The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD - Hour 2 - New Blazin' 5 picks for the weekend, more on the FBI investigation, Rachel Nichols

Episode Date: October 24, 2025

Colin gives his Blazin' 5 picks for the weekend He talks to NBA insider Rachel Nichols joins the show to share the latest details on the FBI’s investigation, what she’s hearing from around the league, and the biggest challenge the NBA is facing right nowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. All right, hour two. Live in Chicago, it's the Hurt. Big, big weekend. I think it's going to be an upset weekend in college football. Upset weekend in college football. It's the Hurt. Thanks for watching.

appreciate it. Rachel Nichols in 15 minutes. What a wild, wacky world we live in. I do think the NBA is going to be fine. People will still watch it. I think incidents like

the Damon Jones, Chonzie Billet stuff is, there are rogue Tim Donagy, 1970s, Boston College, Henry Hill, Richie the Fixer Perry, you can't I mean this is not analogous but you know it's like

not everything is a large group of people sometimes they always talk about this insecurity the lone gunman the lone wolf who is disconnected he's a loner nobody FBI can't predict that stuff CIA can't predict that stuff that's what you always worry about security

for government officials CEOs it's a rando It's a lone wolf who's kind of a loner and not connected. So this idea that everything is this big honeycomb, it's this big net all connected. I just don't believe that to be true. I mean, I've been betting on sports forever. I can bet $10 anytime, and that's it. But I can also have a glass of champagne celebrating something, and that's it.

Because it gives me a headache after one. So I don't think this is a big net of NBA players. mob, gambling, athletes, bad judgment, been around since the Romans and the chariot races, and it's going to continue. Well, I've had a couple of good weeks.

I've been on a heater. Four and one last week, four and one this week. I do not like taking favorites. And I do not like the lines this week at all. Here's our blazing five. Let's blaze it up.

Fire it up. It's Colin. Blazance, Blaz and Ravens. My favorite pick, Ravens, Lamar is back minus six. Lamar returns. Ravens average 33 a game and six and a half yards per play in the four games this year with Lamar Jackson, and it's a must-win game.

Total urgency for the franchise. Lamar has eaten the NFC for lunch, 24 and 3 in his career, even better at home. The Bears, on the road. No, defense isn't as good. Caleb Williams, by the way, last three games, completion percentage has dipped to 58.7%. And right now, the Bears' defense can make splash plays and takeaways,

but it's allowing 6.2 yards per play. Against Lamar, Lamar Jackson's going to eat. Favorite pick of the weekend, Ravens minus 6. They win 28 to 21, and it won't feel that close. Browns hit Patriots. Another big favorite. New England at home minus seven. Why? Because four straight wins and they're average in 30 a game during those wins and their defense is great against the run. Meaning Dylan Gabriel will have to

pass to beat Drake May and the Patriots in Brable. I don't see it happening. Cleveland's defense, not as good on the road. In fact, the Browns are 0 and 3 on the road. And they have the 28-ranked rush offense. So Dylan Gabriel is going to have to have. have to be really good to keep up and beat Drake May, who has been outstanding since week two. I don't think it's happening. I like the Patriots to win by 10, 28 to 17, that's 11. Dolphins at Falcons. I like the over 44 and a half points.

I've been hot on overs. Falcons are average in 26 a game, and Michael Pennix at home has a 103 passer rating. But they also have a terrible red zone defense. So if Miami threatens, Miami should do well and eat in the red zone. But I like Atlanta at home to score points. Jemak talked about this. Fast track, they're very good. The Dolphins and their opponents have combined,

dolphins and their opponents have combined for 45 plus points in five of the last six games. And the over under here's 45 and a half. Their defense allows big, big plays. In Atlanta at home delivers big plays. The Dolphins defense, not good. Atlanta's offense at home, very good. Take the over 44 and a half points, 28, 21, 3024, my bad, of Falcons win. 49ers at Texans.

This is a late ad. There are concerns about the Texans' health at wide receiver, but this offense for the Texans, It's the number three scoring offense since week four, and their defense has been great all season. Sam Darnold and Seattle at home last week really struggled with this defense. So their defense is especially good at clamping down on running backs and their receiving yards, and the Niners right now are living off McCaffrey running and McCaffrey receiving. And the Niners are three and seven after a win the last two seasons. So the Texans defense is great.

The Niners are still beat up. I think it's a choppy game. I'm going to take the Texans 27 to 23. Cowboys and Broncos. Finally, Denver minus 3 at home. I like it. Take the Broncos. 3 and 0 at home, won eight straight home games dating back to last year.

and seven of those eight have been by eight plus points. Bow Nix won eight straight games at home. He's a better home quarterback. The Cowboys, listen, they beat the Jets, the Giants, and the commanders, and Jaden Daniels wasn't healthy. They've been one in three on the road. They're not a great road team. And they have an atrocious third down defense. That will keep the ball away from Dak, and they have an atrocious big play defense.

So the Broncos are going to win time of possession. The Broncos, who really need to hit on big plays, have finally found a defense that surrenders big plays. So I like Denver to win, and I like Denver to cover the spread. 28, 24 Broncos win. So in review, I like favorites this week. I generally don't love them. Favorite bet, Ravens minus six at home. Lamar returns.

Patriots minus 7 at home. Cleveland, Dylan Gabriel will have to throw to win and I don't see it. Take the over. Atlanta at home scores and the Dolphins defense is a mess. Take the over. I'm going to take the Texans at home minus one and a half. It's my least favorite pick, but their defense is great and the Niners have limitations offensively.

And Denver at home to win and cover. I think it's a fun game. I think it's a great watch. But Denver, they are really, really seeking the big play, and this is the defense that does allow the big play, the Cowboys. Couldn't tell you the last time I took three favorites. Generally don't like doing that. It's a wonky week for numbers.

Now, I did not take the Steelers, because the number now is down to three, not three and a half. So the hook was the key. The places I watched, it's down to three. I think it's a really good game. And it's funny. Aaron's facing, at home, facing the Packers again. And I was thinking about the memories of him in Green Bay.

So he won four MVP's. He was not a great playoff quarterback, 11 and 10. Farr was also about 500. So is Jordan Love. So what I always think is interesting about Green Bay, do we remember it more fondly than reality? because it was so aesthetically beautiful. I've said this.

Dan Marino gets to a Super Bowl year too, never gets back. But we remember Marino so fondly because it was such a beautiful, eye-pleasing style. Same with Aaron. Aaron's last 12 years in Green Bay. So he wins early in his career, and we think it's going to be a decade of dominance. His last 12 seasons after that in Green Bay,

he was 7 and 9 in the playoffs and lost multiple times as a favorite. In fact, those nine losses, his last 12 years in Green Bay, and I looked this up this morning. That was the most playoff losses by any team in that stretch. Right? So Mahomes has been to five Super Bowls and Manning to four, and Brady was collecting rings, and those are peers, right?

It's just funny. In Aaron, he replaces Fav, and we're like, oh, my God, is he better than Fav? And my bet was, oh, absolutely. And they end up both being pretty, to be honest with you, being pretty average in the playoffs, despite a well-run organization, good offensive lines. But far of, I mean, one thing I'll back Aaron on, Aaron did not have a lot of great defenses in Green Bay. And then he goes to the Jets and they fire Sala, and that defense is no good.

Then he goes to Tomlin in Pittsburgh, and that defense is no good. And the one thing Brady always had. really good defenses. And the one thing Mahomes has now, great defenses. So to defend Aaron is that you look at his playoff record and you're like, he wanted a great defense. Do you know the year he had a great defense? Was the year he won a Super Bowl.

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Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, for people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel

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Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Well, Rachel Nichols has been covering the NBA since the early 90s. Fox Sports NBA analyst, Rachel Nichols is now joining us on the show. So, you know, there's a lot to unpack. I think I listened to three to four total podcasts this morning last night, like you. You cover this league regularly, so your feet on the ground. Let's talk about the difference between sort of the active and the passive involvement in these gambling operations.

A lot of its squawk talk and a lot of its reality. What's the difference here you see? Well, there's two kind of categories of this, right? So we know for sure that they're accusing Terry Rozier of being active, right? That he specifically went to go throw his appearance in the game. He walked off the court early. He told people bet the under, and they're accusing him of sitting and counting the money gained from this with his friend a week later. Jean-Tay Porter has already acknowledged he has pled guilty to being active, to throwing his participation in

a game and getting the under bet and he is awaiting sentencing on that and then you have guys who it's not really clear right chauncey billups is named in both sides of this suit as saying oh he told an associate that a bunch of guys including a guy who matches damien lillers description will be sitting that night and that was used to go gamble now did he just tell someone because he was telling a friend or did he do it on purpose to get them to say hey throw me a little cash i'll bet the under Damon Jones, we know, is accused of being active in this situation, telling someone that LeBron James was going to be sitting and then saying, hey, bet for me, and then pay me my money. We're talking, you know, about $2,500, apparently, for giving that information, according to the federal government. So there's kind of two sides of this. Johnson-Billop's attorney has come out very strongly and said he would never do this on purpose. He would never risk his career, his family, you know, his position is a Hall of Famer, a coach in this league. You have to assume that his defense is going to be, yeah, I showed up with these poker games. They paid me to be in these poker games, but I didn't know they were rigged.

We're just going to have to sort through and find out, did they know, who knew, and is there a difference between the guys who actively participated and the guys who may have been around people? They should not have been around, and how much did they know? It kind of, though, for the NBA, doesn't matter that much how these cases shake out, because they now have to deal with the fact that they have two active investigations, now. They've got, in the Clipper situation, they've got an owner who is being investigated for saying, well, I didn't know this was going on, but we have a sponsor who was paying one of our players $28 million to apparently do nothing. You have a coach now being investigated, you have players being investigated, and you have ex-players being investigated.

That is a lot for one league, Colin. And I agree with you, the NBA has been around for nearly 80 years. The NBA isn't going anywhere. These scandals are not going to take down the league. But it is an issue with, if you say crime, right, in general, in a neighborhood, crime is going to happen. You're never going to have zero crime. But you can't have too much crime, right? Otherwise, people won't want to come to that neighborhood. And that is what the NBA is having to deal with right now. You have so many different levels of the game.

People being accused of malfeasance here. That is a lot. Yeah. So the NBA did their own investigation on John T. Porter and Terry Rozier, and then the FBI did their investigation. How did they differ? Well, look, the NBA doesn't have subpoena. power. So I don't blame the NBA at all for that. They can only do so much. They can only get people

to talk to them who want to talk to them. They can't put guys up and say, hey, we're going to put you in jail if you don't tell us this. So it is a very different situation. It's why the NBA has been cooperating with the government on these investigations. But again, the optics of it are difficult. And it is not the league's fault, but it is the league's problem when they clear a guy. And then suddenly now he's facing jail time. Yeah. The Damon Jones stuff to me is because I don't know LeBron per se. I've talked to LeBron for 20 minutes. Always very friendly.

I know people in his circle very well. Again, if I've been critical of LeBron, they don't reach out. They understand the game. I always thought he surrounded himself with the smartest guys in the league because I think LeBron's really bright. Good businessman, bright guy.

The Damon Jones was close to LeBron. He was on a Laker team, unpaid part of Darvindham staff. And so, you know, I mean, Damon was a well-liked guy. I think I've talked, I don't know if I've talked to him, but Damon Jones was kind of well-liked. LeBron liked him.

I'm not sure if he was in his circle. But they hung out. They like each other. There is a story that Damon, they go to Milwaukee, and LeBron's banged up, and he tells people, hey, I want to eat. Here it is. That one troubles me because it involves the face of the league and the Lakers.

if I had to rank these in order, is that, is it the Chauncee or the Damon one the league is truly frightened about? Well, the Damon one is the kind of thing that could spin out and have future repercussions, right? Because Damon Jones was very close to LeBron. I'm not saying at all that LeBron was involved in this. Nobody is saying LeBron was involved in this. But he was close to a lot of big names in this league.

Damon Jones has knocked around the league for a long time. He was on a lot of different teams. He has close relationships with a lot of guys. He had inside information on a lot of different guys. and he was clearly, according to the federal government, he is alleged to be a very active participant in this, knowing what he was doing. So if that is indeed the case,

and he did it with several other guys, we had Cash Patel, the director of the FBI, go on several television shows yesterday, after that press conference and say, more is coming. He said, this is just the beginning. So I got to believe him. He knows what the FBI is investigating,

and that is what the league has to be concerned about. Yeah, the Chonty Billups thing is, just hard to wrap my brain around. He, I initially thought he was in the poker side of it, which is Locosa Nostra. I don't know if Likosa Nostra is involved in the NBA part. They are involved heavily in the poker. And for the record, I listened to two podcasts last night, one from somebody who covers the mob for a living.

And he said, there are mob games all over New York tonight. Like, it's just, you know, you know New York better than I do, but like that's just the thing. He was naming, you know, on Lexington Avenue, there's a, I mean, he was naming the areas. And I'm like, okay. So, and NBA players have played cards forever. It's kind of part of the culture. Do you think the league was caught off guard with Chauncey Billups? I mean, players have done this in all sport.

The Chauncey one for me is, whoa, whoa, whoa, a coach. How is that viewed? Are you shocked by that? I was very shocked by it, because Chauncee is extremely well-liked around the league. He's known as a mentor, a leader, a good guy. You know, the reason why he is held in such high esteem isn't because he was such an elite. He's not the leader in the NBA in points ever. He's not like LeBron James.

He's known as being one of the best leader of men in the NBA. And here he is being caught up in a scandal that at the very least shows incredible bad judgment. And according to the FBI, shows a lot worse than that. And when you talk about sort of the back and forth and why these two cases are connected, it's because a lot of the same guys are involved in the illegal poker game as in the betting. And that is where the crossover is and why Chauncey is also named in the illegal betting part, but not indicted in that part because he was with those guys, but not necessarily according to the FBI purposely giving information to them.

He just did give information to whether he knew or not it was being used to bet. But this is going to continue to be a problem. And the NBA has to hope that what happens is that guys understand they could go to jail for them. And once that realization sets in, the hope is that players, coaches, anyone involved with the league just stops messing with this. But the NBA is in a little bit of a tough position, as are every sports league now, the way legalized betting is in these betting companies. The NBA was estimated to make around $170 million directly from betting companies. It has two official relationships and other relationships with 15 other betting companies. Then you talk about fan engagement, because betting, as we know, the whole point is it makes people watch games they might not otherwise watch, right?

You know, this is a lopsided game, but I got a bet on it. I mean, it's fantasy football, too. Why do we watch so many football games we might not otherwise care about, right? So the engagement factor is also huge, and that's estimated to be $200 million extra a year pouring into the league. Fan engagement on top of the $170 million. So it really has become an integral part of the league's income system. So it's very hard to just walk away from all of this, but it's also hard to think about the fact that you have these games going on,

and right underneath on the ticker is, hey, bet the third quarter, bet what's going on here? Yesterday, we had several television networks across who are covering this, people discussing it just like you and I, and underneath on the ticker is, go bet, right? Sports networks who have their own sports book. ESPN has its own sports book, and while they were discussing this on the morning show,

it said bet ESPN underneath. This is so ingrained and so available in a way it wasn't 20 years ago. You're talking about Michael Jordan going to Atlantic City. He had to go to Atlantic City. You don't have to do that anymore. And every single person involved with the NBA just has to send a text, and it's a much different game. Well, you know, David Stern was really anti-gambling. Adam Silver was the opposite.

Stern eventually came around and realized the value. And I am a believer in legalized sports gambling because it's a regulated market. The Terry Roseir stuff, Rachel, I'm sure you know this. They knew instantly. I mean, they knew within hours something was up. They cut off betting for the rest of the night. Yeah, and I do worry about Brian Winhorst said the league knew as a faking injury, took him out of games, was the NBA strong enough?

Barkley talked about that last night. So I am for, and I've worked in Vegas. Like, I am for regulation. Remember, it was Vegas that told the NBA about Tim Donagie. Yeah. You're right. They don't want it. The margins are thin. They don't want any of this. I'll just throw this at you. When you hear tip of the iceberg, I tend to think it's more rogue stuff. I think most players get, let me ask you this.

When you go to cover the NBA, do you see signage? Do you see, I mean, obviously these players are told, you can't talk about injuries to non-locker room people. Like, do you have a sense when you go cover games that it's understood the line not be crossed with gambling and non-insiders? I think it's understood that you don't do what Damon Jones did, which was text someone who is a known gambling associate and say, hey, bet the under because or bet against the Lakers because LeBron isn't playing tonight. I think players know that is against the rules. However, there is a gray area, and this is hard to regulate and it's hard to even manage if you're a player. You tell a buddy, I'm frustrated, I'm not playing tonight. That information is not out there yet.

That buddy doesn't work for the NBA. He can go, place a bet, or tell other people to place a bet based on that information. And that's always going to happen, and it becomes even more complicated once we get into college basketball and college sports, because the NCAA, just a couple days ago, said that its players can now bet on professional sports in the sport that they play. So what if you are a player who's a junior or senior, who has a buddy in the NBA who was on your team, who was a teammate just a year or two ago, who just in a casual conversation says, I can't play tonight. No one knows that yet, but I can't play. Oh, my knee's bothering me now. That kid in college can go bet on that inside information. This just gets very dangerous and sticky. And it is difficult when you say, is it the tip of the iceberg or isn't a nice cube, as you said earlier in the show, which I think is a great analogy. I think it might be an iceberg only because there are so many different places this could crop up all across the NBA, all across other sports, all across college sports now. So I think we're going to see a lot of different places for this to happen. And you just have to hope, again, as players see, you can go to jail. Your entire life can be ruined over this. It is not worth it. And you get into the addiction side of it,

too, which is override some people's judgment. Yeah, it did. By the way, an NBA player is liable, and they have been told this, if they talk about an injury, to a non-team employee. They are liable. They could say it to a friend. You can't. So I mean, every NBA player in every room they walk into is the biggest star, right? And people come up to them and they just, I mean, you almost have to hide before a game and stay off your fun.

I mean, really, you really do as a player. So I do have some sympathy there. Rachel Nichols, great stuff, as always, on an ongoing investigation. And we'll just, we'll keep everybody updated. Thank you, Rach. Thank you. Yeah, it's just not, yeah, if you just say, and I thought about this, I was talking to Danny Parkins about this on a pod last night.

And he kind of theorized, he said, what if you couldn't bet unders? You could only bet over. You can't bet this guy will score less, this guy will. Like, if a guy scores more, it's good for everybody, right? The player, the team, the guy. But you can't bet unders. But I don't believe you should eliminate. eliminate prop bets because then it goes to the unregulated market.

And it's not supervised. I want it supervised. So, you know, the state, you know, answers aren't always easy with this stuff. J-MAC with the news. No, no, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news. All right, Con, let's start with Patrick Mahomes.

One of your favorite guys around the league, really cooking this year. Obviously, he is a three-time Super Bowl MVP. But do you remember he started his college career at Texas Tech under a guy named Cliff Kingsbury? Well, the two of them will have a reunion on Monday night football when the chiefs host, the commanders. Mahomes talked about how Kingsbury allowed him to play the game his way. He's one of the first people I would say that truly believed to me in playing the quarterback position. And so he gave me a ton of advice of refining me, but letting me still just be me and play to my strengths. And so a great coach, a great person.

that I still stay in touch with, not as much this week, but throughout my career. And he helped me get to where I'm at today because he didn't put me in a box and tell me I need to play quarterback this way. He let me just go out there and be myself and play the way they got me there. And I think that's something that's special about him as a coach. Very much like Andy Reid, Kingsbury was not a great head coach, college or NFL, great mentor, great play designer, great play caller. We've talked about this before. There is a skill to walk around and not be on a headset. Most NFL coaches, college coaches, the elite ones, are walk around guys.

They're not in a headset. So Kingsbury's a really good football coach. So far unproven as a head coach, you and I have... I'm pro Kingsbury, just for the record. No, I'm pro Kingsbury too. He loved Jaden Daniels. When we broke the story last year before the Jaden Daniels, Drake May draft, A month before the draft, I said Washington's taking Jaden Daniels.

Kingsbury was the one that went to Adam Peters, the GM, and pounded the table and said, that guy, we can win a lot of games with that guy. And he wasn't anti anybody else, but Jaden Daniels was Cliff Kingberry's favorite quarterback in the entire class, more than Caleb, more than Drake, more than panics. So Kingsbury, that's the quarterback he wanted, and last year you saw the results. Yeah, just listening to Mahomes talk about Kingsbury, I feel like in that scenario, I'm Mahomes and you're Kingsbury back at Texas Tech. You just tell me, Jay Mack, I know you're going to do some crazy stuff, but you do you. Play to your strengths.

And I like that as a coach. I believe, Colin, Kingsbury will be interviewing for head coaching jobs. Yeah. You know, he struggled in discipline. He is a former athlete. Yeah, he didn't love discipline. He didn't necessarily hold players as a counter. We're seeing that with McDaniel in Miami too, right?

Some of these guys. Young coaches. Yeah, they just are not. The old school coaches can bark and use volume and are pretty punitive of players. It's no, no, Andy Reid can be rough. Yeah. So I think some of these young coaches struggle with that. Certainly.

Let's move on to the Baltimore Ravens, the biggest injury report. Everybody's waiting for today. You know, we'll see what happens with Lamar Jackson. But Kyle Hamilton, who has missed a lot of time this season, he's getting back in the fold, which is great news. Hamilton knows they need to approach the season one game at a time to climb out of this one in five hole. You can't ignore the past, but, you know, we're forward-thinking at this point. It kind of have to be.

Every game forces a playoff game. That's how it feels and how it's going to have to be from here on out. dug ourselves in a deep hole, but in order to get in the dance, we've got to really be locked in from here on out. So we're trying to do that. Yeah, like the Ravens. And we've said this about Lamar Jackson. Unless you see him regularly, he is a lot to face without seeing him multiple times. I can remember his rookie year.

The Chargers faced him the first time and just didn't know what to do. And then the second time, they had a little bit better beat on him. That's why Kansas City has seen him so many times. Spags has seen him so many times. They know what he can do and know what he can't. They know his tells. So this is a rough ass for Chicago. So new defensive staff, going to Baltimore.

This is the one game on the board, I feel very strongly. I think Baltimore wins, and from the very beginning, feels like the team that's in control of this game. You could get Baltimore plus 110 to make the playoffs, plus money. I did take that. I think they're going to the playoffs. My thing to watch so in this one is not necessarily Baltimore Collins, Caleb Williams. So he's had the run game recently, and he's been serviceable. What happens if the Ravens are able to take that away?

And Caleb has to win this with his arm. Do you think he's possible? He's capable of doing that on the road. You know, the Caleb stuff is obvious. He has struggled with accuracy in the last couple starts. And last three starts, he's completing under 60%. It is hard. In order to win games like that, you have to play bad teams

or your defense has to take the ball away. And in both instances, that's what happened. They've played Chicago's beaten kind of bad teams, and they've taken the ball away. But good teams and great questions. quarterbacks don't give you the ball. So I think this is a tough spot for Chicago. All right. Final story is to the NBA last night.

Colin, listen, we don't call him the free throw merchant for nothing. SGA dropped 55 on the Pacers in a double overtime thriller. They did not cover the spread for what it's worth. Interestingly, though, Colin, it's only two games. SGA has attempted 40 free throws. Now, both of their games have gone double overtime. Colin, 40 free throws in the first two games as an NBA record for the free throw merchant. Here's SGA afterward talking about the free throws.

It's a good way to break dice on the season, shake the rest off, kind of like bust the lungs out, like get my cardio back. So, yeah, it's not ideal for extra overtime in two games, but we'll take it two Ws. And then also understanding like the beginning of the season is just, just as important as the end of the season. The difference in home court advantage in the playoffs could be one game and one win. Yeah, I mean,

remember, in the playoffs, you do not get the whistle. In the regular season, the NBA lets the guys play, and then in the postseason they clamp down, so SGA is going to get to the free throw line like Carl Malone did and James Harden did. Can't breathe on them. Can not breathe on

on SGA when it matters most, Colin. No. Got to give him room to operate. I don't know why, but they feel the need like, you know, SGA, the free throw merchant. It's not going to stop, folks. It's not. Our number from our staff, Colin,

36% of his points of season have come from the free throw line. If this continues, it's a bad look. Do you think the gambling's a bad look for the game again? This is a bad look when all he does is just shoot 20 free throws a game. Like, stop. Remember, the Thunder won last year on average by 13 points a game. Yep. you notice their games this year?

A little closer. Yeah, I mean, so you ask a lot of a team to play so many games, so many intense games, they come back, off-seasons are shorter because everybody's got endorsements and everybody's, they're feeling it. So I don't think OKC repeats, I just think they're really good. But I think we have a pattern in the NBA. I mean, two is a trend, seven years in a row different. And I think, keep your eye on Minnesota, Denver, Dallas. Lakers.

No. J-Mac with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lye News. Well, Game 1 of the World Series tonight, I think it goes six. I'll take the Dodgers. They've been really good in game ones the last couple of seasons, 6 and 0. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, it's us, the Jonas brothers, and guess what? We have some big news.

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

But this one's extra special. So how did we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Oh, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes.

I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, Not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not. 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. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind.

Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real.

viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. SportsClyce brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsClyce on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome back. You know, I was thinking about this. Think about the challenges of running a business.

So the NBA just signed an $11 billion TV deal with NBC. I've liked their early coverage. Amazon and the incumbent is ESPN and ABC. That's a very, very good business. Just think about the challenges that Adam Silver right now has either created or is facing. A gambling scandal. All the stars at the top of the league are international and not very dynamic personality-wise. And there's no dynasties now because of the multiple aprons.

You can't stack great players. Oh, by the way, too many threes. You got four current things that the NBA is facing. Now, I think it will overcome all of them because, A, they already got their money. It's up to the networks to make a profit. NBC's not going to profit. NBC is going to lose hundreds of millions of dollars, maybe a billion dollars. ESPN will be fine.

They're the incumbent and Amazon prints money. But the truth is, it just goes to show you, if you don't have the stomach for business, than just be an employee at a company. Because it's like Amazon. Like Amazon's an amazing company. They are fighting lawsuits, fighting off competitors every day. Most Americans, most people don't have the stomach for business.

I mean, the NBA now has a lacosa moster gambling scandal. I mean, it's just ridiculous to have your name linked with an Italian mob, whether you are or not, just in the same sentence, It's nauseating if you're Adam Silver. It's an international strass-driven league. The top five players, the last, you haven't had a domestic MVP for like six, seven years, like since 2018.

People are complaining there's too many threes. The aesthetics aren't good. And, you know, no dynasties. Seven years, seven champs. People like dynasties. And let me give me an example. Let me pivot to this, Major League Baseball. They've got a dynasty probably in about.

a week and a half, the Dodgers. Ratings are up, attendance is up. So baseball had all these problems years ago. The game was too slow. You know, it was paralyzed by, Hey, there's a way to play the game, no celebrations. And Rob Manfred, to his credit, kept making changes, bigger bases,

man on second regular season extra innings. No defensive shift. pitch clock and all the traditionalists push back they've all worked i watch more baseball the last two years than they did the previous 15 the game moves much more quickly so dave roberts uh you know on on the cries and the hues that the sport now is too lopsided and the dodgers are bad for baseball baseball viewership is at an all-time high baseball players are better than they've ever been we are going to have more eyeballs watching this World Series than ever because of the country of Canada, the U.S., and Japan, and beyond, right?

So obviously the Dodgers are not ruined baseball. It's in a great state. And I was just kind of taking a dig at these crazy people that say that what we do, and I think we do it really well, we're ruining baseball. So that was my little dig. And it was appropriate, and it's funny because the Dodgers aren't ruining baseball. Look at their road attendance. It leads baseball.

when the Yankees were stacked. The Yankees led baseball in road attendance. And by the way, when the Yankees went on the road and when the Dodgers go on the road, teams jacked their prices up. So they charge you more to go see Otani and Derek Jeter and Arod in their prime. So the audience follow the marketplace, not the internet. People call talk radio pre-internet. You know, they talk radio and they write letters to the editor and they're all angry. Don't listen to that noise.

Watch the marketplace. Rating's up, attendance up, prices up, revenue up, baseball's good. I mean, you just think about this. It's just hard to run a big business. Adam Silver's finding it out. Rob Manfred knows. Google has faced over 100 antitrust lawsuits since it was created. I remember talking to Mark Cuban years ago about this.

He's like, I've got lawyers on retainer. for the most ridiculous things ever. And yesterday, it was funny. Yesterday I go to the gym. Hey, I got to throw weight around. You know what I mean? Just throw iron around. That's what I do.

And in like a two minutes as I'm adding a member to my membership. In two minutes, they had like four fires. It was, somebody's locked out of this room. I can't open my locker. They got a phone call, an alarm went off, and I'm like, I'm in a workout club for two minutes. The front desk lady is literally putting out fires in the two minutes I'm talking to her. And it's just like, you've got to be able to handle crisis. And so the NBA right now, it's got a crisis.

Google's got one every day. Every single day. Be an employee. Don't be an entrepreneur if you don't have the stomach for it. Because you could be Mark Cuban or Elon Musk. I was told a year ago, Elon Musk, his business was capsizing. I don't know. It seems like Tesla's stocks done okay to me.

Seems like he's doing fine. You know, what is it this week? All the stocks seem like the big players are up. So, I don't know. I just, I look at baseball. They've got a dynasty. They're on fire. The NBA could probably use one.

Now they got a betting scandal. They'll be fine. I thought one of the interesting things when I had Dave Roberts on, I said, you know, it's fascinating. I'm watching the Mariners have to. Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez at the top of the order. And for years and years, you would have those guys the big sticks bat in three, four, and five. And I asked him about, you know, Otonny, you know, you'd think with his power,

he would be like clean up hitter, but now he's a lead off guy, and he addressed that. When I was growing up as you were, same time period, Shohan would be hitting, you know, three or four. but I think that the way that understanding that you want to get your best hitters as many at bats as possible that's how you win baseball games that's the way the game has evolved

and I do think that you got to kind of appreciate that and so I just don't want to be beholden to one lineup I think our guys have evolved yeah here's what I know the Dodgers are not a crisis for baseball

it's a golden ticket get one now they are not a crisis nor were Shaq and Kobe KD Steph and Clay Thompson there was a sense of unfairness sports isn't fair

Serena was just more talented right it's like the Russians forever had basically professionals playing in the Olympics and crushing everybody if you're looking for fairness it just doesn't exist

I mean I tell my kids, sometimes I just love her more than him. You can have to deal with it. I'm building metal and moxie for my children. Hour three is around the corner. Albert Breer stops by game one of the World Series tonight.

I don't know. They say, they say, Roger Center, Toronto, loudest place in the sport. That's what they say. Dodgers will find out tonight. Hey guys,

it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast?

Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but, you know. Tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen.

We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite, unhumored me with Robert Smiley. and friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L'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. Winning on Clay is an art. The rallies are relentless. And at the French Open, only the top

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Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headlines. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Slice on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more,

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