REShow: James Cook - Hour 3

Right now, this is The Rich Eisen Show. They're coming for your souls. I keep saying it over and over and over again. Live from The Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. They're not only coming for your souls, they are coming to mess you up.

Not just beat you, but dispatch you. That's The Rich Eisen Show. Earlier on the show, ESPN college basketball analyst, Jay Billis. ESPN NFL analyst, Robert Griffin III. Coming up, Bill's running back, James Cook. And now, it's Rich Eisen.

Yes, it is. Hour number three of The Rich Eisen Show is on the air here on the Roku channel. If you missed the first two hours, Jay Billis breaking down the NBA draft and just, I mean, he throws around compliments like the ones that he gave in regards to Victor Wenbanyama, like the proverbial manhole covers.

He rarely speaks in the manner in which he did about Wenbanyama. And if you missed that and his stance on how he would take the 19-year-old Wenbanyama over the 18-year-old LeBron James in this year's draft. If you missed all of that, and if you missed Robert Griffin III talking about the state of affairs in Buffalo, as we will about to hit in brief with an actual Buffalo Bill, James Cook in a second.

If you missed Robert Griffin III on DeAndre Hopkins and his potential future, then stay right where you are. As soon as this hour is over, we will re-air on the Roku channel, channel 210. We say hello to our terrestrial Sirius XM and Odyssey listening audiences, our podcast listeners who are listening whenever you darn well please, it's your right. When you are listening on demand, video on demand, that's also something that you can get through our Roku channel relationship through The Rich Eisen Show collection.

There's our YouTube page and of course our podcast where all podcasts are acquired. 844204 Rich is the number to dial and joining us right here on The Rich Eisen Show is the man atop the running back depth chart in Buffalo as we currently speak, going into the final throws of the month of June. He is none other than James Cook, formerly of Georgia football, now the Buffalo Bills organization back here on The Rich Eisen Show. How you doing James? How you doing? I'm great. Before getting into what's going on with your team and yourself and everything else going on, I do want to jump in real quick with something that I saw on Twitter yesterday about what you are doing next Tuesday and what you are doing about heading to Harlem Renaissance High School for their graduation.

What are you doing next Tuesday, James Cook? I'm speaking to the kids about my story and how my life has changed playing football and being good people. I just want to get back and tell a story to kids that probably don't have parents in their lives or that father figured or got it. I just wanted to tell my story. But how did you hear about, I don't believe you went to this school, correct James?

No sir. So how did you hear about this school and wind up being their commencement address speaker at graduation next week? So my agent is like the owner or the principal of the school so she wanted me to talk and give a brief speech about me and my life and how I grew up. And the school reached out to you and you're pitching in pretty much?

Yes sir. Can you give me a glimpse? What part of your story do you want to pass along to them, James?

Just how I grew up coming out of high school, how my mom raised us, just stuff that they need to know that will help them in life. And so that'll be, are you writing it out? You're going to speak off the dome? What do you got for me, James?

What do you got? I got a little speech, but I'm going to say off the dome. Okay. All right, very good.

Show off your improvisational skills. I get it. Fantastic. Okay.

Well, I look forward to hearing about that speech a little bit more. I've got James Cook of the Buffalo Bills here on the Rich Eisen Show. So let's just jump in about your role. What is your role going to be with the Buffalo Bills this year from what you understand right now, James? Obviously, RB1. So, you know, just try to come in and just do what I do, you know, just change the game, like my versatility, like catch my back to, you know, pass clock and, you know, just try to do what I can to help the team win and hopefully win a school bowl.

And RB1 meaning what? You start the game? I mean, how many, have you gotten an indication about touches, about, you know, how much you're going to be out there, James?

Oh, they come in preparation and practice, you know. RB1 is running back one, so, you know, I'm going out there first, obviously, so, you know, I'm just, it's coming in practice, you know. I come in and do it and, you know, I'm ready to work. You know, this is a big step and a goal in my life that, you know, I wanted to accomplish, you know, being running back one of the NFL. You know, it's just doing what I can do to, like I said, help the team win games and hopefully get a school bowl. Okay. So, what's your goal this year?

Have you written them down somewhere? Yeah, my goal is to be a pro bowler, you know, like my brother, you know, hopefully be in a pro bowl with him one day. What about your brother? Is it possible? Do you think your brother joins you in Buffalo, James?

What do you think? I think that'll be a little hard. That'll be a bit hard is what you're saying? Yeah.

Okay. Is that because you don't want to give up number four to him? Is that what you're saying, James?

No, he can't get number four. Because you took it, right? You took it.

Yeah, I went and earned it. Okay. So, there's really, in your estimation, no, because again, I understand, you know, you have your role there or whatever, but I imagine, do you have a goal or dream that both of you one day do play together on a team, James? Yeah, I mean, that'll be good, you know, get to learn from him and, you know, already learn from him, get to learn more things from him, just being in the same. You know, that'll be pretty cool one day.

But do you think he winds up in the same division? How about that, James? Let's go there. What do you think for me on that? It's possible. It's possible.

You never know. Okay. All right. And so then how many, you know, then I guess you got to get one of those split jerseys, right? That's what you'd have to do. Of course. Two times a year.

I've seen those. Okay. James Cook here on the Rich Eisen Show. What can you tell Bill's Nation, Mafia, about Stefan Diggs and what happened last week that might cause, help them potentially put their heads on their football pillows a little bit better, James? You know, I kind of don't get into what they got going on, but, you know, Diggs is also a great player, you know, a great leader. You know, someone that the team look up to, you know, I mean, it wasn't, it wasn't no big commotion. You know, he just had to get out of his bed, I guess.

I mean, they worked with it. Now we're ready to play football. Okay. So just again, it's I don't know if you're Bluetooth-ing in your car or something, but when you said what happened last week, you said it wasn't too much of a commotion.

What did you say right there, James? Yes, it wasn't too much a commotion, you know, because I honestly don't know what transpired that, but things got better and everything's up and now we're ready to go. Okay. So you don't think whatever did occur last week when toe meets ball, training camp, September, there won't be any issue, is your... No, sir. We ready to go.

Okay. And so, because I, by the way, just so you know, I love Diggs. I love that guy.

That's my guy. I love Diggs, too. Well, what do you love about him, James? Oh, you know, just about the competitiveness he got in him. You know, he's a dog, one of the top receivers in the NFL.

And I mean, also a good teammate, you know, that's what people don't see, you know, each and every day. Well, and again, you know, we in the media always talk distraction this and this is a problem that. I mean, I'll be straight up with you about last hour of my show. We spent about 15 minutes talking about it, about whatever happened in January still being a problem in June could stand to reason that it will be a problem in September and October. How do you hit that one, James?

I don't think it will be a problem. Okay. Very good. So what do we get you guys in the Super Bowl? So what's going to happen this year? Let's go there. Hopefully, hopefully we, you know. Okay. We got to go and camp and just work our tail off, you know, and things will come together.

Well, look, man, it's important for you to ball out, James, to show that people from Georgia don't have to play for the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL. You're really striking a blow here. I think it's an important road that you're on, James, you know? Yeah.

That's what I'm trying to do. I'm also aware. I won it on every level.

No, I'm a Michigan guy. I'm aware that you won it on every level, James. I'm very, very, very, I think we've established on your first appearance on this show that you destroyed my New Year's Eve a couple of years ago.

You know, shattered it completely. Caused me to drink a little bit more that night, but it's okay. I reveled.

I reveled. What can you tell me about Stetson Bennett here in Los Angeles and his ability to potentially ball out in the NFL? Give me that one, James. You know, it's just an opportunity. If you present yourself, I feel like he's going to make it to the best of his ability, and I feel like he's a great player and a great leader. You know, he's also a winner. So, I mean, and he's smart.

So, you know, all that coming together and him just learning the system and just taking each and every day and working hard. He could be one of the best NFL quarterbacks. Well, I mean, and again, because so many folks believe that someone has to look and have the physical attributes of, say, your quarterback to succeed in the NFL, and that ain't Stetson. So how do you respond to that? What do you say to that, James?

I mean, he's a football player, and when you get a shot, you're going to see it. Okay. Very good. So it's a three-peat for the Georgia Bulldogs this year. Let me write that one down. Do I write that one down? Without a doubt.

Without a doubt. Why don't you guys play Alabama every single year in the regular season? What's up with that? How many times do you play Alabama?

In the regular season, James. I play Alabama one time in the regular season. See, yeah, I mean, what's up with that? I mean, guys, I guess what, you're not natural rivals? Would you consider Alabama your natural rival? No. No? I consider Auburn.

Auburn is your natural rival, not Alabama? Yes. Huh. Okay. I'm going to write that one down.

I think you might hear from some people on that one. So Alabama's not the natural rival of Georgia Bulldog football? I don't really think so. Okay.

Why? Because, like, coming into that game, I mean, you have your antennas up because you know you're playing Alabama and they save it. Yeah. But, like, Auburn, it's like an old-school rivalry, like, versus Auburn and Georgia.

Okay. So it's like... Not Florida? Not the cocktail party in Jacksonville? Not Florida? I'd say Florida.

I could say between Florida and Auburn. Okay. I like it. James Cook, I appreciate the time.

I'm really thrilled to hear about your commencement address next Tuesday because, again, I'm being told that the school, Harlem Renaissance High School, didn't have the funds to go pay somebody to speak to the class, and you're doing it out of your own goodwill, and I think that's awesome. Yes, sir. Appreciate you, man.

Right back at you, James Cook. Let's chat. Let's chat soon. Let's chat again soon. All right, man. Okay.

Thank you for having me on the show. You got it. That's number four, and don't take it from them in your program. Number one in the hearts of Buffalo Bills running back fans and Buffalo Bills fans.

James Cook. Auburn. I'd say Florida, but... How is it not Alabama? They're the ones that stand in their way. They're the ones that are on their peers, that they're the ones that are on their par. Like, what are we talking about? You need to get off of this. No, I'm not getting off it.

I'm not, and I know I'm out of my Big Ten lane. I get it. I totally know. Georgia, Florida is the rivalry. I get it. They play every year.

And Jacksonville, the world's largest cocktail party. I've heard of it. Although, I don't think we're supposed to say that anymore.

Why? I don't think they call it that anymore. Oh, well. Yeah. They're not even... I'm from a different era. You gotta move on. Okay.

Thanks very much. I'm happy that you play Ohio State every year. And Michigan State? Well, who's your rival? Oh, Ohio State. Really? Yeah.

Not the school you share a state with? Nope. Okay.

Nuh-uh. And Michigan State fans know that. That upsets them.

Greatly. Because Michigan is their rival. Is their rival. Correct.

Right. And then we turn around and say, that's nice. And that upsets them. That's why their coach finds it funny when they all lock arms together and walk through Michigan warming up and knock one of the players over. And he acts all like, oh, we didn't know we did that. That's why that happens in Mel Tucker.

You are probably- Shuts down players from appearing on this show. That's what it's like from them to this seat. And we turn around and say, okay, got it. That's nice.

Because we got a big game in November. That's the one. What?

Am I not speaking truth here? I don't know. Okay. In the same way, clearly, I don't understand why Georgia takes their coach from Alabama and turns their program into one that, so far, more successful than Alabama. Just because they took that coach, they should play each other now every year? Damn straight. Damn straight.

Here's why- By the way, I know the reason why you want them to play each other in the regular season, actually. No, no, no, no. This is not a me thing. Yes, it is. Yes, it is. 100% is. You want them to play each other in the regular season, so the loser is basically out. No.

Which makes it easier for Michigan to then somehow make the Final Four, in which you will get embarrassed like you have every single time you've made the Final Four. Excuse me. Excuse me. Excuse me.

May I now speak? Well, you can't refute what I'm saying. I am absolutely going to refute what you're saying. I'm absolutely going to refute what you're saying.

Michigan has not, even in its remarkable run that Michigan has been on, notice I didn't say we, because I don't suit up for them, Michigan- You might as well. You might as well. Go well.

Them and the Jets. No, they don't need me suiting up. Look, you've seen my 40. I'm not winding up on the wall of the locker room. Let's put it that way.

That's Brady's turf, okay? But Michigan has not shown the ability to be better than Georgia or Alabama right now. We're better. We're more improved. We've beaten our rival two years in a row, which is amazing, but it's a new world too. Georgia losing to Alabama or Alabama losing to Georgia during the regular season, it's not going to knock them out of the playoffs. Now there's going to be eight 12-teams now. Well, when it goes to 12- Correct.

That's what I'm saying. It's a new world right now. Notice that this is where it comes to me and my problem is my school must play its blood rival and as it turns out, best team in the conference other than them- Because you're in the same division.

I'm a year in and year out. You're in the same division. Not anymore. It's now going to be a big old mosh pit. There you go. Which to the point now is an issue for a lot of people that Michigan and Ohio State might play each other in back-to-back weeks now because Michigan and Ohio State play the last game of the regular season every year. That might be for nothing because they've already clinched the top two spots in the conference. So now Michigan and Ohio State might play each other two weeks in a row with the big one being for the Big Ten Championship because it's now in the mosh pit. So just stop playing in the regular season and playing the Big Ten title. As for the SEC where it just means more except the two teams that are the best year in and year out in the conference that is reimagining its schedule decide still not important to play each other over here.

Because Georgia being a national power is a recent development. Yeah. True. But now we're reimagining everything.

But the schedules are made a decade in advance. Well redo them. You can redo them.

Let's see them redo them. How much do you want the goalpost moved for your argument in this? A lot. Okay. Yeah. Sure.

Why not? But everything that I'm saying is not impossible. It's not impossible.

I mean. Michigan. Getting things done in college football is impossible. Michigan plays USC and UCLA together in the first year that they're both those two new schools are in the Big Ten and then they play neither of them the next year. They decided to split them up for Ohio State where they play one in 2024 and one in 2025. Get it? Still over a two year span.

The same number of times. I'm saying that it's new. They're making it up now.

They just made it up now. And the now is when Georgia is back to back champions of the entire sport. And Alabama's coach is rightfully telling Joel Klatt, you're choosing the teams with the best records, not the teams that are the best to go play. That's now old school. We don't have to worry about that anymore because Georgia and Alabama are going to make it because they're two of the best programs in the sport where arguably the SEC is the best conference in the sport and the two best schools should play each other every year and they have the ability to make that happen now.

That's right. Where it just means more. We're not going to have conferences soon in college football.

I guess we could sit here and say a meteor could hit us all and none of this matters, but yes. California schools are now in the Big Ten. I know it's crazy. Conferences are over. I'm saying to you, Georgia and Alabama should play each other every year.

And I say they do. In the SEC Championship, how is that not good enough for you? Because they don't play each other during the regular season and they should. The NFL has first place teams from the previous year have to play each other the next year in the conference. The NFL and college football are not the same. Ask an SEC fan.

The NFL's 9th division according to them. Another good chat where TJ just sits here and watches us joust because Penn State doesn't have a seat at this table. Oh, I'm loving it. I'm really... Penn State's going to be good next year. Great.

Can't wait to see them. So what's that? Is that it? Yeah. I know. Penn State's going to be great next year? Yeah, I think they're preseason top five. Good. We are. Look forward to it.

Better beat them. Let's take a break. 844-204, Rich. Number two dial.

Baseball is all freaking out because replay failed it last night. For decades, Rolling Stone has set the bar for entertainment publications. Today, Rolling Stone Music Now takes over in podcast form. Songwriter and producer Jamie Hartman reacts to the Ed Sheeran verdict.

You need to create something new and of course you're going to use traditional parts to get there. Are you going to sue the Rolling Stones for making a samba out of sympathy for the devil? Are you going to sue Elvis Presley for writing Bart Zunova?

It's like saying you're not allowed to use a pencil to create a piece of art. Rolling Stone Music Now, wherever you listen. Get an inside look at Hollywood with Michael Rosenbaum, actress Kristin Ritter. Your parents let you travel by yourself. It was a different time. They just put you on a train. As a 15-year-old girl, you went to New York. I went on a bus and I did get picked up at Port Authority and they thought I was a runaway. What would they do?

They'd detain you and get people on the phone and then they finally let you go to your modeling job. How many times did it happen? Once or twice. It just seems like it wouldn't happen. It happens, yeah.

Inside of you with Michael Rosenbaum, wherever you listen. It was 96 and it was the week before the Michigan-Ohio State game. You know, I got to practice. I wasn't feeling well. My back was a little tight and I told the trainer, you know, my back is not feeling right. He was like, oh, you know what? Don't worry about it. So, you know, we're in practice and he calls me over a couple of times. Coach Carr.

Yeah, yeah. You know, he was like, you know, you're not paying attention. He said, hey, if you're not going to pay attention, then you can just leave. And I turned around, walked out the field, walked into the locker room, put my clothes back on.

I walked to the dorm and I was like, man, I'm transferring. I'm out of here. You walked out on Coach Carr and Michigan practice Ohio State week saying, I'm leaving. I'm gone.

Going to Coach Carr's office. You know, he asked me a question, he's like, you think you justified yourself by walking off the field? And I was like, yeah. I don't, I don't think you had to make an example out of me. He was like, you know what?

You're not playing this week. I walked back down to Vance Bedford's office and he was like, I told you, just go down there and just apologize. You know what? He picks up the phone. I don't know what he's doing. Ms. Woodson, I told this boy to go down there and apologize and that's all he had to do.

Here, you talk to him. So I'm talking to my mom. She was like, what's, what's the problem? I'm like, you know, coach mom, you know, my coach wants me to go down there, go down there and apologize. I'm like, I'm not apologizing. She was like, Charles, she said, I understand, I know, I know you're mad and you're angry. She said, if you're not going to apologize for yourself, then do it for me.

Come on, man. So I said, okay, I get up, I go down. Did it for mom.

I did it for mom, man. Apologize the coach. He said, well, you know what? Good Charles, you're playing this week. And you know, introduced to Charles at his hall of fame induction, his mom. Back here on the Rich Eisen show, sitting at the Rich Eisen show desk on the Rich Eisen show radio network furnished by Grainger with supplies and solutions for every industry. Grainger is the right product for you.

Call clickrainger.com or just stop by. A replay in major league baseball, as you know, they were dragged into it, kicking and screaming, right? Dragged into it, kicking and screaming and pretty much every sports league was, some still are. The NBA to me is still way too stingy on replay. And these coaches hold onto their replay challenges like it's the most valuable commodity in the world. They will not use it in the first half, doesn't matter how egregious it is. Save it for the last minute of the game. And sometimes it's not needed. When you needed it was in the first half when your player picked up a second foul or a third foul or you could have used it to wipe a field goal off the board and you know, that shot came in a final balance of the final score. And they're just way too stingy with it. And I know that would extend the NBA game or whatever, but you get one right, you should get another one in the NBA and they don't do it.

Just one and that's it, one and done. And the NFL, I remember the first owner's meeting, league annual meeting or annual league meeting for the NFL that the NFL network covered in 2004 at the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, um, the league voted on replay to make it permanent in 2004, this century, they voted to make it permanent. And that was a big to do. The Raiders abstained because that's what Al Davis always did.

And the Bengals, Mike Brown voted against it. And I remember competition committee had Charlie Casterly speaking to the owners saying, look, everybody's got it on their new, you know, high definition television sets at home. Plasma back. Right.

Plasma. Everybody's got it at home. We might as well use it.

If they have it at home, we should have it at the games. And owners were convinced and, and it's still being tinkered with. Rich, you got to do it in Charlie's voice. Yeah, see, we got to, we got to hear, that always sounded like the frog from courageous cat minute mouse.

I'm dating myself. My God. But just baseball was the one dragged in kicking and screaming, right. And to the point where they just a year ago followed what I was pounding this table for over and over and over again is make the umpire the crew chief at the winky dinky dog of Major League Baseball.

Go from assistant crew chief to crew chief. So great Hollywood shuffle friend over there. Okay, you guys. So make them announce to the crowd what you're explaining.

Yeah, that's your big thing, right? Because, you know, they used to come out and just country Joe West just go grunt at a base and go caveman. He knows safe. So it all comes down to last night. We're now at the point where baseball replay is being used to challenge whether a rule is being appropriately applied. A player safety rule is being appropriately applied. The Buster Posey rule, if you recall the great future Hall of Fame catcher, I don't think I'm overstating it right, of the San Francisco Giants had his leg basically shattered at home plate blocking the plate and they're like, player safety, catchers are no longer allowed to block the plate unless they have possession of the ball already.

And you got to give the runner free reign to get to home plate sliding within the base bat I'm generally explaining this rule. And last night, Jonah Haim of the Texas Rangers tags out Elvis Andrews of the Chicago White Sox to maintain a 6-6 tie in the eighth inning out at the plate and the White Sox challenge two things. Did his tag get in in time and did Haim illegally block the plate? And they come out a replay and say Andrews is safe, not because the tag wasn't applied, but because he blocked the plate. And to me, every single replay, every single snapshot you have Haim's left foot is on the top right corner of home plate. And the home plate for Andrews is way wide open for him to hit. That right there, he's on the, he's standing on the first base side, he's in the left-handed hitters batter's box to the point where he would have been hit by Victor Wembanyama's ceremonial first pitch, he would have been beamed in the head. And so, but that's not where his foot was when he slid though.

Well, it was still, his foot was on, it was still in a spot where you could, if you're reviewing this in my estimation, not overturn this thing. Like you're going to give the White Sox a run to take the lead, needing only three more outs to win it. And that's what they did, and Bruce Boce gets ejected. I was watching this live and it was, it was nuts.

This is what he had to say after the game, speaking of another guy from San Francisco going to the Hall of Fame, ironically, the manager, Buster Posey's manager, now with the Rangers, here's Bruce Bocey. For that call to be made, I'm dumbfounded. It's absolutely one of the worst calls I've ever seen, and it was done by replay, I just don't get it. I don't care how many times I'll try to explain it.

You can't do that in that situation, it's a shame, it's embarrassing really. You thought he had a clear lane to the play, what did you see on the play? There was never any contact with the catcher, it was a sweet tag, I don't get it, I really don't. I just, again, I'm shocked, you know, Jonah did a great job there, you know, the throw took him to the left a little bit, sweet tag.

I'm lost on this one, you know, that's a tough one to take. Two things, first of all, I forgot, Bruce Bocey was great in 1883. He was awesome. His voice means Christmas. He was great. His voice.

I forgot about that. That's a phenomenal voice. His voice is amazing.

I think he was Sam Elliott's brother. Is that how you think he is? Yeah, I think, yeah.

Secondly, I totally agree with him, but here's my take. These are the eggs you gotta break to make the replay omelet. It is not perfect, I'm serious, I am, as you know, a huge advocate for instant replay. And this is what happens in Major League Baseball when you institute replay and you're still, I think they're still working through, I don't know how many years it's been now, but they're still working through it. Now in the NFL, the only rule that you can challenge in the NFL to say you didn't call a penalty appropriately is too many men on the field, right?

I believe so. There's nothing else. There's not like a player safety rule and you know I want replay assist in the NFL to fold in picking up a flag on roughing the passer penalties. I want them to fold in throwing a flag on helmet to helmet to help out the officials. But here's an, it's just a fascinating case that you can challenge a player safety rule not being properly applied in Major League Baseball.

That one I didn't see coming. And I think baseball this year with their new rules, man oh man, I did not like the pitch clock idea. Certainly coming in, seeing all the times that we were seeing pitch clock violations in spring training, coming off of that epic World Baseball Classic confrontation between Otani and Trout, and every single pitch that Otani threw to Trout would have been a pitch clock violation. Right.

And I still have those concerns. Yeah. But I'm, you know I love the lack of a shift. I don't miss that at all. Does anybody miss that guy in short right field playing third base in short right field? I don't think it's a coincidence that they banned the shift and now we have a left handed hitter batting 400. Correct. That is not a coincidence. I agree with you. That Arias can friggin rake.

He's got two hits today. So it's better. And replay. The game is better. Replay's part of it. It is. Replay's part of it.

That stunk last night. I do not know. I want to know. It was tough. I want to know how they're like, yeah, we're going to over, they overturned a call.

In something that I can look at it a million times. You were saying it too, TJ, like where was he when he actually applied the tag? But hey, you can't sit here and say that's conclusive enough to give a go ahead run to a team that just got wiped out by a great throw in an appropriate tag. Yeah. Were you just watching it again over there? Yeah.

It's kind of ridiculous. You guys are absolutely right. So, but, but. In a tie game.

Yeah. If you want to fix it, like, because the number of times I think they should replay, yeah, guy was in the base path running up the first baseline, you know, he's not in that lane in that. And the number of times umpires will just say, yeah, no, you're wrong. After looking at it again, it infuriates me. And now I'm seeing this, which is kind of similar, although it's not a player safety rule, whether you're in the, in the lane or not running the first from home plate. But to instant, to replay a player safety rule, which this is an inappropriate, over apply it to overturn a run is infuriating, but it is replay should be in major league baseball. I firmly believe it. I've had a bigger issue this year with the home plate umpiring.

It's tough when you see a ball, that's a whole ball and a half outside of the box and it's called a strike. I feel for these. What are we doing?

We're looking for them because they're these Twitter accounts that are like, this was the most egregious missed pitch, 5.53 inches off home plate, like, and it's there for tweeting out for everyone to see everyone to see immediately, that's why I think they're going to automate this stuff. They're gonna, we're heading towards that. It's coming.

And that's going to be another big adjustment. Big time. AI refs. AI refs. AI refs. AI-R. Dude. AI-R. AI-R. Or umpse.

AI-U. Yeah. Yeah.

Bruce Bocci was great in 1883. Let's just keep on, I mean, you've got to give it up for him. How many packs of Marbles do you think that guy smoked?

So much brown liquor and nicotine. Let's take a break. Let's take a break because there is on the day before the NBA draft, a major red flag about one of the top prospects available Thursday night. Good trade rumors right now.

We'll be right back. What's going on over there? What's happening? You got to turn your mic on, audio executive.

No, no, no, no. What are you on? I'm going to the airport tomorrow. What are you going to the airport tomorrow?

I'm doing the playoff game for the USFL on Sunday. Oh. So you're leaving town? Yes. You're leaving on a jet plane? Next week's going to be a rough week for me.

Oh. So you're, so Feli's going to be your Friday? You get Feli tomorrow. It's Feli Friday? It's Feli Friday. It's Feli Friday, but I'm done. How many Feli Fridays next week? He's only got, we don't, it's, I'm doing the gold cup.

So I don't know when. What is the gold cup? Gold cup's a big soccer, like pre a world cup thing. Hold on, let me write this down. Gold cup is a big soccer pre-world cup thing.

The hairs worry about mixing. Chris, can you look up the actual official description of the gold cup and see if it's one of those big soccer pre-world cup thing. Any of those words, hold on a minute. Big soccer pre-world cup thing. 2023.

Hold on a second, wait, stop, stop. Big soccer pre-world cup thing. How many words of the, how many of those words are in the official description Chris is about to read? I'd say world cup. World cup.

Not even soccer. No, I'm going to go, I'm going to go, I'm going to say three, two, three. So over, under two and a half. You take the under. I'll take the under. I'll take the over.

Okay. Chris. When are you doing this? This is next week?

Starts next week. Gold cup. The official description of the gold cup is what? The 2023 Conca calf gold cup. That's the description. There's no description of what it is somewhere? Oh, it's the, uh, the bi, the biennial international men's football championship of the north central American and Caribbean region organized by Conca calf. Yeah.

So the words big soccer pre-world cup, none of them are in there. Zero. So I won it. Wow.

Damn straight you did. I should never go against. Yeah.

I should never go against the price is right guy. Oh boy. For those listening. You just missed a great segment on our local channels. Wow.

Okay. Big soccer rules. We just had our soccer segment.

You guys are out of your mind. We just had the world cup. The world cup's not for another three years. No, I know. I said pre. It's pre. It's a pre. It's a pre. It's a pre. It's a pre.

Pre. It's before the world cup. Actually, it's before the gold cup.

The world cup is here in three years. It is. I know.

It's in three places. It's going to be great. It's big. I'm going. It's a big soccer world cup.

Brockman, by the way, Brockman, if you get into tickets for that and you don't sell them for SoFi, you're going to be, you want to talk, you can buy a house. All right, let's talk about something important. Okay. NBA draft. Yes.

Victim one bunyama. Draft. First overall pick. There's no question. It's already done.

Honestly. Locked. Loaded. Locked.

Finished. Question after that. Who's number two?

Oh, big question. Does Charlotte take Scoot Henderson? The odds have flipped recently.

Or does Charlotte take Brandon Miller? It's trending that way, Rich. Grind.

They're going to grind maybe to the last second. Michael Jordan involved in the decision. Even though he sold majority stake. And this is important. Brandon Miller, moments ago, asked at his media availability by, let me get this correct, Brandon Scoop B. Robinson of Bally Sports Network, a question, I like the question, the answer is so unexpected, I have to rethink Brandon Miller's draft status. Okay, Rich, we're on the same page. Okay, I mean, you have to. The answer is nothing short of, with all due respect to the individual involved, alarming. Sounds like disrespect. Here we go.

Roll it. You said you were in black and red at the draft, right? Jordan wore black and red as a member of the Bulls. Here's my question, unrelated to that, you're young, older people, young people often have this LeBron and Michael conversation. I'm not going to ask you who's the greatest because that's old, but because you've been in Michael's presence and because you grew up liking LeBron, as a young person, do you feel like that conversation is just overdone?

No, because I actually don't think LeBron is, you know, could go the faster. I think Michael might go to basketball as Paul George. And I always grew up watching him, so it's never just LeBron.

I am without speech. I am without speech, hey, Paul George is a good basketball player. Paul George is a very good basketball player. Very good basketball player. One of the greatest basketball players alive. Paul George is an excellent basketball player.

Top 30, probably? Yeah. He's one of the best basketball players in the world. Better than LeBron? LeBron James? Yes.

Unfortunately, no. Hey, playoff P. Even playoff P! Pandemic P! Palmdale P!

Palmdale P! All of them, together! The GOAT of basketball above LeBron James, let me tell you something, folks, I know how good Brandon Miller is, I understand what is happening. But Michael Jordan, Michael, not just Michael Jordan, Michael B. Jordan, anybody named Michael Jordan. Michael B. Jordan. Okay, maybe anybody named Michael or Jordan. Okay.

Okay. Michael Jeffrey Jordan. They know. Michael Jeffrey. What Brandon Miller just said is a major red flag, and if I'm in a room evaluating talent and my job's on the line, my job status on the line, my franchise's future. Your children's college fund is on the line. Is on the line. I gotta turn my back on him. I gotta turn my back on him. Godfather style?

Goodfella style. That's so crazy. Wow. Crazy, isn't it? Even LaVar Ball says, that's nuts.

And I don't know if I want to play him with LaMelo. Even LaVar! Even when you lose, I win! Even the guy who apparently took on Jordan.

Said he could beat him one-on-one! Even the guy who came up with the big baller brand shoe is saying, that's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! That's nuts! I will say, that's nuts! That's nuts! He loves LaVar Ball. He was like, that's nuts! Oh, this little guy! Oh no.

That's nuts. He's all about game play. game after Paul George, the other similar build.

Absolutely understandable. So there's a report, so Scoot was the favorite for the number two pick. Then Brandon Miller went back in, second workout with the Hornets.

Now suddenly he's the favorite. Sure. We need a third workout tonight with just a simple explanation.

You know the end of back to school where Rodney Dangerfield has to give that oral test, the oral presentation? We need that, but the explanation of why Paul George is your GOAT, and then that will decide if you're the second pick or not. I'm in. I'm up for it.

Can't lie to you, Dean Martin. Jim Gray hosts. Jim Gray hosts. Takes an hour. And then we don't get an answer. Until two minutes left.

Minute 58. We get the answer. Let's put him in the... Another decision. Let's put him in the checkerboard. Yes.

He takes his talents too? Let's get some kids behind him. Director's chairs. High school auditorium.

An empty gym in Charlotte. Something. Come on. Come on.

Come on, Brandon. Hey, you guys were talking about how Bijan Robinson and Tyree Kill came up with their top five running backs of all time. Jim Brown's not on it.

Emmett's not on it. It's a different era. We're old. We are old. That is true. We are old.

It's gonna be tough. But at least we're on the cutting edge. We're on a streaming platform that's rising like a bullet.

We're here to educate these kids. We're old school and new school. We're on terrestrial radio. We're on satellite radio. We're on streaming radio. And we're on the Roku channel streaming. Ooh, baby.

This is what we're doing. Disco and fur. So what, you got a trade? Wow, rumors. Rumors season is hot. Okay, what do we got?

Shams, one minute ago. Wizards, Celtics, Clippers, and strong talks on a trade that would send Porzingis to Boston, Marcus Morris and draft picks to Washington, Malcolm Brogdon to the Clippers. So Chris Paul's not involved? Chris Paul not involved. I don't like that. I like Porzingis.

I like that big three. Wait a minute. So all the Celtics have to do is give up Malcolm Brogdon and maybe some draft compensation and you get Porzingis? Yeah, taking on Porzingis has got a big contract. Who cares?

I don't care. I like that big three. I like Brown, Tatum Brown, Porzingis, Marcus Smart, still got Gollinari. Oh, boys. The Wizards are just having a sale.

They're having a sale. And so did the Clippers not want Chris Paul? They didn't just say throwing Chris Paul in this deal?

I don't know what the deal is, man. So the Lakers will be like, sure, okay. Well, Chris Paul is going to get bought out and then you can get Chris Paul on a much more friendly deal. Or they're going to hold on to him and get something for him. You know the Lakers want him. What are you going to just let him walk to Los Angeles? Yeah, you can't do that.

You should not do that. That's what I'm saying. He has significant value. And the Lakers don't have a lot of picks to give up. Porzingis, Wick saying, you know, I got more money. Wherever that came from, here we go. Scratch.

Scratch a check, Wick. Was that enough to beat Miami or? You could have used them against Miami. The problem is Malcolm Brogdon got hurt in the Miami series, which has been his MO. That wasn't the reason why you went down.

Well, gave away game one and two had 10 point leads. Okay, that's true. Reopen old wounds. Thank you. I didn't mean to. Wow.

Going out the door, going out the door. Porzingis to the Celtics. Malcolm Brogdon, not Chris Paul from Washington to the Clippers. My initial reaction was no.

Now I'm thinking about it. I'm like, I just got done piping up Brogdon to you yesterday. He's now a teammate of the greatest of all time, Paul George. Palmdale P. Brandon Miller's goat of basketball. Is it Jordan?

Is it LeBron? Is it, you know, if you want to go old school, you can even go older. He's got a slide on that, man.

Where you sliding what? Out of the top five. Totally. I'm not going to let him slide on his take.

You got a hard pass. Kids these days, though, you know. Kids these days. They don't know. Malcolm Brogdon, teammate of the goat. They don't know.

Paul George. We can go home now. Conspiracy theories. Paranormal UFOs. Science teacher Andrew Greenwood stated that a child ran into his classroom and was hysterically screaming and talking about the flying saucer outside. Hundreds of children ran out of their classrooms to go outside and see this unidentified flying object that was just above the school. Just imagine a bunch of kids running out of school. Most of them probably just ran home. Theories of the third kind on YouTube or wherever you listen.