Mark Willard & Ephraim Salaam Talk Russ to the Giants, Sirianni's Message, Flagg's Duke Legacy & More!

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

Speaker 2 (00:02):
Radio rado oh, A lot of directions to go, a
lot of directions to go. We're approaching the NFL Draft,
the NBA playoff picture continues to move and shake.

Speaker 3 (00:15):
Like a belly every single week.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
We are down to the final four in college basketball,
and you know what they say, the younger the player,
the more important the coach is, which is actually where
we're gonna start tonight. We're broadcasting live from the tyrack
dot com studios. Tyrack dot com will help you get
there on un that selection, fast, free shipping, free road

(00:38):
as a protection, and over ten thousand recommended installers. Tyrek
dot com the way tire buyings should be good afternoon
slash evening to wherever you are, and that goes out
to you as well. Mister Ephram Salam, How you doing tonight?

Speaker 3 (00:53):
You got me? Yeah? There, I'm good. How you doing?
I'm good?

Speaker 2 (00:57):
Well, right, no, And I'm glad we got you because
it's gonna be important to hear you, because you know,
I tell everybody who's trying to be young and up
and coming in this business that at the core of
whatever you're doing, you.

Speaker 3 (01:11):
Could write, you could speak, you could be in debate.

Speaker 2 (01:14):
You could do whatever, play by play, whatever you're doing.
At the core of what you are is your storyteller.
I yeah, and you're and you're a good one. And
a birdie tells me you have one. I got one,
hit me, let's go.

Speaker 4 (01:30):
I wanted to open up the show, you know today
with with with current sports events, things that are fantastic
that may not be on everyone's radar.

Speaker 3 (01:44):
Excuse my voice. I'm a coach.

Speaker 4 (01:48):
And like I always say, I don't yell at my
nine and ten year olds. I I strongly suggest things
to them during the course of basket and that's where
we're starting our first segment today. So I coached my

(02:09):
ten year old son on three basketball teams. I coach
him on his school basketball team, I coach him on
his wreck basketball team, and I coach I assistant coach
on his travel team Paul Georgia.

Speaker 3 (02:24):
Leie and so I'm in it.

Speaker 4 (02:30):
And over the years, the current park we play at
now North Weddington, over the years, we started this journey
three years ago. He had just turned eight and they
came in and I was new to the park and
we put a good team together. We end up winning

(02:51):
the championship, the rec League championship, and they asked me,
they said, hey, you have a unique in a dynamic
coaching style. The kids really seem to respond to you,
because in rec basketball, it's not like AAU it's anybody
can just ten dollars, everybody can play. You got kids

(03:13):
who played for four years. We've got kids this is
the first time they ever ever stepping on the basketball court.
So as a rec league coach, you've got to be
able to put a team together. You don't have a
team of eight players who can dribble and get their
own shot and know what a pick and roll is.
And I enjoy that aspect of the game because I

(03:34):
get to teach kids the game that I love, the
game that I played. And so on this journey, we
win the first year and they asked me to be
the All Star coach. Now, the All Star coach is
responsible for compiling all of the dynamic kids in the

(03:55):
league that the coaches have voted for to be on
the All Star team. And I take those kids up
and we practiced together and then we enter the Valley Tournament.
The Valley we're in the Valley Region, so the Valley
Regional All Star Tournament, and that first year, we made

(04:16):
it all the way to the championship and we lost
a heartbreaker by four or six points like that, and
I was like, wow, that was crazy. I was amazing.
And so the director of the park, Danica, she says
to me, hey, that was phenomenal. We haven't been to
the championship in seven years and your first time out.

(04:39):
I mean, you guys went and almost had that game.
Would you mind coming over and being a part of
our program. I'm like, of course, my son is there,
I'm in his life. Yes, yes, yeah, we're doing this together.
This is the same thing that happens in March Madness.
By the way, it's like Handy Enfield the Florida Atlantic. Right,

(05:01):
what was that? Do you want to get a promotion?
Come over here do It's the same thing. Yeah, right,
whatever that is. And so I was like, of course
I'll be on this journey. And the next year we
won the championship again, and we're going the Summer Championship.
During the regular seasons, I coached the All Star Game.

(05:21):
We got knocked out earlier than expected. We got knocked
out in the first round of the tournament, which was heartbreaking.

Speaker 3 (05:28):
We did the summer season.

Speaker 4 (05:29):
We won the championship again this past summer when ten
and oh, my son was the MVP of the league,
in defensive Player of the league, the whole nine yards.
So I felt, Okay, he's a tremendous player. I mean,
he's grown leaps and bounds. I'm going to now let
him go on this basketball journey on his own.

Speaker 3 (05:51):
Uh huh.

Speaker 4 (05:52):
So I was going to step out of it, let
someone else coach him and see how it goes, because
I didn't want the line between father and coach to
be blurred. Sure, if I'm telling him to sit down
on defense, it is like I'm telling him to clean
his room or did he do his homework?

Speaker 3 (06:09):
Oh man?

Speaker 2 (06:10):
I think like very relatable, very much telling that the
kids will respond. They get to an age where they
respond differently if someone else's.

Speaker 4 (06:20):
Oh my goodness, yes, So I'm like, okay, maybe it's time. Right,
he's pretty good in basketball. We've worked on his game.
Maybe someone else can take him the rest of the way.
So the summer goes by and Winter gets to school,
We go back to school, Winter starts.

Speaker 3 (06:37):
Up and.

Speaker 4 (06:39):
They call and say, hey, coach E are you going
to coach this season. I said, no, I'm a step back.
I'm a step back. Is Lijah playing, Yeah, he's playing,
let him go. He's he's still ten, right, we've been
We've been playing minors, which is nine and ten, since
he was eight, and so I'm like, no, no, he's playing.

Speaker 3 (07:00):
And that was that.

Speaker 4 (07:02):
Then they called me a couple of weeks later and
they was like, hey, we really want you to coach,
and I'm like, I'm good. I think it's important for
our relationship to be good outside of basketball.

Speaker 3 (07:16):
And my son came to me and said, hey, we.

Speaker 4 (07:21):
Had a goal of winning a banner, which means if
you win the All Star Valley Region, you get a
banner and they put it up in the gym and
it's up there forever now. To give you context, no
miners team nineteen year olds has won a banner since
two thousand and three. That banner is up there, and
no team has put a banner up in the parks

(07:43):
in two thousand and six. That's a majors team that's ten, eleven,
and twelve year olds, so roughly twenty plus years, nineteen
years whatever it is, no one has gotten a banner.
We came close, but we didn't get one, and he's said,
my dream is to get a banner, and get a banner,
which you was a coach, and I said, I said,

(08:11):
I said, what are you doing to the kid? He
was like, that's what we almost did our first year.
We came close. I'm a better player because of you,
and I want to do this last time with you.

Speaker 3 (08:25):
And I'm like, who are you ten year old?

Speaker 2 (08:27):
That's like a puppy jumping into your lap, Like I
mean you're.

Speaker 3 (08:30):
Gonna say yes.

Speaker 2 (08:32):
I'm like, God, there's nothing you can do there, there's
nothing you could do.

Speaker 4 (08:35):
So right on the heels of that, they called me
back from the park and they are on the phone
for me, with me for an hour, and I said,
all right, look, I'll do it. I'll do a minors team.
And they were like, okay, cool. So we go through
the season and I told them I don't care anything
about the regular season. I care about the All Stars.
That's the goal. So we had the number one seed

(08:56):
in the regular season. It is what it is, and
an All Star comes along and I put together. Remember
early in the story, I told you the coaches submit
their their players that they thought would I said, throw
all those away all season. All I had been doing
was scouting skint and I actually picked the All Star

(09:18):
team prior to the season even being over, which never happens.
And what I was doing was I was taking those
eight players that I picked, and I was I was
practicing with them while we were still in the season.
So essentially I was making players that I had to
play against better, which I didn't care right, because I

(09:40):
needed them to be up to speed because usually the
season is over, you get one practice and right in
the All Stars you're like.

Speaker 3 (09:46):
An actual NBA player, Just who cares about the regular season? Hey,
I can care less, literally, I really.

Speaker 4 (09:56):
And so we had been practicing for a month and
the All Star Our tournament starts and it's pool play.

Speaker 3 (10:04):
Three teams in a pool, right, top two teams.

Speaker 4 (10:07):
Okay, come out of pool play like the World Cup
for people who don't know what pool play is. Yes, yes,
you got a low group and then you got to
play the group and then you come out of the
gate and then you get into the actual one and
done tournament. Right, we win our pool, okay too, and
zero come into the tournament. Now all these teams are winners.
All these teams and events and how many of them

(10:28):
are there there are?

Speaker 3 (10:30):
Is it eight? Is it sixteen? It's sixteen sixteen? Okay,
we got sixteen teams and now it's the knockout State
Hop bracket, lower bracket. Okay, eight and eight whatever, that
is all right, and we're going.

Speaker 4 (10:41):
And we're we're playing the first game, we win.

Speaker 3 (10:46):
Okay, now you're in the round of eight, right. We eight.

Speaker 4 (10:49):
We had a tremendous lead at halftime that first game
we played against Fernangelis and it was twenty seven to three.

Speaker 3 (11:00):
Oh at halftime, that's like it kicked. We play that.

Speaker 4 (11:04):
Second half, they we got a little cocky. They scored
seventeen points. We end up winning forty three to twenty.
Wasn't happy, Okay, I'm not happy. No, spread was twenty
four and a half. It was not happy. We get
into the second round. We had one practice Bobby knightstyle. Okay, yep,

(11:27):
I coached nine and ten year olds on all right,
Bobby knightstyle.

Speaker 3 (11:31):
We come out. No, no, I didn't, but in my
mind I did. Yeah, we come out.

Speaker 4 (11:39):
First half ended at halftime, it's twenty nine to two.

Speaker 3 (11:44):
I'm imagining you have the twenty nine. We do have
the twenty nine.

Speaker 4 (11:48):
We only allowed nine points that second half, which was
still bothering me. We finished the game, I think it
was fifty three to eleven or something like that.

Speaker 2 (11:56):
Okay, we're on a mission here. If you can tell,
I can tell. So now we're in the final four.

Speaker 4 (12:00):
We're we're we're yes, Okay, these teams are now undefeated.
These teams are dynamic teams, really good teams. Played north Ridge.
They were beating they were averaging literally averaging fifty five
points a game, and you held them to nineteen. No, no, no,
this is the next game. OHI the semi final.

Speaker 2 (12:21):
Okay, do you do you want like a big a
dramatic build up where we're like coming up next.

Speaker 4 (12:28):
Wait just wait after this, after this one, okay, after
this one.

Speaker 3 (12:32):
Thish. We're in the final four.

Speaker 4 (12:34):
Final four. We're playing north Ridge. They're a dynamic team.
I'm talking about, really dynastic. Yes, fifty five points a game.
They're holding teams to like twenty points a game.

Speaker 3 (12:43):
Got it. We come out.

Speaker 4 (12:44):
It's back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.
We come down the stretch and they had a big kid.
They had a kid about your size, right, I'm really ten.
One of those type of situations.

Speaker 3 (12:57):
His name was Danny al Monte.

Speaker 4 (12:59):
Go ahead, we we get together as a team and
we turn it on and we win that game well
and regulation.

Speaker 3 (13:09):
I think it was thirty nine to thirty seven. Okay,
that is dramatic. And you're headed to the.

Speaker 4 (13:16):
Fire and we're headed to the finals, which okay, Saturday, okay,
and on the other side of the break, Oh.

Speaker 2 (13:21):
My goodness, it's a cliffhanger. What happens, Well, there's only
one way to find out.

Speaker 3 (13:30):
So two things.

Speaker 2 (13:32):
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(13:54):
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That is all that's not very good, but anyway, you
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(14:14):
Listener with the best bracket at foxsports Radio dot Com
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that coming up next the exciting conclusion of our Ephraim
Salaam coaching story for this weekend. If you're just joining us,

(14:36):
they're on their way to the finals and they're feeling
pretty good, but coach wants a little bit more defense,
So that's next. On Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 5 (14:47):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
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Speaker 2 (14:59):
All right, I'm gonna say this fast because Steve Desager
is up in eight minutes and that's our jam and
we're in the ti rag dot com studios. Be sure
to check out the Fox Sports Radio YouTube channel, because
what do you think when you think of radio host,
You're like, I want to look at him.

Speaker 3 (15:17):
I know that's what you're thinking.

Speaker 2 (15:18):
So there's a ton of great videos from many of
our Fox Sports Radio shows. Just search Fox Sports Radio
on YouTube, and you're gonna see a whole bunch of
video highlights from the shows. Be sure to subscribe so
that you've always got instant access to our Fox Sports
Radio videos on YouTube. Boom blank, get out the way.

(15:39):
That's what I'm gonna do. Here we go. I feel
kind of like a Stone Phillips on ABC back in
the day where he would start the segment by saying,
returning to our story if you are just joining us
from Salama. I don't know how to summarize this, but
your ten year old son has worked you way, you
back in to coaching his team at the All Star

(16:03):
level to try to bring home a banner to your
area for the first time in over twenty years. You
had been very successful in short stint with coaching, but
had stepped away because it was time for him.

Speaker 3 (16:15):
To fly fly on his own.

Speaker 2 (16:19):
But he talked you back into coming, and so you're
back and you're taking your all Star team all the
way through pool play, Round of sixteen, Round of eight,
Final fourp and now we have arrived after a hard
fought victory at the championship at.

Speaker 4 (16:38):
The Championship game, and we're playing Stonehurst now Stonehurst is
another team that they beat a team sixty three to seven.
They beat a team fifty eight to twelve. They were
averaging right around fifty five fifty six points a game.

Speaker 3 (16:59):
So I'm like, who is up in their shack? Right?
But you know, we hang.

Speaker 4 (17:05):
Our hat on defense, and I always teach defense first.
Our first hour of practice is always just about defense.
So we come into this game on Saturday at the
Toledo High School.

Speaker 3 (17:16):
Never been there. A nice place.

Speaker 4 (17:17):
It's got all the balloons, and it's a pretty big deal.
It's a it's a really intense. It's intimidating for nine
to ten year olds.

Speaker 2 (17:26):
Okay, okay, So did you have to who's your things?
Did you bring it out and measure it?

Speaker 3 (17:31):
And no? I played music. I tried to lighten it.

Speaker 4 (17:34):
I tried to lighten the mood because my son I
have spent all night the night before talking to my son.
He was very nervous. Sure, uh, and these kids are
all emotional. And we had played a team. This is
the team that beat us last year early in the tournament.
So the team to put us out last year, this
is the team we're facing in the championship. Okay, And

(17:56):
so we go on to this game, and it's a
heavyweight battle, so much so at the end of the
first half we played two halves, it was tied up.

Speaker 3 (18:05):
Nineteen nineteen. Oh, my goodness, nineteen nineteen. I don't know
if my heart can take this.

Speaker 4 (18:10):
Yours, come on, dude, And so you already know the
ending though, and so I'm like, look here, man, I said, look,
it's zero zero, right. The jitters and the nervousness is out.
We've played this team to an even time. That means
you belong here. They belong here. Who's going to win?

(18:31):
They went up by five, I call a time out,
We go up. We go on a six zero run.
Now we're up by one. It's back and forth, back
and forth, back and forth.

Speaker 3 (18:41):
The score is.

Speaker 4 (18:42):
Thirty one to twenty nine with twenty five seconds left
in the game.

Speaker 3 (18:47):
Who's winning. We're up, You're up by two, and we
have the ball with twenty five seconds. Yes, is there
a shot clock? There's no shot clock. No shot clock.
They got a foul. They put a little press on.

Speaker 4 (19:01):
We swing the ball, swing it back to my son,
who is the MVP of the team.

Speaker 3 (19:06):
He can knock down a free throw too. Listen, what happened.

Speaker 4 (19:11):
He gets the ball and with twelve seconds left in
the game, he turns it over.

Speaker 3 (19:20):
Oh dear. Their coach calls the time out. He is devastated.
That's not what I thought you were gonna say. Listen
to what I'm telling you. I am.

Speaker 4 (19:32):
He turns the ball over. They call timeout. They come out,
they run a play whatever. Their best player who's taller
than myself, which is hard to find, yep. Three seconds
left in the game. They swing it to him in
the corner. He hits a three. No thirty two, thirty one,

(19:52):
no game over buzzer. My son runs up to me
and says, Dad, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. The whistles blow.
His foot was on the line. It was a two pointer.

Speaker 3 (20:06):
Get the bleep out. It's thirty one thirty one. Wait,
wait a minute, I need to know something. How did
they like it? Wasn't they called it a two? But
they but but they called it. This wasn't like video on.

Speaker 4 (20:21):
You ref called it a two. Yeah, the one on
the far side caught it, the three, the one standing there.
So then they gather about it. They, oh, good lord,
that ref put is you know what's on the you know.

Speaker 3 (20:34):
What we got an over two minute overtime. Good gracious God, we're.

Speaker 4 (20:39):
Battling in overtime. What's your son's name again, Elijah?

Speaker 3 (20:43):
Elijah? Right, Okay, Elijah's.

Speaker 4 (20:48):
Got to stop crying. It's hard to play and cry
at the same time. We come back, we come back
out and we're dueling. We're battling. We go up to it,
we go up to up too. They come in, they score,
tide is tied. Right, we got one final shot. My
son has a three at the end. It rims in,

(21:10):
rims out, double overtime.

Speaker 3 (21:13):
Double overtime.

Speaker 4 (21:15):
Elijah, another two minutes, another two minutes. We're battling. It's
like a minute thirty in the game. We're going back
and forth. The kids are a wreck. They're tired. My
son played the whole game, forty four minutes. He didn't
sit one time. He blocks a shot, takes it down

(21:36):
the court.

Speaker 3 (21:36):
What's the score. It's thirty three to thirty three. It's tied.

Speaker 4 (21:40):
Okay, comes down, weaves in between, goes up, hits the shot.
We're up thirty five, thirty two, thirty three. Okay, y'allah,
it's twenty seconds left. What the seconds you come? You're
up to coming down the court. Elijah, We're coming on
the court. He blocks the shot, get it? They foul.

(22:01):
He goes to the line. Oh, he hits one to
go up three. Yes, he misses the second one. Oh,
for God's sake, they get the rebound. Call a time out.

Speaker 3 (22:10):
How much time? Eight second? There's eight left. You're up
by three. Eight second.

Speaker 4 (22:15):
No fouls, no foul fouls and no threes. Okay, they
throw a ball into the corner. I had superior defense
over there. They hoist one up. It hits the front
of the rim. Good Lord bounces out the North Weddington Wildcats.
My son's team is now the champion. We are the

(22:38):
number one wrecked team in all of the valley.

Speaker 3 (22:41):
You did it.

Speaker 4 (22:42):
That just happened, and we get our banner. It just happened.
And I'm so proud of these kids. I'm so proud
of these kids. And I'm gonna give you every single
one of their names. After our MVP gives us the update,
I can promise you it won't be better than that.

Speaker 6 (23:00):
We are exhausted. Sorry, scoreboard here, wow wow to the
final four?

Speaker 3 (23:05):
Now get no, forget the final four. Two athrams game again,
give me the whole thing.

Speaker 6 (23:12):
Arburn and Houston are headed to the men's Final four
next weekend in San Antonio.

Speaker 3 (23:17):
Exactly Houston Cougar.

Speaker 6 (23:19):
Has led Tennessee twenty nine to eight late in the
first half, beat him to win the Midwest Region sixty
nine to fifty. In Atlanta, one seed Auburn eliminated Michigan
State seventy to sixty four All American Jani Broome twenty
five points and fourteen rebounds. We already had wins for
Duke and for Florida yesterday. The final four field is set.

(23:40):
Villanova has a new head coach. It's Kevin Willard from Maryland.
He'd also coached Seaton Hall in the past. New Mexico
hired coach Eric ole And, who just led uc San
Diego to the tournament. In the women's regional finals that
started today, one seed South Carolina beat Duke fifty four
to fifty. UCLA heads to a final four after eliminating
LSU seventy two to sixty five. Couple more women's games tomorrow,

(24:03):
Texas against TCU and Connecticut against usc IS. Sc is
without injured star Juji Watkins for the year. In the NBA,
New York has beaten Portland one ten to ninety three,
Clippers edged by the Cleveland Cavaliers today. It was a
road game one twenty seven, one twenty two for La
Kawhi Leonard was out due to knee injury management. The

(24:24):
Warriors lead is eighty six sixty at San Antonio in
the third quarter. The team does say Jonathan Kaminga left
with a sore ankle other injury news II and Williamson
of New Orleans with a bruise back out tonight, missing
a fifth straight game. For Detroit. Kig Cunningham with a
bruise calf out for a fourth straight game. Updating some
of the scores in progress. Atlanta is leading early third

(24:48):
quarter at Milwaukee eighty six to seventy six, despite twenty
one points already from Janis An Tenecumpo. New Orleans trails
at home to the Hornets mid third quarter sixty five
to fifty nine. Among the NHL games, Buffalo an eight
five winner at Washington, minwou Lee one stroke winner in Houston,
Scottie Scheffler tied for second place. Denny Hamlin was the

(25:09):
NASCAR victor at Martinsville today, the first short track race
of the season. Nascars on FS one again. The next
couple of Sundays, and the Sunday Night MLB game is
in San Diego and the Padres go to the sixth
inning with a two to nothing lead on Atlanta. The Braves,
who've already lost three straight in San Diego, have but
one hit in tonight's game. So far, Arizona beat the

(25:30):
Cubs ten to six, Seattle two to one. Over that
you don't call them Oakland Athletics. Washington beat Philadelphia five
to one. Aaron Nola took the loss. Phillies short step
Trey Turner could miss Monday's game, also with backspasms. Aaron
Judge had three home runs yesterday and another today, four
already this season. Yankees beat Milwaukee twelve to three.

Speaker 2 (25:49):
Back to you, how many home runs total did the
Yankees have? And you know exactly why I'm asking Nine
yesterday right?

Speaker 3 (25:56):
How many today?

Speaker 2 (25:57):
I'm looking at this right now, Judge had won had two,
right se so four more today, four more.

Speaker 6 (26:05):
Today, three off the starter in first three innings?

Speaker 2 (26:08):
How many more days before everybody freaks out about these bats?

Speaker 3 (26:12):
And just like Major League Baseball either pulls them.

Speaker 6 (26:16):
Or different but legal bats, the Yankees.

Speaker 3 (26:18):
Are right right.

Speaker 2 (26:19):
Apparently they've got something that rewaits the wood to the
spot where most people hit, where the ball hits the bat,
and so the bat is weighed differently, but apparently is
still within the written rules. And the Yankees made this
public and they haven't lost a baseball game yet, and
they've had a thousand home runs already, and everyone's just like, well, okay,

(26:42):
like what do we like we have a week You're
either going to be you either can't do that or
all the teams.

Speaker 6 (26:48):
Right right, it's a fat or barrel. It's our size
to hit the baseball, to not miss the.

Speaker 2 (26:53):
Pitch, right right, So I mean it put it this way.
I don't know what to do with this story yet.
I just know it's not going away, Like this is
gonna it's either the thing that fixes baseball, because there'll
be two home runs an inning now for the rest
of the year for everybody.

Speaker 6 (27:11):
Sure that's a fix. Arena football is not better than football.

Speaker 3 (27:14):
Football agreed. Those of us who have watched for more
than a minute may not agree.

Speaker 2 (27:19):
But something tells me that baseball might dig the idea
of the Yankees and young fans and we homer every
seven minutes.

Speaker 3 (27:27):
I don't know, but like, this is going somewhere. You
can't just be the only team that's out there scoring
fifteen runs every night and everyone else is scoring two.

Speaker 6 (27:37):
It's kind of like when people started to say, we
don't care how much our pitchers have in velocity or
if it blows their arm out in a few years,
go ahead, throw as hard as you can, right, you
could have two Tommy John Surgeries. Who cares? By the way,
the Yankees in the game yesterday, we're facing a former
teammate of theirs, Nestor Cortez. First pitch of the game,

(27:58):
he allows a home run at Yankee Stadium. Then Coby
Bellinger comes up, second pitch of the game, home run.
Then Aaron Judge comes up, third pitch of the game,
home run. Three pitches, it's three nothing. He later allowed
another homer in the first As I say, nine home
runs total for the New York team yesterday, Oh.

Speaker 2 (28:16):
Yeah, four in the first inning. That's quite a thing.
So yeah, I don't know. I don't know what to
do with that, but it's going somewhere, for sure.

Speaker 6 (28:27):
It's fifteen home runs first three games of the season. Oh,
that only ties the Major League.

Speaker 3 (28:31):
Grind all right, sure, and of course it's the Yankees.
Of course.

Speaker 6 (28:38):
Yeah, that's not the hardest part to hit it out
of either, so we should balance.

Speaker 3 (28:42):
Oh it's not, it's not. What are you guys going
on about. I don't even Yeah, my bad, thank you, Steve.

Speaker 2 (28:48):
When the tie reg dot com studios say their names,
say their names, let's go, let's go say their names.

Speaker 4 (28:54):
We got Max Eli Ryan Lorenzo, Oliver Wes dominating my
son Elijah, and shout out to my assistant coach called
Ronnie Bird. We did something for our park that hadn't
been done in over twenty years. And we stepped up
and we stepped out. And the journey is not over

(29:16):
because now the four other regions went through the same
thing we went through, and now we played for the
city championship. So we have a game Saturday, and god,
it's were back at the final four.

Speaker 3 (29:33):
That that's we know. That's a that's a letdown game.
That don't you that's a classic letdown? Ready coach, ready, ready.

Speaker 4 (29:42):
We got two days of we got four hours of
practice this week. Bobby Knight, Okay, I reviewed that. I've
reviewed the game footage three four times already. I know
what we need to do better. We played the Palisades
on Saturday.

Speaker 3 (30:03):
I'm looking at uh just for the radio audience.

Speaker 2 (30:06):
Ephraim was kind enough to text our show thread some
pictures of the young men and a couple of guys
who aren't so young. But anyway, so I'm looking at
this right now. Is your son the one right next
to you or the one on the end, right next
to me, right next to you. That's the MVP, right,
that's the MVP.

Speaker 4 (30:26):
He averaged eighteen five, five and four four blocks a game.

Speaker 3 (30:30):
This this old run man. And was this today or yesterday?

Speaker 4 (30:34):
That was yesterday? Okay, that was yesterday. Oh, by the way,
I buried the lead a little bit. I doubt it
earlier in the day.

Speaker 3 (30:42):
Oh.

Speaker 4 (30:42):
I also coach his remember I said, I coach his
schools team as well. Yes, So we had been in
the school tournament simultaneously, okay, And that morning we had
our Valley Regional championship for their elementary schools in the valley,

(31:04):
which we won twenty seven twenty nine to five.

Speaker 2 (31:08):
Oh, you had games earlier in the day, earlier in
the day for a different league for the school you know,
can I I want to both congratulate you on something
and tell you you're crazy, all in the same sentence.

Speaker 4 (31:22):
I love that you win, That's what I mean. I'm
the coach of that team too. Yeah, why four of
my kids on my All Star They go to my
son's schools and they're on that team.

Speaker 3 (31:33):
Okay, okay, have I put thirteen kids on that school
team for a reason?

Speaker 4 (31:38):
Now all thirteen of them can go, So no one
plays heavy minutes and they play six minute quarters is
real fast. We jump out, we press, we turn the
ball over. We within the first three minutes of the game.
We can no longer press because once you get up
by fifteen, you can't press.

Speaker 3 (31:57):
We start each game at.

Speaker 4 (31:58):
The school level fifteen and oh in three minutes, and
then we fall back into our trapping half court defense.

Speaker 3 (32:04):
Right.

Speaker 4 (32:06):
So we also play in the city school championship on
Saturday again.

Speaker 3 (32:14):
So you're you're double dip again next weekend. Yes, but
the big prize has already been a geep. That was
the goal, which is.

Speaker 2 (32:24):
Why I'm calling. I'm predicting the letown promise. You won't
your job, your job is harder next week.

Speaker 3 (32:30):
It's fine, I'll take it.

Speaker 2 (32:31):
Because human beings, they relax their shoulders. They do you
know this?

Speaker 3 (32:38):
You an athlete.

Speaker 4 (32:39):
I know that I don't relax my shoulders and if
if I don't relax, they won't relax. Because, like I said,
you know who I really coach like Don Staley? You
ever watched Don Staley coach? That's who I coach like
Don Staley, not by the Night. I don't know if
you guys have ever watched Don Staley coach. But it's

(32:59):
intent and she knows her stuff. It's a lot shout
out to her in South Carolina from making it to
the Final four again for the third straight year.

Speaker 3 (33:08):
Uh, looking to three peat? You should use her as
your comp and not Bobby Knight. No, that's what I
was just saying. No, I know what you're doing. But
in my head, I'm like, did he go get me
the secretary after practice? Like? What did he? What? What's happening? Anyway, dude,
congratulates What a story and just like what an experience.

Speaker 4 (33:30):
It's unreal, man, I couldn't even believe it. Oh, by
the way, yeah, remember it's been Ramadan.

Speaker 3 (33:37):
So you did all of this without any food, eat
food or water? You want to dog? Come on, how
are you all? How are you.

Speaker 4 (33:45):
Literally, I literally almost. This is not a joke. This
is for real.

Speaker 3 (33:49):
Have you still not eaten? No? The Ramadan, the last
day of Ramadan was yesterday today? Is it?

Speaker 4 (33:54):
So ed Muborg For all the Muslims out there who fast,
it is the celebration right after Ramadan. It's similar to
it's equivalent to the Christian Christmas. It's a big gift giving.
It's a celebration. Yeah, you're having a day.

Speaker 3 (34:06):
It's been a great day. So did you eat a lot?

Speaker 4 (34:09):
Now your stomach shrinks? No, I know, but like no, no, no, no,
I did eat. I'm not drinking them drinking. God, I'm
gonna drink let alone. Look, but that that semi final
game that we played on Thursday. Yeah, when I tell
you the way that game ended, right, I skipped over
it because I knew we had to get to the championship.

Speaker 3 (34:30):
But the way that game ended, we were down by two.

Speaker 4 (34:35):
My kid, my guy Max gets a rebound and they
foul them. We go down and no, excuse me, we
were up. We were tired. Excuse me, we were tired.
They shoot, they missed. My guy Max gets a rebound. Yes,
we go down. Earlier in that uh in in the
second half, he missed two free throws. Before I start

(34:58):
every one of my practices, we start with this scenario.
Down by one, no time left on the clock. Pass
was thrown to you. You go out for the shot,
you get fouled. You go to the line, no time left,
make one to tie it to to win the game.
I start every single practice since I've been a coach

(35:20):
like that. It's it's twenty seconds left in the game.
We're tied. Max steps up to the line, hits both
for free throws. Yes, sir, they throw them. They call
a timeout, throw the ball in. They run a play.
My son recognizes the play because they had been running

(35:40):
it all game. It's designed to get their shooter in
the corner. He reads the play and steals the ball
with five seconds left in the game Ball Game. I
ran out of the gym because with two minutes left
in the game, I almost feigned it because I was

(36:01):
completely dehydrated and depleted. I was standing there saying, please, God,
don't let me fast out, please, because if I do,
my kids won't recover.

Speaker 3 (36:11):
We're losing the game.

Speaker 4 (36:13):
So I on the tape, you see me run out
of the room, and I'm sitting outside on the corner
on the curb, trying not to faint, and I'm let
back in when the when the final buzzer goes off.
That's how intense this was. That was untruth. That was
in the semifinals.

Speaker 2 (36:33):
Man, that's a lot. I can't believe of all the
things you just told me. Your son came off crying
because you had lost.

Speaker 3 (36:42):
Yes, but then you hadn't lost.

Speaker 2 (36:44):
Yep, it turns out you hadn't lost, and and you
turned it around and came back and won.

Speaker 3 (36:52):
Yes, that's this is a ten year old kid. Man. Wow,
nervous to death the night before.

Speaker 2 (36:57):
I thought that was the most amazing part until I
found out that you did all this without eating.

Speaker 3 (37:02):
And that was one of the hardest things I've ever done.

Speaker 4 (37:04):
And let me say this, I've had tremendous I've been
truly blessed and had tremendous athletic success in my life,
tremendous rookie year starting in the Super Bowl, youngest player
to do it, thirteen years in the NFL, played college ball, football, basketball,
all of these things. Everything I've ever wanted to do.

(37:26):
This run with my son and getting this banner and
winning this championship. I take it over anything.

Speaker 3 (37:33):
My God.

Speaker 4 (37:34):
If you told me I can go play in another
Super Bowl or have one of these runs with my
son again, I'm picking this, this run one of the time,
not even a question, what a statement, not even what
a statement. You can have all the Super Bowls in
the world. I'm gonna take what we just accomplished. Every
single time.

Speaker 2 (37:51):
I could sit here and do this with you for
three hours, especially as as a dad like I could
sit here and listen to this. I'm happy for you.
I'm proud to you. I'm proud of your kids. I'm
proud of your son. You called it a journey when
you first brought it up to me, and my goodness,
it was. It was great stuff, man, great stuff, fantastic.

(38:14):
Get get a drink and a meal for crying out
loud and and and then we'll keep going because we
also we need to get some information on something that
just happened earlier.

Speaker 3 (38:24):
Today in Minnesota, they.

Speaker 2 (38:28):
Are at I believe, yeah, they're at halftime right now.
The Pistons are up by six, but seven people have
been ejected because of another brawl. And whenever the Pistons
uniform is involved in a brawl. Our heads all go
to the same place, so let's find out about that.
Maybe Steve can help us go through the wreckage there.

(38:48):
All of that is coming up next. Mark Willardy from
salam Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 1 (38:55):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 2 (38:58):
All right, We're in the tire Rag dot Com studios
and truly like with all of our getting ready for
the show and other areas and things that we were
gonna chit chat about and everything. I actually don't have
the full update on exactly who has been ejected. I've

(39:18):
seen this brawl now that took place in Minnesota in
the first half. Dante Devincenzo of the Wolves nas Reed
were right in the center of it. I'm still getting
the list of pistons, but we do have the audio
of what this all sounded like, and then we'll try
to work through getting you the update on exactly where

(39:40):
it all stands now Here it is Colin was a
really good high school player.

Speaker 3 (39:44):
Three turn the corner and it's.

Speaker 5 (39:46):
Fouled by Holland.

Speaker 4 (39:48):
Man.

Speaker 6 (39:49):
Oh, come on.

Speaker 3 (39:50):
Now, Stevens, big time brawl now in the front row.
It's gonna take it lot to break this up. You
gotta stay out of the crowd. This is not good.

Speaker 4 (40:08):
That is intense. I watched it happen live, and I'm like,
oh my goodness.

Speaker 2 (40:12):
I mean, I I know that Isaiah Stewart, Devincenzo nas Reed,
Ron holl and Marcus Sasser among those who have been ejected.
And obviously you can hear the announcers for a moment
that like they don't even know, they don't.

Speaker 3 (40:28):
Even know what to do with this.

Speaker 2 (40:30):
I'm thrilled to report that Draymond Green was not involved,
So there's that, and other than that, I'm not sure
what to say.

Speaker 3 (40:38):
This one's ugly though. Yeah, that was pretty bad. That
was pretty bad. I got real aggressive, real fast. It
sure did.

Speaker 2 (40:46):
And uh and obviously we're dealing with two teams that
are hot on the chase of seeding and whatnot in
the playoffs. These are two hard nosed clubs and so
this got this got a little bit out of hand.

Speaker 3 (40:59):
We'll talk a little bit more about that.

Speaker 2 (41:01):
And some Lakers dealings we need to discuss coming up next.

Speaker 1 (41:07):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio Radio.

Speaker 2 (41:11):
I want to tell everybody right off the top, because
we still got a lot that we're going to play
with tonight, whether it's college basketball, the NBA, the NFL,
We've got a lot of stuff going on Major League
Baseball too, But I want to spotlight one tweet that
I just got from Brendan Brody who tweeted me and
said the story that E from Salam told was very compelling,

(41:34):
more captivating than some of the sports movies.

Speaker 3 (41:38):
That I've seen. Good job from. I appreciate that.

Speaker 2 (41:43):
So for anybody who's just joining us right now, podcast
is going to go up on the iHeartRadio app as
soon as the show is done. More on that later
in the show, but you should do yourself a favor
and go check it out because it has been.

Speaker 3 (42:01):
It's been a week. It's been a week. It's been
a week from a man.

Speaker 2 (42:06):
We're broadcasting live from the ty rack dot com studios.
Tyrack dot com will help you get there unmatched selection,
fast free shipping, free road hazard protection, and over ten
thousand recommended installers. Tyrack dot com the way tire buying
should be. What was the first post Ramadan meal? I
know your stummach is tiny.

Speaker 4 (42:24):
But what I broke fast last night after the game,
we went over to BJ's to celebrate, and I had
a chicken parmesan with some noodles, I mean, with some spaghetti,
and it was delicious.

Speaker 3 (42:36):
Did you get it, Pazzuki? I didn't get it. Didn't
get it. The mill was good. Yeah, okay, all right,
all right, fair enough. Pazukis are serious though. They gotta
salt man. Don't mess around now. Don't have step into
the Perzuki bookies. You gotta be ready, all right. Anything

(43:03):
else on this Wolves Pistons thing.

Speaker 2 (43:05):
The Wolves have come out firing here in the first
half of the third quarter, and they've now got themselves
a seven point lead in this game. The Pistons get
a lot of this, man. They're very physical basketball team.
They're playing without their star tonight, have been for a
handful of games now, no kid Cunningham. But and also
Isaiah Stewart. He's only played, he only I shouldn't say

(43:26):
he's only played.

Speaker 3 (43:27):
He's out now. He only played seven minutes in this game.

Speaker 2 (43:30):
But if the NBA has a version of what hockey
uses right in an enforcer, Isaiah Stewart, that's that's my man.

Speaker 3 (43:41):
That's that's what he does. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (43:42):
But every NBA team used to have one of them,
They used to but used to come with that.

Speaker 3 (43:46):
They're right not anymore. No, they're just Isaiah Stewart.

Speaker 2 (43:50):
And I guess kind of Draymond Green kinda well, but.

Speaker 3 (43:53):
I mean he's also like the enforcer is supposed to
be someone who is not in every other aspect of
the game. You're just there to beat somebody up around him.

Speaker 2 (44:06):
Perhaps there like Draymond is literally the best defensive player
in the game and exactly, and he's kind of a
point guard and he's the enforcer, so he's a little
bit Isaiah Stewart is just he just there to make
people mad.

Speaker 3 (44:23):
That's why he's there. And he did it. He helped.

Speaker 2 (44:26):
So anyway, a four point lead from Minnesota right now,
third quarter. We will keep you up to date on that.
I'm hot to trot on this, especially with the Laker fandom.
I'd love to get your reaction to this. I found
this to be one of the funnier stories of the weekend.
So apparently there is what is called an internet theory

(44:49):
that had been running around. There's plenty of them, but
with regard to Laker basketball and in the age of
load management, it started to gather steam on the net
that hey, nobody ever load manages against the Lakers everybody's
ready to play when.

Speaker 3 (45:06):
It's the Lakers.

Speaker 2 (45:08):
It's not just if it's on TNT, it's if you're
playing the Lakers. So jj Reddick said, we had our
analytics department.

Speaker 3 (45:17):
Look into it. Oh wow.

Speaker 2 (45:20):
They actually did the dive to find out which teams
are being played against the most. And the stat they
came up with is that eighty six percent of players
in the league they play against the Lakers, or when

(45:43):
you're playing the Lakers, the average is eighty six percent
that your your players play.

Speaker 3 (45:51):
And you may say, okay, is that a good number
or a bad number?

Speaker 2 (45:54):
What is that? That is by far the highest percentage
in the league by far. So Internet rumor equals fact.

Speaker 4 (46:06):
Apparently, So essentially every night you're getting the best you're
getting right from every team.

Speaker 2 (46:14):
Yes, which is actually parenthetically kind of funny because when
the Warriors lost the first two games on their road trip,
and for instance Miami and that Jimmy Butler return game
on Tuesday, they hit like seventeen of twenty five three pointers.
I mean, something just absurd. And typically when that happens

(46:35):
with the Warriors and maybe a few other teams, you
get that line after games and interviews well, we get
everybody's best shot. We get everybody's best shot because with
the Warriors and Steph Curry and blah blah blah. So
I certainly, even though the Lakers don't have they've got

(46:57):
the more long term championship pedigree, not as recent in
a dynasty as the Warriors. But they're the Lakers, they're
the brand, and so I don't find this terribly.

Speaker 3 (47:09):
Surprising, I guess, I guess what's funny to me is
that the Lakers would even spend the time to go
do this, and that in bringing it up publicly, it
also does sound like you're playing a little bit of

(47:29):
a violin for yourself.

Speaker 2 (47:32):
I go, everybody plays against us, and so my question is,
what's the end game here? Why are you searching out
this information and why are you telling us? That's my
question for JJ Reddick and the organization.

Speaker 4 (47:53):
Yeah, I don't know, I really don't What was the
point that was being made.

Speaker 2 (48:02):
The point that's being made is is that the Lakers
have to go against better rosters than every other team,
and it caught enough steam that the Lakers actually decided
to go look into it and then found maybe some
numbers that support it.

Speaker 3 (48:20):
But what's the point. I don't know. I don't know.
I guess I like maybe to complain to the league
or so, I don't know, I don't I don't know
what the endgame is good.

Speaker 4 (48:36):
They need to just worry about, you know, putting games
together like they had this past weekend Minnesota. That was
a big game, although they did fire their coach, which
is I guess it is weird to do.

Speaker 3 (48:50):
In the they're with nine games left and.

Speaker 2 (48:57):
Like right getting ready to go be potentially if they
win another game or two, getting ready to go host
round one of the playoffs.

Speaker 3 (49:04):
That is weird.

Speaker 4 (49:06):
Yeah, And it's a great segue into what's happening there.
When you make a move like that, it has to
be both your stars are your star, you're not coach
wise on the same page. I don't see them doing that.

(49:31):
If Jaron Jackson Junior and Jah are cool with the.

Speaker 2 (49:36):
Coach, probably not. But there was nothing outwardly evident. There
was an argument within the team involving Desmond Bane just
a week ago, so some have sort of pointed to that,
like there was a little shoving match over there on

(49:57):
the sideline with Aldama and Desmond Bane.

Speaker 4 (50:03):
But so it could be that the coach doesn't have
control of the team. I don't know, are the respect
of the team.

Speaker 2 (50:09):
This is one of the most unexplained moves of this
nature because it doesn't either have a direct explanation or
sort of an obvious thing that we can all see.
Because you have a team that's winning the majority of
their basketball games. I know they've struggled of late, but
they've been very hurt. Jaron Jackson missed a period of
time and now John Morant missing a period of time,

(50:32):
and so not terribly surprising that they've struggled a little bit.

Speaker 3 (50:34):
But they're still forty four and thirty.

Speaker 2 (50:37):
And then the five seed, and quite frankly, I've thought
for a while that that whole organization has a leadership issue.

Speaker 3 (50:47):
Yeah you know what I mean, yeah, yeah, And I
mean that as a coach and the players. It was
just weird timing, right, like.

Speaker 4 (50:56):
The season is coming down to an end, and uh,
you know, speaking of ejections and all of that, uh
was I think Terrence Man just got ejected out of
the Bucks Hawks game, which the Hawks are up in

(51:16):
the fourth quarter by twenty.

Speaker 2 (51:18):
I do not have that one crazy Yeah, course, don't
get ejective.

Speaker 3 (51:22):
Golden this Golden State game. That one.

Speaker 2 (51:28):
I've watched that one throughout, and I don't like this one.
This was like a twenty point lead before anybody's butt
got warm.

Speaker 3 (51:35):
This is a weird deal.

Speaker 2 (51:37):
And the Spurs obviously don't have They've got Chris Paul
and then just a bunch of babies out there. They
don't have any of their good players and and they're
probably tanking at this point.

Speaker 3 (51:49):
So this one just got out of hand. The Cooper flag, well,
who is it? Right? Actually?

Speaker 2 (51:54):
I hear the Spurs a lot when people start to
do the NBA conspiracy. That would be right, because's coming
back and dearon Fox.

Speaker 3 (52:03):
Is coming back like they're all hurt. But if you
want a Big three, how does that sound? To goodness? Gracious? Right? Right?

Speaker 2 (52:11):
I mean, I don't. I don't know why people think
like it's interesting. I don't.

Speaker 3 (52:16):
I'm not an.

Speaker 2 (52:17):
NBA conspiracy theorist, but if I was, I mean, the
Magic got the first pick in the draft twice, yeah,
after they got Jack, correct, I mean, what was going on?
Why would the just I know the Lebron thing. Right,
there's also Anthony Bennett, like, why why would the league

(52:38):
be like, you know what we need, we need San Antonio,
Texas to really pop.

Speaker 3 (52:46):
Why would they do that?

Speaker 4 (52:47):
Well after it already popped and they realized how valuable
that franchise was for the overseas market.

Speaker 3 (52:56):
Okay, right now, let's deeper than just surface. That's fair
interesting comment.

Speaker 4 (53:03):
It literally transformed the overseas market in Argentina and Spain
and France. Where are the NBA now all in all
of those markets? Yeah, and so at that level, at
championship level, that's exactly what that was.

Speaker 3 (53:26):
And so.

Speaker 4 (53:28):
You bring in Cooper Flag and partner him with the
Aaron Fox and Victor Women yama ya, goodness gracious.

Speaker 2 (53:39):
I mean right now there are one, two, three, four
five teams in the East and two teams in the
West with worst records.

Speaker 3 (53:49):
So and look, we didn't even no one had even
heard of Tony Parker. Are janob Blee? Like no one?
And so.

Speaker 4 (54:01):
You know, good friend of mine was part of that
scouting uh assistant GM over there, Dell Demps, and a
part of that scouting.

Speaker 6 (54:08):
Uh.

Speaker 4 (54:09):
And that's what he does. He that his that's what
his thing is. He finds uh that talent.

Speaker 3 (54:15):
Oh, he's all over the world.

Speaker 4 (54:16):
Got a million sky miles because he's all over the world, Uh,
discovering un seen and unheard of talent. Now it's a
lot easier now because everything. Everybody's got a mixtape, everybody's
video and but this is back. You know, in the nineties,
it was no Instagram, it was no social media post

(54:38):
about this person over there going crazy and angola. Right
now you can you can find people by just going
on to YouTube, our Instagram.

Speaker 2 (54:50):
Our TikTok. Yeah. Yeah, I mean it makes you think,
it makes it. We won't see we we are we are. Yeah,
I mean I get it. I I can see them
not wanting Cooper Flagg in Utah.

Speaker 3 (55:10):
No, that would be. They don't want that. That would
not be. They don't want him in Washington either. Neither
does he. By the way, no, I'm telling you that
I'm going back to school. Yeah, I mean you've brought
that up, that's it.

Speaker 2 (55:22):
Yeah, he does have Uh, he does have more leverage
than players have had in the past, There's no doubt.
So I saw you wiggle out of all that the
Lakers stuff, and I'm not done yet.

Speaker 3 (55:32):
I wish I need to say something about this. Didn't
need to say so that the Grizzlies.

Speaker 4 (55:37):
Thing not quite Yeah, I know you did.

Speaker 3 (55:44):
But I got all.

Speaker 2 (55:44):
I got questions, man, I got questions, I got Brandon,
I you questions, all of it.

Speaker 3 (55:51):
So that's where we're going next.

Speaker 2 (55:53):
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(56:14):
See how all the hosts are doing with their picks
and who the top ranked listeners are as well.

Speaker 3 (56:18):
Listener with the best bracket at.

Speaker 2 (56:20):
Fox Sports Radio dot COM's gonna get twenty five hundred
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Speaker 3 (56:26):
Vat's it from Salam. I'm Mark Willard. This is Fox
Sports Radio.

Speaker 2 (56:31):
Okay Live Tyrack dot com Studios. Mark Willard eat from Salam.
Stream the show at all of our Fox Sports Radio
shows Live twenty four to seven. New and Improved iHeartRadio app.
Just search Fox Sports Radio in the app to stream
us live. One of the new features in the app
is that you could select Fox Sports Radio as one
of your presets, just like you do on a radio dial.

Speaker 3 (56:53):
So be sure to preset Fox Sports.

Speaker 2 (56:55):
Radio and the iHeartRadio app and it will always pop
up at the top of your screen.

Speaker 3 (57:00):
I was very thankful that when I brought up the.

Speaker 2 (57:07):
Lakers analytics department going out to find out that they
play a higher percentage of the opponent's good players than
any other team.

Speaker 3 (57:20):
I was thankful that your reaction was like, what are
we doing? What are we doing?

Speaker 2 (57:25):
And here's just the last thing I wanted to say
about I wanted to run this by you, is the
concept of the Lakers essentially having a bad break. I
do think, I know you get this. I do think
that the organization understands how that concept would land with

(57:50):
every other human on the planet, the idea that the
Lakers have some sort of an uphill battle when it
comes to the NBA landscape, it does. I hope that
I literally, for most of you, I hope I don't
have to say one more word for you to understand

(58:14):
the irony with the idea the concept that the Lakers
are swimming upstream while Lebron and Luca are on the team,
and any free agent they want wants to come. And oh,
by the way, ask anyone who's not a Laker fan,

(58:36):
and whether they're right or wrong, everyone's got the exact
same concept, which is that they get every whistle they
want and need, doesn't matter how true it is. The
idea that, like, that's why I didn't understand why the
Lakers would even go on this fact finding mission. Is

(58:56):
that what you're going to try to pitch to people
that life is hard? Word for the Lakers, I.

Speaker 4 (59:04):
Mean, I don't like the condescending way you're what's happening this?

Speaker 3 (59:10):
What are we doing? What are we doing?

Speaker 1 (59:14):
Like?

Speaker 3 (59:16):
Is I mean? Is that the idea that that the
Toronto Raptors.

Speaker 2 (59:19):
Have it easy, the reason is hard for the Los
Angeles Lakers.

Speaker 4 (59:25):
Listen, then we get everybody's best shot is because the
world's watching.

Speaker 3 (59:34):
Yes, most of the.

Speaker 4 (59:35):
Games are on prime time, yes, and so guys are
going to show up and show all of all the
ladies come out to the.

Speaker 3 (59:42):
Games, like you.

Speaker 4 (59:44):
Everybody's going to be a part of that, right, the kids,
the families, the single people, they all come to the games.

Speaker 3 (59:52):
It's a it's a it's a thing.

Speaker 4 (59:53):
That's why they travel around with the most fans in
terms of the stadiums. We've heard a pos seeing teams
scream MVP through the history of the Laker greats when
they come to town. And so it's a brand. It's
one of the most recognizable brands in the world. In

(01:00:15):
my opinion, it's the biggest NBA brand.

Speaker 3 (01:00:18):
Of course it is.

Speaker 4 (01:00:19):
And so you're going, you're suiting up for that. I'll
set out the back to back to play with the Lakers,
to play, you know, against the Lakers.

Speaker 3 (01:00:27):
Yes, and that's what that's about. Yes, Yes, of course
that's what it's about.

Speaker 2 (01:00:34):
And and and that's what comes with all of the
baked and advantages that the Lakers enjoy. Yes, okay, I mean,
I don't know if they're searching for a new motto
in Los Angeles Lakers basketball. We have to play other

(01:00:56):
NBA players, I like, I don't.

Speaker 3 (01:00:58):
I just don't.

Speaker 2 (01:00:59):
I don't don't know why they would even, why would they?
Why would JJ Reddick talk about.

Speaker 4 (01:01:04):
That, I don't know, to deflect I don't know. And
coming off of a win, yeah, a good win.

Speaker 3 (01:01:12):
To you know, Like, I mean, I know things have
been a little bumpy lately. I've been bumping very totally.
You're coming off of a really good win. Bro.

Speaker 2 (01:01:20):
That game in the Chicago was the craziest thing I've
ever seen in my life.

Speaker 3 (01:01:25):
But what was that? I was so disappointed. You wouldn't
talk about nine points in the last twelve seconds for
the Bulls and I blame holy crap. Well yeah, I
mean he made a he made a very lazy play.

Speaker 4 (01:01:38):
I can't make that. You can't be that guy and
make that play. You can't be can't be that guy? Fuck,
just like I can't do it? Could I share the
quickest story about this?

Speaker 3 (01:01:49):
Of course?

Speaker 2 (01:01:50):
So I was actually picking my son up from baseball practice,
and so I wanted to know what was going on
with the game. I'm I might I had a dollar
or two on it or something like that, but I
wanted so I put up the little like just the
live internet feed. I wasn't watching it live, and I
struggled to understand.

Speaker 3 (01:02:11):
I thought my internet was broken.

Speaker 2 (01:02:14):
I'm like, how the Bulls are down by five points
with twelve seconds to go, and then the game turned into.

Speaker 3 (01:02:24):
A slot machine.

Speaker 2 (01:02:25):
It was like Brooke Brooke and the timeout and I'm like, wait,
if that's not possible, you can't score six points in
two seconds. And it was like Brook, now the Lakers
are ahead with only three seconds to go, and I'm like, oh,
they pulled it out. And then it's just like bang
final and another I'm like, how the hell. I couldn't,

(01:02:46):
for the life of me figured out how that was
possible until I went and watched it. And I still
can't figure out how it's possible. Oh my god. If
you're cruising around tonight and you've not done yourself the
favor of watching the last twelve seconds.

Speaker 3 (01:03:04):
Don't do it. Just let it go do it. You
don't need to watch that.

Speaker 2 (01:03:07):
Well, if you're a Laker fan, you don't, but everybody
else it like just from the sports fandom that you have.
Go watch the last twelve seconds of Thursday nights Lakers
Bulls game, and you will want to watch it twelve times.
You will be in awe of what took place, kind

(01:03:27):
of like how we're in awe whenever Steve Desager joins us,
We're like, man, how's he do that?

Speaker 6 (01:03:34):
No, not quite go back to your other point. I
saw it and I don't know what.

Speaker 3 (01:03:39):
I just what was that?

Speaker 4 (01:03:41):
I was like, that's not man, that was crazy.

Speaker 6 (01:03:47):
I'm just saying I saw it, and I don't know
how that happened.

Speaker 2 (01:03:51):
Where's Jack Buck? I don't believe what I just saw?
Holy crap.

Speaker 6 (01:03:58):
And if you want to go back to the eighties,
by way, can we just remind the Lakers and their
fans that there was a time in Magic Johnson's day
when if you want to complain about conditions during the
NBA Finals, they're still flying commercial and waiting in regular
airport chairs to get to Boston. Okay, you people don't

(01:04:19):
even know what you're talking about. Twenty twenty five NBA. Right,
I'll leave it at that to the NBA, and let's
get to tonight's games. There are eight games total on
the schedule. Golden State kind of won tonight one forty
eight to one oh six. Was the final at San Antonio,
which is not bad considering I think the Spurs are

(01:04:41):
suiting up a German Shepherd at point guard these days.
It was the Blazers at the Knicks. Knicks dominated one
ten to ninety three, og autoob with twenty eight points
in this one. Pelicans got a home win ninety eight
ninety four over the Hornet. Zion Williamson out again with
a bruise bag, missing a fifth straight game. Piston's Cade
Cunningham with a Bruce Calf out for a fourth straight game.

(01:05:03):
This is that game at Minnesota you referenced earlier. It
is the Timberwolves in the lead ninety nine to ninety
over Detroit with about seven minutes to go. The news
from the first half of this one. We had Dante
DiVincenzo and Nasrit and an assistant kicked out for the
Wolves in a scuffle at the baseline. Isaiah Stewart. We

(01:05:25):
had Holland and Sasser that you mentioned, and coach Bickerstaff
kicked out for the Pistons. Apparently there had been stuff
going on before that, finger pointing and et cetera. We
do have a big lead for the Atlanta Hawks with
two minutes to go at Milwaukee, one forty two to
one twenty three. Zachary Risha Say, first rounder last summer,

(01:05:45):
thirty six points for Atlanta Raptors leading at Philadelphia one
fifteen to ninety nine. It's okay, Philly fans, just stay
the course. It's a no there's no play whatsoever. Forget
it's it's over. You don't even have to be fully fens.
You can check out now onto the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.

(01:06:05):
Auburn and Houston advance. Can I just say a stat
that I ran across that in the history of the
NCAA Tournament, when a team like Tennessee today, when a
team is down at half by nineteen or more said,
teams have never won an NCAA Tournament game oh and
two forty four all time. The deficit for Tennessee at

(01:06:26):
the break was thirty four to fifteen, and now they
did not come back to win Houston sixty nine to
fifty the final. Houston goes to San Antonio for the
Final four next weekend to face Duke, which won last night.
Florida was a winner last night. It'll face SECFO Auburn.
Next to Auburn number one overall set eliminated Michigan State

(01:06:46):
seventy to sixty four in Atlanta. Villanova has a new
head coach, Kevin Willard from Maryland. In women's hoops, regional
finals started today with South Carolina edging Duke fifty four
to fifty. Then UCLA took care of Lsuston seventy two
to sixty five. Min Wu Lee won the Houston Open
by one stroke. Denny Hamblin the NASCAR winner at Martinsville,

(01:07:08):
and it's just gone final. In Major League Baseball, the
San Diego Padres are four and oh oping with these
four straight wins against the Braves. Tonight, it was a
two to nothing lead in the seventh, five nothing over
Atlanta the final. The Braves offense went one for twenty
six with eight strakeouts Arizona and Seattle with wins. Yankees

(01:07:29):
beat Milwaukee twelve to three. Aaron Judge his fourth homer
back to you.

Speaker 2 (01:07:34):
The National League West has a total of five losses
as a division.

Speaker 6 (01:07:41):
Giants won And they didn't have the closer this weekend.

Speaker 2 (01:07:44):
Yeah, which I didn't even know, so they brought in
last year's closer. Yeah, and he closed out a game.

Speaker 3 (01:07:50):
By the way.

Speaker 6 (01:07:51):
The Dodgers at five and oh off today their only
Sunday off all season. Typical baseball early season schedules are
just strange.

Speaker 3 (01:08:00):
Yeah, Steve, can you explain that to see? Is it
about what they're baking in off days because they think
that it's still going to be bad weather?

Speaker 6 (01:08:07):
It is, but not in the Dodgers case. That is
what they bake into general schedules. But I think it's
because the Dodgers they had them open against an interleague opponent,
and there's no way they're hosting an interleague opponent for
four straight games because they don't play them that often,
So they had to have them start on a Thursday
because of television, which means the three game series does
not continue today.

Speaker 2 (01:08:29):
Can they not figure out a way to just start
everybody with a three game series so that they could
just do it on Friday and have baseball instead of
all this Like it's really this half the league played Thursday,
all of the celebration and everybody out on the field

(01:08:49):
and kids miss school, and then you play nine innings
and do it really fast because it's a pitch clock,
so get over with in two hours and fifteen minutes,
and then sit there until the weekend.

Speaker 6 (01:09:00):
The thing is, on the last day of the season,
they have the great idea of staggering everybody either starts
at the same time, and I've seen other days where
they stagger the starts, which is kind of what an
opening day idea should be, you know, instead of pretty
much everybody starting at Eastern time. Just a thought. I
think that every weekend every team should always play, and

(01:09:22):
every July fourth, every team should always.

Speaker 3 (01:09:25):
Always play like hello.

Speaker 2 (01:09:27):
And then that was the other thing you want to
talk about, the ultimate sports slap in the face this week,
nobody's even thinking about it to the level where I
Steve helped me. If I'm getting the teams right, I
think it was the Rockies and the Rays National Opening
Day Thursday. Get everybody out, but not those two.

Speaker 6 (01:09:52):
Oh, I see what you're saying. It was like the
Dodgers off.

Speaker 2 (01:09:54):
Now here, right, they played Friday, interleague, right, Rockies and
Rays did not participate in Opening Day.

Speaker 6 (01:10:02):
So they had the first game Friday.

Speaker 2 (01:10:04):
And I don't think it was an accident that it
was the Rockies.

Speaker 6 (01:10:07):
And the race the Rays who are playing at a
Springs training stadium right, all years we mentioned and they're
getting great crowds ten thousand a day, by.

Speaker 3 (01:10:15):
The way, huge.

Speaker 2 (01:10:16):
They should have had the Rays play the A's rock
and rhymes, yeah in rhymes. Nobody's got a major league stadium.
Some don't even have a city attached to them.

Speaker 6 (01:10:26):
I mean, as we mentioned on an earlier show, the
A's playing in Sacramento sharing a Triple A stadium for
a few years.

Speaker 2 (01:10:34):
Yes, and they're not the Oakland A's and they're not
the Sacramento A's.

Speaker 6 (01:10:37):
But I believe they have the Las Vegas patch for
advertising they do. They do kind of the half Las
Vegas as goodness, you can't call them that though, that's right,
the graphic, it's just a t h right.

Speaker 2 (01:10:50):
They are the baseball version of what of what Washington
did when they decided to get rid of their racist
name and they just called them the Washington football team.

Speaker 3 (01:10:59):
This is the opposite. There's like no city.

Speaker 6 (01:11:01):
It's kind of like the new Utah NHL team is.
They haven't had the fan vote to decide the nickname.

Speaker 3 (01:11:07):
Ye, there you go.

Speaker 6 (01:11:07):
So they're just Utah Hockey Club.

Speaker 3 (01:11:09):
There it is, They're the team. There it is.

Speaker 2 (01:11:12):
Okay, Steve, great, thank you very much. From what do
you make of all four one seeds making the final four?

Speaker 4 (01:11:21):
My honest opinion is this is what nil is doing
to college basketball.

Speaker 3 (01:11:26):
I hear a lot of people say that the true Yeah, okay.

Speaker 4 (01:11:30):
Tell me, because if you look throughout those rosters of
those teams, you have the very best from the Sun
Coast Conference you've got the player of the year from
the Mountain West, you got the defensive player of the
year from the Big Sky. They join these clubs because

(01:11:50):
they can afford to bring these kids over. And now
you're putting teams together with very high level athletes, and
they're older, they're more mature, they've played a lot of basketball,
and now they're getting an opportunity which they've never had before,
to play on at school, make a bunch of money,

(01:12:12):
but also play on schools that are going to make
deep runs in the tournament, something they haven't experienced throughout
their college careers. I mean, why wouldn't you. Lamont Butler
left San Diego State, went to Kentucky, right, They paid
him some money. He left San Diego State went to

(01:12:33):
play at Kentucky. And I don't blame him, No, I don't.
I don't blame anyone.

Speaker 3 (01:12:37):
I just wonder if it's that consistent. I know it
is that consistent. I'm sure that it's going to have
an effect, but I'm like, I don't think that all
the one seeds are just going to go to the
final four. No, no, no.

Speaker 4 (01:12:48):
But what I'm saying is it ups there. There are
no double digit seeds. Right, We're going to see very
few double digit seeds. And I tell you I remember
two years ago, Uh, the San Diego State played FAU

(01:13:11):
in the final four. Yes, Lamont Butler hit that shot
of all shots over Nick Boyd to go to the championship. Yes,
Nick Boyd as San Diego. He left FAU and came
to San Diego State. Right, But that's what you're getting.
Like these teams who are playing these schools in the
tournament the year before, they're like, ooh, we like him.

(01:13:34):
And so when they put their name in the portal
the got Kentucky said it. They were like, look, when
we saw the Mont Butler available, we went to visit him.
That was our guy. We wanted him. Oh, mid majors
can't compete with that. They can't compete with that. And
so teams are recruiting less and less high school kids.

(01:13:59):
So they doing junior college kids and they're doing transfer
portal kids because you get the maturity. You don't have
a seventeen year old, you get a twenty year old.
With COVID at some points you get a twenty five
year old. Right, So if you already have an established
program with five star talent, and you add someone who's

(01:14:22):
been in college three four years playing at a high
clip at a mid major, then you have a team
that now has a bench that can rival other starters.
And that's what you're seeing with these number one seeds
coming in and steamrolling. And gotta remember outside of Arkansas,
there were no double digit seeds right right.

Speaker 3 (01:14:45):
Although Arkansas, man, they had their trips to the elite,
they had it dead, they had it. They blew it
nights and they blew it. They absolutely blew it.

Speaker 2 (01:14:52):
Okay, one NFL player comes into focus for the next
thirty hours. Is he about to get dealt or not?
And should his team want to deal him? We'll get
to that next. In the Tyraq dot com studios for
the best pregame show every weekend, we shure to tune
into Fox Sports Radios Countdown presented by bet MGM every
Saturday and Sunday morning from nine am to noon Eastern

(01:15:14):
that's six to nine am Pacific.

Speaker 3 (01:15:16):
We're gonna couch you down all the biggest games.

Speaker 2 (01:15:18):
No better place to prime you for the tournament games
than right here. Tune in to Countdown, presented by bet MGM,
every Saturday and Sunday morning right here on Fox Sports
Radio and the iHeartRadio app with e from Salama, Mark
Wellard on Fox Sports Radio. Okay, Tyraq dot Com Studios,

(01:15:39):
Glad you're with us tonight, still ahead. We definitely want
to get into Russell Wilson. How about Raffi Devers for
the Boston Red Sox. We can shout that out a
little bit. Adam Silver says, the NBA gets criticized more
than other sports.

Speaker 3 (01:15:57):
We have those comments. We'll get into that a little bit.

Speaker 2 (01:16:01):
If we wake up Tuesday morning and Brandon Ayuk is
still on the Niners, then he's a Niner massive massive
contract stipulation and major bonus that gets paid and locked
in on April first, which is Tuesday. So if we
get to Tuesday, Brandon Ayuk is staying. But do you

(01:16:24):
know what I notice here? And I really want your perspective,
there have been about twenty seven high level reports just
in the last four days.

Speaker 3 (01:16:35):
Schefter Russini doesn't matter.

Speaker 2 (01:16:37):
They're all reporting it that Brandon Ayuk's got a big
stipulation on Tuesday, but there's not expected to be a deal.
Why do you keep saying that? Why do you keep
telling me that something's not going to happen. Somebody is

(01:16:57):
trying to get somebody to think some thing. Somebody's trying
to get somebody to blink. It wouldn't keep coming up.
It tells me that behind the scenes Niner people and
reporters are having conversations with regard to Brandon Ayuk or else,

(01:17:18):
they would not feel the need to keep telling us
that nothing's about to happen. I could give you a
very long list of things that are about to not happen.
I could do like, I could sit here for the
next fifty hours and list things that aren't about to happen.
Why is that relevant? So what do you see there?

(01:17:39):
And what would you want to do if you were
the Niners?

Speaker 3 (01:17:44):
I would you know personally.

Speaker 4 (01:17:52):
At this point, if you're playing on signing brock party,
which they are, which they are, then you gotta the
damage is already done. You gotta get him somebody to
throw to throw the ball to.

Speaker 3 (01:18:08):
Okay, so now that is that who that is?

Speaker 4 (01:18:12):
He's not like I don't think so. I didn't think
so last year before they signed him.

Speaker 3 (01:18:17):
And even if you like him, he made like the
word is not gonna be ready till mid season.

Speaker 4 (01:18:22):
So I would get off of him. I would get
off of him and draft again, uh, hoping Parasol is
gonna be ready to go, and.

Speaker 2 (01:18:39):
Jennings right signed. They signed DeMarcus Robinson from the Rams.

Speaker 4 (01:18:45):
YEP, good signing, and then just get another young receiver
h and bring him along and and and and let
that young crew grow together with with brock party. But
I would get off that contract with Brandon Nayuk.

Speaker 2 (01:19:02):
I mean to be honest with you, what it feels
like to me is that you know, the Niners are
probably trying to put out the vibe that they're fine
keeping him, but they don't want to because who out
there who's going to make a nice offer for a

(01:19:25):
receiver who is hurt and expensive?

Speaker 3 (01:19:29):
Like would they? Yeah, bad organizations do bad things.

Speaker 2 (01:19:36):
I mean the Patriots were hot after him last year.
They just brought in Digs, but more is probably needed
there and they're not, like you just mentioned two teams
that are not in a hurry to be good.

Speaker 3 (01:19:51):
So I don't know. What do you think is going
to happen tomorrow?

Speaker 4 (01:19:56):
I think he I think he gets moved. I do
I think he gets moved for some draft capital.

Speaker 3 (01:20:06):
Like what are we looking at fifth?

Speaker 4 (01:20:08):
Round pick, probably a fourth, maybe maybe a fourth, fourth
and a seventh or something like that.

Speaker 2 (01:20:14):
What a disaster, dude, What a disaster of a summer
last year was for Brenn and Ayuk in the forty
nine ers, bad vibes, bad publicity, bad contract, bad injury.
Twelve months later, you're trying to remember last April we
were heading for the draft and there were all kinds

(01:20:35):
of rumors about.

Speaker 3 (01:20:36):
Them moving him. They didn't, and I think they've regretted
it ever since. Yeah, it's it's you know, it happens
like that. Man.

Speaker 4 (01:20:48):
They've been able to bounce back by poor decisions. We'll
see how this one turns out.

Speaker 2 (01:20:53):
Interesting stuff, all right, Mark willard E from Salaam and
coming up next, Yeah, Adam Silver says the NBA gets
more criticism than most.

Speaker 3 (01:21:01):
Let's talk it out.

Speaker 1 (01:21:03):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio Radio.

Speaker 2 (01:21:06):
Nothing will beat the basketball story that we got off
of the top of this show.

Speaker 3 (01:21:12):
Absolutely nothing will beat that.

Speaker 2 (01:21:15):
And apparently the NBA players know that and they're frustrated
with that, so they all just decided to punch each other.

Speaker 3 (01:21:23):
That's what's going on tonight in the league.

Speaker 2 (01:21:25):
Eight from Salaam shared a very cool kids basketball story.
It's better than anything any of us have seen in
the NBA this year. NBA players are mad about it,
so they're punching each other.

Speaker 3 (01:21:40):
A huge fight between the Pistons and the Wolves.

Speaker 2 (01:21:44):
Dylan Brooks no surprise, we forgot his name earlier, involved
in something that took place in Phoenix not too long ago.
Although the Rockets blowing out the Suns in their own
building in the Sunday evening game, podcasts and live tyrack
dot com studios.

Speaker 3 (01:22:01):
Tyrack dot com.

Speaker 2 (01:22:02):
Will help you get there on matt selection, fast free shipping,
fore Roadhasseter protection in over ten thousand recommended installers. Tyrack
dot com the way tire buying should be. I do
think we've actually got the sound of it, don't we.

Speaker 3 (01:22:15):
Gang.

Speaker 2 (01:22:15):
We've got Adam Silver making comments with regard to the NBA.
Woe is them getting criticized more than other leagues.

Speaker 3 (01:22:27):
Let's hear that we're.

Speaker 7 (01:22:28):
A particular sport in which that kind of debate seems
to be part of the DNA of this league. And
I'm jealous sometimes it seems that in other sports that
I'm a fan of, and when I watch the coverage,
particularly around the games, it seems to be more celebratory
often than it is in the NBA.

Speaker 3 (01:22:50):
What do you make of that statement.

Speaker 4 (01:22:52):
I can tell you why, Adam, And look, I'm a
diehard NBA fan.

Speaker 3 (01:22:55):
You know that.

Speaker 4 (01:22:56):
I try to suggested the NBA after I had retired
from the NFL. It's because the product is suffering. The
product is suffering, and so once the product no longer

(01:23:16):
resonates with the consumer, then people talk. They talk harshly
about it, and other sports endure. Like some people don't
like the rule changes in the NFL, but by and large,
the product is still captivating and it's still riveting, and

(01:23:42):
guys are giving everything they have. That's the difference. People
had their feelings about baseball. The game is too slow,
it's too stuffy, it's too but the product itself, especially

(01:24:02):
now with the Yankees, with the long ball and the pitching,
the game isn't suffering. With the NBA, it's become a
completely analytical league, and when you watch the game, there's

(01:24:23):
a disconnect now because you can just have outside of
the stars or the faces of the league, which is
about seven to ten really recognizable guys, everybody else is
just a carbon copy of each other. Meaning outside of

(01:24:46):
Giannis Lebron, Steph Luca Kyrie, Anthony Day, it's.

Speaker 3 (01:25:04):
Who else M.

Speaker 4 (01:25:06):
Tatum I would put not forget yo right outside of
those eight to ten players, everyone else is spot up
three point shooters, whether you can do it or not.
And that's not attractive and it's not sustainable in terms

(01:25:31):
of watching. There's no defense being played, and there's no
mid range. There barely any dunks. There's no real action
going on, and so people don't want to watch a
team shoot sixty threes. That takes away the actual nuance

(01:25:52):
of a basketball game. So analytics, analytics has made the
two point shot obsolete. So it's now on a fast break,
which you would usually see a dunk or ali oop,

(01:26:14):
you got guys running to the corner to shoot wide
open threes and miss on a fast break. That's stupid
to people, and so's it'll.

Speaker 3 (01:26:26):
Turn you off.

Speaker 4 (01:26:28):
Yeah, and so people are hyper critical of it because
in any given game, on any given night, you can
watch that happen outside of tuning in for those ten
stars that are playing in the game.

Speaker 3 (01:26:44):
You know, it's interesting. There's two pieces to this.

Speaker 2 (01:26:46):
There's the premise, which it sounds like you buy, which
is that the NBA does receive more criticism than other leagues.
I'm not even like I was tripped up even on
on that, Like, do I buy that? Does the NBA
actually get more criticism than other leagues?

Speaker 3 (01:27:02):
And the reason I say yes is because I do
that to the ABA.

Speaker 2 (01:27:05):
Yeah, but you care about it much more so within criticism,
there's care Like that'd be the first thing I say
to Adam Silver or Baseball right now is suffering from indifference,
and I would much rather have criticism than indifference. You know,
I hear college football and the way they finish things
that gets a lot of criticism. Does the NFL get
a lot of criticism? Not for the sport itself. It

(01:27:29):
gets criticized sort of for the way that it financially
goes after things sometimes, but the game itself is unbelievable.
You package everything into Sunday and then strategically place things
on nights throughout the week, and everything feels like an
event and everything is just everything is there for the

(01:27:53):
fan consumption.

Speaker 3 (01:27:55):
I get stuck on one thing. Now. You talked about the.

Speaker 2 (01:27:58):
Actual way they're playing the game. I think there's something
to be said for that. I agree with you, But
I think there is a bigger issue that if we
buy the premise the NBA gets more criticism than other leagues,
then I'm going to focus mainly on one thing that
the NBA has a problem with that I don't know

(01:28:19):
of any other sport that has this same problem. Whether
you mean to or not. Fans look at the NBA,
and you and I have talked about this. You're bombarded
by one constant concept, and that.

Speaker 3 (01:28:39):
Is we don't care.

Speaker 2 (01:28:44):
We don't care, we don't even want to play. There
is a number one thing in the world of entertainment
that you never want to tell your audience, and it's
that we don't want to be here.

Speaker 3 (01:28:58):
True. If you and I say on the light we
didn't want to be here, good God, what a stupid show.
What a stupid show. And there is no commitment in
the world.

Speaker 2 (01:29:11):
I know people who are married who are less committed
to their marriage than these teams are to the management
of their stars' bodies. The Western Conference right now flip
flops all over the place in the standings. On a
nightly basis, there literally couldn't be more on the line

(01:29:35):
with every game, and on a Sunday when the Warriors,
Wolves and Clippers all had action, and everybody knew if
you win a game, you are one step closer to
the six seed and an automatic.

Speaker 3 (01:29:50):
Berth in the playoffs.

Speaker 2 (01:29:52):
But if you lose a game, you are for sure,
at least momentarily going to fall into that play in
tournament with nine games to go. And Kawhi Leonard looked
at all of that, and the Clippers looked at all
that and went, yeah, I know we're playing the number one.

Speaker 3 (01:30:12):
Seed in the East. I'm out why Well, management of
Kawhi noss.

Speaker 2 (01:30:24):
It's literally a part of his package now as an entertainer.
I will play maybe two out of every three games
if we're lucky. That's what's on Kawhi's basketball card. And
E I don't see that in any other sport. Baseball.
At one hundred and sixty two games, dudes are gonna

(01:30:45):
be getting days off.

Speaker 3 (01:30:47):
Right.

Speaker 2 (01:30:47):
It's a righty versus a lefty. It's a catcher on
a day game after a night game. There's things that
are baked in, but I don't get the sense that
they don't care. And in football, give me a break.
The whole idea is not even a thing. Everybody wants it,
so badly hockey kidding me. Everybody wants it so badly,

(01:31:15):
But in the NBA, that's what we get. And so
that's what I would say to Adam. I don't know
what you want people to say. When the message is
is you'd rather not be here.

Speaker 4 (01:31:31):
That's exactly what it feels like. And you know this
is something that Look, he's trying to rectify it, but
the NBA is a player driven league.

Speaker 3 (01:31:50):
It's a player driven league, and this is.

Speaker 4 (01:31:57):
Where we are right now. It's a less physical league
than it used to be. It's more of a European
style of basketball, more European stars, and so you know,
you can't put the genie back in the bottle. Yeah,
it's expanding globally, but at what cost in terms of

(01:32:21):
the style of basketball. You can go a whole sports
center Top ten every night and not have one NBA dunk.
No one watches the Dunk Contest or the All Star

(01:32:43):
which used to be the prize for the NBA, right
no one even cares or watches it. And so now
it's like, yeah, there is a problem. Are getting criticized
because the product is not the same. The product is

(01:33:05):
not resonating with the consumer. So people are going to
speak out and speak out often. Now it gets a
little better in the playoffs because there's actually something at
stake and the game is slowed down in terms of

(01:33:28):
there's practice, there's adjustments being made, all of those things.
Every game counts, but in the season of eighty two games,
where you know you can, they try to put in
the rules of if you don't play a certain amount
of games, you can't be all NBA. You can't be
which affects your money. They're doing all of these things

(01:33:52):
that get guys who are making fifty sixty million dollars
a year to just.

Speaker 3 (01:33:56):
Play the play the game, to do their jobs.

Speaker 4 (01:33:59):
And if you're doing that, if you're if you're reactionary
as a league, then you've already lost.

Speaker 3 (01:34:04):
Yep, yep, you've already lost. It's a great point, you know.

Speaker 2 (01:34:08):
I I don't come at this conversation on any sort
of a high horse.

Speaker 3 (01:34:13):
It's analytics. So yes, it's been proven.

Speaker 2 (01:34:16):
I understand that if your name's Lebron or Steph and
you're north of thirty six years old or north of forty, yeah,
it helps. It helps to be smart and weave your
way to the end and be healthy at the end,
because that's that's what matters. I totally get it. But
there's there's a fallout, there's I don't I don't know

(01:34:39):
what the solution is. I just know that in entertainment
you can't tell your audience we'd rather not play.

Speaker 3 (01:34:46):
It is a real sticky conundrum right now.

Speaker 4 (01:34:51):
Yeah, when your stars are rolling their eyes and and
doing like that's a problem. Right when the faces of
your lea you know, care more about wine on the
sideline and.

Speaker 2 (01:35:06):
You know, and speaking of wine, they also you have
faces of the league apparently now attacking media members because
they don't want to be criticized, and they don't want
other players in the league to be criticized because you're
related to them. I mean, for the life of me,
this whole thing that that that's gotten going between uh,

(01:35:28):
it's the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life.

Speaker 3 (01:35:31):
And and the.

Speaker 2 (01:35:32):
Fact that he has somehow got half of the country
believing this is about him being challenged as a father
is just bananas.

Speaker 3 (01:35:42):
Kids got a Laker jersey, fair game, end of conversation.
Move on. So yeah, man, it's it's it's wild and
it's a rough spot.

Speaker 2 (01:35:54):
And so they want to. That's what it feels like.
They want to do whatever they want to do, but
not be criticized for.

Speaker 4 (01:36:00):
Yeah, because you do all of that and you come
out and you have that Chicago Bulls game.

Speaker 3 (01:36:04):
Yep, So now it's like, yeah, good call.

Speaker 4 (01:36:09):
Right, and now it's really like, oh, well, he not
even paying attention to what's important. I mean, yeah, that's good.
That's the first thing that popped up in my mind.
Got a lot of energy to be online and doing shows.
Barely won the Indiana game. Did you hear him out

(01:36:30):
and do that in Chicago?

Speaker 3 (01:36:33):
Nah? Nah? That's I mean, right, a man? All right.

Speaker 2 (01:36:40):
Lots still ahead, including a vote that is about to
happen in the NFL. But I think a lot of
people don't even know about and my goodness, you want
to and wait, do you hear what one NFL coach
said about it today?

Speaker 3 (01:36:54):
So that's coming up next.

Speaker 2 (01:36:56):
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(01:37:16):
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(01:37:40):
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(01:38:02):
Radio wherever you get your podcast. Be sure to follow
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Fox Sports Radio wherever you get your podcast, you'll see
today's show posted right after we get off of the air. Hey,
what's your stance on the tush push?

Speaker 4 (01:38:22):
It's I think it's dangerous number one, But it's part
of the game.

Speaker 3 (01:38:32):
That didn't have to be. Yeah, but I mean other
teams could also do it, right, but you also could
ban it.

Speaker 4 (01:38:42):
Yeah, but why that's like banning the quarterback sneak? Are
banning the two point conversion?

Speaker 3 (01:38:48):
Are banning? Right? A flea flicker or banning what's the point?
I think I can answer that humor me if you will.
You just.

Speaker 2 (01:39:03):
Threw out a bunch of things there, most of which
are either entertaining flea flicker for example, or much more
intuitive in terms of the flow of the game. I

(01:39:25):
think I could answer your question with something that if
you just remove fairness from your mind, and I'll explain
why it's okay to do that, remove fairness from your
mind and just go here. Why remove it? Because people
don't like it? That's it, and that's all I need.

(01:39:46):
People don't like it. People don't like it when quarterbacks
get hurt. That's why you're not allowed to touch them anymore.

Speaker 3 (01:39:54):
Who doesn't like it?

Speaker 2 (01:39:56):
The league and the fans. They don't want the stars
of the league you get hurt.

Speaker 3 (01:40:00):
No, I'm saying, who doesn't like to touch push people?

Speaker 2 (01:40:05):
Worst of all, almost all of the teams except are
the ones that use it right And secondly, almost all
of the fans I know, like people don't.

Speaker 3 (01:40:16):
So they don't like it.

Speaker 4 (01:40:17):
This is a way to solve that without banning the play. Okay,
if you watch the play, the unfair advantage is the
people pushing from behind actually lift the player up and
carry him. Now, there is a way where you don't
have to ban that. But if more than one person

(01:40:40):
at the line of scrimmage is engaged in lifting or
pushing a player to give them an unfair advantage, then
it's a penalty. See how I broke that down right
there and still left room for interpretation.

Speaker 3 (01:40:58):
Sure, but then that's how you do that.

Speaker 2 (01:41:00):
Okay, except for I don't know if people want the
officials to have room for interpretation.

Speaker 4 (01:41:07):
Well you can see it though if you have I
mean literally, Jalen Hurst is just standing there and they're
picking his body up off the ground, right and and
kind of crowdsurfing.

Speaker 2 (01:41:18):
But I could I can see holding too. It doesn't
mean it gets called accurately every time.

Speaker 3 (01:41:22):
Yeah, but just listen.

Speaker 4 (01:41:25):
Yeah, with that in place, you'll have less and less
of that, and also it will alter the way you
actually do it. So would it be as effective with
the new guidelines and new rules. Probably not? And that
is the point. Now, would you risk doing it getting
a penalty? Now, see if you do something like five

(01:41:48):
yard penalty and a loss of down.

Speaker 3 (01:41:51):
Yeah, probably not right, probably.

Speaker 4 (01:41:54):
So now the the you know, the reward doesn't outweigh
the penalty.

Speaker 3 (01:42:00):
Yeah, that's how you do that.

Speaker 4 (01:42:02):
What I would just want you can't do it if
you put rules and guidelines in right, like yeah, but.

Speaker 2 (01:42:08):
Then it gets like again, that's kind of what we've
been doing for the last ten years about what.

Speaker 3 (01:42:13):
Is a catch all? The only one team does it?
I understand.

Speaker 4 (01:42:18):
So you're just putting a rule in for one team. Well,
this is not a league wide problem.

Speaker 2 (01:42:23):
Augusta National changed its damp course because of one player.

Speaker 3 (01:42:26):
Well that's a completely different And the NBA changed all
of their rules because of shock.

Speaker 2 (01:42:34):
Like I said, you know what I mean, Like, this
is not unprecedented at all. And by the way, whatever
you and I sit here and discuss tonight doesn't matter.

Speaker 3 (01:42:42):
I'll sit here predict for you right now. They're gonna
ban this thing, of course they're gonna be They're gonna
ban it.

Speaker 4 (01:42:48):
But you saw what was it Siriani. Yeah, you said,
he named off the he named all the coaches.

Speaker 2 (01:42:57):
He said, Gannon, Kellen Moore, and Shane Steich and our
head coaches because of that play. Yes, So I better
have those three votes right there, and the Eagles vote,
So we've got four.

Speaker 3 (01:43:10):
And that's us. Right, What do you need? I don't
even know, Like, I don't even know.

Speaker 2 (01:43:16):
The Competition Committee is at it right now, and the
report after the initial discussion today is that the proposal
to ban the toush push has support within the committee.

Speaker 4 (01:43:26):
Of course, there's a bunch of coaches saying, well that's
not fair, Well why don't you do it? But if
you do put the guidelines in, at least it changes
the way you do it, and it also allows other
teams to, you know, feel like they have a shot.

Speaker 2 (01:43:49):
Look, you know what, I don't want to push. I
don't want to push Steve de Seger's time.

Speaker 3 (01:43:54):
No, you want to do that? Give that demand this time.
Let's get out of the way.

Speaker 6 (01:44:00):
By the way, guys, The UFL Spring League started Friday
nights today Michigan and DC with winners. Attendance average for
the weekend eight thousand and four sixty six, so there.
Denny Hamblin was the NASCAR winner at Martinsville, fifty fifth
career victory Nascars on FS one again. The next couple
of Sundays NHL Buffalo and eight five winner at Washington.

(01:44:20):
Alex Ovechkin and the Caps did have career goal number
eight ninety in the late NBA game. Houston's lead at
Phoenix eighty nine fifty seven. They're not yet mid third quarter.
Golden State won one forty eight to one oh six
at San Antonio. Atlanta's win one forty five to one
twenty four at Milwaukee despite thirty one points from Giannis

(01:44:42):
Antennacumpo and mil Minnesota's home game was well. Let's see
Rudy Gobert had nineteen points and twenty five rebounds. Timberwolves
beat Detroit one twenty three to one oh four. Yes,
seven men including Nazrie kicked out after a fight in
the first half. Victories for Toronto and New Orleans. Wins
for New York and Cleveland in the men's Final four

(01:45:04):
next weekend in San Antonio. Houston will be there. The
Cougars eliminated Tennessee, winning the Midwest Region sixty nine to
fifty in Atlanta South Region Final went to one seed
Auburn over Michigan State seventy to sixty four All American
Jenni Broome twenty five points, fourteen rebounds. Duke and Florida
head each one yesterday. Florida by the way against Auburn

(01:45:26):
to start the Final four next weekend and all SEC matchup.
As for Villanova, they have a new head coach now.
It is Kevin Willard from Maryland. He'd also coached at
Seton Hall. New Mexico hired coach Eric Oland, who just
led uc San Diego to the tournament. In the women's
regional finals, it started today, a one seed South Carolina
advanced fifty four to fifty over Duke and the number

(01:45:47):
one overall seed UCLA eliminated LSU seventy two to sixty five.
Tomorrow Texas versus TCU, and Connecticut against usc IS sc
is without injured star Juju Watkins. Four the year to
Major League Baseball. The Padres are four and oh after
shutting out Atlanta five nothing tonight. The Cardinals are three
and oh after a nine to two win over the Twins. Today.

(01:46:10):
The Dodgers are five and oh, but off today. They're
only Sunday off all season. The Yankees won again three
and oh after beating Milwaukee twelve to three. Aaron Judge
with his fourth homer of the young season, and the
golf winner in Houston was Min Wu Lee. There was
no live golf this weekend. They will be battling next
week in at Durrel in Miami. There's also a live

(01:46:31):
golf event in late April in Mexico City. Looking ahead
to the PGA Tour schedule, we've got one more event
before the Masters Texas opened San Antonio this coming week,
and then things start at Augusta officially on April the tenth.
But the winner of this event today has a sister
who's an LPCHA player, MINJ Lee, who won the US

(01:46:53):
Women's Open in twenty twenty two. This guy, Min Wu Lee,
from Australia takes home a winner's check of one point
seven million dollars, first time he's won on the PGA Tour.
He kind of earned this one. Yes, he had a
bigger lead to start the day and held on, but
it was a one stroke advantage over Scotty Scheffler, who

(01:47:14):
took it for second place. The number one ranked golfer
in the world. Scheffler earns a check of nearly eight
hundred fifty thousand, and number two ranked Rory McElroy tied
for fifth, getting a check of about three hundred forty thousand.
Lee finished twenty under par for the week. That sets
a Houston Open scoring record in relation to par. But

(01:47:35):
I must mention somebody shot US sixty two today in
the final round and it's Gary Woodland that matched the
course record. But that's not his story. He said, it
was just great to get those juices flowing again. You see,
a year and a half ago, Gary Woodland had brain
surgery to remove part of allsion. He'd had these terrifying
symptoms going on for months, shaky hands, included not good

(01:47:58):
for a golfer, loss of appetite, chills, anxiety, fear it
just wasn't going away. Nightmares that he was dying would
jolt him awake. He said, it was a horrible experience.
All you wanted to do was go to sleep, not
think about it, and going to sleep was the worst part.
That's where the seizures were happening. It was a horrible
four to five months. He said this about a year

(01:48:20):
and a half ago. He did return to the PGA Tour.
Last year, it did not go well. He missed the
cut eleven times compared to one top ten finish.

Speaker 3 (01:48:29):
This year.

Speaker 6 (01:48:29):
He'd missed the cut three of his last four starts.
This weekend, he made the cut. He had the eight
under sixty two, matching the course record to finish things today,
and he tied Scottie Scheffler for second place. He also
gets a check of nearly eight hundred fifty thousand dollars. Yeah,
back to you.

Speaker 3 (01:48:49):
I love it and I love you.

Speaker 2 (01:48:51):
Laying out the lib schedule, which sounds a lot like
Kawhi Leonard's schedule.

Speaker 3 (01:48:57):
There's a tournament.

Speaker 2 (01:48:58):
There's a tournament that laid April, and then I think
they gather again in June.

Speaker 3 (01:49:04):
They might have a.

Speaker 2 (01:49:05):
Banquet or something what like I can't not did I
even want to anymore?

Speaker 3 (01:49:11):
But I can't even follow how that thing works.

Speaker 6 (01:49:13):
It's less frequent than the Indy Car Series quite honestly.
There is one Lift golf event in May in South Korea,
and then June's gonna be kind of like April or
early weekend in the month and a late weekend in
the morning.

Speaker 3 (01:49:26):
Man, they make so much money, they get time off.

Speaker 2 (01:49:30):
Seriously, they honestly, they sound it sounds like my parents
grocery store schedule. You know, they're like eighty and and
they write it down on the cow Tuesday, the third
Tuesday of the month, when it's some bread.

Speaker 6 (01:49:45):
Oh they've got bread, all right.

Speaker 3 (01:49:46):
Yeah, yeah, they've got bread.

Speaker 2 (01:49:48):
They've got bread, all right, Steve, great stuff tonight is
always Thank you so much, appreciate it as always Live
tire rack dot Com Studios. Hey, my man, I know
we've all turned this game off off because Phoenix is
down by one hundred.

Speaker 3 (01:50:03):
Kevin Durant just limped off and he can barely walk.
Oh yes, yes, he actually bent down at one point
to grab the lower leg, and it looked exactly the
same way it looked when he grabbed when he when
he wore the Achilles. But that's not what happened here.

Speaker 2 (01:50:25):
Luckily, he started to lean over and then he was
grabbing the front of the leg, not the back. And
when you look at the highlight, he's driving the lane
and comes down right on a rocket's a rocket defender's
foot and the ankle goes hard.

Speaker 3 (01:50:42):
The ankle goes hard. I mean not that, not that
Phoenix is in this thing.

Speaker 2 (01:50:46):
But yeah, I hate to see it, hate to see it,
especially at his age.

Speaker 3 (01:50:54):
Yeah, that's a tough one. And why why is this scored?
Like what is happen in ninety two to fifty seven?
The Sun's luck.

Speaker 2 (01:51:06):
I happen to have have I have some people in
that organization, and like, maybe I'm not breaking any news
if you follow the Suns or what's going on with
that team with these three incredibly high MAC salary talented
players yet they struggled to win a basketball game. My goodness,

(01:51:27):
they made a poor, poor choice with their head coach.
Good lord that, Like, I know, it's hard to pull
the ripcord when you just started, but the Budenholzer thing
is a disaster.

Speaker 3 (01:51:45):
In Phoenix.

Speaker 2 (01:51:47):
And you know, all eyes on that team in the
offseason because I remember telling you last offseason this isn't
gonna work. The salary structure doesn't work. Got to trade
one of those people offseason.

Speaker 3 (01:52:00):
And they didn't do it.

Speaker 2 (01:52:02):
Instead, they held a press conference telling Kevin Durant how
he was the greatest thing that's ever happened to anyone,
and then come to trade deadline, they try to trade
him without telling him and then he says no, so
the other team backs out and then they just try
to go back to war after trying to trade him,
and so everybody is just completely on a different page there.

Speaker 3 (01:52:26):
And now they.

Speaker 2 (01:52:27):
Super duper duper have to trade someone in the off
season and everybody knows it, so that means value is
going to go down. And then add this in. I
hope it's not a terrible injury. But now now Kevin
Durant needed help to the locker room.

Speaker 3 (01:52:45):
That's not good. Wow, crazy man crazy. They're down by
thirty two halfway through the third quarter in their own building.
Move They're just time to move. Move like the team,
the ownership. Oh they started it, just got there, just
got it.

Speaker 4 (01:53:02):
You got to move on to take the team with Seattle,
start fresh.

Speaker 3 (01:53:08):
I'm not gonna take all this stuff.

Speaker 2 (01:53:12):
Yeah, I don't think that the fans of Phoenix need
to have their hearts ripped out over this.

Speaker 3 (01:53:17):
That's not that team that that's that's Dallas. Oh god,
the Dallas thing.

Speaker 2 (01:53:25):
Although all of a sudden they can play basketball now
that Anthony Davis is back. So we're live in the
tyrack dot Com studios and got some final things to
throw at you coming up next with you from Salama,
Mark Willard, Fox Sports Radio. Okay you all, Tyrack dot
Com studios is where we are. Mark Willardy from Salaam,

(01:53:48):
and Plank and Spaniel.

Speaker 3 (01:53:50):
Right around the corner. They getting ready. Hey, can I
just say I feel like it's been a weird quarterback
off season in the NFL, to say the least.

Speaker 2 (01:54:04):
Right, there's weird stuff happening. I get it when surprising
stuff happens. I get it when you know, big, bold
moves are made. So far, I feel like it's weird.
It's weird. The New York Giants are like, let's get

(01:54:26):
two veteran quarterbacks, not one.

Speaker 3 (01:54:31):
Let's get two and then maybe we'll also draft one. Okay.

Speaker 2 (01:54:39):
Meantime, you've got a couple teams that are just like, ah,
we'll abstain.

Speaker 3 (01:54:44):
We want to get in.

Speaker 2 (01:54:47):
The Browns and Steelers are like, fine, just it'll work
itself out later. The Steelers are even funnier. They're like,
let's make a big move at wide receiver, but also
not get a quarterback, so that's fun. The Falcons are like, nope,

(01:55:07):
we're keeping him, so hundreds of millions of dollars for
the backup. The Jets are over here, going no, no, no, no, no,
trust us.

Speaker 3 (01:55:20):
Justin Field is a starter. He is, He's a starter.

Speaker 2 (01:55:26):
The Vikings meantime, are like, we picked a quarterback with
an early first round pick, so we're gonna.

Speaker 3 (01:55:33):
Use him maybe but maybe not. Did I leave anyone out? Oh?

Speaker 2 (01:55:43):
And then just like the Niners haven't signed their guy yet.
And then there's others, you know, the Raiders, the Offs,
like they did their thing, which is like, feels like
she just made all these weird out and decision.

Speaker 3 (01:56:00):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:56:00):
I mentioned like that that that like hundreds of millions
for someone who's not gonna play out of nowhere. Dac
Prescott trade rumors came up over the weekend. Don't think
I believe that. Yeah, it's weird.

Speaker 3 (01:56:22):
I can't. I can't get a beat on this. It's it's.

Speaker 4 (01:56:32):
One of those heads scratching off seasons where you don't
have a strong quarterback draft, so people are scrambling trying
to gobble up known commodities. Yeah, in a way that
may or may not make sense, just to have something.

(01:56:53):
And on the flip side of that, we're gonna stand
pat We're just gonna wait this thing out right.

Speaker 2 (01:56:59):
I'm the Steelers have got to be in the most
uncomfortable position of all of them. I feel like, I mean,
this is the Pittsburgh flipping Steelers. This might be one
of the biggest, baddest fan bases in all of sports.

Speaker 3 (01:57:14):
And they're looking at him, They're like, what do you
guys want to do?

Speaker 2 (01:57:18):
Do you want to do no quarterback or forty year
old proven downhill quarterback?

Speaker 3 (01:57:23):
Which do you want both?

Speaker 2 (01:57:27):
Okay, like what do we what could potentially go right
for the Steelers the rest of the way.

Speaker 3 (01:57:35):
I don't even know what the options are you have
to sell hope in sports man.

Speaker 4 (01:57:41):
I'm happy for DK to get the money, but I'm
not happy for him not knowing who's going to be doing.

Speaker 2 (01:57:45):
In the ball seriously, seriously, And and Aaron Rodgers, that's like,
I mean, that's not it.

Speaker 3 (01:57:56):
That that cannot be it. No, that's not the answer.

Speaker 4 (01:58:00):
So it wasn't the answer for green Bay at the end,
and definitely wasn't the answer for the Jets.

Speaker 2 (01:58:10):
Yeah, and guess what, They'll go ten and seven and
get a wild card and get beaten.

Speaker 3 (01:58:20):
Yep. In said wildcard.

Speaker 2 (01:58:21):
Yep, yep. That's almost like the downside to the fact
that Mike Tomlin always kind of gathers something out of
I don't know what.

Speaker 3 (01:58:34):
You're also never going to get a draft pick, right,
so you.

Speaker 2 (01:58:38):
Can't when like the Steelers have been paper machining their
quarterback position for what feels like a really long time,
yet they keep making the playoffs and therefore they're never
in position to actually go do something.

Speaker 3 (01:58:55):
Is the definition of purgatory. It's got to wear out
people at some point.

Speaker 2 (01:59:05):
Yeah, it's gotta wear people out at some point. Seemingly
it hasn't yet.

Speaker 3 (01:59:10):
Just good enough to not be good, but good enough
to not get better. That team was ten and three
last year and then they never won another game, and
then the Wills fell off.

Speaker 2 (01:59:28):
Yet ten wins, playoffs, no draft pick, Rinse, I'm happy
for you, friend, that that's a that's a hell of
a And again for those who who didn't join us
off the top of the show, what.

Speaker 3 (01:59:49):
A hell of a week for you and your son. Like,
I'm so happy at the end of all of it.
I know you guys, you got the banner, but like dude,
you and your son, both of my sons.

Speaker 4 (02:00:00):
But this sports journey is this young man's I love
being a part of it.

Speaker 2 (02:00:06):
That story is going to get told at the holiday
dinners when you're long gone. I mean that, you know
what I mean, that's never ever ever going to get forgotten.

Speaker 3 (02:00:20):
So that's yeah, man, I'm happy for you. Thank you.
I appreciate that. Congratulations. We'll see if we can keep
this thing going. I'm just glad you ended up getting
a meal. I got a meal, man, you know what
I mean. What's your meal got to do with me? Anyway?

Speaker 2 (02:00:40):
You too, man, Thank you for sharing that that incredible story.
Absolutely all right, off we go into the night plank
and span your are coming up next for you from Salam,
I'm Mark Whelard.

Speaker 3 (02:00:50):
Good night,

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