Leon Busby: US correspondent on the Clippers scandal and the MLB playoffs

US correspondent Leon Busby joined Piney to discuss the Clippers scandal and the MLB playoffs.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from newstalk ZEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Let's get your state side to catch up. We'll catch
you up on the latest and Americans sportly on Busby
is with us. Leon How are you doing, Nate, I'm.

Speaker 3 (00:21):
Great maker through Jason, thanks for having me back. God
heaps to cover, So let's get into today.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
Let's go NBA preseason just eleven days away. The LA Clippers,
though under investigation for alleged circumvention of the salary cap,
tell us about this.

Speaker 3 (00:37):
Yes, even though the NBA is still in its all
seasons penny to discuss. With so much to cover in
football Ladder, just for today, I want to focus on
this one main headline. So as you alluded to the
league front officers investigating allegations that the LA Clippers facilitated
a twenty eight million US dollar no show endorsement Gill

(00:57):
with star forward Kawhi Leonard with a now bankrupt sustainability
company called Aspiration, allegedly in an effort to circumvent or
find a way around the NBA salary cap. Now the
Clippers have adamantly denied these damn allegations. This is not
a good look for franchise own as Steve Barmer, the
form of Microsoft CEO, and Tick Mogelworth are reported one

(01:18):
hundred and fifty five billion US dollars now he allegedly
signed off the arrangement for Landed, who's widely considered the
best two way player in the league the last decade.
This story was uncovered by ESPN investigated reporter Pablo Toure
and is gaining traction following news from only a few
days ago. There's a massive paper trail that implicates the Clippers,

(01:39):
So NBA Commissioner Adam Siel would trying his best to
downplay the whole scandal, saying that all of the evidence
so far circumstantial, but a lot of NBA owners and
executives are nervously waiting any penalties that I think it's
fair to say that this may not be just a
one off in discretion. With teams run into into their
training camps and the regular season topping off in just

(02:00):
over four weeks on October twenty one, Adam Stiel will
be keeeny to get this distraction pushed to the site,
and it's a really bad look for the association. Will
certainly keep eyes on any developments pintly because the latest
collective bargaining agreement means that the overcome could have far
reaching implications for years to come.

Speaker 2 (02:17):
Indeed, yeah, quite the story. As you say, leone will
keep eyes on it. Let's go to Major League Baseball
before we hit the football news last week in the
regular season, who are the genuine contenders to win the
Baseball World Series this year?

Speaker 3 (02:31):
Yes? So, the grueling one hundred and sixty two game
regular season finally comes to a closed Tuesday week, and
there are a number of teams at the top of
a heat leaping into October. So in the American League,
the Toronto Blue Jays lead the conference, then the New
York Yankees, the Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers for third,
and the Boston Red Sox and Houston ashow Is tight
for fourth, rounding up the top contenders. Over in the

(02:54):
National League, the top five teams see the Milwaukee Brewers
leading the conference, closely followed by the Philadelphia Police, Chicago Cubs,
LA Dodgers, and the San Diego Padres. Of note, who
has lead all teams in terms of run differential with
a dominant plus one eighty four. The next closest are
the Yankees, fifty one runs behind. So the Brew crew

(03:15):
have a great opportunity Piney to dethrone the Dodgers, who
have the most stacked and deep roster than any other
side of the majors of the season should be a compelling postseason.

Speaker 2 (03:23):
Nonetheless, now you've picked out three active players who have
been in the past and may well be matched one
as again this October.

Speaker 3 (03:31):
Yep, so there's a couple of standout individuals heading into
October one. I mentioned last time I was on as
catcher for the Seattle Mariners Caleb Rally in the American
League the earlier this week, Cal went yard as they say,
and becoming only the twenty first batter and Major League
Baseball history to hit fifty four plus home runs in
a single season and also as a catcher. Even more

(03:52):
impressive was he tied Yankees great Hall of Famer Mickey
Mantle for the most home runs by a switch hitter,
that's the batter who can hit from both sides of
the plate, which is verified here. Today Raleigh has ten
multi home run games in twenty twenty five, just one
shy of paying the Major League Baseball record. It's also
a two horse race between Raleigh and Yankee Siger Aaron

(04:13):
Judge with the American League MVP Award, which will go
down to the wire. Judge has previously picked up the
prestigious award twice in twenty twenty two and twenty twenty four.
The other player and often seen as the face of
the league, Johey Old Tiney from the defending champion LA
Dodgers in the National League So earlier this week, he
set more MLB history, becoming the first player to record

(04:35):
fifty strikeouts and fifty home runs in a single season.
He achieved the feet in the same game That's Crazy
So two nights ago. Showtime also hit a go ahead
bomb a fifty second home run, again proving he's easily
the best two way player in the game, a preenom
for his generation. And finally, Piney. After eighteen seasons with

(04:55):
the LA Dodgers, eleven time All Star and three time
National League Side Young Award winner Clayton Kershnel has decided
to call it a day and hang up as cleats.
The thirty seven year old, the native and left handed pitchers,
a double World Series champion and widely regarded as one
of the greatest pitchers in baseball history, more so in
the regular seasons. Pireshaw is one of only ten sorry

(05:17):
twenty pitchers and four lefties to record more than three
thousand strikeouts in his pro career, with an ERA of
only two point five four, a remarkable fee. He even
threw a no hitter once back in twenty fourteen, a
game in which the team does not record had against
the starting pitcher. The future First Ballot Wall of Famer
will also be fondly remembered for his humanitarian and philanthropic

(05:40):
work Juno Stellar Korean, which as overall earnings are estimated
around are staggering five hundred and fifty million yew Zealand. Oah,
that's crazy. So I think it's fair to say, Pony
that Cushaw won't be sure of any money anytime soon
as in his impending retirement.

Speaker 2 (05:55):
I think you might be right. Let's go to football.
College football is underway. Who are the teams to watch?
Jim college football?

Speaker 3 (06:01):
Yes, the college football is into Week four already, and
there are a number of teams from one hundred and
thirty rec Division one ranks in the current narrative. Let's
focus on those schools showing up every week. The top
twenty five rankings are released by a selection committee made
up of thirteen members based on previous weekend results, where
teens can shift up and down dependent on their performances.

(06:22):
If we look at just the top ten for now,
we have the recognized powerhouse football programs leading the pack,
the defriending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes, Den State, Nittany Lyons,
Louisiana State University or Alice You Tigers, Miami Florida Hurricanes,
Georgia Bulldogs, Oregon Ducks, Florida State Severnoles, Texas Longhorns, Illinois

(06:44):
Folly Fighting Illini as sort of pronounced it twice it's
a hard one, and the Texas A and m Aggie's
rounding off the top ten. I've said that he loved
some of those names, finding his team named. Interestingly, though,
nine of the top ten teams are three and zero,
but the Texas Longhorns are two and one ahead of
other schools below who are also unbeaten.

Speaker 1 (07:04):
Now.

Speaker 3 (07:05):
The reason for this is that the election committee have
a lot of different factors they consider before releasing the
new rankings weekly. One of those is what's known as
a team's strength of schedule, basically meaning a school can
still make the now twelve team national playoffs even if
they lose two games as they're playing schedule for the
season is much tougher than what some other schools have

(07:25):
to face. Also quickly the last point Onland College before
the high trains surrounding Texas quarterback Arch Manning has flowed
considerably due to its underwhelming performances three games in the
air apparent from the first Family of football for Mannings
is under immense pressure from the Longhorns fan base, who
are rightly demanding results, as Manning earns a healthy twelve

(07:47):
million New Zealand dollars annually throughout multiple nil endorsements, easily
the highest paid athlete in all of college sports. Thankfully
as tr playing the unranked Sam Houston Bearcats I've never
heard of before today and an easy winners on the card,
but the pressure ramps up for Manning in the next
two games, facing the Florida Gators away and the research
Oklahoma as soon as at home. Will definitely be watching

(08:09):
closely Piney to see if he delivers or if his
stock continues to fall.

Speaker 2 (08:13):
All right, we're running out of time, mate, but I
want to get a bit of on the NFL. Can
you give us just a brief summer of where we
are three weeks in the AFC and the NFC.

Speaker 3 (08:22):
Yes, So there's a few teams that are at three
or no and a few that are two or no.
But the biggest talking point at the moment is about
the Kansas City chief Now it looks like their dynastic
one might be over. They're currently o and two the
first time and you read the Mitch Combs era and
now beyond the customer I've owned three. As they're on
the road tomorrow. The history shows are teams that start
oh and two have only a ten per seen chance

(08:45):
to make the playoffs, and only one team and NFL
history has ever had the playoffs after starting out oh
and three. So if you look at it, they're really
up against it right now because as I said, they're
on the road, they're over and two, they're facing oh
and three, and so there's a real possibility that they
won't make the finals. Also, the Cincinnati Bengals have been
hampered even though there are two or no, because the

(09:07):
star quarterback Joe Burrow is out for the rest of
the season after undergoing foot surgery. So again, some of
the top teams are against it. But if we look
at the favorite teams, I'm picking more likely towards the
Philadelphia Eagles, the Buffalo Bulls, the Baltimore Ravens are the
top teams really and maybe the Detroit Lines as well
to be able to get that Vince Lombardy and lift

(09:30):
it at the end of February.

Speaker 2 (09:32):
Wonderful stuff. Leon, always enjoy chatting American sport with you.
Thank you for your comprehensive rappers always. We'll do it
again soon. Leon Busby taking a state side on Weekend Sport.

Speaker 1 (09:41):
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