July 9, 2025 • 40 mins
Happy 15th birthday to LeBron's decision. The Giants hit a walk-off inside the park home run to beat the Phillies. And some Caitlin Clark/Angel Reese drama!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
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Speaker 2 (00:22):
Us you're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Disager, Hello, welcome in side hour three The Jason Smith
Show with Steve Di Sager and for Mike Harmon.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Hey, Steve, either what happened to? No Hobo, It's no hobo.
It's Megan, not Hobo. It's not you know saying it's
still not sound Hello, No Hope, no Hobo, No Hobo,
No Hobo, no hobo. See if you're gonna go home,
your wife's gonna go No Hobo. All right, I'm home.
I'm home. I'm home. I'm home.
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Speaker 3 (01:18):
Well big time history.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
Today in the NBA, the Nicks introduced Mike Brown as
their new head coach. Although I will say before we
get to the big anniversary, I like the fact that
he embracing the expectations of yes, we're supposed to win,
We're ready. I'm like, Okay, Greg, Again, it's not always
about what you say at the press conference.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
But a couple of things from today that I liked.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
I like DeAndre Ayton basically saying, hey, listen, if you
don't win, people forget about you in the NBA.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
I understand that.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
And here's you know, Mike Brown not saying anything like, well,
we're gonna see how things go. We're gonna kind of
wait ah, we got I haven't even talked to the
guys yet.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
No.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Right away, it was look, I understand the expectations, understand
where we're at. We have to get some things done. Okay, great,
so I've seen.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
The starting lineup that they have. He also didn't say
anything about biting kneecaps so that's good.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
No, there was nothing there. He's not winning the press conference.
But I mean, I've seen so much anti Mike brownness
in the last few days of oh you know the
Mike Brown looked like it's all settling in the Knicks.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Get Mike Brown.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
I'm like, Okay, Mike Brown was the best of the
choices that were out there.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
I just want to say, who else did you want
them to get? They called everybody else you would want?
Did you still want them at open They wouldn't. They
wouldn't let a interview. What are you gonna do? I mean,
you could only get it without jobs.
Speaker 4 (02:38):
They said no, they you don't have permission to talk
to our coach.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
So Mike Krzyzewski's not walking through that door. Jim Beheim
is not walking through that door. It's not happening.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
I got who did you want? Okay, I understand if
you know that was a former Knicks coach, you were
just quitting there.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Uh Rick Patino is not walking through that door, Like,
I get it that if you're if you're a little
unhappy that, uh you know, I don't know, maybe not
so much with with Mike Bradley. Okay, who did you
want like you gotta hire somebody. Somebody else is out there.
The guy's got the guy. He's got the best pedigree
of anybody out there. He's won championships, he's coaching big markets.
(03:15):
He's done. He checks all the boxes you want. He's
got a good defensive system. He knows and I like
how he said today, Hey, my offensive system is going
to go around the skill set of the players.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Awesome. I mean, I don't know what you want.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
If you don't like it, I get it, But give
me tell me where there's other choice.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
There's no other choice.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
It's kind of like the flip side of the coin
where we talk about the Knicks themselves, where you made
the decision to get rid of this coach and then
whatever your options. It's like they figured out the second
part after they had already done the first part, letting
go and paying off. It's a current coach. Fans therefore
need to think of the second part. And with all teams,
(03:53):
this is not even a Knicks conversation. Fine, get rid
of this guy. Who are you replacing him with. It's
like we're going to see this this fall, no doubt,
multiple teams. Fans are going to say out that quarterback.
They need to replace okay with dot dot dot and tell.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Me again, tell me, tell me who that guy is,
Tell me where they Tell me who's going to walk
through that door?
Speaker 3 (04:13):
Tell me the guy walking through that door. It was fifteen.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
Years ago today, Lebron James walked through a door that
changed basketball as we know it. I didn't think this
was that big of a hot take, but apparently it is.
It's the fifteenth anniversary of the decision where Lebron James
sat down for an hour with Jim Gray and announced
that he was changing teams, leaving the Cavaliers after the
(04:38):
beginning of his career and headed to the Miami Heat.
In case you missed it or you can't remember, which
I'm sure you can, this is what it sounded like
when Lebron made that decision, in the decision fifteen years ago.
The answer to the question everybody wants to know, Lebron,
what's your.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Decision in this fall? Man's very tough, and this fall
will take my talent Salva Beach and I'm joining Miami Heat.
Miami Heat. That was a conclusion you woke up with
this morning.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
That was a.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Conclusion I woke up with this morning.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
I heard half a clap.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Yeah, yeah, Hey, yo, stop clapping. Stop clapping? Wait what
do you mean stop clapping? At the age old question?
What is the sound of one hand clapping?
Speaker 3 (05:18):
I think that was it. I think we just heard
it in the background.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
I like, how nervous Jim Gray got like he didn't, like,
I don't know, did anybody not hear?
Speaker 2 (05:24):
That?
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Is it?
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Miami heat? So Miami heat. We've been waiting sixty minutes
for this. That's it. It's just a sentence. We did
a whole show around this. That's that's it. I got
to ask a follow up. Yeah, there's heat.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Sorry, I didn't have my follow up ready cause I
thought we're going to talk for about a minute or
so and say, hey, it's a tough decision. I really
miss you know, I'm gonna miss Cleveland. I'm gonna do
all this stuff.
Speaker 4 (05:44):
But where's the cat that you're going to put on
to the cheers of the throng in the gym like
the high school recruits.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Do all the hats come? Nope, he's got the Cleveland hat.
Takes it all, throws it away a little three card
monte like in the streets, Like how weird was that
for Jim Gray to say, oh, h, that's decision you
woke up with this morning.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
Yeah, well, at least he came back with something.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
It's not the only awkward moment Jim Gray has had
in that long career.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
No, no, this is true. This is true.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
But look, in the last twenty five years in basketball,
this is the biggest moment that any league, professional college
basketball has had, has been the decision right Championship teams
come and go, great players come and go. We have
finals every year. Many millions of people watch the finals,
(06:29):
watch the playoffs. There's been big games, big performances, big
stories throughout, big signings in free agency, we've had that.
We've never had anything like the decision, nothing like what
we saw, nothing like the attention that surrounded Lebron James
answering one question for an hour. Okay, where where's he
gonna go? Where's he gonna play? The build up to this,
(06:51):
I can I feel for people that were too young
enough or didn't remember, because it was the biggest story
that you could possibly talk about. Right when Lebron was
a free agent four years ago or seven years ago,
when he decided to come to the Lakers. That was
a big thing. It was even bigger in twenty ten
because he took meetings with all the teams that wanted
(07:11):
to woo him. It was a thing just to make
the cut of we're going to Lebron and we're going
to pitch him and his team Maverick, Carter and everyone else.
Where is he going to go?
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Yet another time, the Clippers thought they had a chance.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Yeah, all these teams that had to travel to Lebron
to pitch him. Why you should come to the why
should come to the Knicks? Or why come to THISX?
Why should come to their team? And the Knicks had
a really difficult time. Remember Donnie Nelson was running the
Knicks of the time, and he had like a broken
ankle or something had to be wheeled in on a wheelchair.
And the Knicks pitched Lebron like right after the Nets
(07:46):
pitched Lebron, and I remember the story coming out of
that was Lebron didn't seem to be interested. It was
kind of the same thing, We're going to bring you
here and make you a global superstar, And it didn't
really go as well. But this story, the energy of
this for a good month when we knew Lebron was
gonna was going to become a free agent and make
it and make a new choice for a team, and
(08:08):
he could have gone back to Cleveland. But this, this
story simply took over sports and the night of the decision,
the world stopped. Right like Tiger Woods's press conference coming
back from injury, the world stopped to watch him speak
for the first time. The world stopped to watch Lebron James.
Where is he going to go play? And just everything.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
Not just an announcement during a SportsCenter type show. It
was a full, all its own, one hour sit down
interview show where they finally get to the reason everybody
tuned in. It was a show that ESPN aired but
did not own. Remember they wound up making a lot
of money, a few million for local charities in Connecticut.
(08:51):
But a little context on how big it was the
build up to it. It's a week after free agency
has even started. People have been wondering, day at after
day after day, is Lebron actually going to leave the
hometown team and play for somebody else, one other team
in his NBA career? Is what we thought at the
time this NBA Finals that we just have even with
(09:14):
the huge numbers for Game seven average ten million viewers.
The decision with Lebron that hour averaged ten million viewers
and even more than that when Lebron finally gave what
we heard an actual decision.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
There was no game, There was no dribbling of a basketball.
It was just hit.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
And it was in July when people are on vacation,
answering one question again, answering one.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
It was not a lead into an NBA show like
you know, you would have TNT have the All Star
announcements and then here's the brock.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
It was nothing like that. You know.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Back at the time I was at ESPN, I was
doing all night and I remember that for the two
weeks leading up to the beginning of free agency that
was and the show was four hours, and I remember
all four hours was basically taken up every night, whatever
twists and turns there were with Lebron that day with
Sports Center, yeah, and doing the show, doing all night
(10:06):
on on ESPN, like all night.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
But it would back then, coach Y, if I'm wrong,
Sports Center was not just an hour, and it was
getting better ratings then and it was frankly more the
focus of the sports than sports fan then than it
was now. So the television and rating, the investment for
that company was huge before you finally got an hour
of airtime from that company.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Yeah, who got the okay with being able to pitch Lebron?
We got down very quickly to the final five or
seven teams. The Clippers were in it, the Lakers were
in it, the Knicks were in it. How what were
they going to go? How was the pitch going to be?
What were they going to say? What was actually said?
Was it a PowerPoint presentation where they showed Lebron what
it would be like if you played for our team?
(10:49):
This was what every day was. And nobody had any idea, No,
I mean until he said when he said the heat,
it was Wow, he's really He's really going to the heat.
It's really happened.
Speaker 4 (11:01):
Apparently even Cleveland only found out right before the announcement,
kind of like Kirk Cousins found out, Oh, we're drafting
Pennix right.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
Next to two there. It's the exact same thing.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
And it was an awful day for Lebron in retrospect,
because you see that was the beginning of when Lebron
got really polarized because he was for the first few
years of his career.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Yes, he's a great player. He can't.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
He came into the league a little bit of controversy.
If you remember, coming off the high school. How does
he have a hummer that he's driving around when he's
not supposed to have any money from anybody? How does
he have this? But he comes in the league and
he is universally loved, and he was, hey, can this
one big star? Is he the next Michael Jordan Kenny
Win in a small market?
Speaker 4 (11:44):
It's the hometown story too, for a team that had
been nothing now, I mean in its history, the Calves
had been nothing.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
He was easy to root he was easier to root for.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
But then he makes a decision to leave the Cavaliers,
even non Cavaliers.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
How can you do this?
Speaker 1 (11:59):
How can you leave a team which, yes, you have
been Akron, you know, I'm just a kid from Akron.
And that's when he became the polarizing superstar, and honestly,
his popularity got even bigger. But this story, for him,
it was such a bad It was such a bad
decision to do the decision because you saw how much
more difficult his career has been since then, with much
(12:21):
more criticism, much more scrutiny than he probably wouldn't have
gotten it. He just stayed with the Cavaliers for the
longest time. But it was such an overwhelmingly positive day
for basketball because of what the fans got to experience
with the teams got to exence, but the NBA and
as its whole got to experience, and nothing that we've
seen in the years before it or the years after,
(12:42):
I don't know that anything else comes close. I think
you might have to you might have to go back
to maybe Jordan winning his first championship against the Lakers.
That was the big sea change in the NBA. And
before that, it was probably the Lakers Celtics NBA Finals
of the eighties when the Lakers won two out of three.
Speaker 4 (12:58):
Like you talking about the Lakers on a title at Boston,
nobody had ever won a title at Boston before.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
I mean, you talk.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
About the biggest moments in the NBA, it's probably Jordan winning. Well, obviously,
you know Joorny going on to win, but Jordan winning
is first against the Lakers, which people still thought well
because team.
Speaker 4 (13:14):
Boston Philadelphia, Yeah, and then Detroit and wow, and that's it.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
And now Jordan shows up and does it, and before
that you go to the eighties and before that it's wow. Okay,
so you're on the metal stand of the biggest things
the NBA has seen, like the all three things have
happened within the last fifty years, but there's nothing that
has even come close the Warriors dynasty, forget it, the
Spurs dynasty. No, the Lakers winning back to back to
(13:38):
back in the early two thousands and winning beating the
Celtics and losing to them in back to back finals
in two thousand and eight, two thousand and nine. That's
not even close to the impact that that the decision
had and that Lebron had. This is fifteen years later,
and Lebron is still playing, and he's still the polarizing figure,
and we still talk about this like the decision has
(13:59):
reverbed rated now for the better part of two decades,
and it's never slowing down to change the NBA.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
It changed.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
It changed history of the game into who became powers
and who won. It gave the the athlete the the
ability to say, wait a minute, I can take this
power and do what I want with it. And guys
like Kevin Durant have done that as well and saying, Hey,
I'm empowering myself to make my own make my own
shots and call my own shots here in the NBA,
(14:26):
Like we are seeing not only the ramifications from it,
but you go back to that night and I'm telling you,
the easiest thing to say is time stopped for the
week surrounding this story was Okay, He's going to make
a decision. It's like we're waiting for that to happen,
for everybody's lives to continue. Nothing the end in the NBA,
No NBA Finals Embay story has even come close to it.
Speaker 4 (14:46):
Yeah, it was like Aaron Rodgers holding us hostage times five.
Don't you think that part of the polarization with Lebron
James was the fact that he did go what often
is referred to am talking many a fan was referred.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
To as the easy route because he.
Speaker 4 (15:04):
Went to join two all stars, create that Triumvirent in Miami, and,
as it turned out, go to the NBA Finals all
four years together.
Speaker 1 (15:14):
Yeah, well look and look, because we'll keep talking about
this coming to next, is coming up next, Like there's
been one of the biggest things in the NBA the
last decade was a direct result of what we saw
with Lebron James deciding I'm gonna go to Miami and
play with Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade. Right, I mean,
one of the biggest things we've seen in the NBA
(15:34):
was a direct result of that. So we'll have more
on this coming up next as well as Boy, we
saw history in Major League Baseball tonight as well, but.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
Maybe not history. A team wanted to make.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
All that more Coming up next right here, the decision
turns fifteen Jason Smith, Steve de Sager, Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm STN seven
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 5 (16:07):
Hey, what's up everybody? It's me three time pro bowler
LeVar Arrington and I couldn't be more excited to announce
a podcast called Up on Game?
Speaker 3 (16:15):
What is Up on Game?
Speaker 2 (16:16):
You ask?
Speaker 5 (16:17):
Along with my fellow pro bowler TJ. Hutschman, Zada and
Super Bowl champion Yup. That's right, Plexico Burus. You can
only name a show with that type of talent on it.
Up on Game We're going to be sharing our real
life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen to Up on
Game with me LeVar Arrington, TJ. Hutchman, Zada and Plexico
(16:39):
Burrs on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
get your podcast from.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
Fox Sports Radio. The Jason Smith Show is special delivery.
Steve Desaga in for Mike Harmon. Not a hobo. It's
a non hobo night, non hovo, non hobo night. And
this music this is Metallica. Thank you? There you go.
Did you not know this Metallica?
Speaker 4 (17:04):
No, I'm saying, is this from last weekend that you
were talking about or just in general lives?
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (17:08):
This is? Is this from uh? Is this from the
Aussie concert? Ty Shirt? Maybe not? I'm sorry? Is this
from the Aussie concert? Wait?
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Pending ty shirt says Pending. He's the guy playing the music.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
But I don't know. I canna find him. I just
know it's from Metallica. Very all right, thank you? There
we go.
Speaker 4 (17:31):
Okay, all right, the Phillies are leading three to one
in the bottom of the night.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
Yeah whatever, San Francs, Yeah whatever.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
Yeah, So let's go Giants. So, as we talked about
a few minutes ago, the fifteenth anniversary of the decision
biggest moment basketball has had in twenty five years. And
you know when we talk about the reason why, again,
I didn't think it was a hot take.
Speaker 3 (17:56):
Apparently is awesome.
Speaker 1 (17:59):
Yes, thing bigger the world stopped when Lebron James made
the decision. His career changed. The course of the NBA changed,
But it changed for other reasons that you might not
even think about when you think about fifteen years down the.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
Road of what it did to the NBA.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
Yes, Lebron going changed the course of the NBA because
the Heat wound up going to four straight finals, winning
two of them. Different teams would have gone that, yeah, obviously,
but different from the perspective of Kevin Durant did exactly
what he did, changing the course of NBA history by saying, hmm,
Lebron teamed up with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.
(18:37):
Why because Lebron was sick and tired of hearing about
how he can't win a championship and he was there
in Cleveland for a long time. It didn't look like
he was gonna win and he didn't want to hear this. Ah,
Lebron is overrated because he can't win so I'm gonna
go team up with two terrific all NBA players because
we talked about it at the Olympics and decided, Hey,
what a good idea this would be. So I'm gonna
(18:58):
go gonna check that box on mike career resume. NBA
championship most likely at least one, right. Remember Lebron was
the one saying not one, not two, not three, not four? Right,
So I'm gonna check that off my resume.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
And it worked.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Four finals in a row, two championships, two NBA finals, MVPs.
Why does Kevin Durant go to the Warriors. He was
at the same spot in his career that Lebron was. Hey,
I'm doing great things, MVP. All these things are happening.
But I don't want to sit there and have people say, hey,
great player, but overrated, can't win a championship. I'm going
to Golden State because I'm gonna check that box off.
Speaker 3 (19:32):
And what happened.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
Three NBA finals, two NBA titles, including two NBA finals MVPs.
Probably would have been a third if it didn't blow
out his achilles. So that changed the course of the
NBA history because Kevin Durant said, oh, Lebron did it,
now I'm gonna do it right. How many teams went
and tried to pick up big threes. They still try
to go with big threes because Duran and Brooklyn right
after that, Right, look look at what Lebron and Wade
(19:55):
and Bosh did we need a big three? How many
teams tried to say, Chris Paul is gonna part of
our big three in area all teams CHI, this is
what we need. Now, we need three stars and we'll
fill in the rest of the roster with whatever.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
Else we need.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
And players trying to arrange it themselves and thinking they're
the general manager, which did not always turn out well,
including with Lebron in LA.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
It can be three stars and everybody else can be
Mike Miller and we're gonna go win a championship. Ah,
that's a I mean so many things because of the
decision changed what the NBA has done the last fifteen years,
team strategies, team team movements, and personnel decisions like I
mean it find something else that's been bigger than this,
I don't know. I mean in the history of the game.
(20:37):
Maybe it's Jordan's first championship and the Lakers and Celtics
robbery in the eighties, and and I don't know that
the Lakers Celtics robbery in the eighties begat anything close
to what Lebron's decision has. I don't know that Jordan
winning this first title begat anything else that we've seen
in the in the next few years was basically, oh,
Jordan one and now okay, they won three in a row,
(20:58):
then he retired, and then he came back and they
won three more in Okay, and then he left and
they stopped winning. So it's not like all of a
sudden still, all these things happened, but you can see
the after effect of Lebron and the decision. It may
go back further than the last twenty five years.
Speaker 4 (21:13):
Speaking of winning, the Giants have just hit a three
run homer in the bottom of the night. They walked
off to beat the Phillies four to three against Jordan Romano.
Speaker 3 (21:22):
We cannot call him the closer, astounding.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
You give that title back to Kira Sedgwick. She earned
it well. I made that happen, didn't I I completely
made that do existence. You're welcome Giants fans, sorry Frostburg,
you welcome Giants fans.
Speaker 4 (21:36):
As you were talking Durant, I still think looking back
at it, and this has been I mean, this was
before this decade, right that he was with Golden State.
It's the sad thing for us as just general fans
of basketball is we talk about those Big three in Miami,
including Lebron, had their four years and going to four
straight NBA finals. We didn't get a fourth year from
(21:57):
Kevin Durant in Golden State. You mentioned the major injury
and what that took away from them in that postseason,
but there were only three years on the board, and
then he didn't play for anybody after that. In here, Yeah,
j it missed a year.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
That was really the last time that teams decided to say, Okay,
we're gonna go big three. Right, that was the last
one because okay, here the nets are going to try
to do it, and here's Durant and Kyrie they wanted
to play together, and then it's Simmons and it's hard
to wear.
Speaker 3 (22:25):
But that didn't. That went so poorly.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
They didn't even get to the three of them, didn't
even play fifty games together before they had to make
a trade and Gon. It went so poorly that NBA teams. Okay,
maybe three stars is not the way to go. Maybe
it's a big star and another complimentary big star, and
then it's a bunch of not role players, but people
who fit the system. And what we're trying to do,
right what the Oklahoma City Thunder how they built their
(22:50):
team around SGA and a couple of young stars ascending
stars and chat and Jalen Williams and hey, role players
that are contributing, like Lou Dort who's an All NBA
defensive player and Hartenstein signing him in free agency. Like
you see how teams are building now, the nick saying, okay, yeah,
we're not gonna go for three superstars, but hey, Jalen
Brunson and then a one A star in Karl Anthony Towns.
(23:11):
This is how we're doing it. The Celtics Jason Tatum
and a one A star in Jalen Brown not got
them a championship. This is now how teams went because
that the Kevin Duranting went so poorly in Brooklyn, it was,
oh my goodness, they could even get on the map.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
All right, let's not do that anymore.
Speaker 4 (23:25):
Part of the aftermath, though, of the decision of Lebron specifically,
is not just that Miami succeeded for four straight years
with the Big Three, it's the aftermath in Cleveland. And
I never would have guessed that a Lebron would consider
going back to Cleveland, or that Cleveland fans would re
engage with him and that ownership would have him back,
(23:47):
or there's chance for another title, or any of these
things in Cleveland Cavs history.
Speaker 6 (23:52):
No.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
I mean you would say after the door was shut
that night and thought that it was there burning his
jersey and stuff, and it's like, okay, you're never his
picture off the wall that had mirror that had been
painted on the sides of buildings. This is why you
never say never, because clearly, okay, it became okay for
him to go back because the Cavaliers saw that, okay, boy,
our existence without Lebron is really not great. Remember Dan
(24:14):
Gilbert and he said, oh, well win the title before
Lebron wins one.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
Yeah, good luck.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
Yeah, and then it was oh, okay, you want to
come back now, and cooler heads have prevailed and now
got never would have thought that could have again. It's
why you never say never, because he went he went
back to Cleveland, and you know. The funny thing is
when he went back to Cleveland. We were doing the
show here Harmon and I and I vividly remember that
Savannah James put out a message on social media when
(24:42):
they hit the off season, right when he was was
with Miami, and then you know, his decision was gonna
come up, and as well, he's really gonna leave Miami.
This went to four finals and all this kind of stuff,
and she put out a h a social media post
with a picture of Akron and it says the countdown
is real. And then it was up for maybe an
hour or two, a couple of hours, and then it
(25:03):
got taken down. And I remember that night looking at
Harmon on the shod. We talked and I said, he's
going back to Cleveland. This is not one of those
ends of the season. Hey, I'm excited because we're going
back home for the summer. Pretty sure Savannah James could
get up any kind of flight back off whenever she wanted, right.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
Although I hear that Lebron James does train at the
Cavs facility, yea.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
Again not than that.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
Well again, Lebron never does anything that's not calculated, which
is why.
Speaker 3 (25:30):
Since he was a teenager. He's opened the door to
going back.
Speaker 1 (25:33):
And I really thought today we were gonna get fifteenth
anniversary of the decision party. And went to bed last
night and I said, sure, he's gonna say today, I
want out. I want to get traded back to Cleveland. Lakers,
make it happen. I really thought there was gonna happen.
Too much money.
Speaker 4 (25:45):
It's just I don't see how that. I don't see
how he's not a Laker the coming season. He just
everybody's been painted into the corner and this is just
how it's gonna be.
Speaker 3 (25:55):
And I don't see him giving up. He does the
bulk of that money. He Oh no, he's not gonna
give it. The money.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
He does like being a spare part. And this is
why the Lakers are daring him to ask for a trade,
because they know we're building around Luca. They wanted Luca
to lose weight, and Luca's getting in shrap to Miami.
Speaker 4 (26:10):
He technically still Dwayne Wade's team in Riley's eyes.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
And talked to Lebron for.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
And then Lebron and they were like, yeah, it's gonna
be both of our teams, and Bosh is gonna be
the third guy, and Bosh was okay with because you
know it's Chris Bosh. But then after like the first year,
was oh, hey, no, this is Lebron's team and Wade
is the number two guy. Rather to be a number
two when you were the number one guy. You won
a title there already because he won.
Speaker 4 (26:31):
With shot and he won it. I mean, he willed
them to victory in that postseason.
Speaker 1 (26:37):
Yeah, do you talk about getting to the free throw
line and getting foul calls?
Speaker 3 (26:40):
That was Dwayne Wade. They could have been out quickly
in that finals. Man, this is this is the first
time against.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
Dallas, but that's when they were down two zip and
they came back and went almost zip. Yes, but this
was like going back to think about the different stops
for Lebron. He's always been someone that's wanted to be
in control of everything. He's not in control with the
Lakers anymore. Right he was in control, he had the decision,
he was in control going to the Lakers. Now he's
(27:05):
not anymore. And that's why this is We're never We've
never been as close to a Lebron trade as we
are right now. Where I really thought fifteenth anniversary of
the decision, he's gonna own it and say yep, okay,
or poetic there'd be some kind of story like Shams
would have the story that would be, hey, Lebron has
asked for a trade back to Cleveland and both sides
are gonna make it happen like that would have been
(27:26):
absolute poetry to have that today. And really, when I
went to bed last night, I'm laying in bed saying
to myself, Okay, what are the odds I'm gonna wake
up in the morning, and that's gonna be a big thing,
and then Shams will have it. It will be the
biggest of scoop since since Lebron the decision. What are
the odds that's gonna happen? I really thought the more time,
and I convinced myself a lot of things as I'm
(27:46):
trying to fall asleep, like, oh, I go from that
would be cool, though, this is gonna happen. I'm wanna
wake up in the morning. This is absolutely gonna happen.
I really thought there was a big chance of that.
Speaker 4 (27:53):
Well, it's one of those on paper logical things, just
like it's on paper logical that le Bron James ends
his long and glorious career where it started.
Speaker 3 (28:04):
That's that's kind of how it should happens, the only
place that can happen, and because he would be going
to a great team.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
Yeah, he could retire here because clearly he's built his
off the court life here in his production l and movies.
He could do it here. There's only two places he
could do it here. He could do it in Cleveland
if he thought for sure he could win with the
Knicks or somewhere else. Yeah, because he's always had the
itch to play in Madison Square.
Speaker 4 (28:28):
But that would be chasing. Everybody would forgive. Oh, Cleveland,
that's perfect.
Speaker 3 (28:32):
Yeah, finish that way.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
Because even if the thing is if he goes to
New York, he goes anywhere else and he loses, it
would be Ah, look how embarrassing. Lebron doesn't want that optic.
If he goes back to Cleveland and they don't win,
it doesn't matter. He's just a kid from Akron going.
Speaker 3 (28:45):
Already broke the curse for the whole sity. That's what
it is.
Speaker 1 (28:48):
I won my title the chase down block and Kyrie,
I've already done that. If it doesn't end with a championship,
it still ends positively for me. That's the only place
he can go in a clear They'll go go home again.
It'll work, It'll absolutely work.
Speaker 4 (29:03):
And Lebron was leading the league in minutes when he
was at Cleveland. When he was at Cleveland, the want
to to say the least was there, And I now
will restate this. I never saw a him leaving Cleveland,
b finishing with Miami after four years, and see getting
another four years in Cleveland and the title. Yeah, you know,
(29:23):
you could have all the money you had in your pocket.
You would have wagered on that and you would have lost.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
It's like wagering all kinds of money on a Rockies loss.
That would happen. You would make a lot of cash,
although it would be a little bit at a time.
Steve de Sager has more on that story and with
what's trending in the wide world of sports. How about
that walk off home run for the Giants Stevo.
Speaker 4 (29:44):
Everything is final in Major League Baseball tonight, and yes,
the Giants.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
Have beaten the Phillies four to three.
Speaker 4 (29:50):
Is the final three run homer in the bottom of
the ninth and the A's at home did win ten
to one over Atlanta, which has.
Speaker 3 (29:57):
Lost five straight.
Speaker 4 (29:58):
Ronald Acunya, the Braves scratched from the lineup tonight with
a bad back. The A's led nine to nothing in
the second inning. They hit four early home runs, including
a leadoff inside the park homer from Lawrence Butler. The
one big negative as All Star shortstop Jacob Wilson, starting
All Star shortstop next week, left in the first inning,
hit by a pitch on the hand.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
They call it a bruise. By the way.
Speaker 4 (30:20):
The Pirates O'Neil Cruz will be in next week's home
run Derby. He homer tonight at Kansas City, his sixteenth,
but the Pirates, like the Braves, have lost five in
a row. Kansas City beat him four to three with
the run in the bottom of the ninth. The Dodgers
have also lost five in a row. Lost three to
one at Milwaukee show Hey Otani with a leadoff homer,
his thirty first of the year leads the National League
(30:42):
in homers. But then winning pitcher Jacob Missowski continues his
greatness his first year. Over the next six innings, he
struck out twelve and got the victory San Francisco with
the home run to beat the Phils four to three,
and the Padres got a seventh inning homer to win
one nothing against Arizona. There was a stat I saw
that there had been just as many one nothing games
(31:05):
so far in Major League Baseball this year as there
were all of last year. And then Tonight's Padre won
nothing final that cinches it. Already more won nothing finals,
thirty nine of them this year than we had all
last season in the majors.
Speaker 1 (31:22):
Now, I guess a seconds because I just went back
while you were doing this to watch the walk off
home run for the Giants, because it happened while we
were doing the show. It was an inside the park
walk off home run. It hit off that it hit
off the It hit off the top of the walls
in San Francisco, and it shot all the way into
the left field corner and it was an inside the
park home run.
Speaker 3 (31:42):
I think we have it. This game is time failies
on the moon, faies on the mode.
Speaker 4 (32:07):
Somewhere in the midst of that is Giant's TV, I assume,
because that's the number nine hitter who usually doesn't hit.
But Patrick Bailey with the game winning three run homer,
and that brings his batting average up to one ninety four.
Texas won thirteen to one at the Angels. Cleveland won
on a tenth inning grand slam at Houston against All
Star closer Josh Hayter, ten to six. Jose ramire Is
(32:29):
a two run homer in the first. This is a
Guardians team that had lost ten straight until Monday's game.
They scored more runs at Houston in these two days
than they scored that entire ten game losing streak that
just broke. The Mets won in a comeback, a thriller
in ten innings at Baltimore, seven to six. There's about
an hour rain delay at the start. The Mets eventually
get the w to stay a game two well to
(32:52):
tie the Phillies. I should say for first place in
the NL East, because they got four runs in the
eighth to tie this game on two homers Andjon Soto
of the Mets with the go ahead single.
Speaker 3 (33:02):
He had three hits.
Speaker 4 (33:03):
Saint Louis had a rain delay of over two hours
at the start and eventually beat Washington four to two. Wow,
it was Minnesota eight to one over the Cubs. Toronto
won its tenth straight game six to one at the
White Sox. Mercifully, they called it due to rain in
the seventh inning. Blue Jays are first in the Ale,
still three and a half games over the Yankees, who
won ten to three against Seattle Gencarlo Stantona three run
(33:26):
homer Aaron Judge his thirty fourth of the year. By
the way, the Yankees moved Jazz Chisholm back to second base.
There was a rain delay in this game. In the
fifth in New York, it was one nothing. In the sixth,
ten to three Yankees. The final, Detroit won its fifth
straight game. It was four to two over Tampa Bay,
and Boston won its fifth straight. More in a moment,
Miami won twelve to two at Cincinnati. That Boston win
(33:48):
was ten to two against Colorado. The losing pitcher, Kyle Freelan,
is one in ten. Trevor story X of the Rocks
homer four RBIs at Fenway, Brian Bayo the winning pitcher
through a complete game with ten stars breakouts, and we're
not yet to the All Star break. And the Colorado
Rockies record is twenty one and seventy one.
Speaker 1 (34:07):
Back to you, Yeah, not kind of the record they
want to set by the time the Midsummer Classic starts.
Speaker 4 (34:13):
This is astounding that you can be getting fifty games
under five hundred.
Speaker 1 (34:17):
They're on pace to Blues one hundred and twenty five,
not two hundred and twenty two. Not they're gonna get
to one twenty one to White Sox that go see you,
They're gonna dust you.
Speaker 3 (34:24):
Like so long.
Speaker 4 (34:25):
It was the Expansion Mets of nineteen sixty two, one
hundred and twenty losses in a season, and then Harmon's
White Sox says, oh, hold my beer. They wrote that
last year. Somebody's even worse this year.
Speaker 1 (34:36):
It's astounding exit out about a fresco Jason Smith, Steve
de seger in for Mike Harmon coming up next. Well,
it's been a year since another big decision was made,
this one in the NFL, and I guarantee you this
quarterback would do that decision over again.
Speaker 3 (34:52):
That's next Fox Jason Simatalka.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific.
Speaker 1 (35:08):
Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with Steve de
seger in for Mike Harmon. Not a hobo, Yeah, we'll
play that Giant's walk off three run inside the Park
home run coming up in.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
A few minutes.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
But you know, with the fifteenth anniversary of the decision
Lebron James going on today, it is about the first anniversary.
You have the Kirk Cousins decision, which got a lot
of attention today as Quarterback is back for Netflix and
it's gonna continue to follow Kirk Cousins because the first
season went so well, because wow, Kirk Cousins is or
(35:42):
not is a.
Speaker 3 (35:43):
Little well, it went well for us watching Kirk Cousins as.
Speaker 1 (35:46):
Wow, he's a little weird, but seems to be pretty
down to earth. He's got a room under the stairs
where he keeps his trophies like Harry Potter.
Speaker 4 (35:54):
Okay, oh wait a minute, at least no humans are
in the room under no no.
Speaker 3 (35:59):
He's like no, I like Sunday, no post on Sunday.
Speaker 1 (36:03):
So Cousins addresses in the beginning of Quarterback, which is
debuting in the trailers and you've seen stuff that's coming out,
addressed the big decision in the offseason which has seen
him lose his job as Falcons starting quarterback because the
Falcons went and drafted Michael Pennix Junior early in the
first round last year. And for the first time, Cousins
(36:26):
talks about this and feels that the Falcons weren't quite
as upfront with him as they could have been when
they told them about their strategy.
Speaker 6 (36:34):
I wasn't expecting us to take a quarterback was so high.
At the time, it felt like I had been a
little bit misled, or certainly if I had the information
around Vegacy, it certainly would have affected my decision. I
had no reason to leave Minnesota with how much we
loved it there if both teams are going to be
drafting a quarterback high. But I've also learned in twelve
(36:55):
years in this league that if you're not entitled anything,
it's all about being able to earn your spot.
Speaker 2 (37:00):
Can prove yourself.
Speaker 1 (37:02):
Now, Ziah, that's a great thing to say, I go.
Maybe they did were in his upfront with him. Maybe
they didn't think they were going to draft a quarterback
as high when Pennix was there, they decided to pull
the trigger on it. A better statement for Cousins would
have been, I didn't think we'd be this stupid. I
really I didn't think the Falcons would be this stupid
because what they did was super Falcon, you know, yeah,
(37:22):
but what they did was still well, again, why not.
He's not gonna play. He's only there because he won't
take it. He won't take any sort of of of
of lesser money or some kind of situation march where
that will make it easy for the Falcons to move
on from him. Because what the Falcons did was stupid.
It was stupid on draft night, we said it. It
was stupid. Three months later, it was stupid six months later,
(37:44):
and it's stupid now. Nobody goes in the off season,
gives a quarterback four years and one hundred and eighty
million dollars and then drafts a quarterback at the top
of the first round. Nobody does that. Not the Jets
on their worst day, not the Raiders on any day,
because the Raiders clearly could do it, Not the.
Speaker 3 (38:03):
Lines when they didn't know what was going on.
Speaker 1 (38:05):
Even if the Mets were playing football, they wouldn't do that.
Nobody does that. They went out and got their quarterback. Great,
you don't go draft a quarterback in the first round
that you know is going to play. You don't go
sign a guy for year one hundred and eighty million
dollars and turn him into a bridge quarterback because at
some point you knew Michael Pennick Junior was gonna play,
and all the pundits and the experts who said idiotic
(38:27):
things like everybody who says that Michael Pennock Junior is
gonna play this year don't know what they're talking about.
This job as Kirk Cousins for this season.
Speaker 3 (38:34):
We leave right away. We knew right away.
Speaker 1 (38:36):
I feel like Ron Howard rested development. They were not
right about that. You knew he was gonna play because
high first round picks always play, they always play. And
Cousins got hurt, was ineffective, lost his job, and now
the Falcons are stuck. They're stuck because if a backup
quarterback that they owe one hundred and twenty million dollars
to the next three years, that boy, you can sit
here and say, well, at least they have the position.
(38:59):
Taking care of Cousins is okay being there? You have
a quarterback under a rookie deal you could have taken.
It will be nice to have that thirty million dollars
a year the next three years to be able to
go out and pay and get better players to show
up whatever positions you want to shore up, right whatever
you want to go in free agency. Be nice to
have that money. Signing Kirk Cousins whether it worked out
or not, good move. Right drafting Michael Pennix junior, whether
(39:21):
it works out or not, good move. You think he
could be a star doing one of those two things.
Speaker 3 (39:26):
Teams do.
Speaker 1 (39:27):
Nobody ever does both of those things. That's why it
was stupid, then stupid a few months ago, stupid now.
Speaker 4 (39:33):
High first round picks more these days get to play,
kind of like how baseball draft choices come up from
the miners sooner or sooner and sooner. Because remember when
Carson Palmer Heisman Trophy when it was drafted, they put
it into his contract. Okay, you're not going to play,
so don't bad mouth, and that's part of our business deal.
And then you'll be taking over in Cincinnati. It's a
(39:53):
little different these days, I will say. Historically, Steve Young
and Joe Montana were both together on the same San
Francisco forty nine ers team for four or five years.
The difference is even though Young had been highly thought
of coming out of college, Remember the USFL existed first,
and he played for the LA team on a huge
contract that I'm sure he never collected on for a
(40:15):
couple of years. I mean, by the time the league
folded the La Express, we're playing at the local junior
college not far from here, not at the coliseum. But
then he was a losing quarterback for his first couple
of seasons with Tampa Bay and then Montana's backup.
Speaker 3 (40:30):
This is not quite the same. That's also thirty years ago.
I mean, like I say, three years exactly.
Speaker 1 (40:35):
I think it's have changed with the NFL and the
Falcon I mean, I really the Falcons, Like that's like
what you do in the fantasy when you panic and
go oh. I took my second quarterback way too early
because he was there. I didn't Jalen Hurts was there,
so I took him and said, why are you taking
Jalen Hurts. You already have Josh Allen. You're never gonna
play Jalen Hurts. Oh, but this is how the Falcons
did it again. Stupid then stupid. Now coming up next
that big inside the park, walk off and we'll pull
(40:57):
the curtain back on the
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 Fox Sports
Radio dot com, or stream us live every night on
the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR ever give.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Us you're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Disager, Hello, welcome in side hour three The Jason Smith
Show with Steve Di Sager and for Mike Harmon.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Hey, Steve, either what happened to? No Hobo, It's no hobo.
It's Megan, not Hobo. It's not you know saying it's
still not sound Hello, No Hope, no Hobo, No Hobo,
No Hobo, no hobo. See if you're gonna go home,
your wife's gonna go No Hobo. All right, I'm home.
I'm home. I'm home. I'm home.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Right after our show the podcast goes up. You miss
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Just search Jason Smith and Mike Harmon wherever you get
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podcast rated five stars again, just search Jason Smith and
Mike Harmon wherever you get your podcasts, you'll find today's
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get off the air.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
Well big time history.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
Today in the NBA, the Nicks introduced Mike Brown as
their new head coach. Although I will say before we
get to the big anniversary, I like the fact that
he embracing the expectations of yes, we're supposed to win,
We're ready. I'm like, Okay, Greg, Again, it's not always
about what you say at the press conference.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
But a couple of things from today that I liked.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
I like DeAndre Ayton basically saying, hey, listen, if you
don't win, people forget about you in the NBA.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
I understand that.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
And here's you know, Mike Brown not saying anything like, well,
we're gonna see how things go. We're gonna kind of
wait ah, we got I haven't even talked to the
guys yet.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
No.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Right away, it was look, I understand the expectations, understand
where we're at. We have to get some things done. Okay, great,
so I've seen.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
The starting lineup that they have. He also didn't say
anything about biting kneecaps so that's good.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
No, there was nothing there. He's not winning the press conference.
But I mean, I've seen so much anti Mike brownness
in the last few days of oh you know the
Mike Brown looked like it's all settling in the Knicks.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Get Mike Brown.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
I'm like, Okay, Mike Brown was the best of the
choices that were out there.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
I just want to say, who else did you want
them to get? They called everybody else you would want?
Did you still want them at open They wouldn't. They
wouldn't let a interview. What are you gonna do? I mean,
you could only get it without jobs.
Speaker 4 (02:38):
They said no, they you don't have permission to talk
to our coach.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
So Mike Krzyzewski's not walking through that door. Jim Beheim
is not walking through that door. It's not happening.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
I got who did you want? Okay, I understand if
you know that was a former Knicks coach, you were
just quitting there.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Uh Rick Patino is not walking through that door, Like,
I get it that if you're if you're a little
unhappy that, uh you know, I don't know, maybe not
so much with with Mike Bradley. Okay, who did you
want like you gotta hire somebody. Somebody else is out there.
The guy's got the guy. He's got the best pedigree
of anybody out there. He's won championships, he's coaching big markets.
(03:15):
He's done. He checks all the boxes you want. He's
got a good defensive system. He knows and I like
how he said today, Hey, my offensive system is going
to go around the skill set of the players.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Awesome. I mean, I don't know what you want.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
If you don't like it, I get it, But give
me tell me where there's other choice.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
There's no other choice.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
It's kind of like the flip side of the coin
where we talk about the Knicks themselves, where you made
the decision to get rid of this coach and then
whatever your options. It's like they figured out the second
part after they had already done the first part, letting
go and paying off. It's a current coach. Fans therefore
need to think of the second part. And with all teams,
(03:53):
this is not even a Knicks conversation. Fine, get rid
of this guy. Who are you replacing him with. It's
like we're going to see this this fall, no doubt,
multiple teams. Fans are going to say out that quarterback.
They need to replace okay with dot dot dot and tell.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Me again, tell me, tell me who that guy is,
Tell me where they Tell me who's going to walk
through that door?
Speaker 3 (04:13):
Tell me the guy walking through that door. It was fifteen.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
Years ago today, Lebron James walked through a door that
changed basketball as we know it. I didn't think this
was that big of a hot take, but apparently it is.
It's the fifteenth anniversary of the decision where Lebron James
sat down for an hour with Jim Gray and announced
that he was changing teams, leaving the Cavaliers after the
(04:38):
beginning of his career and headed to the Miami Heat.
In case you missed it or you can't remember, which
I'm sure you can, this is what it sounded like
when Lebron made that decision, in the decision fifteen years ago.
The answer to the question everybody wants to know, Lebron,
what's your.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Decision in this fall? Man's very tough, and this fall
will take my talent Salva Beach and I'm joining Miami Heat.
Miami Heat. That was a conclusion you woke up with
this morning.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
That was a.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Conclusion I woke up with this morning.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
I heard half a clap.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Yeah, yeah, Hey, yo, stop clapping. Stop clapping? Wait what
do you mean stop clapping? At the age old question?
What is the sound of one hand clapping?
Speaker 3 (05:18):
I think that was it. I think we just heard
it in the background.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
I like, how nervous Jim Gray got like he didn't, like,
I don't know, did anybody not hear?
Speaker 2 (05:24):
That?
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Is it?
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Miami heat? So Miami heat. We've been waiting sixty minutes
for this. That's it. It's just a sentence. We did
a whole show around this. That's that's it. I got
to ask a follow up. Yeah, there's heat.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Sorry, I didn't have my follow up ready cause I
thought we're going to talk for about a minute or
so and say, hey, it's a tough decision. I really
miss you know, I'm gonna miss Cleveland. I'm gonna do
all this stuff.
Speaker 4 (05:44):
But where's the cat that you're going to put on
to the cheers of the throng in the gym like
the high school recruits.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Do all the hats come? Nope, he's got the Cleveland hat.
Takes it all, throws it away a little three card
monte like in the streets, Like how weird was that
for Jim Gray to say, oh, h, that's decision you
woke up with this morning.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
Yeah, well, at least he came back with something.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
It's not the only awkward moment Jim Gray has had
in that long career.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
No, no, this is true. This is true.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
But look, in the last twenty five years in basketball,
this is the biggest moment that any league, professional college
basketball has had, has been the decision right Championship teams
come and go, great players come and go. We have
finals every year. Many millions of people watch the finals,
(06:29):
watch the playoffs. There's been big games, big performances, big
stories throughout, big signings in free agency, we've had that.
We've never had anything like the decision, nothing like what
we saw, nothing like the attention that surrounded Lebron James
answering one question for an hour. Okay, where where's he
gonna go? Where's he gonna play? The build up to this,
(06:51):
I can I feel for people that were too young
enough or didn't remember, because it was the biggest story
that you could possibly talk about. Right when Lebron was
a free agent four years ago or seven years ago,
when he decided to come to the Lakers. That was
a big thing. It was even bigger in twenty ten
because he took meetings with all the teams that wanted
(07:11):
to woo him. It was a thing just to make
the cut of we're going to Lebron and we're going
to pitch him and his team Maverick, Carter and everyone else.
Where is he going to go?
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Yet another time, the Clippers thought they had a chance.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Yeah, all these teams that had to travel to Lebron
to pitch him. Why you should come to the why
should come to the Knicks? Or why come to THISX?
Why should come to their team? And the Knicks had
a really difficult time. Remember Donnie Nelson was running the
Knicks of the time, and he had like a broken
ankle or something had to be wheeled in on a wheelchair.
And the Knicks pitched Lebron like right after the Nets
(07:46):
pitched Lebron, and I remember the story coming out of
that was Lebron didn't seem to be interested. It was
kind of the same thing, We're going to bring you
here and make you a global superstar, And it didn't
really go as well. But this story, the energy of
this for a good month when we knew Lebron was
gonna was going to become a free agent and make
it and make a new choice for a team, and
(08:08):
he could have gone back to Cleveland. But this, this
story simply took over sports and the night of the decision,
the world stopped. Right like Tiger Woods's press conference coming
back from injury, the world stopped to watch him speak
for the first time. The world stopped to watch Lebron James.
Where is he going to go play? And just everything.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
Not just an announcement during a SportsCenter type show. It
was a full, all its own, one hour sit down
interview show where they finally get to the reason everybody
tuned in. It was a show that ESPN aired but
did not own. Remember they wound up making a lot
of money, a few million for local charities in Connecticut.
(08:51):
But a little context on how big it was the
build up to it. It's a week after free agency
has even started. People have been wondering, day at after
day after day, is Lebron actually going to leave the
hometown team and play for somebody else, one other team
in his NBA career? Is what we thought at the
time this NBA Finals that we just have even with
(09:14):
the huge numbers for Game seven average ten million viewers.
The decision with Lebron that hour averaged ten million viewers
and even more than that when Lebron finally gave what
we heard an actual decision.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
There was no game, There was no dribbling of a basketball.
It was just hit.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
And it was in July when people are on vacation,
answering one question again, answering one.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
It was not a lead into an NBA show like
you know, you would have TNT have the All Star
announcements and then here's the brock.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
It was nothing like that. You know.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Back at the time I was at ESPN, I was
doing all night and I remember that for the two
weeks leading up to the beginning of free agency that
was and the show was four hours, and I remember
all four hours was basically taken up every night, whatever
twists and turns there were with Lebron that day with
Sports Center, yeah, and doing the show, doing all night
(10:06):
on on ESPN, like all night.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
But it would back then, coach Y, if I'm wrong,
Sports Center was not just an hour, and it was
getting better ratings then and it was frankly more the
focus of the sports than sports fan then than it
was now. So the television and rating, the investment for
that company was huge before you finally got an hour
of airtime from that company.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Yeah, who got the okay with being able to pitch Lebron?
We got down very quickly to the final five or
seven teams. The Clippers were in it, the Lakers were
in it, the Knicks were in it. How what were
they going to go? How was the pitch going to be?
What were they going to say? What was actually said?
Was it a PowerPoint presentation where they showed Lebron what
it would be like if you played for our team?
(10:49):
This was what every day was. And nobody had any idea, No,
I mean until he said when he said the heat,
it was Wow, he's really He's really going to the heat.
It's really happened.
Speaker 4 (11:01):
Apparently even Cleveland only found out right before the announcement,
kind of like Kirk Cousins found out, Oh, we're drafting
Pennix right.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
Next to two there. It's the exact same thing.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
And it was an awful day for Lebron in retrospect,
because you see that was the beginning of when Lebron
got really polarized because he was for the first few
years of his career.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Yes, he's a great player. He can't.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
He came into the league a little bit of controversy.
If you remember, coming off the high school. How does
he have a hummer that he's driving around when he's
not supposed to have any money from anybody? How does
he have this? But he comes in the league and
he is universally loved, and he was, hey, can this
one big star? Is he the next Michael Jordan Kenny
Win in a small market?
Speaker 4 (11:44):
It's the hometown story too, for a team that had
been nothing now, I mean in its history, the Calves
had been nothing.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
He was easy to root he was easier to root for.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
But then he makes a decision to leave the Cavaliers,
even non Cavaliers.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
How can you do this?
Speaker 1 (11:59):
How can you leave a team which, yes, you have
been Akron, you know, I'm just a kid from Akron.
And that's when he became the polarizing superstar, and honestly,
his popularity got even bigger. But this story, for him,
it was such a bad It was such a bad
decision to do the decision because you saw how much
more difficult his career has been since then, with much
(12:21):
more criticism, much more scrutiny than he probably wouldn't have
gotten it. He just stayed with the Cavaliers for the
longest time. But it was such an overwhelmingly positive day
for basketball because of what the fans got to experience
with the teams got to exence, but the NBA and
as its whole got to experience, and nothing that we've
seen in the years before it or the years after,
(12:42):
I don't know that anything else comes close. I think
you might have to you might have to go back
to maybe Jordan winning his first championship against the Lakers.
That was the big sea change in the NBA. And
before that, it was probably the Lakers Celtics NBA Finals
of the eighties when the Lakers won two out of three.
Speaker 4 (12:58):
Like you talking about the Lakers on a title at Boston,
nobody had ever won a title at Boston before.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
I mean, you talk.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
About the biggest moments in the NBA, it's probably Jordan winning. Well, obviously,
you know Joorny going on to win, but Jordan winning
is first against the Lakers, which people still thought well
because team.
Speaker 4 (13:14):
Boston Philadelphia, Yeah, and then Detroit and wow, and that's it.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
And now Jordan shows up and does it, and before
that you go to the eighties and before that it's wow. Okay,
so you're on the metal stand of the biggest things
the NBA has seen, like the all three things have
happened within the last fifty years, but there's nothing that
has even come close the Warriors dynasty, forget it, the
Spurs dynasty. No, the Lakers winning back to back to
(13:38):
back in the early two thousands and winning beating the
Celtics and losing to them in back to back finals
in two thousand and eight, two thousand and nine. That's
not even close to the impact that that the decision
had and that Lebron had. This is fifteen years later,
and Lebron is still playing, and he's still the polarizing figure,
and we still talk about this like the decision has
(13:59):
reverbed rated now for the better part of two decades,
and it's never slowing down to change the NBA.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
It changed.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
It changed history of the game into who became powers
and who won. It gave the the athlete the the
ability to say, wait a minute, I can take this
power and do what I want with it. And guys
like Kevin Durant have done that as well and saying, Hey,
I'm empowering myself to make my own make my own
shots and call my own shots here in the NBA,
(14:26):
Like we are seeing not only the ramifications from it,
but you go back to that night and I'm telling you,
the easiest thing to say is time stopped for the
week surrounding this story was Okay, He's going to make
a decision. It's like we're waiting for that to happen,
for everybody's lives to continue. Nothing the end in the NBA,
No NBA Finals Embay story has even come close to it.
Speaker 4 (14:46):
Yeah, it was like Aaron Rodgers holding us hostage times five.
Don't you think that part of the polarization with Lebron
James was the fact that he did go what often
is referred to am talking many a fan was referred.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
To as the easy route because he.
Speaker 4 (15:04):
Went to join two all stars, create that Triumvirent in Miami, and,
as it turned out, go to the NBA Finals all
four years together.
Speaker 1 (15:14):
Yeah, well look and look, because we'll keep talking about
this coming to next, is coming up next, Like there's
been one of the biggest things in the NBA the
last decade was a direct result of what we saw
with Lebron James deciding I'm gonna go to Miami and
play with Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade. Right, I mean,
one of the biggest things we've seen in the NBA
(15:34):
was a direct result of that. So we'll have more
on this coming up next as well as Boy, we
saw history in Major League Baseball tonight as well, but.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
Maybe not history. A team wanted to make.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
All that more Coming up next right here, the decision
turns fifteen Jason Smith, Steve de Sager, Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm STN seven
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 5 (16:07):
Hey, what's up everybody? It's me three time pro bowler
LeVar Arrington and I couldn't be more excited to announce
a podcast called Up on Game?
Speaker 3 (16:15):
What is Up on Game?
Speaker 2 (16:16):
You ask?
Speaker 5 (16:17):
Along with my fellow pro bowler TJ. Hutschman, Zada and
Super Bowl champion Yup. That's right, Plexico Burus. You can
only name a show with that type of talent on it.
Up on Game We're going to be sharing our real
life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen to Up on
Game with me LeVar Arrington, TJ. Hutchman, Zada and Plexico
(16:39):
Burrs on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
get your podcast from.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
Fox Sports Radio. The Jason Smith Show is special delivery.
Steve Desaga in for Mike Harmon. Not a hobo. It's
a non hobo night, non hovo, non hobo night. And
this music this is Metallica. Thank you? There you go.
Did you not know this Metallica?
Speaker 4 (17:04):
No, I'm saying, is this from last weekend that you
were talking about or just in general lives?
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (17:08):
This is? Is this from uh? Is this from the
Aussie concert? Ty Shirt? Maybe not? I'm sorry? Is this
from the Aussie concert? Wait?
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Pending ty shirt says Pending. He's the guy playing the music.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
But I don't know. I canna find him. I just
know it's from Metallica. Very all right, thank you? There
we go.
Speaker 4 (17:31):
Okay, all right, the Phillies are leading three to one
in the bottom of the night.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
Yeah whatever, San Francs, Yeah whatever.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
Yeah, So let's go Giants. So, as we talked about
a few minutes ago, the fifteenth anniversary of the decision
biggest moment basketball has had in twenty five years. And
you know when we talk about the reason why, again,
I didn't think it was a hot take.
Speaker 3 (17:56):
Apparently is awesome.
Speaker 1 (17:59):
Yes, thing bigger the world stopped when Lebron James made
the decision. His career changed. The course of the NBA changed,
But it changed for other reasons that you might not
even think about when you think about fifteen years down the.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
Road of what it did to the NBA.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
Yes, Lebron going changed the course of the NBA because
the Heat wound up going to four straight finals, winning
two of them. Different teams would have gone that, yeah, obviously,
but different from the perspective of Kevin Durant did exactly
what he did, changing the course of NBA history by saying, hmm,
Lebron teamed up with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.
(18:37):
Why because Lebron was sick and tired of hearing about
how he can't win a championship and he was there
in Cleveland for a long time. It didn't look like
he was gonna win and he didn't want to hear this. Ah,
Lebron is overrated because he can't win so I'm gonna
go team up with two terrific all NBA players because
we talked about it at the Olympics and decided, Hey,
what a good idea this would be. So I'm gonna
(18:58):
go gonna check that box on mike career resume. NBA
championship most likely at least one, right. Remember Lebron was
the one saying not one, not two, not three, not four? Right,
So I'm gonna check that off my resume.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
And it worked.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Four finals in a row, two championships, two NBA finals, MVPs.
Why does Kevin Durant go to the Warriors. He was
at the same spot in his career that Lebron was. Hey,
I'm doing great things, MVP. All these things are happening.
But I don't want to sit there and have people say, hey,
great player, but overrated, can't win a championship. I'm going
to Golden State because I'm gonna check that box off.
Speaker 3 (19:32):
And what happened.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
Three NBA finals, two NBA titles, including two NBA finals MVPs.
Probably would have been a third if it didn't blow
out his achilles. So that changed the course of the
NBA history because Kevin Durant said, oh, Lebron did it,
now I'm gonna do it right. How many teams went
and tried to pick up big threes. They still try
to go with big threes because Duran and Brooklyn right
after that, Right, look look at what Lebron and Wade
(19:55):
and Bosh did we need a big three? How many
teams tried to say, Chris Paul is gonna part of
our big three in area all teams CHI, this is
what we need. Now, we need three stars and we'll
fill in the rest of the roster with whatever.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
Else we need.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
And players trying to arrange it themselves and thinking they're
the general manager, which did not always turn out well,
including with Lebron in LA.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
It can be three stars and everybody else can be
Mike Miller and we're gonna go win a championship. Ah,
that's a I mean so many things because of the
decision changed what the NBA has done the last fifteen years,
team strategies, team team movements, and personnel decisions like I
mean it find something else that's been bigger than this,
I don't know. I mean in the history of the game.
(20:37):
Maybe it's Jordan's first championship and the Lakers and Celtics
robbery in the eighties, and and I don't know that
the Lakers Celtics robbery in the eighties begat anything close
to what Lebron's decision has. I don't know that Jordan
winning this first title begat anything else that we've seen
in the in the next few years was basically, oh,
Jordan one and now okay, they won three in a row,
(20:58):
then he retired, and then he came back and they
won three more in Okay, and then he left and
they stopped winning. So it's not like all of a
sudden still, all these things happened, but you can see
the after effect of Lebron and the decision. It may
go back further than the last twenty five years.
Speaker 4 (21:13):
Speaking of winning, the Giants have just hit a three
run homer in the bottom of the night. They walked
off to beat the Phillies four to three against Jordan Romano.
Speaker 3 (21:22):
We cannot call him the closer, astounding.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
You give that title back to Kira Sedgwick. She earned
it well. I made that happen, didn't I I completely
made that do existence. You're welcome Giants fans, sorry Frostburg,
you welcome Giants fans.
Speaker 4 (21:36):
As you were talking Durant, I still think looking back
at it, and this has been I mean, this was
before this decade, right that he was with Golden State.
It's the sad thing for us as just general fans
of basketball is we talk about those Big three in Miami,
including Lebron, had their four years and going to four
straight NBA finals. We didn't get a fourth year from
(21:57):
Kevin Durant in Golden State. You mentioned the major injury
and what that took away from them in that postseason,
but there were only three years on the board, and
then he didn't play for anybody after that. In here, Yeah,
j it missed a year.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
That was really the last time that teams decided to say, Okay,
we're gonna go big three. Right, that was the last
one because okay, here the nets are going to try
to do it, and here's Durant and Kyrie they wanted
to play together, and then it's Simmons and it's hard
to wear.
Speaker 3 (22:25):
But that didn't. That went so poorly.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
They didn't even get to the three of them, didn't
even play fifty games together before they had to make
a trade and Gon. It went so poorly that NBA teams. Okay,
maybe three stars is not the way to go. Maybe
it's a big star and another complimentary big star, and
then it's a bunch of not role players, but people
who fit the system. And what we're trying to do,
right what the Oklahoma City Thunder how they built their
(22:50):
team around SGA and a couple of young stars ascending
stars and chat and Jalen Williams and hey, role players
that are contributing, like Lou Dort who's an All NBA
defensive player and Hartenstein signing him in free agency. Like
you see how teams are building now, the nick saying, okay, yeah,
we're not gonna go for three superstars, but hey, Jalen
Brunson and then a one A star in Karl Anthony Towns.
(23:11):
This is how we're doing it. The Celtics Jason Tatum
and a one A star in Jalen Brown not got
them a championship. This is now how teams went because
that the Kevin Duranting went so poorly in Brooklyn, it was,
oh my goodness, they could even get on the map.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
All right, let's not do that anymore.
Speaker 4 (23:25):
Part of the aftermath, though, of the decision of Lebron specifically,
is not just that Miami succeeded for four straight years
with the Big Three, it's the aftermath in Cleveland. And
I never would have guessed that a Lebron would consider
going back to Cleveland, or that Cleveland fans would re
engage with him and that ownership would have him back,
(23:47):
or there's chance for another title, or any of these
things in Cleveland Cavs history.
Speaker 6 (23:52):
No.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
I mean you would say after the door was shut
that night and thought that it was there burning his
jersey and stuff, and it's like, okay, you're never his
picture off the wall that had mirror that had been
painted on the sides of buildings. This is why you
never say never, because clearly, okay, it became okay for
him to go back because the Cavaliers saw that, okay, boy,
our existence without Lebron is really not great. Remember Dan
(24:14):
Gilbert and he said, oh, well win the title before
Lebron wins one.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
Yeah, good luck.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
Yeah, and then it was oh, okay, you want to
come back now, and cooler heads have prevailed and now
got never would have thought that could have again. It's
why you never say never, because he went he went
back to Cleveland, and you know. The funny thing is
when he went back to Cleveland. We were doing the
show here Harmon and I and I vividly remember that
Savannah James put out a message on social media when
(24:42):
they hit the off season, right when he was was
with Miami, and then you know, his decision was gonna
come up, and as well, he's really gonna leave Miami.
This went to four finals and all this kind of stuff,
and she put out a h a social media post
with a picture of Akron and it says the countdown
is real. And then it was up for maybe an
hour or two, a couple of hours, and then it
(25:03):
got taken down. And I remember that night looking at
Harmon on the shod. We talked and I said, he's
going back to Cleveland. This is not one of those
ends of the season. Hey, I'm excited because we're going
back home for the summer. Pretty sure Savannah James could
get up any kind of flight back off whenever she wanted, right.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
Although I hear that Lebron James does train at the
Cavs facility, yea.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
Again not than that.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
Well again, Lebron never does anything that's not calculated, which
is why.
Speaker 3 (25:30):
Since he was a teenager. He's opened the door to
going back.
Speaker 1 (25:33):
And I really thought today we were gonna get fifteenth
anniversary of the decision party. And went to bed last
night and I said, sure, he's gonna say today, I
want out. I want to get traded back to Cleveland. Lakers,
make it happen. I really thought there was gonna happen.
Too much money.
Speaker 4 (25:45):
It's just I don't see how that. I don't see
how he's not a Laker the coming season. He just
everybody's been painted into the corner and this is just
how it's gonna be.
Speaker 3 (25:55):
And I don't see him giving up. He does the
bulk of that money. He Oh no, he's not gonna
give it. The money.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
He does like being a spare part. And this is
why the Lakers are daring him to ask for a trade,
because they know we're building around Luca. They wanted Luca
to lose weight, and Luca's getting in shrap to Miami.
Speaker 4 (26:10):
He technically still Dwayne Wade's team in Riley's eyes.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
And talked to Lebron for.
Speaker 1 (26:14):
And then Lebron and they were like, yeah, it's gonna
be both of our teams, and Bosh is gonna be
the third guy, and Bosh was okay with because you
know it's Chris Bosh. But then after like the first year,
was oh, hey, no, this is Lebron's team and Wade
is the number two guy. Rather to be a number
two when you were the number one guy. You won
a title there already because he won.
Speaker 4 (26:31):
With shot and he won it. I mean, he willed
them to victory in that postseason.
Speaker 1 (26:37):
Yeah, do you talk about getting to the free throw
line and getting foul calls?
Speaker 3 (26:40):
That was Dwayne Wade. They could have been out quickly
in that finals. Man, this is this is the first
time against.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
Dallas, but that's when they were down two zip and
they came back and went almost zip. Yes, but this
was like going back to think about the different stops
for Lebron. He's always been someone that's wanted to be
in control of everything. He's not in control with the
Lakers anymore. Right he was in control, he had the decision,
he was in control going to the Lakers. Now he's
(27:05):
not anymore. And that's why this is We're never We've
never been as close to a Lebron trade as we
are right now. Where I really thought fifteenth anniversary of
the decision, he's gonna own it and say yep, okay,
or poetic there'd be some kind of story like Shams
would have the story that would be, hey, Lebron has
asked for a trade back to Cleveland and both sides
are gonna make it happen like that would have been
(27:26):
absolute poetry to have that today. And really, when I
went to bed last night, I'm laying in bed saying
to myself, Okay, what are the odds I'm gonna wake
up in the morning, and that's gonna be a big thing,
and then Shams will have it. It will be the
biggest of scoop since since Lebron the decision. What are
the odds that's gonna happen? I really thought the more time,
and I convinced myself a lot of things as I'm
(27:46):
trying to fall asleep, like, oh, I go from that
would be cool, though, this is gonna happen. I'm wanna
wake up in the morning. This is absolutely gonna happen.
I really thought there was a big chance of that.
Speaker 4 (27:53):
Well, it's one of those on paper logical things, just
like it's on paper logical that le Bron James ends
his long and glorious career where it started.
Speaker 3 (28:04):
That's that's kind of how it should happens, the only
place that can happen, and because he would be going
to a great team.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
Yeah, he could retire here because clearly he's built his
off the court life here in his production l and movies.
He could do it here. There's only two places he
could do it here. He could do it in Cleveland
if he thought for sure he could win with the
Knicks or somewhere else. Yeah, because he's always had the
itch to play in Madison Square.
Speaker 4 (28:28):
But that would be chasing. Everybody would forgive. Oh, Cleveland,
that's perfect.
Speaker 3 (28:32):
Yeah, finish that way.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
Because even if the thing is if he goes to
New York, he goes anywhere else and he loses, it
would be Ah, look how embarrassing. Lebron doesn't want that optic.
If he goes back to Cleveland and they don't win,
it doesn't matter. He's just a kid from Akron going.
Speaker 3 (28:45):
Already broke the curse for the whole sity. That's what
it is.
Speaker 1 (28:48):
I won my title the chase down block and Kyrie,
I've already done that. If it doesn't end with a championship,
it still ends positively for me. That's the only place
he can go in a clear They'll go go home again.
It'll work, It'll absolutely work.
Speaker 4 (29:03):
And Lebron was leading the league in minutes when he
was at Cleveland. When he was at Cleveland, the want
to to say the least was there, And I now
will restate this. I never saw a him leaving Cleveland,
b finishing with Miami after four years, and see getting
another four years in Cleveland and the title. Yeah, you know,
(29:23):
you could have all the money you had in your pocket.
You would have wagered on that and you would have lost.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
It's like wagering all kinds of money on a Rockies loss.
That would happen. You would make a lot of cash,
although it would be a little bit at a time.
Steve de Sager has more on that story and with
what's trending in the wide world of sports. How about
that walk off home run for the Giants Stevo.
Speaker 4 (29:44):
Everything is final in Major League Baseball tonight, and yes,
the Giants.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
Have beaten the Phillies four to three.
Speaker 4 (29:50):
Is the final three run homer in the bottom of
the ninth and the A's at home did win ten
to one over Atlanta, which has.
Speaker 3 (29:57):
Lost five straight.
Speaker 4 (29:58):
Ronald Acunya, the Braves scratched from the lineup tonight with
a bad back. The A's led nine to nothing in
the second inning. They hit four early home runs, including
a leadoff inside the park homer from Lawrence Butler. The
one big negative as All Star shortstop Jacob Wilson, starting
All Star shortstop next week, left in the first inning,
hit by a pitch on the hand.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
They call it a bruise. By the way.
Speaker 4 (30:20):
The Pirates O'Neil Cruz will be in next week's home
run Derby. He homer tonight at Kansas City, his sixteenth,
but the Pirates, like the Braves, have lost five in
a row. Kansas City beat him four to three with
the run in the bottom of the ninth. The Dodgers
have also lost five in a row. Lost three to
one at Milwaukee show Hey Otani with a leadoff homer,
his thirty first of the year leads the National League
(30:42):
in homers. But then winning pitcher Jacob Missowski continues his
greatness his first year. Over the next six innings, he
struck out twelve and got the victory San Francisco with
the home run to beat the Phils four to three,
and the Padres got a seventh inning homer to win
one nothing against Arizona. There was a stat I saw
that there had been just as many one nothing games
(31:05):
so far in Major League Baseball this year as there
were all of last year. And then Tonight's Padre won
nothing final that cinches it. Already more won nothing finals,
thirty nine of them this year than we had all
last season in the majors.
Speaker 1 (31:22):
Now, I guess a seconds because I just went back
while you were doing this to watch the walk off
home run for the Giants, because it happened while we
were doing the show. It was an inside the park
walk off home run. It hit off that it hit
off the It hit off the top of the walls
in San Francisco, and it shot all the way into
the left field corner and it was an inside the
park home run.
Speaker 3 (31:42):
I think we have it. This game is time failies
on the moon, faies on the mode.
Speaker 4 (32:07):
Somewhere in the midst of that is Giant's TV, I assume,
because that's the number nine hitter who usually doesn't hit.
But Patrick Bailey with the game winning three run homer,
and that brings his batting average up to one ninety four.
Texas won thirteen to one at the Angels. Cleveland won
on a tenth inning grand slam at Houston against All
Star closer Josh Hayter, ten to six. Jose ramire Is
(32:29):
a two run homer in the first. This is a
Guardians team that had lost ten straight until Monday's game.
They scored more runs at Houston in these two days
than they scored that entire ten game losing streak that
just broke. The Mets won in a comeback, a thriller
in ten innings at Baltimore, seven to six. There's about
an hour rain delay at the start. The Mets eventually
get the w to stay a game two well to
(32:52):
tie the Phillies. I should say for first place in
the NL East, because they got four runs in the
eighth to tie this game on two homers Andjon Soto
of the Mets with the go ahead single.
Speaker 3 (33:02):
He had three hits.
Speaker 4 (33:03):
Saint Louis had a rain delay of over two hours
at the start and eventually beat Washington four to two. Wow,
it was Minnesota eight to one over the Cubs. Toronto
won its tenth straight game six to one at the
White Sox. Mercifully, they called it due to rain in
the seventh inning. Blue Jays are first in the Ale,
still three and a half games over the Yankees, who
won ten to three against Seattle Gencarlo Stantona three run
(33:26):
homer Aaron Judge his thirty fourth of the year. By
the way, the Yankees moved Jazz Chisholm back to second base.
There was a rain delay in this game. In the
fifth in New York, it was one nothing. In the sixth,
ten to three Yankees. The final, Detroit won its fifth
straight game. It was four to two over Tampa Bay,
and Boston won its fifth straight. More in a moment,
Miami won twelve to two at Cincinnati. That Boston win
(33:48):
was ten to two against Colorado. The losing pitcher, Kyle Freelan,
is one in ten. Trevor story X of the Rocks
homer four RBIs at Fenway, Brian Bayo the winning pitcher
through a complete game with ten stars breakouts, and we're
not yet to the All Star break. And the Colorado
Rockies record is twenty one and seventy one.
Speaker 1 (34:07):
Back to you, Yeah, not kind of the record they
want to set by the time the Midsummer Classic starts.
Speaker 4 (34:13):
This is astounding that you can be getting fifty games
under five hundred.
Speaker 1 (34:17):
They're on pace to Blues one hundred and twenty five,
not two hundred and twenty two. Not they're gonna get
to one twenty one to White Sox that go see you,
They're gonna dust you.
Speaker 3 (34:24):
Like so long.
Speaker 4 (34:25):
It was the Expansion Mets of nineteen sixty two, one
hundred and twenty losses in a season, and then Harmon's
White Sox says, oh, hold my beer. They wrote that
last year. Somebody's even worse this year.
Speaker 1 (34:36):
It's astounding exit out about a fresco Jason Smith, Steve
de seger in for Mike Harmon coming up next. Well,
it's been a year since another big decision was made,
this one in the NFL, and I guarantee you this
quarterback would do that decision over again.
Speaker 3 (34:52):
That's next Fox Jason Simatalka.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific.
Speaker 1 (35:08):
Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with Steve de
seger in for Mike Harmon. Not a hobo, Yeah, we'll
play that Giant's walk off three run inside the Park
home run coming up in.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
A few minutes.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
But you know, with the fifteenth anniversary of the decision
Lebron James going on today, it is about the first anniversary.
You have the Kirk Cousins decision, which got a lot
of attention today as Quarterback is back for Netflix and
it's gonna continue to follow Kirk Cousins because the first
season went so well, because wow, Kirk Cousins is or
(35:42):
not is a.
Speaker 3 (35:43):
Little well, it went well for us watching Kirk Cousins as.
Speaker 1 (35:46):
Wow, he's a little weird, but seems to be pretty
down to earth. He's got a room under the stairs
where he keeps his trophies like Harry Potter.
Speaker 4 (35:54):
Okay, oh wait a minute, at least no humans are
in the room under no no.
Speaker 3 (35:59):
He's like no, I like Sunday, no post on Sunday.
Speaker 1 (36:03):
So Cousins addresses in the beginning of Quarterback, which is
debuting in the trailers and you've seen stuff that's coming out,
addressed the big decision in the offseason which has seen
him lose his job as Falcons starting quarterback because the
Falcons went and drafted Michael Pennix Junior early in the
first round last year. And for the first time, Cousins
(36:26):
talks about this and feels that the Falcons weren't quite
as upfront with him as they could have been when
they told them about their strategy.
Speaker 6 (36:34):
I wasn't expecting us to take a quarterback was so high.
At the time, it felt like I had been a
little bit misled, or certainly if I had the information
around Vegacy, it certainly would have affected my decision. I
had no reason to leave Minnesota with how much we
loved it there if both teams are going to be
drafting a quarterback high. But I've also learned in twelve
(36:55):
years in this league that if you're not entitled anything,
it's all about being able to earn your spot.
Speaker 2 (37:00):
Can prove yourself.
Speaker 1 (37:02):
Now, Ziah, that's a great thing to say, I go.
Maybe they did were in his upfront with him. Maybe
they didn't think they were going to draft a quarterback
as high when Pennix was there, they decided to pull
the trigger on it. A better statement for Cousins would
have been, I didn't think we'd be this stupid. I
really I didn't think the Falcons would be this stupid
because what they did was super Falcon, you know, yeah,
(37:22):
but what they did was still well, again, why not.
He's not gonna play. He's only there because he won't
take it. He won't take any sort of of of
of lesser money or some kind of situation march where
that will make it easy for the Falcons to move
on from him. Because what the Falcons did was stupid.
It was stupid on draft night, we said it. It
was stupid. Three months later, it was stupid six months later,
(37:44):
and it's stupid now. Nobody goes in the off season,
gives a quarterback four years and one hundred and eighty
million dollars and then drafts a quarterback at the top
of the first round. Nobody does that. Not the Jets
on their worst day, not the Raiders on any day,
because the Raiders clearly could do it, Not the.
Speaker 3 (38:03):
Lines when they didn't know what was going on.
Speaker 1 (38:05):
Even if the Mets were playing football, they wouldn't do that.
Nobody does that. They went out and got their quarterback. Great,
you don't go draft a quarterback in the first round
that you know is going to play. You don't go
sign a guy for year one hundred and eighty million
dollars and turn him into a bridge quarterback because at
some point you knew Michael Pennick Junior was gonna play,
and all the pundits and the experts who said idiotic
(38:27):
things like everybody who says that Michael Pennock Junior is
gonna play this year don't know what they're talking about.
This job as Kirk Cousins for this season.
Speaker 3 (38:34):
We leave right away. We knew right away.
Speaker 1 (38:36):
I feel like Ron Howard rested development. They were not
right about that. You knew he was gonna play because
high first round picks always play, they always play. And
Cousins got hurt, was ineffective, lost his job, and now
the Falcons are stuck. They're stuck because if a backup
quarterback that they owe one hundred and twenty million dollars
to the next three years, that boy, you can sit
here and say, well, at least they have the position.
(38:59):
Taking care of Cousins is okay being there? You have
a quarterback under a rookie deal you could have taken.
It will be nice to have that thirty million dollars
a year the next three years to be able to
go out and pay and get better players to show
up whatever positions you want to shore up, right whatever
you want to go in free agency. Be nice to
have that money. Signing Kirk Cousins whether it worked out
or not, good move. Right drafting Michael Pennix junior, whether
(39:21):
it works out or not, good move. You think he
could be a star doing one of those two things.
Speaker 3 (39:26):
Teams do.
Speaker 1 (39:27):
Nobody ever does both of those things. That's why it
was stupid, then stupid a few months ago, stupid now.
Speaker 4 (39:33):
High first round picks more these days get to play,
kind of like how baseball draft choices come up from
the miners sooner or sooner and sooner. Because remember when
Carson Palmer Heisman Trophy when it was drafted, they put
it into his contract. Okay, you're not going to play,
so don't bad mouth, and that's part of our business deal.
And then you'll be taking over in Cincinnati. It's a
(39:53):
little different these days, I will say. Historically, Steve Young
and Joe Montana were both together on the same San
Francisco forty nine ers team for four or five years.
The difference is even though Young had been highly thought
of coming out of college, Remember the USFL existed first,
and he played for the LA team on a huge
contract that I'm sure he never collected on for a
(40:15):
couple of years. I mean, by the time the league
folded the La Express, we're playing at the local junior
college not far from here, not at the coliseum. But
then he was a losing quarterback for his first couple
of seasons with Tampa Bay and then Montana's backup.
Speaker 3 (40:30):
This is not quite the same. That's also thirty years ago.
I mean, like I say, three years exactly.
Speaker 1 (40:35):
I think it's have changed with the NFL and the
Falcon I mean, I really the Falcons, Like that's like
what you do in the fantasy when you panic and
go oh. I took my second quarterback way too early
because he was there. I didn't Jalen Hurts was there,
so I took him and said, why are you taking
Jalen Hurts. You already have Josh Allen. You're never gonna
play Jalen Hurts. Oh, but this is how the Falcons
did it again. Stupid then stupid. Now coming up next
that big inside the park, walk off and we'll pull
(40:57):
the curtain back on the
Hosts And Creators
Jason Smith
Mike Harmon
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