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This is The Rich Eisen Show. Hey, everybody! Can't get enough of The Rich Eisen Show? You're in luck. You can find us everywhere.
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Now, on with the show. AARO, where are you? This is the Rich Eisen Show. Where is AA Ron right now? McCarthy has said, though, Rich, we're wondering who the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers is going to be.
I don't, just because Aaron doesn't want to let you know about it here. Earlier on the show, Fox Sports Rules Analyst Dean Blandino. ESPN senior NFL writer Jeremy Fowler. Coming up, author Ken Davidoff. And now, it's Rich Eisen.
No AA rot, huh? Hour number three of the Rich Eisen Show is on the air fun first two hours. Jeremy Fowler joined us about his deep dive that's on the ESPN socials and on their digital platforms, as well as ESPN.com and the apps and all that business. About what's going on with the Philadelphia Eagles and their trading of A.J. Brown potentially because the relationship with Jalen Hurts isn't that great, or maybe it is, or maybe it can be better, or it's just a great deep dive, best you can tell.
On a question that we've been having about what went wrong for the Eagles, what could go better, why is A.J. Brown on the trading block? If you missed that, There's our podcast version. There's also our YouTube channel, youtube.com/slash rich eyes and show. for uh for that conversation with jeremy And we had Dean Blandino, former head of NFL reps, talking about what's going on between the current NFL reps and And NFL ownership and management, possibly what could be changing on the uh officiating front.
That's all that's been in the first two hours. Ken Davidoff is in our um Our green room, and he's an author of this book, 101 Lessons from the Dugout. I first met Ken years ago when I was covering baseball for ESPN Radio and all the World Series and the All-Star Games. And Ken was there in New York City. And Joe Girardi and Bernie Williams and Reggie Jackson are just three of the people that's on the.
Giving quotes on the back, and we're going to be talking some baseball. Just real brief, just to. uh hit on the baseball front. Um you know, we've been talking Um for the first week, like we should start talking about Baseball, like it's the NFL, where every game matters, and if you win, you're awesome. You lose, your your season's over, and things like that.
And You know, we have made a friendly here about which team is going to last longer in the season: my Yankees, your Red Sox, or your. Mets, we leave Jason Fellers Dodgers out of it since, you know. Like we're all a game within each other. You just leave them out of it.
Well, I mean, the Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees are. Put up the standings. We're going to update this every now and then. Rich Eisen show crew baseball standings. Brutal.
The Yankees 4-1, Mets 3-2. We stink. And there's the Red Sox at 1-4. It's still early, baby. Already three games.
The catcher just got benched, and the coach won't say why. Look, my third baseman might be a problem. I don't know what to tell you.
Okay. Just one weekend, not even. I'm fullball in panic. Or you're it's almost like you should have maybe, you know, signed a bat. Like throwing some money at Bregman and Pete Alonzo?
We can't hit. We can't score any runs. Yeah. I don't care if we get another second or third pitcher. Who cares if you're losing every game nine to one?
You know who's on the flip side? Better. are the Yankees. And just mentioning this.
Now Again, we're talking about this like it's football, right? Just a five-game sample is more than enough. In football, five games. Oh, man. Imagine if you're one of a massive sample.
One and four in the NFL? Or just five games five game samples enough to start making opinions and theories and things like that. Of the five Yankee games. Giancarlo Stanton has had multiple hits. In all five games, he's been amazing.
Now, let me just say this: he's good, let me just say this.
Okay. Because he's doing this without judge hitting. All right, but let me just say this. Because this is not a scenario that I think any Yankee fans envisioned. What if the MVP Stanton is showing up right now?
Not the guy who limps to first base and will never leg anything out and has got to always come out of a game because he's station to station. And he's either a strikeout or a home run, and he, you know, he's going to get hurt. There'll be at least two, six-week stints without him. But rather than that. That guy.
The Marlin Stanton. Yeah, 2017 when you have 59 homes. Has hit the fountain of youth. Button.
Well, I think he shows up this year. I think we should get him tested, TJ, for starters.
Okay. I mean, I'm just saying. But he, I mean, the ball is flying off his back. What a bad. And anything that, well, but this particular time, we're seeing any balls that go screaming over the shortstop head is hitting the wall.
Yeah. It's rolling to the wall. I like Steve. And he's rolling into second, too. He's not like limping and stopping at first.
Five game sample. Yep. What if that's happening? He's only 46 home runs shy of 500. I know.
Is he a Hall of Famer? I think if he gets to 500, 500 actually. I mean, he's getting the, I mean, God forbid. Cooper asks me that question all the time. Yeah, I mean, God forbid something tragic happens to like me or something, but he's getting 500 plus.
He called Stanton because, again, he's 15. He called Stanton. The most clutch hitter. Of his Yankee fandom in the playoffs. That's tough.
But he, but. I heard that and I'm like, that's a bummer. That's a take. But he has been really good in the playoffs. Certainly, you're Red Sox, whenever we've met in the playoffs.
He's worn the Red Sox out. Yep. Um He called him he's the best postseason daddy's the most clutch postseason hitter for the Yankees. Of my life. Have you ever met him?
Have you ever been around him? I have. He is gigantic. I'll say this: I've worked out with him. Oh, there you go.
I once upon a time wound up being in the same gym as him. I don't want to quote Mooch, but can't tell. I know that. That was uncalled. I get it.
Sorry. I understand I'm inviting. What I'm inviting when I say that. I'm just saying he doesn't look like you're him and Judge. He's not, he doesn't look human, correct?
Yeah, they're like Gronk in uniform, he doesn't stride. When he hits. No, it's all just like muscle. Yeah. It's crazy.
It's crazy. I was at a party at his house once. The dude, I'm 6'3. Dude's got at least two, three inches of. I know, and he is built like.
What if MVP Stanton is showing up? I know. We're talking about like the NFL. It's five freaking games. We've got overreaction.
But he's got multiple hits in every. I know. He's hitting 500. 500. Yeah.
Correct. Yeah. So just throwing that out there, but April 1st. Again, that's what that's what but Coop keeps asking me, is he a Hall of Famer? And the stat that keeps getting mentioned is he's 46 home run shy of 500.
Coop been asking me: can he get there this season? Wow. I mean, yes, but he hasn't played. MVP, Stanton. shows up.
He hasn't played a full season. I mean, he played 140 games in 2021, so it's been a long time. Let's go to Zach in Minnesota, who wants to chime in on my power rankings of the best players of the NFL network era to date. What's up, Zach? Hey, in regards to your list, which is obviously very well thought out.
Thank you. The Adrian Peterson ranking, I think it's important to mention that his average offensive line was below 17th in the league over his entire career. And much like Barry Sanders, he played on teams that were a 500 or below winning percentage record while still managing to do over 1,700 yards from scrimmage every year that he was completely healthy. A lot of the players on your list played on some really impressive teams. Adrian Peterson never really got that opportunity.
Four time first team All Pro. Three times he led the league in rushing. Two times he led the league in rushing touchdowns. Seven time Pro Bowler. Fifth on the all-time rushing list.
Five. And I don't know who's going to be the next one to threaten it. Derrick Henry is the only one close enough to threaten the top five. He's 10th all-time, Derrick Henry. Derrick Henry is?
Who I toyed with, by the way, for a split second. Of putting on the list, no, you couldn't. Oh, not ahead, not ahead of time. I know that, but then I'm like, that's why I said I toyed with it. Thank you for the call, Zach.
I appreciate it. Not over these other guys. By the way, this year, Derrick Henry, he'll get the sixth. Will we ever see a guy win MVP an offensive player of the year? In the same year again.
Will we ever see it where it's just so clear? It's so clear and obvious because You know, when I was looking at this and I'm like, oh, Adrian Peterson was the last non-quarterback to win the award, and he also won Offensive Player of the Year in 2012. And I'm like, huh. Um When was he the last one to win the award, those two awards in the same year? And then Manning, Peyton Manning did it the next year?
That happened two years in a row. Would we ever see that again? Where it's such a clear MVP that it's also he's the offensive player of the year as opposed to. Offensive player of the year, as you know, has now become the non-quarterback MVP. It can only come from a quarterback.
Yeah, after Saquon and McCaffrey didn't win MVPs, we're never going to see another non-quarterback. Only a quarterback could do it. It seems like the voters, of which now I am finally one. Are utilizing the offensive player of the year to give the tip of the cap to a non-quarterback? for his accomplishments.
Which is too bad. But at the end of the day, That 2006 season was so damn special. And he won Walter Payton Man of the Year the same year. I don't know if we'll ever see that either. MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, Walter Payton Man of the Year.
Yeah, I mean, that's nice. And an NFL honors night. I can't imagine we're gonna see that. Will we ever see that? No, I can't imagine.
And then 162 touchdowns for everyone. You can never say nothing.
Well, you didn't even mention, where is he on the all-time receptions list? Yeah, that's what, in my mind, kind of put him above AD right there. Agree, agree. Such a weapon in the receiving game. Jerry Jones has spoken at the owners' meeting.
I'm going to give you a dealer's choice. Come on. We have three sound bites. What do you do? I'll give you a dealer's choice.
Okay. Um you can hear about him on George Pickens, who as you know has been franchise tagged but probably wants a long-term deal and OTAs are around the corner and Is he going to show up or not? What's the long term looking like or short term for Pickens? Jerry has spoken about a possible eighteen game schedule. And then he was asked about the continuing business being uh booming for the NFL.
What do you want? Yeah, let's talk about NFL business. Ah, NFL business first. I didn't expect that. Probably the control room didn't either.
So I'll tap dance to second until it is ready. It is ready. Hit it. When the ducks quack, feed em. And we have that demand.
For our games, and because of the hard work and great players that we have. we have great m demand. We should address it, respond to it. And feed it. The fans and the viewers of the NFL are the ducks then?
I think we're ducks. We're quacking ducks. We're hybrids, the squirrel.
Okay. We've got a new one now. Ducks. And I'm just assuming that that does play into the. conversation about 18 game schedule.
Um Uh the um The first one to talk first one, pardon me, first owner. to talk about it this week that I heard was Bob Kraft. Eighteen games, two bye weeks. Everyone plays at least once. overseas or outside the country.
International series. And so, Jerry Jones on that subject, hit it. My interpretation of the 18th game would be less preseason games. I like that. I think that's great for the players, emphasize, great for the players.
It increases the viability of the financial aspect more gate. uh and more money for the players as well. Then I don't know if it helps the fifty-third man on the roster for whom a a preseason game I think is paramount. But when he's talking about more money for players, it would be thrown into the kiddie of what's uh revenue shared. And the reason why it's more money, and you're like, well, is that because the Euros.
worth more than a dollar these days? Um no. And I'm thinking about this as somebody who calls a ton of. overseas games. Fans there are already into it.
Yeah. They're quacking ducks too. Big time. By the way. Gotta feed 'em.
And gotta feed them. It's it's and it's not, you know, Americans abroad. Or Americans uh living abroad. It's German-speaking people. Everywhere.
It's the real thing. Yeah, for sure. And so. You want to feed that. Clearly.
And then when you create an 18-game schedule where Week one is in Melbourne. Week two is in You know, Paris, week three is in Ireland, weeks four through seven is in London, weeks eight through ten is Germany, week eleven is Paris. Week 12 is Rome. Weeks 13 through 15 is somewhere in Mexico. Yeah, Spain, wherever.
Where, you know? Then you go to a television partner and say, Who wants the international package? Serve it up. Like which I imagine the Ellisons own it. Yeah.
Who who owns the travel channel? I'm not joking, by the way. Oh, YouTube, too. You know, they've done international games. It seems like this is inevitable.
It's a package. Honestly, yeah, it seems like everyone's like, well, are you, you know, does the league want a team overseas? I don't think so. No, you don't need a team. You don't need a division.
We don't need expansion. No. It's just, this is it. Everyone's like, they want a team in London, don't they? And every single time I hear that.
Truly, I do not hear that we need a team in London. 'Cause it would be tough to stock that team. It would be very tough for a free agent to say, you know what? Family. Let's move.
to France or let's move to London. Let's pull everyone out of schools. Leave all your friends. You're now moving to London. Might not be bad, no.
That is not easy. It is not easy. And then, you know, it's a massive advantage for the home team in London when somebody's coming in from. the East Coast or the West Coast or whatever. And then You send them to the East Coast and it's a four Week road trip?
Because you're not going to keep going back and forth. You might go back and forth from London to the East Coast. That's a similar thing of going back and forth from the East Coast to Seattle, but you don't do that four straight weeks. were every other week. If you're Seattle.
You know? I just don't see it.
Now then, here's Jerry on George Pickens. Everybody hit it. I don't know. Uh uh the uh French hashtag has an automatic uh time frame on it. And all of us will and it's my plan and our our thought that we'll all be working within the time frame of the conditions of the franchise tax.
So it should Play itself out, if is the best way for me to say it. Make no mistake about it, we have long-term plans in mind for Pickens.
Okay. Yeah. I'll give you the floor. You just heard. I mean, you want George there for a long time, obviously.
I do. You know, I'm going back and forth because I'm, you know, me, man. I'm not someone who will sit here and claim that I know everything, right? I listen to different sides and I'll change my opinion. First, I was like, yeah, let's sign them.
And then I've had other people kind of go, this money. could be better used filling other gaps. on this team and Now I'm kinda like, di do you really need to pay another Receiver that much money when we've got a lot of holes on the other side.
Now, let me just say this. Let me just say this. The I guess Template. Or Avatar in the NFL of paying top dollar to two wide receivers. There's two teams that do it.
Cincinnati and Detroit. By the way, Jameson Williams is up there, okay, in terms of making money, but T. Higgins and Jamar Chase are the leaders of it. and borrow is being paid as well.
So you got Dak. And you're going to have CD lamb and you're going to have pickings. And I'm saying this with no sense of irony, I swear. Who would you take as a better defense right now, Dallas or Cincinnati? Because you're like, oh, they're paying those guys and they don't have enough.
to figure out how to pay the defensive side. Oh, I don't think there's any question you take, Dallas.
Now that Trey Hendrickson is gone, yeah.
Well, it's not even if even I'll give you Trey Hendrickson on Cincinnati. Quinnen Williams is no joke. Yeah, they made some movies. Kenny Clark, Quinnen Williams, and Rashawn Gary is ferocious with overshown behind them. You're right.
You're right. Okay. Boy, that would have been big if they had gotten Nakobe Dean, with all due respect. But now they're going to draft two kids to put on the back end of the defense. Draft a couple more.
Make another smart signing here and there. Yeah. Laugh all you want, everybody, but the Cowboys are putting it together. That's a fact. I still have to see it.
I know you got to see it. I don't sit here and wave the flag and say we're going. But, like, this defense. on paper Way better. Than what it looked like at this point last year.
Yeah, and it's going to be even with Micah there, I swear to you. And in four weeks, it's going to be better than it is today.
Well, no, but if they got to hit it in the draft. I like that. Because if that back end can't cover, that front end better really get home as fast as they hope they can. But yeah, man. Tight end, two receivers, the running back that they signed, the offensive line.
The quarterback The defensive line. You're getting there.
So Pickens paying him long term. You want to figure all that out and keep Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark and Rashawn Gary and the other kids that you're going to draft who are eventually going to have to get paid at some point? Figure that out? Uh you know People like making fun of Jerry and the Cowboys and the Joneses, but This thing is coming together. It looks it.
Ta where you put him in the NFC, Ta. Three, top four. They have the seventh best. I mean, the top three in the NFC might just be in the same division. Odds-wise, yes.
But I'm not prepared to go there just yet. Better than the Eagles? We don't know. Let's see what it looks like after the draft. How does that turn?
When the ducks quack, feed them. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new jerry drop. Shucky ducky. Sucky animals. Squirrels, ducks, doctors.
Oh my gosh. Powerhouse. It's a gift that just keeps on giving. It's the best. You know?
But yeah, I know, because look, if someone else matches pickings, then we get two firsts. That's kind of nobody's matching George Pickens. No one's matching George Pickens and paying two ones for George. 0.0.
Somebody just paid two ones for Max Crosby and took that back. I'm just telling you, as you already know, that's what happened. Nice try. That's not happening. Speak it, TJ.
844-204, Rich Number to Dial. Let's talk some baseball. Ken Davidoff is joining. Oh, David Wright wrote the forward. You're going to love this.
My captain. That's right. Your captain. When's his number getting retired?
Next week.
Okay. 101 lessons from the dugout, everybody. Ken Davidoff joining us next here on the Rich Eisen Show. Rich Eisen here. The April 15th tax deadline is coming fast, but don't worry.
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Visit turbo tax.com and hand off your taxes to a turbo tax expert today. Rich Eisen here. I've traveled all over for some of the biggest NFL moments you can imagine. Conference championships, Super Bowls, draft weekends, and everywhere I go, the city just feels different. buzzing, packed, electric.
Now take that energy and multiply it by the entire world. That's what's coming this summer with the FIFA World Cup. Fans from every corner of the globe are going to be traveling to experience it live. And when that many people come to town, they're all looking for a place to stay. And that got me thinking.
If you live in or near a host city, this is one of those rare moments. You already have a space. This summer, you could list your space on Airbnb while fans are in town for the FIFA World Cup, not as a full-time thing. Not as some huge lifestyle change, just during an event when demand is naturally high. When I travel for big games, I just want a comfortable place in a real neighborhood, and that's exactly what so many visiting fans will be looking for.
If you've ever thought about listing your space, This summer is a great time as we welcome FIFA World Cup fans. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.com slash host. Oh, oh, oh.
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Oh, Riley. Auto Parts. The Ridge Eisen Show Podcast. You love that sort of stuff. Our radio audience is back.
101 lessons from the dugout, written in part by our next guest right here on The Rich Eisen Show, covering baseball for 30 years, running Ken Davidoff here on the program. What's this book about, sir?
So, Rich, this book is about, it's targeted for young adults and their coaches and parents and grandparents about the life lessons that you can learn from baseball and softball.
So, each chapter is one or two pages, and we just break it down to 101 elements and how you can take the lessons you learn on the field and translate those to the rest of your life.
Okay. So, it's a sort of get-to-know-you self-help type of thing? Yeah, I mean, it's maybe a little inspirational and aspirational. And, you know, like the most simple one is chapter two, the lineup. And, you know, you come to the field and you're not in the lineup that day.
So, how are you going to react to that? You know, you're going to put your head down and let it ruin your day? Are you going to, okay, you know, steal up and say, I'm going to be the best pinch runner, pinch hitter, defensive replacement? Right. I'll win more playing time the next time.
Because that's not easy for kids to figure. Yeah, I just know when my youngest son, who is the baseball player in the family, you know, when you wake up at five in the morning to go drive all the way to the you know hinterlands of our Southern California area. Just to find out you're not playing. And then sit around and then wonder you playing in the afternoon game for a long-ass lunch and you're your uniform's still clean. Right.
It was a you know, it was a tough, a tough day, you know. Yeah. Figure that stuff out. Right. And now you go, let's say your son wants to act, you know, in the school play and he doesn't get the lead role.
He gets the role with two lines, similar, right? Oh, so, yeah, okay.
So, you know, but let's crush those two lines and run more stage time the next time, or run for student body president, but you don't get that, but you're on the student council.
So, all the ways the lessons from the field can translate to the rest of your life.
Okay, and there are parts in this book like about Billy Martin, about what not to do, or no, there's nothing like that. Billy's name, Billy did not make the cut. Like, Billy Martin did not make the cut. No, but you know, we can get into, there's no names at all, but besides the blurbs and David Wright's forward, David Wright, you had him write this. Yeah.
The forward. That's pretty cool. Yeah, David's awesome. Just one of the best people I've ever met, period. And we just thought he was perfect for this because, as you know, Richie's just kind of gone home to.
Southern California and coaching his kids and living a pretty quiet life.
Okay. And softball is the same lessons, is what you're saying. Yeah, obviously they're easily translatable for both. For right, for sure. And it's available wherever you get your books.
And certainly, you know, parenting and sports, and there's so many people who are listening right now or so highly involved in both. They spend, you know, I spend my weekends frequently.
So does my wife as a chauffeur, essentially, from sporting event to sporting event. For sure. This is important sort of stuff right here. Let's talk a little bit about the baseball season right now. One weekend.
How do you think ABS is being taken in right now? I think it's taken in positively as a spectacle, Rich. I went to a Yankee Spring training game a couple weeks ago, and I couldn't believe it's entertaining, right? Because I'm a big tennis fan.
So when you go to the U.S. Open, it's very.
So as opposed to instant replay, which is so aggravating, right? All right, let's sit here for two minutes. Let's watch that. Oh, maybe he's out. Maybe he's safe.
Like this technology, there's no doubt.
So I think, yeah, they're working out the kinks, and umpires are getting a little bit worked up over it. Do you think they are? Yeah, I mean, of course. Because you know they are.
Well, I mean, honestly, Rich, I've just read some stories. Like, I think the Athletic just had a good story, quoting some umpires. But, yeah, like the bottom line is we want to avoid what happened in that WBC game with the U.S. and the DR, where the game ends on a called third strike that's questionable. Right.
Right. Now, if that happens and the team has used up its challenges, it's their fault. Right. It's not the umpire's fault.
Well, we're already seeing. Um Some really entertaining moments. I'm sure it's not entertaining for the manager, but Randy Rosarena on a 3-2 pitch gets called out and he taps his helmet and then proceeds to walk up the first baseline, taking off his equipment because he knows the result of his challenge is going to be ball four. I'm waiting for umpires to. Consider that sort of stuff to be showing them up and an actual ABS ejection coming something off of that.
That would be interesting. You know, like I'm, I'm, I'm wondering where, where this goes from here. Yeah, oh, think of all the power that the umpires have lost in these last 15 years, right? Like, it used to be their word used to be the decree, right? But now, first replay with safe out and fair foul, and now this, you know, and it's a matter of will we ever get to that point.
You know, they entertain the idea of just the total robo-ump or the home plate ump, which is where it earpiece. And okay, that's a ball.
Okay, that's true. I don't really want to get there. I don't want to either. Right. But there's no doubt that the umpire's, you know, power ranking has taken a hit.
Right. And in terms of the Dodgers, how do you think that they're. Run and their way of putting a team together, and their way of paying their team. And the way that they are running their business is affecting the game writ large here. Dramatically, Rich, are you a Simpsons fan?
Sure. Who's not? Remember Homer's line? To alcohol, the cause of and solution to all of life's problems. Yes, sure.
So I think you could say to Shohei Otani, the cause of and solution to all of baseball's problems. Because he's obviously such a dynamo and so fantastic for the game. But because he agreed to that contract with the deferments, the Dodgers have been able to build this empire. Right. And he's not the only one either.
No, his is the most dramatic and he's bringing in the most revenue. But you're right, he set the model for the other ones. And I expect that to be stopped with this next collective bargaining agreement. With deferred payments, will be taken out by who? Who's gonna be the one g the players w Probably don't mind it, right?
Or, Or it's the small market owners that have a problem or even large market owners. Yeah, I don't know. Bottom line is I think it's hard to defend it on principle, and especially when it results like this. And I honestly, you know, the salary cap is obviously the bigger battle, but I think the deferred payments will be relatively easy to figure out how to stop that.
Well, just remove that from the contracts moving forward. Obviously, Otani still has a, what, another, this is a year three of 10, I believe. Right. So they can't take it from the contract. No, no, no, no.
But they'll be grandfathered in. But moving forward, like enough with these deferred payments. But I think we kind of hit on what is an issue here is that there's probably not going to be full-on agreement amongst the actual owners themselves. Oh, for sure. Before we can actually start dealing with the Players Association, which just had their own scandal and had to reconfigure their way of going about their business.
Yeah. But I hope they figure it out because I just think the game's as good as it's ever been. I'd love the pitch clock. I love the fact that the. The shift has been removed.
Now, the ABS, I like the challenge system. I think overall. Everything is this game's has been as great as it's ever been since the times that you know, obviously you and I first met in the late 90s. Yeah, you know, yeah, you agree with that? I do agree, Rich.
I do think, and I, you know, I'm very sympathetic to the players and the idea of free markets and capitalism, but right, I think it's like you look at the Milwaukee Brewers and like no one is accusing the Milwaukee Brewers of lining their pockets with revenue sharing, right? They do a great job. And they won 97 games in the regular season last year, and then they played the Dodgers. It wasn't much of a match.
So like, what can the Milwaukee, more can the Milwaukee Brewers do to keep up with the Dodgers?
So I do think the economic system does need to be, if not a full-on salary cap, maybe the luxury tax. You know, the Dodgers are essentially paying Kyle Tucker double, right, because of luxury tax. Like it's $240 million he's getting, but then they pay $480.
So does that need to go to $720? Does that need to go to what number would that have to get to for the Dodgers to say, no, we're going to pass on Kyle Tucker? What's your favorite George Steinberg story? Oh, okay.
Well, it's very personal for me.
Okay. Because as you know, Rich, you know, when George was at his peak, you know, you had. To keep tabs on them all the time. They had the walkie-talkie's 1097. That was the code.
That meant George was on the property. What are you talking about? The security guards at George Steinmerner Field back then, Legends Field.
Okay. And he arrived on site. The security guards all had their walkie-talkies. You're 1097, 1097. That meant that George was on the premises.
Why was it 1097? That I couldn't tell.
Okay, very good. But anyway, we know.
Okay. Sure. It was my job to learn the code. Very good. Sure.
And so anyway, one day he's there. All right, is George going to talk to us today?
So February 14th, 2003, my wife Sarah, who I met at Michigan, calls me. Wonderful news, honey. We're pregnant. You know, first child, I said, that's amazing. I love you.
I'm so happy. But right now, I'm chasing George Steinbrenner down a hallway trying to get a quote from George Steinbrenner.
So we did not get him that day, but I wasn't that disappointed. It was still a pretty good day for him.
Okay, so. That's Wild. What did you did you name your child George? No. Jonathan Jacob, J.J.
Okay. All right. J.J. Davidoff. Yes.
Heck of a name right there. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, man. I I just remember George Just looming over absolutely everything.
And I'm just being a die-hard fan. Um sitting here thinking He was the scourge of of the Yankees being good. And, you know, all the stuff happened where he got. You know, kicked out of the game for a while, and the Yankees reset without him, and then everything got better. And crazily enough, now I'm wondering if he was around right now, if he would be running the Yankees a little bit better than it's currently being done, to be very honest with you, Ken.
Yeah, that's that goes back and forth. Right now, they're four in one, so I don't feel that way. Check back with me around, you know, Memorial Day. But I'm just wondering what he would be doing right now. You know, like think.
Be good. Every Dodger fan, when I complain about this, that, and how they're paying their players. They're like, you know, you're a Yankee fan, right? Like, welcome to, you know, needing to look your face in the mirror, you know? Yeah, it's fascinating times.
And you mentioned the Dodgers vis-a-vis the Yankees. Yes. Like, you know, Rich, the Yankees, they make their fortune from the Yankees, right? Like, that's their primary source of revenue. That's not the case with the Guggenheim group that owns the Dodgers.
That's not the case with Steve Cohen, who owns the Mets.
So it's just an interesting dynamic where they're really not the financial heavyweights anymore, not like they were.
So other than when you were, you know, day-to-day beat writing and all that sort of stuff, the best player that you were around is who? My favorite player to be around was Hideki Matsui, just a wonderful man, and dealt so well being on the griddle. Yeah, and learned English well enough that we could, you know, kibbutz. And, you know, you know, there were like 30 reporters assigned to him, you know, from Japan. You know, so their story was like Yankees win, Matsui goes 0 for 2 with a walk.
Is that right? Oh, yeah. But he handled that with such grace and such diplomacy, and then also forged relationships with all the American media. And yeah, he was just an absolute delight to deal with. Did you?
Know about the briefcase, or you didn't know about the briefcase? Did you know about McMatsui? Had a briefcase filled with certain oh, yeah, that's uh he he taught me one naughty Japanese word that I I won't share with your audience. Everybody Google it. But while you Google it, make sure you get 101.
That's not one of the 101 lessons. No, that is not. The briefcase is not one of the 100 or less. 101 lessons from the dugout. Neat stuff.
What baseball and softball can teach us about the game of life?
So many of our viewers and listeners have kids in youth sports, and obviously the lessons aren't just applied to sports, they're applied to life in general. David Wright, the all-time great of the Mets, wrote the forward. It's great to see you again, Ken. You too, Rich. I really appreciate it.
Thank you, Stranger. And Let's cut down a net. What do you think? Oh, let's do it. Let's do it.
So you were there you were there f For the I guess what the Gerbach Desmond Howard. When they really came on strong. Yeah, so my senior year, we run the Rose Review. You were there for the Fab Five. There for the Fab Five.
My senior year, we run the Rose Bowl, and Chris called a timeout. That was my senior year. Wow. And you wrote for the Daily, too. I did.
What was the name of your column? Hi, I'm Ken Davidoff. I was, you know, I was above it all, right? I'm not doing a pun. You know, hi, I'm Ken Davidoff.
You know, Shepherds was chef's specialty. That's what it was. And so I was get rich quick. Yeah. I mean, you were above the fray, huh?
Oh, yeah. What a jerk. Look at this guy over here. Do you think. High falutin.
High falutin? Yeah. All right. 101 lessons for the dugout. Everybody get it.
We're books. Are available wherever you get your books. 101 Lessons from the Dugout. We're back with more to wrap up this show and Rich Eisen show here on this busy Wednesday in a moment. The Rich Heisen Show, the podcast.
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Yeah, yeah. 844-204-RICH is the number to dial right here on the program. C.B. Buckner took one off of his face mask, the home plate umpire who's been. Overturned more than any other ov home plate umpire in the house.
Brutal call last night at first base. His long week has continued. He had to leave the game, did he? Yeah. Damn bad.
Don't wish that no, of course, on anybody. But that is what's happening. A lot of day baseball here on this side. A lot of day baseball. Are you Red Sox winning or losing?
Where are we? Just tied it up. Hey, congratulations. Yeah. Congrats to you.
Happy for you. Rough. Not a great start to the year.
Okay. Paul Skeens got some run support. He did. He got it last week, too. He just gave up on it.
So, Neil Cruz hit a three-run bomb. That makes up for giving up four runs against the Mets with his glove, right? Only went five. Pirates are up 4-3. All right.
Um what's on tonight? What do we got? You know? What are we doing? I don't know.
This is that time of year. I mean, we are in. This is the conversation we have this time of year every year. April is Phenomenal. First full month of baseball.
Phenomenal. Yep. March Madness Final Four. Yep. in men's and women's basketball.
Masters next week. Masters. Then the NBA and NHL playoffs begin. NFL draft. Right.
NFL draft. What are we missing? A little disrespectful is this conversation. What is WrestleMania? WrestleMania?
WrestleMania. Speak up. You're on the screen.
Well, I've been on your microphone.
Well, he was talking. I was going to see if he was going to get to it. Ducks are quack and feed them. Yeah, exactly. Feed it.
You know what I'm saying? No contest wrestling, sir. Feed them. I have said this before, but April is the best sports month. I don't know.
And you guys disagree. You're crazy. You can't have. the best sports month have no football being played in it with all due respect to the UFL. There's a draft.
No, National Football League. The draft is often better than most regular season NFL weeks. I guess since both ESPN and NFL network. We're showing The Fernando Mendoza Pro Day throws. I was watching it.
It was great. You know, over the last half hour. He talked afterwards. Let's go. Yeah.
So now we're going to talk about well, he's definitely the first overall pick now because he looked great thrown on air at his pro day. Giant Greaters contingent. By the way, the Indiana pro day just got covered live on television. I know. Words I never thought.
I'd ever say. Words you'll probably never say again. I'd probably say, hey, hey, everybody, back off and be careful here. I'm just saying. Be careful.
Probably right. Why would you say you'd never say that again? Why would you say that?
Well, up until today, you're 56, and up until today, you went all that time and never said it. Yeah, but why?
So I don't like the chances. Why won't we see it again? Why can't Curtsy? You want to Google the coach that? I mean, I know who he is.
You want to Google what he does? The Berg thing. Go ahead and Check it out. No disrespect. I mean, if he leaves, there are no chances.
He's not leaving. Where's he going? Anywhere he wants. He could have gotten, dude. Honestly, Pittsburgh might have screwed this up.
What? The Steelers should have hired him? Yeah. They could have brought him home. Oh, come on now.
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But How dare you say that Indiana's Program is not going to have a pro day aired again. That's something else. Good take. I like that. Let me just say this.
Excuse me. Let me just say this. Fernando Mendoza is going to be the first overall pick in this draft. And today, watching him, just look at him throw, man. Look at him fake here.
And then he throws on the run in his shorts, and there's no one chasing him around. He's highly impressive. He's going to be first overall, and it'll be awesome to watch his career. It'll be fun. If you think this is the end of Indiana football, that they've just had their one shot at.
Fame and fan. Oh, they're not making the playoff next year. Oh, I'll take that. I'll take that right now. Is there a powerhouse now?
Powerhouse. Powerhouse. Yeah, they're a powerhouse, TJ. Yeah. Yeah.
Come on, this dude is not messing around. He is What's the matter with you people? You know what? Gosh, man, bless you to have this positive attitude. Why is it not a positive attitude?
I see what he's cooking up. It's been two years. Right. A dynasty does not make.
Okay. They're going to be One of the Excellent Big Ten teams again this fall. They're going to win. Double-digit game. I will take all of this action.
And they will also be in the mix for the college football playoffs. We're allowed to bet now, you and me.
Well, I've always been. You and me. I'm not used to it. You are allowed to bet now. Just let me go.
So I will take all of this action from you. Let me just find this out before I start doing it. Yeah, because we can't have him.
Okay. Messed up, Chris. There's some human resources traps that I need to continue to run here before I'm fully aware of what I can and cannot do. No, listen to Chris. I'm trying to get you.
After 23 years, I'm very rusty on this sort of stuff. But I do believe my unfrozen caveman lawyer days are over. Yeah, you're not frozen. No, I don't understand what you mean by this language. I like this.
This over and this under thing, I'm very confused by this language.
So, wait, come out. Do you know what an over-under is?
Sorry? You actually know what an over-under is? I'm beginning to. The memories. The fog, the 23-year fog is beginning to lift.
10 and a half. Peasing it together for Indiana. That's the line right now. Hit the over. How much, Chris?
10 and a half. Hit it. 10 and a half. That's a lot of wins, though. Hit it.
It's a lot of wins. Hit it. Okay. Hit it. Adam.
Michigan eight and a half. He got him. Take the over. Hit it. Are you aware that we're living in a Big Ten world right now?
Are you aware of that? Or you're not aware of it? Are you aware that five of the Sweet 16 teams were from the Big Ten? Are you aware that half the Elite Eight and half the Final Four from the Big Ten? Are you aware of that?
All right, cool.
Okay, just trying to update you on a few things here about what world we're living in. I know it's a Southeast bias world when it comes to college athletics, but this is a Big Ten world we're living in right now. The last three national champions, are you aware of that streak in football? I only acknowledge. What conference they're from?
I only acknowledge. Indiana's the latest. I only acknowledge. Ohio State only followed up what Michigan started. And then before, yeah.
Just trying to figure that out.
So next year, Penn State's going to flee. Only two are asterisks clean. Maybe. Maybe. I love.
Keep going, Chris. I don't care. You're not getting me down right now. It's the Big Ten World right now, and it's Kurt Signetti collecting rent. Are you kidding me?
They're not going to make the playoffs.
Okay. I will take it.
Okay. I'm gonna write this down. I'll call him a shot. Who's the betting favorite to win the national championship? To win the natty next year?
Oh, the Ohio State.
Okay. And who else? Notre Dame. And who else? Texas.
Indiana's not there? Indiana is third.
Okay. But they're not making the conference. But I don't know if you're aware, there's 12 teams that make it.
Okay. Calm a shot.
Okay. Just Google him. Do yourself a favor. He's told you what to do. Do it.
The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Mm-hmm.
