March 6, 2021 • 45 mins
Jason Smith and Mike Harmon kickoff a Positivity Friday by discussing California's new health guidelines, allowing fans at outdoor sporting events. How good of an NFL quarterback can Zach Wilson be? NFL Insider and Editor-In-Chief at Fansided.com Jason Cole joins the show to discuss the BYU quarterback and other NFL prospects. What does Pete Carroll have to do to remain the head guy in Seattle? Jason has an idea. Also, something interesting has happened before the NCAA Tournament. Jason and Mike break it all down.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the best of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmen podcast. Be sure to catch us
live every weeknight from ten pm to two a m.
Eastern seven to eleven pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio.
Find your local station for The Jason Smith Show with
Mike Harmon at Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream
us live every night on the I Heart Radio app
by searching f R. This is the best of the
(00:22):
Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon on Fox Sports Radio.
It's Friday night, and we always look, we love positivity
every night. And if the nervousness of coming to America, okay,
I get it, But if you want a really good story,
and and this is one of those really good stories
(00:42):
we if you remember we told you about a month
ago as things started to turn with COVID wise here
in the country with the vaccine rollout happening and cases decreasing,
and people were still practicing good behavior, you know, still
wearing masks and everything else. And I know now that
you know, it's aren't to lose its way a little
bit throughout the country. Uh hopefully you know. I've got
(01:04):
fingers crossed and it keeps getting better. But COVID has
been getting better, and now that the country is really
opening up, and I don't want to sit back and say,
where was this six months ago? Let's just celebrate. We're
here right now, and we told you that the real
official beginning, when we're gonna feel like things are back
to normal or or or they're almost back to normal,
(01:24):
is going to be the beginning of baseball season. Right.
Whenever something big happens in this country, sports is always
at the at the front, forefront of it. This is
why sports and politics and sports and pop culture and
sports and and anything else that goes on, why it's
hand in hand because usually it is sports that leads
a discussion or sports leads away in their actions, and
(01:45):
everybody looks to sports to saying, hey, alright, uh, tell
us everything is okay, or tell us what we need
to do now? Right. You think all the leaders we
have in this country, and they all took go, what's
the NBA gonna do here? What? What's what's the NFL
gonna do here? Hey, what's Major League Baseball gonn do here?
Let's think a look and see and we get it
that way, And sometimes it's it's rough. The NBA led
(02:05):
the way last year for the club. I remember the
closing down to COVID. What once Rudy Gobert tested positive
for COVID nineteen, Now was it right? The NBA shut
down within a couple of days, everything else shutdown. We're
coming up on the year anniversary of that happening, uh
in a few days. But baseball is going to lead
us out of it. And and with open air stadiums
(02:26):
and baseball being a sport that clearly is one of
those sports that is very conducive to playing in the
shadow of COVID nineteen. We get this news today that
California is lifting COVID restrictions on outdoor sports and entertainment venues,
clearing the way for fans to attend games on opening
day and theme parks like Disneyland to reopen for the
(02:49):
first time in more than a year. This is not
something I expected to see right now, But here we are.
Right now. We're gonna you can go to games and
Disneyland's going to reopen. Now. Does this mean you're gonna
get to go to Disneyland. No, But it's this is
more a symbol of hey, now I get it, Now,
I get that we're doing better now, We're we're making
big decisions that are positive that where people are allowed
(03:12):
to go to games. Look, MLS is going to start soon.
People are gonna tell MLS games. But can you imagine
what it's gonna be like the excitement for opening Day
where California, who have we have been one of the
most conservative states for COVID nineteen and we still had
the huge uh you know, we were the epicenter of
it for about a month or so. But California is
one of the most conservative states and here they are with, Hey,
we're going to allow people to go to games, We're
(03:33):
gonna reopen theme parks. It's happening, and we still have
to be doing a good job. Right. We still can't
just think, okay, it's done. But now you're seeing that, hey,
it's not only light at the end of the tunnel.
We're getting to the end of the tunnel and and
the beginning of the baseball season, trust me. And we
get to that first week of April coming up in
about two and a half weeks, and so we're gonna
you know, with more vaccines that keep coming out and
(03:55):
we're hearing that maybe everybody can get vaccinated by the
beginning of the summer, which would be incredible. Uh that
that's when it's really going to feel like, hey, we're
out of this. It's gonna be about a year because
you know, from March thirteenth, I think was the last
our last day of school, I think before they shut
things down. So in the end, it's going to be
about a year. But boy, at the year mark here,
(04:17):
we're really going to feel like we are over the
other side of the mountain on it, and and we
are coming downhill, and we are gathering speed, and and
by the time we get later in the spring into
the summer, we're gonna be back to life kind of
like we knew it before, which is gonna be something.
And trust me, that first week, the the visuals of
Major League Baseball, what people are gonna get to see,
the celebrations of people in line at the ballpark even
(04:39):
know they're gonna be social distance and sitting apart from
each other, seeing that and and and feeling like, Okay,
here's baseball starting. It's a right of spring, you know,
it's it's something that hope springs eternal in baseball and
the beginning of the season signal always signals something new.
It's a new year for everybody, right, everybody goes back
to zero and zero and hope starts a new whether
it's for base ball or for an allegory in life,
(05:02):
and the beginning of baseball season is going to do that.
And especially now you're seeing this in California, We're almost there.
I almost heard James Earl Jones voice in my head
as you started to speak, Uh, Purple tier outdoor sports
limited to a hundred people. Limits increased the twenties percent
capacity in the Red tier, thirty three Orange tier, sixty
(05:22):
percent in the Yellow tier. Obviously, nationwide you've heard a
lot of uh, collegiate entities coming forward said we're gonna
have a hundred percent in these seats, the city of
Atlanta saying we were gonna have a hundred percent by
Baseball's All Star Game. All of those things big benchmarks
here in California. You mentioned the politics. I'd be remiss
(05:42):
if I didn't remind folks nationwide that there is a
recall effort on the governor, so getting things open helps
his case. Just to kind of throw a one liner
out there. Obviously a lot of positivity the vaccines and
and numbers and everything that you do. But you know,
sometimes you need that little extra jolt to keep pushing
things and reevaluating and getting a better understanding handle and
(06:07):
movement on these type of things. I can tell you
right now, I'm gonna be off the first Uh not
because I am an April fool, but I'm gonna go
be trying to be one of those people in the ballpark.
White Sox, baby dude, Angels, White Sox. Are you kidding you?
Of course you're getting it to get things started, but
it's a normal time for us. This is a normal
(06:27):
ticket sales. Oh sorry, too soon, No and that and
that's hey, you can do that. But those are the
meaningful bats that trout and and Pools will have this season.
So I mean it might have as some extra demand
as we go. One of the things that is going
to be kind of interesting to watch. Uh. And the
(06:47):
wording has been nebulous at this point of in state
visitors is a term being used. So the question of hey,
you're you're gonna open up the ballpark. And this is
particular to me as I have family all back in Chicago,
saying i'd be nice to go to California come see
the White Sox and cheer them on. But whether you're
(07:09):
gonna have to show I D and proof of residents
or something, there may still be some some data to
flow from there. But the larger point is, yes, there
there's a step forward. There's positivity, and we we can
do all those hope springs eternal and the even the
Mets have a chance right now and all the we're
going to be nlcs. We're gonna play the Dodgers. It's
(07:30):
it's happening, alright, told, it's gonna happen. It's and Taylor's
gonna hit another Grand Slam and send Twitter into a
whole other world. But the the idea of just being
that you can put something on a map right one
of the big important things they talk about psychologically when
you're at work, because let's face it, a lot of
folks don't have the the luxury of their work day
(07:52):
being one of the highlights of their day. We get
to come in, yell at each other, try to inform,
entertain That doesn't mean there are hard days where you
got stories that are just like, man, this is this
is difficult, you know, real life stuff to talk about.
But we like our jobs a lot of folks don't,
So what do they say to do? Always have something
on the calendar, right, Always have an event, always having
(08:14):
a vacation, Always have some goal. And now when you
start moving the lines and you start actually getting some
concrete plans of all, right on this date, you should
be able to do it. And and maybe you are
one of the twenty or whatever that gets to go
to Disneyland as they open. I mean all of those
big things. Those are big momentous occasions. We've got schools
(08:35):
reopening here. I know my next door neighbor breathe a
big sigh of relief because two of the the older
kids went back to school. Uh. And today so I
was like, hey, my house was kind of quiet in
the morning. I go just think, all next week you're
gonna have that quiet. So, you know, there's there's little milestones,
but always, you know, look at the calendar, try to
put something out there for yourself. Uh and and find
(08:57):
that ray of sunshine, find those wins. People they're coming. Hey,
what's up, everybody? It's me three time pro bowler La Barrington,
and I couldn't be more excited to announce a new
podcast called Up on Game what is up on Game?
You asked, along with my fellow pro bowler t J.
Hudshman's Otta and Super Bowl champion. Yep, that's right, Plexico Birds.
(09:18):
You can only name a show with that type of
talent on it. Up on Game We're going to be
sharing our real life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen
to Up on Game with Me, LaVar Arrington, t J. Hudgmansatta,
and Plexico Birds on the I Heart Radio app, Apple
Podcast or wherever you get your podcast from. Joining us
(09:42):
now on the hotline. He is the editor in chief
at fansided dot com, longtime NFL Insider, Pro Football Hall
of Fame voter, and author of the new book Joe Douglas,
A Relentless Life in Pursuit of Zach Wilson. It is
Jason Cole, Jacoble. What's happening all RIGHTE? Life is beautiful? Yeah,
(10:06):
exceedingly beautiful. You are full of positivity on this Friday
as well, my friend else, Well for Friday night, why
wouldn't you be positive? Well? Up with people a kind
of moment. Yes, you get to talk with us. You're
gonna make some fun jokes. We're gonna have you're gonna
have the best fifteen minutes of your week now with us. Um,
(10:27):
that's quite entirely possible, though it would be a lot
better of Errington were here. Wow, we worked with he
usually worked with Harmon, just saying okay, listen, yeah, yeah,
(10:47):
you crack yourself up, don't you. Yeah, here here, you're hilarious. Sorry,
you walked right into it, you know, listen, Just so
you know, every time we have you on, it's because
Jake Glazer doesn't pick up his phone, all right, just
so you know, Okay, Yeah, and let's just say that
based on what I know, Jame's not picking up the
phone very often these days. So yeah, just saying, just saying, uh, yeah,
(11:13):
he's on his big vacation right now. He told us
that the other week. Hey, listen, let's let's start here. Yes,
I mentioned Zach Wilson. Uh, he's getting all kinds of
love right now. Oh boy. It's close between him and
Trevor Lawrence. And you'll clearly look the Jaguars a going
with Lawrence at number one. But is Zach Wilson really
that that good? I mean, I know he's good, I've
seen him play, But is he suddenly that good. I
(11:37):
think this is just the we'll love a fair time
with quarterbacks. I talked to about five people and I said,
and there's a handful of people in that group who
say that, three or four who say, you know, Wilson
might be better than right, Um, he might be the
better player. Um. And that's kind of a typical argument
you get between prospects. You know, sometimes people just have
(12:01):
different opinions. But I think the consensus is that Lawrence
is clearly the better player, the better pedigree. So I
just think there's just there are some people in that
group who are just contrarians to be contrarians because just
on the off chance that Wilson becomes the better player,
they can say that they were right. Um. But I think,
(12:22):
look when I see Trevor Lawrence, and I'm not a scout,
so and I didn't. I haven't seen Zach Wilson play
very much, so I saw justin Fields. I think justin
Field is like, you know, kind of your more mobile
version or your typical Buck Eyes quarterback or typical quarterback
that you get in an Urban Meyer type offense. And
(12:44):
I know Urban's not coaching there now, but it's still
his offense. Right. So, I think Trevor Lawrence looks like
next to the second Coming of Joe Namath. It just
has that look about him. And when you see like
old film of Nameth plan in Alabama, you're just looking
and go, man, those they're just spitting images of each other.
(13:07):
Absolutely one. So I love, I loved Trevor Lawrence, and
Zach Wilson I think is good, but not not in
that range. Now, if only we get one of them,
you walk around in a fur coat, we are the
winners of it all. Can you imagine the Turbert Lawrence
and in the fur coat with that hair? Yeah, like
(13:28):
not be almost It would be a cross between Namath
and Charo. I was gonna give him a little rick flair,
but sure char Charo. Really well, that's what we get.
We get we do the deep pools here on a
Friday night us like it's the Deep Martin, Celebrity Rose Coming,
(13:51):
My childhood is coming back. We're gonna have We're gonna
soon have all sorts of really ridiculous off color jokes
by Don Rickles that when you look at the repeats,
you go, man, that's some racist crap. It really is,
And you probably own all the DVDs, and that's what
brought it up right there, like night television right there.
(14:12):
The library is full, baby, it is absolutely full. As
Rickles and Richard Pryor go at it all. Right, Well, yeah,
we'll Seattle Seahawks fans be invoking a lot of angry terminology,
not necessarily that what you described there. But with Russell
Wilson and the Seahawks on the outs, will he return
(14:34):
to Seattle or will the Bears actually make a big play? Well,
I mean, I think the Bears are gonna make a
big play and and they're gonna offer up everything I can.
But I don't think it's I don't think they have
a good enough pick that's number one, number two. Even
somebody at some point in time gonna walk into Pete
Carroll's office and go, dude, what are you doing? Like
this is the best quarterback we've had forty five years,
(14:57):
and the next is hassleback. And after we get past Hasslebeck,
it's Jim Zorn, right, So just keep him, make him happy,
do whatever you have to do. Like this is stupid,
like the Deshar Watson saying, I understand because Houston doesn't
want to get rid of him. But they you know,
(15:19):
they come of bumble their way through with this whole
Jack easterb crap. But this is and he's and Easter.
He's not a football guy, but he's a he's not
a football guy pretending to be a football guy, and
that that creates a bigger problem. Pete Carroll is actually
a football guy. He has got gone out and got
quarterbacks over the course of his career. He knows how
hard it is to find these guys. And he's sitting
(15:41):
here and saying, now it's time to part way sort of.
Russell Wilson, you just went twelve and four. If your
defense had been halfway decent all season, you might have
been playing for a Super Bowl. But your defense you
never got it together. Russell Wilson is not the problem.
Russell Wilson is a solution in the Seattle and I
just like, where's John Schneider Just walk in and go,
(16:04):
you know, dude, like, no, don't do that, don't do this.
I mean, even you know, Paul Allen's sister whatever her
name is, like, even she should have the sense to
walk in and say, I don't really understand what you're
attempting to do here. Pete because like it seems like
(16:24):
he's good. You know who else is good that you ignored?
Was Dave Craig Again, I mean, what what you know
when you talk about best Seahawks quarterback, you completely The
best part, that's the best part about that is that
you actually looked that up online and you went and go,
what's the history of Seahawks quarterback? Did you actually care about?
(16:45):
We had we had Dave Craig on the show a
couple of years ago. Yeah. Now yeah, now, no, I
don't know what to say now. Now we had Dave
Craig on the show. That's awesome, Tim, I'm so impressed.
(17:06):
Uh wait till next week when you come on and
we do one of those TV ambush shows where you
come on and you're talking and then Dave Craig is
gonna be on the line listening and he just jumps
right in and it's all it's ambush time, and then
you guys are gonna go after three on that list. Yeah,
you have small hands. Dave Craig roxy used to come
(17:29):
playing about all the time. That's legit. He would go in,
he would tell John Clayton, Craig is gonna fumble the
ball because he's got those tiny little hands, you know,
like that. That's that's literally true. I feel like I
need to have a off joke there, but we'll move on. Hey,
Pittsburgh came to terms with Ben Roethlisberger. Why can he
(17:51):
still work? Or are they just nostalgic? No? I think
that's Look, I thought that towards the end of the
season they started attacking more. I didn't understand their whole
offensive philosophy for the first twelve games in the season.
I was working. You know, they were at eleven and
oh at one point in time, so there was hard
it was hard to complain about. But when the roof
(18:11):
caved in, there was some issues. Now they got some
they gotta fix some things on the offensive line, and
they just got to decide. You know, James Conner is okay,
but he's not great. But they got to get a
real running game. But you know, look, I think Roethlisberger
is is good enough to to make them a super Bowl.
(18:34):
You know, a team that can compete for a Super Bowl.
I don't I you know, are his best days be
I'm sure? But I mean I thought he overall, he
had a pretty good year last year, coming back from
that injury, right, I mean, it's like that's not an
easy thing to get get you know, you know, get
(18:55):
back from. And I thought he was pretty good overall
of the you know, did he look have some yips
in the pocket once in a while, sure, but that
protection was awful. So like they've got some tweaking they
gotta do. And my thing is, don't change out the
quarterback when you're defense is pretty loaded, you know, like
(19:15):
they're they're really good. So if you're that loaded, you're
for bear on defense. Um, don't toy with a quarterback
right now, even if he's not quite quite what he
was three years ago. There's a subtle dig at Dave
Craig right there at the end. He is Jason Cole.
You can find Rothelsberger has normal size. He doesn't have
(19:39):
little kitty pause, you know, or whatever it was that
Dave Craig had. He's on Twitter at Jason Cole sixty two,
editor in chief and Fansided dot com. I'm going to
be blindsided next week by Dave Craig, Like most of
your listeners don't even know who at Craig. That's that's
(20:01):
the genius excepter. You'll Yeah, you'll replay. You'll replay the
interview from two years ago or whatever it was. I
think more people know who Dave Craig isn't know who
you are, who they s somebody was like LaVar. He
(20:22):
started with LaVar. And now you're bucking our interview. Okay,
here we come. I'm not letting that go. Okay, I'll
remember the Lafar Areason move. Okay, al right, way to
go to Smith the entire interview. But you got your revenge.
(20:43):
You're the best call. Be sure to catch live editions
of The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at
ten pm Eastern, seven pm Pacific. Pete Carroll does not
want to get fired as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, right,
does not want to get fired. This is why he
has to trade Russell Wilson, because let's just say he doesn't.
(21:07):
Right right now, Pete Carroll has the power. Pete Carroll
has all the power in the organization because Russell Wilson
is on the trading block right just just of the
fact that that's the case right now, and we know
the teams he wants to go to and the Seahawks
are doing things to minimize Russell Wilson's importance to the team.
You know that Pete Carroll has the power, so he
wants to keep that power, all right, he wants to
(21:29):
keep it if they don't trade Russell Wilson. And this
season goes horribly right, This run first offense doesn't go well.
Chris Carson can't stay healthy, and either Russell Wilson bails
him out by throwing forty touchdowns or they just sputter
their way to a six and ten record. What happens
after this season? That power swips of flips, right, it switches. Suddenly,
(21:52):
Russell Wilson's the guy going I told you, and Schneider
has to sit back and the Seahawks have to sit
back and go, hmmm, maybe we need to choose Russell
Wilson over Pete Carroll. And suddenly, guess what. Pete Carroll
loses all that power because he has a bad season.
And when it comes to the dust settling, what are
we going to do? Russell Wilson has the power. He's
(22:14):
the guy saying, well, you know what, we need a
new head coach. We need something. It's not working anymore.
And Pete Carroll is fired now does Pete Carroll get
a job someplace else? Probably because Pete Carroll is a
great coach, But does he want to leave? No, he
wants to be the guy. If he doesn't trade Russell
Wilson and they have a bad season, he's gone. He
knows it. He knows he's gone. Russell Wilson wins and
(22:35):
he's diminished. But if he trades Russell Wilson before, he's
got the power and still it looks like it's Russell
Wilson's fault, right because Russell Wilson's the guy that has
come out saying I I you'll have to ask them.
I might want to be traded. Here's the teams I
want to go to right now. There's a bit of
back and forth of yeah, well, why can't they work
(22:56):
this out? But Pete Carroll's not getting any of the blame.
This storyline has been why is Russell Wilson unhappy? Why
does Russell Wilson want out? If he trades Russell Wilson,
It's not controversial because it's well, we kind of had
to do it. He didn't want to be here anymore.
We got what we got. We're gonna reinvent this team.
With a new quarterback, Right, what what else do you
expect us to do? He wants out, So you can
(23:18):
do it now and still not be the total bad guy. Yeah,
you'd get questioned a bit of a you know what
it was, Pete can't really know what he's doing. I
can't believe he pushed Russell Wilson out. But generally, the
the overarching UH storyline is going to be Wilson was unhappy.
He didn't like the way the team was being run.
He wanted out. He was an upset player. He got
(23:38):
his trade. Now the Seahawks they couldn't make it work,
and boy, that was too bad for them. But now
Russell's got his new start, and now we figure out
where things go here, and Pete Carroll is still the
head coach of the Seahawks and they try to reinvent
with a new quarterback and re redo the team how
they want to. They're not spending all that money and
giving it to Russell Wilson. They can spread it around.
They can make the team deep and good again. You
(23:58):
can bring back more guys, legion of boom and suddenly
you can be back to where you are and you
draft a new quarterback and you try to hit it
big again. That's the that's the future for Pete Carroll
and and the Seattle Seahawks. It doesn't happen that way.
If they keep Wilson they have a bad year. It's
too big of a gamble to say, let's go and
see how works, because if it doesn't, Pete Carroll's out.
(24:20):
So this is why he's got to trade him now
while he still has the power in the organization, because
as time goes on and they think he's not gonna
have it. And we're not talking about that part of it,
but when you think about self preservation, that's what pushes
everything over the top. That Russell Wilson's gonna be on
a new team sometime the next two or three weeks.
You know what, though, if he does stay and they
(24:40):
have a bad season, how many people will still turn
it on Russell Wilson saying well, he powdered all off season,
he created a problem in the locker room. That it's
not Pete Carroll's fault. We don't have these narratives go right.
You saw how angry people got with Russell after the
couple of comments. You know, say anything too inflammatory, just hey,
(25:01):
I wanted to seat at the table. That the big
part of it was that we never heard Russell Wilson
talk like that, and that's why it became such a
big right. I Mean, it was always, hey, go Hawks,
you know we we lose as a team, all all
of the the usual platitudes that you would get from
a quarterback. And then suddenly he broke character or just
(25:24):
decided to voice what he may have been saying behind
the scenes, which whichever you want to prefer. And I'm
not saying it's wrong. I'm just saying human nature. Is
someone starts acting differently, what do you do? You get suspicious?
And if you're a fan base and that's been your guy, like,
why doesn't he love us anymore? He's talking against the team,
he doesn't want to be part of the team anymore,
(25:45):
and all of a sudden you're angry at him. And
if he stays for a year and it goes south,
he'll get more blamed than Pete Carroll will. Then you
can get your parting parting of the ways and it's
a it's pet Carroll still reigns supreme. Yeah, But if
they were just going into this season and it was
gonna be the same team. I would say, okay, you
could be right about that, But they're changing the philosophy
(26:08):
of the team. They are taking the ball out of
Russell Wilson's hands. And that's the big thing that's gonna
get them all the blame is that they want to
run the football more. They want to be more of
a power type offense. And if that doesn't work, that's
not gonna be Russell Wilson's fault. What are people gonna say, Uh,
it's Russell Wilsons. I didn't throw four touchdowns. He threw
twenty four times on Sunday. How many touch oness you
gonna throw? And he throws the ball twenty four times.
(26:29):
They gotta be more efficient Smith. He had the running
game he needed. He's gotta be more efficient when those
he's gotta go two for four touchdowns, damn right. Because
they decided to make that change, that's what's going to
be the killer thing, because then then you're, well, that's
that's the blame on the offense. They shifted the offense
and they change things and now it's not going right,
(26:51):
and that's gonna Pete Carrol's gonna lose all the power
and all momentum very very quickly. And it's not that
Russell Wilson is gonna sit back and revel in it.
But you see, you see how how he can do things. Now,
you see how very publicly he can say some things
and turn things. You think he's not gonna try to
turn that around behind the scenes. Of course he is.
Of course he is. And and we could be at
this point next year and you get the day after
(27:12):
the regular season and it's okay, it's him for me.
I'm gone after this, I'm I'm I'm it's him for me.
I'm gone. Okay, Russell, all right, we're all good, We're
all good. Well, we're gonna get you a new contract,
we get a new coach, and Pete Carroll's out, and
that's how it's gonna end. More power. It's a beautiful
theater to Uh to roll up, especially now that the
Rams have shuffled up their quarterback position and look ready
(27:33):
to to try to make a run, you know, to
a Super Bowl. It's so fi and the forty Niners
will make a move at their quarterback position. Jimmy g
is not gonna be there, guy, Uh. And then Arizona
added J. J. Watt, this is fun theater. Good luck
Pete Carroll, good luck navigating this one. Twitter and out
about a Fresca. Mike gets swollen done the Jason Smith
(27:54):
Show with my best friend Mike Harmon. I mean, I
am I am conditioned now that any day for the
next three weeks, I can wake up and see a
big trade in the National Football League and it's probably
gonna be Russell Wilson. Like I can wake up any
day and think, all right, the most likely guy to
get traded first is Wilson, then the next guy will
be Donald and then but I think we need a
(28:15):
little bit more before it's one of those wake up
in the morning and find out DeShawn Watson's traded, Like,
for instance, we're gonna need stories that hey, the Texans
are actually on the phone calling teams back now. So
But but really, I mean, any day I can wake
up until is today the day? Is it Russell Wilson traded? Today?
Is is he? Is he get trade? Where is it?
It's Wilson and it's Donald? Are those two guys that
any day I can wake up and say, boom, this
(28:37):
is gonna happen. And here's where it goes. And it
will happen fast, all right. It's it's gonna be behind
the scenes. We figured out a trade. It's going on,
and we're done, and we're doing it. We made this
trade and we're moving on. I mean, any day now,
from now to the beginning of free agency, and probably
a little bit after we can we can wake up
and see that story. I have no doubt. And and
somewhere along the way, the Jets and Bears will be
(28:58):
involved in one of those worries, which means all night
long it'll be Bear Down Chicago Bears or video of
Fireman in hey. Man. Look, I wish the Jets could
get Russell Wilson, but that's just not happening, man. I mean,
just think that those draft picks they traded away for,
they traded for Jamal Adams just gonna send back. I
(29:19):
mean it's not there will be more than enough suitors.
There'd be more. I already know. I'm gonna wake up.
It's not going to be the Jets, right, They're not
gonna have that embarrassing headline of well, those two picks
we gave you, just give them back to us in
one more and you can have Russell Wilson. Now it's
too embarrassing. I already know it's not going to be
the Jets, so and I'm okay with it. I'm okay
with that. I know it's not going to be the
Jets because Zach Wilson's gonna be a future Hall of Famer.
(29:39):
So I'm all right with that. It's not going to
be the Jets. It's not gonna be Just made a
small jump there. I like that. I did. I did.
It's it's a tiny jump, but it's still jumping. Nonetheless,
be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the I Heart
Radio app. We lost a big legend today. You probably
(30:00):
saw this story. Mark Pavlich, one of the best players
the Miracle on Ice team Team USA that that won
the gold medal in nine eight the Winter Olympics, died
at the age of sixty three earlier today. He was
found dead at a treatment facility in Minnesota. Now, Pavlich
has not had a great life. He is someone who
really didn't like the spotlight. Lived alone by himself after
(30:24):
his hockey career was over and had a lot of
uh mental issues. UH that manifests themselves in an assault
from a couple of years ago with a guy he
was ice fishing with. Um you know, uh potentially a
lot of his his family say, oh, he had a
lot of concussions and and we think he might have
had CTE and this contributed to his erratic behavior. He
(30:45):
didn't come to a lot of of the uh reunions
for the Miracle on Ice team. In fact, when he
came a few years ago, it was the story, Hey,
Pavlich is here, Oh my god, Oh my god, because
they knew the guy was having a lot of trouble.
He didn't see anybody, and detail are not known. He
was living in a treatment facility now because it was
difficult for him to live on his own. And he
(31:06):
was found dead earlier today at the age of sixty three.
And you know, Pavlich was a guy who he was.
You know, he's one of the cone heads on on
the Miracle team. And I assisted on Michael Russions goal,
had the main assist on a Russions goal, and he
had a really good career, uh in the years after
the Olympics, Like he wasn't on an on an NHL
(31:27):
team after the Olympics and he joined the Rangers. He
was a pointed game guy for like five years. I mean,
he he had an outstanding five years, uh five plus
years with the Rangers after the miracle on ice happened
for him, and you know then he ran into difficulty
you know, later on in life. But he was a
really good player. Man. He was tough, he was undersized,
he was a terrific player. And you know, growing up
(31:49):
in New York, uh, you know, listen, you know I
rooted for the Islanders growing up, and you know his
Islanders versus Rangers. And the main thing is that pavlid. Look.
I hated all the Rangers players, right, obviously the Islander
and hate all the Rangers plays. Couldn't stand them, right.
The you know, the Islanders were excellence and the Rangers were, hey, hey,
you know we're We're the real the real stars. Where
this It's kind of like Yankees in the Red Sox, right,
(32:10):
Like the Yankees are the the excellence. The Red Sox
are the everyman team, right, and uh, it was easy
to hate all the Rangers, like all the guys can't
stand this guy, can't stand this guy. Mark Pavlich was
really hard to dislike, you know, as an Islander fan.
He was really hard because he was so good and
he always made the big plays. And he was someone
that you could you can see boy that he's a
(32:30):
small guy and he still plays big on the ice. Uh,
you know he was. He was a terrific, terrific player.
And it's it's a sad story today. Is sad ending
uh to his life now at such a young age,
always tied to her Brooks. That's where he had his
most success, obviously Olympic team and then with the Rangers.
As soon as Brooks wasn't there, he started fighting with everybody. Uh,
(32:50):
and that began a problem. Uh five ft eight, so
he had a little bit of H. Well, the attitude
that I bring to the table each and every night
here on Shock Sport traininger you're all taller than may
doesn't matter and still not about personal life tragic. I
mean you can go through the laundry list of stuff
and and the sad part of the later years of
(33:13):
you know, concussions perhaps leading uh to more brain trauma
and then you know health mental health issues and the
assault that you reference. He also auctioned his metal off
since you have to auction off the Olympic medal. But perhaps,
I mean again, you know, sometimes it's just financial. Sometimes
it's a I need to let go of this. I've
(33:34):
had it long enough. Like there's many ways those kind
of things come to market, and and nowadays, you know,
the market being white hot. Like we talked about that
Tom Brady card yesterday, I wouldn't be surprised if a
couple of guys were looking around at each other going, Uh, yeah,
I can, I can get generational wealth off my medal
right now. But uh, for him, as you mentioned, you know,
(33:56):
there's there's just the part of the privacy and and
getting away from it that also was part of what
he wanted to do uh later in his life. So
hopefully they find some of the answers the family that
they need, uh to to find some peace hopefully, you know.
Unfortunately he didn't find that piece while alive. Reminder, always
(34:18):
give out a call, you know, looking on your people.
We've been telling you all during the pandemic, we're not
out of it, and even once we're out of it,
still check in on your people, damn it. But yeah,
the changes in in his makeup and how he treated people,
et cetera. Is noted in pretty much every article you
read about it. Watch a bunch of highlights, undersized but
(34:40):
still throwing his body around. A reminder to all of
you as well, Uh, the size of your heart can't
be measured, just like they said in miracle, you know.
And and let's let's let's let's uh, you know, finish
this conversation on a hignet with Mark Pavlock and talk
about the assist on the goal, because everybody remembers the
goal and it's a ruzione he gets he gets the puck,
(35:00):
he's just inside the blue line, and he skates in
and he uses a defender as a screen, and he
puts the puck by Michkin for the goal that wins,
that beats the Russians, right, most famous goal in in
hockey history. And Pavlich makes this play happen. Uh. The
United States dumps the puck in, but Russia gets to
it and tries to get it out and pavl it
(35:20):
is just his sheer desire getting to a puck right
before the forward comes back to grab the puck away
and and and then there's no play like he gets
all the way to the boards just a split second
before the forward gets it, and he gives up his
body right into the boards that he can just deflect
the puck back where it gets to Eruzioni and a
(35:43):
Erusione puts the puck in the net. I mean, that's
one of those hustle heart timing plays where I gotta
get this puck, I gotta keep it in and and
that's why I'm gonna give up my body here and
go fly into the boards. And he makes that play happen.
It's just a quick play where he gets it, he
deflects it off his stick and kind that shoves it
out and a Ruzione gets it in scores. But that
(36:03):
is some kind of play we you know, we don't
talk about the setup of the play a lot because
that that play is just you know, Ruzioni goal is
is so iconic. And and and the the shot of
him and and then Michekin falling backwards after the puck
is behind him. I mean, we have these images that
are so great. But watch that play again and watch
just he comes out of nowhere and he gets right
(36:24):
in front of the forward and he's able to grab
the puck and flies into the boards. You can see
him turn around like maybe he's dazed a little bit,
like did I get it? Did I get it? And
Ruzione gets it in scores. It is some kind of
play by Pavlich to make that happen. Without that, I mean,
who knows what happens. I mean, clearly there's there's there's
all kinds of jigsaw puzzle things that go into big plays.
But Pavlog making that play got the puck to a RUSIONI,
(36:45):
and RUSSIONI puts it in, and the best sports story
of my lifetime is born. Look at you, You're like
a little little Jason Smith all over again. Oh man,
I'll tell you that was that. That goal is just
something only goal Rusione had in the entire tournament. And
you know it was there and it was just some
kind of play man. I've been watching it again for
(37:05):
the past five minutes, going, this is Pabla just gets
right there. It goes flying into the boards and there's
a puck and there's a RUSIONI and he puts it in.
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harman weekdays at ten pm Eastern seven
pm Pacific. Well, we knew this is gonna be a
different kind of n c A tournament, and clearly already
in the early conference tournaments. That's happening now. This weekend
(37:28):
is the the smaller conferences having their tournaments, and next
week we get the power conferences having their tournaments. But
already we've had a team clinch a birth in the
n c A Tournament without playing in their championship game.
It'll be this Cape Crusader. How is that possible team
has advanced the championship game yet they've already clinched a
(37:49):
place in the n c A tournament. This is the
story of liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. Liberty
is set to face North Alabama in the Atlantic Sun
Tournament championship game on Sunday, but it's already in the
n c A Tournament because North Alabama is a school
that's transitioning to Division one athletics and is ineligible for
(38:13):
the n c A tournament. So even though look they
can still play, and but they've made it to the
championship game, they're ineligible because they're still transitioning to Division
one athletics. So liberty even though they haven't played in
North Alabama in the championship game yet, they have clinched
a spot in the n c A Tournament. How dumb
(38:34):
a rule is that you're still transition. We're playing over here,
for crying out lot, it doesn't matter. Your paperwork and
your approval process is in limbo. Uh you have a
four year probationary period. Are you kid me? That's asinine?
It's not Hey, they're under suspension for something a coach did,
(38:58):
an athletic director. Did you got boosters that were handed
out orange whips all around campus? I mean you got
none of that, satchels of cash on you know, under
the guys of hot wheel cars, whatever the case, maybe
you got none of that you got. Hey, you haven't
finished your four years of transition yet. And this is
(39:19):
the team North Alabama like finished the season on a
one in seven run, Like they were playing terrible the
end of the season and now here, but they got
a couple of wins and they're in the a SOUN
Tournament championship and but they can't make it because they're
still transitioning. So Liberty has already made it without without
having to play in a championship game, they've already made
(39:40):
it and you know an Alabama and another one to night.
I mean, just think about this too. Drake, who's a
big bubble team, made it into the Missouri Valley quarterfinals
or semifinals because their game against Northern Iowa was canceled
so they had a walkover game because Northern Iowa had
positive COVID nineteen test and so they couldn't play. So
(40:04):
it's a walkover. So now they're into the semifinals without
having to play this big game. A bubble team is
now moving on into the semis and Drake because the
other team had a positive COVID nineteen tests, now here
there are bubble team in there in the Conference semis already.
How is that going to be looked at by the committee? Right?
Is it going to be well, they made it, well,
they didn't have to play a game. How they play
(40:25):
I mean, I really I I don't envy the committee.
There's gonna be so many questions. There's gonna be so
many upset coaches who don't make it into the tournament
this year because so many teams are gonna have very
a similar resumes. Because everybody's gonna play around twenty games,
you don't have the ten more games that that that
teams separate themselves. It's gonna be a lot of controversy,
it's gonna be a lot of upset teams. It's gonna
(40:47):
be a lot of craziness, and the selection committee is
gonna bear the brunt of this. Of every year, the
selection committee gets criticized because here's the teams we left out,
and the committee always has a different reason, Like one
year it's well, you didn't do well enough in your
Tier one games. The next year it's well you didn't
win enough games away from home. The next time it's
all the teams with the RPI. Every year they change
(41:08):
the the reasoning to fit their qualification, and it's maddening.
This year, it's not gonna matter because you're gonna have
ten or twelve teams instead of the two or three.
You're gonna have ten or twelve teams are gonna say
what about us? I mean, suddenly the a c C
is a bad league this year, right like these all
the A c C. Wait, why is the a c
C so bad? Why is it? Why is the big
twelve gonna get everybody in when they all have the
same records. Everybody's the Big twelve. Really that good? I
(41:30):
mean you could have you could have five or six
teams just in the A c C going, hey, what
happened to us? How can you not letting us in
the n C A tournament is great? They can all
go play in the n I T together. Five of
the sixteen teams here we got they're all passed now
they're here. He I T. It's the A c C
n I T. We're just gonna play amongst ourselves. But
(41:52):
you've had multiple issues, uh, because of COVID. Uh this
week we talked about the Northern Iowa circumstance. You also
had a Holy Cross had to bow out because of
COVID in the Patriot League. So Loola Maryland advanced, Jacksonville
Charleston Southern forced to miss their conference tournament. So still
(42:16):
pops on the radar, not to the critical mass and
to where the sky is falling. As people wrote all
the columns and tried to negate any sporting events and
saying that they shouldn't be had at all. Uh, he's
certainly not to that level. But just reminders that there's
still some issues out there, and and and some circumstances
(42:39):
that need to be attended to. But the show goes on,
Jim be him will have more reporters to belittle before
this basketball season. Fish Hey, he apologized for it. He
apologized for that. I mean he said he was so
how many times you get to pop off like an
ass and just oh sorry, that's kind of what he
did again, that's kind of what he Yeah that that
(43:00):
was good forty years ago because the only guy that
had it where the three people standing there to talk
to him. Now you just now you've just transformed into
full time jerk when the microphones live, Come on, man,
it would be snarky. And I like snarky guys and
snarky coaches more than any person perhaps on this planet.
(43:22):
But you know, there's there's the line that he leapt past.
Do you know how many of my friends have texted
me in the past three days saying are you tall
enough to talk about college basketball on your show? How
many people have said that to me? Well, and then
you told the story yesterday of the beat putting you
in your spot. Oh yeah, seems the beat man I
did say, you know what are you four eleven? Okay, okay,
(43:44):
we'll see we'll see. I'll make you feel better. Yeah, alright,
so you're you're taller than four eleven. Now I am.
But this Super Bowl event, right, I'm there all week
of going doing interviews. I get introduced to a bunch
of guys at an event and then we're we're at
the Madden party and it's late. Everybody's just by this point,
(44:04):
everybody's a little liquored up. Uh. And then someone hits
some microphone and says, hey, hey, someone uh still here.
A friend, a friend of you all. He'd like to
come out and perform ladies and gentleman snoop talk. And
he comes out, and the Madden Bishop Magic Don Juan
comes out like it's straight out of old school. And
a couple of the guys NFL players, Uh, yeah, hey,
(44:27):
you want to sit on my shoulders so you can see.
Oh we've been we've been best friends ever since. No,
this is when I mean, you don't forget introductions like that.
Between that and you know, telling me that the good
(44:48):
Lord uh did me wrong? And not so many and
not so favorable words. Uh, certainly not FCC compliant. Thank you,
raymich Uh. Those were my welcome to meeting and NFL
players outside of a normal work environment kind of situations,
and I love them all. I felt accepted. Oh that's awesome,
(45:09):
that's awesome. You can tell that story after all these years.
You want to, you want to get on my show.
Get on my shoulders, little man, Come on, he may
or may not have gone to your school. Who okay,
well all right then, wow, hey, accuse yo, accuse you
Thanks for listening to the best of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmen podcast. Be sure to catch us
live every weeknight from ten pm to two a m.
Eastern seven to eleven pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio.
Find your local station for The Jason Smith Show with
Mike Harmon at Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream
us live every night on the I Heart Radio app
by searching f R. This is the best of the
(00:22):
Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon on Fox Sports Radio.
It's Friday night, and we always look, we love positivity
every night. And if the nervousness of coming to America, okay,
I get it, But if you want a really good story,
and and this is one of those really good stories
(00:42):
we if you remember we told you about a month
ago as things started to turn with COVID wise here
in the country with the vaccine rollout happening and cases decreasing,
and people were still practicing good behavior, you know, still
wearing masks and everything else. And I know now that
you know, it's aren't to lose its way a little
bit throughout the country. Uh hopefully you know. I've got
(01:04):
fingers crossed and it keeps getting better. But COVID has
been getting better, and now that the country is really
opening up, and I don't want to sit back and say,
where was this six months ago? Let's just celebrate. We're
here right now, and we told you that the real
official beginning, when we're gonna feel like things are back
to normal or or or they're almost back to normal,
(01:24):
is going to be the beginning of baseball season. Right.
Whenever something big happens in this country, sports is always
at the at the front, forefront of it. This is
why sports and politics and sports and pop culture and
sports and and anything else that goes on, why it's
hand in hand because usually it is sports that leads
a discussion or sports leads away in their actions, and
(01:45):
everybody looks to sports to saying, hey, alright, uh, tell
us everything is okay, or tell us what we need
to do now? Right. You think all the leaders we
have in this country, and they all took go, what's
the NBA gonna do here? What? What's what's the NFL
gonna do here? Hey, what's Major League Baseball gonn do here?
Let's think a look and see and we get it
that way, And sometimes it's it's rough. The NBA led
(02:05):
the way last year for the club. I remember the
closing down to COVID. What once Rudy Gobert tested positive
for COVID nineteen, Now was it right? The NBA shut
down within a couple of days, everything else shutdown. We're
coming up on the year anniversary of that happening, uh
in a few days. But baseball is going to lead
us out of it. And and with open air stadiums
(02:26):
and baseball being a sport that clearly is one of
those sports that is very conducive to playing in the
shadow of COVID nineteen. We get this news today that
California is lifting COVID restrictions on outdoor sports and entertainment venues,
clearing the way for fans to attend games on opening
day and theme parks like Disneyland to reopen for the
(02:49):
first time in more than a year. This is not
something I expected to see right now, But here we are.
Right now. We're gonna you can go to games and
Disneyland's going to reopen. Now. Does this mean you're gonna
get to go to Disneyland. No, But it's this is
more a symbol of hey, now I get it, Now,
I get that we're doing better now, We're we're making
big decisions that are positive that where people are allowed
(03:12):
to go to games. Look, MLS is going to start soon.
People are gonna tell MLS games. But can you imagine
what it's gonna be like the excitement for opening Day
where California, who have we have been one of the
most conservative states for COVID nineteen and we still had
the huge uh you know, we were the epicenter of
it for about a month or so. But California is
one of the most conservative states and here they are with, Hey,
we're going to allow people to go to games, We're
(03:33):
gonna reopen theme parks. It's happening, and we still have
to be doing a good job. Right. We still can't
just think, okay, it's done. But now you're seeing that, hey,
it's not only light at the end of the tunnel.
We're getting to the end of the tunnel and and
the beginning of the baseball season, trust me. And we
get to that first week of April coming up in
about two and a half weeks, and so we're gonna
you know, with more vaccines that keep coming out and
(03:55):
we're hearing that maybe everybody can get vaccinated by the
beginning of the summer, which would be incredible. Uh that
that's when it's really going to feel like, hey, we're
out of this. It's gonna be about a year because
you know, from March thirteenth, I think was the last
our last day of school, I think before they shut
things down. So in the end, it's going to be
about a year. But boy, at the year mark here,
(04:17):
we're really going to feel like we are over the
other side of the mountain on it, and and we
are coming downhill, and we are gathering speed, and and
by the time we get later in the spring into
the summer, we're gonna be back to life kind of
like we knew it before, which is gonna be something.
And trust me, that first week, the the visuals of
Major League Baseball, what people are gonna get to see,
the celebrations of people in line at the ballpark even
(04:39):
know they're gonna be social distance and sitting apart from
each other, seeing that and and and feeling like, Okay,
here's baseball starting. It's a right of spring, you know,
it's it's something that hope springs eternal in baseball and
the beginning of the season signal always signals something new.
It's a new year for everybody, right, everybody goes back
to zero and zero and hope starts a new whether
it's for base ball or for an allegory in life,
(05:02):
and the beginning of baseball season is going to do that.
And especially now you're seeing this in California, We're almost there.
I almost heard James Earl Jones voice in my head
as you started to speak, Uh, Purple tier outdoor sports
limited to a hundred people. Limits increased the twenties percent
capacity in the Red tier, thirty three Orange tier, sixty
(05:22):
percent in the Yellow tier. Obviously, nationwide you've heard a
lot of uh, collegiate entities coming forward said we're gonna
have a hundred percent in these seats, the city of
Atlanta saying we were gonna have a hundred percent by
Baseball's All Star Game. All of those things big benchmarks
here in California. You mentioned the politics. I'd be remiss
(05:42):
if I didn't remind folks nationwide that there is a
recall effort on the governor, so getting things open helps
his case. Just to kind of throw a one liner
out there. Obviously a lot of positivity the vaccines and
and numbers and everything that you do. But you know,
sometimes you need that little extra jolt to keep pushing
things and reevaluating and getting a better understanding handle and
(06:07):
movement on these type of things. I can tell you
right now, I'm gonna be off the first Uh not
because I am an April fool, but I'm gonna go
be trying to be one of those people in the ballpark.
White Sox, baby dude, Angels, White Sox. Are you kidding you?
Of course you're getting it to get things started, but
it's a normal time for us. This is a normal
(06:27):
ticket sales. Oh sorry, too soon, No and that and
that's hey, you can do that. But those are the
meaningful bats that trout and and Pools will have this season.
So I mean it might have as some extra demand
as we go. One of the things that is going
to be kind of interesting to watch. Uh. And the
(06:47):
wording has been nebulous at this point of in state
visitors is a term being used. So the question of hey,
you're you're gonna open up the ballpark. And this is
particular to me as I have family all back in Chicago,
saying i'd be nice to go to California come see
the White Sox and cheer them on. But whether you're
(07:09):
gonna have to show I D and proof of residents
or something, there may still be some some data to
flow from there. But the larger point is, yes, there
there's a step forward. There's positivity, and we we can
do all those hope springs eternal and the even the
Mets have a chance right now and all the we're
going to be nlcs. We're gonna play the Dodgers. It's
(07:30):
it's happening, alright, told, it's gonna happen. It's and Taylor's
gonna hit another Grand Slam and send Twitter into a
whole other world. But the the idea of just being
that you can put something on a map right one
of the big important things they talk about psychologically when
you're at work, because let's face it, a lot of
folks don't have the the luxury of their work day
(07:52):
being one of the highlights of their day. We get
to come in, yell at each other, try to inform,
entertain That doesn't mean there are hard days where you
got stories that are just like, man, this is this
is difficult, you know, real life stuff to talk about.
But we like our jobs a lot of folks don't,
So what do they say to do? Always have something
on the calendar, right, Always have an event, always having
(08:14):
a vacation, Always have some goal. And now when you
start moving the lines and you start actually getting some
concrete plans of all, right on this date, you should
be able to do it. And and maybe you are
one of the twenty or whatever that gets to go
to Disneyland as they open. I mean all of those
big things. Those are big momentous occasions. We've got schools
(08:35):
reopening here. I know my next door neighbor breathe a
big sigh of relief because two of the the older
kids went back to school. Uh. And today so I
was like, hey, my house was kind of quiet in
the morning. I go just think, all next week you're
gonna have that quiet. So, you know, there's there's little milestones,
but always, you know, look at the calendar, try to
put something out there for yourself. Uh and and find
(08:57):
that ray of sunshine, find those wins. People they're coming. Hey,
what's up, everybody? It's me three time pro bowler La Barrington,
and I couldn't be more excited to announce a new
podcast called Up on Game what is up on Game?
You asked, along with my fellow pro bowler t J.
Hudshman's Otta and Super Bowl champion. Yep, that's right, Plexico Birds.
(09:18):
You can only name a show with that type of
talent on it. Up on Game We're going to be
sharing our real life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen
to Up on Game with Me, LaVar Arrington, t J. Hudgmansatta,
and Plexico Birds on the I Heart Radio app, Apple
Podcast or wherever you get your podcast from. Joining us
(09:42):
now on the hotline. He is the editor in chief
at fansided dot com, longtime NFL Insider, Pro Football Hall
of Fame voter, and author of the new book Joe Douglas,
A Relentless Life in Pursuit of Zach Wilson. It is
Jason Cole, Jacoble. What's happening all RIGHTE? Life is beautiful? Yeah,
(10:06):
exceedingly beautiful. You are full of positivity on this Friday
as well, my friend else, Well for Friday night, why
wouldn't you be positive? Well? Up with people a kind
of moment. Yes, you get to talk with us. You're
gonna make some fun jokes. We're gonna have you're gonna
have the best fifteen minutes of your week now with us. Um,
(10:27):
that's quite entirely possible, though it would be a lot
better of Errington were here. Wow, we worked with he
usually worked with Harmon, just saying okay, listen, yeah, yeah,
(10:47):
you crack yourself up, don't you. Yeah, here here, you're hilarious. Sorry,
you walked right into it, you know, listen, Just so
you know, every time we have you on, it's because
Jake Glazer doesn't pick up his phone, all right, just
so you know, Okay, Yeah, and let's just say that
based on what I know, Jame's not picking up the
phone very often these days. So yeah, just saying, just saying, uh, yeah,
(11:13):
he's on his big vacation right now. He told us
that the other week. Hey, listen, let's let's start here. Yes,
I mentioned Zach Wilson. Uh, he's getting all kinds of
love right now. Oh boy. It's close between him and
Trevor Lawrence. And you'll clearly look the Jaguars a going
with Lawrence at number one. But is Zach Wilson really
that that good? I mean, I know he's good, I've
seen him play, But is he suddenly that good. I
(11:37):
think this is just the we'll love a fair time
with quarterbacks. I talked to about five people and I said,
and there's a handful of people in that group who
say that, three or four who say, you know, Wilson
might be better than right, Um, he might be the
better player. Um. And that's kind of a typical argument
you get between prospects. You know, sometimes people just have
(12:01):
different opinions. But I think the consensus is that Lawrence
is clearly the better player, the better pedigree. So I
just think there's just there are some people in that
group who are just contrarians to be contrarians because just
on the off chance that Wilson becomes the better player,
they can say that they were right. Um. But I think,
(12:22):
look when I see Trevor Lawrence, and I'm not a scout,
so and I didn't. I haven't seen Zach Wilson play
very much, so I saw justin Fields. I think justin
Field is like, you know, kind of your more mobile
version or your typical Buck Eyes quarterback or typical quarterback
that you get in an Urban Meyer type offense. And
(12:44):
I know Urban's not coaching there now, but it's still
his offense. Right. So, I think Trevor Lawrence looks like
next to the second Coming of Joe Namath. It just
has that look about him. And when you see like
old film of Nameth plan in Alabama, you're just looking
and go, man, those they're just spitting images of each other.
(13:07):
Absolutely one. So I love, I loved Trevor Lawrence, and
Zach Wilson I think is good, but not not in
that range. Now, if only we get one of them,
you walk around in a fur coat, we are the
winners of it all. Can you imagine the Turbert Lawrence
and in the fur coat with that hair? Yeah, like
(13:28):
not be almost It would be a cross between Namath
and Charo. I was gonna give him a little rick flair,
but sure char Charo. Really well, that's what we get.
We get we do the deep pools here on a
Friday night us like it's the Deep Martin, Celebrity Rose Coming,
(13:51):
My childhood is coming back. We're gonna have We're gonna
soon have all sorts of really ridiculous off color jokes
by Don Rickles that when you look at the repeats,
you go, man, that's some racist crap. It really is,
And you probably own all the DVDs, and that's what
brought it up right there, like night television right there.
(14:12):
The library is full, baby, it is absolutely full. As
Rickles and Richard Pryor go at it all. Right, Well, yeah,
we'll Seattle Seahawks fans be invoking a lot of angry terminology,
not necessarily that what you described there. But with Russell
Wilson and the Seahawks on the outs, will he return
(14:34):
to Seattle or will the Bears actually make a big play? Well,
I mean, I think the Bears are gonna make a
big play and and they're gonna offer up everything I can.
But I don't think it's I don't think they have
a good enough pick that's number one, number two. Even
somebody at some point in time gonna walk into Pete
Carroll's office and go, dude, what are you doing? Like
this is the best quarterback we've had forty five years,
(14:57):
and the next is hassleback. And after we get past Hasslebeck,
it's Jim Zorn, right, So just keep him, make him happy,
do whatever you have to do. Like this is stupid,
like the Deshar Watson saying, I understand because Houston doesn't
want to get rid of him. But they you know,
(15:19):
they come of bumble their way through with this whole
Jack easterb crap. But this is and he's and Easter.
He's not a football guy, but he's a he's not
a football guy pretending to be a football guy, and
that that creates a bigger problem. Pete Carroll is actually
a football guy. He has got gone out and got
quarterbacks over the course of his career. He knows how
hard it is to find these guys. And he's sitting
(15:41):
here and saying, now it's time to part way sort of.
Russell Wilson, you just went twelve and four. If your
defense had been halfway decent all season, you might have
been playing for a Super Bowl. But your defense you
never got it together. Russell Wilson is not the problem.
Russell Wilson is a solution in the Seattle and I
just like, where's John Schneider Just walk in and go,
(16:04):
you know, dude, like, no, don't do that, don't do this.
I mean, even you know, Paul Allen's sister whatever her
name is, like, even she should have the sense to
walk in and say, I don't really understand what you're
attempting to do here. Pete because like it seems like
(16:24):
he's good. You know who else is good that you ignored?
Was Dave Craig Again, I mean, what what you know
when you talk about best Seahawks quarterback, you completely The
best part, that's the best part about that is that
you actually looked that up online and you went and go,
what's the history of Seahawks quarterback? Did you actually care about?
(16:45):
We had we had Dave Craig on the show a
couple of years ago. Yeah. Now yeah, now, no, I
don't know what to say now. Now we had Dave
Craig on the show. That's awesome, Tim, I'm so impressed.
(17:06):
Uh wait till next week when you come on and
we do one of those TV ambush shows where you
come on and you're talking and then Dave Craig is
gonna be on the line listening and he just jumps
right in and it's all it's ambush time, and then
you guys are gonna go after three on that list. Yeah,
you have small hands. Dave Craig roxy used to come
(17:29):
playing about all the time. That's legit. He would go in,
he would tell John Clayton, Craig is gonna fumble the
ball because he's got those tiny little hands, you know,
like that. That's that's literally true. I feel like I
need to have a off joke there, but we'll move on. Hey,
Pittsburgh came to terms with Ben Roethlisberger. Why can he
(17:51):
still work? Or are they just nostalgic? No? I think
that's Look, I thought that towards the end of the
season they started attacking more. I didn't understand their whole
offensive philosophy for the first twelve games in the season.
I was working. You know, they were at eleven and
oh at one point in time, so there was hard
it was hard to complain about. But when the roof
(18:11):
caved in, there was some issues. Now they got some
they gotta fix some things on the offensive line, and
they just got to decide. You know, James Conner is okay,
but he's not great. But they got to get a
real running game. But you know, look, I think Roethlisberger
is is good enough to to make them a super Bowl.
(18:34):
You know, a team that can compete for a Super Bowl.
I don't I you know, are his best days be
I'm sure? But I mean I thought he overall, he
had a pretty good year last year, coming back from
that injury, right, I mean, it's like that's not an
easy thing to get get you know, you know, get
(18:55):
back from. And I thought he was pretty good overall
of the you know, did he look have some yips
in the pocket once in a while, sure, but that
protection was awful. So like they've got some tweaking they
gotta do. And my thing is, don't change out the
quarterback when you're defense is pretty loaded, you know, like
(19:15):
they're they're really good. So if you're that loaded, you're
for bear on defense. Um, don't toy with a quarterback
right now, even if he's not quite quite what he
was three years ago. There's a subtle dig at Dave
Craig right there at the end. He is Jason Cole.
You can find Rothelsberger has normal size. He doesn't have
(19:39):
little kitty pause, you know, or whatever it was that
Dave Craig had. He's on Twitter at Jason Cole sixty two,
editor in chief and Fansided dot com. I'm going to
be blindsided next week by Dave Craig, Like most of
your listeners don't even know who at Craig. That's that's
(20:01):
the genius excepter. You'll Yeah, you'll replay. You'll replay the
interview from two years ago or whatever it was. I
think more people know who Dave Craig isn't know who
you are, who they s somebody was like LaVar. He
(20:22):
started with LaVar. And now you're bucking our interview. Okay,
here we come. I'm not letting that go. Okay, I'll
remember the Lafar Areason move. Okay, al right, way to
go to Smith the entire interview. But you got your revenge.
(20:43):
You're the best call. Be sure to catch live editions
of The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at
ten pm Eastern, seven pm Pacific. Pete Carroll does not
want to get fired as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, right,
does not want to get fired. This is why he
has to trade Russell Wilson, because let's just say he doesn't.
(21:07):
Right right now, Pete Carroll has the power. Pete Carroll
has all the power in the organization because Russell Wilson
is on the trading block right just just of the
fact that that's the case right now, and we know
the teams he wants to go to and the Seahawks
are doing things to minimize Russell Wilson's importance to the team.
You know that Pete Carroll has the power, so he
wants to keep that power, all right, he wants to
(21:29):
keep it if they don't trade Russell Wilson. And this
season goes horribly right, This run first offense doesn't go well.
Chris Carson can't stay healthy, and either Russell Wilson bails
him out by throwing forty touchdowns or they just sputter
their way to a six and ten record. What happens
after this season? That power swips of flips, right, it switches. Suddenly,
(21:52):
Russell Wilson's the guy going I told you, and Schneider
has to sit back and the Seahawks have to sit
back and go, hmmm, maybe we need to choose Russell
Wilson over Pete Carroll. And suddenly, guess what. Pete Carroll
loses all that power because he has a bad season.
And when it comes to the dust settling, what are
we going to do? Russell Wilson has the power. He's
(22:14):
the guy saying, well, you know what, we need a
new head coach. We need something. It's not working anymore.
And Pete Carroll is fired now does Pete Carroll get
a job someplace else? Probably because Pete Carroll is a
great coach, But does he want to leave? No, he
wants to be the guy. If he doesn't trade Russell
Wilson and they have a bad season, he's gone. He
knows it. He knows he's gone. Russell Wilson wins and
(22:35):
he's diminished. But if he trades Russell Wilson before, he's
got the power and still it looks like it's Russell
Wilson's fault, right because Russell Wilson's the guy that has
come out saying I I you'll have to ask them.
I might want to be traded. Here's the teams I
want to go to right now. There's a bit of
back and forth of yeah, well, why can't they work
(22:56):
this out? But Pete Carroll's not getting any of the blame.
This storyline has been why is Russell Wilson unhappy? Why
does Russell Wilson want out? If he trades Russell Wilson,
It's not controversial because it's well, we kind of had
to do it. He didn't want to be here anymore.
We got what we got. We're gonna reinvent this team.
With a new quarterback, Right, what what else do you
expect us to do? He wants out, So you can
(23:18):
do it now and still not be the total bad guy. Yeah,
you'd get questioned a bit of a you know what
it was, Pete can't really know what he's doing. I
can't believe he pushed Russell Wilson out. But generally, the
the overarching UH storyline is going to be Wilson was unhappy.
He didn't like the way the team was being run.
He wanted out. He was an upset player. He got
(23:38):
his trade. Now the Seahawks they couldn't make it work,
and boy, that was too bad for them. But now
Russell's got his new start, and now we figure out
where things go here, and Pete Carroll is still the
head coach of the Seahawks and they try to reinvent
with a new quarterback and re redo the team how
they want to. They're not spending all that money and
giving it to Russell Wilson. They can spread it around.
They can make the team deep and good again. You
(23:58):
can bring back more guys, legion of boom and suddenly
you can be back to where you are and you
draft a new quarterback and you try to hit it
big again. That's the that's the future for Pete Carroll
and and the Seattle Seahawks. It doesn't happen that way.
If they keep Wilson they have a bad year. It's
too big of a gamble to say, let's go and
see how works, because if it doesn't, Pete Carroll's out.
(24:20):
So this is why he's got to trade him now
while he still has the power in the organization, because
as time goes on and they think he's not gonna
have it. And we're not talking about that part of it,
but when you think about self preservation, that's what pushes
everything over the top. That Russell Wilson's gonna be on
a new team sometime the next two or three weeks.
You know what, though, if he does stay and they
(24:40):
have a bad season, how many people will still turn
it on Russell Wilson saying well, he powdered all off season,
he created a problem in the locker room. That it's
not Pete Carroll's fault. We don't have these narratives go right.
You saw how angry people got with Russell after the
couple of comments. You know, say anything too inflammatory, just hey,
(25:01):
I wanted to seat at the table. That the big
part of it was that we never heard Russell Wilson
talk like that, and that's why it became such a
big right. I Mean, it was always, hey, go Hawks,
you know we we lose as a team, all all
of the the usual platitudes that you would get from
a quarterback. And then suddenly he broke character or just
(25:24):
decided to voice what he may have been saying behind
the scenes, which whichever you want to prefer. And I'm
not saying it's wrong. I'm just saying human nature. Is
someone starts acting differently, what do you do? You get suspicious?
And if you're a fan base and that's been your guy, like,
why doesn't he love us anymore? He's talking against the team,
he doesn't want to be part of the team anymore,
(25:45):
and all of a sudden you're angry at him. And
if he stays for a year and it goes south,
he'll get more blamed than Pete Carroll will. Then you
can get your parting parting of the ways and it's
a it's pet Carroll still reigns supreme. Yeah, But if
they were just going into this season and it was
gonna be the same team. I would say, okay, you
could be right about that, But they're changing the philosophy
(26:08):
of the team. They are taking the ball out of
Russell Wilson's hands. And that's the big thing that's gonna
get them all the blame is that they want to
run the football more. They want to be more of
a power type offense. And if that doesn't work, that's
not gonna be Russell Wilson's fault. What are people gonna say, Uh,
it's Russell Wilsons. I didn't throw four touchdowns. He threw
twenty four times on Sunday. How many touch oness you
gonna throw? And he throws the ball twenty four times.
(26:29):
They gotta be more efficient Smith. He had the running
game he needed. He's gotta be more efficient when those
he's gotta go two for four touchdowns, damn right. Because
they decided to make that change, that's what's going to
be the killer thing, because then then you're, well, that's
that's the blame on the offense. They shifted the offense
and they change things and now it's not going right,
(26:51):
and that's gonna Pete Carrol's gonna lose all the power
and all momentum very very quickly. And it's not that
Russell Wilson is gonna sit back and revel in it.
But you see, you see how how he can do things. Now,
you see how very publicly he can say some things
and turn things. You think he's not gonna try to
turn that around behind the scenes. Of course he is.
Of course he is. And and we could be at
this point next year and you get the day after
(27:12):
the regular season and it's okay, it's him for me.
I'm gone after this, I'm I'm I'm it's him for me.
I'm gone. Okay, Russell, all right, we're all good, We're
all good. Well, we're gonna get you a new contract,
we get a new coach, and Pete Carroll's out, and
that's how it's gonna end. More power. It's a beautiful
theater to Uh to roll up, especially now that the
Rams have shuffled up their quarterback position and look ready
(27:33):
to to try to make a run, you know, to
a Super Bowl. It's so fi and the forty Niners
will make a move at their quarterback position. Jimmy g
is not gonna be there, guy, Uh. And then Arizona
added J. J. Watt, this is fun theater. Good luck
Pete Carroll, good luck navigating this one. Twitter and out
about a Fresca. Mike gets swollen done the Jason Smith
(27:54):
Show with my best friend Mike Harmon. I mean, I
am I am conditioned now that any day for the
next three weeks, I can wake up and see a
big trade in the National Football League and it's probably
gonna be Russell Wilson. Like I can wake up any
day and think, all right, the most likely guy to
get traded first is Wilson, then the next guy will
be Donald and then but I think we need a
(28:15):
little bit more before it's one of those wake up
in the morning and find out DeShawn Watson's traded, Like,
for instance, we're gonna need stories that hey, the Texans
are actually on the phone calling teams back now. So
But but really, I mean, any day I can wake
up until is today the day? Is it Russell Wilson traded? Today?
Is is he? Is he get trade? Where is it?
It's Wilson and it's Donald? Are those two guys that
any day I can wake up and say, boom, this
(28:37):
is gonna happen. And here's where it goes. And it
will happen fast, all right. It's it's gonna be behind
the scenes. We figured out a trade. It's going on,
and we're done, and we're doing it. We made this
trade and we're moving on. I mean, any day now,
from now to the beginning of free agency, and probably
a little bit after we can we can wake up
and see that story. I have no doubt. And and
somewhere along the way, the Jets and Bears will be
(28:58):
involved in one of those worries, which means all night
long it'll be Bear Down Chicago Bears or video of
Fireman in hey. Man. Look, I wish the Jets could
get Russell Wilson, but that's just not happening, man. I mean,
just think that those draft picks they traded away for,
they traded for Jamal Adams just gonna send back. I
(29:19):
mean it's not there will be more than enough suitors.
There'd be more. I already know. I'm gonna wake up.
It's not going to be the Jets, right, They're not
gonna have that embarrassing headline of well, those two picks
we gave you, just give them back to us in
one more and you can have Russell Wilson. Now it's
too embarrassing. I already know it's not going to be
the Jets, so and I'm okay with it. I'm okay
with that. I know it's not going to be the
Jets because Zach Wilson's gonna be a future Hall of Famer.
(29:39):
So I'm all right with that. It's not going to
be the Jets. It's not gonna be Just made a
small jump there. I like that. I did. I did.
It's it's a tiny jump, but it's still jumping. Nonetheless,
be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the I Heart
Radio app. We lost a big legend today. You probably
(30:00):
saw this story. Mark Pavlich, one of the best players
the Miracle on Ice team Team USA that that won
the gold medal in nine eight the Winter Olympics, died
at the age of sixty three earlier today. He was
found dead at a treatment facility in Minnesota. Now, Pavlich
has not had a great life. He is someone who
really didn't like the spotlight. Lived alone by himself after
(30:24):
his hockey career was over and had a lot of
uh mental issues. UH that manifests themselves in an assault
from a couple of years ago with a guy he
was ice fishing with. Um you know, uh potentially a
lot of his his family say, oh, he had a
lot of concussions and and we think he might have
had CTE and this contributed to his erratic behavior. He
(30:45):
didn't come to a lot of of the uh reunions
for the Miracle on Ice team. In fact, when he
came a few years ago, it was the story, Hey,
Pavlich is here, Oh my god, Oh my god, because
they knew the guy was having a lot of trouble.
He didn't see anybody, and detail are not known. He
was living in a treatment facility now because it was
difficult for him to live on his own. And he
(31:06):
was found dead earlier today at the age of sixty three.
And you know, Pavlich was a guy who he was.
You know, he's one of the cone heads on on
the Miracle team. And I assisted on Michael Russions goal,
had the main assist on a Russions goal, and he
had a really good career, uh in the years after
the Olympics, Like he wasn't on an on an NHL
(31:27):
team after the Olympics and he joined the Rangers. He
was a pointed game guy for like five years. I mean,
he he had an outstanding five years, uh five plus
years with the Rangers after the miracle on ice happened
for him, and you know then he ran into difficulty
you know, later on in life. But he was a
really good player. Man. He was tough, he was undersized,
he was a terrific player. And you know, growing up
(31:49):
in New York, uh, you know, listen, you know I
rooted for the Islanders growing up, and you know his
Islanders versus Rangers. And the main thing is that pavlid. Look.
I hated all the Rangers players, right, obviously the Islander
and hate all the Rangers plays. Couldn't stand them, right.
The you know, the Islanders were excellence and the Rangers were, hey, hey,
you know we're We're the real the real stars. Where
this It's kind of like Yankees in the Red Sox, right,
(32:10):
Like the Yankees are the the excellence. The Red Sox
are the everyman team, right, and uh, it was easy
to hate all the Rangers, like all the guys can't
stand this guy, can't stand this guy. Mark Pavlich was
really hard to dislike, you know, as an Islander fan.
He was really hard because he was so good and
he always made the big plays. And he was someone
that you could you can see boy that he's a
(32:30):
small guy and he still plays big on the ice. Uh,
you know he was. He was a terrific, terrific player.
And it's it's a sad story today. Is sad ending
uh to his life now at such a young age,
always tied to her Brooks. That's where he had his
most success, obviously Olympic team and then with the Rangers.
As soon as Brooks wasn't there, he started fighting with everybody. Uh,
(32:50):
and that began a problem. Uh five ft eight, so
he had a little bit of H. Well, the attitude
that I bring to the table each and every night
here on Shock Sport traininger you're all taller than may
doesn't matter and still not about personal life tragic. I
mean you can go through the laundry list of stuff
and and the sad part of the later years of
(33:13):
you know, concussions perhaps leading uh to more brain trauma
and then you know health mental health issues and the
assault that you reference. He also auctioned his metal off
since you have to auction off the Olympic medal. But perhaps,
I mean again, you know, sometimes it's just financial. Sometimes
it's a I need to let go of this. I've
(33:34):
had it long enough. Like there's many ways those kind
of things come to market, and and nowadays, you know,
the market being white hot. Like we talked about that
Tom Brady card yesterday, I wouldn't be surprised if a
couple of guys were looking around at each other going, Uh, yeah,
I can, I can get generational wealth off my medal
right now. But uh, for him, as you mentioned, you know,
(33:56):
there's there's just the part of the privacy and and
getting away from it that also was part of what
he wanted to do uh later in his life. So
hopefully they find some of the answers the family that
they need, uh to to find some peace hopefully, you know.
Unfortunately he didn't find that piece while alive. Reminder, always
(34:18):
give out a call, you know, looking on your people.
We've been telling you all during the pandemic, we're not
out of it, and even once we're out of it,
still check in on your people, damn it. But yeah,
the changes in in his makeup and how he treated people,
et cetera. Is noted in pretty much every article you
read about it. Watch a bunch of highlights, undersized but
(34:40):
still throwing his body around. A reminder to all of
you as well, Uh, the size of your heart can't
be measured, just like they said in miracle, you know.
And and let's let's let's let's uh, you know, finish
this conversation on a hignet with Mark Pavlock and talk
about the assist on the goal, because everybody remembers the
goal and it's a ruzione he gets he gets the puck,
(35:00):
he's just inside the blue line, and he skates in
and he uses a defender as a screen, and he
puts the puck by Michkin for the goal that wins,
that beats the Russians, right, most famous goal in in
hockey history. And Pavlich makes this play happen. Uh. The
United States dumps the puck in, but Russia gets to
it and tries to get it out and pavl it
(35:20):
is just his sheer desire getting to a puck right
before the forward comes back to grab the puck away
and and and then there's no play like he gets
all the way to the boards just a split second
before the forward gets it, and he gives up his
body right into the boards that he can just deflect
the puck back where it gets to Eruzioni and a
(35:43):
Erusione puts the puck in the net. I mean, that's
one of those hustle heart timing plays where I gotta
get this puck, I gotta keep it in and and
that's why I'm gonna give up my body here and
go fly into the boards. And he makes that play happen.
It's just a quick play where he gets it, he
deflects it off his stick and kind that shoves it
out and a Ruzione gets it in scores. But that
(36:03):
is some kind of play we you know, we don't
talk about the setup of the play a lot because
that that play is just you know, Ruzioni goal is
is so iconic. And and and the the shot of
him and and then Michekin falling backwards after the puck
is behind him. I mean, we have these images that
are so great. But watch that play again and watch
just he comes out of nowhere and he gets right
(36:24):
in front of the forward and he's able to grab
the puck and flies into the boards. You can see
him turn around like maybe he's dazed a little bit,
like did I get it? Did I get it? And
Ruzione gets it in scores. It is some kind of
play by Pavlich to make that happen. Without that, I mean,
who knows what happens. I mean, clearly there's there's there's
all kinds of jigsaw puzzle things that go into big plays.
But Pavlog making that play got the puck to a RUSIONI,
(36:45):
and RUSSIONI puts it in, and the best sports story
of my lifetime is born. Look at you, You're like
a little little Jason Smith all over again. Oh man,
I'll tell you that was that. That goal is just
something only goal Rusione had in the entire tournament. And
you know it was there and it was just some
kind of play man. I've been watching it again for
(37:05):
the past five minutes, going, this is Pabla just gets
right there. It goes flying into the boards and there's
a puck and there's a RUSIONI and he puts it in.
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harman weekdays at ten pm Eastern seven
pm Pacific. Well, we knew this is gonna be a
different kind of n c A tournament, and clearly already
in the early conference tournaments. That's happening now. This weekend
(37:28):
is the the smaller conferences having their tournaments, and next
week we get the power conferences having their tournaments. But
already we've had a team clinch a birth in the
n c A Tournament without playing in their championship game.
It'll be this Cape Crusader. How is that possible team
has advanced the championship game yet they've already clinched a
(37:49):
place in the n c A tournament. This is the
story of liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. Liberty
is set to face North Alabama in the Atlantic Sun
Tournament championship game on Sunday, but it's already in the
n c A Tournament because North Alabama is a school
that's transitioning to Division one athletics and is ineligible for
(38:13):
the n c A tournament. So even though look they
can still play, and but they've made it to the
championship game, they're ineligible because they're still transitioning to Division
one athletics. So liberty even though they haven't played in
North Alabama in the championship game yet, they have clinched
a spot in the n c A Tournament. How dumb
(38:34):
a rule is that you're still transition. We're playing over here,
for crying out lot, it doesn't matter. Your paperwork and
your approval process is in limbo. Uh you have a
four year probationary period. Are you kid me? That's asinine?
It's not Hey, they're under suspension for something a coach did,
(38:58):
an athletic director. Did you got boosters that were handed
out orange whips all around campus? I mean you got
none of that, satchels of cash on you know, under
the guys of hot wheel cars, whatever the case, maybe
you got none of that you got. Hey, you haven't
finished your four years of transition yet. And this is
(39:19):
the team North Alabama like finished the season on a
one in seven run, Like they were playing terrible the
end of the season and now here, but they got
a couple of wins and they're in the a SOUN
Tournament championship and but they can't make it because they're
still transitioning. So Liberty has already made it without without
having to play in a championship game, they've already made
(39:40):
it and you know an Alabama and another one to night.
I mean, just think about this too. Drake, who's a
big bubble team, made it into the Missouri Valley quarterfinals
or semifinals because their game against Northern Iowa was canceled
so they had a walkover game because Northern Iowa had
positive COVID nineteen test and so they couldn't play. So
(40:04):
it's a walkover. So now they're into the semifinals without
having to play this big game. A bubble team is
now moving on into the semis and Drake because the
other team had a positive COVID nineteen tests, now here
there are bubble team in there in the Conference semis already.
How is that going to be looked at by the committee? Right?
Is it going to be well, they made it, well,
they didn't have to play a game. How they play
(40:25):
I mean, I really I I don't envy the committee.
There's gonna be so many questions. There's gonna be so
many upset coaches who don't make it into the tournament
this year because so many teams are gonna have very
a similar resumes. Because everybody's gonna play around twenty games,
you don't have the ten more games that that that
teams separate themselves. It's gonna be a lot of controversy,
it's gonna be a lot of upset teams. It's gonna
(40:47):
be a lot of craziness, and the selection committee is
gonna bear the brunt of this. Of every year, the
selection committee gets criticized because here's the teams we left out,
and the committee always has a different reason, Like one
year it's well, you didn't do well enough in your
Tier one games. The next year it's well you didn't
win enough games away from home. The next time it's
all the teams with the RPI. Every year they change
(41:08):
the the reasoning to fit their qualification, and it's maddening.
This year, it's not gonna matter because you're gonna have
ten or twelve teams instead of the two or three.
You're gonna have ten or twelve teams are gonna say
what about us? I mean, suddenly the a c C
is a bad league this year, right like these all
the A c C. Wait, why is the a c
C so bad? Why is it? Why is the big
twelve gonna get everybody in when they all have the
same records. Everybody's the Big twelve. Really that good? I
(41:30):
mean you could have you could have five or six
teams just in the A c C going, hey, what
happened to us? How can you not letting us in
the n C A tournament is great? They can all
go play in the n I T together. Five of
the sixteen teams here we got they're all passed now
they're here. He I T. It's the A c C
n I T. We're just gonna play amongst ourselves. But
(41:52):
you've had multiple issues, uh, because of COVID. Uh this
week we talked about the Northern Iowa circumstance. You also
had a Holy Cross had to bow out because of
COVID in the Patriot League. So Loola Maryland advanced, Jacksonville
Charleston Southern forced to miss their conference tournament. So still
(42:16):
pops on the radar, not to the critical mass and
to where the sky is falling. As people wrote all
the columns and tried to negate any sporting events and
saying that they shouldn't be had at all. Uh, he's
certainly not to that level. But just reminders that there's
still some issues out there, and and and some circumstances
(42:39):
that need to be attended to. But the show goes on,
Jim be him will have more reporters to belittle before
this basketball season. Fish Hey, he apologized for it. He
apologized for that. I mean he said he was so
how many times you get to pop off like an
ass and just oh sorry, that's kind of what he
did again, that's kind of what he Yeah that that
(43:00):
was good forty years ago because the only guy that
had it where the three people standing there to talk
to him. Now you just now you've just transformed into
full time jerk when the microphones live, Come on, man,
it would be snarky. And I like snarky guys and
snarky coaches more than any person perhaps on this planet.
(43:22):
But you know, there's there's the line that he leapt past.
Do you know how many of my friends have texted
me in the past three days saying are you tall
enough to talk about college basketball on your show? How
many people have said that to me? Well, and then
you told the story yesterday of the beat putting you
in your spot. Oh yeah, seems the beat man I
did say, you know what are you four eleven? Okay, okay,
(43:44):
we'll see we'll see. I'll make you feel better. Yeah, alright,
so you're you're taller than four eleven. Now I am.
But this Super Bowl event, right, I'm there all week
of going doing interviews. I get introduced to a bunch
of guys at an event and then we're we're at
the Madden party and it's late. Everybody's just by this point,
(44:04):
everybody's a little liquored up. Uh. And then someone hits
some microphone and says, hey, hey, someone uh still here.
A friend, a friend of you all. He'd like to
come out and perform ladies and gentleman snoop talk. And
he comes out, and the Madden Bishop Magic Don Juan
comes out like it's straight out of old school. And
a couple of the guys NFL players, Uh, yeah, hey,
(44:27):
you want to sit on my shoulders so you can see.
Oh we've been we've been best friends ever since. No,
this is when I mean, you don't forget introductions like that.
Between that and you know, telling me that the good
(44:48):
Lord uh did me wrong? And not so many and
not so favorable words. Uh, certainly not FCC compliant. Thank you,
raymich Uh. Those were my welcome to meeting and NFL
players outside of a normal work environment kind of situations,
and I love them all. I felt accepted. Oh that's awesome,
(45:09):
that's awesome. You can tell that story after all these years.
You want to, you want to get on my show.
Get on my shoulders, little man, Come on, he may
or may not have gone to your school. Who okay,
well all right then, wow, hey, accuse yo, accuse you
Hosts And Creators
Jason Smith
Mike Harmon
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.