Best of The Week on The Odd Couple

With Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington traveling to Atlanta Georgia for the 2026 NABJ Convention & Career Fair, Robert Guerra AKA Rob G. if your nasty fills in with Ephraim Salaam and Monse Bolanos for a beautiful week of captivating stories! The Lakers officially have been sold yet again after just one year for reasons way deeper than we know. The recent statements by Jayden Daniels trying his best to stand on business. Plus, why LeBron still holds so much power over the entire league keeping the future stars hostage until he feels it's time to retire!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the best of the Odd Couple podcasts.
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 Foxsports Radio dot com, or stream us live
every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
You're listening to the best of the Odd Couple.

Speaker 3 (00:28):
Yes, sir, it is the Odd Couple with me Robert Carol,
Rob g if you're nasty, come into you live from
sunny southern California.

Speaker 4 (00:39):
So excited right now, Yes, sir.

Speaker 5 (00:41):
DJ Alex Tyshirt is on the wheels this steal, Isaac
Loewingkron is on the updates. And the guy to my
left sitting in for Rob Parker and Calvin Washington, TV writer,
film producer. He played a little football back in the
day too, none other.

Speaker 4 (00:59):
Than Salam what's up? Rob? How you doing? What's up?

Speaker 6 (01:02):
Man? All the times I've ever you know, filled in
and all of that, I've never done it with you,
and I heard that you get a little nervous sometimes grvous.

Speaker 4 (01:11):
If you're if you need any help, I'm here for you. Okay.

Speaker 6 (01:14):
The listeners, Uh, they want your best okay, and and
and I'm sure that you're going to knock this out
the park.

Speaker 4 (01:21):
I hope.

Speaker 5 (01:22):
So I was feeling really good about myself until Alex said, Hey,
if we're going to be doing the zoom, I'm gonna
need you eat him to drop your chair down, and
Robs you bring your chair up so y'all can be
the same height. I like that.

Speaker 4 (01:31):
I mean, like where he started. You want me to
sit on the ground.

Speaker 5 (01:33):
I guess I would prefer that I have to stand up, but.

Speaker 4 (01:35):
You're going to taller. Sound if I stood up.

Speaker 5 (01:38):
And you're sitting down, you're probably still three inches taller
than me.

Speaker 6 (01:41):
Yes, that's correct, but that you know, Hey, we all
had choices. I did not your parents, Okay, I had choices. Okay,
all right, if your mom decided that she was going
to be with minute Bowl, they wouldn't be having this conversation.

Speaker 5 (01:55):
So that's one thing LaVar Ball got right. She yes,
He's like, yes, I got it a basketball player because
I'm gonna breed three boys. They're all gonna play.

Speaker 4 (02:03):
He did.

Speaker 5 (02:03):
Actually, there you go, that's a good point.

Speaker 4 (02:07):
A man.

Speaker 6 (02:07):
You gotta walk into this thing. My so, my son
who's twelve turned twelve three weeks ago when took his
physical Okay, uh Friday or no Monday, Monday, and he
is uh five to seven, he's twelve already, yes, okay,
my wife is almost six feet she's five eleven and

(02:29):
so but you thought that was a mistake.

Speaker 4 (02:31):
You thought I was like.

Speaker 6 (02:34):
You thought I was like, I don't know, maybe maybe
maybe not. No, No, this is you had a prerequest.
Everything is on purpose. Everything's on purpose. So when I
say you had choices, now, look there were other people available.

Speaker 5 (02:45):
I'm sure there were.

Speaker 6 (02:46):
Okay, now, not to take anything away from the amazing
chemistry and instant attraction between my wife and I. It
just everything lined up personality wise, height, genetics, the whole
nine yards. And now we have a six three fifteen
year old and a five to seven twelve year old.

Speaker 5 (03:06):
I don't like them, I tell you. With shoes on,
yeah five to seven.

Speaker 6 (03:11):
Okay, I'm literally I'm literally sitting in here with a
grown man who's the size of my twelve year os whatever.
What a brand new twelve year old though he didn't
he's not even through pre prebity yet. Like he's just
turned twelve on the twenty fifth of June. So we

(03:32):
got that.

Speaker 5 (03:32):
Happy Birthday to how's the body watch situation in your house?

Speaker 4 (03:35):
Right now?

Speaker 5 (03:39):
We'll get to that later. We got so much to
get to you on today show Adam Kaplan coming up
at bottom of the hour of Fox Sports Radio NFL Inside,
we got some NBA scheduling conversation, shot taking shots at Lebron.
We got to start out with the big news of
the day. The Minnesota Vikings have settled on their quarterback
for the seat in there QB one will be none

(04:01):
other then Kyler Murray. And I want to start with this.
Even you and I, not just in media, but in general,
we all know people who continue to fail upwards. Right, Yes,
the guy who shows up to work late all the
time still gets promoted. The guy who failed out of
all his classes, but his dad runs aheade fund, so
he's making six figures out of college happens. Kyler Murray

(04:23):
is the NFL equivalent. Okay, there is no good reason
why Kyler Murray keeps getting these opportunities that he does
not deserve. Ok And it goes all the way back,
so when he first got drafted by the Cardinals. Okay,
if I'm five to seven, he's five to nine.

Speaker 4 (04:41):
All right.

Speaker 5 (04:41):
I've met Kyler Murray a handful of times on Super
Bowl Radio row and if his hair wasn't picked out
when the fro me and him were almost high level beca.
He is not a large individual. But yet, because Cliff
Kingsbury was the man in charge there in Arizona, they decided,
I don't care what history says about small quarter. I
don't mind that he only had one season as a starter.

(05:04):
I'm gonna make him the first overall pick and forget
the fact that we just drafted Josh Rosen to be
our QB won the year before. This is the guy
I'm gonna hitch my wagon too. Yes, Okay, So they
do that a couple years later, without having really done
anything in the league yet. At that point, Kyler Murray decides,
you know what, I am gonna black out my Instagram.

(05:25):
I'm gonna scrub all mention of the Cardinals and my
social media accounts because I believe that I deserve a
new contract. I don't think he had done anything to
get it, but he got one. They felt so confident
in him that they put a clause in his contract,
as said you have to watch a certain amount of tape.

(05:45):
You cannot be playing call of duty while you're doing this,
because not only did they know he wasn't watching it,
he had set himself to The New York Times a
couple of years before, saying, Yeah, I'm not the kind
of guy grinds taped like that because I just see
things out there. I don't really gotta worry about preparing
the way an average quarterback might prepare. Flash forward now
to last season. Right he only starts five games, part

(06:09):
of it due to injury, of course, and historically has
a lot of injury issues. But even when he was
out there, when the Cardinals were as healthy as they
had been all season, he was mediocre at best. Right
think he averaged about two hundred and eighty total yards
of offense rushing and throwing. His team averaged about twenty

(06:29):
points per game. They soft benched him. We'll call it back.
They said he was hurt. He could have came back.
He decided not to come back. We don't know what
the reason was. But did you know that when Jakoby
Brissett took over with they banged up Arizona Cardinal offense,
They averaged more yards per game and more points per game.

(06:51):
And yet I just heard you tell Rich Davis during
the commercial break as we're switching shows that they may
not win a game this season because Jakoby were said
he's not a good NFL quarterback and that Carson Beck
might be their starter. So I ask you this, now,
what on earth has Kyler Murray done to slide into

(07:12):
Minnesota in a situation that has arguably a top five
offensive unit outside of the quarterback. You have one of
the better offensive minds a head coach, and he is
just given the QB one job without having any real competition.
I do not understand this. How does this keep happening

(07:33):
to a guy like Kyler Murray?

Speaker 6 (07:34):
Well, because there's always a need for a quarterback, that's
the underlying thing. Like you would say, okay, how does
a guy continue to get multiple opportunities? Some may have
said that about Sam Donald right now, Sam Donald is
a Super Bowl champion and has turned his entire career around.
People are saying that right now with Rice Young also

(08:02):
my height also, you're The fact is there's not enough
quality in terms of you know, the thirty two starting quarterbacks.
There's always going to be ten or so teams that
are looking for their starter, and when you're looking for

(08:22):
your starter, you're trying to find the best talent that
you can have. Kyler Murray is the best talented quarterback
on that roster. There was a miss with JJ McCarthy. Sure,
all right, they understand that. That's why they went and
got Kyler Murray because they understood, oh wow, we really
should have kept Sam Donald. But we felt the pressure

(08:46):
of this first round draft pick, right, we use it
on JJ McCarthy. She got hurt, traded up, got hurt,
and we had a phenomenal year. We have to move
off of Sam Donald, even though we may not want
to see what JJ has. He doesn't have what they
think they can can use for the next ten years.

(09:07):
Is Kyler Murray the answer for the next ten years. No,
But what he can do is he can help them
compete when Kyler is engaged and involved. And this is
a very important year for him. This is a very
important year for him because he is going to an
offensive system that is conducive to making quarterbacks who are
afterthoughts be good. He is going to an offensive minded coach.

(09:29):
He is going to a team with one of the
arguably the best receivers we've seen in the last decade.
Everything is leaning towards him having a rebirth, a resurgence
of his career, similar to what happened with Sam Darnold
now in terms of him taking it serious and studying

(09:50):
and doing the things you have to do to be
a starting quarterback. If he hasn't crossed that threshold yet,
then the same old thing is going to happen. But
on that roster right now. You know, your question is
how does he keep getting an opportunity because there's talent there.
We've seen the talent. We've seen the talent. You also
have to remember Arizona wasn't a hotbed of talent.

Speaker 5 (10:14):
Oh they have talent on that round.

Speaker 6 (10:15):
They were not I'm talking about when he got there.
You can talk about the talent now. When he got there,
they weren't a hot bed.

Speaker 4 (10:21):
No one was talking about how talented the Arizona roster is.
But we can.

Speaker 5 (10:28):
Go ahead. I'm sorry, Hall of Famer.

Speaker 6 (10:32):
Okay, what we do know is Minnesota has talent everywhere, Yes,
starting with the coaching, Yes, this is okay, let's know
what we got. You know what you have in JJ
McCarthy you know what that is. You don't like what
you have, but someth's in of and something's cooking right.
Put it on three p. Fifty. Sit it in there

(10:53):
for eighteen weeks, see what that thing look like, and
see what it tastes like at the end.

Speaker 4 (10:59):
And that's where they are with Kyler Murray right now.
The talent is there.

Speaker 6 (11:02):
He's been a Pro Bowl quarterback, even though that's not
saying much in today's landscape. New Huntley's been a Probole's
crazy to me. Damn, I wish just was like that
when I was playing.

Speaker 4 (11:13):
It wasn't. I digress.

Speaker 6 (11:16):
But look, Kyler has an opportunity to resurrect his career,
to really have people looking like they were looking at
Sam Donald the last couple of years, and this is
the perfect place for to do that.

Speaker 5 (11:29):
Well, you bring up Sam Donald. Sam Donald was not
given the same opportunities that Kyler Murray has gotten. Sam
Donald when he got dumped by Carolina. He was a
backup in San Francisco. San Francisco, he was broadest thing
that ever could have happened to him.

Speaker 4 (11:44):
Say go ahead.

Speaker 5 (11:45):
He was a supposed to be the backup in Minnesota.
But JJ McCarthy got hurt and then he kind of
got thrushed into the job. And then once he got
here to Seattle, I know that he got the Super
Bowl and that's great. He also led the league in turnovers,
so it's not like he was really, Oh my gosh,
can you believe we all missed on Sam Donald?

Speaker 6 (12:02):
No one missed on Sam Donald. Right, Sam Donald had
to become Sam Donald. Sure, as we know, if you
go to the Jets as a quarterback, then you can
throw away your first four years. You can just throw
them away, right, ball him up, throw him outa can't
count it. Most guys don't survive after that. Now, Sam
had an opportunity to go to Carolina, had an opportunity

(12:22):
to go to San Francisco because Shanahan believed in him
and gave him opportunity to really learn learn what it
really takes to become a quarterback. If you don't have that,
I can guarantee you Kyler Murray didn't have it in Arizona, right,
the system that was in place, and I'll explain it
to you and I'll tell you why. Sure, of course,
Cliff Kingsbury was there and he knew Kyler and that's

(12:46):
too familiar. You know what you can get away with, right.
I know on this show, I can just run you
over what right? Like I could just right? I know,
I know it. I'm just teasing, but I know what
I'm dealing with. He knows what he was dealing with.

Speaker 4 (13:01):
Right.

Speaker 6 (13:01):
He's in a situation now where he doesn't have the
upper hand. He's not the first, but.

Speaker 5 (13:07):
It feels like it is because this was not a
real quarterback competition. As soon as they brought him in
this astion was that he was going to be the.

Speaker 4 (13:14):
Quarterback, of course, because they know what they have.

Speaker 5 (13:17):
Yeah, but that's fair.

Speaker 6 (13:18):
If your wife can't cook, my wife, I'm just saying,
if your wife can't cook. Hypothetically, if your wife can't
cook and you come home and she's been cooking.

Speaker 4 (13:26):
All day, you already know, damn, this is not it.

Speaker 6 (13:32):
You already know, right, You'll sit down, you'll eat it,
You'll be like, oh, yes, whatever that relationship is. But
you know, now, if your wife's mom is there and
you come home and she's cooking, you like, oh, we
what were we having?

Speaker 4 (13:45):
This is what?

Speaker 6 (13:46):
And I'm just trying to use that to just try
to to have people understand how coaching staffs think. Right,
they know what's cooking with him in there behind, you know,
QB one. They know what JJ is cooking. It's not
very good. Well, eat it if we have to, but
it's not very good. Right now, Kyler has come in,
He's shown that he can make a good dish, not consistently,

(14:10):
but maybe the infrastructure, maybe the ingredients, well, maybe the
ingredients weren't there to consistently make a great dish. They
got an offensive line, they got a running game, they
got a hell of a receiving corps, and an offensive
minded coach.

Speaker 4 (14:25):
The ingredient.

Speaker 6 (14:26):
There is no other ingredients. Okay, Sam Donald became five
star michelan chef in that kitchen.

Speaker 5 (14:34):
All right, let me ask you this question then, because
if you're saying that they already knew they were going
to get off a JAJM. McCarthy, yes, that was already
the plan.

Speaker 4 (14:41):
Right.

Speaker 5 (14:41):
The last four seasons, Kyler Murray has missed thirty out
of sixty eight games. He's ranked in the bottom ten
amongst NFL starting quarterbacks at least twenty five starts in
win percentage, yards per attempt TD percentage passer rating. Yes,
so I ask you if you already knew you were
gonna move move on from JJ McCarthy. Yes, why did

(15:02):
you settle on that guy?

Speaker 6 (15:04):
Because you know what the quarterback draft is like this
coming up season. That's why you know what the quarterback
draft is going to look like coming up this next offseason.
You're okay with Kyler Murray coming in there, that's fine.
Can we compete? We'll find out early on if we'll

(15:25):
be able to compete in that division, which is pretty
stacked by the way. Yes, you'll find out if you
can compete. Now, if you can't, all right, we're moving on.
We know Manning, the kid from Mississippi State, any of
the other young quarterbacks who are Heisman hopefuls, they're coming up,

(15:45):
So you understand what's happening. You didn't sign Kyler Murray
to a five year, one hundred and you know two
hundred and twenty two million dollar deal, No, you didn't.
What you don't want to do is waste more time
with JJ McCarthy. You don't want to do that. Maybe
he'll turn into something in four five years as a
backup or whatever, But coming out of college, he really
wasn't a first round draft pick.

Speaker 4 (16:05):
Our first round talent.

Speaker 6 (16:05):
Anyway, I think Harball convinced people that you know, he
was perfect close. He didn't even pass the ball in college.
What type of pro style is that? So look all
they're doing. It's a stopgap, man. It's a band aid,
but it's a pretty It's a pretty exotic band aid.
Got some birds on their guns. You know, some designs.

(16:27):
It's not the plane old beige rubber band that you
find at the bottom of a swimming pool. It's it's
an exotic rubber band and you're trying to see a
mesquit a band aid. Then you're trying to see if
this thing really works.

Speaker 4 (16:42):
It's the gouts here.

Speaker 7 (16:44):
I have a podcast, Umpire. It continues to grow and
I have brought it here to iHeart. I'm also doing
a live radio show from three to five pm Eastern because.

Speaker 4 (16:54):
My wife wanted to kick me out of the house.

Speaker 7 (16:56):
It's called Stagatzi Company Live, which is available on podcast
form right when the show finishes every single day. Some
of the biggest names in sports. A lot of phone.

Speaker 5 (17:07):
Calls I love you on your show.

Speaker 2 (17:08):
It's one of my favorites.

Speaker 7 (17:09):
A lot of interact sit guys not taking themselves too. Seriously,
those are just some of the things that you could
expect from Stu Gottson Company and Steve Gotson Company Live.
So listen to ste Gotson Company Live and our original podcast.
Please subscribe, rate and review Stu Gotson Company and God
Bless Football. Taylor's livelihood depends on it. You do it today,

(17:32):
and you can check all of those out on the
iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Speaker 2 (17:43):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Rob Parker and kelvin Washington weekdays at seven pm
Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the
iHeartRadio app.

Speaker 3 (17:56):
Yes, Sir, is The Odd Couples with Leave Robert Guard
If You're nasty, Coming to your live from sunny southern California,
Sitting to my left, sitcom producer, film writer, Hedge, fund
manager and former NFL superstar e from Salaam.

Speaker 4 (18:15):
What's happening man? How you doing?

Speaker 5 (18:18):
I am doing fantastical the bright new day here in La.

Speaker 6 (18:21):
It's a bright new day, beautiful day, first day of
school for most people.

Speaker 5 (18:25):
Yeah, first day of school for my oldest how was that?

Speaker 4 (18:27):
It was terrible?

Speaker 5 (18:28):
Party was ridiculous? You know, I had a line up
in front of a class. I didn't know most of
these kids. They don't want to touch something. It's just weird.
So she is six six, Okay, so you're starting this journey.
She's been in kinder No, this is the beginning first
grade yet?

Speaker 4 (18:41):
Okay, yeah, this is hello.

Speaker 6 (18:43):
You just running taking naps and running around in circles
in kindergarten.

Speaker 4 (18:47):
Okay, this is the beginning of your schooling journey.

Speaker 5 (18:49):
Is that why you skip kindergarten?

Speaker 6 (18:51):
I didn't second grade, second grade, but I trust me.
Enjoy these days when I say that, because once you
get out of the elementary school bubbles, you drop them
off at the gate, no longer standing in front of
the classes, saying hello to the teachers on campus.

Speaker 4 (19:13):
Hey, no, no, sir, drop them off here and they'll
be fine. Yep.

Speaker 6 (19:18):
When you get to high school, you may not even
get a chance to drop them off.

Speaker 5 (19:22):
No, Dad, I got it down the street.

Speaker 4 (19:25):
Lawrence. Lawrence is coming to pick me up. Dad.

Speaker 6 (19:27):
Please stay inside, your embarrassing man. And if you stand
by the gay you're a pervert. Yes, So enjoy this time.
You have five years remaining on this journey that you're
currently in and you have a younger a baby, so
you're in it for the long haul. Enjoy it because
once it's gone, brother, it's just pounds, and it's pounds.

Speaker 4 (19:49):
Open the door. I see you after school.

Speaker 5 (19:51):
Did your kids at the first day to day too?

Speaker 4 (19:53):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (19:53):
Digit you get dapped up at least?

Speaker 4 (19:55):
Yeah, we even split it up.

Speaker 6 (19:56):
My wife took my twelve year old to seventh grade
and I took my my sophomore in high school.

Speaker 4 (20:01):
Okay, we had the light. I'm like Apple paid him
and kicked him out.

Speaker 5 (20:08):
There you go. That's the way to do it. On
this worship Wednesday here on the y Odd Couple, we
got a lot to get to. Of course, in the
world of sports. Before we do, got introduced the Odd
Couple crew. We can't do it without well, technically we could,
it just wouldn't sound as good. First and foremost, on
the wheels of Steel, your favorite ten and Jack Human
dj Alex Tyser.

Speaker 3 (20:30):
Behind the car.

Speaker 8 (20:31):
So from quick question, Robg's daughter does not skip at
least one grade?

Speaker 4 (20:35):
Is she a failure? No?

Speaker 6 (20:37):
Okay, I would recommend that. No, no, no, no, I wouldn't recommend that.
I wouldn't recommend that at all.

Speaker 4 (20:42):
We all make choices.

Speaker 5 (20:43):
She almost did last year, but they said for her
social development, yes, not skip, she says intellectually, she could have.
They told her not.

Speaker 6 (20:50):
You should not skip your child unless they need scholastically
if it's moving, you know, way too slow, maybe just
I don't know, maybe more advanced class. It's hard to
do in Elementary's not a lot of advanced classes in elementary.
You normally just have to skip them. But I would

(21:11):
just say, let's just let him ride it out, let
him write it out. It's hard to be in college
at sixteen. There's a lot of things you and Sheldon Cooper, No,
it's a lot of things that you like. I almost
ruined any hope of being successful being that immature in college.

Speaker 4 (21:25):
Oh yeah, yes, at San Diego State.

Speaker 5 (21:28):
I almost went there.

Speaker 4 (21:28):
I believe it.

Speaker 5 (21:30):
On the updates, none other than Brianna Mirro.

Speaker 9 (21:32):
It's the spread.

Speaker 4 (21:33):
Well, we love Bree.

Speaker 5 (21:34):
She sent me a text yesterday, I can't wait to
see you tomorrow. Good luck. I thought tomorrow was Thursday,
so I screw that up. Shout out to Bree.

Speaker 4 (21:42):
Breeze here.

Speaker 5 (21:43):
Julian's here helping out in some capacity. I don't know
what he's doing because that does all the work.

Speaker 4 (21:46):
But why actually I'm making him work in put a
tweet out for you.

Speaker 5 (21:48):
Wow, heavy lifting back there behind the glass. They're all
here ready to roll. We got Glenn Big Baby Davis
coming up at the bottom of the hour. Talk to
him about your Jalen Brown slander. Come on, man, we'll
talk to a Roschmarkazi an hour or two so. And
of course, case lest we forget, I don't want to

(22:09):
not mention this. It's a big day in the Odd
Couple history because tonight is men t and a night
at Magic City, the party that almost got Rob Parker
canceled by the NABJ is going down later this evening.
We have a segment built around it all right from
I need to get your thoughts on all things going on.

Speaker 4 (22:28):
Oh yes, magic City.

Speaker 5 (22:31):
But first we got to start with the big news
of the day. Apologies to UCLA legend Russell Westbrook. The
Los Angeles Lakers have been sold. That's right, they have
been sold. They have just got purchased like a year
ago for ten billion. Instead they got sold today for
twelve and a half billion to businessman Josh Kushner and
Bob Iger. If those names self familiars because Kushner is

(22:54):
part of the Trump family tree and Bob Iger used
to run Disney. So those are names you would know
and you probably should know. And I'm just gonna say
this about the whole situation. If you are a Laker
fan like myself, like Ephram Salaam, it's a dark day
for us right now, because history says when you get

(23:15):
new ownership in the NBA, it doesn't go well. I
believe it was Bill Simmons who coined the phrase new
owner syndrome. That is a very real, a very spectacular thing.
Most recently we saw it happen in Dallas. Patrick Dumont
comes in, team had just made the NBA Finals, and

(23:35):
less than a year later, Nico Harrison's in his ear
like little Finger has him trade away Luka Doncic. Why
because he thought he needed to shake things up before that.
Matt Ishbia in Phoenix, apologies to Breeze. He's nodding there
in agreement. He shows up. He's like, you know what,
I gotta I gotta make a splash, I make some happen.
I need to put my fingerprints on this team. Let

(23:55):
me trade away mcal Bridges, Cam Johnson all of our
picks for Kevin Durant. Then I'm gonna double down a
year after and trade whatever there are other picks I
have for Bradley Beal. They had to dump both of
those guys unceremoniously just to get back into the black,
and they're probably stuck in playing purgatory for the next
five to six years because of it. Before that, Joe

(24:16):
Sigh in Brooklyn buys the team and he's like, you
know what, I gotta make a splash. First thing I'm
gonna do. I am gonna sign Kyrie Irving and Kevin
Durant in free agency. Katie off an achilles injury. Kyrie,
of course couldn't predict COVID. That was a whole different
ball of acts. But they know what it is. I'm
gonna double and triple down. I am gonna trade for
James freakin Harden. I think those guys played about eight

(24:37):
games together before it was all broken up again. Alex
Rodriguez in Minnesota, a team that just made the Western
Conference Finals. He says, you know what I'm gonna do.
I am gonna trade away Karl Anthony Towns because I
can't afford to pay the luxury tax I'm not gonna
do it. And if you are the Lakers and you
have a team that is now being purchased by Cush

(25:00):
and Iger, you have to be very concerned because these guys,
much like the previous owners, are going to be held
ben to do one of two things. One they're gonna
be like Ishpian say, I am gonna put my fingerprints
on this team. I'm gonna show you that I know
better than most. That's why I'm so successful. And nine
times out of ten is gonna backfire. Or number two,

(25:22):
and this is more likely, you're gonna be like Alex Rodriguez.
You're gonna say, hey, I came in to make money
first and foremost. I am not here because I am
a Laker fan. I am not here because I'm even
a basketball fan. I am here because this is damn
good business. And if you want to know what kind
of businessmen you have coming now in Los Angeles, let
me give you some updates.

Speaker 4 (25:42):
All right.

Speaker 5 (25:43):
I don't want to get into the Jared or the
Josh Kushner stuff of it, because Wikipedia and Google is
free and there's a lot of scandal involved in some
of the dealings that he's been involved with and is
an investment group with his brother. You can look that
up yourself, but Bob Iger is the name you probably
do know, right because everyone knows, does he ever knows?
ZESPN and ABC. Bob Iger had to come out and

(26:05):
admit publicly that one of the reasons why his tenure
in Disney ended so spectacularly, with so many box office
flops and creative missteps, is because he was worried about
quantity over quality. That he says, I'm gonna keep going
to the well for the Marvels, Indiana Jones and the dialogue,

(26:26):
Destiny Solo, a Star Wars story, all of these what
do they call AI slop nowadays? Anything he could do
to turn a quick buck. He was not interested in
making a good product. He was interested in making money.
What's different about these guys and the Mark Walter situation
is when Mark Walter came in with the Dodgers, the
expectation from the Dodgers was, Hey, we've already seen what

(26:49):
this guy can do. He is going to reinvest into
the team up like seventy percent of their profits went
back into the roster. He is going to put people
in place to make a smart team using the Dodgers
or excuse me, the Lakers brand the same way, different
the Dodgers. These guys, these two in particular, have shown
they are more interested in the bottom line than anything else.

(27:12):
So if you're a Lakers fan, the idea that now,
hey we're twelve and a half billion dollars, we've got
the deepest owner pockets in basketball, pump the brakes. It's
not gonna be good.

Speaker 4 (27:26):
Uh, this is you wanted to start the day on
a sunburn.

Speaker 5 (27:30):
It's a tough day.

Speaker 6 (27:31):
It is a tough day to be a Laker fan.
You know, I felt weird about it.

Speaker 4 (27:38):
I was.

Speaker 6 (27:38):
I was riding in the work this morning and they
were talking about, like the prompt was or the tease was,
you know, franchise sets the all time mark for American
based sports franchise, the Los Angeles Lakers. And I was like, oh, well,
I mean that was a year ago.

Speaker 5 (27:59):
I got a year and a half ago.

Speaker 4 (28:00):
It was a year ago.

Speaker 6 (28:01):
It was ten billion dollars and it was like twelve
billion dollars. And I was like, well, what is this.
And then they come on and they say, hey, the
Lakers have just been resold to Bob Iger and Kushner
for twelve billion dollars, and I swerved a little bit
in the car, like, oh snap, what is happening?

Speaker 4 (28:23):
And then I got to work.

Speaker 6 (28:25):
I went into my office and I shut the door
and drew the curtains and set in the dark as
I was staring at my phone and doing some research
into the people who bought the Lakers, because you know,
as fans, all we want is the best. Sure, we
want an owner that understands the team dynamic, understands the
brand number one yep, and what you can and can't

(28:46):
do with said brand. Sure, And I am not confident
in any of that. I know bob Byeger is a
huge basketball fan. Sure, he's a Clipper, which.

Speaker 4 (28:56):
Makes no sense.

Speaker 6 (28:58):
Don't know how you can be a huge basketball fan
and a Clipper fan at the same time.

Speaker 4 (29:05):
Don't know.

Speaker 6 (29:06):
Maybe this is his diabolical plan to tank the Lakers
and add value to the Clippers or mystique to the Clippers,
which nothing on planet Earth can do that. That bed
has already been made and they you're just lying in it.
Sorry Clipper fans, Sorry Mancy, I had to do it.

(29:28):
I had to use you. I'm in such a bad place,
hurt people, hurt people. Okay, I'm not happy. I'm not
happy about it. I was excited about the previous ownership
group because I did as a Dodger fan as well.

Speaker 4 (29:42):
I saw it.

Speaker 6 (29:43):
I saw exactly what they were able to do with
the Dodgers. It held firm to team first, right, bring
in the talent, spare no expense, Let's build something championship worthy,
and I was looking forward to that. I have have
zero idea where the new ownership group wants to take

(30:06):
the Lakers, believe the Lakers can go, and even what
to do with the Lakers that is bothering me. I'm
having chest pains as we speak.

Speaker 5 (30:15):
As you should, as you should because this is not
even just we're talking about the Lakers. Of course, this
is not a Lakers centric issue. This is something that's
gonna keep happening more and more frequently as you start
to see the old guard basically age out right, the
Jerry Buss of course, and his family being down even

(30:38):
in baseball with the Steinbrenners. Is the guys who bought
these teams back then were like, hey, I love this team.
This is gonna mean something to me. Now, they weren't
always successful, but it mattered to them whether they want
or lost. What you're seeing now with a lot of
these hedge fund guys and investment guys and just straight
up business business, just business. There is no emotional tie

(31:02):
whatsoever to whether they win, whether they lose, as long
as they are in the black.

Speaker 4 (31:06):
And that's not good. That's good.

Speaker 5 (31:08):
It's not a good thing for sports, that's not a
good thing.

Speaker 4 (31:11):
And so.

Speaker 5 (31:13):
Until we get a hangle on this, which we probably won't,
I think we're already so far out, I think. But
you just look at some of the most recent I mean,
I know no one cares about the Poiland Trailblazers, but
they have a new owner.

Speaker 4 (31:25):
He's trying to move the team.

Speaker 5 (31:26):
I'm trying to move the team. He famously said. I
am not gonna send the entire traveling party on road
games in the playoffs. I am going to cut back
on the free T shirt giveaways at the home arena
during the postseason. Why because it's just extra expenses. I
don't want to have to pay. Now, it's his business,
he can run it however the hell he wants.

Speaker 4 (31:45):
You.

Speaker 5 (31:46):
But when it comes to sports and fandom, that kind
of stuff doesn't mix well together.

Speaker 6 (31:52):
I blame the league and the other owners because they
have to vote, has to be a majority vote for
someone to actually win and get their bid accepted to
buy a team.

Speaker 4 (32:03):
Now this happens so fast.

Speaker 6 (32:06):
I'm like, you throw the number twelve billion out there,
and then all of a sudden half twelve and a
half billion, all of a sudden billion, everyone says yes,
you know why because now their evaluation goes.

Speaker 4 (32:20):
And that's the whole point. That's what you're talking about. Right.

Speaker 6 (32:23):
You got a bunch of owners who got a bunch
of money, who have a bunch of other companies, and
they know if this product or this this entity amongst others,
if this increases, the mine increases.

Speaker 4 (32:37):
Right.

Speaker 6 (32:38):
So now you know, if James Dolan wants to sell
the Knicks, what does that look like? Fifteen right? Fifteen
billion even a smaller market, righto? You look at what
Portland could go for now?

Speaker 4 (32:55):
Yeah?

Speaker 6 (32:55):
Right, you look at you look at OKC they have
a championship, small market, what they can go New Orleans?

Speaker 4 (33:01):
What are the Pelicans worth? Right?

Speaker 6 (33:04):
So everything now increases in terms of value, in terms
of worth with other teams. So yeah, they're just speeding
these uh you know, these bids to there. It used
to be a dup process. It used to take a while,
couple months, three four, six months, a vetting process. It
has to be a vetting process. Now it's just like,

(33:24):
all right, twelve billion, sign, let's go.

Speaker 5 (33:26):
You got it.

Speaker 2 (33:27):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Rob Parker and kelvin Washington weekdays at seven pm Eastern,
four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio.

Speaker 9 (33:38):
App Fame Game.

Speaker 5 (33:39):
All I wanted to see was, I mean, he's all
anyone wants to see us.

Speaker 9 (33:42):
Yeah, point So the we're not going to see that.

Speaker 5 (33:44):
And I've been told you have some thoughts on Nadam
Mendoza that we're gonna get.

Speaker 9 (33:47):
Oh, I can't wait, can't wait.

Speaker 5 (33:50):
Do not disrespect my quarterback. Respect you're going to.

Speaker 1 (33:54):
I am not.

Speaker 9 (33:55):
What are you talking about?

Speaker 5 (33:56):
We'll see, we'll see our bottom of the hour. Kendo Valenzue,
the fantasy expert. You know, fantasy drafts are right around
the corner. I think our drafts coming up soon, is it?

Speaker 4 (34:05):
I would assume.

Speaker 9 (34:06):
So who's in charge?

Speaker 5 (34:06):
You not me?

Speaker 9 (34:07):
Ricky?

Speaker 5 (34:08):
Probably all right, Patrick, maybe m Somebody's in charge of it.
Somebody is in charge of the draft, and Kendall's gonna
give us the advice we need to win.

Speaker 9 (34:18):
I need to know that. I need to know what
to do, all right, and.

Speaker 5 (34:20):
Then of course foller fair in our number three. Before
we get to all that, I let you know, be
sure to check out our YouTube channel. It's going on
right there in front of us. You can watch us
live on YouTube right now, just odd couple FSR YouTube.
Hit the subscribe button. After you've done that, tap the
thumbs up icon and coming away. Let us know who
you agree with, who you know is probably me. Go

(34:40):
check out your YouTube channel and watch us live right now,
just odd a couple of FSR and subscribe. Our YouTube
numbers are going to be fantastic today, Yes, because every
time Manzi is on the odd Couple, even if it's
just at the bottom of the hour, the number skyrocket.
We're gonna eat for three hours today. I'm expecting to

(35:01):
oh good, expecting a new record? Is that fair?

Speaker 4 (35:05):
Sure?

Speaker 9 (35:05):
And what about tomorrow? Because we're here tomorrow.

Speaker 4 (35:06):
We're gonna set another another round another I have to
say this for Ron Paca. Are we gonna sell the game?

Speaker 8 (35:11):
Used jerseys from today the game one T shirt Thursday edition.

Speaker 9 (35:16):
I need something that says Odd Couple on it.

Speaker 4 (35:19):
I'm not giving you.

Speaker 9 (35:19):
I'm not giving you my my playing black tea that
goes a long way with anything.

Speaker 5 (35:24):
Maybe maybe we'll give you one of the jerseys that
I just had retired. We'll talk about that later. Oh god,
oh god. All right, it is the Odd Couple again.
Big news going on the world of sports. Preseason football
kicking off here in a minute, n NBA schedule, We're
gonna start with this. This is the dumbest and the
greatest story that I've seen all week. Pre mentioned it

(35:45):
at the update yesterday. We found out in the wee
overnight hours that Jaden Daniels, quarterback of the Washington Commanders,
has sent a letter to LSU indicating that they could
no longer use his name, image, and likeness. They say
that part of it is that their contract with him
ran out after I think six months after he left

(36:06):
the school. But most importantly, they're upset, and he's upset
that the team decided to give away his number five
jersey to LSU sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett. And in fact,
we also found out later today or earlier today. Excuse
me that his camp has even demanded that the Tigers

(36:29):
return his copy of his twenty twenty three Heisman trophy.
The school has no intention to do so, Lane Kiffin saying,
I'm trying to mediate this whole thing, but so far
it's not going well. Your thoughts on Jane and Daniels
being King petty right now?

Speaker 9 (36:44):
Oh, it's ridiculous.

Speaker 10 (36:46):
I honestly don't get it, and I get to some
people numbers matter, and this is one of those situations
where life is unfair sometimes, Jade and Daniels, life is unfair.

Speaker 9 (36:58):
You went to LSU where a guy four years prior.

Speaker 10 (37:03):
Went undefeated, won the Natty and the Heisman, and there
is an iconic photo of him smoking a cigar that
we're never gonna forget, never never. So you're up, You're
up against that, which is not fair to you. I
feel like Chut Holmgren at one point in his life,
was like, I'm gonna go in an NBA and I'm
gonna be a unicorn and I'm gonna be so awesome,
and then Wemby comes along and is like, hole, my beer.

Speaker 9 (37:26):
Life is unfair sometimes.

Speaker 10 (37:27):
So in this situation with Jayden Daniels. I honestly like,
it doesn't to me. None of this makes him look good,
none of it. The the losses that he had in
his year. I think they lost three games, they were
all against frank teams. He didn't participate in their bowl
game after it was all said and done.

Speaker 9 (37:44):
He also transferred there. I know, played two years.

Speaker 10 (37:46):
At LSU, but it's LSU rob g out of the
sec Like if you would have maybe stayed at Arizona State,
maybe you could have had your jersey retired.

Speaker 9 (37:57):
And this leads me to my next point. Who benefited more?

Speaker 10 (38:02):
LSU helped Jaden Daniels or Jaden Daniels helped LSU.

Speaker 9 (38:07):
LSU I think.

Speaker 10 (38:08):
Helped Jayden Daniels get that Heisman Trophy. He would not
have gotten that had he not gone to LSU. And
it's just again, it's unfair. Life is unfair at times.
But because of all of all of that, it just
to me, I don't know why you would want this
type of chatter surrounding your name when you're getting ready

(38:29):
to go play in the NFL, when there's a lot
of pressure on you. People are wondering if your rookie
season was a Fluke and with what the commanders did
last year injuries and all. So people are wondering there's
a lot of pressure on Jaden Daniels. I don't know
why you would want this chatter surrounding that and then
to come out with your own statement and then say,
I respect LSU. I've been focused on training camp. I
hope this can be resolved privately. Pappy, it's not.

Speaker 9 (38:52):
We're all talking about it.

Speaker 10 (38:53):
None of this is being resolved privately in any way,
shape or form, And so I just I don't know
where they came from.

Speaker 9 (39:01):
It's just it's a number. I get it.

Speaker 10 (39:04):
You, Jayden Daniels will always go down as the LSU
Heisman Trophy winner of twenty twenty three.

Speaker 9 (39:10):
No one's ever gonna take that away from you.

Speaker 11 (39:11):
But now people are like, oh, do I have to
if I'm a if you're an LSU fan, do you
have to pick a side? Because I feel like you're
gonna pick Joe Burrow, Like, because the description in the
ESPN story brought up the comparison of Joe Burrow.

Speaker 9 (39:25):
We're not pulling this out of nowhere. This was in
the story.

Speaker 10 (39:28):
So it's like, are you forcing Tigers fans to have
to decide again. All they got to show you is
that iconic cigar photo of Joe Burrow. I just feel
like he's I don't know what advice he got, who
he got it from, but it's not good advice. Your
name was awesome, you were always gonna be an lsu great,
not that you're not. But now we're talking about this
and you want your trophy, Like none of this is

(39:48):
I don't get I don't like any of it for
him because Jade and Daniels, his character, everybody likes him
as a person. There's nothing you know what I'm saying,
And so I hate this for him because it is
it is like, who gave you this advice?

Speaker 9 (40:02):
It's not good advice?

Speaker 5 (40:04):
Mom?

Speaker 4 (40:04):
Mom?

Speaker 5 (40:05):
It probably was his mom. Mom. Yeah, Moncey, that opinion
was so left it can't be right, all right. Usually
you're so right you can't turn left with the flip
of yourn.

Speaker 9 (40:13):
Get way for you to tell me how I'm wrong.

Speaker 5 (40:16):
There is something to be said about standing on business,
and I have no issue with anybody. You just mentioned
that you felt you had to ask everybody the studio
if they wanted Starbucks, and I said yeah, But because
if Alex didn't get offered, he would have got his
own later and was said, hey, don't worry, I got
my own. It would have been petty about it. I
have no issue with being petty. This is being one

(40:36):
thousand petty, and he is well within his rights to
do so, because not everything is for sale nowadays. There's
something to be said about you know what. I don't
think I'm gonna let you wear that jersey because there's
only been two other Heisman winners in LSU football history.
You mentioned Joe Burrow the greatest season ever, and this
other guy, Billy Cannon from the nineteen fifty nine season.

(40:58):
They retired his jersey the year after he won it
because the year was nineteen sixty.

Speaker 4 (41:05):
So there's only been three.

Speaker 5 (41:07):
Two of those jerseys have never been given out. This
other one was given out. And why was it given
out Because they decided the only way they were gonna
get this five star cornerback named DJ Pickett was if
they gave him number five. Because they could not sell
their football program. They could not sell national championship aspirations
under Brian Kelly. They could not sell the idea that

(41:30):
you could create your own legacy or even where number seven,
like all the great defensive backs have worn at LSU. Instead,
DJ Pickett and his camp, his camp being his dad
said themselves to the Advocate, never heard of them. But
he said if they would have been told us during
the recruiting process that they said, hey, number five is
not being issue. We can't promise number five. We'll talk

(41:52):
to Jaden and see what he has to say if
he gives his blessing he does. If he does and
he doesn't, then we would have moved forward. So you're
telling me that a seventeen eighteen year old high school
kid has so much gravita over LSU football that he
can tell you whatever millions you're offering me in nil,
whatever deals you're willing to give me, unless I get

(42:14):
number five, I am not coming to your football program.
Then I don't want you in my football program. Because
LSU is supposed to be one of the powerhouses. That's
what they say. That's the reason that they said that
Lane Kiffin had to go from Ole Miss to LSU
because this is a big step in the world of
college football, and so for Jadeen Daniels to be now
the only Heisman winner in their program's history, to have

(42:38):
his jersey given out to another player, in this case
a sophomore who played one season. I have no issue
with him being upset about it. And if you're gonna
treat me differently than you treated your other Heisman players,
then yes, give me my trophy back to because it
obviously doesn't mean as much to you as it does

(42:59):
to me.

Speaker 9 (43:00):
Are you done? I'm crashing the car because you've crashed it.
I thought you were making a U turn and fixing it.
I think you just crashed it.

Speaker 10 (43:06):
Right, Okay, So LSU, it's about LSU. Yes, that's ls
who can do whatever they want. It is about LSU.
It is not about Jayden Daniels. That's the big picture here.
You just said it, and if LSU wants to give
a number out, it is them. They're damn right to
the first guy you mentioned with the Heisman won a Natty, right.

Speaker 5 (43:23):
Billy Cannon one a Natty won two most probably if
he did.

Speaker 10 (43:26):
He won, Okay, Jayden Daniels did not, So that there's
the first difference when it comes to you, don' but
you're you're using those two his comparisons as to why
it should be the same, but they're not.

Speaker 5 (43:37):
But it has been the same.

Speaker 9 (43:38):
No, no, no, no no.

Speaker 10 (43:39):
The three Heisman winners one of them did not win
a Natty, so already.

Speaker 9 (43:43):
It's not exactly the same. Now I can't take credit for.

Speaker 10 (43:45):
This information, but Sleeper College Football on Twitter x posted
the last ten Heisman winners Jersey's numbers after they left.

Speaker 9 (43:54):
What happened.

Speaker 5 (43:54):
Yes, so in twenty.

Speaker 10 (43:55):
Twenty five for Nanda Mendoza his number one. In the
next year twenty twenty four, Travis Hunter tired number twenty three.
Twenty twenty three, Jayden Daniels, the one number is gonna
be worn on defense.

Speaker 9 (44:05):
Caleb Williams retired number.

Speaker 10 (44:07):
Bryce Young the number was worn two years after Devonte
Smith worn the next year. Joe Burrow not worn since
Kyler Murray. Carler Murray worn the next year. Baker Mayfield
worn four years after Lamar Jackson worn the next year.
This is not new. This isn't a dig at Jayden Daniels.
This is just the bigger picture of things, and it's

(44:28):
about LSU in the future.

Speaker 9 (44:30):
If it was about the past, then LSU would just
wrap up.

Speaker 5 (44:32):
The tree set Their president. Those other schools you mentioned
USC their president is if you win the high when
we retire your jersey.

Speaker 9 (44:38):
Okay, but they didn't retire Joe Burrow's.

Speaker 5 (44:41):
No, but they haven't given it out.

Speaker 9 (44:42):
That's right, but it's not retired.

Speaker 5 (44:43):
They're gonna give me.

Speaker 9 (44:44):
For none of Vealinzuela's number was not retired.

Speaker 10 (44:46):
It was just never given out until recently when he
was put in the Ring of Honor as as a
veteran player. But for Noane of Valanzuela's number was not
up in the rafters. Even though it was never given out,
it was clearly not retired.

Speaker 9 (44:57):
It was just not given out.

Speaker 5 (44:58):
Do you think they're ever gonna give out Joe rose
number that was?

Speaker 3 (45:00):
You?

Speaker 9 (45:01):
Probably not? But he what undefeated? When undefeated?

Speaker 5 (45:05):
They both want heismans.

Speaker 10 (45:07):
I understand that, but there is still a difference between
an A plus and an A.

Speaker 5 (45:14):
I wish you were sitting down for this conversation. Standing
standing makes it uncomfortable.

Speaker 4 (45:19):
I get taller than you and she standing.

Speaker 5 (45:20):
I don't know.

Speaker 9 (45:20):
I'm actually not taller than him, even though but he was.
He didn't know I stood.

Speaker 5 (45:25):
I didn't he didn't know.

Speaker 4 (45:25):
You stand on business.

Speaker 9 (45:26):
I stand on business, and I stand when I'm doing
a show.

Speaker 2 (45:29):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to
listen live.

Speaker 3 (45:41):
Yes, sir, it is the Odd Couple with me Robert
Guerl Rob Gee if you are nasty, coming to you
live from sunny southern California alongside on this funky Flashback Friday.

Speaker 5 (45:55):
Who Moncey bolgnohlaire Heller and I want to let you
know it might be funky Flashback Friday for the Odd Cup,
but for us, funky flashback means mid two thousands. Yes,
that was my heyday.

Speaker 9 (46:10):
Hey, mid two thousands, that was my That was a
heyday time.

Speaker 5 (46:12):
Yeah, I was in high school in the mid two times.

Speaker 9 (46:14):
I definitely.

Speaker 5 (46:17):
Steve was driving by high schools at that time in
the mid two thousands. I mean he was in high school.
But yeah, we're all celebrating on a funky Flashback Friday.
Bobby Kelvin still down in Hotlanta. I saw all the
pictures on the GRAM in our group text.

Speaker 4 (46:31):
They look good.

Speaker 9 (46:32):
Yeah, they look like they're having a good time.

Speaker 5 (46:34):
That they're suited and booted, which is nice.

Speaker 10 (46:35):
Yeah, every now and then, you know, they know how
to dress up.

Speaker 5 (46:39):
Yeah, you get clossy. Here's the question.

Speaker 9 (46:40):
What's the question?

Speaker 5 (46:41):
Did Rob keep the suit on when he went to
Magic City?

Speaker 4 (46:44):
Oh? No, he didn't.

Speaker 9 (46:46):
He did not, No, he did not. He wanted to
be comfy.

Speaker 5 (46:51):
I hope not pants.

Speaker 10 (46:55):
I swear if Rob Parker wore sweats to the strip club,
I'm going to be so mad at I'm gonna need
him to not do that.

Speaker 9 (47:01):
But you're right, there's a chance he did. There is
a chance, and I hope, I hope he didn't.

Speaker 5 (47:06):
I'll tell you what. The last time he and I
were in Atlanta together, and the odd couple fans know this,
he Chris and I were there for the Super Bowl
Rest in Peace, christ. We saw he's no longer with this,
and we'd go after the show, go out to dinner.
We'd have a good time. He gets some drinks to
go back to the hotel, and we all took one
elevator because the way the hotel was built, it was
one elevator and the rooms went in a big circle.

(47:27):
So I would get off, Chris would get off, Rob
would get off. We all turned in our Uber receipts
at the end of the week. Mine and Chris would
right about three hundred dollars, like each somewhere within twenty
bucks each other. Rob's was five hundred and something nice like, well,
how is that possible? So Rob gives me has receives
to turn in for reimbursements. And it turns out five

(47:48):
minutes after we all went up to our rooms, Rob
Parker was going right back down to Magic City.

Speaker 9 (47:53):
He had other plans. He did, he had other plans.

Speaker 10 (47:55):
He wrapped up his plans with you guys, made sure
you got home safely, Change.

Speaker 5 (47:59):
You to a sweatpant and you know, got comfy.

Speaker 9 (48:01):
I really hope it's not sweatpants. And if they are,
I hope they're not great. There's something about gray.

Speaker 10 (48:07):
Sweatpants that are just the worst. So if he did
use sweatpants.

Speaker 5 (48:12):
Or the best for some people, but the best is not.

Speaker 9 (48:15):
No, they mean the best in the sense because they're
the most comfortable, but they look the worst.

Speaker 5 (48:19):
Have you seen the Miles Garrett gray sweatpants shirt or picture?

Speaker 9 (48:23):
I feel like I have.

Speaker 5 (48:23):
Oh my gosh, he ruined gray sweatpants for every ding? Yes, yes, yeah,
Oh my goodness. Uh look what you did? He got
me all bogged down here on a funky Flashback Friday.
We got so much to get to On today's show,
DJ Alex Tyser, Tom Crady on the Wheels of Steel.

Speaker 4 (48:39):
Does that make you swing your legs a little bit
more and you.

Speaker 5 (48:41):
Think about something faster? When I was talking about it, yeah,
they did.

Speaker 8 (48:44):
You know what's funny about Rob Parker? He looks great
in salmon, but about he looks even better in cinnamon.

Speaker 5 (48:53):
I haven't given him a shout at all week. I
don't know why. I text him after every show. Elijah,
who is on our social media. You can see him
running thing I can't never heard of him. And Steve
the Saga's at the update desk. Steve's the best. We
love Steve, Hi Steve. Yeah, I wave back this time?
All right.

Speaker 4 (49:11):
I think I'm Steve's favorite.

Speaker 5 (49:13):
We got Mark Funky Cole Madina coming up to the
bottom of our number two and in our number three
and oldie but a goodie, Monsey asked, and she shall
receive Yes, no return one night only of Tye shirts.
Tower of Trivia.

Speaker 9 (49:30):
Yes, I'm so excited just for you.

Speaker 10 (49:33):
I was so excited I didn't read the rest of
the rundown.

Speaker 9 (49:37):
I just saw that and I said, I'm in.

Speaker 5 (49:39):
I'm in.

Speaker 9 (49:40):
I'll be there.

Speaker 5 (49:41):
I'll only be here on Friday because I heard that's
the day they do Tyster's Tower.

Speaker 9 (49:44):
I'll be here, I'll be here. Everything else is just
a plus exactly exactly.

Speaker 5 (49:49):
So, yes, a lot to get to. Hope you all
lock in with us for the full three hours. We
got some NFL talk to get to, of course, but
we're gonna start with the NBA. The NBA schedule came
y yesday. We talked about a little bit Jaylen Brown,
and I don't know about you, but personally, I think
the schedule is stupid. Like the people who freak out
about you know what's going on and who you're playing,
especially in the NFL, Like we have an entire night

(50:11):
dedicated to the schedule release party, and it's it's whatever
to me, Like they're gonna we already know who you're
gonna play. Is just when you're gonna play it, right,
And then so I let other people really comb through
the details. And now I feel stupid for saying it's
stupid because one person did the heavy lifting one nerd
and pointed this out about the Philadelphia seventy six er schedule.

(50:36):
Number one, They don't play a Western Conference team until
the eighteenth game of the season. They don't play a
road game against the Western Conference team until the twenty
first game. Nice, they don't have a Western Conference road
trip until Christmas. They have the least amount of three
games and four nights on their schedule of any team
in the league. They have the least amount of back

(50:58):
to backs of any team in the league, while simultaneously
having the most national television games.

Speaker 9 (51:05):
Along with the Spurs.

Speaker 5 (51:06):
The Spurs and the Lakers.

Speaker 9 (51:08):
The Lakers and the Knicks. That's it, those three thirty
four and actually YI games.

Speaker 5 (51:13):
Okay, wow, to which I ask you this, Monci. Why
why does the NBA keep cow towing to Lebron James Man?

Speaker 9 (51:24):
The favoritism is so real, it's crazy, it seems. Why
is the NBA scared to let go of Lebron?

Speaker 10 (51:32):
I don't know, because that's what it seems like, right
like they're afraid that once he's gone, that's it, the
league is not going to be what it is.

Speaker 9 (51:39):
And I don't know why.

Speaker 12 (51:40):
They feel like that, especially with what we saw even
just last year with the NBA Finals with the Spurs
and the Knicks, and how much people were into that
NBA Finals, like, why are.

Speaker 9 (51:52):
They scared to let go to move on?

Speaker 10 (51:54):
It is part of life And at this point it
makes no sense because you said it perfectly in our
pre show meeting meeting that I don't know how much
Lebron brings in positive, exactly stuff to the league in.

Speaker 9 (52:10):
The last couple of years. No, he's just been around
for soon.

Speaker 5 (52:13):
You mentioned last year the NBA Finals, the highest rated
NBA Finals since nineteen ninety eight, and last I checked,
Lebron has played in ten since then. So it's not
that the highest rated regular season game last season was
thunder Spurs, not involving the Lackers or Lebron James. And
just in terms of on court success, Lebron has been

(52:35):
one and done in the playoffs three of the last
six years. He's missed the playoffs entirely.

Speaker 4 (52:39):
One time.

Speaker 5 (52:39):
He's been swept twice, and that's with playing alongside Hall
of famers in Anthony Davis and Luka Doncic. So it's
not like he's dominating when he's on the court or
his teams are dominating when he's on the court. He's
still a very good player, but there's nothing special any
longer about Lebron James, and you mentioned that you don't

(52:59):
think that the impact he's had on the league recently
especially has been positive. I will say for our purposes
like sports media, he's been a godsend because he's a
lightning rod. People love to hate him one way or
the other. So it's great if we can do a
Lebron James topic and it makes sense, We're probably gonna
do it on FS one or Fox Sports Radio, whatever

(53:21):
your outlet is. But if I'm just talking in the
business of basketball and the NBA, I could argue pretty
easily everything about the Lebron James era of the NBA.
His entire legacy outside of him individually and his own
success has been negative. Okay, here's why. Number one, this

(53:46):
is no order player empowerment. There is not a single
fan who likes player empowerment because what happens is you
ultimately have situations like these sixers where you have all
the stars trying to join up on one team. Kevin
Durant jumping to a seventy three win Warriors team, right,
James Harden putting on a fat suo for six weeks
so we can get himself traded somewhere else right, like

(54:07):
it flies in the face of competition. Everything that we
love about sports is your best, my best. We're to
go out dad and see what happens. Now it's your
best and his best. We're all gonna come together and
then we can make a better team. And then we're
just gonna run rough shot over everybody else. That's number one.
Number two, he made it seem like uncool to try
at the All Star Game, Like before Lebron James became

(54:32):
the face of the league, when it was still you know, Kobe,
and then before that Shack and Jordan Magic, like going backwards,
they would try hard for maybe fifty percent of the game,
like maybe right in the beginning of definitely right at
the end. Once Lebron became the unquestioned face of the league,
everybody's like, well, I don't want to embarrass myself. The

(54:53):
last thing I want is for Tracy McGrady throw off
the backboard and dunk on me, Like I don't want
that to happen.

Speaker 9 (54:57):
So because Lebron was embarrassed by Kobe, Yeah.

Speaker 5 (54:59):
Yeah, exactly, So that's what left so I would rather
not even try than risk getting embarrassing. Here's another one.
This is a smaller one. But back in the day,
in the early two thousand, even in the late nineties,
flopping was something that was reserved for European players Lottie Devac,

(55:20):
you know, monogenobili to a very very lesser extent, like
Tony Cooper, like they were seen as they weren't as athletic,
they weren't as big and strong and fast as the
American players. So that was their way of gaming the system.
Once Lebron James made it cool for an American star,
not just an American star, the best player in the
league to be like, all right, I will fling my

(55:42):
head back and stell this call. I will take a dive.
I'll act like I hit in the eye and then
cover my eye then look for the camera real quick,
like you saw that video.

Speaker 9 (55:49):
It's so good.

Speaker 5 (55:50):
Like then it became all right, well, Chris Paul's gonna
do it, James Harden's gonna do it, and now everybody
does it, and now it's part of the game. Now
it's like soccer in the NBA. So if I'm the
NBA at Large, Adam Silver and the schedule makers and
all these guys, I'm like, why am I first? And foremost,
Kyle toowing to a guy who hasn't really been that
impactful recently relatively to the big picture. Like he's not

(56:14):
winning championships anymore, he's not at the top of the
standings anymore like he used to be back in the day.
Number one and number two, Why do I continue to
bend over backwards to a man whose long term legacy
is just as negative as it is positive in the
eyes of basketball fans.

Speaker 9 (56:34):
In everything you just said, I don't know if this
was your message to get across.

Speaker 10 (56:39):
Because Lebron changed the competitive nature of the NBA from
top to bottom. And that is what sucks the most
about this, the player empowerment. It's like there's a few
games throughout the regular season that maybe the players will
compete at their highest but that's way the NBA imp

(57:00):
lamented the in season tournament to try and get some
competitive games because everybody was just waiting for the end
of the season to get on a run and get
into the postseason. And once they got into the postseason
and their seat is locked, they don't even care anymore.

Speaker 9 (57:13):
Like that all changed with Lebron James, it really did.

Speaker 10 (57:17):
And so here we are. I agree for us on
the side of media. Lebron has given us, giving us
reasons to talk every single day, and it's awesome. But
when it comes to the sport itself, fans who don't
care about sports media, I feel like they tune in
and hear Lebron James take and they just tune out.

Speaker 9 (57:36):
They're so over it. It's it's and so it's it's exhausting.

Speaker 10 (57:39):
Even though we were talking about it. But there's a
lot of fans who find it, find it exhausting. And
this whole situation for me is at least say you're retiring.

Speaker 5 (57:48):
At least you will at least.

Speaker 10 (57:51):
Because now the favoritism showing how you just got to
the seventy six ers and wow, that's a nice start
to the season.

Speaker 9 (57:57):
What a nice little way to get in a group
for Philadelphia, which is what any team would want exactly.
So the favoritism is very clear.

Speaker 10 (58:05):
But why it makes no sense. As you pointed out,
the last ten years, the highest rated games have not
included Lebron James. He hasn't made it far enough, he
hasn't been in the.

Speaker 9 (58:14):
Playoffs long enough. He gets in and then he gets
out quickly, and I don't know what it is. But
if he would just announce that he's retiring, I would
I would not be as annoyed by it.

Speaker 5 (58:25):
Yeah, then a lot of this would make sense. It
would be like, Okay, it's his last go round. We
don't know, you know, if they're gonna be good or
if not. We think they're gonna be good, but just
in case, we're gonna give them every opportunity to be good,
to be good so we can have the story book ending. Yeah.

Speaker 9 (58:38):
So for his documentary that he's filming as we speak.

Speaker 5 (58:41):
I don't want to say. I heard through unreliable sources
that one of the reasons he took the veent minimum
is because he's getting paid a fat check for that documentary.

Speaker 10 (58:49):
Oh of course, is that circumventing the salary cap?

Speaker 9 (58:53):
Is that what that is? Does populatory know anything about
the bet?

Speaker 3 (58:55):
Or is it?

Speaker 9 (58:56):
He doesn't look into it unless it's my source.

Speaker 5 (58:58):
Is like a bartender in Orange Oh yeah, sure.

Speaker 9 (59:02):
I bet you he if Orange County, he's known some people.

Speaker 10 (59:05):
He's hearing some conversation as a bartender, some conversations as
a bartender.

Speaker 9 (59:08):
Yeah, no, it's it is on real And again, what
are they scared about?

Speaker 10 (59:13):
Why are you afraid to let go of Lebron and
focus on the talent that is coming in that.

Speaker 9 (59:19):
People are excited to see. Yeah, because Lebron. It's like,
we know exactly what we're gonna get. I know exactly
what Lebron is gonna do.

Speaker 10 (59:25):
Every time he gets on the court, he's gonna have
probably one highlight defensive play where he's cherry picking and
then goes to the other side and we'll block you.

Speaker 9 (59:35):
But then he needs a break.

Speaker 10 (59:36):
We all know exactly what we're gonna get with Lebron
James and with all the young talent where you don't
know what you're gonna get, you think you would lean
into that a little bit more because Lebron is at
the end of his career, whether it's two years, three years.

Speaker 9 (59:49):
You think five, oh goodness five, but it's at the end.

Speaker 5 (59:53):
And if you're gonna make the schedule in such a
favorable way for anybody wenby sitting right there, like if
there's any a guy that you want to get behind
hundred percent and be him, or if you want to
get behind a brand and necessarily a player, the Nick
showed you this past playoff run that they are America's team.

Speaker 9 (01:00:12):
They really are. I jumped on the back right on it.

Speaker 5 (01:00:16):
I like Jalen Brunson. It became everyone's favorite player over now.
It's like, why wouldn't you do that for them? If
you're gonna be that nefarious, do it for someone that
makes sense.

Speaker 10 (01:00:25):
And can we just point out that on their opening night,
the night that they're supposed to lift the banner and
celebrate their championship, they have to host Lebron James and
the seventy six ers.

Speaker 5 (01:00:34):
It's just so much about Lebron and it shouldn't not.

Speaker 9 (01:00:37):
If I'm Philadelphia, don't don't raise the banner that day.

Speaker 10 (01:00:41):
Raise the banner your next game, because how the disrespect
on that is real and the favoritism is real.

Speaker 9 (01:00:48):
But why what is it about it?

Speaker 4 (01:00:51):
I don't get it.

Speaker 9 (01:00:51):
I don't get it. I really don't. And here's the thing.
It's like Lebron the you're not Lebron is not bringing
in new eyeballs. It's the same people.

Speaker 10 (01:00:59):
It is the same people that are tuning in to
watch Lebron. He's not bringing in new eyeballs. If you're
not a fan of Lebron, now you're not. You're never
gonna be a fan of his, So all these other
players that people aren't familiar with that you just maybe
see a highlight reel here on Twitter and there, and
you're like, oh, I want to I want to see
a little bit more of this guy. Why not lean
into that because that is the future. It makes no sense.

Speaker 5 (01:01:20):
Yeah ex tit shirt.

Speaker 8 (01:01:22):
What if it's just the simple fear of the unknown?
But that's all we know is Lebron Right, So think
about the the NFL. We're post Tom Brady, right, who's
the face of the NFL?

Speaker 4 (01:01:32):
Patrick Mahomes?

Speaker 9 (01:01:33):
Patrick Mahomes.

Speaker 4 (01:01:36):
It's quite interesting, right, yeah? Is he winning? He was?

Speaker 9 (01:01:39):
But he's he's one enough at this point, he's still
the guy.

Speaker 4 (01:01:42):
It's not enough to bring him new fans. It's more
team now.

Speaker 8 (01:01:45):
Think about like, how many fangirls have we seen for
the NIS all of a sudden A lot? I would
be one, yeah right Hassi right, Yeah. So what I'm
saying is I think it's as simple as that. It's
old guard afraid of what's next. And it's the same
thing as like politics, we're not our seats because you're like,
look at the kids, they can't even stop doom scrolling.
You want them to choose what's next for our reality.

(01:02:05):
I think it's just as simple as Lebron has earned
his right to stay as long as he wants and
Adam Silver will never say it, but he can retire
whenever he wants. And I think people are afraid of
what's next. You just said it too right, Sports Talk media,
what's next if we don't have Lebron?

Speaker 10 (01:02:18):
But that's two different things, like not kicking him out,
like that's allowing him to be here as long as
he wants to be.

Speaker 9 (01:02:25):
That's one thing.

Speaker 10 (01:02:27):
To then completely cater to him still is the question
I think we're having. Like I am not saying that
Lebron hasn't earned the right to get the respect and
for people to want to see Lebron, but I think
to still make it seem like he is in his
prime and he is carrying the league, when in reality,
I don't know if he is with Patrick Mahomes in

(01:02:49):
the last ten years.

Speaker 9 (01:02:49):
Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the last ten years.
Lebron James was not.

Speaker 4 (01:02:54):
No.

Speaker 9 (01:02:54):
It was nothing but one championship during COVID. Like so
it's like I hear what you're.

Speaker 5 (01:02:59):
Doing the best in the world conversation for like six
or seven.

Speaker 10 (01:03:02):
For a minute, for a minute with Patrick Mahomes, even
though it's been bad the last three years or so,
why right, with the injury and all, you're still like, oh,
it's Patrick Mahomes.

Speaker 5 (01:03:10):
They were in the super Bowl two years ago, years.

Speaker 2 (01:03:11):
Two years ago.

Speaker 9 (01:03:12):
Why does it feel like it's a long ago. It's
two years. Yeah, you're right, you're right, but it still
doesn't it's not good enough for me of an answer.
Do you get what I'm saying?

Speaker 8 (01:03:21):
I know, I think most of them aren't, though, because
I think it's just again, like after Brady, We're never
going to see somebody do that again. We're never going
to see Lebron do this again, probably win another title
with another team that nobody's ever done. So I think
it's just the simple fact that we're scared of what's next.
We know it's in our hand. We're just afraid of
what's next.

Speaker 5 (01:03:36):
I'll tell you.

Speaker 9 (01:03:37):
Where it's coming next, Adam. Silver's scared Adams, because we're
not scared.

Speaker 5 (01:03:41):
We're not scared.

Speaker 4 (01:03:41):
No, we're ready