JR SportBrief Hour 3

Fall is just around the corner and home is the center of it all. At Ashley, seasonal decorating's a breeze with their range of designs and materials. Snuggle up on a family-friendly sectional or an ultra-modern sofa. Or gather outside and enjoy the crisp, cool air with a new fire pit or conversation set. From minor refreshes to total overhauls, Ashley has the essentials to make your home fall functional and fabulous.

Shop in store or visit Ashley.com today. You're listening to the J.R. Sportbrief on CBS Sports Radio. You're listening to the J.R. Sportbrief on CBS Sports Radio. It is the J.R. Sportbrief show here with you on CBS Sports Radio. I'm coming to you live from Atlanta, Georgia. Much love to everybody tuned in, locked in all over North America.

Thank you to super producer and host Dave Sheppard holding it down for us in New York City. You could be at work, you could be at home, you could be on the road, you could be relaxing, you could be overseas, you could be on vacation. Whatever you're doing, wherever you're at, laying in bed. Thank you for tuning in.

Thank you for listening. And if you're sitting in traffic, that sucks. Let me keep you company. If you're on the road, let me keep you company. I'll be hanging out for the next two hours. You can consider this to be halftime of the show. Because I get started 10 p.m. Eastern, 7 Pacific. Coming to you live from Atlanta, Georgia.

Super producer and host Dave Sheppard's holding it down in New York City. And we've already had a busy evening. We talked about the Browns adding Kareem Hunt. The Vikings adding Cam Akers.

We had a great interview. Chris Matinko from Crunchbase joined us to talk about all the money and the investment that has gone into the world of sports. And then last hour we talked about Justin Fields, who is pretty much pointing the finger at his coaches.

A matter of fact, I want you to hear this. Justin Fields, the Bears, they're owing to they don't look good right now. And Fields was asked, hey, what's the problem? And one of the first things out of his mouth is, well, it might be the coaches. Listen to this.

Could be, you know, coaching, I think. But, you know, at the end of the day, they're doing their job when they're giving me, you know, what to look at and stuff like that. But at the end of the day, I can't be thinking about that. When the game comes, I prepare myself throughout the week. And then when the game comes, it's time to play free at that point.

So thinking less and playing more. And then he tried to come through and clean up that message. Oh, well, it could be the coaches or could be the coaching. But I got to do my job.

And then he had a whole separate press conference where he said the media is trying to split them apart and he shouldn't have said what he said. Like, man, pick a side. Anyway, hard knock life being a coach, right? You win, it's the players.

You lose, it's your fault. You win, it's Tom Brady. Bill Belichick had nothing to do with it.

You lose, Belichick ain't crap without Brady. It's hard being a coach, man. And that's just an example. You know, everybody isn't going to be like Deion Sanders.

It's like charismatic, able to attract talent. Even Nick Saban recently has just talked about how great of a job that Deion is doing. Listen to this. You know, I haven't been able to see him a lot. I saw a little bit of the game last week against Colorado State. But I have a tremendous amount of respect for Deion Sanders.

You know, first, he's a great person and he's done a great job of marketing the program to create a lot of national interest. But I see their team, you know, playing well on the field. You know, they play with discipline. They do a good job of executing.

They've been able to score points playing decent on defense. So, you know, all those things to me are indicators that he's a really good coach. And I've always thought that he's always been successful, whether it was Jackson State High School or now at Colorado. His teams have always been well coached.

Yeah. You got to look at Deion Sanders and really appreciate the fact that he's been he's been ground roots, grassroots, that he's really taken his sons and and been with them from day one. It is his career has graduated and it's gone with them because a lot of times, let's be real, you have a lot of legends. You have amazing, tremendous professional athletes who cannot coach grown men because of their own expectations, because of what came so easy to them, thinking that they can pass that on. They may not have the patience. Deion Sanders is an anomaly and we've heard him say this.

I don't have desire to move into the NFL. I don't I don't think I'd have the same impact. Is this thought process going to change into the future?

I think it'd be cool if it did. But as of right now, he's working with young men. And so because of of Deion and some of these other conversations that we've been able to have about coaching tonight's top six list, which I do every Wednesday night, we're going to take a look at some of the best athletes who turned into some of the best coaches. And you know what?

We're also not going to waste any more time. We're going to hit the fancy music and then I'm going to give you number six. Where's the fancy music at? Six, five, four, three, two, one. It's time to get JR's latest top six list only on the JR Sport Brief. It is the JR Sport Brief show here with you on CBS Sports Radio, a new top six list, looking at some of the best athletes, some of the most successful athletes to turn into coaches. And I told you we're going to start with number six. So let's hear it from the fancy voice man.

Number six. We got to go to the NFL. We got to go to a man who was drafted in nineteen sixty one. One of the best tight ends that the game has ever seen. Someone who had fifty six catches as a rookie went to five straight Pro Bowls is nothing more.

Let's just put it this way. This dude was a hard ass for the Chicago Bears and he became a hard ass as their coach. And he went 15 and won. I'm talking about Mike Ditka. Let's act like Mike Ditka never coached the Saints.

Let's let's throw that out the window. But if we have to take a look at his playing career, one of the best tight ends ever burst out onto the scene in nineteen sixty one. Won a championship, an NFL championship, won the Super Bowl as an assistant coach with the Cowboys. And then we know about the eighty five bears.

The man went out there. Fifteen and one only loss of the Dolphins. One of the best, if not the best defensive team of all time from a guy who was a tight end. Mike Ditka.

Like I said, let's ignore the time with the Saints. At one point in time, he sat down with who else? Howard Stern, which he's been known to sit down and say some wild things and co-host Robin Quivers. She asked Mike Ditka about just just how damn important it had coaches. This is Mike Ditka's response. I always wonder what is the importance of the coach? You know, like these coaches now have become superstars of the game. Well, you know, you're right. The players play the game, you know, and I said, you know, you know, somebody once said that there's no coach worth a player.

But I disagree with that. I think that you formulate the game plan. Everything in life is a game plan. What you do today, we all have a game plan.

I go back in my life to people I've watched. Lombardi. Right.

When he went to Green Bay, they stunk. Why did they change? Right. They changed because of him and what he made them understand. There's only one way to do things. That was his way. It was the right way. He was a leader and he inspired. Right. Inspiration.

Right. Mike Ditka, man, he wasn't just going to inspire you. He gonna put his foot up your ass.

Unless you were Ricky Williams and unless they were like getting married and wearing a dress. I told you, let's forget about that whole Saints thing. Mike Ditka, number six, top six athletes turned coach. He's number six. What's the next number?

Number five. Damn, this guy. Well, he is one of the greatest basketball players of all time. And he showed up as a coach and then he left.

It's Larry Bird. I mean, I can go on and on about his accomplishments. We know about his three NBA championships, his finals, MVPs, his MVPs, his all stars, his dream teams.

And we know about his back. And he was in the front office with the Celtics. And there was a thought and an expectation that eventually he'd be the coach of the Celtics.

It did not happen. And so what did he do? He returned home. He went back to Indiana and he coached the Pacers for three seasons. And what did he do? Coach of the year, his first season with the Indiana Pacers in 1997.

And then how did he bookend it two seasons later? He just went to the NBA finals. Unfortunately for him, they got waxed by the Los Angeles Lakers. And at that point, I know Larry Bird seems old as dirt right now.

He was only 43 years old. And that was it for Larry Bird, one of the greatest players ever. And even in a short sample size, did a damn good job as a coach. When you think about Larry Bird, he's big time. Someone who played for him with the Indiana Pacers is Jalen Rose. He was on his own show, Jalen Rose TV. And he said, Larry Bird.

This man walked into a room, walked into a locker room, and he had everybody's respect. Of course, you know him as Larry Joe Bird. He was my coach. That's something I could call him. And let me tell you about his style. Like EF Hutton. When he talked, we listened.

A man of few words. Unlike most all time great players, though, was able to analyze the game from his third eye. Not expecting every player to do what he would do. He also knew what he didn't know. He coached three years.

Each of those seasons, the Pacers made it to the conference finals and to the team's only NBA finals. Oh, yeah. Big time. How poetic. The first part of what Jalen Rose said was very nice.

How poetic. Anyway, you want to talk about one of the best athletes turned coach. Larry Bird is number five. Let's keep the countdown going.

Number four. You've got to be of a certain age to remember when this guy was an MVP because people see him and they think about him. And they go, oh, well, he works in the Major League Baseball offices right now. Most people remember him from sitting in the dugout in Yankee Stadium and looking cool like he don't got a care in the world. Didn't smile.

Didn't frown. Just just looked even like he wasn't even at a baseball game. He's one of the most successful managers of all time for World Series championships. Two time American League Manager of the Year. Six pennants.

Just I can go on and on. He's in the Hall of Fame. It's Joe Torrey. And why don't most people remember him, you know, out for his playing?

I guess because it was in the 60s. It's in the early 70s when he won National League MVP in 71 when he was a member of the Cardinals. He was a nine time All-Star. He took over the Yankees in nineteen ninety six. And the man, one of the greatest careers that you will ever see. Joe Torrey. People kiss his ass all the time, especially in New York.

Someone who loves him. Some guy named Derek Jeter. He sat down with my friend Quentin Richardson and Derek Jeter basically said, man, this guy, Joe Torrey. He changed the game. He had a huge impact on the game. Listen to Derek Jeter, which had the most influence or impact on you and your game.

Mr. Torrey, Joe Torrey, the legendary. Yeah. You know, I mean, just because he's by far the best communicator I've ever known. You know, the thing I learned from him is, you know, you don't you always hear that phrase. Treat everyone the same. You don't treat everyone the same. You treat everyone fairly. But you don't treat everyone the same because there's different personalities, you know.

So he he he had that calming influence as a young player coming up, you know, first time who else grew up. Right. You know, you're going to screw up something.

First thing you look at, you don't look at your coach. Yeah. Whether you look at him directly or out of the corner of your eye, looking to see what he's doing. Yeah. Yeah. And you look at him and he was always calm.

And so it made me feel as though he believed and trusted me. Calm. Calm. Keep things even. Keep things smooth. Don't go too high. Don't get too low.

Calm. I appreciated that about Joe Torrey. One of the greatest players that people forgot played because he was one of the greatest coaches slash managers. Joe Torrey here at number four. Let's keep the list moving.

Top six athletes who have turned coaches. What's next? Number three. Hey, Shep, I think this next guy's taking a nap somewhere. Oh, he's a little old.

So give me give him some break there. I've seen photos of this man on a New York City bus taking a nap. I've seen photos of this man at the airport taking a nap.

I've seen this guy sitting in a suite taking a nap. He also happens to be one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time. He also, my God, listen to this.

This is crazy. He was on a New York Knicks championship team. A matter of fact.

Listen, listen. He was on two New York Knicks championship teams. He lost teeth because he was a pain in the ass as a defender. He was a net. It's Phil Jackson.

Yeah, I know. There were some New York Knicks who actually won a championship. Hello, Wal-Cloud Frazier. But Phil Jackson was a was a glue piece on those teams. And we know what he converted all of his time into. Taking time and studying with and finding out information with Tex Winter and what did he do after that? He hung around long enough to coach just a few guys, just a few of them.

I don't know. Scottie Pippen. Dennis Rodman. That Michael Jordan guy. So good that he was hired by the Lakers to coach that Shaq dude. Some man named Kobe.

And what did it get him? Eleven championships. And so Phil Jackson, one of the top athletes turned coaches. He was no superstar, but his work as a coach.

Absolutely nuts. This is courtesy of NBA TV and Ahmad Rashad asked Kobe Bryant about how Phil Jackson just had a huge effect on his career. You'll hear Kobe. He's talking about what makes Phil Jackson just one of a kind. Tell me how important Phil Jackson was to the evolution of Kobe. When he came here, everything changed for me and how I view the game. To that point, I really thought about the game from a tactical perspective, executing fundamentals and training, right? The surface things.

Man, you got to see so much stuff. Just pivot work. We're not even having a basketball. You just run, set a pick, then spin, pivot, go, then stop.

Change the direction. Without a basketball. Practice layups without a basketball.

It's weird. I learned the spirituality of the game, the mindfulness that comes with the game. Understanding how to put yourself aside, how to try to quiet your ego and play effortless basketball.

That approach to the game was something that I felt really separated me from the pack. Oh, hey, Shep, is that the music that Phil Jackson listened to when he smoked? I would guess so. He did a lot of smoking, so that's a lot of music listening to. He smoked, he read books, he did yoga.

What do they call a guy? A zen master. A zen master, yes.

There's some zen-like music right there. I know what Phil Jackson is doing right now. Well, he's not taking a nap. He's just sleep. Good for Phil Jackson, man.

Oh, man. He wouldn't be on the list of best managers because that guy, New York Knicks said, Hey, come run the team, and he took a nap. Anyway, he was great as a coach. Hey, what do we got next? Phil Jackson is number three. How the hell is he three? What do we have next?

Number two. Well, Phil Jackson is good as a coach with all that talent. Great communicator. Shout out to Joe Torre. This next guy, oh, man, he was busting ass as a player. And then he helped take an expansion franchise and help bring them their first championship.

They even brought him back at one point in time. My hockey fans know who this is. Jacques Lemaire.

What's up to all my folks with the Canadians, all my people up in Montreal? Eight Stanley Cups from 1968 to 1979. He had two cup winning goals for 12 seasons, 20 or more goals scored. He went into the Hall of Fame in 1984. And then what does he do? He comes in any. He coaches the devils who, for the most part, have been a laughingstock.

They didn't exist until the 70s. And then 20 years later, what does he do? He helps them win their very first Stanley Cup, makes them actually relevant. And for the next several seasons, even though he wasn't there, they won a few more Stanley Cups. And then they even brought him back, I don't know what, 12, 13, 14, 15 years ago. When you win eight Stanley Cups and you just drop in goals year after year after year, and then you win another one as a head coach, you got to show love to Jacques Lemaire.

At his retirement press conference, he finally quit. It's what he said makes coaching so special. This is exciting.

This is fun. Especially when the team wins. It's a great atmosphere. You love a lot of things. You get really upset. You get mad about what the players do, not about the individual, about what they're doing. But as soon as they do something good, right away you feel good.

And it's a great environment. I said this today when I talked to my wife. They said if I would be younger I would coach because I love it. I'm sure his wife is happy that he didn't coach anymore any further at that point. This guy stopped coaching in 2011. 78 years old.

He just turned 78 last week, two weeks ago. God bless Jacques Lemaire. It's the JR Sport Brief Show here with you on CBS Sports Radio, bringing you a top six list. Some of the best athletes to become some of the best coaches. I got Jacques Lemaire here at number two.

Who is numero uno? I'm going to share that with you on the other side of the break. It's the JR Sport Brief Show on CBS Sports Radio.

Don't move to find out number one. You're listening to the JR Sport Brief on CBS Sports Radio. You're listening to the JR Sport Brief on CBS Sports Radio. Hey, great show.

I listen to you every night. One of the best broadcasters around. Really are in tune to what's happening in professional sports.

Call in now at 855-212-4CBS. It's the JR Sport Brief Show here with you on CBS Sports Radio. Taking a look at some of the best athletes, not just some of the best, the top six athletes who turned into some of the best coaches. I'm about to share with you number one, but we'll get there in a minute. In a second, let's give you a quick recap. If you didn't hear the whole list, by the way, you can hit rewind on the free Odyssey app.

If you want to hear the entire explanations and get the cool audio and such. And number six, I gave you Mike Ditka. And number five, I gave you Larry Bird. And number four, I gave you Joe Torre. And number three, I gave you Phil Jackson. And number two, Jacques Lemaire. And so that leaves us.

Hey Shub, where does that leave us? Number one. If you want to talk about one of the best athletes turned coaches. You know, I had to think about the list.

I had to weigh things out. You know, Phil Jackson wasn't the greatest of players, but he certainly had amazing results as a coach. Larry Bird was one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Had a short stint as a head coach, albeit successful nonetheless. Mike Ditka, great tight end, great coach with the Bears championship.

Not so well with the Saints. This guy right here, who's number one, has a mix of of longevity, success as a player, success as a coach. Being an all star, having records and even even coaching, participating on an international level.

And number one here on the list, top six athletes turned coach or coaches. It's Lenny Wilkins. Yeah, Lenny Wilkins. You remember Lenny Wilkins?

If you don't, shame on you. Lenny Wilkins, one of the best point guards the NBA has seen. Also, one of the greatest coaches, the NBA, has seen Lenny Wilkins on the court.

Nine time All-Star. OK, this is someone who was named on the list one of the greatest NBA players of all time. And it doesn't just stop there for Lenny Wilkins, whether he was out there playing for the Supersonics or the St. Louis Hawks at that time before moving on to Atlanta. Lenny Wilkins was one of the few dudes to be a player and a coach until he moved on to being a coach full time. And it wasn't until 2010 where Lenny Wilkins, he had more wins, more coaching victories than anybody.

Don Nelson came through and took that. And we know more recently, Greg Popovich passed him. But along the way, Lenny Wilkins as a coach, just earlier on in his career with the Seattle Supersonics, he went to two straight NBA finals, lost one to the Bullets and got his got back the next year in 1979. Shout outs to my main man, not in the best of health coming up from Westchester County, Gus Williams, also a major part of that championship. Lenny Wilkins, coach of the year with the Hawks. My people down here in Atlanta know about Coach Lenny Wilkins. And then when it comes down in the national play, Lenny Wilkins didn't just become a nine time All-Star, wasn't just a great point guard. Didn't just accumulate coaching victories and win a championship. Lenny Wilkins was also an assistant coach and contributor to those teams in the 90s that you could call them the dream teams in 1992 and 1996. Someone who thought very highly of him happens to be one of the most decorated coaches that the basketball world has ever seen. It's Red Auerbach.

He talked about him on NBA TV years ago. This is what Red Auerbach had to say at the time about Lenny Wilkins. He's a teacher.

See, that's what I like about Lenny. He's a teacher and he's got the patience and he gets his point across. I felt that I could have an impact on young people.

I saw where when I took the time to explain and showed them things and communicated to them, they responded real well. And the Supersonics win their first ever NBA championship, the ball sales pioneers. You know, the cool thing about Lenny Wilkins that I appreciate. He just always seemed, I say cool. He just always seemed cool. That was him. He looked like your uncle. He looked like your grandpa there on the side. He would talk to you sternly. He didn't always have to yell, shout.

He wasn't one of these dudes jumping up and down like an absolute nut. And it tells you how much time flies. Lenny Wilkins, dammit. He's 85 years old. He's going to turn 86 this year. I remember Lenny Wilkins just standing on the sidelines, wearing his suit, arms crossed, paying attention, talking to everyone.

He had the respect of everybody on the court. The phone lines are open. That's 855-212-4CVS.

That's 855-212-4CVS. I wanted to highlight people. Excellent careers. Excellent coaching jobs. Excellent accomplishments. Can't put everybody on a top six list, but I wanted to share with you mine.

Let me give you a recap. At number six, Mike Ditka. And number five, Larry Bird. And number four, Joe Torre. And number three, Phil Jackson. And number two, Jacques Lemaire.

And at number one, Lenny Wilkins. What he did in the NBA as a player. What he did in the NBA as a coach. And what he also contributed to.

International play. And then longevity. This man, Lenny Wilkins.

It's hard capturing anybody's attention. Starting off as a player coach. This man rolled from 1969 to 2005. That's a hell of a run. It's the JR Sport Brief show here with you on CBS Sports Radio. You're listening to the JR Sport Brief on CBS Sports Radio. Hey, JR. How are you? You know, what I wanted to say was that I love your top six list.

Those things are awesome. I don't call into radio stations, but this is the second time you've made me call in. Because I just love your list so much.

It's fun to listen to. Call in now at 855-212-4CBS. It's the JR Sport Brief show here with you on CBS Sports Radio. Just gave you a top six list. Some of the best athletes turned coaches in the world of sports.

Let me give you a quick recap and then I hit the phones. And number six, I gave you Mike Ditka. Number five, I gave you Larry Bird. And number four, I gave you Joe Torre. And number three, Phil Jackson.

And number two, Jacques Lemaire. And at number one, I gave you Lenny Wilkins. Obviously, so many more athletes who turned into coaches who had the ultimate success.

I wanted to find some balance. I wanted to take a look at some players and coaches who maybe they were great coaches. Maybe they were great players. Maybe they were amazing players and then OK coaches.

No, I wanted to find real balance. Everybody has a different story arc. Everybody has a career arc that's different. And so my top six list I think encapsulates that.

But there's so many other coaches, so many players who became coaches and they've had success at both. And so let's hit the phone lines and get your thoughts. 855-212-4CBS.

That's 855-212-4CBS. Let's go to Miami. Let's talk to Ralph. You're on the JR Sport Brief Show. Go ahead, Ralph. Thank you for having me on your show, JR.

I want to get started by saying thank you. Thank you for a good show. Thank you for your audience. I make my night because I hear some crazy calls, some crazy comments sometimes. And I think so. You should think about having a top six for your bad callers also too, JR. You want me to have a top six of my worst callers? What?

Correct. Because I remember that one guy where you were saying something about crybaby. And he called on the line and was complaining because he had lifted on the hose for too long.

And then when he got back again, he was still complaining. I was like, oh, my God. Those people. Those people. I don't. I remember that a little bit.

But those are the type of people that I don't. I don't remember. Hold on, Ralph. Hold on a second. Hey, Shep, it's a bad idea to do a top six list of my best callers.

Do the worst call? Why would I do that? Yeah, it's that's only poking the bear, Ralph. That's negative. I don't like negativity. I like positivity. Shep, you like you like positivity or negativity, Shep? Well, JR, I like positivity to begin with, but I have to double down because our industry has really turned not everybody, but most of it has just turned into the sewer. So I double down on positivity now. Yeah, we like positivity here, Ralph. And if I'm sharing negativity, it's because it's fun.

If you get my drift. Hey, Ralph, go ahead, man. Who are you thinking about as an athlete turned coach?

I'm a positive person also, JR. All I do is think positive. Mine, I'm thinking of keeping that one off the list for me. I don't go with Pat Riley on this one because right now, as I was saying, he won as a player, he won as a coach, and he won as an also too, even as a president, also too. Yeah, I think that he makes the top six list also too. But like I said, you left him off the list for me and I appreciate that, JR. No problem. You got it.

Yeah, there's a reason. And thank you, Ralph, for calling from Miami. I thought about Pat Riley. There's a reason why I didn't have Pat Riley on the list. It's Pat Riley was like a. He's a middling player. I mean, I get it.

And if he had, you know, more of the long, long and I mean long, long term success of a Phil Jackson, if I had to take Phil Jackson's culture career versus Pat Riley, I'm I'm going to go with Mr. Mr. Jackson. Eight five five two one two four CBS is eight five five two one two four CBS. Let's go to Nova Scotia and talk to Stefan Stefan. You're on CBS Sports Radio.

Go ahead. Hey, hey, JR. I got some positivity for you. You nailed it with Jacqueline there. I was calling in because I wasn't I was sure he wasn't going to get on the list. But yeah, he that guy was part of a dynasty in Montreal. And then and then he when he went to New Jersey, there was like there were no real stars on that team except for Martin Brodeur.

But he had he had them all play in a system that was like they they had respect for the guy. So anyway, that was that's what I got to say. I didn't think you were going to do it, but you nailed it. So there you come on.

You didn't give me that much credit. Come on now. Hey, I got to say I got to say you got it every time I was going to say to what you were saying earlier about, you know, how good players don't always make good coaches. Another hockey thing like Gretzky, you know, the guy was absolute genius and he couldn't coach at all because he didn't understand like third or fourth line players. You know, you just say, go, you know, take it down the ice and score.

They can't do that. Montreal right now has a coach, Martin St. Louis, who's a Hall of Famer, you know, amazing in New York and Tampa Bay. But he was undrafted.

He he had to like fight every inch to get to where he was and to get the Hall of Fame career he's got now. It's early to say he's only coached Montreal now for a couple of years, but he has that same kind of respect in the room just because of his career. And I think he can understand more where every every player is coming from, like the fourth line guys, the undrafted guys, as well as the stars. That's that's why, you know, in a lot of cases, even from to look at it from a baseball perspective, and they always say some of the best coaches are are the catchers because they understand what everybody else has to do on the field, from the pitchers to the outfielders to the infielders, and they have to manage more. And so they have a different perspective. So, yeah, I don't care what sport it is when you have an understanding of the players. And that's why a lot of times it's not the stars.

And thank you so much to Farne for calling from Nova Scotia. It's the bench guys. It's the dudes who aren't the stars who actually have to put in work and they can't rely on their talent or their athleticism to stick around.

And they're most certainly more relatable to everybody else out there on the court or on the field. Eight five five two one two four CBS. Dan is here from Wisconsin. Dan, who is a great player who turned into a great coach? Thanks, Jarrah.

I'd like to give Craig Council a shout out. It's got two World Series rings. Six hundred wins. The Brewer manager. And he's making a soaked first out of Salazar with the CBS this year with injuries, pitches. They know one All-Star.

He was a second choice and an All-Star. Yeah, Craig. And I know. Yeah, I know he's not the best.

But I mean, yeah, you showing love. I mean, I remember watching Craig Council play before he became manager. And he was like the scrappy, you know, little little dude out there every now and then he get a big hit and have a good year. But he wasn't like, come on, he's I know that. But he is a I mean, he's a good manager. If he doesn't get manager of the year in the National League this year, there's something wrong with people.

They don't understand. We're not talking about dudes who are just good managers. He was.

Yeah, he would he have a good hit in the World Series with the Diamondbacks? And that his claim to fame? No, no, I'm not saying that. No, but I'm saying what was his claim to fame as a batter?

What, the World Series? Well, you know, your topic was the player that make good coaches. I didn't say. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, that's not that's that's not the topic.

We're talking about some of the best athletes who turned into some of the best coaches. Yes. All right. Yeah, whatever. OK, Dan, it's OK.

I've only talked about it for the past hour. It's OK. You misunderstand. It's OK.

It's fine. I mean, I could start throwing out names of dudes who just, hey, shop, hey, you know who we can put on this list? If that's the case, Stan Van Gundy, Tyronn Lue. Let's put him on here, right? Yeah. The 13th guy, the Lakers championship team in 2001.

Why not? I heard Jeff Van Gundy. Where did he play point guard at? Nazareth. Yeah. Let's throw him out here. Yeah. Let's throw him here.

Red Auerbach played high school basketball. OK. Hey, chef, listen, my voice. Don't don't make me laugh, because if I laugh, I'm going to end up my vocal cords will be paralyzed.

Fair enough, man. I spoke to a speech doctor path. I don't know. I spoke to one of the people today, chef. You know what they told me? They probably told you drink a lot of tea, which is what you're already doing.

You know, I learned a few things today. You drink tea and don't clear my throat because it it bruises my vocal cords. And also when I'm not here on air to try to shut up throughout the day.

I've been told that I need a vocal rest and I don't got no time for that. Yeah. Kind of contradictory when you host a four hour national radio show and you are the solo host. Yeah.

But not when I'm here. The other. How many other hours in a day? The other 20 hours. Right. I'm supposed to shut up, but I can't.

I got so much other stuff to do. Well, the benefit that you have is you always find good sound and you have good callers. So those two mollify a lot of having to deal with that voice. So fortunately have that going for you. You know what I need to do?

This is the perfect time. Yeah. To utilize A.I.

to do the show for me. It is. Well, I thought you were first referring to the guy who doesn't believe in practice. Allen Iverson. Yeah.

Yeah. I don't know if I want Allen Iverson sitting here doing my show. He'd get us kicked off the airwaves.

Let me run something by you very quickly. And you are right about that. If there was to be one NBA former great. So I'm hosting I'm hosting with Eddie Johnson tomorrow on Sirius XM NBA radio the afternoon show. That's the afternoon. Right. Yeah.

NBA today. If I can listen I will. Yes. Appreciate you J.R. So the topic at hand that I'm going to put out there.

The one NBA player that can have a Deion Sanders like impact on the college level in college hoops. A.I. is the guy. Huh. Yeah. We're going to let me think about that.

Sure. Let's get to some more calls on the other side. You got a lot of callers. Yeah we do. Who are some of the top athletes to turn into coaches. Don't tell me about no bump players. I'm going to get some more of your calls. And then we're going to think about who might have a Deion-esque impact in the basketball world.

Don't move here on CBS Sports right now. Imagine you're looking at a balancing scale with everything you do for other people on one side and everything you do for yourself on the other side. If it isn't balanced maybe it's time to spend a little more time on you and therapy is a great place to start.

Better Health connects you with a licensed therapist online who can help you find that balance and stick to it. Visit better help dot com slash positive to get 10 percent off your first month. That's better h e l p dot com slash positive facts are facts like how contributing to employees financial security makes them want to work harder for their company. In fact according to a 2023 study by principal 87 percent of employers say that better employee financial security means employees are more engaged and productive at work. The fact of the matter is that employees want to feel financially secure in their future. So consider this principal helps you invest in your employees by providing customized benefits and retirement plans to help keep your employees more engaged and productive. When you take care of your team they take care of business.

That's a fact. Learn how principal can help you find the right benefits and retirement plan for your team at principal dot com slash benefits products and services offered by member companies of the principal financial group Des Moines Iowa. For important information visit principal dot com slash disclosures. I'm here to tell you about pom pom at home where comfort meets elegance pom pom at home is offering 20 percent off site wide for a limited time. See why so many of the top designers use pom poms luxury easy care bedding. They have created a timeless beautiful coastal living look that incorporates subtle tones and natural fibers offering a unique touch. Create your dream bed now get 20 percent off sheets do base throws and more right now at pom pom at home dot com easy to use easy to love luxury bedding.

Just enter code pom pom at checkout. You did it along with millions of people who prioritize their health and got vaccinated against covered 19 to help protect against severe illness and hospitalization too. Now let's keep it up with this season's updated covered 19 shot designed to help protect against recent variants according to the CDC. You can get a covered shot at the same visit as your flu shot if you're due for both. Ask your doctor or pharmacist to learn more and schedule on the CDC vaccines dot gov. Sponsored by Pfizer and BioNTech.