Latest / BIGPLAY Cleveland / The BIGPLAY Cleveland Show 07/02/26

Transcript

The BIGPLAY Cleveland Show 07/02/26 · BIGPLAY Cleveland

0:00
[SPEAKER_01]: I love you Cleveland, and I love you Ohio, and a very pleasant welcome to the big play Cleveland show.
0:08
[SPEAKER_01]: Of course, live here on YouTube, great to have you with us, brought to you by our good friends at Fandwell.
0:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Hi, I'm Bruce Brenner along with Matt Fontana and Ryan Tyler, great to have you with us lots of
0:22
[SPEAKER_01]: good stuff on the platter today.
0:24
[SPEAKER_01]: We're even going to cover the world cup.
0:27
[SPEAKER_01]: How about that?
0:28
[SPEAKER_01]: Kate Crocus will be joining us to cover the Guardians.
0:31
[SPEAKER_01]: I do want to acknowledge that I represented Big Play our network on this past Sunday.
0:37
[SPEAKER_01]: The media pro am at Firestone Country Club.
0:41
[SPEAKER_01]: We played the North Course.
0:43
[SPEAKER_01]: Anthony Panapento, the assistant pro at Cannabury Country Club, was our pro and indeed we had a great time, David Griffith of the Board of Directors for the Ohio Cup, always so gracious and inviting us.
0:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Great time had by all, and of course it was one by a pro from Cincinnati, David Winton, Rich, Logan pseudo was second tease out of Mount Kova, Nick Pearson from Stromsville, 14 under Ryan a Troyer from Dover at 14 under as well.
1:19
[SPEAKER_01]: And by the way, at Firestone,
1:21
[SPEAKER_01]: Solobron James, LeBron James is now taking up golf.
1:26
[SPEAKER_01]: I understand he just joined Firestone Country Club.
1:30
[SPEAKER_01]: And I saw him in the parking lot and it was one enthusiastic fan, that's a LeBron LeBron, LeBron and James went.
1:38
[SPEAKER_01]: So he's a typical jerk, but I hope we get him.
1:42
[SPEAKER_01]: And that segues me into bringing in Ryan and Matt because it looks like either Golden State or us.
1:50
[SPEAKER_03]: And it's gotta be us, Bruce.
1:52
[SPEAKER_03]: I outside of LeBron wanting to go play with Steph Curry just to have that memory for the year.
1:57
[SPEAKER_03]: The calves are a complete team.
2:00
[SPEAKER_03]: They've got a great offering of a roster.
2:03
[SPEAKER_03]: They have an owner that obviously LeBron and Dan Gilbert have had to bury their hatchet, which I think they have.
2:08
[SPEAKER_03]: But I think this gets talked enough that Brian knows that Dan Gilbert will do what is necessary to put a championship team on the court, to spend the money.
2:18
[SPEAKER_03]: He knows that he's familiar with the organization.
2:20
[SPEAKER_03]: There's still plenty of people here that he knows.
2:22
[SPEAKER_03]: So there's comfortability there.
2:24
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm not ruling out a dark horse in this whole thing like I know the spurs it's pretty much with the money that the spurs will probably be out on Could you go back to Miami play with the honest in BAM Could there be that you know all these people are talking about the 76ers now with them getting jail and brown Is that an interest of of LeBron and I just I look at I say he's played for three teams You want a championship for all three teams.
2:46
[SPEAKER_03]: It's not make that any messier just go back to either Miami or Cleveland.
2:50
[SPEAKER_03]: I would prefer Cleveland
2:51
[SPEAKER_03]: I just Bruce, I don't want to go to gold state.
2:53
[SPEAKER_03]: That would just work out.
2:54
[SPEAKER_03]: I can't wait to see that.
2:54
[SPEAKER_01]: He's expressed an interest, obviously, to play with Curry, let's bring you and Ryan, your take.
2:58
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, listen, I've never once wavered from my faith on the Ron James.
3:02
[SPEAKER_04]: You've gone to be a Cavalier for a third time.
3:05
[SPEAKER_04]: And listen, Bruce, this isn't just a feel good story.
3:07
[SPEAKER_04]: The Cavaliers give him legitimately probably the best chance to win a championship out of those teams that we've just discussed.
3:13
[SPEAKER_03]: He's been a real coldest.
3:14
[SPEAKER_03]: I think so, Bruce, I mean, listen.
3:16
[SPEAKER_04]: Green would stay an average of 38 years old between their core four.
3:20
[SPEAKER_04]: I don't think that works in the modern NBA Bruce the Cavs really do.
3:24
[SPEAKER_04]: I think we're really going to witness one of the most if not full circle moments in sports history.
3:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, but obvious what we have to give up Alan.
3:33
[SPEAKER_01]: That's the other thing.
3:34
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean So I talked that the heart and deal makes the finances a lot easier.
3:41
[SPEAKER_01]: I realize but is there a way to keep the core four
3:46
[SPEAKER_01]: and still get him.
3:47
[SPEAKER_03]: So I talked about me marks this week on my ESPN show and he said this will be a legit unrestricted free agent signing there is no sign in trade offer there it does not make sense really for anybody to do a sign in trade for the brand because that's what I thought Bruce I thought sign in trade you're going to have to maybe give some up if LeBron it it if it is truthful that LeBron is willing to take the veteran minimum like it's been reported or even just above it fight you know make what five seven million dollars the
4:16
[SPEAKER_03]: if they feel like they need to move max truce just because that probably is a better fit or does free them up with the apron sure and like you said Bruce you go back to James Hardin who opted out of that 40 million they were reportedly going to sign them to somewhere of a two year 60 million it lowers this cap number he gets more cash and go can we make it
4:38
[SPEAKER_03]: two for 50, you know, and, and, you know, free this up a little for LeBron, maybe do a three year deal for James Harden and spread it out.
4:46
[SPEAKER_03]: I think it's where there's a will, there's a way.
4:48
[SPEAKER_01]: If it's what it would be dealt, I think, two Dean Wade has now gone after seven years with us.
4:53
[SPEAKER_01]: He goes to Philly, Keyon Ellis goes to Brooklyn.
4:56
[SPEAKER_01]: So, as we've already discussed here on this show, the accompanying cast outside of the core form, we don't know what they're going to be moved or not.
5:04
[SPEAKER_01]: But it looks like that's going to be a whole new cast of characters of the rotation.
5:09
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, and that's going to be hard because I know people are going to, I got the tweets of people.
5:12
[SPEAKER_03]: Oh, Dean waited five points and he did all that people don't understand what he did bring on a defense of standpoint.
5:17
[SPEAKER_03]: Yes, it would have been nice if he was shooting better Bruce this goes back.
5:22
[SPEAKER_03]: I think a year.
5:23
[SPEAKER_03]: to when he injured that shoulder and he was never the same shooter after that, but what Dean Wade brought to this team as a rotational player was massive and you're not going to get that at Thomas Bryant.
5:32
[SPEAKER_03]: You're just not.
5:33
[SPEAKER_03]: I know the recent Thomas Bryant, Thomas Bryant's fine for what he is.
5:36
[SPEAKER_03]: You're not going to get that with Dean Wade.
5:37
[SPEAKER_03]: So everybody just sitting there saying good riddance to Dean Wade.
5:39
[SPEAKER_03]: I got to tell you, I think you're wrong.
5:41
[SPEAKER_03]: But y'all in that shooter.
5:43
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm with you, but it's also what a important role of a backup point guard.
5:47
[SPEAKER_03]: And I know that Ackinson can kind of stagger Donovan Mitchell and hard not there of running point.
5:53
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't know if Craig Porter's ready to step into a role like that and play meaningful minutes coming down the stretch to try to win a basketball game.
6:00
[SPEAKER_03]: So we'll see, yeah, you know, on the, that's the thing.
6:03
[SPEAKER_03]: Do you want to build this team up and have this formidable starting?
6:07
[SPEAKER_03]: line up, but then be kind of weak on the bench watching what the nicks just did doing a champion ship, and they had a deep bench with landry shaman hit shots, and you know what Josh Hart brings, and that's a tough balance for Kobe Altman, but I think if you're willing, if LeBron's willing to come back and you can get him to thank you.
6:24
[SPEAKER_01]: It's not a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal, it's a big deal,
6:44
[SPEAKER_01]: he might think he's got his best chance of winning and getting back to the NBA Championship with them rather than coming over here to the east with the calves where they gotta go through Boston.
6:53
[SPEAKER_01]: They gotta go through New York.
6:54
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a matter of fact.
6:56
[SPEAKER_01]: The odds in Vegas have New York repeating as the Eastern Champion right now, and there's still a lot of action and moves that are to be made.
7:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Boston is number two, even after Dealing Brown, Detroit is three, to Rottles four, we and Cleveland are five Miami after getting Yannis is six, and Philadelphia is seven.
7:21
[SPEAKER_01]: Actually, we're tied with Miami at five
7:26
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I'm not buying that to be honest with you, Bruce, I get those of the odds, but you said they're still changing more better than Miami, if you rolled the basketballs out right now, we're better than Miami, we're 76ers, I think are interesting, but how much is in bead going to play?
7:40
[SPEAKER_03]: Same thing, boss.
7:42
[SPEAKER_03]: And the other thing about Boston is this not a massive emotional mental dump that they just took that this trade and I know people are coming out now Colin Coward's going, Oh, jeel and brown he he's sour relationships there in Boston.
7:56
[SPEAKER_03]: That's why he's not there anymore.
7:58
[SPEAKER_03]: So I guess maybe it's a relief.
7:59
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't know.
7:59
[SPEAKER_03]: We'll see.
8:00
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, getting George is nothing to be, you know, excited about, but they do get a lot of picks.
8:06
[SPEAKER_01]: They get first wrong picks in 28 and 31 second round picks in 28 and 30.
8:11
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, they could flip those if they got another move.
8:13
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, back to the Golden State thing.
8:14
[SPEAKER_03]: You mentioned LA.
8:15
[SPEAKER_03]: I want to bring this up to Bruce.
8:17
[SPEAKER_03]: There's an element of LeBron being home in LA too.
8:20
[SPEAKER_03]: That's a 45 minute private plane ride from Oakland, Golden State, you know, where they play to LA.
8:26
[SPEAKER_03]: His wife is there.
8:26
[SPEAKER_03]: They just built a brand new house out there, he's very well established there for eight years.
8:31
[SPEAKER_03]: Brownie's still going to be playing with the Lakers.
8:33
[SPEAKER_03]: So I think there's an element of he would still be close to home and relatively be home.
8:39
[SPEAKER_03]: And I would only imagine Golden State would give him some flexibility of
8:42
[SPEAKER_03]: getting down when he can.
8:43
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, Ryan, I know where your emotions are, but you realistically think it's golden state or us.
8:49
[SPEAKER_04]: Uh, listen, I'm going to take shams for his word or the heat, the third ones, they make them both sense.
8:53
[SPEAKER_04]: You have the most connections there.
8:55
[SPEAKER_04]: It's interesting how this conversation about LeBron has shifted and I want to get your guys opinions on this because a couple weeks ago it was, yeah, let's get LeBron home who make our team better.
9:03
[SPEAKER_04]: That's fun.
9:03
[SPEAKER_04]: But now seeing Jalen Brown go to the 76ers, seeing the next reinforce themselves, cry back in the east, going to the raptors, pistons going to grow in another year with Kate and Jaren Doran, if they get that contract signed,
9:14
[SPEAKER_04]: Does the conversation now shift that the calves need LeBron to compete in the Eastern conference?
9:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes.
9:20
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
9:21
[SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.
9:21
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
9:22
[SPEAKER_01]: We've been there done that with this core four, even before the heart and deal with Garland, we weren't going anywhere with that for.
9:29
[SPEAKER_01]: And Nora, we going to, if we didn't make any moves to solve season and kept the core four with Alan Mobley at Mitchell and Harden, we're not going anywhere, but it's been proven.
9:38
[SPEAKER_01]: So yeah, they have to find again.
9:41
[SPEAKER_01]: And everybody wanted Kobe Altman's throat, I stood by him.
9:45
[SPEAKER_01]: I said this is a good basketball man.
9:48
[SPEAKER_01]: There's a way.
9:49
[SPEAKER_01]: There's a means.
9:50
[SPEAKER_01]: I think he'll do something.
9:51
[SPEAKER_01]: He'll pull it up.
9:52
[SPEAKER_01]: The hardened deal, the initial reaction by fans who don't know the economics of it.
9:57
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, my goodness.
9:59
[SPEAKER_01]: But that actually gives the Cavs financial flexibility.
10:03
[SPEAKER_01]: It was a really good move.
10:04
[SPEAKER_03]: And hardened played.
10:06
[SPEAKER_03]: Very scarling one in playing.
10:07
[SPEAKER_03]: He was hurt.
10:08
[SPEAKER_03]: So he was playing.
10:08
[SPEAKER_03]: So I'll give you that.
10:10
[SPEAKER_03]: To the Eastern Conference, like to your question Ryan, do we need it to compete?
10:14
[SPEAKER_03]: There's two ways the Cavs could have done this, right?
10:16
[SPEAKER_04]: You sit there and be like, okay, here we are in the east.
10:18
[SPEAKER_03]: And you assume like, okay, well, maybe the rest of the east will just get worse, right?
10:22
[SPEAKER_03]: They'll just trade off a bunch of guys.
10:23
[SPEAKER_03]: That's not what happened.
10:24
[SPEAKER_03]: Toronto got better, 76ers got better.
10:27
[SPEAKER_03]: There are teams that are getting better.
10:28
[SPEAKER_03]: So you can't just say stagnant and hope that everybody else was gonna fall off.
10:32
[SPEAKER_03]: That's not what happened.
10:33
[SPEAKER_03]: You had three other teams that got massively better in the east.
10:39
[SPEAKER_03]: You want to keep pace to it.
10:40
[SPEAKER_03]: You gotta go get brawn.
10:42
[SPEAKER_03]: And, you know, it's your question too, Ryan.
10:44
[SPEAKER_03]: In a seven game series, this calf's team versus this current 76er's team, it'd be a fun series to watch, and I would feel good that the calf's good, but I don't know that.
10:53
[SPEAKER_03]: They may not be done either.
10:55
[SPEAKER_03]: No, I don't, yeah, that's an interesting one too, because like they legitimate with M.B.
11:00
[SPEAKER_03]: being healthy.
11:02
[SPEAKER_03]: They have a legit big three with Maxi and Beat Healthy in jail and Brown.
11:06
[SPEAKER_03]: Then you add Vijay Hedgecomb as a young player who showed a ton of promise.
11:10
[SPEAKER_03]: I know the NBA was all about breaking up the big three and all that.
11:14
[SPEAKER_03]: They have that in Philadelphia.
11:15
[SPEAKER_03]: They really do.
11:16
[SPEAKER_03]: Well,
11:16
[SPEAKER_04]: The Cavaliers do get LeBron James, the answer to this question about to ask may change, but right now it's been kind of a quiet off season for the cab so far, focus on keeping that core intact, yet talent through the draft and you create that financial flexibility with James Harden.
11:29
[SPEAKER_04]: Should cabs fans be disappointed so far with I guess the lack of activity.
11:33
[SPEAKER_04]: You just sign Thomas Bryant to a one year deal.
11:35
[SPEAKER_04]: He comes back, but you lose Dean Wade and Keyon Ellis.
11:38
[SPEAKER_04]: Dean Wade certainly a big leader.
11:39
[SPEAKER_01]: He gunned for the wrong rotation players anyway.
11:42
[SPEAKER_01]: No, we knew that cast of characters was going to change.
11:47
[SPEAKER_03]: Struc is the one I'm gonna watch that'll that'll be probably coming to a head here pretty soon even though now that you've lost in way does that change things was Struc if you get brawn You know here's another conversation.
11:58
[SPEAKER_03]: It's more in the X's nose Bruce.
11:59
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't know if LeBron can play the three anymore as far as defensive He can't run around guard those guys.
12:04
[SPEAKER_03]: He's better as a defensive four Yeah, and if you've got mobly and Ellen that guess that's it's like a good problem to have but I'm worried about Lading game.
12:13
[SPEAKER_04]: You're gonna need a get
12:14
[SPEAKER_03]: Wow god, what are the castments searching for since I've been alive a tall defensive three point shooting wing You know when we have the brawn that's different because he's brawn he could do it all But at this stage of his career I don't think he can run around and guard three's anymore, so that change is still averaging 20 points Oh, he's so play.
12:31
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, yeah, three bounce a five six assists.
12:34
[SPEAKER_01]: So it's amazing what an athlete he indeed is, but The other and we're ahead of a game here, but
12:42
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's say we are able to keep, uh, heart, we keep hardened and we, uh, LeBron comes here, you know, the passing will be fascinating because I consider LeBron the best pastor in the NBA, even at his advanced age.
12:56
[SPEAKER_01]: Harden would have to be ranked in the top five until the playoffs when he's throwing the ball all over the place and committing these turnovers.
13:03
[SPEAKER_01]: But what would that chemistry be like with him and hardened on the floor at the same time with the way they pass
13:11
[SPEAKER_03]: It's hard because I don't think the calves really identified who they are.
13:14
[SPEAKER_03]: They don't have that identity of what we really do because you're led by a smaller guard in James or in Donovan Mitchell, which I get in consistency with mobile and Allen.
13:23
[SPEAKER_03]: So it's not like we can say we're just going to play through the big men here.
13:26
[SPEAKER_03]: But Braun is the ultimate Swiss army knife.
13:29
[SPEAKER_03]: He can do it all and he can fit into whatever system Kenny Atkinson wants to run with this team And also understand that like you said Bruce at his age He's not coming in here to be the one and he's probably not even coming here to be the two But he's a solid damn three at this point and even maybe four some night with hardened mobility and died of the Mitchell leading the way You got the options and also understanding Braun's not gonna play 70 games He's gonna be missing some here in there and that's fine.
13:53
[SPEAKER_03]: I just think more than anything he brings
13:56
[SPEAKER_03]: This just feeling this aura this this we're going to win a championship like if you bring in LeBron James You are bringing him in because you have one goal and that is to go win a championship It almost legitimizes everything that you're trying to do and I really think it just rally some of these guys up It's like whether it's refocus whatever it needs to be get on the same page get on the wagon because we're on our way to go win a letter of Brian trophy
14:19
[SPEAKER_04]: Less than before we flip out of over to some guards, bring Kaden, Matt and Bruce, you're talking about that LeBron coming in and kind of being that second coach, is that not what is LeBron not the perfect player that a guy like Evan Moble needs, behind him pushing him to be the best version of himself, guys, they need somebody that's going to take some pressure off on some nights.
14:38
[SPEAKER_03]: because there were so many nights that it was just, you could tell everything fell on Donovan Mitchell.
14:43
[SPEAKER_03]: And he couldn't, you know, it's only one man.
14:44
[SPEAKER_03]: What are you going to want to do?
14:45
[SPEAKER_03]: And I really think James Harden actually gave Donovan a little bit of relief when he got here to be like, it doesn't always have to be on you, LeBron coming in.
14:53
[SPEAKER_03]: I think that takes pressure off of everybody.
14:55
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, I think Ryan's point is well taken about mobley.
15:01
[SPEAKER_01]: And if anybody can do it, it's James, but what they have been doing is a far cry from him becoming the next Kevin Garnet, that's for sure.
15:11
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, and it again, maybe he can help elevate to get close to it, but we'll have to see those are all the clean on headlines brought to my friends at smart choice best.
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15:43
[SPEAKER_03]: We'll talk a little guards, Kate Crack is going to join us.
15:45
[SPEAKER_03]: It's all coming your way.
15:45
[SPEAKER_03]: Big play live right here on YouTube.
15:47
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, the Guardian salvaged the game in the series against Texas at nine to four victory with a five run second inning, David Fry with a three run home run in that second inning to water with an RBI single scoring clon who had a triple in the seventh inning.
16:04
[SPEAKER_01]: How about Watson, 286 average, one home rate RBI so far, three doubles in a couple of stolen bases, Austin hedges got into the act with a with a home run and can't
16:17
[SPEAKER_01]: Kate Krakis joins us now.
16:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Our beat reporter for the Big Play Network who covers the Guardians for us and Kate, welcome.
16:26
[SPEAKER_01]: Good to have you on the show.
16:28
[SPEAKER_01]: We're still healing slowly, but surely healing, but the kids trying to step it up.
16:35
[SPEAKER_01]: And here we are on the verge of starting our biggest series of the season against Chicago.
16:40
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, you couldn't have asked for a better time for a mix of the veterans to step up and feel some voids.
16:45
[SPEAKER_02]: Obviously it's nice to see David Fryer who just had three hits on the month of June.
16:48
[SPEAKER_02]: Go up there and smack a three run blast and then Austin hedges late in the game, but then like you mentioned, too, the youngsters still stepping up finding ways to impact the game.
16:55
[SPEAKER_02]: We saw a little Watson go to for four.
16:57
[SPEAKER_02]: He's up to about a 280 batting average.
16:59
[SPEAKER_02]: So after a pretty quiet start to his major league career, he's shaped things up well and hey, it's positive signs all the way that Cleveland can head into the weekend and potentially snag this series against the white socks.
17:10
[SPEAKER_03]: Kate, you mentioned with the young guys and the mix, the older guys, the David Fry.
17:16
[SPEAKER_03]: And I know he just hit it, but like him in the two whole man, like him, and I get that vote ham strong.
17:22
[SPEAKER_03]: Like what's he going to do?
17:23
[SPEAKER_03]: You got to put a line up together, but are you surprised that there's not been a little more consistency with some of the guys, at least saying like, hey, we know this guy's batting here.
17:31
[SPEAKER_03]: I get that he's kind of searching, but just your thoughts on vote, peace in this line up together right now, the best he can.
17:37
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, because it's interesting because he's had issues in the past with lining up things for the bullpen and remember you think about that and then that translates to the lineup that's which before the injuries the lineup actually was relatively the same game in and game out you'd see Ramirez at the two or three spot you'd see a lot of following him up you saw Klaan or or Bazan at the one spot.
17:57
[SPEAKER_02]: and then broke you down the nine, but ever since the entries has been all over the place and I think that pays into that lack of consistency because when broke you sitting there and he's batting second or he's batting fifth or he's batting third or he's batting ninth or he's batting seventh like guys can't get into a groove that way and they've talked about that.
18:15
[SPEAKER_02]: The thing for me though, you know, Matt that kind of stands out is, why aren't we leaning into that?
18:21
[SPEAKER_02]: Like if Rokio wants to bat nine, put him there, it's where he's most comfortable filling the gaps elsewhere, because right now we're not getting these guys in some of these young guys who are at the moments in their career where they need that consistency, they need that reliability.
18:36
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, they've got to build that somewhere, and sometimes the perfect way to do is having that set spot in the lab, you know, game and game out, I'm going to come in in the fourth spot.
18:42
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm going to come in the fifth spot, and I can just get used to batting in that spot.
18:47
[SPEAKER_01]: Kate, let me bounce these stats off of you.
18:50
[SPEAKER_01]: The Guardians ranked tied for 27th in the major leagues in batting average at 229.
18:57
[SPEAKER_01]: Guess what team we're tied with?
18:58
[SPEAKER_01]: The New York Metz.
19:00
[SPEAKER_03]: And below we tied them in the air.
19:02
[SPEAKER_01]: But they're payroll.
19:03
[SPEAKER_01]: And the Rostor, the San Diego Padres are last with their Rostor.
19:07
[SPEAKER_03]: I'll say their payrolls.
19:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Not now, but here's the reality too.
19:13
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, by the way, LA is number one Tampa base two and Pittsburgh of all teams is three.
19:17
[SPEAKER_01]: Only nine players.
19:20
[SPEAKER_01]: are hitting 300 or above, that's the combination of both leagues.
19:25
[SPEAKER_01]: Only 12 players are hitting 290 or above in the entire major leagues.
19:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Only 13 players are hitting 280 or above in the entire major leagues.
19:32
[SPEAKER_01]: And only 15 players are hitting 270 or above in the entire major leagues.
19:37
[SPEAKER_01]: They're 780 active members of the major leagues as we speak.
19:42
[SPEAKER_01]: That means that 731 of them are hitting 269 or below.
19:48
[SPEAKER_02]: very interesting.
19:49
[SPEAKER_02]: The irony is that we'll have qualified batteries for the Guardians.
19:52
[SPEAKER_02]: Five in which are qualified to talk about, you know, they're batting average from the higher perspective.
19:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Two of them are batting over 270, and that's Delater and Rokio.
20:02
[SPEAKER_02]: If you would have said that heading into the 2026 season, I'd probably think that you're lying or you've you've misread something, but it's nice to see that though.
20:09
[SPEAKER_02]: Obviously, there's that, that's silver lining of all G's.
20:11
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, Zardo Ramirez and Kwan, what's going on there, but I like it.
20:15
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, it shows that we're stepping in the right direction with some of these young guys.
20:19
[SPEAKER_03]: Kade, I got to ask about Stephen Kwan, because
20:24
[SPEAKER_03]: I hate to say it this way, but I just got to put it this way, man.
20:27
[SPEAKER_03]: I didn't think it could get any worse, and somehow I think it's getting worse.
20:31
[SPEAKER_03]: And I know you've seen, I might even, you might have even tweeted about his hard hit percentage, his barrel balls, his exit velocity off the bat.
20:41
[SPEAKER_03]: It's a million dollar question, and I'm sure Paul don't want to pay you if you could figure this out.
20:46
[SPEAKER_03]: What's wrong with Stephen Cuan at this point?
20:48
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I don't know.
20:49
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm going to be completely honest with you.
20:52
[SPEAKER_02]: We talk about baseball being such a mental game in across the board.
20:56
[SPEAKER_02]: Like they say it all the time when a guy's in a slump, they're thinking about it.
20:59
[SPEAKER_02]: When the guy can't get a hit, they're thinking about it.
21:01
[SPEAKER_02]: When a guy strikes out he's thinking about it.
21:03
[SPEAKER_02]: We forget though too that going into that is also the personal side of things.
21:07
[SPEAKER_02]: Like he hasn't had the chance to lock down an extended contract.
21:11
[SPEAKER_02]: Like all last year,
21:13
[SPEAKER_02]: It was, is he going to get traded?
21:14
[SPEAKER_02]: Is he going to get an extension heading into this year?
21:16
[SPEAKER_02]: Is he going to get an extension?
21:17
[SPEAKER_02]: That plays into a player's mental game.
21:19
[SPEAKER_02]: And we've seen that.
21:20
[SPEAKER_02]: But not only that, too, is he's, obviously, going out there and going, I'm the guy.
21:24
[SPEAKER_02]: I should, I deserve an extension.
21:25
[SPEAKER_02]: I, I, I, I make the place in the outfield.
21:27
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm batting well.
21:28
[SPEAKER_02]: this year.
21:29
[SPEAKER_02]: Hey, we're moving you to center field.
21:31
[SPEAKER_02]: We're changing up your game.
21:32
[SPEAKER_02]: You don't have a contract extension yet.
21:34
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, and by the way, you're hitting really, really bad right now.
21:37
[SPEAKER_02]: So add that all together.
21:39
[SPEAKER_02]: It's just a spiraling downward spell.
21:41
[SPEAKER_02]: And I remember a couple of weeks back in the clubhouse when he was asked about it.
21:44
[SPEAKER_02]: And the circle, he's had this year.
21:45
[SPEAKER_02]: He said at one point in time when he was still batting lead off.
21:48
[SPEAKER_02]: He said he was going into at bats.
21:49
[SPEAKER_02]: And he said, I feel like I'm going in down Oats to in the count.
21:52
[SPEAKER_04]: Mm.
21:54
[SPEAKER_02]: That's the mental game.
21:54
[SPEAKER_02]: That's what exactly what we're talking about.
21:57
[SPEAKER_02]: And so when you combine all of that together, I think it's the perfect example of a guy whose mental side is just struggling right now because across the board in years past, this was never, ever, ever how he looked.
22:08
[SPEAKER_02]: And that's why to me, I can't give up on a guy like Stephen Kwon just yet.
22:12
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, you'd love to, all right, we're going to go the way of Cooper Ingle, Cleo Watts, and Chase to Lauderdale, on Helmartina, as Daniel Schneemann, that's our outfielding core.
22:20
[SPEAKER_02]: But how can you give up on a guy who just a couple of years ago is betting 298, 270, 292, 272 is OPS above 700 every single season.
22:28
[SPEAKER_02]: He was drawing 50 plus walks of campaign and only striking out a maximum of 75 times.
22:33
[SPEAKER_02]: Like, this is a guy who was perfect for the leadoff spot.
22:37
[SPEAKER_02]: And now you go, hey, where do we even fit him in?
22:40
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, let me take the perspective from the front office antennae and turn off.
22:45
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, part of the reason why they weren't so anxious, uh, not that they had a crystal ball.
22:50
[SPEAKER_01]: They could tell that Juan was going to have an offseason to trotuses and has been, but we are facing almost assuredly.
23:02
[SPEAKER_01]: a work stoppage next season.
23:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes.
23:04
[SPEAKER_01]: So why give Juan a fat contract?
23:08
[SPEAKER_01]: When yes, he has had good numbers, Cade, but then again, the reality were a middle-level market team that has to be aware of the economics.
23:20
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, no, you're totally right.
23:21
[SPEAKER_02]: And that's partially why I don't think we've seen any other extensions yet this season.
23:26
[SPEAKER_02]: I thought, honestly, after a couple of weeks into the year, we were going to see maybe a delater, or a bazana, or anybody else on Hill Martina, someone get like a nice extension, but I think that right now with, like you mentioned Bruce with everything that's kind of up in the air for next season.
23:39
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, not only does that play pressure on the front office to try to figure out what to do, but for the players as well.
23:44
[SPEAKER_02]: Like again, we go back to that mental side again.
23:46
[SPEAKER_02]: Some of these players might be sitting there thinking, all right, I got to lock up something right now or figure out something to go on because who knows what's gonna happen next year.
23:53
[SPEAKER_02]: So I don't know.
23:53
[SPEAKER_02]: I think it's even quads in this weird spot where the mental game needs a full reset.
23:58
[SPEAKER_02]: And maybe, hey, maybe that's next year's lock.
24:00
[SPEAKER_02]: Maybe that's that stoppage where he can have a time to get back to himself, get back to his roots, call himself and then come back out of that and play well.
24:07
[SPEAKER_02]: Who knows?
24:08
[SPEAKER_03]: So the pitching staff paid so good to see Tanner Bobby starting a piece at back together a little bit.
24:13
[SPEAKER_03]: It's crazy that he's only two and nine, but he's at ten quality starts and he's lost what I think six or seven of those quality starts that he said he keeps getting clubered.
24:24
[SPEAKER_03]: They only put up one or two runs and he's pitching his ass off.
24:27
[SPEAKER_03]: But all right.
24:28
[SPEAKER_03]: We know Gavin Jenos he's maybe not been as hot as he was a little bit earlier parker Messickle being all star.
24:34
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm a Joey can't tell us Stan.
24:36
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm gonna defend my guy for as long as I can I'm glad to see he's giving me a little something
24:40
[SPEAKER_03]: And then Slate is just kind of that wild card we're again, there's some games that he pitches awesome and I just think, you know, it's so much of that guardians opposite of what the guardians use well, that shouldn't say opposite because it's just it's the starting rotation that's keeping us in a lot of these games and I actually maybe appreciate the guardians doing some, you know, safety squeezes like they did the other day just understand we've got to put up some runs just to get some pressure off of our starters.
25:03
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, the Cleveland Guardian starting rotation is the only starting rotation in baseball that has not changed this year, which is great to see.
25:10
[SPEAKER_02]: It's also the only starting five that's not coming out, but it's been relatively healthy as well.
25:15
[SPEAKER_02]: Like we haven't seen these guys, you know, really wave or much.
25:19
[SPEAKER_02]: And I know in June we saw some slip ups because we talked about the show this morning on the daily guards that
25:24
[SPEAKER_02]: At the start of the campaign, it was the consistency of Messick, Williams, and Cantillo, and the question marks of Bobby and Sekoni, that kind of riddle this team.
25:33
[SPEAKER_02]: And in the month of June, it was Sekoni and Bobby who had a 1-8 ERA in below, and then Gavin Williams of the 6 ERA in Messick and Cantillo with fours in above, that really brought some question marks.
25:44
[SPEAKER_02]: But that's all I'm looking for now.
25:46
[SPEAKER_02]: Like moving forward into July, August and September, if this starting 5 can get on the same page, I'm not asking for 1 ERA's every game,
25:55
[SPEAKER_02]: sitting around the three to three five mark.
25:56
[SPEAKER_02]: That's going to set this team up for success come the postseason.
25:59
[SPEAKER_02]: But man, it's been such a refreshing sight to see Sikoni come around and Bobby looked really well.
26:04
[SPEAKER_02]: Like the Sikoni right now is on pace of the season.
26:07
[SPEAKER_02]: And today it'd be his best year of his career, which is saying something.
26:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
26:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
26:11
[SPEAKER_01]: The big series beginning with the Chicago white socks.
26:14
[SPEAKER_01]: The Sikoni going for us against Martin.
26:17
[SPEAKER_01]: William's against Anthony K. Messick against Sean Burke and Bobby against Phoebe.
26:24
[SPEAKER_01]: After this series, we play three at Minnesota and then on to Miami and then the All-Star Break.
26:32
[SPEAKER_01]: We come back at home against Minnesota and a Pittsburgh and Minnesota at Tampa Bay, at Cincinnati, and then we conclude with a game before we hit into August the series that starts with Arizona.
26:44
[SPEAKER_01]: The White Sox, get this now.
26:47
[SPEAKER_01]: After us, they will be playing the athletics, and then they have after the break.
26:56
[SPEAKER_01]: They've got Toronto at Toronto, at Texas, contending teams, Toronto's making their move.
27:02
[SPEAKER_01]: Houston, they get at home, contending team, the New York Yankees, they get them at home and at Tampa Bay.
27:11
[SPEAKER_01]: So let's see if the white socks are for real.
27:14
[SPEAKER_01]: We're treading water because of all these injuries, but the pitching is holding in there.
27:19
[SPEAKER_01]: We're going to get Jose back.
27:20
[SPEAKER_01]: I understand his stitches have been removed.
27:23
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, they have been so it's a good sign that he's going to be back on the diamond here in the next couple of weeks.
27:27
[SPEAKER_02]: I think that everything was pointing towards an end of July was returned for Ramirez and Martinez.
27:32
[SPEAKER_02]: And again, it's like we said, right, when the injuries happen to this team, just stay afloat.
27:38
[SPEAKER_02]: Stay around 500, wait for the reinforcements to get back.
27:41
[SPEAKER_02]: Maybe debut some of these young guys, see what they have to offer.
27:43
[SPEAKER_02]: And then once we get to the end of the season, we can have those September columns.
27:47
[SPEAKER_02]: We can bring some guys back up.
27:48
[SPEAKER_02]: Then we can kind of finalize this roster for the postseason.
27:51
[SPEAKER_01]: Are you want to panic mode that they have to make a move?
27:54
[SPEAKER_02]: No, I said that I think that they will.
27:55
[SPEAKER_02]: I think there is going to be some sort of move, whether it's in addition to the bullpen, or maybe an extra, or not an extra, I'm sorry, an extra bat to go to that DH spot.
28:03
[SPEAKER_02]: I just think that this team doesn't really need much right now.
28:05
[SPEAKER_02]: And you have the young guys in Kaleo Watson and Cooper.
28:08
[SPEAKER_01]: You got to get him a bat.
28:09
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
28:10
[SPEAKER_02]: That adding another tool of the shed is only going to make you more confused on which tool to pick.
28:15
[SPEAKER_02]: You know what I mean?
28:16
[SPEAKER_03]: Well, and speaking to that Kate we're a little ahead of it just because on hell's not close yet, you know, they still time off, but how could you see that play out, they're going to have to send somebody down and I get that Cooper English probably the easy answer just because he just got here for sure, but.
28:31
[SPEAKER_01]: That's because he threw the ball to that.
28:33
[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, that doesn't help either.
28:34
[SPEAKER_03]: I really don't know that.
28:35
[SPEAKER_03]: We just flush that.
28:36
[SPEAKER_03]: That's going to be historic.
28:37
[SPEAKER_03]: That's going to be a story.
28:38
[SPEAKER_03]: That's going to be a story baseball.
28:39
[SPEAKER_03]: Maybe stop putting catchers in the outfield.
28:42
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't know.
28:43
[SPEAKER_03]: You know what I mean.
28:44
[SPEAKER_03]: It is bad.
28:44
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, the meat in it is bad.
28:45
[SPEAKER_03]: Look.
28:46
[SPEAKER_02]: Look at that outfield.
28:47
[SPEAKER_02]: Look at that outfield for just a second and it goes along with this discussion about Cooper Engle.
28:50
[SPEAKER_02]: Cooper Engle came in the organization as a catcher.
28:52
[SPEAKER_02]: Calu Watson came in the organization as a short stop.
28:54
[SPEAKER_02]: On Hill Martinez came in as a second basement.
28:56
[SPEAKER_02]: Daniel steaming was a short stop.
28:57
[SPEAKER_02]: These guys have transitioned to the outfield and yes, there's going to be bumps in the road along the way.
29:01
[SPEAKER_02]: Cooperingles obviously is just in the public eye.
29:04
[SPEAKER_02]: I mentioned that actually in the story I wrote that night I'm leaving Guardians on S.I.
29:07
[SPEAKER_02]: I said, you know, mistakes are bound to happen.
29:09
[SPEAKER_02]: It's just a part of life But man is it suck when your mistakes have to be in the public eye in the way that they were for Cooper angle, but again You just flush it and you move on.
29:17
[SPEAKER_01]: So are we are we at a point where our opinion is changing about areas?
29:22
[SPEAKER_02]: Uh, and I don't really know if I've ever had a sound opinion on gay rarious.
29:27
[SPEAKER_02]: He has been by far one of the most confusing players to ever analyze, talk about, write about, discuss, I mean, the guy has all the talent and the intangibles in the world.
29:36
[SPEAKER_02]: But for some reason, it just doesn't get put together.
29:38
[SPEAKER_02]: Like, he's got a great arm.
29:40
[SPEAKER_02]: He's pretty athletic.
29:41
[SPEAKER_02]: He can fly around the base pads if you need him to.
29:43
[SPEAKER_02]: He can get in there and he can pop a ball into the left field stands, nearly hitting the scoreboard.
29:47
[SPEAKER_02]: Like, the guy can, the guy, the guy, the guy, the guy, the guy, the guy, the guy, the
29:48
[SPEAKER_02]: do flashes of things that make him exciting.
29:52
[SPEAKER_02]: And like people have said it before.
29:53
[SPEAKER_02]: Like I think that there was a discussion a couple of weeks back on the national side of things.
29:57
[SPEAKER_02]: We're declared that, if you put Arias in the room of Mike Trout, Aaron, Judge, and all these different guys, he'd be the most talented in the room.
30:05
[SPEAKER_02]: But for some reason, the guy just hasn't paned out.
30:08
[SPEAKER_02]: And for me, again, I mentioned it a couple of weeks ago and he returned from injury.
30:12
[SPEAKER_02]: It's only 26 years old.
30:13
[SPEAKER_02]: So the ship isn't sailing just yet.
30:16
[SPEAKER_02]: Like he's probably got two, three more years, realistically within this organization or a major league organization to figure it out before teams go high.
30:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Like there's nothing here.
30:25
[SPEAKER_03]: But you know, so with that, we like, Ari is could be on this list, Kate of like, you're gonna have two guys coming back.
30:30
[SPEAKER_03]: You're gonna have to send two down.
30:32
[SPEAKER_03]: It's, I don't think it's gonna be Cleo Watson at this point.
30:35
[SPEAKER_03]: It's not gonna be one of the catchers.
30:37
[SPEAKER_03]: It's not gonna be shneemin', like, I'm kinda lookin' maybe like Reese Hoskins, but he's a good clubhouse guy, you know?
30:43
[SPEAKER_03]: Veterin' guy, like, it's a, in a way, a good problem to have that I think it's gonna be really competitive to see who's gonna take up that other spot that had a bad back down.
30:51
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I think that this roster, what they built this year and from everything I've heard in the close house, talk to the individuals that are in there, some of the front office members, this is a very tight clubhouse, like through and through, like it is, it rivals that group back, I think it was in 22 that, I think if you guys remember, on the road when, um,
31:08
[SPEAKER_02]: So the trade started occurring towards the middle of the campaign and Savali was traded for Manzardo and things like that happened.
31:14
[SPEAKER_02]: And that clubhouse erupted in frustration.
31:16
[SPEAKER_02]: Like they had to fly Anthony in the group out to go talk to the players and be like, hey, like this is why we did it, everything's okay.
31:22
[SPEAKER_02]: Like that is what I believe would happen if things like happen where retoskins or something was moved on from or waived or traded or whatever.
31:29
[SPEAKER_02]: Maybe that's why I don't think that could happen.
31:31
[SPEAKER_02]: So yes, you're probably right, like if something has to happen,
31:35
[SPEAKER_02]: It's going to be Watson or it's going to be angled.
31:37
[SPEAKER_02]: It's going to be one of these fresh, fresh guys.
31:38
[SPEAKER_02]: Like it's someone that hasn't been established.
31:41
[SPEAKER_02]: I could potentially see R.E.S being moved.
31:43
[SPEAKER_02]: Like that to me would make a little bit of sense either he gets traded or he does go down to Triple A.
31:47
[SPEAKER_01]: Mark and value though.
31:48
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, exactly.
31:49
[SPEAKER_02]: So that's kind of the realm of maybe catch considerations.
31:51
[SPEAKER_02]: Like I don't know what you'd really move them for right now.
31:54
[SPEAKER_02]: But that's why I think that when we see Martinez and Ramirez activated, you're probably looking at a emotion of angle down to Triple A.
32:04
[SPEAKER_02]: And then after that, maybe it probably is, Arias.
32:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Watson keeps hitting, you're not going to move him down, right?
32:09
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, it's going to be tough.
32:11
[SPEAKER_02]: No, so again, with the Watson discussion, enough can't be said about the way he's emerged in center field.
32:17
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, he, last night, it looked like a routine fly ball to him, but it was a plus eight above average for him to get to that ball.
32:24
[SPEAKER_02]: So it was, he had eight feet of a step on the ball as well, or something, something crazy like that, where most of the time that ball is going to get down
32:33
[SPEAKER_02]: his his recognition of it, watching got to it in time.
32:35
[SPEAKER_02]: So he's played really well in the outfield.
32:37
[SPEAKER_02]: He's gotten really comfortable at the plate.
32:39
[SPEAKER_02]: I think he's the guy that that brings that miles start off straw type of flash in ability to get to the baseball in the outfield.
32:45
[SPEAKER_02]: And then he's got that pop of the bat that makes him so special.
32:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Bring on the white socks.
32:49
[SPEAKER_01]: I want to shift gears and get your take all of you on Wilson Contreras.
32:55
[SPEAKER_01]: Obviously he was incredibly emotional when he hit the home run with the earthquakes in his native Venezuela.
33:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Too emotional.
33:03
[SPEAKER_01]: You got ejected.
33:05
[SPEAKER_01]: But then the next night gets King Cavali.
33:08
[SPEAKER_01]: He got
33:11
[SPEAKER_01]: called out on strikes and Cavalli made a statement that you called them boy is the board down boy.
33:18
[SPEAKER_01]: The chair is went nuts and got rejected again.
33:21
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, is that a record or a record?
33:24
[SPEAKER_03]: So you mean the last question that was crazy?
33:26
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, Earl Weaver's probably got the all-time record, but he wasn't a player.
33:30
[SPEAKER_01]: He was a manager.
33:31
[SPEAKER_02]: That's nuts.
33:33
[SPEAKER_02]: I think the fortunate side to the story and the positive ending to it is Kavali did issue an apology.
33:38
[SPEAKER_02]: He said he was, you know, he did the moment excited, but... That's not, like, that's a situation that, on all ends, like, I bet contrarse obviously pretty, isn't too happy about what he did.
33:48
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think obviously Kavali apologized in what not, but man, all I can say is,
33:53
[SPEAKER_02]: Sometimes you're grateful things like that don't happen in Cleveland.
33:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Although it would be entertaining, but it's good to see at least the guys in the club house who've got their heads on their shoulders straight.
34:03
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I mean, it's part of baseball to the motion of it.
34:06
[SPEAKER_03]: It's a tough one to see, but I do appreciate what you say.
34:08
[SPEAKER_03]: Come on, coming out and be like, I felt really bad about that.
34:12
[SPEAKER_03]: Sometimes it happens.
34:12
[SPEAKER_03]: All right, Kate, we appreciate you coming in as always.
34:14
[SPEAKER_03]: Go follow my Twitter for all our great coverage.
34:17
[SPEAKER_03]: Stake, they got to close the windows in that press box this weekend, man.
34:20
[SPEAKER_03]: It's going to be way too hot.
34:21
[SPEAKER_03]: It's going to be today.
34:23
[SPEAKER_03]: It was awful on Monday.
34:24
[SPEAKER_02]: It was, it was rough on Monday.
34:25
[SPEAKER_03]: Stay cool over there.
34:26
[SPEAKER_03]: Make sure you file a cave for all of our coverage over your daily guards to honor YouTube page.
34:30
[SPEAKER_03]: You can check it on out.
34:31
[SPEAKER_03]: We got plenty of coming up.
34:32
[SPEAKER_03]: Are we going to dive into this world's world cup soccer as well?
34:35
[SPEAKER_03]: So I'll come in and Matt Fontaine here for my friends at physicians, ambulance folks.
34:39
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34:40
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34:44
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35:01
[SPEAKER_03]: They have protocols in place.
35:02
[SPEAKER_03]: They need extra ambulances there.
35:04
[SPEAKER_03]: When it's a certain temperature because you got to deal with people, might be struggling with the heat.
35:08
[SPEAKER_03]: They're out there having a positive impact on our community.
35:11
[SPEAKER_03]: They're the choice of so many great companies here in Northeastern Ohio, they'd love to have you on their team.
35:16
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35:20
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35:22
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35:26
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35:35
[SPEAKER_03]: They're all over the place too.
35:36
[SPEAKER_03]: Headquartered in Braxville, North Ridgeville, Menor, Kent, Warren, Ashland, Worcester and Columbus.
35:40
[SPEAKER_03]: If you're close to one of those, you're close to a physician's aim that's applied today.
35:44
[SPEAKER_03]: Help and continue to set the standard
35:51
[SPEAKER_04]: I everybody welcome back to the Big Play Cleveland show live right here in YouTube, Brian Tyler Matt Fontana Brewster and Bruce were going around the horn first topic.
35:58
[SPEAKER_04]: Caitlin Clark, you know, there's not many athletes that generate more conversation than Caitlin Clark.
36:03
[SPEAKER_04]: Instead though, Bruce, the conversation has centered around hard files, league discipline, online harassment Brewster question is, has Caitlin Clark's conversation officially become bigger than just the game of basketball.
36:13
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, you know, a couple of things here, first of all, this started with, it didn't start.
36:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Ever since Caitlin Clark came into the WNBA is where it started, but the most recent incident was a list of Thomas,
36:26
[SPEAKER_01]: putting her fist in Clark's throat and pressing down after Clark had been fouled.
36:36
[SPEAKER_01]: And officials don't even call a foul.
36:39
[SPEAKER_01]: They didn't even call a foul at a lone flagrant possibilities and then the league responded day late dollar short suspended Thomas for one game big deal.
36:49
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, Thomas,
36:52
[SPEAKER_01]: It's trying to reverse it and say that death threats have been made against me and my family and this isn't the first time racial slurs, the WNBA commissioner is a joke.
37:05
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a woman by the name of Kathy Engelberg.
37:09
[SPEAKER_01]: She may go down as the worst commissioner of any
37:21
[SPEAKER_01]: has been targeted ever since she came into the WNBA.
37:28
[SPEAKER_01]: They have practically molested her physically, and non-calls made, and I think you talk about racism and I can't help but think what is the mentality of these opposing players
37:46
[SPEAKER_01]: doing this to her when they should be kissing her tail for putting that sport on the map when nobody cared about it.
37:54
[SPEAKER_01]: The only reason WNBA is an existence because the NBA is funding it.
37:59
[SPEAKER_01]: And she's put it on the map, she's putting fans in the seats and they're targeting her to this day.
38:05
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a joke and it should be called out.
38:08
[SPEAKER_03]: I agree and the thing is I look at it this way Bruce that the WNBA has had this meteoric rise in part because of Caitlyn Clark, but even the few years prior, like it finally had gotten to a point, the average person, no, I would say average, but probably the average sportsman, they know who Asian Wilson is, they know who bring in a store, they know who's to bring in an eskiu is, and here comes Caitlyn Clark to kind of continue that, but really hammer the gas on
38:31
[SPEAKER_03]: More money revenue turning a profit expansion now with new teams new TV deals And that's why I don't understand the players that felt like well We need to make sure Caitlin Clark knows that she's still a rookie or at this point now a third year player But she got to earn her stripes Everybody's paycheck is bigger because I heard and that's I don't understand but the NBA the WNBA
38:52
[SPEAKER_03]: They've gone too fast.
38:54
[SPEAKER_03]: They went too fast in getting to where they're at.
38:57
[SPEAKER_03]: And I don't feel like they've been able to keep up with some of the other, like you said, how they're handling Caitlin Clark, how they're handling even the expansion, how they're handling these types of situations.
39:09
[SPEAKER_03]: And it could be done pretty simply by coming out and having Caitlin Clark's back.
39:13
[SPEAKER_03]: Now it's gonna tick off the rest of the league.
39:15
[SPEAKER_03]: But to understand, we're shutting this down.
39:17
[SPEAKER_03]: That was a foul.
39:18
[SPEAKER_03]: It should have been a foul.
39:19
[SPEAKER_03]: They gave the flag right after it can we just move on.
39:21
[SPEAKER_03]: Now, the fans are always going to be the fans, and this is where trust me, I wish there's a way that we could change how fans treat players on social media, whatever the sport I would Jordan Speeds out talking about fans, heckling him, because of betting and all that.
39:37
[SPEAKER_03]: We're not going to do about that.
39:38
[SPEAKER_03]: But that's part of this.
39:39
[SPEAKER_03]: You are now in a platform as a professional athlete, people are going to be jerks.
39:45
[SPEAKER_03]: There's another word I'd like to use.
39:46
[SPEAKER_03]: It starts with an A. I can't I can say it on YouTube and it goes on the run.
39:49
[SPEAKER_01]: Look at those new yorkers with wind and Clark.
39:51
[SPEAKER_03]: That's what I'm talking about this week.
39:52
[SPEAKER_03]: There's nothing you can do about that.
39:54
[SPEAKER_03]: And again, I think the league just not saying anything is worse.
39:59
[SPEAKER_03]: What the worst.
40:00
[SPEAKER_01]: How would heaven's name can you explain?
40:02
[SPEAKER_01]: What's the magazine that they didn't have her picture on?
40:05
[SPEAKER_01]: What was that magazine?
40:06
[SPEAKER_03]: Oh, well, I don't know what it's called, but I did see it.
40:08
[SPEAKER_03]: No, no, so the background was she didn't sign off on that.
40:12
[SPEAKER_03]: Well, there was a background that all that that magazine only has rights to her name.
40:17
[SPEAKER_03]: They can't use her picture.
40:18
[SPEAKER_03]: Well, that's what I saw.
40:19
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't know if it's true or not, but that's her Darren Revel.
40:21
[SPEAKER_01]: There was a piece that I talked to her if that's the case.
40:25
[SPEAKER_01]: That's a mistake on her part.
40:26
[SPEAKER_01]: I'll give you that.
40:27
[SPEAKER_01]: She is the face of the WNBA for God.
40:29
[SPEAKER_03]: Wait, and that's all I'm only saying that because I saw that from Darren Revell that it's not like they they made this poster and they purposely left her off It's that she didn't sign off to put her picture on it.
40:39
[SPEAKER_03]: Whether that's her agents fault.
40:41
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't know, but apparently that's the back story on that.
40:45
[SPEAKER_01]: Again, they're they should think she's keeping that league relative.
40:49
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, and Without her it would be fledgling and going down the drain.
40:54
[UNKNOWN]: Yeah, but
40:55
[SPEAKER_04]: Bruce, let's move on here.
40:57
[SPEAKER_04]: Controvers, she doesn't stop here for years.
40:59
[SPEAKER_04]: Phil Mikkelson has been centered around gambling, live golf, comments, and land and hot water.
41:03
[SPEAKER_04]: Bruce, I'll let you give all of the details on the latest.
41:06
[SPEAKER_04]: But I give you the question.
41:07
[SPEAKER_04]: Has Phil Mikkelson's legacy officially become more about controversy than it has championships?
41:11
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, I'm not going to give.
41:13
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not going to give.
41:15
[SPEAKER_01]: total details here.
41:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Phil Nicholson, that's just a play after dark shows in his image is now ruined forever.
41:27
[SPEAKER_01]: He will be remembered for this rather than his six major championships.
41:32
[SPEAKER_01]: he was supposedly a big family man.
41:35
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, this has been going on.
41:36
[SPEAKER_01]: This incident with Pat Perez's wife took place correct me if I'm wrong, Matt.
41:41
[SPEAKER_01]: I believe it was 2016.
41:42
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
41:43
[SPEAKER_03]: And I mean, Pat's been off the day, but both, but off the PGA tour for years at this point.
41:48
[SPEAKER_01]: And Perez is since divorced.
41:50
[SPEAKER_01]: But apparently, Nicholson, propositioned her, while Parasix used himself to go to the restroom and said, I'll leave my door open, showed her a photo on his phone of him totally nude in an excited fashion.
42:09
[SPEAKER_01]: And she that, but why didn't it come out until now?
42:13
[SPEAKER_01]: We can go into that.
42:15
[SPEAKER_01]: But again, Michael's sense image is ruined forever in my opinion.
42:19
[SPEAKER_01]: He has not played in any of the three majors that we have completed so far.
42:23
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think he's gonna play in the British.
42:26
[SPEAKER_01]: I can't imagine he's going to play in the British open with this controversy over his head.
42:31
[SPEAKER_01]: And how can his wife stay married to him?
42:34
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I mean, that's the thing, like, Phil, it was kind of, you know, I grew up in that Phil tiger rivalry, right?
42:41
[SPEAKER_03]: And at the point you didn't kind of know who tiger was at that, but Phil always seemed to be the smiling one and everybody, you know, he was so jovial and everybody kind of gravitated towards him.
42:52
[SPEAKER_01]: So the tiger kind of had the Albert Bell to me.
42:54
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, you know, he was so serious and he was all about the golf.
42:58
[SPEAKER_03]: And then obviously everything falls out with tiger, and everybody looks at squeaky clean, Phil Nicholson and all that.
43:04
[SPEAKER_03]: Then it starts and remember what he got pot for the insider trading.
43:07
[SPEAKER_03]: And then he got to kind of fight that off and like, okay, that didn't.
43:09
[SPEAKER_03]: And then now all of this and live.
43:12
[SPEAKER_03]: Well, that's where I was going to go Bruce is like, I, I, I, I'm a lifelong golf fan.
43:15
[SPEAKER_03]: I will be to the dad die and, and I loved that rivalry.
43:19
[SPEAKER_03]: It's in two of them.
43:20
[SPEAKER_03]: And I pretty much set off anybody that went to live.
43:24
[SPEAKER_03]: You want to go over there.
43:26
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't stand for what that league is.
43:27
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't like it.
43:28
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm not going to support you going over there.
43:29
[SPEAKER_03]: And they took some of my favorite golfers that were on the piecing tour.
43:33
[SPEAKER_03]: And I said, you know what I'm saying?
43:34
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I'm just about wrong.
43:34
[SPEAKER_03]: Big time.
43:35
[SPEAKER_03]: I was a big Dustin Johnson fan, you know.
43:37
[SPEAKER_03]: OK, he's gone now too.
43:39
[SPEAKER_03]: But Phil,
43:40
[SPEAKER_03]: was like the poster child.
43:42
[SPEAKER_03]: He was the poster child to live.
43:44
[SPEAKER_03]: And he went so hard into it.
43:46
[SPEAKER_03]: And what made me so sad was this, that he looked at the PGA tour for everything that they had, is it perfect?
43:52
[SPEAKER_03]: No, is the PGA tour in a better spot today because a live absolutely.
43:56
[SPEAKER_03]: But Phil went so far in damning the PGA tour when they meant so much to him.
44:03
[SPEAKER_03]: That just it bothered me.
44:04
[SPEAKER_03]: It bothered me.
44:05
[SPEAKER_03]: So now you're at this point where yeah, the the paparazan is why to him getting kicked out of these clubs now for all these allegations This points like a spiral you look at me go what's wrong?
44:14
[SPEAKER_03]: Are like are you okay?
44:16
[SPEAKER_03]: Is there a dick?
44:17
[SPEAKER_03]: Obviously there's some sort of problem going on addiction.
44:19
[SPEAKER_03]: I have no idea and I just don't like to see it because yeah, I would love to watch Phil walk off in his son said I would have the dream
44:28
[SPEAKER_03]: of him and tiger on the champions tour and if in a pair and coming down for a major hell at the college championship at Firestone, yeah, it's all over.
44:36
[SPEAKER_01]: Michaelson though, I had a little bit of Greg Norman in him and I'm during achieving until after tiger got injured and had his own problems, but with women and that, but, uh, he, Michaelson was never, uh, anywhere close to Tiger Woods.
44:51
[SPEAKER_01]: Ryan, move on.
44:52
[SPEAKER_04]: already were moving on.
44:53
[SPEAKER_04]: Life certainly moves fast.
44:54
[SPEAKER_04]: That's true for Terry and Ardald just a year ago.
44:56
[SPEAKER_04]: Former first round pick looked like a cornerstone for the Detroit Lions defense, Pro Bowl potential.
45:01
[SPEAKER_04]: Now he's being released by the Lions facing felony charges, including armed robbery and kidnapping Bruce.
45:06
[SPEAKER_04]: How does your life change this far?
45:07
[SPEAKER_01]: For counts of robbery, facing life, potentially life in prison.
45:13
[SPEAKER_01]: What in heaven's name is in the minds of these idiots?
45:21
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, but that's not, you know, that's bad.
45:24
[SPEAKER_01]: Real bad.
45:25
[SPEAKER_01]: But this, this kidnapping and an armed robbery, they were pistol whipping these guys.
45:33
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, come on.
45:35
[SPEAKER_01]: I can't comprehend it, Matt.
45:37
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, it was something along the lines of what he owned Airbnb.
45:40
[SPEAKER_03]: There was an issue with the Airbnb and he showed up.
45:43
[SPEAKER_03]: And I think that's.
45:47
[SPEAKER_03]: Okay, so it's a, it's a Ray Lewis thing.
45:51
[SPEAKER_03]: Because we all know what happened when Ray Lewis, right?
45:53
[SPEAKER_03]: You got to have that person in the group that maybe takes the fall.
45:56
[SPEAKER_03]: And I'm not saying that with Terry owner.
45:57
[SPEAKER_03]: have somebody in your group handle this you don't need to be there you can own the Airbnb can you not pay a management company to take care of the problem is when these guys number one they get in the league and what they got a thousand people coming to a got a business proposition for hey let's buy this Airbnb over here let's start this business all that and I'm not saying that they shouldn't be involved or if they want to be young entrepreneurs or businessmen that's fine that's great but
46:24
[SPEAKER_03]: you got to have people that can take care of that for you.
46:27
[SPEAKER_03]: And we, Josh and I talked about this yesterday in a couple different situations, Bruce.
46:31
[SPEAKER_03]: And I shot by last week too.
46:32
[SPEAKER_03]: Football's got to be your, that's it.
46:34
[SPEAKER_03]: There's nothing else.
46:35
[SPEAKER_03]: When you're playing the game, when you're entering the prime of your career to make your money in a short window,
46:41
[SPEAKER_03]: All that other stuff can wait.
46:43
[SPEAKER_03]: All that other stuff outside a ball shouldn't really matter and his life will never be the same.
46:48
[SPEAKER_03]: He is probably never going to play in the NFL again.
46:51
[SPEAKER_03]: The millions of dollars.
46:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh no, there's no way.
46:54
[SPEAKER_01]: No way.
46:55
[SPEAKER_01]: And blaze Taylor is another one.
46:56
[SPEAKER_01]: If you're not familiar with who blaze Taylor was he went to Arkansas state.
46:59
[SPEAKER_01]: He was a player there.
47:01
[SPEAKER_01]: He was a scout for the Tennessee Titans for years.
47:03
[SPEAKER_01]: He's back at Arkansas State.
47:05
[SPEAKER_01]: He's just been found guilty in Nashville, Tennessee
47:11
[SPEAKER_01]: girlfriend, and he poisoned them.
47:14
[SPEAKER_01]: The baby died and the girlfriend died.
47:19
[SPEAKER_01]: He poisoned them by spiking cocaine from what I understand.
47:25
[SPEAKER_01]: He's facing life in prison.
47:26
[SPEAKER_01]: So I don't know Ryan.
47:28
[SPEAKER_01]: It's hard to figure these guys.
47:30
[SPEAKER_04]: Well, it certainly is.
47:31
[SPEAKER_04]: Well, we got to take a break.
47:32
[SPEAKER_04]: Bruce, I'm excited when we get back.
47:34
[SPEAKER_04]: Talk a little bit of World Cup Brandon Varnado joins the show.
47:36
[SPEAKER_04]: We'll be right back here on Big Play Cleveland Live.
47:39
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, we wanted to devote a segment to the World Cup, which, of course, is advanced.
47:44
[SPEAKER_01]: And so, as the United States glad to report, so we needed to get an expert on the show.
47:50
[SPEAKER_01]: Brandon Varnado is a really interesting, young, success story.
47:58
[SPEAKER_01]: And only 25 years old, he's just been named a president of Ody Ventures, Cleveland Area Investment
48:08
[SPEAKER_01]: He works across business development, operations, portfolio strategy, and founder support.
48:18
[SPEAKER_01]: He speaks several languages, and his favorite sport, his passion, is international football.
48:29
[SPEAKER_01]: What all of us idiots call soccer.
48:32
[SPEAKER_01]: We welcome Brandon to the show, Brandon.
48:35
[SPEAKER_01]: It's great to have you with us.
48:36
[SPEAKER_01]: And of course, we're going to pick your brain in this segment pal.
48:40
[SPEAKER_01]: The United States advancing against Bosnia.
48:45
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's start off with that coverage.
48:47
[SPEAKER_01]: I know you watched the game tell us about it.
48:51
[SPEAKER_00]: I did, I did in first of all, Mr. Drennan, thank you so much for the introduction that there was a great introduction, I appreciate it.
48:59
[SPEAKER_00]: I did, in fact, watch the game, I was glued to the television last night.
49:03
[SPEAKER_00]: And what I saw were 11 players who took the game down Bosnia's throat all game long.
49:10
[SPEAKER_00]: And I was very pleasantly surprised.
49:12
[SPEAKER_00]: And may I add that Bosnia is not a team that should just be walked over.
49:17
[SPEAKER_00]: I know in the media that there were some,
49:20
[SPEAKER_00]: reports of people saying, ah, we can't even find Bosnia on a map.
49:23
[SPEAKER_00]: No, Bosnia is a good team.
49:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Bosnia is a respectable team.
49:27
[SPEAKER_00]: They have many players that play in top divisions in Europe at the club level and the United States.
49:34
[SPEAKER_00]: came out with a really, really high press with a lot of intensity and really, really took it to them.
49:41
[SPEAKER_00]: Even even with the red card in a man down, the United States was able to close the game out, score another goal to zero.
49:49
[SPEAKER_00]: Everybody goes home happy.
49:50
[SPEAKER_01]: Brandon, it was, uh, Brandon, you have, um,
49:54
[SPEAKER_01]: witnessed and covered, um, soccer games all over the world.
50:00
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, how good is the United States team?
50:03
[SPEAKER_01]: What was the anticipation coming into this world cup competition?
50:07
[SPEAKER_01]: How far can they go?
50:09
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll tell you what Mr. Jenin, it was very underrated in my opinion, and people have been underrated in the United States for a long time, and there are a few things to attribute to that.
50:20
[SPEAKER_00]: But at this point, I have our player roster right in front of me right now.
50:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Most of these players, they almost all of them play in Europe for top teams.
50:33
[SPEAKER_00]: at their club level, they're weak and weak out there playing with some of the best of the best in the world.
50:39
[SPEAKER_00]: And now we have this team full of incredible athletes and now they all gaining the experience of being abroad in Europe playing against the big teams playing in Champions League against Real Madrid, Barcelona, all those big guys.
51:02
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, a lot of men's national team players, you know, maybe they're playing in the MLS and we're maybe a little sheltered from from that level of football will call it, but now the exposures out there and we have such an incredible group of athletes with now with that experience.
51:32
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, teams in Europe, they're loved in Europe, you know, the teams that they play for, these fans, we're really into them.
51:38
[SPEAKER_00]: And, you know, over here, it's just kind of lacked that lost.
51:43
[SPEAKER_00]: But now I think finally in this tournament, people are noticing and turning heads.
51:47
[SPEAKER_03]: Brandon going into Monday with Balagan getting the red card they've already said they can't appeal so he's going to be out.
51:52
[SPEAKER_03]: Do you think it helped actually to get some of the other guys out there and that match against Turkey and what do you expect in USA to try to do to make up for probably their most potent offensive attack on Monday?
52:04
[SPEAKER_00]: Sure.
52:05
[SPEAKER_00]: No, that is a problem.
52:07
[SPEAKER_00]: That was a problem for sure.
52:09
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, you know, we can get into, uh, was it a red card or not, but it's happened and it's gone.
52:14
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, you know, I, there are a couple of things that I think the coach is going to try.
52:18
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, I, our number nine, uh, Peppy is his name.
52:22
[SPEAKER_00]: He is, he really, really knows how to play.
52:24
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that this is an opportunity for him to shine.
52:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, how the formation will look, I'll be very curious to see that
52:34
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, Balagun, he's on fire, this World Cup, he scored in all three games that we've had, you know, he's, he's, he had three goals and three games, he's a phenomenal player and he is going to be missed now.
52:48
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I said, Peppy who, you know, he's really grown.
52:53
[SPEAKER_00]: In himself, he's a tall guy, he's a good presence.
52:57
[SPEAKER_00]: I think if it's played well, we use him as that classic number nine with fully-seached running off of him.
53:03
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that we can still be very, very dangerous, but I won't lie that that red card does, I think that does hurt.
53:11
[SPEAKER_00]: But it's the World Cup, and the United States has to learn how to play without
53:16
[SPEAKER_00]: one of their most important players, it happens to every team, you look back at every single world cup and the winners of those teams.
53:23
[SPEAKER_00]: They've all had moments where they've needed to come together reorganize, figure out a different strategy for when their best player gets a red card or when their best player gets injured.
53:34
[SPEAKER_00]: So, you know what, it'll be a good task for the United States, and I'm excited to see who, you know, how that shapes up.
53:41
[SPEAKER_01]: Brandon, um, soccer is the most popular sport on this planet.
53:47
[SPEAKER_01]: What your hunchery has won the most world cups Brazil with five.
53:53
[SPEAKER_00]: Brazil with five Germany with with four Italy has four as well.
53:58
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, and those are those are really your your top dogs within the world cup.
54:01
[SPEAKER_00]: But Brazil is is the, you know, the kingdom if you want to call it.
54:06
[SPEAKER_00]: Were they the favorites coming in?
54:09
[SPEAKER_00]: No, actually not.
54:10
[SPEAKER_00]: They have Brazil have not been playing great these past few years.
54:15
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll go to say Mr. Drone and it's it's really been a struggle for them.
54:19
[SPEAKER_00]: They're they're.
54:20
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a few, you know, I haven't been in the locker rooms, but I've heard reports coming out of the locker rooms of, you know, some, some trouble makers within their locker room, also some of those players, where they're, they play their club football, I've heard some things coming out of the locker rooms over there, too, that they don't, they don't mold well, they've, they've had some problems in that regard.
54:50
[SPEAKER_00]: So, you know, with just him alone that that brings a lot of fire power and a lot of strategy that they did not have before.
54:59
[SPEAKER_00]: But to be honest, Mr. Jenin, I don't think that they're going to make it too far in this world cup, and I know that's bold, and I know that there's a lot of Brazilians that will disagree with me with that statement.
55:08
[SPEAKER_00]: But they don't feel like a team, they don't feel like a united unit, and that's probably even more important in a world cup than having great individual 11 players.
55:20
[SPEAKER_00]: It's how do these 11 players play
55:22
[SPEAKER_00]: together, how do they molt together?
55:24
[SPEAKER_00]: Are they fluid?
55:25
[SPEAKER_00]: And if they're not, then they're not going to win anything.
55:29
[SPEAKER_00]: So, until they can get their team to feel like a team, I don't think we're going to see the Brazil that we've seen in the past where, you know, our grandfathers and our fathers are talking about Ronaldinho and R9 and all these legends to walk the earth.
55:46
[SPEAKER_00]: They've got a great
55:49
[SPEAKER_03]: I'll bring a look at a little head, so obviously Team USA against Belgium, USA, a slight favorite depending on kind of where you look at it, but today we'll find out the other side of that bracket because Portugal and Croatia, they got the late game and then Spain and Austria.
56:03
[SPEAKER_03]: Two questions.
56:04
[SPEAKER_03]: Number one, is it just seem like a crash course for Spain, for Team USA, if they can get past Belgium, and then if Team USA gets past Belgium, and they make it to the corner finals,
56:16
[SPEAKER_03]: just how positive and of an impact basically is that like is that an amazing and result and goal for team USA to make it to the quarters.
56:25
[SPEAKER_00]: That's a phenomenal question, and yes, I do think that we are on course to play with Spain.
56:31
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, I don't want to jinx this upcoming game at Belgium.
56:34
[SPEAKER_00]: We should not fear Belgium.
56:35
[SPEAKER_00]: We should respect Belgium.
56:36
[SPEAKER_00]: They have a lot of really, really good players.
56:39
[SPEAKER_00]: They are an aging team.
56:40
[SPEAKER_00]: I must point out.
56:43
[SPEAKER_00]: But if the United States can stay compact, if they can stay defensively solid through that game, then we should be on to play the next game who I
56:53
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, like you, I do believe that that is most likely spain.
56:57
[SPEAKER_00]: Should we make it that far on the tournament?
56:59
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that we should be very happy, that we should be, you know, that that is a good result.
57:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I said, off my last comment.
57:10
[SPEAKER_00]: a good team is better than 11 strong individual players, right, who are playing by themselves.
57:18
[SPEAKER_00]: So we've seen some fairy tales happen where, you know, a team that just plays really, really good football together and they mold together.
57:25
[SPEAKER_00]: They do end up making it past that and that's kind of what I'm hoping to see with this USA side.
57:31
[SPEAKER_00]: You know,
57:33
[SPEAKER_00]: We know the talent that they got one thing that the USA does have more than anybody else I believe It's just pure athleticism and it really has been like that since the 30s even if you know The United States playing started playing in the world cup in the 30s and one thing that you know Everybody said hey these guys are they're not technically good, but they're really athletic These guys can run these these guys can sprint they're fast and that still holds up today
58:00
[SPEAKER_00]: So, if we can play as a unit, I would like to see us get past Spain.
58:04
[SPEAKER_00]: If we really want to put ourselves on the world map in terms of, hey, this is soccer is really becoming culture in the United States.
58:12
[SPEAKER_00]: It's where people will take us more serious, if you want to say, I do think that Spanish game.
58:19
[SPEAKER_00]: It's possible.
58:19
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not going to be easy.
58:20
[SPEAKER_00]: They're one of my tops to win the world cup But I think that we can do it for sure.
58:24
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's take a look on a city.
58:27
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's take a look at the other side of the bracket Brandon my wife and I vacation in Mexico for decades.
58:33
[SPEAKER_01]: The two most popular sports are baseball and soccer and kids playing soccer down there And like you cannot believe how good are they how good are the English because that's their next match Who do you like in that other bracket?
58:46
[SPEAKER_00]: So let's let's let's start with Mexico.
58:50
[SPEAKER_00]: I I I feel a lot of momentum behind this Mexican team.
58:55
[SPEAKER_00]: I really the the energy that they have while they put out on the field.
59:00
[SPEAKER_00]: It's really really beautiful to see and it's it's it's uniting, you know, it always unites Mexico, but this one feels a little different.
59:08
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm going to answer to you.
59:12
[SPEAKER_00]: England have disappointed me a lot in previous tournaments where they should be
59:16
[SPEAKER_00]: you know, oh, England's looking to win this tournament.
59:18
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, England's looking to win this tournament.
59:20
[SPEAKER_00]: We've been hearing that since 1960, Mr. Drone.
59:24
[SPEAKER_00]: And so, you know, while they have great individual players, they struggle to put it together as a team a lot of the times.
59:31
[SPEAKER_00]: So I actually, I favor Mexico and on that side of the bracket.
59:37
[SPEAKER_00]: I really do.
59:37
[SPEAKER_00]: I think passion will get them past.
59:40
[SPEAKER_00]: you know, England and other big games that they will have, not to mention that they do have, they've been playing all these games in Mexico so far.
59:48
[SPEAKER_00]: So the home crowd advantage is huge to them.
59:52
[SPEAKER_00]: To be playing in Mexico City in the Estadios Teca, that's huge, that's a huge support for the team.
1:00:01
[SPEAKER_00]: On the other side, on the other side, the bracket, I really like how Mexico is looking to be completely honest, shifting over to France, who are my personal favorites to win the World Cup, I think that they're going to, they're going to plough through, I really, they're going to make it to the final, and they, they very well might win their, they're that weird, you know, blend of great players.
1:00:26
[SPEAKER_00]: playing great together.
1:00:28
[SPEAKER_00]: A lot of them still have that World Cup experience from when they won in 2018.
1:00:32
[SPEAKER_00]: So some of them are bringing it into this point.
1:00:36
[SPEAKER_00]: And a lot of those guys that won in 2018 were super, super young.
1:00:40
[SPEAKER_00]: Now these guys are coming into it with experience and they're at their primates for soccer, like in buffet, for example.
1:00:46
[SPEAKER_00]: So they are really, really, really strong powerhouse that I think will most likely take it all the way in my opinion.
1:00:54
[SPEAKER_03]: For the overall tournament, your thoughts on the viewing experience for the fans and the hydration breaks are getting a lot of people talking about that, the extra ads put in, but you watch a lot of soccer a lot more than us just your overall thoughts as a fan of the viewing experience thus far.
1:01:11
[SPEAKER_00]: That's a great question, and I personally am not a fan of the hydration breaks at all.
1:01:17
[SPEAKER_00]: I really think that it should just be based on what the actual temperature is of that stadium in that moment.
1:01:24
[SPEAKER_00]: If it's above a certain, let's say 90 degrees, but that should not carry into indoor stadiums.
1:01:32
[SPEAKER_00]: That should not carry into, we're in San Francisco, the weather is beautiful.
1:01:38
[SPEAKER_00]: That to me is not a good look, it feels commercialized to a lot of the fans that have been watching for a very, very long time.
1:01:46
[SPEAKER_00]: And it paints the picture of, oh, well, this, this looks more tailored to US commercial ads because we can have four quarters now almost.
1:01:57
[SPEAKER_00]: It's almost like a first quarter, second quarter, third quarter, fourth quarter.
1:02:00
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's traditionally not soccer.
1:02:02
[SPEAKER_00]: Soccer likes to be fluid in that instance.
1:02:05
[SPEAKER_00]: We have seen on multiple occasions,
1:02:08
[SPEAKER_00]: Which could be a pro if if your team benefited from this of the hydration break comes and then the whole momentum of the match totally changes after that hydration break the coaches able to have a word with everybody everybody's able to reset for a little bit maybe if you were on the defense constantly through the first quarter will call it if you are on the defense constantly
1:02:29
[SPEAKER_00]: Then all of a sudden, you're going to a hydration break, you're regrouping, and it can change the match.
1:02:38
[SPEAKER_00]: I think one of the beauties about soccer is how fluid it is.
1:02:41
[SPEAKER_00]: That's really, really powerful.
1:02:45
[SPEAKER_00]: When you look at soccer versus, let's say, American football.
1:02:49
[SPEAKER_00]: Very structured after every play, let's have a huddle, let's strategize for the next play.
1:02:56
[SPEAKER_00]: It's that's beautiful, but that's not that's not soccer soccer is fluid soccer is nonstop It's it's part of the game and you know, it adds to athleticism in the game.
1:03:07
[SPEAKER_00]: It adds to can you stay mentally strong for that long without having a break without having a water break
1:03:14
[SPEAKER_00]: So I just think it's a little messy to have that blanket lead put out throughout the entire tournament for every game, even if it's an indoor AC facility.
1:03:26
[SPEAKER_00]: I had that, I just do it.
1:03:28
[SPEAKER_01]: Couple more questions for you, pal.
1:03:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Columbus crew was popular down there in the state capital, but you look, you look at the, the, the soccer fields on weekends in this country, the popularity of the sport of skyrocketed families with boys and girls together playing just every singer's single soccer field filled with kids playing yet that hasn't translated in the popularity on the professional level in this country.
1:04:02
[SPEAKER_00]: Come in on me.
1:04:04
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, so let's say I think here in Cleveland, for example, in a city like Cleveland, where we don't have a team.
1:04:12
[SPEAKER_00]: I think we are lacking extreme culture, which it's still valid what you said, like, hey, even here in Cleveland, the fields are full all the time.
1:04:20
[SPEAKER_00]: You see families out there.
1:04:21
[SPEAKER_00]: You see, you know, people celebrating the sport.
1:04:25
[SPEAKER_00]: But I think,
1:04:27
[SPEAKER_00]: If you look at Columbus' project and what they have built there, I think that that is a model that could be taken through other parts of the country.
1:04:35
[SPEAKER_00]: Same thing with Seattle, Mr. Jones, and I'm not sure if you've been out to Seattle recently, but the soccer culture that they have built there is crazy.
1:04:44
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, if you go to a game and you look at the south end of the stadium,
1:04:54
[SPEAKER_00]: Same thing with the Columbus crew.
1:04:56
[SPEAKER_00]: You can go to a Columbus crew game and you look at that south end of the stadium And it's nonstop.
1:05:00
[SPEAKER_00]: You see parades before the game of all the supporters together with scarves and flags So I think that we're starting to see pockets of it happening in the United States where there are major franchises But it's still yet to to boil to other cities like Cleveland or whatnot
1:05:18
[SPEAKER_00]: Something I saw it was really promising, Mr. Drenning, was the Brazil versus Egypt match that was a friendly match played here in Cleveland.
1:05:26
[SPEAKER_00]: The stadium was full.
1:05:27
[SPEAKER_00]: I couldn't believe it.
1:05:28
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, if you went out and Cleveland that night, it was, I mean, loads of people everywhere, you know, curved to curve on the street, wearing Brazil jersey's or Egypt jersey's and celebrating the sport.
1:05:41
[SPEAKER_00]: It was really the first time where in Cleveland, I had experienced
1:05:47
[SPEAKER_00]: It's finally coming like it's finally happening people are finally starting to have that toward a kind of attitude towards the sport, but one of the things that you pointed out was, you know, the children.
1:06:01
[SPEAKER_00]: I think here in the United States, we really struggle with a pay to play type of system where soccer is not yet accessible.
1:06:11
[SPEAKER_00]: to everybody, right?
1:06:14
[SPEAKER_00]: It's sad, but, you know, to join a good club team as a, you know, somebody under 18, you know, your parents are, you or your parents are paying $2,500, you know, at least to pay for a good club team for three months.
1:06:29
[SPEAKER_00]: That's not accessible to everybody.
1:06:32
[SPEAKER_00]: same thing with just accessibility to fields, Mr. Drennite.
1:06:36
[SPEAKER_00]: I remember when I was a kid and I used to go up to the strong little city fields over here.
1:06:40
[SPEAKER_00]: And I used to get kicked off all the time because, you know, that, hey, this is property you can't just come up here and kick a ball.
1:06:47
[SPEAKER_00]: Why not?
1:06:48
[SPEAKER_00]: There's, you know, there's 20 fields here.
1:06:50
[SPEAKER_00]: Why can't, why can't I just come up here and train a little bit?
1:06:53
[SPEAKER_00]: I, you can't do that.
1:06:54
[SPEAKER_00]: So there are like little,
1:06:56
[SPEAKER_00]: rules that we need to fix where soccer can start to become part of the culture here in the U.S., like I said, that's happening in pockets, but it's that gap between 18 to what's the next step, right?
1:07:11
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, how can I keep playing this work?
1:07:12
[SPEAKER_00]: How can I keep enjoying this work?
1:07:14
[SPEAKER_01]: Brian's got to find it wrong.
1:07:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Let me jump in, Brandon.
1:07:17
[SPEAKER_01]: Brian's got to find a question for you.
1:07:18
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, Brandon.
1:07:20
[SPEAKER_04]: Nice to meet you, obviously.
1:07:20
[SPEAKER_04]: Oh,
1:07:21
[SPEAKER_04]: Hey, listen, it's kind of an easy one, but I'm curious for the non-adjacent soccer guys like myself.
1:07:25
[SPEAKER_04]: You talked about the importance of playing as a unit rather than 11-inch individual talented players.
1:07:30
[SPEAKER_04]: It's killing a boppy, the best player in this tournament, and then how what's that gap like between killing a boppy, and then the USA's best player, whether it's a blow-gitter, or a plyssic?
1:07:40
[SPEAKER_00]: Honestly, pretty huge.
1:07:41
[SPEAKER_00]: I won't like it's a pulley stitch in my opinion is is probably the closest one to a killing and bapé and bapé has everything and bapé has speed.
1:07:51
[SPEAKER_00]: He's got vision.
1:07:52
[SPEAKER_00]: He knows where to be on the field at what time.
1:07:54
[SPEAKER_00]: He knows when to do the tricks.
1:07:56
[SPEAKER_00]: He knows when to appear in front of gold.
1:08:00
[SPEAKER_00]: Police, it's just needs to kind of, in my opinion, because I watch Italian soccer a lot, and he plays from Milan for his club.
1:08:07
[SPEAKER_00]: So I watch him almost every week.
1:08:10
[SPEAKER_00]: He's there, he's got the talent.
1:08:11
[SPEAKER_00]: He just, in my opinion, he needs to have a little bit more confidence in himself.
1:08:15
[SPEAKER_00]: He can do it.
1:08:16
[SPEAKER_00]: but he just needs to, he needs to force himself in a little bit more.
1:08:21
[SPEAKER_00]: One of the top players in Europe, he's very, very sought after.
1:08:24
[SPEAKER_00]: He's no joke.
1:08:26
[SPEAKER_00]: But to get up to that in Bobby level, that's, that's, that's pretty generational talent to have all, I mean, as athletic as he is and how, how much of a strategy as he is in visual he is.
1:08:38
[SPEAKER_00]: That's, that's, that's a whole other level that I hope that we will see in U.S. soccer.
1:08:46
[SPEAKER_00]: pretty steep gap.
1:08:47
[SPEAKER_01]: Brandon can't thank you enough my friend allowing us to pick your brain and quite the knowledge that you do possess.
1:08:55
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, pal.
1:08:56
[SPEAKER_01]: We'll call upon you again.
1:08:57
[SPEAKER_01]: Thanks again, Brandon.
1:08:59
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you, Mr. Jenin.
1:09:01
[SPEAKER_00]: I really appreciate it and I love being on the show.
1:09:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
1:09:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Brandon, Varnado, talking world cup mat.
1:09:08
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, there's a lot of fun to watch and, you know, it's a beauty soccer.
1:09:11
[SPEAKER_03]: Just sit down.
1:09:12
[SPEAKER_03]: You kind of know it's going.
1:09:13
[SPEAKER_03]: I get a little off-sides, but you'll be ready to go.
1:09:15
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1:10:18
[SPEAKER_03]: Thank you very much for his parley on fan duel yesterday cash that blogging goal got that
1:10:26
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[SPEAKER_03]: Two matches today, Spani, huge, minus 1200 favorite of Austria, so you take them.
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1:11:39
[SPEAKER_04]: All right, let's transition from the pitch to the hardwood our friends at Fandle.
1:11:43
[SPEAKER_04]: The cabs being disrespected right now in the eastern conference.
1:11:46
[SPEAKER_04]: We look at their odds to win the conference.
1:11:49
[SPEAKER_04]: Next season, NYX, of course, the favorite at plus 260.
1:11:52
[SPEAKER_04]: Celtics without jail and Brown still second.
1:11:54
[SPEAKER_04]: Though 76ers, they're three raptors, four, five pistons, and then all the way down at number six, the cabs plus 900, Bruce are the cabs being disrespected or are they getting lost in the shuffle of a more competitive match?
1:12:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, I think it's realistic with this status quo of the core four even after the trade for Harden as we talked about earlier in the basketball segment.
1:12:15
[SPEAKER_01]: No, I'm not surprised.
1:12:16
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, that's going to change with all these teams with the free agent signings and the trades that are forthcoming.
1:12:23
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I mean, it's just the, the hot item right now.
1:12:27
[SPEAKER_03]: And like the sports books as much as I love betting, they are going to react to headlines.
1:12:32
[SPEAKER_03]: What happened on, I know you couldn't do it on like, you know, fan dual, but the LeBron odds, everybody's golden state.
1:12:37
[SPEAKER_03]: And all of a sudden, slipped to the cast because the narrative is changed right now.
1:12:39
[SPEAKER_03]: Everybody's hot on the raptors because they got quiet.
1:12:41
[SPEAKER_03]: Everybody feels good about the 76ers.
1:12:43
[SPEAKER_03]: I'll tell you guys, they are not the six best team and they use their better than that.
1:12:46
[SPEAKER_03]: They are at least top four, if not three.
1:12:48
[SPEAKER_03]: They've shown it.
1:12:49
[SPEAKER_03]: They're the team that is the complete team that has all played to you.
1:12:52
[SPEAKER_03]: None of these guys have played where they're going.
1:12:54
[SPEAKER_03]: You gotta figure out how that's gonna work out and then call me in the play off start too.
1:12:57
[SPEAKER_03]: There isn't no world that the pistons are.
1:12:59
[SPEAKER_03]: It should have better odds than us.
1:13:00
[SPEAKER_03]: Good value, I'll be placing a wager on that.
1:13:02
[SPEAKER_04]: Oh, should I understand the nicks?
1:13:03
[SPEAKER_04]: I understand the Celtics.
1:13:04
[SPEAKER_04]: I understand the 76ers.
1:13:05
[SPEAKER_04]: But are you picking the raptors over the cabs?
1:13:08
[SPEAKER_04]: Even with a good one.
1:13:09
[SPEAKER_04]: And then the pistons who you beat last year, I understand they're younger, they're getting better.
1:13:13
[SPEAKER_04]: But does that surprise you at all?
1:13:16
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, yeah, I mean, but again, this is, to me, this is a mood point.
1:13:22
[SPEAKER_01]: This is all going to change from day to day to day to day to day with these free agent signings.
1:13:26
[SPEAKER_01]: It's inevitable.
1:13:27
[SPEAKER_01]: So the odds are going to change.
1:13:28
[SPEAKER_01]: They're going to fluctuate with all the teams in the NBA that are active in this off season.
1:13:35
[SPEAKER_04]: All righty.
1:13:35
[SPEAKER_04]: Bruce, why don't you take us home?
1:13:37
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, uh, that's all the time we have for, uh, this version of the Big Play Cleveland show, the Thursday version of it here on YouTube brought to you by our good friends at Fandua.
1:13:47
[SPEAKER_01]: You listen, I'm at Fontana with these tips that he's giving you now.
1:13:50
[SPEAKER_01]: He goes, you know, we can go back when we were together at ESPN.
1:13:53
[SPEAKER_01]: And, uh, we had quite a good time to do it.
1:13:55
[SPEAKER_03]: Don't look at my Guardians, but
1:13:57
[SPEAKER_01]: Proustrin and on behalf of Matt Fontana and Ryan Tyler that's all the time we have for this week's version of the show Monday through Friday Here at noon until 1.30 check us out.
1:14:08
[SPEAKER_01]: I'll see you next Thursday until then as always.
1:14:10
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm a support.
1:14:11
[SPEAKER_01]: Will you remember?
1:14:13
[SPEAKER_01]: I love you Ohio and I love you Cleveland