June 3, 2024 • 38 mins
FOX Sports Radio Weekend host and former NFL offensive lineman Ephraim Salaam is in for Rob, and he and Chris discuss how much of the Caitlin Clark controversy is about jealousy and how much is just rookie hazing. Plus, FS1 host Mike Hill swings by to tell us why he's so disappointed with the various narratives that are currently being painted about the WNBA and its players as it relates to the treatment of Clark. Finally, the guys close the show with a few quick thoughts on Deontay Wilder's latest knockout loss.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Odd Couple podcast. Be sure
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Speaker 2 (00:24):
Let's give this punies.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
Oh yeah, it is The Odd Couple.
Speaker 5 (00:43):
I'm Chris Bruce Hard alongside my partner from Salono.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Oh actually, yeah, you're supposed to say Rob Burk.
Speaker 5 (00:52):
I was gonna say no, is he from Salim But anyway,
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(01:13):
this right here, The Odd Couple is the way sports
talk radio should be. So keep it locked here for
the next three hours on Fox Sports Radio, the iHeartRadio app,
or Serious XM channel eighty three.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
However, you may be listening and.
Speaker 5 (01:29):
You heard it Rob Parker is off, so in his place,
Rob would call him a cupcake, a tomato can something
like that.
Speaker 6 (01:40):
I'll call me from Salam. What's up, man, what's happening?
You can just call me the voice of the people.
How about that?
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Hey, we're gonna have some fun.
Speaker 5 (01:50):
Man, it's so much to get into WNBA. When if
we last said that WNBA might lead the show.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
In fact, it will.
Speaker 6 (02:00):
We talk about what's hot?
Speaker 2 (02:01):
I know it. It is hot.
Speaker 5 (02:02):
It is hot, It is definitely hot. So we're gonna
get into that now, right now finals, that's right. We
got a whole week or until Thursday before the action starts,
so but we're gonna talk about that too. It's a
lot to get into. So it's gonna be a great show.
Let's introduce the I Couple crew. The super producer Rob
g is in the house on the updates. You're heard
(02:25):
him before a few minutes ago, Steve Disager on social media,
are man E Elijah Sabuna and on the ones and
choose none other than h that's right, Mary, Mary? You
remember that Ephram of course? Or is that before your time? Hey, man,
(02:47):
don't play me like that.
Speaker 6 (02:50):
Look just because your original host is super old.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
All right, true eight feel young platform shoes.
Speaker 6 (03:01):
I'm still born in the seventies. Player.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Oh hey, I was actually born in the sixties. Shoot sixty.
Speaker 5 (03:07):
Speaking of which, I celebrated my twenty ninth wedding ann
for a while.
Speaker 6 (03:12):
Yes, look at you, man, congratulat and you in here working. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (03:16):
We we celebrated over the weekend. Well, I know, we
hung out in New York all weekend. My wife had
to work today. She's a medical doctor.
Speaker 6 (03:24):
She's at work now, she's a medical doctor. Wet We
know you married up. Man, you outkicked your coverage. As
we like to say in the business, you've outkicked your coverage.
We get it, Yeah, we get it.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Yes, yes, so we're celebrating that. So that was cool.
Speaker 6 (03:40):
Well all right, well since you brought it up, what
do you guys do for your celebrate twenty nine year?
It's a long time to put over.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Yeah, man, yeah, it is, it is. I'm thankful, believe me.
Speaker 6 (03:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (03:50):
So we went to New York State in New York
City at a great hotel and we the Saturday night,
well you know, we did the spot and everything at
the hotel, so massages and all that stuff, you know,
and the older I get eat from, the more I
need massages. I'm realizing that. I'm realizing that. Saturday night,
(04:12):
we actually went to a dinner that friends of ours,
doctor Leslie Levine Harvel.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
She's a dentist. She's graduate of Spellman.
Speaker 5 (04:20):
College, Oka, and she always puts on that's been actually
been rated as the best HBCU over the last like
seventeen years straight. But she always puts on this icono
class dinner. She calls it to raise money for spell
and they highlight like chefs of color around the country.
(04:40):
So some of the best chefs of color. So you
just eat, you know, they all bring out a course
and it was good. It was fun, delicious. So we
did that Saturday night, and then Saturday, you know, we
went to the Metro.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
We went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Speaker 5 (04:57):
Oh wow, they had a Harlem Renaissance exhibit.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
You know, you see see people think.
Speaker 5 (05:04):
I'm just a sports writer or a sports guy. I'm cultured, man,
I'm well rounded. I'm one of those new Negroes.
Speaker 6 (05:14):
Look, look, there's nothing wrong with being a renaissance man.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
And if you in New York, have you been to
the Metropolitan Museum.
Speaker 6 (05:21):
I have okay, So.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
It's okay, there you go, there you go, there you go.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (05:28):
The Egyptian exhibit was fantastic too. That's incredible. So it
was great. It was great.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
But uh yeah, man, so let's get it popping.
Speaker 6 (05:35):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (05:36):
Caitlyn Clark, like I said, w n B A is
on the menu, and Rob it's so much going on.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
We're gonna bring in Rob g to just kind of
explain it.
Speaker 6 (05:45):
Does I have to talk on the.
Speaker 5 (05:47):
Air summarize it all. He gets nervous, but we're gonna
let him try getting nervous. Only get nervous when that
next to you from because he's eleven feet tall. But
in any event, Kaitlyn Clark and a WN have taken
over the sports media cycle in the last four eight hours.
It all started on Saturday during the game between the
Fever and the Chicago Sky when Caitlyn Clark took a
(06:07):
cheap shot call it what it is, cheap shot from
Chicago's Kennedy Carter right in the back, and it caused.
Speaker 6 (06:12):
The social media uproar.
Speaker 7 (06:13):
You have people split on both sides, some of it saying, hey,
that's basketball is what it is that some of it's
saying you know what, It seems like these young ladies
have it out for Caitlyn Clark. She is the golden
Goose and they don't like it. And it's all spilled
over in the discourse, especially today on plenty of national platforms,
has really run amok. And I just want to know, guys,
(06:35):
how much of it, as we said, is it basketball,
it's tough love, it's part of being the rookie hazing.
How much of it is hey, they're jealous of her,
how much of it is even? What factor is it
that she's a young white girl in a predominantly black sport.
There's a lot of layers to it, guys.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Are a lot of layers. From one the shot from Clark,
was it Kennedy Clark? Is her name right? Is that
the girl's name?
Speaker 6 (07:00):
Yeah? It's either Kennedy or Kennedy Kennedy. Yeah, you're right,
either one. That's what happens when your parents didn't My
name is Kennedy. Your name is Charles Lizard. You know
you just right right right?
Speaker 2 (07:15):
But anyway, that was a cheap shot.
Speaker 5 (07:17):
Now, there was I saw one video that said before
Caitlyn had kind of elbowed her.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
If the one I saw.
Speaker 5 (07:25):
I don't know if there's another one out there, but
she was kind of I think it was somewhat of
a box out or something like.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
That, and or they were going for a ball.
Speaker 5 (07:33):
It looks like she might have kind of exaggerated her
elbow movement. I don't know if it was dirty or not,
but I think that's the one they're talking about.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
But anyway, it was a cheap shot.
Speaker 5 (07:45):
Clark should have been given a flagrant one on the
spot and later on the w n b A, you know,
after the game, they made it a flagrant one. But overall,
I will say this, Ephraim, some of this is just tough.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
You know, this is like rookie hazing, if you will.
Speaker 5 (08:06):
Michael Jordan, it happened to him, how physical they were
with him.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
We know in the All Star Game.
Speaker 5 (08:13):
And because Isaiah Thomas is my man, I'm gonna say
allegedly iced him out of the All Star Game. But
because Isaiah will deny it to this days, deny it
to me. But allegedly Michael Jordan was iced out of
that All Star Game. And so I get that when
you're a rookie hot shot. And look, Caitlyn Clark.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Was the number one pick. Michael Jordan was only the
third pick.
Speaker 5 (08:37):
But if from you know this, he had he had
spent all summer schooling the NBA superstars in the team
USA was scrimmaging against the you know, all the all
Magic and Isaiah and all these great NBA players, and
Jordan was just killing him. And then he comes into
the league averaging twenty eight, twenty nine points a game.
So they went after him. So I get the rookie
(08:59):
hazy ella of it. We'll get into the race a
little bit later.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
I will. You can hit it now if you want.
But my ultimate thing, and Matt Barnes said some stuff.
I agree with him.
Speaker 5 (09:10):
Matt Barnes said, look, y'all need to your teammates. Caitlyn
Clark's teammates. He took them the task for not protecting her.
You look at Aliah Boston. She was right there when
Clark nailed Caitlyn and just didn't didn't even think about
doing anything. She the biggest, one of the biggest girls
on the court, didn't even go you know what I mean?
(09:31):
And so I agree with Matt Barnes on that. But ultimately,
Ephraim and you kind of touched on this earlier.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
This is great for the w NBA, great for the.
Speaker 6 (09:44):
Wn right, Yes, I don't.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
I mean I got beyond. I'm gonna keep it real.
Speaker 5 (09:49):
I'm not that interested in the w NBA, but now
I am, you know, thank you, just being honest. I'm
not gonna act like I've been following for the two
dec aids and I'm all into it.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
No, I'm into it now.
Speaker 5 (10:04):
One because Clark is so great and it's fun to
watch her, but also now because Angel Reese is getting
you know, her storyline with Caitlin and even how she
she just got a cheap shot at so are they
rookie hazing her as well? But these storylines e from
are what drives interests in addition to the good basketball,
(10:27):
and you want to see how how does Clark play
against the professionals. Diana Tarassi said it ain't gonna be
easy for and it hasn't been. So this is great
for the league. This is the first time, probably ever,
we've led the show with the w NBA in almost
six years old.
Speaker 6 (10:43):
I'm sure there's plenty of plenty of shows on h
this past week that that has that exact same center, right,
and the bottom line is first of all professional sports
are professional sports. Okay, it's a lot that goes into
being a professional athlete, the level of toughness you have
to have to sacrifice your entire life to get to
(11:08):
a pinnacle, to be on a stage that you've dreamt about,
and to perform on that stage. So you're right in
your assertion that a lot of people haven't watched the
w n B a like they're watching now and as
a testament to this rookie class coming in led by
Caitlin Clark, the number one pick in the draft, also
(11:30):
the Angel Reeses and all the other wonderful, tremendous athletes
that were drafted and out playing and playing well for
their teams. Of course, there's some players currently, players, older
players in the w NBA who feel a little slighted
(11:54):
because people are now saying, oh, the WNBA is going
to be good now because Caitlin is going to play
in the WNBA, so they're going to be good now,
And that's a slap in the face to all the
women that are currently playing, the women that played before.
(12:17):
And so I understand if you're listening to those that
type of energy on Twitter or on a podcast or wherever,
you get your information, then yeah, you'll feel a certain
type of way about a player. For as long as
I've been around, and I was lucky to play thirteen
years in the NFL, I was also a rookie. For
(12:40):
as long as I've been around, rookies have had to
prove themselves, no matter when you were drafted, how much
money you're making, are, what team you're on. All rookies
coming into the league, you don't get a handout. You
don't get a man, you were a first round draft pick,
(13:00):
you did it right. Oh wow, Yeah, you don't get that.
It's grown men and women playing professional sports. I mean,
it's it's it's people. Come on now, hey man, it's
not scholarship. You don't get to free lunch pass and
and and all of that. This is the people have families,
this is a job. My first game ever in the
(13:22):
NFL rookie year opening weekend, I played against Kevin Green. Okay,
I had watched Kevin Green dismantal offensive lines for decades
prior to me even getting into the league. So it
wasn't about, uh, I'm here, I've arrived. That look and
(13:43):
Caitlyn all she's doing is playing basketball, which is what
you do. You put your head down as a rookie,
you show up and you show out. That's it. It's
going to be tougher. The game is faster, stronger, bigger.
All of that. You're not playing against West Chattanooga State University,
the Golden Birds of of Wichita, New England, right, every Western, right,
(14:09):
every West, Northwestern, South Eastern Tech. Every team you're playing
has all star players, the best players in the country,
in the world, and you're going to have to show
up and show out. It's going to get chippy. Now.
We'll say that shot Kennedy gave to her was bush league, right,
(14:31):
it was. I don't don't.
Speaker 5 (14:33):
There you can get don't you think you know where
you got Within the course of the game. You can
get that exactly, That's the whole, that's the point. Within
the course of the game, you can get that lick, right,
So to maliciously go after you know, shades of Draymond, Right,
But even at least Draymond, we try to mask, right,
We'll try to mask it that that you know, within
(14:55):
the flow.
Speaker 6 (14:56):
Of the game.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
Right.
Speaker 5 (14:58):
Well, look, we got plenty more to get too, and
we certainly will on this situation race where everybody's talking
about race.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
Pat McAfee used a race and uh yeah yeah to describe.
Speaker 5 (15:13):
We won't say what he said started with a B though,
and we will get to all that next. It's The
A Couple. Chris Brusar E from Salam. Is it for
Rob Parker? Keep it locked?
Speaker 3 (15:25):
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Speaker 2 (15:36):
All right, this is Jay Glazer.
Speaker 8 (15:38):
And you may know me for the world of football
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(15:59):
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Speaker 5 (16:10):
All right, it's The Odd Couple Chris brucear Eph from Salam.
We are live from the tirereck dot com studios. If
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(16:33):
nearest you.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
That's expresspros dot Com. All right, we are talking Caitlin
Clark and the NBA. I just gotta play this.
Speaker 5 (16:44):
Sound for you, Ephrom because it was very interesting to
me before we get into the racial element of this thing.
But here's Angel Reese, who is a star. You know,
was a star at LSU. They won a national championship,
and she also was the seventh pick in the draft,
and it's having a nice little start to her rookie
(17:05):
year in the WNBA. But here's what she said about
the WNBA's jump in ratings.
Speaker 9 (17:10):
It all started from the national championship game. And I've
been dealing with this for two years now and understanding, like, yeah,
negative things have probably been said about me, But honestly,
I'll take that because look where women's basketball is. People
are talking about women's basketball. You never would think that
we talking about women's basketball. People are pulling up to games.
We got celebrities coming to games sold arenas like just
because of one single game and just looking at that, like,
(17:33):
I'll take that role. I'll take the bad guy role,
and I'll continue to take that on and be that
for my teammates. And if I want to be that,
and I know I'll go down to history. I'll look
back in twenty years and be like, Yeah, the reason
why we're watching women's basketball is not just because of
one person.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
It's because of me too, And I want you to realize.
Speaker 6 (17:47):
That, like, put some respect on my.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Right, right.
Speaker 5 (17:54):
I Look, that game was big, and a lot of
people we even had callers, e from up here call
and say, well, maybe Caitlyn versus Angel could be like
a Magic versus Bird. Angel is great, a great player,
but let's just keep it real. She hasn't been on
the level of Caitlyn individually. So I don't think it's
(18:17):
quite in their different positions. I'm not They're completely two
different things, exactly. Magic and Bird were similar sizes and stuff,
even though they were different positions technically.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
But I was surprised.
Speaker 5 (18:28):
Look, maybe a little of the robbery, most of it
is Caitlyn Clark rightly or wrongly.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
Most of it is her. But I was surprised that
Angel actually said.
Speaker 5 (18:37):
It's not because of just one person, Caitlyn, it's because
of me too. I'm surprised she didn't say it's because
of all of us are great players, and you know,
we had a great draft and you already have some
fantastic w NBA players that now are getting the spotlight
on them because of Caitlyn and our class and me.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
She said, Caitlyn and me, which surprised me.
Speaker 6 (19:05):
She said, Caitlyn, it's not just about Caitlyn, it's about
me too. That's different than saying Caitlyn. To me, It's
not just about Caitlyn, it's about me too. So literally
put some respect on my name. And to a certain extent,
She's right. No one was really checking for women's college basketball.
(19:31):
You could barely find it on a channel. And two
years ago, now that rivalry sparked something. It galvanized the nation. Right.
It just so happens to be one African American player
against one white player, and it in a country that's
(19:52):
already divided a lot by race. Then you had the
first lady, Joe Biden come out and invite for the
first time the losing team to the White House as
well as the l s u uh the winning team,
(20:15):
and so that just further created it.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
I didn't like that, But I.
Speaker 6 (20:21):
Don't know how many basketball games Joe Biden has ever played,
right or watch? Excuse me, not even played, but it watched.
And so maybe she didn't know the nuances of you
don't that's something you don't do.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
She should have asked somebody.
Speaker 6 (20:38):
That's that's what happens when you can just you can
make a comment without checks and balances.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
Where is Camilla?
Speaker 6 (20:47):
No, no, no, since you don't want to do that, no, no, no,
no no no no on. So all of that added
to both of them coming back to school. Rating sky
rocketing for women's basketball at tremendously talented players from all UCLA,
(21:09):
all over the country that people were now paying attention to,
and I love that fact. Now fast forward to them
being in the WNBA. Caitlyn Clark, of course, has the buzz.
She can handle the ball, she can shoot, great passer.
She has more opportunity to affect the game than Angel
(21:31):
Reese does. Angel Reese is an inside presence, dominant on
the boards. She broke the record for most offensive rebounds
in Chicago Sky history already her rookie year, and so
we're not going to see her scoring thirty points shooting
threes from thirty five feet out. That's Kitlyn Clark. She
has the ball in her hands and offense sales tickets.
(21:55):
People want to see the scoring. The problem we're running
into right now the WNBA is what I said before
the season even started, is the buzz around Kaitlyn Cark
is great. I hope they capture it. I hope they're
able to monetize it. Rayed salaries, endorsements already. I like it.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
The problem is.
Speaker 6 (22:26):
If the fever are two and twelve and Caitlyn is
averaging nine ten points a game, then how long can
you keep that buzz? And that's the problem with trying
to put all of this on the back of one player.
So in a sense, Angel reaches right. It's not just
(22:46):
about her. Look at all the other dynamic players out here,
because it's impossible for Caitlyn to be able to carry
this league herself.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
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live our next guest.
Speaker 5 (23:10):
You know him FS one host, actor now and comedian.
He's doing it all. We go way back to the
old network ESPN. Mike Hill, Mike, what's up.
Speaker 10 (23:21):
Brother Fellas?
Speaker 6 (23:23):
Fellas?
Speaker 10 (23:23):
What's going on? Man? How y'all doing?
Speaker 6 (23:24):
Bro good Man, mikeel you don't he don't have no
theme music. Mike don't got no theme music? What is
going on up in here?
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Man? Mike's so busy. This is the first time we've
been able to get him on the show.
Speaker 5 (23:38):
Okay, Mike is doing his thing, man, Man, Mike, Mike, Look, man,
I hear you are hot on this w NBA situate topic,
whether it's Caitlin Clark, Angel Rees. I just want to
hear what what is most uh got your interests or
peaked your interest with this whole WNBA Caitlyn Clark kind
(24:02):
of story so.
Speaker 10 (24:04):
Much, Chris Man, it's just amazing that we're still talking
about this two days later after a foul. I mean,
it was a blatant foul, it was egregious, But the
fact that we're still talking about this it has opened
up Pandora's box, not only from a WNBA perspective when
it comes to the amount of foules that are being
called her Caitlyn Clark, and the amount of attiction she's
(24:26):
bringing to the game, but the amount of people that
are actually talking about it, and the types of people
that are talking about it, and how it has kind
of divided everybody, which we are already divided in this
country along racial lines, and how it's become so racial
because of Caitlyn Clark. Look, I love Caitlyn Farts, I
love her. Death Man covered her when she was an FT,
when I was at FX one, she was an Iowa
(24:47):
tremendous story. I wish her nothing but success in the WNBA.
But what we're doing is we're putting her in a
bubble that she doesn't need to be in. Does she
need to be protected, yes, but through all WNBA play
need to protect it as well as Kaitlyn Car's. Absolutely,
just like Angeline said today, now he is not the
only person in the WNBA is the biggest draw right now.
(25:11):
Absolutely are people coming to watch her, Absolutely, but there
are other people there who have been there for years
who deserve the respect that they have put forth and
made the effort to get, and we are not giving
it to him right now. And then there's a little
bit of jealousy. I get that, but at the same
time that is also human. So there are so many
(25:31):
different variables and aspects that we can break down about this.
But once again, man, I think we're doing a disservice
to Kaitlin Cars and we're doing a deservice to that
all the other WNBA players out there as well by
making it seem like she should just be given a
pass to greatness in the WNBA.
Speaker 6 (25:48):
And to that point, what responsibility do you put on
the WNBA itself and it's marketing partners, because there's obviously
a campaign around Caitlyn Clark because she is a draw
(26:09):
right if people want to see her. She's played in
some of the most watched women's basketball games ever, So
what responsibility to the league do you place in terms
of marketing the other players just as much as their
marketing Caitlyn Clark.
Speaker 10 (26:30):
I think the w NBA is actually marketing the other players.
I think it's the media. I think it's then I
think as far as I think it's all of us.
The fact that we are giving Caitlyn Clark so much attention,
which once again, she deserves. She is a generational talent
who's coming to the league. She is like Shaquille O'Neil.
She is like Michael Jove when he first came in
the league. She is like Lebron James. The expectations she
(26:53):
is like a Winby when he came to the league.
The expectations are big. She could be very well. The
excitement that we had when we start to watching golf
and Tiger Woods whatnot for a portion of society. So
I think the WNBA is doing a service to the
other players. But I believe the media and all the
casual fans out there who never watched the WNBA game
(27:15):
period are now timing in talking about how the game
is being played. Here are some stats, Twelings, and I
just looked this up. Last year, the WNBA had twenty
six flagrant fouls called against him. This year only six
flagan foules have been called in all WNBA games now
seven because they just upgraded Kennedy Carters file to a
playgroant and so it was on pace to be less
(27:38):
than last year. It's a very physical sport. He's gonna
get hit. She's getting a lot of attention. Once again,
is there a tinge of jealousy, yes, but we have
a tinge of jealousy in society. If Chris is all
of a sudden he's on with Rob or whatever all
the time, and all of a sudden, everybody's paying attention
to Rob. You don't think you don't think Chris is gonna.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
Steel a little bit late.
Speaker 7 (28:01):
It's so too.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
It's really the other way around. Rob is just you
know what, you know, it's understandable.
Speaker 10 (28:12):
It's human nature, man, But we are not going to
put this young lady in a bubble, uh and make
it seem like, okay, well, she can't be touched. Think
about this outside of the Kennedy called the foul, what's
the hardest foul that she's actually taken.
Speaker 5 (28:26):
I've just seen some hot I'm not gonna sit here
like I've watched all of her games, but I have
seen a few hard fouls on her, which is fine.
Speaker 2 (28:35):
I think it's rookie hazy.
Speaker 5 (28:37):
That's what you know happens in the NBA, although at
this point it looks like the w n b A
is a little more physical than the NBA, which is fine.
Speaker 6 (28:45):
It has been that way. You're absolutely right that way.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
Yeah, yeah, but let me ask you.
Speaker 5 (28:53):
How do you think race has factored into this whole thing?
Speaker 10 (28:57):
Make Oh, it's it's you fact. I don't think from
a standpoint, there's nothing that I see the black players
looking at this little white white girl and blah blah blah,
and we don't like her because she's white. Absolutely not
like Donah Trossi's white, reala store white. Yeah. They got
a lot of white stars, man, I mean like Kelsey Plumb.
(29:18):
I mean there are a lot of white stars in
the w NBA that black players embrace. So this whole
thing about race, I think the racial aspect comes from
a part of society that we know very well, that
has lifted its ugly head over the last eight years
or so ever since you know, you know who and
all that type of stuff was in office whatever. And
(29:40):
now they're coming out and talking about this. They're looking
at this. I would say it like this. I'll say
like this, they're looking at this little white girl who
is in the w n b A and she is
the darling. And they don't know much about basketball, they
don't know much about the w n b A. And yes,
she is the star, and she's getting this notarazi in
every one of her dribbles is analyzed and and and
(30:02):
put on television. In every one of our shots that
she takes is on ESPN whatever. And now that she's
taken getting this treatment that all the other black players
in WNBA are getting as well, they're raising their head
as saying thug, oh they need this is assault using
these key phrases that we've seen so much in society
(30:24):
outside of sports. But we also know that sports is
a microcosm of society, so we shouldn't be surprised by it.
But I hate that we're using this, uh this as
as a racial component to get off an agenda instead
of seeing it for what it is, competitive physical basketball.
And I'll see it is it's actually good for Caitlin
(30:45):
Clark right now.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
Well, I don't want to say, don't you think it's
good for the whole w NBA.
Speaker 10 (30:50):
Oh, it's it's great for the WNBA because we're paying
it to we're talking about the WNBA talk right we
first take did forty minutes on the WNBA. This isn't
the attention they wanted, but in your kick is good attention.
This is why is good for Kaitlyn Clark. Right now,
we're talking about Caitlyn Clark in the physicality she's getting
right now and her fans are still watching. What we're
(31:12):
not talking about Caitlyn Clark is she's actually struggling as
a rookie. We're not talking about the fact that she's
shooting thirty five percent from the field. We're not talking
about she's shooting less than thirty percent from three point land.
We're not talking about the fact that she's leading the
WNBA in turnover. We're not talking about the fact that
her team has only won two games in the WNBA.
Now they've had a bruise schedule and all that type
(31:33):
of stuff like that. But this is going to keep
people interested because if she wasn't getting this treatment right
now and she continued to struggle, guess what these casual
fans that came to see, Oh man, oh she she
ain't that good right now, so they're gonna find watch it.
But right now people are still watching. So this is
actually good for Kitvin Clark in the WNB.
Speaker 6 (31:52):
The difference being casual fans who aren't like real fans
of WNBA and maybe watch men's basketball. It is not
the same brand of basketball. And that's been the biggest
thing people have said to me, is like, you know,
I tuned in expecting to see a certain thing based
(32:12):
on the brand of basketball you're used to watching, and
it's not like that. It's more technically sound, right, It's
very if there's no high flying, it's very efficient in
terms of running plays. Not a lot of plays are
being run during NBA games outside of coming in after timeouts.
(32:32):
So when you watch the WNBA, they're fundamentally sound, and
it's just a slower, different brand of basketball, and a
lot of people aren't used to seeing it. They're looking
at the highlights and spectacular plays and that's just not
what it is to the extent that they're used to.
Speaker 5 (32:51):
We got a run, Mike, we gotta run. You know
how this thing works. But man, great stuff. I appreciate
your insight and thanks for weighing in my guide.
Speaker 10 (33:01):
Always man, anytime, I'm here for your fellows steps all right.
Speaker 5 (33:04):
Brother, thank you. That's the great Mike Hill. Keep it locked, Ah.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
A couple of Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (33:08):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Chris Brussard and Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm
Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and The iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (33:19):
App All right, it's the odd couple.
Speaker 5 (33:21):
Chris Bruce R E from salam In for Rob Parker
E from I know you in the boxing fighting. Did
you see what happened to Deontay Wilder?
Speaker 6 (33:34):
Did I?
Speaker 5 (33:35):
Oh, my gosh, what was the guy named Jang Big
Bang Jang from China?
Speaker 2 (33:41):
I think?
Speaker 6 (33:41):
Goodness? Crazy?
Speaker 2 (33:42):
Yeah, And what's interested to me? And look, Wilder is
thirty eight, but.
Speaker 5 (33:47):
Jang was forty one, right, right, So, but it's interesting
to me because we saw this happen with Mike Tyson,
although he you know, he still has some good fights
in he left in him too. We saw having a
George Foreman, same thing I'm talking about before. It's come
back in the forties or late thirties whatever it was.
But you know, Tyson, Foreman and Wilder, and I don't
(34:12):
think Wilder was on their level as a fighter, but
he still was knocking everybody out and they kind of
bullied the competition, bullied the heavyweight division. But once they
were beat, it was like every fight was so much tougher.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
And I think it was a.
Speaker 5 (34:29):
Combination of Now, guys aren't scared because I think at
some point, maybe if you're known for knocking everybody out,
and your competition is kind of fearful. I think they
may go down after, you know, a hard shot or two,
that maybe they could get up and keep fighting. They
might just stay down, you know. And I also think
(34:52):
on the part of the fighter, the Tyson, the foreman,
the Wilder in this case, you probably lose some confidence too,
and that you never have that aura of invincibility outside
of you and inside of you that you once had.
And it's just interesting to me how again, Tyson, once
(35:15):
he lost the fights got tougher, and he obviously lost
some foreman once a lead beat him, you know, then
Jimmy Young beat him. He had a war with ron
Lyle where they were knocking each other all over the
ring and forming it up winning.
Speaker 2 (35:33):
But you didn't see him have that type of trouble
with guys before that.
Speaker 5 (35:36):
And now Wilder's lost four of his last fights, two
of them the Tyson Fury.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
But what do you make of that dynamic?
Speaker 6 (35:43):
I think, especially when you're dealing with the heavyweight division,
which is all those fighters you just mentioned, a knockout
power is everybody has it. Everybody has it, and so
it all depends on and you get them before they
get you. And Deontay Wilder's case, he was never really
(36:05):
a skilled boxer. He was he was a brawler. He
had one heck of a right hand that if he connect.
Speaker 2 (36:16):
And that was pretty much it a good night.
Speaker 6 (36:20):
So think about it's easy to rise up through the
ranks when you really have knockout power and you're going
through the different levels and caliber of boxer. When you
get to a Tyson Fury who was a skilled boxer
who also had a punching power and a pretty solid chin.
Speaker 5 (36:44):
Would you agree for Fury looks his best against Wilder? Well, yeah,
because something you did, there's something doesn't look the same
as dominant against other fighters.
Speaker 6 (36:55):
Well, because I don't think he takes it as serious
as other fighters. You know, him and Fury had some
dance some issues, right, it was contentious. It was a
real rivalry. Uh. And so you're gonna put a little
bit more on it, right, You're gonna when I come
in here and host this show, I know I'm gonna
put a little bit more on it when you're sitting
(37:16):
on the other end, because you think you be smoking me,
you know, So I just I just want you to
know you're gonna always get my A You get my
A game no matter where I am. But just so
you know, but you get that energy between Wilder and Fury.
Speaker 2 (37:31):
And that's also styles make fights.
Speaker 6 (37:33):
It does, it does.
Speaker 5 (37:34):
Like I said, Fury, you would think he was an
all time great the way he looks against Wilder, but
then you see him even forget the loss, the usage,
but other other prices. I mean in Ghandu, I just
think he didn't take that seriously. But still you saw
what Anthony Joshua did the Francis and Gandu.
Speaker 2 (37:51):
So yeah, it it. But Wilder, I don't.
Speaker 5 (37:54):
There was even talk about whether he should be a
Hall of Famer because people were saying he never fought
any good fighters and once he started till he started losing.
Speaker 2 (38:03):
But he's got to be a Hall of Famer.
Speaker 5 (38:05):
But I've never thought he was on the left the
Tysons and Foremans and got.
Speaker 6 (38:10):
No I agree with that. Like he made a bunch
of money, he's won some titles. Let's go on and
go do something else there.
Speaker 5 (38:16):
It is all right, two hours left of me teaching
me from some things about sports radio.
Speaker 2 (38:22):
That's next. A couple
Thanks for listening to The Odd Couple podcast. Be sure
to check us out live every weekday from seven pm
to ten pm Eastern four to seventh Pacific on Fox
Sports Radio. Find your local station for The Odd Couple
at Foxsports Radio dot com, or stream us live every
day on the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Let's give this punies.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
Oh yeah, it is The Odd Couple.
Speaker 5 (00:43):
I'm Chris Bruce Hard alongside my partner from Salono.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Oh actually, yeah, you're supposed to say Rob Burk.
Speaker 5 (00:52):
I was gonna say no, is he from Salim But anyway,
we are broadcasting live from the tirerag dot Com studios.
Tirerag dot Com will help you get there. They've got
an unmatched selection, fast free shipping, free road has a
protection and more than ten thousand recommend it installers. Tirereck
dot Com is the way tire buying should be. In
(01:13):
this right here, The Odd Couple is the way sports
talk radio should be. So keep it locked here for
the next three hours on Fox Sports Radio, the iHeartRadio app,
or Serious XM channel eighty three.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
However, you may be listening and.
Speaker 5 (01:29):
You heard it Rob Parker is off, so in his place,
Rob would call him a cupcake, a tomato can something
like that.
Speaker 6 (01:40):
I'll call me from Salam. What's up, man, what's happening?
You can just call me the voice of the people.
How about that?
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Hey, we're gonna have some fun.
Speaker 5 (01:50):
Man, it's so much to get into WNBA. When if
we last said that WNBA might lead the show.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
In fact, it will.
Speaker 6 (02:00):
We talk about what's hot?
Speaker 2 (02:01):
I know it. It is hot.
Speaker 5 (02:02):
It is hot, It is definitely hot. So we're gonna
get into that now, right now finals, that's right. We
got a whole week or until Thursday before the action starts,
so but we're gonna talk about that too. It's a
lot to get into. So it's gonna be a great show.
Let's introduce the I Couple crew. The super producer Rob
g is in the house on the updates. You're heard
(02:25):
him before a few minutes ago, Steve Disager on social media,
are man E Elijah Sabuna and on the ones and
choose none other than h that's right, Mary, Mary? You
remember that Ephram of course? Or is that before your time? Hey, man,
(02:47):
don't play me like that.
Speaker 6 (02:50):
Look just because your original host is super old.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
All right, true eight feel young platform shoes.
Speaker 6 (03:01):
I'm still born in the seventies. Player.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Oh hey, I was actually born in the sixties. Shoot sixty.
Speaker 5 (03:07):
Speaking of which, I celebrated my twenty ninth wedding ann
for a while.
Speaker 6 (03:12):
Yes, look at you, man, congratulat and you in here working. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (03:16):
We we celebrated over the weekend. Well, I know, we
hung out in New York all weekend. My wife had
to work today. She's a medical doctor.
Speaker 6 (03:24):
She's at work now, she's a medical doctor. Wet We
know you married up. Man, you outkicked your coverage. As
we like to say in the business, you've outkicked your coverage.
We get it, Yeah, we get it.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Yes, yes, so we're celebrating that. So that was cool.
Speaker 6 (03:40):
Well all right, well since you brought it up, what
do you guys do for your celebrate twenty nine year?
It's a long time to put over.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Yeah, man, yeah, it is, it is. I'm thankful, believe me.
Speaker 6 (03:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (03:50):
So we went to New York State in New York
City at a great hotel and we the Saturday night,
well you know, we did the spot and everything at
the hotel, so massages and all that stuff, you know,
and the older I get eat from, the more I
need massages. I'm realizing that. I'm realizing that. Saturday night,
(04:12):
we actually went to a dinner that friends of ours,
doctor Leslie Levine Harvel.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
She's a dentist. She's graduate of Spellman.
Speaker 5 (04:20):
College, Oka, and she always puts on that's been actually
been rated as the best HBCU over the last like
seventeen years straight. But she always puts on this icono
class dinner. She calls it to raise money for spell
and they highlight like chefs of color around the country.
(04:40):
So some of the best chefs of color. So you
just eat, you know, they all bring out a course
and it was good. It was fun, delicious. So we
did that Saturday night, and then Saturday, you know, we
went to the Metro.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
We went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Speaker 5 (04:57):
Oh wow, they had a Harlem Renaissance exhibit.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
You know, you see see people think.
Speaker 5 (05:04):
I'm just a sports writer or a sports guy. I'm cultured, man,
I'm well rounded. I'm one of those new Negroes.
Speaker 6 (05:14):
Look, look, there's nothing wrong with being a renaissance man.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
And if you in New York, have you been to
the Metropolitan Museum.
Speaker 6 (05:21):
I have okay, So.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
It's okay, there you go, there you go, there you go.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (05:28):
The Egyptian exhibit was fantastic too. That's incredible. So it
was great. It was great.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
But uh yeah, man, so let's get it popping.
Speaker 6 (05:35):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (05:36):
Caitlyn Clark, like I said, w n B A is
on the menu, and Rob it's so much going on.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
We're gonna bring in Rob g to just kind of
explain it.
Speaker 6 (05:45):
Does I have to talk on the.
Speaker 5 (05:47):
Air summarize it all. He gets nervous, but we're gonna
let him try getting nervous. Only get nervous when that
next to you from because he's eleven feet tall. But
in any event, Kaitlyn Clark and a WN have taken
over the sports media cycle in the last four eight hours.
It all started on Saturday during the game between the
Fever and the Chicago Sky when Caitlyn Clark took a
(06:07):
cheap shot call it what it is, cheap shot from
Chicago's Kennedy Carter right in the back, and it caused.
Speaker 6 (06:12):
The social media uproar.
Speaker 7 (06:13):
You have people split on both sides, some of it saying, hey,
that's basketball is what it is that some of it's
saying you know what, It seems like these young ladies
have it out for Caitlyn Clark. She is the golden
Goose and they don't like it. And it's all spilled
over in the discourse, especially today on plenty of national platforms,
has really run amok. And I just want to know, guys,
(06:35):
how much of it, as we said, is it basketball,
it's tough love, it's part of being the rookie hazing.
How much of it is hey, they're jealous of her,
how much of it is even? What factor is it
that she's a young white girl in a predominantly black sport.
There's a lot of layers to it, guys.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Are a lot of layers. From one the shot from Clark,
was it Kennedy Clark? Is her name right? Is that
the girl's name?
Speaker 6 (07:00):
Yeah? It's either Kennedy or Kennedy Kennedy. Yeah, you're right,
either one. That's what happens when your parents didn't My
name is Kennedy. Your name is Charles Lizard. You know
you just right right right?
Speaker 2 (07:15):
But anyway, that was a cheap shot.
Speaker 5 (07:17):
Now, there was I saw one video that said before
Caitlyn had kind of elbowed her.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
If the one I saw.
Speaker 5 (07:25):
I don't know if there's another one out there, but
she was kind of I think it was somewhat of
a box out or something like.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
That, and or they were going for a ball.
Speaker 5 (07:33):
It looks like she might have kind of exaggerated her
elbow movement. I don't know if it was dirty or not,
but I think that's the one they're talking about.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
But anyway, it was a cheap shot.
Speaker 5 (07:45):
Clark should have been given a flagrant one on the
spot and later on the w n b A, you know,
after the game, they made it a flagrant one. But overall,
I will say this, Ephraim, some of this is just tough.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
You know, this is like rookie hazing, if you will.
Speaker 5 (08:06):
Michael Jordan, it happened to him, how physical they were
with him.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
We know in the All Star Game.
Speaker 5 (08:13):
And because Isaiah Thomas is my man, I'm gonna say
allegedly iced him out of the All Star Game. But
because Isaiah will deny it to this days, deny it
to me. But allegedly Michael Jordan was iced out of
that All Star Game. And so I get that when
you're a rookie hot shot. And look, Caitlyn Clark.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Was the number one pick. Michael Jordan was only the
third pick.
Speaker 5 (08:37):
But if from you know this, he had he had
spent all summer schooling the NBA superstars in the team
USA was scrimmaging against the you know, all the all
Magic and Isaiah and all these great NBA players, and
Jordan was just killing him. And then he comes into
the league averaging twenty eight, twenty nine points a game.
So they went after him. So I get the rookie
(08:59):
hazy ella of it. We'll get into the race a
little bit later.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
I will. You can hit it now if you want.
But my ultimate thing, and Matt Barnes said some stuff.
I agree with him.
Speaker 5 (09:10):
Matt Barnes said, look, y'all need to your teammates. Caitlyn
Clark's teammates. He took them the task for not protecting her.
You look at Aliah Boston. She was right there when
Clark nailed Caitlyn and just didn't didn't even think about
doing anything. She the biggest, one of the biggest girls
on the court, didn't even go you know what I mean?
(09:31):
And so I agree with Matt Barnes on that. But ultimately,
Ephraim and you kind of touched on this earlier.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
This is great for the w NBA, great for the.
Speaker 6 (09:44):
Wn right, Yes, I don't.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
I mean I got beyond. I'm gonna keep it real.
Speaker 5 (09:49):
I'm not that interested in the w NBA, but now
I am, you know, thank you, just being honest. I'm
not gonna act like I've been following for the two
dec aids and I'm all into it.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
No, I'm into it now.
Speaker 5 (10:04):
One because Clark is so great and it's fun to
watch her, but also now because Angel Reese is getting
you know, her storyline with Caitlin and even how she
she just got a cheap shot at so are they
rookie hazing her as well? But these storylines e from
are what drives interests in addition to the good basketball,
(10:27):
and you want to see how how does Clark play
against the professionals. Diana Tarassi said it ain't gonna be
easy for and it hasn't been. So this is great
for the league. This is the first time, probably ever,
we've led the show with the w NBA in almost
six years old.
Speaker 6 (10:43):
I'm sure there's plenty of plenty of shows on h
this past week that that has that exact same center, right,
and the bottom line is first of all professional sports
are professional sports. Okay, it's a lot that goes into
being a professional athlete, the level of toughness you have
to have to sacrifice your entire life to get to
(11:08):
a pinnacle, to be on a stage that you've dreamt about,
and to perform on that stage. So you're right in
your assertion that a lot of people haven't watched the
w n B a like they're watching now and as
a testament to this rookie class coming in led by
Caitlin Clark, the number one pick in the draft, also
(11:30):
the Angel Reeses and all the other wonderful, tremendous athletes
that were drafted and out playing and playing well for
their teams. Of course, there's some players currently, players, older
players in the w NBA who feel a little slighted
(11:54):
because people are now saying, oh, the WNBA is going
to be good now because Caitlin is going to play
in the WNBA, so they're going to be good now,
And that's a slap in the face to all the
women that are currently playing, the women that played before.
(12:17):
And so I understand if you're listening to those that
type of energy on Twitter or on a podcast or wherever,
you get your information, then yeah, you'll feel a certain
type of way about a player. For as long as
I've been around, and I was lucky to play thirteen
years in the NFL, I was also a rookie. For
(12:40):
as long as I've been around, rookies have had to
prove themselves, no matter when you were drafted, how much
money you're making, are, what team you're on. All rookies
coming into the league, you don't get a handout. You
don't get a man, you were a first round draft pick,
(13:00):
you did it right. Oh wow, Yeah, you don't get that.
It's grown men and women playing professional sports. I mean,
it's it's it's people. Come on now, hey man, it's
not scholarship. You don't get to free lunch pass and
and and all of that. This is the people have families,
this is a job. My first game ever in the
(13:22):
NFL rookie year opening weekend, I played against Kevin Green. Okay,
I had watched Kevin Green dismantal offensive lines for decades
prior to me even getting into the league. So it
wasn't about, uh, I'm here, I've arrived. That look and
(13:43):
Caitlyn all she's doing is playing basketball, which is what
you do. You put your head down as a rookie,
you show up and you show out. That's it. It's
going to be tougher. The game is faster, stronger, bigger.
All of that. You're not playing against West Chattanooga State University,
the Golden Birds of of Wichita, New England, right, every Western, right,
(14:09):
every West, Northwestern, South Eastern Tech. Every team you're playing
has all star players, the best players in the country,
in the world, and you're going to have to show
up and show out. It's going to get chippy. Now.
We'll say that shot Kennedy gave to her was bush league, right,
(14:31):
it was. I don't don't.
Speaker 5 (14:33):
There you can get don't you think you know where
you got Within the course of the game. You can
get that exactly, That's the whole, that's the point. Within
the course of the game, you can get that lick, right,
So to maliciously go after you know, shades of Draymond, Right,
But even at least Draymond, we try to mask, right,
We'll try to mask it that that you know, within
(14:55):
the flow.
Speaker 6 (14:56):
Of the game.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
Right.
Speaker 5 (14:58):
Well, look, we got plenty more to get too, and
we certainly will on this situation race where everybody's talking
about race.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
Pat McAfee used a race and uh yeah yeah to describe.
Speaker 5 (15:13):
We won't say what he said started with a B though,
and we will get to all that next. It's The
A Couple. Chris Brusar E from Salam. Is it for
Rob Parker? Keep it locked?
Speaker 3 (15:25):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Chris Brusar and Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm
Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the
iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
All right, this is Jay Glazer.
Speaker 8 (15:38):
And you may know me for the world of football
or fighting or even shows like HBO's Bawlers. Well you
don't know is for my entire life. I have lived
in something I refer to as the gray depression anxiety.
So now I'm coming out with a new podcast, Unbreakable,
a mental health podcast with Jay Glazer where each week,
while we talk about mental health, I hope to describe it,
(15:59):
give it a word. Listen to Unbreakable with Jay Glazer
on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get
your podcasts.
Speaker 5 (16:10):
All right, it's The Odd Couple Chris brucear Eph from Salam.
We are live from the tirereck dot com studios. If
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(16:33):
nearest you.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
That's expresspros dot Com. All right, we are talking Caitlin
Clark and the NBA. I just gotta play this.
Speaker 5 (16:44):
Sound for you, Ephrom because it was very interesting to
me before we get into the racial element of this thing.
But here's Angel Reese, who is a star. You know,
was a star at LSU. They won a national championship,
and she also was the seventh pick in the draft,
and it's having a nice little start to her rookie
(17:05):
year in the WNBA. But here's what she said about
the WNBA's jump in ratings.
Speaker 9 (17:10):
It all started from the national championship game. And I've
been dealing with this for two years now and understanding, like, yeah,
negative things have probably been said about me, But honestly,
I'll take that because look where women's basketball is. People
are talking about women's basketball. You never would think that
we talking about women's basketball. People are pulling up to games.
We got celebrities coming to games sold arenas like just
because of one single game and just looking at that, like,
(17:33):
I'll take that role. I'll take the bad guy role,
and I'll continue to take that on and be that
for my teammates. And if I want to be that,
and I know I'll go down to history. I'll look
back in twenty years and be like, Yeah, the reason
why we're watching women's basketball is not just because of
one person.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
It's because of me too, And I want you to realize.
Speaker 6 (17:47):
That, like, put some respect on my.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Right, right.
Speaker 5 (17:54):
I Look, that game was big, and a lot of
people we even had callers, e from up here call
and say, well, maybe Caitlyn versus Angel could be like
a Magic versus Bird. Angel is great, a great player,
but let's just keep it real. She hasn't been on
the level of Caitlyn individually. So I don't think it's
(18:17):
quite in their different positions. I'm not They're completely two
different things, exactly. Magic and Bird were similar sizes and stuff,
even though they were different positions technically.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
But I was surprised.
Speaker 5 (18:28):
Look, maybe a little of the robbery, most of it
is Caitlyn Clark rightly or wrongly.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
Most of it is her. But I was surprised that
Angel actually said.
Speaker 5 (18:37):
It's not because of just one person, Caitlyn, it's because
of me too. I'm surprised she didn't say it's because
of all of us are great players, and you know,
we had a great draft and you already have some
fantastic w NBA players that now are getting the spotlight
on them because of Caitlyn and our class and me.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
She said, Caitlyn and me, which surprised me.
Speaker 6 (19:05):
She said, Caitlyn, it's not just about Caitlyn, it's about
me too. That's different than saying Caitlyn. To me, It's
not just about Caitlyn, it's about me too. So literally
put some respect on my name. And to a certain extent,
She's right. No one was really checking for women's college basketball.
(19:31):
You could barely find it on a channel. And two
years ago, now that rivalry sparked something. It galvanized the nation. Right.
It just so happens to be one African American player
against one white player, and it in a country that's
(19:52):
already divided a lot by race. Then you had the
first lady, Joe Biden come out and invite for the
first time the losing team to the White House as
well as the l s u uh the winning team,
(20:15):
and so that just further created it.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
I didn't like that, But I.
Speaker 6 (20:21):
Don't know how many basketball games Joe Biden has ever played,
right or watch? Excuse me, not even played, but it watched.
And so maybe she didn't know the nuances of you
don't that's something you don't do.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
She should have asked somebody.
Speaker 6 (20:38):
That's that's what happens when you can just you can
make a comment without checks and balances.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
Where is Camilla?
Speaker 6 (20:47):
No, no, no, since you don't want to do that, no, no, no,
no no no no on. So all of that added
to both of them coming back to school. Rating sky
rocketing for women's basketball at tremendously talented players from all UCLA,
(21:09):
all over the country that people were now paying attention to,
and I love that fact. Now fast forward to them
being in the WNBA. Caitlyn Clark, of course, has the buzz.
She can handle the ball, she can shoot, great passer.
She has more opportunity to affect the game than Angel
(21:31):
Reese does. Angel Reese is an inside presence, dominant on
the boards. She broke the record for most offensive rebounds
in Chicago Sky history already her rookie year, and so
we're not going to see her scoring thirty points shooting
threes from thirty five feet out. That's Kitlyn Clark. She
has the ball in her hands and offense sales tickets.
(21:55):
People want to see the scoring. The problem we're running
into right now the WNBA is what I said before
the season even started, is the buzz around Kaitlyn Cark
is great. I hope they capture it. I hope they're
able to monetize it. Rayed salaries, endorsements already. I like it.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
The problem is.
Speaker 6 (22:26):
If the fever are two and twelve and Caitlyn is
averaging nine ten points a game, then how long can
you keep that buzz? And that's the problem with trying
to put all of this on the back of one player.
So in a sense, Angel reaches right. It's not just
(22:46):
about her. Look at all the other dynamic players out here,
because it's impossible for Caitlyn to be able to carry
this league herself.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. All of our shows at foxsports Radio dot
com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to listen
live our next guest.
Speaker 5 (23:10):
You know him FS one host, actor now and comedian.
He's doing it all. We go way back to the
old network ESPN. Mike Hill, Mike, what's up.
Speaker 10 (23:21):
Brother Fellas?
Speaker 6 (23:23):
Fellas?
Speaker 10 (23:23):
What's going on? Man? How y'all doing?
Speaker 6 (23:24):
Bro good Man, mikeel you don't he don't have no
theme music. Mike don't got no theme music? What is
going on up in here?
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Man? Mike's so busy. This is the first time we've
been able to get him on the show.
Speaker 5 (23:38):
Okay, Mike is doing his thing, man, Man, Mike, Mike, Look, man,
I hear you are hot on this w NBA situate topic,
whether it's Caitlin Clark, Angel Rees. I just want to
hear what what is most uh got your interests or
peaked your interest with this whole WNBA Caitlyn Clark kind
(24:02):
of story so.
Speaker 10 (24:04):
Much, Chris Man, it's just amazing that we're still talking
about this two days later after a foul. I mean,
it was a blatant foul, it was egregious, But the
fact that we're still talking about this it has opened
up Pandora's box, not only from a WNBA perspective when
it comes to the amount of foules that are being
called her Caitlyn Clark, and the amount of attiction she's
(24:26):
bringing to the game, but the amount of people that
are actually talking about it, and the types of people
that are talking about it, and how it has kind
of divided everybody, which we are already divided in this
country along racial lines, and how it's become so racial
because of Caitlyn Clark. Look, I love Caitlyn Farts, I
love her. Death Man covered her when she was an FT,
when I was at FX one, she was an Iowa
(24:47):
tremendous story. I wish her nothing but success in the WNBA.
But what we're doing is we're putting her in a
bubble that she doesn't need to be in. Does she
need to be protected, yes, but through all WNBA play
need to protect it as well as Kaitlyn Car's. Absolutely,
just like Angeline said today, now he is not the
only person in the WNBA is the biggest draw right now.
(25:11):
Absolutely are people coming to watch her, Absolutely, but there
are other people there who have been there for years
who deserve the respect that they have put forth and
made the effort to get, and we are not giving
it to him right now. And then there's a little
bit of jealousy. I get that, but at the same
time that is also human. So there are so many
(25:31):
different variables and aspects that we can break down about this.
But once again, man, I think we're doing a disservice
to Kaitlin Cars and we're doing a deservice to that
all the other WNBA players out there as well by
making it seem like she should just be given a
pass to greatness in the WNBA.
Speaker 6 (25:48):
And to that point, what responsibility do you put on
the WNBA itself and it's marketing partners, because there's obviously
a campaign around Caitlyn Clark because she is a draw
(26:09):
right if people want to see her. She's played in
some of the most watched women's basketball games ever, So
what responsibility to the league do you place in terms
of marketing the other players just as much as their
marketing Caitlyn Clark.
Speaker 10 (26:30):
I think the w NBA is actually marketing the other players.
I think it's the media. I think it's then I
think as far as I think it's all of us.
The fact that we are giving Caitlyn Clark so much attention,
which once again, she deserves. She is a generational talent
who's coming to the league. She is like Shaquille O'Neil.
She is like Michael Jove when he first came in
the league. She is like Lebron James. The expectations she
(26:53):
is like a Winby when he came to the league.
The expectations are big. She could be very well. The
excitement that we had when we start to watching golf
and Tiger Woods whatnot for a portion of society. So
I think the WNBA is doing a service to the
other players. But I believe the media and all the
casual fans out there who never watched the WNBA game
(27:15):
period are now timing in talking about how the game
is being played. Here are some stats, Twelings, and I
just looked this up. Last year, the WNBA had twenty
six flagrant fouls called against him. This year only six
flagan foules have been called in all WNBA games now
seven because they just upgraded Kennedy Carters file to a
playgroant and so it was on pace to be less
(27:38):
than last year. It's a very physical sport. He's gonna
get hit. She's getting a lot of attention. Once again,
is there a tinge of jealousy, yes, but we have
a tinge of jealousy in society. If Chris is all
of a sudden he's on with Rob or whatever all
the time, and all of a sudden, everybody's paying attention
to Rob. You don't think you don't think Chris is gonna.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
Steel a little bit late.
Speaker 7 (28:01):
It's so too.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
It's really the other way around. Rob is just you
know what, you know, it's understandable.
Speaker 10 (28:12):
It's human nature, man, But we are not going to
put this young lady in a bubble, uh and make
it seem like, okay, well, she can't be touched. Think
about this outside of the Kennedy called the foul, what's
the hardest foul that she's actually taken.
Speaker 5 (28:26):
I've just seen some hot I'm not gonna sit here
like I've watched all of her games, but I have
seen a few hard fouls on her, which is fine.
Speaker 2 (28:35):
I think it's rookie hazy.
Speaker 5 (28:37):
That's what you know happens in the NBA, although at
this point it looks like the w n b A
is a little more physical than the NBA, which is fine.
Speaker 6 (28:45):
It has been that way. You're absolutely right that way.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
Yeah, yeah, but let me ask you.
Speaker 5 (28:53):
How do you think race has factored into this whole thing?
Speaker 10 (28:57):
Make Oh, it's it's you fact. I don't think from
a standpoint, there's nothing that I see the black players
looking at this little white white girl and blah blah blah,
and we don't like her because she's white. Absolutely not
like Donah Trossi's white, reala store white. Yeah. They got
a lot of white stars, man, I mean like Kelsey Plumb.
(29:18):
I mean there are a lot of white stars in
the w NBA that black players embrace. So this whole
thing about race, I think the racial aspect comes from
a part of society that we know very well, that
has lifted its ugly head over the last eight years
or so ever since you know, you know who and
all that type of stuff was in office whatever. And
(29:40):
now they're coming out and talking about this. They're looking
at this. I would say it like this. I'll say
like this, they're looking at this little white girl who
is in the w n b A and she is
the darling. And they don't know much about basketball, they
don't know much about the w n b A. And yes,
she is the star, and she's getting this notarazi in
every one of her dribbles is analyzed and and and
(30:02):
put on television. In every one of our shots that
she takes is on ESPN whatever. And now that she's
taken getting this treatment that all the other black players
in WNBA are getting as well, they're raising their head
as saying thug, oh they need this is assault using
these key phrases that we've seen so much in society
(30:24):
outside of sports. But we also know that sports is
a microcosm of society, so we shouldn't be surprised by it.
But I hate that we're using this, uh this as
as a racial component to get off an agenda instead
of seeing it for what it is, competitive physical basketball.
And I'll see it is it's actually good for Caitlin
(30:45):
Clark right now.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
Well, I don't want to say, don't you think it's
good for the whole w NBA.
Speaker 10 (30:50):
Oh, it's it's great for the WNBA because we're paying
it to we're talking about the WNBA talk right we
first take did forty minutes on the WNBA. This isn't
the attention they wanted, but in your kick is good attention.
This is why is good for Kaitlyn Clark. Right now,
we're talking about Caitlyn Clark in the physicality she's getting
right now and her fans are still watching. What we're
(31:12):
not talking about Caitlyn Clark is she's actually struggling as
a rookie. We're not talking about the fact that she's
shooting thirty five percent from the field. We're not talking
about she's shooting less than thirty percent from three point land.
We're not talking about the fact that she's leading the
WNBA in turnover. We're not talking about the fact that
her team has only won two games in the WNBA.
Now they've had a bruise schedule and all that type
(31:33):
of stuff like that. But this is going to keep
people interested because if she wasn't getting this treatment right
now and she continued to struggle, guess what these casual
fans that came to see, Oh man, oh she she
ain't that good right now, so they're gonna find watch it.
But right now people are still watching. So this is
actually good for Kitvin Clark in the WNB.
Speaker 6 (31:52):
The difference being casual fans who aren't like real fans
of WNBA and maybe watch men's basketball. It is not
the same brand of basketball. And that's been the biggest
thing people have said to me, is like, you know,
I tuned in expecting to see a certain thing based
(32:12):
on the brand of basketball you're used to watching, and
it's not like that. It's more technically sound, right, It's
very if there's no high flying, it's very efficient in
terms of running plays. Not a lot of plays are
being run during NBA games outside of coming in after timeouts.
(32:32):
So when you watch the WNBA, they're fundamentally sound, and
it's just a slower, different brand of basketball, and a
lot of people aren't used to seeing it. They're looking
at the highlights and spectacular plays and that's just not
what it is to the extent that they're used to.
Speaker 5 (32:51):
We got a run, Mike, we gotta run. You know
how this thing works. But man, great stuff. I appreciate
your insight and thanks for weighing in my guide.
Speaker 10 (33:01):
Always man, anytime, I'm here for your fellows steps all right.
Speaker 5 (33:04):
Brother, thank you. That's the great Mike Hill. Keep it locked, Ah.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
A couple of Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (33:08):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Odd Couple
with Chris Brussard and Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm
Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and The iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (33:19):
App All right, it's the odd couple.
Speaker 5 (33:21):
Chris Bruce R E from salam In for Rob Parker
E from I know you in the boxing fighting. Did
you see what happened to Deontay Wilder?
Speaker 6 (33:34):
Did I?
Speaker 5 (33:35):
Oh, my gosh, what was the guy named Jang Big
Bang Jang from China?
Speaker 2 (33:41):
I think?
Speaker 6 (33:41):
Goodness? Crazy?
Speaker 2 (33:42):
Yeah, And what's interested to me? And look, Wilder is
thirty eight, but.
Speaker 5 (33:47):
Jang was forty one, right, right, So, but it's interesting
to me because we saw this happen with Mike Tyson,
although he you know, he still has some good fights
in he left in him too. We saw having a
George Foreman, same thing I'm talking about before. It's come
back in the forties or late thirties whatever it was.
But you know, Tyson, Foreman and Wilder, and I don't
(34:12):
think Wilder was on their level as a fighter, but
he still was knocking everybody out and they kind of
bullied the competition, bullied the heavyweight division. But once they
were beat, it was like every fight was so much tougher.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
And I think it was a.
Speaker 5 (34:29):
Combination of Now, guys aren't scared because I think at
some point, maybe if you're known for knocking everybody out,
and your competition is kind of fearful. I think they
may go down after, you know, a hard shot or two,
that maybe they could get up and keep fighting. They
might just stay down, you know. And I also think
(34:52):
on the part of the fighter, the Tyson, the foreman,
the Wilder in this case, you probably lose some confidence too,
and that you never have that aura of invincibility outside
of you and inside of you that you once had.
And it's just interesting to me how again, Tyson, once
(35:15):
he lost the fights got tougher, and he obviously lost
some foreman once a lead beat him, you know, then
Jimmy Young beat him. He had a war with ron
Lyle where they were knocking each other all over the
ring and forming it up winning.
Speaker 2 (35:33):
But you didn't see him have that type of trouble
with guys before that.
Speaker 5 (35:36):
And now Wilder's lost four of his last fights, two
of them the Tyson Fury.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
But what do you make of that dynamic?
Speaker 6 (35:43):
I think, especially when you're dealing with the heavyweight division,
which is all those fighters you just mentioned, a knockout
power is everybody has it. Everybody has it, and so
it all depends on and you get them before they
get you. And Deontay Wilder's case, he was never really
(36:05):
a skilled boxer. He was he was a brawler. He
had one heck of a right hand that if he connect.
Speaker 2 (36:16):
And that was pretty much it a good night.
Speaker 6 (36:20):
So think about it's easy to rise up through the
ranks when you really have knockout power and you're going
through the different levels and caliber of boxer. When you
get to a Tyson Fury who was a skilled boxer
who also had a punching power and a pretty solid chin.
Speaker 5 (36:44):
Would you agree for Fury looks his best against Wilder? Well, yeah,
because something you did, there's something doesn't look the same
as dominant against other fighters.
Speaker 6 (36:55):
Well, because I don't think he takes it as serious
as other fighters. You know, him and Fury had some
dance some issues, right, it was contentious. It was a
real rivalry. Uh. And so you're gonna put a little
bit more on it, right, You're gonna when I come
in here and host this show, I know I'm gonna
put a little bit more on it when you're sitting
(37:16):
on the other end, because you think you be smoking me,
you know, So I just I just want you to
know you're gonna always get my A You get my
A game no matter where I am. But just so
you know, but you get that energy between Wilder and Fury.
Speaker 2 (37:31):
And that's also styles make fights.
Speaker 6 (37:33):
It does, it does.
Speaker 5 (37:34):
Like I said, Fury, you would think he was an
all time great the way he looks against Wilder, but
then you see him even forget the loss, the usage,
but other other prices. I mean in Ghandu, I just
think he didn't take that seriously. But still you saw
what Anthony Joshua did the Francis and Gandu.
Speaker 2 (37:51):
So yeah, it it. But Wilder, I don't.
Speaker 5 (37:54):
There was even talk about whether he should be a
Hall of Famer because people were saying he never fought
any good fighters and once he started till he started losing.
Speaker 2 (38:03):
But he's got to be a Hall of Famer.
Speaker 5 (38:05):
But I've never thought he was on the left the
Tysons and Foremans and got.
Speaker 6 (38:10):
No I agree with that. Like he made a bunch
of money, he's won some titles. Let's go on and
go do something else there.
Speaker 5 (38:16):
It is all right, two hours left of me teaching
me from some things about sports radio.
Speaker 2 (38:22):
That's next. A couple
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