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A coast-to-coast identity check collides with Week 12 stakes: Jets pivot to Tyrod, Giants chase growth amid discipline drama, heavyweight NFL matchups sharpen truths, the Knicks rediscover their closer, the Mavs unravel, and MLB owners show their colors with fresh TV money.

We break down what’s real, what’s noise, and where the betting and fantasy edges hide before rolling our picks for the weekend.

• Giants’ late-game flaws and Abdul Carter accountability
• Jets bench Fields, steadying with Tyrod for short-term respect
• Week 11 statement games reshape Chiefs, Broncos, Bills tiers
• Week 12 mirrors: Steelers–Bears, Colts–Chiefs, Eagles–Cowboys
• Fantasy start/sit calls and panic meter resets
• Rolling The Dice With Rice: sides, totals, and locals
• Knicks’ Brunson effect and Dallas identity crisis
• MLB hot stove, Naylor deal, closer market, and owner spend

As always, if you rocked with me this episode, do me a favor, share it with one friend, drop a rating, toss a review, all that good stuff. Hit me on the socials at Rice on the Radio. Jump in the DM, send your week 12 takes, your fantasy panic, your own who are you really? Teams. Check the Wednesday mic polls too. Get your votes in.

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:22):
Episode 40 of Rice on the Mikes.
Kinda wild I'm actually sayingthat.
It started as me rambling into amic about New York sports.
And now we got 40 hours worth oftakes, receipts, and emotional
damage from the Jets and Giants.
If you've been here for any ofit, seriously, I really
appreciate you.
The theme for today is simple.

(00:44):
Who are you really?
We've got the Jets benchingJustin Fields for Tyrod, walking
into Baltimore as atwo-touchdown dog.
Are you a dead season, or areyou a team that actually plays
hard for a new coach and keepsit close against a shaky
defense?
The Giants are heading into thedome in Detroit.

(01:04):
Dark coming off a concussion,Abdul Carter trying to move past
public discipline, and a Lionsoffense that can put 21 on you
before you even find your seat.
We'll figure out what's realthere.
Around the league, Colts Chiefswith Indy leading the South, and
Casey fighting just to stay inthe playoff picture.
We got Eagles Cowboys with JalenHurts catching heat, AJ Brown

(01:25):
being a distraction, Dakdealing, and Dallas is
desperate.
That's not just a rivalry gamethis week, that's an identity
check.
We'll hit some fantasy, somepanic meter guys, best and worst
week 12 matchups, then intorolling the dice with Rice,
where I'll try to fatten yourwallet and give you my picks for
this weekend.

(01:45):
Colts, Chiefs, Eagles, Cowboys,Bucks, Rams, plus the locals,
Jets, Ravens, and the Giantslines.
Knicks sneaking a win in Dallaswith Brunson back.
Bet you he was happy to be backthere.
Shamit taking charges, but halfthe roster is in the training
room.
And MLB's money's moving around.
Nailers staying in Seattle.
Braves and Mets are setting upthe market.

(02:08):
Episode 40.
Who are you really?
Well, stick around.
Let's find out.
So let's get into some footballbecause week 11 was basically
the league looking in the mirrorand asking, who are you really?

(02:28):
And that's why that's our themethis week.
I'll start local because that'swhere the identity crisis is the
loudest.
The Giants lose 27-20 to thePackers in a game that just sums
up their whole year.
Jordan Love leaves with ashoulder scare, and Malik Willis
comes right in and finishes atouchdown drive.
Green Bay runs all over adefense that's 31st against the

(02:51):
run.
Then Love comes back in, guts itout, and he's on the money late.
Big third and 10, SavionWilliams, and then a touchdown
of Christian Watson to take thelead.
And the Giants, par for thecourse, answer that with a
15-play, 85-yard drive to go up20 to 19.
But when it's winning time, thedefense can't get a stop.

(03:13):
They remind me of the Jets.
Jameis Winston's last shot endsup with a pick in the end zone.
Competitive and gritty, butstill not good enough.
That's who the Giants are rightnow.
The almost team.
And then layered on top of thatis Abdul Carter.
Top three pick.
Supposed to be the next greatedge rusher in New York.
And the story is him gettingbenched for the first year is

(03:35):
because he missed a walkthrough.
Then he has to come out becausenone of the coaches have his
back.
He has to correct reports thathe was sleeping or that he
overslept a meeting and that hewas in the facility.
He was asleep in the trainer'sroom, or he lost track of time
in the trainer's room.
He's saying honest mistake.

(03:59):
End of story.
Look, just because you wanted towear LT's number does not mean
that you can miss meetings likeLT did.
So are you going to be the guywho turns this into a grown man
lesson and finishes out strong?
Or are you going to let thisbreak you?
You're going to be the guy thatalmost that's always almost
great with a story attached.

(04:19):
That's the league testing youearly, young man.
Look, the talent is obvious.
The sacks aren't there yet, andthe team is two and nine.
So for the Giants, this wholeseason is basically one long who
are you really test from top tobottom.
Now, across town, the Jets havefinally answered one question.

(04:40):
Justin Fields is on the benchand Tyrod Taylor is in.
Aaron Glenn basically got to theI've seen enough stage.
Fields just never got there,man.
The passing game has been deadlast in the league.
He has one big everyone ralliesaround a performance after Woody
Johnson calls him out.
And then it goes right back intothe mud.

(05:01):
51 yards against Cleveland and116 yards on Thursday against
New England.
I mean, at some point you can'tsell upside to a locker room
that's watching three and outsevery other drive.
So in comes Tyrod, 36 years old.
You know exactly what he is.
Steady, veteran, doesn't make aton of catastrophic mistakes,

(05:22):
but not changing yourfranchise's future anytime
either.
He can run the offense and keepyou in games, and that's kind of
where the Jets are right now.
They're stuck between trying tobe respectable on Sundays and
also very obviously lining upthe ammo to go get the guy in
the draft with all those extrapicks.
You got two in 2026 and evenmore in 2027.

(05:46):
You can feel this organizationis struggling to stay
respectable under the new regimeand show that they know what
they're talking about, but theyalso want to set themselves up
in the best position possiblefor the next two years.
This is not just a one-yearrebuild to turn this big ship
around, as Aaron Glenn wouldsay.

(06:07):
So zooming out to the rest ofweek 11, some teams made very
loud statements about who theyare this week.
And I'll start with the CarolinaAtlanta game because it was a
welcome to the league moment fortwo franchises going in the
complete opposite emotionaldirections.
Bryce Young drops a franchiserecord 448 yards, gets a 30-27

(06:32):
overtime win, and suddenly helooks like the guy that Carolina
thought they were drafting allalong.
Hitting McMillan, hittingLeggett, ripping that offense up
and down the field.
And on the other side, MichaelPenix Jr.
goes down with another kneeinjury.
And now he's done for theseason.
Atlanta is now three and seven,and the future quarterback is

(06:56):
going to be standing in streetclothes on the sideline.
And they have no first roundpick this year.
The supposed smallest guy in thefield that didn't get drafted by
them is apparently outplayingeverybody now.
It's a pretty brutal who's whomoment in that division.
Atlanta ends up getting swept byCarolina in a division that you

(07:17):
thought you would be competingwith the Bucs for.
Buffalo and Tampa.
Well, that was just Josh Allenreminding everybody what his
ceiling really looks like.
Three passing touchdowns, threerushing touchdowns, a 44-32
shootout, which I called by theway.
And he's out there playing likeit's Madden on rookie.

(07:38):
The stat line is disgusting inthe best way, but it also kind
of exposes what both teams are.
The Bills are that team wherewhen it's good, it is
terrifyingly good.
And then you remember they werejust stuck in neutral the week
before in Miami.
And Tampa shows you it's theteam where the quarterback can

(08:01):
keep them hanging around ingames, but the defense
eventually will always getcooked.
Fun, chaotic, late game drives,but you don't trust either one
of them as far as you can throwthem in January.
Then you got the Chiefs andBroncos, which might be the

(08:21):
biggest identity flip in theentire league.
Denver wins 22-19, and Will Lutzgets his redemption story with
the walk-off kick after gettingblocked in the same situation
last year.
Bo Nicks remains steady, and theBroncos, don't look now, are 9-2
with eight straight wins.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs, they're5-5.

(08:44):
And 0-5 in one-score games thisyear after going 12-0 in those
same spots last year.
That's a wild stat.
That's one to bring up at thewater cooler.
Mahomes still has thosestretches where he looks like
the best quarterback on earth.
But this team is sloppy, they'repenalty prone.

(09:05):
And suddenly they're hangingaround the playoff bubble
instead of sitting atop the AFCthrone.
If I told you in August that byThanksgiving that we might miss
the playoffs conversation washappening in Kansas City and not
Denver, you'd have me checkedfor a concussion.
Now, on the flip side of that, aquiet story that no one's
talking about, because I don'tthink anybody knows, you got

(09:28):
Miles Garrett in Cleveland, 15sacks through 10 games, four
more against Baltimore lastweek, and he's on pace to break
Strahan's single season record.
He's playing out of his mind ona two and eight team that can't
score, can't protect itsquarterbacks, Poral, and just
watch Shador Sanders go four for16 in his debut.

(09:50):
So you're getting a Hall of Famelevel season happening in
basically complete silencebecause the Browns are the
Browns.
That's the saddest version ofwho are they really?
And that answer is easy.
They are the we have thescariest defender in football,
and it doesn't matter at all.
So let's spin that into week 12because this identity thing is

(10:12):
baked into every big game thisweek.
First up, Steelers at Bears.
It's a fascinating spot.
Pittsburgh is sitting in a goodspot record-wise, but Aaron
Rodgers just fractured hisnon-throwing wrist.
And he's talking about needingto feel like he can protect
himself more than just playthrough pain.

(10:33):
Mason Rudolph is ready, and ifhe can't go, Will Howard is
lurking.
That's terrible.
But you've got this veteranquarterback who hates sitting
facing a team that he hasreligiously owned in his entire
career, and it's a year wherehis body is starting to betray
him.
Chicago, meanwhile, has quietlybeen better at home.

(10:57):
The defense is getting scrappy,and Caleb Williams is already
further along in his developmentcurve than some people want to
admit.
Even in the games where he's notlighting up the box score, he's
reading defenses, him and BenJohnson have clicked.
Things are starting to lookdecent in Chicago.
But that game is a mirror forboth sides.

(11:18):
Is Pittsburgh a legit contender?
Or are they just a Rogersnostalgia tour riding a nasty
defense?
And are the Bears actuallyturning a corner?
Or are they just teasing theirfans like they always do?
Now the next game you should bepaying attention to this week is
Colts at Chiefs.

(11:38):
And it's the same thing, just ona bigger stage.
India's 8-2 leading the AFCSouth.
Daniel Jones looks like acompletely different player in
this system.
And Jonathan Taylor, week in andweek out, is showing you why he
is that dude.
They're coming off a bye after acrazy overtime win in Atlanta.
And they've been ready andprepared every week anyway.

(12:01):
Meanwhile, Kansas City is 5-5,way behind Denver, turning it
over, committing penalties, andlooking honestly like they
forgot how to play cleanfootball.
So this is the game where wefind out is Indy actually for
real going into Arrowhead andgetting it done?
Or are they just a team takingadvantage of a soft schedule and

(12:23):
one score luck?
And for the Chiefs, are theystill that lurking boogeyman, or
has their time come and gone?
Are they just another middle ofthe pack AFC team?
I'm actually picking this gamefor the roll in the dice with
Rice segment later.
But for now, this is a huge showme who you are spot for Mahomes,

(12:49):
for Daniel Jones, for bothteams, really.
And then lastly, there's theEagles Cowboys, which always
feels like a street fight in astadium.
Philly is 8-2 with basically nooffensive rhythm.
Jalen Hurts is apparentlyhearing whispers about guys
being frustrated with his style.

(13:10):
Look, the numbers say thepassing game has fallen off.
And Saquon Barkley isn't thesame stat monster he was last
year.
But don't look now.
They're still the best red zoneteam in the league.
And they never turn the ballover.
So are they broken or are theyjust boring and efficient?
Is this a slump or is this justwhat the 2025 Eagles look like

(13:33):
now?
Dallas, on the other hand,complete opposite.
They're 4'5-1 with one of themost explosive passing attacks
in football.
I mean, Dak just hung fourtouchdowns on the Raiders after
a brutal week emotionally withthe Marshawn Nealand tragedy.
And on the other side of it, yougot CeeDee Lamb and George
Pickens getting benched for aseries for missing curfew, then

(13:57):
coming back in and absolutelycooking up the defense.
Not to mention, don't look now.
This Dallas defense that waspretty bad now looks halfway
decent.
Quinny Williams and Kenny Clarkup the middle, no one's running
on them.
It's as simple as that.
Now you might be able to stillpass the ball on him, but if the

(14:19):
Eagles can't pass the ball andtheir strength is the run, you
see where I'm kind of going withthis?
Plus, not to mention there'salready of the bad blood, you
already now add in the spitgatesubplot from week one with Jalen
Carter spitting on Dak beforethe game even started and gets

(14:39):
tossed before that snap evenwent off.
This game is layers on layers onlayers.
It's a Shrek Ogre Onion.
Okay.
Are the Cowboys the talented butunserious team that can't stay
out of their own way?
Or is this the week where theystart the we're not dead yet
March?
Can they make a play?

(15:00):
I'm actually picking this gamelater in the Rollin the Dice
with Rice segment too, so stickaround for those picks.
But this is the purest rivalrygame version of who are you
really?
We got on the board.
And it's going to be one that Ican't wait to tune in for, to be
honest with you.
Lastly, a couple quick hittersaround the league that fit the

(15:20):
theme just to wrap up thissegment.
Don't look now.
Joe Burrow has now stackedback-to-back full practices,
taking all the reps, lookinglike himself, and the Bengals
are sitting at 3-7 staring atthe Patriots.
So Cincinnati has a couplequestions to answer themselves.
Are you going to rush thefranchise back just to chase

(15:43):
pride in a lost year?
Or are you finally going to bethe boring, smart team that
protects its quarterback fromhimself or from his own line?
From anything.
Really?
In Houston, CJ Stroud is outwith the concussion for Thursday
night's game.
And then we got news that JoeMixon is now officially not

(16:04):
expected to be back at all thisseason with the foot.
And somehow they're stillhanging around at 500.
Davis Mills is stringing winstogether, and Woody Marks took
over the backfield.
You can feel that thisorganization is trying to grow
up into like a consistentplayoff team like they used to
be, instead of just a cute storysophomore slump.

(16:26):
These are the weeks where youseparate those two things.
This is a big test for Houstonat home against a Buffalo team
that if you let them, they'llscore 70.
But their defense is set issketchy, and Buffalo could be
had.

(16:48):
As for the locals on the bettingside, I'll dig into this more in
the picks.
But Jets, Ravens, and Giants,Lions fit the identity story
too.
The Ravens are rolling.
The line is massive.
I think the Jets play hard forAaron Glenn.

(17:08):
And I think Tyrod keeps it atleast a little bit respectable.
I don't know.
I mean, who's he gonna throw theball to and can they catch it if
he does throw it to him?
Can Brees do Brees things?
I'll uh I'll go a little moreinto detail on it when I make my
pick for the game.

(17:29):
And as for the Giants, well,heading into Detroit, into the
dome, against a Lions team thatplays like it's on fast forward.
That's another who are you testfor a young quarterback coming
off a concussion and a defensethat has struggled on the back
end.
So yeah, uh week 11 gave a lotof teams a mirror, and week 12

(17:53):
is basically asking, do you likewhat you see or are you ready to
admit what you actually are?
I'm gonna I'm gonna take a quickbreath.
I'm gonna sip some more tea,keep this voice nice and tight,
and then I'll get into on thefantasy side.
Some matchups, some panicmeters, all that, and then we'll
roll right into the rolling thedice with rice segment in the
wolf this part.

(18:14):
Keep it right here.
And let's continue on with thewho are you really world for a

(18:37):
couple minutes.
Because fantasy and betting arebasically just you trying to
figure out if these teams andplayers are who you say they are
or if they're catfishing you.
We'll start with fantasy first.
We're almost in playoff modenow, and every lineup decision
is basically an interrogation.
Can I trust you or are you goingto ruin my Sunday?

(19:00):
Quarterbacks will start us off,and we start off with Jared
Goff.
On paper this year, he's beenjust fine.
Mid QB two, a bunch of weeks inthat QB 18 to 22 range.
Nothing crazy, serviceable, butnot great.
But this week, home in the dome,against the Giants defense at

(19:25):
his bottom three in fantasypoints allowed to quarterbacks,
yeah.
This is the week you decide whoJared Goff really is for you.
Is he just a boring streamer youthrow in when you're desperate,
or is he your is he your I'mriding this into the playoffs QB
one?
Look, against the Giantssecondary indoors with that

(19:47):
offense, I'm in.
If you've been rotating, guys,Goff is 100% startable this
week.
On the opposite end of thatspectrum, Baker Mayfield.
I love Baker for real lifechaos.
I love him for backdoor covers.
I love him for drama.
But fantasy-wise, this week, I Idon't love him at all.

(20:08):
He's been QB 14 in points pergame, respectable.
Hasn't been a disaster, but nowhe gets the Rams, who are
quietly one of the worstmatchups for quarterbacks across
the league.
They're top six toughest againstpasses, and they don't give up
explosive plays.
Hell, they just turned SamDarnold's MVP campaign into dust

(20:29):
in four quarters.
If you're in a one quarterbackleague and you have any kind of
decent pivot, this is probablynot the spot to get cute with
Baker.
Real life, I still think he canhang in that game.
Fantasy, um, I'm leaning sit.
On to the running backs.
Woody Marks in Houston Thursdaynight.

(20:51):
This is one of those guys wherethe usage is screaming louder
than the value name.
Last two weeks, clear runningback one work, gets over 70% of
snaps, way more carries thanNick Chubb.
Now he gets Buffalo, who justgot absolutely cooked by Sean
Tucker.
And have given up the secondmost fantasy points to running
backs all year, believe it ornot.

(21:12):
The only risk in this game isgame script.
David Mills, excuse me, DavisMills, and the Bills are
favored.
We'll see how it pans out, butvolume plus matchup, Marks is a
very real running back too thisweek.
So if you're sitting therestaring at him and some other
dusty name brand vet, don'toverthink it.

(21:34):
Woody Marks is telling you whohe is right now.
On the other sideline of that,who are you really conversation?
Tyrone Tracy, the usage has beengood and the tape has been fun.
And he played well against GreenBay.
Nothing to take away from him.
But now he runs into Detroit.

(21:54):
And the Lions are brutal onrunning backs.
Second fewest fantasy points tothe position, especially stingy
on receiving yards to backs,which is his whole game.
And the nasty part, the realdisgusting part, all of the goal
line work since Scatterbell wentdown has gone to Devin
Singletary.

(22:15):
Every single snap inside thefive, every touch.
So what is Tracy really thisweek?
He's a volume-ish flex in a badmatchup with no goal line equity
either.
So if you're loaded at runningback or you can spare to sit
him, you can absolutely get awayfrom him this week.
As for the receivers, DevontaeSmith versus Dallas.

(22:39):
I don't even know why I need tosay this, but apparently it
needs to be said out loud.
You start him.
The box score last week wasgross, I get it, but he's too
good.
His role is too solid, and theCowboys defense is giving up the
most fantasy points to widereceivers.
If you're benching Devonta inthis matchup, you're managing
scared or you drafted in aleague of four people.

(23:03):
On the flip side of that, KhalilShakir, I like the player.
I like the situation.
I love the quarterback.
But for a guy who's supposed tobe the wide receiver one in
Buffalo right now, the usage hasnot matched his vibes.
Target share is middling, routeparticipation is fine, but not
great.

(23:24):
And last week he had one catchfor negative yards in a 44-point
game.
How's that even possible?
Now he gets Houston, who's beenthe top three stage against
wideouts.
They are really good versus theslot receivers, where Shakir
lives, and their defensive lineis dominant.
If you're rolling them out,you're basically praying for a

(23:46):
broken play with Josh Allen, andI'd rather play someone with a
cleaner, tighter role.
Speaking of tighter role, tightends, this is where the matchups
get hilarious.
Hunter Henry against theBengals.
Cincinnati is giving up almost19 fantasy points per game to
tight ends.
That's not just bad.

(24:07):
That's a full tier worse thananybody else.
They are literally the fixwhatever's wrong with your tight
end defense.
Henry's role this year has beenmeh, I guess.
Weak target share around 16%,couple of usable weeks here and
there.
But this matchup, if you'restreaming, he is absolutely 100%

(24:29):
on the list.
In that weird, ugly Patriotsover-the-middle offense.
He actually has a path to be atop 10 tight end this week.
And on the flip side, DaltonSchultz against the Bills.
Schultz is one of those guys wholives right on that line.
He has a lot of good catches, alot of volume, not too many

(24:50):
yards, touchdown dependent.
It's a good matchup, you feelokay.
It's a bad matchup, you feelgross for starting up.
And this is the worst matchuppossible.
Buffalo allows the fewestfantasy points to tight ends in
the league.
With Stroud out, Davis Millsrunning this thing.
I'm not forcing Schultz intolineups.

(25:12):
If you have literally anythingin that, like Hunter Henry,
David Njoku, Muzz Musgrave,Tier, I'd lean that way.
But if you gotta play him, yougotta play him.
I would look elsewhere if youcan though.
Now let's transition into thepanic meter for this season.
The be honest with yourself,guys.

(25:35):
A couple quick who are youreally check-ins with some guys?
And first on the list is AshtonJanty.
The Raiders line is a joke.
The volume is fine, and theproduction is like running back
18, 19-ish.
That's not bad at all.
But if you drafted him to be atop eight league winner, you

(25:56):
gotta reset the expectations, myfriend.
He is now a mid-running back toyou're probably starting him,
but you're not building yourweek around him for sure.
Xavier Worthy, I wanted to buythe post-buy bump as much as
everybody.
And it just didn't happen.
He's clearly behind Rasheed Riceand Travis Kelsey.

(26:18):
And now this Chiefs' offensejust looks broken half the time.
At this point, he's boom or bustwide receiver four.
You can stash him, wait for abetter matchup, but you cannot
pretend that he's an automaticstart anymore.
DK Metcalf falls in thatcategory too now.
This is five straight gamesunder 55 yards in a conservative

(26:40):
Pittsburgh offense.
Still a big name, still amonster talent, but the
environment is dragging himdown.
I would treat him like a low-endwide receiver three and play
your matchups, check yourcorners.
Tony Pollard hasn't had atouchdown in five games.
The Titans offense is a bonfire.
It's a dumpster fire.

(27:02):
You know the deal.
If you're starting Pollard, it'sbecause you have somebody on a
bye or you're desperate.
It's not because the name on theback of the jersey.
And he's a good running back,but this offense is a joke.
Last guy on the list, QuentinJohnson.
Early season mirage, man.
It was fun when it started.
Looked like he could finallycatch the ball.

(27:22):
Justin Herbert could hit himdeep.
But the Chargers line is bangedup.
This passing game is nowherenear as explosive as it is, and
he has completely disappearedbecause of it.
That's why Ladd McConkey hasgotten such a bump in volume,
which I told you multiple weeksago if you listen to the
podcast.
Look, you're not cutting him indeep leagues, but you are
absolutely allowed to bench himuntil something changes.

(27:46):
That's the fantasy side of whoare you really.
Now, time to talk about theversion of the question that
comes with spreads, totals, andheartbreaks by hooks.
Rolling the dice with Rice, week12.
And before we get to there,let's clean up last week's
ticket first.
The card went 3-2.
Bucks at Bills over 48.

(28:07):
Check, that was easy.
Could have taken the over live acouple times.
Seahawks at Rams over 48.
Never really got there.
They were short by a touchdown.
Sam Darnold got beat up.
Is what it is.
Packers, minus six and a halfversus the Giants.
Cover.
And it was at 7.5, but I toldyou to buy it down to 6.5.
Jets Thursday night plus 14.5.

(28:30):
The 13.5 that it closed atactually did cover.
Nice, ugly cover.
You love that.
And my can't miss God, this isthe easiest bet of the week.
Jalen Warren over 76.5 rushingyards.
Absolutely brutal beat.
He had 62 yards at halftime.

(28:50):
62.
And then he tweaks his ankle inthe third and never comes back
in.
You're sitting there staring atyour slip like, really?
Really?
Not anything?
And on topic, look, I'm notsaying this is exactly why Aaron
Rodgers got hurt, but Warren isa really good pass protector.
And the second that he got outof the game, the Steelers are

(29:11):
asking the football gods fortrouble.
So I'm just putting two and twotogether here.
So the card going three and twolast week, that now puts our
season record at 25 and 25.
Back up to 500, baby.
We were 5-17 at one point.
Anyway, we move.
We move forward.
We must always move forward.
So the week 12 card, same theme.

(29:32):
Who are you really, right?
Game one, Colts at Chiefs.
And I'm taking the Colts plusthree and a half.
The market is still hangingnumbers like this as if the
Chiefs are the boogeyman still.
They're not.
Not this year, at least.
They're five and five.
They just lost to Denver again.
They're 0 5 in one score gamesthis season after going 12 0 in

(29:56):
them last year.
This is not the same team.
Indy, meanwhile, 8-2, coming offa bye.
Daniel Jones is playing real bigboy football.
Jonathan Taylor looks likeJonathan Taylor.
Jonathan Taylor looks like LT.
Jonathan Taylor looks likeAdrian Peterson.
This isn't some feisty underdog.

(30:16):
This is the better team oncurrent forum getting more than
a field goal.
I get it.
Arrowhead is still Arrowhead.
Mahomes is still Mahomes.
But the question here is simple.
Who are the Chiefs right now?
A brand name?
Sure.
A juggernaut?
Can be.
But until they show me differentthan this season, I'll take the

(30:36):
eight and two team gettingpoints.
Give me a well-coached Coltsteam that isn't scared of
anybody right now.
Game two, Eagles at Cowboys.
And I'm going Cowboys plus threeand a half.
This one has trap written allover it.
The books are basically daringyou to take the home dog with

(30:58):
the big offense in a divisiongame.
And you know what?
I'm walking right into it.
I don't care.
Dallas offense has beenexplosive all year.
And the Eagles defense is theiridentity of that team right now.
And they've been incredible.
I'll give them credit.
But offensively, they areclunky.
They're disjointed, and they'reliving off like random red zone

(31:19):
magic.
You've got reports offrustration of Jalen Hurts'
style.
You got AJ Brown being annoyedabout his usage.
Lane Johnson is banged up with aLiz Frank.
That's a lot of noise for a teamlaying over a field goal on the
road in a fist fight.
This is one of those who are youreally moments for both sides.
Are the Eagles a true juggernautor just the team that wins ugly

(31:41):
because everybody else is worse?
Or are the Cowboys actually athreat?
Or just a fantasy stat machine.
Look, I'll be the sucker.
I'll take the three and a halfat home and live with whatever
comes with it.
I don't care.
Cowboys plus three and a half.
Game three, Bucks at Rams, andwe're going over 49.5.

(32:03):
Sometimes you just don'tovercomplicate it.
Baker did me right last weekwith Josh Allen, so did that
defense.
Baker keeps Tampa in games, andhe also keeps his defense on the
field, and they give it rightback.
The Rams offense with Staffordhas been a wagon.
They just forced Seattle into arock fight with four picks on
one side and still found a wayto put up enough offense to

(32:26):
cover the over.
Puka, Adams, Kyron.
That group can score on anybody.
This feels a lot like lastweek's Bucks game.
Long touchdowns, blowncoverages, couple ugly
turnovers.
Suddenly you look up in thefourth quarter and you're
sweating it over with 51 pointsalready on the board.
Until I see either one of thesedefenses consistently step up,

(32:48):
I'm going to keep leading on thefireworks.
Now for the locals, a couple NewYork adjacent picks for the
Siccos who really care aboutbetting on two and nine teams.
Line is currently 13.5.
Give me the Jets, but I'm buyingit up to 14.5.
The Ravens are rolling, no doubtabout it.
And Lamar basically said tohimself, said it himself, since

(33:12):
he came back, it's either win orour season is done.
And this is a perfect get rightspot at home.
But here's the thing this Jetsgroup is still playing hard for
Aaron Glenn.
And with Tyrod Taylor takingover now, you at least have a

(33:34):
grown-up under center who canget the ball out of his hands
maybe more than five seconds.
Someone who can maybe keepthings on schedule, maybe open
up the passing game so it backsthe linebackers off so Brees can
do Brees things.
And plus you're going against aRavens defense that's really not
that special.
Look, I do not think the Jetswin this game.

(33:54):
If they go into Baltimore andbeat Baltimore, I'll be doing
cartwheels at the bar.
I do think that they can beannoying enough to stay inside
two touchdowns, though.
So if Tyrod stays upright andthey don't implode on special
teams, which has been good as oflate, I will happily grab the
hook at 14.5 and pray for abackdoor cover.

(34:15):
Now the Giants at Lions, thenumber's 10.5 right now.
I'm going to buy it down to 9.5,and I'm going to take the Lions
minus 9.5.
This is another game for JacksonDart, for Abdul Carter, for Mike
Kafka.
Who are you really?
The Giants have been hangingaround in these games, and I
like the fight in them, butDetroit in the dome is

(34:36):
different.
I've been saying it all episode.
They play faster, they scoremore, and that passing game can
absolutely carve up a shakysecondary, which is exactly what
the Giants have.
Dart should be back under centerafter the concussion, which in
and itself is his own test.
I mean, can Kafka call a gamethat lets him use Dart's legs

(34:59):
without putting him in danger?
Or is Aiden Hutchinson justgoing to turn this into a
personal highlight reel?
Jump a throw and have the Lionsdefense sprinting down the
sidelines, celebrating a picksix.
I'll buy it down under 10 justfor safety, but I like Detroit
to flex here and remind theGiants exactly where they are in
that rebuild.

(35:19):
That's the ticket for this week.
Fantasy lineups locked in, slipsare set, and emotions are fully
exposed.
Now we just wait to find out whoactually shows up on Sunday.
But it's not just the NFL.
Over on the Knicks side, betweenBrunson's ankle, OG's hamstring,
league-wide injuries to bignames, and whatever is going on

(35:40):
in Dallas, the NBA's got its ownwho are you really question
going on.
Keep it here, talking somehoopstacks.
Let's stay on brand or I guesson theme with the episode of Who

(36:05):
Are You Really?
And slide over to the NBA for aminute because a couple teams
basically filled out personalityquestionnaires this week.
So Knicks first, because ofcourse it's you know you gotta
start with the Knicks.
This week was such a Knicksweek.
You go down to Miami, you'rebanged up, they're banged up,

(36:28):
and the whole game feels like acoin flip.
Someone dropped under the couch.
No Brunson, no OG.
You're asking Carl Anthony Townsto be the grown-up.
You're asking Deuce McBride torun the show, and you still
almost steal it.
Towns goes 22 and 16, McBridegives you 25, Bridges does

(36:50):
Bridges things, and you stillwalk out of there with that
dumb, annoying two-point lossfeeling.
And it wasn't just the score, itwas it was how.
You get that chaotic lastpossession where it looks like
where goaltend, they call it onthe floor, Knicks challenge it,
and they get it overturned.
Then you got Towns living on theoffensive glass at the end, just

(37:13):
throwing up tip attempts oneafter another, looking like he's
playing 21 by himself, and noneof them fall in.
And you're watching it thinking,yeah, this is what a team with
no organizer looks like late onthe road.
That game was a who are youwithout Jalen Brunson test.
And the answer is fun, scrappy,talented, but not quite put

(37:35):
together enough to close.
Then two nights later you go toDallas and you see the exact
flip side of that same coin.
Brunson comes back from theankle, drops 28 like he took a
long launch, and the whole teamsuddenly looks like it remembers
how to play winning basketball.
Same roster, totally differentidentity.

(37:57):
And the biggest thing for mewasn't even the points, it was
the last minute.
Brunson could have absolutelyhunted that revenge game moment.
Former team, clutch guy, ball inhis hands, down the stretch in
the building.
99% of dudes in this league pullthat three, and they live with
it.
But not Brunson, not my guy.

(38:19):
He's not like that.
Instead, he draws the attention,kicks it to Landry, and Shaman
hits two massive threes in thelast minute, then literally wins
you the game by sacrificing hisbody and taking a charge with
0.7 seconds left.
That's not just clutch, that'strust.
That's identity.

(38:40):
You got towns giving you anotherdouble double.
You got Josh Hart doing the10-10 and nine other things that
don't show up in the box score,including eating peanut MMs out
of a fan's hand.
Brunson being the adult in theroom, and Shamit stepping into
that random Nick Hero role thatwe've seen for decades.
And finally, finally, you getyour first road win after four

(39:04):
straight losses away from home.
It wasn't pretty, and they shotlike high schoolers from the
line late.
But that's kind of the pointhere.
You win ugly on the road.
That's when you start lookinglike a real team instead of just
like a league pass favorite.
The question with the Knicks nowis simple.
When they're whole, who are theyreally?

(39:28):
Because we've seen Knickswithout Brunson, plucky,
competitive, but you're livingon effort.
Knicks without OG, the defenselooks a little lighter on its
feet in a bad way.
But the Knicks with both, that'swhen you start talking about do
you really want to see them in aseries?
How far in the playoffs can theygo?

(39:49):
And in a week where the theme iswho are you really?
the Knicks answer this.
They are absolutely built inJalen Bruns' image.
Tough, stubborn, a littleundersized, and absolutely not
scared of late game chaos.
Around the rest of the league,the identity crisis is mostly
happening in the trainer's room.

(40:10):
Giannis goes down with a groinstrain in Cleveland, and Doc
Rivers basically comes out afterthe game, like, yeah, it didn't
look great, which aka is coachspeak for pray for the MRI.
Uh Giannis has been on an insanetear.
30 plus a night, living in thepaint, and now the body is

(40:31):
finally barking back at him.
And the question for the Bucs iswho are you when Giannis isn't
your chi code?
Because when he's right, theyget to cover up all the weird
stuff.
The awkward roster, thedefensive holes, the stretches
where the offense looks likeit's five guys running five
different apps.
Without him, you've got anexpensive roster that might just

(40:55):
be fine.
Not terrifying, not inevitable,just fine.
And Miami's kind of theopposite.
No BAM, no hero, and they stillfind ways to win because they
know exactly who they are everysingle year.
Ware steps in, Norman Powellgives you 19, Spoe just flips

(41:17):
another undrafted guy over andhits on him.
Heat culture.
Heat culture is the mostannoying phrase in sports
sometimes.
But it's also kind of real, andthat's why it's annoying.
They don't need to ask who theyare.
They know who they are.
The Knicks in the heat game wasa good contrast.

(41:37):
Two banged up teams, but one ofthem has had the same identity
for a decade, and the other oneis still figuring out what
Brunson, Kat, and Bridges erareally looks like.
And then, oh boy, and then youget to Dallas, where the
identity crisis might be theloudest thing in the entire
league.
So let's let's talk about theMavericks because this is a wild

(42:00):
timeline.
Nine months ago, Nico Harrisonwalks in and says, Alright,
screw it, we're ripping the bandaid off, ships off Luka to the
Lakers in the most shockingtrade that NBA has seen in
years, which brings back AnthonyDavis, recoupes some picks, and
they try to reset the wholefranchise on the fly.
Then of course, the basketballgods reward, yeah, I'm sure it

(42:22):
wasn't fixed.
They reward you by letting youwin the lottery, and you get to
grab Cooper Flag, the next stargenerational player, can't miss,
built like Dirk, basically lookslike Luca, 18 years old.
So on paper, you have A.D.,Kyrie, Cooper Flag, and a couple
decent role players.
And you look around, you say, wedidn't rebuild, we reloaded,

(42:42):
we're good to go.
Well, fast forward now.
Nico's fired.
AD has played five games.
Kyrie hasn't even touched thefloor this season.
Cooper Flag missed the game withillness, and he's looked okay,
not great.
And this team is near bottom ofthe West with the second worst
offense in the league.

(43:03):
This is supposed to be the coolmodern offensive franchise that
used to build around Luka HeroBall.
And now they can't even crackaverage with AD and flag on
paper.
You got three non-shooters onthe floor, you got no spacing,
and you're asking an 18-year-oldto be your adult before he can
legally rent a car, before hecan buy a beer.

(43:26):
And the worst part, this isn'tsome clean we're rebuilding
situation.
They are capstrapped and pickpoor.
They're flirting with the secondapron.
They owe picks all over theleague from the Luka 80 Kyrie
era, and they're staring at apotential 80 Supermax extension
where he's going to be makingmonopoly money in his mid-30s on

(43:47):
a body that breaks downconstantly.
So when you talk about who areyou really in Dallas right now,
I don't even know if they know.
I mean, are you a win now teambuilt around an injury-prone
mid-30s stars?
Uh are you a rebuilding teamcentered on Cooper Flag's
timeline?
Or are you just straight upstuck in the middle?

(44:10):
Too expensive to blow it up andtoo flawed to truly contend.
That's the part that sucks forFlag.
You went from this fairy tale,Luca gets moved, you're the new
face, fresh regime, clean slate,to hey kid, welcome to the
franchise.
The guy who traded for you justgot fired, your co-stars in
street clothes, and the guywho's supposed to take pressure

(44:32):
off you hasn't even played yet.
Good luck, go save us.
That's how you end up with theseweird, haunted seasons where the
kid doesn't even play that bad,but there's this dark cloud of
was that Luca trade even worthit hanging over him?
And then the fans are all madabout it, and then it just
compiles more and more and more.
Meanwhile, the Knicks make onesmart trade for Towns.

(44:55):
They lean into Brunson, theybring in bridges, and you go,
Oh, I see the lane, I see theidentity, I see what they're
trying to do here.
Dallas, you're watching him, andit looks like, what are you
trying to be?
Because this looks like threetimelines trying to fight each
other.
And that's the kind of story ofthe league right now.
The Knicks are trying to levelup from fun to real.

(45:18):
The Bucs are trying to provethat they can survive if Giannis
misses times, or God forbid,leaves.
The Heat are just keep being theHeat no matter who's in the
uniform.
There's monsters out west withthe Thunder and the Nuggets who
just don't seem to lose ever.
And then the Mavericks arestaring into the mirror, like,
man, what did we actually buildhere?

(45:38):
Not to mention the Nets and thePacers and the Wizards, I think
combined have three wins.
The league is all over the placewith hot and cold and stability
and chaos.
So in a Who Are You Reallyepisode, the NBA gave us a lot
of answers this week and acouple really uncomfortable

(45:59):
questions.
But next up, we're gonna jumpover to the diamond.
Baseball is doing its ownidentity check with a hot stove
heating up.
We got some guys acceptingqualifying offers that probably
wouldn't have got that muchmoney anyway.
And maybe, just maybe, some ofthese owners are finally being
forced to act like big boys.

(46:21):
Baseball coming up next.
Keep it right here.

(46:51):
Because this Who Are You Reallytheme that we've been covering
might actually hit hardest inMLB.
Not with the players, but withowners and front offices showing
you exactly what they are whenthe bill comes due.
I didn't think I was gonna havea lot for this segment.
And then after going over mynotes here, there's a good
amount to cover.
So don't worry, I won't drown onforever and ever about baseball,

(47:16):
even though it's very easy to.
So let's just get into it, huh?
Shall we?
I'll start in Seattle becausethe first real domino of the
offseason finally fell.
Josh Naylor.
He gets his five-year deal fromthe Mariners, and that one
checks a bunch of boxes all atonce for them.

(47:36):
Seattle made it very clear atthe deadline that this is our
guy.
They went and got him, hits$299for them, runs wild on the
bases, plays a solid first base.
And the most important thingwith baseball, he absolutely fit
that team's energy right away.
So they back it up.
They back it up with years andreal money.
Lock him in with Julio, lock himin with Cal Riley, and that

(48:00):
rotation.
This shows that they're tryingto stick around for a while, not
just be one hit ALCS wonders.
And from a Mets angle, this movematters.
Naylor was one of the cleanermiddle of the order lefty bad
options on the market, and nowhe's off the board.
So that's one less chair whenthe music stops for teams that

(48:21):
needed a thumper.
So if you're Steve Cohen andDavid Stearns and you're sitting
there trying to figure out whatto offer Pete Alonso, that's a
little bit of leverage on bothsides.
Pete can say, hey, you know, whois uh exactly gonna replace 40
bombs in your lineup?
Because Naylor was one of thefew dudes who kind of sort of

(48:41):
fit that lane, and now he'sgone.
But from the GM standpoint, fromStern's standpoint, he can turn
around and say, Well, Pete,that's one less place that was
gonna offer you serious moneythat you can go to now.
So your options are dwindlingdown little by little.
It's the same thing in thebullpen market with the Braves
bringing back Rosia Iglesias.

(49:03):
It's a small one-year,$16million deal, but Atlanta looked
around and said, we could getcute in the ninth inning, or we
could just bring the dude backwho's been nails for us.
And he wants to be here.
And here's the part that theMets fans' ears should perk up
at.
We do our homework here at Riceon the Mics.
You know, we keep an eye onthings.

(49:25):
We go into some stats behind thescenes.
Since 2017, Iglesias is third inreliever war.
And can you guess the two guysahead of him?
That's correct.
Edwin Diaz and Josh Hader.
So that's the tier that we'retalking about.
When Iglesius gets his numberand he's off the market, that's

(49:47):
one fewer serious closer outthere.
And the Mets are very publiclytrying to keep Diaz.
But every time one of these topend arms is taken off the table,
the price and the urgency foryour guy ticks up just a little
bit more.
Then you look at the qualifyingoffers.
Trent Grisham, Glaber Torres,Brandon Woodruff, Shoda Imanaga.

(50:09):
All took the QO at a little bitover$22 million for one year.
Everybody else, Kyle Schwarber,Ranger Suarez, Kyle Tucker,
Framer Valdez, Bo Bachet, DylanSees, Michael King, Edwin Diaz,
Zach Gallon.
They're all saying, no thanks,I'll test the market.
Those are some pretty big namesin the sport that could be

(50:31):
wearing a different uniform comenext season.
So that's two things at once.
One, the mid-tier guys arereading the room.
They're saying, I'll take theone-year bag, especially with a
CBA fight looming.
And then two, the actual starsare betting on themselves and on
the fact that there's stillenough real money out there from

(50:52):
a handful of teams that want tocompete every single year.
And you know who those teamsusually are.
And on that note, let's zoominto the New York baseball
teams.
Because both locals are havingmajor identity crises in
different directions.
So the Yankees quietly bringback Ryan Yarbrough on a
one-year,$2.5 million deal.

(51:14):
That's not a headline.
That's nothing.
But it's really not.
Look at the context.
Going into next season, noGarrett Cole to start the year,
no Carlos Radon for at least afew weeks.
Clark Schmidt's out to at leastthe second half.
Your rotation on paper is MaxFried, Cam Schlittler in his
full year now, Luis Hill, WillWarren, and maybe Yarbrough as

(51:38):
the Swiss Army knife opener.
I saw a tweet going around thatsaid Yankees money is in
trouble.
What a mess.
And it was, yeah, it's it'smessy as all hell.
With Trent Christian acceptingthe qualifying offer for$22
million, you still got DJ LeMayuon the books for$15 million,
Ryan McMahon, who you justtraded for at the deadline

(52:00):
making$16 million.
And oh yeah, Giancarlo foranother$19 million, adding up to
a grand total of$72 million.
This is why they make a movelike this.
This is the kind of move youmake when you're trying to hold
the dam together cheap while youfigure out whether you actually
want to throw another giantcontract at a starter or Cody

(52:21):
Bellinger or Kyle Tucker oranybody to hit behind Judge.
I mean, are you guys still theevil empire that just goes out
and buys a frontline arm or abig bat?
Or are you kind of in thatuncomfortable in-between where
you're paying huge money toinjured guys and then patching
the rest with value plays andhoping that the logo still

(52:42):
sells?
Maybe that was a little mean,but it doesn't make it not true.
It's not great.
Now flip it over to Queens, andit's the kind of the opposite
because the Mets just straightup ate$17 million to DFA Frankie
Mantas.
He's going to miss all of nextyear with Tommy John.
That's a co-in tax.

(53:03):
Most owners don't swallow thatmuch money on a dead arm without
at least trying to squeeze outlike some rehab innings.
The Mets basically just saidwe'd rather have the roster
spot.
Go on, get out of here.
Goodbye.
But they have a major coreissue.
Who's the captain?
Who's sticking around?
How do we get better whilekeeping the guys that got us

(53:25):
here?
Who is the voice in the lockerroom?
Is Mendoza a good manager?
Will Keith stay for anotheryear?
No, I'm just kidding.
But there's a lot of internalquestions to be answered this
offseason.
They did finally fill out thebig league coaching staffs,
coaching positions, though.

(53:47):
Justin Willard comes in fromBoston as the pitching coach.
That's great.
Cool with that.
Probably worked with uh Crochetand probably Sale and Bellow, so
fine with me.
Got Troy Stittiker from Houstonas the hitting coach, and Jeff
Albert overseeing hitting as awhole.
I mean Houston and hitting.
I guess I'll take that.
Whatever.
That's a very we're gonna bepitching lab slash hitting lab

(54:09):
organization now.
Set of hires.
Not so much vibes and laughingand this and the other.
More science.
And you can tell that they'retrying to be the team that
develops arms, not just buysthem.
But they might be able to doboth because the Scoobyl smoke
is very, very real.

(54:29):
At least around here it is.
Tariq Scoobyl is the swing pieceof this entire offseason if the
Tigers actually put him in play.
Back-to-back Cy Young's 28 yearsold, top of the rotation lefty,
under control through 2026, andyou got Boris in his ear and a
realistic shot at beatingYamamoto's 325 million, maybe

(54:51):
even pushing towards the first$400 million pitching deal.
And why not the Mets?
I mean, they already gave$750 toSoto, right?
Let's just dump money all overthe place.
But here is where the who areyou really thing gets loud, the
theme of the episode.
If you're Detroit, do you tradehim now for a King's ransom,
knowing you'll probably neverget this level of ace again for

(55:13):
a while?
Or do you run 2016 with him andif you're not in it by July,
cash out?
Or do you just hang on to him nomatter what, keep trying to
extend him and risk losing himfor a comp pick in the 30s?
If you choose door one or doortwo, you're basically stamping
small market mindset on yourforehead.

(55:35):
Even if your payroll technicallycould be higher, you're telling
your fans when a guy gets trulyelite and truly expensive, he's
probably not going to finish hisprime in our uniform.
And that is exactly how you endup having this kind of same
conversation in a couple yearsabout Paul Schienes.
Different name, same movie.
Now, I say all this from mylittle Mets Ivory Tower.

(55:58):
My owner is currently worth$16billion with a B dollars.
And the Mets are his passionproject.
It's a lot easier for me to sitback and say, yeah, just pay the
man, give him a blank check whenSteve Cullen can literally lose
$40 million on the stock marketand on a reliever and then go
buy art the next day, too.

(56:19):
But that's exactly why theScooba thing is such a test.
If the Mets are really in onthem, it's not just about the
prospects.
And yes, it is going to cost aboatload of real names, real
pain, the kind of prospects thatMets Twitter is going to be
melting down over, or we gave uptoo much, or whatever.
But you only do that if and onlyif you already have a pretty

(56:42):
good idea you can sign him longterm.
You don't gut the farm for oneand a half years of school and
then wave as he hits free agencywith Boris trying to set a new
record.
That's where Cohn and Cerns haveto answer.
Are you really going to use thefinancial superpower thing to
separate yourself?

(57:03):
Or are you just going to actlike every other smart team and
hedge it to death?
And while all this is happening,MLB just quietly backed up the
revenue truck.
ESPN, NBC, and Netflix sign anew three-year rights package,
roughly$800 million a yearcombined.

(57:23):
ESPN keeps paying$550 and theyget MLB TV in the and it's in
app, plus some market streaming,whatever, some bullshit.
NBC gets Sunday night baseball,the wildcard round, plus Sunday
afternoons on Peacock, andNetflix gets the home run derby,
an early season showcase game,and like a field of dreams type

(57:46):
special event every year.
That is a lot of guaranteedmoney flowing into the league.
And with revenue sharing, eventhe so-called poor teams are
going to be seeing biggerchecks.
So when owners come out thiswinter crying poverty, remember
that.
When they tell you that theycan't possibly take on one more
big contract because uncertaintywith the CBA and this, that, and

(58:08):
the other, remember that.
$800 million for the next threeyears just got pumped into the
league.
As far as foreign playersgetting posted, you're going to
have to bear with me with thesenames for now.
Japanese ready Tatsuya Imayaposted.

(58:30):
It's pretty damn good.
Munataka Murakami.
Yeah, I said that pretty well.
He's a position player comingover.
You got Scooba Discourse.
You got guys like Bo Bichetteand Kyle Tucker and Kyle
Schwarber hitting the marketwithout long-term deals for
their original teams.
And the question is just hangingout there.

(58:51):
With all this extra TV andstreaming money, who is actually
going to act like a big club andwho's going to hide behind the
small market costume?
Yankee fans are sitting therewondering if their team is still
that bully on the block, or ifyou're going to watch another
year of hopeful rotations andweak bats while Judge gets
intentionally walked 40 timesthis season.

(59:11):
And Met fans are wondering ifCohen is going to finally fire
the big trade bullet on someonelike Scoobyl and still double
down with long-term Alonzo andDiaz deals.
Meanwhile, Tiger fans are juststaring at one of their true
aces and a great player on theirteam and wondering if they're
ever going to be allowed to justdream past his arbitration
years.
God, that'd be miserable.

(59:34):
That's the kind of heart of thiswhole episode, right?
The who are you really?
It isn't just for quarterbacksand coaches and NBA GMs.
Baseball is about to show ustoo, owner by owner, with every
deal they make or don't make thenext couple months.
So once the next big shoe drops,whether it's Scooba Talk or some

(59:56):
surprise trade or somebodyblinking first on a huge
content.
Contracting extension thiswinter.
Baseball is basically one bigidentity jacket.
Owners, front offices, starshitting the market.
Everybody's about to show youwho they really are when the
bill hits the table.
And honestly, that kind of loopsright back to me in this show,

(01:00:16):
too.
Episode 40.
Sitting here talking sports withyou every week.
Trying to keep it honest, tryingto keep it fun.
Trying to build something thatactually feels like it belongs
to us, not just the box score.
So I'll put a bow on thebaseball for now.
I'll take a breath.
I'll calm down.
I told you I'd keep it short.
I didn't.
On the other side, I'll get youout of here with some quick

(01:00:38):
closing thoughts, plug thesocials, and we'll wrap up
episode 40 the right way.
Thanks for listening.
Yeah, I think that's a wrap onthis one.

(01:01:01):
Episode 40 in the books.
That's crazy to say out loud.
Forty episodes of me sittinghere talking to a mic about the
teams that make us miserable,and somehow we keep coming back
for more.
The theme this week of Who AreWe Really is a check for
everybody.
Jets and Giants trying toconvince us that they're
building something while theirrecords say otherwise.

(01:01:24):
Chiefs are on the ropes, Coltsare on the come-up.
Eagles and Cowboys are trying todecide if they're contenders or
just really loud pretenders.
The Knicks holding it togetherwith duct tape and Brunson's
ankle.
The Mavs are running a scienceexperiment on how fast you can
burn through a reset.
And then baseball's over hereasking owners, are you really

(01:01:46):
broke or are you just cheap?
That's kind of where I'm at withthe show, too.
Episode 40 feels like a goodmoment to look in the mirror and
go, What is rice on the micsreally?
And the answer for me is uhstill the same.
Honest, a little reckless,statinerdy when it needs to be,

(01:02:07):
but always like you're justposted up at the bar arguing
with your good friends.
If I can keep that vibe, I'msquare.
As always, if you rocked with methis episode, do me a favor,
share it with one friend, drop arating, toss a review, all that
good stuff.
Hit me on the socials at Rice onthe Radio.
Jump in the DM, send your week12 takes, your fantasy panic,

(01:02:31):
your own who are you really?
Teams.
Check the Wednesday mic pollstoo.
Get your votes in.
Thank you.
Thank you for listening, forriding with me to 40.
Spread good energy in thisworld.
Make sure you tell someone youlove them.
I am Ian Rice, and I'll catchyou next week.