June 12, 2024 • 37 mins
Chris and Rob remember the life of Jerry West by discussing whether he was a better player or an executive, tell us why Chandler Parsons is wrong when he says that the basketball world is being overly critical of Jayson Tatum during these NBA Finals and debate whether it’s fair to call New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge the most prolific home run hitter in MLB history.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the best of the Odd Couple podcasts.
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Speaker 2 (00:23):
You're listening to the best of the Odd Couple with
Chris Brushaw and Ron Harker.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Sad day in NBA circles Jerry West the logo passed
away at age eighty six.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
What a run, Chris eighty six years old and he
was still getting around, still working man.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
He was looked great, seriously, like you said, moving around,
I mean just he really was in good shape.
Speaker 4 (00:53):
That was a blessing at six.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
No doubt, no doubt. And Rob I knew I knew
Jerry pretty well covering the league for about thirty years,
got to know him. He was one of my favorite
people in the NBA to talk to. Loved he loved
talking about, you know, what's going on around the league
and all that stuff. Rob, I think you can I mean,
(01:18):
as far as if these things exist, you probably could
call him like a basketball genius. He was phenomenal as
a player, I'd say, by just about everybody's standards, unless
they completely dismiss you know, the older era. He's a
top twenty player of all time. As I said earlier,
(01:42):
the logo of the whole league. And then Rob when
he stopped playing, he became arguably the greatest executive in
the history of the league, I would say. So. He
helped put together the showtime Lakers, Magic, Kareem Worthy, Jamal Wilkes.
(02:07):
I mean, they had some great players Byron Scott, and
then he compelled Shack. I guess along with the sunshine
and beaches of LA. He compelled Shaq to come to
the Lakers as a free agent, drafted Kobe, Rob and Kobe.
Of course, Kobe did not and you notice he didn't
(02:30):
come out of high school like Lebron, you know, I mean,
he was bally hooed and touted, but Lebron was like
a sure fire, this guy is gonna be historically great,
no brainer, number one pick. Kobe was the thirteenth pick,
the thirteenth pick, and Jerry West saw something in him
(02:54):
that a lot of other people didn't see, and he
bamboozled the Charlotte Hornets and Rob got Kobe Bryant from
and the rest is history.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
I remember, Chris, I did I swear to you.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
I was on a.
Speaker 4 (03:13):
Pre draft TV debate.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
This is a long time when Kobe was I think
it was he was in Yeah, when this was on
Sports Channel in New York.
Speaker 4 (03:22):
Chris, this is how far back this goes.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
And the one guy who I was set up to
debate against was the biggest. He was all about Kobe
and he just it was a debate I had to
struggle with because.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Who you remember who the guy was.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
I can't remember who the guy was, but.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
He he he was Kobe was going to be that guy.
I mean without any hesitation, And all I was saying was, yeah,
there's a chance that he could be that. If he
was all that, he'd be the first overall pick. The
way you know, like that kind of stuff. The way
you're talking about him, I think you're over the top.
You know, he's a kid, learn blah blah blah. I'm
(04:01):
not saying he won't be a great player, but I
think you're way off, you know what I mean, like
right right, And this dude, I still to this day
because I remember struggling with that debate with him, and
he was right.
Speaker 4 (04:14):
I was like, yeah, forty years about that.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
Yeah it's likety years ago. But yeah, Rob, So here's
what I mean, do you have did you know Jerry
well at all?
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Or a little just a little bit, you know what
I mean? I talked to him a few times, Chris,
but nothing to say like yo, Rob, what's up?
Speaker 1 (04:32):
What's up?
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Right?
Speaker 4 (04:33):
I didn't have that kind of a relationship with him.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
And from Afar, you know the stuff that always, you know,
was how nervous he was to watch games always like this,
ye like like like.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Like a legend. That was part of his legend. I mean,
he would not be able to write when he was
gm of the Lakers. He would like leave this the
arena or gonna walk around or drive around or something.
That's how much anxiety the games costed or you know,
brought about in him. And yeah, that is a part
(05:07):
of his legend. Rob. Is that that That's how he
was as an executive. Here's what I want to throw
out at you, and and you might not even have
a definitive answer. I don't know that I do. But
just as a discussion, was he a better because Rob,
he's in the Hall of Fame as a a player
(05:27):
and a coach I'm sorry, a player and an executive.
And he will be inducted again. He will be inducted
again as a contributor. He's in as a player and executive. Yeah,
I mean it. He's in once. But that's how they
(05:48):
do it. And so the point I want to ask
you is or he's in twice, I guess a contributor
and a player. This year they're putting him in as
a contributor for some reason. But do you think he
was a better player or executive?
Speaker 3 (06:08):
I think this is easy, and I think it's as
an executive. And the only reason I say that is Chris.
You know, he did a lot obviously as a player,
but he lost a lot as a player as well. Yep,
And I think he won as an executive. And his
hands or fingerprints are all over. It wasn't like he
(06:31):
was there for the ride that you just talked about it.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
He flees the Charlotte.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
You know, he got checked to come, you know, like
he made real moves. He got Kawhi right to go
to to go to the Clippers, right, he was with
the Clippers. So when I look at him, I think
of all the great moves and stuff. That's not to
take anything away from him, Chris, because he went to
nine finals. The only problem is he's one and eight
(06:59):
right those finals, so so right, he never won an
MVP for all the stuff that he did, finals, yes,
and and whatnot. So I'm not belittling his playing career
because he was a tremendous player. But when you when
you look at people and you think about it, winning
factors in and it does define you. I always talk
(07:22):
about Marv Levy, Chris, and he's not a Marv Levy,
but I always talk about as great as Marv Levy
was and what he did in Buffalo.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
It's just hard to get people.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
To wrap their arms fully around you because he didn't win. Now,
Jerry did win as a player once, but as an
executive what he win eight times?
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Yes? Eight, I mean that's if you. I mean he
left the Lakers after the first Kobe Shaq championship, so
so he doesn't get credit but two. But yeah, they
basically were his team, you know what I mean? Even
give him credit for those and add it'd be ten.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
You know, So when you look at stuff like that, Chris,
I don't know how you can look at him.
Speaker 4 (08:02):
He might be u the greatest executive in the history
of the NBA.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
He probably is. He probably is. I mean so I
think Rob, who who would you you argue against him?
Pat Riley? But Riley has it I don't. He just
hasn't brought the stars. I mean, obviously the Big three
Heatles went there, but they left after they broke up
(08:29):
after four years, and now they're known for having, you know,
good players, but not great players. Riley went down Rob
and coached the team that won the first championship. I mean,
Riley's there. I don't want to be little Riley's tenure either,
but you probably gotta go with Wes. I'm I'm gonna
give him some props as a player, though, Rob, because understandably, Rob,
(08:53):
a lot of the younger people don't know how great
he was as a player. And I get that. I mean,
he he his last season was like, you know, nineteen
seventy four or something like that. He played during the
sixties for the most part, but people don't understand how
great he was.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Rob.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
I've got him as the third best shooting guard ever,
behind of course Jordan and Kobe. He averaged twenty seven
points and six point seven assists for his career and
then gave you six rebounds a game as well. He
is the all time leader in finals points. And you
(09:37):
could say, well he went to ten or nine. Well,
Lebron's been to ten and he still doesn't have as
many points as Jerry West does. Jerry West is eighth
all time in points per game with twenty seven. He'll
probably end up hire some of the guys ahead of him.
You're Joe l embiid Luka, Doncic. Doncic may stay up there, Durant.
(10:01):
We'll see if he stays up there Lebron. You know Robbers,
they keep playing their career average might come down just
because they're only like decimal, like tens of a point
ahead of it. So, but he's an eighth right now,
ahead of right ahead, one spot ahead of Alan iverson
rob He is the all time leading scorer in finals
(10:23):
games of twenty five or more points, thirty points and
forty points, and obviously that includes Michael Jordan. And so
you're right, he only won one championship about the nine
trips to the finals, and never won an MVP that
(10:45):
wasn't air rob where basically they only gave the MVP
the Biggs. It was Russell or will you know what
I mean?
Speaker 4 (10:52):
Baylor at that time, and it's hard.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Oh yeah, they were great. I mean, taking nothing away
from them. Yeah, Oscar Roberts Uh never won an m
v P. Elgin Baylor, who was awesome, never won an
m v P. Oscar may have. Oscar did he win
an m v P. He did win one. He won one,
but that was it. And so Jerry West, I think
(11:21):
was a phenomenal player, and a lot of people rob
let's just keep it, you know, we keep it real
on this show. A lot of people will look back,
they do look back and say, this white guy, he's
a guard. I mean, how good could he really have been?
Because you hear that about Jordan rob Oh, he played
against Mark Price, he played against Craig e Low. You know,
(11:43):
I mean what they call an account you know what
I mean. Oh, isn't Austin Reeves doing doing work in
the NBA today? Rob isn't Alex Caruso hood? I mean,
come on with Kevin loves pretty good.
Speaker 4 (12:00):
Time, jump over a phone book and he's the best
player in the league.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
There you go, and that's what like, hopefully a yo
kich a luka. Rob will get people to realize, yeah,
they're actually have been some really good white players. And
Jerry West is right there at the top with any
of the players, and he was phenomenal and he will
be missed by the NBA. Rob, I mean he's in
(12:26):
the discussion rhyme. I mean he didn't win the most obviously,
but just as far as what he did as a
player and an executive and to use the Hall of
Fame's word, a contributor, he's right up there for mister NBA.
He's right up there with anybody else.
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Yeah, you blubber list lame and me.
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Speaker 1 (13:56):
Jailer Parson is a former NBA player. He is saying,
because you know the guy is catching all the heat
is Jason Tatum. We've talked about that. Uh, he's averaging
seventeen numbers. Rob on the surface, his numbers don't look
that bad as far as just the total points averages
per game. But she's almost averaging a triple double, seventeen points,
(14:21):
ten rebounds, which is a team high, eight and a
half assists, which is a team high. But as you said,
the shooting is killing yep and thirty in the finals
overall this year and twenty eight percent I believe from three.
So that is the problem with Jason Tatum right now.
(14:46):
But Chandler Parsons, Rob and I will say this, he's
actually Tatum is not playing that poor. He's just missing shots,
which is huge, but he is missing shots. He's playing
a good game all around, but missing shots. Let me
get his field goal. Yeah, twenty eight percent from three.
So anyway, Taylor pots is though Rock thinks people are
(15:09):
being too hard. What Jason Tatum period.
Speaker 7 (15:12):
You know what's interesting about this is Tatum has not
been himself averaging the thirty and being efficient offensively. But
if this for Luca, if this for Jokich, we would
be praising him. How he's getting his teammates involved, how
he's letting the game come to him, how they're want
to rebound away from a triple, how their offense is
more balanced, and by the way, you know what, the
most one they're winning. So we're still finding a way
(15:33):
to nitpick Jason Tatum, even though they are dominating this postseason.
They've been cake walking to the finals, They've been cake
walking in the finals, and that is without their best player,
Jayson Tatum dominating playing the game.
Speaker 4 (15:43):
The guy's averaging seventeen.
Speaker 7 (15:47):
Point if the Nuggets were up to oh, if the
Nuggets were up to oh, right now, what if he
Avers is a triple double in the NBA Finals and
they win it all?
Speaker 4 (15:56):
But you know what I'm saying, if.
Speaker 7 (15:56):
Then seventeen to ten and ten, if the Nuggets were
up to oh, those were Jokic's number, we'd been praising him.
I was a triple double monster. I was getting his
teammates involved. I was doing this, he was doing that.
Why is it, Jason? Why is it a negative on
Jason Tatum that Jlen Brown's having a great series, That
Drew Holliday had a big game too, that Preziingas had
a big game. One That shouldn't take away from Jason
Tatum's excellence just because.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
His team is really good.
Speaker 7 (16:19):
These other guys are playing good.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
Look, Rob I will say this. I do think for
whatever reason, I guess maybe because he is the leader
of the team, or at least the best player on
the team, how they have right. They have fallen short
a couple of times in the finals or even the
conference finals or early in the playoffs during this little
(16:41):
run they've had. Maybe that's it. And like you said,
he wasn't good in the first finals that he played
in thirty five percent shooting against the Golden State Warriors.
I do think he's taking too much heat rob in
that because he's been taking heat throughout the playoffs, not
(17:04):
just in these finals. So in the Eastern Conference Finals,
he became the first Celtic ever Yes over Larry Bird,
Yes over John Halchek, over Dave Cowens, over Bill Russell,
Sam Jones, Paul Pierce, Garnett, Ray Allen, whatever great Celtic
(17:28):
you want to name. Jason Tatum did something none of
them ever did, which is the average thirty points, ten
rebounds and five assists. The actually averaged six assists in
the Eastern Conference Finals. And still people were talking about
he didn't get the con, he didn't get the MVP,
and people were talking about he didn't play that well
(17:50):
Rob throughout these playoffs. He has the best plus minus
in the playoffs, not just up the Celtics, of any
play And of course we talked about how he's playing
a good floor game, all around game. Right now, that's said,
so I'll give Chadler Parsons a little bit of agreement
on that. That said, though, Rob, if Luka Doncic and
(18:16):
Nikolei Jokic we're putting up these numbers and playing this
way in the finals, they would absolutely get criticized because
of the thirty one percent shooting and Yokis averages like
thirty a game. So if he dropped the seventeen Rob,
people wouldn't be looking at that as great. I don't
(18:37):
know if they get quite as much heat because they
are winning. They don't have the history of failure for
lack of a better term, that Jason Tatum does. But
don't act like they be getting praised.
Speaker 4 (18:52):
And I'm sorry, I don't care what stats.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
Ah, he's almost averaging a triple double and all this
Chris six for twenty two is bad. I don't care
who you are. Come on, you can't look at that
and say he's still playing fine, because if he was
six for twenty two when they were down two Chris
and he had the same rebounds and assists, people would
be killing him, right, come on, really, we would be
(19:17):
slaughter Stop it. Don't make an excuse and just say,
seventeen points is good. No, No, not on six for
twenty two. Seventeen points is good, Chris on six or
seven for it light?
Speaker 1 (19:31):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (19:32):
Yeah, or something like that. Yeah, I'll take that, but
not six for twenty two. I just think that's oversimplified.
And he has a history and we know the clutch
situation that he's had the problem, like all of that counts.
It's it's what you do when you're one of those
guys you count everything, you nitpick. This is not a
(19:56):
Jason Tatum thing. This is just how it is. Are
you a big boy, Chris or not? If you are,
you're that guy.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
He's like guy like you said, Rob, and he's actually
said it, and hopefully Rob as he struggles, I hope
he really means this. And that is not just giving
lip service. You are criticized like this because you are
so great and people expect so much of you. They're
not I mean, if Derek White was struggling like this
(20:28):
him right, even Drew Holliday as good as he is. Like,
you're that guy on the Celtics, your first team all NBA,
You're supposed to play better and when you're not, it's
because people have high expectations for you. Now, I hope
he does understand that. Rob. Do you think there's how
much Do you think there's a lot of pressure on
(20:48):
him tonight?
Speaker 4 (20:50):
No?
Speaker 3 (20:50):
Not because it's he shouldn't be playing with pressure. He
should just be playing because his team is up. You
know what I mean. You should be able to go
out if you're down on to Chris and you haven't
shot the ball, well, there's pressure that you need to
make something happen here because if.
Speaker 4 (21:04):
You lose, you're done. Yeah, I agree.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Yeah, How in the world could he go out tonight
and feel pressure to do what just played?
Speaker 4 (21:12):
If I'm Missoula.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
Just play tonight, dude, Just just play. Forget about the
first two games. Just go out and do what you
do and don't worry about we won those games. Let's
let's we let's win tonight. I need you to play
your game.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
You know what's interesting, Rob, And he is not on
the level of Lebron right, But Lebron struggled in his
two finals, Rob even more so than this. I mean,
we'll see what continues to happen. But Rob in his
first finals, and Lebron was just twenty two, so he
(21:49):
probably got largely got to pass and I think deservedly
so in two thousand and seven. Against what I'm saying,
but if.
Speaker 4 (21:56):
They would have won, nobody everybody would.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
But I mean, but still, I mean, I get what
you're saying, but that doesn't always it's not that black
and white. Sometimes it's like, yo, you got praise. Dude,
he was twenty two, he didn't have any you know,
his team around him wasn't that good. They beat the
really good Detroit Pistons that year, and you know, he
couldn't get it done against Tim Duncan. So he got
(22:19):
a little bit of a past. But his numbers in
that Rob were probably slightly worse than Jason Tatum's or
his first finals. It was very close, but they weren't better.
He actually averaged a lot more turnovers than Tatum did.
And then Rob. Of course, Lebron's second finals was an
absolute disaster against Dallas. And so you can bounce back
(22:44):
from the yeah, yeah, you can bounce back from this.
But Rob, let me ask you this. If let's say
Tatum continues to struggle for the most part and they win,
and whether it's Drew Holliday, Jason Jaylen Brown, whoever is
the finals MVP, how do you think I mean, obviously,
Tatum's gonna be happy, and he will get credit because
(23:07):
they won a championship. He's the best player. But do
you think that there will be some criticism or at
least a negative mark on him or even in his
own mind after that.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
No, maybe in his mind he would have wished that
he played better. But winning covers up everything. It's like makeup, Chris,
it just does. And people will be happy that they won,
and they'll look at some of the other things that
he did, the rebounds, the assists, some of the other
stuff that he did, and just have to accept it.
Sometimes just shots don't fall, you know, they just don't.
(23:46):
And you don't want it to be in a six
or seven game series. You might have a couple of
bad nights, but you don't want it to be for
an extended period of time. But winning cures all. And
I don't think people will look at him and they'll be
like he got a championship.
Speaker 4 (24:00):
That's what they needed to do.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
Yeah, I think they're in the moment. I mean, in
the moment they'll be, you know, celebrated because they won.
If I think next year come playoff time, you know,
there would be talk of it and will Tatum show
up and all that, But I think as time goes on, Rob,
You're right, it's about the championship period. Now. You may
(24:24):
remember this in Larry Bird's first finals and we talk
about you know, he was not the MVP. It was
Cornbread Cedric, Cornbread Maxwell, but Rob in a three game
stretch games three, four and five, the great Larry Bird.
Rob had an eight point game, an eight point game,
(24:47):
and a twelve point game, and he shot three four eleven, three,
four eleven, five for sixteen. That's Larry Bird. And obviously,
you know, nobody even thinks about that anymore. But that's
the thing is, Rob. He went on in other finals
and playoff games and played well. And that's just what
(25:09):
Jason Tatum will have to do going forward.
Speaker 4 (25:13):
So no doubt about it. I just think for his
resume right here now, he needs to win.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
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 app.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
Aaron Judge areaking havoc on Major League Baseball right now.
Twenty five home runs leading the league, sixty two rbi
leading the league, slugging percentage seven to twelve leading the league.
He's having a phenomenal year right now. Would certainly be
(25:51):
the MVP. And you have a microwave take from several
years ago. I think it was what twenty seventeen.
Speaker 4 (26:00):
This is unbelievable. Yeah, this goes back seven years.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
I'll be the judge of that. Okay, No, well it
was a background eighteen seventeen seventeen is when he hit
the fifty two, so I'm guessing it was after right
after that.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
Maybe it was during that season, I want to say,
because he hadn't in it yet.
Speaker 1 (26:19):
Well, here we go. Microwave take from rap Parky Hitch, an.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
Old take that's gone.
Speaker 8 (26:25):
Cold on the outside, iced to go on the medal.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
It's microwave take with the on cup of.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
I'm Rob Parker. This is getting robbed. And here are
my top five sluggers of all time. Number five, Aaron
Judge from the New York Yankees six foot seven, two
hundred and eighty two pounds, and Yankees have a section
form called Judge's Chamber. It tells you about this guy
home run swing, Chris. When I originally did this, this
(26:55):
was for FS one. When we were doing these little vignettes,
people criticized me that I put Aaron Judge in the
top five sluggers of all this is my list, And
I tried to tell people it would be ridiculous.
Speaker 4 (27:08):
Where's Hank Aaron, Where's Babe Ruth?
Speaker 3 (27:10):
If we're just gonna list the top five home run hitters,
then then we all have the same list. Would you
agree with that? So it can't be that, okay, So
no King Griffey Jr. No Hank Aaron, no Willie Mays,
no Babe Ruth. Otherwise we would all have the same lists.
So people criticized me that I, what was.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
Your list other than Judge? Where was Judge? And what
was the list?
Speaker 4 (27:32):
So Judge was number five.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
I had Mark McGuire in there, don't I don't know
exact Mark McGuire. I had Alex Rodriguez, I had Darryl Strawberry,
and I had and I had Barry Bonds. I think
that those were my five that I had a my list.
And my point though, Chris is I got criticized for
(27:55):
putting Judge in and Rob g what was his rookie year?
Was this his second year twenty seventeen. I don't remember
our third year, but but my big criticism Chris was
that it's too soon, like how do you have him there?
And I'm gonna say, Chris, you notice you've dubbed people.
(28:16):
You see people and way back when I looked at
this dude in his swing and what he's done, and
the only thing that has stopped him is what Chris,
what has stopped injury?
Speaker 4 (28:28):
Injury? When he plays, he's lights out right, He's lights
when he's healthy when he's playing.
Speaker 3 (28:35):
He got a slump to start the year, but you
know what I mean, over the course of a full year,
he's gonna put up numbers. So it is incredible. And
Rob GI give us the details on what he just did. Chris,
you know, I'm calling him the most prolific home run
hitter we've ever seen. And this is not hyperbole. I'm
not trying to make a hot take, but he now
(28:57):
has the numbers, Chris, to back up what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
That's right, he got some numbers last night Tuesday night.
Speaker 8 (29:07):
Hit is twenty fifth home run of the season, which
we already talked about that, Chris. But with that homer,
he became Major League Baseball's all time leader in games
per home run. Can you believe that, Chris, he hits
a home run every three point two games he plays
for context, Babe Ruth is three point five, Barry Bonds
(29:29):
is three point nine. That's incredible, Chris, that he's on
that pace. Well, here's where I would disagree. That pace
is gonna slow down.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
It's gonna those numbers aren't when he retires, it ain't
gonna be three point two because he's not gonna hit
home runs at this rate once, you know, throughout the
course of his career. I don't think if he does,
I'll give it to you right now. I think you're
a prisoner of the moment. I mean, he he's only
hit forty or more home runs twice, so he's got it.
(30:05):
He's got it. I mean, part you're right in.
Speaker 4 (30:07):
That, Hank Aaron, he ever hit fifty you know what
I mean.
Speaker 1 (30:10):
Hank Freer is not viewed as the most prolific home
run hitter in the.
Speaker 4 (30:13):
What I'm said, he was at home run for a
long time.
Speaker 1 (30:17):
I mean, yeah, Hank, Hank had uh eight times, he
hit forty or more. Of course, he played four more years.
He played twenty eight times, Babe Ruth eleven times. So
my point though, I hear you, And if he can
stay healthy, You're right, that has been the only knock
against him. But it's a heck of a knock because
(30:38):
he is injured so much. And I don't think if
he's injured and he never let's say he ends up
with four hundred and eleven home runs, I don't think
you're gonna be able to call him the most prolific
home run hitter of all time. And I'm not saying
it's just about the total numbers. But you gotta be available, Yeah,
(31:00):
and you got to be available too. He does have
the highest home run rate.
Speaker 4 (31:04):
Whether that's impressive, it.
Speaker 1 (31:08):
Is even but don't you think that's going to go
down as he gets older and plays longer. That's generally
what happens.
Speaker 4 (31:16):
Yeah, probably, but except for Barry Bonds, right.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
But but the thing is Chris, which is incredible, is
I mean, he's still a young guys who got eight
great eight years ahead of But he's not old, you
know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (31:30):
He's got eight years ago or whatever.
Speaker 3 (31:32):
He can pile up a lot and playing at Yankee Stadium,
you know it's not the you know, the biggest ballpark
you could go to right field Chris and pop home runs.
He hits to all fields. I think he's in a
great ballpark to hit home runs. That's going to help him,
just like Babe Ruth at the short porch and Yankee
Stadium that helped him. So I think that's going to
(31:55):
be a thing that helps him. But but I'm starting
to look like like he got off. Think about where
he is and what he's doing. Chris, and he had
a terrible April, remember terrible well, and his numbers where
they are now is incredible despite I think he only
had maybe one or two home runs in April.
Speaker 1 (32:16):
Yeah, I think it's just too early to say he's
the greatest slugger of all time. I'm not saying he
has to finish as the all time home run leader
or anything like that. I just think he needs to
do it a little bit longer. If you want to
say I mean, like I've said about show, hey, best
player I've ever seen, not to go. So if you
want to say that, certainly, you know you can. But
(32:38):
he's just got to keep it up. And I mean
even this streak, now, is this just a streak? You know?
In twenty twenty one he played one hundred and forty
eight games, that's basically a whole year, had thirty nine homers.
I mean that's great, but it's not like his work.
Speaker 4 (32:53):
Here we are, we got how many weeks till the
all starts? A live fourteenth?
Speaker 3 (32:57):
Right, so we got a month left still, and he's
got twenty five already. I mean, he could have thirty,
he could have thirty two. He should be on pace,
you know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (33:07):
Something serious?
Speaker 4 (33:08):
Yeah, because you got a month?
Speaker 3 (33:10):
Can he hit seven more home runs in a month
and have thirty two going into the All Star break?
Speaker 1 (33:15):
Well, like you said, the key is, can he stay
on this pace? I mean, and not even this pace,
because this is just this is this is like a
home run almost every other day, right exactly? But can
he stay you know, somewhere near this pace? And Barry Bonds, look, Rob,
Barry Bonds, I've never seen anything like him, in baseball.
(33:39):
Now we know, we believe there was you know, he
has some extra help. The home run percent is when
he hit seventy three was eleven percent. That's by far
the best of any season. But Judge is almost nine
percent right now, which is tremendous, and.
Speaker 4 (34:00):
Had some more You got more numbers of other players.
Speaker 1 (34:03):
Well, no, it's just.
Speaker 8 (34:04):
The extent of that game's per home run list. I
mean I brought up Babe. Ruth and Barry Back are
the two biggest names people want to hear. But hear
those names and you automatically, you know, get some credibility.
But if you were down the list, the top ten
in order, and this is not exactly you know, the
who's who of power Raiders if you really think about it.
So it goes Judge McGuire, Ruth, Pete Alonzo.
Speaker 3 (34:27):
Pete Alonzo has hit a lot of home runs.
Speaker 8 (34:30):
Stanton, Yeah, Jordan Alvarez, Sammy Soso, we don't know what
color he was at that time, but Juan Gonzalez right now, Yeah,
Juan Gonzalez, Barry Bonds and Ralph is it Kiner Rob
kind of?
Speaker 3 (34:44):
Ralph kind of was the metsa announcer for long played
for the Pirates and he hit like four hundred home
runs in ten years something.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
Like, well, see, that's kind of what I'm talking about.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
Rob.
Speaker 1 (34:54):
It's like, you can have a nice run, you know,
And obviously that's what some of these guys have had.
You know, some of them are younger, obviously Alvarez and
guys like that, so can they keep it up? But
Judge is phenomenal. I just wish well, let me put
it this way, Rob, I hope he can stay healthy.
Speaker 3 (35:12):
Yeah, because if he can stay healthy, he has a chance.
One a long time baseball rider text me today. He says,
this dude's going to the Hall of Fame if he
stays healthy. Like, oh, absolutely, Like he's a Hall of
Fame caliber player I've never seen. And then when you know,
like I said, five years ago, I put him on
the list. Seven years ago, I put him on the
list because I just saw, like the swing, the stadium
(35:38):
he's going to play in, you know, most of his games,
Chris eighty one of them. When you add those things together,
how in the world are you not going to hit
home runs? He's big, he strong, and and if he's
it's not like when he's healthy, he's scuffling normally, that's
just not the case.
Speaker 1 (35:54):
If he's not, he's healthy, he's great. I mean, you
look at Stanton, that's his problem. He can't.
Speaker 3 (35:58):
He's worse than Judges far and and Stan has four
hundred and Chris, he's close to get it.
Speaker 4 (36:03):
He's gonna get the What does he got?
Speaker 1 (36:06):
He has four hundred and eighteen home runs.
Speaker 4 (36:07):
He's gonna get the five hundred if he can just
stay healthy for the.
Speaker 1 (36:10):
Next few year, right, I agree. Let me ask you this,
because Judge right now, is the m v P. If
he's got the av right right, If he's got two
m vps, does that make because let's say he wins
this this second MVP, but continues to have injury problems,
maybe doesn't win another one. Does that put him in
(36:31):
the hall two MVPs in an in an injury play career.
Speaker 4 (36:40):
Does two m vps?
Speaker 2 (36:44):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (36:45):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (36:47):
Al home run record?
Speaker 3 (36:49):
I mean that, Chris, that that's a big because you
gotta win some national things, you gotta set some records.
Speaker 4 (36:54):
And I think those injuries.
Speaker 1 (36:56):
Worked against you know what, if it wasn't just oh
he got he just fell off, you.
Speaker 3 (37:00):
Know what I mean, and he could he could make
it on that because he has some benchmarks.
Speaker 4 (37:06):
You know, he has something.
Speaker 3 (37:07):
And if the Yankees were able to win a World
Series this year or next year, whatever it is, that'll
be another thing he needs to win too, because you know,
Jeeter and all those other guys who came before him,
they all want that.
Speaker 1 (37:20):
Being a Yankee. Ye, it was really not anywhere else
or most other teams is not the burden. But yeah, Yankees,
I mean were talking now. I think he's better just
you know, when healthy, than die manningly, right, But that's
maddeningly like that.
Speaker 3 (37:37):
He was.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
Everybody loved him, but he never won. And when you
ate the Yankees, that matters, No.
Speaker 4 (37:42):
It does.
Speaker 3 (37:43):
And the crazy thing is Chris he played, He made
the playoffs, right in ninety five, that was his last year,
and then the Yankees won in ninety six the.
Speaker 4 (37:53):
Very next year.
Speaker 1 (37:54):
That's just the very next year they want to be
crushing
Thanks for listening to the best of the Odd Couple podcasts.
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 FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
You're listening to the best of the Odd Couple with
Chris Brushaw and Ron Harker.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Sad day in NBA circles Jerry West the logo passed
away at age eighty six.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
What a run, Chris eighty six years old and he
was still getting around, still working man.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
He was looked great, seriously, like you said, moving around,
I mean just he really was in good shape.
Speaker 4 (00:53):
That was a blessing at six.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
No doubt, no doubt. And Rob I knew I knew
Jerry pretty well covering the league for about thirty years,
got to know him. He was one of my favorite
people in the NBA to talk to. Loved he loved
talking about, you know, what's going on around the league
and all that stuff. Rob, I think you can I mean,
(01:18):
as far as if these things exist, you probably could
call him like a basketball genius. He was phenomenal as
a player, I'd say, by just about everybody's standards, unless
they completely dismiss you know, the older era. He's a
top twenty player of all time. As I said earlier,
(01:42):
the logo of the whole league. And then Rob when
he stopped playing, he became arguably the greatest executive in
the history of the league, I would say. So. He
helped put together the showtime Lakers, Magic, Kareem Worthy, Jamal Wilkes.
(02:07):
I mean, they had some great players Byron Scott, and
then he compelled Shack. I guess along with the sunshine
and beaches of LA. He compelled Shaq to come to
the Lakers as a free agent, drafted Kobe, Rob and Kobe.
Of course, Kobe did not and you notice he didn't
(02:30):
come out of high school like Lebron, you know, I mean,
he was bally hooed and touted, but Lebron was like
a sure fire, this guy is gonna be historically great,
no brainer, number one pick. Kobe was the thirteenth pick,
the thirteenth pick, and Jerry West saw something in him
(02:54):
that a lot of other people didn't see, and he
bamboozled the Charlotte Hornets and Rob got Kobe Bryant from
and the rest is history.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
I remember, Chris, I did I swear to you.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
I was on a.
Speaker 4 (03:13):
Pre draft TV debate.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
This is a long time when Kobe was I think
it was he was in Yeah, when this was on
Sports Channel in New York.
Speaker 4 (03:22):
Chris, this is how far back this goes.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
And the one guy who I was set up to
debate against was the biggest. He was all about Kobe
and he just it was a debate I had to
struggle with because.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Who you remember who the guy was.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
I can't remember who the guy was, but.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
He he he was Kobe was going to be that guy.
I mean without any hesitation, And all I was saying was, yeah,
there's a chance that he could be that. If he
was all that, he'd be the first overall pick. The
way you know, like that kind of stuff. The way
you're talking about him, I think you're over the top.
You know, he's a kid, learn blah blah blah. I'm
(04:01):
not saying he won't be a great player, but I
think you're way off, you know what I mean, like
right right, And this dude, I still to this day
because I remember struggling with that debate with him, and
he was right.
Speaker 4 (04:14):
I was like, yeah, forty years about that.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
Yeah it's likety years ago. But yeah, Rob, So here's
what I mean, do you have did you know Jerry
well at all?
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Or a little just a little bit, you know what
I mean? I talked to him a few times, Chris,
but nothing to say like yo, Rob, what's up?
Speaker 1 (04:32):
What's up?
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Right?
Speaker 4 (04:33):
I didn't have that kind of a relationship with him.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
And from Afar, you know the stuff that always, you know,
was how nervous he was to watch games always like this,
ye like like like.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Like a legend. That was part of his legend. I mean,
he would not be able to write when he was
gm of the Lakers. He would like leave this the
arena or gonna walk around or drive around or something.
That's how much anxiety the games costed or you know,
brought about in him. And yeah, that is a part
(05:07):
of his legend. Rob. Is that that That's how he
was as an executive. Here's what I want to throw
out at you, and and you might not even have
a definitive answer. I don't know that I do. But
just as a discussion, was he a better because Rob,
he's in the Hall of Fame as a a player
(05:27):
and a coach I'm sorry, a player and an executive.
And he will be inducted again. He will be inducted
again as a contributor. He's in as a player and executive. Yeah,
I mean it. He's in once. But that's how they
(05:48):
do it. And so the point I want to ask
you is or he's in twice, I guess a contributor
and a player. This year they're putting him in as
a contributor for some reason. But do you think he
was a better player or executive?
Speaker 3 (06:08):
I think this is easy, and I think it's as
an executive. And the only reason I say that is Chris.
You know, he did a lot obviously as a player,
but he lost a lot as a player as well. Yep,
And I think he won as an executive. And his
hands or fingerprints are all over. It wasn't like he
(06:31):
was there for the ride that you just talked about it.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
He flees the Charlotte.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
You know, he got checked to come, you know, like
he made real moves. He got Kawhi right to go
to to go to the Clippers, right, he was with
the Clippers. So when I look at him, I think
of all the great moves and stuff. That's not to
take anything away from him, Chris, because he went to
nine finals. The only problem is he's one and eight
(06:59):
right those finals, so so right, he never won an
MVP for all the stuff that he did, finals, yes,
and and whatnot. So I'm not belittling his playing career
because he was a tremendous player. But when you when
you look at people and you think about it, winning
factors in and it does define you. I always talk
(07:22):
about Marv Levy, Chris, and he's not a Marv Levy,
but I always talk about as great as Marv Levy
was and what he did in Buffalo.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
It's just hard to get people.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
To wrap their arms fully around you because he didn't win. Now,
Jerry did win as a player once, but as an
executive what he win eight times?
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Yes? Eight, I mean that's if you. I mean he
left the Lakers after the first Kobe Shaq championship, so
so he doesn't get credit but two. But yeah, they
basically were his team, you know what I mean? Even
give him credit for those and add it'd be ten.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
You know, So when you look at stuff like that, Chris,
I don't know how you can look at him.
Speaker 4 (08:02):
He might be u the greatest executive in the history
of the NBA.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
He probably is. He probably is. I mean so I
think Rob, who who would you you argue against him?
Pat Riley? But Riley has it I don't. He just
hasn't brought the stars. I mean, obviously the Big three
Heatles went there, but they left after they broke up
(08:29):
after four years, and now they're known for having, you know,
good players, but not great players. Riley went down Rob
and coached the team that won the first championship. I mean,
Riley's there. I don't want to be little Riley's tenure either,
but you probably gotta go with Wes. I'm I'm gonna
give him some props as a player, though, Rob, because understandably, Rob,
(08:53):
a lot of the younger people don't know how great
he was as a player. And I get that. I mean,
he he his last season was like, you know, nineteen
seventy four or something like that. He played during the
sixties for the most part, but people don't understand how
great he was.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Rob.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
I've got him as the third best shooting guard ever,
behind of course Jordan and Kobe. He averaged twenty seven
points and six point seven assists for his career and
then gave you six rebounds a game as well. He
is the all time leader in finals points. And you
(09:37):
could say, well he went to ten or nine. Well,
Lebron's been to ten and he still doesn't have as
many points as Jerry West does. Jerry West is eighth
all time in points per game with twenty seven. He'll
probably end up hire some of the guys ahead of him.
You're Joe l embiid Luka, Doncic. Doncic may stay up there, Durant.
(10:01):
We'll see if he stays up there Lebron. You know Robbers,
they keep playing their career average might come down just
because they're only like decimal, like tens of a point
ahead of it. So, but he's an eighth right now,
ahead of right ahead, one spot ahead of Alan iverson
rob He is the all time leading scorer in finals
(10:23):
games of twenty five or more points, thirty points and
forty points, and obviously that includes Michael Jordan. And so
you're right, he only won one championship about the nine
trips to the finals, and never won an MVP that
(10:45):
wasn't air rob where basically they only gave the MVP
the Biggs. It was Russell or will you know what
I mean?
Speaker 4 (10:52):
Baylor at that time, and it's hard.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Oh yeah, they were great. I mean, taking nothing away
from them. Yeah, Oscar Roberts Uh never won an m
v P. Elgin Baylor, who was awesome, never won an
m v P. Oscar may have. Oscar did he win
an m v P. He did win one. He won one,
but that was it. And so Jerry West, I think
(11:21):
was a phenomenal player, and a lot of people rob
let's just keep it, you know, we keep it real
on this show. A lot of people will look back,
they do look back and say, this white guy, he's
a guard. I mean, how good could he really have been?
Because you hear that about Jordan rob Oh, he played
against Mark Price, he played against Craig e Low. You know,
(11:43):
I mean what they call an account you know what
I mean. Oh, isn't Austin Reeves doing doing work in
the NBA today? Rob isn't Alex Caruso hood? I mean,
come on with Kevin loves pretty good.
Speaker 4 (12:00):
Time, jump over a phone book and he's the best
player in the league.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
There you go, and that's what like, hopefully a yo
kich a luka. Rob will get people to realize, yeah,
they're actually have been some really good white players. And
Jerry West is right there at the top with any
of the players, and he was phenomenal and he will
be missed by the NBA. Rob, I mean he's in
(12:26):
the discussion rhyme. I mean he didn't win the most obviously,
but just as far as what he did as a
player and an executive and to use the Hall of
Fame's word, a contributor, he's right up there for mister NBA.
He's right up there with anybody else.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
So Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup
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Radio dot com and within the iHeartRadio app search FSR
to listen live.
Speaker 5 (12:54):
Hey, we're Cavino and Rich Fox Sports Radio every day
five to seven pm Eastern. But here's the thing, we
never have enough time to get to everything we want
to get to.
Speaker 6 (13:02):
And that's why we have a brand new podcast called
over Promised. You see, we're having so much fun in
our two hour show. We never get to everything, honestly,
because this guy is over promising things we never have
time for.
Speaker 4 (13:15):
Yeah, you blubber list lame and me.
Speaker 5 (13:17):
Well, you know what it's called over promise. You should
be good at it because you've been over promising women
for years.
Speaker 6 (13:21):
Well, it's a Covino and Rich after show, and we
want you to be a part of it. We're gonna
be talking sports, of course, but we're also gonna talk
life and relationships. And if Rich and I are arguing
about something or we didn't have enough time, it will
continue on our after show called over Promised.
Speaker 5 (13:35):
Well, if you don't get enough Covino and Rich, make
sure you check out over Promised and also uncensored, by
the way, so maybe we'll go at it even a
little harder. It's gonna be the best after show podcast
of all time.
Speaker 6 (13:45):
There you go, over promising. Remember you could see it
on YouTube, but definitely join us. Listen Over Promised with
Covino and Rich on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or
wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
Jailer Parson is a former NBA player. He is saying,
because you know the guy is catching all the heat
is Jason Tatum. We've talked about that. Uh, he's averaging
seventeen numbers. Rob on the surface, his numbers don't look
that bad as far as just the total points averages
per game. But she's almost averaging a triple double, seventeen points,
(14:21):
ten rebounds, which is a team high, eight and a
half assists, which is a team high. But as you said,
the shooting is killing yep and thirty in the finals
overall this year and twenty eight percent I believe from three.
So that is the problem with Jason Tatum right now.
(14:46):
But Chandler Parsons, Rob and I will say this, he's
actually Tatum is not playing that poor. He's just missing shots,
which is huge, but he is missing shots. He's playing
a good game all around, but missing shots. Let me
get his field goal. Yeah, twenty eight percent from three.
So anyway, Taylor pots is though Rock thinks people are
(15:09):
being too hard. What Jason Tatum period.
Speaker 7 (15:12):
You know what's interesting about this is Tatum has not
been himself averaging the thirty and being efficient offensively. But
if this for Luca, if this for Jokich, we would
be praising him. How he's getting his teammates involved, how
he's letting the game come to him, how they're want
to rebound away from a triple, how their offense is
more balanced, and by the way, you know what, the
most one they're winning. So we're still finding a way
(15:33):
to nitpick Jason Tatum, even though they are dominating this postseason.
They've been cake walking to the finals, They've been cake
walking in the finals, and that is without their best player,
Jayson Tatum dominating playing the game.
Speaker 4 (15:43):
The guy's averaging seventeen.
Speaker 7 (15:47):
Point if the Nuggets were up to oh, if the
Nuggets were up to oh, right now, what if he
Avers is a triple double in the NBA Finals and
they win it all?
Speaker 4 (15:56):
But you know what I'm saying, if.
Speaker 7 (15:56):
Then seventeen to ten and ten, if the Nuggets were
up to oh, those were Jokic's number, we'd been praising him.
I was a triple double monster. I was getting his
teammates involved. I was doing this, he was doing that.
Why is it, Jason? Why is it a negative on
Jason Tatum that Jlen Brown's having a great series, That
Drew Holliday had a big game too, that Preziingas had
a big game. One That shouldn't take away from Jason
Tatum's excellence just because.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
His team is really good.
Speaker 7 (16:19):
These other guys are playing good.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
Look, Rob I will say this. I do think for
whatever reason, I guess maybe because he is the leader
of the team, or at least the best player on
the team, how they have right. They have fallen short
a couple of times in the finals or even the
conference finals or early in the playoffs during this little
(16:41):
run they've had. Maybe that's it. And like you said,
he wasn't good in the first finals that he played
in thirty five percent shooting against the Golden State Warriors.
I do think he's taking too much heat rob in
that because he's been taking heat throughout the playoffs, not
(17:04):
just in these finals. So in the Eastern Conference Finals,
he became the first Celtic ever Yes over Larry Bird,
Yes over John Halchek, over Dave Cowens, over Bill Russell,
Sam Jones, Paul Pierce, Garnett, Ray Allen, whatever great Celtic
(17:28):
you want to name. Jason Tatum did something none of
them ever did, which is the average thirty points, ten
rebounds and five assists. The actually averaged six assists in
the Eastern Conference Finals. And still people were talking about
he didn't get the con, he didn't get the MVP,
and people were talking about he didn't play that well
(17:50):
Rob throughout these playoffs. He has the best plus minus
in the playoffs, not just up the Celtics, of any
play And of course we talked about how he's playing
a good floor game, all around game. Right now, that's said,
so I'll give Chadler Parsons a little bit of agreement
on that. That said, though, Rob, if Luka Doncic and
(18:16):
Nikolei Jokic we're putting up these numbers and playing this
way in the finals, they would absolutely get criticized because
of the thirty one percent shooting and Yokis averages like
thirty a game. So if he dropped the seventeen Rob,
people wouldn't be looking at that as great. I don't
(18:37):
know if they get quite as much heat because they
are winning. They don't have the history of failure for
lack of a better term, that Jason Tatum does. But
don't act like they be getting praised.
Speaker 4 (18:52):
And I'm sorry, I don't care what stats.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
Ah, he's almost averaging a triple double and all this
Chris six for twenty two is bad. I don't care
who you are. Come on, you can't look at that
and say he's still playing fine, because if he was
six for twenty two when they were down two Chris
and he had the same rebounds and assists, people would
be killing him, right, come on, really, we would be
(19:17):
slaughter Stop it. Don't make an excuse and just say,
seventeen points is good. No, No, not on six for
twenty two. Seventeen points is good, Chris on six or
seven for it light?
Speaker 1 (19:31):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (19:32):
Yeah, or something like that. Yeah, I'll take that, but
not six for twenty two. I just think that's oversimplified.
And he has a history and we know the clutch
situation that he's had the problem, like all of that counts.
It's it's what you do when you're one of those
guys you count everything, you nitpick. This is not a
(19:56):
Jason Tatum thing. This is just how it is. Are
you a big boy, Chris or not? If you are,
you're that guy.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
He's like guy like you said, Rob, and he's actually
said it, and hopefully Rob as he struggles, I hope
he really means this. And that is not just giving
lip service. You are criticized like this because you are
so great and people expect so much of you. They're
not I mean, if Derek White was struggling like this
(20:28):
him right, even Drew Holliday as good as he is. Like,
you're that guy on the Celtics, your first team all NBA,
You're supposed to play better and when you're not, it's
because people have high expectations for you. Now, I hope
he does understand that. Rob. Do you think there's how
much Do you think there's a lot of pressure on
(20:48):
him tonight?
Speaker 4 (20:50):
No?
Speaker 3 (20:50):
Not because it's he shouldn't be playing with pressure. He
should just be playing because his team is up. You
know what I mean. You should be able to go
out if you're down on to Chris and you haven't
shot the ball, well, there's pressure that you need to
make something happen here because if.
Speaker 4 (21:04):
You lose, you're done. Yeah, I agree.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Yeah, How in the world could he go out tonight
and feel pressure to do what just played?
Speaker 4 (21:12):
If I'm Missoula.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
Just play tonight, dude, Just just play. Forget about the
first two games. Just go out and do what you
do and don't worry about we won those games. Let's
let's we let's win tonight. I need you to play
your game.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
You know what's interesting, Rob, And he is not on
the level of Lebron right, But Lebron struggled in his
two finals, Rob even more so than this. I mean,
we'll see what continues to happen. But Rob in his
first finals, and Lebron was just twenty two, so he
(21:49):
probably got largely got to pass and I think deservedly
so in two thousand and seven. Against what I'm saying,
but if.
Speaker 4 (21:56):
They would have won, nobody everybody would.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
But I mean, but still, I mean, I get what
you're saying, but that doesn't always it's not that black
and white. Sometimes it's like, yo, you got praise. Dude,
he was twenty two, he didn't have any you know,
his team around him wasn't that good. They beat the
really good Detroit Pistons that year, and you know, he
couldn't get it done against Tim Duncan. So he got
(22:19):
a little bit of a past. But his numbers in
that Rob were probably slightly worse than Jason Tatum's or
his first finals. It was very close, but they weren't better.
He actually averaged a lot more turnovers than Tatum did.
And then Rob. Of course, Lebron's second finals was an
absolute disaster against Dallas. And so you can bounce back
(22:44):
from the yeah, yeah, you can bounce back from this.
But Rob, let me ask you this. If let's say
Tatum continues to struggle for the most part and they win,
and whether it's Drew Holliday, Jason Jaylen Brown, whoever is
the finals MVP, how do you think I mean, obviously,
Tatum's gonna be happy, and he will get credit because
(23:07):
they won a championship. He's the best player. But do
you think that there will be some criticism or at
least a negative mark on him or even in his
own mind after that.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
No, maybe in his mind he would have wished that
he played better. But winning covers up everything. It's like makeup, Chris,
it just does. And people will be happy that they won,
and they'll look at some of the other things that
he did, the rebounds, the assists, some of the other
stuff that he did, and just have to accept it.
Sometimes just shots don't fall, you know, they just don't.
(23:46):
And you don't want it to be in a six
or seven game series. You might have a couple of
bad nights, but you don't want it to be for
an extended period of time. But winning cures all. And
I don't think people will look at him and they'll be
like he got a championship.
Speaker 4 (24:00):
That's what they needed to do.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
Yeah, I think they're in the moment. I mean, in
the moment they'll be, you know, celebrated because they won.
If I think next year come playoff time, you know,
there would be talk of it and will Tatum show
up and all that, But I think as time goes on, Rob,
You're right, it's about the championship period. Now. You may
(24:24):
remember this in Larry Bird's first finals and we talk
about you know, he was not the MVP. It was
Cornbread Cedric, Cornbread Maxwell, but Rob in a three game
stretch games three, four and five, the great Larry Bird.
Rob had an eight point game, an eight point game,
(24:47):
and a twelve point game, and he shot three four eleven, three,
four eleven, five for sixteen. That's Larry Bird. And obviously,
you know, nobody even thinks about that anymore. But that's
the thing is, Rob. He went on in other finals
and playoff games and played well. And that's just what
(25:09):
Jason Tatum will have to do going forward.
Speaker 4 (25:13):
So no doubt about it. I just think for his
resume right here now, he needs to win.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
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 app.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
Aaron Judge areaking havoc on Major League Baseball right now.
Twenty five home runs leading the league, sixty two rbi
leading the league, slugging percentage seven to twelve leading the league.
He's having a phenomenal year right now. Would certainly be
(25:51):
the MVP. And you have a microwave take from several
years ago. I think it was what twenty seventeen.
Speaker 4 (26:00):
This is unbelievable. Yeah, this goes back seven years.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
I'll be the judge of that. Okay, No, well it
was a background eighteen seventeen seventeen is when he hit
the fifty two, so I'm guessing it was after right
after that.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
Maybe it was during that season, I want to say,
because he hadn't in it yet.
Speaker 1 (26:19):
Well, here we go. Microwave take from rap Parky Hitch, an.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
Old take that's gone.
Speaker 8 (26:25):
Cold on the outside, iced to go on the medal.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
It's microwave take with the on cup of.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
I'm Rob Parker. This is getting robbed. And here are
my top five sluggers of all time. Number five, Aaron
Judge from the New York Yankees six foot seven, two
hundred and eighty two pounds, and Yankees have a section
form called Judge's Chamber. It tells you about this guy
home run swing, Chris. When I originally did this, this
(26:55):
was for FS one. When we were doing these little vignettes,
people criticized me that I put Aaron Judge in the
top five sluggers of all this is my list, And
I tried to tell people it would be ridiculous.
Speaker 4 (27:08):
Where's Hank Aaron, Where's Babe Ruth?
Speaker 3 (27:10):
If we're just gonna list the top five home run hitters,
then then we all have the same list. Would you
agree with that? So it can't be that, okay, So
no King Griffey Jr. No Hank Aaron, no Willie Mays,
no Babe Ruth. Otherwise we would all have the same lists.
So people criticized me that I, what was.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
Your list other than Judge? Where was Judge? And what
was the list?
Speaker 4 (27:32):
So Judge was number five.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
I had Mark McGuire in there, don't I don't know
exact Mark McGuire. I had Alex Rodriguez, I had Darryl Strawberry,
and I had and I had Barry Bonds. I think
that those were my five that I had a my list.
And my point though, Chris is I got criticized for
(27:55):
putting Judge in and Rob g what was his rookie year?
Was this his second year twenty seventeen. I don't remember
our third year, but but my big criticism Chris was
that it's too soon, like how do you have him there?
And I'm gonna say, Chris, you notice you've dubbed people.
(28:16):
You see people and way back when I looked at
this dude in his swing and what he's done, and
the only thing that has stopped him is what Chris,
what has stopped injury?
Speaker 4 (28:28):
Injury? When he plays, he's lights out right, He's lights
when he's healthy when he's playing.
Speaker 3 (28:35):
He got a slump to start the year, but you
know what I mean, over the course of a full year,
he's gonna put up numbers. So it is incredible. And
Rob GI give us the details on what he just did. Chris,
you know, I'm calling him the most prolific home run
hitter we've ever seen. And this is not hyperbole. I'm
not trying to make a hot take, but he now
(28:57):
has the numbers, Chris, to back up what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
That's right, he got some numbers last night Tuesday night.
Speaker 8 (29:07):
Hit is twenty fifth home run of the season, which
we already talked about that, Chris. But with that homer,
he became Major League Baseball's all time leader in games
per home run. Can you believe that, Chris, he hits
a home run every three point two games he plays
for context, Babe Ruth is three point five, Barry Bonds
(29:29):
is three point nine. That's incredible, Chris, that he's on
that pace. Well, here's where I would disagree. That pace
is gonna slow down.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
It's gonna those numbers aren't when he retires, it ain't
gonna be three point two because he's not gonna hit
home runs at this rate once, you know, throughout the
course of his career. I don't think if he does,
I'll give it to you right now. I think you're
a prisoner of the moment. I mean, he he's only
hit forty or more home runs twice, so he's got it.
(30:05):
He's got it. I mean, part you're right in.
Speaker 4 (30:07):
That, Hank Aaron, he ever hit fifty you know what
I mean.
Speaker 1 (30:10):
Hank Freer is not viewed as the most prolific home
run hitter in the.
Speaker 4 (30:13):
What I'm said, he was at home run for a
long time.
Speaker 1 (30:17):
I mean, yeah, Hank, Hank had uh eight times, he
hit forty or more. Of course, he played four more years.
He played twenty eight times, Babe Ruth eleven times. So
my point though, I hear you, And if he can
stay healthy, You're right, that has been the only knock
against him. But it's a heck of a knock because
(30:38):
he is injured so much. And I don't think if
he's injured and he never let's say he ends up
with four hundred and eleven home runs, I don't think
you're gonna be able to call him the most prolific
home run hitter of all time. And I'm not saying
it's just about the total numbers. But you gotta be available, Yeah,
(31:00):
and you got to be available too. He does have
the highest home run rate.
Speaker 4 (31:04):
Whether that's impressive, it.
Speaker 1 (31:08):
Is even but don't you think that's going to go
down as he gets older and plays longer. That's generally
what happens.
Speaker 4 (31:16):
Yeah, probably, but except for Barry Bonds, right.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
But but the thing is Chris, which is incredible, is
I mean, he's still a young guys who got eight
great eight years ahead of But he's not old, you
know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (31:30):
He's got eight years ago or whatever.
Speaker 3 (31:32):
He can pile up a lot and playing at Yankee Stadium,
you know it's not the you know, the biggest ballpark
you could go to right field Chris and pop home runs.
He hits to all fields. I think he's in a
great ballpark to hit home runs. That's going to help him,
just like Babe Ruth at the short porch and Yankee
Stadium that helped him. So I think that's going to
(31:55):
be a thing that helps him. But but I'm starting
to look like like he got off. Think about where
he is and what he's doing. Chris, and he had
a terrible April, remember terrible well, and his numbers where
they are now is incredible despite I think he only
had maybe one or two home runs in April.
Speaker 1 (32:16):
Yeah, I think it's just too early to say he's
the greatest slugger of all time. I'm not saying he
has to finish as the all time home run leader
or anything like that. I just think he needs to
do it a little bit longer. If you want to
say I mean, like I've said about show, hey, best
player I've ever seen, not to go. So if you
want to say that, certainly, you know you can. But
(32:38):
he's just got to keep it up. And I mean
even this streak, now, is this just a streak? You know?
In twenty twenty one he played one hundred and forty
eight games, that's basically a whole year, had thirty nine homers.
I mean that's great, but it's not like his work.
Speaker 4 (32:53):
Here we are, we got how many weeks till the
all starts? A live fourteenth?
Speaker 3 (32:57):
Right, so we got a month left still, and he's
got twenty five already. I mean, he could have thirty,
he could have thirty two. He should be on pace,
you know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (33:07):
Something serious?
Speaker 4 (33:08):
Yeah, because you got a month?
Speaker 3 (33:10):
Can he hit seven more home runs in a month
and have thirty two going into the All Star break?
Speaker 1 (33:15):
Well, like you said, the key is, can he stay
on this pace? I mean, and not even this pace,
because this is just this is this is like a
home run almost every other day, right exactly? But can
he stay you know, somewhere near this pace? And Barry Bonds, look, Rob,
Barry Bonds, I've never seen anything like him, in baseball.
(33:39):
Now we know, we believe there was you know, he
has some extra help. The home run percent is when
he hit seventy three was eleven percent. That's by far
the best of any season. But Judge is almost nine
percent right now, which is tremendous, and.
Speaker 4 (34:00):
Had some more You got more numbers of other players.
Speaker 1 (34:03):
Well, no, it's just.
Speaker 8 (34:04):
The extent of that game's per home run list. I
mean I brought up Babe. Ruth and Barry Back are
the two biggest names people want to hear. But hear
those names and you automatically, you know, get some credibility.
But if you were down the list, the top ten
in order, and this is not exactly you know, the
who's who of power Raiders if you really think about it.
So it goes Judge McGuire, Ruth, Pete Alonzo.
Speaker 3 (34:27):
Pete Alonzo has hit a lot of home runs.
Speaker 8 (34:30):
Stanton, Yeah, Jordan Alvarez, Sammy Soso, we don't know what
color he was at that time, but Juan Gonzalez right now, Yeah,
Juan Gonzalez, Barry Bonds and Ralph is it Kiner Rob
kind of?
Speaker 3 (34:44):
Ralph kind of was the metsa announcer for long played
for the Pirates and he hit like four hundred home
runs in ten years something.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
Like, well, see, that's kind of what I'm talking about.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
Rob.
Speaker 1 (34:54):
It's like, you can have a nice run, you know,
And obviously that's what some of these guys have had.
You know, some of them are younger, obviously Alvarez and
guys like that, so can they keep it up? But
Judge is phenomenal. I just wish well, let me put
it this way, Rob, I hope he can stay healthy.
Speaker 3 (35:12):
Yeah, because if he can stay healthy, he has a chance.
One a long time baseball rider text me today. He says,
this dude's going to the Hall of Fame if he
stays healthy. Like, oh, absolutely, Like he's a Hall of
Fame caliber player I've never seen. And then when you know,
like I said, five years ago, I put him on
the list. Seven years ago, I put him on the
list because I just saw, like the swing, the stadium
(35:38):
he's going to play in, you know, most of his games,
Chris eighty one of them. When you add those things together,
how in the world are you not going to hit
home runs? He's big, he strong, and and if he's
it's not like when he's healthy, he's scuffling normally, that's
just not the case.
Speaker 1 (35:54):
If he's not, he's healthy, he's great. I mean, you
look at Stanton, that's his problem. He can't.
Speaker 3 (35:58):
He's worse than Judges far and and Stan has four
hundred and Chris, he's close to get it.
Speaker 4 (36:03):
He's gonna get the What does he got?
Speaker 1 (36:06):
He has four hundred and eighteen home runs.
Speaker 4 (36:07):
He's gonna get the five hundred if he can just
stay healthy for the.
Speaker 1 (36:10):
Next few year, right, I agree. Let me ask you this,
because Judge right now, is the m v P. If
he's got the av right right, If he's got two
m vps, does that make because let's say he wins
this this second MVP, but continues to have injury problems,
maybe doesn't win another one. Does that put him in
(36:31):
the hall two MVPs in an in an injury play career.
Speaker 4 (36:40):
Does two m vps?
Speaker 2 (36:44):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (36:45):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (36:47):
Al home run record?
Speaker 3 (36:49):
I mean that, Chris, that that's a big because you
gotta win some national things, you gotta set some records.
Speaker 4 (36:54):
And I think those injuries.
Speaker 1 (36:56):
Worked against you know what, if it wasn't just oh
he got he just fell off, you.
Speaker 3 (37:00):
Know what I mean, and he could he could make
it on that because he has some benchmarks.
Speaker 4 (37:06):
You know, he has something.
Speaker 3 (37:07):
And if the Yankees were able to win a World
Series this year or next year, whatever it is, that'll
be another thing he needs to win too, because you know,
Jeeter and all those other guys who came before him,
they all want that.
Speaker 1 (37:20):
Being a Yankee. Ye, it was really not anywhere else
or most other teams is not the burden. But yeah, Yankees,
I mean were talking now. I think he's better just
you know, when healthy, than die manningly, right, But that's
maddeningly like that.
Speaker 3 (37:37):
He was.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
Everybody loved him, but he never won. And when you
ate the Yankees, that matters, No.
Speaker 4 (37:42):
It does.
Speaker 3 (37:43):
And the crazy thing is Chris he played, He made
the playoffs, right in ninety five, that was his last year,
and then the Yankees won in ninety six the.
Speaker 4 (37:53):
Very next year.
Speaker 1 (37:54):
That's just the very next year they want to be
crushing
Hosts And Creators
kelvin washington
Rob Parker
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