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Speaker 1: in Hollywood, Florida thanks to the hard Rock Bet, and
Speaker 1: Nick and I are doing the most unique yeah podcast
Speaker 1: we will ever do in our respective careers. We are
Speaker 1: in a hard rock bet. What would you call party bus?
Speaker 1: The party bus both Colin and I. You know, listen,
Speaker 1: I don't I know where I think Colin is in
Speaker 1: the sports media ecosystem. I you know, they're conflicting opinions
Speaker 1: on where I am. But at our core, what Colin
Speaker 1: and I both are is old school radio guys. And
Speaker 1: when we were alerted about this event, he and I
Speaker 1: both separately without talking to each other, thought we were
Speaker 1: going to be on a stage at a DJ booth
Speaker 1: in a bar with just like folks ordering drinks I
Speaker 1: even tweeted like, because there's a bar up the street
Speaker 1: called Mickey Burns that is live streaming this and thanks
Speaker 1: to them. But you and I both thought it was
Speaker 1: gonna be like back when we were doing training camp
Speaker 1: coverage and local radio, like.
Speaker 2: We're at a bar hanging out. This is a little
Speaker 2: more swanky but very nice, and we are just this.
Speaker 2: Either this area is over represented by Colombian fans or
Speaker 2: this stadium tonight is going to be eighty five percent
Speaker 2: Colombian fans against Portugal.
Speaker 1: So hard rock bet it is. This is what hard
Speaker 1: rock bet looks like. It's all yellow shirts.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, yes, one hundred, oh yes. The casino, the
Speaker 2: guitar our casino has been That's what I'm saying. Is
Speaker 2: either the Portugal and I'm not sure it might be
Speaker 2: like that there. Hollywood, Florida is a Columbian stronghold, and
Speaker 2: there's a different Portuguese stronghold elsewhere in the South Florida area.
Speaker 2: But I have seen I saw zero Christiano Ronaldo or
Speaker 2: Portugal jerseys at the casino. I've seen zero Here's It
Speaker 2: really seems like Columbia is gonna have a home field
Speaker 2: advantage tonight in the game and if that informs my bet.
Speaker 2: I have not bet the game yet, I've thought about it.
Speaker 2: I don't know which way I'm leaning, but I feel
Speaker 2: like we're almost. We're almost. It's almost mandatory to go
Speaker 2: with Columbia at this point. It is, you know.
Speaker 1: I was thinking about this as I was flying down
Speaker 1: today by the way commercial, as I was finding.
Speaker 2: It's not a good for you man of the people.
Speaker 2: So I was flying down in row twenty eight and
Speaker 2: I and I was thinking.
Speaker 1: About as I was doing it that when was the
Speaker 1: last time that I turned on a sporting event and
Speaker 1: was shocked at what I was watching.
Speaker 2: So the first half against Paraguay, the first fifteen minutes
Speaker 2: our aggressively sunning.
Speaker 1: I think it's the best half of football any United
Speaker 1: States soccer team has ever played.
Speaker 2: National team, and I was.
Speaker 1: Thinking, when's the last time you turned on a game?
Speaker 1: I will say this, when when Indiana started taking Alabama
Speaker 1: to the woodshed, it was like, whoall the sport of SiGe?
Speaker 1: You know, that's one of those. But one of the things,
Speaker 1: one of the things about the World Cup that it's
Speaker 1: always been hard to gauge. We before the friendlies with
Speaker 1: Senegalgue in Germany. We had been on about a nine
Speaker 1: month drought. We had played terribly in Polisic had and
Speaker 1: scored in a year, and even with Ac maloney'd had
Speaker 1: nagging injuries. And I remember saying to one of the
Speaker 1: executives at Fox, I've got horrible vibes about this.
Speaker 2: I said, we better have a plan for how we're
Speaker 2: going to talk World Cup, not about the US be's
Speaker 2: national team. I was like, we gotta I understand we're
Speaker 2: all rooting for a deep run. But three weeks before
Speaker 2: the World Cup, I was like, hey, guys on the show.
Speaker 2: We had a meeting. We were like, hey, we can
Speaker 2: all we're all rooting for the US, but we need
Speaker 2: to put stakes in the ground on other countries that
Speaker 2: are actually going to be playing in the big games,
Speaker 2: because the US looked like it was in total disarray. Instead,
Speaker 2: it's been magical.
Speaker 1: Mexico's good, Yes, England, all the stars are scoring, all
Speaker 1: the strikers young and old. There's been just enough upsets
Speaker 1: and we've gotten almost universally permitting weather. Philadelphia had an
Speaker 1: ugly yes for one day. Yeah, but I mean you
Speaker 1: look at the heat wave France is going through. Correct,
Speaker 1: We have been so lucky just enough controversy. The high
Speaker 1: ration breaks are kind of you know, people are overwrought
Speaker 1: with that. And my take is they really started those
Speaker 1: things in like twenty eighteen or twenty twenty twenty two Brazil.
Speaker 2: I had to do it well. Twenty fourteen in Brazil
Speaker 2: there was an element of it. Twenty eighteen it was
Speaker 2: in Russia, right, But twenty I'm not sure. Twenty twenty
Speaker 2: two in Katar you had to have it. Absolutely. I
Speaker 2: don't care about that, to be totally honest, I love
Speaker 2: soccer around of purists. I don't care about it. But
Speaker 2: to your point though, and then we get to the
Speaker 2: US men's national team about this World Cup setting up
Speaker 2: with the storylines, the stars and the best teams. One
Speaker 2: of your longtime March Madness takes is upsets are fun,
Speaker 2: but it makes the tournament worse. Ten groups have been decided.
Speaker 2: We are ten for ten on the favorite winning the group.
Speaker 2: Every single favorite has won its group, and then we'll
Speaker 2: see what happens in the final two groups, of which
Speaker 2: a lot of these Columbian fans are opening. The favorite
Speaker 2: doesn't win because Portugal is one of them, and then
Speaker 2: England obviously is the other favorite. So you have no
Speaker 2: great teams that have been sent on check one, check two.
Speaker 2: Is every single one of the huge stars. It's not
Speaker 2: only scored had a multi gold game. Even Christiano Ronaldo,
Speaker 2: who's forty one and might be wheeled into the arena,
Speaker 2: has to at a multi gold game. Messi's been unbelievable.
Speaker 2: Messi retired from World Cups in twenty fifteen. Since then
Speaker 2: he's played in three or four and one one one
Speaker 2: and might win another. So that's happening, and it is
Speaker 2: like the bracket is set up to where we're staring
Speaker 2: at France Germany in the round of sixteen, We're staring
Speaker 2: at Argentina, potentially Portugal in the round of eight, Mexico
Speaker 2: hosting England in Mexico City in the round of sixteen.
Speaker 2: That's before we even get to the semis, before you
Speaker 2: even talk about what you know, if it again, if
Speaker 2: the seeding holds, so to speak, we could get Brazil
Speaker 2: Argentina in the World Cup semis on one side of
Speaker 2: the bracket, and France, Spain or maybe the US right
Speaker 2: in the semis on the other side of the bracket.
Speaker 2: And on top of all that, the US has played,
Speaker 2: I don't know of my lifetime. Four of the six
Speaker 2: best halves of soccer they've ever played. And I'm forty
Speaker 2: years old.
Speaker 1: Well, and I said this the other day, is that
Speaker 1: the great thing about tournaments that Illinois is a great
Speaker 1: example of this. You can get to the final four
Speaker 1: of the Elite eight having played one good team. They
Speaker 1: played Houston, yep. And that's the reality is you get
Speaker 1: to the knockout stage and you're like, oh, I don't
Speaker 1: want to play them. Boom, they loose yellow cards, red cards, injuries.
Speaker 1: I mean the reality is great teams get a little tight,
Speaker 1: just like March badness sure right. Unlike basketball, where tight
Speaker 1: meets you score seventy two eighty two, titan soccer means
Speaker 1: one goal, doot three and you can seize sometimes when
Speaker 1: you get to these later stages that the heavy favorite,
Speaker 1: who by the way, is getting clovered by their countries media, right,
Speaker 1: And so I mean this is why Turkey A when
Speaker 1: they beat us, I'm like, guys, they had to win.
Speaker 1: I mean it was like the coach is gonna get fired.
Speaker 1: I was so overjoyed with our effort. You know, you
Speaker 1: and I have talked about this. People were so disappointed
Speaker 1: with the outcome and I said time out go one
Speaker 1: second before the kick, you would have said our reserves tied.
Speaker 1: Correct a desperate team, So the kick can't make me
Speaker 1: think bad.
Speaker 2: Outing, so I agree with you. I also, if we
Speaker 2: want to go gri glass really half full, you know,
Speaker 2: probably good for the team to not get a little
Speaker 2: too full of itself, right all that, I it's the
Speaker 2: World Cup. We had an opportunity to, you know, continue
Speaker 2: do what Mexico did. Hey, it's a meaningless game. We're
Speaker 2: gonna go undefeated anyway. And I was prepared mentally for
Speaker 2: a drawer or even a loss before the game. When
Speaker 2: they scored two minutes in, I'm like, oh my god,
Speaker 2: I think you tweeted like I'm not used to the
Speaker 2: US being the best team in the world, but they
Speaker 2: I have. My My expectations going into this tournament for
Speaker 2: the US team were very simple. If if somehow they
Speaker 2: don't get out of the group, then you have to
Speaker 2: burn the whole thing to the ground.
Speaker 1: Right.
Speaker 2: They not only got out of the group, they won
Speaker 2: the group. We have had for my entire well for
Speaker 2: everybody here his entire life. The side from the opening
Speaker 2: tournament in nineteen thirty a pretty hard ceiling of the
Speaker 2: round of sixteen. We've made the quarters once, it was
Speaker 2: in O two. The goal was to make the quarters
Speaker 2: again and see what the hell happens, and they are
Speaker 2: now well positioned to do that. They get they have
Speaker 2: Bosnia in the first round and then Malachium, probably probably Belgium.
Speaker 2: They're off there. Belgium has not been good and I'm
Speaker 2: not just saying that because I had my father's day
Speaker 2: ruined by betting Belgium and they scored zero goals.
Speaker 1: But they were, you know, back in twenty eighteen they
Speaker 1: finished third, Yes, and and since twenty fourteen they've made
Speaker 1: every big European tournament.
Speaker 2: But they're not the same.
Speaker 1: They're no a lot lessayer's age out cor they got
Speaker 1: new young players, they're not as dynamic.
Speaker 2: And Locaku is not as good as he once was.
Speaker 2: But Doku will be the best player on the field
Speaker 2: in that game. But so be it. Like well have
Speaker 2: home field advantage, and of all the teams you could
Speaker 2: play in the round of sixteen, they're not. They haven't
Speaker 2: played that great. They're not one of the best ones.
Speaker 2: I but to your I want to circle back to
Speaker 2: your first point, which is I have always felt world
Speaker 2: Cup time. All right, what's the US plan? Hold the
Speaker 2: other team to zero and hope you score on a
Speaker 2: set piece. It's just been like, if you're playing a
Speaker 2: good team and you're the US, that's the only way.
Speaker 2: It's like you sure shit better get shut them out
Speaker 2: and you know, you get a little lucky or something,
Speaker 2: you know one as they say, moment of magic. That's
Speaker 2: not this team at all at all. This team. It's
Speaker 2: you probably gonna need to score three because you might
Speaker 2: give up a few, but one, right, but you can
Speaker 2: score Oh yeah, it's and let's I have the We
Speaker 2: talk a lot about how much coaching matters in the
Speaker 2: NFL versus the NBA. Yeah, it seems to me man
Speaker 2: like I guess they call it managing, but managing in
Speaker 2: soccer might be on level with coaching in the NFL
Speaker 2: as far as the importance and setting awall aros, instilling belief,
Speaker 2: all of Patino has been unbelievable.
Speaker 1: He's just you know, I always said this when Wemby
Speaker 1: came into the NBA, he was US. Yes, he wanted
Speaker 1: to win everything. He very domestic. Giannis wasn't you catch
Speaker 1: you kitch? Can't get home fast enough? Webby's like, I'm
Speaker 1: gonna do the monk thing for a couple of weeks,
Speaker 1: but I'm gonna come back and start training and I
Speaker 1: want to win the NBA All Star Game MVP. I
Speaker 1: can be a villain al throw elbows, none of this
Speaker 1: nonsense about well, I'm gonna slowly integrate into the American system.
Speaker 1: And I think po Chattino his greatest asset has been Okay, guys,
Speaker 1: I've done this. We're we're skilled, We're at home. Many
Speaker 1: of the good teams are young or a little old.
Speaker 1: You can I use these Seahawks as a comparison. Our
Speaker 1: thirteen best players are all in their prime correct or
Speaker 1: going into it. That is that was what Seattle was
Speaker 1: last year. The Rams were good, but they had holes,
Speaker 1: you know, right, and the Rams are a little creaky
Speaker 1: at certain spot Seattle.
Speaker 2: Every spot you're like, oh, he's in his prime. Two.
Speaker 2: That's rare in sports.
Speaker 1: That was the early Chiefs with Mahomes, when Kelsey was
Speaker 1: getting a little old but was still late prime. You're like,
Speaker 1: every one of their best players is in their prime.
Speaker 2: Right. The only young guy was Mahomes, and it is
Speaker 2: the only guy who wasn't supposed to be in his
Speaker 2: prime yet was the quarterback, but he got to his
Speaker 2: prime imediately. The U, Yes, the US. It is a
Speaker 2: real question of like, man, how many guys on this
Speaker 2: team will be around in twenty twenty six, Like it's
Speaker 2: the core will Yeah, I think I think three of
Speaker 2: the four best players will. But in general, my point
Speaker 2: is this is if you would have said ten years ago, here,
Speaker 2: you know, uh, looking in the future, here's the twenty
Speaker 2: five guys they're gonna be on your next three World
Speaker 2: Cup teams. What's the one where you're gonna have the
Speaker 2: best combination of them aging being at their peak. We
Speaker 2: just said twenty twenty six. So all the fact that
Speaker 2: we are now going into the knockout rounds because we
Speaker 2: clinched early, we don't have to worry about any of
Speaker 2: the yellow card accumulation. All those guys set Polisic, who
Speaker 2: how do I put this, seems to be a little fragile.
Speaker 2: Seems like he doesn't necessarily play. He needs to be
Speaker 2: one hundred percent to want to go. Yeah, I'm not
Speaker 2: you know, I really hope he doesn't get god forbid,
Speaker 2: kicked in the calf again and have to miss ten
Speaker 2: days in the World Cup. But he's healthy, and I
Speaker 2: think they feel great. And I thought Buchattino was so
Speaker 2: funny when he was scolding the media when he was like,
Speaker 2: you guys are acting like we go home in Turkey
Speaker 2: A advances like we won the group. We didn't need
Speaker 2: to win this game, and they're gonna get even more confidence.
Speaker 2: I would amage because I think they'll beat Bosnia handily
Speaker 2: and then we'll see. I had it in front of
Speaker 2: me before. I'm gonna pull it up again. It's we
Speaker 2: played Belgium, but Belgium's gotta win, and so I want
Speaker 2: to see who the other team is. I don't think
Speaker 2: it's totally set yet, but I'll pull it up. But yeah,
Speaker 2: I think they're gonna make the quarters. And I think
Speaker 2: we're gonna have the United States playing Spain in a
Speaker 2: World Cup quarter five.
Speaker 1: And I think we match up fine with Spain. I
Speaker 1: don't think anybody matches up with France.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, France looks really, really good.
Speaker 1: So I was saying this, you know, every week I
Speaker 1: do that Colin right, Colin wrong, And I don't mind
Speaker 1: being wrong, but I like being right more than wrong.
Speaker 1: And I said, losing to Turkey A proves a twenty
Speaker 1: year point I've had so anytime the American soccer team loses,
Speaker 1: you gotta blame Jurgen Klinsman, Bruce Arena, Greg Berhalt. It's
Speaker 1: always the coach correct And it's like, but why do
Speaker 1: all of our coaches before Pochettino play the same counterattacking style,
Speaker 1: heavy on set pieces. That's right, because we can't attack
Speaker 1: our personnel. It's the same if you have a bad secondary,
Speaker 1: you got to be very careful about bringing extra people
Speaker 1: in the pass rush right, great corners, jail break, bring everybody. Okay,
Speaker 1: So suddenly last Pochatino's hyper aggressive, so it's not a
Speaker 1: scheme thing. He didn't have any tactical blunders. We played
Speaker 1: our backups and couldn't dominate possession, sloppy, and it's like,
Speaker 1: it proves my point. It's not a coaching thing. Our
Speaker 1: scheme did not change. We went hyper aggressive all sports
Speaker 1: our day. Andy Reid makes Mahome better. Mahomes be fine
Speaker 1: without it. He may not get the rings, but he'd
Speaker 1: be he'd be great, sure, and and Belichick deserves a
Speaker 1: lot of credit. But in the end, we have really
Speaker 1: good players. Now we're fit on the back end, so
Speaker 1: is England, so is Norway. But when you watch us play,
Speaker 1: it was so to me, it was so instructive to
Speaker 1: watch how aggressive we were with our reserve still winning possession. Sloppy,
Speaker 1: but it was.
Speaker 2: But it proved the value of that, which is it
Speaker 2: you cannot play that well and just have a couple
Speaker 2: of great moments and get two goals out of it,
Speaker 2: as opposed to the previous philosophy, which seemed to be
Speaker 2: we have to beat perfect tactically because we can't give
Speaker 2: up a goal and then we hope to have a moment.
Speaker 2: It's also a hell of a lot more fun to watch.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I did look it up. I couldn't remember.
Speaker 2: So if in order for you know, assuming we beat Bosnia,
Speaker 2: yes it might be Belgium, but Belgium's most likely opponent
Speaker 2: there is Synegal. Senegal absolutely can beat Belgium, and we're not.
Speaker 2: We've played Senegal before, you've played him in the warm
Speaker 2: up yet, like we we're not gonna feel it'll be
Speaker 2: the first time ever if we're in the round of
Speaker 2: sixteen where we might be favored, and if we're not favored,
Speaker 2: we're all gonna feel like, oh, well, that's a coin
Speaker 2: flip like, we definitely can win that game. And it
Speaker 2: does seem like historically, and it's felt this way this tournament,
Speaker 2: that there is no event in sports where home field
Speaker 2: advantage has a bigger impact than the World Cup. It
Speaker 2: does just feel like the it's impossible for the officials
Speaker 2: not to somewhat get caught up in the emotion of
Speaker 2: the crowd and fifty to fifty calls go the home
Speaker 2: team's way and the other team gets a little more
Speaker 2: rattled by in what's supposed to be a neutral site
Speaker 2: tournament their games being you know, as raucous and rowdy
Speaker 2: of a hostile fan base as they're going to experience.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's I mean, it's just there's so many things
Speaker 1: to be excited about. And I've said this before. Of
Speaker 1: course I root for Fox, I root for hard Rock, bet,
Speaker 1: I worked for my corporate sponsors and my partners, but
Speaker 1: it could not work out better. The weather MESSI Ronaldo
Speaker 1: Harry Kane. And it's interesting. Some people were worried that
Speaker 1: it would dilute the field when they added teams, but most,
Speaker 1: I mean, some of these African nations, I don't know
Speaker 1: any thing about their teams, but dude.
Speaker 2: They've been so I'm I'm very competitive, speaking a hard
Speaker 2: rock bed I have. I am all in on Dr
Speaker 2: Congo tonight. All in the African nations have been underrated.
Speaker 2: Congo advances with a win. Who's Bekistan. I'm not gonna
Speaker 2: act like I've Scott Usbekstan, but I've watched their games.
Speaker 2: They don't seem to be good and Congo and they're
Speaker 2: only minus one forty like so the I'm going to
Speaker 2: Portugal Columbia, I have no you know, insight on that.
Speaker 2: But the African nations have I think been pretty undervalued
Speaker 2: by the odds makers, and they have been really competitive.
Speaker 2: And to your point.
Speaker 1: About no pressure and tons of motivation correct to come back.
Speaker 2: And but your point about I saw your our colleague,
Speaker 2: but a guy who's been on your podcast a couple times,
Speaker 2: Michael Mobile, will say, yeah, if the US big, if
Speaker 2: if they were to make a World Cup final, it
Speaker 2: would do the same type of ring domestically as the
Speaker 2: NFC Championship game. He said, fifty to sixty million people's
Speaker 2: crazy would watch it. Even if the US, you know,
Speaker 2: let's just say the US gets pop, doesn't make it
Speaker 2: past the quarters, which is you know, really where it's projected.
Speaker 2: If the bracket holds, this is what we are looking at.
Speaker 2: In the quarterfinals, France playing either Netherlands or Morocco. Ne horse,
Speaker 2: it went well. They if they can get past Morocco
Speaker 2: in round of thirty two, they got a great chance.
Speaker 2: The bottom left part of the bracket quarterfinal in La
Speaker 2: July tenth Spain US seems like a pretty cool game. Wow.
Speaker 2: The quarterfinal here in Miami July eleventh, that would be
Speaker 2: Brazil against England or Mexico. If Mexico upsets them, either
Speaker 2: way Brazil England be sick. And then the other quarterfinal
Speaker 2: in Kansas City July eleventh, what I would imagine will
Speaker 2: be the highest rated non World Cup five in world history. Again,
Speaker 2: if the bracket holds, Argentina Portugal Messi Ronaldo for an
Speaker 2: opportunity to go to the semi final, and I understand
Speaker 2: that's just going with the chalk. But this has been
Speaker 2: while an exciting tournament. As I said, all ten groups
Speaker 2: have been won by the favorites. This has been a
Speaker 2: chalk chalk ish tournament, which is because the star has
Speaker 2: been so good. I'm just I'm super excited about it,
Speaker 2: and I do think there is now an element of
Speaker 2: and you need a moment like this. And the other
Speaker 2: big thing about the domestic World Cup is the time zones.
Speaker 2: You need the games not at three am, just like
Speaker 2: the Olympics. Correct, It's like it's less important that the
Speaker 2: game is in the United States and more than it's
Speaker 2: in this hemis federal. The last World Cup that I
Speaker 2: was this into was twenty fourteen Brazil. Because Brazil is
Speaker 2: on the same time zones as US, I wouldn't going
Speaker 2: to the games anyway, So what did I care? Yeah?
Speaker 2: I do think this will create more interest domestically in
Speaker 2: the MS, in the English Premier League and in following
Speaker 2: these stars well throughout their regular seasons.
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Speaker 1: you're going to laugh at me for saying this, But
Speaker 1: I think one of the things that helps us is
Speaker 1: there has been a capitalization, uh, geopolitical growth from the
Speaker 1: United States for the last ten years, and that is
Speaker 1: separated from Europe. I just read a story in The
Speaker 1: Atlantic flying down. I have a subscription to The Atlantic,
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Speaker 1: a big it's big discussion of Jamie Diamond and all
Speaker 1: these you know, financiers in New York. We have separated
Speaker 1: from eurom well, that plays to our strength because a
Speaker 1: lot of these soccer stars to get into the MLS
Speaker 1: to get Ken Griffin a financier of Citadel. He's the
Speaker 1: one that paid for Pochatino, Yes, he's so. The reality
Speaker 1: is rich guys like to be part of good momentum
Speaker 1: and cool stuff. Correct, And if we can get to
Speaker 1: a final eight, I can see a world in which
Speaker 1: we're like, we're going to go over there and we're
Speaker 1: gonna make big bids, try to get some better plays.
Speaker 1: Because Fouler and remember was only valer Badgan is only
Speaker 1: on our team eligible because his flight attendant said mom
Speaker 1: too pregnant to fly.
Speaker 2: So lady get that. Lady should get uf. We find
Speaker 2: her and get her a ticket to the next US
Speaker 2: and increasingly in the World Cup. You're not necessarily born
Speaker 2: in the.
Speaker 1: Country or of the country, so there's a lot of
Speaker 1: gray area there. And my take is our explosion of
Speaker 1: capital in the United States and in the Americas could
Speaker 1: be a big advantage going forward. That's why momentum here
Speaker 1: could really be a huge part.
Speaker 2: It's also why and where we put the cart a
Speaker 2: little before the horse here. And I know you want
Speaker 2: to get to other stuff It's also why that game
Speaker 2: against Bosnia is the biggest game in the history of
Speaker 2: the US men's national team. And I know that sounds
Speaker 2: crazy because it's around the thirty two game. We once
Speaker 2: played a round of eight game against South Korea. I
Speaker 2: get that that team, that team to get to the
Speaker 2: round of eight had won one game in regulation. They
Speaker 2: had to win, a draw, a loss, and then a
Speaker 2: penalty kicks. Win this every as long as they beat Bosnia,
Speaker 2: this will feel like such a massive domestic success for soccer.
Speaker 2: There will be no shame if they lose in the
Speaker 2: round of sixteen. I think they'd be able to beat
Speaker 2: Belgium or Senegal or Korea, anybody they can play there,
Speaker 2: but there would be no shame in it. But if
Speaker 2: you do all of this and then it's and then
Speaker 2: all of a sudden, because we have, oddly, thanks to
Speaker 2: the Turkey a game, lost thirteen straight games against European teams,
Speaker 2: and there's a little fluke to that little this. But
Speaker 2: then if all of a sudden, Bosnia clips US as
Speaker 2: the sixty third ranked team in the world, it will
Speaker 2: feel like it was for naught. But you win that game,
Speaker 2: and they should win that game. They're huge favorites to
Speaker 2: win that game. Then you start to you know, you
Speaker 2: start to believe crazier things can happen again. Korea made
Speaker 2: the semifinals when they hosted this tournament. There are six
Speaker 2: of the host nation in history. Their single best World
Speaker 2: Cup appearance or you know, best World Cup the furthest
Speaker 2: they've ever gone in the World Cup in their nation's
Speaker 2: history is when they hosted it.
Speaker 1: This is an opportunity for the US to do so.
Speaker 1: There was a massive move this week in the NBA.
Speaker 1: It just happened to be in Miami, which is I'm
Speaker 1: a believer in it. Although I think they're old. They
Speaker 1: need a play creator, a shot creator. Wig is Now,
Speaker 1: I get it. This is why you're so hot. You
Speaker 1: you knew we had this event coming.
Speaker 2: I didn't. You're like, oh, I'm gonna get Nick on
Speaker 2: the record that he thinks this is You're making me
Speaker 2: sound as calculated as that Nick thinks this is a
Speaker 2: bad trade. Well, I, Colin Goward, I think it's a
Speaker 2: good trade. And then we're gonna do a live show
Speaker 2: in Miami where he has to defend it.
Speaker 1: Go ahead, Sorry, Well, first of all, I think Bam
Speaker 1: and Janna start the second and third best defensive bigs
Speaker 1: in the league after Wimby. So I think, and I
Speaker 1: do think, in the Eastern Conference you can be completely flawed.
Speaker 1: Detroit had no number two score Tobias Harris Durham. It's
Speaker 1: like in the regular season in the East, you go
Speaker 1: in a lot of games, there's a lot of bad
Speaker 1: in the middle of bottom. There isn't in the West.
Speaker 1: But what's interesting is the story this week where Mario Chalmers,
Speaker 1: who was always really drove Lebron crazy when they were here. Sure,
Speaker 1: I came and watched a couple of Heatles games and
Speaker 1: Lebron and Mario Chalmers would argue incessantly during time out too.
Speaker 2: It was such a story. When they won the title,
Speaker 2: President Obama made fun of them about it. They're like,
Speaker 2: you blame Mario for everything, Like, yeah, that was definitely
Speaker 2: a thing, but what did he say?
Speaker 1: So basically, Mario said, if you went to Lebron and said,
Speaker 1: well we need bench in athleticism, we'll take Bronni and
Speaker 1: Lebron would be the play initiator, not share the ball
Speaker 1: and have to pretend he's not Austin Reeves, which is
Speaker 1: kind of an insult but understandable. At his age, but
Speaker 1: in Los Angeles, Lebron has to pretend he's not better
Speaker 1: than this. It's the third option. Miami goes, yeah, we
Speaker 1: have size, we have no play initiators. You've never liked
Speaker 1: to be around the basket defensively. You want to beat
Speaker 1: the fast breakout at the free throw on extended. We'll
Speaker 1: take Bronny, which by the way, he will.
Speaker 2: Play in Miami.
Speaker 1: And I'm lebron and I'm like, thirteen percent state tax
Speaker 1: to zero my son plays could start with if Mitchell
Speaker 1: has any injury. I mean, they really don't have a
Speaker 1: point guard of note.
Speaker 2: I mean, sure, no, I'm so.
Speaker 1: My take is, and I don't think I think the
Speaker 1: Lakers what they want to do. I think they're negotiating
Speaker 1: for Walker Kessler. They're just kind of get the number
Speaker 1: to be thirty three and not thirty eight because it
Speaker 1: traps them going forward.
Speaker 2: Although I like Walker Kessler.
Speaker 1: But my take is then they go to Lebron and go, listen,
Speaker 1: we want you back, and there's no room.
Speaker 2: You got to take fifteen.
Speaker 1: What they don't what they don't want to do, is
Speaker 1: have Rich Paul dictate terms because they do need a
Speaker 1: big there. I mean, if you look at now Oklahoma
Speaker 1: City is going to do Hartenstein chet and and Ma Mara.
Speaker 2: Yeah, they dressed three. So it's like, sorry, guys, you
Speaker 2: have to have a big and wants.
Speaker 1: It's just the way the Western Conference works. So and
Speaker 1: now you have Bam and Giannis over in the East.
Speaker 1: So my take is Lebron to Miami. You say, well
Speaker 1: left on bad terms, Dan Gilbert and Lebron. It was torched, correct,
Speaker 1: it was inconceivable that they could come back.
Speaker 2: So if you are asking me, would my feelings about
Speaker 2: the Heat's ability to contend this year change if they
Speaker 2: added Lebron James, Yes, they would. What do I want
Speaker 2: that to happen? Absolutely? So here's I'm not sure how
Speaker 2: much Lebron's family loved Miami. I don't know if that
Speaker 2: is you know, it's not like returning to Cleveland, where
Speaker 2: you're from. It also is if his daughter doesn't you know,
Speaker 2: if it seems like it's just a one year thing
Speaker 2: and his family's going to stay in LA that is
Speaker 2: obviously way further than Golden State. So there are some
Speaker 2: what I would call logistical complications to it. But from
Speaker 2: a basketball standpoint, everything you said I agree with one
Speaker 2: hundred percent because my concern about Miami as president constituted
Speaker 2: is Giannis is such a great player, assuming that the
Speaker 2: health issues he's had the last few years he can
Speaker 2: get over. He is. He gives you a floor to
Speaker 2: your offense, but the ceiling does not exist if you
Speaker 2: do not have shooting and shot creation outside of him.
Speaker 2: That's right, and right now they don't have it. They
Speaker 2: don't have it, and they are you know, they're staring
Speaker 2: at having to lose Norman Powell, their best three point shooter.
Speaker 2: Wiggins to me is declining. Davion Mitchell is a great defender,
Speaker 2: but is not a good offensive player. You know, Bam,
Speaker 2: I know eighty three points not with sands into thirty two? Correct, No, no, no.
Speaker 2: And so Miami is presently constituted will be one of
Speaker 2: the best defenses in basketball. But I think Flaty not
Speaker 2: have enough offense to win three, let alone four rounds
Speaker 2: in the playoffs if they, yes, would Lebron solve all
Speaker 2: of that? Yes, a hell of a lot of it,
Speaker 2: because it's not only his offense, but what we saw
Speaker 2: from him in the first round of the playoffs this year.
Speaker 2: What as as soon as he goes back to hand
Speaker 2: on the control's offense initiator mode, everyone's three point percentage
Speaker 2: goes up a percent or two because he's such a
Speaker 2: good passer, he understands getting other guys involved. So I
Speaker 2: like as a basketball fit, I like all of that,
Speaker 2: And there are not a lot of basketball fits I that.
Speaker 2: Let me rephrase it as far as let's just say
Speaker 2: Lebron is leaving the Lakers, which again I don't think
Speaker 2: is the most likely outcome, even though the Lakers have
Speaker 2: been wanting him to leave, even though he's been yes
Speaker 2: their most reliable players since he's been there. The basketball
Speaker 2: fits are mostly places I couldn't see him going like
Speaker 2: he would fit. He would make Houston a snap contender
Speaker 2: and fit perfect, no question. He's not going to Houston. No,
Speaker 2: he would make Detroit a snap contender and fit with
Speaker 2: them instantly. He's not going to Detroit. He Denver would
Speaker 2: be It would be great, and his buddy kind of
Speaker 2: owns the team. So maybe that's the possibility, but I
Speaker 2: don't think it's likely. Golden State would be finding. Yeah,
Speaker 2: but they can't win unless they also somehow find a
Speaker 2: way to get Anthony Davis. They are just not gonna
Speaker 2: be a good enough defensive team Cleveland. He's in the
Speaker 2: exact same prop position he's in with the Lakers, which
Speaker 2: is well, I am market. So you have Donovan Mitchell's
Speaker 2: your number one, Fine, that's Luca. Then you have this
Speaker 2: James Harden guy. Here's the thing about me and James Harden.
Speaker 2: I'm way better than him, just like he is with Austin.
Speaker 2: But those guys are only can only play with the
Speaker 2: ball in their hands. So I have to play this
Speaker 2: Swiss army knife role, which is kind of a bummer.
Speaker 2: And as a Lebron fan, I don't want to see
Speaker 2: him finishing his career as a third option, like when
Speaker 2: he's still this good. So for all those reasons, Miami,
Speaker 2: you know, checks a lot of boxes, he has a
Speaker 2: history there. They could absolutely win the title. They need him.
Speaker 2: He would have the ball in his hands. So I
Speaker 2: love the idea of it. I just don't think he's
Speaker 2: coming back to the East Coast. I would love it
Speaker 2: if he did. God, I would love it. If he did.
Speaker 2: It would be sick. You would have to maybe get
Speaker 2: what you know you have. You have properties somewhere in Florida.
Speaker 2: I don't want to reveal it. You wouldn't maybe have
Speaker 2: to add some down here.
Speaker 1: No, it's I I I love Florida like Texas. I
Speaker 1: don't get it's flat, there's no water Florida. I totally
Speaker 1: get Texas drive by. And I've said this before. I'm
Speaker 1: a huge college football fan. Anybody listens to the show
Speaker 1: knows I love college football. And my take has always been,
Speaker 1: there are three programs in college foot but it's mostly
Speaker 1: a rural sport. It's you know, Tuscaloosa, it's ann Arbor.
Speaker 1: There are three semi professional college programs, USC, Miami and Texas.
Speaker 1: When they're good, the sport's great.
Speaker 2: Yeah, of course.
Speaker 1: And so if USC and I think they'll be good
Speaker 1: because they have pro guys on the offensive line first
Speaker 1: time since Pete Carrolly days, so they'll they'll be able to,
Speaker 1: you know, play Big ten football. I am so happy
Speaker 1: when I see a guy wearing to Miami Hurricane shirt
Speaker 1: because anybody my age knows that college football used to
Speaker 1: be there, used to be this. It was pretend we
Speaker 1: do not pay the players.
Speaker 2: This is above board.
Speaker 1: And we all knew Southern teams paid them through the church.
Speaker 1: We all understand, and Miami did on boats right like
Speaker 1: we all understood it, and USC had bags of money too.
Speaker 2: We all got it. College football now is like, not
Speaker 2: only do we pay them, we pay sophomores in high school.
Speaker 1: It's like college football grew up. It's like we all
Speaker 1: knew it was happening. Now you can just when you
Speaker 1: go out on your boosters yacht. Everybody knows. It's just
Speaker 1: not for scrambled eggs, toast and signing day.
Speaker 2: It is for money. And I think my take has
Speaker 2: always been with college football, can we stop this veneer
Speaker 2: that it's called.
Speaker 1: It's like the Olympics, it's for pros Usain Bolts that
Speaker 1: making ten million a year. The fact that Miami and
Speaker 1: not nothing against Gainesville and Tallahassee Florida Gator fan right
Speaker 1: now huge Miami needs to be good for the sport
Speaker 1: to feel big.
Speaker 2: Well it also listen, there is there are not there
Speaker 2: is a you're talking about when you know, I'm I'm
Speaker 2: a little bit younger than you. But they had so
Speaker 2: they had the Jimmy Johnson.
Speaker 1: Era, the U schnellen Berger ericson Jimmy. They all won
Speaker 1: even butch Davis won.
Speaker 2: Well that's that's and then they had you know, when
Speaker 2: I was graduating high school, thereabouts like late nineties, early
Speaker 2: two thousands, some of the most outrageous teams and depth
Speaker 2: charts in the history of the sport. They won a title,
Speaker 2: they also had another title stolen from them on the call.
Speaker 2: But you like the two I don't know, I was
Speaker 2: one or o two Miami Hurricanes where it's like they
Speaker 2: have five pros at running back, they have three pros
Speaker 2: at tight end.
Speaker 1: There the those teams were probably second most talented to
Speaker 1: that Joe Burrow teams. See it literally had nineteen Those
Speaker 1: Miami teams were.
Speaker 2: I think they were. They so that and so there
Speaker 2: is an element of like when we talk about the
Speaker 2: biggest brands in college football, I'm forty years old, Notre
Speaker 2: Dame has never had a team that like the Reggie
Speaker 2: Bush USC teams, right, those Miami teams I just mentioned.
Speaker 2: You just mentioned an LSU team, the Vince Young Texas team, like,
Speaker 2: there are a lot of programs that, in my again
Speaker 2: my whole life, have had higher, more holy ceilings than
Speaker 2: Notre Dame and Notre Dame like kind of I think
Speaker 2: still kind of reputationally thinks it's in that class, but again,
Speaker 2: for almost a half century, it hasn't been. It hasn't
Speaker 2: even had those highest high moments. And I am curious
Speaker 2: if the what the new age of college football, like
Speaker 2: you're saying, where the it's not corruption anymore, it's just
Speaker 2: legalized paying the players. If that does that even the
Speaker 2: playing field, or does it temporarily in the playing field,
Speaker 2: And then the biggest historical powers are just if everyone's
Speaker 2: gonna pay be able to pay guys, then I think
Speaker 2: will the kids be like, well, I'd rather play.
Speaker 1: For a school that has a history like my Well,
Speaker 1: here's what's happening, here's what's really happened with NIL. A
Speaker 1: lot of the teams that were good are still good.
Speaker 1: But it is called college football. So when Alabama was
Speaker 1: dominating or Georgia's and a lot of the schools that
Speaker 1: were dominating nothing against Ohio State, but you didn't think
Speaker 1: of academics. You thought of football, not the college part
Speaker 1: the NIL. What you want is rich boosters. Well, Vanderbilt,
Speaker 1: the average the median income of a Vanderbilt grad is
Speaker 1: double of Georgia.
Speaker 2: So now suddenly all.
Speaker 1: These guys at Vanderbilt make it. I mean, I live
Speaker 1: in a neighborhood up in Chicago where Matt Ishbia Vanderbilt
Speaker 1: Grad has a house that's bigger than the last Ski
Speaker 1: Lodge I was at.
Speaker 2: He's bought the White Sox. He's bought, so he's a
Speaker 2: Vanderbilt guy. There's Matt. There's two of them.
Speaker 1: Oh okay, okay, so I know I went to a
Speaker 1: Cubs game in there day. He was sitting right behind us.
Speaker 1: So nice, I mean, like down to earth, great guy.
Speaker 1: But the point being is Indiana is an academic the
Speaker 1: School of Business, Vanderbilt academic. Miami's got a great academic reputation.
Speaker 1: So the college in college football now suddenly matters within IL.
Speaker 1: It's a lot of the schools that have good football
Speaker 1: programs but are known. Miami's known for its law school
Speaker 1: and it's academics. But it is that the idea, It's
Speaker 1: just a money grab. It's like, no, it's the schools.
Speaker 1: And by the way, college kids are now staying in
Speaker 1: college longer.
Speaker 2: That's not bad. Well, that to me is the most
Speaker 2: the most interesting. That last part is the most interesting.
Speaker 2: We haven't yet seen it how it plays out impact
Speaker 2: of in IL, which is, are we going to all
Speaker 2: of a sudden, let's like, let's take running backs. Yeah,
Speaker 2: as a for instance, where most years, this year may
Speaker 2: be a bit of an outlier that you're the number
Speaker 2: one running back in the draft might be projected to
Speaker 2: go mid second round. That's right. And where a college
Speaker 2: a guy who's like the number three running back in
Speaker 2: the class and because of that is projected to be
Speaker 2: a third round pick stays in school not to improve
Speaker 2: his draft position, but because he can make more money,
Speaker 2: no question, being a star college running back yep than
Speaker 2: a rookie pays scaled third round pick NFL running back.
Speaker 1: That's a great point because running back is the last
Speaker 1: position in pro football offensively you can hit.
Speaker 2: Him anywhere anytime when they come through the line, knees.
Speaker 1: Shoulder, helmet. Can't hit receivers, tight ends like that. So
Speaker 1: it is the one it's the most punitive position to play.
Speaker 1: So it kind of stinks to be a running back yep.
Speaker 1: And to your point, guys are going to stay in
Speaker 1: college and say, I mean I'm gonna make four to
Speaker 1: be the number one running back at Ohio State or
Speaker 1: six hundred thousand to go to the Jaguars, correct, And
Speaker 1: so I do. So it's a way of paying the
Speaker 1: running back, yes, but it's gonna.
Speaker 2: Be not on the on the NFL's time. I think
Speaker 2: there's a lot of things that people are So that's
Speaker 2: one thing about and how that impacts Oh well, that
Speaker 2: actually mean because one of the reasons running backs don't
Speaker 2: get paid is because it's like, oh wow, they're just
Speaker 2: so easy to come by, like you just draft from
Speaker 2: the fifth round. Well, if some of that supply is
Speaker 2: now staying in college to the NFL guys, But then
Speaker 2: all of a sudden, do the NFL running backs get
Speaker 2: a boost and pay? And then does are we seeing
Speaker 2: or are we starting to get down a road where
Speaker 2: when if every draft seven of the twenty five best
Speaker 2: players or wide receivers, because it seems like three the
Speaker 2: last four drafts, like ye I got eight wide receivers
Speaker 2: in round one, I got seven, then are we coming
Speaker 2: to a place where what happened to running backs sou
Speaker 2: wise happens to receivers, which is teams are like, yeah,
Speaker 2: I unless you are Jamar Chase, Justin Jefferson JSN. If
Speaker 2: you are, it's a bubble the wide receiver. If you're
Speaker 2: Michael Pittman, uh caliber guy, Yeah, I'm not paying you
Speaker 2: eighteen million dollars. You can just draft away. I mean
Speaker 2: there's there's ten new ones coming in the league every year.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's football is the coaching sport, and therefore it's
Speaker 1: very cyclical on who matters. Safeties now are hugely important.
Speaker 1: Tight Ends didn't use to matter. Tight Ends now are
Speaker 1: gigantica Sean McVay, I mean, tight ends because of Kittle
Speaker 1: and Gronk emerged as a more important position.
Speaker 2: I can remember Travis Kelcey and there Travis Kelcey.
Speaker 1: Yes, when Andy Reid and Philadelphia started throwing on third
Speaker 1: and two, it was like the league's changed.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and he he he, and I talked about that
Speaker 2: years ago.
Speaker 1: He started listening to the show and I'm like, there's
Speaker 1: a guy in Philadelphia, which is kind of a blue collar,
Speaker 1: tough town, they.
Speaker 2: Throw on third and two. The league's changing.
Speaker 1: And then now with McVeigh going to personnel where I mean,
Speaker 1: they have like five tight ends and you notice this
Speaker 1: year how many tight ends went and it was a
Speaker 1: mediocre tight end class. So football tends to be like
Speaker 1: anything else, like housing in the market. It's very very
Speaker 1: cyclical because coaching matters so much. My favorite part about
Speaker 1: sports is not the tradition. It's not the rear view mirror.
Speaker 1: It's the windshield. These leagues constantly change, Like Minnesota fascinating.
Speaker 1: Minnesota's like, we're gonna get rid of nas Reed and
Speaker 1: Julius Randall because I think they look at Oklahoma City
Speaker 1: and Wemby and.
Speaker 2: They're like, the only way we can beat them now
Speaker 2: is shooters and athletes.
Speaker 1: So they get the kid from Chicago at the trade deadline,
Speaker 1: they draft the kid Isaiah from Duke the top of
Speaker 1: the second round. They go get LaMelo ballt So you
Speaker 1: can tell what Minnesota's doing. They figured it out the
Speaker 1: trade deadline. We can't Wemby's eating playing go bear off
Speaker 1: the court. We're gonna go speed. That's the only way
Speaker 1: to take bigs out. So that's constant, the constant change
Speaker 1: culturally in football and basketball bas now, it's just that's
Speaker 1: what I love about sports. Constant, Like we're seeing it
Speaker 1: in soccer, We're seeing it in everything. So I can
Speaker 1: we stay with the LaMelo trade for a second.
Speaker 2: Yeah? So because Tim Connolly, right, Tim Connolly built the
Speaker 2: Nuggets smart, he then got hired to build the Timberwolves. Yeah,
Speaker 2: and he built a team specifically to beat the Nuggets, right,
Speaker 2: and he did it. They beat them they when the
Speaker 2: Nuggets were defending champs, the Timberls beat them in seven.
Speaker 2: The Timberwolves this year played him again in the first round.
Speaker 2: They were all banged up. They beat him anyway, But
Speaker 2: unfortunately for him, I think he realized, Shit, the team
Speaker 2: I built my team to beat is no longer the
Speaker 2: team to beat like and so now San Antonio is
Speaker 2: he thinks potentially the team to beat. So we got
Speaker 2: to build a team that can counteract Wimby. Speed it up.
Speaker 2: With that said, unless that then the next phase of
Speaker 2: his plan is and so now when the Spurs come
Speaker 2: to Minnesota on these icy roads, maybe Lamello can get
Speaker 2: in a bender bender with Wimby and not Gonna. I
Speaker 2: don't I do not I am. I understand pivoting. I
Speaker 2: understand them saying we've got to remake this, that Julius
Speaker 2: Randall's not a playoff performer that you know, as beloved
Speaker 2: as Nasrid is, we feel like we can replace him.
Speaker 2: I get all of that. I do not understand for
Speaker 2: the life of me, why if you're trying to play
Speaker 2: championship level basketball you would say, LaMelo Ball, we want
Speaker 2: you to be a part of that. I don't I don't.
Speaker 2: I do not they. I do not think there is
Speaker 2: a level of maturity and being an adult that is
Speaker 2: requisite if you are going to be a best or
Speaker 2: second best player, which he needs to be the second
Speaker 2: best guy on a championship team. And I have no
Speaker 2: reason to believe that he can do that. And here's
Speaker 2: the other thing I will say. It would be very
Speaker 2: concerning for me if a team drafts a guy number two,
Speaker 2: sees him every day. He is coming off his healthiest year,
Speaker 2: your team's best year, his best year. Yeah, and that's
Speaker 2: when they're like, we better get out of this now. Well,
Speaker 2: it feels a little like it like front running a
Speaker 2: stock you know is gonna crack. So not every stock
Speaker 2: is a core holding.
Speaker 1: Sometimes you have game Stop and you wait for game
Speaker 1: Stop to go up and you're like, I'm selling that shit,
Speaker 1: making money and getting out. It's not a core holding.
Speaker 1: It's not Intel, Microsoft, whatever, Amazon. So the question is, eh,
Speaker 1: he just made LaMelo a core holding. Charlotte looked at him,
Speaker 1: like game stock. Charlotte's like this get A year ago,
Speaker 1: he had no market. Now he's got a hot one.
Speaker 1: Let's get so I get Charlotte. The reason I think
Speaker 1: it works kind of in Minnesota. I think Finch is
Speaker 1: a top five coach. I think they have a real
Speaker 1: culture and is still the star.
Speaker 2: And there's enough.
Speaker 1: Part of me thinks Conley's like, Okay, you got a
Speaker 1: Rods and Owner, it's gonna be Really they were good
Speaker 1: last year, but they underachieved. They weren't terribly entertaining despite
Speaker 1: having Aunt. And my take is they're a bad watch
Speaker 1: with a great player. So this makes them wildly interesting.
Speaker 2: Oh, it does make them interesting, and it will the
Speaker 2: highlights will be crazy, and there will be moments where
Speaker 2: the offense looks unbelievable.
Speaker 1: And also Isaiah Evans and the Chicago kid can both
Speaker 1: catch and shoot athletes. The bottom line is LaMelo is
Speaker 1: they think he's got the hands, great handles, He'll get
Speaker 1: the ball to shooters.
Speaker 2: Yeah, they think he's going to be an offensive engine
Speaker 2: for him. And if you were going to build a
Speaker 2: team that could deal with LaMelo's just doesn't give a
Speaker 2: damn defense. Ants who's a great defender. Jaden McDaniels is
Speaker 2: an unbelievable If Rudy Goberts like they have the Tarren
Speaker 2: Shannon was out there, they have the right personnel to
Speaker 2: deal with and LaMelo's at least long his defensive liabilities.
Speaker 2: But my my concerns would be these, While we've never
Speaker 2: seen LaMelo in the playoffs, we have seen him in
Speaker 2: the play in three times. Yeah, and in the history
Speaker 2: of the play in three of the four biggest blowouts,
Speaker 2: LaMelo Ball was the center of He has played awfully
Speaker 2: in all those games. So it's like, ah, is he
Speaker 2: a playoff guy? I don't know. He's six years and
Speaker 2: hasn't been in the playoffs, but does playoff adjacent stuff
Speaker 2: hasn't been good. But the other concern Hive is this,
Speaker 2: are we sure LaMelo Ball doesn't think he's still the
Speaker 2: best player on the team he's on. He's the same
Speaker 2: draft class as Ant Well that one Rookie of the
Speaker 2: Year when Ant was there. He's been the best player
Speaker 2: on every team. The only time he's ever had a
Speaker 2: teammate that he thought was better than him was his
Speaker 2: big brother. Does he and like, if he totally accepts, yeah,
Speaker 2: I'm the number two, this is Anthony Edwards team, then maybe,
Speaker 2: But I don't know if that's his personality.
Speaker 1: Well, is he humbled because Charlotte moved on? I mean,
Speaker 1: I guess I think all the concerns are legitimate. I
Speaker 1: heard Ryan Rossello is like, I hate the move. I
Speaker 1: get that between the coach, between and between the shooters.
Speaker 1: I thought they were a bad watch clunky off. Their
Speaker 1: pace in the playoffs was pretty good. I think that
Speaker 1: to combat the size of Wemby and the size of
Speaker 1: OKC and we're gonna be fast and athletic can shoot,
Speaker 1: and we're gonna shoot our way to win because we can't.
Speaker 1: I mean, Julius Ryannold takes the ball to and he
Speaker 1: kills half court SATs. He's a ball stopper. All right,
Speaker 1: let's let's pivot back to why we're here. Hard Rock
Speaker 1: Bet thanks for all the support and the World Cup
Speaker 1: once again established.
Speaker 2: You will be at the game tonight. You said you
Speaker 2: have not bet it yet. I have not, No, So
Speaker 2: here's the deal. I'll just be honest with the folks
Speaker 2: here on how this is gone. So a I have
Speaker 2: tried this World Cup to stay like, be very disciplined
Speaker 2: and sharp with what I'm doing. And I see and
Speaker 2: I'm doing this in the midst of everyone else in
Speaker 2: the world. All the marks, all the marks are like, hey,
Speaker 2: you know what my plan is? All the best players
Speaker 2: are gonna score multiple goals, and I'm a parlay that
Speaker 2: ship together. And I'm like, you rubes that'll never hit
Speaker 2: and then hit every time every time, watching these children
Speaker 2: make these bets and they're like, oh, it's great, and
Speaker 2: then I and I'm like, well, you know what I'm
Speaker 2: I'm on a I'm on England to be to just
Speaker 2: to win the game against Ghana, zero zero draw? How
Speaker 2: about how about the open the World Cup Spain. You're
Speaker 2: gonna beat Cape Verde, right, no, no, zero zero draw?
Speaker 2: So I so you know, I'm digging myself out. You
Speaker 2: tried to be this. I try to be a sophistic
Speaker 2: exactly right. I'm like, oh, yeah, it's listen, minus four
Speaker 2: hundred sounds bad, but i mean, do you do smoke?
Speaker 2: So you've got some that's I'm a retired smoker. But yes,
Speaker 2: all that's true. So with that said, like I really
Speaker 2: like I so Algeria Austria's today. Both teams advance with
Speaker 2: a draw. Both teams go home if they lose, which
Speaker 2: says to me, man, this is gonna be a game
Speaker 2: of keep away. They're both fine with a zero zero draw.
Speaker 2: So I'm sitting there. Croatia is playing Ghana today, Ghana
Speaker 2: has already advanced. Croatia advances with a draw or a
Speaker 2: wind goes home with a loss, and there is not
Speaker 2: in Ghana might actually prefer the path they get if
Speaker 2: they lose and they're the third place team and Isys
Speaker 2: the second place team. So I like Croatia. I already
Speaker 2: explained why I like d r Kango. Portugal. Colombia is
Speaker 2: tricky to me because I can't figure out with respect
Speaker 2: to the Colombian fans here, and I think Colombia is
Speaker 2: a dangerous team and they've been awesome in this tournament. Awesome. Portugal,
Speaker 2: in theory, is supposed to be the better side. They
Speaker 2: are the sixth ranked team in the world. They are
Speaker 2: the favorites for a reason. But we also have seen
Speaker 2: them play twice in this tournament, once against the legitimate opponent,
Speaker 2: and it looked like that the team hated their all
Speaker 2: time legend and the coach was scared of him. That
Speaker 2: wasn't good. And then one game against was it Uzbekistan? Yeah,
Speaker 2: it was against Uzbekistan. They put up five goals and
Speaker 2: people like, okay, everything's fine. Does Portugal truly have a
Speaker 2: Christiano Ronaldo problem in that he is the not only
Speaker 2: the aging all time legend, but the aging all time
Speaker 2: legend who there is some resentment amongst the teammates because
Speaker 2: he's not producing the way he wants to was and
Speaker 2: for him and all of a sudden new insecurity of well,
Speaker 2: I can't like it's one thing for Imbape and Holland
Speaker 2: and Vinnie Junior to be doing this, but Messi, who
Speaker 2: is my a one rival and aid contemporary, is crushing
Speaker 2: so I think that has put extra pressure on him.
Speaker 2: So I say all that to say this, I think
Speaker 2: the best chance Columbia has to win today is Christiano
Speaker 2: Ronaldo making the game about himself. Yeah, because I think
Speaker 2: Portugal's overall midfield talent and overall talent should be enough
Speaker 2: to win a game they need to get or they
Speaker 2: want to get, but not if Ronaldo does what he
Speaker 2: did in the first game. So that's my stance on it.
Speaker 2: I still haven't bet it yet. I also kind of
Speaker 2: feel like I want to bet it when I'm in
Speaker 2: the stadium, yes, and have a better sense of who
Speaker 2: I'm sitting with is rooting for, because I don't want
Speaker 2: to be rooting if I'm really in my head it's
Speaker 2: a coin flip. I kind of want to just go with,
Speaker 2: you know, the vibe of the section I'm in that
Speaker 2: feels like the right thing. Right. It's like, if I'm
Speaker 2: sitting with these people, I'm gonna bet Columbia. I'll tell
Speaker 2: you that much right now.
Speaker 1: You know What's one of the things I've really Bill
Speaker 1: Maher talked about this last night. It's so great to
Speaker 1: see all these people come into America and they love
Speaker 1: ranch dressing. They Nacho's ranch dressing.
Speaker 2: But I don't know if nachos are Americans, and I
Speaker 2: don't know that we get those, but yes, there are
Speaker 2: there is an element there. I have really enjoy things. Yes,
Speaker 2: I have enjoyed that. There has been a great and
Speaker 2: that's what the World Cup is, man. There has been
Speaker 2: a great blending and melding of you know, obviously people
Speaker 2: from all over the world, but people experiencing uniquely American
Speaker 2: things that we maybe take for granted a bit. Well,
Speaker 2: I imagine a ton of the people are you know
Speaker 2: at these games, you know, wearing the Columbia jursey or whatever.
Speaker 2: Are Americans who live here that are just Colombian, either
Speaker 2: heritage or just Columbian fans. But there's clearly a ton.
Speaker 2: I mean, the Kansas City got taken over my hometown
Speaker 2: by the Dutch this week, like there's not a well,
Speaker 2: we're not a huge Dutch stronghold in Kansas City outside
Speaker 2: of the world. I just got back.
Speaker 1: I went with my son. He had to do some
Speaker 1: stuff overseas. So I went to Madrid for four days.
Speaker 1: And one of the things when I go. The minute
Speaker 1: I get on a plane and I'm flying overseas, I
Speaker 1: immediately lock into Okay, I just want to be euro
Speaker 1: for six days. I'm just gonna everything shy of smoking
Speaker 1: and sleeping in my dress socks.
Speaker 2: I'm going to be totally European. I'm gonna drink all day,
Speaker 2: three hour lunches, drink all day, twelve miles, use public transportation.
Speaker 1: And so I went to Madrid and I'm like, God,
Speaker 1: this is a great life. I mean, they open up
Speaker 1: the wine shops early, and I think, what is happening
Speaker 1: is there are some I ran into a German lady
Speaker 1: the other day at my gym in a very strong
Speaker 1: German accent, and I said, you live here in Chicago.
Speaker 2: She says yes. I said, do you miss Germany? She
Speaker 2: goes yes.
Speaker 1: I said, what do you prefer, and she goes, I
Speaker 1: prefer Chicago, because she says, sometimes Europe can be inflexible and.
Speaker 2: A lot of regulations.
Speaker 1: She goes, people really celebrate winning here and they're not shy,
Speaker 1: and they're kind of obnoxious, and she says that's okay.
Speaker 1: She says, sometimes American the media here makes Americans feel
Speaker 1: bad for going. We're good and we have ice in
Speaker 1: our cocktails and air conditioning. Well that you know again,
Speaker 1: very funny. So I, you know, I.
Speaker 2: Every time I go, my wife and I every August,
Speaker 2: you know, take we usually go with her grandparents actually,
Speaker 2: who God bless them, are still with us ninety six
Speaker 2: and ninety three. Where do you take your beautiful wife?
Speaker 2: Well that's so every year we take her, I take
Speaker 2: her and grandparents somewhere in Europe for eight days. And
Speaker 2: so like last year we did Monico to roll Dice
Speaker 2: at Casino Monte Carlo and didn't do santro Pe, but
Speaker 2: get niece Monico into Milan. And this year we are
Speaker 2: not that her grandparents aren't coming. And this year I
Speaker 2: finally had the courage to ring up the old bosses
Speaker 2: at FS want to be like, hey, I'm approaching ten
Speaker 2: years at the network. That's right. I'm not saying I
Speaker 2: need the Colin Cowhard vacation plan. However, if I could
Speaker 2: get two weeks in August instead of one after we're
Speaker 2: grinding in the World Cup, like I'm usually on vacation
Speaker 2: right now post finals, not and so I think that's so.
Speaker 2: I think that's happening. So it's funny you said Madrid,
Speaker 2: because I think we're gonna start in Madrid and we
Speaker 2: always rent a car and just kind of drive through.
Speaker 2: Public transportation in Madrid is amazing.
Speaker 1: It's a little bit like La cleaner version and they
Speaker 1: and you walk everywhere. So here's public transportations unbelievable.
Speaker 2: So here's the thing. I don't mind the public transportation
Speaker 2: at all within the cities, but the people will be like, oh,
Speaker 2: take you know, get a europass and you know you
Speaker 2: o city city like that. Those people have not traveled
Speaker 2: with my lovely wife sitting right there, who we will
Speaker 2: take on this trip with us four suitcases, one of
Speaker 2: them will be empty, and they will go and then
Speaker 2: and then we will come back with five or six suitcases,
Speaker 2: two of which we purchased there from all the clothes.
Speaker 2: So because of that, like going like getting on a
Speaker 2: train with a There is some you know, a little
Speaker 2: ugly American stereotype of like, yeah, it's just two of us,
Speaker 2: we have you know, six stuffel bags in a suitcase
Speaker 2: rather just rent a car and have them in the drunk.
Speaker 2: But this World Cup the funny story and maybe this
Speaker 2: is where as we're I know, we're running short on time.
Speaker 2: Four years ago, she and I went to Brazil. And
Speaker 2: the reason we went to Brazil was because I did
Speaker 2: a whole thing on the podcast about how Brazil was
Speaker 2: going to win the World Cup. I was betting on
Speaker 2: Brazil to win the World Cup and I was going
Speaker 2: to pay for a trip to Brazil with my World
Speaker 2: Cup winnings. It's the World Cup four years ago. For
Speaker 2: those of you that aren't soccer officionados, Brazil not only
Speaker 2: did not win the World Cup, they did not come
Speaker 2: particularly close to winning the World Cup. Argentina there arch
Speaker 2: Nemesis won it instead. So I was like, dam lost
Speaker 2: all that money. I can't go to Brazil anymore. My wife,
Speaker 2: who I guess wasn't that locked into the tournament, was like,
Speaker 2: so we're still going to Brazil, right, So that's why
Speaker 2: we went this year I have kind of done the
Speaker 2: same thing, which is cast my whole lot with Brazil.
Speaker 2: I haven't asked you this yet because I think Brazil
Speaker 2: is gonna win it. I think they've been awesome. I
Speaker 2: think they're only going to get better, and I think
Speaker 2: Carlo Ancelotti is the best manager in the tournament. Do
Speaker 2: you you're pulling for the US, But is your pick France?
Speaker 2: It sounded like France is the best team. Netherlands is
Speaker 2: the most underrated team. I don't think though Margentina will
Speaker 2: win again. I just think it's too hard. Despite Messi's brilliance.
Speaker 2: I think France looks I always say this, turn down
Speaker 2: the sound sometimes when I watch football if I think it,
Speaker 2: team's really good. Houston Texans defense, so you don't have
Speaker 2: any audio bias, confirmation bias. You watch Texans play and
Speaker 2: you're like, okay, it just faster than everybody. They get
Speaker 2: a pass rush, great corners.
Speaker 1: They don't look like anybody see I look like it
Speaker 1: on both sides, Houston, just on defense. If you turn
Speaker 1: the sound down, which I did with France, and there's
Speaker 1: no you get no audio to you can to filter
Speaker 1: through it.
Speaker 2: They look different. They get there.
Speaker 1: They have six I don't think Polisic, Balligan or Weston
Speaker 1: McKinney would start.
Speaker 2: Oh, there's no question they would not start. They wouldn't
Speaker 2: none of though. You're absolutely right, we don't know. No,
Speaker 2: we have no one on our team that would start
Speaker 2: for France and their goalies better. Yeah. I think so.
Speaker 2: France is the most talented team and they're healthy, like
Speaker 2: Brazil's got the injuries. Spain they're worried about Jumal's hamstring.
Speaker 2: I think we are. I think that the World Cup
Speaker 2: of Stars is going to continue, and I think the
Speaker 2: way the bracket fell is just perfect. I think we
Speaker 2: are going to get and it's very chalky, but I
Speaker 2: think we are going to get a semifinal on the
Speaker 2: left hand side of the bracket of France playing Spain,
Speaker 2: and a semi final on the right hand side of
Speaker 2: the bracket of Brazil playing Argentina, the two European powers,
Speaker 2: the two South American powers, and then the winners play
Speaker 2: each other, obviously in New York on what is it,
Speaker 2: the July eighteenth, nineteenth, whatever it is. But I think
Speaker 2: I think there is a chance that this World Cup
Speaker 2: is remembered for the greatest Golden Boot race at or
Speaker 2: where it's just legends score, you know, scoring nine ten
Speaker 2: eleven goals over the course of the tournament, and almost
Speaker 2: assuredly the final World Cup for two of the five
Speaker 2: greatest players ever in Messi and Ronaldo, and a World
Speaker 2: Cup of some you can no longer deny.
Speaker 1: America deeply cares one hundred percent, one hundred percent, And
Speaker 1: I think, and I do think you're right that I
Speaker 1: think that you know, we don't we don't typically get
Speaker 1: too political, but I would say, I, you know, over
Speaker 1: the last you know few presidential elections maybe are standing
Speaker 1: in the world's community has taken a bit of a hit.
Speaker 2: I think a lot of the world community coming to
Speaker 2: the US and being like, hey, kind of cool not
Speaker 2: doing a tour that reflecting pool. But aside from that,
Speaker 2: it ain't so bad over here. Hard Rock Bet, you're awesome.
Speaker 2: Thanks for showing up.
Speaker 1: I I mean, this guy's wearing dark pants and a
Speaker 1: brown shirt in Florida heat in June.
Speaker 2: That's the kind of commitment you're making of the World Cup.
Speaker 2: Thanks everybody that stopped by. This will be on the
Speaker 2: Hard Rock Bet, It'll be on the volume, It'll be
Speaker 2: on all our feeds. What's right? The herd hard rock
Speaker 2: bet everywhere you can find it. It was TikTok. I'm
Speaker 2: sure to see you guys. WHOA the Long