Do You Believe Max Scherzer? (Hour 4)

Out at number four of already a prettier program, that's right, it is the Zach Gelb Show Coast to Coast on CBS Sports Radio. Suns lose game one, they find the way to bounce back and win game number two. And we will see what happens tomorrow in game number three of this series between Suns and Clippers. Now joining us is the play-by-play voice of the LA Clippers, and that of course is Noah Eagle. Noah, how you been? Ah, yes, yes. I see, yes, the truth comes out.

No, I'm all good man, it's always a pleasure to be with you, appreciate you having me. These last two games, clearly Kawhi Leonard has been wonderful. 37.3.7 rebounds, four assists, shooting 53-47-90 splits from the field. I mean that's ridiculous efficiency, he's given it to you on both central four defensively, and to your point he turns it up to another gear, another level, come posse.

And I know everybody likes to talk about those special magical words, as Ron Lu, the head coach would call them, the LM words, load management. But this is what Kawhi gears up for, this is what in theory he saves up for. He knows that he needs to play maximum minutes or maximum effort the entire time he's on the floor. And we saw it through the first two games, 38 court performance in game one where he was truly unstoppable on both ends of the floor, and then 31 last night at a loss where he was just trying to will his team to a victory in a game that they just weren't shooting all that well. So you're seeing one of the best killers, I love the word you use, one of the best closers in the NBA, and you're seeing him in his, so to speak, happy place so far in the postseason again. Even though the Suns won last night, I wasn't all that impressed with them, because even with the way that they didn't show up in game one, I thought it would be a much different effort right out of the gate in the first half. What have the Clippers through two games just done so well that has kind of thrown the Suns off of it? Yeah, you know, Zach, I think that it's interesting to watch these two teams because they're somewhat similar in many ways in the sense that they've got their superstars, but they haven't had enough time on the court to really feel like they've gotten to their full potential, reach that ceiling.

For Phoenix, it was just eight games in the regular season with Kevin Durant in the fold, and what that trait has done, and I know this has been heavily talked about, it took away all that depth that the Suns have really enjoyed these last couple of years to have Kyle Bridges, who has blossomed into what's looked like a two-way stud at the NBA level, to have Cam Johnson, who is a really high-quality role player, to have a guy in Jay Crowder, who didn't play at all this year but the last couple of seasons, was instrumental in their success. And without Cameron Payne right now, who's been out these first two games with a back injury, and I think most people aren't really valuing that loss to the level it probably should. Cameron Payne is the guy who comes in and runs the second unit, and if you watch the first two games of the series, one, Chris Paul's had to play 38-plus minutes a night, which for a guy who's just two weeks away from turning 38 is not ideal. And two, when he does go to the bench, they don't really have that second lead guard. It's been Devin Booker who's had to bring the ball up where maybe he's not as comfortable. It's been Landry Shamet bringing the ball up and playing heavier minutes than maybe they'd like to. I think there are a couple of things at play right here, right now, but the main thing is that depth. And the bench for the Clippers, this is a team that's among the deepest in the NBA, and they've done it the last two games. They've outscored this Phoenix bench heavily.

I think if I go back, I'd have to double-check the numbers, but I believe it's somewhere around 64-22 or something like that for two games. They've done it without Norman Powell, the league's leading bench scorer really having a legitimate Norman Powell game. They've gotten contributions from guys like Terrence Mann and Bones Hyland and Mason Plumlee. But when Norman Powell does go off, which is coming, it's inevitable, that could really turn the tide in certainly one of these games, but not the whole series. Noah Eagle here with us. Russell Westbrook, we know he's been on a bunch of teams. He's polarizing game number one. It was the greatest three of 19 from the field shooting performance I've ever seen with the hustle plays down the stretch. And I'll tip my cap to him.

I thought he played well last night, and obviously the numbers were a whole lot better from an offensive standpoint, but they don't get the win. How do you kind of describe what it's like dealing and covering Russell on a daily basis with his short time in LA? Yeah, you know, it's interesting, Zach. I think that when you're not around him consistently, you get these preconceived notions just from what you hear, what you see, what you've experienced from the outside looking in. But when he was acquired and there were murmurs of him potentially being brought in once he was bought out initially, and that was just rumors at the time. But once it was confirmed, I asked two of our guys who had played with him. Obviously Paul George and Russ have a legitimate relationship. That's a friendship. They call it a brotherhood.

And you can see it. You can feel it when you're around them. But two guys that did play with Russ, both of them in Houston were Eric Gordon and Robert Covington. And so I asked both of them what makes him such a great teammate, because when you ask the majority of the guys he's played with, they love him. You know, I'd say aside from that last stop he had in the other LA team, everybody in Oklahoma City, everybody in Houston, everybody in Washington, they loved what he brought because of that energy.

And that's what really those guys started with, was the energy. The other part was, I think, even more interesting and more telling of the type of person that he really is. When you get to him in his core, it's someone who cares deeply about not just himself, but the overall efforts of the team, especially when he's in a situation that he's enjoying and he's happy, which is the case right now. So I know Paul George made the example. When they were in Oklahoma City, he would go in that locker room. And before the season, he'd find common ground with every single person, which is not common for a guy who's winning MVPs or scoring titles every year to do. And the example I think he used was, OK, he knew Paul George loved to fish. As someone who maybe didn't like to fish all that much, he was going to find a way to learn to like it or to go out there with Paul or give it a try with him. Steven Adams from New Zealand, he said, OK, what can I learn about New Zealand?

How can I be naturally inquisitive and curious and create some form of a bond just because of that common ground that I've built up? So that's the type of guy he is. He's been nothing but positive and positive energy so far with the Clippers. And I think a lot of that has to do with Taramu and the coaching staff really empowering him just to be himself. And that's what their main message was. They said, hey, if you're doing too much, we're going to let you know. We're going to pull you from the game.

But other than that, just go be you. That's why we brought you in. Do you genuinely think now with all the changes that have gone on throughout the years and I get where the feelings were at the end of the Durant Westbrook relationship in OKC, I can understand why I got to that point. But the other night you see a video after the game of them having a little exchange in the tunnel.

Do you think that relationship is good? I think it's certainly better than it was. You know, I don't think it ever will get to the point that they'll get back to where they were in Oklahoma City. And obviously it's all speculation from the outside here. But I would say they've taken major strides. I mean, look, we're what, six, seven years, six and a half years removed from that decision from Kevin Durant moving on from Oklahoma City to go to Golden State.

I don't know. Russ wasn't the only one who was upset about it around the NBA, but Russ has moved on. You mentioned it several teams since then.

Kevin Durant, several teams since then. I think they both mature just as human beings, as people. And that's the name of the game in general. I think that you know this as well as anybody.

I think I know this. I think a lot of people who are around this, they understand when you're in the public eye, it's so much harder. But these things happen in general. You know, people change, situations change and relationships change. And so I think that there are ebbs and flows just in everyday life. I'm sure anybody listening right now could think back to a friend they had when they were young and maybe they went through a falling out.

And then a couple of years later, they're like, yeah, that was stupid. I think we should probably just make up. And when we go catch a game, go see a movie, do something together and just like that, you're reminiscing on old times and you feel a little bit better.

You might not be the same as you were before, but you're certainly better. I think that's probably about where those two are at right now. And honestly, it was good to see that after the game last night.

The two of them dapping each other up just felt somewhat close to old times, which is always nice. We all know how big Noah Eagle availability is. It's unfortunate the last few years because the team the Clippers have, there's big expectations. And it just gives you the feeling they can't reach that without Paul George on the court. And we'll see when he comes on back. If you had to make a case though, the Clippers getting three more victories in this series, how do you make that case?

Yeah, I think it's three things. The first one is, the first question you brought up, that's Kawhi Leonard. You know, it's one of the best playoff performers in the history of the NBA. When he shoots 50% or better in his career in the playoffs, his teams are 54 and 18.

Think about that. We're talking about someone who is uber-efficient, who gets to the mid-range, who picks his spots, and there's really nothing that anybody can do even if you throw a double or a triple or a quadruple team at him. It feels like he somehow gets through and scores. And we saw that in 2019 where he had the third most clutch points of any playoff run in the history of the NBA, only behind Michael Jordan and Dirk Nowitzki. Both of those led to titles as well. So, Kawhi Leonard, when you have him, you always feel like you have a chance, and even he has said that as well.

I think number two is Teron Lew. I call him the chiropractor on the Clippers' broadcast because he makes so many adjustments. That's what he does. That's him in a nutshell.

He loves the chess game. And I'm excited to see what he does from game two to game three because I think people forget quickly. Two years ago, the Clippers were down 0-2 in the first round of Luka Doncic to the Dallas Mavericks, who eventually last year got to the conference finals. They win that series in seven games. Then they go down 0-2. Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, and the Utah Jazz were the top seed in the NBA. They win that series in six games. So, they've been down before.

This one actually started up. And a lot of that was because of Teron Lew and his ability to instill confidence and belief in his players and his game planning strategic moves. And then the third one is that bench. Norman Powell, again, hasn't had that game yet through two games. Terrence Mann is a massive piece coming off there.

And Phoenix just doesn't quite have the bodies. We've seen Kevin Durant and Devin Booker play 45 minutes a game through the first two games. Devin Booker missed 20 straight games with a hamstring injury this year. And Kevin Durant only played 47 of 82 with a couple of injuries.

So, you're asking those guys to carry a heavy, heavy load. And the Clippers just have far more bodies they can throw at them. No, I saw the video yesterday of Paul George getting some work in with Brian Shaw before shootaround. What's the latest? What can you tell us about the health status of Paul George?

Yeah, definitely progressing. And that's really the best news you could get considering what it looked like the injury was when he first went down. You know, I was doing the game. And when you saw it, even live, it made you almost squeamish. And then you saw the replay and it looked way worse.

And so, the initial diagnosis being what it was was a massive win. But to see him out there already running, cutting, defensive slides, shooting the basketball, doing all the things that he did, that was great. It's unlikely he plays in this series, but I would say if they could get through, it feels much, much more likely that he'd get a chance to get back out there. And that's really what the team's motivation is right now, especially from Russell Westbrook and from Kawhi Leonard. Both of them had mentioned, hey, we're a little extra motivated to win this series because if we feel like we get PG back, anything goes. And that's certainly the case in the NBA postseason.

And when you got a guy that talented, forget it. You certainly have a chance in any series you're in. I know you said unlikely that he plays this series, but if it gets to a Game 7 on April 29th, it's 10 days away, you think there's a shot at least that he could play? Yeah, I mean, look, obviously with my extensive medical background, I would go deep into the knabbles and the canals of what could happen.

I would say, again, it's still probably unlikely, but I wouldn't rule it out. I just think that that's a dude that's incredibly diligent. He's been through some really traumatic and crazy injuries over the course of his career and has somehow bounced back stronger every single time. So if there's anyone knows how to attack his rehab the correct way, it's Paul George. And we'll see if potentially he can make it happen. We know that you want the Clippers to win this series, clearly, so you keep on calling games.

You do a great job on the Clippers radio network. But let me just ask you this. When you watch Phoenix in the first two games, it's not been pretty. Do you see a team that is a year away? I know that kind of seems like a silly question to ask just because they have so much talent and so much elite talent, but like you said, there was only eight regular season games with Kevin Durant.

Yeah, you know, I'm not quite sure. I do think that's a team that has all the makings. I think anybody can tell you that and certainly postseason basketball. You don't necessarily need the depth. It just can come in handy over the course of a long run. And that's why so many people are so impressed by the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks and maybe the Clippers or the Denver Nuggets or whoever else, because their benches come in and they provide an extra spark or an extra boost and just doesn't quite feel like Phoenix has that now. They get Cameron Payne back at some point.

That'll help a lot. It's another scoring option off the bench. Someone who can run the show, who can handle the basketball. That's big.

Just having that and having a security blanket is almost necessary. But I do think they've got all the pieces and I really think the main thing for them, Zach, and I know it sounds so simple and it probably is when it's all said and done. And a lot of times I think teams start to overcomplicate stuff when they get superstars and add them with other superstars. But the simplest thing that they can do is just give the ball to Kevin Durant and let him be Kevin Durant. And I think we saw that a little bit more in Game 2 than we did in Game 1.

Game 1, it looked like they're trying to run their offense a little bit more, get everybody in touch, get everybody involved. And Durant kind of fell in the back seat a little bit. In the second quarter yesterday when the Clippers went up 13, they said, oh, wait a second, we have Kevin Durant on our team?

Yeah, yeah, just go. Yeah, KD, you can have it. And every single time down the floor he was cooking, he was getting in the mid-range, he's knocking down shots, getting to the free throw line. I think once they figure that out, it's going to really open things up, not just for him but for everybody else. So that's what I'm waiting on and we'll see if the Clippers can stop them in their tracks before they can finally find it. One thing, though, Eagle, outside of this series, it's impossible to argue against it. I didn't think the suspension was necessary, but with his past I see why the NBA did what they did. How did you react to the NBA suspending Draymond for Game 3?

Yeah, I think that you're probably spot on. Look, the playoffs in general are already high stakes, high emotion, and I think we saw that play out between those two players. The bonus clearly grabbed them down low. But if you're Draymond Green, you've been in this situation so many times over the course of your career, and so many times it's ended this way as a result, to your point, because of all the build-up from really a body of work.

And so I think it was a combination of things. And then it's the fact that after the stomp occurred, he egged the crowd on. He played to them. It almost felt like it was WWE in some sense. I think if he had remained calm after the fact, if he had maybe stuck it through, considering Adam Silver was in the building, he would have had a chance.

But that was probably what sealed his fate. And I'll be curious how Golden State responds without him. He's such a big part of what they do on both ends of the floor. And with Sacramento playing with a lot of confidence right now, if that goes to 3-0, that could be very, very interesting in the Western Conference. Well, enjoy this run here for the Clippers. And I know this is your last year doing the Clippers games on the radio before the new big gig with NBC calling college football. Congratulations on that and really do appreciate you joining us here for a few moments. Zach, appreciate you, man. You know I give you a hard time, but it's all love, as always.

Love what you guys do. Hey, I just want to make sure I still get the Eagle holiday card. I haven't got one in the last few years. Yeah, no, no. I need to let you know there's no holiday card, period, anymore. I think what happened is when I reached a certain age, my mom goes, Oh, you're not cute anymore. We can't do this.

Now it's just creepy. I look forward to that every year. At least with how funny you and your dad are, at least send a few jokes out or something, alright?

Yeah, listen, we can maybe try to write a few joke books and do that instead as a gift, but as for the card, it's done. It's all done. Noah, you're the best. Appreciate it.

Thank you. Alright, Zach, you got it, man. There he is, Noah Eagle joining us on the Zach Gilm Show on CBS Sports Radio.

As someone that has a father in the business, you know, my dad was a producer for a long time, now does sales. It's like you hate when you're compared to your father, even though it's being said nicely because you want to kind of carve out your own path. So I say that and then I'm going to say my next comment, and Noah Eagle is tremendous, but Hickey, it is crazy.

And I know that, right? Clearly, Ian is Noah Eagle's dad, but it is just crazy how they sound so much alike. Like, people tell me I sound like my dad sometimes.

If you would have told me that was Ian on the phone, I would have never disputed it whatsoever. They sound like the same person. And the mannerisms, too, are very similar. Even the laugh. Very similar. The voice inflections, the jokes. I'm telling you, whatever – The chiropractor, that's good. That's an eye in line.

Yes. Whatever NBC is paying Noah to do these games in the fall for college football, it ain't enough. Because he's going to be a star for the next 30, 40 years. He will be a number one at a network for the NFL in very – probably a short amount of time, I would think.

Especially with some of these broadcasters getting older, too. He is tremendous. Very good.

Personable, too. I should practically be his agent right now. Now, we'll get out of this job. We'll go take, like, 8 percent. Take that 10 percent? Yeah, 10 percent. You know, he gave me the Christmas card for all this year, so I'll give him the 2 percent there. Well, we'll give him a discount there.

Friendly discount. It is the Zach Gelb Show on CBS Sports Radio. We'll come on back. What a hockey game this is between the Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes right now. Carolina up 1-0 in the series.

They did take a 2-0 lead. Islanders then, just at the end of the second period, were able to tie it up at 2-2. Islanders quickly in the third took a 3-2 lead, and then Carolina just tied it up. So 3-3 left in Game 2. Stanley Cup playoffs opening round. Islanders and Hurricanes. Hurricanes the home team, the division winner in the metro, 7-17 remaining right now, 3-3. We'll see how this one does play on out. And I would be fine for overtime hockey tonight.

Alrighty, let's get into the news brief. Tua Tunga-Viloa is asked if he considered retiring. I considered it for a time, having sat down with my family, having sat down with my wife, and having those kind of conversations. But it would be hard for me to walk away from this game with how old I am, with my son.

I always dreamed of playing as long as I could to where my son knew exactly what he was watching his dad do. It's my health, it's my body, you know, and I feel like this is what's best for me and my family. So here's the thing on this one. It's one thing when we all speculate is Tua maybe close to retiring.

And then you knew that this question was going to be brought up because people have talked about it. But it seems like every time that his future's been brought up, his family's gone out of his way to say he's not retiring. He's gone out of his way at the Super Bowl to say, I just want people to stop asking me about this. The fact that he revealed this today that he thought about retiring, it just reaffirms how serious of an issue this is.

Not that it needed to be reaffirmed, but sometimes what we think as media, talk show hosts, fans, isn't what athletes think. And when you look at Tua, he had the concussion on that Thursday Night Football game. A lot of people, including me, thought that he had one on that Sunday when he returned up against Buffalo four days prior, but they said that was a back. And then on Christmas, he suffered another concussion. So it's like, how many more concussions are you going to take until a doctor tells you no longer to play or you make that decision for yourself?

And I've never thought that Tua was going to retire this offseason, but if you're the Dolphins, I understand why they didn't pursue someone to replace Tua this offseason. Like, Hickey has been slamming the table for Aaron Rodgers. Hickey's been slamming the table for Lamar Jackson, whoever it is. You know, it's very tough, by the way.

I'm trying to give a take here. And I have Hickey. When I say slamming the table, literally start slamming the table. I wasn't expecting that emotion out of you.

Even Marko was laughing at you with that weak slam. Well, I'm not going to slam the table here. I'm going to hurt myself. I don't think you would really be intimidating anyone, even if you were slamming the desk. Well, I hope the desk can be intimidated by me and can't fight back.

I think your hand would get hurt. There's no doubt about it. But anyway, you keep on saying that they should replace Tua this offseason. And I get your point, because who should expect that Tua next year is going to get through that season, the 2023 season healthy?

I get your point, but I never thought the Dolphins would do so. Because remember, Brian Flores didn't want Tua. And for a while, Tua Tunga Valoa had to basically fight his own head coach. That was the one flaw of Brian Flores. So now Mike McDaniel comes in and he's been all in on Tua Tunga Valoa.

And we know Chris Greer was the guy that drafted him. So I think they're going to give him every last chance. And it stinks that it comes this way because of injury, but I do think this is the last chance for Tua. Where if he isn't able to get through this season healthy, then it's just malpractice afterwards to keep on going back to the well over and over and over again. And it's weird to say get burned because this is talking about a concussion. But that would be the case where you could give him this year.

But if he gets hurt again, it's like you got to move on because you're in a win now mode. You've been going out there in every deal. There's talks about Dalvin Cook maybe going there. You have Jalen Ramsey. You got Bradley Chubb. You made those deals. You went out and you traded for Tyreek Hill. You were aggressive in going out there and getting Jalen Waddle.

Like now you got to win. And the Bills aren't going anywhere. The Jets, we think, are going to land Darren Rodgers.

You have a chance and you must beat Buffalo this year with Skylar Thompson as your quarterback. So the point I'm making here is the fact that Tua admitted that he contemplated retirement I was surprised by. And it shows you that the speculation and the conversation we've been having about Tua's career and the lifespan of it isn't that wild to have. And the fact that he's now admitted to this, it probably makes me think the next serious concussion that he has. It shouldn't surprise anyone if next year we're talking about a different conversation where he has a more serious thought about retirement than actually does it.

Let's keep it moving here. Josh Allen, we know Brandon being every chance he can get. He keeps on pointing out to the media that Josh Allen needs to change his playing style a little bit and be smart with the hits that he does take.

Josh Allen admits he needs to change his playing style. I know it sounds crazy, but I'm getting older. You know, it's like I can't continue to do this. I know when I'm using my youth, I feel like I can. But over the course of my career, I'm going to have to learn to adapt and change. And, you know, I've always had the mindset of I've been a football player first and a quarterback second. And at some point that's going to have to switch.

Here's what I'll keep on saying. Half of this battle is Josh. The other half is the Buffalo Bills. And what I mean by that is, yes, Josh Allen has to take fewer hits. Josh Allen doesn't need to be a bulldozer in week three. And you could slide instead of trying to embrace contact to go gain an extra yard or two.

You got to know that sometimes the best throws that you end up having are the ones that you don't end up making. So with that being said, the other half is Buffalo's got to run the football more. Because how many times the last two years do we say Buffalo should be running the ball more, Buffalo should be running the ball more.

And then we've got pushback with, oh, but that's not the design. They make Josh Allen run the ball a lot. And I know they brought in Damian Harris, who's a solid back, but he's not a for sure thing. You drafted James Cook in the second round. We'll see what he develops into. Devin Motor Singletary has been their best running back the last few years.

He's no longer there. If you want to keep on telling Josh to take fewer hits, you got to get more success out of the run game and bring in a running back or find the proper committee where you could take some of that burden off the plate of Josh Allen Hickey. I 100% agree. It's on Josh Allen, but it's also, like I said, on the Bills to get a legitimate run game, not one of these scat backs that can't really establish a run. Get a powerful running back in there.

And you see all the names that we just talked about in the last hour. Austin Eckler, there's been trade rumors. Joe Mixon, there's been conversations that he may get cut. We'll see what happens with his legal situation. Dalvin Cook, there's also been rumors. I think a lot of people believe that Dalvin Cook will wind up in Miami, but there's a chance that he's on his way out.

So you're just waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting. Someone eventually has to find a way to land in Buffalo, you would think, or you're going to keep on waiting and waiting and waiting. That could be a Cook family reunion in Buffalo. I was just going to say you had the whole family outing when they played in Buffalo this past year.

Maybe you had that family reunion and outing every week. Yeah, I think Dalvin Cook wants to go to Miami. I don't think he wants to go to Buffalo. As much as I love Buffalo, if it was up to Zach Gelb, I'd much rather go to Buffalo than Miami. Food, family, football, wings, wings, wings, wings, wings, beer, unbelievable in Buffalo.

I think Dalvin Cook would love to go to South Beach, enjoy that sun, the good weather, and probably go to Joe Stone Crab, Prime 112, Carbone. And I do like Miami a lot too, but I'm a Buffalo type of guy. I love going to Buffalo. Everyone has these bizarre spots that they like to vacation to. One of my bizarre spots is Buffalo. As you're talking yourself into Miami, Miami sounds pretty good right now. Who wants to give me the fattest contract?

I'll be good for that. So it's kind of funny because this is a bigger issue a few years ago with the spider tack and the substances and all that. Now they still do the checks, but I feel like we just haven't been paying a lot of attention to it as we did a few years ago. Today Max Scherzer got ejected. And this is Max Scherzer denying using an illegal substance on his hand. So after the second inning, my hand, it was a little clumpy from the rosin and sweat. It was clumpy and Phil told me to wash it off. So I washed it off.

Came back out there after the third with alcohol. I washed it with alcohol and rosin. And when I went back out there, the alcohol for a little bit there can be sticky in rosin.

That can happen. So he's like, that's too sticky. You need to go back on there, wash it off again, and reapply the rosin.

And so I did that. And then at the same time, he thought my glove had too much rosin on it. And I was like, okay, if that's a problem, there's nothing going on. He's like, you need a new glove.

Okay. So I come back out, pitched the third. And knew I was going to get checked in the fourth. So I'd have to be an absolute idiot to try to do anything when I'm coming back out for the fourth. So after that third inning, I'm in front of the MLB official.

That's underneath here. I wash my hand with alcohol in front of the official. I then apply a rosin. And then I grab sweat. When I think I didn't go back out there and feel because he says that my hands too sticky. I don't get it.

Yes. When you use sweat and rosin, your hand is sticky. But I don't get how I get ejected when I'm when I'm in front of MLB officials doing exactly, exactly what you want and being deemed my hands too sticky when I'm using legal substance. I do not understand that. So this is a bigger issue last year and two years ago.

And it's still a thing where I always laugh when they check the pictures and all that. I think it's ridiculous. But that those are the rules.

That's what Major League Baseball is doing. But after hearing how defiant Scherzer was, you usually tell when someone's lying. I actually believe Max Scherzer that he was doing nothing wrong by the rulebook, but he did get ejected. Now, usually when I go and have these situations and you hear things like this, I like to toss it over at our nine thirty p.m. Eastern Time update to the great Marco Belletti, because I think Marco Belletti is really like the voice of reason around here. And he could detect when someone is lying and he could detect when the B.S.

meter is all the way up to 10. So I'll ask you, am I an idiot moron, an adult for believing Max Scherzer? No, but I do have one issue with Max and what he's talking about. OK, you wash your hands with alcohol. That's the bizarre part. Who the hell washes their hands with alcohol? Now, if you're talking about I use like a sanitizer and not wash my hands, then my question would be why? Because maybe there's something in the sanitizer, in the alcohol that's getting it a little bit stickier.

And that's something that you're using and that's something that you like. And that's not what Major League Baseball wants. So that would be the only thing with all this.

Look, Scherzer honestly truly believes he did nothing wrong. Do I think he was using rosin and sweat? Is it sticky?

Yes, all those things are true. But that one word does not make a lot of sense to me. If they told you to wash your hands, when was the last time somebody asked you to wash your hands and you said, OK, I'll go get the alcohol? Why? What do you need alcohol for?

Get some water, get some soap, wash your hands. So the two things that I'll ask you and I genuinely do not know the answers to this. I wonder if other pitchers in the past like use alcohol for some reason.

I'm not talking about the drinking alcohol. Right. I don't know. And that I genuinely do not know. And the other part is it is that a banned substance? I don't know.

Yeah, I don't know the answer to any of that stuff. I mean, also you can use, you know, suntan lotion. But I know if you use suntan lotion and you mix it in with some rosin, you mix it in with some sweat, all of a sudden that's a sticky substance that Major League Baseball doesn't want you to use. But suntan lotion is not illegal.

You can't stop someone from getting a sunburn. So like there's a lot of layers to all this stuff that pitchers have been using since the dawn of time that they had on their belt and on whatever and all the different stuff. So it feels like Major League Baseball, like you I understand the thought process of we want to get away from all illegal substances. That's great. But if you still give them things that are tacky and sticky, like rosin, you still open yourself up to the ability of guys to do different things. So you either got to close that door completely, which is dangerous in my mind, because at baseball, if you ever felt a brand new one, it's like an egg.

That's difficult. Then all of a sudden, then you got to let them get away with some of the stuff. You know it's rosin, you know it's sweat, and apparently you are okay with alcohol, then whatever that winds up being, then let it go. I always get a kick too still when I'm at a game and you have the pitcher run out of the bullpen or after the inning, and they check the pitcher. I just think it looks so stupid. Like imagine before every update you came in and I was like, Hey Marco, let me touch your hands, you know, take off your belt for a second.

Let's make sure you're not using any sticky stuff on your hands so it doesn't mess up the microphone. Look, and maybe I'm ridiculous in this. I was never that worried about it. I understand where you get over the top and they were talking about some of that stuff, the tack, the spider tack and all that. Like I get it, but you know when somebody's over the top. Some of the other stuff, like guys are just trying to get a better grip. Like that's not necessarily doctoring the baseball. If I want to have a better grip so that my breaking ball breaks better, you ask the hitters and they go, you know what? I'd rather you throw your breaking ball perfectly so that it doesn't wind up between my eyes. I'm cool with that. And that's the thing that I always get concerned about with this stuff now out of the game, where you're having to try to find new ways to gain an advantage or get a better grip of the ball. You see these pitchers throw like 101, 102 miles per hour.

I always fear the injury part of that. And this is all the same. This is basically life in a microcosm, isn't it? It was fine as long as you didn't go over the top. Guys got over the top with the spider tack and all that other stuff. But guys have been doing this forever, whether it was the pine tar or the suntan.

It's been going on for the dawn of time. It was cool until you got to the point where it went over the top. And then to try to bring it back, now you went too far back, and now you're telling them that they can't do anything. And it's a problem simply because you have a baseball that's all different. Maybe you can get a baseball that's got a little bit of tack to it. Maybe you try that. Maybe you get a baseball that actually works.

You know, some of the Japanese baseballs, they rave about them. Bring that here. Maybe see if that works instead of maybe you can get away from all this garbage. And the last two things I'll say about this, and I do believe Scherzer, you're right. The alcohol line, it does make you raise an eyebrow. But when he says, I'd be the biggest idiot in the world, then put something illegal on my hands.

And then there was another part, too. I kept on telling the umpire in the moment, he claimed, I swear on my kids' lives that I did nothing wrong. Maybe I'm a sucker. Maybe I'm a moron.

But I tend to believe someone like Max Scherzer there. Yeah, that stuff doesn't do anything for me. Neither does the, I would be an idiot.

Yeah, that doesn't do anything for me either. A lot of people say, I would be really stupid if I did this. In reality, you are that stupid. So that part, no.

So how many times has Marcos said, I swear on my kids' life, and we actually know that he's lying? Yeah, nah. I mean, that wouldn't be something I would say. But that's the, he doth protest too much.

That stuff I don't care about. Those are words. It's more of like, his reaction on the field. Him talking to Phil Cuzzie, the umpire, on the field. You can see he was adamant about what it was.

It's not sticky where you're trying to evade. He's telling you exactly what it is. That's where, in his mind, he feels like he's right.

He did nothing wrong, yeah. He feels like he's right. Now, whether or not the alcohol is cool, and obviously it is if there's an official watching it, but why you're washing your hands with alcohol, is there a reason other than you don't like water? Like, what exactly, you take a shower with alcohol? Why exactly did you need alcohol instead of water and soap when I asked you to wash your hands?

That's the part that I need someone to explain to me. Hey, Hickey, call up Boris. Let's see if Max Scherzer showers with alcohol coming out of the faucet in his house. I just gotta say that. It doesn't make sense.

You're right, you're right. I can't, you know, how many times have you said, hey, wash your hands, hey, wash your hands. Give me some alcohol! Where's the rubbing alcohol? What?

What the hell are you talking about? There's water, there's soap, go wash your hands. All right, he'll come up back at the closing bell. You're listening to The Zach Gelb Show. Another day is in the books and we're taking stock of the sports world. It's time to find out who's up and who's down. Let's end the day right and hit the closing bell.

Only on The Zach Gelb Show. Let's start it off in the swamps of Jersey, the New York Rangers. They take a 1-0 series lead up against the Devils. Here's Chris Kreider as he now has the most goals in Rangers postseason history. He had two in the game. Here was the first one, gave him a 2-0 lead.

Don LaGreca on Rangers radio. Kreider wins it clean. Panarin straight away, gets it back out to Fox. He's between the circles, looking for the deflection in front and he gets it. And the Rangers make it a 2-0 game as they score on the power play. As they get the deflection and take the 2-0 lead. Rangers look to go up 2-0 game 2 tomorrow night.

Give Chris Kreider a stock up. So what a crazy game this was between the Lightning and the Maple Leafs. Tampa Bay gets out to a 3-0 lead. The next thing you know it's 3-2. And Braden Point then lights the lamp and ends up making this a 4-2 game in favor of Tampa Bay. Now the Stanley Cup playoffs are back. You got Dave Mishkin and Phil Esposito. Braden Point, sir!

Yes, unbelievable. Love having Mishkin and Esposito back. You know, give the announcers a stock up. Alex Weinberg scores to make it 2-1 Seattle.

Let's listen up to Kraken radio. Off the left side, gets it up for Jaden Schwartz. He'll walk into the high slot, fire it across. Scores! Alexander Weinberg comes into the zone.

Down the right side, into the circle. And the Seattle Kraken regain their lead. It's 2-1. Alex Weinberg with the goal. Kraken first ever playoff game. They get a victory. They're up 1-0 in the series up against the defending Stanley Cup champion, the Colorado Avalanche. They win last night 3-1.

Give Seattle a stock up. And how about this story? This is just wild. Morgan Baron last night left the game. He needed 75 stitches. When he got a skate to the face. He ended up returning.

Any other sport, you'd be out for the rest of the season. Winnipeg ends up taking the 1-0 series lead. Let's listen up to Jets radio.

Not the New York Jets, but the Winnipeg Jets as they made it 3-1 in the third. On the far side, back for Schmitz. Shoot, stop, rebound. Out in front, Wheeler. Couldn't get to the forehand. Now the backhand.

He scores! Blake Wheeler hung onto the puck. Couldn't get it to the forehand. Got handcuffed. And that took one strike. Got it to the backhand.

Through traffic. Beats Brossois. And Winnipeg leads it by 2 again. It's 3-1 for the Jets. That is how I expect a hockey announcer to sound. Give a stock up to Paul Edmonds.

And finally, I have one stock down. That is to the umpires today in the Mets-Dodgers game. Just in a ridiculous way, ejecting Max Scherzer.

Give all the umpires associated with that a stock down. Fun show today. Big thanks to Nick Herbig for joining us.

Noah Eagle as well. We'll be back tomorrow at 6 p.m. Eastern, 3 Pacific. We out. Bye-bye. Peace!