The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 10/29/2020 - HOUR 3 - Patriots, Analytics

Episode Date: October 29, 2020

Issues with the Patriots this seasonAnalytics isn't always the right wayGuests: Eric Mangini, Walker Buehler Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

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Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games.

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I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1.

Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Heard. We're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Sunday on Fox, a great double-header starts with the Vikings taking on Aaron Rogers and the Packers. Then Drew Breeze leads the Saints against Nick Foles and the Bears or other regional action. It all kicks off at one Eastern on Fox and the Fox Sports app. Terry Bradshaw is putting a million dollars up for grabs again this week and this week's free-to-play Super Six contest. All you have to do is correctly predict the outcome of six NFL games. Make sure you get your picks in before kickoff Sunday for your chance to be a million.

billionaire. And for top story, scores, and more, go to the Fox Sports app. Colin, Vikings Packers is one of the matchups this week. Give us your winner and final score. I'd say Green Bay by a touchdown. I will not bet a Minnesota game because I can't figure them out because when I like the coach and I like your players, my propensity is to take you, but they're terrible. So I cannot figure Minnesota out. I like their GM. I like their owner. I like their coach. And I'm okay with their quarterback. And I like their skill people. And yet they're terrible. So I don't believe this is a bettable game for me. I would say it's a six and a half point fox bet spread. Vegas is telling you you should probably take the Packers on. If it was

seven, it's a pass. Seven and a half take Minnesota. Six and a half tells you bet Green Bay. So I'd probably bet Green Bay. But I haven't, if I had the Vikings more than once on Blazing Five, I just, I don't have no feel for them. With that, Eric Mangini, five years as an NFL head coach, Jets and Cleveland Browns, three rings with the Patriots now joining us live. So this whole, listen, Antonio Brown to the Buccaneers. They don't need a receiver. Joy and I are like, we don't know if this thing is going to work.

My gut feeling is you wouldn't be a huge fan of it. You know, you liked good luck, or what do you make of it? I'm actually a huge fan of it in this context, in this situation. So they're betting a million dollars that it works out. And he's coming in. He should be extremely motivated, considering, first of all, how bad it goes in Oakland, how bad it goes New England, how bad it goes when he's on the street. Now he finally gets this opportunity.

He's coming in midway through the season. He's got a relationship with Tom Brady. Tampa's built really as a one-year team right now. It's not really built for the long term. And I think Tom can manage this. And I think you're going to get a guy who's as motivated as he possibly can be to resurrect his career. because this is, I mean, I thought we were at the last chance. This has got to be the last chance.

And he's insanely talented, so if it works out, it's a great thing for Tampa. Yeah. So, I mean, listen, Belichick's great. Nobody disputes it. But he has won only 43% of his games without Brady. Now, Brady's been around his career most of the time, so you can say that's unfair. But I didn't think it would be this bad. It is easy to blame Cam.

I get it. But every great coach has a weakness. And I've always felt, I've told you this, Belichick drafting skill people. He's had one pro bowler since Gronk, and even he acknowledges Gronk was a little bit of a roll of the dice because he was hurt all through college. We can blame all we want on this. This organization is slow offensively. They've got no playmakers anywhere. I don't think it's an easy solve.

I think you have to get a college quarterback somewhere. How does New England get out of this mess right now? Well, there's a lot of truth to what you say about skill players. Bill had only drafted one receiver until Nikol Harry in the first round in his, you know, however many years he's been a head coach. That was back in Cleveland like 94. It's not really where he's focused. I think they can get back out of it. You saw on the first game this season, tons of quarterback-driven runs to the point where I was worried if I if I was cams agent I would have had a problem with it with how many times he was getting hit but it was it was very effective and you saw how much that opened up the passing game the

following week then I was impressed with how accurate cam was and the way that that he was effectively throwing the ball coming off the injury with so many questions COVID hits I don't know how much that that's affected cam I'd say the starting point is getting back to what we always know about new England they don't beat themselves And I saw where someone was saying Cam need to get rid of the ball quicker. It's not that. It's eliminating the turnovers. Just start with that and New England's going to be in every single game.

And I think you do need to find a healthy balance of the quarterback-driven runs, like you see in Baltimore, with the passing game that's maybe out of the empty sets, a little bit more traditional with what Cam's done well. So Baker Mayfield said it's insensitive for all of us to insiniscue. they could be better without OBJ. But we've been saying this for two years. I never thought OBJ was a good fit. And the examples I used earlier were the Mariners got better when Arod left. The Nationals got better when Bryce Harper left.

The Knicks made the finals when Patrick Ewing got hurt. And the theory is that sometimes a big superstar can shrink other players, can put pressure on a quarterback, put pressure on a franchise, and they can leave and go be great players. No BJ will again be a great player. but Baker, I think, is better spreading the ball around as a young quarterback. That's what he did at Oklahoma. You live in Ohio.

I don't, I mean, we've been saying this now for two years. I just never thought OBJ, the brand, the personality. I felt Baker was jamming it into him. I think Cleveland's going to be better. Now going and sprinkling the ball around the infield, your thoughts. Yeah, this isn't an Ohio thing or an Odell Beckham thing. This is a, this happens all the time in the league where you get a guy who's, who's tremendously talented and as a giant personality and wants the ball and wants the ball consistently.

I can tell you every good receiver I've been around when they come to the sideline, they're open. They were always open. It doesn't matter when you show them the picture and they're double teamed. The coverage takes you somewhere else. They're open. They're frustrated. And you get some of these guys that are vocal or can be disruptive. And it's hard.

It's hard as a veteran quarterback to deal with it. and it's hard as a veteran head coach to deal with it. But when you've got a first year head coach, you've got a younger quarterback, that pressure mounts even more. And that's, it's hard to argue that losing a great player helps your team, but there is something to be said

for just being able to drop back to pass and throw the ball to the open receiver. With Tampa making all these moves, does in Seattle bringing in Carlos Dunlop, if you were coaching the Packers, Would you, I mean, seriously, as a head coach, would you go to the GM and go, hey, we got to keep pace here a little bit, right? Doesn't Green Bay have to make a move?

Yeah, I heard you talking about that, and there is a lot of truth of that. They've averaged 35 points in their wins, and the one loss comes to Tampa Bay who just adds Antonio Brown, and it does become somewhat of an arms race. People are scoring it at, you know, a little bit of unheard of pace. You watch Seattle and the amount of points that they put up to be able to go and add another piece of this puzzle, I think would be a good thing, especially when you didn't do it in free agency. You didn't do it in the draft. You went the quarterback route.

But, you know, to say they never do it, last year they loaded up on defensive free agents. So this is not totally foreign to their DNA, whether they'll do it at the trade deadline and whether Will Fuller is actually the answer. I don't know, but you're going to have to keep pace with other explosive offenses in the NFC. 2-0. What do you expect? I'm excited to watch him play. Joy spent a lot of time in Miami. I do worry that not to go on and on about this, but I've said in the history of the NFL, the best 30 quarterbacks, 28 or tall guys. And the small guys that work like Fran Tarkin and Russell Wilson are run-around guys. And he's neither. He's not big, so he may have trouble seeing over lines. And he's not a wiggle guy that gets outside of the pocket much.

I think he has to play like Drew Brees to work, and that's a tiny window to have to be one guy ever. I could see it not working. I could. What do you expect? Well, here's my biggest concern is if this was truly the plan where he was going to come in after the buy, and that would give enough time to learn the offense and run the offense and recover the best way possible. And that was the plan, then I'm all for it. If this is a function of maybe ownership saying we see all these other rookie quarterbacks doing really well, I want my guy to play, then I'm not as excited about that.

And I don't know where it is. The level of surprise that Fitzpatrick had when he got bench makes me think that this wasn't the plan all along to have him come in after the buy. So I struggle with that. If they really feel he's ready, then I'm all for it. And you're going to have to deal with a significant amount of mistakes that come with a rookie. My bigger concern, Colin, is that this is being forced a little bit quicker than maybe the head coach wanted to be. That adds intrigue to it. That is very interesting.

Let me bake on that a little bit. That is interesting. Why wouldn't Ryan Fitzpatrick have known this was the plan all along? They've been very honest and open with the fact that he's a placeholder. the other young guys are suddenly doing really well. Now he's going to start. Plan all along, I'm all for it. If he's forced in, not too excited about it.

That's all right. I never thought about that. I like new information. Eric Mangini in Ohio, elections Tuesday. Go out and vote Eric Mangini, sit in line in those polls. I hope you voted already at Con.

They have early voting out in California. Oh, yes. Kind of know which way our state's leaning. Yeah. I don't know which way our state's leaning. All right. Coach, good seeing you. Good seeing you, guys.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football,

or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this, is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast.

I'm Sam Jette. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick you. you here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack,

so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so. Then you're finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important, you. year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite

therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the the thing. We get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust.

I want you to just really be a good person. Join me. Gaines is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. By the way, gentlemen, stop, stop phoning in your underwear. Get Tommy John. No risk.

15% off right now. Tommyjohn.com slash herds. What I'm wearing now, Joy Taylor with the news. No, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, you know, L.A. It's the city of champions right now. And it's all we have.

Center of the Sports Universe. Uh-huh. And L.A. sports fans have been celebrating a lot. There's some fireworks. Do people in L.A. just have fireworks? Isn't that funny? I thought about the same thing. Isn't that strange?

I don't have fireworks in my house. I've never. I also do not have fireworks. They just have them on deck. Jared Gough hopes that the Rams can continue the city's title run in the Super Bowl this season. Yeah. I mean, that's the first thing you hear is, all right, now it's your turn. It's something that's really exciting for the city right now.

And it'd be good to make that a little repeat with us involved there. And it's definitely something that we're conscious of, absolutely. I don't think they can beat Tampa, but I do think they could win against any other NFC team. I'm not saying they would. They just, I don't think their offense matches up with Tampa's defense. But outside of that, Joy, I think they can beat anybody in the NFC. Well, everyone wrote the Rams off after that Super Bowl, which I thought it was on. there going up against Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.

And it was an incredibly boring Super Bowl, but nonetheless, it was a loss. And then it came down to the better team and better coaching. But then, you know, they kind of had a down year. And, like, Shaw McVeigh wasn't as much of a genius as everyone thought he was. And golf isn't as good as Shaw McVeigh made him to be. And now they're kind of back level into that space where, no, Sean McVeigh is still a good coach that wasn't a fluke that they were there. And they're competitive again.

They're in your Super Bowl bubble. they have the eighth best odds to win the Super Bowl, according to Fatt's Bed. That's about what I have usually in my poll eight or nine. That's exactly where they should be. And look, you know, you get to the playoffs. It comes down to moments and who's healthy. I like them better than the Saints because I think they have a deep ball component. The Saints don't.

And I don't think the Saints' defense is playing well. I would put them above the Saints. Other than that, I think they're right where they should be. I think that I would also say that right now. I'd have them above the Saints. But honestly, I think any of the teams in the NFC, I mean, it's one game. Like, that's how the NFL playoffs work.

So I think they're definitely a Super Bowl contender right now. I just, I want to see how the rest of the season goes. But that would be something if they also won the Super Bowl. Cam Newton hasn't been playing his best lately, but Sean McDermott is not overlooking Cam ahead of the Bill's matchup with the Patriots on Sunday. He's a good player. We have a lot of respect for him. Like I said, he's the former MVP of the league for a reason.

So we know full well what he's capable of. And the bigger story is what the hell happened to Buffalo? I loved him. This is a sneaky big game. Oh, I think for Cam, Cam, I think it's one of Cam's biggest games. I'm not joking. Yeah. He has to put...

I thought last week was the biggest game for the Patriots in Cam. Cam, he needs to put good stuff on film. McDermott was the Panthers defensive coordinator with Cam from 2011, 2016, so he knows him well. Also some more info on situation with the Patriots, Julian Edelman reportedly underwent a precautionary standard knee procedure this morning and is expected to sideline him for some period of time, including this week's game. Okay, so now we know what's going on. Against the bills. And Nikiel Harry almost mispractice and could be out Sunday with a concussion. Oh, that's bad.

The line is bills by four according to Foxx Bet. Yeah, I'm going to take Buffalo in that one by more than four. That's rough. That's a blowout game right now. That's rough. You know, this weekend has some, like, that's a very important game, obviously. You have Steelers Ravens, two of premieres with the Dolphins against the Rams, Raiders Browns, as you mentioned, 49ers Seahawks, Cowboys Eagles, which could end up determining that division. Well, the key is the trading deadlines Tuesday.

For some teams that lose this weekend, it's going to be sell, sell, sell. That's right. So this is a, we could know by next weekend, all these good teams could have one additional element. So, I mean, this is really the have, have not, period. They moved the trading deadline back now. By next weekend, we could have some bad teams or worse. And good teams are better. That's a very crucial weekend.

Finally, the Rockets have reportedly hired Stephen Silas to be their new head coach. He agreed to a four-year deal with the team. This is his first head coaching job in the NBA. He was an assistant in elite for two decades. gates, mostly with the Mavericks. He's the son of former NBA player and coach Paul Silas. He became the fifth father-son combination to be NBA head coaches, graduated from Brown University, and he has a lot of coaching experience with elite guards.

Luca, Steph Curry, Kimba Walker. Paul Silas, the most unique player in NBA history. Because I grew up with Paul Silas because he was on the Sonics. Paul Silas, in his day, was one of the best rebounders in the NBA and could not jump. and was not seven feet tall. Paul Silas was like 6'7, could not jump, and is one of the great rebounders ever.

That's never been said in the history of basketball. That'd be like saying, guys, one of the greatest cis guys of all time and couldn't dribble. Paul Silas had no vertical and was one of the greatest rebounders in league's history. And if you go back to those sonic teams, he was just, you backed up, I think,

Lonnie Shelton, I'm going Rain Man here, weirdo. But Paul Silas was the guy I grew up with. He was just a class. guy, grinder, rebounder, defender, and he had a big enough butt. He was always in the right place to grab a rebound. We haven't really covered a lot of NBA news, obviously, in the middle of the NFL season now, but also Darrell Mori is finalizing a deal to become the 76ers' new president of basketball operations. I wonder if he'll have lunch with me anymore since I was critical of the Rockets. I think he will. Yeah, okay. I think you will. So I had it with Bill Simmons

the other day. Maybe nice. Gerald actually called me back once in a while. All right, good stuff. Joy with the news. That's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lye News. Walker Bueller, the Dodgers is coming up. We only talk to people if you've won championships in the last couple of weeks. Otherwise, we just, you know, no reason to talk to anybody about winners.

Walker Bueller, the ace of the Dodgers. We all talked about the Clayton Kershaw story. He is the next Clayton Kershaw for the Dodgers. He stops by now. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. in an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast, Superhuman, documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way,

this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the,

scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs?

Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests.

I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross,

because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines,

as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast. Learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. Well, the Dodgers have had a lot of great prospects in their farm system for years, but the one young pitcher that you kept hearing about years and years ago was Walker Bueller. He's now been a Dodger for several years, but now the nation's finally catching up to him. He has had minimum five starts the highest strikeout ratio in the history of playoff baseball.

That counts like Babe Ruth and stuff. He can throw, really hard. He is one of the great young Dodgers in that 25, 26, 27-year-old range. He was also great at Vanderbilt for years ago on a championship there. I remember watching that on TV and Walker Bueller of the world champion Dodgers now joining us live

the All-Star. So it's interesting. They always talk about analytics, and I like analytics. But I always say I also like analytics, which is, in big post-season games, I'm not going to walk up to Blake Snell or Walker

Bueller and say, yeah, my data book says, I've got to get rid of you. Were you even a little surprised? Because Blake, everybody knows Blake is just a monster, throws filthy stuff. Were you surprised Tampa took him out? Yeah, I mean,

I think there's probably a little bit of surprise. You know, the guy was rolling pretty good and our offense was having kind of a tough time with him there for a while. And, you know, it is what it is. You know, they thought that was the best decision for their team, and that's fine. And, you know, whoever they brought in after that, we got lucky and scored some runs and won the game.

So obviously, he's a fun guy to watch, but we weren't too upset that he got out of there. By the way, Walker, if you were rolling and the sixth inning Dave Roberts came up, and you gave up a double, and he said, young man, you got to go, have you ever pushed back at least and said, no, no, no, no, I feel good. It was he hit it off the hands. If you ever argued with a manager who comes up and says, I got to take you out? I for sure have I think maybe to have fallen a little bit at times but I think we're all competitive

and you probably wouldn't be there without that so no you want to stay in every game and throw as long as you can but at the end of the day the organization usually has your best interest in mind and the best interests of the team but yeah you definitely can get a little anger when they try and take the ball from you

you guys have been a really good team for year seven straight division titles I think but Mookie Betts, it wasn't like you couldn't get to a World Series without him. It's not like you couldn't win a division without him. But when they brought Mookiei over, when was the first game or two that you saw Mookie Bats and went, okay, this is like he's, he is juice. He is juice. I mean, like when did it really pop for you that, wow, he just adds something we don't have?

Yeah, you know, he's a guy, obviously we had some familiarity with playing Boston in the World Series a couple years ago. and, you know, it's just a special baseball player. I think the biggest thing for us, or the first thing I can kind of remember was we played in Arizona and early in the year and there was a ball kind of in the corner like the one he just hit on there and he caught it and threw the guy out at third and we're like, oh, like, this is kind of different, you know, but we've, we had Cody make his MVP run and made a lot of plays like that last year. So to watch those two guys now, you know, last year was Cody and this year was Mookie that

was doing stuff every day that we just didn't really comprehend at the time, but we're glad to have them on our side. Listen, when you were coming up in the Dodgers organization, you, I'm sure, watched Clayton Kershaw, who is really this generation Sandy Kofax. And he's just a classy guy, kind of a team leader. When they won the other night and you watched Clayton Kershaw and he pointed to the sky, I mean, we were on the set here. It's emotional.

I mean, was there a sense for you, Walker, that you were not just pitching for the Dodgers? You were pitching for Clayton. The organization felt like we got to win this thing. Like we've got one of the great players in league history. Did you sense that at all? Yeah, you know, I think the biggest thing is obviously whatever's been written and said about him in the playoffs. Kirsh has been unbelievable in this game for a long time. So, you know, I think it's hard to sit there and watch a guy put in the time and effort like we all know he does.

And then people kind of say things like that about him all the time. And, you know, he was unbelievable for us. has been for a long time, but especially in this playoff. So, you know, we're definitely thrilled that he was a huge part of this and to kind of get it done for him. Yeah, you can see it there. But no, it was a really

cool deal for us. It's so interesting to watch all you professional athletes. And you're playing in no fans. And it thinks to my, I'm like, oh my God, the Dodgers finally win it. And the Dodgers fans aren't there.

Was it, is it easier to pitch? because no fans, no distraction. You didn't have to travel every third night, get on a plane. I could make an argument if I'm a pitcher. I love the idea of waking up in the same city every night and not having to travel. Were there any advantages to playing at the same place? Yeah, you know, I think we were pretty fortunate to start in Dallas and stay there the whole time. I think we did a good job of making that place kind of our home for a little while, and that's all well and good.

But at the same time, you know, we didn't have, we had 11,000 fans during the playoffs. So that was the, you know, the biggest games of the year is the first time you saw a fan in the stands, which was kind of different. But, you know, it was nice. I think you could feel kind of a little bit more energy and things like that that we hadn't had all year. So, you know, we enjoyed that new ballpark, but we're glad to be done there and bring the trophy home and start playing at our place again. It's a very young baseball team. There's no reason this team can't win for seven years. But when you win championships, Walker Bueller joining us, it's very common that, you know, you win a championship.

You don't quite have that push, that drive. How do the Dodgers maintain the edge now that you've won the ring? Now that you are champs. Now everywhere you go in town, everybody knows who Walker, Bueller and Corey Seeger. Is that a little bit of a challenge? You know, I think normally, I think that is an understandable thing. Obviously, you go through a season and then you play. play longer than anyone. So your offseason is shorter than everyone else, except for one other

team, right? But, you know, I think for us doing it in a season like we did, where it's 60 games, I don't think was quite as taxing as maybe 162 games would be. Obviously, this playoff stuff is about as tough as it gets regardless of how many games you play, just mentally more than anything. But, you know, I think all of us want to keep winning and we want to keep doing well. So, you know, I'm not too worried about it. Also, I think the thing that people don't talk about is There's a lot of guys that are with us that weren't on a roster that are going to make an impact for us next year that want to be in it in a different way. So, you know, I think everybody's going to take a little while and kind of take a breather, but then get back at it. Hey, listen, I know this is a tough question for you, but Justin Turner is a great player.

Everybody loves Justin. He kind of defines the whole Dodger thing. You know, you find out COVID. He comes on the field. There's not a mask. People freak out. People are angry at him. is there any clarity here? Are Dodger players upset with him? Where does that stand today? No, you know, I think obviously this stuff's kind of above my pay grade. We're just out there to try and win. But, you know, we saw him come off the field.

You kind of hear what happens. And he's been such a big part of our culture and our team for so long. I think it's hard to say, you know, you can't come out on the field and take a picture with the trophy with his wife and his teammates and things like that. So, you know, I know he's symptom-free and feeling good. and I think that's the biggest, most important thing. And, you know, we're all all through the country kind of dealing with this thing. And it just so happens that it happened to us during Game 6 of the World Series.

But, you know, we held up the trophy and we'll deal with the rest after that. By the way, like a pitcher, when you throw all the innings you do, this is kind of a dorky sports guy question. Do you not pick up a baseball for two months? Like, how much your arm, when you go for a long run in the postseason, I know it was a shorter season, but will you just not pick up a baseball for five weeks? Typically I take about a month off. I think this year I'll probably take a little bit less just because I'm traditionally kind of a slow starter,

so kind of give myself a little more time. But yeah, I think most guys, it's two weeks to a month. And, you know, I've kind of abused that month in the past, but we'll probably shorten it up a little bit this year. Could not be happier for you. An amazing organization. They build it the right way, folks. It's farm system.

They're patient. they develop their stars. They dabble in free agency, but it's built the right way. Walker, you're going to have already an amazing career. Congrats, happy for you. And go get another ring. Thanks, man. Thanks, Colin. I appreciate it. Yeah, Walker Bueller, the World Series champ four seasons in Major League Baseball, now an All-Star. And he is, Joey and I were talking about this the day. The Dodgers farm system is so good. Virtually everybody they bring up, not only is good, they're good immediately.

So they have spent a lot of money. Like most of these big market teams, you can go buy players. It's like Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Oakland. They need farm system. The Dodgers actually have a great farm system. And then they just occasionally supplement it, which is really the right way to do it. With the occasional Mookie Betts. But they could have had Machado long term, Bryce Harper.

They passed on a lot. Zach Grinkey. They're like, nope. They paid Kershaw, which you had to. Because when they wrote that contract, he was unbelievable. And they paid for Mookie Bats. That's who, like Mike Trout, if he's on the market, then you would just go get him. Like Mookie and Mike Trout, you just go, you, that's, those are the 10-year contracts

that if you're in a big city and can afford it, then you just go get them. Well, that's why it feels like a really special World Series. On top of everything that they had to go through this year, the Dodgers really have had to endure a lot to get to this World Series. So it's really special. Good stuff. By the way, if you're not ready to give up, want to be more energized, strong, driven, try m-drive from n.com.

Don't Let Age Beat you. Visit MDrive from N.com today. You know, so tomorrow, Joy is going to do a costume, and she's a little apprehensive because she thinks it won't be professional. And my thing is, girl, go cray. So I think you should go all for it. And by the way, I'm not going to dress up. Yeah, but that's not your thing.

That's not exactly. It's not my thing. I'm going to dress up as a seasoned veteran local news anchor. What's your name? My name is Jack Danger and my hair's made of wood. All right, we'll see you tomorrow. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends.

Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for. banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing.

How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen and learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.