Best of the Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon

Jason and Steve debate if J.J. Redick, who's never, coached a game should be coaching the Lakers summer league team. The guys dish out some of the worst NBA contracts signed so far this free agency. Plus, a visit from MLB Insider Jon Paul Morosi!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the best of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Carmen podcast. Be sure to catch us
live every weeknight from 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 Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us
live every night on the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
This is the best of The Jason Smith Show with
Mike Harmon on Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 1 (00:30):
What's the difference between the United States men's national soccer
team and Steve Desager? What's the difference? The difference is
Steve Disager at least showed up ten minutes before the show.
Men's national team did not, So there's that.

Speaker 3 (00:48):
Showed up an hour before the show.

Speaker 4 (00:50):
I thought I was gonna have to do the update.
I didn't see you until it's six.

Speaker 3 (00:52):
Oh, I'm like, am I have different studios?

Speaker 4 (00:55):
Am I gonna have to do the update? Am I gonna?
I'm just gonna talk about the Mets.

Speaker 3 (00:58):
Hy I was here before you.

Speaker 4 (01:00):
Oh, actually five runs in the tenth inning for the Mets.
What's going on? We'll run all of that stuff.

Speaker 3 (01:05):
That's we'll just go to ten and have final scores
that people think they didn't play extra innings right.

Speaker 1 (01:11):
Welcome inside a Happy Tuesday, The Jason Smith Show with
Steve Disager and from Mike Harmon, live from the tiraq
dot Com Studios.

Speaker 4 (01:18):
Direct dot Com. I'll hope you get there.

Speaker 1 (01:20):
An unmatched selection, fast, free shipping, free road hazard protection,
over ten thousand recommended installers. Tiraq dot Com is the
way tire buying should be. Well, we have another big
day of NBA news and we have the most delicious
statement you could possibly get from a head coach coming
up in a couple of minutes. But we're gonna get

(01:41):
that big WNBA All Star battle that we thought we
were gonna get. The WNBA All Star teams were released,
All Star Squad was released. Of course, this year it's
going to be the team Team USA playing against the
best of the WNBA, which will include of course Caitlin Clark,
Angel Reese both named the team. Other great players in

(02:03):
the WNBA are there as well. Riqueo Gunbawale, who takes
every single shot. She will take every shot in the.

Speaker 3 (02:09):
Cliping last night, it didn't change.

Speaker 1 (02:11):
Every single shot thirty five percent from the floor doesn't matter.

Speaker 4 (02:14):
I'm take twenty five shots a game. It's gonna be
a fun All Star game.

Speaker 1 (02:18):
Kaitlin Clark, the leading vote getterer, of course, and the
and the fever in action right now against the Las
Vegas Aces twenty eight twenty six. I mean, really, it's
it's seamless. How the WNBA has become top shelves of well,
you know, now the United States is out of the
cob America, Like, how they've just become Hey, we roll
right in and and big headlines, big summer headlines, WNBA

(02:39):
All Star Game, Kaitlin Clark, it just it rolls in.
It just says, hey, we're here and we're ready to
be one of the big sports in the country.

Speaker 4 (02:45):
Kind of fun.

Speaker 3 (02:46):
They'd better have a headline off this, because the US
women's national basketball team is what seven gold medals in
a row, so it's always a star studded roster with
names Unlike some other Olympic sports, were good in names
that most people bull in sports in this country are
familiar with, and so this is kind of the sendoff
game for then before they go to Paris and start

(03:07):
the Olympic tournament this month.

Speaker 1 (03:08):
Now, I will say watching Caitlyn Clark tonight and seeing
her evolution over the course of the past couple of weeks,
like you could say that, Okay, Caitlyn Clark Angel rees
been the two best rookies coming into the league. Obviously,
Angel Reese has become a rebounding machine where she is
whatever she does, she's gonna rebound. She gets her points,

(03:29):
very complimentary. She's a great complimentary player.

Speaker 3 (03:31):
She had nineteen rebounds tonight.

Speaker 1 (03:33):
I mean, I mean she gets the ball, right, So
I mean she's Draymond right. I mean we said it
two and a half months ago and everybody started to
pick up, Oh, you know, maybe she's Draymond. Yeah, we
told her she was Draymond. Information is free. Congratulates your
coming around.

Speaker 3 (03:44):
She's actually more like Kareem in the sixties, where you're
just taller than most of the other people on the court.

Speaker 4 (03:49):
And I'm getting them. I'm just going to get the ball.

Speaker 1 (03:52):
But watching Caitlyn Clark and seeing her evolution, now, she's
someone who I'm not saying she's fallen in love with
being a past first point, but she is definitely in
the such in the past first mode right now that
I'm watching her pass up shots that she should take
right like watching her in the flow of the offense.
If she can somehow get a screen and take a

(04:13):
big three, she'll take it. But she had a couple
of plays a few minutes ago where she had the
ball driving, driving to the hole and this is a
layup and she gets a little and obviously she gets
the defender to come out to her, and then she
looks to pass. And it's not a great situation for
a pass because it's not the Hey, it's a two
on one and when when the defender comes to me,

(04:33):
I can easily slide it to Eliah Boston, whoever it is.
But she's getting to the lane now, going up and
she's looking to pass the ball, and I get it.
I get seeing her evolution being this player, because if
you're gonna do what they do to her to be
able to dish out and and you know, hit ten twelve,
fourteen assists a game, that's fantastic. But you are the
leading scorer in NCAA history. You need to shoot the bibe.

(04:56):
But Christie Side said it the other day, she needs
to shoot the ball more. And right now I feel
like she's just in that pass first mode where I'm
seeing a couple of chances where hey, she should have
really gone to the hole for that because that was
a layup that was that's four points. But instead trying
to make the pass, it either goes off somebody, they
miss a shot. She's got to take more shots.

Speaker 3 (05:14):
On the one hand, they did draft to score. On
the other hand, if assists helped them win, I mean,
you're there to win. Tonight's game, they're at Vegas. She's
zero for three from the floor in the first half,
but she has five assists, one turnover. Talking about Caitlin Clark.

Speaker 1 (05:29):
So we'll keep you posting on this because there's a
bigger part. There's a bigger through word all where the
halfway point for the WNBA we have the All Star
team is announced. There's a big conversation to get into
and it's a really good one because, like I said,
a lot of WNBA conversations, some of them are great,
some of them are kind of weird. But we have
to get to what happened today with the Lakers as

(05:50):
they introduced Brownie James.

Speaker 3 (05:52):
And apparently there was a larger media crowd today, noticeably
larger than when they introduced the new head coach.

Speaker 1 (05:58):
Yeah, JJ, yeah, yeah, no, but you know, you knew
it was gonna be a thing. You know, Dalton connect
is getting a little oh yeah, and he agreed to
contract terms.

Speaker 4 (06:06):
Yeah, that's great. Dalton's over He's gonna be over there.

Speaker 3 (06:08):
And you saw his jersey, by the way, so on
the back it says Connect four.

Speaker 4 (06:11):
Yeah. Yeah, you know, it's pretty good. I like that.

Speaker 1 (06:13):
That's nice, yeah, because people are gonna buy that. But
the whole the whole day really was about Bronnie And
this was my absolute favorite part of the day because
you know, look, nepotism is a thing, and was this nepotism?

Speaker 4 (06:27):
Sure?

Speaker 1 (06:28):
Did Bronnie James really deserve to be selected now? Of course,
but we know it. We knew going in. This is
what happens. Teams do favors for players, whether it's your
star player, gms do favorite It happens this way. But
this is my favorite part. Here's JJ Reddick, Lakers head coach,
talking about Bronnie and how he has earned his place
with the Lakers, not nepotism, not being bron Lebron's kid.

(06:51):
He has earned his place with the Lakers.

Speaker 5 (06:54):
Rob and I did not give Bronnie anything. Bronnie has
earned this. Bronnie, he talks about his hard work. Bronnie
has earned this through hard work. And for us prioritizing
player development, we view Bronnie as like case study one
because his base level of feel, athleticism, point of attack, defender, shooting, passing,

(07:18):
there's a lot to like about his game. And as
we sort of build out our player development program holistically,
he's gonna have a great opportunity to become an excellent
NBA player.

Speaker 1 (07:29):
So, first of all, holistically, So they're gonna holistic, They're
going to holistically build out that. What does that mean
if someone gets hurt, They're not gonna d I hurt
my ankle? Yeah, here have this route, eat this. We
got this from Whole Foods. Alex Tischert actually said, if
you have this, this will experience and and and increase
the heel.

Speaker 3 (07:49):
If he was just heavier on the goji berries, it's holistic.

Speaker 6 (07:53):
What do I?

Speaker 4 (07:53):
What do I do? Just eat the.

Speaker 1 (07:55):
Blueberries and then okay, seaweed, no califlower, it's empty calories,
and then you'll be healed. But it's a torn a cla,
trust me on it. Just we're gonna do this holistically.
I'm gonna put my hands over your knee and I'm
not going to touch you, but you're gonna.

Speaker 4 (08:09):
Be healed too. Do this lines main mushroom and.

Speaker 3 (08:13):
Mushrooms development was also mentioned, not only in that cut
that we heard holistic development seventeen times during the cermony.

Speaker 1 (08:20):
Even collagen. We'll see college. Well, but but that's like
an actual thing like people. I'm not using all actual things,
but no, but no, collage is a thing like it's
people to make their lips bigger and cheek implants.

Speaker 7 (08:30):
Oh I'm not saying about that.

Speaker 1 (08:31):
Yeah, I know, but that's something like oh I understand
that I don't understand. But you actually have to like
like like college, you have to like get that injected
into you.

Speaker 4 (08:38):
Right, well, I have one that's a powdered form. You
can't just you can just have power.

Speaker 3 (08:41):
They're familiar with those injections in West LA where the
press conference was.

Speaker 1 (08:45):
Right, very good, like you like like you rub the
powder on your face and usually not Okay, I rubbed
my my lips, my lips bigger.

Speaker 7 (08:50):
That's a taste tester, all right, I just gum it.
You know you'll find out.

Speaker 4 (08:54):
I think that's how they did it for Joaquin Phoenix.

Speaker 1 (08:56):
And the Joker to exactly, Jason, you wouldn't know cauliflower
if it was on your ears. Dude, I don't eat
colliflower because tight shirt said empty calories donated and it's
it's not worth no nutrients. It sounds great, there's nothing,
it's just there. Yes, doctor Alex.

Speaker 3 (09:13):
Wait a minute, he's using that. It is an excuse
not to eat any vegetables like that. This generation's jay Leno. No, no, no,
just colliflower, just collife. Listen, there's nothing redeeming in there
for eat something better. Do you have green beans or
broccoli or.

Speaker 1 (09:28):
Broccley is my favorite? Yeah, broccoli on the grill. Oh,
it's my absolute favorite. But this is my favorite part
of this is that this was JJ Reddick saying Bronnie
has earned it.

Speaker 4 (09:39):
Right.

Speaker 1 (09:39):
This is not this is not somebody else. This is
not Rob Palinka. You expect him to say, look, Bronni's
earned it. You expect other people, Yeah, Bronnie's This is
JJ Reddick, who was broadcasting, spitting out hot takes, coached
fourth grade youth basketball.

Speaker 4 (09:55):
He's the guy saying Bronni has earned it.

Speaker 3 (09:57):
So instead you would like the general manager who it's
just Kobe's agent and got into the Lakers that way.
You'd like him to be the one who says he
heard it.

Speaker 1 (10:04):
Wait, no, no, I'd like Genie Buss to say, oh no,
that doesn't make sense.

Speaker 4 (10:09):
Who do I want? Who?

Speaker 3 (10:10):
What about the other Bus kids?

Speaker 1 (10:11):
Could you, notably say in the Lager organization could say
that Bronni has earned it with any sort of gravitas?
Nobody I mean JJ again, JJ Reddick saying Bronni who
came off the bench scored four points.

Speaker 4 (10:24):
Again, Bronni has earned it.

Speaker 1 (10:26):
The people who haven't earned it saying other people have
earned it was just great.

Speaker 3 (10:31):
This is such a pushback, like a passive aggressive type
of statement that clearly they have they had heard all
the chatter.

Speaker 1 (10:38):
Yeah, I mean, I get it. You're not gonna say, oh, well,
you know Bron's kid.

Speaker 4 (10:42):
What are we gonna do? Just shrug their shoulders all right?
Say that.

Speaker 3 (10:46):
I would love to hear somebody officials say that.

Speaker 4 (10:49):
But just I mean the fact that his name was
Joe Jones.

Speaker 3 (10:51):
Of course we wouldn't have taked it.

Speaker 1 (10:54):
Genie Bus, who inherited the team, Rob Polinka, who was
Kobe's agent JJ Reddick, who was a broadcaster, and now
we've taken Lebron's kid. I mean, it's it's just so funny,
go wow. And I couldn't come up with the right
word for it because it's not irony, it's not I
don't know what the right word is, but it's frugally Reddick.

Speaker 3 (11:10):
The woman who sang the Game seven anthem at the
Stanley Cup a Lotus Morris said, would say that was ironic.

Speaker 4 (11:15):
Given the thing is nothing in that song as it
was just bad luck. It should be.

Speaker 1 (11:19):
But isn't it bad luck? Don't you think to get
ray on your wedding?

Speaker 4 (11:25):
That's bad luck?

Speaker 3 (11:26):
It is odd, is what it was.

Speaker 4 (11:27):
It's a bad omen that's what it is.

Speaker 8 (11:28):
A JJ is gonna coach with one hand in his.

Speaker 1 (11:31):
Pocket and the other one giving Lebron a high five.
Now there's a there's a big serious take off of
this because you've seen Brony get introduced today and he's
got a multi year, guaranteed contract with the Lakers, which
means he's one of the fifteen players on the roster.
Doesn't mean he's not gonna be in the G League,
you know, but he's gonna bounce back in for.

Speaker 3 (11:52):
Second rounders, guaranteed, guaranteed contract.

Speaker 4 (11:54):
But he's gonna go about.

Speaker 1 (11:56):
He'll, he'll, he'll play for the Lakers, whatever it's going
to be, and then he's gonna be in the G League.
But I'll tell you what this is going to be.
Just hearing hearing this today, seeing that, yes, not only
did we draft your kid, Lebron, but we gave him
the contract, We gave you the contract he won, We
gave you everything. This is going to get so wild.
It's gonna be a slow build and then get wild

(12:18):
like Ocean's eleven, Like oceleven was a slow build.

Speaker 4 (12:20):
And suddenly everything is happening.

Speaker 1 (12:22):
That's what's gonna go on, because it's you know, it's
sort of like inflation, where you hear all this about
Bronnie James, you go, oh, man, I can't believe. I
can't believe they give him the They're not give them
a two way deal. I can't believe he's gonna be
on the roster. I can't belie Lega's draft them. And
you get so mad about it, but then you eventually
accept it because it's what's happening. That's what this is.
Oh he'll be in the G League. Yeah, but is

(12:43):
he really gonna be? Are Lebron and Rich Paul aren't
gonna push at all to have Brownie should be up here?
Bronnie should be getting some minutes in here. Bronnie should
be playing here. JJ Reddick's in an awful spot because
he's buddies with Lebron. You're gonna play my kid, are
you not? This is gonna get so wild because Lebron
has the penchant to just say, you know what, I'm unplugging.

(13:05):
If you're not treating my kid the right way, I
am unplugging, and I'm not gonna be engaged. And you know,
I'm gonna bring a D with me because whatever I
think about the coaching staff out things are going AD
is going to think and that this can get really
wild and really bad because the push it's not gonna
end with Hey, here's Bronnie's got his deal. He's with
the Lakers. This is what it is for now, and

(13:27):
it's gonna be Like I said, it's gonna be a
slow burn through the summer. Games aren't going on, but
you're gonna endo the season. It's gonna be. Why isn't
Bronni playing. Why can't you put him in? You know
clearly the other guys aren't working. You should see a
few more minutes and you will know Lebron's level of
engagement with the Lakers is going to be a really
big tell. This is gonna get It's gonna be a

(13:48):
slow burn and it will get wild right away.

Speaker 3 (13:51):
But keep in mind for Bronnie's schedule when we get
NFL draft choices, you know, we have rookie camp and
then the scheduled OTAs you know, and you can see
what they're going to be doing at least how reporting
on paper, and then you get beat writers saying how
things are going basketball. We'll all see him on the
court immediately because in about a week the Lakers are

(14:11):
gonna start summer league action. There's something short in northern California.
And then starting on the twelfth this month is the
NBA Summer Summer League. Once the men's basketball team finishes
training for the Paris Olympics and leaves Vegas, then the
summer league is gonna be in Vegas starting July twelfth.
So will he be as good as Lonzo Ball on
the Lakers summer league team?

Speaker 8 (14:31):
Guess? Who's not coaching the Lakers summer league.

Speaker 3 (14:34):
That would be JJ Reddick.

Speaker 1 (14:35):
Nobody says he's gonna be really involved. I'll be involved
in everything except the actual.

Speaker 8 (14:39):
So it's funny how a guy it's never coached before
isn't gonna coach that.

Speaker 1 (14:43):
Yeah, I don't need the experience. I'm just gonna I'm
gonna watch and somebody else.

Speaker 3 (14:47):
He's just gonna do a podcast for the summer with
Lebron in the stands went Lebron.

Speaker 1 (14:53):
Well, here I would have called it. I would have
kept going to the pick and roll. What do you think, Lebron?
I mean, really, this is a guy that's no coaching experience,
and you would think that, hey, coaching in in the
summer league would make absolute sense.

Speaker 4 (15:06):
How do you not do that?

Speaker 2 (15:08):
Is not just human?

Speaker 4 (15:09):
Say that it.

Speaker 3 (15:09):
Would make sense. And then the excuse they gave is, yeah,
he's putting a staff together.

Speaker 4 (15:15):
Okay.

Speaker 1 (15:15):
You know, just when you think the Lakers, hey, I
understand the brawny stuff, and they figure out how to
do it where it's going to be palatable for everyone,
stuff like this comes up. The push to the push
to get him this contract, the push to play him
is gonna be there. JJ Reddick's not coaching in the
summer league when he's never coached a second of professional
basketball on any level.

Speaker 4 (15:35):
Like, what's going on? Like?

Speaker 1 (15:37):
Really, what is what is going on with it? You
wonder why the Lakers don't win? You really, you wonder why?
You wonder why it doesn't happen. When you see stuff
like this, you go, oh, man, I don't know what.
Oh yeah, well maybe maybe JJ Reddick getting some experience
might have been a good idea. Yeah, let's let the
other guy do it. Who's coaching the GIL who's gonna
be coaching the Jili? No, how about you get some
reps in coaching and understanding how things are gonna go
and do it.

Speaker 4 (15:57):
I don't get it. I don't I don't get that.

Speaker 1 (15:59):
But again, you wonder why the Lakers don't win, and
there's your reason right there.

Speaker 4 (16:03):
Exit. How about a fresca?

Speaker 1 (16:04):
Jason Smith Steve de Sager in from Mike Harmon tonight,
phone numbers eight seven, seven ninety nine on Fox. We'll
have more on Brownie, but we got some big NBA
stuff coming up next, a big extension. What's the worst
free agent move of the season so far?

Speaker 3 (16:19):
All that and more.

Speaker 1 (16:20):
Keep it right here Jason Smith Steven for Mike, this
is Fox Sports Radio. Well, you put it off long
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Speaker 2 (17:13):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.

Speaker 9 (17:24):
Hey, it's Ben, host of The Fifth Hour with Ben Maller.
Would mean a lot to have you join us on
our weekly auditory journey. You're asking, what in God's name
is the Fifth Hour? I'll tell you it's a spin
off of the Ben Mather Show, a Colt hit overnights
on FSR.

Speaker 2 (17:39):
Why should you listen?

Speaker 4 (17:40):
Picture if you will a world will.

Speaker 9 (17:41):
We chat with captains of industry in media, sports, and
more every week explore some amazing facts about human nature
and more. Listen to The Fifth Hour with Ben Matherer
on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get
your podcast.

Speaker 4 (17:54):
Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 1 (17:55):
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon, Steve de Sagaran
from Mike Harmon. Tonight we are live the Tirack dot
Com studios where Uh, Steve, I I have a number
for you here for what's what's trending In a couple minutes.
The Mets winning percentage in the Grimace era is now
seven seventy eight. Okay, in the Grimace era, the Mets

(18:17):
seven seventy eight winning percentage.

Speaker 3 (18:19):
The price of a quarter pounder.

Speaker 4 (18:20):
This, this is very not over McDonald's. They have a
lot of five dollar meals.

Speaker 1 (18:25):
Now they understand that, boy, we can't just increase our
prices by one hundred percent.

Speaker 3 (18:29):
None of which include a quarter pounder.

Speaker 1 (18:31):
By the way, my money, it's coming down now, it's
coming back, it's coming back.

Speaker 3 (18:34):
You are really really defensive for that company, which is
what forty five percent of year diet or maybe that's
the seven seventy winning percentage, that's that's the percent of
your diet.

Speaker 4 (18:43):
Is seventy eight percent of my Come on, man, you know.

Speaker 3 (18:46):
Breakfast, a little bit of lunch.

Speaker 1 (18:47):
Sometimes I did have McDonald's yesterday, but I probably didn't
have McDonald's. Maybe I had it the week before. So yeah,
I usually, you know, once a week, once every couple.
It depends to Sometimes I'll just go and get a
and get a frapp I'll get a drink and sometimes
we'll go and go.

Speaker 4 (19:05):
You know, it's midnight. I'm have a big mac.

Speaker 3 (19:06):
Will never for your own personal health do what Morgan
Spurlock did for that documentary Supersize Me, where he literally
purposefully had McDonald's for every meal and had exactly regular
medical checkups to you.

Speaker 1 (19:21):
So, the thing about that was when when when he
did it, McDonald's had a much bigger menu, like the
menu it gets to COVID and now there's not as
much and they don't do breakfast at dinner.

Speaker 3 (19:32):
And the super thing was the Yeah, the whole thing,
it's just super.

Speaker 10 (19:36):
So.

Speaker 1 (19:36):
I mean, look, when I go, do I always get
the law Yeah, because I want the biggest die coke possible.
I always say I'm a large, but you know, just
give me the regular fries, but I want the big do.

Speaker 3 (19:45):
It's the same price, give me the big size.

Speaker 1 (19:47):
Yeah, okay, I just want to get the big die coke.
You guys saw that new video going around right, Which
one is that? The one of how the burgers are made?

Speaker 4 (19:55):
No, don't tell me that.

Speaker 1 (19:56):
Come on, man, you no, you just don't want me
to show it.

Speaker 4 (20:01):
No, don't tell me. Is it real?

Speaker 1 (20:03):
Or is it like the TikTok video of Rob Polinka
saying that Lebron told them made them draft Brownie.

Speaker 8 (20:08):
Or like slow Biden. Yeah, those are not real.

Speaker 4 (20:10):
This is real, okay, all right, this is real. It's real,
and what do they say about it?

Speaker 8 (20:15):
I'll show it to you in the break.

Speaker 4 (20:16):
Oh great, I got that to look for.

Speaker 3 (20:18):
You'll never eat there again.

Speaker 8 (20:19):
You'll never look at Grimace the same way.

Speaker 4 (20:23):
I think a Grimace with a mets hot on, now
that's my Grimmace.

Speaker 3 (20:25):
How you will literally Grimace?

Speaker 1 (20:27):
It's Grimace, it's Grimms with my hat on, Grimson with
a mets hot on, That's what it is.

Speaker 3 (20:30):
I still want to see him play first base with
those hands.

Speaker 1 (20:32):
I think the Mets should buy Grimace from McDonald's, Like,
what will be the price we're gonna buy Grimace from you?
You don't get to run Grimace anymore. We run Grimace.

Speaker 3 (20:40):
You know, if you have an owner that's rich enough,
you can do certain things.

Speaker 1 (20:43):
I think he can buy it. He could buy the
rights to g I think could buy Grimace from McDonald
what's like.

Speaker 3 (20:48):
The You know, when it was in the news in
the last week or two that the Clippers new arena
is going to be hosting the Olympic basketball in LA
in four years. Other people heard the news and say, wait,
the Clippers have a new arena. Yeah, next season it's opening.
How did get it because you know, on the other
side of the Ram Stadium, basically the same long block
is the Forum, which holds concerts. Why would they want
a basketball arena which can hold concerts coming into their neighborhood.

(21:11):
So Madison Square Garden Network, you might be familiar with
the owner of that company. He owned the Forum, and
so there was gonna be litigation. And so Steve Ballmer
who paid two billion for the Clippers with a B
and I think it was cash.

Speaker 1 (21:27):
Uh what a bargain? That looks like now, doesn't it?
What a bar two billion for the Clippers.

Speaker 3 (21:32):
Who wanted to build his own arena for his own team.
So how does he avoid the litigation? He just bought
the Forum. Yeah, look, that's what you can do if
your team's owner is that rich.

Speaker 1 (21:44):
This is like, this is like when streaming services say, hey,
we really wanna want the NFL pack. We can't get it.
You know what, We're just gonna buy NBC. That's yeah,
We'll just buy NBC. That's fine, We're gonna buy them.

Speaker 3 (21:56):
Exactly. There are some As soon as you said that,
it reminds me of Sunday Ticket lawsuit. That's not over yet.
He's gonna be fighting that now. But do you remember
when there were the protests against the Masters and they said, okay, fine,
will boycott your sponsors, to which the rich people at
the Master said, fine, will air the entire tournament with
no commercials.

Speaker 1 (22:15):
Who I see your boycott and I raise you know, wait,
no commercials yet?

Speaker 4 (22:21):
No commercial you can do that? Yeah?

Speaker 1 (22:23):
Did that not just the one commercial at the beginning? Hey,
I'm like Matthew McConaughey telling me about Lincoln for for
a ninety seconds and then we get it, you know, uncut.

Speaker 4 (22:31):
No, no, no, we don't get that.

Speaker 1 (22:32):
But listen, you mentioned the Clippers, and here we are
in the middle of NBA free agency. We saw the
big names have moved and look, could we still see
some big deals coming up involving player movement? Yes, you know,
Kevin Durant potentially could get traded at some point or not.
We still are going to see some players out there,
not quite to the money that we've seen the first
couple of days, but the big, big money has been

(22:55):
doled out.

Speaker 4 (22:56):
We could see something change in a trade.

Speaker 1 (22:58):
But right now, the big money for NBA free agency
has been doled out, and I'll tell you this.

Speaker 4 (23:03):
We talked about the best moves last night. How much
we like the Klay Thompson move.

Speaker 1 (23:07):
It look I honestly like the Chris Paul move to
the for the for the San Antonio Spurs. I yeah,
I mean, I guess it shows you where Chris Paul
Starr is at. Is that well, I got to go
to a team that won thirteen games last year.

Speaker 3 (23:18):
On a one year deal.

Speaker 4 (23:19):
Kind I kind of like that. I kind of like
that fit for him. There. Popovich really likes him. The
Spurs could take a big leap.

Speaker 1 (23:26):
They will benefit from his leadership there, Castle will benefit
from his leave.

Speaker 4 (23:32):
Man. Yeah, so I I can see that. I like that.

Speaker 1 (23:35):
The one I just can't believe happened, and I don't
know how he keeps getting this money is James Harden
two years, seventy million to stay with the Clippers potentially
two years. Like, I don't understand how he keeps getting
this money even though every year he's not quite the
guy he was the year before. Now we're still gonna
even thirty five million with.

Speaker 3 (23:54):
All these teams with the postseason stories as well.

Speaker 1 (23:57):
Yeah, I mean, with nobody else bidding against them. It's
not like, hey, Harden's out there and well, you know
you went out to someone's gonna get it. No, there's
not a market for just but yet James Harden finds
a way to blow torch his way out of so
many different situations. There's nobody out there for him, but.

Speaker 3 (24:13):
Including a Game seven that I recall.

Speaker 1 (24:15):
I'm gonna get thirty five million a year, and it's
it's insane that he decided that. This is what the
Clippers have decided to do. And this is what I
get you talk about the Clippers is that I can't
take them serious as.

Speaker 4 (24:28):
A I can't. I just can't even know.

Speaker 1 (24:30):
Hey, they had a big run last year, they were
in first place in the West for a little bit.
Still have Kawhi Leonard, you know. But I can't take
them seriously because the Clippers, it's not that they're not
trying to win, it's that they're on a different They're
on a different measure of success than other teams are.
Like the Knicks are making moves to win the title, right,
the Sixers are making moves to win the title. The

(24:52):
Mavericks are making moves to win the title. What are
the Clippers doing? They just want to stay relevant? They
just want to be part of the com They just
want to be invited to the party. I don't care
if I don't want to make out the list with
the four of you and decide who to invite. I
just want to be invited. Because what was their big
statement when Paul George left, Hey, we thank him. Look
the level of competition we had the last five years,

(25:13):
the Paul George have been great. They they don't care
about winning a title. They know that's not gonna go.

Speaker 3 (25:18):
This was the height of the franchise. Is they actually
got out of the second round. Yeah, it's the only
time in the fifty plus years it's happened for them.

Speaker 1 (25:25):
Yeah, they just want to be competitive. They just because
they understand. Hey, we get where we came from. And
there's something to be said for that understanding. We know
where we came from. We were the most moribunfranchised the
NBA has seen with from.

Speaker 3 (25:36):
The town that the Lakers exist.

Speaker 1 (25:38):
Where we're coming off a huge controversy where our owner
had to get removed and it's a new era and
our new owner is building things, and it's just we
just want to be part of the conference.

Speaker 4 (25:50):
We don't want to be a laughing stock.

Speaker 1 (25:51):
We like being in the mix of being talked about
on TV and making some money and people coming to
see our games and being a show. They don't care
about winning. They just want to be in contention because
right now, what's their attitude. Yeah, it's great. Hey, they
gave James Harden that money. Why because James Harden's still
a name and James Harden coming. We'll fill the endo.
It don't We got a new we got a new
stadium coming, so in a new arena, so people will

(26:13):
come see that because it's new. And let's give James
Harden money because they have to come see somebody, because
we don't know how often Kawhi Leonard's gonna actually be
in the lineup. So we're gonna do this because we
just want to buy being relatable. We just want to
be relevant. They don't want to try to win. They're
not gonna If they were trying to win, they would
have got rid of this Kawhi hardened Paul George thing
a long time ago.

Speaker 4 (26:33):
They would have really understood.

Speaker 1 (26:34):
After four years, Hey, maybe Kuhi and Paul George isn't
gonna work. No, No, let's keep going. Let's just keep
running the same guys out there, you can't do it.
You have to be able to make bold moves and
bold strokes. And Clippers decided we're gonna drive to the
middle because we like being that fifty win team that
makes the playoffs every year, and maybe we can have
an upset here and there, maybe not. If we win,

(26:55):
it's a bonus, But we really just want to be relevant.
That's why I can't take them serious as a contender,
because this is their philosophy and you can see it
in all the moves they make.

Speaker 4 (27:05):
We just want to be at the party.

Speaker 3 (27:07):
So you're saying, if I can mention a Chicago reference
without harmon being here. All those years that WGN was
carrying the Cubs games nationally, and they kept resigning Mark
Grayce and Ryan Sandberg not just because they were great players.
They needed something to market, right. The Cubs had some
pretty lean years through those times despite having two great players.
Now they sign let's say James Harden gets one year

(27:30):
thirty five million, that the option doesn't come through. Still,
the new salary cap is one hundred and forty million
dollars per team, so one fourth of your salary cap
is going to one player on your roster.

Speaker 1 (27:43):
In this case, it's James Harden. Is a name and
he's still a good player. Right, I'm not saying he's not.
He's he's a name and he is still a good player.
But he's not the guy he was five years ago.
And the Clippers, well, the Clippers feel like ky a
at this point maybe five. He is the guy from
five years ago. He's not the James Harden of eight

(28:05):
years ago. And the Clippers got scared because they knew
that that Paul George was gonna leave, and they were
looking at a reality of boy, what do we do.
What do we do if we lose Paul George? We
lose we lose James Harvey. Because they're having trouble getting
free agents coming there as well. It's not just the
Lakers having trouble getting free agents. I mean, come on,
Michael Thompson couldn't convince Clay to go to the Lakers. Right,

(28:28):
I've been a I'm a Lakers Hall of Fame, i
have three titles. I'm the play by play analyst for
the Rake Lakers radio broadcast. No, can't convince this kid
to come there. It's not just the Lakers that have
a problem getting players. It's the Clippers and they got scared,
and yeah, you get scared. But this is where when
you're an owner and you're the GM and you're making
big decisions, it's are we really happy just being this

(28:50):
way or do we want to go for more and
and and oar fans more than just hey, come out
to the game. You'll have a good time. Our team
will win most of the games in the regular season,
maybe we get out of the first round. Most likely
we lose in the first round. And that's gonna be
every single year for the Clippers. I'm sorry, I mean,
I can't take them series as contender.

Speaker 3 (29:09):
James Harden in his three previous years before joining the Clippers,
when he was with Brooklyn and Philadelphia, was averaging twenty
points ten assists per game with the Clippers. Not quite
the minutes, so not quite the number of shot attempts,
but still about sixteen points a game for the Clippers.
And still it's kind of like the Klay Thompson conversation
we had this week. He's talked down because he wasn't

(29:31):
what he was. He's still a good player, he's still
good for a team on the court. He still contributes
on offense. It's worth re signing, but it's potentially two years,
seventy million dollars. That's that's the resigning. And by the way,
Michael Thompson is assistant coach for the Bahamas. Will have
an update on the Olympic qualifying in a second.

Speaker 1 (29:51):
Yeah, and now and now, James Harden has become your
second best player. Uhh, Nope, not gonna do it. That's
not worth you. Wait wait, didn't didn't work with the same,
didn't work with the next. And note, when James Harden
now at this point is your second best player, you're
not winning. You're not if he's your third or fourth
best player. Okay, no, but not happening now, not happening again.

(30:12):
I can't keep him seriously. But right now, someone we
all take seriously is Steve Disager, who will tell us
what's trending in the.

Speaker 4 (30:19):
Wide world of sports.

Speaker 1 (30:20):
Of course, the biggest story of the day the Mets
tenth inning with five runs to win again over the Nationals.

Speaker 3 (30:27):
Bigger than an Aaron Judge Homer speaking of the.

Speaker 1 (30:30):
Clippers, the second best team in New York can get aheadline.
I think we saw last week who the best team
in New York was I don't know that. I don't
think the Mets are twenty games over the five. We
have scored the Yankees like forty six to two in
two games.

Speaker 3 (30:42):
The Mets just got over the five hundred mark. We
have an hour ago. We have Grimace.

Speaker 4 (30:47):
The Yankees do not. While we are talking to.

Speaker 8 (30:50):
Somebody takes Grimace out.

Speaker 3 (30:52):
Yeah, you know that's coming. It's New York.

Speaker 1 (30:54):
Now, Steve calling by Grimace. So Steve, you're listening by Grimace.

Speaker 3 (30:58):
He's gonna be waiting for the seven train.

Speaker 1 (31:00):
And don't worry about getting a reliever at the deadline.
You need a couple nine, It's fine, Go spend your
money on Grimace.

Speaker 8 (31:06):
And what happened to Grimace while you hit the third reel?

Speaker 3 (31:09):
This matters.

Speaker 4 (31:09):
Stop man, it'sop putting that out there about Crimmas.

Speaker 8 (31:11):
Why you just got a electrocuted?

Speaker 4 (31:12):
No, no, stop man, No, it's not going to you go.
We need to protect Grimas.

Speaker 8 (31:16):
Man, it's an easy death.

Speaker 1 (31:17):
I got I gotta no, I gotta make that trend.
Protect Grimace at all costs. We protect Grimas berger Fried.

Speaker 3 (31:22):
The last Olympic qualifying tournaments started today in Hoops. They
will decide the last four spots in Paris this month.
Eight teams like the US have already qualified. France, of course,
as the host is already going to be there, Bahamas
is trying to get in. Bahamas defeated Finland in its
opener today ninety six eighty five. I mentioned Michael Thompson,
an assistant coach on this team. Buddy Healed had twenty

(31:43):
four points for him. DeAndre Ayton had nineteen. Spain, which
is hosting that region, beat Lebanon one oh four fifty nine,
and there was a Luka Donsich sighting a triple double
for Slovenia and they lost one eight ninety two to Croatia.
For Croatia, today Mario Sarich a triple double. He beats
Azubach up the Clippers with eighteen points in eighteen minutes.

(32:06):
Dominican Republic be Egypt Italy over Bahrain. Denilo Gallinari had
fourteen points in fifteen minutes in that blowout. Bahamas opened
with a win against Montenegro despite Nick Vucevich having seventeen
points thirteen assists in the lot in the loss. And
it was Latvia beating Georgia. US men's basketball team has
an exhibition on FS one from Las Vegas on the

(32:27):
tenth against Canada, and then they go overseas for more
hoops exhibitions before arriving in Paris. And right now at
FS one it's Copa America Brazil's group finale. They're tied
one to one against Tuino Columbia seventy seventh minute in
Santa Clair, California. Argentina starts the quarterfinals July fourth against Ecuador.
At the Euros, Netherlands and Turkey I got victories to

(32:50):
end the round of sixteen. Donovan Mitchell got a three
year extension from the Cleveland Cavaliers worth one hundred and
fifty million dollars. It includes a player option. Golden State
acquired Kyle Anders from Minnesota in a sign and trade.
He gets three years twenty seven mil. Orlando resigned Moe
Wagner two years twenty two mil, and the Magic gave
Jonathan Isaac a new five year deal. The Pacers are

(33:11):
signing center James Wiseman. In the WNBA four games, including
a New York win beating Minnesota seventy six sixty seven
New York seventeen and three this year, Caitlin Clark for
Indiana right now, one of seven shooting from the floor,
five points, six rebounds, six assists at the half. At
Las Vegas, the Aces over the Indiana fever forty six

(33:32):
to thirty seven. Chicago beat Atlanta Angel Rees twelve points,
nineteen rebounds. Utah State says it intends to fire football
coach Blake Anderson for lack of disclosure of misconduct. Cincinnati
beat the Yankees five to four in New York. Although
Aaron Judge hit his thirty second home run of the
season beat Alonzo a late two run shot. The Mets

(33:53):
are over the five hundred mark forty two to forty
one after the ten inning win at Washington seven to two.
Phildelhhi has just won its game at the Cubs six '
four and still in a rain delay. In Kansas City,
raise over the Royals one nothing top of the sixth.

Speaker 1 (34:07):
Back to you, Thank you, Steve. Now you just mentioned
the Bahamas. I want to and now I want to
tell you something really quick. Want you to to to
take this for stat wise. Okay, in the Bahamas, I
found this out. A slice of pie costs two dollars
and fifty cents.

Speaker 4 (34:22):
Okay.

Speaker 1 (34:23):
In Jamaica, a slice of pie costs three dollars. In
case you got that right, slice of pie and Bahamas
two to fifty slice of pie Jamaica three dollars, right, okay,
slice of pie and Bahamas two fifty slice of pine
and Jamaica three dollars.

Speaker 4 (34:37):
Those are the PI rates of the Caribbean.

Speaker 8 (34:39):
Oh wowow.

Speaker 1 (34:45):
Drop the mic. Yeah, everybody's going, oh my god. But
you're gonna tell all your friends that joke tomorrow. You're
gonna find a way to tell. First thing you do,
find somebody and tell him that joke. That's what's gonna happen.

Speaker 8 (34:55):
No, if they're your friend, you don't tell him that joke.

Speaker 1 (35:00):
Exit up out of Fresco. Jason Smith Steve de Sager
in for Mike Harmon. Coming up next an NFL quarterback
story that is going to flip you. That's next right here,
This is Fox Sports Radio.

Speaker 2 (35:12):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific.

Speaker 1 (35:19):
Fox Sports Radio. The Jason Smith Show with Steve desagerin
from Mike Harmon. Hey Steve, live from the tireg dot
Com studios and we'll have more NBA free agency coming
up in a few minutes. But guess who's back. Aaron
Rodgers now is back.

Speaker 4 (35:36):
He's back.

Speaker 1 (35:37):
Yes, I missed the Jets Mini camp I was away
and now it turns out potentially he was in Egypt's
some kind of well, because that's what we got. Jason
McIntyre talked about it on the Herd the other day.
That's going to become the acceptable destination. Where Aaron Rodgers was.

Speaker 3 (35:55):
In the front today on FS one.

Speaker 1 (35:57):
There's been nothing to contradict that. And if he wasn't there,
I'm sure he would have found out.

Speaker 8 (36:01):
What kind of crazy drugs can you do out there
that you can't do here?

Speaker 7 (36:05):
Tyshert Oh, you'd probably get like some crazy scare of fluid,
or maybe like a King tut Herb.

Speaker 3 (36:09):
Scare, but fluid.

Speaker 7 (36:10):
He said.

Speaker 4 (36:11):
I think clearly TJ.

Speaker 1 (36:13):
Rogers involved in some kind of pyramid scheme that he
didn't want the Jets to know about.

Speaker 7 (36:19):
Jason, you take the wrong stuff, you could end up
with mummy foot and that's serious.

Speaker 4 (36:22):
Ay, man, I can't get out of this pyramid. Man
Tutent commons right here? Man, Hey, how you going? You
are like sixteen man?

Speaker 3 (36:30):
That's you a call. He's got to give under center tun.

Speaker 7 (36:35):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (36:35):
So he's back, and he's been photographed everywhere everywhere, but
with the Jets. Right, he's at UFC, he's throwing passes
with marcuz Valdez, scantling and all.

Speaker 4 (36:45):
He's everywhere butt with the Jets.

Speaker 1 (36:47):
Now this is where Isaac, when you think I'm gonna zag?
Is this the best optic for Rogers?

Speaker 4 (36:54):
No, it's not.

Speaker 1 (36:55):
I mean the fact that he's everywhere butt. I decided
not going. I had a trip to Egypt. He could
have taken another time. I'm sure he has the money
to book a trip whenever he wants to. Not a
great optic. But the flip side is he was there
the entire offseason. He was at all the OTAs. It's
not like he's not been around the team. And I'm
sure this was something where this is when I'm going
to Egypt and the team said, well we have to

(37:15):
find you. He said, that's fine, And everything is okay, right,
everything is The relations between the Jets and Aaron Rodgers
is fine. Now I get the hot taker that you
want to say, Aaron Rodgers not invested. Aaron Rodgers is
going to be terrible. Look at this ah blah blah blah,
look at Roger and the Jets. But let me just
throw something different at you here. Okay, if he was

(37:35):
really concerned that he was not gonna be good this year,
or he really felt that I needed to have those
extra three days in June with my team, he would
have stayed because he knows what is at stake right now.
He knows, he knows the divisive polarization of him. What

(37:58):
he does, what he says, what he likes to put
out there. He knows people are ready to just jump
on top of him and bury him and bury his career.
And nothing was happened faster than if he stinks, right, nothing,
but he stinks a look at Rogers. He's no good.
He should have been with the Jets more. He shouldn't
should have done this. He knows he's smart. If for
a second he thought that he really needed that, he

(38:20):
would have been there. He's not going to risk his career.
He's not going to risk the voice he has as
the most popular quarterback in the NFL and when it
comes to Q rating and how he moves the needle
with conversation. He is not going to risk his career,
which he is hoping has another two or three years
in it. Injuries you can't, you can't, you can't account for.

(38:40):
But he's feeling healthy, feeling good. He wants to keep playing.
He's not going to risk any of that. If he
thought he had to. If I'm not risking that, I say, hey,
I'll go and ah, you know what if I get
back and I think it's not a big deal. No,
If he really thought that being there for the Jets
during that time, during the three days of mini camp

(39:03):
was something that was a deal breaker or was going
to really help, he would have been there because he
knows what the risk is. He knows that people are
ready to write him off, and they want to write
him off. I'm sick of Aaron Rodgers. I'm sick of this.
He knows the narrative. If that was if that, if
there was really a risk he was really concerned about that,
he would not have gone. So this tells me that, hey,
I feel pretty good about where he is. I feel

(39:25):
pretty good about where he is. His involvement with the Jets,
his teammates say, not a big deal. He was with
us the entire time. So this is something that I
look at and go, Yeah, I get the people want
to make stuff up because it's been a month since
we've had an Aaron Rodgers conversation because he's been on
some kind of retreat or hanging out with pharaohs. But
I'm not that concerned because I know he wouldn't risk

(39:45):
his career to do something that can come back and
bite him. And that's why I'm okay with him going
and I feel good about where they're at going into
the summer.

Speaker 3 (39:52):
We are in July already, so camps are opening this month.
I was with you on your initials egg it's not
a good optic and there's no avoiding that part of it.
I do think that as physical a sport, this is
it has to be said that unlike other sports, if
you are a bit slow or anywhere's behind, you can
get hurt. And it's not just injuries happen in the game.

(40:16):
You can for those reasons, specifically at the quarterback position,
get hurt. So yeah, if he wasn't if he didn't
have it all together in his mind, I'm talking about, yeah,
going into the season. Yeah, I agree with you on
that point, because that wouldn't be great for him forget
the team.

Speaker 1 (40:31):
Yeah, no, and look bad optic. I'm not saying it's
a great optic, it's not. It's all what really you
could You couldn't make your vacation three days later?

Speaker 4 (40:38):
Really? Yeah?

Speaker 3 (40:39):
Oh it's like the whole shack surgery on company time.

Speaker 1 (40:42):
It's really it's an all. I bought it through Costco.
I can't get the money back. Really, it's so like
ten grand. You can't get back there around what did
you make fifteen million dollars last year? And play force nap?

Speaker 3 (40:51):
You think a trip to Egypt?

Speaker 4 (40:53):
I can't, I can't, I can't.

Speaker 3 (40:56):
In other words, he had so long in the gas
line at Costco.

Speaker 1 (41:00):
No, we booked our trip to London. We're leaving in
a couple of days. We booked our trip to London
through Costcos while you were in line.

Speaker 3 (41:05):
For gas, because that takes twenty five minutes.

Speaker 1 (41:07):
But I mean, really, you're going to one guy going
to Egypt. What's it gonna cost you ten grand to
do with the top? I mean really, I could have
gone three days later. Maybe there was some kind of
of king hunt. They were going on, Hey, old world,
we're leaving now. We're giving much credit trying. We're going
on a mummy hunt, you know, I don't know. We're
gonna find real mummies in the desert.

Speaker 3 (41:26):
There those days.

Speaker 4 (41:30):
And they're all walking around.

Speaker 1 (41:31):
Emo tip, Emo tip, Emo Tip. No, he wouldn't have
gone if it was a big deal. He thought it
was a big deal, wouldn't go. I'm happy where he
thinks he is mentally, and I'm great with that. I'm
absolutely fine. Exit out about a fresca. Jason Smith. Steve
de segar in from Mike Carmon, Watch Out for the
Jets thirteen and four. We're going to the Super Bowl. Police,

(41:52):
Big hot take coming your way next NBA Free Agency.

Speaker 4 (41:55):
Keep it right here. This is Fox Hot.

Speaker 2 (41:58):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.

Speaker 1 (42:09):
Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon
Special Delivery. Steve de Sager in from Mike Harmon Tonight,
Big Baseball going on right now as we're waiting to
find out just how show Heyotani is. He fouled the
ball off his foot was an obvious pain. Stop taking
inside not have an official word on Otani yet, remember

(42:32):
designated hitter not coming out for the field, waiting to
see just where it is. Everyone holding their breath, including
our next guest, who is taking batting practice right now
at Wrigley Field, just in case the Dodgers call him up.
He is MLB Network insider extraordinaire, Fox Sports Radio insider extraordinaire,

(42:53):
and a man who is my pipeline to the Mets,
David Stearns. It is the Pope, John Palmer, ROSI, Pope,
what's happening.

Speaker 6 (42:59):
Bud Jason and Steve Good evening? Indeed from Wrigley Field,
where I can report that we have a great group
of people right now playing catch in the outfield. So
while there's no batting practice happening here, there is most
certainly playing of catch. And I would say that that
those who are playing catch, I'm sure have spent a

(43:21):
small fortune for.

Speaker 10 (43:22):
The ability to do so.

Speaker 1 (43:23):
Okay, so these are these This is not like, hey,
there's superstar is having a catch, like so is having
a catch with Ryan Sandberg, Like that's not happening.

Speaker 6 (43:32):
No, No, it's fans who are very much enjoying their
their time. Uh and I'm so, I'm sitting here in
the bleachers watching them enjoy what they're doing, and and yeah,
they're they're not they're not playing catch with Ryan Sandberg.

Speaker 1 (43:45):
At this point is having a catch in the field.

Speaker 6 (43:49):
He's got a statue now in the field. Good, Brian
Sadberg has a statue. And I do think that once,
once you've got your statue on the field, you could
probably play catch here anytime time you want, including New
Year's Day?

Speaker 4 (44:01):
All right, did you get heckled at all by anybody
while you're there? Like anybody? Yella, hey, Morosi happened to
you or now?

Speaker 10 (44:08):
No?

Speaker 6 (44:08):
I was able to sort of just enjoy enjoy the
experience preparing for tomorrow's games. So basically what I try
to do, you get to the ballpark the day before
when we have our show based games. They'll be here
tomorrow night with a great Bob Costas. I get to
work with Bob Costas Yonder Alonso tomorrow for the MLB
Network showcase, and so I like to come here and

(44:29):
get some notes in advance and make sure I've got
some good things to be able to chat about.

Speaker 10 (44:33):
And I'll tell you this.

Speaker 6 (44:35):
The Philadelphia Phillies right now. No Harper, no Former, no
real Muto, no problem. They win the games to night six.
Four key contributions from Bryson Stott, Trey Turnerholmers twice. Tell
you what, man, I love the great city of Philadelphia,
especially playoff baseball. I think I'll be spending a lot

(44:56):
of time in Philly this October. That they might be
to be honest and even more complete team right now
than the Dodgers.

Speaker 11 (45:04):
Whoo so so that well, you definitely want to fight
now they have the best record. Wow, well I behave
that Philly's Mets NLCS is going to be a big
day now.

Speaker 10 (45:15):
I came with receipts today and I'm going to tell
you this.

Speaker 6 (45:20):
I look this up. Now you can talk about Grimace,
you can talk about Jose Iglesias, and omg, you can
talk about anybody else. Do you want any reason you want?
The reality is, since the beginning of June, the New
York Mets have the best record in the National League period.
That is an indisputable fact. And so I think, as

(45:42):
as you may hear on a future episode of Sternsey
and the Pope, the the direction for the Mets at
the trade deadline.

Speaker 10 (45:51):
It's been assured.

Speaker 6 (45:53):
You now have to you gotta be a buyer, because
when you're the best team in the league over this
this month span, you can't trade pe Alonzo. And think
about this, They've done a lot of this work with
Edwin Diaz on the suspended list, so you have to
think that this as likely to continue as the Mets

(46:14):
get to be a bit more full strength here in
the days ahead.

Speaker 3 (46:17):
Meanwhile, in the AL East, we've got maybe the Orioles
alone in first by a game after tonight, ahead of
the Yankees. A note about each first off. I saw
that not only with the Aaron Judge home run tonight,
he has thirty two. Only three other Yankees have ever
hit thirty two homers through the first eighty seven games
of a Yankee season, and that was Ruth, Marris and Mantle.

(46:38):
So it's a two prong question. Is Judge enough to
get the Yankees the AL East crown? And this Baltimore
club seems like the real deal. Do they have enough pitching?
They went out meekly last year, they'll be back in
the playoffs. Do they have enough to win the division?

Speaker 6 (46:54):
Well, Steve, here's how I'll answer that they don't have
enough now to be a to let's say, win the
World Series. But I believe that the group they have
now will not be the group they have on July
thirty first, once the trade deadline is over. They will,
because of the strength of their farm system, make a

(47:14):
move or two. And I'll make this point though about
the Orioles. We praised them, and rightfully so, when they
made the deal for Corbyn Burns during the offseason. A
part of the package they gave up Joey Ortiz. Right
now with the Brewers, he actually has the best OPS
plus of any rookie offensive player in Major League Baseball.

(47:37):
So they gave up some talent to get Burns. I
think they have more talent to give up, and we
could argue would they consider giving up someone like a
Cowser or a Westburg? I would say very unlikely. Would
they give up a Hesson tears Dad, Maybe that's a
little more likely. I would still be surprised that they
gave up a Jackson.

Speaker 10 (47:57):
Holliday, but it does.

Speaker 6 (48:00):
It seems like we're seeing a select group of young
hitters be able to get to the big leagues and
thrive offensively. It's a very offensively challenged time, right now,
and you do wonder how that influence is the way
that the Orioles approach the trade deadline. Meanwhile, with the Yankees,
their needs, I think are of additional offense, and they

(48:22):
probably need some pitching too because of the way the
rotation has struggled the last couple of weeks. But they cannot.
They cannot, in my view, get deep into the playoffs
with a lineup that hinges entirely on Soto and Judge
because they'll be pitched around and teams will basically begin
the series by saying we're not gonna let these two

(48:43):
guys beat us. So while I think Judge, and it's
amazing to say these words, has a legitimate chance to
again get sixty home runs. Wow, I can't believe I
just said that. But it's look at the numbers. It's true.
You look at what Judge can do and is doing.
I think that actually Baltimore, by the time they get there,

(49:04):
will be the better team in the postseason because they
are set up to do more at the deadline than
the Yankees will.

Speaker 1 (49:12):
All right, all right, Pope, so let me ask you
this now different Yankee Orioles question, who's your al MVP?

Speaker 4 (49:18):
Right?

Speaker 1 (49:18):
Now, is it Aaron Judge or is it my pick
from the preseason Gunner Henderson. Answer answer you want, is
it Judge at Gunner Henderson.

Speaker 10 (49:27):
Right now?

Speaker 6 (49:27):
I think you have to give it a Judge just
the sheer overall offensive talent I think advantages Aaron Judge.

Speaker 10 (49:35):
And let's remember.

Speaker 6 (49:36):
Defensively, he's playing center field. He's one of the tallest
everyday center fielders in the history of the game, and
what he's able to do out there is incredibly valuable
because his presence there. Now I realize stance. He's been
injured here for the last little bit, but it's allowed
the Yankee lineup to be better. It's allowed them to

(49:57):
get extra bats in there, It's allows them to play
really good defense. Gunnar Henderson is also a great answer.
I mean, there's no confusing that. And by the way,
I think Gunnar Henderson versus Bobby Witt Junior is one
of the great All Star debates right now is who's
going to start at shortstop? But I would give the
edge to Judge right now by the narrowest of margins,

(50:21):
while reserving the rights to change my mind a dozen
times between now and the end of the regular season.

Speaker 3 (50:27):
We're used to the Houston Astros being good year after year.
They didn't make it over the five hundred mark till
this week.

Speaker 2 (50:33):
Now.

Speaker 3 (50:33):
Granted they're in contention below Seattle in the AL West?
Is Houston that good? Are there anyone? Are they anyone
to talk about heading into postseason?

Speaker 6 (50:43):
Well, there's certainly a.

Speaker 10 (50:43):
Team to talk about the deadline.

Speaker 6 (50:45):
Steve, And there were some whispers maybe a month ago,
would the Astros consider selling? Is this the end of
this this dynasty, however you want to describe it, which
I would. It's certainly a flawed dynasty in some ways,
but it is a dynasty. Nonetheless, they've got the best
record in the American League since the beginning of June.
So they've been as good in the AL as the

(51:08):
Mets have been in the NL. And when I look
at the way the Astros are put together, they've had
a couple younger pitchers come up and really emerge and
give them some quality in their rotation, while offensively Bregman
and Tucker Robinson getting closer to being back to himself.
They've done a really good job of what I thought

(51:30):
was almost impossible to do, which is with a first
year manager to resurrect themselves in the middle of the season.
I just think that's really impressive what they've done, and
I look for them to now be buyers of the deadline.
The one thing you know about Jim Crane, Dana Brown,
we saw it last year at the deadline. They've brought
in Verlander. Verlander, I'm not so sure what he's going

(51:51):
to be able to give them in the second half
of this year. So I would actually expect them to
almost do the same thing this year that they did
last year, which is flex their financial might and.

Speaker 10 (52:00):
Bring in someone maybe not of verlanders.

Speaker 6 (52:03):
Historical quality, but I think they will make a very
meaningful upgrade at the deadline this year.

Speaker 4 (52:09):
All right, John Paul soon now fill in the blank
for me here.

Speaker 6 (52:11):
Now.

Speaker 1 (52:11):
Obviously the Mets are going to keep everybody, because hey,
when you're the best team and you have Grimace, everything
is fantastic. But if I said to you the couple
of big names that you say to watch out for
on the block as we get closer to the deadline,
what couple of names are you giving me that are
gonna make people go, wow, these guys could be on
the move. Grimace Gay, Grimaces, Stay, Steve Cohen's gonna buy

(52:35):
Grimace from McDonald's, so we can keep Grimace Frostburg.

Speaker 6 (52:38):
Enough of that, Grimoth Grimace justin he is the definition
of untouchable at the time.

Speaker 10 (52:46):
No chance, no chances he getting moved.

Speaker 6 (52:49):
Uh.

Speaker 10 (52:50):
So here's what I'll say to you.

Speaker 6 (52:51):
I look at the different potentials superstar or star names
out there. I find it interesting Tigers have not ruled
out the possibility of trading Trek Scouble. I don't think
it's going to happen, but we have not heard them
rule it out, So bookmark that possibility. One team that
has struggled of late that I think actually now as

(53:14):
a very marketable player to move would be the Cincinnati
Reds Jonathan India, So I think India could be moved.
The Cubs they certainly look like sellers to me, but
I would say that they are they do not quite
have the same quality of players to move. So I
would say the superstar ace if they're considering, truly considering,

(53:37):
and again they haven't ruled it out, is Terrek Scuble
and my favorite All Star caliber player who I think
the industry has kind of lost track of a little bit.
In the first half of the season. We talked about
him a bunch in the offseason as a trade candidate,
and now he's healthy and playing well. It's Jonathan India
of the Cincinnati Red So keep an eye on Jonathan India.

(53:59):
He He's maybe not the biggest name, but he's the
one that I've been thinking about a lot because I
really believe that he represents the quality middle of the
diamond upgrade. And I would also have to mention this
the Toronto Blue Jays. They won today, but there's still
not anywhere close to being a legitimate contender of the
American League in my estimation. So as long as that's

(54:21):
the case, let's keep an eye out for a possible
bobushett I don't think Vladdy's going anywhere, but I could
see a scenario in which Bobashek gets moved, So stay
tuned to that possibility.

Speaker 4 (54:32):
Woo the big names from John Morosi.

Speaker 1 (54:35):
Check him out on Twitter at John Morosi, that is
at John Rossi MLB Network insider who gives you all
kinds of great stuff when he.

Speaker 4 (54:43):
Appears with us, and he is also a man of
his word. Because I want her mind.

Speaker 1 (54:47):
I want to throw this out to you again because
I think you need to do this because you owe us.

Speaker 4 (54:50):
Last week you were doing it.

Speaker 1 (54:52):
I said you need to wear a purple tie for
Grimace of the game the next day, and you wore
a purple tie during the game and that was awesome.
I know you're doing the Cubs and the Phillies. Can
you wear a purple tie tomorrow?

Speaker 6 (55:06):
So this is a really good question, and it relates
to whatever I've brought in my suitcase.

Speaker 10 (55:13):
And to be honest with you, I.

Speaker 6 (55:16):
Can't tell you what I brought.

Speaker 10 (55:18):
I don't I'm not visically there. I'm at the Wall Park.

Speaker 6 (55:22):
Well, I will contemplate what I'll be able to do
for you, but I'm gonna have to take a close
look at my wardrobe tomorrow morning before I can make
that determination.

Speaker 10 (55:32):
It's a very valid question.

Speaker 6 (55:34):
I will do my best, but I, as they say,
I can only do the best I've got with what
I have to work with.

Speaker 1 (55:41):
John Paul is always buddy, appreciated, my friend. We'll watch
for your tie tomorrow. Have a great time at the park, buddy,
we'll talk to you.

Speaker 6 (55:49):
I appreciate it, my friends all the best and enjoyed
the conversation as always, Thanks so much.