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Party continues right here on the JR Sport Brief. You're on the Infinity Sports Network. You tapped into the youngest in Charles Lynn Willingham out of Washington, D.C. I'll take you up to 10 p.m. Eastern Time.
Number to call is 888-688. 710-4476. That is 888-710-4476. You can tweet at me as well. Same handle on all social media platforms.
It is at. N-E-L-L underscore. BTP. A lot more to get to as we're on a mad sprint. to ten o'clock uh in the meantime and in between time.
We're going to switch gears and talk a little bit about the National Football League coming up. Here in this 8 o'clock hour, top of the 9 o'clock hour, senior NFL reporter for YahooSports.com, Jory Epstein, going to join the program. We'll get her thoughts on. on what is honestly currently the dog days of summer. In the NFL.
We'll ask her some hot-button topics as we take a spin around the league. News has kind of been quiet on the NFL front, but we'll. We'll shake things up coming up here in this 8 o'clock hour. Right now, though, We want to go out to the guest hotline for the first time this show where we find a good friend of the programmer, pal Gary Washburn, longtime national NBA writer for the Boston Globe. Give him a follow on the XAP at GWashburn Globe.
Gary, what's going on, brother? Happy fourth, man. Hey, happy fourth. How's it going? Going good, man.
Let me ask you this before we get into it into business. I I know you're somebody that that has a very unique palate, I would probably say, right, brother? Is there anything that is a must-have on your Fourth of July cookout plate? Wow. I'm gonna say potato salad.
You gotta get a potato salad. Yeah, barbecue and potato salad. Let me ask you this though, Gary. It's gonna tell me a lot about you. I I respect the hell out of the NBA Wright.
We're gonna see if I respect the palate. Are you just eating anybody's potato salad, Gary? Or do you think it's a good one? Is it somebody in the family that does it right? Yeah, you gotta, you can't do the first-time potato salad.
You gotta have somebody who's proven themselves has a, you know, you, it's almost where you need a resume. Like, you just need the person to give you their potato salad resume. Um, no raisins, obviously.
Some people like a little, I like a little tart, I like a little mustard in it. You know, some people have little pieces of pickle, so yeah, like. Potato salad is a big deal. It's almost as big of a deal as mac and cheese. You know how big of a deal some people take their mac and cheese.
You know, mac and cheese, but yeah, I'm a potato salad guy. That's interesting. Look, I'm down for some good potato salad as well, my man.
So glad we were able to get that out of the way. I said it on Sunday night when I was on these airwaves, man. When Rich Paul. First of all, when LeBron opts in. To the $52.6 million player option.
Initially, my antennas don't. Go off. But when Rich Paul is releasing several lengthy statements to Shyam Serani of ESPN saying that LeBron wants to maximize his time left, I immediately thought the writing is on the wall that he's probably played his last game as a member of the Lakers. What have you made of that situation out in La La Land? And do you think the Lakers can come out of this thing winners at all?
Yeah, I'm just not surprised because I think LeBron enjoys being part of the news cycle. Like, if he just does a normal opt-in with no fanfare, then it's like, okay, let's move on. Who else is signing where and where's This player going, and where's KD going, and who's making trades, and who's going to be the next coach?
Now that this statement has been released, there is LeBron conversation in free agency. I think he enjoys still being the central figure of NBA News. And I just think that's just. I think he's open at this point. I think he puts the Lakers kind of on.
The spotlight in terms of okay, you know, now they've signed DeAndre Ayton, make some moves. and make me want to stay there. And then The rest of the league came. Figure out which teams, what it's going to take. But the fact that he opted in to the 52 million.
One, it shows he still likes his money. Secondly, It shows that the likelihood of him being traded, like now you've got to send three to four players to the Lakers for one year of LeBron.
Now PR wise. uh attention, getting all your games on Amazon and all the TNT is gone now, but shed a tear. But ESPN and Amazon and NBC, yeah, you're going to get all your games on there now because the Bronze and your team. You might make that money back, but Investment of four players potentially. That's a lot.
Or a buyout is LeBron going to stand up. That's the crazy one. That's the crazy one to me. And I'll walk away. And why would the Lakers do that?
And we know, too, Gary, and I'm sure you know this being around NFL circles, as much as they show themselves to be a big market, big city franchise, they're a little cash-trapped out there in La La Land.
So I don't know how much a buyout would be. They operate like a mom and pop store. Yeah, they're not.
Now that they've been sold and now they have two new owners, it might be a little different. But the Bus family, yeah, they're not just going to fork over 25, 30 million to LeBron. and and pat him on the back and go, you know, good luck. Good luck, sir, and see you down the road when you get your number retired or whatever. Like, there's going to be some negotiation here.
To me, if I'm the Lakers, I just prepare for next season if he's going to come back. Unless LeBron comes into the, walks into the offices and says, I want out. It don't You do nothing. It's on LeBron to determine his fate as he's done. But I do think he enjoys being part of this NBA news cycle because if he had just opted in quietly, no one would have said a word.
Or if he had just done the one-on-one, I do think. He is telling the Lakers, this could be my last year here. And I do think, too, we're not thinking about Bronny. I do think he wants to play another year with his son. The son will probably have a more expanded role.
He won't be. Know as green and wide-eyed as he was as a rookie, I think he'll probably. get some more minutes and I think LeBron will enjoy seeing that development in the sun. It's going to be fascinating. The LeBronty part of it always kind of gets swept under the rug, right?
It feels like Gary and he spoke, I believe it was yesterday, after the first summer league practice, and kind of saying, hey, look, man, you know, Pops tells me not to worry about stuff like this. I just always try to put myself in his shoes at times, man. As a 27-year-old, he's living the dream first and foremost. And I think about it from my perspective. I'm living the dream being young doing sports talk radio.
I don't have the distraction, though, of trying to live up and feel the shoes of my father and then how he got there, all of that. Gary, I'll ask you this, and we were just chewing on this before we brought you on. Can he sustain an NBA career if he's not on the same team as LeBron?
Well, that's a good question. I think it all depends on his work ethic and his development. I think he can have. You know, if he does what he's supposed to do and develops, and I think he's a hard worker. I don't think he's a.
Grub as a player, I don't think. Very honestly, I don't think his father, I don't think LeBron did him any justice by throwing him in. To that situation last year. I don't think he was ready for the NBA. I think he should have spent another year, if not at USC.
Maybe, hey, transfer to Ohio State. There would have been forty schools. Willing to pay him major NIL money for him to transfer there for one year to start at point guard if that's what he wanted. Because all he had to do was work out a deal: hey, I want to play point guard and I want to start so. And who who wants me?
And there'd have been 30 schools. major schools that would have would have offered him plenty of money. Him to play another college year, but now that he's here, That's too late for that. He's just got to work and just try to work himself into the rotation. become a defender.
shoot better. And make that natural progression, then I think he'll get a bunch of breaks. He's LeBron's son, he'll get a bunch of chances to make it. And we'll see if he sticks with it or. You know, we looked at other sons.
Shaq's son was trying, you know, got into the movies, and Dwayne Wade's son. We've seen some of these guys' sons kind of want to do it, then kind of not, right? Once they got into the 20s and they got other interests and things like that. And we'll see if that happens to Bronnie or if he's a baller and he's like, listen, I'm sticking with this. I think he's got all the ability to do so.
It was such. A frustrating time for me last summer. I felt like I was going against the Gray, and I was one of the few that thought he would have gotten drafted regardless to me if LeBron didn't force his hand just because of the tools he has as a prospect and the genes. There was going to be a team in the second round willing to take a flyer on that. And there were less talented, less decorated players that got drafted in that second round.
So I always thought he belonged. It's just the fact of, you know, can he carve out a career in the pros, or is he a G-Leaguer, so on and so forth. The other Lakers component that I want to look at here, Gary, real quick is like Has anyone really bracing themselves for the potential? That Luca looks at Genie Buss and Rob Palenka and what they've done. In this front office, pre-LeBron, post-LeBron, whatever, and go.
Yeah, may maybe not. Maybe I should sign a long-term extension any somewhere else. Like, do you think that's a realistic possibility at this point? I mean It could be. It all depends on what motivates Luca.
I mean, he loved Dallas. Wanted to stay there.
Okay, that's He's not going back.
Now it's LA. I'm sure there's obviously plenty of things for him to do off the floor. There's probably a solid Slovenian community to wear that embraces him and that he's, you know, that he can go do things and he can have people that are like him and from where he's from to make it a little bit more comfortable. Obviously, the weather.
So I think for him, I'm thinking he's going to ride this for a while. Um If it turns into the Lakers aren't trying to win around him as he enters his prime, because I don't think he's at his prime yet, he's 26, you know, like that's a year or two from entering your absolute prime, although. I mean if he retired Or stop playing tomorrow, he probably going to the Hall of Fame.
So I think he kind of looks at the Lakers and gives them a fair opportunity. I don't think he wants to uproot. I think he's probably got probably. A beautiful home, the weather, all of what LA has to offer. And I think he's like, you know what?
I'm just going to ride this out. and see what happens and and see how the organization Uh You know, it goes forward, especially with this new ownership. And I'm sure he'll have conversations with the ownership. And you know, this is the guys I'd like to play with. And obviously, you know, it's a chance to take on DeAndre Ayton.
DeAndre doesn't have the greatest reputation. He's not known as the hardest worker. He's not known for having the greatest attitude. We'll see if LeBron and Luca can get him straightened out. To where he can be that all-star caliber center.
Because if you remember, Like that 18 draft. He was taking number one. And, you know, and it looked bad enough when it was over Trey and Luca. But now if you look further down that list, SGA was in that draft.
So now that that looks. That doesn't look all that good. Uh For the Phoenix Suns to take him over three guys who are pretty all-stars and all NBA guys. Joined right now by our pal Gary Washburn, who covers the NBA, national NBA rider for the Boston Globe. Give him a follow at G.Washburn Globe.
Yeah, I've I've been talking about it uh a lot pretty much the entirety of the show, man. Just The Lakers could really see things crash and burn. And I go back to and Gary, let me know if you agree with this statement or not. I feel like LeBron James, whether haters of King James want to admit it or not, I think he came in and saved that Lakers franchise when you think about where they were Pre-LeBron James and floating in mediocrity, sending Kobe out in just an untasteful way. God rest his soul.
But, like, realistically speaking, like, Why would Luca have confidence in this front office? What good decisions have they made? In the last decade. Yeah, I mean, I can't argue with you on that one. I mean, like, you're talking about.
You're talking about Look at the lottery picks like the Julius Randall, yeah, Julius Randle. D'Angelo Russell, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, taking Lonzo Ball over Jason Tatum. Like, there's a lot of mistakes. And that was Magic's era, too.
So you imagine.
Now you gotta take some of the heat from that too. But there's been a lot of blown opportunities because they were bad. for a few years after the Kobe. You know, Kobe walked away from the game, and they had a couple of high lottery picks. and none of them ended up working out right you probably we probably argue Julius Randle probably is the best of that group.
But Brandon Ingram has never, you know, has kind of been, you know, okay and installed a little bit in New Orleans. And he's had his moments. Bonzo Ball has been injury prone. D'Angelo Russell is bounced around is kind of considered Kind of an unserious player.
So they blew all those picks essentially or trade them away and obviously got Anthony Davis. You're right. I mean, letting Alex Caruso walk. I mean The list goes on, man. There are things that they have done.
That just blew up in their face. And I just think, even now, I'm in the Dorian Finney Smith situation where, you know, he. You don't walk you know you never walked away from LA. You didn't You didn't have a chance to stay in LA and you said, you know what, I'm going to go to Houston or I'm going to go to, like, now players are just saying, I'm I'm okay with the Lakers. I I I I feel like I I can go somewhere else.
Yeah. I think that said a lot about the organization because obviously LA used to sell itself, obviously, with the location of the city. It's my hometown, great place.
Now, that's not... That's not as much the selling point. And guys don't mind getting the hell out of there. And that says a lot about the organization. It does, and it's part of why.
You know, I'm not trying to be a shock jock or cynical or anything like that. It would not stun me. If One, they find a way to move off of LeBron, and that's, you know, apparently things are getting messy behind the scenes with that, according to who you listen to, but. It wouldn't surprise me if Luca and his camp went Yeah, I don't know, man. I don't know if it's a guarantee that I sign a max extension here because I could do it elsewhere.
But to your point, the track record of Ropalinka and Jeannie Buss really over the past decade, pre-LeBron, really just nothing to be proud of. In the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks, their process, Gary, I think was. you know, scrutinized by a lot of folks, but I think you gotta agree Their result and who they landed on is a coaching candidate that's full of substance, a guy that's well-traveled, and is an offensive guru. And when you think about. The shortcomings that the Knicks had in the postseason and the way that offense stalled out, what type of fit do you think Mike Brown is in the big apple?
I think Mike Brown will adjust and make the necessary changes that they want, and I think he'll collaborate with Leon Rose and World Wide West and those. Folks, in terms of making the players happier and more conducive to playing. you know, and be and being more of a harmonious atmosphere. I don't think that he's head and shoulders above Tom Thibodeau is a coach. I thought Thibodeau did a good job.
I just thought Thibodeau's no-nonsense style. And this is what you you get. I mean Thibodeau coached in Minnesota and Chicago, same situation. Mike Brown has coached in three other places, LA, Cleveland, and SAC. And he's been fired three times, right?
And nothing against Mike. Mike's a good, solid NBA coach. But I don't know I don't think you fire Thibodeau unless you have that guy. Like, if they were going to get Jay right, if they were going to get a dude to step in and be like, That's who you get. I I think they didn't get you know, then they started asking.
They started asking everybody else's, you know. General managers and teams around the league for their coach. That didn't work out. You're looking thirsty. Yeah.
Hey, is your guy available? You know, like. It's a terrible look. You know, you get the two guys who have recently been fired in Mike Brown and Taylor Jenkins. And then you decide on Mike Brown.
I think it'll work. I don't know if it's a long-term solution because. Mike Brown hasn't been a long-term guy in terms of eight, nine, ten years at a place. It's usually three or four. And in Sacramento, they've made some interesting decisions like the Lakers have over the years in terms of personnel and coaching, and that's a coaching carousel.
So I don't think that was all on Mike Brown, but I think Mike Brown is. He'll do Exactly what management wants him to do. He'll put guys in positions to win. It all depends on whether they can bounce back and have the same kind of luck in terms of. Staying relatively healthy, having the chemistry as they did last year when they went to the Easter Conference Finals.
Yeah, I agree. It's not a sexy hire by any stretch of the imagination, but I do think what excites me is you saw what he was able to do offensively in Sacramento in 23 when he won coach of the year. When I think about some of these Knick performances throughout this postseason, their offense just lacked creativity and imagination at times, and it felt like we were watching Jalen Brunson be treated like 0-1 Allen Iverson. Just everyone stand around and watch him pound the basketball. When you have Carl Anthony Towns, and say what you want about his mannerisms and all that.
He is still, you know, arguably the most skilled big man, one of the most skilled big men in the association. And those two in the playoffs, the offense should have run through them, and it didn't at times. That's where I think Mike Brown helps New York out the most. Do you put them atop the Eastern Conference, considering how banged up everyone else is? Yeah, at this point, the East is theirs to win.
I mean, and then you can look at them and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Yeah. Um as a team teams that are at the top. And but this is the next time the Celtics are down, the Indiana lost Halliburton, like, there's so many. Variables in the East, and now the Knicks bring back everybody pretty much that you had.
Hershawn Yabistali, a quality, you know, undersized big, and you and Jordan Clarkson. I love the Jordan Clarkson move, yeah. Yeah, he's been itching to get out of Utah, he can score. I mean, he's a guy who a lot of teams have won, I think he'll play better and more consistently in a winning situation. I thought those are two quality moves.
By management, and we'll see. I mean, all the pressure is on them right now, yeah. I totally agree. The Jordan Clarkson move, I loved it. I think it's one of the better moves that's been made this offseason.
I just think the punch. That they were lacking off the bench. You can't rely on Campaign and Deuce McBride to give you big-time scoring performances off the pine in the playoffs. They just haven't done that. Jordan Clarkson, while he hasn't been in a bunch of winning situations, I haven't watched a lot of Utah basketball, Gary, over the years, but I do box score watch, and I know he fills it up.
and k can score 20 points on any given night. I'll let you go on this, my friend. The Denver Nugget's scary. Wow. You want to talk about not resting on your laurels, not sitting on your hands and letting OKC's dynasty just run rough shot.
Their moves to me, as much as I love what Houston did, I think Denver and Houston are right now nipping at the heels of the Oklahoma City Thunder atop the Western Conference. How big of a fan were you of what Denver's been able to accomplish? Yeah, I mean I like the cam I don't know I Marco Porter Jr. has always been the guy who No, like I compare having covered Jason Tatum all these years, right? And I compare guys like there's two guys I.
Could have said, were could have been potentially Tatum-like. One was Kyle Kuzma, that didn't work out. The second guy was Michael Porter Jr. And I think Maybe it was just time for an environment change for Michael Porter Jr. because he just never became that.
Real second. You know, Jamal Murray, 2A guy behind Jokic, and along with Murray. China was okay being number three. There wasn't a market improvement. And I think Cam Johnson, who was a good defender and a good three-point shooter, brings.
Yeah. Real steady third option. You know, I think bringing Bruce Brown back. You know, I think that played this. He played his best basketball that year.
I don't think he hasn't been much of a factor in the league since he left Denver. I think he probably understood that, hey, they brought the best out of me, and I'm going to. Come back and be that utility guy that I was a couple of years ago on the championship team. But yeah, I'm impressed. I don't think any of them are as good as Oklahoma City.
Houston, it's kind of a wait and see, although I was impressed. Obviously, you get KD and you re-signed Fred Van Rieten. I thought it was really important to bring that fact that veteran leadership and a guy who knows Some of those young dudes, because I don't, you know, I think Kevin. Leads by example. I don't know how much of a vocal mentor he is for some of those young guys who are looking at him and, man, I played you on 2K.
And I'm, you know, I mean, obviously they're, they're. They're looking at him like, you know, just a a a legend.
So, I think the Nuggets have done a quality job. They've gotten over their issues, obviously, by firing their coach and their general manager on the same thing. He was great on TV, by the way, Gary. He was awesome during the finals. I loved it.
Yeah. Yeah. You don't look at. You don't look, you know, you don't see that very often, firing, but alamin seems to be. Uh Their choice and a growing quality coach, and to bring some pieces around.
Uh yokish, I think is much needed. For sure, Gary, we appreciate you making some time for us on the day before the 4th of July, my brother. Enjoy the good food this weekend, and hopefully, you get some of that potato salad, man. I appreciate that. I'll let you know how it tastes.
For sure, man. That is Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. Give him a follow at G. Washburn Globe, one of the absolute best in the Association, breaking down all things NBA. Free agency off to a wild and wonderful start.
We'll keep you up the speed the rest of the program. If any news breaks, if we get a Shams bomb, as we mentioned earlier, but about an hour and a half left to go here on the JR Sport brief, you're tapped in to the youngest in Charleston L. Willingham out of Washington, D.C. We'll take you up to 10 p.m. Eastern Time.
Number to call us, 888-710-4476. We'll take a quick timeout when we come back. We'll switch gears completely. Cleveland Guardians righty. Luis Ortiz.
Under the microscope, getting investigated by Major League Baseball after a betting integrity firm flagged a pair of pitches that received unusual gambling activity. We'll give you the latest on that next. This is the Infinity Sports Network. What kind of programs does this school have? How are the test scores?
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You're listening to the JR Sport Brief. It is JR Sport Brief right here on the Infinity Sports Network. Lynell Willingham out of Washington, D.C., sitting in for a guy, JR, as we take up the 10 p.m. Eastern Time. This portion of the show is Sponsored by our good friends at Hyundai.
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Out on the East Coast, just good old-fashioned hoop combo. with our guy Gary Washburn, giving us his opinion on what the hell is going on. Throughout NBA Free Agency, we'll put a bow. on the NBA conversation for a second, about half hour from now. Jory Epstein, senior NFL writer for YahooSports.com is going to join the program and we get her thoughts.
on the NFL offseason to this point. A couple of coaches and quarterbacks that are potentially on the hot seat. We'll get to a lot with Jory. Right now, though. When I look at A massive story that broke this morning.
This is via David Perdum and Jeff Passett of ESPN. Cleveland Guardians right-hander Luis Ortiz under investigation by Major League Baseball after a and I've never even heard of one of these before. A betting integrity firm. flagged a pair of pitches that had received unusual gambling activity.
Sources said betting integrity firm IC360 sent an alert in June to sports book operators regarding Ortiz, whom MLB has placed on its nondisciplinary paid leave list through July 17th.
So next two weeks. Uh paid leave. for Louis Sorties. The alert, according to sources who reviewed it, referenced action on Ortiz's First pitches. in select innings to be a ball or hit a baseman in two games.
june fifteenth against the Seattle Mariners and june twenty seventh against the Cardinals. In both the bottom of the second inning against the Mariners and the top of the third against the Cardinals, Orteas through a first pitch slider that was well outside the strike zone. Uh I'm going to continue to read through this because it's It's maddening. But Ortiz's paid leave, or excuse me, the alert on Ortiz's first pitch is flag bets in Ohio, New York, and New Jersey.
So there were folks betting on the result Of first pitches, whether it's a ball or a strike. And this is where. This is where you wonder, like, what the hell is going on here? Yeah. Let me just put this in layman's terms for you.
They're thinking that Luis Ortiz is rigging FanDuel or whatever sports book he's using. Because you can bet on guys first pitch of an inning.
So he knows, well, if I put A hundred K? on throwing the ball in the top of the third. Oh, cash out. I'm in control of that. This is my big concern.
This is my worry. Do we ever get to a point Do we ever get to a point with pro sports, collegiate sports, where the integrity is ultimately ruined by way of sports gambling. I think we're well on our way towards that. And the irony of it, it feels like it's happening. And it's becoming more and more prevalent.
I said it at the start of the show. This is normally something. It feels like we're hearing something every six, seven months.
Somebody getting caught up. We had Terry Rozier getting investigated. Nothing ever came from that. We found out Sunday. Malik Beasley's getting investigated, and I know his ass is going down.
Like I said Sunday, when the DA's office is on you You better pack your bags. I'm telling you, you better call your love once it's over for you. And then to find out about Malik Beasley. He's got deaths all over the place, so he just. Doesn't know how to handle his money.
But the sour thing about all of this to me is like, as a sports fan, Can I tolerate this? Is this something That I'm fond of. And I took a big picture to start that y'all re-reactive thought here. I am a massive or I was a massive WWF fan, like WWE fan. That's how I got into sports talk.
Right? Like that's how I was became interested in sport. I love the play by play Of good old Jim Ross, right? My grandmother got me watching wrestling at like four years old. And I was hooked on it from like age four To like fourteen.
There comes a point in time, anybody out there that's a fan of wrestling. There comes a point in time Where you get of the age. Where somebody ruins your your your fun. It's like when you tell kids Santa Claus doesn't exist. Telling a young boy That wrestling is fake.
Could be a traumatic experience. But think about this: if you're a wrestling fan out there, you know the product's fit kit, you still watch it. If we came to find out that pro sports, collegiate sports had a fixed outcome. Would you still Watch. 888-710-450.
4-4-7-6 is the number. I know I'm coming out of left field with this one. But you hear what I'm saying here. If you knew Just like wrestling, we know it's a fixed outcome. We don't know what the outcome ultimately is.
That's why we watch and find out. For Pro Sports, if the outcome was fixed, Would you still adamantly watch the product? 888. 710-4476. I it's all it's baffling to me.
I will answer that question coming up on the other side of the break, also on the other side of the break. We will let you hear from ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passen. He joined the Pat McAfee show earlier today and gave his thoughts on this investigation involving Luis Ortiz of the Cleveland Guardians, currently being flagged. Uh for Basically being accused of rigging pitches and betting on it. We'll get you the details on that and let you hear from Jeff Passon coming up here momentarily.
First, the Sports Flash, though. with Rich Ackerman. You don't just live in your home, you live in your neighborhood as well.
So when you're shopping for a home, you want to know as much about the area around it as possible. Luckily, Homes.com has got you covered. Each listing features a comprehensive neighborhood guide from local experts. Everything you'd ever want to know about a neighborhood, including the number of homes for sale, transportation, local amenities, cultural attractions, unique qualities, and even things like median lot size and a noise score. Homes.com.
We've done your homework. This episode is brought to you by Progressive. Most of you aren't just listening right now. You're driving, cleaning, and even exercising. But what if you could be saving money by switching to progressive?
Drivers who save by switching save nearly $750 on average, and auto customers qualify for an average of seven discounts. Multitask right now. Quote today at Progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. National average 12-month savings of $744 by new customers surveyed who saved with Progressive between June 2022 and May 2023.
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build, scale, and enjoy the incredible results. You can do it all yourself on Wix. You're listening to the JR Sport Brief. About an hour and change left to go right here on the JR Sport Brief, right here on the Infinity Sports Network. The Youngest in Charles on El Willingham out of Washington, D.C., sitting in for J.A.R.
here on the day before the 4th of July. If you're out there on the way to the beach, we appreciate you tapping into the program. A lot more to get to hearing the final hour and change of the show. Coming up in about 17 minutes of pal Jory Epstein. Senior NFL writer for Yahoosports.com is going to join the show.
We think it's been around the NFL as we're kinda in that dead period. I was listening in our guy Andy Grash leading in. And Gresh always does a great job. Caught the tail end. of his show, listening to him talk a little bit of NFL.
I think we're at the point right now, 4th of July weekend is normally when it's safe to start delving in. To all of the crazy ass lists that you see put out there. I know a lot of people where I do my local radio in Washington, D.C., were up in arms. uh over some of these top ten quarterback lists because Well, I I'll just say this for those of you that don't understand what last year was. From a football standpoint for the Washington Commanders, not just on the field, but off the field.
igniting and reinvigorating a tri-state area, getting the DMV buzzing. It was big and the folks locally th this is how the DMV worked, it is that type of place. They go to bat for their own. Everybody may not see it eye to eye, but if you're going to talk trash about one of ours. People go to bat for you.
And I think right now fans are all in with Jaden Daniels. We got to bear witness to arguably the greatest rookie season of all time. if people are of the mindset of, hey, After one year, I've seen enough. This kid is already a top 10 quarterback.
Some folks calling him top five in the nation's capital. But there were a couple of quarterback lists that came out. that actually omitted Jayden Daniels from the list. And that's got people up in arms. We'll talk to Jerry Hepstein.
uh about that as well coming up. Top of the nine o'clock hour on the East Coast. Right now, though, as we've been talking about, a pretty interesting scandal. Going on right now in Major League Baseball. If you're just now joining us, let me get you up the speed.
Cleveland Guardians right-handed pitcher Luis Ortiz under investigation by Major League Baseball after a betting integrity firm. Flagged a pair of pitches that have received unusual gambling activity.
So. If you're just now joining us, basically the gist of Kind of what's happened here, I think. is Or tease. There there are certain props. First of all, prop betting in in sports gambling is the best thing ever.
Everyone loves it during NFL season. Everyone loves it. uh during the NBA. I don't know many people in my inner circle That Bet on props with Major League Baseball, but I do see social media. It is a cash cow, people winning money.
with these sports books, which is why it'll never leave. But what I'm wondering here is, are we reaching a point to maybe just maybe? where we're potentially risking the integrity, jeopardizing the integrity. of professional sports because of the relationships that these major professional sports leagues have with these sports books. Are we in that scenario?
I think we're on our way there. I don't think we're too far off. Because it feels like these cases are becoming more and more prevalent. And the details on this In terms of what's happening right now with Luis Ortiz, He's currently on paid leave. Um Wow.
So this comes just the year after MLB levied out a lifetime ban to Padre's infielder. Tucapita Marcano. for placing nearly 400 bets on baseball. Four other players received one-year suspensions for gambling on baseball and the minors. In February, Major League Baseball fired up.
Pat Holberg. widely recognized as the best ball strike guy in the league. Uh he was you know axed for sharing a legal sports betting account with a friend who bet on baseball and later deleted messages that were key to the investigation. When you hear all of that. It's hard and I promise.
And I keep saying this, I'm not trying to be looked at as some Quote unquote woke sports talk radio host, but you would have to be a damn fool. to think that The two can coexist long term without any sort of. changes. is the best way that I could put it. And when guys get caught up, I'm always fascinated In terms of like how hot do you gotta be?
to get flagged. by a a gambling integrity firm. That means you're being Y you you're just being you ain't being slick. There's the old Isley Brothers song. Uh, it's called Busted.
He said you you think you slick it in a can of oil. That's what Luis Ortiz thought he was. He thought he was slicker in a can of oil. But Major League Baseball had something for his ass. I couldn't believe it.
It feels like this is now and I just let list it off Like the last three or four major gambling probes within the majors, talking about MLB. But Sunday, if you were here with us on the after party on the Infinity Sports Network. You heard us talking about Malik Beasley. And where that situation is going to going to go and you know, where the financial you know, impropriety stem from and where you know, his his hardships financially stemmed from like all of that's part of the equation. And I don't know if this is a harsh comparison.
that I made on Sunday, but It's kind of how I'm trying to look at it because I keep trying to find logic and reason behind things. See, I'm not someone. that looks at crazy ass behavior. And goes, ah, okay, it's nothing. I like to find logic and reason and get to the bottom of things and have an explanation.
As to why people have gone mad. Not just sit on my hands and You know, hope that one day I'll find out. I like to dig into it. With the Malik Beasley thing I mean, you're finding out that he's got all types of financial debts out there and he was using sports betting as a way to you know, kind of get his finances in order, I guess. It's just all crazy because it's hard 'cause I don't want to judge guys.
You don't never know what a dude's going through. But I keep wondering why, like I said, why, why? And what I've come up with is. When you're a major leaguer, when you've made it pro, and you know damn well that if you bet on sports, it's In your sport in particular, you can ruin your career forever. You can have your career.
stripped from you If those consequences aren't enough to scare you into not betting, At that point I I think you have an addiction of some sort. And like that's where it becomes. a very, very serious conversation. Honestly, that's where it becomes a serious conversation. That's where.
you know, folks are going to look themselves in the mirror and go, Hey, like, what is this? Right now I'm going to let you hear from ESPN MLB Insider Jeff Passen. He joined the Pat McAfee show earlier today and had this to say about what's going on with this Luis Ortiz. In Major League Baseball, there is one rule, and that rule is very simple. Do not bet on baseball.
And if you do bet on baseball, you face a lifetime ban. There were four other players during that time who were banned for a year because they were in the minor leagues when they bet on major league games. But baseball is just the kind of sport that, when you have the ability to gamble the way that you do these days, is rife for potential corruption. I mean, you can bet on individual pitches, Pat to be balls or strikes. And when that's the case, and there are hundreds of pitches being thrown every game, the ability for a pitcher or for a player to have one of those little minuscule events turn into a windfall of money potentially.
That's why Major League Baseball and the other professional sports leagues have Partnered as strongly as they have with gambling integrity organizations because the sports just leave opportunity for corruption to happen. And look, if Luis Ortiz does wind up getting banned from Major League Baseball for gambling, if there are alerts that were sent out or if there are specific pitches that are being looked at here, it's a problem for the sport. And listen, it's great when this sort of thing gets flagged, but it also makes you think, how many times does this happen where it doesn't get flagged as well? And what does that mean for the integrity of the game? Jeff Passen hitting it right on the head.
I mean, a piece of audio has never fit more beautifully in the sports talk radio segment. He's asking the same question I am. That is my concern here. Are we running the risk? of completely ruining the integrity of Major League Baseball.
and professional sports at large. is what I'm wondering now. 888-710-1. Full 476 is how you tap in with us here on the JR Sport Brief. Liddell Willingham out of Washington, D.C., sitting in for a guy, JR, here on the day before the 4th of July.
A lot more to get to. Final hour of power coming straight ahead. Jory Epstein. Senior NFL writer and reporter for YahooSports.com. Going to join the program.
We'll get her thoughts on what has been an interesting NFL offseason, and slowly but surely it's about to come to an end. We'll look at some of the hot button topics around the NFL as we get geared up for training camp, opening up in a couple of weeks for most teams. If you have any calls, though, please get at us at 888-710-4476. Right now what we're taking calls on 'cause I think This Luis O Ortiz thing is just is nuts. As a sports fan, Do you think Sports betting has a potential to jeopardize the integrity of the game.
And then a two-parter for you, which we've been asking pretty much all show. You can tweet at me as well, at N-E-L-L-Underscore BTP. Pro Wrestling, there are a lot of fans of Pro Wrestling. We know that it is a scripted result. But we don't know the result until we watch.
If we found out that Pro Sports had a fixed result. Would you still be locked in? Put you on that in the final hour of power. Coming your way next right here on the Infinity Sports Network. Jory Epstein, Yahoosports.com joins us next.
You don't just live in your home, you live in your neighborhood as well.
So when you're shopping for a home, you want to know as much about the area around it as possible. Luckily, Homes.com has got you covered. Each listing features a comprehensive neighborhood guide from local experts. Everything you'd ever want to know about a neighborhood, including the number of homes for sale, transportation, local amenities, cultural attractions, unique qualities, and even things like median lot size and a noise score. Homes.com.
We've done your homework. This episode is brought to you by Progressive. Most of you aren't just listening right now. You're driving, cleaning, and even exercising. But what if you could be saving money by switching to progressive?
Drivers who save by switching save nearly $750 on average, and auto customers qualify for an average of seven discounts. Multitask right now. Quote today at Progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. National average 12-month savings of $744 by new customers surveyed who saved with Progressive between June 2022 and May 2023.
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Hate doing cardio? Try brushing and flossing your teeth. I'm not talking about building. Building up a sweat. I'm talking about building a healthier mouth for a healthier heart, for a healthier you.
Smile generation. Trusted dentists look at your care through the lens of the mouth-body connection because what happens in the mouth plays a critical role for the rest of your body. To find a dentist near you, committed to treating all of you, visit smilegeneration.com/slash confidence today and live longer, healthier, and happier with confidence unleashed. Shit. Game day or any day.
Your fit says it all. Hit up MLBshop.com for the latest jerseys, caps, hoodies, and accessories to keep you in the game all year long. Rep your team, rep your city, rep yourself. Gear up and game on at MLBShop.com, the official online shop of Major League Baseball. Major League Baseball trademarks use the permission.
