The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 1 - Shohei Ohtani is better than Babe Ruth

Episode Date: March 22, 2023

Colin praises Shohei Ohtani for leading Japan to a World Baseball Classic Why the Patriots should trade for Lamar Jackson Colin defends Paul George and his post season performance Ja Morant does not deserve a spot on the All-NBA team this seasonSee 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.

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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying.

Yep, that's me, Clivert 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, unfilled 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 IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. On The Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is 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. 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 podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Herd.

You're listening to Fox Sports. radio. Oh, here we go. We are loaded. It is a Wednesday. Or did the rain wash away Wednesday in LA is it a Thursday? Who knows? It never stops raining. It's the herd wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. J. Mack is joining us. All sorts of different stuff today to talk about. World Baseball Classic. I haven't seen the ratings yet. I'm sure it got a huge, huge rate. When baseball provides urgency, people watch. So the sport needs to do a better job of providing urgency.

Little League World Series gets a number. The college baseball World Series did. And field a dreams game. This thing's getting great numbers. It's wildly fun. Exciting drama last night on the Diamond. It was. It's interesting about maybe six months ago, I said,

Shohei Otani is like, you know, significantly better than Babe Ruth. Most people got it. But you think of big Babe Ruth, big chested. Shohei Otani is actually bigger and actually built. He is not just the best player in the game.

There's nothing really to compare him to. He would be like if Bob Gibson and Ted Williams morphed. It's like Mookie Betts and Verlander in his prime morphed. There's nothing like him. Babe Ruth quit pitching at 24 years old, mostly. Shohei Otani is 28. He's just starting. He's going to get a $600 million contract.

You can absolutely validate $250 million as a pitcher and $350 million as a hitter. The game now is global. He is significantly better than virtually every hitter and every pitcher. Last couple of years, he's top three in Jacks. Last couple of years, he's top three in ERA. Oh, he also runs really, really well. He's everything. What do you compare it to? It's as if Patrick Mahomes and Sauce Gardner were one guy. That's seriously what it's like.

It would be like if Patrick Mahomes also played corner. He didn't go to the sidelines. He just went to the other side and was arguably the best corner shut down corner in the league. And the Dodgers, this is where Sho Hay Otani is going to end up. He's now with the Angels. He's going to go to the Dodgers. They let Justin Turner go and Trey Turner go and Cody Bellinger go. And they signed their payroll now is only fifth.

They easily outdraw the rest of baseball. Nobody's even close. They draw 10,000 more a game than everybody else. And this kid, 62 million people watched in Japan for one of the games. He has massive drawing power. It's when A-Rod went to the Yankees. It wasn't about selling out the stadium on Friday and Saturday. It was about getting people to a Yankee game, filling out the stadium on a Tuesday and a Wednesday and a Thursday.

And the Dodgers, again, that place is packed Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and some Sunday afternoon games. He'll sell out the Mondays and Tuesdays or get him real close to it. And they already blow everybody away. So they have moved off some payroll. They're going to pay $5.50 to $600 million for Shohei Otani. It's just really remarkable what he does. There's nothing that really compares to it. Whenever I hear baseball, people romanticize about.

the past. It wasn't a global game. NBA, but it's not just baseball. NBA diehards, oh, I just roll my eyes at it. The Knicks, the Pacers, what an Eastern Conference finals. Seven of the 10 starters couldn't shoot an 18-foot jumper. Very few guys could handle the ball. John Stark's the best guard for the Knicks couldn't shoot. The game is so much better now in the NBA. The skill level is a thousand times better. It's so much more international. and so was baseball. Everybody dials into the 90s now. Everybody pitches 90s. A lot of guys pitching the mid-90s. Everybody has some power. I can remember years ago in the mid-70s, there was a baseball team, the Cincinnati Reds. They had Johnny Bench and Tony Perez

and Pete Rose and George Foster, and they were the big red machine. They had three guys in that lineup. Well, actually four if you count the pitcher, who couldn't hit home runs. Dave Concepcioni, Sezar Geronimo, Pete Rose didn't hit homers and either did the pitchers. So like 40% of the lineup couldn't hit Jacks. I mean, what Otani is doing, it just doesn't even make any sense at all. He's dominating a sport that is now global. Everybody throws in the mid-90s. Everybody can hit it feels like for some power.

And he's dominating on both sides. Here's him punching out Mike Trout to end the World Baseball Classic. Japan goes 8 and O. And the USA manager talked after. Ortoni's ready. Trout's ready. Three, two. He struck out.

He strikes out. He strikes out. You know what blows me away on the stage, Tyler, is the fact that he seems to, like, no moments too big for him. I've analyzed him for years since he's come over here. What he's doing in the game is what probably 90% of the guys in that clubhouse did in Little League or in youth tournaments. and he's able to pull it off on the biggest stages. He is a unicorn to the sport. He will draw for the Dodgers.

He'll get $550 million. You can see him pulling back on payroll, and he'll be worth every penny. Shohei Otani, congrats to Japan. So I thought this was an interesting story. You know how sometimes I always felt this way with Chris Paul? is that in his prime, Chris Paul with the clippers or the rockets or even the sons, if you added Chris Paul to your team, he solved a lot of issues.

You'd have more maturity. You'd have a distributor. You'd have an on-court coach leader. He could give you 17 points. He could defend. He could do so many things one player. He could solve your issues. When he went to Phoenix, they were a young team with talent, but no maturity.

Solved that. weren't good enough defensively. Solved that. They didn't really have a true leader. Solved that. Chris Paul's always been great about that. I mean, what happened to Blake Griffin post Chris Paul or DeAndre Aiton? Like he was their leader.

He elevated everybody. There are these certain players that can solve multiple issues. He was perfect in Phoenix. Even the good Houston team he went to got better by 10 games, although he and Hardin didn't work. So there's a story out today about Lamar Jackson is just. like done with Baltimore. So he's not going to be unemployed, right? He's too talented.

He's won like 75% of his games. And I thought to myself, kind of the Chris Paul feel, wouldn't he be perfect in New England? I mean, we know their defense is good. We know their coach is good. Their owner's stable. Special teams are excellent. What do they miss? They don't have any playmakers.

They're slow. If Aaron Rogers goes to the Jets, and I'm pretty sure he will, Josh Allen, Aaron Rogers, and Tua and that head coach. Did you watch the Super Bowl, Mr. Belichick? Like, it's over. The Niners, the Eagles defense could not slow down Patrick Mahomes on the second half. The game has changed. The best coaches are offensive coaches.

It's Kyle Shanahan. It's McVeigh. It's Andy Reed. Sean Payton just got a boatload of money to fix Denver. Lamar Jackson's perfect in New England. They're not good at offense. They can't draft offense. I looked at a list this morning of the last receivers that New England has drafted.

I think it was, yeah, the Patriots wide receiver draft pick since 2010. I won't read all of them for our radio audience. It's unbelievable how bad they are. There's not a star in the mix. There's almost not a player in the mix. They can't draft offense. The last offensive player they drafted and was a pro bowler, I think was gronk. He's now retired.

they put a DC at OC. The top offensive coordinators, are they even interested in the job there? Like they've got a hole in the organization. They don't know offense. They don't have touch for it, a feel for it, a sensibility for it. And when Brady left and Josh McDaniel left, it got really bad, really fast.

They can't get Josh Allen off the field. They'd have to get through Burrow and Mahomes. Lamar Jackson's your Chris Paul. he gives you a dynamic playmaker, massive speed, the only two things you're missing. And oh, by the way, you move Mac Jones. I know he's got a ceiling, but Mac Jones got to a playoff. I think is a rookie, didn't he? You can't tell me there's not a market, there's not a market for Mac Jones.

There's a market for Jimmy Garoppolo, and he can't stay healthy. There's a market for everybody. I mean, Baker Mayfield's still getting offers for something. starting jobs. Mr. Trubisky. Steelers thought he would start for the year. Mac Jones wouldn't? He's cheap. He's accurate. Smart kid got somebody to the playoffs. But to me, when I look at New England, you have to acknowledge what you are and what you're not. They don't do offense well. Brady, I mean, he was Bondo. He was a Band-Aid. He solved a lot of their issues. He left. They weren't the same. McDaniel left after Brady left. It's a disaster.

They're not fast and they got no playmakers and they clearly can't draft them. Go sign the quarterback playmaker in the league. Somebody will give you a third for Mack Jones, maybe a second. All right. All sorts of stuff. World baseball classic. The tournament's back on tomorrow. I've already got my bets in.

I got first half bets. Oh, yeah. Look at you. I'm very sophisticated. Wow. First half. I guess? Yeah.

Alabama first half. Nope. Very good bet. Houston? Yes. Yeah, okay, there it is. I know. The two number one seeds.

Tough to not like them to win, but I don't know about covering. All right, we'll see. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. Imagine an Olympics

where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced game. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast, 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. of the fourth. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental, health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people

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

so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith Rule of Two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Well, John Morant is a spectacular. basketball talent. Reminds me a lot of Derek Rose, above the rim. You'd pay to watch him play. Neither are great shooters, but they're spectacular. And there is room for accolades for guys like John Morant and Russell Westbrook. Some players I don't even love. I like John Moran a lot. I've never thought he's a guy that's most valuable. They were very good last year when he got hurt. And this year, they've won six of seven without him. Memphis is just fine without him. They don't have as spectacular a finisher as John Moran, but they're fine without him, well run, well coached, and deep. So he's going to lose out on $30 million or more unless he makes the all NBA team, first, second, or third team. And he's not, there's a bunch of awards that kick in if he wins them. He's not going to win an MVP. So let's get rid of that. He's not that valuable. It is best. If he played every game, he's not an MVP. Yonis is. Steph Curry is.

there are players that are simply more valuable. He's spectacular. All-N-B-A. Defense, I don't think he's going to make that either. So his chance to get this big bonus was All-N-B-A as a guard. There's a lot of great guards in the NBA. So first team, I'd have Luca and Steph Curry, and I'm not arguing with you. Those are the two best. Second team, I'd go Dame in Portland and SGA, the guard for Oklahoma City, who is just a phenomenal talent. And third team, you get down to Devin Booker, probably not because of injuries, De Aaron Fox, Donovan Mitchell, and John Morant. And I'm sorry, but it's the end of the year. You're looking for seating and John Morant's not available. Now, Devin Booker's been banged up. I would put him in over John Morant because at least his are injury related. There's nothing you can do

about that. John Morant's issues or John Morant's issues. You can talk about Donovan Mitchell, but I'm sorry, Donovan Mitchell here in crucial marches have been unbelievable, averaging 20, points a game. This is a franchise. If you take LeBron James out of it, it's always been kicked around the league it feels like last 25 years. Donovan Mitchell's come over, been a great teammate, been dominating in March, and Cleveland in the loaded top of the east is fourth and spectacular and fun to watch. Where's Jha? He's not available because he brandished a gun, nightclub, video, personal issues. I can have empathy for somebody, feel bad for somebody, but actions have consequences.

Well, what about De Aaron Fox? Are you kidding me? Losing Sacramento is now a number three seed. Do you know he has more clutch points than any guard in the NBA? He also leads the NBA in fourth quarter points. So as everybody's trying to figure out who's going to get the best seating in the West, De Aaron Fox is out there every night. Most clutch points, best fourth quarter player.

Where's John Morant? He's not available. The NBA too often, and they do this because they need access to the best players and best agents, Pander. John Morant is not making all NBA. He's not available. Mitchells in a tight race in the East is crushing almost 30 a game. Deerrin Fox has taken a losing franchise and is Mr.

Fourth Quarter. He's not Steph. He's not that dependable as Dame or as mature as Dame SGA. How in the world can you explain how good Oklahoma City is? We thought they were like a 15-win team. You can't even explain that. And Memphis is winning once again without John Morant. John Morant's got to figure out John Morant, but too much pandering.

Actions have consequences. There's too many guards, and this is March. Seeding matters. I mean, let's be honest about this. In the East, you know, if you're Cleveland, you'd rather not play a game seven in a Boston, it would be nice if you could potentially ever face the Celtics play it at home. A game seven for a Sacramento? Do you want to play that on the road or do you want to be in Sacramento?

These games matter. Next 10, 15 games matter and they matter a lot. And John Morant has not been available down the stretch. J. Mack with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. That all-NBA guard situation, that isn't it?

I mean, it is really a great topic. And it's also, guards historically don't bring you championships. But when you start looking at what Donovan's done this year and SGA has done, these guys are having huge impacts on teams that we thought Oklahoma City was kind of a tank team. They're like the Lakers. They're a viable team down the stretch to make the playoffs. Remember when they lost Chet Holmgren? It was like, ah, season's over.

See them next year. Nope. But the interesting part you said, people should listen closely to the media aspect. because John Morant and his camp can see who votes for him and who doesn't. And if you don't vote for a guy like John Morant and then you try to get an interview with him in a year or two, uh-uh. You cost us $37 million, not voting for us. That's the weird part about this voting thing.

Well, it's always been the NBA. There's three or four agents that control everything. The NFL's got more widespread agents of influence. And again, there's only one game a week. But you travel with these NBA stars. You need like four or five agents. three or four agents. You need six or seven stars, six or seven executives. You don't want to burn bridges. NFL, you don't have to worry about it. Nobody, even Mahomes, as great as he is, there's a

million stories to write, even with the chiefs. So it's just, there are a lot of pandering. I get some of it. I used to have a friend, still a friend, but somebody that covered major league baseball. And he's like, the season is so long between spring training. He covered the San Francisco Giants in the postseason. There's two ways to write critical stories. And you've got to be careful because you are literally, if you turn off one guy in a locker room in baseball, he'll spread the news, you'll lose quotes. So it's like football, thankfully, there's one game a week, there's a big roster, there's a lot of people to talk about and a lot of stories.

They can't tune you out. But in the NBA, you tick off three or four agents. They'll hide their guys from you. And John Morant's so popular with the young fans. Jerseys are flying off the rack. You put them on the cover of a magazine. People are picking that up in the airport, the grocery store. It's a fascinating story.

All right, let's go to one that's moderately fascinating. Cam Newton trying to make a comeback in the NFL. He was throwing at Auburn's Pro Day yesterday. Remember, he won the MVP in 2015, was the number one overall pick. Did not play last season in the league, but I'm sure you saw some of these throws, Colin. Check this out for the FS1 viewers. Cam, look, it's just scrambling around against no defense. But look at him, Chuck.

Oh, people are raving about it. It just a can't. an arm downfield. Zach Wilson had that too at ProDane. Well, listen. Zach less full body. It was more of just a wrist flick. Nobody questions Cam's big and talented.

The question is accuracy, which has gone downhill. He, about year six and seven, you saw this at the end with Big Ben. He took so many hits. I worry about Josh Allen in this. First six, seven years, you get banged up. And Cam's not the same player as he was. Last several years, first several years. He's just not accurate enough.

Not that he doesn't work hard, but I said this yesterday. Cam sometimes comes off as silly. You know, like some of those videos, it matters. You're running my franchise. If you look at all the great young quarterbacks in this league, Mahomes, Burrow, Herbert, guys you'd build around. Even the guys that aren't great, but we like, Kirk Cousins, Dak Prescott, Jalen Hertz, is about to be great.

Don't they all have one thing in common? It's not size and arm. No, it's not. they're adults. I mean, Jalen Hertz, like a CEO. Dak, when he first came into the league, we're like, I don't know if he can throw, but the intangibles are off the charts.

Herbert, Burrow, Mahomes. You get into trouble when you get ego. Aaron, Kyler. You get into trouble when you get theatrics. Mansell, Baker, James. It's like, Cam, you got to grow out of hype video. Well, he did a hype video where he said there aren't. He banged on every other quarterback.

And there's not nobody. It's like 32 bleep-de-bleepers better than me. I mean, no way. It's like, you're going to grow out of that? Because, like, we have a real clear picture. The great young quarterbacks on this league, they're adults. They're not spending a lot of time doing hype videos. They're not banging on other quarterbacks.

They're all, I mean, like Mahomes. It's like a grown-up. And Jalen hurts. All of them, Burrow, Herbert, you don't get in. Alan, they're focused. It's not about getting hype videos. The pushback would be, well, how is Cam going to cut through? He's going to put out some massively crazy statement

with a bad word in it. It goes viral on social media, and people are talking about Cam Newton now. They're not talking about, you know, a quarterback who's trying to make it or come up. Like, Cam's been there, and he's just trying to get in the discussion. And I think he did that.

You know who keeps getting work and doesn't do those videos and isn't great? Andy Dalton keeps getting jobs over and over. That's a great point. By the way, Mitch Trubisky doesn't do those. He's not nearly as talented. Nobody wants a hot shot and a hype video guy in their room. There's a lot.

Tyrod Taylor keeps getting games. Why? You've got an adult in the room. Nobody's building around him. So right now, Cam's going to be a backup. You want hype video guy as a backup? I said this for years and years about Baker. Baker, at some point, you're going to be a backup sooner than you think. Nobody wants a cool guy taking shots at teammates on a podium as a backup. Can you make a case that he's a situational goal line quarterback? He had 12 rushing touchdowns with the Patriots. I thought it's New England. I thought actually he grew up in New England. I kind of liked that Cam. Like he acknowledged what he was. He worked really hard.

Everybody bagged on him in New England, but I was like, I kind of like this old version of camp. But now we're back to hype videos, banging on other quarterbacks. I don't know if they have room on a roster. You know, the roster's tight for a situational goal line quarterback. I just don't know if that works. I just think there's always room for hardworking, head-down guys that aren't great. There's always a $4 million check.

Marcus Mariotta left for years. Came back. He can't stay healthy. You're getting a guy that's going to be good in the room. He's going to be a good teammate. He's not going to go out and make a scene. I'm not anti-CAM. But at some point, you've got to grow out of this.

I'm the man thing. The hype video can't be more productive than your game. At some point it's about your game. And there's a lot of guys in this league that are 34 aren't nearly as good as Cam. They keep getting checks to be in rooms to be backups. And they all have one thing in common. There's not a famous backup in the league. even Tim Tebow, nobody wanted him as a backup

because it got too much media. The backup should be a guy that can put a hat on sunglasses, walk through a local mall, Colt McCoy, and nobody knows who he is. You don't want your backup to be newsworthy. Tim Tebow was too newsworthy. You can't have him as a backup. Hold a clipboard and don't post on instruments.

And be a good teammate. Next up, NFL draft. Your buddy, Joel Clatt, has released his list of the top 50 prospects in the draft this week. He put that out on foxports.com. He had two Alabama guys at the top, Will Anderson and Bryce Young. He also had Jalen Carter at six. Bejohn Robinson, the Texas running back at four.

He's the most interesting guy to me because everybody universally says, oh, Bejon Robinson, top 10 player, top five talent in this draft. I don't think anybody's touching him in the top 20 because running backs, I mean, the Chiefs, the seventh rounder in the Super Bowl, like, how much value is there in a running back? Yeah, I mean, there are certain positions in this league. For instance, wide receiver. You can get a wide receiver almost anywhere. Okay, let me ask you, Jackson Smith Najigba, who he has at 8.

Very good. Or Bijan Robinson. Out of the 32 teams, how many do you think would take Robinson over Smith the Jigba in the first round? Almost not. Almost I totally agree. I think JSN is a little undervalued because he missed most of the season with the hamstring issue. Are we forgetting how good this guy was two years ago? No, he's a great player.

Jamar Chase, I think he opted out of his final year. He basically sat out. He was like out of the mix and then people like, does he drop in the draft? Like what's going to happen now? I don't have a problem taking a running back in the first round if you think like when, like when didn't Belichick take like Sony Michelle and you're like, no. I think wasn't he? I'm I couldn't be wrong on this.

He was awesome at Georgia. I mean, that was incredible. Nick Chubb, but Nick Chubb went second round. It's like if you're going to take a running back first round, he has to be like Zeke. Zeke was great. I mean, think how good Jonathan Taylor was at Wisconsin. I think he went second round, I think.

So it's like to me, if you're at the end of the first round and you take a running back, there are teams. Like if Baltimore at the end of the first round with Lamar Jackson, because with Lamar, a top running back, a top tight end, that's a really unique offense. There are certain places where I'd be like, oh, absolutely, go get a running back. I think you did this maybe, during the playoffs. Look at the top teams and the Super Bowl teams in the last like five years.

How many of them have like a first round running back leading the way? It's just, it's not a thing anymore, you know? The other thing is you're not going to sign him to a big second contract. Right. So a running back can be a situation where are you a really good team and he can take you to the next level for three years? Because the chances are you're not, the really good GMs that I talk to are not signing running backs. I mean, look, Kansas City is very, very well run. They drafted a running back. Was it first round the kid from LSU? Oh, yeah.

Yeah, yeah. Edwards Hillare. Yeah. So they drafted him first round. This year they used the seventh rounder. And by the way, he absolutely had value. He was awesome for a minute, like five minutes in his rookie year. Yeah.

So he had value. And Kansas said he's smart. They needed a pop running back because they'd moved off running back. So I think there's value in drafting one. But you know when you go in, if you draft a great left tackle, he could be there for 12 years. even if the running back's a star, you're probably moving on after year four. The only other thing to jump out is he has Anthony Richards in there and no Will Levis, the quarterback, who's speculated to go top 10, but the closer we get to the draft with less buzz,

you wonder, does he tumble a bit? How about this? Can I throw something at you? I heard in the last, just something I heard recently. Was it at the movie premiere two nights ago? No, it wasn't. So I was talking to it. NFL scout who I trust. And he said, never, like for instance, Jalen Carter for Georgia, there were questions about

some character stuff. And then like he, he comes in overweight for the pro day. He goes, now you're doubling down on our concern. So Will Levis, the concern is he spends too much time in the gym. He's ripped. He likes to be ripped. He shows up to the combine in a super tight. shirt. One scout's like, turn off. We already think you're too jacked. Don't brag about it.

Like don't like come out like, look at me. It's like, no, no, no, no, no. Downplay that. We like your brain. We like your arm. So like when you double down on a company has a concern, they hire somebody and they think he's got, you know, he's got a little bit of a temper and then you blow up in the break room day two. It's like, okay, now you're a problem. You don't want to double down before the draft. If people think you're irresponsible, just fake it and be responsible pre-draft. Levis, jacked up guy, kind of a concern. Well, I have a parallel for you on Jalen Carter real quick. Okay. Remember this guy, he was awesome at the University of Miami and in the 90s, totally dominant. And then right before the draft, there's all these character concerns and he tumbles

down to 12 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His name Warren Sapp. I'm not saying Jalen Carter is going to be that good. But there is value if a superstar like Carter, who everybody's loved the last two years, if he tumbles to like 9, 10, 11, there is immense value in talent like that. And the other thing Jalen Carter has going for him, there are several teams at the top. Chicago and Detroit have the same exact need. Defensive tackle pressure on the interior. So those teams both have that need in division. So you could see Chicago, we're not letting Detroit have this guy.

We already have concerns about the Interior O line. So the Bears and the Lions to me on Jalen Carter, I can see them going back and forth here in the pre-draft stuff and saying, listen, if we don't get him, I don't want him ended up in our division twice a year and we got to block him. Good stuff. Jay Mack with the news. There's one more. One real quick.

Paul George got injured last night, Conno. This did not look good. It happened late in the game. No report yet on just how bad it is. He was carted off the court. Clippers lost to OKC. Look at the way that bent. You just got to hope, man, that this is not super serious.

He's such a good player. Such a good player. He's one of the better two-way guys in the league. I mean, I talked about him huge yesterday saying, listen, I like them against the suns. Listen, there's a lot of people in the league that think Jason Tatum's way up here and Paul George is way down here. I think they're closer than people think. They're both two-way guys.

They both. We question Tatum a little bit big shot. We question Paul in the playoffs. And I mean, Tatum's a better player. But I don't think the gap between. Tatum and Paul George on their good nights is as gigantic as everybody thinks Tatum, Tatum's reputation is top five guy in the league. Paul George is, you know, he doesn't deliver in the playoffs.

Paul George is a great player. He's a great regular season player. He's had his playoff issues. Jason Tatum is a first team all NBA guy. That's what I'm saying. Lock it up. So you view Tatum as an MVP level guy and Paul George, the first thing out of your mouth is, hey, he's a good regular season guy.

I think you can build around Jason Tatum. He can be your number one. I think Paul George is a two at this stage in his career. He was a one in Indy, but Paul George is clearly a two now. So he was a one at Indy. In Indy when he went toe to toe to toe with LeBron. And gave them fit. He did.

That was like seven years ago. It was Paul George, Roy Hibbert. Yes, yes, yes. And they gave that mine. I watched every minute of those games. That was like a long time ago, man. It was like six, seven, eight years ago. Wasn't it Indy?

LeBron with the heat? Paul George is good. He's good. He's clearly a number two, which there's nothing wrong with that. Then he's, Then he's arguably the best two in the league. He's top two to. A.D. and Paul George are my all-two team.

We need to dive into that deeper later, but I don't know that he's the best number two. Ryan, if I said my number two team is Dame. The second team all in. No, I'm not going to go there. No, we got to. I'm just saying Paul George is good. He's very good. Yeah, I like him.

Oh, I'm sorry. He's a regular season guy. Go look up the numbers. I bet you scored a few buckets in the postseason. We'll just run footage of the Denver. for Nugget series when he's throwing stuff off the side of the backboard in the most important game of his life. Paul, just want you to know one guy here thinks you're really good. Donovan Mitchell bounced him and Russell Westbrook in the playoffs.

I could go on, Colin. JMAQ with the news. Well, that's the news. We needed brevity there. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Two NBA insiders podcasting twice a week to plug you right into the NBA great buy. All happening.

in only one place. This League Uncut. The new NBA podcast with me, Chris Haines. And me, Mark Stein. Join us as we team up to expound on everything we're covering, hearing, and chasing. Listen to This League Uncut with Chris Haines and Mark Stein. 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. say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app,

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

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan So we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your home for Saturday baseball is MLB on Fox.

All season long, the biggest stars and teams square off in the biggest games on the best day of the week. Major League Baseball Action returns Saturday, April 1st on Fox. What's the game? Or just the sports returning? Just the sport. Returning to Fox. All right. Very good.

World Baseball Classic was money. Japan wins again. Undefeated. Apparently the number of viewers in Japan was like, I think for that one of the semifinal. 62 million. Yeah. Did you see that? And last night, that was, I don't think that was.

last night. So they'll probably get 80 million. That was earlier in the series. So they may have gotten... In Japan. Right. But I'm saying the numbers we've got, I bet you last night, I'll make a guess. Last night got three million viewers. That's unbelievable. I'll go 3.1. That beats NBA early round playoff games. That's, that's impressive for an exhibition, world baseball classic, which on a lot of nights, you know, I mean, this, this was a several countries, not just USA. It was, and the numbers were really strong. It's really good spring programming. Remember the NBA did the play-in tournament? And it was like Steph Curry against LeBron. And it was an incredible game.

Play-in! Hey, more of this, please. That's what's funny. Whenever I hear, you know, the ratings, this and that. College football were up. NFL was up. World Baseball Classic a home run. March Madness ratings have been unbelievable. Sports gambling is keeping people watching bad games longer. And so there's two ways to get a TV rating. Cume, total audience, and spent watching, right? So what's happening is the QM doesn't always go up, but people are watching games longer because you'd watch a bad game longer if you got 20 bucks on it. And the average sports bet in America is $4. No. No, that's it. That's it. So people just want to be involved. If you go to the draft kings and fandules, they just want to be involved. They want to have juice on

the game. They want to do a hit-a-two-team parlay and go out and buy lunch. Have a margarita. It's fun. So the Panthers are sending, Carolina Panthers are sending 11 representatives, owner, his wife, the GM, the coach, Frank Reich, 11 representatives to Columbus, Ohio for for the pro day, I think it's Columbus, it's somewhere, for C.J. Stroud, the quarterback of the Buckeyes. Now, what I think they're doing psychologically, they want to bring a massive staff to put a little pressure on C.J. Stroud, see how he reacts to it. They want to make sure everybody knows that 11 people are showing up. The entire franchise is showing up. We're going to put a little pressure on him. So as a two-year starter for C.J. Stroud, it's interesting. He

never really had a bad game. He had a couple of games with two picks, but they were bad weather games. He played a game in Nebraska where it was blowing sideways, but they lost to Oregon at Columbus, but he threw for 484 yards. It was the Buckeyes defense that stunk and Oregon went up and down the field. He lost to Michigan, but he threw for 350 yards, and Michigan was also great. You know, I was thinking about this with C.J. Stroud. My prediction is he won't be a bust for Frank Reich. He won't be a bust. And I'll give you an example. So we know that Frank Reich gave Andrew Luck his most efficient season, and we know he gave Carson Wentz his last really good season. And he also took prehistoric Philip Rivers to the playoffs.

Philip had had better seasons in his prime, but it was a really impressive thing. Philip Rivers, we thought he was shot. He got 11 wins. They went to Buffalo and gave the bills a real game, playoff game. But it's what he did with Jacoby Brissette that's fascinating. And this is why. C.J. Stroud has more talent. That's no question than Jacoby Brissette. About the same size, I think. But CJ Stroud's a bit. is a better talent. High school, college, he's a better player. So this is what's interesting.

Frank Reich in 2019 coached the Colts. They lot, T.Y. Hilton missed like seven, eight games, something like that. Jonathan Taylor wasn't there yet. That was the next draft. It was an abysmal offense. And Jacoby Brissette, three to one touchdown ratio, 61% completion percentage, and a passer rating 8889. Now, you say to yourself, well, what, I mean,

Big deal. His stats that year, Jacobi Brissette, where they didn't have a number one running back, and the leading receiver that year, in many games, their top receiver was Zach Pascal. Jacobi Brissette ended up with a passer rating, a completion percentage,

and a touchdown to interception ratio equal in the ballpark of Andy Daltons' career. Andy Dulton's a three-time pro bowler in the AFC. A three-time pro bowler. So yet, yeah, we know he got an old Philip Rivers to the AFC playoffs, better conference. We know the last good year Carson Wentz wasn't a tire fire. It was Frank Wright. We know what he did with Andrew Luck.

But it's what he did with Jacoby Brissette that's pretty remarkable. And when you get into trouble in the NFL is when you have a bust, when you have a Paxton Lynch, a Ryan Leif, a Johnny Mansell. then you've got to pivot quickly and you get very desperate as a franchise. Even Andrew Luck's quick retirement, the cults have never been the same. I don't think you're going to get that with C.J. Stroud. I don't think he's going to end up being efficient. I don't see a lot of magic, a lot of juice. I don't see a lot of it.

But if he was Kirk Cousins, he's bigger than Kirk Cousins, he's accurate like Kirk Cousins. He runs better than Kirk Cousins. I don't know. You can do worse than Kirk Cousins. He throws a better ball than DAC, much more accurate. It looks like he runs about as well as Dak. He's a two-year starter. He didn't really have any awful games at Ohio State.

Now, it's Ohio State. But, you know, I'm sitting around thinking about what Frank Reich's done in his career, not just with stars, but with Jacoby Brissette in 2019. Nothing to work with. I don't know. Maybe that doesn't qualify as a number one pick, But right now, Carolina, after the Baker stuff, the Kyle Allen stuff, the Sam Darnold stuff, they just got to get out of chaos.

They got to get out of desperation. And if C.J. Stroud chops it up today at the pro day, I could absolutely look and say, he'll be efficient, he'll be productive. Remember, he's not entering the AFC West. It's the NFC South, the worst quarterback division, maybe ever. for a season? I mean, pre-Darric Carr, it was a tire fire. So my guess is, I don't see a lot of spectacular.

But, you know, we had T.J. Hushman's Auto on this show earlier this week. He's the one that told me, Colin, when I said Joe Burrow was Tony Romo, Tony Romo was good, by the way. He said, no, he's better than that. When I said, I like Justin Herbert, he said, you better love Justin Herbert. When I was a critic of Josh Allen, he said, he's going to be a star. He said, C.J. Stroud. him number one. What I like about CJ is this is off the field. Whoever the 50, and I've told people this, whoever's the 53rd guy on the roster, he's going to make them feel like they're the

first guy on the roster. That's just who he is. CJ needs to go somewhere where the coach believes in them. You got guys that can make plays because he's a little more fiery than Bryce is, a little more talkative than what Bryce is. But I would probably go, I'd probably go CJ. How about that? That's something. Is it not? Something. I listened to that rant. I digested all of it. My question back to you is, do you trade up for someone who definitely won't be a bust?

Because that's basically the best you can say about C.J. Stroudon. You said he didn't really have a terrible game. I was just reading about the Michigan game. Do you remember that, the one before the Georgia game? You mean the really bad weather game when you're playing an inclement weather? You know, both quarterbacks were playing in inclement weather, but okay. At halftime, Ohio State was in great shape. They were looking awesome. Michigan and Jim Harbaugh

adjusted in the second half. C.J. Stroud didn't do jack squat. I like Stroud. I just want to paint the picture of both sides. Now, your question is, do you move up in the draft to get somebody that's not a bust? Well, I'm saying

not a bus being, I think he could be productive. quarterback is a little different, right? Like if you're in chaos at quarterback, you're in chaos as a franchise. If you're at chaos at cornerbacker outside linebacker, you can make the playoffs. But if you're in chaos, it's like being in Phoenix.

I don't need the best pool. I need a pool. Got to have a pool in Phoenix. Got to have a coat in Alaska. I don't have to be, I cannot be in chaos at one position in this league. I can be bad everywhere. Bad at quarterback, everybody loses their job.

Sometimes you move up to just avoid chaos. Hour 2 next. 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. Michael and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. 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 I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show.

This is a place for raw, unfilled 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHart podcast.

Guaranteed human.