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- [00:01]
Tony Kornheiser
Morning decisions. How about a creamy mocha Frappuccino drink? Or sweet vanilla smooth caramel maybe? Or a white chocolate mocha? Whichever you choose, delicious coffee awaits. Find Starbucks Frappuccino drinks wherever you buy your groceries.
- [00:18]
Frank Isola
Pardon the interruption, but I'm Frank Isola. Hey, Tony. A fossilized skeleton of a dinosaur sold at an auction for $50 million.
- [00:28]
Tony Kornheiser
I'm Tony Kornheiser, fossilized skeleton of a dinosaur. That's me. I'm that person or that thing or that fossil. That's me. I'm a mother in your prime. So old now. I'm way bigger than my prime, but thank you. Welcome to pti, boys and girls. Wilbon has the day off and so I am joined by our great friend from the starting lineup on Sirius XM, Mr. Frank. A solo Frank. Isolated. They're all watching the World Cup. That's good. Let's start with Spain beating France 2 Nothing in this afternoon's World cup semifinal. This was supposed to be a heavyweight matchup, but Spain controlled the game, scoring on a first half penalty kick and again on a second half, give and go. Frank, what did you think about Spain winning and how it won?
- [01:16]
Frank Isola
Well, I was one of those people that told you I thought France would win the World Cup. They look like the best team all tournament long. That's not to take anything away from Spain. But Spain, they are the defending European champions and they had an unbelievable game. They've had a great tournament. They don't give up any goals. They've only won all tournament. You know, France, early on, they gave it the penalty kick. I thought that penalty was deserved. Lamina did get kicked by the defender on France and from that moment on, France looked rattled. Their center back, William Saliba, who plays at Arsenal, he went down with an injury and they just never seem to be in a groove. And Tony, you look at, you know, you've talked about it, how the stars have shown up at this World Cup. Yeah, and you look at Mbappe, they got Dembele, who's the Ballon d' or winner that's, you know, the best player in the world. He just won that award, you know, he didn't have a great game. It just didn't feel like Michael Oluise, he didn't play well. So France's best players just did not have great games. And Spain is a machine. I get it. Lamina Mol is a great player. He played well, but it's more about the team. They're great defensively, their midfield controls the ball and they take Advantage of the opportunities they get. Spain has earned their trip to the finals in New Jersey on Sunday. They were outstanding.
- [02:31]
Tony Kornheiser
So I'm glad that you said you had picked France. Everyone that I had talked to had picked France. So of course I was thinking France as well. But you make a very good point. Spain has now scored 13 goals in the World cup and only given up one. Like, you know, what is the doomsday defense? You know, I mean, they are shutting people down all over the place. I think they gave up one goal to Belgium. And I did not know this until this morning, but Spain has now beaten France nine of their last 11 meetings. Do they own France? Is there something we should see in that?
- [03:05]
Frank Isola
I think, I think it just shows you how great of a team there. And think about it from France's standpoint. In 22, they went to the World cup final. They lose to Argentina in penalty kicks. That in theory counts as a draw. They won in 2018. The last time they lost a World cup game was on July 4th of 2014 in Brazil. They're a difficult team to beat. Give Spain all the credit in the world in Dallas today, the way that they played against a great, great opponent.
- [03:36]
Tony Kornheiser
I'm just going to ask one small question here. Do you think that Spain now goes through and wins the final as well? Do they have that kind of momentum and that kind of ability? If you had to pick right now,
- [03:46]
Frank Isola
and you've seen this before, Tony, when you think you're watching the two best teams in the semifinals, sometimes that team gets through. Hey, waiting for them is going to be a terrific England team or the defending champs, Argentina. It is not over yet. The championship was not decided today.
- [04:02]
Tony Kornheiser
Okay, let's move now to last night's Home Run Derby where Philadelphia fans got the chance to do what they do best. Boo everybody who isn't wearing a Philly shirt. In the end, they were stunned into silence when the Cardinals Jordan Walker caught and passed Philadelphia's Kyle Schwaber by hitting six home runs in a row when he was down to his last out. Frank, what did you make of the change in format and how Walker won?
- [04:27]
Frank Isola
Yeah, well, the format works if the last home run is going to be a walk off home run. And you know what? They have something here which the NBA never could seem to get with the slam dunk contest, which is the featured event of their weekend. You're getting some young players, but you're also getting a lot of the big name stars participating in. And you know, the first guy that came up was Wilson Contreras, and he was actually. He was hitting bomb after bomb. And that stadium is perfect for a home run derby. The first time I ever went there, I went as a fan and I saw Jose Reyes hit three home runs. The ball flies out of that ballpark. So I thought you had. Did it take a long time, Tony? Absolutely, but I thought it had a lot. I think the drama was good. The fact that you got the hometown guy in the final was good. And the crowd was terrific. They added something to the event, there's no question about it.
- [05:19]
Tony Kornheiser
I liked everything about it. I liked where it was. I liked how it was constructed. I like how it ended. 20 swings is much better than a clock. A clock. The pressure is on the pitcher to deliver quality pitches. With 20 swings, the pressure is where it ought to be on the batter. You have 20 swings in the first round, I believe 15 swings in the successive rounds after that. I was really impressed with Schwaber. And I know you're going to say, well, he had the crowd behind him, yes, but that adds a tremendous amount of pressure. You saw what it did to Bryce Harper. Bryce Harper did not make the second round. But what Jordan Walker did, that was extraordinary. He comes in here, he only has a total of 11 big league home runs in 2024 and 2025. So he's certainly not a favorite. And Schwaber goes out and posts a number of. And Walker gets to the point where if he misses, if he hits anything not in a home run area, he's done. And he hits six in a row. Boom, boom, boom. And at the end, you know, there's silence from the Philadelphia fans. But I will bet you this. I will bet you that every big time Philadelphia fan is saying, can we get this guy? Can we get this guy? Because this guy performed with perseverance even beyond what Wyndham Clark did when he was being booed at the US Open. This was. This was a tremend performance. Was.
- [06:40]
Frank Isola
And you mentioned that. That's a lot of pressure you have. All those fans are against you. I love the shots of his family, though, how excited they were for him to win it. Jordan Walker certainly put on a big show. All right, let's move to the signs that it really was. Let's move to the signs that Aaron Donald could be coming back to the Rams. How about this? TMZ spotted Donald at a workout at the Rams facility last week. And Adam Schefter told Pat McAfee yesterday, quote, it's just a question of whether he wants to go through it and do it. My guess is in the end he will. Just a guess. Tony, given all of this, let's play odd makers here. What are the chances of Aaron Donald returning to the Rams?
- [07:19]
Tony Kornheiser
Okay, so first of all, I have to mention that I watched the video of this thing, of the workout, alleged workout by Aaron Donald. It appeared to be shot from a rooftop five miles away. And maybe that was Aaron Donald or maybe that was Luke. Don. Sure, I am influenced by his coming back by this. Obviously Myles Garrett is now on that team, which means a 35 year old Aaron Donald is never going to be double teamed because Myles Garrett's always going to be double teamed unless they change the rules and say the offense can have 12 people out there. So, I mean, that makes it easier to persuade him to come back. And maybe I'm influenced, Frank, by Serena Williams. Serena Williams came back for Wimbledon. I think she's going to come back for the US Open as well. And she's 44 years old. LeBron James, 41 years old, he's still playing. Novak Djokovic, 39, he's still playing. The star of the World cup, Lionel Messi, 39 years old. So, you know, Donald looks like a kid next to them. So I think he may very well want to come back. Yes.
- [08:20]
Buster Olney
Yeah.
- [08:20]
Frank Isola
And we know this too, with all these players as they get up in age, they don't want to go through training camp. So if he can survive training camp and you think that the Rams would probably come to an agreement, you don't have to practice all the time. These silly preseason games you won't have to be a part of. Because Tony, let's go back when he did play. I mean, when I think of the greatest defensive players in my mind, I think of, you know, Lawrence Taylor and certainly Ray Lewis, Ronnie Lott. This guy is. He's one of those players. He is a dominant, dominant player. I understand that he's been out of the sport for a couple of years. As long as he hasn't lost it mentally, I don't think physically he's lost it. He still can go out there and be dominant.
- [09:00]
Tony Kornheiser
I mean, I'm gonna agree with everything you're saying, but I'm gonna say this. There's a big difference between a workout in July and full pads in August and game action live in September. So even when he says, if he says, I'm feeling good, I'm ready, I'm really thinking about it. I would say, as they say at the track, hold all pari mutual tickets until this race. Is official because. Because I'm not gonna base anything on that video. Not on that video. Yeah, I'm not.
- [09:28]
Frank Isola
Yeah, I'm not.
- [09:29]
Buster Olney
So.
- [09:29]
Frank Isola
Yeah. Yeah.
- [09:32]
Tony Kornheiser
All right, let's move to more speculation about where LeBron James might land. There is reporting that his top two choices are the warriors and the Cavaliers, with the Cavaliers currently assuming the favorite role. Frank, which team would give LeBron the best shot at a compelling final chapter?
- [09:48]
Frank Isola
Well, Tony, there's no question about it. The most compelling opportunity would be in Cleveland because that's where he has a chance to win. If he goes to Golden State, it's a lot of old guys. Do I think he'll be playing a lot of golf with Steph Curry if he went there? Absolutely. But in terms of making a legitimate run at a championship and everyone says he's not chasing rings, there's nothing wrong with that. If he went back to Cleveland and won, that's great. But here's another reason why I think Cleveland makes sense. By the way, I still think he's going to Golden State, but this is why Cleveland makes sense. If he goes to Miami, yes, they could win, but there's nothing there for him in the future. He's not going to become a part owner. That's not going to happen in Philly or in Denver or Golden State. I think he's always wanted that. He's not going to get it now in L. A, it sounds like the expansion team in Vegas, he's not going to be a part of. By going back to Cleveland, you almost wonder if he could become the Magic Johnson of that organization. Maybe part ownership, some type of role. In terms of his storybook ending, the perfect storybook ending, it's him going back to Cleveland.
- [10:50]
Tony Kornheiser
So let me talk about this in terms of what is compelling ending, Cuz I think it does have to have rings. I mean, he's not going to the senior prom. He's trying to catch Michael Jordan. And Rich Paul can say all night long he can say he's not chasing rings, but the truth of the matter is nobody says he'd look good in Portland or he'd look good in Sacramento. No, he is chasing rings, and there's nothing wrong with that. That's why he's still playing at 41. That's why he left the Lakers. He didn't leave L. A. Right. He still lives in L. A. Now, you look at these teams, so let's not kid ourselves about chasing rings. You look at these teams, this group with the warriors, they have won rings. This group with Cleveland has not yet won rings. I can see a great comfort level for LeBron playing with Steph Curry and for Steve Kerr, just like he did in the Olympics. And they hired Frank Vogel, who was the coach of the Lakers when LeBron won with the Lakers. But I agree with you about Cleveland in this sense. If you go back to Cleveland, you're born near there, you played there before. There's great familiarity. It seems like it is a perfect circle. It seems like there's a certain amount of poetry. But. And there's always a but. Frank, if he goes to the warriors and he wins, he becomes the only person all time in the NBA to win in four different places. And that's what you throw on the table for goat. That's what you throw on the table. So, you know, let's take a break. Go ahead.
- [12:16]
Frank Isola
I was going to say he might make the announcement Thursday at that Fanatics Fest in New York. And that's, that's something to keep in mind. It sounds like we're going to get an announcement sooner than later, thankfully.
- [12:28]
Tony Kornheiser
Okay, let's take a break. But still to come, several standouts are missing tonight's All Star Game. Does the Midsummer Classic need changes? We are going to ask Buster only.
- [12:38]
Frank Isola
We'll also ask him which teams are most likely to snap up big stars at the trade deadline.
- [12:44]
Tony Kornheiser
I mean, if he's not chasing rings, why is he playing? Isn't that what great players are supposed to do?
- [12:53]
Frank Isola
Why is Rich Paul's frenzy if the Knicks didn't win? Because that's what everyone would be connecting him to. New York. That would make a lot of sense.
- [13:00]
Tony Kornheiser
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- [13:30]
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- [14:05]
Tony Kornheiser
The All Star Game is tonight. We've got baseball questions for our great friend, ESPN senior baseball writer PTI Farm Bureau chief Buster only baking in the sun. So let's do this quickly. Buster. I love the Home Run Derby last night. I even loved the crowd. I did. The way they booed and the way they were so into it. You were there. You know what? What did you think about the Home Run Derby?
- [14:29]
Buster Olney
It was terrific. Jordan Walker was terrific. But I agree with you. The star of the derby were the Phillies fans who demonstrated their competitiveness, their bitterness. I mean, right from the get go when Ben R. Yankees uniform is booed, they set the tone for this event. And then after that, when Junior Caminero was introduced, they booed him because he was perceived to be the biggest threat to the Philly sluggers. Then they booed Wilson Contreras, they booed Jordan Walker. And Tony, I swear to you at the moment that Jordan Walker hit that, that walk off home run at the end, I looked down at the stands and the Phillies fans were in the aisles as Kyle Schwaber is congratulating Jordan Walker and being gracious. Philly fans are out of here. It's like they flipped the board game and they were out of here. They were just not going to sit there and celebrate with them.
- [15:18]
Frank Isola
Yeah, it was great last night. Let's hope that tonight we get something because as you know, Buster, a lot of the big stars not participating in the game. What is the state of the game itself?
- [15:29]
Buster Olney
Fragile, Frank. I think it's fragile because you're not getting buy in from a lot of the great players. Look, Shohei Ohtani's not here. Aaron Judge is not here. Injury involved there. But it's clear a lot of teams are lining up the premier starters over the weekend so they don't have to pitch in the All Star Game. So we're not going to see Paul Skeens, we're not going to see Jacob Misorowski, the pitcher that everybody right now wants to see. And it's too bad, like this is a midsummer classic. You have casual fans tuning in and the best players are not going to be on the field. I hope in the next CBA negotiations, the players, Major League baseball get on the same page to restore some of the preeminence of this event.
- [16:08]
Frank Isola
All right, the next big event after the All Star game, you get the trade deadline on August 3rd which teams right now have been the most active?
- [16:17]
Buster Olney
Yeah. And let's face it, the American League standings are affecting everything because there's a morass of teams just at this point trying to establish themselves in these races. In some respects, I think the Red Sox and Tigers are ruining the trade deadline speculation game. Right. For the last six weeks, we've been talking about Tarik Skubal and Sonny Gray and Aroldis Chapman, Casey Mize, but those teams are climbing back into it. So the big questions I'm getting now from general managers is what teams are actually out there selling? The San Francisco Giants. I think the Cincinnati Reds are going to sell Colorado Rockies. But to this point, there's not a lot of product out there. It looks like it's going to be a seller's market.
- [16:59]
Tony Kornheiser
I love the trade deadline, too. I really do. I love the action around the trade deadline. Buster, we will get you out of here on this. We have asked you before who poses the greatest challenge to the Dodgers this year? And if I remember correctly, you said the Phillies. Are you sticking with the Phillies?
- [17:16]
Buster Olney
I'm sticking with the Phillies because of all the veterans and the great starting pitching they have with Zach Wheeler, Christopher Sanchez. Jesus. But watch the Milwaukee brewers, who of course were beaten by the Dodgers in the playoffs last year. The fact that they have the aircraft carrier, the Jacob Mizorowski, it is a separator for them because on any given day, he can out duel any pitcher in baseball the way that he ascended this year. He throws harder than anybody. He dominates more than anybody. He is the big X factor. As we go down the stretch here,
- [17:47]
Tony Kornheiser
it's really remarkable because, you know, a year ago people said the exact same thing about Skeens. And then in his own league, in his own league, somebody has passed already. Thank you so much, Buster.
- [17:57]
Frank Isola
Thanks, Buster.
- [17:58]
Buster Olney
Thanks, guys.
- [18:00]
Tony Kornheiser
Let's take one last break. Still to come, an update on the health of tennis star Carlos Alcaraz.
- [18:07]
Frank Isola
And Wilbon's guy, Caleb Wilson has another night of highlights.
- [18:12]
Tony Kornheiser
Frank, do you think that's Mizorowski's nickname, the aircraft carrier? Or is that a Busterism? Because that's a pretty good nickname, the aircraft, right?
- [18:21]
Frank Isola
I like it. He should be there.
- [18:24]
Commercial Announcer
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- [18:54]
Tony Kornheiser
by Hi, Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. Are you looking for a beach read this summer? May I suggest your big wireless bill? It's got suspense, mystery, a slightly flat emotional arc and a shocking twist where you realize you've been overpaying the entire time. Fortunately, though, Mint's story is better. Every plan $15 a month, even unlimited.
- [19:11]
Commercial Announcer
That's it.
- [19:12]
Tony Kornheiser
Happy ending, zero tears. Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment of $45 for three months, $90 for six months or $180 for a 12 month plan. Required $15 per month equivalent taxes and fees Extra initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes. Me slow when network is busy, see terms. Happy time people. Happy 94th birthday. Rosie Greer History lesson, kids. Roosevelt Greer was a defensive tackle for the New York Football Giants and the Los Angeles Rams, where he was on the famed fearsome foursome with Merlin Olson, Lamar Lundy and Deacon Jones. Greer played college football at Penn State. Drafted by the giants in the third round in 1955, Greer was on the Giants 1956 NFL championship team. But Greer's enduring fame stems from being with Olympic decathlon champion Rafer Johnson near Senator Bobby Kennedy when Kennedy was shot and killed at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles in 1968 after just winning California's Democratic presidential primary.
- [20:12]
Frank Isola
Yeah, God bless Rosie Greer. You know, Tony, people of my generation, Merlin Olson, Deacon Jones, Rosie Greer, we know them from television shows and commercials and from broadcasting. But when you read about all of them unbelievable players as well, Rosie Reer
- [20:28]
Tony Kornheiser
is a very heroic figure to me. Happy anniversary, Pat Riley. On this day 22 years ago as president and head coach of the Miami Heat, Riley traded away Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Brian Grant and a future first round pick who turned out to be Jordan Farmer to the Lakers for Shaquille o'. Neal. The Shaq move was successful, as was Riley's later courtship of LeBron James, as both resulted with NBA championships. Will the recent acquisition of Giannis Antonio at the Kumpo produce another championship in Miami? Riley has won NBA championships as a player, a coach and an executive. His basketball career rates just under his former teammate Jerry West. And Riley, of course, a better dresser. The best dresser ever, Pat Riley.
- [21:13]
Frank Isola
Yeah, and Pat Riley's always big game hunting. The Heat haven't gotten out of the first round the last three Years. In fact, this year they didn't even make the playoffs. But I think he hit a big one with Giannis Antetokounmpo. He has not lost his fastball.
- [21:27]
Tony Kornheiser
Happy trails to the Bulls. In last night's summer league game, Chicago lost to Utah, but Bulls rookie Caleb Wilson provided more highlights, including a fourth quarter throwdown that got the attention of Darren Peterson, who was sitting out in street clubs. Wilson had 19 points his timeout, down from 35 in his debut on Friday. But that hasn't diminished Wilbond's enthusiasm. He is calling and texting me constantly about this kid. I was having a hard enough time with Caleb Williams. A second Caleb in Chicago may break me to all Chicago Calebs. I apologize in advance for my saltiness. Blame Wilbon.
- [22:02]
Frank Isola
Yeah, I think Mike's going to be pretty happy because this kid looks like he's really good. And think about it, Tony. He was the fourth pick. The three guys that went above above him are terrific players, but Chicago did not get a consolation prize. Caleb Wilson, it looks like he's the real deal. And that dunk was something else.
- [22:20]
Tony Kornheiser
No, it was. Yeah, I saw that this morning. It was really good. Really good. Let's go to the big finish if we can. La Verdad reports that Carlos Alcaraz's wrist is, quote, completely healed. Are you excited?
- [22:31]
Frank Isola
Yes. Because that means he could play in the US Open. This is why you had to win the French and Wimbledon without him, because now he's coming back and he will be a tough out. Erling Holland, souvenir from America is a taxidermied raccoon holding a whiskey bottle. You like that?
- [22:49]
Tony Kornheiser
We've been doing this show for almost 25 years. That's the first time the word taxidermied has been on this show. I'm a big fan of that word, especially with holding a whiskey bottle. Come on. Tyler Herro says he's trying to move past his altercation with Bam Adebayo. Does that make sense to you?
- [23:05]
Frank Isola
Well, it's his decision. I mean, he was assaulted. He could. Could have pressed charges. Totally out of line. What Bam Adebayo did, he should be suspended by the NBA. Scottie Shepler says he doesn't play for a place in history. Do you believe that?
- [23:19]
Tony Kornheiser
I believe that he believes that. I believe that he believes he only plays to win. But if you win enough, you get a place in history. It's one in the same. Last one. Who you got tonight, the AL or the nl?
- [23:31]
Frank Isola
Well, I grew up a National League guy, so so I'll go with the National League. The only thing about this All Star Game. You know, Buster mentioned all the great pitchers, no Aaron Judge and no Shohei Ohtani, which is kind of a bummer.
- [23:45]
Tony Kornheiser
We are out of time. We will try to do better the next time. I'm Tony Kornheiser.
- [23:50]
Frank Isola
And I'm Frank Isola. Thanks for watching.
- [23:53]
Tony Kornheiser
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