The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 260303 - TheHerd-Best Of-ihm

Episode Date: March 3, 2026

As people complain on social media about the Dodgers “buying” back-to-back World Series titles, Colin Cowherd shares a survey from The Athletic painting a much different picture of Major League Baseball and how its popularity continues to grow despite the dominance of LA. He believes the Lakers have a serious problem brewing between Luka Doncic and head coach JJ Redick. Nick Wright from First Things First joins the show telling Colin why he buys the Knicks as a serious championship contender and why he’s not sold on Fernando Mendoza as franchise changing QB.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Have a great day. Hi Heart Radio. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Conky, his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 Podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest

storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the I. IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Best of the HARD podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to 3 Eastern, 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at Fox SportsRadio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.

This is the Best of the Herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Here we go. It is Tuesday. We are live in Chicago. It's the herd. Wherever you may be, and however you may be listening or watching, thanks for making us part of your day. Nick Wright one hour, Alexei Lawless, 100 days out from the World Cup here in the States.

So 14,500 people is a lot of people to have in a survey. All 50 states. The athletic today survey of 14,000. thousand five hundred sports fans and they asked him about baseball are you enthusiastic hopeful indifferent disappointed upset and four percent of people are upset they'd be upset if it was 74 in blue skies tomorrow there's just a small percentage of very cranky people who aren't happy unless they're unhappy but the remarkable thing about the survey is 67% of baseball fans today are enthusiastic and hopeful.

That is triple when this survey was done in 2022. They don't do it every year. So before the Dodgers dynasty was created, the sport gave American sports fans an entirely different vibe. They are more enthusiastic as the Dodgers feel like they're pulling away. Should be noted that Dodgers needed seven games to win the World Series over a Canadian team and were mostly outplayed for the World Series. Dodgers also lead in road attendance.

So even if they're not your stars, you like paying to watch the Dodgers. Second in road attendance, the playoff, Chicago Cubs, a very big brand who have elevated and added to their roster, they should be better next year. So the Cubs and the Dodgers are winning a lot, and everybody is almost entirely happier, three times more happy than three years ago. So what's hurting baseball and what hurts any store, any industry, is lousy.

What hurts baseball is the A's and the Marlins and the white socks and the cruddy Cardinals and the pirates. You put those products in the store, that hurts the store. The stores never hurt with the best bakery in town or the best produce in town. And the Dodgers are an all-star team.

And what this, I mean, you can't let Cincinnati and St. Louis economies limit everybody else. That's a Mondami feel. Like there's a bottom 10% of everything. But not getting in the way. And baseball's improved for a couple reasons. Number one, they made necessary changes,

universal D.H, pitch clock, defensive shift. They made necessary changes that I wish, for the record, the NBA would do. And they have not gotten in the way of great. They have not gotten in the way. I mean, think about it. If you had a salary cap, it's not like suddenly the Cardinals would have all this money or players would want to play in Cincinnati. Let them go where they want to go.

They want to go to the Mets and the Padres. Right now you have like seven excellent teams. one in Canada, the Blue Jays, the Yankees, the Dodgers, the Astros if they're healthy, the Brewers, the Mariners were great, the Phillies, the Padres, Atlanta should be better. And for the record, in the last 10 years, half of the sport has at least gotten to a World Series, proving if you're well run, you will get there. But I think a lot of the negative discussion about the Dodgers is jealousy, number one, but it's also this fatalistic nature to society.

Like I've been hearing for the last month, sports, section, sports journalism is dead. Well, that's funny because I read the athletic for at least 45 minutes a day and I see sports journalism all the time. I hear it with Pablo Tori's podcast. I read it all day on substack. I see it with Jeremy Fowler and others at ESPN. I see sports journalism everywhere, as much as I've ever seen. Well, what about local sports pages? They've been circling the drain since the late 90s because of Craigslist.

I can remember a decade or so ago going to Birmingham, Michigan, opening up the Detroit Free Press, a legendary paper, and it had the depth of a in-and-out burger menu. It was like seven items, onto obituaries. Local sports sections have been dying forever. Doesn't mean all sports journalism is dead. I mean, I hear about these fatalists with college sports. sports. I'm watching college basketball this year. Michigan's great. Duke's great. Carolina,

Arizona, Florida, I know, Yukon, Gonzaga. It's all the blue bloods. They're all good. Where's the problem? I'm watching college football. All the college ratings. Up, up, revenue, up, attendance up. Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Georgia, Texas, Miami. Where's the NIL problem? There's just fatal. everywhere. And my take on the Dodgers have been, sure, there's going to be envy, but they lead baseball and road attendants in the Cubs are second. I think the Yankees are third. I mean, if I own, you know, remember, streamers and TV networks don't have an obligation to televise everybody. They generally televised my entire life since I was a kid, the top eight or nine teams.

When I was a kid growing up in the 70s, you know who was on all the time? The Cincinnati Reds with Johnny Bench and Pete Roos and the Dodgers with the Garvey and the Lodgers with the Garvey and the and Ron Say and Bill Russell and Tommy LaSota and that was late 70s and 80s or theirabouts and then it was the Pittsburgh Pirates had Dave Parker and Willie Stardlema Phillies had Mike Schitt excuse me and Greg Lusinski and it was all the same teams I didn't ever see the Milwaukee Brewers and the Minnesota Twins on TV networks back in the in the 70s and 80s Phillies and the Pirates you know the Dodgers and the Reds and the Royals had Brett Saberhagen and Amos Otis and Freddie Pottech.

Take a deep breath. Sports journalism isn't entirely dead. The platforms have changed that comes from different areas. And baseball's fine. Because if you are a big market, Philadelphia, the product's great. Toronto, Yankees, Dodgers, Astros of Healthy, Padres, they're putting a good product on television. I'll take like eight stacked rosters and not worry about the bottom 8% of the sport or bottom 12%.

For the record, the guardians were good. The brewers are excellent. The Mariners were excellent. Those are considered like small market teams. It's hard for me from the Northwest to think of Seattle, a small market. That feels kind of big to me in Microsoft and Starbucks and downtown and the waterfront. But, you know, in baseball, maybe it is. But here's Dave Roberts, Dodger manager.

and if the Dodgers product, if it's bad for baseball. You know, you always have to have somebody that teams and fans, you know, enjoy disliking. And that's good for sports, I think. I was one of those guys that didn't like the Yankees, but saw their value with the sports. I think scouting and played with them, I think we'd do as good as anyone in baseball of that. to get superstars to play well every night to put out a good product every single night. I think we do a good job at that. Yeah, just fine.

Lead the sport in road attendants, Cubs second. Yankees up there. Better the product, the more good products, the more stacked rosters, the better it is. Okay, so I like Rich Paul, LeBron's agent, interesting guy. He's a very powerful guy in the NBA. but we showed you a video yesterday of Luca and J.J. Reddick, Saturday night against the Warriors, having a confrontation on the sideline. And J.J. Reddick tried to talk to him. Luca blew him off. Reddick chased him down the bench, grabbed his arm, sat there and kind of got into his grill.

And it was pretty clearly a confrontation. And J.J. Reddick wasn't letting him walk by him and blow him off. He came down, looked him in the eye, did some barking. and then left and then Luca got up and Danderbilt jumps in the middle. Rich Paul says that is very healthy for the relationship. Here he is. That leads to a healthy relationship because that means that there's a profound respect for the player and there should be a profound respect for the coach. And I think it ultimately leads to a healthy relationship.

When things happen in such a media robust environment that we're looking for the drama of it all. And we want to talk about the drama of it all. But the reality of it is, hey, these guys are getting paid a lot of money to do a high-level job. Yeah, totally disagree. NBA is a star-driven league. KD got his feelings hurt, left Golden State. LeBron didn't like David Blatt. David Black got fired.

LeBron had his issues with Spowe, a great coach. He left Miami and didn't even give Bosch and DeWade a heads up. Magic and Paul Westhead famously didn't get along. Magic got him fired. Rick Carlisle didn't see eye to eye with Luca's lack of defensive effort. Rick Carlisle was excused. This is a star-driven league. It's totally different in football.

Andy Reed and Travis Kelsey can go check. chest to chest. And Jeff Saturday and Peyton Manning can scream at each other. And Josh McDaniels and Tom Brady can scream at each other. And Ben Johnson can be ticked off at Caleb Williams and Sean Payton and Bo Nix on the sideline are barking at each other. And it's fine in football because football's not star-driven. The football culture doesn't pander. The football culture, you can get cut. The coach has power two, so does the general manager. You need each other. You're not

making $22 million a year on shoes and sports apparel. And the reality is there are no guaranteed contracts and accountability is really important in football. The basketball culture is get drafted at 19, sign your supermax

at 23, and if you don't like the coach, he's Seacrested out. That's the basketball culture. So J.J. Reddick and Luca are not necessarily built to be best friends. J.J. Reddick was known as a grinder, an intense grinder as a player. Luca, it made headlines this summer when he actually worked out. Hey, have you heard pro athlete jogging?

I mean, they're not the same cat. Luca is gifted at 13 years old. Things come easy for him. J.J. Reddick was a grinder. in the NBA. And remember this, five of the last seven coach of the year awards in the NBA. Five of the last seven. Five of the last seven aren't coaching the team they won the award for. It is a player league. So if there's animosity, this ownership group did not hire JJ Redick. And when JJ Reddick got the job, what was the headline? Quote, LeBron's buddy gets the head coaching job.

I'm not sure how long LeBron's in town, meaning his buddy could be in trouble. So I don't buy the, oh, you know, it's a high paid guy. Our football culture is different. I mean, teammates come to blows during practice in football. Football's about accountability. You can get cut. There's less guarantees. You're not worshipped at 13.

In fact, half of the players on the NFL rosters were undrafted. They're late bloomers, late developers. their bodies take a while to rev up and catch up, you know, and that's not NBA. At NBA, you can spot the talent by 14, 15, 16 years old. I mean, Luca is playing for Real Madrid at 16. Tom Brady at 16, you know, at 16 years old, like you have your first crush. A lot of parents don't like to let their kids play until they're like 15 in football. So I don't buy that it's just kumbaya.

It's just the way it is. I mean, again, I'm not saying it's the end of the world. But don't confuse basketball culture. When LeBron was blowing off Spoe when he got to Miami, there's a lot of pieces of video. I remember going to a couple of games. And a lot of times LeBron and Spow did not see eye to eye. LeBron left Pat Riley and Eric Spolstra to go back to Cleveland. Some of that was LeBron wanted his way.

and he was the best player in the world. But, you know, I don't, you know, I don't think it's all just fine. J. Mack, pretty convincing argument by me, you'd have to admit. You patting yourself on the back there. Listen, I think it's actually a decent argument. I don't hate it, Colin. And I think it leads to why the basketball culture in America is so dominant among all the sports.

That's why young people follow on social media. They love their athletes in the NBA. They're more popular than NFL. Major League Baseball, all the numbers bear it out. It's an individual sport. Exactly. And they think the basketball players are badasses. LeBron's dunking on someone.

Lucas talking smack to his coach. He's not taking that garbage. I know football players are tough, you know, because they're rugged and beating each other. The culture is just different. Yeah, the culture in the NBA is unbelievable. And I think that's why young people in America gravitate toward it. You go on a basketball courts. Yeah, you go to some Chicago basketball courts today.

You can see a lot of Luca stepbacks, a lot of LeBron dunking, a lot of jawjacking. you don't get pickup football games. It just doesn't really happen. Yeah. Interesting stuff today. Remarkably, as we get ready for free agency in a week, I think it's a week out starting tomorrow, there is one player who apparently has no market.

And I am shocked by it. Next, it's the herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, it's Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington from The Odd Couple on Fox Sports Radio. And in addition to hearing us live weeknights from 7 to 10 p.m. Eastern on Fox Sports Radio, we are excited to announce brand new YouTube channel for the show. That's right.

You can now watch the Odd Couple live on YouTube every day. All you got to do, search Odd Couple FSR on YouTube. Again, YouTube. I'd couple FSS. Check us out on YouTube and subscribe. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, name? Huge news.

We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a podcast. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. We're starting a trend. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name Hey Jonas, Jonas, guys?

I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call. it. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, Hey Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast.

But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm CJ Toledano, and our podcast point game is about defining the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs.

I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too.

Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers while he got the ball, like, after you go through a training camp with that Isaiah, you figure it out. real quick. Ah, yeah.

Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Keith Gianmanca seemed like a mild-mannered suburban dad. But secretly, he became someone else, a master of disguise who went on a crime spree. At the time, did it seem like a crazy idea? It seemed very crazy. But I felt so desperate.

that I felt it was the quickest, easiest way out. Did you allow yourself to think about how it could go wrong and what that might look like? No, I didn't want to manifest that. I was trying to manifest success. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life?

That is not the look of an innocent man. This is going to change my life and my family dynamic forever because everything that had existed prior in my reality is now untrue. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time. You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a perimenopausal chin here you do. So let's talk about it.

Join me on my new podcast. How hard can it be with Deanna Maria. where I call on my Gen X squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate Midlife's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden, I'd had hanginess happening on my own. I was like, what the hell is that? I was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that nest was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive. Wait, what sex?

Dating at 45. How can it be getting naked at 50 with the new guy? That one's kind of hard, you know? Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears or tears of laughter, and dive into it, unfiltered and unbothered and ask, How Hard Can It Be? I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public.

Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of my Cultura podcast network available on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Per the athletic, it's almost like this is journalism, There is no current market in a league desperate for quarterbacks. There's no current marker for backup Mac Jones in San Francisco. So there's a market for small injury prone and expensive Kyler Murray and Tua. There is reportedly more journalism a market for Anthony Richardson who can't consistently complete underneath throws, drag routes, and screen passes.

there's a market for Gino Smith, a turnover machine, Jimmy Garoppolo, who hasn't played in years, and Philip Rivers, who was on a couch for half a decade. And is athletic as athletic as the microphone I'm talking into? Philip Rivers had a market. Mack Jones has none. He's 27. He was second in the NFL in completion percentage last year.

Young, accurate, inexpensive. seasoned? You know what this is? This is the ultimate insider respect to Kyle Shanahan. Kyler Murray Garoppolo, Gino Smith, Anthony Richardson, and Philip Rivers have markets. And Mack Jones wouldn't work with Kevin O'Connell in Minnesota or Shane Steichen? I mean, Colts have a good old line, Jonathan Taylor at running back, ample weapons, offensive coach, Mac Jones wouldn't work there? I mean, I am, I mean, this is people inside the league paying respect to Kyle Shanahan. So, I mean, if I, if there were five quarterbacks draft and free agency or trades that I would take,

that I think are the five best on the market, Fernando Mendoza is absolutely number one. He'd be my number one. I would say Mac Jones would be by two because he is so inexplicable. I think Malik Willis, despite the scarcity of starts, is a really interesting addition. I'd go Ty Simpson, sit in for a year, and then Aaron Rogers is cheap. So if there was a fab five of available quarterbacks, I'd have, I mean, Mac Jones may want to raise eventually. But, I mean, seasoned, young. Also, Sam Darnold spent, you know, some time sitting on the bench behind Brock Purdy with Kyle Shanahan and

San Francisco. He reemerged in Minnesota and crushed it. Now, I think Mac Jones is a pretty heady kid. I think playing behind Mac Jones, Brock Purdy, playing with that ecosystem, with Kyle Shanahan, getting a handful of starts. What do you get? Five and three and eight starts. I mean, this is Mac Jones during Combine Week on his current aspirations. I learned so much this year, and I'm obviously been coached by some great coaches. And I know, I know a lot and I've learned a lot, but I really learned a lot this year. It's definitely motivating for me. I feel like I can get back and do that and I have my swag back and I feel like that's important to me and I can go out there and win games for whoever.

Yeah, the, I mean, listen, I think Shanahan's great, but the first thing Mac Jones said is, boy, I learned a lot. You go talk to Sam Darnold about his year two and however long he was in San Francisco. I think it was a year. He talks about I learned so much from Brock Purdy and Kyle Shanahan. So, I mean, I just am, I mean, again, I'm not saying it's Fernando Mendoza, and I'm not saying he's as talented, even as an old Aaron Rogers. But the price tag, a draft pick. I mean, the Colts gave up two first rounders for a corner who didn't finish last year because it was banged up. I cannot believe a Kevin O'Connell or a Shane Steichen isn't interested at all, but real journalism.

I thought it was all, I thought it all dried up. The athletic reporting, there's no market. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, news, huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast?

Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a... We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. We're starting a trend. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember

I think it was on a call about what we should call it And we were thinking I'm originally calling it One of the early names of our band Before Jonas Brothers This is how you guys remember it going down Yes I have a very different memory of this We were talking about a thing A bit for the podcast

For people could call in and say hey Jonas And then I wrote down on my little notepad Hey Jonas and offered it up as a potential title For the podcast But thanks for remembering that You guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm CJ Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defining the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what.

He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night bases on offense.

And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nass would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball, like, After you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball.

So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Keith Giamonka seemed like a mild-mannered suburban dad. But secretly, he became someone else, a master of disguise who went on a crime spree. At the time, did it seem like a crazy idea? It seemed very crazy, but I felt so desperate that I felt it was the quickest, easiest way out. Did you allow yourself to think about how it could go wrong on what that might look like? No, I didn't want to manifest that. I was trying to manifest success. Every family has its secrets.

But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life? that is not the look of an innocent man. This is going to change my life and my family dynamic forever because everything that had existed prior in my reality is now untrue. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Diana Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time. ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a perimenopausal chin here you do. So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast. How hard can it be with the Adamaniarriva, where I call on my Gen X

squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate midlife's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden, I'd had hanginess happening on my own. I was like, what the hell is that? I was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that mess was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats, Fupa's sex drive. Wait, what sex? Dating at 45. How hard can it be? Getting naked at 50 with the new guy. That one's kind of hard. Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears or tears of laughter, and dive into it unfiltered and unbothered and ask, how hard can it be? I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of my Cultura podcast network available on the IHeart Radio app. Apple Podcast. or wherever you get your podcasts. Here we go. It's hour two.

Alexi Lawless going to be showing up hour three. 100 days out from the World Cup. So I, Mike Sando, who does excellent work, he pulled four executives in the NFL. And he said, you know, forget all these mock drafts. Four executives in the NFL. Give me your top 10. Give me your top 10 mock draft.

And a couple of things just jumped out to me. Fernando Mendoza, Arvel Reese, David Bailey, Carnel Tate, who feels can't miss. A bunch of Miami guys, Mackay Lemon, the receiver, Jeremiah Love, the running back, Peter Woods, Clemson. Zero SEC guys.

Four NFL execs who used to fall over themselves to draft SEC guys. Zero. SEC guys in the top 10. I'm telling you, the NIL has been a Netflix Uber-level disruptor. The transfer portal and the NIL, they have hurt the SEC.

College basketball and college football. They don't have the money. I mean, think about Alabama football. They have a first-round quarterback, potentially, a first-round tackle offensively, and an excellent head coach, blown out by Indiana. Men's college basketball, current 8, A. P poll. Top 15. One SEC team. I mean, just let me read you the teams. ACC, Big 12, Big 10, Yukon, SEC, Big 12, Big 12, Big 10, Big 10, Big 12, Big 10, Big 10, Big 12, Big 10, Gonzaga, ACC, C, Big 12, Big 12, Big 10, one SEC team.

I mean, it is five years ago we were worried about the lack of competitive balance in college sport. And I think it's funny. When the SEC was paying players, everything is rosy. Now that it's above board, we've got a real problem with college football and basketball. Now, the problem is down south. One basketball team in the top 15. top 10, according to Mike Sando, four NFL execs. No.

Best receivers, Big Ten, best back, Notre Dame, best old lineman, Utah, Miami. Wow. Joel Clat on the lack of SEC talent in the NFL draft. Pointing. My job is to be the best point. Poignant, Joel Clat. You know, it's something. I mean, it was weird to watch.

Alabama's got a great coach, great quarterback. a great left tackle, and just gets housed by Indiana. And for the record, I thought the NIL would change college sports and make the Big Ten and the ACC more viable. I did not think it would become this. And this is nobody in the top ten. I will say, I think the best corner I saw play college football this year, played at LSU.

I do think they have the best corner. But, I mean, And Fernando Mendoza didn't even come from the SEC to go to Indiana. He was at Cal, whatever conference they're in now. So it was Cal to Indiana. So again, we all knew the transfer portal and NIL would change. But it's distinct. Here is clap.

In my mock 1.0, I had 10 players from the Big Ten in the first round and only nine from the SEC. That's obviously a vast difference than what we saw in the late 2000, you know, teens, you know, 17, 18, 19 when it was just SEC littered with the SEC in the NFL. Best running back, Notre Dame. Best wide receiver, a debate between Carnell Tate and Mackay Lemon, both from the Big Ten. So even the skill is sitting outside of that footprint, which is something that we haven't seen in a long time. And it's not going anywhere. Back to back to back to back. Natty's by, I mean, the Big Ten basketball conference and the Big 12 are a mile above the SEC this year.

And if you go look at the quarterback play next year in the Big Ten returning quarterbacks, I've never ever seen a singular conference was eight quarterbacks who I think could play on Sunday, seven or eight. I mean, I think it's getting worse. I think the gap is growing. I mean, if you go look at the quarterbacks coming back to school next year in the Big Ten, It is incredible. The PAC 12 was always a quarterback conference in their best year. I mean, there was a year, was it the Nick Foles, Andrew Luck, Matt Barclay. There was a year the PAC 12 had a several, you know, I never thought Matt Barclay was a top NFL prospector Nick Foles, Andrew Luck was.

But it's like double this year in the Big Ten. With that, Nick Wright, first things first, is joining us live on Tuesday. So I like Rich Paul. I think he usually makes a lot of sense. But he said something about the JJ Redick, Luca Dantich, kerfuffle on the sideline. And I mean,

it's confrontational and blowing somebody off. And JJ Reddick is a, he's a guy that's combative. He's going to give you his opinion. Hey, smug. I think smug is fair. Oh, yeah. A little full of himself.

I mean, we've known JJ Redick for 20 years. He's kind of the same guy. He's been since he walked on to the Duke campus. Smart guy, good coach. You know, I don't know if I would enjoy a round of golf with him. Maybe I would, but go ahead, as you were. So Rich Paul says, very healthy. He said, coach and star conflict healthy.

And I said, no, no, no, no, no, no. In the NFL, Andy Reid, Travis Kelsey, now that's the football culture, right? You all need each other. The basketball culture is LeBron didn't like David Blatt. Luca didn't like Rick Carlisle. Kauai didn't like Pop. KD. got his feelings heard in Golden State. The NBA is different.

Come into the league at 19. Super Max 23, 24. The coaches, I mean, Spow and LeBron had their issues. LeBron left didn't give him a heads up. Like, I don't buy into this. Oh, it's no big deal. Do you? Well, I don't think it's nothing.

I maybe don't think it's quite as big of a deal as it appears you do. Listen, Luca annoys his coaches. Luca annoys a lot of people. His incessant griping at the officials and kind of stubbornness in style of play can be grading for, I think, his coaches, his management, fans of other teams. Now, it's the tax on a guy who this year, in what is universally being regarded as a down year, is going to win the scoring title, is scoring 33 a night and giving you eight rebounds, nine assists to go along with it. And so the juice is obviously worth the squeeze. Yes.

I do think it is incumbent upon coaches, even young coaches like JJ, even former players like JJ, to remember I'm not allowed. to be immature, the player is. It's unfair, but that's reality. Like we saw the other night, Chris Finch tell Anthony Edwards, pass when you're double-teamed. And Anthony Edwards then got triple-teamed and took the shot anyway,

made it, and then started screaming at Chris Finch. This is who I am. This is what I do. And Chris Finch just kind of had to eat it in the moment. And then privately they can chat. They have a great relationship because players can be a moment. emotional. Players can be immature. Coaches can't be. So I wouldn't have thought this video was a huge deal. What I like about it the least is, and I don't know if it's going to loop one more time,

the confrontation starts because Luca won't give JJ a handshake. Like if you really watch what happens here, Al Harrington pointed it's on the show yesterday. Like JJ's trying to give Luca five. Luca won't do it. So Luca walks away and they go back and forth and they're barking at each other. And then watch the end before JJ walks away. Luca relents and puts his hand out to get right there to give him five and JJ won't give it to him.

Like you didn't give me five, I won't give you five. And that's what got Luca going. Now shout out to Jared Vanderbilt for playing peacemaker. Right. But I just don't, I think JJ cannot meet Lucas. immaturity with his own. J.J. is the literal adult, the coach. He has to be, I think, better than that. And he also has to recognize this. In this moment, right now, Luke at Anjic is way better at his job

than J.J. Reddick is at his. Luka Atchitz, one of the handful of very greatest players in the league, even with his flaws. J.J. Reddick has not earned that distinction yet. Yeah. Don't you think everybody, J. Mack thinks I'm constantly hating, but LeBron is older, but that said, he played well immediately with Austin Reeves. He actually

was the best teammate AD's ever had. He worked with Cookey J.R. Smith. Kyrie Irving was kind of a broken brand in Cleveland before LeBron got there. I mean, Dwayne Wade and LeBron never really fed, but

it worked. LeBron works with everybody. It's like salt in a kitchen. It's good on everything. And my take is, yet, when LeBron and Luca are on the floor together, it's the Lakers' worst tandem. Doesn't that give you a little pause on that Jalen Brunson becomes a star when he leaves him? LeBron's struggling to make it worse work. Doesn't that give you some pause with Luca? I do.

It does give me some pause. However, not enough to overwhelm the fact. that I saw this guy be, in my opinion, in the discussion for best player alive and carry an underwhelming team to the finals. Now, it does, not long ago, a year and a half ago, he's in the finals with, again, Kyrie's a really good player, but not a superstar, and it was role players. What is definitionally true is Luca is not easy to build around. You need specific archetypes of players to build around him. Yes.

And to me, what is such a shame of the Lakers squandering last year, their first year with Luca, and this year is the reason they didn't have the right pieces, the right players to put around Luca Donchich, is because they didn't have the right pieces to put around LeBron James because it's the same type of player. Who do you need for old LeBron James? defenders and three-point shooters. Who do you need for young Luca Donchich?

Defenders and three-point shooters, and they didn't get him. And so he is not an easy of a fit to plug into a team as Kevin Durant. Like Kevin Durant just drop on any team. He's going to take his 17 shots. He's going to score his 27 points. It's going to be awesome.

Luca is different. What has surprised me is this, Colin. LeBron this year career low in usage rate. That's not surprising. He's 41. He's in year 23. This would be the Luca. Before the year, I said, folks, there's going to be a gap.

LeBron and Luca. Luca's going to take over the offense. So LeBron doesn't have the ball that much. And that part's fine. LeBron being at his career low makes sense. What doesn't make sense is Luca's usage rate this year with the Lakers is higher. Lakers is higher than any year of his career with the Mavs. So it doesn't make sense that Luca with LeBron, who is no longer one of the 10 best

players in league, but still one of the 20 best players, and Austin Reeves coming on, that Lucas actually has a higher usage rate than he had when he was playing Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington. That is confusing and confounding and not ideal for the Lakers path forward. one of the things that's always been true in the NBA, and as I was watching the Spurs and the Knicks on Sunday, I watched the whole game. And one of the things that's always been true is if you're a talented team that doesn't have a title, you play harder in the regular season. And then once you get the title, like an Oklahoma City last year or a Celtics team, you know, a little different vibe. That Bulls team with Derek Rose, you know, they played like it was game seven of the finals all regular season.

So I'm watching the Knicks. Their net rating, I think, leads the league. They play very good defense against. They kind of worn down San Antonio team. But I still see a completely flawed team that will get to the postseason and you can hunt their two best stars. Jalen and Kat, you can just go after them. Or do you think there's something, there's a secret sauce, Mike Brown, it's different.

Because right now, this is about as well as they have played in the last two to three years. Yeah, I mean, I think that they have. to be, I was actually at this Nick Spurs game, and it looked like the Spurs were going to blow them out of the water. They were up, I think, 22 to 7 early. And then the Knicks just hit an onslaught for the next hour, and the game was over. I do really like this Knicks team. I think it is, it makes sense the way it's built. If you're two best stars, one is going to be undersized in Jalen Brunson, the other is going to be a defensive liability in Kat. If those are going to be your two leading scorers, then you must build the exact type of supporting cast they built.

They built with OG, with Hart, with McAil Bridges, Mitchell Robinson, length and defense on the wings, a good backup center. I like the addition of Alvarado. I do think that they are more likely to use their depth this year with Mike Brown than they did with Tibbs. And so I do, the team makes sense, and the East does feel wide open. Detroit is really good and Detroit has dominated the Knicks this regular season. Go ahead. Detroit's a very limited half-court offense.

They don't have a dependable great second score. You know in the playoffs, when you can just basically drop a game plan for five games against Kate Cunningham, you know there's a ceiling with Detroit. That's what worries me. Maybe it wouldn't be quite as adamant as you, but Detroit, it worries me a little bit like Houston did last year, where it's like, man, there's a really good team having a great season, but can you trust him to go get a bucket in a seven-game series repeatedly other than Cade? I don't know.

So at Cleveland, I don't trust at all. And then there's Boston, which if Jason Tatum, I believe, is coming back soon. If Jason Tatum is even 80% of Jason Tatum by the playoffs, they're the team to beat in the east. But right after them is New York. and because Tatum's coming off an injury, I think the Knicks are a very live threat to make their first finals this century, which would be awesome.

And then, listen, going into the finals last year, I don't think anybody thought Indiana had a shot. They find themselves in game seven with a lead before Halliburton goes down. You make the finals, you can win the title. Yeah. I got about five questions I could ask you here.

And I got one more. Fernando Mendoza met with Matt Hasselbeck this weekend. And he said, I know I'm a goober. And Hasselbeck said, you know, I played with Andrew Locke. Just lean into being a nerd. And Mendoza is a funny player. Like, I talked about this earlier. Cameron Boozer is not flashy.

Either is Cade Cunningham. there's a lot of guys in the NBA that aren't flashy, but they're really winning players. Camingas flashy. John's flashy. John's flashy. Like in the NBA, the culture, flash sells. Like, I totally get it. Fans wear their favorite basketball players gear.

So you're more loyal to a player, even if Zach Levine doesn't win games. In football, there does feel like there's this reality is that a lot of the great quarterbacks are kind of nerds, are kind of. are kind of not cool. How do you land with Mendoza? You don't love college football, but you watch a lot of sports. What do you make of the nerd thing? I don't think it would plan. Adam Morrison came into the NBA out of Gonzaga. I remember a GM telling me he will not fit in the locker room. He's just too odd. But it doesn't seem to matter in football. No, listen, if the quarterback's great, then I don't think it really matters. I think luck is a good comp. I think there, you know, it worked until it didn't.

for Russell Wilson, who has a unique personality. You know what I mean? Nobody cared so much as long as he was still a really good player. So my concern Mendoza is less about, you know, his column, very unique interview style and all of that. And it's more this. If we were to take Colin, all of the quarterbacks taken in the top 10 in the last, five years, where would he stack up? And that's where I fear, like, that this is, he is the number one quarterback kind of by default. Like, is he a better prospect than, you know, Caleb, Drake,

Jaden, no. So he's, in that class, he's at best fourth. He's not better than Herbert or Burrell either. Oh, no, and that's going back even further. He might be a better, end up a better player. He's not a better prospect than Trevor. But I think we can go, I don't know that he is, I do think he's a better prospect than Cam Ward was, who also felt a little bit by default, you know, the number one pick of the draft. And so it is, I look at him as he would make a ton of sense. as the third quarterback off the board and the 12th pick of the draft.

But because it's a quarterback draft where Ty Simpson is going to go, is the second quarterback, he's the number one quarterback by a mile. And that's, again, not putting a ceiling on what he can be. You know, your guy, Bo Nix, I didn't see it at all. He's had an awesome two years. A lot of people love J.J. McCarthy. He's fighting for his job. So I'm not saying it's definitive on what he'll be, but this is not to me the type of number one pick where it's like, man, how lucky did the Raiders get?

It's more like, okay, you might have your guy. That's where I land on Mendoza. Hey, any World Cup story that, you know, listen, it's on our soil. I think it's going to be on. It's the most, since I was a kid, when I'm sold, that when soccer started, the best player we had was Kyle Rote Jr. who was like more of a football player, but he was the best guy, and he loves soccer. And so, you know, and then we got into,

you know, Clint Dempsey, Alexei Lawless, Landon Donovan. And now we're at a point with Christian Pulisic. We got real players. Yeah, well, we have strikers.

We have goal scores that play internationally. So I do think we're a top 12-ish. Maybe we're better than that on home soil. What is your thought on the World Cup? So that, listen, if you can tell from my setup behind me, We're 100 days out for the World Cup and our set looks like it. We do have Chris Richards on the show later today.

So I'll give you one U.S. take and one outside of the U.S. take for kind of storyline 100 days out. For the U.S., this is the way fans should look at it. They are going to get out of the group stage, particularly because this year with the expanded field, 32 teams make it out of the group stage instead of fewer as the way it used to be. so it would be a catastrophe not to make it out of the group stage. They'll make it out of the group stage. The goal should be, let me rephrase it, the expectation should be make it to the final 16, and the hope should be make the first quarter final in my adult life.

You said they're around the 10th to 12th best team in the world. That's about right. Can you play a little above your seed because it's at home and get to the final eight and set up the biggest American soccer game in 32 years? That would be, that to me is a realistic hope. Anything past that is gravy and anything short of the final 16 is a disappointment. And if somehow they were to not make it out of the group stage, it's an utter travesty. But I don't think that's going to happen. So that's for the U.S.

and for the world at large, Spain is a deserving favorite. And you have arguably two of the three greatest soccer players ever in Messi and Ronaldo. Four years ago, I don't think anybody thought either one of them would be playing in this tournament. They're both playing, assuming help. Both of their teams, particularly Messies, the defending champ, have a legit shot. So all of that with my own personal storyline of, you talked about your life growing up watching soccer. My life growing up watching soccer was, who's going to get to lose to Brazil? Because Brazil's just the best.

Yeah. And the last 20 years, Brazil has been wildly disappointing in this tournament. They have only made one deep run and it ended in a 7 to 1 loss in the semifinals. Brazil's talented enough to change that this year. year. I wonder if they do. So there's my little World Cup primer, which I am super into. You always preface, you'll kind of undersell my college football affinity because I'm not a nerd like you. I like college football, but I love the World Cup. And so I'm super excited. No, it's going to be unbelievable. It just, it just, June is usually a dead time for our business.

It is going to be the biggest June of our lives, certainly at Fox. Oh, speaking of Fox stuff, can I give you a, it just, well, one other plug? How about this? What a great, if I can pat myself on the back. Company man, I am. Guess where I'm going this weekend, Colin? Now, is it to cover the event? Maybe. Do I just happen to be there? No way to tell.

But I'll be in Tokyo for the World Baseball Classic. I'm going to go to some games. Go to some WBC games. I'll be a man on the ground for first things first. You always joke our show with an unlimited budget. We're sitting in a correspondent to Tokyo to watch Japan take all. South Korea, round one of the world baseball classic. How about that? I'm impressed. I will tell you. I'm bitter at your unlimited

budget, but I'm impressed. It'll be good. See you about it. World baseball classic. Yeah, I was just, I mean, it's, you know, when you watch the hockey team, which everybody but sports writers loved in America, men's and women's, and then you watch the world baseball classic, and then you get guys like KD are like, yeah, I want to play for the country. As much as everybody's like, you know, these athletes, these pro athletes, these guys care. Otani's there and Bryce Harper's going to be there.

It's going to be fantastic. Hey guys, it's us and the Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast?

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