The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 3 - MLB, young QBs

Episode Date: July 18, 2022

Preview of the MLB All-Star game There isn't much certainty for young QBs like Tua Tagovailoa   Guest: Joe DavisSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Ah, here we go. Hour number three, we're live. In L.A., it's the herd. All-Star game tomorrow, wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Iheart Radio, Fox Sports Radio FS1. So this weekend I'm in Chicago talking to somebody. Joy Taylor. And I understand where people are loyal to something that's great.

Yes. And I'm not talking like people, like a business. Like I understand if you're loyal to Mercedes-Benz or BMW or Delta Airw. being loyal to spirit airlines doesn't feel like the same, right? Like a discount airline, I wouldn't be loyal to. But if you feel like there's an airline, you get points to your credit card. Of course. Totally get that.

But I was talking to somebody that loves college football. And I said, what are you loyal to? He has this problem with USC and UCLA joining the Big Ten in Texas, Oklahoma. I said, what are you loyal to? If you go, I asked the staff this morning. I said, go to the average. I said, go to a mid-Oxicon. October Saturday.

And look at the college football games. Give me the top 10 programs. That weekend, we took an average mid-October Saturday. Alabama won by four touchdowns. Ohio State won by seven touchdowns. Michigan won by four touchdowns. Notre Dame blew out somebody. Oklahoma won by 12.

That's just a handful of great teams. In any weekend in the top 10 to 12 in college football, you'll get one upset, two close games, seven blowouts, and three games, you know who the better team is. What are you loyal to? We want more big, good games. USC and UCLA to the big teams. I get USC in Wisconsin, USC in Iowa, USC Ohio State, USA. Can you imagine I get Oklahoma LSU, Oklahoma, Bama, in the regular season. Sign me up for it. My takeaway is, well, I love the regionalism. once you come to terms with

99% of your favorite college football teams have no chance to win a championship once you get past that delusion and you look at the sport as loyalty and entertainment do you want more big games do you want more good games well urgency and parity are the issues with college football

now obviously you need to win all of your games but when you're playing against teams that are far inferior, look at the blowouts you just listed, that you don't really have that sense of urgency. We know in college you need to win every single game because of the structure and the end of the season of the playoffs. But you don't even concern about that. Those great teams are going to win because there are fewer of those matchups that are talking about. One of the reasons the NFL is so powerful is urgency. But, you know, there's only 12 college football games and there's 17 NFL.

So you could argue there's more urgency in college football, but the NFL gets five times the rating. Matchups aren't as good. Right. So in the NFL, I have no idea who's going to win the Super Bowl. I thought it was Buffalo last year. I still think Buffalo was the best team, and they couldn't get to the Super Bowl. But also the NFL, even if it is a bad team like Jacksonville, they can beat a great team at the end of the year and knock them out of the playoffs. Also, in the NFL, if you're successful, if you win your division, you have to play other division winners.

Yes. So my takeaway is college football could solve a lot of their lack of parity very easy. easily. If you win your division, like let's say Georgia and Alabama, they have to play each other absolutely next year. Then they also have to play three of the other winners. They have to go to Alabama would have to go or Georgia to Ohio State, to Baylor. They could host Pittsburgh. They could host. Then you'd start having some real parity, but it doesn't work that way. So you have no parity in college football. So all you fans out there, all you have to do, there's like 95, 100 games a weekend or how many, I think there's 130 Division 1 teams.

You're going to have like some buys, but 60 games a weekend. 30 are blowouts. 20 are fun, but the percentage of games that are really compelling with two even teams because is very small because Nick Sabin is trying to get to the title game. So he has Citadel three times, two buys, no out-of-conference roadies. You have to basically guilt him in going on the road to face a great team. Georgia finally now, for years Georgia never left the South. Finally, Georgia went, played Notre Dame.

What happened? Great game. Great game. So this regionalization, oh, I'm so loyal to what? Nine Alabama blowouts? It's like being loyal to Spirit Airlines. If you want to be loyal to Swiss Air, Luftanza, Cathay Pacific, Delta, be loyal. Don't be loyal to a second-tier carrier.

I got nothing against Spirit, but it's, I mean, again, if you want to be loyal, to great, be loyal to great. But I mean, I just don't understand. Because it's new, because it's different. And regionalism is actually what is a massive problem for college football in the media. Here's another issue. You're not giving up anything. By the way, USC, UCLA will still play. Texas, Oklahoma will still play. If you're a Big Ten fan, you still get Michigan, Michigan State. You still get Michigan, Ohio State. You still get Wisconsin, Iowa. You're not giving up anything. You're getting, by having USC and UCLA on the conference or Texas, Oklahoma, you'll get more great games. They're not going to end any of the great rivalries. They're not

throwing those things away. You, you're still going to have Alabama Auburn. It'd be one thing if you were replacing, you were trying to create new rivalries and ending the great ones. The great ones will remain and new big boy rivalries. I cannot wait to watch Oklahoma and Texas in the SEC. How many times can I watch Texas Tech in Oklahoma? I mean, so it's to me, if you give me Oklahoma and now I got the Lincoln Riley story at USC, so Oklahoma hates SC. And so when Oklahoma wins, they're going to be going, yeah, in your face. And when USC wins, they're going to be going, yeah, Oklahoma in your face, what sports is all about? But I want Oklahoma playing more games that I turn on the television and it's 31, 31 with six to go.

That's what I want to watch. Because Oklahoma's recruiting is good. Their coach. And Oklahoma's going to win 10 games the rest of my life. If they win nine and they're closer, it's not like Oklahoma's going to go into the toilet, but they may win a game less, but they'll be in more competitive, vibrant, dynamic football games. So I don't understand the loyalty to average. If you love college football, well, the regionalism.

We didn't just throw all these teams into a hopper and we've got Wisconsin playing in an aerosolitan. Arizona. It's just we've added a couple of weird fits to create more special Saturdays. Sign me up for it. Now, I do think, like I was talking to a friend about this in California. I said, I don't know if I was USC if I'd keep the Notre Dame rivalry going, if they didn't go to the Big Ten. Because USC is now going to have to play four Midwest games. I don't want to every other year play a fifth. You could make an argument, that's the one rivalry which could end. But it's like college football will be able to handle Notre Dame USC not playing. But if I was USC, I would look at that and go, all right, I got to go to Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio State, this year, Notre Dame.

And I could get out of the Notre Dame game and have another home revenue game. I'd probably do that. But I just, the loyalty to, because Dion Sanders was saying, I don't know if we have a bite or he was talking about, Listen, what's happening in college football, he says, call it realignment. You can call it chasing the bag. That's what they're doing. They're chasing the bag. Everybody's trying to align themselves so their program can prosper.

I don't mind that. I want our program to prosper as well. Yeah, Texas, Oklahoma are going to go from making $34 million to $60 million. USCU, UCLA are going to go from $30 million in the PAC 12 to $80 million per season. Of course they're going to move. UCLA's in debt $100 million. Of course they're going to move. So, yeah, I don't know.

the NFL beats college football like four to five times. It's not just because of the urgency. It's because the NFL, that one o'clock window every Sunday, you got like six close games, maybe one blowout. You've got four or five close games. It's hard to turn that stuff off. So just create more great close games and we all win. It seems easy to me.

I don't know. The other story today, It's Jimmy Garoppolo story. I don't want to do this really quickly. So Steve Young was out there talking about Jimmy Garoppolo on a KNBR to local San Francisco radio station. And I said this to start the show a couple hours ago. I, for the life of me, it's okay to be critical of Jimmy Garoppolo. But I think we've lost our collective minds.

There is reportedly he's just, he may just ask to be released. There's basically, there's no market for him. Can we play the Steve Young bite? Let's put, here's what Steve Young says about Jimmy Garoppolo. If Jimmy requests a release, I don't, I can't imagine a scenario where they tell him no, you're staying. And I can't imagine Jimmy not getting to the place where when he passes his physical that he doesn't ask for his release.

But I think Jimmy will probably pass his physical. And then when they, when that happens, I don't, I can't imagine a scenario where they don't give it to him. I think we've lost our minds. Jimmy's never healthy nonsense. They played 17 weeks last year. He was ready to go 15 of them. So Jimmy played 15 to 17 and three playoff games.

So he was available for 18 weeks last year. And was really good in almost all of them. Look at the numbers for Jimmy Garoppolo last year. This is with a run-centric coach and they do not have a dependable number two wide receiver. He was top 10 in a lot of stats. Six in completion percentage. ninth passer rating, second in yards per attempt, first in yards per completion. This receiving corps wasn't the chiefs.

It wasn't the Rams or the Chargers. It was the Niners receiving Corps. Well, he's just never healthy. I think he played like 18 to 19 weeks, the Super Bowl season. He's been banged up, folks. He's only 26 million a year, 26 and a half million. It's not all guaranteed. People have lost their minds.

There are teams right now. I mean, you can literally right now, forget this year, where you're going to have some really bad quarterback play. You can talk yourself into 10 teams after this year that are moving off a quarterback. Seattle, in Atlanta, and Carolina, and Carolina. We don't think the Baker Darnold thing's going to last forever. Washington could move off Wentz if he ticks off Ron Rivera, Jared Goff. The Texans are rolling the dice on the air, young quarterback. It's probably not going to be a, I mean, you tell me, Jimmy Garoppolo for two years,

Or be bad this year and cross your fingers, you get one of the two to three quarterbacks out of college that could be good in three years. I don't get it. If you told me right now, and I'm not picking on Justin Fields, but if you said Justin Fields played somewhere else and Garoppolo played for the Bears this year, I would take him for second in the division. Now, Fields could be good, but there's total question marks for Justin Fields. I know exactly what I get with Comette, with their,

Montgomery with Moody and they've drafted the O line last two years I'd like oh no you could you could absolutely vie for number two in that division you go toe to toe I think physically with Green Bay and compete and a lot of people like Justin Fields I don't know what he is but if I could get

certainty at quarterback with all these young quarterbacks you have no certainty at all we don't know what Zach Wilson is or Daniel Jones is I think we know what two is and his limitations Mac Jones everybody's hyping that up I know exactly what I get with this guy. I've seen him go toe to toe to with Mahomes,

Aaron Rogers, I've seen him at Lambo, I've seen him in this division. He's been in huge games the last three and four years. And he accounts for himself like really well in most of them. 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. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

Some call it grotes. 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. Yep, that's me. Clipper 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, 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. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kajah said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little camp? 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 it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed, correct. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence.

Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite things. Therapist, Kear Games.

And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough.

Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on Earth, or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person.

Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast. Learn the Hardway. Open your free, our Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. safest place on earth should be your home recommending simply safe advanced home security put your family first 20% off interactive monitoring today at simply safe colin.com mark medina nba writer nb a nb a com so let's let's first um you know i'm not a westbrook fan that's well documented it does appear it's not even an impasse it is russell did not sit next to lebron at summer league i don't think that's a small thing can we just say it he's wants out. That's why his agent and he broke up because the agents like stay and Westbrook's like get me out of here. Is that the root of it? Yeah. And look, Westbrook can say he's never demanded a trade from the Lakers. But that doesn't matter. The Lakers have been trying to trade them all

summer, but it's just been challenging to find a trading partner. So it's not to say it's 100% guaranteed that Russ won't be in a Lakers uniform because there is a depressed market. But I know after being in Summer League talking to Jeannie Bus, you know, philosophically about a lot of things. She made it clear that she's encouraging the front office that the work isn't done. And when I asked, do you expect a major move moving forward? She's like, nothing would surprise me. But the message was the work isn't done. And when I pressed even more about, hey, well, how do you entertain the idea of how do you balance draft picks and other assets? She mentioned the Anthony Davis trade a few years ago, where if you want to get something, you have to be willing to give up something in return.

So I think that's the message she's been giving in the front office that the work isn't done and keep pushing. She had a semi-cryptic tweet a couple weeks ago. Many people thought it was a shot at LeBron. I didn't interpret it anyway, if I recall. I almost thought she was talking to Kyrie and they were close on Kyrie, so I'm just taking stabs at it. What did that mean do you think? Well, look, I asked that one of that question to Genie directly. You know, where did it come from?

What prompted her to tweet that? she was basically saying she's working on this docu series that's coming out for hulu about the lakers and there was a lot of stuff about coby brian and that you know brought her back into a reflective mode in these you know really tough two and a half years ever since his passing and so that's the genesis that she said that she uh wrote that tweet when i press further about look there's been speculation on social media everywhere else that this was a message to lebron james or something happening in the off season she emphatically We said, no, that's not the case.

It was just, you know, I was grief-stricken and thinking about Kobe. So that's what her words were. But I know that there was a lot of thinking before and after that there was some subtle message to LeBron or somewhere else. I'll take her word for it. So LeBron has something called The Shop. It's his production company. He and Mav Carter. And he said he verbalized this.

So he said it publicly, which he said he has sleepless nights when he doesn't feel. other people are quite as committed as he is. It felt like a shot at AD. But the fact that he verbalized it, how it landed for me was he's telling Polenka and Jeannie, you can move anybody you want here. I'm good with it. Like, I'm not loyal to anybody.

That was my holistic message. He's just telling the people upstairs, do the deal you got to do because he moved off D. Wade. He moved off Cleveland. a second time. I mean, LeBron is, he moved off Pat Riley, people he admired or liked. What did you make of him verbalizing? Yeah, not everybody's as committed as I am. Yeah, look, I think that that message can apply to who he's playing with and who's in the front office about in the front office. It's about putting all your chips in to try to maximize

your chances of winning with his teammates. It's about your commitment towards sacrificing roles or doing what you need to do in the offseason. What's interesting, going back to that interview with Jeannie, that seemed to be her message to the front office as well, where she's not the one making basketball decisions. That's the basketball operations. But on one hand, she's expressing, I still have full confidence in Rob Polink and everyone else.

And, you know, she was very adamant that a lot of last season's shortcomings had to do more with injuries than the roster construction. We can agree to disagree there. But at the same time, she was also saying, if things don't, you know, pan out next season, well, we're not competitive. We're not making the playoffs. She's going to do what's best for the Lakers. Now, is that going to mean that they're going to listen to LeBron?

One of the other questions I asked about this whole notion that, you know, clutch sports and LeBron's representatives have a lot of influence with what the Lakers do. And she was adamant that, look, there's a relationship that she has with them, as she does with every player, but at the end of the day that the Lakers have done what's best, what they think is best for their franchise. So she was very strong in saying that there is that separation of church and state, and they're not allowing, you know, clutch to have any sort of extra influence. There is influence, but nothing that would go against what they already thought of envisioning. What did you make of the Drew League thing over the weekend with LeBron?

Yeah, I was there. It was interesting. It was a zoo-like atmosphere. His appearance wasn't until 145 p.m. Dino Smiley, the Drury League Commissioner, told me that fans showed up as early as 630 a.m. And the capacity is normally about 1,500 people. They're about 2,500 fans that attended. So there may have been some fire codes that were violated, but, you know, as you can see in the video, it was a pro-am summer league type atmosphere. A lot of NBA players like Draymond Green and Montrez-Harrell, THT, they were all there

soaking in LeBron and he delivered. He got 42 points, teamed up with DeMargaroze and put on a show. Well, you got Rucker Park in New York. Yeah. The Drew League out here in Los Angeles. Yeah, without a doubt. So Summer League, what do you make, what are your sources say on Chet Holmgren? You were in Vegas in the 112 degree heat. I think he's fascinating, bit of a unicorn. What do they say? Yeah, I think that they say that he can play. There's a reason that he's drafted number two. But look, there's no way around it. He is thin. I feel like he's thinner than us, right? And there were a few plays. Well, I don't take philosophically a lot from summer league games.

I do take moments, though. And some of the moments that suck out to me, there are a few games in particular where he was posterizing people, dunking on people, showing off his versatile skill set with his footwork and his outside shot. And the very next possession, he's getting pushed around. He's getting dunked on. So while I think that he can obviously thrive, especially in today's NBA, where the value of what a big brings is different in the past era, you still need to be strong. You still need to

have a physical presence. I think at least in the short term, there's no way around it. It's going to be a growing pain for him. But I think big picture, the thunder and other people around the NBA feel like he's going to adapt to that and eventually become a special player. This is my theory, and this is very rare. The primary goal with him in year one is to put 25 pounds on. So I would go in, this sounds so counterintuitive to you want young guys to play. And I would say you're playing 55 games, 26 minutes a night. And that is it.

I don't want back to backs. Why? Because if you're playing backs to back, going from 35 college games at Gonzaga's level to this level, you'll never put on weight. You'll be flying through 6,000 calories a night. And I would just say, no back to backs. We're going to play 55 games.

That is it, 26 minutes. Because to me, the goal with him, his jumper's excellent. Got good handles. hard worker tough. He's too skinny. You can't play a guy if you can't preseason, you can't play him up 90 games. There's no way from 30 college in Gonzaga's division conference. So am I nuts on that? Well, I don't think the Thunder are going to preemptively put him on load management,

his rookie season, but I think philosophically they're going to have that patient approach with him as well as, you know, find ways to shield himself from his weaknesses. But you know what, that can only go so far. I think offensively you can do that because he doesn't have to be a big that's trying to dominate in the post. He has other skills to his credit. But defensively, there's no way around it. You have to be physical even in today's NBA. So I think that there is going to be a learning curve most notably defensively of how he not only defends guys,

but how he deals with the physicality. Because whether it's a center, power forward, even, you know, guards, they're going to go at him. They're going to try to beat him up. And at some point, even when you're young, there is going to be somewhere in terror. And so I think as a result of that, I think that that does validate your theory that there is going to be a limited workload. I don't think going into the season, they're going to map that out yet. We had this. We just been dealing with this, you know, I don't know, seven, eight-year tunnel, KD, Kyrie, Hardin, Ben Simmons, little needy, little high maintenance.

And I think the NBA is shifting and it's good for the league, that people now are. seeing how valuable, Janus, Tatum, Dame, Steph, the culture of sharing. Memphis, John Morant left for like 20 games. They went 18 and 2 because of their depth. And I believe that's why there's no market for KD or Kyrie or Ben Simmons and a small one for Hardin is that we went through this eight-year sort of explosion of salaries and you got to pay the stars. And I'm not necessarily blaming everybody.

But I do feel like the Warriors championship and the ascension of Wiggins and the Celtics culture. I think the NBA is slightly pivoting to, guys, you know what? A bench, chemistry, coaching, cohesiveness. This is why there's no market for KD. Or it's small. Yeah, 100%. And look, when we're looking at the Warriors, that's part of why I don't think that

a Kevin Durant reunion is going to happen. Because as much as you think, well, it's Kevin Freakin Durant, the Warriors in the back their mind, think, hey, we just want a championship without him. And obviously, the common denominators, both during the Kevin Durant era and before he arrived there, it's obviously Steph Curry and Clay Thompson and Raymond Green. They're all special players, generational players, but they also were able to successfully ride these two parallel tracks last season of leaning on those guys while developing young players on the fly. That's why I didn't think they could win. I didn't think they could balance that. And look, that's not a guarantee that.

next season that formula will work. I think Gary Payton the second's departure is a huge loss, but I think it's the Warriors hope that they can further develop Jonathan Caminga and Moses Moody, get James Wiseman healthy, maybe Dante de Vincenzo, that free agent sign that can mitigate GP seconds, the absence. But they readily concede when he talked to them. They don't know if this is going to work,

but they feel like this will boost their odds, not only long term, but short term as far as their winning goes. That's not to say they don't love Kevin Durant. They obviously miss him, and there's a reason why they won two championships because he was the ultimate cheat code. He got two finals MVP's, but it's almost like the toothpaste is out of the tube, and it's time to move on to the next era. And you know this because you covered him from 2017 to 2019,

is that there was, the media and fans were sort of awestruck. They'd be a little more cynical. Yeah. Steve Kerr, walking on eggshells, why would you need to? Is that the warriors, I don't think, would treat them with quite the bubble that they did. I don't think the fans would. I think the fans would be tougher on him. I think the San Francisco media would be tougher on him. There was this sense that we're watching history. And then he left and they kept winning. They're winning now. And you're thinking, bruh, you bailed on us. You know what I mean? So my takeaway is, I don't think it would be mentally healthy for KD to go to the Warriors. He wouldn't be traded. I mean, I remember after one of their championship, Bob Myers grabbed the mic and said something, and everybody's like, whoa, don't offend KD. I don't think they'd care as much. And I think KD is a unique personality. He's sensitive. I'm okay with that. But I don't think it would necessarily be good for him. I don't think it would be fulfilling for him because he already won championships there.

And part of going to Brooklyn, I don't think it was about I want to be the guy. but it was about fulfilling another challenge about trying to win a championship outside of the Warriors' organizations. And to be clear, I think to Kevin Durant's credit and the Warriors' credit, I think from team dynamics, everything for the most part was really good. And even when there were those tension-filled moments, whether it was disagreeing with Steve Kerr's offense or the blow-up that he and Draymond Green had, it didn't really affect how they played basketball. Everyone, for the most part, were able to blend their talents and roles together.

But I think the bigger point that you hit on the outside, not just with the media and the fans, but just what this challenge would mean for him in his fulfillment. I don't think going back to Golden State would check a box. There's a reason why he left about wanting to check off another to-do list in his basketball career. Mark Medina, writernbba.com. Absolutely great to see you. Are you living down here or up there anymore? I lose trash. Yeah, and Sherman Oaks now.

Okay, right over the hill. Love it, love it. Excellent whole foods there. Very nice parking amenities. I shouldn't have advertised it because I wanted to keep it a secret, but I guess the cat's out of the bag. Yeah, Sherman Oaks, pretty well documented at this point. It does exist.

Mark, you're great. Joy Taylor with the news. No, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. So Russell Westbrook and his longtime agent, Thad Foucher, have parted ways. They worked together throughout Westbrook's 14-year career. And after the move, Foucher issued a statement suggesting that he and Westbrook were no longer in agreement about the future of Russ's career.

He said with the possibility of a fourth trade in four years, the marketplace is telling the Lakers they must add additional value with Russell in any trade scenario. My belief is that this type of transaction only serves to diminish Russell's value. And his best option is to stay with the Lakers, embracing the starting role and support the Darvernham publicly. offered. Unfortunately, irreconcilable differences exist as to his best pathway forward, and we are no longer working together. Well, 14 years a long time. I've had multiple agents. It happens. Yeah, sometimes you part ways. And it could be a multitude of things or reasons why this isn't continuing. I think the more interesting part is that he is openly saying there's a disagreement between him and Russ about what his future looks like or should look like and the implications of it.

And this has been my opinion about this season with Russell Westbrook for a while, which is that it's very disappointing to me as a fan of Russell Westbrook's and a longtime defender of Russell Westbrook's and someone who's really enjoyed him playing basketball at the highest level when he was, that lack of awareness can completely taint an otherwise amazing career. Yeah. How it ends can change how we view the entire. of it. And that's unfortunate

because he was an incredible player. But things change and you have to be able to adjust to that change and more importantly recognize where you are within an organization. And to add to it, this is the Los Angeles Lakers. And people can have their opinion

about the Lakers nationally all they want. At the end of the day, this is Los Angeles and it's the Lakers. They have a massive international fan base that tends to not forget things. And because they're such a big fan base and because they're such a big brand, they can really write the story of what you are as a player. Yeah. And things going as badly as it did for Russ here, not being able to

play with someone who makes everyone better in LeBron. And that is beyond question. Yeah. It's just really unfortunate for his legacy. Oh, no, no. I mean, LeBron has made virtually everybody he's ever played with better. It's like Magic Johnson and LeBron. I mean, not everybody Michael played with in Washington got better. Like everybody Magic played with. Everybody, Brown played with. Almost everybody's Steph has played with get better.

He can't fix Westbrook. So this is not on anybody else. So it's not a LeBron problem. It's not a LeBron. It's really,

it's a Laker issue, but it's, they've done everything. Remember, Vogel was kind of babysitting in. I can't put it on the Lakers at this point. Can't.

Can't. Frank Vogel was the last one in the building supporting Russ and they've done everything that they can. They're still publicly supporting him and it's still falling apart.

So on Saturday, LeBron played in the Drew League and he teamed up with Demar de Rosen. Dominated. They won 104, 102. Well, yes, as they should. As they should.

I saw, you know, the internet kind of given these guys a hard time. Like, LeBron James walks in there. The fact that you can run up and down the court with him is impressive. Yeah, I mean, this was fun. There's no negative on this. This was great. There's nothing negative here. Now, thankfully, everyone walked out of here safely.

Isn't that funny? When he dunks it in those girls? Yes. It's amazing. What I loved about this is all the young people. Yes. They're like the young kids being able to see LeBron this up close. You go to a game. Tickets are crazy expensive.

Very rarely are you able to sit down like that close to the players. Watch this. LeBron dunks the ball and he goes face to face with these girls and they almost pass out. Yeah. This is unbelievable. I've never been that close to LeBron. Watch this. Watch these kids. Yeah, right there.

Look at. So cool. That's great. We had 42.16 rebounds and four steals. He also said that he is now 100% healthy. That's right. Dominating. Well, he's not going to play all these.

any two games. No, but he doesn't need to at this point. I mean, he's had some injuries. 60. Obviously, since he's joined the Lakers, he's been otherwise Superman. But being 100% healthy, especially at this point in the offseason, it's good news. Joy Taylor with the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lye News. Joe Davis, voice of Fox Sports is around the corner. Great, great young talent. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's Ben, host of the fifth hour with Ben Maller, along with my trusty sidekick, David Gascone, would mean a lot to have you join us on our weekly auditory journey. You're asking what in God's name is The Fifth Hour?

I'll tell you, it's a spinoff of the Ben Mather show, a cult hit overnights on FSR. Why should you listen? Picture, if you will, a world where we chat with captains of industry, in media, sports, and more every week, explore some amazing facts about human nature and more. Listen to the fifth hour with Ben Mather on the Iheart radio app. Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast. 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 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, 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 Cliverts Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or we're you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look

Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode, with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all 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 for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist,

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Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Well, you know somebody's gifted when they replace Vin Scully and Joe Buck. And they're viewed as an absolute brilliant replacement. He's a humble kid. His name is Joe Davis.

He's now the lead announcer, Fox Sports. This is going to be his, you're calling the All-Star game. So I would be terrified. I couldn't walk up to the booth. I'd be shaking. So you replace Vin Scully, who I think both of us believe is probably the greatest baseball announcer of all time, right? Oh, yeah.

And then there's Joe Buck. He's pretty good, too. How of nerves, I mean, how does this kind of land for you knowing there's a lot of pressure on you? Yeah. I think that going through the first one, Colin, probably helps with this second one, where for me, taking over for Vin, I could have looked at it like, oh, my gosh, this is the greatest ever to do. it. Oh, boy. But I tried to look at it the other way. And that was, wow, this guy was the greatest ever to do it. How cool that I get to have the responsibility of being the one to follow him.

And that's what made the Dodger job special for me. And it's a big part of what makes the Fox job special for me, too, is that Joe is the guy that every big event that I remember since I've, you know, been watching sports, he's been the guy. And so the fact that he's the one who I'm following is a big part of what makes it special. So I try to channel it that way as opposed to putting pressure on myself. Well, it's a little top-heavy, but you got the Dodgers big payroll, the Mets big payroll, and the Yankees big payroll. But the team that interests me, and you've seen them, is the Mets.

So they get kind of a Mark Cuban owner, rich guy, huge fan. They spend some big boy money. But I watched them play the Dodgers earlier this year. They didn't have DeGrom, they didn't have Scherzer. And by the end of it, I was like, I think the Mets could be better. What do you make? I mean, we know what the Yankees and, I mean, Dodgers have an all-star roster. The Yankees have spent big money.

But the Mets are interesting because not everybody's an all-star. What do you make of their ascension? Well, I think that they put together really complimentary set of pieces in the offseason. I think Bucks Showalter feels like the perfect guy to take over. What feels like every year turns into a dumpster fire, right? Like, isn't it every year in May we're like, wow, these Mets are good. Like, this is the year where they finally figure it out. it feels like the steadying hand of Buck's show author is what is going to help them sustain those good feelings early on.

And you're right. You talk about Scher and DeGron, but also, you know, Chris Bassett, Taiwan Walker. Nobody wants to face that pitching staff when you get into a short series in October. I don't care how good the team is that's facing it. Yeah. Plus they'll get to be a little bit of an underdog, which is very rare in sports. The Warriors had it this year where they were really good. And people thought the Celtics were better. a lot of people, that's a little pressure. they won't face the Yankees and the Dodgers may.

Speaking of the Dodgers, you do them on a nightly basis. It is an all-star team. Is there anything today in the back of your mind, you're thinking postseason baseball, I don't know if we're good enough here? I think that the pitching injuries have to be the thing. You start with a bullpen. Blake Trinan was their best high leverage arm.

Trinan hasn't pitched since the first couple weeks of the year, I don't know if anybody totally knows when he's going to come back. Daniel Hudson took over his spot and then tore his ACL, so he's out. Bruce Starr-Graderals on the injured list. There are a bunch of key pieces in that pen. What's extraordinary about these guys is that this front office finds guys to plug into those holes, and they just keep on chugging along. But there's got to be some concern about that going into the postseason,

and then the rotation health-wise. Gonsland's already exceeded career high in inning's pitch. Walker Bueller is out. They hope to get him back in September to get him ready for October. What are realistic expectations for a guy who misses much of the year and comes back for a few starts? I don't know. You hope that he's himself. But I just think because of those injuries, and they're as well equipped as anybody to handle him with the depth.

But that depth at some point for any team is going to run out if they continue to run into these injuries. Shohei Otani, it's remarkable. And I want you to tell the story is that, you know, in baseball, there's Babe Ruth and everybody else. There's been a lot of great players. But what he's doing even compares favorably to Babe Ruth. And we talked about it during the break about his ability to simultaneously be dominant. And I want you to talk about what he's done. Yeah, and it feels blasphemous to say, Colin, but he already has exceeded what Babe did as a two-way player.

Babe Ruth did both. But there were only two years in his career where he was a full-time, two-way guy. 1918 and 1919. Most of those seasons, he did both. Before that, he was one of the best pitchers in the American League, considered too valuable to do anything other than hit occasionally. And then after that, he goes to the Yankees and becomes a superstar changing the

way that hitters approach the game hitting home runs. So two years for Babe Ruth is a full-time two-way guy, not even two full years, but two, mostly 1918, 1918, inshue did it as a rookie for much of that year. injuries for a couple years kept them from doing it but we're looking now colin back-to-back MVP caliber seasons of him being a full-time two-way guy where you see him go strikeout 12 triple it's just i mean it's incredible it's an absolute wonder what he does and the amazing thing for me is seeing that the superstars around him have the same reactions that us normal guys all have sitting there watching like how can one guy be so good at so many things

So Aaron, Judge, one year left, injury history. Do you pay them if you're the Yankees? I think you've got to find a way. And I think, yeah, there's the injury history. And that's why they weren't willing to go a little bit longer and give a little bit more. You understood both sides. I understood why the Yankees didn't want to pay him more going into the year. You understood why Judge wanted to wait.

I think you got to find a way. I loved what you said when we were chatting during the break, that he's a Paul Bunyan-type figure in New York, Colin. and like that works there, that fits there. And more so, not more so, but just as important as what he does on the field is the superstar component of it. In New York, this guy is a special fit for that market and having the Paul Bunyan figure as the face of the Yankees, there's a price to that.

Yeah. And it's a whole one. Yeah. Well, Joe, you're as gifted as anybody. I remember the first time I heard you about four or five years ago, I could not believe how talented you were. Your work ethic is legendary. Congratulations. The idea of replacing Vin Scully then Joe Buck and seamlessly crushing it. I'm a huge fan. Thank you so much. Good luck to you. You won't need it. And thanks. Thanks, Colin. Great to talk to you. We watch him in Los Angeles regularly.

He, Oral Hersheiser. That kid is unbelievable. That is a one-timer right there. So good Lord. I remember seeing Vin Scully at Dodger Stadium. I can't remember what game it was. But me and Shannon were there. And he walked past us. And we both froze. Should we say hi to Vin Scully or not? I don't know.

And we just kind of like kept walking. But I didn't want to interrupt him. But like that was the closest I came to Vin Scully. There's just certain people in the business that you're like in awe of. Oh, Vin was. Yeah. It's like you with that when, uh, Al Michaels, was that?

Wally's. Well, Blackman. That's a perfectly acceptable person to... Well, also... Be a fan over. Costas and Michaels were my idols. Yes, mine too. So when I was a young kid, I was like Al Michaels,

Costas looked like he was 12 on NBC, and Michaels was like a kid doing, like, network stuff, and those were my two guys. And so the idea that me from small town America could walk into a restaurant, and Al Michaels goes, hey, Colin, get over here. I still don't know what to say.

I don't even, so. Who is somebody that you haven't, that you would be like a fan? Oh, I think there's so much. There's so many good people out there. I met Jamie Fox, who I think the idea that you can be as funny as Jamie Fox, he can sing and he can act. I think Justin Timberlake is insane. I think Neil Patrick Harris is gifted.

I've met him. I think you'd be surprised at the people I'd be kind of, you know, it's not athletes. You haven't met Don Cheadle. You've seen Don Cito. No, no, no, I think I have met Don Cheadle somewhere. I think he was upset with me. It may be a sports take. I don't recall.

It's all blurs together. I think you said you saw him and then you didn't want to interrupt him. I didn't know. I did. My wife saw him at a restaurant and we don't, we're not really. No, I think Cheadle's amazing. But Cheadle's very approachable. He will approach you.

Jamie Fox came up to me. I almost passed out and fell. It was the McGregor fight. I'm like. Oh, yeah, everybody was at that. Yeah. So, no, there's a lot of really, and you know what the great thing is, when you meet these people, in my experience, they couldn't be nicer.

Of course. They're really nice people. Yeah. The stock market's a little bit of trouble these days. Where is a safe harbor? How about gold? Call Legacy Precious Metals. Go to LegacyPM Investments.com or 866674.

Herd. See you tomorrow. 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 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 IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at a Podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me.

big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. A win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliford 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 celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.