Robert Kraft Arrested, Zion Williamson Hurt, Bryce Harper

Dr. Mitchell Roslin is joined by Gregg Sussman to discuss the Robert Kraft arrest, Zion Williamson's injury, and Bryce Harper's destination.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to the Fantasy Sports Radio Network. What is up?
This is Doc Jack here in the Fantasy Sports Network.

(00:21):
That is Dr Mitchell Rosalind and I am Greg Susman. Doc.
How are you, sir? Doing well? I guess it's been
two weeks way on, we were both away for Presidential
Weekend's great place to start, because when when President's weekend
comes or president week and people coming back. I think
of some of the great trivia questions in sports. Okay,

(00:43):
what are the only schools in the country or schools
in the country that have Super Bowl winning quarterbacks and
presidents from them? Super waiting quarterbacks and presidents. That's a great, great,
great place to stall. Gosh, you know it's February. It
must be February. Oh my god. All right, one's easy.

(01:04):
One's easy. Yeah, come on, you just won the Super Bowl.
That's Michigan, right. The president he played football for Michigan.
Ronald Reagan did't play football for Michigan. He played the
gipper in the movie with Notre Dame used Gerald Ford.
It was a starting center on the Michigan football team.

(01:24):
I know I'm dating myself, remember the Nixon Okay, alright,
one is downright impossible. Okay, but the downright impossible, but
one's relatively straight forward Um Naval Academy. Okay, okay. So
the quarterback is Residents your lifetime, Presidents in my lifetime,

(01:46):
well maybe not, maybe not, maybe not George George bush
Well actually um Reagan one after him, Jimmy Carter last time,
still still alive, still live, goes to speak to all
the of Emery and the quarterback Dallas Cowboys, just still back. Okay.

(02:08):
The next one you have, The next two you have
no shot, no shot, So I'm not go I liked
and I love TA is my favorite. Okay, next one,
who you have no shot? Okay? The president's Herbert Hoover
from Stanford. The quarterbacks are actually Elway and Plunkett, both
one Super Bowls, and the one that's absolutely impossible is
Miami of Ohio the quarterback, and the president is Warren Harding,

(02:33):
and anybody who knows that has way too much time.
It's interesting. Now while we're on President president trivia, who
is and this is really an amazing question, and everyone
says Barack Obama. So Barack Obama is not the answer. Okay.
Who is the only president to play college basketball. Only
president to play college basketball. Not a bad guest often,

(02:58):
but that's wrong. Okay, all right, uh, never get this one.
I'll never would you Wilson? No, all right, okay, Woodward
Wilson actually died in office. But go on, but he
could like college basketball. Yeah, he was dead before college
You'll never get it. He's one of the presidents James
hook that resigned when the presidents that resigned. So it's

(03:21):
not Nixon. It is Nixon's Nixon played for Whitney. Oh
my god. You know what made me think about that is,
you know, Greg Popovitch being a little bit in the
news about what he said. Where did Gregg Popovitch thought
his coaching career was another school like that? It was
actually Pomona. Look at this? Look at this wealth from
Dr Rosalind today. How about that? What's what we're on? Presidents?

(03:42):
What college did John Kennedy play John Kennedy? Come on, man,
this is ridiculous. I like history. Okay, what college sports
did the first George Bush like this? You should know
probably played polo? No, he was the captain of Yale.
He s so that it ends presidential trivia of it today?

(04:05):
Oh god, that was a disaster, but you talked about
what One of the questions you asked was what what
president played college basketball? And the answer was Richard Nixon.
You said, let's start with college basketball. But that was
a big story that was in the news over the
past weekend or over the past week, I should say
where Zion Williamson literally came out of his shoe. That's
a big controversy with Nike about that comes out of
his shoe last Wednesday. And so as a knee injury

(04:29):
does not return, missed two games at least for Duke.
The week question is, or was at the time before
we was kind of announced what would happen is what
should Zion Williamson do? Should he come back and play
college basketball at all this season? Or should he take
his bad go home like we saw Nick Bosa do
in college football? Secure your spot. We already know Zion's
go lady the number one overall pick. By sitting out,

(04:51):
I don't think he would damage that potential prospect. So
guarantee yourself the money, make sure you don't ruin your
potential earning career. Doc, what do you think about Zion's
injury and what do you think about his decision going forward.
You know, I think this is really a complex, complex
subject and one that really is important around sports. First

(05:14):
of all, when he went down, I thought he tore
his a c L. Just like everybody else was watching
the way he went went went down and realized that
a sprain is a sprain of the ligament and basically
the m R I didn't show any any tear um
and that that's great news. So I think you take

(05:34):
step back. You know, he's going to be the number
one draft pick. He has nothing financially to gain to
play play for Duke, and therefore everybody you know from DUCA,
Donic Rights, you know, Europe and John Chick you know,
writes Europe and that he shouldn't be playing. I look
at it somewhat differently. I think my problem is is

(05:56):
that everybody associated with Duke Basque at ball, from Krashovski
to the Duke alumni, to the Duke brand to college
basketball as a whole, is profiting because this guy is
really an icon, correct, and he doesn't profit, and there's
something wrong with that that he's adding so much value.

(06:21):
On the other hand, I think you brought up Nick
Bosa comes from a football family, and made a business decision,
can Fulton. But I think it's kind of different in
a strange way. You know, Zion Williamson and basketball players
and not Fine China, they only get better by playing basketball.
In the offseason, they're going to play basketball. So it's like,

(06:43):
what are you gonna do? Shut him down? So he
doesn't play for duke in a supervised environment, And what
is the next time he's going to play basketball is
when he has a contract. Basketball players play basketball. They
play basketball, you know, during the offseason. They don't just
work work out. They played the game. You know he
you know, he played the game his entire life. You know,

(07:06):
this is one of the arguments about all of the
sports time and when if you start thinking about getting hurt,
that's when you do get hurt. So the obvious question
that I brought it up before Nick Bosa heard himself
three or four games into the season shut it down.
Is it different because football is such a violent game
or is it not different to you, like, hey, you're
you're a football player. Play football? No, I think football

(07:28):
is different. I also think football players don't necessarily train
by playing football. I mean one of the point, Okay,
I think that you know, now one of the things
that they we hear all the time is that tackling
is so bad because people don't wear pads. Now, they
were on non contact injuries as well, but you know,
in the offseason, ten people don't go down to Chelsea

(07:49):
Piers and play tackle football, no doubt. Okay, so there
is a difference. You know, football players trained by doing drills,
they trained by lifting weights, they train, they minimize their
contact two acts of war. I mean, you know, they're
there are probably simulation drills that they do, but they
don't actually involve combat, you know, different than boxes who

(08:09):
spa So I think there's a huge medical difference between that.
And the truth is that Zion is better off playing
in the supervised environment of Duke. The problem that we
have to reconcile is why is everybody else benefiting besides him?
And he's truly an icon And that's where I have
a problem with it. And you know, then you saw

(08:30):
him go down and people say, well, he would have
lost millions. The truth is he's such an icon. He's
really the exception. He would have you know, even if
he tore his a c L Yes, his basketball career
would have been hurt, but he would have done fine
in life because people love him. The Duke alumni love him,
you know, the the he he has so much. I mean,

(08:52):
Zion Williamson is going to be successful in any line
of work he chooses. He is a special person and
a special talent. So they said that even if he
had torn his A c L that night against the
University of North Carolina, that he still would have been
the number one overall pick in the NBA draft. He

(09:13):
ultimately wouldn't have cost himself a dollar. Maybe that's true,
maybe it's not. Thankfully we don't have to know about
that because he didn't tear his A c L. But
if I need interesting, and that was that was another
argument to say, hey, he should come back because he's
gonna number one pick or he's gonna have his earnings
potential maximized because of who he is and the alumni
and the system that you're mentioning. What did you think

(09:34):
of the people, doc that we're of the Nike angle,
like how could a Nike shoe just do this? How
how could it just tear a part? And then Puma's
response via Twitter, what do you think of all that? Well?
I I think it's you know, I think it. You know,
it's it's so funny. I I asked my friend who coaches,

(09:58):
and I said, you know, I think Zion is gonna
get hurt because I've never seen anybody cut as violently
as he does. Okay, that's why I thought he was
gonna tears a cl I mean I was thinking this
when I was watching um Duke. I forgot who they
put the Duke Virginia game. Okay, the Duke Virginia game.
I've never seen anybody plant as violently as he plants. Okay,

(10:22):
So if you really want to ask me the question
is I think that you can criticize night cal you want.
They are probably trying to make a shoe that's stable,
that also is light, that creates a certain amount of speed,
you know, anything that you engineer. When you take something
out of something, in other words, to make it lighter,
you're giving something up. And I don't think anybody's ever

(10:45):
seen the talk. I mean, I think it's the same
thing as when when I don't think we've ever watched
anybody hit a tennis ball as violently as Nadal has
hit a tennis ball. And I don't think equipment it's
it's that easy to test for those things until they occur.
But I've never seen anybody plant like Zion Williamson. And
you know that would be my one, not in And

(11:07):
you know, although Nadal has had a great career, can
you play is violently? You know, the cuts that he
makes are I don't know if violence is the right word,
but I've never seen anybody plant is hard and shift,
especially at that size um and and can that body
maintain something like that? Um And the truth of the

(11:31):
matter is, I wouldn't have taken him number one if
he tour his A c L because his freakish athleticism
is what makes him that special. It's it's it's not
Stephen Curry that has the greatest skills. I mean, he
has unique skills for a player of his size, but

(11:52):
the cuts and the athleticism and if he loses that
a shade, you know, that's really the question on him
with a very unusual body by a launch and man,
I don't think we've you know, the closest comparison that
people make was Charles Barkley in the Round Mound of Rebound.
And I remember Charles Barkley very well when he came

(12:13):
into Philadelphia, but he was mainly a post up player,
and he created a lot of space. And yes, he
moved extremely well for his size. This guy is is
totally different. The closest comparison to me to him is
Julius Irvin. Certainly high is Julius Irvin. But Julius Irving
was feathery, you know. In as strange word, Zion Williamson

(12:38):
is doing the same things. But it's it's violent, you know,
you know, it's it's it's it's not you know, it's
not um you know, just one way, it goes both ways,
and basically an unstoppable force. Um I. I I can't think
of a real corresponding play year to him. He's unlike

(13:03):
anything that I've seen. I'm younger than you, and you
watched a lot more basketball than me. He's unlike anything
I have seen from anybody in the NBA that size,
that length, that ability. You know. The other thing about him, okay,
and this is the thing that people don't talk about.
Great endurance places absolutely okay, you know, and and and

(13:28):
this is this is kind of what has always made
Lebron James special is his endurance and his ability to
play his butt off, and you're seeing that now with
the Lakers, where he seems like he has to conserve energy.
Something's wrong and he's not the same. What made Lebron

(13:48):
James amazing was that he was a freight train with
forty two seconds to go in the game and a
freight train in the first half and couldn't stop. Now
it looks like he's you know, I hate to say
the word like. You know, when you watch James Harden play,
it always looks like he's pacing himself. You watch west
Russell Westbrook play, he never looks like he's pacing himself.

(14:11):
Lebron James never was pacing himself. He now looks like
he's pacing himself. To me, Zion Williamson is always going.
He has the best motor. That's what sets him apart
from Barrett and Cam Reddish. Both of those are freakish athletes.
You you watch Cam Reddish go out and god point
guards and I was like watching him stripped Highest Battle

(14:32):
of Syracuse this weekend at six ft ten. He's like
he's pressing their point guard and you know, Highest battles
two guards and stripping him at at half court and
it's like amazing athletes, but they don't have the motor
that Zion has when he's out there to just go, go, go,
go go. Speak of the motor, it brings me to
actually last night with Lebron James, did you see this

(14:53):
Planty chance stuck? No? I didn't, So Leronnie, there's went
around a little viral a forty second clip of the
Lakers on defense last night against the Grizzlies and they
lost to Memphis. Right, you know, there's a whole lot
made of playoff mode being playoff mode intensity being activated
by Lebron. That was a big joke. Right, So Lebron
on a triple double last night. They still lost and

(15:14):
he was awesome, But there is forty second clip and
you spoke about how his zion, how intense he is
from the first quarters through the first half of the
end of the second half. Yeah, and how it seems
like he never takes a playoff. The bowl was going
around and Lebron is just standing there. Just I'm not
calling out Lebron, I'm not Skip Bayless, I'm not gonna
do that. It just hims standing there that his hands up,
not going back and forth between his man and I'm

(15:36):
never calling out Lebron, but like it was just him
standing there watching and not moving. It was like, what
is happening? You know again I I said, the first
time I've seen him, look like he's pacing himself. Now.
It could it be that when he was hurt, he's
lost his stabbing a little bit, a stammin er, a
little bit. Could it be that, you know, no ones

(16:00):
played more basketball because you know, first of all, all
of his series have gone seven games. Okay, so and
he's played into June every single year plus Olympics. Okay,
he's human, So there's there could be miles running up
on that speedometer, and you know what you have to do,

(16:22):
and you take you know, not the same player. And
we've criticized him, you and I, Kamelo Anthony, But when
you take a step back, Okay, Lebron James is not
the greatest shooter in the world. Okay. He is a
basketball savant as there's a great great passer, and there's

(16:43):
never been anyone his size who can do the things
that he can do. Okay, but if he loses that ability,
he's still an incredible NBA player to play at a
higher pace than anybody else. If he loses the ability
to play at a higher pace is what I'm trying
to say, he then comes back to the pack. What's

(17:04):
made him incredible as the size, speed and be able
to play at that pace for forty three minutes a
game or actually a hundred and five games a year,
I would estimate, And that's what I'm not seeing right now.
So on anyone play he looks exactly the same, but
you're just not seeing that woo woo woo every play.

(17:28):
And I think it's funny. If you would have watched
Lebron James in the regular season over the last seven
eight years, I'm sure I could find many instances of
what we saw last night. But because they're not in
the playoffs right now, because they're in the outside looking
in because they lost to the Memphis Grizzlies, everything is magnified.
And you're also losing out the because because there's an

(17:49):
underwhelming and overwhelming sentiment to say that Jordan's the best
player of all time and people to find credence to it.
So everybody wants to say that. You know, as soon
as he went out to the West, he wouldn't be
in the finals every year, And you know, look at
Jordan's record. When he gets there, he closed. Now let
me give the counter to that augument. Okay, the Bulls

(18:13):
without Michael Jordan's we're a you Hollis foul call on
Scottie Pippen at the Garden from going against the Rockets
in a series that honestly, John Stocks had to miss
every shock for the Knicks to lose. My guess is
the Bulls would have beaten that Rocket team with Elijah one.
And then if the Bulls had won that championship. And

(18:35):
there's a lot of ifs, and I know that if
as you count in sports. But let's face it, if
that call when Pippin gets fouled, and clearly you Hollins
makes that call, Chicago wins Game six, Nicks don't go
against Houston, and at least that series is to pick.
So he played with legitimate Hall of famers such as

(18:56):
Scottie Pippen as opposed to the people that Lebron James
took to win with Cleveland. Now where I've always said
Lebron and any ten players could make the NBA playoffs,
You know, we're right about to fund out. We're about
to find out, and what's interesting though, And everybody's saying
it's the West, but this is not the same West

(19:19):
as last year or the year before. It's not like
the Clippers traded away their team and they're still in
the playoffs. Okay, And I don't think you know. Sacramento
is is fantastic, and San Antonio just lost to the Knicks,
so and and the Knicks and Nets and back to
back nights. So they're not exactly chasing the twenty seven

(19:40):
New York Yankees. No, certainly, not Ys, not just anything
like that. As it stands right now as we record this,
the Lakers sit in eleventh place in the Western Conference.
They are three games back of the Spurs or a
playoffs spot. They are two games is back of the Kings,

(20:00):
who are ninth, and they are tied, so they're tied
for tenth, tied for tenth with the Timberwolves as well,
who are streaking a little bit um on their own
right with Coronati Town's attorney with another thirty and twenty
game last night for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Let's go away
from the NBA now and talking the other big story
that we missed with no show last week, and that

(20:20):
the story about Robert Kraft and Robert Craft, as everybody
knows now, got caught on tape and then in a
rave of the FBI inside a massage parlor in Florida,
and it's come out details uh since then that one
of those times that he was caught in there for
about fifteen minutes was on the morning of the a
f C Championship game before he owned his private plane

(20:42):
through flew to Kansas City. There's another time, um that
he also was caughting in there. He's a seventy eight,
seventy nine year old guy to seven right, fair enough,
seventy seven year old owner or the New England Patriots
that went to the massage parlor. He's been the foot
and center. He has pleaded his lawyers command and said
this is not him, isn't like to do with it.

(21:02):
I'm quite sure that when it comes down to it,
he will plead Rever down. It's essentially a pocket ticket, correct,
Pay a bunch of money to not even a bunch
of money, pay a little bit of money to some
community service of charity and it goes away. Yeah. So
I will point blank say I disagree with all the

(21:24):
people sitting in the media admonishing somebody, I really have sympathy.
And I think the lesson that I take out of
this is value your close relationships. Because while you can
Robert Kraft can call any person in the world and

(21:45):
get a return phone call, no doubt. He can hob
nob with anybody that you would want to meet. You
can go out to dinner and tom with Tom Brady.
But anybody that has to go to a massage paulor
on Friday and Saturday is very lonely in their own way.
And it tells you that you can have all the
money in the world. You know, my grandfather used to say,
I'm the wealthiest person in the world, and these are

(22:07):
my dividends and point to his children and his grandchildren, okay,
and his family. To me, it shows that you know,
wealth and power don't give you intimate relationships. And you know,
especially as you move along and you looked at in
a certain way, and maybe when the cameras on and

(22:28):
you're winning Super Bowls, you're extremely happy. But when you
go to sleep at night, you know, even with the
thirty nine year old supposed to girlfriend, he's he's there's
obviously something lonely. And I think that we're so quick
to judge and so quick to criticize, and I think
that we should be is just have sympathy. I don't
think he was trying to hurt somebody. I don't think

(22:50):
he's has you know, I don't think he's trafficking. I understand.
I'm not stupid that if you dry up the financial model,
you know, then there wouldn't be a demand import these
girls from China. I understand that. But I think in
his moment of loneliness, his moment of stress, is not
thinking of the implications of those things. And I don't
think humans do. And I just kind of feel sorry

(23:12):
for him, and I feel sorry that people are having
such a great time criticizing human frailty. You know, I
think that comes from wanting to see the rich and
the powerful fall in a way jealousy, right, a little
bit of jealousy. I also think it comes from a
holier than thou type thing. What I mean, Like, I

(23:32):
think that people are so quick to judge others, and
and you know, I think that everybody has skeletons in
their closet. Everyone's had broken relationships, everybody has had their
own their their their own issues that they went one publicized,
no doubt about that, especially a lot of the people
that have done the most criticizing of him. Of course,

(23:53):
I think that the big story, and you hit a
little bit, is, you know, the girls from China being
illegally brought over sex slaves or whatever, whatever the number is.
I mean, that's the story, Robert Kraft, a seventy seven
year old owner whatever, you know, I I think, I
you know, you you know, there have been similar, similar
stories that have been written about nail Definitely, yes, manicures,

(24:20):
you know, all the Korean places, and you know, we
we certainly like you know, we don't admonish like all
of you know, the women in my town that are
getting their nails done every single week. And supposedly these
women are are basically you know, brought up to every
nail salon. I mean, I don't know. I only know
it was in the New York Times. I mean, you know,
they're basically driven and played minority. We just you know,

(24:44):
beneath scale wages and kept in terrible places so that
everybody in New York can have you know, cheap manicures,
you know, and you know, so this is a major
major issue across the board, and I've always felt, you know,
in in medicine, a lot of times we see uninsured people.

(25:05):
I've always felt very sympathetic too illegal immigrants. Whereas a
lot of people said, you know, they shouldn't be using
the expensive system. I believe that they are here because
we don't want to say we have a cast system.
What I've always felt less sympathy for the people who
are contract is making a ton of money in their

(25:27):
own business and then not taking any money to buy
health insurance. That I've had much more empathy for the
illegal immigrants that are here because we want them to
be here. Excuse me, President Trump, who uses them at
his golf course. We want to be able to go
out to dinner and pay less money. We don't want
to pay maids a ton of money, and that's and

(25:49):
we want to pay our construction workers, so we pay
less for our house on daily rates. And if we
didn't want them here, then we would have changed the
laws a long time ago. We just don't want to
say we have a cast system. So this is, of
course Doc Jack here fantasy sports that we got off
the topic. I'm magag to go. I can go off. Oh,
I can go off the entire show about this topic

(26:10):
and my feelings on illegal immigration and President Trump. I
just don't know where how far down that road we
ultimately want to go. I think that it's very sad.
I'll say this, it's very sad how illegal immigrants, the
term the group are being used in place of criminals

(26:31):
and rapists and all that that that is not here
to work. Of course, they're here because he's scape escape poverty.
That there's not a better opportunity. It's a it's a
terrible lot of horrible life. Okay, it's a terrible, terrible life.
And and you know, again this is a sports show,
and and and and stuff like that, but you know,
you know, I don't want to go on, but it's

(26:53):
it's a very very very very tough life. And I
think we should be empathetic, not not not um persecute Tory.
I agree. I think it's a good place to stop
that there. Okay, Bryce hart Machado he has signed. He
remember the San Diego Padres signs for three hundred million dollars.
Gets his money. Bryce Harper has not. But no, Narronado

(27:17):
has highest annual average value of any contract for any
player ever. Making about thirty two and a half million
dollars over eight years and a half million dollars a year.
So even though so now oddly enough tell us today
the I leave three. I'm gonna show you right now
the three most expensive contracts ever A A V wise

(27:42):
have been signed by the Marlins and John Carlos Stanton
made that deal, the Rockies, Ronado and the Padres with Machado.
Isn't that remarkable that's who have signed the three highest contracts. Well,
it's remarkable on some hand. It's it's reasonable on some
hand when you look at teams like the Mets, you know,

(28:05):
and big market teams that play like small market teams.
That's ridiculous because I can certainly understand what the Yankees
are doing. You know, you're in the right position, you
feel you have enough to win. You always keep your
investment so that you can be the world's team. Okay, sure,
but once you're there, you don't have to spend crazily.
You have to, you know, preserve where you're at. The

(28:29):
Mets are in the same market, okay, and they just
don't see it, and it's hysterical. Todd Fraser and Jed Lowry, Okay,
doing that. Now I will make an argument that business wise,
you know, I will say that the reason why this
makes sense to me is because only teams that have
to sign these contracts would sign these contracts. Because interestingly,

(28:53):
and let's go to the the magic mac right now,
if you look at the two thousand and ten best
plays in baseball, exclude some of the forty year olds,
See how many of them would you have wanted to
give a ten year contract and be a good, good investment.
You know, it's not a big number. Probably can know
you know works out. You look at some of the

(29:14):
big contracts around here that haven't worked out. Uh, cesspit As,
you can't say that his contract has worked out. But
at the time it was a reason obviously, David Wright.
Look at Troy Tulwhisky, you know, who had two thousand
and ten was considered one of the best players in baseball.
So if you go down the list from two thousand
and ten, who you'd want to give a ten year contract?
And now look ahead, and I guess the average major

(29:36):
league team salaries about a hundred and eighty million dollars.
So let's assume for inflation. Let's assume in you know,
six to eight years. Let's even say it goes up
to three hundred million dollars, that's still ten percent of
your salary right there. And I think that when you
look at these things, the chance of these contracts working
out is not that high. So I have a list

(29:58):
in front me. It's just for fun, right that in
two thousand ten. Okay, and let's say we'll say, would
you signed him and we'll exclude some of the older
players for a ten ten year deals? What we said, right,
so we're left to concentrate on the people who are
less than thirty. Let's do it, Okay. I don't know
what this listen story by, but it's given what we need.
The number one player on this list sort of by

(30:21):
war and sort of by war, which is practice. Josh Hamilton.
I guess that would have been a very bad investment.
Carl Crawford when he used to play for the Race, Well,
Evan Longoria, you know again, we thought he was gonna
him and David right with the people that we talked
about the next generation. You know again, I don't have

(30:42):
his numbers in front of me, but I think Longoria
when when Longaria went from you know up, I think
he had a slight ascent after two thousand and ten,
but I think from two thousand and fifteen on he's
been very mediocre. Twenty sixteen season was very good. He
had thirty six homers, ninety eight rbs. That's a very
good season. So I think that's close. So you'd be

(31:03):
at the back end of that contract, have two years left,
and it would obviously not be worth it now, no doubt.
But I think the rest of the career because he
played in the hundred and fifty six games and every season,
so I think you're okay with that one. Okay, you're
okay with that one. Okay, next Joey Vada, that's yes, Yes,
one bad year last year. Yeah, but he's been fine

(31:24):
every year. So that's that's yes, that's that we're two
out of the top ten. Albert Pools asked the Angels
about the time exactly Ryan Zimmerman been nope, Yeah, mediocre
at best, Nope. Who's a Bautista? He's probably, well, he
was a little he was about Batista probably back then.
It was it was nine years ago. Was probably because

(31:45):
he was like thirty eight for the Mets, thirty and
he's thirty eight now, so he's been thirty one at
the time. Yeah, okay, absolutely not okay, all right, I
agree with you. So that's too so far. Adrian Beltrey,
he's retired. Adrian Beltrey was a great player every year
he played, and he was fine last year. You would
have given the eight year contracts. Okay, so that's story.

(32:07):
We're good. Robinson Cano we talked about. He's played to
his contract. Yes he has. So that's four. Andreas Tours
had a really nice year. He obviously would not be
Let's let's give on just touris Matt Holiday. I don't
know how old Matt Holiday was there at that time.
He was a very good player for the for the cause.
That was when he was when he was on the
Cardinals still, um, and I don't know how old he

(32:28):
was at that time. Believe actually this is the same
right second one, I think Matt Holiday would be close
to a yes because the borderline you wouldn't want to
give him big numbers. I wouldn't have wanted to give him.
So that was his first season with the Cardinals. And
here's a long time doc because he's thirty nine years

(32:49):
old right now, he was twenty nine. It's very similar
to the Ronado deal. With the Arnaldo deal given eight years,
not ten years. Do we give holiday eight years? That
would have brought into this past year. It's still have
been a bad last two years. But I'm terrible, not terrible, terrible.
So there's the top ten. When he keep going, keep
going a few I'm just saying that that that that

(33:09):
you know now and you have to again, this is war.
This is war. You have to also add that now
he's not playing for his contract contract. And the other
thing is he's got the opt out after five years.
So at the three years of the Lronado after five years, yeah, okay,
oh my god, Ricky Weeks, goodbye Rick Gardner. He's been,

(33:34):
he's been in the big Yeah, that's a good one.
Should shoot shoot, got the contract and did nothing. He's
a great last year after after some mediocrity. You don't
love that one. Michael Cabrera again was the best player
in the world. And then I can't stay healthy. Over
the last two years he hasn't be able to stay healthy.

(33:56):
But when he is healthy, he's actually still very good.
He got the contract very late. I think they signed
him to a very long term, only just a couple
of years. Ago a little bit too late, Okay, I
have to be Carlos Gonzalez again. He's been awful the
last few years. Yeah, you know, remember when the Mets
were going to trade many times. Aubrey Huff was probably

(34:17):
old by that point, I think too low. We've spoken
about Kelly Johnson and the Chase Utley. He's old. He's
old by then years old. J Bruce you know that,
you know, it's very Japer is really interesting one man.
I'll never understand that from the Mets perspective. Obviously the Mariners. Now,
I think he's still the Mariners. Let's he got traded
or he's gonna raise j Bruce. J Bruce was traded

(34:39):
to the Mariners. He hasn't been traded since then. I
don't think so. It's very hard to remember what the
Mariners with Jerry to put on all the trades he makes. Um,
it's interesting because Jay Bruce still the Marriagers. Jabru is
an interesting one man, because ten years ago it's twenty
one years old, and or it's back in ten years
ago from now, so it's ten he was twenty two
years old. You've probably would have given it to him.

(35:01):
There's only thirty one. Now, yeah you remember, well you
don't remember Casey Stingle ones. God, I'm feeling really old.
But Casey Stingle one said about a Met prospect, he goes,
you know, he's twenty he's twenty two years old. And
people were saying and you know, looking forward he was,
and he said, you know, he had a chance in
ten years to be thirty two. That's a great point,

(35:23):
you know. Jas is really interesting cause oviously had a
really nice season Um for the Reds twenty five he
was twenty two years old or whatnot. Twenty five home runs,
runs scored, seventy r b I s, bat at too
eighty like, that's awesome. And he had some nice years
with the Reds, size of a pretty big money deal.
Had a pretty good year for the Mets and Indians
two years, that's the thing. Has a nice season for
the Mets. Then the Mets can't give him away, can't

(35:46):
give him away, Indians Takeum has a awesome second half,
the Mets do it again. No, no, actually that year
his first when the Mets got him, going down the stretch,
he was awful. He was actually doing well for the
first half when the Mets got him. They still think
I didn't think anybody wants to pay for that contract.
When he traded him to the Indians, Well, no, that

(36:07):
was his free agent year, right, that was his free
agent The Mets got him to go down this strata
and he actually, you know, he was awful, but they
still played him in the playoffs. And then in seventeen
he had a very very good year, and then and
then they traded him at the halfway point um for

(36:30):
absolutely nothing, and then they resigned him with j Bruce
was that season where he bet at eight one second
season of the majors was this highest he's ever hit
by far. His next highest average was to sixty two.
It's awful. Yeah, And and plus Jay Bruce is the
type of player if he doesn't hit thirty home runs,
he's not worth playing because he doesn't give you anything else. Um, Joe,

(36:55):
Joe Mauer and Jason Worth. Our next March is retired.
Jason Worrett signed a big one he deal with in
Nationals and it worked out for most of that I think. Yeah.
And and you know Mara signed the big money deal
with the Twins and was never the same player. Oh well, yes,
you're right, he was never the same player. Was never
the same place. You know, it was coming off to
to like near m v P. That that was the
eminem Boys, and you know, became very pedestrian missed in Minnesota,

(37:18):
you know, but but very pedestrian. And in the latter
half of his career, I mean the best I kind
of remember him his best years. But like when Johan
Santana was pitching, that was when Mara Moreno at their peak.
Could mean they could not be the Yankees though, So
that that's about your top twenty or so, and I
think I think so. I mean, I think that the
Audi was a handful of guys. So so, you know,

(37:40):
unless you're looking at these contracts being a lost leader,
unless you're looking at them being your recruiting tool, unless
you're looking at these from business standpoint um in terms
of giving you more legitimacy, potentially a presence uh potent,
actually a better television contract, potentially creating great buzz and interest,

(38:05):
putting you on the map. I think from a pure
baseball perspective, you can't justify these contracts. So I think
that's why you're not seeing the Yankees, Chicago Cubs, you know,
jump into those type of things, because I think they
were already set in the in in that framework, and
I don't necessarily disagree. But I do give credit to
owner Dick mal Ford, who has paid his players. He's

(38:27):
paid his guys. Say what you want with the contracts.
But Troy to Lewitsky got paid going back, Todd Hilton
got paid, um Plos Gonzalez by the Rockies got paid.
Now Nolan Ronado Charlie Blackman have both gotten paid. They've
done their best in a mid market to pay their guys.
I do give them credit for that. I do too,

(38:50):
And they've also been a relevant franchise for many many years,
for many many years. And you know, again the question
people always ask is how inflated are those numbers? Because, uh, you,
because it seems like they always have great offensive players.
Here's the exact sweet I was looking for. By the way,
largest total contract every given out was by the Marlins
three five million dollars for gian Carlos Stanton. Largest free

(39:11):
agent deal ever given out was by the Padres three
hundred to Machado. Largest position player average, which is thirty
two and a half million dollars, was given out by
the Rockies. If I would have given you the guest
name the three teams to do that, and he probably
think he's read Sox Dodgers did not happen because they
don't have to, although the Yankees do it. Yankees did
take giene Carlo Stanton's contract. He did. But the Molins

(39:35):
have paid off a lot or paying off a lot
of that. But they did, absolutely, And the Marlins couldn't
wait to get out from underneath that contract. I mean,
you do argue in new owners and and other things.
They couldn't wait to get out from underneath that contract,
especially after his MVP season. And you know, it's a
really from a different standpoint, Yankees go ahead and sign

(39:55):
Aaron Hicks. It was seven year deal, and you're seeing
a lot of a lot of guys, yeah, buying out
their arbitration years for security, not even not even just that.
I mean Aaron Hicks, Aaron Hicks, an Nolan Arnado is
supposed to be free agents next year. And listen, Machado
got paid, Harper is going to get paid for whatever reason.
Aaron Hicks and so listen sil on Arnado because he

(40:18):
made you know, the highest annual average ever. But a
guy like Aaron Hicks and Luis Savarino really like they
don't want to take their chances, especially Hicks was a
free agent in six months, does not want to take
his chances to go out of the market, which is
a great transition to make, which is is what they
essentially have done if is they have taken guaranteed money
that's set up there their lives as long as they

(40:41):
anything reasonable and many many generations to come. Seventy million
dollars Aaron Hicks is guaranteed, right, so it's enough to guarantee.
So they took the guaranteed money, which is a great
transition to Levy on Bell. Sure, absolutely great transition to
Levy on Bell No Number on. You know, I heard
a lot of commentary in the New York area about

(41:03):
comparing what Levan Bell and in Jacob Degram. You know,
when Jacob Degram's agent basically said, you know, you only
pay me for twelve thousand miles, so when I'm only
going to pitch you know, a certain amount, And and
Jacob Graham, who I know personally, it's a great, great guy,
kind of reiterated in a press conference. Totally different story.

(41:24):
Levian Bell deserves some credit. He sat out the goddamn you, okay,
he had his conviction. He made a decision. He made
a decision. He took a risk because you know, Pittsburgh
steel Is could have refranchised him, they could have labeled him.
He took a risk that he was going to not
play for fourteen million dollars to get his freedom, so

(41:48):
that he would be guaranteed more money. And I think
he's gonna wind up with a guarantee of forty five
to fifty five million dollars. I don't know. I don't
know if that happens. I think it will. I I
really think I think it will. I think there's too
many suitors out there. I think you know, you're gonna
have Kansas City, You're gonna have Green Bay, You're gonna
have the Jets. You're right, although all three of those

(42:08):
teams are gonna be on them. Green Bay, I can't
imagine you're going to give him that kind of contract.
Green May doesn't do that, hasn't done it, hasn't done it.
The window with Aaron Rodgers coming to an end, definitely,
Green Bay would be stupid not to do it. For
of course, I think that even if I think it
takes you, that's weird. And maybe that's where dead money
doesn't make a difference. So so so if you're going

(42:30):
to tell me that it's stupid for certain teams to
do it, but Green Bay not to do it is stupid.
Maybe it's just me, But for lady on Bell, like
fourteen and a half million dollars, there's a lot of money,
a lot of them. I mean, listen, I don't make
a million dollars. The legis le fourteen and a half

(42:52):
million dollars or whatever it was sitting on the table.
It's a lot of money to leave out. But here's
the story. If he did tear his a c l well,
he did have a serious injury, which for a running
back is a five chance. Okay, look look at Todd

(43:13):
Gurley right now. If Todd Gurley didn't get paid right
now after what we saw, would anybody be paying him
big bucks? Look at how that went straight down. I
think he made the right decision. I think he made

(43:35):
the right decision. Again, and I'm the guy who told
you that. You know, Zion Williamson is not a prima ballerina.
He's got to play basketball to be good. But this
is a different sport, and this is a different game,
and you know, people go, well, you know, he only
has a certain amount of window. You can retire, reelate.
It's all about the guaranteed money. This is his last

(43:56):
major contract. I mean he may get a John Stewart
a tract if he knows somebody in in the league
that this is really his last contract. So he was
willing to sit the four team. So what number did
he make the right decision? Certainly above forty he made
the right decision, no doubt about it. If he gets
about thirty years about the right decision, you know. So

(44:22):
I don't know that that's if he gets about forty,
it's the right decision. If he gets about thirty, I
don't know. I don't know where the number is. I
really don't. We'll see um live in Bell's agent, Levian
Bell is running backs a d value the whole deal?
Maybe yes? Maybe no, maybe maybe maybe. You know, again,

(44:44):
what difference does it make if you what you call
somebody if they can run the ball, catch the ball
and and and you know, move around? So who who
who like besides the quarterback when you watch his should
be valued. You know everybody's saying now the same thing
that teams who have a great wide receiver with the
Antonio Brown, don't don't don't don't win. Okay, so yeah,

(45:10):
the story about football and hockey is you win with
you know, next man up depth and you need your
superstars to play like superstars. The teams that the superstars
don't play like superstars and don't have depth don't win.
But now we're hearing the same thing about a wide receiver.
So what wins? And you're supposed to pay offence line
all the money? What's what I'm supposed to say? What wins?

(45:30):
You know? And I think you know the Patriots defensive
defensive line, and think you know the Patriots. They just
have divvied the money up around a lot of different players. Okay,
you know you look at the Rams. The Rams, you know,
the highest plague player probably on their team was probably
Girly you know, I I don't know a lot of players.
It might it might have been Cooks have been a

(45:53):
key to leave. We've made a lot of money. Are
Donald obviously just got the contract extension and you know
they play at a dominant sue you know, a fair
amount to be there, you know, go back, you know
the before. So so you know now we're hearing the
same thing that you don't need a top wide receiver
then with a few years ago we were hearing you
needed a top wide receiver. The bottom line is you
need great players to make great, big plays when you

(46:14):
need them to make great plays, no of course, yeah,
but like you said that, right, you need your big
players to step up no matter what, your highest paid
players to step up, no matter what. That's how you're
gonna be successful. I mean, you know, right now, like now,
the Antonio Brown thing is is really interesting. Now. I
wouldn't you know. I don't think they're going to get
anything for him. Why would they? Why would with your team?

(46:34):
Why are you giving them what they want? You know,
it wouldn't. It's not as bad negotiating. Yeah, I don't
you know. And I think that you know, no, what
I think the biggest problem is people are going to
be scared to deal with him unless they really see
a one year window. And I think that what they're
gonna say is you're gonna have to play under this
contract to show us. And I don't know he's not

(46:57):
gonna have you with that. I don't know how happy
he's gonna be to do that. Um, I guess everybody's
saying he's gonna go play for Kyle Shanahan in San
Francisco because he feels that he could handle him. Talk
the other big story that we have yet to hit
on here Maryland Terryvan's defeatd Iowa last week. That's a

(47:19):
big story. Is a big win between two very good
teams in the Big Ten, and I just needed to
point that out to you. That's that's you know, first
of all, let's look at college basketball as a whole.
You know, Duke is got some awesome talent. Kentucky's coming on. UM,

(47:41):
the Michigan State, I think is a fairly talented team.
That's Carolina is good too. North Carolina is getting better. UM,
and Gonzaga's every one team in the country. I really
haven't seen Gonzaga play, you know. Again, the only thing
I know about gonzagas that they have several players now
that are listed being top draft picks. So that they're

(48:02):
not you're you know, you they're not your father's Gonzaga.
That Morrison was number three overall pick. Yeah, I mean,
and they're not they're getting top recruits. What's his name,
you know, the guy on the Pacers is you know
Sabonis was a lottery tickets. I mean, they get they're
getting top top players as a mid major, but then

(48:22):
you look at it and you know, again I I
followed the Big Ten closely because of my friends. But
all the teams are good. They're all the same. I mean,
you know, I was twenty one and six. They've won
the last three games by a combined. You know, they
lost by one, and they've won the Love the Four
by one. Okay, And and they play Ohio State tonight.
And there's a lot of parody in college basketball. And

(48:45):
here's what I'll tell you. The teams that are good
are young, which means that they certainly can be sure
And and you know, Duke has probably, like you know,
r J. Barrett is going to be a great pro.
Cam Reddish if he has a chance to be a
fantastic pro. I'm not sure that Trey Jones can shoot

(49:07):
it well enough, but the other three are certainly bona fide,
and you know there are days when they don't shoot
it well. Now, they play very good defense for a
young team as a whole. When Zian Williams is out there,
because he's the whole energy of that team, um, but
they can be taken. I haven't seen Kentucky as much,

(49:28):
so much madness is gonna be a lot of on now.
I think the difference between much madness now and used
to be is that I think you're gonna get a
little less upsets in the first two days and more
in the third and fourth day because there's so much parody.
I think that you know, at the present time, you know,

(49:51):
the whole thing with the mid majors and not being
prepared and stuff like that, it's now all sorted itself
out some degree, and and you're seeing less on the
first and second day of those really really big upsets.
I know, don't tell that to Michigan State, you know
when but they lost the Syracuse and you know that

(50:12):
that that's from the same recruiting recruiting pool and stuff
like that. But I think the when you get to
that third, you know, the third and fourth day of
the tournament, I mean, I think you can throw it
up and these teams are very close. Adaimal School fields
really good for Tennessee. Also, I want to mention like
I don't know how good Tennessee is in general, but

(50:33):
I like a real Schofield a lot just saying I mean,
you know, again, his teams have always disappointed. Alutely we're
talking about Rick Vonds has always disappointed in the tournament.
And while we're on the subject of college basketball, you know,
it's absolutely amazing. You know, Arizona has had a down

(50:53):
season in best recruiting year in the country, but Sean
Miller has two assistant coaches have been fired and he
still keeps his job. And he's been right. He's been
listed in the subpoena suit for the bribery. That that's
that's going to go on in college college basketball. But
it's it's an amazing story that that um, you know,

(51:17):
what's what's going on, and and that that no coaches
has has has lost their job. You know oo, well,
head coach has lost their job, but assistance have oh yeah,
anything else for Dack? No so and what where do
we where do we go through? What happens with the Lakers?
I think that's the last final thing to talk about.

(51:39):
People always you know said that you know that the
young players because I mean, I can't believe that the
young players aren't playing because they felt unwanted. I can
believe that for the first time in these guys lives.
All the Alonzo Ball has been hurt. You know that
people like Brandon Ingram hearing that then that that they're

(52:03):
not good enough, they're not good enough. I think that's
what's really gone on. I don't think they necessarily care
about the fact that of of being traded. I mean,
these guys go from team to team their entire life.
But I think that you know, Brandon Ingram was told
how great he was. You know that, you know, such

(52:23):
a difference six eleven. No one can do these things,
you know, maybe a throwback to magic. And now he
kind of realizes, you know, I'm on the verge of
a very pedestrian NBA career. I mean, I think that
you know, Kyle Kuzma has played right through it because
I think it's exactly the same he hits the shot
of Mrs. The shot he couldn't care, he could he

(52:44):
doesn't care ls. But Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram, I
think thought that they were the ship. And I think
that they're hearing right now that they're they're not They're
not worth ships, is what they're hearing. And I think
that that, you know, again, it's it's it's always interesting
in sports. You know, bullies. You can be a bully

(53:09):
in sports if you're more talented than people. But essentially
you're gonna see somebody who's just as strong, just as fast,
and how you play in that circumstance determines. It's so
hard to play people when you don't have a physical advantage,
and for most of these people that doesn't happen until
late college or or which is why it's very hard

(53:30):
to recruit people from a bad league, because you never
know how they're going to do when they play against
somebody who has the same physical attributes. And that's absolutely true.
That's why it is tough um to make the transition
and it's tough to put it all together when there's bigger,
they're stronger. Like you said, you're you're not necessarily bully anymore.

(53:52):
You've got face bullet, yeah, you know, And that's the difference.
Like most great college players are either stronger or fast
to than the other players. When they get to the pros,
there very few people who are bigger and stronger. We
got about we got about a month left to see
if Lebron could pull it together again. They're just about

(54:13):
three games out, like I said before, so it's not
yet yet. The odds people are giving the less than
five percent, which which seems crazy. Could look at look
at up. I mean they was saying it makes no sense.
I know they have a tough schedule, but you know
they're not exactly chasing Bay and Moose. You know. I
think that's one of the ESPN Playoff Index odds here.

(54:33):
The Lakers are likeness at three point one percent. Yeah,
I mean, I think I would take that bad unless
I'm missing something. This is weird. So the Spurs, who,
as I said, would work a game up with a
game up on the secondment of Kings. Right, Well, there's
three games between the Lakers. The Timberwolves are in between
the rules and Kings are both in between, and it

(54:55):
says that and the Spurs are falling. The Kings are
four games back of the Spurs in the lost column. Interesting.
The Lakers are six games back of the Spurs and
the lost column. Interesting. So they they the Lakers have
twenty two games to play. I think it's something like that.

(55:19):
They have their thirty nine and forty three, which is
game two games. What's projection, sorry, that's their projection. That
is eighty two games, So I'm sorry. They gave me.
They give me the projection to hang on. So the
Lakers currently are twenty nine and thirty one, so they
have they have twenties games, right if twenty two games

(55:40):
left the three and twenty nine what what? What? What?
What's their record? Twenty nine and thirty one? They are
two games back in the lost column. So you know,
what they're hypothesizing is that will take forty five games
to make the playoffs. That means they would have to
go sixteen six and sixteen and six to do it.

(56:04):
My guess is that's hot. My guess is I think, uh,
fifteen and seven, even forteen and eight, because I think
the Spurs are going south now now they that's that's right.
By the way, what do you think of Dennis Smith Jr.
I like Dinnis Smith Junior. I think he's having to
be in New York. Yeah, I mean I think he
has a I think he has a shot to be good.

(56:25):
He's having to be a New York He's good. He's
athletic as hell. Why not. Yeah, he's definitely more athletic
than we've seen in a long time. Exactly Nick's wonder
for a reason now not giving him a chance, why not,
woll fact have to do it for us here on
dot Jock. It has been a blast as always, that
is Dr Mitchell Rosalin. Check out all of our old

(56:46):
episodes here on YouTube or on demand wherever you listen
to your podcast For Dr Mitchell Rosin, I'm Greg Sauceman.
Will be back next week. Thanks so much for watching.
And that's wrath good n