July 18, 2025 • 40 mins
In Hour 4 of The Jason Smith Show, Jason and Mike discuss what the Steelers faults are in extending TJ Watt & what sets Damian Lillard apart in his career by coming back to Portland.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
ten pm to two am Eastern seven to eleven pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at Foxsports Radio
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Speaker 2 (00:23):
If you're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Hello, Welcome inside Final hour tonight the Jason Smith Show
with my bes friend Mike Harmon. You can stream this
show all of our Fox Sports Radio shows live twenty
four to seven in the new iHeartRadio app. Just search
Fox Sports Radio in the app to stream us live.
And one of the newest features in the app, you
can select Fox Sports Radio is one of your presets,
(00:50):
just like the presets on Radio Dial, So be sure
to preset Fox Sports Radio in the iHeartRadio app. It'll
always pop up at the top of your screen. So
we'll get back into the big NBA story of the
day coming up in a few minutes. Damian Lillard, Yeah,
I guess what, going back home. I'm going home, right,
we gonna get Kyrie Irving doing I'm going home I'm coming. Yeah,
(01:14):
I know you're gonna go Ozzie with that. Now Ozzi's done?
Man not doing it?
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Well, then I have to pick up the torch, now,
don't I I love you all.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
I don't know that you do. I don't think there
was a big outcry for that. I don't. I don't
think anybody. I don't think it.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Happened more so than the bands you're trying to promote.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
I don't think what bands am I trying to promote?
Who am I trying to promote? What have I promoted?
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Just bringing up all sorts of other folks with songs
about home.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
Well, Kyrie Irvings singing the I'm Coming home to troll
Lebron thing was a pretty big deal.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Yeah, it's a long time ago. Yeah he's not playing
right now using the sage brush on his legs.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
I mean, come on, it doesn't matter. Why not it
was a long time ago. Oh okay, all right, great.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
I'm here in twenty twenty five. We just celebrate that
was less than two weeks ago.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
That's true. That that that's true. It was it was
that it was that close.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
I'm sorry to miss the conversation on that one.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Not only did you miss the Aussie show, you missed
Lee Alien night, which I really pissed that you missed it. Man,
I didn't come on, man, I.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Was planning time off, just kind of what happened.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
But when when Lee Ilio died, I was like, we
we're gonna play the rant and you and I talk
about it all the time. No, no, no, no, I'm
not gonna be on away.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
It would have been late at night, but I would
have picked up the phone.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
You can't even talk if I call you at like
two o'clock, like one o'clock in the morning on the
East Coast. I don't know what state you're in. Yeah,
who knows where you're gonna.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
Be be tired. I mean one of the days I
went and saw Superman, so that wouldn't have worked out.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
But otherwise, hang on, I'm in Superman. Let me leave
this movie right now so I could talk to you
about we.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Pause it, hang on, I gotta see what the dog
does next.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Pause the movie. I gotta I gotta go talk about
Lee eel And then then the projected projection just goes.
Eighty five percent of the people have jobs, another fifteen
percent come here to watch Superman. I hope we get
hotter than Blank, really piss him off.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
I can't stop the movie because eighty five percent these
people will have jobs they have to report to.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
So a big story out of the NFL today that
clearly shows one team just doesn't get how to build
a team in the NFL. In twenty twenty five, TJ.
Watt gets a three year, one hundred and twenty three
million dollar extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Right now, this
is the story that we thought might be coming for
a little while because TJ. Watt intimated he wanted a
(03:40):
new contract. Look, I mean TJ. Watt, one of the
most talented defensive players in the game for the better
part of the last decade, right years where he was
the best defensive player, leaves the NFL with almost seventy
five sacks in the past five years. He is terrific.
Three years, one hundred and twenty three million dollar extension,
one hundred and eight million million fully guaranteed. At signing.
(04:03):
He is now the highest paid non quarterback in NFL
history for the second time. Now he's a great player,
He's been been a great player. He's thirty years old.
Does it suddenly mean you fall off a cliff at
thirty in the NFL. No, it doesn't, because we've seen
defensive line to look Miles Garrett two as well. Hey,
I'm thirty thirty one, I still can have big years
(04:24):
and okay, I understand that, but you've decided you're okay.
And it was so important to the Steelers that he
retire a Steeler. They give him three years and one
hundred and twenty million dollars guaranteed right to take him
through his year, his age thirty three year where you
know he's going to start slowing down again. It's not
(04:45):
that he's a bad player. He's still really good. It's
not that he's not a star player. He's still really good.
But this is what shows you that the Steelers really
are stuck in a time warp and they don't know
how to win in the modern era. And by that
I mean twenty twenty five, right. It was so important
to them that TJ. Watt retire a Steeler. You know what,
That sounds great and I love that in theory, but
(05:07):
it's not nineteen ninety five.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Well, it does go to the romanticism that Mark Stein
talked about with this Last Hour.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
It is it is. But even Damian Lillard left before
he came back, right like like DJ Watt, whatever he
does after this is always going to be a Steeler,
right what he retires, they'll bring him back, They'll retire
his number. He'll go into the Hall of Fame as
a Steeler. He's a Steeler. Why is it so it's
so important it's the retire a Steeler. No, you know
what's more important? Winning bleep in football games. That's the
(05:34):
most important thing. And what the Steelers have done here again,
this is not something that exists in a vacuum. This
is the Steelers deciding that a defensive lineman who is
you know, look has been terrific. But when he's thirty
years old, we're gonna give him three years and one
hundred and twenty million. What are you going to but
the most important position on the field. We're gonna shop
(05:54):
in the bargain basement. Been for for the last few years,
trying to get by with Hey, we're what like, I
think we can make work with Russell Wilson for nothing.
We can make it work with Justin Fields for nothing.
We can make it work for Aaron Rodgers for nothing.
How about you put some resources in and figure out, Hey,
this is the quarterback we want in the draft, or
this is the guy to go getting free agency. Here,
(06:15):
this is the guy we want to go acquire in
a trade. This is how you win in the NFL.
Yet the Stealers still want to treat the quarterback position like, ah,
we can get by there. No, you get by on
the defensive line. You don't get by at quarterback. Look
at all the Super Bowl winning teams. They have great quarterbacks, right,
it's not nineteen eighty five, not nineteen seventy five. You
don't win with we have three running backs, and where's
gonna run the single wing? We throw three passes a year,
(06:37):
and we sometimes go weeks without throwing passes, like this
is how you win in the NFL. And the Steelers
have decided, no, we're gonna continue to deal with the
quarterback position like it's a necessary evil. Well, scratch the
Steelers from winning. And not only that, really they're antiquated
and they don't know how to win in the modern era.
They're kind of like the Lakers, right, Like the Lakers
for so long existing as a mom and pop operation,
(07:00):
I'll be at a very successful one, you know, monetarily was,
but still they're worried about money. They're trying to put
teams together in a way that teams aren't put together
in twenty twenty five. That's why Mark Walter buying the
team was such a big deal, because what do we
say that night, Hey, maybe now the Lakers will be
run better. Maybe now the Lakers will be good because
I know that the Lakers, this ownership group worries about
(07:22):
things that teams that win championships don't worry about. We're
worried about the first Apron, the second eight, We're worried
about this, worried about giving this guy a contract. We're
worried about upsetting Lebron James. So we allow him and
Anthony Davis to say, come on in, Russell Westbrook, which
is too him two years to get pass Like this
is how the Lakers ran things. It was antiquated. You
don't do it like that anymore. So now it's a
new beginning for the Lakers, and I feel like this
(07:45):
is what the Steelers need, like the like the Rooney
family and Omar Kahan and Mike Tollin. It's like, what
year do you guys think it is? Like I feel
like it's the end of Twin Peaks, the return when
the last line is Kyle McLachlan going, what year is this?
What year is this? I want to walk up to
these guys, go what year is this? What year is this?
Do you think that you're gonna win by saying a
(08:05):
thirty year old defensive end that, yeah, gets the quarterback
and as a team legend, we want to make sure
we give him one hundred and twenty million dollars per quarterback. Yeah,
we got Aaron Rodgers for one year and ten million,
Russell Wilson for nothing, Justin Fields for nothing, Like that's
not how you win, man, it's not. You've seen the
best of TJ. Watt, right, you've seen the best of it,
but you still want to give him money. You've seen
(08:26):
the best of Wilson and Rogers and you didn't really
give Justin Fields a chance. But you've seen the best
of these guys and still yeah, but these are the
guys are gonna go out because it's not gonna cost
us money. If they did the opposite and let TJ.
Watt walk and found a quarterback that they loved, that
they could pay that kind of money to guess what
steals be super Bowl contender as every year there whether
they have starred defensive players or not, they're a super
(08:47):
Bowl caliber team. We see them. They're a playoff team.
Everything they don't finish under five hundred, they find a way.
Mike Tomlins a great coach, but wow, building teams for
this modern era of the NFL, Like, what the hell
are they doing? And before you think, oh, just wait,
just wait, No, I watched Mike Tomlin pat himself on
the back for about six weeks last year all Russell Wilson. Yeah,
you see, I knew, I knew, I knew. No, it
turns out you didn't know what happened. He was good
(09:08):
for a little while. Then he fell off the face
of the earth and you were stuck. Right, that's what happened.
And now it's going to work for Rogers, who basically
is retired already that wants one more year for fun.
Hey I want to have one more year. Oh great.
I think the Steelers want to win. I think the
players want to win, the fans want to win, but
you go have fun, Like, I don't understand how this
passes Muster that this is the Steelers building a team
(09:30):
this way, They clearly do not know how to what
the right way to put the building blocks in to
win championships in the NFL in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
Well, one of the big parts though, to a Jason,
is that at some point you have to bottom out.
For the modern invention of things, there's not a lot
of guys going in free agency where you say, damn it,
we need to really bat down the hatches and get
every dollar available. Is Sam Darnold that guy for you
two years ago? He was a you know, a journeyman,
(09:59):
bouncing around trying to get the stink of the Jets
off him justin fields. Okay, fine, now he's got the
stink of the Jets on him. Russell Wilson is part
of a three man battle for the New York Football Giants.
Who else was out there?
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Right?
Speaker 3 (10:13):
I mean, you got the Kirk Cousins.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
You know that.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
It's always break glass case of emergency. He obviously doesn't
want to be in Atlanta. Eventually, they'd love to extricate
him from the situation as well. But free agency quarterbacking generally,
if a guy's out there cause he's done. There are
very few outlier situations where that is so we need
our thrower, we need our attacker, and we need our protector,
So go build your offensive line. Steelers are usually pretty
(10:38):
good at that. You had your attacker in house in TJ. Watt,
so you pay him the king's ransom. But until you're
willing to just say, you know what, we really need
to suck for a year or two. So all of
these high priced guys, you know, the good ones have
to go so we finally can draft up top. It's
never gonna change. You just gonna keep treading treading water.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
And I love that though, but it's it's a little
bit more than treading water. Like every year they come in,
Hey we can be a playoff team, maybe we can
go far. Now they know you're treading water, but you
and I have never expected at ten and seven, I'd
love to tread water. I tread water at five and twelve,
Like that's where that's where my water, but that's where
your water level is.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
I'm saying, you know, we're now into the deep end
of where you're in theory playing for substantive things, but
legitimately knowing we're playing meaningful football. In December, we may
get a January date on the calendar. But are we
really expecting to go any further. No, but the regular
season we're gonna get to celebrate with chicken or whatever.
The confections are a Promonte Brothers sandwich on a Monday
(11:44):
because we won. But what does it really gotten you?
Low these many years?
Speaker 1 (11:49):
All right? But if you're the Steelers, it's a little
bit different because the Steelers you're a destination, right, You're
a destination. You should Mike Tomlin is a guy that
players love to come play for. He's strict but fair,
also a player's coach, like he's been new school old
school since he took over, you know, all those years ago.
The Steelers are They've always been a destination, right, They've
always been And I know that it's really you know,
(12:10):
it's anti their philosophy. And this is another reason why
the Steelers are completely outdated. Yeah, they don't usually go
crazy in free agency, right, they like to build through
the draft. But this is how you've got to do
it in the NFL, man, I mean, you have to.
It should be not it shouldn't be that difficult for
the Steelers to go get a quarterback, whether you know,
however you feel about Kirk Cousins or somebody else or
(12:33):
Sam darl It shouldn't be that difficult for them to
find a guy that to want to come and take
their money to come play in Pittsburgh. It's it's one
thing for the Jets. They to go and tell Justin Fields, hey,
do come up. We'll give you forty million dollars. What
else are you gonna do? All right, fine, I'll go
all right. It's one thing for some of those teams,
the bottom feed are teams to do it. But the
Steelers it should be a little bit easier. But it
just doesn't seem like they have any interest. They're never
(12:53):
linked to a quarterback. There's never any there's never any
thought that, hey, here's a big guy, and this is
you're talking about three four years now out what's going on?
And still they're trying to get by on the cheap
with it. Like eventually you have to, don't You have
to get hit by that bolt of lightning that tells you, hey,
this ain't working. We got we got to take a
look and see how other teams succeed in the NFL. Oh,
they go out and get quarterbacks. Whish I had known that. Unbelievable,
(13:18):
but on.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
The grand scale, redefine yourself. Are you well, you haven't
gotten to your your AFC title games at all. There's
not a whole lot of winning outside of guy's name,
homes or run around in Philadelphia in terms of the
ultimate prize? So how much worse are you? And again,
I'd love to live the life of a Wait, we
went ten and seven or eleven and six, Yeah, pretty
(13:41):
good year. I don't know those days. I'm a Bears guy,
you're a Jets guy. That doesn't happen. So I don't
know what it's like to say, you know, because the
ultimate winning, it's been very few squads like are there
sexier moments and sexier quarterbacks running around? Sure, watching Josh
Allen or Lamar Jack Joe Burrow quarnerback for your team. Sure,
(14:02):
they had a lot of votes and confidence and every
possession is a potential scoring possession, unlike most of the NFL.
But in the end one and they won.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
All right, But but by and large though, But think
about this low every year, Yes, you're right, not many
teams get into win. But every year when you say okay,
you come into it. Any year in the NFL, Pittsburgh
Steelers Oh, they're pretty good. If things fall right, maybe
they can get to the super Bowl. Like they're one
of those teams. Right. You don't say that about the Browns.
You don't say that about the Titans or the Jaguars
(14:34):
or the Colts or the Texans or the Dolphins or
the Raiders. No, but the Steelers are because they're always
good there. Hey, hey, you know, if things fall right,
they could be this team. So they have an advantage
over so many teams already that going into the season, Yeah,
they're above everybody else. Why not. We've seen the Steelers
go far, but yet now it's like they've made these
conscious decisions to go the opposite way of what schedule's winning. Right,
(14:58):
if the Jets did what the Steelers did, right, let's
just say this, say the Jets this offseason, all right,
what are we gonna do? Oh, we don't know what
we're gonna do it? And know we're gonna do. Say
Aaron Rodgers went and had two bad years someplace else, right,
he went to the Giants and had two bad years
with the Giants. Okay, And the Jets had choice in
this offseason. What are we gonna do? Do we do?
We go after quarter what do we do? And instead
(15:21):
they slow play it the entire time. They don't go
after any quarterback, and they sign Aaron Rodgers after a disappointing,
injury filled last couple of years of the Giants. And
then two months after that they decide, oh, hey, uh,
here's one of our stars who's thirty years old. We're
gonna give you Quentin Williams. Here. Now here's here's one
hundred and fifty million dollars. Wait, wait a minute, so
(15:42):
you gave a You gave a twenty eight year old
defensive lineman a five year contract extension and one hundred
and seventy five million dollars and the quarterback you signed
off the scrap people like it? Would it would be
a completely different reaction, which would be the right one.
What are you doing? You need a quarterback? You don't
need to give all this kind of money to defensive lineman.
But the Steelers. Steelers have an advantage over everybody, and
(16:04):
still they find a way to say no, no, no, no, no,
We're gonna act like it's nineteen eighty seven.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
But again, would I rather have an extension for DJ
Watt or for them to throw a ton of money
at Sam Donald.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Well, I know if Arthur Smith as my OC. Mind you,
I know how this is gonna end with what they
have now. I don't know how that's gonna end with
Sam Darnold. If Donald comes in. Maybe Donald's good. Maybe
Donald stinks right, Okay, maybe he does. But I know
it's gonna end this year with Rogers, who's gonna be
okay for a few weeks but doesn't want to get
hit and throws off his back foot and he's gonna
(16:36):
throw early to receivers and he doesn't quite have the
weapons that he was used to last year. Like, I
know how this is gonna end. But with Donald or
somebody else at quarterback, I don't know. Maybe it ends differently,
but I know how this goes exactly. I know this guy.
This goes nine to eight eight nine something like that. Maybe,
And we're watching Will Howard play quarterback in December. Oh,
by the way, thanks for stealing our take, Mike Tannebaum.
(16:58):
Our information is free.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
Look at you now, you're on the Will Howard bandwagon.
By cards?
Speaker 1 (17:05):
Just no, we're how many guys do we When we
mentioned somebody on a show, do you go out and
buy their cards? I don't say I know what you do,
though I feel like you do.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
Oh no, there are some guys that certainly there's.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Did you go out by Roy Green a football card today?
Since we talked about him?
Speaker 3 (17:23):
You know what, I did sort through an old box
of cards, and I did have a couple of Roy Green's.
I didn't and buy them specifically, but yes they're there
the Rich Menagerie. There's a Michael B. Jordan autograph, you know,
part of creed card and whatever.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
You know, it's it's good, all right.
Speaker 3 (17:41):
And then there's a Roy Green.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
The Exit up about a Fresca exit swollen dome. Jason
Smith Mike Harmon Coming up next, we get back into
the big shocking story out of the NBA today, Right here,
Jason Mike.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
Hey it's me Rob Parker.
Speaker 4 (18:07):
Check out my weekly MLB podcast, Inside the Parker for
twenty two minutes of piping hot faceball talk featuring the
biggest names of newsmakers in the sport. Whether you believe
in analytics, or The I Test. We've got all the
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(18:29):
Parker on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
Fox Sports Radio, the Jason Smith Show with my best
friend Mike Harmon. One word was being thrown around all
day today, Mike Carmon, when in regard to the Damian
Lillard story.
Speaker 3 (18:47):
Oh, okay, because I had another guy that had a
tweet about you know, guy that you're familiar with from
your past. So we'll get that in a bit.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
And the word is why Damian Lillard. We thought it
was going to be a year before he picked his
new team, right, you know, he suffers the torn achilles
after coming back from the blood clot and he's gonna
be out all year. The Bucks buy him out for
one hundred and thirteen million dollars and okay, it's great
to be bought out for that kind of money. Sure,
And the narrative was, and the story was that now Lillard,
(19:19):
who always loved Portland, his family is there, his kids there,
everybody's there. He's gonna get to go back to Portland
and rehab and then take his time picking his new team.
And that's out the window because Lillard picked us new
team today and he is going back to Portland three
years and forty two million dollars. And the big thing
I heard was why he's not gonna play this year? So, yes,
(19:44):
it's it doesn't seem like it's a lot of money,
but one year is a free year, right because he's
gonna rehab and get paid thirteen million dollars. Right again,
he's got a lot of money coming, you know, getting
bought out in this thing. But why would he go
back there. He's not going to win. Portland is not
made to win. Looking at Damian Lillard and I can
easily answer the question is why. You know, Rick Buker
(20:06):
and I have had this conversation off and on for
a long time about how there's many stars in the
NBA that enjoy the lifestyle and enjoy being stars and
enjoy playing and give their all and try to win
and leave it all on the court, but the ultimate
goal of winning at all, winning championships is not what
drives them, right, And it's why we talk about Kobe
(20:30):
and Lebron and Shaq and Steph Curry and Kevin Durant,
guys who you know are judged by winning championships and
getting the NBA Finals, because that's what we see as fans.
We all want our teams to win, and we recognize
the players that we know, Hey, these are stars that
are gonna get us there. These are stars that are
absolutely wrapped up in winning, and they're about at twenty
(20:54):
four to seven. Damian Lillard is not one of those guys. Right.
He was happy in Portland for the vast majority of
his career. He was happy putting up fifty on an
odd Wednesday night and would make a lot of news
on social media. We would talk about it because he's
hitting shots from the logo and Dami loand we would
say all the time, boy, you gotta get out of Portland.
(21:15):
Go someplace else. Right, fans would all say the same thing.
Not reinventing the wheel, it was, hey, boy, Damie Lillard
on the heat, Damie Lillard on the Bucks would be
a phenomenal thing. He could go win and really, you know,
check that box off his resume, or here's a guy
who's been a star for a long time, loyal to
his team. Would be great. To see him go someplace.
Everybody would understand that he would have to go because
(21:37):
you want to win, right, You're playing in the NBA
to win. Finally, I don't know if we pushed him,
everybody pushed him at that point. But okay, he finally
left Portland, right, was okay with going to the Bucks
now not his first choice. Wanted to go to Miami,
didn't work out. Wound up with the Bucks. Not the
worst place in the world to play alongside Giannis, but
it didn't work. It didn't work, and he got hurt,
and now the Bucks are moving on and he decides,
(21:59):
I'm going back to Portland. Never in my life have
I seen Damian Lillar play a game and say, the
guy's taking it easy. He's loafing, right. He leaves it
all on the court. He goes out there like you
see him. But certain players want to win and are
driven singularly by that focus. Right. I keep going back
to Kobe because he was that guy coming into the NBA.
(22:22):
Lillard's a guy. Yeah. Does he go out and try
to win every game? Absolutely? Do you see him leave
it all in the court, Yeah, But ultimately winning and
winning championships, that's not what makes him happy. He's one
of those full circle I have a life, I want,
I have a team I like playing for. I try
to win every bleep in game, but if I don't,
I don't and I still come out with the same
(22:43):
energy the next game and try to win. I still
love playing the game. I still love doing what I do.
But I'm not that guy that's going to look to
say I'm gonna take less money so I can go
join up here to win a championship. He's just not
built that way. And you know what, honestly, that's okay.
It's okay for a guy to be that way. And
you know there's certain players where you could tell, okay,
they're not they're not built like like even like Damian Lillard,
(23:07):
where I just want to get paid. I enjoy the lifestyle.
I enjoy coming out and playing, but really, some nights
I take off. You know, I'll take a night off
here and there when I feel like it. I'm just
I'm just not someone that's so wrapped up and winning.
I like the life I have. I like what's going
I like what's going on. But even that part, I'm not. No, No,
Lillard wants to win He's just not that next level
(23:27):
guy that the fans all want him to be. We
wanted to be someone that, Hey, anything I can do
to win a championship. I see the sand running through
the hourglass in my NBA career. I want to know
he's not that way right, still out, still out playing great,
playing for a team I want to play for, given
my all. I like the family situation. I have the
guys figured out life, and you know what, that's okay.
(23:48):
You know, sometimes fans want to win, want to do
anything to win more than players doing. It doesn't mean
that Lillard's not doing his best. It's just it's not.
Lillard's not singularly pushed by that. And there's lots of
players in the NBA that are like that. It's why
not everybody wants to stop what they're doing and rip
up my contract and I want to go play in
New York or I want to go play in Boston,
I want to go play in Oklahoma City. Not everybody
(24:10):
is that way, And I think as fans have to
understand that it's okay for players to be that way
as long as they're leaving it all on the court.
It's an okay thing. It's different from what we want,
but it's an okay thing to see.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
Some of it comes back to the Scheffler comment Terry
that we did yesterday. You can find that podcast wherever
you download your audio, download and give it five stars.
We'll love you forever. Send it to your friends and family, evangelize,
and then send it a second time to make sure
they got it and get the confirmation. All of that
to say that people approach their jobs their vocations, no
(24:44):
matter what they are, what their pay scale is, for
a variety of reasons, and it changes over time. Right,
Damian Lillard now is in those final few years highly compensated, absolutely,
but came into the league in twenty twelve, and maybe
he's found some piece of it, like I want to
win my way after going to Milwaukee and it not
working right. And maybe Yiannis and we joked about this
(25:06):
over the course of the night of maybe jannest kind
of even though he signed his deal, might have said,
I don't think I'm coming back, and I might be
gone by time you hit the court again, so maybe
you look to other options. Maybe that's part of it.
I only say that half in Jess, but it's the
different levels of your career, right, you got young children,
you got motivations here here here kids are a little
(25:28):
bit older schools and whatever. You're you're checking other boxes
for yourself. Ambition changes over time versus complacency versus recognizing, hey,
you're pretty good at where you are and that's a
good place to be. To the I'm just holding on
to whatever, whether it's you know, you've got a pension
that's in the balance based on getting to a certain
(25:50):
number of years. I've got plenty of friends that are
teachers and administrators and cite the different difficulties they've got
going on with, you know, their local school board and
funds and classroom size, whatever else, whatever you do out
there for a living. They you know, apply to your
job as as you will. But you're looking at it going,
I need to do X number of years until I'm
(26:11):
fully vested, then I can go do what i want
to do.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
Right.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
People have their different motivations. For Damian Lillard, I think
some of this becomes the comfort where his family is,
where his kids are, uh certainly, uh, the familiarity of
the the town, and maybe just being a guy that
missed what he had and you know, you don't know
what you got till it's gone. And as much as
(26:35):
he might have been upset that it wasn't built to
his liking in Portland for those years in the past,
that you realize that maybe that wasn't gonna be the case,
and chasing is not who he is right cause other
guys might be, Hey, I'm gonna bounce around and I'm
gonna find championship rings the rest of it, be damned,
whatever that cost may be. And to some level, without
(26:56):
talking to him, reading the tea leaves that's kind of
where he's at right comfortable with what his history is
as a player. And if he goes on the list
of best and never, man, that's a better list sometimes
than being a guy that you know just kind of
stumbled into one when you're not the catalyst of it.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
I feel bad. I feel like we. When I say we,
I mean fans, like we pushed him to go right,
Like I don't know that was just it, but dude,
you should go. You gotta go, man, Milwaukee's gonna be great.
And it didn't work like I thought, Oh, the guy
really didn't want to go out, but it don't.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
But there were the reports he wanted to go to Miami.
And look, we talked about it at the time, how
much was real how much imagine how much is coming
out of his camp or stuff that's just being planted
or whatever, to try to force the issue in terms
of how much he really, ever really wanted to leave
Portland because he was going through a lot of personal
stuff at that point.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
Mm hmm.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
So like, you know, that can't be discounted in all
of this, right because you have the different stages of
your life, family, kids and whatever else that that come
into play. Some guys compartmentalize it, and women in their
jobs differently than others. It's like we talk about when
you go through things, sometimes you can buck up and smile.
Some days it's the you know, traffic was just a
(28:07):
little too much and that was the thing that pushed
me over. You don't know, I may or may not
be talking from my own personal experience. I don't know sure,
but it's just that kind of thing where you know,
the old adage of you never know what folks are
going through, and certainly for athletes at that level, you know,
we do our best armchair psychology on a night to
(28:29):
night basis. Look in the end, as long as the
guy's back and he's happy. He got himself a nice
pile of cash from the Bucks, pretty decent rate from
the Blazers, even though he's not even gonna play one
of those years.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:43):
Oh, and he's still gonna be hit making money from
the Bucks. So in the end, he got the best
of both worlds.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
All right.
Speaker 3 (28:49):
I don't think I'm winning in Milwaukee. I'm not happy here.
I can go home and I get to keep all
the cash. Yeah, I mean because Boats said, hey, you know,
he get back. But whatever it was like thirteen well,
beal was like thirteen million. You got the details on
this one. It's like what's the price of your peace
of mind?
Speaker 1 (29:10):
Right?
Speaker 3 (29:10):
That's the ultimate thing, and each person has to answer
that for themselves.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
Exit out bout a Fresca, Exit swollen down the Jason
Smith Show with my best friend Mike carmon time how
to find out what's trending in the wide world of
sports for Martin Weiss and what do you got for us? Tonight,
my friend.
Speaker 5 (29:25):
NFLPA executive director Lloyd how Will announced he'll be stepping
down from the position, stating, quote, it's clear my leadership
has become a distraction. This is a mid reports that
Howell played a part in hiding a collusion ruling centered
around guaranteed contracts, and how also has a conflict of
interest with private equity groups that have been approved to
buy minority stakes in NFL teams. Howell only held the
(29:48):
position for just over two years and reportedly resigned by
his own decision. More than forty WNBA players gathered for
a meeting between the WNBA and the Players Association on
that side of the labor table, the biggest in person
player turnout in union history. As the WNBA All Star
Games approaching, it's the first in person meeting to about
this CBA. The two sides left with no resolution, but
(30:10):
that was to be expected. Clayton Clark is going to
miss the three Point Contest, an All Star Game, with
that groin injury she suffered on Tuesday against the Sun
and her statement, though Clark did say she would be
present for all of the action. Nine time NBA All
Star Damian Lillard finalizing a three year, forty two million
dollar contract, a return to the Trailblazers deal expected to
(30:30):
contain a player option.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
TJ.
Speaker 5 (30:32):
Watt, the highest paid non quarterback in the NFL history
for the second time in his career today. This time
it was a three year, one hundred and twenty three
million dollar extension that includes one hundred and eight fully
guaranteed at signing forty one million of that per year
is forty one million per year. Is the have is
that that's that highest average annual value. At the Open,
(30:53):
there's a five way tie at the top of the
leader board that includes Matt Fitzpatrick Harris English all four
under par. Scottish Scheffler is one shot back, and Roy
McElroy and did three shots back, Phil Mickelson. Philmokson as
a one under seventy for his best opening round. And
I'm sorry in the Open Championships is twenty sixteen, and
(31:14):
it looks like these some of these guys are just
getting ready to tee off the first group here.
Speaker 1 (31:20):
It's great, Martin. We have lot we have I mean
we it's the seventh round of the Open Championship on
the air, like it's on while we're going on.
Speaker 5 (31:27):
It's it's the best because it's like it's actual, like
you know, things that we'll talk about here as opposed
to like Korean baseball.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
You know, like, did you like.
Speaker 3 (31:36):
The bunt alternative to a home run derby as the
Korean League did see?
Speaker 5 (31:43):
Unfortunately it didn't hit my news feed.
Speaker 3 (31:47):
I have to be honest, Save Smith full Harmon nerddom
on this play.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
Hey, I was I was waiting for Martin to say,
Unfortunately I lost a lot of money on that South
Korea bunt derby.
Speaker 3 (31:58):
My newsfeed goes deep, rowdy tiles.
Speaker 5 (32:02):
Okay, yeah, it looks like you'll be joining the Rangers
in the next In the shortly he as a team
breaks after the break back to you.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
Guys, that is the deep news feed of Martin Wise
right there, Thanks a lot, buddy appreciated. My friend Jason
Smith Mike Harmon Live from the Fox Sports Radio Studios.
Coming up next, a big double shot of Caitlyn Clark
out of the All Star Game. But way do we
tell you what happened earlier today with her Angel Reese
(32:32):
and about forty other players. That's next, right here, Jason
and Mike Fox Sports Radio, Fox Sports Radio, The Jason
Smith Show with my best friend Mike Harmon Yo a
double shot of big stories as we get set for
the w NBA All Star Game this weekend, which unfortunately,
will be played without Caitlyn Clark. The news comes out
(32:54):
today her groin injury going to keep her out of
all activities. She said she's looking forward to coaching and
helping her team win. Look, we mentioned this last night.
If she can't play, it's a huge nightmare for the WNBA.
You know, they were looking to this event to really
second time hard launch Caitlyn Clark and get all the
(33:14):
haters and the naysayers and all the jealousy people on
board to go. You see how it's her league, she's
the star. She's gonna help all of us. When you
see something like that on display in front of you
and on national TV. Okay, I think even the most
staunches of haters would say, all right, I get it,
I get this. Whatever this jealousy we had with Katelon Clark,
we have to just let it go. I understand. Now
(33:36):
everything is good and this was gonna be that event, right,
you know, back home Caitlin Clark three point contest, All
Star Game great, and now she's not even gonna play.
This is an absolute nightmare for the WNBA.
Speaker 3 (33:47):
Yeah, it's a difficult proposition where you're thinking you get
the launch on Friday from the three point shootout into Saturday.
I'm sure she would have been miked up for the
three point shootout as well, maybe get a little Clayton
Shaw kind of moment out of that, and then into
Saturday's big marquee event. It's curious because Christine Brennan, who
has a book out on Caitlyn Clark, had up on
(34:10):
our Twitter feed Jason a poll that was conducted by
the Athletic asking who will be the face of the
WNBA in five years? Now thirty nine respondents, so it
is statistically valid, but still a small percentage of players overall.
Caitlan Clark is the leader. But would you guess how
what her percentage is as the lead?
Speaker 1 (34:31):
Oh, I would say she's got to be at least
fifty percent. If there's a bunch of people, I would
say she got fifty percent of the vote.
Speaker 3 (34:39):
Fifty three point eight, okay, followed by Juju Watkins, who
will miss most of the next year off an injury.
Speaker 1 (34:47):
She's not even in the league yet people want to
vote for Juju Watkins like that? How that's the hate
of Caitlin Clark. She's not even in the league. But
I want to say Juju Watkins.
Speaker 3 (34:55):
Well, but you know, you wonder if we always love
a new shiny toy, next shiny superstar to come through pagebackers. Third,
Oh boy, hey man, Caitlin Clark's already had a four
year run at this point.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
But Caitlin Clark's already shown to be unlike any women's
basketball player in the history of the game, right, I mean.
Speaker 3 (35:17):
No, I get it. I'm just playing Devil's advocate to
page backers. Third and fourteen point one, Angel Reese at
six point four, Agent Wilson at three point eight, and
then other was three point eight percent. That was not
the most interesting tweet of the night, because I'm gonna
derail you for a brief moment here before we get
back to Caitlyn Clark Park.
Speaker 1 (35:35):
Two.
Speaker 3 (35:36):
This comes from at Spider Mitchell. Okay, just found out
Pete crow Armstrong was on the Mets. Lol, I'm sick, boy,
respond yeah, yeah, yeah, and not only that, hey, not
not only that, Spider, but yeah, I know, well you
(35:58):
were playing basketball in Utah.
Speaker 1 (36:00):
You know, we made that trade and we had Hovey
Bayaz too, who also was an All Star this year,
and we made the trade Baias for PCA and we
have neither of them now, So there's that. Yeah, well,
you know I love Spider Mitchell being a being a
Mets fan. Oh my goodness, yeah, that peek Crow guy's
getting an MVP in the national Legunna have to sit
there and watch that.
Speaker 3 (36:20):
My god, didn't you love his when he looked all
the part and then some do?
Speaker 1 (36:24):
No? No, I didn't love that at all. I don't
love anything with pekrow Armstrong. I don't love anything about it.
He's a cub.
Speaker 3 (36:29):
How much do you think I hate it? Like I'm conflicted.
Speaker 1 (36:32):
I like your misery.
Speaker 3 (36:33):
But now he's a cub.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
But you've seen good players that we gave him there.
We said, oh yeah, for a half season of hobby Bye,
here's our best prospect. Wait, what the hell are you
talking about. No one gives up their best prospect for
half a year of a guy that, hey, albe it
is pretty good. No one gives up their best prospect
for none. We'll do it.
Speaker 3 (36:50):
You see how I saw launched the second half of
the baseball season right there?
Speaker 1 (36:54):
Look at me. Now, look now before you get to
part two of Kayla Clark. Look, the thing is is
that if she can't being part of the game. She's
got to be not coaching. She's got to be on
the broadcast three point contest, on the broadcast, on the
broadcast the entire game. Right at least she gets eyeballs
to her sport more than any other star does in
(37:15):
any sport. So yeah, hey, oh, she's gonna be doing
the game one hundred. Bring her in. She needs to
be that third or fourth person. I don't know how
what kind of booth they have set up for the
for the game, but she's got to be on the
on the broadcast the entire time. It'd be nice to
see her coaching. You know, she's gonna step on the
floor and look like she's the actual coach. But uh yeah,
you got to get people the TV and her actually
(37:36):
being on the broadcast. That might get some more people.
Speaker 3 (37:38):
We've seen her out there snarky as hell. Hey, one thing,
I mean, I know she's not able to play in
the game. Can they do really quickly a makeshift competition
to where it's a passing acumen passes and stuff. I'm
trying to get her involved. Man, who's the best bounce
that she's sitting in a chair? Bounce passing hey or
(37:59):
whatever we need to do. But yeah, need to have
her on the telecast as much you can, and give
her a long leash in terms of her snark, her language,
and make sure that you're asking the hard questions about
officiating in other things.
Speaker 1 (38:12):
So, another big story involving Kaitlyn Clark and Paige Beckers
and Angel Reese. More than forty WNBA players gathered Thursday
for a meeting between the WNBA Players Association and the
league to discuss the new collective bargaining agreement. Right, it's
the largest in person player turnout in union history during
(38:32):
CBA talks. Now there was. It lasts for a couple hours,
there was no resolution. The players didn't seem thrilled. It's
the beginning of things, though, so we'll wait and see.
But what I really want to see is this. What
I really want is this. I want Caitlyn Clark, at
this meeting with all the players around it, to say, Okay,
one quick thing before you go. I want to say something,
yest Kaitlyn Clark. Go ahead, So now you all love me? Right? Oh?
(38:54):
Now you love me? Oh? But up up until today,
it's been Oh, Caitlyn is overrated Caitlyn get gets attention
that she shouldn't get. We don't like Caitlyn. We don't
like the rules here. I don't care that she got
us all the time. We don't like it. Oh but
now here comes the CBA, and Caitlyn is the most popular,
and anything you're getting in the CBA you're getting because
of Caitlyn Clark. I want to go, but now you
(39:16):
like me? Right, I'm gonna help because I want I
want things for this league. But I want you all
to look at me and go. Now you want my help?
Now you love me? Now you think I'm awesome? You
could get some people. I would look at every person
in the in the room. I'd look at Angel Reese,
I'd look at Cheryl Reeve, I look at everybody. Oh
now you like me though, right, I need you to
look at me and tell me you like me because
(39:36):
you need me right now, you need me right? Because
really that would be so fulfilled. I mean, and me
being Kaitlyn Clark, that would be so fulfilling for me
to say that to people that I know have been
the been the people that that have pushed the haters
against me since I came into the league. When all
I'm coming and doing is trying to play basketball and
grow the league and and and live my life. I'd
love for her to do that.
Speaker 3 (39:57):
The last CBA was signed janu fourteen, twenty twenty, was
supposed to be for eight years through twenty twenty seven,
and then they opted out and now they're in negotiations. Uh.
I would like just the one liner of who was
in that room? How much different is it now? Who
was there? Who was there? Who was there?
Speaker 1 (40:18):
Oh but you love me now though you didn't want
me for the Olympic TV you knew i'd be Oh,
but now you want me front and center on things right, Okay,
just got to admit that. That's all I want you to.
Just admit it. Just admit it. Exit out about a
Fresca exit Swollen Dome. The Jason Smith Show with my
best friend Mike Harbon Coming up next, my buddy Ben Malley.
You are listening to Fox Sports Radio, Matsio
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
ten pm to two am Eastern seven to eleven pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at Foxsports Radio
dot com, or stream us live every night on the
iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
If you're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Hello, Welcome inside Final hour tonight the Jason Smith Show
with my bes friend Mike Harmon. You can stream this
show all of our Fox Sports Radio shows live twenty
four to seven in the new iHeartRadio app. Just search
Fox Sports Radio in the app to stream us live.
And one of the newest features in the app, you
can select Fox Sports Radio is one of your presets,
(00:50):
just like the presets on Radio Dial, So be sure
to preset Fox Sports Radio in the iHeartRadio app. It'll
always pop up at the top of your screen. So
we'll get back into the big NBA story of the
day coming up in a few minutes. Damian Lillard, Yeah,
I guess what, going back home. I'm going home, right,
we gonna get Kyrie Irving doing I'm going home I'm coming. Yeah,
(01:14):
I know you're gonna go Ozzie with that. Now Ozzi's done?
Man not doing it?
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Well, then I have to pick up the torch, now,
don't I I love you all.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
I don't know that you do. I don't think there
was a big outcry for that. I don't. I don't
think anybody. I don't think it.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Happened more so than the bands you're trying to promote.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
I don't think what bands am I trying to promote?
Who am I trying to promote? What have I promoted?
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Just bringing up all sorts of other folks with songs
about home.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
Well, Kyrie Irvings singing the I'm Coming home to troll
Lebron thing was a pretty big deal.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Yeah, it's a long time ago. Yeah he's not playing
right now using the sage brush on his legs.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
I mean, come on, it doesn't matter. Why not it
was a long time ago. Oh okay, all right, great.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
I'm here in twenty twenty five. We just celebrate that
was less than two weeks ago.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
That's true. That that that's true. It was it was
that it was that close.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
I'm sorry to miss the conversation on that one.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Not only did you miss the Aussie show, you missed
Lee Alien night, which I really pissed that you missed it. Man,
I didn't come on, man, I.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Was planning time off, just kind of what happened.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
But when when Lee Ilio died, I was like, we
we're gonna play the rant and you and I talk
about it all the time. No, no, no, no, I'm
not gonna be on away.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
It would have been late at night, but I would
have picked up the phone.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
You can't even talk if I call you at like
two o'clock, like one o'clock in the morning on the
East Coast. I don't know what state you're in. Yeah,
who knows where you're gonna.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
Be be tired. I mean one of the days I
went and saw Superman, so that wouldn't have worked out.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
But otherwise, hang on, I'm in Superman. Let me leave
this movie right now so I could talk to you
about we.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Pause it, hang on, I gotta see what the dog
does next.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Pause the movie. I gotta I gotta go talk about
Lee eel And then then the projected projection just goes.
Eighty five percent of the people have jobs, another fifteen
percent come here to watch Superman. I hope we get
hotter than Blank, really piss him off.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
I can't stop the movie because eighty five percent these
people will have jobs they have to report to.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
So a big story out of the NFL today that
clearly shows one team just doesn't get how to build
a team in the NFL. In twenty twenty five, TJ.
Watt gets a three year, one hundred and twenty three
million dollar extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Right now, this
is the story that we thought might be coming for
a little while because TJ. Watt intimated he wanted a
(03:40):
new contract. Look, I mean TJ. Watt, one of the
most talented defensive players in the game for the better
part of the last decade, right years where he was
the best defensive player, leaves the NFL with almost seventy
five sacks in the past five years. He is terrific.
Three years, one hundred and twenty three million dollar extension,
one hundred and eight million million fully guaranteed. At signing.
(04:03):
He is now the highest paid non quarterback in NFL
history for the second time. Now he's a great player,
He's been been a great player. He's thirty years old.
Does it suddenly mean you fall off a cliff at
thirty in the NFL. No, it doesn't, because we've seen
defensive line to look Miles Garrett two as well. Hey,
I'm thirty thirty one, I still can have big years
(04:24):
and okay, I understand that, but you've decided you're okay.
And it was so important to the Steelers that he
retire a Steeler. They give him three years and one
hundred and twenty million dollars guaranteed right to take him
through his year, his age thirty three year where you
know he's going to start slowing down again. It's not
(04:45):
that he's a bad player. He's still really good. It's
not that he's not a star player. He's still really good.
But this is what shows you that the Steelers really
are stuck in a time warp and they don't know
how to win in the modern era. And by that
I mean twenty twenty five, right. It was so important
to them that TJ. Watt retire a Steeler. You know what,
That sounds great and I love that in theory, but
(05:07):
it's not nineteen ninety five.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Well, it does go to the romanticism that Mark Stein
talked about with this Last Hour.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
It is it is. But even Damian Lillard left before
he came back, right like like DJ Watt, whatever he
does after this is always going to be a Steeler,
right what he retires, they'll bring him back, They'll retire
his number. He'll go into the Hall of Fame as
a Steeler. He's a Steeler. Why is it so it's
so important it's the retire a Steeler. No, you know
what's more important? Winning bleep in football games. That's the
(05:34):
most important thing. And what the Steelers have done here again,
this is not something that exists in a vacuum. This
is the Steelers deciding that a defensive lineman who is
you know, look has been terrific. But when he's thirty
years old, we're gonna give him three years and one
hundred and twenty million. What are you going to but
the most important position on the field. We're gonna shop
(05:54):
in the bargain basement. Been for for the last few years,
trying to get by with Hey, we're what like, I
think we can make work with Russell Wilson for nothing.
We can make it work with Justin Fields for nothing.
We can make it work for Aaron Rodgers for nothing.
How about you put some resources in and figure out, Hey,
this is the quarterback we want in the draft, or
this is the guy to go getting free agency. Here,
(06:15):
this is the guy we want to go acquire in
a trade. This is how you win in the NFL.
Yet the Stealers still want to treat the quarterback position like, ah,
we can get by there. No, you get by on
the defensive line. You don't get by at quarterback. Look
at all the Super Bowl winning teams. They have great quarterbacks, right,
it's not nineteen eighty five, not nineteen seventy five. You
don't win with we have three running backs, and where's
gonna run the single wing? We throw three passes a year,
(06:37):
and we sometimes go weeks without throwing passes, like this
is how you win in the NFL. And the Steelers
have decided, no, we're gonna continue to deal with the
quarterback position like it's a necessary evil. Well, scratch the
Steelers from winning. And not only that, really they're antiquated
and they don't know how to win in the modern era.
They're kind of like the Lakers, right, Like the Lakers
for so long existing as a mom and pop operation,
(07:00):
I'll be at a very successful one, you know, monetarily was,
but still they're worried about money. They're trying to put
teams together in a way that teams aren't put together
in twenty twenty five. That's why Mark Walter buying the
team was such a big deal, because what do we
say that night, Hey, maybe now the Lakers will be
run better. Maybe now the Lakers will be good because
I know that the Lakers, this ownership group worries about
(07:22):
things that teams that win championships don't worry about. We're
worried about the first Apron, the second eight, We're worried
about this, worried about giving this guy a contract. We're
worried about upsetting Lebron James. So we allow him and
Anthony Davis to say, come on in, Russell Westbrook, which
is too him two years to get pass Like this
is how the Lakers ran things. It was antiquated. You
don't do it like that anymore. So now it's a
new beginning for the Lakers, and I feel like this
(07:45):
is what the Steelers need, like the like the Rooney
family and Omar Kahan and Mike Tollin. It's like, what
year do you guys think it is? Like I feel
like it's the end of Twin Peaks, the return when
the last line is Kyle McLachlan going, what year is this?
What year is this? I want to walk up to
these guys, go what year is this? What year is this?
Do you think that you're gonna win by saying a
(08:05):
thirty year old defensive end that, yeah, gets the quarterback
and as a team legend, we want to make sure
we give him one hundred and twenty million dollars per quarterback. Yeah,
we got Aaron Rodgers for one year and ten million,
Russell Wilson for nothing, Justin Fields for nothing, Like that's
not how you win, man, it's not. You've seen the
best of TJ. Watt, right, you've seen the best of it,
but you still want to give him money. You've seen
(08:26):
the best of Wilson and Rogers and you didn't really
give Justin Fields a chance. But you've seen the best
of these guys and still yeah, but these are the
guys are gonna go out because it's not gonna cost
us money. If they did the opposite and let TJ.
Watt walk and found a quarterback that they loved, that
they could pay that kind of money to guess what
steals be super Bowl contender as every year there whether
they have starred defensive players or not, they're a super
(08:47):
Bowl caliber team. We see them. They're a playoff team.
Everything they don't finish under five hundred, they find a way.
Mike Tomlins a great coach, but wow, building teams for
this modern era of the NFL, Like, what the hell
are they doing? And before you think, oh, just wait,
just wait, No, I watched Mike Tomlin pat himself on
the back for about six weeks last year all Russell Wilson. Yeah,
you see, I knew, I knew, I knew. No, it
turns out you didn't know what happened. He was good
(09:08):
for a little while. Then he fell off the face
of the earth and you were stuck. Right, that's what happened.
And now it's going to work for Rogers, who basically
is retired already that wants one more year for fun.
Hey I want to have one more year. Oh great.
I think the Steelers want to win. I think the
players want to win, the fans want to win, but
you go have fun, Like, I don't understand how this
passes Muster that this is the Steelers building a team
(09:30):
this way, They clearly do not know how to what
the right way to put the building blocks in to
win championships in the NFL in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
Well, one of the big parts though, to a Jason,
is that at some point you have to bottom out.
For the modern invention of things, there's not a lot
of guys going in free agency where you say, damn it,
we need to really bat down the hatches and get
every dollar available. Is Sam Darnold that guy for you
two years ago? He was a you know, a journeyman,
(09:59):
bouncing around trying to get the stink of the Jets
off him justin fields. Okay, fine, now he's got the
stink of the Jets on him. Russell Wilson is part
of a three man battle for the New York Football Giants.
Who else was out there?
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Right?
Speaker 3 (10:13):
I mean, you got the Kirk Cousins.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
You know that.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
It's always break glass case of emergency. He obviously doesn't
want to be in Atlanta. Eventually, they'd love to extricate
him from the situation as well. But free agency quarterbacking generally,
if a guy's out there cause he's done. There are
very few outlier situations where that is so we need
our thrower, we need our attacker, and we need our protector,
So go build your offensive line. Steelers are usually pretty
(10:38):
good at that. You had your attacker in house in TJ. Watt,
so you pay him the king's ransom. But until you're
willing to just say, you know what, we really need
to suck for a year or two. So all of
these high priced guys, you know, the good ones have
to go so we finally can draft up top. It's
never gonna change. You just gonna keep treading treading water.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
And I love that though, but it's it's a little
bit more than treading water. Like every year they come in,
Hey we can be a playoff team, maybe we can
go far. Now they know you're treading water, but you
and I have never expected at ten and seven, I'd
love to tread water. I tread water at five and twelve,
Like that's where that's where my water, but that's where
your water level is.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
I'm saying, you know, we're now into the deep end
of where you're in theory playing for substantive things, but
legitimately knowing we're playing meaningful football. In December, we may
get a January date on the calendar. But are we
really expecting to go any further. No, but the regular
season we're gonna get to celebrate with chicken or whatever.
The confections are a Promonte Brothers sandwich on a Monday
(11:44):
because we won. But what does it really gotten you?
Low these many years?
Speaker 1 (11:49):
All right? But if you're the Steelers, it's a little
bit different because the Steelers you're a destination, right, You're
a destination. You should Mike Tomlin is a guy that
players love to come play for. He's strict but fair,
also a player's coach, like he's been new school old
school since he took over, you know, all those years ago.
The Steelers are They've always been a destination, right, They've
always been And I know that it's really you know,
(12:10):
it's anti their philosophy. And this is another reason why
the Steelers are completely outdated. Yeah, they don't usually go
crazy in free agency, right, they like to build through
the draft. But this is how you've got to do
it in the NFL, man, I mean, you have to.
It should be not it shouldn't be that difficult for
the Steelers to go get a quarterback, whether you know,
however you feel about Kirk Cousins or somebody else or
(12:33):
Sam darl It shouldn't be that difficult for them to
find a guy that to want to come and take
their money to come play in Pittsburgh. It's it's one
thing for the Jets. They to go and tell Justin Fields, hey,
do come up. We'll give you forty million dollars. What
else are you gonna do? All right, fine, I'll go
all right. It's one thing for some of those teams,
the bottom feed are teams to do it. But the
Steelers it should be a little bit easier. But it
just doesn't seem like they have any interest. They're never
(12:53):
linked to a quarterback. There's never any there's never any
thought that, hey, here's a big guy, and this is
you're talking about three four years now out what's going on?
And still they're trying to get by on the cheap
with it. Like eventually you have to, don't You have
to get hit by that bolt of lightning that tells you, hey,
this ain't working. We got we got to take a
look and see how other teams succeed in the NFL. Oh,
they go out and get quarterbacks. Whish I had known that. Unbelievable,
(13:18):
but on.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
The grand scale, redefine yourself. Are you well, you haven't
gotten to your your AFC title games at all. There's
not a whole lot of winning outside of guy's name,
homes or run around in Philadelphia in terms of the
ultimate prize? So how much worse are you? And again,
I'd love to live the life of a Wait, we
went ten and seven or eleven and six, Yeah, pretty
(13:41):
good year. I don't know those days. I'm a Bears guy,
you're a Jets guy. That doesn't happen. So I don't
know what it's like to say, you know, because the
ultimate winning, it's been very few squads like are there
sexier moments and sexier quarterbacks running around? Sure, watching Josh
Allen or Lamar Jack Joe Burrow quarnerback for your team. Sure,
(14:02):
they had a lot of votes and confidence and every
possession is a potential scoring possession, unlike most of the NFL.
But in the end one and they won.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
All right, But but by and large though, But think
about this low every year, Yes, you're right, not many
teams get into win. But every year when you say okay,
you come into it. Any year in the NFL, Pittsburgh
Steelers Oh, they're pretty good. If things fall right, maybe
they can get to the super Bowl. Like they're one
of those teams. Right. You don't say that about the Browns.
You don't say that about the Titans or the Jaguars
(14:34):
or the Colts or the Texans or the Dolphins or
the Raiders. No, but the Steelers are because they're always
good there. Hey, hey, you know, if things fall right,
they could be this team. So they have an advantage
over so many teams already that going into the season, Yeah,
they're above everybody else. Why not. We've seen the Steelers
go far, but yet now it's like they've made these
conscious decisions to go the opposite way of what schedule's winning. Right,
(14:58):
if the Jets did what the Steelers did, right, let's
just say this, say the Jets this offseason, all right,
what are we gonna do? Oh, we don't know what
we're gonna do it? And know we're gonna do. Say
Aaron Rodgers went and had two bad years someplace else, right,
he went to the Giants and had two bad years
with the Giants. Okay, And the Jets had choice in
this offseason. What are we gonna do? Do we do?
We go after quarter what do we do? And instead
(15:21):
they slow play it the entire time. They don't go
after any quarterback, and they sign Aaron Rodgers after a disappointing,
injury filled last couple of years of the Giants. And
then two months after that they decide, oh, hey, uh,
here's one of our stars who's thirty years old. We're
gonna give you Quentin Williams. Here. Now here's here's one
hundred and fifty million dollars. Wait, wait a minute, so
(15:42):
you gave a You gave a twenty eight year old
defensive lineman a five year contract extension and one hundred
and seventy five million dollars and the quarterback you signed
off the scrap people like it? Would it would be
a completely different reaction, which would be the right one.
What are you doing? You need a quarterback? You don't
need to give all this kind of money to defensive lineman.
But the Steelers. Steelers have an advantage over everybody, and
(16:04):
still they find a way to say no, no, no, no, no,
We're gonna act like it's nineteen eighty seven.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
But again, would I rather have an extension for DJ
Watt or for them to throw a ton of money
at Sam Donald.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Well, I know if Arthur Smith as my OC. Mind you,
I know how this is gonna end with what they
have now. I don't know how that's gonna end with
Sam Darnold. If Donald comes in. Maybe Donald's good. Maybe
Donald stinks right, Okay, maybe he does. But I know
it's gonna end this year with Rogers, who's gonna be
okay for a few weeks but doesn't want to get
hit and throws off his back foot and he's gonna
(16:36):
throw early to receivers and he doesn't quite have the
weapons that he was used to last year. Like, I
know how this is gonna end. But with Donald or
somebody else at quarterback, I don't know. Maybe it ends differently,
but I know how this goes exactly. I know this guy.
This goes nine to eight eight nine something like that. Maybe,
And we're watching Will Howard play quarterback in December. Oh,
by the way, thanks for stealing our take, Mike Tannebaum.
(16:58):
Our information is free.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
Look at you now, you're on the Will Howard bandwagon.
By cards?
Speaker 1 (17:05):
Just no, we're how many guys do we When we
mentioned somebody on a show, do you go out and
buy their cards? I don't say I know what you do,
though I feel like you do.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
Oh no, there are some guys that certainly there's.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Did you go out by Roy Green a football card today?
Since we talked about him?
Speaker 3 (17:23):
You know what, I did sort through an old box
of cards, and I did have a couple of Roy Green's.
I didn't and buy them specifically, but yes they're there
the Rich Menagerie. There's a Michael B. Jordan autograph, you know,
part of creed card and whatever.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
You know, it's it's good, all right.
Speaker 3 (17:41):
And then there's a Roy Green.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
The Exit up about a Fresca exit swollen dome. Jason
Smith Mike Harmon Coming up next, we get back into
the big shocking story out of the NBA today, Right here,
Jason Mike.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
Hey it's me Rob Parker.
Speaker 4 (18:07):
Check out my weekly MLB podcast, Inside the Parker for
twenty two minutes of piping hot faceball talk featuring the
biggest names of newsmakers in the sport. Whether you believe
in analytics, or The I Test. We've got all the
bases covered. New episodes dropped every Thursday, So do your
solfa favor and listen to Inside the Parker with Rob
(18:29):
Parker on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
Fox Sports Radio, the Jason Smith Show with my best
friend Mike Harmon. One word was being thrown around all
day today, Mike Carmon, when in regard to the Damian
Lillard story.
Speaker 3 (18:47):
Oh, okay, because I had another guy that had a
tweet about you know, guy that you're familiar with from
your past. So we'll get that in a bit.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
And the word is why Damian Lillard. We thought it
was going to be a year before he picked his
new team, right, you know, he suffers the torn achilles
after coming back from the blood clot and he's gonna
be out all year. The Bucks buy him out for
one hundred and thirteen million dollars and okay, it's great
to be bought out for that kind of money. Sure,
And the narrative was, and the story was that now Lillard,
(19:19):
who always loved Portland, his family is there, his kids there,
everybody's there. He's gonna get to go back to Portland
and rehab and then take his time picking his new team.
And that's out the window because Lillard picked us new
team today and he is going back to Portland three
years and forty two million dollars. And the big thing
I heard was why he's not gonna play this year? So, yes,
(19:44):
it's it doesn't seem like it's a lot of money,
but one year is a free year, right because he's
gonna rehab and get paid thirteen million dollars. Right again,
he's got a lot of money coming, you know, getting
bought out in this thing. But why would he go
back there. He's not going to win. Portland is not
made to win. Looking at Damian Lillard and I can
easily answer the question is why. You know, Rick Buker
(20:06):
and I have had this conversation off and on for
a long time about how there's many stars in the
NBA that enjoy the lifestyle and enjoy being stars and
enjoy playing and give their all and try to win
and leave it all on the court, but the ultimate
goal of winning at all, winning championships is not what
drives them, right, And it's why we talk about Kobe
(20:30):
and Lebron and Shaq and Steph Curry and Kevin Durant,
guys who you know are judged by winning championships and
getting the NBA Finals, because that's what we see as fans.
We all want our teams to win, and we recognize
the players that we know, Hey, these are stars that
are gonna get us there. These are stars that are
absolutely wrapped up in winning, and they're about at twenty
(20:54):
four to seven. Damian Lillard is not one of those guys. Right.
He was happy in Portland for the vast majority of
his career. He was happy putting up fifty on an
odd Wednesday night and would make a lot of news
on social media. We would talk about it because he's
hitting shots from the logo and Dami loand we would
say all the time, boy, you gotta get out of Portland.
(21:15):
Go someplace else. Right, fans would all say the same thing.
Not reinventing the wheel, it was, hey, boy, Damie Lillard
on the heat, Damie Lillard on the Bucks would be
a phenomenal thing. He could go win and really, you know,
check that box off his resume, or here's a guy
who's been a star for a long time, loyal to
his team. Would be great. To see him go someplace.
Everybody would understand that he would have to go because
(21:37):
you want to win, right, You're playing in the NBA
to win. Finally, I don't know if we pushed him,
everybody pushed him at that point. But okay, he finally
left Portland, right, was okay with going to the Bucks
now not his first choice. Wanted to go to Miami,
didn't work out. Wound up with the Bucks. Not the
worst place in the world to play alongside Giannis, but
it didn't work. It didn't work, and he got hurt,
and now the Bucks are moving on and he decides,
(21:59):
I'm going back to Portland. Never in my life have
I seen Damian Lillar play a game and say, the
guy's taking it easy. He's loafing, right. He leaves it
all on the court. He goes out there like you
see him. But certain players want to win and are
driven singularly by that focus. Right. I keep going back
to Kobe because he was that guy coming into the NBA.
(22:22):
Lillard's a guy. Yeah. Does he go out and try
to win every game? Absolutely? Do you see him leave
it all in the court, Yeah, But ultimately winning and
winning championships, that's not what makes him happy. He's one
of those full circle I have a life, I want,
I have a team I like playing for. I try
to win every bleep in game, but if I don't,
I don't and I still come out with the same
(22:43):
energy the next game and try to win. I still
love playing the game. I still love doing what I do.
But I'm not that guy that's going to look to
say I'm gonna take less money so I can go
join up here to win a championship. He's just not
built that way. And you know what, honestly, that's okay.
It's okay for a guy to be that way. And
you know there's certain players where you could tell, okay,
they're not they're not built like like even like Damian Lillard,
(23:07):
where I just want to get paid. I enjoy the lifestyle.
I enjoy coming out and playing, but really, some nights
I take off. You know, I'll take a night off
here and there when I feel like it. I'm just
I'm just not someone that's so wrapped up and winning.
I like the life I have. I like what's going
I like what's going on. But even that part, I'm not. No, No,
Lillard wants to win He's just not that next level
(23:27):
guy that the fans all want him to be. We
wanted to be someone that, Hey, anything I can do
to win a championship. I see the sand running through
the hourglass in my NBA career. I want to know
he's not that way right, still out, still out playing great,
playing for a team I want to play for, given
my all. I like the family situation. I have the
guys figured out life, and you know what, that's okay.
(23:48):
You know, sometimes fans want to win, want to do
anything to win more than players doing. It doesn't mean
that Lillard's not doing his best. It's just it's not.
Lillard's not singularly pushed by that. And there's lots of
players in the NBA that are like that. It's why
not everybody wants to stop what they're doing and rip
up my contract and I want to go play in
New York or I want to go play in Boston,
I want to go play in Oklahoma City. Not everybody
(24:10):
is that way, And I think as fans have to
understand that it's okay for players to be that way
as long as they're leaving it all on the court.
It's an okay thing. It's different from what we want,
but it's an okay thing to see.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
Some of it comes back to the Scheffler comment Terry
that we did yesterday. You can find that podcast wherever
you download your audio, download and give it five stars.
We'll love you forever. Send it to your friends and family, evangelize,
and then send it a second time to make sure
they got it and get the confirmation. All of that
to say that people approach their jobs their vocations, no
(24:44):
matter what they are, what their pay scale is, for
a variety of reasons, and it changes over time. Right,
Damian Lillard now is in those final few years highly compensated, absolutely,
but came into the league in twenty twelve, and maybe
he's found some piece of it, like I want to
win my way after going to Milwaukee and it not
working right. And maybe Yiannis and we joked about this
(25:06):
over the course of the night of maybe jannest kind
of even though he signed his deal, might have said,
I don't think I'm coming back, and I might be
gone by time you hit the court again, so maybe
you look to other options. Maybe that's part of it.
I only say that half in Jess, but it's the
different levels of your career, right, you got young children,
you got motivations here here here kids are a little
(25:28):
bit older schools and whatever. You're you're checking other boxes
for yourself. Ambition changes over time versus complacency versus recognizing, hey,
you're pretty good at where you are and that's a
good place to be. To the I'm just holding on
to whatever, whether it's you know, you've got a pension
that's in the balance based on getting to a certain
(25:50):
number of years. I've got plenty of friends that are
teachers and administrators and cite the different difficulties they've got
going on with, you know, their local school board and
funds and classroom size, whatever else, whatever you do out
there for a living. They you know, apply to your
job as as you will. But you're looking at it going,
I need to do X number of years until I'm
(26:11):
fully vested, then I can go do what i want
to do.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
Right.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
People have their different motivations. For Damian Lillard, I think
some of this becomes the comfort where his family is,
where his kids are, uh certainly, uh, the familiarity of
the the town, and maybe just being a guy that
missed what he had and you know, you don't know
what you got till it's gone. And as much as
(26:35):
he might have been upset that it wasn't built to
his liking in Portland for those years in the past,
that you realize that maybe that wasn't gonna be the case,
and chasing is not who he is right cause other
guys might be, Hey, I'm gonna bounce around and I'm
gonna find championship rings the rest of it, be damned,
whatever that cost may be. And to some level, without
(26:56):
talking to him, reading the tea leaves that's kind of
where he's at right comfortable with what his history is
as a player. And if he goes on the list
of best and never, man, that's a better list sometimes
than being a guy that you know just kind of
stumbled into one when you're not the catalyst of it.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
I feel bad. I feel like we. When I say we,
I mean fans, like we pushed him to go right,
Like I don't know that was just it, but dude,
you should go. You gotta go, man, Milwaukee's gonna be great.
And it didn't work like I thought, Oh, the guy
really didn't want to go out, but it don't.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
But there were the reports he wanted to go to Miami.
And look, we talked about it at the time, how
much was real how much imagine how much is coming
out of his camp or stuff that's just being planted
or whatever, to try to force the issue in terms
of how much he really, ever really wanted to leave
Portland because he was going through a lot of personal
stuff at that point.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
Mm hmm.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
So like, you know, that can't be discounted in all
of this, right because you have the different stages of
your life, family, kids and whatever else that that come
into play. Some guys compartmentalize it, and women in their
jobs differently than others. It's like we talk about when
you go through things, sometimes you can buck up and smile.
Some days it's the you know, traffic was just a
(28:07):
little too much and that was the thing that pushed
me over. You don't know, I may or may not
be talking from my own personal experience. I don't know sure,
but it's just that kind of thing where you know,
the old adage of you never know what folks are
going through, and certainly for athletes at that level, you know,
we do our best armchair psychology on a night to
(28:29):
night basis. Look in the end, as long as the
guy's back and he's happy. He got himself a nice
pile of cash from the Bucks, pretty decent rate from
the Blazers, even though he's not even gonna play one
of those years.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:43):
Oh, and he's still gonna be hit making money from
the Bucks. So in the end, he got the best
of both worlds.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
All right.
Speaker 3 (28:49):
I don't think I'm winning in Milwaukee. I'm not happy here.
I can go home and I get to keep all
the cash. Yeah, I mean because Boats said, hey, you know,
he get back. But whatever it was like thirteen well,
beal was like thirteen million. You got the details on
this one. It's like what's the price of your peace
of mind?
Speaker 1 (29:10):
Right?
Speaker 3 (29:10):
That's the ultimate thing, and each person has to answer
that for themselves.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
Exit out bout a Fresca, Exit swollen down the Jason
Smith Show with my best friend Mike carmon time how
to find out what's trending in the wide world of
sports for Martin Weiss and what do you got for us? Tonight,
my friend.
Speaker 5 (29:25):
NFLPA executive director Lloyd how Will announced he'll be stepping
down from the position, stating, quote, it's clear my leadership
has become a distraction. This is a mid reports that
Howell played a part in hiding a collusion ruling centered
around guaranteed contracts, and how also has a conflict of
interest with private equity groups that have been approved to
buy minority stakes in NFL teams. Howell only held the
(29:48):
position for just over two years and reportedly resigned by
his own decision. More than forty WNBA players gathered for
a meeting between the WNBA and the Players Association on
that side of the labor table, the biggest in person
player turnout in union history. As the WNBA All Star
Games approaching, it's the first in person meeting to about
this CBA. The two sides left with no resolution, but
(30:10):
that was to be expected. Clayton Clark is going to
miss the three Point Contest, an All Star Game, with
that groin injury she suffered on Tuesday against the Sun
and her statement, though Clark did say she would be
present for all of the action. Nine time NBA All
Star Damian Lillard finalizing a three year, forty two million
dollar contract, a return to the Trailblazers deal expected to
(30:30):
contain a player option.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
TJ.
Speaker 5 (30:32):
Watt, the highest paid non quarterback in the NFL history
for the second time in his career today. This time
it was a three year, one hundred and twenty three
million dollar extension that includes one hundred and eight fully
guaranteed at signing forty one million of that per year
is forty one million per year. Is the have is
that that's that highest average annual value. At the Open,
(30:53):
there's a five way tie at the top of the
leader board that includes Matt Fitzpatrick Harris English all four
under par. Scottish Scheffler is one shot back, and Roy
McElroy and did three shots back, Phil Mickelson. Philmokson as
a one under seventy for his best opening round. And
I'm sorry in the Open Championships is twenty sixteen, and
(31:14):
it looks like these some of these guys are just
getting ready to tee off the first group here.
Speaker 1 (31:20):
It's great, Martin. We have lot we have I mean
we it's the seventh round of the Open Championship on
the air, like it's on while we're going on.
Speaker 5 (31:27):
It's it's the best because it's like it's actual, like
you know, things that we'll talk about here as opposed
to like Korean baseball.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
You know, like, did you like.
Speaker 3 (31:36):
The bunt alternative to a home run derby as the
Korean League did see?
Speaker 5 (31:43):
Unfortunately it didn't hit my news feed.
Speaker 3 (31:47):
I have to be honest, Save Smith full Harmon nerddom
on this play.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
Hey, I was I was waiting for Martin to say,
Unfortunately I lost a lot of money on that South
Korea bunt derby.
Speaker 3 (31:58):
My newsfeed goes deep, rowdy tiles.
Speaker 5 (32:02):
Okay, yeah, it looks like you'll be joining the Rangers
in the next In the shortly he as a team
breaks after the break back to you.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
Guys, that is the deep news feed of Martin Wise
right there, Thanks a lot, buddy appreciated. My friend Jason
Smith Mike Harmon Live from the Fox Sports Radio Studios.
Coming up next, a big double shot of Caitlyn Clark
out of the All Star Game. But way do we
tell you what happened earlier today with her Angel Reese
(32:32):
and about forty other players. That's next, right here, Jason
and Mike Fox Sports Radio, Fox Sports Radio, The Jason
Smith Show with my best friend Mike Harmon Yo a
double shot of big stories as we get set for
the w NBA All Star Game this weekend, which unfortunately,
will be played without Caitlyn Clark. The news comes out
(32:54):
today her groin injury going to keep her out of
all activities. She said she's looking forward to coaching and
helping her team win. Look, we mentioned this last night.
If she can't play, it's a huge nightmare for the WNBA.
You know, they were looking to this event to really
second time hard launch Caitlyn Clark and get all the
(33:14):
haters and the naysayers and all the jealousy people on
board to go. You see how it's her league, she's
the star. She's gonna help all of us. When you
see something like that on display in front of you
and on national TV. Okay, I think even the most
staunches of haters would say, all right, I get it,
I get this. Whatever this jealousy we had with Katelon Clark,
we have to just let it go. I understand. Now
(33:36):
everything is good and this was gonna be that event, right,
you know, back home Caitlin Clark three point contest, All
Star Game great, and now she's not even gonna play.
This is an absolute nightmare for the WNBA.
Speaker 3 (33:47):
Yeah, it's a difficult proposition where you're thinking you get
the launch on Friday from the three point shootout into Saturday.
I'm sure she would have been miked up for the
three point shootout as well, maybe get a little Clayton
Shaw kind of moment out of that, and then into
Saturday's big marquee event. It's curious because Christine Brennan, who
has a book out on Caitlyn Clark, had up on
(34:10):
our Twitter feed Jason a poll that was conducted by
the Athletic asking who will be the face of the
WNBA in five years? Now thirty nine respondents, so it
is statistically valid, but still a small percentage of players overall.
Caitlan Clark is the leader. But would you guess how
what her percentage is as the lead?
Speaker 1 (34:31):
Oh, I would say she's got to be at least
fifty percent. If there's a bunch of people, I would
say she got fifty percent of the vote.
Speaker 3 (34:39):
Fifty three point eight, okay, followed by Juju Watkins, who
will miss most of the next year off an injury.
Speaker 1 (34:47):
She's not even in the league yet people want to
vote for Juju Watkins like that? How that's the hate
of Caitlin Clark. She's not even in the league. But
I want to say Juju Watkins.
Speaker 3 (34:55):
Well, but you know, you wonder if we always love
a new shiny toy, next shiny superstar to come through pagebackers. Third,
Oh boy, hey man, Caitlin Clark's already had a four
year run at this point.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
But Caitlin Clark's already shown to be unlike any women's
basketball player in the history of the game, right, I mean.
Speaker 3 (35:17):
No, I get it. I'm just playing Devil's advocate to
page backers. Third and fourteen point one, Angel Reese at
six point four, Agent Wilson at three point eight, and
then other was three point eight percent. That was not
the most interesting tweet of the night, because I'm gonna
derail you for a brief moment here before we get
back to Caitlyn Clark Park.
Speaker 1 (35:35):
Two.
Speaker 3 (35:36):
This comes from at Spider Mitchell. Okay, just found out
Pete crow Armstrong was on the Mets. Lol, I'm sick, boy,
respond yeah, yeah, yeah, and not only that, hey, not
not only that, Spider, but yeah, I know, well you
(35:58):
were playing basketball in Utah.
Speaker 1 (36:00):
You know, we made that trade and we had Hovey
Bayaz too, who also was an All Star this year,
and we made the trade Baias for PCA and we
have neither of them now, So there's that. Yeah, well,
you know I love Spider Mitchell being a being a
Mets fan. Oh my goodness, yeah, that peek Crow guy's
getting an MVP in the national Legunna have to sit
there and watch that.
Speaker 3 (36:20):
My god, didn't you love his when he looked all
the part and then some do?
Speaker 1 (36:24):
No? No, I didn't love that at all. I don't
love anything with pekrow Armstrong. I don't love anything about it.
He's a cub.
Speaker 3 (36:29):
How much do you think I hate it? Like I'm conflicted.
Speaker 1 (36:32):
I like your misery.
Speaker 3 (36:33):
But now he's a cub.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
But you've seen good players that we gave him there.
We said, oh yeah, for a half season of hobby Bye,
here's our best prospect. Wait, what the hell are you
talking about. No one gives up their best prospect for
half a year of a guy that, hey, albe it
is pretty good. No one gives up their best prospect
for none. We'll do it.
Speaker 3 (36:50):
You see how I saw launched the second half of
the baseball season right there?
Speaker 1 (36:54):
Look at me. Now, look now before you get to
part two of Kayla Clark. Look, the thing is is
that if she can't being part of the game. She's
got to be not coaching. She's got to be on
the broadcast three point contest, on the broadcast, on the
broadcast the entire game. Right at least she gets eyeballs
to her sport more than any other star does in
(37:15):
any sport. So yeah, hey, oh, she's gonna be doing
the game one hundred. Bring her in. She needs to
be that third or fourth person. I don't know how
what kind of booth they have set up for the
for the game, but she's got to be on the
on the broadcast the entire time. It'd be nice to
see her coaching. You know, she's gonna step on the
floor and look like she's the actual coach. But uh yeah,
you got to get people the TV and her actually
(37:36):
being on the broadcast. That might get some more people.
Speaker 3 (37:38):
We've seen her out there snarky as hell. Hey, one thing,
I mean, I know she's not able to play in
the game. Can they do really quickly a makeshift competition
to where it's a passing acumen passes and stuff. I'm
trying to get her involved. Man, who's the best bounce
that she's sitting in a chair? Bounce passing hey or
(37:59):
whatever we need to do. But yeah, need to have
her on the telecast as much you can, and give
her a long leash in terms of her snark, her language,
and make sure that you're asking the hard questions about
officiating in other things.
Speaker 1 (38:12):
So, another big story involving Kaitlyn Clark and Paige Beckers
and Angel Reese. More than forty WNBA players gathered Thursday
for a meeting between the WNBA Players Association and the
league to discuss the new collective bargaining agreement. Right, it's
the largest in person player turnout in union history during
(38:32):
CBA talks. Now there was. It lasts for a couple hours,
there was no resolution. The players didn't seem thrilled. It's
the beginning of things, though, so we'll wait and see.
But what I really want to see is this. What
I really want is this. I want Caitlyn Clark, at
this meeting with all the players around it, to say, Okay,
one quick thing before you go. I want to say something,
yest Kaitlyn Clark. Go ahead, So now you all love me? Right? Oh?
(38:54):
Now you love me? Oh? But up up until today,
it's been Oh, Caitlyn is overrated Caitlyn get gets attention
that she shouldn't get. We don't like Caitlyn. We don't
like the rules here. I don't care that she got
us all the time. We don't like it. Oh but
now here comes the CBA, and Caitlyn is the most popular,
and anything you're getting in the CBA you're getting because
of Caitlyn Clark. I want to go, but now you
(39:16):
like me? Right, I'm gonna help because I want I
want things for this league. But I want you all
to look at me and go. Now you want my help?
Now you love me? Now you think I'm awesome? You
could get some people. I would look at every person
in the in the room. I'd look at Angel Reese,
I'd look at Cheryl Reeve, I look at everybody. Oh
now you like me though, right, I need you to
look at me and tell me you like me because
(39:36):
you need me right now, you need me right? Because
really that would be so fulfilled. I mean, and me
being Kaitlyn Clark, that would be so fulfilling for me
to say that to people that I know have been
the been the people that that have pushed the haters
against me since I came into the league. When all
I'm coming and doing is trying to play basketball and
grow the league and and and live my life. I'd
love for her to do that.
Speaker 3 (39:57):
The last CBA was signed janu fourteen, twenty twenty, was
supposed to be for eight years through twenty twenty seven,
and then they opted out and now they're in negotiations. Uh.
I would like just the one liner of who was
in that room? How much different is it now? Who
was there? Who was there? Who was there?
Speaker 1 (40:18):
Oh but you love me now though you didn't want
me for the Olympic TV you knew i'd be Oh,
but now you want me front and center on things right, Okay,
just got to admit that. That's all I want you to.
Just admit it. Just admit it. Exit out about a
Fresca exit Swollen Dome. The Jason Smith Show with my
best friend Mike Harbon Coming up next, my buddy Ben Malley.
You are listening to Fox Sports Radio, Matsio
Hosts And Creators
Jason Smith
Mike Harmon
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