Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
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
dot com, or stream us live every night on the
iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Let's give this you're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Hello, Welcome inside our three, The Jason Smith Show with
Mike Carmon, live from the Tirack dot com studios. Tirec
dot com will help you get there at unmatched selection, fast,
free shipping, free road hazard protection, over ten thousand recommended installers.
Tiraq dot com is the way tire buying should be.
Lakers and t Wolves right now into the fourth quarter,
(00:50):
Lakers trying to hold on. They had a big lead
early in this game, a huge nineteen to two run,
but with ten minutes left to go, the t Wolves
have cut.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
It to four one. You know, Bronni was minus five, Yeah,
Bronni minus five.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
We saw the history of There's no difference and Bronnie
James playing tonight for the first time ever, which We'll
have more on that coming up in a bit, but again,
still ten minutes to go. In this game, Lebron and
Browny play together. The Celtics at twenty nine threes against
the Knicks, they should basketball should be banned.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
So that's it.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Is that the last we're talking.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
About the game.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
I didn't spend all off season looking so forward to
tonight to get that crap. It's all of a sudden.
The Celtics can't miss a three, They can't miss man,
come on, ten.
Speaker 5 (01:36):
Threes in the first Come on, man. But I think
everybody got too chesty, right. It's it's like you talked about,
and we've talked about a lot with the the expectations
and hope being a dangerous thing for your jets, and
look where we're at, desperation, firings, trades, all this stuff,
and now with the Knicks on opening night. Now, teams
(01:57):
have always fared well in their you know, defense, yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
And everything else. Yeah, winning about a seventy final Olympic.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
He doesn't play your star helps and he's out for revenge. Sure,
Thanks Steve Kerr. Thanks for Jason Tatum to. I appreciate that.
Steve screwing the next twice, not becoming the coach ten
years ago and saying, oh yeah, I'm not gonna play
Jason Tatum.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
Now he's gonna be pissed off.
Speaker 5 (02:19):
You know what's funny, it's going back all those years
like well he had two five million dollars a year
offers under that between the Knicks and the Warriors.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Thanks having over there.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
I know, and I know you were my coach. We
won titles together, I know.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
Yeah, I'm leaving.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Uh so again a big night in the NBA will
get to However, this breaking story and it's just so
odd the timing of it with the Yankees Dodgers set
to renew their World Series rivalry. Look, there's no World
Series rivalry in baseball than Yankees Dodgers. Now, we've has
been sitting for forty years since nineteen eighty one. Yeah,
as the Dodgers announced a little bit less than a
(02:58):
half hour ago, the passing of for Nowvalezuela at the
age of sixty three and absolute legend nineteen eighty one
Cy Young Award winner as a rookie, he had stepped
away from the team and his broadcast duties had been
a great ambassador. Just put the mural up for Fernando
at Dodger Stadium. He wanted to fight his illness privately.
The Dodgers just announced and he passed away at the
(03:19):
age of sixty three. Major League Baseball has said they're
going to honor Fernando Valenzuela with some kind of ceremony.
You don't know what it's going to be. But while
the World Series is in Los Angeles this weekend, Friday
and Saturday. Now you hear the term Fernando Manium, and
you and I talked about it a lot a few
minutes ago, and how Fernando Valenzuela, as as a twenty
(03:42):
year old rookie from Mexico, burst on the scene in
nineteen eighty one. And this is ancient history for a
lot of people. But everything we have seen in sports,
the debut of Caitlin Clark and the excitement level surrounding it,
the debut of Lebron James into the end, the debut
of Ken Griffy Junior, the debut of of any any
(04:04):
NFL superstar, the debut of Strasburg Mania. When Stephen Strasburg
came up, and you know, a dozen fifteen years ago
and suddenly it was Oh my goodness, this guy is unreal.
Skiens Mania this year with the with the Pittsburgh Pirates,
none of it compares to Fernando Mania. I'll give you
the two weeks that was insanity. It was Lind Sanity
was something. Lind Sandy was something. But this was longer
(04:24):
than that. No, No, but this longevity.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
Ye.
Speaker 5 (04:26):
But in terms of a flashpoint, I mean we're talking
about sanity. Sure, I think that. I think that's an
app that's an app to a comparison. I just wanted
to give you a knicks you know. But yeah, which
night we didn't have to feel good?
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Yeah? But just so, what was it like?
Speaker 1 (04:40):
What was Fernando Valenzuelle in nineteen eighty one in a
time where not a lot of people even had cable
and you found out how a West Coast team did
on Monday night by reading Wednesday's paper. Because the last
night's game where you know, Dodgers at Giants n meaning nightgame,
not we don't have it, right, We're not, We're not
going to get you don't find out the Oh and
here are the box scores from Monday nights game on Wednesday? Right,
(05:04):
we had to call into a service, Yes, it's got
a sports phone.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Nine.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Fernando Valenzuela shows up as an unherlded rookie with a
crazy pitching motion in which involves him extending his gloves
straight up in the air, looking up to the sky,
closing his eyes, and then opening them and throwing the ball.
It was something that no one had ever seen anything
like that before, and most of the country did not
(05:33):
see it. But as time went on, the desire to
see him and Fernando mania gripped the entire country. And
you and I were about the right age I was.
I was ten when it happened in my love affair
with baseball, and just I mean, I'm a Mets fan
and I woun up with a love affair of baseball.
The Mets in the seventies, come on. But Fernando Valenzuela
was just something that I couldn't comprehend how good he was.
(05:54):
And now and I said, you here, but let me
just tell you how we started off his major League
baseball career, because this this Isia. April ninth of nineteen
eighty one, Dodgers played the Astros. He pitched a complete
game shutout. He won two to nothing. Comes back. Five
days later at the Giants, complete game, he wins seven
(06:14):
to one. You're sensing a theme here, right. Five days
later at the Padres, complete game shutout, he wins two nothing.
Five days after that at the Astros, won nothing, complete game, shutout.
Next game at home against the Giants, wins five to nothing,
complete game, shutout. First five games of his major league career,
(06:39):
he has pitched complete games in all five of them
and allowed one run in five games. Okay, at this point,
Fernandomania is crazy because you're through the first month of
major league baseball. What is this guy? Dodgers in the Expos.
Five days after that, he wins six one complete game.
(07:03):
Five days after that at the Mets, the Mets beat
him fifteen No, she beats the Mets won nothing. He
beats the Mets won nothing. Complete game, Dodgers Expos three
to two. Well, they get to him for two runs,
but a win and a complete game shutout. His first
(07:24):
eight starts of Major league baseball of his career, he
allows four runs in eight starts and eight complete games
eight complete games. Struck out at least ten players in
four of those games. The closest thing I can compare
this too, is when Jacob de Gram was at his
(07:44):
most dominant and his era was a round point five.
Remember a few years ago for the met his era
like when every time he went out you thought it
was going to be a no hitter because he was
just so far ahead of everybody that that's the closest
thing I can compare this too. But this is Fernando
Valenzuela at the start of his career. Eight starts in
a row, eight complete games, and he allows four runs
(08:06):
then and and and he starts the season eight and zero.
Now he kind of comes back to earth a little
bit after that, finishes thirteen and seven, but still wins
the siding. I remember there was a strike year, so
then the season got broken up after that, because now
we're talking about this is April through the middle of May.
Then there was a strike. They came back to play
the rest of the season. Then they had the World Series.
It was a really weird year where the winner of
(08:29):
the first half played the winner of the second half
in a playoff series, and the Reds finished with the
best record in baseball. But because they finished second in
the first half and second in the second half, So
because the teams that were in first place when the
strike happened. They said, yeah, you're in the playoffs, so
you had nothing to play for after the strike came back,
So okay, so you know, oh you mean we're in
(08:51):
Oh great, can you imagine it? For two and a
half months, we got nothing to play for. So that's
it was such a weird year that year. And and
like I said, in the Reds best record in baseball
and they didn't get in the playoffs because you know,
you win the first half, you're not doing anything. Maybe
you're awful in the first half, you're hot in the
second half. Red's finished second. They were game out each time,
and they didn't get It was a really weird year.
(09:11):
But it was the last year we got the Dodgers
and the Yankees. And I remember being able to stay
up late to watch the World Series and watch the game.
When Fernando pitched in Game three at Dodgers Stadium and
he gave up way more runs, I thought, oh my god, bounce,
he's giving up runs. Rick Saron hits I got to
talking about Rick Sarone hit a home run off.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
How does Rick Sarona? He stinks. Rick Sarone stinks. I'm ready.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
My hatred of the Yankees was the sure he stinks
and it was like it was a lot of runs
early in that game, I remember. But the Dodgers win
it five to four and they break the big hecks
on the Yankees because they win the World Series and
it was the try MVP. How weird it was three
players from the Dodgers win MVP in the World Series.
Speaker 3 (09:52):
And it's just some sort of cosmic karma.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
We I mean, Fernando passes away right before we were
had to renew this rivalry between the two teams, and
they're gonna get to honor him on Friday and Saturday,
and it's.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
It's a weird. How do I say?
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Because I remember now I'm remembering back to that time
right growing up as a kid, and I remember at
those World Series and the Dodgers played the Yankees a
couple of times. They honored players that had played like
in the fifties, like I remember before the games, I
think it was Jim Gilliam who died, and they honored
Roy Campanella at home played a couple of times. And
the Dodgers played the Yankees and I didn't know who
(10:30):
that was, and I remember my dad telling me he's
one of the best catchers I've ever seen, but he
got paralyzed in a car accident, and I think they
brought him out to honor him, and Jim Gilliam had
just died, and who was he and my dad telling
me about him, and it was just this weird thing.
And I remember that because I remember thinking how weird
it was watching a baseball game at eight thirty at
night when it's dark out here and it's cold because
(10:52):
it's October, and everybody's in shirt sleeves and the sun
is out at Dodgers Stadium, Like, man, three hours, that's
a hell of a lot. Man, that some kind of
time difference. But that was like one of the first
World Series. I was allowed to stay up and watch
all the way through till the end, and I was
thinking back to that, how I remember my dad telling
me about these guys, about Gillian, about Campanella, And now
(11:12):
it's gonna be somebody else telling their kid about Fernando
Valenzuela when they watched the game on Friday, and they
honor Fernando with however they're going to do it, I'm
sure with a video package. I'm sure with some sort
of a familial situation. I don't know how they're gonna
do it, but there's gonna be kids. Well, tell me
about Fernando Valenzuela. Tell me what's going on about him. Oh,
let me tell you what Fernando Mani was like. And
(11:33):
they're gonna go through the box scores and show their kids.
This is what his first eight starts was like, this
is what his whole career was like.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
Then he threw a no hitter. Later on, he was
such a beloved player for the.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Dodgers, and even though he bounced around after that five six,
seven year run in the eighties with Fernando was just
absolute magic.
Speaker 5 (11:51):
Just completely a different time in baseball. And as you said,
you had to seek out the information right because the
games were too late, even for your eight local news,
which you know, we were young enough that you weren't
staying up, nor were you gonna sit and watch the news.
I mean, god, who are we kidding? But I was
never allowed to stay up and watch the news.
Speaker 3 (12:10):
Never. I want to see what they're doing.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
Even in New York, where they had news like they
had this five o'clock news, the six o'clock news, then
they had the eight o'clock news and the ten o'clock news,
then the eleven o'clock news, which my grandfather watched all
the news all the time except were watching baseball. But
I was never allowed to stay up to watch the
eleven o'clock news. Never no, never too late.
Speaker 5 (12:28):
So yeah, you'd get your news on Wednesdays, and then
you'd get the highlight clips on Saturday as part of
this week in Baseball or the Baseball Bunch or whatever
it was. It's like, here's the kid from Los Angeles,
and it built this legend because you didn't get to
see it like you do.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
Now we're spoiled.
Speaker 5 (12:46):
We get to see every game, like you want to
watch a guy from their first first minute they check
into a game.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
Like Victor wembin Yama. We had already.
Speaker 5 (12:54):
Seen clips in full games of him before he even
made his debut with the Spurs last year, seen him
with the Metropolitans. We'd seen him. You know, all these highlights.
We get these supruder film from high schools across the USA.
We see all that. Back then, it was what is
this guy? Where did he come from? He's from a
different planet. How do you just show up and start
(13:15):
doing thiss in Major League basically, and it's like, all right,
he's now six and oh he was like can I
watch him? How do I get to see that an
occasion like obviously when he pitch against the Cubs, you
know you'd get that little gem in the middle of
the day. But otherwise, yeah, it was you know this
unicorn on the West coast. You know that people were
building building empire around so such a cool thing, I mean,
(13:37):
and the convergence. Instead of him being able to be
part of the celebration, it'll be a celebration.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Of him exit. How about a Fresco exit swollen Dome.
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Carmon Live from the
tyrec dot Com Studios again, Fernando Valenzuela passing away at
the age of sixty three. We'll have more and Fernando
coming up next. Got John Paul Morosi stopping by MLB
Network Insider. All the thoughts on the Yankees Dodgers World Series.
Who's got the advantage? What lucky owner is gonna hoist
(14:06):
that trophy at the end of the world series? Well,
Aaron Judge or show Heyo Tani win their first world series?
That's coming up next right here, Jason and Mike Fox
Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
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 3 (14:27):
Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Carmon Live from the
Tirack dot Com Studios. Getting down to it at the Crypt,
Lakers trying to hold off the Timberwolves one oh one
ninety three, just under four minutes to go in the
fourth quarter. Lebron and Bronni James making NBA history earlier
in this game, the first father son duo to play
in the same game together. Bronny played three minutes. We
(14:51):
will have more on this story coming in. Lebron playing a.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
Few minutes than that. Couple more are you?
Speaker 1 (14:55):
And he's having a kind of a c game for Lebron.
He's got three thirteen points on six or fourteen shooting.
But I'm waiting for he and Rudy Gobert.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
It just fight.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
It's been a big night for ad. He's at thirty
four and fifteen again, still three minutes left to go.
Lakers trying to hold off the Tea Wolves one oh
three ninety five, but joining us now in the hot
line for all the latest news in Major League Baseball.
Longtime front of the show MLB Network insider extraordinaire John Morosi.
You can fall him on Twitter at John Morosi, John Paul,
(15:25):
How you doing, man?
Speaker 4 (15:26):
I knew what it was evening. I know it's a
sad time as we get ready for the World Series
with the passing of Fernando of Aleezuelas. I'm sure we'll
pay tribute to one of the all time greats before
we think about what could be coming there on Friday night.
Speaker 3 (15:40):
Yeah, you know the thing.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
Is, I mean it was it was shocking the Dodgers,
you know, making that announcement about forty minutes ago, and look,
it's it's been really something the last few minutes. Getting
to talk about Fernando Mania and how Strasburg Mania and
Skien's Mania and Lebron Many and all this other mania,
we've had nothing compared to what that was like when
he first came up and first eight starts was eight
(16:03):
complete games, eight wins, four runs allowed, and one of
the great characters of Major League base well, one of
the most beloved players in Major League Baseball. It really
is something that it hits us now as the Dodgers
Yankees get set to renew their rivalry coming up in
a few days in the World Series. What was your
reaction you first heard the news a little bit ago,
thinking about Fernando, what he meant to.
Speaker 4 (16:23):
The game, just exactly what you said, that there is
probably never going to be a time in American sports
quite like Fernando Mania ever again. And when you think
about this week and just the rather surreal way in
which this is unfolding, and that he passes away days
(16:46):
before the opening of the first World Series between the
Dodgers and Yankees since the one that he won with
the Dodgers in eighty one, that's just it's extraordinary, and
it makes you just kind of stop and reflect for
a moment about life and what we're all doing here
when you get all the history sort of in front
(17:07):
of you in that way, and I think, to a
larger extent in nineteen eighty one, and obviously that was
actually a year before I was born, but I've studied
that time. We actually did a piece about Fernandomania at
MLB Network a few years ago, and it was really
it was a special experience for me to learn about
something that had happened right before I was born and
really appreciate what America and what Los Angeles was like
(17:30):
at that time by learning about it, and also just
the poignant nature in which Fernando became this cultural touchstone
in both America and in Mexico at the same time.
And you know, well the history of Dodger Stadium that
(17:52):
used to be out an area that was a largely
Mexican American neighborhood where residents were displaced as a result
of the stadium being built. So there was a complicated
relationship there between the Mexican American fans and the Dodgers.
And then in the midst of all that, here comes
Fernando who is just this this iconic and lovable and
relatable person who who made everybody feel like they were included.
(18:18):
And one of the things we talked about in the piece,
and I actually watched it back as we as we
got ready just to come on the air tonight, was
that in a lot of sections of Dodger Stadium, that
that of course, that the old stories about Vin Scully
and the transistor radio, that you could hear Vin's voice
in different sections, but depending on where you were walking
around the stadium, you might have heard HEIMI Hireen's Spanish call,
(18:41):
especially on nights that Fernando was pitching. That that was
People would tell me that you could actually hear the
Spanish broadcast coming through. And that's just a that's a
powerful story about about America in la and what it
was like forty forty three years ago. It's just it's
a moment in time that I don't think we'll ever
quite see again. And the bedrock of it was just
(19:02):
his pitching and his graciousness and how relatable he was
to so many people, and how he remained a very
devoted member of the organization for a long period of
time up until his health took him away from the
broadcast booth this year. So it's just a it's a
profound loss and someone that I think will always be
someone who Angelinos and who Americans and who Mexicans all
(19:26):
feel a great amount of pride. And this is a
pretty unique person who seemed to unify all these different places.
Speaker 5 (19:32):
Well, we all love to emulate the pitching motion that
you just threw it. Yeah, as a kid, a lefty
and I didn't bring any heat, even though I had
a lot of mass that should have.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
But we were going through some of the stats.
Speaker 5 (19:46):
You know, when pitchers were pitchers JP twenty complete games
in nineteen eighty six, there were twenty eight this year
in Major League Baseball.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
Wow, come on, now, it's a different time and pitching
is certain, and that we could do a whole show
about what's happened there. But I think that the notion
of what pitching used to be, and when you'd watch
Fernando pitch a game, or the pitchers that I've spoken
(20:15):
with as part of our Hall of Fame podcast, as
you're like Ferguson Jenkins, for example, look at how many
years Ferguson pitched more than three hundred innings, not even
doing over at three hundred, and I think it was
just it was pitching as an art form, and Fernando
it was not. Trust me, you know, we didn't have
radar guns back in the day necessarily that we're as
(20:37):
ubiquitous in the stadiums. And tell us exactly how hard
he was throwing, but I don't think he was thrown
as art as Paul schemes. But look at the results,
and I think that to me is one of the
greater takeaways here is that he showed us how you
could do it, and he did it in a way.
At your point, Mike, it was we're not all built
(20:58):
like Paul Schemes, right, not all built like Strasbourg. But
Fernando and I remember this even as a kid myself,
like he was someone that people at baseball practice would
love to emulate, and he just had that very unique
way of pitching and it worked. Clearly it worked because
the numbers that we're talking about, those first eight starts
of eighty one, no one's ever done it before or since.
(21:21):
I mean, it stands alone as the best stretch of
pitching to ever begin a career, and it's pretty remarkable
that all these years later, no one has everybody able
to top it.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
Now, the closest I could I could come jp is
that that run that Jacob de Gram had a few
years ago when his ear was sitting around point five
for about half a season with the Mets, Like, that's
the dominance that he had there when you thought every
start was going to be a no hitter. Like, that's
the closest thing. But this is de Grom, like at
the top of his powers, you know, learning how to
(21:52):
pitch up right, this is Fernandoz. Hey, oh, my first
game's at Dodger Stadium. I'm twenty years old. Okay, I'm ready.
Speaker 3 (21:58):
Let's go right.
Speaker 4 (21:59):
And to that point with the gram, the two points
of that number one, those weren't complete games. And so
that's and that's that's part of why this was so
great is it wasn't just dominant, it was it was
he was He would get the ball from Lesorda and
by the time he was done, he threw the last
pitch and they were all shaking hands. I mean, that's
that's how all those games went, and that just does
(22:22):
not happen anymore. And the other part about that, and
what was unique is that he wasn't even supposed to pitch.
Opening Day eighty one. Jerry Royce had a calf injury
when he was warming up and they scratched him from
the start, and Lasorda gave Fernando the ball. I think
part of the reason was he didn't want to disrupt
the rest of the pitching rotation that he had planned out,
(22:42):
so we just had to go with that was the
best guy who was available, and it was Fernando. And
then he became an absolute international celebrity. So just an
amazing story who he was, what he represents, and I
know that Friday it's going to be a very very
special tribute to someone who just will never be replaced
(23:06):
in the consciousness of Dodger fans.
Speaker 5 (23:07):
Jason Smith Show with Mike Carbon Fox Sports Radio on
the Hotline with us as he joins us each and
every week as we prepare for the World Series starting
on Friday. It's our guy, Jeff Paul Morosi at John Morosi,
j O N.
Speaker 3 (23:20):
M r Osi is how you spell that? Go find
it there?
Speaker 5 (23:23):
Everything he's got in the pinned tweet right now. A
discussion with Ken Griffy Junior. He's been seeing a couple
of places here of late, but a conversation that you
had with him as part of your podcast series, JP.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
So give the nod there. But we're getting ready for
the World Series.
Speaker 5 (23:42):
And you know, talking about Fernando Vealanezuela and all those innings,
pitch and workhorses. That's obviously one of the big headlines
as we get ready for this one.
Speaker 4 (23:51):
Oh it is. And the question is where will the
innings come from? Especially for the Dodgers. And I'm sure
we'll talk more as as the series unfolds, and we'll
be talking a lot about this amazing matchup of all
the superstars. But among the conversation about Otani and Judge
and Freeman, we'll see, if you know, based on Freddie's health,
(24:12):
what'll be able to do and Mookie and Stanton as
the ALCSMVP. The biggest question I have is within the games,
will the Yankees plate discipline and the ability to lay
off pitches outside the zone? Will that scramble the Dodger
pitching plans. In other words, to get out against the Yankees,
(24:36):
you've got to be in the zone. And the Dodgers
benefited from the Padres chasing a bit at times, the
Mets chasing a bit oft times. The Yankees, yeah, they'll chase,
but not very often, and so at a time where
the Dodgers are trying to really manage their workload for
their guys to make sure everybody's rested. The Yankees are
a team that will just grind through. You check out
(24:58):
Cleveland and their pitching staff and what happened to Cleveland
in the last round. So I think at the outset
the advantage belongs to the Yankees, But a lot of
great baseball ahead.
Speaker 3 (25:10):
See I look at it.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
This way, John Paul is that, and look, and I
always see things for the Yankees through the prism of
my dad, who would rather, I think, go to the
dentist and get all his teeth pulled and watch the
Yankee bullpen play.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
Uh okay enough.
Speaker 5 (25:25):
He also his dad also hates gian Carlos Stands to
take that with a great inside.
Speaker 3 (25:30):
He just can't.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
I have talk to my dad about Standley about time
he gets in it for us. Okay, But I look
at it this way, John Paul is that you see
the way both of these bullpens have operated in the playoffs,
and how they both teams are going to rely on
their bullpen so much. I have way more confidence than
the Dodger bullpen than I do in the Yankee bullpen.
Speaker 4 (25:47):
Well, it's so here's what I'd say that the Yankee
bullpen still and I realized there's still some concerns about,
uh maybe kind of how young, how young this group
is in their roles. And Clay Holmes, of course, I
think Holmes have been really good. Obviously, the game, you know,
Game three of the of the Alcs got away from
(26:09):
them a little bit there. But I mean for me
that they've they've got, in my view, a very solid
ten weaver Kane Ley Tim Hill has been pretty good. Yeah,
the Dodgers, they've got a lot of experience too, and
Hudson is someone who's thrown the final pitch of a
World Series. So that they've got uh and Brazier they
can use in different spots. I like, I do like
(26:30):
a lot of the Dodger components. I just think that
the Yankees, with what they've got and now that they're
hoping to add Nestra Quartz back to the mix. So uh,
I just let your dad know that that, at least
from someone who covered it, that I think the Yankee
bullpen did just find. I mean the Yankees, the one
lost two games old postseason. I mean, they're not They're
(26:53):
not a bad team, mister Smith. So let's let mister
Smith know that that the Yankees are all right. So
they're not They're not this They're not this underdog charming
story with a tiny payroll and they're surviving on a
lot of guyle and condumptioneer They've.
Speaker 3 (27:10):
Got a charming story with the tiny they are. What
a great story the Yankees.
Speaker 4 (27:14):
Are they are to use the old Brian Cashman Coote
from a few years ago, a fully operational death Star,
and that of course did the Star Wars reference. It
was great though, by the way that Austin Wells at
one point in time in the last round or in
the first round of the playoffs against the Royals, he
(27:34):
was actually wearing a T shirt that said fully operational
death Star in the Clubhouse, which I thought was just
probably one of the coolest T shirts I've seen. So
the Yankees are are looking the parts of the fully
operational death Star.
Speaker 5 (27:47):
So is this match up enough to get people away
from calling for the jobs of Boone and Dave Roberts
or is it a loser leading towns match.
Speaker 4 (27:56):
They've both managed great this year. I mean, you get
in to the world, it probably tells you that you
know a couple of things about how to manage a game.
And I think that both Boone and Roberts have two
of the higher profile, toughest jobs in the sport. They
handle it with class and grace. There you know. And again,
we at the network, we do a lot of games
(28:18):
during the course of the year. I've probably seen the
Yankees and the Dodgers as much as any other teams
this year, and unfailingly they are both both managers, always
in command of what's going on. They stand up to
the pressure very very well every day, and they understand
very importantly how to get superstars to play, which not
(28:38):
everybody knows how to do. So that's the job. You're
going to manage the Yankees differently than you manage the
Tigers or smaller market teams, and it's a different skill set.
And my point to that both those teams would be okay.
So one of you is going to lose the World Series,
(28:58):
the response should not be the fire the manager, whoever
that happens to be, because ask yourself, who's going to
be better tactically and also emotionally with motivation of the
guys to excellent managers that I'm thrilled they're getting their
credit day that they very richly deserve.
Speaker 3 (29:14):
He's on Twitter at.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
John Morosi, That is at John Morosi, MLB Network insider
John Paul is always thanks so much.
Speaker 3 (29:21):
We'll talk to you Friday after Game one, looking.
Speaker 4 (29:24):
Forward to Game one. My friends, You reach out anytime,
and I can't wait to talk about the Fall Classic
or decades in the making. Thank you so much for everything.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
Another Lions pick, You're hot. Another Lions pick coming up
on product.
Speaker 4 (29:35):
Did I not tell you that the Lions would beat
the Vikings. I don't know if I had the right score.
I was getting score updates. I'll admit it. I didn't
even watch it down in the game, but I but
I understand. I understand that the Lions did win over
the Minnesota previously was what was unbeaten. I'm not even
(29:56):
really sure who who the Lions are going to play
on Sunday, but I think I'm feeling about a twenty
three seventeen final.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
All right, Well, the thing is the lot because they
feel bad and and they want to get more viewers.
The Lions are going to play the Mets on Sunday,
so that's yeah.
Speaker 4 (30:10):
I think that the Mets has some guys that I
think Alvarez could.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
Play, sure play.
Speaker 4 (30:16):
Yeahs could be a good, good receiver. I think he's
probably got some speed. But that's my take right now.
I think Peterson is a quarterback. Peterson is the quarterback.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
Vibe John Paul, Thanks a lot, buddy, We'll talk to
you on Friday.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
Enjoy the next time.
Speaker 4 (30:37):
All the best guys, thinks great.
Speaker 3 (30:38):
Stuff there from John Morosa and make him my dad
feel better. So that's good. There you go, and he
addressed him as mister Smith. Rempeatedly, yeah, because I have
to call him mister Smith. No, I don't. Let's find
out what's trending in the wide world of sports.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
It is over at the crypt and maybe the Lakers
just needed Brownie James on the roster to win for
the first time on opening Day since twenty.
Speaker 6 (30:59):
Sex how about two. I was I could not believe
it when I saw that heads. It's really been that long,
even during the.
Speaker 3 (31:05):
Year they won it.
Speaker 6 (31:05):
I know it was the Bubble Championship in twenty twenty,
but I can't believe they didn't even win it that year.
But yeah, twenty sixteen, the last time the Lakers winning
an opening night matchup. They beat the Timberwolves one ten
to one oh three, all because Bronnie James played three
minutes and went to two shooting. They did make history
Bronni James joining the game with Lebron James on the floor,
so they became the first father son duo to appear
(31:27):
in a game together in NBA history. The Lakers do
get the victory begin their season one and oh one
ten one oh three. They do beat the Timberwolves. Anthony
Davis a huge reason why, thirty six points on eleven
of twenty three shooting. God had done with the free
throw line thirteen to fifteen shooting from the charity stripe,
also had sixteen rebounds. As for the Minnesota Timberwolves, it
(31:49):
was the ant Man topping the score sheet with twenty
seven points. Earlier tonight, the Celtics began their title defense
in big fashion, rolling over the next He won thirty
two to one to Ozho nine. Jason Tatum thirty seven
points on fourteen of eighteen shooting. The Celtics for the
game a twenty nine three pointers twenty nine of sixty
(32:11):
one overall. That's forty seven and a half percent. As
the Knicks struggle, That's really where the difference in the
game was was in the three point shooting. New York
just eleven of thirty thirty six point seven percent for
the night. They were led by Jalen Brunson, he had
twenty two points in Major League base But we had
some sad news to report on just from about an
(32:33):
hour ago. The Los Angeles Dodgers announcing that Fernando Valezuela
has passed away at the age of sixty three. He
was an absolute sensation both for Los Angeles and the
Latin American community. He started the nineteen eighty one season
with eight shutouts eight complete games, five of them shutouts,
as he won the Cy Young and the Rookie of
(32:53):
the Year and helped the Dodgers to win the nineteen
eighty one World Series Championship.
Speaker 3 (32:58):
Back to you, guys, Thank you, keV.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
The Jason Smithscher with Mike Carmon lifethtirect dot com studios
will have more remembrances of Fernando Valenzuala, his life, his career.
But coming up next, we break down what has been
an absolute insane opening night in the NBA. The Lakers
shoot five out of thirty from three point range and
are never threatened by the Wolves. The Knick shoot fifty
(33:20):
five percent against the Celtics and lose by sixty.
Speaker 3 (33:23):
Well they suck, Like, come on, man, they saw that's
next right here? You know what, Frostburg, that's coming up next.
Speaker 7 (33:28):
Jason and Mike Fox, hoping perhaps to make him try
too hard. Fernando ready in the Strike two pitch is
head back to the box dribbling the second Samuel on the.
Speaker 2 (33:41):
Bed cross the first double play.
Speaker 8 (33:44):
Fernando Valenzuela has pitched a no hitter at ten seventeen
in the evening of June the twenty ninth, nineteen ninety.
Speaker 7 (33:56):
If you have a sombrero, throw it to the sky.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific.
Speaker 3 (34:11):
Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (34:12):
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon Live from the
tirac dot Com Studios.
Speaker 3 (34:17):
It is over at.
Speaker 1 (34:19):
The Crypt in LA and a night where we saw
absolute sports history goes as well for the Lakers as
it possibly could. You could have said, okay, JJ Reddick,
Genie Buss, Lebron, what's a perfect opening night for you?
They would say, well, all the guys play well, specifically
(34:39):
the guys at JJ Reddick was brought in to make better.
Ruy Hatchimooram D'Angelo Russell.
Speaker 3 (34:43):
Okay, what else?
Speaker 1 (34:44):
Lebron plays well, ad plays great, Yeah, Bronny gets in
the game, plays okay with Lebron, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (34:50):
Okay, and and we win. Okay.
Speaker 1 (34:55):
That was tonight for the Lakers. Everything this was. It
may be, it may be as good as it gets.
It's perfect day. Everything went as well. The Lakers couldn't
draw up what happened tonight any better.
Speaker 5 (35:06):
Well, you go five to thirty from three point range,
you still win by seven. I think you'll take it right.
You get the class of twenty nineteen that you assembled, right,
because it's like Voltron Reddish didn't play, but Hatchimura and
Hayes give you a total of twenty eight points.
Speaker 3 (35:22):
Hatchamura was fantastic.
Speaker 5 (35:24):
Which is something, as you alluded to, a guy that
they were really hoping would become an instrumental part of this,
because you know you're gonna miss games, right Anthony Davis
Lebron James over the course of the season.
Speaker 3 (35:36):
If you're banking on them.
Speaker 5 (35:38):
Playing the total of games together as they did a
year ago, man, I'd take the under.
Speaker 3 (35:45):
Just sit in the basketball.
Speaker 5 (35:46):
Gods and load management and whatever to make sure they're
ready for the endgame of the playoffs and all. But yeah,
it all worked together quite well. They did a good
job defensively rotationally, a lot of easy trips to the
basket right, a lot of layups, and good fundamental moving
the basketball so yeah, I mean, and Connect came in
(36:08):
and he played pretty well in Spurts. So all of
it to say for JJ Reddick in first opening wins,
it's twenty sixteen. Like we all were taken back by
that was a look again, it couldn't go any better.
As bad as it went for the Knicks, it couldn't
go any better for the Lakers. What did that moment
in history sound like?
Speaker 1 (36:28):
With about four minutes to go in the first half,
when Lebron and Browny checked into the game for the
first time as father and son, and.
Speaker 2 (36:36):
Ronnie James just popped off the bench.
Speaker 3 (36:40):
How abouts along.
Speaker 5 (36:42):
With Lebron history tonight the first father son duo to
play together in an NBA game.
Speaker 1 (36:51):
This is all in the family. And here's my son, Noah,
who I brought to work with me. I mean, we're
gonna we're checking in. They're gonna announce the rest of
this game. You step to the side an eagle on
TNT with the call No, I'm not.
Speaker 5 (37:02):
Gonna lie to yet. I really was anticipating some other
call that and Prosburg had cooked up as the intro
there now instead of getting the actual audio, ELLOK, we're
gonna break things down because there's a lot to get
into with Bronni in the three minutes he played tonight
with Lebron going forward, But let me just say this
for all of the Bronny shouldn't be in the NBA.
Speaker 3 (37:25):
I get it.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
Bronni shouldn't be playing on the Lakers. It would be
in the G League.
Speaker 3 (37:30):
I get it.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
Bronni's not ready. The only reason he's in the game
is because his dad is Lebron I get it. But
if you can't appreciate tonight as something you will never
see again in sports, I don't know what to tell
you because the last time we saw anything close to
this was in nineteen ninety okay, when Ken Griffy and
Ken Griffy Sr. Played together for the you know, and
(37:51):
Ken Griffy Senior was a great player for a long time,
big Red Machine. Ken Griffy Junior came in to become
one of the top twenty players of all time. They
played together very short amount of time. I was too
young to really I was twenty years old. Like, wow,
that's really cool. Look at him steal the fly ball
from his dad. That's pretty funny. We don't get anything
else like that for thirty when are we gonna get
this again? It's absolute history. I was glued to the TV.
(38:12):
I couldn't wait for it. I couldn't wait for the
moment I could. I didn't know when it was gonna happen. Okay,
second quarter. Probably at some point they're gonna do it.
Speaker 4 (38:19):
Like.
Speaker 1 (38:19):
You have to be able to appreciate moments like this,
because this is why sports is there. And if you
walk away from this going uh, Bronnie should have been late,
Like dude, you gotta spend five minutes in joining sutuff before.
Speaker 3 (38:28):
You say, oh, I don't like it. I don't like it.
Speaker 1 (38:30):
I don't like I get the people's reaction to change
usually is negative in the beginning.
Speaker 3 (38:36):
Of course, but I mean understand that this is something
you're never going to see again.
Speaker 5 (38:39):
Well, it's one of those things. I think it's the
get the hug that you so richly need. If you
have a some fence mending to do with a family member,
do it. Take the opportunity and recognize that we're an
Asian built on mom and pop, father and son, the businesses, right,
the idea that you're gonna, you know, build the family farm.
Speaker 3 (39:01):
Once upon a time.
Speaker 5 (39:02):
Hardware story I mean, how many stores do you drive
around like and son and sons and family all of
that Sanford and Son.
Speaker 3 (39:10):
Sure, absolutely, so you have the opportunity.
Speaker 5 (39:12):
Here to where Brownie is good enough to have consideration
to be part of the family business. Play three minutes.
You don't like it, don't watch be mad. You're already
mad at Lebron before this ever came up, is really
what it comes down to. You had already decided twenty
one years that you hated him, So this is the
latest extension.
Speaker 3 (39:32):
Oh look what he's able to do here. Again, you
don't have to watch it, you don't have.
Speaker 4 (39:38):
To like it.
Speaker 3 (39:38):
Wait till both his kids make the end?
Speaker 2 (39:40):
Over it?
Speaker 3 (39:40):
What did both his kids get in?
Speaker 1 (39:41):
Wait to wait till all is his distant relatives make
the NBA and I get it.
Speaker 3 (39:46):
You know our jobs.
Speaker 5 (39:47):
Hot takes it is his third cousin twice removed.
Speaker 1 (39:51):
Here's Lebron's step cousin on his mother's side by marriage
coming in. What an incredible moment. This is the first
time they're actually meeting. What a great eight moment they
play together.
Speaker 5 (40:02):
There's just so much anger to it. It's like, who cares?
Here's played three minutes they won the game.
Speaker 1 (40:07):
Here's Lebron's son's former roommate from AAU cabin eighth grade
coming into the game.
Speaker 3 (40:12):
What an unbelievable moment it is right.
Speaker 5 (40:13):
Here, and I remind a lot of our folks look
up the word nepotism what it really means.
Speaker 1 (40:18):
So what are the big takeaways from Lebron and Browny
playing together.
Speaker 3 (40:22):
That's coming up next right here, Jason and Mike Fox