Anthony Gargano Rips MLB's Labor Negotiations & CFP Expansion Stalls

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Don't listening to Fox Sports. Well, A good God, good
good morning, buddy. I be happy Sports Saturday. Yes, a
Fox Sports Saturday with the fellas. I'm cousin, the whole crew.

(00:21):
We got with us. We got my man Ricky, he
was all ramming it up, he was all exciting. I
love it. We got psychoed crabs. In the course. The one,
the only figgy, and we're into a lot of stuff.
Is always we like to bat it around. I have
some fun. But here's the deal, just to start off
the show. The two stories, and in fact, the figgy

(00:43):
mentioned both, and they're both related in this sense. In
one breath, Major League Baseball announced that spring training would
not begin until March five, Right, and that's if they're
able to make any kind of headway with their labor
negotiations with the MLB players that last, the players Association

(01:09):
and the owners. Their last negotiation lasted fifteen minutes. And
you wonder, Look, we all know the arc of negotiation.
There's a rhythm to it. I used to ky covered
a lot of negotiate labor negotiations years ago when there

(01:30):
was a strike in ninety four. Leading up to that moment,
I was covered I covered the whole labor situation in
ninety four. The in fact, it was August at twelfth,
I want to say, when the players left, and it
was it was like a Thursday night and I was

(01:52):
covering the Mets, and I was working in the New
York Post, was covering the Mets. They were in Philadelphia,
and they the the agreement was about to expand they
were going to go and strike at midnight that night
and whatever and whoever the case was. They had to
find their own way back to Shake Stadium. So the

(02:12):
players themselves running a bus to get back to Shade
Stadium to go, you know, to get their cars which
were parked a chat say, and they were they were
in Philly to Vet so it's like a you know,
two hour ride, not even our fifteen minutes. And so
they ran the bus. And I had asked one of
the players if I can, you know, hang out with

(02:32):
them during the bus on the bus ride, because it
was I thought it was an interesting story that here
these guys are going into the unknown of the night. Right.
They finished the game, they all get their stuff, they
jump on a bus and they're on the New Jersey
Turnpike heading back to Shaye Stadium, and all of a

(02:53):
sudden you start to think, why, well, you know, and
then the beers are flowing and everybody's in a good
mood or whatever. Will be back next week, And that
was the kind of prevailing feeling that night that negotiations
were going. We'll take care of it's not gonna be
a long strike. We'll be back next week. Well, next
week turned into the following spring training, which turned into

(03:17):
uh scab games, right, which turned into a late start.
They canceled the World Series, and nobody thought that you
would ever cancel the World Series. And back then, baseball
in ninety four was still a monster sport, right like,
it was still a rival football. In fact, it might
be even even been a little bit of a tick

(03:39):
ahead of football nationally. And that strike was the last
time baseball would ever be mentioned in the same breath
as football. The ratings just came out for the NFL
and for the playoffs, and then always they were just
ridiculously dominant. The whole country watches football, The whole county

(04:00):
tree is invested in football, and you can tell by
these ratings, which were ridiculously incredible. Uh well, baseball still
all these years later, enduring more labor strife. And what
I don't get is not that they lasted fifteen minutes negotiation,

(04:20):
because that's negotiation. But what I don't get is why
they didn't begin the negotiations sooner, knowing the arc of them, right,
you're gonna come out with an initial offer that you
get rebuffed, and you go back and forth and no, no, now,
and we're we're, you know, digging our heels in the ground.

(04:41):
I've seen in a thousand times, and then all of
a sudden, TikTok, TikTok, and there's a gravity and now
all of a sudden concessions are made. I just don't
understand why you can't start this earlier. And in the
same vein the news yesterday surrounding college football, all that

(05:01):
the college Playoff would remain as is without any kind
of expansion, at least through the season. And here's the
deal that they means this decision because they couldn't come

(05:22):
to an agreement because they were too busy. The men
and women in that room, the college presidence in that room,
were too busy trying to protect their own fife them.
I mean, that's the bottom line. It's really ridiculous that
they couldn't figure out away to expand the field. They

(05:46):
all want the expansion, the expanse is gonna come, so
instead you got this nonsensical weight period where because they
couldn't come up, they couldn't come to an agreement, and
it's all it's unbelievable. It's amazing the people that runs
sport that just can't get it done. The ineptitude is

(06:10):
so rampant. And whether you agree or disagree with expansion
expansion is not the issue. They all agree on the
idea of expansion. They just couldn't get it done. And
it's incredible that these people making incredible salaries they can't
get it done when everybody agrees that it needs to

(06:36):
be done or they're on board with it being done,
and they can't finish the agreement and so down now
they have to table it and it's a mess. And
then they tried out stuff like I n U N
I L, which is a complete red herring, nothing to
deal with expansion, nonsense. The bottom line is they're so

(06:57):
worried about their own bowl games, their own agreements right
their own associations, that they can't come to an agreement
on how the ball situation will play itself out, and
how to incorporate and fold in the balls to create
an expanse. Now you're gonna tell me that in two

(07:19):
with the creative bright minds, that they can't figure out
a way to fold in the balls to make it work.
I mean, that's insane. It's completely insane. And it's two
areas with baseball and college football and the powers that

(07:39):
run it that continue to do the fan a disservice,
and they're interrelated. You can see it, because it's all
about television revenue and big time, big, big, big time
dollars and what happens the fan gets trampled over long, long,

(08:02):
long ago. The fan is just you know, he, he
and she are basically road kill, that's what they are. Anyway,
we'll discuss that. I want to have some fun stuff,
but just to start the show and our lead story,
that's a big deal. As we reached the NBA All

(08:24):
Star break and celebrate the NFL season. Good morning, figure eight.
What's going on, Anthony? How you doing? Brother? Good baby?
I'm disgusted though, with these these powers that be. Yeah,
I understand the frustration, especially from the fan standpoint, with
the Major League Baseball lockout. And that's unfortunately how these

(08:46):
negotiations go. When you know how this Ghoest book, we
go back to click at the NBA trade deadline? How
many how long have we been talking about will Ben
Simmons be traded or will he not be traded? And
it waited till the eleventh hour for it to happen,
you know, until the pressure is actually mounting and the
line is looming. Unfortunately a lot of times for things
to get done, and you wait until the last minute,
and that's when people start getting nervous and start sweating.

(09:07):
You know, the threat of losing games is why there's
a sense of urgency for them to go to the
table on a day to day basis, starting on Monday
for Major League Baseball. So it's unfortunate. I don't know
who to really blame. I think it's probably you know,
there's complicity on both sides, but I mean, I mean,
both are It's a business. They're trying to negotiate. I
kind of understand. I don't like it as a fan,
but I certainly understand it. My beef is not that

(09:30):
negotiations is going to take place, because I've covered negotiations
as a journalist, right, So I was there and I
was at these hotels waiting hours and hours outside of
a boardroom, waiting for owners and players, players association people
to come out and give us some update, and it
would last, you know, eight ten hours. Food will be

(09:51):
brought in, and you're sitting on the on a a
Marriott hotel, back up on the floor, sitting on the floor,
back against the wall for hours. So I've I've done that.
I get it. Why don't you start earlier? Why can't
you start to negotiations calendar wise earlier to make sure
you get you're done. I just don't get that. Yeah,

(10:12):
and then when they and when they do, it's on
a minor scale. I mean, okay, I can remember going
back to last season, you know, where there's a minor
you know, Tony Clark would say this, and the rob
Manfred will punch back and say that. But it was
never really anything serious or substantive. It's just kind of
putting feelers out there. So you're right, and it's a
valid question. Why can't you show a sense of urgency
earlier in the process, if you knew that it was

(10:32):
gonna come to a head. At this point in time,
and that the possibility of missing games was going to happen.
That's that's a great question to ask. Not think about
this if they miss games? How badly has that sport
been been treated? If you wind up missing games? Think
about this for a second. Figure you know, we all
love it, and we all love the game itself, but

(10:54):
MLB as an entity has failed baseball miserably. We've watched
baseball fall below the NBA and popularity it is now
a third and probably a distant third, and the way
the whole thing is run, it's just shoddily. It's a
shame because it's a lot of money at stake, a

(11:16):
lot of money involved, and it's a beautiful game. But
I think that entity has failed the sport. Yeah, there's
a combination of reasons why I think baseball is precipitously
fallen from being the actual pastime for America to, as
you mentioned, being third in the pecking order. Um at
this point, Um, whether it's you know, the pace of play,

(11:37):
the amount of games, all that stuff TV is more
important than gate. All that stuff I think is is
part of it. Um. But look and this' it's the
only sport that I can think of. I know the
NBA briefly, maybe about a decade or so ago. Remember
they started their season on Christmas Day because there was
a labor issue, and they started late. The NFL, I
think maybe training camp started late, maybe a week or

(11:58):
two late a few years ago over a labor situation.
But they never missed any games. And that's the that's
the part of Anthony that gets it when you actually
start missing games on the field, which to baseball is credit.
They haven't yet. His spring training, I guess would start late,
but they haven't missed any regular season games quite yet.
But the fact that it's out there, that it's in
the news, the fact that we're talking about labor talks
instead of talking about you know, who's who's the favorite

(12:20):
to win the World Series and what free agent signings
are coming into camp and all that, we're talking about this,
And I can understand the frustration because it always seems
to be, you know, every now and then, it's the
NBA here, and there's the NFL. Constantly. This happens with
Major League Baseball. It seems once every five years this
pops up with MLB. Right, But here's the problem. You
can see the t leaves. Right, it's gonna take guys

(12:41):
four weeks minimum to get ready. Oh yeah, they said
a month that they need a month of spring training
like that you need, correct, You can see this thing
easily missing in the laying of the season. That's all say,
oh yeah, I've been here before, so I've seen I've
seen this play. I've seen it over and over again.
And and while you bring up the NFL, and you're right,

(13:02):
there was a peace where they went into training camp.
They get done, correct, right, like the NFL. In the
NFL just gets it done. The NFL. Listen, whatever it
happened with COVID disappeared in the NFL, right, did you
see any testing done in the NFL? Right? Did any
players into the playoffs? Absolutely? Not anybody. Anybody miss games
because of COVID protocol, Like we NAFL goes. Listen. Bottom

(13:24):
line is we're playing, all right, and we we need
the sport has to play. The sport has to be
in the forefront and whatever. However the sausage gets made.
It's not pretty, but it gets made. Yeah, which is uh,
And not not to cut you off, but going back
to that, you know, the Players Association released a statement

(13:45):
on Friday, which is accurate. You know, they're not the
MLB is not quote unquote forced to do anything. They
can actually allow players to train and play spring training games,
and they can negotiate while playing on the field. They're
just choosing not to. You're not forced to do anything.
This is not a play your strike. The players want
to play, available to play. The owners have locked them
out and telling them, no, you're not going to yep,

(14:07):
and that's you know again and and not the two sides.
But if I'm on the two sides, I'm on the
player's side here. And because of that, uh couple of
stuff they're fighting for too. By the way, I agree,
get free agency before age thirty and all that. Yeah,
I agree with you. I do. I to me, it's
it's to me. I'm I'm squarely on the player's side,
and nobody wants to hear about you know, nobody. First

(14:30):
of all, I learned long ago nobody cares about millionaires
versus billionaires. Don't. Nobody cares, and I get it right,
But for the issues at stake and for the record,
I agree, I'm squarely on the player's side here. Yeah,
I'm less so concerned about the billionaires crying poor, you
know exactly because the Rays owner don't want to open
up the pocketbooks. I don't have extra revenue streams. I'm sorry,

(14:51):
you own a major franchise. That's not my problem exactly.
I'm completely with you. And then there's the college football
and Paul Fine bomb from me SPN in the SEC
network went off and just obliterated the college presidents and
I thought I thought he would spot on, and I

(15:11):
want to get your take on it, and we'll dive
into a little bit. We're also gonna have some fun.
I got an NBA list that I want to get to.
We're gonna talk about the uh NBA All Star Break
and the powers that be on the other side in
the second half, and we will look at the NFL
and where we stand as we approached the off season,

(15:33):
whereas we are in the off season, where the fellas.
We're just getting started on a Fox Saturday. Fox Sports
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(16:15):
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Let'sten to the Fifth Hour with Ben malloy on the
I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get
your podcast. Welcome back, fellas hanging out on a Fox
Sports Saturday. I want to say Fox Football Saturday and
no more football. Congratulations Ricky your rams? Did it surprised? No?

(16:44):
I I liked him. I'm surprised he was closet. I'm
surprised he was that much of the sweat. I think
when Beckham goes out, when O Doug goes out, they
really hurt their offense or else. If if O tells
in the game plays the whole game. I think it's
probably double digits, maybe, but one of the one of

(17:07):
the great things about Super Bowls, man, is they're they're
usually always good games, at least like the last fifteen years.
I can only think of that Broncos and um A
Seahawks super Bowl that was That was bad. But for
the most part, super Bowls are close. Man. You know
what is interesting, because you're right about that. When I

(17:29):
was a kid, they were blowouts. Most of them were
blowouts Broncos. I remember the Broncos losing all of these
Super Bowls, and they would they would just get pasted
Washington all over. The Buffalo got blown out, could because
the Cowboys routed them a couple of times. Yeah, now

(17:49):
it's true, you're right about that. Did you say what
you do celebrate? I basically listen to my roommate jumping
up and down on I was. I was happy to man,
rams are my second team. I'm still still die hard
Cowboys fan, but I was just about ram It. Man.
You were like, you hit me this morning with Rammit.

(18:12):
You were doing the song. Yeah, that's my They're my team, man,
they're in l A now they're they're they're my second team.
Interesting though, your second team, you know, fake that's his
second team. You can't dump the first one Ricky grew
he grew up a cowboy fan, right, Rams weren't here
when he was born. You know. It's the no, that's
the point that that we talked about last week about

(18:33):
the Rams, about the fact that you got all these teams,
Like Ricky has his as your first team. That's horrible choice.
It is. It's still his first teams he love. Yeah.
I think that was evidenced by the sparse turnout for
the Rams victory parade earlier this week, right, you know,
And we talked about that last week about the idea

(18:56):
of you know, even unless could you imagine the Charges
want to be less people. I don't know if the Chargers, one,
I don't know if they'd even have that sort of parade,
To be honest, they probably invite some ticket holders to
light their facility for like a small rally, because they
would ask. They would ask. The Rams I think at
least had a little bit of hubris and thinking like,
we'll get a decent turnout, And honestly, they got more
than I thought they would. It still wasn't a lot.

(19:18):
But the Chargers, absolutely, you're right, will be even less.
Was it? What was it like? Sad? Almost in comparison
to what the city usually does when say, the Lakers
and or Dodgers win titles. Absolutely, Now, the Dodgers have
not had a parade in thirty years. They you know,
they didn't have one when they want in the bubble
in Texas. Uh. The Lakers, the last one where they
actually had a rally in a parade was when they

(19:40):
beat the Celtics in I believe it was. And they
not only did they line the streets for the parade,
they packed the Colosseum, which seats ninety thousand people. I
think a little bit less now, but at the time
sat ninety thousand people and there was not an empty
seat in that stadium. What would you let me answer
this question because I'm I'm race at the answer. Lebron

(20:03):
said they should have a parade. Did you heard it? Yeah,
I know, I'm sure you've talked it with a big
talking point. Lebron says, parade for Dodgers, Lakers and Rams. Now.
The only thing is is that other seasons have passed.

(20:23):
It's been two years since then. There's two players left
on the Laker roster that was in that championship bubble
team in Lebron and Anthony Davis. Literally everybody else has gone.
So how are you how are you going to get
all the get all those guys. You're gonna fly in
Kyle Kuzma and go get roused on Rondo from Cleveland
and bring all these guys together for a day for

(20:45):
a parade. Let the Rams just one. It's unfortunate that
the Lakers and the Dodgers both won in the pandemic
years and they weren't able to celebrate uh in in
grand fashion like they like. But it was the Rams time.
Let them celebrate. You missed, you missed the boat unfortunately, right,
And you look at you go, yeah, you know, maybe
not a good idea, terrible idea. And you wanted if

(21:09):
it was just a way for him to get his
shine too, to try to make it about him. Yeah, well,
you know what I mean. He had a big commercial.
I was a good commercial, right, he had the commercial.
He was, he was there front and center of the box.
Of course he was, you know, of course he was.
I can't blame him, you know, to know, you know,

(21:29):
that doesn't doesn't bother me. And I'm not I'm not.
I wasn't put off by him being at the Super
Bowl It's fine. I didn't I didn't care, but the
pining for like Justin Turner or the Dodgers put out
a tweet too, but you can tell it was very
much ingest with like emojis and all that. He was
joking about the Dodgers doing a parade with the Rams.
Lebron was absolutely serious about it. You know that that

(21:50):
turned a lot of people off. And then some people
brought up an excellent point. There are people, and you know,
we use Ricky as an example, there are people who
are Laker fans who can give it to about the
Rams or the Dodgers and vice versa. We have Ram
fans who don't like the Lakers. So how are you
gonna do a joint parade and you're gonna have fractures
of fans who don't even like certain teams. So it's

(22:12):
not it's not all unified like that in a city
like this. Yeah. Yeah, I brings up with another good point.
Uh here it's Switzerland trending all right. Well, speaking of
the NBA, they did kick off All Star Weekend on
Friday night, the new iteration of the Rising Stars Game,
four teams of rookie and sophomore players, participating in a

(22:33):
mini tournament. Team Rick Berry ended up prevailing. They got
a victory over Team Isaiah Thomas Kay Cunningham, taking m
VP honors with eight teen points. Of course to Night,
You'll Have the Skills Challenge three point shootout in the
Dunk Contest with the All Star Game taking place in
Cleveland tomorrow night, finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame
were announced. The eleven member group includes the likes of
Michael Cooper, Minu Jenoble, and Tim Hardaway. Bob Huggins and

(22:55):
George carl also in the mix as former head coaches.
Baseball screen train officially postponed by Major League Baseball is
labor negotiations are scheduled to continue on Monday. The four
team college football Playoff will remain as is through the
end of the season, that is, when the contract runs out.
In golf, Joaki Neiman, with a two stroke lead over
Camera and Young got the second round of the Genesis

(23:17):
Open wins in the NHO for Dallas, Florida Carolina and
the Kings who defeated the Golden Knights and overtime Back
to the Fellas All we Are the Fellas Chris which
Corn made quiet I'm all good man, I'm all getting
all right what you think of the Rams. I feel
like Stafford got what he deserved. He got his ring. Baby.

(23:40):
Did you write, dude, were you? Were you thrilled for Yeah?
I know, I'm I'm beyond thrilled for him. I think
that look for better or worse, we judge these quarterbacks
by playoff wins and Super Bowl wins, even though those
are team accomplishments, not individual accomplishments. And Stafford bled for

(24:01):
a very long time in Detroit. He fought long and hard,
and it's been it's been fascinating this week week watching
people discover everything good that was about Stafford that we've
known in Detroit for a while, Like the no look
pass in the Super Bowl. I was talking about that
with Ricky before the show, where he like, he looks

(24:22):
one way and he takes his eyes off to another
receiver and Bell like completely bites on it, and then
he throws the past, but it's going towards his first read.
He's not even looking the way that receiver as he's
throwing it, Like, yeah, that's just Stafford. Chris didn't get
enough love, by the way, I think that's that's a
lot an iconic moment in like Super Bowl history, cons

(24:44):
considering like the magnitude of that pass at that time
on that drive, uh and everything about it. Yeah, no,
it's I guess I'm seeing a lot love it because
I'm I see it on Twitter a lot. But yeah,
I think this week it's a lot of guys who
are it. It's still are you on the side of
Stafford he is a great quarterback? Or are you still

(25:05):
bringing up that you know? Oh he Oh? Any quarterback
could have won that Super Bowl, And I don't I
disagree with the with the ladder. Any quarterback is not
doing a sevent team play seven yard drive to win
the game. Yea, like todown things like he's up there
is one of the having the most fourth quarter comebacks
in NFL history. He's like top ten in that category,

(25:28):
and he put it on display in the Super Bowl,
like he did everything he wanted from a quarterback to
be a super winning quarterback to win that game for you. So,
I just I don't understand. But some guys have really
staked their career out of just tearing apart Stafford or
they're not going to give up now, Now, did you
buy your Detroit Rams T shirt there too. You know
that was that was a little much for me, if

(25:50):
I'm being honest with you, Well, I thought it was
lame at first, but then I I realized, like, I don't,
I don't like the idea. I'm like, you know what,
it's lame. I would never do it. If someone wants
to do it, that's fine. I should not please other
people's fandom. It's uh. I I know the Michigan market
actually was one of the higher markets for watching the

(26:10):
Super Bowl. Yeah, so yeah, that's impressive. You know what,
It's funny because that T shirt was was cracking me up.
The the I love the Destroit Rams take because who
celebrated more the Lions fans who were loved with staffort
or the few Rams fans, Like it's a bigger population.

(26:34):
It's it's it's funny because I've seen that crop up
a lot this week. And I'll defend the Rams fans
because hey, they've been away forever and it's been a minute.
It's gonna take. Yeah, yeah, I think I think what's
happened is there's probably going to be a lot of
young fans who are now going to grow up and
in about ten years time, you will see an explosion
of Rams fans because they remember five six years old

(26:57):
watching the Rams win that Super Bowl. Absolutely, but it's
I don't know, like I I saw a lot of
people trying to dunk on the on the on the
midweek parade, I mean, rallied down at the coliseum and everything.
And I guess my point is, like, they don't take
away the Lombardi from you just because you don't have
enough people show up on a Wednesday afternoon. Yeah, but

(27:20):
you gotta understand, like for people from real you know,
from these NFL cities that have been entrenched, right like,
you look on them, you look down like and you go,
oh my god, Like if you're in Detroit, you go white.
That awesome. No, I I get that. I get like,
that's that's you know, all because the owner bought a
team like you bought that though deserving got nothing to

(27:43):
do with that. Fans don't win these championships. Teams do
organizations the money? Did you did you guys fink did
you think that McVeigh coached? Well, Um, not necessarily. I
don't think he didn't. I don't think he did anything
glaringly bad or glaringly good. I thought it was all right.

(28:05):
It wasn't as egregious as the NFC Championship game. I'll
say that there were moments in that game where he
still wanted to keep establishing the run, and I know
why he was going to do it, but there there
was a point in the game where you realized Kim
Akers was not going to get anything going against this
ran against the Bengals defense, and he was still going
to the run late in the game. Going to the

(28:26):
run wasn't an issue. The fact that they never used
Sony Michelle when he was such a big weapon for them,
and when they when they were able to turn things
around and start running the ball well late in the season,
it was because Sony Michelle and I think he only
had one touch in the entire game. That was odd
to me. The fact that he kept giving the ball
to Cam Akers, and I don't look Cam's a dynamic player.
He's a good player, uh, but still coming off of

(28:48):
injury and in a situation like that, I'm fine with
sticking with the run because you don't want to have
to drop back and be one dimensional if you don't
have to. When it was still a close game, but yeah,
I'll agree that the fact that they gave it to
Acres as often as they did and did not use
Sonny Michelle at all was very questionable. And I would
have gave to Henderson more too, because like he was
the only he was the only one having at any
kind of modern about come to success. I agree Michelle

(29:11):
to like, you know, listen, the offense gets hurt when
obviously Ojel because O'Dell was the matchup. We talked about
that latest week that he would be the match out
and he was on his way to being the m
v P. To be honestly, he started that game before
he got he was. I feel bad for him because
I would have liked to seen him get his moment. Guys,

(29:34):
I feel bad for Aaron Donald. I don't know if
you guys know this, but Super Bowl MVP voting, the
votes have to be in before the two minute warning
and you have to have an m v P for
both teams. So Aaron, but Aaron Donald's biggest play, which
seals the game, you know, the the biggest moment of
his life, basically comes within that two minutes. So he's

(29:55):
not going to get any m VP votes to plays
for that I mean he stopped him on third and one,
that forced the fourth and one and he got the sack.
You know, And I don't like sixteen media members I
think are selected to actually vote. The process seems very archaic, antiquate.
It's like, why are you, I mean, you could they
have so much time to build the stage after the

(30:16):
game and you can easily get your votes in. It
doesn't take that long. You can have an internal website
that guys can log into. It's not that difficult two
to have a quick vote. I agree. I you know,
it's funny and it's someone who may have had Aaron
Donald at six one to win the m v p UM.
I was kind of disappointed, but I did kind of

(30:37):
know that it wasn't going to be that way because
of what you said when you had And that's what's
ridiculous that he wins the game, like he wins the game.
But Cup was great and then the whole drive and
the whole thing, so you know, whatever it is what
it is. But Aaron Donald in my boy, like, if
you're voting at the end of the game, I think
you gotta vote Donald. Yeah, Although and I wasn't necessarily

(30:59):
upset Cup one it because at the end, he was
essentially their only weapon. You know, he was the only
guy they were going to so and they knew that,
and they still couldn't stop him. So I certainly want
to give him his shine. But I agree if I
if I had personally had a vote, I would have
given it to Aaron Donald. But I'm certainly not upset
that Cooper Cup and speaking and speaking of that too,

(31:19):
like I think Stafford is the only Super Bowl quarterback
that has what three touchdowns, I forget the other metrics,
but basically has a has a fourth quarter game winning
drive and doesn't get m VP either. Like yeah, and
that's why I thought I thought for a minute that
he might actually get the m v P because the
engineer at that drive and the quarterback usually gets more

(31:40):
shine than the receiver does. Now I hear that. I
hear that because Okay, the two interceptions, although the one
on his hands, one wasn't on him, but there was
kind of an arm punt the one at the end
of the half. And I've never I've never liked the
idea of like, oh that's a punt. A punt is
a punt, A punted punted, don't throw the interception, but yeah,
the second one is just his receiver bobbled it. He

(32:01):
just gets credited with the inner seven. Yeah he was
horrible scout. Yeah he was. He was terrible. I mean,
you know again, and he was gonna be open all
day and he could never establish himself. But I just
want I was curious what you guys sort of of
McVeigh because I thought the same thing. I I don't
get McVeigh and this whole you know, aura that surrounds him.

(32:25):
I just don't understand it. I don't think he's very good.
I don't think he's some great coach. I really don't.
I don't think he's a good end game coach. I
think schematically, I think he's good. I think he's really
smart and and and drawing things up and game planning
throughout the week and having a good plan. But once
the game actually starts, when it comes to challenges, time outs,

(32:46):
quick decision making, that's that's a major that's a major flaw.
I think. I think this playoff in particular has done
the most damage to how I've used Sean McVeigh. Like
I I was, I is incomplete awe of it. But yeah,
there's definitely been some shortcomings he's had in the playoffs,
and to his credit, his scheme and his roster has

(33:08):
exceeded in spite of those shortcomings. So that says a
lot that you know that this team is that good
to overcome those But yeah, there's there were definitely there's
definitely been moments in these playoffs where it just and
I think I've said it a couple of weeks ago,
where it just it looks like he's he's reaching for
the for the rails on on like the shallow end

(33:29):
of the pool, where it's like there's there's no reason
flailing like this. Yeah, I agree. I want to take
quick TiO come back, and I want to get into
the college football thing a little bit with you guys.
I said, fig, you're you're fine with it. You don't
really have much of a uh an anger or ire

(33:51):
towards that committee. So I want to explore that. Am
I correct there that I'm not angry at the committee? Yeah? Um, yeah,
you're right. I'm not banging the table well screaming. I'm
I'm disturbed, but I don't know if I'm vehemently against it. Yeah,
I get you, But I want to dive into a
little because it's whether you we all agree on the
idea of expansion is almost irrelevant to the fact that

(34:14):
they're not. They're doing their whole sport of disservice because
they're too worried about their own conference. Let's discuss it
where the fellas right here Fox Sports Radio. Fox Sports
Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation.
Catch all of our shows at Fox sports Radio dot
com and within the I Heart Radio app search f

(34:36):
s R to listen live. All right, coming up next hour,
we're gonna tie into some, hope, some good basketball. We'll
get back also to the NFL, and kind of look
at the off season where how it's gonna shape up?
Where the fellas Every Saturday right here on Fox Sports Radio,
let's tackle with the committee in college football for expansion.

(35:03):
How it flowled and fell flat on its face, couldn't
get anything done. And guys, I gotta tell you it's
screams of this bureaucratic just nonsense. It's what holds up
true movement. And it's all because of their own interests.

(35:26):
And I can't believe in this day that you can't
come up with a plan. You can't come up with
a plan that's gonna uh take college football into the
next realm. Obviously there's a there's a need for it
because they all agree that expanse is a good thing.
Whether or not you think it is or not, it's

(35:47):
almost irrelevant here because they all believe in expansion. They
just couldn't agree on how it could be done, and
that to me, it is just bureau cradic bs. My man,
fig I know you're not like totally man out of

(36:07):
shape over it, but how could you not get this done? Yeah,
it's it's frustrating because this is something they've been talking
about for the better part of a year, with all
these meetings and all these conference calls, and how you
can't reach a consensus. I can certainly understand it. Um.
I can also understand individual conference is saying like, well,
this really is an advantageous for us, So why should

(36:29):
we buy the bullet to do something that's just gonna
further help the SEC or help another conference. Um. Yes,
you want the sport to thrive, but I need if
I'm George Clioff called in the Pack twelve, I need
my conference to thrive. I don't care what happens to
college football as a whole. My job is to make
sure the Pack twelve they're gone, They're gonna they're think
about this though his schools are going to read the

(36:51):
benefit if they qualify for the playoff. I feel they
have a real realistic chance to by buying law though,
they will thrive because of the television revenue, all that
money that was left on the table by both sharing that.
That was well, that was sharing that, yes to a degree,
but they're sharing it more if they get their teams

(37:11):
and if they don't feel that whatever is being proposed,
it's not advantageous to them having a chance to make
it in on a year and year our basis. I
can certainly understand hesitancy on his part in agreeing to
whatever the deal was, that that could be that the
other commissioners agreed to. I I I'm with Figgy in
the sense that also to like, it's it's a matter
of who's benefiting right now, and it's hard to argue

(37:34):
that the overwhelming benefit, Like, yeah, they would benefit more
from extra revenue, but it really doesn't matter if that
revenue eventually leads you to that the SEC just continues
to get the benefit of the doubt assumes the dominance
and then they just just stomp all over everyone else
and before you know it, it's not more. Without expansion

(37:58):
benefit they can more see is in the let's get more,
they will get more teams in. Yeah, they're all like
three SEC teams. And then honestly, if you go back
and and follow everything the SEC effectories. I've just read
a big story on it, and I guess it was
the ESPN about how with status quo benefits the SEC

(38:19):
the most. No, I agree, the status quo benefits the SEC,
but expansion also benefits them to depending on what the
expansion profile is, you know, because that the more you
open it up, there's already a bias towards the SEC.
I'm not saying that it's not warranted because they have
a lot of good teams for sure. But if you
get you get I'm not hating, I'm just telling you,

(38:42):
but you know, if you expand it to eight or twelve,
and six of those twelve or SEC teams, I think
them slightly exactly, but not that much they're getting. They're
gonna get a bigger piece of the pie because they're
gonna get more teams in. And again, I'm sure there's
a lot of different types of formulations and proposals and whatever.
The final one that the SEC and maybe the Big

(39:02):
twelve and whoever else agreed to the Pack twelve and
a couple of others said, no, this, whatever this is
that you guys agree to, is not working for us.
I'm sure there will be and there will be contensus. Yeah,
but here's the problem though. It's not about the SEC.
It's about how do you fold in the balls? Is
what one of the if you if you go back
and read all the negotiations, yet the rolls ball to

(39:26):
be involved. I'm aware, you know, it's all it's not.
It's not like, oh, we have to all about down
to the SEC. Because by the way the world the
sport is sicklical, there's gonna become a time when the
SEC it falls a little bit. I mean, that's just
how how it works in sport. If it ever loses

(39:47):
its edge when it comes to money and everything else
that's got going for it, between ESPN and everything else,
it just there's so much in its corner. But yeah,
like I think it's more than just SEC, as you say,
it's the bulls, it's everything else. That stands to lose
l which is nonsense. That's a red herring. Well, how's

(40:08):
that to do with the m with the college football pluffs.
That's a college football issue or college sports issue, if
you want to say that. But how is that related
to the playoffs. It's it's not directly related to the
playoffs at all, other other than than you can say.
I guess a peripheral benefit from that is, well, you
can offer money to a kid and say like, well, look,
we have a greater chance of making it to the

(40:30):
playoff here than you would going there. And if that's
the case, that can tip the scales in your favor.
So I think it's very much a it's a it's
a residual effect, but not a main effect. All right,
So all right, we'll come back. We'll do revisit a
little bit. I want to get some basketball as well.
Where the fellas we hang out on a Fox Sports Saturday.

(40:52):
All right, good morning, good morning, good morning, good morning.
At seven am on the east coast, four m al
west is we uh turned the day, turned the page
to a Fox Sports Saturday, February nineteenth. Super Bowl. Now over,
and now we turn our attention to the round ball. Yes,

(41:17):
it's basketball time. The NBA All Star Weekend is upon us,
and uh, pretty soon Mark's madness as college starts to
amp pop and we started to really kind of focus
in on the on the round ball. So let's look
at first the news of the day in in basketball

(41:41):
is the Hall of Fame lists. So the nominees are
out for the uh Nate Smith Whole of Fame finalist
jo Mano Genobili. Why And I think that's a I
think he's terrific Manu. Now Joe Manu uh Jenoboli. A while,
like Cooper was one of the great great players of

(42:03):
all time, Michael Cooper underrated. I think I was surprised
that he wasn't already in, to be honest with you,
I just kind of assumed he was already in. I mean,
Cooper Loop was was incredible. I mean not for an offense,
but he won five NBA titles, Defensive Player of the Year,
five times All Defensive Team, right, I mean, he was

(42:26):
he made. He was terrific, man, I mean, just a
great player. I'm with you. I just I didn't understand
it because yeah, and and also on Marcus Johnson, I
was surprised that he wasn't already into. He was a
great player in college at U c l A. Was
a great player with the Milwaukee Bucks. Had some injury
is that that popped up and maybe into his career early,
but was still a great player. Do you know his
greatest acting debut he was in I know he was.

(42:50):
I thought it was in White Man Camp Jump? But
was he in another film too? His best moves? Was
it The Fish I Save Pittsburgh? Was that he might
have been. I don't know. I don't I don't know.
I don't know the cast about that. I never saw it.
I know it, but I never saw it. Oh my god,

(43:10):
that's great. Did you never saw it? Fit sa? I
never saw it? No, Oh my god, that's fantastic. It
was one of the great great, like well, bad movies
of all time. Okay, one of the like, one of
the great bad movies of all time. Like that you
would love. So Marcus Johnson was mel and blue Chips.

(43:34):
That's right, he wasn't Blue Chips? Yeah about that? Yeah?
He was great. He was one of his assistant coaches.
Remember remember when when they thought Tony was shaving points
and they Marcus goes, not Tony man, no way, Man,
not Tony. I was with Tony. And then of course,

(43:58):
you know, the coach finds out. He keeps going. He's
tape after tape after tape, and then Happy comes in
and says, we own you, coach. And he goes and
sees Tony in the dorm room, and Tony goes, he
was food all his codes. It was just the gablets.
It's just the points bag. Coach didn't mean anything, man.

(44:22):
One of the great scenes of all time. Figgy. Now,
I don't know if I would call it a cult classic.
And you said it was a bad movie. I guess
there was a lot of there's bad acting because that
I guess the Fish State Pittsburgh was a bad movie.
About to do was one of the great movies of
all time. Great, but it was one of my Yes, no,

(44:43):
it was, no think about it. He Nick Nolty was
incredible at capturing a basketball coach, wasn't I mean he
looked obviously it was supposed to be a bomb Knight
eight and that time of the nineties, it was perfectly

(45:05):
cast by the way he was. He even moved. You
know what I loved about there was an authentic there
was there was an authenticity to the movie. Well yeah,
because I had real players in there too, So there,
that's part of it. Well, and and Nulty pulls it
off like if you watch him, like the way he
walked away he ran practice, not not meon neon when

(45:29):
he's talking to Shot and he's like, nah, now come
over here, man, we were to run the screen that
back door cut and you want to put your body
over here. Like when he's teaching, he sounds like a coach,
like it's one of a great you know, one of
the great old time dude. If I told you of all,

(45:50):
if I had to go back in the heja of
different sports, right like NFL is is incredible right now right,
So to me, I need to go back into the
past with the NFL to find to find the like
ky days are great days because I think it's just
the this is an incredible time we're living in football.

(46:12):
Would you agree r now? Absolutely? Um? Yeah, I know
things are skewed more towards the offense and all that,
and people are excited about that, but overall, I mean yeah,
as far. I mean, look, the numbers don't lie. Look
at the viewership numbers, you know, look at the ratings
all of that. I mean, it's this is I don't
know if I can say it's the golden age of
the NFL. That's that's hard to quantify, to be honest

(46:34):
with you, Um, but it's it's absolutely thriving. And we'll
say this. We talked about this earlier in the show.
It's by far the number one sport in the country,
and that was not the case thirty five years ago.
So I'm with you. Listen again, it might not be
the golden age of defense, but it's it's a great product.

(46:56):
So I like, I don't need the pine, right, But
I think about college basketball, it was the greatest from
like to me my eyes in the eighties and nineties,
I would agree, and it's it's deteriorated over the last
fifteen twenty years. Um, and specifically the last fifteen years

(47:16):
with the one and done. I think the one that
Done has done more to kill college basketball than anything else.
I agree. I get sad thinking about it because and listen,
I can't blame kids, all right. I don't want to
get paid right like, I believe me. I just mourn
the fact that the greatest players don't stay three or

(47:39):
four years. Yeah, and for me, it's not even about
the greatest players staying. I just and look when David
starn first put this in, you know, rest his soul,
he should have. They should have when they started attraction
for the G League, they should have opened it up
for high school players to enter into the G League
or go into college and do it that way, go
to G League for a year, because they're doing it now,

(47:59):
Kevin Porter, you know, there's there's plenty of guys you
know who to who who are issued going to college,
going to the G League for a year and they
gotten drafted, And that would have been so much, done
so much to help the game of college basketball. I
know that wasn't David Stern's concern, But for US fans,
you grew, you grew to hate those Duke teams with J. J. Reddick,
you know, because he was there for four years. You know,

(48:21):
those guys don't stay anymore. You know, those guys, they
know they're high recruits. They come in for a year
and they leave. And here's the thing about them, like
like I don't and I'm with you. I understand why
you want to leave, and I understand getting paid, But
when the guys stay three four years like it was.

(48:41):
It was incredible to feel like the great basketball that
you had, right like when you like I think back
to we're talking about Blue Chips, those days of of
John Thompson and Patrick Ewing and and and all those
David Wingate and now and Iver saying, like all those

(49:02):
Georgetown teams, like wow, it was fantastic, like it was,
and they're playing you know St. John's with Ronnie cycling, right,
and he got vian Ova and you got you know,
Sharrick Hughes and all those teams. I mean, while it's
it's I mean it was credible cycling Syracuse when you

(49:25):
would have all those teams St. John's with Chris Mullen,
like like those those ghost conferences like that was an
amazing fitting UNLV rolling like that was. And it's funny
because you can't have that today, like college basketball, all
entities that would never exist in two for a multitour reasons.

(49:51):
It's college basketball. The coaches, right like Bob Knight in
today's climate would have got drummed down on his ear
from there's probably a thousand. You know what I like
to do as an exercise because I think it would
be a fun story to do a piece where you

(50:14):
go through Bob Knight's career and how many times whether
his actions or his words would have cost him his
job to win any account, I mean, he would have
gotten fired a thousand times. I mean he should have

(50:35):
been I mean, and it's been talked about a nauseam
in Indiana with the stuff they that did they put
up with before they finally said it was too much? Yeah,
like nine strikes right, like, so it's so yeah, but
now let me let me, let me let me uh
hit you guys with something a little bit. So you

(50:55):
guys are from a different generation. I'm older than you,
but I'm at it, I'm kind of in the middle.
I'm like a middle child generation. Right. So if you
take you know, people in their like early early to
mid forties through their you know, early fifties, right, like
that ten year period, you you have this generation that

(51:19):
if you're a child of that was formative years was
the eighties, that you are kind of lost, right because
you're raised with like with Bob Knight beating your ear
and you're raised to like okay, yes, sir, right, like yeah,
like like you know you and you asked what did
you do? Wrong exactly exactly like we were. Like I

(51:43):
was like the last generation to actually have that feeling, right,
Like you know, you get choked out and you go,
I'm sorry, right because you're taught like all right, like
I think about I was talking to I was having
a conversation about youth sports and football, and I was
trying to alleviate so a mom's fear of youth football.

(52:07):
And I go, listen, It's not like like when I
was playing, water was a carriage at the end of
the practice or at middle practice, right, like you you
was like a gift here if they gave you water.
It's not like that anymore. Right, Coaches aren't stupid, right,
like we know from Corey Stringer, which was you know,

(52:29):
in the right and that awful situation that would coaches,
you know, would would deny you water. All that stuff
like that doesn't happen anymore. And coaches aren't spit in
your face and yelling at you with spittle flying and
cursing you up and down, your names, talking about your

(52:50):
mama all that stuff. Dude, how many times I used
to have You know what's funny? I I just as
a writer, right, like I was a journe as a writer,
and I wrote this piece, so I send it in
and it was I used to do these like five
thousand words essay story like essays on a subject, team

(53:12):
player or whatever. I was, right, some sort of story.
I followed my store on a Friday, and my editor
says to me, you're ready take your pink panties off
when you're right? I thought you was some kid from Philly. Wow, right,
But I didn't what if I gonna all right, right,
you know, all right, I gotta be you always have

(53:34):
flowery words. He's jeez, what am I gonna say? All right? Yes, sorry? Right?
I thought it was like a beautiful paragraph. No, no,
you know, but it's funny like that generation and that
nothing encompasses that generation more than college basketball and and

(53:59):
and it's it's amazing when I think about college basketball.
It can't exist today. And it's form from the idea
of one of duns and everything else and the money.
That how young the NBA is. Two, how the coaches
were like deep John Cheney, who was one of my

(54:19):
favorite guys. Right, So I went to Temple and John
was the basketball coach at Temple, and I think he
and I forged a very close relationship with him. God
rest his soul. He's one of the great coaches of
all time and what he's done for people. But like
you know, he was, he was of another era. I
was gonna say crazy, but maybe that would be to

(54:41):
a too aggressive of a passion. Yeah, there you go,
that's a better way to put it. There you go,
you know, but you know again, like I remember when
he squeares off against Calipari and you mass where he
busted into Calipari's press conference. I said he was gonna
kill him. I was there, How go to kill you?

(55:03):
Oh not? You get the mouth and he threw. He
had the goon squad in right right, and the cow's like, well,
you know, John, you know cow, but it does a
mountain his mouth right. He's doing his thing, and there
you have Cheney kid, you know, the weird party is.
Coach Kyle now says like he and Janey were super

(55:25):
like friends and we're like really cool with each other
after that, at least you know now they were they did. John.
John was at one of the great people characters of
all time, but one of the great men. Like listen,
you know, he grew up in a tough time. You
want to talk about, you know, racism and what he endored.

(55:47):
I mean John was at the forefront of all of
a lot of movement civil rights. I mean John was
one of the great men. And he saved a lot
of kids. Go talk to Iron McKee and Eddie Jones
and uh Tim Parry and a lot of dudes that
went to Temple from and that they wouldn't have gotten
in that school. And he took a chance for him

(56:10):
and he would have his practices at five am, five
thirty beyond the exact when when I first get the Temple.
I want to do a story on him, right, And
so he says, I will meet me at quarter to five,
and and I go, okay, quarter five pm, right, quarter
five whatever was He's like a m son, Yeah, all right,

(56:33):
don't and if you're five minutes early, you're late one
of those Yeah, but like listen, it's what you have
a succeed in life, correct, you know? Anyway, I I
love the conversation of college basketball, and I want to continue,
like do you guys miss it? And I know Chris
probably I used been quiet because I don't know how

(56:54):
big a collegeball you college basketball fan. He is, but
I'm curious where we sit in that state. We'll talk
about that little NBA second half accident as well. Where
the fellas right here on Fox Sports Radio. All right,
welcome back, fellas hanging out on a Fox Sports Saturday
in February post Super Bowl, NBA All Star Break. That

(57:17):
means a little basketball. So we're the topic of college
basketball when we look at the landscap because pretty soon, right,
you know, we're back in the back half of February,
and uh, next thing, you know, we'll be doing uh
the conference tournaments and in Mars Madness, and then we
start to think about the landscape of college ball fake

(57:41):
as a whole. Where would you describe your own interesting
college about college ball? I'm still interested and I will
still watch it on a almost the nightly basis, especially
for the higher ranked teams and for back twelve teams.
So I feel like I have a more interest than
most in regular season college basketball at this point in time,

(58:01):
even though I am still very frustrated by the fact
that a lot of times I'm having to learn on
the fly who these guys are and where they're coming from.
And you know, the transfer portal didn't help. But doesn't
help with that, by the way, either with the one
and dones as well. Um but I still I still
find that I enjoy the game itself. Uh So, as
long as that never leaves me, I think I'll always
be entertained and interested in the game because I do

(58:23):
enjoy watching the game and how it's played. Yeah, I
think that will never leave you. You have a love
and I can share your love of the sport itself,
and so you could always find you know, Gonzaga to
cleave to or U c l A to cleave to,
a Burns fun to watch this year. You know, there's
always teams that are fun. But I think you nailed

(58:45):
it when it comes to name recognition. And there in
lies the difference from the eighties and then nineties and
when you saw the Fab five, right, but you go
back and and but the reason why that was it's
hey day was you you saw kids blossom before your

(59:06):
eyes from a super frost, right, like you know I
used to be the super Frost would come out and
Sports Illustrated and I'm like it was this kid, Oh
my god. And then you know, then you see them
grow before your eyes and how they integrated with the
upper classmen, and how every team had a style the

(59:26):
way you n l V right up and down the floor,
you know, versus more deliberate styles versus the physical style
of Georgetown. Right Like, you know, you had these personalities
of the programs had their own personality, and now it's
impossible to really have that because guys, kids aren't going

(59:46):
to stay in there and the best kids aren't going
to be there so they can develop these team personalities. Yeah,
and that's the great point. You know, you can't develop
personalities because your roster and your type of talent changes
on almost a year to year basis. So it's already
to say, yeah, we want to build a certain foundation
and play this style of ball. But all right, if

(01:00:08):
the top recruit or the top five recruits play a
different style than what you are traditionally playing, but you
still want to get the best talent so you can
compete a lot of times, you'll just shoe that and
just go get the best talent and try to find
a way to make it work. Um. And that's I
don't want to say it's the sad part about it,
but we would it's say. And also I think the
NBA's victim of this as well. Just analytics is a

(01:00:29):
big part of it. But the game is a little
bit more homogenized now, so you don't have contrasting styles
even at the college level. A little bit at the
college level, but not as much as the NBA. But
but still, you know, it's still a lot of you know,
get up and down, shoot more threes. UM. I do
like the fact that they've changed the rules and kind
of opened up the college game a little bit more
so it has been as ugly to watch at times. Um.

(01:00:52):
But but still to your point, it's hard to build
an identity because so many of these these guys, and
we talked about coach cow Kentucky this year the antithesis
of what they've been the last ten years. They actually
have a roster full of you know, sophomores, juniors and
seniors that are playing well. You know, this is the
first year in a while that he hasn't just gone
out and had a roster full of superstar freshmen and

(01:01:13):
they're actually thriving. Yeah. Yeah, that's a great point. You know,
it's funny, and you brought up the you know the
fact that college ball is closer to the NBA than ever,
which is so true. I I we were somehow the
topic of Villanova Georgetown came up and it was over

(01:01:33):
the last month or so whatever it was, and so
my producer, who's five, all right, who's who? I love
the great dude, and we we uh we we were
talking about it, and so we want we watched the
game together, like an abbreviated version because we were gonna
do like a throwback to the game. And he's like, dude,

(01:01:56):
this is horrible, right because you know back and it
was a shot clock and I found myself stressing to
watch it because you're like, oh my god, I forgot
how bad is this pass pass pass pass, pass, pass, pass, pass,
shot pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass turnover? Like it was?

(01:02:19):
It was horrible, Like the pace was so slow that
I found byself like I couldn't watch it, let alone
at twenty five year old. It was never you know,
they never privy to that kind of basketball before it's
to that kind of basket. It's not even the same
sport for somebody else. Yeah, right, he's going, dude, what

(01:02:40):
is this? You got final scores of like fift you know,
fifty nine to fifty six. When he's like, dude, He's like,
like Villanova, because you was here, ville was shot seventy
from the field in that title. Would you go, wow,
that's amazing, you know, not like you like you're scoring that. Yeah,

(01:03:02):
somebodys she was s today they were scoring a hundred
and seventy points because they're because most of those are
probably three pointers, and it's it's just it's a fascinating
just the style. I don't know, you're kind of quiet
with this. Where do you line up? I've always been
when it comes to college basketball, I've always just kind
of been about, you know, who's on the court, what

(01:03:24):
kind of names were getting in their journeys, and yeah,
I just I don't know. I I was down to
North Carolina. I I my first couple of years in
college was at Wake Forest, so I was there when
Chris Paul was there, so like, yeah, but I I
guess I'm just missing that from the college game right now.

(01:03:45):
And I but I also feel like every time I
get on the subject, I kind of feel like I
repeat myself sometimes each year when it comes to college basketball,
we still end up watching the March Madness in general,
just because it's just it's a lot of fun for
those first couple of weekends. It's just I don't I
don't know what's gonna get me to really kind of
come into the regular season again for college basketball. But

(01:04:09):
I think that's I think there's a problem across basketball
in general, Like it just works better in a tournament time.
Like It's true the NBA, which is devalued its regular
season for many years now too, and I feel I
feel the same way about college basketball. There was always
the allure of of March madness in the conference tournaments,
but you know, maybe you had like a preconference, you know,

(01:04:34):
a lot of conference build up towards having something like
a match of Duke in Kansas, but outside of that,
there's really not a lot to really go on. I
think a part of that is too, is that in
a lot of these conferences, there's not a lot of
in in conference season rivalries to really go on. Like

(01:04:55):
I'm trying, I'm trying to put two good words, Like,
I mean, back in the day, the A C. C.
You'd have DO and U N C and and some
of the others, and a lot of you had that,
but because you had reck name recognition, guys who stayed,
guys were staying and you have guys like Tyler Hansbrough
grew to have like a rivalry against Duke because he

(01:05:17):
was at North Carolina for four years. You know, you
just don't get that anymore. Yeah, that, And I think
that that's why you don't have the in season rival
reason why the games aren't don't seem as big. The
traditional rivalry games don't seem as big because you don't
have the same guys playing each other twice a year
for three and four straight years anymore. Exactly. That's a
spot on and it's it's such an interesting discussion because

(01:05:42):
you wonder how that can change. I just don't know
how it can move, you know, the the only way
I could see it moving. And maybe college basketball will
take a half step back from a talent pool standpoint,
but at least you have guys who would actually stay
there and be able to or more I wouldn't necessarily
be opposed to. And this is why I hope sooner

(01:06:03):
than later the NBA figures out this way to the
way to get high school kids back into the NBA
and back into the draft, so we can allow the
kids that want to go pro to go pro and
the kids that want to go to college. Go to college,
you know, because I think that would actually it might
it won't. It won't stop it completely. You will still
get a one and done or it's an undone person
here and there. But for the most part, the guys
that actually want to go there and want to go

(01:06:24):
to college and grow will go and stay. And I
think that's that's at least a start of the process
of getting college basketball back to the way we remember it.
It's it's fascinating to me because I feel like some
of the other college sports that don't get as much
play but also have pro tie ins kind of handle
this better than than basketball does. For example, uh, you know,

(01:06:44):
for college for for college baseball, you have the option
when you get drafted to come out straight from high
school or you go to college and you get your
you know, your your rights, I think thrown back into
the hat. For college hockey, you get drafted and then
you can like have your rights maintained as you're going
to college and wait for the call up to like
a minor league or something. There's there's ways to work

(01:07:07):
around the idea of going to college without completely you know,
with without that being your like completely rearranging your rights
in an NBA draft. I feel like if if there
was a there could be a better path to it.
It just right now. The system right now just really

(01:07:28):
benefits neither sport very well. And I've never understood why
the NBA never tried to. Maybe they did try and
it didn't work out. To mirror the baseball model, come
out of school, get drafted. If you don't get drafted
where you want to go, then you know, back out,
you know, back out, go go to college if you choose.
I love the I love the NHL system, by the way,
like I love that system where it's like you get

(01:07:49):
drafted and that team can still have your rights and
you can instead of going to play more major junior
or a h L, you're going and playing in a
hockey in a college hockey system. It was like that,
you know. Larry Burg got drafted by the Boston Celtics
the year before he played Magie Johnson in the National
Title Game. He played the next ra year in Indiana
State before he joined the Boston Celtics after he got drafted,

(01:08:11):
and at some point until they changed the rules on that. Yeah, No,
it's a great point. Don't be a favor, Why don't
hit us with the trending and then let's try to continue.
That's good, it's good stuff, all right, we'll speaking to
basketball All Star weekend is here. We at the Celebrity
Game on Friday, followed by the revised Rising Star format

(01:08:32):
for the rookies and Sophomores, three games featuring four teams
coached by NBA legends. UH team Rick Barry actually came
away with the victory. Kid Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons
one m v P Honors eighteen total points. They're eleven
finalists announced for the Basketball Hall of Fame. Some notable
names on the list Minu Genobil, Michael Cooper, Marcus Johnson,

(01:08:52):
Tim Hardaway, and a couple of coaches George carl and
Bob Huggins. Inductees will be announced on the weekend of
the final or. Major League Baseball announced that spring training
will be delayed until at least March five. The owners
have locked out the players since early December. However, labor
talks are expected to intensify next week. First meeting is
scheduled for Monday afternoon and in golf of the Genesis Open,

(01:09:14):
Y Kim Nieman sixteen under for the tournament, two stroke
lead over upstart to Cameron Young. Jordan's speed is seven
strokes off the lead back to the Fellas. All right,
we are the Fellas. I'm Anthony Gargano, Kevin Figures, Psycho,
Chris Ricky. That's all os anyway, in this conversation, Chris,

(01:09:37):
I think he nailed it with the NHL format, Like
I agree with the NHL and even baseball something extent.
I think it would benefit the NHL format would benefit
college basketball immensely, immensely, Yeah, because we know these guys
just you know, even when they're going to NBA teams,

(01:09:58):
there aren't the aren't completely ready coming out, and it's
always several years. The NBA is a sport with a
lot of growth before you know, someone turns into who
they are, Like it took it took Onto to Kompo,
like what five years in the league. I think a
little bit more before he before Nice was the honest
we knew. But there is there is a third option,

(01:10:20):
and it's kind of the nuclear option. And I don't
know how much people in the States would like it,
but is that we could just do our way with
the draft entirely and go straight to free agency. Yeah,
just just like so yeah, best team best Yeah, if
you want to sign guys. Look, there's a salary cap.
There's only so much you can do. Go out and
make bids for these guys coming out of college and

(01:10:41):
they can keep playing in college and keep showing you
the skills that they have. You know, it's not it's
it's not terrible. I mean again, I look at what
the Sixers did where they're just giving away first round
picks and we've said it here on this show multiple times,
like first round picks the outside of the draft lottery.

(01:11:01):
At this point, what is the value of any of
these picks for a player that I would consider that
you would consider like a blue chip NBA player down
the line, like the draft is becoming more and more
irrelevant in its own way, like you can, you can strike,
but it's more and more more of a wild card

(01:11:24):
than ever, So why not just get rid of it?
And how college starts to promote itself more as again
a place where guys can go to play to show
off their skills. And then you know, as you have
a certain age that you can enter into the NBA
and teams can watching you playing in college and decide
if they like what they're seeing in a in a

(01:11:44):
in a March Madness tournament, they can go out and
sign you once you're done with that year of college.
You know what, It's a great conversation and it may
be the answer. We may be heading there anyway, but
it may be an answer. Listen, I agree with it.
It's funny, the idea of the number one picks. I

(01:12:06):
I there are some people, especially early on. I think
most people are on board now. But um, you mentioned
the Sixers making it hard in trade, and in that
trade they gave up seth carry uh, Simmons drumming and
two first round picks, and people were like, oh my god,
we gave up two first round picks. I'm going dude,

(01:12:29):
those picks mean nothing you want to talk about, just
you meaningless. The Sixers are trying to win the title,
so their chances are, you know, ninety percent, chains are
they're gonna be drafted sometimes and somewhere in the late twenties,
all right, so that pick automatically becomes useless, especially now

(01:12:52):
where the lottery is a crapshoot. Let alone, post lottery,
you rarely are able to get big time talent without
just you know, getting lucky. Yeah, that's hard to equate
for me sometimes too. As far as lucky and what's
you know who scouts well and gets good players? I

(01:13:13):
mean there's I mean, I look at I look at
the Lakers for over the last seven years or so,
that the guys they were able to get at the
bottom of the first and early second rounds where there
it's Kyle Kuzma, Alice Caruso who was undrafted. There's something
to be said for actually having a good scouting staff
and being able to pick players too. It's an exact science,
and I think there's an element of look that goes
into it. And to and your to your point talking

(01:13:33):
about the Sixers trade in the in the pics you send,
you send that that's nameless and faceless. A draft pick
is nameless and faceless, especially when it's gonna be in
the late twenties. I wouldn't say there's no value whatsoever,
especially for the team acquiring it if they know how
to use it properly. Um. I still like the idea
of of having a draft over just full on free agency.

(01:13:54):
I do think that does kind of work against some
of the smaller market teams that maybe don't have the
capital or just even just the cash value. It seems like,
say the Knicks, why would if I have a chance
to go to Oklahoma City or the Knicks. Grant, the
Knicks are dumpster fire, but generally speaking, generally speaking, why
would I ever decide to go to Oklahoma City? No disrespect, sure,
I I would say to that. I think it's fascinating

(01:14:16):
watching different motivations for players like Kate Cunningham was all
in on going to Detroit to the Pistons, Like and
you say that to a lot of other players, the
idea of them go into Detroit probably not you know,
the first thing on their mind. Whereas we've seen with
the Knicks plenty of times that you know, you ever,
we we might hype up the next we might think

(01:14:38):
that it's all about New York and everything else. But
their ownership could very well be stingy, or they could
very well just not want certain players they're willing to pay.
They just don't spend well and aren't well run. But yeah,
it's not well runned. That's always That's always the big thing. Uh.
I think it's it's fascinating. You mentioned the draft lot
of the draft lottery and the value of first round picks.

(01:15:01):
And I think sometimes the NFL's value on picks is
very different from the NBA's, Like I know, we just
had less sneat saying f them picks or whatever. But uh,
you you go deep into the first round the NFL,
you start, you're still getting quality starters. That's not true.
Well that's exactly right, but I don't know if that's true. Well,

(01:15:22):
the last thing we say is the last thing I'll
say is getting rid of the draft would have one
more benefit that the NBA could really use, and that
is you just completely destroy anyone's like the very idea
of tanking. You get rid of it completely. There's no
there's there's no reason to tank anymore. I can survive,
spend and survive or don't. Yeah, I mean I could

(01:15:45):
just pull up a random draft. I'll pull up the
twenty sixteen draft, the last five picks of the first
round for can Cork Mass he is a productive player,
Pascal Seam excellent player, jon To Murray all star, triple
double machine. These guys were the last picks of the
first round four or five years ago. These are good
productive players. So you can't find is a great players.

(01:16:05):
But he's a he's a rotational good player in the NIA.
He's not a good player. He does can't play a
minute in the playoffs. But whatever. But your point is,
your point is well taken without a doubt. Corps decide
he's well, it's well. I mean, Marry is a superstar.
He's he's an amazing player. Yea is a good player,

(01:16:28):
very bad above. I mean, he's a very very good player.
So your point is well taken. Except when you look
at the NFL, just the math of it, right, because
you need so many more, right. I mean, that's why
the draft needs a lot more in the NFL, because
once you get it there on your roster, you're not

(01:16:49):
squirreling these guys away or nothing. You know, you're you're
hoping even down to the third round to be getting
quality starters. But but it is, you know, listen, and
there are teams and too. Thinking's point, there are teams
that have great eyes and great eyes for talent. The problem, though,
is when you look at the drift as a whole,
you can go back in any year and from one

(01:17:13):
to whatever. Whenever you're at the end of the second round.
You could find lots and lots of bus right like
more raft, I'll pulled up. The fourth overall pick was
Dragon Binder, remember him christ exactly, And I like Christal
kind out of Coeger. Go, well, you know you can
play defense, but he couldn't shoot, right. So you know

(01:17:36):
that's why to your point earlier about the inexact science,
it isn't in exact science. All right, we gotta take
quick t o fun conversation where the fella is right
here on Fox Sports Radio. Fox Sports Radio has the
best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of
our shows at Fox Sports Radio dot com and within

(01:17:57):
the I Heart Radio app search f s R listen live.
Welcome back, fellas hanging out on a Fox Sports Saturday
subject round ball. Who We had the little NFL stuff
coming up in in a minute as well next hour.

(01:18:18):
But I just to kind of put a bow on
this thing about the about college ball. You know, it's
funny because I was thinking about this and the personalities
are all homogenized too, right like, So we talked about
the personality and personalities of the teens right back in

(01:18:39):
the day. Because you've got on the subjec after talking
about Blue Chips. But he looked at at that era,
the Fat five, Michigan, the U NLV, Georgetown, they all
had distinct personality. The coaches did so a lot of
the coaches. Do you see any coaches with personality now?

(01:19:00):
And he got cow. Yeah, Bruce Pearl has a bit
of a personality. I feel like, you see, he's actually
toned it down a little bit since he was at Tennessee.
Though I like scandals and all that stuff that has
at that effect on him or not, but he's definitely
toned it down a bit. Um. But yeah, for the
most part, No, there's not a lot of you know,
energy or a lot of differing person that. Most of

(01:19:20):
these guys are pretty stoic and business like. And I
don't want to say respectful, you want to be respectful,
but there's no, there's not a lot of edge to
a lot of these guys these days. You know, John
Thompson at edge to him, had edge to him. Yeah,
there's just not a lot of edge from maybe a criminality. Well,

(01:19:42):
I'm sure he wants a temple on Sunday he was
all right, but you're right, like, you know, there was
there guys had swagged, had personality were different. Yeah, dude,
it was buttoned up and professional Michigan had swagger with
the Fat five. You went V has some swagger with
Tark and Greg Anthony and that crew. You know, I

(01:20:04):
mean it's funny like you look now and you go, wow,
who who's got that? Who has it? Like who's got
the swag? Now? And you're other think like who's your personality?
You're right now and then? But that's usually about it.
Definitely nobody of the brook right, you know, I mean

(01:20:25):
the Dean Smith's right, like those guys they all had
Roy Williams. Like in their own way, had there had
they were bigger right than they are now. Anyway, we
were out of time, Well, uh come back, we get
a big our head where the fellas right here on

(01:20:47):
Fox Sports. Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk
lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows at
Fox Sports Radio dot com and within the I Heart
Radio app search f that's are to listen live. All right,
good morning, good morning, good morning, happy happy Fox Sports
Saturday to all across the nation and say they am

(01:21:08):
in the east, five am in the west. Is that
we begin a Saturday right That's basically the all Star Weekend.
It is the All Star Weekend. Friday night the Futures Game.
Tonight we have the Skills I like the Skills competition,
and tomorrow is the All Star Game. So we've reached

(01:21:29):
that part of the calendar. And now we'll look forward
to a second half. And uh, it's in it's post
trade deadline. So it's gonna be a fascinating second half
when you look at these teams, the East and the
balance of power after the big trade between Brooklyn and Philadelphia,

(01:21:49):
so you have the East, it's gonna be a really
interesting kind of way way transpires. Uh. And then of
course you've got the big mainstays Phoenix and Golden State.
It appears like a two team race, although you Tim
might have something to say, and you know, we'll see
what happens, but you know, it's it's gonna be interesting.

(01:22:10):
I'm curious, Figgy, how was the Simmons hard and trade
por trade out West and net more nationally? Well, I
will say, like from a from an out West standpoint,
many people view it as kind of like an even swap,
or at least both teams got kind of what they
needed and what they wanted and that it worked out
for both. You know, Ben Simmons, if you know he's

(01:22:31):
he's right, you know, physically, mentally and all of that,
and he's in he's well prepared. He fits Brooklyn because
they didn't necessarily need to have someone like James Harden.
Now you're assuming by the way that Kyrie Irvan can
actually play in every game, which of course right now
he can't, but you have enough scoring. Ben Simmons can
be a distributor, can be a defender. He actually fits
what they do and it is a good fit for them.

(01:22:51):
And on the other side, James Harden, though he doesn't
play defense like Simmons does. Simmons hasn't been there anyway
for the Sixers. So what are you losing from that standpoint, Yes,
you lose Seth Curry, but James Harden can give you
more from that from what Seth Curry's are for in you. So,
I mean, I feel like both teams kind of one
and I assuming James Harden is healthy. Uh. The seventies Sixers,
for me, are are definitely one of the favorites in
the East, and they kind of to a certain degree

(01:23:13):
already were, but now they have a legit second superstar
to put next to Joel and Beat, who along with
Mr de Rosen, are probably one in two or one
A one B for M v P right now. Yes,
definitely one distant two. Yes, I figured you'd say that,
But yes, even though one is one is the one
seed in the East and one is the five six
or whatever the Sixers are. But that shouldn't matter. He's

(01:23:35):
having a phenomenal season. If I had watched them the
entire second half of that game, and quite honestly, if
I had a vote, I'd give it to Joel embat
as much as I love basketball guy. Well, we had
this debate last year about Yoki Yoki versus Embat and
I gave my vote Yoki much too much, to my dismay,

(01:23:56):
I would unquestionably as great ever run as the Rose
in this happened this year, I was still give it
to Joel embiid so I was. It was funny. My
week was spent obviously diving into this Tuesday we UH
I did my show life from the Sixers facility because
it was the press conferences day right Tump in Brooklyn.

(01:24:18):
Simmons had his press conference UH. Down in Philadelphia, Sixers
had theirs with Harden I was, Uh, I work. I
do a show on the flagship of the Sixer station.
So I was broadcasting live at the Sixers facility. And
you know those guys, Well, Darryl Morey's at Darryl on
and and talk to James and the and the whole thing.

(01:24:40):
And you know he's bought in big time. Dude, like
he's he now again you can tell me. Wow, you
know the three teams and in fourteen months and I
hear you. I think there was extenuating circumstances with that,
would you agree. I'm curious, you know, a different perspective,
like Houston was at that point where it was not

(01:25:02):
going to compete. Yeah. Um, I will say when he
was in Houston, there was a common denominator. Things didn't
work with Dwight, things didn't work with Chris Paul, things
didn't work with Russell Westbrook. The only constant in that
situation was James harden Brooklyn. Yes, the Kyrie Irving situation
was hard. They were They were never fully healthy. When

(01:25:22):
one guy was in, somebody else's always always out. Kyrie
Irving wasn't available this season. Um, so yeah, I would
say the circumstances probably it makes sense that he would
ask out to a degree. The problem is when your
reputation kind of follows you, and now the optics of
being on the third team in less than two years,
it's just it does not necessarily the best look and

(01:25:43):
it doesn't reflect well on him when he has been
the mainstay on many teams and the pieces have moved
around him, you know, and they're still well he did listen.
I know it's bothered. I know it bothered him that
that was out there, and I don't think it's invalid,
like to be honest, I mean, I don't know if
it's totally invalid. Well, I guess when I look at

(01:26:05):
the Houston situation, it may not have worked according to
even though he was the you know, the common denominator,
as you said, But if you were actually look at
it from a basketball standpoint, I mean, what's do I
gonta do do I cooked? I mean eight ten years
ago he was good. I mean yeah, I mean all right,
they got to the one. They did get to the

(01:26:27):
Western Conference finals. I mean, to be honest with you,
a lot of the pitfalls that they had in Houston
were because of him, his his playoff record. I'm not
gonna what's not it's not horrific. I mean, you know,
he's had some monster games, He's had some really terrible
games and really big spots. Listen, I'm not I'm not

(01:26:48):
saying it. I agree. I know you're trying to keep
me honest. I get it. My point to you is,
when you look at that team and how it end,
it was it his fault that he wanted out. They
were done, right, they were done? Yes, I'll give you that.

(01:27:08):
I mean, you're if you're a guy trying to win
a title and you look around you're done, you go,
all right, what am I gonna do? Like, I got
nothing to do here. I'm not part of a rebuild.
And I think that was part of the reason why
he wanted out of Brooklyn as well. You know, you
know k D got hurt, Kyrie Irving was unreliable. I
know he said that it was you know, Kyrie's situation

(01:27:29):
was minimal. I'm paraphrasing, but he said it. It wasn't
the big reason, but it was it was a minor factor,
and wanted to go out and wanted to leave and
look Joel and beat you know, say, for Chris Paul
is the best player he's ever played with. I'll say
that right now, and I don't and I hope that
coming into the locker room in Philadelphia, he recognizes that
that that's Joel's team, not his. Yeah, it's funny you

(01:27:52):
said that. I mean, that's a and that's a very
astute uh point by you. And he did say that
he if act satios, I know it shows team I'm
just here to help win because I think that's the
right mentality to have, because I feel like he he
has felt that he has been and he has been
for the most part the head of the snake wherever
he has been the last decade. Yeah. Great, agreed, without

(01:28:14):
a doubt, without a doubt. So if he plays his role,
which is a major one by the way, obviously as
the second best player on the team. You know, I
think they'll be fine. I think they'll be fine. I
think that that they can run out as good of
a starting unit, as versatile of a starting unit, with
the guys that can play their roles. You got the defenders,
you got the guys that can score. Uh. Maybe the

(01:28:36):
bench is a little bit of a concern, but the
buyout help you. The buiout market can help you with
that in the buyout market is more favorable to free
agents now that you have those two guys together in Philadelphia. Agreed.
I agree, I agree, And they do need they need
another guard. I think they're gonna add a big that
I know, look for Cantor or um or Robin Lopez

(01:29:00):
will be great to get him. And but I think
they don't even know the guard. I still think they're
they're short in the back court. But you know, it's
interesting to me because less and less about uh, the
Hearten and his role, but the Simmons angle. I'm curious

(01:29:24):
how you guys viewed the Simmons angle because you know,
having lived it and having kind of been around him
for a long time. You know, I mean, listen, I
get where Klutch was trying to go, and he was
trying to go with. You know, it's not you, it
wasn't them, it was me. But you know the the

(01:29:47):
idea that right right, it's He's continues quote in George Costanza.
You know the thing that bothered me was he made
this whole thing. Look at look at me now you
know a trade All of a sudden, I'm cured. That's
where the trade like like it's something it's trivial as

(01:30:08):
an NBA trade is the cure of the mental illness
that rubbing the wrong way, And it kind of makes
me question, and you know him obviously much better than
I do, haven't covered him as much as you have.
It kind of calls it a question for me how
much he actually loves the game of basketball, because a
lot of guys, you know, if they're dealing with the situation,
being on the court is their restpite, you know, that's

(01:30:31):
their's that's their safe place. Basketball is their outlet. And
it seemed like basketball is what was causing him stress
and causing him issues for whatever reason. Um, And I
don't know if it was just the environment in Philadelphia,
which is kind of what he alluded to it being
to a degree, or was it the the action him
actually dealing with real like mental issues that he had

(01:30:52):
to work through. And I don't know if he ever
fully answered that question, but you know, the it's it's unfortunate,
but like the speculation was he brought in them the
mental situation just to kind of to kind of put
in cover for the fact that he just was unhappy
in Philadelphia and didn't want to face the music. I
want to get paid, right he still wants to getting
paid and not be fined. Let me let me at

(01:31:13):
least I wanted to recuse myself because I could be
a biased witness here. Okay, so I'll throw to you.
I'll just throw this stuff for you. So when you
go all hard and forced his way out and Simmons
forced his way out, I got the sense that Simmons
there was no reason for him to force his way out, Like,

(01:31:36):
what was the reason they were and there were a
team that was a contending team, right. It wasn't like
he was on a bad team and I want to win,
Get me out of here. They were on a good team, right. Well. Yeah,
from the outside, it just looks to me, just as
an objective observer, um, whether it was a certain amount
of pressure, whether he felt that people had higher respectations

(01:31:58):
of him and he wasn't living up who it. You know,
they're not being able to shoot the missing the free throws,
they're not shooting a layout because he was afraid of
getting fould and going to the free throw line. Doc
Rivers comment at the end of the game after they
got eliminated last year. You know, if he took all
those things to heart and thought he was being personally
attacked and felt that he wasn't supported for some reason,
and maybe that's the reason why he felt he needed

(01:32:20):
to get out of Philadelphia. It wasn't a healthy environment
for him. Again, I don't know that to be effect,
but that's just kind of what I've deduced from the
way that he's acted and the things that No, No,
I think you're, I think you're. Your instincts are right.
I'm just trying to wonder, well, how does that manifest itself?

(01:32:40):
Like it? Was he really a bad atmosphere? Because you know,
right away, I've heard pundits who, by the way, mocked
Ben Shimmans for not shooting. Now delete all tweets, right,
I've seen that that goottle game, but blame mean Philadelphia

(01:33:01):
for it. And I go, how do you blame the team?
It's an individual player, and then blaming the fans that
they're called, you know, the jackals and trod lydites of Philadelphia,
and I, you know, I can't help, but you know,
defend that because it's not true. From what I understand,
the fans had nothing but unabashed support for him this

(01:33:23):
entire time, and you are at ground level on this.
You know that more than anybody. And that was my
only fanswer is why I I go this is I
didn't throw a flag here because this whole thing is incorrect.
And mind you remember there were no fans when they
first of all, they were in the bubble since a
year ago, two years ago March, right, and then when

(01:33:44):
they come back last year in play there are no
fans up until the playoffs. So how how is it
the crowd, the unruly, you know, unwashed crowd. How's that
an issue when they weren't even there. Yeah, unless there's something,
if there are negative things written about him or things

(01:34:06):
that people put on social media, and then he has
rabbit ears, you know, other than that, social media could
be a sewer. So for anybody, Yeah, exactly. You could
be the most successful person. And I'm sure Tom Brady
has people that send him a bunch of wild things
on social media, you know, exactly, So it can happen
to anyone. So it seems like he's just I don't

(01:34:26):
know if he has actual mental problems, and if he doesn't,
at the very least, it seems like he's maybe mentally
or possibly just emotionally fragile and needs to be you know,
coddled a little bit, and he wasn't cobbled enough in Philadelphia.
I don't know. I mean, I keep going back to
what Doc Rivers said, right, and Doc Rivers says, is
he a championship point guard? And I don't know. I'm like, wow,

(01:34:50):
that it was that that was the way that he reacted.
If it was in reaction to what Doc said, you
made it. It seems like Doc said, hell, no, he's
not a shippoint. He sticks right. I I you know,
I just didn't understand all the things and this whole
you know, cure all of a trade. I raised my eyebrows.

(01:35:11):
So anyway, I do need to talk about the balance
of power in the West. And I got question for you.
Is Lebron and everything that is the greatness of Lebron James?
Is he on his way to irrelevance? We'll talk about it,

(01:35:36):
Fellas right here Fox Sports Radio. I welcome back Fellas
hanging on a Fox Sports Saturday. So I got a
lot of questions. You know, it's been obviously a big topic.
Deadline goes, Lakers quiet, and a lot of talk about
what's next with Lebron I, in fact, what's talking to

(01:35:58):
Frank I Sould is a buddy of mine covers the
NBA n B A radio on Sirius, ESPN and so
freak and I, who has covered a league for a
long time, freak and I was talking about Lebron and
he goes, listen, I'm not He goes, I wouldn't be
surprised that Lebron winds up back in Cleveland for a

(01:36:19):
third act, which I was like, well what? And then
he started thinking if he rants Darius Garland Watts, that's
a that's a first little tell that he may be
looking to go to Cleveland for a third act. That
could be a possibility. And I started laying like, why
could you imagine? It would be like a fascinating story.

(01:36:42):
But my question do you fix because you're close to it?
Is all right, so say that it's not that kind
of situation, but how can they possibly fix this? And
if they can't fix it, and you're on, is he
on his way to irrelevance in the league. Yeah. First
of all, I also heard that anecdote from Frank ca
Sola talking about Garland being drafted by Lebron. That's I

(01:37:06):
think that's a little bit far fetched, but whatever, it's fodder,
it's cool. We can take it as far as Lebron
and going to irrelevance. How can the Lakers be any
less relevant than they are now? And the sad part
is Lebron has been as amazing as ever. His production
night and night out is spectacular. You know, his string
of twenty five point games I think as the longest
he's had in his career, or the least the longest

(01:37:26):
he's had in over a decade. You can't ask him
to play as as you know, any better. The problem
is the pieces around him either can't stay healthy or
they just don't play well. And unfortunately, um there's a
little there's little sympathy for him from a lot of
people because it is believed fair or not. He's the
one who is architect of this. You know, they could

(01:37:46):
have had to mar de Rosen. He's the one that
being the table and said we want to trade for
Russell Westbrook instead. You know, they could have kept the
team from last year. You know last year's team. The
really the only reason why they didn't win and got
eliminated by Phoenix in the first round was because us
Lebron was banged up and Anthony Davis got hurt after
Game two and was out for the remainder of the series.
If they were healthy, they beat Phoenix. I'm I'm thoroughly

(01:38:07):
convinced to that they could. Those same guys they shifted,
you know, Kuzma and KCP and all those guys they're producing. Now.
The Wizards aren't that great, aren't that good. They've had
their own share of issues with bel but so I mean,
but they could put up that production, you know, with
a good roster next to Lebron James. You know, the

(01:38:28):
Lakers were excellent last year at times, even when Lebron
was hurt, even when a d was hurt, because they
had depth, they had solid players, they had a solid foundation.
They shipped all that foundation out for a square peg
into a round hole fit that everybody you know panned
at the time and said this wouldn't work. So I
don't think anybody we're surprised in that it's this bad

(01:38:49):
that they're currently in the nine hole in the play
in tournament. People thought that worse. They probably be somewhere
fighting for a four or five seed and try to
get a home home court advantage. But I don't think
anybody thought it will be this bad. So at this
point in time, yeah, Lebron James and the Lakers are
as irrelevant as it gets because they're in the playing
tournament and should they happen to beat whoever they will play,

(01:39:10):
They're lined up to face Phoenix in the first round again,
and something tells me, uh, our first round matchup against
Phoenix against this Laker team is going to be really ugly.
So it leads me to my question, which is how,
I mean, how do you how do you fix this thing?
This thing looks and feels kind of broken. And when

(01:39:31):
I say broken, I mean broken beyond fixing. You gotta
total the car. Yeah, I don't think there is a
minor fix. The one thing you have working in your
favorite going into the off season is Russell Westbrook is
a pending free agent. The problem is he's carrying a
forty seven and a half million dollar you know, salary.
That's a lot of money for one guy who has

(01:39:52):
diminished skills at this point. So he just, yeah, who's
gonna be willing to take on that contract? You know?
And what and if and if a team is you know,
maybe Oklahoma City would take them, But they're not gonna
give you anything of you know, anything tangible they give.
You gotta give them something that to make it attractive
to take it. No, I mean they probably take it

(01:40:14):
because they have the money to absorb it, and they
say it's a sentimental play for them. And it doesn't
cost him anything because his money comes off the books.
The problem with the Lakers is the Lakers can't just
dump his salary. They actually need to bring somebody in
that can actually help them. I think it seemed like
Oklahoma City would do it in a heartbeat. Yeah, you
guys want a couple of first round picks. You're not
getting Shade Gills as Alexander, you're not getting Josh Giddy.
But we'll give you some picks and we'll take a

(01:40:35):
salary gladly for one year. But the Lakers don't want that.
Remember this though, okay see, you're right, is it a
big isn't a good spot because okay see could say,
you know, they could be a way station for big contracts,
and you gotta pay teams to take on bad contracts,
and that means you pay them with picks. Correct, you'd

(01:40:57):
have to give them more first round picks, So do
they have picks to give, No, they have they have
one pick uh in six I believe, and then they
have another first round pick that they can possibly attach
to it for the following year. So they have two
first round picks that they can possibly send out. But
these are also future picks way down the line. And

(01:41:17):
the belief, at least right now is that they will
be low in the lottery. But who knows. To your point,
you brought up the fact that they might blow it up.
You know, there's been a lot of chatter not from
any insiders or credible sources, but just chatter in the
Los Angeles area in general about do you consider trading
Anthony Davis in the off season because he's been so
injury prone and there's still some upside when he's healthy.

(01:41:38):
He's a good player, but you know there's gonna be
diminishing returns. He's not gonna get healthier the older he gets.
It is only gonna give right if there's a time
for you to cut bait, that will be now, right.
So what happens in Lebron that's a good question because
he has he has one year left on his contract

(01:42:00):
as well, um after next season or excuse me. Next
season will be the last year on his deal. I
don't think they trade him, but maybe Lebron says, look
the experiments over. If you guys gonna trade a d
he's a clutch guy, obviously, Rich Paul is my guy.
I'm a clutch guy. Trade me back to Cleveland, blow
it all up, and then the Lakers are back to
square one, to where they were five years ago, when

(01:42:22):
you know they had a bunch of and look, you
won your you won your chip. Show be happy with
your chip. You won your chip. But how incredible would
that be a third and final act in Cleveland. It
would be pretty amazing, especially him playing at this level

(01:42:42):
at thirty seven. I mean, there's not gonna you wouldn't
think borrowing some serious injury, there'll be some precipitous drop
off next year. If some way he found his way
back to Cleveland and he's playing with Garland, and if
Sexton is back healthy, the way Evan Mobile is bawling,
Jared Allen's locking down the paint, I mean, it's scary.
They're they're already a semi scary team. Now they're just

(01:43:03):
really wet behind the ears. But you get a vetter presence,
like Lebron in there look out exactly what would that? What?
What do you think? What do you think the people
of Cleveland would do. I'm sure they'd take him back
with open arms. I mean, he bought them a championship.
So at this point, like even when he left this
second time to come to the Lakers, there was there's

(01:43:25):
none that I saw, no jersey burning, no you know,
mobs or anything going after him. There was more appreciation.
And I think even when he left the first time,
the only reason they were upset that he left was
how he left the decision. Have you not done the decision?
I think maybe they would have understood it more. Um So,
I think they welcome him back with open arms if
he came back to Cleveland right now. And it isn't

(01:43:45):
the whole thing. Isn't had a crazy story that he
could wind like that, He could wind up like that. Yeah,
And again there's very little sympathy from a lot of
people because they feel that this is all of Lebron's doing,
that the front office allowed Lebron to come men and
basically make whatever decisions that he wanted. He's the one
that lobbied to have the roster constructed the way that

(01:44:05):
it is constructed, and throughout his career it's worked out.
This year it is not, so they The problem is
everybody ends up looking bad because if you're the Lakers,
if you're a genie bust and Rob Pablinka, why did
you empower him to be able to do it? If
indeed you were viemle against trading for Russell Westbrook, why
didn't you show some you know, you know what's and

(01:44:27):
say no. Because Pat Raley, it's a shore, told him
no when he told Pat to fire Xpolstra. You know,
Bron has been told no before. It's true, and all
of a sudden it was like, oh no, oh my god,
you can't tell And you're right about that. Lebron was
told no. Bye bye, Ryles. Fascinating stuff, it really is. Uh,

(01:44:50):
it's just some trending my brother. Al Right. Well, we
have an NBA All Star weekend and kicked off on Friday.
There was a reimagining I guess is the word I use.
All the Rising Stars game pre beviously featured rookies and
sophomores from the United States taking on international first and
second year players this year, and included four teams coached
by four NBA legends as they participated in a three

(01:45:10):
game mini tournament. Rick Berry's team did come away victorious
Pistons rookie Kate Cunningham taking home m VP honors, scoring
eighteen points. UH No ranked college basketball teams in action
on Friday, Maryland did defeat Nebraska, Mississippi State over Missouri. St.
John steamrolled Butler fifty seven on the ice to Kings.
The feat of the Golden Nights in overtime did all

(01:45:31):
for Dallas. They'd be Chicago one nothing wins for Carolina
and Florida and golf Waki Neeman with a two stroke
lead over Cameron Young at the second round of the
Genesis Open. Justin Thomas five strokes back while Jordan's beat
the seven shots off the lead, and the College football
Playoff will remain at four games through after an agreement
on expansion could not be reached. Back to the Fellas,

(01:45:53):
All right, we are the Fellas right here, Figgy and
Psycho Chris, Icky, you a couple of things I gotta
go over. Uh, get your guys opinion on this first
Stafford and the Stafford situation where the photographer falls and

(01:46:15):
he just bolts Now do you put the party and
thing and you give him the benefit of the doubt.
But don't you know, listen, something like that happens in
front of you, isn't your first inclination to run towards
that person to help? Yeah, I mean, like, look, Matthew's
wife show concern. She rushed over to the end of

(01:46:38):
the stage like, oh my god, what happened. Matthews kind
of gave one of those man that sucks and just
started around him with the opposite direction, yeah, which was
kind of a creep move. Absolutely, Yeah, you can try
to use the excuse. I'm like, okay, yeah, he clearly
he was hammered out of his mind, you know, and
rightfully so up, I probably would be too out of
victory parade. But I mean, you see that happen to
somebody off of a high stage and a woman falls.

(01:47:00):
The very least you can do is like stoop over
and say, oh my god, are you okay? Or somebody
gets some help. You don't have to jump off the
stage and try to be superman, but to be as
cold and callous to look over and you know, and
and see it clearly and be like oh damn, all
right and just turn around. I thought, I thought that
was that was a really bad look. I agree, I
thought it was a horrible look. And I'll compare it

(01:47:23):
to earlier this year there was the end of the game.
Now it's different because you know, he wasn't probably he
wasn't lucid, but it was the end of the game.
And Jalen hurts in Washington going into the tunnel, and
he's as he stops at the base of the tunnel,
there's an interview and a guy falls from the stands.

(01:47:46):
A railing broke, and right away Jalen rushed over and
helped the guy up. Right. You know, I look at Stafford.
I go, yo, dude, you're a creepy like, what's happened about? Man?
Let me go to Chris because you're you're Mr Stafford?
Love you, Matt, What do you think of that? I

(01:48:08):
don't think it's a good look for him. I don't
know the whole video. I I've seen the video, I
don't know the accentuating circumstances around it, and I don't
want to like, I don't know. I feel like I
feel like we're all pretty it is pretty wrong, but
still I'm not like the assumption that he might be
hammer just kind of seems like did you hear his

(01:48:31):
speech again? No, I I don't care. I just this
this this. I don't like judging someone on this kind
of video. That's all like, that's that's what you you
that will say. The first thing you should do is
probably not put the water bottle to your mouth as
you're going away. But I don't know, it seems like

(01:48:52):
Kelly had its handled. I don't know, Like, I just
it's it's bizarre, man, I don't know saying he's a
bad dude. I mean say that move alowe was we
brought up Costanza earlier, whether it's it's Ben Simmons, it's
you not me, or it's me not you. That was
a Constanza move too. Absolutely, It's just it was I

(01:49:17):
just bro I mean, I guess it's a nice gesture
that the Rams and the staffords the volunteer to pay
for her medical billit taking care of it all there,
so that I guess that helps a little bit. But
in the moment, it just wasn't the best. I'm sure
Kelly's going uh yo yo ma, a little little show
a little compassion here, money it's out of there, h

(01:49:40):
Like will you do it? Come on? Supposed to find
another go another shot to take right. The other issue,
bizarre issue is would happen in Dallas? Now you know
the story of Dalrymple in Dallas, all right, who quote

(01:50:06):
retired after it was an allegation or then an allegation
happens that he in the draft in the war room
cook used his cell phone to take pictures up the

(01:50:27):
skirt of Jerry Jones daughter. Now, I, for the life
of me, I can't imagine. First of all, is being
live stream not today. First of all, there's a million
things wrong. This is an addition to you know, allegations

(01:50:48):
of what he did with you know, taking photos of
cheerleaders and putting in videos and and all that stuff
of them as well. Right, so there is a bit
of a well, there is a history. Right. So now
it is like now he's doing this to the owner's
daughter now, like I can't even fathom. You know, first

(01:51:10):
of all, you want to talk about creep like that's
a class a creep. Anybody doing anything like that. It's
just kids, creepy all around leaders when it's an awful,
you know, horrible thing. Let's face it, Cherry, there was
a settlement those Chailer's two point four million dollars was

(01:51:31):
paid out, which the Cowboys apparently tried to keep under reps.
I didn't want anybody, didn't want to be made public. Um,
what is going on? And then would he really would
he do that to his The owners can't be that stupid, right,

(01:51:52):
I mean, this is like, this is the owner's daughter,
this is a fellow team executive by the way, right,
this is this is on a personal I a professional level,
HR level, legal all that I it seems it's like
it's so bad it almost seems unfathomable. It's like the cheerman,
like the cheerleader thing I can believe. And he's definitely

(01:52:12):
a creep. It's almost like but Jerry Jones's daughter was
almost like I can't believe that exactly. I can't believe
he'd be that dumb. I mean, nobody's had nobody's had
perverted insane. I mean what I would think? I mean,
the hell those it's the weirdest story. How does Jerry

(01:52:35):
Jokes keep him around? If you're right to check like staff,
because this is like what six years ago or something,
right like, how do you not go get that? Dude?
Out of here. I would fake. Jerry would be like, oh,
you quotes me a lot of money, get the first
of all your creep, second of We'll get the hell out.
That's that. That's the part that gets the fact that

(01:52:55):
he was even able to remain on staff for this
alleged situation with Jerry's daughter to even happen is the
unfathomable part from me, Like after the cheerleader thing, after
the settlement, why why is he still on the team?
Why is he still employed? I I know? And then

(01:53:17):
you know you do that? Could you imagine that you're
a daughter? You would you and you have the power
of Jerry Jones? Are you kidding me? That's unbelievable, Chris,
what kind of sense can you make of that? None?
You know, usually you have an interesting take on these things.
I just this one, this one, I yeah, I've got

(01:53:41):
I've got nothing on this one. I'm still wrapping my
head around this one. This, I mean, that's unbelievable. This
stuff goes on and all kinds behind the scenes that
would shock us all. I think. I think the one
thing I'm shocked with is that he's still he was
he was up until this point up on his still
on his job. That seems unconscionable when you're talking about

(01:54:05):
you know, it is when you're talking about someone as
powerful as Jerry Jones. But we've seen plenty of times
throughout the entire you know, professional landscape guys keep their
jobs through these kind of things. This is the lur
of power and everything else. I can't explain it rationally.
It just happens. It happens. Men get men get protected,

(01:54:29):
you know, without without a doubt throughout time. You know,
that's where the Old Boys network starts, right, like that
whole saying it's not really past. Yeah, right, But you
don't get my point right like like the Old Boys
now where that's the whole thing. But you know, I mean,
at some point you gotta go, nah see you where

(01:54:52):
does the line get drawn? I'm clearly here that's unreal.
I mean completely unreal at away. Definitely. Now what happens
the avenue. There's a new investigation in Daniel Snyder right
at the end, another one, and this one the public,

(01:55:14):
the public is gonna fight everything out in this one.
What more heinousness can come out of this investigation? I'm
sure the NFL has got another fall guy. On standby
to make sure that we don't learn more about Dan Snyder.
Oh insane? All right, quick t o back in the

(01:55:34):
flash where the fellas right here on Fox Sports Radio.
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Fox sports
Radio dot com and within the I Heart Radio app
search f s R to listen live. All right, welcome back,
Fellas hanging Lakeside. All right, yeah, I saw uh at

(01:56:03):
that last segment of those two stories. Still just weird
and bizarre, and it's just the whole thing is just
completely strange. The other weird story that made it's round
rumors was that Brady is not really retired, that Tom

(01:56:24):
Brady at some point will become a Niner. And I
heard that being bandied about. Look at their odds, you know,
the trade lance gonna get you in the fourth best
odds to win the Super Bowl. There's something amiss here,

(01:56:44):
There's something that other people know Brady will be a Niner. Now,
I don't know. I just think the guy at his word,
can there somehow be if finagle to get him to
save it? Say go, yeah, I'm sure Tampa Bay could say,
you know, Cap, you know cap Trap. We took the title,

(01:57:06):
and hey, it was great to have Brady, and then
you know, and now you've got to rebuild it, and
somehow Brady winds up in the lap of the Niners. Okay,
but man, would he go through the whole dog and
pony show and then wind up being a Niner figgy?
So two things, Um One, I take him at his word,

(01:57:30):
and the reasons why he said he wanted to retire
is that he wanted to spend time with his family
and his children and his wife and be part of
his children's lives, which is wholly different from like, say,
what Brett Farve said when he, you know, retired from
the from the Packers. He's like his body was tired
and he just wanted to hang it up and was done.
And then he came back the next year because the
desire was still there. I don't know if the desire

(01:57:50):
is still there for Tom. So that's one. The desire
to be with his family might outweigh any competitive desire
to keep playing. That's one. Two. So let me get
this straight. I'm playing in a division with the Saints,
with the new head coach and no quarterback. The Carolina
Panthers have no quarterback, uh, and I probably have easy
road to winning that division and getting back to the

(01:58:11):
postseason again. Or I can go to the NFC West,
where there's still Russell Wilson. They're still the defending Super
Bowl champions, and they're still the Arizona Cardinals who broke
through and make the playoffs last year with Kyler Murray.
So why am I leaving Tampa Bay with all the
weapons in the world to go to San Francisco? You
know which I have to you know, piecemeal things together

(01:58:31):
with a bunch of duct tape and you know, run
the ball well enough. Sure, but offensively, he's got out
of the weapons in San Francisco that he has in
Tampa Bay. I know there's a sentimental play there because
he's a Bay Area guy, but I mean, from my
foot my football standpoint, Anthony, it does not make sense. Yeah,
And I kind of feel the same way, although I
will tell I'm like, I actually like the Niners weapons.

(01:58:55):
I love Debo and I like I you can. I
love kidtle So and I think that the Niners offensive
line is better in Tampa's line. I don't like them
better than Chris god went again, assuming he resigns with
Tampa or Mike Kevins. I don't know, Dude, Debos I
like better than the Evans debos. A Debo is a
really good player. Um, I'm not gonna call him a

(01:59:16):
gadget player because I feel like that's a pejorative. But
just as a receiver, as a pure way, uh yeah,
I don't want to do a negative. I'm not trying to,
you know. And he's great at what he does. But
just as a receiver, Mike Evins is better than he is.
Just as a pure receiver. I'm a big Chance Debo fan,

(01:59:36):
so you know. And collective, sorry, that's the collective in Tampa.
I think it is better than the collective in San
Francisco is my greater point. And the offensive line of
Tampa isn't bad. They were just banged up at the
wrong time this past year. Yeah. Could I make the
argument though, like a bs con all right, Gronk, who
knows Gronk? He got Kintle, So you got advantaged Kittle.

(02:00:00):
You got a really good running game, right you got
uh you know again, we we could we give we
said they're a lots who you would also agree at
Evans on the wrong side of thirty and debot ascending.
You know, I use a hell of a player, bro
that I listen. I like God, I love Godwin. I

(02:00:22):
mean God's god one is a hell of a player.
I'll give you that. But I'm I'm an I fan.
I just think, you know, it's a very interesting situation. Ultimately,
I agree with you that, you know, when he really
tried his family out there as a reason for retirement
and then a month later go back on that. Yeah,

(02:00:42):
that's the part that doesn't equate for me more than
anything more than the part yeah, and listen, you can
also make the argument that stayed in the NFC, even
though it's a different division, is a big deal. But
well we'll talk about it where the fellas right here
on Fox Sports Radio. Well back you, Good morning, Good morning,

(02:01:03):
Happy Sports Saturday, a Fox Sports Saturday to all. It's
nine a m. In the East, six a m. In
the West. Is uh. We look at the NBA All
Star break, looking at the post break, and what's next.
We're gonna turn our attention after football to a lot

(02:01:24):
of basketball as football begins it's off season. We spent
a good morning talking about college college basketball, the NBA,
the big trades, how it all shakes out. I'll start
with you, fig, give me your top four in the
East and your top four in the West. Well, my
top four in these kind of lines up the way

(02:01:45):
that the standings line up, you know, Chicago, Philadelphia, Miami.
I'll take me. I'll take Milwaukee over Cleveland, and I
think Cleveland may have a game or game in half
lead over Milwaukee. But um, that's in no particular order.
If you're asking me to to rank somebody out in
the list, give me your four, Like, here's my fort East.
You tell me I think it's gonna shake out. I

(02:02:08):
got six Ers, Brooklyn, I got excuse me, sixers, Bucks, Brooklyn,
heat or my top four and East to come out
of the to win the conference, to actually finish the
season in the In the top four, I would go Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Um, Miami,

(02:02:29):
excuse me, Chicago in Miami in that order, Wow, Brooklyn, Brooklyn.
There's still it's so many question marks. Kyrie Irvan is
still gonna be able to play? Is he gonna play
at home? Well, I would believe that at that point
those COVID restrictions get lifted. I mean I believe that too.
But I mean, I've seen a lot of things, you know,
get lifted and then get repealed back to so oh yeah, listen,

(02:02:50):
it's not it's not a lock. I'm just saying I
see the mask mandates, uh in our area in the
east are getting lifted, and I gotta I gotta believe
it's only matter of time before you can play home games. Yeah,
and what's Ben Simmons psyche gonna be like, physically, what's
he gonna be like? It's Look, it's possible for them
to crack into the top four, but they have been
in such a free fall. You know, they would have

(02:03:10):
got seven, maybe seven eight games out of the first
first place right now, so it's not insurmountable. But there's
only about twenty games left, So I'm not I'm confident
that Brooklyn will obviously make the playoffs and make a
run at it. I'm not confident that they'll have enough
time to make it back into the top four. Uh.
And again it's for me, these are the four that

(02:03:30):
to actually rep to win the conference, so it would
be like the more of the playoffs. So I'm not
looking as much as seeding as I am. Oh you're
looking at these are the final four teams in the
Eastern Conference, the four contenders to win the conference in order.
I'm still hesitant about Brooklyn to be honest. Right now, Okay,

(02:03:51):
what would you would your West in your four contenders
to win the West? Uh, Phoenix and Golden State are
definitely one and two. There's a distant three and four.
There really is whom whoever you slice it, you know,
I I do like Memphis. It's really hard because they're
They're a young team without a lot of experience, and
you wonder how deep of a run they can actually make.

(02:04:12):
But because the West is such a jumble mess and
there's been so many injuries and so many issues, I'll
put them up there. But honestly, I'll flip flop with
the seed right now. I'll have Utah, um and I'll
still have Memphis because I I don't trust Dallas and
Denver has had so many injury issues. I don't know
if and when Jamal Murray returns. Too many fans or

(02:04:32):
butts about there about that team. So the ones I'm
fairly confident in right now for sure, Phoenix and Golden State,
and I'll say Utah and reluctantly I'll say Memphis at
the moment. Yeah, you know what's funny. I agree. I
I would put you top three and I would put
Memphis four. I Memphis a team I root for same
like you know, I love Jah and I love I like.

(02:04:56):
I like these They're deep, they're young, They're a tough team.
I like how they're built there. It's like what it
was greater than the sum of their parts, kind of
you know situation. They don't have a lot of superstar
one superstar player. You know, you have one really good
player in Jaren Jackson, not a star, was a good player,
and you just have a bunch of guys that just
kind of fill in their roles and play and play
their roles. Well. I agree, I think that's funny. That's

(02:05:20):
exactly kind of how I look at them in that realm.
I do think Second Hands could be a lot of
fun the are you in on skills competition? Not really?
Umm not, it's kind of It's okay, Um, I'm honestly,
I'm out on the dunk contest, to be honest with you. Uh,
there's a lack of creativity recently, there's not a lot

(02:05:40):
of big names in it anymore. I do like the
three point shoot Out. Um, I've always been thoroughly entertained
by that. So and I'm intrigued by the crop of
guys they have in the three point shoot out this year.
So I've kept a close eye on that the last
few years. But my interest in the dunk contest has
actually started to wane a little bit. Uh, And the
skills competition I've never really been fully in on, um,
but it's okay. It is funny how and uh, like

(02:06:05):
the three ball. I don't know why because I agree
with you, Like the dunk contest used to be outrighteous
right and then there's just like so much you can do,
but like you've almost reached the end of the Internet
when it comes to the dunk exactly. It was like,
you know, you had a guy jump over well, I
guess that the front hood of a car. It's like,
you get to a certain point, is like what more

(02:06:26):
can you you know, I'll be honest, they should have
just shut down the dunk contest after the tune squad, Well,
what was that like five years ago? That was Zach
levine Za maybe five six years ago possibly, But that's
what it's turned into. Though. Chris too was like guys
are just using props and weird crops jerseys and like
Griffin nearly like killed himself trying to jump over a

(02:06:48):
Kia one year. I think, yeah, well he did jump,
he cleared the hood, didn't even jump over the actual,
you know, the highest part of the car. I mean,
of course, this is coming from me. I can't you know,
you can't slide a piece of paper under my feet
when I jumped. But you know, so it's it's it's
unfortunate because to your point, Anthony, and there are there
were years I look forward to the Dunk Contest more
than the game. Do you know what the game would

(02:07:09):
turn into? And the game has been I think it's
been better the last with the new rule they put
in with the rule because now guys have actual goal
to shoot for uh points wise as opposed to just
waiting for the clock to run down, so there's an
incentive to hit um. So so the game has actually
been a revolutionize for me to a degree, because I

(02:07:30):
honestly five years ago I care I can care less
about the game. Now I'm actually entertained by it. So
but yeah, the Dunk Contest has really lost its luster.
It's funny because I actually liked the game because the
game has a great creativity about it, so I could
I could just watch enjoy it, like just for the
sheer individual art like artistic nature of the game. Um.

(02:07:55):
But yeah, and I'm with you. I don't know what
it is about the three point shooting contest, but I'm
always in on that same And there's not talk about
no creativity. I mean, you know what's gonna happen, guys.
You know, it's just why we why we were conditioned
to we It's the same thing of watching the home
run conc how much, how much can they do it?
How how many? Just it's more about volume, and I

(02:08:18):
think volume is exciting in that and it's such an
amazing skill to be able to do it and to
see guys just clear racks, you know, and just keep
on going. Go see guys go on amazing runs and
not miss is. It's impressive to see because that's not
something that's not an easy shot. And it's easier now
because guys work on it so much. But I mean
from that distance, that's not an easy shot. It's still yeah, exactly, No,

(02:08:41):
let's I'm completely with you, guys, completely with you, guys,
all right, let's shift real quick to the NFL off season,
because this is gonna be could be one for the
ages with any kind of movement quarterback. Why it's we've
had a very odd coaching search situation where the coaching

(02:09:06):
positions were filled, and I'm curious what happens in the
quarterback market. And it appears I saw a friend of Mike,
Hugh Douglas, who I used to play for the Eagles.
He got after a quarterback or two back in the day. Yeah, man,
Big Q said that. He said he expects the Watson
thing to get figured out pretty quickly. Really okay, Yeah,

(02:09:29):
So I don't know. I mean, Q's pretty wired into stuff.
So I'm curious, see what happened. Does he have an
inkling as to what direction, you know, where he may
be going that he would be in on, But that
it'll get I don't know with the verbage, but it'll
get basically taken care of or whatever. He'll be available.

(02:09:50):
I'll put it like that. I also legal situation will
be cleared up to a point where it will be Yeah,
and I don't know. And again, it just I just
read a tweet from I read a tweet from Hugh
saying this, So I was, you know, I I'm you know,
I'll take because I know I know Q and I

(02:10:10):
know he's plugged in. He's plugged in, dude. So let's
think about it. Where in the world, how well, how
would it wind up? Right? Like, so, how does it
wind up with the quarterbacks? Where's Jimmy g Where's Derek Carr?
The top of the food chain? Rogers, Russ Watson? What

(02:10:33):
happens there? What about Murray? I was gonna say, the
Murray thing has been beyond weird. I don't even know
like his availability at this point. This is just weird,
weird and annoying. To be honest with you, and pardon
me for signing like an old man, but you know
you used to be used to be. If you had
issues with somebody, you would just go talk to them
and I want a new contract or hey whatever, you

(02:10:55):
don't unfollow him on social media and change your profile
on Twitter and Instagram him. I mean, what are we doing? Yeah?
I mean, come on, that's that screams immaturity to me. Yeah, yeah,
I listen. It's a strange. It really is kind of
weird that you would that that's the attack you're gonna
take and then he releases like this statement saying, you know,

(02:11:18):
attacking people for attacking him, and it was like, bro,
you're the one that unfollowed. People were reacting that he
regrets scrubbing his social media, but it's why why did
you do it? To begin with? I'll be yourself up
to criticism. When you do stuff like that, you come
on and you know, it's amazing because dudesual dudes will
come out and be like that, passive aggressive, and then

(02:11:41):
when they get called on it, they they get all,
they get super defensive at all, hurt. Yeah, they're all,
they're all, they're all on their fields. Then and you go,
you dude, you know you're know when he started like
you know, you're gonna listen, I will say this, and
I might usually back in the day, is this and
that kind of person. Oh then when it comes to
GOLs basketball, however, you know who I missed the todays

(02:12:08):
when players would say, would rip guys, manage me, coaches, whatever,
and they would stand by it. Right Like when I
was seriously, when I was uh covering sports in newspapers
and a journalist, I mean an n C couple because
we all worked together in New York and the three

(02:12:30):
of us did and guys would they would bury people
and like it was and and the reaction was not,
you know, hurt feelings, but they would Did that come
back at that? Oh yeah. I just finished reading Chris
Herring's book about the Knicks in the nineties, The Blood
in the Garden, and talked on how Anthony Mason roultinely
call out Don Nelson to the media. Am I not playing?

(02:12:54):
I don't know. Ask him, I don't know. It's like
he didn't care. No, there was no there was not
that like, there was no like, oh, I can't say that.
And I'm That's why I'm curious as to why the
Mary like to dude, just be up front, like, yeah, man,
I want a new contract. I don't like, do I'm
treated my office line sucked or whatever. You're in a

(02:13:15):
position of power, you know, irregard regardless of how poorly
you played in the playoff game. You got him to
the playoffs. You've been you were the first off all pick.
You're playing great for the most part. You know, you
have the leverage, so they're not gonna you know, they
you hold they hold everything over them. It's not the
other way around. So it's just I feel like if
you just go in and have a conversation with him. Now, look,

(02:13:36):
maybe he did and maybe he didn't hear the answer
that he wanted. I guess that's always possible. Doesn't seem likely,
but that's all that's possible. But that was your reaction
to that is to unfollow them and take their take
the Cardinals and stuff off of your social media. I
don't just don't understand it, And like what you should

(02:13:56):
know is, like you said, you give your side this, sorry,
and you're worried about why. The sports talk radio, I
mean we're listen and I got friends of mine sports
sports talk in Arizona, damn quickly does a great job. Whatever. Well,
I will say this, you know, if you're a friend

(02:14:18):
of sports talk radio, listen, I'm from a town where
stuff cats you just get chewed up. Be fortunate that
you're playing in Arizona if that's the if you're going
to be that sensitive, I mean, really relaxed all that situation.
But we're quickly, Where do we wind up? Let's examine quickly,
where does does Russ stay? Yes? No, I think Russ

(02:14:40):
stays in Seattle that's an interesting one. Does does marry
ultimately get fixed? Yes? Does Jimmy g stay in San France? No?
I think he's on the move. Okay, So that's one.
Derek Carr, from all the things I've been read, it
sounds like they're committed to him in Las Vegas. They're

(02:15:02):
gonna sign him to an expense. I don't. I don't
see a reason why Las Vegas. That's the devil. You
know their Las Vegas will stick with the The only
way they wouldn't is if Deshaun Watson is legitimately in
play and they feel they can get him, And I
think that will be the only way that the Raiders
would seriously consider moving on from Derek Carr. Okay Cousins, No,

(02:15:24):
I think Cousins is locked in, and I think his
I think his year or his money is guaranteed. Is
it not? Yeah, but there's some talk up there that
maybe he could be on the move. The only reason
that he would be on the move as if the
front office in Minnesota the sides the blow this thing
completely up and just go back to the go go
to a rebuild, which they're probably going that way right now.

(02:15:46):
Like their defense and everything that they've had cord to
their team is starting to age out in their contracts
are But I don't think it's I don't think it's solid.
It's one of the like they're solid, but I feel
like they're not like a player away from being a
super Bowl team there. I mean they're on the wrong
that them and the Bears are both on the wrong
way down. But here's the thing, the rest of that division.

(02:16:08):
He's a great divisions green Bays cook. So that's leads
us to the crown Jewel Rogers. Yeah. If Aaron Rodgers
is not in Green Bay anymore and I think he's
on the move, I'm curious, what do you guys think.
I think it's being smoothed over in Green Bay. Yeah,
I agree from everything I've been hearing, it sounds like
and and I'm sure we'll be right back here again

(02:16:29):
next year as there's more drama, because there's always drama
where Aaron Rodgers is involved. But it sounds like whatever
his beef is with the front office or everything else,
like it's gonna get smoothed over. And I'm sure Green
Bay will be active in free agency trying to find
the parts that will make him happy. But I just
don't see him getting if they can be. The problem
is they're they're they're said their salary cap situation is terrible,

(02:16:53):
you know, and so they DeVante Adams is a free
agent too. Um, so they're gonna have to cut guys
or try to restructure contracts. They're going they're gonna have
to restructure Aaron Rodgers contract if he's coming back, for sure.
You don't think too how you lose that game? Yeah,
that was bad in Green Bay weather. Yeah, and a

(02:17:14):
big throw that you had Lazard running wide open underneath
for the first time and he decided to throw deep
to DeVante was double covered. That was one of the
worst playoff games I've seen Aaron Rodgers play a lot
of the times, you know, when they lose in the playoffs.
I don't think that it's his fault. Uh, And it
wasn't all his fault obviously, but a major reason that
they lost that game is because he wasn't effective when
they needed him most. Yeah, I'm wondering if he's on

(02:17:39):
the move and and it could be where right, we
know that teams that need the quarterback, so we'll we'll
pick this up. That just the beginning off season, lots
of drama to follow, plenty of times, plenty of great job. Man,
always love fun so fast, always does. I appreciate your brother,
great stuff. Figgy is on to his job number two.

(02:18:01):
We'll come back, the Big Brain on Brad to catch
us up with some basketball from a betting standpoint. We'll
do that. Lots to do where the fellas right here
on Fox Sports Radio. All right, welcome back, fellas hanging
on a an NBA All Star weekend. Alright, So we

(02:18:26):
like to look at the rest of the season. Right
We're at this kind of great spot when it comes
to college basketball, looking ahead to March, looking ahead to
the n b a stretch run, and joining us to
take a look at it all from a betting standpoint.
He's one of the greats. My man, the Big Brain,

(02:18:48):
Brad Feinberg, Bradley, good morning, my friend. How are you today?
We say, buddy, I hold it up. No football. It's funny.
We always talked about Anthony. The football season almost judge
my whole life. It is around the football season. Uh.

(02:19:09):
And it's like, uh, it's tough because it was the
then of these playoffs were so good, uh, and then
for them to be over. It's like, oh my god.
You know, I I loved, loved, love, love the football season,
but yeah, it's over and done with. But we have
to now focus another money making chances and opportunities. But yeah,
I missed the pro football season, but over runners for

(02:19:30):
season wins the way up before I know it. And
of course the NFL Draft there's always that's always one
of my favorite betting opportunities when that comes about. So, uh,
you know, I tell I tell myself these things not
to get too set. Yeah, man, I hear you. I
didn't same thing. It's terreical. You know. It's funny like

(02:19:51):
once you get to March madness, the pain gets better. Sure. Absolutely,
I think that's very very fair. I think that's very
very fair. Uh And and to me, um, I kind
of do tell myself there's a little tricks exactly to
get closer to football, and we will. But again March
mans will be great. NBA. Look the NBA this year, Anthony,

(02:20:13):
I gotta tell you, and you know, I know me
and you've talked about this, especially the Eastern Conference right
in the NBA. I think this is I don't remember
a better year in terms of you can you recall
a year where there's more depth in the Eastern Conference
that there is this year where how many teams can
actually really make a run and do it this year?
And I think it's phenomenal. I think it's gonna be

(02:20:34):
an incredible playoffs again, especially in the Eastern Conference in
the NBA this year. And it's a sixer fan. I
know you are too, but I think you know as
a gambling fan as well. Gambler, I'm looking forward to
a lot of opportunities. I think there's a I think
the East is especially it is going to be absolutely
phenomenal playoffs because I think there's so much depth this year, uh,
and so many teams actually have a chance to really

(02:20:54):
do some good things. So let's let's dive into a
little bit. Let's take a look at the Eastern Conference
and let's look at some of the futures. How would
you line up the two favorites. I was just talking
to it to our man figure about this. How would
you rank the four contenders? Is there any value with
the top four? What are you kind of looking at? Well?

(02:21:17):
To me, again, it's interesting, I think that the favorite,
the the painted favorite, which just surprises me, is the
brook of the nets, who are anywhere from plus two
thirty to plus three depending where you shop. Um, I
cannot get myself around Brooklyn. I understand, um the talent
level that they will have if everything works out, if

(02:21:39):
Kyrie Irving plays every game, if Kevin Durant comes back healthy,
if Ben Simmons integration himself well into the team this year,
I get it, Okay, I get that this team has
some some serious ability. I'm just going to bet against everything,
just messing and working for this team and just being
posh posh into this mix and everything just magically working out.

(02:22:01):
So this is the one team that I am really
going to fade. I faded them a big time for
the division. I'm feeling good about that. I'm gonna fade
them for the playoffs as well. Um. I understand they
have the best player in the league in Katie, and
they certainly have it in them to get it done.
I personally don't think they will. And then when you
look at the other teams in the top group, you know,

(02:22:21):
I like, look Anthony, and again it's it's I like
money as much as anyone. So I put my my
loyalties to my family and trying to win money in
my gambling, and I think the seventies sixers plus three
eight is the highest I see right now. That to
me is where I I think would be the most
likely winner. Actually, Anthony, I think having Harden, I'm assuming

(02:22:42):
it's going to be Anthony the Harden of of old
sort of speak. I'm guessing that he was on cruise
control based on not being happy he showed it in
Houston last year, right, Remember he matically became great when
he got to Brooklyn. Um, I think we'll see something similar.
This is a team Anthony. Again, you know it because
you're an expert on the set seventy sixers. This is
a team everyone listening. This is not just a two

(02:23:03):
man team. Let me make this clear. This is not
a James Harden and Joel e b team. Uh Kyreese,
Maxie is become a very very good basketball player, Tobias
Harris is a very solid player, Matisseibels a tremendous role
player in terms of I think the best defensive player
in the entire league. So this is a team to
me plus three e D I think as it just
as good a chance as anyone. They would be my

(02:23:24):
personal pick. And I also like from a value standpoint,
Miami heat right now the highest I see his plus
five seventy. Miami just has a really good team. Jimmy
Butler has in my opinion, and Sixers made a huge
mistake when they got rid of him. He has become,
in my opinion, a true superstar UM and obviously Bam
had a bio is really good. Tyler here is very
good super I mean they guided obviously, Kyle Lowry is

(02:23:45):
the veteran Duncan Robinson for the shooting plus five seventy
five I think is not a bad play. And then
look Milwaukee with Joannice, Drew Holliday and Chris Middleton. They
showed their chops last year in the finals UM to
win the championship their plus three thirty. I think those
three teams, in my opinion, Anthony, are the three most likely.
Now if you're looking to take for a long shot,
you know Boston, I don't think they have enough to

(02:24:06):
get it done. Their thirteen the one that's not enough
for me. Chicago has had a great regular season. I
think they will be exposed in the playoffs as good
as they've been in the regular season. There sixteen the
one don't like it. Cleveland's been interesting. Anthony the huge
fan of Evan Mobley. Um, I think that they have
a good, solid team and again good enough to go
to the finals. I'm gonna say no, Toronto, Atlanta, same thing.

(02:24:28):
So for me, it's Philadelphia, Miami, Milwaukee in that order.
Hey Brad, great stuff. This probably one second because you
gotta take care of some business. We got Ralphie with
what's trending. Good morning, Ralph A aloha, Mr Gargano. It
is NBA All Star Weekend. Yeah, there you go. Yeah.

(02:24:54):
Friday was the Rising Stars Challenge. This year's format with
four teams comprised of a dozen rookies, second dozen second
year players, and four players from the G League Night Team.
The team, coach by former Warriors great Rick Berry, took
home the title, with Pistons rookie Kid Cunningham being named
as the m v P. Tonight will be All Star
Saturday Night. The game will be played Sunday night, Loven

(02:25:15):
new finals for the Basketball Hall of Fame. Among those
up for vote are Tim Hardaway, Michael Cooper, Marcus Johnson,
making Genoblee, Bob Huggins, and George carl class will be
announced during the Final four in early April. Major League
Baseball is not happening right now. The lockout continues and
all spring training games through March five have been postponed.

(02:25:38):
Owners and players are scheduled to meet Monday. We are
now nine days away from the post to deadline. To
avoid a delayed start to the season, the NFL working
on a contract extension with Commissioner Roger Goodell. His current
deal goes until March of the new agreement could lock
him up until the nt Double A Division One Council.

(02:25:58):
We'll be looking into the effects that and I L name,
image and likeness has had on the entire student athlete
experience and how it may be violating some n C
Double A rules. Yeah, let's try to put that back
in Pandora's box. Oh my god, they're the worst. They are, Ralphie.
They can't get out of their own way. It's amazing.

(02:26:20):
They they went a little far than they wanted and
now they are reaping what they sew. But and you know,
you can't put that back in the bottom new you can't,
but you know, let him try. As we said it back.
It is a beautiful Saturday morning with Anthony Gargano. Thank you.
My brother appreciate it. That's Ralphie. That's a great job.

(02:26:41):
And we're talking to our man, the big brain on
bread brat the college sports. I just they just screw
it up one way one one way through another. I
still can't believe they all agree on expansion, but they
can't figure it out. It is unbelievable. I I gotta
be honest. I read that article and I was trying

(02:27:03):
to understand myself what the heck happened. I feel like
if you put the three stooges in there, they would
have figured it out in three seconds. I don't understand, Mom.
I don't even say it as a joke. It's almost
like they almost like went out of their way to
screw it up right, Like it's I don't understand when
something that everyone wants but I get it. Let you know,

(02:27:23):
I hate to say it. UH. Sometimes we put too
much faith in people's ability to be self aware, to UH,
to get to a common goal that everyone wants, egos
get involved, and just things happen that shouldn't. I can't
figure it out. It's very disappointing. Inexcusable would actually be

(02:27:45):
the word I would use. Yeah, I hear Paul fine
bomb oh I love he crushed. He couldn't watch them.
He's like, how in the world, Like, you know, how
in the world can't you come to an agreement figure
it out because they're all about their own little fife
stumps it again. I truly cannot understand it. Um to me,

(02:28:07):
it's such a small thinking mentality to put this off.
And it's something that everyone you said, everyone wants, it
will eventually happen. It's just it's it's kind of reminds me.
I think it's actually ironic if you think about it.
Go back in twenty seventeen, right when sports scandling was
not legal. Now it's legal in thirty three fifty states,
and it's amazing to me there's still seventeen states that

(02:28:29):
are still fighting it right right, you know, but it's
going to happen. And and it's the same thing with this,
it's just putting it off for god knows what reason.
Um bad look very bad. Look all right, let's get
back to the bustin Andy n b A West, the
Western Conference. Where do you any value here? Who are

(02:28:50):
the teams you're looking at your circling Obviously Golden State
and Phoenix are one too. But you know, I don't
know Utah Memphis. What are you thinking? Well, Anthony, it's
interesting right now. Golden State is plus two forty to
win the West, Phoenix is plus two hundred. Then we
go to Utah eight pum on Denver seventeen, the one
Grizzly seventeen, the one not from a and then Dallas

(02:29:11):
is one. From a long shot point of view, I
cannot get myself around Denver. They really are just Joki
uh and really nothing else in my opinion. Now, Memphis
has been great all year. There there that team, Anthony, Um,
They've they've just been jaws really written his improve the
team to be potentially speak Candy Uh. I don't think
they're gonna have enough to get to the NBA finals,

(02:29:33):
but they've been quite good. Lucas same thing, had that
superstar player, but again Perzingisting never worked out. But I
think it's gonna be Phoenix. I just do. And I
say that for two reasons. A. I think they do
have the best team in two to one odds. Anthony,
do I think they've at least at thirty three percent
chance to go to the finals. Yes, I do. Um,
I think they have the best roster. They had the
best record last year, they have the best record this year.

(02:29:54):
They're playing incredible they have This is a team that
just meshes in every way, and golden Stein Anthony comes
down to this, I do not trust. I've done a
lot of reading on this. I do not trust Dreymond
Green to come back healthy. Now, if he came back healthy,
I'd maybe be singing a different tune. I think it's
going to be challenging for that to happen. I think
his injury was quite serious. Uh. Any of he does
come back healthy, I still think Phoenix will do it.

(02:30:16):
But if Draymond Green does not come back healthy, I
think Golden State actually can easily lose to Dallas, to Memphis,
to Utah. So I don't even consider in the second
best threat if there's no Draymond Green. Yeah, I'm with
you on that. Let's turn to college for a second
and look at college firstly. Anything you like today college basketball? Yeah?

(02:30:37):
Anythink it's interesting. I did play a couple of games UM.
I played Auburn minus four at Florida UM. It actually
opened it two and a half, but it's now four.
I still like it. At for UM Auburn and me
has been very very consistent all year. They really have. UM.
I mean, I think they're justifiably ranked, you know, number
two in the nation. UM. In Florida, to me, they're

(02:31:00):
a decent team, But I think Florida is more like
a top thirty five team. I think Auburn is a
top five team. Again, a lot of parody of those
you're in college basketball ath me, so anyone can beat anyone.
But that was a game that I did like. UM.
I like Michigan State as a home doog against Illinois.
Michigan State has been struggling a little bit recently. I
understand that in Illinois has been better. In Michigan State

(02:31:20):
just lost the last game, UH the Penn State, which
was a very disappointing loss, and they also lost at
home in Wisconsin. But I just think at home, UM,
I made this game Michigan State minus two. I'm taking
one and a half. If you can take the money
line plus a dollar ten something like that. I lean
Michigan State here against Illinois at home. UM, and listen,

(02:31:41):
it's interesting. Uh. Alabama has been very very tough this year. Uh,
they lost a lot of games for their schedule anthy
has been murderers row. I think Kentucky will win the game,
but I thought that line should be closer to five
and a half. I took seven with Alabama lean there
with them against a very very tough Kentucky team team. Uh,
those were some of the games I took for today.

(02:32:02):
And also Ohio State. I took Ohio State minus four
and a half against Iowa. I would have me is
very fake. I think I was. I agree overrated. Good
offensive team. It's amazing how many years ago has this
team been good on offense. They remind me of one
of those big tall football teams. Good on offense, no defense.
I think Ohio State win Set one by double digits. Yeah,
I agree, I like them a lot. How about futures

(02:32:25):
for the tournament? How about you know who who do
you like right now? Because look, futures are big, there's
a lot of fun. You can get some good. So
who do you look at futures for the n C
Double A tournament? Maybe to win the conference or maybe
actually to win the win the entire thing, or get
to the final four. Well, one thing I will say

(02:32:46):
is like you look at the links right here, I
can throw out Kentucky nine, the one Gonzaga four and
a half to one, Auburn town, the one Arizona eleven
and one to do eleven and one. I have no
interest in the favorites because ton me not that those
aren't the best teams. They probably are. But I think
there's so much parody, Anthony in this college basketball season,

(02:33:08):
so much parody. I think any of these teams can
be anyone on any given day. Um, look the two
teams that I would say, if I had to pick
two teams that that I think actually have it in
them to potentially be decent um would be U C.
L A. One. Now, again, this is a team last year, Anthony,
they was jail and Suggs shot away right from from

(02:33:29):
going to the championship game. Um, they haven't been quite
as good this year. Eighteen and five struggled a little
bit recently. But I think this team, Anthony, they have
the same players as last year, that same team that
went to the final four. Jus hang still really really good,
Jack Jr. Bernard Campbell, Riley. It's the same team as
last year. Uh And I like that veteran presence that
they have. I think that's a team they could easily

(02:33:51):
ratchet it up for the postseason. And they know me
and you talked about before. Again, I don't know. It
was a team I thought before the year that had
a chance to do some special thing. Um haven't been
quite as good as I would like. Don't love necessarily
the depth of this team, but this is a team
that's extremely well coached right at the highest level. UH.
And they do have some really good players. You know,

(02:34:13):
Gillespie to me is one of the best players in
college basketball. More I happen to like a lot um.
You can get thirty two one on Villanova and and
that's it again. Can Villanova beat Gonzaga, Auburn, Kentucky, Arizona.
Heck yeah, I wouldn't even blink an eye. I think
they easily, easily easily can Um. And if you're looking
for like a crazy, crazy long shot, I see there

(02:34:34):
are seventy seven to one UH. And another on another
is Ohio State. I actually think Ohio seat is legitimate
top twenty teams. One I think it's those worst things,
and then the USC is at one. Look USC, I
know they lost Devin Mobley from last year, but this
is a team that they've been really consistent all year, Anthy,

(02:34:55):
I'm not picking them to win the tournament, but maybe
it's the kind of thing that you know, they get
to the final four and then you can lock in
a nice prophet or something like that. Those are two
teams that are still in the top twenty. To me,
they're getting close to hunter to one odds. I think
you could do worse than I'd much try to take
a shot with that than freaking taking in zoga at
four to one. Last thing, and I want to dive

(02:35:15):
into a little NFL futures because this is this the
time right after the Super Bowl where you could dive
in and get some good prices. Absolutely, absolutely, look these things.
It's Anthony. It's one thing I've learned from doing this
many many years. Okay, these odds go they go down
because people like me or whatever bet these things early,

(02:35:37):
and then they these favorable odds go away. Okay, you
get like one at the beginning of the year, people like, oh,
maybe I'll wait to way after free agency or after
the draft. Heck, no, don't do that. That's the worst.
That's a much worse time to do it, because if
you like a certain team, the odds get way way
way way way, way way better, are way worse as
time goes on. So my advice to you or everyone

(02:35:59):
listening out there would be take this as early on
as possible. I can tell you two team a couple
of games. I took Anthony based on value least what
I think. Uh, the NFC to me, Anthony is gonna
be a lot more wide open potentially this year, right
because we have Tampa Bay is done. Um, I think
Frisco is going to be take a step back because
of what happened losing Jimmy Garoppolo, the whole thing within

(02:36:21):
with Green Bay potentially with the older and Roger Saga potentially.
I took a shot with Minnesota fifty to one. I
like the fact that brought in a new coach. We
know offensively there as good as anyone in the league now. Defensively, Uh,
they have to improve again. Fifty two one. Again, I'm
not picking it, but I see an easier path for
that team than others. And then I took das at
eight team the one thought those lines that odds were

(02:36:44):
too were too low. I are too high. I'm sorry,
too high? Um, easy Division eighteen the one for a
team that I thought had the best defense in the
NFC last year. Uh, if Dad can just improve a
little bit, I like that. Um. I took some smaller
that's Anthony on the Chargers at thirty to one because
of the quarterback. I love Justin Herbert. I just think

(02:37:06):
that they could be as good as anyone just because
of him. And I know there was there was some
bad pr right with Kyler Murray and everything like that.
But Arizona thirty to one, I just thought was too
high for a team that was eleven and two, Anthony,
before DeAndre Hopkins got hurt. Um, I could see away
where you know, if he things get back to normal there,
thirty to one, I thought it was a little bit

(02:37:26):
too high. Brad, great stuff as always, Good luck today
in college hoop and we'll talk to you next week.
My brother, Anthony, you're the best. I appreciate you so
much out there. Thanks buddy there he is the big brain.
Brad Feinberg are betting analysts. We'll come back and rub
it up right here with the fellas every Saturday on

(02:37:48):
the Great Fox Sports Radio. Fox Sports Radio has the
best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of
our shows at Fox Sports Radio dot com and within
the Heart radio app search f s R to listen live.
All right, welcome back, Fella. Is the end of our

(02:38:09):
Saturday Morning with you guys. We love it every week. Chris,
What is that? You being the football man that you are?
What takes up the space? I don't. I I haven't
even reached there yet, to be honest. To be honest though,

(02:38:30):
can I? I? I didn't think I would be getting
into it the way I have. But um, they revealed
the jerseys and uniforms for the USFL this week. Yes,
and um, maybe it's that this time around, Detroit technically
has a local team in Michigan, in the Michigan Panthers.
Now technically they're not local because they're all down going

(02:38:51):
to be playing it down in Birmingham out but the
prospect of more football is is enticing to me, considering
I'm still trying to eat. Yeah, you're you're, you're gonna
buy you You're gonna give it a change. Yeah. I
might even do coverage on our Lions podcast just because,
like you know, we we got a long draft season
ahead of us. We're gonna get tired of talking about
quarterbacks and edge rushers before long yeah, I can't believe it.

(02:39:17):
I know it's funny. I did, Ah, it's funny. I
did a website. I mean I did a an interview
with a mental health podcast about the loss of football
and it's impact on our psyche and how you know,
you know, a seasonal uh disorder. It's sad. Is a

(02:39:39):
real thing. So is the loss of football. I mean
it lines up pretty well between there with you know,
wintertime and right hits it hits it up right there.
So yeah, I could I could buy that a little bit. Yeah,
So I did this whole thing, and you know, it
was it was funny because it's a real deal. Now,
I luckily I want to be into into the NBA.
Did you see the new trail other four Adam Sandler's Hustle.

(02:40:03):
It's gonna be out. I've heard about it though, so
I'm gonna have to check out. You know who's in it?
What's that? You know who's co starring with Adam Sandler? Uh?
Oh God? Why did I forget me? You? I am
in the movie? Now, I got I got about me

(02:40:31):
like three or four seeds. He's got all his Philly
boys there. I gotta I gotta get into it. My
main is say man I go, I may ask him
a questions. I'm beating him. He was. He was awesome,
buddy of mine, director to Jeremy's cigar throughout Netflix. Uh,
it's gonna drop June tenth, so keep an eye out everybody.

(02:40:51):
Thanks for Hanging Man. We love it every week. Enjoy
your week. We'll see you next Saturday.

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