We Need A "Walk This Way" Moment

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
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(00:24):
listening to Fox Sports Radio. Greetings and welcome inside The
Jason Smith Show with Mike Carmen. I normally say Happy Monday,
Happy Tuesday, Happy Wednesday, but I ain't gonna lie to you, uh,
the last few days and what continues to develop in
our country now, I I don't know is uh. I

(00:49):
can keep saying I'm shocked, I'm surprised, but then the
more things happen, can you really say you're shocked and surprised?
It really really is an insane time right now, and
you know, going through the last couple of days and
we'll we'll get to a big story involving the Knicks.
Oh boy, yeah, coming up in a couple of seconds,
coming off this, but the death of George Floyd and

(01:12):
the protests that have been rampant across the country. The
last couple of couple of days, I'm gonna tell you
what we can do and what the best thing you
can do to get involved to do things, because this
is something that Look, our country is in flames right now, okay,
and you know here in Los Angeles, this is the
third night that we're under curfew. And and the alert

(01:34):
comes on my phone the six o'clock curfew, and then
the alert comes it's a five o'clock curfew. And then
the alert comes curfew now four o'clock curfew, three nights
in a row. I I drove out today to go
get lunch. I went to Burger King and uh, I
go by and it's to see Ross and Target boarded
up because they don't want anybody to come and loot

(01:57):
their businesses. These are dark and strange times, indeed, and
it is hard to talk about baseball negotiations and NBA
resuming the season, but that is our business, and that
is what we're gonna do on the show tonight. But
we're also going to talk about this because when when
you turn on your TV, and no matter where you go,
it is protests, and it's violence, and it's police firing

(02:21):
bullets at at protesters and it's looters who are stealing
cheesecakes from cheesecake factory. Uh. You know seeing the grove
ransacked over the course of this weekend. U MA all
I go to probably five or six times a year. Um,
my favorite deli that I like to go get sandwiches
from was ransacked today justin Frostburg. Our producer had to

(02:42):
leave where he lives in Los Angeles because they were
worried about the rioting. People are shooting the media. I
mean you're seeing the media said here, look, I got
hit with this rubber bullets. Stop shooting people. Let's stop
shooting people. Can we just have that the first thing.
Can we stop shooting people? That's the number one thing.
But I want to talk about two things because there's
two solutions for this because what we're hearing the last

(03:04):
few days is about is about how how we shouldn't
stand for this, and we shouldn't this is the United
States America, this is I can't believe this is us.
And there are two things that I can tell you
what to do you want if if if we are
fed up and we want to do stuff going forward,
there are two things to do Number one is vote

(03:26):
and number two is get involved. And when I say vote,
I mean vote locally. Vote in your local elections. That's
where most of the government is. Make sure you vote
for governor, make sure you vote for sheriff, make sure
you vote for district attorney, make sure you vote for
school board. Get out and vote and know who is
making the decisions for your community. All right. That that

(03:48):
that they always tell you in the government, right you
when when you you think your district, your county, your city,
your state, and you move up from there. So if
you don't like what's happening, and look can any of
us say we do, make sure you vote. Make sure
you know everything about the people that are running for
different positions, different officials. Make sure you go and vote,

(04:09):
and if you don't like the way things are going,
vote that and change it. Go out and vote. The
other thing is get involved. Get involved, whether it is
going out and getting involved in politics yourself, getting involved
in a good cause that is trying to help a
watchdog company, a a a group of people that are
trying to help and and and and bring food to people.

(04:32):
Whatever it is, whatever it is that you can do
to make a difference. That you want to get involved
at because you want everything to get better because we're
all in this together. Those are the two biggest things
we can go do, all right. It's it's it's great
to say to break your silence, right, That's been the
big thing the last couple of days has been you
don't be silent, and and of course you say, listen,

(04:53):
I don't like it, but sometimes we gotta go past words.
And those are the two things I can tell you
from my near of the years on this planet, the
two things that work all Hey, we don't you want
to see how things are going, you vote, or you
get involved and you do something. You do something in
your community. You do something to help help help your neighbors,
help the people in the city you live in. Those

(05:14):
are the two biggest things to do. And if you
can do one of those things, you are helping solve
the issues and moving things forward, because where we're at
right now, it's just we're so divided that the only
way we get through this is we get through it together.
And no matter what, you know, we're all in this.
No matter what you there may be people you don't like.
They may not like you for whatever reason. You you're

(05:36):
you know, politically or personally, whatever it is. But when
we are fighting things like when we have racism being
as as high as it is right now, we have
to come together that we're all in this. We're all
in this big ball for however many years we have,
and if we don't do it together, it's simply not
gonna get done. And we have to put aside differences
and say, Okay, what's gonna make us better as society,

(05:58):
as a as a people. And this is how we
go for But those are the two biggest things I
can tell you right there. Get involved locally, vote, get involved.
Those are the things to do, uh Steve to say,
are not exactly how I think you envisioned the beginning
of the show, but that's life, man. But this is
this is what it's been the last few days. I
every time you turn the TV on or you you
see something, you shake your head and go, oh my goodness,

(06:20):
is I just want to wake up from this? Somebody
asked me is this going to continue on Monday? And
I said, well, we don't have normal Mondays with school
and work, so why wouldn't it continue Monday? Even setting
the anger aside, and you know, when you said I
can't believe this is us. It reminds me if I
think it was the Atlanta there that said we're better
than this, and that's a sentiment that I think most
of us would agree with. But it does remind me

(06:43):
of a sports analogy of how many times have we
heard a coach with a losing record say, oh, we're
a lot better than our record, and what do we say, No,
you are exactly what your record is. And frankly, some
of what's happening out there that is so reprehensible, that's
our record of the past. Yeah, you know, I see
when you said that sports analogy, I'm thinking the quarterback

(07:03):
that throws too many interceptions and at the end of
the day takes place and I shouldn't have thrown those
amind me all those pics. Okay, it's nice you're admitting it,
but stop throwing interceptions. You we're losing all these games.
You through three last week, he got to this week.
He stopped throwing interceptions. But that's I mean, that's really
where we're at right now. And I'll tell you that,
you know, drive, when I saw Ross, you know, Dress

(07:24):
for Less's Dress for Less stories, I saw yeah, and
I thought you were talking about friends. Now. When I
saw Ross, he says, we're on a break. Now. When
I saw Jim Ross said, oh my god, it's Pete Rose. Uh.
You know, when I see Ross boarded up, I was just, oh,
my goodness. I I couldn't believe at today was yeah,

(07:45):
it was. And and you know, and now in Van nine,
which is a suburb right outside here in l A,
I was at least heartened to see that the police
that were in Van nine are stepping up and standing
in front of local businesses and they were stopping local
businesses from being loot all right, awesome that is, you
know that that seemed like, you know, to see that
bit of a beacon that that we can actually do

(08:07):
things and and and hopefully stop the backsliding, because that's
kind of where we're at right now. I feel like
the backsliding continues, and you know, at some point we
gotta hit rock bottom and start to dig out from it.
I would, and that's a good way to put it.
It will be rock bottom. Some of what we're seeing
is rock bottom Van Eyes, not far as you know
from our studios. So I couldn't take surface streets through
van eyes to get here for the show tonight. I

(08:28):
will say that USC located in downtown l A. I
can actually applaud them for the new Athletic director taking
the swift action today saying quote racism and hate speech
will not be tolerated. So they revoked the season tickets
of one of their Trojan Athletic from members because of
quote abhorrent and blatantly racist tweets over the weekend. Eternally,

(08:51):
Attorney Marla Brown, a USC alum on a sense deleted
Twitter account, had suggested over the weekend that protest stars
and looters should be shot, etcetera us action the Jason
Smiths with Mike Carmen Steve de Sager in from Mike tonight.
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(09:33):
Auto Zone. Now, somehow this winds up getting to the Knicks,
because this story that has just broken in the course
of the past hour is just absolutely insane, and honestly,
I wonder if this is going to be the final straw,
and because I don't know that James Dolan can own
the Knicks after this story gets out. Pablo Tory of

(09:53):
ESPN put this out. He got a copy of the
email that Knicks owner Jim Dolan sent to MSG employees
defending the organization's decision to stay silent after the death
of George Floyd after the killing of him by Minneapolis
police officer. Now only two NBA teams, I believe have
not made a statement talked about it yet, the Knicks
and the Spurs, and I think the Spurs today. Gregg

(10:15):
Popovich gave a big interview on on on it SO
and has spoken many many and yeah he's a guy,
yeah right, but still okay, you want you want a
statement because hey, look, this this is the NBA players, Lebron,
everybody is out. What do we want to know? And
you know, how can we stand for this? And here's
the message. This is Pablo Tory VESPN putting this out
from Jim Dolan. I'm gonna read to you the bottom. Uh.

(10:38):
It's three paragraph statement. The beginning talks about how there's
a turbulent time in our country. Therefore, I want you
to understand our internal position quote. As companies in the
business of sports and entertainment, however, we are not any
more qualified than anyone else to offer our opinion on
social matters. What's important is how we operate. Our companies
are committed to upholding our values, which include creating a

(11:01):
respectful workplace for all, and that will never change. What
we say to each other matters. How we treat each
other matters, and that's what we'll get us through this
difficult time. I'll take you back to the beginning of
that paragraph when I said, as companies in the business
of sports and entertainment, we are not any more qualified
than anyone else to offer our opinion on social matters.
H Okay, I get that. I get you say, listen,

(11:22):
what are we but you still need to show your
players and the NBA and the world that what happened
to George Floyd wasn't right. I mean you have to.
I mean, listen, what does Charles Barkley say when when
the whole thing came up with Donald Sterling, he said,
this is a black league. You can't talk like that
and still right, we're a black league. How can James
Dolan say, hey, we're not gonna offer our opinion on this.

(11:44):
You can't say the killing of George Floyd was wrong.
You can't put that out in a statement. I mean,
I don't know if he's worried that people will come
and loot and riot Madison Square Garden, But I I
don't know, man, I don't know if you can own
the Knicks after this. This is such a volatile time
right now, and you can't come out with a statement.
The Knicks players are upset. I can believe the entire
NBA is upset. And I wonder if this is Adam

(12:05):
Silver at some point has to get involved and go, hey, Jim,
what the hell? Man? I mean seriously, that this is what?
This is what you're saying. You don't feel qualified to
make a statement that the killing of somebody is wrong.
This that I mean? I I that that's where of
all the things James Dolan's done, Steve this maybe that
thing that's okay, Really, I don't know. Can he still
own an NBA team? This might be the thing that

(12:26):
people have been looking for, any excuse to bring him down,
because you and I both know for many years there
are basketball reasons people have been wanting to bring him down.
It does remind me a bit of the Donald Sterling things,
because for many years people in l A knew what
Sterling was and the lawsuits with how he ran his
apartment buildings and so forth, and finally they got something
on tape to bring him down. Now this isn't quite

(12:49):
the same. I will agree with half a sentence of
what he said, and that is it's important how we operate.
But for you to actually say we're no more qualified
than anyone else to offer our inpion really so, in
other words, you're telling every other major league team who
has spoken out in the last week that they're wrong.
I mean, the Chicago Bears just tonight said we must

(13:12):
do more than wring our hands and hope it doesn't
happen again. Our coach spent the two hours of team
meeting today listening to and healing together with our players
along Bears. Uh exactly opposite type of statement from that franchise.
So he's saying no to every other owner in every
other sport. The fact that the state were not qualified,

(13:34):
that anyone else to offer our opinion on social matters,
So that what do they You know, the thing, what
do we always say about radio, Right, If you don't
have an opinion, you're not gonna have a career. Right.
You gotta have an opinion on things right or wrong.
You have an opinion. And to say you're not even
moved to have a to have a public opinion on
the killing of a guy that everybody got to see

(13:54):
video and said, oh my god, that's wrong, Oh my god,
that is wrong. Now what happened after and it's spiraling
out of control and the point counterpoint we're getting as
a result. That's a different story. You know that. That's
a different story. But this what we're you know, you
can't say that. I mean, I don't know that Number one,
I don't know who's gonna want to play for the
Knicks after this. They're sure as hell ain't getting any

(14:15):
free agents who are gonna want to come play for there,
because you're look at James Dolan and go boy, the
guy I couldn't even have the back of a guy
that got killed. Wow, you know what not going there?
Because look, look, Charlis like, I go back, Charles Parkley
was right. We're a black league. He says, this is
these are the players. You can't you can't own a
team if this is your attitude. And and you're we're
trying to get to the fact where black men aren't
in a in a position where they think I can

(14:37):
be killed by a police officer or somebody just because
I'm I'm I'm walking down the street, or something is
happening that gets out of control and you can't say, Okay,
I understand what's going on, and that was wrong. Oh
I really, I mean I I look, there's a lot
that goes on that I can say, all right, you know,
I don't know about this, but you know, eventually things

(14:58):
are gonna move on. But this James Dolan thing, I
don't know. I don't know how. I don't know how
the league gets by without doing something. And it may
be in that situation of it's not quite here's you know,
on tape, Donald Sterling saying, but this is here's a memo,
and here's exactly the words that are written out there,
and it's what what else can you say at this?
I don't know well, and we can say it's wrong,

(15:19):
we can say it's a bit tone deaf, and we
can say he's not fully aware of the significance or
the context of what is going on. And in that sense,
he's a bad boss. And the fact that he's telling
himself essentially to shut up and dribble a basketball team
owner is the ultimate irony Twitter at How about a
fresco The Jason Smith Show with Mike Arment, Steve de

(15:39):
Sager and from Mike tonight, Uh eight seven seven ninety
nine on Fox is the phone numberle of more on
the night tonight. Obviously there's a lot of things going on.
We'll keep you posted on this. We'll keep talking about this.
But sports is our business. We're gonna keep talking about
that as well. We got Jason lockin for on the
Way for the National Football We got big stories out
of baseball, we got stories out of the NBA. We

(16:00):
will strike a balance in a tone and get to
all of it tonight. We got four hours and stay
with us here. Uh, this is Fox Sports Radio. 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 I Heart Radio
AP Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon.

(16:22):
Mike Out Tonight, Steve to Seger especial delivery in for
him Now, Steve, are you're getting paid like quadruple paid
tonight because you're doing you know, updates at the top,
updates at the bottom, and you're co hosting. I mean
that's a quatom roduple certainly not quadruple. I believe I
get more than four hours, but it is, you know,
pulling back the curtain a bit. The anchor does does

(16:44):
updates for three to four different places throughout the hour,
not just the show. So yeah, it's a busy evening.
But I'm quite happy to be here tonight, in to
borrow and frankly happy I could arrive here today. What
we talked about first segment is it so so you're
doing the updates for the show, then you're doing updates
or Fox Sports Radio Italy right, because you're doing those
updates in Italian, and then I believe you are also

(17:06):
doing him them for uh News for I Heeart for
well we don't have any local affiliate updates this late
and evening, so that's okay, all right, but there is
like armed Forces radio and other stuff that goes out.
We're all nice. Do you start by saying good eating?
Mr Mrs North America to see Major League Baseball? They're
in trouble. Stop Is there a season? Stop? Yeah? Stop

(17:28):
might be accurate as far as the season baseball? Oh boy,
so we have that coming up. But right now, joining
us on the hotline, no one better CBS Sports NFL
Insider extraordinaire Friend of the show, Jason Locke, and for
j what's happening? How are you doing there? And be
more you Okay, I'm dominating the battle space. How are you, guys?
I mean, I'm sitting with some white wines watching the

(17:50):
country burned down? Great, I'll tell you. Going out today
and seeing all the stores boarded up. And and this
is the third day in a row we've had curfew,
and it starts earlier every day. I feel like I'm
seven years old again. I'm going I gotta go to
bed at six o'clock at night. It was, you know,
at six o'clock pm on on Saturday, and then it
was five o'clock yesterday, it's four o'clock today. I'm like this,
this is this is insane. Yeah, we are. We are

(18:15):
at a perilous point in this country's history. Um, we'll
see where we go from here. But what a time
to be alive. Every day, I'd say things to my
kids that I'd never envisioned having to tell him. I'm
forty six years old, and if you would have told me,
you know, when I was twelve or fifteen or starting

(18:36):
to be aware of the world, that you know, I
would be you know, father. I have a fifteen year
old and the thirteen year old and the eight year
old who every day I would have to tell them
things that I that I tell them now and explain
things and and and and and try to convey that
this is not really what this country is all about,
and this is not what a presidency is all about.

(18:57):
But alas um, we all have we you know, we've
all got we've all got our duties to do. Now. Man,
this is critical mass. Hey, Generation next we've seen a lot,
you know, it's Generation Next has seen a lot. We have,
But yeah, I don't know. Billy Idol is the voice
of of this generation or not. But yeah, so you know,

(19:20):
we talked about the Knicks a few minutes ago and
and uh, you know James Dolan and then you know,
owner of the Knicks. The Knicks put out a statement
why they're not saying anything about the death of George
Floyd and he says, because we're not qualified more than
anybody else to offer an opinion. I don't know the
guy can own the team after that, because I know,
I know certainly you see right away the NFL had
a statement. Most everybody has statements on this. They understand

(19:43):
what's going on. And I see the owners, you know,
sometimes owners, I go, what kind of world do they live?
And do they understand what's what's happening right now? Look,
I think a lot of these people are detached from reality.
The realities they live in there so um, completely vastly
different than with most people experience, and um, you know

(20:04):
that sort of idea that they're sort of you know,
some of these billionaires in an ivory tower who are
just watching you know, the business networks and just worried
about their their bottom lines and how much did I
earned an interest today and how could I earn more?
I mean, look look at the Nationals. Look at the Learners.
I mean that's one of the richest families in the country. Uh.

(20:26):
They just won a World Series, right, they got public
subsidies to build a stadium and in in you know,
some of the primus real estate in Washington, d C.
Right there on the water. They won their their dispute
with the Orioles and you know for overmass in the
regional network that broadcast both teams are going to get
hundreds of million dollars from that. And they said, we

(20:48):
can only give the ad leagues and three D but
the stipend four hundreds per guys out there were a
little rich for us, you know. And then they got
shamed into coming around and doing the right thing because
their middle relievers said, now we'll we'll pick up the slack.
We'll pick up the slack for the billionaires worth over
five worth over five billion. I mean, it's it is
a different Uh, it's a different world. It's a different

(21:10):
class um. And I think some are more tone deaf
and more detached from reality than others. But especially the
NBA team in New York City, Uh, one of the
most diverse cities in the world, and the league that
is predominantly African American, and you can't cobble together a

(21:31):
couple of paragraphs that at least feigned support for what
right minded people are thinking right now in this country.
You can't feign uh, you know that you detest racism
and systematic oppression of African Americans and people being assassinated
by the police state at the hands of the government
simply because the color of their skin in the street

(21:54):
for all to see. Like, if that doesn't raise your
temperature even a smidge um, then you're you might not
be fully human. Jason, this is Steve a question about
the new normal, which was a thing really was virus
related in the past. Now, after this past week, what's
the new normal gonna be in sports media? Because ESPN,

(22:16):
of course there was the controversy of stick to sports
and they certainly haven't and justifiably in recent days. What's
the new normal gonna be? Do you think not just
in the next week or two, but going forward the
rest of the year. Yeah, I don't know. I'd like
to think that we're now at a point where when

(22:37):
I'm watching the Bundesliga on Saturday and Western McKinney, who
is an American kid is wearing an arm band for
George Floyd. But then, um, you know, a striker for
Dortmund who's from the UK has a hat trick and
he's pulling up his shirt expressing support for George Floyd.
When we're when we're seeing protests in Belgium and France

(23:00):
and all over the world for something that that you know,
racism is obviously, um knows no geographical boundaries. But I
think America's uh sorted sort of twisted relationship with it
is different than others. And you're not seeing people being
assassinated on national television because of the color of their skin,
by and large, and a lot of other countries, certainly

(23:22):
in that First World countries and countries that have the
wherewithal of the United States. So I'd like to think
we're at a point where the idea that you can separate,
you know, your meat from your potatoes, from your string
beings from your corn on your plate and stick to
sports and all that. I mean, so many of the

(23:44):
men who play these sports that provide the content that
are the reason that we're broadcasters and announcers and play
by play guys and analysts and columnist and all that,
they are deeply affected by it, um in visceral ways.
Their children are affected by it. We're all affected by it,
but they're affected by it in a unique way. And

(24:06):
then you look at the composition of labor in the
n b A and and the NFL and and high
level n ci A basketball and football conferences, and it's
by and large um African American. I I'd like to
think that this expectation that we're somehow good sports isn't
escape and this or that. I mean, if you if

(24:30):
you can escape from what's going on in this country
right now, then I mean it's impossible, and I think
nor should you really want to. And everyone is entitled
to a voice, and that's what the First Amendment is
all about. And I'd like to think we reach a
point where people aren't getting accosted on social media or

(24:51):
otherwise because they are willing to express their opinions about
the state of the world. But I don't know, I
don't know if it's a having or not. Hopefully it is.
It's just sickening to me that it takes these kind
of events to to, you know, sort of bring about
that sort of acceptance, if in fact, it does bring
about that sort of acceptance. Jason Locket for CBS Sports,

(25:14):
NFL Insider, whether it's The Jason Smith Show with Mike Carmen,
Steve de seger in for Mike, Uh, do you think
we'll see a more visible Colin Kaepernick? Now you've already
seen Brandon Marshall talking about this is why Cap did
it back in and now we're starting to come back
to that a bit and maybe he becomes a more
public figure again. I don't know, you know, I think

(25:36):
that I don't think he's a kind of guy. And
it's been a few years since we talked, but I
did spend a lot of time with him about three
weeks before he filed the lawsuit. Actually probably maybe he's
a week before he filed the lawsuit against the NFL
and kind of you know, started um his legal RecA

(26:00):
against them. And I know him a bit. I don't
think this is about him taking a victory lap, you know,
or saying I told you so, because he's been done.
He did tell like he there is no counter argument
too at this point what he was all about and
the message he was sending. I'm I live in Baltimore.

(26:25):
We're having very peaceful protest here right now. UM, it's
a different sort of tenor in tone than than than
Freddy Gray, which was obviously localized here. But regardless, their
police taking a knee with young African American you know, teenagers,
boys and girls, and they're reading the names amongst each

(26:47):
other of the various people who have been killed by
wardens of the state because of the color of their skin,
and they're taking why do you think they're taking They're
taking a knee because Colin Kaepernick took it. I mean,
there's this is disputable now. UM. I think Colin is
content to do the work he's been doing. Um. He

(27:08):
hasn't done any major interviews. I mean, you don't think
that the Barbara Walters of the world in sixty minutes,
and I mean people have been looking to get him
on forever. I don't think he feels any more inclination
to speak now. UM, I think he's more heartbroken than
ever that. UM, instead of the NFL looking at what
he was doing as an opportunity to help, UM get

(27:32):
mainstream society to come around a little bit more on
what was happening in this country, and instead of these
owners in the league office and a lot of people
in the media looking at this as an opportunity to
help make the league better and help make the country better. Instead,
he was ostracized and he became a pariah. Um So,

(27:54):
I don't think Colin has to do a damn thing
at this point. To be honest with you, I think
Colin's already done and sacrifice and stood for way more
than most of us ever will. He's on Twitter at
Jayson Bocking for that is at Jason Locking for a
CBS Sports NFL insider. Jay, as always, I know, a
different conversation we're expecting, but as always, appreciate you, appreciate

(28:15):
your thoughts, my friend. Well, I enjoy it. I enjoy
the uh, the back and forth with you guys, and
hopefully at some point here we're doing it under a
very different situation. Yeah, we can make fun of the Jets.
That that that that at some point that will come true.
We'll get back to that. Don't worry. Thanks, buddy, you
have a go on. Have a go on, gentleman. Thank you.
You know the thing, he says, Steve, he brings up

(28:36):
a great point about stick to sports, and you know
you hear that. Now I'll stick to sports. You know,
shut up and dribble for Lebron. All of these things.
You know what, stick to sports has a shelf life
and we're coming to the end of it because there's
so much that you can't stick to sports on and
you can't put it back in a box because that's
just the way the world is going. You know, the

(28:56):
world isn't going the way of well, we're gonna stop
you know, we're we're we're gonna stop this, you know
all the stuff. These guys are all just gonna stick
to sports and that set you know, as you see,
even ESPN, which is the biggest stick to sports, has
to stick to sports. Now, you have to be able
to get outside. If you're gonna talk about things, you
have to be able to do it in a way
in which, uh, you are coming at it with a
thoughtful position, you know what you're talking about, the points

(29:18):
you want to make. You can't just you know, kind
of riff on things. But stick to sports is kind
of something that I think is gonna be dying at
some point and it's gonna be okay or encouraged if
you want to get outside of sports on a big issue.
While we're talking about sports and The main reason I
say this is because society asks sports to handle many
of our big problems. They always do. They always ask us,

(29:41):
can you handle our big problems? And then whatever it is,
it's what we do. Sports leads the way with all
kinds of discussions legalizing marijuana. Guests who led the way
on that? Sports and way? Which way is the world going?
The world's going towards legalizing marijuana, It's not going towards
We're cutting it out and we're not gonna uh, you know,
we're gonna we're gonna stop it at the States. That's
not the way the world is going with with uh,

(30:02):
with gay relationships and and with homosexuality. Michael sam when
he got drafted, that who led the way on that?
Sports led the way on that? Was it gonna be? Okay?
What was it gonna be like for him in a
locker room where the player is going to be accepting,
accepting of him? What about the coaches? What about the
GM Sports doesn't look at the coronavirus? What is everybody
looking for? What's gonna be the big moment when we

(30:22):
know where past the coronavirus, when we start seeing professional
team sports being played and we get to see people
come to the games, and the way it's going now,
if we adopt what Texas and Florida has said, Hey,
we're okay with having fans in as long as it's
a portion of our capacity. Of our capacity, we can
have fans come. So I'm thinking when when baseball and

(30:44):
football and basket whenever they play, they're gonna have fans,
They're gonna have fans there, and maybe they'll be seated
every five or six feet. And look, if you come
in with your family, certainly you will have a lot
of spaces in between you and the next people because
you know they'll be way far away with you on
your row. But that's what we're When is America gonna
be back to normal when sports comes? You know, look
at President Trump, He's he wants sports to us reopened.

(31:05):
This is what's gonna tell the country to reopen. So
when you say stick to sports now, when you when
when when outside of sports looks to sports to help
solve their problems. Now, we don't have to stick to sports.
We can get in on that. And that's the way
the world's headed. And we might talk about other sports
leagues and how they're doing things but Taiwan, for example,
was the first to have some fans back for baseball
in the world, and those were with assigned seats. As

(31:27):
far as the stick to sports, I would say at
this time it would be immoral to stick to sports
at this point. And as far as Colin Kaepernick, since
his name is again brought up on this show, he
has become a che Guvara like legend in part by
not talking correct. I mean, what he did in the
NFL was a peaceful protest, a noticeable difference to what
we're seeing this past weekend. He does get in trouble

(31:50):
by over generalizing sometimes when he does speak or for
the police pig attire that he wore, it doesn't do
his original reason for the protest, and he good Also
when he retweets today quote the media's voice of the
ruling class and the police is their protector. Somebody had
said that, and he's retweeting that. I don't think you know,

(32:10):
thanks for spraying the whole wall with bullets. I don't
think that's accurate, and therefore it's not helping. It's more
inflaming the situation. You're an example, this is your show.
You're a member of the media, and you're saying exactly
what other media people should be saying on this issue.
The police is not your protector and you're not the
voice of the ruling class tonight or any other night.

(32:31):
So it's a ridiculous statement to retweet the Jason Spencer
with Mike Harmon Special Delivery Steve to Sager in for Mike.
But we do have a lot of what's trending in
the world, and there is a difference in stick to
sports and and escape. So what we're gonna do tonight
is do a combination of hey talking about because this
is what everybody is talking about, and we want you
to know what we think and we're here for you.
But there is some escape you want to know about,

(32:53):
NBA news and Major League Baseball. Who's got a big
baseball story We're gonna get to coming up in a
few minutes, But right now, Steve has what's trending in
the Wild World of Sports Devo speaking of baseball, w
r A kpi X it's in the Bay Area. Did
tweet out a photo of the San Francisco Giants ballpark
or park and it's completely boarded up at the ground level. Unbelievable.

(33:14):
It's now. The office windows at the top are not
but everything street level completely boarded up. At that ballpark,
San Francisco, major League Baseball owners reportedly discussed a regular
season of only about fifty games this year, with pro
rated salaries, then playoffs emphasis they're discussed. According to the
ESPN Store, yesterday was the union proposal wanting a hundred
fourteen games season this year instead of the eighty two

(33:36):
that the owners had wanted. The Washington Nationals will pay
their minor leaguers the full four hundred dollars per week
this month, after all, reversing yesterday's announcement, after all the
social media backlash, the Yankees cut forty five minor leaguers today.
Spring training ended early and teams didn't make final cuts. Then.
NASCAR's Exfinity race was on FS one, being replayed now.
Noah Gregson the winner. This Saturday Night's Exfinity event will

(33:58):
be on Fox TV. Raiders first round wide receiver Henry
Ruggs cut his thigh during a recent move. His father
says Ruggs is on crutches, but quote pretty much okay. Ruggs,
from Alabama, was the fastest player in this year's draft.
The first wide receivers selected l s U announced today.
Wait wait, wait, hang on, hang on, I gotta I
got a message out to Henry Ruggs. Henry Ruggs, you

(34:20):
are an NFL star. Now you no longer help people
move correct you other people, you get other people to do.
You are a star. You are a commodity. You let
somebody else do that for you. Now now to create it.
Most of the people haven't signed yet that we're drafted
this year, so maybe he hasn't gotten the change. But somebody,
somebody else can help Henry Ruggs, or help or or

(34:42):
work in Henry Ruggs's place to be able to. The
mentality has to change. It's like we say on a
more serious level of no athlete should ever ever be
caught drunk driving for the obvious moral reasons, but also
for crying out loud. You're an athlete, Henry. Did I
hear you were helping the car your couch up the
stairs and it wound up falling on your leg? All right?

(35:03):
First of all, you gotta displace your weight evenly if
you're gonna move that. I can just see gruten Like
going that whole thing, telling them all that this is
what you do. And then you move slowly up the stairs.
Then you gotta tilt the couch. If you're tipping it,
so what goes in? And then you pull it right
in and then you put it right down. Make sure
you move your hands out from the bottom before you
do that. All right, let's do it again. Very obvious
material for the next curtain impersonation is not that saying anyway.

(35:27):
Lacerated thing on crutches was what the dad says. L
s U announces today that it will play the historically
black colleges in state of Southern University two and Grambling
in three. In recent years, Southern not unusual playing FBS
opponents to get the pay days and boost revenues for
the athletic department, but l s U has also been

(35:48):
playing some in state school so happy to hear that
announcement today. As for other college football items, former Auburn
head coach Pat Died passed away at the age of eighty.
You had been battling kidney related issues. Clem and wide
receiver Justin Ross is out for the season due to
a spinal issue. The pact Well says weekly virus tests
will be required for all of its student athletes returning

(36:08):
for this fall, and we mentioned earlier Nick's owner James
Dolan issued a statement to employees saying his company will
not be combenting on the killing of George Floyd. He wrote,
we are not any just amazes. We are not any
more qualified than anyone else to offer our opinion on
social matters. He did say, what's important is how we operate.

(36:31):
A vote on the NBA's future, by the way, is
expected Thursday. And can we end with a quote that
I brought up Jason on the weekend shows from Demorris
Smith's who's been running the NFL players Union, talking about
all the pain we've been seeing in evidence on our
screens this past week. He says, quote the pain, while
shared by so many, has a history of being born

(36:52):
more by some than others. But it's wrong. It is
as wrong to be willfully ignorant to this pain as
it is wrong to use this pain as cover for
inflicting pain on others. From Demoors Smith back to you
great stuff, Steve of the Jason Smith Show with Mike Carment.
Steve de Sager in from Mike, thanks to Jason locking
for for stopping by with us Jason locking for all

(37:14):
our guests up here with us via the Discover Card hotline.
Get your free credit score card today, even if you're
not a Discovered customer. It includes your FICO credit score
and checking your scorecard won't hurt your credit. Learn more
at discovered dot com. Slash credit scorecard limitations they do apply.
So we have that big story in Major League Baseball
coming up. But next the NBA as they are trying
to come back. Looks like people are trying to slip in.

(37:36):
Some owners are trying to slip in a couple of
different plans before we vote on what could happen on Thursday.
Maybe not twenty two teams coming back, maybe all thirty.
It's next on Fox. Be sure to catch live editions
of The Jason Smith Show with Mike harmon weekdays at
ten pm Eastern, seven pm Pacific Fox Sports Radio The
Jason Smith Show with Mike Carman. Steve de Sager in

(37:58):
from Mike Carman tonight, and uh, maybe you saw this
story today. The NBA is gonna vote on Thursday about
their plan to return to play, and likely they're going
to adopt Adam Silver's plan of twenty two teams are
gonna go to Walt Disney World in Orlando, gonna have
some kind of playing tournament. But the big story, tell
you is Oklahoma City Thunder owner Clay Bennett very impassion

(38:20):
talking about how important is to use all thirty teams
in coming back because he fears that the small markets
shutting their doors for a long period of time is
going to be really detrimental to the league. So we'd
like to see all thirty teams back. Now. I just
want to say this, Steve, is that I think Clay Bennett.
The best thing to do. You call those non playoff teams,

(38:42):
call them all up and say, listen, between you and I, hey,
do you want to come back and play? And if
they don't hang up on him right away, I would
be surprised. None of these teams that are that far
out of the playoffs want to come back and play. Publicly,
they'll say they do, Like the Golden State Warriors, everything
we've seen from them. Publicly, it's yeah, if you want
to come back, we will. Privately it's come on, come on,

(39:03):
Man State Warriors. The team that doesn't even have a
plan for reopening the practice facility for individual workouts with
no coaches, their young ho for coming back. Really none
of them want to come back to here and here
an NBA guys say, this makes me think, first and foremost, Okay,
you're unaware of anything going on with the NHL and

(39:25):
returning because that league already approved restarting with team playoff
this year, which means what seven team season is over.
It was over six days ago. The non playoff teams
this year in hockey will now have potentially over nine
months off from Marches suspension of the season to the
start of next season. How are you not that in

(39:48):
touch with the league? You are an owner, and how
are you not that in touch? How do you not
see what's going there? Hey, listen, these teams didn't want
to come back, so okay, because if you tried, it
would be such a bad optic and a bad headline
because you're saying, oh, well, you know the Warrior's supposed
to have these games. Well, they don't want to play well,
and neither do the Knicks, and neither do the Hawks,
and neither does the guys are not only in town. No,

(40:10):
I just don't say it sounds great, but they don't
want to. I mean, this is I think going to
twenty two teams is pushing it. But you know, at
least you're saying the eight we're leaving some of the
teams off that are ready and already ready for the lottery.
Twitter at how about a Fresca phone number eight seven
seven ninety nine on Fox Jason Smith, Steve de Sager
here at Fox Sports Radio coming up next the moment,

(40:32):
I think that our country needs more than anything. Plus
we get into a big story out of Major League
Baseball as far as whether they can resume or not. Fox.
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 I Heart
Radio app. It is our two of the program, The

(40:53):
Jason Smith Show with Mike Carmen Steve de Seger in
for harm in this evening as you broadcast live from
the Guy Goes studios. And you know, normally I say
Happy Monday, happy too? Is happy Wednesday. I don't want
to lie to you, It's that's not what it's been
here in our country for the past few days. As

(41:13):
we are now in another night of unrest and lockdown
and curfew. Uh following the death, the killing of George
Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis, and you know, you
turn on the TV and you can't believe your eyes
when you're seeing protesters, sometimes peaceful protesters, getting tear gassed

(41:38):
by military, by police officers, and I I keep thinking
that this is America, this is what we're doing. It's
really at some point you get past the point if
I am shocked, I can't believe this is happening, and
it's become something that what is next, whatever is next,
I'm not gonna be surprised by it because it's it's
so incredibly out of control. Uh. You know two of

(42:00):
the big stories tonight we we saw involving police chief
in Louisville was fired today after a protester was killed
last night when um police felt they were being fired upon,
which is being investigated. Now they fired back. He is
hit and killed. Uh. None of the police officers had

(42:22):
their body camera on, and so the police chief of
Louisville was fired. The police chief in Los Angeles, Michael Moore,
did a press conference a little while ago, and he
said that the death of George Floyd, uh is on
the looters and rioters as much as it is on
the police officers who actually killed him in Minneapolis. I

(42:43):
don't know what's happening to the world. I I really don't,
but I know what we need, and I'm gonna let
me take you down a journey here for a couple
of minutes. And I think this all the time, So
it's so it's time to tell this story. I think
what we need is we need in what I can
remember my life as being a walk this way moment.
That's what we need. Uh. When I started high school,

(43:06):
this is back in the eighties. Now, you know I'm going,
I'm going pretty back. Uh. I started playing football and
I've never played organized football before. And I started as
my freshman year playing football. I always played football. I
played with Nerve football. We played tackle football. So I
wanted to play football, so I joined the football team.
And going to high school was my first real exposure

(43:27):
to so many different races and nationalities and everybody. Because
I go from a you know, a public school that
that has you know, maybe a couple of hundred kids
in it, and then you go to middle school that
had I think my middle school had about four or
five hundred kids in it. Now I'm in the high
school and now there's like two or three thousand people
in my high school, and I'm like, oh my goodness. Okay,
so I'm exposed to all different kinds of people for

(43:48):
the first time. And you know, I started the football
you know, I go out for the football team, and
it's it's a mix. It's white kids, it's black kids,
it's Latino kids, it's everybody. And there's all alpha males
and everybody is bowing up on everyone. And it was
a eye opening experience. And it's a very physical sport
and it's not for the faint of heart. And I

(44:09):
remember going to football camp after practicing with the team,
like we practice for a couple of weeks and we
go to football go to Sleepwoy football camp, because that's
what you did. You practice for a couple of weeks,
then you went to camp where you practice like three
times a day, and then you came back after a
week exhausted, but you know, hopefully you were football team
and you learned the playbook and positions and everything else.

(44:30):
So we're driving up, we're we're in the in the
bus going up to camp, and there's racial tensions back
and forth, you know, with with white kids and and
and and the black kids and Latino kids. Every that's
the way it is. And we're on the bus riding
up and I'll never forget this David Kress, who is
our best wine receiver. Uh. He was a year ahead
of me, and he was in charge of the radio,

(44:51):
right because he brought his radio, right, he was the
guy bringing the radio to camp. So he's playing all
his songs, right, he's playing all his favorite songs. And
he's playing a lot of a lot of rap, a
lot of hip hop, a lot of everything. And you know,
we're sitting here going okay, uh, you know, boy, all right, now,
can can we get a little variety on the songs.
Let's hear some songs everybody likes. And somebody yells, hey,
his name was Pop. He got someone else, Hey, Pop,
Come on, man, how about it? How about a different song?

(45:13):
And he looks out and I'm and I'm saying to myself, oh,
this could be something here, this could be something. He goes,
all right, I got something for all you guys. I
got something for you. And he takes out of tape
and he puts in a new tape and he plays
Walk This Way, and it's the the version you just heard,
the run DMC Erosmith version, and look, Erosmith first made
it a hit in the seventies, and then this version

(45:34):
came and it was run DMC and Erosmith and run
DMCs that the video is run DMC is doing their
version and and Aerosmith is doing their version, and then
they break through the wall next to each other. They
do the video together and it's an incredible moment in
video history of here is here a black culture and
white culture and we're all coming together, right and it's awesome.

(45:56):
And he played Walk This Way and everybody got a
sited because everybody loved that song. Everybody loved that song,
whether it that didn't matter what you were at. That
song was so hot when I we're going to football
camp and it was such a good song. It was
and everybody knew the rock parts and the rap parts.
And suddenly now everybody is singing and some guys are
wrapping some guy. I'm singing the high Steve Tyler Park

(46:17):
going and all of a sudden, and we became a
team in that moment. It's kind of like I remember
the Titans moment. We became a team. In that moment,
we all start realized we're all in this and now
let's go to camp and let's and let's do things.
And we came back. We were three and seven, but
you know the point, remember the Yeah, And that's what
it was like. And we came together at that that

(46:39):
him playing that song on the bus. I remember he
sat in the front of the bus. He was in
the first row and he was sitting back facing everybody
else and and he said, all right, I got somebody
puts in walk this way. And that was it. I
remember anything else he played any other thing, but he
played that song. We were all singing, and I can
even tell the coaches were into it, like Okay, this
is what this is what we need because now every

(47:00):
buddy is now together. And that was the whole point
of going to football camp. It was you know, hey,
everybody's coming from different parts of life and and nobody
knows and they got to get together and somehow find
a way to mesh. And usually it's spending that time
together at football camp become friends with people that that
you're meeting for the first time, or that you really
start getting to know for the first time. Yeah, exactly,

(47:21):
and that's what it is. And and that moment that
was it. It was like, okay, we're all everybody was
and we were all in it with each other. It
wasn't a big team too. I think we have like
maybe there's only twenty five or twenty seven people on
the team. We had a bit of a smaller uh
football team. Our quarterback was great, Oh my god, he
was so good. But him and the wide receiver, they
were all the good players. So you were running back
and No, I was. I was only about five three,

(47:46):
five four, so I was a defensive back. I played safety,
but I was a sure tackler and that was my thing.
I was a sure tackler. That was that was. I
wasn't fast, I wasn't I wasn't big, but I was
a sure tackler. So I was like, okay, if someone
breaks through, I can tackle them, you know, because I
could get really low, you know, being five three, I
could get should be on your business card, Jason Smith's

(48:06):
last line of defension. No, no short tackler is what
I'd have on their short because everybody get football, people
get oh short tacklers. I got it, got it. I
think in three years in football I missed three tackles
and one of them got it wiped out by a penalty,
and then they ran the same exact plant. I missed
the tackle the next place. But I think in three
years I missed three tackles. You know, I'm glad you
brought up remember the Titans, which we have talked about

(48:28):
on this show before, because it brings us to the
general ports point of what's great about sports is that
you get to know people. I mean, actually no people,
not just their names from the people aren't forget race
and colors and cultures. It's just people that aren't from
your neighborhood, if you know what I mean, or your
family's background, and if you get it, that much more

(48:50):
of a wider view of the world. And you know,
obviously the two of us will be talking about you know,
I came up in this suburban culture and it was
half white people, and you know, blah blah blot. But
think about all the athletes who themselves has said, oh,
I came up on the other side of the tracks,
and my goodness, where my eyes open to how things
were just through being in sports, and it broadened my

(49:11):
horizons are positive And this is yet another positive thing
that sports can do, and we mentioned in our one
another positive thing that sports can do, frankly, is comment
on situations that demand comment, and this is one of them.
So when you bring up the Knick's owners saying, oh,
we're not any more qualified than anyone else to offer
our opinion, that is ludicrous. And you know, allow me

(49:33):
to be flippant for a second. This is such a
big deal what's going on this past week. Even Michael
Jordan's has commented on this. I realized that's a flippant statement.
He has talked about police brutality before, but it was noted,
especially when with so many millions watching the Bulls documentary
that during his playing career and he was asked about
it in the documentary. He was known for not compending

(49:56):
on things that were happening in the news. In fact,
breaking his islands tonight is Tiger Woods and there was
a Golf Channel headline today quote, as prominent athletes speak
out on racial violence, where is Tiger Woods voice? Well,
what do you know? He has tweeted something out in
this evening. My heart goes out to George Floyd. I

(50:17):
have always had the utmost respect for our law enforcement
Woods rights. They trained so diligently to under how, when
and where to use force. This shocking tragedy clearly cross
that line. I remember the l A riots, he says,
and learned that education is the best pass forward. His
final sentence, we can make our points without burning the
very neighborhoods that we live in. I would add that

(50:38):
some people are going to other places where they don't live,
he says. I hope that through constructive, honest conversations, we
can build a safer, unified society. So finally, a Tiger
Woods coming. Jason Smith, Steve de Sager. Uh, you know,
it's it's it's funny to see uh earlier in the
in this in the weekend when it was hey, you know,

(51:00):
silence and you know, if you're silent, you know you're complicit,
which okay, and that's kind of Sometimes it's some people's things.
Sometimes it's not their thing, but something like this, you
certainly like to see people say things. And we have
seen it, you know, we have seen out of everybody
but James Dolan, apparently, we we have seen a you know, well,
what's happening here is not right, and and on on
on on different levels of of what's not right, uh,

(51:23):
George Floyd and and the and the rioting and the looting,
and none of it is right. And it's something that
you know, we have to understand that we're all going
to have to get through this by coming together, because
if we continue to be apart, it's look at where
we're at right now. Right, We've never been any more
divided in our country than we are right now along

(51:45):
political lines, other lines were never more apart, and and
nobody is bridging that gap. And if that continues, then
this is going to be what it's gonna be like
for us, the normal where we we can't come together
on anything, and we're just going to continue of a
part and who knows what's gonna happen after that. I
just I don't get how people can't understand we're all

(52:06):
in it together, you know, and it's all something that
we all have to figure out. And it's it's it's
like it's you know what it's like the block you
live on. Right. For years when I was growing up,
we didn't like our next door neighbors, right, didn't like
the next door neighbors. You know, they weren't very nicety.
So weren't nice people. Uh and uh, but you know what,
you lived on the block, so you kind of had

(52:26):
to realize, Okay, let's put our difference aside, and and
and and get along because we live next to each other.
So let's not park the car, you know, over the
a little bit of the driveway, which would drive my
grandfather bananas. Uh, you know, certain things like that. So
we're all in it together. And okay, so we were
all living on the block together, and and let's put
our difference aside so we can do We may not

(52:47):
like each other, and that's fine. You don't have to
like everybody, but figure out the only way things are
going to be happy. You have a happy license if
you're all getting along. If you've got people feuding on
your block, how much fun is that? It's not fun
at all? You know, it's like, oh my goodness, I
got this, and I got people yelling at people, you know,
and even my block now there's people that yell at
each other, but they're all the way down the other
end of the block now, so there's been people yelled
each other now, and I go, what do you do

(53:08):
when you live across the street from each other? You've
lived across the street from this person for thirty years?
Why what what? What? What? What poppen? Now that you're
gonna scream at you and I can't stand it. We're
all gonna do this together. That's the only way it
is well. And that gets us too. On the lesser level,
what we've talked about at times the last few weeks
with the NBA trying to get some sort of agreement
to get a season together. Remember the quote from the

(53:30):
commissioner on a conference called in the players. We're gonna
be choosing from a lot of a lot of bad
options here. None of them are risk free. Nobody's gonna
like everything that we go forward with. But we need
to be together in order to go forward at all
this year. On a sports level, that's what needs to
be translated. You know, it's it's and and just to
bring it back to to the football story I told

(53:51):
you about the beginning, is that my uncle's coach football
for a long time, Like he coached for like thirty years,
won a couple of city championship fro when I think
he won four, I get it right, or he's gonna
get mad at me. He won four city championships in
New York. And you know, he played football, he coach
for a long time. And I remember just talking to
him about it once because you know, he knew I
love football growing up, and you know, you know, I

(54:11):
played in everything, and and he said, you know why
I like football, And I said why, he goes because
and once you're a coach, you realize that you would
there's nothing you wouldn't do for any of your players
that you would try to help them do whatever they
want to. You know, the girls I coach in soccer
and softball, I tell them all at the end of
the year, just because I'm not your coach right now
doesn't mean I won't always be your coach. And you

(54:32):
can't call me, and you can't call me and ask
me a question if you're having trouble, if you need
a phone call, you want to try to play in
a club team, you want to play a travel team, something,
you call me, you let me know. And I understand
that now, because I understand you know that that philosophy.
And he would say to me, I always love football
because I thought more than any other sport, football was
one where everybody stepped on the field and they were equal,

(54:54):
no matter what race you were, no matter what advantages
you had or disadvantages you had. You gotta run fast.
You gotta be physical, you gotta be smart, you gotta
be loyal to a teammate. You have to be able
to know how to lead, and you have to be
able to to work and achieve something with with a
with a group of people. If you can't do any
of those things, you're not going to succeed. He goes,

(55:16):
and I always thought football was the perfect place that
it was mental, it was physical, it was it was
working together, it was working towards the goal. It was
finding leaders, it was doing things, finding a way to
triumph over adversity. And he says, that's what I I
never realized that part about the game until I started coaching,
and I would see kids who would come on and
you know, I, you know, I would like this kid
a little bit more than another one because of the

(55:38):
way he plays, is his attitude. But then I'd be
able to bring something more out of another kid, and
just seeing them work that way, you know, I never
thought of it that way until that, And I said,
oh my god, Now I'd never looked at football the
same again. After that about all those things needing to
happen to be able to be successful, and how that's
kind of a microcosm of what society should be, what
it should be one of the things before the break,

(56:00):
and I'll get to something from Jason Luckin for our
guests from last hour that he retweeted tonight is the
obvious statement, shame on all of the people any color
using this issue for criminal behavior causing injuries and chaos.
Jason had retweeted tonight that a producer in Philadelphia w
h y uh why had was beaten tonight by a

(56:21):
white mob carrying baseball bats and shovels got called out
just for recording them. This goes back to your first
segment tonight of the media being attacked for no reason,
and we stop doing that, can we? Stophyta? I'm talking
about doing that? You know, I on this show over
the years have attacked verbally media members and called them out,

(56:41):
and frankly, some deserve to be called out. This is
physical confrontations that have no place in any of this
Twitter out. How about a fresco that Jason Smith show
with Mike Harmen Steve de Seger in for Mike tonight,
we're live as we always are from the Geico Studios. Hopefully,
hopefully that producer is okay, you just see this in
go my goodness. Although we're a part these days, we're

(57:02):
sharing more and Geico sharing more too, with the Geico
giveback credit on car and motorcycle policies for both current
and new customers that last year full policy term visit
Geico dot com slash give back for info and eligibility.
I mean the country. We need a walk this way moment.
Uh coming up next? Like I said, sports is our business.

(57:22):
We go back and forth between this and what's going
on and a big story out of Major League Baseball
and what's gonna happen now after the latest proposal to
the players to return to play, are we gonna see baseball?
Talk about it next? Fox. Be sure to catch live
editions of The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon weekdays
at ten pm Eastern, seven pm Pacific Fox Sports Radio

(57:43):
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon live from the
Geico Studio. Steve to Seger in for Harmon tonight and
tonight show. It's it's a bit of a weird one. Obviously,
we're talking about the incredibly serious things opening in the
world and and how to solve them, how to move on. Uh.

(58:05):
At the same time, it's also weird to talk things
like the NBA planning their return in Major League Baseball
planning their return. But some things are still the same.
Jason still said, you're right. For example, you know, in
Los Angeles, of course, even after the five o'clock curfew,
we currently have a police pursuit going through. There's a
police pursuit during a cur They just entered the one

(58:27):
on one. My recommendation is drive up to Van Nuys,
get off the freeway and see how far you get. Yeah, yeah,
oh my goodness, that's where a police police is a
police chase during Oh my goodness, that's just okay, alright.
There was one thing seeing the police chases during you know, coronavirus,
during the stay at home quarantine, where there's not many

(58:47):
cars on the road, and it's okay, well, it's easy
to keep track of this guy. All right, Well here,
all right, we got them. The traffic has been as
light in Los Angeles the last couple of months as
it was during the two weeks of the Olympics here
in when everybody got so scared of massive traffic jams.
It turns out to be the two best weeks of
traffic for the year that year. I can't get over
what it's like. I mean, there's certain things that when

(59:09):
we go back to, you know, whatever normal is going
to be, and I can't it'll be a new normal.
It's not going to be normal. Whatever new normal we
go back to. I wonder if you know, are people
gonna work from home? Still? Is everybody gonna work from home?
I gonna ever leave my house to go to work again.
I'm gonna, you know, brave the four oh five and
take an hour and fifteen minutes to drive twelve miles.
Also keeping stay at home. I don't know the l

(59:29):
A school system, for example, they're out in two weeks,
so they've had all these online classes and not everyone attending,
but those are done in a couple of weeks. No,
we're done this week. This is it. I think my
daughter has like two more zoom lessons and that's it.
She's done. She's done. Now we're done. I told her,
I said, OK, you know we're gonna do when you're
done with school because she's graduating now, which you know,

(59:51):
my heart breaks her because, you know, fifth grade and
she's looked forward to graduation for years and now she's
not going to get it. Um. We had our graduation
actually planned for Friday, and we had some kind of
of of plan for how it was going to be,
and my wife is planning part of it and and
being able to say, Okay, well, we're gonna do this
kind of graduation. People can go by the school and
and see their teachers one more time and get their

(01:00:12):
big you know, uh, the big sign for the front
lawn with their head on it and everything else. And
now that's been postponed because of what's happening, and there's
being the curfew in l A the last three nights.
So now we're gonna have to do it in you know,
a few days. And now I don't know if everybody's
gonna be able to do it because some people are
gonna go out of town, some people are gonna leave.
It's the summer. You know, they were figuring we're gonna

(01:00:33):
be around until the end of school. We're gonna go
do things, so you know, it's it's this is another
adjunct thing to all that's been going on the last week.
It's it's a lesser thing, but it is. Yet Another
of the after effects is some businesses were starting to
reopen in some cities, and now, are you kidding me,
they're closing right back up. I mean, it's not just
that the customers not be coming out. And then of
course the curfews came after that, but some businesses immediately

(01:00:56):
said a couple of days ago, oh, we're gonna have
to delay this whole reopen thing. Well, and look, and
we're not hearing about the murder Hornets anymore. So there's
that too. We're not getting that. Was like, boy, we
got nothing to talk about today. Murder Hornets are coming continues.
I mean, really, the murder Hornets are coming here they are.
Oh but the bees can actually eat them. Oh okay,

(01:01:17):
it's gonna be a new XFL team. I believe the
murder Hornet. Yes, the murder Hornets. Uh. The only name
not taken I believe in the history of that leek
or be in the NBA. So there could be the
Hornets and the murder Hornets work out that way. Uh So.
But obviously, look, sports is our business, and there's a
pretty big baseball story going on to you want to

(01:01:37):
talk about here for a few minutes, and and this
is you know, I talked last week about how what's
going on right now. It kind of reminds me of
the big lockout year in baseball. We didn't have a
World Series. And watching the proposals that go back and
forth between the owners and the players, I see this
and I go, nothing is getting closer. There's been there's

(01:01:58):
been no give The proposal from the owners to the
to the players was, Hey, we're thinking that less money
you took in March, Well we're gonna take more of
your money, and it's gonna be thirty to seventy percent
off of what your salary was. So the more money
you make, the more money you're gonna give back. So
if you're making thirty million dollars this year, you're gonna

(01:02:20):
give back sevent your salary. This is what the owners
proposed to the players. Players. Of course, we'ren't going to
like that. What did the players come back with, Hey,
instead of less money and less games, how about more
money and more games. Instead of eighty games and we
get fifty percent less or more of our salary, how
about we play like a fifteen games and we get

(01:02:40):
seventy of our Actually the numbers were. Remember there was
in the middle half a season essentially eighty two games
from the owners, and then you had the players yesterday,
say one fourteen, and then you had the owners discussed
today fifty. Do you know that in the exact middle
between fifty and one fourteen is eighty two games. So

(01:03:00):
keep in mind, everybody as we hear all the baseball talk,
these two facts, and this is driving everything in this conversation. One,
Baseball players get the bulk of their money from the
regular season, so of course they want to play a
hundred fourteen games. They would play a hundred forty games
with fifty doubleheaders if they could. I'm not kidding, because

(01:03:21):
they get they could sit out all the doubleheaders and
still gets paid. It's just pro rated as to how
many team games there are. Owners meanwhile, makes more money
in postseason. Do you know how many games Edwin Diaz
could blow if if the Mets actually had that, Oh
my god, he blows so many things. But yeah, But
that that's the point is that the owners want and

(01:03:41):
I think players want more in the postseason. They want
more teams, and so I don't think that's that's a
big discrepancy for them. But the owners obviously, hey, let's
have more rounds. We do all of this. But my point, Steve,
is that the owners come in with A and the
players respond with Z and then okay. So instead of
the next we got to get to M. Okay, that's

(01:04:01):
the middle of the middle of the alphabet. If you
got to get to M and the players are and
the owners are at A, and then the players are
at Z, usually the next proposal is Okay, here's G,
and then here's S, and then here's I, and then
here here now. But instead it's the the owners started
A and the players started Z, and the the owners
say less games, less money. The players say more games,

(01:04:25):
more money, and the owners come back with even less
games and less money and basically across the board, which
is what they're asking players to have. And this is
not a negotiation that's going in the right way. This
is not something where hey, you're giving me this and
I'll give you this. Look to compare it to the NFL,
right that that's been the big thing the players for
the longest time. It said, we don't want seventeen games.

(01:04:46):
Don't want it, don't want it, don't want it, and
the owners said, we gotta have it. We gotta have it,
We gotta have we gotta have it. We don't want
seventeen games, gotta have it, gotta have it. Yeah, but
we really don't want seventeen games. Yeah, I gotta have,
a gotta have it. And then finally the players said, okay,
we'll take seven teen games, but we want a B C,
D E F, a little bit of G, some H
I J, some of K L M N O N P.

(01:05:06):
And the owners said, okay, we'll give you most of that. Great,
and what do we have. We had a very easy
collective bargain agreement deal struck. We got seventeen games that
the owners got it, they got more money, The players
got a lot in this deal. They got way more
than their last one. And it worked out because that
was a negotiation. You could tell the players are saying
from the beginning, you know, we're not gonna play seventeen games. Translation,

(01:05:28):
when it's all said and done, we're gonna accept the
seventeen games and a whole bunch of other stuff we
wanted because that'll be cool, and we're gonna play less
preseason games that we don't want anyway, so it works out.
This is not that this is this is the owners
going further away from their first one. And part of
this is is because baseball owners feel that they can
basically make the players play a fifty game season because

(01:05:49):
of the agreement they uh struck in March when the
coronavirus first happened and the players realized, Okay, we have
to take less money here and we have to figure
things out later on. Baseball feels that, well, that decision
meant they can institute a fifty games season and basically
make the players play. And if you you think you're
gonna make the players play, do you think they're gonna

(01:06:10):
show up? I mean that that's what I can't get.
Owners really think that if Baseball says, nope, we're making
you come, the players are gonna go, oh, I'm packing
a bag. No, they're gonna say home and go you
can't make me come and play. I'm not going to play,
and then we're gonna have baseball. The agreement in March
calls for the commissioner to use quote best efforts to
play as many games as possible. His considerations are health

(01:06:31):
and economics. So you know that the economics part is
what's driving the owners. The league contends it's gonna lose
money for each game it plays. Without fans, it is
gonna lose some money. We know that, but without fans
and with players making their full pro rated salaries, which
is why they suggested half a season and player cuts

(01:06:52):
last time. Owners want a shorter season because there's also
the fear of a second wave of coronavirus this year.
Remember they get big playoff money. What if that wipes
out their postseason and all that revenue because they're still
playing regular season games by that time in some game season.
The owners don't want the length of season for that reason. Also, look,

(01:07:13):
if no matter what you do, the baseball season is
gonna be long, right, So say you want to play sixties,
say you want to play eight games, all right, that's
gonna be two and a half months. You're not gonna
start until July. So you're saying, all right, we're gonna
play in July sometime now later than the beginning of July.
Because now we're in the beginning of June and and
players are going to get there to play first week
of July. So now maybe you're thinking middle of July

(01:07:35):
or it's now you're going middle of July through August,
all through September, and now you're getting into October for
the playoffs, which is when they're gonna begin. Enough, playoffs
will be about a month. So even if you're playing
eighty games, which again it's a lot to jam in,
you're still going to the end of October early November.
You're not gonna miss the window for the coronavirus backlash.

(01:07:56):
If it comes with a second wave, you're gonna be
right in the middle of it. I mean that that.
That's what I don't get for baseball. It's like you're
playing a long time. NBA can come back, play a
couple of games, and then suddenly you are. You are
shaving teams out. You know, hey, we're gonna play five
or six games. We're getting rid of those teams, and
then you're gonna play around the playoffs. That gets rid
of half the teams, and there's less teams playing as
the time goes on, so they're closer you get to

(01:08:17):
what could be a second wave of coronavirus. The fewer
teams that are out there, let's face it, it's easier
to keep the coronavirus away from a small number of
people than it's a greater number of people. So that's
why the NBA that system can work. But baseball, everybody's
got to play. I mean, everybody's got to come back.
You've got thirty teams are gonna play for at least
two months, probably two and a half once if you're

(01:08:38):
gonna have any kind of season, even if it's fifty games,
because you want to build in days off, you want
to build in times home for players with their families.
So you're getting into the end of you know, into November,
no matter what. So that's what I don't I don't
get with baseball is that I feel like they're not
working together on any level. They're not working. Okay, let's
let's figure out what the right part of the season is.
Let's figure this out. Rob Manford has been in visitable.

(01:09:00):
You know, for a guy who has been at the
center of labor negotiations the entire time he's been in
Major League Baseball, he's invisible. He should be the guy
that's saying, okay, let's everybody come together here. He should
see that this is kind of out of control, that
the players are all the way on one side, and
the owners are all on the other side, and they're
looking for a door to leave, so they could be
further apart from each other. Or and he needs to
be the guy coming in to say, okay, wait a minute'

(01:09:22):
getting everybody at the table, and this is how we're
gonna do it. And instead, have you heard a word
from him? Nothing publicly? No, And in the best interests
of the game, perhaps he needs to be more objective
than he might currently be. But baseball has a clock
ticking loudly that some of their sports don't have. So
I give the two sides a pass of being tone
deaf of all of this being in the news the

(01:09:43):
last couple of weeks, while we've had what's been in
the news more importantly in the past week plus. But
the players want the regular season this year, remember to
be played from late June to late October, so about
three weeks of training camp at the most. The clock
is ticking for baseball. Uh you know, I think if
they don't have something by today is the first June.

(01:10:05):
If they don't have something by the middle of June,
that's gonna because you can't start the season in August.
I mean what are you what are you gonna play
thirty games? I mean, really, if they don't have something
by the middle of June, that's that's really dire because
that that's where Okay, if we have an agreement, then
it's gonna be a little bit less than a month

(01:10:25):
from there, because you probably need a week to get
people to settle their things and go to spring training
or whatever training they're gonna have in their home cities
wherever it is. You need three weeks of that because
players got to build their arms up and build their
bodies back up to be able to play and and
withstand playing so much baseball in so little time where
you're gonna have at least one double header every week,
maybe two doubleheaders every week. So then you're talking about, Okay,

(01:10:47):
now we're into the middle of July, and you're playing
your first games the week of July or July. That's
too late. That's too late for baseball. You want to
if you're not starting baseball by the middle of July,
which is when you can play seventy eight games and
get into the playoffs by October, that's where I go.

(01:11:07):
I that's where I don't think we're gonna have a season.
You gotta be playing by jump by that. If not,
then that's gonna be it. Yeah. Do you remember when
there was the strike season one, and that was a
couple of months off from baseball, But when they returned,
they had the All Star Game and the very next
day they started the second half of the season. But
the player strike was over by the end of July,
and they weren't saying, hey, let's have regular season games

(01:11:28):
still on October thirty one. No, well they well they
didn't actually insane way, and this was an opening day
in August. I mean, look, just to tell you what
the MLB strike was in one. Oh by the way,
if you want to hear a full podcast on it
our podcast Special Teams, I'll go to iTunes download it.
We did stood a podcast a couple of weeks ago
on the MLB strike of nine eight one, the lockout

(01:11:48):
of ninety four, the NFL strike of nineteen eighty two,
those those stories you're gonna but you're gonna say, I
can't believe any of those things actually happened, but they did.
Again Special Teams Jason sm with my Carmen on iTunes.
The one strike comes and they strike after the first
couple of months, and when they finally hit their agreement,
they decide that, Okay, whoever was in first place when

(01:12:11):
we went to a strike, you're in the playoffs no
matter what happens the rest of the way. So all
those teams who were leading their divisions at the time
of the strike guaranteed playoff spots. Right, the Yankees were
in the playoffs. Gene Michael, who managed the Yankees, they were.
They had clinched his spot, but they fired him before
they started playing the second half of the season. So
the guy actually clinched the playoffs spot, but somehow we

(01:12:32):
found a way to get fired when there were no
games being played. That was the Yankees back in the eighties.
But then they started the second half of the season,
they said, okay, now everybody's competing, and whoever wins the divisions,
now they play the winners of the first half in
a playoff series, and that's how we move on and
get to the World Series. Well, the problem was, wait
a minute, what if the same team wins the second half, Well,

(01:12:53):
that you would play the team that finished second in
your division for the playoffs, which meant, why am I
killing myself to play it at all in the second half,
I've already cleared the playoffs spot. This was what happens.
This was how baseball decided they couldn't just say we're
resuming the season. No no, no, no, no, no no.
We gotta do some kind of craziness about the first
half now the second half. And it was one of

(01:13:13):
the one of the most off the wall the back
Banana's crazy seasons. You could never think of him. You
mentioned the New York Yankees of one. They won the
first half of their season, and they were sub five
hundred the second half of the season, and they wound
up going to the playoffs and making the World Series. Here. So,
by the way, and before we get to the update,
one last thing. We have broken a record in sports

(01:13:34):
with the virus going out of going the longest in
this country without any of the four major sports. The
old record was going nearly two full months of the
summer of because back then the hockey and basketball playoffs
ended earlier, and then baseball went on strike and we
didn't have anything from the four major sports until all this.
That was the record. It is being smashed this year.

(01:13:57):
Be sure to catch live editions of the Jason Smith's
with Mike Harman weekdays at ten pm Eastern seven pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the I Heart Radio
app Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harman,
Special Delivery Steve to seger in for Harman tonight and
Uh a couple of minutes here on what really is

(01:14:17):
would be such a cool story out of the National
Football League if this happen. Uh. DeShawn Jackson did a
podcast today with teammate Lane Johnson, and he said, listen,
if there's no fans at games this year, then the
players should all be miked up. Oh my goodness, how
odd right right now the FCC just fainted. But that

(01:14:38):
would be an awesome, awesome thing. You are getting players
miked up now, you need a plan for it, obviously, Steve.
You can't. You can't make up some of the play
callers because you know, besides quarterbacks, because you don't want
them to figure out there, you know the call. So
I get that part of it. I don't know what
you do about profanity. I don't know if you just
let it air or you know. I don't know that

(01:14:58):
that anybody would be okay with that. But still, just
the fact that if you did that to hear what
players are saying to each other. I mean, that's like
next level things you wouldn't get anywhere else potentially, but
no one would miss the fans. Wait, I gotta hear
what's being said, especially when it's you know, the you know,
your number one wide receiver against a shutdown cornerback, because
you know that's gonna be the best trash talk that

(01:15:19):
possibly could be. The thing is to go back to
the Sam Donald miked up. But I'm seeing ghosts is
you have a player's union, and I can't imagine anybody
was happy that a player was kind of exposed like
that that that made it onto the air. And if
I was a fellow quarterback, it would make me think
twice about ever getting miked up for that channel. Now,
Germany has been having games with no fans in attendance,

(01:15:42):
a lot of them on FS won the last couple
of weekends and there was an f S two game today.
There are no fans, so you can hear, of course
constantly the soccer players on the field, but as a telecast, Fox,
unlike Europe, I guess, has been adding crowd noise, you know,
the din of the singing and cheering and the of
a European crowd, and they have that in the background.

(01:16:05):
It doesn't necessarily match what's going on the field, but okay,
it's in intense. They don't want the blank stairs from
the blank seats. I like Lane Johnson's idea on the
same podcast said, how about you just play music. You know,
each team has a playlist and you when they have
the football, you play their music. And I'm like, that
is awesome? Are you kidding? I mean the Steelers they

(01:16:27):
would just say, listen, Renegade. Just play Renegade whenever we're
on d the Renegade the entire time. You don't want
anything else, Nope, nope, just play Renegade. Alle we're gonna
get tired of that. Nope, nope, just play Renegade. Or
you can do what the Chargers did when the Steelers
were visiting last year. They started Renegade and then they
rick rolled him. But by then there were Steelers fans
and they all got into it so much. The rick

(01:16:47):
roll didn't work. But I think that would be pretty
cool because you would get sound. You would hear the
excitement of the of the of the play by play
um call and and the and the color Man over
popular music that's be loud. I think we're thinking too
much about how what do we have to do to
really replace this audio and put fake noise out there
and fake fans. No, just figure just figure out a

(01:17:09):
different just figure as or something else. I hated it
when Fox Sunday's had fake noise over the Sunday highlights
for NFL. We don't need it. Knock it off. The
j gis up Rannegade. Tommy Shaw would be very happy.
You go, how much money am I gonna get? Oh?
That's the one. That's one of the songs I sang
on sticks because Tennis de Young sanging the rest of them.
It would just sound like practice with the music in

(01:17:30):
the background. Uh. Coming up next a story out of
the NBA. You are not gonna believe. This is Fox
Sports Radio. Be sure to catch live editions of The
Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern,
seven pm Pacific. Welcome inside our three of the program,
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harman. Yesternight special delivery

(01:17:53):
Steve de Seger in for Mike Harmon A different kind
of night obviously, with What's been going on in the
United States. It's the past few days, another night of
unrest and curfew since the killing of George Floyd and
I the last three nights, I think we've all done
the same thing. We've gone to bed hoping that tomorrow

(01:18:13):
will be a better day, and we're still waiting for that.
I'm gonna go to bed tonight hoping tomorrow is a
better day. Is it going to be? I don't know,
but I hope. So it's very difficult to make sense
of the last forty eight to seventy two hours that
have been just on everybody's mind when you're staying home

(01:18:34):
all the time and you are being put under curfew.
Here in l A. It's been three straight nights of curfew.
It was six o'clock curfew on Saturday and a five
o'clock curfew on Sunday, a four o'clock curfew today. And
that hits your phone and you see it buzz and
you go, Okay, there's a curfew. Things are dangerous there, dicey,
And you turn on the TV and you see places

(01:18:54):
you go in shop normally being looted. Uh the grove,
which was trending all over Twitter this weekend. I've gone
there plenty of times, probably I don't know fifty times
in my life since I've been to Los Angeles. We
go there every year at Christmas. We usually go a
couple other times. That was looted. A deli that I
like to go to, uh was looted today, and and
and now who knows when that's going to be open again.

(01:19:16):
It's really an insane time. Justin Frostburg, our producer has
been producing from home since coronavirus started. He had to
leave and had to go to his parents house because
it was too dangerous him to stay where he is,
being mid city, being near Santa Monica. This is not
being unique. This is part of what's going on in

(01:19:36):
other cities. But it's me telling you what's going on
in my city as a and our city as as ever,
what everybody else is going through and driving out. Today
I went out to get lunch and I went to
Burger King and because I figured the best thing to
do was go out and get something fast and come

(01:19:57):
home knowing full well the curfew was coming. And to
see stores like Target and Ross boarded up it knowing
that it's just somebody coming out with with with with
boards and nails and trying to make sure let me
stop so people can't get in and loot. It's a
it's a jarring visual to see. It's it's it's arresting

(01:20:17):
and you see it and you go, man, this is
where we're at. This is where we're at in in
in our country. In fact, Jason, there were twenty Target
stores just in southern California that were temporarily closed. I
mean that that to me, that was the biggest thing
when I walked away, seeing seeing the boarded up and
seeing the empty parking lots, because look, you used to
empty parking lots now with coronavirus, and I get that,

(01:20:38):
but Targets always had people and it's always been an
essential business. And two stores nationwide I've read, and you know,
based in Minneapolis, right, it's it's every everything comes back
to many that's Target Center. They play in for a reason. Uh,
you know. But when I'm seeing this and and seeing
some of the things that goes on and every few minutes,

(01:20:59):
it's something it makes you step back and take your
breath away. I mean shooting the media. People are shooting
members of the media now with with police with rubber
bullets to get them to stop shooting things. ABC seven
in New York ran video of of a police officer
shoving a cameraman into the wall just because he was
taking video of what was going on. It's insane. Can
we stop shooting people? Can we stop shooting the media?

(01:21:21):
Can we stop any of this? Uh? The police chief
here at l a is trying to walk back a
statement he had in a press conference earlier tonight saying
that the looters and the police are both responsible for
the death of George Floyd, which is like, what are
you saying. Louisville fired their police chief because they fired
into a crowd last night. Uh, that trying to get

(01:21:41):
a protest crowd to disperse, kill them, kill demand And
of course none of the police had their body cams on.
And so the police chief in Louisville was fired. There's
a new story like this every few minutes. And I
know that we want to try to help, and and
what can we do? What can anybody do? Now? It's
good to not be silent. It's good to say what

(01:22:02):
you think and to say, hey, what's going on? Is wrong?
What's going on? I I disagree and it's wrong, and
that's great. But the two biggest solutions that I can
give that where where you are personally, if you if
you want to get involved, this is something that Hey,
let's figure out how to make the world a better
play how to make the United States better because right
now we're burning. The two biggest things I can tell

(01:22:24):
you number one is vote and number two is get involved.
And when I say vote, I don't mean well, we're
coming up to the big election in November. No, I
mean vote locally. Vote if for your school board, vote
for your sheriff, vote for your district attorney. I know
it's hard to get information on these people because you know, look,
let's face it, when I go to vote, it does

(01:22:44):
it say anything. Here's the nominees. There's three people nominated
for sheriff. Okay, I don't know any of these people.
I don't know what their backgrounds are. But this is
where you have to vote, because this is what's going
to foster and effect change. If you vote locally and
you take care of you take care of your county,
your district, that's where change happens. And that's where you
need vote. Vote for judges, that's where you need to

(01:23:04):
vote because that's where change is gonna happen. It's yes, yes, voting,
voting big and voting for senators and governors, and yeah,
of course that's a very big deal. But you want
to take care of your community, and if everybody can
have that responsibility, everything can work then because every state
is unique, and the problems of California are not the
same problems of Pennsylvania, and this is not the same

(01:23:25):
problems in Michigan. You couldn't be more correct and pay
attention farther down the ballot because and this is one
of the problems with the electoral college with me and
has been since my government class in high school. This
has nothing to do with recent elections. The fact that
the way they work it is I'll give two examples
California and Alabama. They each voted for one specific person.

(01:23:46):
That the last election, six of the state voted for
one person, which means anybody who's different than that one vote,
you could throw out their vote. At the presidential level,
that doesn't the whole state's going one way. It's sixty
said that. That's the whole thing. When something like when
someone if you disagree with somebody politically and like in

(01:24:08):
a state. You can say to somebody, oh, that's okay
because your vote doesn't count. Well, what do you mean
it doesn't count? Yeah, because you live in a state
that's gonna go this way no matter what's your vote
doesn't count. I can't believe you said that matter. Yeah,
it's always kind of fun to see people implode that way.
But if you vote at that local level, and I
get it, it's hard to find information, it really is.
But you gotta get online and say, Okay, who's this
person that's gonna vote running for sheriff boom? And you

(01:24:30):
can bring up stuff about them and find this is
someone I believe and I see their their record, I
see their uh what they believe in, and obviously you'll
find information on them running for an office. You'll see it.
That's you have to do. You have to vote. You
have to vote because that's what's gonna foster the change.
The other thing is is getting involved. And by that
I mean whatever you are passionate about, get involved in it.

(01:24:53):
Maybe your passion you want to run for school board, awesome.
Maybe you are passionate you want to work for you
want to help out somebody or or a company that
brings meals to people who need it because they're helping
to fight coronavirus. Get involved, do things that help, and
you will feel better about yourself and you will help
everybody else in in mass and not just in your district.

(01:25:17):
But it's gonna you're gonna wind up paying it out.
You're gonna see where it works from there. But always
doing something that you are passionate about is always going
to do the best thing, because you've got to be
who you are. And if you're upset with what's going
on in the country right now and who isn't get
involved in a way. It doesn't mean you always have
to run for office. It doesn't mean you have to
go and become a police officer. But if you want
to do that, awesome. But what it means is that

(01:25:38):
what you're passionate about, what you want to help help
fight against, that's you should go do. If you go,
If if those two things you can do, one of
those two things, you are going to help immensely. I
can't tell you how much you're gonna help because you're
gonna foster change one way or the other. And even
the starter actions that were mentioned by Jason lackin Ford
talking about the American playing in europe Soccer League and

(01:25:59):
jury many having the reference on his T shirt in
a game of what's been going on in the US,
And obviously it's been a world story, not just because
it's on our news in the fifty States here, and
that has translated to the very next day same league.
Other people, not necessarily Americans, were making comments in games.

(01:26:21):
You had other guys in practice in other countries in Europe,
and now it's starting to spread. I want to bring
up Lewis Hamilton's because Formula one is finally going to
get going with its season in July. This is a
very very popular thing in other parts of the world,
not just Europe. It gets huge ratings and there's a
ton of sponsor dollars. It has influence drivers the Grand

(01:26:41):
Prix of Long Beach that we have here. It's not
F one. I'm talking about Formula one, the specifically specifically
driver Lewis Hamilton's, who's been a champ there is still
the only black driver in F one. Last night he
attacked Formula one silence about these issues used this past
week regarding racial injustice in the world, news that nobody,

(01:27:05):
not even other drivers have said anything about this, and
he said this is a mostly white sport. And here
I am again on my own. What do you know today?
Seven drivers responded. One apologized and said racism needs to
be met with actions, not silence. Another said silence achieves nothing.
It's time we all stand together and kick racism out

(01:27:25):
of our societies for good. And another driver wrote, what
happened to George Floyd and what continues to happen in
today's society is a disgrace. Racism is toxic and needs
to be addressed, not with violence or silence, but with
unity and action. We need to stand up. We need
to be a wee. And I understand that sometimes social
media is standing up is not somebody's thing. I get that.

(01:27:47):
I get that it listens. This is not if you're
doing other things. Uh, I get if social media is
not your thing. This is what I mean. If you're
an influencer, if you're someone like a Lewis Hamilton, if
you're an athlete, if you're someone in you know that
that does things for a living in quote, I guess
you know we're kind of influencers here as well. But
if you're an influencer, certain things like you kind of

(01:28:08):
have to weigh in on. You kind of have to
let people know, Okay, this is not okay or I'm
standing with with you here. This is something that that
needs to foster change because the more people, the more
voices you have, the more difficult it is to ignore
it because for so many times we've seen an outrage
on so how many times have we seen this. There's
an outrage on something, and then it goes away and

(01:28:29):
you get quotes from people who say, we have to
do better. Okay, that's great. I think that the most
elementary thing in the world is no, yeah, no, dub,
I know we have to do better. Yeah, okay, you
can say that we have to do better. But when
you get a big voice and and it's so overwhelming,
that's gonna then foster the change because the big voices
then gonna foster people who are gonna say I want

(01:28:49):
to make a difference, I want to go vote, I
want to go get involved. That's gonna push it over
the top because when something is the larger movement is
the more ants you have of people actually getting involved
in doing things. And this is what's why that's important.
What I like about one of the sentences I just
read when this driver said kick racism out of our
society's for good. It makes me think of soccer. Say

(01:29:12):
what you will about the sport, it is part of
the fabric of most of the world's two D plus countries,
ridiculous amount of influence and attention. Racism in soccer has
just been flat out blatant in parts of Europe still
in recent years. I'm not talking about and there have
been games that have played two empty stadiums before in Europe,

(01:29:33):
long before the virus, why because of N word chance
or things against black players on visiting teams. And I'm
talking about over and over these types of things that
happened to the point where remember in the World Cup,
which Fox has carried, you get anti racism, small speeches
before the game and signs say no to racism. So
FIFA is trying to put a good foot forward and

(01:29:56):
they realize the potential influence it has. But go back
to your point, A lot of this has to start
in ground level. Yeah, And you know it's funny you
mentioned that even in MLS games, there's there's moments before
the game where they say hi, I'm so, and so
you know, starving tea, and you know, please refrain from
using words like a certain chance and certain things to

(01:30:16):
say you want to call the other goalie or anything.
Please stop that. That's not the way that we want
to move on. And you know, it's it's even here
with that now. So it's it's good that soccer kind
of understands we have to fight this, but we have
to fight it everywhere. You know, it's not just it's
not just one spot. And you know, someone like Lewis
Hamilton's saying, hey, you know, I'm really ashamed no one
stepping up. Okay, now it's time from you step up

(01:30:36):
and say something. I mean, that's a big deal, even
if it's not your thing to be able to realize
that this is such a big deal, I have to
say something about it. I have to let let people
know that I'm with you on this, and that gives
more people confidence to do things. As you know, look
even from the ground level up. Whatever it is, and
it is it like I said, maybe it means more

(01:30:57):
people run for office. Maybe it means more people want
to run for sheriff or where you want to become
police officers or firefighters, whatever it is. But that's what's
gonna start it. And that's why this is so important.
And there's such a big emphasis on if you're silent,
you're compliant, and so eventually it doesn't mean you have
to weigh in right away and you have to let
people know. Okay, well, but at some point you know

(01:31:17):
that that is not you know so far you know,
far away from it. You have to let people know
what you think if you're an influencer like that, and
influencer gets a derisive name, and I think justifiably so
these days in social media. But the fact is, when
I talk about how sports have world influence, there are
some people whose thoughts glod or bad are seen by

(01:31:39):
literally millions of people, and not just in this country.
So there is influence to be had. Use it for good.
Twitter at how about a fresco that Jason Smith show
with Mike Carmen Steve to singer in tonight from Mike.
Uh So, those are the two things I'm telling you
those that you want to help foster change those two things,
vote or get involved or do both. Both. Those things

(01:32:01):
are what's gonna foster change. But coming up next, speaking
of change, how about James Dolan, former owner of the
New York Knicks. After what happened tonight, I really wonder
how much longer he has to run That team. Will
bring you that new story coming up next right here. Fox.
Show with Mike Harman weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven

(01:32:24):
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the I Heart
Radio app Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with
Mike Harman. Steve de Seger in for harm and tonight,
and you know, at some point we'd get to the
New York Knicks and oh boy, uh, everybody knows what

(01:32:45):
the last few days has been like in the United States. Everybody, well, okay,
you're right, everybody but James Dolan apparently knows what life
has been like in the United States the past few nights.
So this is the night six of unrest fall awaying
the killing of George Floyd, And it is very difficult
to see when things are going to brighten up and

(01:33:08):
get better. I always hopeful that the next day something happens.
But as you follow the news twenty four hour news cycle,
and the National Guard is being deployed in different places,
and you know, you see President Trump talking about activating
the military. And then I'm seeing things like posse Colmtada's
trending and the last time I saw that trend it
was because it was episode of West Wing. It just
gets insane. But James Dolan and the Knicks, oh my goodness.

(01:33:33):
So there are two teams in the NBA who have
yet to put out a statement on the death and
the killing of George Floyd, and those are the Knicks
and the San Antonio Spur Have two teams have not
and this is not a team has had to announce initiatives.

(01:33:53):
We're gonna do X, Y and Z because this is
just to put out a statement denouncing the killing of
George Floyd. Now, hey, we un understand what what what
it means to be a black person or understand what
the stakes are at times to be a black person
United States. Just something of sympathy and empathy. Now for
the Spurs, credit look, Greg Popovich for most of his
life has always talked about equality and injustice when it happens,

(01:34:17):
and he did a big long interview today. He still
would like something from the Spurs. But Greg Popovich has
has has been very outspoken. Uh, the other team that
has not said anything has been the New York Knicks.
Why well, now we know because Pablo Tory of ESPN
and canna give them credit for it, because they had it.
He got what was a memo from Jim Dolan to

(01:34:40):
New York Knicks and MSG employees as to why they
have not made a public statement about the killing of
George Floyd. So I'm gonna read to you from James
Dolan statement and you tell me what you think is
the craziest part. Um, I want you to know I
realized the importance of this issue. Therefore, I want you
to understand our intern a position. This is a turbulent

(01:35:01):
time in our country. The coronavirus and civil unrest have
taken their toll in our way of life. Okay, sounds
good so far. Here's where you get to the big
one in paragraph three. As companies in the business of
sports and entertainment, however, we are not any more qualified
than anyone else to offer our opinion on social matters.
What's important is how we operate. Our companies are committed

(01:35:24):
to upholding our values, which include creating a respectful workplace
for all, and that will never change. What we say
to each other matters. How we treat each other matters.
That's we'll get us through this difficult time. So all
in all, it's a great statement, except for that obvious
throwing up on yourself moment of as companies in the
business of sports and entertainment, we are not any more

(01:35:46):
qualified than anyone else to offer our opinion on social matters.
I can't believe one how tone deaf that is. I
can't believe that James Dolan doesn't really understand what's going
on in the world the past six nights, and and
you know it's to compare this to the situation involving
Donald Sterling is apropos even though the situations are different.

(01:36:08):
Donald Sterling was caught on tape saying incredibly racist things
and he had to be replaced as an owner. As
Charles Barkley said at the time, this is where it
goes with James Dolan. As Charles Barkley said, we're a
black league. The NBA is a black league. You can't
have an owner who's saying these things own a team
that's a black league. And the NBA, yes, it's a
black league. And you have James Dolan, who owns the Knicks,

(01:36:31):
that says we're not qualified to give our opinion on
social matters. You're not qualified to let everybody else in
the NBA and your own players and fans know. Hey,
we condemn the killing of George Floyd's that's what you
have to do. Even at the minimum, it's bad business,
even if he actually doesn't believe this to say you
can't give an opinion on social matters. Even the Coaches

(01:36:52):
Association today issued a statement on the death of George Floyd.
The Washington Wizards last night we mentioned they had four
simple sentences, and that was we will no longer tolerate
the assassination of people of color in this country. Okay,
is that too controversial? How about their next statement? We
will no longer accept the abusive power from law enforcement.

(01:37:15):
There are other We will no longer accept ineffective government
leaders who are tone deaf, lack compassion or respect for
communities of color. Statement number four from the Wizards last night,
we will no longer shut up and dribble. Apparently he
did not read that. It's it's you know what it is.
It's three seconds worth of work. Hey, who's the runt
of the Twitter account? Hey make sure let's put out

(01:37:36):
a statement. Uh, showing solidarity with everybody else about the
killing of George Floyd. It could be just ten seconds
out of your day. But this is James Dolan going
to the next level to say, this is why we
are not going to say anything. Oh my goodness, are
you kidding me? You're really gonna die on this hill.
This is what you double down on. He could have

(01:37:56):
copied and pasted the Lakers statement, which was simple and
direct as it get three short sentences from the Lakers.
A fellow n b DA team James by the way,
that did issue an opinion on social matters. Quote. We
condemn racism, bigotry, violence and prejudice in all its forms.
The Lakers said, everyone has the right to live free

(01:38:18):
from fear and to be treated with dignity in respect.
We hear the pain of our black community, and we
will not stay silent no matter where you are politically
or anywhere else. We have to fight racism. Racism is terrible,
and and he can't even put out a statement saying
that he can't. I mean this is he worried that
if I say anything, people are gonna come ride at

(01:38:40):
Madison Square Garden. Are they gonna I don't know. What
his end game is. But I have a distinct situation,
sneaking suspicion this could be the tipping point for him
owning the Knicks, because there's no way his team would
come up. Can you imagine they asked Knicks to come
back and play now. I mean they're not going to
because the Knicks are far out of the playoffs and
they're not gonna make it. But what if they were

(01:39:01):
in the mix ready to come back and play, and
Adam Silver says, Okay, we're gonna have twenty three teams
come and look the Knixer within five games or playoff
spot the East, We're gonna vite them to come. The
Knicks would stand up and say, no, we're not doing
it because our owner. No, we're not doing it. They
would play one game just with some other jerseys like
the Clippers taking off their clippers, or they could go
out there for the tip off and then walk off

(01:39:23):
before before the ball is tipped off, because that's what
players were gonna do if Adam if Or wasn't taken
up James don't this could be of all the things,
this could be it because number one, now the players
look at James Dolan and go, wow, he can't even
he can't even back up a guy that was killed
in police custody. What does this say about racism? I

(01:39:45):
don't want to play for this guy. And then, as
sure as hell, aren't gonna get players to come want
to come play there in free agency? Who's gonna want
to go there? They don't go there now anyway, They're
not gonna want to go there after after this story
comes out. This is one of those all right, you
are now really hurting the value of the franchise of
the Knicks. Now you've hurt them for years. But just
because your stink on the court, what can we do?
Can we take a sport? We can we take a

(01:40:06):
team away from somebody just because they stink. No, but
this is one of those human moments where Adam Silver
may have to make a tough call and say, listen, uh,
you've just completely ruined your image, our image, and the
NBA in general. You did not protect the shield on this.
So guess what. There's gonna be a vote whether or
not you get to own the Knicks or not. Can
you imagine how former Knicks feel right now? I mean,

(01:40:28):
some of the Knicks grades in history and A name
that comes to mind with me is Bill Bradley. This
is this is is franchise? Are you kidding me? You
wait till they call Phil Jackson. You wait, do they
call Patrick Ewing, who now is home and and recuperating
from coronavirus? You you wait, do they call anybody who
was a star? They'll call Bernard King, they will call

(01:40:49):
John Starks, they will call Xavier McDaniel. You watch the
people they call there. They'll call Isaiah Thomas and say, Isaiah,
what do you think about this? This? This is going
to be one those stories that it just gets bigger
as the day goes on, because this will be Sometimes
there's stories and sports that are one day stories, where
they're a big story for a day and that's it.

(01:41:10):
And then there's other stories that are big for a
couple of days, and then there's the ones that just
they're gonna go. And this is one of those stories
that's gonna go because every day there's gonna be some
kind of of statement on this for the next few days.
On James Dolan owning the Knicks. You're gonna get people
decrying him. You're gonna people saying he needs to be
out you're gonna get other stories about James Dolan that
are gonna say, oh, yeah, he said this in private ones.

(01:41:33):
I mean this, this is this could be it. This
could be that moment that says, you know what, James
Dolan goes from Knick's owner to the process begins to
him not owning the Knicks. I don't see how you
can survive as an NBA owner when you put out
this message and say we're not any more qualified than
anyone else to offer our opinion. Because as you mentioned
earlier in the show, this is also him saying nobody

(01:41:53):
in the NBA should say anything. So all the other
teams that have wanted to show their support for George Floyd,
his family, for any buddy else that that's that's ever
been uh and prejudiced against him. Yeah, I mean you're
you're saying you don't you don't have the you don't
have the the the all sports, not just n b A.
I'll go with his half sentence. I repeat, I agree
with one small part that it is important how you operate.

(01:42:16):
But to statement you're not going to offer an opinion
on a social matter, I repeat, even if you actually
don't believe it. Please please believe it. By the way,
even if you didn't, it shows you what an idiot
as a businessman he is. He doesn't know who he
has as employees or what's surrounding him in his own
town or his own industry. It's ludicrous. And at the

(01:42:40):
heart of this is that everybody has the right to
their own opinion. Everybody does. It could be malinformed opinion,
it could be a great opinion, like all my opinions.
It could be it could be the worst opinion, could
be this one, this opinion, could be this opinion. But everybody,
what's the phrase, You're entitled to your own opinion, whether
people agree or not. This is him saying we we

(01:43:02):
shouldn't have an opinion. He said we shouldn't have an opinion.
Nobody should have an opinion on this because it's a
social matter. What I'm not part of society. I mean,
so who's so who's qualified to have an opinion on
this if you don't live it. I think, because I
live in society, I'm okay to have an opinion. I mean,
I know we're just an entertainment at this company, is
what he said in the statement, So I repeat, he's

(01:43:23):
telling himself to shut up. And I say it all
the time, and there's no truer moment than this right now. Look,
I've been a Knicks fan for my whole life, and
it's been the last twenty years has been rough. I
mean since free Well missed the lay up against the Spurs,
uh and in the final second in the final second
of Game five, which actually came after the buzzer, but

(01:43:43):
they would have counted it anyway. It doesn't matter he
missed it, and the Nix's loser series. You know, it
might have been different if you Wing hadn't gotten hurt. Anyway,
it's been no, no, not at all. But if you
ain't really, if you didn't get hurt, then then are
Robinson and Duncan having the NBA Final? You know, but
let's okay, then we've been having the eight seed asterisk
conversation like oh that I can't believe. But anyway is

(01:44:06):
that it's been rough the last twenty years, and the
Nicks have had embarrassing story after embarrassing story. And sometimes
it's Isaiah Thomas, sometimes it's James Donlan, sometimes it's Phil Jackson,
But no matter what, it's it's been a rough twenty years.
And this is why I say this, and there's nothing
more true in sports. If your team has a bad quarterback,

(01:44:27):
eventually he'll get replaced. And if your team has a
bad manager, eventually he's gonna get fired and somebody knew
was gonna come in. If you have a bad general manager,
John Edswick, if you have a bad GM or director
of player personnel or head scout, eventually they will be
replaced and somebody else at the team thinks can do
better will be brought in. And there's always the old

(01:44:48):
Chris Berman phrase of and brighter days ahead for the
Lions next year. But if you have a bad owner,
you are stuck for a long long time. You're stuck
until that owner wants to sell. And the very rare
circumstances like Donald Sterling, that doesn't happen that often. So

(01:45:10):
you get a guy that owns a team, and they
like to own teams so they can walk around and go, yeah,
you're on a basketball team. Yeah you on a team.
I own a team. I on the Knicks on MSG. Yes,
I'm rich, look at me. Yes. Does he really care
about the team, about about putting the team in the
right place because it belongs to everybody. Yes, it's his team,
but it belongs to the city, it belongs to the players,
the employees. Now, people don't care. People don't care. Owners

(01:45:32):
don't care. You saw half the owners in Major League Baseball.
Roka was shutting down the season so they could save money.
I mean, these guys don't care. James Donlan clearly doesn't care,
doesn't care. And when you until he wants to sell
the team and that's not happening, you are stuck. That's
why I look as a Met fan, Hey, that Will
Pons are selling. Oh my god, they're They're tremendously bad owners.

(01:45:53):
They're terrible. I mean, you talk, these guys felt there
into a Ponzi scheme and cost people millions and billions
of dollars. But the Major League Baseball say, yeah, it's
a little the team, Yeah, it's all good, a little mess.
But if they're not selling the TV channel, what kind
of sale is actually happen here? But now they are
selling s N why which is why a Rod and
j Lo are back involved. So hey, it's happening right now.
As far as the ownership, maybe this is at minimum

(01:46:18):
a foot in the door for those who like the
Clippers as an example, wanted Sterling out for years and
then my goodness, he's on tape. He's gone. Now we
got him out. Maybe this doubling down on this of
all things, maybe that's at least a foot in the
door and getting in that direction. Even if he would
say I'm gonna keep MSG, but I'm gonna sell the Knicks. Fine,

(01:46:38):
somebody will buy the Nicks because it's it's it's valued
that big. Obviously, because it comes with Madison Square Garden,
the value is much more. But even if that's the case,
you know what, you can keep MSG. James maybe Adam
silver And said, you keep MSG, but you gotta sell
the Knicks you got. We can't have you in the
league like this. And I get that it's hard to
vote an owner out because I remember Mark Cubans saying
this for Donald Sterling. It's like, boy, it was a
tough vote for him. And I was like, how tough

(01:47:00):
a vote is it? Look a look at Donald Sterling
saying racist thing. He can't the players are not gonna play.
But from Mark Cuban standpoint was that what if something
else comes up and nobody likes the business practice I
have as an owner and they decide I don't like
Mark Cuban, Yeah, he's got bad business practice. He's out
as an owner. So I get the responsibility that owners
have in in in voting out one of their own um,

(01:47:23):
but sometimes it's you have to realize the fabric of
the league. This is one of those things. If a
team stinks, the team stinks, can't get rid of a
guy because they stink. But this is wow. We we
we can't even get on the same page as the
rest of the league, and we're gonna come off looking
incredibly racist. Now we don't want to say something like this,
And again I go back to Charles Barkley, you can't

(01:47:43):
do this. It's a black league, and that that's where
we're at. I mean, really, this this could be it.
We This could be a story that I see going
for days and days and days, and you're gonna eventually
get into the NBA and Adam Silver having to take
time away from reopening the LEADU to go, okay, now
we gotta talk about the Knicks or you know, you're frozen.
Your ability to run the Knicks is frozen until we

(01:48:04):
have time to get to it. And I'm gonna get
to it after we figure out the comeback of the NBA,
but that's what's coming. And I think this is that
big a deal. I don't know. I mean, are you
do you think that that's that that could happen? And
I am I going too far with it because I
clearly see this as being a possible result for it. Well,
I repeat, minimum foot in the door, because it's not
like Sterling, and my goodness, he's actually on tape saying

(01:48:28):
what he was accused of. For those who don't know,
Donald Sterling owned fancy apartment buildings for many years and
had these huge ads in the l A Times constantly.
I feel like he was the one sponsor, almost by himself,
supporting the Los Angeles Times as a paper. He bought
so many adds and adds about charities to show himself

(01:48:48):
in a good light and so forth, while they were
all these lawsuits about how he allegedly treated minorities in
his apartment buildings. And then when you had comments on tape,
it was a real gotcha moment for people locally, and
you had a new commissioner who acted quite decisively and
frankly had to with, as you say, the makeup of
his league. He was responding to his own constituents. I

(01:49:09):
think it's at minimum this gets a foot in, but
it's not quite what we saw was sterling twitter at
how about a fresca. It is the Jason Smith Show
with Mike Carmen, Steve de Sega and Form Mica. There
is other stuff going on in the world of sports
tonight and right now, Steve's got it for you and
what's trending s D. Let's start out with the details
of the NBA's future, because a vote on the season
is expected Thursday after that recent Board of Governor's conference

(01:49:31):
call last week. A target date to return to play
is July thirty one. According to the Athletic a play
attorney for the final playoff seeds is still possible. Keep
in mind there is no unanimity on how to proceed
with a season. What seems to be the case is
whatever the commissioner pushes for the vote, that may be
the thing that passes. But there's in no way. Well,

(01:49:54):
there was that survey to the general managers this pastor,
you can remember what kind of conference playoff format should
we have this year? Traditional format sixteen votes compared to
fourteen for seeding teams. Regardless of conference. Uh, when should
we end the season? This year? Nine GMS wanted ended
by October one, seven wanted by mid September, another eleven

(01:50:15):
in the survey said ended October fift there later. There
is no unanimity, and the commissioner is not expected to
invite every team to finish the regular season. But even
the board had no consensus on that last week. According
to a p SO, a lot to be done, but
it sounds like will at least get something to a
vote and the players have been warned on conference call

(01:50:36):
a couple of weeks ago. We're all choosing from a
lot of bad options here, and I think, well, compared
to baseball, there's what greater chance of the NBA passing
something than baseball. Keep in the background, the NBA has
the right to recruit one percent of each player salary
for every regular season game that canceled for these unforeseason

(01:50:59):
unforeseen reasons this season. Baseball, of course, players want the
pro rated salary because they get paid for literally every
game there is. If there's a two games out of
one sixty two, they get about half the salary. So
yesterday the union proposal was one game baseball season this year,
the owners had wanted eight two. Now, the ESPN report

(01:51:21):
that the Baseball owners and the commissioner there for today
discussed a regular season of only about fifty games this year,
with pro rated salaries and then playoffs. This has not
been proposed by the way. The league considers it a
last resort in case there's no agreement with the players.
The Washington Nationals will pay their minor leaguers the full
four hundred dollars per week this month after all reversing

(01:51:42):
yesterday's announcement. NASCAR's Axfinity Race was on FS one tonight.
Noah Gregson the winner. The Raiders first round wide receiver
Henry Ruggs cut his thigh during a recent move. His
father says Ruggs is on crutches, but quote pretty much okay.
Clemson wide receiver Justin Ross is out for the season
due to a spinal ist you he'll have surgery on Friday.
Ross had sixty six receptions last year, and former Auburn

(01:52:05):
coach Pat Die passed away at the age of eighty.
He'd been battling kidney related issues. Die was the Tigers
coach through College Football Hall of Famer. He was also
Auburn's athletic director for most of his time there. One
of the first things I thought of, and I know
it's the first thing you thought of, Jason when this
news came out of his sad passing was the Sugar

(01:52:27):
Bowl game after the nine eight seven season, when it
was Auburn, a top ten team, against Syracuse, an undefeated
top ten team, And boy was this in the news
back then. In the final seconds, down by three, his
Auburn team kicked a thirty yard field goal, so the
game would end in a sixteen all tie. There was
no overtime in college football back then, and so in outrage,

(01:52:51):
almost comic outrage, Syracuse was sending thousands of ties to
Pat Die ugly ties to commemorate what had happened. They
the Pat tie that was that was the nickname after yeah,
And if I remember it right, he kind of turned
it around because he took all of those ties and
he autographed them and he auctioned them off for charity,

(01:53:12):
and like whatever charity is. So everybody wound up winning
because Syracuse wound up getting their point across that dude,
how do you go for a time? Man, it's a
thirty yard fidle, come on, be a man. And but
then Auburn got their part of their revenge, and and
and and some charity's got money. Every worked out for everyone.
I remember thinking at the time of the game, are
you serious? You want to tie in the Sugar Bowl?

(01:53:33):
And this isn't for the national championship? You come in
right to what sixth in the country. Yeah, and you're not.
I mean Tom Osborne remembered not that many years before, right,
just like five years before in a national championship, went
for two at the end against Miami, And yeah, I
I remember that. That was the year before I enrolled

(01:53:54):
in Syracuse and it was such about remember getting the
campus and it was like Pat died. Pat died. They
couldn't stand him like that, So anybody talked about because
that was the year before I was a freshman at Syricus. Oh,
the Sugar Bowl, Chuga. I was like, oh man, everybody's
living this now, this is great. I'm part of college
football history. Now. This is one great thing that I
like that Pat Due did in his career. He had

(01:54:14):
been a Bear Bryant assistant at Alabama. And you remember
that Alabama never played at Auburn, never the two inside schools.
It was always at Birmingham and Pat Dye was athletic
director as well as coach. Bear Bryant finishes early eighties
and patde winds up getting what we currently see these
great games home and home series between the two rivals

(01:54:37):
at Auburn actually gets to host in its home stadium, Alabama.
We're all the better for it. Pat Die, eighty years old.
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Carmen Steve de Sager
in from my coming up next. Hey, the NBA actually
had some news today about their potential come back. You
think the league is ready to okay Adam Silver's plan

(01:54:57):
on Thursday, Well, some owners may want some more teams
in whatever playoffs are happening. We got that late breaking
development coming up next right here. Fox. Be sure to
catch live editions of The Jason Smith Show with Mike
harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern seven pm Pacific Fox
Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harman. Steve
de Seger in for harm and tonight, and uh, this

(01:55:22):
happened in the NBA today obviously. Look, we're dealing with
the combination of what's happening in the country and the
world of sports and trying to strike that balance for
you this evening. But as the NBA gets set to
vote to return to action on Thursday, Adam Silver's proposal
of sending twenty two teams to Disney World and having
a play in type atmosphere and then the playoffs begin

(01:55:42):
is expected to be approved by NBA owners. Well, the
Disney Sports Complex, they're not gonna be playing. That would
be fun, though, that would be fun. Hey, is the
Indiana Jones right still up? Now? Oh? It's down. I
can't guard him. His card hasn't come around yet. On
the ride. The Disney Sports Complex yes to be used
as the Loan Campus. For those who are unaware, there's

(01:56:03):
a five thousand seed arena there that hosts an annual
college basketball holiday tournaments some of us watch. But there's
also two buildings with six basketball courts each yea and
halftime as the Pixar Parade. So well, no, no parade.
So while this is potentially happening, Clay Bennett, owner of
the Thunder, today made big headlines in which he made

(01:56:26):
an impassioned speech which the NBA should use all thirty
teams in whatever resumption of the season they have because
he fears small markets shutting their doors. They'll be doing
irreparable damage if you shut your doors over period of months.
This is how out of touch Clay Bennett is. I
want Clay Bennett to call those teams that are sitting
through thirty and say, hey, honest, honest answer, do you

(01:56:47):
want to come back and play? And they would all
laugh at him. They would laugh and then hang up
the phone. None of these teams want to come play publicly. Well,
teams like the Warriors say yeah, we want to come
play privately. It's different. These teams are done. They've already
finished their season, their forty games under five. They don't
want to come play. I feel like Clay Bennett does
not have anywhere close to his finger on the pulse

(01:57:09):
of the NBA. There's no way they want to come back.
That phrase irreparable damage. You want irreparable damage. Look at
the Knicks last five or six years. My goodness that
they're not coming back. And once again, as we said earlier,
look at the NHL. Have you not had your ears
open to what's going on in other sports? They have
seven teams right now who are not making the expanded
playoffs and their seasons are done and they're gonna have

(01:57:31):
about nine months off. That's it. Although you're gonna say,
look at the last six hours for the Knicks, you
went you went back six years, well even worse. But
none of them want to play, and that's that's such
a bad optic. It's such a bad headline for the
NBA if you're trying to get players back and it's like, uh,
I know we got a game tomorrow, but yeah, I
got like six guys that want to play. What am
I gonna do? That's that was the India. Look. All

(01:57:53):
you had to do was to say is we had
to send out an email and a text message to
the to the members of the league, asked them, if
you want to continue this season? What does that tell
you about how many players want to play or not wanting?
As far as small market teams, I got an idea,
how about a luxury text and maybe give some of
the people that you know they pay too much in salaries,
haven't pay attacks and that money goes to the smaller

(01:58:13):
market teams. Thinking that, look at you solving problems Twitter,
how about a fresco The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmen.
Stephen from Mike what the Country Needs? Coming up next Fox.
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific. Fox Sports Radio. A little bit different slide

(01:58:34):
over Baby Hour tonight. Steve de Seger in for Mike Harmon,
and we got a big stick to sports conversation coming
up in a couple of minutes. But obviously, you know,
you can't ignore what has been happening in the United
States the past few nights. Another night of unrest UH

(01:58:55):
following the killing of George Floyd. And we have seen
so many things happened tonight, President Trump threatening to bring
in military presence if some of the rioting and demonstrations
don't stop. We are seeing police officers attacking members of
the media. It's out of control. The l A the
chief of police today, Michael Moore, had to try to

(01:59:17):
walk back a comment in which he said that the
protesters and rioters are as much to blame for George
Floyd's death as the police officers who are responsible in Minneapolis.
In Louisville, they fired their chief of police because last
night police fired into a group of protesters and one
of them died and in trying to look at what

(01:59:41):
the video looked like, none of the officers had their
body cam on. So the chief police in Louisville was
let go. And that's a thing now that I think
body cams are going to be a very big part
of it, and that if you don't have them on,
that's what's gonna wind up being a fireball offense for
whatever you do. Um but to try to think what
we need because we have to be together if we're

(02:00:05):
going to get past this and be able to move
forward and find a new kind of normal here in
the country. I'm gonna I'm gonna call this, uh we
need a walk this way moment right the the run
dmc arrowsmith song, I'm gonna tell you what I mean

(02:00:25):
by that and a side because Steve, this is this
is something that happened from my first year of football
in high school. And what happens is when you play
football in high school, you go to summer practice and
forever long it is, and then you go to football
camp and you go away to football camp for a week.
It's just a week solid to football. You practice three
times a day, you run. Football camp is the worst,

(02:00:47):
but it's you know, it's what you need to do
to be able to come back as a team. You
you put in your offense and your defense, and you
figure out who can play what position, and it's it's
solid football for you know, seven days, everybody goes and
has some kind of football camp. So the first experience
I had with playing organized sports in high school was
playing football. And this is the first big exposure I

(02:01:11):
had to all kinds of of different races. You know.
I went from a public school that maybe had you know,
one or two hundred kids in it, to a middle
school that had like four hundred kids in it. I
guess maybe less than that, and then my high school
had about two thousand. So I'm like, oh my god,
look at this. And this is the first time, you know,
you're you're you're around so many people of so many
different races, and you know, you get to the football

(02:01:33):
field and you practice with everybody for a week or so,
and it's a big alpha situation, and there's and there's
you know, they the players are white and black and
Latino and Asian and and it's you know, you're trying
to figure out a way. Okay, only the strong survive
on the football field. It's like the serengetti, you know,
as you're trying to figure out a way to not
get eaten, and there's a lot of people that are ready.
They want to be captains, they want to show you

(02:01:55):
how good there, They want to hit, they want to
knock you down. It's a very difficult time and it's
tough to try to make friends because these are people
that you're practicing and you're hitting against every single day.
So after a couple of weeks, we go to football
camp and we're clearly not together yet as a team.
And this is kind of what football camp does for you,
is it brings you together. It's one of those times

(02:02:16):
where when you spend seven days with somebody and you
stay in cabins together. You know that's what's supposed to
bring you together. And you know, look there there are
you know, there's there's everybody trying to get along. And look,
there were white people that didn't get along with black
people and black people didn't get along with white people
in Latine. That's that's just kind of how it goes.
You're trying to figure out a way. It's not always

(02:02:36):
a race thing, but it's just boy this guy is
a better player than I am. I'm trying to figure
out my way and I want to be a leader,
and it's very difficult, and so you know when you
don't know each other. So we're going up in the
in the bus up to camp and everybody is sitting.
It's a huge bus, one of those fifty buses, and
there's we had a smaller team like maybe they about

(02:02:56):
twenty five or thirty people win a football camp. And
I'll never forget this is that the guy turned out
to eventually want to be in one of my really
good friends in high school. Uh, he was our best
wide Receiver's name was David Kress. And he was controlling
the radio in the front, like he sat in front
and this is how long ago was in the eighties.
He had a he had a boom box and that's
what he was playing, you know, the songs off of

(02:03:17):
because not everybody had Walkman's or that's what Walkman's were,
you know, before iPods and everything whenever, and everybody had
Walkman's or personal cassette players. You know, we didn't have that.
So he's playing music and he's playing all his favorite
songs and he's it's a lot of hip hop and
rap and and R and B and everything, and and
you know, is that music that everybody likes? No? Is
that music? A lot of people like Shure and I

(02:03:37):
liked a lot of rapp in R and B. But
he's playing all these songs and somebody finally calls out
from the back and says and says, hey, Pop, come on,
how about something else? His nick name was Poppy, And
I'm going, oh, oh, this this could get because he
kind of looks back and he sees like who's calling
him out? Because he's just like this said, this is
the best wide receiver on the team. And he was,
all right, I got something for you all, I got something.
I got something. And he takes out he puts in

(02:03:58):
a new cassette and he and he puts in and
he puts in Walk This Way by Run DMC and Aerosmith.
All right, now, this this video was groundbreaking when it
came out. In it was Run d m C, who
are are were the biggest rap act in the country,
and it's Aerosmith, one of the biggest rock bands. They

(02:04:19):
had recorded Walk This Way a few years before, and
now here they are putting it together for a new
rock rap version, and this song was so incredibly hot.
I can't even tell you. Everybody loved this song. Everybody
loved it. So he puts in Walk this Way, and
I wanted to vote for him to be the captain
of the team right there, because he puts this song

(02:04:40):
in and he plays it and everybody starts going crazy,
and everybody's singing it, and everybody's acting out parts of
the video. Aerosmith is breaking into where run dmc is
is playing their song, and then they start dancing together
at the end, and everybody's singing and screeching and I'm
singing high the Steven Tyler part. And that moment, we
all came together as a team. Everybody knew we're in

(02:05:03):
it together and this is something that this is gonna work.
And sometimes it takes you go all the way up
to camp and you have to play a bunch of
scrimmages and figure things out. But it was our remember
the Titans moment, you know, like when Bertier and Julius
are are are honking it up after a big play
and and and then and then Julius is going, yeah,
I'm gonna be in the wire in a few years.

(02:05:23):
You know, they're honking up and having fun, and that
was like, okay, the team came together, and that was
kind of our moment. Not that we had big racial divides,
but it was people not knowing each other and and
not being exposed to other cultures as much. So this
was our moment where it's like, okay, we got it now,
and and and we went up there and we had
good practices. We came back, we played pretty well, and
we finished three and seven, but you know, we still

(02:05:45):
played pretty well. We had a really good quarterback, and
and everybody was together. And these are guys I was
friends with for you know, the rest of the time
I was in high school. But it was it was
that moment when he played that song and everybody singing
it that you knew this is gonna work. And I
even saw our coaches laughing and realizing this is a
big You can't coach a moment like this. This is
something that just has to happen naturally and organically. And

(02:06:08):
it did all because David Kress played Walk this way.
And to say, he could have either just said I'm
playing my music or I'll put something for you later,
but he said, no, I'm gonna go for this song
right now, and that was so awesome. I can't even
say sports can be so powerful, which makes me think
on the negative side, imagine how many decades were lost
of these types of opportunities in the Southeastern Conference, for example,

(02:06:31):
when a guy as powerful as Bear Bryant wouldn't actually
flip the switch on something he had the power to
do and recruit black players. And that would have been
the domino that fell to start it in the nineteen
sixties instead of the nineteen seventies. For the SEC we
talked about movies all the time on this show. Remember
The Titans is a good one too. That's Denzel Washington

(02:06:53):
to recommend along these lines, or the movie Glory with
Denzel Washington for that matter. But the movie Glory Road
College basket Ball film highly recommend. True story of the
U TEP team that wound up playing against Adolph Rupps
Kentucky team in the n c A tournament that had
pat Riley And it also made me think of Invictus
for those who don't know the film. About a decade

(02:07:14):
ago it came out and both Morgan Freeman and Matt
Damon and it got Oscar nominations. An incredible story. Some
movies you see, whether they wind up four star movies
or not, you think, boy, that's such a great story.
I'm glad someone made this because consider when Nelson Mandela
is freed and becomes the leader of South Africa. This
is the president of South Africa talk about wounds needing

(02:07:36):
to be healed at that time racially. And in the nineties,
they're trying to create a national team in rugby in
this case that represents this new unified quote country and
try and get to the World Cup. In the movie
Invictus and I did run across a Nelson Mandela quote

(02:07:57):
where he talks about sports can create hope. Sports is
more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. It
can laugh in the face of all types of discrimination.
You know, you brought it and you're bringing up all
those great movies and I you know, Glory, uh with
Denzel watching because he won for glory, I think he won.

(02:08:18):
He was phenomenal, such a different, such a different I mean,
you've never seen Denzel Watchington play a character like that.
I mean that was just you know, you talk and
to to catch people up with it. It's about it's
a Civil War movie. Matthew Broderick is in charge of
a platoon and he has to get white and black
soldiers to work together. And not for a spoiler alert,
but when it comes to it and the end of

(02:08:40):
the movies here and you're like, oh my god, and
Denzel crabs the flag and just plants it and you
know what's gonna happen. That was one of the first
moments in my life. I said, oh my god, that's incredible.
I mean, that was it was a team moment, and
I was like, oh my god, He's the last guy
you would expect to grab that flag. You know, he's
who's gonna Who's gonna do it? Who's gonna do it?

(02:09:00):
Because they do the whole thing in the movie. If
this man falls, we will grab the flag. Who will
do it? And Denzel didn't want to be there, didn't
want to do it, didn't believe in it, all this stuff,
and he's the guy that grabs the flag and plants
and knowing what's going to happen. That was such an
unbelievable For those who have been to Massachusetts, I've seen
the plaque a huge one when I visited there, honoring
the fifty fourth Regiment. It's i think outside the state capital,

(02:09:22):
one of the government buildings there. It's part of history.
The things that we mentioned, remember the Titans, true story,
integration of high school football in Virginia, Glory obviously true story,
Glory Road College basketball true story, in Victor's true story.
I'm sure there's plenty that we haven't thought up in
the two minutes of this. This is what sports can do. Yeah,
you know what, and you you talk about football, and

(02:09:45):
my uncle coached high school football for a long time
and he uh and I think he won four I
tried to look it up, but he's sleeping right now.
I think he won four city championships in New York City.
I think I think he won four over the course
of his career, which is which is pretty cool. In
one year he want up finished ranked third in New
York State. Uh, in the in the top in the
in the top division. And you know, he like he

(02:10:07):
played football. He coached football. You know, I played football.
He knew how much I love football. I remember having
a conversation with him one day and he just said
to me. It wasn't quite out of the blue, but
he said, you know why you know why I like football.
I think we're going over place. He was like showing
me diagramming plays and stuff, and I thought that was
really fun. He said, you know why I love football
and I said no, He goes, because this is where
I feel like everybody is equal and it's a it's

(02:10:29):
a situation where everybody is equal. When you walk in.
It doesn't matter what race you are, it doesn't matter
what your upbringing was. You step on that football field
and you need to be smart. You need to be physical,
you need to be fast, you need to be a leader.
You know how to work with a team and you
know how, and you have to know how to be
a good teammate. Those six things I remember him telling me.

(02:10:50):
It was I said, it's not the same thing being
a good team and no, I was working with a
team and being good teammated two different things. And he
went into different things obviously about being good teammate off
the field and everything else. But I've never I have
never looked at football the same way since he told
me that that everybody you can have whatever advantages or
disadvantages in your life, but you step on that football
field and you need to be all of those things.

(02:11:11):
You need to be able to do that because if
you can't, you're not going to be able to play.
And this is something we're working together, and working together
as a goal. You gotta put so many people in
that's God, that's got to all do it together, because
if one person is not doing it, you're not gonna
do it. You're talking about eleven people on every single
play that had to be doing their best, and if
they're not, that play is not gonna work. Your team
is not gonna gain yards, you're not gonna win. Never

(02:11:33):
thought football the same way. And after he told me that,
and there have been some athletes of color who have
talked about the merit based treatment they have gotten in
sports is among you know, if you put it on
a list, the highest of their whole lives, any area
of their lives that they've received, sports is a real
equalizer in a lot of sense. And you know, as
there's a lot to judge in the past week. Uh,

(02:11:56):
And frankly, with all the MLK quote sometimes coming out
out of content X, how about one in context about judging, uh,
not by the color of the skin, but by the
content of the character. It's a lot of sports It's
not by color of skin. It's actually, can you play
defensive back for US? Can you play wide receiver? For US?

(02:12:16):
Can you be a good teammate? It's you know, some
of the things we've discussed in this This is why
I It's a reason number of thousand and five why
I adore sports. I mean the people here I can speak.
I've worked at this network a long time. People here
just love sports, and I love that about this is
the place where I work. This is one of the
great great things that I love about sports. The Jason

(02:12:38):
Smith Show of Mike Carmen, Steve de Sager in for
Mike's a Night Phone to Rate seven seven ninety nine
on Fox Twitter at how About a FRUSCA. 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 I Heart Radio app.

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