June 13, 2026 • 30 mins
Jason Smith and Steve DeSaegher filling in for Mike Harmon discuss Team USA' dominant 4-1 victory over Paraguay in their World Cup opener. They are joined by JP Morosi to discuss the World Cup and the biggest storylines in baseball as well.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
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 Foxsports Radio
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Speaker 2 (00:23):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with special delivery
Steve de Saga in for Mike Harmon. Hey, before we
get any further, we need to talk stop overpaying for gas.
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today choose your road to savings. The United States continues
(00:50):
to lead Paraguay right now, three to nothing in the
sixty third minute. As we talked very briefly a few
minutes ago, Burholter is in or Christian Polisic to start
the second half of this game. There's not been any
word on the subbing out of Polisic now. It could
be he was dinged up a little bit a few
games ago and they're giving him rest. It could be
(01:13):
an injury. We have not heard any reason why. He
had an incredible first half of the United States. And
it was really easy to see the difference on the
field with Polisic off because right away Paraguay is attacking,
and they had better possession the first eight minutes of
the second half, and they had the entire first half,
and you know, the only change was Polisic off the field,
(01:36):
and suddenly the left side of the field a little
bit more wide open for Paraguay and they have been
able to get at least a little bit of pressure,
not any time really where the United States has had
to worry, but still a little bit more possession for Paraguay.
But in the last five minutes, the United States has
really done a great job in controlling the ball, getting
back to their level of play from the first half.
(01:56):
But you know, you saw the difference in the team
with Polisic off the field first eight minutes of the
second half.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
They're still getting some scoring chances here past the sixtieth minute.
I love that the offense is still thinking score. What
we saw in the first forty five minutes from the
US let's be honest, we might not see for a
full forty five minutes in any of the games they
play in this tournament, because, as we said early in
tonight's show, that might have been the best forty five
(02:22):
minutes any US soccer team has played oh in the
World Cup in our lifetimes. Keep in mind the context here.
When the US hosted the World Cup in nineteen ninety four, Yes,
we advanced to the round of sixteen and lost a
close one to Brazil, But in our four total games,
the offense had two goals, two in four games. And
(02:44):
in nineteen ninety when we finally after four decades out
of the World Cup, when we finally made it, the
first game we played we lost five one to Czechoslovaki.
We played three games, we lost three games, and we
went home. This is so much different. This era of
offense is so much different than the US offense that
(03:04):
used to be put up pre Land and Donovan.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
So again, we'll continue to keep you updated on this
game against you. We'll have more with what's trending coming
up in a few minutes. Again, three nothing lead for
the United States where Paraguay opening night of the World
Cup in the sixty fifth minute. Now, this is just
really a precursor for tomorrow night, Game five of the
NBA Finals. The Knicks never thought I got to say this.
The Knicks with a chance to win the title tomorrow
(03:28):
night in San Antonio. And I'm gonna give San Antonio
a lot of credit today here, Steve, I'm gonna give
a lot of credit. You know it's dripping with sarcas.
Speaker 4 (03:36):
Absolutely it is. You can't radio glad you said that.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
I Am going to give them all kinds of credit. Fakers.
Nobody talks as great as the Spurs have being down
three to one, like they talk like this is a
they're up three to nothing in the series and everything
is great. Right. First, here's Victor wembin Yama from today.
You look it was It's been a day or so
(04:01):
since the Spurs have had to meet the media following
their twenty nine point meltdown, and this is Wemby talking
about the team and their belief going into Game five
they can still win the NBA title. Two days later,
do you have a better sense of whether or not
the group actually thinks they can pull this off?
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (04:16):
Absolutely, Yeah, everybody thinks. Everybody knows we're going to do it.
But uh, I don't know if I agree with you.
I feel like we need to we need to isolate
that one game and takeet one game at a time.
I think it'd be a mistake to waste our energy
on one different you know, on multiple games. It's one
game at a time.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
So it's it's a it's an effort to waste our energy.
But the first thing he said was, we all know
we're going to win the title, right, we all know
we're going to win, Devin Vessel said. Today they asked
him about what's going on for game five and they said, look,
we didn't practice, but we had a great film session.
We feel great. We know we're going to be all right.
And even Mitch Johnson, who is who has said after
(04:59):
Game FI, after Game four, uh, you know we we've
done this all to ourselves. It's it's not them, it's us. Wow.
Uh you know what. I love this, Steve. I want
the Spurs to keep talking like everything is fine, Like
like they're like they have no sense of urgency whatsoever.
This is the thing to.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Say here people as Atkinson, they are leading the series.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Hey, I oh, I don't even know what the series
would be if you were doing just analytics, like maybe
the Spurs would be winning the series, maybe be harmy
over there would.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
Be support that on conclusion.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
There's there's confidence that you're still in the series. And
I get and and the Spurs have that right, And
deep in the back of my mind, am I sitting
here going if they pull this off? All I'm gonna
have to hear is say, even when it was three
to one, none of us doubted, none of us, none
of us you know, we all stuck together, we all
knew blah blah blah blah blah. But the larger part
(05:54):
of me, the more the more intelligent part of me,
is going, Wow, they really don't think they're in trouble.
They really don't think their backs are to the wall.
They're going home down three to one, and they only
seem like they want to take responsibility for the parts
of the game where they were dominant, right, like, hey,
you know the first thirty minutes of every game, Like, okay,
(06:15):
you know the game's forty eight minutes. And as well
as you play the first thirty minutes, boy, the last
eighteen minutes count a lot. They may count even more.
And when you've now blown a twenty point lead and
a twenty nine point lead in the second half. Yeah,
I would like there to be a little bit more
sense of urgency of we just have one game to
(06:36):
win right here, because it's so bizarre, Steve, because that's
the Knicks mantra, Like they ask Jalen Brunson, Hey, today,
what do you think three? When he goes zero zero
zero zero, this series is zero zero. Like, I'm getting
a better sense of we need to win one game
from the Knicks more than I'm getting from the Spurs,
who seem to believe that everything is just fine. So
(06:56):
you know what, Hey, keep believing it, guys, keep believing. Hey,
it's not them, it's us. Because I'll tell you what
the last team when I heard that phrase, it's not them,
it's us, I thought back to the Lakers and the Pistons.
When the Lakers go into this NBA Finals against the Pistons,
who are a great defensive team, but this was the
star studded Lakers team with Shaq and Kobe and Gary Payton.
Speaker 4 (07:17):
We'll play our game. We just need to play our game.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
And I remember Shaq when it was three to one, saying, oh,
it's not them, it's us. It's not them, it's us, Okay.
And what happened. The Lakers never won another game, right.
They won an incredible comeback in Game two in overtime
to tie the series at one game apiece, and then
they got gentlemen swept the rest of the way. Like,
that's what I'm hearing from the Spurs is that, hey,
we're fine. Everything is good. As long as we do
(07:41):
our thing, we don't have to worry about anything else. Wow, Okay, guys,
I got you know. The thing is I get feeling
that way. If it's early in the first round of
the playoff and you lose game one at home or
you're down one zip, I get that. Yeah, long series
where this is a team that is inferior to us,
I understand that kind of attitude. But wow, man, you
have your backs to the wall. It is three to
(08:03):
one and you are going home, and the message is
we know we're gonna win it all Oh okay, yeah,
we know, we know we're gonna be all right. It's
more us than them. Okay. I don't know if you're
whistling through a graveyard or if you really really believe it,
but I love the fact that this is how the
Spurs are thinking right now. I love that they think, yeah,
everything is just fine, because when I see things like, oh,
(08:23):
Knicks fans are gonna be fifty percent of the crowd tomorrow,
because apparently that story today that half of the crowd
is tickets have been bought by people from New York
New Jersey area. Like, I wonder how long the Spurs
have until they quit? I mean, is this just brave talking?
If the Knicks get out to a big start tomorrow,
they're gonna fold it up and say, well, it's just
not meant to be for us, Like do they really
believe what they're saying. They're gonna practice it, because if
(08:45):
the Knicks get out to a big start tomorrow, that's
gonna be it. Because that's the only thing the Spurs
have had going for them is that every game this
series they have gotten out to a big start. They've
led every game after the first quarter by double digits.
And maybe they think that's all they need. Hey, we
get out I think that's all how to do it?
Says win by ten at the end of the first quarter, Okay,
you still don't play well in the last ten minutes.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
Do you get a banner for that, by the way.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
I think you do. You get an analytics banner, trust me,
trust me, it's all good. Kenny Atkinson is going to
show up in San Antonio with the with the special
analytics banner, and there's gonna be a big parade for them.
So they want to think this way and talk this way. Steed, Hey,
go get them, guys. You think this is how it
should be, Go get them.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
You know, the Spurs are kind of half right, because
the Spurs are part of the problem. The way they
are still talking though, is also a part of the problem.
We knew going in that the Spurs were the second
youngest team to ever reach in NBA Finals in the
shot clock era average age twenty five. Bill Walton's Portland
nineteen seventy seventeam was also average age about twenty five.
(09:47):
They have looked every bit as one of the youngest
finals team because they keep shooting themselves in the foot
and we saw it again last game. And to talk
to even speak like this, and I believe they actually
believe it shows how young they are.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
They're new to this turf and they need to grow up.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Yeah, I really when I saw the way that I
expected some kind of and I love the fact they
have to have confidence, right, And that's why I don't
know if this is real. I don't know if this
is real guys talking on the plane, guys to shoot around,
or in the film room, if they're having real conversations
or just saying to each other, you know, no, we
got this, man, you know when you did this and
(10:28):
he did this and Og did this. Yeah, no, we
got it. We got it. We got it. Like that's
kind of what I get. I don't get a sense
of we all sat down and we talked about what
we absolutely had, how desperate we need to be, right,
Like I hear when I hear Devin Vessel saying, yeah,
on the film, we know we have to attack. We
have to attack the rim, we have to attack in
the middle. Yeah, we'll be all right. Like, wow, man,
do you really understand do you really understand where you're
(10:50):
at right now that it's three to one and the
Knicks have to win one game and you gotta win
three and you can't. You seem to be ready, Like
I'm gonna hit fast forward on the DVR button. I
can just fast forward to the end where it's us
holding up the trophy at US winning four three like
it is. It is stunning to me that it's this
level of confidence and really a lack of gravity of
(11:13):
the situation that I'm getting for San Antonio. I really,
I mean I because you know, going in I fully
expected if you talk to me about this, you know,
yesterday or coming off of game game four, I would say, well,
you know what, I could see the Spurs getting in
here winning game five. The NBA, you know, they know
the officiating they're gonna send to this game. They get it,
(11:34):
they know what's there. Hey, these ratings, they're breaking records
with with finals viewers for every single game. And I
completely understand that. Okay, But now I sit here and go, man,
this really could end tomorrow. Like this could really end tomorrow.
It could end early and the Knicks could win this
game by twenty five like that. That's the kind of
that's the kind of game I can see happening after
(11:56):
how today, the last day or so has played out
for both of these teams.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
So I assume you've cleared the docket and your Saturday
evenings are free for a late night celebration that's going
long into Sunday morning.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
I hope. So I got my fingers crossed. I actually
have a surprise party tomorrow that's going to bleed into
the beginning of the game. And it's a milestone surprise
party for someone.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
Is it at your plan?
Speaker 1 (12:18):
You have to no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
I'm not hosting. Come on, man, it's it's finals.
Speaker 4 (12:23):
Man, I'm not host Well, but you didn't know until
a couple of weeks ago.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Yeah, oh no, no, no, So now I go, I'll
go make it appearance. Hey, that's great, that's great. That's
I gotta go.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
I gotta, I gotta And then what you will use
your DVR and watch the game from the beginning when
you get back home.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
Is that possible?
Speaker 1 (12:38):
I may. I may not be more from my uh
my phone will never be more from eight inches from
my face at any time tomorrow night. Oh okay, maybe.
Speaker 4 (12:46):
Even at the beginning of the party.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Well, we want stuff to update. So Steve de Sager
has what's trending right now? If you have the over
in this game between the United States and Paraguay, well
you've hit it, although not how you would expect to.
Sager in for Mike Harmon.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Well, the United States meats Paraguay and their World Cup
opener four to one went as good as it possibly could.
Speaker 6 (13:17):
Hey, it's Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington from The Odd
Couple on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 7 (13:22):
And in addition to hearing us live weeknights from seven
to ten pm Eastern on Fox Sports Radio, we are
excited to announce brand new YouTube channel for the show.
Speaker 6 (13:32):
That's right, you can now watch The Odd Couple live
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Speaker 7 (13:37):
All you gotta do search Odd Couple FSR on YouTube
again YouTube, Just search Odd Couple FSR. Check us out
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Speaker 2 (13:49):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
But who had the best night? Was it? Team us Say?
Was it Jacob Mizerowski? Was it your Don Alvarez? Monny?
It's now the hotline of man Who's gonna help us
break that tie? MLB Network insider extraordinaire and soccer aficionado
John Paul Morosi. He is on Twitter at John Morosi Pope.
What's happening, man? How are you?
Speaker 6 (14:17):
I'm doing great? And I do believe that Jacob Mizerowski,
with that big frame in front, he'd be a good
target man and score a lot of goals. He'd be
able to head him in, I believe. But I'm not
sure that anybody was more impressive tonight than slow Ballagan.
My goodness, those two goals for the US. What a start,
What a summer of soccer we've got? And yes, what
(14:40):
an impressive maddox for the young Misserowski there in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin tonight as well.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
I mean, John Paul. The thing is like, I just
keep going back, like for the last twenty years, it's
been Boy, are we ever gonna find a striker? Are
we ever gonna find someone who can put the ball
in the net when it's not a set play, when
it's something that he can just do physic I said
it to Steve three times that I go, have we
really been waiting all our lives for flow Balligan? I
(15:06):
kind of feel like we have been.
Speaker 6 (15:09):
I think you're right. And the first multi goal performance
by an American player in a World Cup match since
nineteen thirty. It has been a while and you're right,
I do go back. Clint Dempsey has an amazing World
Cup games of course as a striker, and obviously Atlanta
(15:29):
Donovan had his amazing World Cup moments too, He's more
of an attacking midfielder in his role. Baligan is a
true striker, a true number nine. And what you saw
woman tonight was just a highlight reel of why the
US had worked so hard to recruit him and for
fans is dropping by. He is someone that has three citizenships,
(15:53):
born in Brooklyn, grew up largely in England to Nigerian's parents.
Different choices there, and he had to make a big
decision several years ago, not long after the previous World Cup,
and there was a very aggressive recruiting pitch made John
Strong references on the Fox telecast tonight by a lot
(16:14):
of American fans. It was very much a grassroots competition,
if you will, and it certainly knowing a lot of
the players from the US that had played in Europe
had just got to know them through different connections. It
was not unlike what you hear of a college sports
recruiting and turns out that was one of the biggest
moments of this World Cup happened three years ago in
(16:36):
a recruitment to bring in Balligan, who, as you're pointing
out correctly, Jason just does things on a soccer pitch
that we have seen very few players in that kit
be able to do. So he has given some real light,
some real confidence to this group. And you saw tonight
Pataguay never seemed to really be in that match after
(16:59):
a brief a moment early where they had in the
first couple of minutes a chance that Richards was there
to help steer away. But aside from that, the US
was simply dominant. And Pataguaya is a good team, not
a great team, but a good team for the most
part of their qualifying in South America. So that was
a statement game by the Americans to say that they
(17:21):
fully intend on making a deep run and if they
play like that, they've got a chance to do precisely that.
Speaker 5 (17:28):
Well.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
Updating the Houston game since there was the reference, jord
On Alvarez had two homers, including a grand slam in
the first inning. It's just ended they did hold on
ten to eight at Kansas City. But back to this
incredible effort in Los Angeles tonight, you've seen Baseball playoffs
the first round, best of five. There's a dominant performance
in game one, and people tend to, let's say, over
(17:50):
extend with opinions on what this is going to mean
going forward because it's not the same starting pitcher the
next night. Here the United States played at minimum their
best game of the last twenty years tonight, and now
they're playing an opponent up in Seattle next Friday, Australia
that's not better than Paraguay. Are you having thoughts that
(18:13):
this should be?
Speaker 1 (18:13):
It?
Speaker 4 (18:14):
Can I use the word an easy W four?
Speaker 1 (18:17):
What are you doing? Steve? What are you doing? Steve? O?
Like just a question.
Speaker 6 (18:21):
Here's here's what I'll say, and it's it's a fair
question to ask. I do think that Australia is a
little better than Potaguay. And as you said it, this
was a clinical performance by an American side. And we
have seen good American teams in the past. Let's remember
(18:43):
there was a team in two thousand and two that
included Geo Raina's father on it, and it's the best
Verhalter's father on it as well. So a generation to
go in two thousand and two that probably should have
reached the semifinal if a handball have been called fairly
and so we've seen good World Cup games before. I
(19:03):
think what stands out about this one, the evn Jason,
is just how thorough it was. It wasn't just three
great goals and then a late one by Raina, and
it wasn't just a bunch of individual efforts. It was
the connectedness of the whole team that if you watch
this game and just sat down and enjoyed it, you
saw a team that was operating at a very high
(19:25):
level athletically, tactically, creatively. You've seen a team that it
was almost as though Mauricio Pochettino has taught them his
brand of football. And then tonight was their final exam
in front of the world and they passed it brilliantly
because of the way they were sharing the ball. And
(19:45):
I think Steve, while I would never say that the
Australia game is going to be easy, because I don't
think it will be, but the point is the way
they played tonight allows them to compete against anyone in
the world, and that's what the take home message is.
It was a convincing first win, yes, but it's how
they did it that to me is the big takeaway
(20:08):
message if you are a fan of soccer, or if
you're just watching the World Cup and you want to
learn about what to pay attention to with this team,
just look at how well they possessed it. I looked
at the post match numbers. They completed more than twice
as many passes as the opposition did tonight. That just
tells you that they were connected, They had the ball
a bunch, they were possessing it in advantageous areas. They
(20:31):
had numerous chances in the penalty area of Plotaguay. So
it was just to me a clinic and so Steve,
it was not just that they won, it was how
they won and the style they played that I believe
is translatable whether you're playing against Potaguay or again even
some of the Titans of Europe. I'm not saying they're
going to beat France in a knockout round or beat
(20:53):
Portugal or Brazil. But the point is they can now
compete with them because they've got play ye of a
certain class. And certainly there was the uncertainty at the
end of the game what it happened with prolific if
Pochettino said postgame that it was a calf issue that
he had incurred in the first half. Seems like it
was minor. Maybe it was a wise decision because he
had a three zero lead at that point, just to
(21:15):
get them off and I think wisely knowing it was
going to be a very physical game. There were I
think half a dozen yellow cars handed out to the
Pataguay tonight, so they knew it was going to be
a very physical second half. So get your best player
off the field, your most most important player, if you will,
outside of Boligan, probably get him off the field. Protect them.
(21:35):
It was the right decision. They got their three points
and now nearly a full week to rest there before
they playoffs really yet.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
And I would add Jason on the stat he brought
up with the passes. While Paraguay it was about seventy
percent of their passes they completed, the US completed eighty
five percent of their passes tonight. It was about five
hundred out of six hundred in this game. It was
just stunningly efficient.
Speaker 1 (21:57):
John Paul Morossi, our guest MLB Network inside to restore.
Now now I'm sorry, John Paul, we have to get
to some pesky big Baseball news I know you want
to talk about it.
Speaker 6 (22:05):
I mean this day, I'm ready.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
We do we do have to get I wait for
you to say, oh, I have no idea. I have
no idea.
Speaker 6 (22:12):
I'm ready for both. I this just for the benefit
of our audience. I am. I am in a split
screen mode for the next six week. Okay, I'll have
soccer here. I'm not I'm not neglecting either either of
my kids there, I'm paying equal attention to both.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Well, I'm gonna ask you a question. I'm sure your
dad asked you earlier today. So Tarik school ball set
to come back tomorrow, all right, now, the Tigers not
having a great season, it is more than likely that
as long as he is healthy, he is dealt by
the deadline again. Little ways to go between here and there.
Teams are gonna want to see it is the early
part of June, and that the deadline is late this year.
(22:52):
But if I had to say to you, hey, for
the Tarik schoolbl trade market, if I said to you
give me the one or two teams that you would
expect to jump to the forefront of this, who would
you give me?
Speaker 6 (23:05):
So I will give you a couple. One one is
not going to surprise you. It's the Dodgers because they
they're gonna be on it in on everybody, and uh,
the I can see everyone rolling their eyes around the
country driving their cars as they're hearing me say this.
But but that's that's the reality. The Dodgers make deals
like this. The Cubs, I would also put in that category, Uh,
(23:26):
the Blue Jays if they have a need. And and
that's where I will say it's a little bit early
for the full market to crystallize because of exactly what
you said, that that we are still six weeks or
so away from from that moment in time, and and
all it takes is one week where two pitchers on
(23:48):
the Yankees get hurt and all of a sudden, the
Yankees are in the mix. But I mentioned those teams
deliberately because the Dodgers are the ultimate win now team
and they've shown a willingness in the past of preat
for rent guys. That's one. The Cubs another team that
I think when you look at how competitive the National
League Central is, UH and their group, it seems like
(24:08):
they believe they can go for it now, but they
may need one more arm. And then on the American
League side of things. The Jays, after coming so close
to one of the World Series a year ago, right now,
they appear to have plenty of pitching. But I'm sure
just about every contending team is going to be scouting
the Tigers very carefully beginning tomorrow in Cleveland. I don't
(24:32):
get the sense from what I can hear locally in Detroit, Guys,
the Tigers are are moving quickly on this. They're they're
they're comfortable letting the market play out a little bit.
They did lose tonight to a team that's in front
of them in the standings in the Central so that
might kick up the chances of a trade a little bit,
but we're still a little distance away from when when
this could all happened. The other team I've mentioned is
(24:54):
the Braves. They have they have shown a willingness to
make trades. Alex Fanthopolis will make big trades and if
they do have a need for pitching. Right now, they
seem to be pretty good shape, obviously leading to the
National League East, but if they have an injury, I
could certainly see them jumping in as well well.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
Especially tonight Spencer Stryder left the game tonight with arms soreness,
a game that the Mets have just won seven to five.
Big night for Boba Schett. But when you look at
these teams like the Brave Spencer Stryder, the Dodgers, Otani,
what do they have going on? Yes, suddenly this market
can heat up really fast, can heat up as fast
as flow Balligan against Paraguay. He is John Paul Morosi,
(25:31):
fall him on Twitter at John Morosi, that is at
John Morosi. Pope as always appreciate it. We'll touch you
next week, my friend.
Speaker 6 (25:38):
Have a great one, hey, Jason and Steve. I gotta
say a way to bring it all home at the end,
connecting the Google markets, the Ballagan what everybody just appreciate.
What a brilliant host you've got here in the ship tonight, my.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
Friend, Well done. Take it easy, my friend. We'll talk
to you next week.
Speaker 6 (25:54):
So much. I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (25:56):
He is a professional. Do not try this at home.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
I did not pay him to say any of the
those things, none of them.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
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.
Speaker 8 (26:20):
App Hey, welcome back in Fox Sports Radio Jason Smith
Show with me Mike Harmon. We'll get back into the
NBA Finals coming up about ten minutes, but be remiss.
(26:43):
It's a story that just warms the heart and it
speaks to a movement I think across sports, and it's
tied back to the burgeoning sports card industry. A lot
of players that are collectors, reconnecting with fans, trading for
their one of one or debut patches and all of
those kind of things. But a story that hit the
(27:05):
circuit Arnie Spaniard, Yeah, was Paul Skins driving past the
Ingamar Franklin Park little League Baseball fields, saw the lights on,
decided to pull in, and he was there two hours
taking pictures, playing a little soft toss, signing some autographs,
all of those kind of things. And it harkens just
(27:28):
you know, one of the things I pointed out and
looking at a terrible Game three. We'll get back into
it in a few but for Karl Anthony Towns, one
of the big sound bites for me that I've used twice.
We've done it here with Jason and then I did
it with Ryan Hollins on Sunday, just that idea of
the respect of the fans and of the city of
(27:49):
New York and how much that means d him and
to have a number of players where we see these
connections being made. Paul Skins didn't need to pull over,
just said hey, hey, cool little league whatever. But we're
seeing more and more of the younger players embracing that
there's still some little kidnem that's because.
Speaker 9 (28:09):
I think more more players are more unlikable than the
players of the early years, I should say. And we've
talked about this before. I mean, Nike even said that
the NBA players have become likable, that's why they can't
sell these shoes. I've actually had my run ins with
celebrities or players or played against them and stuff like that,
(28:31):
and it's an absolute blast. When it happens, you don't
expect it. It comes out of the blue. Good for
him for you know, pulling over and taking time out
of his day and going back to simple things, doing
what's important and giving back to the community. That's what
it's all about.
Speaker 8 (28:47):
Well, it's funny is it harkens back to stories my
parents and my my uncles and aunts and everybody would
tell about the neighborhoods in Chicago and back then when
players had off season jobs. Oh yeah, yeah, right, they
were guys in the communities, you know, delivering milk, beer,
(29:08):
carrying slabs of meat, whatever, whatever.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
It was like.
Speaker 8 (29:12):
They had these jobs and then if you were out,
you know, playing stickball or whatever, they might stop for
a minute because it was important to them. You know that,
you know, they they showed that love. But you know
that was the vocation. But it didn't pay all the
bills for a full.
Speaker 6 (29:29):
Year at right.
Speaker 8 (29:32):
Yeah, but that's the thing, right, And I like this
from from Skiens and a guy that like, eventually he's
going to ride his ticket, whether he decides to stay
in Pittsburgh and they find a way to retain him
or he ends up on one of these other marketplaces.
I mean, he's a name, right, He's one of those
stars that we talk about, so, you know, the the
(29:54):
lead by example and have some of your biggest players
doing those kind of things because a lot of guys
are contractually obligated to do a few of those. I
remember Carlton Fisk had the personal service contract with the
White Sox and they had him do a speech for
a bunch of women about baseball to kind of explain,
you know, little nuances and whatever. And at some point
(30:14):
he dropped his pants to show the bruises he had
from touching because he didn't like doing that part of
his contract.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
Funny.
Speaker 8 (30:23):
So, you know, running the gamut as it were, he's
already spanned your at Stinking Genius one is where you
find him. Find me over at Swollen Dome. As we continue,
we get back into Game four of the NBA Finals.
What do we expect tomorrow night at this time
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
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 Foxsports Radio
dot com, or stream us live every night on the
iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with special delivery
Steve de Saga in for Mike Harmon. Hey, before we
get any further, we need to talk stop overpaying for gas.
Gas Buddy you'll help you find the lowest prices right
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today choose your road to savings. The United States continues
(00:50):
to lead Paraguay right now, three to nothing in the
sixty third minute. As we talked very briefly a few
minutes ago, Burholter is in or Christian Polisic to start
the second half of this game. There's not been any
word on the subbing out of Polisic now. It could
be he was dinged up a little bit a few
games ago and they're giving him rest. It could be
(01:13):
an injury. We have not heard any reason why. He
had an incredible first half of the United States. And
it was really easy to see the difference on the
field with Polisic off because right away Paraguay is attacking,
and they had better possession the first eight minutes of
the second half, and they had the entire first half,
and you know, the only change was Polisic off the field,
(01:36):
and suddenly the left side of the field a little
bit more wide open for Paraguay and they have been
able to get at least a little bit of pressure,
not any time really where the United States has had
to worry, but still a little bit more possession for Paraguay.
But in the last five minutes, the United States has
really done a great job in controlling the ball, getting
back to their level of play from the first half.
(01:56):
But you know, you saw the difference in the team
with Polisic off the field first eight minutes of the
second half.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
They're still getting some scoring chances here past the sixtieth minute.
I love that the offense is still thinking score. What
we saw in the first forty five minutes from the
US let's be honest, we might not see for a
full forty five minutes in any of the games they
play in this tournament, because, as we said early in
tonight's show, that might have been the best forty five
(02:22):
minutes any US soccer team has played oh in the
World Cup in our lifetimes. Keep in mind the context here.
When the US hosted the World Cup in nineteen ninety four, Yes,
we advanced to the round of sixteen and lost a
close one to Brazil, But in our four total games,
the offense had two goals, two in four games. And
(02:44):
in nineteen ninety when we finally after four decades out
of the World Cup, when we finally made it, the
first game we played we lost five one to Czechoslovaki.
We played three games, we lost three games, and we
went home. This is so much different. This era of
offense is so much different than the US offense that
(03:04):
used to be put up pre Land and Donovan.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
So again, we'll continue to keep you updated on this
game against you. We'll have more with what's trending coming
up in a few minutes. Again, three nothing lead for
the United States where Paraguay opening night of the World
Cup in the sixty fifth minute. Now, this is just
really a precursor for tomorrow night, Game five of the
NBA Finals. The Knicks never thought I got to say this.
The Knicks with a chance to win the title tomorrow
(03:28):
night in San Antonio. And I'm gonna give San Antonio
a lot of credit today here, Steve, I'm gonna give
a lot of credit. You know it's dripping with sarcas.
Speaker 4 (03:36):
Absolutely it is. You can't radio glad you said that.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
I Am going to give them all kinds of credit. Fakers.
Nobody talks as great as the Spurs have being down
three to one, like they talk like this is a
they're up three to nothing in the series and everything
is great. Right. First, here's Victor wembin Yama from today.
You look it was It's been a day or so
(04:01):
since the Spurs have had to meet the media following
their twenty nine point meltdown, and this is Wemby talking
about the team and their belief going into Game five
they can still win the NBA title. Two days later,
do you have a better sense of whether or not
the group actually thinks they can pull this off?
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (04:16):
Absolutely, Yeah, everybody thinks. Everybody knows we're going to do it.
But uh, I don't know if I agree with you.
I feel like we need to we need to isolate
that one game and takeet one game at a time.
I think it'd be a mistake to waste our energy
on one different you know, on multiple games. It's one
game at a time.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
So it's it's a it's an effort to waste our energy.
But the first thing he said was, we all know
we're going to win the title, right, we all know
we're going to win, Devin Vessel said. Today they asked
him about what's going on for game five and they said, look,
we didn't practice, but we had a great film session.
We feel great. We know we're going to be all right.
And even Mitch Johnson, who is who has said after
(04:59):
Game FI, after Game four, uh, you know we we've
done this all to ourselves. It's it's not them, it's us. Wow.
Uh you know what. I love this, Steve. I want
the Spurs to keep talking like everything is fine, Like
like they're like they have no sense of urgency whatsoever.
This is the thing to.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Say here people as Atkinson, they are leading the series.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Hey, I oh, I don't even know what the series
would be if you were doing just analytics, like maybe
the Spurs would be winning the series, maybe be harmy
over there would.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
Be support that on conclusion.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
There's there's confidence that you're still in the series. And
I get and and the Spurs have that right, And
deep in the back of my mind, am I sitting
here going if they pull this off? All I'm gonna
have to hear is say, even when it was three
to one, none of us doubted, none of us, none
of us you know, we all stuck together, we all
knew blah blah blah blah blah. But the larger part
(05:54):
of me, the more the more intelligent part of me,
is going, Wow, they really don't think they're in trouble.
They really don't think their backs are to the wall.
They're going home down three to one, and they only
seem like they want to take responsibility for the parts
of the game where they were dominant, right, like, hey,
you know the first thirty minutes of every game, Like, okay,
(06:15):
you know the game's forty eight minutes. And as well
as you play the first thirty minutes, boy, the last
eighteen minutes count a lot. They may count even more.
And when you've now blown a twenty point lead and
a twenty nine point lead in the second half. Yeah,
I would like there to be a little bit more
sense of urgency of we just have one game to
(06:36):
win right here, because it's so bizarre, Steve, because that's
the Knicks mantra, Like they ask Jalen Brunson, Hey, today,
what do you think three? When he goes zero zero
zero zero, this series is zero zero. Like, I'm getting
a better sense of we need to win one game
from the Knicks more than I'm getting from the Spurs,
who seem to believe that everything is just fine. So
(06:56):
you know what, Hey, keep believing it, guys, keep believing. Hey,
it's not them, it's us. Because I'll tell you what
the last team when I heard that phrase, it's not them,
it's us, I thought back to the Lakers and the Pistons.
When the Lakers go into this NBA Finals against the Pistons,
who are a great defensive team, but this was the
star studded Lakers team with Shaq and Kobe and Gary Payton.
Speaker 4 (07:17):
We'll play our game. We just need to play our game.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
And I remember Shaq when it was three to one, saying, oh,
it's not them, it's us. It's not them, it's us, Okay.
And what happened. The Lakers never won another game, right.
They won an incredible comeback in Game two in overtime
to tie the series at one game apiece, and then
they got gentlemen swept the rest of the way. Like,
that's what I'm hearing from the Spurs is that, hey,
we're fine. Everything is good. As long as we do
(07:41):
our thing, we don't have to worry about anything else. Wow, Okay, guys,
I got you know. The thing is I get feeling
that way. If it's early in the first round of
the playoff and you lose game one at home or
you're down one zip, I get that. Yeah, long series
where this is a team that is inferior to us,
I understand that kind of attitude. But wow, man, you
have your backs to the wall. It is three to
(08:03):
one and you are going home, and the message is
we know we're gonna win it all Oh okay, yeah,
we know, we know we're gonna be all right. It's
more us than them. Okay. I don't know if you're
whistling through a graveyard or if you really really believe it,
but I love the fact that this is how the
Spurs are thinking right now. I love that they think, yeah,
everything is just fine, because when I see things like, oh,
(08:23):
Knicks fans are gonna be fifty percent of the crowd tomorrow,
because apparently that story today that half of the crowd
is tickets have been bought by people from New York
New Jersey area. Like, I wonder how long the Spurs
have until they quit? I mean, is this just brave talking?
If the Knicks get out to a big start tomorrow,
they're gonna fold it up and say, well, it's just
not meant to be for us, Like do they really
believe what they're saying. They're gonna practice it, because if
(08:45):
the Knicks get out to a big start tomorrow, that's
gonna be it. Because that's the only thing the Spurs
have had going for them is that every game this
series they have gotten out to a big start. They've
led every game after the first quarter by double digits.
And maybe they think that's all they need. Hey, we
get out I think that's all how to do it?
Says win by ten at the end of the first quarter, Okay,
you still don't play well in the last ten minutes.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
Do you get a banner for that, by the way.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
I think you do. You get an analytics banner, trust me,
trust me, it's all good. Kenny Atkinson is going to
show up in San Antonio with the with the special
analytics banner, and there's gonna be a big parade for them.
So they want to think this way and talk this way. Steed, Hey,
go get them, guys. You think this is how it
should be, Go get them.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
You know, the Spurs are kind of half right, because
the Spurs are part of the problem. The way they
are still talking though, is also a part of the problem.
We knew going in that the Spurs were the second
youngest team to ever reach in NBA Finals in the
shot clock era average age twenty five. Bill Walton's Portland
nineteen seventy seventeam was also average age about twenty five.
(09:47):
They have looked every bit as one of the youngest
finals team because they keep shooting themselves in the foot
and we saw it again last game. And to talk
to even speak like this, and I believe they actually
believe it shows how young they are.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
They're new to this turf and they need to grow up.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Yeah, I really when I saw the way that I
expected some kind of and I love the fact they
have to have confidence, right, And that's why I don't
know if this is real. I don't know if this
is real guys talking on the plane, guys to shoot around,
or in the film room, if they're having real conversations
or just saying to each other, you know, no, we
got this, man, you know when you did this and
(10:28):
he did this and Og did this. Yeah, no, we
got it. We got it. We got it. Like that's
kind of what I get. I don't get a sense
of we all sat down and we talked about what
we absolutely had, how desperate we need to be, right,
Like I hear when I hear Devin Vessel saying, yeah,
on the film, we know we have to attack. We
have to attack the rim, we have to attack in
the middle. Yeah, we'll be all right. Like, wow, man,
do you really understand do you really understand where you're
(10:50):
at right now that it's three to one and the
Knicks have to win one game and you gotta win
three and you can't. You seem to be ready, Like
I'm gonna hit fast forward on the DVR button. I
can just fast forward to the end where it's us
holding up the trophy at US winning four three like
it is. It is stunning to me that it's this
level of confidence and really a lack of gravity of
(11:13):
the situation that I'm getting for San Antonio. I really,
I mean I because you know, going in I fully
expected if you talk to me about this, you know,
yesterday or coming off of game game four, I would say, well,
you know what, I could see the Spurs getting in
here winning game five. The NBA, you know, they know
the officiating they're gonna send to this game. They get it,
(11:34):
they know what's there. Hey, these ratings, they're breaking records
with with finals viewers for every single game. And I
completely understand that. Okay, But now I sit here and go, man,
this really could end tomorrow. Like this could really end tomorrow.
It could end early and the Knicks could win this
game by twenty five like that. That's the kind of
that's the kind of game I can see happening after
(11:56):
how today, the last day or so has played out
for both of these teams.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
So I assume you've cleared the docket and your Saturday
evenings are free for a late night celebration that's going
long into Sunday morning.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
I hope. So I got my fingers crossed. I actually
have a surprise party tomorrow that's going to bleed into
the beginning of the game. And it's a milestone surprise
party for someone.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
Is it at your plan?
Speaker 1 (12:18):
You have to no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
I'm not hosting. Come on, man, it's it's finals.
Speaker 4 (12:23):
Man, I'm not host Well, but you didn't know until
a couple of weeks ago.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Yeah, oh no, no, no, So now I go, I'll
go make it appearance. Hey, that's great, that's great. That's
I gotta go.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
I gotta, I gotta And then what you will use
your DVR and watch the game from the beginning when
you get back home.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
Is that possible?
Speaker 1 (12:38):
I may. I may not be more from my uh
my phone will never be more from eight inches from
my face at any time tomorrow night. Oh okay, maybe.
Speaker 4 (12:46):
Even at the beginning of the party.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Well, we want stuff to update. So Steve de Sager
has what's trending right now? If you have the over
in this game between the United States and Paraguay, well
you've hit it, although not how you would expect to.
Sager in for Mike Harmon.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Well, the United States meats Paraguay and their World Cup
opener four to one went as good as it possibly could.
Speaker 6 (13:17):
Hey, it's Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington from The Odd
Couple on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 7 (13:22):
And in addition to hearing us live weeknights from seven
to ten pm Eastern on Fox Sports Radio, we are
excited to announce brand new YouTube channel for the show.
Speaker 6 (13:32):
That's right, you can now watch The Odd Couple live
on YouTube every day.
Speaker 7 (13:37):
All you gotta do search Odd Couple FSR on YouTube
again YouTube, Just search Odd Couple FSR. Check us out
on YouTube and subscribe.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
But who had the best night? Was it? Team us Say?
Was it Jacob Mizerowski? Was it your Don Alvarez? Monny?
It's now the hotline of man Who's gonna help us
break that tie? MLB Network insider extraordinaire and soccer aficionado
John Paul Morosi. He is on Twitter at John Morosi Pope.
What's happening, man? How are you?
Speaker 6 (14:17):
I'm doing great? And I do believe that Jacob Mizerowski,
with that big frame in front, he'd be a good
target man and score a lot of goals. He'd be
able to head him in, I believe. But I'm not
sure that anybody was more impressive tonight than slow Ballagan.
My goodness, those two goals for the US. What a start,
What a summer of soccer we've got? And yes, what
(14:40):
an impressive maddox for the young Misserowski there in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin tonight as well.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
I mean, John Paul. The thing is like, I just
keep going back, like for the last twenty years, it's
been Boy, are we ever gonna find a striker? Are
we ever gonna find someone who can put the ball
in the net when it's not a set play, when
it's something that he can just do physic I said
it to Steve three times that I go, have we
really been waiting all our lives for flow Balligan? I
(15:06):
kind of feel like we have been.
Speaker 6 (15:09):
I think you're right. And the first multi goal performance
by an American player in a World Cup match since
nineteen thirty. It has been a while and you're right,
I do go back. Clint Dempsey has an amazing World
Cup games of course as a striker, and obviously Atlanta
(15:29):
Donovan had his amazing World Cup moments too, He's more
of an attacking midfielder in his role. Baligan is a
true striker, a true number nine. And what you saw
woman tonight was just a highlight reel of why the
US had worked so hard to recruit him and for
fans is dropping by. He is someone that has three citizenships,
(15:53):
born in Brooklyn, grew up largely in England to Nigerian's parents.
Different choices there, and he had to make a big
decision several years ago, not long after the previous World Cup,
and there was a very aggressive recruiting pitch made John
Strong references on the Fox telecast tonight by a lot
(16:14):
of American fans. It was very much a grassroots competition,
if you will, and it certainly knowing a lot of
the players from the US that had played in Europe
had just got to know them through different connections. It
was not unlike what you hear of a college sports
recruiting and turns out that was one of the biggest
moments of this World Cup happened three years ago in
(16:36):
a recruitment to bring in Balligan, who, as you're pointing
out correctly, Jason just does things on a soccer pitch
that we have seen very few players in that kit
be able to do. So he has given some real light,
some real confidence to this group. And you saw tonight
Pataguay never seemed to really be in that match after
(16:59):
a brief a moment early where they had in the
first couple of minutes a chance that Richards was there
to help steer away. But aside from that, the US
was simply dominant. And Pataguaya is a good team, not
a great team, but a good team for the most
part of their qualifying in South America. So that was
a statement game by the Americans to say that they
(17:21):
fully intend on making a deep run and if they
play like that, they've got a chance to do precisely that.
Speaker 5 (17:28):
Well.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
Updating the Houston game since there was the reference, jord
On Alvarez had two homers, including a grand slam in
the first inning. It's just ended they did hold on
ten to eight at Kansas City. But back to this
incredible effort in Los Angeles tonight, you've seen Baseball playoffs
the first round, best of five. There's a dominant performance
in game one, and people tend to, let's say, over
(17:50):
extend with opinions on what this is going to mean
going forward because it's not the same starting pitcher the
next night. Here the United States played at minimum their
best game of the last twenty years tonight, and now
they're playing an opponent up in Seattle next Friday, Australia
that's not better than Paraguay. Are you having thoughts that
(18:13):
this should be?
Speaker 1 (18:13):
It?
Speaker 4 (18:14):
Can I use the word an easy W four?
Speaker 1 (18:17):
What are you doing? Steve? What are you doing? Steve? O?
Like just a question.
Speaker 6 (18:21):
Here's here's what I'll say, and it's it's a fair
question to ask. I do think that Australia is a
little better than Potaguay. And as you said it, this
was a clinical performance by an American side. And we
have seen good American teams in the past. Let's remember
(18:43):
there was a team in two thousand and two that
included Geo Raina's father on it, and it's the best
Verhalter's father on it as well. So a generation to
go in two thousand and two that probably should have
reached the semifinal if a handball have been called fairly
and so we've seen good World Cup games before. I
(19:03):
think what stands out about this one, the evn Jason,
is just how thorough it was. It wasn't just three
great goals and then a late one by Raina, and
it wasn't just a bunch of individual efforts. It was
the connectedness of the whole team that if you watch
this game and just sat down and enjoyed it, you
saw a team that was operating at a very high
(19:25):
level athletically, tactically, creatively. You've seen a team that it
was almost as though Mauricio Pochettino has taught them his
brand of football. And then tonight was their final exam
in front of the world and they passed it brilliantly
because of the way they were sharing the ball. And
(19:45):
I think Steve, while I would never say that the
Australia game is going to be easy, because I don't
think it will be, but the point is the way
they played tonight allows them to compete against anyone in
the world, and that's what the take home message is.
It was a convincing first win, yes, but it's how
they did it that to me is the big takeaway
(20:08):
message if you are a fan of soccer, or if
you're just watching the World Cup and you want to
learn about what to pay attention to with this team,
just look at how well they possessed it. I looked
at the post match numbers. They completed more than twice
as many passes as the opposition did tonight. That just
tells you that they were connected, They had the ball
a bunch, they were possessing it in advantageous areas. They
(20:31):
had numerous chances in the penalty area of Plotaguay. So
it was just to me a clinic and so Steve,
it was not just that they won, it was how
they won and the style they played that I believe
is translatable whether you're playing against Potaguay or again even
some of the Titans of Europe. I'm not saying they're
going to beat France in a knockout round or beat
(20:53):
Portugal or Brazil. But the point is they can now
compete with them because they've got play ye of a
certain class. And certainly there was the uncertainty at the
end of the game what it happened with prolific if
Pochettino said postgame that it was a calf issue that
he had incurred in the first half. Seems like it
was minor. Maybe it was a wise decision because he
had a three zero lead at that point, just to
(21:15):
get them off and I think wisely knowing it was
going to be a very physical game. There were I
think half a dozen yellow cars handed out to the
Pataguay tonight, so they knew it was going to be
a very physical second half. So get your best player
off the field, your most most important player, if you will,
outside of Boligan, probably get him off the field. Protect them.
(21:35):
It was the right decision. They got their three points
and now nearly a full week to rest there before
they playoffs really yet.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
And I would add Jason on the stat he brought
up with the passes. While Paraguay it was about seventy
percent of their passes they completed, the US completed eighty
five percent of their passes tonight. It was about five
hundred out of six hundred in this game. It was
just stunningly efficient.
Speaker 1 (21:57):
John Paul Morossi, our guest MLB Network inside to restore.
Now now I'm sorry, John Paul, we have to get
to some pesky big Baseball news I know you want
to talk about it.
Speaker 6 (22:05):
I mean this day, I'm ready.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
We do we do have to get I wait for
you to say, oh, I have no idea. I have
no idea.
Speaker 6 (22:12):
I'm ready for both. I this just for the benefit
of our audience. I am. I am in a split
screen mode for the next six week. Okay, I'll have
soccer here. I'm not I'm not neglecting either either of
my kids there, I'm paying equal attention to both.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Well, I'm gonna ask you a question. I'm sure your
dad asked you earlier today. So Tarik school ball set
to come back tomorrow, all right, now, the Tigers not
having a great season, it is more than likely that
as long as he is healthy, he is dealt by
the deadline again. Little ways to go between here and there.
Teams are gonna want to see it is the early
part of June, and that the deadline is late this year.
(22:52):
But if I had to say to you, hey, for
the Tarik schoolbl trade market, if I said to you
give me the one or two teams that you would
expect to jump to the forefront of this, who would
you give me?
Speaker 6 (23:05):
So I will give you a couple. One one is
not going to surprise you. It's the Dodgers because they
they're gonna be on it in on everybody, and uh,
the I can see everyone rolling their eyes around the
country driving their cars as they're hearing me say this.
But but that's that's the reality. The Dodgers make deals
like this. The Cubs, I would also put in that category, Uh,
(23:26):
the Blue Jays if they have a need. And and
that's where I will say it's a little bit early
for the full market to crystallize because of exactly what
you said, that that we are still six weeks or
so away from from that moment in time, and and
all it takes is one week where two pitchers on
(23:48):
the Yankees get hurt and all of a sudden, the
Yankees are in the mix. But I mentioned those teams
deliberately because the Dodgers are the ultimate win now team
and they've shown a willingness in the past of preat
for rent guys. That's one. The Cubs another team that
I think when you look at how competitive the National
League Central is, UH and their group, it seems like
(24:08):
they believe they can go for it now, but they
may need one more arm. And then on the American
League side of things. The Jays, after coming so close
to one of the World Series a year ago, right now,
they appear to have plenty of pitching. But I'm sure
just about every contending team is going to be scouting
the Tigers very carefully beginning tomorrow in Cleveland. I don't
(24:32):
get the sense from what I can hear locally in Detroit, Guys,
the Tigers are are moving quickly on this. They're they're
they're comfortable letting the market play out a little bit.
They did lose tonight to a team that's in front
of them in the standings in the Central so that
might kick up the chances of a trade a little bit,
but we're still a little distance away from when when
this could all happened. The other team I've mentioned is
(24:54):
the Braves. They have they have shown a willingness to
make trades. Alex Fanthopolis will make big trades and if
they do have a need for pitching. Right now, they
seem to be pretty good shape, obviously leading to the
National League East, but if they have an injury, I
could certainly see them jumping in as well well.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
Especially tonight Spencer Stryder left the game tonight with arms soreness,
a game that the Mets have just won seven to five.
Big night for Boba Schett. But when you look at
these teams like the Brave Spencer Stryder, the Dodgers, Otani,
what do they have going on? Yes, suddenly this market
can heat up really fast, can heat up as fast
as flow Balligan against Paraguay. He is John Paul Morosi,
(25:31):
fall him on Twitter at John Morosi, that is at
John Morosi. Pope as always appreciate it. We'll touch you
next week, my friend.
Speaker 6 (25:38):
Have a great one, hey, Jason and Steve. I gotta
say a way to bring it all home at the end,
connecting the Google markets, the Ballagan what everybody just appreciate.
What a brilliant host you've got here in the ship tonight, my.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
Friend, Well done. Take it easy, my friend. We'll talk
to you next week.
Speaker 6 (25:54):
So much. I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (25:56):
He is a professional. Do not try this at home.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
I did not pay him to say any of the
those things, none of them.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
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.
Speaker 8 (26:20):
App Hey, welcome back in Fox Sports Radio Jason Smith
Show with me Mike Harmon. We'll get back into the
NBA Finals coming up about ten minutes, but be remiss.
(26:43):
It's a story that just warms the heart and it
speaks to a movement I think across sports, and it's
tied back to the burgeoning sports card industry. A lot
of players that are collectors, reconnecting with fans, trading for
their one of one or debut patches and all of
those kind of things. But a story that hit the
(27:05):
circuit Arnie Spaniard, Yeah, was Paul Skins driving past the
Ingamar Franklin Park little League Baseball fields, saw the lights on,
decided to pull in, and he was there two hours
taking pictures, playing a little soft toss, signing some autographs,
all of those kind of things. And it harkens just
(27:28):
you know, one of the things I pointed out and
looking at a terrible Game three. We'll get back into
it in a few but for Karl Anthony Towns, one
of the big sound bites for me that I've used twice.
We've done it here with Jason and then I did
it with Ryan Hollins on Sunday, just that idea of
the respect of the fans and of the city of
(27:49):
New York and how much that means d him and
to have a number of players where we see these
connections being made. Paul Skins didn't need to pull over,
just said hey, hey, cool little league whatever. But we're
seeing more and more of the younger players embracing that
there's still some little kidnem that's because.
Speaker 9 (28:09):
I think more more players are more unlikable than the
players of the early years, I should say. And we've
talked about this before. I mean, Nike even said that
the NBA players have become likable, that's why they can't
sell these shoes. I've actually had my run ins with
celebrities or players or played against them and stuff like that,
(28:31):
and it's an absolute blast. When it happens, you don't
expect it. It comes out of the blue. Good for
him for you know, pulling over and taking time out
of his day and going back to simple things, doing
what's important and giving back to the community. That's what
it's all about.
Speaker 8 (28:47):
Well, it's funny is it harkens back to stories my
parents and my my uncles and aunts and everybody would
tell about the neighborhoods in Chicago and back then when
players had off season jobs. Oh yeah, yeah, right, they
were guys in the communities, you know, delivering milk, beer,
(29:08):
carrying slabs of meat, whatever, whatever.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
It was like.
Speaker 8 (29:12):
They had these jobs and then if you were out,
you know, playing stickball or whatever, they might stop for
a minute because it was important to them. You know that,
you know, they they showed that love. But you know
that was the vocation. But it didn't pay all the
bills for a full.
Speaker 6 (29:29):
Year at right.
Speaker 8 (29:32):
Yeah, but that's the thing, right, And I like this
from from Skiens and a guy that like, eventually he's
going to ride his ticket, whether he decides to stay
in Pittsburgh and they find a way to retain him
or he ends up on one of these other marketplaces.
I mean, he's a name, right, He's one of those
stars that we talk about, so, you know, the the
(29:54):
lead by example and have some of your biggest players
doing those kind of things because a lot of guys
are contractually obligated to do a few of those. I
remember Carlton Fisk had the personal service contract with the
White Sox and they had him do a speech for
a bunch of women about baseball to kind of explain,
you know, little nuances and whatever. And at some point
(30:14):
he dropped his pants to show the bruises he had
from touching because he didn't like doing that part of
his contract.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
Funny.
Speaker 8 (30:23):
So, you know, running the gamut as it were, he's
already spanned your at Stinking Genius one is where you
find him. Find me over at Swollen Dome. As we continue,
we get back into Game four of the NBA Finals.
What do we expect tomorrow night at this time
Hosts And Creators
Jason Smith
Mike Harmon
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