Mark Willard & Ephraim Salaam Discuss About The NBA's New Hottest Duo, React To Minnesota vs Dallas Game Three, Response To Harrison Butker, and More!!

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Yeah, it's watch party season and we're about to have
another one as the Mavericks and the Wolves, the Wolves
who last week we sat here and said, well, there
it is.

Speaker 1 (00:14):
The Wolves win the NBA Championship. Pretty cool.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Didn't see that coming. And now apparently they're in a
must win game on the road, which actually is going
to lead to my very very first point tonight, Mark
Wility from Solomony, from good evening to you.

Speaker 1 (00:31):
It is always good to talk to you, my man.
Good evening, my man. How are you okay? I'm great,
I'm great.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
I thought we could start off with, like, what'll feel
like a fun little game.

Speaker 1 (00:43):
Give me one thing that has happened to you today,
one thing that's happened to me. Yeah, give me one
thing that happened to you today. What happened to me?

Speaker 2 (00:56):
Uh I or just something that happened It doesn't even
like to you like you know what I mean, something
happened today I woke up.

Speaker 1 (01:06):
Okay, I don't know if that's gonna be.

Speaker 2 (01:08):
It to the point I'm trying to make, but because
what I was gonna say is well that there it is.
That means you're gonna wake up every day for the
rest of your life.

Speaker 1 (01:22):
But I actually think that that's true.

Speaker 2 (01:24):
Give me something that happened today that doesn't happen every day.

Speaker 3 (01:27):
Okay, somebody darted out in front of the car. I'm
all the way to work, and okay to swerve and
not hit someone who wasn't paying attention.

Speaker 1 (01:39):
Uh, there it is.

Speaker 2 (01:40):
Every single driver on the face of the earth is
an awful driver. Everybody's terrible. Nobody can drive. That is
going to be way too dangerous. You should never be
on the roads again. That's what you sound like if
you do the whole Luka, Doncic and Kyrie Irving are
the best backcourt of all time? What are we doing

(02:03):
and why do we keep doing it? I'm not even
saying we're exempt you and I started last week's show
by saying, I refuse to predict who's gonna win Game
seven between the Wolves and the Nuggets because I had
been given already no less than three narratives in that
series calling it over in either direction.

Speaker 1 (02:26):
And this is where we've.

Speaker 2 (02:27):
Arrived, and I'm kind of annoyed by it at this point.
Maybe it's just late in the NBA season, but every
time we see something, we decide, well, there it is.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
That's what we're doing now.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
Anthony Edwards a week ago was the next face of
the NBA. This week, Luca and Kyrie are the best
guard tandem we've ever seen in the history of the world.
Do we really think that, like, go into the belly,
that's what we think because they've had two good games

(03:04):
and by the way, barely one barely won both games.
I don't know, man, we gotta think harder. It just
feels lazy to me.

Speaker 3 (03:16):
Well, it's it's what we're creatures of the moment, because
our moment is galvanized by responses and just instant takes
on everything. So everybody wants to be first because what

(03:37):
does it do. It gets everyone doing exactly what we're
doing right now, and that is talking about it.

Speaker 1 (03:44):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (03:44):
So what better way than to get people riled up
and talking about something you say than to say things
like he's the next this are, they're the best, this
are He's entered in the goat conversation. Are she's going
to do this? We're seeing it with you know, not

(04:08):
only what's going on in the NBA, but in the
WNBA as well. So being creatures of the moment in
an instant gratification society, is why we have those type
of statements. Everybody wants to make a hot take.

Speaker 2 (04:26):
Well fair, However, I find a little bit of a
subtle difference in the two types of statements that you
just brought up. If we're talking about predictive statements, that's
part of talking about sports. That's what sports fans do,
whether they want to gamble on it or just be
right and tell their friends, right, Caitlin Clark's going to

(04:49):
be the next big thing, Aunt Edwards next big thing.

Speaker 1 (04:53):
This one, to me felt like we were looking backward.

Speaker 2 (04:55):
We took we took a couple of games, the Mavericks
were the under dog. They went out, these two guys
who duh, are really good, had nice games on the road,
and the Mavericks win a couple close games, and we
immediately launch into this is the best backcourt of all time.
I don't understand that, Like, that's not a predictive statement.

(05:19):
You're saying that that's already true, which and I could
poke so many holes in it. The easiest one is, boy,
I grew up in a world where the NBA fandom
leans too far in the direction of making things all
about championships. Michael Jordan six ver six, that's the best

(05:40):
thing ever. And you are less than even if you
played in his era, Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing and
Reggie Miller, even if you played in that era, you're
considered less than or incomplete because you quote didn't win
a chip. And now here's these two guys. I understand
that Kyrie did this like a decade ago playing with

(06:02):
Lebron For God's sakes, he wasn't even the best player
on the team. But we're gonna now call a tandem
that has just arrived, not even one arrived at the
conference finals together for the first time. They've only been
together for a year plus, and now that the best ever.

Speaker 1 (06:25):
I mean, that's just it's a ridiculous statement. It's ridiculous,
and it is because.

Speaker 3 (06:34):
I mean, not making the playoffs together last year, having
some success this year.

Speaker 1 (06:43):
Now.

Speaker 3 (06:43):
Look, granted, they probably have the most talent individual talent
in the back court than we've seen in quite some time.
As very few teams who've had the opportunity or the
ability to be like here, now you go, I'm tired

(07:05):
or I'll wait, let me know when it's time for
me to assert myself. And they're open. They're open about
the communication that they have with each other in terms
of that right. Kyrie's like, look, man, just let me
know when you want me, and then Luca is like, hey,
you know I didn't have it early.

Speaker 1 (07:24):
Kyrie let us and then I came in the second.

Speaker 3 (07:26):
So they understand their dynamic, and I think that's what
makes them ultimately good because you've always wondered, like how
many There's not a lot of basketballs to go around,
and very few dynamic backcourts like this can can put away.
Their ego is the thing that tends to uh submarine talent,

(07:49):
especially people who have the ball in their hands for
a significant amount of time. Just look at a team
in Phoenix. Doesn't seemed to be working there, didn't work
with James Harden and Chris Paul uh. So you know,

(08:10):
it's a reason why they're having the success they're having
because their approach, their approach, their approach to this season
is being eaglests and just killing when it's time. No
one is like clamoring for the ball when Kyrie's bringing
it up, Luca understands, Okay, it's he's gonna make it

(08:31):
happen and then vice versa. And that's maturity and growth
on Kyrie's part. Remember, remember he wanted he wanted his
own team, He wanted to leave Lebron because he wanted
to do it and went to the Celtics and they
had to get him out of there real fast. And

(08:53):
so this is, you know, shout out to Kyrie his
growth and maturity in terms of how he approach the
game of basketball, not just being having more talent than
anybody else, but it's just his mental approach.

Speaker 1 (09:08):
I'll buy that. I'll buy that one percent.

Speaker 2 (09:11):
By the way, we're broadcasting live from the ti rack
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Speaker 1 (09:14):
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Speaker 1 (09:21):
Tyraq dot com. The way tire buying should be.

Speaker 2 (09:24):
I mean, obviously, the argument that broke out on Inside
the NBA this week is largely because Draymond Green's on
the set and because Stephan Clay have been called the
best shooting backcourt of all time. Here comes this argument,
and I actually do, despite my fandom, I see the difference.
Like what you just said is interesting because Kyrie and

(09:45):
Luca can both, at least in spurts play the role
of an NBA one. Clay's not really like that. Sure
he has knights like that, but you get what I'm saying.
It's very hard, over lengthy periods to just put the
ball in his hand and say, okay, go go and
have a whole offense run around him. That's not really

(10:05):
that's not really who he is. But that can be
at least one example. I think there are plenty of
too many backcourts who have accomplished way too much to
get this excited right now about these two. They're having
a really nice run. My argument is you only get

(10:27):
the opinion that they're the best backcourt of all time
if you felt that way ten days ago. You can't
just come up with it because you liked these last
two games.

Speaker 1 (10:35):
Yeah, you.

Speaker 3 (10:37):
Know, first of all, we have to have time. We
have to see how this thing shakes out. They're going
a heck of a run here and win the championship
and then come back and completely dismantle people like they've
been doing this playoff run. Then now we start to
man these two can rival so and so right, But

(10:57):
until then we have to just enjoy what we're seeing.

Speaker 1 (11:03):
Because it's very rare.

Speaker 3 (11:04):
That we get two ball dominant players with this amount
of skill playing at a high clip on the same team.
So I'm enjoying it, I really am. And They're both
are tremendous shot creators, not just makers, but creators. There's

(11:24):
nobody in the league that can finish with either hand
better than Kyrie. It's just it's unbelievable. Yep, his control,
his balance, but in a mature, grown person package, which
makes all the difference.

Speaker 2 (11:46):
Game three between these two teams is underway. We need
to break down a little bit of what has happened
since you and I last spoke. We sat here together
seven days ago, and the Timberwolves put together a shot
can come back and took out the champs on their
own floor in Game seven. Excitement for that team and
what they could accomplish was high. It's been a pretty

(12:07):
crappy week for them since then. Let's get into that
coming up next. Glad You're with us tonight with e
from Salama Mark Willard on Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 4 (12:16):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at foxsports radio
dot Com and within the iHeartRadio app search FSR to
listen live.

Speaker 5 (12:28):
Pali Fusco here with Tony Fusco. You know, as the
host of the number one rated Paully and Toni Fusco Show.
We get tons and tons of fan mail every day.

Speaker 1 (12:37):
Piles of it.

Speaker 5 (12:37):
In fact, Tony, why don't you open up one of
those letters right now and read what's inside?

Speaker 4 (12:41):
Hey, listen to this. Dear Pauli and Toni, your sports
takes the dumbest and most terribly that.

Speaker 1 (12:47):
Wait, why open this other one?

Speaker 4 (12:49):
Dear Pauli and Toni, you suck more than anyone.

Speaker 1 (12:53):
Wait, try this one.

Speaker 4 (12:54):
Dear Paulie and Tony, you guys are the absolute best.

Speaker 1 (12:57):
There you go at coming up with the stupid, but forget.

Speaker 5 (13:02):
Just listen to the Tony Fusco Show on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Speaker 2 (13:08):
Ye, all right, we're live in the tyrk dot com studios.
That's he from Salama Mark Willard. The game is underway,
you know, ball. I want your reaction to some of
the things that have taken place this week. But before
we get to that, I got to find out a
little bit more about how you're feeling today, and I'm

(13:29):
glad you're bumping.

Speaker 1 (13:29):
To the music.

Speaker 2 (13:30):
But a little birdie told me that maybe maybe we're
expecting a little something else with some of our musical
interludes tonight.

Speaker 3 (13:40):
Oh no, we won't, we won't. It'll be per usual.
Oh oh, it better be per usual. Who slammed the
brakes on that?

Speaker 1 (13:51):
All right? Who?

Speaker 3 (13:52):
I was listening to the show Brian No and Jeff
Schwartz before, and you know, Brian and I have been
you know, pardon of course, and he's just heavy metal
Mega Death Metallica, Like, oh and so that's his that's
you know, how they come back from from break and

(14:12):
I listening about moch pits. So I just came in
and said, hey, we will we'll be doing no Mega
Death today.

Speaker 1 (14:19):
Got it and got it? Got it?

Speaker 2 (14:20):
Okay, okay, I might have gotten lost in translations.

Speaker 1 (14:24):
It was lost in translation. I thought, I'm looking at
you guys.

Speaker 2 (14:28):
I thought that that's what that's all we were gonna
get tonight.

Speaker 1 (14:31):
And I was like.

Speaker 6 (14:33):
Keeping it real cool, because you know, I kind of
wanted to ease into it.

Speaker 1 (14:36):
How you're feeling, you know, music murder.

Speaker 2 (14:40):
He's like, who stepped on your Jordan's today. I'm like, what,
what what happened?

Speaker 3 (14:45):
I'm a fan of music. It's all about how you feel.
And you know the time, right? Is it a mega
death or Heart and metal.

Speaker 6 (14:54):
Mega death time? I mean we just have Brian on
so yeah is it? I mean the lights are off
in my studio.

Speaker 1 (15:03):
That's the perfect time. Yeah, perfect time.

Speaker 3 (15:04):
I got my tremendous tee latte here. None of that
screams metal.

Speaker 1 (15:13):
I just you know, no, it screams meditation. Actually, I'd
like to get into the zone when I'm on the
ED and you're like.

Speaker 2 (15:23):
A yoga class right now, you got like a little
mat that you carry around under your shoulder when you
come in.

Speaker 1 (15:31):
Do you have shoes on right now? I do have
shoes on? Are you sure?

Speaker 3 (15:35):
Sometimes I do take the sometimes carpet in my toes.

Speaker 1 (15:39):
No, okay, all right, all right, good? Can we talk
about this series? Please?

Speaker 5 (15:46):
Do?

Speaker 1 (15:47):
What what happened?

Speaker 3 (15:48):
What I've noticed is, and I knew everybody, everybody is ready,
especially the last two series that Anthony Edwards had and
how he was going at Katie his neck, and then
how he asserted himself even though he didn't have a great.

Speaker 1 (16:06):
Game seven.

Speaker 3 (16:09):
First half against the defending champion Denver Nuggets. I've just
been watching him and I can tell you this, He's
not him yet. He talks a great game, and he's

(16:29):
beyond talented. I mean, his physical abilities are unbelievable.

Speaker 1 (16:37):
But to be him.

Speaker 3 (16:40):
You almost have to be psychopathic. And there are too
many times in games, and especially in this series, where
he may go three four times down the court and

(17:01):
not ever touch the ball, and when he does, he
reserves himself to shoot a three pointerer are like, he
doesn't have a spot. All the great players have a spot.
If and you hear it, if they get to their spot,

(17:25):
there's nothing you can do correct. He doesn't have one
of those. And because he's searching for it. I mean,
the kid's only twenty two years old, so I get it.
But we're trying to accelerate him into something that I
don't believe he's ready for, and that is being the
face of the NBA, being that guy. There were plenty

(17:49):
of times in both of these games where we were
waiting his team included, we're waiting for him to assert
himself on the game and take it over. It didn't happen. Now,
he came out and Game one, he said, I want Kyrie.
Well you got it, and he could barely stand in

(18:10):
the fourth quarter he was so tired. Taking mind, this
kid is twenty two years old. If you're tired, nobody
else has a shot. If you're worn out at twenty
two years old, then oh boy, you saw it physically

(18:33):
visibly bent over, hands on the knees, breathing, get the ball,
get off of it really fast, not really being assertive
like someone who's him would do. And so I've just
been watching and I've been waiting to talk about this because, look,

(18:54):
I think he has all the abilities and the components
to become that player. He just needs more seasoning and
a little bit more mental toughness, a mentally tough approach
to the game. It's easy to talk and tell and

(19:16):
you know, patch yourself on the back, but when your
team is looking for you to take the game over,
which is required to be that guy correct, correct, then
you have to do that. And it's not And because
he doesn't have this spot to get to where if

(19:37):
his three isn't falling, or if he's not getting the
calls at the rim, he can get there and he
can get off a couple shots in a row right
for KD. For some of the greats, it's the free
throw line that extended from Jordan, it was the high post.
For Kobe Bryant, it was you know, free throw line

(19:58):
extended and the high They knew exactly where to get
to to get themselves going when it wasn't going their
way offensively. And he doesn't have that. So you find
him breaking down the defender at the three point line,
getting to mid key, jumping in the air and canning

(20:20):
balling the ball out to the three point line. That
is not it. That's not it. And I think until
he develops that instinct of I'm rocking my defender, rocking him,
got him foot turn, get to my spot, pull up,

(20:41):
score the bucket, get back on the until he can
get there consistently, I don't think he can carry the
burden of being that guy.

Speaker 1 (20:50):
Well, you said it. He's twenty two, so this doesn't
have to be his moment.

Speaker 3 (20:54):
No, But a lot of people are saying, I'm just
responding to what people are saying.

Speaker 2 (20:59):
Well, and goes right back to what we were talking
about off the top of the show. There's a phrase
that has left sports media. If you say it, you
get fired. The phrase is we'll see. Nobody wants to
hear that. Nobody wants to hear it, even though it's
applicable for almost I don't know ninety nine percent of life, honestly,

(21:22):
I mean you know this, especially as a parent. All right,
well we're gonna be there at five o'clock today.

Speaker 1 (21:29):
Well we'll see.

Speaker 2 (21:30):
I mean a thousand different things could get in your
way and could unfold in front of you, and so
nobody wants to do that.

Speaker 1 (21:41):
We'll see.

Speaker 2 (21:42):
We didn't want to do it last series, and in fact,
we crowned Aunt the Guy because they won that series
even though his great play was largely in games one
through four. His great play was games one through four,
and they won two of them, and they lost two
of those and absolutely nothing had been decided whatsoever.

Speaker 1 (22:04):
And you're right that comeback.

Speaker 2 (22:06):
He had a couple nice moments in the fourth quarter
of Game seven against Denver. However, he also went six
for twenty four in that game, two for ten from
three point range, scored sixteen points. So you get it,
you get it. We want this, we want the next person.

(22:28):
It's time. The two people who have run the last
decade are both they've both had their thirty fifth birthday,
So it's time to find that guy. And that guy's
got to be someone we want. We want that person
to be that guy. We don't want Nicola jokicch to
be that guy. We don't want that. That's like, that's
not what it looks like. That's not what Michael and

(22:50):
Kobe and Lebron look like. I don't want anything to
do with that. So that's like, I think what you're
talking about comes from our desire rather than what we're
actually seen.

Speaker 3 (23:01):
Well, yeah, like when you look at Game one of
this series, Anthony Edwards was six for sixteen, five from
twelve from three point range. With someone with his ability,
his explosiveness, his ability to get to the rim, you
mean to tell me he took only four shots, four

(23:25):
shots inside the three point line, yep, and made one
of them.

Speaker 1 (23:29):
That's crazy.

Speaker 3 (23:32):
So when I'm talking about getting to his spot and
being ready to fire, it's like, right around this time
every week, every show, we have a guy lined up
at his spot ready to fire, and that's one Stephen
f de Sacre.

Speaker 7 (23:49):
Guys, you might know the name Derek Lively. He's had
a good rookie year and off the bench for Dallas.
He has yet to miss a shot in this series.
Regular season, he was seventy five percent from the floor
three for three so far. In tonight's game, He's thirteen
for thirteen in the series. Dallas is leading at home
against Minnesota late first quarter, twenty nine to twenty three.

(24:10):
Dallas won the first two games of the series on
the road. Game four will be in Dallas on Tuesday night.
By the way, center Daniel Gafford of the Mavericks does
have two early turnovers and two fouls in the first quarter.
Jade McDaniels seven points for Minnesota on three of three shooting,
seven points for Anthony Edwards. Right now, it is a
lead for the home team, Dallas twenty nine twenty three,

(24:32):
about a minute to go in the third. The Celtics
lead the East Final three games to none, with Game
four at Indiana on Monday night. In the NHL, the
one seed New York Rangers lead the East Final two
games to one after an overtime win at Florida five
to four. New York had led four to two starting
the third period. Game four of the series is Tuesday
at Florida. NASCAR's Coca Cola six hundred is going on

(24:54):
right now on Fox TV. They're approaching the halfway point.
William Byron in the lead bubble. Wallace is running second,
Christopher Bell is third. Joseph Neugarden won the Indy five
hundred after a four hour rain delay at the start.
He won last year's race, also the first repeat winner
in over twenty years for team owner Roger Penske. His
twentieth victory at the Brickyard rain delay at the start

(25:18):
and likely a long one at Saint Louis Cardinals, who
won four in a row. They're due to host the
Cubs tonight. Cleveland won its ninth straight game, beating the
Angels in Anaheim again five to four. Closer Emmanuel Class
with his seventeenth save as Era is zero point three
to three run Al Blanco back on the mound for Houston.

Speaker 8 (25:35):
He's five and oh.

Speaker 7 (25:36):
After getting the win at Oakland five to two, Padres
finally beat the Yankees five to two. Yanks had won
eleven of their last thirteen games. Colorado over Philadelphia five two,
beating Ranger Suarez, who had been nine to oh this year.
Miami won at Arizona three to one, Detroit fourteen eleven
over Toronto today and the Dodgers have lost five in
a row. Lost at Cincinnati amidst the rain delays four

(25:58):
to one reds the final. Davis Riley by five strokes
won the golf event at Colonial. Scottie Scheffler tied for
second place. Colin Morikawa was six shots back. The next
live golf event is in two weeks in Houston. Unfortunately,
the story in the golf world this weekend the death
yesterday morning of golfer Grayson Murray by suicide. According to
his parents, he was thirty years old. Friday, Murray withdrew

(26:21):
from the event in Fort Worth. Illness was cited. He
had opened this season with a victory in Hawaii in
a playoff, getting him into the top fifty in the
world ranking. In his master's debut this year, he made
the cut. Murray tied for forty third place at the
PGA Championship just last week. He would have been in
next month's US Open. Murray had spoken about mental health
in the past. He'd also said he had stopped drinking

(26:43):
last year. Murray grew up in North Carolina, earned the
Arnold Palmer Scholarship at Wake Forest, his first of three colleges.
As we mentioned on last night's show, it's twenty twenty four.
There is always someone out there to talk to. There's
the nine eight eight Suicide and Crisis Lifeline nine eight eight.
There's also in the new National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which
is one eight hundred two seven three Talk one eight

(27:05):
hundred two seven three.

Speaker 1 (27:07):
Talk to you, man.

Speaker 3 (27:10):
That's a sad story. Gosh darn it, right, thirty years
old man?

Speaker 2 (27:16):
Who it is just it is the most emotional twisting
thing that that that we deal with, because.

Speaker 1 (27:33):
It's very very rare that you.

Speaker 2 (27:36):
Fully see it coming, even though you sort of you
know what I mean, Like I have no idea what's
going on here, but I would venture to guess, especially
with the way his family has come out so quickly
to kind of talk about this.

Speaker 1 (27:53):
I bet it shocked them. But I bet right. I
bet they went, oh, gosh, he you know, because.

Speaker 2 (28:03):
The stats will tell you this was not his first try,
and you know, I don't even know much that much
about the player, and I remember the win at the
beginning of the year, but this thing in twenty twenty four,
as Steve just said, I feel like it's it's probably
touched all our lives one way or another, in a

(28:24):
certain way, shape or form. Gosh, at least with the
thought of it the subject matter within the last five years,
I don't think there's any way you could escape it.

Speaker 1 (28:34):
And it's just brutal. It's just brutal, man, Yeah, it is.

Speaker 3 (28:38):
And you know, whoever out they're listening, they're going through something.
Just know you're not alone. You're not alone. Steve gave
out the number. What's the number against Steve? Do you
have that number again form of anybody out there who
just needs someone to talk.

Speaker 1 (28:56):
To, Go ahead, say it against even right, So it's right.
So just reach out.

Speaker 3 (29:07):
No, you're not alone, and it will get better.

Speaker 2 (29:15):
Not to belabor what's what's such a difficult thing to
talk about. Those who I know who have dealt with
the mental health crisis, many get to a point where
they feel those around me would be better off without me,

(29:35):
and I just that's so whenever this comes up, this
is what I want to say.

Speaker 1 (29:39):
That's not true. It's just not true. It is not true.

Speaker 2 (29:47):
So that is the delusion and the illusion that that
I wish, I wish people struggling would believe. It's flat
out not trill So anyway, May Grayson Murray rest in peace.

(30:08):
We're live in the Tirack dot Com studios. Obviously, no
way to transition out of that back to basketball, but.

Speaker 1 (30:15):
That's what we do.

Speaker 2 (30:16):
Did I also see and Steve, maybe you've got a
further update on this.

Speaker 1 (30:21):
Did I see Mike Conley head to the locker room? Yeah?
In this basketball game.

Speaker 2 (30:27):
I I caught it out of the corner of my eye.
I did not see why he's now being he's being
interviewed on the uh on the on the court has
come back out, But I don't know what the details
are of that and if that has an effect on
h on what's going on in in this game and
in this series.

Speaker 1 (30:47):
That's gonna be a tough one to overcome. Oh, it
definitely will be.

Speaker 3 (30:51):
And I mean, coming down to stretching that game, uh
two days ago, he was the one who was you know,
the offense was going through. So he took on that
role of asserting himself and you know, putting up the
shots and keeping them in it and things like that.

(31:12):
So you can't And Mike Connley is a consummate pro,
been the league a long time, He's been playing basketball
at a higher level for a long time, and so
you gotta just understand what it takes to be that guy.
It's easy to be that guy after a couple of
good games in the press conference, everybody gets the sound
bites and all of that. But consistently, you have to

(31:36):
show up every game, especially in the playoffs, because being
consistent is the name of the game. That's how you
become great. Your athletic ability doesn't make you great. You're hot,
shooting one or two games doesn't make you great. It's
I'm going to put this team on my back and
do what I can to get us to the next level. Now, granted,

(31:57):
excellent play, he's gotten his team, help get his team
to the Western Conference finals, but they're in jeopardy of
being swept and they're looking to him for answers. So
he has to answer, that's what you know. That's just

(32:18):
the bottom line. And maybe this is a learning and
a teaching moment for him. Maybe, no matter what happens,
he takes this this offseason. I'm sure he's on the
Olympic team and he gets to go out there and
to play with the Lebrons and all in the ads
and all of those guys and and learn what it
means to be that guy.

Speaker 1 (32:39):
Similar to.

Speaker 3 (32:41):
You know, when the Dream Team, and similar to when
Kobe came to the Redeemed Team and Lebron and Mellow
and all those guys really learned what it meant to
be him. Right the work ethic is, you know, taking
it serious. I think for our generation, that team, those guys,

(33:05):
as great as they were, they learned another. They learn
how to get to another level of competing and excellent
being there with Kobe and training and watching him train
and the guy speak openly about it. Had a tremendous
documentary called The Redeemed Team. It was amazing, but you
got it. I mean, these are the best players in

(33:26):
the world and for them to be like, man, this
dude is different, this dude is different, and let us
get some of that. So I think Anthony Edwards is
in one of those prime positions to where him being
around that energy, that wisdom, that work ethic can only
bolde greatness for him moving forward in his young career.

Speaker 2 (33:50):
Well again, I know you're not supposed to say this
in sports radio, but we'll see the Mavericks are up
five early second quarter. We will obviously keep you up
to date. I did see something a moment ago that
tells me that Mike Conley may appear again in this game.
We can talk that out a little bit. Coming up
next with me from Salam. I'm Mark Willard, Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 4 (34:12):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at foxsports Radio
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to listen.

Speaker 1 (34:23):
Live tyrag dot com studios.

Speaker 2 (34:26):
My Gosh, Prophetic from Salam Prophetic. I'll get to the
Mike Conley thing in a second. I don't know if
it's the physical commitment that Minnesota made to come back
in Game seven. Their defense was amazing, let's not forget.

(34:49):
I don't know if it's that physical commitment or if
they're just unwilling. If they're unwilling here at this hour,
by they're gonna lose this series because they settle. They
have become a team of settlers. Karl Anthony Towns, I

(35:11):
would argue that has been the issue with him going
from star to superstar all along is he loves sit
out there and shoot that shot. I see one member
of the Minnesota Timberwolves that has decided here in these playoffs.

Speaker 1 (35:28):
You know what I'm not.

Speaker 2 (35:31):
I can shoot this three, but I'm not going to
just do it every time.

Speaker 1 (35:36):
I'm gonna make the.

Speaker 2 (35:37):
Physical commitment to go push and penetrate and change the
way the defenses is playing us and get easy buckets
when they're there. His name is nas Reed. He's the
only one.

Speaker 1 (35:53):
Anthony Edwards is out here.

Speaker 2 (35:55):
Every single time that he has that option, he's settling
and he's missing eighty percent of them. And I'm just like,
you don't you don't want this. Apparently you either don't
want this or you don't have anything left after last Sunday,
I can't tell which.

Speaker 3 (36:16):
Just for an update, Lively was going up for a rebound,
came down and you got a need in the head
in the back of the head by cat and he
is down. It looks very concussion concussion inducing.

Speaker 1 (36:33):
Well you're not speculating, but no, no, but it's one
of those. It's one of those interesting things sport by sport.

Speaker 2 (36:39):
If this were the NFL, that's it.

Speaker 1 (36:43):
Yeah, you're out all the game unless your name's to it,
then you can come down too soon. Sorry, I like sorry, brother,
that was b that.

Speaker 3 (36:54):
It'll always best killed that kid man.

Speaker 2 (36:58):
Seriously, yeah, if this were the NFL, I mean blue
ten and into the locker room, probably out for the game.

Speaker 1 (37:08):
Yeah, yeah, exactly. Well I hope he's all right, all right,
but go ahead, go ahead.

Speaker 3 (37:14):
The Dallas's big men are out playing the two superstars
uh and Karl Anthony Towns and the four time Defensive
Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert. Now Rudy is and
look he's from France, so you know he he doesn't

(37:39):
play like I would want my big man to play.
He doesn't play with edge. And I need my big man,
my defensive player of the Year, to play with edge.
I need him to patrol and guard the paint like

(38:04):
it was his house. And offensively at seven to two,
I need him to be more aggressive. How many times
have you seen Rudy Gobert do a one dribble drop

(38:24):
step dunk in a basketball game. I don't recall any.
And so no one's intimidated by him. And so once
you lose that intimidation, then the paint becomes wide open. Yeah,
the guards will penetrate, They will get you to commit

(38:48):
and lob the ball up over your head and you
get dunk down into the rim. Every single time and
it's just it's too much.

Speaker 1 (39:03):
It's too much.

Speaker 3 (39:04):
I'm very dissatisfied with Karl Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert
in terms of what they are bringing to the Minnesota
Timberwolves this playoff series. They're being thoroughly outplayed by league standard,

(39:24):
lesser talent, younger players, hungrier players. And it's evident. How
do you have two seven footers in the starting lineup
and the other team has fifty more dunks in this
series than you do? Yeah, I think Lively is done.

(39:44):
He can barely walk.

Speaker 1 (39:45):
That's hard of the head.

Speaker 3 (39:48):
And that's that's a huge loss for Dallas Mavericks because
this kid, he has the highest plus or minus out
of anybody in the league ever almost.

Speaker 2 (40:00):
Yeah, he's barely missing any shots like any and so yeah, we.

Speaker 1 (40:04):
We'll keep tabs on that.

Speaker 2 (40:05):
By the way, real quick, the fact that Mike Conley
spoke to a reporter tells me like, if he's actually injured,
he's not speaking to a report.

Speaker 1 (40:13):
No, he's in he's in there, he's back. Yeah, there
you go see there. Yeah, yeah, there it is.

Speaker 2 (40:18):
That's uh, that's just kind of one of those things
in pro sports if if you're out there saying yes
to an interview.

Speaker 1 (40:24):
The court playing. You're playing okay, so we'll keep you
up to date.

Speaker 2 (40:31):
Dallas right now is up by ten, eight thirty five
to go second quarter, but the Lively situation has certainly
put a twist on this. Coming up next, two players
in the NFL that we want to talk about. One's
a huge name and one just became a huge name.
That's next on Fox Sports Radio. Yes, things are starting

(40:53):
to get a little heated, a little chippy developing.

Speaker 1 (40:57):
Mavericks and t Wolves. Keep you posted.

Speaker 2 (41:00):
We're broadcasting live from the ty rag dot com studios.
Tyrag dot com will help you get there, an unmatched selection,
fast free shipping, free road AzID protection, and over ten
thousand recommended installers. Tyraq dot com the way tire buying
should be. But let's dive off the NBA for a second.
I got a few NFL related questions for you. First

(41:21):
and foremost, I would love to know how you feel
about everything Harrison Butker related.

Speaker 1 (41:29):
In the last week or so.

Speaker 2 (41:32):
It is not often that America comes together for a
debate about a kicker that not happened very much, But
here we are, and I don't want to go through everything,
like I think most people by now know what was
said the first time around, which is in a college

(41:53):
commencement speech. Butker and again I'm in a paraphrase and
try to sort of make this as quick as I
can to summarize, but he basically said that despite the
fact that everybody in the room was getting ready to
start their professional careers, his bet would be that most

(42:13):
of the females in the audience are most looking forward
to the important jobs being a wife and a mom. Okay,
so that's where it starts. And then America does America.
And then he had another public speaking engagement I think
yesterday the comments that I saw, and Harrison is not

(42:35):
interested in apologizing. I'm not saying that he needs to,
But essentially his point this time around was, now you
can see how much hate there is for traditional Catholic
values because of the way everybody reacted to what he

(42:57):
had to say.

Speaker 3 (42:59):
From how this whole thing make you feel personally, It's
a time and a place to voice your opinions on
what you think society should should be at a graduation
commencement speed speaking engagement probably not the time and place now,

(43:23):
most people just have podcasts, and then you can talk
about whatever you'd like to talk about, however you'd like
to talk about, or maybe a radio show. I don't know.
Seems like this is a combination of live radio and

(43:44):
a podcast. Yes, we can talk about anything here now.
We have bosses here, so we like to stay on
topic as much as possible. But for him, I just
thought it was in poor taste to do that. They're

(44:08):
almost scolding the young women who had accomplished something they
had been trying to accomplish, and then telling them they're
misguided and they've been duped into thinking their accomplishments are worthy.
To me, that's a sign of arrogance, and that's the

(44:35):
problem I have with it. I don't have a problem
with his views and his stance, because they're his views
and his stance. I don't have a problem with that.
Everybody has their own opinions. We live in an opinion
based we work in an opinion based business. How I
feel about Anthony Edwards, I'm sure there are millions of

(44:56):
people who feel the opposite. Does to make him right?
Does it make me right or wrong? It's my opinion.
He has his opinion, But where you spew that opinion?
And who you spew it to. That's the arrogance. And

(45:19):
he chose that moment when those people accomplished what they
set out to accomplish, which is not an easy feat
to belittle their accomplishments and tell them that they were
misguided and they should be focusing on something else, the
things that he believe in, that believes in, and that's
not right, that's not right at all.

Speaker 1 (45:39):
Well, you bring up a whole issue with regard to
someone's opinion, and I guess the question becomes, was he
asked for his opinion in that setting? I'm pretty sure
he wasn't. I don't think he was.

Speaker 2 (45:55):
Now you likened it to a podcast or a radio show,
and yes, we are.

Speaker 1 (46:00):
We are asked for our opinion.

Speaker 2 (46:02):
I know sometimes it doesn't sound like it because we
just turned the microphones on.

Speaker 1 (46:05):
And we poof, we just give them.

Speaker 2 (46:08):
But yes, behind the scenes, we are very very much
hired to uh to share opinion and be interesting at
least our best efforts to do so. All all of that.
So that's that's point number one. I guess here's in
the end been my overall reaction to it because I

(46:29):
love everything you just said, especially because It's the same
thing that my fifteen year old daughter said to me
in an hour long drive that I had with her
earlier today. I was taking her out to an event.
She's meeting some friends there. And one of the reasons
I agreed to drive is because I'm like, you know this,
I'm like, okay, an hour solo in the car, perfect,

(46:51):
I'm gonna get all my info.

Speaker 1 (46:53):
We're gonna hang out a little bit, We're gonna find out.

Speaker 2 (46:55):
Let's go right, let's let's just let's say, how's this
friend been doing, how are we doing over here? How's
that class? All those things? And she brought up Harrison Bucker.
And she is very, very tapped into the Chiefs. Why
she's a fifteen year old girl. I don't need to
tell you anymore, okay, Taylor Swift. So she knows what's

(47:17):
going on with the Kansas City Chiefs, and she's thinking
about what she heard Harrison Bucker say, and she's just like,
how do you say that to people who are about
to graduate?

Speaker 1 (47:31):
Like, how do you do that? So here's what's interesting
about it to me is.

Speaker 2 (47:40):
You say what you said, you get backlash and the
number one opinion or like the thing that Harrison or
anyone supporting him or backing him, even Andy Reid. The
number one thing that they'll say is, well, it's just
his opinion, right, and.

Speaker 1 (48:03):
So is.

Speaker 2 (48:05):
So is everything else. So is the response to what
you said. All of the words that you are now
saying are hate. Do you notice how that happened? Harrison
throws something out and people go, I don't like that,
and he goes, everybody hates Catholicism or no, no, no,

(48:27):
they're just saying their opinion that they.

Speaker 1 (48:30):
Don't like what you said.

Speaker 2 (48:32):
Why can't those people hide behind just my opinion?

Speaker 1 (48:39):
That's what bugs me.

Speaker 2 (48:40):
What bugs me is we head out into the world
with our opinion and if it is controversial, if it
is offensive, it is dismissive, if it is inappropriate, any
word that you want to put on it, just my opinion.

Speaker 1 (48:59):
So you get to it's a catch all.

Speaker 2 (49:02):
I'm sorry, because everybody hating your opinion is also just
our opinion.

Speaker 3 (49:08):
You know why it's like that, because we in society
don't know how to speak to each other anymore. The
greatest thing Twitter did was it took away people's ability
to have a conversation, because in a conversation, a real conversation,

(49:33):
there has to be listening involved. Twitter gave us a
platform where we were waiting to respond instead of listening
understanding what someone's point of view was. So now a

(49:55):
decade of defending yourself opposed to conversating about a topic,
whatever it is, religion, politics, dating, whatever that is, we're
now caught up in a cycle of I must speak

(50:16):
louder and more aggressive from my point to be heard
over your point. There's no understanding in conversation anymore. So
when someone says, wow, that wasn't the right time or
place to say that, you immediately turn to there's so

(50:39):
much hate out here, right, that's because no one's listening.
Everyone must be right, which is an impossibility for every
single person in the world to be right. So there's

(51:02):
no way to disseminate what is, what who is, and
where do you? So now I got to get all
this out and everybody has to know. And it's literally
eroded and deteriorated our ability to communicate with each other

(51:25):
because number one, you don't have to be face.

Speaker 1 (51:28):
To face with anybody anymore. Yep.

Speaker 3 (51:31):
So there's no consequence and that's where we are now.

Speaker 1 (51:39):
It's well said it's really well said.

Speaker 2 (51:42):
In the race to be right, we've all forgotten that
there are many things where there is no right. I
didn't think there was a right or wrong here. I
didn't hear what Harrison Bucker say and suddenly go, well,
those are some whack traditional Catholic value.

Speaker 1 (52:00):
I thought the same thing you did. Dude, why are
you saying that to them?

Speaker 2 (52:05):
So while Harrison now wants to hide behind you're all
mad at my opinion. Nope, nope, I may not come
from the same faith think the same thing. That doesn't
even matter to me. My opinion is not that I
don't like your opinion. My opinion is I don't like
when you said it and who you said it to.

(52:27):
So it has nothing to do with Catholicism. It has
everything to do with being presumptuous and rude, and I
don't find that to be about anything related to his opinion.
That was related to timing, It was related to self awareness.
It was related to the way the people in the

(52:49):
audience felt about it. Because one thing I've always learned
as a public speaker e from you can walk out
of the room after you talk, and you can think
you did great, and you could think you did horrible
and what you think doesn't matter. The audience matters, our
ratings or what have you. Any show and their metrics

(53:10):
have nothing to do if we.

Speaker 1 (53:12):
Go home and think we did a good job.

Speaker 2 (53:16):
It has to do with the audience and what they
react to and how they feel after you're done. The
way your message lands is your responsibility, right?

Speaker 1 (53:28):
Is that not?

Speaker 2 (53:28):
I'll take it to the a totally different arena. You
remember Nate Boyer, the guy who sat with with Colin
Kaepernick and said, hey, set us sitting on the bench,
what if you do a forward Neil better messaging? That
was the the whole thing Nate was trying to say
to him. It was just like, look, audience, right, might

(53:54):
you might get a different conversation going if you presented
your argument this way.

Speaker 1 (54:01):
Colin agreed with him, started a movement.

Speaker 2 (54:05):
It remained controversial, but the way the audience received it
was completely different. That is the message that Harrison Butker
should get out of this, And I haven't heard that
one yet.

Speaker 9 (54:18):
No.

Speaker 3 (54:18):
You know, look, man, people are we're at a time
now in society where I mean the need to be
right all the time has to be exhausting. Now I've
been married. We've been together twenty one years. I've learned

(54:41):
to not be right a lot of the time. Whether
I'm right or not, it just comes with the territory.
Anybody out there in long term marriages, it is the men.

Speaker 1 (54:53):
They know exactly what I'm talking about.

Speaker 3 (54:57):
So if you you want to be in a successful
marriage or relationship you're going to have, you're going to
have to take another person's opinion seriously or it will
not last.

Speaker 1 (55:19):
So just use that in everyday life. I get it.

Speaker 3 (55:26):
Some things I agree with, some things I don't, but
I'm willing to listen and I'm willing to have dialogue.
The problem is there's no dialogue. It's just shouting. And
I'm not gonna let you shout in my face because
it's not necessary. I promise to talk quieter for you're good.

(55:47):
Oh okay, all right.

Speaker 2 (55:48):
Well we'll live in the Tirak dot com studios and
not done with the NFL because a very very big
name also garnered a whole lot of talk this week.
We'll let you know what that's all about. Dive into it.
Can't wait for your opinion on this one, and no
matter what it is, I won't get mad at you.
I promise that's it from Salam. I'm Mark Willard. It's
Fox Sports Radio. Okay, we're live tyrag dot Com Studios,

(56:13):
the maps by eight at half, keep you up to date.
We'll move that thing into the second half here pretty
quickly with E from Salama, Mark Willard, glad you're with us.
Scott Hansen, you know who that it is, right, NFL
Red Zone, Scott Handsome. He just tweeted something out that
got me very very happy, got me very very happy.

(56:36):
It has been fifteen Sundays since the Super Bowl, and
fifteen sundays from now.

Speaker 1 (56:47):
We will be together again.

Speaker 2 (56:52):
Ephraim, welcome to halftime with my gosh.

Speaker 1 (56:58):
We're getting there, brother, we are getting there. You NFL
fans are crazy.

Speaker 2 (57:07):
I love it. From a guy who played thirteen years.
You better be happy. You probably have an extra bedroom
on that house because of how.

Speaker 1 (57:15):
Nuts we are.

Speaker 2 (57:16):
Well, it did help, no, man, it's just different. It's different.
There's absolutely nothing like it. There's nothing like it. And
I love everything, but there's nothing like that energy. Absolutely nothing. So,
speaking of Witch, your job, part of your job was

(57:42):
to open up running lanes for running backs, right, that
is correct? Okay, So let's talk about the running back
position for a second before we get to the now,
Let's go to the then. Okay, last year it became
a very very big deal. The diminishing returns financially for

(58:05):
running backs, the league wide refusal to pay them commensurate
with their popularity, their name value, what have you. You
and I had, I think some really interesting conversations about
Saquon Barkley.

Speaker 1 (58:23):
The Giants wouldn't pay him, then they gave.

Speaker 10 (58:25):
Him some crumbs, put it on top of his contract,
so he played, and then he left, and even the
deal that he got with the Eagles, like the perception all, well,
Saquon got paid now, eh, Like.

Speaker 1 (58:41):
Sure, hes going to eat.

Speaker 2 (58:44):
But when you look at stars in the league, the
running back position is one of the lowest in terms
of players that we really talk about and think about
and all that stuff. So, first of foremost, what's your
current thought on where that stands?

Speaker 1 (59:03):
The way the league pays running backs. Well, I think
it's part of the ebbs and flow of contracts. When you.

Speaker 3 (59:16):
Have a team that consistently wins without the use of
a true running back are a stud It changes the
perception of a value for set position. Remember, when Tom
Brady was winning all those Super Bowls without real big

(59:37):
time receivers, the receiver market declined. So when you have
a situation where it's like the smoking mirrors of well,
we got to get the quarterback. We get the quarterback,
we don't need to spend money on the running back,

(01:00:00):
need to spend money on receivers. Tight ends are extremely
valuable right now in the NFL because of the work
of Travis Kelce Grunk before him, even you know a
kittle like these Mark Andrews.

Speaker 1 (01:00:23):
Right, So.

Speaker 3 (01:00:26):
That's a position that was revered that you would want
to partner with the top tier quarterback because the success
spoke for itself. The teams who were going and winning
Super Bowls had those at key you know, you know,
key players at those key positions. So in the last

(01:00:51):
three Super Bowl champ four Super Bowl champions, who's been
the running back that really stood out for you that
you rode to the Super Bowl? So it excuse it

(01:01:15):
the value dips, Oh, we don't need that. We need
to address this area. We need to do this, and
that's the way the league goes.

Speaker 1 (01:01:27):
Now.

Speaker 3 (01:01:29):
If the San Francisco forty nine, now there's an outlier
which is I know where you were going with this,
Christian McCaffrey, there's an out Why is he an outlier
because he's not just a running back?

Speaker 1 (01:01:41):
Ah?

Speaker 2 (01:01:43):
I think that that statement right there is at the
core of this whole thing.

Speaker 1 (01:01:51):
I think it's at the core of this whole thing.

Speaker 2 (01:01:54):
Because I totally get where you're going, and I totally
get I'm I don't miss a play of the forty
nine ers season, so I get it. I watch it.
He is as important to that team as anyone on it.

Speaker 1 (01:02:08):
By his more by position, by nature running back.

Speaker 2 (01:02:12):
Right, and and and so I guess the question becomes
is if a guy sort of quote unquote out performs
the name of the position that's next to his name,
does an NFL team have to pay for that?

Speaker 1 (01:02:30):
You know what?

Speaker 3 (01:02:31):
I'd love to answer that, but before I do that,
I'd like to throw it to a guy that we.

Speaker 1 (01:02:40):
iHeart has to pay. Yeah, they don't nning lane right now.

Speaker 3 (01:02:46):
If they don't pay this guy, why come to work?
And that's one stephen staying at home to.

Speaker 7 (01:02:52):
Say good differences forty nine ers know that McCaffrey is
playing good son. Even to you, gentlemen, Dallas is leading minutes,
so to sixty two to fifty five early third quarter.
This is Game three of the NBA's West Finals. Mavericks
already up two games to none. Dallas will host Game
four on Tuesday night. Luka Donsiic with fifteen points in
the first half, Kyrie Irving with fourteen. MAVs are shooting

(01:03:15):
fifty four percent from the floor. Meanwhile, for the Timberwolves,
Karl Anthony Towns two of ten from the floor, Anthony
Edwards with twelve points. It was a lead of fifty
to thirty eight in the second quarter Dallas. It's now
just a seven point advantage. MAVs at the lineup sixty
two to fifty five early in the third. In the
NHL East Final, Rangers won in overtime again, this time

(01:03:37):
at Florida, five to four. Rangers lead the series two
games to one. NASCAR's Coca Cola six hundred is going
on Fox TV from Charlotte right now. About fifty laps
to go in this current stage. They're at two fifty
out of the four hundred total laps. Christopher Bell in
the lead, Brag Keislowski second, William Byron third. There's a
chance of a thunderstorm rolling through Charlotte in about a

(01:03:59):
half hour, they say. Meanwhile, there's been a long rain
delay at the start of the Cubs at Cardinals game tonight,
about two and a half hour's worth. They're due to
begin in a few minutes. Finally, Cardinals have won four
in a row. Cleveland won its ninth game in a
row five to four at the Angels. Houston beat Oakland
five to two. Ronel Blanco with another win. He's five
to oh. He pitched seven innings, just one run aloud

(01:04:20):
the Yankees. Gencarlo stand went over four with four strikeouts
as the Padres finally beat the Yanks today five to two.
Yankees had won eleven of their last thirteen games. Colorado
defeated Philadelphia five to beat pitcher Ranger Suarez, who had
been nine to oh this year, but he was down
five to nothing in the second inning. And Miami won
three to one at Arizona with three underended runs in

(01:04:41):
the seventh. Atlanta's Ronald Acuna will go on the injured
list with a knee injury. He was hurt on the
base pass today. Braves did win eight to one at Pittsburgh.
Chris Saal the winning pitcher is now eight and one.
Cincinnati handed the Dodgers a fifth straight loss, four to one.
This is the Dodgers' longest losing streak in five years.
In fact, the la off with runners in scoring position

(01:05:02):
had gone er for their last twenty two until the
ninth inning.

Speaker 8 (01:05:05):
RBI.

Speaker 7 (01:05:06):
Detroit on a three run homer bottom of the ninth,
beat Toronto fourteen to eleven. Mets got three runs bottom
of the ninth to edge San Francisco four to three.
The Mets end of five game losing streak Tampa Bay
for to one over Kansas City. The Royals eight game
win streak is over and Baltimore's won four to zero
after a four to one win at the White Sox,
who had only one hit in eighth inning homer. White Sox,

(01:05:28):
having a horrible season, have lost five in a row.
Davis Riley won by five strokes at Colonial, Joseph Nugarden
won the NDY five hundred again. Tennis's French Open started today.
Naomi Osaka won her first rounder in three sets, her
first victory there in three years. She could face Number
one Egas Fiontek next on the men's side, Number one
Novak Djokovic has not won a tournament this year, he

(01:05:50):
has lower expectations, he says this time. Raphael Nadal's first
round match will be against number four seat Alexander Zverev.
Nadal turns thirty eight next month. It could be his
final French open updating Dallas MAVs up sixty six sixty
over Minnesota early third.

Speaker 2 (01:06:06):
Back to you, all right, Steve, great stuff as always,
we appreciate it. We're live in the Thetirack dot Com studios.
Mark Witherty from Salam So, yeah, that whole running back
situation that sort of becomes my question. And the reason
this came up this week is because Christian McCaffrey, which
is against his norm, he skipped voluntary OTAs. The Niners

(01:06:29):
don't sound concerned. Pro Football Talk reported that this was
not about money, but also said maybe something financial will
come up this offseason. We'll see, because when you're with
a team that gets a lot of attention and has
a lot of good players on it and people are
starting to get paid, Nick Bosa got his, Brandon Ayuk

(01:06:50):
is in the process of trying to get his, and
deebo got his, and George.

Speaker 1 (01:06:54):
Kittle got his.

Speaker 2 (01:06:55):
Fred Warner got his, and they're all maybe not Kittle,
but they're all making more more money than Christian McCaffrey.
And people go, well, how is that fair? Christian McCaffrey
is the best player at his position. Christian is I
could argue, more important to that team than any of

(01:07:16):
those guys. And I keep thinking to myself, Gosh, I
from if I wanted to have this conversation and have
the background of it be fairness, if that was our premise,
well then you're all right.

Speaker 1 (01:07:32):
Everybody's right.

Speaker 2 (01:07:33):
If we want it to be fair, then not only
should Christian make more money, all NFL contracts should have
more guarantees than they do, and brock Perty should make
seven figures too. But there's all kinds of little things
that go into why a salary is what it is,

(01:07:55):
leverage being first and foremost.

Speaker 1 (01:07:58):
But I just think there's a lot of history to
what you just said.

Speaker 2 (01:08:03):
When a player plays his position in such a way
that it looks like two positions, do you get paid
for that?

Speaker 1 (01:08:12):
The answer is almost always no.

Speaker 3 (01:08:17):
Yeah, we had we ran into this a couple of
years ago, maybe more than a couple with Jimmy Graham,
remember that, remember.

Speaker 1 (01:08:23):
John Everything he's a receiver.

Speaker 3 (01:08:27):
Yes, well he lined up more as a receiver than
he did as a tight end, and that was his argument.
He got paid too. But having players like that, the
same argument with Deebo, Right, what is he?

Speaker 1 (01:08:39):
I mean? He does everything?

Speaker 3 (01:08:42):
The San Francisco forty nine has created an environment where
extremely skilled players can flourish because they know how to
use them. You can put de Ball on a different
team and he won't be the debo that we've come
to know and love. You can put Christian McCaffrey on
a different team in the same way. If your mindset
as a offensive coordinator or head coach is to tend

(01:09:03):
the ball off and let him do his thing, and
then you won't get the value out of your player
that you should. And that's what Kyle Shanahan does. They
maximize the abilities of the players. And as a player,

(01:09:24):
that's the only thing you want. You want to go
to a place where your talents are maximized. You're put
in a position to to really excel.

Speaker 1 (01:09:38):
All the time.

Speaker 3 (01:09:40):
And do I think Christian McCaffrey I deserve to be paid? Absolutely?
Does he deserve to be paid more than other running
backs in the NFL? Absolutely? Does he do more? Absolutely
so pay that man his money. Ah, here's the issue.

Speaker 2 (01:09:55):
Does he deserve to get paid more than every running
back in the NFL? You'll say yeah, and I'll say
he already is.

Speaker 1 (01:10:04):
In fact, if you go through every single one of
the next one, two, three, four, say, seven, eight, nine, ten,
the rest of the top ten.

Speaker 2 (01:10:17):
From have all signed contracts since Christian signed his, and
he still makes more than they do. So how do
you go into the office and say, hey, forty nine ers.

Speaker 1 (01:10:35):
I would like, what does he have left on his deal?
Two more years? Two years at what? Well?

Speaker 2 (01:10:43):
He averages sixteen a year, but a lot of that
is also wrapped up into signing bonuses.

Speaker 1 (01:10:49):
That have already been paid.

Speaker 2 (01:10:50):
The forty nine ers out of pocket will be twelve
over the next two years each.

Speaker 1 (01:10:57):
But his contract value.

Speaker 2 (01:11:02):
Was sixty four million dollars and he will get that.

Speaker 1 (01:11:08):
And they've already restructured at.

Speaker 2 (01:11:10):
Once and that led to a big, a big old
bonus check that he got. It also helped the forty
nine ers with their cap restructuring. But Alvin Kamara makes less,
and Jonathan Taylor just got his deal and makes less,
and Sae Kwon Barkley who everyone's like, ooh, he got
paid makes a million more than he did last year.
For three years, only two of them guaranteed makes less

(01:11:33):
Josh Jacobs less, Mixing, Henry Swift, Pollard, Aaron Jones significantly less.
Five running backs total have an AAV that is in
That is ten million dollars on north five in the
whole league. So if I just want to look at

(01:11:54):
this as like, well, I turn on my TV and
he's good, right, right right?

Speaker 1 (01:11:59):
He should make thirty five million a year. He should
That's what it looks like on TV.

Speaker 2 (01:12:06):
So the but is this then this isn't the Niners
fault that this is the way the market is.

Speaker 3 (01:12:11):
No. The best thing that could happen for the running
back position is say Kwan went to Philly, right, correct,
So say Philly goes to the Super Bowl and win it. Hekwon,
Barkley leads the league in rushing.

Speaker 1 (01:12:31):
Mm hmm.

Speaker 3 (01:12:33):
Best thing that could happen to the running back position.
I agree, say Derrick Henry, he went to Baltimore, correct Baltimore,
Say Baltimore wins, they lead the league in rushing, which
they probably will, and he himself personally leads the league
in rushing the best thing could happen for the position
in terms of value. Say the Houston Texans who just

(01:12:56):
got Joe Mixon, say they lead the league in rushing
and they go to the Super Bowl and win it. Right,
that's what it's going to take to switch the pendulum back.
The NFL has always been that way. It's always been

(01:13:19):
that way. So it's a trend league.

Speaker 1 (01:13:26):
What is the.

Speaker 3 (01:13:27):
Current trend of winning? I remember growing up in an
NFL where two day practices were really to a day practices,
padded practices all through the week on Wednesday and Thursday,
full pads were standard until teams, you know, the Niners

(01:13:50):
and you know Green Bay teams start taking the pads off.
Sean McVay not playing anybody in the preseason, they win
the Super Bowl. Nobody wants to play starters in this.
You do what I'm saying, it's a trending league. Whatever

(01:14:12):
the team is doing that wins, that will become the trend.
And if you're going to hand the ball off twenty
eight to thirty five times a game and lead the
league in rushing it and it materializes in a Super
Bowl win, then that will change the value of running backs.

Speaker 2 (01:14:38):
Speaking of trends. Uh, there's a certain team that you
all are going to want to hear about that's trending
up right now, and we'll get to that coming up
next with E from Salama, Mark Wellard, Fox Sports Radio,
Mark Wellard, E from salamlivety rack dot Com Studios.

Speaker 3 (01:14:57):
This is what happens when you don't work with people
who are expect you. Okay, you did you know? You
asked me, like, what happens when people don't take you
seriously in the workplace.

Speaker 6 (01:15:11):
I can see you washing right now in the studio.
What are you talking about? I literally see you washing
right now. I mean WILLI he's washing right now.

Speaker 1 (01:15:19):
You can't mosh the air. He's in there by himself.
You don't know that.

Speaker 2 (01:15:26):
No, Again, I told you something earlier that I have
rules about people who are or have been three hundred
pounds in their life, and one is that I don't
mess with them.

Speaker 1 (01:15:36):
And two I believe that when they mush, they make noise.

Speaker 2 (01:15:41):
Like I'm not hearing anything right now, he dude, you
would be breaking things.

Speaker 1 (01:15:46):
I have to imagine.

Speaker 2 (01:15:48):
Can I like, while we're on this subject, what's it
like for you to, you know, dance at a wedding.

Speaker 3 (01:15:55):
Oh I love dancing. I'm here a dancer, so I
just you know, I stick to my you know, But.

Speaker 2 (01:16:01):
I mean, are people like flying across the floor.

Speaker 1 (01:16:04):
They can bump into them and they across the floor.
What do you mean do bump into people? Huh? I
don't bump into people. I know how to dance.

Speaker 2 (01:16:16):
You can know how to dance without also knowing who's
right behind.

Speaker 3 (01:16:20):
Hey man, what when you have been big as long
as I have? You learn how to control your body.
Spatial awareness is a real thing.

Speaker 1 (01:16:36):
You've never bumped anyone on a dance.

Speaker 3 (01:16:38):
Floor, of course, But I don't bump them in a way.
Would they fly into the bar and you know, shatter
their shoulder.

Speaker 2 (01:16:47):
I mean, it feels like that would not be in
your control. I feel like there are a lot of
humans I know who if they bumped into you, would
go flying just because they bumped into you.

Speaker 10 (01:16:58):
No, okay, no, you're wrong. But it wasn't to just
say you're wrong. Well, that's good. I'm glad. I'm glad
that I'm wrong about that. I don't want to be
right about that anyway. You said that no one listens
to each other in America, anymore.

Speaker 2 (01:17:19):
You were right, You were right. I know, all right.
The Timberwolves are driving me nuts. They're driving me nuts. Yeah,
they're driving me nuts.

Speaker 1 (01:17:38):
I don't.

Speaker 2 (01:17:41):
The Minnesota Timberwolves have officially become a teenager.

Speaker 1 (01:17:48):
They don't follow any of the rules.

Speaker 2 (01:17:50):
It doesn't matter what you say to them, They're going
to do the opposite. You can tell them all about
all your life experiences. They don't care because they know
here we are, the Minnesota Timberwolves. You got seven footers
who won't stop shooting threes. You have wing players who

(01:18:12):
are telling you that they are generational talent before they've
even gotten out of the third round. They lose games
at home that they're supposed to win, They fall behind
on the road, and the only difference between them and
a teenager is that they might be right e from.

Speaker 1 (01:18:35):
Like, for god's sakes, what the hell? What is this.

Speaker 2 (01:18:39):
Playoff run that I'm watching right now? What's happening? By
the way, for those of you who don't why I'm ranting,
they have erased the deficit and they are tied in
the third quarter of what we think is the must
win game. But you know what, these crazy people may
actually go down three to Ozho and then still win
the series.

Speaker 1 (01:18:59):
No, I think they've done. Go down three to zero.
It's a wrap, it's over.

Speaker 2 (01:19:03):
You'd think I've already told you I won't say that
about these people anymore.

Speaker 3 (01:19:09):
Yeah, but it it. I mean, you know, everything would
have to go perfect. It's very hard to be perfect
in anything you do, you know, sports related, So it's
you know, it's this is a must win game if
they want to win the series or have an opportunity
to win the series. And you know they're attacking the

(01:19:32):
basket with that in mind. The level of intensity has
picked up. The difference is when you're fighting like you're
fighting and you have two dynamic last Kyrie just scores
over the defensive player of the year, similar to Luca
scoring over him to end last game. You have two

(01:19:58):
guards who can nullify any defense you can throw at them,
and that's dangerous. That's dangerous because if it comes down
to one shot, you'll always be able to get your
one shot off with Luca and Kyrie in the backcourt.
And that's what we're seeing right now. And it's gonna
be a good finish.

Speaker 1 (01:20:19):
Okay, yes it will.

Speaker 2 (01:20:21):
But it is one of my favorite American cities going
on another ride. I'll explain coming up next. I mean,
everything changed, everything changed, just in an instant. We're sitting
here talking sports. I want to throw some stuff at
you that I think you're really really going to relate
to e from.

Speaker 1 (01:20:38):
And we've got plenty of time.

Speaker 2 (01:20:40):
We've got all our because we're broadcasting live from the
tire dot Cobb will help you get there on unmatched selection,
factory shipping, free road hazard protection in over ten thousand
recommended installers, tyreck dot com the way tire buding should be.
But I'm distracted because I just had what I think

(01:21:01):
is the most post COVID conversation that I've ever engaged
in in my entire life. Eve from how long have
we been doing Fox Sports Radio?

Speaker 1 (01:21:16):
Oh huh.

Speaker 2 (01:21:19):
Right a minute, yeah, a minute. You and I are
on what like our third tour?

Speaker 1 (01:21:27):
Yeah, okay, decade war.

Speaker 2 (01:21:31):
Yeah, and we used to, we used to before the
world And I still don't know if this is a
good thing or not. But the world is gone and
figured out how to do everything remotely from home. Baby,
I mean, the world figured it out. I can remember
when I started at Fox Sports Radio and our fearless leader,
Scott Shapiro was like, we're really looking for people who

(01:21:53):
can kind of, you know, like anchor our studio and
be here on the daily.

Speaker 1 (01:21:58):
And I was doing.

Speaker 2 (01:21:59):
I was doing Saturdays and Sundays, and I was there
every single weekend and everything, and then COVID hit and
you know, I hope I'm not bringing everybody behind the
curtain too much.

Speaker 1 (01:22:08):
But we've talked about it before. These hosts.

Speaker 2 (01:22:10):
Everybody you're hearing throughout the day is all over the
damn place.

Speaker 1 (01:22:15):
Well I'm not, no, you're not. I'm in the studio,
but it's almost like Ben should be. It's like Ben.

Speaker 2 (01:22:21):
Mallers says every night during the week in the air everywhere.
We are all over of the place, to the point
where certain members of the staff and the group that
all work together, especially the supporting group, because there's a

(01:22:42):
little bit more youth and turnover in that group. Steve
de Seger, I've been known for a long long time
e from Salaam, been knowing you for a long long time.
But our support group is in a room and we
text and we talk and we email, and we.

Speaker 1 (01:23:02):
Never met each other in person.

Speaker 2 (01:23:06):
So we're just about to come back like it's almost
no time, and there usually I get that that little
whisper in my ear Mike's hot, and instead this time,
this time, I get wait a minute, you're white.

Speaker 3 (01:23:27):
Hilarious. I don't know where you were going with that, man,
that is.

Speaker 2 (01:23:36):
I have no idea what to do with this statement.
I'm like, my mind is racing. There are a hundred
ways I could answer this. I haven't even confirmed it
to her yet, Like I'm just I'm still like, how
I can hear his laughter in the background.

Speaker 1 (01:23:52):
I'm laughing at Mary. I'm shocked as you are right now. Mark,
I'm like, how do you ate from how supposed to
answer that? Yes?

Speaker 9 (01:24:03):
Yes, con firm this entire time my defense and my
defense because here through the speaker, I'm thinking, Wow, we
have two black people on the show.

Speaker 1 (01:24:17):
It's so great.

Speaker 6 (01:24:18):
And I went on Twitter because I was going to
make a tweet and I saw his you know, Twitter handle,
and I pressed it. I hit the media. I hit
the media, and I see a white man talking. I'm like,
this entire.

Speaker 1 (01:24:30):
Time, that's a white man there. It's a white man,
a white man. I feels so like I am brought.

Speaker 2 (01:24:37):
I thought I tried to send you a message four
weeks ago, when you were explaining to me everything about
Drake and Kendrick.

Speaker 1 (01:24:45):
I thought that was just age were the same age.
We're the same age. What are you talking about? I
was trying to be like, I know, but I don't know. No.
I thought that was enough.

Speaker 7 (01:24:58):
That was it was.

Speaker 1 (01:25:01):
Because Rob didn't know about it. I was like, okay,
can I do right?

Speaker 2 (01:25:08):
Don't put me on Rob's a god this. Neither one
of us have turned fifty yet. Don't ask me again
this year, next year at this time. But I have
not turned you ask me. I know, I can remind
me every week anyway. Yes, confirmed, by the way, not not.

Speaker 1 (01:25:29):
Not the first time that this has happened.

Speaker 3 (01:25:31):
Because you haven't. You got that timber in your voice,
a little soul in your voice. Man, you know, listen,
you can get down into the lower hey, hey.

Speaker 1 (01:25:39):
Hey, look, look, look, if you want us to, if
you want to have a.

Speaker 3 (01:25:44):
Conversation and have a brilliant.

Speaker 2 (01:25:48):
Manhattan on the rocks, we can have this conversation if
you want, we can do.

Speaker 1 (01:25:52):
That brilliant Yeah. I did.

Speaker 2 (01:25:55):
Now, listen, there was a time there was a time
in in uh in my radio career or where I
you know, like before all of the digital content and
the podcast and everything, like nobody knew what the hell
we looked like. And I'd write, right, there was no
what it's like Twitter and none of this YouTube not happening,

(01:26:16):
and I'd run into people and I would get one
of four things, sometimes all of them at the same time.
They're like, I thought you were older, I thought you
were fatter, I thought you were balder, and I thought
you were blacker. Those are those are the four I
got everywhere I went.

Speaker 7 (01:26:37):
Quiller that if I'm a quote Mary.

Speaker 1 (01:26:40):
Another white man here on Fox Sports Radio, Yes, steez,
there you go.

Speaker 8 (01:26:50):
It's like, just quote my coworker here.

Speaker 1 (01:26:53):
What have you done?

Speaker 8 (01:26:54):
Mark Willard.

Speaker 1 (01:26:57):
Oh Man?

Speaker 2 (01:26:59):
Yes, going back to uh uh, you'll you'll get the reference, Steve,
going all the way back to the great Richard Pryor
and Gene Wilder.

Speaker 11 (01:27:07):
You mean I'm not white Man's funny. I thought you were.
I really thought you were down with the brows. You know,
I don't know who who Hey, who said I'm not? Oh,
come on.

Speaker 1 (01:27:22):
Get to come to the he get to come to
the cookout. Thank you, thank you from you get to
come to the cookout. Don't worry about bringing anything. That
one of those type of situations.

Speaker 6 (01:27:31):
You just have to bring the slippers, have to.

Speaker 1 (01:27:36):
I'm gonna bring the I'm gonna bring the lowry season salt.

Speaker 3 (01:27:40):
Don't you have to worry about nothing to just come
and enjoy the food and the festivities.

Speaker 1 (01:27:47):
Can you electric shuffle? Can you electric? It's it's happened.
It's happened.

Speaker 2 (01:27:53):
There's been a minute, but it's happened, and I will
I'll leave it at that.

Speaker 1 (01:27:58):
So anyway, it's a whole new world and the show
must go on. It must go on. Nine four left
in the game. Yes, tied up.

Speaker 2 (01:28:10):
We are tied with the incredibly frustrating Speaking of being
hoodwinked Minnesota Tebrawolves, who like normally, I think this is
kind of a thing when you're a fan of a team,
When you're a fan of a team, you know your
players better than everybody else, so you've got that like
love hate relationship with them because they frustrate you.

Speaker 1 (01:28:31):
There, they're bad moments frustrate you.

Speaker 2 (01:28:35):
I'm I'm not a fan of Minnesota sports. I have
no I've been there once. Other than that, I have
no attachment to these teams. But I'm like I'm like mad.

Speaker 1 (01:28:47):
At all the wolves for the way they play.

Speaker 2 (01:28:50):
I want Carl Anthony Towns to stop treating the three
point line like it's a brick wall. Like do you
remember the movie Field of Dreams? Do you remember that movie?
Remember the little remember that little strip of rocks.

Speaker 1 (01:29:05):
That like, build it right, they will come. Like you you.

Speaker 2 (01:29:09):
Couldn't walk across that little strip of rocks or else
you couldn't. You couldn't go back, You couldn't be a
ghost anymore. In other words, call Anthony town streets the
three point line like that, Like if he goes in there,
he's not gonna be allowed to come back out.

Speaker 1 (01:29:25):
Why does he settle for so many three on the
block and put somebody in the rim? Why why does
he do that? I don't know, I don't know. I
don't know. Oh for six, put your body on the block.
Put somebody in the rim, Oh for six from three

(01:29:45):
point range? Tonight for uh for call.

Speaker 3 (01:29:48):
Here, he's gonna keep shooting, all right, it's it's an
ant man time. It's eight minutes left in the fourth,
you're down by one, nas reed, put somebody in the
rim right there? How about that? The real big man
as sits on the bit. Oh yeah, absolutely year. He's

(01:30:08):
a stone cow killer, and uh, you know, I love him, man.
I love the way he plays. I love the energy
he brings. Kyrie is good luck man. Good look.

Speaker 1 (01:30:21):
You know what's crazy about nas Reed?

Speaker 2 (01:30:24):
Nas Red looks every bit of like forty five years
old guy.

Speaker 1 (01:30:30):
At the part. Yeah he got some old school flair
to him. Right, he's got that look to him. Release that. Yeah,
he's been in the league since oh two, that guy
he's twenty four. Wow, I didn't even know that.

Speaker 2 (01:30:46):
Wow, he's twenty four years old, Batman right there, Like
I I think he is such a fan.

Speaker 1 (01:30:56):
But he's the most underrated player in the league. Right, Well,
he's not that underrated because he's the six minute of
the year. So but I mean that recognition just showed up, right.

Speaker 3 (01:31:04):
But I tell you what, he's the actual glue to
the team, right And anybody who watches this team and
can tell from his energy and the way, you know,
the guys respond to the way he plays in his effort,
they understand it.

Speaker 1 (01:31:17):
He is the glue to the team. Yeah, you got
the superstar, Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:31:21):
You got the defensive player of the year, But now
you have a guy who is dependable and will show up,
doesn't need plays to be run for him, and he's
just you know, attacking, attacking, attacking, And I love that
his mindset is he'll hit you in the face with
the three, but then he'll pump fake you and then

(01:31:43):
he gonna try to put you in the rim. And
I love that.

Speaker 2 (01:31:46):
It's just playing fantastic and he is often in a
lot of these playoff games, look like the only one
that has the correct amount of aggressiveness.

Speaker 1 (01:31:55):
That's show.

Speaker 2 (01:31:57):
So all right, Minnesota's taking a brief lead here. We
will keep you up to date as we come down
the stretch. And speaking of Minnesota, and this is the
thing that I know you're going to relate to because
you were on one of the teams that caused this
to happen to the city of Minneapolis. But we got
to get into this here shortly after the show, the

(01:32:17):
podcast is going up. If you missed any of today's show,
be sure to check out the podcast. Just shirts Fox
Sports Radio wherever you get your podcast. Be sure to
follow and rate and review the podcast so you don't
miss anymore.

Speaker 1 (01:32:31):
Again. Just search Fox Sports.

Speaker 2 (01:32:34):
Radio wherever you get your podcast, and you will see
this show posted right after we get off the air.
But we're nowhere near done with e from Salam. I'm
Mark Willard and this is Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 1 (01:32:46):
Yeah they can.

Speaker 2 (01:32:51):
Live tyrec dot Com Studios, Ebony and Ivory tonight here
in the Fox Sports Radio Studio.

Speaker 3 (01:32:59):
Unlike the Jill Episcopal Eddie Murphy version.

Speaker 2 (01:33:06):
But while we're having fun, we've got a very unfun
thing to report. We've got some breaking news. Do we
want to have Steve jump on in here?

Speaker 3 (01:33:15):
Yeah, we don't break news. Steve breaks news.

Speaker 7 (01:33:20):
Well, it's an injury guys in the Braves game today
and it's official from the team that last year's n
L MVP Ronald Acunya is out for the year. Tonight,
he underwent an MRI that revealed a complete tear of
the ACL in his left knee. He's due to undergo
surgery at a future date. He will miss the rest
of the twenty twenty four season. He was hurt on

(01:33:41):
the base pass where he started to run and stopped
and the knee buckled. He thought he would only be
out say a month. It reminded him of an injury
he had about six years ago. The team itself has
just released in recent minutes he's out for the year.
Talking about Ronald Acunya, who last year led the league
in runs, in hits and it on base percentage and

(01:34:03):
was MVP of the league.

Speaker 1 (01:34:06):
Second torn ACL for him.

Speaker 8 (01:34:08):
Right, Yeah, yeah, there was the outfield injury too.

Speaker 2 (01:34:11):
Yeah, twenty twenty one, same same leg or different one
this time?

Speaker 1 (01:34:15):
Well, he says, is this right or left?

Speaker 9 (01:34:17):
Uh?

Speaker 8 (01:34:18):
You know, I do not remember what that was?

Speaker 2 (01:34:20):
Yeah, twenty one? Yeah, okay, so that's the other one. Yeah,
twenty twenty one was the right.

Speaker 7 (01:34:26):
But he said he's been here a pop today, so
he thought it wouldn't be like a couple of years ago.

Speaker 8 (01:34:30):
But the team says, no, no, out for the year.

Speaker 2 (01:34:32):
Goodes, Oh, that one's brutal.

Speaker 1 (01:34:37):
That one's brutal.

Speaker 2 (01:34:39):
Ronald mccunya torn ACL on the other side, and.

Speaker 1 (01:34:44):
Gosh, how old is he? Ronald kcunye is still still
pretty young, pretty young man, twenty six years old.

Speaker 2 (01:34:53):
And both acls are going to be totally reconstructed. I mean,
just being in the NFL as long as you you have.
How do you think that affects his future? Not very
much really, Yeah, no, No, he'll be fine. He'll be fine.

(01:35:17):
Baseball is just a different situation. He'll be fine. A
c ls aren't what they used to be, right, So
think about it like this, remember uh Adrian Peterson nine
months after he tours a cl he'd rushed for two
thousand yards in the NFL.

Speaker 1 (01:35:37):
He'll he'll be fine playing.

Speaker 3 (01:35:39):
Baseball around the bases by himself.

Speaker 1 (01:35:45):
But you know he has to turn in that. Oh
he'll be fine.

Speaker 3 (01:35:48):
It's not like he has he doesn't have to get
a goat leg or something like that.

Speaker 1 (01:35:54):
Well, I mean, you act like you're not using him,
and he's.

Speaker 3 (01:35:57):
He's using them, but there is no there's no stopping
change direction and speaking.

Speaker 1 (01:36:04):
I'm trying to I'm not trying to compare him to
a running back.

Speaker 3 (01:36:06):
But so what I'm telling you is it the surgeries
that they have now, and it's a lot different than
it used to be. A c O is not a
death sentence like it would Michael faster fractures used to
be a death sentence, a CLS, all of those things,
it's not the case anymore. What about achilles, that's still
not Look at KD, it's still not what it used

(01:36:28):
to be. Medical technology has made the healing and the
recovery process, uh, faster and better and that I mean,
that's just what it is. So he'll be fine.

Speaker 2 (01:36:47):
I'm watching this game, as are you. They're tied with
just under four to go Amore and bang right. So okay,
now it's a three point lead for the Maps at
one O seven, one four. There's some intensity going on here.
This is a really good watch right now. But here's
why I was thinking about this right now. You know,
we sat here last Sunday and the Minnesota Timberwolves rallied

(01:37:11):
and defeated the champs. They defeated the Denver Nuggets, and
in that moment, many of us thought that team's gonna
win at all because we like right and we like
who's coming out of the West. Like Boston was still
the favorite, largely because we all pretty much knew they
were going to be there, and they are going to
be there so pretty much. So therefore you look at

(01:37:35):
Minnesota and you go, gosh, they're so battle tested. I
like them to come out of the West spotlight that moment.
I've just been thinking about this late lately. Minneapolis has
got to be the city. I'm trying to think of
one that has teased their fans more than the city

(01:37:57):
of Minneapolis, which is I've only been there and I
loved it. Great city, great people in that area of
the country every time I go there. But you are
the owner, by the way of one of these upsets.

Speaker 3 (01:38:10):
As you know, watched it yesterday. It was on the
NFL network. Greatest was it?

Speaker 1 (01:38:14):
Yep?

Speaker 3 (01:38:15):
Me, my family, my boys sat down on my food food.
It was just on and so you know, my boys
never really have seen me play football. They were in
there watching all of six minutes like, oh wow, look
at you look so young?

Speaker 1 (01:38:30):
You okay? And the we're gone taking care less?

Speaker 3 (01:38:33):
How long did you stick with it? I'll watched the
whole thing, ohole game I watched. You know what I realized,
and this is a great segue. You know what I
realized watching that game, me being twenty two years old,
rookie in the league and the biggest game in franchise history, yes,

(01:38:54):
both franchises and the ebbs and flows of that game. Ever,
people ask me like, how do you keep going? Like
how do you always find yourself? You know, whatever you're doing.
You know, the level of success I've had in my
career and the things I've decided to do.

Speaker 1 (01:39:17):
So much pressure comes with that, and I always say,
this is not real pressure.

Speaker 3 (01:39:24):
And watching that game made me realize thirty something years later,
why I don't feel pressure in other situations. If you
know anything about that game, the way it was played out,
I Meanesota Minnesota was the highest scoring offense, it was

(01:39:48):
best at fifteen to one. I mean, they were everything
Randy Moster's rookie year, my rookie year, and being there,
they had the loudest stadium on the planet Earth in Minnesota,
and and we had no snap count and I was
one on one as a rookie right tackle, which oh,
by the way, I played left tackle in college, going

(01:40:12):
up against the vaunted Minnesota Vikings defense, and like quarter
after quarter it got more intense and more intense. We
needed to come down and score. It was two minutes
left in the game. We needed to score touchdown to
tie it up, and I'm just thinking, I was like.

Speaker 1 (01:40:32):
That's pressure, that's pressure.

Speaker 3 (01:40:36):
And then when we tied it up we needed to
score in overtime, I'm like, that's pressure. That Just imagine
the level of pressure that is for kid, for kid
who was a year ago playing in college.

Speaker 2 (01:40:48):
So so in other words, what you're saying is you
started there like that was that was the baseline for
your NFL career.

Speaker 1 (01:40:56):
Yes, so everything after that felt easy.

Speaker 3 (01:40:59):
I will but you know what, I was the offensive
player of the game. I have a game ball at
home for that, And at the time, I was like, well,
Chris Chandler played great in terms, but understanding each moment
of that game where I was playing my butt off
and actually competing at a high level and doing what

(01:41:22):
I was supposed to do at that age coming out
of college. I get it now thirty year, thirties plus
years later, I get why they gave me the game
ball for that, because that would be crazy to ask
the kid to do that right now.

Speaker 1 (01:41:40):
Uh huh. You'd be like, I don't know, man, we
got to send some help over there or something.

Speaker 3 (01:41:44):
That's a lot a lot, And that's where we were,
and it was like I was, I'm like, man, I
can't believe I did it. I was shocked. I was shocked.
I was I'm sitting at forty eight, forty seven years old, like, man,
I did that. That's pretty good. But that's when my

(01:42:06):
career started. Being in that type of situation. It was like,
oh yeah, he got it, He got it all.

Speaker 1 (01:42:12):
Well.

Speaker 3 (01:42:12):
You know, Randy and I both made the All Rookie team.
Like it was just one of those situations where you know,
the cream rose to the top there and I got
a chance to really submit myself as a starter in
this league in my rookie year.

Speaker 2 (01:42:29):
There's a lot more to say on this conversation, but
everything that you just said to me about pressure, the Falcons,
the NFL, all of this stuff, I think it pales
in comparison to what Steve de Seger is facing right now.

Speaker 1 (01:42:47):
You want to talk about pressure, Let's see how he
does well.

Speaker 7 (01:42:51):
We will start by quoting our boss. We're gonna do okay.
Mark Willick his Minnesota Timberwolves are one round away from
the final. You talked about media markets that are kind
of teasing their sports fans. Minnesota might be near the
top of that list because and he's tweeted this out,
not just this year. As for cities that have all

(01:43:14):
four major sports, Minnesota Minneapolis Saint Paul being one of them,
they have by far the longest current title drought since
the nineteen ninety one Twins won the World Series with
Jack Robarris. It's not only that he says Minnesota has
not had a team even make it to the finals
in its sport in the four major sports since the
nineteen ninety one World Series, and in that stretch of decades,

(01:43:38):
the La Areas had nineteen teams in finals, Boston's had twenty,
New York's had twenty three teams in finals since nineteen
ninety one, Minnesota none. And they had the first two
games of this series at home and lost them both
to Dallas. They were down twelve at Dallas in Game
three tonight in the first half, took the lead late
third quarter, but now it's Dallas in the lead, won

(01:44:01):
eleven to one oh five over Minnesota with a minute
to go. Luka Donsig thirty three points, Kyrie Irving with
thirty one. Dallas shooting fifty five percent from the floor
against Minnesota's normally good defense. Karl Anthony Towns fourteen points
eleven rebounds for the Timberwolves. From three point range, he
is zero for seven. Anthony Edwards twenty four points, including

(01:44:23):
a poster dunk, but Minnesota is down six with a
minute to go. Game fource at Dallas on Tuesday night
in the NHL East Finals, Game four, Game three was
in overtime, so Game four will be at Florida, with
the Panthers now trailing the series two games to one
because the Rangers last game had won in overtime. Rangers
today won in ot at Florida, five to four. NASCAR's

(01:44:46):
Coca Cola six hundred is on Fox TV, but due
to a storm, it's in a weather delay right now.
The red flag stoppage comes at about lap twoin fifty
of the four hundred schedule. Christopher Bell in the lead,
Brad Keslowski and second, William Is in third. Joseph Neugarden
won the Indy five hundred after a four hour rain
delay at the start. He won last year's race as well.

(01:45:07):
Baseball in Saint Louis had about a two and a
half hour rain delay at the start. The Cardinals, who
won four in a row, are now leading the Cubs
two nothing in the bottom of the third. Cleveland won
its ninth straight game, five to four at the Angels.
San Diego beat the Yankees five to two. Colorado over
Philadelphia five two. Losing pitcher Ranger Suarez had been nine
to zero. Cincinnati handed the Dodgers a fifth straight loss,

(01:45:29):
four to one. Detroit with a three run homer bottom
of the ninth beat Toronto fourteen to eleven, and Atlanta
won eight one at Pittsburgh, winning pitcher Chris Slee eight
and one. However, a Brave Star, Ronald Decunye was injured
on the base Pats today. He is out for the year.
The Braves announced this just in the last half hour.
Torn acl complete tear in the left knee, the National

(01:45:51):
League MVP from last year out for the season. Updating
thirty seconds to go at Dallas Mavericks leading one thirteen,
one oh five over Minnesota, trying to take a three
games to non lead in the NBA's West Finals.

Speaker 2 (01:46:04):
Back to you, well, that was the best minute of
Daniel Gaffert's career. This dude, hey man, wow, I mean
I mean those two the end to end play, the
block that he just had at one end, man, and
and combine that with the lob finish at the other end.

Speaker 1 (01:46:23):
He ends up on the floor under.

Speaker 3 (01:46:25):
Na because he put the defensive player of the year
in the rim. That's what you're supposed to do as
a big you impose your will on the other team.

Speaker 7 (01:46:40):
And Gafford had barely played in the first half tonight,
guys because of foul trouble. And remember Derek Lively went
out tonight when he got k neat in the back
of the head.

Speaker 8 (01:46:48):
But now one fourteen.

Speaker 3 (01:46:49):
I said in the first hour, the two best big
men in this series are Gaffert and Lively, and they
both play for Dallas, period.

Speaker 8 (01:46:59):
And they're now seven from three point right.

Speaker 3 (01:47:01):
And they make a fraction of what the other to make.
How about that.

Speaker 1 (01:47:08):
It's a bad night for Karl Anthony Towns.

Speaker 10 (01:47:10):
Man, he what did I tell you that he got
shot selections?

Speaker 1 (01:47:15):
Look, man, it's not that's not it. That's not it. Man.

Speaker 3 (01:47:20):
First of all, I can go I can go on forever.
I'm just I'm not a fan of number one. How mentally,
he's attacked the game, even in the the The Nugget series.
You want to talk about someone who can't he can't

(01:47:42):
stop himself from getting into foul trouble. So when he
was guarding the joker thirty five feet away from the basket,
and he would run up there and body check him
and pick up an early foul one minute into the
basketball game, consistently, I was like, bruh, dude, what is

(01:48:04):
happening right now?

Speaker 1 (01:48:06):
Like he just can't get.

Speaker 3 (01:48:09):
It's the way you play physical but not goofy and
him not playing in the post. He doesn't know what
that is. He spends most of his time outside, like
he just shot a three now air ball outside the

(01:48:30):
three point arc. So asking him to be physical with
another big it's like asking a guard to do it.
He doesn't have the right mindset or mentality to do it.
So him putting himself in foul trouble, poor shot selection.
I can't with it. Anthony Edwards, we need you to Hey, buddy.

Speaker 1 (01:48:52):
Where are you? Yeah? Where are his shots? Now?

Speaker 2 (01:48:56):
The Gaffert block was on a drive of his that
but but other than that, yeah, he held the block
came off of Conley.

Speaker 1 (01:49:06):
That was That was kind of bad, my bad. I
thought that was an no, that's not ant, which is
the problem. That is a problem.

Speaker 3 (01:49:15):
If you're going to be him, if you're going to
talk like you're him, if you want to become the
face of a league, then you have to be him.

Speaker 1 (01:49:24):
Well you have to be in the finals. But got
to get there first, right, That was my issue with it.

Speaker 2 (01:49:32):
The whole time is last weekend and I felt for
the Trap last weekend.

Speaker 1 (01:49:38):
They won that game. And the conversation started.

Speaker 2 (01:49:44):
Anointing different people and teams and things, and and I
get that, but they're now staring down the barrel of
after that game, never winning another game again this year.

Speaker 1 (01:49:58):
That's that's crazy. Be wrapped up.

Speaker 8 (01:50:01):
It is a final tonight.

Speaker 7 (01:50:02):
Like last year, we have a couple series at three
games to none at this point one sixteen, one oh
seven Dallas Final.

Speaker 2 (01:50:08):
Yeah, so if the history of sports means anything, you
can go ahead and print your ticket.

Speaker 3 (01:50:12):
No Madams lost after leading series three to oh, one
hundred and fifty four and oh, and.

Speaker 2 (01:50:21):
I will venture to guess one hundred and fifty six
and oh is pretty safe. And so the MAVs and
the Celtics are highly highly likely, if not guaranteed.

Speaker 1 (01:50:31):
It's gonna get it over on vacation.

Speaker 3 (01:50:33):
Man, y'all go to a final and a heck of
a run, Hey, Lakers would where you were last year
against the Nuggets, right, made a heck of a run,
got swept on about of there here we go.

Speaker 2 (01:50:47):
I just I do feel for the Minnesota fan because
of the fact that it's not just hey, we haven't won,
it's how many times they've basically gotten the warning shot
of I think this the year.

Speaker 1 (01:51:01):
This is the year, and then it's not.

Speaker 2 (01:51:03):
It's not just the year that you your rookie year
beat Randy Moss and Dante Culpeper in the Minnesota Vikings.
Don't forget this is the only time I've ever been
to Minnieapolis is uh. I went to the Super Bowl
out there. When Nick Foles, Nick Foles went into Minnesota
and beat them in the NFC Championship game, that city

(01:51:26):
was ready to celebrate in their own building, with their
own team and with Nick Foles as the quarterback. Everybody
thought it was a done deal and they didn't even
get there. And shades of that thinking and feeling the
way we did last Sunday and to see them lose
three straight since then is stunning, man, it really is.

(01:51:51):
It's stunning, all right. More as we put the Fini
she touches on this one. Get you ready for playing
and Spaniard, get you ready for the.

Speaker 1 (01:52:04):
Dallas Boston NBA Finals.

Speaker 2 (01:52:07):
We're in the tire Rec dot Com Studios with e
from Salam, Mark Willard, Fox Sports Radio livinthetire Rec dot
Com Studios on Fox Sports Radio, Mark Willardy from Salam
and we've been sitting here breaking down a game that
we've been watching all evening long. But maybe actually now, ephrom,
maybe now on TNT is the game we should actually

(01:52:30):
be talking about. We still haven't gotten the like double triple,
quadruple confirmation with regard to inside the NBA, but we've
gotten everything that we need.

Speaker 1 (01:52:45):
Charles Barkley, speaking publicly.

Speaker 2 (01:52:48):
A few weeks ago, I said, look, in sports, things
are they're unscripted, and they're constantly evolving. Players you love
won't last forever, they're going to age out, whatever, So
things are constantly changing. So therefore it's it's rare that

(01:53:09):
in sports we end up missing things, having that feeling
of loss. This inside the NBA crew and this show,
this is in my opinion, it's going to be a
real game changer when we don't have this anymore.

Speaker 3 (01:53:34):
Yeah, it's sad, man, it's sad. I love their takes,
I love their candid conversations, and I love their relationship.
That's the biggest thing. Some of the best players in
the world were one of the best mediator hosts in
the world talking about a game that we all love

(01:53:54):
from a perspective of Hall of famers, I love that.
I love their energy I love the fan and it's
become part of the basketball season for.

Speaker 1 (01:54:05):
All of us. Tell you what I mean, there's a
few things to say about it. I think you're spot on.
It's it's unique, it's original.

Speaker 2 (01:54:16):
The way that the guys all talk to each other
is is what makes it sort of like something that
you can't replicate at all.

Speaker 1 (01:54:26):
So, you know, I don't know what's going to happen next.

Speaker 2 (01:54:31):
The only way to replicate it would be if if
somehow some network is able to just keep them all together.
And and in today's day and age, you can do that.
You can find a platform for your stuff. And so
maybe we're all morning something that's not going to go away.
But I also had another observation in that Draymond Green

(01:54:53):
has been a part of inside the NBA for about
a week and a half now at least, if not more.

Speaker 1 (01:54:57):
And obvious he's got designs on.

Speaker 2 (01:55:02):
Immedia future, but even Chris Paul, for example, he was
doing stuff on the ESPN set last week, and it
just got me thinking to players who get to this
level of media interaction and participation while they're still active players,
and how many of them still sort of look like

(01:55:24):
the best version of themselves in between the lines after they.

Speaker 1 (01:55:29):
Start doing this.

Speaker 2 (01:55:31):
In other words, are these guys still at a full
level of dedication to their actual basketball jobs, because, my goodness,
certainly Draymond more than anyone, he spends a lot of
time on this media career.

Speaker 3 (01:55:49):
Yeah, but you know, as an older player, you lose
a step. You know, Draymond's basketball IQ is still what
it is. He's still a different difference maker on the court.
What is he slower?

Speaker 1 (01:56:01):
Right?

Speaker 3 (01:56:01):
He's not the same player that he once was. So
it's not going to be what it was transitioning and
getting yourself in position to do something else, especially in
today's age when you can pretty much do it anywhere
and everywhere. They're not leaving the confines of their home
and going into the studio and no, they have these

(01:56:22):
things at they're home, so opposed to I don't know,
watching TV.

Speaker 10 (01:56:28):
You do a podcast on the pod, I mean inside
the NBA.

Speaker 1 (01:56:34):
Draymond Green's in Dallas right now. Yeah, But Draymond Green,
what would he be? Can Koon? Where would he be? Brazil?
Be careful, Padrick Beverley might throw a ball at your face.

Speaker 3 (01:56:44):
But would you get what I'm saying, Like he would
be somewhere else.

Speaker 1 (01:56:48):
This isn't about criticism.

Speaker 2 (01:56:50):
Yeah, of course, like that's fine, great, and yes, set
yourself up for your next career. My point is, if
you're gonna spend that much mental energy on it, are
you still able to spend the energy mentally that you
need to be whoever you are, the best version of
yourself on the court.

Speaker 3 (01:57:11):
You know, when I got into this business, I was
playing my first year in nineteen ninety eight.

Speaker 1 (01:57:21):
I was a co host on the radio show.

Speaker 3 (01:57:25):
And I didn't look back since because for me, it
was okay, your seventh round draft pick. This thing could
turn off tomorrow. So let me use you know, my
resources to try to build up a lane in the
business that wasn't conducive to the position I played. The

(01:57:45):
amount of outlets that were available back then, which were
three four right, And so I started to build out
this my resume and my experience and TV and radio
and do all of these things while I still played
every market I played in at a TV or radio show.

(01:58:08):
And there is a world where you can do right
brain left brain things right like you can have a balance.
And I think the thing that I'm excited about is
the options and availability for guys to do things like

(01:58:29):
this now because honestly, quite honestly, I was one of
the first guys to really try to blaze a path
when it wasn't just open to me, like when it
just wasn't as an offensive lineman, it just was no,

(01:58:49):
there was no jobs there. And shout out to Denise
White and eag Entertainers and Athletes Group, the best publicist
in the business because twenty five years ago, however long
or was, she was like, hey, if you if you
bet on me, you know I'll work harder than anybody.
And she was right. She paved the way. She I said, look,

(01:59:10):
get me in the room, I'll do the rest. And
she constantly got those doors open for me and put
me in position to be able to get in front
of people who are decision makers, and it paid off
for me. I've been in this business over to twenty
five years, which is crazy. But yeah, I don't just

(01:59:32):
come on the air and be unprepared and no, I
can go this is what I do.

Speaker 1 (01:59:38):
This is what I do. That's why it sounds the
way it sounds.

Speaker 2 (01:59:42):
I mean, you don't wear shoes, but outside that, yeah,
you're crushing it. Absolutely crushing it all right man, Boston
and Dallas. I know we're not there yet. We are there, yeah,
so we're gonna have to start playing around with that.
Up next week for e from salam Mark, Willard Plank,

(02:00:03):
and Spanyard Coming up next on five Sports Radio

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