The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 3 - Kelvin Sampson

Episode Date: March 31, 2025

Houston Cougars HC Kelvin Sampson joins The Herd to talk about his team's run in the NCAA Tournament and moreSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart 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.

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Listen to help from Hippocrite Wednesdays on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to 3 Eastern, 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. felt the perfect combination for a college basketball coach and Jim Beheim's done this and Mark Few's done this and Mike Shoshchews, because he coaches like Mark Few USA basketball. Kelvin Samson at Houston, he spent six years in the NBA on several teams and it gives you a sense of where you want to take the players. It's the ultimate destination.

He's now with the Houston Cougars. This was a program that I grew up with that was Faislamma Jama, but when Kelvin took them over, they were in a new. drought. They had a four or five year spell. They were not a viable team and he now joins us live. They face Duke coming up in the game of the tournament. I asked Mark a few a week ago. I said,

who don't you want to play? He goes, yeah, I'd rather miss on Houston. I've seen enough of them. You have created a team that's no fun to play. So that's beyond recruiting. That's culture. When you got to Houston,

You've done it four times. You did it at Washington State. You did it at Oklahoma. You did it Montana Tech, I think. What is it about you in the first year or two? How do you change, not just recruiting, how do you change culture and basketball? I think one of the attributes a head coach has to have is

he has to have a clearly defined way he wants to win the game. And you don't have to pick the defense event or the offense event. But you have to have something that your kids will believe in. And I think culture starts with being on time. It starts with giving your best effort. It starts with your body language, being responsible, so you don't have to be held accountable. Being someone that has the right attitude every day. I spend a lot of time coaching attitude and effort before we can ever be a good team.

I mean, that sounds simple, Colin. but all the great cultures have kids that will play for something bigger than themselves. You know, and that's, in this day and age, we had eight out of our top ten players return. The year before, it was the same thing. I think we've had three kids transfer in 10 years that were in our top 10 players. So we haven't lived in the portal, although we do believe in the portal. But we have kids that when they come in, as freshmen, they become sophomores, juniors, and now they're seniors. And our senior class

this year, last year we're juniors and they were held accountable of the seniors that are gone. And now that they're seniors, they fully balled into the things that we believe in. I've got a great staff. My staff is either my family or former players. Our support staff is former manager so not really a resume guy i don't take phone calls from people to tell me who they think would be good for us i kind of make that decision on my own so i think the program part goes with the culture and it's been good for us you know what you sound like coach you sound like a warm weather villanova that's what you sound no i mean he would go he would go to the dmv get tough kids villanova kids were loyal they play beyond themselves they play good defense and it's really i

A lot of times in college basketball, but team is defense first over offense. It may not be as glamorous. I like your athletic ability. I like your aggressiveness. I think it initiates your offense. You know, you look at that tape. You've been in the NBA.

You put that tape in and watch Cooper Flag. He reminds me of Jason Tatum a little bit. Like, he's kind of good. He's kind of good at everything. What do you do when you face a guy? And, Calvin, he's going to get his. I mean, he's going to score. what's the mindset facing a kid like that that is kind of special well um less than uh well i guess

about 24 hours ago we were playing tennessee and uh indianapolis and we got back last night i guess around 11 or 1130 got up this morning and um um did did my analyzing did our analysis of the uh perdu and Tennessee games and really haven't watched Duke a lot, but I have watched him enough over the course of the year. The first thing that jumps out to me is what a great job John did in putting his team together. You know, for example, bringing a kid like Sion James in to pair next to Cooper Flagg and Kineppel and the big kid inside. Because he's smart, he's tough, doesn't require a lot of shops. It's got a lot of winter in him. Cooper Flagg was going to be the centerpiece.

How they fit everybody around them is what's so impressive. How do you stop Cooper Flagg? That's kind of a silly question. You don't. But you have to be the best version of yourself. You know, we played in the Big 12 the last two years. And, you know, whether it's Kansas or Iowa State or Texas Tech, there's a lot of really good teams.

And all those teams had a best player. So we'll come up with something. Now, will it be good enough? I don't know. Maybe it will. Maybe it won't. But at the end of the day, every team has to focus on what they do good and try to beat their best version of themselves.

For that 40 minutes, for that 40 minutes, we have to be the best version of the Houston Cougars we can be. What did you learn in the NBA that you think even today, you think about it occasionally that helps you as a college coach? Because you spent six years there. That's a spell of time. Yeah, I spent three years with some. Scott Skiles.

Yeah. And then I spent three years with Kevin McKell. One of my best friends and coaching is Greg Popovich. So Poppe got me started with the Spurs. And then a month later, I'm with Scott Sciles. I think Scott probably helped me the most because he's a little bit of a basketball savant. Yeah. Extremely smart, prepared, organized.

He understood how to hunt matchups. He was extremely good in the last two minutes of a game, situational basketball, taught spacing, understood how to teach and coach the game. He really opened my eyes up. Being with the Spurs just reinforced the things that I believed in with culture. Because Pop really did when he was coaching the Spurs during that period. He ran his program like a college team.

He had unbelievable character guys like Tim Duncan and Manu, Genoobli, and Tony Parker, guys like that that totally balled into everything he said. They allowed him to coach him. And Scott just took me to another level in terms of the exes and nose and opening my eyes to the importance of spacing and how do you get shots out of spacing. You don't have to rely so much on. sets every single time. If you can get paint touches and have proper space,

and that can become your offense. And then with Kevin McKell, it was just being a manager. You know, Kevin knew how to treat players, players respect to them. Yeah. So I got a little bit from all those guys. It was an unbelievable experience for me. It was almost like being a crash course and advanced basketball lytics. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd,

weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, huge news? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast. Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a podcast. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. We're starting a trend. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't. I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. We were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers.

This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, 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 Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect.

We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back. Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across.

When Jacob met Levant, this went to a billion dollar fraud. But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in American history. You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my. my life.

Listen to Kingdom of Fraud 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. 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 Slices Life 12 in the TikTok podcast. network on TikTok. You know, I was saying this that is that I think the NBA, and I like the NBA, but I told Adam Silver when he was on my show five, six weeks ago, I said, I think you guys have marginalized college basketball. I said the G-League, Jalen Green's amazing. He disappears.

I said, the reason I know who Zion is is college basketball. I think the coaching's better. I think the kids are treated well. I said, frankly, if you play for a top 10 college basketball team, you're getting $4 to $8 million of free marketing. It's incredible. I said, or you can make a couple hundred thousand dollars in the G League.

I look at the NIL as a, it buoys college basketball. It's your ally. You don't know, you say, listen, we can pay a 90% of the G League and I'll put you on TV 30 times. Is that kind of how you view it that the NIL, initially it's like, oh boy, wild, wild west, but in a weird way, I think it's your best friend,

actually. Zach Eadie can stay for another year. How do you view NIL? I think the antithesis of the G League is college basketball now. Guys aren't leaving early to go to the G League. They have to take too much of a pay cut. I think older players are becoming more in vogue for the NBA because of that. Yeah.

You've got guys coming out in their fourth year now that are demanding or can get a big contract. instead of going out early and languishing on the Quad Cities, the Erie, Pennsylvania, 4 o'clock flight in the morning, they're not doing that for a lot of reasons. But the NBA is getting older because of that. But I think college basketball is getting better. You look at all the veteran teams. Now, Duke is an outlier, but Duke's always been an outlier

because they always get, you know, they get the best players. And good for them. They don't need to apologize for that. There's very few Dukes in the world. But if you look at teams like us, you know, we have a very veteran team. And we have guys that could have put their name in the draft a couple years ago. I've got four guys in NBA right now. Quentin Grimes, who stayed with me through his third year.

Marcus Sasser stayed four years. Jamal Shed stayed four years. Jarrett Walker was a lottery pick. But most of our guys are older guys. And the reason they're staying now is because the NIL. It is what it is. Yeah. Kelvin Samson, 69% plus winning record, three final four appearances.

This team is athletic. They are tough. They're physical. And I meant that is the greatest compliment. Villanova South, because I have so much respect. I knew Raleigh and Jay Wright really well. And you guys remind me of it. Tough kids.

They're going to class. They're working hard. They're coming back. And they become great pros. Grimes, by the way, was actually really playing well right now. Kelvin, good luck to you. I can't wait to watch it, and you've built another great program. Thank you.

Thank you, Colin. Appreciate you having me on. You bet. Kelvin Sampson, Houston Cougar basketball coach. 36 years, J. Mack. He started at Montana Tech, Washington State, Oklahoma, Indiana, Houston. He's an amazing coach. They've run into some unlucky stuff the last few years in the tournament,

because he's had some loaded teams. And it's a rematch last year. Remember, Duke probably should have lost to them, but Houston's best player shed got hurt. Yep. And then Duke was able to pull away. So Houston, revenge on the mind, I don't think they could do it. Can you imagine doing it?

I got Cooper Fly. Well, I do it. He's a tough matchup for Houston. Now remember. They only have two bigs, no depth of the team. Yeah, Purdue gave Houston everything they could handle, but Purdue could not. Purdue got worked on the offensive glass.

Purdue got worked on that inbound's play at the end. That was a phenomenal play ball. That's one of the plays of the tournament. 100% agree. Yeah, that was an outstanding. Yeah, and Purdue just couldn't hit. Neither team shot the ball particularly well on three-point shots, but Purdue needed to hit shots.

Everybody was complaining about the officiating and push-offs, and my take is you can't get worked on the offensive glass, and you can't miss, you can't shoot 29% on threes and beat Houston. Yeah. Yeah, but I'll tell you, Purdue's become a big-time program. Let's keep an eye on their star, Braden Smith. Why? I hear he may go on the portal.

We'll see. I don't know. He's very good. That guy's, he's a good player. Yeah. Jay Mack for the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. All right, Mr. NBA, there was a bit of a brawl, a melee, if you will.

In the NBA involving the new-look bad boy pistons. Ron Holland, the young fella, they got Isaiah Stewart. Look at the finger-pointing. Nas Rees had enough. Dante DiVincenzo said, let me just grab you. And it got chaotic. a million ejections. Rudy Gobert in the thick of it, but actually a bit of a peacemaker there. I'm just telling you, this is a new look Detroit Pistons team.

This franchise has been down for a while. And they don't like the way they're officiated. They don't. They feel like... They don't know if they're wrong. I think Detroit feels like, okay, we're tired of hearing. Detroit is young and they don't get kind of the league whistle. Their complaint is, you're giving everybody else the whistle, like show us respect.

and they're not necessarily. So I watch some of their highlights and some of their complaints, and they're not necessarily wrong. Yeah, there is a Lambeer-Mohorn feel to this team. Isaiah Stewart is a bad dude, okay? Not like a bad human being, but just on the court. He is rugged. He's facing a lengthy suspension here.

He's got into it with LeBron before, and the guy's not to be trifled with. Coming off the court, he points at his jersey. We're Detroit, and it gave a feel of those bad ones. How about DeVincenzo, Villanova guy? He was not going to get pushed around. I'm just telling you, I don't want to see this Pistons team in the first round because they're not going to go down lightly.

Cade Cunningham's a star, and they just have some bruisers who are not afraid to mix it up. That's a team I don't like playing in the men's league, the guys who just don't care. They don't care about going to work, Nick, they, with a black eye. That Pistons team, man, I'm just telling you, Colin, be careful with them. Next up, let's go to Stefan Diggs. The new Patriots wide receiver signed on Friday, and, you know, people are curious how he's going to help Drake May. Well, here is what Diggs is saying about joining New England comparing Drake May to Josh Allen.

I'm excited. I really look forward to it. It's crazy because when you ask around, he has a lot of similarities. What people say through the great vine, he acts a lot like Josh, and, you know, that was my guy. So I look forward to meeting and connecting with him. You know, we played him last year. He shows a lot of fight. He got that fiery quarterback. I want to win mindset.

So, you know, that's something I get excited. ball and let it be around. But as far as like his development as a quarterback, I feel like, you know, that's not really too much of my job. My job is to get up and catch the ball. They haven't had a number one receiver. Wait a minute. Wait. Did you hear what he just said? What? As far as developing a quarterback, that's not really part of my job? That's not too much of my job. It's not. His job is to get open. Catch the ball. That's not his job. A young quarterback who's like, what, Drake Bay is like 23 years old? I'm a wide receiver. I'm working on my craft. You work on yours. Just all get open and I'll catch the ball. What a team player.

Colin Cowherd is. Hey, I got to do me. You do you. I'll do my job. Well, I'm saying I'm a wide receiver. I'm with the wide receiver group. My job is to write read, run my route, and catch the ball. What will be a veteran leader in the huddle or in the locker room?

Quarterbacks lead receivers. Receivers don't lead quarterbacks. You didn't Drake Mays going into the locker room in commanding respect as a second year quarterback? Yeah, I do. Silent respect. And Diggs, we know. Now let's slow down. He's been a little choppy.

But he can... A little? You know, he's a receiver. I just bake it in. Like, I always know with my wife, she's going to snap at me once a day. Once a day? Yeah, I'll see. I just know, I'll do something, and she'll ask me to do something for a third time. And I'm thinking about some sports rant.

So I just bake it into the relationship. Right, right, right. And once a day, she's going to snap. She won't throw anything at me or anything. I would hope not. Boy, this is quite the reveal. Once a day, you get snapped at? At least once a day, I'll be asked to do something for a third time, and I bake it in that I...

She will be frustrated with me. I bake in wide receivers. You guys are all going to be needy like three times a season. I baked it in. I get the snap at like every fourth day, maybe, not every day. You know what my wife did the other day? She did this. She put the dry cleaning out in the open in the hallway and the bedroom.

And then she moved it to front of the stairs the next day. Hoping you'll do something. And then yesterday she moved it to the front door. and my thing is, can you just ask me to take it? I'll do it. But she's like, well, I figured you'd figured out. And I'm like, I don't figure much out. Yeah, a little passive-aggressive, come on.

You got to kind of just tell me, do stuff. Do you think she's listening right now? She doesn't even know what I do. Yeah. She thinks I'm an accountant. I don't want, I'm not a mind reader, right? Is that what you said? I'm not a mind-reader.

I didn't argue. I never argue. Oh. I've never won an argument. Not going to start now. But she kept moving it throughout the course of the house, and I was like, I'm taking that as a sign that it's my turn to do. But I've got to focus on this red about the new

bowling pin bats in baseball. That's right. Yeah. Very busy. Final story, Colin, is the UFL kicked off week one of their second season. And one of the biggest moments was in the Michigan Panthers game. Take a listener who sealed their victory. Williams, with time now

the impression tries to spin out of it. How about that? You hear that? Kain Nakua. His younger brother? Oh, yeah. He's got two brothers that were playing. and they both scored in week one. Puka's out here talking about retiring. His brothers are just stacking touchdowns. You know, it's funny.

So I watched Puka and Kuku, I saw his high school tape, Utah, then I saw him go play at Washington, his good young player. Then I watched him at BYU. I would have never guessed he was this good as a pro. He was a fifth round pick. Yeah. Like it was funny, like when Cooper Cup was at Eastern Washington, both the Rams and the Chargers liked him.

I was told after the draft, the Chargers are like, If they didn't take him, we loved him. Like Puganakuwa, like George Kittle. I remember watching him, he played at Iowa. Yes. Yeah, I remember watching George Kittl in college. I'm like, oh, he's a good player. I would have never guessed George Kittal.

It's so much harder to identify football talent because fit. You know, you play with Kyle Shanahan or you play with Andy Reed. Like sometimes you see guys and you're like, you know, it's very obvious. Like Aidan Hutchinson at Michigan, you're like, yeah. Yeah, that guy's going to be really good. Or Joe Alt at Notre Dame, you're like, hey, he's going to be a really good tackle. Pooka Nakua caught me off guard. And you were right because during camp, Matt Stafford.

Do you remember that? Yeah, yeah. OTAs told everybody, dude, we got a star. I remember I gave that out of his fantasy advice before he had played a snap. You said. You know, sometimes you get lucky. You meet some people who know some people. No, you told me.

You said he is lighting up camp. I'll see what I can do, but this draft has me concerned about my guy, Jalen Milrow. I maintain he's going early, and Chris Felica's pushing back. Some people are like, Melroo, no shot at first round. My people are saying he's going to go first round, but we'll see. I don't know where you are on Millrow yet. He needs the right fit. No, I mean, not like he really needs the right fit.

Oh. Yeah. He's a better Anthony Richardson. That's not saying much. Well, he actually does. He throws a nice ball. He's just accuracy-wise on, you know. The Josh Allen at Wyoming, right?

Not as turnover prone, but they just, you're not quite sure what you're getting series to series. But again, there's... It matters. Like you said, Kittal at Iowa? I mean, the Iowa offense runs in quicksand for the last 20 years. So you wouldn't expect any of those guys to really pop. And that's... Like, when you watch the tight end from Penn State, you know he's great.

Oh. He's caught 17 balls against SC. I mean, like, you're like, oh, this guy's going to be... But there are, every draft will have, like, multiple... players, you're like, I watched him in college. Where did this come from? Jamir Gibbs was good in college. I didn't see, oh my gosh, he is explosive as hell with the lions. The other one is Amar on St. Brown.

So I watched him in high school in Southern California. His dad was like Mr. Olympia. And he comes to USC's very good as a freshman. Then I feel like he plateaus a little bit. And he wasn't a good speed guy. He was a hard worker. He was a great kid. Everybody liked him.

But I kind of felt like, and he went in the fourth round. And I kind of felt like he'll be a 55 catch guy. No idea he would be one of the 10 best receivers in the league. I would have guessed he was a 10-year veteran, well-liked, hard worker, kind of a good two, maybe not even a great two. He's an excellent one. Yeah. And you and I watch a lot of college football.

George Kittle, Amaron St. Brown, who was the first one I talked about? Oh, Pooka Nakuo. Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry, we'd never guess that. Jay Mackle the News. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd L.A. It's the Herd.

Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's Steve Kavino. And I'm Rich Davis. And together we're Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific, on Fox Sports Radio, and of course, the I-Heart Radio app. Why should you listen to Covino and Rich? We talk about everything, life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world?

We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved too. Take your phone calls, chop it up as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio. Maybe the most interactive show on Planet Earth.

Be sure to check out Covino & Rich live on Fox Sports Radio and the IHeart Radio app from 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Covino and Rich, wherever you get your podcast and, of course, on social media. That's Cabino and Rich. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, huge news?

We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas, we invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. 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 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 Acapella 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.

Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen, kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't love. look back. Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across.

When Jacob met Levant this plant to a billion dollar fraud. But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in American history. You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life. Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. 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. 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. Follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The new torpedo bat the Yankees are using. I think some of its aesthetics, if you put a picture of them here, and I apologize to the radio audience, but the bat on the top is the new bat. Now it looks like it's like 25 to 30% bigger,

but it's not breaking the rules. The length is in a circumference is not illegal. So, and if you see players, during the game, people say, well, it looks like a bowling pin. I've heard that, ah, it's a bowling pin. So I trust the governing body. I mean, sometimes leagues introduce things and don't tell the players, like David Stern, the late commissioner and said,

hey, we've got a new basketball. The players are like, yeah, we don't like that. They did that once, I think, with a football or something, and Peyton Manning said, I can't grip it. And so the Yankees are hitting all sorts of home runs. There are people that are complaining. Aaron Judge is not using it. It's clearly helping.

So the only question is, when do the rest of the teams use it? So here's the Yankees Jazz Chisholm on his new bat. I love my bat. You know what I mean? I think you can tell. It's working pretty well for me. I mean, it doesn't feel like a different bat. It just helps you in a little way, I guess.

It gives you a feeling of just feeling like you have more to work with. You know what I mean? Like you probably don't have more to work with, but it feels like it. You know what I mean? So it gives you that extra confidence in your head to be able to go out there and hit anything. What do you make of it? I mean, over the weekend, they're setting records. Love me.

I just love news stories that are fresh and brand new and outside the box. This is going to shake up baseball. That's undeniable, right? You would say that instantly? Oh, there's absolutely no question. The demand for these bats is going to be through the roof. And it's the Yankees. That's a huge part of this.

The tush push wouldn't matter if it was Jacksonville. If it was Milwaukee Brewers with these bats. Yes. Would it be as much of a hubbub? So, by the way, the Twins catcher, Ryan Jeffers, used the torpedo bat yesterday. He went 0 for 4. So it doesn't work for everybody. Again, baseball is a different sport. It's a lot of mental. You know, hockey, basketball, football, it's too fast. Golf and baseball, you sit around a lot thinking. That's why you've seen great all-time golfers, like Ian Baker-Finch or David Duvall.

I mean, they go, they get into their head, A-Rod. just literally can't hit. Barry Bonds. So I wouldn't mess with it if I was a good hitter. Well. But if I'm hitting 248, why not? Even the Warriors, the three-point warriors, remember, they went ballistic from three. The Houston Rockets tried it. Do you remember that game seven where they missed like 24 threes in a row?

Yeah. Like, it's not going to, it's not automatically you're using the bowling pin bat. You're automatically going to go yard every time. There is something to be said that Kevin Durant, Steph and Clay playing together are not anybody else. Gordon and whoever else. Here's Aaron Boone, Yankee manager on the new bats. You know, trying to be the best we can be. I mean, that's one of the things that's gotten pointed out.

But, you know, I say to you guys all the time, we're trying to win on the margins. We have a big organization that are invested in a lot of different things where we're trying to be better in every possible way. The reality is it's all within major league standards. Yeah, I think if it was the Orioles, we wouldn't care as much. The evil empire. Listen, baseball, we had Rob Manfred on last week. If you look at the last seven or eight things that have happened in baseball,

eliminate defensive shift, O'Tonnie goes to the Dodgers, pitch clock, torpedo bats, Yankee Dodger World Series, baseball's on a heater. It's on a heater. No, I mean, they've had about seven or eight, either cultural changes or significant moves that have all worked in their favor. You've got to be honest in our business is I gave baseball about 15 years off. But they have had, for the last two years, the game is infinitely more watchable.

You know, and some of this too is, we have to remember this. Not only are the Yankees a big brand. They did lead baseball in Homer's last year. So they are a team capable. This isn't the twins, and suddenly they're doubling the rest of the sports. Do you think baseball presses their luck with this golden bat ticket thing? Not this year. Not this year, okay.

Because I think that's spicy. Maybe you save it, you keep your powder dry. Hey, let's ride this wave. Let's wait until next year and then implement it. But it's just like baseball. I believe that ESPN and baseball will get a deal done. I think you can't give it up now. You think they come back to the bargain?

Yeah, I just, I think it's just, I mean, I got Bryce Harper in Philadelphia, Soto in New York, Judge in New York. I got three stars, five stars on the Dodgers. I got torpedo bats. I mean, I've got, the Cubs could be interesting. The Braves actually are struggling, and now the Dodgers and the Braves play. So Atlanta's not off to a good start, but it's just, it does matter in every sport not named the NFL where your stars play. You know, the NFL's kind of, I mean, I know we didn't dive into it, but this push push, I'm sure you're reading about it. sounds like the push is going to be eliminated, Colin.

That ticks me off. I think that's a dumb move by some soft ones. Well, you're not allowed to push mostly. Who are you? Stephen Jones? That's like his exact quote. We don't allow pushing in the league. Well, they do allow some pushing.

Offensive linemen can kind of... Siriani's starting to pop off. I don't... This is going to be a little heated. Some of it is resentment for Philadelphia. Because they're a super aggressive team in trades and drafting. And again, if this was the Jaguars, we, this would not be, some of it is, the greatest compliment is imitation,

yes. Or criticism. Both are great compliments. If somebody, if somebody imitates me or criticizes me, you matter. And the Philadelphia Eagles matter a lot in the national football. What's the saying the highest form of flattery is imitation or something like that? I mean, the Eagles are, people copied it. Yeah.

So, and unlike the wildcat, it's got legs. It's just, I think we undervalue how much of this is Jalen Hurray. who is historically strong and small. So you can't, you know, Josh Allen does it or Herbert. You can take the top off. You can jump over the top. You can't do anything with Jalen Hertz. Remember Daniel Jones tried it and like his center got dinged up.

Yeah, like, yeah, it just, yeah. All right, good stuff. Kelvin Samson stopped by today. Matt Hasselbeck stopped by today. And yes, I think the torpedo bat is here to stay. It was so funny. Like, people were freaking out. You know, everybody was like, yeah, of course the Yankees found it.

There is just something about guys in sports. There are certain brands that just are polarizing regardless as the minute they start winning, people get ticked off. The college basketball crown is next to Utah and Butler on FS1. Hey, guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick.

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