Aaron Rodgers & Tomlin Rumors, Sarkisian Speaks, DCC Get Paid, NBA Draft Preview + Chipper Jones & More!

Mark is out today, but Hardge talks about the situationship between Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh. Coach Steve Sarkisian talked to "The Crew from 3rd & Longhorns." Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders get a raise. A noted hater is challenging Dak Prescott's hate. NBA Draft preview. Plus, there are interviews with Danny Davis of The Austin American Statesmen, MLB Hall of Famer Chipper Jones, and Carolina Teague of Spurfectblog. You can hear it all here on "The Morning Kickoff Show!"

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thank you for tuning in to the podcast of The
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(00:22):
to nine am Monday through Friday, right here on Sports
Radio AM thirteen hundred The Zone. Good Morning, Austin, k Town, Flugerville, Htown, Pairland,
El Paso, Leander and Sales be Texas or wherever you
may be listening. This is a way back Wednesday edition
of The Morning Kickoff right here on Sports Radio AM

(00:45):
thirteen one hundred The Zone. Cowboys cheerleaders finally get their respect.
The old ball coach is a hater. Sark met with
the crew from third in Longhorn. Danny Davis up the
Austin American Statesman. He joins us at seven thirty four
to talk Texas baseball and the transfer Portal. Dak is

(01:07):
finally getting his respect. Hall of Famer Chipper Jones will
join us to talk about what he has coming up
real soon and of course major League Baseball, and we
have Carolina Tigue of Spurs perfect blog to talk about
the San Antonio Spurs and what is expected to happen tonight.

Speaker 2 (01:28):
I am your host. Mike Harball.

Speaker 1 (01:29):
Haart, my co host, is a WWE Hall of Famer
and recognized as the world's strongest man. He is Deep
Mark Henry, but he has some travel issues, so Mark
is not going to be on today, but he will
be on tomorrow. And our guy Marcus is behind the boards.
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Speaker 2 (02:00):
Standard data and message rates may apply.

Speaker 1 (02:02):
And if you want to get a chance to win
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pair of tickets to go see coheb and Cambria. All right,

(02:24):
check this out. We didn't get a chance to get
into it. I know that the NBA is all about
the conversation. It is NBA Draft Day. We will talk
about the NBA Draft, but the NFL, and of course
the Texas Longhorns always take first DIBs on this.

Speaker 2 (02:45):
I know it's a big day.

Speaker 1 (02:47):
I know that Texas Longhorn Trey Johnson has a chance
to hear his name called within the.

Speaker 2 (02:52):
First five picks.

Speaker 1 (02:53):
We're gonna talk about that, and we'll hear from his
former coach a little bit later. But right now, I
want to go to Pittsburgh. Listen, I have been somebody
that haven't been fond of Aaron Rodgers. I am fond
of Mike Tomlin. But now these two have merged. When

(03:19):
it bliss, I guess you would say in certain situations.
But the question now has been thrown to me and asked,
is Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin both on their last leg.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
We've talked numerous.

Speaker 1 (03:41):
Times about the fact that Mike Tomlin has never had
a losing record for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I personally don't
see that happening either. Again, either, with or without Aaron Rodgers,
just because of the fact that, hey, it had hadn't happened.
I'm not pushing for it to happen. I don't think

(04:03):
it's gonna happen. But now you have a quarterback in
Aaron Rodgers, who, let's be honest, has a lot to prove. Yes,
he's got the MVPs. He's done some amazing things in
his life. But we've all talked about the underachievement of

(04:24):
both of those guys. If you would have told me
that Aaron Rodgers would have only had one, I mean
one super Bowl, ring, people.

Speaker 2 (04:34):
Would think that you were kind of crazy, right.

Speaker 1 (04:36):
They'd be like, man, did you see what he's been
able to do and all these MVPs he hadn't got it.
If I would have told you that, you would expect
a coach that has not had.

Speaker 2 (04:46):
A losing record in his career.

Speaker 1 (04:52):
That he would be able to have more Super Bowl championships.
You believe it. We all know how hard it is
to achieve that. But now Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin
are at a crossroads in their career and Aaron Rodgers addressed.

Speaker 2 (05:11):
Why this is going to be his last year.

Speaker 3 (05:15):
Yeah, I'm pretty sure this is it. You know, That's
why we just did a one year deal. Steelers didn't
need to you know, put in the extra years on
that or anything. So you know, this was really about
finishing with a lot of love and fun and peace
for the career that I've had. I mean, I've played
twenty freaking year, you know, like it's been a long,

(05:36):
long run and I've enjoyed it. And what better place
to finish than in one of the cornerstone franchises of
the NFL with Mike Tomlin and and a great group
of leadership and great guys in the city that you
know expects expects you to win.

Speaker 1 (05:52):
And think about that he is expected to win and
that is very very true. But can he ride off
into the sunset? He had Mike Tomlin possibly right off
into the sunset with a championship. Forget a championship, Let's

(06:14):
get some playoff wins. You know we talk about that
in Dallas. You win divisions, but you don't win playoff games.

Speaker 2 (06:20):
I get it.

Speaker 1 (06:21):
Pittsburgh, great franchise, great city, loves hard working people, wants
to get it done. So the question was, Aaron, what
made you decide to come here was it your conversations
with Mike Tomlin.

Speaker 4 (06:37):
How important do you think that is to have a
relationship with your teammates and how important was it to
be signed with the Steelers before mandatory Minichamp to get
some FaceTime, Like was that a thought whenever it was
coming into the timing of when you would join a
team from the beginning, or kind of how did we
get to that point?

Speaker 3 (06:54):
My conversation with Mike T every single week, and it
was really through those conversations that, uh, this became a reality.
So you know, I think most people who come to
the Steelers talk about one of the reasons being Mike T.
And I can say, you know that was right at
the top, just the conversation that we had. I felt

(07:17):
like you're talking to an old friend, honestly. So I
really appreciate those conversations throughout it. I really love Arthur.
I want to send my love to him. I obviously
did it personally, but to the passion of his father
the last couple of days was you know, sudden and
very sad. So Arthur is a great man and really
enjoyed the conversations with him during the process and out

(07:39):
there at Mini Camp but it's been really good. The
guys are great, they're welcoming, great, it's fun. In the
quarterback rome, we already got a great group chat that
that's going good. And Mason Skyler and Will evolving evolving great.
So it's it's been it's been really fun. I had
a really really nice three days on the and then

(08:00):
four days before they have a discuss.

Speaker 1 (08:03):
And here's the thing, the biggest thing for me, when
you start to understand why and how he's been doing it,
this is Mike Tomlin's biggest chance that he's had since
Ben Roethlisberger. I know that Russell was there, I know
that Justin Fields was there, but they just didn't seem

(08:27):
to capture what he was looking for.

Speaker 2 (08:30):
Mike Tomlin is a great, great guy.

Speaker 1 (08:34):
There's never been a person to talk bad about him.
There's never been a situation that he hasn't given it
to you real, so to speak. But the biggest question
that I have right now, and I want you to
go over to AM thirteen hundred, the zone on Twitter
X whatever you want to call it, and I want

(08:55):
you to cast your vote, is this the last raw
for both of these guys, no matter what happens. Is
Mike Tomlin done in Pittsburgh if this Aaron Rodgers experiments fails. Yes, No,
he's done no matter what. Those are your options. And

(09:18):
the reason why I put he's done no matter what
is because of the simple fact that Mike Tomlin has
been in.

Speaker 2 (09:25):
Pittsburgh for quite some time.

Speaker 1 (09:29):
And every once in a while, I know this is
not the franchise's way of handling business. He could be
there as long as he wants, probably because of the
success that he's had, But after a while it becomes
a little bit.

Speaker 2 (09:50):
Stale. Maybe maybe maybe they are.

Speaker 1 (09:54):
Looking for the next person to be able to lead
this franchise. Maybe the franchise needs a different voice now.
Me personally, I think it has to be an epic
failure for them to move on from Mike Tomlin.

Speaker 2 (10:15):
What is that first you losing season, not playing well.

Speaker 1 (10:20):
Aaron just doesn't seem to be motivated in that particular way,
and there's a lot that goes into it.

Speaker 5 (10:31):
I personally think the only way is an epic fail
I think if they make the playoffs, I don't see
them letting go Mike Tomlin or Tomlin stepping down.

Speaker 2 (10:41):
I see Tomlin still staying with the team.

Speaker 5 (10:43):
That team has had so much turnover over the years
that the stalness maybe with the fan base and maybe
the organization, but with the players. I don't see the
staleness with the players because they continue to turnover and
move on from playoffs to players throughout the years.

Speaker 1 (11:00):
But at that point, that's why I believe that if
you bring in somebody else, the whole conversation in the
direction changes. Yeah, because leadership's not going anywhere. The owners
are the owners. But after a while you may have
had some conversation and maybe Mike is tired of it.

(11:22):
Maybe Tomlin is looking at it in a different light
as well and decides, you know what, I can't get
us over that hump. I've had fun, I've done a
great job. My record leads me to believe that he's
a Hall of Famer, no doubt about it. Both of
those guys, Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin are going to
be in the Hall of Fame. But is there going

(11:45):
to be a change if this doesn't work out. We're
just getting started on a way back hump Day edition
of The Morning Kickoff coming up next. Why is it
that Steve Spurrier got a hate and the crew from
Third and Longhorn had a great conversation that we want
to share with you with coach Sark right here on

(12:05):
the morning kickoff on Sports Radio AM thirteen hundred The
Zone coming up. In the next segment, we'll have our guy,
Danny Davis of the Austin American Statesmen, joining us to
talk all things Texas baseball. As they have had one
heck of a haul here in the transfer portal. As
we talked about before, the transfer portal giveth and it

(12:28):
taketh away. And right now the transfer Portal is at
an all time high for the Texas Longhorns. And by
the way, they were SEC champs and they're just getting better.
But right now I want to talk about the forty
acres the University of Texas football team is going through
their summer workouts. Arch Manning is the top of the conversation,

(12:50):
and we'll get into Steve Spurrier in just a moment.

Speaker 2 (12:54):
But yesterday the Third.

Speaker 1 (12:56):
And Longhorn podcast released their interview with Coach Sark, and
by the way, it was one hell of an interview
they did. Everybody was up there and the conversation was
so natural and it wasn't forced, and as you know,
coach Sark is one of the realest guys out there.
He doesn't sugarcoated and the questions were spot on. So

(13:20):
great job by the Third and Longhorn podcast, And if
you missed it, you can go over and watch the
entire thing, because I'm obviously not going to play the
whole thing, but I do want to get into some
of the things that they addressed with Coach Sark, and
one of the main things was obviously Arch Manning arch
Mania as they called it in what arch has been

(13:43):
doing throughout this time, because you know as well as
I do, you can't go a day without talking about
the starting quarterback at the University of Texas, whether it's
Colt McCoy, Chris Simms, Major Appley, James Brown, Donnie Little,
everybody that has played Sam Eller. Everybody has played the
quarterback position at the University of Texas. Either you're the

(14:05):
first string or your second string, and you're the Darling
of the America. But Arch Manning is a little bit different,
and arch Mania has kind of taken over college football.

Speaker 6 (14:16):
I got to know him really well through the recruiting process,
and I always doesn't matter if it's Arch or Anthony
Hill or anybody we recruit, which really try our best
to get to know the family, because I think the
family is the best indicator of who the young man's
going to become right in his time here. And if
you've ever been around Arch's mom, his dad, his brother,

(14:40):
his sister, they're awesome people, like down to earth, great people.
And I thought that gave us a real indicator of man,
this kid's just a normal, down to earth kid. I thought.
What was also really interesting in the recruiting process, Nowhere
in that time did I get a call from Peyton,
did I get a.

Speaker 2 (14:57):
Call from Eli.

Speaker 6 (14:58):
It wasn't about the uncles. It was always about their
family and his grandpa Archie is obviously, you know, a
huge influence on his life. So to me, when he
got here, it was never about the name on the
back of his jersey. It was always just being about
a good guy, being a good guy, being a great teammate,
serving his teammates, working his tail off. It was never

(15:19):
about can I be better than my uncles. It's always
just can I be the best player I can be
for my teammates? And and really that's who he is.
He's a fun loving, easygoing guy. I think everybody's given them,
you know.

Speaker 2 (15:32):
Joking with him.

Speaker 6 (15:32):
Now he got some street credit.

Speaker 7 (15:37):
It was funny.

Speaker 2 (15:38):
Hey.

Speaker 6 (15:40):
So I was telling him about the home visit I
did at Ryan Wingos house. And Ryan's got an awesome family. Again,
like the families tell us a lot. But I'm telling you,
we went into this home visit. The whole neighborhood was
in Wingos house. And it wasn't the summertime. Now they're
in the winter and heast Saint Louis. So every buddy's
in this house, man, and everybody's eating and Ronnie is

(16:03):
as cooking, and we had a blackst I said, you're
going to Wingos. I said, get ready, the whole neighborhood
is coming out. So he texts me he's there. He's like,
you weren't kid Manami un deep. So but I think
that just is a little bit of a snapshot indicator.
This guy. He's just a normal guy. And your teammate
that his that his teammates love.

Speaker 2 (16:23):
And that's the thing about it.

Speaker 1 (16:24):
And whenever your quarterback who is high profiled is not
afraid to come and hang out with you or your
family members and helps you out with the camp and
all these different things.

Speaker 2 (16:36):
It is huge in the locker room.

Speaker 1 (16:39):
We've always talked about the teammate and the leadership part
of it. That that that goes hand in hand. And
as we played yesterday, we talked about Arch and how
he wants to stay in the background. He wants to
be that guy until he's earned the right to make
that happen.

Speaker 5 (16:57):
I don't think Sark realized that he got invited to
the cookout. What you mean he got invited to the cookout.
Sark is well aware that he's been invited to the cookout. Okay,
making Shark is about that life dog. You don't ever
have to worry about Sark.

Speaker 1 (17:12):
Sark is always invited to the cookout and for all
those different reasons. That is why people endear themselves to
Arch and that's why he has become the undoubted hype
machine that everybody's looking at. Obviously it's about that last
name as well, but he also has to go out
there and perform. We got a glimpse of that last year.

(17:34):
But Sark was also asked about being able to go
on the road, and if you think about where Texas
has gone over the last couple of years, they are
a true road tested football team.

Speaker 6 (17:48):
It's such a fine line, right, there's a double edged
sword of this thing. One you want to talk about
in summer and in training camp, building the foundation, getting
back to the fundamentals, right, the technique, building your install
getting yourself prepared for the for the long grind of
the season, all those things. But in the same token, man,

(18:08):
there's nothing better for coach Beckton than to throw that
file State jab right in the middle of you know,
at the four o'clock run this afternoon working out right
now too. Like as players, you know, there was nothing better.
So I always welcome these early season non conference games

(18:28):
like that. And we've been fortunate you inherit a schedule
when you know you get here because these things are
built out so far. But the fact that we went
to Michigan last year, the fact that we went to
Alabama the year before that, think about where we've been now.
This is going to be three straight years Alabama, Michigan,
Ohio State on the road. If you don't think that
hasn't helped our team in November, in December and January

(18:51):
like that.

Speaker 2 (18:51):
That is huge.

Speaker 6 (18:53):
But also in training camp, right, it's like right in
those dog days of training camp, You're like, dude, I'm
so tired of going against this plays. I know, DJ knows,
I know every line call. So they're going it's a
run to the right. Quarterbacks are like, all right, it's
covered too. They're disguising it like like at some point

(19:13):
you need new And so right about that time, those
dog days of camp, we'll pivot and we'll start getting
ready for Ohio State, and it's going to be a
heck of a challenge. They're a great team, They've got
a lot of great players coming back. They'll have a
ton of confidence. It's a tough place to play, but
we'll be ready and we'll be motivated. And then, like
I said, you know, I think in this day and
age of the twelve team playoff, I surely hope the

(19:35):
committee doesn't punish either of the teams that play in
that game for playing that game, right, because there's a
lot of teams that avoid these games, and we're playing
in the game. It should be a heck of a game.
But I do think it can. It can help springboard
us for some bigger matchups that we have coming down.

Speaker 1 (19:51):
The road, and that is part of the struggle not struggle.

Speaker 2 (19:56):
But the scheduling.

Speaker 1 (19:58):
You look at it and you look at Texas history
and where they have played over the last few years
since Sark has been here. It hasn't been an easy
road schedule as some would like to think. You've been
to Michigan, You've been to Alabama. This year, you go
to Ohio State. You also have road games in Florida.

(20:18):
You also have road games that have been challenging.

Speaker 2 (20:23):
You go to Georgia.

Speaker 1 (20:24):
You have your challenges, and that's why they have put
themselves in a great spot of being mentally prepared, and
Sark relishes those moments when he can go in and
silence a crowd.

Speaker 2 (20:38):
You also have to look at this.

Speaker 1 (20:40):
Everybody's not gonna look at Texas and think that everything
is Roses. Steve Spurrier, very very candid, Steve Spurrier, who
I guess. I was talking to a buddy of mine
about this yesterday. As you get older, you really don't
care about what you say.

Speaker 2 (20:57):
It just comes from the heart.

Speaker 1 (20:59):
It's like, whatever's on my mind, I'm gonna talk about it.

Speaker 5 (21:03):
I think the edited feature on your your brain just
gets turned off.

Speaker 2 (21:06):
Oh it's one turned off.

Speaker 1 (21:08):
And so as you get older, and Steve Spurry the
whole ball coach. He's never really held his tongue, and
he knows how to take certain jabs, and he's had
success in his life and he's had great quarterbacks. But
I think not understanding who was in front of one
arch Manning is kind of getting missed at this jab

(21:32):
that he kind of threw at arch and a backhand
slap at Quinn yours and coach Slart.

Speaker 8 (21:39):
They've got arch Manning already went in the heighschool too.
And my question is if he was this good, how
come they let Quinn Ower's play all the time last.

Speaker 2 (21:50):
Year even though he was hurt off.

Speaker 8 (21:52):
Yeah, and he was a seventh front pick.

Speaker 2 (21:55):
Yes, and Arching, you know, is going to be the
first pick. I'm like, yeah, that's a good point.

Speaker 8 (22:00):
Yeah, well you don't have to ask the coach start. Yeah,
you know, how come you play that one? He said
this one hopefully you sir, because we thought he was
better in that one. Yeah, and then why you played
one guy not the other? Oh man, hey, hey hey
hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey.

Speaker 1 (22:19):
I mean the reality of the conversation is this, you
can't put everything because you don't know everything that happened.
You don't know that Quinn yours obviously was a five
star quarterback himself. You don't know all the things that
was happening on the forty acres And just like everybody else,

(22:40):
you get better each season, So I don't buy into
what coach Spurria was talking about. Coming up next, we're
gonna talk to Danny Davis of the Austin American Statesman
find out what's going on with this transfer portal for
the University of Texas baseball team. Right here on the
morning kickoff on sports Radio AM thirteen hundred the zone.

(23:04):
It is Wednesday, so that can only mean one thing.
My guy, Danny Davis of the Austin American Statesman joins
us to talk all things Texas Longhorns. You can follow
them on social at Underscore Danny Davis.

Speaker 2 (23:18):
And Danny Let's get right into it.

Speaker 1 (23:20):
Texas baseball has made a lot of moves throughout this offseason.
Transfer portal time has been hot and heavy, and the
latest moves of the Texas Longhorns are some that are
sharing up some positions that will definitely be in need.

Speaker 7 (23:40):
Yeah, they're really busy. On what was it Monday?

Speaker 9 (23:42):
I think it was they got two big transfers, because
I think we both all as soon that Jalen Flores
and Ryan Galvan will no longer be with this team
after next month when that MLB draft comes and their
names are called in the first.

Speaker 7 (23:57):
Five ten rounds or whatever. So you know, you go
out and.

Speaker 9 (24:00):
Get a team O Baker from Stanford, a four year starter,
obviously better and veteran shortstop who knows how to play
the position. You're going You get a Carson Tinny, who
was one of the bigger names in the transfer portal,
the catcher from Number Dame, and you know, one of
the three best catchers in the country. And if you're
going to lose one of the three best countries in
the country, go get yourself one to the other two.

(24:20):
It's a good way to kind of build those holes.
And so those are obviously two big positions I think
Texas was anticipating needing to fill.

Speaker 7 (24:26):
And then you you kind of, you know, you go
around that outfield.

Speaker 9 (24:29):
I think this may be a completely new look outfield
next year with you know, Max Blue moving on, Tommy
Farmer and little Gasprino jumping the transfer portal, which kind
of surprise some people. But you go out you sign
three transfer outfielders. You see, you know what you have
with them, some of the guys that are currently on
that on that roster, whether you keep be a dream rubber,
you get Jayden, you Plantia and the outfit and moving

(24:51):
back to the enfield. I'm a little skeptical that the
two sport things are gonna keep working with Joonah Williams.
But if it doesn't, once again, you got some depth.
You got used to winfield coming back. So you know
this is going to be a new look team. If
you fell in love with this team in twenty twenty five,
it's going to be some new guys to fall in
love with in twenty twenty six.

Speaker 7 (25:08):
But Texas isn't busy.

Speaker 9 (25:10):
They holdt to address and they still have some work
if you ask me that with the pitching staff, but
they've been busy.

Speaker 1 (25:17):
That's where I wanted to go next. I mean, there
are still some names out there. Obviously, the development of
certain pitchers is going to be crucial in the move
for Texas Baseball. And it's funny because I talked about
this a little while ago. This is a team that
won the SEC won forty four games, won it by
a two game spread. And here we are regrouping and

(25:42):
revamping a team that went into the SEC its first
year and actually won it. So where do they find
those pitchers of need out there? Either in the transfer
portal or do they hope that a lot of those
guys don't get drafted from the high school ranks.

Speaker 9 (26:02):
Yeah, I'm not really sure what's still left out there
on the transfer portal, you know, in the transfer portal
as far as pitching is concerned. But I'm sure Texas
is making phone calls. But you kind of at this
point kind of hope that Maxweener, if you're a Texas fan,
continues to develop the guys if he has on the roster,
that the draft doesn't hit them too hard with the

(26:23):
guys they expect to be coming in from the high
school ranks, so that they can just continue to develop
some of these arms into what we considered the SEC
caliber arms. Obviously expect Elin Valantis to move up into
the starting rotation, and then you have some pieces, whether
it's you know, Ruger Riojas, Luke Harrison, some of those guys,
you know, Thomas Burns, Kate being coming back and maybe
they can make the next step and kind of, you know,

(26:46):
give Texas that SEC pitching because I think down the
stretch it's really something that hurt Texas the numbers at
the end of the year. I mean, there's a top
ten ERA A team they're going to have, you know,
a lot to be proud of what they accomplished last year,
but they felt short down the stretch in the postseason,
and that's something they definitely need to address.

Speaker 1 (27:04):
So let me ask you this because we're talking to
Danny Davis of the Austin American States. Mean, you can
follow him at Underscore Danny Davis for all of his
stories and leads that he puts out there. But I
wanted to ask you this because as you get ready
for the next season and you've seen who won the
World Series, obviously another SEC team goes out and wins

(27:27):
the College World Series and the reason why they were
able to is because they shored up the front end
of their starting pitching and they shored up the back
end to close out games. Obviously, Dylan Valantis is somebody
that we're trying to figure out if he's going to
go into the rotation or is he going to stay

(27:47):
at the back end. If you were Slosnagle and Max Wiener,
what would your position be with Dylan Valantis.

Speaker 7 (27:57):
At positionally he's starting on Friday.

Speaker 9 (28:00):
The rest the rest of that, I mean, I think
you know, Dylan's obviously just a real big talent in Texas.

Speaker 7 (28:06):
Knew that.

Speaker 9 (28:07):
I think Jim wanted to kind of slowly wring him along.
He said from the beginning that he was a little
hesitant to start him on the weekends just because of
being a freshman in the SEC.

Speaker 7 (28:16):
But I think the plan is for him to, you know,
to make it run out of town.

Speaker 9 (28:21):
He keeps in the bullpen just by these Texas Fansas
because everyone knows how how talented that young man is.
So I think, uh, I would be I would be
stunned he's not starting on Friday nights or.

Speaker 7 (28:32):
At least on Saturdays.

Speaker 9 (28:33):
Uh, this this upcoming spring in Texas is going to
have to figure out the bullpen. And they got they
got a couple guys in the portal who should pack
her into that bullpen mix, including Cal Higgens, who was
a you know, on the.

Speaker 7 (28:45):
Watch list for that Stop of the Year awards. So
maybe he.

Speaker 9 (28:48):
Packed us into the ninth inning or you let Thomas
Burns or someone else kind of work their way into
that role that we expect Dylan to be vacating.

Speaker 1 (28:56):
Yeah, and I think I think Thomas Burns is a
guy that the way he came out last year and
the development how quickly it showed was pretty impressive because
of Max Wiener. You mentioned something just a minute ago
about Jonah Williams and you're not sure how how well
this experiment is going to go. Obviously it was early,

(29:16):
he got a chance to play, did well, but now
he's in working on that football body and those types
of things. Uh, do you think it will still be
tough for him because he is an outfielder. He's not
a starting pitcher, He's not a starting sour shop. I mean,
he is somebody that can do more in the outfield.
So what are you what do you what are your
thoughts on.

Speaker 7 (29:36):
That lost of concentration.

Speaker 1 (29:42):
But it was about Jonah Williams and him being able
to go and do both and the ability to be
able to do that because he is going to be
in the outfield and not necessarily on the pitchers mound
or as an infielder.

Speaker 9 (29:58):
You know, I think I don't have any inside knowledge
about this. I haven't talked to Jo and I haven't
talked to Start one on one or Jim one on one,
but I think people have to be realistic about how
much these sports are just three hundred and sixty five
day sports.

Speaker 7 (30:13):
And at one point Steve is going to want it's
starting in safety, assuming Jonah becomes of starting safety and
spring ball.

Speaker 9 (30:19):
At one point Jim is going to want his starting
left field or center fielder in fallball, you know, working
on what you work on in the fall. I mean,
it's it's hard to pick up a bad after not
picking up a bat for you know, six months. And
that's why the fallball is so important, is because these
guys are getting reps, are getting swings in, they're getting
you know, just work. It's it's hard to justify to

(30:40):
the players lower on the depth chart, why the starters
and here, and they're putting in the work and all
that stuff. So I mean it's tough in the locker
room too. So I don't know, I mean it could
possibly work. Maybe Jonah's you know, doing both sports, running
between running between the dish and DKR and you know,

(31:00):
just you know, a full time, a full time athlete.
Because I mean, this is pretty much a job for
these guys anyway. But I'm just skeptical that this is
going to work out in.

Speaker 7 (31:10):
The long term. Maybe very well. Maybe Obviously Jonah's talented enough.
Just the logistics of it just doesn't make sense to me,
and we'll have to see.

Speaker 9 (31:17):
I mean, if there's anyone that can do it athletically wise,
obviously Jonah fits that bill.

Speaker 7 (31:22):
But I am in a wait and see mode.

Speaker 9 (31:24):
I'm not pencilving in for three years of playing both
ways here at this school. But obviously he's talented enough
to do it, and I guess we'll We'll just have
to see. But I am personally a little skeptical that
it works out long term.

Speaker 1 (31:36):
Well, so far, I've been impressed, and we'll see what
he is able to do on the football field as well.
As always, Danny, thank you for taking the time. Man,
Enjoy the rest of the week, and we'll talk again
next week. All right, there is Danny Davis of the
Austin American Statesmen breaking it down. Coming up next, the

(31:56):
Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders finally get some respect. We'll talk about it.
They're no longer Rodney danger Field. We'll bring it up
next right here on the morning kickoff on sports Radio
AM thirteen hundred the Zone.

Speaker 2 (32:10):
Good stuff by.

Speaker 1 (32:10):
My god, Danny Davis up the Austin American Statesman. Make
sure you get over and follow him at Underscore Danny
Davis for all the lates. But right now, we want
to give you an opportunity to win a pair of tickets.
That's right, folks, you get a chance to win a
pair of tickets to go see Cooheb and Cambria. All
you gotta do is get over to the new and

(32:32):
improved iHeartRadio app, you know, the one that's got us
number one on the preset, Hit that red microphone and
leave the word shred. Shred is the word of the
day for a pair of tickets to see Coheb and
Cambria September the eighteenth at the Moody Center.

Speaker 2 (32:52):
And we'll give you a chance to win all week long.

Speaker 1 (32:56):
All right, let's get right into it, because the Dallas
Cowboy cheerleaders have finally been respected. And what do I
mean by that? They're getting their just due financially with
an opportunity to make money.

Speaker 2 (33:10):
Now. I believe that Netflix has helped a lot with.

Speaker 1 (33:13):
That conversation of getting them paid because they are America's
sweethearts and they are now in season number two of that.
But they have worked for a very long time to
get this done.

Speaker 10 (33:28):
It will now be earning one hundred and fifty one
thousand dollars annually on average. You know, at first I
was so happy for cheerleaders. You know, I love any
type of woman in sports. I think any pay raise
is great. And then I opened up Twitter. Wait, one
person said, going to get paid more than WNBA players,
Klan Clark is only making seventy eight thousand.

Speaker 11 (33:51):
Dollars this year.

Speaker 10 (33:53):
Another person said, Jerry Jones more word about his cheer
squad than improving the team. I can't hate on it.
I just can't, because Jerry Jones has the money. Is
it going to affect the team's money athletes money.

Speaker 7 (34:07):
No.

Speaker 10 (34:07):
Is it ridiculous that they're getting paid more than WNBA players.

Speaker 6 (34:11):
It's questionable, But.

Speaker 1 (34:13):
Here's the deal, and I know that people are questioning that,
and these don't need to be the same two things.
Do you realize that they used to get paid like
twenty five bucks a game. They weren't getting paid at all,
but yet they were glorified. They were always on the

(34:39):
TV they were the main show. They go through practices,
they go through work. Now here's the deal. They don't
get paid the money that you think they do for
practices or any of those deals, but they do get
paid for the games. They will get paid for appearances.
And I've known some Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders. I've gone to

(35:04):
high school with former Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders. I played professional baseball,
so I've got to meet some of those Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders.
They have been underpaid for a very long time. And
if you remember watching the TV show about making the
Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders, you saw what they went through. They

(35:28):
had to have regular jobs plus going practice to be
on the Dallas Cowboys as cheerleaders.

Speaker 2 (35:37):
It wasn't an easy job.

Speaker 1 (35:40):
But now they're getting paid and recognized for the talents
in which that they have. And it's been real interesting
to me to watch the journey because, as I've said,
they've had TV shows about them. Now they have a
Netflix series about them, and now they are finally getting

(36:00):
of the recognition that they honestly deserve. Think about what
Jerry Jones has been able to monopolize off of throughout
these days, throughout these years. He's the main reason why
the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders have been put to the forefront
and really been acknowledged for quite some time.

Speaker 2 (36:21):
So as for.

Speaker 1 (36:22):
Jerry and what the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders are being recognized for,
I truly am glad that they are now getting the
money that they deserve. It's been long overdue, and I'm
glad that they are being recognized as that. We're talking
Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders. But today is Flag Day in Dallas.

(36:44):
That's right, Cooper Flag will more than likely be the
number one overall pick.

Speaker 2 (36:50):
We do have Dallas I mean Dallas Cowboy.

Speaker 1 (36:52):
We do have sound for a little bit later talking
about the draft. The San Antonio Spurs are having a
big draft, and we will also talk to Carolina Tigue
about the Spurs and what they're planning on doing. We
will have her on at eight thirty four at eight seventeen,

(37:14):
you do not want to miss my interview with Chipper Jones.
Chipper Jones will be joining us at eight I mean
at eight seventeen. You can watch it on our YouTube page,
you can watch it on Twitter x whatever. But if
you miss any parts of our show, or you want
to make sure you got Appointment Radio, but you gotta
go do something. Make sure you get our download of

(37:38):
the always free iHeartRadio app. You can program us as
your number one obviously as number one in a preset,
but you can also put the podcast page down as
your number two preset, so if you've missed any of
the other shows, you will be able to catch up.
Mark Henry, he has some travel issues today, that's why

(37:59):
he he's not on the show, but he'll be back
on tomorrow. He's already reached out because he's been bragging
about all the NBA trades that he was talking about
with us yesterday, Marcus, and he sent us a text
talking about, Oh yeah, did y'all notice anything that happened today? Yeah, Mark,
we saw people dumping contracts. We saw it. Well, he
has to let us know he was right.

Speaker 7 (38:21):
Yah.

Speaker 1 (38:21):
Well, because remember yesterday when he left he said, man,
I'm always right.

Speaker 5 (38:25):
Yeah, he was specifically named Porzingis is being traded, and
he was traded.

Speaker 2 (38:30):
Yes that day.

Speaker 1 (38:31):
Yes, so we shall see exactly what's going on with that.
But coming up next we're gonna talk Dak Prescott. I'm
tired of the disrespect and finally, finally someone that is
certified hater has put some respect on his name. Don't
forget Chipper Jones at eight seventeen, Carolina Tigue at eight

(38:56):
thirty four, talking Spurs and so much or right here
on a Way Back Wednesday edition of the Morning Kickoff
on Sports Radio AM thirteen hundred The Zone. Our number
two of a way Back Wednesday edition of the Morning
Kickoff Right here on Sports Radio AM thirteen hundred The

(39:16):
Zone and.

Speaker 2 (39:17):
Our number one.

Speaker 1 (39:18):
We talked about Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin.

Speaker 2 (39:21):
Is this the end?

Speaker 1 (39:22):
Get over and vote on AM thirteen hundred The Zone,
on our Twitter x page wherever you wanted to look
at it. We also talked about coach Sark meeting with
the crew from third and Longhorn and why is Steve
Spurrier Hayten so much? Danny Davis talked about all the
moves that were made in the transfer portal by the

(39:44):
Texas baseball team, and the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders were recognized
finally by their pay. Coming up in the next segment
at eight seventeen, we will have Hall of Famer Chipper
Jones live on camera with us so make sure you
get over and why the interview and listen to it
right here on sports Radio AM thirteen hundred The Zone,

(40:05):
and we'll also have Carolina Tigue talking about the Spurs
and what the expectations are for San Antonio as today
is the draft. But I want to get into this
conversation about Dak Prescott because Dak Prescott is somebody that
has been hated on so strongly by so many people

(40:29):
that are out there, and maybe it's just because he wins.
He doesn't win the big games, but he wins enough
games and people are waiting for Dallas to get over
the hump, just like I was talking about with Aaron
Rodgers and Mike Tomlin. Aaron Rodgers was a first round pick.
He did fall in the first round, but he was

(40:50):
a first round pick.

Speaker 2 (40:51):
He's a MVP.

Speaker 1 (40:53):
He's done some amazing things, but a lot of people
still have this disdain for Aaron Rodgers and the fact
that they believe that he should have accomplished a lot more. Well,
I mean, I think it's more about the championships than
it is anything else. But I wanted to get into
this conversation about Dak Prescott because people look at Dak

(41:15):
Prescott and think that he is trash. And that's been
words of one shady McCoy at one point and a
certified hater that she acknowledges it is Joy Taylor. But
Joy Taylor dropped some truth serum yesterday and I actually
had to applaud her.

Speaker 6 (41:37):
There's it's not serious.

Speaker 11 (41:38):
It's just not serious. What are we talking about?

Speaker 12 (41:41):
When when has Gino Smith won a playoff game? Answer
is never? When When did Justin Herbert finish second in
MVP voiding?

Speaker 7 (41:51):
Never?

Speaker 11 (41:52):
What are we talking about?

Speaker 2 (41:54):
Look Like I said, I'm a.

Speaker 12 (41:56):
Certified like Cowboys hater, but this is getting absurd. Dak
Prescott but has had really high level play in this league.
He was second in MVP voting in two years ago.

Speaker 2 (42:07):
Last year he was hurt. Just what has Justin Herbert done?

Speaker 7 (42:12):
Like?

Speaker 12 (42:13):
Justin Herbert is a very talented young quarterback who has
accomplished nothing in this league. From from an individual standpoint,
he looks great, he has great highlights, he puts up numbers.
He has not won anything. Dak Prescott has got to
get a little bit more respect Gino Smith.

Speaker 11 (42:30):
I like Gino too.

Speaker 12 (42:33):
I like everybody. Okay, everyone is wonderful.

Speaker 6 (42:37):
However, what are.

Speaker 12 (42:38):
We talking about short of love? Baker mayfit Field, C J. Stroud,
Kyler Murray, Trevor what.

Speaker 2 (42:44):
Is Trevor Lawrence done?

Speaker 1 (42:45):
Oh no, Trevor Lawrence and Kyler Murray.

Speaker 12 (42:49):
Seriously, No, it's it's it's it's it's absurd. He he
is at worst tenth and I would honestly put him
at ninth because I'm not putting Justin Herbert in there either.

Speaker 7 (43:00):
Ya.

Speaker 2 (43:00):
As much as I like Justin Herban, I love it.

Speaker 1 (43:03):
I've been saying this. I've been saying this for a
long time. Joy's like, but here's the deal. She's not wrong,
and she admits I am a certified hater of the
Dallas Cowboys and the quarterbacks people.

Speaker 5 (43:26):
For people who know me, I am the same way.
But I've always given Dak his props. I think more
or less, the Cowboys' playoff success is more of a
Cowboy organization thing.

Speaker 2 (43:37):
It's not.

Speaker 5 (43:37):
They put it on Romo too, and it's more of
a Cowboys organization thing, not the quarterbacks.

Speaker 1 (43:44):
I will always defer because I played the position, so
I understand that it is a team thing.

Speaker 2 (43:52):
I didn't play it in the NFL, but you know
what I mean.

Speaker 1 (43:55):
But I sit here today and there's this guy Nate
Top ten quarterbacks entering the twenty twenty five season number one,
Patrick Mahomes number two, Josh Allen number three, Lamar Jackson
number four, Joe Burrow number five, Justin Herbert what.

Speaker 2 (44:21):
What wha wha wha wha whoa whoa whoa whoa wo.

Speaker 1 (44:23):
Number six, Matthew Stafford number seven, Jordan Love number eight,
Dak Prescott number nine, Trevor Lawrence number ten, C. J.

Speaker 2 (44:40):
Stroud.

Speaker 5 (44:41):
I understand like Herbert, Herbert looks like, you know, he's
the hot girl that everybody wants to be with, but
he seems to be the girl that you know, doesn't
take care of you. Not real cool, real mean. It's
like he looks the part, but he doesn't putform the part.

Speaker 2 (45:01):
That is why it has been.

Speaker 1 (45:04):
My I guess you would say, my disdain about the
whole situation when it comes to the hate that is
spewed when it comes to Dak Prescott, it just doesn't
make any sense. Now, I am also one of the
people that are like, hey, the numbers aren't always what

(45:27):
they see. We just had the conversation about Aaron Rodgers earlier.
We've talked about batting averages throughout now. When you look
at the team aspect of it all, and you look
at what Dak Prescott when healthy, what he's been able
to achieve is something that you cannot deny. He's been

(45:50):
a MVP runner up, he's been the Offensive Player of
the Year, He's a Walter Payton Man of the Year.
And it's just like, why is it that he has
to get so much Hey, And I'll give you the answer.
It is because he wears the star on the helmet.

(46:12):
And everyone looks at the Dallas Cowboys because it's been
so long since they've won a playoff matchup, got to
the NFC Championship game.

Speaker 2 (46:24):
Let alone a Super Bowl.

Speaker 1 (46:27):
That is why everybody looks at the Cowboys as such,
you can't always look at the past success and put
it on the present regime.

Speaker 2 (46:39):
It's a different day in time in football.

Speaker 5 (46:42):
Like I said, I am a certified Cowboy hater. And
like a bunch of people I know in Houston who
are Cowboy fans, they know that I will tease them
in a minute. I even throw Zach. I mean, Dak
teases at him. But it's for sure Dak has never
been the problem. It is always, like I said, always
Cowboys organization that focuses on the off season are usually

(47:04):
on the hot name instead.

Speaker 2 (47:06):
Of the right name. Uh.

Speaker 5 (47:09):
But as of late, they've been making good moves. And
I'm a little nervous as a Cowboy hater because they
seem to be turning turning the uh, turning the page.

Speaker 2 (47:21):
Well, I'm gonna put it like this.

Speaker 1 (47:22):
I'm not going all the way out there because I
don't want to jump back in as mea Mark and
I have have had these discussions before. The energy in
the building is always good at this point of the summer.

Speaker 2 (47:37):
Well, yeah, you always always got a chance.

Speaker 5 (47:39):
You always asked a Cowboys fan doing the off season,
what are you gonna do this season? They're always gonna
say we're going to the super Bowl.

Speaker 2 (47:47):
I'm not gonna put all that out there just yet,
but no matter how bad the team is, they will.

Speaker 1 (47:51):
Say that, Yeah, well, I'm gonna put it like this.
There is some some optimism when it comes to this
type of journey when you're dealing with the Dallas Cowboys,
but the truth of the matter is you cannot always
just say hey, it's Dak's fault or Dak did this,

(48:12):
or Dak did that. It's not even that type of party.
The party is this. Dak is going to get a
lot of credit, and he's gonna get a lot of
the disdain. As I said before, he's gonna get a
lot of the criticism when it comes to what's happening
with the Dallas Cowboy wat you're of the beasts, But

(48:33):
the reality is he's the reason why a lot of
times they're even in the successful part of their schedule.
I gave the numbers of his record against the NFC East.
I've given the records of how he's performed in some
of these games. His numbers are always through the roof.

(48:54):
And a lot of people can always say, well, it's
because they're trailing. That's not his fault that they're t
He does not play defense, he does not play special teams.
There's been opportunities, and people can say the same thing
when Tony Romo. Now Tony Romo's issue was he turned
the ball over at the wrong time and it was

(49:16):
always at crunch time. Yeah, and they can say and
they can also say some of that about Dak Prescott,
But you can't tell me that Neither one of those
quarterbacks were terrible.

Speaker 2 (49:30):
They are talent. They were talented guys.

Speaker 1 (49:32):
I got a buddy who loves Tony Romo still believes
that Romo should have been the starting quarterback.

Speaker 2 (49:38):
Now he's a Romo sexual, He's a Romo sexual.

Speaker 1 (49:40):
But the fact of the matter is Dak's numbers at
this stage in his career, just like Tony, both being
either undrafted or late draft picks. They have found a
way to show up and entertain and now get paid.
That was the problem that a lot of folks have.

(50:01):
They were upset about it. But me, I'm just glad
Joy Taylor is finally putting an end to the nonsense.

Speaker 2 (50:09):
Of the hey, hey hate hate.

Speaker 1 (50:12):
Right now, coming up next, we've got my guy, Chipper Jones,
Hall of Famer Chipper Jones coming up to talk baseball
and letting you know what he'll be doing here in
a couple of.

Speaker 2 (50:22):
Weeks, not in Austin.

Speaker 1 (50:23):
Funks, don't get excited, but he's got some things that
he's doing in a couple of weeks right here on
the morning kickoff on sports Radio AM thirteen hundred The Zone.
When you hear that music, you know exactly what it means.
It means that the bases are loaded. He's playing against
the Mets, and he is ready to drive in some runs.

(50:44):
We are joined right here on the morning kickoff on
sports Radio AM thirteen one hundred The Zone by the
Hall of Famer my guy Chipper Jones.

Speaker 2 (50:54):
Good morning, Chip. How you doing, buddy?

Speaker 7 (50:57):
What's going on? Fellas? How we doing?

Speaker 2 (50:58):
We're good, We're good.

Speaker 1 (51:00):
I want to get into this conversation because I know
that there is a lot going on in Major League Baseball,
But I want to start off with asking you about
you adopted the Coastal Carolina Chanta clears this year because
of their coach. They end up losing in the College
World Series.

Speaker 2 (51:19):
There was a.

Speaker 1 (51:19):
Suspect kind of getting tossed situation. But talk about what
you thought about Coastal Carolina. The way that their coach
goes about his business and the fact that he called
the umpire unathletic.

Speaker 7 (51:36):
I thought that was great.

Speaker 13 (51:39):
Coach Snall has been very impressive throughout his coaching career.
He teaches his kids to play hard, to play the
right way, to wear the uniform correctly, to respect your teammates,
to respect your opponent, and above everything else, respect the

(52:01):
game of baseball. And I just really think that Coastal
has been kind of that that under the radar baseball
university for about the last ten years. You know, they
won a national championship, I believe in sixteen or seventeen.

Speaker 7 (52:20):
I think they want it.

Speaker 13 (52:22):
But I can promise you this, there is no Division
One team, especially teams in the SEC, that really want
to have to beat go out and beat Coastal Carolina.
You know, as far as the confrontation in the first
game or the second game of the series, I don't

(52:43):
know that I've ever seen anything like it. But when
you know it, we had somebody behind the plate named
Angel Hernandez Compost. You know, I mean, why not adopt
the first in the middle name of the worst up
fire in Major league history. I mean, this guy, this
guy can't he couldn't hack it in the big leagues

(53:05):
and now he's screwing up the you know, the College
World Series two. I think you need to have a
little patience in that situation.

Speaker 7 (53:14):
He did miss some pitches in the first inning.

Speaker 13 (53:18):
Obviously there's going to be a lot of tension being
the last or the second to last game of the year,
and you know, tensions were riding high.

Speaker 7 (53:30):
Now I put out on X that whoever the guy who.

Speaker 13 (53:34):
Came in and just started flopping all over the place
like Lebron James, I mean, he comes in, you know,
he pretty much initiates any kind of contact and the.

Speaker 7 (53:47):
Fall. Oh my gosh. I have to believe that.

Speaker 13 (53:53):
I have to believe that the NCAA probably is going
to rescind that two game suspension because you know, kushnaw
in no way uh.

Speaker 7 (54:04):
Promoted contact there.

Speaker 2 (54:06):
Yeah, and that's that's not how he rolls.

Speaker 1 (54:08):
And I know a lot of people are are are
kind of feeling the same way. We're talking to Hall
of Famer Chipper Jones and Chipper let's get into the
MLB had a buddy text me just a little bit
ago that said, Hey, make sure you remind Chipper that
he picked the Baltimore Orioles to uh.

Speaker 2 (54:25):
Make some moves.

Speaker 1 (54:27):
But uh uh, not only that, but there's been some
changes in the game. Obviously the Orioles are struggling a
little bit, but they're trying to find their way. The AFC,
I mean AFC, the Al East is one of the
toughest ones that is out there. You're looking at what's
happening with the New York Yankees. But talk about the
Boston Red Sox and what you saw from them and

(54:49):
the trade that was made with Raphael Devers a little.

Speaker 7 (54:53):
Surprising, but.

Speaker 13 (54:58):
Devers certainly didn't endear himself to the coaching staff, the
rest of the team, the front office as well, with
some of the things that he.

Speaker 7 (55:12):
Said, how he went about his business.

Speaker 13 (55:15):
I can't imagine coming out and saying, look, I'm not
moving to first base, or I'm not gonna be the
d H or I'm not gonna play in the outfield.
That's just not my DNA. I'm gonna do whatever I
can to to help the club however they see fit.
I can understand being upset about bringing in Bregman, but

(55:40):
what's done is done, and they're doing what they think
is best for the ball club.

Speaker 7 (55:45):
And you know, things just got quite honestly, they got runt.

Speaker 13 (55:52):
They got runt up there in Boston, and you know,
it just got to the point where where somebody had
to go.

Speaker 7 (55:58):
Endeavors is it. He's a a game changer at the plate.

Speaker 13 (56:04):
I think he's going to be, you know, a pretty
outstanding d H from from from here on out.

Speaker 7 (56:11):
I don't. I don't know why.

Speaker 13 (56:14):
You know, he's got enough innings under his belt defensively
that he's he struggles out there, you know, so just
just let just put him in there, uh in San Francisco,
let him let him hit in the place that very
built and uh, you know, I think.

Speaker 7 (56:30):
He's he's in a good spot now.

Speaker 13 (56:31):
But red red socks to me, you know, just looking
at him, and they're gonna go as far as they're
starting pishing, take some Garrett Crochets of freaking stud you know.

Speaker 7 (56:42):
At the top of that rotation.

Speaker 13 (56:43):
They got Walker Bueller and a couple other guys falling
into place.

Speaker 7 (56:46):
So, uh, that's.

Speaker 13 (56:48):
Going to be don't you know, don't don't don't sleep
on my my Tampa Bay Rays down in Tampa. I'm
always very high on Tampa. It's a tough place to
play now, Fisher going to an a ball park, you know,
to go down there and play them. But the fact
of the matter is that got hot over the last
month and they're gonna be in the mix as well.

Speaker 1 (57:09):
Yeah, they always find a way to stay in the mix,
and that is what we've been able to see for
a long time. I want to go to the National League,
And obviously the Cubbies are doing really well right now.
Philadelphia Phillies are ahead in the East, with the Mets
and the Braves trailing. Your Atlanta Braids are struggling a
little bit, and a lot of the heat right now

(57:31):
that I've been seeing is on Mike Harris money. Mike
Harris playing center field and being.

Speaker 2 (57:38):
A leader on that squad.

Speaker 1 (57:40):
He's struggling a little bit, but Acuna being back is
kind of helping him out. What are they gonna need
to do to get Mike going?

Speaker 7 (57:50):
He's got to make some adjustments. You know.

Speaker 13 (57:52):
He's layding hard on the front side, which is causing
him to go outside the strike zone quite a bit,
you know, you know as well as I do. And
when all that weight goes forward, it doesn't matter what
pits is coming, you get fooled a lot. You know,
he's got a low handset, so he's got a little

(58:13):
bit of a reverse c you know, as he as
he starts his swing, you know, he's got a little
bit of that reverse sea or a loop as we
call it. That's uh, you know, causing him to come
up and under his time. He's got to be perfect
on a piss that he's looking for for him to
center it up right now, there's been a lot of

(58:34):
a lot of foul balls to the to the opposite
field and easy pop up to the opposite field, and
that's classic you know, uh reverse sea if you will,
or loop. So he's got to make some adjustments. He's
got to get you know, instead of you know, cocking
straight back, He's got to get his hands up a

(58:55):
little bit. He's got to come from from up top,
get on top of the balls, and as I like
to say, start driving the ball through the wall and
not trying to hit the ball over the wall. He
is a superstar in center field defensively, probably one of
the reasons why he's still playing in Atlanta right now.
You know, one could say that maybe a stint in

(59:18):
triple A might help him, but he's just too valuable defensively.

Speaker 7 (59:24):
To not have in there.

Speaker 13 (59:26):
So we're gonna, I would imagine, we're gonna ride it
out with him and hopefully he'll have a monster second half.

Speaker 1 (59:34):
Before I'll let you go, Chipper, I know you busy man,
and well I'll be in Atlanta here in a couple
of weeks for SEC media days.

Speaker 2 (59:42):
You're obviously there, and you.

Speaker 1 (59:44):
Got something that you're going to be doing that's pretty
special this year at the MLB Futures Game, with yourself
being a manager and a former teammate of yours and
mine Marquise Grissom Grip coaching on the other side.

Speaker 2 (59:58):
Talk about that a little bit.

Speaker 7 (01:00:00):
Yeah, I don't know. We haven't talked on the phone yet,
but I would imagine there's gonna be some kind of
wager made on it. We would never been off baseball.

Speaker 13 (01:00:13):
He's got the American side, I got the National side,
and you know, I think I'd be remiss if I
if I didn't want to be a part of this weekend.
You know, the last two times that it was held
in Atlanta, I believe in the in the seventies, you know,
Hank Aaron hit a home run in his home ballpark

(01:00:36):
in an All Star Game, and you know when it
was at our place in two thousand, I hit.

Speaker 7 (01:00:42):
A home run in my you know, in my home
ballpark in the series.

Speaker 13 (01:00:48):
And I just can't wait to see, you know who
shows out this year. You know, I Thinkunya is making
a strong push for it to get in there. But
as far as the Futures game, man, What a what
a cool opportunity to see the next wave of young
superstars coming up. We have a zoom meeting today about it,

(01:01:10):
about the rosters and pitch counts for pitchers and stuff
like that. But I think for the most part, Grip
and I are just going to stay out of the
way and let these boys kind of kind of strut
their stuff on the national stage.

Speaker 7 (01:01:23):
Not too much coaching.

Speaker 13 (01:01:24):
I may I might throw a three to zero takes
sign or you know, a stop sign if I don't
want a base stolen or something like that. But other
than that, let these kids play, let them have fun,
and uh, you.

Speaker 7 (01:01:36):
Know, let them let them strut their stuff on probably.

Speaker 13 (01:01:39):
The biggest stage that they're ever going to have played
on up until this point. So just a tremendous opportunity
for Gripping myself and and all of our coaching staffs
and really looking forward to it here in a couple
of weeks.

Speaker 1 (01:01:51):
That's exciting, man, And I can't wait to get to Atlanta.
I'm gonna bug you and try to get over there
and check some stuff. So so you already know how
we get down. Thirty five years ago, you and I
were drafted and now look at us now, man, just
having some fun.

Speaker 7 (01:02:06):
Yeah, I felt it. I feel you.

Speaker 11 (01:02:08):
I feel.

Speaker 1 (01:02:11):
As always man. I appreciate you taking the time, man,
appreciate you.

Speaker 7 (01:02:15):
You'll be good.

Speaker 1 (01:02:16):
There is Chipper Jones, Hall of Famer coming up next.

Speaker 2 (01:02:20):
We're going to talk NBA Draft.

Speaker 1 (01:02:22):
We're gonna go down to San Antonio and talk to
my girl Carolina Tig as she breaks down the Spurs
right here on the morning kickoff on Sports Radio and
thirteen hundred The Zone Special. Thanks to Hall of Famer
Chipper Jones for joining the show. But right now, let's
take our time to go down to San Antonio and

(01:02:45):
talk to my good friend Carolina Tigue of Spurs sperfect
excuse me blog. You can follow her on social media
at CT the Mike Slayer right now and talk about
the set Antonio Spurs and what is all going on
in USA. Good morning, How are you?

Speaker 11 (01:03:08):
Good morning.

Speaker 1 (01:03:10):
I'm excited to talk to you because the last time
that we talked, we were talking a lot about the
Victor Winmbanyama situation, him coming in and how he's developing,
and then he ends up getting hurt and missing most
of the season.

Speaker 2 (01:03:24):
Can you hear us?

Speaker 13 (01:03:25):
Yes?

Speaker 14 (01:03:26):
Sorry, your Faufo went out just to tad I'm sorry, okay.

Speaker 1 (01:03:29):
So we were talking about Victor winbin Yama and everything
that was going on with him last time you and
I spoke, and now we're getting ready for a draft
that is expected to be Dylan Harper. But is there
any other news that might come out there to where
it might change.

Speaker 14 (01:03:48):
I'm just gonna be honest with you, Harje, Probably not.
I haven't got any indication that the Spurs are going
to be doing anything else with that number two pick
except for getting Dylan Harper. And honestly, all the signs
are there a lot of insiders have reported that Dylan
Harper is the go to pick, and when you look
at the Spurs tradition, they're the type that goes the

(01:04:10):
built not bought route, and it seemed like Ron Harper,
Dylan Harper's dad, who is a five time NBA champion,
has been up and down the comments on social media
for the.

Speaker 11 (01:04:22):
San Antonio Spurs.

Speaker 14 (01:04:24):
And there was also a local artist who drew a
mural for Dylan Harper in a Spurs jersey with the
new sponsor logo, so he might have some insight as well.
So for me, it seems like Dylan Harper is the
go to pick for San Antonio and this is kind
of their route that they always take. They're more than
likely going to roll with Dylan Harper.

Speaker 1 (01:04:45):
So I'm looking at this and I'm looking at your
roster and trying to truly understand the fit, right, Like
we've all talked about the fits and how you're gonna
have a Daron Fox. You still got Vasel, you got
Kelden Johnson, you have Harrison Barnes still on the roster
at this particular time. Jeremy Schohan has been part of

(01:05:06):
conversations about possibly being traded. Then you think about the
changes that were made with Mitch Thompson, I mean, excuse me,
Mitch Johnson taking over as full time pop stepping aside.
There has been a lot going on in San Antonio
during this offseason.

Speaker 14 (01:05:25):
Yeah, and that's what everybody's trying to figure out, Like
how can Dylan Harper.

Speaker 11 (01:05:29):
Fit even if dear and Fox is there?

Speaker 14 (01:05:32):
And somebody like CP three, who was on a one
year contract who hasn't made a decision on where he's
gonna go yet.

Speaker 11 (01:05:38):
As we all know, Chris Paul is more.

Speaker 14 (01:05:40):
Than likely not the long term solution for San Antonio.

Speaker 11 (01:05:43):
He's the veteran presidence. He was more of a short
term mentor.

Speaker 14 (01:05:46):
He was somebody who gave the young guards some knowledge
on how they can stabilize as.

Speaker 11 (01:05:51):
A team and be groomed for the next generation to come.

Speaker 14 (01:05:54):
And he can him and another if he does resign,
or if they add another veteran presence, these people can
help Harper adjust and then phase out of their career.
And one of the things that Dylan Harper is really
good at is he is comfortable playing off of somebody
like Dearne Fox. And when somebody like Daranne Fox who

(01:06:16):
tends to be tends to be somebody who's a scoring threat,
he puts pressure on the rim, he gets to the
spots and he finishes with touch.

Speaker 11 (01:06:25):
Dylan Harper is more of a facilitator.

Speaker 14 (01:06:27):
He's a big body initiator and he sets others up
and he plays unselfishly.

Speaker 11 (01:06:32):
Now the Spurs are also really guard heavy. You look
at somebody like Devin Vessel, but Devin Miselle is more
of a somebody who faces the floor really really well.

Speaker 14 (01:06:40):
And then when you talk about Jeremy Sohan, he is
more of a defender and not necessarily somebody who runs
the offense. So adding Dylan Harper can kind of add
that layer of control that the Spurs might possibly need,
so slowing down the tempo and the pace, and he's
more of a good decision maker. I'm not saying the
other Spurs are, but he would add value in that

(01:07:01):
aspect as well. So even though the team is guard heavy,
that would be where he would fit as far as
like slowing down the tempo and being able to be
somebody who is a long term solution for the San
Antonio Spurs with the high IQ.

Speaker 1 (01:07:16):
With the draft being able to go off tonight and
you're talking about the Spurs going at number two, well,
the Spurs also have the number fourteen pick as well.
Has there been any talk of who they are looking
at at the number fourteen pick or may they trade
that pick?

Speaker 14 (01:07:34):
So that is actually the more that's the more you know,
unknown situation on what the Spurs can possibly do.

Speaker 11 (01:07:43):
However, it could go either way when you look at
the draft.

Speaker 14 (01:07:46):
Last year, the Spurs traded Rob Dellingham with the with
the Minnesota Timberwolves, and usually the San Antonio Spurs like
to do multi team trades, so when they immediately flipped him.
That kind of showed that Brian Right is a type
of GM that's gonna pull the trigger on a trade
that he already negotiated during the clock. And he's more

(01:08:07):
the type of person that's gonna draft for value and
not positional need as we can tell because they've been
guard heavy this past year.

Speaker 7 (01:08:15):
But if they.

Speaker 14 (01:08:16):
Do stay put, more than likely they're gonna go with
somebody who is a center. The Spurs need help in
that department on the front court, or they can possibly
trade that pick away. They can either move up in
the draft or the number nine pick, which is what
people are discussing might occur. And then there's also been

(01:08:37):
heavy reports on the Spurst trading somebody like the likes
of Kelvin Johnson is my personal foot favorite player, for
somebody like.

Speaker 11 (01:08:48):
The Sacramento Keys, for Jonas valanchun Is.

Speaker 14 (01:08:50):
That's been the topic of conversation, is that the Spurs
might possibly trade him away or.

Speaker 11 (01:08:56):
Somebody like Malachi Branham for a picks.

Speaker 14 (01:09:00):
The Spurs have the fourteenth and the thirty eight pick,
and it's being reported that they're also interested in somebody
like the teams like the Hornets and possibly get somebody.

Speaker 11 (01:09:09):
Like Mark Williams.

Speaker 14 (01:09:11):
Those would be some options that the Spurs can go with,
so that one's more of a question mark. But knowing
the Spurs, if they are going to trade away that
fourteenth pick, more than likely they can either do a
multi team trade like they normally do, or they're going
to trade away that fourteenth pick the thirty eighth pick
for some additional assets so they can have ammunition moving

(01:09:31):
forward in the draft, kind of like Oklahoma City did
when they were rebuilding their roster, and we see how
that's played out recently.

Speaker 1 (01:09:37):
Well, if that can happen, I know that the folks
in San Antonio will lose their mind for another championship.

Speaker 2 (01:09:44):
There. As always, I.

Speaker 1 (01:09:46):
Want to thank you for breaking it down and getting
up with me this morning, and we'll be paying attention
because I definitely want to find out what's next for
the San Antonio Spurs.

Speaker 11 (01:09:56):
It's Tired's always a pleasure.

Speaker 2 (01:09:58):
Appreciate you. When we come back.

Speaker 1 (01:10:00):
Will close out the show and send you to Dan
Patrick as the NBA Draft is tonight, and Dylan Harper, well,
let's just say he tried tacos. You'll figure it out
right here on the morning kickoff on Sports Radio AM
thirteen hundred The Zone. If you missed any part of
the show, get over to AM thirteen hundred The Zone

(01:10:22):
on the allways Free iHeart Radio app. Get over to
the podcast page or wherever you get your podcasts and
type in the morning kickoff on AM thirteen hundred The Zone.
You missed great interviews with our guy Danny Davis as
he broke down the transfer portal for the University of
Texas and all the major moves that was made. We

(01:10:43):
also had Hall of Famer Chipper Jones breaking down Major
League Baseball and the fact that he will be coaching
the futures game against one of his former teammates in
one of mine, Markis Grissom, as well as Carolina t
talking about the Spurs and it.

Speaker 2 (01:11:00):
Looks like they're gonna go.

Speaker 1 (01:11:01):
With Dylan Harper speaking of the NBA Draft, it takes
place tonight. It is Cooper Flag Day, and right now
I want you to hear from Rodney Terry, former Texas
Longhorn head coach, as he spoke about Trey Johnson and
his ability to score.

Speaker 9 (01:11:20):
A couple of monks came out heading into the drafts
that have the Pelicans selecting him seventh overall.

Speaker 6 (01:11:27):
Do you have any thoughts on what his fit would
be like in New Orleans?

Speaker 15 (01:11:31):
I think wherever Tray goes, I think he's gonna have
a chance to have an impact because his skill set,
again is so high. I mean, I had a chance
to coach a young Kevin Durant in college at Texas
as well, and I'm not saying he's Kevin Durant, but
I'm saying he's a I've never seen a bet around
a kid that scores the ball as easy as Trey
Johnson does and has a skill set in terms.

Speaker 7 (01:11:52):
Of shooting the basketball for his size.

Speaker 15 (01:11:56):
So I think wherever he goes exam a chance froming
off as the standpoint to really make an impact. And
I think, you know, defensively, you know, with the.

Speaker 16 (01:12:05):
Culture that he comes into, and I know you know
New Orleans, you know coach Green there, you know his
philosophy theres is a defense and playing hard.

Speaker 7 (01:12:15):
I think he'll buy into that, I think with the culture.

Speaker 1 (01:12:18):
And that is why Trey Johnson is projected to go
anywhere from number three to number five. But the number
one pick overall is supposed to be Cooper Flag, which
is why they're calling it Flag Day in Dallas. And
let's just say, my man Kendrick Perkins, who you've heard
on the show with myself and Mark Henry and our
Legends of the Locker Room segment, kind of talked about

(01:12:40):
what he sees in Cooper Flag.

Speaker 12 (01:12:42):
Several hours on hours of DVDs, not YouTube DVDs of
Larry Bird.

Speaker 2 (01:12:48):
I mean, but look, this is how I look at
Cooper Flag.

Speaker 1 (01:12:51):
If Lebron James and Ken mcgartnett had a baby, you
get Cooper Flagg.

Speaker 2 (01:12:55):
And why I say that is because you think about it.

Speaker 7 (01:12:58):
When you think about Lebron James, you think about.

Speaker 1 (01:13:00):
Lebron, Come on, man, you're gonna put him in that situation.

Speaker 2 (01:13:04):
You're gonna call him that if they had a baby.

Speaker 1 (01:13:07):
Come on, man, that don't even sound right because his
skill set is totally different. Yes, he has attitude, Yes
he can dunk on people, and he can shoot it
from anywhere. But let's try to figure out they just
said he was watching Larry Bird videos, not Lebron James
and Kevin Garnett. But do we really need to do
the Larry Bird comparison either not. But he's a shooter

(01:13:30):
and that's why I think that he's talking about in
the way that he goes about his game. But he's
more athletic, for sure. I mean, the kid is totally different.

Speaker 5 (01:13:38):
I do like the Kevin Garnet comparison in a way
because he's more of a mid range shooter who can
play in the post and play a little bit on outside,
like a young Kevin Garnet before he developed a full
post game.

Speaker 2 (01:13:51):
Yeah, let's forget. This kid is very very young too.

Speaker 1 (01:13:55):
He even graduated early to go to college early so
he could get into the draft early. Another guy that
we were just talking about is Dylan Harper, and Dylan
Harper will be supposedly the number two pick going to
the San Antonio Spurs and then the draft really starts.

Speaker 2 (01:14:12):
But he was talking about the first time.

Speaker 1 (01:14:14):
Don't forget he's from New Jersey and he's never had tacos.
I've been to San Antonio once and I've had a breakfast.

Speaker 2 (01:14:24):
Taco one time. But both times the breakfast talk was good.

Speaker 1 (01:14:28):
It's like it's not as good as a big egg
and cheese, but it's like right under, Yeah, like a
big old.

Speaker 7 (01:14:34):
But it's not it right under.

Speaker 2 (01:14:35):
But I mean Texas hot.

Speaker 1 (01:14:36):
Isn't real hot out there, I mean, but it's definitely
like a great environment to be in and just be
very low key huh man. He's learning, he's learning on
the move because you know he's from Jersey. They don't
they don't really do breakfast tacos up north. If you've
been anywhere besides the state of Texas, it's very rare

(01:14:58):
that you're gonna get a bread tacos. It's just like
going somewhere and asking for Kso a lot of people
are looking at you if you've been up north, They're like,
what are you talking about? Cheese? You want cheese? Yeah,
melted cheese. So we shall see. But it's going to
be an interesting draft for sure. There's a lot of
possible moves. We talked a lot about the NFL Dak

(01:15:21):
Prescott finally getting some love. We talked about Aaron Rodgers
and Mike Tomlin. Get over the AM thirteen hundred to
zone and cast your vote on if you think this
is the last hurrah for Mike Tomlin, if the Pittsburgh
in Pittsburgh, if the Aaron Rodgers story fails, and right

(01:15:42):
now a lot of people seventy one percent say yes,
this will be the end for Mike Tomlin and Pittsburgh
if this fails. Twenty one percent says no, and seven
percent says he's done no matter what, because he's been
at the same spot for a long time and so
a lot of things can change in between that. So

(01:16:03):
you gotta you gotta pay attention to see what's going
on and whoever your favorite team may be, find out
who they draft and what's next for them. Mark Henry
will join us tomorrow as his travel plans kind of
got sidetracked, but he'll definitely be back.

Speaker 2 (01:16:21):
With us tomorrow. I want to thank Marcus for tuning in.

Speaker 1 (01:16:25):
Make sure you tune in to The Craig Way Show
with Craig Wycam Parker this afternoon, and of course, make
sure you download the always free iHeartRadio app Tell five
Friends to Tell five Friends the Morning Kickoff is here
for you, and always remember this, don't believe everything you
see because even salt looks like sugar. Download the app

(01:16:47):
and listen to the interview with Chipper Jones as well
right here on the Morning Kickoff.

Speaker 2 (01:16:52):
See you tomorrow.