April 26, 2023 • 32 mins
Jason Smith and Mike Harmon are finally reunited after Arron Rodgers was officially announced as the new starting quarterback for the Jets, the NBA Finals is beyond crazy with a few teams headed home after tonight, Lakers need to seriously think about sitting LeBron and AD in their upcoming game, and the guys start to hype you up for the upcoming NFL Draft!!!
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Episode Transcript
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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
dot com, or stream us live every night on the
iHeartRadio app by searching FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Greetings,
(00:29):
then welcome inside our three of The Jason Smith Show
with my bess friend Mike Harmon.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Well dressed hoboat live.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
From the Tirack dot Com Studios tirec dot com. I'll
help you get there an unmatched selection, fast free shipping,
free road hazard protection, and over ten thousand recommended installers
tirack dot com. The way tire buying should be. Question
for you? Answer better dance. That's good. Sorry, I don't
know that he danced very much. Eleanor Roosevelt. That's my dad,
who go to trivia whenever they go. My dad does trivia.
(01:00):
If there's ever a question, it's in US history. He
doesn't know what he answers Eleanor Roosevelt. That's an interesting response.
I was just gonna ask you better dance the macarena
or the buffalo stance. Oh, the buffalo. We wagged them
with a buffalo stance. Oh boy, Nana June, Nina Cherry,
the mockerna. See I know how to do the macharna. See.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
I thought the lad because I think you know, you
get the look Granny, you just kind of flopping around
or whatever part of it is, the eye contact and
stealing your soul.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
With a buffalo stance, with a buffalo stand. What was there?
Other one was Nina Cherry. I don't remember, uh, your
first wed boys boys wrapped around my finger, So I
should not have sang that lyric tyshi oh, kisses on
the wind, Kisses on the wind. That's Nana Cherry. When
she was gone, she blew them kisses on the wind. Yeah,
(01:56):
that song, Nana Cherry, Nana Cherry. No, No, you just
gave us more sounds. And I mean that adds to
it's a it's a nice extra layer to our new studios. Here.
I'm digging the new uh the new studio down the hall. Yeah,
we moved into our new studios tonight. Sev goodbye to
the old one, tearful good. It was very tearful second bye.
(02:17):
We did our last show there. That was our home
when we moved in Fox Sports Radio twenty years ago,
because I was here for for day one, did our
shows from that studio, and up until three months ago
it was the same computer. It's still when you moved in.
Speaker 4 (02:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
No they got rid of that. Okay, got rid of that.
Some of the things they did not get rid of.
But now Smith wants Denny's not demn Grand Slam Breakfast.
But now we're here because there are no stories for
the old studio because the Jets and Aaron Rodgers closed
the studio. It's done. No more stories. The stories are over.
(02:53):
The Jets have closed the studio. It's closed. No more talked.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
The Jets and Aaron Rodgers have done it. Did you
stand around like Samloe, Sorry, we're closed. You know what
I wanted to do, but Ben Maller came into the
show after me. I wanted to do the sitcom at
the end, turn the lights off. We had a wave
to the audience and turn the lights off and everybody claps.
But Ben Maller came in right after me to do
the show, and so I'm like, he turns off the
lights you m a favor.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
I'm like, hey, buddy, I want I want to tape
this and me, you know, turn the lights on, give
me too a minute, Daryl. Yeah, it didn't work that way.
Could have gone sopranos. Uh yeah, well I just kind
of left. I just kind of left. But did it
go dark? Like could Ben mallor No? No, I would
not wait like you got six minutes for this changeover.
(03:39):
I'm taking four and a half of it right now
to say my goodbye.
Speaker 5 (03:43):
Uh No.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
It was weird in the end. It's a studio, but
it was a place that I spent a lot of
a lot of hours. I man, I was thirty when
I started there. Now I'm fifty and now here I
am and I'm sitting next to you. But it was,
you know, it was a lot of times that.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
I'm sitting next to you. It was kind of a
looking look what happened in my life? He was thirty,
I was in the prime my life. I had a
good thick head of hair, hope, James. And now I'm
sitting nice to you.
Speaker 5 (04:10):
You know, like you're good at math. Twenty years that's
a lot. That's a lot of jets, mets and next
losses in the studio.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
Man, it is no, he's worn them up thousands, you know.
But you know who was the happiest was the desk
that we sit at, because it was it's no longer
going to be uncombed by all the different food that
I bring in and lay on there, whether it's a
big Mac or Hershey's Hostess, pepcakes or whatever. You clear there?
Speaker 3 (04:36):
What did we have anything left from the the.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Storage are there? All my Mets cards are up in
that too. I gotta put the Mets cards up in
this too. We burnt those last week. I put all
my Mets cards are up in the studio.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
I gotta put the math take somewhere to take the
Fresco tribute card off of the.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Uh okay, I will have to decorate with Strostburg. Did
bring that back for you? That was really good? That
was very No. No, I think that I think that
I think that Fresca thing, and you would do. I
did say thank you. You could have got me Sam
Darnol's draft tattoo like five years ago. I did get
it for you. NFL security came back. You could have
said you didn't know where it was. You could have said,
I had no idea. They had him on camera. If
(05:14):
okay on camera, if it was justin Herbert's draft hot,
would you had given it to Hiere, you would have said, hey, sorry, man,
I don't know what happened to him.
Speaker 5 (05:20):
I think would be in my safety.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
I had his DNA ex exactly least two full hair
follicles that I am going to clone him and that
was pre haircut. That's right right now in the NBA,
it is not looking good for the Clippers. They led
this game by ten up until about fifteen minutes ago,
and now it has been all Phoenix one eleven to
(05:44):
ninety one. They lead the Clippers in the close out game,
and then Kawhi Leonard not playing. He's not he's here,
he's playing. He looks really great. Now he's got to
sit out. This has not been a Clippers playoff that
they expe We'll get into that coming up, depending on
how the rest of this game goes. Still a lot
of time left to go, eleve minutes to go in
(06:05):
the fourth quarter, but Phoenix is now all over the Clippers,
and you have a night where Kevin Durant has gone
for twenty five and Devin Booker is already at forty one.
This is why I say how scared I am if
I'm if I'm the rest of the NBA, Because look
at the Suns with Kevin Durant. Look how well they play.
The key is Durant staying healthy and is he gonna
(06:26):
still be this guy the next round? The round after
the round, hector the older players. They break down a lot,
Mike Harmon.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
Are the other teams good enough to force them into
deep situations? Right? I e?
Speaker 1 (06:39):
Can you stretch a series? Well, the Clippers are not
not stretching the series now, but that's part of the
question with the Suns in terms of their depth, which
means how many extra minutes of heavy rotation will Kevin
Durant have to play in this series?
Speaker 3 (06:57):
I don't think it's been as taxing you've watched Devin.
You've had large stretches where Durant's just kind of standing
around watching the action. They've done some really good jobs. Hey, Kevin,
you can take this this possession off and this possession
off because you know what Devin's having.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
That's all reason why I've said why, Because Kevin Durant
doesn't have to carry the team every single night That's
why I love this and say, hey, we're discounting exactly
the impact Kevin Durant's gonna have on this team because
he doesn't have to be kd every night. He can
be at every three nights, because two out of three
can be Devin Booker. It absolutely works out well. But
the key is gonna be when you get to the
(07:33):
conference finals guy every other day. All of these guys
have had some injury time missed either this year or
in these last two seasons, and certainly Chris Paul his
his playoff history is well chronicled. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the NBA,
(07:53):
we watched a shocking ending tonight. It looked like the
Celtics were gonna close out the Hawks. They had a
two point lead with a couple of seconds left to go.
Everybody is going crazy, getting ready to write the Celtics
into the next round. And look out, good you had
a huge night from Jalen Brown. Everything was going their
way except you kind of got to guard Tray Young
(08:13):
when he's thirty five feet from the basket, it's hits
loose and it's alive.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
It's good to know that that drop made the transition
to the new studios.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
I lost. That's the first. That's the first butt fumble
drop in the new studio. Congratulations. Tighter didn't leave that
note for yesterday apparently, but Jase I got another good
one for you. No, no, no, no, I had such
a great lead into that. You gotta guard tray Young
thirty five yards from the basket. Let's do it. Tell
me what now?
Speaker 6 (08:49):
Three?
Speaker 1 (08:49):
You got you got a guard tray lebron from last night.
That's where Rogers caps out, Mike, you got a guard
tray Young thirty five feet from the basket.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
Pray now brings it across against Jalen Brown.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
Oh no wait ye stop stop, stop stop stop. You
said you had something. Yeah, I don't want to play now.
What the hell is.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Wrong with you?
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Man?
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Change. It's like you when you get the ice cream,
You're like, I don't want any now what? What the hell?
Why did he ever put ice creamwaya When have I
ever Unless you're handing me a vanilla ice cream cone,
I would put it back in your face and go
this is ridiculous. If it's from McDonald's, No, no, I
don't get that. No. First of all, the ice cream
machine working him at Donalds come on, man, come on,
come on, seriously, you do not know what he just
(09:31):
did to you.
Speaker 5 (09:32):
Come on, man, it's not He just tried to distract
the situation with ice cream.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
It was a good move. Ice It was everybody out
for a Sunday. No, I have ice cream in refrigerator
I bought. I still have it there, Okay, So do
you think it's still there? So yeah, I'm pretty sure.
And Tom Looney doesn't work here anymore. There are others
that have picked up the mantle. There's no holes in it.
So the point is we balls. You have to guard
Trey Young thirty five feet from the basket. Pray now
(09:59):
bring it across against Jalen Brown. Pray in the middle fires.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
The three dang Tray Young just hit it with one
point eight to go Hill. The Hawks take a two
point lead, one nineteen to one seventeen. Pray Young has
just stunned this crowd, folks. Pray Young has just.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Stunned Boston Day Hawks Radio Network. On the call, that
was your final one nineteen one seventeen. And I speak
for the Knicks, I feel like the Lorex. I speak
for the trees. I speak for the Knicks, but I
also speak for everybody else when I say why not
us this NBA playoffs? Why not us? Why not the Knicks?
(10:43):
Why not the Lakers? Why not the Suns? Why not
the Sixers? I mean, it's crazy because the Sixer is
always gonna fail. But why because we have seen that
the relationship between regular season success and postseason dominance has
not carried over as every year the regular season becomes
worth less and less. You see when the playoffs begin,
(11:05):
maybe the difference between those teams isn't as great as
we thought. Maybe teams had a little bit more difficulty
in the regular season because of injuries. Maybe they just
couldn't get up for games enough. They didn't feel like
the need to go crazy to win where we're managing minutes.
But you get to the playoffs now and low seeds
are giving high seeds trouble all the time. So why not?
And you talk about teams that have looked the best
(11:27):
in the playoffs so far, the three best teams have
been the Sixers and the Nuggets and the Knicks. That's it.
Those are your three best teams in the playoffs so far?
Why not us? I speak for the Knicks, but I
speak for everybody. I mean, not the Bulls because they're out,
but everybody else, well, I appreciate you.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
You got to doing a little sidewife on.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
We were watching Zombie Land.
Speaker 3 (11:50):
Is they're gonna drive by the get the woman in
the middle of the road, just feasting and just decides
to open the door. And he laugh and cackles like a madman,
shuts the door and keeps going. That's kind of what
you did to me Garfield anyway. So the idea of
being that you've had and the heat had been impressive
(12:11):
as well.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
Why not them?
Speaker 3 (12:13):
Why?
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Why not? Why not the Knicks?
Speaker 2 (12:14):
But why not?
Speaker 3 (12:15):
But the heat was was my heat, So I'm gonna
stay on board that as they had, the Nicks.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
Would get your heat in the next round of the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
See Mono where we go. But the regular season, we've
watched it. There's so many circumstances injuries that management all right,
we don't need to bring them back that fast, because
all you need to do is get into the dance
and even the playing opportunity might be enough for you. Hell,
you actually had the Mavericks find for not wanting to
(12:46):
even be part of that. Nah, We'll keep our protected
pick unless they lose in the lottery, which don't be
surprised if suddenly there's a frozen envelope. We find you
had your pick was a lot so you lose it.
But the circuit kid because well it's funny, but the
idea of the regular season meaningless.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Yeah, we've watched it time and again. You're you're building
out rotations, you're testing new players, road trips, maybe not
causing the the extra hard minutes. Like we we've talked
about how many pitches that you throw in a baseball
game and that type of management.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
Same thing here with the NBA. So when you finally
actually get to the playoffs and you're stretched, well, sometimes
you're ready for it, sometimes you're not. We watch Kawhi
Leonard a couple of big, heavy minutes, look like he
was the best player entering the playoffs. Well when we
see him again next year because they're going home. So
it's it's now for the squads that are healthy, have
(13:45):
some depths, some youth. Yeah, why not you?
Speaker 1 (13:49):
Why not? Why not the knicks and the and and
and and the and your heat and your heat and
why why's third best team in the playoffs by the way, Yeah,
Frostburg careful what you wish for, Jason say, why is that?
Do you not.
Speaker 5 (14:02):
Remember what happened the last time Phoenix saw Trey Young
in the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific. Five second head Thrath TJ. Clearly, in the
playoffs the Bulls were hoping for more low and more wins,
but instead there won't be any Bulls on parade following
(14:27):
the playoffs this year, TJ. I think I'm going to
the eel because I hurt my neck. Fox Sports Radio,
The Jason Smith Show with my best friend Mike Harmon,
Phoenix all over the clips one twenty eight, one thirteen,
going for the closer, About five and a half to
go in this one. We'll have more on this game
(14:47):
coming up in a few minutes, but joining us now
on the hotline, ready to break down everything we've seen
so far in the Major League Baseball season. Who's for real?
Who is not? MLB networking Fox Sports Radio insider, NHL
Network insider John Paul Morosi. You can fall him on
Twitter at John Morosi JP. What's happening, Buddy, I'm doing.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Great, guys, one of my absolute favorite times of the year.
You've had a really competitive Stomach Cup playoffs so far.
NBA playoffs have been great, but certainly for me locked
in on Major League Baseball and trying Jason to help
Justin Berlander make his Mets debut, which may actually occur
next week in the great city of Detroit. I feel
(15:33):
as though we should have live on the ground coverage
for the Jason Show of Berlander's Mets debut.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
See it's great that you say that, JP, but I've
already convinced myself he's never going to pitch for the Mets,
right because this is how it goes with the Mets.
He's never gonna throw it. It's it's just kind of happened.
I got to realize, we gave all that money for
two years. He's never gonna pitch.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
Don't you worry, my friend. It's gonna work out. Just final.
Although I will say this a couple of notes on
the National League East that the Phillies are starting to
find their footing a little bit. Now. I want to
talk about Bryce Harper playing first base potentially sometime in
the coming week, so I don't know it may well
(16:14):
be that the Mets opportunity to get some distance was
early and they might have missed it.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
It's fine, it's early. As you said last week, it was, Jason.
Let me tell you, don't worry. The Mets are not
the Mets yet. They're not the Mets yet. They need Orlando.
They'll get, they'll get. Sure's are back. The Mets are
not the now this week it's oh, they had a
chance and it's gone. It's disappeared in front of our eyes.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
Well, Jason, I guess a couple of things. Number one,
I do like to have a little fun with you.
As you know, we're all friends here. This is basically
this is basically a conversation among three friends once a
week that just happens to be shared with the national
radio audience. That's basically. That's why your show works so well,
(16:58):
and it's why I look forward to joining it every
and why. Let's be honest, On a night on which
the Mets were felled by the Nationals five nil, it
just seemed like the mobile was right to at least
mention the reality of where things stand and listen. It
was a night, though, on which it was somewhat fashionable
(17:19):
to lose because the Rays lost tonight, and the Rays
never lose, So if the Rays lose, then it must
have been cool to lose tonight. So by that I
offer a certain benediction to the Mets.
Speaker 3 (17:31):
All right, so the Pirates lose to the Dodgers eight
seven tonight. But right now, sitting atop the central no
O'Neil Cruz, please tell me that this can be withstood
for the duration, so we can all bring back the
pillbox hats.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
I'll bring back the no.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
Box hats, bring back those twenty thirteen Andrew McCutcheon MVP
photos and memorabilia, because Cutch has been playing like an MVP.
He's back in Pittsburgh. They've got Brian Reynolds signed to
a long term deal. They've got the manager, Derek Shelton,
signed to a long term deal. It's a really good time,
I think, to be a Pittsburgh fan. And listen, you
(18:09):
look around the major leagues and there are a lot
of vision leaders that you did not expect at this
stage of the season. If you had Texas in the
Al West, Pirates in the central of the National League,
and the Diamondbacks out West, if that was your thought
at the end of April, let alone the end of
(18:30):
this season. So I do think is it the new rules,
is it other variabilities, Is it really sound leadership for
some of these teams yielding some results after years of rebuilding.
It could be all those things. But I'm really bullish
on the Pirates. I think you look at the production
of Jacksonwinsky, He's been really good. Castro has stepped in
(18:51):
and played a really good shortstop. Sintonio Cruz went on
the injured list, Brian Ay's really good defender over at
third base, And I really am just a big believe
in Derek Shelton as a manager. I've known them for
a long time. He sets the right tone and they've
got an excellent closer in David bednar So. In the
National League Central, which to me seems a bit up
(19:12):
for grabs, the Cardinals really a slow start, and this,
to me, of all the big teams that have struggled,
have been in April. The Cardinals' pitching issues are a
real concern. I think they maybe have three or four
quality starts all season long. That's just not going to
get it done. And so in the NL Central, I
don't think the Cardinals are going to be able to
(19:33):
reel off a bunch of you know, seven wins out
of ten games, kind of the stretches. So that to
me says that there's going to be a space for
a team like the Pirates, like the Brewers, like the Cubs,
who are like as well, to just step to the
forefront and make the playoffs this year.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
All right, Jap, give me a little fill in the
blank right here. I'm going to give you three teams
in the American League that are leading their division. You
have the Rays, who say they don't lose, but they
play in what is absolutely the toughest division in Major
League Based Twins are leading the Central right now a
couple of games over the Guardians. Rangers leading the West
right now over the Astros. If I said to you,
(20:08):
which of these three teams at the end of the
season is still on top of their division, you would
say who.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Minnesota? Just because I while I still have a belief
in Cleveland and Terry Francona. And by the way, a
great job by my colleagues the network on the documentary
about Tito, fantastic work. You look at the American League
Central and based on the way things have gone and
the White Sox losing five in a row.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
My goodness, Gration, are they going to be the worst
team in baseball?
Speaker 2 (20:39):
Mike, Mike, I'm sorry, my friend. The south Side, My goodness.
They might be saved a bit by the Royals in
their own division. The A's are also The A's have
a robust winning percentage of two seventeen, so I think
they'll be saved from that ignominee. However, I I'm just
(21:00):
not so sure that this is going to be their
year to break through. I had them, as you well know, Mike,
and I'm glad that Mike and Jason, you guys haven't
already reminded me of this, but I did pick them
in the division. Sorry about that, But my point i'm
picking Minnesota here is there's really only one other strong
contender that I see now in that division, Whereas the
(21:24):
Rays have poor quality teams that are at least at
five hundred or better, and then out West, I still
think we're going to hear from Houston. Of course, they're
now back above five hundred. I think Seattle's a much
better ball club than they've shown, but I think it's
much more about the competitive level within the division. And
to that point, look at how well the Orioles are playing.
(21:45):
That the second place team in the East is not
the Red Sox. It's not the Yankees, it's not even
the Blue Jays, it's the Birds. The Birds are playing
great right now their bullpen, but it's about Tisa's really good.
Cano came in night and was able to score up
a one run save against the Red Sox. So I've
(22:05):
been really impressed by Baltimore. Rutschman Matteo Mullins. I'm buying
stock in the Baltimore Orioles right now.
Speaker 3 (22:14):
The Baltimore Orioles on the rise. Our Boddy John Paul
Morosi with us here MLB Network, Little NHL Network, so
you could probably break down all of the series going out.
We watched a lot of goals in that Edmonton Kings
game a little bit earlier. Jason Smitchow with me Mike
Carmon here from our new tyrack dot Com studios. Find
(22:34):
JP at John Morosi leave out the h because Mom
said so, j O n mrs. I follow him there
for all your baseball wants and needs. Let's take it
here to Los Angeles. You got the Angels sitting at
five hundred Dodgers about there the bright spot, Clayton Kershaw
turning back the hands of time, and a man named Outman,
(22:57):
which doesn't really work when when you're normally hit or
if you had that name, they'd tell you to change
it instead. He's been one of the great stories of
the first month sustainable.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
He makes no house and he has all the tools.
I think he is a really great story. And the
other thing about it too, this is one of the years,
guys where we have to remember there are still some
younger players who missed all of twenty twenty and are
still getting caught up to their development. And for me,
James Outman is that kind of the California native. He's
(23:29):
born in Redwood City, he goes to Sack State. He
debuted last year in the middle of the season, and
he is someone who has just hit and hit and
hit seven homers already. He can play all around the diamonds.
And when you look at this team, they've obviously had
some struggles. You got Will Smith who's out right now.
They've obviously been without Gavin Lux all season long. They've
(23:51):
had to play Mookie over at short and by the
way he looks so great over there. Mookie can do everything.
And so you've got James Outman ten batting cleanup for
the Los Angeles Dodgers as a rookie. Now, I certainly
they'll get monthly back here again soon, but they're gonna
have to win this division in a different way. And
(24:13):
you look at the Diamondbacks. I like their young pitching,
Gallon Nelson's had a good start of the year two.
I'm just a believer that we're gonna see a very
tight race out West that I think the Diamondbacks are
in it to stay and the Dodgers you can't win
every year with the same personnel into perpetuity. And the Braves,
(24:34):
for as great as their run was in the nineties
early two thousands, it came to an end. I'm not
saying this run is gonna come to an end, but
if it's gonna keep going, it's gonna have to be
with really unique things like Mookie Bets playing a great
shortstop and Freeman or Bets having an MVP type year,
and James Autman continuing to hit like this, and guys,
(24:55):
I really believe when you look at his zom base percentage,
his ability to command the strike Zone CA and still
do those things.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
See JP, I I think you're thinking the wrong way
because when I say James Outman, I say James Outman,
future franchise player for the Los Angeles Legals Anaheim who
becomes the centerpiece in the show hail Tani deal. So
that's kind of how a future franchise player for the Angels.
That's how it is.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
So but that that's a really interesting point.
Speaker 6 (25:21):
And this is where the Dodgers, for me, are not
the team that makes that trade in the middle of
this season and gives them someone like Outman.
Speaker 2 (25:32):
I would not see that this is going to be
one of the great staring contests in Major League history
of show A is indeed put on the open market
this summer because it really is a truth theorem for
how desperate you are to win the World Series in
twenty twenty three, full stop. The Dodgers have built their
(25:54):
organization on a lot of superstars, certainly, but also a
lot of prudence. They won the World Series three years ago.
Why would you take one of your younger position players
in their twenties on what's getting to be a bit
of an older team. I just I don't see that
now if they can make the deal happen with somebody else,
then then maybe they do that. But but they need Autman.
(26:18):
I mean he is he is someone that's going to
be I think, a part of their future and show
Ay you can pursue him in the offseason win it
costs you no players. I think for a team that's
going to make the move to bring in show Hey,
now it would almost have to be someone like the Padres,
who who is just in a go for it and
you're trying to win the World Series this year, you're
(26:39):
not so much worried about what you're going to give up.
Maybe the Mets. I mean, I think it's that feels
much more like a Mets or Padres kind of a
transaction than a Dodgers transaction to me, if it's a
midseason move for show A.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
He's on Twitter at John Morosi. That is at John
MOROSSI also find him Steve Cohen's burner account that's John
Rosie as well. Check them out Fox Sports Radio, MLB
Network JP is always buddy appreciated, my friend. We will
talk to you next week. Enjoy the games, joy guys,
best time of the year and made the Lions shoes
wisely at numbers. Yes, we'll break that down next week.
(27:16):
We'll call you for immediate draft a reaction after the
Lions make their first round pick you I'm I'm doing
I'm not going to but hey, JP is a smart guy, said,
the Mets are the team for Otani specially. They struggled
a little bit this, Ye, what do we do. We've
missed out on a three guy. Let's go get him.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
But let's deep pockets and trying to win now. First
thing is figure out how to get verlanderbag on the mound.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
And then it's Brett Baty, future franchise player for the
Los Angeles ales of Anahei in the show You Have It.
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 7 (27:58):
We're coming to a Mackday. You were traveling far, Aaron
Rodgers traveled far. He's coming to the New York Jets.
Speaker 5 (28:15):
Far ah.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
The price Reverend Rodgers wasn't free Fox Sports Radio The
Jason Smith Show with my best friend Mike Harmon.
Speaker 3 (28:25):
I really thought he was gonna change free to steep
they didn't pay too much to get him.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Say, we're lot at the Tireck dot Com studios where
the NBA has been put to bed, and so have
the La Clippers. They fall to the Suns one thirty
six to one thirty. Phoenix takes the first. Wow, that
was harsh, Gotta put him down. Phoenix takes the series
four games to one. A series in which you had
(28:51):
a cameo appearance from Kawhi Leonard. He looked really good
when he did play. Yeah, he was looking really good
at one.
Speaker 3 (28:57):
Game player in the playoffs. And Joe, well, he wasn't
in the playoffs anymore.
Speaker 5 (29:02):
And if he was a horse, guys, he would have
been put down a stop and the loser.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
It's almost live drop Friday, another couple of days. So
a series in which the Clippers go down and Kawhi
doesn't play. The last few games, Paul George does not play.
It's time for a tough decision for the Clippers. It's
time to move on from the Kawhi Leonard Paul George
err because you're not getting better, you're not getting closer
to a title, and Kawhi and Paul George simply can't
(29:31):
stay in the lineup for whatever reason, however, however legitimate
you believe their injuries are or aren't. The bottom line
is they can't stay in the lineup. It's time to
move on. The big difficulty is gonna be is someone
gonna take him?
Speaker 2 (29:45):
All? Right?
Speaker 1 (29:45):
You got Kawhi Leonard who's got another year on his
deal and then he becomes uh and then then he's
got a player option. The same thing with Paul George.
They both have one more year in player options. You
want to pay these guys ninety five million dollars the
next two years, this is what you're get. The window
for this Clippers team is closed and we got to
hope that. Listen, just take the money, whatever it kind
(30:06):
of is. But you're not getting any closer. You can't
spend another year saying, oh, next year, no stop, Kawhi
is not healthy. But next year, Paul dre no stop.
Paul George is not going to try to find someone,
even though it's very difficult to find someone who thinks
we're still a Kawhi Leonard away from winning the NBA Championship.
I don't know that you'll find that team, but you
(30:28):
never know. Somebody may get desperate in the offseason. We
may see it to hey, maybe we treat Kawhi like
the Suns did with with Kevin Durant, and we come
and we work him back in. He doesn't play all
the time. He's not our number one guy. He comes
in and kind of fills in the slots and slots
in behind a superstar like kad Is slotting in behind
Devin Booker. Maybe you can convince the team and make
(30:51):
that kind of deal. But it's time to move on.
It's time to move on from Paul George, time to
move on from Kawhi Leonard. But like I said, you
gotta find somebody to take him.
Speaker 3 (30:58):
Easier said than done, right, it seems like the obvious path.
And as much as you made love either or both
of those players went available, we always have to put
the went available in any sentence related to Kawhi Leonard
and Paul George great players, but and Kawhi Leonard, as
we preface this with, then when he was a guy
(31:19):
that you had the load management plus the injury, and
it's like, all right, we're gonna bring him back. He's
gonna be ready for the playoffs. Well, here's another year.
This is what four years since this experiment the not
street lights over spotlights nonsense, that was everywhere, and all
the street lights are out again, sorry, water and power
(31:45):
out there trying to figure out how to get it
going again public works. So you've got If you're Steve Balmer,
it's a tough decision, but you get back to like
Steve Cohen and with your New York Mets, that you've
hit a point where he put money towards it to
make a problem disappear. And as much as he may
like the idea of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, I
(32:05):
gotta think he's a pragmatist at heart and that eventually
they figure out a way to make this work. Get
into all buyouts and all of these other fun things
that have to come into play, and what kind of
returns you get because you're not getting commensurate value right
nobody's buying them saying well, I expect their best, Like
(32:26):
for how many games?
Speaker 1 (32:27):
What are we selling? So yeah, it's done. That's a
final for Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Steve Balmer and the
rest of the Los Angeles Clippers will see you in
the offseason when free agency looks to be really interesting
as you try to start over and look forward to
that new arena for the last time. It's spotlights over
street lights. Fox developers
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. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Greetings,
(00:29):
then welcome inside our three of The Jason Smith Show
with my bess friend Mike Harmon.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Well dressed hoboat live.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
From the Tirack dot Com Studios tirec dot com. I'll
help you get there an unmatched selection, fast free shipping,
free road hazard protection, and over ten thousand recommended installers
tirack dot com. The way tire buying should be. Question
for you? Answer better dance. That's good. Sorry, I don't
know that he danced very much. Eleanor Roosevelt. That's my dad,
who go to trivia whenever they go. My dad does trivia.
(01:00):
If there's ever a question, it's in US history. He
doesn't know what he answers Eleanor Roosevelt. That's an interesting response.
I was just gonna ask you better dance the macarena
or the buffalo stance. Oh, the buffalo. We wagged them
with a buffalo stance. Oh boy, Nana June, Nina Cherry,
the mockerna. See I know how to do the macharna. See.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
I thought the lad because I think you know, you
get the look Granny, you just kind of flopping around
or whatever part of it is, the eye contact and
stealing your soul.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
With a buffalo stance, with a buffalo stand. What was there?
Other one was Nina Cherry. I don't remember, uh, your
first wed boys boys wrapped around my finger, So I
should not have sang that lyric tyshi oh, kisses on
the wind, Kisses on the wind. That's Nana Cherry. When
she was gone, she blew them kisses on the wind. Yeah,
(01:56):
that song, Nana Cherry, Nana Cherry. No, No, you just
gave us more sounds. And I mean that adds to
it's a it's a nice extra layer to our new studios. Here.
I'm digging the new uh the new studio down the hall. Yeah,
we moved into our new studios tonight. Sev goodbye to
the old one, tearful good. It was very tearful second bye.
(02:17):
We did our last show there. That was our home
when we moved in Fox Sports Radio twenty years ago,
because I was here for for day one, did our
shows from that studio, and up until three months ago
it was the same computer. It's still when you moved in.
Speaker 4 (02:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
No they got rid of that. Okay, got rid of that.
Some of the things they did not get rid of.
But now Smith wants Denny's not demn Grand Slam Breakfast.
But now we're here because there are no stories for
the old studio because the Jets and Aaron Rodgers closed
the studio. It's done. No more stories. The stories are over.
(02:53):
The Jets have closed the studio. It's closed. No more talked.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
The Jets and Aaron Rodgers have done it. Did you
stand around like Samloe, Sorry, we're closed. You know what
I wanted to do, but Ben Maller came into the
show after me. I wanted to do the sitcom at
the end, turn the lights off. We had a wave
to the audience and turn the lights off and everybody claps.
But Ben Maller came in right after me to do
the show, and so I'm like, he turns off the
lights you m a favor.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
I'm like, hey, buddy, I want I want to tape
this and me, you know, turn the lights on, give
me too a minute, Daryl. Yeah, it didn't work that way.
Could have gone sopranos. Uh yeah, well I just kind
of left. I just kind of left. But did it
go dark? Like could Ben mallor No? No, I would
not wait like you got six minutes for this changeover.
(03:39):
I'm taking four and a half of it right now
to say my goodbye.
Speaker 5 (03:43):
Uh No.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
It was weird in the end. It's a studio, but
it was a place that I spent a lot of
a lot of hours. I man, I was thirty when
I started there. Now I'm fifty and now here I
am and I'm sitting next to you. But it was,
you know, it was a lot of times that.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
I'm sitting next to you. It was kind of a
looking look what happened in my life? He was thirty,
I was in the prime my life. I had a
good thick head of hair, hope, James. And now I'm
sitting nice to you.
Speaker 5 (04:10):
You know, like you're good at math. Twenty years that's
a lot. That's a lot of jets, mets and next
losses in the studio.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
Man, it is no, he's worn them up thousands, you know.
But you know who was the happiest was the desk
that we sit at, because it was it's no longer
going to be uncombed by all the different food that
I bring in and lay on there, whether it's a
big Mac or Hershey's Hostess, pepcakes or whatever. You clear there?
Speaker 3 (04:36):
What did we have anything left from the the.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Storage are there? All my Mets cards are up in
that too. I gotta put the Mets cards up in
this too. We burnt those last week. I put all
my Mets cards are up in the studio.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
I gotta put the math take somewhere to take the
Fresco tribute card off of the.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Uh okay, I will have to decorate with Strostburg. Did
bring that back for you? That was really good? That
was very No. No, I think that I think that
I think that Fresca thing, and you would do. I
did say thank you. You could have got me Sam
Darnol's draft tattoo like five years ago. I did get
it for you. NFL security came back. You could have
said you didn't know where it was. You could have said,
I had no idea. They had him on camera. If
(05:14):
okay on camera, if it was justin Herbert's draft hot,
would you had given it to Hiere, you would have said, hey, sorry, man,
I don't know what happened to him.
Speaker 5 (05:20):
I think would be in my safety.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
I had his DNA ex exactly least two full hair
follicles that I am going to clone him and that
was pre haircut. That's right right now in the NBA,
it is not looking good for the Clippers. They led
this game by ten up until about fifteen minutes ago,
and now it has been all Phoenix one eleven to
(05:44):
ninety one. They lead the Clippers in the close out game,
and then Kawhi Leonard not playing. He's not he's here,
he's playing. He looks really great. Now he's got to
sit out. This has not been a Clippers playoff that
they expe We'll get into that coming up, depending on
how the rest of this game goes. Still a lot
of time left to go, eleve minutes to go in
(06:05):
the fourth quarter, but Phoenix is now all over the Clippers,
and you have a night where Kevin Durant has gone
for twenty five and Devin Booker is already at forty one.
This is why I say how scared I am if
I'm if I'm the rest of the NBA, Because look
at the Suns with Kevin Durant. Look how well they play.
The key is Durant staying healthy and is he gonna
(06:26):
still be this guy the next round? The round after
the round, hector the older players. They break down a lot,
Mike Harmon.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
Are the other teams good enough to force them into
deep situations? Right? I e?
Speaker 1 (06:39):
Can you stretch a series? Well, the Clippers are not
not stretching the series now, but that's part of the
question with the Suns in terms of their depth, which
means how many extra minutes of heavy rotation will Kevin
Durant have to play in this series?
Speaker 3 (06:57):
I don't think it's been as taxing you've watched Devin.
You've had large stretches where Durant's just kind of standing
around watching the action. They've done some really good jobs. Hey, Kevin,
you can take this this possession off and this possession
off because you know what Devin's having.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
That's all reason why I've said why, Because Kevin Durant
doesn't have to carry the team every single night That's
why I love this and say, hey, we're discounting exactly
the impact Kevin Durant's gonna have on this team because
he doesn't have to be kd every night. He can
be at every three nights, because two out of three
can be Devin Booker. It absolutely works out well. But
the key is gonna be when you get to the
(07:33):
conference finals guy every other day. All of these guys
have had some injury time missed either this year or
in these last two seasons, and certainly Chris Paul his
his playoff history is well chronicled. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the NBA,
(07:53):
we watched a shocking ending tonight. It looked like the
Celtics were gonna close out the Hawks. They had a
two point lead with a couple of seconds left to go.
Everybody is going crazy, getting ready to write the Celtics
into the next round. And look out, good you had
a huge night from Jalen Brown. Everything was going their
way except you kind of got to guard Tray Young
(08:13):
when he's thirty five feet from the basket, it's hits
loose and it's alive.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
It's good to know that that drop made the transition
to the new studios.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
I lost. That's the first. That's the first butt fumble
drop in the new studio. Congratulations. Tighter didn't leave that
note for yesterday apparently, but Jase I got another good
one for you. No, no, no, no, I had such
a great lead into that. You gotta guard tray Young
thirty five yards from the basket. Let's do it. Tell
me what now?
Speaker 6 (08:49):
Three?
Speaker 1 (08:49):
You got you got a guard tray lebron from last night.
That's where Rogers caps out, Mike, you got a guard
tray Young thirty five feet from the basket.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
Pray now brings it across against Jalen Brown.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
Oh no wait ye stop stop, stop stop stop. You
said you had something. Yeah, I don't want to play now.
What the hell is.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Wrong with you?
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Man?
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Change. It's like you when you get the ice cream,
You're like, I don't want any now what? What the hell?
Why did he ever put ice creamwaya When have I
ever Unless you're handing me a vanilla ice cream cone,
I would put it back in your face and go
this is ridiculous. If it's from McDonald's, No, no, I
don't get that. No. First of all, the ice cream
machine working him at Donalds come on, man, come on,
come on, seriously, you do not know what he just
(09:31):
did to you.
Speaker 5 (09:32):
Come on, man, it's not He just tried to distract
the situation with ice cream.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
It was a good move. Ice It was everybody out
for a Sunday. No, I have ice cream in refrigerator
I bought. I still have it there, Okay, So do
you think it's still there? So yeah, I'm pretty sure.
And Tom Looney doesn't work here anymore. There are others
that have picked up the mantle. There's no holes in it.
So the point is we balls. You have to guard
Trey Young thirty five feet from the basket. Pray now
(09:59):
bring it across against Jalen Brown. Pray in the middle fires.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
The three dang Tray Young just hit it with one
point eight to go Hill. The Hawks take a two
point lead, one nineteen to one seventeen. Pray Young has
just stunned this crowd, folks. Pray Young has just.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Stunned Boston Day Hawks Radio Network. On the call, that
was your final one nineteen one seventeen. And I speak
for the Knicks, I feel like the Lorex. I speak
for the trees. I speak for the Knicks, but I
also speak for everybody else when I say why not
us this NBA playoffs? Why not us? Why not the Knicks?
(10:43):
Why not the Lakers? Why not the Suns? Why not
the Sixers? I mean, it's crazy because the Sixer is
always gonna fail. But why because we have seen that
the relationship between regular season success and postseason dominance has
not carried over as every year the regular season becomes
worth less and less. You see when the playoffs begin,
(11:05):
maybe the difference between those teams isn't as great as
we thought. Maybe teams had a little bit more difficulty
in the regular season because of injuries. Maybe they just
couldn't get up for games enough. They didn't feel like
the need to go crazy to win where we're managing minutes.
But you get to the playoffs now and low seeds
are giving high seeds trouble all the time. So why not?
And you talk about teams that have looked the best
(11:27):
in the playoffs so far, the three best teams have
been the Sixers and the Nuggets and the Knicks. That's it.
Those are your three best teams in the playoffs so far?
Why not us? I speak for the Knicks, but I
speak for everybody. I mean, not the Bulls because they're out,
but everybody else, well, I appreciate you.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
You got to doing a little sidewife on.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
We were watching Zombie Land.
Speaker 3 (11:50):
Is they're gonna drive by the get the woman in
the middle of the road, just feasting and just decides
to open the door. And he laugh and cackles like a madman,
shuts the door and keeps going. That's kind of what
you did to me Garfield anyway. So the idea of
being that you've had and the heat had been impressive
(12:11):
as well.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
Why not them?
Speaker 3 (12:13):
Why?
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Why not? Why not the Knicks?
Speaker 2 (12:14):
But why not?
Speaker 3 (12:15):
But the heat was was my heat, So I'm gonna
stay on board that as they had, the Nicks.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
Would get your heat in the next round of the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
See Mono where we go. But the regular season, we've
watched it. There's so many circumstances injuries that management all right,
we don't need to bring them back that fast, because
all you need to do is get into the dance
and even the playing opportunity might be enough for you. Hell,
you actually had the Mavericks find for not wanting to
(12:46):
even be part of that. Nah, We'll keep our protected
pick unless they lose in the lottery, which don't be
surprised if suddenly there's a frozen envelope. We find you
had your pick was a lot so you lose it.
But the circuit kid because well it's funny, but the
idea of the regular season meaningless.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Yeah, we've watched it time and again. You're you're building
out rotations, you're testing new players, road trips, maybe not
causing the the extra hard minutes. Like we we've talked
about how many pitches that you throw in a baseball
game and that type of management.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
Same thing here with the NBA. So when you finally
actually get to the playoffs and you're stretched, well, sometimes
you're ready for it, sometimes you're not. We watch Kawhi
Leonard a couple of big, heavy minutes, look like he
was the best player entering the playoffs. Well when we
see him again next year because they're going home. So
it's it's now for the squads that are healthy, have
(13:45):
some depths, some youth. Yeah, why not you?
Speaker 1 (13:49):
Why not? Why not the knicks and the and and
and and the and your heat and your heat and
why why's third best team in the playoffs by the way, Yeah,
Frostburg careful what you wish for, Jason say, why is that?
Do you not.
Speaker 5 (14:02):
Remember what happened the last time Phoenix saw Trey Young
in the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific. Five second head Thrath TJ. Clearly, in the
playoffs the Bulls were hoping for more low and more wins,
but instead there won't be any Bulls on parade following
(14:27):
the playoffs this year, TJ. I think I'm going to
the eel because I hurt my neck. Fox Sports Radio,
The Jason Smith Show with my best friend Mike Harmon,
Phoenix all over the clips one twenty eight, one thirteen,
going for the closer, About five and a half to
go in this one. We'll have more on this game
(14:47):
coming up in a few minutes, but joining us now
on the hotline, ready to break down everything we've seen
so far in the Major League Baseball season. Who's for real?
Who is not? MLB networking Fox Sports Radio insider, NHL
Network insider John Paul Morosi. You can fall him on
Twitter at John Morosi JP. What's happening, Buddy, I'm doing.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Great, guys, one of my absolute favorite times of the year.
You've had a really competitive Stomach Cup playoffs so far.
NBA playoffs have been great, but certainly for me locked
in on Major League Baseball and trying Jason to help
Justin Berlander make his Mets debut, which may actually occur
next week in the great city of Detroit. I feel
(15:33):
as though we should have live on the ground coverage
for the Jason Show of Berlander's Mets debut.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
See it's great that you say that, JP, but I've
already convinced myself he's never going to pitch for the Mets,
right because this is how it goes with the Mets.
He's never gonna throw it. It's it's just kind of happened.
I got to realize, we gave all that money for
two years. He's never gonna pitch.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
Don't you worry, my friend. It's gonna work out. Just final.
Although I will say this a couple of notes on
the National League East that the Phillies are starting to
find their footing a little bit. Now. I want to
talk about Bryce Harper playing first base potentially sometime in
the coming week, so I don't know it may well
(16:14):
be that the Mets opportunity to get some distance was
early and they might have missed it.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
It's fine, it's early. As you said last week, it was, Jason.
Let me tell you, don't worry. The Mets are not
the Mets yet. They're not the Mets yet. They need Orlando.
They'll get, they'll get. Sure's are back. The Mets are
not the now this week it's oh, they had a
chance and it's gone. It's disappeared in front of our eyes.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
Well, Jason, I guess a couple of things. Number one,
I do like to have a little fun with you.
As you know, we're all friends here. This is basically
this is basically a conversation among three friends once a
week that just happens to be shared with the national
radio audience. That's basically. That's why your show works so well,
(16:58):
and it's why I look forward to joining it every
and why. Let's be honest, On a night on which
the Mets were felled by the Nationals five nil, it
just seemed like the mobile was right to at least
mention the reality of where things stand and listen. It
was a night, though, on which it was somewhat fashionable
(17:19):
to lose because the Rays lost tonight, and the Rays
never lose, So if the Rays lose, then it must
have been cool to lose tonight. So by that I
offer a certain benediction to the Mets.
Speaker 3 (17:31):
All right, so the Pirates lose to the Dodgers eight
seven tonight. But right now, sitting atop the central no
O'Neil Cruz, please tell me that this can be withstood
for the duration, so we can all bring back the
pillbox hats.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
I'll bring back the no.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
Box hats, bring back those twenty thirteen Andrew McCutcheon MVP
photos and memorabilia, because Cutch has been playing like an MVP.
He's back in Pittsburgh. They've got Brian Reynolds signed to
a long term deal. They've got the manager, Derek Shelton,
signed to a long term deal. It's a really good time,
I think, to be a Pittsburgh fan. And listen, you
(18:09):
look around the major leagues and there are a lot
of vision leaders that you did not expect at this
stage of the season. If you had Texas in the
Al West, Pirates in the central of the National League,
and the Diamondbacks out West, if that was your thought
at the end of April, let alone the end of
(18:30):
this season. So I do think is it the new rules,
is it other variabilities, Is it really sound leadership for
some of these teams yielding some results after years of rebuilding.
It could be all those things. But I'm really bullish
on the Pirates. I think you look at the production
of Jacksonwinsky, He's been really good. Castro has stepped in
(18:51):
and played a really good shortstop. Sintonio Cruz went on
the injured list, Brian Ay's really good defender over at
third base, And I really am just a big believe
in Derek Shelton as a manager. I've known them for
a long time. He sets the right tone and they've
got an excellent closer in David bednar So. In the
National League Central, which to me seems a bit up
(19:12):
for grabs, the Cardinals really a slow start, and this,
to me, of all the big teams that have struggled,
have been in April. The Cardinals' pitching issues are a
real concern. I think they maybe have three or four
quality starts all season long. That's just not going to
get it done. And so in the NL Central, I
don't think the Cardinals are going to be able to
(19:33):
reel off a bunch of you know, seven wins out
of ten games, kind of the stretches. So that to
me says that there's going to be a space for
a team like the Pirates, like the Brewers, like the Cubs,
who are like as well, to just step to the
forefront and make the playoffs this year.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
All right, Jap, give me a little fill in the
blank right here. I'm going to give you three teams
in the American League that are leading their division. You
have the Rays, who say they don't lose, but they
play in what is absolutely the toughest division in Major
League Based Twins are leading the Central right now a
couple of games over the Guardians. Rangers leading the West
right now over the Astros. If I said to you,
(20:08):
which of these three teams at the end of the
season is still on top of their division, you would
say who.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Minnesota? Just because I while I still have a belief
in Cleveland and Terry Francona. And by the way, a
great job by my colleagues the network on the documentary
about Tito, fantastic work. You look at the American League
Central and based on the way things have gone and
the White Sox losing five in a row.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
My goodness, Gration, are they going to be the worst
team in baseball?
Speaker 2 (20:39):
Mike, Mike, I'm sorry, my friend. The south Side, My goodness.
They might be saved a bit by the Royals in
their own division. The A's are also The A's have
a robust winning percentage of two seventeen, so I think
they'll be saved from that ignominee. However, I I'm just
(21:00):
not so sure that this is going to be their
year to break through. I had them, as you well know, Mike,
and I'm glad that Mike and Jason, you guys haven't
already reminded me of this, but I did pick them
in the division. Sorry about that, But my point i'm
picking Minnesota here is there's really only one other strong
contender that I see now in that division, Whereas the
(21:24):
Rays have poor quality teams that are at least at
five hundred or better, and then out West, I still
think we're going to hear from Houston. Of course, they're
now back above five hundred. I think Seattle's a much
better ball club than they've shown, but I think it's
much more about the competitive level within the division. And
to that point, look at how well the Orioles are playing.
(21:45):
That the second place team in the East is not
the Red Sox. It's not the Yankees, it's not even
the Blue Jays, it's the Birds. The Birds are playing
great right now their bullpen, but it's about Tisa's really good.
Cano came in night and was able to score up
a one run save against the Red Sox. So I've
(22:05):
been really impressed by Baltimore. Rutschman Matteo Mullins. I'm buying
stock in the Baltimore Orioles right now.
Speaker 3 (22:14):
The Baltimore Orioles on the rise. Our Boddy John Paul
Morosi with us here MLB Network, Little NHL Network, so
you could probably break down all of the series going out.
We watched a lot of goals in that Edmonton Kings
game a little bit earlier. Jason Smitchow with me Mike
Carmon here from our new tyrack dot Com studios. Find
(22:34):
JP at John Morosi leave out the h because Mom
said so, j O n mrs. I follow him there
for all your baseball wants and needs. Let's take it
here to Los Angeles. You got the Angels sitting at
five hundred Dodgers about there the bright spot, Clayton Kershaw
turning back the hands of time, and a man named Outman,
(22:57):
which doesn't really work when when you're normally hit or
if you had that name, they'd tell you to change
it instead. He's been one of the great stories of
the first month sustainable.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
He makes no house and he has all the tools.
I think he is a really great story. And the
other thing about it too, this is one of the years,
guys where we have to remember there are still some
younger players who missed all of twenty twenty and are
still getting caught up to their development. And for me,
James Outman is that kind of the California native. He's
(23:29):
born in Redwood City, he goes to Sack State. He
debuted last year in the middle of the season, and
he is someone who has just hit and hit and
hit seven homers already. He can play all around the diamonds.
And when you look at this team, they've obviously had
some struggles. You got Will Smith who's out right now.
They've obviously been without Gavin Lux all season long. They've
(23:51):
had to play Mookie over at short and by the
way he looks so great over there. Mookie can do everything.
And so you've got James Outman ten batting cleanup for
the Los Angeles Dodgers as a rookie. Now, I certainly
they'll get monthly back here again soon, but they're gonna
have to win this division in a different way. And
(24:13):
you look at the Diamondbacks. I like their young pitching,
Gallon Nelson's had a good start of the year two.
I'm just a believer that we're gonna see a very
tight race out West that I think the Diamondbacks are
in it to stay and the Dodgers you can't win
every year with the same personnel into perpetuity. And the Braves,
(24:34):
for as great as their run was in the nineties
early two thousands, it came to an end. I'm not
saying this run is gonna come to an end, but
if it's gonna keep going, it's gonna have to be
with really unique things like Mookie Bets playing a great
shortstop and Freeman or Bets having an MVP type year,
and James Autman continuing to hit like this, and guys,
(24:55):
I really believe when you look at his zom base percentage,
his ability to command the strike Zone CA and still
do those things.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
See JP, I I think you're thinking the wrong way
because when I say James Outman, I say James Outman,
future franchise player for the Los Angeles Legals Anaheim who
becomes the centerpiece in the show hail Tani deal. So
that's kind of how a future franchise player for the Angels.
That's how it is.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
So but that that's a really interesting point.
Speaker 6 (25:21):
And this is where the Dodgers, for me, are not
the team that makes that trade in the middle of
this season and gives them someone like Outman.
Speaker 2 (25:32):
I would not see that this is going to be
one of the great staring contests in Major League history
of show A is indeed put on the open market
this summer because it really is a truth theorem for
how desperate you are to win the World Series in
twenty twenty three, full stop. The Dodgers have built their
(25:54):
organization on a lot of superstars, certainly, but also a
lot of prudence. They won the World Series three years ago.
Why would you take one of your younger position players
in their twenties on what's getting to be a bit
of an older team. I just I don't see that
now if they can make the deal happen with somebody else,
then then maybe they do that. But but they need Autman.
(26:18):
I mean he is he is someone that's going to
be I think, a part of their future and show
Ay you can pursue him in the offseason win it
costs you no players. I think for a team that's
going to make the move to bring in show Hey,
now it would almost have to be someone like the Padres,
who who is just in a go for it and
you're trying to win the World Series this year, you're
(26:39):
not so much worried about what you're going to give up.
Maybe the Mets. I mean, I think it's that feels
much more like a Mets or Padres kind of a
transaction than a Dodgers transaction to me, if it's a
midseason move for show A.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
He's on Twitter at John Morosi. That is at John
MOROSSI also find him Steve Cohen's burner account that's John
Rosie as well. Check them out Fox Sports Radio, MLB
Network JP is always buddy appreciated, my friend. We will
talk to you next week. Enjoy the games, joy guys,
best time of the year and made the Lions shoes
wisely at numbers. Yes, we'll break that down next week.
(27:16):
We'll call you for immediate draft a reaction after the
Lions make their first round pick you I'm I'm doing
I'm not going to but hey, JP is a smart guy, said,
the Mets are the team for Otani specially. They struggled
a little bit this, Ye, what do we do. We've
missed out on a three guy. Let's go get him.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
But let's deep pockets and trying to win now. First
thing is figure out how to get verlanderbag on the mound.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
And then it's Brett Baty, future franchise player for the
Los Angeles ales of Anahei in the show You Have It.
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 7 (27:58):
We're coming to a Mackday. You were traveling far, Aaron
Rodgers traveled far. He's coming to the New York Jets.
Speaker 5 (28:15):
Far ah.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
The price Reverend Rodgers wasn't free Fox Sports Radio The
Jason Smith Show with my best friend Mike Harmon.
Speaker 3 (28:25):
I really thought he was gonna change free to steep
they didn't pay too much to get him.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Say, we're lot at the Tireck dot Com studios where
the NBA has been put to bed, and so have
the La Clippers. They fall to the Suns one thirty
six to one thirty. Phoenix takes the first. Wow, that
was harsh, Gotta put him down. Phoenix takes the series
four games to one. A series in which you had
(28:51):
a cameo appearance from Kawhi Leonard. He looked really good
when he did play. Yeah, he was looking really good
at one.
Speaker 3 (28:57):
Game player in the playoffs. And Joe, well, he wasn't
in the playoffs anymore.
Speaker 5 (29:02):
And if he was a horse, guys, he would have
been put down a stop and the loser.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
It's almost live drop Friday, another couple of days. So
a series in which the Clippers go down and Kawhi
doesn't play. The last few games, Paul George does not play.
It's time for a tough decision for the Clippers. It's
time to move on from the Kawhi Leonard Paul George
err because you're not getting better, you're not getting closer
to a title, and Kawhi and Paul George simply can't
(29:31):
stay in the lineup for whatever reason, however, however legitimate
you believe their injuries are or aren't. The bottom line
is they can't stay in the lineup. It's time to
move on. The big difficulty is gonna be is someone
gonna take him?
Speaker 2 (29:45):
All? Right?
Speaker 1 (29:45):
You got Kawhi Leonard who's got another year on his
deal and then he becomes uh and then then he's
got a player option. The same thing with Paul George.
They both have one more year in player options. You
want to pay these guys ninety five million dollars the
next two years, this is what you're get. The window
for this Clippers team is closed and we got to
hope that. Listen, just take the money, whatever it kind
(30:06):
of is. But you're not getting any closer. You can't
spend another year saying, oh, next year, no stop, Kawhi
is not healthy. But next year, Paul dre no stop.
Paul George is not going to try to find someone,
even though it's very difficult to find someone who thinks
we're still a Kawhi Leonard away from winning the NBA Championship.
I don't know that you'll find that team, but you
(30:28):
never know. Somebody may get desperate in the offseason. We
may see it to hey, maybe we treat Kawhi like
the Suns did with with Kevin Durant, and we come
and we work him back in. He doesn't play all
the time. He's not our number one guy. He comes
in and kind of fills in the slots and slots
in behind a superstar like kad Is slotting in behind
Devin Booker. Maybe you can convince the team and make
(30:51):
that kind of deal. But it's time to move on.
It's time to move on from Paul George, time to
move on from Kawhi Leonard. But like I said, you
gotta find somebody to take him.
Speaker 3 (30:58):
Easier said than done, right, it seems like the obvious path.
And as much as you made love either or both
of those players went available, we always have to put
the went available in any sentence related to Kawhi Leonard
and Paul George great players, but and Kawhi Leonard, as
we preface this with, then when he was a guy
(31:19):
that you had the load management plus the injury, and
it's like, all right, we're gonna bring him back. He's
gonna be ready for the playoffs. Well, here's another year.
This is what four years since this experiment the not
street lights over spotlights nonsense, that was everywhere, and all
the street lights are out again, sorry, water and power
(31:45):
out there trying to figure out how to get it
going again public works. So you've got If you're Steve Balmer,
it's a tough decision, but you get back to like
Steve Cohen and with your New York Mets, that you've
hit a point where he put money towards it to
make a problem disappear. And as much as he may
like the idea of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, I
(32:05):
gotta think he's a pragmatist at heart and that eventually
they figure out a way to make this work. Get
into all buyouts and all of these other fun things
that have to come into play, and what kind of
returns you get because you're not getting commensurate value right
nobody's buying them saying well, I expect their best, Like
(32:26):
for how many games?
Speaker 1 (32:27):
What are we selling? So yeah, it's done. That's a
final for Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Steve Balmer and the
rest of the Los Angeles Clippers will see you in
the offseason when free agency looks to be really interesting
as you try to start over and look forward to
that new arena for the last time. It's spotlights over
street lights. Fox developers
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Jason Smith
Mike Harmon
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