Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show - Mike Sando doesn't think the Maxx Crosby trade saga is over (Hour 2)

Episode Date: March 20, 2026

In the second hour, Leila Rahimi and Mark Grote were joined by Mike Sando of The Athletic to explain why the Bears are well-positioned to trade for Raiders star defensive end Maxx Crosby if the price is right. He also discussed the latest NFL storylines. After that, Grote explained how newly signed Bears linebacker Jack Sanborn was a big inspiration for his “Bears scale.” Later, Rahimi and Grote held the Halftime segment.

This hour is brought to you by Vesectomy Clinics of Chicago. At the end, they're like, yeah, I'll take you up. Joe was like, I'll take you up and you go see the head coach, whatever, just before you leave. I was like, hell yeah. I was like, that's what I want to say what's up to him. So I went back up and I dab him up and they can just tell like the energy was a little bit off. And I'm like, okay, I'm not thinking anything of it. Maybe he's just different.

I don't know. I don't know him, whatever. I go into the room. They sit me down on the couch and he's like, man, I don't know how to say this. But, you know, one of our doctors has concerns with, you know, with the results and whatever, like, with your knee. Like some of them have, you know, are concerned about the future and da-da-da-da-da. And, you know, we really want you and this is what it is. But, you know, we're just going to have to get more and more opinions.

Really, really inside stuff. Max Crosby on his podcast, The Rush, talking about his experience and how the trade fell through with the Baltimore Ravens. This is Rahimi Harrison Grotty on 1043 The Score. And we go to our hotline and also Twitch, twitch.tvitch. slash The Score, Chicago. That is where we can find Mike Sando joining us. He's the NFL senior writer for the Athletic. He's a selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame,

officer for the Pro Football Writers of America. And he's covered every non-pandemic Super Bowl since the 1998 season. And oh, by the way, he has really good articles in The Athletic. Mike, we always enjoy having you on. Thanks for coming on. Oh, it's great to be here. Thanks so much to talk about that. Crosby stuff's great. Well, it is, and that's, that was the impetus of why we wanted to have you on. It was a favorite pitch, the want for Max Crosby here in Chicago.

Bears GM, Ryan Poles actually acknowledged discussions were had. And you had the article that came out in the athletic, the Max Crosby trade fiasco, the Ravens Motivations, and how the NFL world reacted. So what were your biggest takeaways from the work that you did? this piece? I think the, so we talked to a lot of people in the league and and I just thought the most compelling, most likely scenario was that Max Crosby was basically a fallback for them if they couldn't get Trey Hendrickson. So when you think about free agency, it's more fluid than a trade situation. You can agree to a trade and lock that in as almost a placeholder. And then you

don't really know it's going to happen with Trey Hendrickson and free agency. Does he have a deal in his pocket, is he going to go somewhere else? But it looks to me like once they realized they could get Trey Hendrickson, they didn't want to take the risk associated with Max Krauth. Which there is a real medical risk. I mean, the guys had seven, eight surgeries, but everybody knew that. And subsequently, after this article published, you know, I talked to, you know, team doctor types, and one of them said something I thought pretty compelling, which was anyone who is two months into a six months rehab is going to fail a physical. And so Max Crosby had a surgery. It's not like he's having his leg amputated. He has a surgery. He's got a timetable. He's obviously not going to probably pass a

physical right now because to pass a physical right now it means you're cleared to play. You can play a game tomorrow. I think everybody knew that that's not the case with Max Crosby. So unless you went in there and found like a crescent wrench that the surgeon left in there, you know, there shouldn't be something that's that surprising about him. And if that's the case, Mike, if all along it was that they realized that they could get Trey Hendrickson. So you'd call off the deal. You say he failed the physical, which he might have, you know, per their doctors. We know it's subjective from team to team from what we've all learned.

I was interested in seeing one of the, and you talked to a bunch of GMs and they agreed to do this without being named. But one of them was very interesting. I thought it says, most believe that the unique situation would actually not have any long-term effect on teams doing business with Baltimore GM, Eric DeCosta. Do you believe that, that it won't have long-term effects? Well, I think you go into it with eyes wide open. So to me, if you really want a player and you want to do business with the Ravens, that's going to be based on your relationship with him and the trust factor, just like it would be

for any deal. So if you don't have that good relationship with him, maybe you're going to be weary, but you might be anyway. And so that's why sometimes we see teams be trading partners more than once, right? Maybe Ryan Poles worked with so-and-so in another front office, and he feels great about, you know, adding Joe Tooney, right? Like it's going to make, you know, he not only was there with him, but he knows the people there, there's a trust. They're not going to pull, the chiefs aren't going to pull something like that surprising on Ryan Poles probably, right? So I think that's the, you know, that's the only effect, but if someone thinks they can get a good deal from the Ravens, I think they're still going to do it. Now, maybe you protect yourself better.

Like the Raiders could have insisted on, you know, a physical being done right away. Let's figure it out. Make sure you want to do this, right? Let's lock it in. And then there's other mechanisms, you know, a team can use to put pressure on the other team in terms of how things are announced or put out there to really make it, feel a little bit more binding than it is. We're talking to Mike Sando, the senior writer for the athletic, and discussing the piece that he wrote regarding the NFL's attitude

and the understanding around what happened with Max Crosby and the trade that wasn't not heading to Baltimore and staying in Las Vegas. How do you think it also affected the rest of the free agent market that we saw? I think had teams known that Crosby wasn't going to go, then they probably wouldn't have made the other decisions they did regarding some of the other free agent pass rushers who went off the board almost immediately after that trade was announced. Yeah, no, I agree. I think it was a domino. Now, not everybody was going to be willing to pay that price.

I think the two number ones was a little surprising, not only coming from Baltimore, but it seemed a little high. To me, there's a price point that's lower than that. And I'm not surprised, but you would think that maybe we could still see something. You know, maybe it's a one and not a second one. Maybe there's something else involved there. He's a really good player. But, yeah, it really took the leverage away from the Raiders

to be able to maximize the price once the time passed and then another team basically declared, this is too risky. Remember, there's human components that go into this. Now, after the Ravens who are perceived, even if people are criticizing them as having a top front office, which they are for a long time, now if you're a GM somewhere

and you want to be the one out front to bring in Max Crosby, the owner and others are going to be like holding you to this standard that if the Ravens look like they were right and he has an injury that lingers this season, it could be your butt on the line. So it makes it harder, I think, for other teams to want to step up unless you're super established. So, you know, I would watch some of those, maybe there's an opportunistic team out there that wants to do this.

I think it's fascinating now that we're going into this NFL league meetings for the owners to get together in Arizona later this month. And one of the proposals is to allow them to trade even more into the future of draft fix. is there a future pick? Is there some team that's a win now team that's willing to give up a first rounder, you know, three years, four years from now, right? I mean, I think it's not over. So we'll just have to see what happens rest of off season.

It's just hard for the Raiders to be in control of it the way they were early because, like you said, the time passed. Yeah, and as you mentioned with the reputation of Eric DeCosta and their front office forever, even going back to Ozzie Newsom, as you wrote in the article, executives around the NFL voted the Raven front office first and second in polling conducted by the athletic in 24 and 25. You said that things could still happen with Crosby. Do you think Ryan Poles at this point, considering what he's already done and not done in

free agency, would still be interested? Or do you think the Bears are not in a position to take a risk like that on Crosby? Yeah, I mean, they've loaded up with a ton of defensive player. I think they're in position to take the risk. I mean, I think they're really in a great position coming off of last year. and if anything, it's going to be hard to, you know, live up to the expectations of last year. They won so many close games. I think they know that.

I think fans know that. But I also feel like, you know, I think it would be applauded if they did it more than, oh, my gosh, it's a risk, right? You would, you would, in the market there, people would be like, I love it. This is the new bears. They're going for it, right? I think you'd feel that even though we know that there is risk associated with it. Now, the compensation would be a big part of that. I don't think you want to give up too much.

but they have made a lot of moves in free agency. They've added a lot of defensive pieces this year. So, you know, maybe they feel like those smaller pieces sort of round them out. There's been a lot of them on defense. So I can't answer that from, you know, how interested they'd be. But why would you ever say never? Why would you say never if there could be a price? I think there is a price where you would like to do that.

No, absolutely, Mike. I think that that is also, we're in agreement on that. It just seems like common sense from where the bear standpoint is. Do it. This segment is brought to you by almost free teeth.com, save on dental implants today. Mike, you also did a story that studies the Seahawks pattern. And it was done about a month ago. Seahawks title underscores how to win in the modern NFL.

There's no going back. I appreciate how you look at patterns. And for all of the talk that we have about Harry Roseman and Philly being one of the exemplary GMs in the game, Mark and I talk a lot about how watching the Super Bowl broke my brain when it came just the defensive standpoint, how well coached they were, how well executed everything was, how well the Seahawks have drafted, and all of that goes back to their GM, John Schneider. How do you look at how he is affected how to win in the NFL? Yeah. So I think over time, if you go back a long time ago, let's just go to the George

Hallis Bears, there weren't very many ways to change your team, right? You could make a trade. Sometimes you'd see a, you know, eight-player trade or something. It was like kind of the only way you could shake it up. There wasn't really free agency. It was discouraged. And, the players were very limited in what they could do. But as the game has evolved, they've added all these new ways, especially with the salary cap coming in. But even since then, even in the last five years, the way the game day roster is managed is totally different than it was before in terms of the number of people you can bring off of IR and that's sort of a thing. And so now we're talking about the Browns are proposing. You can, like I said, trade even more picks.

So what I've seen is more and more ways to get better or worse. And so the skilled GM is super valuable now. And it doesn't mean there's only one way to do it. I mean, Howie Roseman leverages a lot more financially with an owner willing to spend at high risk. I mean, they could easily, there's a lot of people predicting their doom and gloom if they had an injury here or there. And John Schneider, I think, has been really good at finding or working well with his coach as a partner. And I think early on with Pete Carroll, we saw that. was kind of in charge and John was able to kind of work with him they got a bunch of good

players lost their way a little bit I think once you get good it's tempting to fill in for need and I think they did that for a while and it cost them but then he resets hires a perfect coach for him somebody who can really hold people accountable much like the coach and Ben Johnson does and knows exactly what he's doing on his side of the ball much like Ben Johnson does so if you have that right coach who can develop and develop players and has a vision for them, you're going to have way fewer misses and way more hits and you're going to develop guys. So when I look at Seattle, they had a number of guys on their team contributing at the end who looked like they were liabilities early in the year.

There was a guy by the name of Tai Okada. I think he played at Montana as a safety. He looked terrible when he first got out there. By the end, he was a good player. They could do it because the coach could adjust around them. And so they'll have way fewer misses because of that. and then just being active and open-minded. Like I said, it's not just a draft and develop league. You know, there's all these that are avenues now to improve your team. And if you have a willing owner who's willing to spend, you can play around with a salary cap and you can be a little bit more aggressive here or there.

And I think the, you know, I think of, I think of John Schlander's a young GM. He's in his 50s, I think, now, but still has that young GM sort of mentality. And I think we're just seeing more of those guys. And a critical component really is the owner, too. you've got to have an owner willing to let you do it, and Seattle's going to sell their team. So we don't know what their owner's going to be after this. Could be way more involved. Those sorts of things affect it, too.

Not all these GMs are like playing with the same rules and the same latitude. Well, I also love the tech that you brought up George Hallis and Jim Fink's as one of the sort of founding fathers, right, of what is now the modern GM, Jim Fink's for people who don't know, responsible, one of those responsible for putting together the 85 bear. So it was good to see that in your article. But I guess a couple examples, too, of what you're talking about with John Snyder. As you said, relishes the opportunity to get better as opposed to dreading, losing players. Seattle Seahawks lost Kenneth Walker and Kobe Bryant to the Bears.

That's a good example of it. And what do you think of Kobe Bryant, probably having seen a lot of him being around that Seattle organization? Yeah, I think he's good, and I think they would have liked to have kept him. They're just in a situation where Devin Witter's going to get top of the market corner money. They're going to be paying Jackson Smith and Jigma, probably the number one receiver money. So they're kind of making some choices now. And I think in the case of, you know, a not their top corner or a running back who's been really good lately, but, you know, didn't have a great run necessarily out of the gates.

That just wasn't where they were, you know, going to put a lot of their resources. But for another team that has a hole and wants to fill in, it can definitely make sense. So I do like Kobe Bryant. I think that I've just been so impressed with Mike McDonald. think that, you know, I'd be fascinated to ask Kobe Bryant after about training camp and after mid-season to compare those two coaches, because I think there's some similarities in terms of their willingness and ability to hold people accountable in the building, including coaches. I think that's a huge part of it for him. And so, you know, now he's going to have a defensive

coordinator who's been a head coach, and we'll see how that goes. And maybe we can ask how he compares to Mike McDonald as well and see how the fit. And, you know, now he's going to be. And see how the fit is, right? I think that's the critical component now with these defensive ads this year for Chicago. We really want to see, we know the visions there from Ben Johnson as the head coach on offense. We want to make sure that, hey, this is exactly what the de-coordinator wanted and he can get the most out of these guys because these are the guys they're bringing in, right? This isn't who they inherited. So I really want to see a Kobe Bryant pick up where he left off. You know, maybe not right away, but by mid-season, you know, be a really good. player for them. And Mike, you're always tuned into the NFL. Is there anything that you're hearing

just the impression of the Bears after this playoffs that you maybe want people to know or that you were interested in? Because I feel like we just talked about this. The Bears are being viewed by players differently. Is that happening among league circles as well? Maybe other execs and guys like that. Yeah. I want to see how the chemistry of the team comes together because I think that that was a big thing in the first year and we could see that. But you get another year now. You get an offseason where where the verdict's in on different players and how they fit. So, like, to me, on paper, trading DJ Moore, you know, that's a talented player. But I think they're taking into more than that to account for that, right?

And they've drafted obviously a bunch of guys on offense last year. So that's kind of what I really want to see is that the chemistry seemed good, probably better than expected the first year. Does this really become, you know, even more of kind of a family this year when, let's face it, they're probably going to have some more ups and downs. You're not going to win all those close games. you may have a month in October where you lose three or four just because that happens in the league. I just kind of want to see that, you know, how Ben Johnson's leadership and imprint on the team

looks with a little bit more adversity, which is just inevitable for everyone. You know what I want to see, Mike? I want to see Caleb Williams go up a tier or two in your famous quarterback tiers expose. Do you think that might happen? Well, he's definitely going up. So I think Caleb Williams was, people were excited about him coming out, you know, some reservations. And then the first year was kind of disappointing. And we saw the, you know, I mean, there was basically, he got savage in that story that came out before the season.

Yeah. And it was just kind of like, you know. But I think he played pretty well this last year. I think he showed a lot. I think he looked like he was more of a team guy than, you know, than was criticized or advertised. So I think he was in Tier 3, which is, you know, solid starter, but you probably need a lot around him to really win. I think he's going to go high into Tier 3 with some Tier 2 votes,

maybe that 2-3 line. We've kind of seen in recent years, like Brock Purdy sort of moved from the 3 to the 2 a little different because he was such a late pick that people were late to want to push him up. I think Caleb, that people know the talent. And so does he make a bigger jump as a result of that? If you're in the middle of Tier 2, you're kind of a top, on the fringes of the top 10. And I haven't started quarterback tiers.

We do it after the draft. So I don't really know what people are, you know, I'll pull them as we get closer and see the quarterback situations take shape around the league. But I've got to think he's got to move not into the top 10, but don't you think he's going to move into the top halfish? Because he's certainly going to go past the Tua's and those guys, Kyler Murray's. Those guys are going to come down. I think he's going to go up. you know, at least top of three and maybe bottom of two. Oh, yeah.

I feel like the explosive play capability also. I think that would probably influence a lot of GM's execs. He may be a two, yeah. He may actually be a two because I think people will be willing to bet on him and Ben together this year more than they were last year. I think one of the funny things last year was somebody said he's here going to be a two or a four real quick. And the implication was Ben Johnson's going to coach him hard.

He's got the juice there now and Caleb could go one way or the other, right? And I think we feel like he went more to the right way. So, you know, maybe there's a little bit more betting on him this next year. Always appreciate the insight, Mike, and the conversation. And once again, you can check out Mike Sando's work in The Athletic. That headline says it all. The Max Crosby trade fiasco, the Ravens Motivations, and how the NFL world reacted a lot more to read for Mike as well. Thanks as always.

Thank you. Always enjoy the combos. Well, same here. You're welcome anytime. He is. He is. And, you know, we love talking ball with Mike Santo. That's really what it comes down to.

coming up next, let's talk bears, bears. And it turns out that the origin of one of our favorite score bits is back. Aha. Well, let's do story time with Mark Grody next. Rahimi Harrison Grody. Can you imagine Lovey Smith doing the whole good, better, best thing? And saying bleep the Packers. Come on, guys, good better best.

Never let it rest. Never let it rest. I'll see you on Tuesday. Middays 10 to 2 on 104 3, the score. Sanborn was there first, and now it's third and long. There you go. That's how you make a little run play right there. Get someone to step up and Sanborn gets in there.

And oh, on the ball. Jack here, come to be more excited to be back home and get some more wins with this club. Go Bears. Well, you heard it from the man himself. Jack Sanborn is back. And that was courtesy of Fox Sports. This is Rahimi Harris and Grotie on 1043, the score. And how about that, Mark? The local guy made good. I know we always talk about that here at

the score, but people like Jack Sandborn. He stepped up for the Bears when they needed him the most. And he was able to come through the Lake Zurich guy back. And I think, yeah, after the brief hiatus going to Dallas, playing from Andy Refluz, he's back here. I did not think we would see Jack Samborn back with the Bears. So it did warm my heart. And yeah, he was very versatile. the Bears played multiple linebacker positions was a stalwart on special teams. I think for a while he was even wearing the green dot at linebacker. So obviously they wasn't the greatest team in the world. But the other part of this too is why I was genuinely excited to see it, not just because he's

Jack Sanborn, but the birth of my Bears scale was inspired by Jack Sandborn. and the 2023 Chicago Bears. No. Which Leila had, by my count, and if I'm missing somebody,

please feel free to text and let me know. 312, 644, 67, 67. Yep. Had six players from Chicagoland on the roster, including

Lake Zurich's very own Jackson, Annborn, as you just mentioned. And it's sort of a Kurt or, I was filling in on the afternoon show. I was working with Matt Spiegel, and we were just discussing all the Chicago players

and how Ryan Poles even said that there's some method to the madness that you get guys that are comfortable in the area and with the climate and all of that. And then I just started giving out bears on a 1 through 10 scale. And if you were from here, and it still stands on the bear scale, which is ever evolving, that if you are from here, you get an automatic five bears. It's a little tougher for people who are not from here to earn my bears.

Like me. Well, and look what you've done. What did I give you? Eight bears? Didn't I give you eight bears? You gave me eight and a half. Eight and a half bears. And three of them are on my notebook.

Well, right, you gave me the stickers and now I give you the stickers. But you've been here for over a decade now. So you have earned your place as a Chicagoan and your 8.5 bears. Here are the six bears, and I hope people are playing along at home if you could think of the six bears that were on that team. I have the 2023 roster in front of me right now. Well, here they are, Layla. And if I'm missing somebody, you could let me know, but I think I have this right. Maybe.

T.J. Edwards. Bear. Bear. Bear. Lake Villa. Bear. Cole Commet. Of course. Went to St.

Fider and lived in A.H. right. Didn't he grow up in Arlington Heights? Yes. I believe he's an AH guy. And his family was like, he comes from a log line of local high school coaches as well. Oh, and players. So lots of bears for Cole Commet.

Lots of bears for Colquette. He is probably the highest bears bear right now. I'm going to have to refresh it all. Congratulations, Cole. Oh, yeah. You are the highest bears de bear. You have at least 9.5 bears. I hope that means a lot to you as we blast 1043,

the score to him around his locker, as he invited me to do, of course. him if counting pros of great. His answer that was, I guess. I don't know that he knows who they are. Col's a young one. Well, I know he is, but like, don't, don't, don't you listen to music from 30 years ago? I do. Yeah, but I'm old.

But we all, I mean, if you're a music. I'm a radio fiend. We consume the, we consume different ways because we were forced to all consume the same media with our family. That's a good point. So that's another story for another day. But the point is, Cole Kemet and you have a special relationship, ergo, bears. It's a buddy.

relationship. You're right. So T.J. Edwards, Cole Comet, I mentioned Jack Sanborn from Lake Zurich. So that is three. Another one of the bears on the 2023 roster, Robert Tunyon. Oh my goodness. Who, by the way, is a free agent as we speak, I believe. We'll do some, where are they now along the way here. Yes, he was from, is from McKenry. So Bob, as I call him, Bob Tunyon, was a bear who earned bears. Never quite was the player that he was with the Packers, unfortunately. He may have lost a bear

just because it's not his fault, but he did have a little Packer's stink on him before he came to the Bears, but he did get his automatic five bears. Was he a Luke Getsy guy? Was that the deal? I don't know if he was a Luke Getsy guy or not. Let's not put that on him. Let's just remember him as a bear. Well, Robert Tunyon was not a bad play.

It didn't work out the way I wanted it to, for Battenian with the Bears as a player. But it wasn't like when they signed. I was like, okay, that's a good depth piece for Cole come at, like a perfect tune. Yeah, Getsky. It was not Getsky. That guy gets seven bears just for that. No, he, the caller, yes.

That's what I'm talking about. Not the subject. No, no. I know that you have disdain for Luke Getsy, as most people listening. If I can figure out your offense, that's bad. I didn't play football. You're pretty bright, though. All right, here we go.

The last. Two bears. Here's one that people might have forgotten. I had to really jog my memories. As a matter of fact, I had to reach out to Emma. I said to him, I go, I'm having a mental buck. Who was the guy, the offensive, the guard with the long hair, he had the mullet going, and he was really into being from Chicago.

It was Dan Feeney, ladies and gentlemen. Dan Feeney. Acquired via trade. From Orlin Park, who apparently, I believe, sometimes you. you don't get it like they don't have it right, but I think he's with Tampa Bay, the 31-year-old. He is with Tampa Bay, and he is from Orland Park. Yes, O-P, baby.

So South suburbs, Dan Feeney, that, you know. He went to Sandberg. Was he a Sanberg? Yeah, you know what? Being from the South side probably earns you an extra bear too, because it just feels more genuine. And a rainbow cone, go get them. Yeah, and I say that as a North Sider.

I know what the realness is, and it's in the South. I get it. So Dan Feeney, one of those bears, and then the final one, ladies and gentlemen, his grandparents, I love because they loved me on an elevator at Soldier Field. That is Doug Kramer. Doug Kramer from Hinsdale. He gets, you know what, he probably should be maybe the highest up on this scale because he is from here, from Hinsdale. He went to Illinois. So, I mean, he did.

Yeah, the Illinois. aspect of this. And you know, Jack Sanburn went to Wisconsin. Yeah, he did. A couple of T.J. Edwards did too. Yeah. Yeah. And Adam Hogue. You know. Adam Hogg. Please. And by the way, Doug Kramer right now, where are they now?

Assuming this is right. Louisville Kings of the U.F.L. He was drafted by the Louisville Kings of the U.S. I love Doug Kramer because he loves ball. I have an irrational protection of Doug Kramer. Me too. I don't think it was his fault.

No, it's not. We don't even need to bring it up. I don't want to upset his grandparents. I'm just going to tell you again. Like, that was not his fault. He was put in a bad position. And I don't like that we talk about, kind of like with the Karat Obagagaghi in Minnesota game.

He was put in a bad position. Like Justin Fields in his first start. We have to acknowledge that these people have supervisors. Yes. And bosses and coaches, and that's kind of the same idea. And sometimes at your job, you get put in a bad position. You're right.

he should not have been expected to thrive under those circumstances. That doesn't mean you didn't earn the opportunity. It's just then it's somebody else's job to make sure the opportunity is okay. Maybe Doug Kramer will make his way back to the Bears. That would be something. He gave, like it was a, it's a good play. It's all good theoretically. It was just bad application.

I mean, can you, like, it would be a whole different thing right now if that play had been executed. NFL coaches on mass, see good plays. They just see them called it bad. times and then they steal those plays and then they called them at good times. See the Philly Special. Yeah. Uh-huh. Uh-huh.

Yeah. Which, yeah, Trey Burton, who was a bear. Bingo. Trey Burton, another guy who never quite worked out the way he was supposed to. No, all roads lead back to the bears. To the 2018 bears. Yeah. Yeah, they do.

You know my obsession with the 2018 bears. But Dan Feeney, yeah. And Doug Kramer, yes to all. Dan Feeney was into it, too. He looked the part because he. had the mullet as mullets were starting to make their comeback because they're kind of popular. He really did. He really did help popularize the comeback of the mullet. And now I feel like it's something that the kids do. They do. No. Maltz are out there. Because you're young and you can

make anything look decent because you're young. So it's like, yeah, it's like skinny people who can wear whatever trend because they're skinny. Like we get it. Models can wear anything because they're models. But like that's a flex. It's a flex of youth. And I'm okay with it. The myth. The Bullitt. You know what? I like an ironic hairstyle. You know, where you understand why you have the hairstyle. I'm into that.

Like, mustaches look good on young people. Like, Dylan sees out a mustache because he could. Yeah. Did you see the Oscars? Leonard Cabrio. I did not watch the Oscars. I watched the World Baseball Classic. Well, I eventually watched the Oscars.

As we found out, there were two types of people in the world. One set of people were watching the World Baseball Classic and the other were watching the Oscars. There's only one way to watch the Oscars, and that is not. on DVR because the commercial brakes are obnoxious and the speeches are mostly obnoxious. So I just fast forward to the hell. I felt so good.

I felt like I had beaten the system when I watched the Oscars. I watched what I wanted to from the Oscars. Some of it was entertaining. And now here is the big part, Leila. This is the big payoff here. People have been wondering how many, now that Jack Sanborn is back with the bears, how many bears does he get on my Bears scale? I think when he left the bears, I think I had him up to just because of his growing popularity.

I think I had him at 7.5 bears. But hold on a second, Leila. I know you say it's got to go up. Controversial decision here by the bears scale people. And that's me and me. The other day it was Tyler Farrengill who just walked by. Oh, yeah. Maybe I should get baby tea in here to answer this question.

Well, he can counter it if he would like. Your protege and giving out bears. He is my protege. He feels moldable, doesn't he? You love trying to mold him. And where's Chris Emma and all of this? He's just your colleague. Well, Emma helped me out with Feeney because I couldn't remember Feeney's name.

And he immediately texts me with a picture of Feeney and the whole thing. I like you taking a protege under your wing whether or not he wants to be without consent. Tyler, you're giving out the bears. I don't want to do this. Well, it's happening. It's the grody tree. Baby T is the first person on the grody tree. Whether or not he wants to be.

I think he likes it. There's a reason I selected him. I claim you as my tree. Yes. We both went to Lake Park High School. He went there decades before I did. After. After I did.

Yes. Yes. We probably didn't have any of the same teachers at all. But the, he lost the bear. Jack Sanborn lost a bear. Now, he's going to have plenty of opportunity. He is at 6.5 bears. I said it was going to be controversial.

I can't. I can't with this. I know, but he left the bears. Now, I know that he was not in the power. I know he was non-tendered by the bears. It wasn't his fault. I know. He has to pay wins. But in some ways it might, like, could he have done more on the field to not be non-tendered?

What could Jack Sandborn have done to not have to go to Dallas before he made his way back to the bears? This is the most meatball take to take it out on Jack Sanborn for wanting a job. He left us. He did. I understand it's very controversial. This is the most controversial decision since mid-majors not getting to play major teams. You know what this is? It's like Avery Johnson, ruining point guards because he played the position.

You are hardest on the ones you love the most. That is correct. This is unnecessary punishment. I have to step in and point this out to you. I understand and I'm going to get a lot of pushback. I'm not even going to read the comments. Former quarterback coaches ruining quarterbacks. Don't do this.

Don't do this. But don't you want him motivated? Don't you want him being splashy out there? Don't you want him reckon plays on special teams? He's going to be, once he hears this and it's going to be out there, 6.5 bears. He's just above, he's just above the minimum. So I think you're welcome, Bears fans. You gave me 8.5 Bears.

I cannot have two more bears than Jack Sandhorn. No. You're right. I'm hard on the Bears players, Layla. This is unnecessary. He's always motivated. That's how he got there. He was undrafted out of Wisconsin.

And you're right. At one point he was the mic. Oh, there's another. He chose to go to Wisconsin. Wisconsin. But that's where a lot of people go to Wisconsin to play football. Why didn't he go to Illinois? TJ Edwards also went to Wisconsin.

taking bears away from T.J. There is a rivalry between Illinois and Wisconsin. So the fact that there's another. You want to take this up with T.J. Edwards and Adam Hogue. Five and a half bears. Now he's down to just because of you, Layla. This is. This is trauma from your parents that is reinvested in an individual who doesn't deserve it is what this is.

I'm done. I will not stand for this. I will give away some of my bears in solidarity to Jack Sanborn because there's no way on this effing earth. I should have two more bears than Jack Sandborn. I will not stand for this. He can make the case to me when I see him in the locker room. I want him to think about knocking you over. It might happen.

I'll keep my distance. Yeah, yeah. Settle this on the field. Yeah. Do you troublemaker? Well, I'm just being real. No, you're not. Just being real.

I'm into the realness. Generational trauma. And it is taking it out on somebody who doesn't deserve it. Fine. We'll go to commercial break because it's free for you and not for us. But in the meantime, we have to celebrate an anniversary that involves Dennis Rodman. And it is an excuse to play some fun Dennis Rodman audio for you. And he's getting an award.

So we'll do all of that next. What time is it? It is halftime here on Rahimi Harrison Grody on 104.3, the score. And I'm still reeling from Mark Grody unnecessarily taking bears away from Jack Sandborn. I'm going to do what you got to do. I got to stay real to the scale. He was the inspiration for the scale. He left.

It wasn't his fault. He could have done more to stay. It's the most meatball take you've ever had. Maybe. We also talked about Kobe Bryant, who talked to Kay Adams, about being the Bears' top priority in free agency and how Caleb Williams is making the Bears a free agent destination. Get used to it.

And we discussed the Illini with Jeremy Werner, who had to deal with a 10 p.m. Eastern tip-off last night. But the Aligni did advance. We also talked to Mike Sandow. had a really good conversation with him as well. That was straight up at 11 o'clock. It's laptop. Sometimes we have stories here on 104 The Score

that are basically an avenue for us to play some classic audio for you because it's fun. It's the equivalent of looking up a favorite clip or two on YouTube, except you do it with us and it's a whole journey. Well, that is happening again because this is our excuse to talk about Dennis Rodman. Our friend Shams posted on Twitter, Basketball Hall of Fame

Dennis Rodman will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in April per ESPN sources. Rodman made his WCW debut in 1997 and famously skipped a practice during the 1998 finals for a wrestling match alongside Hulk Hogan. So that's two Hall of Fame's for Rodman. And then we started talking because naturally we're like, Wait, was that the practice he missed on the last dance? No, that was when he just informed the team that he needed a vacation and needed to go to Vegas.

And didn't he marry Carmen Elektra during that time? Yes. So he needed to do like a shotgun wedding or at least a shotgun type of hangout in Vegas with Carmen Elektra. Not to be confused with the time where he married himself. In the wedding dress. And Dennis Rodman was really before his time in so many ways when you think about him. start naming athletes in wedding dresses. Ricky Williams.

Serena Williams? Serena Williams. I meant to say men. Ricky Williams, by the way, that connection there, there's more than just the wedding dresses. They were both ripped off by the same manager. No way. This woman that just stole all their money,

both Ricky Williams and Dennis Rodman. Ricky Williams was also ahead of his time. And high. But that's the point. Like he was not afraid to talk about marijuana when a lot of people were. Exactly. And I appreciate him for standing on business and sticking to principal. Ahead of his time as being an early retiree as well.

Yeah. And many, he is, when we talk about like different thinkers and free spirits and stuff like that, you know, Ricky falls under that category for me very much. Now, as far as Rodman is concerned, ahead of his time in my book. The full story on the wrestling match is summarized here by Wikipedia. This is Ray's excellent script writing. The 1998 Bash at the Beach was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Championship Wrestling.

W-C-W is what I called it back then. It took place on July 12th, 1998, from Cox Arena in San Diego. The main event of the night was the tag team match between Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Bull Star Dennis Rodman taking on Diamond Dallas Page and Carl Malone. Carl. Less than a month after Rodman and Mulcone, alone clash to the 1998 NBA

finals. As a result of the participation of the two NBA stars, this event received significant mainstream attention being covered by non-wrestling news organizations such as USA Today and CNN. Let's rewind the clock a bit and go to game 6 of the 1998

NBA finals, which took place on June 14, 1998, and Bob Costas taking it away. Jordan missed it just before the shot, sounds rodman battling like crazy but can't quite hold on to it corniceck he and malone rodman and malone and rodman just trips malone they got to call a flagrant here they've got to call a

flagrant it's the third on rodman he and carl malone regrettably are scheduled to wrestle in one of those focus events next month why malone wants to lower himself to that as anyone's guess and rodman apparently wants to start the wrestling now So that's a moment where Carl Malone and Dennis Rodman midgame in the NBA finals, game six, are on the floor. They get tangled up and they are just like, you know, essentially kind of wrestling. And Bob Costas narrates it so well and then adds in the wrestling joke. And once again, I point out with this tussle with Carl Malone, where justice seemed to be served,

Dennis Rodman was ahead of his time. So now let's go back to last year when Bob. Bob Costis recalled the moment that Dennis Rodman and Carl Malone got tangled up. That very moment that he just narrated it. During game six of the finals, this is on the Pablo Torrey Finds Out podcast, which was co-hosted that day by Neil Ponsalon, who is a showrunner and director in the film and TV business. I knew after they untangled from each other,

I knew that there was no real animosity because they patted each other on the butt. You could tell. It was all fake. But here's the thing. Why does that low-grade fakery find a place in something that is the highest grade of legitimate sports drama? I just believe wholeheartedly that Carmelone is not 100% dedicated to that basketball game. He is working a professional wrestling angle. Wow.

My point is, guys can be aware, guys can give a nod, guys can have a laugh without being lost in another. land. I just, there's no evidence here to me that either Rodman or Malone shortchanged the task at hand. But there is evidence that they were definitely trying to promote this, whatever you want to call it, in my view, trashy endeavor. Does that take away from game six at all to you? Does it take away from that moment at all to you? Well, that moment, I think, was discordant. But the overall thing is, is so great. Yeah. It's like saying,

does the hair out of place mean that Cindy Crawford is a beautiful? I don't think so. So, no. Really some of Bob Costas's greatest work. Low-grade fakery and trashy endeavor. He and Carl Malone,

regrettably, are scheduled to wrestle in one of those bogus events next month. Damn, Bob. But the way he describes it is Cindy Crawford not beautiful because she has a hair out of place. Absolutely. There's a reason this man is one of the best that ever was.

Exactly. And one shoot the puck. Yeah. Effortlessly. And heals no less. And hangs out with any veteran Chris Chelyos and was hanging out with Rizzo and the bleachers. Wasn't she also valedictorian of her high school class? Isn't that correct?

It was one of, it was either high school. Seems right. She seems pretty bright. Yeah. Yeah. Man. Late 90s seemed like a lot. lot of fun. Yes, DeKalb High School. She was the valedictorian, 1984. There it is.

I was in high school. High kicking in Texas at half times, you know? Good boy Toledo. You guys were out here having fun. Also, we need to mention now two notable passings. Chuck Norris announced his passing yesterday, who I've run into personally, and yes, he was more powerful than anybody could ever hope to realize. And importantly, Walker, Texas Ranger. Yeah. All of our parents loved Walker, Texas, I had friends who were on the show. I ran into Chuck at a French cafe called La Madeline,

which in Dallas everybody called La Madelins, because, you know, Alde's and Jules and whatnot. Yeah. Me and Joe Green has reportedly passed away. Part of the steel curtain, as the kids would say. And North Texas guy. Meen Joe Green. Is that maybe the single greatest nickname ever in football?

least mean, Joe Green? I mean, could it get any better than that? Well, and as an homage and also part of a different, when he was playing

for that defense, they called it the mean green defense. And you know, that's become the school's used nickname. Maybe too tall. But still the Eagles,

but still. Your guy Ed Too Tall Jones. Pretty good nickname too. But yeah, so thoughts with Chuck Norris and Mean Joe Green. Amen. That is sombering news.

At least that was what was on Twitter. This is, uh, Yeah, so we'll... Yeah, just sad. Sad indeed. Coming up next year on Rahimi Harrison Grotie, it is time for five on it.