The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 3 - What's Next for Team USA Soccer?

Episode Date: July 4, 2024

Fox Sports' Rob Stone joins the show to discuss US soccer as the nation looks for answers after Team USA gets bounced from Copa America earlier this week. Will it ever attract the top talent in the country? Are the Philadelphia 76ers better or worse with Paul George on the roster?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. 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.

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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. 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. 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 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 Clifers 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 I Heart 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. 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. Hey, what's good, y'all?

You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kare Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit are armored. It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen and learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast.

Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to 3 Eastern, 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for The Herd at Fox SportsRadio.com or stream us. live every day on the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Welcome to the third hour of the herd. It's me, Jason McIntyre in for Colin Cowherd. Happy Fourth of July, everybody. Oh, we're having a great show.

Join today by Alex Curry. Alex, Big plans for the fourth, right after this. We do. Happy birthday, America. I'm going to be barbecue hopping, which seems like the right thing to do on Fourth of July. I used to do that like before. I've always worked

4th of July. I worked in baseball for a decade, so there's always games but just kind of like biking along the strand in Manhattan Hermosa Beach party hopping.

Now I'm just gonna barbecue high. I remember pool hopping as a kid. Nice. We would just ride our bikes. Different place. You knew we're like the cute lifeguards are so you try to sneak into that pool

and then try to make something happen, get a number. I didn't really have a lot of strikes. I didn't really have like the pool experience. I'll just tell a quick fireworks story. Everybody be safe with the fireworks tonight. So we would go up to New York to see relatives when we were kids. And my brother and I, you know, we were, you know, kind of suburban kids at this point from in Virginia. And we're up in New York and our cousins have some friends and they break out these, you know, pretty

dangerous looking fireworks. And we're like, uh, uh, no thanks. They're like, no, this is going to be awesome. Just wait. So they go to the middle of the street, Alex. No. With what, I guess what's an M80? Is that? I don't do fireworks. I'm like miss safety. I'm like safety first. Like with everything in life. So fireworks are like a big freak out no for me. So this friend of our cousins is like, yeah, go hide behind the car over there. No.

And, you know, it's going to be awesome. So they like this off. They're like, cover your ears. And this thing goes off like a sonic boom in the neighborhood. Just huge. Five car alarms go off. And my brother and I are like, oh, my, we're so dead. We're going to get busted.

So we just start booking it back to my aunt's house. And we were terrified, but we told the story all the time. Oh, yeah, hanging out with tough fireworks, guys. No, we've seen the horror stories. Yeah, be careful, folks. Don't do it. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. 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 Clifford show on the IHeart 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. 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 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 Jek. And I'm Alex English. 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, 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Happy July 4th, everybody, back here on the herd. Jason McIntyre in for Colin Cowherd. Let's welcome in a great guest, Rob Stone, studio host, a lot of our soccer stuff. Big Noon kickoff, all around nice guy. Rob, how are you, man? Happy fourth.

Happy to join you. I'll be right there next to you in a couple hours, my friend, with the little Copa action. Obviously the big Argentina matchup tonight on Fox. Rob, let's get started with not as positive of a topic, but U.S. soccer, Greg Burholter. It doesn't seem great, but I don't know. I keep getting the vibes that he's probably going to get a stay of execution here and stick with the U.S. What's your best guess now after the Copa flame out? Yeah, I actually think my best guess is probably that they're going to,

make a move and go on from him. I'm fine if he stays. I'm a huge fan of Greg Burhalter. I appreciate all the work he does behind the scenes, and he really cares and is invested in this program. But, you know, the failure of not being able to get out of the group of Copa America is a huge mark on his record. That was the bare minimum to be achieved this summer for the U.S. men's national team, particularly with the World Cup less than two years out now. So my feeling is, and particularly the fact that U.S. soccer sent out a statement roughly two hours after that final result that, hey, we're going to do an exhaustive, extensive review of this situation. A, that's what you do anyways. Why do you need to put a statement out for it? To me, that was

kind of grease in the wheel that they're letting the fan base know that we're on it and we're probably going to be making some type of move. Again, in international soccer circles with the national team, the cycle is usually four years max with the head. head coach. You know, you get through a World Cup and then you kind of reboot it. You need a new voice. You need to listen to different things, have different ideas. There's different players coming in through the system. So rarely is a coach there kind of extended through two World Cup cycles. It happens and it happens successfully for some nations, but those are usually nations that are a little more solid and solidified and on a nice firm ground with their

international soccer scene where there's not a whole lot of movement needing to be made. the U.S. clearly there needs to be something changing. And I frankly think a lot of it is on the players. You know, I don't think this generation is as good as we hype them up to be. They certainly have some moments and they certainly have some players. But overall, I think our expectations might have been a little too high for them. Well, I don't know. We're calling it the golden generation.

They got out of the group stage at the World Cup. I guess we can start here. Is the team performing better than they did at the World Cup? No. Yeah. So I flatlined is the way I think I would do it. And I don't think the performance at the World Cup was good enough either. I mean, yes, it got through the group stage.

And that is what you want. And I totally understand that. But, you know, they had to scrape through. They had to get that victory over Iran just to get to the Dutch. And then against the Dutch, it was two different nations playing, right? I mean, it was them and then it was us. And we were not good enough. And that's fine because the Dutch and the Netherlands,

are a great program, right? But we're not there knocking on the door yet with these big boys. And that was kind of the hope of this Copa America that when we took on Uruguay, when we took on potentially Colombia or Brazil in the quarterfinals, that we'd have a real opportunity to prove ourselves and to take down one of the, quote, unquote, you know, big boys of international soccer. Instead, you know, we lose to Panama, even though we're down to man. You know, we lose to Uruguay, an opportunity to prove to a lot of people that this program is moving in the right direction. And same result, again, you know, we're not good enough.

Yeah, how close do you think we are? Is this like an overall philosophy change? Is it, there isn't like one player. It doesn't feel like that. No, it's a couple players away. And I think we're still kind of holding out hope that we're going to get that LeBron James, that Michael Jordan, that Tiger Woods of American Soccer. And I thought we would have had it by now.

And it's not there. And that's a little frustrating. and we understand the talent pool is diluted here in the United States compared to a lot of other countries with all the other sports that are pulling at the elite athletes. But I thought we would have had a breakthrough player. I mean, Christian Polisic is a very good player. Don't get me wrong. But he's not a world beater.

You know, he's not up there with Rinaldo and Messi. You know, he's just a nice, complimentary player on A.C. Milan. Like, he had a great season, and he's our best player, probably by far. So he needs more of a supporting cast. I said it after the Bolivia game. We've got Batman. Who are the Robins going to be? And we need a couple Robbins.

It's same in the NBA playoffs. You see it all the time, right? You can't have one star and go deep. You need two or three to really make a move, particularly in soccer when you have 11 on the field at the same time. So the U.S. depth needs to get better. There needs to be better players. And there needs to be more people who want to attack,

who want to score, who are threat. threatening one v one and we don't really have too much of that on this roster these days. It's weird though. Morocco, a country of 37 million people with zero soccer history in the last 40 years, went to the semifinals of the World Cup. Like they got to the final. Morocco, without like world beating superstars, every World Cup cycle, somebody kind of breaks through is a surprise into the quarters of the semis.

I just don't see why that can't be us. And maybe I'm too romanticized with like the NCAA tournament, how like George Mason breaks through or Butler, you know, and you get these one-offs, and it's like, oh, my, Florida Gulf Coast. Why can't U.S. soccer do it? It's a great question, you know. I mean, they've made runs to the quarterfinals. They've been, you know, agonizingly close to kind of jumping over that threshold

and getting themselves into a semi-final situation where you would say, yes, this team has arrived. You know, it's knockout round, so things can get awfully fluky. You can catch a team on the wrong day or the right day, or you have that region's support, which was really what the deal was with Morocco and Qatar, the proximity of the Moroccan fan base to Qatar and what they brought in that energy. You're kind of seeing that in the Euros right now, a Turkey A and what they're doing in Germany right now. They're following a similar path to Morocco.

I don't have that answer of why not us, right? A lot of people are saying, why not us? The closest I can get is that we just don't have enough game-changing talent. the moment. Yeah, it's tough to argue with that. I'm going to ask the World Cup being hosted, obviously Canada, Mexico, United States, and Mexico and the U.S. right now stink based on the Copeland America results. Canada somehow broke through, and who knows, they might win their next match. I don't know. What's the state of soccer in North America at this point? Not great. And a little frustrating, to be honest with you. I'm going to try to make this a fast,

deep dive into soccer here in our region, which is called Conca Cap, which is, you know, north and Central America and the Caribbean. So all those nations. And the head of Conca Cap, if you will, the bosses have decided that we're going to have all these, all these little tournaments and these games and these these setups to raise the level of Concaf, which is great. So it's let's make, you know, El Salvador better. And let's make some of these island nations better. And I get it. Let's raise everybody. But the problem is it's at the detriment of the United States. It's at the detriment of Mexico because when they have these available dates to play games, the dates are suddenly occupied by all of these little matches

that have already been predetermined, if you will, against Panama's, you know, and against El Salvador's and Honduras and Guatemala, rather than having these windows to say, let's go to Asia, let's go to Europe. Let's challenge ourselves against the best in you know, difficult situations. So if you look at the international soccer calendar right now, it is so tough to find games that you really want to play if you're a United States because your hands are kind of tied. You look next summer to the Conca Calfe Gold Cup. You're saying, well, let's invite some other countries. You can't because others are still playing World Cup Qualified. So you can't kind of boost up the Gold Cup next summer like the Copa America was

boosted this summer by, you know, Mexico and the U.S. and Panama, Costa Rica, et cetera, Canada, coming in to elevate it and add more teams to it. So it's a frustrating situation if you're U.S. and Mexico where you're being forced to kind of play down a little bit to raise everybody else up to your level. Man, that's depressing. I guess we could wrap on this. You work with Alexei Lollas. I know you guys are buddies. He threw his hat in the ring to replace Burrhalter. I mean, I asked him about it. I don't think it's the worst idea in the world. I know you're scoffing. But Rob, let's be real. Like, we're in the era of personality coaches.

We see JJ Reddick was a podcaster and an announcer, and he's now coaching the Lakers. And we've seen this in the NFL with Gruden. Like, I don't know. Why not Alexi? We had a little off day get-together at my patio. So Clint Dempsey and Carly Lloyd were here waiting, and Alexi rolled down, and they all just started barking at him. Coach! Coach!

How you doing, coach? And he just smiled. No, he's not the coach. I love them and I'd be fine if he was the coach, but, you know, we need somebody who's had a coaching job before. Listen, Alexi, I don't even know if he coached AYSO, to be honest with you. I know he reft it, but he cares deeply about this program. I do think a lot of people forget that sometimes that, you know, his heart is, it bleeds red, white, and blue, and he cares immensely about this program.

And he also knows when we all know how important two summers from now is, you know, 2026, this World Cup is going to be the biggest sporting event. This planet has ever seen times two or three. It's going to take over this country, and it's an opportunity to win over so many new fans, new sponsors, pull in new players. There's going to be little kids out there who want to be baseball players. And you're going to be watching a World Cup in 2026 and say, wait a second, I want to pivot. This is the sport I love all of a sudden.

This is a generational changing moment that's going to happen right here in our backyard. and we need to be prepared for it off the field and on the field. And I think off the field we're going to be all right. On the field, we need to figure things out really fast, really, really fast. Yeah, the last time we had the World Cup here, it birthed the MLS back in the 90. Absolutely. Changed everything and it's only going to get bigger and better and there's more opportunities now than there was back then. Very exciting time.

All right, Rob Stone, we'll watch you later tonight on Fox with the pregame stuff for the big Argentina match. Great stuff, as always. Happy July 4th, buddy. See you, buddy. We'll see you around town. All right. Rob Stone, Fox, studio host, just a great guy. Knows College football, soccer. I love talking to him. Let's go to Alex Curry with the news.

No, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news. I love that he shared. They're all giving Alexi, you know, a little, a little bit of, what would you say? Poop emoji. Hard time, a hard time. Hello, coach. That was great, though.

Okay, well, let's start in the NBA because Chris Paul agreed to a one-year deal with the Spurs after being waived by the Warriors at the start of free agency. Now, he's one of the most established veterans in the league going into his 20th season, and Dremont Green is very excited to see how CP3 fits with Wembe.

Pairn C.P. with Wembe to teach that young fellow to weigh. CP, one of the greatest vets I've ever been around, and I just spent a year around him as a vet myself. And he was a vet to me. And so that's going to be great for Wembe. You get a chance to, in a sense, kind of go help mold him. And like, what an honor.

Because you only get that if you've been as great as CP has and as respected as C. For them to feel comfortable bringing you in there knowing how strong that personality is, they feel good about what you're going to bring to that kid. That's special. It's so important for these young stars to have a veteran mentorship. We've heard players talk about this, like Dwayne Wade, when Shaq came to Miami, in his second year in the league, he said he walked me through how to be myself, how to be a superstar. He said he completely changed his life. He talked about it in his documentary that he had.

And just having that support, someone that you can. bounce things off of. Ask questions to. Look up to, in a sense. Like, it's just, do you see it working with CP3 and Webby? Yeah, I mean, he's probably worth at least 10 wins. Everywhere he goes. Remember, he went to the Sons. They couldn't do anything. Suns, like,

go to the finals, thanks to Chris Paul. He went to the Rockets. They nearly took down the Durant Warriors. Like, Chris Paul's a winner. I'm not the biggest fan of him. What Lob City, he was working, he just hasn't been able to break through and win a chip, but he's worth at least 10 wins. But when you hear the dynasty of, you know, of the Warriors, Draymond Green said I felt like I was learning from him.

Like that that is such I praise for any player. So I'm excited for Wembe to just kind of have that strong of a veteran presence. And he's a great, he's a dad too. So it's like you have that father figure, but also mentor that you can kind of talk to and bounce things off of. Popovich is in his 70s, I'm pretty sure, like one of the, you know, seminal coaches in NBA history. Chris Paul, one of the greater point guards, top ten point card of all time. It's a good, good foundational structure for Wendy. This is really good for Wembe. All right, on to the NFL, Joe Burrow is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, but when he was asked to rank his top five, he declined to answer. He said he doesn't like

those top five lists because he feels like it takes away from certain people's accomplishments. He said that the best guy on one Sunday may not be the best the next Sunday, and with all the ups and downs in the league, it doesn't serve anyone to make those lists. Now, I'm not mad at his answer. Obviously, these lists are great for us, the media, to have something to talk about. But I think about this similar to art. A lot of it is subjective and your perspective, but I do believe in tears. And I think that's kind of how I look at the quarterbacks in the NFL. And speaking of that, like, I would have Joe Burrow in one of my top tiers if we're doing like a top five, obviously Holmes in a tier of his own.

And then you have like a burrow, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen. And then the fifth. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, are you missing somebody? Brock Purdy and that's... So there we go. That fifth one would be tough for me. That fifth and that third tier is like a CJ Stroud, Brock Purdy, Herbert, Aaron Rogers, Jalen Hurts.

Like, that could go a lot of different ways. But there's definitely... I think you got to bump Brock. Brock's in that bro. Tier one, tier two. I knew you were going to go there. Burrow and Allen and Lamar. He's there.

Listen. I know. He would be in my third tier, kind of like that fifth. Fifth pick could go a lot of different ways. Like Burroughs said, depending on the Sunday. Yeah, the Sunday against the Ravens. Remember the Sunday night football were Purdy? It was like, oh, there, that day.

Now we've seen the real Brock Purdy. He had like three interceptions in the first half, maybe four. He was awful. They got destroyed. That would be your top four with Purdy at five? I would have Purdy. I think Purdy's the top five quarterback. I know people don't like to hear that, but again, I got two years of data.

He'd be my third tier. With all those other guys. I like the pyramid tiers. So you have Mahomes and then your second tier is who? Burrough, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen. You don't have Purdy in that group? No, I have him one below. No.

I like that. It's good. It's good to disagree. By the way, Burrough's answer is a good one. It's a great one. You did not give any... No. People keep...

They ask these wide receivers your best cornerback. Yeah. And all these jerks. Sorry, guys. Keep leaving Sauce Gardner off the top five quarterback list. Come on, what are you talking about? So dumb. Ouch.

But, I mean, it's interesting because, like, there's subtle ways to ask quarterback this, like, quarterbacks this question. Like, when Mahomes was on first things first, they asked him, who are you watching when you're not playing and games are on? And he said, he's watching Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and C.J. Straub. Those are his top quarterbacks without actually giving you the list. That's a sneaky way of like, you're watching your top competition.

You're watching CJ Stroud over Jalen Hertz. I mean, Jalen Hertz nearly beat Mahomes in the Super Bowl. I mean, he was the best one on the field. Sorry, Patrick. Breakout season. Obviously not as big of a sample size. Yeah. Stroud is there.

I need more. I need at least two years of data like Brock Birdie. He's not even a full two years. That's fair. Year and a half? Year and a year and six-tenths. Yeah, something like that. All right, let's finish with the Olympics.

Simone Biles is headed back to the Olympics. after earning her spot on the U.S. gymnastics team last weekend, which was incredible if you watched it. And her husband, Bear Safety, Jonathan Owens, will be right by her side. Chicago has reportedly given Owens time off during training camp this summer so he can travel to Paris and watch his wife compete for Team USA. Now, this is a great excuse to miss training camp, unlike Rogers going to Egypt. Egypt trip. Come on, that's not a good excuse. No, his wife is making one of the biggest comebacks

We've seen in the Olympics After, as you remember, she got the Twisties in the 2020 Olympics and kind of had to pull back Wait, what are you? So it's kind of like, what do you call it? The Yips. It's really close to the Yips.

But in gymnastics, you lose yourself in the air, which is incredibly dangerous with how many flips and turns that they're doing. I mean, Simone Biles is the most decorated gymnasts male or female in the world. She is absolutely incredible. This is a huge moment for her to be able to come back and have this redemption. She also, I think, recently had a documentary come out where she talks about all this and everything that she was going through mentally.

And to get back to this point and even just watching her qualify over the last week, she is so good. And she's going to make history again. And I love that the bears are allowing her husband to go and be there and support her and watch her make history. history in Paris. Yeah. Alex Curry with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Herd Lie News. All right, coming up in Best for Last. So NBA free agency is basically done. I'll tell you which teams are better and which teams are worse. That's next. 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 Ben, host of the fifth hour with Ben Mallor,

and 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 Mallor show, a cult hit overnights on FSR. Why should you listen? Picture, if you will, a world when 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 Mallor on the Iheart radio app,

Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver 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

and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast.

I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you all know.

I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. 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. The Summer of Stars continues with two huge Euros quarterfinals tomorrow on Fox. First Spain faces tournament host Germany at noon eastern. Then at three, Ronaldo leads Portugal against France and Mbapé. I'll go Spain and France in those matchups. I haven't bet them Spain on the road essentially because of euros are in Germany. A lot of people were picking.

Germany. They are. When you were talking to Alexi, being the host. Yeah. Spain has looked tremendous in the Euros. All right, let's get the best for last. So we're going to go through whether teams got better or worse. For better or worse.

Oh, yes. So Alex will run the show because I don't know what I'm doing. Yes, you do. You're going to answer. Are you ready for it? Are the 76ers better or worse after acquiring Paul George? Well, it's got to be better. Yeah. They improve for sure with Paul George. I will just point out to be a bit of a naysayer.

I know the Philly fans hate me right now. Joel Mbeats partner with Ben Simmons, didn't work. Partner with James Hardin didn't work. Partner with Jimmy Butler didn't work. They have not gotten to the conference finals. He's had a lot of good wing men. Now he's got Paul George. Will it work?

I don't know. Listen, they're going to win 50-plus games. I've got them as the third seed. They're better for sure. Okay. Now let's look at the other team. Are the Clippers better or worse after losing Paul George? Oh, the paper clips are worse.

Definitely. Kauai Leonard's probably going to play 50 games. And listen, I would not be shocked if we saw like a turn back to clock James Hardin where he's like, yo, Paul George is gone. I get all the shots I want. This is my life, baby. And James Hardin's jacking like 22 shots a game. They're definitely worse.

I don't know. They're a play in team. Now, if Kauai plays a lot, they're probably top eight. Yeah. But they're worse. All right. Are the Mavs better or worse off after acquiring Clay Thompson? They're better.

Yeah. Clay is a tremendous shooter. I think he was fourth in the league and made threes last year. It's tough to argue that they got worse as only on defense. But ultimately, scoring was the issue in the finals. I think they saw that and they said, we need another gunner. And good luck, sagging off Luca. Clay Thompson will just bury threes in your face on them.

So they're better. That's what they need. All right. Are the Warriors better or worse off after losing Clay Thompson? Well, the Warriors are unequivocally worse. However, in the last, what, like 30 seconds, the news just broke. Buddy Heald is going to the Warriors I don't think that materially changes things

You lose Chris Paul and Clay Thompson Yeah okay You bring in Buddy Healed Kyle Anderson and De Anthony Melton I feel a little bad for Curry And listen it's probably a little too early On July 4th for this kind of a hot take

But when do we start worrying When the Warriors are like We stink sorry we're holding you back Steph Where do you want to go? We'll trade you anywhere I mean we're not that not finish finish out his career? I mean, if they're like a 34-win team, what's the point? I don't know.

Spend your whole career. Same team? I don't know. Steph Curry's, he should not be on a crap team. He's too good. He's a fifth-by-win in the NBA, Alex. On your list. Yes. Yes.

Love that. Okay. Are the Magic better or worse off acquiring KCP? Oh, that's a sneaky better. Yeah. I think they're fringe top five in the East. I know we're not allowed to talk about bad teams like the Orlando Magic. but I'm just telling you they've got some dudes

They're built like the Celtics kind of With guard heavy Wing heavy They got like Jalen Suggs and KCP in the back court That's really strong defensively Paolo Bencaro look good They pushed the calves to seven Last year in the first round

True I think the magic are better I think they're probably They'll sneak They'll approach top four in the east I don't think they're obviously on the tier of Boston And New York and Philly But they're right there

helps they're in the east All right Are the nuggets better or worse after losing KCP? This is tough. They're worse. And, you know, I know Nicole Yokic is like riding horses in Serbia or something right now. The nuggets have been through some turmoil in the last couple months, Alex, between Aaron Gordon, you know, the unfortunate passing of his younger brother,

or maybe older brother, and then Michael Porter Jr.'s brother embroiled in the gambling, and now you lose KCP. Jamal Murray's got an injury history. I know people love the number. And yes, the starting five was awesome. But Alex, this team is, you know, if Yokic misses a month or Jamal Murray misses three weeks, like they're going to be... If your top two guys aren't on the court, then you're in trouble. Yeah.

We're going to start to hear some questions about the Michael Porter Jr. contract. He got a max deal a couple years ago. Not a lot of depth on the bench. It could be a tough year for the nuggets. I don't think they're top four in the east. In the West, sorry. All right. Are the Thunder better or worse after acquiring Isaiah Hartstein?

They're better. OkayC may have had the best off season of anybody. I can't believe I'm saying that. Sneaky. I don't know how the executives here are going to like us talking about OKC all season because they're going to win like 60s, 65 games. They're just good. They got a lot of dudes.

They're young. They got draft capital. You know, I kind of was making fun of cowherd for loving the OKC trajectory, but they're on board now. He convinced you. They're as good of a shape as anybody right now. I love that. They got Caruso and gave up like nothing.

Josh Giddy. Who cares? They've got all their picks. they've got probably a top five roster in the league. Alex, they're, they got a lot better with Hartnstein. Okay, well, let's talk about your Knicks. Are they better or worse after losing Isaiah Hurtstein? Well, listen, I think you've got to go worse because he's an integral player,

but it's not that much worse, you know? He was very good in the postseason. He's just, his role is limited. He's going to rebound and defend, probably block a couple shots. He's not like stepping out like Porzingis and hitting threes. I do think they need a new backer. up center and when they face Embed in the playoffs, no Hartenstein will very much show up. Just file that away. I know Sixers fans hate me right now. I went on social media briefly

during the commercial Alex. Sixers fans are just, I mean, it's a torrent of diarrhea. Jason, you're an idiot. Hartnstein, I'm telling him, they're going to miss him. Samack, why? Sorry, they're going to miss Hartinstein against and beating the playoffs, that's for sure. All right, let's move on to the Spurs. Are they better or worse after acquiring Chris Paul? Better. probably 10 wins better. I know he's going to be. The mentorship. Yeah. For Webby.

It's smart. He walks in that locker room and he doesn't need to like gain respect of anybody. No. It's instant. Everybody knows like, oh, damn. It's the, they used to call him the point god, GAWD, which I thought was lame, but isn't, man. He's really good. He's just a very good point. Now, he's not on Steph Curry's level. Let's not go overboard. But Chris Paul definitely makes the Spurs back. All right. Speaking of Steph, are the Warriors better? or worse after losing Chris Paul. They're worse. You know, I know we're piling on the Warriors.

They had a great run. You know the media, Alec, you've been a part of the media for a while. Yes. Media loves to build up and then just tear it down. Yeah, but they also love a comeback story. They do, but can the Warriors come back from this and contend again? They said that, what, after losing KD, can they come back and one another? Then they came back and won the 22.

But again, like, now you don't have your OG. You lost Clay. You're a little older. Draymond, I don't know what he offers you. They did have Wiggins, which helped bounce back. But he's looking like a shell of himself. I just think the Warriors are worse, and I'm worried that they might miss the playoffs.

It's not good. All right. Are the Lakers better or worse after drafting Dalton Connect and Brony James? Better. Come on. Dalton Connect, aka Connect 4? I love that. I love that he's going right.

Here's a little Bronny James. I didn't know he had highlights. from USA. I thought it was just the NBA draft combine. He played. Look at Bronny. Get up. He'll flush on you. I mean, he is. He's got some hops and some defense. I like Connect. Insta, like, get Cori and Prince out of the rotation. I mean, he's not going to be able to team. It's what the Lakers need.

Yeah, shooting. Yeah. One of the worst shooting team. He was a SC player of the year. Yeah. I mean, listen, I know people don't love two white guys on the wing and Austin Reeves and Dalton Connect. Like, who are they going to guard? Who cares if you're making shots? Yeah. and Anthony Davis on the backline. Lakers are better. I'm probably on an island here.

I know Reddick doesn't like the engagement farming. I'm telling you, Lakers are firmly in the top six for me, firmly. And I also think Brony makes LeBron better. I mentioned this off the top of the show. What's like the one thing that would motivate LeBron, more than just himself wanting to win something, to win something with his son? It's only going to make him better.

I do wonder, you know, is this going to be LeBron? Hey, I'm first in the building last hour. I got to show my son here. This is what it takes. You hope so? I'm not going to take. He's that guy anyway. Lower my minutes.

I'm not taking, I'm not going to load manage. Now, you've got to be careful with that, obviously. Because he's not going to, close games. He's not going to want to come off the court. But I do wonder if we're going to see LeBron, like, no days off, man. I got to show you, this is what it takes to be great. You hope so?

I think the Lakers are, I think they're going to be in good shape. It's only going to motivate him to do better. A lot of doom and gloom, though, Alex. A lot of doom and gloom of. I mean, the media, the fans. Well, yeah. If there's a reason to... We got rejected by Danny.

To bring down the top, people try to do that. But appreciate greatness when it's right in front of your face. That's LeBron James here. And we're going to witness history, a father-son duo, in the NBA for the first time. This is only going to motivate him to be better. Yeah. So a little best for last. That was fun.

It's been a good week so far. July 4th, you know, we'll be safe tonight, obviously. But I do have a question for you, Alex. Okay. When you come into work tomorrow, because we will be here. tomorrow. I know a lot of people won't be, you just make it a four day weekend or five or whatever. Yeah. Will we be, you know, a little wobbly, a little tired? No, I'm going to be great. Taking it easy. We're barbecue hopping tonight. Told you. Yeah. I'm going to hit like three different

barbecues. I do love the, listen, I didn't know this was a thing. But every year in L.A., the fireworks are crazy. Oh yeah. If you have like a high, like, viewpoint, you can see him like all the way from like the valley, like across L.A. to the beach. It's beautiful. Yeah, I've never. I mean, I grew up in the D.C. area, so we'd go to, like, the monument on July 4th when I was a kid. It was an awesome fireworks. That's cool. But L.A. is different because it's like the whole city. Each fireworks.

I mean, the videos are unbelievable. It's crazy. I would highly recommend looking them up online. What are you doing tonight? I'm, I think, probably going to pack because I got vacation starting. Oh, I forget. You head out. Friday after the show.

So I'll be off social media. So berate me all you want people. I don't care. I don't see them. I will block. I block indiscriminately. I don't care. If you're going to F-bomb me online, I'm just going to block it. I don't need that. Yeah, I don't need to go on my phone at the checkout at CVS or Walgreens. And I look at it's like, F, bleep you, you suck. You've been doing great this week. We've been having fun. Oh, I have fun all the time. And we just had a great Fourth of July. Yeah. Happy birthday, America. Thank you, everyone who decided to hang out and

listen to us today. Yeah. And then tomorrow we'll prattle on. I have this NFL idea. I haven't floated to the staff yet. I'll send the text right after the show. Because I'm always engagement farming, right? I'm always trying to... You're always thinking of bits. Jerry Seinfeld, I think, just recently said that. Everything's a bit. You're always thinking of what's the next bit.

Yeah. So you should look at life. Awesome soccer tonight. I'll take Argentina. Tomorrow I'll take Spain reluctantly. And go England, obviously. Dang. Thanks a lot.

Have a great safe July 4th. 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 I-Heart 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 Fourth. 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, unfills 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 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. On The Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me.

I'm Sam Jay. 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 mean, it was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Listen to Look Back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your 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. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences,

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