Best Of The Jason Smith Show

In the best of the Jason Smith Show, Jason and Steve breakdown the USA Women's Soccer game against Portugal. They discuss the importance of them coming together to give themselves a better shot at advancing deep within the World Cup. The guys go back and forth regarding the MLB trade deadline and the biggest expectations from teams around the league. Plus, Jon Paul Morosi joins the show to talk about the MLB trade deadline moves and inside updates. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
ten pm to two am Eastern seven to eleven pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at Foxsports Radio
dot com, or stream us live every night on the
iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Gives us.

Speaker 3 (00:23):
If you're listening to Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
Greetings, then welcome inside The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon Live from the Tirack dot Com studios tirac dot com.
I'll hope you get there. An unmatched selection, fast free shipping,
free road has a protection and over ten thousand recommended
installers tirack dot com. The way tire buying should be
special delivery. Steve Disager in for Harmon tonight, where what

(00:47):
we can be What the the five hour pre show
for the Women's World Cup game. It's gonna be a
while to that story.

Speaker 4 (00:53):
This is not that nine pm Eastern that we've gotten
in the first couple games for the US. And by
the way, if they lose tonight, they're out. If they
don't win the group tonight, it's gonna be another odd
start time next game like this, so there are many
many motivations to win this evening.

Speaker 1 (01:10):
We're gonna finish the show, drive home, and I'll have
time to stop and get a sandwich before the women
start playing at midnight.

Speaker 4 (01:17):
It kicks off at three am Eastern, pregame at one
am Eastern.

Speaker 1 (01:22):
That's awesome. You know, this takes me back to when
I used to stay out late like that, when the
Olympics would be in a different part of the world
and the ice hockey would be late, and I remember
waking up one I think I'm going back to the
nineties when the United States was gonna play Russia in
a huge game where they would go on and the
game started at three o'clock in the morning West Coast time,

(01:45):
and I set my alarm and got up and watched
the game at three o'clock in the morning.

Speaker 4 (01:49):
Oh man, that is a true fan. Remember the Sydney
Olympics in two thousand, that was you were finishing the
Vince Carter basketball team, and then the morning radio shows
were talking about the game that is finished because it
had that kind of time difference. Here, it's what it's
eighteen the other way or sixteen hours the other way
or something like it the next day.

Speaker 1 (02:10):
Yeah, it's like they're getting ready for the game now,
like it's like, hey, we're getting ready for it, like
it's the night is ending for everybody. Oh, we're getting
ready for the games.

Speaker 4 (02:16):
And Netherlands will be playing at the same time.

Speaker 3 (02:18):
You know.

Speaker 4 (02:19):
This finishes the group, so they have games at the
same time, So FS one will have the Netherlands game
against last place Vietnam. The good news is the Netherlands
was just not as good as the US winning that
three nothing opener, So the goal differential is in the
the US's bag right now. They have a chance to
win the group and get a little easier path as
we advance through.

Speaker 1 (02:39):
So we score. We're gonna score thirteen, fourteen, fifteen as.

Speaker 4 (02:43):
Motivation for that. Unfortunately, here's the reality, and that three
nothing game against Vietnam, which is not only not ranked
in the top twenty five, had never been to a
World Cup. That's the only time the US has scored
more than two goals in a game since January. The
offense hasn't been there, and as we up on the show,
they're missing five injured players. The Americans four of them

(03:03):
are scorers, including Mallory Swanson.

Speaker 1 (03:06):
Now look not to not to be not to v
panic or to be negative Nelly on this but the
Jason Smith Show, Steve de Sagarin from Mike Carmon tonight,
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(03:28):
the last couple of days, the big World Cup headline
was Meghan Rapino in an interview saying I could have
helped if they had put me in the game against
the Netherlands.

Speaker 4 (03:39):
Yeah, there was no second half substitution that took place
there whatsoever last year.

Speaker 1 (03:43):
No, they had one substitution and that was it, right
half to and Megan, which which is great, right because
rose level comes in and suddenly, hey, we start playing with.

Speaker 4 (03:50):
She hadn't you know she'd been healthy the last few
weeks she would have started. So then what the coach
is saying, I wouldn't make any.

Speaker 1 (03:56):
And it was stunning to me that in the gain
the United States was dominating and needed a goal where
Netherlands couldn't get back off midfield all the set pieces
the United States that how in the last ten minutes
did you not bring Rapino in all the goal just
because it's not just a case of hey, you're bringing
in someone who was the co Golden Boot winner of
the last World Cup. She's one of those. Okay, now

(04:19):
she's on the field, everybody calms down, everybody relaxes, everybody
get the other side corner kicks.

Speaker 4 (04:25):
Over the years, the cross to abvy womback. I mean,
this is the history. And so when you talk about,
you know how many coaches. The Australia coach has really
come under fire in the last week down under the
co host country for how they've used the bench. You know,
we got to use all twenty three players, can take
all twenty three to win in twenty twenty three. Well
you're not even using almost task eleven. Just eleven, eleven

(04:47):
and a half. Eleven and a half.

Speaker 1 (04:48):
Yeah that now that we have Roosevelt healthy, we just
need eleven and now now we're all good. But here
here's my big point. You she doesn't play right, How
she doesn't play at all? When suddenly Netherland would be
Mark repeat, don't let her beat us, don't let her
be It's if there was a cause for yeah, if
there was a case. Look, I know she can't play
a lot of minutes and and and she understands that.

Speaker 4 (05:09):
She's gonna retire from pro soccer after THEIRS. It's not
like she can't play currently though. No, And it was
a very nicely worded hey, I could have helped. Any
player thinks they could help. Every player who was a
sub wants to be out there starting, Every player who
is who is uh, who is starting wants to keep
their job. It was a very nicely worded statement from

(05:29):
Megan Rapino as saying, hey, why the blank didn't you
put me in that game?

Speaker 1 (05:34):
Right? I mean it just because she's doing it away
to not cause controversy, but to let people know I
could have helped, because why say it? Right? If I
could have helped, there's something And this is this is
my fear going into this tournament. There was the United States?
Where were the goals gonna come from? Because Pino wasn't
gonna play a lot and Alex Morgan has to prove
she's still an elite level score and she has been
spotty at best in the tournament, so scoring goals is difficult.

(05:57):
Everything we do is gonna be on Lindsay Horan's back
every because you could tell she's the one that's going
to carry this.

Speaker 4 (06:02):
Team or hopefully a healthy Lavelle Fra.

Speaker 1 (06:04):
Yes, exactly. But she looks like when you're looking at
the touchdown of this team, it's Lindsay Horan's team, like
she got pissed and she scored a goal, that was it.
But they're in a captain and took over right. It
just and she looks she's the best midfielder on the planet.
So it's about this is her time. It just I
watching this team and watching them, watching the first half
of the game against Netherlands, something just isn't the same.

(06:26):
And it's just it's just something seems odd and off
and weird with Team USA. Not that there's a big
controversy going on behind the scenes and so and so so, no,
I just mean they don't seem to have that. They
don't have that bench that putt that they had the
last eight years.

Speaker 4 (06:42):
The grit according to you know see of the Fox
commentators and they also commented on the bench or the
lack of move off the bench in the second half.
You mentioned they'd played thirty good minutes to finish that
last game and couldn't get the league goal finished in
a one to one tie with Netherlands. I would say
they finally played thirty good minutes, not just in this tournament,
but the last game they had in the Bay Area

(07:03):
before they got into plane to go down Under was
no good. It's been, I repeat, a long time since
they've scored more than two goals in a game, except
when they got to play Vietnam. And by the way,
that's who Netherlands gets to play tomorrow. Yeah, this is tonight.
Technically in a few hours. We'll be there in a
few hours. So that's what makes me nervous.

Speaker 1 (07:21):
This is not the same team, and it's not not
that it's not the same team, but they don't seem
to have that whole big We're the big you know,
we're the big bad bully. Yes, we're the favorites, but
they're just seem to be missing that bit of swagger
and they're missing that. There's not the veteran Carly Lloyd,
or the veteran Abbey Wanback or the veteran Meet at
mia Ham that's not quite developed. That might wind up

(07:42):
being some of these people on the front line. They're
using a lot of Sophia Smith and with good reason,
and Trinity Rodman is getting starts, but those are very
young players. It's over half the roster has never played
in a World Cup game until this past week or two.
Out of twenty three on the roster, only nine have
stuck around from four years ago when they won the
World Cup. Yeah, so that's what makes me nervous. Tonight

(08:04):
should be okay against Portugal, but once you get into
that knockout round, that's what do they have the team?
They have team to score. I mean really, I see
I see zero zero games and the other teams playing
for penalties, which is that's how we're gonna go.

Speaker 4 (08:17):
Do it, and that's how we've gotten you know, That's
how we were out a couple of years ago in
the Olympics, right. And this is also why I don't
feel comfortable, and I said it when the tournament started
on the show. Don't feel entirely comfortable with this team
running the table. Is because some of this team was
in the Olympics two years ago in Tokyo and we
were they.

Speaker 1 (08:37):
Were they were too old that and they were too slow.
They were too old, and they were too.

Speaker 4 (08:40):
So good news for the Americans is that everybody in
the top ten has holes on their roster or things
that you could say, oh, this is a problem.

Speaker 1 (08:48):
You know, that's not us though, But that's what we
never have hold of now exactly, Oh, we have everybody
problems now. Exactly, I'm nervous because they're not. There's other
teams that are really good that that can beat us.
Like I said, it's been much more of a struggle.
I would have felt better if Alex Morgan looked a
little bit better. But look, she's missed some penalty's ridiculous
offside in a place she didn't need to be off

(09:08):
side on that stopped a goal. She's just been spotty
and it's where the goal's gonna come from.

Speaker 4 (09:13):
The roster they constructed has no backup for Alex Morgan.
If she's not playing ninety minutes, they actually have to
move someone from the left to right side and have
them play.

Speaker 1 (09:22):
In the middle.

Speaker 4 (09:23):
And so, how can you do that to your roster
and then not use any subs in the second half?
You did it to yourself. What is going on. I'm
not saying the guy can't coach. She's got a great
track history. It is his first World Cup and they
didn't make the gold medal match in the Olympics, so
there's that on Vlag, Kohang and Danovski. The US is
clearly the favorite to win this tournament again, and they've

(09:46):
won the last two World Cups with as I say,
a bit separate rosters. It's been years since they've won it.
All US has injuries. England has injuries, multiple injuries, and
they had problems scoring coming into the World Germany had
a dominant first game and then for kran out loud
what happened and they lost to Zambia in a tune
up game before the tournament. I mean, Australia can beat

(10:08):
anybody or lose to anybody. France got their own coach fired.
What's the real si that's gonna be on the field?
Always a motion there. Spain was looking good, but they've
had rebellion against their federation and they don't have a
full roster. And then what happened.

Speaker 1 (10:22):
Spain just got.

Speaker 4 (10:22):
Shut out for nothing by Japan, and Japan had slipped
out of the top ten everybody's got holes, everybody's got problems.
Sweden at least can be avoided if the Americans win
the group tonight, win this game, finish first place, avoid
the Swedes, who have been a nemesis for years now.

Speaker 1 (10:39):
There's one thing that is actually your fault in all
of this mine. It's actually your fault in all of
this Where because it was so entertaining, where was your
Women's World cup Pool? We had the great Men's World
cup Pool last year? It was fantastic. I thought Harmon
and I were going home. He had all the best
teams and they all stunk. But how come you didn't
start a pull this on vacation right before the World

(11:01):
That didn't help you. You got to plan your family.
You got to look and say, okay, where are all
the women's world There will expect me to do a pool,
and you gotta get a pool going well.

Speaker 4 (11:10):
I mentioned that there was a lot of emotions and
yelling with the French team. It was kind of the
same around here in the studios during the.

Speaker 1 (11:16):
World cup Pool.

Speaker 4 (11:17):
So maybe that drove me down the hall and said,
maybe not a World cup Pool for this time. If
somebody else wants to be the commissioner and organize it
when the Men's World Cup comes up, when the US
co host that's what three years away, that's not that
do you know that?

Speaker 1 (11:31):
There?

Speaker 4 (11:31):
See Leono Messi apparently might not play when Miami comes
to LA to play their MLS game because already South
America is starting World Cup qualifying. Yeah, for twenty twenty six.

Speaker 1 (11:44):
It doesn't matter. He's gonna leave and play with the
United States. That's what's gonna happen next World Cup. He's
gonna leave play with that.

Speaker 2 (11:48):
Yea.

Speaker 4 (11:49):
Some sort of citizenship, say he doesn't he got a
grandfather from Florida that we don't know if.

Speaker 1 (11:53):
He doesn't know that inner Miami put that in at
the end of the contract, and you will, you will
change citizenship to play for you not.

Speaker 4 (11:58):
Only buy a piece of the team, but actually buy
his way onto a team.

Speaker 1 (12:02):
I didn't see that this was like written in at
the end. Yeah, no, but it was there. Look what
it was notarized. We had our lawyers look at it.
I'm sorry, Uh, you'll look great. What number do you want?
You can take whatever number you want. We organized how.

Speaker 4 (12:12):
About a hundred forget the whole ten thing? You can
give you anything. Literally.

Speaker 1 (12:17):
Now you can make up for the for the for
the for the World Cup thing by by confirming something
for me here, you can make the.

Speaker 4 (12:22):
World I'm looking over the other studio. Anyone else Sam
that wants to be commissioner for for the World Cup?

Speaker 1 (12:29):
Pool?

Speaker 2 (12:29):
Sam? Does?

Speaker 1 (12:30):
Sam? Do you know what the World Cup is? No idea?

Speaker 4 (12:32):
Last It's an absolute truth.

Speaker 1 (12:34):
You have no idea, You have no idea. What sport
is it? What sport is the World Cup? Yes? It's soccer?
You sure? Okay? You should have no faith in our
co workers. All right, I'm just I don't know anything
about sports. Well, I think you sit in that seat
and tight shirt sits and you're thinking it becomes you know,
you don't know.

Speaker 4 (12:50):
I just know the guy who complained the most at
the beginning wound up winning the pool Golden Heads.

Speaker 1 (12:55):
I'm not here to I but I need you to
look something up because something happened in Sports night. I
still can't believe, and I've seen video evidence of it,
and I'm stunt Noah Cinderguard. It's five and a third
shutout innings against the Astros tonight. Although five and a
third shutout innings, I did Sah cinderguard during the game,

(13:16):
and he had zero strikeouts during the game, only had
two players swing and miss the entire time that he
was in before he left after getting.

Speaker 4 (13:26):
Two hits allowed for his new team, kill a Cinderguard.
Notice as soon as he came out, they gagged the
lead in Cleveland. It is now losing seven. It's five
to two.

Speaker 1 (13:35):
When they got the bases loaded, the aswers are like,
h we glad we got Cyderguard out of the game.
What is this twenty fifteen?

Speaker 4 (13:40):
It was amazing was the first five innings. I think
it was only fifty nine pitches thrown. I mean, but
somebody was pointing out, Okay, yeah, he's throwing a two
hitter here, but some of these flyouts are absolute bombs.
And they were listing four different flyouts that were rockets
off the bat that weren't going out of the park.
So I know you're waiting for balls to fly out

(14:00):
of the park. It just wasn't tonight. Clearly it's coming.
Was he throwing from fifty feet? Was her fifty feet
six inches? And not that should be allowed considering he
doesn't have the fastball anymore. So really it's kind of
the compensation fastball is like eighty nine. Now you need
to get a little bit, a little bit closer, little
bit like you do like we do in Little League
when the kids were really young. If someone was pitching
and they couldn't reach a plate, you can move up

(14:22):
a little bit. You could reach a you know how
like Mac Suzer needs to cheat to get more spin
on the ball. These days, because you quite have this leg,
there's no equivalent cheating to get your fastball back except
for moving up. So really that's the only thing he
could do to be anything close to what he used
to be as a myth.

Speaker 1 (14:39):
And look at Noah Cinderguard. He's actually lifting the rubber
out of the dirt and moving it five feet.

Speaker 4 (14:45):
He could he probably still would do the guard.

Speaker 1 (14:48):
I just put it. I could pitch him here right.

Speaker 4 (14:50):
Nobody said he's not still big and strong. I mean
he's no pee Alonzo, no, no, no.

Speaker 1 (14:54):
But when you're that big and you throw eighty nine
like that was, you know, that's that's unbelieva.

Speaker 4 (14:58):
By the way, that's National League the Week petals.

Speaker 1 (15:01):
Yea, yeah, yeah, ye yeah. It's gonna be American League
Player of the Week. Noah Cindergart, get ready for that
five and a third cold. He got hit by a
line drive in the leg, so he had to leave
the game. He looked okay, he looked mad when he
left the game. And and that's what all it all
fell apart. When Cindergard left the game, he.

Speaker 4 (15:15):
Usually left his glove on the ground, and after he'd
walked to the clubhouse, he did the four thing where
he can get the hammer back and he could get
the glove back. I think that's what occurred. You still
got the long hair of the blonde hair. He could
be a superhero.

Speaker 1 (15:29):
Twitter at al about of Fresca, The Jason Smith Show,
Steve de seger in from Mike Harmon. So yeah, crazy
nights and night. Yes, we are four hours and forty
five minutes away from the United States Women World Cup
in a winter gold battle. Let's go. Well it's tye
and you don't go home. There is that other option,
right well, the winner going. But that sounds better than

(15:49):
win or tie or go on. You know, it's if
they don't win, good market. If they don't win, they
can go home. So it's right with that you win
or tie and maybe you must I mean loss, and
you go home losing. You on there there. You're losing,
you go home. That's how I mean.

Speaker 4 (16:04):
The only way they don't go home if they lose
is some crazy thing, unforeseen thing happens where Vietnam upsets Netherlands,
Like this is gonna happen, so we can just say it,
just don't put it in ink. But we can say
a loss to Portugal and they're eliminated again.

Speaker 1 (16:20):
Vietnam, who said their goal coming into the tournament was
to score a goal. We just want to score a goal.

Speaker 4 (16:25):
Really, well, hey, do you had who was it? Zambia
today hadn't scored a goal? They lost five nothing their
first game, five nothing their second game, and then one today,
three to one against last place Costa Rica. It's amazing
they leave. They didn't advance or anything. Yeah, it can happen,
just like in tournaments.

Speaker 1 (16:44):
I've coached my daughter's team, like, if we lose the
first couple, we're not going to go on into the finals.
But hey, we win our last game. It's like winning
a bowl game.

Speaker 4 (16:55):
You didn't actually win your conference. You need to go
to the playoffs. You got some you got to go
to the Poland weed Eater Independence Bowl. Yeah, oh yeah,
the gas Barolla whatever.

Speaker 1 (17:07):
Bowl, the Gasparolo, and then there's the Funion sun Bowl
or whatever it was. Yeahions behind the sun bowls they
that was and behind the times. Yeah yeah yeah. Sun
Bowl was the worst. It was always like like on
on on Christmas, New Year's or New Year's Eve at
like ol passive. Yeah, like three o'clock in the afternoon.

Speaker 4 (17:25):
That's right.

Speaker 1 (17:26):
That's such an odd Do.

Speaker 4 (17:27):
You remember the Oklahoma State sun Ball where there was
no sun It just was snow.

Speaker 1 (17:32):
Oh yeah.

Speaker 4 (17:33):
It covered the field white the entire and they kept
calling it the sun Bowl all day long.

Speaker 1 (17:37):
Well I think they have to you know, I think
you you have to get the name of the sponsor. Right.

Speaker 4 (17:41):
It was like one of those old CFL clips you
see where they're just punting back and forth. That's what
the sun Ball.

Speaker 1 (17:49):
A good day, fourteen punts average forty seven yards of kick.
It got to the.

Speaker 4 (17:53):
Point where coaches were considering punting on first out.

Speaker 1 (17:58):
So hey, so again, we will count down to the
United States Women's World Cup game tonight, but we are
also counting down to the trade deadline in Major League Baseball.
It is tomorrow. We've seen some deals today. Are we
going to see another big one coming up. I'm sure
we will. What do we think of the big ones
that happened? Oh? I can't wait to get into that.
It's coming up next right here, Jason and Steve. This

(18:19):
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(19:02):
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Speaker 3 (19:10):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at foxsports radio
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app search FSR to
listen live.

Speaker 1 (19:22):
The Mets realize that this season was over. They traded
some good players who were having some really bad seasons.
They realized that this season is over. Fox Sports Radio,
Jason Smith, Steve de Sager.

Speaker 4 (19:42):
That's one of your better songs.

Speaker 1 (19:43):
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Speaker 4 (19:56):
Way, your best trend. Michael harm is not here tonight,
but do back tomorrow unless it's tomorrow six pm Eastern time.

Speaker 1 (20:05):
We get a couple of sandwiches for Harmon. We could
do that. We can do that.

Speaker 4 (20:09):
In lieu of mister White sox fant being here, Can
I mention that here a trade deadline commet last night.
When we were on the air last night the Weekend crew,
the Angels made that trade, picking up from Colorado C J.
Crohn and Randall Gritchuk. Well here tonight they flew on
the road to Atlanta. Angels beat Atlanta, and those two
both in their first few hours in an Angel uniform.

(20:31):
Each had an RBI first game after being dealt in
the same mid season trade. That hasn't happened since the
White Sox Harold Baines and Charles Johnson did so after
being done from Baltimore in two thousand. Yeah, we did
mention last night and many writers brought this up. Randall
Gritchuk actually was a first round pick of the Angels. Originally,

(20:54):
I looked up the two thousand and nine draft. That
was the year Stephen Strasburg was number one overall. The
Angels Mike Trout in the first round that year, but
he was late first round number twenty five overall. The
Angels had selections twenty four and twenty five. They took
Randall Gritchuk first and then Mike Trout next. Two high

(21:14):
school outfielders.

Speaker 1 (21:16):
Joining us now on the hot line to break it
all down. Hey taking time away from the interim job
he has will to be coaching the Michigan Wolveriness football
team for the first month of the season. It's MLB
Network Insider Extraordinary, John Paul Morosi, JP, What's happening.

Speaker 2 (21:32):
Buddy Jason and Steve Good Evening. That is a great
bit of baseball trivia there that Steve had mentioned. I
will say this about the fact that Gritchik was drafted
ahead of Trout. There are those who believe, and this
is part of the legend of Trout, that the Angels

(21:52):
wanted to draft Gritchik first because they felt as though
that Trout's twice tag was higher and the way to
somewhat try to artificially drive down Mike's signing bonus by
a little bit, like a little bit slot, they would
draft Gritchick one spot higher and say, well, we drafted

(22:14):
Gritchick higher, so we can only give you X amount.
Now Mike has obviously made that amount back, yeah, a
billion fold since then he's done. Okay, he has done
just fine. But it was great, hey for Gritchick. You know,
he comes in and big home run in his first
game with the Angels all those years later, So a
nice story for the Angels, who are still still.

Speaker 4 (22:36):
Amazing, very much so. And the amazing thing about that
two thousand and nine draft is that here the Angels
needed outfielders, so they took back to back two high
school outfielders. The two teams that were drafting right behind
Steven Strasburg drafting two and three over all that year
took outfielders and did not take Mike Trout Seattle and
San Diego. I love looking back at drafts, but this

(22:58):
is kind of an obvious one.

Speaker 2 (23:00):
And two of the first five picks in that draft
did not even make the big leagues. So how about that. Now,
it's an amazing, amazing story what would have been, what
might have been, what could have been, just like Derek
Jeter being drafted by the Astros. But this is this
is the time of year where we would reflect a
lot on what can be, what might be, and then
those deals either happen or don't happen. And Jason, I

(23:24):
admit that I am I guess I'll say this. I'm
very impressed that you just lean right into the Mets
right away. Yeah, you're you're not shying away from it.
You're saying my team is the only team that will
have the largest payroll in the history of the sport
finish under five hundred in trade, potentially two Hall of

(23:45):
Fame pitchers in the same weekend, the first of which
cost you thirty six million dollars to move on for
Max Scherz or Jason. I'm just not sure where we start,
my friend.

Speaker 1 (23:56):
All right, well, let me tell you this. I'm okay
with a shus Or trade because obviously, with Steve Cohen,
money is no object, right, that's the best part about
having Steve Cohen as an owner. The thing is is
that I was eminently okay with the series or trade,
and I'll be okay when they trade Verlander because if
you're just taking the money out of it and you're
getting the prospects back, which is what the Mets want.

(24:17):
These are two pictures that, to varying degrees, are in decline.
Sure's is in a little bit more of a decline
than Verlander is. But the Mets. You can't go into
next year saying, Okay, we'll bounce back with a forty
year old and a thirty nine year old that they're
gonna anchor our starting rotation. The Mets did that this year,
and what happened. They're selling everybody at the deadline. So
just by saying, hey, we got to move on from

(24:39):
these guys because we have to do something different because
this didn't work. You can't go into next year saying, Okay, well,
these guys will bounce back.

Speaker 4 (24:46):
No.

Speaker 1 (24:46):
Look, Verlander's been really good lately, but you know what,
he was hurt early and he had trouble discovering himself again,
and by the time he did, the Mets season was over.
Schuzer was up and down, he was hurt, he was suspended,
he couldn't find a slider, and he is in a decline.
So the Mets trading and moved on from him. So
I'm okay with that. I was okay with the Stairs
of trade, and I'll be okay with the Verlander trade.

(25:07):
I want them to trade them to Texas. I want
Texas to take all our pictures so they can understand
exactly what it's like when you're trying to rely on
de Gram and Verlander and serves it all stay healthy.

Speaker 2 (25:17):
Well, sure, and uh, that's that's largely rational. So well done.
That is which, by the way, that that might be
a very good tagline for the show. It's it's largely rational.

Speaker 1 (25:32):
It's larger, largely ration right there.

Speaker 2 (25:35):
This is a largely rational radio program.

Speaker 1 (25:38):
So tell me what we're hearing about Verlander. What do
you think is gonna happen?

Speaker 2 (25:41):
Right to back up one quick quick point on on
on the Mets big picture before we get to Verlander.
The I agree with you that that in some ways,
like you just got to tip the cap of Steve Collen.
I mean, it takes some serious guts to spend this
amount of money and then effect that we spent even
more money plus luxury tax penalty, that these guys go

(26:05):
away because you're just that convinced that, you know what,
this year just did not work to your point, when
money is no object, you can do stuff like this.
And and how many teams have we seen in the
history of sports that when they make one mistake they
are their successive seasons are still marred by that mistake.

(26:27):
Steve Cohen has basically said, I will spend whatever money
and trade whatever players I have to trade to make
this be a one season mistake, at least as far
as he's concerned, And so I applaud him for that,
I really do. The one question I have is who
besides Senga, do we know is actually in their rotation
next year? And I have no.

Speaker 1 (26:47):
Idea Kusman, Darling Fernandez.

Speaker 2 (26:53):
The right. So that's that's where and and so then
are they going to go right back into the free
agent market and spend another lord knows how much money
on the rotation. I mean, that's that's where they're going
to be.

Speaker 3 (27:07):
Now.

Speaker 2 (27:07):
The other piece with Verlander, I do think there's at
least a right now, at least a fifty to fifty
chance he's traded, and maybe even higher than that because
justin and we saw this when he was traded from
Detroit to Houston. He will take his time with this,
he and he the legend goes signed that deal at

(27:29):
eleven fifty nine and fifty nine seconds. He'll he'll take
his time here and he will evaluate and see what
the best deal is for him at the last minute.
And I think that whether it's Houston, whether it's potentially
and I don't think the Rangers will get him, but
the Dodgers are a possibility, the Orioles are a possibility.

(27:53):
He's going to go to whatever team has the best
chance to win while he is there. I think that
that's the key for JV. And when you're a forty
year old pitcher, you really don't want to go through
a rebuild. And I think he looks around and sees
that's exactly what's coming now of the New York mess.

Speaker 1 (28:10):
John.

Speaker 4 (28:10):
When you said the sentence one mistake marring successive seasons
for a franchise, I immediately thought of Ryan Leaf and the
Chargers because they had to come back around to the
number one overall pick. There's someone to top that. But
I want to talk about the Seattle Mariners. You know,
the team that had the number two overall selection and
did not take Mike Trout in two thousand and nine,
just for the record, needed an outfielder, drafted a college outfielder,

(28:34):
but not the high school outfielder from New Jersey. By
the way, that same month we mentioned this last night
on the show, the exact same month is when the
Timberwolves had back to back picks, took two point guards
and neither was Steph Curry, and Golden State took Curry
right after that was the same month. Astounding anyway, these
Seattle Mariners could wind up taking or making three trades

(28:56):
in twenty four hours. As we hit the deadline tomorrow
at six pm Eastern. Aren't the Seattle Mariners just as
much in the playoff chase as the Angels or the Yankees?
And yet they're selling? Is that true? They are selling?

Speaker 2 (29:09):
Yeah, they're selling. They're moving Paul Seawall, They've already traded
Aj Pollock, They're likely to move Tasker, Rnandez and I
applaud them for this because all seasons are not created equal.
The Angels, this is all about number seventeen and having
one more run with them as your franchise leader. And

(29:33):
they know, the Angels know that they've got really one
chance to keep them and that is to win and
to make the playoffs. And so making the playoffs in
twenty twenty three means way more to the Angels than
the Mariners. The Mariners are, they're a fine ball club.
They've had a bad year by their potential, and I

(29:56):
think they realize they have to reformulate their roster little
bit before making a better run of this thing next year.
And so the Mariners, after breaking the streak last year
of postseason absences, I think for them that was a
very cathartic moment and it gave them a degree of
focus and said, Okay, our window is open. Now. That
doesn't mean that you win every year. It means that

(30:18):
you're generally competing. And I think that they've gotten some
pieces back for Paul Seawall that will help them compete.
I think that was the right call. The Cubs are
in it because they're playing too well and they don't
really have a They don't really have a good reason
to sell, and that's kind of where they're at. I mean, Stroman,
they probably would still trade him, but he's pitching really

(30:39):
poorly right now, so that doesn't help. And Bellinger is
playing so great he might be on some NL MVP ballots.
And I think they've got a legitimate chance at an
NL wildcard, So why cashing the chips. I think the
Mariners are just in a different place. Candidly watching the
Yankees against tonight, they look like a seller right now

(31:02):
at this point. What evidence do we have that they're
one of the three or four best teams in the
American League? And if they're not so for the Yankees again,
just barely getting in and then getting swept in the
first round, that doesn't do any good in New York.
So I think you have to be honest to where
you're at and what your market is demanding. The Angels market,
in reality is demanding that they've got to get Otani

(31:25):
or at least trying to make the playoffs, and their
best way to do it is to keep number seventeen,
go all in, trade for Britchick, trade for CJ. Cron,
trade for lucastilto trade for Rynald Lopez, bringing everybody, go
for it right now, and if you miss the playoffs
by a couple of games, you can live with it
because you tried in the year that matters the most
to try for that organization.

Speaker 1 (31:45):
All right, JP, let's end here. I'm going to ask
you to fill in the blanks right, fill in the
blanks here with it. The team that's going to make
the biggest splash tomorrow. Separately, the biggest trade we're gonna
see tomorrow is what who's the team that you see
make first? Who's a team that you see making the
biggest splash tomorrow, whether it's one big trade or a

(32:07):
few minor trades, who makes the big who makes.

Speaker 2 (32:09):
The big The biggest splash I think is gonna be
Baltimore because they just got the prospects and I believe
they're in this mix for Verlander. I really do. I
don't know if they're going to get them, but their
their farm system is so good they're gonna have an
at bat on this as long as they want one.
Then they can be involved in any conversation they want.

(32:31):
So I think that Baltimore is poised to make a move,
and if it's not Verlander, maybe it's the Tigers, right
and or Michael Lorenzen. I could see that being a
good fit and the biggest name in the moves that
I really think it's gonna be Verlander. I believe by
six pm Eastern time on Tuesday, Justin Verlander is getting traded.
That's what I believe. And uh, we'll see if it

(32:51):
plays out that way. But the circumstances and my intuition,
the conversations I've had today, I think that's where this
is all heading. Less than twenty four hours.

Speaker 1 (33:00):
You can fam on Twitter at John Morosi. That is
at John Morosi MLB Network Insider slash University of Michigan
interim head football coach. JP is always buddy, we appreciate it.
We'll talk to you tomorrow night and we'll be breaking
it all down again, thank you so much.

Speaker 2 (33:16):
I can't wait. And we're gonna keep this tape and
play it back only if we said correct things.

Speaker 1 (33:22):
Okay, okay, very good, bunny. We'll talk to you tomorrow.

Speaker 2 (33:27):
Thanks so much.

Speaker 4 (33:29):
That's why I talk show tapes don't get replayed.

Speaker 1 (33:31):
Only only only if we say correct things. That's the
only thing. Where is that?

Speaker 2 (33:34):
Ah?

Speaker 1 (33:34):
Look great stuff by him. Look the Orioles. Look, I've
told you, I told you months ago. The Oriols are
gonna win the Al East. Right, is as great a
start as the Rays had. The Orioles never blinked, and
they've been right behind them and then they overtook them.
They just win games with my numbing consistency. They're young,
but sometimes when you're young, you don't feel the pressure.

(33:55):
It's a great mix there. The Orioles are legit, and yeah,
Verlander's gonna go I The thing is, you know where
Verlander's gonna be coming. He's gonna be coming here. The Dodgers.
The Dodgers are gonna make the move they need to make.
The Dodgers need two moves. They need they need a
couple of starting pitchers because right now, what are you

(34:16):
throwing out there? After Kershaw hopefully in the same game. Right,
it's gonna be a big starting pitcher, and it's gonna
be a big thumper. And if they can't get Ronado,
they will move on to something else because they need
another thumper for that lineup. But the Dodgers will make
it do two big moves tomorrow. Verlander will be one
of them because at the end he's the guy because
they're not gonna get Blake Snell, right, They're not gonna
trade Snell within the division. Verlander's the other guy. They're

(34:39):
gonna have to get them and it's gonna be a
big move, and they'll make a big move for a
player as well. This is what they've been waiting for.
The Dodgers were hoping this year. We're going to come
to the season differently, not worry about winning one hundred
and ten games, but we're gonna come into this this
season we're at right and then at the deadline, the
moves we need to make, we're gonna make. They've made
a bunch of really nice move so far. But they've

(34:59):
been nice move right getting lance Lynn, nice move I'm
at Rosario for Cindergart. Nice move right, Jok nice mone
but they have two big ones coming and that's gonna
happen tomorrow.

Speaker 4 (35:08):
I can see the Padres keeping Blake Snell leading in
e RA and keeping their closer as well, who still
has an ERA under one. By the way, But the Dodgers,
as we head toward postseason, and we can talk about
postseason not just because they always make it. It's not
the same roster as last year. As you mentioned, this
is not one hundred to one hundred, one hundred and
ten win team. It could still be in the postseason

(35:30):
with this awful pitching staff by Dodger standards. They are
hoping that Kershaw comes back and then sails through the
rest of the regular season the playoffs. They are hoping
that Walker Bueler, as he has said not the team
can come back before the end of September off Tommy John.
They are hoping that Julio Arias suddenly finds himself and

(35:51):
becomes a makeable playoff starter. So there's three, and then
what you hope that Bobby Miller, your former first rounder,
can actually give you five great innings in a playoff game,
because three of those four things could really go sideways
for the Dodgers.

Speaker 1 (36:06):
Bobby Miller is going to be in that package. Back
to the Mets for Verliner. Just watch, Hey what we
got what's trending right now?

Speaker 3 (36:12):
Do you look?

Speaker 1 (36:12):
You can have Michael.

Speaker 4 (36:13):
Grove, he is available. We have three late games in
Major League Baseball. The Mariners not in contention, apparently have
taken the lead on the Red Sox two to one
in the top of the eighth inning. And yes, the
Mariners did send their closer to the Diamondbacks, Paul seawaald
and from Seattle. Alfielder Aj Pollock goes to the Giants.
San Francisco alfielder mike Y Stremsky went on the inter

(36:36):
list with a strained hamstring. Giants are hosting Arizona. That
game is two to two in the bottom of the eighth.
The Padres at Rockies game had a rain delay and
a long one at the start, over two hours worth,
so they're only in the top of the fourth inning scoreless.
San Diego on the road. There's a chance of rain
most days this week in Colorado. Cincinnati wins again. The
Reds are first in the NL Central game and a

(36:57):
half over Milwaukee. Now Cincinnati won its game at the
Cubs sixty five, and yes, Marcus Strowman is now struggling
ten and eight overall. His era's up to three point
eight five. Milwaukee lost again five to three Washington over
the Brewers. Brewers got outfielder Mark Kanna from the Mets today.
By the way, Elie Dale Cruz for the first place
Reds did go zero for five. But how about this

(37:18):
stet Since he's gotten onto the major league roster with Cincinnati,
they are thirty two and sixteen MVP. They are ran
two out of every three games, and they have surged
to first in the division. Meanwhile, Toronto not doing so
well in the division. This maybe a playoff team via
the wild card in the American League, but the Jays
against their own division, have a record of seven and

(37:40):
twenty one this year. They lost at home to first
place Baltimore tonight for two Orioles. It was four to
nothing in the third inning. The o is still a
game and a half up on the Rays. Tampa Bay
won its game five to one at the Yankees. Tyler
glassnow the winning pitchers seven innings, eight strikeouts. Philadelphia started
the night just a half game back for the final
NL wild card spot. The Phillies won at Miami four

(38:02):
to two Taiwan Walker. The winning pitcher is twelve and four.
The Angels hit three solo homers in a four to
one win at Atlanta. The loss to Charlie Morton. Braves
held to just four hits, but Matt Olsen did hit
one out his thirty sixth homer for Atlanta. Houston held
on seven to three over Cleveland. And that's it for tonight.
Because the Dodgers are off. They will be hosting the

(38:24):
Oakland A's tomorrow. The A's are off Oakland, the worst
team in the majors thirty and seventy seven, Kansas City
next to worse. They are off tonight. They'll be hosting
the Mets tomorrow, the Royals thirty two and seventy five.
The Royals are on their first three game winning streak
of the year. Buddy, So your Mets better watch or
whatever's left of the Mets Tome is George Brett playing.

Speaker 1 (38:43):
I mean, come on, look at what's going on with
kidsas city.

Speaker 4 (38:47):
He may as well be. Actually a reminder. MLB trade
deadline is tomorrow six pm Eastern Time, and at the
Women's World Cup, the US plays late tonight against Portugal
three am East time on Fox TV pregame at one
am Eastern, while the Netherlands is playing at the same
time on FS one. The Americans must win or tie

(39:09):
tonight to advance out of the group. A loss to
Portugal not only would be a big upset that would
eliminate the US, Australia eliminated Canada this morning for nothing,
and Australia star Sam Kerr has yet to play in
this tournament. She's missed the first three games due to
a calf injury. Canada is out. It finished one, one
and one. Back to you thanks a bunch. Steve O
The Jason Smith Show. Steve Desager in for Mike Harmon

(39:31):
coming up next. There's already been some big injuries and
NFL training camps and one might make a trade happen
even faster than you think. That's next right here, Fox Hello,
Welcome inside our three of The Jason Smith Show with
Mike Harmon. Special delivery Steve to Sanger in for Harmon tonight.
We're live for the tyrack dot com studios tyraq dot com.

(39:53):
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Speaker 1 (40:03):
We are now three hours away from the United States
women's national team in a lose and go home type game.
We have to say that because it's not winner go
home because if they tie, they move on. But the
whole it does it doesn't work well in the coming
attractions of the posters.

Speaker 4 (40:20):
Now marketing department doesn't like it.

Speaker 1 (40:22):
Win or tie and you move on, lose and you
go home because of the tie breaker with it doesn't
work win or tie, because of the tie, the goal
scoring differential between the Netherlands. It doesn't work that way.

Speaker 4 (40:35):
The promo only has ten seconds.

Speaker 1 (40:36):
Yeah, it's swing with the explanation, Yeah, lose and go home.
That's the one thing if the United States, if we
lose to Portugal, they will go home.

Speaker 3 (40:46):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to
listen live.

Speaker 4 (40:58):
Yes, realistically, because we're not seeing a Vietnam upset. At
the same time, when the FS one game where Netherlands
is playing last place Vietnam.

Speaker 1 (41:06):
Look at Vietnam six goals here in the first half.
What an unbelievable run for that.

Speaker 4 (41:11):
We gotta go back to what you said at the
beginning of the show quoting them their goal in this
World Cup was to score a goal. We just want
to score a goal, so there, that would be nice.
I think that was the exact quote from them. If
we could just score a goal, that would be nice.

Speaker 1 (41:25):
That's all I want, just to score a goal. You
don't want to win again nine and we're not going
to win. We just want to score.

Speaker 4 (41:29):
But the Americans have to win or tie to advance
out of the group tonight. There is an advantage to
winning the group, to finishing first place ahead in the Netherlands.
Why don't we know it yet that they're going to
finish ahead of the Netherlands because they just played them
head to head and couldn't beat them. One to one
was the final. Despite a great thirty minutes finally to
finish that game, they couldn't get the go ahead goal
the US. It wound up one one. So Netherlands is

(41:52):
playing at three am Eastern on one channel. US is
playing at three am Eastern on one channel on the
Fox TV channel, and we'll see who finishes first, wins
the group and gets the advantage heading to the round
of sixteen. In other words, avoid Sweden next round. See
none of that is fitting in a ten second promo. No, not,
none of that is.

Speaker 1 (42:10):
None of that is because you can't even say stars
like Meghan Rapinops.

Speaker 4 (42:14):
No, she didn't even.

Speaker 1 (42:15):
Ask ye, stars like Alex Morgan. We're gonna see Alex
get Alex Morgan up everywhere, but Alex Morgan up, Alex.

Speaker 4 (42:22):
Morgan rose level you may or may not see for
half the game.

Speaker 1 (42:25):
I gotta think she's gonna start. Look, this is you.

Speaker 4 (42:28):
We could have the starting lineup before the show's over too.

Speaker 1 (42:31):
We are gonna have the starting level, the starting eleven. Yes,
I mean this is so it's so much fun and
this is great that it's middle of the summer that
I'm gonna go home at eleven o'clock, maybe stop at
McDonald's on the way, but I have time to maybe
that was get a sandwich, gets something, and get home
and sit on my couch and just hey, I got
the women's game at midnight. Man, this is gonna be awesome.

(42:52):
Specific time she's gonna be because I'm usually up late anyway,
because you know what I do is I go home
and I wind down a little while I wind out
ausually read before you go to bed, before I go
to bed, and and uh but instead of reading tonight,
I'm gonna watch the women's gonna be fantastic. What's what
a great time.

Speaker 4 (43:06):
They've been saying all the time that you know, coverage
starts at one a m. Eastern time. Sometimes they don't
put that in.

Speaker 1 (43:11):
The graphic, but yeah, no, no, no, no, no, it's
always a coverage starts an event. Start time is always
you got, that's one thing you gotta watch out for. Now. Oh,
coverg starts at two now, but it's not gonna be
till three. You know what? I noticed that for all
the horse races, coverage starts at two pm.

Speaker 4 (43:26):
Oh right, absolute, yeah, but when's the race?

Speaker 1 (43:30):
Oh the race is a three? Yeah, they have a
fun you mean they rt? Yes, the Kentucky Derby is
just one race. It's just a race of part of it.
They race again, they race again, they raise again. Oh
so that till three thirty.

Speaker 4 (43:40):
Oh, okay, we're gonna be showing all the other seven
races that take place on this track throughout the day before.
Why they finally get to the one that you tuned into.
So yeah, it's a two hour US pregame on Fox TV,
just for the record, live from down Under. And they've
got a great yet again, a great studio setup and
a great to The scenery around them and behind them

(44:03):
is superb. They're at Sydney Harbor for this World Cup.
I really wonder where they're going to be when the
US is co host of the Men's World Cup that's
going to be three years from now. Where where would
they set up? Because you could go anywhere right all
over the country.

Speaker 1 (44:17):
Uh huh.

Speaker 4 (44:18):
Fox obviously has major TV headquarters in Los Angeles. Won't
the Rams Stadium be hosting some of those games?

Speaker 1 (44:25):
So far? And you'll get them in the.

Speaker 4 (44:27):
San Francisco, Santa Clara, the NFL Stadium, the Final, Yeah,
New York, New Jersey.

Speaker 1 (44:33):
It's all the it's going to be all the They're
not going to be in any how do I say this,
They're not going to be in any cities where you're
going to go. Really, it's gonna be. It's gonna be
loo because Mexico has games, to remember, Canada has a few,
we all have them. Our games are going to be
in New York Miami, Chicago, Dallas, Cowboy, Los Angeles, and Dallas.

(44:55):
That's where the games are going to be. In fact,
I don't know that there'll be any other place in
that but the Atlanta, Atlanto probably Atlanta might get them too,
But those of my DA it's got New York, Philly,
l A yeah, Philly, yeah, Philly, you sure yeah, Okay,
all right.

Speaker 4 (45:10):
I mean all of these seventy thousand seat NFL stadiums,
that's what they're going for. Ye Because when the US
hosted the Men's World Cup in nineteen ninety four with
the final at the Rose Bowl, they set the attendance
record for FIFA because we get you know, first off,
the makeup of the United States and the World Cup
was ridiculously popular. But they put them in NFL stadiums
or NFL size stadiums like the Rose Bowl, and we

(45:32):
just blew away the attendance records. The odd thing now
is we're going to go in all these NFL stadiums
and I literally don't think there's one stadium from the
ninety four tournament that's being used in the next World
Cup that's in the US in twenty twenty six. Literally
all different because like the Rams Stadium didn't exist in
the Cowboys Stadium, didn't exist there in the forty nine Ers,
in the Eagles. These are all new stadiums, the Giants,

(45:55):
Jets Stadium.

Speaker 1 (45:55):
Also, can you look up the address of the stadium
that the United States is playing in tonight against Portugal.
I'm pretty sure it's forty two Wallaby Way. Can you
look that up?

Speaker 4 (46:05):
I do know that I think that it was the
Australia game this morning. They were playing at no at
Rectangular Stadium. Is there another one across town called circular Stadium?

Speaker 1 (46:19):
What's the shape of rectangular stadium? Can you tell me?
It's a big circle? Rectangular stadium is a big circle
I have.

Speaker 4 (46:27):
Never heard of.

Speaker 3 (46:28):
So I know.

Speaker 4 (46:28):
Sometimes you try and stay away from, you know, like
Staple Center. You try and call it something else because
Staple's not paying your tournaments. So what do you care?
But rectangular stadium, That's all you could come up with.

Speaker 1 (46:40):
That is, Hey, we want a sponsor, We want a sponsor,
We want a sponsor. You know what it was? I
was watching? What was I watching the other night? Oh?
The sequel to The Fugitive? Which was what was it?
Us Marshall's Junior heard everything and and the big thing
was that there was a threat UH to blow up

(47:01):
the Chicago Administration building. And I'm like, what the hell
is that the Chicago administration building?

Speaker 2 (47:09):
What is that?

Speaker 1 (47:09):
Even?

Speaker 4 (47:10):
It's not even.

Speaker 1 (47:12):
Just say the Chicago.

Speaker 4 (47:14):
Somewhere bild have an administration.

Speaker 1 (47:16):
It's a big time Chicago. What what do they administer? It's
it's the Chicago administration building. What is that's where the administration?

Speaker 4 (47:22):
We're not sure the Bears have an administration in recent years.

Speaker 1 (47:25):
It doesn't matter of the Bears when that's out of
where where they want to build that stadium where they
want to build a stadium? Oh, Arlington, Arlington, Yeah, it's
all the way out in Arlington.

Speaker 4 (47:32):
I did look it up. Today's Australia game.

Speaker 1 (47:35):
Was it should be?

Speaker 4 (47:41):
Honestly, that sounds like it should be. What stadium?

Speaker 1 (47:46):
Ac Dude, we just went all the way man to
the game. There was no bus, there was no plane,
take a left court and then then nogging.

Speaker 4 (47:55):
This stadium where Australia won today is Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.
Apparently it does have a sponsorship. They're just not using it.

Speaker 1 (48:04):
So what the sponsor don't we don't use the name. Wait,
but they're paying you money. Yes, you don't use the name.

Speaker 4 (48:12):
No, some insurance firm has been paying them for a
decade plus. But for this tournament it's known only as
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.

Speaker 1 (48:20):
What can we call it? We can't go. They don't
have the rights for the World Cup. Well, what shape
is it?

Speaker 4 (48:24):
It's rectangle al right's right, geometry We don't have to
pay for.

Speaker 1 (48:27):
That's what it is. It is a protractor stadium.

Speaker 4 (48:30):
Protractor Sydney Circular Stadium, Melbourne rectangular Stadium. We got the
trapezoid stadium over in Adelaide.

Speaker 1 (48:37):
It is square Roots Stadium because you come in, you
have that down, you go up, you go across. It's act.
That's what it is. Square Roots Stadium. Oh boy, but
I'll know, but I'll tell you. Look, I'm nervous about this,
and I've been nervous in the beginning of the tournament
and Megan Rapino's uh desire to play. I would say
statement that you made following the game against Netherlands, No.

Speaker 4 (48:59):
Second half subs were used by the coach, just one
at halftime.

Speaker 1 (49:02):
Yeah, just getting Rose level in which hey, that's great,
getting roselevel because you saw the difference that made Rose
Level's corner. Lindsay Horan puts it in, we were the
better team the second half.

Speaker 4 (49:11):
Normally a starter hasn't been starting because of injury.

Speaker 1 (49:13):
Yeah, and she's got to get her win back and everything.
But this is how you deal with with the World Cup.
Sometimes it's not perfect, but something's just been off with
the United States since the beginning, and a lot of
it is, you can explain it away, is you have
new players that are trying to fit in, and you're
worried about players like Sophia Smith who has looked okay
at times, players like Trinity Rodman who.

Speaker 4 (49:34):
Looks like hey can be a better finisher, maybe.

Speaker 1 (49:37):
A little bit too much for her and maybe less
minutes for her, players like Lindsay Horan stepping up into
the moment. But the two biggest questions I had, who's
gonna score because Megan Rapino's not gonna get minutes and
Alex Morgan, I don't know if she's still an elite
level scoring. You saw the first two games. Alex Morgan
has not been good. She's not been as good this
year as she was last year. She was great last

(49:58):
year in the Women's League.

Speaker 4 (49:59):
Not as much. Now, I'm not saying she's old and finished.
It's kind of like our Verlander conversation. He can still pitch,
He's still very good.

Speaker 1 (50:05):
She needs to be that elite level, Golden boot types.

Speaker 4 (50:09):
They are demanding that she is because they didn't have
a backup for her on the roster, so thank you.
They are missing four injured.

Speaker 1 (50:17):
Players Ham, so she's still the backup.

Speaker 4 (50:21):
You know, I wouldn't mind seeing her out there at
eightyth minute, honestly. But four of the injured players the
US missing are scores. They've been missing Kristen Press with
multiple knee surgeries the past year. There is your finisher.
There is somebody who comes off the bench in the
second half and can get you a goal. Or Mallory
Swanson was having a great season. Unfortunately knee injury, she's done.

(50:42):
Sam US hasn't been seeing Katerina Macario with the serious injury.
They don't have their veteran defender of many many years,
Becky Sowerbrun because of a foot injury. Yes, England's missing
a lot of injured players. The US missing these five
injured players. Scoring has been a problem for months for
the Americans, and because of that, I was a little
skittish about their chances going into this tournament. Not that

(51:03):
they can't win it. They're deep, they're talented, but it's
not the same type of US team we've been used to.

Speaker 1 (51:09):
And here's the big domino that falls that tells you
this is not that team. At the end of your
first year, Discover credit cards automatically double all the cash
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Seriously see terms. Check it out for yourself at Discover
dot com. Slash match. So you throw all this in.
They're trying to get used to new players, players who
were getting not used to the pressure of a World Cup,

(51:29):
all of these things that are happening, and then you
get Meghan Rapino in a very nice way this weekend saying, hey,
you need to put me in the game against the Netherlands.
She said, I thought I could have helped, and she
went on to make a very it's one of the
nicest you need to put me in demands I've ever seen. Hey,
so it was not Terallel, This was no, this wasn't

(51:50):
you'll put me in that game now, this was Every
player who's a sub thinks they should be playing and
wants to play and start. Every starter wants to play
every single minute and not come out of the game.
This is how champions are, you know. Very nicely. But
she made no no uh no, made no bones about it.
She could have done something, didn't leave anything out to

(52:10):
interpretation by saying I could have helped, and I don't
know why they didn't put her in the game in
the last ten minutes at least when the United States
have been dominating possession and her coming into the game
with all the set pieces, she would change that game.
She gives the United States more confidence and gives the
Netherlands another player to look out for. It was stunning
that she didn't come into the game, and Anofsky said,

(52:31):
nobody we were We were like, I liked what was
going on. You weren't finishing. You had one of them,
you had the Golden Pool winner from four years ago. No,
you're not going to the game. Something is up. And
I'm not saying it's a a relationship thing where someone's
not getting along with somebody else or there there's there's
a big rift or a schism going on, but something's

(52:51):
just not the same with Team USA. It's just it's
just I don't get the same We're all on the
same page, all for one, like I've gotten for the
past eight or ten years now. Obviously, have we been spoiled, Yeah,
because these were a special group of women who played
that are all big time superstars, the best players in
the world. You would think that would continue. But it's
just not. And that's why I'm nervous because I've not

(53:12):
seen that from them. I've not seen any of Hey,
we're ready to start stepping up and going to kick ass. Now.
I see a team that can win, but can easily
get knocked out in the knockout round because other teams
can play them for a draw and get to penalties.
Because the United States has trouble scoring, I can see
another team scoring early and suddenly the United States defenses
on ITTs seals and sudden, we're gonna park the bus.

(53:34):
I don't know why the Netherlands didn't do that. Hey
we're up one nothing, let's park the bus and maybe
we knocked the United States out of the bleeping tournament. Instead,
they allowed the United States to have a lot of
possession in the second half that create a lot of chances.
I don't understand that they needed to have a different
strategy in the second half or once they got up
one nothing, but that's what could happen to them in
the knockout round. They are extremely vulnerable. I've never felt

(53:55):
good about them into this tournament.

Speaker 4 (53:57):
Round of sixteen starts this coming weekend. You mentioned there
are twenty three players on a roster. Only nine were
on the World Cup champions from four years ago. The
rest have never been in a World Cup before. So
that includes like off the bench, Alyssa Thompson, the teenager
from LA who was in the women's league, the number
one overall pick this past year, Lynn Williams is a
good score and could have been an option off the bench,

(54:20):
And you're right that the coach probably said, we're finally
playing thirty good minutes here, let's.

Speaker 1 (54:25):
Keep it going.

Speaker 4 (54:26):
But the bottom line is you didn't go ahead. Nobody
finished after the Haran goal to make it one to
one about sixty minutes in. Nobody else scored the last
thirty minutes, and that's why you're in a lose and
go home situation for tonight against Portugal.

Speaker 1 (54:39):
Everything is different, The World Cup is different, the pressure,
everything hits differently and the United States has seen it.
I mean, I'm nervous. I feel okay about Portugal tonight.
I feel okay.

Speaker 4 (54:49):
Yeah, they're not ranked in the top twenty.

Speaker 1 (54:51):
But going on knockout route, Yeah, that's what I'm That's
when I start to get really nervous.

Speaker 4 (54:56):
So we need starts from rose level and complete ELF
and ninety minutes, and we need Alex Morgan to be
a little more like herself, right.

Speaker 1 (55:04):
And Julie Foudy and Michelle Akers and uh Brionna Scurry
and yes, that's what we need that.

Speaker 4 (55:09):
I was surprised that the one that nobody had ever
heard of, Savannah Devello from USC made the roster without
actually having played for the US before yea, and then
winds up starting the first two games.

Speaker 1 (55:21):
She's the one as long as Roosevel starts, she will
start in her place tonight, most likely as long as
Roosevelt is gone for start. I mean, it's weird, you'd think, hey,
we have time, we have no time together. Oh well, okay,
I mean I'm nervous. Stevo, I'm nervous tonight. Shoe brought
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