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Steve Hartman & Monse Bolanos talk Clippers/Lakers Season So Far, React To The NFL Combine, and More!

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Published Mar 3, 2024, 1:17 AM

Steve Hartman and Monse Bolanos talk about how the season so far has been going for the Clippers and the Lakers as they get closer to the post season. Steve and Monse also react to the ongoing NFL Combine. Plus, Steve and Monse talk with NBA Analyst Mark Medina and NFL Analyst Adam Caplan, talk about Shohei Ohtani's "normal" wife, and more!!

Please, you're listening to Fox Sports Radio Radio.

Living the dream once again here on a fabulous sports Saturday, Fox Sports Saturday. We're broadcasting live from the ti rack dot com studios tyrack dot com. We're gonna help get you there an unmatched selection, fast, free shipping, free road hazard protection, over ten thousand recommended installers ti rack dot com the way tire buying should be well. Once again, monci, here we are gathered to make a big four hours of magic right here on Fox Sports Radio.

Now.

I decided to enhance the experience for you today.

Yes you did, as I.

Went to my significant x. I love her Denise, who is well known to listeners out there. And if you're gonna say, is this another one of those food things Hartman, the answers, Yes, So I asked you last week, is there something as far as baked goods that you might be interested in? And you're like, well, I'm pretty basic, you know, like chocolate chip cookies. Yep. So today I delivered, courtesy of my significant ex. Oh not just any.

Chocolate, no, no, no, no, the most delicious vegan chocolate chip cookie.

A lot of people vegan.

Yeah, this was per my request.

Yep.

And not that I only have vegan cookies, but you have given us little glimpses and little tastes of what she has done in the past, and I knew she could do something vegan and make it extra tasty. This is so good. You could give this to somebody and not tell them it's vegan, and they would have no idea and they would say, this is the best cookie I've ever had.

Now, Katino Mobley, the Great Katino Mobley fell in love where they're baking, to the point where he wanted to open up a business like you have, missus Fieldskies right now.

Put these on fields right, no question, missus Field.

But I mean these are next level this.

I feel like I could just taste everything in it, like all the hint of salt. Yes, like I could just I taste it all. They are so so good I don't even care what happens the rest of my day.

No, with all due respect to Martin and Patrick and Chris. The reason I am not sharing this with the rest of you guys. We'll do this down the road, I promise you, yes, But this was specifically for Moncie so now so I because if they if they start chewing on that those boxes will be gone.

Yeah, this will be gone. And I really don't want to fight anybody today, no training, nobody needs to be fighting today. You know, I barely brushed my hair because of this weather. So let's not let's not get crazy. Let's not get crazy. Maybe I should just say that the cookies are not good, so they're not jealous.

I wish I could wear a cap today, but I have TV tonight, so I gotta keep by.

There, Steve, I wish I were at all right.

I have another story to share with you, Moncey. So during the week, my younger son, Garrett, who is twenty five years old and it'd be twenty.

Yeah.

He is the ultimate Lakers fan and has been his entire life. I had the good fortune as a father to actually get him to take a picture of meet Kobe Bryant face to face in Kobe's last year as a Lakers.

So he's a diehard Laker. But he went to the Clippers.

Game the other night. It was a Clippers home game, and the game looked ugly from the beginning. Clippers were in total control of this game, a nineteen point lead going into the fourth quarter, and he was still there. He was disappointed, and he just said, come on, let's at least make it competitive. The lead then got to twenty one points, and then the game ended and the Lakers had won the game. It was the largest fourth quarter comeback in Lebron James's twenty one year NBA career. Clippers coach tylu said he could never remember as a coach blowing a twenty one point fourth quarter lead.

But I have good news for you Clipper fan. Here's some good news.

With that win. Yes, the Lakers clinched the season series for the clip from the Clippers for the first time since twenty twelve.

Correct.

So the fact is the Clippers have owned the Lakers over the last eleven years. Their record against the Lakers was twenty six and seven. Yeah, and that resulted in zero NBA championships for the Clippers.

I like where you're going because this is exactly what I've been saying.

So now that the Lakers, who obviously are still well behind the Clippers and the standings, have won this season series, could it be that twist of fate that propels the Clippers to a destination and they've never been, which would be the NBA finals.

I'm literally this is I have been saying throughout the season because the Lakers have won the series. This wasn't the first game we lost this season. The first game of the season to the Lakers, we lost, and I was like, you know what if this just means that the end outcome is going to be different than it has been the last ten years, I am okay with it because the Clippers. You can't deny that the Clippers just look way better than the Lakers on paper, in person, they're the better team. But Lebron James decided to take some of Michael's secret stuff that he takes in space jam and just went on a ta on a tear that Like, I obviously was rooting for my Clippers, but watching it, I was here working, I was anchoring for Jason Smith and Mike Carmen and I just couldn't believe what I was seeing Lebron do. It was so entertaining, even though I wasn't rooting for him, it was so entertaining to watch. Now there were questions as a Clippers fan where I was like, I don't understand why PJ. Tucker is playing right now with the whole drama that he was in the.

Line, and Paul George was not in the game.

Paul George was not playing Avitz's zoo bots, was not in the game. A big or unsung hero that I say all the time, but I did. There were questions that I had as a Clippers fan as I was watching this unravel, Why didn't Kawhi go and guard Lebron when he got hot? You know, little things like that. Doesn't matter though we were up by twenty one at one point, still embarrassing, no matter how you want to dissect it. But Lebron put on a great show, and it doesn't matter if you're a Clippers fan. It was incredible to watch, and in a way, you know, it bookends the story of the Clippers and the Lakers. At Crypto slash Staples dot com, you know what I'm saying, Like, I'm not upset about it now.

I was.

I was here, like, you know what's so embarrassing, Steve that day. I was no joke. I was wearing a Clipper shirt, I brought a Clipper jacket, and I was wearing Clipper socks that game, and I was here working and I just was like, Jason Smith cuts to me for an update, and I was like, Clippers, Clipper back to you, like I had nothing else to say, because that's it.

Well, as this game was unfolding, obviously, I'm at home. My other son, Drake was at home. We knew Garrett was excited to go to the game and they're getting blown out. It's just like, oh, he's got to be in misery. We had actually turned off the game. Drake and I were watching a movie and I looked at my phone and suddenly the league was down to five, and I'm like, wow, the Lakers are making it respectable. I then turn it off again, and then I had to go out to get something. I turned on and says they won the game. I don't have to tell you.

When Garrett got home, he exploded through the door.

Greatest game by by that greatest game ever. I fell happy for him. But you mentioned Lebron James, and I love when you know. When Tiger Woods won his Masters, the big comeback Masters, and after that tournament, he's at the press conference and everyone's you know.

Oh, now he's gonna break Jack's record.

He's back by and he basically said, you do know how many things had to go right for this to happen, Like he was realistic about the situation. I played really well. I played better than everybody else in the final round. That's why I won. But other guys had to sort of, you know, fall back. After this game, Lebron was as pretty philosophical talking about that I found myself in the zone, and when I mean in the zone, like I can do no wrong. And I also know when the game's over, I'm no longer in the zone. So what happened today? The idea, well, this, if it happens once, it can happen all the time. He goes, no, no, no, you don't understand. Even in my career, to be in that kind of zone is so rare, But occasionally it happens, and I literally it's almost an out of body experience where it doesn't matter what I do, it's going to happen. He's throwing up twenty six foot threes and they're just you know, money.

I was so glad with his answer, because I mean know, Lebron lives to talk. Lebron crowns himself. Nobody crowns him. He crowns himself as the king. But that answer was very real, especially because Lebron is not known to make threes like that, right. It wasn't like Curry because if we see Curry do that, we're like, well, OK, Curry's done that throughout his career multiple times. That's not his style of play. And you could tell when he made that third He made five three pointers I think in like five seven minutes. When he made the third one, I was like, that's it, You're not he's he is not missing the rest He ended up missing like the seven three pointer after that, but it was like you could just tell nobody else was around. He was by himself. It was him in the basket and there was nobody else there, and you could feel it that he was in a zone where I don't know how you snap him out of it. A timeout wasn't gonna do it, and it didn't because the tyler called the time out didn't work. It was incredible to watch him do that. And again, I don't hate Lebron at all. I know he gets a lot of people's skin. He's funny to me. He says things that make me laugh. But I always have given him credit for what he's doing in your twenty one and to put that show on, like how do you. How are you not seeing the great news in front of us?

Well, and now he's nine points away from forty thousand.

On the other side, Mark Madea is going to be joining us our NBA insider from Fox Sports Radio. By the way, we want to welcome this is a big news for us year at Fox Sports Radio, brand new affiliate, the new one oh six point won the ticket in New Orleans. They're ran by Cumulus Media market manager Pack Galloway and program direcker Jason Ginty. Huge win for them and even a bigger win for us, and we're so excited the new one oh six point one the ticket in New Orleans. We welcome you to the Fox Sports Radio family. To say that I love New Orleans is the understatement of the century. I've covered so many Super Bowls and Final Fours and all kinds of great events in New Orleans.

I've had what I called.

The full New Orleans experience.

Oh you have over many times I've been there.

I believed twelve times nice to cover events, variety events, and I would say, over the span of those twelve experiences in New Orleans everything you can possibly imagine experiencing, and America is one of the most unique cities obviously in America.

I have enjoyed so and I survived. Let's put it out.

That's good.

One.

I was there one time. I actually this was about I don't know, maybe five years ago or so. I have worked, you know, as an actor from time to time, and I did a T mobile commercial and they flew me out to New Orleans and I was there for like five days by myself, and I was in the middle of like, you know, I could. I walked to Bourbon Street. But it was so funny because I was on set and I asked everybody I was working with. I was like, can I go to Bourbon Street alone? Like am I?

Am?

I okay?

Like I like yeah, yeah, yeah during daytime. If it's nighttime and you're by yourself, we don't recommend it. And I was like, okay. So I went a few times to Bourbon Street when I could during daytime, and I got pizza, I got drinks, and I walked around and it was the Beignets. Oh what a lovely time. And again I was there for work. I can't imagine if I go just for pleasure, how great it would be.

I could share an experience where I hit Bourbon Street in the evening, something I'd done many times. The difference this time is I walked out of Bourbon Street and it was daylight. I have to I can't share that whole story with you. I'm exactly what happened there. Ali coming up with the others. We're gonna be joined by Mark Medina, our Fox Sports Radio NBA Insider.

This is Fox Sports Saturday.

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Hey, I'm Doug Gott. The podcast is called All Ball.

We usually talk all basketball all the time, but it's more about the stories about what made these people love this sport and all the interesting interactions along the way. We talked to coaches, we talked to players, We tell you stories. You download it, you listen to it.

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Listen to All Ball with Doug GOTTLIEB on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Steve Hartman and Manzie Belanio's here Fox Sports Saturday. We're coming alive from the tai IRAQ dot com Studios.

Is that how you dance to Steve like Martin? Martin has is getting with it, getting jiggy, witty.

He can move.

Yeah.

I was working out with my trainer this morning and he's like, you are the stiffest person ever, And I said, I am, And it shows on the dance floor. My body just doesn't flow like that. It's very stiff, you know, my shoulders and everything else.

You have to do much as a man, you just got to be able to take on the one two step like hell, if he.

Could sway, Yeah, that helps sway, you know, just sort of sway to the rhythm a little bit.

Well, here's some of that sways to the rhythm of the NBA.

He is our Fox Sports Radio NBA insider Mark Medina is joining us right now. Mark, I want to get right to the top and Lebron James on the verge of getting to forty thousand career points. And I'm going to make a statement here Mark, obviously I want to get your input on this. When people try to argue about the goat in NBA, I simply go to resume. And when I hear people try to tout Michael Jordan over Lebron James based on six NBA appearances, six NBA finals, MVPs six for six, so to speak, ignoring that he actually played fifteen years in the NBA.

I'm sorry, we are reminded almost every.

Time this guy takes the floor that we've never seen anyone like him in the history of the NBA and probably are unlikely ever to see anyone like him again in the NBA. So, in my opinion, when his Cavs overcame that three to one deficit against the Golden State Warriors, a team that had won seventy three games, that's when I said case closed. And he's only added to his resume obviously since then. So where do you stand on Lebron James's place in NBA history.

Yeah, it's a very tough question, one that I wrestle with all the time. I know for sure he's top two, and I always interchange between Tim and MJ.

As most of us do.

But I think that what often gets lost for the people that argue about Michael Jordan over Lebron James no matter what, because oh, he didn't switch James. Well, it's a different era. Oh, Michael Jordan's a better scorer and he wants to take the last shot. But you know what, even if Michael technically even now was better score, well, Lebron James is scoring a lot of points even though he's passed a lot. And then when they bring up, you know, the undefeated finals record. Yeah, sure, that's an impressive but there's a lot of acsenuating circumstances. No doubt he was able to partly get back to the finals because he retired for one and a half seasons. And yes, I know he played baseball, but he wasn't part of that day to day grind with the NBA where you look at Lebron James. Yes, it helps that he played twenty one season to break the record. Yes it helps that he was able to jump from high school to the NBA before the one and done rule kicked in. But for him to be able to get into contented consecutive NBA finals, for him to be able to navigate at this point of his career and still being able to play at a high level even though he's managed you know a handful of different injuries here or there that haven't been season ending but serious enough. I don't think that those parts have gotten enough credit. I just think when you tie this up in a bow with what it means to get forty k points, I think it's very ironic because he's never set out to get the scoring record. He's a past first guy. Well, because he has so many skills and has been so durable, he's been able to break a record from Kareem last season that many thought would be untouched ever since he said it in nineteen eighty four.

No, no, Mark, it's crazy. Hi Mark, thanks for hanging out.

Hey Manthy, how are you hanging in with your Clippers?

Oh?

You know I was telling Steve you couldn't not enjoy what Lebron was doing even if you were a Clipper fan. It was incredible to watch. It's I had anger and excitement going through my body at that time. But what is the latest? What have you heard with Russell Westbrook's fractured hand? How bad it Isn't it weird that Scottie Barnes also broke his hand the same night.

It's wild. Clippers haven't said specifics as far as if he's going to need surgery or not. They haven't released any sort of timetable, but months you probably know, like fractured hand. Injuries are pretty serious, so I would I don't consider this a day to day injury. I would suspect he's certainly out, you know, multiple weeks. And I think that the tough thing about the Clippers, as you know, is they finally, for the first time probably ever, went through a season where they're mostly injury free, and then all of a sudden, post All Star Break, Paul George is missing two games with his left knee. Now, he came back and Friday's win against Washington, but that's an injury to keep an eye on and beat the Zoobots. He has an illness. I suspect that we'll be back, but he's missed the last few games here, and so that's where I start getting concerned about. Okay, injuries start piling up. But to soften any concerns, Paul George is back. Russell Westbrook's injury history is pretty strong. He's been seen as a durable player. So I think that, you know, even with these tough short term circumstances, it'll be enough for the Clippers to get through and also not compromise their standings and what what's going to be a pretty tight Western Conference playoffs seating race.

Yeah, I had good news Fromonse. So my son, who's a lifelong Laker fan, was at that game, which was a Clipper home game, and of course witnessed the greatest fourth quarter comeback of Lebron James's career. It also clinched the season series for the Lakers over the Clippers for the first time since twenty twelve. I mean, over the last eleven years, the Clippers were twenty six and seven against the Lakers. I mean, you talk about free spot on a Bengo board, that's exactly what the Lakers had become to the Clippers over that run.

So maybe that's going to be a reverse of fortune.

Now the Lakers getting ready to host the Nuggets, and I've maintained this throughout this season, Mark that look, the Celtic are red hot, and Minnesota and Oklahoma City have been hanging at the top of this Western Conference. Make no mistake, the Nuggets are the team to beat, and at times they have seen disinterested. But you get a sense right now they're on a five game winning streak that they're beginning to assert their authority, so to speak. And I expect that to happen at the crypt andight against the Lakers. But when you look at sort of the power rankings top three right now and projecting where they'll be by season's end, where do you stand right now on your top three in the NBA?

Yeah, top three in the NBA. I have Boston, the Boston Celtics as the top team. Their separation in terms of wins, and just Jaython Tatum's continued growth as an MVP candidate, chemistry with Jalen Brown, Kursusperzingis, and Drew Hollidays fitting in seamlessly, they separated themselves from the Eastern Conference contenders pretty significantly, so I expect them to win the title such them definitely get to the finals, but there are some good teams in the West that could disrupt that. I keep going back and forth between Nuggets and Clippers. Both teams are surely in the mix, but I would lean toward the Clippers presuming no major issues with health. But the Nuggets, we have most of their championship core back. I think that you hit on the money, Steve, that some of their so called struggles during the season were more championship hangover driven. Recently and then the beginning of the season it was more related to Jamal Murray's absence, and now I know he has a new injury to worry about, but it's not projected to be long term. So I think if all things are equal, Look, the Clippers' talent and their chemistry has been so good that I would give it to the edge to them, But we don't operate the NBA Playoffs doesn't operate on how things look on paper. It operates on how things are in real time, and so you just never know what that and the Nuggets certainly have the capability to reverse this fortunes. So I would say, yeah, top three Celtics, Clippers, Nuggets. But Clippers and Nuggets, it's almost interchangeable because the Margins says them.

Another team that's one five in a row, Mark after a bit of a slow start with their new head coach, Doc Rivers, Milwaukee Bucks five in a row. We've just heard Damian Lillard say how hard it's been being alone in Milwaukee because his entire family is still in Portland. Is their chemistry finally kicking in?

Yes, it is, And I'm glad you brought up the Bucks because I don't need to give them short change. They're still in the mix. They're a good team. I just think that the Celtics have everything going that barring, you know, say, an injury to Porzingis or really anyone else. They just have so much separation when it comes to depth, their defense and their chemistry. But I think things are looking very positive with Milwaukee. They're settling into Doc Rivers's schemes that are simply a lot simpler than what Adrian Griffin was trying to preach. For all of Doc's shortcomings as a playoff coach, a lot of it had more to do with circumstances with injuries and his key players underperforming, And I think the positive parts about his experience and managing personalities will come to full bloom. And I think the scary harmonse is for whatever the so called struggles that the Bucks have had with trying to get the most out of the Gianna Fonte Decompo David Lower partnership, it's still been pretty damn good that they're only going to get better and so all that's trained in the right direction. But I just don't think they have enough defensively and enough depth to match up with Lost and the look. That's why they play the games. It should be fun.

Final word on Lebron is he is going to pass forty thousand points. Keep in mind that Kevin Durant has twenty eight thousand, and he's a scorer, and he still hasn't even gotten to thirty thousand, much less forty thousand, and Steph is in the twenty three thousand range. So I don't know, Mark, I don't know if anybody is ever going to think about this. That's averaging two thousand points a year for twenty years. It's wild.

It's an insane number.

And as you mentioned, this is not a guy who has been a super scorer because he has passed the ball as much. Mark, we always appreciate at the time. Thank you so much. We'll do it again next week.

Are looking forward to your guys are the best?

All right, thanks so much to Hey, it's the great Mark Medina joining us there. All right, Fox Sports Radio, NBA Insider. Let's find out now what is a trend name? Martin is in the house, No surprise because he's he's always doing double duty in the updates doing his own radio show. So who is your goat? I mean, is is it Jordan or is it Lebron. Where do you stand on this?

I'd have to say Lebron, But honestly, I know this is blasphemous to say on sports talk radio.

I don't care. It doesn't. It doesn't, it doesn't.

It's not something that truly doesn't effect It doesn't upset me.

It doesn't bother me.

Like hear that, I understand that. I don't like. It doesn't bother me. If you say one or the other, I'm like, oh there, I do.

Well, well, well, what's your favorite ice? Can you like chocolate? Are like Teberry the great? I get that? But where it bothers me because you can make the argument for years I used to say, why is why are we not talking? Kareem abdul Jabbar won more MVP Awards and anyone's still six six time NBA champion, But it seems like that's my dad's move. Yeah, it's what about Wilt? Yeah what about Wilt? You know, a hundred point game and everything else. But to demean Lebron, that's that's where I draw a line. Well, you know, there's no negative with Lebron. I agree that. I don't understand where's the negative? And his personal life, he's a family man. I mean, where is the negative? Well, what about the decision? What about the decision? He left Cleveland, he went to Miami, won two championships, then came back to Cleveland and won a championship.

We're also going to pretend like Cleveland wasn't giving him help on it was was like just giving him all the help he needed the first time around, which Swearer thres exactly.

So, I mean, I don't I mean the politics whatever, that not.

Kay.

If he wants to voice his opinion, that's all fine. But in terms of I always conducted himself on the court, what he's represented to the NBA, there is no negative. Yeah, I mean that's anything I would be doing, just be nitpicking.

Yeah, And you know who's got time for that on a Saturday afternoon, right, of course. NFL News The Athletic reporting that Brocos quarterback Russell Wilson likely to be cut as soon as next week. Thirteen year veteran left tackle Tyron Smith unlikely to resign with the Cowboys. He and owner Jerry Jones couldn't agree on a new compensation. Smith, an eight time Pro Bowler. Wide receiver Mike Evans, expected to test free agency reports, saying he wants to play with three things, an elite quarterback, be paid like a top wide out, and compete for a Super Bowl. But he's not ruling out returning to Tampa. Former Chargers quarterback head coach, I'm sorry. Former Chargers head coach Brenda Staley will join the San Francisco forty nine Ers as the assistant head coach forty nine Ers, also promoting defensive passing game specialist Nick Sorensen has new dc lsuit quarterback Jaden Daniels and wide receiver from Elite Neighbors did not participate in the measurements of the combine, saying they would do so at their pro day March twenty seventh in Baton Rouge, which is singling a trend more and more people opting out of different things at the combine. Johnny Manziel is opting out of the Heisman Trophy ceremony. He says he's boycotting the Heisman Trophy ceremony until two thousand and five winner Reggie bush And gets his Heisman Trophy back.

We have one game in the NBA right now, the Hawks and the Nets.

The Nets with the lead sixty eight to sixty four with eight minutes and ten seconds left in the third quarter. Earlier today in college basketball, Creighton beat Marquette eighty nine to seventy five. First win for the Blue Jays over the Golden Eagles since March tenth, twenty twenty two. It's been a minute barely beat Kansas eighty two to seventy four. Illinois on the road beat Wisconsin eighty nine to eighty three. Kentucky beat Arkansas one eleven to one O two Musselman squad in trouble. They have five and eleven in conference play. South Carolina be Florida eighty two to seventy six. And as a native child of New Orleans Moncee, I'll tell you this and somebody who was there, actually I was there what I left Friday, so I was there this week, just there.

Yeah, it is.

It's a wild place. It's a great place to be from.

Yeah.

No, I loved it. I want to go back. I'm telling you, I.

Highly recommend it to me. There is no other place in the world like it.

Yeah. I just remember feeling like people ask me like there's a there's a Vegas aspect to it. But I love the jazz music. I would hear walking down the street from like every little place. I walked into so many places it was a live jazz band.

If I may don't the comparison between Vegas and New Orleans starts with you can drink outside and stops what you can drink outside.

Real people live in New Orleans. It's a real it's a real town.

You're right, I don't disagree, you know what I mean?

And it's like that the whole city is like that, right, you know what I'm saying.

Like Vegas, no Vegas.

You got like five blocks of just destruction with the strip and then after you go out into you know, real Vegas.

Like I did a show out in Vegas at our affiliate. I was as I did the show from there. It's twenty minutes off the strip, you know what I look, it's like the reft of America.

I went into a mall at in New Orleans to buy something and there was like this wine place and they were like, oh, did you want your wine to go at the mall? And I was like I'm sorry, who Yeah. It was like I could walk around the mall drinking a slushy wine and they're like yeah, and then I got in a car and like my uber and I was like, can I bring this in here? And he said, yeah, no problem, just pretend to put a lid on it. Yes, okay, you're right, it's not one strip.

You are one hundred percent the paraphrase Hannibal Burst. He says, I walked into a bar, got a drink, said I don't like this bar. I'm gonna leave it and take this drink with me and another bar and get another drink. Because that's how you can do it in New Orleans.

Yeah, it's you're right by the way.

In New Orleans.

I was there three times covering the Zurich Golf Classic.

Oh yeah, now you would love this. So you know, a normalist had a golf tournament, they have, let's say, at the turn, a place to stop to eat, because I have like a pro am day, like every tournament has before you get to the regular tournament. But at the Zurich Golf Classic, which now is team competition, was individual back in those years, they had food at every hole. Now in New Orleans, I am convinced because again having many late nights, many late nights there, you could walk into any bar and when I say any bar, like a place like unless you are already inebriated, you probably would not think of walking in the door. Sure, and you could order gumbo or no Steve Dirty right here, I'll finish for you. You could order anything anything. But the thing about it is it's always good, absolutely correct. And so at this golf tournament they would have all these locals bring their food. Oh, that's absolutely I mean the my dad used to say this.

He's like, if a restaurant closes in New Orleans after nine months, you just know that the food was terrible because it's not gonna last, no one's gonna go.

It's I've never had bad food anywhere there. Ever, it's hard to do ever after you guys. So anyway, thank you very much, Martin. Once again, we're here at the tire rack dot Com studios. I want to follow up on that story about Reggie Bush and Johnny manself. So I was down in Miami in two thousand and five for the BCS Championship game between USC and Oklahoma. So this was the year that Matt Leinert had won the Heisman Trophy USC. Reggie, as a sophomore, had finished fifth in the voting. But it was obvious he was a big star and was going to have to stay at least one more year at USC. And I was watching practice and I was shown that that is Reggie's stepfather. So I thought I'd walk up to him and sort of introduce myself and sort of congratulated him, you know, on this amazing Reggie Bush of performance. So I did.

I introduced myself, and he immediately came at me with this.

The ruining him. I'm sorry what they're ruining him? I'm like, he was first team All American all Purpose, he was fifth in the Heisman. How are they ruining him? He needs to be running the ball. He needs to be a full time running He's going on this rant, and I'm thinking something's going on here. If you remember how this whole thing came down, his stepfather cut a deal with a couple of guys to have this house to live in with Reggie's mom, with the weak wink that they would be the agents for Reggie Bush once he was emerging from the USC, and then he renegged on the deal, so they blew the whistle, which led to the investigation, with which led to the probation and the forfeiting of wins and everything else. I to this day, now Reggie has never called him out. I don't know his relationship with his stepfather, but I imagine it's pretty good. But I still maintained to this day Reggie Bush had no clue what was going on that if even if he were to ask his stepfather, he said, no, no, no, don't worry about it. I'm just doing this on my own.

That's always how I thought the situation was.

I don't think this was not like that's how it went down, and the penalty was way over the top. I mean yeah, I mean what they did to the USC program in terms of probation, stripping them of all these scholarships and everything else, banning him from the university for ten years, and of course stripping him of his Heisman Trophy. Now I understand this about the Heisman Trophy, and this is coming from someone that is very privileged to be a Heisman voted the last fourteen years.

Oh vote, I didn't know that.

I vote every year, thank you very much.

Ill.

But I have been in New York a couple of times and visited the Heisman Trust, and these are friends of mine, and they'll all say the exact same thing. We want him to be part of the Heisman family. We love everything about Reggie Bush. The reason we can't give him back his Heisman, and again the Heisman sets their own rules, is that according to.

The NCAA, he didn't play that year.

All the numbers that he put up in the year that he won the Heisman Trophy were stripped by the NCAA s he forfeited all their games that year. So according to the NCAA, even though obviously they did play, none of those games were actually in the record books. So the Heisman Trust has always said the same thing. If the NCAA reinstates his numbers, we will hand him back his Heisman Trophy. Which is, by the way, why they didn't hand the Heisman Trophy to Vince Young, who finished second the voting, because he didn't win the Heisman. Reggie Bush won the Heisman. So and that's why Reggie assued the NCAA to get his numbers reinstated so that he can be reinstated as a Heisman Trophy winner.

This really has always been a story that I have never understood why the nc DOUBLEA has like doubled down, tripled down year after year when he did not. I agree, I don't think he knew and I think it was like ignorance's bliss. So they didn't tell him anything. But he did not go and like make this money off to the side. He didn't do any of that. And to think that there aren't other players before this NIL deal, other players out there that were also in some way benefiting, you know, from their athleticism. I mean, did Lebron James have a hummer when he was like fifteen years old or sixteen years old, like they'll get me right, like little things like that where we know this, So I've never understood it. When I read the story about Johnny Mansill saying this, I was like, yes, because now with NIL, the nc DOUBLEA looks even.

Stupider well, and the idea that the NCAA can't reverse a decision is wrong.

It is, of course it is.

When Joe Paterno and all the hullabaloo that happened at Penn State Strip, they were stripped of a bunch of wins, over one hundred wins.

Two years after coach Paterno passed away.

They reinstated all of them to once again, at that time making him the winningest coach in Division One history. So it's not like the NCA has not reversed their decisions in the past and reinstated numbers they had taken off the books. It is time. It's ridiculous. I have talked to you several dozens of Heisman winners over the years. I remember Barry Sanders was on the show. I said, Barry, let's say you're hanging out the Heisman house. There's a knock at the door, and Reggie Bush is at the door, and you let him in. He goes, of course, because he's one of us. Yes se, all the Heisman winners are with Johnny Manziel. He will always be a Heisman Trophy winner, whether he actually owns a Heisman or not. But it also affects at the university. Remember there are two Heismans given out every year, one to the individual, one to the university. You go to USC got all these Heisman trophies, there's no Reggie Bush. He wants it back.

Yeah, I don't blame him. I don't blame them. It's time.

All right, Speaking of time, it's time for another thing that we need to talk about today. A little update on the NFL Combine and what really matters you're gonna find out. This is Fox Sports Saturday. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio Radio Steve Harmin and Monsi Belagas. Here Fox Sports Saturday. We're live from the Tiraq dot Com studios. Coming up in a couple hours, are going to be joined by Adam Kaplan, our Fox Sports Radio NFL insider. He is in Indianapolis for the Combine and look, well, you know, let it out. Well, this has been a little bit different for me this year. I got rid of Direct TV after one hundred years. I went to Spectrum and I don't have the NFL network. I didn't really realize it until like this week because normally I would be watching a lot of the Combine. But I've always come away with the Combine just shaking my head in disbelief, like what is this? Yeah, I mean what do we even watch it?

And it seems like every year less and less participation, and so really is it? You think it's going away? Like that's happening?

So how many times during the course of an actual game do you see a player in shorts running forty yards in a straight line with no one around them?

Is it that, Yeah, the whole game. I'm just kidding. Never, not ever, not once.

Is there a single thing they do during the combine that actually translates to a game.

No, unless you're just trying to see how far a guy can throw right, But yeah, it's almost a bit of a skills challenge here.

Christy.

Do you have that Caleb Williams sound that I heard a little bit earlier one where.

He's addressing the fantasy football writer who's badgering him. Yeah, okay, so Caleb Williams is not there, nor why would he be.

See, he's there, but he's not participating.

He's not participating. And again, okay, this is Caleb Williams, who will be the first overall pick in this year's NFL draft. Caleb, are you afraid to compete? Are you afraid to compete?

How do you respond to people say that you're worried to be compared side by side with your peers in medicals, measurements and workouts.

Are you afraid to be measured against those guy?

One on one?

Is that why you're not doing things? No, not doing things. There's a decision by me and my team, my family, and it comes.

Down to that monsieur, you afraid to compete? Are you a free compete? Is that why you're not in here with Rob Parker? Are you afraid to compete?

That question was so silly, scared, It was so over the top.

It was so silly.

Again. He also later talked about the fact like, if you want to know what I can do on a football field, I played thirty games at the collegiate level, So you got twenty of films. And this is what this has been my point about the combine forever. Okay, I guess you have a certain athletic skills contest going on, but what does that have to do with actually.

Playing the game? I mean, can you play the game or can you not play the game?

It doesn't take into account the instincts the great players have that puts them above the rest of the competition.

Listen, if you don't have a reason why the combine is worth it, I really don't have one.

You still need to be at baseline value. There's two things that you need. You need the medicals and you need interviews to sort of get of a feel if they're the right field. Outside of that, the rest of this is all made for TV stuff. We're going to talk about the single greatest name in the sports world today. On the other side, this is Fox Sports Saturday. Run along here on a beautiful Saturday, A little wet here in so Cow. Yeah there for us. I know there's a little chili around the country, but in some parts it's absolutely beautiful. Hey, we're broadcasting live from the tiraq dot com studios tyraq dot com. We're gonna help get you there. And I'm matched selection, fast, free shipping, free road ASID protection, over ten thousand recommended installers ti iraq dot com the way tire buying should be. So as we have now turned the calendar to the month of March, the single most talked about athlete in the country is Caitlin Clark.

That's right.

And I want to say something about the Kaitlin Clark situation by preface in saying that Kaitlin Clark is an unbelievable basketball player. I mean, she's a super, super talented basketball player. So let me preface what I'm about to say with that. So, she's about to come up on the scoring record of Pete Maravich. And this is something that has bothered me forever when it comes to women's sports. Now. I went to UCLA, and the emergence of college basketball for women really happened when I went to UCLA in the late seventies. In fact, the first ever Women's Final Four was held at poly Pavilion in nineteen seventy eight. My UCLA Bruins, led by my dear friend Ann Myers Hall of Fame Ann Myers, won the national championship that year, and at that point Title nine had been in place for about five years. And we've just seen a growth in the game over these many, many many years. And I've had a number of friends, Cheryl Miller, who I still believe is the most talented women's basketball player that I've ever seen. These are friends of mine, and I fiercely protect their legacy by saying this. Every single time that I hear some top women's record, whether it's a team achievement, a coaching achievement, or a player achievement compared to a man's, I cringe. And it's not because I cringe from the man's standpoint. I cringe from the women's standpoint because it seems like in order to justify their numbers or to put some relevance to their numbers. They need to be compared to a man's numbers, even though they're completely separate sports, completely separate. To me, it does a disservice to the women. If you want to compare Caitlin Clark to Pete Maravich who played from nineteen sixty seven to nineteen seventy and then and I saw this ridiculous article trying to draw comparisons to the two in their games. Their games are completely different, completely different. But you know, you see a number and you want to compare it. I mean, she's going to pass his career total of points. She's played almost fifty more games than he did. He also didn't have a three point line when he played college basketball, nor was there a shot clock, which means scoring was way down in those days because teams purposely held the ball, so people like Pete Maravich couldn't score as many points as he could. He still averaged forty four points a game for his entire career. So my point it's not that it does, you know, a disservice to Pete Maravich's legacy. It's not allowing Caitlin Clark's numbers to stand on their own. She doesn't need to be compared to anybody. She's done enough in the course of her career at Iowa to mark HER's place in the annals of women's collegiate basketball, and to me, that's enough.

So I agree with a lot of what you said, and then I think there's parts of it that you, as a man, are never gonna understand, Like just women in general. For some reason, it's never enough, and so somebody always brings in the man to compare, which I'm like, why why are we doing that? I never saw Pistol Pete play, but I can tell you it was at a very different time, and I can only assume a very different skill set, a different style of play and all of that. I don't know why the comparison of them as players, But it doesn't bother me that you read where you might read, oh, she just broke this, she's doing this, and she's this close to reaching pistol p I don't know why people get so angry about that. She is going to break that record for men and women. What's so bad about that?

Now?

The comparison of them as players, I one hundred percent agree with you, why are we comparing that? But as a footnote that she's also about to break that. I don't get what the problem is as a footnote. Okay, that makes sense.

All right, Well, then why aren't they making a point that she will not break the record of pearl More. Now, if you don't know who pearl More is, pearl More actually holds the collegiate record for most points in a collegiate career. In fact, she earned a spot in the Nasmith Basketball Hall of Fame. And you're saying, who the hell.

Is pearl More?

So pearl More played her collegiate basketball at let's see, where was it, Francis Marion University. She scored more than four thousand points in her career, averaging better than thirty points a game. In fact, at the time, she broke the record of a guy named Travis Grant, who actually holds the all college record. He broke a record of Pete Maravich. But she is the all time score period four thousand and sixty one points and Kaylin Clark is not going to get to that number. So again, if you're just throwing numbers out there in terms of breaking this record, she's the all time leading scorer, well, then, actually, the all time leading scorer in the history of women's college basketball is named Pearl Moore. She's a year older than I am, so she's not like, you know, played seventy years ago or anything like that. So this is my whole point. And by the way, when we talk about the greatest women's college basketball player of all time, there's one name that stands out among all the others. The reason at Kareem abdul Jabbar is rated the greatest college basketball player of all time is because he won championships all three years he was at UCLA and was the MOP most Outstanding player all three times. Well, on the women's side, you actually have someone that did better than that, Breonna Stewart, who of course is now the reigning WNBA MVP. In her four years at Yukon, their record was one hundred and fifty one and five. They had two perfect seasons, they won four straight NCAA championships, and she was the MOP in all four. So to say that, like, well, you know, Caitlin Clark's the greatest women's basket she's not. If you go by the numbers. Bianna Stewart is literally by herself, four time All American, four time MOP, four National Championships. And by the way, she's a two time MVP in the WNBA, so her winning ways of continuing once she moved to the professional ranks. So why isn't Breonna Stewart in the same mention with Caitlyn Clark.

I can give you several reasons as to why. I think social media is one of them because back then maybe people weren't able to see them. One of them social media. People weren't able to see Brianna Stewart the way that you're able to see Kaitlyn Clark in the blink of an eye.

You just look it up, you're gonna see she Stewart was playing in twenty sixteen, but.

It wasn't the same. It still wasn't the same. But I think that a lot of people are giving Kaitlyn Clark so much credit is because she into Iowa, not Yukon, which is already a big school that was already winning. Iowa was nobody, Okay, and m stay there and put.

Them on the map.

So I think that's that's a big reason she's getting more credit then maybe she would be getting if she went elsewhere.

Okay, So Iowa got to the national championship game and got blown out by LSU.

Yes, they did. But Iowa also beat South Carolina in the final four and they've only lost one game in how many right?

Yes?

And the mop of the final four last year was Angel Reese LSU.

Yes.

So again, if you're if you're depends again what you're looking at. Pete Maravich in this three years of varsity, was an eligible as a freshman, never played in the NCAA tournament. Now, the nca tournament was different in those days. To qualify, team had to win the conference championship. There was no second, third, fourth place. It was a much smaller field. You had to win your conference, which LSU never did when he was there, So he never got to actually play in the NCAA tournament. So what matters to you in terms of determining the best? And again this is that going back to the whole goat thing. Is it about individual numbers or is it about winning championships? And so this again, this is not to diminish in any way what Caitlin Clark has done. This I will concede to her. Though we've never had a women's basketball player draw more intention attention in terms of people literally going out of their way to get a seat to a game she plays in, whether it's at home or on the road, to actually see her play. Yeah, I've never seen anything like that on the women's side.

Never. Another thing that I'm only guessing here that people see Kitlyn Clark a little bit like what we said last week or two weeks ago about Steph Curry that she just seems more relatable, Like she doesn't seem like she's gonna go out there and kill you with her shot, but she does. And so she looks flashy, and I know that's not necessarily a good enough reason as to why she's getting so much attention, but she does it in a flashy way. Well you know what, You look at her and you're kind of like, man, that was a crazy shot, and now just what she has ten crazy shots in a week.

ESPN's Holly row who covers obviously a lot of the women's games then hats for many many years. She does a great job. She made the comparison to Taylor Swift. Okay, she's she goes she's Taylor Swift of Women's a girl next door. Well, it's just the idea that there's something about her, the ras people to want to see her.

It's almost like an X factor. You can't really pin rite.

Yeah, I agree with that, and that seems like an accrid description. But like I said, in terms of her place in history and the idea, and again I this, I just cringe every time they try to compare. I remember when Yukon won ninety in a row, breaking UCLA's record of eighty eight. They're not the same sport. They don't play against each other. There's it's it's like tennis. It's like trying to compare Serena Williams to Djokovic. It was it was funny, like you have Serena, you know, passing let's say Federer. Well, no one said Djokovic just passed Serena. No one said that. No one would say that, yes, And so this is why I'm so frustrated. From the women's standpoint. The women have earned the right to stand on their own. They don't need to be compared in any way to the men's game. They don't compete against the men. They don't play the same sport as the men. So the I and by the way, there's no NCAA record book that includes the records of men and women to get they have separate record books. You don't have any record book that lists the name of Pete Marovitch next to Caitlin Clark. This is manufactured stuff that, in my opinion, is completely unnecessary.

You're not wrong about that. You are not wrong that it is unnecessary and that Kaitlyn Clark should not need to be compared. You're not wrong in all of that. But another thing that I'm gonna add to us to why I think Kitlyn Clark is this big star in front of our eyes. I just think that a lot of stars have aligned for her. The WNBA hasn't been the most popular, but it has grown in popularity. We can go back years, starting with Kandice Parker great. We can go to Sabrina Unescu, who was very good friends with Kobe and Kobe would go to games with his daughter to watch them. Little by little, WNBA has grown. I went to a Las Vegas Aces game last year. It was a sold out game, sold out game. People were chanting like I was like, you guys are a real fan base, Like they had things that they were all chanting, and I was very surprised because you get this idea nobody goes to WNBA games. Boy was I wrong. That thing was a sold out crowd. So I think the stars have aligned in a way for her where it's just a perfect time to be this flashy X factor player on a team that nobody was really following a couple of years ago, and then social media, Like honest, it's just a lot of different factors as to why she has come to the top and pushed to this pedestal. Let's say when you can compare how many players because I didn't watch Cheryl Miller play, but I remember like watching videos of her growing up and I was like, this girl can play in the NBA. That's what I remember thinking when I was little.

Well, and obviously she schooled her younger brother Reggie. Yeah, it goes about that. Look at I remember when Candas Parker was at Tennessee and I'm thinking of myself seeing her. I mean you talk about checking every box, yep. I mean she was the best player in the contrary, she had the look, she had everything, and I said, if there's ever going to be a woman that's gonna take the WNBA to the next level. And by the way, she was rookie of the Air, an MVP of first Year. But here's what happens. It's much noise. As Caitlin Clark is making the collegiate level. We've seen this before, and to be honest with you, they go to the WNBA and their star power diminishes. It does not grow in the WNBA for whatever reason. I'm not sure why, but the fact is we've seen some top level collegiate stars who are getting a lot of attention and then they go to the WNBA and it's not the same.

I am curious. You make a really good point about that because Sabrina Yunescu was a big name and then she went, you know, to the WNBA and like she kind of her name kind of died down. We were just talking about the lines. People get in to watch Caitlin Clark.

This will be the best thing.

This is gonna be a big test our w NBA game is gonna bring it.

Like if she goes to someone, can she be like MESSI is to mls oh where you bring in the biggest name in the world and all of a sudden, at least in matches that he's involved with, it's huge.

Yeah, no matter where he goes.

It's gonna be a big test. Because it's gonna be a really big test and I'm looking for I'm.

Gonna be going to watch.

W Moore WNBA games. I went to see the aces just because the aces are stacked and I wanted to see you know what I mean. Like now it's like, where's Iowa Clark? Where i Where's Caitlin Clark going? We should go watch that game.

We'll see how this works out. Montsey again, I wish her art nothing but the best. She is entertaining. Uh and right in the moment, she is the name in college basketball. So what does that mean for the men's game? As we are just a couple of weeks away from selection Sunday, We're gonna break down the odyssey that is men's college basketball. This is Fox Sports Saturday, Steve Harbin, Montzi Belogios. Here on Fox Sports Saturday. We're coming alive from the Hierach dot com studios. Now right after the show, our podcast is going up. If you missed any of today's show, be sure to check out the podcast. Just search Fox Sports radioherever you get your podcasts. Be sure to follow, rate and review the podcast. Again, just search Fox Sports radio wherever you get your podcasts, and you'll see this show posted right after we get off the air. We've got a lot of ground to cover coming up in our next hour. Adam Kaplan's going to be joining us live from Indianapolis, all the latest from the NFL combine. We're talking about Caitlin Clark. She has run circles around anyone on the men's side in terms of name recognition on the collegiate game this year. But this is a pattern that we have seen for several years on the men's side. So I'm looking at a list of MPs that's the most outstanding players, not the MVP. It's always been MP when it comes to the final four and you go back in time, right and you see, you know, Bill Russell, Will Chamberlain, l Jim Baylor, Jerry West, lu Al Cinder, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Bill Walton, Irvin Johnson, Magic There, Isaiah Thomas, Carmelo, Anthony see all these recognizable names. But since Anthony Davis helped Kentucky and coach CalWIN his one championship back in twenty twelve, the other ten names, Remember there was no tournament in twenty twenty because of the COVID showdown is literally a who's who of who's that? Like we're talking about Luke Hancock or Tias Jones or Joel Barry or Kyle Guy. I mean guys that may have gotten a sniff in the NBA but obviously never attained any star or attain any star level at the NBA level, And so you would think when you're void of stars on the men's side. I mean, we talk about Edie obviously at Perdue, right why is he still at Perdue Because he wouldn't have on anywhere in the NBA draft. He's a big guy who moves really slow, and his game doesn't translate to the NBA level. Look at Drew Timmy Dominate Jimmy three time All American against Zaga. Where is he right now? So it's a very different game. I say this with college football as well. Just because you're a superstar college player and it doesn't translate to the NFL doesn't diminish at all what you did at the college game. It's a different sport. I talked about the Caitlin Clark It's a different sport and it's a very different game in college basketball than it is in the NBA. What doesn't change on the men's side is the uniqueness of the NCAA tournament. Almost every American, without exception, will fill out a bracket.

It is quite incredible because seriously, I just looked up like top NBA draft prospects because I don't know of any name off the top of my head.

This projected draft doesn't include any of these.

I'm looking at all. This guy's in France. All, this guy's in France.

Oh, this guy's in Serbia or Elite or the or the NBA League NBA, Yeah, all.

Like the name we keep hearing is Brownie James. That's the one name I can tell you that's we talked about as a prospect. Aside from that, but you're not on any breathless he's not anymore, right, But that's the one new average.

Five points and three rebounds a game this year.

Understandably, Why so why he's not a team. But you're right, March madness brings everyone together. It doesn't matter everyone's coming together. I'm gonna fill out a bracket. I don't care. Why is that?

Is?

It?

Just? It is? It is?

There's nothing like it, right, because it's winner go home.

Because those first two days, you know, and I'm not talking about the first four, you know, those couple of games, yeah, before you get to you, yeah, the field of sixty four. But that Thursday and Friday, sixteen games each of those days, which I have said numerous times should be a national hall. Nobody's doing anything other than staring at their brackets. You got eight games in the morning, eight in the afternoon both Thursday and Friday, and you're sitting there either crossing out and hoping that you get to the weekend and you don't have a busted bracket. And so as the tournament unfolds, players that are completely anonymous, completely anonymous before the tournament will emerge. And you know last year's final four, you had Yukon, but Yukon hadn't been there in a while. Yeah, And then you get Miami of Florida. Yeah, I mean that's a football school. And then you had Florida Atlantic. And then of course a team I was close to at the time, San Diego State, Yes, who never been obviously to a Final four. And when Lama Butler hit that game winner against Florida Atlantic, you know, to get him into the championship game, people went crazy and all of a sudden people are talking about him. So it's just the one and done uniqueness upsets early exactly, and it'll carry you all the way to the end. It's just the fact that there's nothing like the NCAA basketball tournament, so it creates its own star power.

Where the beginning of that tournament is just as important, if not more important, that the end. You're not waiting for the end. You know, we were like, oh, I'll watch, you know, the end of the playoffs, the end of this. But if you don't watch the first two days, your bracket is not gonna look like what you think. It's gonna look like.

Everybody's watching the first.

Two everybody's that's the beauty of it.

Nine in the morning in the West Coast until midnight till the end.

You don't want to miss it. And again, it doesn't matter, it literally does not matter that there's no top nbaight prospects that we are talking about in these teams, We're all gonna be so glued to the television for two days.

Yeah, well, the first two days and then if your brackets are holding up, then you go for a couple of more weeks it's a little rough for me this year because my UCLA bruins are not good. You know, it's get hammered the other night by UW there. They're not gonna get out of the Pac twelve tournament. They have to win that. They're not going to get an n BID.

I'm not quite sure why the NIT still exists. That is, I remember UCLA won the n I T one year and that was they were like making a big deal.

I'm like, don't embarrass me.

Is it like a participation in trophy?

I mean it's like, come on, I mean it was. It was embarrassing, like they they made a page for them. You know, they had at that time ten NCAA champions hu and then NI teacher, I go, no, no, no, We've had teams make it to the final NCAA game or get it to the final four.

That trump's any any any This is.

A whole lot of slender against a tournament that used to be considered much more prestigious than the NCAA tournament.

Well it was in fact as recently and this is not recent, but in my world, I remember this nineteen seventy when Al McGuire was coaching Marquette. They turned down an NCAA bid to play in the n I T And by the way, they get to Madison Square Guard and that was the big draw always at NIT. The final fours at Madison Square Garden. That Marquette team played LSU, led by Pete Maravich, was his final collegiate game, and Marquette held him to twenty points and beat him. They had a guard named Dean the Dream Memager who would later play for the Knicks. By the way, great name Dean the dream All right, Uh stopped me before I really lose it going down memory lane, dream.

Being the Dream Manager. But right now, let's find out what.

Is Martin the Master? No, Martin the Michigan Man.

There you go, National champion Michigan man like that, there you go.

Speaking of college sports, we have a big basketball slate on display today. All of these in the second half of about ten minutes left Iowa State and UCF. Iowa was staying with a three point lead, forty two to thirty nine North Carolina n C State.

This has been nip and tuck all day.

North Carolina fifty six, NC State, fifty two, Mississippi.

State, and Auburn and Auburn with a ten point lead.

Fifty to forty South Florida and Charlotte, South Florida with the fifteen point lead fifty nine to forty four. We got one NBA game in progress right now. The Jazz lead the Heat with two in it's left in the first quarter twenty six to twenty four.

Games that have already been played in the NBA. I'll start there. The Nets beat the Hawks one fourteen to one oh two.

McHale bridges with thirty eight and then college basketball creating beat Marquette eighty nine to seventy five. Is the first win for the Blue Jays over the Golden Eagle since March tenth. Twenty twenty two, Baylor beat Kansas eighty two to seventy four.

Illinois on the road beat Wisconsin eighty nine to eighty three. Razorbacks.

Arkansas Razorbacks dropped to five and eleven in conference players as Kentucky beats them one eleven to one oh two. In South Carolina beat Florida eighty two to seventy six. In the NFL, we have the Athletic reporting that Roncos quarterback Russell Wilson likely to be cut as soon as next week. Thirteen year veteran left tackle Tyron Smith unlikely to re sign with Dallas after he and Jerry Jones cannot agree on a new contract. He's been Tyron Smith is been a Cowboys entire career and an eight time Pro Bowler. Also a guy who's been on the same team as whole career. Mike Evans is expected to test free agency, with reports saying he wants to play with an elite quarterback he played like a top wide out and compete for a Super Bowl, but not not quite ruling out a return to.

Tampa Bay.

Former Chargers head coach Brandon Stanley will join the forty nine ers as an assistant head coach. Forty nine Ers also promoting defensive passing game specialist Nick Sorenson as to the new defensive coordinator position. The LSU quarterback Jade Daniels and wide receiver elite neighbors did not participate in getting measured in the combine, and Jade Daniels didn't even throw. He said they would do that at their pro day later this month in Baton Rouge. And finally, Steve, you just mentioned this a couple of minutes ago, and so did I. For that matter, twenty twelve Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel he will boycott the annual Heisman Trophy ceremony until two thousand and five winner from USC, Reggie Bush, gets his Heisman Trophy back, Steve Montcey Back to you guys.

Well, and, as we said a little bit earlier, not going to happen unless the ANCA reinstates his numbers from that season. That's the excused Heisman Trust makes that we had to take it away from him because according to the NCA, he didn't even play that year. He has no numbers, although we beg to differ. Thank you very much, Marvel. Check in with you a little bit later on once again, We're coming you live from the tai Iraq dot com studios. Let me ask you this. If somebody termed you Moncey normal, would that be an insult to you?

Ah?

I no, no, Well how about this? So show Hey Otani made a revelation this week that came out of nowhere because nobody, and I mean nobody knew. Show Hey Otani got married to a person that he described as either normal or ordinary, like a normal person or ordinary person depending on the translation. And I'm thinking to myself, you could have said, well, you don't know her, but she's extraordinary, or she's very special, or she's the most amazing woman that I've ever been around. These are usually things that happen when guys get married, you know, wow, when you decide on a life partner, you use those terms. But Otani described a woman that they're still trying to figure out who she is. No one is I actually identified who this woman is. But he is describer as either normal or an ordinary person.

Yeah, so I think there's It's really simple. We have known that shohe Atani is pretty private, and he's probably doing this on purpose, so to tell people, yeah, I'm married, she's normal, and then that maybe people don't dig into it, don't dig into her. I think there was a reason behind why he chose those words.

But isn't she a gotta be upset by being described?

Because understand this, he is the biggest celebrity in Japan, right the bar none, Okay, he is at any level entertainment, whatever you want to use as a gauge as far as stardom in Japan, show, Hey, Otani's at the top of the list.

So when he speaks it goes all over the place.

He has just described you now his wife as either normal or ordinary.

I'm not saying it was the right choice. I just think he thought it was the smart choice, that maybe he was protecting her, protecting them, protecting their life. Again, I don't know if it's the right choice, because he is so popular that people are still going to be interested in finding out. But if he would have said, she's the most beautiful, amazing woman I've ever met, you be right about oh, you know, And maybe he just thought if he kind of just like made it not a big deal, that people would think it's not a big deal. Hold on you, all right, he takes a step to the left, and it's a big deal.

According to the translation, he said, the actual thing was, she's a normal Japanese woman, right, And I would imagine there are women in Japan saying, what does that mean? What is there a normal Japanese woman as opposed to an abnormal Japanese woman.

Well, what if there's not a language barrier, but a language barrier where it sounds different because there are things like in Spanish where like if I were to translate it to you word for word, it's like this is a translation, but that's not what I'm saying, even though that's the literal translation. So maybe there's a bit of a language barrier where the way he said it, it does not come off like that, but that's the actual translation for us, you know what I mean.

Here's what I recommend.

I recommend a good show.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Yeah, speaks English, Okay, some he's been studying English and I actually heard him, and you know it was labored, but I mean he made the effort. I would recommend for Sho hey Otani because I remember when Fernando Vealnezuela hit the scene in Los Angeles, Fernando Mania. He was a twenty year old kid and he was trying to learn English, spoke Spanish, had an interpreter at all times. Yes, And this went on for a few years, a couple of years. Well, and then there was Mike Breeder the where are the.

Guys with him a lot?

Yeah, yeah, and then one year he showed up.

And he just spoke English. That he made it an effort and obviously is bilingual and has been ever very since. But it was it was big because he had a huge fan base not only from the Spanish speaking community, but the English speaking community. I highly recommend it because if something's being lost in translation, then that's on you. It really is, because it didn't come off great in terms of yeah, she's just a normal Japanese woman. And it's like you're describing your wife. You're describing your wife as an ordinary woman.

I'm having a hard time believing that this was not a conversation that he had with his wife prior to saying this information. And I get, like, say it in English, I get what you're saying.

But I mean, you could say she's not a celebrity.

That's fine, and.

Maybe maybe that's what he's trying to say. Maybe it's like.

A regular woman.

She is a regular woman, And I really you married.

A regular woman?

Yeah, who given one? Normal?

See when you're no guy marries a normal woman. In their eyes, there's something very special about that woman. That's why you're.

Marrying her, right, But what if this was strategic I'm telling you it was to make it seem like.

The strategy worked. And by the way, at some point we're gonna find out who she is and then she's just gonna be tagged normal Japanese woman.

But what if she's super hot and they're like, oh, she was not normal, but Shohy was trying to protect her.

What if he was trying to protect her, hide her forever.

I don't.

We don't have nothing.

We don't And that's the whole he's.

I know, he actually dated a very well known Japanese athlete at one point, beautiful girl back in the day. There are pictures if you go, if you, if you that's not his wife, that's someone he dated in the past. I just the whole thing just seemed wow.

You know, I just think he gets a lot of advice that you and I don't know. Yes, you are Steve Hartman, and everybody knows who you are, but you go to Japan and you go somewhere else, I'm not gonna who you are. I think you can push show he in the middle of any country, kind of like Taylor Swift, and they know who he is. So maybe this is just advice that he's getting as to how to handle the extra attention now that he is a Dodger, because he was already famous in La with the Angels.

All right, Chris has been thinking about this, what do you have to add here, Court, I think.

I think there is something lost being lost in translation. There is I think a different level of cultural humility that is kind of expected for a Japanese athlete as well.

That's that's factoring into this.

They doesn't want to make a big deal out of it, and he's already been a very private guy. We didn't know the name of his dog for a while, and like.

I crazy for that.

So imagine his wife.

Yes, I'm sure, I'm sure part of that is he doesn't want her to have, you know, to get whatever kind of attention comes on to it for good or mostly for or for ill on a lot of this so I think it's just a it's it's a patswoas of different things that is happening here that again just doesn't translate into what we expect from our athletes, which is braggadocio.

The Dodgers throw out seven hundred million dollars, this guy, yeah, to hit the ball, not to have a supermw You can play an anonymity, Mike trottis preferred. That's why he remains an Angel and will for the rest of his career. When he signed with the Dodgers, if he wasn't aware of what signing with the Dodgers does in terms of expectations in increasing your profile. He's in for root awakening.

Now, that is an excellent point that you are making, Steve Harmon. If you do sign with the Dodgers, you have to know what you're getting yourself into the attention the scrutiny. You make a good point.

Uh.

Cavino and Rich who are here Monday through Friday, they say that his wife are like, he did this so that the girls in LA would leave him alone, and it's like, that's not gonna work. Him saying that he's married and has a normal and that's not gonna work with her, Like he did this so that the LA girls know that he's taken into back off. Oh, nobody's gonna back off.

No, If anything, it increases the desire, Yes, Martin.

So the first news really a show after he signed the contract of the Dodgers was that he bought Ashley Kelly, Joe Kelly's wife a Porsche.

Right, right, So does.

Joe Kelly now buy sho heo Tani's wife like a Toyota Corolla, are like a Honda a Cord because she's because I said, you know, it's a normal Is she a fornfusion, because like she's a.

Normal person, she's normal. Yeah.

See, I think that's a good question as well, Martin.

I mean, you got to break these things down, you know, you really got to dive in here.

Yes, I like that.

By the way, I do. Remember when I got married, I've never been more popular with them ladies. Oh my, once you put that ring on, it was like, hello, then you should put one back on, exactly right. No, no, no, I'm going to say this once. I've had friends that wear rings that have never been married for that specific purpose. It's it's like it's like a radar. Yeah, enough of this, all right? Coming up on the other side, What else is coming on in spring training? Yeah, but that's right, we got some baseball going on. This is Fox Sports Saturday, Steve Hartman and Moncey Belanga's here Fox Sports Saturday, coming alive from the tairaq dot Com studios, entertained by our off air commisation.

You to write a tell all book. Like my face hurts from laughing.

And I.

You know, I remember when Bill Clinton wrote his autobiography and I think he had just turned fifty or he was at something like that. He said that if you've lived half a century, no matter who you are, you have a book in you. Yeah, Like I mean people that will cross paths with anybody over the course of half a century. Everyone's got a book.

But not everybody has a book worth three reading. I think yours is worth reading.

Well, I do have I do have a remarkable memory for things.

You really do? You really?

You you guy?

I wish you guys could hear these stories because they're so wild, And he says it like it's not a big deal.

I've always felt like so many of the weird things that I've I mean weird on the outside looking in, we're just sort of being in a certain place at a certain time and nothing was planned, you know, like like the forest gum thing with you, You're just like this feather floating around, and that's sort of the way it is. I've always felt like I'm more the observer in life than I am the person that is the and then I fall into things that I'm like, how did I get here? What happened here? That happens to me a lot. Yeah, but you know a lot of times what happens is I will take a step back, if you're if you're in a moment. We all have these. You know, our life's like a series of snapshots, right, yeah. You know, much of our life is very mundane, routine, and then all of a sudden, something happens in a moment, and now it becomes seared.

In your mind like a memory forever.

And when I sometimes the thing about it is I recognize those moments when they're actually happening, and I literally will like take a step back.

Like and take a snapshot.

How am I here in this moment?

So I do.

It's like a snapshot here.

Hey.

By the way, getting back to the Dodgers, very briefly or in spring training, as we know, Tani is not going to be pitching this year as he recovers from the Tommy John surgery. He will d eight this season, and I'm sure he'll do a great job at that.

His future is a pitcher after two Tommy John's.

We'll see. But the guy that will be pitching for the Dodgers this year is already the highest paid pitcher in baseball, even though he hasn't twitched a single game at the major league level. And that's Yoshi Nobu. Yamamoto. So he had his first spring training outing. He's not He's a little guy physically. He's a very small guy. Sort of reminds me of Pedro Martinez back in the day, who wasn't the biggest guy, but he was just filthy everything he threw. And that's what I'm seeing with Yamamoto.

This guy seen Rose nineteen were strikes.

Yeah, this unblievable stuff. His curveball is uncross hittable.

It's gross.

When you look at filthy. So he's a guy I am definitely looking forward to watching this year. All right, coming up, Adam Kaplan, our NFL insider, joins us live from Indy.

This is Fox Sports Saturday, rolling along here on another big Saturday.

Fox Sports Saturday broadcasting live from the tire rag dot com studios tyrad dot com. We're gonna help get you there. An unmatched selection, fast ree shipping, free road ASID protection, over ten thousand recommended an installers tire rag dot com The way tire buying should be. Have you now shared the cookies with everybody?

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And I'm not gonna share anymore.

Your boyfriend is gonna he's gonna get one cookie.

One gonna be mine, you know that share one?

Yes, I may share with my nephews because we're going to see my nephews today. One nephew is going to be three later this year. Ethan is only a month old. So I guess Ethan probably my brother won't want me to give him piece of my cookie. But Jasper is definitely going to enjoy this cookie. Yeah, Jasper knows that if I'm around, he gets sweets.

Yeah, nothing sweeter in that cookie.

I know.

No Patrick mahomes of cookies.

As we are in the NFL combine, Adam Kaplan's going to be joining us our Fox Sports Radio NFL Insider will come along in about fifteen minutes of show. He of course in Indianapolis, so he's going to give us a first hand look at what's going on there. But as usual, we're sitting here to fucking quarterbacks, because this is what it's all about. I was listening to Jonas earlier today and he was talking about, you know, possibilities for landing spots for some of the veteran quarterbacks. Because really, before you even get to the draft. You have to deal with free agency, any possible trades before teams finally decide, all right, our choices to go through the draft to get our franchise quarterback. By the way, last week, I made it infinitely clear in my opinion, there are thirty two teams in the NFL and only one of them has a franchise quarterback, and that's the Kansas.

City chief Yes, yes, you've mentioned.

I mean again, what exactly defines a franchise quarterback? Is it someone that could possibly win you a championship or someone that has actually won a championship. Because outside of the Chiefs, there's only two other teams that currently have a quarterback that won a Super Bowl. That would be the Ransom Matthew Stafford, who obviously is on the backside of his career, and that would be the Jets with Aaron Rodgers, and we're not sure how he's going to come back after blowing his achilles. I would not put them in the same conversation right now with Patrick Mahomes.

Aaron Rodgers has heard what you've said, He's going to come back and have the career the year of his life. Just to stick it to you, Steve Hartman.

Okay, he's been to one Super Bowl in his entire career, one one. I mean, again, I don't know how you define franchise quarterback. But to me, and again this comes from my Raider roots working for Al Davis, it's about championships. When I joined the Raiders, Jim Plunkett had just won his second Super Bowl and we had a young quarterback named Mark Wilson who had been an All American at BYU. In a lot of ways, he was a better quarterback. He could throw the ball better and everything else. But I can tell you this, in the huddle, there was no comparison because that guy, Jim play had won two Super bowl That's a franchise quarterback. When you've won the big one. When you can get in that huddle and say I can lead you to a championship and I have it on my resume that I've done that, that to me defines a franchise quarterback. Josh Allen, Joe Burrow. I mean, there's a lot of really outstanding quarterbacks in the league, but they're not franchise quarterbacks in my opinion, because they haven't won a championship, which I would imagine is the goal of all thirty two teams.

That is the goal of all thirty two teams. But unfortunately, there's this guy named Patrick Mahomes and he is the outlier. And so I think Rich hit it on the head last week. Rich Orenberger, who we work with on Sundays, where it's like I mentioned Dak Prescott is your franchise quarterback. But I like what Rich said where it's like they give you a chance. That is a franchise quarterback along with other things. I also think like Dak. You know, for example, you may not believe if he gives you a chance, but Dak is associated with the Cowboys. Dak is the face Dak brings in people. Dak makes you talk about the Cowboys, whether it's good or bad. That is your franchise quarterback.

Okay, let me stop you right there on him. He is the reason we talk about the Cowboys, because we talk about the Cowboys failure in the postseason. We talk about a team that hasn't forget getting to a super Bowl, they haven't even been in a conference championship game in twenty eight years.

And he's just like Tony Romo was.

It's the same quarterback where he can put up some flashy numbers in the regular season, but in crunch time he doesn't deliver. He's won two playoff games. Lamar Jackson has won two playoff games. He's there that doesn't use it. Why he's a two time MVP. That's great, But again, define franchise quarterback. If franchise quarterback to you is someone that gives you a shot, better shots than any numbers get into the postseason. By the way, fourteen of the thirty two teams get into the playoffs. That's almost half.

Yeah.

So I don't know how much of an accomplishment that is to sneak in as a wild card and get elimonade in the first round. I don't know if that really, you know, checks the box of some kind of great achievement if you're a quarterback.

I know this.

Joe Flacco was in as many playoff games this year as Dak Prescott was.

Yeah. Yeah, and you know, arguablely Joe Flacco's not a franchise quarterback.

He was sitting on the couch or laying on the couch.

Yeah, there's just unfortunate. There's not a specific list, you know what I mean. And part of it is the eye test part of it is like, what what do you do for me? Do you bring in numbers even if it's even it's just so many different things, and I feel that it's like, we know Patrick Mahomes is the best, but he is the outlier. So amongst the rest of them, who is going to give us a chance? Tom Brady was awesome, but he didn't win every single year, so we can.

Only everbody won seven, right, But that's a franchise quarterback.

But I'm saying, like, we know Patrick Mahomes is probably gonna win some more, but he's not gonna probably win every year.

Somebody. Mark Jackson, Josh Allen, Dak Prescott have all been to the same number of Super Bowls zero and.

They're all franchise quarterbacks for their teams.

Well, that's unfortunate for those franchises because you know, getting into the playoffs, although nice is not the end goal.

But wouldn't you say that they're in the next tier, like it's we're gonna again, Patrick.

Now you got it. Next tier. So if you have one franchise quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, then the next list is definitely at the second next tier, right, But that.

Doesn't make them not franchise quarterbacks, then what are you gonna do. You're gonna keep switching your quarterback every year.

Well, no, they're what we call potential franchise quarterback. If they can win a Super Bowl eventually, then they can actually step up into that franchise level.

So if you would have been running the Green Bay Packers with Aaron Rodgers, he wasn't your franchise quarterback.

Aaron Rodgers again has been to one Super Bowl.

He was like at the time.

Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees are very similar quarterbacks. They both went to one Super Bowl, which both won. That won Super Bowl. Another quarterback that did that, who was in the playoffs a lot of times, got to one super Bowl, won that Super Bowl and was a Super Bowl MVP is Joe Flacco. So does anybody put Joe Flacco in the conversation with Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers.

If the answer is no, why not? And that is because their resume are the same.

They each went to one super Bowl, won the Super Bowl, where the MVP of the Super Bowl same resume.

But come on the eye test, you knew that Joe Flacco did not have the talent that Aaron Rodgers had.

Well, again, the talent to do.

What, the talent to throw, to the instinct to throw the ball. Come on, you saw it.

I did this in San Diego for years of Philip Rivers, who I loved on an individual basis. I mean, his golly g attitude was hilarious. He was also one of the greatest trash talkers in NFL his without ever uttering a curse word.

Oh, I love that.

He was also a father of I think it's up to ten.

Yeah.

But he said, everyone's like, he's a franchise quarterback. I said, in the decade of the twenty tens. He started all one hundred and sixty games for the Chargers in that decade, never missed a single start, and the record was seventy seven and eighty three and they made two appearances during that decade as a wildcard team. Now I'm like, how is that a franchise quarterback? Well, he made seven Pro Bowls during the decade. And then I say he was seventy seven to eighty three. Well he doesn't play defense.

Yeah, because the skill was there, the talent was there, and you thought there was hope. That's I feel like that's really yes, hope that he could take you beyond the wildcard, you know, But that's really what it is.

Everybody in Hall of Fames that you know, they had the talent to be a Hall of Famer, but there were extending, wating circumstances.

The amount of people in the Halls of Fame would double overnight.

There's been a lot of players all he had Hall of Fame talent, okay, but he didn't have a Hall of Fame resume.

And that's I mean, I think that's a separate conversation. But it's like, once you've decided to keep your quarterback past whatever four or five years, and you extend them, they're your franchise quarterback. You've made that decision. Now do you pull the rug from under Dak Prescott? What else is out there? And I use him just because I feel like he's He's a controversial one right now, you know, when it comes to is he your franchise? I think he is? And what else are they gonna do? Like all of these, all of the ones, what are the Ravens gonna do? Where you're getting rid of Lamar Jackson, No, the Bills, You're gonna get somebody else before besides Josh Allen, No, you're not. That is your franchise quarterback.

Well, if their career ends and none of them make it to a super Bowl in the end, you'll have to look back and say, were they actually franchise quarterbacks? I mean, look at all three of those guys talking about Josh al Lamar Jackson, Dak Prescott. Because they're on good teams. Yes, you think, like, all right, at some point it's gonna happen.

But they also do have talent behind their good team. There is hope that they can take you beyond Patrick Mark.

After watching Dak Prescott get outplayed badly by Jordan.

Love in that playoff, good at home, no less?

All right? Coming up on the other side, Well, speaking of franchise quarterbacks, are there going to be franchise quarterbacks in the upcoming NFL Draft? Live from Indie, our Fox Sports Radio NFL insider Adam Caplan will join us. This is Fox Sports Saturday, Steve Hartman and Moncie Belognos. Here Fox Sports Saturday. We are live from the tai iraq dot Com studios and speaking of live from the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. A man that has his own theories on franchise quarterbacks. We'll get into that in a moment. Here is our Fox Sports Radio NFL insider Adam Kaplan. Adam, I'm going to just start things off with a rather general question, but give us your biggest impression of what you've seen so far in Indianapolis.

Well, look, it's you know you mentioned free agency and franchise tags. Just sure, that's certainly part of this, of though one, I'm not expecting many, But it's really the workouts. This is this is the big thing here. But the biggest story of the week, which is caused a stir amongst executives and agents, is Kevin Williams, who, by the way, does not have an agent. Who is he presumptive number one pick? No, only is he not working out, which is sort of commonplay for top picks, but he decided he's not going to do the medical testing here, which in my career here I've never seen anyone. This is my twenty third combine, I've never heard of a player refusing to do the medical tests and saying, you know what, whoever I visit, they'll get my medical testing.

And what's your takeaway? Because we heard him talk about this that he didn't want to give his medical test to thirty two teams around the NFL. I mean, obviously, if the Bears are to trade that pick, there might be a couple of other teams in play to take that number one overall pick. Because we've always talked about this, Adam, the two biggest things to come out of the combine are the physicals and on the interviews. Those are all. The other stuff is for show on TV, just to give you something to watch. But not doing that is that a red flag? Is that jeopardize the possibility of him being the number one overall pick in the draft?

Steve, here's the way I understand. So let's say, for argument's sake, that the Bears entertaining trading that pick. Right, Well, let's say a team from the top ten trade that team at Williams didn't think he's going to be traded to the Medicals already done, so what if he you know again, what if that team trades up? They need to know where he's got physically. Now, my understanding is the teams don't believe there's anything to worry about, but you don't know that until you get tested. This has happened Look, I've been here over the years where the player will come here, didn't think anything's wrong, and he wants up having surgery. So you have to be careful so that that would impact it potentially if the Bears decide to trade out of it, and then the team that would want to trade up would have to know about the way. You should also know that teams share medical information for the draft, so they're going to know. All teams will know once he goes through their first couple of teams. You know what this looks like now, the first his first pre draft visit should be within the next two weeks, and then they go typically till mid April. So this is going to be something to watch here. And what would have taken care of this process is if he would have had an agent, a veteran agent who would never have let this happen. You don't need this now. Is he still get probably going to go number one? Yes, but again if a team decides, if the Bear say, you know what, we're not comfortable with this, we want to entertain a trade, that's what becomes an issue.

And do you think that this could cause a ripple effect that the combine will change maybe more players start doing this.

It's certainly been a question I've asked agents. I actually did this yesterday. Probably not the guys who've been around a long time, because you don't want to give clubs any reason not to draft you. So not working out here is not a big deal, by the way, because you could work out your pro day. That's typically the guys who don't run here or don't work out work out the pro day. Now, what you need to have is what's called a verified forty time. You can't really be drafted without one unless there's something medically wrong where you can't run for a couple of months. Like Kober Dejean, who's arguably the top descentive back for the shraft out of Iowa's coming back from a broken leg. That's going to be that's healed. He actually started running hard last week, but he's not ready to do everything. So he's going to work out for teams in early April. He knows he's got to work out for the draft if he wants he's going to be a fresh runp pick. But if he wants to be a high fresh run pick, he knows he's got to work out.

All right, let's talk about some of the veteran quarterbacks and some landing spots. We were talking about obviously the Justin Field situation you mentioned also when we talked about Pittsburgh, you said, look for Ryan Tannehill as a possible choice for quarterback. There give us the future of Kirk Cousins assuming, by the way, and this is a big assumption that a quarterback in his mid thirties is going to fully recover from a blown achilles. But where do you see Kirk cousins future at least in twenty twenty four.

Yeah, being here, the Vikings won him back. He wants to be back. He does turn thirty six and August coming back from the torn Achilles. Now, Atlanta is a team that I would expect to be in on this one. That's kind of the hot rumor out here. Why because Zach Robinson, who is the offensive coordinator for the first time in his career and a play caller, comes from the West Coast system. The West Coast system demands precise passing timing. That's not justin fields. Justin Fields is not a guy that is real accurate. He doesn't throw as good timing. I don't see the fit at all off Atlanta. I know that's been the rumor, but I don't see it happening. I mean, you never say never, certainly not out of the question. They need a quarterback that they're looking for one, they'd have been shy about it, by the way, So those would be the two teams right now for cousins Minnesota in Atlanta.

This is a two folded question. Let's go to Tampa Bay. Mike Evin says he's going to test free agency. He does say he wants to play with an elite quarterback, that he wants to be paid like an elite wide receiver, and then he wants to compete for a Super Bowl. But we have also heard that he really likes Baker Mayfield. Is he saying that to push Tampa Bay into resigning Baker.

No, the Bucks want want Baker Mayfield back. He wants to be back his agent Tom Mills this year. I'd be very surprised. Now you give count Lanta, by the way, in that range here if if for some reason Mayfield is not resigned and it looks like he's going to test free agency. Now, by the way, testing free agency actually starts here. That's so you understand the way this works, So Mike Kevin's agent, Derek Kilmore, will know what he'll be by the time he leaves here, and he may have left already. He'll know the teams that are interested. They don't hide this. That's the way it works here. I always kind of laughing when people say he's going to test read. You don't wait till March thirteenth, thirty eleventh when you could sign with teams or agree your agent. And Derek's been around a long time, by the way, well more than a decade. They'll know exactly which teams are interested in Mike Kens.

Jayden Daniels opted out of you know, getting measured and you know the workout portion of the combine certainly not a surprise. I love his excuse saying, well, I really want to do this the pro day for the rest of my teammates, you know, so they get an opportunity to be seen by the NFL scouts. Which is a great teammate, but I've also seen let's see was Orlowsky there on ESPN was making the argument that Jade Daniels is the best talented quarterback in this year's draft. Is he firmly number three behind Caleb Williams and Drake may Or. Is there a possibility that, let's say the Commanders or another team could move up in order to get Jaden Daniels before Drake may or Caleb Williams.

All right, So for my mock draftics goes live, I'm thinking Tuesday Wednesday pro Football Network dot Com. I'll give you something. I'm going to put Daniels at number two for the Washington Commanders. Why am I doing that? He fits the profile of what Cliff Kingsberry once I'm told he wants a quarterback that could run, that can move, That's not May comparatively to Daniels. Daniels is really interesting playing. Now. That one knock on him is what's he going to weigh? Now? That's why some people criticize him for not weighing in here and not going through the measurements. It's not that to the lens he's tall enough, plenty tall enough. It's how much he's going to weigh You worried about that. By the way, Kaylen Williams is under six to two. So you look at these quarterbacks here from a side standpoint, you would like to be bigger physically, but you seem to can't have everything with these quarterbacks this year, but it's certainly going to be interesting. In Steve, you bring up the peck and word that is not set yet behind Kayln Williams.

What preverence?

By the way, just to follow up, do the Patriots have you think at quarterback if they had that?

I don't know that yet because remember Ron Wilson, Elliot will is going to make the call there more or less that he doesn't have a DM title, but he's going to run the show there. Now. He comes from the Green Bay system, and to me, if you look at this, Drake may would be a very good fit for that one would seem to sit the profile if you're asking me that, that would be the profile that I would have early on here. Obviously we have way a long time to go until the draft, but that would be my early call there.

There was a lot of question marks between the Broncos and Russell Wilson, and now the reports are they're going to cut him. Do you see Russell Wilson ending up somewhere else? Is there a chance that he is going to have to take being a backup somewhere?

It's a good question. No, Well, let's put this with it. There's a term called the kapete guy. That means where he goes in and compete for a starting job, that'll be the worst. It's where there's someone else. So there's a rookie where he's a bridge quarterback for one season because the Broncos will essentially be paying the salary of the season. It's not about how much he's going to get paid. It's about working at the best opportunity. That's what and Mark Rodgers's agent will look for. And Mark Rodgers, by the way, does not have any NFL players other than Russell listening to baseball agent. He did a great job in his contract. Can get a fully guaranteed contract, but the contract is supunitive terms of penalties. If you cut them, Broncs are crippled. And by the way, Jared Stidham will be competing for the starting job this season when they signed to a two year deal last year.

You never know of those bridge quarterbacks. I remember Kurt Warner was a bridge quarterback twice. He was supposed to be a bridge quarterback for Eli Manning. Then he was a bridge quarterback for Matt Liinert, and the next thing you know, he took over his starting quarterback and leads the Cardinals. It's still hard to believe the Cardinals were actually in a Super Bowl and only a miracle throwing catch away from winning that Super Bowl. So you know, you just got to stay in the man.

I'm going to look at the Baker Mayfield situation.

Yeah, no one expected that. Now, the big takeaway Steve last year, that was the biggest nugget I got was that the Bucks were going to pursue Mayfield. Now we didn't know would be a one year, four million deal, four million deal with upside. We didn't know what the terms would be. That worked out. That was a good job with scouting by Jason light the Bucks GM that surprising people and that one worked out, you know, by the way, the Kurt Warner thing. Yes, the Cardinals drafted Matt Lioner to be their starting quarterback for the future. But the problem with and this is something we'll talk towards as we do these segments closer to the draft. The problem with USC and Matt Liner, who was really under pressure and when he was as a professional, he couldn't handle it. And that's the problem with the spread offenses in college. You don't see these guys under pressure. That's why teams to miss quarterback at the NFL level.

Well, it's always interesting. So twenty three years of the Knobine and Adam, you know, one really quick question, final question here the idea that many of these players already have millions of dollars in their bank accounts because of nil has that changed a certain attitude about these players entering the NFL combines in the NFL Draft, Steve, I've.

Actually asked that question just in terms of transfer pot and I getting being having money in your pocket piece of money, obviously not the kind of money they're going to make.

Now.

The it's you remember, these players only get sixteen minutes per team in the interview, and that has come up. They just want to check for entitlement. Are these kids thinking like they've got it made already, that they don't have to work hard. That's that's something that's absolutely fair game, because that's a new thing, man. This is a new thing that NFL teams have to deal with. And the other thing is that some of these kids that knew they were going to be fifth, sixth or seventh round picks, but are getting paid in college with good ni all money. They're not going to declarely you must well stay in college because you can make a ptially make a couple million if you've marked yourself well well.

And I'm a fan of that because I'm a college football fan, and I like the idea of the guys are staying in college, maybe the extra year. Obviously we're getting these one year wonders that and I mean, I mean again, when we talk about bo Nicks, we talk about a Michael Pennox, you and you, when we talk about Jayden Daniels, I mean, these guys played full collegiate careers at one school and ended up, you know, with a couple of extra years to take their game to another level. And that's the other point. When you're suddenly looking at a twenty three to twenty four year old quarterback as opposed to a twenty one or twenty two year a quarterback, that's got to be a factor as well, because ultimately you have to decide how much upside does this guy have moving forward in his NFL career or have we already seen as good as he's going to get.

Yeah, one more thing on that, Steve, this is like the first year we've really had to deal with this. It's not a big factor yet, but I do believe down the line, over the years it will be because again, these mid to late round picks, and if they have eligibility left, if they think they can make one to two million in school, why would you leave? And then you know what, why would you You could just enhance yourself. You can't do any worse. By the way, if you know, if if an agent tells you, look, I think you're going around five to seven while not staying score, you can make more money the chance that you're not going to make it the next level anyway.

Yeah, I mean absolutely, and that's going to be a big story moving forward as far as the world of football is concerned. Adam, great job is always we appreciate. We know you're really busy in Indy. Always appreciate the time. Thanks so much. That's Adam Kaplan are NFL inside of here with Fox Sports Radio. Yeah, I mean you have to think about this, montsee. I mean, if you have an opportunity to make millions. Now, look, this doesn't apply to those that are being projected to be a top five pick in the NFL drafts.

So you want to get to that money as quickly as possible.

But if yeah, if you're in that gray area, why not stay?

Why not stay? And that's certainly worked out well for a Michael Pennix junior who had all those injuries at Indiana, goes to Washington, puts together two big years. Bo Nix, who looked ordinary at Auburn suddenly looks extraordinary at Oregon. By the way, there are some people downgrading them though, those two specifically that they may not even be first round picks.

These of age.

Could be a number of factors. So we'll see about that. All right, Let's find out what's trending right now. We welcome Martin back. Martin, are you a college sports fan versus professional sports? Which which way do you lean? Uh?

I would say I probably am a bigger fan of professional sports. But that's like to me asking which is colder Alaska or Antarctica? Really that both You're gonna need a jacket either way. Yeah, I like both of them, you know, like, I like both of them a lot. I don't think I ranked one over the others.

Yeah, comparisons today have been on top of it.

You know, I'm going to entertain, you know, what I mean, I'm here to entertain. I tell you the difference. For me, it was in favoring college football and this is back in the day. And again the now level of professionalism we're seeing at the collegiate level can be a big game changer. But I know that I've known so many NFL players over the years, and I've interviewed them, you know, doing stories on these players and talk about their collegiate years and then you know, transferring over to their professional career, and almost all of them will pause and say, you know, it's unbelievable. I can remember like every game of my college career, and I can remember very few games in my professional career. The idea of playing for school pride or whatever call as opposed to a job, and obviously remember Super Bowls or something along those lines. But he goes, I mean multiple players I've interviewed over the years will say the same thing, like, when you get to the professional level, it's just like a blur. I mean, it's just another game, another name, another game. But at the collegiate level, it's just an event. So that's fascinating.

How I once asked Tyron Matthew if he remembered hitting one of my good friends I was growing up, because we're all around the same age.

Somehow Tyro Mathew's still playing football. I wake up and it hurts.

But he tore my friends acl on like one of the most vicious hits I've ever seen in high school football. And he remembered the down and distance, the time of that, like the time of day, like you remembered all of it. And this was a jamboree, the scrimmage.

Yeah.

So you can't talk to any of these players, bar Arrington.

Even the guys are guys here that play, you know, great college players, great professional players. They will all tell you the same thing. They will remember almost every game of their collegiate career.

I will say that one thing that does bother me right now about college football is where we're at with it. Is like I saw four years of Michael Pennix at Indiana and I didn't never think he was like the best quarterback or player in college football. Saw four years ago Knicks at Auburn, same deal, all of a sudden, Jaden Daniels at Arizona State.

I never think, but.

It all it all falls into the same category of you're too old to be here, you know. But now that the COVID year is washing out, shout out to Kaylen Clark for not taking the COVID yet agreed, all right, go to the go be go be work in the draft, so yeah, yeah, go to work all right. Speaking of college sports, of this one, not close so far. Seven twenty left in the first half. Duke with a thirty one to eleven lead over Virginia. We'll see if the Cavaliers can come back. You know, they are not known for scoring the basketball in the NBA. One game in progress right now, middle of the third quarter, the Utah Jazz Miami Heat. Utah with a seventy eight to seventy seven lead. Let's go to the NFL. We'll get to some more results in just a moment. Athletic is reporting that Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson likely to be cut as soon as next week.

Duh A.

Thirteen year left tackle Tyron Smith unlikely to resign with the Cowboys. He and owner Jerry Jones could not agree on new compensation. Smith an eight time Pro Bowler in his thirteen years in Dallas, but wide receiver Mike Evans expected to test free agency with reports saying he wants to play with an elite quarterback, paid like a top wide out and compete for a Super Bowl. You want to talk about a guy who had an interesting college career, Mike Evans playing with Johnny Manzell.

What that?

Former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley will join the San Francisco forty nine ers as assistant head coach. Will also be on the defensive staff, but not defensive coordinator. That will be defensive passing game specialist Nick Sorens and he got a promotion shoe quarterback Jadon Daniels formerly of Arizona State, as Steve just mentioned, and wide receiver from elite neighbors. They did not participate in the measurements portion of the combine, saying they would do so at the pro day March twenty seventh in Baton Rouge. And speaking of Johnny Manziel, he is boycotting the Heisman Trophy ceremony until two thousand and five winner Reggie Bush gets his Heisman Trophy back. Earlier today in the NBA, the Nets beat the Hawks one fourteen to one oh two. Michale Bridges had thirty eight and in college basketball he had wins for Baylor, South Carolina, Kentucky, Creton, Iowa State, and North Carolina beating NC State in that vicious in state rivalry seventy nine to just seventy nine to seventy in Chapel Hill.

Back to you guys, all right, Martin, thank you very much. By the way, just quick note on Johnny Manziel. I don't know did you see the documentary on Johnny Manzil any longer? And by the way, it ends with him drinking alcohol. It wasn't. It wasn't like, you know, well, he's turned his life around. It basically ended with him exactly where he started.

Yeah, Like it's like he hasn't really done anything to change his situation.

But he is.

I feel like looking at it from an outside perspective now, you know, looking back right, Mark, what are you gonna say?

My favorite part of the Johnny Manziel documentary, which I feel was viciously underrated and I talked about nearly enough, Cliff Kingsbury when he talks about how Johnny Manziel would come in hung over it through walk throughs, he has the biggest smile on his face. He was like he was remembering these like command. Those were the good old days.

Yeah, no problems with They had no problems with it at all.

He was just like, yeah, I told him, you're ass better compete and then he was like it, sure enough he did. And Cliff Kingsbury just got a Ronald MacDonald kool ad smile just on his face. Was remembering how Johnny would go out in KYLEI Station and then come back and still be able to ball as like a nineteen year old kid.

Because I mean impressive, Like, imagine living through that.

Well again, Johnny Manziel And I've said this, I've been following college football for fifty five years, I mean religiously. He is still easily in my top five all time favorite college football players. And as you find out in that documentary, the reason he was so dynamic at Texas A and m at why it did not work for him in the NFL, is that he just addled everything. And you go to the NFL and now they want to say, well, this is how we do things. We need you to do this, and one structure was introduced into his game. His game disappeared because his game was unstructured. His two games against Alabama his freshman year, when they beat Alabama, which was the reason he won the Heisman, and then the next year Alabama did nothing to slow I mean Nick Saban just like, get rid of this guy. I don't have a clue beginning what to do with this guy. It was no structure, no structure at all. And again, his failure to produce any NFL career for a variety of reasons and again does not in any way diminish what he was in college football. He was one of the greatest, most dynamic college football quarterbacks ever.

Ever, is it more impressive?

Now?

Yes?

Here, here's the thing, so you know me, I do my Heisman update.

Yeah.

So in twenty twelve his freshman year, Richerd freshman year at Texas A and m obviously nobody knows who Johnny Manzel is. He wasn't like some high school superstar. And it was like week four, you know, I do my update one, two, three, and so I'm looking at some numbers and he had just played a game in the SEC. I think he had set an SEC single game total offense record. So I wanted to put this guy on my list, but I didn't know how to pronounce his name because it looks like Manziel. Right, it does, and so I'm like trying to you know, you know, go on YouTube like somebody and the like Manzel. All right, so I'm doing three to two one and he's my number one. I go, my number one is Johnny Manzell, quarterback Texas A and m Mermer's like, who the hell is Johnny Manzell And then he threw three picks against LSU and they lost the game. He dropped off my list. Obviously, he ended up winning the Heisman that year, but I mean he's you know, those those character stories, even if they're flawed in so many ways. And by the way, there were other things about him that were like exaggerated, like he came from this insanely wealthy family.

No he didn't.

I mean they were not poor, but it wasn't like they were some zillionaires.

It's all these stories emerged about Johnny Manziel, and it really came out after he won the Heisman Trophy because they sort of kept him under wraps. Kevin Someone was the coach of the team, and you know, he's a freshman. But after he won the Heisman, all of a sudden, we heard a lot more from Johnny Manzil, and they estimate that his winning the Heisman translated into like a fifty million dollar windfall for Texas A and him.

So when people say, well, what does the Heisman actually mean?

That Alabama had never had a Heisman winner until Nick Saban got there, and then he had four. And believe me, lining up those heismans is a really good recruiting tool. He knew it. Alabama never had a Heisman winner before him. So I love those stories.

Yeah.

No, for even though he was flawed, it does seem like he was still so well liked. Yeah, you know, so it's like he was still delivering. Yeah, he you know, could not work in the NFL because of the structure. But I agree. I love the documentary and I find his college career even more impressive.

No.

No, he'll be in the College Football Hall of FIM someday by the Reggie Bushes in the College Football Hall of fam Oh they didn't, Yeah, they didn't know. Well he was.

He was as soon as he was eligible. They put him on the list. He got voted in. Why not, He's one of the greatest college football players of all time.

Yes, all right, coming up on the other start, we're going to switch back to the NFL for a moment here, and perhaps the single biggest question mark heading into the twenty twenty four season. Which player are we talking about? You're gonna find out. This is Fox Sports Saturday, Steve Harbin and Monte Belanios Here Fox Sports Saturday. We're live from the tire Rock dot Com studios. So I was thinking about this the other day about Aaron Rodgers going into twenty twenty four. Now, remember a year ago at this time, there was all this speculation that his days in Green Bay were over, that he wanted to play for the New York Jets and somehow they will get a deal done, which they did, And then there was all this controversy about Hard Knocks that the NFL was really having a hard time getting any team to agree to be in the Hard Knocks subject matter for twenty twenty four. And one of the eligible teams there's a certain eligibility based been on it before, whatever was the Jets, and everyone assumed, well, there's no way the Jets are going to do it because Aaron Rodgers doesn't want that to deal with. Well, not only did it turn out to be the Jets, but Aaron Rodgers was the entire show. He was like he was literally grabbing the camera guy everywhere he went.

It opened with slow motion of Aaron Rodgers.

Walking like he would go to his teammates saying, why are you uncomfortable with these people?

They're here to do a job and everything else. So it became the Aaron Rodgers Show.

Now, as we know, for several years, Aaron Rodgers had his platform with Pat McAfee, who obviously now his show is carried by ESPN, and then became the controversy with the Jimmy Kimmel rift that he had with Jeffrey Epstein and the whole shebang, and McAfee, I think smartly decided I don't need this now.

I mean, I got people giving me pressure all over the place. It's not worth it to me.

Yes, Aaron, thank you for putting me on the map, because if it wasn't for Aaron Rodgers, McAfee wouldn't have gotten to the level he got.

But at this point he didn't need him anymore and he wasn't worth the trouble.

But that means that we really don't have that steady stream of consciousness from Aaron Rodgers that we've grown accustomed to the last couple of years, and so to me, there really doesn't seem to be any way to gauge where he is in this effort to come back at the age of forty after a blown Achilles, to return to a bad Jets team who retained their coach and their offensive coordinator would not have had And if Aaron Rodgers didn't want it to happen, I'm just that to me is still the number one question mark as we go into twenty twenty four.

So the Pat McAfee side of this, a lot of people were saying that it had nothing to do with that situation that was happening with Jimmy Kimmel, that it was that the season was over and Aaron Rodgers only comes on during the season, and so that's what a lot of people were saying. But you're right, there are a lot of question marks. And it's interesting because I felt like during the season it was like, I'm so overhearing about Aaron Rodgers and this Achilles injury, and right now that I'm actually interested, we.

Don't know anything, nothing, nothing, And this is when I actually there's no hard knocks this year, so we until he shows up a training camp.

We really have nothing. So you're saying you got tired of him, but.

In some ways, no week to week, you weren't giving me new information. It was the same thing, right, But now you can actually give us information and we don't know even.

And now I'm curious and I'm Currie. I'm with you, because again, if he can rebound from that level of injury, and there's nothing more crippling for an athlete than a blown achilles, right, and the success rate of star players returning from achilles is very short, yep, very short at least to get back to the same level. So just something else in the off season. But that, to me is one of the curious stories coming up in the National Football League. We got some NBA news we got to get to coming up. This is Fox Sports Saturday having fun once again, the best time, the uniting of this legendary pair, Hartman Belonios going down in the books. We're broadcasting live from the tiraq dot com studios.

Ti rack dot com.

We're gonna help get you there an unmatched selection, fast free shipping. Free road has a protection over ten thousand recommended installers. Ti i rackt the way tire by and should be, so we have turned the calendar to the month of March. March is a basketball month for many people, and I will sort of include myself in this. It's when I start to really buckle down and watch basketball. Obviously, we're a couple of weeks away from finding out the field for the NCAA Basketball Tournament, so March Madness is very near, and as far as the NBA is concerned, we get down to the last twenty games of the regular season playoff positioning. I think, more so than just about any sport, matchups matter in basketball. Why certain teams match up better against other teams. Sometimes it's physical, it can be speed. There's a reason why certain teams have other teams numbers and based on matchups is how far they're going to progress in the postseason. So it happens a lot in basketball. Speaking of the NBA, right now, the hottest team in the NBA team by far with the best record in the league. They're on a ten game winning streak as the Boston Celtics. Now, Monsey understand this. As a lifelong Laker fan.

You don't like it.

So I was in fifth grade when Bill Russell and the Celtics beat the Lakers in the NBA Finals. It was Bill Russell's last championship. It was the year wil Chamberlain came to the Lakers, and we thought, there's no way the Lakers are going to lose now that they have Wilt with Elgin and Jerry, and he came down to a game seven, and normally game sevens with the Celtics had always been in Boston. This one was going to be at the Forum, and the Celtics beat them anyway, and then Russell retired and everything else, and so instantly I learned as a fifth grader, I hate the Celtic. Okay, sure like the Yankees. You know you're West and so those dominant teams. Nothing has really changed. I've enjoyed the fact that the Celtics have been to the Eastern Conference finals five of the last seven years, and yet they've only been to the finals once. Now they ended up losing. The team I equally hate that would be the Golden State Warriors, but they haven't been able to break through and win a championship.

Now.

Earlier, Mark Medina joined us and he puts clearly the Celtics at the top of the list right now in the power rankings in the NBA, and he talked about Jason Tatum his game continues to evolved. And this goes back to our conversation I had about Patrick Mahomes being the only true franchise quarterback in the NBA until Jason Tatum can actually break through. If he ever breaks through and not only wins the championship but ends up being the difference in those NBA finals in order for the Celtics to come on top, I'm sorry, I can't include him on the list. Giannis has done it, Jokic has done it one NBA championships. They've elevated themselves to that franchise level that obviously a lebron and as Steph Curry and others of that ILK have achieved. But until I actually see that, I'm sorry, he's not there yet.

Yeah, I know what you mean, because to me right now, the Celtics the difference maker this year has been Christops porzingis not necessarily Jason Tatum. I think he's great. There's a lot of great out there, right and so if they do win, he would have to be the difference maker. But I yeah, we haven't seen it. We haven't. And it's and I'm gonna bring up maybe it's just because I love Jimmy Butler. I love Jimmy Butler, and he has not won, but I feel that we have seen him be the difference maker for his team and he has left it all on the on the court. We've literally seen it. Jason Tatum is so so good, yet I agree he hasn't been the difference maker for the Celtics. Could this be the year? But it's definitely. Christops porzingis why the Celtics to me, are dominating this year, right.

And there are other players now that could show that they are of that ilk we Shay Gilss, Alexander Yeah, Anthony Edwards Yeah. I mean these are players that obviously have now proven themselves to be all stars on really good teams. Do we believe that the Timberwolves or the thunder are better than the Nuggets and the Clippers with all the star power proven star power. I mean, you have Jokic who's proven now to be a champion. Obviously, Kawhi is a proven champion for the Clippers, and it could happen. I mean, I believe me. I've been I've mentioned this several times and beginning feedback on social media for both those guys saying Edwards, it's got guy.

You watch, you watch. This is the year where people are gonna say he's the guy.

Okay. I remember the same thing with Dwayne Wade back in the day when the heat broke through and ended up upsetting Dallas to win the NBA Finals. And d Wade just went off in those NBA Finals, and this before Lebron obviously showed up, but at that point, all of a sudden, it's like, wow, Okay, he is now a franchise player. Dwayne Wade is that guy? And I just wonder are we because I look at the Celtics right now. They're playing some great basketball, but the eyeball tests is holding me back to say, all right, yeah, they are the team to beat.

I feel you. I mean, they could prove us wrong. And here's the thing. We all know that once playoff basketball starts, it changes a little bit.

Yes, different sports, it's a different sport.

They're going to be more physical. The refs are going to allow it to be more physical, so it's going to change a little bit. The eye tests another one that I don't see it is the Cavaliers. The Cavaliers are number two in the Eastern Conference, tied with the Milwaukee Bucks essentially, and I watched them and I'm like, yeah, you look good, you look but do you look better than these other teams? I don't see it. Even though your records may say that you are one of the top teams, I don't see it either. I don't know. I don't know. The one thing I will say about the Oklahoma City Thunder that scares me as a Clippers fan. They are fast and they are young, yes, and that is the one thing that scares me. Not gonna lie hopefully, you know, the physicality will kick in and the Clippers can hold their own against them. But that's the Oklahoma City Thunder is a scary is a scary group.

Well, this gets back to what's better when you have dominant teams. I mean, we had the years, the four straight years where Lebron and the Cavaliers played Steph and of course Durant for the last two and the Warriors in the NBA Finals, and it never happened. In fact, even with the dominance of the Lakers and Celtics, no two teams had played against each other in three consecutive finals, much less four in a row, So you had an inevitability that they were going to get there in the end, and the rest of the playoffs are just like, we're just wasting time because eventually we're going to get to Lebron versus the Warriors. And the ratings were huge for those NBA finals. Now, the NBA took a big hit like so many sports with the COVID year and they've been trying to get it back since, but their numbers aren't close to what they were with those calvs.

Warriors matchups in the finals.

So the idea that, well, the playoff are going to be interesting this year because we don't know how good Minnesota is going to be or Cleveland or OKC. Are they real? Are they pretenders? Can they compete against the more established teams? So there is the intrigue there, But what's your endgame? Yeah, and you know when we end up with Milwaukee and Phoenix that didn't really do a whole lot too, no generate a whole lot of interest, or Denver Miami or yeah that's not doing much.

No, it really isn't. And you go to last year the Lakers being in playing team that went to the Western Conference finals.

That was a big story.

That was a huge story, and you got one of the two biggest stars in the league Lebron right.

But it just goes to show how really anything can happen in the playoffs. And as much as you want to, you know, believe that there are fresh faces in the NBA, you're right, like, if the Lakers get in there, it's gonna be huge for the NBA. Can they do it? I don't think so.

Not this year.

I don't think there's a team that they were last year. I think there's a lot better teams around.

Well, I understand what we were staring at right now. This whole playing tournament, which by the way, is always amazing to me. There are no records for these playing games. They're not listed as playoff games. If you're looking, if you're looking in an NBA record book, anything that happens those games, there's no record of it. Really, they're like exhibition games. They're not listed as they're not playoff games. So if you look at let's say Basketball Reference, right, and you're looking for so what were you what were your stats in the playing games? You're not going to find them anywhere.

So then I have a follow up question. Yeah, those games that Lebron has playing, has played in the play in those points count towards his.

Total or no, no, none of it.

Well, I mean, obviously the forty thousands regular season only does not include his playoff but it's not playoff points and it's not regular season points. Yeah I didn't know that, Yeah, so they did. These are these playing games are weird, But you're staring at a real possibility that you're gonna have a nine to ten game between the Warriors and the Lakers. And by the way, unlike a couple of years ago when they played in the seven eight game. All right, so the seven team advances, the eighteen gets another chance, you know, to play the winner of the nine ten game. But in this case, if it's a nine to ten matchup, the loser goes home. Right, that's the last year're going to see of them. It's like your worst nightmare because the two biggest names in this league still are Lebron and Steph and they have one game where one of them goes home, and by the way, the winner of that game still has to win another game to get into the playoffs. Is not good for the league. So this, this is why I keep getting back to the idea, it's best for every sport to really have star teams, start players to really sort of hold attention. Otherwise you're just sort of scrambling every year to come up with something to hold that audience through the long duration of the playoffs.

There are stars, There are stars throughout the entire league. That's not the problem.

But are they must see stars? I mean, I'm not saying they're not great players. They're great players, but they're I'm so they're not Lebron, they're not stuff.

So then are we are we going to do the same thing where we talk about the quarterbacks where it's like there's tears. Now now there is like super superstars. Then they're superstars, and then they're stars.

Is Kevin Durant must watch?

You know, he's his style of play even though he's a scorer. You're right, he's not as exciting to watch. I'd rather watch Luca to be honest with you.

All right, So, but again, Donches suffers from the same faith that Dirk Novinsky had for many years in Dallas. Great player. But and then finally Dirk did get his championship obviously in Dallas.

That's my boy.

But was he must watch?

He was for me, But I guess I was an outlier. I love Dirk, I see.

I think Kawhi is close. Yeah when he's because of his track record in the postseason and he always, to me, passes the Eyeball taper.

Yeah, he's the best player on the court when he wants to.

Be exactly Yeah, if he can stay on the court, Kawhi Leonard passes the Eyeball test from top to bottom.

But he's got to be on the court. He doesn't and he hasn't been that way the last couple of years.

He's been that this year though.

Okay. Coming up on the other side, there is a big name in the NFL that is soon to be looking for a job. Is there a possible home we'll explain. This is Fox Sports Saturday, Steve Harvin and Mozzie Belanios Here we're coming alive from the tire rack dot Com studios. Now right after the show, the podcast is going up. If you miss any of today's show, be sure to check out the podcast. Just search Fox Sports Radio wherever you get your podcasts, and be sure to also follow, rate and review the podcast again. Just search Fox Sports Radio wherever you get your podcasts, and then you'll see this show posted right after we get off the air. A little advice. You want to be popular, associate yourself with people that do things really well. It's been a secret of mine on radio for many, many years. It's also secret in my personal life with my asociation with my ex wife and her ability to bake things at an incredible level. We just had Bree walk in here, and she does such a great job on all of our shows. She now says the cookies that she made for you, Montci, you shared one with Brie is literally the greatest thing she's ever eaten in her life. Anything.

No, I agree, I agree.

And then she gave you what what do you?

I don't.

I don't know.

She it's a toy.

It's a toy that I'm trying to build. And I am just dumb as something because you are like I am.

Mechanically. I would stare at this for days.

Yeah, but it's just two pieces. It's some some some ramp to launch something. She got this from a fast food joints and I don't.

So you sort of hit the button that flies out.

Yeah, I'm supposed it's supposed to launch this, but I don't know how to launch.

Well, I think you pressed down on the back right, Oh see what I say? Even I could figure that one out and see if can hit me. All right now on this thing here.

It is.

We are launching things, ladies. And John there you go, very good launching launching.

So you could play with this toy all day long. Right, yes, now that you've figured it out. No, you can't put your can't put your hand in front of the launch area. Okay, if you got it clear, you want to like I.

Wanted to balance and guys, we figured it out. We have figured it out.

Thank you. We okay, thank you.

Together together we figured it out. Okay.

All right, let's figure out where the best destiny is for Russell Wilson.

That's gonna be harder than this one.

All right. So, Russell Wilson, we've been hearing from Martin throughout the updates that it is expected that the Broncos to cut their losses. By the way, they still have to eat an unbelievable amount of money on this Russell Wilson deal. But again, when your franchise is bought by the Walton family, which is the richest family in America. They're not going to quibble over a few million dollars here and there. It's not going to break the bank for them, so they can cut their losses. And you know the amount of money they paid to Sean Payton, the power they gave Sean Payton to become the coach of the Broncos. If he doesn't want Russell Wilson, fine, Now, if you look at Russell Wilson's numbers this past year, he had a good season statistically, twenty six touchdowns, eight picks, sixty six completion rate. He had a passer rating of almost one hundred this year. I mean it was a big bounce back year for Russell Wilson. Remember, their defense was historically bat early in the year, especially when they give up that seventy against the Miami Dolphins.

If are never going to forget that one.

So you know, in the end, their record had less to do about Russell Wilson, more to do about other factors for that team. Still, the impression I get from Russell Wilson, and look, he's had a great NFL career, no question. If you look at his first nine years in Seattle one, he started every game, starting with his first game as a rookie. For nine years, he started every single game. They had double digit victories eight of the nine years, and the other year they won nine games, so they didn't have a single losing year. His passer rating was consistently good. He was always seemingly in the conversation for postseason honors. And then his last year in Seattle there was a bit of a dip, and then he ends up in Denver, and of course two years ago was a disaster. This past year was shows an improvement. But I keep thinking, if you're bringing in Russell Wilson, fair or not. This is sort of the eyeball evaluation of him. He's a bit of a prima donna. I know he wants to come off as the consummate team guy. But even in his first year in Denver, a lot of people said, look, you bring in Nathaniel Hackett, a novice, as your head coach. Don't worry. You got Russell Wilson. He'll be in charge of that locker room. So whatever Hackett has to learn as a head coach to be the man in charge, you won't have to worry about that. Because you have a veteran quarterback to handle that, and Russell Wilson was exposed he was not that guy, which only made the situation with Hackett that much worse. Now, this would not be a problem with Sean Payton, because Sean Payton's going to assert authority on that locker room regardless of Russell Wilson's presence. But this would be a difficult decision to make if you think that he still has the physical tools to be an effective quarterback in this league.

I think it's a big part of being a quarterback. Are you a leader?

Can you go in that locker room and command respect from that team? And despite everything that he's accomplished in his career, I think the jury's out whether or not Russell Wilson is that type of quarterback.

And I don't think he was that type of quarterback in Seattle. We just didn't know. Now we heard Marshaun Lynch say he couldn't get a hold of his own quarterback, that he had a fake number or a burner number, whatever. So I think he has never been that guy. We just didn't know. So, like you just said, expose that he cannot be that guy in the locker room. The one thing that goes from which is what you just said. Out of the last two years in Denver, last year he had died much better than the first year. So there is some sort of like hope you saw I saw it that. There was games where I was like, he still looks like he has something in him. Now if I'm a team, am I gonna make moves to go get Russell Wilson? Not necessarily, but as Adam Kaplan said, maybe he can be a bridge quarterback as you get a young guy to come in. I don't think Wilson is going to get what he wants like a long term. I don't think there's any team that would do that. I wouldn't unless you're I don't know, crazy.

He still got a big number that comes with it.

It does exactly exactly, but I feel that I there are teams that you could you could try him out for like a year or two years. Yeah.

There were two quarterbacks that came in the draft the same year.

They're both in the Hall of Fame, and they were two very different people, Dan Marino and John Elway. Dan Marino was the better quarterback statistically from day one. I mean, you looked at his numbers versus Elway. Marino's the guy, but Elway was winning more. And I remember, you know, obviously being part of that time, and I would ask why is that? They said, because they're very different people. Elway's one of the guys. Marino is not. He's just not. He's a great quarterback, but he doesn't get the same respect in the locker room that a guy like Elwood got, right even if he was a better passer than Elway was. And eventually that resulted with Elway winning a couple of Super Bowls and Marino never got to a super Bowl after his second season in the NFL. So I just wonder that whole thing about, like you say, if you're going to sign on Russell Wilson, what.

Exactly are you looking for? What do you expect to get out of this guy?

You expect to get a season where you can build upon your other weapons, get somebody with experience, like I know we keep putting, you know, justin fields with Atlanta, but I feel like Russell Wilson can go into Atlanta and make Drake London better, help be Jeon Robinson get better. I really feel that is he your long term quarterback. No, but I do think he can help a team get the weapons you know better.

And by the way, earlier when I was talking about quarterback currently starting in the NFL, who are Super Bowl champions and I mentioned outside of Mahomes, you got Aaron Rodgers, you have Matthew Stafford, And people were probably screaming, what about Russell Wilson. He wasn't starting at the end of the year. He was already benched. So he's not right now, he's not a starting quarterback in the NFL. Now he may well be, but in the moment he not.

He was benched though, in a weird situation.

But it was a weird situation based on his resume and what he had actually done this season, right, But a decision had been made.

Right, It had nothing to do with his performance. Like you said, they had just beat the Chiefs and they were like, we're gonna bench you. So it was a weird situation. I The other problem for him this year is that there's so many potential quarterbacks in this draft. That's not helping his situation in any way, shape or form.

But yeah, well we have that every year year in the draft.

I feel like, no, not this every year.

You remember last year's draft, we were sitting here. It was obvious, pretty obvious to everyone in the Carolina was going to take Bryce Young number two, but Houston number two Will Levis. Remember Will Levis showed up with his eye candy at the draft. Yeah, there were all this buzz Will levis Is stock is skyrocketing. CJ. Stroud stock is plummeting. Houston's gonna take Will Levis.

That didn't happen.

They took the right guy, obviously, Yeah, CJ.

Stroud. So there's a lot of smoke screens, you know. Right now the latest have both Pennix and Nix not even going in the first round. That after the top three quarterbacks, So after Kayleb Williams and Drake May and Jayden Daniels, JJ McCarthy, there's a big yeah JJ McCarthy, Yeah, yeah, you know, I mean this, JJ McCarthy just stand out as a better prospect than Michael Pennox Junior or Bo Nix.

Uh.

You know that's hard because he does come from winning a Natty.

Yeah he does.

So how much weight does well?

So Stetson Bennett went back to back.

National champions that yeah, yeah, right now, I see.

Completely a wall we think so heard about. Let's find out what's trending right now. Perhaps he can lend Do we have a Stetson Bennett update for this? He's twenty seven years old, that's the update again, he was twenty six. I was like twenty five his last year in college.

My personal belief in this is if you can rent the car without having to extra fees after you turn twenty five, your eligibility's up.

Well.

And as we were talking earlier with Adam Kappan about this, when you're when you suddenly talking about quarterbacks that have five to six or more years at the collegiate level and they've played well, have they hit their ceiling exact? Because you that's the biggest challenge for every NFL scout, every NFL general manager, every NFL coach in looking at the draft is what is their ceiling? Where are they going to get once they get to the NFL? And I may be able to interest you in this, all right. You know you've been talking a lot about Penix, talking a lot about Nicks.

Yeah, there's another transfer quarterback that I feel like no one is talking about. And he's been the meet this offseason. The most impressive through the Senior Bowl in the combine. Spencer Radler. Yeah, Spencer Radler. And you know, Cliff Kingsbury's got an eye for him. He generally's got a pretty good eye for quarterbacks. And I think Spencer Radler, you know, he'll probably be a second or third round pick, but I think he could step in.

And be a good player. Yeah, I mean, you know, the whole situation with him and Caleb Williams. Remember you remember the great thing about Radley He got those nil deals immediately. I remember that it was an ad with him with two different cars, like and by the middle of the season the guy had been benched for the freshman Caleb Williams. I thought you were gonna mention Sam Hartman. Sam Hartman in the mixed still or is he got more eligibility?

Like Sam Hartman gives me like ten year backup vibes, you know, like like a good Ryan Fitzpatrick, Salid Charlie Whitehurst.

You know, it kind of looks like Charlie with the hair, you know, I mean, outside of being a star quarterback, what's a better situation than being a perennial backup? Honestly, Like forever, I don't think there is one. I mean, you just sit there with a clipboard and you got a cap on during the game and scribble a few things down and come back and do it a year after year and make some pretty decent money.

I mean, you had Chase Daniel right, he was back a quarterback Danny for the Charges forever.

He was.

So much free time.

He can walk across the street to NFL Network and start doing postgame shows.

Ty denmar did it for fourteen years in the NFL. The Heisman Trophy went ib wait, fourteen years in the NFL.

It's good work if you can get it. Man, tell us Wilson that, hey, you know, but I don't know if I don't know if the aligns with Russell Wilson's like, I'm looking at him right now. I'm telling you, dude, this kid can spin it all right.

And I look, I know that.

You know, people have all their opinions in South Carolina stunk out last year, But you know, my time slode normally Saturdays four to seven, five to eight Pacific time. I'm ended up watching a lot of these South Carolina games because there's nothing else on it.

And he had no offensive line, no like it was all. It was ugly, but he never complained. He kept his head up and he just look. I look forward to call right now, Spencer Ratler will emerge as the biggest surprise quarterback pick in this year's draft.

I'd have him as my QB four rating right now, behind UH, maybe even three behind UH, behind Caleb Williams number one and Jaden Daniels number two.

You're dropping Drake May. Have you seen Drake May play?

Yes, I've seen Drake May, see them all. Because he went to North Carolina. You just think he's another Mitchell Trubisky. No, I'm not even doing all of that. It's just just not. Drake May is a better quarterback than Trubisky. A lot of guys are, you know. And that was the second pick. By the way, Trubisky had a winning record as the starting quarterback with the Bears. He had a twelve win season. Why did they dump him? He had a twelve win season with the Bears, Steve because they watched him play. That's they were fine. There was nothing wrong with him. He won way more games than he lost. Yeah, I couldn't do how the Bear has been since Trubisky the same They were with him. No, they're not not even close. Look up Trubisky's numbers. He was a winning quarterback.

You know.

I wonder if the Steelers would have had a better position that they had have moved on from miss Trubisky and just went straight to Mason Rudolph.

I thought Trubisky wouldn't come into the Steelers. Who was going to get the job. Why it didn't work, I'm not sure, but it didn't anyway.

Speaking of Russell Wilson, the Athletic is reporting he's likely to be cut as soon as next week and we'll be looking for a new home. Another guy looking for a new home Tyron Smith, the thirteen year veteran left tackle. He's unlikely to resign with the Cowboys. He and Jerry Jones could not agree on a new deal. Smith in eight time Pro Bowler Why receiver Mike Evans expected to test free agency, with report saying he wants to play with an elite quarterback, compete for a Super Bowl, and be paid like a top wide out, but not ruling out a return to Tampa Bay. Former Chargers head coach and this Daily will join the San Francisco forty nine ers as assistant head coach forty nine ers, also promoting defensive passing game specialist Nick Sorenson as the new defensive coordinator again afore mentioned Jayden Daniels, he and Malik Neighbors wide.

Receiver for LSU.

They did not participate in the measurements portion of the combine, saying they would do so at their pro day March twenty seventh, and Baton Rouge twenty twelve. Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel says he will boycott the annual Heisman Trophy ceremony until two thousand and five winners from USC Reggie Bush gets his Heisman Trophy back in the NBA point guard Shake, Milton expected to join the New York Knicks after being bought out by the Detroit Pistons earlier this week. The Nets beat the Hawks one fourteen to one h two. Michel Bridges had thirty eight points. The Heat beat the Jazz one twenty six to one twenty Mister fallout boy himself, Jimmy Butler, had thirty seven in that one. In college basketball, we had wins for Baylor, South Carolina, Kentucky, Creighton, Iowa State, and North Carolina. And right now Duke has a sixty five to thirty nine lead with eight point fifty left in the second half against Virginia.

Steve monts it back to you guys, all right, just to get in his four years of the Bears. Take his rookie year out right. His last three years with the Bears, Mitchell Trubisky's record as a starting quarterback was twenty five and thirteen, twenty five and thirteen with the Bears, and they couldn't wait to move on, and they.

They haven't sniffed that kind of record since.

And he had fifty seven touchdowns and thirty picks, so two to one ratio there, completing sixty five percent of his passes over those three years, twenty five and thirteen as the starting quarterback of the Bears those last three years. It's a good win laws thirteen.

That's a good win loss record, especially for the Bears.

I'd say, so, you.

Know, but you you want to lump him with Drake May. Obviously you know Drake May, and you know, don't.

Give up on Drake May.

This was pro specially Rattler, and you have twisted me into being anti Drake.

You were the one that elevated Rattler over Drake May I think you can play. That's my take, and I'm sticking to it, all right, that's right. I don't know. I'm just trying to keep it, keep it straight here, you know. Yeah, Trubisky, to me is one of the great mysteries that no one ever talks about normally, a quarterback who joined a bad team, the Bears second overall pick. Of course, it was the same draft that would eventually have Mahomes in it. But he was twenty five and thirteen his last three years as the Bears starting quarterback. That's a pretty good record, and they dumped him and we've never seen Trubisky since. Remember he was on the bench for Buffalo for a year. Goes the same thing that happened in Pittsburgh. I don't know.

This is why again, when we try to.

Sit here and evaluate quarterback talent, so much of it just has to do with the organization to go to. Like if I'm Jaye and Daniels and I end up in New England, you're not well, let me ask you this, because Bill Belichick, if you're a mean that Caleb Williams goes number one to the Bears. All right, So the next two picks. Have got the Commanders and the Patriots, and they both need a quarterback. And you're Jaden Daniels and Drake May, so one of you is going to be with the Commanders and the other guy is going to end up with the Patriots. Which one of those two teams? If you're Jaden Daniels or Drake May, would you want to play for the Commanders or the Belichick lists Patriots?

You know that's hard because you're you're picking between a winning historic franchise. Do we franchise that basically is starting over?

Correct? But isn't the aren't the Patriots starting over?

Yeah? But the history is fresh, It's not like it's thirty years ago.

Formerly known Redskins used to have history until Daniel Snyder showed up exactly.

The recent history with the Commanders leaves a bad taste in your mouth because of that, I think with the Patriots, there's no, you don't have a bad taste. It's like, yeah, you lost Tom Brady and you lost Bill Belichick, but the history is still it's recent, it's still positive.

Well, wouldn't that be a negative though? Because ultimately everyone that follows Tom Brady this is the same thing happened to UCLA basketball. So it didn't matter how many coaches showed up for the basketball team, you weren't compared to your predecessor.

You're always compared to John Wooden.

Yeah, you could be the tenth coach after Wooden, twenty years after he last coached, and you're still being compared to him forever. Every quarterback is going to be compared to Brady, and every coach is going to be compared to Belichick.

But before you even said that, I was gonna say, I think I would rather go to Washington, right. I think that's what I would prefer, which is weird to say, But.

Yeah, I don't think it's a good sta situation for either one.

I agree, but I'm looking at it as like a fresh sleep. Yeah, like new ownership, new coach. The fans want success. I feel like you're coming into a situation where everybody is arms wide open, you know, like we're going to just start over. Now that the Patriots don't want the success. Of course they do, that's all they know. The fans want that, but it is the expectation is a little different.

Well, the badness for Caleb Williams and I know Jim McMahon got a lot of you know, hype when they won the Super Bowl in eighty five, but he was hurt most of his career. The greatest quarterback in Bears history by far in terms of numbers and championships is Sid Luckman, who played in the nineteen forties.

Yeah.

No, it is a graveyard for quarterbacks.

Yeah, exactly.

Never heard that name in my life.

I know.

Well, now you have all right coming up on the other side. What to look forward to this week in the sports agenda? This is Fox Sports Saturday Steve Harban and Montzie Belgios Here Fox Sports Saturday Live from the tai Iraq dot Com studios. Want to thank the crew today, Martin now getting ready for his show vj uh. He steps out of the update room and heads into the studio. Here our brilliant producer Patrick doing a great job as always. Patrick.

Did you have a chance to sample little of the cookie? Did Moncey share with you? She did share and it was amazing, by the way, Thank you again, Moncey.

Thank Denise.

Yeah, thank you Denise. As I say, my stature grows by those I associate with. That's always the key for me. Uh I see Mary Mac there, Mary are you? Are you the Mary Mack is here again?

Yo? Yo?

How are you?

I'm doing good?

Hard? Did you get to share it all the time? I didn't even I didn't even get a I wasn't offered nothing.

Well, you weren't here when I went around.

That's why.

I knows the fact you were not here.

Bree came in. She was lucky enough to you sample little.

Definitely.

She said it was literally the greatest thing she's ever eaten in her life.

All right, that's a very high standards. Yes, well this is this will meet this.

Wait, they're cookies, right, yeah, cookies?

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.

It's calling it a cookie is sort of like saying Patrick Mahomes is a quarterback.

Yeah, I've been saying the cookie is the Patrick Mahomes of cookies. Yes, uh, there, she's a wizard. It better it better give me wings like red. Yeah, it's gonna give you fly through this. I will stand on that. Yeah, we'll see. All right, we'll take a video and post it me flying and.

We'll do that. Merry Matt, great stuff, Lorraine of course, standing by somewhere somewhere, not.

Here at all today He's letting me fly Oh, good.

And you're doing a great job. Thank you very much. Good job is always here, all right? You know I I love to sort of say, all right, so what are we looking forward to? Uh in this upcoming weeks? I say basketball should be taking center stage. The combines are going to be wrapping up, and you know we're going to be talking about you know, what came out of the combine and everything else. The NFL never leaves our consciousness at all because coming out of the combine and then all of a sudden you get back to free agency trade ideas. You know, wow, what if this guy was there? This guy was there? And this is something that we always seem to talk about. But I really think it's going to be an important time for basketball. Like I said, the most talked about basketball player currently is Caitlin Clark. By the way, in your opinion, does she need to win a national championship in order to ascend to being labeled the best?

So no, I actually think that even if she wins the national championship, a lot of people are still not going to think she's the best. A lot of people have their already best female basketball player, and I don't think it's going to change. If anything, it may be just like solidifies it. But she's already great, She's already wonderful. She's a star.

You mentioned we were talking about this software, so you know, I mentioned when Alex Rodriguez joined the Yankees and they said, well, Jeter's are shortstop, so you're gonna have to play third base. And I remember thinking of the time, a Rod is so much better at shortstop than Jeter. I mean, the numbers were so lopsided in a Rod's favor in terms of fielding at shortstop. But Jeter's a star, and there were better baseball players than Jeter, but there was no bigger star than Jeter.

He was their franchise quarterback, correct.

I mean, he was not just the face of the Yankees. He was the face of baseball. And it wasn't that he was always the best player. He never won an MVP Award. He was the biggest star on the biggest team. And that's why when we talk about the NBA, the biggest two stars remain Lebron and Steph. There are a lot of great play players in this league, but they're not stars.

Yeah, I feel like we need to find a different word for what you are saying as a star because I I you're.

You're a swiftie. Taylor's is neither the greatest singer nor the greatest songwriter, but she is by far the biggest star.

She's the biggest star. And so I the more you say, the more I'm like, I feel like I need a different word for what you're trying to say, because Donovan Mitchell is a star, but you are. You are wanting to say a star is like more than just being a awesome basketball player, right, Yeah, that is almost like an X factor, right that you cannot describe, You can't exactly that's what that is what you're asking for. And Caitlin Clark has that X factor.

Absolutely, she is a star star.

Yeah, I think so, whether it's her game, the circumstances, or you know, as a native Iowan who stayed in Iowa and brought the team to a certain level, the way she plays the game, whatever it is, she has it in abundance. Actor right, Yeah, that's why again, she doesn't need any comparisons to pistol Pete Marivitch from fifty years ago.

She is a star in her own right, Yeah, nor no.

Comparisons are necessary. Moncy it's been a pleasure, it really has been. And don't let those cookies go.

I'm going to share it.

Keep it here.

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