November 3, 2022 • 35 mins
Chris and Rob react to the breaking news that the Brooklyn Nets have suspended Kyrie Irving indefinitely for refusing to apologize for promoting an anti-Semitic documentary, and debate whether or not LeBron James deserves criticism for not getting the final shot in the Los Angeles Lakers' win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night. Plus, FanDuel TV host and racing analyst Ken Rudulph swings by to promote the upcoming Breeder's Cup.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Odd Couple podcast.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday from seven
pm to ten pm Eastern four to seven Pacific on
Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for The Odd
Couple at Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us
live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching f
(00:21):
s R. You're listening to the best of the Odd
Cup off with Chris Brush and Rod Harker. There is
breaking news. You probably heard it at the top of
the hour from Steve de Sager, but basically, the NETS
just released a statement within the last half an hour,
(00:41):
I believe, saying that they thought that working with the
Anti Defamation League and Kyrie and the NETS had offered
to donate five hundred thousand dollars each to you know,
fight prejudice and things of that nature. U Kyrie made
(01:02):
a statement, but he did not make a full throated
apology for the uh misinformation and you know, negative things
that were put in there about Jewish people and UM.
Today he had a press conference and was given the
(01:24):
opportunity to apologize for being anti Semitic. He didn't. We're
gonna play that in a moment for you, But the league.
I'm sorry. The Nets, probably after conferring with Adam Silver
robbed the commissioner have decided in their press release that
he is going to be suspended indefinitely until they say
(01:47):
what is the language they use? He said he's unfit
to be a member of the Nets. Unfit. I mean
those are serious words. And you talked about it, you
talked about his career next year, Chris, I don't even
know it said be over here, here's the language, right
(02:08):
you like you said? They do say, uh, look at
the end, it's something like he's unfit to be a
member of Corey. We are of the view that he
Kyrie is currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets.
We have decided that Kyrie will serve a suspension without
(02:28):
pay until he satisfies a series of objective remedial measures. Wow.
That addressed the harmful impact of his conduct. And the
suspension period served is no less than five games. So
he's I mean, yeah, I'm ready to say this. I
(02:49):
don't think he'll back down, Chris, and he probably will
won't play for the Nets, no, right, But I'm just say,
do you think like who else could would take it?
You're right? If he doesn't do that. You're almost right.
I mean, how could anybody picking them up? Right? And
I was, you know, I mentioned like, let's say he
would have played out this year and then he is
(03:10):
a free agent after say the Nets go out in
the second round, whatever, He's a free agent after this season.
The only team Rob that I could think of that
might signed Kyrie was the Lakers because he had Lebron
has shown the ability to work with Kyrie and win
(03:35):
with Kyrie. But I don't know if they Rob. I
think Rob, they would face the same public relations nightmares. Right,
and remember this to Chris once the Commissioner, we just
said it, right, the commissioners involved in Once the Commissioner said,
I'm disappointed and not happy about this. Chris, who's a
(03:58):
Jewish man himself, right, and he's not. They're not going
to allow this to go on. It's just that simple.
He was asked a very pointed question about being anti Semitic. Chris,
it is just an It's simple. Well, you know, and
I'm telling y'all this is I've been saying he needs
(04:19):
to apologize. Why you said it from day one? But
he is playing word games. Kyrie Irving believes that he's Semitic.
And I'm not ridiculing that belief. I'm just saying that's
what he believes. And so when he says I can't
be anti Semitic, that's what he means. And he believes
(04:42):
the Jews in America are Europeans and that so he
needs Like I said, Rob, is this beginning of the end.
This is definitely Yeah, yeah, it is. I mean, if
he's not gonna come out and and here's the thing,
look and we look, I don't think Rob, like I said,
(05:04):
I don't. I don't subscribe to his theology. Obviously, I'm
not against Jews, Um, I don't. I don't agree with it,
but I don't think a person should lose their career
or their livelihood. He's obviously made enough money where he
doesn't have to work another day in his life. But
(05:26):
for their beliefs, as long as they're not promoting violence
against another group of people. Yeah, I think I hear
what you're saying. But I get that people can make
they can hire who they want. That's why I would
like after this season and I'm look, I'm not gonna
this isn't but but it's similar to Kaepernick in that
(05:47):
they just don't want Kaepernick on the team in the league. Right,
he did have a more noble cause he didn't. He didn't.
I didn't do anything that I'm not saying, right Like, Look,
you can find his beliefs untoward, but I don't think
he should lose his livelihood because of it. Yeah, but
(06:08):
see they but Donald Sterling, Chris didn't break any laws.
And Donald, but he said in that tape, right, he
didn't really want black people at his games, right, but
he didn't break but he didn't break any law and
broken law, and they've just decided that's not in the
best interests of our league. And that's what it comes
down to when you put on a uniform and you
(06:31):
represent organizations and other people, Chris, it's not that they
want you to be in lockstep of everything they believe.
But if they believe you're doing damage to the to
the league, to the overall organization at and the brand,
that's where you become where they will go to the right,
that's their right. We could talk about uh. Trevor Bauer.
(06:56):
Trevor Bauer, Chris, Again, the charges were dropped. They were
supposedly consensual. What that will he pitching the major leagues. Again,
I don't know. And the Players Union is the strongest
union in America, Chris, and they didn't flinch. They didn't
do anything for Trevor Bauer. So I don't know. It's
(07:16):
a it's a tricky spot. I feel bad for him
from this damnpoint that he's fallen on this sword, when
it was so easy to just apologize and say I'm
not anti Semitic and close the door, right, because the
sword he's fallen on isn't even these are my core
religious beliefs. The sword he's fallen on is he said
(07:42):
in himself that there's falsehoods in the book. There's what
I can't think of all the words he used, but
he said that there's stuff that's in there that's just
flat out wrong lies. Those are the things people want
you to apologize for the fact that that book said
the Holocaust didn't take place. Right, You can't apologize for that, right, God,
(08:08):
and Rob, you know you hear it all the time.
A person's greatest strength is often their greatest weakness. And
Kyrie Irvy, I'm sure his stubbornness and unwillingness to believe
what people have said about him or to him, it's
part of what you know, played a part in him
becoming such a great individual basketball player. But in this case, man,
(08:33):
your stubbornness could cost you your career. And this just
seems like it's it's, uh, this isn't Muhammed Ali not
going to Vietnam that you know, especially to Colin Kaepernick
standing up for African American arms were innocent and unarmed
(08:57):
and being down police. But it's it's trending to that
the end result, right, that he's essentially black ball from
the league. Like I didn't, like, you know, years ago,
Rob almost thirty years ago now when Mike mood I'm
doing right, if you remember him, I remember that Jackson
he essentially was black ball from the league. And that
was another situation where that was unjust. Chris right, Uh,
(09:20):
let's go off the number. Let's let's give some let's
break and give some time for people. I really want
to see. Do they where are they on this? Are
we are we the old guys? Uh out in left field?
Or in terms of what just that people think that
this do they think this is just unjust because he
should be suspended? Okay, so you don't think he should
(09:42):
be suspended by the league. Okay, he has not said
himself that he doesn't like Jewish people, that he's against
Jewish people. Now I get. I do believe he should apologize,
and I do believe if at the end of this season,
after his contract is over and he is, nobody wants
(10:02):
to sign him, then that is what it is. But
you know, like I said, I just don't believe that
people should be suspended for their beliefs as long as
they're not advocating violence. Yeah, well, I think because you
might not agree with a Muslim's religious beliefs, yeah, but
(10:23):
you might not agree with his religious Christians. Yeah, but
it's just not I don't I don't think it's just
about and you talked about it about somebody's beliefs. But too,
I think the stuff about the Holocaust didn't exist, well
and totally that's that's the that's the stuff that you
just cannot allow. If he allowed that, well, well, but
(10:47):
I don't know what that he I hope he doesn't believe.
I don't know. And and part of it is he
had a chance for this to be old. Specific he
had a chance for this to be over and he
didn't do it. And and when you work for other
people and you represent a brand in the league, this
is what happens. This is not this. This is not
(11:09):
you can say and do whatever you want, Chris. If
you're independently walthy and you don't work for anybody, or
if you're in your basement, you can do that all day.
But this is when he means, because I'm thinking of
things like like the NBA didn't keep the game in Charlotte,
the All Star Game, remember in Charlotte, because of a
quote unquote bathroom billy. And you know that, would you
(11:33):
know you had to go to the bathroom of your
biological sex. If I if a player comes out and
says I don't want my my daughter in the bathroom
with a boy or a man, would would they be suspended?
I don't know this. Those are things I want that
This is That's what I'm saying. Man. It's complicated, and
(11:56):
it's it's it's like them in what people can believe
and think, Yeah, I don't think that that's what they're
looking at. Because and this is the only thing I'm
gonna say, and this is this hasn't happened to five
hundred players or three hundred players or ten players was
obviously a unique right, This is what I'm saying. He's
(12:18):
very unique. So they haven't had to deal with these
kind of things because most people understand when you wear
a uniform in a city on your chest, that you
represent them at all times, just like you represent Fox
and you represent an ESPN follows years, we know that
going in. We know that I can't go out to
some crazy bar and jump on top of a table
(12:40):
and say, well, I'm off today and I'm not on
the radio, and I could just yell out from the
top of my lungs anti semitic slurs at a bar.
I will not be on Fox Sports right, And in fairness,
I don't think Kyrie would. I didn't say that. I'm
just saying, oh, but I'm just saying I mean that
that's an extreme. I don't think Kyrie hasn't done that.
But look, the bottom line is, man, he just needs
(13:00):
to come out and apologize for the false information and
get specific that's in that book or in that documentary,
and hopefully be able to move on with his career.
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
(13:21):
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app search FSR to
listen live. Hey it's me Rob Parker. Check out my
weekly MLB podcast, Inside the Parker for twenty two minutes
of piping hot baseball talk featuring the biggest name to
newsmakers in the sport. Whether you believe in analytics or
(13:41):
the Eyecast, we've got all the basis cover. New episodes
drop every Thursday, So do yourself a favor and listen
to Inside the Parker with Rob Parker on the iHeartRadio
app or wherever you get your podcast. You know, last
night the Lakers get a good win, their second of
the season over the New Orleans Pelicans, and Matt Ryan,
(14:07):
not the former quarterback for the Order current quarterback for
the Indianapolis Colts, but Matt Ryan journeyman, to put it kindly,
three point shooting Matt who I thought he was a
quarterback for them, Right, you just started listening, right, you
were late on that, You're about sorry, but I'm so
(14:28):
cooled up with all these games. I am caught up tonight.
He hit the three pointer to send the game into overtime,
and some people are making a big deal out of
the fact that the play was called for Matt Ryan,
Matt freaking Ryan, and not for the great Lebron James.
(14:51):
Do you think that's a big deal. It's not the
biggest deal in the world, Chris. What it is is
a narrative that has always been out there about Lebron,
and I just think it just keeps feeding into that.
And Matt Ryan, he made the shot, they won the game.
It's not the end of the world, Chris, whether or not.
(15:12):
And I think when when you talk about Lebron being
the all time greatest, this is these are the things
that people point to, is that oftentimes you felt like
Lebron would rather give up the ball. And I'm not
saying in this situation there's a play called I'm talking
about just in general, the narrative about him sometimes that
(15:33):
he'd rather give it up to a lesser player than
to take it to the hole and get a foul
and make freak tos or whatever it is, or you know,
bully his way through the crowd and go to the
basket or whatever. And I think that's the only reason
why it keeps coming up. And the difference between we've
seen Michael Jordan give up the basketball in big moments
(15:55):
and big situations. But we've also seen Michael knock down
these big shots. We've seen Lebron, yeah, but not on
the scale of Jordans. And anyone that wasn't on the
scale of Jordan was Jordan's against Utah. And the difference
is Michael Jordan in his decisions and the ones that
he's made. He's won six championships and Lebron has lost
(16:20):
six championships. And I think that's it because you're you
might be giving it up to somebody else and that
might be the right quote unquote basketball play, but it
hadn't worked out for you because you lost six times.
I think that's ultimately christ narrative. If Lebron was four
and oh in the NBA in the NBA Finals, right,
(16:40):
and he had given up the ball other people and
they made the shot to I don't think we'd be
having this conversation. But because he's lost so many times,
I think that's why people feel the way they do.
I don't know, it's interesting because Lebron does have a
lot of buzzer beaters. Um, I think he's uh, he
might he's the top five all time, where how many
(17:01):
buzzer beaters he's had in the playoffs. I think it's
definitely a nine story. And I'm gonna first, I'm gonna
start hero ot. I'm gonna give Darvin Ham some credit.
That's the rookie coach for the Lakers. He's coaching, all right,
enough of this. You know, Oh, we're down one, or
we're down two or three with five seconds left or
(17:26):
with ten seconds left, I'm just gonna give the ball
to my best player and let him go one on one.
That's not coaching. How about you run a play now
you want. You might get the ball in the hands
of your best player, But how about some action to
getting the ball. How about some options for him If
he doesn't have the shot, he can kick a pass off,
(17:48):
something like that. And too often these coaches call on
their superstar to play hero ball at the end of
a game, and it's lazy coaching. I give Darvin Ham credit.
Run Rob for running a play, which is not an
unusual play. Plenty of teams run it, all right, But
(18:08):
he did run a play and it was a great
play at the end of the game. And Rob to
call that play for Matt freaking Ryan instead of Lebron James,
that's coaching. So I'm gonna give Darvin hams from credit
for that on top rod of bringing out Russell Westbrook
off the bench. Are you Vogel couldn't do it? Darvin
(18:31):
ham has been there five games, seven games, and he's
done it. So I'm gonna give Darvin. I'm not saying
he's the next Red RBox. I'm just saying I like
seeing good coaching. I like seeing a coach who stands
flat footed and said, this is the way we're gonna do. Okay,
let me ask you this, and I get it. It worked,
and I'm not against you and your idea of coaching.
(18:53):
But if Matt Ryan put up an air ball, which
he did not he nailed it, would people have a
do from conversation about him designing a play for a
guy most people didn't even know it was on the
team until last night. I don't know. I don't care
because he didn't hit it. No, I'm just saying, say,
if he missed the shot, I mean, Ariba, you go
(19:16):
to the extreme. I gotta go extreme. But I mean,
I mean, right, we could do that with everything. Oh no,
but we got three hours to kill what I What
I am saying is this, if he misses the shot.
I wouldn't kill him. Nobody's saying you would kill him,
but they would question to yo, is that the Play'd
ask him why? Why? Why? Man? If he has a
(19:37):
good my explanation would be, he's our best three point shooter. Okay,
we needed three? Why not Len? Len Lebron probably from three?
What was Lebron for seven from three last night? I
don't think that's a play for Lebron. I'm with you
on that. It shouldn't be right, Like, he's not a
three point maker for me, Chris, he's streaky, He'll he'll
(19:57):
be off or he'll be hot. I don't like when
Lebron takes so many threes at the end of you know,
he's been in that situation a lot, and he'll just
be kind of dribbling at the on the perimeter and
then take a long three at the end of a game.
Why you're not Steph Curry? So I I but to
(20:18):
answer the question, no, it the fact that it wasn't
drawn up for Lebron is not a big deal. Rob.
I've talked to Michael Jordan about this. He's told me
he said there were times he was a decoy. He
said plenty of times he was a decoy in big games. Rob,
you remember the nineteen ninety three Finals Game six, John
(20:40):
Paxson hit the game winning shot they clinched the finals.
Jordan was a decoy on that play. He told me,
so this notion that you know, I don't know if
anybody on TV said it, but Jordan would have demanded
the ball. Jordan wouldn't have let that know. It's about winning,
it's about making the best play. Jordan new Steve Kurt
(21:01):
and John Packson were better three point shooters than him.
So I don't I think that's ridiculous. Rob g hopping here,
as a Laker fan, do you think it was a
big deal that Lebron the play wasn't called for Lebron
um as a Laker fan, no, because he was horrible
last night. He was one for eleven outside the paint.
But just in like, he's your best play, Like you know,
(21:24):
in general, on principle, I would expect the best player
to get the ball. Man. That's because because I'm a
Laker fan who spent twenty years seeing Kobe get the
last shot every game, and Kobe missed a lot of
That's fine. And then let's keep it real. Who get
point four? You're a point four? Yeah? But you know
what the player get this shot to be Sacramento. Who
(21:45):
was the play drown up for? I'm just asking who?
Who was the play dry for? KOBEI who you said
in the pre show meeting. It's not like Darvin hamm
is Phil Jackson. Phil Jackson drew up almost every single
game ending play that I can recall for the Lakers.
Of them, most of the big ones I remember, not
(22:07):
all we can obviously here he can ask Steve to Sayer.
He's been watching the Lakers for longer than I have.
Most how many big ones that were hit? Huh? What
were the biggest ones? Derek Fish? Derek Fisher? But the
play with I get it, Kobe. Every Kobe missed the shot,
Shack missed the tipping, It got tipped out to Robert Dory. So, Chris,
(22:28):
your argument doesn't make sense because it was still drawn
up for the best player. Were not always Oh why
wasn't always drawn up for Michael Jordan? Well, in that situation,
he just said, my argument doesn't make sense sense to
not drop the play from Michael Jordan. Well, I don't
know what Michael Jordan told me himself he was a
(22:50):
why Phil Jackson changed but here, but here, here, let
me just say this here, here's a difference, I think,
and you guys can both. I think there's a different
friends between the play being drawn up for somebody and
people getting the feeling like Lebron doesn't want the shot,
doesn't want And I'm not saying Chris that that's the case,
(23:14):
but I think there was a feel or a thought
that I don't want to go up there and have
to make free thows or I don't I don't want
to be to have it on my case, so I'm
gonna pass the ball to a lesser player in a situation,
even though I could have kept the ball and gone
to the hole and been fouled or whatever. Do you
think there's any of that that that people don't always
(23:34):
believe that Lebron wants the ball. I think there's been
a narrative created unfairly that Lebron doesn't want to last Okay,
Rob G do you feel that same way that there's
a narrative or sense of so I think he does
want the last shot. I think he doesn't want to
(23:55):
get fouled, which is why he doesn't do what he's
best at the end of games, which is getting which
go to the basketball because he's not sure of his exactly.
Remember when um in Miami before Miami won his first
championship and Lebron had a last had the ball, last
second shot against Miami, I mean Chicago, he drove to
(24:16):
the basket, got filed by I believe it was Joe
Kim Noah. So there are times where he did drive
to the basket. So I mean, for everything you say,
I can point out, I mean, I know the perception
was that Kobe, you know, always wanted the shot, and
he certainly did want the shot. But to say Lebron,
(24:39):
I just think it's it's false to say Lebron don't
want the shot. Could because at times Lebron let's keep
it real. It's because he's passed it off. When he
passed it Danielle Marshall early Rob and you were probably
still in Detroit at that time, maybe when he passed
the Kyle Korver. But again Jordan passed it off to
(25:00):
Steve Kerr. Jordan didn't pass it off to John Paxson
because Jordan really wasn't involved in that play. The only
difference is they hit it, but that doesn't Why should
that reflect on Lebron because he makes myths. But even
the Kyle Korver one, right, you're up three with the basketball.
If I remember, are up two? Is it up two
(25:21):
or three? I don't remember up to up to with
the ball Draymond Green with five fouls in front of you,
and you have the ball in your Lebron James, and
you pass for a corner three when you could have
taken the ball to the hole and either got Draymond
Green out of the game right with a foul or
made the basket because Draymond would have to step to
(25:43):
the side. I think that's where people look at and say,
you don't need a three in that situation. You have
the lead and the basketball and a helpless defender in
front of you. I think it's moments like that you
got three point shooter two though, yeah, but you don't
need it three the best actually one of the best,
but still, I mean, this is remember the era, this
(26:03):
is in rob everybody's shooting threes. Fox Sports Radio has
the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all
of our shows at foxsports radio dot com and within
the iHeartRadio app. Search f SR to listen live is
the I Couple Chris and Rob live from the Tirek
dot com studios, and the Breeders Cup World Championships are
(26:24):
coming to Iconic Keenland November fourth and fifth. Do not
miss the world's best thoroughbreds as they race for their
share of thirty one million dollars in purses and awards.
Visit Breeders Cup dot com to watch all the action
live on November fourth and fifth. Speaking of the Breeders Cup,
we have TVG hosts and racing analysts Ken Rudolph joining us. Ken,
(26:47):
Welcome to the alcohol that's happening. Hey, how y'all doing?
Get the same hang with y'all again, Tony, no doubt
the last time. Look, we know a lot of our
listeners are really looking to get in on the betting
with this, So give us, you know, some of the
strongest horses out there and maybe who could even be
some dark horses that might make some people some money.
(27:09):
Oh my goodness. Well that's the entire theme with the
Breeder's Cup, Baby like for today it is the best
horses in the world. You get these fourteen races. I
call him fourteen individual Kentucky Derby's and I call Friday
and Saturday both super Bowl days for horse racing. And
the beauty of it is is that in any race,
you're going to have prices come through. So I can
take you to the biggest race of all. Right, we
(27:31):
can start with the biggie of the bunch, the six
million dollar long Genes Breeders' Cup Classic. And everyone's talking
about the horse that's undefeated. Right, you've heard the name.
It's flight Line. And every time he runs, he absolutely
hold on nobody moving. Sorry my phone was moving. Yeah,
he just absolutely crushes his competition. So everyone's thinking he's
(27:52):
an automatic lock, and I'm like, whoa hold up. Now,
he's in a field with a bunch of other millionaires.
Like all the horses that he's facing in the Breeders
Cup Classic, they have all showed their stuff and they
all love to win races, so that might be one
of many races to get a price. And in that race,
(28:12):
there's a trainer. All he does is win big races.
They punished him last year. He had to sit it out.
I was gonna say, yeah, he's got a checkered past, then,
audn't he. Bob Badford. He is what he is. You
can look up the resume, you can have whatever opinion
you want to have him just saying and then and
let me say this real quick, well as you go
on with Badford that if I bet on flight line,
(28:35):
you know what would happen, right if I put some
shekels down, he would turn into he turned into flat
line and wind up loser. Oh your st rock man.
Look here, He's going to be a huge, huge favorite
because he's been so incredible, I mean really incredible in
(28:57):
all of his races. But I think this is going
to be the first challenge. And this is the the
moment where you taken a stand against a horse like
that table the horse to the inside for Hall of
Fame trainer Bob Badford, the silver haired genius that he is.
That horse is incredible and the only time that horse
ever ran bad was in Wins when Bob was not
training him. Think about that, Bob was not training the horse,
the horse was bad. Bob came back, the horses back
(29:19):
on his game again. Tab was going to be a
force to be reckoned with when they turned for home.
And he's going to be a price and he's going
to beat flight line. And then you also have the
horse that everybody forgets about. It's like it's like the
Knicks all of a sudden showed up in the playoffs. Again,
people forgot about the Knicks. Right well, Strike Strike this okay,
(29:41):
Rich Strike is that horse that he shook up the
whole world in the Kentucky Derby. He has still done
something that no other horse in the Breeders Cup Classic
has ever done. This fool weaved his way through nineteen
other horses to win the Kentucky Derby at a mile
and a quarter. No other horse in the fielders have
to do what he did. He can do it again,
especially if they tackle flight line early on. The Classic
(30:02):
is definitely right for a huge upset, and you got
to get your money in there with table to the
inside or rich Strike all the way to the outside.
That's the first one to be about controversies in horse racing.
Are we passed that? Because you mentioned Bob Third right,
he's had the was it I'm trying to remember, was
(30:23):
it the drugging of horses or I don't want to
say jews or story or whatnot, But we passed that
with the horse racing or not? Well? I think that
there's always going to be that element. But the beauty
of what horse racing has done, especially in the past
three years, has become far more diligent and and a
(30:43):
bit more proactive in trying to protect these horses and
protect the betting interest because that's really one of the
most important things here is the trust, right, the integrity
the betting and the gamblers out there, because that's really huge,
and also the safety of the animals. Um, you know,
what Bob did was one of those things that's an overage, right.
There are certain things you are allowed to put in
these horses because they're athletes and you have to give
(31:06):
them medication. All athletes need medication. So what Bob had
was an overage and he just mistimed everything, and that
happens with trainers, and so now they're gonna make those
requirements far more stringent, stay on top of them, be
more proactive, and give the horses more testing, just to
try to eliminate all of that. So I would like
to say that we are past all of that, but
(31:29):
I also understand there's a human element, and people are
always going to do stupid things, So there's always going
to be somebody who's going to think they're smarter than
the rest of it and they're going to do something.
But for the most part, I believe yes, I believe yes,
those days are behind us. How were you guys affected
by the pandemic and do you expect this to be
(31:52):
a huge bounce back year or I mean, I know
last year we were kind of out of it as well.
But you know, how is that any impact. Well, here's
the beauty of what we did, and I think that
explains the rebranding that we went through. And you introduced
me as the analyst for TVG, and about two months
ago we had TVG underwent an entire rebranding. We are
(32:15):
fan Duel TV now FanDuel TV has as my favorite
comedian of all times, says Kat Williams. We have ever athang,
ever thang, everathang, We have everythang like we get to
play all sports now as FanDuel, we are the kings
of sports betting and so horse racing is just a
huge part of what we're doing and the reason why
(32:38):
we're able to do this rebranding goes back to your question.
During the pandemic, you know, I'm not the person to
brag about business, but our business went up like a
thousand percent because what we were able to offer was
when the NBA had to shut down, and then everyone
else followed after that. You guys are well aware of that.
NBA was the first major sport to say, hey, we
got to stop. We don't know what's happening with this pandemic,
(32:58):
so they shut it down, and then every other sport
after that had to follow, except horse racing because we
didn't have as much human contact required in horse racing.
It's animals, and so we were able to kind of
keep our distance and still keep our sport going. And
it was that pandemic with our thousand percent increase in
customer participation at sign ups and wagering. It was that
(33:21):
moment that showed us, oh, okay, there's a place for
horse racing still in this society and we just need
to make it better. So I think that's what gave
FanDuel the courage to say, you know what, let's go
all in on this. Let's go all in because we
can do this. And it was the pandemic and it
was the support of horse racing now I think helped
to move the needle to get us to make this
(33:43):
move that we're in right now, and as this lasting
for me, as this country moves forward, and maybe more
out here in California, there's a vote or making gambling
legal you know, sports betting and whatnot, as the country
moves more towards this, because ten years ago the idea
of this would have been ludicrous. But as we move
(34:04):
closer and closer, is that going to help horse racing,
you know, like build itself back up because there'll be
people willing to make wagers from all over the country.
I think it's part of it, absolutely, And I'm not
sure you know what the tea leaves or what direction
the wind is blowing as far as how that proposition
is going to uh that's going to end here in California,
(34:26):
but I think it absolutely will hope will help. This
racing has already had a huge boost just from FanDuel
being involved in FanDuel deciding you know what, we want
to put this in our sports books. That's what I figured. Yeah, right, yes,
that's exactly. So our executives and the C suite people
are like, hey, we love this. This is you know,
billions of dollars every year and wagers. This is huge.
(34:48):
So we want to make this a huge part of
our foundation, and so that's what they've done. And I
think it's going to be great because coming up next
year all these changes happen with FanDuel TV. We become
the official wagering partner of the Kentucky Derby, where the
official wagering partner of the Breeders Cup. Obviously, we have
partnerships with the NBA, NFL, Major League Baseball hockey. We
are the future and horse racing is a huge part
(35:10):
of that as we continue to build and move forward.
So I think it's going to be an amazing bounce
back for horse racing. And they already proved just how
strong it is during the pandemic. Like I told you,
people discover that they can play this every day. There's
a race every three minutes. It's incredible. Well, the Breeders'
Cup World Championships November fourth and fifth in Keenland, Iconic Keenland.
(35:33):
That is ken great stuff. Man. We appreciate appreciate you. Hey,
I appreciate you guys. Thank you so much for doing
what you do. Let's keeping again soon. Yea, thank you
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Odd Couple podcast.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday from seven
pm to ten pm Eastern four to seven Pacific on
Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for The Odd
Couple at Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us
live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching f
(00:21):
s R. You're listening to the best of the Odd
Cup off with Chris Brush and Rod Harker. There is
breaking news. You probably heard it at the top of
the hour from Steve de Sager, but basically, the NETS
just released a statement within the last half an hour,
(00:41):
I believe, saying that they thought that working with the
Anti Defamation League and Kyrie and the NETS had offered
to donate five hundred thousand dollars each to you know,
fight prejudice and things of that nature. U Kyrie made
(01:02):
a statement, but he did not make a full throated
apology for the uh misinformation and you know, negative things
that were put in there about Jewish people and UM.
Today he had a press conference and was given the
(01:24):
opportunity to apologize for being anti Semitic. He didn't. We're
gonna play that in a moment for you, But the league.
I'm sorry. The Nets, probably after conferring with Adam Silver
robbed the commissioner have decided in their press release that
he is going to be suspended indefinitely until they say
(01:47):
what is the language they use? He said he's unfit
to be a member of the Nets. Unfit. I mean
those are serious words. And you talked about it, you
talked about his career next year, Chris, I don't even
know it said be over here, here's the language, right
(02:08):
you like you said? They do say, uh, look at
the end, it's something like he's unfit to be a
member of Corey. We are of the view that he
Kyrie is currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets.
We have decided that Kyrie will serve a suspension without
(02:28):
pay until he satisfies a series of objective remedial measures. Wow.
That addressed the harmful impact of his conduct. And the
suspension period served is no less than five games. So
he's I mean, yeah, I'm ready to say this. I
(02:49):
don't think he'll back down, Chris, and he probably will
won't play for the Nets, no, right, But I'm just say,
do you think like who else could would take it?
You're right? If he doesn't do that. You're almost right.
I mean, how could anybody picking them up? Right? And
I was, you know, I mentioned like, let's say he
would have played out this year and then he is
(03:10):
a free agent after say the Nets go out in
the second round, whatever, He's a free agent after this season.
The only team Rob that I could think of that
might signed Kyrie was the Lakers because he had Lebron
has shown the ability to work with Kyrie and win
(03:35):
with Kyrie. But I don't know if they Rob. I
think Rob, they would face the same public relations nightmares. Right,
and remember this to Chris once the Commissioner, we just
said it, right, the commissioners involved in Once the Commissioner said,
I'm disappointed and not happy about this. Chris, who's a
(03:58):
Jewish man himself, right, and he's not. They're not going
to allow this to go on. It's just that simple.
He was asked a very pointed question about being anti Semitic. Chris,
it is just an It's simple. Well, you know, and
I'm telling y'all this is I've been saying he needs
(04:19):
to apologize. Why you said it from day one? But
he is playing word games. Kyrie Irving believes that he's Semitic.
And I'm not ridiculing that belief. I'm just saying that's
what he believes. And so when he says I can't
be anti Semitic, that's what he means. And he believes
(04:42):
the Jews in America are Europeans and that so he
needs Like I said, Rob, is this beginning of the end.
This is definitely Yeah, yeah, it is. I mean, if
he's not gonna come out and and here's the thing,
look and we look, I don't think Rob, like I said,
(05:04):
I don't. I don't subscribe to his theology. Obviously, I'm
not against Jews, Um, I don't. I don't agree with it,
but I don't think a person should lose their career
or their livelihood. He's obviously made enough money where he
doesn't have to work another day in his life. But
(05:26):
for their beliefs, as long as they're not promoting violence
against another group of people. Yeah, I think I hear
what you're saying. But I get that people can make
they can hire who they want. That's why I would
like after this season and I'm look, I'm not gonna
this isn't but but it's similar to Kaepernick in that
(05:47):
they just don't want Kaepernick on the team in the league. Right,
he did have a more noble cause he didn't. He didn't.
I didn't do anything that I'm not saying, right Like, Look,
you can find his beliefs untoward, but I don't think
he should lose his livelihood because of it. Yeah, but
(06:08):
see they but Donald Sterling, Chris didn't break any laws.
And Donald, but he said in that tape, right, he
didn't really want black people at his games, right, but
he didn't break but he didn't break any law and
broken law, and they've just decided that's not in the
best interests of our league. And that's what it comes
down to when you put on a uniform and you
(06:31):
represent organizations and other people, Chris, it's not that they
want you to be in lockstep of everything they believe.
But if they believe you're doing damage to the to
the league, to the overall organization at and the brand,
that's where you become where they will go to the right,
that's their right. We could talk about uh. Trevor Bauer.
(06:56):
Trevor Bauer, Chris, Again, the charges were dropped. They were
supposedly consensual. What that will he pitching the major leagues. Again,
I don't know. And the Players Union is the strongest
union in America, Chris, and they didn't flinch. They didn't
do anything for Trevor Bauer. So I don't know. It's
(07:16):
a it's a tricky spot. I feel bad for him
from this damnpoint that he's fallen on this sword, when
it was so easy to just apologize and say I'm
not anti Semitic and close the door, right, because the
sword he's fallen on isn't even these are my core
religious beliefs. The sword he's fallen on is he said
(07:42):
in himself that there's falsehoods in the book. There's what
I can't think of all the words he used, but
he said that there's stuff that's in there that's just
flat out wrong lies. Those are the things people want
you to apologize for the fact that that book said
the Holocaust didn't take place. Right, You can't apologize for that, right, God,
(08:08):
and Rob, you know you hear it all the time.
A person's greatest strength is often their greatest weakness. And
Kyrie Irvy, I'm sure his stubbornness and unwillingness to believe
what people have said about him or to him, it's
part of what you know, played a part in him
becoming such a great individual basketball player. But in this case, man,
(08:33):
your stubbornness could cost you your career. And this just
seems like it's it's, uh, this isn't Muhammed Ali not
going to Vietnam that you know, especially to Colin Kaepernick
standing up for African American arms were innocent and unarmed
(08:57):
and being down police. But it's it's trending to that
the end result, right, that he's essentially black ball from
the league. Like I didn't, like, you know, years ago,
Rob almost thirty years ago now when Mike mood I'm
doing right, if you remember him, I remember that Jackson
he essentially was black ball from the league. And that
was another situation where that was unjust. Chris right, Uh,
(09:20):
let's go off the number. Let's let's give some let's
break and give some time for people. I really want
to see. Do they where are they on this? Are
we are we the old guys? Uh out in left field?
Or in terms of what just that people think that
this do they think this is just unjust because he
should be suspended? Okay, so you don't think he should
(09:42):
be suspended by the league. Okay, he has not said
himself that he doesn't like Jewish people, that he's against
Jewish people. Now I get. I do believe he should apologize,
and I do believe if at the end of this season,
after his contract is over and he is, nobody wants
(10:02):
to sign him, then that is what it is. But
you know, like I said, I just don't believe that
people should be suspended for their beliefs as long as
they're not advocating violence. Yeah, well, I think because you
might not agree with a Muslim's religious beliefs, yeah, but
(10:23):
you might not agree with his religious Christians. Yeah, but
it's just not I don't I don't think it's just
about and you talked about it about somebody's beliefs. But too,
I think the stuff about the Holocaust didn't exist, well
and totally that's that's the that's the stuff that you
just cannot allow. If he allowed that, well, well, but
(10:47):
I don't know what that he I hope he doesn't believe.
I don't know. And and part of it is he
had a chance for this to be old. Specific he
had a chance for this to be over and he
didn't do it. And and when you work for other
people and you represent a brand in the league, this
is what happens. This is not this. This is not
(11:09):
you can say and do whatever you want, Chris. If
you're independently walthy and you don't work for anybody, or
if you're in your basement, you can do that all day.
But this is when he means, because I'm thinking of
things like like the NBA didn't keep the game in Charlotte,
the All Star Game, remember in Charlotte, because of a
quote unquote bathroom billy. And you know that, would you
(11:33):
know you had to go to the bathroom of your
biological sex. If I if a player comes out and
says I don't want my my daughter in the bathroom
with a boy or a man, would would they be suspended?
I don't know this. Those are things I want that
This is That's what I'm saying. Man. It's complicated, and
(11:56):
it's it's it's like them in what people can believe
and think, Yeah, I don't think that that's what they're
looking at. Because and this is the only thing I'm
gonna say, and this is this hasn't happened to five
hundred players or three hundred players or ten players was
obviously a unique right, This is what I'm saying. He's
(12:18):
very unique. So they haven't had to deal with these
kind of things because most people understand when you wear
a uniform in a city on your chest, that you
represent them at all times, just like you represent Fox
and you represent an ESPN follows years, we know that
going in. We know that I can't go out to
some crazy bar and jump on top of a table
(12:40):
and say, well, I'm off today and I'm not on
the radio, and I could just yell out from the
top of my lungs anti semitic slurs at a bar.
I will not be on Fox Sports right, And in fairness,
I don't think Kyrie would. I didn't say that. I'm
just saying, oh, but I'm just saying I mean that
that's an extreme. I don't think Kyrie hasn't done that.
But look, the bottom line is, man, he just needs
(13:00):
to come out and apologize for the false information and
get specific that's in that book or in that documentary,
and hopefully be able to move on with his career.
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
(13:21):
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app search FSR to
listen live. Hey it's me Rob Parker. Check out my
weekly MLB podcast, Inside the Parker for twenty two minutes
of piping hot baseball talk featuring the biggest name to
newsmakers in the sport. Whether you believe in analytics or
(13:41):
the Eyecast, we've got all the basis cover. New episodes
drop every Thursday, So do yourself a favor and listen
to Inside the Parker with Rob Parker on the iHeartRadio
app or wherever you get your podcast. You know, last
night the Lakers get a good win, their second of
the season over the New Orleans Pelicans, and Matt Ryan,
(14:07):
not the former quarterback for the Order current quarterback for
the Indianapolis Colts, but Matt Ryan journeyman, to put it kindly,
three point shooting Matt who I thought he was a
quarterback for them, Right, you just started listening, right, you
were late on that, You're about sorry, but I'm so
(14:28):
cooled up with all these games. I am caught up tonight.
He hit the three pointer to send the game into overtime,
and some people are making a big deal out of
the fact that the play was called for Matt Ryan,
Matt freaking Ryan, and not for the great Lebron James.
(14:51):
Do you think that's a big deal. It's not the
biggest deal in the world, Chris. What it is is
a narrative that has always been out there about Lebron,
and I just think it just keeps feeding into that.
And Matt Ryan, he made the shot, they won the game.
It's not the end of the world, Chris, whether or not.
(15:12):
And I think when when you talk about Lebron being
the all time greatest, this is these are the things
that people point to, is that oftentimes you felt like
Lebron would rather give up the ball. And I'm not
saying in this situation there's a play called I'm talking
about just in general, the narrative about him sometimes that
(15:33):
he'd rather give it up to a lesser player than
to take it to the hole and get a foul
and make freak tos or whatever it is, or you know,
bully his way through the crowd and go to the
basket or whatever. And I think that's the only reason
why it keeps coming up. And the difference between we've
seen Michael Jordan give up the basketball in big moments
(15:55):
and big situations. But we've also seen Michael knock down
these big shots. We've seen Lebron, yeah, but not on
the scale of Jordans. And anyone that wasn't on the
scale of Jordan was Jordan's against Utah. And the difference
is Michael Jordan in his decisions and the ones that
he's made. He's won six championships and Lebron has lost
(16:20):
six championships. And I think that's it because you're you
might be giving it up to somebody else and that
might be the right quote unquote basketball play, but it
hadn't worked out for you because you lost six times.
I think that's ultimately christ narrative. If Lebron was four
and oh in the NBA in the NBA Finals, right,
(16:40):
and he had given up the ball other people and
they made the shot to I don't think we'd be
having this conversation. But because he's lost so many times,
I think that's why people feel the way they do.
I don't know, it's interesting because Lebron does have a
lot of buzzer beaters. Um, I think he's uh, he
might he's the top five all time, where how many
(17:01):
buzzer beaters he's had in the playoffs. I think it's
definitely a nine story. And I'm gonna first, I'm gonna
start hero ot. I'm gonna give Darvin Ham some credit.
That's the rookie coach for the Lakers. He's coaching, all right,
enough of this. You know, Oh, we're down one, or
we're down two or three with five seconds left or
(17:26):
with ten seconds left, I'm just gonna give the ball
to my best player and let him go one on one.
That's not coaching. How about you run a play now
you want. You might get the ball in the hands
of your best player, But how about some action to
getting the ball. How about some options for him If
he doesn't have the shot, he can kick a pass off,
(17:48):
something like that. And too often these coaches call on
their superstar to play hero ball at the end of
a game, and it's lazy coaching. I give Darvin Ham credit.
Run Rob for running a play, which is not an
unusual play. Plenty of teams run it, all right, But
(18:08):
he did run a play and it was a great
play at the end of the game. And Rob to
call that play for Matt freaking Ryan instead of Lebron James,
that's coaching. So I'm gonna give Darvin hams from credit
for that on top rod of bringing out Russell Westbrook
off the bench. Are you Vogel couldn't do it? Darvin
(18:31):
ham has been there five games, seven games, and he's
done it. So I'm gonna give Darvin. I'm not saying
he's the next Red RBox. I'm just saying I like
seeing good coaching. I like seeing a coach who stands
flat footed and said, this is the way we're gonna do. Okay,
let me ask you this, and I get it. It worked,
and I'm not against you and your idea of coaching.
(18:53):
But if Matt Ryan put up an air ball, which
he did not he nailed it, would people have a
do from conversation about him designing a play for a
guy most people didn't even know it was on the
team until last night. I don't know. I don't care
because he didn't hit it. No, I'm just saying, say,
if he missed the shot, I mean, Ariba, you go
(19:16):
to the extreme. I gotta go extreme. But I mean,
I mean, right, we could do that with everything. Oh no,
but we got three hours to kill what I What
I am saying is this, if he misses the shot.
I wouldn't kill him. Nobody's saying you would kill him,
but they would question to yo, is that the Play'd
ask him why? Why? Why? Man? If he has a
(19:37):
good my explanation would be, he's our best three point shooter. Okay,
we needed three? Why not Len? Len Lebron probably from three?
What was Lebron for seven from three last night? I
don't think that's a play for Lebron. I'm with you
on that. It shouldn't be right, Like, he's not a
three point maker for me, Chris, he's streaky, He'll he'll
(19:57):
be off or he'll be hot. I don't like when
Lebron takes so many threes at the end of you know,
he's been in that situation a lot, and he'll just
be kind of dribbling at the on the perimeter and
then take a long three at the end of a game.
Why you're not Steph Curry? So I I but to
(20:18):
answer the question, no, it the fact that it wasn't
drawn up for Lebron is not a big deal. Rob.
I've talked to Michael Jordan about this. He's told me
he said there were times he was a decoy. He
said plenty of times he was a decoy in big games. Rob,
you remember the nineteen ninety three Finals Game six, John
(20:40):
Paxson hit the game winning shot they clinched the finals.
Jordan was a decoy on that play. He told me,
so this notion that you know, I don't know if
anybody on TV said it, but Jordan would have demanded
the ball. Jordan wouldn't have let that know. It's about winning,
it's about making the best play. Jordan new Steve Kurt
(21:01):
and John Packson were better three point shooters than him.
So I don't I think that's ridiculous. Rob g hopping here,
as a Laker fan, do you think it was a
big deal that Lebron the play wasn't called for Lebron
um as a Laker fan, no, because he was horrible
last night. He was one for eleven outside the paint.
But just in like, he's your best play, Like you know,
(21:24):
in general, on principle, I would expect the best player
to get the ball. Man. That's because because I'm a
Laker fan who spent twenty years seeing Kobe get the
last shot every game, and Kobe missed a lot of
That's fine. And then let's keep it real. Who get
point four? You're a point four? Yeah? But you know
what the player get this shot to be Sacramento. Who
(21:45):
was the play drown up for? I'm just asking who?
Who was the play dry for? KOBEI who you said
in the pre show meeting. It's not like Darvin hamm
is Phil Jackson. Phil Jackson drew up almost every single
game ending play that I can recall for the Lakers.
Of them, most of the big ones I remember, not
(22:07):
all we can obviously here he can ask Steve to Sayer.
He's been watching the Lakers for longer than I have.
Most how many big ones that were hit? Huh? What
were the biggest ones? Derek Fish? Derek Fisher? But the
play with I get it, Kobe. Every Kobe missed the shot,
Shack missed the tipping, It got tipped out to Robert Dory. So, Chris,
(22:28):
your argument doesn't make sense because it was still drawn
up for the best player. Were not always Oh why
wasn't always drawn up for Michael Jordan? Well, in that situation,
he just said, my argument doesn't make sense sense to
not drop the play from Michael Jordan. Well, I don't
know what Michael Jordan told me himself he was a
(22:50):
why Phil Jackson changed but here, but here, here, let
me just say this here, here's a difference, I think,
and you guys can both. I think there's a different
friends between the play being drawn up for somebody and
people getting the feeling like Lebron doesn't want the shot,
doesn't want And I'm not saying Chris that that's the case,
(23:14):
but I think there was a feel or a thought
that I don't want to go up there and have
to make free thows or I don't I don't want
to be to have it on my case, so I'm
gonna pass the ball to a lesser player in a situation,
even though I could have kept the ball and gone
to the hole and been fouled or whatever. Do you
think there's any of that that that people don't always
(23:34):
believe that Lebron wants the ball. I think there's been
a narrative created unfairly that Lebron doesn't want to last Okay,
Rob G do you feel that same way that there's
a narrative or sense of so I think he does
want the last shot. I think he doesn't want to
(23:55):
get fouled, which is why he doesn't do what he's
best at the end of games, which is getting which
go to the basketball because he's not sure of his exactly.
Remember when um in Miami before Miami won his first
championship and Lebron had a last had the ball, last
second shot against Miami, I mean Chicago, he drove to
(24:16):
the basket, got filed by I believe it was Joe
Kim Noah. So there are times where he did drive
to the basket. So I mean, for everything you say,
I can point out, I mean, I know the perception
was that Kobe, you know, always wanted the shot, and
he certainly did want the shot. But to say Lebron,
(24:39):
I just think it's it's false to say Lebron don't
want the shot. Could because at times Lebron let's keep
it real. It's because he's passed it off. When he
passed it Danielle Marshall early Rob and you were probably
still in Detroit at that time, maybe when he passed
the Kyle Korver. But again Jordan passed it off to
(25:00):
Steve Kerr. Jordan didn't pass it off to John Paxson
because Jordan really wasn't involved in that play. The only
difference is they hit it, but that doesn't Why should
that reflect on Lebron because he makes myths. But even
the Kyle Korver one, right, you're up three with the basketball.
If I remember, are up two? Is it up two
(25:21):
or three? I don't remember up to up to with
the ball Draymond Green with five fouls in front of you,
and you have the ball in your Lebron James, and
you pass for a corner three when you could have
taken the ball to the hole and either got Draymond
Green out of the game right with a foul or
made the basket because Draymond would have to step to
(25:43):
the side. I think that's where people look at and say,
you don't need a three in that situation. You have
the lead and the basketball and a helpless defender in
front of you. I think it's moments like that you
got three point shooter two though, yeah, but you don't
need it three the best actually one of the best,
but still, I mean, this is remember the era, this
(26:03):
is in rob everybody's shooting threes. Fox Sports Radio has
the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all
of our shows at foxsports radio dot com and within
the iHeartRadio app. Search f SR to listen live is
the I Couple Chris and Rob live from the Tirek
dot com studios, and the Breeders Cup World Championships are
(26:24):
coming to Iconic Keenland November fourth and fifth. Do not
miss the world's best thoroughbreds as they race for their
share of thirty one million dollars in purses and awards.
Visit Breeders Cup dot com to watch all the action
live on November fourth and fifth. Speaking of the Breeders Cup,
we have TVG hosts and racing analysts Ken Rudolph joining us. Ken,
(26:47):
Welcome to the alcohol that's happening. Hey, how y'all doing?
Get the same hang with y'all again, Tony, no doubt
the last time. Look, we know a lot of our
listeners are really looking to get in on the betting
with this, So give us, you know, some of the
strongest horses out there and maybe who could even be
some dark horses that might make some people some money.
(27:09):
Oh my goodness. Well that's the entire theme with the
Breeder's Cup, Baby like for today it is the best
horses in the world. You get these fourteen races. I
call him fourteen individual Kentucky Derby's and I call Friday
and Saturday both super Bowl days for horse racing. And
the beauty of it is is that in any race,
you're going to have prices come through. So I can
take you to the biggest race of all. Right, we
(27:31):
can start with the biggie of the bunch, the six
million dollar long Genes Breeders' Cup Classic. And everyone's talking
about the horse that's undefeated. Right, you've heard the name.
It's flight Line. And every time he runs, he absolutely
hold on nobody moving. Sorry my phone was moving. Yeah,
he just absolutely crushes his competition. So everyone's thinking he's
(27:52):
an automatic lock, and I'm like, whoa hold up. Now,
he's in a field with a bunch of other millionaires.
Like all the horses that he's facing in the Breeders
Cup Classic, they have all showed their stuff and they
all love to win races, so that might be one
of many races to get a price. And in that race,
(28:12):
there's a trainer. All he does is win big races.
They punished him last year. He had to sit it out.
I was gonna say, yeah, he's got a checkered past, then,
audn't he. Bob Badford. He is what he is. You
can look up the resume, you can have whatever opinion
you want to have him just saying and then and
let me say this real quick, well as you go
on with Badford that if I bet on flight line,
(28:35):
you know what would happen, right if I put some
shekels down, he would turn into he turned into flat
line and wind up loser. Oh your st rock man.
Look here, He's going to be a huge, huge favorite
because he's been so incredible, I mean really incredible in
(28:57):
all of his races. But I think this is going
to be the first challenge. And this is the the
moment where you taken a stand against a horse like
that table the horse to the inside for Hall of
Fame trainer Bob Badford, the silver haired genius that he is.
That horse is incredible and the only time that horse
ever ran bad was in Wins when Bob was not
training him. Think about that, Bob was not training the horse,
the horse was bad. Bob came back, the horses back
(29:19):
on his game again. Tab was going to be a
force to be reckoned with when they turned for home.
And he's going to be a price and he's going
to beat flight line. And then you also have the
horse that everybody forgets about. It's like it's like the
Knicks all of a sudden showed up in the playoffs. Again,
people forgot about the Knicks. Right well, Strike Strike this okay,
(29:41):
Rich Strike is that horse that he shook up the
whole world in the Kentucky Derby. He has still done
something that no other horse in the Breeders Cup Classic
has ever done. This fool weaved his way through nineteen
other horses to win the Kentucky Derby at a mile
and a quarter. No other horse in the fielders have
to do what he did. He can do it again,
especially if they tackle flight line early on. The Classic
(30:02):
is definitely right for a huge upset, and you got
to get your money in there with table to the
inside or rich Strike all the way to the outside.
That's the first one to be about controversies in horse racing.
Are we passed that? Because you mentioned Bob Third right,
he's had the was it I'm trying to remember, was
(30:23):
it the drugging of horses or I don't want to
say jews or story or whatnot, But we passed that
with the horse racing or not? Well? I think that
there's always going to be that element. But the beauty
of what horse racing has done, especially in the past
three years, has become far more diligent and and a
(30:43):
bit more proactive in trying to protect these horses and
protect the betting interest because that's really one of the
most important things here is the trust, right, the integrity
the betting and the gamblers out there, because that's really huge,
and also the safety of the animals. Um, you know,
what Bob did was one of those things that's an overage, right.
There are certain things you are allowed to put in
these horses because they're athletes and you have to give
(31:06):
them medication. All athletes need medication. So what Bob had
was an overage and he just mistimed everything, and that
happens with trainers, and so now they're gonna make those
requirements far more stringent, stay on top of them, be
more proactive, and give the horses more testing, just to
try to eliminate all of that. So I would like
to say that we are past all of that, but
(31:29):
I also understand there's a human element, and people are
always going to do stupid things, So there's always going
to be somebody who's going to think they're smarter than
the rest of it and they're going to do something.
But for the most part, I believe yes, I believe yes,
those days are behind us. How were you guys affected
by the pandemic and do you expect this to be
(31:52):
a huge bounce back year or I mean, I know
last year we were kind of out of it as well.
But you know, how is that any impact. Well, here's
the beauty of what we did, and I think that
explains the rebranding that we went through. And you introduced
me as the analyst for TVG, and about two months
ago we had TVG underwent an entire rebranding. We are
(32:15):
fan Duel TV now FanDuel TV has as my favorite
comedian of all times, says Kat Williams. We have ever athang,
ever thang, everathang, We have everythang like we get to
play all sports now as FanDuel, we are the kings
of sports betting and so horse racing is just a
huge part of what we're doing and the reason why
(32:38):
we're able to do this rebranding goes back to your question.
During the pandemic, you know, I'm not the person to
brag about business, but our business went up like a
thousand percent because what we were able to offer was
when the NBA had to shut down, and then everyone
else followed after that. You guys are well aware of that.
NBA was the first major sport to say, hey, we
got to stop. We don't know what's happening with this pandemic,
(32:58):
so they shut it down, and then every other sport
after that had to follow, except horse racing because we
didn't have as much human contact required in horse racing.
It's animals, and so we were able to kind of
keep our distance and still keep our sport going. And
it was that pandemic with our thousand percent increase in
customer participation at sign ups and wagering. It was that
(33:21):
moment that showed us, oh, okay, there's a place for
horse racing still in this society and we just need
to make it better. So I think that's what gave
FanDuel the courage to say, you know what, let's go
all in on this. Let's go all in because we
can do this. And it was the pandemic and it
was the support of horse racing now I think helped
to move the needle to get us to make this
(33:43):
move that we're in right now, and as this lasting
for me, as this country moves forward, and maybe more
out here in California, there's a vote or making gambling
legal you know, sports betting and whatnot, as the country
moves more towards this, because ten years ago the idea
of this would have been ludicrous. But as we move
(34:04):
closer and closer, is that going to help horse racing,
you know, like build itself back up because there'll be
people willing to make wagers from all over the country.
I think it's part of it, absolutely, And I'm not
sure you know what the tea leaves or what direction
the wind is blowing as far as how that proposition
is going to uh that's going to end here in California,
(34:26):
but I think it absolutely will hope will help. This
racing has already had a huge boost just from FanDuel
being involved in FanDuel deciding you know what, we want
to put this in our sports books. That's what I figured. Yeah, right, yes,
that's exactly. So our executives and the C suite people
are like, hey, we love this. This is you know,
billions of dollars every year and wagers. This is huge.
(34:48):
So we want to make this a huge part of
our foundation, and so that's what they've done. And I
think it's going to be great because coming up next
year all these changes happen with FanDuel TV. We become
the official wagering partner of the Kentucky Derby, where the
official wagering partner of the Breeders Cup. Obviously, we have
partnerships with the NBA, NFL, Major League Baseball hockey. We
are the future and horse racing is a huge part
(35:10):
of that as we continue to build and move forward.
So I think it's going to be an amazing bounce
back for horse racing. And they already proved just how
strong it is during the pandemic. Like I told you,
people discover that they can play this every day. There's
a race every three minutes. It's incredible. Well, the Breeders'
Cup World Championships November fourth and fifth in Keenland, Iconic Keenland.
(35:33):
That is ken great stuff. Man. We appreciate appreciate you. Hey,
I appreciate you guys. Thank you so much for doing
what you do. Let's keeping again soon. Yea, thank you
Hosts And Creators
kelvin washington
Rob Parker
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.