The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - MLB Pessimism, Matt's Weird Dreams, Damon Jones, Watchu Talkin Bout JJ

Episode Date: May 27, 2020

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Transcript
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Starting point is 00:00:00 Much larger than life. Yeah. Lunch timers. Is the Matt Thomas show. 12.1 in H-town. What's happening in lunchtimers? Good afternoon to you and welcome to a Wednesday edition of the Matt Thomas show. Sports Talk 790. You're home of the Rockets for sure. Your hopeful home of the Astros.
Starting point is 00:00:37 We are going to be your home of the Astros. If they play games. It might just be until 2021. Joe George is the producer of the show. He'd like for Sports Talk 7. I need to be your home for Cubs baseball. Not going to happen. But the Houston teams that win are here.
Starting point is 00:00:52 I kind of wish they were in the same division, though, in this realignment thing. That would have been more fun. But they weren't never a rivals of the Cubs. No. That's why I don't have a problem being a huge Astros fan, because there's no rivalry there. I get you. I kind of hated the Cubs. Growing up.
Starting point is 00:01:05 We call them they hate the Cardinals. For an Astro fan as a kid, when they were in the National League West, you hated the Dodgers. Now, the Dodgers didn't hate the Astros. You just hated the Dodgers because they were the threat more times and not. In the Central, it was always St. Louis to me. I hated St. Louis, but I also didn't care for the Cubs. You know what I did like, though? In the middle of the summer, they just have random Wednesday day games.
Starting point is 00:01:27 So as a kid, off school, you can just watch a day game on like a random Friday or Wednesday. Yeah. before you guys were able to watch baseball on a regular basis. I'm talking when I was 12. This is before ESPN had their cable deal. So I remember talking early 80s. You could see about 150 Braves and 150 Cubs games in the year. The only time you didn't see them was if they were on the NBC game of the week.
Starting point is 00:01:56 That's it. Every other game. They didn't have, like for a while they used to have where every Wednesday would only be, You can only put them on your local cables, and then they got rid of that. Now, everything. I mean, the Cubs have their own cable network. The Braves are on one of the foxes. And so you went from seeing 300 combined Cubs Braves games to whatever you see on national television now.
Starting point is 00:02:18 And that's why I think such a large group of Americans love those two teams, because for those people that couldn't Ford pay cable, meaning HSSE, when the Astros are on or the Rangers, you got to see those two teams. and it was fun. They were not very good, neither one of them. They had a little bit of playoff run. The Cubs in 84 and 89. The Braves had it in 82, but for the most part of that decade, they sucked. Yeah, I mean, well, I grew up like that too, watching them on TBS and watching the Cubs on WGN.
Starting point is 00:02:48 And I did root for the Braves a little bit as a kid, just because they were always on, especially during summers. I could name you 20 Braves that played in the 1980s. Start, no, I'm just kidding. I mean, that's not a proud moment of mine. I'm just telling you, that's just what. what it was. All right. So yeah, you know, you see that website, that Twitter account, Super 70 Sports. I love that. I love Super 80 Sports because it just takes you back in time.
Starting point is 00:03:13 On the radio program today, a good friend of the show, fellow with Houston Cougar, Damon Jones, longtime NBA player. Now he's on ESPN. You see him on the jump. You see him on SportsCenter and whatnot. He will be on the radio program at 1.30 today. Just going to get his perspective. He and LeBron James were teammates in Cleveland, and I think still very close to this day. I don't know how close, so I won't really get into the deep on that. Okay. But I'd be curious. I just want to get his thoughts about the ramping up, what he's heard,
Starting point is 00:03:38 because he's still very well connected to a lot of different players around the NBA. So a little NBA perspective from a fellow Houston Cougar, Damon Jones, joining us at 1.30 this afternoon. Coming up in 25 minutes, I've talked to you about, I know I've talked to Ross about this off air. I don't know if I've ever discussed it with you on air. I don't think so. I don't think so. in the last three years of my life,
Starting point is 00:04:04 I've always been a good dreamer, but when I was 19 or 15, my dreams then were a lot different than they are at the age of in my mid-40s, or now late 40s. In what way? Less Tony Catane, less Valerie Burton-Elli. 14 to 22, usually all-involved women? Yes.
Starting point is 00:04:26 They never involve women at 45 or plus. They just don't. the most bizarre things. And so I usually don't bring them to the show. Because they're quite disturbing and not rare. Well, they're just so odd that it would be hard to put two and two together. Very dark. Today, I'm going to need your dream analysis because it was involving Bill O'Brien.
Starting point is 00:04:48 Can't wait. As a former psychology major, Matt, I'm ready for you. And so I need all you amateur psychologist to call in or tweet and tell me what the hell's going wrong with me because I should be dreaming of buxom flat-bellied girls. Instead, I'm dreaming of an NFL general manager and head coach. Feeding you grapes, fanning you with banana leaves. No, none of that. On your throne. So I need MT dream analysis and I need it from you guys at 1230. Can't wait. All right. We opened the radio program today with, man, what an absolute horrible day for baseball fan yesterday. It wasn't great.
Starting point is 00:05:28 Look, this is a negotiation between the players and the owners. Yes. It just, Rossi, feels like the negotiation is going to have to go really fast, and they're going to have to close the gap. Reports coming out yesterday that, first of all, they're going to not just take the prorated deal. Major League owners do not want you to get paid offensive. an 82 game schedules compared to 162.
Starting point is 00:06:00 For example, if an owner of a player was to make $10 million, a prorated salary would be just over five. They want, they mean the owners want them to take a massive pay cut based on how much you make off of the pro rated. So for instance, the highest paid players, the guys that make 30 or more million dollars per year, in which we have two of them here in Houston, correct? Zach Granky and Justin Verland, right? Those two would take the bigger hits as compared to, say, an Abraham Tori.
Starting point is 00:06:28 row. Good example, right? Yes. Yeah. Okay. So, let's put this in perspective. And again, we're talking about Uber millions of dollars. Justin Verlainter makes $35 million a year. His pro-rated salary off of an 82 game schedule is $17.7 million. Remember right about that? Yeah. 17 and 75. Yeah, 35. for. They want, they being baseball owners, if you make $35 million a year off of a pro-rated, they want you to take a cut off of that, they want to pay you $7.84 million. So if you make $35 million a year, you are going to make roughly a little over 20% of what you were
Starting point is 00:07:16 supposed to make. Now, obviously, that's not a huge group of people. Let's put people, what is the average salary major year? Five million dollars a year? Somewhere in that range? I think I saw 65% are making a million or less. that's dramatic then. But let's go to the average starter. Let's go to a Michael Brantley, $10 million a year, give or take, right? He's 14-ish. Somewhere. Let's say, let's go to the $15 million guy. He's making $16 this year. So the $15 million guy, his prorated salary is $7.59 million. They want him, him being all the $50 million year players to make $4 million. So roughly 50%? 55% off of, uh,
Starting point is 00:07:59 So the proration is going to be half, and then it's a little less than half of that. Yeah. Or about half of that. So here is the conundrum gang. In theory, again, they are making way, way, way more money than anybody should ever make to play a professional baseball, right? We can say that even in good economic times, correct? But we can all agree on that. Imagine if your boss said we're going to work you less and we're going to make – we're not going to –
Starting point is 00:08:31 prorate your salary, we're going to massively discount your prorated salary. You're not going to be happy by that. No, you're not. And I'm talking, so let's go to the bottom line guy, the guy that makes a major league minimum of what, $563,000. That person this year is going to make $262,000. So the pro rate is $285, meaning half season. So they're only getting $23,000 cut off a 285 contract.
Starting point is 00:08:56 So they're barely feeling the pinch of this. Yeah, the cut is a much, lessened when you're not making it. Yeah, the more money you make, the bigger your cut. So obviously, it's like some people are making the analogy of a lot of times in these companies that are happening now, in our company and whoever's, if you're making more money, you're taking more of a cut. If you're a CEO, you're taking even bigger cut. Yeah. And I guess they're saying Justin Verland or Zach Rinkie, you are like CEOs because you're making so much money, we're going to cut you even deeper. That's what I think most of America's thinking. Not everybody,
Starting point is 00:09:31 but some. So all I will say is this. Yeah, Major League Baseball players are really being asked to take one for the team. I could see how some are like, this is not fair. And first of all, you can go in the category of life's not fair, right? Yes. This pandemic hasn't been fair to. It hasn't been fair to anybody.
Starting point is 00:09:56 Asking any number of local businesses that are shutting down and furlowing and struggling and struggling and bleeding money. Do you see Barry's Pizza closed down yesterday? I live right by there. A Houston Houston. Love Barry's Beach. Two locations, in fact. So while I understand
Starting point is 00:10:12 how baseball player is pissed off, I get that. With this pandemic and with now, are we at 30% unemployment rate or thereabouts getting close to? I don't know what it is. It's high.
Starting point is 00:10:25 But it's really, really high. It's depression levels high. As much as you'd like to say, go labor, screw ownership, I think Ross still most of America is going to say for you to play 82 games and still get $4, $5, $6, $7 million based off of what you make
Starting point is 00:10:45 and what you're bringing them, you're going to just have to take another chin this year and say, sorry, Charlie, if you want to play. Now, what I also believe is I think the owners will have to come up on this offer. Yeah, I think that's going to happen. And I also think, look, I understand when people want to make that argument, but I will keep saying this and I will keep believing this. It's not
Starting point is 00:11:03 It's an apples and oranges comparison. It's not the players versus John Q. Public. It's not the players versus Barry's Pizza. It's not the players versus your furloughed family member, or your furloughed self, or your laid off self. It's the players versus the owners. They're in their own little separate role, right? Exactly.
Starting point is 00:11:19 They're in an insular world. It doesn't count to what they talk about and what they go through. The millions and the billions that are fighting for, it's not fair. It's not right. I get it. It doesn't make sense logically. that these guys who are just throwing a baseball or making that much money,
Starting point is 00:11:36 that's just the way it is. And that's the going rate for a pitcher is what, what does that Grinke makes and what a Justin Verlander makes? And they're just in a different world. They just are. So what I want you guys to chime in on, and you're welcome to do this all throughout the course today. These are massive, massive cuts.
Starting point is 00:11:53 And not only, because pro-rated means no discount. It just means less games. They're asking the owners are asking for massive cuts off of a prorated schedule. It'd be hard to say who do you side with because I can't imagine anybody going, yeah, go get them, go get them, players. I would need, like, if we had completely open books,
Starting point is 00:12:15 we could choose a side, but that's not going to happen. Yeah. So in general, I'm going to side on the players. I think zero people in the stands can make you feel a little more empathetic towards the owners. Yes. 7-1-3, just tell me what y'all think, because there are dramatic cuts.
Starting point is 00:12:30 and I do believe the owners will have to come up a little bit on it. But if they don't, we don't have baseball this year. 713-212-5-790. 7-1-3-212-5-790. I need some dream analysis. We'll get to that too at the bottom of the hour here on Sports Talk 790. Guys, I need to talk to you about how you're feeling. How are you going about your days?
Starting point is 00:12:52 Are you feeling sluggish? Are you like me where you have trouble sleeping and then you wake up and you're tired and it just becomes this self-sustaining cycle and you felt like during the pandemic and you're not going into work, you're going to turn it around and be a new you, and you're going to have all these great things happen. But you know what? You just can't find the motivation.
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Starting point is 00:14:44 We need to basically say our opinions about this. It totally, totally sucks that you would have to take such a dramatic cut. But to give you my honest feeling of this, the world of baseball from its owners from its players are in a different stratosphere than the rest of us that are normal nine to five people. It's just the truth. And that even if you are one of the Uber, Uber rich that are making $35 million, you're still going to collect $7.85 million to play $82 schedule. And frankly, you're probably not going to play all 82 games. You're looking at probably playing, it depends on who you are.
Starting point is 00:15:29 There's no Iron Man in this, right? There's nobody trying to go for a streak during this. If you're a pitcher, if you're Justin Verlander, you're going to make $7.85 million to pitch. How many times an 82 game schedule? Do you go 15? No. How many starts what you make? Every fifth day, so divide five into...
Starting point is 00:15:47 16. 16, and that's max. You're talking about 13 or 14 starts for $7.84 million. So my opinion is this, and I know that the labor people will hate it, I think the players, as long as baseball comes back to the table, the plan B, need to play for this money. I think they will get done. I think they both understand it's a zero-sum game if they don't play. So I think something will happen. But apparently what Jeff Passon and some of these
Starting point is 00:16:19 other guys and Ken Rosenthal are putting out are that not only that the players balked at this, that the players are livid. The players are not happy with it at all. And maybe that's because of everyone's in the clock. If they don't get players to spring training by, say, June 5th. We're not starting on July 1st. And guys, I'm telling you, 82 games is already, I think, at the very, very floor of the minimum number of games you can, the ceiling.
Starting point is 00:16:48 I mean, you can't play 70. You can't play 60. It's not a real season. 82 gives you at least a semblance of a half a year. Playing 60 baseball games because you had labor troubles is baseball fans are going to largely tune out, especially if the NBA's back during that time. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. I think they understand the gravity of the situation.
Starting point is 00:17:07 So this is from the Evdrelic and Ken Rosenthal Athletic article. From according to an agent, this is in the article, a source who was unnamed. Quote, I have never seen a collective response like I'm seeing today from the players. They are livid. Another agent, it's such a shame there's so much distrust on both sides that we can't be pragmatic adults. There's no way the MLB would think that a proposal would get a favorable response from the players. it's right back at you, screw you,
Starting point is 00:17:34 and where are we? They're playing a dangerous game of chicken. All right, I'm going to start drinking on air. Because that doesn't sound encouraging. Now again, this is all posturing. This was hopefully the initial thought.
Starting point is 00:17:46 Hopefully the lines communication don't stop because Rossi, they're on a time crunch. They are. Yeah, and this is the one thing we talked about this whole time was that,
Starting point is 00:17:55 you know what we don't want, we don't want things getting leaked and unnamed sources. Oh, it's leakage. There's full leakage. It's already full on. He said, she said. The MLB made a statement.
Starting point is 00:18:06 We made a proposal to the union that is completely consistent with the economic realities facing our sport. We look forward to a responsive proposal from the union. So that's what the owners have said. Now you're getting words from agents and Ken Rosenthal and Evangrelic writing articles and Jeff Passon with unnamed sources. So the ugliness and I guess you would say the backdoor dealings or whatever that we were hoping wouldn't happen.
Starting point is 00:18:30 it seems like it's coming to fruition. And maybe one side or both sides put it out there because they want action done. They don't, that the behaving themselves with the doors closed and everything locked up wasn't working. I think most of America will be beyond pissed off.
Starting point is 00:18:48 They don't play because of this and they'll check out of baseball. They'll say, you know what? Screw you had your chance. We got college football coming up soon. We got the NFL's going to play. The NBA is going to try to play. I'm wondering how much of that is already going to have happened.
Starting point is 00:19:04 Because, I mean, you know, you're diehard, I'm diehard, if you're listening to us, you're diehard sports fan, and we understand that, you're always going to have diehards. What these sports try to do with the Super Bowl, the finals, and the playoffs, and all that, they try to attract the casuals. And right now, casuals haven't had a sporting event to look at in two months. Casuals have been on YouTube and Netflix, and they were on all those things before, but they're finding out that they don't really need sports. Now, you and I, we need sports because that's our life.
Starting point is 00:19:32 But I'm wondering how much damage is already going to have been done, and they're only going to make it worse if they don't get a deal done sooner. They got two weeks. Week from Friday is June 5th. That's my birthday. If you want to send presents or cards. When is it? Week from Friday.
Starting point is 00:19:49 You're June 5th? Yeah. I thought you were like June 1st or something. No, June 5th. I think it's another 25? 25 years old? Yes. Double it?
Starting point is 00:19:58 We don't have. You don't look a day over 45. We got a long time before we start double things. A.J. nothing but a number, Matt. Todd and Cyprus at 1224 on 7.90. Good afternoon, Todd. Good afternoon. Yeah, I just, I feel like this needs to be pretty simple. I'm sure the owners would walk at it, but they need to look at each team, say, okay, what was the percentage of money you made from attendance last year on average per game
Starting point is 00:20:24 and at their home stadium? And whatever that percentage is, 25, 30%. if that's what it is, then everybody should go down that percentage. And yeah, some teams that have more fans, they're going to lose more money, but that's just kind of how it is. It's not fair that, like, for example, the Baltimore owner not making any fans that, you know, he's going to be expected, his players are going to be expected to take a bigger pay cut because they weren't playing for that many fans already, right? But it makes it consistent for everybody.
Starting point is 00:20:56 Everyone's stealing the pinch as equal. The owners are, you know, they have to open up the books and show us. They look, our attendance was, you know, 30%, 25% of our revenue. And that's what the players should get. I understand the players have their contracts. They feel like they should get with on their contract. But the realization is their contracts based on a full season with fans in the stands. And if they're getting a half season with no fans in the stands, it should all be similar in pay.
Starting point is 00:21:24 Yeah. Would the lines communication get screwed out? Thank you for the phone call. why didn't the owners do a more effective job of saying we were anticipating fans in the stands? We just can't prorate your salary if we're not getting any stadium revenue. I think that was maybe their biggest misstep in this agreement is that that's what the players can turn back to. They say, hey, buddy, we've got an agreement. We made an agreement.
Starting point is 00:21:52 There was a global pandemic when we made this agreement. Now you're walking back from that. and well they're also thinking this is a way to shave hundreds of millions of dollars off of payrolls in major league baseball 17.17.7 million dollar guy makes 7.84 million dollars that's a tremendous amount of savings I don't even know how teams are going to make that money unless the television contracts are that good. The owners are going to have to take a loss but the argument and I think is a sound one is that they've been pocketing winnings the last few years. Payroll a payroll. Payroll. payrolls haven't gone up at the same rate as revenues. Revenues have gone up higher at a higher rate. So what the baseball... So the players are like, you know what? You've been feasting off of our great fortunes.
Starting point is 00:22:36 It's time for y'all to take one of the chin this year. That's what they're saying. The owners are basically saying, like, we don't have this money. And the players should be asking the question, well, why are you now punishing us? Because you didn't save that money. Like, you've been making profit of $10 billion as a league. Where did all that money go?
Starting point is 00:22:55 If the owners are reinvesting that money in other companies or in the ballpark and setting all that money aside or spending it, like what are the players? But couldn't every business say that? Sure. Let's use Barry's Pizza's an example. Barry's Pizza for decades made lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of money. This year they've had a downturn because of the pandemic. Why didn't they keep the employees? Why didn't they stay open?
Starting point is 00:23:20 Why didn't they do it? They didn't save well enough. If you're running for 37 years and you're gone in two months, something's wrong with your business structure, in my opinion. And that's how I view some of these teams. It's like you assume the risk as the owner to pay these players. When you sign them to a contract, you got to pay them. Like, no one should feel bad for the A's ownership group because they can't pay rent
Starting point is 00:23:44 and they're furlowing all of their scouts and now they're not paying their minor leaguers. They should be vilified for that. Like, these owners are, to me, they seem more like more like a contraction of anything else. what you sound like, frankly. They seem like irresponsible to me, some of these owners, that now they're saying they have no money. I just don't, I don't buy it still. I think there is, if they could find a way to open the books. So if these salaries really hurt the players, the lack thereof, I think the baseball players want to know that are you as owners hurting too.
Starting point is 00:24:16 And I think it's up to the owners to show them how bad they're hurting, correct? Yes. And I don't think baseball players believe the owners are hurting as badly as they're saying they're. air. This is an initial offer. The initial offer was never going to be accepted. We'll see what gets reworked and hopefully something happens. It is the Matt Thomas show. Sports Talk 790. If you'd like to join us, 713-212-5-790. I've told this to Ross off-air multiple times. It's worthy of repeating to you. I have issues with my dreams. And I had the most bizarre one of them all yesterday. And I need dream analysis from you, Joe George, you, Ross Villa Real, and the rest of the city of Houston, Texas. I dreamt about Bill O'Brien.
Starting point is 00:25:02 713-212-5-790. 7-1-3-212-5-7-90. It is a Matt Thomas show with a message here for TGS Insurance. Would you like to dream about savings on your home policy? You don't need a dream. It can become a reality if you text the word money. M-O-N-E-1 to 23-23-23-23. M-O-N-E-Y to 23-23-23.
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Starting point is 00:25:46 If you hate it, you don't talk to a live human being. It will be not one of those situations that are calling you over and over and over again. Text money, Mone Y, the 23, 23, 23, 23, 23. That's M-O-N-E-Y to 23-23-23, and start saving big on that home policy right now with TGS Insurance. EG, left corner for the career. Hi, and he got it! Eric Gordon here, listen to Rock his radio on your smart speaker, just as. Alexa, play Sports Talk 790 on I-Heart Radio.
Starting point is 00:26:15 Bum-Bum-Bum-Bum-B-B-B-B-M-B-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M- Make him the cutest that I've ever seen. This song really sucks. This song is amazing. Ross is like jamming out right now. I could put on some earthwind and fire and he wouldn't jammed it like he does this. Is it going to be got to get you into my life, which is much better than the Beatles version?
Starting point is 00:26:46 You can shut your dirty whore mouth. 1233 on Sports Talk 790. It is a Matt Thomas show. And I don't ask for you all for your help on a variety of things, but I tell my wife every night, when I wake up about the dream I've had and she's like, you are the most bizarre dreamer I've ever made in my life. Maybe you start writing these down.
Starting point is 00:27:04 You should keep a dream journal. And you know what? Your birthday's coming up. I'm going to Amazon right now. Can we have another dream song? Because I feel like I need a better dream song to get myself in the mood to tell you what my little small personal life is all about here. This is dream journal for women,
Starting point is 00:27:18 dream journal for men. Give me something a little more of a classic head, if you will. Hmm. Bidoo. Bidoo. I'm just. Where he's working on and it's fine. This dream journal says, what the bleep did I dream last night?
Starting point is 00:27:35 That's exactly what I should get. I'm going to get you this one. Dream on? This is not bad. This is pretty good. This is good. Turn it up. I still get chills we play at the Toto Center.
Starting point is 00:27:50 I was going to tell you, that's the only thing this reminds me of now. All right, here comes the dream. I am laying in a office couch. Silver bars. You know, just not made a leather office couch. Office couch. Okay. Not plush.
Starting point is 00:28:11 You're laying in it? I'm laying in it. I'm laying in it. Like you're being analyzed. I'm in the middle of it. I'm not being in a nap. I may have been napping. I open my eyes and this is the gods.
Starting point is 00:28:22 I'm not making any of this up. Bill O'Brien is staring at me. He says, I want to talk to you. What's he wearing? I don't know. It was like a god? No, he was, he was in your face. Yeah, just he was in my face.
Starting point is 00:28:36 And he says, I just had a conversation with your son and I want to talk to you. And I said, okay. And I was like, what did you and Cameron talk about? He goes, before I answer that, I want you to tell me about what you think of me. And I said, and I was very polite early on, I said, I respect you're a coach. I respect you're a general manager. You've obviously done a lot of things to move into the.
Starting point is 00:29:08 the spot you're in, but I hate the way that you yell at people. I'm, this is vivid as all you're really. I hate the way that you yell at people. I hate that we don't know what we, I mentioned Jack Easterby. I said, we don't know what Jack Easterby does. You haven't won enough games. You haven't gone to the Super Bowl. And I kept telling him, you swear at people. And then when I thought I was done, I said, oh, by the way, you really screwed up the DeAndre Hopkins trade. And he's nodding his head during all this. It wasn't like nodding his head like, screw you. You know what the hell you're talking about.
Starting point is 00:29:48 It was, that makes sense. That makes sense. That makes sense. And so I'm just like just pouring my soul out to him about all the reasons why I don't like him as a coach. I'm sitting up, by the way, in the chair at this point. I'm not laying down before. And he's in another chair in a single person chair. and he's like, I'm glad you told me all this.
Starting point is 00:30:09 Now I won't explain myself. And when he explained himself, I woke up from the dream because I was having this awful, awful Bill O'Brien dream. You don't remember any of the explanation or he started to and just woke up? He started to explain and he woke up because I didn't understand why he was talking to Cameron. Like, I don't know how they hooked up with each other or if they saw each other on the street. But I spent 15 to 20 minutes just telling him everything that he was doing wrong. Interesting. It's not interesting.
Starting point is 00:30:39 It isn't. What were you wearing? Shorts and shorts. I don't remember. But, you know, like, I've had some dreams where I've been naked in my sophomore English class. I mean, everybody's had those before, right? When you're naked in school? I never did, but.
Starting point is 00:30:52 Or just your underwear. Yeah. So I have, I woke up at about 6.15 this morning and I haven't been back to sleep. Because it just threw me off. That here I am telling Bill O'Brien everything I don't like about. about him and he's accepting of it. I said, you should have gotten more for D'Andre Hopkins. Why didn't you get along with him? I kept saying, you're mean to people. You swear at people. And he's just nodding his head in this single chair inside this office building.
Starting point is 00:31:25 And then I'm like, how did you get to, how did you talk to my son? He goes, well, I'm about to tell you everything. And that's when I woke up. Well, you know what I'm seeing here, Matt. I really hope you can help me with this because I am, I'm not a frazzled person, generally speaking. I'm very easy go lucky. Is he easy go lucky? Yeah. Happy go lucky? Happy go lucky.
Starting point is 00:31:45 And I'm also easy go lucky. Easygoing and happy go lucky. I'm both. I'm a good combination of both. You're happy go going. Yeah. I'm thrown off. Well, you see, Matt, I've seen over the months your frustration bubble with Bill O'Brien.
Starting point is 00:31:58 Okay. I've seen you get upset at his bad clock management. I've seen you get upset at his uninendroning. event of play calling. I've seen you get upset. It is nonsensical trades and draft moves. And I've also seen something from you that you want to speak to Bill O'Brien, that you want and interview him. And you always mention that, hey, we're never going to get him on the show. That's correct. So what I'm seeing here, Matt, is you have this need to get in front of Bill and ask him questions and talk to him and get him on your show. And you know you're never going
Starting point is 00:32:29 to have that ability. So the only way you could do so is it a dream scenario. You're acting out your frustrations on Bill O'Brien and wanting to ask him questions and or have him on the show via a dream. So it's really the Texan's fault that I'm having this dream. Yes. Because if I ask for Bill O'Brien to come on the show, he's not going to come on. We do not carry the games. There is no chance, no way that Bill O'Brien's coming on my show. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:32:57 So because there is the finality of no, I don't get to ask him the things I don't want to ask him. You want what you can't get. But even if I had him on the show, Ross, I wouldn't have been as antagonistic towards him. If Bill O'Brien, if I got Bill O'Brien on the show on the show, I'd ask him some tough questions, but I wouldn't be, I was like, you're mean to people. You're rude. You swear at people. Why did you trade DeAndre Hopkins? And he was, Rossi, he was nodding his head.
Starting point is 00:33:25 He wasn't getting mad. Yes. He was like accepting of what I was saying. He wouldn't accept that if he came on this show. No, and you wouldn't talk to him like that. No, I wouldn't. you were on this show. Joe, any thoughts on my bizarre-ass dream from last night?
Starting point is 00:33:42 I think what Ross said makes a lot of sense, but Matt, maybe it just means you need to be more, you want to be more like Bill. You want to yell at people more, tell them how dumb they are, and just feel, you want to feel more empowered. Maybe it's reverse psychology dream. You want to be more like Bill. Bill's trying to teach you his ways. Okay. What I do is I take a couple of medications, and I'm thinking about taking the medications
Starting point is 00:34:08 earlier in the day. Do you think that could help? You take in like sick pills to go to sleep? No. Do they make you fall asleep? No, no. Just general health in Medicaid. You know, cholesterol, blood, that kind of stuff.
Starting point is 00:34:18 Do you think if I take them at three in the afternoon as compared to before I take them at night? Did these dreams start once you started the medication? No. Yeah, are these known side effects? No. How would cholesterol reduction? Lipitril may cause dreams about Bill O'Brien. But I'm just, but again, I've not come to y'all with these dreams before.
Starting point is 00:34:37 May cause vomiting, nausea, and dreams about Bill O'Brien. I don't want to dream about NFL coaches. I want to dream about blondes. Yes. Brunettes. Brunettes. Red heads. Redheads.
Starting point is 00:34:49 Feeding me grapes and cheese. You can't choose that, Matt. Well, I'd like to because I certainly did my fair share that between the ages of, say, 12 and 28. You dream about your frustrations and or things that you're thinking about or things that I should be thinking about Bill O'Brien. Well, Matt, it's your job to think about Bill O'Brien. All right.
Starting point is 00:35:08 And you're taking this job, you're taking this job home. I'm going to get you this dream journal. If I get you this dream journal, will you write in it? Of course. Yes. And I'm going to put it right next to my bed, so when I wake up in the morning, I will write down immediately. Yes, I'm buying it right now.
Starting point is 00:35:21 And just to be fair, I will, the next time I dream, and I remember as much as I do about last night's dream, I will write, I will tell you all the next day to just show you the complete diversity in my dream patterns. All I'm telling you is, and this is, and now serious this, Ross, I don't want to dream tomorrow. Even if it's a super erotic one. I don't want a dream because I just want straight. sleep. No, if you dream, that's good. That means you're getting good sleep. Are you sure? Yes.
Starting point is 00:35:46 Rim sleep. Deep rim. But I don't want it to wake up thinking about me chastising Bill O'Brien for several minutes. Well, don't dream about that all the time. I know, but I'm just saying. All right, uh, if you thought, if you have any ideas of why I'm doing what I'm doing, if y'all are heavy dreamers and would like to figure out a way for that to be not happening in your life, let me know. Maybe I need to start drinking at night. Dang. Cold beer before I go to bed. And the old night cap? A little burp. A little burp. A little whiskey, if you will. Something to take the edge off, as the kids say. A wine?
Starting point is 00:36:16 I think a glass of wine is good. You think? I don't want to drink warm milk. Uh-oh. WebMD. Alcohol and a good night's sleep do not mix. That's a lie. That's true.
Starting point is 00:36:28 I sleep some of my best after about 10 whiskeys. Fact. All right. Well, okay. I'm willing to take anybody's advice. 713-212-5-790. 7-1-2-790. If you'd like to reach out through Twitter,
Starting point is 00:36:41 you can do that as well. At SportsMT, at SportsRV, at Joe George Radio. If you are a dream analyzer, please help me with mine because I'm tired of having these weird-ass dreams. It is the Matt Thomas show on Sports Talk 790. We are back with more after a message for Shaw's Jewry at the corner West Green Montrose. You want to dream about getting your wife the perfect piece of jewelry? Well, dreams can become reality at Shaw's Jewelry at Montrose. All I ask you to do is go by and see them at West Gray and Montrose.
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Starting point is 00:37:42 Corner of West Graham Montrose, been there for a long time for a reason. Quality jewelry, amazing selection, outstanding customer service, and 0% financing for 12 months on most purchases. That's Shaw's jewelry at West Graham Montres. Matt Thomas, we'd like to thank his parents for only giving him two first names. Because who would listen to Billy Ray Thomas talk about Houston Sports? The Matt Thomas Show on Sports Talks Talked. 790.
Starting point is 00:38:13 I've just closed my eyes again. For the dream we've a train. Trying to take away my worries of today. Thanks guys. I need to do better. You know what, Matt, maybe we need to let you have a conversation with Bill right now. So you can act this out.
Starting point is 00:39:06 I feel like I've poured my soul to y'all. You can get this out of you. your system. Speaking of the text, and JJ Watts spoke. We'll hear from him in about 10 minutes here on the show.
Starting point is 00:39:14 A great tweet from Helmand in the Bush. The only problem with a Matt Thomas Dream Journal is he can't read his own handwriting. Chris, it hits too close to home.
Starting point is 00:39:21 You may be accurate, but it's just still hits too close. Well, I've ordered the dream journal. It's on the way. It says, what the bleep was I dreaming
Starting point is 00:39:29 on the front of it? Now, are they like lines or it just scraps of paper that I just start? It's, I think, I don't know. And what I'll do is I will,
Starting point is 00:39:38 once the book is full, which won't take me very long, I'll sell it. Yeah. Well, I don't know if anybody wants to go through that thicket of dreams and haunts and what's you over under like $10? Like how often do you want to hear from my dreams? Every time I dream or just like once a week? When they're good.
Starting point is 00:39:54 Like describe a boring one? Well, no, but like sometimes you might think the dream's good and maybe it's not. Do you know the one topic? I dream about more than anything else. Besides women? Besides women, yes. I was going to say. I go back to my high school days, and I feel like I'm not going to graduate because I've not turned in assignments.
Starting point is 00:40:18 This happens to you all the time? Well, here's the problem. And I mentioned this before. I didn't take school very seriously in my junior and senior years, especially my senior year in high school. That was the other way around. And because I bribe people to do things for me. You bribe people to take tests for you? No, to write papers for you?
Starting point is 00:40:37 Yeah. Wow. Yeah. I love... Under 20 Matt Thomas is very seedy. So I feel like that has come back to haunt me. So I would absolutely, under all circumstances, not recommend any of you that have kids to tell them to cheat. Cheating is bad.
Starting point is 00:40:55 It will come back and haunt you lit in your life. So let's run through Under 20 Matt Thomas. Sure. He's out underage drinking. Yeah. He's cracking people over the back with pool cues. Correct. He's bribing people to write papers for him.
Starting point is 00:41:07 Not like big ones. Like one page paris. And he's making floor burgers at McDonald's. Yes. You're a troubled young man. Yes. And look what I've had to suffer through since then. This is interesting.
Starting point is 00:41:20 To do what I did has its repercussions. You're just a rebel without a cause, weren't you, Matt? You're like a young James Dean. I've tried to live a straight and narrow life since then. Look what it does. I go back. I had one like three or four days ago with my sophomore English teacher, freshman English teacher telling me, she was okay, that,
Starting point is 00:41:40 Matt, I can't move you to sophomore English because you owe me four papers. And I'm like, it's June. How can I write you four papers? She goes, you can't. You're going to have to go to summer school. I want to go to summer school to repeat freshman English. That sounds stressful, Matt.
Starting point is 00:41:58 Somebody suggested... You need to relax. Somebody suggests that I smoke some pot before they go to bed. I believe that is... Is that good or bad? You don't want to comment on that? I'll probably make your dreams even weirder, I would imagine. Yeah, your dreams might get wild.
Starting point is 00:42:11 Let me incognito. this one before I Google this at work. You don't want your lady dreams and your Bill O'Brien dreams interweave. So I would maybe lay off the pot. Like I said, I'm just ready for a night of non-dreams. You know what I'm really excited for? Tomorrow you're going to come and say, guys, I'll drive about Bill O'Brien again. No, that's not going to get a one-time deal.
Starting point is 00:42:32 As a sleep aide, what you need to know. We'll look at this later. All right. So JJ Watt at 1 o'clock this afternoon. He already spoke. We're going to play, what you're talking about? It does make you sleepy. Okay, I'm okay with that.
Starting point is 00:42:46 Well, when you get to you, there's some dispensaries in Texas. Well, I can't go to Denver for a while. Why do you have to go to a street dispensary, Matt? I'm sure the Kewood kids can help you out. Unfortunately, they probably can. Okay, so I was looking through the timeline a little bit ago on the old Twitter world. Woge has this very convoluted tweet. Now, Joe, I feel like for being as young as you are, you are pretty perceptive on
Starting point is 00:43:12 what's going on the world when it comes to Woge. Ross, can you read what Wode's had to say? Yes, I can read you. Read it verbatim. Okay. While the NBA's Board of Governors met with a meet with Adam Silver on Friday, there's no current expectation for a decision on a finalized return to play plan to emerge from the session, sources tell ESPN.
Starting point is 00:43:36 Talks on incorporating the three most serious plans remain ongoing with NBPA and teams. So that means that this. push of Orlando being the only place doesn't have as much steam as maybe it did a few days ago. What says three plans? Is that Vegas, Orlando, and it were both? Yeah. Are those three plans? Maybe Houston's still
Starting point is 00:43:56 in play? H-town? Hold it down? What if they did the West in Vegas, the East in Orlando, and the championship was in Houston? No, I think they're going to, they don't want to my guess they do not want to de-cleans another city. If they're going to do this, they're going to do it in two places.
Starting point is 00:44:14 why put the risk out there. By the way, I listened to y'all's show yesterday. You did? Not your show. Oh. The A team. Some of your, what do y'all do, wise-ass takes or super hot takes? The irresponsible hot take.
Starting point is 00:44:25 Yeah, the irresponsible hot takes. Every Tuesday. It was, I, what did Aaron Rogers do this time? No, I relocated and moved like five teams. Yeah, you had a good start, but you went way overboard. Find out. It's the irresponsible hot take of the week. Yeah, but don't you, aren't you kind of happy when one of your irresponsible hot takes hits?
Starting point is 00:44:43 I mean, I was really close to JJ watch the, I mean, not JJ, Tom Brady to the 49ers. Yeah, he was only 3500 miles away from there. That's pretty close. It was like his number two team. Nothing matter. San Francisco Tampa, like close? I think the A's and the Grizzlies could end up in Vegas. And I think...
Starting point is 00:44:59 Baseball's not going to Vegas. They could expand in the NBA. Baseball's not going to Vegas. And I think the... Baseball's not going to Vegas. Okay, so of the five. That one was crazy. The other one crazy, the Edmonton owners leaving Inmonton.
Starting point is 00:45:12 They don't have a lot of it. a lot of support up there. They don't? You're telling me that Edmonton does not support the Oilers? Fan-wise, but it's like the Supersonics, from what I understand. Okay. I said the Oilers would come to Houston. Baby Blue.
Starting point is 00:45:27 Why would any owner want to not run his own building? And my guess is Tillman's kind of tough, kind of busy keeping his other businesses afloat. I don't think he's in the mood to be purchasing an NHL team. Yeah, when I thought about it, I kind of forgot about the part where Tillman, Fortita, his entire business model is shut down right now. Billionaire restauranteur sounded a lot cooler three months ago. Yeah. All right.
Starting point is 00:45:50 What I do like is this. I could see Kansas City and I could see Las Vegas and Seattle all with NBA teams in the next 10 years. So you're partially irresponsible hot take. Had some validity to it. Yeah, because my reasoning for Seattle and Kansas City was that because the NBA is losing so much money right now that they could expand, add to teams, bring in the markets, the new ownership would have to get. give every owner X amount of dollars. It would be good for league revenue.
Starting point is 00:46:17 The only way that works is can you find two billionaires that would love to own an NBA team? Definitely. You can? I think so. All right. Well, go find them during the break.
Starting point is 00:46:29 Because I want to know who these billionaires are. It is a good business, but I don't think they're buying right now. All right, JJ Watt spoke to the media via Zoom. What's you talking about? JJ opens up the second hour. The Matt Thomas show here on Sports Talk 7. If you'd like to join us, 713212-5-790, 7-13-212-5-790 with a message for Woodhouse Day Spas.
Starting point is 00:46:52 I'm very happy to speak on behalf of the folks at Woodhouse Day Spas. Two great locations, Sugar Land for you, South-Siters, you live in the north side. The vintage location is good. That's where I go. And I love getting in there. They put give you in a robe. They put give you little slippers, which, you know, grown-ass men normally don't wear slippers. But in this particular case, it's really good.
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Starting point is 00:48:03 Houston Whathouspaws.com. Is the Matt Thomas show. It is 102 on Sports Talk. 790, the Matt Thomas show here until 3 o'clock today. If you would like to chime in at 713212-570, you are welcome to do so. 713-212-5-7-90. If you want to reach out through Twitter, it's at SportsMT, at SportsRV, and at Joe George Radio.
Starting point is 00:48:39 We have a busy next two hours. We're going to hear from JJ Watt right now. Also coming up at the bottom of the hour, our buddy Damon Jones from ESPN, a fellow Houston Cougar grad, will be on the program as well. and Jason Stark was on this morning here on 790 and basically pushing the same agenda that we've been hearing the last 24 hours. Rossi, the players are pissed
Starting point is 00:49:01 and they're nowhere close to get an agreement for the 2020 season. Yeah, I've been kind of perusing through this Evendrillic and Ken Rose. Are they joined at the hip now, by the way? Ken Rosenz-thaler one word in Bernstein. Exactly. That's what you called them. That's good. This is talking about, I mean,
Starting point is 00:49:18 the agents are talking about how the players are mad and they're trying to tell them to keep their cool and they understand like for example this agent says i told our guys don't be knee jerk this is going to be a lot of pushing and shoving in the media with messaging and all that write it out we'll see where we're at near the end of the week like everything in baseball nobody really turns over the cards until the very end what's the very end though boys June 5th right June yeah early June 1st I've heard was a soft because they want to play July 1st you got to get it week to get to where they need to get to go to practice for three or four weeks have some
Starting point is 00:49:54 inter-squad scrimmages go to put together a schedule and play the 82 rossie this is it not 10 days it's 9 days what no what is today the 20s it's like five days no the fifth is would be well the fifth yeah I thought you meant the first yeah the first is what I've been hearing as kind of a soft deadline that's Monday that would be Monday so that is five days shut the door lock it and come don't come out until you have a deal I completely agree all right Ladies and gentlemen, we've played What you're talking about, Bill? Yes.
Starting point is 00:50:24 And I'm probably not going to play that anymore until I get over this dream sequence. Last week we debuted, What if it's a recurring dream? You shut up. What if it becomes a recurring one? I kind of hope it is. Daily bit.
Starting point is 00:50:36 Well, here's what I'm going to do. I'm not going to lie to you about what I'm dreaming about. I have a lot of you guys about a variety of things. Yes. That will be one of them. If you dream about Bill again, let us know. I'm going to give you, before we have a pre-show get together.
Starting point is 00:50:48 I'm going to say, last night's dream was about this, and then you guys will have done judge whether or not it's worthy of bringing up on the show. Sounds good. Well, you don't have to write it down in your journal. It ships on Monday. It does really? Yeah. Would you pay?
Starting point is 00:50:59 It's very cheap, under $10. Oh, good. I feel better. It's your birthday present. How'd you get my address? It's shipping here. To me, I'm going to bring it to you. I'm going to put this on Twitter.
Starting point is 00:51:07 You'll get a lot of... Ross, you really care about your friend. There's a lot of concern in your voice when you ask, how do you know my address? Yeah, really. All right. So we've done. What you're talking about Tim Kelly? we should you talk about Anthony Dream Weaver
Starting point is 00:51:20 Weir? We introduced a new game today and simply called this J.J. What you're doing? She sounded underwater in that one. Sabrina's been hitting the hooch. Why does Sabrina sound not nearly as sexy she did say like a year and a half ago? Well, probably because of the website we used to use went down. I went through like 15 websites.
Starting point is 00:51:45 She sounds angry. Play it one more time. She sounds angry. J.J. what? It's like, JJ what do you want to talk about? She sounds British. Angry. Yeah. Oh, I found the one I used to use. Send it to
Starting point is 00:52:00 him. We need the sex here, Sabrina. It'd get people feeling better about themselves. Ross, we'll go with the layups first, all right? If the Super Bowl is what still drives him, 35 seconds. This is, please, this is so easy. Absolutely. How long is it?
Starting point is 00:52:16 35? Yeah, absolutely. That's one thing that drives me. I mean, that's the ultimate goal. is to win a Super Bowl. I've accomplished a lot of my career. I've been to Pro Bowls, a defensive player of the year. And one of the things that I want to do before I finish out my career is get to the Super Bowl and win the Super Bowl. That's definitely number one on my list. That's the goal. That's why we're here. You know, you play the game to win a Super Bowl. That's the goal. So it's, that's the driving force. I mean, it's among many things, obviously, that that's always number one. It's healthy team, Hunter City, get to that game in the way.
Starting point is 00:52:46 but for me, I mean, motivation is not hard to come by, whether it's just personal intrinsic motivation every single day, training, trying to get better, trying to compete against yourself, whether it's competing on the field against other players and other teams, whether it's finding motivation, whatever way you need to. I mean, there will never be a shortage of motivation for me. Thank you. Yeah, play that every time he gets close.
Starting point is 00:53:12 You would have been playing it like every three seconds. That's a five-star to five-star, right, guys? It's five. Completely agree. Pretty much. Another easy one. Preparing for the season and playing without fans, 42 seconds. What you're doing on?
Starting point is 00:53:28 J.J. Wavs. Preparing for the season and. It's a lot. Who put the slugs in on these? I did. Uh-oh. Oh. I don't know how Joe's...
Starting point is 00:53:36 Are you a good slug game is? Look, we're getting ready for the season like we normally would, working out and all that type of stuff. And as far as being in front of fans, I love the fans. I love the Texas fans, the best fans in the world. and I'd love to play for them, but these are different times, and we're just going to have to deal with it. I'm sure it'll be a little bit weird, but we'll have to get used to it and play on. All I know is I'm preparing like it's going to happen on time like normal, and I'm getting ready for training camp, just like it's going to happen in a normal time.
Starting point is 00:54:06 As far as fans, no fans, I mean, obviously we always prefer to play in front of fans. We love our fans, and it makes the game, the energy, the excitement, the adrenaline. It makes it what it is. but at the same time as an athlete as a competitor, you can play in front of no fans. I mean, we want to go out there and compete. I mean, it doesn't matter if it's a practice against another team. It doesn't matter if it's a practice against your own team.
Starting point is 00:54:29 It doesn't matter if it's in the wait room against yourself. You know, you're always looking to compete. And so it doesn't matter me if there's fans or no fans. I prefer fans. I would love their fans, but if there's not, there's not. Did he say compete against himself in the weight room? Yes. That means he's the king of the go-look at himself.
Starting point is 00:54:46 in the mirror, right? He's just like pumping himself. He's like, oh, TJ's not doing this right now. As long as he doesn't make out with himself, like Alex Rodriguez. JJ definitely doesn't do that. All right. I need your help on the next two, oh, slugger. Number... Slugger.
Starting point is 00:55:01 Number five and number eight. I'm curious how you should properly introduce this to Ross. Number five? Yeah, cut five. He was asked if the team has done everything to win. Okay. While he's on the team. And then I put a helpful quote of non-answer.
Starting point is 00:55:22 So it's a non-answer to the following question. Has the team done everything to win? I mean, if it's a non-answer, he can go in here. You can start talking about the salad he had this morning. I mean, he addresses it, but just in very JJ correct ways. That's the way I would say. I don't even know where to go with this one. I'll just go for it.
Starting point is 00:55:45 Look, we've done every, look. I don't worry about things that are out of my control. I go out there and I compete and I play with my teammates. And we try to go out there and win every Sunday. And that's all I can focus on. So anything as far as decisions that are made with a team, that's above my head. I just try to go out and be a good teammate and play as hard as I can on Sundays. Oh, I'll play it for you.
Starting point is 00:56:05 Here it is. This is, again, 25 seconds. That's why people have jobs in those positions. That's the coaching staff, general manager is the front office. That's their job. My job is to play the game. and to do it to the best of my ability. I have to answer to my job
Starting point is 00:56:21 and they answer to their job. All right. That's my job. I go out there and I play the game and I try and help us win football games. This is awful. They try and put the team together that they feel best for us to win football games.
Starting point is 00:56:32 We need to answer the bell to our own calls. Oh, geez. Ross, that was... You killed it, Ross. I mean, like, yeah, he doesn't answer the question, and you on the nose. You hit that on the head. Thank you.
Starting point is 00:56:47 in front of no fans, by the way. All right, two more. What does Bill do well as a coach? Also a non-answer 23 seconds. 23. Not a lot of heavy. I really like playing for Bill O'Brien. He's a good coach.
Starting point is 00:57:02 He's a smart guy. He's someone that you want to fight for and go to war with. And I'm just knowing him and the way that he coaches, I wouldn't have it any other way. All right. Here we go. 23 seconds. Good luck.
Starting point is 00:57:18 I think his job is to do just that. It's to lead the team, is to, obviously, he's more of an offensive guy, defensive guy. So it's to lead the overall team, but then to lead the offense. And now with his other roles as well as to general manage, is to do everything within the organization. That's his role. And I think that's what obviously he excels at.
Starting point is 00:57:46 That's fine. He really didn't answer that question. And it was a good question. That was actually Wex's question. Oh, Wex is coming in. He's just like, what do you, like what's Bill O'Brien's strengths as a coach was the question? And JJ just didn't answer her for some reason. All right.
Starting point is 00:58:00 Last but not least, 20.8 seconds. J.J. Watton asking for an extension. He does give an answer to him. Oh, I saw a tweet on this. So, I mean, I saw that he doesn't want an extension. I'm happy with my contract now, blah, blah, blah. So I'm not going to sit here and demand anything because I'm going out there to prove what I'm worth. And I believe that's the right situation for everybody.
Starting point is 00:58:23 I don't think I think if I went back and asked for an extension, more money anything right now, I think that would be the wrong move. And so I'm just going out there and trying to prove my worth and to help this team win games and do everything that I can to earn and make sure if these people know that I'm worth it. I can't believe there wasn't a question about freezer tag or whatever the hell that I just didn't cut them.
Starting point is 00:58:50 I don't care. Do you want 15 cuts about No, no, no, no, no, an ultimate tag. No, there were questions about that. There were questions about how you spend your time with your family. That's about the police thing in Minnesota.
Starting point is 00:59:05 Oh, gee. I left all those. And at one point, they lost connection for like two minutes, but they just kept going. Was there awkward media laugh during that time? No. Okay. When this program returns,
Starting point is 00:59:20 Ross has an update on an NBA's referee, one NBA referee who's not enjoying. America's favorite referee. We'll call this the non-Ben Dubot segment. 114 on Sports Talk 790. Lunch timers. This is the Matt Thomas show. All right. 130, Damon Jones. M.SPN's going to join us for NBA conversation.
Starting point is 00:59:51 Rossi likes to look at a variety of web. sites, some sports related. And you happen to find something about one of our favorite officials. Now, of course, I as a member of the NBA, I cannot really directly speak to this. About how much you love Scott Foster? I think referees have a very difficult job. It'd be unfair for you to talk about how much you love Scott Foster. I appreciate the challenge of Scott Foster's job as an NBA official. Now, there are some people in the sport. I won't mention news. I won't mention some people. Don't like him. I mean, I I don't think Ben DeBose is a huge fan of his.
Starting point is 01:00:26 Okay. Well, he had some comments on NBA TV. So we've been talking about players and how they would be affected by no fans. Well, according to Tim Reynolds, who is a writer for the AP, he quoted some of Scott Foster on NBA TV and talked about how officiating in an empty arena might be different. And he said the following. Scott Foster said, I've had an immense amount of thought. I don't know who I'd be more worried for,
Starting point is 01:00:52 the players or the referees. I don't want everything that we normally say to each other going out. But normally we're all in a professional manner out there, but it's going to be different. There's going to be some assistant coaches we haven't heard from before sitting in the second row that we'll be able to hear now. So there's going to be some adjustment there. And I think we're going to need to really talk about and analyze what is okay for the public to hear and how we're going about our business.
Starting point is 01:01:16 It's definitely going to be a different thing. I'm definitely looking forward to it. I think it's going to be a really unique experience for the referees, players, coaches, and everybody who's going through this. And we've talked about this. Yes. Because especially, I think it really came to front of mind for me after watching these UFC fights. You can hear the coaches yelling, which you could always hear, but you can
Starting point is 01:01:35 hear it even more. And you have some fighters who are saying, I heard the commentary from the color commentator, Daniel Cormier, and he said, I need to mix up my strikes more. So now I'm mixing up my strikes more. And so we're not only going to hear that stuff. We're going to hear, like we talked about, Mike Dantonie, working the referees. Well, here's the thing. Who would you say the worst cursor was? Tom Thibito. Future Nick's coach, Tom Thibodeau.
Starting point is 01:01:57 The worst. That means about a bad coach. He just swears a lot. Are we going to have to turn down crowd mics? Are we going to be bleeping all of this? Luke Walton is they swear. Yeah. The game's going to be on delay.
Starting point is 01:02:07 Yeah. Like, is there going to be like an extra delay so they can keep dumping this? So here's what I think you're the things that Scott Foster is bringing up. A lot of times if a coach is mad at an official. he's going to go to the one that can hear him first. If you've got 18,000 people, if Scott fosters on the baseline, on the sideline with you 20 feet away from you,
Starting point is 01:02:33 you're going to scream, hey, Scott, where if Tony Brothers is 100 feet away, as much as you'd like to get a hold of Tony, with a loud crowd, you can't scream Tony Brothers name. So he is going to go over to Scott, and he is, I'm talking about ending a coach,
Starting point is 01:02:47 he's going to wear out, say, how did he miss that, or how did you miss that, or how did y'all have you miss that? Oh, how did you all of you miss it? And a lot of times those officials will say, one my call, didn't see it. That's where the uncomfortableness comes into play
Starting point is 01:03:02 because you don't want one official going, well, I didn't make that call because that was not in my area or I didn't see it that way. That's the kind of thing I think he's talking about. And I'll be honest with you, I've never heard him directly say this, but human nature says that I missed that one, I'll try to do better next time.
Starting point is 01:03:21 you don't want that going out under any circumstance. And, well, how about this, too? Human nature is don't want to get shown up. Why do referees tee up players and coaches? Because they feel like they're being shown up. If they feel like something that the crowd got washed out in the crowd, like, you know what, we'll let that one slide. If they feel like that's on microphone and I'm on national television
Starting point is 01:03:43 and this guy's talking to me like that, I'm not going to let him talk to me like that. Boom, technical foul. You're going to get a lot faster technical fouls called. That's what I'm saying. So it's going to be after the coaches and the players to keep their cool way more than they would if there's 20,000 people. And the referees to keep their cools, too. Oh, yeah, everybody. What's going to happen is they're all going to watch a game, and they're going to go back and watch it with the sound.
Starting point is 01:04:08 Normally they just watch a game film. They don't care what the radio announcers are saying the TV. They're just watching the game film. They're going to kind of see how they behave. Because, again, I can only speak to the coach that I'm with every night. Mike Dan Tony talks to the officials a lot. I think anybody that goes to games sees that he is quite demonstrative when it comes. It's what it is.
Starting point is 01:04:27 A lot of guys. A lot of coaches do it. That's how it goes. But it's going to be a new world when what you say largely can be heard. Because I don't think the broadcasters are going to be at the facility, at least early on. Now, they might bring in, as Mike Breen told us last week when he was on the show, Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gogh, those guys may go to eventually to Orlando. Las Vegas or whatever towards the end.
Starting point is 01:04:50 But I think all of us that are going to be calling games, including myself, will be calling them off a television monitor, at least for the early going. Yeah, because, I mean, you're talking about if it's all 30 teams and extra help me. How many people would you say you need multiple people, you need stats, you need stats, you need stats? You're still going to have to have stats.
Starting point is 01:05:07 Are you talking about the broadcast? Yeah, that's what I'm saying. That you would bring to the arena, that you would say everybody involved in the broadcast. Let's just do radio. Radio is either one or two. You have an engineer that makes three, a statistician makes four.
Starting point is 01:05:18 So the most you'd ever find on a radio crew would be four people, the most. Still, but you time, well, I guess you don't necessarily times that by 30 if you're sharing engineers or something, but still. Well, here's a lot of, we go on the road. I use, we use the home arena usually supplies the engineer. You pay them. Yeah. But I, like, I had the same engineer in Denver. I had the same engineer in Sacramento.
Starting point is 01:05:39 But they're there every single time. Same stats in Memphis. Yeah. Yeah. Same thing there. Television's different because you'd have two people. you'd have a sideline reporter in most particular cases and then on top of that you have
Starting point is 01:05:52 the four or five people that create your production crew that travel around the league with you producer, director, graphics people, that kind of thing. The Rockets travel four behind the scenes TV people and three in front of the camera. That crew is seven.
Starting point is 01:06:08 I'm one that makes eight. Are you going to have as far as crews on TVs? Are they just going to share a feed? The Rockets play the Nuggets. Here's my guest. They both get to do. The NBA is going to put their same feed in and that the Denver cable network is going to put their graphics on that top of that.
Starting point is 01:06:26 The rockets will put their graphics. And we're all going to be here in town. Which is going to be very, very weird because I've done, I guess I said, I've done games before off of television. You can do it. It's not fun. We're going to get like a noontime launch pad for some of these games. You can come watch the game with me. Of course.
Starting point is 01:06:42 You can do stats for me. Put me on color. I don't think so. I want to drop a sweet sassy molassy. No, because we're going to have Wexler-Claim there with me. Screw them. I know. They've been doing it for too long.
Starting point is 01:06:56 It's the first season back. I want to step all over you guys' calls like they get to all the time. You know they're going to be on the air in 90 minutes. Oh. And probably Adam Clanton and Wexor are hearing you right now as we speak. Unless Wexler are still asking JJ questions on Zoom. I want to step on Matt and Craig's calls. Well, do you think they'll have...
Starting point is 01:07:16 Two people like at Toyota Center doing the games from your, like the isolated booth? Yeah. They'll send a master feed to the Toyota Center. And that's my guess is that's where I'll be going to do the games. I guess I could do them here, but I think they're going to give us the global feed. Like I said, I think there'll be one feed and that if the game is on TNT and the game is on the two local channels to the two respective local teams, we'll all be sharing one feed. Well, and that would make the most sense, right? if you're going to share one feed that if everyone's calling the same broadcast.
Starting point is 01:07:48 So that way, if people, they don't want to hear Reggie talk, they can hear you guys call the game on the radio. Well, here's what I'm afraid of. And it hasn't happened. But what if there is connection problems? I mean, it could happen. Very well. I mean, it would be just wax and I are Clinton and I just talking to each other for a few minutes. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:08:10 So. I mean, connection issues can happen in any game, though. You know what these are, Ross? unprecedented times. Uncertain times as well, that. Very uncertain times about the broadcasting world. 127. Speaking of broadcasting, Damon Jones has made himself a nice old career working on an ESPN.
Starting point is 01:08:26 We'll talk with him next about the NBA. What he thinks, what he's hearing? Because I think Darren, Darren, Damon is very tapped into the world of the NBA, both past and present. We'll hear from him next on 790. But first, a word for bronze roofing. Would you like to get your roof check? Of course, the answer is, no, I don't want it to get it roof check.
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Starting point is 01:09:03 281-480-9-0. High winds and rain, falling debris, and certainly cause a lot of damage to your roof that you will be able to see. So don't wait to your wife leaves, and then you clout the roof your seat. yourself. That's not smart. Let Skeeter Braun and his team get on that roof because they're professionals and they'll do it for free with that estimate. 281-480-9-0-0. You can also check out their website at bronze roofing.com. B-R-A-U-N-S roofing.Bronsrufing.com. Hey, this is Whitney Merseys. The Texans dip here. Listen to real Texans talk on your
Starting point is 01:09:35 smart speaker. Just say, hey, Google. Play Sports Talk 790 on I-Heart Radio. The pride of Galveston Ball High School. The pride of the University of Houston, numerous successful years in the NBA, and now he's on ESPN. Have I missed anything on the biography of Damon Jones, DJ? Hi, Matt T. How are you doing today? Long time, no talk. Friend, how are things? Man, I'm doing really, really well considering the pandemic, but everything is going well. You're bored, aren't you? How bored are you one to ten?
Starting point is 01:10:18 Man, ten is most bored. Yep nine Oh okay So there's a little room for growth I understand Yeah Just a little room
Starting point is 01:10:28 Only because the NBA Looks like it's going to be coming back I know I know Hey have you caught yourself on television In the game lately I have I have And it's
Starting point is 01:10:38 You know I am probably 60 to 70 pounds lighter On TV than I am now That was I going to say that You know that It's okay I'm, you know, it's called getting older.
Starting point is 01:10:53 Which game was it? Can I ask? I watched the Wizards game when I was fortunate enough to make the game winning shot to send us to the next round. I've seen a lot of stuff as far as, you know, my coaching career, us winning the championship in 2016. That's always fun to watch. And, you know, I've seen a couple of Miami. of heat games. So I've covered all bases. All right. Well, the Damon Jones fan club continues to grow. Hey, I'm so happy for you on the ESPN
Starting point is 01:11:28 experiences. What's that like? And I know that everything's been kind of derailed because of the lack of games, but I see you're on a little bit of everything. What do you enjoy so far about that experience? I enjoy all of it because, you know, I get the chance to go out and give my opinion about the game of basketball. And there's no winners or no losers. It's only my opinion. So ESPN has been so great to me as far as the contract that they gave me to do the job. And I'm just happy to do it.
Starting point is 01:12:03 And hopefully we get back on the air soon. Have you been on the jump yet? Yeah. I did a couple episodes on the jump, but I mainly do get up and first take. and here recently, before the pandemic started, I was doing more sports center stuff. Nice. Well, next time you get to see Max Kellerman in person, you can just push him to the side and say, look, I know way more basketball than you do because you're just a hater.
Starting point is 01:12:27 Just do that for me. Will you do that for me? Well, you know what? Max knows his basketball being a long-time Nick's fan, so he understands. Well, he's a long-time James Hardin-Hater is, too. I can tell you that for personal experience. A long-time rocketeer, too. Oh, okay, okay.
Starting point is 01:12:44 I understand where you're going now, so I'll make sure I'll let him know. Yeah, please do. You're a feeling. Hey, you are still very well connected. You've got a lot of friends still in the game, because you weren't that as an assistant coach and played not too long ago. Not to speak on behalf of every person you know, but what's the general sense among guys you talk to on a semi-regular basis? I think the feeling is we're all coming back, but what's everybody scared about? What's everybody encouraged about?
Starting point is 01:13:10 Are there trepidations still at this moment? Well, I think, you know, for the most part, you know, the guys want to get back out there and play. I mean, you know, it's like unfinished business that the season wasn't able to go on and complete the 82 games and the playoffs. So, you know, most guys are just, you know, they want to get back out there and play and do what they love to do. I think that maybe the testing part of it or how many times they'll be tested in the whole bubble situation, how is it going to work? I think that's the only trepidations that the players that I've talked to have is, you know, what is the bubble situation or the campus, whatever Adam Silver is calling it. How is that really going to look? are they afraid that once they get in the bubble they can't leave?
Starting point is 01:14:07 Are they worried about the size of the bubble? Is it a little bit of both? I think it's going to depend on how many teams actually go to the bubble if the league is going to go straight to the playoffs or if they're going to bring back all 30 teams and play five to 10 regular season games. You know, there's big talk going on about that right now because in the Western Conference, you have a couple of teams that are three and a half games back of the eighth spot.
Starting point is 01:14:41 And, you know, I think if they can have a schedule where they're playing 10 regular season games, those teams, New Orleans and Portland, have a legitimate chance to get the eight seat. Let me ask you this. I think we're not worried about the playoff teams, the ones that are on the cusp, but there is a concern of the Golden States, the Cleveland's, the Atlantis, the New Yorks. Unfortunately, Damon, you've played on a few of those type teams, not many, but a few.
Starting point is 01:15:10 How do they get the motivation to come finish this off? Man, that's the toughest part. The teams that are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, I don't know. It depends on the franchise and the organization and how they're going to approach that, because if you're going to only play, say, five to ten regular season games, would you risk putting your stars out there for injury?
Starting point is 01:15:41 I mean, you know, having played in two and a half months or three months by the time they start playing, is it conducive enough to risk our stars going forward? So, I mean, it's no clear-cut way to do it. it. I just think that the majority of the people out there just want to see NBA basketball come back. So I'm one of those guys. Yeah, for sure, I am too. So for those guys that don't have a chance to make the playoffs, can you just say, Damon, can you just say, hey, there's money for you to be made if you go get it? Can that be enough? Or will it be enough guys that will say, you know what? I got enough in the piggy bank. It's not worth me picking my body up and taking my family or taking myself to Orlando, Vegas, whatever. and being with these guys for a month, worrying about potential COVID,
Starting point is 01:16:32 or, oh, by the way, we got no chance of playing in the playoffs. Well, like I said, I think it's an organizational thing. And I think the majority of the NBA players today, you know, they care about not only themselves, but their teammates and organization.
Starting point is 01:16:50 So it would have to be a total team effort on the decision if we play or don't play. You know, I understand Damien Lillard's stance wholeheartedly. If we don't have an opportunity to make the playoffs, you know, why would I risk playing five games or whatever? And I don't have an opportunity to make the playoffs. I understand his viewpoint. I just think that I wish that he would have handled it in a little better way than he did. Well, it just
Starting point is 01:17:27 It made him look like I'm taking my ball and leaving the court And I don't think people If he had even a drop day I'm worried by my health I think he would have gotten Some people on his side
Starting point is 01:17:37 But he was like If I can't win And I can't make the playoffs I'll be there But I'm not putting the uniform on it It just was like Take my ball and go home And I don't think that's the kind of person
Starting point is 01:17:47 He is but it certainly came across that way Damon with us From ESPN Former Houston Cougar Longtime NBA player I was surprised DJ That there are so few players that were able to get to a basketball court.
Starting point is 01:17:59 I know the teams are slowly bringing their players back, but I'm astonished how few players had a court or a basketball goal to shoot at. Did that catch you by surprise about the number of players are like, I haven't shot a ball in a month and a half? Man, I mean, you know, with the pandemic, everything was shut down. All gyms and, you know, and most NBA players have, you know, courts at home that they could use, but a lot of them don't. And, you know, it's, you know, when you're a professional athlete, whatever sport is, baseball, football, basketball, and there's a stoppage in play, and you're not able to work on your game.
Starting point is 01:18:37 And, you know, you find yourself only doing bike work or treadmill work or running outside or whatever. Man, it's a tough go at it. But, you know, knowing these guys, you give them a couple of weeks, they'll be able to, you know, get back in great physical condition and be able to go out there and put a great product on the floor. If you were an active player, how much time would you need personally between training camp, maybe playing a few scrimmages? Because, I mean, playing against your own teammates is one thing. But, you know, if all of a sudden Dallas called and said, hey, let's put something together here before the season started. I mean, how long do you think it will effectively take players to be ready to get back into pretty much either the end of the regular season or right to playoff mode? Well, I think that what the organizations have been doing has been masterful, and I don't think a lot of people know about it.
Starting point is 01:19:35 They've been holding weekly Zoom calls with their players where they're doing some type of cardiovascular type exercises or whatever. to stay in some semblance of shape. But I think if you give those guys maybe two to three weeks of training camp time where you can get your rhythm back and get some type of up and down, I think guys will be great and, you know, we'll see a good product. Is this downtime helping the veterans, helping the younger guys, or is it just indifferent? Everybody's going to come back kind of feeling, you know,
Starting point is 01:20:14 working through the cobwebs a little bit. Well, I think for the playoff teams that had key players that were nursing injuries, I think it helped them. But, you know, a time off like this in the middle of a season, I don't think helps anybody. Because once you, you know, ramp your body up before the season starts and then you get in the training camp and then training camp, that's where you build your base for your 82 game season and hopefully playoffs. you know, to take an abrupt stop for three months and say, shut your body all the way down from basketball-related activities, then it becomes hard because your mind, you go through, you know, season after season to where once you're out of the playoffs
Starting point is 01:21:04 or eliminated or whatever, you know, you're going to cool mode for a month, maybe six, seven weeks, and then you ramp it back up for the next season. but to stop in the middle of a season and then have to ramp your mind and your body back up after a three-month layoff. I mean, it's going to be tough, but I think these guys are ready to have that task. Last question. We were talking about this a little bit before you joined us. If Damon Jones, the active player, was doing this game in front of no fans, how much would you have to clean up your language? Would coaches have to clean up their language in order to make sure that everything is FCC-friendly on an NBA broadcast?
Starting point is 01:21:43 Oh, man. I mean, it's so much stuff that goes into an NBA game, you know, and the emotions and, you know, there's highs, their lows, the frustrations. You know, for me, you know, I kept my trash talk, you know, no cuss words involved. So it would be probably comical for the people listening at home. I can't speak for all players, but myself. Wait a minute. You didn't swear at all when you played?
Starting point is 01:22:14 No, not when I was talking trash. No. That's the worst kind. Because it's easy to swear in trash talk. For you not to use any powerful language? No, no. They should have called you to choir more when you played then. No, no, no.
Starting point is 01:22:29 Only funny talk. That's all I give you is funny talk. All right, fair enough. Hey, DJ, congratulations on your career of the ESPN. I look forward to seeing you back on that network very soon. I hope that you'll come in and be on the show once in a while. We get this season started again. I want to get your thoughts on all this, and I appreciate your insight and your friendship for these many of
Starting point is 01:22:44 Here's friend. I really appreciate you coming on. Matt T. Anytime, man. You have my number, call me. I'll come on whenever you want me to. I appreciate your friendship and also go coog. Go Coogs is right. Thank you, friend. All right, there it is. The one and only, the legend, Damon Jones, with us here on the Matt Thomas show. 144 is our time. Are you a good trash talker without using swear words? I'll ask Joe George and Rossville or Yale if they abide by that rule next. 145 on 790 Hi, this is former running back of Herschel Walker You're listening to Matt Thomas
Starting point is 01:23:21 On the Sports Talk 790 This is what's up That's the music that represents the Matt Thomas show right here Is it? I don't hear Neil Sedaka back there anywhere I don't know I've never seen Matt react to music like that I wish we had that on video
Starting point is 01:23:43 Yeah, if we were on AT&T we would have had it on video Well, they're too busy airing much more important stuff What are they airing right this second? Deer hunting. It says deer gear. AT&T will not put my show on because they've got deer hunting on instead. New Mexico at Wyoming.
Starting point is 01:24:05 Is this the one where they kill the deer? What's the name of the real show? It's called deer hunting with what? No, it's called deer gear gear. Deer gear? Okay, no, deer hunting with Thomas Center, Compass Generation. Free plug, I guess.
Starting point is 01:24:21 Yeah, this is the one where they kill the deer. Okay, Instapole. Do you want to watch deer hunting? Or a TV version of the Matt Thomas show, a simulcast, if you will? We'd have three cameras, one on me, one on you, Ross, and one on Joe George. We would have graphics being put in by graphic people of things we were talking about. Deer hunting talk on AT&T or the Matt Thomas show on 8th. AT&T.
Starting point is 01:24:52 Listen, I know people over at AT&T. I know they may maybe listen to show. Come on. I can get you better ratings than that. I swear to God, I can't. 7-1-3-21-2-5. And the deer's dead. They did shoot the deer, didn't they?
Starting point is 01:25:04 He's dead in a creek. Looks delicious. And she's smiling, too. Big smile. Big teeth. Okay. 7-1-3-21-2-5-7-9. Got a question in from somebody on Twitter.
Starting point is 01:25:17 Our buddy, Mr. Yes, Sports, checking in with us. He asked a question, and he really puts it out there that I think it's something that a lot of people are going to be talking about. What I want to know is one thing. Regardless of how they finish the season, are people going to put an asterisk on this championship? I don't even want them to play if H-Town wins and National Guys write it off as an exhibition title. My response to people taking an asterisk on a potential Rockets championship is the saying that Jay Cutler would have in a urinal. Joe, I think he knows that one, right? Don't care. I thought you're going to say piss off.
Starting point is 01:25:59 Don't you know that story? I don't know. Oh, he was next to somebody in a urinal. They're like, hey, Jay, you're great. I'm a big fan of yours. And he goes, don't care. That's so, wait a minute. He said that to somebody that said he was a fan of there?
Starting point is 01:26:12 Yes. Well, he was at a journal. You don't talk to someone. That's etiquette 101. Even here at the office, I don't want to talk to you. If I'm standing there? Wow, that's a great question. Do you talk at a urinal?
Starting point is 01:26:29 To a celebrity? No. To anybody. To anybody. You and I go to the bathroom here at the top of the hour. Would I talk to you at the urinal? I would say, yes, I would. I would talk to you.
Starting point is 01:26:38 Now, do we walk into the same time, or am I peeing and you're walking in on me? I don't think it matters. I think it does matter. I think same time conversation is okay. Okay. Let's go back to mystery-ass question, then we'll go back to this one. No, we can debate this for an hour. All right, we have the two o'clock hour.
Starting point is 01:26:53 That's true. We have Jason Stark comments about the labor strife and baseball. Anyways, what I'm saying is I wouldn't care. Don't care. First of all. If they're going to get to 72 or 76 games, you're telling me, why would you put an asterisk next to something that is just six games less than a regular season? Because the teams that go through home court advantage, they're not going to get that,
Starting point is 01:27:10 say if you're whatever team, but teams lose series without home code or win series without home court advantage all the time. And that's not going to be that big of a deal to me. Certainly if you have seven game series, whatever. we didn't hold it against the, what was the heat in the 2011 lockout, they played in 2012. The San Antonio Spurs in 99. Now, of course, they followed that up with more championships, so that helps. Do you know why we don't put one there, boys? Because nobody allowed this to happen.
Starting point is 01:27:38 The virus came in and took our season from us. Yeah. That's the reason why. Those people suck. The people that are going to be people that put it there, it doesn't matter if LeBron wins, if Hardin wins, if Yon's wins. there are going to be people that throw an asterisk for all the sports. Those people... Let's describe who asterisk guy is.
Starting point is 01:27:59 He's a douche, right? Huge. Huge douche. I mean, do you want to talk about the guy with the asterisk tour Twitter account? Let me tell you. Most likely works at Best Buy. He doesn't have sex. Period.
Starting point is 01:28:14 That dude, I tweeted something about him in February, and then he DM'd me like two months later. So he was upset. He goes back and look at his tweets, guys, what he is. Well, I called him pathetic, and then apparently he really took that one to heart. So he's looking at his chronological timeline. Yeah. What else is this guy?
Starting point is 01:28:33 What else is he? He eats alone a lot. Probably lives in his mom's basement. Doesn't have a lot of friends. Doesn't subscribe to Facebook because he thinks it's stupid that people put stories about their lives in it when he doesn't have enough friends to have a Facebook page. Or gets paid a lot of money from ESPN to throw out Flaming. mean hot takes that make no sense.
Starting point is 01:28:51 Because those are the people that'll say it, and that's what people are going to be going to say about. Are you saying Max Kellerman is asterisk guy? Has multiple burner Twitter accounts, then likes his own tweets. Kevin Durant? Kevin Durant, is he asterisk guy? Is Kevin Durant asterisk guy? Some people put an asterisk on his title. But it doesn't seem like he's got a lot of friends.
Starting point is 01:29:09 But he touches women, though, right? Are we sure? Probably. Oh, I'm sure. Well, or whatever he got on his girl. Was that right? Yeah, back in the day. I remember that storyline.
Starting point is 01:29:17 Well, now he's honest and faithful. Well, we don't know that. We applaud him for that. Yeah, look. Oh, by the way, Asterix guy is the guy that eats 80% of his meal at a restaurant and sends it back and wants a full refund. Definitely. He wants to speak to the manager.
Starting point is 01:29:35 Oh, yeah, because he's always thinking he needs to get at least a free dessert out of every meal. He leaves a one-star Yelp review afterwards as well. Oh, Asterx guy is 12% tip guy. Maybe. Round up. Oh, for sure. He's not giving 20. There's no chance of that.
Starting point is 01:29:51 Well, you know, it's tough. It's hard out there living in the mom's basement. Asterisk guy doesn't ever go to sporting events because it's too expensive and these athletes don't deserve this money. But yet, bitches and moans about it on television. I think we've got a pretty good idea of who this is. Those people suck. And honestly, like, they're going to, people are going to bitch about this.
Starting point is 01:30:08 I will say this. I got you. Asterisk guy, you're in the meeting at work, and everybody's just trying to get out of it, and he starts asking like four questions. Totally mundane minutia questions, yeah. I will tell you, the only way I become Asterix guy in sports in 2000, is if the baseball season
Starting point is 01:30:25 go less than 80 games. And I'll give like the NHL if anything weird happens. Bobby, can you explain that at the top of next hour? Sure. I'm confused as hell about what they're doing. Yeah, you've lost me. I'm totally enthralled with this
Starting point is 01:30:38 deer hunting show. Yeah, deer hunting. They've killed another deer. I'm watching the Ducson Bears. Why aren't you watching the Matt Thomas show on AT&T Sports? The humans are up on the deer two to nothing. We'll check after the break. Bears are tied one-to-one.
Starting point is 01:30:50 And how's the KT. Wiz doing? I don't know. Both your bullpents suck. Yes, they do. All right, news from an established baseball writer that's going to be discouraging when it comes to baseball. Details starting the final hour, the Matt Thomas show next on 790. Is the Matt Thomas show.
Starting point is 01:31:14 Not any closer to the day than we were yesterday or two months ago. I mean, just think about it. We're two months down the road now from these two sides coming to an agreement. And now they can't even agree on what they agreed on. that's Jason Stark earlier today on 790. They can't even agree on what they agreed on. The next six minutes of this show is going to be rather sobering if you're a baseball fan, which we believe we have quite a few to listen to show.
Starting point is 01:31:55 We are your proud of Amamos Astros baseball. Are you ready for one Debbie Downer and line out for the other? Here is the player's thoughts on the proposal from Jason Stark. Well, to be honest, the sense I get is that almost across the board, players are opposed to this. They're opposed to the entire concept. There needs to be some element of common sacrifice. And I do think it makes sense on a lot of levels that the players making the most should sacrifice the most because that's how it's worked in other lines of work.
Starting point is 01:32:34 That part of it makes sense. But just to be honest with you, this whole proposal, this whole scale, this is not going to happen. I mean, whatever the solution is, it's not going to be this. This proposal was really designed to have the players respond, have the union say, all right, we're not doing that, but we will do this. But trying to force the players to come up with an idea. You know, they've served.
Starting point is 01:33:10 Now they want the players to violate. They want the union to hit it back. And that's going to happen this week. So when we kind of when we see what that proposal is and how Major League Baseball response to that proposal, I think we'll have a better feel for whether this gets done, when it gets done, where it goes. I don't think that proposal was ever designed to get a deal. I think it was designed to make a statement.
Starting point is 01:33:38 I don't know that that message was received. Well, Ross, how would you evaluate the statement? Major League Baseball hated the statement. The players did. Screw you, go to hell, we're not playing goodbye. I don't think that way. Maybe I'm embarrassing a little bit. That was a little bit of an exaggeration on your part.
Starting point is 01:33:56 But I think the word was livid used in the Evangrelic and Ken Rosenthal article. Right. Is that that's how the players are feeling. So, I mean, they are definitely scoffing at this. And that's not what you want to hear. You want to hear, okay. they want to change a couple of things, but they're close. That's what you want to hear when you're less than 10, less than two weeks away from
Starting point is 01:34:17 not necessarily drop dead date, but from basically what they're calling a soft deadline. We'll talk more about that drop dead date momentarily. Here is Stark on who's making the final decision for the players. Hey, this is a really important question. And I'm glad you asked that. I wrote a week or so ago after Rob Manfred was on CNN and said, we're not going to force anybody to play. It doesn't feel comfortable playing.
Starting point is 01:34:37 All right, what happens if players actually take them up on that? What happens if the players say, okay, we will agree to this proposal, but by the way, Mike Trapp's not going to play. Derek Cole's not going to play. Quentin Kershaw and Bryce Harper are not going to play. What does Major League Baseball do then? You know, I think there are different categories of players. There are players with defined health risks who would be classified by the CDC as officially at high risk,
Starting point is 01:35:14 guys who've been cancer survivors, have heart conditions, type 1 diabetes, all of that. They might be handled one way, but a guy who just says, hey, I'm not comfortable playing. I don't know what happens then. Can you have a sport if you have a sizable number of star players who say, it's just not worth it to me. and don't finish the sentence and say it's not worth it for me to play for a third of my salary. Because that argument's not going to fly. And I mean, I personally think that any player who decide I'm not going to play is going to hear about it for the rest of their careers.
Starting point is 01:35:55 It's got a chance to get really uncomfortable if that's where this is going. We have to stop playing these sound bites. There's more doom and gloom coming into play. But I'm going to have to play two more. because I'm about building drama. Jason Stark is depressing us, Matthew. Unless I'm missing. All right.
Starting point is 01:36:16 Two more. Is there a drop dead date? I think that line actually is movable. If you're planning to try to get back to spring training 2.0 in the first part of June and start planning July 4th, then that clock is ticking. June 1st is five days away. If you just subtract how many days they say they need for spring training, you get, then you get, you got to do a deal by June 6.
Starting point is 01:36:45 That's 10 days away. But none of these dates are etched in concrete. You don't have to start July 4th. You can start later. You don't have to play 82 games. You can play fewer. The big money is in playing a postseason. So you can play 60 games and still play a postseason.
Starting point is 01:37:04 I think once you get under 80 games, It almost doesn't seem like a quote-unquote season to me or something else, but you can still play. I think it's important to play, however many games you can play, and then have some kind of postseason. And I do think that's the thinking. It wouldn't shock me if we wind up starting the end of July or even the first part of August. And there's a much shorter season than what we've heard about because if you can't get a deal done in five days, does that mean you should stop talking? it doesn't seem my way to me. Guys, 60-game season, 70-game season is a gimmick.
Starting point is 01:37:44 I think an 82-game season is a gimmick. I feel better about that. Because I can say half your season's gone because of the pandemic. You play half a season. The virus costs you half your season. I feel like once you get under 100, we're in gimmick territory, at least in my eyes. But I think good point by Jason is that we're kind of thinking of this as June 5th, June 5th, or whatever, June 1st. it's possible that these negotiations go on,
Starting point is 01:38:11 and you have the shorter season, and then the expanded playoffs with more teams getting a shot. Wait, and you go from there. You can have a 50 games season with every team making the playoffs. I mean,
Starting point is 01:38:23 that's a gimmick. That is a blank show. I mean, aren't you going to have most teams making the playoffs at this point now, too? Isn't it going to be like 14 or something like this? That's what they want? Well, you have seven in each league.
Starting point is 01:38:31 It still means more than half the teams don't make the playoffs. There's 30 teams in baseball. Yeah, that's probably what's going to happen if they do a 50 or 60. And couldn't you argue that, I mean, if they go longer, they could go back to some of that neutral side stuff that they were talking about originally where maybe the Dodgers host the World Series in December and the playoffs are extended past September and October. But they probably just don't want that because they don't want to compete with the NFL.
Starting point is 01:38:57 That's right. I'm not worried about how late they go except for weather. I just think 82 is the absolute minimum. they have to play. Anything less than a half a season. And again, everybody has their own opinion. You think it's 100. Everybody has their own opinion.
Starting point is 01:39:15 I think 82 is the lowest number you can play without their being an asterisk. That's just my opinion. If the playoffs are long, well, it's going to be a weird season, no matter what, right? We're already maximum at 82 games. It's going to be crazy. It's going to be no fans.
Starting point is 01:39:34 It's going to be expanded playoffs. It's going to be a weird, weird, weird season, no matter what at this point. All right. We have one last comment from Jason Stark. Please, please, please tell me that he thinks there's going to be baseball in 2020. I think in my heart, I would say they will play baseball. When that is, where that is, how many games that is, what it looks like. There are questions we still can't answer 100%.
Starting point is 01:40:04 but my gut tells me there are too many people who are motivated to play for them not to play, not to find a way to play. But you're asking me, where's the middle ground? How are they going to figure this out? I don't see it. I mean, they don't even accept each other's premise right now for basic economics. And you've got to agree on complicated economics to get this done. And the clock is ticking if you really want to start playing on July 4th.
Starting point is 01:40:37 So, and my gut is telling me one thing. What I'm seeing is something else. Thanks, Jason. You know what? The compromise, the middle ground? I don't see it. Jason Stark. Do we have any tequila here in the office?
Starting point is 01:40:51 I feel like Joe might have some stash somewhere. Oh, he hates tequila. I've never smoked a cigarette in my life, but I feel like I need to smoke a cigarette right now after that. Is tequila the one you hate, Joe? Tequila's, he's anti. Nobody in the Midwest likes tequila. Oh, okay. It was whiskey.
Starting point is 01:41:06 He was whiskey. He's busy. He's prepping the three-closh. He's already checked. It's fine. No, he's a team show prep. It's fine. It's fine.
Starting point is 01:41:14 We don't need you. Ross, I normally would say, hey, calling with your thoughts on Jason Stark. I don't want you to do that. I don't give you my thoughts. No. Did he kick a puppy at the end of the interview as well? Yeah.
Starting point is 01:41:25 What is going on? Did he steal the baby's candy? Did he give me an update on my stock portfolio at the end of that? What is going on here? Does you want to say that my car? cholesterol is high again? Yeah, it is, Jason. Thanks. Jason Stark no longer welcome on this radio station. All that gives is doom and gloom.
Starting point is 01:41:42 That's not true. He just gave us a bunch of multiple sound bites that sucked because they were all, nobody's getting along. Ross, we have to flip this. What do you think positive thoughts? We need a positive segment. Do we need a walk on sunshine? We need a positive segment in the next radio, because I don't, I'm, okay. Is it what's the most positive thing? the guy from Jim Halpert from the office. What's his name?
Starting point is 01:42:05 John Chris Kinskrie. He does good news today or whatever. Today's good news, I think, or some kind of show he does. Can you go give us two bits of good sports news when we come back? Okay. I'm going to give you about four minutes to find it. Not just one item, but two positive bits of sports news because we just gave our audience the last 12 minutes, 12 minutes of crappy sports news. With Ross, with Matt, Joe's barely here.
Starting point is 01:42:28 It's a Matt Thomas show, 713-212-5-790. Load up on those napkins, straws, ketchup, hot sauce, mustard. Oh, and don't forget duck sauce. It's the Matt Thomas show for lunch on Sports Talk 790. It is 217 on Sports Talk 790 with Joe George, our producer, Sports RV. I'm Matt. Nice have you with us here on this Wednesday. Tomorrow on the show from MLB Network.
Starting point is 01:43:01 Harold Reynolds will be on the radio program. What? I know. second time visitor on the show. Yeah, so last time we had him on, he said the only way the Astros don't win the World Series by not getting off the bus.
Starting point is 01:43:14 We're going to have to bring that up to him. Can we find that clip, by the way? Possibly. I think it'd be funny to put it on there. It could be depressing for me. Eh, I'm over it. I'm not over it. Oh, game seven?
Starting point is 01:43:27 Yeah, you're right. Shake this whole thing. Is Garrett Cole still warming up? Oh. How much do you blame the game itself, or is that all on Hinch? 100%. No, it's a situation. They wanted to treat him like a closer with a lead in the ninth inning. That was the only way he was getting in. That didn't happen.
Starting point is 01:43:46 And they went with Will Harris, who had been normally... Nails. He'd been Trill Harris. Wait, Will Harris's career as an astro. I mean, you talk about a roller coaster. Yeah, that's true. From a, who are you to a, you're killing it, to you suck, to you're killing it, till we can't use you enough in every playoff game. And we're in a tie-ball game in the World Series and that little doinkey home run. And now the Nationals have four different rings that are trying to show off to celebrate their World Series championship. Cool. I thought we were having good news this segment.
Starting point is 01:44:23 Okay, your turn. Well, you asked me to dig up some good news. And you found two bits of good news. We have some good news music we can play. We have a little walking on sunshine. We need something to fire people up here to pay people excited. If y'all got any good news, call us because we've basically given you 19 minutes of bad news. 713-212-5-790.
Starting point is 01:44:45 I don't care if you save money in your car insurance. I'm talking about just general good news. Like 7-13-212-5-790. Is this Corrine in the wave? Katrina in the waves? Yep. Let's see. Good news.
Starting point is 01:44:59 This is the all-time good news music, right? This song sucks. This song is amazing. This song does not suck. Thank you. Turn it up. song. Oh, I'm sorry, are we in a Carnival Cruise Line commercial right now? Is that a happy experience? No. Why? It's where people vomit and get coronavirus.
Starting point is 01:45:14 And get stuck on the flight days. Yeah, thanks. Thanks, Katrina. I have a positive spin on Jason Stark. Oh, good, because you're going to make this a positive spin. Give us that. I thought in the second clip you played Matt where he talked about this was just the opening serve and they want the MLBPA to return with the volley and they know that this would never be accepted, they basically are just telling them the Moby Players Association, you need to be honest and put on the table
Starting point is 01:45:45 of what you're going to play for. So if that's their view, and then this was just, we're going to throw out something that we hit Noah, we know that has no chance of passing, it's ridiculous what we're asking for for Garrett Cole to get paid
Starting point is 01:45:59 $7.8 million. We know this isn't going to go over well, but we want to see right away what your cards are. Maybe they just, No, like that's what the negotiation really is with where the players will start versus where they will start. What about the follow-up bite to where there should be a middle ground, but I don't see it. And they don't have agreements on the basics of economics, and they have to be agreeing on in-depth economics.
Starting point is 01:46:23 But think about the dramatic, if you're asking the owners to come closer to them, that feels like that's a dramatic, it's a long path. That's a long way to get to that middle ground. You know what I mean? you're asking $35 million players to make 7.84. If they got that number to 15, would that satisfy the owners and the players? I want to know what the middle ground is. I want to know what the owners have in their backpocket say. At this point, we can accept this threshold.
Starting point is 01:46:56 Yeah, it's so tough because even, like, I can't imagine how MLB managers feel about this who barely make like over a million dollars. And like you guys won't even play. Like I might not get paid because you guys won't play. Now, would this be technically a lockout? Is that what they would call it? I don't.
Starting point is 01:47:13 Nobody's haven't given me that indicate because... I mean, it's either... If it's a player side, it's a strike. If it's the owner's side, it's a lockout. So, I mean... Well, we know that, but what would it technically be? It'd be a lockout, right? Well, if the owners are offering the proposal
Starting point is 01:47:25 and the players are turning it down... Because this, this to me feels like a lockout. Owners are saying we can't pay you what you're supposed to be making. So please accept what we're going to give you this year. And if not, we're not going to welcome you back to our fields. Oh, I got some good news. Is it breaking?
Starting point is 01:47:43 Via text? What? Somebody says there's going to be two to three more episodes of Tiger King? Well, hopefully one of them involves Carol Baskin being arrested, correct? If she did it, Matt, we don't know. She did it. We don't know if she murdered her husband with Sardino oil. I got one for you.
Starting point is 01:48:01 OJ killed those two people. Carol Baskin killed her husband or C, both A and B. I'll probably see. And Michael Jordan stopped Isaiah from Isaiah Thompson. Oh, that'd be both A, B, and C. That'd be in the classic, classic category of all of the above. And he didn't have food poisoning. You know, we got to the bottom of it, Matt.
Starting point is 01:48:18 This show. We, uh, no, actually he was on the nine cap. Oh. He had altitude sickness. Yep. How do you deduce that? Because of all the symptoms that he had are consistent with altitude sickness. And he's Mr. Tough guy, M.J., so he wanted to say that he had the flu,
Starting point is 01:48:37 and then they wanted to say that he was food poison. And they came up with this whole ruse about a 5 a.m. And five guys showing up and giving them a poisoned pizza. Symptoms of altitude sickness, which can last 24 to 48 hours. Headache. Dizziness. Yeah. Nausea.
Starting point is 01:48:53 Yeah. Vomiting. Yeah. Fatigue. Yeah. Problems with sleep. Sure. Shortness of breath.
Starting point is 01:48:57 Yeah. Loss of appetite. No, me, you all just web-m-died that idea. No, Sam Smith, the guy who wrote the last dance proposed it. So, wait a minute, so y'all really didn't come up with it. You're bit stealing Sam Smith. No, but now we're buying it. There's like five theories.
Starting point is 01:49:11 That's the one I'm buying. So he couldn't accept the flu. Because, yes. Well, no, he couldn't accept altitude sickness because he's Mr. tough guy iron name. But altitude sickness is a real thing. People get that all the time. Well, not to Michael Jordan.
Starting point is 01:49:28 Not to the greatest athlete of all time. Well, folks, welcome here on Chicago Bulls Flight 19, service to Salt Lake City. You guys getting ready to play the Bulls or play the jazz. the next three games, the NBA finals. Hope you're feeling well here. We're at 42,000 feet. And we're going to be landing in 5,000 feet.
Starting point is 01:49:51 I don't know that in Chicago, it's, what is, hey, my co-pilot here, Joe, what's the level of, in Chicago? Just make something up for the sake of this with a bit here. It's even. Even, zero. Okay, thank you. You're going to be at 5,000 feet. And MJ, if you're not feeling well,
Starting point is 01:50:09 well, take some drive of me. A little cognac, and that's a good. Gar and you'll be just fine. Thanks for flying with us here on Bulls Air. And by the way, this is your last flight because Jerry Krauss going to break the team up. Bulls Air. Why wasn't there a good movie? Bulls Air?
Starting point is 01:50:28 Just the stories about what happened on that airplane. And Scott Burrell? That's the number one thing people ask you about is what happens in a rocket's point? I said you would be dramatically disappointed that what little things happen on the plane. I mean, you guys are in and out of there in what, three hours max? anywhere, no matter where you go. If you were to play family, if you're like, name something that happens on an NBA team playing. Or for that matter, I've been on football, team playing them and baseball. The number one thing would be, sleep. Oh, I was going to say inappropriate
Starting point is 01:50:56 conversations with the stewardesses. Nope, that would not be in the list. Number two probably would be video, watching videos on your phone and on your iPad. By the way, I found another bit of good news. From whom? This is from the New York Post. Ooh, sensationalism then. sex workers recommend reverse cowgirl to prevent spread of coronavirus. Continue. Swiss sex workers have devised some inventive ways for their colleagues to serve as clients without spreading the coronavirus by doing the deed, quote, doggy style and quote, reverse cowgirl.
Starting point is 01:51:39 We're all imagining this. Continue. She's in a doggy style position. That's what I was waiting for. This is according to the Swiss media outlet Watson. The positions allow for safe distance between faces during sex, and according to sex worker advocacy group Pro Corre in Switzerland, they claim that they can reduce the likelihood of contracting or transmitting the virus via water droplets that inherent in going into a missionary style face-to-face position. So there you go.
Starting point is 01:52:10 There's some good news for you, Matt. No other radio show the marketplace is going to give you that information right there. Can you play that drop again? No, you don't have to. She's in a doggy style position. We were talking about Miley Cyrus, aren't we? Yeah. That's one of my favorite ones ever.
Starting point is 01:52:27 It's like one of my... I was here for like two weeks when I pulled that one. Oh, you pulled it? Yeah. That needed to be pulled. Well, thank God I don't say things as awkwardly as I did once back in the day. If you're thinking of traveling to Switzerland, you're A-O-K, as long as you follow proper protocols. What's the position called again?
Starting point is 01:52:46 That would be reversing. She's in a doggy-style position. No, that's not what they call. That one. or reverse cowgirl. Reverse cowgirl. Again, I ask you another sports show to bring that up on the program. Can't do it.
Starting point is 01:52:59 227. J.J. Watt spoke earlier today. J.J. Watt, not asking for an extension. Should we, should that even be in question at this point? We'll discuss that next. It's a Matt Thomas show. 713-212-5-790. 7-13-212-5-7-90.
Starting point is 01:53:19 Sports Talk 790, available everywhere with the IHard Radio app. Now number one for podcasting. I'm not going to sit here and demand anything because I'm going out there to prove what I'm working. And I believe that's the right situation for everybody. I don't think I think if I went back and asked for an extension, more money, anything right now, I think that would be the wrong move. And so I'm just going out there and trying to prove my worth
Starting point is 01:54:00 and to help this team win games and do everything that I can to earn and make sure if these people know that I'm worth it. That means to me I need to play a full season. I'm going to get my sack totals up and then I'm going to come after some more money. Right? Because I think for the first time in his career, if he was trying to go get he being JJ while looking for more money, people would say, JJ, we love you, but you can't stay healthy.
Starting point is 01:54:28 He's played something like 32 of the last 64 games. in the regular season. So frankly, he's just doing the right thing by saying, I'm not going for it. And frankly, he's probably saying, I need to prove to them. And then once I do prove to them that I can play 15 games a year, and I can sack 15 different quarterbacks for a bunch of quarterbacks a bunch of times, you can then pay me after that. Because remember when he signed it was super big?
Starting point is 01:54:52 He makes really good money now. Yes. But there are so many guys that have passed him up defensively. and I think the number one reason why he can't go out there is because I think he knows well see here's the thing if you're JJ you are so you're so beloved by the McNair family right I mean he probably could go in there and they probably would say well you know maybe we'll give you a little bit of a raise I think he's looking for one more really really big payday but my contention is and this may be the uber controversial content opinion
Starting point is 01:55:26 if he has another half season they probably be in their best interest to release him or ask him to come back in a renegotiated contract I don't think he has a great season it's a bad season the only place half of the games yeah
Starting point is 01:55:39 they can cut him no money they can cut them right now I think without losing any money but from a PR standpoint Texans Karen will lose her damn mind Texans Karen's not going to be very happy but she'll support the team to matter what that's true she does she'll be okay
Starting point is 01:55:52 she's hashtaging we are Texans every day she can't possible chance he's making about 16.6 average annual value so that would put him around like 12th that's strange that when he signed the original deal that was wow look at the crazy money they're paying for a defensive alignment now Khalil Max making 23 and a half a year that's why these quarterback numbers with like
Starting point is 01:56:13 Pat Mahomes what he's going to get and what Dak Press is going to get and what Deshawn's going to get is going to seem incredible to us but five years now Ross we're going to be talking about the guys making five or six million dollars more year than those guys are. As long as the revenues continue to go up and they're okay with the salary cap, there might be a temporary hit. Well, how about this? How about JJ playing half the year because he's hurt again and saying, you know what? I got Ultimate Tag. I've been in a couple of movies. I host the Saturday Night Live.
Starting point is 01:56:44 I'm done. I could totally see him hanging it up in the next couple of years. There's no, I mean, he's talked about that. I think maybe when he signed this deal or shortly after, there was an interview, he's talking about retiring at a young age, and this being maybe his last contract and that type of stuff where he's smart, he's got his faculties about him, he's, you know, he's got TV stuff like you've said, he's got other ventures that he can get involved in. How megastar would you think JJ will be once he calls it a career? Let me give you some names. Okay. Of the most recent generation of athletes, and I'll include WWE, too. It's acting, but it's still
Starting point is 01:57:21 athleticism, right? I mean, I don't think anybody can argue that. But I think it's easier to can transition from that because it kind of starts with an element of acting. Yeah. You could, to rise to the level of superstardom of like the Rock who's crossed over more famously than anybody else. I was going to say, the rock to me is the sports entertainment biggest crossover. That's because he was great as a wrestler, right, as working the crowd and all that type of. Those are all qualities that you need to be a good actor. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:57:48 Okay. So let's let's take wrestling off the board then. Yeah, I would. Yeah. Who is the biggest former sports star that is on the entertainment scene in 2020?
Starting point is 01:58:02 Payne Manning? Commercials the ESPN, but he hasn't done any movies. Shaq? He's on a, like, he's on the general, he's doing talcum powder, he's doing icy hot. Okay, forgetting about, so I guess I've got to narrow it down even further.
Starting point is 01:58:21 If we're not counting commercial endorsements, we're strictly talking about television and films. You've got to have cachet to do commercials, though. So I guess you know what you need to do then. Let's go ahead and throw commercials in the mix. Okay. Will we always see JJ Watt associated with something down the road?
Starting point is 01:58:36 I will... And at what level? I don't think he's Shaq level. I don't think he's Peyton Manning level. Can he get to Michael Strayhan? Can he host Good Morning? No. Strayhan's extremely gifted.
Starting point is 01:58:49 No, Mike. That's the perfect call right there. That's a good one. Is he Michael's... Can he be a future Michael Strayhan? I don't think so. I feel like tag is the first start to that. Yeah, I would have...
Starting point is 01:58:59 But that's still very heavily scripted. I will say I didn't watch it. So I don't have to watch it. How naturally did he come off? You said he was way better than his brothers, right? His brothers were a fish out of water on this. They were robots. It's almost like if I was J-Jad said,
Starting point is 01:59:14 Braz, I love you, but I don't need you. Yeah, Michael Strayhan's the answer. Michael Strayhan is the biggest television or movie star that's doing it in television compared to just being littered in commercials. After being a superstar
Starting point is 01:59:30 level player. He's a Hall of Famer, right? Yeah. The Charles Barkley, Shaq, Kenny Smith thing, that's interesting, but that's still a sports-related
Starting point is 01:59:38 program. Those are still, they're technically still analyst. Because Strahan does the pyramid. He does a good morning. I mean, Good morning, America.
Starting point is 01:59:48 That's a big deal. Jesse Palm. Huge. He has a show on the Food Network. Yeah, I think we're thinking. Jesse does that Daily Mail Show to it, does he not? Yeah.
Starting point is 01:59:57 He doesn't carry the weight on the player side though. Right. Strayhan was a Hall of Fame player. Shack, Hall of fan players. Jesse just had to be a player that had a lot of 50 minutes of run or some sort. So that's okay.
Starting point is 02:00:09 So we're going to use... I think he would be... If we're putting them on Tier 1, Strayhand, Shaq, Payton Manning. I think he'll be Tier 2. Tier 2 meaning hosting a Fox show. Yeah, maybe commercial here and there. Guess appearances here and there.
Starting point is 02:00:23 A couple of movie roles here and there. Yeah. How was he in that show the new girl or whatever? Never saw it. Me either. So here's the issue. Is that being a tier two celebrity worth it to go into that right away and do all those types of things as compared to trying to throw your body around for a couple more years?
Starting point is 02:00:44 Knowing that your body, again, I don't want to assume this, but we're assuming that he'd be thinking about retirement next year if he didn't play a full season. Well, let me ask you this. All right. J.J. Watt retires today. Is he in the Pro Football Hall of Fame? Yes. it's going to take him a while I don't he has three
Starting point is 02:01:04 defensive player of the year awards five time pro bowler five time first team all pro would that be four straight seasons of half seasons two multiple 20 sacks seasons all decade team 2010s
Starting point is 02:01:16 I'm just listening some of his accomplishments I think he was an all-time NFL 100 player he'll go in first ballot no chance I think no doubt he'll go on first ballot
Starting point is 02:01:26 I have the first ballot it's easier to take my side most guys are impossible to get in the first round ballot. 96. Yeah, that's true. 96 total sacks. But JJ's got the stuff that like T.O. didn't have to deal with.
Starting point is 02:01:39 He's got pro media on him. It's not just going to be... That's true. You don't go in there and fight that. He's never been considered a diva. He's been quirky, but never considered a diva. He's had a lot of charitable things he's done in benefits. I mean, he's had a perfect career in terms of off the field. Let me give you some guys around him on the sack list.
Starting point is 02:01:55 He's at 96. Okay. Cameron Wake at 100. In how many years? About 10 years. So a couple more years. I think he just by his position, he's going to have a harder time getting in. Elvis Dumerville 105 sacks. Von Miller, 106 sacks.
Starting point is 02:02:16 Simeon Rice is, I don't believe, is in the Hall of Fame, 122 sacks. Yeah. Sean Jones is not in the Hall of Fame. 113 sex. No, Joe, I'm going to stick to it. He'll get in, but it's going to take a while. I think they look at the body of work and they go, in the last three or four years of his
Starting point is 02:02:34 NFL career, he was only half the player. Chandler Jones 96. There are a lot of great players that have had a three or four year run. Mario Williams' 97 and a half six. Not getting in. See, I just, I think JJ is going to go in first round. Because he's a good face for the NFL?
Starting point is 02:02:50 Yeah, just the accomplishments early on were so great that they're going to outweigh the struggle in the back end. I know they're very different Hall of Fame, but that's how you, Dwight Howard. God, I feel like the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They're Uber snobber snobby over there. I agree, but I think the media stuff, the charity stuff, it will
Starting point is 02:03:05 balance out that back end. Unless you played in like the 50s and we've never heard of you. Then you're straight in. No Super Bowl ring. No Super Bowl appearance. None of that stuff. Doesn't weigh against him? Not that it's his fault. It'll weigh against him a little bit. Dick Butkus never made the playoffs, right?
Starting point is 02:03:24 I think that's correct. I also don't think J.J. is going to retire after he leaves the Texans. He's going to play somewhere else first. But don't, do you think the Texas would let him leave? I mean, there's the guy that, I mean, you think about 99. Bill O'Brien. Bill O'Brien will let him leave. That's true.
Starting point is 02:03:37 Bill O'Brien doesn't have any affinity towards anybody, except himself. Jack Easterby. Himself. Because Jack Easterby worships him. But Jack's going to go to him and say, we need JJ. We need a good face of the franchise. Yeah.
Starting point is 02:03:49 Gifted Sean. I know it sounds dumb, but Bill's going to hit him with a whip and tell him to get out of the room and he's going to run the team how he wants. I'm not trying to be. But JJ, but JJ has not said one thing anti Bill O'Brien in his entire time. No, and honestly, the saying I'm not going to ask for a contract extension, it says, hmm, maybe this is why they traded DeAndre Hopkins because he did, and JJ won't. Because JJ's comfortable.
Starting point is 02:04:13 Yeah. And I also believe that JJ knows that he needs probably one more season before he can go to that contract card. And he knows that going to a contract card, when he hasn't played a lot, will not do him any favors in front of Bill O'Brien. Ah, no, JJ, look, I love you, JJ. You get here early, you leave late. But, bro, you've only played half a season in the last three years. do it. But look what I've done before then. Yeah, you didn't
Starting point is 02:04:37 prove it to me. Bye. Put you on the ring on or talk to you in five years. And he's traded the Buccaneers for a fifth round pick. No, they would just, people would. We should wait for him to get cut because he's going to make a lot of money. Can the Texans afford to let him play somebody somewhere else at any point? Yeah, he's at 31 right now. It's kind of like the Andre Johnson thing
Starting point is 02:04:55 at that point is, what is really left? And is it worth the risk to pay him all this money to keep him? It's a hard question to answer because we all love JJ, but... Well, it's a much easier question 12 months from now, because we'll have another season of work, whether it's a full season or not. If he plays a full season,
Starting point is 02:05:15 has decent sack totals of, say, 12 or 13, it won't be a difficult question. They'll keep him because he'll get the Emeritus Award. You know, like the legacy award being the greatest defensive Texan ever, and maybe the greatest Texan of all time. If he plays a half season and can't get on the field and can't sack anybody and it becomes a peckish,
Starting point is 02:05:33 you again, then I think you'll hear Bill O'Brien go to the, you know, tough decisions had to be made around these parts, and it was hard for me to tell JJ goodbye, but we've got to move forward. That's the kind of move Bill O'Brien would make. He wouldn't care about the previous experiences. Back to wrap it up
Starting point is 02:05:48 in a moment. 244 on Sports Talk 790. Back back to the Matt Thomas show on Sports Talk 790. For the corner, and let's go! Home of your Astros. All right, would you like some sort of news?
Starting point is 02:06:09 I'd like some great news, Matt. Well, you're not getting it. Last time I tried to bring us great news, apparently I got one of our listeners in trouble. Yeah, uh, hashtag R-C-G. We should just use that for everything. No. Our listener, Rolando, says he was getting his teeth widened. He forgot his headphones.
Starting point is 02:06:26 Lady working on the teeth said it's okay to play his phone out loud. Open up the app and we're talking R-CG. R-C-C-G. Reverse cowgirl. Hashtag awkward. Sorry, R-Lando. Rolando, shout out to you and the hygienist. Hopefully she's attractive and it started a conversation for you.
Starting point is 02:06:43 I just wish there was video because that would be an all-time moment to see that. Question for you all, not to be sexist, but we got to get some, before we get to the semi-good news. Average number, grade 1 to 10 on a dental hygienist, typically. He was like a 7 and a half. Yeah, I think it scores well. Yeah, I agree. And if it's a guy, I'm usually hesitant. Elementary teacher?
Starting point is 02:07:05 What do you mean if it used to be or what? That's a wider range. Okay. 96% of dental hygienists are female. And I bet 96% probably 75% of them are hot. At least. Send us a tweet if you're high dental hygienicists. 75K?
Starting point is 02:07:22 That's a good living. It's a terrible job. And it's a lot of school, right? And you just, you take that scraper and you try to pick your, ooh. Hold on. No, hold on. Hold on. What?
Starting point is 02:07:30 Yeah. I'm doing some research, Matt. Am I right? Matt, aren't dental. How about? I'm applying to schools. Aren't dental hygienists? hi, back me up on this, Houston.
Starting point is 02:07:40 I don't care what they are. At SportsM.T. All right, you want some of my good news? Here it comes. The NBA is working on multi-phase medical safety protocols towards a restart of play, right? Celebrate, right? Yes. Current projections, which is good, right?
Starting point is 02:07:56 We're still good on this. Have in-market training camps. That's good news, right? Yes. In July. Then camps and scrimmages. in Orlando. Then resume play in late July, early August.
Starting point is 02:08:18 I don't, I honestly, I don't get it. Why the hell is it going to take so long? The NFL is going to return to training camp before the NBA does. Ross, Matt, two more months? And one of those, global pandemic, man. One of those months, we're going to know when sports are returning. So it's not going to be like every day like, oh, this could happen, this could happen. No, we're just going to have dates.
Starting point is 02:08:44 And we're just going to be waiting. It's going to be counting down. 30-day countdown. You know what? Yeah, we could do a 60-day countdown. 17 days until the season starts. Who's your favorite number 17 in Rocket's history? The last thing on this tweet from Shams, which, I mean, it does this point.
Starting point is 02:09:00 Late July slash early August? What happened to? Everybody's can come back to their teams to June 1st. Get everybody ready by June 1st? June 15th, swab every inch of every facility in every NBA city. Woz added on in his own report that they're going to try to include limited number of family, but he just included that they still don't have a plan for return to play, and I wonder if that's part of the problem.
Starting point is 02:09:35 Like he says it might only be 20 teams coming back, and the four teams would be that are not in the playoffs would be the Blazers, Pelicans, King, Spurs. And then like no one from the Eastern Conference outside the top eight would be invited back. So you're going to crown a champion. After not playing a game since March 10th, you're not going to start a season until potentially early August. This is preventative for sure. This is to make sure everything is,
Starting point is 02:10:07 okay, so if you start early August, that means you're probably playing a handful of regular season games or that in-play tournament. And you're probably not crowning a champion. Can you do it by October 15th? If you really want to play those seven-game playoffs series, like the NBA said they want like to do. Coming back, late July, early August. Oh, September, October 15th.
Starting point is 02:10:32 Yeah, if you do the regular season. I was hoping July 1st for the return of the NBA. You do 15 days of regular season and then two months of playoffs, yes. So October 15th, you crown a champion. Your first NBA game of the next season is December the 25th. With five to six Christmas Day games, starting at 11 a.m. and going to 11 p.m. Okay, so that's what I said.
Starting point is 02:10:58 It's semi-good news. We got two more months of this? Maybe. No, I don't think it's a maybe. Shams don't miss on this. Haven't you felt like the NBA has been extraordinarily caution during all this? This is what the Bill Simmons tweet we read yesterday, too. No, it wasn't.
Starting point is 02:11:15 I thought it was just the opposite. I thought he said starting the late end of July and playoffs would be over like the first week of October. Okay. I don't follow Bill Simmons. I can't tell you that. But I thought he had got everything ramped up a lot sooner. I guess I staying corrected. Why even had the end?
Starting point is 02:11:38 I guess they want to keep everybody away from Orlando as long as possible. Maybe it takes that long to get everything going? Because Ross and are trying to figure out taking a couple days off here and there for summer. We can take the whole summer off. Yeah. That's good. Maybe. Shows might be a little dry.
Starting point is 02:11:55 Yeah, this is the Bill Simmons one. It said playoff starts July. 25th and September 20th the draft the 24th and 25th of September. It doesn't match. Yeah. Well, if he said end of July, early August, you could in theory playoffs could start July 25th.
Starting point is 02:12:10 He says resume play late July slash early August. Maybe they're not going to be regular season games. And that playoff start could include the playing games. But what about those local TV games and local TV networks that want to get the money from? S.O. God.
Starting point is 02:12:28 Strow's relegation says I'm 43 years old And I can't remember ever finding an ugly dental hygienist That's the truth Doesn't happen I guess the better question would be Send Ross a picture of an ugly hygienist You can't just like take pictures Yeah what are you going to say
Starting point is 02:12:44 Hey this is me and a son Can we take a selfie? Yeah like she's working on your teeth And you're just going to take a selfie Maybe she thinks it's a compliment While you're hearing about RCG No even if she thinks it's a compliment You're a creeper
Starting point is 02:12:55 Fact Huge creeper You don't think we can do a gallery of you and your hot dental hygienist? You get massive clicks on our website. Yeah. We don't need that right now. All right. Fair enough.
Starting point is 02:13:11 Wax, is your dental hygienist hot? Okay, he said, don't ask. Uh-oh. It's a wife listening? It must be in a comfortable moment on the show. That's fine. They've been in fights over. I said, I don't have a dentist.
Starting point is 02:13:25 Not don't ask. Oh, because you have. because it's in the family, right? I can't remember. This is probably bad news, but I can't remember the last time I've been to the dentist. What? What? I'm in the same boat, actually. Y'all are disgusting.
Starting point is 02:13:38 I go twice here and get x-rays. Aren't my teeth this white? Okay, I'm not looking at your teeth. More RCG talk with Adam Wexler and Adam Klan. They call themselves the A team, and they're up next on 70. Harold Reynolds tomorrow, two on 790. Thank you.

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