Are roll batteries the same? Yeah. That's like asking if all soccer players are the same. Take Messi, the most decorated player ever. Is there any other player who has achieved that?
No, just him.
Now take Duracell. Is there any other battery with power boost ingredients inside? No, just Duracell. Remember, GOATs only trust GOATs because they're built different. And Messi only trusts Duracel.
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Now, on with the show. Oh my God, you guys are my favorite. This is The Rich Eisen Show. The one and only. Rich Eisen.
I know what I'm talking about. That's the headline. The Rich Eisen Show. With guest host, Brian Weber. I mean, honestly, he's brilliant.
Brian Weber. I've got a long resume. Google me. It saves time. From the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles.
And now, sitting in for Rich. It's Brian Weber. The final hour of the program. Great to have you with us coast to coast. ESPM radio.
Radio app, Sirius XM channel lady, and tune in. 844-204-Rich is the phone number, 844-204-7424. Appreciate the feedback on the X platform. Let's keep that going. It is BW Weber.
Weber with 2Bs. 20 minutes will get to the baseball after my lousy clock management skills in the previous hour. I'm calling that audible. And once more, we do appreciate the professionalism and the patience of. Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press.
Coming up 20 past the hour, we'll talk MLB. With Levi Weaver. He writes the wind-up newsletter for the Athletic in 45 minutes by popular demand. I was going to say award winning, but I want to actually be. Factual?
I don't want to be FIFA-esque. I don't just want to make things up. A couple people on social media like it, so we're bringing back The World Wide Weber segment. Super producer James Steele might point out a thing or two. I've overlooked.
as we do our best to be expansive and comprehensive meaning. We're heading back to the pitch.
Now I've tried to balance the program. With enough MBA? Travis Kelsey, thoughts not on the wedding of the century. We'll wait for Rich to come back to his throne. To talk about the experience of being there.
He does a great co-sell. Maybe he'd say, What was it like to be at MSG? How do I know? I was there, but according to People Magazine, Pro Football Talk, Rich and his lovely wife Susie Schuster, who, of course, hosts this show frequently among the football community that gathered to wish Travis and Taylor all the best. That's all been part of the agenda today.
With a reminder, if you miss any portion of any program, you can catch up anytime you want on demand with the podcast. That will be dropped. Just after the conclusion of this program, soccer understandably has been the focal point. It was going to be. What we concentrated on, irrespective of what happened yesterday, with all of the hype and expectation leading up to.
Team USA Versus Belgium tonight, eight Eastern in Seattle, with a trip to the quarterfinals on the line. And then everything got even weirder and for the United States, more interesting with FIFA allowing our leading scorer. And yes, I'm going to go possessive us when it comes to an American team in international play. For Lauren Baloguit is back. There's an update on Belgium's appeal that we'll get to momentarily.
But first, let's get you some expert analysis beyond my bloviating. And you heard it on the outstanding soccer show, ESPN FC. ASPN soccer analyst Hercules Gomez did not mix his words with his reaction to FIFA suspending Balogu's red card, allowing him to play tonight. There is no appeal process here at this FIFA World Cup. They're not allowed to do this.
So take it one step further, Ali. This is moving the goalpost on the players, because all you want as a player is if the referee is going to be bad on the field, be bad consistently so that the players can get used to it, so the players can adapt. There is no way to adapt here. Uh Jan mentioned about in his village the rules as you go. This is what it is here.
I mean, I'm of the train of thought that it's not a red card in real time, but with what we see. Can you reverse it? And it's not even the rules to allow it to be reversed. This is unprecedented. This is literally them making the rules up as they go.
So I repeat, if you're an American fan, you should feel glorious right now because you get your best goal scorer back. And he could literally be the X factor to advancing to the next round. If you're anybody but a U.S. men's national team fan, this feels off. It feels like the host nation is gaining a favor here.
Well said, and it amplifies the thoughts I've been trying to Process and our two hours of change so far together because I have mixed emotions that Hercules articulated. I think very coherently, yes. As an American sports fan, and as somebody who grew up with that soccer playing generation in the late 1970s, I keep going back to the default position, why are we not better yet? It's been 50 freaking years with the knowledge that 2002 had a historic performance by the U.S. men's national team.
And let me pause here and say men's national team. I am well aware of the brilliance of the women's team. And if you care about my resume, I called high level college women's soccer for years.
So this is no disrespect or overlooking what the women's team has done consistently with their dynastic play and multiple World Cup victories. This is about the men's team. And It feels like the run so far is overdue, and then to get to this position and have a red card that was ridiculous. Even if you don't follow soccer, you have a notion of. What a foul is and what a foul is not, right?
It's like the old definition of. Pornography, not mine, Justice Potter Stewart. As now we get really into the weeds here, but I want to give the line because it's a good one. I know it when I see it. You know what a hard foul is in any sport.
Yes, there was contact made, but Fallogans Physicality did not rise to a red card. In fact, there was no yellow card given.
So the red card was a farce. It was ridiculous. It was the wrong decision. And the misuse of VAR still The process, the FIFA used to arrive at that reversal yesterday, was equally flawed. Opaque.
lacking transparency, then you throw the added elements of the White House getting involved. I can understand how How the rest of the world says this is ridiculous. This is a miscarriage of sporting justice. This is the United States getting an unfair advantage. Two things can be equally true.
And that's how I feel about this. I am pleased that our leading scorer is going to be back on the field tonight because since I'm back with you tomorrow, it would have been unfortunate if I had to spend the entire show saying, well, hypothetically, how would things have been different if the United States was at full strength? And they had. Balogin. And let's remember, and again, I'm not getting political.
That's not my job, especially as a filming host, but if you know about his background, he has dual citizenship. And Falaren chose to play for the United States. And what a difference maker he's been because just from the eyeball test. This team is playing with so much more urgency because of his athletic ability and shot-making skills as. A premier striker.
And they're playing with more confidence, in part because of the experience gained by competing. For the returning players in the last World Cup, which was in the fall in Qatar, because FIFA's going to FIFA. But the returning players gain that important time on the field.
So they're playing not only with. The muscle memory of knowing what it takes to get through the rugged bracket in the World Cup, but now. Their confidence has to be sky-high based on the results. Coming up with 10 goals so far. And because Belgium is a big step up in competition.
Without question, this is the most talented team. That Will have faced as of yet, if you care about the FIFA rankings, number nine in the world, United States, 1415, the number fluctuates.
So there's a disparity there. And it's an experienced team. Belgians have kept this core group together. Counsel of that. They're older.
So, the United States might have an advantage in terms of the energy that their younger legs. Can lean on tonight and the crowd. Because Seattle will be a cauldron, especially when Balogan's name isn't out tonight.
So that's all great for the United States. And I'll give you another selfish. point of view that I'm leading on. I'm a filling host. During what's normally a slow period.
I'm back with you tomorrow. I'm back with you on Friday. I have the ability potentially on Friday to talk about the United States playing in the quarterfinals. Just the second time in the modern era. We're not talking about 1930s and the semifinals anymore.
1930, even for me, is a little bit before my time. A monumental opportunity. That quarterfinal match against the winner of Portugal and Spain will be played here in Southern California as I come to you from our Regal Studios in L.A.
So I want all of these things to happen. And I want soccer to be more relevant because I'm looking for more things to talk about, yet. I can't turn off my brain or my conscience. And FIFA is going to FIFA. It's just what they do.
You get back to words like corrupt. Unseemly. Lack of integrity. I mentioned there's an update for Belgium's appeal. No surprise.
Appeal denied.
So, while it felt like the ultimate Hail Mary to mixed sports metaphors. That Balogin was going to be prevented from playing tonight. Belgium, at least, went through the process. But if you're a Belgian fan or If you're just anti-FIFA. As many Fair-minded people are because of their history of not only making things up as they go along, but Let's just say not having the best business practices.
I'll be careful because there's always lawyers listening. I get it. This feels a little bit Gross But The United States will go with the team that FIFA allows them to play with. It does create a semi-different vibe from an international standpoint. Nobody watching the game tonight.
Who's an American soccer fan, nor attending what's going to be raucous in Seattle? Is going to cheer. Less Or have less of an emotional connection because they feel like. Fifa. is run improperly.
And if you care about the official word from their president Gianni Infantino, he's issued a statement acknowledging that he did get a phone call from President Trump and then went on to say, of course. That FIFA makes their decisions on an independent basis. To take it back to Casablanca. Gambling? I'm shocked.
I'm shocked. What's he going to say? Yes, there is a direct quid pro quo. We want the United States to get through, to keep the ratings. At their historic level, we want soccer to be more front and center in the U.S.
to keep the revenue gravy train going in FIFA's direction. Look, I don't want to. Overwhelm you with boring business details, but if you live in a city like Kansas City or the New York Tri-State area or Southern California. While there's been a massive economic effect positively with travelers from around the world coming here to watch the soccer, spend money, enjoy a holiday. FIFA does better than anybody.
They do better than the NFL in terms of hacking up the terms of those contracts. They. Put all of the cost burden on the host cities, and they assume none of those liabilities. Because FIFA's always gonna come out. Ahead because That's what they do.
But none of that matters, and we're getting closer and closer to first touch. Yes, it's a kickoff, but I like any chance I get to brush up against soccer. Nomenclature should be absolutely dynamic tonight. And to sum it up, No excuses, no alibis for the United States. Our best team ever assembled.
With one of the best strikers we've ever had. And we're not even talking much about Christian Pulisik, who's viewed as the most talented player in the history of American soccer. Clearly, the right coach in Mauricio Pochettino and a goalie in Matt Fries, who's come up with a couple shutouts, only allowing one goal in three games. He's going to have to be at his best against a very skilled, offensively veteran Belgian team. Can't wait to be back with you tomorrow.
And we'll give you our takeaways, and we'll get expert analysis in the first hour of the show when we're joined by Danny Higginbottom. You've heard him call World Cup games on Fox. You hear him throughout the MLS season on Apple TV. He played in the Premier League and MLS competition. I'm Brian Weber.
I feel like I'm running around in a kit. Remember, it's not a soccer uniform. It is a kit. It's all about set pieces here on the Rich Eisen Show. You can let me know your thoughts on the X platform.
That is BW Weber Weber with two B's. Up next, coming off the long Independence Day holiday weekend, I have to talk some baseball. And even if you don't pay that close attention to the diamond anymore, this should be pretty stark to you. Why is the National League so much better than the scuffling AL this year? We will explore that when we check in with.
Levi Weaver. He writes the wind-up newsletter for the athletic. A lot more to get done on a jam-packed Monday. Thank you for spending time with us. I'm Brian Weber, and for Rich on The Rich Eisen Show.
A bandwagon fan, the biggest insult in sports. But this summer, during the FIFA World Cup, it's an invitation, America. Never watched soccer before? Perfect. Think a corner kick is a karate move?
Sure, why not? Prefer sports where players can use their hands? Me too. Just here for the snacks?
Now we're talking.
So grab a bag of Lays and jump on the bandwagon. We're undefeated. Lays, the official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Rich Eisen here with some advice. If high-interest credit card debt is grinding you down, it might be time to call an Audible with a SoFi personal loan.
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Fast Funds terms apply at sofi.com/slash debt play. Rich Eisen here. Running a small business means every hire matters. A bad hire costs time and money, but the right one helps your business grow. The challenge?
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This is The Rich Eisen Show, ESPM Radio, the ESPM Radio app, Sirius XM Channel 80, or tune in in 30 minutes. We wrap it up. With gusto and style points as we log on to the World Wide Weber first. Coming off the long holiday weekend on July 4th, as we get set for the All-Star Game in Philadelphia eight days from today. Got to talk some baseball.
Always a pleasure to check in with Levi Weaver. He writes the wind-up newsletter for the Athletic. I am an Athletic subscriber. I would recommend that you explore that as well for excellent content. Levi, I appreciate you taking the time.
How are you? Oh man, I'm the style and gusto guy. This is great. Style, gusto, and the wind-up. What better Troika could we have?
On the July I don't even know what it is. Saturday was July 4th.
So, hey, I'm here in Southern California. I get to watch the Dodgers play every day. Feels like they win every day. But context matters. And I know this could fuel a larger conversation about deferred money and the labor war that's coming up.
But Levi, they haven't had Edwin Diaz for the majority of the year, and the whole point of getting him was to bolster the bullpen. That was their biggest issue last year. As you know, no Blake Snell, no Tyler Glasnow in the rotation. Kyle Tucker hasn't done much despite all the money the Dodgers gave him in the offseason. Are you surprised at all they've been this dominant?
Okay. You know, I probably shouldn't be surprised at all when the Dodgers do good things. I mean, it's. It's not, you're right. They've missed a lot of production from guys they expected to produce, and on a normal team, that would be devastating.
Um But at the same time, you got Andy Pajes breaking out this year. He's been worth, well, I've got my numbers up here, 4.1 wins above replacement. He's been their best position player so far this year. And Max Muncie's having a resurgence, and they've just the depth there is crazy. And you're not wrong that they spend more than just about anybody.
But the thing about the Dodgers that I think gets underrepresented is that Andrew Friedman is doing a phenomenal job there. I mean, he did such a great job with the Rays. And It doesn't always work. You know, look at the sort of the Wario version of the Dodgers right now as the Mets. They brought in David Stearns, who did good work in Milwaukee and thought that they were going to be the East Coast Dodgers.
They spend. More money than anybody, not the Dodgers, and they stink this year.
So it's not just the money. The Dodgers have also done a really good job of player development. Look at Justin Robleski has been, he should be an all-star this year.
So Dalton Rushing has been very good this year, despite all the controversies in that one really horrible game as he takes his lumps and learns how to be a big league catcher. They're really, really good, and it's not just the spending.
So, no, I'm not that surprised. that they've been this dominant because they just do everything well. We are focusing on the diamond with Levi Weaver. Check out his great work. It's the wind-up newsletter, all part of the athletic.
And I'm glad you made that point about not just resource allocation and throwing money at problems, but the people making the decisions because Andrew Friedman has demonstrated in the past he could win with a lot less in Tampa. And now you see what he's doing with the Dodgers. And let's just connect that to the team they took three of four games from. And the Padres finally snapped that eight-game losing streak with a win last night. But Levi, as you know, San Diego, quote-unquote, a small market, has a big payroll.
So we know about Manny Machado having just a miserable year at the plate. What else has slowed this team down?
Well, it hasn't just been Machado. I mean, a lot of their stars have been. underproducing. You look at not that Jake Cronaworth should be a star, but he should be a regular and his OPS is in the low fives. Xander Bogart has been just okay.
Ramon Loreano hasn't really worked out. He's on the injured list. It's been kind of hit and miss with their offense, but really it's the lack of starting pitching depth that has hurt them. I mean, Michael King has been very good, but. Walker Bueller hasn't been great.
I'm looking through this list here, Griffin Canning, the ERA of nearly seven. Herman Marquez is pitching for the Padres, which I think probably says a lot. Three of the five guys they have listed on as their rotation have negative Wins above replacement.
So if they and never underestimate A.J. Preller's ability to go do things at the deadline, will he go get some starting pitching? I would assume so. But that Padre's window seems to be closing a little bit. I mean, Machado's getting up there in years, Bogart's is getting up there in years.
You know, Jackson Merrill's twenty three, that's great, but it's it's it's looking like a closing window for them. One of the things that I think really hurt them early was Fernando Tatiz was hitting the ball hard, but none of them were going over the fence.
Now he's rided that ship a little bit lately. He's up to five home runs, I think all of them within the last three or four weeks. But you know when you when you get a guy that is On an offense that's struggling, and he's hitting the ball hard, and the results just aren't there, that's so deflating.
So I'll never count the Padres out until at least after the trade deadline and I see what Preller does. But yes, it's not looking great there right now. And I think pitching has really been in addition to some star players not playing like star players, I think the pitching has been the biggest bugaboo for them. Talking baseball with Levi Weaver of the Athletic. He's our guest on the Rich Eisen Show.
Can I make the presumption that you're willing to write off the Giants who have been? Abysmal this year. And as we take a look at the overall situation, Levi, how much of that do you want to pin on Tony Botello making the historic jump from college baseball where he had a ton of success at Tennessee, going to the bigs with no major league experience? Or is it perhaps more a reflection of the man who hired him and Buster Posey putting together a flawed roster? Yeah, I mean, probably a little of both.
I I think when when you hire somebody like Vitello, you kind of have to expect that there are going to be some bumps in the first year. And that's just. You know, the big leagues are, I mean, shoot, before I was a baseball writer, I was a musician and had the good fortune to kind of just jump straight into covering the Texas Rangers. And even in the press box, year one, you're learning a lot. Making big mistakes and learning from those mistakes and learning how the game works.
There is a There is a rhythm and a pace to it, and it takes some time. And so I think. The Giants had to know that, bringing in Vitello. I was very interested in how that was going to go.
So far, the results have clearly not been great. But I think one of the things that we've Sort of started to see as a recurring pattern is the communication that it takes to run. A big league team successfully just hasn't quite been there. You know, just almost every time there's some. controversy, it's communication, whether that's Luisa Reis not I mean, not Luisa Reis, I'm sorry.
Rafael Devers. Rafael Devers, yeah, not wanting to come off of first base because they were going to pinch run from for him and he didn't think that that was he didn't realize that was coming. Uh who was the was the pitcher uh about a week ago that didn't realize he was only on an 85 pitch. Was it Landon Roop or Tyler Maley? I think it was Maley.
Didn't realize he was on an 85-pitch limit. And he said, I would have pitched that last batter a little differently if I'd known it was my last batter. to even, you know, the the Pride Night Cap controversy in which The the commissioner of baseball said, Hey, The the giants didn't communicate accurately to their players what was required and what wasn't. And that does come down to Posey. That's And I really thought that his inability or unwillingness to answer questions in the aftermath of that Well, it's not a great look.
I know you want to be president of baseball operations and just handle things like roster moves and player development, but that that role, you are a forward facing role and Especially wi if you are Buster Posey, right? Like does it does didn't just pluck their GM out of obscurity. He's a he's a known entity that the community is looking to him to be the voice of the franchise. And it just It just hasn't happened. You know, will the Giants be Okay, not this year.
I think they can sell this year and restock for the future, but. Is the duo of Posey and Vitello doomed? I don't think so yet. I think this is growing pains. Posey hasn't been a GM before either.
you can't really expect that, that combo is just going to come together and be Superman in year one. And I think we're just seeing those growing pains on all fronts. And you mentioned the Star Power Buster, the face of the franchise with those World Series multiple titles. It's not like they hired Kurt Manwaring from back in the day. He had a lot of goodwill in the Bay Area, and a lot of it seems to be marginalized now.
I'm Brian Weber, guest hosting for Rich. This is the Rich Eisen Show, and we're rounding the bases with Levi Weaver of the Athletics. Levi, I realize that it's cliché, but clichés exist because there's some truth. Baseball is the most random sport of them all because you have 162 opportunities.
So flip that coin. But when you look at the balance of power across MLB, why do you think the National League is so much better than the scuffling American League this year? Man, I really do think that is just one of those random things. You know, teams go through cycles of growth into being a good team and then tear down into being a rebuild team. And I just think we're seeing a lot of American League teams hit that, like having a bad year at the same time.
And you could go into each individual team and there are some different reasons for each. The Tigers have had a ton of injuries this year and they should have been better and they're not. The Rangers have failed to really address their Their offense, and oh, hey, by the way, they're in a playoff spot even though they're a 500 team. Welcome to the American League.
So bad. Yeah. You know, the Red Sox, their pitching staff should have been amazing, but they kind of knew that they had some roster deficiencies at the beginning of the season, and those have played out to be such.
So it's just every team kind of has their own different reason for why they're not so great. But when you look at the American League, it looks like the Yankees and the Rays. With the possibility of an upstart White Sox team taking advantage of a weak American league. But there really aren't any good teams. I just finished.
you know, voting for the for our weekly power rankings. And I think my top Five or six teams were national league teams before I even got to the Yankees and Rays.
So Yeah, I do think it's random in that they all seem to be collected in the American League. even though it may not be quite so random when you start to dig down and look at each team's individual process. But the fact that two years ago the White Sox had 121 losses. We don't have to talk about the expansion 1962 Mets anymore. And here we are now as we get deeper into the season, still in first place in the American League Central, which is just wild.
Let me get you out of here on this.
So with all of that parity or mediocrity in the American League, how do you think that impacts how teams are going to approach the trade deadline as we get closer to the first week of August? Boy, I really think that it's going to be a lot of very last minute flurry because I think there are teams that still look and go, hey, we've got Almost a month. To turn this around, one little six or seven game winning streak, and all of a sudden we're a playoff team. Um, so you know, if you're you are the I live in Dallas, so I'll use the Rangers as another example. They're at five hundred, they're not a good team, they will not win the World Series.
Uh, it would be shock, and they've got good pitching, so who knows once they get in the playoffs. if they do get into playoffs, but they're not good. Um but should they sell right now? Probably not, especially with a GM. Chris Young is very competitive.
He never really wants to sell, he wants to compete.
So it doesn't make sense for them to punt just yet while they're in a playoff position. There are some clear buyers, clearly, you know, the Yankees and Rays and White Sox and probably the Mariners as well. could use some boost to their offense. But When you look at the list of sellers, I mean, even the Tiger, the Tigers have the worst record, third worst record in the American League. They're only five games out.
Eric Schoogle's healthy again. You never know, right?
So I think it'll be a lot of last-minute decision making and teams that wait till the very last second to finally. get a deep sigh and go, okay, fine, we'll sell. Um but man, you know, we talk about Names that are GMs that are the Kurt Manwearing type. I think Chris Goetz has done a really good job with the White Sox. And I just, you know, while we're talking about.
undernamed players that are in the GM role now. That White Sox team has been so exciting to watch, and I really would love to see them sneak into the playoffs or win the division and see what they can do in October. Feel-good story, and a reminder that. You never know what you're going to see, Levi, as I'm sure you learned when you started covering Major League Baseball. All the old timers tell you, you never know what you're going to see when you come out to the ballpark.
Let me be a hack as I say goodbye, because I try to actively listen. You mentioned your background in music, so let's wrap this up with gusto. Give me your Mount Rushmore of the Greatest Guitar Players of All Time. Oh my gosh, greatest guitar players a lot. That's a huge mountain, buddy.
That's a really big mountain. You can go Everest, Pal. You got five minutes left in the segment. The floor is yours. Yeah, all right.
You know, I'll give you one that I think is underrated. How about that?
Okay. I was re-listening to Jason Isbell's. Discography recently and remembered a few years ago I saw him live. And when you listen to Jason Isbell's records, he does not strike you as being a guy who rips on the guitar. That dude rips on the guitar.
I think he's slept on as a guitar player.
So is he on the Mount Rushmore guitar players? Probably not, but he's front of mind right now because of that listening recently. I think And if you're looking for a good guitarist, go see a Jason Isbell show. All right, you went off the board. I was going to go all-time greats because I'm Captain Obvious, like.
Jimi Hendrix or Eddie Van Hallen, but thank you for mixing it up. After all, that's why you have the time and the insight to come up with the windup. Yeah. Well, thank you. Thank you, Levi.
I appreciate you taking the time. See you anytime. Levi Weaver has become a regular, when I'm lucky enough to you, sit in for Rich during the summer vacation period. And I do recommend, and of course, this was not in any way conditional, but Because quality journalism and sports, that's not Contradictions. Not jumbo shrimp.
Military intelligence. Sports journalism exists. It's important, but you got to support it.
So consider. Subscribing to the Athletic, and you can check out Levi and the rest of their team's outstanding work. I'm Brian Weber. You don't have to subscribe to anything to enjoy my work, but you get what you pay for after all. Jot down the phone number for tomorrow.
Win or lose, I expect reaction. And fallout from the United States matching up with Belgium in Seattle, 844-204-7424. Or you can continue to pepper me with your thoughts, and they're all appreciated. Good or bad, positive or negative. I just want some attention.
That's why I got into broadcasting after all. My handle on the X platform is BW Weber, Weber with two B's. And just to amplify what Levi was talking about: if you are the Tigers, while the standings in the wild card, especially, but it's a muddled mess in the American League Central, as exemplified by the By Chicago. I'm going to say this one more time. Two years ago, the White Sox lost 121 games.
The worst team in Major League Baseball history. That's a pretty big Sample size, they're in first place in that division now, and it's not an aberration because we're in July. What do the Tigers do with Scubal? Understanding, he's in his walk year. Scott Boris is his agent.
It's already gotten contentious. They had to go to arbitration and lose that record-setting finding. against in a contentious Way with their ace? They could have paid them if they wanted to. They don't have the wherewithal and they don't have the money necessarily.
Now, it's the spending power and the ability to spend. Yes, the Tigers have deep enough pockets if they want to break the bank. But That gets us to where we're going with the impending labor war, but I'm trying to stay upbeat. There's so much good stuff going on in sports right now. But if the Tigers are still hanging around, How do they balance?
Making a push for the playoffs by keeping the best pitcher in the American League over the last five years, two time Cy Young Award winner, versus flipping him for multiple assets, albeit in a rental situation, understanding In all likelihood, he's not going to be pitching for your team next year. Just another important layer to track. And I know a lot of you don't follow baseball the way you used to, but. We're in that fallow period before the NFL returns and the World Cup will be winding down. Even casual fans still watch the all-star game, the numbers say.
It's going to be a great scene in Philadelphia as some of the angriest fans/slash most passionate. I don't want my New York bias to come out, but you know the energy will be there in Philadelphia, especially when guys like Schwarber and Harper get in the box next Tuesday for the Midsummer Classic. I'm Brian Weber. Sitting in for Rich, home stretch on this Monday edition of the program coming up. The goal is to be comprehensive.
But there's a chance something important wasn't on my radar screen. We'll find out if that's a reality when we log on to the World Wide Weber. Stay with us. The best hopefully is yet to come as we continue on a Monday installment of The Rich Eisen Show. Rich Eisen here for Gusto.
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Alrighty. Auto parts. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast. It's the Rich Eyes and Show. I'm Brian Weber.
Always an honor to sit in for Rich and the guys, and I'm equally pleased with the news that we'll do it again tomorrow. With all the fallout and analysis of the highly anticipated soccer match tonight in Seattle between the United States and Belgium, we have just enough time coming up to fire up the Commodore 64 for the World Wide Weber. A reminder: a SoFi personal loan is here to help you achieve something once thought impossible. Overcoming high interest credit card debt. Walk the tightrope of your finances with one low fixed rate monthly payment, no fees required, and as soon as the same day funding, that's right, pull off your own debt-defying stunt with a SoFi personal loan.
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WWE, the World Wide Weber. And for that, we say hello to super producer James Steele. James, were you ever a DJ? Were you ever on the wheels of Steele with Jay Steele? I was not.
No, I can't say that I was. Thank you for killing the bit. Just play along. Hey, where do you want to start? Yeah, I was.
Yeah, thank you for noticing. I'm a lonely man breaking down every team in the NBA. I'm just looking for a little support. Where do you want to start? Yeah, I mean, we've been talking about soccer a bunch today, and you've been talking about how.
Your experience with soccer goes back to the 70s.
So how do you see tonight's match between the US and Belgium playing out tonight in Seattle? This is my stone cold lock.
Now, I can't pick against Team USA, and I'm not trying to stake out the moral high ground. Anybody has the moral high ground over FIFA. The nicest guy in prison has more integrity than FIFA. I just have mixed emotions about how they arrived at the proper decision to pause that red card. Remember, it wasn't overturned.
It doesn't matter semantically. It's a one-year probation for Balogun. But with the United States leading scorer back on the field, the emotional boost of that, plus guys like Pepe, who got more playing time at practice, and the Seattle Advantage. I think it's tight. I think it's low scoring.
United States two, Belgium one, and And we advance to the quarterfinals for just the second time since 2002 in the modern era. And I'm really praying to the content gods that that happens because that hands me a show when I'm back on Friday, quarterfinals, USA versus winner of Portugal and Spain. That's coming up. What's next? Yeah, up next, let's stick with soccer.
The U.S. fans have been singing Country Roads after their last three World Cup matches, wins, played by the U.S. men's national team. Where do you slot John Denver's classic among the best post-game sing-along songs in sports?
Okay, that is an interesting way to frame it.
Now, since we mentioned my soccer expertise, it goes back to the early. To mid-1970s.
Now, I'm not 90, but I'm in my mid-50s. I should stop saying this because I'm never gonna get hired for any job now. in any form of media. You're right in my wheelhouse, and we're talking John Denver. I am fully engaged.
My only thought would be, since this is an international competition, should we go with something a little bit more overtly patriotic, like Born in the USA? I know Bruce is selective about who gets to play that, but he wouldn't, by, I hope, any stretch of the imagination, be anti-team USA. I will take you to Rocky IV. Queue up Living in America. We had that during the program.
Mikey C always does a great job, and we didn't even mapped that one out. That was serendipity. Give me a little James Brown. Finally, if I have to connect it to songs that are mainstream and you hear them all the time, because they play 162 games in baseball. Give me any giant victory, which are rare, as we just discussed with Levi Wary.
Weaver, I'm wary of talking about the team in the Bay Area. They play, I left my heart in San Francisco. The great Tony Bennett serenading things in the city by the bay. James, I have listened to you on and off the year. I'm aware that you grew up in the Pittsburgh area.
Can you clarify something with country roads? Is the great John Denver talking about the state of West Virginia or the western part of Virginia? Uh I always thought that it was West Virginia. But That's a great question. I'm not 100% sure.
I always took it as West Virginia. All the people that I know from West Virginia, I believe. take it as he's talking about West Virginia. Just throwing it out there, it could be a new segment. Stump the steel.
As I rip off Stump the Schwab, we got to pick up the pace. What's next? Would not be hard to stump this guy. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelsey had their wedding at Madison Square Garden on Friday, possibly the second most, the biggest wedding of all time at Madison Square Garden. Macho Mann and Miss Elizabeth got married there at SummerSlam in 1991.
I don't know if you know that. But anyway, Rich Eisen and his wife, Susie, attended. Adam Sandler officiated the ceremony. Should you ever decide to tie the knot, which comedian would you want to handle your wedding? Oh, that is good.
Yeah, and of course, I had no recollection that Macho Man and the lovely Miss Elizabeth had their nuptials at Madison Square Garden because I did not pay any attention to wrestling in the 1990s.
Well, I am a confirmed bachelor in my mid-50s. We said in the 70s, I'm like Charles Nelson Riley. On Match Game back in the day, if I'm going comedian, I want somebody funny but not over the top so I can make the MSG connection. Since all my references are decades old, certainly not Andrew Dice Clay, although he once sold out MSG. Doesn't seem fitting for that kind of event.
I love Chris Rock. I don't think I want that big of a personality. I have an ego for no reason.
So I want somebody that's going to fit the moment, not outshine me, especially when it comes to volume, because I'm the loudest man alive. How about this? If he were going to do it, because we're just doing hypothetical audio here. Jerry Seinfeld, because I think he would also have the combination of star power. being understated and observational.
And of course, I'll give you the worst cherry of all time.
Something like: why does it have to be called a groom? Is it grooming a horse? I don't know. We've got time for one more, thankfully, as I'm destroying this bit. What's left on your list?
Yeah, that wasn't good. All right, that was atrocious. Thank you. That was not good. July 4th featured another win for Joey Chestnut, the goat.
At Nathan's Hot Hugging Contest in Coney Island. In your opinion, what is worse? people who insist that a hot dog is a sandwich. Or folks who put ketchup on their autogens. Oh, now you're with me.
The folks who claim soccer, or soccer. A soccer nation that we are now. If you're having a watch party tonight and somebody comes up to you and says, Hey, I want a hot dog, and on that sandwich, whoa. You agree with me, a hot dog is not a sandwich, correct? By definition, a sandwich has two separate pieces of bread.
Uh, I don't think that I'm with you on that one. Whoa! I believe a hot dog is sandwich. I liked it better when you were yes, man.
Now, after a couple of shows together, it's the back and forth dynamic.
Okay, I'll just say: while you're Googling, is it West Virginia or the western portion of Virginia from Country Roads? I'm just going to tell you, because I have no life. I looked up the definition of a sandwich. Two distinct. Pieces of bread.
This is not the dress black or blue back in the day, but we'll agree to disagree. Clearly, I'm not going down that road. I have a strong opinion, shocking, that I'd have a strong feeling about anything. Ketchup on a hot dog is a crime against humanity. If you're In a jam with condiments, and ketchup is the only thing available, just.
Go naked, go raw dog, and have nothing on it. James, I would thank you, but you'll probably contradict me one more time before the show ends. And now my ego is a little bit battered. Want to thank. RA team, the production crew in Bristol, James Steele.
Who does a good job of reminding me I don't know everything, and Mikey Stee. Pushing the right buttons as well. Thanks to our guest, Brian Mahoney, talking MBA from the Associated Press, and a good baseball conversation with Levi Weaver of the Athletic. Thanks, as always, to Mr. Eisen for allowing me to keep the chair warm.
My name is Brian Weber. We're back tomorrow with the key takeaways of the United States versus Belgium right here on the Rich Eisenchev. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Hey, it's Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile.
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