax, upgraded coach Cooper flag reunited with Anthony Davis.
(06:37):
Are you kidding me? Let's be honest about the Lakers.
I think JJ Reddick had a decent first year. I
like him. We don't know if he's ever going to
be as good as Jason Kidd. Maybe not. He got
worked in the series against Minnesota. DeAndre Ayton doesn't defend
and has an attitude and has in Phoenix and Portland.
Austin Reeves, I'm told, can't trade him seriously, not much
(07:02):
of a bench, not much size so or no state tax.
Jason Kidd unbelievable size, including a D. I mean I
said this, yet you have Luca. But here's a potential lineup. Now,
for simplicity's sake, I said, if you did a trade,
let's say you give them Coop, you give them Klayt Thompson, PJ. Washington,
(07:26):
Daniel Gafford two to three first round picks. This is
the Mavericks lineup, Kyrie Irving, Cooper Flag, Lebron, Anthony Davis,
and Derek Lively. Now again, they'll probably need a third
team and you'll have to give up a couple of
first round picks. But who cares. You have Cooper Flag
and Derek Lively. You've got a great wing and a
(07:47):
great big on rookie deals for years. So you're telling
me this is a punishment for Lebron. I would sign
up for that today. Better coach reunited with two guys
I've played very well with and won a title with
Kyrie and Anthony Davis and the great domestic star. And
here's the thing with Lebron. Lebron is forty one years old.
(08:09):
He does not want to be in the floor defending
at an elite level. He doesn't well Anthony Davis and
Lively are great rim protectors, so you don't have to
worry about that. And Cooper Flag, at least at the
college level, is an excellent defender. I don't know if
Cooper Flag is going to be a great offensive player
in the NBA. He's gonna be a really good defender. Okay,
so he may only average twenty four tops, I don't
(08:30):
know he'll defend year one. So if this is the
punishment for Lebron James, sign up now for it. I
don't think it's gonna happen. Here was Anthony Slater from
The Athletic on a potential Lebron trade out of LA.
Speaker 6 (08:46):
The Lakers, you know, can go search for, you know,
a younger co star for Luka Doncics in the in
the market if they want to. Flexibility optionality has become
a popular term in the league, and that's clearly what
the Lakers they are prioritizing here. And it's understandable. Just
look at the ages.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Right.
Speaker 6 (09:04):
Lebron's gonna turn forty one next year. It's unbelievable what
he's been able to do.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
But as you.
Speaker 6 (09:09):
Mentioned, locking into longer term money on him, you know,
kind of handcuffed them a little bit on building around Luca.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
Listen, if if Lebron won a fourth title and that
team with Anthony Davis, if you can keep Lively in
Anthony Davis as rim protectors, because you're gonna have to
get they have so much depth in Dallas in their
front line. They're huge, best center rotation in the league.
Lakers need, I mean Deondre eight and you're going to
be over him by like January fifteenth. You're going to
be over his act. So you could get some size
(09:40):
from Dallas, a bunch of draft picks, and I think
that's what the new owners want. They don't want to
be tied to like gigantic, massive contract. You probably have
to give up Klay Thompson. He could come back to
Los Angeles. Michael Thompson, his dad, a very nice guy,
played for the Lakers. Send him draft picks size. But
if that's punishment, I said this. You know, sports is
(10:01):
a little like the stock market. It just depends on
the day. The tariffs are going to ruin the economy.
I don't know. I looked at the stock market this week.
It's at forty four thousand plus the Dow. It just
depends on the day the moment, the reaction, investor sentiment.
When this trade got done, Luca to the Lakers, it
was the end of the Mavericks franchise. And I said,
(10:22):
on this show in front of this microphone, no it's not.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Now.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Dallas fell apart physically, so it looked far worse than
it was. But Laker fans got a glimpse of what
Luca is singularly, a profoundly gifted offensive player, that's what
he is. And he kind of feels like he's aging quickly.
So you know, I've always said that you can talk
about guys all you want. When they're on your team,
(10:46):
you pay close attention. Everybody said Lakers are going to
win titles and Dallas is done, and I kept saying, no,
they're not. They've got a great coach, it's an attractive place.
They got Kyrie, they've got Anthony Davis and a man
center rotation. And in the NBA, guards and bigs are
really important. Right now. You know, you're gonna have to
(11:08):
defend Jokic, gonna have to defend Wemby, you gotta defend Giannis.
You know you gotta have bigs. Okay, see, you won
a title, had two Bigs, Holmgren, Hartenstein. So this is
just so funny. The way sports works is everybody thought
Dallas was doomed. If this thing came to fruition, sign
me up for Dallas minimum Western Conference finals. J Mac
(11:31):
doesn't want to hear it. I'm becoming a Mavericks fan.
My only question is would the GM Nico Harrison want
to make another deal. I would do that deal in
one second. I'd give you two bigs, three first round picks,
Klay Thompson, put in a third team and every I've
said this before, Austin Reeves with Lebron James, you're talking
(11:53):
yourself into Wow. Put Austin Reeves in Washington and he disappears,
He disspeers. Kyle Kuzman disappeared in Washington, and he's his
talent that as Austin reads are close.
Speaker 7 (12:06):
So Colin, yeah, yeah, obviously, if you're the MAVs, you
do this deal in a heartbeat. What's in it for
the Lakers?
Speaker 1 (12:12):
What are we doing?
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Those picks they're gonna be garbage.
Speaker 7 (12:14):
There's two or three picks. They're gonna be like twenty
seven to thirty two.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
Remember, you have new ownership and they want to build
it there. What did the Dodgers do when Mark Walter
came in? Give us draft picks, get our front office right.
They do not want aging players. The Lakers history is
size wins, get draft picks. And by the way, when
Lebron contract is off the books and he's out, then
(12:40):
you can go big game hunting in one year. I
don't think it's gonna happen. I don't. But if that's
punishment for all the people that think Lebron's gonna get traded,
I would sign up today for that deal.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
Well wait a sec.
Speaker 7 (12:52):
If I'm the Lakers, there's no way I'm doing the deal.
But if you swap out Gafford for Lively, Lively's younger,
he does seem a little injury prone, younger and cheaper.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
I want that. I don't want.
Speaker 7 (13:02):
I'm sorry, I don't want the Daniel Gafford contract on
my books. By the way, the Lakers want clean books
because they think maybe Jokics could be available in a
year or two. Yanis could be available in the year
or two. I don't know where they come to La.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
To play with Luca.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Well, if san Antonio starts winning, you're gonna have to
go through Wemby. So if I'm the Lakers, the reason
I think of doing this deal with Dallas is I
need a front line. DeAndre Ayton doesn't defend. We're very cool.
We may see it this year with all the way
that dominoes are falling for San Antonio, the West may
go through San Antonio, not Denver Oklahoma City if Wemby
(13:40):
becomes what we think is because Wemby's already got a
couple of kids next to him that can really play.
So if it has to go through Wemby, you can't
have Jackson Hayes or DeAndre Ayton. You need multiple bigs
and multiple fouls.
Speaker 7 (13:53):
What about the Houston Rockets? Does Kevin Durant have a say?
Speaker 1 (13:56):
I think they're te I love that team this year.
In the next year, your team with KD, Let's see
what transpires.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
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Speaker 1 (14:12):
It's me Rob Parker.
Speaker 8 (14:15):
Check out my weekly MLB podcast, Inside the Parker for
twenty two minutes of piping hot baseball talk featuring the
biggest names the newsmakers in the sport, whether you believe
in analytics or the ie test, We've got all the
bases covered. New episodes drop every Thursday, so do yourself
a favor and listen to Inside the Parker with Rob
(14:37):
Parker on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Welcome back. You know, for years and years I always said,
the audience drives the bus of this show. I watch
you and see what you're watching, and I follow your lead.
And if we were just talking about this as a
staff three years ago, I would not have been spending
this much time on baseball or the WNBA. I watched
the ratings they increased. I follow you. So it's just
(15:04):
very refreshing for me. In July, we don't have to
talk a ton of NFL yet because there's really good
stuff going on. And last night I watched as I
was watching the All Star Game, I was on another TV.
I was watching Caitlin Clark in the Indiana Fever. So
I've compared her to Michael Jordan, not stylistically obviously, but
in merchandise sales. Kind of a dynastic TV rating changer.
(15:27):
And in year one, like you just were like Wow,
nobody plays like that. And then in year two Michael
Jordan got hurt. And then in year two for Caitlyn Clark,
she's getting banged up and hurt. Why did the Jay
always get hurt early? Because they were tackling and nobody
knew how to stop him. And the WNBA officiating is
just changed like it's it was always a physical league,
(15:49):
now it's insane. So last night she gets hurt again
and she's in a shooting slump. But I think a
lot of it is she's banged up in year two
like Michael Jordan, and Michael was fighting to come back
and she's fighting to come back and she reinjured a groin.
So she's still scoring and still a team leader and assists,
but she's been banged up. And you know, by the
way her brother went to social media last night, no
(16:12):
lies told Colin Clark said, make no mistake, this is
on the reffing and even Stephanie White Fever coach, has
noticed it. The officials are just letting a lot of
stuff go that almost feels inappropriate.
Speaker 9 (16:27):
I'm not exactly sure why, but it just is what
it is, and we've got to help her learn to
adjust and use it against them in certain ways. You know,
we've got to find find some ways to make it
a little bit easier for her. But the level of
physicality overall in our league has been at a different
level than it's been for a long time.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
And so she's probably hurt again and again. It has
an MJ feel rocket to the moon year two. A
lot of physicality allowed injuries. Nobody quite knows how to
defend her. You know, the Pistons are picking on the
Celtics are picking on MJ, who's dropping fifty and Caitlin
Clark now is alienating some of the players. And I
(17:10):
you know, Hollywood knows how to handle stars. There's a playbook,
but I noticed this when Tiger Woods came to the
PGA tour at the first or Caitlin Clark a little turbulence.
They don't quite have a playbook on how to do it.
And I think that right now they need better officials.
Right now, WNBA officials make less, according to the Washington Post,
(17:31):
than college officials do. That's a problem. They're paying as
little as one hundred and eighty dollars to WNBA officials.
I'm sorry the leagues are arrived four fifty minimum, five
fifty six, fifty seven fifties what officials should be making.
But what Caitlin Clark is is she is little a
little bit like a black light in a hotel room,
or she's illuminating all the flaws and you bring that
(17:53):
black light in and uh, oh, need another cleaning crew
in the hotel room. So first she illuminated, uh the
executive level of the w n b A and their
inability to market or kind of ce around corners. Then
she illuminated how second and third tier the w NBA
travel was. And then she sort of provided a glimpse
(18:15):
of the pettiness and the tribal nature of this this
league which is still young. And you know, also she
kind of provided a glimpse of black light on the
women's Olympic basketball movement and how silly that was and
behind the curve that was. So she's really providing glimpses
of you, you're seeing all of it in real time.
(18:37):
Is that she's saying, guys, let's get let's get better fast.
And she's almost like a stress test to a power grid.
And we've got rolling blackouts in the w n b A.
They just the league, the marketing, the players, the travel.
Now we're seeing the officiating needs to be upgraded. So
I don't want to be too punitive because the games
(18:58):
are fun to watch when she involved, but she is
really kind of giving you a glimpse in real time
of how the league needs to improve. And I think
the officiating is the next step that she's going to
do to officiating what she did at travel. It's timed upgrade.
You can't have college officials making more than WNBA officials,
(19:20):
and I got nothing against college officiating. Women's basketball is,
you know, by and large, more national and popular than
the WNBA has been for years until Caitlin arrived. But
the officiating's out of control. I mean, Sophie Cunningham last
night looked like hockey. They got checked into the boards.
You know, well, she's flopping. Not really, it was a
stiff arm. I don't think it was flopping. So it's
(19:42):
just the latest illumination. And this is what happened when
a star shows up on tour. The marketing's got to
get better, the travels got to get better, the security's
got to get better better, the executive suites got to
get better. And you're seeing all of it.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and Eastern not a Empacific.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
A couple of things bouncing around in the NFL. About
a year ago, I kind of suggested if I was
the Steelers, with all the money they have on defense,
I'd shop around TJ. Watt. He's mostly healthy, great lineage,
and the family is a great player. Eric Mangini disagrees
with me, But my take is they've got so much
(20:25):
money on defense, if you can get a couple of
second round picks, I'd go for it. Well, now there
are stories that the Steelers are at least, you know,
taking phone calls. Albert Breer joins us live listen. If
you look at the division, but Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson,
obviously Cleveland's going to go, and then they got two
first rounders. They're going for a quarterback next year. You're
(20:45):
kind of unsettled at quarterback. My take is, there's about
I said this yesterday, Albert, there's about seven quarterbacks. There's
about eight left tackles, and about five or six defensive linemen,
mostly young. Jalen Carter, Jared Vers, Miles Garrett's not young
that I just I'm not taking a phone call on.
Speaker 4 (21:07):
Pons.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
I take a phone call on Michael Parsons because I'm
overpaying Deck. So my take is, thirty year old TJ. Watt, Yeah,
I'm going to take a phone call. What are your
thoughts on this?
Speaker 2 (21:20):
I think it would make sense if they were in
a different spot as a team, But so much of
the idea of just acquiring Aaron Rodgers in the first
place was tied to getting the most out of the
core that they had in place, and they've been competitive
with over the last few years, and it was just
the idea of tradinging for draft picks would fly in
the face of why you acquired Rogers in the first place,
(21:41):
you know. So I think if they were again, if
they had made the decision that say, like Miami made
to retool the way that Miami has this offseason, or
the way San Francisco has retooled this offseason, you might
look at it as an opportunity to get a lot
of capital back and really kind of to you know,
a rebuild or a retooling of your roster.
Speaker 4 (22:03):
But that's not the spot Pittsburgh's in right now.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
And so, you know, I just look at that roster
and I see Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay and Aaron
Rodgers and even DK metcalf as an older twenty seven
year old because he's on his third contract now and
he's been a little beat up.
Speaker 4 (22:19):
Cam Hayward's at the very end of his career.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
You just look around there and it's like, well, why
do you have all of those guys.
Speaker 4 (22:27):
In the first place if you're going to get rid
of the best one of them, you know.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
So, I think the spot the Steelers are in right
now they need TJ. Watt, and I think the presence
of Aaron Rodgers is something that Watt's been waiting for
since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger. So I think it's
one of those situations where you can see where if
one or the other were in a different spot, a trade.
Speaker 4 (22:50):
Would make sense.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
This would make sense to the point to separate. But
I think the two of them as it stands right now,
need each other too much not to find a way
to get something done.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
So are the Jets They just gave a new contract
to Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson. What is the message
the Jets are sending? Why? Now? I get the players
but what's the message.
Speaker 2 (23:10):
Well, both those guys had a really strong spring, you know,
and I think there's a message there that.
Speaker 4 (23:14):
We are going to reward people who do it the
right way.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
And I think for Aaron Glenn and for Darren Moosey,
their new general manager coming in there, that's an important thing.
If you buy into the way that we're doing things,
you don't need to be our draft picks, you don't
need to be our signings. And you know, it's interesting
because I think when Aaron Glenn got to the Lions,
for the most part, they just brought in new guys,
but there were guys that they held on to that
(23:38):
became foundation pieces for him, right Taylor Decker, the left tackle,
Frank Ragnow with somebody that they inherited. And so you
see a bunch of guys that could be that for
the Jets going forward. That's not a roster devoided talent.
There's the basis of a really good defense. Quentnin Williams,
Jermaine Johnson, you know, Quincy Williams, Sauce Gardner.
Speaker 4 (23:58):
On the offensive side of the ball.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
You got here at Wilson, you got Olufashana, you got
Oliver Att Tucker, you got breisall these are all guys
that the new regime inherited. So if you want to
get those guys on board, you know what you do.
You get through the spring you say we really believe
in your talent. Now we believe in the person, and
we're going to go.
Speaker 4 (24:15):
And reward you. And I think Wilson and saw us
for the first two examples of it.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
Hey there was there are you know, this is the
silly season that you know, little breadcrumbs of information leak out.
And I saw the Nick Saban rumors. Lane Kiffin knows them. Well,
I think you'll come back, and I don't think. I
think NFL football is actually easier to coach as long
as you don't get a crazy owner. And I also
(24:40):
think because of the NIL you can't just fire coaches
like you used to. Teams that are going to boosters
they need fifteen to eighteen million for NIL money. They're
not paying sixty two million to get rid of Brian Kelly.
You're seventy million to get rid of Lincoln Riley. So
there's not going to be any openings at the best positions.
And Ryan Day is not going anywhere, and Dan Lanning's
crushing it starts doing well in link. There's nothing Kaylen
(25:02):
de Boor is going to turn it around this year.
Do you think somebody would take a call on Saban
in the NFL?
Speaker 4 (25:08):
You mean somebody would make a call on Saban?
Speaker 1 (25:10):
Yeah, right, yea, yeah.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
Sure, yeah, I mean I do, I think. I mean
it's been what I think now eighteen years since Saban
left the Dolphins to go to go to Alabama, and
one thing I've learned in covering the league over all
of that time is no one thought the guy couldn't coach.
Like the idea that the guy couldn't scheme at an
NFL level, couldn't lead at an NFL level that way
(25:35):
that was had zero to do with why it didn't work.
It was because of the program, and it was it
was demanding, and the quarterback situation didn't didn't work out
because of the way he had his program set up
back then. It was sort of this old school type
of deal where if you don't win quickly, if you
don't give players results quickly, they're going to tire of
(25:57):
that pretty quickly. And what have we seen do over
the last seventeen eighteen years. He constantly adapts you know,
like what a Nick Saban team was in two thousand
and eight and two thousand and nine was way different
than the teams that he had when Jerry Judy and DeVante.
Speaker 4 (26:12):
Smith were running all over the place, you know what
I mean.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
So he's adaptable, he's a really good football coach.
Speaker 4 (26:18):
He's well respected.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
I think it'd be a little bit like Belichick in
this way, and almost like when Tom Brady was a
free agent, right.
Speaker 4 (26:25):
It would be a very narrow group.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
Of teams that would be looking at the idea of
hiring him, Like you need to have a quarterback, you
need to live in a need to be in a
part of the country he was comfortable with, and you
would need to have a win now roster. But if
you have those three things in place, I mean, like
he's around the same age as Pete Carroll. So if
you're an owner looking for credibility, it makes sense to
(26:48):
hire Nick Saban. Like, if you've lost credibility in your
market and you feel like you've not you've got to
find a way to get it back fast. Hiring Nick
Saban could be a way to do that, and maybe
it would for all the reasons you laid out in
college and the pros appeal to Nick to come to
the NFL.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
Okay, I'm gonna throw this at you, Albert, and you
have a sense of history.
Speaker 4 (27:06):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
So he's the greatest college football coach of all time.
He goes to ESPN for a couple of years and
he's been an absolute home run as an analyst. Got
a little itch and there's he's not going to Jacksonville,
but Bryan Schottenheimer is over his skis, and Jerry Jones says,
I don't I don't want one of these NFL egos.
(27:29):
I you know what Jerry likes to do. He likes
to hire guys where they feel like they owe him
a little. And Jerry could go to Saban and go, Okay,
this Schottenneimery thing doesn't work. Jaden Daniels and Jalen Hurts,
I need a guy that knows college personnel. I'm just
saying Dallas. I don't think Saban would go to New York.
(27:51):
But if you're talking about guy, just just ego, best
college coach ever, absolute five star analyst on TV. He's
not challenged. He's still youthful, sharp as attack the Dallas
Cowboys call. He's not taking that call.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
It makes some sense for sure, you know, and I
guess geographical is not all that far from Trum where
he put down roots over the last you know, two decades.
I mean, the Giants are always going to be interesting because,
as you know, I'm sure Colin like the Maras were
fascinated with Nick and I think there was a point
in the nineties where they were trying to hire him
from Michigan State, so they've had an interest in him
(28:30):
going back that far right. Like, so I think it's
the first one that NFL people always consider, is like
would the Giants do it? Because there was that interest
about twenty years ago. The Cowboys are interesting because they
do have a lot of win now elements and he
could come in there and and really go into a
place that's set up for a strong coach. And it's
interesting because I think, you know, like the one thing
(28:54):
about Dallas that people misunderstand is yes, Jerry's involved in football,
but the coach is involved in scouting too, Like the
coach is involved in putting the team together, and that's
always been the way that it's been run there. And
in that like, they've got a really good personnel department.
Speaker 4 (29:09):
Will W.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
Clay does a great job, but they've always involved the
coach and how the team is put together. I think
it's why they've been able to put some really coherent
rosters over the last twenty years, you know, really going
back to when Parcels was there. The one question for
me is the spotlight factor right, And I think if
Jerry was going to do this, part of it would
(29:30):
be are you willing to take a back seat and
move away from the spotlight for a little bit to
see if Nick Saban can come and do it.
Speaker 4 (29:39):
But for a lot of different reasons, it does make sense.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
So look, I think Schottenheimer is going to do a
better job than most people do. But I mean, I
just think if you if you want to line the
whole thing up and say he needs to go to
a brand name, you know, he needs to go to
one of the flagship franchises. The part of the country
that it's in and the way they're set up, I
could see Saban working working in down.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
I think quiet I know this is a wacky topic, Albert,
but I think quietly, Nick Saban thinks he's a better
coach than Belichick, and if Belichick goes to so Belichick
can't win without Brady, goes to Carolina, it doesn't go well.
Nick goes to the NFL greatest college coach ever, unbelievable
(30:23):
media star, and wins in resurrects Dallas. I think Nick,
deep down thinks hell I would have won in Miami
if the if the doctor would have said okay with
Drew Brees. And I think Nick is so hyper competitive
it sticks in his crawl. I really do. And I
don't think it's crazy. I don't think it's nuts. There
you go, I'm nuts whatever. I don't care.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
Like, just from an NFL reporters standpoint, please come Nick.
Speaker 4 (30:47):
I would I would. I would love to have. I mean,
that storyline would be unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
I don't care what TV's with, like the idea of
having Nick Saban back in the NFL, just to see
if it would work, because he look like I don't
think like I remember as a kid, like looking back
at John Wooden right and thinking to myself, like you
looked at and I obviously wasn't born when Wooden was coaching,
but you looked at that track record of success at
(31:13):
UCLA as a basketball coach, said, no one's ever gonna
do that again, and Saban more or less did at Alabama,
maybe not quite the number of championship, but as far
as like a run of dominance, like I feel like
Saban was almost like John Wooden. So I mean, of course,
I think, I like, it'd be fascinating to see what
Nick Saban could do if you got another run at
(31:34):
the NFL, and I do I would say this like
I I mean, the players are thoroughly prepared for the
league that come out of that program. I mean, that
was always the thing with him, was like there were
two things about Nick Saban program. Nick Saban players coming
out of Alabama. They were beat up because they played
a physical style and practices were tough, and they were
maxed out. And that was actually a compliment to Saban
(31:56):
and saying Nick got everything he possibly could out of
every player.
Speaker 4 (32:00):
NFL people all had great respect for him.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
And again it was like his failure in Miami. I
think he'd be hard pressed to find a single person
in the NFL who would say he didn't win in
Miami because he wasn't a good enough coach.
Speaker 1 (32:14):
Yeah, by the way, we just spent eight minutes on
something that may never come to fruition and I'm I'm
I know I took a detour. I'm fascinated by it
because I think Nick tape Down wants to be mentioned
in the Andy Reid Belichick group. And I did, like
Jim Harball, Oh he's a Michigan man. He wanted to
these hyper competitive guys hardball, even at Michigan the minute
(32:39):
he had an opportunity justin Herbert's available.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
That loss to his brother and the super Bowl stuck
with him like you wouldn't. I mean, it's he was
right there at the mountaintop, and it's stuck with him.
And the one thing the Michigan job wasn't going to
get him was the chance to make that right. And
I mean, I think it in the same sort of
way the picking Dante Culpepper over Drew Brees thing in
(33:06):
two thousand and six is stuck with Nick Saban. I mean,
you remember column they were I was a promising team
coming out of the seven the five season. A lot
of people thought like, if Dante Culpeper hit and he
was the player that he had been a few years earlier,
that team could have been in the super Bowl. And
obviously it came undone, but yeah, I think Nick probably.
(33:27):
I think Nick looks at the decision, the quarterback decision
of two thousand and six, the same way that that
Jim Harbaugh looks back at that Super Bowl in twenty twelve.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
I'm going to keep this tape. Let's archive this, guys,
because we may we may have touched on magic magic
potion here. That's all I gotta say. All right, by
the way, here's my college football national title bubble. Throw
this up for albert I don't know how good Ohio
States quarterback is, but they have the best defensive player
and offensive player. I do a Super Bowl bubble about
once a month. I think Notre Dame and Bama. I
(34:02):
don't know how good the quarterback I have to work in.
What do you make of that?
Speaker 2 (34:10):
Yeah, yeah, that makes sense. I think Penn State's gonna
be really good. Oregons, Yeah, that totally makes sense. You
never rule out Georgia with Kirby, those those five seem
like a good five to be in there. I think
Notre Dame. I think Notre Dames can be really good again.
You know, Lloyd Carr's grandson is a quarterback there. I
(34:31):
think he's going to be a really good player. So
Notre Dame's interesting after the year they had last year.
But I think i'd probably agree with the five eight
inside the bubble all right, and on especially.
Speaker 4 (34:42):
The one in the top left corner there.
Speaker 1 (34:46):
That Penn State Ohio State game is gonna be won
for the ages. That is going to be crazy. Great,
see anybody, all right, Thanks calling
Thanks for listening to The Herd podcast. Be sure to
catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in
noon to three Eastern nine am to noon Pacific. Find
your local station for The Herd at Fox Sportsradio dot com,
or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app
by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Here we go.
(00:21):
It is a midweek Wednesday. Hey tell me this is
a slow week. It doesn't feel like it. We've got
a lot to talk about. We are live, We're in Chicago.
It's The Herd, Jmac Major League Baseball. I know on
these shows, nobody likes anybody in power. They don't like.
They don't like people in Canada. If you're the prime minister,
(00:42):
everybody's devisive. Nobody likes commissioners, but Rob Manfred Baseball has
been a case study in how to pivot in a
business that's got tradition and lore and history and a
lot of purists. Last night was three and a half
hours of great television for an exhibition. It was really good?
(01:03):
Was that not fun? That was as good as all? Yeah?
I mean the Pro Bowls unwatchable, NBA All Star Games unwatchable.
I know I'm gonna sound like a Homer. But the
Fox production on that broadcast last night was magnificent, a
masterclass in TV production. Between that the ABS system, lots
of runs. Let's talk about it because major League Baseball
(01:26):
a couple of years ago got over itself and decided
let's lean into entertainment. They didn't need to revolutionize. They
just kind of needed to retro fit. What the twenty
three year olds and thirty one year olds, what do
they want to watch? Home run derby ratings up last night?
I'm sure ratings will be significantly up. Miking Clayton Kershaw
(01:50):
a legend? Are Sandy Kofax? Miking him? I could have
sat and watched that for an hour. Here's a clip.
I can't believe you're doing this, Clayton.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Okay, e there, let's try to throw some cheese real quick.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Hold on.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
All right?
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Going cheese again?
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Oh yeah, that's smart. I mean you and Paul Skeens
are pretty much the same guy right down the middle.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
I'm so glad you didn't swing.
Speaker 4 (02:14):
What do you want, smoltzy?
Speaker 3 (02:15):
What do you want? Cut her in? Slider in?
Speaker 2 (02:18):
I don't throw a cutter smelty slider, son of them?
Speaker 4 (02:21):
All right, what's the count too too, so weird.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Talking to you guys.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
It's kind of.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Hey, sit him.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
Down, thanks guys.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
That was fun.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
That was fun.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
I kind of just sat and watched that. That's fascinating,
an inside glimpse, lean into entertainment, lean into technology. Now
some of baseball's growth, it's because Aaron Judge plays for
the Yankees, no tany plays for the Dodgers, and the
Dodgers have might as well have a Nationalague All Star team,
but they're stars in Kansas City and stars in Pittsburgh,
and the sport just stop fawning over tradition and stop
(02:56):
taking itself so seriously and also wearing the real jerseys
for casuals and purists alike. That last two years have
been amazing by this sport. And so the National League
jumped out to a six nothing lead. I was just
about ready to tweet NL once again better than the AL.
But they had a big six inning, a couple of
home runs for the National League, and it looked like
(03:17):
Paul Stein's was going to walk out of there with
a win. But that didn't last long because the American
League roared back from a six nothing deficit because of Hello,
the Sacramento A's Brent Rooker, let's hear it, wait to
go with Pete A. Lonzo, Let's hear it for the
Sacramento A's bringing the American League back from a six
(03:38):
to nothing deficit. So then as they eventually tied it,
they didn't go to extra innings because teams don't want
to have players then flying home off a fourteen inning game.
So they went to a swing off, and the great
Kyle Schwarber, who just hits bombs for all living went
three for three. And here's how it ended. They rallied
(04:01):
in the game and has rallied in the swing of tricks.
Look out chop house. National League takes the lead four
to three. Unbelievable. The National League wins it in the
first swing off.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Kyle Schumer wins it going three for three.
Speaker 5 (04:23):
I gotta say, you know, it was pretty exciting, Like
all of a sudden, here we go in the in
the camaraderie that you you kind of build these last
couple of days with the team, I think went into
overdrive there, Like guys were i mean our side to
see how excited they were out there, and like, you know,
it's like, you know, whiffleball in the backyard. Here we go,
(04:46):
let's do it again.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Didn't need to revolutionize the sport, speed it up, retro
fit it, make moments big events that felt big last night.
That's the best All Star game in any sport I've
watched in five or six years. And the last time
I saw a great All Star game it was baseballs.
But now, and you know, listen, some of it is
the stars are in Philadelphia, in LA and New York,
(05:09):
the Mets and the Yankees, and and some of it's
that Chicago, but a lot of it is Rob Manfred
just saying, leaning into networks, listening to Fox and other
networks on making more moments big. The technology was great.
It doesn't hurt that Joe Davis sounds like a young
Vin Scully. It just felt magnificent. It felt big, and
(05:31):
baseball has been in about a three year heater. Two
things can be true. You can respect tradition but not
be beholden to it. And that's what baseball has done
a very good job of. And last night fantastic, just
fantastic television. Beginning to end. I watched an hour and
a half of the pregame show. That's how much. I
(05:52):
was into it. Okay, so I said yesterday this. You
know it's July. So any little breadcrumb of an NBA
or star rumor, it's an inferno. I don't buy Lebron
James is going to get traded. He's still really good.
It's an expiring contract. Let's see what happens to the
trade deadline. The Lakers could have even more leverage. But
(06:14):
I'm looking at the betting odds today and they are
heating up that Dallas. Dallas is the favorite now to
get Lebron James. Well, if that's the case, Lebron wins again.
No state tax, upgraded coach Cooper flag reunited with Anthony Davis.
(06:37):
Are you kidding me? Let's be honest about the Lakers.
I think JJ Reddick had a decent first year. I
like him. We don't know if he's ever going to
be as good as Jason Kidd. Maybe not. He got
worked in the series against Minnesota. DeAndre Ayton doesn't defend
and has an attitude and has in Phoenix and Portland.
Austin Reeves, I'm told, can't trade him seriously, not much
(07:02):
of a bench, not much size so or no state tax.
Jason Kidd unbelievable size, including a D. I mean I
said this, yet you have Luca. But here's a potential lineup. Now,
for simplicity's sake, I said, if you did a trade,
let's say you give them Coop, you give them Klayt Thompson, PJ. Washington,
(07:26):
Daniel Gafford two to three first round picks. This is
the Mavericks lineup, Kyrie Irving, Cooper Flag, Lebron, Anthony Davis,
and Derek Lively. Now again, they'll probably need a third
team and you'll have to give up a couple of
first round picks. But who cares. You have Cooper Flag
and Derek Lively. You've got a great wing and a
(07:47):
great big on rookie deals for years. So you're telling
me this is a punishment for Lebron. I would sign
up for that today. Better coach reunited with two guys
I've played very well with and won a title with
Kyrie and Anthony Davis and the great domestic star. And
here's the thing with Lebron. Lebron is forty one years old.
(08:09):
He does not want to be in the floor defending
at an elite level. He doesn't well Anthony Davis and
Lively are great rim protectors, so you don't have to
worry about that. And Cooper Flag, at least at the
college level, is an excellent defender. I don't know if
Cooper Flag is going to be a great offensive player
in the NBA. He's gonna be a really good defender. Okay,
so he may only average twenty four tops, I don't
(08:30):
know he'll defend year one. So if this is the
punishment for Lebron James, sign up now for it. I
don't think it's gonna happen. Here was Anthony Slater from
The Athletic on a potential Lebron trade out of LA.
Speaker 6 (08:46):
The Lakers, you know, can go search for, you know,
a younger co star for Luka Doncics in the in
the market if they want to. Flexibility optionality has become
a popular term in the league, and that's clearly what
the Lakers they are prioritizing here. And it's understandable. Just
look at the ages.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Right.
Speaker 6 (09:04):
Lebron's gonna turn forty one next year. It's unbelievable what
he's been able to do.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
But as you.
Speaker 6 (09:09):
Mentioned, locking into longer term money on him, you know,
kind of handcuffed them a little bit on building around Luca.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
Listen, if if Lebron won a fourth title and that
team with Anthony Davis, if you can keep Lively in
Anthony Davis as rim protectors, because you're gonna have to
get they have so much depth in Dallas in their
front line. They're huge, best center rotation in the league.
Lakers need, I mean Deondre eight and you're going to
be over him by like January fifteenth. You're going to
be over his act. So you could get some size
(09:40):
from Dallas, a bunch of draft picks, and I think
that's what the new owners want. They don't want to
be tied to like gigantic, massive contract. You probably have
to give up Klay Thompson. He could come back to
Los Angeles. Michael Thompson, his dad, a very nice guy,
played for the Lakers. Send him draft picks size. But
if that's punishment, I said this. You know, sports is
(10:01):
a little like the stock market. It just depends on
the day. The tariffs are going to ruin the economy.
I don't know. I looked at the stock market this week.
It's at forty four thousand plus the Dow. It just
depends on the day the moment, the reaction, investor sentiment.
When this trade got done, Luca to the Lakers, it
was the end of the Mavericks franchise. And I said,
(10:22):
on this show in front of this microphone, no it's not.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Now.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Dallas fell apart physically, so it looked far worse than
it was. But Laker fans got a glimpse of what
Luca is singularly, a profoundly gifted offensive player, that's what
he is. And he kind of feels like he's aging quickly.
So you know, I've always said that you can talk
about guys all you want. When they're on your team,
(10:46):
you pay close attention. Everybody said Lakers are going to
win titles and Dallas is done, and I kept saying, no,
they're not. They've got a great coach, it's an attractive place.
They got Kyrie, they've got Anthony Davis and a man
center rotation. And in the NBA, guards and bigs are
really important. Right now. You know, you're gonna have to
(11:08):
defend Jokic, gonna have to defend Wemby, you gotta defend Giannis.
You know you gotta have bigs. Okay, see, you won
a title, had two Bigs, Holmgren, Hartenstein. So this is
just so funny. The way sports works is everybody thought
Dallas was doomed. If this thing came to fruition, sign
me up for Dallas minimum Western Conference finals. J Mac
(11:31):
doesn't want to hear it. I'm becoming a Mavericks fan.
My only question is would the GM Nico Harrison want
to make another deal. I would do that deal in
one second. I'd give you two bigs, three first round picks,
Klay Thompson, put in a third team and every I've
said this before, Austin Reeves with Lebron James, you're talking
(11:53):
yourself into Wow. Put Austin Reeves in Washington and he disappears,
He disspeers. Kyle Kuzman disappeared in Washington, and he's his
talent that as Austin reads are close.
Speaker 7 (12:06):
So Colin, yeah, yeah, obviously, if you're the MAVs, you
do this deal in a heartbeat. What's in it for
the Lakers?
Speaker 1 (12:12):
What are we doing?
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Those picks they're gonna be garbage.
Speaker 7 (12:14):
There's two or three picks. They're gonna be like twenty
seven to thirty two.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
Remember, you have new ownership and they want to build
it there. What did the Dodgers do when Mark Walter
came in? Give us draft picks, get our front office right.
They do not want aging players. The Lakers history is
size wins, get draft picks. And by the way, when
Lebron contract is off the books and he's out, then
(12:40):
you can go big game hunting in one year. I
don't think it's gonna happen. I don't. But if that's
punishment for all the people that think Lebron's gonna get traded,
I would sign up today for that deal.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
Well wait a sec.
Speaker 7 (12:52):
If I'm the Lakers, there's no way I'm doing the deal.
But if you swap out Gafford for Lively, Lively's younger,
he does seem a little injury prone, younger and cheaper.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
I want that. I don't want.
Speaker 7 (13:02):
I'm sorry, I don't want the Daniel Gafford contract on
my books. By the way, the Lakers want clean books
because they think maybe Jokics could be available in a
year or two. Yanis could be available in the year
or two. I don't know where they come to La.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
To play with Luca.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Well, if san Antonio starts winning, you're gonna have to
go through Wemby. So if I'm the Lakers, the reason
I think of doing this deal with Dallas is I
need a front line. DeAndre Ayton doesn't defend. We're very cool.
We may see it this year with all the way
that dominoes are falling for San Antonio, the West may
go through San Antonio, not Denver Oklahoma City if Wemby
(13:40):
becomes what we think is because Wemby's already got a
couple of kids next to him that can really play.
So if it has to go through Wemby, you can't
have Jackson Hayes or DeAndre Ayton. You need multiple bigs
and multiple fouls.
Speaker 7 (13:53):
What about the Houston Rockets? Does Kevin Durant have a say?
Speaker 1 (13:56):
I think they're te I love that team this year.
In the next year, your team with KD, Let's see
what transpires.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and nooneaster nine am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio FS
one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
It's me Rob Parker.
Speaker 8 (14:15):
Check out my weekly MLB podcast, Inside the Parker for
twenty two minutes of piping hot baseball talk featuring the
biggest names the newsmakers in the sport, whether you believe
in analytics or the ie test, We've got all the
bases covered. New episodes drop every Thursday, so do yourself
a favor and listen to Inside the Parker with Rob
(14:37):
Parker on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Welcome back. You know, for years and years I always said,
the audience drives the bus of this show. I watch
you and see what you're watching, and I follow your lead.
And if we were just talking about this as a
staff three years ago, I would not have been spending
this much time on baseball or the WNBA. I watched
the ratings they increased. I follow you. So it's just
(15:04):
very refreshing for me. In July, we don't have to
talk a ton of NFL yet because there's really good
stuff going on. And last night I watched as I
was watching the All Star Game, I was on another TV.
I was watching Caitlin Clark in the Indiana Fever. So
I've compared her to Michael Jordan, not stylistically obviously, but
in merchandise sales. Kind of a dynastic TV rating changer.
(15:27):
And in year one, like you just were like Wow,
nobody plays like that. And then in year two Michael
Jordan got hurt. And then in year two for Caitlyn Clark,
she's getting banged up and hurt. Why did the Jay
always get hurt early? Because they were tackling and nobody
knew how to stop him. And the WNBA officiating is
just changed like it's it was always a physical league,
(15:49):
now it's insane. So last night she gets hurt again
and she's in a shooting slump. But I think a
lot of it is she's banged up in year two
like Michael Jordan, and Michael was fighting to come back
and she's fighting to come back and she reinjured a groin.
So she's still scoring and still a team leader and assists,
but she's been banged up. And you know, by the
way her brother went to social media last night, no
(16:12):
lies told Colin Clark said, make no mistake, this is
on the reffing and even Stephanie White Fever coach, has
noticed it. The officials are just letting a lot of
stuff go that almost feels inappropriate.
Speaker 9 (16:27):
I'm not exactly sure why, but it just is what
it is, and we've got to help her learn to
adjust and use it against them in certain ways. You know,
we've got to find find some ways to make it
a little bit easier for her. But the level of
physicality overall in our league has been at a different
level than it's been for a long time.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
And so she's probably hurt again and again. It has
an MJ feel rocket to the moon year two. A
lot of physicality allowed injuries. Nobody quite knows how to
defend her. You know, the Pistons are picking on the
Celtics are picking on MJ, who's dropping fifty and Caitlin
Clark now is alienating some of the players. And I
(17:10):
you know, Hollywood knows how to handle stars. There's a playbook,
but I noticed this when Tiger Woods came to the
PGA tour at the first or Caitlin Clark a little turbulence.
They don't quite have a playbook on how to do it.
And I think that right now they need better officials.
Right now, WNBA officials make less, according to the Washington Post,
(17:31):
than college officials do. That's a problem. They're paying as
little as one hundred and eighty dollars to WNBA officials.
I'm sorry the leagues are arrived four fifty minimum, five
fifty six, fifty seven fifties what officials should be making.
But what Caitlin Clark is is she is little a
little bit like a black light in a hotel room,
or she's illuminating all the flaws and you bring that
(17:53):
black light in and uh, oh, need another cleaning crew
in the hotel room. So first she illuminated, uh the
executive level of the w n b A and their
inability to market or kind of ce around corners. Then
she illuminated how second and third tier the w NBA
travel was. And then she sort of provided a glimpse
(18:15):
of the pettiness and the tribal nature of this this
league which is still young. And you know, also she
kind of provided a glimpse of black light on the
women's Olympic basketball movement and how silly that was and
behind the curve that was. So she's really providing glimpses
of you, you're seeing all of it in real time.
(18:37):
Is that she's saying, guys, let's get let's get better fast.
And she's almost like a stress test to a power grid.
And we've got rolling blackouts in the w n b A.
They just the league, the marketing, the players, the travel.
Now we're seeing the officiating needs to be upgraded. So
I don't want to be too punitive because the games
(18:58):
are fun to watch when she involved, but she is
really kind of giving you a glimpse in real time
of how the league needs to improve. And I think
the officiating is the next step that she's going to
do to officiating what she did at travel. It's timed upgrade.
You can't have college officials making more than WNBA officials,
(19:20):
and I got nothing against college officiating. Women's basketball is,
you know, by and large, more national and popular than
the WNBA has been for years until Caitlin arrived. But
the officiating's out of control. I mean, Sophie Cunningham last
night looked like hockey. They got checked into the boards.
You know, well, she's flopping. Not really, it was a
stiff arm. I don't think it was flopping. So it's
(19:42):
just the latest illumination. And this is what happened when
a star shows up on tour. The marketing's got to
get better, the travels got to get better, the security's
got to get better better, the executive suites got to
get better. And you're seeing all of it.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and Eastern not a Empacific.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
A couple of things bouncing around in the NFL. About
a year ago, I kind of suggested if I was
the Steelers, with all the money they have on defense,
I'd shop around TJ. Watt. He's mostly healthy, great lineage,
and the family is a great player. Eric Mangini disagrees
with me, But my take is they've got so much
(20:25):
money on defense, if you can get a couple of
second round picks, I'd go for it. Well, now there
are stories that the Steelers are at least, you know,
taking phone calls. Albert Breer joins us live listen. If
you look at the division, but Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson,
obviously Cleveland's going to go, and then they got two
first rounders. They're going for a quarterback next year. You're
(20:45):
kind of unsettled at quarterback. My take is, there's about
I said this yesterday, Albert, there's about seven quarterbacks. There's
about eight left tackles, and about five or six defensive linemen,
mostly young. Jalen Carter, Jared Vers, Miles Garrett's not young
that I just I'm not taking a phone call on.
Speaker 4 (21:07):
Pons.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
I take a phone call on Michael Parsons because I'm
overpaying Deck. So my take is, thirty year old TJ. Watt, Yeah,
I'm going to take a phone call. What are your
thoughts on this?
Speaker 2 (21:20):
I think it would make sense if they were in
a different spot as a team, But so much of
the idea of just acquiring Aaron Rodgers in the first
place was tied to getting the most out of the
core that they had in place, and they've been competitive
with over the last few years, and it was just
the idea of tradinging for draft picks would fly in
the face of why you acquired Rogers in the first place,
(21:41):
you know. So I think if they were again, if
they had made the decision that say, like Miami made
to retool the way that Miami has this offseason, or
the way San Francisco has retooled this offseason, you might
look at it as an opportunity to get a lot
of capital back and really kind of to you know,
a rebuild or a retooling of your roster.
Speaker 4 (22:03):
But that's not the spot Pittsburgh's in right now.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
And so, you know, I just look at that roster
and I see Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay and Aaron
Rodgers and even DK metcalf as an older twenty seven
year old because he's on his third contract now and
he's been a little beat up.
Speaker 4 (22:19):
Cam Hayward's at the very end of his career.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
You just look around there and it's like, well, why
do you have all of those guys.
Speaker 4 (22:27):
In the first place if you're going to get rid
of the best one of them, you know.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
So, I think the spot the Steelers are in right
now they need TJ. Watt, and I think the presence
of Aaron Rodgers is something that Watt's been waiting for
since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger. So I think it's
one of those situations where you can see where if
one or the other were in a different spot, a trade.
Speaker 4 (22:50):
Would make sense.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
This would make sense to the point to separate. But
I think the two of them as it stands right now,
need each other too much not to find a way
to get something done.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
So are the Jets They just gave a new contract
to Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson. What is the message
the Jets are sending? Why? Now? I get the players
but what's the message.
Speaker 2 (23:10):
Well, both those guys had a really strong spring, you know,
and I think there's a message there that.
Speaker 4 (23:14):
We are going to reward people who do it the
right way.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
And I think for Aaron Glenn and for Darren Moosey,
their new general manager coming in there, that's an important thing.
If you buy into the way that we're doing things,
you don't need to be our draft picks, you don't
need to be our signings. And you know, it's interesting
because I think when Aaron Glenn got to the Lions,
for the most part, they just brought in new guys,
but there were guys that they held on to that
(23:38):
became foundation pieces for him, right Taylor Decker, the left tackle,
Frank Ragnow with somebody that they inherited. And so you
see a bunch of guys that could be that for
the Jets going forward. That's not a roster devoided talent.
There's the basis of a really good defense. Quentnin Williams,
Jermaine Johnson, you know, Quincy Williams, Sauce Gardner.
Speaker 4 (23:58):
On the offensive side of the ball.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
You got here at Wilson, you got Olufashana, you got
Oliver Att Tucker, you got breisall these are all guys
that the new regime inherited. So if you want to
get those guys on board, you know what you do.
You get through the spring you say we really believe
in your talent. Now we believe in the person, and
we're going to go.
Speaker 4 (24:15):
And reward you. And I think Wilson and saw us
for the first two examples of it.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
Hey there was there are you know, this is the
silly season that you know, little breadcrumbs of information leak out.
And I saw the Nick Saban rumors. Lane Kiffin knows them. Well,
I think you'll come back, and I don't think. I
think NFL football is actually easier to coach as long
as you don't get a crazy owner. And I also
(24:40):
think because of the NIL you can't just fire coaches
like you used to. Teams that are going to boosters
they need fifteen to eighteen million for NIL money. They're
not paying sixty two million to get rid of Brian Kelly.
You're seventy million to get rid of Lincoln Riley. So
there's not going to be any openings at the best positions.
And Ryan Day is not going anywhere, and Dan Lanning's
crushing it starts doing well in link. There's nothing Kaylen
(25:02):
de Boor is going to turn it around this year.
Do you think somebody would take a call on Saban
in the NFL?
Speaker 4 (25:08):
You mean somebody would make a call on Saban?
Speaker 1 (25:10):
Yeah, right, yea, yeah.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
Sure, yeah, I mean I do, I think. I mean
it's been what I think now eighteen years since Saban
left the Dolphins to go to go to Alabama, and
one thing I've learned in covering the league over all
of that time is no one thought the guy couldn't coach.
Like the idea that the guy couldn't scheme at an
NFL level, couldn't lead at an NFL level that way
(25:35):
that was had zero to do with why it didn't work.
It was because of the program, and it was it
was demanding, and the quarterback situation didn't didn't work out
because of the way he had his program set up
back then. It was sort of this old school type
of deal where if you don't win quickly, if you
don't give players results quickly, they're going to tire of
(25:57):
that pretty quickly. And what have we seen do over
the last seventeen eighteen years. He constantly adapts you know,
like what a Nick Saban team was in two thousand
and eight and two thousand and nine was way different
than the teams that he had when Jerry Judy and DeVante.
Speaker 4 (26:12):
Smith were running all over the place, you know what
I mean.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
So he's adaptable, he's a really good football coach.
Speaker 4 (26:18):
He's well respected.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
I think it'd be a little bit like Belichick in
this way, and almost like when Tom Brady was a
free agent, right.
Speaker 4 (26:25):
It would be a very narrow group.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
Of teams that would be looking at the idea of
hiring him, Like you need to have a quarterback, you
need to live in a need to be in a
part of the country he was comfortable with, and you
would need to have a win now roster. But if
you have those three things in place, I mean, like
he's around the same age as Pete Carroll. So if
you're an owner looking for credibility, it makes sense to
(26:48):
hire Nick Saban. Like, if you've lost credibility in your
market and you feel like you've not you've got to
find a way to get it back fast. Hiring Nick
Saban could be a way to do that, and maybe
it would for all the reasons you laid out in
college and the pros appeal to Nick to come to
the NFL.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
Okay, I'm gonna throw this at you, Albert, and you
have a sense of history.
Speaker 4 (27:06):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
So he's the greatest college football coach of all time.
He goes to ESPN for a couple of years and
he's been an absolute home run as an analyst. Got
a little itch and there's he's not going to Jacksonville,
but Bryan Schottenheimer is over his skis, and Jerry Jones says,
I don't I don't want one of these NFL egos.
(27:29):
I you know what Jerry likes to do. He likes
to hire guys where they feel like they owe him
a little. And Jerry could go to Saban and go, Okay,
this Schottenneimery thing doesn't work. Jaden Daniels and Jalen Hurts,
I need a guy that knows college personnel. I'm just
saying Dallas. I don't think Saban would go to New York.
(27:51):
But if you're talking about guy, just just ego, best
college coach ever, absolute five star analyst on TV. He's
not challenged. He's still youthful, sharp as attack the Dallas
Cowboys call. He's not taking that call.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
It makes some sense for sure, you know, and I
guess geographical is not all that far from Trum where
he put down roots over the last you know, two decades.
I mean, the Giants are always going to be interesting because,
as you know, I'm sure Colin like the Maras were
fascinated with Nick and I think there was a point
in the nineties where they were trying to hire him
from Michigan State, so they've had an interest in him
(28:30):
going back that far right. Like, so I think it's
the first one that NFL people always consider, is like
would the Giants do it? Because there was that interest
about twenty years ago. The Cowboys are interesting because they
do have a lot of win now elements and he
could come in there and and really go into a
place that's set up for a strong coach. And it's
interesting because I think, you know, like the one thing
(28:54):
about Dallas that people misunderstand is yes, Jerry's involved in football,
but the coach is involved in scouting too, Like the
coach is involved in putting the team together, and that's
always been the way that it's been run there. And
in that like, they've got a really good personnel department.
Speaker 4 (29:09):
Will W.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
Clay does a great job, but they've always involved the
coach and how the team is put together. I think
it's why they've been able to put some really coherent
rosters over the last twenty years, you know, really going
back to when Parcels was there. The one question for
me is the spotlight factor right, And I think if
Jerry was going to do this, part of it would
(29:30):
be are you willing to take a back seat and
move away from the spotlight for a little bit to
see if Nick Saban can come and do it.
Speaker 4 (29:39):
But for a lot of different reasons, it does make sense.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
So look, I think Schottenheimer is going to do a
better job than most people do. But I mean, I
just think if you if you want to line the
whole thing up and say he needs to go to
a brand name, you know, he needs to go to
one of the flagship franchises. The part of the country
that it's in and the way they're set up, I
could see Saban working working in down.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
I think quiet I know this is a wacky topic, Albert,
but I think quietly, Nick Saban thinks he's a better
coach than Belichick, and if Belichick goes to so Belichick
can't win without Brady, goes to Carolina, it doesn't go well.
Nick goes to the NFL greatest college coach ever, unbelievable
(30:23):
media star, and wins in resurrects Dallas. I think Nick,
deep down thinks hell I would have won in Miami
if the if the doctor would have said okay with
Drew Brees. And I think Nick is so hyper competitive
it sticks in his crawl. I really do. And I
don't think it's crazy. I don't think it's nuts. There
you go, I'm nuts whatever. I don't care.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
Like, just from an NFL reporters standpoint, please come Nick.
Speaker 4 (30:47):
I would I would. I would love to have. I mean,
that storyline would be unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
I don't care what TV's with, like the idea of
having Nick Saban back in the NFL, just to see
if it would work, because he look like I don't
think like I remember as a kid, like looking back
at John Wooden right and thinking to myself, like you
looked at and I obviously wasn't born when Wooden was coaching,
but you looked at that track record of success at
(31:13):
UCLA as a basketball coach, said, no one's ever gonna
do that again, and Saban more or less did at Alabama,
maybe not quite the number of championship, but as far
as like a run of dominance, like I feel like
Saban was almost like John Wooden. So I mean, of course,
I think, I like, it'd be fascinating to see what
Nick Saban could do if you got another run at
(31:34):
the NFL, and I do I would say this like
I I mean, the players are thoroughly prepared for the
league that come out of that program. I mean, that
was always the thing with him, was like there were
two things about Nick Saban program. Nick Saban players coming
out of Alabama. They were beat up because they played
a physical style and practices were tough, and they were
maxed out. And that was actually a compliment to Saban
(31:56):
and saying Nick got everything he possibly could out of
every player.
Speaker 4 (32:00):
NFL people all had great respect for him.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
And again it was like his failure in Miami. I
think he'd be hard pressed to find a single person
in the NFL who would say he didn't win in
Miami because he wasn't a good enough coach.
Speaker 1 (32:14):
Yeah, by the way, we just spent eight minutes on
something that may never come to fruition and I'm I'm
I know I took a detour. I'm fascinated by it
because I think Nick tape Down wants to be mentioned
in the Andy Reid Belichick group. And I did, like
Jim Harball, Oh he's a Michigan man. He wanted to
these hyper competitive guys hardball, even at Michigan the minute
(32:39):
he had an opportunity justin Herbert's available.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
That loss to his brother and the super Bowl stuck
with him like you wouldn't. I mean, it's he was
right there at the mountaintop, and it's stuck with him.
And the one thing the Michigan job wasn't going to
get him was the chance to make that right. And
I mean, I think it in the same sort of
way the picking Dante Culpepper over Drew Brees thing in
(33:06):
two thousand and six is stuck with Nick Saban. I mean,
you remember column they were I was a promising team
coming out of the seven the five season. A lot
of people thought like, if Dante Culpeper hit and he
was the player that he had been a few years earlier,
that team could have been in the super Bowl. And
obviously it came undone, but yeah, I think Nick probably.
(33:27):
I think Nick looks at the decision, the quarterback decision
of two thousand and six, the same way that that
Jim Harbaugh looks back at that Super Bowl in twenty twelve.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
I'm going to keep this tape. Let's archive this, guys,
because we may we may have touched on magic magic
potion here. That's all I gotta say. All right, by
the way, here's my college football national title bubble. Throw
this up for albert I don't know how good Ohio
States quarterback is, but they have the best defensive player
and offensive player. I do a Super Bowl bubble about
once a month. I think Notre Dame and Bama. I
(34:02):
don't know how good the quarterback I have to work in.
What do you make of that?
Speaker 2 (34:10):
Yeah, yeah, that makes sense. I think Penn State's gonna
be really good. Oregons, Yeah, that totally makes sense. You
never rule out Georgia with Kirby, those those five seem
like a good five to be in there. I think
Notre Dame. I think Notre Dames can be really good again.
You know, Lloyd Carr's grandson is a quarterback there. I
(34:31):
think he's going to be a really good player. So
Notre Dame's interesting after the year they had last year.
But I think i'd probably agree with the five eight
inside the bubble all right, and on especially.
Speaker 4 (34:42):
The one in the top left corner there.
Speaker 1 (34:46):
That Penn State Ohio State game is gonna be won
for the ages. That is going to be crazy. Great,
see anybody, all right, Thanks calling
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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