The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd for May 19, 2020

Episode Date: May 19, 2020

Michael Jordan's shoe brand protects him and his legacyThis will be a disappointing season for the Pittsburgh SteelersThe path to the Finals is getting easier for LeBronA handful of NFL teams will run away with the 2020 seasonGuests: Ric Bucher, FOX Sports NBA AnalystCraig Fite, The man who delivered the pizza that made Michael Jordan sick during the 1997 NBA Finals 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. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise,

breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel 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. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, 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. I mean, it 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. 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 to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Thanks for listening to the best of 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. is the best of the herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Oh, here we go on a Tuesday live in Los Angeles. This is The Herd, wherever you may be and however you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. Rick Buecker this hour, NFL or Kyle Long next hour, and Joy Taylor is joining me this morning. As we continue to find engaging topics, believe it or not, not without sports. Also a very encouraging day.

We live in the state of California, which was the most cautious, big state. We were very cautious. Our governor Gavin Newsom, very cautious. I don't know what happened in the last 48 hours to 72 hours. I've been texting people this morning. Somebody put heat on him. Business leaders, the billionaire group, put heat on him. But suddenly, California is open for business.

Come one, come all. Did you notice that yesterday? Joey, it happened very quickly. I was very surprised to get that alert on my phone. I was like, what's this? We think we skip. Okay. But again, like any positive news I'm here for, so.

It feels good this morning. It does feel good. It feels very. California, New York are open for business. Yes. I think people are finally realizing it's just not a health issue. It is an economic issue we have and a mental health issue. We got to get stuff rolling.

So, you know, one of the things about the Jordan documentary that's fascinating that reminds me of football. We may watch football more, but I think we love our great basketball players more. I think we have deeper connections, and I'll get to that in a second. But I've never thought it's really a fair fight with Michael Jordan and LeBron. Michael Jordan was coming up. He was Nike's first big shoe star. ESPN, the highlight machine.

Michael was the best highlight machine. It was this convergence of all things. And Michael, who's great. road the wave. It's impenetrable. Popularity. Ronald Reagan is arguably the most popular president in America. He made mistakes all the time, said things that you wouldn't say, eh, just Teflon, just bounced it off, because everybody love Reagan. If you know, you love your own kids and you'll complain about him, but if the neighbor's kids had the same faults, you'd call them bad kids. Your kids, wow, they're children. Neighbors' kids, those are bad kids. They stole something. Those

are bad kids. Your kids, well, they're just kids. You love something, and we love MJ. And we love our NBA stars, but think about this. Joe Montana, Joe Cool, great-looking, legendary franchise. I mean, the Bulls run a legendary franchise before MJ. Was the goat. Four-for-four in the Super Bowls. Never threw an interception in a Super Bowl. Had teams coming from behind, the most watched Super Bowls.

He was the MVP in 3 of 4. Joe Cool had a nickname, great-looking, legendary franchise. We bailed on Joe Montana the minute Brady won his fifth Super Bowl. We bailed on Joe Montana like a New Year's resolution. Joy came up with that line. We never had a debate. I never did a single segment on my show. Joe or Brady, not one.

Either to the other network, either to this network. To this day, I've never done a single Montana Brady segment. Well, well, that's because Tom had more Super Bowls. Tom had only been MVP and half of them. Tom was five for seven. He'd lost two Super Bowls. Don't you always tell me it's about Magic Johnson went to a lot more finals than Michael Jordan did. A lot more.

Bill Russell won 11. It can't just be numbers, right? Because Russell's got almost double the titles that MJ has. I've never done a Bill Russell segment. You don't count him, so it's not just volume. We bailed on Joe Montana after Brady beat Atlanta. I don't even believe there was a segment on a debate show arguing it. We just bailed.

It's over. Yet LeBron James is going to crush Michael Jordan statistically. He already has in many areas. Michael's beaten a great team in the finals. Michael never did. LeBron is bigger and stronger. LeBron is one with two franchises. Mike went to a second.

It was a disaster. LeBron could win another. championship on a third team. But you know what you would say? Even if LeBron ends up winning seven championships, like Brady to Montana, winning more in sheer number, you know what you'd say? Well, he had to leave to do it. Yeah, I mean, I had to bounce around and go play with great players to do it.

Why? Why did we bail on Joe Montana? Joe Montana like Jordan was perfect. Joe Montana. Hey, Michael didn't get to the most finals. Magic got to more. A lot more. Nine.

30% more. You never gave him a shot. Bill Russell's got double the titles. You wouldn't consider arguing he's better than MJ. But the minute Brady had one more Super Bowl than Joe, we didn't even give it a debate segment. Why? It's the power of Nike. It's the power of shoes.

It's the power of glamour. And you saw that in the documentary. I am not saying Michael's the best player. What I'm saying is he and LeBron is not this Grand Canyon gap. A poll this week on the 17 comparisons, Michael and LeBron, Michael won all of them by an average of 70% to 30%. And I just, I noticed this with the death of Kobe Bryant. it gutted the city of Los Angeles.

Not just a city with thousands of stars, but a city with a franchise, the Lakers, that have five of the biggest seven stars in league history. Why? Because you felt like you knew Kobe. You wore Kobe. You connect with Kobe. I think we watch the NFL,

but I think we love our NBA stars more. Why? because of these shoe companies that build these incredible campaigns that let you know them behind the scenes, the access we have to the sports apparel, you'll wear a Kobe, you'll wear a Steph, you'll wear a Michael. But it's remarkable to me that we didn't give Joe Montana a single segment. We bailed on him, Mr. 4 for 4, Mr. MVP,

never threw a pick in a Super Bowl, good-looking, legendary franchise, guys come from behind wins. You had him mic, he was the coolest guy talking about the comedian John Candy in the stands as he's leading you to a win. Didn't get a segment. Didn't get a segment. Not one. I've never seen it. I've never done it. Russell didn't get a segment ever. Double the MJ titles almost. It shows you the power of MJ is not Michael. LeBron James isn't just fighting the game of Michael. He's fighting the mythology. And it's why the first thing after the documentary was done. LeBron came out yesterday and started talking about how he would have played great with MJ. He's covering the brand a little bit. Got into an argument with Brian Winhorst. I did not say

that. I said this. I did not say that. LeBron later came out and said, I think my Olympic dream team with Kobe D. Wade and me and our prime would have beaten the dream team. I'm not knocking LeBron. I'm just saying I think LeBron understands. He's not just chasing Michael. He's chasing a virtual bulletproof mythology that grows every year. even when he's gone for 20 and we're just doing documentaries with old footage. All right, so I saw this story. One of the things I talk about a lot on this show is sort of evolving and adapting. Don't have opinions based on, you know, yesterday.

I mean, I refuse to be loyal to a bad restaurant. If I go to a restaurant back-to-back times and it's bad, I don't care if I went there 20 years. It's not good anymore. So I saw a story yesterday, some video, Big Ben Rothlessberger, he's trimming his beard. Everybody's like, Big Ben, Big Ben's laughing. He's throwing some passes. And, you know, it's nice to see. It's a good guy from the mountains, right?

And when I laid out my NFL standings about two weeks ago, the one legendary franchise that everybody thinks is really going to be good this year, and I don't, is the Pittsburgh Steelers. I have them at 7 and 9. And I think I no longer think of the Pittsburgh Steelers as a great organization. To be a great organization, you have to be A at owner, A at GM, A at quarterback, and A at coach. I've told you my feelings about Mike Tomlin. I think he's going to be a great TV analyst. I think he's a great guy. I think there are moments I like him.

But he's kind of sloppy, light on the details. I felt when he faced Belichick, he was completely outcoached. I never feel that when Andy Reid faces Belichick. I didn't feel that way when Doug Peterson faced Belichick. I never felt that way when Tony Dungey faced Belichick. I never feel that way when Pete Carroll faces Belichick. I feel that way when Tomlin faces Belichick. I also think Big Ben is often injury, 38 years old, high on the drama,

doesn't have a star receiver, offensive line is aging. does everybody realize about Big Ben? Let's be honest about this. If you take out last year because he played a game and a half, so let's just pretend last year didn't happen. He leads the NFL in interception since 2015. He doesn't work very hard in the offseason. Russell Wilson does.

Andrew Luck did. Carson Wins does. Drew Breeze does. Deshawn Watson does. Lamar Jackson does. I don't know if Patrick Mahom does. I don't see him much, but I imagine he does. Big Ben doesn't.

I talk about on this show, don't base an opinion on what happened yesterday. I've never understood the loyalty to sports. You would not go in an airline if you had bad experiences. You would not go to a restaurant if you've had bad experiences. When I look at the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Big Ben story, I have them finishing third in their division. I just don't, and I don't know any clear way to say it. It's a head coach quarterback league.

I don't think they're an A& either. I also don't think there is well. run as Kansas City right now. I don't think they're as well run as Philadelphia in their own state right now. I think there's seven or eight teams in the NFL, including San Francisco, Baltimore, that are just better run. Nothing against them. But when I see the Big Ben video, I'm like, cool, I still think you're finishing third. The league's evolving. It's adapting. Lots of smart people, some brilliant young coaches, some quarterbacks that work harder. Big Ben has become more legacy than legend to me.

All the good stuff feels like years and years and years ago. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where sports slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise,

breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. SportsLice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlic on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more, follow Timbo Slices Life 12 in the TikTok podcast. network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway 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 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, 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, our heart radio app. Search Learn the Hard Way and listen now. 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 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.

Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you 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. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth.

And on my podcast, The Clivert Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, Hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out.

Quarterback on office, Blue 42. A rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. So this is a sneaky big story. One of the reasons I do believe the NBA needs to come back is because the Lakers are good this year and the Celtics are good this year. And here's a story that helps the Lakers, actually.

Bojohn Bogdanovich, a 20-point-a-game score for the Utah Jazz, a sneaky good player for an offense that can struggle in Utah for a very well-coached team and a very very good. very good defensive team and a very good team at home, he's out for the season. He's going to have a surgery. He'd been playing with discomfort. So he's one of the best three-point shooters. He's a 20-point a game score for this franchise, and LeBron was going to face Utah in the second round. So Utah would have been sneaky tough on the Lakers because they have a great rim protector, Rudy Gobert. He's a great, great rim protector. LeBron historically struggles at times against teams with great rim protectors. Why? Because LeBron loses confidence. regularly in his jumper.

And when he does, he just wants the ball, go to the basket, and score. You just don't do that where Rudy Gobert. He's a block shot machine. And so now Bogdanovich is out. This offense was 17th in the NBA. That's with him. They can't win without him. They just don't have the offensive weaponry.

And so now it's Clippers, Lakers, in the Western Conference final if the season returns. Denver's good, but depends too much on Yokic. They're still really, really young and haven't gone through the steps necessary to win his. championship. So for those suggesting LeBron doesn't want the season to happen, Rongo. It's now Lakers Clippers. This is another roadblock out of the way. And again, Tillman Fertita owns the Rockets yesterday, was talking to Donald Trump and says it

looks like we're going to play. When you have opportunities to have a Yankee in the World Series, Dodgers Yankees World Series, or a St. Louis Cardinals Red Sock Yankee World Series, where you have these legacy teams, or you have a chance to have, you know, a USC and an Ohio State in a Rose Bowl. You don't get these very often. You think you'd get them more. I mean, you think LeBron and Kobe would have played in more championships, right? They were both kind of in their prime.

You don't get as many great matchups, Phil Mickelson and Tiger, down the stretch at the Masters. You know, they play together in their prime for 15 years. You'd think, oh, you get that all the time. You don't. So when you get the Lakers with LeBron and the Celtics look like they'll get to the Eastern Conference finals, you got to push it through. Sneaky big news for the Lakers, Bojohn Bogd

Donovich is out. 20-point-game score. Great three-point shooter. For a team that's got a hot and cold, not very good offense, now it'll be really struggling to score. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day,

seven days a week within the I-Hard Radio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you like. Let's bring in Rick Buecker via the Coward Global Satellite Network, brought to you by Mercedes-Benz. The best or nothing. Let's start with this. Having covered the Warriors close and personal, a lot of people are saying now, you know what, MJ, Kevin Durant couldn't play.

Just would not work. Personality-wise, I think to myself, maybe they're right. But I also think people like to win, and Katie and MJ would have won a lot of games together. You know, KD, your thoughts about this. Yeah, look, it would have been a dynamic duo, but I really believe that they would not have complimented each other as well as some other stars because of their talents. Certainly Michael could have been a facilitator. Rex Chapman just put something out on Twitter about the time that they played him at Point Guard. He had like 10 consecutive triple doubles in an age where nobody

had triple doubles. So Michael certainly was able to do that. But I'm not sure that KD could have handled the intensity of Michael Jordan, the demands of Michael Jordan. That would have been the big question. Now, there's always the matter of if a guy comes into the league with a guy and he's conditioned for it right from the beginning and molded to it, could it work? And that's a possibility. But look, the reason that KD left wasn't just the win. They were winning. He was winning with Golden State. but he was never going to be recognized as the best player on the team and deserved to be recognized as such and just knew I'm never going to knock Steph off of that perch. And so I need to go someplace else where I think I'm going to be fully recognized for who I am. At some point, if he's playing with Michael, that same situation would have occurred.

So maybe yes, maybe they could have won, but they wouldn't have won indefinitely. And that's just a guess that it would have ever worked because Steph was able, like Steph Curry, Steph Curry could play with Michael, demonstrated that he could move aside for KD. KD ultimately was always bumping up against the idea that he had to move aside for Clay and for Steph and for Dremont. By the way, LeBron yesterday came out immediately after the doctor. and said, I would have loved to have played with MJ. MJ was cooler than LeBron, would have sold more shoes than LeBron, would have been more beloved than LeBron.

So it's easy to say. But LeBron would have had to have, I think, taken a little bit of a back seat. Do they work together? It's funny how LeBron shaped this in that I could have been, Scottie. He's welcoming himself to be Scotty Pippen. And the people that I've talked to in the league have said, yes, he could have been, he would have been Scotty Pippin on steroids. He wanted to be the facilitator. He didn't want to be the go-to guy at the end of games.

He could have filled that role. From a basketball standpoint, I believe that 100%. And if he comes into the league as the number two to Michael Jordan, then maybe we never get there. But at this stage, the way he describes Scotty Pippen, you would have thought Scotty Pippen was the driving force of that team. And he's like, yeah, I could be that. And I'm thinking, dude, if that's what it has to be for you to be okay with it, this would not ultimately work. And so we're also in a different era where we've got two guys who, I mean, Michael Jordan never had to compete with anybody for a brand. I don't know that that was ever, I think that

happened organically for him, that he became the shoe salesman and the logo and the simply the brand ambassador that he became. But nonetheless, he became that. And nobody else was close. And LeBron came into the league saying, I want to be the first billionaire athlete. So from a basketball standpoint, yes, I think it would have worked.

From a personality standpoint and what LeBron's ambitions were, not so sure. I think Phil Jackson and Michael Jordan's mom came across looking great in this. You don't. I think the reason Krauss was a villain is he's a petty and a grudge holder. And he antagonized people.

And I think the GMs I know in basketball and football are like, listen, man, I got to deal with owners, agents, stars, valets. You've got to be a people person. Jerry wasn't a people person. But you think Phil deserves more heat, I'm told. Phil deserves. Phil is the reason why the dynasty ended. Why they didn't get a chance to come back for a four-peat. Now, everybody's saying, and I heard you say it, like, you wish that Jerry Krause could have been part of this.

The director wishes Jerry Krauss could have been part of this. I did a story on Jerry Krauss. I knew Jerry Krauss. It would not have served Jerry Krauss well to be part of this documentary. However bad you think he looks, if he had been interviewed, it would have been worse. I did a story on him about him for ESPN the magazine. Basically, this is after everything had gone down. Tim Floyd and he was getting killed for being a terrible GM and I thought that that was unfair.

I thought he deserved credit for putting the talent around Michael that he did. I thought he was right and correct in thinking that they had run their course and that Phil wasn't the coach to coach a rebuilding situation. I thought he was spot on on all of that. But Jerry Reinsdorf was willing to overrule Jerry Krause and say, Michael, Phil, you guys earned the chance to come back and try one more time. And Phil said, I'm good. It's time. I need a break. So ultimately, he's the one who decided I'm good. I don't need to coach Michael another year. And Michael was like, I'm not going to play for anybody other than Phil. So that was the end of it. I honestly, I don't believe. I don't believe. that if they had come back. In fact, there was a moment on the court after they beat Utah in 98

where Phil is telling Michael, you did it again, you saved us, it was unbelievable. And Michael's saying, I never doubted it. I never doubted we could get it done. And Phil is looking at him like, well, that's amazing. Because the thought bubble is, I sure did. And I just believe that's where Phil was. Like, couldn't believe that they ultimately got it done in 98. And when they did, he realized, we're not going to be able to do this again. I'm ready to go out on top. I don't want to be here dying on the vine with Michael.

So let's move on. So that to me was what the documentary clarified was anybody who's saying that Jerry Rinesdorf and Jerry Krause were the, brought this thing to an end. No, they were willing to continue for one more year. in spite of the lockout, in spite of all the uncertainty, in spite of knowing they're not going to be able to replace Scotty and he's probably not staying, they were willing to give it another go.

And Phil said, nah, I'm good. Finally, be remiss if I didn't ask you this, NBA this morning, California's governor went from the most cautious big state governor to far more aggressive in the last 48 hours, obviously facing some business pressure. Yeah, obviously facing some business pressure in the state of California from conservatives and Democrat billionaires. This morning, do you feel like we'll have an NBA season? Oh, without question. I mean,

I've been fairly confident all along based on what people in the league were telling me, and I was feeding off of their confidence. I had a few people that were saying the logistics are tougher than you think, and I was listening to that. And I knew that a lot of this had to do with outside influences in terms of the testing, essentially, was the number one thing. But But, you know, we're at this point now where testing is going to be widely available. There's not going to be a PR nightmare if they're testing the players every day. And let's face it, we're in a position now with the NBA and with professional sports. Everything is going to start from zero.

You'd have to blow up to collect a bargaining agreement, what the NFL would look like. Nothing can end. You can't not have resume the NBA season. You can't not have an NFL season unless you're willing to say we're just starting from scratch on all these because all the TV money goes. And the whole salary cap structures of those two sports in particular are completely destroyed. So it's a matter of let's find a way to make this work. Let's try to minimize the risk, but ultimately, if we want our sports to continue as we know them in some form or fashion, we have to get back to playing. And everybody knew it.

And that's why when Adam said there's no back end to this, like we'll start next season as late, or at least the reports were, we'll start next season as late as we have to. I said they're going to find a way to resume this season and get it back in place because if you don't, then it's very difficult to have the structure that you need to play next season. Good stuff. Rick Bueker, good talking to you, bud. You got it. Good to see in the office again. Yes, we are in the office.

Very exciting for us, to be honest with you. It feels like a real show. Back at the in-and-out desk. I'm so glad to see that. So are we. Now if I could just get somebody to do my makeup and hair and I wouldn't look like a 12-year-old. who just rolled out of bed. 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. I saw this story yesterday. X-49er general manager was talking about the 49ers losing Joe Staley and then getting Trent Williams. And he said Joe Staley's great. He's not Trent Williams. Trent Williams, by the way, was drafted by Mike Shanahan. so Kyle Shanahan knows him well.

Trent Williams will walk right in the 49ers. Have a really good opening schedule that works to their favor. You know, when it comes to overs and unders, I almost always take the unders because fans, when I bet college football, I'm betting the game. When I bet the NFL, I'm just betting against the public because so many people bet the NFL. I think most beters are suckers.

They bet quarterbacks. They bet teams on hot streaks. they bet what happened last week. They bet favorites. They bet big brands. So in the NFL, I just bet against the public. That's really what I'm doing. I'm looking at the number and betting against the momentum of the public.

And usually I take unders because on over unders, fans are always optimistic. They love their team and they bet the over. I'm starting to think I made a mistake. There's seven teams in the NFL that bring back a very good team. What does that mean? They won double digits in the regular season last year. Doesn't mean you made the playoffs. I'm not talking about nine and seven made the playoffs.

A very good team that won double digits in the NFL and you return your quarterback, your head coach, and both coordinators. There are seven of those. Three in the AFC, the Ravens, the Chiefs, and the Bills. And there's four in the NFC. The Niners, the Packers, Seattle, and the Saints. I have seven for seven making the playoffs. But in a lot of them, I've got an over, I got some unders.

This may be the year you just take overs on all of them. So 2011, nine years ago, there was a lockout. So you didn't get all the OTAs. You didn't get the practice. You go back and look at that year. That year, there was a 15-1 team. There was three 13-win teams, and there were two 12-win teams. Why?

five of the six teams, Saints, New England, Baltimore, Green Bay Steelers, brought back the coach, brought back the quarterback. So there are just some teams this year. We don't have OTAs. Right now you can go to the facility if you're rehabbing, but coaches now are only communicating through Zoom. And I think this is going to be a year where we got a bunch of 13 win teams at the top. And I think I know who they are. And we're going to have some 14 win teams. And I've got to be honest, I don't see Baltimore losing more than one or two games at

They don't even go to the West Coast. So, and I also think we're going to have some really bad teams because of the opposite. I'll give you Cincinnati, for example. They brought in a bunch of new free agents defensively. They've got a rookie quarterback and a second year head coach and a brutal division. They're going to be a bad team. Nothing against Joe Burrell. Cincinnati is going to be bad.

The New York Giants, second year quarterback, new head coach who's never been a head coach, new offensive coordinator, new defensive coordinator. And they're counting on a couple of free agents and a couple of draft picks to make a real impact. That's going to be a bad football team. Washington, new coach, new culture, still a young quarterback who hasn't started a season. Dallas and Philadelphia, they got better players. Washington's not going to be very good. Now, the team that I think is better than Vegas or Fox Bet think, but my staff basically talked me into this morning's going to be bad. So blame them if my over-under is wrong, Carolina.

I love Matt Rule, and I like Teddy Bridgewater. I love Christian McCaffrey. But Matt Rule, the coach of Carolina, again, new coach, new quarterback, new system, new young coordinators. Matt Rule is a guy that comes into a program and he tears it down to the studs. Now, he turns it around in year two. But his first year in Temple, he won two games and his first year at Baylor, he won one. one. And this division's really good and Brady's in it and Breezes in it and Matt Ryan's in it. The truth is Carolina is going to be probably bad. I think I was wrong on that. The more why my

staff talked me into it this morning, again, I'm going to blame them if anything happens. It's not going to be my fault, but I think they're probably right. I think I'm too high on Carolina. They got too much new stuff in a brutal division. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. You know, I saw the comments Michael Jordan talking about you know, the documentary and then LeBron coming out and saying, I would have loved to have played with MJ. I think it sounds great. It wouldn't have worked.

They're just simply too good. It's amazing to me how rarely you get two legends playing at the same time. And even when you do, Brady and Aaron Rogers, Kobe and LeBron, they don't meet enough in big spots. It's why Bird and Magic is so unique all time. In the 80s, one or, both of them was in every finals. Bird was the best shooter in the league

at six, nine and a half, and the best passer maybe. Magic was the best point guard. They played in iconic franchises. The league was, to that point, never even close to that popular. It's only been about three instances where the two legends played at the same time, Brady Manning,

Magic Bird, and Wilt and Russell. Lemieux and Gretzky overlapped a little. Kobe and LeBron overlapped a little, but the truth was, even though for 12 straight years, LeBron or Kobe were in the finals, they never met. It's like Brady and Rogers. They didn't meet. So Bird and Magic was so incredibly special. But I said this earlier. LeBron's not just fighting MJ. He's fighting huge mythology here. Just think about how great Jordan

is and his mythology. Very quickly, we never had LeBron Kobe debates. We didn't. It was not on debate shows. We didn't have LeBron Duncan debates, LeBron Steph debates, LeBron Kauai debates, and the LeBron KD debates lasted for about a summer. LeBron quickly dismissed all those debates. The KD thing lasted for about a summer. LeBron can't get close to Michael. Now, just think about that. Think how great Kobe was, how great KD and Steph Bar, how great Duncan is. We didn't really, we didn't really, we didn't really do a lot of LeBron is not as good as that player debate. And we either didn't do it or did it really quickly.

So that's how great LeBron is. Jordan hasn't played in 20 years. And the polling, 75% of you think Michael's better at everything. That's not just basketball. You think he's a better passer than LeBron. LeBron isn't fighting MJ, just MJ. He's fighting mythology. And this documentary is another.

layer. It's like a vest. The Nike campaign was this bubble of invincibility. His looks and glamors, another layer. This documentary is another protective layer. And that's why Michael Jordan agreed to do it. It's another protective layer assuring Michael is viewed as the greatest basketball player of all time. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, within the IHeart radio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Last a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays,

the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsClace on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway 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 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, 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, Keir Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway.

Open your free, Our Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. 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 a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett.

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 on day, but just so y'allon, 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. Thank you finishing that sentence. Yes. 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. What's up, guys? This is Clifford Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show. I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game.

This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker.

Listen to the Cliverts show on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. So there's been a lot of mystery about what happened on this Pizza Gate. Michael Jordan tells the story. He got food poisoning. It was not the flu game. It was food poisoning. And a lot of people don't buy it.

So I thought, can we find the guy who delivered the pizza? We got lucky and we found him. His name is Craig Fight. And he is working right now. but he's been kind enough to join us via the Coward Global Satellite Network. So here we go. All right, Craig. I'm going to be the trusted reporter and ask you some probing questions.

So let's start with this. Do you remember the night? It was a Wednesday night. Do you remember it well? I remember being Tuesday night, actually. It was the night before the game. I think they played on Wednesday night, didn't they? And so this was the night before that it happened.

Okay. So you worked what city and where? Park City, Utah. and it was at, which it's been all over the place, and hopefully the company doesn't mind. But it was for Pizza Hut. Okay. And where did Michael, where were the Bulls staying? They were at the Marriott Hotel down at the base of Park City Main Street.

It was brand new at the time or relatively new. Now, Craig, that is a 40-minute drive. That would seem to me to be out of your jurisdiction as a pizza place. Oh, all right, so maybe that's part that's getting out there. That's not correct. Park City, the pizza was in Park City. It was actually across from the high school, which is the pizza that's not there anymore. It's been turned into an instant care or something, but it's roughly about five minutes from the Marriott,

which is at the base of Park City's Main Street right there. So when people are saying that it was in Salt Lake and that I drove, now none of that happened. We were five minutes from it. That's why I believe the trainer was. saying, hey, we looked all over the place to try and find a place that was open. And that's what they found us because there were us and Domino's were open. Okay. So now people are saying, I mean, why did all these five pizza guys, do you remember the phone call from, who called you guys at Pizza Hut? So I was not on the phone call. What was happening was the driver had gotten the phone call. He was

taking it. And just to preface it, the bulls when they would order it, stuff would actually order large amount like 10 pizzas at a time or something along the line. And that would generally happen during the daytime sometime because they'd been there for about three or four days already because they'd already played a game there before this game came up. So when the call came at night, the driver kind of waved at me and pointed down because he knew I was a Bulls fan. He pointed down at it, finished the call and he says, hey, I think it's the Bulls, over to the Marriott. And, you know, we're just, I think it's the Bulls.

So he goes, I don't know who it was. We didn't know what was a player or anything along those lines, but that's what was happening. Okay, so then you make a pizza and you make a pepperoni pizza. Thin and crispy. Thin and crust. Yes. Was the pepperoni good, moist, fresh, or what? Yes.

It was funny. I happened to make the joke. I was like, I need to take care of this. because, you know, and joke and manner, mind you, I was, said, I got to make this pizza. I don't trust any of you guys. You're all a jazz fan. You all do something to this pizza. So I went ahead and made the pizza.

So you made a delicious pizza, thin crust. Then you went over by yourself? No, I had a driver, which I keep telling everybody, God forgive me. I cannot remember who the driver is. And hopefully he'll see this or whatever and he'd be willing to come forward. But I can't remember the individual I was with. but we went ahead and I had him take me over because it was my first delivery

so it's not abnormal if you will to have two people go to a delivery at once just to watch the, you know, to learn the process. But let's be honest, we went hoping that obviously you're going over to the barrier I'd hope you meet a bulls or beat some of the bowls or whatever was going to happen. Oh, I totally get that.

So then you deliver it and then Michael, you hear get sick. What was your reaction? Well, it was it was insinuated that he got sick. And in fact, right when they announced it in the beginning, I want to say it was Ahmad Rashad or whatever, but they announced that he had flu-like symptoms or whatever and that he got sick.

I actually got a phone call, which I can't remember the details of the phone call. I know it was from someone at work. They were just, they were giving me a hard time about, you know, thank you me, hey, way to go, way to try and get Michael's sex or the jazz can win. Great job.

And so I remember that part, but I was like, oh, no way. didn't do that. No way. I took care. In fact, I even geeked out and watched the pizza being made to make sure it was, it didn't puff up or make a bad pizza. You know, I wanted to want to help the Bulls there, not, you know, lose it for them or make them sick. Yeah, you're a Bulls fan, right? Correct. Well, I was a Bulls fan. I was a Michael Jordan fan. I wasn't a big fan of what Jerry Krause did. So I stopped being a Bulls fan when Kraus got rid of all the Bulls. But I had worked because of living in Utah, I had worked for the Jazz before. So the Jazz, I'd always watch me. It was fun. My wife's a big jazz fan. So I've always been. kind of a jazz fan. But I was a Michael Jordan fan, especially since, you know, when I first watched or saw Michael Jordan, I remember when he had the shot and beat the Hoyas in the championship. I was 12, I think, what had happened. And I've always paid attention to him since then. Craig Fight. Okay, it sounds real to me. Michael, I don't know. I don't know what the heck happened.

I don't think he got a hangover. First of all, Craig, thank you. Go back to work. You're very kind for doing this. Thank you for the accurate portrayal of what happened. Thank you. Real quick, just so everybody knows, just because it's information, to people want to know where I come from. My son's name is Alexander Jordan Fight. So Jordan, I'm a big Jordan fan, and no, I don't have any issues with. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in.

I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel 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 headwriter, Streeter Seidel, help an acapella 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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

On the Look Back at it podcast. 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick you 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. It was a wild year. It 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. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to learn the hard way

with your favorite therapist and hosts Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that'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're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast,

or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast, Guaranteed Human.