August 10, 2022 • 33 mins
FOX Sports Radio personality Veejay Huskey is in for Chris, and he and Rob explain why Kevin Durant's 'them or me' ultimatum to the Brooklyn Nets isn't as egregious as some NBA executives think it is, tell us why the pow-wow between LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers is much ado about nothing given that their roster is such a mess, and debate whether or not sports fans will truly embrace Aaron Judge's home run chase down the stretch of the MLB regular season.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Odd Couple podcast.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday from seven
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(00:21):
s R. You're listening to the Best of the Odd
Couple with Chris Brush and Rod Harker. You know, there
was a story out basically saying that some anonymous general
managers around the NBA were quote unquote living. They were
(00:44):
livid that Kevin Durant made a ultimatum to the Nets,
the Brooklyn Nets, saying it's me or them, and basically
that he wanted the general managers on Marks and he
wanted to coach Steve Nash both can and basically said, hey,
(01:07):
Steve Marks, you know, brought those guys in, did everything
they wanted, They signed off on on Steve Nash, and
now basically, you know, they're sticking a knife in both
of those guys backs and they want what they want.
Otherwise Katie doesn't want to be there, and that all
sounds good, and I get it. Whenever you feel VJ.
(01:30):
Like somebody's strong arming you and they're hijacking your team
and telling you what to do even though they don't
own it. You know, people, it doesn't feel good, but
the reality is, and you can stop me, but the
reality is, this is the NBA and it's a player's league.
(01:51):
And I don't care what anybody says when when it
comes to push the shove and it's about keeping a
player compared to a coach, I'm always gonna pick the player.
I just I just am because that's what this league
is all about. Absolutely. But you know what the funniest
part about all of this is that this is business
(02:11):
as usual. This is nothing new. It's just that the
fact that it really leaked out that Durant verbalized it's
either me, Mars or Nash, like it was put out
there that these were his exact words. Lebron has done
this numerous times in his career, right, David Black, Does
anybody remember that coach? But of course no, no, he
had nothing. Did they go to the finals that year? Yeah? Yeah,
(02:35):
he went to the final. It took him to the finals. Yeah,
it took him to the finals. But you know Magic Johnson,
right when when he first came to the Lakers, Tom Brady,
we're Bruce Arians and Arrands went quietly because he's already
got a ring, so it's easy to go, yeah, I'm
gonna just coach, sit up in the office, and it
just relaxed. Well, you know what's up. But the reason
why people have beef with it it is because it
was like it was out there, you know what I'm saying,
Like it was this is what Durant said. Um, you
(02:59):
could say, choose the player. But I've also heard people
say the Nets need to do what's best for them,
the Brooklyn Nets, and not Kyrie Irvitt or Kevin Durant.
So now we're gonna get into this in this conundrum
where people are gonna go, well, no, you always go
at the player. Oh well, Eric record scratch. Let's back
up a month and a half ago. Everybody would say
a lot of people, no, you gotta do what's best
for the Nets. If the rant they want to be there,
(03:21):
and they and they did all these moves for him,
and listen to him. Now he wants out, Oh no,
move him, then you gotta move him. So that's where
I kind of sit with this man. I agree with you,
I think you probably do keep the player because it
is Kevin Durant. But the nets said they were gonna
do what's best for them. Yeah. But the only problem is,
first of all, if I was the owner, I would
have never sent that tweet out. I think he made
(03:42):
a big mistake because basically, without him confirming that report,
it would just be a report, an anonymous report, and
you could always play it off that that never happened. Yeah,
but but when but when he tweeted like, we're gonna
do it's best for them, it just you don't have
to justify it or validate it. Let it go, unless
(04:04):
it was a quote from Kevin Durant or a quote
from Steve Nash saying that's what it is. It's your
word against this. You don't you don't have to validate it.
So who you know. I know, these guys think that
they're so savvy and they're billionaires and they're smart. But
as a newspaper reporter for the last thirty six years,
I'm telling you you don't do that. Don't validate an
(04:26):
unnamed source by lending credence to it. And that's what
he did. And for all the people ogrades, the inmates
running the asylum and all the prison and all that magic.
Johnson was one of the most revered players in NBA history.
(04:47):
In his third year in the NBA, had Paul west
Head run out of the Lakers as head coach. Hello,
is this on where all those people are? Like, oh, government,
read the word guy in the world. Now, I'm not
defending Kevin Durant at any stretch of the imagination. But
this is not new. And I agree with you, whether
(05:10):
they write it or not that Tom Brady, as long
as Bruce Arians was there, was gonna retire and then
all of a sudden, Bruce Arians is retired, is retiring
out of nowhere, and Brady's back, and then Brady comes
back comes stop also stop right, So those things are
this is a part of the NBA. It's not new.
(05:33):
All those anonymous gms, belly aching, It's just it's buffoonery
to me. Yeah, I tell you something else too. The
first thing I thought of was say, okay, what happened here,
like what happened in Brooklyn? What happened I saw no
sleep Brooklyn. I think that's what it was. Boys Baby's
early mid eighties right there, that's us, but it's it's
(05:55):
I really want to know what happened here? Why? Why
all of a sudden does he not want the coach
and the GM And before it was just about the
Kyrie thing, and then the vaccination Scoop Johnson came out.
I think it was yesterday before. Yes, they said that
it wasn't hard and hard any lead because of Kyrie.
That's all. That's all fluff. He knows firsthand his exact words.
I know firsthand that's not what it was. And him
and Kyrie are cool. I want to know, Rob, what
(06:17):
happened here man? To where the Wills and Brooklyn have
completely fallen off to now names are being in quotes
are being dropped. It's me or them type thing. Man.
I mean, you guys are in to know a little
better than I am. Could you can you, like, could
you imagine what's going on in there and what exactly
happened that's leading to all of this? Well, I mean,
(06:38):
I just think when something goes a ride and it's
just a lot of things. When they were together, they
were great, and I mean, like this whole narrative and
I know we could talk about it forever. Kevin Durant's
foot isn't on the line when he knocks down that three.
That could have changed the whole dynamics of this. I
mean that that is really how close it is, right,
(06:58):
I mean, think about that, he almost did it by himself.
James Harden was hobbled, Kyrie was injured, and yet he
would have knocked out Yannis in them. It would have
changed so many things. They might have gone to the
finals that year. They might have won it, you know,
they might have. That's how great Kevin Durant was playing.
But last year with the vaccination and Kyrie derailed the season,
(07:21):
James Harden just wasn't himself. We saw it in Philly,
like the Nets actually got lucky because James Harden's going
the other way. When he got the Philadelphia he played
great for like five games and then he went down
to two. But anyway, I think it's easy, and I
think you're right that this stuff happens behind the scenes
(07:42):
a lot. There's always those conversations and people get you
wonder why did the coach retire all of a sudden
or and he said he wanted to spend more time
with his family. And then a year or two later,
he's got another job. Yeah, right, because because it really
wasn't about that. The people try to save face all
the time, and I think that's why I think the
(08:04):
Nets owner made a huge mistake by validating opening night balls.
Tip for the Brooklyn Nets. Are Kyrie and Kevin Durant
wearing Brooklyn Net uniforms? In your opinion, yes, I don't
know where they're going exactly and when when the owner
talks about doing what's best for the organization given away
(08:25):
Kevin Durant and especially to the Boston Celtics, to me,
can't be. It's still a business. You're still trying to
sell tickets, do you know what I mean? Like like
you can't do that? Like that? Like you it hurts
your bottom live people who bought season tickets demanding a refund.
If you're in Brooklyn and they break that team up,
(08:46):
I mean there's a lot of ramifications financially that hurts
you as well. So be sure to catch live editions
of The Odd Couple with Chris Broussard and Rod Parker
weekdays at seven pm Eastern four pm Pacific on Sports
Radio and the iHeartRadio app. Hey, I'm Doug Gottlieb The
podcast is called All Ball. We usually talk all basketball
(09:09):
all the time, but it's more about the stories about
what made these people love their sport and all the
interesting interactions along the way. We talked to coaches, we
talked to players, We tell you stories. They download it,
you listen to it. I think you like it. Listen
to All Ball with Doug Gotlieb on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple Podcasts orherever you get your podcast. Let's talk NBA
(09:34):
VJ and Rob G's going to update us. There was
a story I think Chris Haynes right, Rob G broke
the story, yes, sir, and so it was a lengthy
column and full disclosure. Most of it actually was just
fluff for the upcoming Hulu documentary. There was only a
couple of paragraphs that were what a shocker, that were
(09:55):
of any consequence for us. But there was a meat
to the bone to Yahoo Sports INMI inside of Chris Haynes.
Once again, he'd spoke about a meeting between lebron James
Rich Paul, head coach Darvin Ham and general manager Rob Polinka,
and he orchestrated, or the group orchestrated a four pronged
attack for the upcoming season. According to Chris Haynes, Lebron
(10:21):
drilled home the importance of consistent competitiveness and cohesion, noting
that last season's team didn't give himself a chance on
many nights. That's number one. Number two Darvin Ham reiterated
his main objective is to hold everyone accountable and foster
an atmosphere of selflessness. Number two. Number three. Darvin Ham
(10:42):
also let it be known that if he sensed any
reluctance to these players and their new roles, he would
not be not stopped from him throwing guys on the bench.
And last, but not least, probably most important, the plan is,
according to Darvenham and on James, to run the offense
through Anthony Davis. Ye're right, Okay, here's my issue. It
(11:10):
sounds nice. Let's have a power will, let's have a meeting,
let's break bread or whatever it is, let's talk about it.
We're gonna work this out. Last year. Last year was
an absolute disaster, far worse than we could have ever imagined.
I remember when the trade for Westbrook went through. Chris
and I went on this very radio show and said,
(11:30):
he doesn't fit, it's not gonna work. And we weren't
the only ones. Most NBA people, writers, analysts, former players said,
it's not gonna work. Russ is not a fit with
Lebron James. He's not the shooter that Lebron usually needs
around him to operate. And they did it anyway. And
(11:50):
then we went and watched the Lakers not win back
to back games for four months. From January until the
last two games of the year in April were the
only times they won back to back games, which VJ
is unbelievable in this NBA with all the bad teams
that they that the Lakers, even without Anthony Davis, that
(12:12):
Lebron James and Westbrook couldn't win back to back games
in the NBA for four months, That's that's unbelievable. But anyway,
so they can meet Darvin Ham, who I know from
his days in Detroit. Happy got the job, but I
(12:33):
just don't know how he's going to make this fit
and work. And everybody's putting their eggs to run this
back and think that something's gonna change from a year ago.
I think is short. It might be a little bit better, right,
Anthony Davis can't be hurt the whole year, But I
still don't think it's a fit, and I think the
(12:53):
Lakers are crazy. As Lebron enters VJA his twentieth year,
his bio logical championship clock continues to tick. They can't
give up your number twenty in hopes. I tell you this, man,
this is exactly why I said they should have traded
him when they had the opportunity too. You got you
(13:14):
got the bubble and whatever people think about the bubble, Okay,
you got the chip at that point, aging superstar forty
million a year, and then like you gotta have this meeting,
like you said, this is I'm so sick of hearing this, man,
I'm so sick of this. Oh Lebron. Now, now all
of a sudden is gonna run through a d didn't
they say that before? Already what Lebron's gonna come off
the ball? Lebron's gonna come off? Stop it? Like, stop it,
(13:36):
This is such, this is so, this is so a
Lebron team actually that you have to sit down with
the gem and the head coach and come up with
this four prong attack for this season, like that's gonna
help your age, Like that's gonna help Lebron go on
for points and then parking himself down on the block
ninety five percent of the time, letting guys lay up
(13:58):
by him, letting guys duck by Hi, letting then turn
it round, of course and look into the team. He's like, hey,
where you guys out. He plays almost no defense, So
you're telling me all of a sudden, now AD's gonna
be healthy, Russ is gonna fit in, and Lebron's gonna
play defense, and he's gonna be younger. Stop just stop.
And last year I said they would be lucky if
they won forty six games. I mean games that they win. Yeah,
(14:18):
I came in with the under on that I'm gonna
be lucky they win forty six games. You can't get younger.
You don't get younger. He's an older guy. And yes,
he still looks great, and it looks fine when he's
running down to the the courty and he's getting easy layups
and easy dunks. But over this strength of an eighty
two game season, you know, AD's only a twisted ankle
or hamstring or a growing or a quat something just
(14:40):
something's gonna happen to this. And the fact that they
let this get out, let you know, that they're trying
to make people believe that they better than they really are.
Last year they did the whole old guy thing one
year contracts. This year they reversed and now we're gonna
go young guys. We're gonna get some young infuse talent.
These guys. This team still isn't good enough to get
out of the first round in my opinion. In the West.
Don't care what seed they are. They're getting out of
(15:01):
the first round. So it's just a bunch of fluff
to me. And it's it's just so honestly typical Lebron
team that we got to have this meeting. And if
Darvin Hamm's the coach, let me ask you this, Rob,
if you're the coach, why in that hell do you
have to even state that if people don't do their
job and there isn't a cohesiveness and there isn't a
(15:22):
passionate effort, I'm gonna sit you down on it. I
would love to see him try try to sit Lebron
down for not playing defense. I'm waiting. I'm waiting for
that to happen. We know we're not going to see
that exactly. We're not exactly. I just you know, like
you could meet all your one until you're blue in
the face. I remember the Instagram post, Rob G correct
(15:43):
me if I'm wrong, of the Westbrook Anthony Davis, Lebron
James pow wow in somebody's backyard. You remember that in
Lebron's house. I believe it. I believe it was. Yeah,
I believe I believe it. It was either Lebron's remember that,
or they went out the DC to see him. Rob G?
Was that was that all that? Leron's Okay, Okay, that's
(16:05):
what I thought? You remember that? Oh yeah, we talked
it out, We figured it out. This is gonna work.
And remember Lebron was the one. Keep that same energy,
you remember because Rob G and VJ everybody pushed back.
They were like, this team is too old. Who's gonna
(16:26):
play defense? I even said I got the Lakers pregame meal,
which was sodium free bacon, decaf coffee, and a Chess dex. Right,
I mean, but but they somehow thought like we were crazy.
You remember Lebron. I'll never forget that. Keep that same energy.
Remember that when we're going to the NBA Final about
(16:48):
my team, right about my keep that same energy about
my team we're too old. We're to this. Guys can't
play together. No Bron, that is what it was. And
everybody's just looking at it, and we're just looking at
the team and going, homie, that's an old team, like
you guys, you guys are old now and you can't play.
You're not gonna defend. They were like what one or
two in defense the year before? Where were they last year?
(17:10):
That defense? But it starts with the leader, though, Robb
And nobody wants to say, because you'll be accused of
being a Lebron hater. But if you're the leader of
that team and you're still calling yourself the best in
the world and people are still saying you're a top
five player, you can't just go score, score, score, and
then go park down on the block like that. That
you can't. And you remember he was leading the league
and scoring for most of the year. It was averaging
thirty points. Yeah, but it didn't impact winning anymore at all.
(17:33):
And that was the part that was my boggling, that
Lebron could be scoring that many points. But you say,
if you don't play defense, and Westbrook, I don't you
know you could finagle the numbers and say well, his
numbers weren't that bad. If you watched like we did
every night, it was bad played by Westbrook. It just was.
I never saw more miss bunnies and balls hitting off
(17:56):
the side of the backboard in my life. He was
the jumpers that were hitting. And I like russ Man
so last year, honestly, if it really hurt me to watch,
and I never defended him, I'm like, listen, if you're
not playing well, it ain't about liking him. We're not
talking about him as a purchase exactly, or as a
father or husband or friend. We're talking about his play
on the right. And it wasn't good. Na. He was
(18:18):
some of the jumpers. There was one game and I
know Rob, I know Rob, you, I know you're river.
He's dribbling, He's on a perimeter and no one will move,
so he just takes a jumper and it hit the
side of I mean, you're in the NBA. You can't
hit the side of the backboard, Bro, Like I don't
care what I would do. Yeah, yeah, you can't hit
the side of the backboard. It was ugly last year, Rob,
And to be honest with you, I don't think it
(18:40):
gets better for them the West is going to be stronger,
the Clippers will be healthy. You know, the Warriors are
gonna want to defend their title. Phoenix is still viable.
We don't know what's gonna go with Dallas, but they
still got Luca, and we know Luca's gonna give you
forty nine fifty wins just just having Luca. They won
fifty plus games, almost fifty games last year and they
didn't even had they had guys out and guys hurt.
So I just think it gets tough for Murray comes
back for Denver. I just don't see where the Lakers
(19:01):
are going to be better just off the stript off.
I think the West gets better, and I don't think
that team is better. Yeah, I just think it's uh.
I think the Lakers at this point not wanting to
give up some draft picks or whatever you gotta do.
I just think this is a bad scene for the
(19:21):
Lakers to do the same exact thing as they did
a year ago and think it's going to be different.
What is that. That's the definition of insanity, right when
you just keep doing the same thing. And I think
it's a mistake, I really do. And I know Westbrook
at one point that scrubbed all his Lakers stuff off
his social media, and I'm sure he wanted to go
(19:43):
somewhere else. And people are saying after this year, this
could be his last year in the NBA. I mean,
there's a lot of stuff out there. I think that
if I'm the Lakers, I do whatever I have to
do to make the move and not have this same
exact team and uh having meetings and holding hands and
(20:04):
singing Kumba yah. Is it gonna change the autum? Just not?
Do you go get Kyra? Let me? Let me if
I could propose a question, you do you do the
Kyrie deal? The Nets aren't gonna do that? Why would
you take Westbrook? Yeah? Well, everybody keeps saying expiring contract,
Kyrie's contract contract. Kyrie's contract is exactly exactly come off
the books, to exactly he comes off the books. So
(20:26):
why that that can't be the reason. Do you see
what I'm saying? Not if the Lakers want to get
give you two uh first round picks or something and
then you just want to give it a Kyrie, that
might be, But to swap him, it's not that big
of a difference. I think Kyrie's making thirty seven and
Russ is making forty seven, so you still got you
still got that uh expiring contract on either side. So
(20:48):
it would have to be something really sweet in order
to me for the Nets to make that, Otherwise they
would have made that deal weeks ago. Yeah, well, they want,
they want, They don't want to give up uhr Horton Tucker,
Am I saying his name right? Horton? They don't, they
don't want to give that guy up. And then Kendrick
None was trying to throw in they didn't want to
give him, Kendrick noneing and my head, I'm just looking
(21:09):
at it, like bro Neither one of those guys are
close to Kyrie, how do you not want to give
up one of those guys? Well? How is this? It
almost feels like Rob and I'm gonna be a synic here.
It almost feels like Jeanie's fighting against this and Rob's
fighting against this. Is because it's what Lebron wants, and
I think people are tired of doing what Lebron wants
and he's it feels like he's trying to strong arm
(21:30):
the franchise like Durant is doing with the Nets, and
they're probably putting their feet to the ground and saying, nope,
you wanted Westbrook, you wanted Westbrook. Speaking to Lebron and Nad,
this is what you guys wanted. You guys worked this out.
We're not gonna give up. We had the Buddy Hill
deal on the table, We had the Buddy Hill deal done,
and you guys said, no, you guys wanted Westbrook even
though he fit, he fit what they were doing. Absolutely,
(21:51):
Oh absolutely, Buddy Hill. Absolutely, he fits exactly what they're doing.
So ye, yeah, it feels like it's more of a nope,
we're not doing it man, and this because if we
do this now, we're losing two young players that we're
just doing what you want us to do. And we
know when you're tired, you're gonna you're gonna tuck t
hell and get out of here anywhere. You're gonna go
play with your son somewhere because you've talked about doing it.
So it kind of feels like that Fox Sports Radio
(22:14):
has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch
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Aaron Judge from The New York Yankees in his forty
fifth home run of the year. He's on pace to
(22:35):
get sixty one or more sixty two or something like that, close,
which was Roger Marris's record before. Of course, a Sosa
Bonds and Clement about Sosa Bonds and um what my
miss and Mark McGuire right, all reach that number. But
this has taken shape that this could be another nineteen
(22:58):
ninety eight. Now it is different in that Sosa and
Bob Sosa maguire, I'm sorry, we're both going for the record. Right.
Roger Marris hit sixty one home runs for the New
York Yankees in nineteen sixty one. It was long standing
record for home runs in a regular season, and the
(23:19):
three guys I mentioned all broke that. But in this case,
Aaron Judge, who had a home run Tuesday night in Seattle,
he hit won this afternoon in Seattle. He now has
forty five. This guy hit fifty two his rookie year,
So this is not like he's gonna run out of
(23:41):
gas or he hasn't had this experience before. But I
think VJ, we're getting very close to where Aaron Judge
will be Musty TV in the final two months of
the baseball season. On the final ten weeks or whatever
it is, I think it's eight weeks where people want
(24:01):
to see if this guy can do it. And I
think it'll be interesting to see how people look at
him from the standpoint of all three of the other
guys who did it will all link to p D steroids,
whatever you want to call it. And Judge is not
(24:23):
under that cloud of suspicion. The league, as you know,
test for that stuff now unlike when those guys were
playing to start, and I think people might embrace Aaron
Judge and watch this guy and is at bats as
the season goes on, to see if he can do
it and break Roger Marris's record. I'm saying Aaron Judge
(24:46):
is this close to being must see TV for the
end of his baseball season. All of that sounds really, really,
really good. It's the Yankees, It's the number one market
in baseball, It's the number one team in Major League history.
Aaron Judge bet on himself and he is showing that
when you bet on yourself in life and you are
(25:08):
passionate and you are locked in, you can make big
things happen. That check keeps getting bigger and bigger and
bigger that the next team is going to have to write.
The only problem I have with this is because the
last time we saw these type of chases, the peed steroids,
ahh whatever you want to whatever you know, adjective or
(25:29):
pronoun you want to use for it was involved with it.
Now over sixty more. We didn't know that. At that time.
We enjoyed, we enjoyed it, but at not people. I
rob I'm just going off. I'm just going off of
what I felt, what I know through that time. But
I think I think, I think the thing that you're
doing is and this is just me to just hear
me out, is now that you know what went on.
(25:52):
But back in nineteen ninety eight, there was no talk
of any of that. I mean, ESPN used to cut
in to pro gramming to watch McGuire, and I don't
think if people were really on it or thought oh
this is questionable, they would have done that. I'm saying
we all know in the wash now, but back then
(26:12):
that summer, I just remember those two guys say, baseball
coming off the players strike. If you remember, I remember
the player strike, Ken Griffy was on a tear. I'm
a griffy fan of my favorite player of all time.
So I hated to strike because I felt like he
was going to break the record. But all of that
you're saying, Rob, I know all of that. I know
ESPN was cutting in. I understand that, But I so
felt that it could have been still been steroids then,
(26:34):
because if you remember McGuire by excuse me, canseco before that,
like there were no one said anything to say Oh,
they didn't say an they wouldn't even said anything because
they made sure no one said anything. Someone said it.
They didn't broadcast it because they were trying to bring
baseball back. That all aside, I like, I like what
Judge is doing, but I just still feel like there's
(26:56):
still there's still a certain group of people that are
still gonna go, yeah, yeah, but how clean is it?
How clean is he? Yeah? They test for that stuff now, yeah, man,
but there's always somebody ahead of somebody. At first it
was a bow and arrow, right, and then they invented
the gun, and then they invented the bulletproof vest, and
then they invented the bullet that goes through the bulletproof vest.
Like there's always gonna be an evolution and evolving mechanics
(27:20):
in life, and I just think this could be one
of them. I hope it's all here and it is
fun to watch, but I still don't think that people
have still recovered from that home run chase back then,
or this would still be getting way more publicity and
way more coverage and way more media attention that it's
even getting now now. If he hits over sixty, that's
only been done eight times in Major League Baseball history.
(27:42):
Somebody's hit over sixty all runs. Sammy Sosa did it
three times. So if he hits sixty one, sixty two,
six three. I listened to the show a little bit
yesterday and I heard you guys putting over and unders.
I think you said sixty four. A few other guys
here at the network we're saying sixty two or sixty three.
Even if he hits like sixty two sixty three, it's
I've seen it, Rob, It's not gonna be as impressive
(28:03):
to me personally. There may be a contituency of people
that think it is. But to say just because we
didn't hear certain things back in the day doesn't mean
that people weren't saying that. People weren't thinking that we
let get out what we want to let get out.
If we want to keep it quiet, they'll keep it quiet.
They needed to say baseball, so that's why they wouldn't
let that table. But people, people knew Rob, and you're
(28:23):
a baseball nighte. Like I said, nobody knows baseball that
I personally know like you do. And if you could
tell me that you personally Rob Parker honestly in ninety eight,
it never entered your mind when you watch those races
that those guys could be juicing as they were getting
bigger arms, bigger four arms in a bigger hat size.
I'll be honest with you, bro, I'm not gonna believe that.
(28:45):
If I tell you to go look at the list
of players who the Mitchell Report, many of those guys
have none of the characteristics you talk about who used juice.
So it ain't just about bigger There's plenty of guys
who used it who didn't swell. I know. I'm just
(29:07):
saying that that's not a direct correlation to us in it. Well,
you're not if you're not a big guy and you
don't put in the work that you need to do
to enhance your size and you could take it. There
were plenty of minor leaguers who are scrawny, middle of
the role players who thought it might give them some advantage.
That's all I'm saying. That's fine, that's not that's not
(29:28):
a testament. My point is I think that Aaron Judge
will get the spotlight as he gets closer, because people
are still like, well, can he really get there? You know,
like forty five is a lot of home runs at
this point, I think he's ahead of where maybe Bonds
and McGuire were I saw the list the other day.
(29:48):
Or he's like neck and neck, he's one, he's one
ahead of Bonds, yeah, which says a lot. And and
he's been pretty consistent with so many games. And I
just won as we get closer, will people embrace him
a little bit more, knowing what they know now and
where they are as far as looking at this guy
(30:11):
and you know he looks like a tight end. Yeah,
I mean he's six seventy. Yeah, he's a monster of
a guy who could have played football as well. I
don't think they will wrong. I don't think people I
don't think people will man to be honest with you.
I just I just think that I think that left
such a ninety eight ninety nine, It really did leave it.
And then Bonds hitting the seventy three and two thousand
(30:33):
and one, I honestly, and that's twenty one years ago,
but I think the average sports fans still just goes, yeah,
but is it real? And when we have to go yeah,
is it real, it's not gonna get the attention that
I think it should. Like, do you think they're gonna
be cutting into games to show air judges at bats?
Absolutely not, I absolutely do. Okay, I think if he
(30:55):
gets close to that, there will be that moment because
that's what he ESPN, or if your sport sports network,
that's what you do, because you're gonna get eyeballs. And
I think if he were to get to that point
and get close enough, I think that they would do it,
because when they did it the first time, it hadn't
happened in a long time. And I just think he
(31:17):
is a guy who a a lot of people like
because of the way he carries himself. And you just
said it. He plays for the Yankees. He's on that
big stage. I just have seen. You know, you just
haven't gotten to this point where a guy really is
within reach and has the possibility or the capability. As
I said to you before, it's not like a guy
(31:39):
who this is the first time he's entered this kind
of realm of over fifty home runs. He did it
his rookie year. And what's derailed him the last few
years is not his ability, is he hadn't been able
to stay healthy. True, and this is a year that
he's finally healthy. And as you said, he bet on himself.
(32:01):
He didn't take the contract extension, and he probably made
himself at least one hundred millions, you know what I mean,
with the way he's playing. So it's gonna be interesting.
I do really believe that there will be people who
will be intrigued by Aaron Judge and Kenny get there.
That's what we do in sports. It's got to be
compelling to us. That's what that's what's different between baseball
(32:24):
and football. Baseball is every day, you know, like you
love ice cream until you start working at the ice
cream factory. If you only have one scoop of ice
cream a week, right, you're gonna enjoy it and savor it.
And that's what happens with football and in this case,
we just haven't had anything like this where I think
(32:44):
people will look and say, Kenny get there and will
be intrigued. So two quick questions for you. One, how
many do you think he hits in in two in
twenty seventeen when Staying hit fifty nine? Why didn't we
go crazy for that? Why would he Why didn't we
pay attention to Staying hitting fifty night that was just
five years ago? And how many do you think Judge
hits this year? But you just said it. The difference is,
(33:07):
I think Stan had a late flurry to get to
that number. You're talking about Judge, who's what tied with
bonds or one behind bonds, So Stan's not on that list.
I think he came, he had a he had a
late flurry so that you didn't think he was gonna
get there, and then all of a sudden at the
end he had a late flurry and got close
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Odd Couple podcast.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday from seven
pm to ten pm Eastern four to seven Pacific on
Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for The Odd
Couple at Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us
live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching f
(00:21):
s R. You're listening to the Best of the Odd
Couple with Chris Brush and Rod Harker. You know, there
was a story out basically saying that some anonymous general
managers around the NBA were quote unquote living. They were
(00:44):
livid that Kevin Durant made a ultimatum to the Nets,
the Brooklyn Nets, saying it's me or them, and basically
that he wanted the general managers on Marks and he
wanted to coach Steve Nash both can and basically said, hey,
(01:07):
Steve Marks, you know, brought those guys in, did everything
they wanted, They signed off on on Steve Nash, and
now basically, you know, they're sticking a knife in both
of those guys backs and they want what they want.
Otherwise Katie doesn't want to be there, and that all
sounds good, and I get it. Whenever you feel VJ.
(01:30):
Like somebody's strong arming you and they're hijacking your team
and telling you what to do even though they don't
own it. You know, people, it doesn't feel good, but
the reality is, and you can stop me, but the
reality is, this is the NBA and it's a player's league.
(01:51):
And I don't care what anybody says when when it
comes to push the shove and it's about keeping a
player compared to a coach, I'm always gonna pick the player.
I just I just am because that's what this league
is all about. Absolutely. But you know what the funniest
part about all of this is that this is business
(02:11):
as usual. This is nothing new. It's just that the
fact that it really leaked out that Durant verbalized it's
either me, Mars or Nash, like it was put out
there that these were his exact words. Lebron has done
this numerous times in his career, right, David Black, Does
anybody remember that coach? But of course no, no, he
had nothing. Did they go to the finals that year? Yeah? Yeah,
(02:35):
he went to the final. It took him to the finals. Yeah,
it took him to the finals. But you know Magic Johnson,
right when when he first came to the Lakers, Tom Brady,
we're Bruce Arians and Arrands went quietly because he's already
got a ring, so it's easy to go, yeah, I'm
gonna just coach, sit up in the office, and it
just relaxed. Well, you know what's up. But the reason
why people have beef with it it is because it
was like it was out there, you know what I'm saying,
Like it was this is what Durant said. Um, you
(02:59):
could say, choose the player. But I've also heard people
say the Nets need to do what's best for them,
the Brooklyn Nets, and not Kyrie Irvitt or Kevin Durant.
So now we're gonna get into this in this conundrum
where people are gonna go, well, no, you always go
at the player. Oh well, Eric record scratch. Let's back
up a month and a half ago. Everybody would say
a lot of people, no, you gotta do what's best
for the Nets. If the rant they want to be there,
(03:21):
and they and they did all these moves for him,
and listen to him. Now he wants out, Oh no,
move him, then you gotta move him. So that's where
I kind of sit with this man. I agree with you,
I think you probably do keep the player because it
is Kevin Durant. But the nets said they were gonna
do what's best for them. Yeah. But the only problem is,
first of all, if I was the owner, I would
have never sent that tweet out. I think he made
(03:42):
a big mistake because basically, without him confirming that report,
it would just be a report, an anonymous report, and
you could always play it off that that never happened. Yeah,
but but when but when he tweeted like, we're gonna
do it's best for them, it just you don't have
to justify it or validate it. Let it go, unless
(04:04):
it was a quote from Kevin Durant or a quote
from Steve Nash saying that's what it is. It's your
word against this. You don't you don't have to validate it.
So who you know. I know, these guys think that
they're so savvy and they're billionaires and they're smart. But
as a newspaper reporter for the last thirty six years,
I'm telling you you don't do that. Don't validate an
(04:26):
unnamed source by lending credence to it. And that's what
he did. And for all the people ogrades, the inmates
running the asylum and all the prison and all that magic.
Johnson was one of the most revered players in NBA history.
(04:47):
In his third year in the NBA, had Paul west
Head run out of the Lakers as head coach. Hello,
is this on where all those people are? Like, oh, government,
read the word guy in the world. Now, I'm not
defending Kevin Durant at any stretch of the imagination. But
this is not new. And I agree with you, whether
(05:10):
they write it or not that Tom Brady, as long
as Bruce Arians was there, was gonna retire and then
all of a sudden, Bruce Arians is retired, is retiring
out of nowhere, and Brady's back, and then Brady comes
back comes stop also stop right, So those things are
this is a part of the NBA. It's not new.
(05:33):
All those anonymous gms, belly aching, It's just it's buffoonery
to me. Yeah, I tell you something else too. The
first thing I thought of was say, okay, what happened here,
like what happened in Brooklyn? What happened I saw no
sleep Brooklyn. I think that's what it was. Boys Baby's
early mid eighties right there, that's us, but it's it's
(05:55):
I really want to know what happened here? Why? Why
all of a sudden does he not want the coach
and the GM And before it was just about the
Kyrie thing, and then the vaccination Scoop Johnson came out.
I think it was yesterday before. Yes, they said that
it wasn't hard and hard any lead because of Kyrie.
That's all. That's all fluff. He knows firsthand his exact words.
I know firsthand that's not what it was. And him
and Kyrie are cool. I want to know, Rob, what
(06:17):
happened here man? To where the Wills and Brooklyn have
completely fallen off to now names are being in quotes
are being dropped. It's me or them type thing. Man.
I mean, you guys are in to know a little
better than I am. Could you can you, like, could
you imagine what's going on in there and what exactly
happened that's leading to all of this? Well, I mean,
(06:38):
I just think when something goes a ride and it's
just a lot of things. When they were together, they
were great, and I mean, like this whole narrative and
I know we could talk about it forever. Kevin Durant's
foot isn't on the line when he knocks down that three.
That could have changed the whole dynamics of this. I
mean that that is really how close it is, right,
(06:58):
I mean, think about that, he almost did it by himself.
James Harden was hobbled, Kyrie was injured, and yet he
would have knocked out Yannis in them. It would have
changed so many things. They might have gone to the
finals that year. They might have won it, you know,
they might have. That's how great Kevin Durant was playing.
But last year with the vaccination and Kyrie derailed the season,
(07:21):
James Harden just wasn't himself. We saw it in Philly,
like the Nets actually got lucky because James Harden's going
the other way. When he got the Philadelphia he played
great for like five games and then he went down
to two. But anyway, I think it's easy, and I
think you're right that this stuff happens behind the scenes
(07:42):
a lot. There's always those conversations and people get you
wonder why did the coach retire all of a sudden
or and he said he wanted to spend more time
with his family. And then a year or two later,
he's got another job. Yeah, right, because because it really
wasn't about that. The people try to save face all
the time, and I think that's why I think the
(08:04):
Nets owner made a huge mistake by validating opening night balls.
Tip for the Brooklyn Nets. Are Kyrie and Kevin Durant
wearing Brooklyn Net uniforms? In your opinion, yes, I don't
know where they're going exactly and when when the owner
talks about doing what's best for the organization given away
(08:25):
Kevin Durant and especially to the Boston Celtics, to me,
can't be. It's still a business. You're still trying to
sell tickets, do you know what I mean? Like like
you can't do that? Like that? Like you it hurts
your bottom live people who bought season tickets demanding a refund.
If you're in Brooklyn and they break that team up,
(08:46):
I mean there's a lot of ramifications financially that hurts
you as well. So be sure to catch live editions
of The Odd Couple with Chris Broussard and Rod Parker
weekdays at seven pm Eastern four pm Pacific on Sports
Radio and the iHeartRadio app. Hey, I'm Doug Gottlieb The
podcast is called All Ball. We usually talk all basketball
(09:09):
all the time, but it's more about the stories about
what made these people love their sport and all the
interesting interactions along the way. We talked to coaches, we
talked to players, We tell you stories. They download it,
you listen to it. I think you like it. Listen
to All Ball with Doug Gotlieb on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple Podcasts orherever you get your podcast. Let's talk NBA
(09:34):
VJ and Rob G's going to update us. There was
a story I think Chris Haynes right, Rob G broke
the story, yes, sir, and so it was a lengthy
column and full disclosure. Most of it actually was just
fluff for the upcoming Hulu documentary. There was only a
couple of paragraphs that were what a shocker, that were
(09:55):
of any consequence for us. But there was a meat
to the bone to Yahoo Sports INMI inside of Chris Haynes.
Once again, he'd spoke about a meeting between lebron James
Rich Paul, head coach Darvin Ham and general manager Rob Polinka,
and he orchestrated, or the group orchestrated a four pronged
attack for the upcoming season. According to Chris Haynes, Lebron
(10:21):
drilled home the importance of consistent competitiveness and cohesion, noting
that last season's team didn't give himself a chance on
many nights. That's number one. Number two Darvin Ham reiterated
his main objective is to hold everyone accountable and foster
an atmosphere of selflessness. Number two. Number three. Darvin Ham
(10:42):
also let it be known that if he sensed any
reluctance to these players and their new roles, he would
not be not stopped from him throwing guys on the bench.
And last, but not least, probably most important, the plan is,
according to Darvenham and on James, to run the offense
through Anthony Davis. Ye're right, Okay, here's my issue. It
(11:10):
sounds nice. Let's have a power will, let's have a meeting,
let's break bread or whatever it is, let's talk about it.
We're gonna work this out. Last year. Last year was
an absolute disaster, far worse than we could have ever imagined.
I remember when the trade for Westbrook went through. Chris
and I went on this very radio show and said,
(11:30):
he doesn't fit, it's not gonna work. And we weren't
the only ones. Most NBA people, writers, analysts, former players said,
it's not gonna work. Russ is not a fit with
Lebron James. He's not the shooter that Lebron usually needs
around him to operate. And they did it anyway. And
(11:50):
then we went and watched the Lakers not win back
to back games for four months. From January until the
last two games of the year in April were the
only times they won back to back games, which VJ
is unbelievable in this NBA with all the bad teams
that they that the Lakers, even without Anthony Davis, that
(12:12):
Lebron James and Westbrook couldn't win back to back games
in the NBA for four months, That's that's unbelievable. But anyway,
so they can meet Darvin Ham, who I know from
his days in Detroit. Happy got the job, but I
(12:33):
just don't know how he's going to make this fit
and work. And everybody's putting their eggs to run this
back and think that something's gonna change from a year ago.
I think is short. It might be a little bit better, right,
Anthony Davis can't be hurt the whole year, But I
still don't think it's a fit, and I think the
(12:53):
Lakers are crazy. As Lebron enters VJA his twentieth year,
his bio logical championship clock continues to tick. They can't
give up your number twenty in hopes. I tell you this, man,
this is exactly why I said they should have traded
him when they had the opportunity too. You got you
(13:14):
got the bubble and whatever people think about the bubble, Okay,
you got the chip at that point, aging superstar forty
million a year, and then like you gotta have this meeting,
like you said, this is I'm so sick of hearing this, man,
I'm so sick of this. Oh Lebron. Now, now all
of a sudden is gonna run through a d didn't
they say that before? Already what Lebron's gonna come off
the ball? Lebron's gonna come off? Stop it? Like, stop it,
(13:36):
This is such, this is so, this is so a
Lebron team actually that you have to sit down with
the gem and the head coach and come up with
this four prong attack for this season, like that's gonna
help your age, Like that's gonna help Lebron go on
for points and then parking himself down on the block
ninety five percent of the time, letting guys lay up
(13:58):
by him, letting guys duck by Hi, letting then turn
it round, of course and look into the team. He's like, hey,
where you guys out. He plays almost no defense, So
you're telling me all of a sudden, now AD's gonna
be healthy, Russ is gonna fit in, and Lebron's gonna
play defense, and he's gonna be younger. Stop just stop.
And last year I said they would be lucky if
they won forty six games. I mean games that they win. Yeah,
(14:18):
I came in with the under on that I'm gonna
be lucky they win forty six games. You can't get younger.
You don't get younger. He's an older guy. And yes,
he still looks great, and it looks fine when he's
running down to the the courty and he's getting easy layups
and easy dunks. But over this strength of an eighty
two game season, you know, AD's only a twisted ankle
or hamstring or a growing or a quat something just
(14:40):
something's gonna happen to this. And the fact that they
let this get out, let you know, that they're trying
to make people believe that they better than they really are.
Last year they did the whole old guy thing one
year contracts. This year they reversed and now we're gonna
go young guys. We're gonna get some young infuse talent.
These guys. This team still isn't good enough to get
out of the first round in my opinion. In the West.
Don't care what seed they are. They're getting out of
(15:01):
the first round. So it's just a bunch of fluff
to me. And it's it's just so honestly typical Lebron
team that we got to have this meeting. And if
Darvin Hamm's the coach, let me ask you this, Rob,
if you're the coach, why in that hell do you
have to even state that if people don't do their
job and there isn't a cohesiveness and there isn't a
(15:22):
passionate effort, I'm gonna sit you down on it. I
would love to see him try try to sit Lebron
down for not playing defense. I'm waiting. I'm waiting for
that to happen. We know we're not going to see
that exactly. We're not exactly. I just you know, like
you could meet all your one until you're blue in
the face. I remember the Instagram post, Rob G correct
(15:43):
me if I'm wrong, of the Westbrook Anthony Davis, Lebron
James pow wow in somebody's backyard. You remember that in
Lebron's house. I believe it. I believe it was. Yeah,
I believe I believe it. It was either Lebron's remember that,
or they went out the DC to see him. Rob G?
Was that was that all that? Leron's Okay, Okay, that's
(16:05):
what I thought? You remember that? Oh yeah, we talked
it out, We figured it out. This is gonna work.
And remember Lebron was the one. Keep that same energy,
you remember because Rob G and VJ everybody pushed back.
They were like, this team is too old. Who's gonna
(16:26):
play defense? I even said I got the Lakers pregame meal,
which was sodium free bacon, decaf coffee, and a Chess dex. Right,
I mean, but but they somehow thought like we were crazy.
You remember Lebron. I'll never forget that. Keep that same energy.
Remember that when we're going to the NBA Final about
(16:48):
my team, right about my keep that same energy about
my team we're too old. We're to this. Guys can't
play together. No Bron, that is what it was. And
everybody's just looking at it, and we're just looking at
the team and going, homie, that's an old team, like
you guys, you guys are old now and you can't play.
You're not gonna defend. They were like what one or
two in defense the year before? Where were they last year?
(17:10):
That defense? But it starts with the leader, though, Robb
And nobody wants to say, because you'll be accused of
being a Lebron hater. But if you're the leader of
that team and you're still calling yourself the best in
the world and people are still saying you're a top
five player, you can't just go score, score, score, and
then go park down on the block like that. That
you can't. And you remember he was leading the league
and scoring for most of the year. It was averaging
thirty points. Yeah, but it didn't impact winning anymore at all.
(17:33):
And that was the part that was my boggling, that
Lebron could be scoring that many points. But you say,
if you don't play defense, and Westbrook, I don't you
know you could finagle the numbers and say well, his
numbers weren't that bad. If you watched like we did
every night, it was bad played by Westbrook. It just was.
I never saw more miss bunnies and balls hitting off
(17:56):
the side of the backboard in my life. He was
the jumpers that were hitting. And I like russ Man
so last year, honestly, if it really hurt me to watch,
and I never defended him, I'm like, listen, if you're
not playing well, it ain't about liking him. We're not
talking about him as a purchase exactly, or as a
father or husband or friend. We're talking about his play
on the right. And it wasn't good. Na. He was
(18:18):
some of the jumpers. There was one game and I
know Rob, I know Rob, you, I know you're river.
He's dribbling, He's on a perimeter and no one will move,
so he just takes a jumper and it hit the
side of I mean, you're in the NBA. You can't
hit the side of the backboard, Bro, Like I don't
care what I would do. Yeah, yeah, you can't hit
the side of the backboard. It was ugly last year, Rob,
And to be honest with you, I don't think it
(18:40):
gets better for them the West is going to be stronger,
the Clippers will be healthy. You know, the Warriors are
gonna want to defend their title. Phoenix is still viable.
We don't know what's gonna go with Dallas, but they
still got Luca, and we know Luca's gonna give you
forty nine fifty wins just just having Luca. They won
fifty plus games, almost fifty games last year and they
didn't even had they had guys out and guys hurt.
So I just think it gets tough for Murray comes
back for Denver. I just don't see where the Lakers
(19:01):
are going to be better just off the stript off.
I think the West gets better, and I don't think
that team is better. Yeah, I just think it's uh.
I think the Lakers at this point not wanting to
give up some draft picks or whatever you gotta do.
I just think this is a bad scene for the
(19:21):
Lakers to do the same exact thing as they did
a year ago and think it's going to be different.
What is that. That's the definition of insanity, right when
you just keep doing the same thing. And I think
it's a mistake, I really do. And I know Westbrook
at one point that scrubbed all his Lakers stuff off
his social media, and I'm sure he wanted to go
(19:43):
somewhere else. And people are saying after this year, this
could be his last year in the NBA. I mean,
there's a lot of stuff out there. I think that
if I'm the Lakers, I do whatever I have to
do to make the move and not have this same
exact team and uh having meetings and holding hands and
(20:04):
singing Kumba yah. Is it gonna change the autum? Just not?
Do you go get Kyra? Let me? Let me if
I could propose a question, you do you do the
Kyrie deal? The Nets aren't gonna do that? Why would
you take Westbrook? Yeah? Well, everybody keeps saying expiring contract,
Kyrie's contract contract. Kyrie's contract is exactly exactly come off
the books, to exactly he comes off the books. So
(20:26):
why that that can't be the reason. Do you see
what I'm saying? Not if the Lakers want to get
give you two uh first round picks or something and
then you just want to give it a Kyrie, that
might be, But to swap him, it's not that big
of a difference. I think Kyrie's making thirty seven and
Russ is making forty seven, so you still got you
still got that uh expiring contract on either side. So
(20:48):
it would have to be something really sweet in order
to me for the Nets to make that, Otherwise they
would have made that deal weeks ago. Yeah, well, they want,
they want, They don't want to give up uhr Horton Tucker,
Am I saying his name right? Horton? They don't, they
don't want to give that guy up. And then Kendrick
None was trying to throw in they didn't want to
give him, Kendrick noneing and my head, I'm just looking
(21:09):
at it, like bro Neither one of those guys are
close to Kyrie, how do you not want to give
up one of those guys? Well? How is this? It
almost feels like Rob and I'm gonna be a synic here.
It almost feels like Jeanie's fighting against this and Rob's
fighting against this. Is because it's what Lebron wants, and
I think people are tired of doing what Lebron wants
and he's it feels like he's trying to strong arm
(21:30):
the franchise like Durant is doing with the Nets, and
they're probably putting their feet to the ground and saying, nope,
you wanted Westbrook, you wanted Westbrook. Speaking to Lebron and Nad,
this is what you guys wanted. You guys worked this out.
We're not gonna give up. We had the Buddy Hill
deal on the table, We had the Buddy Hill deal done,
and you guys said, no, you guys wanted Westbrook even
though he fit, he fit what they were doing. Absolutely,
(21:51):
Oh absolutely, Buddy Hill. Absolutely, he fits exactly what they're doing.
So ye, yeah, it feels like it's more of a nope,
we're not doing it man, and this because if we
do this now, we're losing two young players that we're
just doing what you want us to do. And we
know when you're tired, you're gonna you're gonna tuck t
hell and get out of here anywhere. You're gonna go
play with your son somewhere because you've talked about doing it.
So it kind of feels like that Fox Sports Radio
(22:14):
has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch
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and within the iHeartRadio app. Search f SR to listen live. Today,
Aaron Judge from The New York Yankees in his forty
fifth home run of the year. He's on pace to
(22:35):
get sixty one or more sixty two or something like that, close,
which was Roger Marris's record before. Of course, a Sosa
Bonds and Clement about Sosa Bonds and um what my
miss and Mark McGuire right, all reach that number. But
this has taken shape that this could be another nineteen
(22:58):
ninety eight. Now it is different in that Sosa and
Bob Sosa maguire, I'm sorry, we're both going for the record. Right.
Roger Marris hit sixty one home runs for the New
York Yankees in nineteen sixty one. It was long standing
record for home runs in a regular season, and the
(23:19):
three guys I mentioned all broke that. But in this case,
Aaron Judge, who had a home run Tuesday night in Seattle,
he hit won this afternoon in Seattle. He now has
forty five. This guy hit fifty two his rookie year,
So this is not like he's gonna run out of
(23:41):
gas or he hasn't had this experience before. But I
think VJ, we're getting very close to where Aaron Judge
will be Musty TV in the final two months of
the baseball season. On the final ten weeks or whatever
it is, I think it's eight weeks where people want
(24:01):
to see if this guy can do it. And I
think it'll be interesting to see how people look at
him from the standpoint of all three of the other
guys who did it will all link to p D steroids,
whatever you want to call it. And Judge is not
(24:23):
under that cloud of suspicion. The league, as you know,
test for that stuff now unlike when those guys were
playing to start, and I think people might embrace Aaron
Judge and watch this guy and is at bats as
the season goes on, to see if he can do
it and break Roger Marris's record. I'm saying Aaron Judge
(24:46):
is this close to being must see TV for the
end of his baseball season. All of that sounds really, really,
really good. It's the Yankees, It's the number one market
in baseball, It's the number one team in Major League history.
Aaron Judge bet on himself and he is showing that
when you bet on yourself in life and you are
(25:08):
passionate and you are locked in, you can make big
things happen. That check keeps getting bigger and bigger and
bigger that the next team is going to have to write.
The only problem I have with this is because the
last time we saw these type of chases, the peed steroids,
ahh whatever you want to whatever you know, adjective or
(25:29):
pronoun you want to use for it was involved with it.
Now over sixty more. We didn't know that. At that time.
We enjoyed, we enjoyed it, but at not people. I
rob I'm just going off. I'm just going off of
what I felt, what I know through that time. But
I think I think, I think the thing that you're
doing is and this is just me to just hear
me out, is now that you know what went on.
(25:52):
But back in nineteen ninety eight, there was no talk
of any of that. I mean, ESPN used to cut
in to pro gramming to watch McGuire, and I don't
think if people were really on it or thought oh
this is questionable, they would have done that. I'm saying
we all know in the wash now, but back then
(26:12):
that summer, I just remember those two guys say, baseball
coming off the players strike. If you remember, I remember
the player strike, Ken Griffy was on a tear. I'm
a griffy fan of my favorite player of all time.
So I hated to strike because I felt like he
was going to break the record. But all of that
you're saying, Rob, I know all of that. I know
ESPN was cutting in. I understand that, But I so
felt that it could have been still been steroids then,
(26:34):
because if you remember McGuire by excuse me, canseco before that,
like there were no one said anything to say Oh,
they didn't say an they wouldn't even said anything because
they made sure no one said anything. Someone said it.
They didn't broadcast it because they were trying to bring
baseball back. That all aside, I like, I like what
Judge is doing, but I just still feel like there's
(26:56):
still there's still a certain group of people that are
still gonna go, yeah, yeah, but how clean is it?
How clean is he? Yeah? They test for that stuff now, yeah, man,
but there's always somebody ahead of somebody. At first it
was a bow and arrow, right, and then they invented
the gun, and then they invented the bulletproof vest, and
then they invented the bullet that goes through the bulletproof vest.
Like there's always gonna be an evolution and evolving mechanics
(27:20):
in life, and I just think this could be one
of them. I hope it's all here and it is
fun to watch, but I still don't think that people
have still recovered from that home run chase back then,
or this would still be getting way more publicity and
way more coverage and way more media attention that it's
even getting now now. If he hits over sixty, that's
only been done eight times in Major League Baseball history.
(27:42):
Somebody's hit over sixty all runs. Sammy Sosa did it
three times. So if he hits sixty one, sixty two,
six three. I listened to the show a little bit
yesterday and I heard you guys putting over and unders.
I think you said sixty four. A few other guys
here at the network we're saying sixty two or sixty three.
Even if he hits like sixty two sixty three, it's
I've seen it, Rob, It's not gonna be as impressive
(28:03):
to me personally. There may be a contituency of people
that think it is. But to say just because we
didn't hear certain things back in the day doesn't mean
that people weren't saying that. People weren't thinking that we
let get out what we want to let get out.
If we want to keep it quiet, they'll keep it quiet.
They needed to say baseball, so that's why they wouldn't
let that table. But people, people knew Rob, and you're
(28:23):
a baseball nighte. Like I said, nobody knows baseball that
I personally know like you do. And if you could
tell me that you personally Rob Parker honestly in ninety eight,
it never entered your mind when you watch those races
that those guys could be juicing as they were getting
bigger arms, bigger four arms in a bigger hat size.
I'll be honest with you, bro, I'm not gonna believe that.
(28:45):
If I tell you to go look at the list
of players who the Mitchell Report, many of those guys
have none of the characteristics you talk about who used juice.
So it ain't just about bigger There's plenty of guys
who used it who didn't swell. I know. I'm just
(29:07):
saying that that's not a direct correlation to us in it. Well,
you're not if you're not a big guy and you
don't put in the work that you need to do
to enhance your size and you could take it. There
were plenty of minor leaguers who are scrawny, middle of
the role players who thought it might give them some advantage.
That's all I'm saying. That's fine, that's not that's not
(29:28):
a testament. My point is I think that Aaron Judge
will get the spotlight as he gets closer, because people
are still like, well, can he really get there? You know,
like forty five is a lot of home runs at
this point, I think he's ahead of where maybe Bonds
and McGuire were I saw the list the other day.
(29:48):
Or he's like neck and neck, he's one, he's one
ahead of Bonds, yeah, which says a lot. And and
he's been pretty consistent with so many games. And I
just won as we get closer, will people embrace him
a little bit more, knowing what they know now and
where they are as far as looking at this guy
(30:11):
and you know he looks like a tight end. Yeah,
I mean he's six seventy. Yeah, he's a monster of
a guy who could have played football as well. I
don't think they will wrong. I don't think people I
don't think people will man to be honest with you.
I just I just think that I think that left
such a ninety eight ninety nine, It really did leave it.
And then Bonds hitting the seventy three and two thousand
(30:33):
and one, I honestly, and that's twenty one years ago,
but I think the average sports fans still just goes, yeah,
but is it real? And when we have to go yeah,
is it real, it's not gonna get the attention that
I think it should. Like, do you think they're gonna
be cutting into games to show air judges at bats?
Absolutely not, I absolutely do. Okay, I think if he
(30:55):
gets close to that, there will be that moment because
that's what he ESPN, or if your sport sports network,
that's what you do, because you're gonna get eyeballs. And
I think if he were to get to that point
and get close enough, I think that they would do it,
because when they did it the first time, it hadn't
happened in a long time. And I just think he
(31:17):
is a guy who a a lot of people like
because of the way he carries himself. And you just
said it. He plays for the Yankees. He's on that
big stage. I just have seen. You know, you just
haven't gotten to this point where a guy really is
within reach and has the possibility or the capability. As
I said to you before, it's not like a guy
(31:39):
who this is the first time he's entered this kind
of realm of over fifty home runs. He did it
his rookie year. And what's derailed him the last few
years is not his ability, is he hadn't been able
to stay healthy. True, and this is a year that
he's finally healthy. And as you said, he bet on himself.
(32:01):
He didn't take the contract extension, and he probably made
himself at least one hundred millions, you know what I mean,
with the way he's playing. So it's gonna be interesting.
I do really believe that there will be people who
will be intrigued by Aaron Judge and Kenny get there.
That's what we do in sports. It's got to be
compelling to us. That's what that's what's different between baseball
(32:24):
and football. Baseball is every day, you know, like you
love ice cream until you start working at the ice
cream factory. If you only have one scoop of ice
cream a week, right, you're gonna enjoy it and savor it.
And that's what happens with football and in this case,
we just haven't had anything like this where I think
(32:44):
people will look and say, Kenny get there and will
be intrigued. So two quick questions for you. One, how
many do you think he hits in in two in
twenty seventeen when Staying hit fifty nine? Why didn't we
go crazy for that? Why would he Why didn't we
pay attention to Staying hitting fifty night that was just
five years ago? And how many do you think Judge
hits this year? But you just said it. The difference is,
(33:07):
I think Stan had a late flurry to get to
that number. You're talking about Judge, who's what tied with
bonds or one behind bonds, So Stan's not on that list.
I think he came, he had a he had a
late flurry so that you didn't think he was gonna
get there, and then all of a sudden at the
end he had a late flurry and got close
Hosts And Creators
kelvin washington
Rob Parker
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