12.6.23 - JR SportBrief Hour 3

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Exclusions apply, C-site for details. 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. Super producer and host Dave Sheppard, he's joining us live from New York City. And we're here hanging out with you, wherever you're listening, however you're listening. On the free Odyssey app, on your local CBS Sports Radio affiliate, Sirius XM Channel 158. And if you're listening on a smart speaker, then good for you. You are so technologically advanced. I get started.

The show gets started every weeknight at 10 p.m. Eastern, 7 Pacific. Talk to people all over the country here in Atlanta, Miami, Cleveland, Detroit, Boston, Kansas City, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Las Vegas, Utah, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, I say San Diego, Phoenix. We got people listening everywhere.

So if you're at work, at home, at school, if you're holding it down and if you are holding it down, you know exactly what the hell I mean. Thank you for listening to the show. We've talked about a lot. Juan Soto, officially a New York Yankee, no longer a member of the Padres. Padres get back quite a few New York Yankees. Michael King, starting pitcher. Johnny Brito, starting pitcher. Drew Thorpe, Yankees starting pitching prospect. Kyle Higashioka, a longtime New York Yankees backup catcher to rent Juan Soto for a year. The Yankees are going all in because he is still entering into the final season of his contract.

He will be a free agent following this upcoming season. And the Yankees are going to have to hope that they can just write a big old check and keep him around for his prime because he's only 25 years old. This is someone who already helped the team win a World Series, that being the Washington Nationals, when he just basically fell out of the womb. Juan Soto, very familiar with New York. I know you got a lot of family there and he going to be basically playing at home. Shout out to Juan Soto, shout out to the Yankees and good luck to the Padres as they continue to sort out their financial situations and try to make some some moves to free up some cash for some pitching.

We know last season, unfortunately, was a disaster. Juan Soto going to the New York Yankees. We still don't know what's going on with Shohei Ohtani. We have no idea where he will end up. I still have thought from the beginning that he would stick around and just go north instead of playing for the Angels, that he would just play for the Dodgers. That makes the most sense to me, but we'll see. Maybe he'll surprise everybody and just, I don't know, go to Canada.

Wouldn't that be a hell of a shock? Talked about Trevor Lawrence said that he's the one who chose to walk off the off of the field the other day. Talked about Zach Wilson.

Zach Wilson is like, yeah, I'll play football. And so we have so much more to do. And because there's so much so much news about free agents, guys signing here, Major League Baseball hot stove.

Every Wednesday night, I bring you a new top six list. And tonight we're going to take a look at free agents. We're going to look at some of the most impactful free agent signings that we've ever seen in the world of sports. Now, let's also keep in mind free agency didn't always exist in sports. OK, we got to go back to the 80s, early 90s in some cases, before players were able to move around at their whim at how they wanted to. And throughout the course of time, we've had contracts and in agreements get adjusted because of some of these deals. And so we've had some wild ones.

Is it a matter of money? Is there some type of cultural, historical impact? Well, we're going to break it down because it's time for a new top six list. And tonight we're taking a look at some of the most impactful free agent signings ever.

Where's the funky music? Six, five, four, three, two, one. It's time to get J.R.'s latest top six list only on the J.R. sport brief. It is the J.R. sport brief show here with you on CBS Sports Radio. Shohei Ohtani is about to get paid. Is this man going to get paid in Los Angeles with the Dodgers? Is he going to be ridiculous and stick around with those loser angels? Is he going to shock everybody and go to Canada?

We just got to wait and see. And he might receive one of the biggest contracts and forget North American sports history. He might get one of the biggest contracts ever. Is he getting half a billion dollars? Is he getting six hundred million dollars?

We're going to find out. But with this list, top six free agent signings ever. These players, they've already changed the game. So let's get started with the first number. It's a countdown to top six. So this is what?

Number six. We got to go back to nineteen ninety seven. This isn't a free agent signing specifically. But this was kind of right at the line.

This was at a deadline. And this is someone who at this point is already. Damn it, he's a he's a Hall of Famer. He's one of the greatest NBA players of all time. He comes from South Carolina via Chicago. His name is Kevin Garnett.

You might recall this. The man came into the NBA straight out of high school in less than two years from playing his first game in the league. In nineteen ninety seven. Kevin Garnett was twenty one years old and he got a six year contract worth one hundred and twenty six million dollars. This was in nineteen ninety seven. He only played two seasons.

He never won a playoff game. At that point in time, that contract one hundred and twenty six million dollars. It was more than double what Michael Jordan made in his whole career up until that point. And then Michael Jordan said, y'all got to pay me thirty three million dollars.

But that's that's a separate point. Kevin Garnett's contract made the NBA said, ah, we can't all be as stupid as the Timberwolves. We can't play these. We can't pay these players these ridiculous amounts of money. And so the NBA, you might remember, they had a lockout the following season, only 50 games. And we ended up seeing the San Antonio Spurs smash the Knicks in the finals, probably because of that lockout. And so Kevin Garnett, that contract putting in parameters for maximum contracts and deals. And now we see players all these years later. The NBA is a blossoming business. We got dudes making more than 60 million dollars a season. Twenty five years later, Kevin Garnett at the time sat down with David Aldridge and David Aldridge said, hey, KG, do you think the NBA can even last paying you one hundred and twenty six mil and all these other players more?

Listen to what Garnett had to say. You know, which I don't think so. I don't I mean, someone would have told me that I had over a hundred million dollars in future earnings and all that stuff. I probably looked at him and told him to fly tight and sound. So, I mean, the world is crazy.

You know, you never know what to expect, but I don't think I don't think so. Yeah, he didn't think that it was sustainable. Well, we had a lockout after, didn't we? The NBA put a cap on salaries. Well, damn it. Now, if you're Nikola Jokic, if you are Janus, these dudes are making 60 per.

Must be nice. Top six free agent signings ever. Most impactful. Kevin Garnett at number six. What's the next number?

Number five. Oh, man, this one just happened a few months ago. This actually took place in the summertime. We had one of the greatest players on earth decide he's going to come to America and play in what he called a minor league.

This is Lionel Messi. He came over to enter Miami and decided to light it up right out of the gate. But he decided to light it up right after the gate.

After he agreed to a contract about two and a half seasons that pays him at minimum 50 to 60 million dollars annually. Messi wasted no time in joining into Miami shopping in the supermarket, by the way. Nice publicity. But then proceeded to go out there and just say, oh, goals.

Oh, I got those. I mean, he wasted no time. Let's let's take a listen to this.

Of course, only Apple TV. They're hoping to pay for Messi. This is Messi driving in a goal, doubling into Miami's lead in his first season.

Take a listen to this. Kristoff into the feet of Martinez has time to turn into Messi. Advantage play. Messi driving forward. Messi from distance.

What can he not do? We are watching greatness. After the ball hits the back of the net, how good is this?

Turn front, now play forward. But someone from Philadelphia, you've got to stop Lionel Messi from 30 yards in. All he needs is a gap, a half yard, and you're going to be picking the ball out of the back of the net. My word, what a start for Lionel Messi in his Major League Soccer career. Nine goals in six games.

Two nil, Miami. And a man kept rolling. He ended up with 11 goals and five assists in all competitions, and he basically showed up at the end of the damn season. And then he also won the world's best player, the Ballon d'Or, which is now his eighth. And then he was also named Times 2023 Athlete of the Year.

Oh, that's right. Dion was named Sports Illustrated there. They are a sports person of the year. I think Time magazine got a little bit more weight to it. Lionel Messi helping to change and heighten interest here of soccer, football in North America ahead of the World Cup.

Man, this is this is some fun stuff. Impactful free agent signing. Messi at number five. What's the next number?

Number four. We got to go to one of my favorite places. I'm not supposed to say that because I'm in Atlanta. We got to go to New Orleans. Sorry, Falcons fans. We got to take a look at Drew Brees. Yes, Drew Brees, one of the most impactful signings in free agent history. I don't care what sport it is, because what Drew Brees did when he signed down in New Orleans.

And we know he had the bum shoulder. He wasn't going to get no damn deal in San Diego, Miami. Nick Saban might have wanted him.

It didn't work out. And so he ends up signing with the Saints. Six years, 60 million dollars. The year that he signs in 2006 happens to be the first year that the Saints get back into the Superdome. Following Katrina, Drew Brees wasn't just a football signing. Drew Brees helped breathe life into the organization. He helped give them hope. He gave them a distraction. He gave them something to actually care and think about. How about winning the Super Bowl over that forehead guy, Peyton Manning, in 2010. Drew Brees means so much more to the Saints.

He means more to the city, the state, the region. Big time free agent signing Drew Brees. Hey, didn't work out with the Chargers. Worked out awesome storybook style with the Saints. And when he finally retired, Drew Brees said thank you to the Saints fans.

This is from their YouTube. To the city of New Orleans and the Houdat nation, words cannot express the love and appreciation I have for you. From the moment I stepped foot into the city of New Orleans, I could feel your spirit.

You told me that if I love New Orleans, you would love me back. No truer words have ever been spoken. You embrace me as your quarterback and my family is your own. You made me strive to be the best I could be for you. When I was knocked down, you picked me up. It was your passion, emotion and resilience that made us all believe.

We'll spend the rest of my life attempting to give back to you what you have given to me. Yeah, yeah, it's every time I go down to New Orleans, he's beloved. People are like, he lives here. His family lives there. You see his family go grocery shopping here.

He's beloved. You can't blame him because there's so much history tied there. It goes beyond football.

There's so much, unfortunately, that has to deal with tragedy. And at the same time, he was at the forefront and has been at the forefront. Always giving back.

Always giving back down in New Orleans. You want to talk about an impactful free agent signing? Yeah, Drew Brees going to the Saints. Big deal. Huge deal. In 2006, I got Brees at four. What's the next number? Number three.

Oh, this is a simple one. Speaking of baseball at the time, this was the most lucrative contract in sports history. Some dude named Alex Rodriguez decided to sign with the Texas Rangers. A 10 year deal, 252 million dollars. I mean, when you start looking at some of the deals that I handed out today, Aaron Judge, almost nine years, 10 years, 360 million dollars. Alex Rodriguez was ahead of the curve. Got his deal in 2000. Ultimately, we know that he tried to get traded to the Red Sox. Didn't happen. Moved to the New York Yankees, won a World Series.

But you know what? You know, there was that that press conference about Alex Rodriguez. There was that press conference when Alex Rodriguez was. He said the most important thing about his his contract in time in Texas. Let's take a listen to the press conference.

As I discussed with Peter Gammons in the year 2001, 2002, 2003, I experimented with a banned substance that eventually triggered a positive test. Oh, that. Hey, chef, that wasn't the I messed up. That wasn't the press conference when he joined the Rangers. That's when he said that he used drugs, right? You'd be correct. Yeah, my bad.

That was my fault. Not really. I mean, when is Alex Rodriguez said anything that wasn't a lie? In fairness, you and I both look for a lot of Rangers sound.

There's really not a lot of positive sound about him as a Ranger outside of his 52nd home run, which we know is now tainted. Yeah, because he was a cheater. Correct.

And I think that's the point that you got across. I think that's the right clip. Hey, I forgot that he was a cheater. Can we hear him again? Yes. Thank you. I forgot.

As I discussed with Peter Gammons in the year 2001, 2002, 2003, I experimented with a banned substance that eventually triggered a positive test. Yeah, he's just just a cheater and a liar, a deceiver. It's Alex Rodriguez, folks, impactful. Yes, one of the most impactful free agent signings ever. I mean, damn it. By the time he was with the Yankees, he tried to sue for the back end of his money because he was cheating and lying.

He did set the table for those guys to make money off. Congratulations, Aaron Judge. Alex Rodriguez at number three. What's the next number?

Number two. Hey, if you thought Alex Rodriguez is a liar or a phony, I don't think this guy's a liar or phony. He just controls everything. And why not? He's one of the greatest athletes of all time.

Flat in period. This guy's free agent signing was so impactful. He had a whole television special around it. His free agent signing was so impactful, an entire city was burning his jerseys. His free agent signing was so impactful.

His former owner wrote him a nasty message in crayon. This is LeBron James and his decision back in July of 2010. And if you don't recall the decision, LeBron James sat down at a Boys and Girls Club with Jim Gray in Connecticut and said this. The answer to the question everybody wants to know, LeBron, what's your decision?

And this fall is very tough. And this form will take my talents to South Beach. And I'm joined in Miami Heat. Why? Like I said before, I feel like this is going to give me the best opportunity to win and to win for multiple years.

And not only just to win in a regular season or just to win five games in a row or three games in a row, I want to be able to win championships and I feel like I can compete down there. Oh, OK. He didn't win as many as he said he was going to win. Not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six. He got two. And oh, yeah, he did go to another one and some big German guy whooped that ass. And then they had to carry my guy, Chris Bosh, off of the floor because he was crying hysterically. Sorry, Chris. Chris Bosh, very nice guy. I love him. Anyway, LeBron James.

Yeah. If you don't understand the impact of his decision, where the hell you been? Crazy to think that that was 13 years ago and LeBron James is still busting ass at almost 40. Twenty five points, eight rebounds, eight assists. This guy's busting ass.

Every time he he can make a decision on national TV every day if he wanted to. And he's a billionaire now. That was 13 years ago. I got LeBron number two.

You want to talk about impactful free agent signings? LeBron James said. I'm doing this my way.

And then he said he shouldn't did it that way. Anyway, we're going to take a break. And when we come back, I'm going to share with you. Number one, what is the most impactful free agent signing ever? I'll tell you, on the other side of the break, it's the J.R. Sportbree show on CBS Sports Radio. You're listening to the J.R. Sportbree on CBS Sports Radio. You're listening to the J.R. Sportbree on CBS Sports Radio. I'd rather listen to you than my husband. OK, end of story. You're listening to the J.R. Sportbree.

Call in now at 855-212-4CBS. The last time somebody told me they'd rather listen to me than their husband. Their husband came up to me and he thought that I was trying to break up his marriage. I'm like, no, man, I got my own problems.

My keep that on. Oh, no, don't bring that over here. Chef, could you imagine you ever dealt with something like that? Chef can't believe it.

855-212- I apologize, J.R., I was just screening like a thousand calls. Say that again, sir. No, I said you're doing so much work anyway.

Yeah, you and I both. No, but no, I never want to fall flat on the air with you, man. What was the comment?

It's a terrible thing. Breaking up a marriage? Yeah, I said the last time someone said to me they, you know, they listen to me more than their husband. I had a husband come up to me and say, hey, stay out of my marriage. I'm like, I'm not in your marriage. And you thought you weren't going to top my Smush Parker story. Oh, this is an old story, Chef.

This is an old one. No husbands ever come up to you like that before? No, killers move in silence. Keep it that way.

What did you just say? I said killers move in silence. You're a marriage killer? Well, I was making a joke. I would never mess up the home life of any couple, any family. But I'm just saying, if I did, the husband wouldn't know about it. Let's put it that way. You're terrible, man. No, I'm I'm I'm obviously having diseases. I would never interfere.

OK, I don't know. I would never interfere with the marriage with the exception. And I'm going to make I'm going to be very honest about this. Along with my girlfriend, the only other woman I would entertain being with is Lily Collins, who's married. But if I saw Lily Collins, like on a street corner anywhere, I'm going to take my shot.

I don't I don't care if she is happily married. I feel like I'm just who is Lily Collins? No, really? I don't know who that is. So, you know, Phil Collins, the musician? Of course. OK, so his daughter to do to do.

Right. OK, so so you listen, you you've heard of the show. I'm not I'm not a fan of it, but I know it's a big show on Netflix. Have you ever heard of Emily in Paris? Nope. No way.

Really? I don't know what the hell. Emily in Paris. Why am I whatever the show is pretty big.

Imagine me sitting in my in my house on my couch watching Emily in Paris. No, but but you but you are you do have a really good understanding of everything in pop culture, though. Never heard of it. OK. Have you remember they came up with like Ted Bundy, like a movie and Zac Efron started in it?

I know about the real Ted Bundy. OK, fair enough. But they did obviously a dramatic version of that.

They Hollywooded it up. Well, Lily Collins starred opposite of if you saw any of these shows or movies, this would make a lot more sense there. I have. OK, Google Lily Collins in the break and you'll understand why I would have no problem taking my shot. I think if I was interested in her, I would already know what she. No, no, you know, trust me, any human being on the planet would be interested in Lily Collins.

OK. Yeah. Look at her, man. She's absolutely. She's a pretty woman.

Stunning. She's pretty stunning. I want to I want to give her a sandwich.

Well, it's like a J.R., if I if I said LeBron James is a good basketball player, that that's not how you would describe LeBron James. You know what I mean? This lady's pretty. But I mean, I need to give her a sandwich. OK. You know, Kelis? No, I like Kelis. Who's that?

It's Nas, Nas X wife. Oh, really? Yeah. But anyway, I don't need beef with Nas. Yeah, who does?

Yeah, I don't. Anyway, listen, I just gave you a top six list. Some of the most impactful free agent signings.

Ever. Not just for what they did, maybe on the field, what they meant to the city, the state, what they've meant culturally to the sport, to the region. And so you got to open up your brain here. You want to talk about some of the most top or most impactful free agent signings ever? I'm about to tell you number one. But before we do that, let me give you a recap. If you missed us last break and if you want to hear all of the fancy audio, et cetera, from last break.

Listen on the Free Odyssey app and hit rewind. At number six, I gave you Kevin Garnett. Although not in the truest form of free agent signing, he did sign that extension down to the wire in 1997, a six year deal, one hundred and twenty six million dollars. When he was only two years into his career, he was only twenty one years old. That contract at the time was more than double what Michael Jordan made in his whole career. Up until that point, Kevin Garnett got that money. And the next season, the NBA pretty much said, hey, we lock in the players out, we need a better deal.

And they instituted limits and caps, maximum salaries to make sure that everything was in an order. And number five, I gave you Lionel Messi. The man came to the MLS a few months ago, has set the entire world on fire.

And he is typically you put an exclamation point at the end of a sentence. He is here at the beginning of the sentence, especially as the United States of America and North America gear up for the World Cup. At number four, most impactful free agent signings ever. I gave you Drew Brees. This was so much more than a football signing. Drew Brees signs with the Saints in 2006, coming off of that busted up shoulder with the San Diego Chargers. And he signs with the Saints the year that they move back full time into the Superdome following Katrina. He has been more than a football player. He has been an ambassador and a philanthropist for the entire city.

Drew Brees at number four. And number three, this dude helped set the table for some of these ridiculous contracts that we see in baseball. He also happened to be one of the biggest cheaters of all time in sports.

Well, big liar. His name is Alex Rodriguez. $252 million in the year 2000. At that point in time, it was the most lucrative contract in sports history. LeBron at number three, or excuse me, A-Rod at number three, LeBron James and his decision at number two. He ushered in an era of, I am going where I want to go and I want to drag some folks with me. LeBron James would ultimately say that maybe the decision in televising it wasn't the best idea, but at least he went back to Cleveland and helped deliver them a championship. So if I have LeBron James here at number two, it's one of the most biggest impactful athletes ever.

And his story isn't even over. Who the hell could I possibly put here at this number? Number one. We have to go back to 1947. We have to go to the Dodgers.

We got to go to Brooklyn. We have to go to Jackie Robinson. You're going to tell me there's a more impactful signing in the world of sports than Jackie Robinson?

I think you'd be hard pressed to find one. The man signed on April 10th, 1947, and he was playing for the Dodgers five days later. At that point in time, baseball, major league baseball, had not seen a black player since the 1880s.

Yes, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier and he could go out there winning rookie of the year and winning MVP a couple of seasons after that and the Dodgers winning a title a few years after that in 55. Jackie Robinson, he thanked the dude who helped him in that case. The man who said, I'm the president, I'm the boss, I'm also a part owner and yeah, let's get a black guy in here. And yeah, we need the right black guy.

I know it doesn't sound right, not at all, but it was brand tricky. And Jackie Robinson never forgot the opportunity that he got and received from him. And so on the Dick Cavett show a long time ago, Jackie Robinson, unfortunately, you know, he passed away young.

He was in his early 50s at this time while he still was alive. Jackie Robinson said, yeah, branch Ricky. I ordered to him, listen to this. I worked for a great guy. I don't think anybody could have done the job had it not been for Mr. Ricky. He was constantly advising and guiding. And I had so much confidence in him. I would have jumped off the bridge if he told me to do it. That's how much I believed in him.

And he was a man that was sincere and dedicated and willing to lend that helping hand that's so needed today in terms of the problems that we face in everyday life. Not enough people are willing to do as Mr. Ricky did. Man, we in the year 2023.

Why do those words from Jackie Robinson still ring true today? Like we just going to hate each other forever for our differences, right? We just going to do it forever.

Why? Because we afraid of what somebody might say like, come on now. How stupid are we as humans on this stupid rock floating around the solar system, all by ourselves, breathing the same air, bleeding the same blood, drinking the same damn water, but we really going to dislike each other. Dislike each other because you from over there and I'm from over here. How stupid are we? And we still got to deal with this in 2023 all over the world.

Humans. It's the JR Sportbree Show here with you on CBS Sports Radio. 855-212-4CBS, that's 855-212-4CBS. Oh, Klay Thompson, what a garbage game. 11 points, three of 13, one of eight from downtown. Oh, the Warriors still beat the Blazers, 110-106. Klay Thompson ain't getting no big free agent deal.

I can tell you that much. Not playing like this ass. I just gave you a top six list. Some of the most impactful free agent signings ever. Six, Kevin Garnett. Five, Messi. Four, Drew Brees. Three, A-Rod to Texas.

Two, LeBron James to Miami. And number one, Jackie Robinson. I could sit here and list more. I had to consider more than six, of course.

I could throw Reggie White on this list if I wanted to. I can keep going, but you know what I'm going to do? The phone lines are open. 855-212-4CBS, that's 855-212-4CBS.

It's a simple question. What are some of the most impactful free agent signings of all time? I'm going to get to your calls on the other side of this break. You're listening to the JR Sport Brief on CBS Sports Radio. You're listening to the JR Sport Brief on CBS Sports Radio. JR, I gotta say, you are the smartest guy in radio. You are.

You know what, if I can give you a SP tonight, you deserve a SP for this top six list. Call in now at 855-212-4CBS. It's the JR Sport Brief Show here on CBS Sports Radio. It's the free agency period of Major League Baseball.

It's hot stove time. New York Yankees have already acquired Juan Soto. We're going to find out what's going on with Shohei Ohtani.

Where is he going to end up? I think the Dodgers. And I wanted to give you a top six list tonight representative of all of the, just all of these deals going on in the world of sports. And so I gave you a top six list. Some of the most impactful, important free agent signings ever.

If you want to listen to the full explanations and some of the audio and actually hear from the athletes, you can hit rewind on the free Odyssey app. We did that at the top of the hour. At number six, I gave you Kevin Garnett, not necessarily a free agent signing, but an extension. His deal helped bring about the NBA lockout.

They try to reign things in. And number five, I gave you Lionel Messi joining the MLS. And number four, because of just cultural impact, regional impact outside of what took place on a football field. I gave you Drew Brees at number four to the New Orleans Saints. And number three, I gave you Alex Rodriguez to the Texas Rangers. That happened to be the most lucrative contract in sports history at the time.

Damn it. 23, 24 years ago, a 10 year deal, 252 million dollars. At number two, I gave you LeBron James to Miami. The man decided to actually have his own television special about where he was going to go. And then he ended up going back home and winning a championship.

And then number one, I can't find or this can't be disputed by me. Jackie Robinson. You want to talk about a free agent signing, one of the most impactful. This is historical, not just to baseball, but to America.

Signing that deal in 1947, winning Rookie of the Year, helping to usher in other black players of which there were not any in Major League Baseball since, damn it, the 1880s, not 1980s, the 1880s. Yes, none of us were alive. And if you were alive in the 1880s, you've been hiding one big old secret. Let's get to the phone lines. That's 855-212-4CBS, 855-212-4CBS. Obviously, there's no way in hell I could only get in everybody in eight slots.

I considered a lot of people. Let's go to the phone lines. Let's talk to Mark from California. You're on CBS Sports Radio. Yeah, what's going on?

Good, please go ahead. But what about Steve Nash, obviously? And they're going to say, well, Nash, remember when you went to Phoenix, they won 29 games.

And then the following year, he won 62. I don't remember a player going to a team because to me, it's like you're a free agent. You go to a team in order to improve that team, right? Like what Jack Morris did for the Minnesota Twins. You know what David Ortiz did. Spent a couple of years in Minnesota and then went over to the Red Sox. It's like the greatest D.H. of all time. So for me, that's what I consider like an impact for free agents.

He impacts the team, right? OK, well, thank you, Mark, for calling from California. 855-212-4CBS, it's 855-212-4CBS. Let's go to Paul from Westfield, Massachusetts. You're on CBS Sports Radio. Good evening, JR, bud. How are you, professor? I'm good.

How are you? JR, the best part of what I heard you say is that the way the pricing schedule of $126 million, what they did when they signed Durant and how it affected the NBA and the rest of the super contracts of the future, that has to be a watershed moment. Of course, what LeBron was able to do is unfathomable, going back and forth, winning wherever he goes. But the best winner of everyone is what happened when you have hundreds of millions given to the players, the community gets the effect. LeBron put $536,000 to start the United Way. Me and my homies with his charity and the seven juices with a Boston player, with Jalen, what happens there is the effect and the carryover and the boost it brings to the United Way and all those kids' future, those are the real winners. It's a great movement and it was a great pattern and a great forward direction for everybody. I'm really proud of what they're doing. Well, thank you for bringing that to light.

Thank you, Paul, for calling from Westfield, Massachusetts. We have so much negativity about what the athletes do, what they don't do, but there's a lot of that money that does go back into the community. A lot of the communities where the players actually come from.

And I mean, for all of the terrible stories that we hear, the Von Millers allegedly hitting pregnant women, yes, a lot of money does go back in different forms and different varieties. Allen is calling from Toronto. You're on CBS Sports Radio. Mad Dog, the professor, Greg Maddox, he signed a five-year contract in 2000 and 1992, 1993, actually, and he won the Braves and his record is fantastic. And he got in the very first ballot in 2014, 97.4 percent. He wasn't an overpowering pitcher, but he pitched to the weaknesses.

He understood the six scouting reports perfectly, and he just pitched to their weaknesses. And he won four Cy Youngs, like I said, and during that time, he was 75 and 29, and 198 here on the right average. And he led them to 10 first-place finishes. Only one was a second-place finish in 1994. Won the 1995 World Series and appeared in the 1996 and 1999 World Series, too.

You know, they lost both those games. But he's fantastic. He was a fantastic pitcher. No doubt about that, Allen. I mean, he went from the Cubs and he went to the Braves and he sat around and did commercials about chicks digging in the long ball and not appreciating what he did as a pitcher. No doubt about it. Greg Maddox, one of the most impactful signings in Major League Baseball history. When you think about the results, you think about the career that he had, big time. 855-212-4CBS, that's 855-212-4CBS. We're thinking about and talking about some of the most impactful free agent signings ever in sports. I told you I got Jackie Robinson here at number one. The phone lines are open. That's 855-212-4CBS.

That's 855-212-4CBS. Juan Soto is a Yankee. I know the Yankees are going to hope to sign him to a big deal. You're probably going to have to wait until next season.

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