RE Show: Phil Nevin, Amy Trask - Hour 2 (8-4-2023)

Happy New Year! This is the Rich Eisen Show.

Ticks the snap, back in the pocket, up in the pocket, throws down the middle of the field and that is picked off! They got it! Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. So what is going on in San Francisco?

Is it possible this year? Trey Lance just gets released. Out! Today's guest, CBS Sports NFL analyst, Amy Trask, Angels Manager Phil Nevin, Basketball Hall of Famer Jerry West. And now, sitting in for Rich, it's Suzy Schuster. Hey you guys, Suzy Schuster here for the Rich Eisen Show. Rich is on his way to Ohio right now. Currently somewhere over the middle of the country on the way to Hall of Fame weekend and thrilled to be here with you on the Roku channel as I always love to be.

Jay Felley and Chris Brockman and TJ Jefferson, great to see you guys. You know, I like to go deep into my well of who I know. I like to stretch and flex to show Rich that I can get great guests. Yeah, it bugs him sometimes. He's wanted Phil Nevin on the show for some time now. He's really, like, really wanted it because I'm obsessed with the show.

Hey Otani, we talk more all the time. He keeps saying that, you know, he keeps reaching out to the Angels that he can't get Phil Nevin and so I flexed. Does he call and say he's Suzy Schuster's husband?

Maybe that's where he's going wrong. Oh, that's Suzy Eisen's husband. Thank you, Charles. Thank you for knowing where your bread is buttered.

You're welcome. So, yeah, so I've been stalking the Angels the last couple days to try to get Phil Nevin on. And I basically just finally said, tell Phil I got a lot of dirt on him from the years that he played sports.

I mean, the years he was playing in baseball. I know where it is. I know the bodies, Phil Nevin. You had to call in, didn't you? It's been a while, Suzy.

How are you? You know, I said I have really a lot of good stories, but they're not for the air. But we had fun now when you were playing you and John B. and all those guys. It's good to have you back on. I appreciate it.

It's great to hear from you. When our PR guy called me this morning, he said, hey, Rich Eisen Show wants you to come on. I go, I know his wife very well.

He goes, I'm with her. I'm like, oh, done. Yeah, exactly.

Exactly. I had to have you back on. How are you doing, Phil?

It's great to talk to you. It's been a while. I'm doing all right. We had a rough one last night, but back at it today. We're still in the thick of this thing and everything right in front of us. You know, like I said, last night was a rough one.

We got to rinse it off and get back out there today. Carlos Estevez has been the best closer, one of the best closers in the game. I think he's the only one that hasn't blown a save yet. And tonight, just, you know, the numbers caught up to him last night.

But he'll be back out there tonight in the same situation. Phil, I have to ask you what everybody wants to know. What is it like managing Ohtani? I never get that question. That's weird. I like to be the only one to ask questions like that.

I know you've never heard it before. There's a lot to it. I mean, well, first off, it's certainly a pleasure to have him on your team. The talents, as you guys all see. The things that nobody else gets to see, though, are the personality, the type of person he is, the work ethic. And I've said this many times, he has an agenda from the time he wakes up to the time he goes to bed and actually everything in between that. With his sleep schedule is part of it, too. But his agenda is being the best player in the world. Obviously, it's working, but he does not do anything or put anything in his body. And everything he does throughout the day is calculated for him to be the best. And it's not money driven.

It's driven because he wants to win. And that is the best quality I think you can be in a teammate. I happen to have two great players like that, and he and Mike Trout.

We'll get Mike back here pretty soon. But when your two best players are two of the best people in the room, they just they live and die just to win baseball games and want to be on that stage at the end of it. Makes my job a heck of a lot easier. Guys just kind of fall in line. They're leaders by example. If you notice, they always lead the league.

They're both in the top five. This is nothing that anybody talks about, but in times the first base, which tells you they hit a comeback or the mound or they hit a ground ball to second base. They're busting it down the line, except when days when Shohei pitches. But just examples that they're leaders, they want to win.

Guys follow them. It's pretty awesome to be around. Well, you mentioned Trout, so I may as well get this out of the way. When are we going to see him back? Well, he started swinging a bat a couple of days ago yesterday, actually. You know, the progression with this is dry swings without hitting the ball. Because when you start hitting the ball and the vibration through the bat, that's what kind of affects the hand. It's more of a pain tolerance thing with this surgery, but he's right on schedule to be at the front end of what they all talk about the rehab is for this. I know he's been working hard on his body.

To give it a timetable, you know, I think once it starts feeling good and he can let it go, it would not be long within a week or so after when he actually starts taking batting practice, which I think will happen in a couple days. Make sure you give me a heads up so I can be the one to break the news, okay? Old habits die hard, you know?

You got this. Buster Olney was on with Rich and he told a story about you talking to Shohei at Yankee Stadium and referring back to your days as the third base coach, asking where Stanton and Judge put the ball. Can you tell us that story, please? Yeah, he doesn't take batting practice on the field too often. And this particular day, he walks out and I looked at him at the cage and I said, what are you doing out here? He goes, I need to remember what it's like to hit a home run. And looking back, he had gone probably four or five days without a home run. He took his first round in the cage and he walked out and he asked me where Stanton and Judge would hit home runs during batting practice. And I told him, you know, right above that little restaurant was some of the farthest ones I've seen, where the cameras are. And this second round, he proceeded to hit them, I mean, well over where the cameras were, well over the restaurant.

And this is to the opposite field a little bit. That's just him being him. I mean, he can put on a display during batting practice like nobody I've ever seen. I've obviously watched Judge and Stanton hit him for four years and boy, they can hit him a long way for sure. This is just a different sound.

It's a different look, which we've said about those other two guys for a long time. I mean, they still hit him. You're in awe when you watch him hit Judge and Stanton hit home runs in batting practice.

But we used to go out and watch like Maguire take BP and Sammy Sosa. But this, what you're watching here, if you ever get a chance to do that, it's like nothing you've ever seen. Are you inviting me down to watch a game?

Is that what you just did here? Come on out. Bring Rich. Bring the kids. Bring them all. Yeah, we'll have a great time. By the way, I'll be there next week. Who are you kidding?

I actually haven't been to Anaheim since the World Series, so I feel like I have to get back down there. When you watch a guy like Otani, though, go out and you're concerned because he says his finger hurts and he's going to come out. He's not going to pitch. You're going to call a guy in a couple innings early and he goes out and hits the home run.

I mean, when does that, this doesn't happen. It's just magic down there with him. Yeah, I mean, he's, last week, you know, he had the long day through the complete game against, he threw a shout out against Detroit.

In game one of a doubleheader, and everybody's heard about this, game two, he hit the two home runs. He kind of cramped up the next day. This was more like lower legs and stuff.

In Toronto, we talked about getting a day off. He refused. He just, he knew his body was fine and ready to go. And then last night, nothing in the arm, nothing in the elbow or shoulder. This was just his hand. And it kept, the middle finger just kept like kind of curling down to his palm and he couldn't get it to straighten out.

It was a cramped situation. And it actually, he pitched with it the inning before and I was looking up at the board. You know, he saw a fastball at 90 and you see really slow breaking balls. I think it was a five pitch inning. He got through it and just came in and said, if this doesn't get better, I'm not going to be able to pitch anymore.

And sure enough, it did not. He actually hit that inning, was able to wrap the finger around the bat. But just wasn't able to get a grip on the ball. So I had to take him out of the game, which threw four good innings. Our bullpen did a great job. It's just, you know, missing Shohei out there and that, you know, the length that he can give you sometimes.

Certainly, you know, it wasn't the reason we lost the game by any means, but he certainly contributed his side on the offensive side to help us win it. We just didn't get it done at the end. How do you get him to stay, Phil? You know, I don't honestly, I don't really think about that right now.

I mean, I know it sounds cliche, but we're worried about today when the winter comes. You know, I think we have a great relationship and he asked me for advice. I'll give it to him on certain places or anything like that. I mean, I'd love to have him back, obviously.

I think anybody would. There's going to be a lot of teams in the running for this deal. But, you know, we really don't think about it now. And it doesn't invade our clubhouse. That's something that's the strength of ours. It's certainly talked about a lot with him through the media and everything and through me. He fields his questions every now and again, but he gives the same answer.

And it's true. I know it, like I said, it sounds cliche, but he's focused on today and winning today. Wants to win here.

Certainly think if we do win here and get to, you know, and show that we can win, I mean, that might make a difference at the end of the day. But, you know, right now, like I said, we're worried about this season. How long did it take to get used to baseball's new rules? You know, it's a good question. This winter when everything was put in, just like in the past, you kind of go, Whoa, what are we doing here?

And how's this going to work? And, you know, went back to like the three batter rule and the bullpen. You go back to, you know, other changes we've made, losing the DH and all that. It's just, it's just baseball. You end up playing baseball. I think the clock is something that you still see violations once in a while.

It's rare. It sped up the game, but really the adjustment for the players, it took part of a spring training. You know, you get in the box and you hit, you get on the mound and you pitch and infielders stay on the dirt. You don't go past second base.

It's just what the rules are. And they've become normal now. Talking to some of the minor league managers before this season were like, Well, I kind of was trying to get versed on how this is going to affect us. And they said, Now, within a few days of spring training and you're watching this, it's going to be normal.

And sure enough, when the season started, you know, you had your hiccups right away for the first few days of the season. But all in all, we've made adjustments to that. And to me, it's like it's the way it's always been.

It's normal. The games are going quicker. When we lose, I just have more time at night to have to think about it.

And when we win, you get more time to enjoy it. So that's all. What would you think about robo-umps behind home plate? For it? Against it? Ridiculous? Not ridiculous?

No, I'm not for it. I mean, I've had some incidences this year where we felt like we didn't get a call because we went our way. And, you know, part of that is protecting my players. But I enjoy the interactions with the umpires, good and bad. I think they do a heck of a job.

It's an extremely difficult job. Now, one thing that I would say that I think is working is in triple A is to have the challenge system where it goes right upstairs. And then they can tell if it's a ball or a strike. And each each team or player or whatever gets X amount of challenges through the game.

And it goes quickly. My son's playing in triple A right now and I'm watching it work. And it's about getting the call right. You don't want a call that was missed. They're human late in the game that's going to affect the game. And those are the ones where you sit and say, all right, maybe we have some sort of system to replay it or something like that because they're going to make mistakes.

It's a very difficult job. And we all understand that. But you just you just wanted to get it right at the end. And I don't want the robo ump, but I would say that maybe the challenge system, if we can perfect it like we have the other things in our game, might be beneficial. So what's it going to take to get into the wild card, Phil? One more time? Wild card. What's it going to take to get there? Well, we got to win. I mean, I know that's an easy answer to say, but getting healthy, the quicker we can get healthy, the quicker we can, you know, get everybody together and find our identity once we get everyone back. And and it's going to take getting on a roll.

Absolutely. I mean, we're certainly within striking distance if we get hot. The teams that are in front of us are all teams we play. So obviously the ones in our division, we're not really counting that out either.

But, you know, we've obviously dug a big hole there. With the wild card, we got a few teams in front of us. We we certainly got to go on a run and win some games.

I'm not putting a number on how many we need to win. But, you know, we've we've done it before. There's teams all over this league that have gone on eight to 10 game winning streaks. And you find yourself right back in, just like we did about a month ago. We were we were in a wild card spot and we had a rough about week and a half after losing four or five guys all within a matter of a couple of days. And I think we had a one on eleven stretch or something like that and kind of knocked us into a hole. But we've we've climbed back out of it, so to speak, a little bit. We're within striking distance, like I said. But we've got to play. We've got to play better. We've got to get our guys back healthy and then obviously go on a little bit of a run.

You must want to pinch yourself when you have Otani out there and Trout. You must be looking at the field thinking, God, I have the greatest job of all time. Well, I know I'm lucky in this situation I'm in. People talk about, you know, is it worth it? You know, the time I spend in the minor leagues and things like that. I mean, it wasn't a grind. I loved every minute of it.

But looking back now, of course, it was worth it. I'm in a position that not a lot of first year managers get. You're usually taking over a team that's really in a struggle mode or a rebuild mode. You don't inherit the two best players in the world.

You don't get to choose some of your coaching staff, which I've been able to do through the trust of the front office. And that is also included in there. My relationship with Perry and the front office is great. We're on the same page. We communicate. It's one of the things that I think all of us know is an important factor in a successful organization. And everybody wants to win. That's just the key to it. So I'm lucky to have to be in the position I am. The grind, as everyone has said, was totally worth it.

I'm home. I get to see my grandbaby all the time, which I have one now. I can't believe that. You are old. Yeah.

Thanks. She's the best thing ever. Kids are your own kids are one thing. But being able to be around your grandbabies, as everyone told me, she's just the best thing ever. Oh, that is so great. Well, I can't wait to see pictures.

I actually remember now. I think Rich is coming down to Anaheim on Monday. I'm going to take one of our kids to Taylor Swift. Our son, Xander, is going to Taylor Swift. And Rich is coming down with our 12-year-old lefty pitcher. I'm just saying he throws over the top.

You might want to take a look at Coop Eisen. But I think Rich is coming down on Monday. But I'm going to hit you up to come down. I'd love to come down.

And we live a little bit of fun times we had down there. Absolutely. Get a hold of me anytime.

I'd love it. Thanks for making the time for me. Appreciate it, Phil. All right, Susie.

Thank you. That's Phil Nevin, the Angels manager right here on The Rich Eisen Show. Great. He's terrific. And by the way, you know, talk about somebody who showed up all the time and just loved baseball for what it was.

Phil Nevin's old school. I appreciate that about him. And I hope, I hope he gets to come through for the rest of the season and have two healthy players. Because watching Otani, I'm dying to see him in person.

I said, that's the way I'll go down to Anaheim again. I want to watch him throw. I mean, who would you want to watch throw more? If you could pick one guy. Oh, good one.

Right now. He's got to be it. He's must-see baseball.

That's it. He pitched last night. He only went four innings.

Had a hand cramp. Had to come out of the game. But didn't give up a run.

You know, Phil mentioned how heartbreaking it was. They did lose kind of in brutal fashion last night. Otani hits an eighth inning homer to make it 3-1. And then a guy with one home run on the year hits a grand slam for Seattle.

Can you believe it? And they lose 5-3. Kind of a bummer because they've been playing really well out of the All-Star break. Want to see them in the playoffs. We need to see Otani and Trout on the big stage. I'm pulling for them for sure.

No, me too. A hundred percent. You've got to see those two healthy together.

And by the way, again, you can't reiterate enough. Comes out, Phil's going to call somebody else in two innings early. He rolls with it. And then Otani goes up and goes yard anyway? With a cramped finger? Like, what is happening down there?

What is in the water in Anaheim? Phil Nevin is also a great Immaculate Grid answer. He's been on seven teams, so that fills a lot of boxes there.

He's a journeyman, but man, he's in a good position right now. I love it. We'll take a break. When we come back, Amy Trask. My partner in crime comes out here. The princess of darkness herself. Get ready to call in and ask her questions, people.

Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen. What is it like when you're back there? You know you're going to get it. The eight in the box or nine in the box that you see knows you're going to get it. And you know you're going to give it to them.

And they know you're going to give it to them. What is that like for you? I just I just love the game. I love having a ball in my hands and I love making plays. And I don't know, I just it's just the game and like that feeling when when everybody knows and I can't stop it. It's just is an indescribable feeling, man.

And that's just speaking for like us as a team. And, you know, I just I love the game. I know you're smiling. You're just smiling as you're saying this. It is just it must be an amazing feeling.

A lot of fun to have that ability. Derek Henry here on the Rich Eisen show. Did you hear what Earl Thomas said before the divisional playoff game in Baltimore, saying that the Patriots didn't want to tackle you, but they were going to have a different.

Oh, yes. Everybody was sending it to me. Everybody was showing it to me. OK, so now later on, you're in Baltimore, you get the ball, you're on the edge. Did you know that was Earl Thomas that was coming for you? Did you give him a second show because it was Earl Thomas?

Yes. I was wondering because you gave him you gave him one in the front and you gave him one slightly unnecessary one in the back. But what's so funny about that is also focused on give him another sub that I ran myself out of bounds.

So the first time he kind of turned around. Yeah. And I could have turned up. But I also focus on this, like, give him a show that I ran myself out of bounds.

But yeah, but yeah, I definitely did that. So then the last question is, was it worth it to run yourself out of bounds? I think it was.

Back here on The Rich Eisen Show, Suzy Schuster in for Rich Eisen, he's winging his way over the country right now to Ohio for the Hall of Fame game shot Spirit Airlines really fast. Yes, Spirit Airlines. I don't believe that.

Maybe, maybe not. Amy Trask. Yeah.

Does Spirit have its own FBO? By the way, you speak in such sexy terms, FBO. That is a sexy, sexy, sexy term.

Amy Trask, the princess of darkness here on The Rich Eisen Show. So grateful to have you here. And you know that you're my first call all the time. Not just because you love ice cream, but because I love having you on and because I love your nickname.

And because breaking news, you and I will have an incredible podcast coming out this fall. You just dropped that in at the beginning. There was no drum roll. There was no anything. I don't need a drum roll. Well, you're right. We don't need a drum roll. We don't need no disco.

We didn't even build up to that at all. I mean, that is big, big news. I'm yet doing again something I swore I would never, ever, ever do. You want to know why I'm doing it?

Why? Because of you. So, you know, you call me. I'll say to my husband, I am not doing anything on a certain given day. I'm doing nothing.

I am doing nothing. And then Susie calls and I'm like, yeah, I'm doing that. And he'll say, I thought you said you were doing nothing. And I say, but it's Susie. So I would not be doing this if it wasn't with you. Well, I'm only doing it because it's you. So this is a real love fest and I'm doing it. And here's why.

Here's why. Whenever Amy comes on the show, people always say that was a grown up conversation about football. We're not screaming. We're not screaming. We're not having takes. You happen to kind of know the National Football League better than almost anybody I know.

You happen to have sat next to Al Davis for your career. You happen to have been the only woman in the room for a long time, which I happen to love. And I don't like hot takes. And that doesn't mean if you're a hot take artist or you like hot takes, have at it to each his own, to each her own. I'm just not a hot take person. I like to have reasoned and reasonable discussions. And you know what? We can disagree.

We can disagree agreeably and we can share our thoughts passionately, but we don't have to yell about it. By the way, something I love. Your brother texts you during the shows. Susie, as you know, I'm on CBS Sports Network on that other pregame show and we need to talk. And my brother sends me a text during a show.

I had said of a team who everybody was writing off, was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Good Animal House reference. Do you know where that's from?

Yeah, Animal House. OK, excellent. So I get a text from my brother.

I see it at the next commercial break. I love watching you on TV. I hate to send you something while you're on air. Please don't accept this, you know, as if it's criticism.

I'm sending it with love, but you might want to go back and correct this because. And then he gets to the punch line. You know, it wasn't the Germans, right? So I text my brother back and I said, did you ever watch Animal House?

And he replies, no. And first of all, that explains a very sad, sad answer. But I don't know what I found more astonishing that he actually thought that I thought it was the Germans that bombed Pearl Harbor or that he never watched Animal House. So every time you reference your brother texting you. I love that because my brother had my back when he thought that I'm actually dumb enough to think it was the Germans who bombed Pearl Harbor.

By the way, great movie, first of all. Should be. Yeah. My brother's more of an airplane guy.

I think maybe more so. He loved trading places like my brother got me into watching that kind of Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd kind of stuff. That said, my brother, Scott, who's in Boston, he when I was a CBS sports intern, because I, too, started my career with CBS. He I called him from the airport on the way to cover my first final four. And he basically told me the starting five of the Arkansas Razorbacks because I didn't know. And he basically has always had my back walking me through things. So, yeah. So any time I do the show, not only not only does he, Amy, text me during the show, but he will also tell me afterwards what I did well and didn't do well.

And so my brother had my back. He let me know during the show I should correct it because it wasn't the Germans. And you guys do realize now The Rich Eisen Show is going to get texts and emails and commentary that is she so dumb that she thinks the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? But it's a great line.

It is. We're going to take calls with you. And by the way, I'm excited because that's the whole point of what we're going to try to do on our podcast.

I'm part of the Rich Eisen Show podcast world. We're going to take questions. We really feel like there are so many great fans who would like to have their questions answered. And we want to have an opportunity on the football scoop with Schuster and Trask. We want to have an opportunity to open up the phone lines and emails and what have you.

Twitter, whatever it's called. I just don't think you dropped this big news with enough of a boom. Suzy Schuster, Amy Trask, we're doing a podcast. Kelly, give us some music. Can you give us a little bit?

Let's do a better. You kind of just dropped that in there. Just so nonchalant. I'm so subtle today. Ten fifty one.

I'm very subtle. Happy birthday. Thank you.

Yeah. Music, music, please. Coming up this fall, the invisible podcast. It's Schuster and Trask, the football scoop. Coming up, you'll find interesting perspective. Oh, my throat hurts.

You're doing that really well. This is big news. Coming up on the football scoop with Schuster and Trask. Insider information. There won't be any yelling and screaming. It's two reasonable women having a reasonable conversation about football.

That's Schuster and Trask, the football scoop. Swore I'd never go on Twitter. Did it.

Yeah. Swore I'd never join Instagram. You did that in the last few weeks. Swore I'd never do a podcast. We're doing a podcast. We're doing a podcast, people. That's our big announcement. You guys are going to have a perfectly normal, reasonable podcast. And then Rich and I are going to do overreaction one day, where it's just me saying outlandish, crazy things and Rich being like, calm down. Love that. And by the way, Rich is so excited for that.

He's almost more excited for us. He's building us a beautiful podcast studio complete with lighting because, you know, we need the lighting. You know, people, when you're a woman of a certain age, lighting, lighting, lighting, lighting. Maybe we could do it by candlelight. That'd be great.

The darker the better. But we are going to have great guests. And, Chris, maybe if you're nice, we'll have you on. No, we'll have them on. You're on. And by the way, I'm doing something else this week that I've never done before in my whole life. Tell us. Jumped off a plane? What?

No. CBS Sports Network is sending me to report. I'm going to be a reporter from Chargers training camp and it's going to be on. We need to talk next week on CBS Sports Network. I'm going to Chargers training camp.

Amy Trask reporting from training camp. Pretty sure that after I do this, 60 Minutes is going to be so impressed. They're going to ask me to be on. I'm still waiting for that phone call.

I'm still waiting for them. Just do me a favor. Don't hold the microphone in two hands. That's my pet peeve. It's a one hander. Sometimes you see on these TV shows where they someone's playing the role of reporter and they do the double fist.

It makes me insane. Amy Trask. Amy Trask reporting from charger training camp for we need to talk on CBS Sports Network. Can you also say it also for the football scoop with Schuster and Trask? Oh, yeah. Get it in there. Yeah.

Promo baby. Let's talk. We have a couple of things to talk about. We are going to take questions, too, because we want to we're warming up here.

Right. We're trying this out. What is the state of the running back market right now? I mean, we've had a lot of talk out of Indianapolis this week, but what's your take on this?

You know, I would divide it into two categories of takes, if you will. There's the economics of the running back market and we see what's happening. I mean, Josh Jacobs in Las Vegas.

It's going to I'm still easing into saying Las Vegas. Jonathan Taylor. Look, we know what's happening from an economic perspective, but I will tell you from a football perspective and I'll get killed for this. And I don't care. Running backs are important.

Everything works together. Your running game helps your passing game. Your passing game helps your running game. If you can't run the ball, the opposing defense can focus entirely on your passing game. If your running game is a big, big, big threat. Well, then they're going to have to devote defensive resources to stopping the run, which is going to help your passing game. And by the way, as I'm saying this, running backs, you should give me a call because I got your back.

No pun intended. People say we don't need a great running game or we don't need to value running backs. Well, let me tell you something. Your offense does need a good running game to help your offense as a whole. And the better your back, the better you're going to be. Also, when you think about the great players of the National Football League, a lot of them are running backs. I don't understand this. So I'm so happy that you're able to explain this for us. Well, you know, everybody's very interested in the sexist, sexy story of the moment. And for a number of years, we've been hearing that the running game is less important, less important.

Let me tell you something. You go to Green Bay when it's freezing outside. And by the way, there were a couple of times I thought in Green Bay I was going to end up like the Donner party.

It gets so cold there. You want your running game to work. When the pass rush on the opposing team's defense is ferocious, you want your running game to work. So, yes, I understand the economic realities. Really, I'm the one that signed the checks. I understand the economic realities, but I also value running backs more than a lot of people do.

So what do you counsel them to do then as their counsel? The running backs? I wish I had an answer for you. And I'm not going to make one up just for the sake of TV, just for the sake of streaming, just for the sake of radio, just for the sake of our podcast.

I don't know how to resolve this, but I do know this. As teams start to realize the value of good running backs, maybe that will shake out a bit. A lot of people are thinking that there's some collusion amongst the owners to try to not pay running backs.

How would that even work? You know, you're asking someone who went to law school and who spent 30 years in the National Football League or almost 30 years to talk about collusion. And I don't think you want my two hour answer on the textbook analysis of collusion. I'm guessing you don't want it. That could be a podcast.

It'd be a pretty boring one. You know, there's two issues. Are people colluding or are people simply reaching the same conclusion without communicating? And those are two entirely different scenarios.

And, you know, I'm not sure what's going on in that regard. But I do know that I would be handling things a lot differently were I with a team that had a running back that needed to be signed. And by the way, Al Davis took a lot, a lot, a lot of criticism. Well, he took a lot of criticism for a lot of things, but he took a lot of criticism for paying some players more than the market deemed they should be paid. And you know what?

He didn't care. So that's what I would say to the owner of a team who needs to sign his running back. Do what you think is right for your team and don't worry about what other people are going to perceive your decision to be. Amy, how much does this have to do with, you know, you look at the team like the Giants, right? So they were in this situation with Saquon Barkley, who ultimately said, look, it's smarter for me to take the 10 million now, renegotiate maybe a 10 percent raise. I can get 11 million, but they gave their quarterback 40 million dollars when they didn't really have to do that. If they could have given him 35 million, which would have been certainly more than fair for a guy with a one who's proven it for one year and Daniel Jones and then give the difference to Saquon and they could have avoided this whole mess.

Like how much does this crazy quarterback market now affect is trickling down to the running backs? Well, I mean, it affects everything if you look at money as a zero sum game. And it's not really because as far as the cap goes, the cap is simply a method of accounting. You've got gap accounting, you've got tax accounting, you've got cap account. We could have a whole show on tax. We could have a whole show on accounting.

We would we have any buddy who would actually listen? But look, the cap is simply a method of accounting. So if you want to make room to pay someone, you can make room to pay someone. Cash is an issue. Some teams cannot spend as much as others can. Some teams don't wish to or choose not to spend as much money as other teams.

But, yeah, you know, net net save money here, you can spend money there. I will say one thing about Saquon and I said it or I tweeted it. What do I say now? I X'd it.

You X'd it? You tweeted out. Let's not recognize it. I shared publicly that I am bothered when fans chime in and criticize a player for making whatever decision that player thinks is in his best interest or his family's best interest. Saquon made a decision that he thought was best for him. That's Saquon's decision to make, to state the obvious. It's his business to state the obvious. And I don't think people should be jumping all over him for making a decision they don't like. It's not your decision. So that plays into Josh Jacobs and that plays into that question, which is what do you think is happening there and how would Al have handled this situation?

Well, I don't know what's happening inside there. We all know what we saw, which is how Josh performed last year. And that was a perfect example of how important running backs are. I don't like to speak for Al. He was his own man and I don't speak for him.

I like to believe, I think, he would have found a way to get it done. See, why do you think? Just because he was a player's owner?

You know, that's a great question, Susie. And he said to me from the moment I joined the Raiders until, well, he said this to me umpteen times throughout my career, the players are the game. And he's right. And he did. He paid players more than other team owners thought he should. There were times at the Combine or at other league events where, you know, he'd get some good ribbing about paying more than people thought he should. And he didn't care. Amy Trask here on the Rich Eisen Show.

Susie Schuster in for Rich Eisen, who's somewhere over the middle of the country on the way to the NFL Hall of Fame game. What would Al think of hard knocks? Would he have ever done it? Okay, here's how that would have gone. The league would have said, Raiders, you're doing hard knocks. This is all hypothetical, of course.

I'm pretending. But here's how it would have unfolded. Next thing that would have happened, Amy, tell them no.

I'd call the league. If it didn't become an immediate no, Amy. Oh, no, no. Let me back up. Let me back up.

Amy, you got to tell them no. Okay, I'll try. Hey, I didn't ask you to try. I told you to get it done. That conversation happened a lot. Very, very first, or one of the very first interactions I had with Al after joining the organization, he asked me to do something and I said, okay, I'll try.

And that was his exact response. Hey, I didn't ask you to try. I told you to get it done.

So we would have been told we're doing hard knocks. Amy, tell them we're not doing it. Okay, I'll try. Hey, I didn't ask you to try. I told you to get it done.

Amy, picking up the phone to the league office, yeah, we're not going to be doing hard knocks this year. That's how it would have gone. And you would have got it done. Maybe.

Because you had no excuse. I was about to say. I tried. That's seemingly what the Jets did, and guess what, they're on it next Tuesday. Right. Let's talk about that because Aaron Rodgers, from a marketing perspective, him on hard knocks is kind of a no-brainer.

Yeah. From a front office perspective, kind of dicey. So what's your take?

I know you'll hate takes, but what are your thoughts on Aaron Rodgers now starring on hard knocks? I guess I don't hate takes as much as I hate hot takes. Well, hot takes are stupid. Thank you.

They are. You're right. Well, my thoughts are, look, from a viewership standpoint, Aaron will drive viewership. The fact that it's in the New York market is going to drive viewership. There's a lot about that team that's going to attract viewers, so that's good for the league. As far as the team goes, something that irritated me throughout my career were the coaches and others with organizations that bemoaned distractions. It'll be a distraction. It'll be a distraction.

Well, if you're the coach, your job is to make it not be a distraction. And I've shared this story umpteen times on social media. I'll share it again. Honest to goodness happened just like this. We're on the team plane. We're flying back from a game. A coach approaches me, and just he is hot that we didn't have the right kind of candy bar on the plane. We had a whole assortment of candy bars.

We had umpteen kinds of candy bars. I think I've now said umpteen about 12 times. You said it umpteen times, actually. Well done, Suze. You're welcome.

Thanks. Well, we had all these candy bars on the team plane, but we didn't have the kind of candy bar, one of the brands that we normally had. What was the brand? Oh, I'm not saying the brand's name. Oh, you didn't necessarily pay me.

You think I'm giving them free advertising? I forgot, I forgot, I forgot. But we didn't have the kind of candy bar on that we originally had, and he approached me.

He just stormed over on this plane home. It was a distraction, he said. It is a distraction that we do not have the right kind of candy bars. He named the brand, that we do not have such and such candy bars on the plane.

And I just looked at him, and I finally said, if you consider the fact that we are missing a certain kind of candy bar on the team flight home, we've got a bigger problem than missing candy bars. If you consider that a distraction, our problem is a lot bigger than missing candy bars. You're the coach, you're the coach, your job is to minimize distractions. So I'm never impressed by the whole, it's a distraction. But that's a common complaint throughout camps and throughout teams. What was the most valid distraction you ever saw in your time with the Raiders and sitting next to Al Davis? I mean, I can't even imagine how many real distractions that there were. Well, there was the time a head coach hit another coach at camp, and I had to deal with that.

That was a little bit of an issue. Are we dropping names? Nah, I'm not going to drop names. Come on, it's just you and me.

No one's listening. Maybe I'll drop it on our podcast. How's that for a tease? Don, make a note. We have a conversation for the first show.

But I remember we were at camp in Napa. Coach calls me into his office after camp and says, I just want you to know we had a coaching meeting. And I hit another coach. OK. And the first thing I did was pick up the phone on my drive home from Napa, which, by the way, was a beautiful, calming drive, called the general counsel at the league, called Jeff Pash and reported it because that's what you have to do.

You have to. And so I promptly effectuated my duty and I called the league, the listening league, and I confessed our coach hit a coach. That was an issue. I don't think it was a distraction. We were done thinking about it the next day. I'll try to think of some others for the podcast.

I would appreciate that if you come correct with some ideas. We're going to take a quick break with Amy Trask when we come back. Your phone calls for Amy Trask.

And also, I got to ask you, why Napa? That's all when we come back right here on the Rich Eisen Show. Your dad, Steve Jordan, played 13 years for the Minnesota Vikings. What's your first football memory? It's not a good memory. I mean, it was like being it had been like an away game because we were out in the cold. And it was a lot of whining going on, probably from our way to our to our godfather about getting hot dogs or something silly. And then, of course, after the game, we had gone to the car and the car like locks had frozen. So we were sort of stuck outside of what would be like Green Bay. That's what I'm saying. It had been it had been somewhere else.

So you probably call it, you know, it had been a frozen tundra. OK, so when did you see when you were growing up, like I want to I want to play football like my dad. Did you see that? No, no, I grew up trying to play basketball like Allen Iverson, like everybody else growing up. Right. And then there's something about these these wide shoulders and there's nothing about it at all.

Nothing point guardish about this. And, you know, my dad, my dad jokes about it now. But he was that he was that dad. He's like, I hate to be that that father just to make you play football. And then as he dropped me off and, you know, in my mind, he drove off and never looked back. As I sat there with these shoulder pads, you know, he was clearly right.

Right. And so did you try to be a tight end like your dad? Of course not.

Of course not. I tried to fight him on every level. You know, I was like, I don't want to play offense at all. I tried, you know, probably playing linebacker.

That was not my wave. I ended up being officer tackle. And then I made myself a defensive end once I got to like my junior year in high school. OK, because the story that I heard is that your dad asked you if you wanted to play tight end and your response as a child was one was was no thank you, sir. Yeah, it was something like, father, I love you. I adore you dearly. I have to decline this notion.

No, he said, why would I want to have people to hit me when I can be the one delivering the head? That would make perfect sense. That would make perfect sense. Back on the Rich Eisen Show, the Rich Eisen Show radio network, I'm sitting at the Rich Eisen Show desk furnished by Granger. It's a mess, by the way. I got to get rich to clean this up with supplies and solutions for every industry. Granger has the right product for you.

Call click ranger dot com or just stop buying Granger. I'm going to take care of business and clean this up. It's very messy. The signs there. The ice creams here. We're going to do ice cream. Chris, chocolate, belly, chocolate, vanilla.

We're going to do something a little weird today. I brought some soft serve, some CBT soft serve. It looks like yogurt.

It's not. It's soft serve ice cream. Do you want chocolate or vanilla? You know what? I'm going to let everyone else pick and whatever's left. It's our show.

I know, but I like them both. You go first. All right, I'll take vanilla. Throw, throw, throw. Come on, throw, throw. We can do this.

No, probably it'll hit the microphone. There you go. Completion. There you go. Completion. Thank you. I didn't know you were throwing another. Damn it. T.J., chocolate, vanilla, what's your plan?

I know you're supposed to eat these out of the box. It's a squeeze situation. Chris, what do you got? Billy, am I going to go deep? Let's see how bad this goes. Come on. This could be bad. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate. Hot mess.

Hey, Roku, how you doing? Really? Which one? Just throw it. Oh, right.

Rich could have never done that. OK, no, wait. Caught it in my wrist. I'm just saying. By the way, does anyone want whipped cream? That was amazing. Yeah, thanks.

You're welcome. See, this is why I squirted into a cup, because does anyone want whipped cream? Who doesn't want whipped cream? The funny thing with this is someone help me. Oh, I did it by myself.

Don't ever have a guy open it for you. You can do it. All right. So we're going to have questions for Amy Trask. We're gonna have a little ice cream because that's, by the way, part of our podcast. The last segment of every podcast. We're going to break down some ice cream and try things out.

Invite our guests to do so as well. Does anyone want sprinkles? The Football Scoop with Shuster and Trask coming up this fall.

The Rich Eisen Show Podcast Network. This is amazing as is. Sprinkle. It's good, right? So good.

Special. You know what you do feel like? You gotta take a shot of sprinkles and then chug some of the. Oh, do you want to do that?

I think that's a good idea. I'm passing on the ice cream right now. Don't be such a wuss. I had a doughnut and a mimosa.

What a girl. Have it. I mean, come on. Have some ice cream.

How 20, 23 of you. I'm so canceled. By the way, I am sorry that I've been so, you know.

Kefoui and interrupting a lot. I've had too much caffeine this morning. And by the way, good news, I have a lot of caffeine. My husband tells me I'm like a hummingbird on speed. By the way, that's a great image.

I love your husband. And I think I can see the hummingbird on speed. But by the way, I have no problems. And I don't think you've been interrupting. I don't like to interrupt.

No, I don't find you interrupty at all. I'm glad you're having a little bit of ice cream. TJ's got his trusty camera to show that women do eat ice cream, by the way.

And to say like, don't be a girl. Come on, Chris. You can have an ice cream. I don't want ice cream. Stop trying to bully me.

It's ridiculous. You bully us with doughnuts and booze. By the way, he's complaining because I'm bringing stuff to the set. All right. Go back to your Monday through Thursday and see what Rich brings you. I'm trying to come here completely.

I'm good. This is lavish. We're going to take some calls.

Lavish. Okay. Jimmy in San Antonio. What do you got for Amy? I need I need a question while we sit here eating ice cream.

Primero Feliz Cumpleano, Susie. Thank you so much, Jimmy. I appreciate that. I can't hear you.

That's right. My man. How do I hear, Jimmy? I just played one hundred dollars with a dumb friend of mine who says the Cowboys will finish last in the NFC. Oh, that's spicy.

That's easy money. Can we bring up a little volume in here? Can you just tell me what Jimmy said? Yeah. Jimmy said he bet that the Cowboys would finish last in the NFC East.

That's hurting TJ's feelings. They would not finish. Oh, finish last.

Good job. Yeah, I got a hundo on them not finishing last. That's the easiest bet I've made all year.

Yeah, we're definitely not finishing last. I mean, that's how much your money. That's easy. You should tell him to pay, you know.

All right. We're trying to bring up a little Jimmy in studio. I kind of hear him like in the ether. Where's he? Like, where's this sound coming from? He's like the ghost of Christmas past, present and future. Right.

You can't hear Jimmy swirling all around you. I feel like we bring him up. What do you think?

I got a question for my crush. Now I hear. Susie, you know that I have a crush on Amy. I've admitted it on there. Yeah.

Many times you have. What do you got for her? Okay. First question.

Mark. It was arguing against the running backs because of the collective bargaining. Is Slerith full of Slerith? And the second question.

It seems that the talent pool of running backs and colleges so deep that it's compromised the NFL running backs financially. I'd love to hear your thoughts on that. Well, first of all, hi. I feel like you're coming in from the sky. You know, I'm looking up to the clouds to talk to you. I'm very jealous of your husband. I'm sure he's an amazing man. I outkicked my coverage.

No, really, I did. When I when I married when I married my husband, everybody acknowledged I outkicked my coverage. So stupid. That's so crazy. Okay.

So in a couple orders, I adore Mark Slerith. And I think that what he's saying is not mutually inconsistent with what I'm saying, which is given that there is a salary cap, there are some constraints. Now, I look at the cap as a method of accounting. But the fact is and I didn't go into this clearly enough. Even with a method of accounting, you have to make choices. So if what Mark is saying is that money spent in one area means it's not spent in another area.

I agree with him. It's a net game or a zero sum game. My point was and I don't think this is inconsistent with what Mark is saying is you can make choices how to jiggle and juggle the cap.

It is going to require jiggling and juggling, but you have a choice as to how you jiggle and juggle. And the point I was getting to is cash can often be a bigger constraint than cap. And a lot of people always talk cap, cap, cap. And my point was cash, cash, cash.

That matters more to some teams than others. As to your supply and demand point, I think supply and demand is always a great point in business. If there is a greater supply, then there is a need. If supply exceeds demand, that is going to have an economic impact. But there are other positions where supply and demand exist in that manner as well.

But we don't see what's happening to the running back position in those positions. So, yep, you're right. Supply and demand factors in. But I would also suggest that the supply of the best, best, best, best there are isn't as great as someone would believe.

Okay, so then that goes back to the tier levels and now we're looking at tiers based on whether or not we're going to pay off. The way you describe stuff is so sexy. And the baseball hat. Keep that for the podcast. Oh, you know what?

Great look. Two things. I love a reasoned, logical discussion. Number two, as to your tiered point, that happens at every position.

I mean, you're going to tier how you play people at every position. You're going to pay your best more than you're going to pay not your best. As to your baseball cap comment, I love you. I am going to wear a baseball cap to every podcast. Te llamo mucho siempre, Chica. Te llamo mucho. Well, we had to cut this off, Jimmy, before this goes in the direction that Roku is now ready for.

I can say that in a lot of different languages, too. When we come back, we're going to take a quick break. Jerry West, of course, ahead in the third hour. Does that mean I'm his opening act?

Yeah, he's also kind of my crush, but Rich knows that. So we're okay with that. A lot more ahead of us here on the Rich Eisen Show. And so we're going to take a question from Sarah in Encino. Sarah, are you there? No, she got cut off. Why?

Because she's driving. So what? I was so excited.

Do you understand how cell reception works? I know, it's awful. It's awful. I was excited for Sarah. I wanted her to hose you on the air. Well, Sarah did want to ask Amy a question about the A's. Tell us.

Do you think that they're actually going to leave Oakland and end up in Las Vegas, Amy? Am I supposed to answer that right now? Yeah, why not?

While I'm eating? I thought we were on break. Now we're on Roku still.

Okay, so, you know, they don't tell me when we're on this break or that break. So here I am sitting on Roku. You are not on Shuffling.

It was on Chris, I swear. I probably have whipped cream all over my face. You're fine, you're fine. Okay. You know, I actually trust you guys to have my back. We have your back. And if ever we're on camera and there is whipped cream all over me, you'll tell me.

Oh, I will do that. I promise. That's all I mean.

I got your back. You know, there's a lot of, like, first of all, I feel terribly, terribly, terribly for the fans in Oakland and the Bay Area. The Raiders left, the Warriors are gone. But, you know, the Warriors are still in driving distance.

Yeah, by the way, they're there. So if you can drive across, you can take Bart to a Warrior game. So, yes, I understand they're not in Oakland, but they're a driving distance. And I hope for Oakland fans that A's don't move, but it looks like they're going to. Well, I think that's impressive. And I feel like the, I mean, I'll go to a Warriors game, but they're still there. It's close enough, right?

I do think so. I mean, at least you can hop on Bart. You can drive over the bridge.

It's not like they're leaving the region. I hear you. I hear you much more ahead here on the Rich Eisen Show. My thanks to Amy Trask. And after this break, Jerry West. For over three decades, nobody has had a wrestling career like Arn Anderson.

Conrad Thompson gets all the stories with Arn. After watching AEW's Double or Nothing, Amy wants to know, what does dinosaur taste like? It ain't chicken. It's like biting into a sinewy charcoal briquette, but chewy. Oh wow, that's disgusting. It sure is. Check out Arn every week, wherever you listen.