Caring About The World Baseball Classic? (Hour 4)

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Gluten, no. Have it on the background, yes. That's more than me. Japan is up 3-1. Plus, you're actually watching this right now.

It is on in the studio, yes, sir. You know what annoys me about the World Baseball Classic? Like, outside of the whole Edwin Diaz thing, and if you want to go play and participate in it, that's your right. I get it.

People say, oh, it's a salty Mets fan. I did not care for the World Baseball Classic before. It just never has made me want to watch it.

I get, from what I gathered last night with the ending between Japan and Mexico, how thrilling it can be. And if I was emotionally invested in it, then it'd be different with this starting back in, like, 2006 and all that. It's just not something that has ever got me to be interested in it. And maybe it's because, like, Hickey, I don't like spring training baseball.

I don't. And I get this is an alternative to spring training baseball. But for the way that I'm wired, when I'm in March, that's kind of like, okay, I'm dedicated to the NCAA tournament. And I'm dedicated to NFL offseason. And when I was growing up as a kid, I loved going to spring training.

Loved it. And I love baseball in March. But when I got older, whenever we get to March, it's just I want everyone to get healthy and get to the start of the season and anything that they try to pop up or whatever they try to do.

And if you like the world baseball classic, be my guest. God bless you. I'm not going to try to make you pretend that it's more than what it actually is. And if you think it's really important, that's your right. For me personally, I'm not going to sit here and just say, oh, you have to watch. You have to watch. You have to watch. It's the greatest thing ever when I don't believe that to be the case. But the way I just feel about it, since it doesn't really evoke this great response out of me and this great emotional response and care for it, is that it kind of makes me feel the same way, even though it's more important than spring training.

And I get right representing your country and all that. But I think that's just my mind of thinking, my way of thinking, my line of thinking on this one, Hickey, is that it's on in March. OK, you want to tell me it's something to watch late at night?

Fine. But at this point, I'm just ready for the baseball season to start. And that's why I think I really don't care about it, because it's the same way that I view spring training baseball now at my stage of life. I can't get worked up over things that happened before the season starts. And to be just honest with you, I always do find the funny like April or May when you have one hundred and sixty two game season and people freak out about maybe a slow start from a team in April or May or the other way when a team is real hot right out of the gate. And we've seen this before as Mets fans and people then start to think, OK, this is a team is a lot to do that.

And and also this. So with how long the baseball season is, it's tough to say to me, hey, go watch more or go watch things where practically spring training means nothing. If you want to say that this means something, OK, be my guest. But I don't feel as if this means anything to me. And maybe people say, oh, you're being a bad American here. You said the U.S. is down three one, right? Yes. Like if they lose, am I going to be irate about this? No, I don't care. And I know people say, oh, you're rooting for the U.S.? Sure.

Go ahead. Win. But what does it mean to me if they lose?

Because I just don't value the importance of this tournament. And what annoys me a little bit. Is the baseball purist.

And I get it, the baseball purist wants to grow the game, grow the game, grow the game. When you jam this down the public's throat and you try to make it as if it's the greatest thing in the world, that just makes me want to watch it even less when you're telling me I have to watch this, I have to watch this, I have to watch this when it's coming from just the baseball purist. I'm not telling you don't watch it. If you want to watch it, go ahead. Do what you do.

What makes you happy in life. But are people really going to be devastated if the United States doesn't come back tonight? Like it just doesn't seem for me to really mean anything. Maybe I'm dead off here and way off here.

But I don't think that there's enough care for this, at least here in the U.S. What's your thoughts on this, Icky? This is not of history for me. It started like I said in 2006. So it's just now like I'm a big Olympics fan. So I love rooting for my country.

I love kind of watching, you know, countries battle it out. But it's just for when it comes to the World Baseball Classic, it just feels not fake, but just there's not that history, that prestige. And just like winning that championship does not to me like actually mean anything just because it's so still new. And it's like, OK, what is like the USA wins.

Great. Well, the Mets win 50 games. I'm not gonna be any happier that the USA won the World Baseball Classic. It just doesn't feel like it just doesn't have the same prestige as winning a gold medal in the Olympics or had the history like other, you know, country versus country competitions. So that's for me.

It's it's new. It doesn't really feel that important. Did someone, by the way, say that winning the World Baseball Classic would be more important than winning the World Series or something along those lines? Did you see that at all last week? I did not. I hope that's not true.

That's idiotic, to say the least. You would a million percent rather have your team in the World Series, right? Have the US win a World Baseball Classic that happens every four years with mostly guys that are not on your team. Or at least it has the same feel of a World Series is also maybe where I'm going at. I will give credit for I've not watched a lot, but the little I have watched the crowd, the passion from the players and the stadium has been outstanding. It's been absolutely what baseball needs.

It's perfect for it does feel like actual playoff game. So give the players credit. They are absolutely into it. I'll give the fans credit. The fans that have been there from every single country are absolutely into and that does absolutely help captivate viewers.

Again, for me, it doesn't really feel that real or gets me going either way. But it's good at least it does make you care that the players care, the fans care. So give them credit. This is not what I was talking about, but this is from Bob Nightingale. And this is just quoting something that was said.

This is not something he was reporting. So I guess we don't have to take it with a grain of salt. He said via Chicago White Sox infielder Tim Anderson, I'm playing in tonight's World Baseball Classic final. This is kind of my World Series at the moment. If I'm a White Sox fan. That's kind of.

That's tough. That's tough to hear if this is kind of my World Series at the moment. I don't think you could equate this to the World Series, like, for example.

Here's I guess would be the best analogy. When you look at the Olympics in terms of in basketball. Does anyone when I don't know, like LeBron or Carmelo Anthony or Kevin Durant wins a gold medal?

Does anyone ever bring that up? Outside of the Hall of Fame, when it's the entire career, and they use all these different standards and those guys don't need help getting into a Hall of Fame. But when you win an NBA championship for a LeBron, for Kevin Durant, I know Carmelo Anthony didn't. I don't think Carmelo Anthony would be saying, oh, the gold medal is more important than, or it's kind of his moment that would be equivalent to winning a world championship. And that's that's like the Olympics that we know how long is we're going on, not just some tournament that's been going on since 2006. Over to Anderson. What else is supposed to say? Guys not been in big games like.

So, yeah, I think he's right for him. With the atmosphere, with with how much people care about trying to win this one. Like, I don't care. You don't care. But for Tim Anderson, you never been in the World Series.

You never even been close. So, yeah, that to me makes any said at the moment. So it's not like this is saying the biggest game ever or I'd value this over World Series. He is, unfortunately, if you're a White Sox fan, again, it's kind of scary how real it is.

But he's being real. This is the biggest game he's played in. And it's really not even close.

What was it? Tim Anderson on a playoff team two years ago. That didn't get bounced in the first round. But still, that to me is more important than the finals of the World Baseball Classic. Like, you know what's actually sad for baseball? You know what?

I will give you this one. This is the biggest game of Tony and Mike Trout ever played in. Yeah. Oh, without a doubt. Which is so sad.

Yeah. Joe's show that the Angels, you know how they screw that up is pathetic. But that's actually sad for Major League Baseball. When we've seen Mike Trout play in one postseason series, we got swept by the Boston Red Sox.

In three games. And we've never seen Ohtani in his young career in the U.S. With how dominant he's been and how great he's been for baseball. The fact that we've never seen him in the postseason just makes you want to root. I know his final year of his contract that he gets traded to a contender by the deadline.

Or at the end of the year, he goes signs in and moves to an organization that actually has a shot to go make a playoff run. But that's actually sad. That you could make the case and that this is the biggest game Ohtani has played in.

And then also Mike Trout in recent memory when for Ohtani, obviously, I'm talking about since his time being in Major League Baseball. That's really pathetic. Yeah. Oh, easily.

Yeah. It's again, go show you how the Angels have just absolutely just screwed this thing up as bad as you could have. And they're going to leave a probably zero playoff appearances together. And Mike Trout could retire with zero playoff wins. He's really got to eventually get dealt.

R.D. Moreno, you've done a great job, buddy. Now you're butting him. Well, that's what you get when you screw this up as bad as he has. I mean, think about how hard that is to do. You have two great players, especially one that is both great at pitching and hitting at the same time. And you can't fill out a lineup good enough around them multiple years. And they try and free agency. And they're terrible at it. And they're terrible at drafting.

And they have no idea what they're doing. They can't get any hires right. They can't get a good manager. They can't get a good GM.

And they had mad and they tried. And it's just like, I mean, Ohtani is at least the sample size is smaller, what, four years, five years, whatever he's been there with the Angels. I mean, Trout has been over a decade.

What are we doing? So this is from Talking Baseball. Six Dominican Major League Baseball players are asked if the World Baseball Classic or World Series is more important to them. How many out of the six do you think chose the World Baseball Classic? Six. Five chose the World Baseball Classic. One said the same. None of them chose the World Series.

Now, I don't know which six players it was. It were. But if I was an owner of a Major League Baseball team and I'm paying you money. And you're telling me that the World Baseball Classic is more important than the World Series, I would be annoyed at you.

I would be. I'm not saying don't have pride in your country and and all that. I totally understand that. But it's just it's inconceivable to me how this could be viewed more important. Then winning a World Series, because as much as I like the Olympics and I like watching Olympic basketball, if a player for my NBA team said that the Olympics are more important, winning Olympic gold medal is more important than winning a world championship. That rubs me the wrong way.

This is what I'll say to defend them, because I get what they're saying. This is the only drawback of living in this country where every single pro sport we have outside of soccer is the preeminent pro league. You're right.

You do not take it for granted, but we see all these stars every single day. And if you are from a country like, say, in Latin America or Dominican, where a lot of these players were polled, sure, like the goal is to get to Major League Baseball. So then you leave your country and you go play and you really get to see them.

Fair. But now you go back, you play for your country. It's your people. It's where you grew up. It's just I get that aspect. I mean, that's also part of the reason why for me, the World Baseball Classic and for you as well, it's not that big of a deal.

It's just because there's not that it's less country pride, but we see these guys every single day. So Mike Trout on Team USA, it doesn't ring true as much as, you know, seeing Shohei Ohtani on Team Japan. When for the most running time to see Shohei Ohtani and the Angels is already here, you know, that's where I do understand why so many other countries outside of here care so much about, you know, have this be their big event compared to how me and you view it. You think you'll ever thoroughly enjoy the World Baseball Classic? Probably not, just because the Mets have ruined it in a way.

I will say this. I do think like if we're talking 30 years from now. Like to us, this was a newer concept. I do think like 30 years from now, maybe like it's weird saying the next generation with how young we are. But that next wave of baseball fans, since they will grow up with this thing being probably way further removed than like us, where when we were younger, this is being introduced, it's like, oh, who cares?

I do think it like the next wave that maybe this ends up being a bigger deal if you do have more and more people talk about how exciting this thing is. I wonder timing-wise, too, if it would change, if it was at the end of the year compared to the beginning, just because I wonder for most teams, now again, if you're a team, let's say, of the Royals, they're not going to be very good this year. I get you're probably going in not with high expectations, but I wonder if it's in October or November when your season is over and if you're the Royals, you watch a 50-game winner. And then if a player gets hurt, you have a whole offseason to recover.

Right, and also, too, but the best guy in your team is now playing for Team USA. At least you have a chance to root for a guy to win something after going through a terrible season compared to now. Even though you probably anticipate a bad year, it's still Hope Springs Eternal. You're still like, okay, the season hasn't started yet.

Maybe this goes right and that goes right and maybe we can sneak it to the playoffs. I just wonder if it was at the end of the year after the season is over, there's less to look forward to, baseball-wise, if people get more into it. I'll ask you this, is there a way to put it into the Olympics? Probably not unless they do what hockey used to do and take an Olympic break. Otherwise, I mean, so in the summertime. Yeah, you can't do Winter Olympics, obviously. Right, and I don't think baseball, with how long it is already, is going to take a three-week Olympic summer break in the middle of July.

Well, you get the best of both worlds. You do it in the summer and then you just condense the regular season. But if people are freaking out now about players getting injured, let's say you're in the middle of a season and then someone gets... If this happened in July during the Summer Olympics or whenever in August, then I think it'd be a lot different. The Angels are 80-20.

Mike Trapp breaks his Taiwan in Group B pool play. I don't think many people would be happy about that, that's for sure. Yeah, I guess this is the only time you could really do it unless what you just said, you move it directly after the season, where you make it in November. But then, aren't you going to have a lot of people that... players just want to go enjoy their offseason after the grinds of the baseball season?

I mean, probably. I'm just saying for myself, I know I'm right now more looking forward to the Mets and I'm just more openly curious and almost talking myself here just to see what the reason is that I'm not into it. I just wonder if it's like, I'm so focused on Major League Baseball returning because it's less than two weeks away compared to if it was the end of the year and the Mets are a 70-win team and two players are on. I just wonder if I'd be into it more to watch people I actually like have a chance to win something. And you also know the players would prefer it to be this time of the year than at the end of the year because this gets them out of spring training and all those monotonous split-squad games or spring training baseball games and it makes you get ready for the season and feel from obviously the players' side of it that it's more important than probably what it is.

Right. You're not playing in front of 3,000 fans on a sunny Florida day. You are now in a sold-out Marlins Park with a game on the line.

Also, like I said, still warming up and getting ramped up for the season. It's better that way. So what's the score of this thing that everyone's telling me to care about right now? Three to one. Team Japan. Man, come on. USA, let's go get it together. I care about this thing. Say it would just be so fake.

It would really be contrived. So we're not going to do that. Is there one will join us next Miami back into the sweet 16 last year. They made it to the lead eight and what a big time showdown we have coming up later on this week between Houston and Miami. Attention sports fans, your favorite sports book bet us.com is back for a 28th year NFL action with the industry's biggest signup bonus of up to 200% bet us offers our members the opportunity to cash in on all your favorite leagues, including NFL, NBA, MLB, and more. We've also got hundreds of new casino games, including the coolest European slots and our live dealers are waiting for you with the tables. You need a sports book with integrity, longevity, and you need to know you're going to get paid. You need a sports book that offers everything, including live betting, MMA, golf, horses, eSports, and all kinds of crazy bets. Call today at 1-800-79-BET-US. That's 1-800-79-BET-US and they will walk you through setting up an account. Nobody in the industry gets better bonuses than bet us join now mentioned bet us 2022 and you can get up to 200% bonuses on your first deposit.

Nobody beats that head to bet us.com and join today. That's bet us where the game begins. You're listening to the Zach Gelb show. On the inbound, they get it into the big man and O'Mear tries to bring it across half court, now gets it to Pack who does break the stripe. Up ahead Wong, slams it home for Miami. A little bit of a fire drill, but a 10 point lead again for Miami. You're listening to the Zach Gelb show. That's right, it is the Zach Gelb show coast to coast on CBS Sports Radio Miami back in the sweet 16 and now joining us from the hurricanes before their matchup coming up on Friday night up against Houston.

Can't wait for that one is the ACC player of the year in Isaiah Wong. Isaiah, appreciate you doing this. Thanks so much for coming back on the show. How you been? I've been good. I've just been in Miami for a day, you know, just preparing and just practicing with the team and I'm just ready to go for tomorrow's trip.

Well, we'll talk about Houston in just a little bit. No one obviously is surprised with what you did in the round to 32 up against Indiana, you being the ACC player of the year. But what made them such a favorable matchup for you when you're able to have 27 points in that victory? It was just one of them games I felt like I felt comfortable. They didn't press up as much and I just felt like I got in a groove and I just, the team gave me the ball and I got some good catch and shoot shots and I got a lot of open looks. The game against Drake in the opening round of the tournament was pretty close. I know it wasn't your best game. Just what was the feeling like with the team after the game to give you guys that response that you did have up against Indiana?

I feel like it was a reality check. Just not like any team can compete with us and we just felt like we felt like we just needed to improve and I felt like we just, when we won that game, we was like real focused on coming into the next one and we realized what we had to do and what we needed to do and just get the ball moving and get in an easy and open shot. Experience this time of the year I think is pretty important. We know what you guys did last year as a 10 seed going all the way to the Elite 8 until you lost up against Kansas. What did you guys really take away from that run and how do you kind of use that a year later? Just what I feel like with last year's team, we had a lot of great players like we did this year but what made us go far, I felt like we had a lot of guards that made great plays last year. We had Charlie and Cameron, they were tough guards. I felt like they took us a long way and we had Sam Woodenberg that played defense at the end and getting rebounds. I feel like with this team we have guard play and we have Norchat, he's been doing outrageous rebounds in all the teams by himself. Do you feel like this team is better than last year's team? I'll say in a way because I feel like it's two different types of teams. I feel like our team, we had a good 1-5 lineup.

We have a lot of scorers on this team and we have defenders on this team that can get their own at any time. Isaiah Wong here with us. Miami coming up Friday night. Back in the Sweet Six team will have a battle up against Houston. You talk about the changes, we know the nature of the sport with the transfer portal.

Norchat, O'Mear, like you mentioned, Nigel Pack as well. Two years ago, Jordan Miller transfers over. What is it with those guys that this team, you've been there for four years, have been able to find that chemistry with newcomers so quickly? I'll just say the way they play. They all play, we all play together. I feel like we don't really care who needs the ball at a time. Whoever is on fire, give them the ball with this team.

It was just easy to translate our games together and I feel like it was just an easier process for us to play together and get our chemistry up. We've been calling this one a heavyweight showdown. We can't wait for the matchup on Friday night up against Houston. We know one of the better programs in the country. Just what's your view on them when you get ready to prepare for them? Houston, they've been a great team all year and we know they're the top team in the country and they have good guards and they have a great team and just a great program to go over there.

So it's definitely going to be a hard one and we're just going to have to pull this one out. You being one of the better players in college basketball, you know what the task is going up against Marcus Sasser, who's also one of the better players in college basketball as well. What stands out to you about his game, what Marcus does for that team? I feel like he's a great two-way guard. He can create his own shot. He can play defense at the other end and he's a great guard, I feel like.

Like you say, he's one of the top guards in the country. He may be drastic going into next season, but he's been great for that program and he's just been playing outstanding basketball, I feel like. How do you guys try to slow him down coming up on Friday?

We just try to play our best defense and try to pressure him, try and make sure he doesn't get three-point shots and he likes to attack a little bit, so make sure he doesn't get as easy shots and just keep them to the minimum. ACC Player of the Year Isaiah Wong is here with us on CBS Sports Radio. Does last year really matter all that much this year? Do you guys still use that as motivation or is last year clearly behind you guys and you're just focusing with this task at hand, trying to get even further than last year? Last year is behind us now.

I feel like with the new team, we're just trying to create more history and just create new history. I feel like with the team we have, it's just a great team and I feel like we achieved a lot this year and we're trying to achieve more this year, so I feel like this team is just on our own path, I feel like. How close were you, Isaiah Wong, to leaving last year? Because I know you declared for the draft and then elected to come back to Miami. I was like half and half, I feel like, because I was really trying to, I felt like I really had a good March that year and like a great season actually, just a great season, but I came back, I went to the NBA process and they told me things I needed to improve on and I felt like I, with the team coming back, we had a great team coming back and I felt like we could make another run at March, and which we did, I felt like that was my best decision. What did you think you had to improve on this offseason?

I'll just say my three point consistency and just being more of a playmaker and more of a leader. Is this your last year at Miami? Do you think these are your last few games with the program?

That answer, I don't know, yeah I got it, I'm thinking about it. Well how do you think your game projects at the next level, Isaiah Wong? I think my game, I think it's going to be an easy transition for me because I'm a great, I feel like for me, I played through the offense, I can shoot the ball, I can play make, I can play defense at the end, so I feel like it translates, so that's how I feel. You made a big jump from your freshman year to your sophomore year, and ever since then you've just been able to play at a high level. I know you got more opportunities from year one to year two, but what really changed after your freshman year with your game and development? I feel like just my confidence coming up to my freshman year, I didn't really have that much confidence, I didn't really get the, I didn't feel like I got a lot of chances, but I feel like I just kept my path, I stayed working, I just gained coach's trust more and more, and I feel like coming in, like my first game I started, I did good, and with that I just kept on rolling with it. The game never gets old for Jim Laronega, I always enjoy how much he loves this time of the year, what do you love the most about playing for Coach L? Coach L, he's just a great coach to be around, he's a coach that can, that improves, and I feel like he improves you throughout the four years, and he just, he's a great coach to be around with, with Coach L being just there for you, and when you're at your down moment, he's always there to pick you up and always tell you, just play free-minded, and I feel like I appreciate him for that. What were your first impressions of him when you initially met him four years ago? I feel like I connected with him really easy, he was a coach that I could easily talk to at the time, and I felt real comfortable around him, and I feel like that's the reason why I picked this school, because I was real comfortable with Coach L. The weather also probably had to be nice, right, coming from New Jersey? Oh yeah, most definitely.

I heard the weather in Miami is all year round, and I knew I would love this weather too, so that was a plus. How do you kind of look back at that recruiting process? Did that motivate you? Were you fine with the recruiting process?

How do you kind of recall it four years later? I'll say that my recruiting process was pretty good. I felt like I wanted to be in a top conference, and I feel like with the, I just wanted to be my best version of myself. I felt like coming into college, and I felt like with the best program and having a lot of people watching, I felt like that's what I really wanted to be, and I felt like we're picking Miami, and they're in the ACC, and they're in a tough conference, and I love all the tough games we go through, and it was just fun watching my senior year of high school, so I just love my decision.

What were your expectations for this team before the start of the year, Isaiah Wong? Making it win the ACC tournament, making a March Madness, and winning the March Madness title. You guys think you have all the pieces this year to go all the way? I know you're already in the Sweet 16, only a few more wins to make that happen. You think you have everything you need?

Yes, I believe we have everything we need. We have the players, we have the pieces, and we have a great coach too. Well, before we let you run, when you won the ACC Player of the Year, just take me through your reaction and also your family's reaction as well. When I first found out, I was in a film room with the coaches, and we was all together, and they had a presentation of me, Norah, Chad, and Jordan, and they showed me at the last flight of making an ACC Player of the Year, and I was proud of myself, and I really loved it. And when I first told my mom, she was yelling, happy, and all that, and just being heard. Oh, that's awesome. That must have been a special conversation between you and your mom, right?

Yes, it was. Well, Isaiah Wong, good luck coming up on Friday night. Appreciate you carving out some time for us today. Thanks so much for doing this.

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Let's end the day right and hit the closing bell. Only on the Zach Gelb show. A defensive player of the week is sponsored by the Navy Federal Credit Union who proudly serves the armed forces, DoD veterans and their families. Their members are the mission.

Learn more at Navy Federal dot org. Timberwool's forward Kyle Anderson grabbed a massive rebound that helped preserve a 140 to 134 win over the Knicks on Monday night. Leading by three with 22 seconds left. What is so funny? You wrote Sloma? Yeah, it's his nickname. But it's just funny when you throw it in there. I don't want to call me Anderson.

I say Anderson five times. I figure I change it up. I just love the writing when either it goes your way with one of your teams compared to when it doesn't go one of your way with one of your teams. And I'm just I was waiting for it. I was just waiting for, like, the build up here on how this was going to just go like the hickey. I thought it was funny.

What do you mean my way? They lost. And I'm giving him credit.

I am the bigger man here. I'm not allowing my Knicks fandom to take away a ward from a play that I think deserved it. No, but just Timberwool's forward Kyle Anderson grabs a massive rebound that helped preserve a 140 to 134 win over the Knicks on Monday. Leading by three with 22 seconds left. Slomo grabs an offensive rebound away from Julius Randle to help preserve the possession leading to the putaway bucket for Minnesota. Anderson finished the game with nine rebounds and one steal.

So give a stock up to Kyle Anderson. If you didn't say I was a Knicks fan, I think no one in the listening audience would have ever guessed that was written by a guy whose rebound absolutely killed him last night. But you also got to remember I was with you last night at the end of this game seeing you in the newsroom. You and EJ lose your mind over this performance.

I mean, if that also is not classic Julius Randle, I don't know what else. 57 points. Game on the line. Just get a rebound.

Can't even grab it. Dante Hightower didn't play football this past year, but he officially announced his retirement today. He's a three-time Super Bowl champion out of Alabama. And if you want to talk about clutch, that's Dante Hightower. In Super Bowl 49, everyone talks about, oh, Pete Carroll didn't run the football and threw the football. Well, that would have never happened if Dante Hightower didn't bench press the offense alignment and then make a great tackle of Marshawn Lynch down at the one when Lynch was about to get in. And then we all know in 28-3, Super Bowl 51, Dante Hightower had the big strip sack and he played a big role in Super Bowl 53 where they beat the Rams. So Dante Hightower, big fan of his.

Give him a stock up. We didn't talk about this much, but I like the move. We were waiting to see what the Cowboys were going to do this offseason. I like what they did bringing in Brandon Cooks.

Basically cost them nothing, Hickey. And I think that's going to be a good acquisition for them. He's talented. If he could stay healthy, obviously he has a concussion problem and just unfortunately just gets hurt a lot, but the guy produces. He produces, he's a good player, takes pressure off of C.D.

Lamb. This is a nice acquisition so far for Dallas. It's really crazy how many times in his career he's got traded.

Four times. From the Saints to the Pats, from the Pats to the Rams, from the Rams to the Texans to the Cowboys. And I know last year he only played in 13 games, but before that 16, then 15 games. If you get 15 games out of Brandon Cooks or the Cowboys and more importantly have him healthy for the playoffs, that's going to be one of those acquisitions that may not be talked about a lot now, but then come playoff time with him and C.D. Lamb, could actually help Dak Prescott out. And you know Dak Prescott needs the help in the big moment.

So give a stock up to Brandon Cooks. And Cooks has played in two Super Bowls. Has he won? He lost to the Rams. Lost both. He got knocked out by Malcolm Jenkins in the Patriot Eagle Super Bowl. That's right.

Okay. Not a good omen. I guess if you get there, if you're the Cowboys, you're happy. It would actually be fun to see Jerry Jones lose in the Super Bowl.

Like if they get over the hump and they lose on like a wide left type of kick. Or it's like 45-7 in the third quarter and Jerry's just sitting there like with that stare on. Chris Christie in the luxury box just sad. Well that's why. I bet you Chris Christie's leaving. It was 45-7.

There's no chance of being a politician. He is sitting in that box eating that loss. Rick Pitino introduced today as the next head coach at St. John's and Rick Pitino is thrilled to be the head coach of the Johnnies. This is one of the most special moments of my life. I've been to the Garden as the Nick coach.

I've been to the Garden as the Providence coach. And now I get to represent something really, really special. And it's not about when or if. It's going to happen for St. John's. It's going to happen in a big way.

Rick Pitino and Howie will turn St. John's into a winner once again. The first thing you have to do is you have to build a culture. Not only a culture of great basketball, exciting basketball, but a culture of academic excellence. A culture of treating everybody with great respect. A work ethic second to none.

Giving every ounce of perspiration you have in you for the name on the front, St. John's. It was a little bit too much of a slobber fest today. I will admit that. And they were talking about like the great character Rick Pitino has and how he like molds men the perfect way, right?

And teenagers the perfect way. I will admit that, but I will say any time you hear Rick Pitino speak hickey at a press conference setting, I am a sucker for it. I mean, my eyes are not rolling. I'm rolling enough right now. Hearing him talk about academics.

People thought you were dead, honestly. I mean, Rick, let's just cut the crap, okay? Please, the priest next to him, let's just all call for what it is. Rick is here to win basketball games. He's not there to mold the players. He's not there for academic excellence. He's there to win basketball games. By the way, I was doing a little search of my Twitter history today on things that I tweeted out about Rick Pitino.

And there was a quote, this was in 2021. He's doing a press conference at IONA. He's like, if Kentucky somehow became available once again and they came calling, I would not leave IONA for Kentucky. IONA is going to be the last job.

You know what? We're the Gales fans, just like Providence fans. Let's start ripping Rick Pitino apart. Not the same conference.

And start just tearing his character down. Not the same conference. And then IONA makes a move today, bringing in Tobin Anderson, the star of the NCAA tournament, 16-beater to one.

Striking that while the iron's hot, huh? That guy was coaching D2 last year. Doesn't even win the conference tournament this year because the other school wasn't eligible. Gets it, and I had a great turnaround, don't get me wrong. But gets to the tourney, beats Perdue, and now he's going IONA.

So you know what? Stock up to Pitino, and then also Tobin Anderson. Paul Mills, who's at Oral Roberts. Remember, 15 or 16-beater to one.

Or 15-beater to two, excuse me. Where am I going here? He's now finally leaving with Paul Mills. He's going to Wichita State, of course, in the AAC. So give Paul Mills a stock up.

You know what's weird? I can never remember as great as that run was with Oral Roberts as they beat Ohio State. I always want to confuse them and UMBC. Like these years later, for some reason, all these years later, I just kind of mesh Paul Mills and then also what UMBC did, for whatever the reasons are. I also like how you go, of course, coming to the American Conference.

Ah yeah, well I'm not thrilled with that. Why not? I think I was trying to pump up your own conference. It's good for the conference. Who the heck is Temple hiring? That's a big question. No one wants us. It's very sad.

Sounds like a you problem. By the way, stock down to Ed Cooley. I'm okay if you want to leave Providence.

I know Georgetown's a better job and it's viewed as a step up and the resources and all that, but I don't like when a coach changes and leaves in conference. I'm giving a stock down to Ed Cooley. Sam! Cam, what are we doing? You're pumping up throwing at Auburn's pro day.

Like enough is enough. It's time to just retire and walk away from the NFL. So give a stock down to Cam Newton. Let's play Nick Saban on suspending early enrollee Tony Mitchell.

Tony Mitchell has been suspended from the team on all team activities until we gather more information about the situation and what his legal circumstance is. And you know, I mean, guys, everybody's got an opportunity to make choices and decisions. There's no such thing in being at the wrong place at the wrong time. You've got to be responsible for who you're with, who you're around, and what you do, who you associate yourself with, and the situations that you put yourself in.

So it is what it is, but there is cause and effect when you make choices and decisions that put you in bad situations. And the details of this arrest came out. He was going 141 miles per hour.

There was $7,000 allegedly in cash in the car and 226 grams of marijuana. And I'm giving a stock down somehow to Nate Oates here because you hear Nick Saban and basically there's no such thing as the wrong place at the wrong time or college kids will be college kids because we know basically that is what Nate Oates said when the whole aftermath of Brandon Miller's involvement and what happened there and he had to talk to the media after what came out in the legal circles. So clearly Nick Saban not happy with Nate Oates. That's not good news for Nate Oates. Now Nate Oates wins the championship.

I think a lot of people in the Alabama community will be fine. Alrighty, that is the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio. A lot of thanks today.

Big thanks to Scott Drew for stopping by, Jerome Tang, Brian Finneran, and then also Isaiah Wong. We'll be back tomorrow at 6 p.m. Eastern, 3 Pacific. We out. Bye-bye. Thank you. Peace.