The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 2 - Panthers, Niners, MLB

Episode Date: July 7, 2022

The Panthers may move on from Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield after this season The Niners need to figure out what they are going to do with Jimmy Garoppolo Looking at the MLB teams that spend the most money   Guest: Geoff SchwartzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but the show. celebrated. So let's get to it.

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Here we go. It is our number two on a Thursday. We are live in Los Angeles. And this show is called The Herd That We mean. Wherever you may be, however you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. Alex Curry is joining me. You know, this is, there's a trend happening in America that is just exhausting. What is it?

everybody's outraged over everything all the time. Oh, yeah. All the time. And there's some things to be outraged over. I think it's disgusting that in America it's easier to get an AR-15 and a driver's license. It's appalling. We're better than that as a country. It's corrosive and corrupt and disgusting.

Be outraged over that. But unfortunately, most things are just creating anxiety. Everybody overreacts to everything. And when USC and UCLA joined the Big Ten, everybody freaked out. First of all, it's not happening for a couple of years. Okay, so your little rivalry with Oregon State is you're going to have that for a couple of years. But I saw a story yesterday. And yesterday on this show, I talked about this.

I said, listen, college basketball men's and women's gives you the template. Is that you can have a bunch of conferences. They don't all have to be revenue monsters like the ACC is in basketball or the Big Ten is in basketball. Gonzaga comes from the WCC and they're in the final four or the elite eight every year. In fact, that conference has no money and they put multiple teams in the tournament and they always, always have a good showing. How is that possible? They're not Duke. They're not Michigan State.

They're not Kentucky. They're not Kansas. I don't know. Good coaching. good administration? Sports is sports. So there's a story yesterday. The Big 12 and the Pact 12 are thinking of joining some pieces.

And it would geographically be a little bit of a weird mess. Oregon and Washington would be in the northwest and central Florida across the country. That would be an odd road trip. You only have to make that once every year, every couple years. But the rest of the conference, if you look at a map, they add Utah and Colorado to the 12 in the Arizona schools. Geographically, Iowa State makes sense. Cincinnati's coming in and BYU and Utah's coming in. So geographically, it mostly makes sense. But here's the other thing. If you look at last year's final Associated Press top 25 ranking, this little conference here

had Cincinnati finish four, Baylor finished five, Oklahoma State won 12 games finish seven, Houston finish 17, BYU 19 and Oregon 22. They got seven ranked teams. Two in the top three in the top seven. It's fine. You're not going to have the revenue of the Big Ten. So what?

Gonzaggot didn't have the revenue of UCLA or Duke. So what? It doesn't have to be perfect. And the NFL, the AFC West is ridiculous. The NFC East is awful. So what? what major league baseball. They're brutal divisions.

The Red Sox have big money. Toronto's got big money. The Yankees have big money. I mean, it's just the way it is. In the SEC, you go like nine deep. In the PAC 12, you go about one deep. Oregon, maybe Utah last couple of years. So what?

The bottom line is if you look at the new proposal for the new Big 12 and Pact 12, pretty darn good conference. It wouldn't be the revenue creator of the Big Ten or the SEC. So what? Have a bunch of good pro. Baylor's been a better football program than Texas for the last decade. Baylor's a great football program.

Utah's great. Oklahoma State wins nine games a year. Last year, Baylor and Oklahoma State both won 12 games. And they won a big bowl game. What are we talking about here? You think Oregon with Phil Knight's money is going to disappear? So it's just everybody, take a deep breath. I think college football.

Now you say, well, what about Stanford? The truth is, Stanford may end up going to the Ivy League because of academics. They would love to go to the Big Ten with Notre Dame. Notre Dame and Stanford have an alliance. They've played forever. Stanford and Notre Dame are connected, like Stanford and Cal connected. Maybe Notre Dame brings Stanford in. Notre Dame says, I'll go to the Big Ten, but you've got to bring in Stanford.

Stanford could be a very good fit. Academically, the Big Ten is an elite conference. Northwestern's an elite academic. school, Penn State's an elite academic school, UCLA, USCR, there's a lot of really good Wisconsin's an elite academic institution. Maybe you bring in Notre Dame and Stanford. They certainly work based on the academics. We tend to forget. These are academic institutions that have football teams, not football teams that have academic institutions. So that's some of the fit. But everybody's freaking out about all this stuff. If that's the PAC 12 and the Big 12, that's a heck of a football conference.

That's a really, and those kind of teams, now they won't get, if the key is in all this, you've got to expand the playoffs. Because the reason it works in college basketball, if college basketball only had an eight-team playoff, it would seem like, what a mess of a sport. But they let 68 teams in. They got 360 programs. College football, you got 130 programs. Let's let 16 in at the end of the year for a playoff. 16.

Numbers make sense to me. Big 10 will give you four or five. SEC will give you six or seven. and that little conference gives you one or two. ACC will give you one or two. It all works. Take a deep breath. The world's mostly, we're going to get through all this stuff.

You know? It's just, sports is overwhelmingly fantastic. Kevin Durant's going to end up for a team we want to watch. It's all going to be okay. Jeff Schwartz, eight years in the NFL, drafted by the Carolina Panthers. He's a person.

Pack 12, I'll get to that in a second. So you're in Carolina. What is the reaction on Baker Mayfield there? Are people rooting for Baker? Is it a Sam Darnold town? How do people feel? I think people are happy because he's better than Sam Darnel, at least on paper, right? And they haven't had a winner in quite a long time. And they're looking forward to a

quarterback that can help the win. But I just find this move curious for the Panthers, right? Like in the short term, it's great. If Baker is good, if he's healthy, they'll win eight, nine, ten games, probably. But what does that settlement for the future? You can assigned Baker to a long-term contract. He's probably not a Super Bowl caliber quarterback. So now you kind of set yourself back to the same spot you're shorter then.

Not in a position of drafted quarterback, but don't really have a long-term answer to quarterback. But this does fit the need for Matt Rule to have to win now, right? He's up against it. He hasn't won his first two years, an owner that just bought the team that wants to win now. So it makes sense from all those perspectives. Again, Baker's healthy. They'll be fine. They have talent.

They have good defense. They have skill position players, they're rebuilding the offensive line. but long term wise caller are you signed to a long-term contract after this year i wouldn't so it's in i guess short-term good long-term i'm not sure if it's what they want to do i said it it would make a really good hard knocks watching darnald and baker and matt corral to be a great hard knocks i don't think it would be a good team do you think there's a chance he know he's a bigger stronger more athletic guy he knows the system do you think there's a chance darnell initially beats out baker oh that's not good for baker it's probably not good for baker it's

the Panthers. I can't. If Darno beats him out, Baker is cooked, right? I mean, Baker's better than, he led the Browns

to the playoffs a couple years ago. I'm not the biggest Baker fan, but I can acknowledge that when he's healthy, he's decent enough, right? I get it. You're out the Browns to the playoffs. Donald hasn't been good in a couple of years. And if Darno beats him out,

then you're probably looking at a bad court situation, Carolina, where at the end of the year, everyone's getting fired. Yeah. What would you do? The Garapolo situation, I've said,

that Garapolo has is so liked by players. He's very good looking kid. He's very confident in himself that if he's in the room, your quarterback's not going to own the room. There's going to be guys that just like him. There's been reports that half the locker room still thinks. Debo Samuel is like, I want Jimmy G. I don't trust to get a big contract if Trey's throwing me the ball.

There's a lot of reports. I've heard them before that San Francisco doesn't know if Trey Lance is accurate enough consistently to get the ball in those tight windows to get it to Debo and Brandon Iyuk and George Kittle because they're all great after the catch. And so you got to get the ball accurately and quickly to them. What would you do if you're the Niners with Jimmy G? Well, you might have a choice to keep on the roster right now because who's going to trade for him right now? Part of the reason that Baker was able to be moved was the Browns ate a bunch of that contract. And I was going to eat $20 million of that contract,

probably not. And then where does he go? Like where's the logical spot for him right now? But probably isn't one. I think the Niners, you know, they never hope for injury, but they hope we have a, you know, a San Bradford situation, right, where someone gets hurt in training camp and someone needs a Jimmy G and they trade for him. But the Niners, and I get it, that Jimmy G is probably better right now than Trey Lance, even though the upside of Lance is probably more. But you traded so much for Trey Lance. You have to play him now. You have to get him ready to play because we know this, that when that rookie contract is up, when you give that quarterback that $40, $50 million a year,

your roster makeup changes. You can't pay for Trent Williams anymore, right? So you need to get this guy playing as soon as possible, see what he has, and get them and get the team ready to go for either this year, next year of the year after that to make that Super Bowl push with the quarterback on the cheap contract. And again, you give up all those first round draft picks.

Like, you've got to play him. And Niners got unlucky that Jimmy G. Couldn't be moved because of how things kind of shook out with the Sean Watson, now with Baker Mayfield. And you either trade him for and eat his whole salary, or he's on your roster and he's just a high-price backup. You've to live with that. Now, you are an Oregon duck through and through.

You grew up in USC, UCLA territory in Southern California, but went to Oregon, played in the NFL. So a lot of people were freaking out. My takeaway has always been, as long as Phil Knight's connected to Oregon, it's a great program. Somebody's going to want them. I don't think it's the Big Ten or they were already invited him. But I saw yesterday the Big 12 had an invitation out reportedly.

Oregon, Washington, the Arizona's schools, Colorado, Utah, joining, you know, Baylor, Oklahoma State, BYU, Cincinnati. It might take away as, well, that's a pretty good conference. So I'm fine with that. It's not maybe as glamorous as the SEC or as good as the Big Tenor SEC. What would be your takeaway if your ducks ended up in that conference in the Big 12? I think right now it's all about trying to find the most money possible. You're right.

Oregon will be fine with Phil Knight, and I'm not worried about their standing in college sports. they're about to get a five-star quarterback tomorrow from Michigan. Like, I'm not worried about where they are. But you have to look at the money of this, right? And is sticking together as a PAC-12 or PAC-10 conference, more money? Because the decisions may now are based on money, then join the Big 12, then join this loose partnership with the ACC conference. I think it's about where we get the most money from, the most exposure.

And yeah, the Big 12 might be the answer for that. But I heard you before I came on talking about academics, right? How important that is to the Big Ten. also for the PAC 12, right? Are the president going to allow themselves to go to the Big 12 where the schools don't have the academic standing that the schools in the Big 10 would have for a say? So there's a lot of moving parts here.

I think first the PAC 12 or Pac 10 now is trying to figure out what they can make on their own, maybe adding San Diego State, maybe adding Gonzaga basketball, maybe adding Fresno, and then they're looking to the Big 12 as a solution. The last part of this, Colin, is that are they going to sign a big grant of rights deal?

Because what happens if Norder Dame joins the Big Ten, and they want to expand again. And now Oregon and Washington have already joined the Big 12 conference. Can they get out of that and go to Big 10? What if the SEC wants a couple more teams and the ACC's got to consolidate? Like there's always moving parts down the road that I'm not quite sure schools want to lock themselves into this big grant of rights deal. Yeah. To me, Stanford's the dark horse because it's the Bay Area market, which is a top five TV market.

And the reality is Notre Dame has history with Stanford. everybody, all the school presidents would vote for Stanford in the Big Ten. They would all vote for Stanford. They wouldn't all vote for Oregon or Washington. So ultimately the school presidents have to sign up on, you know, UCLA's an elite school, USC, Stanford. So to me, if Notre Dame goes in, I think Stanford is the logical team to follow them in. Now, you can argue, well, nobody cares about Stanford.

They don't get big crowds. But it's a massive TV market. And I think people would care more in Stanford if Michigan. Michigan's there and Ohio State's there and Wisconsin and Iowa are bringing 40,000 fans. Then the stadium's full. Then Stanford recruiting is better. And then it feels different. So my takeaway and all this stuff is we'll figure it out college football is too big to fail.

It's just going to look different. And that's kind of my takeaway today. Am I too optimistic? I mean, it's going to be fine. We're still going to watch the games. We're still going to enjoy college football. I think that it depends on whether you view the sport is regionally or nationally. right. So, you know, for me, right, I grew up in Los Angeles, as you mentioned, my parents are

brewing alums. I cover the Pact 12 conference. Now, I view the sport regionally first, almost, and then nationally, even though I do cover on a national level. So if you're getting rid of my conference that I like to watch and the teams I know the best moving somewhere else, then I feel that might not be as good for college football. Or if you're a national college football fan, to your point, Ohio State USC playing every three years, Penn State, UCLA playing every couple of years. Those are great football games for college football. I think the frustrating part for an Oregon fan like myself is that it feels like everything that Oregon's done and other schools are in the same boat as well of building up their athletic department of putting

the resources and funds and people watch Oregon that the ratings do not lie but in the end it doesn't seem to matter very much because we're in Eugene in Portland and not in the Bay Area or Los Angeles where both places have high Oregon grads that watch Oregon play football so that's kind of the hard part I think for a bunch of us to figure out kind of what's most important it is TV money obviously in this realignment. Good stuff. Jeff Schwartz. Good seeing you, buddy. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Yeah, I think the dark horse in all this is Stanford because the school presidents have to sign off on it. USC and UCLA, you know, the presidents have to go, UCLA and USC are very good universities. In fact, I think UCLA is the most applied to university in North America. Over 100,000 people a year

applied to UCLA. It's a great academic institution. And so Notre Dame has no interest to be in the SEC. They have no interest academically. Notre Dame is going to remain where they are or go to the Big Ten. The Big Ten is seen the Pac-12 and the Big Ten or the Ivy League, which some people are suggesting Stanford may, if they don't get invited to the Big Ten, they don't want, Stanford doesn't want to go to the Big 12. It's not good enough academically that they won't sign off on it. They'll just go, you know, they'll go to the Ivy League. They'll do something else. But nobody, everybody's talking about just football. This stuff, If Notre Dame goes in, they'd have no problem Stanford going in because they play them every year. They've got relationships. The Notre Dame people would be like, yep, we like Stanford. Stanford is big boy academics. They put guys in the NFL. It's a decent enough football program.

So there you go. 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. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

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

I don't care what you're saying. Yep. That's me, Clifford Taylor the fourth. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes,

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

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two.

Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam 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 is big to me. Not

just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you 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. Saturday, it's baseball night in America on Fox. Aaron Judge looks to continue his MVP season as he leads to the Yankees against Rafael Devers

and the rival Red Sox or the Giants Battle the Padres. It all begins to 7 Eastern on Fox. Check for the game in your area. You know, it is interesting that, you know, college football fans are freaking out. It's all about the halves and the have-nots. Look at our baseball season. Twelve teams are already

out of it. Of the 30, 12 teams are done. 40% of the sports, and we're not to the All-Star game. The sport is now dominated by the richest teams. The richest team in the south is Atlanta. They crush. The richest team out west is the Dodgers. They're crushing.

The richest teams in the Northeast, the Yankees, and now the Mets because of Steve Cohen. They're crushing. Houston, major revenue. They're really good. Who has no money? Pittsburgh. Baltimore.

Kansas City. You know, the Padres a couple years ago, decided we're going to spend money. And they went out and spent Mani Machado, who I just saw a couple days ago playing, having a pretty good year. Mani Machado is a really good player. And they've got a couple great young talents.

They're paying money to. To Tees Jr. Yeah, yeah. So it's like, well, they spent money. And that, a lot of that is even though San Diego is not a big market, San Diego is part of the California economy. And so they've got big money behind them. So if you look at sports, sports does not have as much parity as you think.

Now, the NFL and the NHL have a more, upsets. Why is that? Because both sports have a regulated level of violence. There's more injuries. And because there's more injuries, the favorites can get hurt. Favorites in the NFL and NHL are veteran players. They're older. They're wealthy. They get hit. They're out longer. Sometimes injuries play a role. But there's, I mean, the Warriors have been to six finals and eight years in the NBA. College football is dominated by the SEC. Last 15 national championships, I think the SEC's been in 14, won or been in 14. Serena dominated women's tennis for 12 years.

Jokovic, Nadal, and Federer dominated men's tennis. If you go to the Olympics, it's the same four countries that dominate the Summer Olympics and the same four companies that dominate the winner Olympics. Tiger dominated golf, and it was never more popular for a decade. Before him, Jack dominated golf. So the only thing, there is no baseball, 12 teams were already out of it. The rich teams are pulling away. And so this idea, oh, college football, ask yourself this with all these changes.

Will the SEC still have the most good teams? Yes. Will the Big Ten still have awesome stadiums and really good teams? Yes. Will the Pac-12 be kind of irrelevant? Yes. Okay. Will the ACC have one or two teams at the top, but mostly kind of a mess?

Yes. Will Notre Dame be good? Yes. Will we watch the games? Yes. Will the teams that were never a threat to really win big games? be a threat not to win a lot of games? Yes. What changes? Flights. And then, oh, that great rivalry. Yeah, that UCLA Oregon State game, pinch me. I'm getting chills.

USC and UCLA are still playing. The Arizona schools will still play. Oregon and Washington will still play. They may be in a different conference. They're still going to play. Baylor's still going to face Oklahoma State and it's all going to be okay. Take a deep breath. There's not that much parody. People always talk about in society. The rich are getting richer. It's everywhere. It's in health care. It's in our economy. It's in sports. There's not that much parity. We know who's going to be good. I can tell you right now in the NFL, the Jets are going to finish forth, the Giants are going to finish fourth. I think the Texans or the Jags are going to finish fourth. The lions or the Bears are going to finish fourth. I can go, I can go to Seattle's going to finish with Drew

Lockforth. I can go almost every division. And tell you who's finished last and and two years ago i picked every single playoff team in the afc i can tell you who's got barring an injury Denver kansas city are going to be really good buffalo is going to be really good Cincinnati with joe burrow shocked if they're not good you know stafford and the rams are going to be really good Brady's probably going to be really good i can tell you the dogs and i can tell you the top in the middle who cares 10-7-7-7 and 10 you're not changing the league anyway so college football you're you're great

still going to be great. You're good still going to be good and your irrelevant's going to be irrelevant. You just may fly to different places. Alex with the news. No, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, a week ago today, Kevin Durant made a formal trade request to the Nets listing the suns and the heat as his preferred destinations. But there have also been rumors of more than half the league checking in with Brooklyn to see what it would take to acquire him. Now, after starting all this drama, Chris Haynes reported that KD has gone dark. He said, since he requested a trade, there's been numerous stars that I've spoken to,

numerous stars that have been trying to get in touch with him to pick his brain to see if he would consider other avenues. Just want to get a sense of what he's thinking. Katie's going dark. He's not talking to anybody, not answering anybody's phone calls, not responding to texts. Now, for the record, not married, no kid. So Kevin Durant has every right to just disappear for the summer. It's the offseason.

Yeah. Could it be just that that Kevin Durant's working out a couple days a week, working out five days a week, and he's hanging out with his friends or he's got a girlfriend and he's traveling and he, it is possible he just, it is the off season. If he went dark during the playoffs, where's Kevin? Nobody can find Kevin, I'd be concerned. Being going dark as an NBA player in July, is it a big deal? See, we know that Katie's an emotional guy, right? He's known for responding to fans and to trolls on. media. He just did this past week with his, the ones who were locked in the gym with me, know what it is. They know what I'm about. You have to have been there with me, ask a round. He went back and forth with the reporter on this tweet and it's since been deleted. So I think

he might be feeling a little hurt. You know, he's one of the best players in the league. There has, there hasn't been a lot of traction. Yes, we're hearing rumors that teams are requesting and asking what it would take to get KD, but it's a lot. He didn't make it easy. He's going into the first year of his four-year, $194 million contract with the Nets, we just saw the Rudy Gaubert trade go through that I think kind of reset the whole standard of what you've got to get for KD. He's an emotional guy. He might be feeling a little hurt right now and just knocking off the rest of the world.

Wait to see what happens. But again, nobody knows. It's the offseason. He also could just be watching Netflix, could be on vacation, could be working out of the gym. Nobody knows. But we're all on KD watch. So let us know what you're thinking, Katie. Come out of the darkness.

All right. Well, Anthony Davis got some heat earlier this off season when he was criticized for not picking up a basketball in the two months following the end of last season. Later, Kevin Garnett called out AD on his work ethic, even challenging him to win MVP this season. Well, it seems Davis heard the critics and is hitting the gym at early hours of the morning. His trainer posted this video with the caption, Anthony Davis has been locked in training every day at 5 or 450. AM is what it takes. After 400 makes, free throws are key to be the best you need to be up before the rest. More work to be done this summer. Oh, that's very nice. He's working out as a pro athlete. That is good to see. It reminds me of the couple on Instagram that you know are having issues and they're

constantly posting photos of themselves and really intense captions just to kind of let you know that they're doing okay overcompensating for something. It's like if it's going great and you're doing the work, you don't need to tell people about it. Well, LeBron is probably, and I don't follow LeBron, I don't follow Instagram, period. But LeBron will occasionally, very rarely send you a workout pick. But that's consistent. Well, yeah, he's also been in the league 20 years. And of all the stuff he sends you out there, he'll send you kind of a comedic workout picture once a year.

It never feels forced. No, he's singing along to his favorite song. That's right. He's having a good time. But that's part of LeBron's brand. Right. He's always been that. But on the other side of things, as a Laker fan, you know, on the positive side, I like to see this.

This is what I want to see opposed to having him say he hasn't touched a basketball in two months. So it's moving in the right direction. Listen, the Lakers cringed when he said that. Oh, everyone cringed. Yeah. So don't get yourself. The Lakers organization, when Anthony Davis said that, Rob Polinka called Anthony's people and said, guys, what are you doing? What are you doing?

The markets already decided that you're not committed. Like Anthony had a terrible year. He didn't appear to be in great shape, didn't work on his game. So, you know, also fans tend to think everybody peaks at the same time is that Anthony Davis, if you look at numbers, peaked at about 25 years old because he's had so many injuries now and is not committed to his body that he's aging more quickly. We've seen this in real life. We've all seen a 70-year-old that they work out, they eat right,

and you're like, they look like 58 years old. My father-in-law. Yeah. Insane. Retired firemen. Better shape than most of the men my age. And then you see people that are 40 and they're a mess. Well, pro athletes, it's the same thing.

Like Tom Brady's 44 and is an impeccable shape. And Cam Newton, who had great talent, but wasn't ever really totally committed, many believed. 32, he's done. And so, you know, Anthony Davis should have another eight prime years. I don't know if he has one. Now, maybe this workout regimen, maybe this provides another peak year to. Yeah, hopefully.

Yeah. You kind of get, you reap what you so. You put in the work. Yeah. You get paid back. Yeah, which is crazy because he should be in the prime of his career right now. Yeah. Right now.

It looks like he was three years ago. Yeah. So, I mean, hopefully if this is a step in the right direction. So you're working out. Good work, AD. All right. Well, Bradley Beal was one of the players who many thought would be on a new team this season, but he ended up signing a five-year, $251 million deal to stay with the Wizards.

And Beal reportedly received a full no trade clause, which makes us noteworthy, because Beal is the only active player and just the 10th player in NBA history with a full no trade clause included in his deal. The Wizards hope that will never come into play. But this gives him all the leverage that and flexibility that if he ever wants to leave, he gets to choose where he wants to go. So it's kind of having, you know, you're here with the team, but one foot out the door if you're ready to go. Well, he is the only redeeming part over the last 10 years, consistently redeeming. He's always available.

He plays at a high level. He's a good teammate. Says the right stuff. And so, you know, people who have leverage are not always stars on good teams. I mean, let's be honest. Andrew Wiggins had a great year. Does he have any leverage? I mean, let's be honest.

With Steph, Clay, Cominga, Moody, Wiseman, Drayman, you don't have a ton of leverage. So a lot of times, players who are exceptional on lousy franchises have way more leverage than a really good player in a good franchise that is well run. Yeah. You know, I've said this. Wherever Andrew Wiggins goes, if he stays with the Warriors, great. If he gets traded, he won't be as good as he was last year. You'd almost bake that in. He won't be as good.

Whereas Bradley Beale, my argument's been, God, can you imagine putting him on a good team with good teammates? So, you know, some guys, like Dame is loyal. Bradley Beals loyal. Good for them. People tend to think everybody's out for money. The NBA more than any sport, more than the NFL and more than baseball. NBA players, I think, want to be loyal. Janus had a choice.

Dames had a choice. Bradley Beals had a choice. Now, LeBron, very mobile. Kevin Drent. Steph Curry could have left. Kobe Bryant. If you look at the history of the NBA, Magic wasn't getting paid much when he played. Michael wasn't getting paid much.

A lot of these guys, Dwayne Wade had to occasionally in his career step back a little to bring in LeBron, to bring in Shaq, Antoine Walker, Chris Bosch. So most of these NBA guys, John Morant never wants to leave Memphis. If they can't fortify him with talent, he'll be gone. LeBron did not want to leave Cleveland. They couldn't get him an All-Star for seven years. When he came back in one, he just eventually knew, you know, I was a villain, I'm back, I want a title, I want to go to L.A. I'm moving to the mogul stage. I want to build my production company.

But most athletes would prefer to do the Jeter way. Be great, one team forever, be an icon, and be beloved in the city forever. Honestly, I think that's why Mike Trout has stayed with the Angels. That was his favorite player, was Jeter, following in his footsteps. Yeah, hasn't served him. Loyal by default. No. No.

Hasn't. Alex with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie News. And there is also a diminishing effect. You know, if you make 250 with this team and you're going to make 270 with another team, who cares? Government's taken half anyway.

Yeah. So for Bradley Beal, I just, I think Bradley Beal and Dame are players. I would love to be watching consistently in June. That's my takeaway. And that's no shot at Washington, Tommy Shepard, or the people that run Portland. But I like to see great players in great spots because I think playoff sports is the best sports. and I want to see the best players in the biggest games consistently. And so, but most players are overwhelmingly loyal.

They're not LeBron. They're not going to be mobile. They're not walking enterprises. They're not walking corporations. They're guys that love to ball and they want a ball. I mean, those Celtic players, if you gave them a choice today, Tatum, Jalen Brown, smart, and Robert Williams, they would all stay forever in Boston. They would all stay.

But, you know, you got to win championships, right? You want to roll the dice. But if you watch them play, they're committed to defense, they're coachable, they like each other, they play well together. Those guys would all elect to stay in Boston forever. And you cross your fingers, you get, you know, you become the Toronto Raptors, you go to the finals, a favored team falls apart physically, you win it. But most players would rather just stay where they're drafted, even if it's a, we view it as a less glamorous city like Milwaukee. Players move to Milwaukee, they like Milwaukee. They can hide in Milwaukee.

Yannis loves Milwaukee. Chris Middleton loves Milwaukee. Drew Holiday seems happy in Milwaukee. 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. Mike check. Do you want exclusive insight from the biggest names in the sports game? What's good? This is national champion and former pro baller Chris Johnson.

Let me tell you a little bit about my new series, KJ Live. KJ Live is the only show featuring me going one-on-one with the brightest basketball minds on the planet to get the real. And when I say real, I mean that real. I got legendary Hall of Famers, elite coaches, and the top basketball insiders bringing you a unique perspective on all things hoops culture that you will not find anywhere else. To make your next move, your best move, and tap in with me on KJ Live, wherever you get your podcast from. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

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

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, personal health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger.

So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast.

Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tontons and wampas on the ice planet hot,

or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to bowl your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day but just so y'all know I mean at this point Mark this is the second episode where we've discussed crack so I'm starting to see that

there's a through line We also have AIDS on the table right now so Thank you 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 podcast Where's your happy place? Maybe it's a sofa on game day, your fishing boat, wherever it is, driveway.com, let you buy or sell a car from there. Check it out, driveway.com. So I don't, I do not believe it's a coincidence that the Browns traded Baker Mayfield mid-afternoon yesterday. Here's why. So next week, Cleveland's going to be the epicenter of NFL football.

So one of two things is going to happen. Deshawn Watson's going to get a very light sentence. the media is going to go berserk, but Cleveland privately is going to be very happy because they have their quarterback. They don't want to throw the season away. Or he's going to get a really long suspension. The media will be satisfied, but the season's lost. And it's just going to be chaos.

And so I think what Cleveland's thinking is, next week there's this tsunami coming, whatever the decision is. We're going to have to either battle the media or figure out a way to not just throw the season into the tank. And so let's just get Baker out of here. Let's get any minor distraction off the table. Let's get ready for what is going to be a beehive of activity.

And don't kid yourself. If Deshaun gets a light sentence, that is good for the Cleveland football team as a team. Because if he gets a long sentence, and then you have to go maybe into a Jimmy Garoppolo situation, Jacoby Brissette in a division with Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and the excellence of the Steelers. It's just not good enough. you're not going to be viable. So, you know, in the NBA, it's different. In the NBA, there are teams that just throw away a season.

I mean, Houston with James Harden, they just threw the season away. You don't really do that in the NFL. Like the Urban Meyer thing got ugly, boom, he's out. It just doesn't work that way. You just don't, there's too much money. America fans love football too much. If you turn on talk radio in most of the country, in almost every city, NFL football dominates the discussion outside of like a New York where they have

two really good baseball teams. But you got to make moves quickly in the NFL. So you don't want to just throw a season away. So I think Cleveland knows it's going to be really noisy next week. Let's get Baker out of town. They were very, very rigid six months ago on Baker's contract. They basically gave him and paid his contract to Carolina. So my takeaway, I saw a story that Ben McAdoo is the new Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator.

By the way, this is the most we'll ever talk about Carolina. But he didn't like Baker Mayfield or something. Sam Darnold's prospects, and now he's coaching both of them. So, you know, the way I look at it, in the entire existence of the Carolina Panthers, 27 years, they've had seven winning seasons. And only one year, the CAM year when he won MVP, were they really fascinating. So in 27 years, they've been fascinating once, and they've been good seven times. I don't think they're going to be good, nor do I think they're going to be fascinating.

They've always had some talented pieces, but it's never been really a well-constructed organization top to bottom. It's never been a free agent destination. The quarterbacks are either average or overhyped. And they're mostly in a forgettable franchise. The good news are in a bad division. But 27 years, seven winning seasons, one really wildly entertaining season. Now they have three quarterbacks, none elite, Darnold Baker and Matt Corral, who's the college kid from Ole Miss. You got an offensive coordinator who didn't like Baker or Sam Darnold out of college. Okay, he didn't like either one of them. I was. told yesterday by somebody who has covered Matt Rule for a living that Matt Rule wasn't in love

with Baker Mayfield at Oklahoma. You have a receiver, Robbie Anderson for Carolina, that took a shot at Baker Mayfield on social media when the rumor of Baker coming to Carolina happened. So it's a little bit of a mess. Kevin Clark from the ringer was on earlier. Here's takeaway on this move. Nobody believes in Baker Mayfield right now, and I might put the Carolina Panthers in that category, because they gave up less than they gave up to trade up for Matt Corral in order to get him. He took a pay cut. This felt like a little bit of desperation on both sides, frankly. They've now assembled between Darnel and Baker Mayfield, the two most interception-prone quarterback since they entered the league. Baker is a better quarterback than Sam Darnold.

That's good news. The bad news is nobody else uses that as a bar for good productive NFL quarterback. So I'm not sure if anything really, Colin, is going to be solved. And Band-Aids don't work at the quarterback position. They don't. That's why Pittsburgh with Mitch Trubisky, he's a terrific bridge quarterback. You're not winning a Super Bowl with Mitch Trubesky. So listen, Baker is too impulsive, often too

immature, and he's limited physically. Donald's not limited physically, but he too is impulsive and wildly reckless. To me, he's always been a little less talented Carson Wentz. So you know, neither's great. Sam's got a slow delivery. It really hurts his completion percentage

and Baker, he's a little small, too impulsive. So you're going to have what in the NFL, you very rarely go into a camp, not knowing who you're starting quarterback is. That happens in college all the time. It does not happen in the NFL very much where you have a legitimate quarterback battle. And that is legitimately what you have. My guess is you're going to get, Darnold wins the job initially because he's been there and knows the players in the book. And then Baker eventually will get a shot because you brought him on. Many people think he's more talented than Sam. And Darnold will do something reckless.

He is prone to do, and so you'll get pulled, and Matt Rule has to win, and he has to win now. Many suspect of all the NFL coaches on the hottest seats, Matt rules on the very hottest seat in Carolina. Now, there is a report today that the Panthers do not intend to trade Sam Darnold. You know, to me, if Baker was great in camp, clearly better than Sam Darnold, I would move him and keep Matt Corral under him. That's what I would do. But, you know, I don't run Carolina. They've never felt like a terribly well-run team or a fascinating team or a relevant team. They've had one fantastic year where we couldn't take our eyes off him.

That was the CAM MVP year. And then they've had seven years where they've been okay. So this is probably as much as we'll talk about Carolina. I don't think they're special. Bucky Brooks was on the show yesterday. And do we have that bite? Bucky was pretty interesting. He actually thinks Donald has a huge edge here.

It would be interesting to see. how this plays out. And I would say that Baker is behind the eight ball because he's joining the team in July, July 6, he gets on the team. They go to training camp. He'll have to learn to playbook in training camp. Sam Donald knows the playbook. And then by all account, Sam Donald has already built relationships with the teammates. So what does this look like? To me, it might be in wrestling terms, a loser leave town match. Whoever wins the quarterback position stays, the loser has to go somewhere else. I think that Sam Donald has an opportunity to win this job. I think Sam

Donald would be a much better performer in front of Baker Mayfield. Sam is the bigger, more athletic quarterback. Bucky Brooks is a former NFL scout. He actually worked with the Carolina Panthers and a former NFL player. When they came out, I said, Donald's a more athletic guy.

Baker's got a chip in his shoulder. Don't love his personality. Both Baker, I was right on, Sam I was wrong on. That's the way the business goes. So there you go in Carolina. I I said this earlier, and I do believe it. I think Garoppolo is a really interesting piece now because San Francisco, I'm always very suspicious when you start hearing how great this young quarterback looks. God, every two days. It's Mac Jones reshaped his body.

He's the next Joe Montana. Oh, Trey Lance is this and this. If Trey Lance was great, Garopolo's gone. He's not. They've got concerns. I have been told, and I trust my source, that they worry about Trey Lance's consistency of accuracy. is that when you have watched him, last year he played in six different games,

I thought it was aesthetically, not very pleasing. It's very easy to see. Trey Lance, they're trying to rework his delivery system. It's a little inartistic. It's a little clunky. It's not really smooth.

He struggles with basic accuracy. And if he didn't, because he's a bigger, stronger version, more mobile, healthier than Jimmy Garapolo, if he was an accurate quarterback, they would have moved on. So you can tell me how great Trey Lance is.

You're telling me your concerns by keeping Garoppolo around. You would have moved him an hour after the season. You may have moved him last year when they started slowly at the trading deadline. 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. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

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

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that experience. excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfilled of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at a podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me.

84's 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. 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.