August 11, 2026 • 43 mins
Jason Smith and Steve DeSaegher celebrated Jason’s return for Cabo. NFL Insider Jason La Canfora gave incredible insight into all the big goings on in training camps. And Jason thinks all the controversy the WNBA has had in the past three years was inevitable!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the best of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us
live every weeknight from ten pm to two am Eastern
seven to eleven pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find
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Speaker 2 (00:21):
This is the best of The Jason Smith Show with
Mike Harmon on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Hello, welcome in side Happy Monday, the Jason Smith Show
with special delivery Steve the Sega in from Mike Harmon.
I'll tell you it was a it was a great
last few days of vacation. Yeah, just to let you
know that in you know, not to all of a
(00:51):
sudden say what that was you? Yeah. Well, the thing
is like all the big NFL and WNBA news still
hit Cabo. Uh, just as just as fast as it
went on the world is like that. Yes, But here's
the thing that I didn't count on. Right, So now
I'm on vacation and I'm still I'm like, I'm on vacation.
I'm not worried about t I don't think I tweeted
(01:13):
once like I'm not, but I try to keep up
with what's going on. I just want to. So I
get on the plane. The plane's only two hours, right,
But by the time I get into the airport I'm
on the plane, it's two hours. I get down there,
we we we we you know, We get in the car,
we we get to where we're staying, and I'm like,
I haven't been online. I've seen anything going on in
the last four or five hours. I want to go
(01:33):
see so I.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Know.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
I'm checking a couple of sites. I'm like, Okay, let
me see what's going on sports. Why So I go
to ESPN dot com right to get there to take
a little couple of things, and it redirects me to
ESPN dot com Mexico. Everything is in Spanish, and it's
I have no idea. I'm like, oh my god, this
is like hell. I'm like, I can't I don't understand
(01:57):
what any of these stories are, Like I don't know
any of the cause I like to think that, oh,
I know Spanish. I was excited and I can use
some of my Spanish a little bit, like Los Metropolitans
to yeah. Look, but I did learn some words like
riquerdos is scores. So I'm like, okay, I'm click at
the same spot so I can see and the numbers
are still the same. So I was okay, but like
if it said Brett Baty, but I'm like, all right,
(02:19):
I don't know what that means. But somehow there was
a hit and a run. Okay, yeah, And so I'm
I'm trying to find a way to get the scores
and I can't because it keeps defaulting to everything in Spanish.
I'm going, I can't find any of these stories. Sometimes
I'm going to the New York Post. I'm going, but
I need the national headline so I know what's happening
and what's going on, and everything is in Spanish. That
(02:40):
I'm saying to myself, how do I get off this?
Why does it keep defaulting to this? So it took
me a while, like I would have to wait go
in to like spend some time, Like if I went
down in the morning to get a coffee, I'm like,
you know, I'm gona do. I'm gonna get a coffee.
I'm gonna go to the business center and just get
online and just see what's going on, right, and just
just check out. Oh lot t that's what that was
some Canadian page. Yeah, yeah, exactly, yeah, boy, but it's
(03:02):
a lot of hockey news, a lot of hockey news. Yeah,
but it's really something.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Yeah, you know how Big August is a lot of hockey.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Sure, mcconnor McDavid's contract situation. The least will they ever win? Like,
it's a lot of hockey.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
I think that's the same story every summer. By the way,
the least will they ever win?
Speaker 1 (03:18):
This is This website has been updated since twenty seventeen,
so a final I was able to do that in
the morning, and I made that kind of my routine
where Okay, when I go down and get my coffee
in the morning, and then before I go to bed
at night, I go down to the business center and
just check it so I could just see what was
happening and what went on during the day. I'm like, oh, great,
because there's no way on my phone. I'm like, I
don't know what I don't know what story this is.
(03:38):
I have no idea what's going on.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Fear of missing out is what you I had a
lot of that.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
I had a lot of that. He was, well, he
was like, I had this dream where I couldn't find
out what was happening because everything was in a foreign language. No,
that happened to me what I was going, that happened.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
As you know, with the WNBA, not a whole lot
goes on, very little in the way of controversy. So
since you've been gone, yes, absolutely nothing has happened in
the WNBA in that depart you know, this is this
is how much?
Speaker 1 (04:02):
And I we were talking about this a lot because
obviously the Sophie Cunningham Djona Carrington thing, we have new
new developments with that tonight, like Playgrant fell over the weekend,
I'm seeing this and going okay, in the five day
I was gone five days, right, I was going five
days Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Wednday, Thurs Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
Now I'm back here on Monday. I was going five
days and there were no less than four controversies front
(04:25):
page controversies involving the w wileye was gone, the Sophie
Cunningham foul, the Carrington white privileged post that she put up,
and then his sense address, which we'll get to in
a second. Then Caitlin Clark getting the technical foul for
running into the official that got rescinded, and Becky Hammond decided, Yeah,
naturally televised game. I'm not playing any of my stars and.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
Nationally televised game with the last two champions.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
And I'm not even going to pretend like they're dinged up. No,
just not playing it. Just not gonna play. Just not
gonna play our top three players. I'm like, in five days,
four incredible controversies surrounding W. I'm like, that's I mean
that there's leagues and sometimes it goes like months like
the NHL is going. Man, we can't get anybody to
talk about us. Jason Smith mag just mentioned Canadian It
(05:09):
just mentioned the Maple Leafs at seven o four pm
on August tenth. We gott to write that down, like
I mean, and and W just it just every day.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
And this is what's telling is they had a league
record set yesterday with somebody not only scoring forty three
points in a win, but hitting ten three pointers in
the game. Nowhere to be found. No yet again it's
the league shooting itself in the foot.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Some I know it's and and and look and here's
and I actually because I've said from the beginning and
going into when Caitlin Clark first showed up to the WNBA.
They can't handle success, right, You gotta be able to
handle success, and you can't do it. And they've still
shown there three years later they can't do it. But
now this is where Isaac, when you think I'm gonna
zayd because this is still this storyline is still the
(05:52):
biggest story in sports. And Carrington coming out today and
saying her white privilege comment that you put on social
media and tagged the NDA fever on wasn't about the
Sophie Cunningham foul, really it was, says, it wasn't about that.
I'm like okay, So apparently it was about something else
involving the Indiana Fever in the game because she tagged them.
But you know, and I see this, and I go, man,
(06:15):
the w like what one day? Like the powers that be?
Like Kathy Yett wants to wake up and go can
I just have one day? Nope? Nope, here we got this.
We're deal, we got this. We got this week.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Actually that's what she should say, Can I just have
one day left? We should I be out of here
this week?
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Well, the first thing is that you know, I've told
you for a long time. She she's done right, And
I know they're trying to limp to the off season.
She's in the last year of her contract, and they're
trying to limp to the off season where they can
replace her with their David Stern, someone who's gonna come
in that can grab the league with all of the
attention it's getting and push it forth into Okay, now,
(06:50):
now we're acting like, hey, we're one of the big
five right with baseball, not even hockey. We're one of
the big four now, right, we.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Talk about us.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
We're relevant, We're here. They need that. And I've said
friend and congratulates to everybody else who wants to go
on podcasts and say, oh, Yasha, I don't know that
they can afford to wait until the end of this
year to replace her, because I know that's why she's
not weighing in on things, because they want, most likely
want their new commissioner to come in and set things up.
They don't want Kathy Engelbert to say something and then okay, well,
(07:17):
now the new commissioner coming in and we're going the
other way and we're doing this so good.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
At deflecting anyway.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Yeah, I don't know that. I don't know that they
can afford to wait, Like I know that, can we
just wait a little bit longer, a little bit like, No,
I don't know that they can because every single day,
and she's invisible, every single day, invisible.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
The commission of the league we're talking about. As for
the scheduling, keep in mind, there is a Basketball World
Cup for women's hoops coming up, and the league is
taking a couple of weeks off. Yeah, so many of
their stars are participating.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Doesn't matter, the roster doesn't matter. Oh, now we're getting
all the stars in one place to talk about Caitlyn
Clark and all this stuff. Now they're all in one place.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
So you say that the regular season would be finally
ending in a month, that's not gonna be true. Now
the regular season ending is being pushed back to the
end of the baseball season, which means when baseball is
starting playoffs. That's roughly when w NBA is starting playoffs
and college football and NFL will be well underway. Then, great,
(08:18):
thinking people everybody wanted to expand the season. This is
what happens when that happened.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
You mean, I can ask these questions with Caitlin Clark
sitting next to Asia Wilson sitting next to page back
of this is fantastic.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
Uniforms in a few weeks now.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
So I've been hard on the w NBA because it's
been embarrassing. They can't handle success. But it's the word.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
It's embarrassing.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Yeah, it is.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
But here's here's the other part. Because I was thinking
about this a lot, like thinking about this, seeing these
stories break and being away from it for a few days.
Is that, like I said, where I'm gonna zig where
you think I'm gonna zag on this? Is that I
don't know that what the w was going through wasn't
an isn't inevitable, And part of inevitable growing pains that
(09:04):
are going to stem from a league doing something that
we have never seen before. We've never seen a league
go from hey, you know WNBA summer league they play
the women went to play in Europe so they can
actually make money, right, That was the whole thing up
until a couple of years ago. We got to go here.
It's like in the fifties in Major League Baseball, where
(09:25):
the best players would sell shoes in the offseason because
they weren't making money. Hey, I remember that Grand Slam
you beat the Reds with. Yet, look, my son needs
a nine and a half narrow Can you go grab
that in the back of that well if I get
your autograph on the sales receipt, right. So that's where
the W was. And now, overnight, I mean literally, Kate
and Clark going from the last game of her college
(09:45):
career losing to South Carolina and now the W is
in the harsh light of attention and they are going
through incredible amounts of success. I don't know that there
is any sport that would be able to handle what's
going on because they went from, hey, this is a sport,
it's kind of under the radar. It great, it has
a fan base, but not nearly to the extent that
(10:06):
it sits right now. Where we talk about the NFL,
the NBA, Major League Baseball, the WNBA, that's where those
are your four big talking.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
For someone, those are your four sport talks.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
So now all of a sudden, the W is thrust
into a situation where none of the players have been before,
the league hasn't been No one's had to make decisions
like this before. And you are living every single day
of controversy and drama. And it makes me think that
maybe this was in the age of social media where
everything that is said or is implied is blown up
(10:37):
and people have these discussions every.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Day, and it's the age of Fox News'.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
Honest, I don't know that this wasn't something that was
just going to happen to the WNBA regardless, because no
other sport has ever gone from it's a niche sport
to overnight. Look at this success, right like when Tiger
Wood showed up the PGA Tour. Golf had an incredible
burst in popularity. But it's not like people weren't watching
golf before. God, golf was still very popular. I had
(11:01):
great stars, and then you get into Greg Norman and
Nick Faldo and Ernie Els in the nineties, like golf
was still you know, was still a sport that people
paid attention to.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
Golf still big ratings than w NBA for the final rounds.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
Right, it's golf. Golf was a big deal. It had
been ingrained for so long. The w made this incredible jump,
and I I don't know that any and that's never happened.
No sport has made a jump from where they were
to all of a sudden being at the at the
big table with everybody like, I mean, no one's ever
done that. So yeah, the growing pains, everything's gonna get
(11:37):
accelerated and and maybe this was all inevitable, which gets
me back to the point about how you need that
commissioner in now that's gonna it's a full it's a
full job, time job. Right, It's not just Hey, I
can do it in the regular season and take some
time off. Right, it's a full time job. So why
are you waiting for Kathy Engelbert, like what you obviously
you should by now have that person in place. If
(11:58):
you don't come on, what are you doing? So I
don't know that you can afford to wait to do that,
because you need someone that can come in and have
every day not be something where oh the focus isn't
on the court with what the women are doing, right,
like the stuff with the fouls and Kayler car okay
on the court, but it gets off the court with
all the knuckleheaded stuff, and it's like, how is this
(12:18):
not being tamped down? How is this not being dealt
with like other sports would deal with things like this,
And so like I get that. It's you know, maybe
it was inevitable that this was going to happen to them.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Well, some of the on the court conversation has to
do with the poor officiating too, and that goes straight
to the league office and the commissioner because you had
to have foreseen this, because this isn't the first summer
where people are complaining about WNBA officiating. This the overall
lesson that needs to be learned for any line of work,
(12:50):
any business, is leadership actually matters. And we've seen it
in sports. Oh, we've seen it with individual franchises in
various sports as well. It really matters because problems can
usually be traced all the way to the top. And
one of the huge problems the w n b A
have has is at the top. And it'll be rectified,
(13:11):
I'm certain this year, you know.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
But the thing is like, I don't even mind the
officiating so much because look, the NBA is still going
through that now. Just look back at the NBA Finals.
How is Wemby kicking out at guys and trying to
break people's ankles and and how and not getting called
for a flagrant foul? How is this? How is Smarl
Anthony Townsend. This is stars that are getting hit, right,
But but that but that's that's more that hits me
(13:33):
with the this is on the court stuff. This is
this is normal storylines that the NBA deals with it
the w NBA deal, that's fine. But when you get
off the court with all the stuff and the Sophie
Cunningham and the Djna Carrington and now the trans debate
that has been ignited, and and I say to myself, wow, okay,
this is where a league really is still trying to
find its footing and trying to get to a point
(13:54):
where okay, we're not dealing with controversy every single day.
And and and yeah, I mean maybe maybe I was
a little bit naive to think that you can, hey
now we know how to how to act. But I
mean three years in, like, okay, I get we're still
going through growing pains, but it's time to act on those.
It's time time to fix.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
That now three years in for this group of stars.
But the league has existed for thirty years, but.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Not under this harsh spotlight where every day what is
being said that and that's a thing, that's a thing.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
I just don't see. And and the NBA is partly
blamed because they've been the subsidy for the w NBA
and they have even into recent years, still had to
say a financial say, including in how this league exists,
how it goes, and so they're not without blame. It
amazes me that it's not a three year league though
(14:44):
it's a thirty year league that is still having these problems.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Yeah, but I'm honestly.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
The officiating is not.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
I get it, but it's not. But everything that they've
been going through now is new because it's on a
big stage. Yes, right, and and when that happens, there's
gonna be a bit of adjustment and that's kind of
what the W is going through. And so it's it's
it's maybe, but.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Caitlin Clark wasn't the first new star to come in,
but she but maybe when they came in, she was
the largest she cut through. How as a league do
you not have experience to take care of your stars?
They're the lifeblood of any league.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Yeah, but people weren't. Weren't writing every day about Britney
Griner and Diana Tarossi and Candice Parker.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
And and w Which gets me back to THEO and
when yeah, in the last five years that Fox News
has handled that consistently other than the w NB A.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
Well and anybody it's a it's a new it's a
new time now. That's why I said, with the social
media being the way it is, like, this is now
something that I think if football made a jump right
now to where it is, we would be where we're at.
If baseball made a jump to where it is, we would.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
Be like baseball's labor nails get help and after the
season so they may be restarting if there is no
more baseball.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
Okay, just when the Mets playing good, right, there's no
more baseball.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
By the way, an update with Terrek Scoobel on the
mound in the late game at Dodger Stadium. It has
already won nothing Kansas City over the Dodgers.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Top of the first I go on vacation. The Mets
can't lose and the Dodgers can't win. What happened the
Detroit Tigers can't lose.
Speaker 3 (16:14):
I know all that.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
Maybe school was a bad guy. I wing to do
is get rid of school in Mize and we're winning.
But I mean, but like part of me, I feel like, maybe, okay,
A little too harsh that the w was gonna go
through this eventually, and maybe to this extent, especially considering
we're out in twenty twenty six. It's really, it's really big.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
But a couple of big baseball stories and you know, well,
you know, one one just just you know, hits me
a little bit, Steve. I really feel like, you know,
driving into work, I'm listening to Braves and the Mets
and seeing where the entire Twitter for the United States
is all about the Braves Mets game, and I'm like, wow,
this is insane. Really yeah, I mean with with oh
yeah yeah, uh with with the starting pitching for the
(17:00):
Raves and the Mets winning. And I'm saying to myself, well,
you know, the Mets are really at that major league
part of the season where Lou Brown comes in and says,
I figured it's gonna take thirty six wins in our
last forty seven games to make the playoffs, and they
pull the thing where you know, all all the pictures
off the owners. I'm one of the I wonder if
that's what Andy Green did. He came in and said.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
About that time.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah, I'm figured it's gonna take thirty six wins to
get to eighty five, and every time we get a win,
we'll take a piece off of Steve Cohen and like
Cohen's in some sort of you know, bathing suit outfit,
because now all the Mets had to do was trade
away their four best relievers who were part of a
top five bullpen, and now they can't lose, right like that?
That that that's the walking definition of that's baseball.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
It's kind of like to try a couple of years
ago sellers and oh, here they are in the playoffs
winning and it's kind of like Detroit this year where
they trade Schooble and traded Casey.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
Miz By the way, give up on the season and
we'll start winning.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
Can I just add that Trek Scoogle just faced the
Royals a couple of weeks ago in Detroit and beat
him two to one with twelve strikeouts, and yet he's
already given up three runs in the first three innings
against the Royals in La. It's three to one Royals
now again. I told too Tani Rbi double.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
I told you twenty five minutes ago, is era for
this game is going to be nine. That's where we're
sitting right now. Three there it is, but like it's
it really is something where. And that's like the walking
definition of when someone says, well that's baseball, susan uh,
is that your teams we give up on the season
and now with no pressure, when there's no stakes, now
we start winning where? Because I really think that's part
(18:34):
of what it is for any team that gets the
trade deadline and makes a lot of moves, whether it
is you are a team that is trying to get
into the playoff down there, there's a teams at the
very top that are trying to stay at the top.
But for the vast majority of the teams in the majors,
you get to the trade deadline, you're either a wanna
be team where Okay, we know we're not great, we
(18:54):
got to make some moves, or you are a team
that is really underachieved. You're selling for next season. And
I point to all those teams and I go, yep,
how these teams were constructed for this year. They couldn't
handle expectations. This is not a team that can play
with expectations, and when there's no expectations, hey, we can
play free, and we go out and we wind up
doing everything we've supposed to have been doing over the
(19:16):
course of the season, whether you're the Mets or the
Tigers or anybody else. It's starting to hit the trade deadline, going, oh, hey,
pressure's off of us. All this you know, from April
and May and June and all of July. Now we're
out of that. And the spotlight was too bright. We
couldn't handle expectations, and now we're winning. Whether you have
a change in manager or your manager doesn't care anymore.
The Tigers might be making the playoffs, doesn't matter. Look
(19:39):
at the Twins, right, they were supposed to be good.
They underachieved. You get to the deadline and now these
teams they just couldn't play with expectations and that and
you get you get lots of places in sports where
you understand, okay, sometimes teams just can't play with that
because they don't have the leadership, They don't have the
whether it's a manager, whether it's a star player, a
few star players, but just when there's no more expectation, okay,
(20:00):
now we're finally playing like the team we're supposed to
be early on in the season.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
I will say, as playoffs keep getting expanded sport to sport,
it's like the NFC South. In the NFL, you can
be right around five hundred and not only win division,
but therefore get a home playoff game. Just make the
home not just make the playoffs home playoff game.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
Like the MLB. Is the NFC South, Yes, because.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
There's a third wild card now, so you can be
the Twins or the Tigers and literally finish five hundred. Yeah,
and you might be getting into the playoffs, which means, yeah,
you'd have to play a division winner, but it's not
going to be Tampa Bay, so it's going to be
what the Houston Division winner, which is about a five
hundred team this year. Now the Dodgers, which by the way,
(20:45):
are the worst of the three division winners in the
NL right now, which means whoever's the last in as
wild card, Padres Phillies whomever they could be facing the
Dodgers first.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
Round trade deadline hits, and the Dodgers can't win right now.
If they're gonna ruin baseball, they should probably win a game.
I'm just thinking they should win a game or two
between now and the end of this.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Lack of urgency mentioned by manager Dave Roberts before. And
then they go out and ground into a double play
again as they trail the Royals. Did you know the
Dodgers have now grounded into one hundred double plays this year.
That is the worst in the major leagues.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
That's what happens when we hit the ball on the
ground and you're not fast. That's what happened.
Speaker 3 (21:25):
This is an older team.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
But I would one thing for the Dodgers, right, because
their fall has been really precipitous, and now now they're
well looking up at the Brewers for the best record
in the National League. There is one big concern to have.
But overall, and then I'm gonna tell you this, they're
hosting the Brewers for four this week. Overall, I'm gonna
tell you this, the Dodgers are fine.
Speaker 5 (21:47):
Right.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
This is nothing more than what happens to a team
that after routinely not just making the playoffs, but when
you win two World Series in a row, Yeah, you
get to the doldrums, you get to the It's a
reason they call the dog days of August. Right, there's
a reason why that said, there's nothing wrong with the
Dodgers other than the fact that here they are at
a time in the schedule where they've played really well
(22:09):
for the first few months, and now the trade deadline comes,
they get Scooble. Everything's gonna be fine. We ease off
the gas a bit. This is just absolutely normal.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Now.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
It hasn't really happened for them a lot up until now,
because for the most part, they get to the player
they would get to the playoffs for the better part
of the last fifteen years, they get to the playoffs,
fall short. But so they're still pushing the next season
for home field advantage, whatever it is, best record in
baseball we want. But now, when you're coming off a
back to back World Series, I get it. It's natural
(22:39):
to have those doldrums in August. This is a time
to ass to you build up that kind of lead
this year in the division. Yeah, the Dodgers are just
so talented that I get that. This is kind of
what happens to them now. Two World championships in a row,
adding the best pitcher in baseball. Yeah, you're gonna have
a time where you're not gonna win three out of
every four games. Now it's gonna go. Now, you didn't
(23:01):
think it would be against a certain part of the
schedule the Dodgers've had, but that's kind of where it is.
So overall, I'm not really concerned. I know this is
all The Dodges are really vulnerable. Yes, they've always been
vulnerable because the postseason comes and you don't know what's
gonna happen. Right the last couple of years, they've been
able to navigate it. They could have very easily. Amazedly,
they needed the best bullpen game in the history of
(23:22):
Major League Baseball. They needed a ninth inning home run
by Miguel Rojas, like these are things they needed to
win the World Series. They're a great team. But yes,
are they vulnerable to playoffs? Yeah, but they're vulnerable like
everybody is. But right now what they're doing, am I
really really concerned? No, Because still they have one of
the top records in the game and all this losing
they've done over the course of the past two weeks
(23:42):
and they're still have one of the top records. I'm
not worried about the Dodgers.
Speaker 3 (23:45):
They are seventy and forty eight as who we stand
right now.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
I'd love to be. I'd love to suck. They need
twenty two games over five hundred.
Speaker 3 (23:52):
But this is going on a month and a half
of meh with the Dodgers, because they are fourteen and
eighteen since July first. I will only lean toward the
Dodgers are fine if the starting pitching saves them, as
it did throughout the postseason last year. The reason why
people were saying, oh man, is this season over the
Dodgers are that good is because they were looking at
(24:14):
the names that could be all of their starting pitchers. However,
Tyler Glassanaw is just starting minor league rehab. Shohe Otani
is really not that close to becoming a pitcher again
here in August as we speak. So you've got Yamamoto
schoobles only in his second Dodger start and losing three
two now to Kansas City. It's not at all a
(24:35):
set rotation come postseason. We've got a long way to
get to that. They won't have home field advantage in
the postseason, and that we thought would be a problem
against Milwaukee last year. The Brewers had it started the
NLCS at home and then met a Dodger's rotation that
was just about historic probably the best we can recall
in an LCS since Harmon's White Sox about twenty years ago.
(24:58):
And the Dodgers need that kind of pitching to make
up for what are clear deficiencies in the lineup because
the bottom half of the lineup is just not reliable
and that includes Mookie Bets.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
Now, there's not a problem, right, They're absolutely fine. But
one thing I am gonna warn you about, mainly because
I warned everybody about this months and months and months ago.
Let's just go back and see what kind of last
five days Edwin Diaz has had for the La Dodgers.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
Well, do to the gap that's got some legs.
Speaker 4 (25:36):
Heck's on, it's right, and it's gone, Ryan.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
Welshman, who's it?
Speaker 3 (25:45):
Wow?
Speaker 4 (25:49):
Yeah, pace hell Carbon Carrol cormon on go Carbon Go.
Pronomo's home Carbon Carrol heads for card. They've got back
to that triple.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
Uh to quote Marv Albert, not exactly what Edwin d
has had in mind for the Dodgers. That's the one
thing I am gonna say now, because the Dodgers at
the deadline, their biggest need was going to be starting pitching, right,
because you don't know what you're going to have in
the postseason with Otani, with Blake Snell, with last now right,
the closer. You get to the end of the season
(26:27):
and you're waiting for guys to come back. You wonder
how much can they come back? Will they be available?
Getting school ball really solved a lot of those problems
we think it has. And Blake Snell is due to
come off the injury listen pitch tomorrow. Regarding the closer,
and keep in mind last postseason, the Dodgers did not
have a closer. It was these past two octobers are
the best managing jobs, and he really did manage that
(26:49):
Dave Roberts has done in his now long career. So
they pay the big money for a closer this year
and Edwin Diaz from the Mets, and he had a
good first week since then five as a Dodger, ten
runs allowed. Yeah, that's the thing that I told you
about when you signed him. I said, Okay, don't come
(27:10):
crying to me. When DZ comes into a game, you're
winning three nothing, and all of a sudden there's a
hit batter and two walks and the bases are loaded
and nobody is out. Every year is not great for
Edwin Dz. He is a tight rope walk but every
other year in DA is superb. Every other year is great,
but not every year is great for Daz. And you
are not in a great Edwin Daz season because it's
(27:33):
not like he has ups and downs in his great season.
When he has a great season, he is unhittable for
the entirety of the season. But when he's on a
bad season, he can't get right. I don't know if
it's one of those mental things that that pitchers and
sometimes I just never felt dominant. I never felt like
the same guy throughout the entire season. Needs some time
(27:54):
to get away, to start over again. But this is
one of those seasons for Daz, who hasn't been healthy
and now he's not been to effective. I guarantee you
you are going to be piecing your bullpen together in
the offs in the postseason again. Maybe Sasaki will be closing.
Speaker 3 (28:08):
Robleski is probably going to be a reliever the way
he's completely failed as a starter since All Stars.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
Because he's hit his innings limit and you know he's
got a you knew that wasn't gonna be the game
long ball after another. Maybe it's Kofax coming in the
ninth inning, which would just at least sound intimidating. Boy,
Kofax is coming in. He's eighty nine years old. Doesn't matter.
Kirsha Fax's coming in. No, he doesn't scare anybody anymore.
But I guarantee you you are going to be piecing
together that bullpen again in the playoffs. You thought hey
(28:35):
had It's solved Edwin Diaz. Trust me, I've seen this
from Diaz for the better part of the past five
or six years. I know when he's locked in. I
know when he's in the midst of a great season.
I know when he's pitching. Well, this is not that
time he'll have a run. I mean, look, he's still
he still throws ninety eight, but he but he's gonna
get it hard and you're gonna go. I don't understand, understand,
it just happens. Not every year is great for him.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
This is one of those years, and they need him
to be the strikeout king that he has been in
his great years plural that he has had in his career.
He had a year in recent seasons with the Mets
where it was about sixty innings and almost one hundred
and twenty strikeouts. It was just silly how throughout month
after month throughout the season he just wasn't being touched
to be able to put together an entire campaign like that.
(29:20):
But to walk the tightrope with a closer is the
kind of thing the Dodgers did for years with ken
Lee Jansen, who is by the way, still in the
major leagues and had I think it was three strikeouts
and the ninth and got the win for the Tigers
oddly enough yesterday and is putting up such numbers that
ken Lee Jansen's going to get Hall of Fame consideration
(29:40):
the way things are going, because it's such a long
career and the hundreds of saves are being piled up.
Edwin Diaz somehow needs to become some shade of his
former self because this is a team that is going
to the playoffs that is going to need bullpen, and
I can't imagine they'll be able to do what they
(30:03):
magically did last year, and that is win a World
Series without a bullpen.
Speaker 1 (30:07):
I mean, just just get ready, because that's where you're
gonna go, and that's gonna be Diaz. You're gonna go.
What's going on? I thought Narco, we're gonna hear the song.
It's gonna be amazing. Yeah, I warned you a bunch
of months ago. Again, I'm the old guy beginning of
the horror movie going, Hey, yeah, that guy's out there
and the chainsaw hockey mask. Guy wouldn't go out there.
He comes in here once in a while, he gets
some fishing lures and I help him out. I mean,
(30:27):
I don't charge him any things. I don't want to die.
But boy, you go out there and smoke pot and
drink and f sex, You're not coming out of those woods.
I'm telling you, old man, what do you know. Man,
I'm young, I'm viril, I'm full of life. You're in
your fifties. A yeah, see you on Monday when we're
coming back out. Yeah, no, no, no, I told you.
Speaker 3 (30:44):
If you had also warned us about the cock fighting
in the background, I really would be giving you bonus points.
F ed would be. I will say.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
It's surprising that that's his head right back to pitch.
I'm like, wow, really, is.
Speaker 3 (30:56):
There a commissioner in the league was wearing his Dodgers
uniformed some of these in some of these promos anywhere
and he's coming right back to pitch. I guess that
doesn't mean anything.
Speaker 2 (31:06):
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 iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
Well, guys are getting paid, the summer's getting hot, nobody
better to talk to about all the latest NFL news,
longtime NFL inside of Check him out on Sports Illustrated
on Twitter at Jason Locking for It is Jason Locking for.
What's happening?
Speaker 5 (31:31):
Man?
Speaker 2 (31:31):
How are you?
Speaker 5 (31:33):
What's going on? Gentlemen? Now?
Speaker 1 (31:36):
Just watching Quinn Williams get paid and I'm saying to myself, well,
the Jets aren't making out that check now. Jerry Jones
has another guy that he's paying thirty million dollars a year.
Speaker 5 (31:44):
Two. Yeah, and look, Jerry and Steven made a lot
of noise about making some move outside the organization. You know,
they weren't kicking off their Oxnard tour talking about, you know,
re upping their own guys. They were talking about making
this defense better from the outside. So, you know, I
have some ideas about what them might be able to see.
(32:06):
How how you know if for when or how they
can execute it. But I'm actually more interested in the
Cowboys than I've been in quite some time. I think
Jottenheimer showed some stuff last year. It's going to be
a prolific offense. And I think if they can be
a borderline league gaverage defense, that's gonna get them into playoffs.
Speaker 1 (32:30):
Yeah, and they again they're talking big about this year.
They seem to be embracing whatever. Uh, you may be
a little bit. The NFC is a little bit more
open than it's been in years past.
Speaker 5 (32:39):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (32:39):
What are a couple of things you think could be
on the horizon for them?
Speaker 5 (32:43):
Well, I mean, I don't think they're going to be
a sid against the run anymore, you know. I mean
they've they've with Quinnan and Kenny Clark and some of
the things they've done. You know, I think they'll you know,
can can bland and some of these guys be a
little healthier and get back to form on the back end.
I mean that's a team that I think if they
had paid the price and got a McDuffie or something
like that instead of the Rams, it might have swung
(33:05):
the balance in their favor a little bit more. But
I feel like they made strides as the defense last year.
I liked the offseason. I like what they sort of
leaned into in the draft. They're an interesting football team.
Like I think they're fairly well balanced. I think they're
certainly exposed explosive offensively. I'm genuinely interested to see what
(33:32):
they can do. And I give Schottenheimer again a lot
of credit. He was really easy to write off last year,
and I was among those who did it. And I
think he's got something to him. And I think these
guys believe in him and feed off him. And you know,
I think they're the second best team in that division,
(33:52):
and I think there's two teams in that division that
are going to the playoff, and I think there's two
teams in that division that have long ways to go.
Speaker 3 (34:01):
Which brings me my question about the Washington Commanders, who
are one of the conference's worst teams last year and
now star tackle Laromie Tunseel apparently out for the bulk
of the season needs surgery for torn triceps. What did
you think of the Commanders going into this season and
what are the real effects of the Tunsil injury that
they're going to have.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
To deal with.
Speaker 5 (34:21):
Oh, I think it's devastating. I mean, you can look
at the Chargers last year, right and look at what
Herbert looked like when he had tackles, and.
Speaker 3 (34:29):
Look what he looked like when he did absolutely.
Speaker 5 (34:31):
And I think it becomes real quick. You just start
defaulting to your legs and you don't trust what's around you,
and you're taking off and going. But Jalen's not as
big as strapping as Herbert, and I think it's a
recipe for trouble. I think it was a weird needle
they're trying to thread there with the coaching staff, and
(34:54):
they were going to fire everybody to keep the head coach,
Like I don't know anybody in the league he talked
to about that dynamic and think it really works. You know,
then they got one of the coaches they bring in
is you know, you got the du Rye before camp,
Like it's just I just don't know that they can
quite get out of their own way. And I think
(35:15):
dan Quin's and I think he's got the proverbial boob
and the ringer.
Speaker 1 (35:22):
You know, you know, you see the injuries that are
starting to happen around camp, and everybody's just holding their
you know, holding their breath going let's go, Let's go.
Do you think we see a difference in the way
teams attack the preseason. Maybe some of the stars play
a little bit less after seeing some injuries early on
in camp.
Speaker 5 (35:40):
I think people have their philosophies and now if it
could change when one of their guys gets hurt, you know.
I mean, I can remember really the moment where John
Harball went from looking like and Andy Reid disciple and
we know Andy plays everybody more than you think they should,
and becoming a Sean McVay guy. And it was when JK.
Dobbins tore up is nail on a bad turf in
(36:01):
Washington at a time when they really thought JK. Dollins
was going to be their bell cow. And so things change.
Things changed right then and there. But you know, other
stuff around the league. I don't think that that really
resonates that much. But some of the teams that do
play like Kansas City is going to be interesting because,
(36:23):
like I don't know, you know that they're in a
different situation from the homes than they've ever been before
with him coming off the season ending injury, and I
suspect he probably gets a run it at some point,
at least a little bit in the preseason games, because
that's what they believe it. I don't know if it
would be this this first one, because again, obviously there's
an element of time and coming back from something. But no,
(36:44):
I think people probably get more stuck in in what
they're doing. I mean McVeigh now is basically threatening. Not
the place that hasn't been in either, right, Like I
think the ones you know what I mean? Like, I
think people probably tend to stick with what their plan
was and double down on it.
Speaker 3 (37:01):
In the NFC last year, Dallas and Detroit were among
the non playoff teams. If somebody makes it into the
playoffs this year, taking a spot away from say San
Francisco Green Bay, let's talk about San Francisco. Are you
very concerned about the injuries and that seems like it's
not the first year for that and it's an obvious
(37:23):
and real concern.
Speaker 5 (37:25):
Yeah, I don't. I think their window is closed. I
think the windows started closing when they started shutting guys
like Debo and I find it incredibly ironic that he's
not current to bind again. He's you're gonna tell me that?
Like that was when they finally got with it him.
It was like, well, maybe they're also going to leg,
you know what I mean, move two or three other
guys and you know, maybe get off of kidd all
(37:46):
and maybe start recruiting a new core. Now, part of
the reason they can't do that is because they also
can't draft, and they're too cute by half there, and
so you're forced to keep the window open because nobody's
pushing those old guys out, but Father time tends to
take care of pushing them out for you. And I yeah,
(38:06):
that's another one. And look, Washington is kind of San
Francisco East. I mean Adam Peters like he bought a
lot of that mentality and that cockiness and all that
with him, But he don't have Kyl Shanahan. He did
not bring cal Shanahan with him, and Kyle's great at
scheming and all that. But I think he's met his
match with this roster, and I think he's met his
match with that division. And I don't fancy him. I'm
(38:31):
on tickets for them to miss the playoffs. I'm on
tickets for them to go below five hundred.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
Jason Locking for NFL Insider our guest Jason Smith Steve
Disager here on Fox Sports Radio. All Right, so again
this is a weird thing. It's a big training camp highlight.
But then again it's been a big saga for John Harbar.
You're a former guy there and in Baltimore. Everybody excited
because Jackson Dart slid at practice today. He's got to
(38:57):
worry about Cam Scattaboo not doing back flips and Jackson
Dart wants to run, doesn't want to slide. What do
you think where he is at so far? Where he
sits because here's Harbball coming in and here's Dart and Scataboo,
a couple of really headstrong dudes who want to do
things their way that's not always going to dovetail with
what Harbball wants to get out there and accomplished.
Speaker 5 (39:19):
Well, I think it is a big deal that, you know,
self preservation and that's that instinct and it's really hard
to do until you do it for the first time,
and then it becomes easier from there, you know, and
learning when that extra yard or five yards or even
ten yards is worth it and when it's not. So
getting that to be a part of his toolkit I
(39:41):
think is a big deal. Look, I think Harball is
good for I mean, what have they been winning four
to six games for the most part since they got
rid of Conflint. I think Hardball's worth two and a
half wins more than that. Like he gets them respect,
(40:02):
But like you've got a triplets there that all have
a fairly lengthy injury history, and I mean really quadruplets
because the left tackle when he plays is otherworldly. But
I mean that's the issue with Thomas as well. So,
like har Ball's injury record wasn't very good in Baltimore
(40:23):
in the last few years, and he kept a strength
coach around way longer than he should have, and he
resisted change, and they did some weird things like practice
in the middle of the afternoon, like two o'clock when
it's the most hot and humid and you know, it's
subtropic temperature. So I'm kind of interested to see that
stuff because he's got carte Blanche there. That's his building
and there's no two ways about it. And some of
(40:45):
that stuff is bad luck and some of it's just football.
But uh, they need those guys to play to have
a fighting chance, and I think Denard Wilson is going
to do a good job with the deef and I
can see a situation there where they're a pre middling
team and the defense is better than people think and
the offense is not quite as good as people think.
Speaker 3 (41:08):
Last item, you're the appropriate person to ask about the
Baltimore Ravens because after sub five hundred last year, I
don't have a sense of where the franchise is or
what's the future of Lamar Jackson there. What can you
tell us?
Speaker 5 (41:20):
Well, I mean, the future of Lamar Jackson is they're
running out of time to sign them to an extension,
and he may have already cut off talks for all
we know, because he represents himself and at some point
he will because he's not going to negotiate a contract
while he's trying to win football games like that just
doesn't work. And so he's got one year left on
his deal in that case, and that as soon as
this season ends, whenever it ends, he's going to get
(41:42):
everything he wants from the Ravens or he's going to
get traded to somebody who'll give him as close to
everything as he wants. And it's really as simple as that.
The eighty five million dollar cap hit makes them like,
you can't spread that out, you can't tackle votable years,
like it's basically like having a voidable year on a contract.
And he also was a no trade, which he wanted
(42:04):
for a reason because he's asked for a trade before
and he wants to dictate that process. And he's got
a no tag which he had to live through. So no.
I think they're on borrow time with him. I think
they were incredibly naive and sophomoric when a year ago
in the spring and Josh Allen gets a deal early
in twenty twenty five and Eric DeCosta comes out and says,
I really don't have that much contractual stuff to worry
about this year. I'm like, Okay, we'll see how well.
(42:25):
You know, how big of a chunk out of your
ass is that going to take. They'll be better, they'll
be good. I think they're potential to be very good.
I think Vegas has overinflated their win total and their
Super Bowl odds. I mean, in the history of this league,
you don't find many rookie head coaches who've won a
Super Bowl. It's happened twice before, but it wasn't a
jesse Mentor at forty two going someplace new, right, it
(42:46):
was Seafert taking over from Bill Walsh after being there
for ten years. You know, it was Don McCaffrey and
Baltimore taking over for Don Shula after being an assistant
there and running the offense for ten years. Like it
wasn't first time head coached in a new place, doing
something he's never done before with a staff that never
existed before. It was those guys walking into Super Bowl staff.
(43:08):
So no, I don't think they're going to make history
this year. I don't think they're going to win the division,
but I do think they'll get in the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (43:15):
He's on Twitter at Jason locking for. That is at
Jason locking for. Check him out on SI again, Twitter
at Jason lock and for Enjoy buddy as always, man,
we'll talk to you next week. I have a good one.
Speaker 5 (43:25):
You guys do the same. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (43:27):
All right, There goes Jay Low
Thanks for listening to the best of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us
live every weeknight from ten pm to two am 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 iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
This is the best of The Jason Smith Show with
Mike Harmon on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Hello, welcome in side Happy Monday, the Jason Smith Show
with special delivery Steve the Sega in from Mike Harmon.
I'll tell you it was a it was a great
last few days of vacation. Yeah, just to let you
know that in you know, not to all of a
(00:51):
sudden say what that was you? Yeah. Well, the thing
is like all the big NFL and WNBA news still
hit Cabo. Uh, just as just as fast as it
went on the world is like that. Yes, But here's
the thing that I didn't count on. Right, So now
I'm on vacation and I'm still I'm like, I'm on vacation.
I'm not worried about t I don't think I tweeted
(01:13):
once like I'm not, but I try to keep up
with what's going on. I just want to. So I
get on the plane. The plane's only two hours, right,
But by the time I get into the airport I'm
on the plane, it's two hours. I get down there,
we we we we you know, We get in the car,
we we get to where we're staying, and I'm like,
I haven't been online. I've seen anything going on in
the last four or five hours. I want to go
(01:33):
see so I.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Know.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
I'm checking a couple of sites. I'm like, Okay, let
me see what's going on sports. Why So I go
to ESPN dot com right to get there to take
a little couple of things, and it redirects me to
ESPN dot com Mexico. Everything is in Spanish, and it's
I have no idea. I'm like, oh my god, this
is like hell. I'm like, I can't I don't understand
(01:57):
what any of these stories are, Like I don't know
any of the cause I like to think that, oh,
I know Spanish. I was excited and I can use
some of my Spanish a little bit, like Los Metropolitans
to yeah. Look, but I did learn some words like
riquerdos is scores. So I'm like, okay, I'm click at
the same spot so I can see and the numbers
are still the same. So I was okay, but like
if it said Brett Baty, but I'm like, all right,
(02:19):
I don't know what that means. But somehow there was
a hit and a run. Okay, yeah, And so I'm
I'm trying to find a way to get the scores
and I can't because it keeps defaulting to everything in Spanish.
I'm going, I can't find any of these stories. Sometimes
I'm going to the New York Post. I'm going, but
I need the national headline so I know what's happening
and what's going on, and everything is in Spanish. That
(02:40):
I'm saying to myself, how do I get off this?
Why does it keep defaulting to this? So it took
me a while, like I would have to wait go
in to like spend some time, Like if I went
down in the morning to get a coffee, I'm like,
you know, I'm gona do. I'm gonna get a coffee.
I'm gonna go to the business center and just get
online and just see what's going on, right, and just
just check out. Oh lot t that's what that was
some Canadian page. Yeah, yeah, exactly, yeah, boy, but it's
(03:02):
a lot of hockey news, a lot of hockey news. Yeah,
but it's really something.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Yeah, you know how Big August is a lot of hockey.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Sure, mcconnor McDavid's contract situation. The least will they ever win? Like,
it's a lot of hockey.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
I think that's the same story every summer. By the way,
the least will they ever win?
Speaker 1 (03:18):
This is This website has been updated since twenty seventeen,
so a final I was able to do that in
the morning, and I made that kind of my routine
where Okay, when I go down and get my coffee
in the morning, and then before I go to bed
at night, I go down to the business center and
just check it so I could just see what was
happening and what went on during the day. I'm like, oh, great,
because there's no way on my phone. I'm like, I
don't know what I don't know what story this is.
(03:38):
I have no idea what's going on.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Fear of missing out is what you I had a
lot of that.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
I had a lot of that. He was, well, he
was like, I had this dream where I couldn't find
out what was happening because everything was in a foreign language. No,
that happened to me what I was going, that happened.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
As you know, with the WNBA, not a whole lot
goes on, very little in the way of controversy. So
since you've been gone, yes, absolutely nothing has happened in
the WNBA in that depart you know, this is this
is how much?
Speaker 1 (04:02):
And I we were talking about this a lot because
obviously the Sophie Cunningham Djona Carrington thing, we have new
new developments with that tonight, like Playgrant fell over the weekend,
I'm seeing this and going okay, in the five day
I was gone five days, right, I was going five
days Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Wednday, Thurs Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
Now I'm back here on Monday. I was going five
days and there were no less than four controversies front
(04:25):
page controversies involving the w wileye was gone, the Sophie
Cunningham foul, the Carrington white privileged post that she put up,
and then his sense address, which we'll get to in
a second. Then Caitlin Clark getting the technical foul for
running into the official that got rescinded, and Becky Hammond decided, Yeah,
naturally televised game. I'm not playing any of my stars and.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
Nationally televised game with the last two champions.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
And I'm not even going to pretend like they're dinged up. No,
just not playing it. Just not gonna play. Just not
gonna play our top three players. I'm like, in five days,
four incredible controversies surrounding W. I'm like, that's I mean
that there's leagues and sometimes it goes like months like
the NHL is going. Man, we can't get anybody to
talk about us. Jason Smith mag just mentioned Canadian It
(05:09):
just mentioned the Maple Leafs at seven o four pm
on August tenth. We gott to write that down, like
I mean, and and W just it just every day.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
And this is what's telling is they had a league
record set yesterday with somebody not only scoring forty three
points in a win, but hitting ten three pointers in
the game. Nowhere to be found. No yet again it's
the league shooting itself in the foot.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Some I know it's and and and look and here's
and I actually because I've said from the beginning and
going into when Caitlin Clark first showed up to the WNBA.
They can't handle success, right, You gotta be able to
handle success, and you can't do it. And they've still
shown there three years later they can't do it. But
now this is where Isaac, when you think I'm gonna
zayd because this is still this storyline is still the
(05:52):
biggest story in sports. And Carrington coming out today and
saying her white privilege comment that you put on social
media and tagged the NDA fever on wasn't about the
Sophie Cunningham foul, really it was, says, it wasn't about that.
I'm like okay, So apparently it was about something else
involving the Indiana Fever in the game because she tagged them.
But you know, and I see this, and I go, man,
(06:15):
the w like what one day? Like the powers that be?
Like Kathy Yett wants to wake up and go can
I just have one day? Nope? Nope, here we got this.
We're deal, we got this. We got this week.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Actually that's what she should say, Can I just have
one day left? We should I be out of here
this week?
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Well, the first thing is that you know, I've told
you for a long time. She she's done right, And
I know they're trying to limp to the off season.
She's in the last year of her contract, and they're
trying to limp to the off season where they can
replace her with their David Stern, someone who's gonna come
in that can grab the league with all of the
attention it's getting and push it forth into Okay, now,
(06:50):
now we're acting like, hey, we're one of the big
five right with baseball, not even hockey. We're one of
the big four now, right, we.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Talk about us.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
We're relevant, We're here. They need that. And I've said
friend and congratulates to everybody else who wants to go
on podcasts and say, oh, Yasha, I don't know that
they can afford to wait until the end of this
year to replace her, because I know that's why she's
not weighing in on things, because they want, most likely
want their new commissioner to come in and set things up.
They don't want Kathy Engelbert to say something and then okay, well,
(07:17):
now the new commissioner coming in and we're going the
other way and we're doing this so good.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
At deflecting anyway.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Yeah, I don't know that. I don't know that they
can afford to wait, Like I know that, can we
just wait a little bit longer, a little bit like, No,
I don't know that they can because every single day,
and she's invisible, every single day, invisible.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
The commission of the league we're talking about. As for
the scheduling, keep in mind, there is a Basketball World
Cup for women's hoops coming up, and the league is
taking a couple of weeks off. Yeah, so many of
their stars are participating.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Doesn't matter, the roster doesn't matter. Oh, now we're getting
all the stars in one place to talk about Caitlyn
Clark and all this stuff. Now they're all in one place.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
So you say that the regular season would be finally
ending in a month, that's not gonna be true. Now
the regular season ending is being pushed back to the
end of the baseball season, which means when baseball is
starting playoffs. That's roughly when w NBA is starting playoffs
and college football and NFL will be well underway. Then, great,
(08:18):
thinking people everybody wanted to expand the season. This is
what happens when that happened.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
You mean, I can ask these questions with Caitlin Clark
sitting next to Asia Wilson sitting next to page back
of this is fantastic.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
Uniforms in a few weeks now.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
So I've been hard on the w NBA because it's
been embarrassing. They can't handle success. But it's the word.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
It's embarrassing.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Yeah, it is.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
But here's here's the other part. Because I was thinking
about this a lot, like thinking about this, seeing these
stories break and being away from it for a few days.
Is that, like I said, where I'm gonna zig where
you think I'm gonna zag on this? Is that I
don't know that what the w was going through wasn't
an isn't inevitable, And part of inevitable growing pains that
(09:04):
are going to stem from a league doing something that
we have never seen before. We've never seen a league
go from hey, you know WNBA summer league they play
the women went to play in Europe so they can
actually make money, right, That was the whole thing up
until a couple of years ago. We got to go here.
It's like in the fifties in Major League Baseball, where
(09:25):
the best players would sell shoes in the offseason because
they weren't making money. Hey, I remember that Grand Slam
you beat the Reds with. Yet, look, my son needs
a nine and a half narrow Can you go grab
that in the back of that well if I get
your autograph on the sales receipt, right. So that's where
the W was. And now, overnight, I mean literally, Kate
and Clark going from the last game of her college
(09:45):
career losing to South Carolina and now the W is
in the harsh light of attention and they are going
through incredible amounts of success. I don't know that there
is any sport that would be able to handle what's
going on because they went from, hey, this is a sport,
it's kind of under the radar. It great, it has
a fan base, but not nearly to the extent that
(10:06):
it sits right now. Where we talk about the NFL,
the NBA, Major League Baseball, the WNBA, that's where those
are your four big talking.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
For someone, those are your four sport talks.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
So now all of a sudden, the W is thrust
into a situation where none of the players have been before,
the league hasn't been No one's had to make decisions
like this before. And you are living every single day
of controversy and drama. And it makes me think that
maybe this was in the age of social media where
everything that is said or is implied is blown up
(10:37):
and people have these discussions every.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Day, and it's the age of Fox News'.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
Honest, I don't know that this wasn't something that was
just going to happen to the WNBA regardless, because no
other sport has ever gone from it's a niche sport
to overnight. Look at this success, right like when Tiger
Wood showed up the PGA Tour. Golf had an incredible
burst in popularity. But it's not like people weren't watching
golf before. God, golf was still very popular. I had
(11:01):
great stars, and then you get into Greg Norman and
Nick Faldo and Ernie Els in the nineties, like golf
was still you know, was still a sport that people
paid attention to.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
Golf still big ratings than w NBA for the final rounds.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
Right, it's golf. Golf was a big deal. It had
been ingrained for so long. The w made this incredible jump,
and I I don't know that any and that's never happened.
No sport has made a jump from where they were
to all of a sudden being at the at the
big table with everybody like, I mean, no one's ever
done that. So yeah, the growing pains, everything's gonna get
(11:37):
accelerated and and maybe this was all inevitable, which gets
me back to the point about how you need that
commissioner in now that's gonna it's a full it's a
full job, time job. Right, It's not just Hey, I
can do it in the regular season and take some
time off. Right, it's a full time job. So why
are you waiting for Kathy Engelbert, like what you obviously
you should by now have that person in place. If
(11:58):
you don't come on, what are you doing? So I
don't know that you can afford to wait to do that,
because you need someone that can come in and have
every day not be something where oh the focus isn't
on the court with what the women are doing, right,
like the stuff with the fouls and Kayler car okay
on the court, but it gets off the court with
all the knuckleheaded stuff, and it's like, how is this
(12:18):
not being tamped down? How is this not being dealt
with like other sports would deal with things like this,
And so like I get that. It's you know, maybe
it was inevitable that this was going to happen to them.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Well, some of the on the court conversation has to
do with the poor officiating too, and that goes straight
to the league office and the commissioner because you had
to have foreseen this, because this isn't the first summer
where people are complaining about WNBA officiating. This the overall
lesson that needs to be learned for any line of work,
(12:50):
any business, is leadership actually matters. And we've seen it
in sports. Oh, we've seen it with individual franchises in
various sports as well. It really matters because problems can
usually be traced all the way to the top. And
one of the huge problems the w n b A
have has is at the top. And it'll be rectified,
(13:11):
I'm certain this year, you know.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
But the thing is like, I don't even mind the
officiating so much because look, the NBA is still going
through that now. Just look back at the NBA Finals.
How is Wemby kicking out at guys and trying to
break people's ankles and and how and not getting called
for a flagrant foul? How is this? How is Smarl
Anthony Townsend. This is stars that are getting hit, right,
But but that but that's that's more that hits me
(13:33):
with the this is on the court stuff. This is
this is normal storylines that the NBA deals with it
the w NBA deal, that's fine. But when you get
off the court with all the stuff and the Sophie
Cunningham and the Djna Carrington and now the trans debate
that has been ignited, and and I say to myself, wow, okay,
this is where a league really is still trying to
find its footing and trying to get to a point
(13:54):
where okay, we're not dealing with controversy every single day.
And and and yeah, I mean maybe maybe I was
a little bit naive to think that you can, hey
now we know how to how to act. But I
mean three years in, like, okay, I get we're still
going through growing pains, but it's time to act on those.
It's time time to fix.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
That now three years in for this group of stars.
But the league has existed for thirty years, but.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Not under this harsh spotlight where every day what is
being said that and that's a thing, that's a thing.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
I just don't see. And and the NBA is partly
blamed because they've been the subsidy for the w NBA
and they have even into recent years, still had to
say a financial say, including in how this league exists,
how it goes, and so they're not without blame. It
amazes me that it's not a three year league though
(14:44):
it's a thirty year league that is still having these problems.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Yeah, but I'm honestly.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
The officiating is not.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
I get it, but it's not. But everything that they've
been going through now is new because it's on a
big stage. Yes, right, and and when that happens, there's
gonna be a bit of adjustment and that's kind of
what the W is going through. And so it's it's
it's maybe, but.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Caitlin Clark wasn't the first new star to come in,
but she but maybe when they came in, she was
the largest she cut through. How as a league do
you not have experience to take care of your stars?
They're the lifeblood of any league.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Yeah, but people weren't. Weren't writing every day about Britney
Griner and Diana Tarossi and Candice Parker.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
And and w Which gets me back to THEO and
when yeah, in the last five years that Fox News
has handled that consistently other than the w NB A.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
Well and anybody it's a it's a new it's a
new time now. That's why I said, with the social
media being the way it is, like, this is now
something that I think if football made a jump right
now to where it is, we would be where we're at.
If baseball made a jump to where it is, we would.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
Be like baseball's labor nails get help and after the
season so they may be restarting if there is no
more baseball.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
Okay, just when the Mets playing good, right, there's no
more baseball.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
By the way, an update with Terrek Scoobel on the
mound in the late game at Dodger Stadium. It has
already won nothing Kansas City over the Dodgers.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Top of the first I go on vacation. The Mets
can't lose and the Dodgers can't win. What happened the
Detroit Tigers can't lose.
Speaker 3 (16:14):
I know all that.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
Maybe school was a bad guy. I wing to do
is get rid of school in Mize and we're winning.
But I mean, but like part of me, I feel like, maybe, okay,
A little too harsh that the w was gonna go
through this eventually, and maybe to this extent, especially considering
we're out in twenty twenty six. It's really, it's really big.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
But a couple of big baseball stories and you know, well,
you know, one one just just you know, hits me
a little bit, Steve. I really feel like, you know,
driving into work, I'm listening to Braves and the Mets
and seeing where the entire Twitter for the United States
is all about the Braves Mets game, and I'm like, wow,
this is insane. Really yeah, I mean with with oh
yeah yeah, uh with with the starting pitching for the
(17:00):
Raves and the Mets winning. And I'm saying to myself, well,
you know, the Mets are really at that major league
part of the season where Lou Brown comes in and says,
I figured it's gonna take thirty six wins in our
last forty seven games to make the playoffs, and they
pull the thing where you know, all all the pictures
off the owners. I'm one of the I wonder if
that's what Andy Green did. He came in and said.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
About that time.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah, I'm figured it's gonna take thirty six wins to
get to eighty five, and every time we get a win,
we'll take a piece off of Steve Cohen and like
Cohen's in some sort of you know, bathing suit outfit,
because now all the Mets had to do was trade
away their four best relievers who were part of a
top five bullpen, and now they can't lose, right like that?
That that that's the walking definition of that's baseball.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
It's kind of like to try a couple of years
ago sellers and oh, here they are in the playoffs
winning and it's kind of like Detroit this year where
they trade Schooble and traded Casey.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
Miz By the way, give up on the season and
we'll start winning.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
Can I just add that Trek Scoogle just faced the
Royals a couple of weeks ago in Detroit and beat
him two to one with twelve strikeouts, and yet he's
already given up three runs in the first three innings
against the Royals in La. It's three to one Royals
now again. I told too Tani Rbi double.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
I told you twenty five minutes ago, is era for
this game is going to be nine. That's where we're
sitting right now. Three there it is, but like it's
it really is something where. And that's like the walking
definition of when someone says, well that's baseball, susan uh,
is that your teams we give up on the season
and now with no pressure, when there's no stakes, now
we start winning where? Because I really think that's part
(18:34):
of what it is for any team that gets the
trade deadline and makes a lot of moves, whether it
is you are a team that is trying to get
into the playoff down there, there's a teams at the
very top that are trying to stay at the top.
But for the vast majority of the teams in the majors,
you get to the trade deadline, you're either a wanna
be team where Okay, we know we're not great, we
(18:54):
got to make some moves, or you are a team
that is really underachieved. You're selling for next season. And
I point to all those teams and I go, yep,
how these teams were constructed for this year. They couldn't
handle expectations. This is not a team that can play
with expectations, and when there's no expectations, hey, we can
play free, and we go out and we wind up
doing everything we've supposed to have been doing over the
(19:16):
course of the season, whether you're the Mets or the
Tigers or anybody else. It's starting to hit the trade deadline, going, oh, hey,
pressure's off of us. All this you know, from April
and May and June and all of July. Now we're
out of that. And the spotlight was too bright. We
couldn't handle expectations, and now we're winning. Whether you have
a change in manager or your manager doesn't care anymore.
The Tigers might be making the playoffs, doesn't matter. Look
(19:39):
at the Twins, right, they were supposed to be good.
They underachieved. You get to the deadline and now these
teams they just couldn't play with expectations and that and
you get you get lots of places in sports where
you understand, okay, sometimes teams just can't play with that
because they don't have the leadership, They don't have the
whether it's a manager, whether it's a star player, a
few star players, but just when there's no more expectation, okay,
(20:00):
now we're finally playing like the team we're supposed to
be early on in the season.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
I will say, as playoffs keep getting expanded sport to sport,
it's like the NFC South. In the NFL, you can
be right around five hundred and not only win division,
but therefore get a home playoff game. Just make the
home not just make the playoffs home playoff game.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
Like the MLB. Is the NFC South, Yes, because.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
There's a third wild card now, so you can be
the Twins or the Tigers and literally finish five hundred. Yeah,
and you might be getting into the playoffs, which means, yeah,
you'd have to play a division winner, but it's not
going to be Tampa Bay, so it's going to be
what the Houston Division winner, which is about a five
hundred team this year. Now the Dodgers, which by the way,
(20:45):
are the worst of the three division winners in the
NL right now, which means whoever's the last in as
wild card, Padres Phillies whomever they could be facing the
Dodgers first.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
Round trade deadline hits, and the Dodgers can't win right now.
If they're gonna ruin baseball, they should probably win a game.
I'm just thinking they should win a game or two
between now and the end of this.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Lack of urgency mentioned by manager Dave Roberts before. And
then they go out and ground into a double play
again as they trail the Royals. Did you know the
Dodgers have now grounded into one hundred double plays this year.
That is the worst in the major leagues.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
That's what happens when we hit the ball on the
ground and you're not fast. That's what happened.
Speaker 3 (21:25):
This is an older team.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
But I would one thing for the Dodgers, right, because
their fall has been really precipitous, and now now they're
well looking up at the Brewers for the best record
in the National League. There is one big concern to have.
But overall, and then I'm gonna tell you this, they're
hosting the Brewers for four this week. Overall, I'm gonna
tell you this, the Dodgers are fine.
Speaker 5 (21:47):
Right.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
This is nothing more than what happens to a team
that after routinely not just making the playoffs, but when
you win two World Series in a row, Yeah, you
get to the doldrums, you get to the It's a
reason they call the dog days of August. Right, there's
a reason why that said, there's nothing wrong with the
Dodgers other than the fact that here they are at
a time in the schedule where they've played really well
(22:09):
for the first few months, and now the trade deadline comes,
they get Scooble. Everything's gonna be fine. We ease off
the gas a bit. This is just absolutely normal.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Now.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
It hasn't really happened for them a lot up until now,
because for the most part, they get to the player
they would get to the playoffs for the better part
of the last fifteen years, they get to the playoffs,
fall short. But so they're still pushing the next season
for home field advantage, whatever it is, best record in
baseball we want. But now, when you're coming off a
back to back World Series, I get it. It's natural
(22:39):
to have those doldrums in August. This is a time
to ass to you build up that kind of lead
this year in the division. Yeah, the Dodgers are just
so talented that I get that. This is kind of
what happens to them now. Two World championships in a row,
adding the best pitcher in baseball. Yeah, you're gonna have
a time where you're not gonna win three out of
every four games. Now it's gonna go. Now, you didn't
(23:01):
think it would be against a certain part of the
schedule the Dodgers've had, but that's kind of where it is.
So overall, I'm not really concerned. I know this is
all The Dodges are really vulnerable. Yes, they've always been
vulnerable because the postseason comes and you don't know what's
gonna happen. Right the last couple of years, they've been
able to navigate it. They could have very easily. Amazedly,
they needed the best bullpen game in the history of
(23:22):
Major League Baseball. They needed a ninth inning home run
by Miguel Rojas, like these are things they needed to
win the World Series. They're a great team. But yes,
are they vulnerable to playoffs? Yeah, but they're vulnerable like
everybody is. But right now what they're doing, am I
really really concerned? No, Because still they have one of
the top records in the game and all this losing
they've done over the course of the past two weeks
(23:42):
and they're still have one of the top records. I'm
not worried about the Dodgers.
Speaker 3 (23:45):
They are seventy and forty eight as who we stand
right now.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
I'd love to be. I'd love to suck. They need
twenty two games over five hundred.
Speaker 3 (23:52):
But this is going on a month and a half
of meh with the Dodgers, because they are fourteen and
eighteen since July first. I will only lean toward the
Dodgers are fine if the starting pitching saves them, as
it did throughout the postseason last year. The reason why
people were saying, oh man, is this season over the
Dodgers are that good is because they were looking at
(24:14):
the names that could be all of their starting pitchers. However,
Tyler Glassanaw is just starting minor league rehab. Shohe Otani
is really not that close to becoming a pitcher again
here in August as we speak. So you've got Yamamoto
schoobles only in his second Dodger start and losing three
two now to Kansas City. It's not at all a
(24:35):
set rotation come postseason. We've got a long way to
get to that. They won't have home field advantage in
the postseason, and that we thought would be a problem
against Milwaukee last year. The Brewers had it started the
NLCS at home and then met a Dodger's rotation that
was just about historic probably the best we can recall
in an LCS since Harmon's White Sox about twenty years ago.
(24:58):
And the Dodgers need that kind of pitching to make
up for what are clear deficiencies in the lineup because
the bottom half of the lineup is just not reliable
and that includes Mookie Bets.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
Now, there's not a problem, right, They're absolutely fine. But
one thing I am gonna warn you about, mainly because
I warned everybody about this months and months and months ago.
Let's just go back and see what kind of last
five days Edwin Diaz has had for the La Dodgers.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
Well, do to the gap that's got some legs.
Speaker 4 (25:36):
Heck's on, it's right, and it's gone, Ryan.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
Welshman, who's it?
Speaker 3 (25:45):
Wow?
Speaker 4 (25:49):
Yeah, pace hell Carbon Carrol cormon on go Carbon Go.
Pronomo's home Carbon Carrol heads for card. They've got back
to that triple.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
Uh to quote Marv Albert, not exactly what Edwin d
has had in mind for the Dodgers. That's the one
thing I am gonna say now, because the Dodgers at
the deadline, their biggest need was going to be starting pitching, right,
because you don't know what you're going to have in
the postseason with Otani, with Blake Snell, with last now right,
the closer. You get to the end of the season
(26:27):
and you're waiting for guys to come back. You wonder
how much can they come back? Will they be available?
Getting school ball really solved a lot of those problems
we think it has. And Blake Snell is due to
come off the injury listen pitch tomorrow. Regarding the closer,
and keep in mind last postseason, the Dodgers did not
have a closer. It was these past two octobers are
the best managing jobs, and he really did manage that
(26:49):
Dave Roberts has done in his now long career. So
they pay the big money for a closer this year
and Edwin Diaz from the Mets, and he had a
good first week since then five as a Dodger, ten
runs allowed. Yeah, that's the thing that I told you
about when you signed him. I said, Okay, don't come
(27:10):
crying to me. When DZ comes into a game, you're
winning three nothing, and all of a sudden there's a
hit batter and two walks and the bases are loaded
and nobody is out. Every year is not great for
Edwin Dz. He is a tight rope walk but every
other year in DA is superb. Every other year is great,
but not every year is great for Daz. And you
are not in a great Edwin Daz season because it's
(27:33):
not like he has ups and downs in his great season.
When he has a great season, he is unhittable for
the entirety of the season. But when he's on a
bad season, he can't get right. I don't know if
it's one of those mental things that that pitchers and
sometimes I just never felt dominant. I never felt like
the same guy throughout the entire season. Needs some time
(27:54):
to get away, to start over again. But this is
one of those seasons for Daz, who hasn't been healthy
and now he's not been to effective. I guarantee you
you are going to be piecing your bullpen together in
the offs in the postseason again. Maybe Sasaki will be closing.
Speaker 3 (28:08):
Robleski is probably going to be a reliever the way
he's completely failed as a starter since All Stars.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
Because he's hit his innings limit and you know he's
got a you knew that wasn't gonna be the game
long ball after another. Maybe it's Kofax coming in the
ninth inning, which would just at least sound intimidating. Boy,
Kofax is coming in. He's eighty nine years old. Doesn't matter.
Kirsha Fax's coming in. No, he doesn't scare anybody anymore.
But I guarantee you you are going to be piecing
together that bullpen again in the playoffs. You thought hey
(28:35):
had It's solved Edwin Diaz. Trust me, I've seen this
from Diaz for the better part of the past five
or six years. I know when he's locked in. I
know when he's in the midst of a great season.
I know when he's pitching. Well, this is not that
time he'll have a run. I mean, look, he's still
he still throws ninety eight, but he but he's gonna
get it hard and you're gonna go. I don't understand, understand,
it just happens. Not every year is great for him.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
This is one of those years, and they need him
to be the strikeout king that he has been in
his great years plural that he has had in his career.
He had a year in recent seasons with the Mets
where it was about sixty innings and almost one hundred
and twenty strikeouts. It was just silly how throughout month
after month throughout the season he just wasn't being touched
to be able to put together an entire campaign like that.
(29:20):
But to walk the tightrope with a closer is the
kind of thing the Dodgers did for years with ken
Lee Jansen, who is by the way, still in the
major leagues and had I think it was three strikeouts
and the ninth and got the win for the Tigers
oddly enough yesterday and is putting up such numbers that
ken Lee Jansen's going to get Hall of Fame consideration
(29:40):
the way things are going, because it's such a long
career and the hundreds of saves are being piled up.
Edwin Diaz somehow needs to become some shade of his
former self because this is a team that is going
to the playoffs that is going to need bullpen, and
I can't imagine they'll be able to do what they
(30:03):
magically did last year, and that is win a World
Series without a bullpen.
Speaker 1 (30:07):
I mean, just just get ready, because that's where you're
gonna go, and that's gonna be Diaz. You're gonna go.
What's going on? I thought Narco, we're gonna hear the song.
It's gonna be amazing. Yeah, I warned you a bunch
of months ago. Again, I'm the old guy beginning of
the horror movie going, Hey, yeah, that guy's out there
and the chainsaw hockey mask. Guy wouldn't go out there.
He comes in here once in a while, he gets
some fishing lures and I help him out. I mean,
(30:27):
I don't charge him any things. I don't want to die.
But boy, you go out there and smoke pot and
drink and f sex, You're not coming out of those woods.
I'm telling you, old man, what do you know. Man,
I'm young, I'm viril, I'm full of life. You're in
your fifties. A yeah, see you on Monday when we're
coming back out. Yeah, no, no, no, I told you.
Speaker 3 (30:44):
If you had also warned us about the cock fighting
in the background, I really would be giving you bonus points.
F ed would be. I will say.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
It's surprising that that's his head right back to pitch.
I'm like, wow, really, is.
Speaker 3 (30:56):
There a commissioner in the league was wearing his Dodgers
uniformed some of these in some of these promos anywhere
and he's coming right back to pitch. I guess that
doesn't mean anything.
Speaker 2 (31:06):
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 iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
Well, guys are getting paid, the summer's getting hot, nobody
better to talk to about all the latest NFL news,
longtime NFL inside of Check him out on Sports Illustrated
on Twitter at Jason Locking for It is Jason Locking for.
What's happening?
Speaker 5 (31:31):
Man?
Speaker 2 (31:31):
How are you?
Speaker 5 (31:33):
What's going on? Gentlemen? Now?
Speaker 1 (31:36):
Just watching Quinn Williams get paid and I'm saying to myself, well,
the Jets aren't making out that check now. Jerry Jones
has another guy that he's paying thirty million dollars a year.
Speaker 5 (31:44):
Two. Yeah, and look, Jerry and Steven made a lot
of noise about making some move outside the organization. You know,
they weren't kicking off their Oxnard tour talking about, you know,
re upping their own guys. They were talking about making
this defense better from the outside. So, you know, I
have some ideas about what them might be able to see.
(32:06):
How how you know if for when or how they
can execute it. But I'm actually more interested in the
Cowboys than I've been in quite some time. I think
Jottenheimer showed some stuff last year. It's going to be
a prolific offense. And I think if they can be
a borderline league gaverage defense, that's gonna get them into playoffs.
Speaker 1 (32:30):
Yeah, and they again they're talking big about this year.
They seem to be embracing whatever. Uh, you may be
a little bit. The NFC is a little bit more
open than it's been in years past.
Speaker 5 (32:39):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (32:39):
What are a couple of things you think could be
on the horizon for them?
Speaker 5 (32:43):
Well, I mean, I don't think they're going to be
a sid against the run anymore, you know. I mean
they've they've with Quinnan and Kenny Clark and some of
the things they've done. You know, I think they'll you know,
can can bland and some of these guys be a
little healthier and get back to form on the back end.
I mean that's a team that I think if they
had paid the price and got a McDuffie or something
like that instead of the Rams, it might have swung
(33:05):
the balance in their favor a little bit more. But
I feel like they made strides as the defense last year.
I liked the offseason. I like what they sort of
leaned into in the draft. They're an interesting football team.
Like I think they're fairly well balanced. I think they're
certainly exposed explosive offensively. I'm genuinely interested to see what
(33:32):
they can do. And I give Schottenheimer again a lot
of credit. He was really easy to write off last year,
and I was among those who did it. And I
think he's got something to him. And I think these
guys believe in him and feed off him. And you know,
I think they're the second best team in that division,
(33:52):
and I think there's two teams in that division that
are going to the playoff, and I think there's two
teams in that division that have long ways to go.
Speaker 3 (34:01):
Which brings me my question about the Washington Commanders, who
are one of the conference's worst teams last year and
now star tackle Laromie Tunseel apparently out for the bulk
of the season needs surgery for torn triceps. What did
you think of the Commanders going into this season and
what are the real effects of the Tunsil injury that
they're going to have.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
To deal with.
Speaker 5 (34:21):
Oh, I think it's devastating. I mean, you can look
at the Chargers last year, right and look at what
Herbert looked like when he had tackles, and.
Speaker 3 (34:29):
Look what he looked like when he did absolutely.
Speaker 5 (34:31):
And I think it becomes real quick. You just start
defaulting to your legs and you don't trust what's around you,
and you're taking off and going. But Jalen's not as
big as strapping as Herbert, and I think it's a
recipe for trouble. I think it was a weird needle
they're trying to thread there with the coaching staff, and
(34:54):
they were going to fire everybody to keep the head coach,
Like I don't know anybody in the league he talked
to about that dynamic and think it really works. You know,
then they got one of the coaches they bring in
is you know, you got the du Rye before camp,
Like it's just I just don't know that they can
quite get out of their own way. And I think
(35:15):
dan Quin's and I think he's got the proverbial boob
and the ringer.
Speaker 1 (35:22):
You know, you know, you see the injuries that are
starting to happen around camp, and everybody's just holding their
you know, holding their breath going let's go, Let's go.
Do you think we see a difference in the way
teams attack the preseason. Maybe some of the stars play
a little bit less after seeing some injuries early on
in camp.
Speaker 5 (35:40):
I think people have their philosophies and now if it
could change when one of their guys gets hurt, you know.
I mean, I can remember really the moment where John
Harball went from looking like and Andy Reid disciple and
we know Andy plays everybody more than you think they should,
and becoming a Sean McVay guy. And it was when JK.
Dobbins tore up is nail on a bad turf in
(36:01):
Washington at a time when they really thought JK. Dollins
was going to be their bell cow. And so things change.
Things changed right then and there. But you know, other
stuff around the league. I don't think that that really
resonates that much. But some of the teams that do
play like Kansas City is going to be interesting because,
(36:23):
like I don't know, you know that they're in a
different situation from the homes than they've ever been before
with him coming off the season ending injury, and I
suspect he probably gets a run it at some point,
at least a little bit in the preseason games, because
that's what they believe it. I don't know if it
would be this this first one, because again, obviously there's
an element of time and coming back from something. But no,
(36:44):
I think people probably get more stuck in in what
they're doing. I mean McVeigh now is basically threatening. Not
the place that hasn't been in either, right, Like I
think the ones you know what I mean? Like, I
think people probably tend to stick with what their plan
was and double down on it.
Speaker 3 (37:01):
In the NFC last year, Dallas and Detroit were among
the non playoff teams. If somebody makes it into the
playoffs this year, taking a spot away from say San
Francisco Green Bay, let's talk about San Francisco. Are you
very concerned about the injuries and that seems like it's
not the first year for that and it's an obvious
(37:23):
and real concern.
Speaker 5 (37:25):
Yeah, I don't. I think their window is closed. I
think the windows started closing when they started shutting guys
like Debo and I find it incredibly ironic that he's
not current to bind again. He's you're gonna tell me that?
Like that was when they finally got with it him.
It was like, well, maybe they're also going to leg,
you know what I mean, move two or three other
guys and you know, maybe get off of kidd all
(37:46):
and maybe start recruiting a new core. Now, part of
the reason they can't do that is because they also
can't draft, and they're too cute by half there, and
so you're forced to keep the window open because nobody's
pushing those old guys out, but Father time tends to
take care of pushing them out for you. And I yeah,
(38:06):
that's another one. And look, Washington is kind of San
Francisco East. I mean Adam Peters like he bought a
lot of that mentality and that cockiness and all that
with him, But he don't have Kyl Shanahan. He did
not bring cal Shanahan with him, and Kyle's great at
scheming and all that. But I think he's met his
match with this roster, and I think he's met his
match with that division. And I don't fancy him. I'm
(38:31):
on tickets for them to miss the playoffs. I'm on
tickets for them to go below five hundred.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
Jason Locking for NFL Insider our guest Jason Smith Steve
Disager here on Fox Sports Radio. All Right, so again
this is a weird thing. It's a big training camp highlight.
But then again it's been a big saga for John Harbar.
You're a former guy there and in Baltimore. Everybody excited
because Jackson Dart slid at practice today. He's got to
(38:57):
worry about Cam Scattaboo not doing back flips and Jackson
Dart wants to run, doesn't want to slide. What do
you think where he is at so far? Where he
sits because here's Harbball coming in and here's Dart and Scataboo,
a couple of really headstrong dudes who want to do
things their way that's not always going to dovetail with
what Harbball wants to get out there and accomplished.
Speaker 5 (39:19):
Well, I think it is a big deal that, you know,
self preservation and that's that instinct and it's really hard
to do until you do it for the first time,
and then it becomes easier from there, you know, and
learning when that extra yard or five yards or even
ten yards is worth it and when it's not. So
getting that to be a part of his toolkit I
(39:41):
think is a big deal. Look, I think Harball is
good for I mean, what have they been winning four
to six games for the most part since they got
rid of Conflint. I think Hardball's worth two and a
half wins more than that. Like he gets them respect,
(40:02):
But like you've got a triplets there that all have
a fairly lengthy injury history, and I mean really quadruplets
because the left tackle when he plays is otherworldly. But
I mean that's the issue with Thomas as well. So,
like har Ball's injury record wasn't very good in Baltimore
(40:23):
in the last few years, and he kept a strength
coach around way longer than he should have, and he
resisted change, and they did some weird things like practice
in the middle of the afternoon, like two o'clock when
it's the most hot and humid and you know, it's
subtropic temperature. So I'm kind of interested to see that
stuff because he's got carte Blanche there. That's his building
and there's no two ways about it. And some of
(40:45):
that stuff is bad luck and some of it's just football.
But uh, they need those guys to play to have
a fighting chance, and I think Denard Wilson is going
to do a good job with the deef and I
can see a situation there where they're a pre middling
team and the defense is better than people think and
the offense is not quite as good as people think.
Speaker 3 (41:08):
Last item, you're the appropriate person to ask about the
Baltimore Ravens because after sub five hundred last year, I
don't have a sense of where the franchise is or
what's the future of Lamar Jackson there. What can you
tell us?
Speaker 5 (41:20):
Well, I mean, the future of Lamar Jackson is they're
running out of time to sign them to an extension,
and he may have already cut off talks for all
we know, because he represents himself and at some point
he will because he's not going to negotiate a contract
while he's trying to win football games like that just
doesn't work. And so he's got one year left on
his deal in that case, and that as soon as
this season ends, whenever it ends, he's going to get
(41:42):
everything he wants from the Ravens or he's going to
get traded to somebody who'll give him as close to
everything as he wants. And it's really as simple as that.
The eighty five million dollar cap hit makes them like,
you can't spread that out, you can't tackle votable years,
like it's basically like having a voidable year on a contract.
And he also was a no trade, which he wanted
(42:04):
for a reason because he's asked for a trade before
and he wants to dictate that process. And he's got
a no tag which he had to live through. So no.
I think they're on borrow time with him. I think
they were incredibly naive and sophomoric when a year ago
in the spring and Josh Allen gets a deal early
in twenty twenty five and Eric DeCosta comes out and says,
I really don't have that much contractual stuff to worry
about this year. I'm like, Okay, we'll see how well.
(42:25):
You know, how big of a chunk out of your
ass is that going to take. They'll be better, they'll
be good. I think they're potential to be very good.
I think Vegas has overinflated their win total and their
Super Bowl odds. I mean, in the history of this league,
you don't find many rookie head coaches who've won a
Super Bowl. It's happened twice before, but it wasn't a
jesse Mentor at forty two going someplace new, right, it
(42:46):
was Seafert taking over from Bill Walsh after being there
for ten years. You know, it was Don McCaffrey and
Baltimore taking over for Don Shula after being an assistant
there and running the offense for ten years. Like it
wasn't first time head coached in a new place, doing
something he's never done before with a staff that never
existed before. It was those guys walking into Super Bowl staff.
(43:08):
So no, I don't think they're going to make history
this year. I don't think they're going to win the division,
but I do think they'll get in the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (43:15):
He's on Twitter at Jason locking for. That is at
Jason locking for. Check him out on SI again, Twitter
at Jason lock and for Enjoy buddy as always, man,
we'll talk to you next week. I have a good one.
Speaker 5 (43:25):
You guys do the same. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (43:27):
All right, There goes Jay Low
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