Jacob DeGrom Dominates Again

Summary

Podcast Summary: PTI Episode - "Jacob DeGrom Dominates Again"

Release Date: June 26, 2025
Hosts: Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon
Description: Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon face off in the nation's capital on the day's hottest topics.

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1. NBA Draft First Round Highlights

Tony Kornheiser opens the discussion by recapping the excitement from the recent NBA Draft:

• Top Picks and Chicago’s Success: Tony highlights the impressive performance of the Brooklyn Nets, who retained all five of their first-round picks, allowing them to draft promising players. He specifically praises the recruiting prowess of Duke's coach Jon Scheyer, remarking, “…the greatest recruiter in the history of basketball because he just had three freshmen go in the top 10” (03:12).

• Notable Draftees: The conversation delves into specific players, including Cooper Flagg, Mason Newell, Derrick Queen, and Liam McNeely from Montverde High School, referred to as "the Harvard Westlake of basketball" (04:31). Tony quips about fashion aspects during the draft, noting, “The pants on his suit did not reach his shoes… they looked like long shorts” when discussing Tre Johnson’s attire (03:51).

Michael Wilbon shares his emotional takeaway, emphasizing the inspiring story of Malawatch from Duke:

• Emotional Impact: Mike expresses admiration for Malawatch, describing his background and emotional reaction upon being drafted. He states, “…he talked about coming from nothing and where he came from. And I was just overwhelmed by his emotion and being drafted and fulfilling this dream” (01:44).

2. Baseball Spotlight: Jacob Mizaroski vs. Jacob DeGrom

The hosts transition to baseball, comparing performances of two pitchers named Jacob.

• Jacob Mizaroski’s Performance: Tony breaks down Mizaroski's impressive debut with the Brewers, highlighting his eight strikeouts over five shutout innings and a high number of pitches reaching 100 mph:

  “Mizarowski went five innings, he gave up no runs… he hit 100 miles an hour much more often than Skeens did” (05:13).

• Jacob DeGrom’s No-Hitter: Mike counters by analyzing DeGrom’s dominant outing for the Rangers, where he maintained a no-hitter into the eighth inning with seven strikeouts over seven innings:

  “…he has two Tommy Johns, and in his comeback year, he's 8 and 2 with a 208 ERA” (06:11).

• Comparative Analysis: The debate centers on who had the more notable performance, with Mike favoring DeGrom’s experience and longer outing, while Tony emphasizes Mizaroski’s raw speed and potential (06:48; 07:25).

3. Tennis Innovation: Mixed Doubles at the U.S. Open

Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon discuss significant changes to the mixed doubles event at the U.S. Open:

• New Format and Prize Money: Tony outlines the modifications:

  “They will bump up the prize money to a million dollars and they will shorten the sets” (07:04).

• Star Participation: The revamped format attracts top stars like Carlos Alcaraz partnering with Emma Raducano and Naomi Osaka teaming up with Nick Kyrgios:

  “Carlos Alcaraz will play with Emma Raducano… Naomi Osaka… will play with Nick Kyrgios” (07:04).

• Benefits and Criticisms: Mike empathizes with traditional doubles players' concerns but supports the new direction for its entertainment value and broader appeal:

  “I love what they've done… it's star-driven, which means I know you'll pay attention” (08:12).

• Tony’s Perspective: Emphasizing entertainment, Tony argues that integrating mixed doubles into high-profile venues with increased visibility will benefit the sport:

  “Sports is a television show. Sports is entertainment… I think everyone benefits from this” (09:09).

4. MLB Insights: Mets, Braves, and Astros

Jeff Passan joins the discussion to provide expert analysis on Major League Baseball teams.

• New York Mets: Jeff remains optimistic about the Mets' potential despite recent losses, crediting Juan Soto's improved performance:

  “...his OPS is up almost .900 at this point, and all those frustrations of the first six, seven weeks of the season seem to have melted away” (12:49).

• Atlanta Braves: Jeff praises Ronald Acuna Jr.'s stellar play but notes concerns about pitching depth with Chris Sale injured:

  “Acuna has looked like one of the best players on earth… but Chris Sale being out with broken ribs” (14:37).

• Kyle Tucker and the Cubs: The conversation shifts to Kyle Tucker's future with the Cubs, emphasizing his critical role and the necessity for the team’s management to act:

  “...Tom Ricketts is going to have to step up, put his money where his mouth is” (15:04).

• Houston Astros Dominance: Jeff attributes the Astros’ continued success to their robust player development and strong pitching lineup:

  “Because they're inevitable… Hunter Brown has emerged as a Cy Young candidate” (16:48).

5. Unique Stories and Player Anecdotes

Jacob Wilson’s Fortnite Strategy:

Jeff shares an intriguing story about rookie Jacob Wilson, who attributes his baseball success to playing Fortnite:

“Jacob Wilson believes that he is as good of a baseball player as he is because he plays Fortnite… when you are playing Fortnite, it is a game with fast decision making” (17:37).

Personal Reflections on Michael Vick and Nikola Jokic:

• Michael Vick’s Coaching Career: Tony commemorates Michael Vick's 45th birthday, highlighting his journey from a stellar quarterback to a coaching role at Norfolk State University:

  “Vick was always publicly apologetic for what he had done, but his career arc had changed” (20:12).

• Nikola Jokic’s Rise: The discussion acknowledges Jokic’s remarkable transformation from a relatively unknown Serbian center to the NBA’s best player:

  “Jokic routinely gets triple doubles in the NBA… he's the best player” (21:21).

6. Miscellaneous Sports Updates

• Colorado Rockies’ Struggles: Tony and Mike lament the Rockies' recent performance, citing a crucial dropped pop-up and a subsequent heavy loss (21:38; 21:38).

• Knicks and Pelicans Coaching Talks: The hosts briefly touch upon the Knicks' interest in Pelicans assistant James Borrego and debate his suitability (22:26).

• NFL Updates: The suspension of Ravens' kicker Justin Tucker sparks brief commentary, with Mike expressing disapproval and Tony noting the team's strategic moves (22:26; 22:45).

• NHLM Season Expansion: The potential expansion of the NHL season from 82 to 84 games is debated, with Mike expressing reservations unless it involves additional rivalry games (23:05; 23:16).

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Notable Quotes:

• Mike Wilbon on Malawatch’s Emotional Draft Experience:

  “He talked about coming from nothing and where he came from. And I was just overwhelmed by his emotion and being drafted and fulfilling this dream.” (01:44)

• Tony Kornheiser on Mixed Doubles Transformation:

  “Sports is a television show. Sports is entertainment… I think everyone benefits from this.” (09:09)

• Jeff Passan on Kyle Tucker’s Importance:

  “Kyle Tucker sets a specific type of standard for the at bat that a Chicago Cub should take.” (15:04)

• Jacob Wilson’s Fortnite Strategy:

  “When you are playing Fortnite, it is a game with fast decision making… it sounds a lot like trying to hit a baseball.” (17:37)

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Conclusion

In this episode of PTI, Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, joined by Jeff Passan, traverse a broad spectrum of sports topics. From the emotional highs of the NBA Draft and evolving baseball performances to innovative changes in tennis and insightful MLB analyses, the discussion offers a comprehensive overview of current sports narratives. Notably, the episode underscores the intersection of traditional sports with modern influences, such as gaming, and highlights the continuous evolution within professional leagues.

Transcript

[Tony Kornheiser]

In 1979, the first words spoken on ESPN weren't just an announcement. If you're a fan, they were a sports prophecy. What you'll see in the next minutes, hours and days to follow.

[Jeff Passan]

Glad you're with us tonight.

[Mike Wilbon]

May convince you you've gone to sports heaven.

[Tony Kornheiser]

And right now you're standing on the edge of tomorrow. This fall, the next era of ESPN begins.

[Unknown]

Sports forever.

[Mike Wilbon]

Pardon the interruption, but I'm Mike Wilbon. It's National Canoe Day. Tony, can you canoe?

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'm Tony Korner, as you know, but I once paid to get paddled. It's a funny line. Come on.

[Mike Wilbon]

I thought you were gonna say. I thought it was gonna be, can you canoodle. I didn't know canoe was a verb.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yes, to canoe. Sure, I think so. Well, it's certainly a noun. I think you can make it into a verb. Have you ever done that? I've canoed a few times.

[Mike Wilbon]

No, I've never really.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Oh, we got to get you out in one. Turn you over, see how it works out for you. Welcome to pti, boys and girls. In today's episode, big time pitching performances from two Jacobs. The US Opens, bold new approach to mixed doubles. And Jeff Passon joins us for five good minutes. But we begin today with last night's first round of the NBA draft. Cooper Flag went first to Dallas. As expected, the first eight players picked last night were all one and dones at American schools. The Brooklyn Nets kept all five of their first round picks and used them to draft players. And Ace Bailey ended up in Utah, which was not on his preferred team list. Wilbon, what were your biggest takeaways from last night's first round?

[Mike Wilbon]

Tony, I'm going to go to something that struck me emotionally because the takeaways are not like. I know, I don't know. You and I talked about this going into the telecast. We don't know who can play yet. In a year we'll start to say, wait a minute, that kid looks pretty good. In a year and a half, you in that second season, we'll go, wait a minute. Okay, now they got something. But, you know, that's fine and I love doing it because I'm a basketball nerd. But the kid Malawatch from Duke who was drafted by the Suns here. So I was happy to see that. But that is not who drafted him. You know, Masaya Jiri started telling me a few years ago about a group of young African players who were coming along and who both had the grades to go to any school in America. If they wanted, but also could play basketball and were going to be drafted. And Malawatch was one of those kids. He's like 15. And so I started paying attention to him. He's only whatever, 18, 19 now, but I started paying attention to him and the tears on his face when he was drafted. And he talked about it, and I'm sure the Duke experience is the end of it. And he talked about coming from nothing and where he came from. And I was just overwhelmed by his emotion and being drafted and fulfilling this dream. And now he's going to play in the NBA, and he's 71 or so. I can't wait to see him play. And so of all the things that happened last night, that struck me, I'm.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Going to be honest, I didn't really know any player out there. I hadn't felt that I'd seen any of them other than Cooper Flagg. But I'd seen the Duke kids. I'd seen Malawatch, I'd seen Knipple, because when I tuned in to see Flag, I saw them, and all three of them went in the top 10. So my biggest takeaway would be that Chicago's own Jon Scheyer is the greatest recruiter in the history of basketball because he just had three freshmen go in the top 10. The other thing that strikes me as a takeaway is the fashion element of the evening. I think there was even a red carpet show. And the kid that the Washington Wizards drafted, Tre Johnson. The kid out of Texas.

[Mike Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

The pants on his suit did not reach his shoes. In fact, they stopped somewhere in his calf. They looked like long shorts, so I just assumed they were part of the Jalen Rose collection, you know, because I've seen Jalen Rose do those commercials, and he's always wearing those shorts. You know, a lot of it was lost on me, except this Mike Cooper Flagg and three of his teammates from high school were drafted in the first round.

[Mike Wilbon]

Yeah.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Mason Newell was one of them. Derrick Queen. Who's the other one? Liam McNeely. Liam McNeely. It's Montverde High School. That's a golden ticket. That is the Harvard Westlake of basketball. That place.

[Mike Wilbon]

Hard to argue with you, Tony. By the way, that Duke coach you mentioned who grew up under another Duke coach from Chicago, could recruit pretty well. Yeah, Yeah, a guy named Krzyzewski. Yeah, the godfather of that. Maybe move to baseball, where two Jacobs delivered terrific performances from the mound yesterday. Rookie Jacob Mizaroski, the Miz of the brewers, struck out eight over five shutout innings. To beat Paul Skeens in the Pirates 4 2. And in the evening, Jacob deGrom now of the Rangers took a no hitter into the eighth in a 7 nothing win over the Orioles. Turn. Which Jacob had the more notable pitching performance yesterday, The Miz or DeGrom?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay, so they both, they pitched against poor teams, so there's no advantage there. So let me go over the numbers, the important numbers. Misarowski went five innings, he gave up no runs. He had two hits, he walked two, and he struck out eight in five innings. And he was pitching, as you said, against Skeens. And the remarkable thing to me was he hit 100 miles an hour much more often than Skeens did. Yeah, yeah. He did it 19 times in 74 pitches. And Skeens only did it once in 78 pitches. DeGrom had a perfect game through six. He walked two in the seventh, but he kept the no hitter through seven. First batter in the eighth got a hit, so they took him out. So he goes seven innings, gives up one hit, also walks two, and he has seven strikeouts. Is that better than Misarowski, Mike? I would say it is slightly better because he pitched two more innings because he's 37 and he's had two Tommy Johns, and in his comeback year, he's 8 and 2 with a 208 ERA.

[Mike Wilbon]

It's great. But Miz pitched against Skeens. He pitched against a guy last year who everybody had being the greatest thing ever. And Skeens is still terrific, by the way. But the Miz Tony, this kid, look, just about the time I, I, I, I had to stop hating Aaron Rodgers because we got rid of one cheese head, another one shows up in Wisconsin. This kid, the Miz Tony, he gave up no hits in his first appearance. He gave up essentially no hits. I think one hit. In his second appearance, he's given up three hits in three starts. Are you kidding me?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, I know.

[Mike Wilbon]

This kid is the, he's the deal. He's six, seven. He's coming at you like Randy Johnson.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I know.

[Mike Wilbon]

Randy Johnson was 6:10, Tony. No, no, no, no, no. It's the Miz. He pitched. He did this against Skeens. He upstage.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'm going to point out. I'm going to point out to our viewers that because he's in the same division as the Cubs, you are inclined to watch him and inclined to like him. This is the curse of your divisions all the time. You know what the batting average against him is? That's only 16 innings. Batting average against is 061.

[Mike Wilbon]

Come on now.

[Tony Kornheiser]

It's 06. No, it's not zero something. It's 061, you know, whereas deGrom is against. DeGrom is, you know, 189 deGrom's gram.

[Mike Wilbon]

Take deGrom right now. But this kid is woo.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Sure. We move to tennis, specifically the mixed doubles at the upcoming U.S. open. The Open will move the event up a week so it will be played before the rest of the tournament. They will bump up the prize money to a million dollars and they will shorten the sets. So you only need four games to win, not the traditional six. And as a result, all the big stars are playing with each other. Carlos Alcaraz will play with Emma Raducano. Naomi Osaka, who you love, will play with Nick Kyrgios. There has been criticism of this change from some of the regular doubles players. Will. Bon, are you going to be critical?

[Mike Wilbon]

No, Tony. But I understand the criticism from those doubles players who put in the time and carry that wing of professional tennis, and so they got to tweak this. But I'm in the tank, Tony, for having the men and women play together. Tennis is called mix something in golf. And I'm going to toot my own horn here as part of something that Grant Thornton does in professional golf where the men and women play an event together. And it is great. The top players and you don't have to. It's a separate event so you're not disturbing the Open or the US Open or the Masters or the pga. And they're going to have to figure out how to do this as part of the US Open so that you do not cast off the people who have carried doubles. You don't want to do that, but I love what they've done. They got to tweak it. I can't wait to see it. It's star driven, which means I know you'll pay attention, but I like the co ed nature of it. That's what drives it for me.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Okay. I covered a lot of tennis, as did you. Mixed doubles is great fun to watch. The problem with it in the last 20 or 30 years is that the great stars don't play it. It's always on a side court. There's not a lot of money involved. And if you're still in the singles draw, it saps your energy so you don't even enter it. This idea is absolutely fabulous, okay? It's going to get the stars involved all the time. And because it's before the main draw, it's not Going to deplete your energy. Plus there's a lot of money, Mike. The people who won the French Open this year and mixed won $144,000. When you win the U.S. open, it's a million dollars. I understand the criticism. I think it sounds like sour grapes from some mid level players who thought they had this all to themselves. You know where I stand on this, Mike. Sports is a television show. Sports is entertainment. They're going to put this in the big gyms, they're going to put this on big TV and the stars are going to be in it. And I think everybody benefits from this. I, I think it's. I think mixed doubles will be all the rage as a result of this. So I love it.

[Mike Wilbon]

I do, too.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I love it.

[Mike Wilbon]

I do, too, Tony. But I wouldn't diminish by calling them mid level. No, the doubles people are the top doubles. Here's what they need to do. They're going to have to get wild carded in. Maybe initially. There needs to be a tweaking of this.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Sure.

[Mike Wilbon]

And go to your partner who's great.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Go beat the stars. Go and beat the stars.

[Mike Wilbon]

But you got to give him a shot, too. You got to include him in the field and let them play the stars and just ban them, which is what you want to be.

[Tony Kornheiser]

They'll be in the field. No, you're misrepresenting me completely. I want to see them beat the stars. I'd like them mixed doubles. I like it. Let's take a break. Coming up, after a sudden swoon. Are the Mets back on track? We're going to ask Jeff Passon.

[Mike Wilbon]

We'll also ask him whether the Cubbies are likely to re sign Kyle Tucker. We need to. Need to.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I'm saying this is a great idea. It's going to put.

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[Mike Wilbon]

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[Tony Kornheiser]

We have baseball questions for our great friend, ESPN senior baseball insider, Mr. Jeff Passon. Jeff, let's start with this. The Mets lost 10 of 11 games before beating the Braves last night. Question one is, are you confident in the state of the mets? And question two, where are you on Ronald Acuna Jr. And the Braves?

[Jeff Passan]

Tony I want to be bullish on the Mets because I saw the way that they played over the first, you know, 65 or so games of the season. They were really good. They pitched at the top of their lineup even when Juan Soto wasn't hitting. Francisco Lindor was. Pete Alonzo was. Brandon Nimma was. Jeff McNeil was. So there's talent there. But the way that they've looked over the last week and a half has been very problematic. And I think it shows that before the July 31 trade deadline, David Stearns, their president of baseball operations, has a lot of work to do. Now they're missing Kodai Sango. You know, he has a sub1.5 era this year, so when he comes back, it's going to be a little bit better. They just got Frankie Montas back, looked really good in his first outing. So I think some of this is getting healthy. But let's look at what Soto has done, particularly in June. This is the Juan Soto guys who signed for $765 million. His OPS is up almost.900 at this point, and all those frustrations of the first six, seven weeks of the season seem to have melted away and he's finally comfortable and being the guy that the Mets thought that they were bringing in and the one who I still think is going to lead them to a postseason spot. The Braves, on the other hand, they look better. And Acuna has looked like one of the best players on earth. I mean, he, when he is healthy, he's up there with Ohtani, he's up there with Judge, he is awesome. But Chris Sale being out with broken ribs, not great. And there's just not a whole lot of pitching depth with the Braves right now. And on top of that, they got to claw their Way back from that deficit that they had at the beginning of the season when they lost seven straight games. That sort of thing looms large in a playoff scope that is as tight as the National League is right now.

[Mike Wilbon]

Well, yeah, part of that tightness is in the Central where the Cubs are still leading the brewers and Cardinals. And I want to ask you about Kyle Tucker, Jeff. He's played really, really well, but as you know, of course he will be a free agent if the Cubs don't get him off the market. What do you think is likely to happen with Tucker as well as he's been playing? You think the Cubs sign him, trade him or just let him walk, which is what I fear?

[Jeff Passan]

Well, I can tell you one thing, Mike. They are not going to trade him because this is a first place team right now. A team that has not just playoff aspirations but believes it can be a World Series contender. And that is specifically because of who Kyle Tucker is. He does so many of the things that, you know me personally, baseball fan, absolutely loves beyond playing defense and running the bases. 19 stolen bases already. He's a guy who's near the.300 batting average, 400 on base, 500 slug. That is rarefied territory. More than that though, he walks more than he strikes out. And for a guy who is a power hitter like that, for him to take those quality at bats. I've talked with people in the Cubs organization and on the team and they say that Kyle Tucker sets a specific type of standard for the at bat that a Chicago Cub should take. And so then it goes back to Tom Ricketts. Is he willing to put money down on the table because it's going to cost a lot. Kyle Tucker has played himself well into the 400 million plus dollar range. And at 29 years old, he is going to be far and away the most exciting free agent this offseason and the one that all the big market teams are going to want to bring in. So Ricketts is going to have to step up, put his money where his mouth is and do what he hasn't done yet as owner of the Cubs.

[Mike Wilbon]

Yes, we are well aware who are Cub fans for life. Tucker and Alex Bregman leave Houston, Jeff. And yes, Houston rolls right along. Got five plus game lead in first place in their division. How do the Astros keep doing this?

[Jeff Passan]

Because they're inevitable, Mike. Every single year it seems like the Astros just keep bringing players in, developing players, making good deals. Jeremy Pena has taken a leap forward this year. Isak Paredes at third base. Absolutely loves Dyken Park. But it gets down to their starting pitching. Hunter Brown has emerged as a Cy Young candidate from Valdez is his steady self. And when you have Josh Hader and Brian Abreu at the back end of that bullpen, it's a tough road to hoe for any team trying to beat the Astros.

[Tony Kornheiser]

We will get you out of here on this. It's about a story that you wrote and the piece dropped today. It's been Rookie on the A's Jacob Wilson, who has hit nearly 350 this season. He included one unusual theory. He talked to you about it for his early success. Share it with us, please.

[Jeff Passan]

Jacob Wilson believes that he is as good of a baseball player as he is because he plays Fortnite. Now if this sounds a little bit weird, I thought so as well at the beginning. But his his argument here is that when you are playing Fortnite, it is a game with fast decision making. And it teaches you that in the moment you have to see what's right in front of you and react instantaneously. And what does that sound like? Sounds a lot like trying to hit a baseball. And look, Jacob Wilson has plenty of other things going for him. His father was Jack Wilson, longtime big league shortstop. So he's got the genetics, he works hard, but he's not giving up video games. In fact, he is playing them so he can become a better baseball player. Guys.

[Mike Wilbon]

Jeff, if the generation gap, being an ace at one night makes you a great baseball player, my son should be Willie damn Maze. If one correlates to the other.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah, just amazing. Like 80 years removed from this thing. Let's take one. Thank you, Jeff. Thank you. Thank you. Let's take one last break. Still to come, Caitlin Clark is out for the fever. We're going to tell you why.

[Mike Wilbon]

And the Rockies lose the ball. And then a game. Poor Rockies.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't know. Crediting a video game, really.

[Mike Wilbon]

My son's playing Fortnite till three in the morning.

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[Tony Kornheiser]

Happy time people. Happy 45th birthday. Michael Vick. Vick was one of the most explosive and influential quarterbacks of all time. Early in his career in Atlanta, that came undone when it was revealed Vick was involved in the brutal enterprise of dog fighting. Vick went to jail for that involvement. When he returned to the NFL, it was with Philadelphia, where he was comeback Player of the year in 2010. Vick was always publicly apologetic for what he had done, but his career arc had changed and the greatness in his play became a memory. Vic turned to coaching, starting as an intern under Andy Reid in Kansas City. Reed had coached Vick in Philadelphia and Vick calls Reed a true role model. Last winter, Vic accepted the head coaching job at Norfolk State University.

[Mike Wilbon]

I'm glad to hear that. Tony was glad to hear it. I got to drive down to Virginia Tech to watch Michael Vic in person in college. He was a wonder there. Just few things if any I'd ever seen like that and you just never forget it. It didn't turn out in the NFL level like it could have or maybe should have. But when he was on, wow. Nothing like it.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Happy Anniversary Denver Nuggets on this day 11 years ago, with the 41st pick in the 2014 draft, the Nuggets selected a relatively unknown 19 year old Serbian center named Nikola Jokic. Prior to being selected, Jokic had a solid but quiet season in the Adriatic league. He averaged 11.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists in 25 games. Jokic played one more year in the Adriatic League. He was named MVP. This time he averaged 15.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists. In the NBA, Jokic's numbers dwarf those. Jokic routinely gets triple doubles in the NBA. So let's hear it for the Adriatic League, wherever it is and whoever is in it.

[Mike Wilbon]

How about the decision to look to a Taco Bell commercial which is what was on the telly when he was drafted? True story. But Tony, look, Shane Gilchis Alexander is the legit deserving mvp. Joker to me is still the best player in the world. At least right now.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Best player. He's the best player. Happy trails to the Rockies catching a pop up. The Dodgers and Rockies were tied at zero in the top of the six last night when Max Muncie popped one up towards second. Colorado second baseman Tyro is Estrada lost it in the rain and the ball dropped right next to the first baseman because there had been two out. The runners were off on contact so two running scored. A rain delay immediately followed, as did an eventual 8 to 1 loss by the Rockies who are now 18 and.

[Mike Wilbon]

62 this season I can't care about the Rockies. I'm just breathing easy because the Cubs split with the Cardinals winning this afternoon in St. Louis. That's all I care about.

[Tony Kornheiser]

Let's go to the big finish, if we could. The Knicks reportedly interviewed Pelicans assistant James Borrego. Is that a good fit?

[Mike Wilbon]

I don't know. I don't know if that's a good fit. You know, it was a good fit. You and I talked about this. The guy coaching in Dallas, he's a good fit for the Knicks. If they can get him, that's who they want. The NFL suspended X Ravens kicker Justin Tucker 10 games for violating the league's personal conduct policy. Your thoughts?

[Tony Kornheiser]

That's why they cut him. And that's why the Ravens drafted a kicker. The Bucs extended the deals of head coach Todd Bowles and GM Jason Light. Okay by you?

[Mike Wilbon]

I mean, the record's not great, 2724. But the three straight NFC south titles. Yeah, it's okay with me. Kaitlin Clark out against the Sparks tonight with a left groin issue. Concerned?

[Tony Kornheiser]

Yeah. This is the second time she'll be out this season and she's in a terrible suit. Shooting slump. So, yeah, I'm concerned. Last one. NHLM players union could expand the season from 82 games to 84. You okay with that?

[Mike Wilbon]

You know I don't like any more expansion of games. No games should be reduced. But if you get an additional division game against a rival, I guess it's okay to do that. Tony, that'd be fine.

[Tony Kornheiser]

I don't know. I don't know. We're out of time. We'll try and do better the next time. I'm Tony Kornheiser.

[Mike Wilbon]

I'm Mike Globan. Same time tomorrow, Knuckleheads.