PTI - Is Bradley Beal a Good Fit for the Clippers?

Episode Date: July 17, 2025

Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon Discuss the MLB All-Star, British Open and Bradley Beal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, sports fans, the ESPN app has all of ESPN all in one place. The ESPN app is your home to thousands of live events, ESPN shows, and originals across every ESPN network and service. And now you can check if you already have ESPN Unlimited as part of your TV package for no additional calls. Visit activate.esPN.com to learn how to access your account or sign up, then start streaming in the ESPN app. It's all of ESPN all in one place. Sign up or activate now. Pardon the interruption, but I'm Mike Wilbon. It's National Take a Poet to Work Day, Tony. You got a poem for us?

Tony Kornheiser, how about a limerick? There once was a man named the Firf, who brought a dunk, Noah Asengay's turf. The slam was so hard, a bull is now scarred. The image is wherever you surf. What do you think? That's nice. I'll take a singe. I like what I'm seeing from him.

And if he's scarred by that, that he ain't got much. If he's got scarred by that, that'll just make him a nick. Welcome to PTI, boys and girls. And today's episode, Bradley Beale has a new team. Caitlin Clark is injured again. And the British Open is set to tee off in the wee hours.

But we begin today with the end of last night's baseball All-Star game, where they went to the swing-off option to break a six-six tie, and Kyle Swarber hit three straight bombs to give the National League the victory. Well, Bond, how did you feel about the? the swing off. Well, Tony, when it started, and I didn't watch the whole game.

I did watch the comeback after it was 6-0. I saw it to 6-4. I don't know how I got to 6-6, but I start paying attention again. And I look up and they're talking about a swing-off. It's like a shootout. And I'm like, ah, I'm not going to like this. And maybe I am influenced by the fact that it was Kyle Schwerber, who I love. Former neighbor is.

Chicago, Kyle Schwerber. I root for Kyle Schwabber. He's part of the greatest Cub team of my life and most anybody's alive who's been living the past century. And Kyle Schwaber was part of that. He's hit big home runs. You know, he had like

five home runs in eight or nine games in one postseason that didn't last long for the Cubs before they won. So maybe Schwerber's participation swayed me. But I didn't hate it. It's I. It's I.

Yeah, that's interesting. Full disclosure here, I was not awake when it happened. That game ended right around midnight on the East Coast, but I saw it this morning, and then I talked to Buster Only on my podcast, and he changed my mind how I felt about this. Let me just start by saying, I'm okay with you ending an exhibition game this way.

It's okay with me to have a swing off. You know, the All-Star game is a television show. This was good television. This may have even been great television. And I don't want to sit here, Mike, and say, because it's a game that doesn't count the standings. I don't want to make it into Game 7 of the World Series. But my first reaction was, I'm not crazy about this.

It's like a shootout in hockey. It's like if they went to a three-point contest in the NBA. I thought an All-Star game deserved probably better than this. And if you're going to do this, how can you not have Roeley and Judge? you know, Tani, I guess they were out of the game, they showered, they dressed the day of left. They didn't know the rules. They may not have even been there.

Who's eligible? But then I talked to Buster. I talked to Buster, and Buster is a baseball purist, and he said it was thrilling. He said he loved it. He said the people in the stands loved it. He said the other players loved it. They came out, and they cheered for it,

and I was, I have to say that I was influenced by that, that he liked it so much. Just don't tell me that we're going to end every extra inning game this way in the regular season. Don't tell me that. It's taken me a year and a half to adjust to the ghost runner and I think it's okay. But I think, Mike, if given the option, I think players would vote for this. I do. And Schwabor, as you said, was magnificent. For an all-star game, fine. And the players were through. I don't want to see an extra inning all-star game. I don't need that. So it ended like this. It would be fine if they ended in a shootout. It, you know, again, Tony, I thought it was

cheesy at the start. And then by the end of it, I was like, okay, now if it was somebody other than Swarber who was the star, I'm worried this will be... I might not feel that way. I'm worried this will be the new rule in two years for all games, regular season games.

No, you can't do it. Really? I'll take the ghost runner. I'm not taking this. It's quick. It's quick. Okay. We'll see. The All-Star festivities also featured a tribute to Henry Aaron. Breaking Babe Bruce's home run mark in 1974. A visual display was projected onto the diamond to recreate the moment, followed by a lone

fireworks shot out toward left field to symbolize the trajectory of the home run itself. On hand was Aaron's widow, Billy Aaron. Tony, what do you feel while watching this moment? Okay, so there were three lovely tributes last night. One was when Dave Roberts, you know, I think in the middle of the went out there and brought Freddie Freeman off so that the fans in Atlanta who loved Freddie Freeman for all those years when he was with the Braves could give him a great ovation. Dave Roberts did it again when he went to get his own horse, when he went to get Clayton Kershaw, who had retired two batterers, won by a strikeout, and he moved him off for a nice warm ovation in what likely will be the last All-Star game that Clayton Kershaw ever plays in. And there was a tribute to Hank Aaron,

which was produced perfectly. It was not schmaltzy. It was not syrupy. It was right down the middle, and it was lovely. So, I mean, Hank Aaron hitting number 715 in Atlanta, is the greatest single moment in Georgia sports history by an enormous margin. This was an important home run for baseball, an important home run for Aaron,

and an important home run, Mike, as you and I will agree, for the United States of America. This is not just any rum-dum record that he's getting. He's breaking a record of Babe Ruth's, who to that point, and maybe even still now, is the most important athlete the United States has ever produced. And he's going after the singular number, 714, that everybody understands.

And he is a black man in Atlanta. And he's breaking the record there after an exemplary life that he led. And Mike, I cannot, and you cannot overstate this. We cannot overstate it. No. And Vin Scully didn't overstate it. When he talked about what a wonderful moment this was,

for America. Vin Scully went right to this. In 1974, and if it had been anybody lesser than Vin Scully, he might have been taking the task. And it was fascinating to me, Tony, that the three people who called it in a live time, and then you could go back and hear some of this with the tribute, Milo Hamilton, who called the Braves for Forever among other teams,

Vince Scully and Kurt Gowdy. I mean, these are legendary names in broadcasting. And if you go back to a time when, I was 15 years old to be able to relive that by watching it. And I just watched it again on my phone. I watched some of it last night. It is, Tony. It's very emotional.

You hope that now a country, a culture, which doesn't appreciate history, which doesn't pay attention, which if they can only consume clips, our children and grandchildren, maybe they will consume that clip from last night. And they'll look at it. And they'll go to Google or Google. wherever it is, whatever AI they go to, and learn more about Henry Aaron and Henry Aaron's home run off of Al Downing and what it meant

and what the struggle was like for Henry Aaron who received death threats as he approached Babe Ruth. Maybe that's the significance of it, is that it was wonderfully done, Tony, but maybe now a country younger than us that doesn't give a damn about anything that didn't happen on TikTok this morning will be...

curious enough to learn more. It's burned into my memory. I saw it and I remember it. I can visualize him rounding the bases. I can visualize those two kids when he's around third coming in. I can visualize him smiling and his teammates smiling. And I will say this now and I believe this in all my heart. That's an important moment for America.

It's an important moment. The British Open starts tomorrow at Royal Port Rush in Northern Ireland. The last time it was played there was 2019 and Shane Lowry won. Rory McElroy didn't even make the cut. But since then, McElroy has won the Grand Slam by winning the Masters in April. Scotty Sheffler won the PGA after that. And Xander Schauchleigh won the British last year. Well, Bon, if you have to pick among McElroy, Schaeffler, and Schauchle right here, who would you lean towards?

Shawley. And I know he has not played that well this year. I mean, for the most part, it's been for him at this standard with two majors, the disappointing season so far. But I would take him. And, Tony, I thought I was going to take McElroy until. spending some time with people who've been with and around McElroy, and it goes against what I felt. I thought when McElroy won the Masters,

it was going to free him to sort of just stalk championships for a while. And I'm told by people, again, who are closer, who've had access to him. Nope, it's not exactly the deal. He's good, and he's happier in his life where he is with golf right now. And it's fine, but there's a lot of pressure on Rory playing at what is essentially a home course, and I get that. So I'll move away from that. And I'm going to go with Shafley instead of Shephler,

who I understand Shephler's been great in like his last 10 major events, but I'm playing a hunch, and I'm going to go with Shafley. Okay. That's funny. I'm going to eliminate Shafly, and I'm going to eliminate him. And I know he was the British Open champion last year. I'm going to eliminate him because he did not do particularly well in the PGA, did not do particularly well in the U.S. Open.

He was T8. in the Masters, but he hasn't won a tournament all year. McElroy's a sentimental favorite, obviously. This is his home country. He's got the course record at Royal Port Rush. But I heard him the other day talk about the fact that he was trying to get sort of a change of attitude and a different approach to this one at Royal Port Rush

than the last one where he missed the cut. And it seems to me, Mike, that Rory McElroy is trying to get a different approach to something or other every third day. I think he's satisfied with the Masters. I do. And I, like you, thought it would open the gates for a whole lot more. He was in the last group in the Scottish Open over the weekend and he didn't win.

He lost to Chris Goderup. And that sort of surprised me. So I'm going to go with Scotty Schaeffler, who's been the best player in the world for the last three years. He won this year. He won the PGA. He won the Byron Nelson. He won the Memorial. He's on this incredible run where the last 10 tournaments he's played in, he's been in the top 10.

including the Masters in the Open. So I'm going to go with him. But sentimentally for me, I'd like to see Tommy Fleetwood win. I really would. I always sort of like it. Yeah, it'd be fun. ...from over there win these things. Let's take a break.

Coming up, your boy Bradley Beale is leaving the sons. What does he bring to the Clippers? What's the word for Oakmont's suspension of Wyndham Clark for damaging lockers? Bad behavior. Yeah. Yeah, it's not the right way to go. Time to fill in some blanks with words that don't stank. I like that. What's first?

Bradley Beale is a blank pickup for the Clippers. My word is predictable. This is something that the Clippers always do. They go after shiny old toys. They went after Kawhi Leonard. They went after Paul George. Now they have gone after Bradley Beale. It's as if they're trying to win the 2018 NBA championship.

Bradley Beal was the best player on a bad team in Washington that never did anything. He was a rather disappointing player on what was said to be a good team in Phoenix and turned out not to be a good team. He's never won anything except a fabulous contract in Washington that gave him supremacy over everyone and everything. He always seems to me to fall a little bit short, sort of like James Harden. and I, me personally, I don't think the Clippers will win the title with him. I don't know if they won a title, but I'm going the total opposite way. This is a career swinging move. Bradley Beale, by the way, the sons stunk.

Bradley Beale didn't. Bradley Beal had some career best numbers in that time while averaging like half the number of points he did with the Wizards. The only average 17 points a game for two years. But his percentages were up, his efficiency was. up and he didn't really stink individually, but I'm going to mention this. And here's why his career swinging, because he doesn't have to be great. The Clippers aren't going to ask him to be that because Kawhi Leonard gets asked to be that. James Hardin, and by the way, James

Hardin is better now in his older role than he was as a superstar who had the ball for 22 and a half seconds. But you got Big Zoo, Zubots, Kawhi Hardin, Brooke Lopez has moved over, but Toom is a great bench player. John Collins coming into his own. largely and probably coming off the bench and they may sign Chris Paul and you may look at the bench and say whoa this is an AARP bench good. Brooke Lopez

Chris Paul Batum and then you got Derek John's Derek Derek Jr. I'm looking at this team Tony the Clippers are going to challenge in 2006

Derek Jones Jr. for the Western Conference title and you'll just be, you know, not paying attention as you do. Absolutely not paying attention. Absolutely not paying attention. Glad you admit it. Oakmont suspension of Wyndham Clark is blank. It is justified.

He smashed up a bunch of lockers. He had a bad round at the U.S. Open and he smashed up a bunch of lockers. You can't do that. You can't even do that if you're a member of the club. That's not how it works. Now, yeah, he apologized, and he offered restitution for the lockers. But I don't know. I mean, I think what Oakmont has said, which is if you ever want to get back in here,

you have to pay for all the damage that you've done, you have to go to counseling, and you have to make a charitable contribution that we approve of. I think that's totally fair. The wild card here, though, is Wyndham Clark, I believe, won the U.S. Open in 2003, which gives them a 10-year exemption to every U.S. Open after that for 10 years. Oakmont has the U.S. Open in 2003. I think that's in the window. So let's stay tuned as to what's going on here.

Yeah, Tony, I'm going to say it's mindful because golf is not like the others. Hockey, baseball, basketball, football, guys tear up locker rooms all the time, famously, and then brag about it. We see baseball players take a bat to the Gatorade cooler. I mean, we see this stuff all the time in other sports, but not in golf, where it's not allowed. It's not going to be allowed in a clubhouse. They're destroying their own lockers.

That's right. And so what they're also saying is, one, we're different as a sport and the culture. We're not having this. And Wyndham Clark, we saw it through a club. Wyndham Clark behaved like a louse. And basically, Okman is saying, no, we don't tolerate that. We're not having that. And by the way, Tony, to me, if they made this public with the, well, the letter is, the reporting is that, there's something else.

That ain't the only behavior is the locker if this is public. I'd like to know what else there might have. That's final word. Let's take one last break. Still to come, Caitlin Clark gets injured again. Where does this leave the fever and Friday's three-point contest? And Bob Kraft and Bill Belichick are poking at each other again. Doesn't that surprise you a little bit?

Doesn't it surprise you that there's no mutual admiration? There doesn't seem to be any mutual admiration. I'm surprised by that. Well, I could think of some other situations, last dance. Happy time, people. Happy 53rd birthday, Aaron Glenn. The first year head coach of the New York Jets wasted little time in telling Aaron Rogers to get off the bus right now.

now. Glenn will go to Justin Fields to quarterback the Jets, who haven't been in the playoff since 2010 under Rex Ryan. They have since gone through Todd Bowles, Adam Gase, Robert Sala. Glenn was a defensive back on the Jets from 1994 through 2001. He made two pro bowls and two playoffs there. He started coaching as an assistant DB's coach with the Browns in 2014, became DB's coach for the Saints under Sean Payton for five years, and most recently was defensive coordinator under Dan Campbell at the Lions. Tony, I suppose there are reasons to look at the Jets under Glenn and think, okay, have some optimism. There's reason to pay attention.

I'm more interested in the team Glenn is leaving the Detroit Lions than the team he is joining your New York Jets. Happy anniversary Don Mattingly. On this day, 38 years ago, the career-long Yankee hit his fourth grand slam of the season and tied the American League record with a home run in six straight games. Ultimately, Donny Baseball ran that streak to eight, tying Dale Long's Major League record set in 1956. Mattingly also set a Major League record with six grand slams that season. Oddly, the only grand slams of his entire career.

Since then, Ken Griffey Jr. has had eight straight home run games, and Travis Haffner has had six grand slams in a season. Mattingley, who played 14 seasons in Pinstripes, has managed the Dodgers and the Marlins, and he is now John Schneider's bench coach in Toronto. As you know, Tony, Mattingley was so great in those first like six seasons of his career. I compare him across sports and an injury, sabotaged him. I compare him with Grant Hill, who had like seven seasons that were so great out of the gate in Detroit.

And both of them sabotaged by injuries. And who knows how high up the pyramid they'd be if they've been healthy. Happy Trails, Caitlin Clark. The Indiana Fever star left last night's win over the sun with 40 seconds left with a right. groin injury. You may remember that Clark recently sat out five games with a left groin injury. She's missed 10 games overall. Prior to this season, Clark had never missed a game in her college or pro career. She's officially listed as out for tonight's game at the Liberty, and you have to wonder whether this could affect our participation in Friday night's All-Star three-point contest.

Tony, I hope by sitting out tonight's game against the Liberty, and I know 20,000 at Barclays will be disappointed. That game was moved to Brooklyn to have that big crowd. to see Caitlin Clark. I'm hoping she'll be able to participate in All-Star Weekend. I really do. Let's go to the big finish. If we could, Mav Center. Derek Lively the second had bone spurs removed from his right foot. Is that caused for concern? Yay, Ms. Two months with a stress fracture at his right ankle. Maybe this will clear out the whole thing. He'll be healthy. He's important to that Dallas Maverick's franchise. Georgia coach, former Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, says he doubts Nick Sabin will return to coaching your thoughts, Tony. My thoughts are that he's siding with you, and I'm on the other side on that one. Bob Kraft told the dudes on dudes podcast that he took a big risk by hiring Bill Belichick.

And Belichick responded that he took a big risk by taking a Patriots job. Who's right? Neither. Big egos, they both did all right. Much better than all right. They did great. The Rangers gave Nathan Avaldi his $100,000 all-star bonus, even though he got snubbed, didn't make the team. Your reaction?

Good for Texas for doing that. He's 7 and 3 with the 158 ERA. How could he not make the All-Star team? Last one, S-B Awards are tonight. Who should win best team? Panthers, Dodgers, Liberty, Ohio State, Thunder, Eagles. I'm going with the Eagles. They beat the dynasty in Kansas City, right, Eagles?

Yeah, I-95 team. That still is. We're out of time. Trying to do better the next time. I'm Tony Cornynard. And I'm Mike Louis Bond. Same time tomorrow, knuckleheads. Eagles are pretty good.

I'm not saying they'll do it again. That's for another damn. I-95, we usually hate it. Good for you.