1 00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:03,040 Speaker 1: Can if I am six forty you're listening to the 2 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:05,720 Speaker 1: John Cobel podcast on the iHeartRadio app. 3 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:13,160 Speaker 2: Doug McIntyre in for John Cobbolt on the John Coubolt Show, 4 00:00:13,520 --> 00:00:16,240 Speaker 2: and I will be back here at KFI on December 5 00:00:16,600 --> 00:00:20,080 Speaker 2: twenty seventh, eighth, and ninth in for Gary and Shannon. 6 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:23,840 Speaker 2: Hopefully I'll get paid for both of them, right, I mean, 7 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:25,080 Speaker 2: I'm doing the work of two people. 8 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:25,640 Speaker 3: Seriously. 9 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:28,560 Speaker 2: Anyway, I happy to have you with us. And at 10 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:33,280 Speaker 2: four o'clock Chris Merrill in for Timmy. And if you 11 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:34,680 Speaker 2: are heading out of town, I hope you have a 12 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:38,800 Speaker 2: great Christmas in a happy New Year and you don't 13 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:40,920 Speaker 2: have too many probs at the airport or the roads 14 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:43,480 Speaker 2: wherever the hell you're going. This hour lots to talk about, 15 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:46,040 Speaker 2: including California. Here we go for the third year in 16 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:49,360 Speaker 2: a row. We've lost population. We'll get into that. And 17 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:54,480 Speaker 2: a possible merger between the Giant Studios, Warner Brothers and Paramount. 18 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:57,880 Speaker 2: What could that mean here in Hollywood? As if we 19 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:00,600 Speaker 2: haven't had enough bad news this year as it is, 20 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 2: the Dodgers have had nothing but good news. It has 21 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:08,759 Speaker 2: been a fine off season, obviously, scoring the big Fish 22 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:12,800 Speaker 2: which was shohey Otani, and then getting Tyler glassnow as 23 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:15,920 Speaker 2: a free agent and locking him up for a big deal, 24 00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:21,400 Speaker 2: and now adding the highly highly prized free agent from 25 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:25,279 Speaker 2: Japan to add to the starting rotation. Mister Yamamoto coming 26 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:28,560 Speaker 2: to join the Dodgers' staff and joining us right now 27 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:32,959 Speaker 2: to talk about this is mister sports here in southern California. 28 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:34,280 Speaker 3: Fred Rogan, Fred, how are you. 29 00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:35,960 Speaker 4: Dog? 30 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:38,280 Speaker 5: I'm doing well. Let me just say this. I heard 31 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:41,199 Speaker 5: that you suggested that perhaps you should be paid twice 32 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:44,160 Speaker 5: when you're filling for Gary and Shannon. You know as 33 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 5: well as I do. This is iHeartMedia. That ain't gonna happen. Buddy. 34 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 5: You get one salary and you'll like it. 35 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:50,920 Speaker 3: By the way, I'm to pay. 36 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:51,480 Speaker 5: It for two people. 37 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 2: I'd be actually amazed if I get one salary. I 38 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:57,960 Speaker 2: thought the deal I had with Robin is I just 39 00:01:58,000 --> 00:01:59,880 Speaker 2: to get to I just get to go through the 40 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:02,520 Speaker 2: sales guy's desk drawers and take their drugs. 41 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:05,760 Speaker 5: Oh okay, so that's the deal you got? Yeah right, No, 42 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:08,640 Speaker 5: they actually decided I could get paid. They offered that 43 00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:08,920 Speaker 5: to me. 44 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:12,000 Speaker 3: I turned it Downally, you probably you took it. Yeah, Well, 45 00:02:12,040 --> 00:02:13,880 Speaker 3: I've been here before. I was here earlier than you, 46 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:16,120 Speaker 3: so all the good stuff is gone. Fred, thanks so 47 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:17,880 Speaker 3: much for being with us. I really appreciate it. 48 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:21,639 Speaker 2: So this offseason has been certainly one for the record 49 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:24,080 Speaker 2: books and a whole bunch of reasons for the Dodgers. 50 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:29,760 Speaker 2: Besides Otani and now adding Yamamoto and Tyler glassdow one 51 00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:34,120 Speaker 2: hundred one point one billion dollars tied up in three players. 52 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:36,920 Speaker 5: Yeah, but here's the thing. I mean, it's not that 53 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:39,079 Speaker 5: much money in one year, so that's the first thing. 54 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:41,880 Speaker 5: And the Otani deal much of the money is deferred. 55 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:45,280 Speaker 5: The Almamoto deal he can app out after year six. 56 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:48,480 Speaker 5: And Glass now, despite the fact he's making an awful 57 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:52,639 Speaker 5: lot of money, is pretty team friendly for a picture 58 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 5: of his stature. So yeah, it looks like they spent 59 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 5: a lot of dough. But you know, you got to 60 00:02:56,639 --> 00:02:58,960 Speaker 5: spread that out for like ten or twelve years. 61 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:00,680 Speaker 3: Somewhere. 62 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:04,440 Speaker 2: Bobby Bonia is smiling because of course the former pirate 63 00:03:04,520 --> 00:03:08,200 Speaker 2: and met Bobby Bonia. Everybody still talks about Bobby Bonia 64 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:10,880 Speaker 2: day on July first, when the Mets have to give 65 00:03:10,919 --> 00:03:13,320 Speaker 2: him like one point two million dollars from a deal 66 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:16,120 Speaker 2: signed god knows how long ago, and it goes on 67 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:21,400 Speaker 2: for years more. But the deferred contracts are enormously helpful 68 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:24,440 Speaker 2: to organizations if players are willing to do it, because 69 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:26,640 Speaker 2: it gives them working capital to sign to other players. 70 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:29,120 Speaker 2: And clearly that was a priority for Otani when he 71 00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:30,399 Speaker 2: signed with the Dodgers. 72 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:32,519 Speaker 5: Yeah, and it works really well for the Dodgers and 73 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:34,880 Speaker 5: googen him. You know, they controlled three hundred and eighty 74 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:38,240 Speaker 5: billion dollars of investments. And what you have to do 75 00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:40,880 Speaker 5: in that long term deal is within two years you 76 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:43,640 Speaker 5: have to start putting money in an escro account to 77 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:45,080 Speaker 5: prove that you'll be able to pay him at the 78 00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:47,080 Speaker 5: end of the year. So what do they do. They 79 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 5: put it in an escrow account. They invest the escrow account. 80 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:54,400 Speaker 5: They're making money on the money they have to pay him, 81 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:56,960 Speaker 5: So by the time it's all said and done, they 82 00:03:57,000 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 5: probably will make more money on the money they have 83 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:01,960 Speaker 5: to pay. You money they have to pay. It's very 84 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:05,520 Speaker 5: very shrewd and in the process by him taking two 85 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:07,640 Speaker 5: million dollars a year, they can then go out and 86 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:10,800 Speaker 5: spend the money and somebody like Yamamoto to improve the club. 87 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:13,000 Speaker 5: And that was a big part of what Otani wanted. 88 00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:15,040 Speaker 5: He said, if I come here, I want to be 89 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:17,040 Speaker 5: competitive and I want to have the chance to win 90 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:20,200 Speaker 5: every year. So I'll defer my money and then you 91 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:22,440 Speaker 5: can use what you would have paid me to pay 92 00:04:22,440 --> 00:04:23,080 Speaker 5: somebody else. 93 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 3: We're talking about Fred Rogan. 94 00:04:25,279 --> 00:04:31,240 Speaker 2: And besides the dollars and cents of these amazingly enormous contracts, 95 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:35,160 Speaker 2: let's talk just the x's and o's of the roster 96 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:37,960 Speaker 2: and what this team looks like going into the twenty 97 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:40,839 Speaker 2: twenty four season, because I really don't know that I've 98 00:04:40,839 --> 00:04:43,760 Speaker 2: ever seen a team as loaded, and you've got to 99 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:47,039 Speaker 2: play the game, and injuries happen and things can go south. 100 00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:52,240 Speaker 2: But at least going into spring training, this Dodger team 101 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:54,400 Speaker 2: is as formidable as any of it as I've ever seen. 102 00:04:55,400 --> 00:04:57,680 Speaker 5: I think that's a fair statement. I would ask you 103 00:04:57,720 --> 00:04:59,600 Speaker 5: to go back a couple of years when you had 104 00:04:59,640 --> 00:05:02,719 Speaker 5: Trade Turner, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, that group, and you 105 00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:05,760 Speaker 5: look at their lineup and spring training and you thought, 106 00:05:05,800 --> 00:05:08,359 Speaker 5: oh my god, that's murderer's row. I mean, these guys 107 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:11,560 Speaker 5: are solid one through nine. Okay, so now you look 108 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:13,960 Speaker 5: at this lineup, you're going to have Bett fleet off, 109 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:18,159 Speaker 5: Freeman hit second, and o'taney hit third following then you'll 110 00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:21,640 Speaker 5: have Will Smith. Okay. So now at that point we 111 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:24,240 Speaker 5: start getting into kind of no man's land. It's like, 112 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:27,840 Speaker 5: if this person performs as we hope. So you have 113 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:30,400 Speaker 5: Max Munsey, you know, he might hit thirty five homers 114 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:32,599 Speaker 5: and he might hit a buck fifty for the year. 115 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:35,680 Speaker 5: I think they need more of a performance from the 116 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:39,640 Speaker 5: batting average perspective for Muncie. Jason Heyward has resigned. He'll 117 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:42,280 Speaker 5: be a platoon player. Manuel Margaux. They got him from 118 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:45,720 Speaker 5: Tampa and the Glasnow deal. He'll be a platoon outfielder 119 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:49,159 Speaker 5: as well. Gavin Lux. How effective will he be? That's 120 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:51,159 Speaker 5: the question. He missed last year. He blew out his 121 00:05:51,200 --> 00:05:54,279 Speaker 5: knee spring training. He'll be back. It's a pivotal year 122 00:05:54,279 --> 00:05:58,600 Speaker 5: for him. Then you have Miguel Rojas who back him 123 00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:02,200 Speaker 5: up at shortstop. James Autman, Okay, we'll see him for 124 00:06:02,279 --> 00:06:03,039 Speaker 5: a full year. 125 00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:03,440 Speaker 2: Now. 126 00:06:03,839 --> 00:06:06,839 Speaker 5: There were flashes of brilliants last year and then sometimes 127 00:06:06,839 --> 00:06:09,400 Speaker 5: where he struggled. You know, how effective is he going 128 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:12,080 Speaker 5: to be? So you look at them and I would 129 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:14,920 Speaker 5: say the roster is top heavy. The lineup is top 130 00:06:14,960 --> 00:06:18,479 Speaker 5: heavy at this point. If these other guys performed like 131 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:20,680 Speaker 5: a Chris Taylor, who had it down here last year. 132 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:24,159 Speaker 5: If these other guys perform, then they're going to be 133 00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:28,480 Speaker 5: pretty tough. Their rotation, well, they had problems. Everybody got 134 00:06:28,520 --> 00:06:31,160 Speaker 5: hurt last year, so they got glass now and they 135 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:34,719 Speaker 5: have the Amamoto. Walker Ruehler should be back at some point, 136 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:38,279 Speaker 5: Bobby Miller will be back, maybe Emma Sheen will be 137 00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 5: the fifth starter. And then the wild card there is 138 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:44,000 Speaker 5: Clayton Kershaw. Will he be healthy enough to pitch? Will 139 00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:46,279 Speaker 5: he want to come back to the Dodgers, And if 140 00:06:46,360 --> 00:06:49,400 Speaker 5: the answer to both of those is yes, you probably 141 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:53,159 Speaker 5: won't see him until August because he's coming off a 142 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:57,040 Speaker 5: back problem. Walker Ruhler, we don't know really when we'll 143 00:06:57,080 --> 00:06:59,320 Speaker 5: see him, and when we see him, how long will 144 00:06:59,360 --> 00:07:01,880 Speaker 5: he be able to pick? So I would say they 145 00:07:01,960 --> 00:07:06,000 Speaker 5: solidified the rotation. They're gonna be okay there, and the 146 00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:09,720 Speaker 5: lineup is still a little top heavy. If they could 147 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:14,240 Speaker 5: somehow enagle another bat for the middle to the end 148 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:15,520 Speaker 5: of the lineup, I think it would help. 149 00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:20,040 Speaker 2: And of course there's no reason to think that they're 150 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:22,680 Speaker 2: not having this exact conversation in the front office, and 151 00:07:22,680 --> 00:07:25,360 Speaker 2: they've certainly got resources and they've demonstrated that they're not 152 00:07:25,840 --> 00:07:28,400 Speaker 2: shy on going out into the market. There's a lot 153 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:32,640 Speaker 2: of time between now and reporting to Arizona for spring training. 154 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:37,320 Speaker 3: What does this mean? You know, what does this mean. 155 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:41,240 Speaker 2: If you're a fan of you know, Pittsburgh or Kansas City, 156 00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:45,160 Speaker 2: or you know any of the smaller market teams that 157 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:47,880 Speaker 2: just you know, we we know somehow Tampa Bay has 158 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:52,120 Speaker 2: amazingly managed to take that small market media market and 159 00:07:52,200 --> 00:07:55,800 Speaker 2: fan base and and have competitive teams on the field 160 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:56,680 Speaker 2: year in and year out. 161 00:07:56,920 --> 00:07:57,960 Speaker 3: But that's an. 162 00:07:57,880 --> 00:08:00,640 Speaker 2: Outlier really when you look at like Pittsburgh has already 163 00:08:00,680 --> 00:08:03,600 Speaker 2: been eliminated for the twenty four season, han'ting gone to 164 00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:07,600 Speaker 2: camp yet? I mean, does baseball have to address the 165 00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:09,400 Speaker 2: imbalance between the halves. 166 00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:09,880 Speaker 3: And the have nots? 167 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:12,840 Speaker 5: That is a great question. And I was actually talking 168 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:16,000 Speaker 5: to somebody about that last week, and I look at 169 00:08:16,040 --> 00:08:17,800 Speaker 5: it like this, if you're a major, let the owner. 170 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:20,920 Speaker 5: You know, years ago, Doug, when all of this started, 171 00:08:21,080 --> 00:08:24,160 Speaker 5: families owned teams and it was great for the community. 172 00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:26,480 Speaker 5: And now people are a lot of money owned teams 173 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:28,960 Speaker 5: and if you can't afford to pay, then you shouldn't play. 174 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:32,360 Speaker 5: And there's going to be a competitive imbalance. But that's 175 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:35,280 Speaker 5: how life is. I don't think the Dodgers should have 176 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:38,920 Speaker 5: to spend less to make everyone else hoole to give 177 00:08:38,920 --> 00:08:41,800 Speaker 5: them an opportunity to compete. It costs more to buy 178 00:08:41,800 --> 00:08:44,440 Speaker 5: a team in this market. You make more money because 179 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:47,240 Speaker 5: of it, and the expectations are higher. So yeah, you're 180 00:08:47,280 --> 00:08:49,240 Speaker 5: going to hear that from people that this kind of 181 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:52,800 Speaker 5: thing ruins baseball. And also the Dodgers now have become 182 00:08:52,800 --> 00:08:55,440 Speaker 5: officially the biggest villains in the sport. Yeah, the Dodgers 183 00:08:55,480 --> 00:08:57,840 Speaker 5: are always the top road draw, by the way, in 184 00:08:57,880 --> 00:09:01,320 Speaker 5: Major League Baseball, the top road draw. Now they are 185 00:09:01,720 --> 00:09:04,840 Speaker 5: the biggest villains in the sport because they simply went 186 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:07,720 Speaker 5: out and said, it's like we're playing at the World 187 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:11,240 Speaker 5: Series of Poker and this is the final hand and 188 00:09:11,280 --> 00:09:13,760 Speaker 5: we're looking at our chips and we just push them 189 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:16,120 Speaker 5: all in the middle and say we're all in, you're 190 00:09:16,240 --> 00:09:17,960 Speaker 5: all in, We're going for it. 191 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:19,400 Speaker 3: Well, they clearly are. 192 00:09:19,520 --> 00:09:21,640 Speaker 2: Fred do you think that I know that they would 193 00:09:21,640 --> 00:09:23,439 Speaker 2: never admit this, and they won one hundred games. It's 194 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:25,800 Speaker 2: hardly like to had a bad season last year. But 195 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:30,120 Speaker 2: they were very conservative last off season. Were they, you know, 196 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:33,520 Speaker 2: basically marshaling their forces for the Otani run. 197 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:38,800 Speaker 5: The answer simply is yes. But I would also ask 198 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:41,719 Speaker 5: you to consider, as conservative as they may or may 199 00:09:41,760 --> 00:09:44,160 Speaker 5: not have been, they were still top five in payroll 200 00:09:44,160 --> 00:09:47,120 Speaker 5: in Major League Baseball. So it's you know, it's not 201 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:50,400 Speaker 5: like they said, well, we're paying nobody and we're going 202 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:52,760 Speaker 5: to save up our pennies. We're going to cobble a 203 00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:56,440 Speaker 5: few shekels together. They won one hundred games, as you 204 00:09:56,480 --> 00:09:59,719 Speaker 5: pointed out, but they were a bit on the conservative 205 00:09:59,760 --> 00:10:02,200 Speaker 5: side because they knew this day was coming and they 206 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:04,559 Speaker 5: would be all in Fred. 207 00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:10,640 Speaker 2: You know, I'm old, so I remember when ballplayers in 208 00:10:10,640 --> 00:10:13,040 Speaker 2: the offseason had to get other jobs in order to 209 00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:16,479 Speaker 2: pay the rent. Famously, Richie Hebner, I think he represents 210 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:19,080 Speaker 2: this from the pirates. He used to spend his off 211 00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:22,480 Speaker 2: season as a grave digger. He literally that's what he 212 00:10:22,520 --> 00:10:25,320 Speaker 2: did in the wintertime. He'd be digging graves. And he said, oh, 213 00:10:25,360 --> 00:10:27,760 Speaker 2: it's a great exercise. You know, it's upper body. You know, 214 00:10:28,040 --> 00:10:31,960 Speaker 2: I come into spring training of perfect shape, and now 215 00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:37,440 Speaker 2: the distance between star players and humanity. 216 00:10:36,920 --> 00:10:39,960 Speaker 3: Is so vast. Yes, you know I know that. 217 00:10:40,360 --> 00:10:42,320 Speaker 2: You know this isn't just a baseball issue. This is 218 00:10:42,360 --> 00:10:45,880 Speaker 2: you know, the soccer players actually make more in some cases. 219 00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:48,880 Speaker 2: But it just seems to me that there's a cultural 220 00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:52,640 Speaker 2: shift here that it really is like the some kind 221 00:10:52,720 --> 00:10:56,160 Speaker 2: of Roman circus, where there's just such an elite like 222 00:10:57,040 --> 00:11:00,000 Speaker 2: status of these athletes and the riches they're shined upon 223 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:03,280 Speaker 2: on them versus you know, the great unwashed masses that 224 00:11:03,480 --> 00:11:04,880 Speaker 2: just have to cheer their betters. 225 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:09,440 Speaker 5: Well, the truth of the matter is they're entertainers. So 226 00:11:09,520 --> 00:11:12,000 Speaker 5: look at Taylor Swift. Now, how much money does she make? 227 00:11:12,760 --> 00:11:15,040 Speaker 5: You know, you have so much disposable income, and you 228 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:18,520 Speaker 5: choose suspend it any way you'd like. Sports are entertainment. 229 00:11:18,720 --> 00:11:21,600 Speaker 5: I mean for the athletes, they're games, they compete, but 230 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:26,120 Speaker 5: for the marketplace, it's entertainment, and they're entertainers to a 231 00:11:26,200 --> 00:11:29,120 Speaker 5: large degree. You always get paid with the market will bear. 232 00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:31,800 Speaker 5: And this is all a function of television revenue. The 233 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:34,880 Speaker 5: games are not constructed any longer for people in the seats. 234 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:38,560 Speaker 5: They're not built that way. Extra part of it, yeah, 235 00:11:38,679 --> 00:11:40,920 Speaker 5: they're extra, exactly right. You want to be a part 236 00:11:40,960 --> 00:11:44,480 Speaker 5: of it, the atmosphere, but they're extras. The game is 237 00:11:44,520 --> 00:11:47,400 Speaker 5: made for television. Yeah, everything is made for media, and 238 00:11:47,480 --> 00:11:49,280 Speaker 5: as long as those rights go up, those guys are 239 00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:49,920 Speaker 5: gotta get paid. 240 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:53,199 Speaker 2: Hey, fred, I hope you have a great holiday, Merry Christmas, 241 00:11:53,240 --> 00:11:54,280 Speaker 2: Happy New Year, all that stuff. 242 00:11:54,280 --> 00:11:56,000 Speaker 3: Thanks so much for joining us. Appreciate it. 243 00:11:56,920 --> 00:11:58,960 Speaker 5: Doug, thanks for having me on. Same to you. 244 00:11:59,240 --> 00:12:04,560 Speaker 4: Okay, you're listening to John Cobelt on demand from KFI 245 00:12:04,840 --> 00:12:05,720 Speaker 4: AM six forty. 246 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:08,760 Speaker 3: All right, ladies and gentlemen. 247 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:13,480 Speaker 2: So this has been a disastrous year in Hollywood for 248 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:15,600 Speaker 2: folks who work in the entertainment industry or all of 249 00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:19,760 Speaker 2: the feeder industries, which include dry cleaners and lumber yards 250 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:24,160 Speaker 2: and paint shops and everything everything that feeds the Hollywood 251 00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:28,240 Speaker 2: machine in all its various entities. It's been awful because 252 00:12:28,240 --> 00:12:31,080 Speaker 2: of the labor disputes, et cetera. And now that the 253 00:12:31,120 --> 00:12:34,320 Speaker 2: strikes are over shows they are far fewer films being 254 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:38,559 Speaker 2: green lit, a lot fewer series being ordered by the 255 00:12:38,600 --> 00:12:41,560 Speaker 2: streamers and everybody else. So it's a tough time. It's 256 00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:44,600 Speaker 2: never easy, It's never been easy, and it never will 257 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:46,960 Speaker 2: be easy to try to scratch a living out of 258 00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:50,600 Speaker 2: the poor clay soil of show business. It's a tough racket. 259 00:12:50,840 --> 00:12:53,240 Speaker 2: Even in the glory days of the big studio systems, 260 00:12:53,559 --> 00:12:56,560 Speaker 2: it was never easy and it's just not going to be, 261 00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:01,439 Speaker 2: but it's getting harder and harder because of the economics 262 00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:06,240 Speaker 2: of the moguls who run the place. Who's real business 263 00:13:06,320 --> 00:13:09,079 Speaker 2: And this is something that we lose sight of frequently. 264 00:13:09,760 --> 00:13:13,479 Speaker 2: You see the studios. The people who run the studios 265 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:17,439 Speaker 2: are not in the movie and television business. Debri, do 266 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:18,600 Speaker 2: you know what business they're in? 267 00:13:18,920 --> 00:13:21,160 Speaker 3: What business? They're in the stock business? 268 00:13:21,920 --> 00:13:27,800 Speaker 2: Because their compensation packages are really based on stock performance. 269 00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:32,320 Speaker 2: And this has been the problem for really quite a while, 270 00:13:32,640 --> 00:13:35,520 Speaker 2: not just in Hollywood, but in corporate America in general, 271 00:13:36,440 --> 00:13:38,760 Speaker 2: is that the people at the top of the food 272 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:43,000 Speaker 2: chain are bonused on a quarterly basis on stock price. 273 00:13:43,679 --> 00:13:45,400 Speaker 2: And there's a bunch of ways that you could make 274 00:13:45,400 --> 00:13:47,480 Speaker 2: the stock price go up. One is to make a 275 00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:50,520 Speaker 2: great product that everybody wants and there's lots of sales 276 00:13:50,520 --> 00:13:54,880 Speaker 2: and the cash registers ringing, and the stockholders say, oh, 277 00:13:54,920 --> 00:13:58,400 Speaker 2: my goodness, what a fantastic CEO you are, and the 278 00:13:58,440 --> 00:14:01,840 Speaker 2: border directors, you've done such great job selling all this stuff. 279 00:14:02,080 --> 00:14:04,560 Speaker 2: We're going to give you a gazillion dollars as an 280 00:14:04,559 --> 00:14:07,120 Speaker 2: add a boy. The other way to do it is 281 00:14:07,160 --> 00:14:11,760 Speaker 2: to cut costs, and that's the easier thing to do, 282 00:14:11,840 --> 00:14:16,080 Speaker 2: because the secret sauce of how you get people into 283 00:14:16,160 --> 00:14:19,200 Speaker 2: a theater or get people in to buy your product 284 00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:23,160 Speaker 2: at a store, or you know, whatever it is you're selling, 285 00:14:23,440 --> 00:14:25,680 Speaker 2: is a lot harder than it is to say, oh, 286 00:14:25,760 --> 00:14:27,280 Speaker 2: what can we get rid of here? What do we 287 00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:30,800 Speaker 2: not need? Well, we don't need Doug McIntire, get rid 288 00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:33,880 Speaker 2: of him. Let's start with them. And we don't need 289 00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:37,960 Speaker 2: this big office, and we don't need a Christmas party, 290 00:14:38,320 --> 00:14:41,720 Speaker 2: and we can do without you know, those shiny vans 291 00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:43,840 Speaker 2: that we got painted a few years ago. You know, 292 00:14:43,920 --> 00:14:45,600 Speaker 2: you just cut and cut and cut and cut and cut, 293 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:48,240 Speaker 2: and some of it you can't cut. I mean a 294 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:51,120 Speaker 2: lot of times there's some meat in the bones, and 295 00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:53,000 Speaker 2: then maybe there's some fat and some dead weight you 296 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:56,120 Speaker 2: can get rid of. But at some point you can 297 00:14:56,160 --> 00:15:01,000 Speaker 2: cut your way into extinction when you just keep cutting 298 00:15:01,040 --> 00:15:03,520 Speaker 2: and cutting and cutting itself. Finally, people say, well what 299 00:15:03,800 --> 00:15:05,840 Speaker 2: do I want this for? This is what's happened in 300 00:15:05,880 --> 00:15:09,520 Speaker 2: the newspaper business. I'm sorry to report because it's not 301 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:13,240 Speaker 2: like they wanted to fire the newsroom. It's not like 302 00:15:13,280 --> 00:15:16,360 Speaker 2: they wanted to shrink the paper down to you know, 303 00:15:16,640 --> 00:15:20,200 Speaker 2: a pamphlet it's people stopped. You know, people started to 304 00:15:20,240 --> 00:15:24,160 Speaker 2: believe that they get their news online and it's free. 305 00:15:25,080 --> 00:15:29,040 Speaker 2: But what they forget is that online gets it from 306 00:15:29,040 --> 00:15:32,360 Speaker 2: the newspaper. How does it get to online. It gets 307 00:15:32,360 --> 00:15:37,680 Speaker 2: to online from the newspaper because online quote unquote doesn't 308 00:15:37,720 --> 00:15:40,480 Speaker 2: have reporters and photographers and people who go out and 309 00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:43,720 Speaker 2: stick at a story and have contacts and work a 310 00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:47,480 Speaker 2: story over a long period of time. So anyway, this 311 00:15:47,560 --> 00:15:50,760 Speaker 2: is what happened when Napster came along and the music 312 00:15:50,800 --> 00:15:53,120 Speaker 2: industry cratered it put iconic. 313 00:15:53,520 --> 00:15:55,640 Speaker 3: There's that word again, overused, but. 314 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:59,680 Speaker 2: It put it almost buried the entire music industry because 315 00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:02,680 Speaker 2: the whole generation of people grow up thinking music is free, 316 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:06,520 Speaker 2: their friends share it through sharing apps. But what happened 317 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:09,640 Speaker 2: was they were stiffing their favorite musicians. Really Now, you know, 318 00:16:09,720 --> 00:16:12,920 Speaker 2: Taylor's doing okay, Beyonce's doing okay. But I got a 319 00:16:12,960 --> 00:16:15,760 Speaker 2: lot of friends who are brilliant musicians, mostly in the 320 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:18,720 Speaker 2: jazz world, and I know them really well. And it's 321 00:16:19,160 --> 00:16:22,800 Speaker 2: you know, it's so difficult. I mean, basically, you have 322 00:16:22,840 --> 00:16:25,240 Speaker 2: to go on the road, and you know, you have 323 00:16:25,320 --> 00:16:27,720 Speaker 2: some CDs that you can sell in the lobby after 324 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:29,840 Speaker 2: the show, and after you've worked, you got to sit 325 00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:31,880 Speaker 2: in the lobby and sign these things to make a 326 00:16:31,880 --> 00:16:33,920 Speaker 2: couple of extra bucks to pay gas to get to 327 00:16:33,960 --> 00:16:37,960 Speaker 2: the next gig. And these are like multiple Grammy nominees, brilliant, 328 00:16:38,480 --> 00:16:43,800 Speaker 2: incredibly accomplished musicians. It's a tough racket, but it's happening everywhere. 329 00:16:44,120 --> 00:16:47,560 Speaker 2: Well now Warner Brothers Discovery, which was a merger in 330 00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:52,040 Speaker 2: twenty twenty two, is now, according to Axios, kicking tires 331 00:16:52,160 --> 00:16:57,480 Speaker 2: on buying Paramount, which of course I'll own CBS so 332 00:16:57,720 --> 00:17:01,120 Speaker 2: and you see what happens when these mergers happen. The 333 00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:07,400 Speaker 2: first thing to go are the independent departments. For instance, 334 00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:09,720 Speaker 2: if this merger takes place, and I have no idea 335 00:17:09,720 --> 00:17:11,520 Speaker 2: if it is or not. No one's calling me asking 336 00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:15,240 Speaker 2: my opinion on this. But you know, if Warner Brothers 337 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:18,680 Speaker 2: merges with Paramount, they're not gonna have two HR departments. 338 00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:21,480 Speaker 2: They're gonna have two accounting departments. They're gonna have to 339 00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:24,040 Speaker 2: fill in the blank departments. They're gonna have one department, 340 00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:26,920 Speaker 2: and maybe because of the size of the place, they'll 341 00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:29,199 Speaker 2: take some people from whoever's on the short end of 342 00:17:29,200 --> 00:17:32,399 Speaker 2: the stick and keep a few jobs. But basically, it 343 00:17:32,480 --> 00:17:35,800 Speaker 2: means fewer places to go get hired. This is going 344 00:17:35,840 --> 00:17:39,560 Speaker 2: on in the supermarket world. Kroger and Albertson's are trying 345 00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:41,600 Speaker 2: to merge. And by the way, that's a huge twenty 346 00:17:41,760 --> 00:17:45,160 Speaker 2: four point six billion dollar proposed merger. They've got till 347 00:17:45,240 --> 00:17:48,359 Speaker 2: January seventeenth until the Federal Trade Commission decides whether or 348 00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:50,080 Speaker 2: not this is gonna go through. And a lot of 349 00:17:50,119 --> 00:17:53,000 Speaker 2: people are worried about it because it's fewer choices, stores 350 00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:57,280 Speaker 2: will close, fewer places to work, and fewer places to shop, 351 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:02,600 Speaker 2: and you know, you know a lot of places. A 352 00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:05,320 Speaker 2: lot of European nations are talking about Google as a 353 00:18:05,400 --> 00:18:08,480 Speaker 2: monopoly and Amazon is a monopoly, et cetera, et cetera. 354 00:18:09,040 --> 00:18:12,000 Speaker 2: You know, this is the age old battle that goes 355 00:18:12,119 --> 00:18:17,240 Speaker 2: back to Theodore Roosevelt and trust busting. When he referred 356 00:18:17,280 --> 00:18:20,879 Speaker 2: to the malefactors of great wealth. There's a phrase you 357 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:24,159 Speaker 2: don't hear thrown around very much. Yeah, try getting that 358 00:18:24,400 --> 00:18:28,080 Speaker 2: on handle show. Huh, the malefactors are great wealth. But 359 00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:31,280 Speaker 2: that's what Teddy Roosevelt called people like Jeff Bezos and 360 00:18:31,359 --> 00:18:36,440 Speaker 2: these you know, these rulers of the universe, because they 361 00:18:36,560 --> 00:18:39,120 Speaker 2: come up with an idea and they're successful, and God 362 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:42,879 Speaker 2: bless them. I use Amazon all the time because they 363 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:45,679 Speaker 2: have a great service. It's fantastic. It's great service. You 364 00:18:45,720 --> 00:18:47,960 Speaker 2: find anything in the world right. But what happens is 365 00:18:47,960 --> 00:18:50,639 Speaker 2: it gets so big it crushes the competition, even if 366 00:18:50,680 --> 00:18:54,040 Speaker 2: it's not by design, it just happens, and then you 367 00:18:54,119 --> 00:18:56,199 Speaker 2: have a problem. Then you have a restraint of trade, 368 00:18:56,240 --> 00:18:59,199 Speaker 2: and you have fewer options for people to shop, and 369 00:18:59,240 --> 00:19:02,280 Speaker 2: it gets more expense and it gets harder for people 370 00:19:02,320 --> 00:19:04,440 Speaker 2: to get a fair deal when it comes to their 371 00:19:04,480 --> 00:19:05,840 Speaker 2: employment opportunities. 372 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:11,320 Speaker 4: You're listening to John Cobelts on demand from KFI AM 373 00:19:11,359 --> 00:19:12,200 Speaker 4: six forty. 374 00:19:13,960 --> 00:19:17,040 Speaker 2: And many of you are listening from other places around 375 00:19:17,280 --> 00:19:20,320 Speaker 2: the globe. Once lived in southern California. You got hooked 376 00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:23,040 Speaker 2: on KFI, and now you split, but you can't you 377 00:19:23,040 --> 00:19:25,240 Speaker 2: can't get through a day without your KFI fix. So 378 00:19:25,320 --> 00:19:27,160 Speaker 2: you listen on the iHeart app, which is a smart 379 00:19:27,160 --> 00:19:31,840 Speaker 2: thing to do. But why people split from California. It 380 00:19:31,840 --> 00:19:34,320 Speaker 2: has been a big conversation for a long time. I 381 00:19:34,480 --> 00:19:36,880 Speaker 2: just had this conversation, you know, I mentioned before when 382 00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:39,080 Speaker 2: I was talking about how the LA Department of Parks 383 00:19:39,119 --> 00:19:41,960 Speaker 2: and Rex has allowed the softball fields to cintegrate into 384 00:19:42,200 --> 00:19:46,760 Speaker 2: basically you know, minefields of injuries waiting to happen. There's 385 00:19:46,760 --> 00:19:50,080 Speaker 2: a lack of maintenance, and the homeless people keep attacking 386 00:19:50,080 --> 00:19:52,200 Speaker 2: the invY. They set the palm trees on fire about 387 00:19:52,240 --> 00:19:54,879 Speaker 2: two weeks ago. They burned this row of palm trees, 388 00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:57,520 Speaker 2: incinerated from the base of the trunk to the tops, 389 00:19:57,560 --> 00:20:04,439 Speaker 2: just completely incinerated. Well, you know, people, I posted this 390 00:20:04,520 --> 00:20:07,760 Speaker 2: picture on Facebook, on my personal Facebook page, and that 391 00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:10,240 Speaker 2: opened the floodgates to is this a commentary on the 392 00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:11,159 Speaker 2: state of Los Angeles? 393 00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:13,800 Speaker 3: And it really wasn't. It was just something I saw. 394 00:20:14,240 --> 00:20:16,359 Speaker 2: I put the picture up, but it opened up this 395 00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:20,240 Speaker 2: back and forth of people who hate California. They are 396 00:20:20,320 --> 00:20:24,480 Speaker 2: mostly former ex Californians who have moved away, and I 397 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:27,199 Speaker 2: don't understand how you can keep living there, you know, 398 00:20:27,320 --> 00:20:29,280 Speaker 2: and blah blah blah blah blah, and the back and forth. 399 00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:31,680 Speaker 2: And then people say, no, it's really warts and all. 400 00:20:31,760 --> 00:20:33,600 Speaker 2: It's still the weather's good. You don't have to shovel 401 00:20:33,640 --> 00:20:34,680 Speaker 2: the weather, et cetera. 402 00:20:34,720 --> 00:20:35,080 Speaker 3: Whatever. 403 00:20:36,320 --> 00:20:40,920 Speaker 2: But California is one of those places that you love 404 00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:44,440 Speaker 2: it or hate it. And I got to admit, despite 405 00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:47,200 Speaker 2: the fact that the place is run largely by crazy people. 406 00:20:48,640 --> 00:20:50,359 Speaker 2: I do love living here. I mean I've lived here 407 00:20:50,400 --> 00:20:53,080 Speaker 2: for almost forty years now, and I go back and forth. 408 00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:55,160 Speaker 2: I grew up in New York, and I've been here 409 00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:57,000 Speaker 2: for a long long time, and I go back a 410 00:20:57,040 --> 00:21:00,280 Speaker 2: lot because a family, or just to go back because 411 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:02,680 Speaker 2: I like it. But that's another place. By the way, 412 00:21:02,720 --> 00:21:05,960 Speaker 2: the people can't stand not upstate New York. Snowy, but 413 00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:08,440 Speaker 2: it's very pretty. The city of New York. People love 414 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:12,480 Speaker 2: it or hate it. And California is actually sixth in 415 00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:16,360 Speaker 2: the nation for states that lose population, behind number one 416 00:21:16,400 --> 00:21:21,200 Speaker 2: New York, Louisiana, Hawaii, Illinois, West Virginia, and then California. 417 00:21:21,240 --> 00:21:24,080 Speaker 2: But for the third year in a row we lost people. 418 00:21:24,400 --> 00:21:27,000 Speaker 2: Now this last year it was only thirty seven thousand, 419 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:29,480 Speaker 2: which is a drop in the bucket considering the population 420 00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:33,160 Speaker 2: of California. Back in the battle days of COVID closures, 421 00:21:33,160 --> 00:21:36,160 Speaker 2: we lost to half a million between April of twenty 422 00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:39,200 Speaker 2: twenty and July twenty twenty two, where people just said, no, 423 00:21:39,320 --> 00:21:41,320 Speaker 2: I'm not doing it, can't deal with it, can't deal 424 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:41,879 Speaker 2: with the closures. 425 00:21:41,920 --> 00:21:42,560 Speaker 3: They're out of here. 426 00:21:43,200 --> 00:21:45,479 Speaker 2: And you know, the spike and housing prices and all 427 00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:48,520 Speaker 2: that stuff. And that's the irony of all this, isn't it. 428 00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:52,200 Speaker 2: We're losing population and everybody who hates the state. 429 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:54,040 Speaker 3: Of California says, everybody's fleeing. 430 00:21:54,119 --> 00:21:56,480 Speaker 2: You know, you can't get a U haul, all the 431 00:21:56,560 --> 00:21:58,879 Speaker 2: U haul trucks and there is, by the way, a 432 00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:02,280 Speaker 2: premium to take U haul out of California, and they're 433 00:22:02,280 --> 00:22:04,359 Speaker 2: begging you to bring them back in because they can't 434 00:22:04,359 --> 00:22:05,240 Speaker 2: get the trucks back. 435 00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:07,359 Speaker 3: So many people are leaving. 436 00:22:07,760 --> 00:22:09,919 Speaker 2: But the irony is all these people are leaving, but 437 00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:13,080 Speaker 2: somebody's moving in because try buying a house or finding 438 00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:15,959 Speaker 2: an apartment. And that's why the rents are so high, 439 00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:19,600 Speaker 2: is that people, you know, keep snapping these things up 440 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:23,560 Speaker 2: right away. But meanwhile, what's odd when you look at 441 00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:27,159 Speaker 2: the six the top six states for losing population. For 442 00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:30,080 Speaker 2: the folks who think it's political that people want to 443 00:22:30,119 --> 00:22:33,600 Speaker 2: get away from all the leftist crazies, well, the number 444 00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:36,440 Speaker 2: one state is New York and okay, that's the Democrats. 445 00:22:36,800 --> 00:22:40,760 Speaker 2: People want to get away from them. The next one's Louisiana. 446 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:44,159 Speaker 2: You can't even find a Democrat, I mean outside of 447 00:22:44,200 --> 00:22:46,320 Speaker 2: maybe the Crooked City Council in New Orleans. 448 00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:47,160 Speaker 3: You can't. 449 00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:52,280 Speaker 2: There's no Democrats in Batan Rouge, the suburbs, you know, 450 00:22:52,359 --> 00:22:55,280 Speaker 2: the rural areas of Louisiana, which is most of Louisiana. 451 00:22:55,520 --> 00:22:59,280 Speaker 2: Although swamp creatures, they're not voting for Democrats. And yet 452 00:22:59,280 --> 00:23:04,439 Speaker 2: people are split from Louisiana Hawaii. I don't know what 453 00:23:04,520 --> 00:23:06,800 Speaker 2: to say Hawaii. I've always looked at Hawaii is one 454 00:23:06,840 --> 00:23:10,199 Speaker 2: of those places where people moved to it and then 455 00:23:10,240 --> 00:23:11,320 Speaker 2: they get island fever. 456 00:23:11,359 --> 00:23:14,040 Speaker 3: They figure, I gotta get off this island. Yeah. If 457 00:23:14,040 --> 00:23:14,920 Speaker 3: I get if I. 458 00:23:14,880 --> 00:23:17,320 Speaker 2: Eat one more piece of POI I swear to God, 459 00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:20,679 Speaker 2: I'm coming in. If I see one more Hawaiian shirt 460 00:23:20,720 --> 00:23:23,919 Speaker 2: and I hear one more note of ukual Ale music, 461 00:23:24,480 --> 00:23:27,280 Speaker 2: I'm going to kill somebody. And then there were fires, 462 00:23:27,320 --> 00:23:30,240 Speaker 2: you know, obviously the horrible fires. But people are splitting 463 00:23:30,240 --> 00:23:32,800 Speaker 2: from Hawaii. I just think that people get antsy of 464 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:35,400 Speaker 2: being trapped on the island, which is, by the way, way, 465 00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:38,600 Speaker 2: I could never live in a landlocked state. I just 466 00:23:38,920 --> 00:23:42,720 Speaker 2: I can't do Oklahoma, all right. I always felt like 467 00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:48,399 Speaker 2: if if Rogers and Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein had 468 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:50,800 Speaker 2: ever been to Oklahoma, they never would have written that 469 00:23:50,880 --> 00:23:53,879 Speaker 2: musical and song. Oh how I you know, Oh what 470 00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:56,800 Speaker 2: a beautiful morning. I'm sorry, it's just a lot of Oklahoma. 471 00:23:57,240 --> 00:24:00,399 Speaker 2: I need an ocean somewhere nearby, at least a major river. 472 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:06,560 Speaker 2: And then Illinois, okay, Illinois two states. There's Chicago, and 473 00:24:06,560 --> 00:24:12,359 Speaker 2: then there's Southern Illinois. Southern Illinois practically the Confederacy, Northern Illinois, Chicago, right, 474 00:24:13,040 --> 00:24:16,560 Speaker 2: I'm going to the store, cover me so. And then 475 00:24:16,760 --> 00:24:20,159 Speaker 2: West Virginia, and West Virginia's is right wing as you 476 00:24:20,200 --> 00:24:24,520 Speaker 2: can get. So you've got Louisiana and West Virginia. People 477 00:24:24,520 --> 00:24:28,680 Speaker 2: are leaving that state, and then New York and California 478 00:24:28,720 --> 00:24:30,960 Speaker 2: people are leaving this state. So I don't know that 479 00:24:31,040 --> 00:24:35,560 Speaker 2: it's purely political. I think what you see is money 480 00:24:35,600 --> 00:24:38,640 Speaker 2: goes further other places. If you're living in New York 481 00:24:38,680 --> 00:24:41,160 Speaker 2: and you've got a pension from the city or the state, 482 00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:44,240 Speaker 2: which is usually pretty good. They pay their cops and firefighters, 483 00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:46,720 Speaker 2: well there as well. You look at it saying, look, 484 00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:48,760 Speaker 2: here's the deal. I can move to Florida or Georgia 485 00:24:48,800 --> 00:24:52,240 Speaker 2: or South Carolina or Maryland, have much more mild winters 486 00:24:52,359 --> 00:24:55,960 Speaker 2: or essentially no winter, and take all this tax money 487 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:58,520 Speaker 2: with me and have a nice life. And by the way, 488 00:24:58,560 --> 00:25:00,280 Speaker 2: you can do that if you want. You've earned it's 489 00:25:00,320 --> 00:25:02,520 Speaker 2: your money. Do what you want. Well, people have been 490 00:25:02,560 --> 00:25:04,920 Speaker 2: doing that in California, where they've been voting with their feet. 491 00:25:05,080 --> 00:25:08,280 Speaker 2: They said, I got my pension, I can sell my house. 492 00:25:09,600 --> 00:25:11,640 Speaker 2: We actually have friends, my wife and I have friends 493 00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:15,880 Speaker 2: who sold their two bedroom, two bath house in North 494 00:25:15,920 --> 00:25:19,159 Speaker 2: Hollywood quite a few years ago, and they bought and 495 00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:22,280 Speaker 2: I'm not making this up, a fifty acre horse ranch 496 00:25:22,400 --> 00:25:26,159 Speaker 2: north of Dallas. Fifty acres to me sounds like a 497 00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:28,280 Speaker 2: small country, and I've been to the ranch. 498 00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:29,280 Speaker 3: By the way, it's beautiful. 499 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:32,440 Speaker 2: It's not too far north of Dallas, so it's a 500 00:25:32,480 --> 00:25:34,480 Speaker 2: reasonable drive if you want to get to a restaurant 501 00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:37,320 Speaker 2: or see you a show or something like that, go 502 00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:40,560 Speaker 2: to a concert. But you could sell a two bedroom 503 00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:43,359 Speaker 2: house in North Hollywood, squished onto a tiny little lot. 504 00:25:43,359 --> 00:25:45,920 Speaker 2: And I lived in a place like that, almost exactly 505 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:48,359 Speaker 2: near them. I could have been their neighbor, and I 506 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:52,560 Speaker 2: could hear my neighbor peeing, that's how close the houses 507 00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:55,480 Speaker 2: were together. Don't laugh, ever, it's honest to God true 508 00:25:55,760 --> 00:25:59,000 Speaker 2: that is. But it's like my bathroom window was so 509 00:25:59,119 --> 00:26:01,600 Speaker 2: close to my next a neighbor's bathroom window. When the 510 00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:04,119 Speaker 2: guy was standing up and peeing. I could hear him peeing, 511 00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:06,480 Speaker 2: and then all of a sudden, it made me think, jeez, 512 00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:08,560 Speaker 2: I better close the window before I eat a burrito. 513 00:26:10,560 --> 00:26:12,680 Speaker 3: I don't need this getting around the neighborhood. 514 00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:16,000 Speaker 2: But what I'm saying is, and then you could sell 515 00:26:16,040 --> 00:26:20,800 Speaker 2: that little tiny house and buy a fifty acre horse 516 00:26:20,880 --> 00:26:22,240 Speaker 2: ranch north of Dallas. 517 00:26:22,400 --> 00:26:24,960 Speaker 3: And people say why do people move, Well, that's one reason, 518 00:26:25,280 --> 00:26:26,359 Speaker 3: because you don't have the weather. 519 00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:29,640 Speaker 2: No, I don't want to live in Texas. I like Texas, 520 00:26:29,680 --> 00:26:31,280 Speaker 2: I like visiting. I have friends who live in Tech. 521 00:26:31,280 --> 00:26:33,399 Speaker 2: I don't want to live in Texas, especially West Texas. 522 00:26:33,400 --> 00:26:36,119 Speaker 2: I don't understand that at all. Got a tumbleweed for 523 00:26:36,160 --> 00:26:41,840 Speaker 2: our neighbor, But anyway, they keep leaving. Foreign immigration recovered 524 00:26:41,840 --> 00:26:44,080 Speaker 2: to pre pandemic levels, with a net gain of more 525 00:26:44,119 --> 00:26:46,399 Speaker 2: than one hundred and fifteen thousand people. I don't know 526 00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:48,600 Speaker 2: if that counts illegal immigrants, because I don't know how 527 00:26:48,600 --> 00:26:49,600 Speaker 2: you count them. 528 00:26:50,440 --> 00:26:51,320 Speaker 3: California add at. 529 00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:54,480 Speaker 2: One hundred and seven thousand people by natural increase, which 530 00:26:54,560 --> 00:26:58,159 Speaker 2: means births versus deaths. But we did see more people 531 00:26:58,320 --> 00:27:02,320 Speaker 2: split than come in for the third straight year, including 532 00:27:02,359 --> 00:27:04,560 Speaker 2: by the way, the wealthiest people in the state of 533 00:27:04,600 --> 00:27:07,960 Speaker 2: California are fleeing at the largest rate. And this is 534 00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:11,040 Speaker 2: a real problem, as you know, that a sixty eight 535 00:27:11,040 --> 00:27:13,800 Speaker 2: billion dollar deficit that they had to go whoops and 536 00:27:13,880 --> 00:27:17,159 Speaker 2: acknowledge after Gavin Newsom was bragging about the surpluses when 537 00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:23,359 Speaker 2: he was in that fake debate with Ronda Santis recently. Well, 538 00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:25,840 Speaker 2: you know that's because of a twenty five percent drop 539 00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:31,600 Speaker 2: in personal income tax collection, mostly because of capital gains taxes. 540 00:27:31,640 --> 00:27:35,199 Speaker 2: You know when capital gains. When the markets are down, 541 00:27:36,440 --> 00:27:39,239 Speaker 2: capital gains go down, and we get so much of 542 00:27:39,280 --> 00:27:43,440 Speaker 2: our state income general revenue budget comes from the top 543 00:27:43,480 --> 00:27:45,919 Speaker 2: wage journers in the state of California that if the 544 00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:50,000 Speaker 2: markets go down, we've immediately got a deficit. Well, the 545 00:27:50,040 --> 00:27:52,000 Speaker 2: markets are up, so that's not the problem. What's the 546 00:27:52,040 --> 00:27:55,400 Speaker 2: problem the rich people split. I think at one point 547 00:27:56,000 --> 00:27:59,959 Speaker 2: a few years ago the number was twenty billion dollars 548 00:28:00,280 --> 00:28:03,879 Speaker 2: of wealth from California had gone just to Nevada. Of 549 00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:06,920 Speaker 2: California said, moved to Nevada, and they take their life 550 00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:10,120 Speaker 2: savings with them, which means all that money they had 551 00:28:10,119 --> 00:28:13,280 Speaker 2: in property and savings are now in a Nevada Bank 552 00:28:13,359 --> 00:28:18,120 Speaker 2: or in Nevada property and invested in Nevada, and that's 553 00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:21,240 Speaker 2: a huge tax base going to the Silver State and 554 00:28:21,280 --> 00:28:22,720 Speaker 2: a loss to the Golden State. 555 00:28:23,800 --> 00:28:28,159 Speaker 4: You're listening to John Cobelts on demand from KFI AM 556 00:28:28,160 --> 00:28:30,000 Speaker 4: six forty. 557 00:28:31,440 --> 00:28:34,040 Speaker 2: We're here, Chris Merril will be along shortly in for 558 00:28:34,520 --> 00:28:38,240 Speaker 2: Timmy and I'll be back on the twenty seventh, eighth, 559 00:28:38,280 --> 00:28:41,320 Speaker 2: and ninth infa, Gary and Shannon And if you're heading 560 00:28:41,320 --> 00:28:45,320 Speaker 2: out of town, have a great Christmas. So pink is 561 00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:49,480 Speaker 2: for girls and blue is for boys, right, Sandy Wells? 562 00:28:49,520 --> 00:28:52,520 Speaker 3: So correct, so absolutely correct? Well, what are you getting at? 563 00:28:52,680 --> 00:28:55,160 Speaker 2: It used to be, it's not so much because in 564 00:28:55,200 --> 00:28:59,040 Speaker 2: twenty twenty four, California has a new law. And the 565 00:28:59,120 --> 00:29:02,760 Speaker 2: new law says that large retail stores, and I'm sure 566 00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:06,600 Speaker 2: they defined what qualifies as a large retail store has 567 00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:11,160 Speaker 2: to have a gender neutral toy aisle, the toy right 568 00:29:11,280 --> 00:29:15,440 Speaker 2: that the toy section has to be gender neutral. And 569 00:29:15,560 --> 00:29:18,719 Speaker 2: currently I guess Barbie, all the Barbie dolls, you know, 570 00:29:18,880 --> 00:29:22,400 Speaker 2: targeted to girls, and the boxes are pink. And I 571 00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:25,080 Speaker 2: guess the g I Joe stuff if they still make that, 572 00:29:25,120 --> 00:29:27,680 Speaker 2: I don't even know, is it got to be blue 573 00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:28,680 Speaker 2: for boys, right. 574 00:29:29,440 --> 00:29:31,400 Speaker 3: If not blood red because it promotes war. 575 00:29:32,760 --> 00:29:35,360 Speaker 2: Now, you know what's weird about this too, is pink 576 00:29:35,760 --> 00:29:40,600 Speaker 2: did not I don't know when pink became identified with girls, 577 00:29:41,200 --> 00:29:46,040 Speaker 2: and then it became identified further with effeminate and gay 578 00:29:47,440 --> 00:29:49,600 Speaker 2: because it didn't used to be though. In the French 579 00:29:49,640 --> 00:29:53,560 Speaker 2: Revolution and in the American Revolution, I'm pretty sure as well, 580 00:29:54,840 --> 00:29:58,520 Speaker 2: we didn't have uniforms, you know, us rebellious Yanks did 581 00:29:58,520 --> 00:30:02,080 Speaker 2: not have uniforms till quite late in the game. So 582 00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:05,000 Speaker 2: in order to tell who the hell we were, they 583 00:30:05,080 --> 00:30:09,640 Speaker 2: tie ribbons literally big you know, sashes around their tunics 584 00:30:09,880 --> 00:30:13,040 Speaker 2: so that we weren't shooting each other by accident. And 585 00:30:13,320 --> 00:30:17,920 Speaker 2: frequently it was pink because there was no gender identity 586 00:30:18,040 --> 00:30:21,320 Speaker 2: attached to that. So somehow that crept in over the decades. 587 00:30:21,360 --> 00:30:22,000 Speaker 3: I'm not shure you. 588 00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:25,800 Speaker 5: I always thought that they bleached the British uniform so 589 00:30:25,840 --> 00:30:27,280 Speaker 5: they came out kind of pink. 590 00:30:27,320 --> 00:30:29,400 Speaker 2: Or they just went to they just went to jail 591 00:30:29,520 --> 00:30:33,479 Speaker 2: in Maricopa County, and your pile gave them the pink underwear, 592 00:30:33,680 --> 00:30:37,000 Speaker 2: get it, the all pink underwear trait. Remember that anyway, 593 00:30:37,720 --> 00:30:41,640 Speaker 2: California is now going to require large retail stores with 594 00:30:41,680 --> 00:30:44,680 Speaker 2: five hundred or more employees statewide to have gender neutral 595 00:30:44,760 --> 00:30:48,600 Speaker 2: section for toys, which I gotta be honest with you, 596 00:30:48,760 --> 00:30:50,960 Speaker 2: is one of the craziest things I've ever heard of. 597 00:30:51,040 --> 00:30:52,800 Speaker 2: And I'm you know, I get it. This is a 598 00:30:52,920 --> 00:30:57,440 Speaker 2: very complicated issue. I'm not judging anybody about that, but 599 00:30:57,880 --> 00:31:02,000 Speaker 2: to make that a priority that somehow this is going 600 00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:06,240 Speaker 2: that kids who have gender identity issues are somehow traumatized 601 00:31:06,240 --> 00:31:09,760 Speaker 2: by going into the toy section at Walmart and saying, Gee, 602 00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:13,240 Speaker 2: I'd really like to have an Easy Bake oven, or 603 00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:15,920 Speaker 2: I'd really like to have the new Malibu Barbie, the 604 00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:19,600 Speaker 2: twenty twenty four edition, but I can't go in that 605 00:31:19,720 --> 00:31:22,160 Speaker 2: aisle because I'm traumatized to go into that aisle. 606 00:31:22,280 --> 00:31:24,560 Speaker 3: I just don't get it. I really don't. I think 607 00:31:24,720 --> 00:31:24,920 Speaker 3: you know. 608 00:31:25,240 --> 00:31:29,080 Speaker 2: I tried to start my own cabinet level position years ago, 609 00:31:29,160 --> 00:31:32,120 Speaker 2: called the Secretary of knock it Off, And I really 610 00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:34,680 Speaker 2: do believe that we need this desperately in the country. 611 00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:37,239 Speaker 2: When you have issues like this come up and you 612 00:31:37,320 --> 00:31:39,040 Speaker 2: just give it to the Secretary of knock it off 613 00:31:39,160 --> 00:31:41,880 Speaker 2: who issues a knock it off ruling, because we've got 614 00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:45,000 Speaker 2: actual problems and this doesn't appear to me to be 615 00:31:45,160 --> 00:31:45,760 Speaker 2: one of them. 616 00:31:46,440 --> 00:31:47,800 Speaker 3: But again, what do I know? 617 00:31:48,360 --> 00:31:51,560 Speaker 2: Chris Merrill coming up at in just a few minutes. 618 00:31:51,560 --> 00:31:53,400 Speaker 2: As mister Merrill with us has he entered the building 619 00:31:53,400 --> 00:31:53,760 Speaker 2: there he. 620 00:31:53,800 --> 00:31:57,200 Speaker 3: Is, Yeah, did you hey body? 621 00:31:57,520 --> 00:32:03,120 Speaker 2: Oh that sounds yeah, so Conway ish, big day? 622 00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:07,240 Speaker 3: How about those kids in the bank? Big is the difference. 623 00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:09,640 Speaker 3: It's like the sheets that we lay on. It's my 624 00:32:09,680 --> 00:32:10,520 Speaker 3: favorite crayon. 625 00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:14,280 Speaker 2: No, you said, dong ding, And that's how we know 626 00:32:14,360 --> 00:32:17,520 Speaker 2: the difference. And what are you got coming up here 627 00:32:17,560 --> 00:32:22,000 Speaker 2: on the big really big program, really big program. Hard 628 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:25,000 Speaker 2: to follow you obviously, so I'll do what I can. 629 00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:27,440 Speaker 3: But you know, I think you'll step over that bar 630 00:32:27,640 --> 00:32:28,200 Speaker 3: very easily. 631 00:32:28,600 --> 00:32:31,680 Speaker 6: You're a heck of a guy. We've got water crashes. 632 00:32:31,720 --> 00:32:34,560 Speaker 6: You know, whenever it rains, people lose their friggin' mind. 633 00:32:34,600 --> 00:32:37,040 Speaker 6: So we've got water crashes that are going on. We'll 634 00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:39,760 Speaker 6: talk l a law. As you just mentioned, there's gonna 635 00:32:39,760 --> 00:32:42,840 Speaker 6: be some ley laws changing, including making sure we've got 636 00:32:42,840 --> 00:32:47,600 Speaker 6: the right colored toys and whatnot. I also wonder remember 637 00:32:47,640 --> 00:32:50,400 Speaker 6: the old slinky commercials. Where does the where does that 638 00:32:50,440 --> 00:32:57,120 Speaker 6: fall into that? Right? 639 00:32:51,240 --> 00:32:59,200 Speaker 3: This is very confusing for slinkies. 640 00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:02,360 Speaker 2: Well, we're gonna but you know, if you're you get 641 00:33:02,360 --> 00:33:04,479 Speaker 2: a slinky for a spine, you're kind of like a 642 00:33:04,520 --> 00:33:05,400 Speaker 2: fence straddler. 643 00:33:05,720 --> 00:33:07,920 Speaker 3: You don't really know. Chie Trump or Biden, I'm not 644 00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:08,600 Speaker 3: really sure. 645 00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:09,840 Speaker 6: I'll go right in the middle. 646 00:33:09,880 --> 00:33:10,760 Speaker 3: Then that's exactly. 647 00:33:10,840 --> 00:33:12,720 Speaker 6: That'll be in the gender neutral. 648 00:33:12,520 --> 00:33:13,600 Speaker 3: Toy ile exactly. 649 00:33:14,040 --> 00:33:16,080 Speaker 6: So that's where it's going to land. So anyway, we 650 00:33:16,160 --> 00:33:18,640 Speaker 6: got some ELLE law will go over, including the maximum 651 00:33:18,680 --> 00:33:22,160 Speaker 6: enforcement period and what cops are going to be doing 652 00:33:22,200 --> 00:33:24,920 Speaker 6: differently in twenty twenty four as opposed to what they've 653 00:33:24,920 --> 00:33:28,680 Speaker 6: been doing this year. And also one quick one AI 654 00:33:28,840 --> 00:33:29,880 Speaker 6: will be replacing us. 655 00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:31,320 Speaker 3: All that is all coming up. 656 00:33:31,400 --> 00:33:32,920 Speaker 2: By the way, I can't wait for that to happen, 657 00:33:32,920 --> 00:33:35,360 Speaker 2: because we tried and we screwed it up. So let 658 00:33:35,360 --> 00:33:37,120 Speaker 2: the machines take a whack at it. 659 00:33:37,880 --> 00:33:40,040 Speaker 6: I you know what, for those of us close enough 660 00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:42,560 Speaker 6: to retirement, not so bad. For those that are still 661 00:33:42,560 --> 00:33:45,120 Speaker 6: trying to make their nutt and create a retirement fund, 662 00:33:45,120 --> 00:33:45,960 Speaker 6: they're screwed. 663 00:33:45,760 --> 00:33:46,120 Speaker 5: All right. 664 00:33:46,200 --> 00:33:48,200 Speaker 2: Chris Merrill coming up in for Conway in just a 665 00:33:48,200 --> 00:33:51,640 Speaker 2: few minutes, Ladies and gentlemen, last chance to plug before Christmas. 666 00:33:51,640 --> 00:33:53,200 Speaker 2: I have a book out that I'm very proud of 667 00:33:53,200 --> 00:33:56,360 Speaker 2: It's called Frank's Shadow, just one by the way in 668 00:33:56,440 --> 00:33:59,400 Speaker 2: the New England Book Festival. Very happy about that, So 669 00:33:59,480 --> 00:34:02,000 Speaker 2: go grab copy at Amazon dot com or one of 670 00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:07,200 Speaker 2: our local book retailers like Barnes and Noble, Romans and Pasadena, 671 00:34:07,280 --> 00:34:11,200 Speaker 2: David K Books in Woodland Hills, Bookstar and Studio City, 672 00:34:11,520 --> 00:34:14,000 Speaker 2: and Pages a bookstore at Manhattan Beach. It's been a 673 00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:16,719 Speaker 2: great pleasure. Hey, Eric, thanks so much. I want to 674 00:34:16,760 --> 00:34:19,560 Speaker 2: thank Richie as well in Mondo, and Deborah Mark and 675 00:34:19,680 --> 00:34:22,520 Speaker 2: Sandy wells Now in that twenty four hour KFI newsroom. 676 00:34:22,800 --> 00:34:25,759 Speaker 1: Hey, you've been listening to the John Cobalt Show podcast. 677 00:34:25,800 --> 00:34:28,280 Speaker 1: You can always hear the show live on KFI Am 678 00:34:28,320 --> 00:34:31,320 Speaker 1: six forty from one to four pm every Monday through Friday, 679 00:34:31,320 --> 00:34:34,600 Speaker 1: and of course anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app.