The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - Are the Steelers set up for success this season? 

Episode Date: July 29, 2025

Danny Parkins filling in for Colin   Will this be the first losing season for the Mike Tomlin? Reasons QB Justin Herbert deserves more respect Will an in shape Luca Doncic make a different for the Lakers? Remembering the great Ryne Sandberg   Guest: A.J. PIERZYNSKISee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey guys, it's us. 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? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you.

you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the ice. Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast, Point Game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was crying. You just understood.

That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis'clock, he's like, you know, I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This week on Crimless, Rory and I welcome a very special guest. When I did podcasts, I wear my sleep masks. I like where this is going. So if you guys will indulge me. That's right, the incredibly talented and hilarious Will Ferrell on an episode dedicated to crimes committed by people named Will Ferrell. You're good for 300 crimes? Yeah. We got two.

I'm ready to go. right up to present day. Listen to Crimless on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Thanks for listening to The Heard 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 IHartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Fox Sports Radio. Welcome. in. It's the herd. I'm Danny Parkins in for the great Colin Cowherd. They let me come back. I said it burned the place down completely yesterday. The schedule is that I'll be in tomorrow as well. We'll see how the next three hours goes. Appreciate you watching. Appreciate you listening. We've got a great show for you. A.J. Persinski, going to join us in about 25 minutes.

Jeff Schwartz, Ben Bowlin, and my guy Nick Wright. Nick will maybe admit to being wrong in a sports conversation for the first time ever coming up in just over an hour. Though probably not. I'll defend my ranking of Justin Herbert in just a few minutes. But I'd like to begin by talking about the biggest boomer bus team in the NFL this year. And that is the Pittsburgh Steelers. Because, man, I get why they made the move. But right off the top, I'm going to make a confession.

If I give the Steelers the vote of confidence, and I am, I like what they've done this offseason. It's actually made sense to me. I have to also admit to you, for the last four years consecutively, I have predicted that the Steelers would have their first losing season under Mike Doblin. And I've been wrong time and time and time again. So now I'm like, I think this is a playoff team.

I think this team could win a playoff game. I think Aaron Rogers is a little cuckoo. But he's objectively better than Mason Rudolph and Kenny Pickett and Duck Hodges and Mitch Trubisky. I agree with the conventional wisdom. If Mike Tomlin can get you a winning record with those quarterbacks, he should be able to do better with Aaron Rogers. But I think that's just the tip of the iceberg here. I thought that when he signed that contract, and it was a weird number,

and he signed for $13 million, I was like, there's more coming. They're not done. And then they made the huge trade with Ramsey and Jono Smith, and they upgraded their squad. And I think the John Hussmith, while not the sexier name, that is the move that really does create some versatility for their offense. D.K. Metcalfe, true number one, play your 12 personnel with your two tight ends with Friermuth and Janoose Smith on the field. They can block for Aaron because I don't know if you've

heard. He's on the wrong side of 40. Jalen Warren, I actually think is an upgrade in the backfield from Najee Harris. I think that there is a real opportunity here for this offense to be good. They won't be top five in the end. NFL, but a good offense. And then when you combine that with, we know all the talent they have on defense and the excellent regular season coaching that they get. I think it made a lot of sense. But we all would agree also that it's boom or bust and it feels like based on what Aaron Rogers has said, this is a one-shot deal. One year contract, he's a mercenary, he got married, he says when I'm done with football, you'll never see or hear from me again. I have my doubts.

The guy said he loves privacy and then invited a documentary crew with him into the wilderness. So I got my doubts, but we'll see. And as for now, it seems like a one-year hired gun situation. The Steelers general manager, Omar Khan, who's on with Rich Eisen, he was asked about it. He said it might be a little more than that. Obviously, we have to see how the season goes, but absolutely, you know, he's a young 41. and we're obviously taking it year by year and that's where we're at. So I assume this is a one-year deal.

And my question, though, is let's say I'm wrong again about the Steelers, and they're not as good as they clearly think they can be. Because you only do this if you think you can end, you're going on nine-year playoff drought without a playoff win. That's the only reason you sign up for the, that is Aaron Rogers, for the appearances, for the off season, for the three-month holding pattern, for all of it, right? Because you believe your team is ready to win multiple playoff games in January, and this is the missing pieces. The only reason you sign up for the circus.

If they're wrong, and then I guess if I'm wrong, and this is the first losing season under Mike Tomlin, and it is like the Jets season last year, and they win six. seven games are non-competitive against good teams. Aaron Rogers is not even a top 15 or 20 quarterback in the NFL. Is there any scenario where the heat shifts to Mike Tomlin? And I'm not saying they're going to fire him because clearly the Steelers don't fire anyone. It's maybe the single most unbelievable fact in all of football that in the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers, they've had three head coaches.

it's remarkable. But if I just told you that a head coach, it had been eight seasons since they had won a playoff game, and in that time, they were 0 and 5 in the postseason, and in that time he had had five offensive coordinators and eight different starting quarterbacks, and as the defensive coach in those playoff games, he's given up 40 plus to Blake Bortles

and Baker Mayfield and getting boat raced by Patrick Mahomes. And it's like, oh, my God, some of these are great quarterback. Some of these are not. Some of these you are favored. Some of these you weren't. You're a 13-win team. You get bounced immediately in the postseason. Any other coach and any other organization would be on the hot seat.

And again, they won't fire him. But if it doesn't work with Rogers, and Tomlin becomes more of the reputation of high, floor, low ceiling, he can only win big if he has a Hall of Fame quarterback in his prime, they're always going to be too good to draft one. Because he will have you at eight or nine wins as a floor. So what is his path to getting, Drew Aller, or Arch Manning, or a top five picket quarterback.

And they'll just be in this middle purgatory space in the NFL with nowhere to go from here. So I think this is going to work, and they'll win 10, 11 games, maybe win a playoff game. Like, that's my definition of working. They're not a Super Bowl team. I don't think that they have that high of a ceiling. But I think they're a double-digit win team

that can win one playoff game and end that drought. But then the question, is and then what? Because the whole thing is the standard is the standard. Excellence is the standard. Ten wins and a wild card win is not excellence. And then they're still in the exact same situation they found themselves in coming out of last year with no long-term answer at quarterback. So while I expect success, the much more interesting questions is what happens if there's failure? The pushback I got yesterday from my top 10 quarterback list was mostly from Eagles fans who were upset and I respect it and love it and it's a passionate fan base. But it was also centered around

my guy Justin Herbert. And I will fully admit to you that I sit down on my couch on Sundays and I just watch 11 straight hours of football. And then I watch Monday night and Thursday night and I watch all these games. And then I rewatch them and all that. And I come from it for more of the analytical and numbers side, but then I just actually love watching the games. I don't fancy myself a scout, anything like that, but I will say, Justin Herbert passes the eye test as much as any quarterback I've ever seen. I am just so utterly convinced that this dude is a superstar and that he has been the victim of Anthony Lynn and Brandon Staley and bad special teams misses and in common.

competence and terrible injury luck around him. And two bad playoff games, one terrible comeback allowed by the Jaguars. And then last year, the four interceptions against the Texans, can't sugarcoat it. The two of those interceptions were off his receiver's hands, and there was a bit of a snowball effect there. But I watch this guy, and I am just convinced that he's one of the best players in football, and if he was just in a better situation, everybody, would know that and it would become conventional wisdom. And now they hire a true winner in Jim Harbaugh.

Last year, Justin Herbert has over 500 pass attempts, which was down because Harbaugh likes to run the ball, but he had over 500 pass attempts and three interceptions. He had more interceptions than that one playoff loss than he had all season. It was a true outlier, worst case scenario performance. And so I'm trusting my eyes on this one and a belief in Harbaugh. They were the number one scoring defense last year. They draft Hampton. They're going to upgrade the rushing attack. I love the pick of Trey Harris, the deep threat, speedster form on the outside.

McConkey's a stud, arguably the best tackle duo in the NFL outside of Philadelphia. Detroit might have something to say about it, but it's a top three tackle duo in the NFL at a minimum. this is the year. And this is the year for what you say? This is the year for Justin Herbert to stay on the Peyton Manning track. Peyton Manning was in a bit of the wilderness early in his career. Different coaches, a bunch of interceptions, no playoff success. And if you study it, and I know some people will say different era of the NFL in terms of volume of

passing. And that is true. But again, a guy in Peyton who clearly passed the eye test, but didn't have the team's success early on in his career. If you look at years one through five of Peyton and years one through five of Justin Herbert, it is shocking how identical it is. Herbert, 41 and 38. Win loss record. Payton, 42 and 38. Both of them winless in the playoffs. Herbert O'N2 through five years, Manning O'N3.

Their team scored 24 points per game. They threw basically the same number of touchdown passes, 137 to 138, through five years in their career. And again, I understand, more passing in today's football than then. but the playoff numbers were also remarkably similar in terms of the types of struggles, more interceptions than touchdowns, lower pass or rating, lower completion percentage in the playoffs

versus the regular season. But in year five, Peyton got Dungee. In year five, Herbert got Harbaugh, and things started to change. And in year six for Peyton, he's co-MvP of the league. he's in the AFC championship game, he's, you know, 4,200 yards.

They're scoring 28 points per game. It was the arrival of the Peyton Manning that became one of the greatest to ever throw a football. And I will be holding Justin Herbert to that standard. This is the last stand. Because I fully acknowledge at some point the results need to be there in terms of team success. But I am as convinced today as I was after his rookie year when he set the NFL record for touchdown passes as a rookie with 31. This is a Hall of Fame level talent. And I thought what Jim Harbaugh said over the weekend is how I felt about the entire Chargers organization ever since they lucked into Miami drafting Tua over him.

The rest of you got to catch up to that guy. This is from the heart. This is the truth. Justin Herbert's biggest weakness is all of those that he's counting on on offense, coaches, offensive line, playmakers, receivers, running backs to get up to his level. You know, I wake up every day to try to get to his level. So if you put us as the number one duel, I mean, it's 99, 90, Justin, 10, 10 me. Amen. Amen. Peyton Manning was the system. He went to four Super Bowls with four different head coaches. That was what it was.

He got to a place where he had such dominance and such control of the game that wherever he went, he was the system. I think Justin Herbert can do that and is on his way to doing that. And if the rest of the Chargers, which I expect them to under Harbaugh, catch up to him just a bit. Don't put the shackles on him. Let him throw. Work off your run game.

Work off your defense. And let that guy be one of the best throwers of the football that I've ever seen. I think he's absolutely in the running for the MVP. And I think they're absolutely in the running to win playoff games this year, even being in the division with the Kansas City Chiefs. I expect Justin Herbert to stay on the Peyton Manning track by the end of this football season. AJ Prasinski going to join us coming up in about 10 minutes. Luca Donchich is looking good.

There is no doubt about it. We saw the pictures yesterday on the show. But my God, some of you are overreacting and going just a little nuts. That's next. I'm a hurt. 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, we're Kavino and Rich. Fox Sports Radio every day, 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern.

But here's the thing. We never have enough time to get to everything we want to get to. And that's why we have a brand new podcast called Overpromised. You see, we're having so much fun in our two-hour show. We never get to everything. Honestly, because this guy is over-promising things we never have time for. Yeah, you blubber lips. Blame and me.

Well, you know what? It's called Over-Promise. You should be good at it because you've been over-promising women for years. Well, it's a Kavino and Rich after show, and we want you to be a part of it. We're going to be talking sports, of course, but we're also going to talk life and relationships. And if Rich and I are arguing about something or we didn't have enough time, it will continue on our after show called Overpromised. Well, if you don't get enough, Kavino and Rich, make sure you check out Overpromised, and also uncensored, by the way. So maybe we'll go at it even a little harder.

It's going to be the best after show podcast of all time. There you go. Overpromising. And remember, you could see it on YouTube, but definitely join us. Listen to Overpromised with Kavino and Rich on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, name? We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to us. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. 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.

Oh, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers was... 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. 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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 athletes 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. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them.

Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicelife Life 12 in the TikTok podcast. network on TikTok. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis, and I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris, every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on clay. Jenchian win.

I mean, she went down in three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lennarabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now, and I actually can win on any surface. Because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs Tennis Podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Back in on the herd, Danny Parkins in for Colin. baseball my cubs got to figure it out got to separate a little bit from those pesky Milwaukee brewers who are more than pesky and joining us now on the herd old buddy of mine o five world series champion one of 11 catchers with over 2,000 hits terrific fox MLB analyst a j persinsky with us on the herd a j as always man thank you very much for the time You moved up, Danny. You moved up from the days of, you know, back in Chicago, the little radio show.

Yeah. You know, Kansas City. Now here you are doing national stuff. Good for you. Like I said, I'm trying to be like you. I'm trying to, yeah. Nobody wants that. Nobody wants that.

Nobody wants that. Yeah, but I used to talk to your guy, Eric Crats, you know, in Kansas City because he was the only guy who talked to me. And now here you and I are doing this. It's ridiculous. Trade deadline is right around the corner. and it feels like almost all of the moves come right at the deadline nowadays with the expanded playoffs. But who in your mind is the most needed? If you said this team more than anyone else needs to make a move, who would it be?

I have to look at the Cubs and I have to look at the Astros or the two teams. Your Cubs need to do something because no one thought the Brewers would be here. And here they are, game up. One of the best pitching staffs in all the baseball and the Cubs is as good as they played, as well as they've played, they're in second place right now. I know. Nobody saw that coming. They need a starting pitcher, maybe a back-in reliever.

I don't know. The problem is every team we talk about needs the same thing. A starter, a back-in reliever, and a power hitter. Guess what? Not every team can get those things. So I don't know what the Cubs can do. They definitely need a starter. Because if I'm anaga's right and Tyon's been okay, Fortin's been okay,

some of their guys have been okay, they haven't been great, but they definitely need a starting pitcher. Who that is? I have no idea. And then on the other end, the Astros, they were had a huge lead. It's faltering. They need health, but they need another starter behind Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez. They need a bat.

Who's that bat going to be? I don't know. Everyone says Gino Suarez, but every team wants Gino Suarez. Every team wants a starter. Every team wants a reliever. The question is, when will these move start happening? Because the quicker you get these especially relievers and bats, it might only be one game extra, or two games extra, but that can be the difference in the division.

So you mentioned it briefly. They lost their general manager. They've turned over star power. They've had to trade guys away for money issues. They lose Craig Counsel to the Cubs. How are the Brewers still this good? I legitimately do not understand it. Well, Pat Murphy, Matt Arnold, start with the start of the top, right?

Pat Murphy learned from, well, he coached Craig Counsel. Now we learn how to manage from, right? That's right. And the Brewers are unbelievable at finding pitchers, developing pitchers, and getting guys off the trash sheep, if that's what you're going to call it, waivers. I mean,

but then you throw in Mizorowski, Brandon Woodruff has come back. Freddie Peralta has been a stud for them for many years, but you lose Corbyn, you lose Devin Williams, you lose guy after guy after guy, Willie Adomis this off season. They just keep plugging away.

They make great trades. Seems like every trade they make is a win for them, one way or another. And listen, look at Arriba, Abner Rebe, their bullpen, their eight-ditting guy. If you haven't seen this guy pitch, a hundred mile an hour sinker,

90-something mile-an-hour slider. Reese Hoskins were showing right there. It's been a great find for them this year. They just find guys, plug them in, they know their role, and Pat Murphy's one of the best managers in baseball. So if you look at the standings, the Tigers have a nine-game lead. The next biggest division lead is five and a half. And in the NL, the east is one and a half, the Central is one,

and the West is only a four-game lead, despite, you know, the perceived dominance of the Dodgers. Is there a best team in baseball? I'm still going to say the Dodgers, because if they get healthy, they got Glassnell back and they get Snow's coming. They get some of their relievers back. One through 26, actually one through like 50, the Dodgers are the best team, right? Because they've used so many guys this year.

They have the financial might to go out and get whoever they wanted the trade deadline. They'll trade prospects for players. So it's still the Dodgers to me, but everyone thought they were going to go 162. No, baseball's hard, a lot of injuries. and they sign a lot of guys that have injury concerns when they sign them, and they just kind of play it up. But we have enough depth to overcome it. Well, they haven't.

And they're, yes. Do I think they're going to win the division? Yes. Do I think they're the favorites to win the World Series? Yes. The National League is really hard, though. Phillies, Mets, Cubs, Brewers, Padres, who are not afraid of the Dodgers.

Whoever gets in in the National League is going to have one heck of a run to get to the World Series. Talking some baseball ahead of the deadline with A.J. Prisinski. The team the Dodgers beat in the World Series last year, year the Yankees. Aaron Judge is hurt and it does seem like it might be, maybe not a huge deal, but like a medium-sized deal here. What do you expect from the Yankees down the stretch as they try to overcome this IEL

stand for Judge? A lot of this, a lot of it, hold it together until we get them back. Because we had Will Carroll on our show yesterday and he said, this could be a month. And you think about a month, that puts us almost to September, right? That's a long absence for a guy that they rely on heavily. you can make whatever argument you want about the AL. I say Cal Raleigh right now is my MVP, especially with Judge out.

But the Yankees without Aaron Judge are a different team. He changes the lineup. He changes the confidence. He changes everything on that team. So if he misses longer, he said he'll be back in 10 days. I'll have to see it to believe it. But if they don't get Judge back, they got to figure it out. Stanton's got to perform.

Bellinger, Goldschmidt, have to go back. Anthony Volpe, who a lot of Yankee fans are on, has to figure it out. There's a lot of question marks, especially with no Garrett Cole and now no Aaron Judge. There's a lot of questions on this Yankee team. And the Blue Jays aren't going away. They're hot as anybody right now.

And they have a five and a half game lead after the Yankees pretty much dominated the division for a long time. Can you put in perspective since you mentioned his name the amazement for a catcher to be doing what Cal Raleigh is doing at the dish? No, I can't. He's got 41 homers. We're not even into August. He's a switch hitter.

for me, people ask me all the time, who would you start a team with? I mean, Skeen's probably one. Bobby Witts, probably two. And then I'll put this guy in the top three because of what he does behind the plate. What he does, he won the platinum glove last year, which means he's the best defensive player in the American League. So he won that.

And now he's leading the league in home runs. Will he keep it up and hit 60 or 70? I don't know because he's going to wear it down. This dude plays every day, handles a great pitching staff, and he hits homers. What else do you want out of a player from a catcher? Best catcher in the league, best defensive player in the league, plays every day, switch hits.

Oh, yeah, by the way, he's got 41 homers. But you still think he will wear down? You had two homers over the weekend. Every catcher does. Nobody has. No catcher can play. I mean, he played, what, 140 games last year, something ridiculous?

I mean, he's on pace to do it again this year when he didn't catch he DHS. I mean, Dan Wilson, you were a catcher. Give him a day off every once in a day. Right? Like every two weeks give this guy down. This guy's unbelievable, man. He wants to play.

if you ever talk to Cal Roll, he's a great guy. Only one thing. I'm a Gator fan. He went to Florida State. That's the only knock I can put on this guy. Nobody's perfect. You and I get along. You're a White Sox. I'm a Cubs. I guess I didn't play for the Cubs. But nobody's perfect. So baseball, I think, gets a bad rap sometimes for not promoting stars, doing things to build the game. I think baseball is great at events.

The All-Star game, they do an amazing job. The Field of Dreams game, I think, was an incredible. success games at a negro league stadium what do you make of 80,000 plus tickets in the speedway classic in terms of a venue and spectacle for major league baseball i know this the fox people that i work with pete mitchie mcangle all the people behind the scenes are excited because they have a chance to do something that nobody's ever done which is showcase 85,000 they're hoping maybe to get to 100,000 people yeah they have drones and they have all kinds of special cameras they're going to run it's going to be like no game we've ever seen before.

I was fortunate to play in a couple of these. I got to go to Fort Bragg and playing a game in Fort Bragg in front of the troops and do a couple other things. You're right. Major League Baseball does a lot of these big games better than anything. I was at Field of Dreams, the Tim Anderson home run to walk it off. One of the best events I've ever been to. This is going to be incredible. The field's going to be perfect.

And I can't wait to see the shots of, think about this. The biggest crowd of all time to watch a baseball game, 85,000 plus people. If you're a Braves or a Red fan, this is something you cannot miss. And if you're a TV baseball fan, tune in because what Fox is about to do is going to be unbelievable. Yeah, and I think they deserve a lot of credit for figuring out new ways to present the game. And I think baseball genuinely has done a really good job of that over the last five plus years. We got really tough news in the baseball world yesterday with the passing of Ryan Sandberg, a Hall of Fame player, and it's a cliche, but also a Hall of Fame person.

your interactions or impression of his impact on the baseball world? Well, I've only met him a couple times, obviously, being a white sock. Cubs and White Sox guys, they don't intermingle a whole lot. We don't get together a whole lot. But I have met Rino a few times, and he was always a class act. Unbelievable guy. Everything I heard about him from Cubs fans and people that were in the baseball world just said, what a great human being he was.

I mean, we all thought he beat this. Remember, it wasn't that long ago where he's like, I'm cancer-free guys, let's celebrate, and then it came back quickly. So terrible news. We had a rough go in Chicago with him and Bobby Jenks the last couple weeks. One of the big things about Rhino is,

listen, I grew up in Florida. We didn't have a team, so we had TBS for the Braves, and we had WGN for the Cubs. So he was on every day. They played only day games back then. So I'd come home from school. Guess what was on?

The Cubs and Ryan Sandberg and Ron Say and that whole group of guys. So I grew up watching the Cubs, and I root for the Cubs? No, but I watched a ton of Cubs games. So I knew Ryan Sandberg. I got to follow his career and the passing of him is just terrible news for baseball. Anytime you lose a franchise icon like this, it's bad for the game, but hopefully he's in a better place.

And we can move on and wish prayers for his family and friends. And, you know, Dan, you're not going to believe this, but prayers for cup fans because this is a sad day. That's big of you. That's big of you. And, yeah, I am sorry for your loss. I know you and Bobby Jenks had a special relationship as well. So I'm sorry about his passing at way too young. young age as well, man.

Well, thank you, Danny. I appreciate it. I got, I brought this for you today. It's my home run I hit off Ryan Dempster when I was at the White Sox. That's not necessary. It is though. It's fun because you're a Cub fan. I'm a white song fan. So, you know, we have to have a little back and forth. No doubt, no doubt. I mean, it's just you would have been a great cub. I hated you because you're all right you know, you know, do you know how close I was to being a cub? How close? Like, so in 2003 when I got traded to the Giants, I actually got a call from LaTrooy Hawkins the night before and said, hey, we're trading for you. He had,

just gone to the Cubs. He said, hey, we're training for you tomorrow. Be ready. Dusty's already called me. It's done. And then I get the call the next day and I'm going to the Giants. I'm like, what happened? They're like, they threw in Francisco Liriano at the last minute and I got the deal. I was like, dang it. Instead they went and got Michael Barrett. They traded for Michael Barrett and then we had the fight. So I mean, you know, it all worked out. Wow. What a sliding doors moment in history though. Yeah, butterfly effect, right? Yeah, absolutely. You never punch Michael Barrett, the whole thing, the whole fight. Man, that's you would have been a good cup

you would have been a good cup listen I love Chicago I know in today games then you can go to dinner all that stuff I would love it but not so much anymore well check out his show

foul territory you do great work here at Fox AJ thanks for always making time man I appreciate you yeah real quick before you gotta go the bear's gonna be any good this year if they're not I'm gonna start believing in curses man

they got the call so they have to be they have to be we've made our entire life for some sort of semblance of respectability for a quarterback in Chicago. All right, man, thank you very much. Thanks, Danny. I'll talk to you soon. That's AJ Prisinski, terrific Fox MLB analyst. All right, again, Luke Dodgich, a professional athlete exercising in the off season. Who to thunk it? The appropriate reaction to those pictures next on The Herd.

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, 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 it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. 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, of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers was... 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. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman

help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L'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. 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. SportsClyce brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them.

Listen to SportsClyce on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicelife 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis. And I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris, every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on Clay. Jenchian won. I mean, she went down in three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted.

She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lina Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now, and I actually can win on any surface, because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Welcome back to The Heard. I'm Danny Parkins in for Colin.

Rank my top 10 NFL teams heading into the season coming up in just over 20 minutes. Then Nick Wright will join the show from First things first. Very much looking forward to doing that. I am looking forward to joining first things first as they expand to three hours coming up this football season. But yesterday, I think it showed the power of the Lakers and the power of late July that a magazine cover could come out that is straight PR and everyone would go insane. Like, Luca Donchich was on the cover of men's health. And Luca Donchich looks shredded. He looks like skinny Luca.

And you put those pictures up. And we've seen him a little bit this offseason. We saw him with the Yankees. We've seen him out and about a little bit. He's like, oh, Luca Donchich figured out what a barbell was. He learned about intermittent fasting. He apparently. is drinking less and smoking less hookah and, you know, being a professional athlete.

And all of a sudden, it's, oh my God, professional athlete works out in the off season. And I guess I didn't fully realize that in a year where Luca was traded in arguably the craziest trade in NBA history, when he had a significant calf strain that is often a precursor. sir, if you do not fully heal it, to blowing out your Achilles, see Tyrese Halliburton, and he took his time coming back from that, and it had an impact on his conditioning, appearance, all of those things. I feel like people forgot who Luca Donchich was. Luca is awesome. And I love Chris Broussard, and I can't wait to chop it up with him more on the regular on First Things First, but when we had him on the hurt yesterday, you would have

thought that Luca Donchich was reborn based on these pictures. When I saw this article, saw how Luca looked, read it about, you know, how he's changed, and this summer's different for him, I gave a big shout out to LeBron James. Like, this is a testament to LeBron James' example and the impact it had on Luca Donchus. I think he played with LeBron and saw, as much physical ability as LeBron has, as much natural ability, as much size and strength and athleticism as LeBron has naturally, he goes above and beyond to become the player he is. Even though Luca didn't say that in the article. And maybe this is a little media insight, but getting a magazine cover, it's not that difficult for A-list superstar athletes and celebrities.

Like this was a puff piece. This was the superstar athlete equivalent of like, you ever break up with someone and then hit the weights? Because you want to have that revenge look, be, you know, new year, new me. Luca got dissed by the Mavericks. they leaked a bunch of stuff to the media about his professionalism, and he's putting this out there to show them what they missed. This is the superstar athlete equivalent of getting dumped, working out,

and then posting a shirtless pick with pecks and biceps on Instagram. Something I would know nothing about, not because I've never been dumped, but because I have no biceps or pecks. But the point is this. The point is people forget that Luca Donchich, I mean, people act like the guy doesn't play basketball. Before last year, 70, games played, 66 games played, 65 games played, 66 games, 61, 72, plus his international

schedule. Luca Donchich plays basketball. A lot. Really, oh, now that Luca Donchich is intermittent fasting and doing bicep curls, I'm going to bet him for MVP. Luca was already a really safe favorite type of bet for MVP. We saw him two seats. seasons ago carry the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA finals. We have seen him average 34, 9, and 10 in a season two years ago. A list of best players in the NBA. Whatever your order is, Yokic, SGA, Janus, Tatum, Luca? I know LeBron was sixth in MVP voting. I know Donovan Mitchell was first team all NBA, but Luca didn't play in enough games to qualify.

He was traded in the middle of the season. He had the calf injury. He was a weird year. But I think most people would agree that Luca Donchich is in the conversation for being a top five player in the world. So good for the professional athlete working out in the offseason. maybe he'll start a little faster, but he's not going to get better at defense.

And I don't think it's possible for him to get much better at basketball than averaging 33, 9, and 10. So I'm just a little confused as to what we're talking about here. It's PR. It's spin. It's image control. It's damage control. It doesn't have to be anything more than that

And I am just, I expect, even if Luca Donchich, I would have seen him at the hookah bar If that would have been the thing, if he would have been on the cover of instead of men's health, he would have been on the cover of Huka magazine, I would be like, man, Luca could win MVP next year because he's Luca Dajic. That the talent is enough where he can win MVP. Pete. But men's health is apparently supposed to, I didn't know. I didn't know being on the cover of men's health was supposed to change the way that we all felt about one of the five greatest offensive players in the sport and arguably one of the five greatest all around players in the

sport because he's doing bicep curls and shoving all of his meals into eight hours a day. But I'm learning things as we go throughout this life. I wanted to change gears here a little bit and talk about an honor the life of Ryan Sandberg. The Hall of Famer from the Chicago Cubs who passed away yesterday at 65 years old. And I knew Rhino a bit, and I'll tell you my connection to him in a second, but he was a larger-than-life figure in Chicago.

He was the reason why many, many people in Chicago and frankly around the world became Cubs fans. When he won his MVP award in 1984, the Cubs had not been to the playoffs in 39 years. And so he wins that MVP. They're on WGN, the Superstation, and people are watching Wigley Fields come to life. and this incredibly professional ballplayer. It's a cliche, play the game the right way. He was just a model of consistency. And he was a humble superstar.

And people say never meet your heroes. I was a little young for Ryan Sandberg to be a sports hero of mine. but my older brother was significant who was 16 years older than me and he actually married someone whose father was very close with Ryan Sandberg

and so when I was the best man in my brother's wedding at 15 years old Ryan Sandberg was at the wedding and so I gave a best man speech at the wedding and I didn't talk to Ryan Sandberg about it at the wedding, but many years later, when I'm doing media in Chicago, and Rhino would come on the show, and he was a Cubs ambassador, and he would do things,

he would say, you know, Margaret really liked your toast. Margaret was his wife. And I'd be like, well, what about you, Rhino? He was like, Margaret really liked your toast. Like, he just had this subtle ability. People who knew him better said he was a prankster. He didn't really give off the hilarious image too much publicly, but if you knew him a little bit, he would. But the thing about him was he just loved being a cub and he loved cubs fans. And so people would come up to him all of the time and pay him a compliment. And he would always give them the time of the day, ask them their name, ask them about him. And I went back and yeah, so this picture that we're showing now on FS1, it was crazy because about this.

time last year, Ryan Sandberg came on the radio because I do this cancer event in partnership with the Cubs called Cubs for a Cure where I broadcast for 24 hours straight. It's coming up in two days on Thursday on the score in Chicago. And Ryan Sandberg came in because we knew he had been battling cancer and he very emotionally announced that just that morning he had had a scan that was clear and his doctor said he was cancer free. And he cried and it made national news and we raised over a million dollars that weekend with all of it going to cancer research and we took that picture that's the president of business for the cubs crane kenny with us on the field and it was just this like beautiful celebration and then 11 months later he passes away from cancer and it was just

it was gut wrenching because people when they talk about him if you didn't know him you talk about the sandberg game bob costa says it was the best baseball game he ever called and it was unbelievable You know, he hits two home runs and the ninth and 10th off Bruce Souter and, you know, the Cubs win 1211 and extras. And people talk about 10-time All-Star, 9-time Gold Gloves, Silver Slugger, MVP, whatever it is. When they say never meet your heroes and then he actually is to so many a sports hero and he's everything you want and more, it's just rare. So I wanted to play a quick bite from his Hall of Fame speech because I really think it encompassed how he approached the game. but really how he approached life. Here's Rhino.

I was taught you never ever disrespect your opponent or your teammates or your organization or your manager and never, ever your uniform. Make a great play. Act like you've done it before. Get a big hit. Look for the third base coach and get ready to run the bases.

Hit a home run. Put your head down. Drop the bat, run around the bases. Because the name on the front is a lot more important than the name on the back. That's respect. I had an opportunity to talk to Ryan Sandberg on the radio when it had been announced that he was getting a statue at Wrigley Field. And what was the position going to be? Was it going to be hitting a home run from the Sandberg game?

Was it going to be him turning a double play that he was famous for? And he said he thought it was going to be more about defense. and it ended up just being him in the ready position because he just wanted to be ready to be a pro and that encompassed who he was he crossed over he cut through he mattered to a lot of people

Barack Obama posted a tribute Hall of Famer and Cubs stalwart Ryan Sandberg wasn't just a great baseball player he was a class act who never cheated the game everyone in Chicago including White Sox fans will miss him deeply and it's so true. He was a humble superstar. He wanted to meet you.

He wanted to talk to you. And he deserved so much more than 65 years of life. RIP, Rhino. Hey, guys, it's us. 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? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions.

Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but, you know, tired and sick, tired and sick. 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. 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. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano.

It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season, and I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was crying. You just under. That's how personal it got. Wow.

Then after that game seven, Marquis come in to you, he's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Therapy is fantastic. But once again, it does not have a monopoly on healing. That's why I create the resources and that's why I create the community because I really just want you to have more access.

On the podcast, cultivating her space, Dr. Dom and Terry Lomax create a space where black women can show up fully and be heard. It's tough because we're suppressing our emotions and so many of us are like high achieving individuals. Listen to cultivating her space on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.