February 13, 2026 • 43 mins
Colin Cowherd discusses LeBron James becoming the oldest player to record a triple-double and why it’s time for LeBron to bring an end to his historic career.
Colin talks to Ethan Strauss, host of the “House of Strauss” podcast to share how the NBA can fix their tanking issue and why the Dodgers dominance is not a bad thing for Major League Baseball.
“Cupid Cowherd” makes an appearance ahead of Valentine’s Day to play matchmaker for QB needy NFL teams.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Herd podcast.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox
Sports Radio in noon to three Eastern nine am to
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Speaker 2 (00:19):
This is the Best of the Herd with Colin cowher
on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Here we go. It's a Friday. There is shockingly a
lot to talk about. We've got a what a good
week host the NFL live in Chicago. It's the Herd
wherever you may be and however you may be listening.
Thank you for making us part of your day. Gamax
off today. Our buddy John Middlecoff, former Scout three and
out at the Volume, is joining us. So John Middletough.
(00:49):
We've still got a lot of NFL stuff to talk about.
But baseball pitchers, catchers reporting this week. Dodgers are infuriating people.
John Lebron's doing his thing.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
John.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
I know you're I'm a movie fan, you're a music fan.
I'm a music fan, but I want to start the
show with this. I don't like my sports stars to
end their careers like Elvis or Marlon Brando. I want
it to look like Elway or Derek Jeter, like that's
I want it to be. I like my movies, my
(01:19):
movie stars. My athletes that have a clean, tight ending
like Elway and Jeter did it better than anybody.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
So Lebron.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Last night Lakers beat the MAVs and Lebron first twenty
three points of the game, he scored or assistant for
the Lakers oldest player ever to have a triple double.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
He's still very, very good. Nobody would dispute that.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
And I really do think Lebron and Tom Brady their
arcs are very similar. Number one is they're the most
productive players in the history of their sport. They got
to a lot of world championships in basketball or Super Bowls,
and they didn't win all of them, but they got
to a lot of them. Both are the system, regardless
of how good the coach is. Rus Arians tell of
(02:00):
a coach Tom Brady's like Bruce were running my offense,
Eric Spolstra amazing coach. He and Lebron but it heads.
And fourth, they're both Brady and Lebron pioneers in longevity,
and I think you know, MJ was flashier, more beloved
and cooler. He's more Beatles, pandemonium. Lebron's more rolling stones,
(02:24):
still touring really really high level for a long time.
And Mahomes in l Way are a little flashier than Brady.
You know, better high lights maybe than Brady. But there's
a fundamental truth with Lebron, you saw it last night,
and with Brady in his last couple of years. The
more obsessed you are by it, the more disciplined you
(02:46):
are as a professional athlete, you will be the goat,
you will be the most productive, you will dominate the
record book. And there's no argument you can say the
other guy's cooler. Lebron has all the records and Brady
has most of them. But I do wish Lebron would
retire after the year. And I'll give you the example why,
because there's a list that he makes, my list that
(03:08):
isn't great. And I've always thought about basketball this way.
How do you judge the best player? It can't be
scoring average? Do you play defense? Are you a good distributor?
I mean, James Harden scored a bunch of points. Never
the best player in the league. Tim Duncan wasn't flashy, rebounded, defended, scored.
I mean, Tim Duncan's one of the seven or eight
(03:30):
best players in terms of complete game. Ever, I always
judge guys like this, and Lebron is now forty one.
If there's a tie game with two and a half
minutes left, two and a half minutes left, I'm counting everything,
your stamina, your free throw shooting, your offense, your defense,
your distribution. Who are the ten guys in the NBA?
(03:54):
I would take in order, and here's my list again,
two and a half minutes multiple, I'm counting all of
your game offense, defense, ball handling, stamina, free throw shooting.
Number one would be Jokic. He is the best player
in the world, makes every teammate better. Third in clutch scoring.
(04:16):
SGA would be two. Number one in clutch scoring. He's
just a bucket the I mean, he's just a bucket.
I would put Victor web Binyama at number three, the
best defensive player, totally absolutely disruptive. Also, you're going to
get dunks and freebies. Number four, I would put Anthony
Edwards behind SGA number two in scoring. He can hit
(04:39):
a three, he can handle the ball, he can make
defensive stops. Number five, because he's actually playing again, is
Kawhi Leonard. I mean, cross your fingers. He may not
in two days, but right now he's playing. And I
said this years ago. Get a bucket, get a stop.
He is a wizard. There's a lot of MJ to
his game. Number six would be Steph Curry, still at
(05:00):
his age, unbelievable stamina. I don't think there's ever been
an NBA player in that good of cardio shape. He
is also right now three point shooting forty six percent
clutch three point shooting. That's insane. Number seven would be
Kad Cunningham. He has the third most field goals in
the league in clutch. He can defend, he's got size,
(05:21):
he can ball handle. He now plays with a confidence
he didn't three years ago. Kid Cunningham at seven. Colin,
where's Luca? I would put him eight?
Speaker 3 (05:29):
Why.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
I don't like his stamina late in games. He's a
revolving door on defense. I love him offensively, but he
often doesn't include others.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
I'd put him eight.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Number nine, I'm gonna put Kadi on this until the
day he retires. I'm sorry. Catch and shoot off a
pick dribble. Kevin Durant is somewhere between five and ten
on this list. I'll put him nine because of his age,
and number ten.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
Is not Lebron.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
It's Jalen Runson, who twenty four twenty five in the
NBA was voted the clutch player. I trust them more
at the free throw line than Lebron. He's not a
good defensive player, he's a better ball handler. I trust
his mid range game more than Lebron. I trust his
free throw shooting more than Lebron. It's the first time
I've ever done this list. Lebron's not part of it.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
Lebron.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Last night I saw Lebron live this year at Chicago.
Best player on the floor for about twelve minutes, and
then there were gaps of stamina and energy, and I
like my actors, I want it to look more like
a Tom Hanks. You don't see him in as many
good movies because you don't see him in as many movies,
but everything he does is tight and clean and good.
(06:42):
I don't want it to end like Marlon Brando. I
don't want to look like that. Lebron next year would
still be a top fifteen to eighteen player in the league.
But I just love the way Lway and Jeter ended it.
It's just so tight and clean. And I know that's
just subjective, and that's my opinion. I don't want to mjending.
You got all the records, you beat them in the
(07:03):
record books. Call it a career. You're averaging twenty a game.
I think that'd be amazing. Here's Lebron last night on
his longevity and his future.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
My game is not going anywhere. It's just it's my body.
It's all the other things. There's so many more factors
that come with how long will I play a game? Now,
I don't think my game will ever suffer if if
I decided to continue to go how long, however long
that is. I just think it's like it has to
be here. If this goes, then my body's going to go.
(07:38):
Then once my body goes in, it's a wrap.
Speaker 5 (07:40):
You know.
Speaker 4 (07:40):
Then the love goes, and then the fund and all
that stuff goes.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
He remains very good, but down the stretch two and
a half, left, defense, free throw shooting, stamina, I don't
think he's a top ten player. Pictures and catchers report
in Baseball. In fact, the Dodgers pictures and catchers report today.
So Jeff pass An ESPN, a wonderful baseball guy Wright,
it's a really interesting story today that baseball is in
(08:05):
a weird place. There's a renaissance, the attendance is up,
the ratings are up. We've talked about this on this show.
I went about fifteen years I stopped talking baseball. The
last two and a half years, the playoffs have been incredible.
Why games faster, games quicker. And the Cubs are good,
and the Yankees are good, and the Mets are interesting,
(08:26):
and the Dodgers are good, and Houston's dominant, and Boston
had a good year. But he also points out in
the article that Kyle Tucker's signing that that's going to
guarantee a labor stop.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
He suggests that, and I.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Just want to throw this out there. One year ago
in the NFL, I want you to think about this.
One year ago in the NFL, after the Eagles won
the Super Bowl, the Tush push was a national crisis.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
Something needs to be done. This is unfair.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
People are meeting and flying and talking and debating and
arguing the Tush push. And then this year when the
Eagles face planted, you know what nobody cared about the
tush push. They weren't as good at it. It didn't matter.
It suddenly wasn't unfair. Go ahead, do it as many
time as you want.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
But when the.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Eagles felt like they were unstoppable, they had an advantage
though it was legal, they were pulling away from the league.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
Nobody liked it. And that's our nature.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
We often hate successful people because they're successful. And what's
interesting when the Dodgers signed Mookie bats much better than
Kyle Tucker, when they signed Freddie Freeman, both.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Will be Hall of Famers. Where was the outrage.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
Well, that's because at the time the Dodgers weren't stacking
World Series titles. I'm arguing and have that if the
Dodgers would have lost to the Blue Jays in Game seven,
nobody'd freak.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Out with Kyle Tucker.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
You'd be like, well, you spend a fortune, what you
got one World Series show?
Speaker 3 (10:12):
You think I'm wrong on that? Okay?
Speaker 1 (10:15):
Because so it was Kyle Tucker who the Cubs couldn't
get out of town fast enough. That's the one that's
the straw that broke the camel's back. What's interesting the
Blue Jays lost the World series. So nobody's already bothered
that Vlad Guerrero Junior signed for five hundred million dollars
or that the Blue Jays were the bigger spenders again
(10:37):
in this offseason because they didn't win a World Series,
because they're not stacking titles. Really, Freddy Freeman, why did
he leave Atlanta? Was money? They knew Freddy Freeman was
great that Braves couldn't afford him.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
Dodgers could. Why did Mookie Betts leave Boston?
Speaker 1 (10:54):
They said they couldn't afford him, so the same reason
they got Otawni and Bets and Freeman. It's always money.
Kyle Tucker really wasn't that expensive relative to those guys.
But Kyle Tucker after back to back World Series titles
that stings push push outrage this year what evs.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
That's how it works.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Here's an absolute fact data that you can't deny. The
Dodgers in twenty twenty four made seven hundred and fifty
two million. The Yankees made seven one hundred and thirty million,
two biggest revenue teams in the sport. The difference is
the Yankees only spend forty nine and a half percent
(11:39):
of their revenue on players and the Dodgers almost spend
seventy five percent they make about the same. The Dodgers
are more committed to winning. Steinbrenner's kids are more committed
to committed to keeping more of that money. By the way,
the Mets spend the highest percent by a mile in
(12:00):
the sport of the revenues they make. They don't make
the Dodger money. They don't make the Yankee money. But
Steve Cohen spends ninety percent of the money. Good for him.
But we it's human nature. We don't like people pulling
away the idea that Kyle Tucker, who the Cubs couldn't
get rid of, Fathomon, who everybody says that I didn't
(12:21):
love the game. I don't know if he does or not.
He not really passionate. I mean they signed Mookey bat
To Everybody's like, oh, great move by the Dodgers. Yeah,
Kyle Tucker's got us all freaking out. Dave Roberts on
this Dodger team, as pitchers and catchers report today, compared
to previous Dodger teams.
Speaker 6 (12:43):
Last year's team a very good team on paper, I thought.
Twenty twenty one, I think was a very good team
on paper, but this team, I think yeah, looking at
the guys in their prime, the experience, the talent, the starters,
and the depth of the young players that we have
(13:04):
coming behind them on the pitching side, especially probably the best.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
Team we'd.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Be totally honest. If the Dodgers would have lost in
Game seven to the Blue Jays, you would have all laughed.
Suckers can't buy a World Series title. And by the way,
the guy making the great catch in left center field
for the Dodgers wasn't one of their great players. He
(13:32):
was a defensive specialist. They couldn't figure out their bullpen.
But the minute they won Game seven, that's separating and
people don't like it.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
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Speaker 3 (14:04):
My wife wanted to kick me out of the house.
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Speaker 1 (14:54):
We're live in Chicago. It's the Herd, Eats and Strauss.
How do you fix the NBA All Star Game? Fixed
tanking Coamingo Warriors story in about three minutes. So Lebron
last night became the oldest player to ever have a
triple double. And you know, through the years, I told
the story years ago. My wife went to the doctor
in Los Angeles and she doesn't know sports or anything.
(15:16):
So she sat down. But she used to live in
Chicago and now she does again. And then she saw
this guy and she's like, ah, that's kind of familiar.
He looks like a sports guy. It was Phil Jackson,
and so they started talking and she said Phil was
very nice and everything, and she said, Phil said at
the end, tell your husband he's.
Speaker 3 (15:35):
Wrong about Lebron and Michael and.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Jordan, because I've said before Lebron James does more things
well than any basketball player I've ever seen. I always
felt he was more Magic Johnson, where he really did
love initiating offense for other people. But he's a better
athlete than and a better defender than Magic Johnson. But
I think his game Kobe was more Michael. Lebron's more
Magic Johnson. You know, he's got the power element. He
(16:00):
loves to elevate others.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
He's fun.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
His sheer size, like Magic came in at six eight
and a half his sheer size and nobody knew how
to defend a guard that was six eight and a half.
Lebron is still I've stood next to Lebron two or
three times. It was like a pro football player. He
looks like an NFL defensive end. And last night is
he really is remarkable. But when you really really love
a player, I love Derek Jeter, I love John Elway.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
You know, I love certain actors.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
I don't want to see him straight to you know,
rental video, the old term in their movie career. I
want to see clean endings. I want to see, like
you know, Martin Scorsese, the direct director direct every three years,
have a great film.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
The irishman.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Spielberg still feels like he's in his prime as Primes
lasted forever. Yeah, but it's like, you know, every couple
of years, do a great film. You don't have the
energy when you get older or whatever. It's like when
you really love people. I like nice, clean endings. I
don't want an Elvis ending or a Marlon Brando ending.
And so I think this should be Lebron's last year.
He's still like a top fifteen sixteen player. He still
has moments. I went and saw him in Chicago. He
(17:04):
literally was the best player on the floor, and then
Luca was the best player after that, and Luke ended
up with like forty some points. But here was Lebron
on becoming the oldest player to ever have a triple
double last night, and it went over the map.
Speaker 4 (17:17):
I've never been sorry got basketball, So yeah, I've been
good ever since I started playing it any given night,
like a.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
Finding to turn it on.
Speaker 4 (17:30):
I could turn the fact that you can go out
and be able to have an impact in three fasted
a game, you know, rebound and this obviously is what
I love the most, being able to get my guys
involved throughout my career. I've always loved that morning anything,
and I'm being up with the ball in the basket
obviously that's that's part of his game as well.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
Yeah, and he can still do that.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
And I have no idea if he's going to retire,
but it does feel like it would be. I think
John Elway could have played another year. Jeter probably could have,
Brady certainly could have three years after his retirement.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
Who knows. If Lebron plays, he'll be good.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
But when you really like a director, an actor and athlete,
I just like cleaner endings. So the NBA is, and
I don't want to overstate this, because every time the
NFL season ends, we start paying more attend baseball hasn't started.
We start paying more attention to the NBA. And I
(18:23):
feel like there's a month it's like mid February to
mid March. All we do is crap on the NBA
and the playoffs will be amazing.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
They always are. But when Bill Simmons.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Comes out and I think it's something I because I
talk about this a lot the business side of sports,
It's like, is Adam Silver the right guy? The tankings
feels like it's really bad. The load management's almost comical.
And with that, Ethan Strauss, one of the best substacks
out there, House of Strauss, NBA Warriors and Culture podcasts,
is joining us. So listen. Tanking's been going on forever.
(18:55):
I said about an hour ago with David Stern, you
had it. But Stern was an ominous, threatening, loud presence
and like he would call gms and coaches and players,
and you know, he was brutal. He wouldn't apologize. Adam
Silver more pleasant, and I think at times it feels
like star players take advantage of Adam Silver. Do you
(19:18):
have a belief Ethan, on how to fix the tanking problem?
Speaker 5 (19:24):
I do, and I have to disagree with you right
off the bat. I don't think tanking has been a
problem forever. I think there's a time when you were
an NBA fan when it wasn't And sometimes the old
ways work better than some of these crazy, big brained
ideas I'm seeing floated around out there.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
The NBA used to do it this way.
Speaker 5 (19:45):
If you missed the playoffs, you had an equal chance
as every other lottery team to win the lottery.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
Now some people might say that's not fair.
Speaker 5 (19:55):
You know that you're the worst team and you get
the thirteenth pick or whatever. What. I don't think we
want to reward losing to such a degree and let's
just do on the one hand, On the other hand,
right on the one hand, maybe the worst team in
the league gets the eleventh or twelfth pick and they
stay bad. On the other hand, we have what we
have now, which is a third of the league intentionally
(20:17):
losing for months. I would say that outcome is worse,
and I would say go back in time. The league
made a mistake in the past when they flipped out
after Orlando got consecutive number one picks and they got
Shack and they got Penny Hardaway.
Speaker 4 (20:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (20:33):
You know the funny thing about that is the owners
freaked out. That was objectively great for the NBA. That
was a charismatic team. If that's the bad outcome, I mean,
I think that they made a huge mistake way back
when I think return to the old days. You make
the playoffs, you get a bigger playoff share to incentivize
making the playoffs. You miss the playoffs. Everybody's got the
(20:53):
same long shot. Do it that way, get rid of
all this tanking.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
The All Star Game and further record in fairness, the
Pro Bowls unwatchable. The only All Star game that's any
good is baseball. I do think we've moved into a
time now. The All Star Game in baseball was great
because you didn't see all these players and all these games.
Now that I can watch any team anytime, even the
Baseball All Star Game doesn't feel as big. It's good,
it's the best, but it doesn't feel as great. Pro
Bowls unwatchable and was for years. The NBA All Star Game. Listen,
(21:25):
could I say this? The players are so rich now
they just want time off. It's not solvable. Or do
you have a way to fix the NBA All Star Game.
Speaker 5 (21:34):
I do have a way to fix the NBA All
Star Game, but I don't think it's ever going to
be implemented. And no, it's not Nick Wright's idea. Our
guy Nick writes idea to have the black guys play
the white guys, which that will never be implemented, but
that would be interesting. That would be interesting. I guess
the first thing I would say about it is this.
The NBA's general problem with Adam Silver is doing too much.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
It's doing too much the NBA.
Speaker 5 (22:00):
It's like a celebrity that gets so many plastic surgeries,
a good looking celebrity that you go, I don't even
recognize this. So the first thing I do to the
All Star Game is stop with all the crazy reforms.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
I don't even know what this thing is right now.
Speaker 5 (22:15):
Or there's a round robin, you know, before they had
the players pick the guys they the elam ending.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
Here's a crazy idea.
Speaker 5 (22:23):
You get the most popular players from the Eastern Conference
and they play the most popular players in the Western Conference.
It's something that makes sense to my dad. It's something
I can explain to my son. Well, how do you
get them to tryhard? That's the thing everybody's thinking about
right now. You hear about money. The All Star Game
is not about money, It's about status. What I think
(22:44):
should happen and that Adam Silver will never do is
he chooses the players. He makes the selection based on
what he's seen in the popularity, and if you dog it,
if you loaf, well, guess what, maybe you're not getting
invited to next season's All Star Game. Because the players,
they might not care about trying in the All Star Game,
(23:06):
but they care about being an All Star. They care
about having that designation, and when Hall of Fame voting happens,
that's something that they want on their mantle. So if
you have a little bit of that incentive of the
commissioners choosing the guys, we're choosing the twelve best entertainers
in our sport on each team, and if you're not
going to be an entertainer for our sport, you're not
(23:28):
showing up. I think that's enough incentive not to try
to the point where you might get yourself hurt, but
at least not to dog it, not to loaf, not
to launch from.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Fifty feet away. That's what I would do. Always have
great ideas. Okay, so you know, I mean, you really
covered the Warriors forever, you had wrote a book about it,
The Victory Machine, The Making and Unmaking of the Warriors Dynasty.
I've always felt you should love your kids like your
superstar players. The Warriors fell in love with Steph Curry,
(23:59):
and they've tried to make everything work through that ecosystem.
And the truth is young players can't play with current
Steph Curry's offense. It hasn't worked. And now they're old
and slow and small, and it's just like if he's
not on the floor, it's hard to watch. So the
Kaminga story is one and I talked about this two
days ago. I was never I've never been a G
League fan, especially G League ignite, Scoot Henderson, Jalen Jalen
(24:24):
the kid yeh Jalen Green and cominga our G League ignite,
I would call it G League ignore. It was overstated,
none of that. There's never been a great player from
G League. You don't get the coaching, you don't get
the marketing, you don't get the development. And I think
college basketball shouldn't be demonized. That being said, clearly, Kaminga,
(24:47):
as he improved as a player, played less under Kerr.
Speaker 3 (24:51):
So I mean it's like.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
You would think he starts here, but the last three
years it's like it's fewer games, it's fewer minutes. He's
in the doghouse. What do you make of it? They
all say nice stuff. Kurse has nice stuff. On the
way out. But like what happened?
Speaker 3 (25:05):
Do you believe?
Speaker 5 (25:07):
Okay, So when you started with the parenting analogy, I
thought it was going to be about Kaminga because Kminga
reminds me of something I try to tell my son
all the time, which is the Roman proverb Before you
can lead, you must follow. And so I'm reading these
reports by Anthony Slater and other people that Kminga's offended
(25:29):
that Kerr wanted him to be an Aaron Gordon or
as Sean Marian. Well, guess what in the NBA, before
you get to be what you want to be, you've
got to build a basis of what the coach needs
you to be.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
It's not a charity.
Speaker 5 (25:43):
The coach needs to win, and afterwards you can build
out your game. You can be more than useful to
your coach, but it's got to start with useful to
your coach. And I think a lot of these guys, okay,
So here's something I was told last time I was
at Summer League, because I was asking, is the bigig
money screwing these guys up because there's so much money
in the league, And somebody who's in ownership told me, no,
(26:07):
you know, It's funny. The big money's not screwing up
the guys who get it, it's screwing up the guys
who don't, the young guys like Kuminga, who feel, hey,
I'm just as good as this guy getting crazy money.
In the new CBA structure, it's haves and have not,
so if you're on the outside looking in, it creates
this dynamic where I think I'm a superstar already. I
(26:27):
want the money already, it's right there. And a lot
of guys, a lot of young guys, I think, are
forgoing the process. And that's what that G League knit
thing was all about. It was guys who wanted to
be a superstar right now, as opposed to paying dues,
as opposed to getting through their paces.
Speaker 3 (26:42):
And I would say one more thing.
Speaker 5 (26:44):
I'm not saying Steve Kerr is perfect, but I do
think he's had a good track record on this. We
can say Steve Kerr doesn't develop young talent, and I
would say, well, who's the young guy who left the
Warriors and flourished? Who is he wrong about? Is Patrick
mca ah putting up any triple doubles anywhere? He's been
correct about these guys for the most part. I just
(27:06):
don't think he's had the horses.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
Yeah, I don't think Kaminga ever developed a three point shot.
He's up and down in the interior. He's a lousy rebounder.
On I think Kerr knows that he got frustrated with
a player who didn't grow and develop. You know, people
by now know the you know the redemptive arc of
Sam Darnold. And I do think every year we learn
(27:28):
things in pro sports, and we'll see it with Mendoza
in with the Raiders. He's gonna get beat up, he's
gonna lose a lot of games. He's gonna throw a
lot of picks. And I do think I will be
and I think I try to do this all the time.
Is let's not bail on young people. Young people's success
is largely beholden to who are their bosses. And when
(27:48):
you get to be forty or fifty, y're established. You know,
Tom Brady by the end in Tampa, guys, I'm gonna
run the offense.
Speaker 3 (27:54):
So I don't really care.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
Is there anything that jumped out to you on Sam
Donald but maybe hadn't been said, or how did through
your prism, how did you view it well.
Speaker 5 (28:04):
I know you love Sam Donald, so I don't want
to denigrate him and say that he didn't turn into
some great player. But I think Sam Donald's average, and
I think that's okay, And I think that's what my
lesson was on this whole thing. He played really well
against the Rams. I thought he was okay in the
Super Bowl. The advanced stats say that he was pretty average.
And maybe the lesson is that we overrate the quarterback
(28:28):
because this isn't the NBA. We act like it's the
NBA and you're one of five guys if you're a superstar.
Speaker 3 (28:34):
I mean, that just means so much.
Speaker 5 (28:36):
I feel as though the Bills get overrated every year
for their playoff chances because people act as though Josh
Allen's greatness can overcome a talent deficit. And so I
think the lesson with Sam Donald is perhaps we might
even make too big a deal of the surrounding weapons
quarterbacks have on offense and not a big enough deal
about all the other help that allows them to win.
(28:59):
If you've got the best defense and a good running game,
as the Seahawks had, that goes a long way.
Speaker 3 (29:06):
You can win with an average quarterback.
Speaker 5 (29:08):
We say, hey, this guy's not a super Bowl level quarterback.
I think a super Bowl level quarterback is just a
guy who's competent. I think we saw this super Bowl
and I think we saw it last Super Bowl with
Jalen Hurtz when we were trying to make him out
to be somebody that he wasn't.
Speaker 3 (29:23):
He was fine.
Speaker 5 (29:24):
And that's the lesson in the NFL. You can win
with a quarterback who's fine. It doesn't have to be Mahomes.
You just have to be great at the other stuff.
Speaker 4 (29:33):
I like that take.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
I don't have to agree with it, but I like it.
I was saying this Ethan Ethan Strauss joining us for
the radio audience.
Speaker 3 (29:41):
Check him out.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
House of Strauss is probably my favorite podcast I listened
to on a regular basis. I was saying on Lebron,
I don't want I didn't like the way MJ's career ended.
I love the way it ended for Jeter, Kobe's last game,
John Elway. I don't want my actor to end like
Marlon Brando, my musician, like Elvis. Lebron is still very
(30:03):
good two and a half three minutes left in the game.
Because his lack of stamina late he's not the defensive player.
I don't trust him at the free throw on in
big spots. He's still a top fifteen to twenty player,
but I wouldn't take him over like right now, Kawhi
late in the game, Jokic, Wemby, SGA and all that.
I think it's the perfect time to go. We have
(30:23):
great memories. It's amazing. He doesn't need the money. How
do you think the Lakers ends?
Speaker 3 (30:31):
Andy?
Speaker 1 (30:32):
Does it matter to It won't hurt Lebron's legacy, But
would you prefer a clean ending? If the Lakers are like,
ye know, we're not bringing you back. How do you
think it ends? And how do you want it to end?
Speaker 5 (30:45):
I believe the story is kind of run out, and
you're already seeing signs of it. I know you famously
talked about worrying when the guy gets really into golf.
I saw it reported that Lebron got a track man
in his house. For people who don't know what that is.
That's this thing that shows you exactly how hard and
where you're hitting a golf ball, and how you're hitting
(31:08):
a golf ball. That's often a sign that the mind
is on something other than the hard woods. So it
almost seems like he's spiritually he's spiritually removed from it.
But then you've got this other thing happening, which, again,
the money is so big.
Speaker 3 (31:24):
I'm not saying Lebron's motivated by money.
Speaker 5 (31:26):
He clearly has a ton of money, but it has
gotten to this point column where you're walking away from
you know, sixty seventy million dollars a year.
Speaker 3 (31:34):
That's that's not nothing.
Speaker 5 (31:35):
So I kind of wonder with some of these older players,
some of these millennial players in the NBA, if they're
all going to stick around a little too long, because
it's hard to walk away from this amount of money,
and it's already hard to just say goodbye to the
sport that you're used to.
Speaker 3 (31:51):
So I think that one's tough.
Speaker 5 (31:53):
I'd expect him to at least do another year, get
the farewell tour. Lebron likes attention, that's my expectation. I
think it would be better and cleaner of be in it.
And now, like you said, but I think we're getting
at least one more season.
Speaker 1 (32:06):
Oh, I you know, I didn't have this written down,
or maybe I did. I love your macro take on this.
So if the Dodgers, my take is the outrage for
the Dodgers signing Kyle Tucker is based on the Dodgers
winning Game seven and they start now they're stacking trophies
in succession. We don't like that. We didn't love the
(32:28):
Tush push. It was outrageous and needed to be banned.
And then the Eagles went belly up this last year,
and nobody cares about the Tush push, right. They weren't
as good at it. The team isn't as good. We
don't like separation. We watched dynasties, but sometimes we resent them.
And my take is the Kyle Tucker, who the Cubs
(32:49):
couldn't get rid of fast.
Speaker 3 (32:50):
Enough, drew all this outrage.
Speaker 1 (32:53):
The Yankees and the Mets and the Blue Jays are
often out spending the Dodgers, but the Mets aren't unwell,
the Yankees don't care as much, and the Blue Jays
don't have a title, and that a lot of this
with the Dodgers isn't the spending. It's that now that
they put them back to back Kyle Tucker, who's not
(33:13):
but Milkie Betts, who's not Freddy Freeman, who's not close
to Otani. We're bothered by the titles, not necessarily the acquisition,
and I don't think baseball should have a salary cap. Mets, Cubs, Astros, Dodgers, Padres,
they're all interesting, small market Seattle, Cleveland. Interesting. Where do
you land on this, this labor stoppage that is imminent
(33:38):
because of the Kyle Tucker signing.
Speaker 5 (33:41):
I'm one hundred percent with you on this, and it
reminds me of something from my career as a beat writer.
People they almost forget about this, but do you remember
when the Warriors added to Marcus Cousins one summer and
how everybody flipped out. Indeed, it in inspired the NBA
owners to restructure the CBA to punish the Warriors and
(34:05):
prevent this stacking of talent. You know what DeMarcus Cousins
did for the Warriors absolutely nothing, absolutely nothing. He frustrated
Steve Kerr even more than Jonathan Kaminga. It wasn't anything
for them, But because of that impression that they were
unbeatable and had such a massive edge, people flipped out
about it.
Speaker 3 (34:25):
And I think it's the same with the Dodgers.
Speaker 5 (34:26):
I think it's been great for baseball that the Dodgers
are a recognizable brand and that they've been winning, and
I don't think that their victory is as assured as
people think it is. Baseball still got a lot of randomness,
a lot of randomness. They almost lost that game seven,
like you said. And look, I think it's better for
the MLB that the Dodgers are competitive than these weird
(34:48):
world series like the Rangers versus the Diamondbacks. With apologies
to fans of those teams, I think it's been great
for the MLB. And this is one of these situations
to bring this whole conversation full circle. The NBA screwed
up their whole draft lottery system, where the petty resentments
of owners get in the way of the best product
(35:08):
for everybody and for the fans.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
Ethan Strauss. He does such a great job as Substack.
Read that every time one's out his podcast, The House
of Strauss covers everything Big Thinker. And football season's over,
we have to work a little harder. There's not as
much juice out there in material and content. Your stuff
remains just viable and interesting and good sceneing again.
Speaker 3 (35:34):
Oh great, senior, Colin love being here.
Speaker 1 (35:36):
All right, Ethan Strauss. If I'm going to go on
a forty five Minute Walk. That's one of the podcasts
I put in always makes me think, Yeah, the baseball
thing pictures Catchers report this week Dodgers today is I
remember the DeMarcus Cousin signed with the Warriors, and it's
all this. Listen right now. The Yankees are relevant, the
Mets are relevant, the Phillies are relevant, the Cubs are relevant,
(35:58):
the Dodgers are relevant, the Podreys are relevant. The Astros,
if they're healthy, will be in small market Cleveland and
small market Seattle, though though I don't think of Seattle
a small market. Were excellent last year, and that could
be wrong on this one. In Baltimore really good. You know,
everybody looks at well, what about Saint Louis, Well, the
economy in Saint Louis has died.
Speaker 3 (36:18):
Is that LA's fault.
Speaker 1 (36:20):
You don't build leagues to protect the bottom eight teams.
You should build teams for the middle class and above.
And like networks, ESPN and Fox have no responsibility or
NBC to air the bottom twelve teams. The television ratings
are up nationally, why because you're airing these really stacked
(36:40):
excellent teams. So, for the record, Milwaukee was great last year.
Seattle was great. Last year, Cleveland was great. Last year,
Big market DC wasn't. The Mets underwhelmed. So it's and
there's also, as Ethan said, there's so much randomness in baseball.
Speaker 3 (36:57):
Dodgers couldn't keep pictures healthy for two years.
Speaker 1 (37:00):
And if not for Dave Johnson in one of the
craziest games evers ever, pulling every right lever I mean substituting,
you know, an infielder who hadn't been hitting. Dave Roberts
Excuse me, I mean literally Dave Roberts pulled every stink
and lever in Game seven, and they all just.
Speaker 3 (37:21):
Happened to work. There was a randomness to it.
Speaker 1 (37:25):
That's why the Dodgers won the World Series because, and
I think if Dodger fans were truly honest, the more
consistent team at the plate was Toronto. I mean, for
a lot of that series, I felt Toronto was the
better team. When I had runners on or big spots
at the plate, I trusted Toronto's bats more than I
did the Dodgers. And it just so happens the randomness
(37:48):
kind of worked in the dodgers favor.
Speaker 2 (37:51):
One more heard the Herd streams twenty four hours a day,
seven days a week. Within the iHeartRadio app, search Herd
to listen live or on demand whenever you like.
Speaker 1 (38:01):
Well, as many of you, you know, I am a
hopeless romantic.
Speaker 3 (38:04):
I'm going to play. Valentine's Day is tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (38:06):
I'm gonna play matchmaker teams that need a quarterback and
quarterbacks who are available. John, set me up. Here we
go on the eve of Valentine's Day.
Speaker 8 (38:18):
Okay, Colin, who are you pairing with Kevin O'Connell and
the Minnesota Vikings.
Speaker 1 (38:23):
Well, the Vikings are ready to win now with their personnel,
I would go get Aaron Rodgers. Aaron, will you be
my schalmate? I think it works. First of all, JJ
McCarthy's going into year three. It is beyond durability issues.
It's little stuff, it's big stuff. You can't depend on him.
You got Justin Jefferson, an elite left tackle. Minnesota's got
(38:45):
good players, an excellent head coach. Minnesota's got an elite
defensive coordinator. By the way, Chicago's getting better, Green Bays better,
the Lions solved their offensive coordinator issues. You could be
in fourth place very quickly with another JJ McCarthy injury.
Speaker 3 (39:01):
I'd go get.
Speaker 8 (39:02):
Aaron Okay, Colin new GM, new coach, who are repairing
with the Dolphins.
Speaker 1 (39:08):
I would retain. I would stay with Tua for one
more year. He's under contract. Nobody's gonna buy it out.
It's sort of fantastic, right for a year he's got
he's got an out after next season. The Dolphins can
go big game hunting in a year. But John, he's
good enough to win games.
Speaker 4 (39:28):
Now.
Speaker 1 (39:29):
There's limitations on the market he has. There's a new GM.
There's no reason to commit unless you could get a
Fernando Mendoza. There's no real reason that Steven Ross in
this organization could commit. They have some roster rebuilding to
do before they worry about the quarterback too, is expensive,
he doesn't have a market.
Speaker 3 (39:49):
I'd stay with him.
Speaker 8 (39:50):
Okay, we have a new sheriff in town. Who are
we pairing with the Steelers?
Speaker 1 (39:55):
Okay, this one makes sense to me. I would go
get Malik Willis.
Speaker 3 (40:00):
Okay. McCarthy has a connection to Green Bay. He's going
to have intel.
Speaker 1 (40:05):
Also, the Steeters need to get younger and more athletic.
Speaker 3 (40:09):
Malik Willis.
Speaker 1 (40:10):
I mean there are people in the building and people
out of the building that are saying he's better than
Jordan Love. I don't think so, but he is electric.
He played very well in Green Bay. McCarthy has a
history of getting the best out of quarterbacks despite the
criticism he gets. He's got that connection. I mean, let's
face it, with Aaron, Aaron to the best job possible.
(40:30):
But do you really think Aaron and Mike McCarthy. I mean,
McCarthy's went and hired a new staff. One of them
doesn't really see eye to eye with Aaron. It doesn't
feel like an ideal fit. I think Malik Willis works
for me.
Speaker 8 (40:41):
Okay, Colin, this could be a team fresh off of
divorce looking for love who are repairing with the Cardinals.
Speaker 3 (40:47):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
I think Kyler Murray has served his time. There's not
a good vibe with ownership and Kyler Murray. I like him.
I'm in the minority. I would move him out and
eat his contract. I would go do what on Peyton
and the Denver Broncos did. I would eat the contract.
They just wanted Russell Wilson out of the building. We're
going to reach a little bit on bow Nicks. It
was viewed as a reach by many in the league.
(41:09):
I would not take Ty Simpson from Bama at three.
I would trade down to ten, eleven, twelve. I'm much
more comfortable if I can accumulate more picks. Okay, if
I can get a fourth or a fifth and move
down from three to ten or twelve, then I'll reach
on Ty Simpson. And for the record, you got a
(41:31):
young offensive coach, Jacoby Brissett. He may not be able
to beat him out, but you'll know in a year
from practice in some play whether you should go for
another quarterback or keep the kid. But if you think
he's got the ability to be your starter, get him
in house. Former Rams assistant, work on him for a year.
Speaker 3 (41:51):
Listen.
Speaker 1 (41:52):
It's not a great situation. But I do think occasionally
with Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray, and this has happened before.
I think it's just the locker room needs to be cleared.
You eat the contract to Kyler for a year.
Speaker 8 (42:04):
Well, this is a team that once got famously left
at the altar right before the start of the season.
They've been looking for love ever since. Colin, who are
you pairing with the Colts?
Speaker 1 (42:13):
I think Riley Leonard let him play for a year.
I liked him more than most people out of Notre Dame.
He had one start last year. The Texans rested a
lot of starters. Shane Steichen will get the most out
of anybody now. They gave up first round picks for
Sauce Gardner, so I wouldn't be giving up picks to
move up play the kid. I don't want to commit
long term to Daniel.
Speaker 3 (42:32):
Jones, who were pairing with the Jets.
Speaker 1 (42:34):
I would take greg Nessmeyer LSU quarterback in the second round.
Not because I think he's going to be amazing, but
Justin Fields gets hurt. This is going to be a
terrible team. Whether he's a starter or a backup. I
think he's absolutely at some point at least a spot
starter or a bridge starter. I'd get him in the building.
Speaker 8 (42:51):
Well, Cleveland ever find a quarterback?
Speaker 1 (42:54):
Well, I'm going to be a matchmaker here. I should
do or do love having you as a friend. I
would keep Schador Sanders.
Speaker 3 (43:01):
Why not?
Speaker 1 (43:02):
They're still stuck with the Shawn Watsons contract. I think
he's entertaining MERT sales interest. I like watching him play.
I'd give him another year. You're not a title team anyway.
Strongest opinion on my match.
Speaker 5 (43:15):
Made you know.
Speaker 8 (43:17):
I think you left out a name. Derek Carr. Rumors
have been circulating about him making comeback. I think he
makes sense Minnesota, Indianapolis, two Dome teams, I mean Aaron Rodgers.
There's no guarantee. He might just stay in Malibu, col
and work the beaches. Derek Carr, Shanstike, and Kevin O'Connell.
I think he'd be an upgrade for both franchises. Inside
makes some sense to me
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Herd podcast.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox
Sports Radio in noon to three Eastern nine am to
noone Pacific. Find your local station for The Herd at
Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us live every
day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio
or FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
This is the Best of the Herd with Colin cowher
on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Here we go. It's a Friday. There is shockingly a
lot to talk about. We've got a what a good
week host the NFL live in Chicago. It's the Herd
wherever you may be and however you may be listening.
Thank you for making us part of your day. Gamax
off today. Our buddy John Middlecoff, former Scout three and
out at the Volume, is joining us. So John Middletough.
(00:49):
We've still got a lot of NFL stuff to talk about.
But baseball pitchers, catchers reporting this week. Dodgers are infuriating people.
John Lebron's doing his thing.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
John.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
I know you're I'm a movie fan, you're a music fan.
I'm a music fan, but I want to start the
show with this. I don't like my sports stars to
end their careers like Elvis or Marlon Brando. I want
it to look like Elway or Derek Jeter, like that's
I want it to be. I like my movies, my
(01:19):
movie stars. My athletes that have a clean, tight ending
like Elway and Jeter did it better than anybody.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
So Lebron.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Last night Lakers beat the MAVs and Lebron first twenty
three points of the game, he scored or assistant for
the Lakers oldest player ever to have a triple double.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
He's still very, very good. Nobody would dispute that.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
And I really do think Lebron and Tom Brady their
arcs are very similar. Number one is they're the most
productive players in the history of their sport. They got
to a lot of world championships in basketball or Super Bowls,
and they didn't win all of them, but they got
to a lot of them. Both are the system, regardless
of how good the coach is. Rus Arians tell of
(02:00):
a coach Tom Brady's like Bruce were running my offense,
Eric Spolstra amazing coach. He and Lebron but it heads.
And fourth, they're both Brady and Lebron pioneers in longevity,
and I think you know, MJ was flashier, more beloved
and cooler. He's more Beatles, pandemonium. Lebron's more rolling stones,
(02:24):
still touring really really high level for a long time.
And Mahomes in l Way are a little flashier than Brady.
You know, better high lights maybe than Brady. But there's
a fundamental truth with Lebron, you saw it last night,
and with Brady in his last couple of years. The
more obsessed you are by it, the more disciplined you
(02:46):
are as a professional athlete, you will be the goat,
you will be the most productive, you will dominate the
record book. And there's no argument you can say the
other guy's cooler. Lebron has all the records and Brady
has most of them. But I do wish Lebron would
retire after the year. And I'll give you the example why,
because there's a list that he makes, my list that
(03:08):
isn't great. And I've always thought about basketball this way.
How do you judge the best player? It can't be
scoring average? Do you play defense? Are you a good distributor?
I mean, James Harden scored a bunch of points. Never
the best player in the league. Tim Duncan wasn't flashy, rebounded, defended, scored.
I mean, Tim Duncan's one of the seven or eight
(03:30):
best players in terms of complete game. Ever, I always
judge guys like this, and Lebron is now forty one.
If there's a tie game with two and a half
minutes left, two and a half minutes left, I'm counting everything,
your stamina, your free throw shooting, your offense, your defense,
your distribution. Who are the ten guys in the NBA?
(03:54):
I would take in order, and here's my list again,
two and a half minutes multiple, I'm counting all of
your game offense, defense, ball handling, stamina, free throw shooting.
Number one would be Jokic. He is the best player
in the world, makes every teammate better. Third in clutch scoring.
(04:16):
SGA would be two. Number one in clutch scoring. He's
just a bucket the I mean, he's just a bucket.
I would put Victor web Binyama at number three, the
best defensive player, totally absolutely disruptive. Also, you're going to
get dunks and freebies. Number four, I would put Anthony
Edwards behind SGA number two in scoring. He can hit
(04:39):
a three, he can handle the ball, he can make
defensive stops. Number five, because he's actually playing again, is
Kawhi Leonard. I mean, cross your fingers. He may not
in two days, but right now he's playing. And I
said this years ago. Get a bucket, get a stop.
He is a wizard. There's a lot of MJ to
his game. Number six would be Steph Curry, still at
(05:00):
his age, unbelievable stamina. I don't think there's ever been
an NBA player in that good of cardio shape. He
is also right now three point shooting forty six percent
clutch three point shooting. That's insane. Number seven would be
Kad Cunningham. He has the third most field goals in
the league in clutch. He can defend, he's got size,
(05:21):
he can ball handle. He now plays with a confidence
he didn't three years ago. Kid Cunningham at seven. Colin,
where's Luca? I would put him eight?
Speaker 3 (05:29):
Why.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
I don't like his stamina late in games. He's a
revolving door on defense. I love him offensively, but he
often doesn't include others.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
I'd put him eight.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Number nine, I'm gonna put Kadi on this until the
day he retires. I'm sorry. Catch and shoot off a
pick dribble. Kevin Durant is somewhere between five and ten
on this list. I'll put him nine because of his age,
and number ten.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
Is not Lebron.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
It's Jalen Runson, who twenty four twenty five in the
NBA was voted the clutch player. I trust them more
at the free throw line than Lebron. He's not a
good defensive player, he's a better ball handler. I trust
his mid range game more than Lebron. I trust his
free throw shooting more than Lebron. It's the first time
I've ever done this list. Lebron's not part of it.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
Lebron.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Last night I saw Lebron live this year at Chicago.
Best player on the floor for about twelve minutes, and
then there were gaps of stamina and energy, and I
like my actors, I want it to look more like
a Tom Hanks. You don't see him in as many
good movies because you don't see him in as many movies,
but everything he does is tight and clean and good.
(06:42):
I don't want it to end like Marlon Brando. I
don't want to look like that. Lebron next year would
still be a top fifteen to eighteen player in the league.
But I just love the way Lway and Jeter ended it.
It's just so tight and clean. And I know that's
just subjective, and that's my opinion. I don't want to mjending.
You got all the records, you beat them in the
(07:03):
record books. Call it a career. You're averaging twenty a game.
I think that'd be amazing. Here's Lebron last night on
his longevity and his future.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
My game is not going anywhere. It's just it's my body.
It's all the other things. There's so many more factors
that come with how long will I play a game? Now,
I don't think my game will ever suffer if if
I decided to continue to go how long, however long
that is. I just think it's like it has to
be here. If this goes, then my body's going to go.
(07:38):
Then once my body goes in, it's a wrap.
Speaker 5 (07:40):
You know.
Speaker 4 (07:40):
Then the love goes, and then the fund and all
that stuff goes.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
He remains very good, but down the stretch two and
a half, left, defense, free throw shooting, stamina, I don't
think he's a top ten player. Pictures and catchers report
in Baseball. In fact, the Dodgers pictures and catchers report today.
So Jeff pass An ESPN, a wonderful baseball guy Wright,
it's a really interesting story today that baseball is in
(08:05):
a weird place. There's a renaissance, the attendance is up,
the ratings are up. We've talked about this on this show.
I went about fifteen years I stopped talking baseball. The
last two and a half years, the playoffs have been incredible.
Why games faster, games quicker. And the Cubs are good,
and the Yankees are good, and the Mets are interesting,
(08:26):
and the Dodgers are good, and Houston's dominant, and Boston
had a good year. But he also points out in
the article that Kyle Tucker's signing that that's going to
guarantee a labor stop.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
He suggests that, and I.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Just want to throw this out there. One year ago
in the NFL, I want you to think about this.
One year ago in the NFL, after the Eagles won
the Super Bowl, the Tush push was a national crisis.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
Something needs to be done. This is unfair.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
People are meeting and flying and talking and debating and
arguing the Tush push. And then this year when the
Eagles face planted, you know what nobody cared about the
tush push. They weren't as good at it. It didn't matter.
It suddenly wasn't unfair. Go ahead, do it as many
time as you want.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
But when the.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Eagles felt like they were unstoppable, they had an advantage
though it was legal, they were pulling away from the league.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
Nobody liked it. And that's our nature.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
We often hate successful people because they're successful. And what's
interesting when the Dodgers signed Mookie bats much better than
Kyle Tucker, when they signed Freddie Freeman, both.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Will be Hall of Famers. Where was the outrage.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
Well, that's because at the time the Dodgers weren't stacking
World Series titles. I'm arguing and have that if the
Dodgers would have lost to the Blue Jays in Game seven,
nobody'd freak.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Out with Kyle Tucker.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
You'd be like, well, you spend a fortune, what you
got one World Series show?
Speaker 3 (10:12):
You think I'm wrong on that? Okay?
Speaker 1 (10:15):
Because so it was Kyle Tucker who the Cubs couldn't
get out of town fast enough. That's the one that's
the straw that broke the camel's back. What's interesting the
Blue Jays lost the World series. So nobody's already bothered
that Vlad Guerrero Junior signed for five hundred million dollars
or that the Blue Jays were the bigger spenders again
(10:37):
in this offseason because they didn't win a World Series,
because they're not stacking titles. Really, Freddy Freeman, why did
he leave Atlanta? Was money? They knew Freddy Freeman was
great that Braves couldn't afford him.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
Dodgers could. Why did Mookie Betts leave Boston?
Speaker 1 (10:54):
They said they couldn't afford him, so the same reason
they got Otawni and Bets and Freeman. It's always money.
Kyle Tucker really wasn't that expensive relative to those guys.
But Kyle Tucker after back to back World Series titles
that stings push push outrage this year what evs.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
That's how it works.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Here's an absolute fact data that you can't deny. The
Dodgers in twenty twenty four made seven hundred and fifty
two million. The Yankees made seven one hundred and thirty million,
two biggest revenue teams in the sport. The difference is
the Yankees only spend forty nine and a half percent
(11:39):
of their revenue on players and the Dodgers almost spend
seventy five percent they make about the same. The Dodgers
are more committed to winning. Steinbrenner's kids are more committed
to committed to keeping more of that money. By the way,
the Mets spend the highest percent by a mile in
(12:00):
the sport of the revenues they make. They don't make
the Dodger money. They don't make the Yankee money. But
Steve Cohen spends ninety percent of the money. Good for him.
But we it's human nature. We don't like people pulling
away the idea that Kyle Tucker, who the Cubs couldn't
get rid of, Fathomon, who everybody says that I didn't
(12:21):
love the game. I don't know if he does or not.
He not really passionate. I mean they signed Mookey bat
To Everybody's like, oh, great move by the Dodgers. Yeah,
Kyle Tucker's got us all freaking out. Dave Roberts on
this Dodger team, as pitchers and catchers report today, compared
to previous Dodger teams.
Speaker 6 (12:43):
Last year's team a very good team on paper, I thought.
Twenty twenty one, I think was a very good team
on paper, but this team, I think yeah, looking at
the guys in their prime, the experience, the talent, the starters,
and the depth of the young players that we have
(13:04):
coming behind them on the pitching side, especially probably the best.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
Team we'd.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Be totally honest. If the Dodgers would have lost in
Game seven to the Blue Jays, you would have all laughed.
Suckers can't buy a World Series title. And by the way,
the guy making the great catch in left center field
for the Dodgers wasn't one of their great players. He
(13:32):
was a defensive specialist. They couldn't figure out their bullpen.
But the minute they won Game seven, that's separating and
people don't like it.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noon Eastern a em Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
FS one and the iHeartRadio.
Speaker 7 (13:51):
App sot Got here. I have a podcast empire. It
continues to grow, and I have brought it here to Eeharn.
I'm also doing a live radio show from three to
five pm Eastern because.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
My wife wanted to kick me out of the house.
Speaker 7 (14:06):
It's called Stegtson Company Live, which is available in podcast
form right when the show finishes. Every single day, some
of the biggest names in sports, a lot of phone calls.
Speaker 8 (14:18):
I love you got your show, It's one of my favorites.
Speaker 7 (14:20):
A lot of interact shit guys not taking themselves too seriously.
Those are just some of the things that you can
expect from Stu Gottson Company and Steve Gotson Company Live.
So listen to Steve Gotson Company Live and Ouriur Original Podcast.
Please subscribe, rate and review Stu Gotson Company and God
Bless Football. Taylor's livelihood depends on it. Do it today
(14:43):
and you can check all of those out on the
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
We're live in Chicago. It's the Herd, Eats and Strauss.
How do you fix the NBA All Star Game? Fixed
tanking Coamingo Warriors story in about three minutes. So Lebron
last night became the oldest player to ever have a
triple double. And you know, through the years, I told
the story years ago. My wife went to the doctor
in Los Angeles and she doesn't know sports or anything.
(15:16):
So she sat down. But she used to live in
Chicago and now she does again. And then she saw
this guy and she's like, ah, that's kind of familiar.
He looks like a sports guy. It was Phil Jackson,
and so they started talking and she said Phil was
very nice and everything, and she said, Phil said at
the end, tell your husband he's.
Speaker 3 (15:35):
Wrong about Lebron and Michael and.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Jordan, because I've said before Lebron James does more things
well than any basketball player I've ever seen. I always
felt he was more Magic Johnson, where he really did
love initiating offense for other people. But he's a better
athlete than and a better defender than Magic Johnson. But
I think his game Kobe was more Michael. Lebron's more
Magic Johnson. You know, he's got the power element. He
(16:00):
loves to elevate others.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
He's fun.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
His sheer size, like Magic came in at six eight
and a half his sheer size and nobody knew how
to defend a guard that was six eight and a half.
Lebron is still I've stood next to Lebron two or
three times. It was like a pro football player. He
looks like an NFL defensive end. And last night is
he really is remarkable. But when you really really love
a player, I love Derek Jeter, I love John Elway.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
You know, I love certain actors.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
I don't want to see him straight to you know,
rental video, the old term in their movie career. I
want to see clean endings. I want to see, like
you know, Martin Scorsese, the direct director direct every three years,
have a great film.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
The irishman.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Spielberg still feels like he's in his prime as Primes
lasted forever. Yeah, but it's like, you know, every couple
of years, do a great film. You don't have the
energy when you get older or whatever. It's like when
you really love people. I like nice, clean endings. I
don't want an Elvis ending or a Marlon Brando ending.
And so I think this should be Lebron's last year.
He's still like a top fifteen sixteen player. He still
has moments. I went and saw him in Chicago. He
(17:04):
literally was the best player on the floor, and then
Luca was the best player after that, and Luke ended
up with like forty some points. But here was Lebron
on becoming the oldest player to ever have a triple
double last night, and it went over the map.
Speaker 4 (17:17):
I've never been sorry got basketball, So yeah, I've been
good ever since I started playing it any given night,
like a.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
Finding to turn it on.
Speaker 4 (17:30):
I could turn the fact that you can go out
and be able to have an impact in three fasted
a game, you know, rebound and this obviously is what
I love the most, being able to get my guys
involved throughout my career. I've always loved that morning anything,
and I'm being up with the ball in the basket
obviously that's that's part of his game as well.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
Yeah, and he can still do that.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
And I have no idea if he's going to retire,
but it does feel like it would be. I think
John Elway could have played another year. Jeter probably could have,
Brady certainly could have three years after his retirement.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
Who knows. If Lebron plays, he'll be good.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
But when you really like a director, an actor and athlete,
I just like cleaner endings. So the NBA is, and
I don't want to overstate this, because every time the
NFL season ends, we start paying more attend baseball hasn't started.
We start paying more attention to the NBA. And I
(18:23):
feel like there's a month it's like mid February to
mid March. All we do is crap on the NBA
and the playoffs will be amazing.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
They always are. But when Bill Simmons.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Comes out and I think it's something I because I
talk about this a lot the business side of sports,
It's like, is Adam Silver the right guy? The tankings
feels like it's really bad. The load management's almost comical.
And with that, Ethan Strauss, one of the best substacks
out there, House of Strauss, NBA Warriors and Culture podcasts,
is joining us. So listen. Tanking's been going on forever.
(18:55):
I said about an hour ago with David Stern, you
had it. But Stern was an ominous, threatening, loud presence
and like he would call gms and coaches and players,
and you know, he was brutal. He wouldn't apologize. Adam
Silver more pleasant, and I think at times it feels
like star players take advantage of Adam Silver. Do you
(19:18):
have a belief Ethan, on how to fix the tanking problem?
Speaker 5 (19:24):
I do, and I have to disagree with you right
off the bat. I don't think tanking has been a
problem forever. I think there's a time when you were
an NBA fan when it wasn't And sometimes the old
ways work better than some of these crazy, big brained
ideas I'm seeing floated around out there.
Speaker 3 (19:43):
The NBA used to do it this way.
Speaker 5 (19:45):
If you missed the playoffs, you had an equal chance
as every other lottery team to win the lottery.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
Now some people might say that's not fair.
Speaker 5 (19:55):
You know that you're the worst team and you get
the thirteenth pick or whatever. What. I don't think we
want to reward losing to such a degree and let's
just do on the one hand, On the other hand,
right on the one hand, maybe the worst team in
the league gets the eleventh or twelfth pick and they
stay bad. On the other hand, we have what we
have now, which is a third of the league intentionally
(20:17):
losing for months. I would say that outcome is worse,
and I would say go back in time. The league
made a mistake in the past when they flipped out
after Orlando got consecutive number one picks and they got
Shack and they got Penny Hardaway.
Speaker 4 (20:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (20:33):
You know the funny thing about that is the owners
freaked out. That was objectively great for the NBA. That
was a charismatic team. If that's the bad outcome, I mean,
I think that they made a huge mistake way back
when I think return to the old days. You make
the playoffs, you get a bigger playoff share to incentivize
making the playoffs. You miss the playoffs. Everybody's got the
(20:53):
same long shot. Do it that way, get rid of
all this tanking.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
The All Star Game and further record in fairness, the
Pro Bowls unwatchable. The only All Star game that's any
good is baseball. I do think we've moved into a
time now. The All Star Game in baseball was great
because you didn't see all these players and all these games.
Now that I can watch any team anytime, even the
Baseball All Star Game doesn't feel as big. It's good,
it's the best, but it doesn't feel as great. Pro
Bowls unwatchable and was for years. The NBA All Star Game. Listen,
(21:25):
could I say this? The players are so rich now
they just want time off. It's not solvable. Or do
you have a way to fix the NBA All Star Game.
Speaker 5 (21:34):
I do have a way to fix the NBA All
Star Game, but I don't think it's ever going to
be implemented. And no, it's not Nick Wright's idea. Our
guy Nick writes idea to have the black guys play
the white guys, which that will never be implemented, but
that would be interesting. That would be interesting. I guess
the first thing I would say about it is this.
The NBA's general problem with Adam Silver is doing too much.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
It's doing too much the NBA.
Speaker 5 (22:00):
It's like a celebrity that gets so many plastic surgeries,
a good looking celebrity that you go, I don't even
recognize this. So the first thing I do to the
All Star Game is stop with all the crazy reforms.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
I don't even know what this thing is right now.
Speaker 5 (22:15):
Or there's a round robin, you know, before they had
the players pick the guys they the elam ending.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
Here's a crazy idea.
Speaker 5 (22:23):
You get the most popular players from the Eastern Conference
and they play the most popular players in the Western Conference.
It's something that makes sense to my dad. It's something
I can explain to my son. Well, how do you
get them to tryhard? That's the thing everybody's thinking about
right now. You hear about money. The All Star Game
is not about money, It's about status. What I think
(22:44):
should happen and that Adam Silver will never do is
he chooses the players. He makes the selection based on
what he's seen in the popularity, and if you dog it,
if you loaf, well, guess what, maybe you're not getting
invited to next season's All Star Game. Because the players,
they might not care about trying in the All Star Game,
(23:06):
but they care about being an All Star. They care
about having that designation, and when Hall of Fame voting happens,
that's something that they want on their mantle. So if
you have a little bit of that incentive of the
commissioners choosing the guys, we're choosing the twelve best entertainers
in our sport on each team, and if you're not
going to be an entertainer for our sport, you're not
(23:28):
showing up. I think that's enough incentive not to try
to the point where you might get yourself hurt, but
at least not to dog it, not to loaf, not
to launch from.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Fifty feet away. That's what I would do. Always have
great ideas. Okay, so you know, I mean, you really
covered the Warriors forever, you had wrote a book about it,
The Victory Machine, The Making and Unmaking of the Warriors Dynasty.
I've always felt you should love your kids like your
superstar players. The Warriors fell in love with Steph Curry,
(23:59):
and they've tried to make everything work through that ecosystem.
And the truth is young players can't play with current
Steph Curry's offense. It hasn't worked. And now they're old
and slow and small, and it's just like if he's
not on the floor, it's hard to watch. So the
Kaminga story is one and I talked about this two
days ago. I was never I've never been a G
League fan, especially G League ignite, Scoot Henderson, Jalen Jalen
(24:24):
the kid yeh Jalen Green and cominga our G League ignite,
I would call it G League ignore. It was overstated,
none of that. There's never been a great player from
G League. You don't get the coaching, you don't get
the marketing, you don't get the development. And I think
college basketball shouldn't be demonized. That being said, clearly, Kaminga,
(24:47):
as he improved as a player, played less under Kerr.
Speaker 3 (24:51):
So I mean it's like.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
You would think he starts here, but the last three
years it's like it's fewer games, it's fewer minutes. He's
in the doghouse. What do you make of it? They
all say nice stuff. Kurse has nice stuff. On the
way out. But like what happened?
Speaker 3 (25:05):
Do you believe?
Speaker 5 (25:07):
Okay, So when you started with the parenting analogy, I
thought it was going to be about Kaminga because Kminga
reminds me of something I try to tell my son
all the time, which is the Roman proverb Before you
can lead, you must follow. And so I'm reading these
reports by Anthony Slater and other people that Kminga's offended
(25:29):
that Kerr wanted him to be an Aaron Gordon or
as Sean Marian. Well, guess what in the NBA, before
you get to be what you want to be, you've
got to build a basis of what the coach needs
you to be.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
It's not a charity.
Speaker 5 (25:43):
The coach needs to win, and afterwards you can build
out your game. You can be more than useful to
your coach, but it's got to start with useful to
your coach. And I think a lot of these guys, okay,
So here's something I was told last time I was
at Summer League, because I was asking, is the bigig
money screwing these guys up because there's so much money
in the league, And somebody who's in ownership told me, no,
(26:07):
you know, It's funny. The big money's not screwing up
the guys who get it, it's screwing up the guys
who don't, the young guys like Kuminga, who feel, hey,
I'm just as good as this guy getting crazy money.
In the new CBA structure, it's haves and have not,
so if you're on the outside looking in, it creates
this dynamic where I think I'm a superstar already. I
(26:27):
want the money already, it's right there. And a lot
of guys, a lot of young guys, I think, are
forgoing the process. And that's what that G League knit
thing was all about. It was guys who wanted to
be a superstar right now, as opposed to paying dues,
as opposed to getting through their paces.
Speaker 3 (26:42):
And I would say one more thing.
Speaker 5 (26:44):
I'm not saying Steve Kerr is perfect, but I do
think he's had a good track record on this. We
can say Steve Kerr doesn't develop young talent, and I
would say, well, who's the young guy who left the
Warriors and flourished? Who is he wrong about? Is Patrick
mca ah putting up any triple doubles anywhere? He's been
correct about these guys for the most part. I just
(27:06):
don't think he's had the horses.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
Yeah, I don't think Kaminga ever developed a three point shot.
He's up and down in the interior. He's a lousy rebounder.
On I think Kerr knows that he got frustrated with
a player who didn't grow and develop. You know, people
by now know the you know the redemptive arc of
Sam Darnold. And I do think every year we learn
(27:28):
things in pro sports, and we'll see it with Mendoza
in with the Raiders. He's gonna get beat up, he's
gonna lose a lot of games. He's gonna throw a
lot of picks. And I do think I will be
and I think I try to do this all the time.
Is let's not bail on young people. Young people's success
is largely beholden to who are their bosses. And when
(27:48):
you get to be forty or fifty, y're established. You know,
Tom Brady by the end in Tampa, guys, I'm gonna
run the offense.
Speaker 3 (27:54):
So I don't really care.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
Is there anything that jumped out to you on Sam
Donald but maybe hadn't been said, or how did through
your prism, how did you view it well.
Speaker 5 (28:04):
I know you love Sam Donald, so I don't want
to denigrate him and say that he didn't turn into
some great player. But I think Sam Donald's average, and
I think that's okay, And I think that's what my
lesson was on this whole thing. He played really well
against the Rams. I thought he was okay in the
Super Bowl. The advanced stats say that he was pretty average.
And maybe the lesson is that we overrate the quarterback
(28:28):
because this isn't the NBA. We act like it's the
NBA and you're one of five guys if you're a superstar.
Speaker 3 (28:34):
I mean, that just means so much.
Speaker 5 (28:36):
I feel as though the Bills get overrated every year
for their playoff chances because people act as though Josh
Allen's greatness can overcome a talent deficit. And so I
think the lesson with Sam Donald is perhaps we might
even make too big a deal of the surrounding weapons
quarterbacks have on offense and not a big enough deal
about all the other help that allows them to win.
(28:59):
If you've got the best defense and a good running game,
as the Seahawks had, that goes a long way.
Speaker 3 (29:06):
You can win with an average quarterback.
Speaker 5 (29:08):
We say, hey, this guy's not a super Bowl level quarterback.
I think a super Bowl level quarterback is just a
guy who's competent. I think we saw this super Bowl
and I think we saw it last Super Bowl with
Jalen Hurtz when we were trying to make him out
to be somebody that he wasn't.
Speaker 3 (29:23):
He was fine.
Speaker 5 (29:24):
And that's the lesson in the NFL. You can win
with a quarterback who's fine. It doesn't have to be Mahomes.
You just have to be great at the other stuff.
Speaker 4 (29:33):
I like that take.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
I don't have to agree with it, but I like it.
I was saying this Ethan Ethan Strauss joining us for
the radio audience.
Speaker 3 (29:41):
Check him out.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
House of Strauss is probably my favorite podcast I listened
to on a regular basis. I was saying on Lebron,
I don't want I didn't like the way MJ's career ended.
I love the way it ended for Jeter, Kobe's last game,
John Elway. I don't want my actor to end like
Marlon Brando, my musician, like Elvis. Lebron is still very
(30:03):
good two and a half three minutes left in the game.
Because his lack of stamina late he's not the defensive player.
I don't trust him at the free throw on in
big spots. He's still a top fifteen to twenty player,
but I wouldn't take him over like right now, Kawhi
late in the game, Jokic, Wemby, SGA and all that.
I think it's the perfect time to go. We have
(30:23):
great memories. It's amazing. He doesn't need the money. How
do you think the Lakers ends?
Speaker 3 (30:31):
Andy?
Speaker 1 (30:32):
Does it matter to It won't hurt Lebron's legacy, But
would you prefer a clean ending? If the Lakers are like,
ye know, we're not bringing you back. How do you
think it ends? And how do you want it to end?
Speaker 5 (30:45):
I believe the story is kind of run out, and
you're already seeing signs of it. I know you famously
talked about worrying when the guy gets really into golf.
I saw it reported that Lebron got a track man
in his house. For people who don't know what that is.
That's this thing that shows you exactly how hard and
where you're hitting a golf ball, and how you're hitting
(31:08):
a golf ball. That's often a sign that the mind
is on something other than the hard woods. So it
almost seems like he's spiritually he's spiritually removed from it.
But then you've got this other thing happening, which, again,
the money is so big.
Speaker 3 (31:24):
I'm not saying Lebron's motivated by money.
Speaker 5 (31:26):
He clearly has a ton of money, but it has
gotten to this point column where you're walking away from
you know, sixty seventy million dollars a year.
Speaker 3 (31:34):
That's that's not nothing.
Speaker 5 (31:35):
So I kind of wonder with some of these older players,
some of these millennial players in the NBA, if they're
all going to stick around a little too long, because
it's hard to walk away from this amount of money,
and it's already hard to just say goodbye to the
sport that you're used to.
Speaker 3 (31:51):
So I think that one's tough.
Speaker 5 (31:53):
I'd expect him to at least do another year, get
the farewell tour. Lebron likes attention, that's my expectation. I
think it would be better and cleaner of be in it.
And now, like you said, but I think we're getting
at least one more season.
Speaker 1 (32:06):
Oh, I you know, I didn't have this written down,
or maybe I did. I love your macro take on this.
So if the Dodgers, my take is the outrage for
the Dodgers signing Kyle Tucker is based on the Dodgers
winning Game seven and they start now they're stacking trophies
in succession. We don't like that. We didn't love the
(32:28):
Tush push. It was outrageous and needed to be banned.
And then the Eagles went belly up this last year,
and nobody cares about the Tush push, right. They weren't
as good at it. The team isn't as good. We
don't like separation. We watched dynasties, but sometimes we resent them.
And my take is the Kyle Tucker, who the Cubs
(32:49):
couldn't get rid of fast.
Speaker 3 (32:50):
Enough, drew all this outrage.
Speaker 1 (32:53):
The Yankees and the Mets and the Blue Jays are
often out spending the Dodgers, but the Mets aren't unwell,
the Yankees don't care as much, and the Blue Jays
don't have a title, and that a lot of this
with the Dodgers isn't the spending. It's that now that
they put them back to back Kyle Tucker, who's not
(33:13):
but Milkie Betts, who's not Freddy Freeman, who's not close
to Otani. We're bothered by the titles, not necessarily the acquisition,
and I don't think baseball should have a salary cap. Mets, Cubs, Astros, Dodgers, Padres,
they're all interesting, small market Seattle, Cleveland. Interesting. Where do
you land on this, this labor stoppage that is imminent
(33:38):
because of the Kyle Tucker signing.
Speaker 5 (33:41):
I'm one hundred percent with you on this, and it
reminds me of something from my career as a beat writer.
People they almost forget about this, but do you remember
when the Warriors added to Marcus Cousins one summer and
how everybody flipped out. Indeed, it in inspired the NBA
owners to restructure the CBA to punish the Warriors and
(34:05):
prevent this stacking of talent. You know what DeMarcus Cousins
did for the Warriors absolutely nothing, absolutely nothing. He frustrated
Steve Kerr even more than Jonathan Kaminga. It wasn't anything
for them, But because of that impression that they were
unbeatable and had such a massive edge, people flipped out
about it.
Speaker 3 (34:25):
And I think it's the same with the Dodgers.
Speaker 5 (34:26):
I think it's been great for baseball that the Dodgers
are a recognizable brand and that they've been winning, and
I don't think that their victory is as assured as
people think it is. Baseball still got a lot of randomness,
a lot of randomness. They almost lost that game seven,
like you said. And look, I think it's better for
the MLB that the Dodgers are competitive than these weird
(34:48):
world series like the Rangers versus the Diamondbacks. With apologies
to fans of those teams, I think it's been great
for the MLB. And this is one of these situations
to bring this whole conversation full circle. The NBA screwed
up their whole draft lottery system, where the petty resentments
of owners get in the way of the best product
(35:08):
for everybody and for the fans.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
Ethan Strauss. He does such a great job as Substack.
Read that every time one's out his podcast, The House
of Strauss covers everything Big Thinker. And football season's over,
we have to work a little harder. There's not as
much juice out there in material and content. Your stuff
remains just viable and interesting and good sceneing again.
Speaker 3 (35:34):
Oh great, senior, Colin love being here.
Speaker 1 (35:36):
All right, Ethan Strauss. If I'm going to go on
a forty five Minute Walk. That's one of the podcasts
I put in always makes me think, Yeah, the baseball
thing pictures Catchers report this week Dodgers today is I
remember the DeMarcus Cousin signed with the Warriors, and it's
all this. Listen right now. The Yankees are relevant, the
Mets are relevant, the Phillies are relevant, the Cubs are relevant,
(35:58):
the Dodgers are relevant, the Podreys are relevant. The Astros,
if they're healthy, will be in small market Cleveland and
small market Seattle, though though I don't think of Seattle
a small market. Were excellent last year, and that could
be wrong on this one. In Baltimore really good. You know,
everybody looks at well, what about Saint Louis, Well, the
economy in Saint Louis has died.
Speaker 3 (36:18):
Is that LA's fault.
Speaker 1 (36:20):
You don't build leagues to protect the bottom eight teams.
You should build teams for the middle class and above.
And like networks, ESPN and Fox have no responsibility or
NBC to air the bottom twelve teams. The television ratings
are up nationally, why because you're airing these really stacked
(36:40):
excellent teams. So, for the record, Milwaukee was great last year.
Seattle was great. Last year, Cleveland was great. Last year,
Big market DC wasn't. The Mets underwhelmed. So it's and
there's also, as Ethan said, there's so much randomness in baseball.
Speaker 3 (36:57):
Dodgers couldn't keep pictures healthy for two years.
Speaker 1 (37:00):
And if not for Dave Johnson in one of the
craziest games evers ever, pulling every right lever I mean substituting,
you know, an infielder who hadn't been hitting. Dave Roberts
Excuse me, I mean literally Dave Roberts pulled every stink
and lever in Game seven, and they all just.
Speaker 3 (37:21):
Happened to work. There was a randomness to it.
Speaker 1 (37:25):
That's why the Dodgers won the World Series because, and
I think if Dodger fans were truly honest, the more
consistent team at the plate was Toronto. I mean, for
a lot of that series, I felt Toronto was the
better team. When I had runners on or big spots
at the plate, I trusted Toronto's bats more than I
did the Dodgers. And it just so happens the randomness
(37:48):
kind of worked in the dodgers favor.
Speaker 2 (37:51):
One more heard the Herd streams twenty four hours a day,
seven days a week. Within the iHeartRadio app, search Herd
to listen live or on demand whenever you like.
Speaker 1 (38:01):
Well, as many of you, you know, I am a
hopeless romantic.
Speaker 3 (38:04):
I'm going to play. Valentine's Day is tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (38:06):
I'm gonna play matchmaker teams that need a quarterback and
quarterbacks who are available. John, set me up. Here we
go on the eve of Valentine's Day.
Speaker 8 (38:18):
Okay, Colin, who are you pairing with Kevin O'Connell and
the Minnesota Vikings.
Speaker 1 (38:23):
Well, the Vikings are ready to win now with their personnel,
I would go get Aaron Rodgers. Aaron, will you be
my schalmate? I think it works. First of all, JJ
McCarthy's going into year three. It is beyond durability issues.
It's little stuff, it's big stuff. You can't depend on him.
You got Justin Jefferson, an elite left tackle. Minnesota's got
(38:45):
good players, an excellent head coach. Minnesota's got an elite
defensive coordinator. By the way, Chicago's getting better, Green Bays better,
the Lions solved their offensive coordinator issues. You could be
in fourth place very quickly with another JJ McCarthy injury.
Speaker 3 (39:01):
I'd go get.
Speaker 8 (39:02):
Aaron Okay, Colin new GM, new coach, who are repairing
with the Dolphins.
Speaker 1 (39:08):
I would retain. I would stay with Tua for one
more year. He's under contract. Nobody's gonna buy it out.
It's sort of fantastic, right for a year he's got
he's got an out after next season. The Dolphins can
go big game hunting in a year. But John, he's
good enough to win games.
Speaker 4 (39:28):
Now.
Speaker 1 (39:29):
There's limitations on the market he has. There's a new GM.
There's no reason to commit unless you could get a
Fernando Mendoza. There's no real reason that Steven Ross in
this organization could commit. They have some roster rebuilding to
do before they worry about the quarterback too, is expensive,
he doesn't have a market.
Speaker 3 (39:49):
I'd stay with him.
Speaker 8 (39:50):
Okay, we have a new sheriff in town. Who are
we pairing with the Steelers?
Speaker 1 (39:55):
Okay, this one makes sense to me. I would go
get Malik Willis.
Speaker 3 (40:00):
Okay. McCarthy has a connection to Green Bay. He's going
to have intel.
Speaker 1 (40:05):
Also, the Steeters need to get younger and more athletic.
Speaker 3 (40:09):
Malik Willis.
Speaker 1 (40:10):
I mean there are people in the building and people
out of the building that are saying he's better than
Jordan Love. I don't think so, but he is electric.
He played very well in Green Bay. McCarthy has a
history of getting the best out of quarterbacks despite the
criticism he gets. He's got that connection. I mean, let's
face it, with Aaron, Aaron to the best job possible.
(40:30):
But do you really think Aaron and Mike McCarthy. I mean,
McCarthy's went and hired a new staff. One of them
doesn't really see eye to eye with Aaron. It doesn't
feel like an ideal fit. I think Malik Willis works
for me.
Speaker 8 (40:41):
Okay, Colin, this could be a team fresh off of
divorce looking for love who are repairing with the Cardinals.
Speaker 3 (40:47):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
I think Kyler Murray has served his time. There's not
a good vibe with ownership and Kyler Murray. I like him.
I'm in the minority. I would move him out and
eat his contract. I would go do what on Peyton
and the Denver Broncos did. I would eat the contract.
They just wanted Russell Wilson out of the building. We're
going to reach a little bit on bow Nicks. It
was viewed as a reach by many in the league.
(41:09):
I would not take Ty Simpson from Bama at three.
I would trade down to ten, eleven, twelve. I'm much
more comfortable if I can accumulate more picks. Okay, if
I can get a fourth or a fifth and move
down from three to ten or twelve, then I'll reach
on Ty Simpson. And for the record, you got a
(41:31):
young offensive coach, Jacoby Brissett. He may not be able
to beat him out, but you'll know in a year
from practice in some play whether you should go for
another quarterback or keep the kid. But if you think
he's got the ability to be your starter, get him
in house. Former Rams assistant, work on him for a year.
Speaker 3 (41:51):
Listen.
Speaker 1 (41:52):
It's not a great situation. But I do think occasionally
with Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray, and this has happened before.
I think it's just the locker room needs to be cleared.
You eat the contract to Kyler for a year.
Speaker 8 (42:04):
Well, this is a team that once got famously left
at the altar right before the start of the season.
They've been looking for love ever since. Colin, who are
you pairing with the Colts?
Speaker 1 (42:13):
I think Riley Leonard let him play for a year.
I liked him more than most people out of Notre Dame.
He had one start last year. The Texans rested a
lot of starters. Shane Steichen will get the most out
of anybody now. They gave up first round picks for
Sauce Gardner, so I wouldn't be giving up picks to
move up play the kid. I don't want to commit
long term to Daniel.
Speaker 3 (42:32):
Jones, who were pairing with the Jets.
Speaker 1 (42:34):
I would take greg Nessmeyer LSU quarterback in the second round.
Not because I think he's going to be amazing, but
Justin Fields gets hurt. This is going to be a
terrible team. Whether he's a starter or a backup. I
think he's absolutely at some point at least a spot
starter or a bridge starter. I'd get him in the building.
Speaker 8 (42:51):
Well, Cleveland ever find a quarterback?
Speaker 1 (42:54):
Well, I'm going to be a matchmaker here. I should
do or do love having you as a friend. I
would keep Schador Sanders.
Speaker 3 (43:01):
Why not?
Speaker 1 (43:02):
They're still stuck with the Shawn Watsons contract. I think
he's entertaining MERT sales interest. I like watching him play.
I'd give him another year. You're not a title team anyway.
Strongest opinion on my match.
Speaker 5 (43:15):
Made you know.
Speaker 8 (43:17):
I think you left out a name. Derek Carr. Rumors
have been circulating about him making comeback. I think he
makes sense Minnesota, Indianapolis, two Dome teams, I mean Aaron Rodgers.
There's no guarantee. He might just stay in Malibu, col
and work the beaches. Derek Carr, Shanstike, and Kevin O'Connell.
I think he'd be an upgrade for both franchises. Inside
makes some sense to me
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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