Does America REALLY Love Football?

Episode Transcript
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It is Chris and Rob and we are the I Couple.
We will be joined at the bottom of the hour
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miss it. We got plenty of NFL, NBA, Major League

(01:49):
Baseball chatter to get into with you, and of course,
as always, you get your chance to weigh in at
eight seven, seven ninety nine on Fox. Let me welcome
in my partner, mister Roy Parker. What's up man? How
are you doing good? How are you, mister Chris Bussard?
I am great, man, I am great. I tell you what,
Remember I mentioned it a few days ago, maybe it

(02:10):
was even last week. My wife and I are binging
on this Homeland man, and it's really good. If you're
looking for something to check out, I'm telling you you
won't go wrong with that. It's really good good Homeland. Yes, yeah,
we talked about the other day. You were saying, it's
it's about a homeland security basically thing, right, Yes, yes,

(02:34):
very well written, very well done, very good. I can't
say enough about it. So if you're looking check it out.
If you get tired of the Golden Girls that you've
seen probably every episode seven or eight times, seven or
eight the show for twenty five years. Chris, So, how
many times have you seen every every episode, not some
of your favorites. How many times have you seen every episode?

(02:56):
Hundred every episode? Yes, it's men. We run for twenty
five years, Chris. So, I'm just saying, if I've seen
every if I've seen every episode, right, four times a year?
Just think about that. Four times a year. That's that's
more than I thought. But four times a year, three

(03:16):
hundred and sixty five days in a year, four times
every episode. Dude, I loved White Shadow growing up. I
haven't seen every episode five times. Yeah, at one time,
episode twice it was. It was really like a thing.
Like even today, I think I I wound up watching
it's on like that country channel. What is it called team?

(03:39):
I mean, it doesn't matter all the things on tape
right right on day. Yeah, but it's different, Like you know,
I don't put in a DVD that often, but anyway, Uh, yeah,
I think I watched like three or four episodes today,
you know, just had it on while I was uh
taking care of shipping out more merch. The merchant is
still going, Chris. Good. People are loving the odd couple

(04:01):
of the thing. That's the most surprising. It's people are
buying two and three things. They're buying the no way
no how uh hoodie, but they're also buying the Odd
Couple black and white hoodie. Great, yeah, good, Yeah, it's
a great job with it. So that's awesome. And if
you want to check it out, you can go on
either my social media or go to the website get

(04:23):
Rob dot com and you can order there, or you
can go through social media. All right, well, let's welcome
in the Odd Couple crew. Of course on the ones
in Tuesday, and this is the day he shows off.
It's a funky flashback Friday, DJ Alex Tysher. I think
it may be his favorite day of the week. It's Friday,
so crazy. It definitely is his favorite day of the week.

(04:46):
But he digs in the crates and he shows off
and it's not Tier Tuesday because you know, his name's
in the whole title. I think he likes the title
best on Tyser Tuesday for surely accurate on that. All right,
there it is, and of course running the show, the
super producer none other than Rob g and on the updates,

(05:08):
our man, the always professional, always superb Steve dis Sager.
With that said, Rob Parker, let's get into this and
a start with not the NFL, but the XFL. They
fired everybody today, Rob, just about I mean, they have
a few few executives left. I shouldn't be laughing. It's

(05:31):
not funny. People lost their job, right, guys lost their jobs.
To see that they're looking like they haven't said it officially,
but looking like they're not gonna come back for twenty
twenty one. And for the second time, Rob, it looks
like the XFL is done. And you have a theory.

(05:54):
Now be careful, but I think I know where you're
going with this. You have a theory as to what
this says about America and football. Let's hear no doubt
about it. And I think one of the biggest myths
in this country, yes football Americas, that people love football.

(06:16):
They don't care what kind it is, high school, college,
put some guys together a helmet, We don't care. We
just want football. Oh my god, there's a lull after
the Super Bowl, so let's get some football on. People
will jump like flock to the TV sets. They want
to watch football. They don't care what about how the

(06:37):
skill level, They don't care about any They just want
to see somebody crack their heads run out for a
long pass, even if I don't know the players. It's
a myth. It's a false narrative. People love the NFL, period,
point blank. Stop with this. America loves football. America has

(06:59):
just folded two football leagues in less than a year.
Wait a minute, It ain't like these startup football leagues
weren't on television and had to rely just on the gate.
It wasn't like these two football leagues. What was it
the American Commerce and of American Alliance and Commerce and

(07:21):
corn Feeders Cow League or something. I think that was
the name of it. And the XFL X means no good.
That's what the XFL stood for. And here we are
all the value who. These guys had national television deals, Chris,
You remember that other Alliance league are there on CBS,

(07:43):
Order on ESPN, order on five. Oh wow, they got
a chance. They got TV money coming in. That's what
I was told. This is gonna be different because they
got TV money. They're not worried about the crowds that'll
come in time. That league almost couldn't that first league,

(08:03):
Chris couldn't even pay its bills after week one, I
couldn't make the payroll, needed an infusion of cash. That
was after week one. XFL, Well, they have the backing
of Vince McMahon and the marketing of the WWE. What
are you talking about. Maybe it didn't work fifteen or

(08:25):
twenty years ago, but that was different. This is now.
Everybody's hungry for football. We can't get enough. That's all
we won. Give us our football. The NFL tried two
leagues in Europe, the World Football League and what was
the other one? Uh them, I don't even know, but

(08:45):
I remember both of those failed miserably. People in Germany
and all over Europe. They weren't interested in American football.
They got their soccer, so they didn't watch. They and
show up and now here we are. People love NFL football,
That's what they love. They love it during football season.

(09:10):
Nobody's interested in seeing football. Once the Super Bowl is over,
you know good, we had a great season. We'll wait
till September. That's what makes the NFL so special and
why people wait and talk about football so much. Nobody
wants to see also ran leagues. It ain't just a
football just the way. The same problem with the oversaturation

(09:32):
of college football and all the bowl games. People don't
go enough already. It used to be great when we
had six seven, great eight bowl game, great bowl games
to watch. Stop with flooding America with football. We don't
want it. And the xfball is telling you everything you
need to know. Enough you stop. Brian Parker, your premise

(09:55):
for your whole spiel was off. That America loves football
is a myth, I'll give you. America doesn't love the
AAF for whatever it was, KFL, whatever that league was called.
They don't love the XFL necessarily, but they do love football.

(10:16):
And it ain't just the NFL. They love college football too.
Who look at the attendance of college football the last
every single college No, how about looking at the National
Championship Game, which is a top five ratings getter in
America of all American programming. America does love football, rob

(10:39):
It's just a straight up fact. They love it more
than basketball. They love it more than baseball, They love
it more than soccer and anything else by far, by far.
Four the top five programs last year sitcoms, dramas, movies,
football games, basketball, bait, whatever you want to put on TV.

(11:01):
Four to five to top five of them were football, NFL.
You're missing allege, NFL, the college for the championship. One game.
Anybody can watch one game. That's like me because nobody
gives two hoots about college baseball that people don't like baseball. Stop,

(11:22):
it's only about the NFL. I'll let you speak for
seven minutes, let me go, and I still had three
more minutes to down that mess. Six of the top
ten programs football, including college football, twenty of the top
fifty programs football, basketball had four of the top fifty.

(11:44):
Baseball had two of the top fifty. Every single adult
demographic says football is its favorite sport to watch. Thirty
seven percent of American adults said football is their favorite
want to watch the period percent said no. Guess how

(12:04):
many said basketball? ELEFN. Guess how many said baseball nine
thirty seven percent. That's three times more than any other sport.
What are you talking about? The NFL Draft had six
million viewers last year. It's still about the NFL. It's
not about football. That is football just because you don't

(12:28):
want to see dudes. Bus heads don't meet everybody else,
does it? Bier Water league. That's why two leagues folded
in six months in the country that loves Let you do, Chris,
you watched it. Let him, No, I didn't let him.
You watch to start. Let America start a new baseball league.
It won't last a month. Let America start a new

(12:50):
basketball league, it won't last two months. Stop it. But
the difference that you just made, my boy, You made
my boy the reason why the college football they love
pro football and they love high school football. You made
my point exactly. The reason that they keep starting these
other leagues they won't start. Would name the baseball league

(13:13):
that's ever been started up. They knew other basketball league
that's been started up. You know why, because because people
know that they couldn't compete. They think people love any
kind of football. That's why these leagues why America doesn't
want it. Nobody wants to watch minor league sports. They
wouldn't watch minor league baseball. They wouldn't watch the G League.

(13:36):
They don't want to watch the miners. That's what it's about.
It's nothing about the sport. College football is the second
most popular sport in America behind pro football. You know
how much money's been been thrown into these football leagues.
You couldn't even get this league the last year. And
here's the best part. They use the pandemic as the

(13:59):
scapegold to would close everything now, and it didn't. My
point point, Chris, My point is you could have waited
till next year because of the pipe. But that uh,
the look government. You couldn't know, You couldn't you know,
you're not You're not hearing what I'm saying. That's the

(14:19):
excuse for this year to close it down obviously, and
next year they closed it down for next year. Why
why are you closing it down for next year if
you think you have something that people want. There's people
understand why it's not now, But why are you closing
it down already? They got out because they know ratings

(14:39):
there were no traction. Oh no, here's the thing though,
rob their ratings as they were dropped every week. They
went five weeks, they dropped every week. Still even as
they dropped, their ratings were competing and beating often the
NBA games. I mean, these dudes that nobody knew were

(15:04):
rating with James Harden versus Yannis Ante Decompo on the
NBA Friday Night I mean, seriously, it's all relative, yeah,
compared to the NFL. It was bad. Yeah, it was
dropping every week, so that hurts you. But the ratings
still we're better than, or equal to, or better than
the NBA. So people love football, That's all I'm saying.

(15:28):
I mean, you can shoot down the Alliance and the
XFL all you want, but to act like America doesn't
love football, that's just flat out wrong. Let's see what
the callers think eight seven seven ninety nine on five
The Only Love You said it was a myth. They
don't love college football, Rode. They don't love college football.

(15:53):
Why the NCAA Championship Game rain't higher than the Major
League Baseball World Series and the NBA Championships because they
love football? All right, You're turned away. It is the
XFL folding for a second time, proof that the idea
that America loves football is just a myth. Eight seven

(16:15):
seven nine sixty three sixty nine You're turned away. In
with Chris and Rob The Couple Fox Sports Radio. Be
sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple with
Chris Broussard and Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm Eastern
four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeart
Radio app that's right. The Ohio players, y'all know which

(16:38):
one is from Ohio? Yeah? Boy, we get funky in Ohio, Iowa.
I thought you from Iowa. From Ohio, well, I lived
in born in Baton Rouge, alright, in Ohio. Wherever you
were born. I'll take a Louisiana get funky too, birthplace

(17:00):
of jazz, all right, were the Eye couple, Chrison Robe
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(17:21):
seventy ninety nine on Fox Ribe, I know they want
to weigh in, all right, let's start with Sean and
Fort Lauderdale. You're on the odd couple of Fox Sports Radio. Hey,
guys are doing great. How are you listen? I understand
both your points. You kind of both make points. But
Rob's right, there's oversaturation. It's the only NFL. Chris. I mean,

(17:42):
college has a little bit, but it's the NFL. It's
not big time. College football is huge. It's the second
most popular sport in America. Chris, Chris, I understand that,
but you're gonna see like nobody's gonna go. They had
to pull out today. Seventy people ain't going to the game.
Set for all this stuff to change now, you guys
know that. But that's got nothing to do with football.

(18:04):
But but no, I mean, would still watching Hull because
people are all living. People like living more than football.
I'll give you that. But shan you, shan you understand
my point. They keep starting these leagues because they think
people have a thirst for football, no matter what brand

(18:28):
it is. And that's the mistake. That's why these leads
keep faut faulting, folding, That's why people keep losing money.
Vince McMahon would would have had, would have done a
better job with all that money. If you're going up
to the top of the Panop Scott building in downtown
Detroit and throw the money off the off the top
of the building, it's the same thing. They keep doing

(18:48):
it because they don't want to believe that people aren't
interested in it. Scott in Canada, you're on the eye
couple of Fox Sports Radio. Hey, Hey what up? Chris
and Rob are you guys doing we are good man?
How are you very well? Very well? I just wanted to,
you know, chime in on this NFL XFL debate. For me,
I think it's NFL NTAA, that's it. I mean, there's

(19:11):
the XFL filler. To me, I don't think that first
is there that you guys are referencing, Chris specifically being
the XFL has tried this twice and it just has
not worked. And I mean even up here, we got
the CFL like that runs offseason for the NFL, and
you know has a spot up here. Not so much
down with you guys, but I mean the the a

(19:33):
F and the XFL. To me, that's just it's just
not happening. Look, I agree, people don't want to watch
minor league anything, baseball, basketball, football, whatever. I'm not saying
people just gonna watch football no matter what. I'm just saying,
America does love football, not far more than any other sport.

(19:53):
They love n'm that's all I'm saying. They love college football,
big time college football. They would love Division three, Division two?
Why not? Why why don't they watch? I'm you be
telling me they want why if you keep saying why
while I'm trying to answer. Now you're gonna let me talk.

(20:16):
They don't want to watch it because they it's not
at the highest level. They want high level. I'm not
gonna watch Division three basketball on television as much as
I like basketball. Tim, in Detroit, you're on an odd
couple of Fox Sports Radio. Man, I'm gonna get y'all
a good, good one. Um So in Detroit. Both our teams,

(20:40):
you know, the type, not the type. Well, all our
teams aren't that good, but the Lions and the Pittons.
I've been a few games this year, maybe about five apiece.
And the amount of people at the NFL game versus
the NBA game and the passion that I see definitely
proves that Chris is right tonight. That's all I got. Look,

(21:02):
football is king in America. It's king by That's it's
one I say. Every single American is gonna watch it.
But it's the king. All I'm saying is it's the
the the myth that people will watch football no matter
what form. You didn't really that is the reason that
the leagues keep popping up. Chris, you don't do Why

(21:23):
don't you acknowledge that you it is that I said
in my in my rent that America you I couldn't
care less about the AAFL, and why not? But why then,
why did they start a league? Chris, you're telling me
right here and I don't know. I'm asking you why
did they start a league? Why did they start a league?
You said, there's a myth that America loves football. No,

(21:46):
I Satman couldn't be more wrong. No, he is not.
They love football. They love college football too, cod No,
they don't. They don't go to Division three games. They
don't Division what league baseball at all? Okay, because people
don't give a daring about college baseball. That mean they
don't love baseball. Nobody's going to watch Double A. You're

(22:08):
missing the point that you are. No, they're trying to
argue you're missing the point. Why don't they start other
baseball leagues? Because there's no people don't want to said
don't Why do they gonna started football leagues? Because they
think that people want to see football in any form?
And I'm telling you that's what you say. You say
the myth that you're in the Fox Sports Radio Connor, Hello, Yeah,

(22:40):
all right, so I kind of agree with both you
a little bit. I do think Americans love football. It's
just that, like Christian said, they just want to watch
it at the highest level. So they want to watch
the NFL. They don't want to watch the backups who
couldn't make it. They want to watch Clemson, Bama, Ohio State.
They want to watch the best of the best. You
give me the best two Kiwi teams in the country,
I'll watch that one. Can I ask your good point,

(23:04):
people will watch that. Can I ask your question, why
do they keep starting? Why do they keep starting these leagues?
If it's you just said, it's so, why I do
agree that they don't want to watch the scrubs. I
don't get a bad idea to start those. Okay, I'm
not even arguing that people don't want to watch. They
just know lea to the end. Two leagues fold this year,

(23:25):
and you had Bill Polian, all these big time football people,
Vince mcmandel's a successful businessman in entertainment. You had the
networks all sign up for this. They didn't go I'm
not dib we don't want to see that. Well, we'll wait,
go ahead, let that go on some other uh ricky
dink cable network. All the big sports networks took a
piece of this and it's gone after five games. You

(23:49):
know what, and you know I love basketball. Their ratings
were still as good as the NBA. Their ratings are
still as good as the NBA. Then why are they often?
Why don't expectations were too high? I mean, first of all,
they're off because of the pandemic. I don't think they'd
be off if it wasn't for the coronavirus. If everything
was normal, I think they still be on. They wouldn't

(24:09):
be blowing the roof off the ratings, but they'd be
probably doing Okay. All right, we're going to switch gears
a little bit because we have a Saturday Night Live
legend coming up. That's right, he joins us. Next, but first,
be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Chris Broussard and Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm
Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the

(24:32):
iHeartRadio app. All right, we have a very special guest.
I mean one of the most iconic television shows in
American His history is Saturday Night Live and he was
a star one of these, an actor comedian Horatio says, Horatio,
welcome to the Eye couple. Hey, thank you, my pleasure.
It's great to have you. And I gotta start here,

(24:54):
just what was it like being on Saturday Night Live?
What was the average work week like for one of
the players on Saturday Night Live? Well, you know, you
gotta keep in mind that there were only about twenty
two shows a year, so and then the summers were off,
so it was like it almost was like two weeks on,
two weeks off if you think about the whole year,

(25:15):
and then but the weeks we were on, you truck
Monday in the afternoon to meet with the host, you know,
and then you pitch your ideas to them, and then
so did you guys, you as the players, you had
to come up with ideas. It wasn't like the writers
just doing it. No, when they start pitching ideas for you,
it's when you've already got your foot in the door.
You know. They're like, oh, yeah, this guy, this guy's good,

(25:38):
this guy gets stage time. Let's try to sketch it.
You know. So it kind of works where you gotta
kind of have to start doing it yourself or it
could be a pretty intimidating place. How about if I
were to say the funniest person whoever worked on Saturday
Night Live. I would say, Eddie Murphy. Who would you say,

(25:59):
While I mean, honestly, I've had I've thought about this
a lot. I think for me, hands down probably Dana
Carvey because good that dude, there's like he's almost he's
He's very much like Will except Will. You know I
played Blue Will, It's like, you know, it would be
like it would be like, you know, Magic Johnson saying

(26:19):
that Kobe's the best. You know, you can't you can't
say that. So what I say is that Data Carvey
because every time anything you watch from that guy is
just hilarious, real smart, really like original, and that was
back in the eighties. So him and then you know Blush.
I always dreamed of being Blushi and like grew up
loving him, so I can't I can't not say him.

(26:40):
But um oh, I mean Bill Murray. I got to
work with Bill Murray. That was an amazing dream come true.
So but basically, yeah, and you say Eddie Murphy. I
liked Eddie Murphy too, but by then Eddie Murphy was
really the only one that was getting much going on
in that show. So it's kind of sad. For me
watching it in those days, you know, and you were
you you worked with Will Farrell, Tracy Morgan, Jimmy Fallentine

(27:03):
to face some of the other people you worked with,
Seth Myers, who was the funniest just all or most
of them funny? Off the you know the set, Like,
is there any any of them just you know, hilarious
people in general? Or is it once they once the
lights come on, they turn on the comedy. Well, you know,

(27:25):
if you talk about someone like Tracy, he's never off.
I don't think, Uh, what you see is what you get,
you know. You know that's not now that we've known
each other for so long. You know, there's like that
camaraderie of being you know, friends that work together. But
as far as like just that dude's funny constantly. Let's
always working on it. Some people and because a lot

(27:46):
of us are just comedic actors, we're not really stand up.
We're kind of chill at times, and then we take well,
you know, we're waiting for our spots to open up
and then we go for it. But but someone like
Tracy is just always funny, always going for it, and
Will too, Will too, you know. But then it's very slight,
very he's very like saw spoken and low key off stage,
but then you know, ever when he can turn it on,

(28:07):
and when he died, this explosive racio. What about you
being a huge Cubs fan. When they won the World
Series a couple of years ago, it was an awesome
World Series. Of course, a Game seven, they had to
you know, they blew the lead, had to come back
and win. Just talk about that. Like, I remember a
lot of people in Chicago saying, you know, I can

(28:28):
die now. I finally saw my team when after one
hundred and seven or eight years whatever it was. What
was your emotion during that time? I thought that too.
I thought that I can die now too. Except now
the pandemics here and I'm like, wait, hold on, hold on, no,
I really like, I really all went out. I live

(28:48):
in la and when they were in when they when
they first were going to get into the playoffs, I'm like,
we just we have to be in Chicago, me and
my best friend Joe Un. I'm like, we have to
be in the city, we have to be in Rigleyville.
We have to just steal it because that this is
the year and not it didn't it felt like, it's
so close. Now, we have to be there. Next year
we might not be this close from blah blah blah,

(29:09):
but this is so close now, let's be there. So
I went to I went to all the home games
in Chicago. Wow, I didn't go to I didn't go
to Cleveland because I had to do match game in
New York. So we shot match game in New York
and then I watched it in my hotel room, and uh,
you know, it was just the crazy, weirdest thing, you know,
I think I couldn't believe it. I walked outside, I was.

(29:31):
I didn't cry, but but almost. You know, if my
friend wouldn't have been there, I probably would have cried.
Actor comedian Horatio Sayings joining the Eye Couple. Obviously, as
you said, you're a huge Cups fan. I don't know
if you've heard this yet, Horatio, but Major League Baseball
is considering realigning its divisions and leagues for this season

(29:56):
just because of the pandemic and the special you know,
circumstances they're gonna under. So it would no longer be
the A L and N L as you know it,
and the Cubs, for instance, this would be their division
San Francisco Giants, Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Oakland A's and
the Chicago Cubs in the same division. Do you no

(30:20):
the Cubs? Okay? Do you like that? Do you like
that idea? Or would you rather just keep it the
way it is? Well, you mean, oh, you mean for
just for now, for the moment. They only want to
do it. It would just be lay this year if
they play this year, they're thinking about realigned. So like

(30:41):
Cardinals in the division, the Dodgers be in the division
with the White Sox, the Reds, the Indians and the
Angel Terrible. Think this year's gonna be a gonna have
Asterix all over it. You ain't looking about that Bill
and Asterix when they come to twenty twenty. So let's
I've been watching, Yes, you know, I'm as desperate for

(31:02):
sports as anybody. I'm watching ESPN. The guys are announcing
video games like it's like the Olympics. I mean, damn,
I'm ready for anything. I'm ready for Remember that that
home run derby that they used to show that like
any years ago you show like, yeah, it'd be like
I do that. If they want to play shortened games

(31:23):
in just all in the Cactus League, and everybody's divided.
Whatever they gotta do, that's safe. I don't need a crowd,
but I didn't need a five sporting event that I
don't know the end of wow ratio. I'm always going.
I'm always every year, I try to lose some weight,
get ready for the summer, you know, and the beach

(31:44):
and the pool, and so I do a like a
low carb, I get a trainer, I lose thirty pounds.
I look great. But you lost one time? Yeah whatever,
Christ you lost a hundred pounds at one point during
the two thousands. How how did you do that? And
and how tough was it? Well, I got thick, I
had to have an operation, and a bunch of changes

(32:06):
were going on in my life. So I decided that,
you know, I wanted to try to speaking of living again,
I decided to try to be a little healthy, and uh,
you know, one thing went and together. I stopped drinking,
and then that turned into like working out, and then
you know, I just lived a nice, clean life for
a long time. And then, uh, you know, I lost
a bunch of eight But no, no, no, I'm gained

(32:28):
a little more back. I'm more normal I'm not as
it's not that thin, but I'm not as heavy as
I used to be either. Is it hard? I mean,
I think for everybody, you know, there's a chance that
everybody will gain a lot of weight through with this shutdown.
Is it hard for you during this time, because I mean,
it's tempting just to sit around and eat and watch
TV all day. I swear to god, I just got

(32:50):
eight pizza sent to me from somebody in Chicago. I
haven't decipher who said it yet. It's just two initials,
and I can't quite get you if it's a friend
or pizza's eight. They wrote XO XO. Uh. Yeah, I
don't know, so man, I think there's a lot of
attached to it. But yeah, eight. Now blow lie poor

(33:14):
cheese too sausage to pepper row. I'm not gonna lie.
I wish I was there with you to just drive
by and you know, I'll just shuffle. That's all, all right,
that's the great Horatio sayings man, great, thank you for
joining us. We appreciate you, and anytime we'd love to

(33:36):
have you come by the studio whenever we are able
to have you again. All right, when we get out
of this mess. I'd love to a very very good
time of pleasure talking to you, fellas So Horatio mark
it down twenty twenty two, We'll see you at the studio. Okay,
you got it all right, right, all right? The coronavirus
could break up one of the top young dudos in sports.

(33:59):
We'll explain next a couple of Fox Sports Radio. Fox
Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation.
Catch all of our shows at Fox sports Radio dot
com and within the iHeart Radio app search f SR
to listen live see I couple Chris and Rob and Rob.

(34:20):
Did you see this story in the Athletic about It's
a really good story well reported your boy Tony Jones
had something to do with it with Sam Amick and
Sean Serenia and really got behind the scenes as to
what went on with the Utah Jazz when you know there.
Of course, Rudy Gobert the first NBA player and pro

(34:46):
sports athlete in America to come down with the virus,
and they shut down the NBA season and in everything
kind of follow suit. But he and Donovan Mitchell, we're
friends before this, good friends, and now they were relationship
is very strained because Gobet, as we all know, was

(35:06):
very immature about the situation. Was not only touched reporters,
you know, microphones and tape recorders and all that to
show he's not concerned about the coronavirus, but also apparently
was doing that in the locker room with his teammates.
And then he gets it, and then Mitchell gets it,
and Mitchell may have given it to him, but whatever

(35:27):
the case, they both got it and apparently Mitchell, who
even said as much on Good Morning America a few
weeks ago. The relationship is strained at this point, and
one person in this article actually said it was unsalvagable.
He thinks it maybe it doesn't appear salvageable, is the

(35:48):
exact quote. Do you think this is something the Jazz
need to be concerned about or were worried about, or
you think it'll just blow over. I just I'm a
little surprises with what's going on. And yes, doing that
thing with the tape recorders, but you know it was stupid,
but obviously he didn't know he had it right and

(36:10):
and so you know Donovan Mitchell to be, uh, well,
I'll never talk to him, or I can't play ball
with him or whatever. This thing is spreading like wildfire. Chris,
I just you're gonna hold that. Yes, was he immature
during that time or whatever. Absolutely, but I don't think
that knowingly he went and gave it to you knowing

(36:31):
he had it or did that with the reporters. You
gotta have uh, some sort of compassion for the guy
and some sort of uh you have to have forgiveness
in your heart. I don't believe that he purposely tried
to give it to his teammates. That's just me. If
he knew he had it, Chris, and and different story.

(36:51):
You think he knew. I don't think he knew. No,
I'm with you, And it's interesting, Rod, because when you
read the story, I think you and I agreed on
this that what he did with the reporters was wrong,
and we but he we thought he meant, you know,
he was trying to show solidarity with them, like, look,
I'm not worried about you guys infecting me or whatever.

(37:12):
It was wrong and just dumb. Doing what he did
in the locker room was very immature. You know, you're
joking around with your players like that. But what came
out in this article, Rob, was that the Jazz had
been way out in front of this thing, and apparently
their coach, Quinn Snyder, was like giving yeah. I mean,
he gave lectures about it, they had presentations, they had

(37:34):
people coming to talk to him, to the team like
long before they got it. And so that when you
see all that the context, it just makes you feel
even more that Gobert is just this immature, silly guy,
and it makes it a little worse. But at the
end of the day, I totally agree with you, Rob,

(37:55):
like Mitchell, this is not worth breaking up a friend
and ship over or a team over, because again, as
wrong as Golbert was, he didn't do it on purpose.
It was just it was silly. He was a mature
you want to be, you know, give him a good
dressing down or whatever. But to end the friendship or

(38:16):
over this, I think that's way too far. I agree.
I just it's there's no stigma. What's going on? Do
you know what I mean? Like, no, no, in fact,
and Mitchell, I believe you know, he's over it and
he's fine. Gobert's over it and he's fine. Um yeah,
it's just and here's the other thing one. So if

(38:36):
I'm the Jazz, I'm not overly concerned about this. I
believe these dudes will get it, you know, come together
in time. It may take time, but they'll come together
eventually and be okay, be fine. And you and I Rob, no,
we both covered sports for you know, two to three decades.
Even if they don't, it doesn't mean they still can't

(38:59):
be good together there on the court, because we know
guys who haven't gotten a long off. You don't have
to love to play together on it. Yeah, people go
to work all the time and can do something, and
you don't have to be best of friends, and you
don't have to go to dinner every night. You don't
have You could still get a job done. Was the
immature and reckless? Absolutely, But should he be condemned to

(39:23):
hell for the rest of his life? Absolutely not. Yeah, Yeah,
I'm with you in there. I'm surprised that Mitchell's taking
it this far, but hopefully he'll get over it and
they'll they'll get back to where they were. All right,
I couple two hours left, you know what to do?
Keep it locked. Be sure to catch live editions of
The Odd Couple with Chris Broussard and Rob Parker weekdays

(39:43):
at seven pm Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports
Radio and the iHeart Radio app. It is the Eye Couple.
I'm Chris, He's Robbed. We're coming to you live from
the Geico Fox Sports Radio studios. Fifteen minutes could save
you fifteen percent or more on your car insurance. Visit
Geico dot com for a free rate quote. You can
also follow Rob and myself on social media. Robb is

(40:07):
at Rob Parker fs one on both Twitter and Instagram,
and you can go to his Instagram page and get
some great, some hot, some little odd couple gear. And
you can follow me on Twitter at Chris Underscore Bruce
Ard on Instagram Chris Bruce Ard sixty eight. At the
bottom of the hour, Jerry Harriston, Friend of the Show,

(40:30):
Jerry Harriston, Junior World Series Champion, Major League Baseball analysts
will join us, so that should be a lot of fun.
We also have a shop talk coming up, and before
we get into any of that, though, we are going
to go to the NBA and look excellent podcast that
Adrian Woes Narrowski did interview he did with Jerry Stackhouse

(40:54):
on his podcast, The Woes Pod, and Stackhouse was was
really blunt. I give j credit. I like Jerry a lot,
knew him, you know, obviously covered him as a player.
In Detroit, he averaged twenty nine points a game. People
might not know that the average almost yea, yea. But
he had a very uh what's the word, um, honest

(41:20):
quote about what it was like to play with Michael Jordan. Now,
if you don't know Jordan's last season of his career,
his last year in Washington, Stackhouse played with Jordan's Stackhouse
was actually leading score on that team. He averaged twenty
one points a game. Jordan average twenty and uh but

(41:40):
Stack said, who remember Stack went to North Carolina of course,
grew up idolizing Michael Jordan. He said it wasn't all uh,
peaches and cream though playing with Mike. Dude. Here's here's
what he said. Honestly, I wish I never played in
Washington for a number of reasons. I mean, I felt
like we were on our way in Detroit before I
got traded there. It was really challenging to be able

(42:02):
to be in a situation with an idol who at
this particular point I felt like I was a better player.
Things were still being run through Michael Jordan. You know,
and I think you know Doug Collins. I love Doug.
You know, that was an opportunity for him to make
up for some some ill moments that they may have
had back in Chicago. So pretty much everything that Michael

(42:23):
wanted to do. All right, So let me say this
Rob before you waiting. And I know Rob g wants
to get in here, and we'll let him kind of
represent the millennials who really don't get it. But anyway,
that year in Washington, as I said, Stackhouse leading score

(42:44):
twenty one points, Jordan twenty Jerry, as much as I
like him and I know Rob, I covered that team.
I was with the Wizards that year. Like the last
week or two, really, yeah, about the last week or
two of Jordan's career I covered. I wrote for the
New York Times the story about his last game. The

(43:05):
last game of his career was in Philadelphia. The players
were sick of him. I mean, they really weren't enjoying
playing with the great Michael Jordan. That most of them
grew up idolized, and including Stackhouse. So that part is true.
What I think Jerry misrepresents a little bit is the
notion that, like he said in the pockets. We started,

(43:27):
all right, you know we were and that all right,
I guess was when they were six and four. I
guess that's what he meant. And he said Michael wasn't
happy because offense wasn't running through him. He went to
Doug and said, I wanted more in the post, and
they began running it through Mike and that's when things
went south. Then they ended up missing the playoffs with
thirty seven wins. Well, I mean, I mean, Jordan average

(43:51):
eighteen shots a game, Stack got seventeen. Stack only shot
forty one percent from the floor. Mike shot almost forty
five percent, you know, So it wasn't like Mike was
just ball hogging and and Stack was, you know, shooting
fifty percent and just wasn't getting enough touches. So I
just want to clear that up. While agreeing with Jerry

(44:14):
that it was a mess there in Washington, I think
you're right. Uh, it was a mess if I remember
correctly from that too. Didn't they vote not to get
him a birthday president? That's how petty it had gotten,
you know, I don't remember that story. I always remember that.
Find that out. Yeah that's true, but it was how

(44:34):
petty that's how petty it had gotten. And and Collins
was just seen as his puppet. Right well because right
because because Doug was there before they started winning with
the Bulls, he got fired. Well they were and they
were looking and and you're right, obviously Phil Jackson took
him to another level. But with Doug they did get
to the conference finals. You know, they kept losing the

(44:57):
Detroit He was the coach then and and Jackson came
in and in two years he got him to the championships. Right,
Doug wasn't horrible, But yeah, I guess the only thing
because I don't I don't think that he's that far
off or whatever, you know what I mean, I think
keep what he's talking about is true. When you're playing
and you idolize somebody and then you're watching what's happening

(45:19):
in front of you. You're a young player trying to
get George. You're a big star in Detroit, right, and
you get traded for Rip Hamilton. Then you got to
sit there and take a back seat to a legend.
Uh And most people people when you get to that
level Chris and that talent, you're not just trying to
sit around for two years and let him do his thing.

(45:40):
Do you know what I mean? Like, that's not how
it goes. I can admire you, but I'm I'm playing
now and I'm better Ryan and I That's that's how
people are, and that's how it goes. I just wonder
about And I don't know what kind of relationship they have.
I don't know what you get from it by saying that. Now,

(46:00):
you know what I mean? You like I know you
like me as a journalist. You liked that he was honest. Absolutely,
I have no problem with that. If that's how he feels.
I just wonder do you gain anything from it? Right?
Do people look at you and go, well, why he's
ripping Jordans that's the first thing you're here. Number two?
What about he's a he's a college coach right at Vanderbilt. Yeah,

(46:24):
skips Alma mata. And you wonder too, like the kids, Oh,
I guess Jordan's not coming around. I'm just saying, like,
you gave a college kid. You did, That's what I'm asking. Absolutely,
and you lose, Yeah, you lose. And here's the thing.
I remember it. And again, you were in Detroit, so

(46:44):
you obviously were even closer to it than me right,
but Stackhouse, I when they made that trade Stackhouse for
Rip Hamilton, I did think it was a mistake because,
as we said, the year before, stack at average twenty
nine points. I'm like twenty nine point eight or something,
I remember, because basically thirty points. Again, Jordan thought he

(47:05):
fleeced Joe Dumars right now because he was in the
front office. I was just thinking that he fleeced Joey
did too, did you know, I'm gonna tell you, because
it wasn't gonna work with what he was trying to
get done with the players and the other moves that
he's making. Jerry, I don't think it would have fit
in with that team as well. But what I'm talking
about just on face value, Rip Hamilton was a skinny guy,

(47:28):
always heard, do you know what I mean? Like that,
like he s gossom one on one. It was better
than one on one. Was just better. Yeah, but Rip
fit the Pistons better. I mean, look, and Jerry averaged
twenty one points his last year with the Pistons, by
far the team high. The second league score was Cliff
Robinson fourteen points. And look, give Jerry props. They won

(47:50):
fifty games that year. Rout. I mean that was a
good team that wasn't wasn't like he averaged twenty one
or a twenty nine win team. They played well. So
he when he says we turned it around, I thought
we turned a corner. He was right. But the implication
if you're thinking, well, Jerry would have won those championships too, well, No,

(48:10):
they didn't have Rashid Wallace. Yet they didn't have Chauncey Billups,
who was the leader of that team. Obviously you didn't
have RiPP because you have Stack, and I agree with you.
Stack would not have fit with what they were doing
because Jerry was an iceol player and a great one.
But he shot He shot less than forty percent that
year his last year in Detroit. So let Rob g

(48:33):
you have an interesting take. While while Rob and I
discussed it in a sober minded way and just talk
about what's going on and what was going on, you
have the millennial. Uh, gotcha, gotcha. Jordan was overrated. Gotcha,
he wasn't as good as everybody says. Take No, that's

(48:57):
not what might take it. Now. First off, let me
just say that kudos to Jerry Stackhouse for being the
only guy over forty to be critical to Michael Jordan
because it seems like, especially since the Last Dance documentary
got announced, everybody's coming out of the woodwork, and it's
like Michael Jordan has done no wrong, Like he didn't
run the Wizards into the ground as an executive. Like

(49:19):
he's not arguably the worst run off his guy, worst
front off his guy in the NBA right now, Like
he never missed a shot before. And it's like it's
gotten out of hand, especially with YouTube, you know, the
last two weeks about how the ninety six Bulls are
God's gift to sports in general and they could probably
beat the Patriots in football if they really want to do,
because Michael Jordan was that good. I mean, yet, Michael

(49:41):
Jordan is great. He's probably the best player. I like
to make the case for Kream every once in a while,
but I'll give it to Jordan. But it's it's gotten
out of hand, and finally somebody steps up and is
a man and says, hey, he's great, But let me
tell you, there's other things about him that just aren't cool.
There's things about him that don't live up to this

(50:02):
mythology that we've created his sports media. So I got
kudos to Jerry Stackhouse for that one. First of all,
before before you, before you go off, and I'm gonna
let you have the first jab at him, Rob, but uh,
I think uh, Rob g before he gave his little spiel.
I think he texts this Scott and Don Martin, Scott
Shapiro on Don Martin for make sure you hear this,

(50:24):
tune in because because I think he's trying out for
a shot. Yeah, he came with a nice little that
was a nice little rant, and you you it was
well thought out. It was wrong, but well thought out
and developed. So kudos to you. But go ahead, get
him robbed. Yeah, I just nobody said he was perfect.
When you're that kind of a player, they used to

(50:47):
have the practice, to remember Chris with Pete Myers, they
used to go at it. It was It was legendary.
When you have a guy of that ilk, everybody's not
gonna love him. Everybody's not gonna everybody love Jesus Christ either.
No one's gonna he's not that great where everybody's gonna
love Michael Jordan. He was a great player, that's what

(51:08):
he was. He wasn't perfect. Nobody what what scenario or story.
Have we made up that he's been perfect when it
came to when it came to social media social stuff
in this country, what was Michael Jordan A zero? He
wouldn't say anything, but he and he got criticism for
that he did. Here's the thing round, because I think

(51:30):
you're look Jordan. When we talk about Jordan, we generally
talk about his basketball prowess and the reason that I
say he's the goat. And of course he lost playoff
series like everybody, you know, he wasn't perfect. But we

(51:52):
saw magic all the other greats. We saw Magic Johnson
looked like Tragic Johnson in the nineteen eighty four finals.
We saw Lebron struggle against Dallas in the two thousand
and eleven finals. We saw Kareem smack Dab in the
middle of his prime, missed the playoffs. We saw Kobe

(52:13):
smack Dab in the middle of his prime, missed the playoffs.
We saw Bird have two eight point games in his
first trip to the NBA finals. Like every all the
other greats, we can point to that moment Isaiah Thomas
more to pass and yeah, yeah, like when they were

(52:33):
as Rob said, when they were mortal, when they didn't
when they actually shrank, and Jordan never had those moments.
Even when he lost, he was giving your forty five,
giving you sixty three, giving your forty seven thirty three.
Like that's that's why he's viewed as the goat now

(52:55):
off the court and all that. Yes, he's got his
flaws and and I'm gonna say this too, Rob Uh,
every Magic Remember when Magic came back. Now, Magic was
a great teammate, you know, smiling all the time, you know,
one of the guys a lot like Lebron. But when
Magic came back in nineteen ninety six, right to play.

(53:19):
He played the last thirty two games with the Lakers.
It was similar Nick van Actual and Eddie Joseph. The
young boys were like, yo, dude, it ain't it ain't
nineteen eighty six anymore. I covered that. I covered his
first game back with the Lakers. He was ye and uh,

(53:42):
but that was that was I was in m am
I right, you remember that, Rob, Like at the end
they got swept by the Rockets in the playoffs, and
the question was his magic coming back? And he was
just kind of like, you know, I don't know, We'll
see how I feeling the summer. He had ripped some
of his teammates in the playoffs. He had talked about
how he wants to go back to playing point guard
because they had him, had power forward and so look

(54:06):
as great as the legends are robbed, when the young
bucks feel is their turn, and when the legends show
a little not quite as good anymore, the young bucks
are like, okay, we left you. You were great. Your
posters on my wall. Can you go out of the way,
right right, go to the front office, go commentate something
like that. But no, it's gonna happen to Lebron. It

(54:28):
happened to Mike, it happened to Magic. It'll happen to
anybody if you stay too long, simple as that, no
doubt about it. And I think that's just how life is.
It's the same thing you stick around the radio or
the newspaper too long, Chris, what happens right that young guys? No,
that is true. It is because the guys sometimes they're

(54:51):
writing kind of you know, I remember great column. I
don't even go say, is na great Colin is there
one of the papers I was at. But he kind
of had this go to guys in terms of like
when he'd write a column every so long time. Yeah,
the guys he covered would always end up in the
column even though they hadn't played in the decade or two.

(55:12):
You know, it happens. You're right, absolutely, I was a
very thoughtful discussion guy. And now I'll let you keep
over paying for those Jordan sneakers and then all the
half of them are ugly to see see No, I'll
give you the half of them at least where all
the new ones are ugly. I'm seriously, they haven't made
any good ones the best, gotta be honest. I think
the ones that just came out are hot, which I

(55:35):
mean obviously several came out just this year. But they
got it. I don't even know how to describe they
got most of the last of them. But most of
the retro ones are Yeah, and I think a lot
of the older ones were ugly too, Larrob, like the
first ten, first maybe thirteen fourteen, most of them were dope.
But then they got to a point where it was
but but here that that's another thing though, Rob G

(55:57):
and Rob and I obviously attested this. This is how
big Jordan is. Rob to this. He hasn't played in
how long, almost two decades? And his shoe is still
shoes that he played in thirty years ago, that came
out thirty years ago are still the most popular, more

(56:19):
popular than Lebron's KD Kyrie. Nobody is touching coming close
to touching Jordan's sneak, right. I just want to get
myself a round of applause if we made DJ Alex Tisher,
because I actually got Chris and Rob to Nordy Jordan
ballwashers to stay in shoes are ugly, and that he
was a bad guy off the court. So I ain't
say shout out to me, don't don't put that's what

(56:40):
I heard. That's what I heard. No, I just said
he wasn't perfect off the court, but he's a I
like Mike. I get along with Mike, So stop it,
all right? Where Jerry Stackhouse's comments about m J out
of bounds. We want to hear from you, guys eight
seven seven ninety nine on Fox eight seven seven nine
nine sixty three sixty nine in did they throw a

(57:01):
little bit of cold water on the MJ mythology? That's
what we really want to know from you. We'll continue
the conversation with you next. Chris and Robe by A
couple of Fox Sports Radio. Fox Sports Radio has the
best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of
our shows at Fox Sports Radio dot Com and within
the iHeart Radio app. Search FSR to listen live. It's

(57:26):
the I couple. Relax your mind, let your conscious be free.
The real heads will get that one. We're coming to
you live from the Geico Fox Sports Radio studios. It's
easy to say fifteen percent or more on your car
insurance with Geico. Go to Geico dot com or call
eight hundred and nine four seven Auto. The only hard

(57:48):
part is figuring out which way is easier? Right? Eight
seven seven ninety nine on Fox? Are you with millennial
defender Rob g Or do you see it logically like
myself and Rod Parker do eight seven seven nine fix,
you'll turn the way in. Let's get to it, all right,
let's do it. Let's kick it off first with Jabriel.

(58:12):
Jabriel in Atlanta. I'm sorry you're on the our couple
of Fox Sports Radio. Hey, what's ending? How you doing?
Are you? Yeah? Yeah? I understand? Safe trying to in there. Look,
we don't put them put the shoes. We don't buy
his shoes just because we liked him. Because we think
that he is the greatest. We didn't buy his shoes

(58:34):
because out of all the basketball player, he got the
best looking shoes. Well, hold on, I agree. I don't.
I never. I don't think guys buying because they think
he's the greatest, Like like a nineteen year old is
consciously thinking necessarily Jordan's the greatest. That's why I want
his shoes. But the fact that his shoes have reached

(58:55):
that level, that says something, man, because because and let's
say this, let me let me say this real quick,
and we'll let you go. I mean, let you make
a comment. It's like I wore Kareem Abdul jabars when
I was in high school. They were like, oh wow,
those are like the hottest one of the hottest sneakers
backed them from Adidas. But they faded out Kareem all

(59:17):
time leading score, they faded out Doctor Jay. Everybody was
wearing Doctor and hold one thing, one last thing before
you go. Let keep him on because I want to
hear his point. If you dropped the Jordan concords today,
the elevens with the patent leather, let's say they had
never been out and you just put them on the
shelf today, they wouldn't be all that hot. I mean, honestly, Rob,

(59:41):
do you they don't look that much if those Kobe's
they want to set the world on fire the shoot
because of the they're attached to him. Rob Parker, do
you think if you dropped those right now out of
the blue, nobody ever seen them, that they would set
the world on fire? Yeah, I'm not so sure. I

(01:00:02):
think that. I think that it comes with that he
wore them. He did magic in them, do you know
what I mean? Like right, there's a lot of that
that made them like, Wow, look at what this guy
was able to do. That's how how the whole thing
I want to be like Mike, you remember that that
was more Chris than just an advertising thing. That was Yeah,
that was real because because some of the shoes were

(01:00:25):
ugly yea, and people still warm the first ones. I
never I never liked the ones Jay in Atlanta and Detroit,
Jay and Detroit, You're on the odd couple of Fox
Sports Radio. Hey, Rob, But again I always say, a
great show. I really do enjoy it because I'm a
kind of critical guy and I'm happy for you. Thank you,
and keeper real with this. This is a more serious

(01:00:47):
take about the shoes. I personally remember when no shoes
are really hot coming out at first here in Detroit,
and you're hearing the news everywhere. I know two families
where young black boys were killed. Oh yeah, we all
and there was the store nothing but I heard no,
but I heard Chris slay or. I ain't pare to

(01:01:07):
say he was a bad guy's court and I heard you.
Rob said, at least you're saying he was. I was
that bad or nothing? A bad guy? Hold on, that's
a bad other guy. Do you blame in Jordan because
people got killed over his shoes? There was a call,
and you're not letting me talk. There was a call
for him to take it out even this far to
where a lot of shoes aren't any more expensive than

(01:01:32):
Lebron's Kobe's. Everybody's killed for You can't blame him for that, okay.
But when they asked, when when we say, listeners to Jordan,
you got a bunch of money. They're killing young kids
about these shoes. Could you stop putting your name on them?
He said no, I can't, But I don't think that
that was gonna stop kids from getting their sneakers taken

(01:01:54):
or or and it's unfortunate. I'm not sitting here trying
to make it like, uh, you know, I have friends
had their sneakers taking, Chris. It's not as we're defending.
I'm not defending that those are bad people. Do you
think you can't blame Jordans? No, you can't know. I
just cannot blame Mercedes because somebody stolen Mercedes, right let

(01:02:16):
you or whatever? No, I just can't do that. We're
we're getting we're letting the bad people off, right, and
the bad people are the ones responsible. Can we squeeze
one more in? Please? Yeah, let's go on. All right,
let's do that. Um. Let's also talk to Paul in California.
You're in the eye couple of Fox Sports Radio. Good afternoon, Mills,

(01:02:36):
great show as always, Thank you. All right, I got
I got three quick points right here. Okay, First one, Rob,
much respect. You're a Kobe ball washer, rest in peace, Mamba.
How many pair of Kobes do you got? And none
of the Kobees that you have look as good as Jordan's.
That's one thing right there, Rob, Chris, we're all around
that nineties and eighties, all that age, so we followed

(01:02:58):
followed Jordan's Okay, Jerry Stackhouse, he needs some shine, He's bored,
he needs something to do. Can you just keep his
mouth shut? Mister uh, mister journeyman, mister top pick journeyman.
I don't want to hear enough here. You know who's
better than Jerry Stackhouse, Isaiah writer, Why don't you guys
go on? You too? Watch the show with Matt Barnes
and they just had him on, and he's telling the

(01:03:20):
truth about MG. How much respect he has from Mike
respect the league the world had from Mike Wells Stackhouse.
I'm sure Stackhouse has plenty of respect for him too. Um.
And I'm gonna answer the question that you post a
ride because I got a ton of Kobe's I have.
I probably have more at least as many Kobe's sneakers

(01:03:43):
as I have Jordan sneakers. I had a couple pairs,
but I got rid of them all. I had a
couple paired up. Yeah, I think Kobe's look a lot
of them look really good, like you can just wear
them around. Yeah, So I'm but yeah, I Isaiah writer.
Most I'm sure stack don't you think grab Stack has
great respect for Mike. Now, he just told it like
it was. But I'm sure he still has respect for him.

(01:04:05):
Oh I do too. I mean, how can you, as
a guy who played basketball, how can you not right? Right? Right?
All right? We are going to be joined in very
short order by a World Series champion, now, a great
NBA m MLB analyst, our friend, Jerry Harriston Junior. But first,
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in

(01:04:27):
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
dot com and within the iHeart Radio app search f
SR to listen live. We are the Eye Couple, and
we've got World Series Champion Jerry Harriston Junior coming up
right now on the Discover Cards Celebrity Hotline. Get your
free credit scorecard today, even if you're not a Discovered customer.

(01:04:48):
It includes your Fico credit score and break checking your
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It won't hurt your credit. Learn more at Discover dot com.
Slash credit scorecard limitations apply. Jerry Harriston Junior, Welcome to
the Odd Couple. How are you? Before we get to

(01:05:10):
the baseball, we wanted to get your thoughts on a
comment that Jerry Stackhouse made about Michael Jordan. Here's Stackhouse
on the Wolves pot. Honestly, I wish I never played
in Washington for a number of reasons. I mean, I
felt like we were on our way in Detroit before
I got traded there. It was really challenging to be

(01:05:32):
able to be in a situation with an idol who
at this particular point I felt like I was a
better player. Things were still being run through Michael Jordan's
you know, and I think you know Doug Collins. I
love Doug. You know, that was an opportunity for him
to make up for some some ill moments that they
may have had back in Chicago. So pretty much everything

(01:05:53):
that that Michael wanted to do. All right, Jerry, what
are your thoughts on that? Well? I always, you know,
hate talking about former players and current players, but Jerry Stackhouse,
he opened the door. I was in the Baltimore, DC
area when Jerry Stackhouse was there. Michael Jordan was there.
I played for the Baltimorials. I watched every single game

(01:06:16):
that Jordan played for the Washington Wizards, either I was
at the at the stadium or I watched it on TV.
And I remember when he made these comments, was a yesterday,
a few days ago. I remember thinking, man, I remember
watching every game, and I don't remember Jerry Stackhouse having
that greatest season. So what I did was I went
back and looked at their numbers. Michael Jordan shot eighteen

(01:06:39):
shots per game. Jerry Stockhouse shot seventeen shots the game,
so they're basically even. Stackhouse shot forty one percent on
the season and Jordan shot forty five percent. And Jordan
was forty years old. And here's an alarming stat that
I saw. And I'm not a big stack guys. You
know that, guys, Guys, Michael Jordan, at age forty averaged
six rebounds a game. Jerry Stackhouse, who's supposed to be

(01:07:01):
in his prime, was averaging three rebounds a game. So
that kind of tells me Stackhouse wasn't really playing that hard.
They got the same number of shots. And here's a
guy who's young, guy ten years younger than Michael Jordan's
and getting the same amount of shots as Michael Jordan,
and he just wasn't performing. He's making excuses, which is

(01:07:24):
really sad to me because this is what seventeen years ago,
and you're bringing this up and I asked the couple,
I have to and you, guys, Chris, you have a
lot of buddies in the NBA, and so do you.
Rob and I live in Scots Bowl, Arizona, also in
LA and I text a couple of guys that are
former players and each one of them is only two guys.

(01:07:44):
Each one of them says there are some guys that
can't stay out of their own way, And I said,
what do you what do you mean by that? He goes,
You know, as Jerry's been trying to get a head
coaching job in the NBA the last several years and
he's been able to unable to do that. And now
I guess he's coaching in college right now. And then
I guess it's comments like this, these snippering comments that

(01:08:05):
have that have that I've done. I guess behind croosed
doors that has hurt him. I didn't know this, you know,
but this is what guys have told me. So it's unfortunate.
Why do it now? And it's one season out of
your career, one your career. I just don't know what
you get from it. I don't know what you get
get from it. That's that's my only thing. And I

(01:08:26):
don't think Jerry's being disingenuous. We know that the players
didn't love Michael Jordan during that time, his last couple
of years in Washington, so that's not disingenuous. I'm just
surprising that that he would bring it up. Jerry. Let's
get to baseball, and you probably saw this notion that
that's been put out there that Major League Baseball is
considering just totally revamping the divisions and the leagues and

(01:08:52):
all of that stuff based more on the geography of
their spring training facilities. And that's how my divisions will
be said. Yeah, like, what is your I don't think
I gotta imagine you don't like this, but what do
you think of it? Well, I'm want to surprise you, guys.
And Rob this is gonna kill you. Okay, I'm all
for it, guys. Let me finish, Let me finish. I'm

(01:09:16):
all for it. Guys. Well, we're facing right now in
this country, uh, this pandemic. Everything shut down, no sports.
I mean, we need something on our television sets the
next several months to help us find the light at
the end of the tunnel. Okay, So it'll only be
for this season, okay, And you could put an astric

(01:09:39):
on the season, you could put whatever you want. It
goes in twenty twenty, this country was facing this pandemic
and we had to make adjustments in our everyday lives.
We have guys that or have lost their job. Millions
of people. Guys have lost their jobs. Man, They're gonna
be suffering for years to come. And if it helps
a little bit to alleviate some of the pressures, a

(01:10:02):
little bit, alleviate some of the pain of this year,
and having guys play Major League Baseball their spring training
sites to give some type of hope or joy. Guys.
I'm a fort man, I really am. Guys want to
play and I think it'll be fun. Man, It'll it'll
bring some excitement. It's something new and Mason League Baseball

(01:10:22):
has been has been kind of the last couple of years.
Wants to try certain things. Now's the time to do it.
But Jerry j this is this is I don't want
to see the game, bastardized. I just don't I understand
what you're saying. I get all that, but when you
when I see like what these divisions are and the

(01:10:42):
Yankees are in the Phillies Division and the Dodgers are
playing on the White Sox Division, and and and uh
playing no fans and players like, first of all, they
can't even play the game. Where's the umpire? You gotta
be six feet behind the catcher, and everybody's throwing around
the same ball, touching, to say all the other stuff
that goes in. It's all. I understand that people want sports,

(01:11:07):
but Jerry, I don't want the game bastardized just to
have a game. I don't. Well, I can see what
you're concerned, but again, everybody's going to know that we're
doing it for a good reason. We have to make adjustments,
and you guys, remember the game has made adjustments before.
Remember in the World Wars, Ted Williams went to war,

(01:11:29):
Joe Demajo, all those superstar players weren't even playing baseball
had to get shut down, and there was even a
women's league. Gunerstand I'm saying, and guys back then had
to make certain adjustments. I understand it's gonna be different,
it's gonna it's gonna seem strange, but let's at least
give it a chance, and we all understand it. Just

(01:11:52):
for this season, we're gonna go back to normal. On
twenty twenty one. And this may sound stupid, but I'm
gonna say that anyway. Do you remember when interleague play
was put into play and then the wild card was
put in play? So many periods, periods hated that. I
didn't like it interleague play. They didn't not want a
wild card. And I'm a huge fan of the wild card.

(01:12:13):
I inter league play. You can take it or leave
it down because everybody sees everybody now guys are our
free agents often. But I love the wild card and
it really benefited the game. So why not for for
just this season, do something different and it might turn
out to be something something great, and then in twenty
twenty one we all go back to normal. Yeah. Look,

(01:12:33):
I'm not killing the idea. I mean there was a
time when Milwaukee was in the West in the NBA,
Milwaukee Bucks in the West, Houston was in the East.
So you know, divisions, conferences can change. Um, you know
this is the only for one year. It's only for
one years going three And everybody's what about what about

(01:12:55):
the Red Sox of the Yankees rivalry? But guess what, Um,
there's not gonna be a ride where the Redcrox be
terrible this year. Okay, so there wasn't really going to
be a rival with the Yankees anyway. All right, all right, Jerry,
great stuff, man. We appreciate the time and stay thanks
Jerry anytime. Guys love your show. And Rob you know

(01:13:18):
you were you were a guest. Chris, I gotta get
you on my on my podcast is caught looking it
will be. It'll be out about seven to ten days.
I'll make sure to it's a letter of a no.
I already had Rob on, who's an awesome guest. And Chris,
you need as well. Whenever you need me, let me know.
Jerry would love to talk basketball with you. Chris. It'll
be awesome, all right, definitely, let's do it. All right,
more I Couple coming your way. Fox Sports Radio. Be

(01:13:40):
sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple with
Chris Broussard and Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm Eastern
four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeart
Radio app. All right, DJ Alex Tysher, is it his bag, y'all?
It's the Eye Couple of Chris and Rob and it's
time for talk. Nobody ain't still been a bomb shop,

(01:14:03):
you know that ain't nobody you're talking about whoever, whatever, whatever?
You want to shop talk, Yes, sir, this shop talk
the akup of Fox Sports Raid of the Friday edition.
It really is like a barber shop because I hooked
up DJ Alex Tisher at the back of his neck.
He's looking sharp like ash. But let's keep it moving.
You know this. I would not let Rob whoa why

(01:14:26):
not Rob cuts his own hairs? Hell looks good. He
just trimmed me up right now. It looks fresh. I mean,
I don't have any hair die with me. But other
than that, he'll look shots. I don't know what you're
talking about. See me now, today's shop talk. Now. We
were doing yesterday but we got over ruled, but we're
doing today instead. So I don't know if you guys
heard about this. Something happened in La County this week.

(01:14:48):
A young man had been a twenty six year old
actually was arrested after he punched his mother in the face. Now,
when the cops got there to investigate, they found out
it was over toilet paper. Now, the young man said
that he punched his mother because she was hoarding it
and didn't want to share. And when they asked the
mom about it. She said, well, I didn't want to
share it with him because he's a classic overwiper, and

(01:15:09):
especially in this these times nowadays, trying to conserve, we
don't want him wasting the toilet papers. So here's the question. Now,
we know punching your mom is not good. We're not
gonna make that the question. The question, though, is in
today's did he heard her hit her like he punched
her in the face. I mean, as hard as you could,
I guess. So here's here's the question. In this climate,

(01:15:30):
knowing what's going on in the pandemic and the lack
of toilet paper in the country, what's worse hoarding toilet
paper from other members of your family or being an
over wiper in the household? Chris, we started to start
with him. Well, first of all, I don't know how
his mind would know he's an overwiper. He may use him,

(01:15:51):
maybe it takes a lot, but but because the toilet
has probably been stuffed up and he's been the guy
on it, you know what I mean, So he's always
the one. So that's why they said you use too
much paper. He may. I just think you gotta do
what you gotta do to get clean. All right. I
mean some people maybe it takes more. I don't know,
but I'd rather you be clean, get whatever it takes,

(01:16:14):
get clean. So I think it's worse to be a
horder get clean, don't underwipe and be funky. All they
need two squares, so I'm good. We're gonna have to
get a shield in between me and Rob next time.
I mean we're back in studio together. Come on, you
don't need to waste all that paper. You gotta do

(01:16:35):
whatever it takes to get clean. If it takes a
quarter of a role, so be it. No you quit.
You that could have used that much paper in anyway
if I use two squares and maybe you know, it's
just not an I just washed my hands afterwards. Geez
robing ringing the vegan and Rob g This is a

(01:16:58):
touchy subject because I don't I just this is see.
I don't think this is controversial at all. I think
the worst one is the overwiper because nowadays you got
were we're short wherever shortage in the country. There's not
enough on the store shelves you to get more, so
you got to be considerate of others. And if you
got to shorten up your your you learn a new technique,

(01:17:19):
maybe to wipe, to use less paper, maybe jump in
the shower afterwards, if that's what it takes. But you
gotta be smart, think of others. Don't be an overwiper,
especially right now. But here's the overwiper. He's not wiping
and singing nothing. I mean, seriously, he ain't gonna getting
ten WI. There's some people who like to roll it

(01:17:39):
all across their hands and then do just like one wipe.
So you're really wasting a lot of toilet paper when
you do it that way. You gotta learn like a
full technique, you know, a strip technique or whatever. I've
seen something on the internet, especially now. You gotta be smart.
That's I think, y'all. Funky man. I thought I always
the studio did smell a little bit different. You know,

(01:18:00):
it's funny. CB. That's coming from the guy the last
time we had a shop talk talking about a guy
handing out toilet paper to all the delivery drivers is
robust and too much and he's flaunting it. Then he's saying,
you need to stop using as much and look out
for other people. Rob pick a lane, bro, what you're
trying to say, I don't get this cat. The only
issue I have here is not only is the mom
knowing her son's business and how much he's doing, which

(01:18:20):
is a whole other subject, like going into the extreme
of going to the malice and this all I'm gonna say,
CB is like I thought, I've seen it all come
down with humanity and the things we would do. But
now throwing a pandemic, I guess everything is off the
wall and everything is ago. Now this is just crazy, dude. Yeah,
I'm still baffled that somebody will hit their mom. People

(01:18:43):
doing crazy things wrong. The cops really, uh, what do
you get? Did he what did they call it? What
was it? I mean, what happened to the guy? Just
a little battery charge and the mom refused medical treatment,
so she's okay. And by the way, Rob, I'm gonna
send you some toilet paper, bro. You need more than
two plies? You sure, yes, I'm sure. The two wives
or fly to think about it. There's no way you're

(01:19:06):
getting clean, No way you're getting clear. More soap to
wash my head clean. One's dirty. Fox Sports Radio has
the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all
of our shows at Fox Sports Radio Dot com and
within the iHeartRadio app search f SR to listen live.

(01:19:26):
It is the I Couple. I'm Chris, He's Robber're coming
to you live from the Geico Fox Sports Radio studios.
Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on
your car insurance. Visit Geico dot com for a free
rate quote. We got a great guest coming up in
about twenty nine minutes at the bottom of the hour,
Darren Ravelle, the sports business reporter and senior executive producer

(01:19:49):
for the Action Network. You know, he's got plenty of
information for us on these different sports leagues and what
it's looking like as far as their return earn this summer,
so will be good to catch up with him. But
first we're going to get into some football and the XFL,
which you know got off to kind of arousing start.

(01:20:13):
Ratings were really high the first week. They dipped every
week after that, but still were around what the NBA
was doing for some of its marquee matchups, so the
ratings weren't terrible. They had a few players, actually, PJ. Walker,
quarterback from Temple, got picked up by an NFL team,

(01:20:34):
so you know, they had some innovations that people liked,
but it doesn't matter. It was all for not because
they shut their doors today. They let go of most
of their employees and we hate to see that. You
hate to see people losing jobs at this time. But

(01:20:54):
it looks like not only are they done for this season,
and no official state it has been put out, or
no official decision at least publicly has been made, but
the general thought is that they're not only done for
twenty twenty, but they're done for good for the second time.
The XFL closing its doors. And I'm gonna let you

(01:21:18):
start off first, Rob because you think this is deeper
than the XFL, tell us why no doubt about it?
And I think one of the biggest myths in this country,
yes football Americas, that people love football. They don't care
what god it is, high school college, put some guys

(01:21:40):
together a helmet. We don't care. We just want football.
Oh my god. There's a lull after the Super Bowl,
so let's let's get some football on. People will jump
like flock to the TV sets. They want to watch football.
They don't care what about how the skill level, They
don't care about any They just want to see some
toy cracked their heads run out for a long pass.

(01:22:03):
Even if I don't know the players, it's a myth.
It's a false narrative. People love the NFL, period, point blank.
Stop with this. America loves football. America has just folded
two football leagues in less than a year. Wait a minute.

(01:22:23):
It ain't like these startup football leagues weren't on television
and had to rely just on the gate. It wasn't
like these two football leagues. What was it the American
Commerce and Alliance and Commerce and corn Feeders Cow League
or something. I think that was the name of it.

(01:22:43):
And the XFL X means no good. That's what the
XFL stood for. And here we are all the value
who These guys had national television deals, Chris, you remember
that other Alliance league or there on CBS, Order on ESPN,

(01:23:04):
order on five. Oh wow, they got a chance. They
got TV money coming in. That's what I was told.
This is gonna be different because they got TV money.
They're not worried about the crowds that'll come in time.
That league almost couldn't that first league, Chris couldn't even
pay its bills after Week one, couldn't make the payroll

(01:23:29):
needed an infusion of cash. That was after week one XFL. Well,
they have the backing of Vince McMahon and the marketing
of the WWE. What are you talking about. Maybe it
didn't work fifteen or twenty years ago, but that was different.
This is now. Everybody's hungry for football. We can't get enough.

(01:23:53):
That's all we won. Give us our football. The NFL
tried two leagues in Europe, the World Football League and
what was the other one? Uh them? I don't even know,
but I remember they had. Both of those failed miserably.
People in Germany and all over Europe. They weren't interested

(01:24:14):
in American football. They got their soccer, so they didn't watch,
they didn't show up. And now here we are. People
love NFL football. That's what they love. They love it
during football season. Nobody's interested in seeing football. Once the
Super Bowl is over, you know good, we had a
great season. We'll wait till September. That's what makes the

(01:24:37):
NFL so special and why people wait and talk about
football so much. Nobody wants to see also ran leagues.
It ain't just a football just the way. The same
problem with the oversaturation of college football and all the
bowl games. People don't go enough already. It used to
be great when we had six seven. We're a bowl game,

(01:25:01):
great bowl games to watch. Stop with flooding America with football.
We don't want it. And the xfball is telling you
everything you need to know. Enough you stop. Roy Parker,
your premise for your whole spiel was off. That America
loves football is a myth, I'll give you. America doesn't

(01:25:24):
love the AAF or whatever it was, AFL, whatever that
league was called. They don't love the XFL necessarily, but
they do love football. And it ain't just the NFL.
They love college football to who look at the attendance
of college football the last every single college No, how

(01:25:45):
about looking at the National Championship Game, which is a
top five ratings getter in America of all American programming.
America does love football. Ride It's just a straight up fact.
They love it more than basketball. They love it more
than baseball. They love it more than soccer and anything

(01:26:08):
else by far, by far. Four of the top five
programs last year sitcoms, dramas, movies, football games, basketball, bait,
whatever you want to put on TV. Four to five
top top five of them. We're football NFL you have,
you're missing NFL, the college foot of the championship. One

(01:26:31):
game anybody can watch one game that's like me because
nobody gives two hoots about college baseball. That people don't
like baseball, stop and solely about the NFL. I'll let
you speak for seven minutes, let me go, and I
still have three minutes to go on that mess. Six
of the top ten programs football, including college football, twenty

(01:26:56):
of the top fifty programs football, basketball had four of
the top fifty. Baseball had two of the top fifty.
Every single adult demographic says football is its favorite sport
to watch. Thirty seven percent of American adults said football

(01:27:18):
is their favorite sport to watch. Percent said no. Guess
how many said basketball elefing. Guess how many said baseball?
Nine thirty seven percent. That's three times more than any
other sport. What are you talking about? The NFL Draft
had six million viewers last year. It's still about the NFL.

(01:27:41):
It's not about football. That football just because you don't
want to see dudes bus heads don't meet. Everybody else
does it? Bas way the league. That's why two leagues
folded in six months. That you do, Chris you watch,
watched it. Let them know I didn't let him. You

(01:28:02):
watch that a start. Let America start a new baseball league,
it won't last a month. Let America start a new
basketball league, it won't last two months. Stop it. But
the difference is that you just made my boy, You
made my point. The reason why the college football they
love pro football and they love high school football. You

(01:28:25):
made my point exactly the reason that they keep starting
these other leagues they won't start. Wouldn't name the baseball
league that's ever been started up, the other basketball league
that's been started up. You know why, because because people
know that they couldn't compete. They think people love any
kind of football. That's why these leagues. America doesn't want it.

(01:28:48):
Nobody wants to watch minor league sports. They wouldn't watch
minor league baseball. They wouldn't watch the G League. They
don't want to watch the miners. That's what it's about.
It's nothing about the sports. College football is the second
most popular sport in America, but high pro football. You
know how much money you've been been thrown into these

(01:29:09):
football leagues. You couldn't even get uh this league the
last year. And here's the best part. They used the
pandemic as the scapegoat to close everything down, and it didn't.
Point point, Chris, My point is you could have waited
till next year because of the pandemic. You couldn't. You know,

(01:29:32):
you're not You're not hearing what I'm saying. That's the
excuse for this year to close it down obviously, and
then it back next year. They closed it down for
next year. Why why are you closing it down for
next year? If you think you have something that people want,
there's people understand why it's not now, But why are
you closing it down already? They got out because they

(01:29:54):
know there's no Oh no. Here's the thing, though, rob
their ratings as they were dropped every week. They went
five weeks, it dropped every week. Still, even as they dropped,
their ratings were competing and beating often the in the
NBA games. I mean, these dudes that nobody knew were

(01:30:19):
rating with James Harden versus Yannis Ante Decompo on the
NBA Friday Night. I mean, seriously, it's all relative. Yeah,
compared to the NFL, it was bad. Yeah, it was
dropping every week, so that hurts you. But the ratings
still We're better than, or equal to, or better than
the NBA. So people love football, that's all I'm saying.

(01:30:43):
I mean, you can shoot down the Alliance and the
XFL all you want, but to act like America doesn't
love football, that's just flat out wrong. Let's see what
the callers think. Eight seven seven ninety nine on five
Only Love said it was a myth. They don't love
college football, Rods, they don't love college football. Why did

(01:31:09):
NCAA Championship game rain't hired in the Major League Baseball
World Series and the NBA Championships because they love football?
All right? You're turned away. It is the XFL folding
for a second time, proof that the idea that America
loves football is just a myth. Eight seven seven nine

(01:31:31):
sixty three sixty nine You're turned away. In with Chris
and Rob The Eye Couple, Fox Sports Radio. Be sure
to catch live editions of The Odd Couple with Chris
Broussar then Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm Eastern four
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeart Radio app.
It's the I Couple, Chris and Robb and we got

(01:31:52):
something for you pros. It's Los Los Is here to
help keep your business moving. That's why we're open and
here for you with all the supplies you need to
make repairs and keep your customers homes running smoothly. Lows
is pro reading. Remember that pro reading, and we thank
you for all you do. All right, let's get right

(01:32:14):
into it. Eight seven seven ninety nine on Fox eight
seven seven nine nine six sixty three sixty nine. Really
hot topic here. Does America love football or not? Let's
get to the calls. All right, Let's start with Harry
and Columbus, Ohio. You're on the couple of Fox Sports Radio.
What's up, Harry, Hey, what's up? A long long time caller,

(01:32:35):
A long time listener. Oh, call the other night and
I did order if I'm writing ripping, y'all still listen
to it? If you said get a book, and I
heard you towards the end of the shelf, so I
did order it. Appreciate that, buddy, Thanks for the support.
Ain't no problem, So brother, unfortune, I'm gonna have to
disagree with you. It's not just about the NFL great

(01:32:58):
grain age a college time. I wanna say, unfortunately, because
robs usually write on a lot of the scenes. But
thank you, Harry, you got it. But the question, yeah,
did you and Rob go back? No? No, no, me
and you, Chris actually met you years ago. You were

(01:33:22):
doing a conference at Bishop Blackwell up in Cleveland, Ohio,
and that was the first time I met you, and
you know, we met a few times after that. So
techn me, Me and you actually go back to see
there you go. But then you exactly no, Harry, we
haven't kept in touch and all looked at that. You're
so mean, Harry, thanks so much, so mean. David and Lincoln, Nebraska.

(01:33:47):
You're on the couple of Fox Sports Radio. What's up, David? Hey,
what's up? Felt? It's how you doing? Uh? Killing it
as usual? Man, great show, great, thank you, thank you. Yeah,
you guys know I love it. Hey, look, man, I'm
not even sure who I'm agreeing with here. I got
a little confused. But people need to stop trying to
force feed us football because you could. Just because you

(01:34:07):
put football on the air, people are gonna watch it.
College football is popular because it's got like one hundred
and fifty years worth a tradition. We're all, uh, you know,
loyal to our teams. I've got a nine year old son.
He picked a team two years ago. He's loyal to
his NFL team. We want to watch good football at
the right time of year. That's important, David. That's That's

(01:34:30):
exactly my point. That they can't force feed. They can't
keep giving us these off season leagues thinking that people
are gonna watch football because they watch NFL football. That
is Chris, you said, you said, well it was, it was.
It was doing better in ratings than the NBA. Yeah.
Maybe maybe for a few weeks this year, but that
would have wore off, brother, it would have. It's a novelty.

(01:34:52):
People will watch a novelty. I love football, you know,
more than anything. Said maybe golf, but I'm not gonna
watch it in June. Man, I'm sorry, I don't care.
You can pretend like they're professionals, but but don't tell
me they are any David, David. That was spot on,
my man, David. I'm not against what David said. I
think he's right. Look, it's right. We talk about this

(01:35:14):
on occasion. Greed, right, you can't just dominate for nine
ten months. Yeah, I want to be all twelve months.
There's the younger leagues be damned, you know, that's exactly
it you're forcing it down to say, oh, well football
does Walson just put football on it, people watch it. No,
and Chris, this year with the NBA ratings, I'm gonna

(01:35:35):
take up for the NBA. Major stars were hurt this year.
That hurt the NBA. That hurt the NBA and also
for them, so many of their great players are in
the West that they're starting their weeknight games at ten o'clock,
ten thirty people. Yeah, you can't stay up, Chris, if
you got a job, you can't. Halftime is at midnight

(01:35:58):
or exactly exactly Steve and Indy, you're on the odd
couple of Fox Sports Radio. What's up Steve, Hey, guys,
I hope you both are doing well and staying healthy.
So to you. Even though Rob might be riding dirty
like cha millionaire wiping with two squares, I have to

(01:36:19):
say I agree. I think America is just loves good marketing.
We love the NFL because it's marketed well. It's the
same reason why we buy a towel for twenty dollars
because they say it cleans up water faster, or we
buy a blanket with sleeves or a dumbbell that shakes

(01:36:41):
in a way that I can't even talk about on air.
We love marketing well, but I will say this, I
mean NBA is marketed well, maybe better than anybody m
the XFL, Rob, I think you'd even agree with this.
I mean, they had their marketing in place, but they
had their God, that's what I'm trying to tell you, Chris,

(01:37:02):
this is what I mean. Why I'm saying that they're
they're using the pandemic as an excuse. Well they should,
but you're not an excuse. But but but why are
they canceling next year? That doesn't make any sense. Well,
losing so much money this year put you in a
bad position for next year. The other league understand that

(01:37:24):
as well. He's got he's got to tell them. I mean,
I don't care how much, man, you ain't willing to
just give money away. And my only my main contention, Rob,
was just you acting like football, like like America. We
think America loves football more than it actually does. No,
maybe Bill Poli and Invince McMahon think that, but it

(01:37:44):
is undeniable that America loves football and it is by
far the king. But what what David said is the
reason they keep trying to force football because they believe
that keep starting these leagues that don't last, because they
think you could put any football out and people will

(01:38:05):
love it. It's not true, Trey in Minneapolis, you're on
the odd couple Fox Sports Radio. Hey, how y'all doing? Guys?
What's up? Man? What's up? Hey? It's usually I agree
with Rob, but this time I gotta go with Chris. Rob.
Have you ever been to the South in Georgia? We
love the Georgia Bulldogs like I mean, have you ever
seen high school studiums in Texas or in Georgia or Ohio?

(01:38:28):
The Midwest? Yeah? Have you been football, Trey? Have you been?
Have you been to the any of these uh new
leagues that folded the last two years? The last six months? Okay,
I haven't. I know friends who went to the games
in DC for the XFL, the DC Defenders, and I
used to watch on TV. The XFL was quality football.

(01:38:49):
The XFL was quite an lasted one one year, the coronavirus.
I know, you don't want to know, not this one,
the last one, the one too and two thousand. How
about that XFL. Okay, this would still be playing, they
would still be playing, Rob if it wasn't for the virus.
I don't, but I don't know about Why did they

(01:39:11):
cancel it for next year? Chris, I get so much
money this year the game. I don't don't have to.
They don't have the money in their coffers at the NFL, NBA,
maybe they were about half. And even if those leagues
lose this whole season, they're gonna feel it financially. Yeah.
But but the idea that they're paying players forty or

(01:39:32):
fifty grand, they don't. They don't have any They're not
on the hook for money like these other leagues are.
That's all I'm saying is you went, you went into
a season you want. They wouldn't pay much that game.
They didn't ask too much money. That's too much money.
I think that they know that they can't make it work.
Richard in West Virginia, you're on the od couple of

(01:39:53):
Fox Sports Radio. I have to do that second caller.
Good football at the right time of year, XFL. Whatever
kind of they put in there, could care less. It's
just that's why I look at a good football at
the right time of year, and that's what it's all about.
It After the regular football seasons over I go on

(01:40:15):
to of course where this pandemic. You don't go on
to anything, but but we go on to other sports. Right,
here's the thing at the right time of year. Here's
the thing too. People want players they know, and if
they don't know the players, they want schools they know.
The callers said it. People are Alabama. They may not

(01:40:37):
know the most fans. We may not know the freshmen
coming in. But as long as they're an Alabama's uniform
or LSU's uniform Ohio States, they're fine with it. There's
no familiarity, there's no tradition with these new leagues too,
and that's an uphill battle that they're fighting. We'll be
joined by the great Darren Ravel, sports business reporter and

(01:40:59):
see your executive producer for The Action Network next. But first,
be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Chris Broussard and Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm
Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the
iHeart Radio app, coming you live from the Geico Fox
Sports Radio studios. It's easy to say fifteen percent of
more on your car shots with Geico. Go to Geico

(01:41:21):
dot com or Car eight hundred and nine four seven auto.
The only hard part is figuring out which way is easier.
He's the sports business reporter and senior executive producer for
the Action Network. You know him. It's Darren Rivero. Darren,
welcome to the e cop. How are you? I got
a better one for you. Bacon is the cheapest since

(01:41:42):
two thousand and two. Really wow? Don seem the restaurants
the restaurant I mean restaurants take up like thirty thirty
to forty percent of the bacon. Yeah, since two thousand
and two. A pig is about two hundred ten pounds
of meat, and a pig is only worth about forty

(01:42:05):
two dollars right now because of because of where we're baking, inc.
I mean, I deliver that you got it early tomorrow
to get some stack up on bacon. And Darren, everybody
who says that you don't cut through the fat, you know,
I love that. First, Let's start with the XFL. What

(01:42:27):
what do you make of this? Uh? Them basically closing
their doors not just for this season, but apparently for good.
You know, I think it's just too I think it
was probably the right call to make. Um. I'm surprised.
Vince did it to begin with. I mean, listen, he
he in his head thought that in two thousand and

(01:42:47):
one when the XFL launched, it was half an NBC
venture and he didn't really get his say, and he
wanted to write it for his own self and his
own image, in his own uh you know, legacy. And
I I just think I think it was going pretty well.
But I think he just recognized that, uh, they're not

(01:43:07):
gonna he's not gonna be able to launch it again
this year. That means that there's just not going to
be any momentum and it's it's gonna be like starting
over again. But probably spent around two hundred million dollars. Wow.
But Darren, here we go again. With all of these
startup leagues. What was the other one, the af X

(01:43:29):
Commercial Lawn Care League or whatever they called it. That
was another league They almost couldn't make the payroll after
week after the first week. I mean, why this is
Chris and I are having a big argument. I always
say that people America doesn't love football as much as
people think that it does. And what I mean by
that they love the NFL. They'll have their major colleges,

(01:43:51):
but they're not gonna watch any old football product because
you put it on. Why do they care? I mean,
I think I feel like I've had had a hunch
about whether something is going to make it or not.
With the exception of the MLS, I thought the MLS
when it came out in what ninety six, ninety seven,
I did not think it would do as well as

(01:44:13):
it's done today. I thought maybe it would be around,
but that it would really be a second tier league.
And they've done an incredible job. But but I would
say that I think you're right that potentially people are
not in love with football. They're in love with the
NFL and they're in love with college football. They're in love.

(01:44:34):
Each has different elements that when you strip it down,
there's something that they like, but they're not in love
with the game enough to be able to reconsider new
rivalries and new teams and everything else. Not unless, not
unless you have and this is never going to happen again,
but a USFL situation where they're battling for real, you know,

(01:44:58):
for for real ten ye, yeah, and then potentially you
could have something it would be interesting to see. Obviously,
thirty years after the USFL failed after three years It
would be interesting to see that challenge, but I don't
think we ever will. Darren. I know you're talking to
a lot of people with all the different leagues. Where
do you what's you're feeling? We know nobody knows, but

(01:45:20):
you're feeling on you know, when if or when these
leagues are going to be able to finish up their
seasons and Baseball just get there's going yeah, like this
is unprecedented obviously in every facet and even to hear
the conversations talking to people, this is really what needs

(01:45:41):
to happen. It has to before anything, Before anything, it
really has to dwindle down to less than one hundred
and fifty deaths a day. I can't believe I'm saying that,
but that and that's kind of from the leagues. That's
been That's an number that's been thrown about. What the

(01:46:01):
leagues have said, what the leagues have said to each
other is this, we can't be playing. We've already we've
already decided that sports is not going to bring us back.
This is the one time where sports can't you know,
everything's going on in the world nine to eleven whatever
us sports will bring us back. It's already done. Sports
is not bringing us back. Okay, they do not. Adam

(01:46:24):
Silver does not want games being played when there's still
a good amount of people dying from this. Okay, and
one hundred and fifty numbers very arbitrary. But there has
to be a clear fading out of this in order

(01:46:45):
for them to say, okay, we're ready to go now.
They might start something out where the projections will be
in this, but that means to me that we are
probably not starting until they include baseball until at least
June fifteenth, if you believe that. So there's that one.

(01:47:06):
The second thing is that, assuming it doesn't just disappear
off the face of the earth, there's got to be
two other things. There has to be an antibody test
which will cross off anyone who passes that. If you
have the anybodies, then if you're part of any league
that's playing, you get crossed all But short of that,
then you're probably getting your temperature every day and you
might get a rapid test every day. In order for

(01:47:28):
sports to come back, they can't be taking away tests
from people who need it by testing healthy people's Chris,
you saw the blowback from the NBA as far as
Oh my god, how did they get eighty five tests
in there for two teams? Right away? We can't get
anything the country. They can't have that, they can't have

(01:47:50):
the bad pr of that. So that's really how it
has to work. And then there's a plan of well,
as you've seen, could these single cities work? Uh? Can
can the whole quarantine get can the quarantine situation work?
I just think that the answers are just not there yet.
And that's why on Twitter, anyone who's making these predictions

(01:48:12):
about football, college football, it's it's so hard to predict now,
as you guys know that. It's almost like the Olympics
didn't make the decision in Tokyo because Canada bowed out,
then another country bowed out. It's gonna be interesting to
see now that all miss says, hey, we're not we're
not doing any athletics till August first. It would be

(01:48:34):
interesting to see if schools on their own or or
states on their own, force the hand of either the
leagues or the schools as far as what they have
to do. But Darren Well, I think I brought that up.
I think that yeah, like column will have to be
a one site or two site situation, because some states,

(01:48:56):
you know, when they hit their peaks, they're going to
be different than other states, right right, and and and
and then the leagues are going to be able to
say with whoever they're dealing with that. Uh, you know,
the Board of Health everyone signed off on that city.
So if it was Phoenix and you have three stadiums
for baseball, you can do that. The other thing that's

(01:49:19):
very interesting to me is there are going to be
players in empty stadium scenarios who are going to suck
Guys who who who? Who were great? Right? That's another thing.
Do you think that's going to affect them that much?
No thing is yeah, in in in baseball, like like
Mike Trout, Like like when I just think about people

(01:49:40):
like Mike Trout, like I think he's like, in his
own head he's good, But like Bryce Harper, I feel
like he's a total like playoff the crowd adrenaline type
guy and the air could just go out of him.
So that's going to be something down the road to
look at because you know, certainly athletes are are motivated

(01:50:00):
by the crowd and people looking at them, And what
a blank stadium does is is maybe neutralizes how a
star reacts and feels with the crowd. Hey, Heydar, let
me ask you this thing too. With what's going on
at NBC Sports, the Drew Brees announcement, we don't even

(01:50:21):
know if he's playing one year or two more years.
It's pretty interesting that this is coming out and he's
going to replace Chris Collinsworth and um and and al
Michaels is out and after twenty twenty two? What do
you make of all this? And Mike Terrico going to
take over for him? Isn't it kind of weird? I

(01:50:44):
think we're we're really like Tony Romo has kind of
caused Welsh you know, should we get these guys right after?
I mean I know that, you know, Troy Aikman did
it and Phil Simms did it and you know, but
I feel like the our player and we know what.
You know, Peyton's paid, Manning's getting offer eighteen million, he

(01:51:05):
turns it down. You know, I feel do you believe that? No? Actually,
I mean he has a lot of money, but like
it seems like I don't know, like maybe he can't
criticize whatever. But there's Tony. This is the Tony Romo
situation where executives feel that if you have a player

(01:51:26):
who is just walking off the field, they already have
that that fan base, and if they're that good at
seeing it, potentially they could be that much better at
identifying it in the booth. I mean people were bashing
Tony Romo originally, you know, saying this is, oh, how
could he be number one? How could he be put
in the one booth? That's crazy. He didn't learn anything,

(01:51:48):
and then he shines the way he does. So listen,
when when games come back, they'll be there'll be no
one needed in the booth. If there was silence, every
one watch. We're so bored right now. We don't know
what I'm to do with her? All right, Darren, great stuff,
Stay safe and healthy with your family. Man. You guys too,

(01:52:12):
thank you? All right? Yep, Mordy, I agree with me.
I'm you you. He didn't understand the food, Yes, he did.
He agree with me. The way you put it, you know,
you couch it. That's what you do with our callers.
I get it, that's what you do. He'll he'll listen
back to the podcast and be like, oh Christmas. Spot On.

(01:52:33):
Speaking of spot On, It's the Eye Couple come back
Fox Sports Radio. Fox Sports Radio has the best sports
talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows
at Fox sports Radio dot com and within the iHeart
Radio app. Search f s R to listen live. It's
the Eye Couple, Chris and Rob. We need a new

(01:52:55):
intro Rob based off our conversation tonight. One is clean,
one is dirty. What I ain't riding? One over wipes
and uses too much tissue, and one uses just enough.
Yeah to two two strands of single ply. I don't

(01:53:19):
know about that, said a single Ply. I'm the poop
poo kid. Just you right, all right? So I thought Ravel.
I thought Darren Ravel had it. He brought up an
interest in point Rob when he mentioned that he thinks
some of these athletes are going to play differently, play poorly,

(01:53:41):
including stars. Some stars will play poorly in empty stadiums.
I kind of thought this, Rob, like, you know you've
played open gym. When I would go and play open
gym with guys, it's competitive, you know, nobody's their set us.
But you you're competitive, you got pride, and you end

(01:54:03):
up competing pretty much as hard as you can. And
obviously these guys have. They have pride, great pride, great egos,
and more riding on it than just that. I mean money, championships, legacy, everyday,
know everybody's watching, even though everybody's not in the gym.
I was surprised to hear that from him. I think

(01:54:25):
what could happen is I always have said this, and
you probably feel the same way. There are guys that
love the game, and then there are guys that like
it or maybe even less than that. But what they
love what it brings. They love the money, the fame,
the lifestyle, the women, the adulation, the fans, performing in

(01:54:50):
front of people, but they really don't love the game.
Maybe guys like that will have trouble performing in front
of an empty you know, a bunch of empty seats. Yeah,
I don't know. I don't think it's cutting dry. I
agree with Darren that there are people who do Chris
excel from the adrenaline, you know, from the crowd and whatnot.

(01:55:13):
But it's got There's gonna be some places where they're
in the crowd and people still are able to go
and get your two knocks or whatever you gotta do
if it's baseball or whatever. So I think that that
could affect some. I don't know how widespread it would
be or how much it would affect people, but I'm
not gonna discount it totally. I mean, baseball guys going

(01:55:38):
slumps all the time and even have bad seasons sometimes,
you know what I mean. We've seen Bryce Hartbridge just
have a bad year with fans. So if guys have
some bad seasons, particularly in baseball, it may just be,
you know, they just had a bad year basketball. You know,
it's not as common for a guy, just a really

(01:56:00):
great player, a star, to just kind of fall off
and have a bad year. It would be interesting, though.
Can you imagine, like if a superstar just couldn't perform
without the crowd, They're like, just you know, he just
became mediocre, like a young guy, not an old guy
where you think his age, but like a great player
just all of a sudden he can't get it done. Well.

(01:56:22):
It's funny because and I'm not saying Lebron would, but
he's talked about it like it wouldn't it wouldn't feel
right to play without the fans, do you know what
I mean. He's probably more outspoken than anybody. Yeah about that, Yeah,
I get it. I like the whole notion of there's
nobody watching, just the two teams and the coaches and

(01:56:44):
the referees. It would feel really weird not having that
energy because we've all covered many games, Chris, and we've
I've stepped into a readers and said, boy, I could
feel it and I'm sitting on the sidelines. Do you
know what I mean? Like like the intensive, the intensity,
like sitting here, I'm not even in the game. It
won't be nearly as I don't want to say fun

(01:57:06):
for them, but yeah, it's it will be a huge difference.
But again, I mean, like I said, you've played open
gyms and you compete. I talk about you know, some
of the knockdown, drag out media games. We used to
have what you know, and you go at it. But
you expect in those settings not to have a crowd.

(01:57:28):
When you've played in front of fifty thousand or twenty
thousand in the basketball arena or one hundred thousand in
the football stadium, do you know what I mean? Like that,
it's gonna be different. It's definitely going to be different.
So um, what do you get? I mean, I know
there's only so much you can do, but any any
big plans. I guess for the weekend. I have so

(01:57:49):
many sales that I need to take to the If
I told you I'm taking I'm taking thirty packages to
the post office tomorrow. That's what I have in my apartment.
That's great. You know what, Let's get our thing moving.
You know the thing me and got going. Let's get
that going. It is. You know what I'm talking about.
I already know you know what I'm talking about. Yes,
all right, I couple have a great weekend. See you

(01:58:10):
in a couple of days. Pun

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