Venezuela beats USA, Wins WBC, Crosby ‘livid’ after failed trade, Jared Allen joins, Nick’s Tiers

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That's Y-R-E-F-Y.com and make sure you tell them that Riley sent you. An all-new season of the secret lives of Mormon wives is now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+. Mom talk has just been blowing up. Whitney and Jen are on Dancing with the Stars. Taylor is a bachelorette. Saying that out loud is crazy. That is huge. But all the cool opportunities could pull us apart. It's causing issues in everyone's marriage. My whole world is falling apart. Right now, it's chaos. Watch the Hulu Original Series, the secret lives of Mormon wives. Now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+. For bonus subscribers, terms apply. God, it is Venezuela against the United States. Two and two. Garcia drives the ball up center field. Bucks down in the run will get there. But one pitch after, the wild pitch. Here's a drive to center field off of the bat of Abreu. Will your Abreu hits it out. Machado's one-oh pitch. Harper sends a fly ball to deep center field. Better late than never. Brights Harper has tied the championship. One-two to judge is right at the knees for strike three to Andy Enning. So know how runs throw from Will Smith is not in time. He's stolen second. Into left center field headed for the gap and Venezuela has retaken the lead. And you hear the Osores just like that. Venezuela, the best in baseball. Live from New York, it's a show that's very happy for Venezuela. I told you. As a fan of sport. No, you gotta be. It was just amazing. That's what I gotta be. When I, when Italy was in the final four and I said I was rooting for them over the U.S. It was a similar idea which is it did mean more for the players on Venezuela. It certainly more than it would have been for Italy because most of those were American guys anyway like for them to win. And the U.S. comported themselves great is awesome for them. It was just it was a great night of sport. And I can't, I, I can't wait. I don't normally care about the rating of things that aren't our TV show. But I can't wait to see how many people watched it. Like that's going to be a, a number that will only be trumped by footballers. Yeah. I mean it's going to be worldwide numbers will be good too. A huge event. It was great. Would have been sick if Roman Anthony hit it out though. Everyone was rooting for the Red Sox. Did you hear Joe Davis? It was like oh this has been the Red Sox baseball classic. No, buddy. I don't know. It hasn't been. It was the Royals baseball classic. So you want MVP? You see who's, who's gears going to the Hall of Fame? Couple of Royals. Today Max details his Raven visit. Odd, Drew. Not great. Well, it should have been odd. The whole thing is odd. Is he staying with the Raiders or is he on the move yet again? Meanwhile, it's our premiere of World Cup Wednesday. U.S. team unveiled their early roster as we prepare for two friendlies and Nick has got some presents for us. I heard. I do. Wow. Have you heard about this? No, Drew doesn't. It's a great present giver. So we'll find out. Oh, I can wait. You do love presents. Designer something. Designer Nick don't play with the gifts. Little record. I got, I don't play with the gifts either, but you don't use mine. It broke. It didn't break. It stopped where it's a pin that doesn't like. I got to go like to the store and get it refilled. It was a good pen. It was like a gas station. What? It didn't break. Hey, bro, I'm just. It doesn't right. I know that. The robe or the loafers or sneakers I got you. You got to take those in. They're always. They're always. I got to go clean and refill them. A great pen. A lifetime pen. Yeah. Oh, really? It worked for about six months and then and then all of a sudden it wasn't right. We started Miami. Venezuela are champions of the baseball world. USA silver medalist. Eduardo Rodriguez was amazing on the mound. Venezuelan bullpen also amazing. US bats ice cold. Pool play out here crushing the ball. Then Canada a little bit worse. DR batted 212. Yesterday we batted 100. Not great. No. What was the number one reason team USA lost? Venezuela performed in the bigger spots better than team USA did. Once we semi-finals on USA bats were dead. Yeah. And so that's going to happen. It's a single elimination sports, but particularly single elimination baseball can be brutal. It's why it's such great theater. So and even though team USA lost, there's only one loser and I'm not calling the personal loser, but there's only one person that I think came out of this tournament in a losing position. Holding an L. Yeah, there you go. That's a better way to put it. And that's manager Mark DeRosa because for the second time he gave an interview where it seemed like he was not as familiar with the rules and this is a rule I know he knows as he should have been, which was when he was asked why they didn't go to the best pitcher available and one of the best closers in the world. Here's what he said yesterday after the game. Honoring the Padres. Had we taken the lead, he was coming in, but I wasn't going to bring him into a tie game. When you would never get the chance to get the lead again. What's that? There wasn't going to be a safe situation at that point. I just, I wanted to honor the fact that there was a situation there where if it was tied, we were going to use WitLock. We had talked to the Red Sox about that and if we had the lead, we were going to use Mason. Okay, that flatly doesn't make sense. I mean, I think he meant in the eighth though. But I, if we had gone up three, two in the eighth, I think that's what he meant. But if the Padres were okay with Mason Miller throwing up three, two in the eighth, then they've got to be okay with him pitching tied in the ninth. I understand it can't be, hey, you're going in and you're staying in, but if he's allowed to try to go get you three outs, once you knew you were the home team, unless the rule was he has to be used before the ninth inning, then you, it makes no logical sense whatsoever that he is allowed to pitch the top of the eighth, but not the top of the ninth, or that he's allowed to pitch the top of the ninth leading, but not the top of the ninth tying. And I just, it felt to me like Mark DeRosa and you can't put it on, he fumbled over his words. He's a professional communicator. He's a broadcaster for, by trade. I just, I thought he was the only person involved in the tournament that didn't come out looking awesome. It was odd that, look, we knew going into it pitching is the odder parts of managing this lineup because I don't know if it was a writer or someone told us you have to manage your guys, the team USA baseball and deal with every baseball teams managers and how much, you know, grace, do you give them and listen to them. He's like honoring the Padres. I don't know if Venezuela treated it the same way or just pushed back a little bit more. Their manager said he talked to some of the managers from teams, the MLB teams, where his pitchers and got a little grace like, hey, he threw, who do you throw back to back? The guy who got the final outs for them, he said he wasn't initially going to be able to use them, but then he called his team was allowed to. But I just don't, it felt like just like it, and maybe it's colored by the fact that I thought DeRosa should have just said, you know, yeah, I made a mistake about not knowing the rules and said he's like, no, I knew the rules. That he was sloughing it off on the Padres when you're telling us the Padres were okay with Mason Miller pitching. You can't convince me that the Padres were like, he can only pitch if he's going to be eligible for a save. The hell do they care about? It doesn't make sense. But they said he's only going one in. That's fine. So the top of the ninth, but I think I look, DeRosa did not close himself in glory this week. So I'm not necessarily trying to defend him. I'm saying there, I understand what he was saying. I think he's like, if we had been up going into the ninth, which they had a chance to, and I'll get to Aaron just struck out looking, all right, instead of swinging the bat when they could have had a chance to take the lead, we would have put him in in the ninth to save the game. All right. Now, I think he's thinking, you're right, he could have put him in, but had he shut them down and then it goes into the 10th, Tide, he's got to take him out. So I think, and he's thinking, look, we, nobody's been scoring a lot during the game. Let's see if we can get the ninth. I think he may, he said he wouldn't have put him in if it was Tide. Obviously he was never going to play. But I think he may have had, like if it kept going, he would have probably put him in at some point, whether 10th or, I just think it's, but again, I'm not trying to defend him because he doesn't look great. But the guy who doesn't, you said doesn't come out of this looking awesome. Cause I agree. I think DeRosa probably took the biggest hit. The only guy that kind of is Karen and L, but Aaron Judge, and he wasn't the only one not hitting. No, nobody hit, but nobody hit, but Aaron Judge, Bobby Witt and Aaron Judge. Now Witt, I'm not saying he's not as big of a star as Judge. Judge and Witt were 0 for 7 yesterday. All right. Outside of Bryce Harbour, I give DeRosa this and again, I'm not trying to be the DeRosa Apologist, but when Bryce Harbour was what, five for 27 throughout the tournament until the last game and people want him to bench Harbour, he stuck with him and he had, you know, he's the only one gave us a shot to win, had two of our three hits. The rest of the lineup was one for 26. So our bats went cold. I'm not even going to say our bats went cold because you're right. You said that can happen in baseball. It shouldn't happen when you got a lineup full of superstars. That's why you get that lineup. So look, if Judge is cold, Harbour will be hitting or if Harbour is cold, you know, Schwab will be like, you figure somebody's going to be a hit. Eduardo Rodriguez, who pitched the first four plus innings, shut us down. One hit, no runs. He had a 5.02 ERA last year for Arizona. So we should be able to, we should have, we didn't hit well. And so Judge though, is the guy that certainly doesn't come out looking awesome. I don't think he takes as big of an L as DeRosa, but this is heavy is the head that wears the crown. And look, we've been talking about it in the NBA. This is what Lucas facing. All right. LeBron faces early in his career. James Harden, God bless him. A lot of his fantastic career has unfortunately been defined by not being able to get it done in some of the big games. Don't football for someone else that comes to mind. LeMarr, I mean, LeMarr got to get it. He, I don't think he's as bad as these guys yet, but yeah, LeMarr got to get it done too. But look at his numbers. Everything in the playoffs goes down. So batting average totally everything goes way down. All right. And here's the thing, the Yankee who at least recently is viewed as Mr. Clutch and great in the playoffs, Derek Jeter, his numbers in those categories, they actually go up a little in some of them. But essentially, they remain what they always are in the regular season. He hit three 10 for his career. He hit 308 for his postseason career. So if you just be who you are in the regular season, that's a clutch postseason player because you're facing better competition games being more. And so this is just another kind of thing. Judge it 222 struck out three times yesterday. The last time looking, this is just added on to, okay, this guy's got to get it done. And when they, if the Yankees make the playoffs, this will come up. So can I ask, it'll come up a little bit. So can I ask that before you go to your thing? Just real quick saying on judge, here's, because he was awesome, this last Yankee playoff room, we talked about it in the series they lost, he had 600, or in the playoffs, as a whole granted, it was limited. It was total of six games. That's it. And he didn't go deep. Five hundred, right. They didn't go deep. Here is where I feel like if I'm Aaron Judge's friends or family, and I'm seeing this, I'm a little annoyed because what I think is definitively true, if he was awesome and they won and he had the Bryce Harper moment and then a walkoff in the 12th, no, and then struggles this coming postseason, no one is going to be like, well, you can't say he's not a playoff performer. Remember the WBC. It felt like this could only be used against him. Like there is, I agree with him. Right. If we would have wanted, let's say Homer's in the eighth and they win the game. And in six months, he's bad in the playoffs. And you think someone's going to be like, hold on, you can't criticize Aaron Judge's playoff performer because of what he did in the world baseball classic. No, we've seen him be great on a big stage. The okay, I think I think it would have been a mark in the positive. Yeah, it would have come up. Look, for the time being, it would have shut all of that down. Then if they get to the playoffs and he struck it struggled, it would have, it would have, this would have come up. But you're, I do agree with you that ultimately people would have said, well, he still got to get it done in the playoffs. But for the time being until then, this would have, he would have, everybody would have been shutting down that big game talk. Here's a hot take. We lost because we weren't the better team. We had, we may have had the better lineup, maybe, but the better team won. And it was pretty obvious post game, it became blatantly obvious that we were a collection of all stars and guys that wanted it. Pretty much. We'll be better to get a gold medal than a silver medal. But we weren't willing to run through a wall like it felt like Venezuela was. A lot of our Mason Miller is only going one inning. Don't do it again. Oh, Tariq Schoobal drove through the rain, but he's not willing to pitch, but he wants to be there. Venezuela was weeping. We'll get to, they were weeping after the game. That today is a national hot, they wanted it more. But that's different than being the better team. No, I don't mean team as in roster. I mean, team as in include all the intangibles and specialness that it takes to be a real team. They, there was a, they were talking about being a family. It was a nice, all star team. I did not like, yes, yes, Roman Anthony and Aaron Judge and Bryce Harper are now, they're now brothers. I didn't feel like, so I don't think they felt like that. I don't know how much that can, you're right in that they, their manager called and said, look, we're going to use these guys. So I'll give you that. But look, I think your point, the better team, we can't sit here. Major League Baseball is the best league we think we haven't played Japan, but I think it's the best league. It's got people all over the world. Yes. You can't sit here confidently and say America is the best baseball country. I mean, there are other other countries the DR might have had the best team. Here in Japan might have had the best team. Yeah. Venezuela won it. So the only counter punch to your point is everything you're saying about Venezuela about how much it, there was something to the international, particularly Latin American players saying this is bigger than the world series. Yeah. And none of the American players seemed to feel that way. But all of that was true for the DR who we beat two days ago. Yeah. You know what I mean? And so I, that's not like a, you know, a cure all to winning the games. It was an even more so for Venezuela than the DR team because Venezuela's almost all the stars on the DR team are stars in Major League Baseball. Venezuela has some stars in Major League Baseball and they, and also some guys that play in Japan and play elsewhere. This was for them the biggest moment in their country's baseball history by a lot. And for a lot of those guys it was, and they also obviously Venezuela right now is, listen, we're not geopolitical experts on the show, but they are, their nation is going through a very tough time in, you know, just a week ago. Of course. And about trying to bring joy to the nation, like there is a power of that. Absolutely. That I don't think could be translated for the American. It's great to see. Yes. The country needed it and we needed it too. Yeah. Excellent. All right. Venezuela's first WBC championship. Entire series was electric, TV ratings records, attendance records, and a final game that encapsulated the passion around the tournament. Here's Suarez post game. Nobody believed in Venezuela, but now we win the championship today and need it's a celebration for all the Venezuelan country. This team is awesome. We are family here. That's why we play with passion. We love because we, we feel that they dirty. We feel our country in front of us. It was just amazing post game interview. How will you remember the world baseball classic? Well, it's hard not to say the emotions from some of the other teams, particularly Venezuela, won't be the defining thing because it could be that. But for me, it's just going to be, this is, I think for me and for most Americans, the first time this WBC really felt like a big deal, like a big event. And obviously we wanted to win it badly, not as much as some of the other teams, but it meant something to us for the first time. I kind of feel like, and I think Nick, I'll remember it as the first of, like I think going forward, this is going to be a big event. And I think we're going to continue to send our best guys, try to win this thing. And so I look, I look back at team USA basketball. When we were, our college team was winning every year, every four years. It wasn't a big deal. All right. Well, it was a big deal because it was college guys, it was a little closer. But once they started losing, then it became bigger. We sent the redeem team or the dream team. The dream team was a big deal. Right. But, but through the rest of the 90s and the dream team, it was a joke. And it was like, I will hardly watch the games because we were winning by 50 points. Then again, we start losing. And then we had the redeem team and it made it more and even this year or last time was a big deal with LeBron, Steph, KD. So I think the fact that we didn't win that we're, we've only won one out of six. Yeah. I think that's just going to even make it even bigger. And so I'll remember this as like, this was the first one that really launched the WBC. I have three words. Joy, happiness and fun. It was just an excellent event all around. And I have some recommendations I'd like to get your take on. Number one, Major League Baseball, more instruments involved. Yeah, that was big in the crowd in Japan. We need instruments. In high school, we've got instruments. Everybody knows it. In college base, college basketball, college football, we got full on bands there. We go to pro football, nothing's happening. Go to pro baseball, there's no instruments, more instruments. Number two, more celebrations. The idea of like the bat flip, that is obviously a avenue for people to show their personalities and their full cells. And it's just great. Like who's against bat flip? Did you read Passon's column today? No, it's about that. Oh good. You'd love it. Like it speaks to that. Was it about the using an espresso as a noisemaker? No, like I want the whole thing. No, Passon thinks that the reason bat flips became somewhat acceptable in Major League Baseball was the world baseball classic 20 years ago. And seeing that and like that helped kind of remove some of the unwritten rules from baseball because we saw how other countries celebrate. So in a serious note, baseball has a unique challenge of when it comes to celebrations. In basketball, you can have a lot of aura. Anthony Edwards can have a lot of aura, let's say. Anthony Edwards is going to be good every night, regardless. Anthony Edwards can play on like a sprained ankle and he's still going to give you 20. He's never going to go into a slump. In baseball, you can go into a long slump and it's like, man, why are you so that's what you get for celebrating. So you kind of have to wrap your arms around celebrating overall. Also in basketball, if you do three goggles, nobody can throw a 95 mile an hour baseball. So we're getting closer. The Red Sox have like a big green monster helmet, but more celebrations. Let these guys show their full personalities more. So I'm kind of in a similar place and I realized when I was about to the reason I had wanted you to go was I felt myself getting oddly emotional for a second and I didn't want to. But I'm going to try to make a profound, seemingly profound point. Okay. So I think it is foolish to pretend all people are the same. Absolutely. Like human beings all share a humanity and I think we all share a core moral fiber and you know, those things. But within America, like black people and white people generally go to church a little differently, have weddings a little differently. I mean, there are different cultural things that are totally fine. But ultimately, what we're doing at church or what we're doing at our weddings or we're doing at Thanksgiving is the same. We just have different cultural signifiers to go along with it. The world and part of this might be because I went to that game in Japan, but seeing how the Latin American players celebrate and enjoy and play baseball and then seeing how the Japanese players celebrate and enjoy and play baseball and the crowds and then the different American players while all literally striving for the same goal while all literally playing the same sport. I don't know why I found it really special and I thought it was a nice reminder for all of us during very, let's call it tumultuous times, that the superficial parts can be so different while we're all doing the same thing and hoping for the same thing. And I thought that was really cool. I thought it was really something to it. And I also, and that's why I'm kind of glad the underdog won. The underdog Venezuela won. It did mean more to them. And I think, and I got to think, because Bryce Harper watched him celebrate and then talked in Passon's column about he wanted to win, but how he was happy for them. And I do think there is an element of learning from each other's cultures and celebrations, being like, oh, that's fun. I like that. I don't like that. I don't know. Like I said, it just, it really did mean something to me in a way international sports can bring us together and remind us that we're very different in certain ways while all being kind of the exact same. That's great. My takeaway. That was excellent. Oh, thanks. I told you, I went to, it really was a work trip. That's what you're working on. Are people sleeping on the Broncos? That's next on First Things First in Fox Sports Channel on series 6M. Pro's number one most trusted app based on August 2024 proprietary survey. Over 500,000 new listings every month based on average new for sale and rental listings February 2024 through January 2025. Join Fox in supporting our troops from daily needs to global emergencies. Help us be there for those who serve. Scan the QR code or visit go.fox. red cross and donate to service to the armed forces. Welcome back to the show. Former almost Raven Max Crosby detailed the contract that wasn't on his podcast. Long story short, weird stuff. The Baltimore visit left him confused and quote livid. Here's Max with the most ironic podcast set ever. Take a listen. It was good. This is the thing, bro. Like I don't, I'm, everyone's got their own theory, conspiracy theory. No one really will ever admit at either side what the real truth is. We ate lunch, we chilled for a little bit. I'm chilling on my phone. I'm like, what the f*** is going on, bro? I'm sitting there waiting for a call. I can't even sit still. Call CJ back. He hits me. He's like, yo, they're backing out. And it's crazy because their guy like called me, one of the Ravens guys called me and was like, yo, we're trying to figure this out. You know, we're going to get this done. Don't worry. Like five minutes later, CJ calls me. It's like, they're backing out. I'm like, holy so I'm like frozen. I'm like, what the f*** I'm livid, confused the whole nine on one. Does this change your view of the trade that wasn't? Well, first let me say this, because this is, this was really the first emotion I felt listened to. It's a great listen. I was thinking when, when they, when he, he said, and people, we didn't play the whole thing, but when he, he was, it was hours, he was at the facility for hours before he met the GM, Eric DeCosta and the head coach, Jeff, I'm gone. I'm gone. Okay. I think we just said five. Was it five hours? Did he say the wall? He said, he said he was there an hour before the physical and so, and he still hadn't met him. So, and then, then he has the physical and then meet some later. But like the fact that go ahead. So what I'm thinking when he, I was just, when he finally met him, he said the energy was off. And they said like, we don't know how to say this, but our doctors have some concerns about your, you know, your knee and what we saw. I was putting my thinking to him and he said it. He was terrified. Imagine at that point, he's really thinking, is my knee really jacked up? Like, am I never going to be the same? You know, and he still may have those thoughts. He talked to his doctor, he reassured him, but he still may have those thoughts. So I was just thinking, I felt for him. Yeah. Cause I was like, in that moment, he probably was really like, were you out of career? Like, yeah, yeah. So, but honestly, to answer your question, this just bolstered. Now, I get the skepticism and maybe they did just, you know, think about it for a few days and say, wow, we giving up two firsts for a guy 29 coming off injury. Maybe that, I get that. And maybe that's what happened. But my view is that their doctors really saw something that maybe another team will pass, but for their doctors, it was something. And the reason I say that I'm bolstered in that belief is because I think when he was at the facility and it was a long time before the man, I think they're talking to the doctors like, what do you, there's a problem and then start thinking how, what are we going to do? Like, how do we get out of this? This is why you were a great guy, Chris Prasad. I'm just saying, I mean, it might be, it might, that might be it. But I mean, look, they're adults, they're a great organization. I know they, before they, they're not a great organization. I think he's, I think Wilde's might be worried the great organization went to the giants. Like, well, Harbaugh is a great guy. Right. That, that, that, I mean, how much, this whole, this whole ordeal was not a strike in the great organization. No, no, but, but I'm saying, when I say great organization, I mean, they thought about, before they made this trade, they thought about, are we really going to do, oh yes, right? They brainstormed, they came to an agreement. So for them to then, all of a sudden get coffee, unless you think they saw some of the media comments and they, or they found out the price was lower than they thought. So here, according to chef today, have been talking with trade, but I, let me, let's say this lastly, the Cowboys doctor was one of the doctors that analyzed the scans. And the fact that the Cowboys never, you know, decided not to get back in it from what we know, no other teams are trying to trade for Crosby. So I just think they're, I think they saw something that maybe made them say, you know what, in three years, he's not going to be the same player. Might be great this year, not in three years. And then they, they pulled out. So the, the part of it that to me, I classify, there were two things that I classified as actual news. One might be petty and silly, and the other is noteworthy. The petty and silly one is this, I'm surprised they did not fly him private there. When he got on the plane, he, he is about to become the second highest paid player in franchise history. They have traded two first round picks for him. And they know, because Baltimore is not a huge hub that if you want to fly commercial direct from Vegas, you have to go to DC. And so they, they said, you know what, 30 grand to charter a private plane, not going to do it. We'll put your first class and then have your ride for two hours. They flew him back private, but I, right. And so no, no, I think the Raiders flew him back private. Oh, really? Is that, is that, I, that part, I don't know. I know he flew back. I think I, I read the Raiders. I thought, I thought he might have flown himself back. But they should have flown him. But so that was just noteworthy. And by the way, I just wanted, I've never flown private in my life. I'm not like acting like, oh, first class, but, but typically for something like this, absolutely. That struck me as odd, particularly because they knew he was then going to have to take a two hour car ride from DC. With your knee. Right. Yeah. That was extra noteworthy to me when I then found out, according to Crosby, he did not see Dacosta or the new head coach, Jesse Minter, the first hour he was in the building, pre physical. So whatever discussion they're doing post physical, before their doctors have seen the knee, the head coach and the GM don't meet him. Like that, that part to me was stunning. Should have greeted him on the tarmac. Right. And not on that. So that is, that's the first thing where I'm like, wait, were they, did they really have cold feet before they saw the scans? Because that thing gets my other point, which is I don't know what acceptable rules on passing a physical should be for a player that is very recent post surgery where you know he's not technically going to be able to pass. Like they knew he had had major surgery nine weeks ago or seven weeks ago. So he wouldn't be able to pass a physical in the sense like a guy would have to pass it, the trade deadline to play next week. That just feels so nebulous on what is totally subjective. It's subjective is maybe he, I mean, the Raiders probably would pass him on the same physical. Right. But like, and so like that, so KW, that to me is, I have not been big on the conspiracy theory gets thrown around too much on the idea cold feet. Yeah, that they got cold feet. So you don't think that's what they pulled out? I have not been big on that, but I am stunned. The GM and the head coach weren't the first people he saw when he walked into the building. They should have had a seller like they have for Jesse Mincer when he walked into building and everybody's waiting. That's why they should have had that thought. Now, again, if they were mulling it over, like we may not do that. Maybe they got cold feet. You still should treat him with that type of respect. And even now, I'm not saying have the celebration with all the people in the organization, but the coach and GM should have been there to greet him at the front door, if not at the airport or wherever. I agree with that. They should have treated him much better than that. Just walking up to random like you got the code for the bathroom. Here's the thing, if they got cold feet, they got that's fine. There's a snack machine down the hall. There's a change machine there too if you have dollars. It doesn't take cards. All right, we had a data digested gin, waddle trade to Denver. We all like the move. Odds makers, however, said, eh. Odds in the West, Chiefs Chargers and Broncos in third place. Over under for Denver is nine and a half. Chiefs and Chargers 10 and a half. So it's not a huge shift. No, it's close. But third place is third place. They won 14 games last year. But so the Chiefs or the Broncos deserve more respect. I'm surprised at how quickly some, you know, NFL fans and media have just, not Vegas hasn't, but some have just been like, okay, the Chiefs are clearly like, they have Mahomes, so they should be in the mix. But they're not, they're not, you know, they're no nothing special. I'm surprised by that. And I think the team that prior to last year had been to five of seven Super Bowls. And while Brew correctly points out the last couple years, Mahomes's stats were down, but they won 15 games. The team wasn't down. You know what I mean? Because this is not a specific just a mom's conversation. The team was not down when they went 15 and won, and then lost the Super Bowl the year before when they went, I guess they were down 11 when they went 11 and five or six, but they then won the Super Bowl. And so I think the Chiefs, let me put it like this. I think there is, and I believe in the Broncos to a degree. I said, I liked the trade and I begrudgingly gave them the respect as it went on. But I think the Broncos year is more likely to be, I guess, I think both years last year were a little bit of a fluke. The Broncos more so. I think the Chiefs year, I don't want to call it a fluke. They deserve to be a bad team. But there was an outlier year in the negative way. I think the Broncos year is probably going to be a bit of an outlier in the 14 wins major positive way. If that's, you know what I mean? So I don't think they're 14. Right. I think the Chiefs still deserve to be the favorites at the very least in their own division, which they are. Yeah, I don't. And I'm, I think the only reason to believe in the Chiefs is the history, which is a legitimate reason. I mean, it's not ancient history. It's recent. But that 15 and one year, a lot of their games were close and strange things happened. They made it happen. The Black field goal of the Broncos and all that. And then they got annihilated in the Super Bowl. And then last year, they were just bad. I mean, they started out okay. At one point, we thought, okay, the Chiefs are back. And then it just went downhill. And even with Mahomes, they were six and eight. So I just, I think the reason to think that, believe more in the Chiefs than the Broncos is their pedigree. And Mahomes is in his prime, but Mahomes is coming off a serious knee injury. And so they haven't done anything in the receiving group to, you know, help him out. We don't even know if their best receiver is going to be there, Rishi Rice. Kelsey's back. That's nice, but he's older. Well, you think made the bigger addition, Kenneth Walker or Jalen Wilde? Kenneth Walker is a good addition. I think that's a good addition. But I don't, that, you can argue that was his biggest Jalen Wilde. But I don't think Kenneth Walker is like, I mean, he's not one of the elite running backs in the league. I don't think he's one of the three or four best. I think they, I agree with that. He's a good running back. I just don't think that it was a good addition. They needed a running back. But I just, I think, look, the Broncos were better last year. The Broncos beat them twice last year, beat them. I know the one two years ago was when the starter sat, but had a chance, had them down, almost beat them before that, but for a Blackfield goal. And then added Jalen Wilde. Broncos, I think, have the better defense versus the run, versus the pass. They get more sacks offensively. Both teams have weren't good last year. I mean, and Mahomes, look, I hope Mahomes returns the form, but I've shown this before. But look, the last three years, he hasn't been the Patrick Mahomes that we all have come to know and love. And so coming off a knee injury without adding to their receiving core, is he going to be the old Mahomes again? I think there's a question mark there. I'd like to see one more move on the offense. I think, I mean, well, the draft will be huge and we'll see what they do in the draft. You think it's off? I mean, well, I mean, I think the, I think the Chiefs have two first round picks now. The Broncos have none. Like, so that's, you know, a piece of it. Michael Rubin joins us to talk about the Fanatics flag football game coming up this weekend. But first, David Ortiz closes out the WBC. Take a listen. I gotta give you one more thing right here. Only, only the international assessing at this. Mato. The all new 2026 Toyota RAV4 is here, building on everything drivers know and love about Toyota, with a redesigned look and modern tech that makes life behind the wheel easier than ever. The new RAV4 comes standard as a hybrid, providing smooth, efficient performance for both city streets and longer journeys. Enjoy the legendary reliability Toyota is known for in the all new 2026 RAV4. Learn and shop more at Toyota.com. Toyota, let's go places. Brady is back on the field for the Fanatics flag football classic. It will be on Fox star studded three team round Robin tournament featuring the best in the game Saturday at four on Fox. Joining us now for all the details is Michael Rubin. Michael, thank you for joining us. What can we expect from the flag football game coming up? Well, first, Tom Brady is guaranteed me that his team is going to win, and then he's going to be MVP. Excellent. Oh, wow. He did that with me, the Fanatics games last summer, Fanatics Fest. I didn't believe him. I 100 people he won. He showed why he was MVP, but I think what you can expect is an incredible demonstration of flag football. I mean, look, flag football is one of the fastest growing sports in the world. It's so exciting. Obviously going to be here in the Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles. We've got so many of the top NFL stars and best athletes in the world to play in this game. And I couldn't be more excited for it also to have Team USA, who is the best flag football team in the world against two, you know, primarily NFL based teams. That's going to make it really exciting. People are going to take this very seriously. This is not, you know, going to be like your average flag football game. I mean, there's a lot of smack being talked right now and people are very serious about winning this game. Oh, I listen, I don't doubt at all that Team USA flag football is going to take it seriously. We heard some of them chirping about a year ago when people were like, would Patrick Mahone's play quarterback in the, in the, in the, in the, in the NFL? Yeah. He's my guy was like, no, he can't win my spot. Look, the guy can move. I understand the guy flag football is not tackle football. I understand that. So I know they're going to take it seriously. I also feel like Michael that Tom Brady, I think he loves working with us at Fox. I think he loves what he's doing with the Raiders. I also think maybe at least once a week, he wakes up and he's like, should I come back? Yeah. There's not a more competitive human being that I know. And there's nothing I enjoy more than the typical banter and haze that goes on between the two of us. He is so excited for this game. He was so excited to return to the field. I got to tell you something. I can't wait to see how it plays out. I wish that I put aside all the responsibilities that we have in putting this incredible, you know, flag football competition together. I can just watch it as a fan because it's going to be so fun to see Tom Brady on the field, partnered with Jalen Hertz, Joe Burrow together with Jaden Gales. I mean, you got four of the best NFL quarterbacks going at it. Then together with the USA flag guys, and you got so many other great stars in this game. It's going to be an absolute blast. We're doing it at BMO Stadium, which is where the Lippus will be played for LA 28, four flag football. Hopefully, I think the stadium is going to be packed. You can still get some tickets at the Ticketmaster who's coordinating this for us in the Fnatic's flag football. If you just Google that, take it right there. So we want everyone out there to see it live, see if the smack talk is going to be as good as I think it's going to be. But, you know, right after Brady was hitting those records with Jimmy Fallon, he called and said, man, I could still kick the, I could still put any of these jump strings. You know, and what I've heard is, you know, he said, I like beating Heisman Trophy winners. I do that. That's like easy light work for me. And, you know, I was with Joe Burrow and Vegas last weekend. He said, Tom just came up to me and literally said, he's going to kill me. He said, I've been thinking about that. I said, you're thinking about that. So Joe's like, I'm killing him. So there's going to be some serious competition going on out here. So I can't wait to see it. Well, that kind of leads me to a legitimate question, which is, do you think Brady, if he plays the way he believes, and I think we believe he can, he's going to play on Saturday, might seriously consider trying to play for the US Olympic team in 2028 and flag football? Look, I don't want to speak for Tom. What I could tell you is I believe that today he'd be a top quarterback in the NFL if he wanted to play. I see him practice. He's been sending me videos. He's still at an elite level. He's in great shape. Even though I try to do things to course without being great shape, you can't break Tom Brady. I try to put some desserts in front of him, try to do some other things to be bad. He's not breakable. All right, Michael. Look, with all due respect to Team USA, I got to be honest, I don't want to see them out there beating some of our best NFL players. Now, I don't know how much of them you've seen Team USA, but do they really have a shot to go out there and beat a team led by Tom Brady or Joe Burrow or whoever? By the way, think about the four quarterbacks. If you have Tom Brady and Jaylen Hertz who won eight Superballs together, leading one team, Joe Burrow and Jayden and Daniels who are incredible quarterbacks, future the NFL leading another team, but I'm going to tell you something crazy and I shouldn't put this out, but I was just talking to the CEO of our fanatic sports betting business. He said that preliminary lines, he thinks that USA Flank football would be about a six point favorite over the NF2, primarily NFL based teams. I was like, what? So I didn't believe it, but my betting game business just told me a couple hours ago, they think that the lines are going to be that the USA Flank football team will be a six point favorite give or take over the two primarily NFL based teams. Now of course, I called Brady right away, talked a lot of smack and he told me the guys have no shot. This is the dumbest thing he's ever heard. He hoped there was a sports book on bankrupt. I look, I'm going to support Tom Brady through thick and thin. I'm riding with Team USA football. I think it's play calling. I think it's plays. I think it's look the linebackers and the Miles Garrett, Derwin James, Keekley, Tyron, Vaughn Miller and Jaylen Ramsey. I don't know how many flags they've pulled. I'm just saying pulling flags is an art in moving around. Let me just say this. I know there's going to be a big practice tomorrow morning, a big practice on Friday. They're going to make sure they know how to pull flags. But let me ask you guys a question because I want to put you guys on record right now. Each one of you guys, who's winning? Let's make the picks right now. Brady's taking this. I'm taking Brady. Well, is Brady, we don't know who else on the team. Brady is going to have Gronk. Here's what I'm saying. Brady has to have Gronk. If Brady has Gronk, they're winning. Gronk is motivated. Brady has no chance tonight. The draft is tonight. It's 730 PST, 1030 EST. I think you're going to be able to live on the Fanatics YouTube channel. You're going to be able to watch it live on the NFL's YouTube channel. It's going to be all over social. If there's one thing to say, there's no chance that Brady's not picking Gronk on his team. By the way, Gronk may not be as good a shape as he used to be, but that's a big dude and he knows how. Brady throws up off. I don't see how Gronk's not catching it. Jayden Dales and Joe Burrow, my first pick, Gronk. Oh, you mean just school? Right, right, right. What? And then Brady has to go to Devonte. So I'm going with Brady's team. Why I'll just go on with the 5'7 Black Football. I like Ducet. Do we have video of the Ducet? They better not. So you've got team USA. I got you. I'm going with Jayden and Joe Burrow. Wow. Jayden Dales, Joe Burrow. Here's my seat about you guys. You're a great team. You're going to make sure somebody's right. All right, the draft is tonight. The game is on Sunday. It's four o'clock or Saturday on four o'clock. The draft is tonight Saturday, four p.m. Check it out. And one of us will be right. No, it's all good. Michael, have a great weekend. Have a great draft. Thank you very much for everything. And also, hey, shout out for Fanatics sending the USA Hockey jerseys to team USA. That was great. Wonderful. I loved every minute of it until we didn't get the right outcome last night. I could not have been rooting for the team USA harder. But you know, I heard, you know, we have deals with both Jack Hughes and PCA and they're each friendly with each other. We have their exclusive Fanatics partners. And we're also the exclusive partner for all the team, you know, USA for the USA Hockey team for their merchandise. So I know that they brought the jerseys to us in the Florida facility. We quickly got, I think it was like 36 jerseys to the guys to where they all gave each jersey. That was cool. And the only thing was I wanted them holding the gold medals. It was, it was, it was still a cool moment of camaraderie. So it was great. Incredible. All right. Fly football classics Saturday at four on Fox. Thank you, Michael. Thanks, Mike. Thanks, guys. Did you know only 6% of people are getting enough fiber? That's why Quaker created fiber February, a month long movement to show your gut a little more love. It's like dry January, only easier and more delicious. Quaker has over a hundred delicious options that are a good source of fiber. So go buy Quaker Oats today and join the fiber February movement for a healthy gut. Live from New York, it's a show that believes in team USA hockey, baseball, flag football. If they beat these NFL players, all of the American NFL, all of the NFL players playing the flag football thing are American as well. But they're not on team USA. They might be in 2028. Then I will root for that team. I like for the stars. Yeah, I root for the stars and stripes. Okay. And also when he does the little dip and all sunny, like Brady is gonna work. Yeah, no kidding. Yeah. Well, you're picking again. Second hour. First things first. Today we deliver our March Madness Pits. Meanwhile, World Cup Wednesday. It's our debut. We got our roster. What's the biggest takeaway as we get ready for our friendlies against Belgium in Portugal? Well, let me get you caught up to speed on what's been going on last night in the NBA. Last night while desperately trying to stay awake from a delayed jet like working hard, an elite committee of analysts, Samants and flag football experts fought and toiled and burned the midnight oil to deliver the best segment in all of sports television. It's an honor and a privilege. It's time for NBA tears. Thank you so much, Kevin Wilds, for the great introduction. Oddly, not dripping with sarcasm or personal shock. No, I decided to change my tune. Thank you, buddy. You were out there working hard. Exactly right. I appreciate it. I'm glad you finally recognize that. Unfortunately, I have some sadness. For the first time in a while, we have some fresh eliminations. Oh, and it's quite a few because 10 teams are no longer trying. It's a third of the league. Can we reveal the eliminations? The box, who the story there is, they've said to Yanis, can you not come back from the injury? And Yon's like, I'm coming back. But you like it or not? Can't give it to me that easy. The only one trying on the holes have been eliminated. The grizzlies have been eliminated. The mavs have been eliminated. Kings, Pacers, Nets, Wizards, Pelicans, Jazz have been eliminated. Opening the beam was a big deal. The nick, it was a big deal. It was a big deal and they were going to beat the Warriors and then Deer and Fox broke his finger and then I shed a tear on the air and then they traded him away and they haven't the same since then. Time for the tears. Once again, cancel the play. Here's what I mean and I'm being serious on this. Playing should not exist if you're below 500. If you're below 500, you shouldn't get an extra chance to make the playoff. Well no, in the East this year everyone's above 500. Like so. Hornets are 35, 34. Yeah, I do like the Hornets. But the Warriors and we don't need like the Suns and the Clippers are legitimate playoff teams. The Warriors and the Blazers are not. And the fact that one of those two teams is going to have a one game sample against one of the other two teams to make the playoffs. I'm just not a huge, in certain years it can make sense, but I don't think you need it if the teams are below 500. That's all I would say. It's an added rank. Don't hate it. It's fair. It's not bad. Fire up NBA TV. I don't know which of these teams are going to be in the playoffs, whichever ones they are. I know where their games are going to be. I know where you can find. Jalen Johnson in the Hawks or Scotty Barnes in the Raptors. We're top 10 player Bam at a mile in the E. Like one of those high school cameras, just a fish eye lens. No cuts. I just know where we're going to be able to watch those games. It's hard these days. You don't always know. Peacock those are going to be on NBA TV. One can hope. You can hope that the Hornets get in that this team, they've cooled a bit as of late, but the team they showed they could be for a couple months might throw a scare in one of the top East Seeds. And you can hope, hey, there's usually about four weeks of season brew where the Sixers are fully healthy. What if those four weeks are four? That's a lot. What if those one? All right, two weeks. Very dangerous. Right. But if all the health lines up, I wouldn't want to play that team. And indeed, it's going to be rested come the playoffs. You listen, one can hope. No easy outs. That's for the top teams in the West. Thunder Spurs, you both won 60 games. I think they're going to Thunder certainly. You've basically locked up a top two seed two months ago. Your congratulations. You play in the first round against a Clippers team that after the six and eight, 21 start has been sensational and wise playing the best basketball he's played in his 30s or a Sun's team that has Devon Booker humming and might at that point have Dylan Brooks back again. I think the Spurs and Thunder will win their first round series no matter who they're playing, but it's not. I don't think those are sweeps. I don't think those are easy. You know, just show up for a quarter series. We've seen this move. A Rockets team that just can't get over the hump. A Timberwolves team that's good, but not quite good enough for a Cavs team that has no real shot of making the finals and Lesla Brown James is on the team. Yeah, we've seen this movie. And sadly, it's where I think we are with all three of these teams again. The Timberwolves were the one team on this line that I had the most faith in. But now we find out Anthony Edwards, not that he's going to be back in one to two weeks, reevaluated in one to two weeks, which is basically assigns them the six seed. Now maybe you might say, okay, well, if the Lakers are the three, there's six, they beat them last year. Lakers are three and oh against them this year. I don't think that would be great for them. They're they I don't think they have to worry about falling to the seven, but still not ideal. Quietly lurking. Knicks and Nuggets. Here would be the argument for the Knicks and the Nuggets. They both knew pretty early this year. All right, we're not going to end up being the number one seed in our conference and our season is going to be defined by how we do in the playoffs. And they just haven't fully locked in because we know the Nuggets are championship caliber in theory. Now I know they're not the exact same team that won the championship, but same three best players. And I know it's a new head coach, but their head coach was on that staff. And the Knicks have been building to this moment, really the last three years, certainly the last two years. And I don't I wouldn't be thrilled to see them on the other side of my playoff series. But they also haven't been it's hard to find two months for this season where like man, that team looks like team is going to win the title. Obvious flaws, but maybe the Lakers obvious flaws. Are they really going to be able to defend well? Marcus Smart's doing his best LeBron's doing better. I just read an article today about how actually Lucas defense is improved. That second one. You know, when you look at the really advanced Lucas really good. And the Pistons, other than Kate Kenningham, can anyone just get their own shot, get a bucket? But maybe the Pistons are going to be the one seat. The Lakers do have Luka Donchich and a top two all time player as their third best guy. So maybe reservations for June. The thing I am most certain about in the NBA at this moment for this season is that the Celtics are making the plans. Wow. I'm more confident about that than any other individual playoff prediction. Now are they going to win the championship? They're my pick, but they're going to be an underdog in the finals unless there's a major upset in the West. I understand that, but I just don't see who in the East, if we assume Tatum's only going to get better from where he's at right now. And if you just guaranteed me Tatum's going to be where he's at right now, I think they'd be the favorite. The Celtics as presently constituted are the favorite, but maybe that's what brings them. I don't know why they can beat the Knicks. We just saw it with a healthy Tatum most of the time. They were going to win that series. The Knicks? Oh yeah, well that was, listen, and I picked the Knicks if you remember to win that series. I just think they're different teams. I think Jaylen Brown is better this year. I think the Celtics role players are better. I think Mikhail Bridges is sneaky way worse. At least he's in a slump right now, but so we'll get to that later. And then atop the tears two teams with a question. Is this our next great rivalry? Thunder Spurs. Is this what the rest of the decade's going to be about? The Thunder and the Spurs. Wimby and Shea, those great organizations, the great supporting cast, all the draft capital both of those teams still have. The assets, the youth. Is this just going to be a back and forth atop the West where we end up feeling like the Western Conference Finals are a de facto NBA Finals? Maybe, or maybe one of them gets upset early in these playoffs and we don't even get it this year, but that's the question I have and those, Brew, are the latest tears. They are pretty good. And the answer to your question at the time, I do think that's clearly the next great rivalry in the league. I think that will be the Kobe Shack Lakers versus the Duncan Spurs. Like, where every year they were going at it, the Lakers broke up early. So I think because Kobe Shack, so I think this will be obviously a lot longer. Both teams are incredibly young. Yeah, I mean, this is going to be great. But I guess I would say it's unfortunate they're in the same conference, but maybe not. We'll just get to the Western Conference. I mean, you mentioned they broke up early, but despite that, Brew, those two teams won five consecutive championships. The Spurs won in 99-03 and the Lakers won the middle three. And so it's, you know, the thing about the Spurs is they're one of the question marks. Obviously, there's the inexperience, but their three point shooting was a question mark. They have improved it. This calendar year, January was only 32%. February was 37%. And March is 39%. If they're hitting threes, it's going to be very tough. Literally, the only question is inexperience. And that's a legit question. You know, we'll see if that fails them. I am Nick. I like the tiers, but I'm going to put the Nicks and the Nuggets on the tier above alongside the Lakers and the Pistons. Look, if the Lakers and the Nuggets meet, if they're to meet in the playoffs, that's going to be a tough series to pick. I might pick the Nuggets. I'm not sure, but the Nuggets, look, Aaron Gordon is back. He's only been back five games, but he's hitting 40% from three. All right. So we know he's going to bring, he's going to get better as he's healthier. I see y'all eyeing each other. No, that's a fireable. You got to, we got to let somebody go. We have to let somebody go. Bro, it's the bar. You let, here's a nugget. I'm nixing, nix, nix spot. Someone's got to go. Y'all know that's not me. We got to let somebody go. I'm sorry. I had no idea. And what, and it's the bottom line, bold, like, move to your end. It just, it just strikes the bruise. Otherwise, great. We let the audience know who it is too. It's hubs. No, that's dusty. I think. No, hubs does the puns. What? Hubs going to get in my ear and say some pun. That's bad. All right, Bruce. Sorry. I'm done. Now let me go and go. Look, the Aaron Gordon, I think he's going to just keep getting better. That's true. Have you seen him from three? I mean, it's unbelievable. Yeah, it really is incredible. That is a reinvention of a player because that used to be the thing that was worse. Yes. Yes. Now, and he's almost automatic from that corner. Why is guy pointing the watch and should be back at some point? He'll be back in a week. So, yeah, I think the nuggets are going to get better. The nix, look, nix are five and three, Nick, against OKC, San Antonio, the Lakers and Denver. I didn't put Boston in because now they got Tatum back. So it's different. No, but the nix, that says if the nix were to make the finals, they played well against the Western team. They really have. And I, like you said, while they beat that Celtics team, like I'm not saying they would definitely beat them this year because, you know, sometimes it's different. Yeah. Yeah. But they certainly have a shot. I think the next kryptonite is Detroit. And right now they would play Boston in the second round and be able to avoid Detroit until the conference finals or maybe Cleveland could, in their eyes, they'd hope Cleveland could knock out Detroit. I think the nix are the only team to beat Wimby in the last month and a half because aren't the Spurs 20 and two in their last 22. Yeah. And one of those losses came without Wimby. And the other one was a game I was at, was at MSG against the nix. So like the, they might be disappeared. Yeah. So it's, so that is something. They played. What did Hubs say in he hasn't come up with it yet? I don't know if he's putting stuff in a square cardboard box. Hubs, that's just way too, I thought that was dust. Who do you have in the West? He hasn't decided. In pencil. In pencil, just going just in pencil. I'm hoping for the Spurs. And I look, I've seen, obviously I've covered this league for decades. I have seen seasons where regular season, a team swept another team, met them in the playoffs and lost. Like, so you can't always go by that. But have that graphic. I have that graphic. Okay. I had no idea because I also am hoping for the Spurs, but I don't think you really believe in the Spurs. And you guys have tagged me with like, Oh, wilds, you're a fool. No, we're a clown. You only pick repeat champions. You picked the planning champs, even though it's football and cheese, okay, see, it's not my fault. It's what I'm saying that we haven't had a repeat champion in seven years. This is unbelievable. We're due. We are due. Here's the sign of a good franchise. If you're like McDonald's, you know, it's good franchise Burger King. You can go to Bangor main, and then you can go to San Diego, California, order a Big Mac. Tastes exactly the same. The standard in the quality of the franchise travels. Here's okay sees defense this year and last year. Exactly. That's unbelievable. Defensive rating 107.5 opponent field goal percentage 43.6 championship year 43.5 actually got better. Yeah. Defensive rebounds per game 34.2 34.5. They get a third more of a rebound somehow. Yeah. I think it's a tip. Handle ball. Then it's the well, actually, well, actually, they've been losing a good teams. That was before the all star break. And I think this lends itself to the let's lock in theory. Long season, 173 wins was out the window. Maybe they took their foot off the gas. A lot of those are obviously spurs losses. Nine and eight before all star break, eight and one after the all star break. And brew this is your spurs graphic. They haven't had a good time against the spurs. They're one and four against San Antonio. But last year, the Knicks were 014 against the Celtics. They won the Wolves were 013 against Phoenix. They won 4 0. Josh was kind of cherry picking some other stuff. The Dames famous bad shot according to Paul George. What were they 013 against? Okay. Yeah. Okay. See blazers. So there's a few of those in history and brew mentioned it just off the top of his head. I had to do half hours. So I think thunder are going to repeat. I don't know if I should throw my all support. So you guys might like a thunder guy. Should I start buying thunder stuff? You are a thunder guy because of chat. That's first of all, chat. Also a thunder guy because you like dirty play across sports. I mean, you're always yeah, you think it's fine in general. Once brew called pitchframing deception. So is a pump. All right. So breaking news, America breaking news for the fifth straight year. Kevin Wilds thinks the NBA team that won the last championship is just following the data. They've lost every single one of those teams is lost in round two. This episode is brought to you by Kola guard. Do you know what's really scary? Not screening for colon cancer when you turn 45. The Kola guard test is noninvasive requires no special prep or time off work and shifts right to your door. In just three simple steps, Kola guard takes the scare out of colon cancer screening. If you're 45 or older and at average risk, ask your healthcare provider about the Kola guard test. Kola guard is available by prescription only learn more or request a prescription today at Kola guard dot com slash screen. So you've done it all right. You're one of the greatest catchers ever. You've won a world series. Compare what this feels like right now. Oh my god, that's unbelievable. I'm super happy. And now I feel like I can retire. It's a great moment. So I was in Kansas City when Salvi came up for the Royals and he was instantly really good. And listen, a lot of baseball players from, you know, America or otherwise come from very humble beginnings. Salvi came from the Dickensian humble beginnings almost in Venezuela. And he signed one of the most under market contracts imaginable, like a seven year deal to lift his mother out of poverty and his friend family. And he then went on to become one of the greatest players in history, the team they then gave him, you know, he's made a bunch of money post that but took him a long time. And it's just one of my favorite athletes ever. And I believe a legitimate Hall of Famer now, like if he wasn't already, I and I don't know how much technically the world baseball classic is supposed to count, but I think it counts. I think when the voters are it's human beings that are filling it out. And he's got he's just a legendary player for like like the point you made yesterday is historically somewhat true. The best Royals very often Royals for a bit and then leave. He didn't and he won't like he'll be a lifetime one team guy and I'm so happy. So happy. That's great. It would be nice to see him, you know, playing two World Series in Kansas City. I know about you. Maybe get one more. Yeah, maybe this year with the Royals and WBC MVP Michael Garcia. Exactly right. That was true. Afternoon headline sponsored by Ram Trucks built to serve less than 20 hours away from the tournament tipping off Ohio State 8C number 9 TSU or TCU. I don't know what's what I'm talking about. Final four is on April 4th. That works. Time to make our calls for the final four. Nick, you want to kick us off? Yes. My final four is St. John's off the strength of the greatest modern era college basketball coach of all time. The University of Houston six straight sweet 16s. In that stretch they've been to the elite eight. They've been to a final four. They've been to a national championship game and lost. The only thing they haven't done is finished the job last year. They were possession away from winning it. Arizona's been the best team all year. They've lost twice. Once was a road game in Allen Allen Fieldhouse, one of the hardest places to win. And then the very next game in overtime, Texas Tech and Michigan, who their biggest competition in their region is Alabama. Alabama, you know, is going through it a bit right now. Brandy Upsett, I don't remember. What do you mean? I've got Hofstra over Alabama. Oh, I like that. Listen, that's interesting now. I'm starting to develop. I've got a working theory. I don't know if NATO runs the tightest ship down at Alabama. I think we might have to look into it. But I've got, he's just trying to get the dollars, man, no matter what. I've got St. John. I've got Houston, pardon me, playing Arizona in the national championship and Kelvin Sampson in Houston finally breakthrough. And Kelvin Sampson in Houston are the national champion. It'd be nice if they won one. Yes, absolutely. It'd be nice. Kelvin deserves it. It would cement him as all the famous. He's not already in. So yeah. All right. My final four. I've got Duke. I almost went with Kansas. I'm the Duke guy. I've been on Duke all year. I've been on Duke all year. A lot of people are going to pick Duke to go to the final. I was early on it. They really come out of nowhere. But I said it first. I'm just saying I said it first. So what? Because they're my squad. Duke is making the final four. I picked them last year to win it all. And they didn't. So I got Duke in the final. I almost went with Kansas. Darren Peterson been playing consistently lately. But I just don't know if the chemistry will be there enough for them to get out of that region. I do have Houston as you see. I talked about them the other day. The freshman Fleming at the point guard, their defense is spectacular. Arizona in the West and they're there. You know, they've had a great year. There's no question about it. So I think they can get out of there. And then Michigan with their size, I think is going to be a lot to deal with. Now let me take people behind the curtain. Yes, please. Because a lot of people think in shows like this that we just automatically pick different teams. Like, oh, Nick's got them. So let me take so and so. No, obviously. Oh, I can't pick the chiefs because he's picking the chief. No, we pick who we think is going to win. Regardless, regardless of this whether your partner, your host, hold on one second. Hold on one second. Hold on one second. Please. You already just got roasted by me and the Internet, Gianna said, for taking Duke to the final for it when they were my squad. The Internet, technically. If you're about to do what I think you're about to do, you still have time to change your mind. Don't do it. Then we have nothing to talk about. Brew, I want the honest truth. Give it all you owe us is your opinion. Houston is winning the tournament. I'm with good job. Houston is winning the tournament. I love that, Brew. I love that. Kelvin Samson is a great coach. Been to what, three final for us? One with Oklahoma, two with Houston. Yes. It's time. I think he's going to seal the deal this year and win the championship. It feels, here's the thing. It feels a little bit to me. I know I'm mixing metaphors here. Ray Allen hits the shot against San Antonio. Game six. They then lose in game seven. A lot of people, and I myself and I think many others felt like that's going to ruin them for next year. You can't be that close to a championship, have it ripped away, and instead they came back, had the exact same finals matchup and won that final matchup. Right, and crushed Miami. Houston came about as close as you can come to winning a championship without. Three of those five starters are back. You keep mentioning Kingston playing. And then you add the freshman. I totally agree. I think this is their year. You really thought I was going to go with them. Now how you feel, you probably want to switch to Houston. No, I could tell that you were going to go to Houston. I didn't pick you. You thought I was going to go Duke. No, I knew you weren't going to go Duke. You haven't been on Duke all year. I have. I have Duke losing in the sweet 16 to St. John's. So the problem is, Dusty, you want to reveal mine there? I have Duke, but I really like that region. That's why I don't have any time going. I don't have St. John's. I really like St. John's. I really like Michigan State, but as everyone knows, I've been on Duke all year. Even pre-season I was on Duke. I went to the Duke game last year. I said, even though Cooper Flag and Malmwatch and Con Canipa are leaving, I still like this squad. Yeah. Coming up, the margin of victory 19 points, which I like really beating teams. Coming out of South Illinois. I don't hate that pick. I'll be honest with you. A lot of this is just awareness bias from me because my in-laws went to Illinois. We go visit them. Illinois is on a lot and like turns out I like this team. They got a nice fresh. Yeah, they have waggles good. And Zoyakovic is good. They can score. They can play defense. They're big. And the South, inarguably, has the weakest one seed. Like Florida was the, you know, it was a seven loss one seed. And so that's where Bru and I have Houston coming out of. But like that feels more open, so to speak. Then I've got Arkansas coming out of the West. A cuff had 30 against Vanderbilt. He had 49 against Alabama, who I have leaving the tournament. I hope you're right about this one because I thought about Arkansas, but A cuff is just fun to watch. And he's a great. Can he win a few games on his own with a great coach? Yeah, right, right. Exactly. Michigan. I'll go with you. That's mostly a Parkins pick. I didn't like Parkins really likes Michigan. He was great making predictions all through. I'm the Michigan guy. I paid him a lot of money. I know, but Parkins picks have been excellent. And Parkins, for the record, he lost. Don't, don't. Parkins has Michigan and I'm like, well, so we all, he's delivered in a playoff. Chill, Bru. We all have Michigan. We all got them in the fire. Yeah. Don't like any other squad there. No, that's, I'm just saying that's the only you and Bru both have Duke. Bru and I both have Houston other and then we all have Michigan. We obviously have Duke. Yeah. The don't ask me for when I've been saying Duke all along. I've been on Duke for ages. It's been a while since they've their Duke. How about that? We believe in due dates. Duke is due. Coming up next World Cup Wednesday roster reveal 27 man roster. What does that mean for our friendlies coming up? We discuss next. Oh, and Nick has gifts for us. We are counting down the 100 best World Cup moments of all time. We're 85 days away from the World Cup. So here's moment number 85. One man made sure the world would remember Bulgaria. 1994 World Cup. Christo Stoichkov was unstoppable. After upsetting Argentina, the Barcelona star sent Bulgaria to the knockout round round of 16 against Mexico. Stoichkov strikes first and Bulgaria advances on penalties. Next defending champions Germany trailing one to zero in the 75th minute. Stoichkov equalizes three minutes later. Bulgaria sealed the win in the semifinals versus Italy. Despite his sixth World Cup goal, Bulgaria's run ends. Golden boot fourth place Ballon d'Or the same year. 1994 wasn't a breakout. It was Stoichkov at his peak. Good 85 days until the World Cup kicks off on Fox and right here on FS1 and feels like Christmas came early. I've got something pretty cool. Gifts. Oh, well, so let me this is I mean this is a gift to myself, I guess, then I'll give you your guys. This is to show everyone this right here. If I open it up, oh, and then go through here. This amazing box. Yeah, so hold on. Oh, that is so an official team USA. I'm not good at this. Oh, it's got I didn't realize he had stars on it. Stars on it looks awesome. The box is unbelievable. It's the presentation. So bro, I got one. There's yours. No box. Oh, I got the box too. Yeah, you got it says Bruce. Which is like Smith in the bio. That's right. Um, KW you got there it is. Where is the box? You didn't get one, but you got the jersey. It's a great jersey. Yes, it is. Yeah. All right. World Cup Wednesday. Yes, we're going to be every Wednesday. We'll have a soccer guest talk World Cup joining us now. Moe Dewey. Moe, welcome to the show. Welcome to the premiere of World Cup Wednesday. Thanks for joining us. We have the cut down 27 man roster. I some guys I obviously expect to be on the team. So no big surprises. What was your number one takeaway from the cut down? First of all, good to see you guys. And I mean, those jerseys are looking clean. I must say. Nice. Nice to have a box. But yeah, nice. Yeah, they did. They did you dirty there. I'm not gonna lie. But when it comes to the roster, I think everyone's talking about geo rena's inclusion, Johnny Cardoso, but I'm gonna go a different direction. Anthony Robinson is back in the fold. He's been out from the national team. I think his last game was the end of 2024 Nations League game back in November. He's had he's been struggling with injuries, but beyond Christian, beyond Tyler Adam, beyond West McKinney, in my mind, Anthony Robinson is one of the first names on the team sheet. So it's good to have him back on the roster, back fit back playing for his club team and excited to have him being a part of this squad looking towards the World Cup. Moe of the guys who were not included on the roster because of injury, who sticks out to you as someone you would be shocked if they're not actually on the official roster. All right, so the guys who aren't there, Tyler Adams, Haji Wright, Sergio Dess, Diego Luna, to me out of that bunch, Tyler Adams, he wore the captain's arm band for our national team in the last World Cup. To me, Tyler just brings a skill set, a leadership, leadership qualities that are just hard to replace. So I would be shocked, shocked, shocked, shocked if Tyler Adams is down on the roster. Do you think Diego will make it? Because he felt like during some of the exhibitions or the in the lead up that he was becoming a fan favorite that he maybe had earned his way on. Do you think he'll make it? Diego's a close one for me. I'm not going to lie to you, man, because you're right. Diego has this kind of like cult following. He's got this this real personality that he plays with this swagger he plays with that everyone can can buy into and he won over Pochettino during the last Gold Cup, where it becomes tricky for him is guys like Gio were being included. Malik Tillman's in the squad, Christian obviously, Tim Wayak can play in that position. He started off this season in MLS with an injury and that's part of the reason why he's not in this camp. A part of me feels like he's on the outside looking in, but the fact that he impressed Pochettino during the Gold Cup has earned him some cash aid, but he's on the outside looking in, in my opinion right now. So Maurice Poch wants to treat these upcoming friendlies like their real world cup games. How important are these four games for the national team? These four games, these four friendlies is what that what we call them friendlies, but in all honesty, when you're a host nation, you don't play world cup qualifiers. So we didn't play any qualifying games, which is so vital because in those games guys, that's when you look you gel as a team, you go through the ups and downs, you go through difficult games in a way stadiums and really intense and trying atmospheres, we didn't get to experience that. So we've had to play a series of friendlies, but these four final four games, three of the games are against top 10 ranked teams in Germany, in Belgium, in Portugal. And then the final game is against the 12th ranked Senegalese team who I still consider them the Afghan champions, although it's been taken away in recent days. But the other part too, that's pretty interesting. We're playing Belgium. I was doing like a little mock bracket for the World Cup. If everything plays out the way that I think it plays out USA winning our group, Belgium winning their group, that's a potential matchup for us in the round of 16. Oh, that's interesting. My favorite team cut down scene in all of movies is Miracle and her Brooks is trying to make the 1980 hockey team, right? 80 or 84? 80. Oh my god. The Miracle on Ice here? Right, 80. Edit that out. Oh my god. Just making sure. 1980. 1980. I'm sorry. My goodness. That being said, it's still my favorite. Yes, it is. The famous scene is like her Brooks says, I'm not trying to take the best players, I'm trying to make the best team. Is that what you think Pooch is trying to do here? Are you just taking the best players for the cut down or is he trying to get a personality for this team? And what guys would be on the edge either way? Yeah, for Pogchettino, you can't just take the best players because the best players don't always necessarily make the best teams. You need the best group of guys that compliment each other, that have that cohesion, that have some of them that have been battle tested together, that have gone through tough moments together. But ultimately, you want a group that's healthy, that's competitive, that's all working towards the same goal. And I mean, we saw that in the last World Cup where there were some harsh decisions toward the end, some really unpredictable decisions that we didn't see coming, but ultimately, I think they were made with the idea that this is going to be what's best for the group. Pogchettino, he's in a similar situation. He was just asked that question the other day, and that was his answer. So you're spot on. His answer was, yes, I'm picking the best team and not necessarily just the best players. So speaking of best players, I mean, Polisic on fire first half of the season for AC Milan has come back from injury and now has, you know, hadn't had an assist or a goal in like his last 11 games. You think there's any reason for concern? Man, Polisic. Of course, there's always going to be room for concern when your best player is not scoring goal. That being said, Christian's still playing. Christian's still creating chances. Maybe he hasn't been as clinical as we're used to seeing. But when this kid puts on the red, white and blue, he's he's a guy that I never have concern about his effort, the the leadership he brings through his play, as well as the respect that he has amongst his teammates. He's a guy that I think this this couple of games that are coming up against Belgium and Portugal could actually be really valuable for him. A chance for him to get on the scoresheet. If he scores in either of those two games, he goes back into his club with a little bit more confidence, maybe a clinical edge again. And the other part to that, fellows, is that I would rather him have this little if we're going to call it a drought, I'd rather him have that now, January, February, March, and then finish off strong in April and May leading up into the World Cup. Nice. Well, Mo, thank you very much. We'll check back in with you on our next World Cup Wednesday. We've got these friendlies coming up in 85 days to the World Cup kicks off on Fox and FS1. Thank you very much. Thanks, Mo. Thanks, Mo. Appreciate you, fellas. Good seeing you. Yeah, you're first. It's first step to the break. Live from New York, first things first over time today. How will you remember the World Baseball Classic all time tournament that got to another level we discussed? Meanwhile, Danny, fresh episode of Pac Stats making stats cool, featuring an outfit change, a leather jacket he's going to put on himself. Believe it or not, he doesn't put it on himself. And finally, Jared Alton. It's how cool it is. Joints the show to talk the Vikings. That's exciting. Yeah, and Max Crosby's fired up to talk about it. Max Crosby's on the show? No, no, no, Jared Alton talking about Max Crosby. One great pass rusher. Still great though. Still a good get. Max Crosby would be a big news. He's sick if we got Max Crosby. Josh, do you know Max Crosby? Call Max Crosby. See if he wants to be on the show. He has that podcast. That'd be great. What a game. One up in Jared Alton. No, Max Crosby would like Jared Alton to hold the thing. That's true. Max Crosby's not a Hall of Famer yet. Not yet. Max Crosby is not going to the Hall of Famer. No, that's what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying. Jared Alton is in the Hall of Famer. Not yet. Why do I know he's not yet? He's active. I mean, there are some active players that are definitely Hall of Famer. Yes, like Miles Garret, who you think is overrated. I don't think he's overrated. I like the way he's playing. Ask the Jared Alton about Miles' hate that pass rushers actually aren't important. I don't know. The best pass rushers want to combine like nine games. Max Crosby is great. Miles Garret's great. Are they affecting the, is it leading to Ws? Ask him about whether, yeah, does pass rushing affect the game? No, I just think it's like a final piece. It's not a, your first piece. Crosby, not the kid. No, not necessarily. World baseball classic, Venezuela wins it. Entire series was electric. Danny, ratings for attendance and TV. Final game was just magnificent. Here's Aaron Judge post game. I get a chance to be the captain of Team USA. My job was to go out there and bring a championship, bring a gold home. We didn't do that, but there's no pressure. We got to like this, just go out there and bring a job. That's what I try to do every single night. And we give ourselves a shot. We're just going to close it out. What was your number one headline here, Danny? There's a lot because it was a really cool event that has grown into this like must-see TV spectacle. And, you know, I've covered baseball for a long time and more recently, I think, than any of the three of you. And so like covered Royals World Series teams, a Cubs team coming off of a World Series. And baseball is a weird game because it's 162 games. It's America's pastime. But then you see the world baseball classic and it's almost like everyone else has more fun playing America's pastime. And so it's like an interesting dichotomy. And Passons Column was great. I heard you reference it earlier. And I can say like in the 10 years that I've been in baseball clubhouses, like it's gotten better in terms of more fun. More fun. Like I covered those Tim Anderson White Sox teams when he flipped the bat and there were a lot of benches clearing incidents around his celebrations. And he was talking about changing the game and Joe Buck was saying he should be the face of baseball. Like it's gotten better. But what I think is so striking about the world baseball classic is for the Latin American countries, they are openly saying like this is bigger than the World Series. This is the biggest deal. And you will not hear the players on Team USA say it. But even in the games that are more significant to them than any games they've played before, including World Series games, they're still able to do it with the joy and the celebration and the levity. So like I hope we remember this. It's impossible for us to do it in like the 15th game of the regular season in April or May because it's 162 games. It's a marathon. There'll be 15,000 people in the stands in some of these games. You're not going to it's not realistic to get that intensity. But it would be cool if in the playoffs in October, in the biggest American games, if the tension could be laced with a little bit more of the World Baseball classic flavor. Because it's just that's the best version of the game. The best version of the game is actually what we see in the WBC. Them dancing, them celebrating, them leaving the dugout, them chanting. It doesn't take away from the stakes. It doesn't make it feel any less serious or less significant. But there's a stuffiness, I feel like, to American baseball and Major League Baseball at times that we could really benefit from leaning even more into how the WBC conducts itself. Well, remember a few years ago Bryce Harper was like trying to make the game more fun and all that stuff. So yeah, they could definitely do that and let guys celebrate. In basketball, the nature of basketball, you just are allowed to show your individualism during the game, the way it's played. Football, you can celebrate in the end zone and things like that. But now you can. That was a rule change. Right. But defensively, but offensively, receivers and running backs would do dances in the end zone for decades. Baseball, it would be nice if they just allowed that to become part of the game. I agree with you there. And I don't want to go negative because I agree. Like I said earlier, just this was like the first world baseball classic that I think captivated America's imagination. Before it was like not that big of a deal to us. Oh, we didn't win. Okay, whatever. Now it's like a big deal. And I think going forward, it will be a huge deal. But I also think some Americans on the flip side are going to take away from it. Look, we said our best and brightest and couldn't win. And I get it. Baseball is fickle. It's especially in a one and done situation. But still we've won one time in six tries. And we do not like we dominated every game leading up to the final. No, no, I mean, we we were fortunate to get out of group play. Yeah, we needed it. And lost to Italy. Right. And then the game against the Dominican were on here debating a bad strike call. You know what I mean? It was that close. So we were all the precipices. We had so many of our big names. Yeah. And we couldn't hit a guy that had a 5.0 ERA last year in Arizona. Yep. You know, so our bats going silent. I get it. It's a sport of failure. You go into slumps. But our whole team essentially went to a slump, except Bryce Harper in the last game. You know, so it was it was I get it why they weren't happy with the silver medals because we're supposed to win that I or lose to a Japan or the yard. I mean, the and so I my biggest throughout the world this I thought the biggest story was team Italy. I thought they were like it's hard to say they were the biggest story because they ended up not making it through the Lucifer Venezuela. But I thought them beating the U. S. The espresso celebrations, the the legit underdog. But and listen, we were partial to team Italy to a degree because Vinnie Pasquantino has hosted this show with us. He's a friend of the show. He was on it. He was the captain of that team. And as cool as that was, though, that wasn't the same gravity of the Latin American nations or Japan where it was. Those weren't a bunch of guys born and raised in Italy. It was it was a few guys like that. But most of the guys were like Vinnie Italian heritage, but they were Americans. The way it meant so much to particularly the Latin American nations, and I think some of the Asian nations, well, most notably Japan was captivating in real time. But the legacy, if that word exists of this year's World Baseball Classic is, I think, brew what you said at the start of the show. It's the line of demarcation of this being a major event. Of this like I, Simmons used to write about and I agreed with him that he wished the Olympics and the World Cup went from four year cycles to three year cycles. That way, every year you either had the Winter Olympics, the Summer Olympics or the World Cup, that every year there was a major international sporting event that we could look forward to. And I thought it was a great idea. I agreed with him. This I'm not saying this is the Olympics, but I'm now this is now something that in three years I'm excited about. Like the the cup and I saw today there was a little momentum like what if we moved the knockout round, the semifinals and the finals to all-star week. I don't like that idea. I thought this has created a launching pad for this baseball regular season and this now is to me just like soccer's the gold medal in soccer is not nearly as important as the World Cup, obviously. It feels like this is the premier international baseball competition more so than baseball in the Olympics. And so I think that's the legacy of this World Baseball. Yeah, so this is 2030 next WBC. Oh, okay. There was I don't know if it was it's not 2029. No, I don't know if it was pandemic related. Okay. Why trout versus Otani was okay was three years ago. We are also in the prime time before we move on to pack stat stats are cool. We are in a amazing time in the sports calendar fresh off of the Olympics where we had USA fever and just like caught up in that to the World Baseball Classic where we saw the world's best baseball players play on the heels of the world leading to the World Cup. We're just in prime time just major events this year. I think it's also the idea of creating something and it not catching right away. Like if I'm Adam Silver watching this and the and the midseason tournament, you know, it's like, well, give me 15 years and then tell me what it like the four nations already start to me more than it. Yeah, no question. But imagine what it can mean a decade from now like Premier League fans four nations is a good example like four nations in hockey was a was a thing whether you liked hockey or not like it was a thing and it outrated a ton of other hockey events like you can't there is still an appetite to create you want you know what's funny I had shoot I don't want to be negative either. I had the same feeling on the opposite direction about the NBA All-Star game that you're tinkering with all these like different formats and it was better this year. But no one cared as much as Venezuela USA did last night. Oh, like that All-Star games have gone and gone away and maybe international games are right. Well, which is maybe what the All-Stars games trying to recapture by making it the international format. But to your point, Danny, this I think all of sports and one of the reasons football is king of kings is football games still feel like events even in the regular season. Yeah, and I think there's a lot of smart research and data that says as people's entertainment diet has changed and the attention deficit or like the people's ability to pay attention things has changed. What stands out our events, even if the event is farcical, even if it's not that this was but even if it's Mike Tyson fighting Jake Paul, it felt like an event that people tuned in for. I think it's one of the reasons like the Indy 500 does so well. It is marketed as a big event. This felt like an event and in a way that made the casual fan or the casual consumer tune in because I think a lot of people were dialed into the last couple weeks of this that will not watch another baseball game start to finish until October. I think that there obviously diehard baseball fans were into it, but I think a lot of sports fans are like, hey, this weekend I'm watching March Madness, I'm watching NBA, I'm watching the Masters, watching NBA playoffs, I tune in for the big stuff. This classified as a big stuff, which was great. Danny, see I was like calling for PCA to get in the game on Twitter. I was like, let's go man. Get the salsa with it. Nobody can hit again. I do not seem head like you. But Cal Raleigh just hanging out on the bench. They got hit 60 home runs. They came out with an early 2030 lineup and he's the catcher for 2030 if it's any consolation. Get another shot at it. I have great news for you. I know you're thinking that was a cool conversation. What else you got up your sleeve? Well, glad you asked. Leather sleeves actually. Danny did his top 10 players and coaches who will define the tournament. There were some stats in that, but we got some cooler ones in store for you. It's time now for pack stats. There's the emoji here, the stats, here are the gloves, here's a leather jacket with some cool stuff. Danny, that was a cool segment you had yesterday. This one's even supposed to be more cool. It's even cooler, wilds. I'm glad you liked it. But you guys know what else is cool? Playing with scissors. No, really? That's not true. You have small children. That's not true. And they love playing with scissors. What? Always catching them with scissors. Take the scissors. Were they buying them? They keep fighting in scissors. How many scissors you got in your house? The goal is to cut down the nets. We got a lot of scissors now. We're always doing arts and crafts. These two teams have the most amount of pressure to cut down the nets. What you should have said, you know what's cool? Arts and crafts. No, I like this game. It's cool. I'm wearing the leather jacket. I know what's cool. That's true. My four and two, four and six year old, they know what's cool and it's playing with scissors. Do you use them? They're under a lot of pressure. Look at those win percentages. This is since John Shire took over at Duke. Calvin Samson, we know he hasn't won a title. Houston lost in the final last year, final four in 2021, elite eight in 2022. Shire, final four last year, elite eight the year before that. I would argue 68 teams in the tournament. These two teams are under more pressure than any other programs. So here's the problem though, Danny. Okay. Bru and I both picked Houston to win the championship. So I agree with you. But Duke can't be under that much pressure because Kevin is explained to us there and underdog and he's the only one who believes. Well, they shouldn't be at you if they're just, it's just a cakewalk. Although, you know, everybody's got them. You discovered Duke. I was early on this year. I was early on. I was so early on. He was the first one to discover who was early on. What was their preseason ranking? I don't know. First of all, it's got it. Was it one? It wasn't one. Thank you, Troy. Thank you, Troy. And for the record, it was three. I never do this on the air. They were number six preseason. Exactly. And then I started talking. I was in love with them then. Okay. All right. Okay. I was early on them. All right. Fair enough. All right. Well, glad we just talked about it. You guys know what else is cool though? I hope this one is wild. Freshman year. Freshman year. It's a great time. It's just like, oh man, am I in a toll? No, not really. Cameron Booser can join a very exclusive group. Last 50 years, that is the list of freshmen who have been the most outstanding player, basically the MVP of a tournament, a who's who of legends in college hoops. But if you go even further, because he is the heavy, heavy, heavy favorite to win national player of the year, a freshman to win a title, and player of the year. Anthony Davis is the only one. So when we talk about, I said, Mellow got robbed, but go ahead. Sorry. Yeah. So when you just talk about, we talk about a lot of Peterson, DeBans, Booser is going to be the third or fourth pick in this draft. I like talking about the tournament, not through the NBA draft prism, but through what it does for your college career. Cameron Booser cuts down the nets here against the playoffs from scissors. He is on a very, very exclusive club. Do you think though he is the best freshman? Well, like, do you think he's better than DeBans? He obviously has been better this year than Peterson. Whether the pro stuff, like you said, you don't want to look through it. It's just, I don't find that, listen, I love the NBA more than college basketball, but like this time of year to me, you should grade it through the prism. But do you think he was better than DeBans this year, or just he was on the better team? Honest question. I don't know the. You know, I do think DeBans was asked to do more and was the better player, but in terms of, team accolades factor into these awards across, it factors in for MVP, all NBA, all, so I think that's not unique to college basketball. So he's right up there with Anthony Davis and all the great freshmen in college basketball history. We've got four, right? We did four because it's, you know, final four is what we're going for. That's Wild's way of saying, get on. Keep it moving. I'm just translating. Am I wrong? We added one, we went long. I'm not wrong. All right, guys, no one else is cool. Ask Greg Jennings, putting the team on your back though. Oh, yeah. AJ DeBans. This guy, oh, I didn't mean to step on it. No, that's okay. 30.1% of his team's points, third highest by any player of a tournament team in the last seven years. Oh, two we have. I was going to say, I don't love this. Well, right. It's why I didn't have him in my top 10 players who will define the tournament. You think they're going out early. Saunders getting hurt their second best player. That number is going to go up in terms of he might legitimately account for 40% or more of their points, however long they go in the tournament because the second best player is out for the rest of the season. He's a remarkable player. His floor as a pro is insane. But I, a lot of people said on Twitter, they got mad at me like the kind of pushback how you did. They're like, no, one player can carry a team. Carmelo Anthony had Hakeem work and Jerry McNamara. There are other players on these teams in BYU's case. I think they're in real trouble and DeBans is just going to have to do too much. And he's already done a historic amount in terms of carrying the load for score. No, that's fair. I mean, he, without Saunders now, it's just much more for him to do. I love it. If they could make a run. I mean, he's the leading scorer in the country. He's electric fun to watch. If he could get them on a nice run, that'd be one of the best stories in the, in the, if he gets the second weekend, if they, yeah, just making the 16, I also think that might, I know you said you don't want to look at through this lens, but I think getting to the sweet 16 would probably cement him as the number one. Cause it would mean he's very good in round one and awesome in round two. Cause they're the six seeds. So they'd have to beat in a let, or three in round two. They got Gonzaga. Yeah. That's one, which would be a tough one. Yeah. All right. Last one. And Wilds, I think you'll like this one. Cause you guys know, I like them all first. Oh great. Well, I'm glad. He's just, just hurry up. Blank of death. Blank of death. You like that in the world cup. Group of death. Oh, I did like the group. We got a region of death. Yes, I know. East region. That's my spot. That's why I'm okay. Have we ever seen this before? Head coaches in the East region combined final fours, 23. All the other coaches, all the other coaches in the bracket combined, 17 final four appearances. Izzo with eight, Petino with seven, Bill self with four, Hurley with two, Shire with one, and Mick Cronin has one. So all the other coaches have 17 and one of those coaches is Calipari, which means like this. Wow. So that's unbelievable. I dislike how that region fell. Cause I wanted to root for St. John. I didn't want Yukon in with Duke. I didn't like Michigan State. I just feel like there's, I feel like there's obviously a stronger bracket and obviously a weaker bracket. So I don't, so I don't, I don't know if I agree with that. I think there is a disproportionately strong coaching bracket. You know what I mean? But I don't think necessarily know that means that is the strongest. Well, I don't think St. John's a five. You know, I don't think St. John's a true five. It is weird because right. We've like, well, all the five seats, there's four or five seats. It's just weird that the top coached four seed Kansas is in the top coached two seed Yukon and in the top coached five seed St. John's like, all of the Hall of Fame coaches in one region is weird when it is a sport that is so marketed and celebrated around its coaches. You would have thought it would have been spread out a little bit. So that was cool. That was cool. That was cool. That was cool. Yeah. I'm ready for March. You guys are making me work. Good news. We have more cool stuff. We are now debuting. You don't need another wardrobe. I do. You don't need, it's not a Beyonce concert. Just wear one outfit and just give some opinions. You don't need when I wear my, we don't have to keep rolling V.O.'s. So you have new outfits. You don't like when I wear outfits to do normal sports talk. It's like, where's my crown? You want me to put these back on for you? My picks. It's not a problem. All right. You guys want my final four? Yes. Cool. All right. All right. What are we doing here? We got the Illini, Duke, Arizona and Michigan. Is that the same as yours? No, I don't have. I don't believe in Arizona. So Arizona, a little bit of a narrative play. Thought they were a really cool team growing up. But no, the depth of them, the fact that a West Coast team hasn't been in, they are ridiculously tested. I do think the Big 12 is the best conference in the country this year. The Illini, a little worried about Brad Underwood in a close late game situation. He has not had a tremendous amount of success, like X's and O's and getting his team into the best spots. But their offense is overwhelming. They are the best offense in the country. They went 0-4 this year in overtime games. A lot of like really close bad luck losses. I think they're a little better than their record suggests. Duke, the favorite, most talented team. And Michigan, I thought, got an incredible draw. I talked about it yesterday. Their team is huge and the rest of the teams in the region are either injured or not big. I think Michigan, I will be floored if Michigan doesn't make it to the final four. So given that they're the most confident team of the four, I have Michigan cutting down the nets. Wow. Do you have them playing Duke or Illinois? Duke. Okay. Yeah. Michigan, Duke. That'd be fun. Yeah. It'd be high profile. Excellent. Again, one seeds. And the monologue today is about how I think Cinderella is going extinct. We'll talk about that at the end of the OT. Wow. That's a little tease. That was great. I'm looking forward to that too. I should tune in. All right. Coming up next. We're going to go home and play with some scissors. Jared Allen joins the show to talk about Kyler and the Vikings. That's next on First Things First Overtime. One more outfit change. Just full blazer and new tie. Welcome back to First Things First. Max Crosby. He's giving new meaning to what happens in Vegas. Stays in Vegas because he's back as a raider. He sat down on his podcast, The Rush with Max Crosby to talk about the Ravens backing out of their trade. Take a listen to Crosby. One of the Ravens guys called me and was like, yeah, we're trying to figure this out. You know, we're going to get this done. Don't worry. Like five minutes later, CJ calls me and is like, they're backing out. I'm like, holy s***. So I'm like frozen. I'm like, what the f***? I'm livid, confused the whole nine all in one. It was a whirlwind to say the least. Like I said, everything happens for a reason, bro. I'm fired up. I'm here. I'm meant to be a raider. I'm in this s*** for life. And until that changes, which I don't foresee. You never know. Honestly, you never know in this damn league. I found that out for sure. But I just feel like I'm meant to be a raider. And that's what it is. Good editing by us. So Danny Parkins, Willie Cologne, and we are thrilled to be joined by a man who knows a little something about sacking the quarterback, the Hall of Famer, Jared Allen, kind enough to join us on the OT. Jared, you think Max Crosby has a right to be effin livid? Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. I think, I mean, he's obviously taken the high road. I would have had more choice words and probably, you know, in his gut, you know, in his heart, he has some serious to say for the Ravens. And I hope the Ravens are on that calendar because he's going to probably get two or three on him. You know, so, but yeah, I mean, the reality is, dude, they did him dirty. I don't care how they want to spin it. As someone who's been, you know, at the center of a very high value, you know, trade before, where they had to give up picks and long term contract, man, all the due diligence is done. It was done, you know, coming up there and getting your physical, it's semantics. And if what he said is true, the fact that he didn't meet the coach or the GM after five hours of being in the building, when I went to Minnesota, man, yeah, I got picked up on my D line, but the first people I met is the coach, right? You know, it's Brad Childers. You got the GM, you got ownership. I mean, you got, I mean, these guys are giving up two first round picks and rallies. That's what it came down to. They realized that, you know, he's 28. And, you know, well, as you know, at 30 and at that position, you're old, right? Yeah. So, you know, even if they get, even if Max has four more years of elite level, that puts them at 32, is that were two first round picks and then whatever the, you know, money is they're going to have to pay him as well. I know he's already on a contract from, from the Raiders. So the reality is they got cold feet and they realized like, holy crap, we're probably giving them more than we need to. And then they had, they had an option with, with Trey and they, they were never going to couple those two together. And that was never going to happen. They can spend that all they want. But from a player standpoint, I mean, that's what happened. I mean, they realized, you know what, we're leveraging too much. And then it's the old medical, right? To bail out of it. Anybody, anybody can fail physical pretty much for any reason. I mean, they just have to have one doctor say that they didn't pass their physical. But the reality is the Raiders wouldn't have put them in that position. I have to believe. And they knew what it was. And they're signing another guy who's coming off another surgery. They just don't have to get pitched for them. That's the case. They got cold feet and they, they hoes max up. They really did. That's jacked up. And I tell him, he's obviously in the high road because I'd be pissed at the Raiders. I'd be pissed at, at the Ravens. And I'd probably be trying to file a grievance with the NFL because they probably screwed up. I mean, think about it now. I mean, now they're exposed. I'm saying he failed, he failed physical, right? So now, now you're putting this medical stuff out there. And I don't know what legal, legal, legal ramifications there in high, actually not saying specifically, they're obviously talking about his knee, but you have hippolars. You can, you can probably, you know, do something around. You've got, and now, I mean, now what? You know, now, now the Raiders, they know what the Raiders are going to get. How do they leverage that for potential trade deal? How is that impacting the Raiders after signing all these people thinking they have a deal done? So yeah, they, they hoes max up, they hoes the Raiders up. And I mean, I hope the league comes in and does something because this was dirty. Yeah. It's like Jarrah spot on, man. I think it also exposes the dysfunction in Baltimore, right? Because you don't just get here, right? Like, you got to understand, and the Ravers have been around for 31 years. They've never made a deal or attempt a deal like this in the history of the franchise. So when something catastrophic like this is about to happen, J is right. Ducks are lined up. Like you get a King's welcome if this deal goes through, right? So the fact that you don't see your position coach, that you don't even meet the head coach. And, you know, Jarrah makes another good point. You just told the world that Max Crosby is a limit. He's technically a limit. So, and you just said the Raiders lied to you, right? And on top of that, if you're Max Crosby, you're not saying, Hey, man, you know, I said goodbye to a lot of good guys in that locker room, you know, and that's you put me on an emotional roller coaster. Now I have to walk back in that building and say, Hey, man, you know, some things are just bigger than me. But now you kind of have to reestablish yourself, right? Because not a world feels like this knee is gimpy. You may have some trustworthy words, issues with John Spitek. So it's just a lot. So I think it's unfair that he had to go through because if you know anything about Max Crosby, he's been a model citizen. He was drafted by the Raiders. He played over 6,000 snaps for the Raiders. Like he's the face of the Raiders. And you he had to go through this whole circus. So it's tough. And Jerry, you're a great person to talk about, you know, the chiefs and Vikings and big trade and everything going on in your career. Like you could definitely put yourself with those shoes. Like Max says, Well, now I'm just going to be a Raider. Can you can you walk it back? Like can he play again for the Raiders? It's tough for me to imagine. He's going to try. He's going to do what Max has to do, right? And I think he has the mindset, you know, I don't know Max well. And I have, you know, some brief text conversations over the years. So I, but I know people that know him well and I know what kind of work ethic the guy has, right? So I'll tell you this, if it's me, if I'm Max Crosby, I'm the most pissed off dude in the NFL and I'm going out that approve everybody wrong, right? So, you know, there's that upside for him, but you're in a new, you have a new coaching staff, a new gym. You have a whole new organization basically who basically said, we didn't want you here. And the reality is to Max, I mean, Max and his agent with the trade wasn't surprised with them. You don't get, you don't, a player of that caliber doesn't get traded without him and his agent being fully aware of it and knowing, you know, and helping piece together the conversation package and that kind of stuff too. So you have two parties who are ambitiously going to split based on compensation now coming back pretending we both want each other. And like you said, you have a new coach, new team, you know, new D-Line, you have new players that now the face of your franchise is supposed to be someone else. Now he's back. So how are you going to sit there and now rebuild that chemistry real bit, really rebuild that culture around Max Crosby. And the reality is they might not want that. You know, no one's talking about it. Sometimes when new coaches come in, you know, they fire everybody. They hardly ever keep someone from the old still coach. He said, even the old, even the trainers get the axe, you know what I mean? Because they want people that are there for them to build their culture. Max is a holdover from several coaches, right? So Max, Max has a way of doing things. Now, granted, like you said, he's been nothing but amazing for the Raiders and that organization and that city and what he's put on the field. So a coach would be silly not to want to build around him, but he's also, again, he's getting up there. He's 28 years old. He's pushing those upper limits and a young coach might come in and say, Hey, I need these picks. I need these players. We're looking, we're looking at a three, four year future. And Max really is looking at it, you know, one, two, three year future of trying to win a Super Bowl. And I don't know how it comes back together. I really don't. If I were, if I were to went to Minnesota in the, in the, in the rug, when it got yanked out, because I was leaving Kansas city for a reason, I, you know, I wouldn't go play back. I'd be beating the door down, trying to get another trade. But now you're, like you said, now your leverage is gone. Now your leverage is gone. Because now you're going to go somewhere. They're going to say, what, we're going to pull you because you're injured and not to mention, let's not pretend that you probably flew out commercial either. You know, they probably sent the jet form to they say, crossby said, he said they flew him into DC and sent a car, which was, you know, another sign. Like you can't, well, there you go. You can't, they spent that much money on me and they would have not sent the owners playing. There's something there was a red flag right there, but it was interesting. They sent them on a private plane back home. Cause they, they, cause they said they felt bad about it. Well, yeah, they sent a bunch of money. They just sent a bunch of money. I always think, I know we're laughing kind of, but they did him bad and they didn't, and their excuse even sucked. Like their excuse was like, oh, it's bad. It's terrible. It's terrible for the league. It doesn't build trust in that organization. And to be honest, if I'm any player going to any team now, right? Like you're going to learn from this. It's almost, it's very similar like what Hutchinson, Steve Hutchinson came from, you know, the Seattle Seahawks to us in Minnesota. He came there a year before I was there, two years before I got there, but he put the poison pill in, right? And then all of a sudden that changed, that changed the negotiation. This is going to create a different way of tactics that now agents are going to try to protect their players against this kind of stuff. And, and I don't see it being beneficial for either side. Well, listen, it's a good time to have you to talk about this topic, but then also another franchise that you're very familiar with, the Minnesota Vikings, they made news in terms of, hey, they signed Kyler Murray, but the Cardinals are paying him. But Kevin O'Connell says, this can be a multi-year thing. He said that Kyler was the only quarterback available who he saw as a potential multi-year long-term solution. So Jared, I'll go back to you. Do you buy it? Do you buy that Kyler Murray could be the long-term answer at quarterback for your former team, the Minnesota Vikings? You know, this is going to sound kind of like a non-answer, but I mean, it's all going to depend on what this year is, right? It really is a one-year tryout. I think she's clearly a talented player, obviously, you know, being a top pick. I, again, I'm worried about it. And again, I, and I trust, I trust, you know, the Vikings implicitly with their decisions. I love, love, you know, O'Connell and, and Kale and those guys, I think they do a fantastic, fantastic job. But again, I would hope they go back and check what the Knox have been, right? This is the one thing that scares me when I think he's owed 30-some-odd millions still from the Cardinals. If someone's willing to pay you 30 million plus dollars not to be in a building, that's, that, that, that scares me, right? And so, but maybe that's the wake up call needs, maybe that's the motivation calling needs to confirm a talent level. Yeah. Do I think he could be great in this league? Absolutely. But it's all going to come down to, you know, what we can, what he does this year. And then we're going to have to be in that same situation. Is he going to work, if he has a great year, is he worth the high dollar value that you're going to have to pay him to keep him long-term? And can he stay motivated? Cause you know, really, as you know, guys will have one good year motivated off money in this year or motivated off of, you know, wanting to prove, you know, getting cut, get prove somebody wrong, but is that sustainable? And, you know, we're in a position where we don't really have time to keep screwing around with quarterback after quarterback because you got Justin Jefferson, you know, the greatest players in the NFL right now and his clock running out. And that dude, that dude works and that dude's, and, you know, and maybe that's why Kyler can't be super successful with us because he doesn't have to carry the franchise on his back. He doesn't have to carry the workload. You got, you know, hawk and what we can do on the off of the side and then that defense is vicious. But, you know, we're in a tight window. We need to win a championship. Our window is always doing this with those guys year after year. And so hopefully he can be that. I trust KL. But again, my biggest question is why is someone willing to pay you so much money not to be in the building? Yeah. Listen, you're never going to name your rent or rent to your forever car. It just doesn't happen that way. I'm very, I'm with you from this standpoint. The biggest question about Kyle Murray is not a skill set. This is committed to the game. And if you're trying to be a leader of men on the field, you got to lead by example. I know guys in that locker from Arizona. And one thing they talk about Kyle Murray is not that he can't ball is that sometimes he checks out. And now you're talking about an organization in Minnesota Vikings that, hey, man, they took an L last year, right? And they took a major L because they just sent their prize quarterback in JJ McCarthy, who's only started 10 games, by the way. And they say, Hey, bye, bye, we got a new quarterback. So now they're looking at Kyle Murray like, man, you got to be more than him, right? We need you to stabilize this thing because we got a lot of weapons on the outside. We got to maximize their wonder to your point on top of that. We got a division right now that who has a new face. His name is Caleb Williams. So the the Vikings won't admit it, but this is panic mode. This is how I said, I think the Vikings are in panic mode, and they need Kyle Murray to deliver. And they got to figure out if he can work with KOC or not. Bottom line. Willie, was it panic mode when you guys were doing the scouting reports and Jared Allen was on the other side? No, he big Mac Starks had to worry about Jay. I had to worry about those Williams brothers, those bad boys, those. Jay was a was a dog, but those two Williams brothers, whoo. I'm not a lie. I would agree with you. I think I think you had the harder tabs got the inside because my gosh, that's like eight. That's like 650 plus pounds coming at you, depending on where you know, but Jay, this is the problem. They both could dance. Yeah, it was like the boys lied on their feet. Yeah, people don't give power. We have enough credit for that. I do had some of the best, the best at 330 plus pounds I'd ever seen anything, you know, in big Kevin, obviously just just a monster. Thank you, Jared Allen Hall of Famer. We really enjoyed you. We'll have you back on First Things First. Willie, we're talking Niners coming up on the OT. Thanks for hanging out on the OT with Willie Cologne and myself. Let's go to the San Francisco here. This is a fascinating team to talk about. George Kittle was on busing with the boys about the upcoming season in the addition of Mike Evans. He said Mike Evans reached out to Kittle to kind of get the pitch on the Niners and he was like, well, we hit hard and play well, hit people hard in the face and play really well. It's like, all right, well, that's an interesting sell. Football. I actually don't totally think of the Niners as like that much of a smash mouth team, but it is an interesting pitch. How dangerous do you consider the Niners to be? It's tough, man, because I think even though they have Mike Evans, you talk about the addition to Christian Kirk, they got Jerry Greenlaw back in the building. Bosa and Warner will be back in the lineup. So you expect obviously an impact, but I think the biggest, what's not going to be talked about, hasn't been talked about, is that they're going to miss Robert Sallow. Like he was somebody who, and I've said this, not to be redundant, like he had a duct tape defense that hummed and was able to win games with, right? Like when you lose Fred Warner, you lose Bosa, you lose, you don't have interior help. I mean, it was cause for this, it was cause for concern that this defense was going to tap out. They never did. Half of the time when you looked at their lineup, you didn't even know who was out there, but you saw these guys flying around making plays. To say all that, I do think when you have Kyle Shanahan, you have some additions on the outside, like I just mentioned, you got CMC, and you have to believe that Perti, as long as he stays healthy, you know, this team could shake some serious things up. I think the question I throw to you, do you think this team has called up to the Rams and Seahawks? So to me, they're the if team. Like if the right guys stay healthy, they can win the Super Bowl. But like all of their, not all, the vast majority of their best players are either on the teetering towards the wrong end of their athletic prime, getting straight up old, or injury prone. Like when you talk about Bosa and Warner and Greenlaw and Christian McCaffrey, like it's, it's even Mike Evans, Mike Evans had been really durable until this last year, but maybe that's he's 33 years old. So Christian Kirk went through a big, yeah, but so it's just like their, their best players, their biggest names are old or injured, but they're all awesome. Impact. Because it's like, if they have a year where the right guys stay healthy or are healthy late, even if they miss four games, but if you miss four games in October, it's different than missing the four games leading into the playoffs. So I absolutely think they can win the Super Bowl. But the injury thing and the age thing for them is so tough because think about what you just said about last year and all the guys who got hurt, they won 12 games. They won, well, they didn't know about the Marcus Robinson. They were just a playoff game. Well, and, and Shanahan is an amazing coach. And he gives you such a high floor offensively and week to week game planning is going to be so elite and so far ahead of 95% of the rest of the league. It's like their floor is so high. That it's like, if they just, and again, banking on health in the NFL is tough. Every team will deal with injuries and the older teams will deal with more injuries and the guys who have previously been hurt are more likely to get hurt again in the future. So the likelihood is a few of those guys are going to get hurt again. But if they just have the right guys healthy for the end of the season, they absolutely can win the Super Bowl. Cause we talked about this when we were doing the playoff shows. I was like, they were drawing debt against that Seahawks team. Because I remember when the Bears played them, it was like, well, the defense was doing well, but then as soon as they would play an offense that had a pulse, they'd give up a big number. Like the schedule did them some favors at the end too. And Matt Jones saved them too. Yeah. And then Seattle put up what 41 in that game. So I just, if they are healthy at the end of the season, their roster is top five to 10 in the league. I just don't know if they're going to be healthy. It's impossible to know. Oh yeah, it is impossible to know. But I also think you feel after watching what Seattle did, you see the emergence of Rams and how they pretty much completed their defense. You have to feel like, man, for me, able to compete in this division, I need firepower, right? Like I need Christian Kirk. I need obviously got Kittle. But now you're also talking about the receiving court having Mike Evans, Christian Kirk and Ricky Pryolsaul is longer a young guy, right? Like he's been in the league long enough where you can consider him a legit man. And now you're talking about the receiving court. Like you're like, all right, we can do some things. If it feels like they're built to win a shootout with the Rams, if they get to shoot out with the Seahawks. So if you're a shanty here, you're like, man, I know our defense is still probably one or two. We need to edge rush. We probably need some more help in the secondary. But if we're getting, if we get in the shootout against the Rams or the Seahawks, we can go toe for toe with them. And part of the thing just from the odd standpoint, like if they're in the AFC South, they're the favorite. If they're in the NFC South, they're the favorite. But they're in the NFC West. So they're third place in mid. So they're like a healthy third place behind the Rams and Seahawks, which drives all of their odds down. But you know, maybe the Rams have a bad luck injury season. They've got an older quarterback. Seattle regresses, who knows. So like I do view the Niners as like in that group of teams that absolutely can win. I love March Madness, but I'm worried that Cinderella's going extinct. Next on the O2. Time now for first things last. March Madness is arguably the best event in sports. Buzzer beaters, busted brackets and the annual search for Cinderella. But I have a hunch that we are facing an uncomfortable truth that Cinderella might be disappearing. Not because the glass slipper doesn't fit anymore, but because someone else bought the shoe. Name, image and likeness, NIL. It has fundamentally changed the ecosystem of college sports. And remember, the first tournament in the NIL world was just 2022. So this is still relatively new. But the early returns are telling. Last tournament, not a single team seated 13 or lower won a single game. Meanwhile, the power conferences, the ACC, Big 10, Big 12 and SEC, combined for 55 wins, the most they've ever had. Now you might yell sample size looking at just last year's tournament. So let's zoom out. From 2000 to 2021, there were 23 double digit seeds from non power conferences that made it to the sweet 16. That's more than one Cinderella crashing the party every year. Since NIL began in 2022, that number is down to two. And in the last two tournaments, zero. Now that feels like more than a coincidence. The mid-major star who used to stay in one place three or four years, build chemistry with his teammates and shock the world. He's now a free agent. If he pops in January, he's got power five money calling by April. And this isn't an argument against players getting paid. I'm all for it. There was bound to be unintended consequences. We'll just have to adjust our expectations to loving the tournament for watching giants fall to other giants. And hopefully the clock hasn't struck midnight on Cinderella quite yet. She's just in the transfer portal. That's all I've got. Thank you so much for hanging out with us on DOT. We're back tomorrow. Jackson Hewitt will do your taxes for $149 or less, no matter how complicated. So if you're a delivery driver slash handyman slash wedding DJ, you can only 149 or less. We're talking to you waitress. Check please slash pet sitter slash influencer. Just 149 or less. Want your refund to work as hard as you? Hurry. Don't wait. 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