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Check responses for accuracy. 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. Watch us weekdays on Disney Plus from noon to 3 Eastern. Miss the show? We've got a podcast, so you can listen anytime. But here's the best part.
Our YouTube channel. Subscribe at youtube.com slash rich Eisen Show and you'll never miss a moment.
Now, on with the show. Oh my god, you guys are my favorites. 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. Welcome to the program. Always an honor to sit in for Rich and the guys. They're back from vacation on Monday, so you only have to put up with me for three more hours.
We're going to jump right in. Talking MBA. What is more tedious than LeBron Watch, watch, watch, watch, watch? Kawhi Gate rolls on. We've got the details and we'll frame it in an entertaining way.
A.J. DeBonsa. Darren Peterson on display last night as Summer League in Vegas got rolling. We're not going to break down. a meaningless exhibition game, but we'll present it this way.
The future of the NBA is bright despite issues like Kawhi. That is coming up. If the United States had not gotten dismantled by Belgium on the pitch on Monday in Seattle, they would be playing Spain today in the quarterfinals here in Southern California.
So, coming up in the next hour of the program, we'll address the current state of American soccer and Baseball has never been bigger according to the metrics, like revenue. Ratings, attendance, and because I'm a bit older than my enthusiastic delivery would suggest, I am still a baseball guy.
So, coming up in 20 minutes, we'll focus on the Dodgers. They remain red hot and rolling. What does that mean for the rest of the league and the impending lockout coming up at the end of the season? Just to guess along the way, if you want to pick up the phone, it's 844-204, Rich, 844-204-7424. To be totally transparent, your best way to interact is to hit me up on the X platform.
That is BW Weber, Weber with Two B's, Hour 2. We Talk MLB, heading into the All-Star Break. A reminder: full coverage of Home Run Derby on Monday and then the Midsummer Classic itself on Tuesday here on ESPN Radio. We'll check in with Andy McCullough of the Athletic. And undeniably, this is the football show of record.
Mr. Eisen remains the face of NFL Network, so Final hour with NFL training camps now less than 11 days away. We will get an analysis from Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. I have a sense of when the audience is full. Perhaps that's why I've never been on the simulcast on Disney Plus, because maybe I've had a hot dog or two along the way.
I realize we're all going through LeBron fatigue.
So When I was getting ready for the show yesterday and came across another major development in the NBA that had nothing to do with LeBron, momentarily, I did a victory lap in my mind. We can all breathe and find something else to discuss. And then I realize: oh, my goodness. Does this mean I have to slow down and try to get the word circumvention out, which is always challenging for me? Talking Kawhi, we're talking salary cap.
Now, I mentioned in passing, I'm based here in Southern California. That's not important to you other than. I watch the Clippers all the time. If you've dealt with my approach over the years of filling in for Mr. Eisen, you probably know by now, and that is a big assumption.
So let me just flat out say it. I love basketball more than football.
Now, the dichotomy is the only reason I have a semblance of a career, I worked with Rich at NFL Network a million years ago.
So my passion for hoops, coupled with my location here in LA, means I watch a lot of Clipper basketball. And I have followed this Kawhi story with interest because, in retrospect, I probably should have gone to law school 35 years ago. But. If you find this thing way too filled with legalese and details, I'm with you.
So here's the quick overview, and then we'll check in with somebody who really knows his. Basketball minutia on a big word Friday. That's Bobby Marks. We're now 10 months into allegations of essentially a no-show. job connected to an endorsement deal.
It was a way, allegedly, for the Clippers to pay Kawhi more without having to absorb any salary cap hip. You know that by now. We're now nine days away from the deal that was agreed to between the Raptors and the Clippers to send Kawhi back to Toronto. He's been there physically. He went to a Blue Jays game.
He's been all over the scene in Canada.
So, what changed yesterday? And that change was the league put the trade. On hold, they paused it. With this important development. the Raptors would have to agree to the risk of accepting Kawhi on their team should he be penalized for any involvement in this alleged no show job endorsement deal.
I think I did that in 30 seconds. As mentioned, nobody's more plugged in to how the business of basketball works better than ESPN, NBA insider Bobby Marks.
So let's get his perspective, which he shared on NBA today, giving the league some credit for keeping the Raptors fully in the loop about all of Kawhi's potential scenarios. I give the league credit, at least as far as giving the Raptors a heads up, because remember we went through this with Terry Roger. Miami and Charlotte make a trade for Terry Rogier. He had been investigated. There was no wrongdoing.
The heat trade for him and then he is basically suspended for the year and they had given up a draft pick here. It's a story that's going to continually develop here. Hopefully, as Sean said, this is 10 months in. Hopefully we're going to get some closure pretty soon on this investigation. We can only hope.
Now, the cynic in me, if I was a little bit more of a hack or did a show poll, I'd throw it out there. What's going to happen first? LeBron makes his decision, or the NBA finally wraps up this investigation. And I'm Brian Weber, Infor Rich, a Friday edition of The Rich Eisen Show here on ESPM Radio. Hope you're enjoying the program on your local affiliate, the ESPN Radio App, Sirius XM Channel 80, and tune in.
The NBA, I think, has been slow playing all of this in the hopes that we would simply either just get burned out. of trying to come up with any human connection to Bookkeeping and accounting and net present value. This stuff is boring for my CPA.
So ten months later, I think they figured, all right. We've now gotten to a period where we can have this news dump. We can come up with. The final result of this investigation. But I don't think they want to do it so long as NBA people are around to have to talk about it.
And that means, looking ahead, Summer League wraps up july nineteenth. If I was more in the gambling space, I'd give you the under-over. I would take the over. The NBA will not come up with their final. Conclusion of this investigation that they farmed out to a law firm until after.
Play in Vegas wraps up.
So. Keep it where it is. ESPN, radio, and across all the platforms. Of course, we'll keep you fully updated. But what does this mean?
Couple things. It does suggest That maybe Kawhi is going to be disciplined. Because, as I said, I do find some of this fascinating on an intellectual level. The problem with penalizing Kawhi, in addition to whatever happened to the Clippers, and I think the Clippers' sanctions are going to be severe, including. A fine to Steve Balmer, but that's Like Coming to me and you and saying, Hey, do you have a nickel?
Guy's the richest owner in all of sports, so that's not going to do anything. But we know he loves basketball. That guy is absolutely out of his mind on the sidelines, and he loves all the new bathrooms. At the Intuit Dome, glistening here in Los Angeles. I think he's going to have to.
Take a long time out, a suspension. I can't have any day-to-day involvement with the team. The Joe Smith. Situation avoiding cap Implications when he took a side deal with the Timberwolves tell us the team is going to be docked multiple draft picks. And then for Kawhi.
I think the problem is there's not going to be a smoking gun. First of all, what is the sound of Kawhi's voice? Other than the laugh that always goes viral. The guy never talks. He's the Marceau Marceau of the NBA, taking nothing away from what he does on the floor.
That's where he does his talking. And clearly, he was a top ten player last year. But unless there is an audio recording Or an email from Kawhi's personal account saying, Yeah, can you believe? I'm getting over. And we're ripping off The NBA, in terms of not having the salary cap consequences, I don't think any of that exists.
As much as the league would like to penalize him, I don't think anything's going to happen.
So the deal goes through. What does it mean?
Well, if you're listening in New England, you're still bent, even after Brad Stevens tried his best with the verbal gymnastics to explain why he traded Jalen Brown for 40 cents on the dollar. The Clippers got more in return for Kawhi Leonard, who's older than Then Jalen Brown, who's facing this potential disciplinary action. Then Brad Stevens, who I think is one of the best GMs in all of sports, got four. Jalen Brown, who carried his team to the playoffs. And he is a former finals MVP like Hawaii and came in sixth in the MVP balloting this year.
So the Clippers did well in their deal. Getting multiple draft picks and Brandon Ingram and another player, whereas Celtics got similar draft capital and Paul George, who's one hundred and nineteen years old. You put Kawhi on the Raptors. Along with Scotty Barnes. Suddenly, the top of the East gets much more interesting.
We're not going to talk about LeBron here going to Philadelphia or going to Cleveland. I think if he goes to the Sixers, the Sixers are on the same tier as the Knicks looking to defend their title at the top of the pyramid in the Eastern Conference. But It just strikes me as very odd that the league did not step in at the time of this deal or. They are in conversation constantly with the franchises. In fact, if you care, the owner of the Raptors runs the board of governors that runs the league with Adam Silver.
Why did they let this deal? Get agreed upon. Why didn't at the time they say, whoa, whoa, you You guys can have these conversations, but nothing can happen. You can't have Kawhi show up. In Toronto, Because we haven't finished the investigation.
Very sloppy. Very. On David stern like The league used to be pretty button-up, but this one just feels like something they have not been able to get their hands fully around, and it's not going away. I'm Brian Weber in for Rich. This is The Rich Eisen Show.
I promised some thoughts on Summer League, and of course, that would be like breaking down. A meaningless preseason game in the NFL or Cactus League action. in Major League Baseball. But I did watch the entirety of the game last night in Vegas, and it wasn't one on one basketball. It wasn't arm wrestling.
It wasn't AJ DeBonsa matching up head to head all the time with Darren Peterson. But here is the takeaway. The NBA's future has never been brighter. And again, this is me overreacting to a small sample size, but I love college hoops as much as I love Pro Ball. This is not breaking news.
A.J. DeBonsa is an absolute physical freak, and we saw it last night with a couple of amazing moves around the bucket. For Darren Peterson, it's all about Availability. You know all the DNP Peterson and the street clothes jokes that were thrown out because he missed all those games in Kansas.
Now his defenders will tell you that was a severe cramping issue that got misdiagnosed, and it took him a long time to come back. Other people will say he made some business decisions in college and decided not to play full games for Kansas. I can't slam him for that because the whole goal is to get to the NBA. But going back to the NBA draft coverage you heard on ESPN radio a couple of weeks ago, The separation between DeBonsa and Peterson in terms of who should go number one overall to Washington was very small. And you saw that on the court last night.
A.J., 27 points and 26 minutes.
Now, the flaw and the thing he's got to work on, especially in the modern NBA, his long-range touch. He was over five for three-point range. As for Peterson, 24 points. His negative was eight turnovers. I don't expect him to be handling that much when we get to the regular season.
But without cranking up the hype machine too much, I'm not in any way saying this is Bird and Magic coming into the league at the same time, but it does tell you. The NBA has never been healthier. When you think about how stars are distributed across the league, If I threw out a team to you, as much as I don't understand why Charlotte parted ways with Lonzo Ball, but during the season, if I said, all right. What's going on with the Hornets? You know, a recognizable star name.
And that's the whole point of this sport. We love bright, shiny objects. And I can't believe the words that are coming out of my mouth. Washington is going to be at least a fun watch this year. I have no idea why they lit all that money on fire to pay Trey Lance.
Will they hang on to Anthony Davis? I'm not sure, but. If you're one of seven people who actually tracked the Wizards this year, Saar and the other young talent plus Dabonsa says maybe, just maybe, the gridlock will end in Washington. I'm Brian Weber, Info Rich. Hop aboard at 844-204-RICH, 844-204-7424.
I mentioned training camps opening up in less than two weeks. In 30 minutes, I'll give you the football you need. Who are the contenders to be the most improved teams across the league, emulating what the Patriots did last year, going worst to first? Baseball can be a challenge in this medium, but if I'm approaching the grand old game, there's always going to be a topic, and the topic is heading into the All-Star break. The Dodgers have the best record in the bigs.
In fact, they're looking to become the first national league team ever to three-peat as World Series champs. Is their dominance only going to increase the likelihood of a lockout? We'll get there coming up. Just getting warmed up on a busy Friday. I'm Brian Weber in For Rich.
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Loans originated by SoFi Bank NA, member FDIC. Terms and conditions apply, NMLS 696891. Fast funds terms apply at sofi.com/slash debt play. Rich Eisen here for gusto. On my shows, we talk a lot about what happens in the spotlight, the games, the highlights, and the moments that get replayed and debated.
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The Rich Eisen Show on ESPN Radio. I'm Brian Weber, looking for your thoughts on social media. B.W. Weber, Weber with 2Bs on the X platform. Rich is the face that runs the place when it comes to NFL network, meaning we never get too far away from the shield coming up in 30 minutes.
We'll cap this first hour of the program. Continuing, let me reach over. There's a button right there. The countdown to the start of NFL training camps. 11 days from now, the rookies for the Cardinals and the Panthers report.
Getting ready for the Hall of Fame game. That means it's all football all the time. Meaning. I'm going to carve out some room right here for the grand old game of baseball.
Now, before I make any predictions, and it occurs to me. Having laid out my thoughts about Kawhi Gate. Before this show is over, based on my track record, Kawhi will probably be suspended for 25 games in the upcoming season. The Raptors then will back out of the trade, but it's a good thing I have the A-team back in Bristol, Connecticut, Ryan, Mike E.C. and the crew keeping me updated as to what's going on.
And sidebar, as Rich is doing phenomenal work on this Was Sports Center, I've enjoyed each and every episode with icons like the great Linda Cohn, who just wrapped up a remarkable run here at ESPN and a tremendous conversation with the killer, Craig Kilbourne, as somebody who was a production assistant. During the summer after my junior year in college, I won't say the year because I'm too stuck in the past. It is unbelievably meaningful to open this microphone every time I get to say I'm in for rich on ESPN radio.
Now that suggests I'm not hanging out. On Instagram, too much. I probably shouldn't be given my age. Suggest. That I don't know what Riz is.
But I do know that baseball is undeniably more popular than it's ever been. The problem of talking baseball on a show like this comes down to this. What is the topic? Do you want me to break down the wild card race in the American League, which is just nuts? Because everybody in the American League is terrible, except for the incredible Field Goods story.
And it feels like the White Sox could only score the equivalent of a field goal. As I tried to clean that up two years ago, you'll remember. They lost 121 games. The worst record in the history of Major League Baseball. Within the span of a season and a half, they've come all the way back, and they've had the lead in the AL Central for a good portion of the year.
So baseball is filled with Interesting components, but it's just. tough to frame it in a way that works on a platform like this. As I'm based in Southern California, but you could live in Saskatoon to be aware.
Somehow, the Dodgers are even better than they've been the last two years, at least in the regular season, despite getting decimated by injuries. I'm going to go through all the key contributors that they're missing, but I can tell you this. They have the best record in all of baseball with 61 wins. First team to get to 60. I realize we have great affiliates and a lot of loyal listeners in Wisconsin.
I am aware the Brewers right behind them at 59 wins. I would say though. I think we all recall what happened, even though the Brewers dominated the season series from the Dodgers last year, what happened when we got to the NLCS. Still, we're only in July. The Dodgers are trying to become, and it took me a lot of research to make sure I wasn't mishearing this.
I thought it was factually wrong. It's true. The Dodgers are trying to become the first National League team ever to three-peat. In fact, the only franchises ever to win three in a row, the Yankees and the Athletics, now who have been exiled to West Sacramento on their way to Vegas.
So. ESPN, MLB analyst former player, Doug Glanville, who always has astute analysis, was asked on game night here on ESPN radio if the Dodgers were clearly the best team he's seen this season. They are. I mean, and the thing is, what sometimes gets forgotten is they are just as injured as every other team. A lot of teams say, well, we're missing this guy.
They're missing Will Smith, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow. I mean, they're missing all kinds of people. Edwin Diaz, just still going as if nothing's happened. They're still the best team. In baseball, and those guys will eventually come back, and then what?
You're just going to deal with a real juggernaut.
So they just win. through their depth and they're not necessarily all star players that are doing the job, but they find ways and that's what makes them so dangerous.
So they're going to be tough to stop. And but the fact is, as good as they were last year, they were still one out away and one second away from losing that World Series.
So that's how tough the game is. And Doug could have mentioned, as he offered terrific context there, Remember when Kyle Tucker signed with the Dodgers and people lost their minds? Like somehow this was the tipping point. Not all of the deferred money they were able to get Shohei Otani and other stars to accept. Not the fact that they have a murderer's row.
To use another contemporary reference, Tucker going to the Dodgers felt like. Just the Trigger for this Explosion of outrage.
Well, Kyle Tucker's done nothing at the plate. I just looked it up during the break. He's hitting less than 250, 249. He is a bit of an upgrade in the outfield. But To do this without Edwin Diaz, who they got to try to overcome and address their glaring weakness last year in the bullpen.
Well, he hasn't done anything with the elbow injury, and we still don't know what's going to go on with the cockfighting story in Puerto Rico. If you go back to last year. Without question, the Dodgers don't win that World Series without the heroics of Roki Suzaki Ao the Pem.
Well, he's back in the rotation. He has been Average best. Better the other night when he picked up.
Some quality innings and six innings of work, just three earned runs. But before that, He had been scuffling and a lot of talk here in Southern California about if the Dodgers. Didn't want to treat him With a little bit more respect because of what he meant to the playoff run last year. Other franchises would have sent him down by now. Mention Snell.
Mentioned Glasnow, no idea when he's going to come back, and Mookie Betts finally has woken up. After he looked like he was ready for retirement. And I'm not being over the top here. He was abysmal to start the year.
So you put it all together. The Dodgers should be even better. And now, if I really want things to go thermonuclear. What happens if they get Tarek Schoopl?
Now, one step at a time. Otani is pitching tonight. That's always must-see TV. Unfortunately, because. Things work out this way, and I'm not going to bury baseball for the lazy perspective that they don't market their stores.
They don't know how to connect with young people. It's not Rob Manfred's fault that Otani's pitching tonight, meaning he can't pitch on Tuesday in the All-Star Game in Philadelphia, that you can hear here on ESPM radio. Same thing with The Miz. Who is an absolute freak? I don't have a better description of what that tall dude is doing.
Hitting over 100 consistently. We can talk about the accuracy of today's tech, but he's certainly not rolling it up there. No changeup in his arsenal. He's a modern Randy Johnson, not as tall. but throwing even harder with more velocity.
Think about What the Phillies have done. And I'll check to see just to confirm, but it looks like Zach Wheeler is on track in terms of the alignment of the rotation to pick up the ball. And that's going to be a great scene in Philadelphia in front of those rabid Phillies. Philly fans, and then throw in another Philly. I know we got roughed up this week by the Royals, but baseball is bizarre.
You can't use one game as a reflection of an entire season's worth of work. Christopher Sanchez has been lights out. Unfortunately, no Ms. No Otani and no Skynes, who has been more mortal this year, although he bounced back earlier in the week. The Midsummer Classic is supposed to be a showcase of the biggest names in the sport.
However, Because we all have supercomputers and HD TVs in the palm of our hands, this is not like. The old days when it was the only time we would see certain stars, or the only matchup of the National League and American League, because interleague play has been a smashing success.
So I'm not going to sit here and crush baseball just for the bad fortune that it did not set up properly for Otani nor The Miz nor Skeens to get the ball. But if we're talking about The problem of coming up with firm conclusions about teams because baseball is flipping a coin 162 times. What do we do with the Yankees? What a weird week. I feel like I'm Mel Allen doing this week in baseball.
How about that? I'm Brian Weber, InfoRich, 844-204-7424. And the conversation never stops on the X platform. That is B.W. Weber, Weber with 2Bs.
Coming up in 15 minutes, we will get to the football. Just about every year, some team goes from worst to first, primarily because they capitalize on their easy schedule. We saw the Patriots do it, the 49ers do it last year. Who's on that short list of contenders to achieve that goal this year? And then coming up to kick off our number two.
We will use the quarterfinal matchup here in Los Angeles. Could have been the United States, but they got worked by Belgium as they should have been because, quite simply, Belgium is a better team instead. Belgium versus Spain, but we'll focus on the stars and stripes. What has the World Cup experience meant so far on the field, on the pitch, if you will, and more importantly, the spectacle off the field meant for American soccer moving forward? As for the Yankees, back-to-back games with 17 strikeouts, then they explode yesterday.
For a 12-spot against the Rays, so they salvage this plate in that series. And Ben Rice goes deep twice. And without him, this team would look like a triple-A team at the plate. I don't want to overstate that it's Aaron Judge and Aaron Judge only. But If you just look up the record with and without them, it tells the entire story.
So the Yankees should be active at the deadline. And I think everybody. barring a handful of just hideous teams, Like the Angels, and that's not just my LA lien. Artie Marino needs to sell that team. Although it'll be a good scene coming up on Tuesday as Mike Trout is healthy.
He's made his return from the IL and he'll get a hero's welcome returning back to Philadelphia. Other than that, If you took a moment, not while you're driving, but during the weekend, take a look at the wildcard standings in the American League. It is absolute chaos.
So there's two ways that that's going to impact. The activity as we get closer to the trade deadline first week of August. Bunch of teams, I think, are going to say Why not take a shot? Let's be buyers because mathematically we're still in the hunt. Flip side is what the tigers do with Scoobel.
Now, the real solution is. Pay the man. I'm getting so tired of the conversation about the haves and have-nots, and this is linked to the Dodgers because let's say the Dodgers. Only Maintain their momentum. Forget about winning 115 games or something absurd.
Let's say they win 103, 104. And let's say, for the sake of argument, they win another World Series. All that does, especially a historic threepeat, as I mentioned, has never happened before in the history of the National League, and that's a pretty big sample size. If that happens, all that does is hand owners across the league who are dead set on trying to impose a salary cap. In this sport, more ammunition to claim the game is rigged.
That you can't win unless you can match the spending power of the Dodgers, which I can understand the argument, but it's just factually wrong on a couple of levels. You want to know who has the second highest payroll in all of baseball? New York Mets. I was a Met fan growing up, as you probably tell when I dropped the Gs on where it's like running. Or say Saturday instead of Saturday.
When's the last time the Mets won anything? 1986. And Mookie's not walking through that door. The Yankees, third highest payroll in all of baseball. They just went through a stretch before They erupted with a dozen runs yesterday.
Of having This is astonishing to me. I'm just going to read this slowly. Failed to score more than five runs in 20 straight games, tying a franchise record. How is that possible if you claim that all you have to do is throw tons and tons of money at a problem and you can quote unquote buy a championship? It's absurd at face value.
The Tigers should not operate as a franchise if they don't want to pay Scoobel.
Now, you can make the argument he's getting older. And now he's just coming off the injury, which he came back in 30 seconds. It was incredible. Still I don't want to hear a team in Detroit, which is a major market, crying poor. That is an ownership problem.
If you're not willing to spend, you shouldn't own a team. Period full stop. And that's why And maybe I'm being Doctor Doom as a fill-in guy and I'm not looking for cheap heat. As they say in the WWE, I'm Brian Weber in for Rich Eisen. Hit me up on the X platform, BW Weber, Weber with two B's.
That's why maybe I'm even more nostalgic about this season because we know what's coming. The lockout, hopefully. Is going to happen as soon as possible, probably the day after the end of the World Series. And I say that hopefully because it gives both sides more time to come to the table and come up with a compromise. And I'm not going to throw out hypothetical scenarios because that's not my job.
But I will say this. Baseball is still stubborn in so many ways, which is a weird dichotomy because embracing change has made the sport more popular than ever. What's the biggest change? The pitch clock. The game is watchable.
In fact, in some ways, I went to a Dodger game a couple of weeks ago. It moves too quickly because if you're going to shell out the major cash, Especially for the Dodgers, who are good. If you want to go skimpy, go to an angel game, or go pick another team that is far more mid than the reigning champs. If you're spending the money, plus the parking, plus a hot dog or seven, and a couple adult beverages, you want to maximize your investment, but now the game is cruising by. Major League Baseball has made all of these strides forward.
Shohei Otani is the greatest player in the history of the sports. And what are we talking about? The Dodgers somehow. Or The poster boy for all that's wrong With baseball? We never said that about the Yankees when they were dominant.
I don't know what the difference is, and I think it's a lot of rhetoric from owners who don't want to spend. There's no need for a bake sale or a GoFundMe. They wouldn't be in a position to own these teams unless they had the money or they inherited it. If you were born on third base because your grandfather was rich, then sell the team and cash out and go on permanent vacation. But if you own these teams, there's a civic duty to spend enough to be competitive.
And the School situation is going to be fascinating because the Tigers can justify hanging on to them. Remember, they have been largely irrelevant for most of the season, still seven games under five hundred, but just four point five back in their division and right in the hunt of the wild card race in the American League. I'm Brian Weber. Jumped in the hot tub time machine, took you back to 1998. I get passionate when I talk about baseball because I still care about the sport of my childhood.
But I know nothing pays the bills better than the NFL.
So, coming up, we will shift to the S.H.I.E.L.D. training camps now, less than two weeks away. Who are the true contenders to be among the most approved teams in all of football? And I can't believe the words that might come out of my mouth. Should we be buying the Cowboys?
Yeah, I said it. I'm Brian Weber. It's always a blast to sit in for Rich and the guys as we continue here on The Rich Eisen Show. Rich Eisen here. Running a small business means every hire matters.
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Next starts now. Hyundai, an official partner of FIFA. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast. My name is Brian Weber. I'm in for Rich.
This is the Rich Eisen Show on ESPN Radio as we close in on the second hour of the program in less than 15 minutes. Shoulda, woulda coulda. Shoulda been the United States. playing Spain today. In Englewood, California, in the quarterfinals.
Instead, it's Belgium. Why? Belgium is a much better team than Team USA.
So, coming up as we kick off the second hour of the program, we'll try to get a handle on the state of American soccer. And is it time to stop ripping Christian Pulissas for reasons that don't seem appropriate? If you want to get involved on social media, it is B.W. Weber, Weber with Two B's, with NFL Conversation on the Docket coming up. When it comes to your home, Pella Windows and Doors are the experts of taking care of you and your home.
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I know just enough soccer to be dangerous.
Now, the entire team in Bristol is going to say, wait a minute, he's going to talk about Pele in 1977 again. I wasn't going to go there, but. By popular demand, there is your obligatory reference. Still, As the tournament now reaches the business end, and especially because the U.S. Did not show up and got outclassed.
And that really was the issue, as we'll discuss in the next hour. I can understand losing to Belgium. Belgium had a better ranking. Belgium destroyed the U.S. in a friendly march in Atlanta.
But the mental miscuse, especially early in the game, and just the lack of energy was inexplicable. Still, with all of that, And the NBA being held hostage by LeBron. And baseball heading into the Midsummer Classic. The NFL is still king.
So. Once we get to the start of training camps, because it's been a relatively quiet time in the league, unless you count the latest wedding of the century, Travis Kelsey. And Travis's new wife. I'm just laughing because I'm thinking of Rich and Susie Schuster being in attendance as I was sitting in this hot studio by myself. That is.
Sliding doors. Rich is at the top of the profession, and I am so lucky to be filling in for him. But other than the football world gathering at the world's most famous arena, as Swift and Kelsey became an official couple. Not much has been going on. Once we get to training camps, in 11 days, everything changes, and we know.
The entire business model of the National Football League is built on hope. and competitive ballots. Parody. Which all the other leagues are trying to rip off. It's not in any way a coincidence that the NBA killed free agency with that dreaded second apron because they wanted player movement to be harder.
And what has happened? We've had eight different champions over the span of eight years, dynasties effectively killed in the NBA. And in the NFL, it's the, I think, most overlooked aspect of any. Reasonable conversation about the outlook of any team. I'm not saying you have to do bad local radio and do the schedule game.
That's a win, that's a win, that's a loss. But you got to look at overall strength of schedule. The Patriots clearly. By their own admission, if they were being truthful, benefited from One of the most straightforward, I'll be kind. Let's just tell it like it is: easiest schedules we've seen in a quarter century in this league.
Now, They also got it done in the postseason until they got to the Super Bowl and got exposed to a degree. But you have to throw a little bit of context there because Drake May was clearly less than one hundred percent. Same story for the Forty Niners. As remarkable as last season was, as they got crushed by injuries, they were coming off. A last place finish had such an easy schedule that they capitalized on.
So, who would be in the conversation to have that kind of mojo this year?
Well I'll go with low-hanging fruit. This is not in any way a sizzling hot take, but technically, the Lions did finish in last place. And the rugged last year, NFC Nort.
So that translates into a much more favorable schedule. Think about that division. Vikings quarterback situation remains a mess. How much are you buying Kyler Murray truly changing his ways from all the reports about a lack of focus on football being the most important thing in his life? And it's pretty clear.
J.J. McCarthy is going to prove to be a waste of first-round pick. Packers. I'm not slighting this team. I was a perennial playoff club, but They didn't do much in the offseason.
Lions, yes, they won nine games last year, but if you're asking me a team. Towards the bottom of the standings overall in the league, or just from the perspective of the outside looking in that will make the playoffs, I'll go Detroit, I'll go New Orleans. Context matters not only with the strength of a straightforward schedule, think about that division. Eight and nine got the Panthers the win. And they were in a tie with Tampa Bay and Atlanta.
So. Saints get the benefit of a last-place schedule, and very quietly, unless you're playing fantasy football or Putting down a buck or two on a Sunday or Thursday night. You might have overlooked the fact the Saints got hot down the stretch thanks to Tyler Shuck, who's what? 96 years old after his rookie season. Wrapped it up with four wins out of the last five games.
And My goal is to be objective. I stopped rooting for anything but something to talk about in the paycheck a long time ago. But Growing up detesting the Cowboys and just paying attention to the last three decades of their innet play. It is hard for me to ever fully endorse them, but Since I've been watching Get Up and all the other shows across ESPN, I'll defer to Guys who know what they're talking about. Overnunciate for a living.
But if Bart Scott tells me, based on his defensive expertise, that the Dallas defense should be much better, and remember, They were hideous last year. If they had just tackled somebody from time to time, that's probably a playoff team. Statistically, they cannot get any worse because they got gashed for too many points and too many yards. You bring in a new defensive coordinator and Christian Parker coming over from the Vic Fangio tree in Philadelphia. The fluce is loose.
They can Matt Eber fluce. And they invested hugely on the defensive side of the football using a pair of first-round picks to address that glaring need. The folks who know tell us that Caleb Downs, even though the safety position has been devalued, could be a generational talent in the secondary. You throw in what Jarrah did after the Micah Parsons trade, which at the time seemed reckless and foolish. He did pretty well, though, with the assets.
In addition to getting Quentin Williams, and they picked up edge rusher Rashawn Gary in a trade in the offseason.
So, understanding that George Pickens has no Choice other than to be a good citizen because he's in the contract year after taking the franchise tag. That offense was clicking last year. No reason to believe they'll slow down. If that defense is even marginally improved, Cowboy team that won seven games last year should be at a minimum playoff team, but we know what happens when they get to the postseason, right? We've seen that movie before.
But I don't want to troll Cowboy Nation, especially as a fill-in host. My name is Brian Webert. You can pick up the phone, 844-204-RICH. That's 844-204-7424-1. Or the conversation I see is heating up on the X platform, BW Weber, Weber with two B's coming up as we motor our way into the second hour of the program.
Is Christian Pulissic taking too much heat for reasons that are not valid? We talk soccer entertainingly. That's the goal. Get it? I'm Brian Weber, Infor Rich.
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