Mark Willard and Ephraim Salaam: World Cup Controversies, MLB All-Star Storylines, LeBron’s Courtship & More!

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Don't listening to Fox Sports Radio Radio.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
I'm Steve de Seger.

Speaker 3 (00:05):
I mean, here's the bottom line. You asked for it,
you get it. Is that not the case? If you
ask for it, you get it. I guarantee I'm about
to ask my guy a question, and I can almost
guarantee that the answer is going to be yes.

Speaker 4 (00:18):
Good evening to you, my friend E from salam How
are we doing?

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Time? Great? How are you?

Speaker 3 (00:23):
I'm fantastic. Have you ever taken kids to Disneyland? Have
you ever taken kids to Disneyland?

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Yes?

Speaker 4 (00:30):
And do they get tired?

Speaker 2 (00:32):
No?

Speaker 4 (00:33):
They don't. No, then you've got good kids.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
No, I have psychopaths. So what you don't know about me? More,
do tell is my family kids and wife are Disney.

Speaker 4 (00:48):
Oh Disney people. Oh they're Disney people.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
They've had passes since they've been three years old. They're
twelve to fifteen.

Speaker 3 (00:57):
I feel like you and I are both California and
we probably should tell the world what a Disney person is. Okay,
so real quick, give everybody a little because they might
be like, oh that means they like Disney. No, no, no,
tell people what a Disney person is.

Speaker 2 (01:14):
A Disney person is someone who immerses themselves in all
things Disney, especially theme parks, and not not just as Disneyland.
It's California, Adventure is Disney World, it's all of the
I w I've gone to Paris with my wife, to
Disneyland Paris, Okay. My son wants to go to Japan

(01:35):
so he can go to Tokyo Disneyland Tokyo. Yep. That's
that's what a Disney person is a person who has
passes and my and rationalizes, well, if you go nine times,
it pays for itself. There you go. We average maybe
twenty seven to twenty eight times a year. There you go.
That is a Disney person. Our kids get out of

(01:57):
school early on Tuesdays. My wife will just go school
and go to Disneyland. They'll go down there. First of all,
it takes two hours in that traffic at exactly yep.
But then they'll go in there for an hour and
a half, two hours, ride some rides, get a turkey leg,
a cheer roll, and then come back home, take showers.
They will do their homework in the car, catch out.

(02:19):
We're cool parents just by the way. But I can
tell that's that's what Disney people.

Speaker 3 (02:25):
That's what a Disney But actually it's a fun moment
for a quick story. I may have told you before
or not, but I'm not sure, but you won't remember
even if I did. But we're not Disney people. Were
just people who liked Disney. But years ago when I
was working over there at ESPN, which is owned by Disney,
so like you kind of for a little bit, for

(02:45):
a few times a year, you could.

Speaker 4 (02:46):
Go for free.

Speaker 2 (02:47):
Oh yeah, I need some of that, right, you do
need some of that.

Speaker 4 (02:50):
I didn't know you're a Disney person.

Speaker 3 (02:51):
But anyway, you could go a few times a year
kind of on the house. And so therefore it takes
the sting out of if we go and we don't
get enough done, kind of takes the sting out of
that because we didn't pay it again here, so it's
all cool. So I did the same thing that you're
just talking about. I didn't have to wait till after school.
I was on a show that I think we were
done about. I don't even remember ten am twelve whatever

(03:13):
it was. But we're gonna head down to Disneyland, and
by the time you do the parking and the shuttle
and all the things, we get in there and it's
like mid afternoon, late afternoon, and it's a school night,
and they have just.

Speaker 4 (03:24):
Opened cars Land. The cars Racers are brand new.

Speaker 3 (03:29):
And I've got a son who is right in Lightning
a queen age, you know, boom. And so this is
when that line was like two days exactly. So I go,
I'm gonna be a good dad. I'm gonna be a
cool parent like my friend Ephraim. And I go over
and I go, let's check the line. And I go

(03:52):
over to the person, I go, what are we looking at?

Speaker 4 (03:54):
And they're like, it's a true three and a half hours.

Speaker 3 (03:57):
And I said, okay, three and a half hours probably,
I don't know, three point thirty four o'clock on a
school night. And I looked at the young man and
he's probably wearing something Lightning McQueen. When I said this
to him, he probably had a Lightning McQueen backpack getting
ready for school the next day. And I said, here's
the deal, Bud, I will do this with you, but
if this is what you choose to do, if this

(04:20):
is what we're doing today, In other words, we're driving
all the way to Disneyland to ride, I ride and
turn around and go home and he didn't even hesitate.

Speaker 2 (04:36):
He's like, Yep, we're doing it.

Speaker 3 (04:39):
Boom drove to Disneyland Park, get out, shuttle boom bop
beat cars Land, get in line.

Speaker 4 (04:46):
Wait three and a half hours do cars racers head
for the car? Head home? Did that? That's on the ledger?
Have done that?

Speaker 3 (04:55):
And you're I'm probably talking to a family that doesn't
think that that's crazy.

Speaker 2 (05:00):
No, because you're Disney people.

Speaker 3 (05:01):
No.

Speaker 2 (05:02):
But the thing, the thing that comes with being a
Disney person, and my wife is an expert at this,
my fifteen year old is as well. He actually wants
to be an engineer. He wants to be a Disney imagineer.
Those are the ones who come up with the rides,
create the risees, design the right. That's what he wants
to do for life. At six three, fourteen year old.

(05:24):
I can give a damn about any type of sport,
but I want to design attractions for people to make
them smile. Amazing and I love that amazing. Yeah, And
so any Disney execs out there who can help him
up with an internship, just reach out to at E
from Salam, just drop something, drop a DM to me.
I'll reach out that to you anyway, and so my

(05:48):
wife knows how to do the fast passes. He knows
the right times to go in there.

Speaker 4 (05:55):
Now that can optimize the whole thing for you.

Speaker 2 (05:57):
It is. But she we don't wait in lines, right, Yeah,
she's better than the has it down to a science.
I love it. So we get in there. We have
a plan. This is we're gonna hit this, this, that,
this and that. We're gonna go over to the other part.
We're gonna do this, this, dude, that and that, come
back to Disney for the uh parade. We're gonna get

(06:19):
the world of color. We're gonna do it out over
here and then we're gonna do that boom boom. We're
gonna go eat at the so and so and so
and so. Then we're gonna finish up o here and
then we'll be done for the fireworks and then uh,
you know if we're staying no clothes. Now, you started
this by asking me, yes, do your kids get tired?
Do they get tired? No? No? Does he get tired?
Gets yes? That's why Okay, that's why their dad only

(06:43):
goes twice a year.

Speaker 3 (06:45):
Right, But see, I bet because your offensive lineman. Therefore,
by nature you are not a complainer?

Speaker 2 (06:51):
No right.

Speaker 3 (06:52):
The reason I ask, and I was actually heading somewhere
with this all good, We got three hours, no problem.
The reason I ask, though, is this is a thing
that I think a lot of parents experience with their kids,
which is can we go? Can we go? Can we go?
And then you get there and you're not happy. And
my point is you asked for this. Therefore, yes, you

(07:15):
got what you wanted, so you need to put a
damn smile on your face and be happy. Now, let
me bring you to the Argentina match last night, where
I heard for the I don't know how many different
how many matches in a row that the fix is
in apparently for Argentina. And look, soccer is set up,

(07:41):
especially for those who don't watch it a lot to
lead to sort of weird frustrations because the things you're
not used to, right, You trip someone what kind of
looks like an accident, You get a yellow card at
your second one, whoops, you're out for the game man
next week too, and people are like, whoa, tap it down?
Like what the hell? Frank, Like geez chill. But that's right.

(08:04):
It's all a different culture. All of a sudden, the
quote fixes in Whennimbolo for Switzerland takes an absolutely so
terrible die, more terrible die, and the American soccer fan
who's been watching the NBA for the last five years

(08:29):
and can't stand shake Hill just Alexander is now telling me,
hold on, we're being a little harsh, and I'm like, no, no, no,
you asked for this, so put a smile on your face.
Say yay soccer, thank you for kicking someone out of

(08:51):
the game, for doing what we kind of all wish
the NBA would do.

Speaker 2 (08:57):
That's where I was headed, and you got there and
then we got done time, because you're absolutely right. As
I was watching that match, it was my wife was like, okay,
so what's going on? I said, so this foul here,
and they showed the wide angle with him flopping, but

(09:18):
you couldn't see him flop from that angle, and she
was and I said, the Argentina player got a yellow card.
An ixplunder with the yellow cards are if you it's
a foul. If you get two yellow cards, it's a
red card and you're done for the game. In the
next game, oh okay, and so what are they reviewing? Well,

(09:39):
it actually isn't a foul. There's a sym was it
a simulation? Simulation rule like a flopping rule in the
NBA which they never used in every card. And I said,
if that is the case, then if a player acts
like he got filed like that and someone gets a

(09:59):
yellow car, then it's reversed and the person who was
flopping now gets the yellow car. Oh okay. So as
the review was gone and she saw the other angle,
she was like, come on, man, And she was like,
and this is the problem I have a watching grown
men play soccer because it looks crazy for this young, strong,

(10:22):
fast athlete, premium athlete to kick both of his legs
behind him like a dolphin, snap his neck back and
and nipple, slam his chest to the ground and roll
around one touched.

Speaker 4 (10:40):
You stop dropping roll damn fire.

Speaker 2 (10:42):
I I my husband is a football player. I've seen
him play with two broken hands. I can't. I can't
do it.

Speaker 4 (10:51):
I can't.

Speaker 2 (10:51):
I can't do it. None of us can. And so
when they came back and they gave they switched to
the yellow cart and gave him a red card, she
was like, okay, So now what I said, So he's
done for the match, and if they win this the
next match.

Speaker 3 (11:06):
Right, and he cannot be replaced, so you're now playing eleven.

Speaker 2 (11:12):
With ten players. And she was like, oh, that's steep,
and I said it should be. I said it should
be because that flop was so egregious and you you
have to check it. You have to check it if
you don't. And look, if he wouldn't have got if
Argentina wouldn't have got a yellow card, he wouldn't have
got one either, correct, right, But the fact that there

(11:34):
was a yellow card and the yellow card had to
be rescinded. Yep, you had to give the yellow card
to the offending party.

Speaker 4 (11:42):
And he already had one. And them's the breaks.

Speaker 2 (11:45):
Them and he didn't have to do it. He didn't know.
All he had to do was continue to attack. Right. Play,
play play, He's their best player.

Speaker 3 (11:55):
Play stop trying to get the official to think something
happened that didn't happen, Dear God of sports. While in
the whole world screams at FIFA, and there's always plenty,
there's plenty of ammo to aim at FIFA.

Speaker 2 (12:16):
This we know that's not new.

Speaker 3 (12:19):
But while the whole world screams about controversy and they
wanted the top four seeds in and messy because it's
his last one probably and because we want the defending chance.
You can scream about that all you want. Instead I
will scream. I hope the NBA someday can grow the

(12:39):
spine that FIFA has when it comes to this subject,
this subject.

Speaker 2 (12:46):
The funny thing is what if a player flaps and
it's so egregious, then you call the foul on them,
they get a foul? How about that? Love it? I
guarantee you they'll cut it. See that's what I'm talking about.
It send it to review penalty has to be.

Speaker 3 (13:04):
Cumbersome, right, So instead instead we just review it. If
it gets challenged, then we go Actually it turns out
it was not a foul.

Speaker 2 (13:12):
It's nothing right, No, you're playing on. If the foul
was called and it's deemed a flop, then the person
flopping gets the foul. Guarantee that'll clean up Shay's game.

Speaker 4 (13:27):
How about if can I add one more word to
a foul?

Speaker 2 (13:29):
Sure? Technical foul? No? No, I like regular foul both.
I like both because if it's a technical then you
don't get a personal foul. No. But I think the
most important thing is if s g a is in
the third quarter and he has three fouls or four fouls,
and he flops and it's you knows turn and rescinding.

(13:50):
He gets another fast five. He gotta go sit down. Brother.
If it's a technical file, you just shoot a free
throw and and move on. I'm talking new rule. It's both. Okay,
it's both. Put it in. Sign it up, technical and
personal foul. There you go.

Speaker 4 (14:05):
And Argentina is in because they're supposed to be.

Speaker 3 (14:10):
Yes, because they have had incredible attacking plays at the
end of matches. Have they been given opportunities that they
didn't deserve like every team in the history of sports, Yes, sure,
but they took advantage of them. That game winning goal yesterday,
Please don't give me. Oh, Argentina was gifted a spot

(14:32):
that was one of the most beautiful goals of the
entire tournament. Okay, so let's talk about that. If we're
going to scream about Argentina. I could not believe how
many sports fans, like people I know, like us here
United States West Coast sports fans being like, oh my god,

(14:56):
they threw them out for that.

Speaker 4 (14:58):
We have little been saying it's ruining the NBA.

Speaker 2 (15:01):
Which it is. In which it is.

Speaker 4 (15:04):
So anyway, glad we're on the same page there.

Speaker 2 (15:07):
Yeah, taking and flopping, it's got Look, let's go the
problem I'm having. It's professional sports, thank you. It's the
best of the best in the entire world. You can't
play like that. It can't be that if Look, man,
if you're the best player in the NBA, it's gotta

(15:29):
be because you are a flat out dog and you're
walking through walls, not you're bumping into the side of
the wall and throwing yourself on the ground. It can't
be that. It just can't be it. It trickles down
to youth basketball. Yes, you got kids dribbling up the court,

(15:50):
snapping their neck back and no one's even touching them.

Speaker 3 (15:54):
Right, you're like sign to cross off court. There has
to be another person around there for your nep to.

Speaker 2 (15:59):
It's out of control. And I look here, man, just sell.
I'm gonna take your Disney pass. So take your Disney
pass right now. You do that again. Look here, we're
not doing that. They need to bludget you to the ground.

Speaker 3 (16:13):
Oh mankay, I have a feeling the World Cup conversation
is just getting started because there is a lot to
work through.

Speaker 2 (16:20):
Do I have a story for you.

Speaker 3 (16:22):
About last night or you gotta you're gonna love this,
and so we'll do that coming up next. So glad
you're with us tonight with eat from Salama Mark Ward
on Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 5 (16:32):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to
listen live.

Speaker 3 (16:44):
Well, our first ride with de Sager is coming up
in about five minutes. Be sure to subscribe to the
Fox Sports Radio YouTube channel. Just search Fox Sports Radio
on YouTube and you'll see our best videos from all
our shows. Hit the thumbs up, iconic colming away. Let
us know what the takes you agree with and even
those you don't. You search Fox Sports Radio on YouTube
and subscribe. Okay, I keep asking you like travel related questions.

(17:08):
I started with Disneyland. Let me do another one. Okay,
have you ever been to Yosemite National Park?

Speaker 2 (17:14):
Oh?

Speaker 6 (17:14):
Yeah, yeah, I got a story, but yes, oh you have.
Oh it's a bad one. Okay, Okay, Okay, we'll put
that on hold for a second. But Yosemite National Park
and I'll let you in. I just got back from
there this morning. So it was phenomenal. It was phenomenal.
Took the kids out there, we did a big hike,

(17:36):
all the things. But this story is about the absolute,
all encompassing power of the World Cup because Yosemite National Park,
for those of you who not been there, is very
much a dial out society.

Speaker 3 (17:53):
Okay, the rooms do not have TVs. The Wi Fi
is terrible, the restaurants do not have TVs. You are
not going to Yosemite to watch screens. It's just not
the way the place is built. It's got a granola vibe,
and you're out there to hike and bike and hike

(18:17):
and more hike and look at things and take pictures
and be with people. And that's Yosemite National Park. And
that's the way it is now. The Yosemite Lodge has
one bar. It is called the Mountain Room Bar. And
in that bar, I believe there are five television sets,

(18:37):
good size, not great size. When there are major sporting
events on, sometimes they're on. Sometimes the people there don't
even know. The sound is not up. It's just not
that way. So yesterday we're like, let's do our you know,
we're gonna go wrapt around in the river a little bit,
but let's be done early because two o'clock England and

(19:01):
Norway and we kind of wanted to watch. We're like,
we'll go to the bar and like everyone's like, you
think it'll be crowded. I'm like, nah, you know what
I mean, Like, maybe there'll be some other people there
want to watch, for sure, but crowded.

Speaker 2 (19:14):
Ah, that's not the way Yosemite rolls.

Speaker 3 (19:18):
A from fact a from You could not sit, you
could barely stand. One side of the bar organically was Norway,
the other side was England. People had flags, there were
long tables of men going woof, woof woo when Norway scored.

(19:41):
I've never seen anything like this in that park and
my family goes every single year.

Speaker 2 (19:47):
Wow.

Speaker 3 (19:48):
It was standing room only, and I'm like, don't worry.
At halftime, we'll swoop some tables. At halftime, nobody moved.
Nobody moved, and then we went and did dinner activities
and came back and I go, I wonder if it'll
be the same for Argentina, because this match is going
to like eight thirty at night. People in Yosemite at

(20:11):
eight thirty at night go to bed. There's nothing to
do at night. It's pitch black, standing room only all
the way to the end.

Speaker 2 (20:21):
And I was like, Yo, this is different.

Speaker 3 (20:25):
There is something about this tournament this time. I know
that it's this way most of the time to a
certain degree, but for me, this was a marker because
I've never seen Yosemite be a sports place before in
my entire life.

Speaker 2 (20:41):
Yeah, you know what I think it is for the
whole of the World Cup. They're stars, yeah involved, yep right,
Holland is a star, a megastar, and Bob a megastar,

(21:02):
messy mess v star. Yep right, Ronaldo you can go
down the uh right, making a name, making a name
real fast, right, And so people love that. People love
watching dynamic players take over games, takeover matches, and you

(21:27):
get to see it when you look at the Golden
Boot count and the race. All the stars were involved, Yes,
every single one was involved. And then you start having
people sneak up that we didn't know we're stars, that
are stars. Now you look at the whole team copa
Verde right, right, everybody became a fan because it was impossible.

(21:54):
And I think that's what's compelling that the whole we're
catching up to the rest of the world. The rest
of the world knows these players because they play on
you know, the premier teams, the Premier League and uh,
you know the South American leagues that they playing high
level all around the world. But when they come together

(22:17):
for their country, it's magnified one hundredfold. And so now
it's unbelievable. You look at the talent we had, and
most of those guys play overseas on real I mean
real leagues, and so it's I think it also has
to do with Messi being here in MLS in Miami

(22:41):
and and and and bringing that level of dynamic playing.
Like when Beckham came to the Galaxy. I was there
the first day David Beckham showed up. I was there
on the exercise bike next to them. We try trained
where they put where they trained right, it was David
Beckham myself and on the left bike it was Steve

(23:03):
Di Seger.

Speaker 3 (23:04):
Steve, did you say it's understandable that show Heyo Tani
will not be at the All Star Game? And if
you did, have you explained that to Rob Parker.

Speaker 7 (23:13):
Let's just say there are certain people not naming names,
who enter their show with an agenda and then try
and figure out the logistics through the things that happen and.

Speaker 4 (23:26):
Let us know whose takes you like and those you don't.

Speaker 7 (23:29):
Right here, I'm just dealing with the facts. Is if
somebody's actually injured and missing for crying out loud the
All Star exhibition, I'm not sure we should go to
the boards that okay?

Speaker 2 (23:40):
All right?

Speaker 4 (23:41):
And how about Zach Wheeler just being like, no, I
don't want it. I know.

Speaker 7 (23:45):
Now that's a little diva behavior, isn't that. I mean,
the guys ten and one after winning for the Phillies
today Philadelphia is hosting the All Star Game, they needed
an All Star replacement. He basically said, sorry, you had
your chance. You picked Merge.

Speaker 2 (24:00):
He's not wrong, literally at it and go out.

Speaker 3 (24:05):
We should talk about that a little later because I
think it's an interesting one where he's just like, you done,
piss me off and now you want to favor So
how about Neil? But anyway, great stuff as always, Steve,
Thank you very much. We'll talk to you again a
little less than an hour from just because I don't
want to quite leave the World Cup yet.

Speaker 2 (24:24):
I don't have to go anywhere and we won't.

Speaker 3 (24:26):
What did you think, speaking of players who I don't know,
aren't at their best and might be dealing with some
sort of injury. Maybe we don't know, but no doubt
about it. Eyebrows around the world go up in extra
time yesterday when Erling Holliday is pulled off of the pitch.

Speaker 4 (24:47):
What was your reaction to that?

Speaker 2 (24:49):
This is my reaction. Okay, when a guy like that
exits at that moment, something is horrifically wrong. H that's
a big word, horrifically wrong. If you watched him now,
he has very little movement in general.

Speaker 4 (25:09):
Yeah, apparently he just walks until it's walk.

Speaker 2 (25:13):
Until he gets a pass and then annihilate everything and everyone.

Speaker 4 (25:17):
Yes, exactly, that's just his thing.

Speaker 2 (25:19):
That's why I call him to teep one million. He's
like a terminator. It is incredible. He just stumps up
and down the pitch. Get it to him, get on
back on defense. I'm gonna take it from here. Watching
him yesterday as we got closer to the end of
the game and into overtime was he was very cumbersome.
He's encumbered by something, and I could see the frustration

(25:44):
on his face because there was no explosiveness there, and
so I was like, hum And then when they came
back and said he's out, I said, oh, there's something wrong. Now,
we don't know what that is yet. It'll come out eventually, sure,
but a player like that, like and if Messi came out, right,

(26:07):
would you just because he's tired? I mean it, just right.

Speaker 3 (26:13):
I think that's what's getting people, which is without an answer,
we have a hard time. This is somebody who what's
the stat He's like picked up like nineteen million Instagram
followers in the last three weeks or something, but for
a lot of people were just getting to know him.
And this might have been one of the first impressions
because you can't imagine Messi coming off the floor. You

(26:37):
can't imagine him coming off unless unless the leg is
literally not a touch to the body anymore.

Speaker 2 (26:42):
And I just got word from our super producer that
if you google his name after you search, that someone's
rowing across the paid on Google right when you google
his name right, that he's a megastar.

Speaker 3 (26:58):
Megastar right with everything, I now see, I did it.
I did it. What Steve is talking about this is hilarious.
I've never seen that before. Right, what do you have
to do to get like a little visual on your Google.

Speaker 4 (27:12):
I've never seen that before. Does that happen for Messi?

Speaker 2 (27:16):
What would it be?

Speaker 3 (27:17):
What happens to Leo Messi? I don't know, Like do
little geniuses start bouncing around?

Speaker 2 (27:23):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (27:23):
Little nothing? Nothing, Nothing happens for Messi. Nothing.

Speaker 2 (27:29):
But that's so you you mean tell me that guy
was just like, you know what, I'm pooped, right, that's
going out. Hey, I'm going You saw the look on
his face when he was in the back. He wasn't
he was in the back of the bench area.

Speaker 3 (27:43):
Yeah, No, it was kind of head and hands situation.
So I'm with you, and I think your word choice
is accurate. A little bit more on that coming up. Plus, uh,
it's the first time ever for the World Cup. If
you didn't already know this, something has happened for the
first time ever here in this file. So we'll get
to that coming up here in just a second. That's
e from a Mark. It's Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 5 (28:05):
the nation. Catch all of our shows at foxsports Radio
listen live.

Speaker 3 (28:18):
The excitement of the FIFA World Cup is now streaming
live on Fox one, the official English streaming platform, to
catch every unforgettable moment. Fox one brings the action straight
to your screen, so you never miss a goal. Download
Fox one and experience the FIFA World Cup live. Okay,

(28:38):
World Cup, You've never done this before. We're speaking about
some of the at least the feel to a lot
of people in terms of this particular World Cup being magical,
grabbing new audience, whatever it may be. Never before have
the top four in the FIFA World rankings been the

(28:58):
final four.

Speaker 4 (29:00):
That's a first, and it was interesting.

Speaker 3 (29:02):
I was with some people last night Ephraim who were like, oh,
that's too bad, and I'm like, why is that too bad?
I think because there's no underdog story to root for.
And I thought to myself, See, my mind went to
a completely different place, which is these three remaining matches
are all going to be absolutely epic because right this

(29:24):
is the you said it earlier. The stars are out,
the best of the best are playing. I have no
doubt that these matches are all going late. There's not
no one's beating anybody five to one. So I love this,
But I don't know, maybe maybe maybe not. Every brain works,
you know, the same way.

Speaker 2 (29:42):
Every brain definitely doesn't work the same way.

Speaker 4 (29:46):
I might have made a point there that I wasn't
trying to, but yes, correct.

Speaker 2 (29:49):
There's plenty of proof of that. Yes, there is well
beyond soccer, well beyond so.

Speaker 4 (29:59):
But it sounds like you with me on that.

Speaker 2 (30:00):
I am yeah, yeah, I am like. I love this.
It's that's what you want. You want to watch the
best of the best go at it. That's what you want,
and that's what we get a chance to do. It's
gonna be epic. They set it up to where, you know,
last World Cup finalists are on a collision course for

(30:24):
a rematch, a match that was phenomenal that went to
penalty kicks and was you know, musty TV. I think
the thing that's really endearing Americans to this as well,
not only the talent in the story, but the time
slot we get to watch live. The thing the biggest

(30:44):
thing that I don't like about the Olympics, and I'm different,
everybody's not like me. When primetime Olympic coverage comes, it's
already happened eight hours ago, and so if you're watching
any sports channel, they'll just flash the results of you know,

(31:11):
the final for trampolining. Like you, as you're watching the trampolining,
they'll show you this is real. They'll show you what
happened already.

Speaker 4 (31:21):
Gold medal.

Speaker 2 (31:22):
I hate it. I got all these alerts that go
across your phone, and you know, it's like, yo, it's
twelve o'clock. I don't want to know what happens five
hours prior. I want to wait till I get home
and watch tonight. And I think, you know, that's what
the World Cup was, because who's up at three am

(31:43):
to watch the US play? And now that we are
here and it's on our timeline and our schedule, it
makes it all that much more exciting. You know, I'm
getting home five o'clock, the game coming on if you're
on the West coast, eight o'clock game coming on on
the East coast. It fits in line with our already

(32:05):
set up prime time sports. Do we have in this
country basketball games, football games, baseball games, So it just
fits right in to no basketball to watch. But hey,
we got the World Cup in that time slot. That's awesome.
Let's tune in. Let's tune in. I think all of

(32:26):
that's conducive to having the type of ratings in this
country that we're having with the World Cup.

Speaker 3 (32:33):
I think you're absolutely right, and maybe that has a
little something to do with the feel because part of
what I'm talking about seems sort of organic to me.
I mean, although we have all of the ratings info,
so we know that it's bananas, but it always is.
But something just feels a little bit more special this
time around. Maybe it's just that much more mainstream. Maybe

(32:56):
as you're saying, it's the time slot, maybe it's the
Team USA was kind of interesting. But for whatever reason
it may be, and maybe I'm just flat out wrong,
but the World Cup is always a humongous deal. I
don't know to us here in the States if in
the last handful any have ever felt as big as this.

Speaker 2 (33:15):
No, not at all, not at all. We had a
legit shot to get to the quarters and the semis,
and we forgot to show up. But hey, we had
not We had the talent too. We should probably talk
about that a little bit. I think we should.

Speaker 4 (33:29):
We sh probably talk.

Speaker 3 (33:30):
About that we had no I mean, we were so
much excitement about what has happened this week, we didn't
talk about what hasn't, which is another Team USA game.
So we'll get to that and three things coming up
right around the corner.

Speaker 2 (33:42):
That's see from my mark.

Speaker 5 (33:43):
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app search FSR to
listen live.

Speaker 4 (33:56):
Well, it's always a fun time of year.

Speaker 3 (33:58):
We have a official reached mid July, which is when
you can sort of sniffing around. I think I can
smell training camps which are gonna be open here in
a couple of weeks. Scott Hansen is always tweeting every Sunday,
how many Sundays left until I get to talk to
all of you. So NFL is in the near view

(34:20):
World Cup center stage.

Speaker 4 (34:23):
We've been all over it all hour.

Speaker 3 (34:25):
We will be throughout the rest of the evening as well,
but at this hour six o'clock in the west and
nine in the east. Every single week we like to
do our little segment called three Things, our top three
observations of things that might be going on around the
world of sports that aren't necessarily center stage. I'll go first,
so Ephram Canada go last, and I will bring up
what momentarily came up. A handful of minutes ago, and

(34:47):
that is Zach Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies. And I
would like to say directly to Zach, good on you, dude.
I'm on your side. Zach Wheeler. Basically the real nuts
and bolts of this was he totally deserved to be
an All Star, wasn't named to the All Star team. Then,
as always, the snubs get an invite later because somebody

(35:09):
can't go or won't go. And so they came knocking
on Zach Wheeler's door and they said, hey, good news.
Remember when we skipped you for the All Star Game.
We've changed our mind. Congratulations You're an All Star. And
Zach hung up the phone. And maybe it's just that
I'm jealous of them. This is if I've got one
thing that I've struggled with in my life, it's how

(35:31):
to set accurate and appropriate boundaries. I am on Zach
Wheeler's side. You wanted me to be an All Star.
You make me an All Star. But if you're gonna
tick me off, then don't come asking me for a
favor after the fact.

Speaker 2 (35:49):
You tick me off, I tick you off.

Speaker 3 (35:51):
This is one of them turnabouts fair play thing to me,
so no problem even though the All Star Game is
in his building. No thanks, pound sand Ah.

Speaker 2 (36:05):
Look, I'm I'm trying to find the right words. Find
the right words. Take your time. We got a light.
I completely understand. When you played as well as he's
played and you're not considered first, then that's a problem.

(36:27):
And egos. Look, all professional athletes have egos. You have
to or you can't get there. You have to be
able to walk into a gym, on a field, on
a pitch, on a court at some point in your
journey and be like, I'm the best one out here.
That's an ego. Now you don't have to be egotistical,

(36:50):
but you have to believe you're him. That's the only
way you get to the next level with a room
full of hymns. And if you don't play all the
rest of the great players and feel like you're being slighted,
and then they come back and say, hey, are bad.

(37:12):
You want to come and you say no. The only
time I got cut was in my twelfth year. I
was playing in Detroit for a miserable year. First time
I never played a game, and it was just I
was like, oh, this is the end, and they called
me in like after a week twelve and said, hey,
we're going to release you. Maurice Williams just became available.

(37:36):
He went to Michigan. We're gonna bring him in. I said,
all right, cool whatever, went home, flew home. The next day.
My agent called me and was like, hey, he didn't
pass his physical. Do you want to They want to
know if you want to come back. No, no, bro,
No I don't want to come back. I'm good right
like you. No, you don't get to you have an opportunity.

(38:01):
You pick him or you don't pick him. Well, and
I'm okay with his response. No, I'm gonna go spend
some time with my family. I'm totally with you.

Speaker 3 (38:10):
And again this is one of those where like if
there was a case to be made for him to
not be there, if it was even close, and like, okay,
sour grapesee, like dude, just be an All Star. It's
your home. Fans. Christopher Sanchez and Zach Wheeler are one

(38:31):
and two along with Jacob Mazerowski, so one one in
one A, but they are the top three in the
National League in War the top three, and Sanchez and
Wheeler play for the Phillies hosting the event. There is absolutely, unequivocally,

(38:52):
no debate over whether or not Zach Wheeler should have
been picked, and he wasn't. It's an oversight. It's a
total screw up. Zach Wheeler won't be there, and it's
not his fault. It's whoever's making the decisions.

Speaker 2 (39:04):
Perfect perfectly said, let's stay on the All Star Game.
Go for it. For the life of me. As good
as baseball has gotten is capturing new fans. Why on
earth do they still have the All Star Game on

(39:27):
a weekday? Can someone explain to me why the All
Star festivities happen on a weekday. It doesn't make sense
because most people want to travel to the actual event,

(39:52):
so they have to take off work, right like opposed to, Hey,
we're flying up after work on Friday, Saturday, Sundays the game,
Saturday's the festivities. Sundays the game, We're flying back Monday morning.
No no, no, no, no, you gotta fly out Sunday
or Saturday. Get there. Nothing is going on until Monday, Tuesday.

(40:16):
That's two days off work. Tuesday, we'll go to the
game and then fly back if you can get a
flight out on Tuesday night, but most likely miss work
on Monday Tuesday went. Why is it set up like that?
Why is it marketed like that? Why isn't it a
bigger event?

Speaker 4 (40:37):
I can't give you a firm answer.

Speaker 3 (40:38):
I can give you a guess, and it is like
everything else, it centers around one word and one word.

Speaker 2 (40:46):
Only, and that is greed.

Speaker 3 (40:49):
And my sense is is that because baseball it's giveaways,
what really drives its attendance are weekend games. And I
don't think the owners want to give one of those
summer weekends up in the middle of July, which is
the best weather in most places and the most available

(41:12):
that most people are Again, I do not know this
to be true, but that's my best guess of an
answer to your question.

Speaker 2 (41:20):
Yeah, what if the All Star Game weekend would have
started Friday, was the last games, and it was this
weekend right now, like the All Star Game was on
right now, Well, it would have the entire night to itself.
This is what I'm talking about, Like, that's how you
capped here, that's how you Saturday would have been amazing
in Philly.

Speaker 3 (41:40):
There's no World Cup matches, nothing, We got rain at
the with NASCAR.

Speaker 4 (41:46):
With NASCAR, Yeah, would have had the whole night to itself.

Speaker 2 (41:50):
I don't understand why they won't capitalize all things like that.

Speaker 3 (41:54):
Well, wouldn't be the first time that baseball is just
a humongous marketing.

Speaker 2 (42:00):
And nobody wants to change it. Nobody wants to be like,
you know what, let's make it a weekend thing so
people and their families can come out and even if
they don't go to the game, they can come out
to the festivities and make it a make it a thing.
It's nothing, you know what.

Speaker 3 (42:16):
You're setting up my number two point perfectly, So let's
roll right into it.

Speaker 4 (42:22):
Let me start as I've been wont to do so far.

Speaker 3 (42:25):
Tonight by asking you a question, Hey, Ephraim, in Major
League Baseball this year, what's the big story?

Speaker 2 (42:36):
The big story exactly?

Speaker 3 (42:42):
You made my point perfectly, And I'm looking at what
is developing into kind of an odd summer last summer,
just the Dodgers and Yankees of it all, and the
Aaron Judge and the show Hey Otani of it all.
We tend to get bored with things, and both of
those players are having just good years instead of great

(43:03):
years this time around. And I'm noticing a little bit
of a trend. The Knicks took over June. The World
Cup has taken the baton from then and will continue
to do so for one more week, and then the
World Cup will end, and we will suddenly be a

(43:27):
week away from training camps opening.

Speaker 4 (43:30):
And it feels very much to me like Major.

Speaker 3 (43:32):
League Baseball is failing to meet its summer obligations. I
have no idea what the hell I'm supposed to sink
my teeth into. I don't know if this is anybody's fault.
Like players play, they do what they do. Are we
excited by Kyle Schwarber going up against Jordan Alvarez for
the homer title?

Speaker 2 (43:53):
We just aren't.

Speaker 3 (43:55):
But from a team standpoint, an individual standpoint, I'm having
the hardest. I'm looking at this baseball season and asking
what is the story? What am I What is making
me think?

Speaker 4 (44:10):
What is making me gravitate? Whatever it is?

Speaker 3 (44:13):
And so far, you know, we got some nice pitching
stories with the Brewers.

Speaker 4 (44:17):
The Dodgers are good.

Speaker 3 (44:19):
We already knew that was gonna happen, you know, Eh,
Like I just don't.

Speaker 2 (44:25):
I don't know what it is.

Speaker 3 (44:26):
And this is the kind of to me, a big
concern for Major League Baseball. We're heading into the three
weeks that they can own, and I don't think they're
ready for it.

Speaker 2 (44:36):
There's no juice. You're absolutely right, there's no juice. There's
nothing to get excited about. Watching the Dodgers play today
in the last three days. You can tell there, like
the All Star Game couldn't get here fast enough, right,
Like I couldn't get here fast enough, like it was.
I mean you would talk about inept off. Yeah, and

(45:00):
they do it this week.

Speaker 4 (45:02):
Yeah, you know, like they want to try.

Speaker 2 (45:04):
Like, no, why is the baseball draft? I don't know
one thing about the MLB draft. Nobody knows, nobody, a
bunch of high school kids no one's ever heard of. Right, Like,
it's it's exactly right there. Who won't get a shot
at the majors for four years? Right, there's a problem

(45:26):
there that we always talk about that they don't even care.
Though they don't care out of the sixty two games,
we're gonna make our money on all the weekends too, right,
Like it's just it blows my mind because it could
be it could be different, It could be different. And
now you add the workstop a possibility. Exactly really good?

(45:50):
All right? Good, look, guys, they cannot afford to do it.
They're gonna have to figure it out.

Speaker 3 (45:56):
So yeah, this week there are one, two, three, four,
at least five international soccer stars who right now are
a bigger deal than anybody who puts on a baseball uniform.
And that's in America and them are American. Yep, unbelievable. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (46:18):
My second one is NBA Summer League, and this draft,
with the bevy of talent that we saw get drafted
a few weeks ago, is living up to the building.
These young players, you know, the top ten picks, they're
all out here. They're playing. You see why they were

(46:41):
lottery picks. They're competing against each other. I love that.
Now this is the first week of Vegas Summer League.
Hopefully they continue this into next week, the final week,
because a lot of teams shut their young players down
after they play about two or three game games. Uh,
even when they get down to the playoffs and and

(47:04):
and go for the championship of the Summer League, the
A list players, the lottery picks aren't playing. But I
love the competitive nature watching Aj Debonza right now play
against uh Darius a Cuff like it's it's amazing. And
when uh. Uh Peterson was playing against aj the first
night of Vegas. Something that was they were going at

(47:26):
it like you get it, you get to seek Boozers
has played extremely well. And just a shout out to
uh the Vegas and and Albert Hall, who who runs
the NBA Summer League. It's just and if you if
you're in the area and you have you know kids,
it's a wonderful, wonderful event to take your kids to. Uh.

(47:48):
My son was a ball boy at the Summer League
last year. I loved that and he was unbelieved got
his first paycheck from the NBA. Come the first pay check,
we're gonna frame it. We didn't catch was forty five dollars.
That specially. What we're gonna do is we're gonna take
his first paycheck and then his Draft night paycheck. I
like that, and we're gonna we're gonna put him in
it and put him in his office.

Speaker 3 (48:09):
I thought you were gonna say his first paycheck and
his last paycheck. No, his last paycheck gonna be the
sixty million dollars at this pace. But anyway, speaking of
the show, here comes a group that likes to put
on a show, and I want to give them the
award for I don't think anyone saw this coming, but

(48:30):
for my money, the musical act that has had the
biggest twenty twenty six is a musical act that a
year ago wasn't even together anymore. In fact, they had
sworn that they would never do another show together. Almost
very Eagles esque if you will, but Mary, if you will.

(48:51):
As we celebrate England getting into the final four, who
the hell knew that this was coming for the biggest
musical act of twenty twenty sixty from none other than Oasis.

Speaker 2 (49:07):
I even every manie and there's the way I do
imout you. Now they got a documentary coming out. This
is brilliant.

Speaker 3 (49:16):
They had a reunion tour that absolutely made bajillions of dollars,
had people freaking out competing for tickets. The brothers got
back together and now the biggest sporting event in the
world is being serenaded by this every time the next
big thing Jude Bellingham scores a goal.

Speaker 2 (49:38):
Love It, Love It.

Speaker 4 (49:40):
Who the hell saw Oasis rebirthing like this?

Speaker 2 (49:45):
No one, not even them, the whole crowd taking everybody brother.

Speaker 3 (49:51):
This song came on. I told you was in Yosemite
with the kids early this morning. We're driving and doing
playing car games like families do, and this song comes
on and the game stops, and I turn it up
and age twelve, age seventeen, at age fifty one all
then singing at the top of all loss, top of.

Speaker 2 (50:11):
It all beautiful, so good, that's beautiful. I love it.
I love that. That's amazing. My third one is I
think I told you I was on this journey with
the travel ball team for the first time with my
rec league team, my rec kids, just to give them
extra coaching because I think I've done with the wreck

(50:36):
and I love these kids. They were cheated, and so
I've just been working on them. It's not even about
the games. It's just about building them up as players
and preparing them for their journey and their attempt to
eventually make high school basketball, which a lot of them won't,
but you know, they'll have the work ethic and the
basketball IQ to give them a shot. And so we've

(51:01):
been playing. I think we had our third and fourth
game today and we got boat raced in both games. Oh,
we're playing against real you know, teams that compete at
the AAU level. Yes, right, And we only had six players.
We have eleven total on our team, but at summer
and five kids are either at other basketball tournaments or
out of town. So we roll up into bet to

(51:23):
Burbank High School with our you know, our Motley crewe.
And I had been talking to my son. He's very demonstrative,
demonstrative when I'm coaching him because he thinks I'm yelling them.
We talk about this all the time, and so his
body language is off anytime I coach him. He just

(51:45):
goes somewhere. And I was having a conversation. Wifie and
I were having a conversation with him, like brother, you're him,
you can go if you get out of your way.
And we played yesterday and he was frustrated and it
was written all over him. And so I picked up
another game today and he had They had two games today.

(52:09):
When I tell you, this kid, about five minutes in
the first game, he something happened and you know, he
threw the pass to somebody and they turned it over
something like that. So his body language is off. So
I brought a call, brought him, set him down, come
sit down. When he checked him. So when I put
him back in the game, oh my god, this Twelvey,

(52:32):
brand new Twelvey or have been twelve for two weeks
eight threes. He was on fire. My goodness when I
when I tell you, he was just like, all right,
I'm gonna do it myself. Break the press, come down, crossover, tween,

(52:54):
step back, three, splash, get back on defense, steal the ball,
come down, let it up, get back on defense, come down,
come off the double screen, hit the three falling out
of bounds, come back on defense. I was like, oh,
my lord, twenty eight the first game, twenty the second game,
I believe, unbelieve we only had six. They were dog tired.

(53:17):
This kid played harder than I ever seen him play
in his life, Harder than I've ever seen him play
in his life. He's exhausted right now. He's sitting in
the hot tab at home. His legs are dead cold.
But I told him that's who you are, son. You
are a special You won the DNA jackpot. Your father

(53:40):
is six eight, your mother is almost six foot. Both
of your parents are athletic, which means you are athletic.
This summer, you're going to decide what type of player
you're going to be. Are you going to be a
bucket getter and a bucket's are you just gonna be

(54:02):
like everybody else? I said, you're the best team, the
best kid on this team. Play like it. Stop looking
for them to come save you, and save yourself and
shout out to him. Boy was he on fire? How
fun is that it was? I was like the referee
was like, well, damn right, the referee. The ref was like, no,

(54:27):
he could play the other coaches, young man, you got it.
All the other parents on the other team, Hey do
you want where? Where are you? Trent? Who are you right?
But he deserved it because it's awesome, you know, it
was all it was all bad, like we don't have
the talent to compete with when we don't have our

(54:47):
four team, we don't have the talent. These kids are
learning how to play at this level. But he's been
playing at this level for about two years. And so
he went out there and just like, all right, man,
let's get it.

Speaker 3 (55:00):
I know, I know, I know where you want the
focus right now. But I'm gonna say this because I've
heard enough stories to know you can coach. Dude, Oh man,
you coach, you can coach. I'm trying, man, you know
what you're doing you know what you're doing.

Speaker 2 (55:16):
That's awesome, man, Sometimes is it me? Yeah?

Speaker 4 (55:21):
That's I think that comes with parenting and coaching a
lot great stuff.

Speaker 3 (55:26):
All right, there's three things, uh, Steve de Sager, just
a handful of minutes away. We got to get to Lebron,
Aaron Donald and Moore. So we'll keep going with it
from Salama Mark Willard on Fox Sports Radio.

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

Speaker 3 (55:42):
I don't know if you know this tonight, Ephraim, but
Mary is on one Wheel's a Steel right now.

Speaker 2 (55:49):
On fire m hm, y.

Speaker 4 (55:56):
She knows how to get you going. Now, I don't.

Speaker 3 (55:59):
I don't know what it is she would play to
get Steve de Seger going. But you know there's there
maybe that maybe that that's what you do. Yeah, that's
what you Wow, Steve, you're.

Speaker 1 (56:15):
Listening to sports radio radio.

Speaker 4 (56:18):
Boy baseball just listening to you go through all of that, Steve,
Baseball is weird.

Speaker 3 (56:24):
It's really you know what I mean, And I don't
even mean that in some sort of a bad way,
but like, gosh, what a what a quirky thing? As
we get to the All Star break and uh, yeah,
the Tampa Bay Rays have the best record in baseball,
the A's Athletics, whatever you want to call them, nine

(56:44):
in a row.

Speaker 4 (56:45):
Boston was left for dead a month and a half.

Speaker 3 (56:47):
Ago, wild card now and now there are two games
under five hundred and yeah, they're they're right in this thing.

Speaker 2 (56:52):
So anyway, Yeah, I'll.

Speaker 7 (56:55):
Say about the Rays, who we never expect to have
a payroll. Ever, remember they were in the World Series
when they had Blake Snell in twenty twenty and then
actually made the wild card or better in the postseason
for three years in a row right after that. This
is a team that's standing with that kind of record
and that kind of payroll does not compute. And for

(57:16):
all the negotiations that are going to be happening this offseason,
and I personally don't expect spring training to start on
time next year, labor contract is up at the end
of this postseason. People are going to say, you know,
we need the salary caps that the other pro sports leagues,
and you know, if it includes the salary floor. As
a fan, I'm all for that, but you know, the

(57:38):
argument the pushback on that is going to be, well,
Tampa Bay doesn't spend and they've had a lot of
good years or what was the World Series the year
before it was Dodgers Yankees. It was Arizona against Texas
for crede out Loud. So there are other teams that succeed.

Speaker 4 (57:54):
No question, and the Rays are often one of them.

Speaker 7 (57:57):
And White Sox are what a couple of years removed
from the record worst season and they're tied for first at.

Speaker 3 (58:02):
The honest exactly, they have a winning record. I don't
know what the hell the Rays put in the sauce though.

Speaker 2 (58:08):
What is it that they do?

Speaker 7 (58:09):
Yeah, they find value, which is what Andrew Friedman used
to do before he came to the Dodgers.

Speaker 2 (58:15):
No doubt.

Speaker 7 (58:15):
It's somebody's going to write a book about that guy.
Not about him personally, but the amazing thing. Yeah, he
takes Tampa Bay to the World Series with those theories
and then actually gets a payroll and still uses the
same theories. The amount of value that the Dodgers have found,
it's not just one fifteen year.

Speaker 2 (58:36):
Contract after another. It's it is kind of it's notable.
Put it that way.

Speaker 3 (58:42):
There's no question, there's no question. I still think the
Brewers are going to win the World Series and we'll
see how that plays. That's another one though.

Speaker 7 (58:51):
Atlanta is back in this year healthier than last year.

Speaker 3 (58:53):
Yep, absolutely absolutely, all right, Steve, great stuff, Thank you
so much. With the iHeart app, just reminder here you
can stream us wherever you are. Catch us and all
of the Fox Sports Radio shows and Steve Disager, by
the way, on many of them live twenty four to
seven in the new and improved iHeart App. Just search
Fox Sports Radio in the app and you can stream
us live all day every day. Be sure to select

(59:15):
Fox Sports Radio as one of your presets in the
iHeart App so it always pops up at the top
of your screen. Again, just search Fox Sports Radio in
the I Heart App. All right, we still got a
lot that we need to, uh to get to. You
remember who coached the Lakers when they won that Bubble championship.

(59:37):
Think him about, Yeah I do, yeah, you see, uh
see what happened to him today?

Speaker 2 (59:47):
All right? Just you know, just just thinking out loud
over here.

Speaker 3 (59:51):
I tell you what though, by the way, for those
of you who don't know, he's been uh, he has
been hired as the associate head coach of the Golden
State Warriors. But to me, there's a much bigger question
going on that I would love to ask you and
kind of work through because this is taking so long,

(01:00:12):
the Lebron free agency that a thought that to me
was previously unthinkable. I'm now fighting it a little bit
as if man, is this really true? And I want
to run it by you, and we'll do that coming
up next, because this free agency quite frankly still has

(01:00:35):
no end in sight and nobody seems to know why.
So let's get into that a little bit coming up
next with you from Salama, Mark Wellard, Fox Sports Radio.
Excitement of the fee for World Cup now streaming live
on Fox one, official English streaming platform. To catch every
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(01:00:56):
brings the action straight to your screen. You never miss
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World Cup Live. Three matches to go Tuesday, Wednesday, the
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the true final four, not just because his four teams left,
but it is the top four ranked teams in the

(01:01:17):
FIFA World Ranking, so pretty special. France and Spain on Tuesday,
England and Argentina on Wednesday.

Speaker 4 (01:01:26):
We'll get to a lot more of that in the
next hour.

Speaker 3 (01:01:29):
But from what you read, if somebody just asks you, hey,
this Lebron thing, why is it taking so long, what's
your answer?

Speaker 2 (01:01:37):
I don't care, but I know you don't. You know,
as a fan, I don't, But as a you know,
person in the media, I think there is no rush
for him. He's not going. No one has to hold
up their salary. Are there there's a spot in time
of money. It's not going to be a hit against
the salary cap. It's not going to put you in
the second apron. He understands that, he knows that, and

(01:01:58):
he doesn't. It doesn't What is the rush? Now? I'm
sure he knows where he's going already.

Speaker 4 (01:02:07):
Let's talk about that.

Speaker 2 (01:02:09):
And I'm sure he's let the team know. But you're sure.

Speaker 3 (01:02:14):
I'm pretty sure. See, I've been pretty sure. I've been
running around having this conversation with people a lot. And
it's based on that idea. And Brian Windhorst even said
it about a week and a half ago. He goes,
Lebron absolutely knows where he's going.

Speaker 2 (01:02:31):
Why why wouldn't Heron controlled everything in his entire career
for four years? Correct?

Speaker 3 (01:02:37):
And the documentary hasn't come out yet about the Lakers
and Lebron and the parting of ways, and we can
all argue who actually wanted to leave who, and I'm
sure you've got some intel and so do I and
I whatever, But the bottom line is I've been sitting
here for the longest time going he.

Speaker 4 (01:02:53):
Knows exactly where he's going.

Speaker 3 (01:02:56):
So the idea when Rich Paul goes, yeah, true open
free agency, and Cleveland's doing this, and Miami's over here
doing that, and then there's Golden State, and then there's
the dark horse teams in Philadelphia and Minnesota and the Clippers,
and everybody's like, yeah, we're trying, we're doing you know,
Draymond Green apparently went to Puerto Rico with him and
put on the heavy pitch. And I'm sitting here going,

(01:03:19):
is this all just an elaborate show pitch meetings? Like
really pitches? Lebron James with the final chapter of his
career is going to be swayed because another human being
sat him down and went, Okay, here's what I'm thinking.

(01:03:41):
It's incredibly hard for me to believe, and at this
hour I still don't, but it does beg the question,
if you know, you say, what's the rush. I'm gonna
give you the opposite question, what are you gaining by
waiting this?

Speaker 2 (01:04:02):
See listen?

Speaker 4 (01:04:04):
Does okay, does that narcissistic thought really help him at
this hour?

Speaker 2 (01:04:09):
Let me explain it to you, Okay, go ahead. For
twenty four years, the talking point of the NBA has
been Lebron James. Why would that effort? Why would this
is all he's known his entire career, So all of
a sudden it's going to be like, I'm not going
to take control of the media. This is part of

(01:04:32):
his brand. This is what it is. So I'm not shocked.
Everybody's like, man, what's good. I'm not shocked at all.

Speaker 4 (01:04:42):
I'm not shocked.

Speaker 3 (01:04:44):
I guess I'm just wondering what it is that's there
to gain, And I'm having a hard time sort of
receiving that this is all that much fun to him,
that this attention, Like, you can't tell me that Lebron
James is starving for hold on attention.

Speaker 2 (01:05:04):
No, it's not keen about that.

Speaker 3 (01:05:05):
He's gotten plenty and continues to get plenty of attention.
So that just feels like a flimsy I'm not saying
you're wrong, but if it is that's a flimsy reason
for stretching it out like this is weeks weeks now.

Speaker 2 (01:05:22):
But it's not about the attention. It's about the relevancy.
Lebron James is at the end of a historic career.
This new wave of kids I talked about him earlier
in Summer League right now are phenomenal. Shay is phenomenal,

(01:05:45):
Victor wimbin Yama is phenomenal, the Joker phenomenal. Guess who
no one's talking about. No one's really talking about Kevin Durant.
No one's really talking about Steph Curry other than his
mega shoe deal. He just sided with Lee right right.
No one's talking about the other stars. Who else is

(01:06:06):
a superstar in that era? Right? There are none? Left? Yep,
those are the three. No one's talking about the other two.
In the midst of all this great NBA news about
the up and coming players and the you know, the
next generation, but we're still talking about oooh Lebron James.

(01:06:26):
What is he gonna do? Very few players at the
age of forty two or forty one and the twenty
fourth year of their career can garner this level of
media attention. That's why would you relinquish that. I mean,
what that makes zero sense to me? Okay, so how
long does this go?

Speaker 4 (01:06:47):
Then?

Speaker 2 (01:06:47):
I don't know. I don't I would presume after summer League,
because teams will start to hit to you know, take
a little break and then start to hit the training camp.
But this isn't This is exactly what you're supposed to do.

Speaker 3 (01:07:01):
I mean, we've arrived at a point where the teams
themselves are complicit. It feels like Kenny Atkinson is in
the public going, well, we're pitching and we're trying, and
because it's a great story, but it's as if they
believe he doesn't know where he's going yet. Yeah, because
if they can try that, you know, Bob Myers is
on a podcast, well you know this was where we

(01:07:23):
could win.

Speaker 4 (01:07:24):
Really, like, are they under the impressions?

Speaker 2 (01:07:28):
Isn't it fun? Though? Sure, every single team thinks they
have a shot because he's already said it's not about
the money, so now everything. The Wizards think they got
a shot because his boy ad is there and they
not trading him, so they got they think they got
a shot. They might trade him. He doesn't want to
be there, No, he doesn't want to be there, but
I wouldn't trade him out make him play.

Speaker 3 (01:07:49):
Yeah, well, I mean that's always fun. I mean NBA
Star all they got to do is say one word
and the tank their value.

Speaker 2 (01:07:58):
I want out.

Speaker 3 (01:08:00):
Well, you know what I mean. Where do you think
he ends up? I have no idea that none of us.
Do you mean Lebron?

Speaker 2 (01:08:11):
Yeah? Oh I think I got I think I had
two places. I think Okay, that he that you'll end up?

Speaker 4 (01:08:16):
You would you like to would you like to hold
those two places?

Speaker 3 (01:08:20):
We'll talk about it at the tab of hour. Okay,
that's yeah, that's stay tune. Okay, A lot of a
lot of you think there are four places. Aphram says
they're two.

Speaker 4 (01:08:29):
That's next.

Speaker 1 (01:08:32):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 3 (01:08:35):
Well, the World Cup is on one, and so are
you if you think it's rigged. But we got all
kinds of time for the rest of the hour to
get to that. Aaron Donald, is he just flirting or
is he actually coming back to the Los Angeles Rams?
There is that This always fun Lake Tahoe Golf Tournament
is ongoing, as it is always ready to do here

(01:08:58):
in the second weekend of July, so we can get
to all of that, but we were so rudely interrupted
in a fascinating conversation by that last commercial break. So
let us pick up our story where we left off.
I fram Salam was telling us, how there are two
two teams that you have circled as possibilities for one

(01:09:19):
Lebron James, would you like to go ahead and unveil
those teams now?

Speaker 2 (01:09:22):
Absolutely? Okay, I think the number one team would probably
going back home to put a cap on historic career. Okay,
started in Cleveland, won a championship in Cleveland, and finished
in Cleveland with the championship. They have the level of

(01:09:44):
talent they got beat in the Eastern Conference finals, so
I think that's a huge possibility. Now what they decided
to do with James Harden, is it another conversation? Is
it something where he wants to play with James and
James wants to be there and they're gonna you know,

(01:10:04):
he opted out, so either they're gonna re sign him
to an extension, which I'm sure they're working on now,
and does Lebron think that that fits? But they could
use it, Lebron James, that'll help get them over the hump.
And then I think Golden State And the reason I
think Golden State is because he really can see himself

(01:10:29):
finishing up playing with his friends like he loves playing
with Steph. He's made that clear, and we got a
chance and a glimpse to see what that looks like.
The down the stretch in the Olympics, where there's no
defense on the planet Earth that can stop Steph Curry,
Lebron James high pick and roll. How would you ever

(01:10:53):
stop that? There's nothing you can do. Hope they get hurt, right,
but but you hope they're not playing that night. It's
it's it's a it's a lose lose situal proposition for sure.
And I think he likes that. I think that makes
the game easier for him, which of course he likes

(01:11:13):
at forty one forty two, but he gets to really
play golf with stuff every every off day or weekend,
whatever that is, whatever schedule they map out. That's something
that I think he would enjoy doing. I think he'd
be happy, you know, playing with the older guys and

(01:11:37):
and and maybe sneak into the playoffs and you will
see definitely play.

Speaker 3 (01:11:43):
In I wonder if you've got a sense, being the
Laker follower that you are what I think a lot
of us are trying to figure out because we've been
told a bunch of things, but what is actually driving
this decision? Because yes, the Internet, and it seems like
even the NBA on the inside right now sort of

(01:12:04):
has the belief that Cleveland is the clear front runner here.
What's interesting is, I think for weeks, if not months,
the whole thought was, well, he's going to stay in
la And I think now we realize that that was
actually never really in the cards from the Lakers perspective
or Lebron's. But the thought was, he is not want

(01:12:31):
to be far from home and from his family and
from the West coast, and he's got this new passion
for golf, and so he's not going to go to
a winter city. These were all the thoughts, and then
something happened a week ago and everyone went Cleveland, and
I kept thinking to myself, you realize, that's none of

(01:12:54):
those things, right, Like, it literally checks.

Speaker 2 (01:12:58):
None of the boxes.

Speaker 3 (01:13:00):
The only box that it checks and maybe this is
the biggest and the only one is sort of the
storybook nature of it, and that's always been a Lebron staple.
And I think we can all get around that story
Cleveland certainly. Can you know? I thought to myself in
this process, would Lebron stretch this thing out and let

(01:13:22):
Cleveland think he's coming and.

Speaker 4 (01:13:25):
Then not come?

Speaker 2 (01:13:26):
I don't think he would.

Speaker 4 (01:13:27):
Would he do that to the fan base there?

Speaker 2 (01:13:29):
No, I don't think so, because.

Speaker 3 (01:13:31):
Yeah, that was compelled. No, I was just gonna say
that was a compelling when that was brought up. That
was a compelling thought to me.

Speaker 2 (01:13:38):
Yeah, I don't think that's it, because you got to remember,
there is an ownership component to this. Lebron James wants
to be an owner team. If next year this time,
if Lebron has retired and everything has happened and he
announces his you know, minority stake in the Cleveland Cavaliers,

(01:14:01):
would that surprise you?

Speaker 4 (01:14:04):
Uh No, it wouldn't surprise me. It wouldn't surprise me
at all.

Speaker 2 (01:14:08):
Right, And look, he's from there, he has an estate there,
he has a school there. Uh. Of course, he doesn't
spend a lot of time there, but it's familiar to him.
And you know, I get it. You know, does his

(01:14:28):
does Savannah and the kids stay out here and you
can keep them in school there, or you know, did
they go back home because they've all been to school
in Cleveland as well.

Speaker 3 (01:14:44):
I don't know, man, the Lakers are bouncing around all
year at all. He's seemingly like what really lit him
up was being on the court with his son.

Speaker 2 (01:14:53):
Yes, and I have I have a thought about Okay,
play theory far away. So he's accomplished some than it's
never happened. Right, He's thrown a lob to a son,
his son's given him an assist, they played in the
same game. All of these things. What hasn't happened.

Speaker 4 (01:15:13):
He hasn't dunked on his son.

Speaker 2 (01:15:15):
He hasn't played against his son. No other father son
duo have played against each other in NBA history. That's
a box he can check. That's why he waited till
the day after deal with Ronnie's. Deal was fully guaranteed. Yep. Right,

(01:15:36):
So if you think he just flying by the seat
of his pants, just know if he makes that two
days earlier, they're probably releasing Bronnie Now. They can't still
release them. They'll eat that money. They're not in a
place to eat the money. So I know he would
love after playing with his son for two years, he

(01:15:57):
would love nothing more than they at least play against
him two to four times a year.

Speaker 4 (01:16:02):
Okay, And I mean obviously he can achieve that.

Speaker 2 (01:16:04):
Anywhere, anywhere, anywhere right now. That's what I think that is. Okay.

Speaker 3 (01:16:12):
So if I'm gonna ask you, based on all of
the Lebron watching and all of this, what you think
best guess drives him right now? Which is storybook type
ending and better chance at a deep playoff run or

(01:16:36):
friends enjoyment, sunshine golf? What's driving him?

Speaker 2 (01:16:44):
I really believe the friends is driving interesting. I really do,
because I think Number one, if he goes to the East,
it'll be he'll have a clearer shot to the finals.
You would think, yes, Oh no, I'm not thinking yes,
he did. Would be the team he would be joining

(01:17:05):
was in the Eastern Conference finals, right and he will
just be added something that they didn't have that they
needed on the West. Bro that's a log gem over there.
You got the whole West Western Conference trying to figure
out how to stack a roster they can compete with
with the Spurs And Okay, see two deepest teams in

(01:17:29):
all of basketball and young the two youngest. They happening
to be the deepest and the youngest, and they got
better in the draft both teams this year. How do
they keep doing it? From them Dogs? The Spurs draft, Okay,
they got some good boy going on. So when you

(01:17:50):
think about it, if he stays in the West, it's
purely we're gonna have fun on this. We're gonna have
a ball because it will not be the compete to
go to the finals. If he goes to Cleveland, they
want them, the odds of them going to the NBA
Championship will increase.

Speaker 4 (01:18:10):
I don't disagree with that. I don't disagree with that.

Speaker 3 (01:18:12):
I don't think the West is as defined anymore as
we were we habitually think it is.

Speaker 2 (01:18:17):
That's interesting.

Speaker 3 (01:18:18):
I mean, the Thunder and the Spurs point is a
completely fair one. I just feel like there are at
least questions surrounding everything after that, I really do.

Speaker 4 (01:18:30):
The Lakers have lost Lebron James.

Speaker 3 (01:18:32):
The Nuggets seem like they're in some sort of a
weird transition that hasn't happened yet, but maybe it is inevitable.
The Rockets were wildly disappointing and tweeting about each other
behind each other's backs. The Timberwolves have done a roster turnover,
as have the Clippers maybe if that deal goes through.

(01:18:53):
Golden State has said let's get younger and done nothing
but bring all of their people back. And I mean
we could go on and on. There isn't any like, yes,
there are good teams. I don't know if anybody is
all that scary for sure, like good.

Speaker 2 (01:19:12):
Good, let me so if he does Golden Golden State, right, well,
I'm where are they? What are they? There's seventh?

Speaker 3 (01:19:21):
Yeah, No, they don't scare me if they add him,
unless they add another person, which they might.

Speaker 2 (01:19:28):
I don't.

Speaker 3 (01:19:29):
I don't think the Anthony Davis thing is like I
know everybody's like, that's not happening now.

Speaker 2 (01:19:36):
If it does, yes, that moves the needle, But what
does that put them fifth? It surely doesn't put him
at one or two or three. Minnesota got better that
they I don't know that. You know why they got better?
Why because now Anthony Edwards can be the true player

(01:19:56):
that he he needs to be, him running the point
and being that that's not he is a fun You
swing them all to him and let him go to work.

Speaker 3 (01:20:04):
I need to see the front court of that of
that new team, Okay, I like to me Julius Randall
and nas Reed being gone does not that hurts does
not just snap fingers and we're fine. And I'm far
from convinced that LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards playing next
to each other makes sense that I'll just I'm not
saying that. I don't know, but I got questions. The

(01:20:27):
Lakers will still be good.

Speaker 2 (01:20:29):
The Lakers will be good, They'll be around five.

Speaker 3 (01:20:31):
Yeah, the the Nuggets will still be good, they'll you know,
I know those teams are right, but I don't. I
don't know exactly how good would the Warriors get into
that mix? Probably not, but I don't, I don't, I
don't know. I don't know what these I don't know
how the dust All settles. And then I don't know

(01:20:51):
what kind of injury lucky.

Speaker 2 (01:20:52):
Each of these teams have the war of attrition, and
the Warriors have go for the oldest him in the league.
For sure.

Speaker 3 (01:20:58):
The Warriors have a much higher risk status on that
than anybody else in the league, no question, no question
about that.

Speaker 2 (01:21:07):
So that that's my you know, if if he does
pick a East Coast team, it's to go to the finals.
If he stays on the West, he's trying to go
have fun. He's got to go play golf. He's trying
to talk trash and and and gamble and enjoy the ride,
which would be a hell of a ride. And it'll
be mussy TV. Think about to travel the arenas, it'd

(01:21:29):
be they'll be everywhere. Oh Steph out there doing his pregame,
Lebron out there doing his pre It'll be, like.

Speaker 3 (01:21:36):
I think, to your point, Box office, if you're saying
that he's holding up free agency, because this is what
he does, like he is a professional. Keep my name
at the head of the line deal, well then yeah,
then Golden State, Golden State, they like, it doesn't matter
what seed they come in. That's the show, period, right period.

(01:22:01):
That's that's the team that everybody wants to watch, even
if they're bad, even if they're bad, even if they're bad.

Speaker 2 (01:22:09):
And then don't forget, you know, saying, look on about
a lot of money out there at the stuff, a
lot of deals to be done, telling me a lot
of deals to be done. You come out of there
with another whole billion dollars getting ready to happen, No joke,
that's the real thing.

Speaker 3 (01:22:26):
The Seahawks just got purchased by the forty nine ers
for crying out right, I brought that. I'm sort of joking.
You can read about it, but it's anyway.

Speaker 2 (01:22:35):
Yeah, yeah, you're you're right though.

Speaker 4 (01:22:38):
Yes, okay, Well it was an interesting conversation.

Speaker 2 (01:22:43):
It was a conversation. Yeah, absolutely, a lot of different
point of views, not you know, excuse me, perspectives and
angles maybe people haven't thought of. But look, and you
asked me, why is it taking so long because we
have to have these conversations. Well, we're not the only one. Yeah,
we're just the first ones for the week. Do you
ever notice things we talk about in our takes somehow

(01:23:07):
find themselves in the majority of the shows that come on.
I've literally been sitting there and my wife was like, hey,
then you say that last night it a little bit
word for word. I swear and I'm not saying my takes.
I have the only take and all of that, but

(01:23:29):
I try to come at things a little different way,
you know, try to explain things. When you explain things
and then someone else explain something the way you explain it,
you're like, eh, that's interesting.

Speaker 3 (01:23:41):
Sunday night is the start of the week. It is
the start of I mean, just you know, putting that
fact out there.

Speaker 2 (01:23:50):
I'm just saying, yeah, I'm not saying but I'm just
saying but.

Speaker 3 (01:23:53):
I'm just saying, Okay, and we'll keep saying stuff because
we've got forty five minutes more to do that at
So yeah, let's get back to FIFA. Let's get to
Team USA, which we have not as of yet US
m n T I should say with me from Salama,
Mark Willard, this is Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 5 (01:24:13):
listen live.

Speaker 3 (01:24:25):
Okay, down the stretch we come, and if you missed
any of today's show here Mark Willard e from Salam,
you're gonna want to catch a podcast. As he from said,
if you want to know what's going to happen on
Wednesday in sports media, just listen to what he says today.
Search Fox Sports Radio wherever you get your podcast. Right
after the show, Today's podcast gonna get posted. You can

(01:24:45):
follow the pod, rate it a five, provide a review.

Speaker 2 (01:24:49):
Again.

Speaker 3 (01:24:49):
Just search Fox Sports Radio wherever you get your podcast,
follow the feed and you'll find all of today's full
show posted right after we get done, but we are
not done.

Speaker 4 (01:25:00):
You have a problem with FIFA.

Speaker 2 (01:25:03):
I have a problem with the governing body because of
the former corrupt or, the corruption. I think they're working
through that. I think the Guitar World Cup really shook
up a lot. I think everybody was like, wait, wait,

(01:25:26):
what I'm awhere? Huh? That wasn't not anyone's being go
pard on somebody, right, And so I think people are
now questioning things, and and social media helps with with
getting point of views across and and being very critical

(01:25:50):
of things that don't seem right, you know. And so
I think FIFA, uh and the governor they're going to
have to figure some things out.

Speaker 3 (01:26:05):
Well, they've made their bed, there's no question about that.
Their reputation is well chronicled. And I think as you
even just get older in life, you start to realize
that there's more than meets the eye in almost everything.
I mean, we just had a lengthy conversation about Lebron.

(01:26:25):
You think there's anything that's going on behind the scenes
that we don't know about. I mean, holy hell, Like
that list is from the ceiling to the floor, right,
So no different here. But I think what I've observed
more than anything in watching a lot of these matches,
and a lot of them in public places and whatnot
is there is no sporting event that I have ever

(01:26:47):
watched about which more people care at a high, high level,
like an emotional level. Yes, And when you bring that
to the table, I think it's inherit in the whole
product that whoever loses is going to cry foul.

Speaker 2 (01:27:05):
You're going to be pissed.

Speaker 3 (01:27:07):
And like we see it in NFL games, playoff games,
super Bowl, you see it in any game quite frankly,
but it's just it's not like this. It's not like soccer,
where as we talked about earlier. The culture is if
you make the wrong mistake at the wrong time or

(01:27:28):
the wrong call comes, it's catastrophic, you know.

Speaker 2 (01:27:33):
What I mean.

Speaker 3 (01:27:34):
Like in the NBA if there's a foul, ah damn,
there's a foul. I mean there's a Twitter feed I
was reading the other day the title, like the avatar,
the name of the Twitter feed is Nick Bosa was held.

Speaker 4 (01:27:47):
And if you live in the Bay, you know what
that means.

Speaker 3 (01:27:50):
You Like, you know in the twenty nineteen Super Bowl,
you know the play that they's talking about We still
talk about that.

Speaker 2 (01:27:57):
To this day.

Speaker 3 (01:27:58):
So we all, you know, every fan base believes they've
been jobbed, and so that exists everywhere. But when it
comes to soccer, if you commit what is even just
a mild penalty, but it's in the box, you ruin
the game. If you commit the mildest penalty but it's

(01:28:19):
your second one, you don't play for a week and
a half and your team plays the rest of the
afternoon a man down. It's just the penalties are so great,
and the emotion is so high, and maybe I think
a little naivete gets thrown in as well. I just
don't I don't want to go down the road of

(01:28:39):
this whole thing is rigged. There's just too much. There's
too much beautiful soccer being played. Some of these goals
are too beautiful for me to say. The only reason
some of these teams are still alive is because FIFA
wants them to be.

Speaker 2 (01:28:55):
No, you can watch the matches, If you really watch
the matches, you can see the level of of of talent.
It's incredible, right France, It's the speed. It's just it's
not just mbope though, right the crap when when Lionel

(01:29:17):
Messi and Argentina. When lion O Messi has the ball,
he looks different than any other football player on the
planet Earth. Yes, he does. He looks different. When he
has the ball. You're like, oh, okay, you can see
the difference. It's like Kyrie Irvin or Alan Iverson with
with the dribble when they're coming down to court. You're like, okay,

(01:29:38):
and they're not gonna get that, not gonna take that
from him. His quickness, his burst, I should say, from
zero to one hundred and one step is unmatched. It's unmatched.
And when you watch them play, you see it. You're like, oh, okay,
well I get the worst. I'll see why he keeps

(01:29:59):
going all to them goals. I see it. When you
watch Holland play, you're like, he can score with his
right leg, left leg, head, back, butt, shoulder. Hell, it
doesn't matter. Most strikers are dominant one leg or the other.
It doesn't matter. With him. When you see you and

(01:30:23):
Bape and his agility and his speed, when they kick
a long pass to him and he just completely outruns
the defender and have the ball laying on his foot
as he's attacking the goal keeper, You're like Okay, that's different. Well,

(01:30:44):
damn Like Lebron James on a fast break. Lebron James
has the ball in the open court. Oh my god,
it's there, you can see it. So for this haul,
they're rigged. They're doing that. No, it just so happens
the greatest player in the world. Why wasn't it rigged
for Ronaldo? I mean, why wasn't it rig for Ronaldo?

(01:31:10):
It's one of all time greats, right.

Speaker 4 (01:31:15):
I mean, why wasn't it rigged for Steve Disager.

Speaker 5 (01:31:19):
listen live.

Speaker 4 (01:31:32):
Who did the w NBA commissioner defeat? I would like
those three.

Speaker 2 (01:31:38):
Names, Rich eisen.

Speaker 7 (01:31:41):
Rich, John O'Hurley from Seinfeld. I believe he was also
on the list. Sorry, but I'm usually looking for Barkley.
I had to go way up the list, starting at
the bottom. Finally found him in the top seventy.

Speaker 3 (01:31:53):
Okay, that's an improvement. Yep, yep, I mean it's getting better.
It's yep. He's always good for a quote and a
couple of birdies. You know see great stuff tonight. Thank
you so much.

Speaker 4 (01:32:11):
Have you ever been up to that town? I'm asking
you all that this question over and over. Have you
ever been here?

Speaker 2 (01:32:16):
Have you?

Speaker 4 (01:32:16):
Have you ever been up to these celebrity tournament in
tom I haven't.

Speaker 2 (01:32:20):
I haven't. It's so fun. I'm sure it is.

Speaker 4 (01:32:25):
It's so fun.

Speaker 2 (01:32:26):
It's probably not your jam, but it is. You got
to remember I used to play in a lot of
celebrity golf tournaments, like I averaged two a year for
fifteen years.

Speaker 4 (01:32:39):
So why don't you play in this one?

Speaker 2 (01:32:40):
I don't like it?

Speaker 4 (01:32:42):
Okay, why don't you like it?

Speaker 2 (01:32:46):
I don't like it? Why did you used to playing it?

Speaker 3 (01:32:49):
That? Because they gave me great stuff? I bet they'd
give you great stuff here too. You could have just
you could have just asked Steph what was happening?

Speaker 2 (01:33:02):
Because he knows. All I'm saying is you know nothing
about it makes me go ooh, I want to go
do that. I hear you at all. I hear you.
So I'm like, no, it's just my favorite course.

Speaker 3 (01:33:20):
And you just don't usually get interesting people that relaxed.
So that's kind that's kind of how I would describe
that place. Okay, so they're so relaxed, it's so fun.
If you had to pick, yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:33:33):
One tournament and it was the Celebrity Golf Tournament in Tahoe,
it was the spe Golf Tournament, and it was the
Playboy Golf Tournament. Which one would you choose? I don't know.

Speaker 4 (01:33:52):
Tell me about the spe Golf Tournament. What's happened?

Speaker 2 (01:33:55):
Great, it's great. It's all the athletes are out there,
you know, all of the guys. You know, it's literally
a who's who of athletes in town.

Speaker 4 (01:34:04):
Okay, and where is that.

Speaker 2 (01:34:07):
In l A's in l Aka. The Playboy Golf Tournament
is also in l.

Speaker 4 (01:34:11):
Al So in l A.

Speaker 3 (01:34:12):
I would have assumed that, Yes, I mean, without any
info on the other two. I just I love Lake Tahoe.

Speaker 2 (01:34:20):
So you missed the Playboy part. But okay, I'm I
know I didn't.

Speaker 3 (01:34:25):
My My wife is like about four tables from sitting
right now, so yeah, yeah, I'm good wife.

Speaker 2 (01:34:33):
She would go with me to the tournament. Well, and
after party you have been to No I have not? No, okay, no,
finally turned the tables on me. There didn't you?

Speaker 4 (01:34:48):
But no, I have not?

Speaker 3 (01:34:50):
It was it was it was have you have you
been in the grotto. That's that's going to be a yes. So, yes,
I found the other goal. I bet I bet Halloween
parties better than the golf party. I bet I bet
because then you can hide too.

Speaker 2 (01:35:10):
Yeah, that's another if we you know, if we had
extended this show for after after hours, then we can
get into that level of story time. Okay, maybe it'll
be in my memoir so com coming up.

Speaker 3 (01:35:25):
In eighteen minutes Playboy stories. But for the next seventeen
I got another World Cup question for you. We should
probably get into the US finish as well, so we'll
do that coming up next.

Speaker 2 (01:35:37):
That's ee from my marks. Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 5 (01:35:39):
listen live.

Speaker 3 (01:35:51):
Okay, you all the excitement of the feet for World
Cups now streaming live on Fox one, the official English
streaming platform to catch every unforgettable moment. Fox one brings
the action straight to screen, so you never miss a goal.
Download Fox one and experience the FIFA World Cup Live.

Speaker 2 (01:36:07):
Got through this whole.

Speaker 3 (01:36:08):
Thing without a thought on the US men's national team,
their performance, and what everybody really wants to weigh in on,
which is, where do we go from here?

Speaker 2 (01:36:19):
Why is it like this?

Speaker 4 (01:36:21):
All of that where I know the four or five
answers that people usually regurgitate.

Speaker 2 (01:36:27):
Where did you kind of fall on that?

Speaker 4 (01:36:29):
Say it again US men's national team, not just the performance.

Speaker 2 (01:36:34):
But kind of the why the why of it all?

Speaker 3 (01:36:37):
Like everybody always, you know, this was the year that
it suddenly felt better and it was like, oh, this
is competitive, and then the second they have what's kind
of considered an embarrassing performance, we fall immediately into the well,
here's why.

Speaker 4 (01:36:52):
American soccer is like this?

Speaker 3 (01:36:54):
And you talked in recent weeks about options that American
athletes have for other sports and what this would look
like if all of the top athletes played in the
United States. I always sort of fall on something that
it's for some reason it offends people, but I just

(01:37:15):
think that we don't care as much.

Speaker 2 (01:37:19):
We don't and because we have, right, but if we
had only soccer, it would be different. We would care
like we care about the other sports like we care
about let's just use football. If we had only soccer
like so many other nations, Right, what's Argentina's baseball look like,

(01:37:46):
what's their American football look like? What's their basketball situation?
They have a great basketball situation, right, got a good program,
does it reach the level of the national soccer that
is not? Okay? So, and you can go down the line. Right,
France has now become a powerhouse in basketball. Right, but

(01:38:12):
once again, the biggest sport in this country. No other
country plays at the level we do. Exactly, No other
country has an NCAA feeder system for the biggest sport
in the country. That's why their players, their star players
start playing professional at fourteen fifteen years old. Right, you're

(01:38:36):
a phenomenal soccer star in Argentina. You're not going to
just bounce around some college campus.

Speaker 4 (01:38:44):
Oh and no one's recall your parents and ask for
six grand travel ball.

Speaker 2 (01:38:49):
You get what I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (01:38:49):
So, yes, that's I mean, these are all correct answers.

Speaker 2 (01:38:52):
Yes, yes, And that's why. Yeah, that's the real reason why.

Speaker 4 (01:38:58):
Like at the core of all of these from me,
the core ball, they all surround.

Speaker 3 (01:39:02):
The idea of we don't care as much, and and
that makes people mad because for some reason they leave
out the as much I know people care, but it's
not the priority that it is elsewhere.

Speaker 4 (01:39:18):
And until it is, this is what it will look like.
This is about as good as it.

Speaker 2 (01:39:23):
Gets, I tell you what. And this goes for a
lot of other nations too, though. There's a lot of
brothers out there on the pitch. Hey, it's funny, a
lot of brothers on the pitch. Jude Bellingham might be
the next big thing. Oh he is the next big thing.
England got a lot of brothers out there. Yeah it is, yes,

(01:39:45):
they do, right you still's going on out here? Okay,
we got a lot of brothers.

Speaker 3 (01:39:53):
That's why we're kind of good for an right. They
got German this year. Oh, I'm my god. We can
we can run this year. I didn't know we could
run this year.

Speaker 2 (01:40:04):
Lord you know.

Speaker 4 (01:40:05):
Okay, brothers, Okay, speaking of running, I think we uh,
we got to run.

Speaker 2 (01:40:09):
So good night everybody,

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