Hour 2 – MLBPA Boss Resigns, Punchable Faces

Summary

The Dan Patrick Show — Hour 2 (Feb 18, 2026): MLBPA Boss Resigns, Punchable Faces

Overview

This episode of The Dan Patrick Show, hosted by Covino & Rich filling in for Dan Patrick, centers on the bombshell resignation of MLBPA (Major League Baseball Players Association) chief Tony Clark amid scandal, and its ramifications for the sport. With a healthy mix of humor, sports nostalgia, and audience engagement, the hosts break down details of the MLB labor situation, discuss the looming threat of a lockout, riff on office scandals, and veer into lighter fare with their classic “punchable faces” debate.

---

Main Discussion Points

1. Tony Clark Scandal and MLB Labor Unrest

Starts ~06:49

The Scandal

• Tony Clark, former player and head of MLBPA, is stepping down amid a scandal involving both an inappropriate personal relationship and alleged financial impropriety.
• Allegedly, Clark hired his sister-in-law (his wife’s sister) to the union, had a relationship with her, and is under federal investigation for using licensing money and equity “to enrich themselves.”
• “You can't be pulling favors for your sexual pleasures.” (Covino, 10:06)
• The guys riff on the age-old “don’t dip your pen in company ink” adage and how office affairs rarely end well.

What’s Worse? The Family Betrayal Debate

09:01–09:59

• The hosts debate if it’s worse to have an affair with your wife’s sister or your brother’s wife, settling on the latter being “double betrayal.”
  • “You’re betraying your wife and your brother.” (Covino, 09:35)
  • “You can’t betray your brother like that.” (Rich, 09:37)

Impact on MLB Negotiations

• Formal CBA negotiations are set to start in the spring. If no deal by Dec 1, 2026, a lockout or labor stoppage could threaten the 2027 season.
• The scandal puts the union in disarray at the worst possible moment.
• “The timing of this is bad for baseball because if you got Tony Clark resigning, that doesn't help negotiations.” (Covino, 17:44)
• The looming salary cap debate: Owners largely want it; players don’t.

2. MLB Salary Cap & Revenue Sharing 101

Begins around 25:36 and continues intermittently to 43:27

Breakdown of Basics

• MLB has no hard salary cap; teams can spend as much as they want, but luxury taxes and revenue sharing attempt to level the playing field.
• “MLB does not have a hard salary cap. Instead, it uses rev share and the competitive balance tax—luxury tax.” (Rich, 26:40)
• 48% of net local revenue from teams goes into a pot, divided among all 30 clubs, but big-market teams (Dodgers, Yankees) still have massive advantages due to revenue from local TV deals, etc.
• Debate over whether teams like the Pirates are unable or unwilling to reinvest sufficiently in their rosters.
  • “Dodgers earned around $750 million last year. They spent 75% of that profit on their roster. The Yankees…around 48%.” (Danny G, 24:30)

Small Market Struggles

• Small market teams struggle to retain stars and tolerate financial risks (e.g., if a big free agent busts).
• The players ideally want a minimum spend “floor,” not a cap, to force all teams to spend competitively.
• “No cap, no basement. People are now saying there should be a minimum team spend and a maximum team spend.” (Rich, 37:16)

What Changes Might Mean

• Any big change, like the addition of a salary cap, would fundamentally alter MLB.
• “If there is a salary cap in baseball, it's going to change baseball as we know it…but life goes on and might end up being fine.” (Covino, 41:05)

3. MLB Fan Momentum & Labor Pessimism

Referenced throughout, especially 22:13–24:17

• Hosts draw parallels between the 1994 MLB strike (which alienated fans) and the possible danger now if baseball “kills its own momentum.”
• “People stopped watching baseball during the strike in '94. You think they're going to go back to the WNBA? Get out of town, man.” (Rich, 22:44)
• “Do you think, because they're so far apart, we as fans would be delusional to think there's an easy resolution…?” (Rich, 23:55)
• The new lockout threat is described as “a dark cloud” just as the sport had surged back in popularity.

4. Lighter/Escapist Segments

Baseball Banter: Trivia Run

• The hosts quiz each other about Tony Clark’s playing days, highlighting their baseball nerd creds.
• Rich nails Clark’s career home run total: “I'm like, probably about 300, but not quite. I'm like, yeah, 2...”—“You're close. 251.” (Covino, 13:22)

Office Romance Warnings

• Much riffing on “relative proximity hot”—risking your career for someone who's “only hot within the office.”
  • “You’re risking it all…they’re just hot for the office. Outside of the office, they’re not even that hot.” (Covino, 11:35)

Punchable Faces

44:33–47:20

• The classic “punchable faces” discussion, with Nick Sirianni and Manny Machado cited.
  • “Nick Sirianni…I’d probably like the guy if I met him.” (Rich, 44:49)
• They joke that Manny Machado “has a punchable face” but praise his comment on Dodgers' big spending:
  • “Machado says…‘I f---ing love it. Every team should be doing it. S--- is f---ing great for the game.’” (Rich, 46:17)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You can't betray your brother like that. And I’m not saying betraying your wife is better, but…it’s a little less worse.”
  — Covino (09:37)

• “Tony Clark, who was a great player in Detroit…became the head of the MLBPA. He’s resigning now. For me, it’s a two-part crazy story…he got his sister-in-law hired…turns out he’s having relations with her.”
  — Covino (07:25)

• “Don’t dip your pen in company ink... Not everything’s like a sleazy 80s comedy where you prop her up on the photocopier. There’s no sanctuary anymore!”
  — Covino (10:57)

• “Like, we are just, you know, downfall of society... There’s something just so stupidly primal about guys sometimes where it’s like—I got life—like this guy—guys are stupid. This guy had life by the nuts.”
  — Rich (12:47)

• “No player wants salary caps…what you really want is the most money possible. Narrative going around this could get sticky icky because no player in the union is going to want a salary cap. And they’re saying every owner except maybe three or four teams…”
  — Rich (16:39)

• “If you're gonna sleep with your wife's sister, don't do it in the middle of a big negotiation, right? Isn't that the moral of the story?”
  — Covino (46:32)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Topic | |------------|------------------------------------------------| | 06:49 | Tony Clark scandal, details and jokes | | 09:01–09:59| Family betrayal debate: which affair is worse? | | 12:28 | Men and scandal: “How many people let ass get in the way?” | | 15:37 | Negotiation timeline: CBA, lockout threat | | 16:28 | Players/owners split on salary cap | | 22:13–24:17| "Dark cloud" over baseball—labor pessimism | | 25:36–27:17| Introduction to revenue sharing & cap discussion| | 34:42–43:27| Rich’s “Cliff Notes” explanation of MLB cap system| | 44:33–47:20| Punchable faces debate | | 46:17 | Machado’s quote on Dodgers spending |

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Tone & Style

• Conversational, irreverent, and quick with jokes and playful put-downs.
• Sports talk with an accessible, fan-centric vibe. Mix of genuine analysis and barstool banter.
• Frequent inside jokes, pop culture references, and light mockery of themselves and the sports world.

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Conclusion

The episode offers a deep dive into the Tony Clark resignation and what it means for the MLB’s delicate labor future, blending serious analysis with locker room humor. Topics range from the specifics of MLB’s salary dynamics to the perennial pitfalls of workplace romances and the culture of “self-ruin” in sports leadership. The show closes with a sharp reminder: baseball’s on-field momentum could be undone if off-field negotiations fall apart—and now, the players’ union faces unprecedented upheaval right when it can least afford it.

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For new listeners:
This episode balances insightful sports reporting and analysis with fast, funny banter. If you’re curious about why the MLB might be headed toward labor chaos—and want a laugh about office drama along the way—this hour has you covered.

Transcript

[Podcast Announcer]

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[Rich]

We Bull Financial LLC Member SIPC Finra Investing Involves Risk. For more information, visit weeple.com disclosures over.

[Mandy B]

The last couple years, didn't we learn that the folding chair was invented by black people because of what happened in Alabama? Montgomery Brawl this Black History Month, the podcast Selective Ignorance with Mandy B unpacks black history and culture with comedy, clarity and conversations that shake the status quo. The Crown act in New York was signed in July of 2019 and that is a bill that was passed to prohibit discrimination based on hairstyles associated with race. To hear this and more, listen to Selective Ignorance with Mandy B from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Podcast Announcer]

What if mind control is real?

[Rich]

If you could control the behavior of.

[Covino]

Anybody around you, what kind of life would you have?

[Podcast Announcer]

Can you hypnotically persuade someone to buy a car?

[Covino]

When you look at your car, you're.

[Danny G]

Gonna become overwhelmed with such good feelings.

[Podcast Announcer]

Can you hypnotize someone into sleeping with you?

[Guest/Reporter]

I gave her some suggestions to be sexually aroused.

[Podcast Announcer]

Can you get someone to join your cult?

[Mind Games Narrator]

NLP was used on me to access.

[Podcast Announcer]

My subconsc Mind Games, a new podcast exploring nlp AKA Neuro Linguistic Programming. Is it a self help miracle, a shady hypnosis scam, or both? Listen to Mind Games on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Bowen Yang]

I'm Bowen Yang.

[Rich]

And I'm Matt Rogers.

[Bowen Yang]

During this season of the Two Five Rings podcast in the lead up to the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, we've been joined by some of our friends.

[Rich]

Hi Bud. Hi Matt. Hey Elmo.

[Dan Patrick Show Announcer]

Hey Matt. Hey Bowen.

[Covino]

Hi Cookie.

[Rich]

Hi. Now the Winter Olympic Games are underway and we are in Italy to give you experiences from our hearts to your ears. Listen to Two Guys Five Rings on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dan Patrick Show Announcer]

You are listening to the Dan Patrick show on Fox Sports Radio.

[Rich]

Yo, what's up buds?

[Covino]

What's up, pals forever. Shout out to all the vatos and the barrios. Everything.

[Rich]

Everything Kavino just said, guys.

[Covino]

Yeah, Cavino and Rich in for the great Dan Patrick.

[Rich]

Oh, yeah. You know, today is Wednesday, which means on our show, we're going to do midweek Major Iowa Sam's going to give you some fun headlines. But is it their new Love is Blind today? Yes.

[Covino]

New episodes and new shrinking.

[Danny G]

Yes, sir.

[Rich]

On Apple tv. And then tomorrow, Traitors. Which is great because there's no real sports going on right now. I can't get into the Olympics for the life of me.

[Covino]

For the life of me. How about the new clues from the Nancy Guthrie case?

[Rich]

No DNA match. Are there any. No DNA match.

[Covino]

I mean, it says breaking news as we speak, but it's probably nothing, Sam.

[Danny G]

Hey, and a quick programming note. In exactly an hour from now, we're going to give away some CNR prizes with Big Mike's words of wisdom.

[Rich]

And you know what? You can watch everything we're doing on the YouTube channel, YouTube.com/at Covinon Rich FSR.

[Covino]

You could watch Iowa Sam live on the xylophone.

[Rich]

Let me tell you not to be all over the place, but you just said, like. We just said three things. The Guthrie thing. Yeah. Didn't like, the lead investigator say, like, it could be years. I'm like, who wants to hear that?

[Covino]

Apparently drains morale from the entire investigation because people are like, we don't want to hear that. We're trying to keep hope alive in years. Get out of here.

[Rich]

And while we get ready for the second half of the NBA season and get ready for baseball and the World Baseball Classic, we said yesterday there's a bunch of old people fighting. Mike Tyson and Mayweather. And you got Gina Carano and Ronda Rousey. And Ronda Rousey. There's a lot coming up. But as of right now, this week has been a real chill week.

[Covino]

And you got Shah LaBeouf fighting in no Love for no reason.

[Rich]

I'm going to be, I think, today, going to do a little binge with the wifey of Love is Blind and watch the 49ers documentary. That's the plan today because it's rainy in LA. I'm just going to sit around and.

[Covino]

Still haven't watched Cat Williams.

[Rich]

Who do you see has a Square head again?

[Covino]

50 Cent and Herman Munster.

[Rich]

Herman Munster.

[Covino]

I do want to say hello to Frank Caliendo who listens to the Patrick Show. Hi, Frank. Who else? Who else is asked, do we want to kiss? Oh, the sandman oh, yes. Adam Sandler, if you're listening, we want to be in the movie. Yeah.

[Danny G]

And our boy Dr. Dre.

[Covino]

And I was going to say Dr. Dre tunes in Rice's birthday.

[Danny G]

61 today.

[Covino]

Ring Ding dong. I'm gonna have a ding dong in celebration. Ring a ding ding. Ding dong. Ding dong, man. Ding dong. Happy birthday.

[Rich]

Dr. Dre said some young kids like the headphone guy. Yeah, the headphone guy. Yeah. Yeah.

[Covino]

Beats by Dre, one of the best.

[Danny G]

Producers in the world.

[Covino]

That's right.

[Rich]

Shout out to Dre. All right, let's break this baseball thing down real quick. Tony, dude, how could one ever. You did forget.

[Covino]

Me and Danny, we're celebrating. Why you think we're wearing these party hats? So Covino and Rich, few things we love.

[Rich]

Tacos, wine, and chocolate chip cookies.

[Covino]

Wine, chocolate chip cookies, a nice heiny. And baseball, dude. Baseball. Love talking baseball. And baseball's been popping the past few years. Baseball, we never gave up on baseball. So baseball, you better not give up on us. Tony Clarkson, the man love baseball.

[Rich]

I coach pony ball. It's my passion.

[Covino]

Who you, Pony boy.

[Rich]

Call me pony boy because other than.

[Covino]

Think you're better than me, you know.

[Rich]

Honestly, other than like doing this show and being passionate about our career, coaching my kids is my passion. I love baseball. I coach baseball. I coach softball. I am a monster fan of the game.

[Covino]

It's the best game.

[Rich]

It's. Listen, I feel like football is the most fun to watch. It might be my number one sport like everyone else, but if you grew up playing baseball, you just have this love and passion for the game. I think baseball is just a beautiful sport. Everything about it, everything. Every little thing about how they magically worked it out a hundred plus years ago that a ground ball to shortstop, if played cleanly, you're out by a step. Like the measurements. Everything about baseball is freaking perfect.

[Covino]

Perfecto.

[Rich]

Even though they're taking away the K zone this year, and you're going to have to be like, was that a strike? I don't know. You're going to have to go back to, like, the old timey times.

[Covino]

I will survive without the K zone.

[Rich]

You have to go back to the 2010s when there was no K zone. But Tony Clark's in the news, and this is no bueno. This is not good news because the baseball season that's coming up, you better embrace it. You better love it. Because I don't feel good about where things go from here.

[Bowen Yang]

The.

[Rich]

The equity to enrich themselves. Is that the way Is that Someone way of saying he stole money.

[Covino]

Well, that's only part of the story. Yeah. This is sort of a juicy story and much like a juicy heiny as we already mentioned, people love a juicy story.

[Rich]

Yeah.

[Covino]

And Tony Clark, who was a great player in Detroit, speaking of Detroit sports, played for my Yankees. Yeah. Hit a ground rule double that could have prevented the whole 2004 debacle with the Red Sox. Grew out of beard in retirement, became the head of the mlbpa. He's the head of the MLB players union and he's resigning now. For me it's a two part crazy story because he got his sister in law hired a few years ago, like three years ago. Turns out he's having relations with her. Oh.

[Rich]

He took her to Bangladesh.

[Covino]

That's a no. No on multiple levels. Right. That's the whole company Inc. Thing, man. Scandalous. And it's his wife's sister like whoa, hey, slow down there. Tony Clark. And now he's under federal investigation because they used licensing money and equity for themselves. So allegedly.

[Rich]

Allegedly his wife's sister.

[Covino]

Yeah. And so that's what I'm saying. So yeah. He's scamming money.

[Rich]

Yeah.

[Bowen Yang]

A little.

[Covino]

Allegedly.

[Rich]

Little oral Hershey's.

[Covino]

And then you know, the old BJ Sirhoff was in full effect.

[Rich]

Little Chuck knob locker.

[Podcast Announcer]

Yeah.

[Covino]

B.J. upton, you know, he was doing all sorts of shenanigans behind the scenes. Now it's going down. Getting a little sticky. Icky icky.

[Rich]

What's worse, by the way? When. When you said sister in law would have been worse if it was his brother's wife or his wife's sister.

[Covino]

When I heard I did need to know. Is there a worse facts here? Let's see. All right, if you would have.

[Rich]

They're both bad. All right, if you're both bad, let's play it out.

[Covino]

I was trying to figure out what was worse.

[Guest/Reporter]

I don't think there is a worse one.

[Rich]

They're both might be.

[Covino]

Hold on.

[Rich]

All right, let's play.

[Covino]

Steve. There is actually.

[Rich]

There is. Let me play it out.

[Covino]

There is. Steve.

[Rich]

Yeah. If you were to sleep with your beautiful girlfriend, Jordan's sister.

[Covino]

How dare you.

[Rich]

Or yeah. Your brother Tommy's girlfriend.

[Covino]

My brother Tommy's girlfriend will be worse because that's my brother. You're betraying your brother, buddy.

[Rich]

But honestly, you can't betray your brother.

[Covino]

You can't betray your brother like that. And I'm not saying betraying your wife is even is better, but it is. It's a little less worse.

[Rich]

You're Betraying your wife. In both cases, yeah.

[Covino]

But in this case, you're betraying your wife and your brother. See the difference?

[Rich]

One is betraying your wife and brother. One's betraying just your wife.

[Covino]

So I guess he took the lesser of the two evils because he was with his wife's sister that he got hired.

[Rich]

He deserves a pat on the back. What a great guy.

[Covino]

And by the way, that's so shady, dude. Like, you can't be pulling favors for your sexual pleasures or something. So he got his wife's sister hired in the mlb. She was part of the MLB Players association, apparently having relations. And that's scandalous enough. And then when you hear the rest of the story, you're like, oh, well.

[Rich]

The phrasing I saw was equity to enrich themselves insinuates allegedly some type of money grab. Correct. Sam, would you say that siphoning. Siphoning of sorts, equity to enrich themselves. Sounds like some legalese skimming off the top. Yeah, a little money here, a little money there, man. By the way, guys, infidelity leads to homewrecking, but it also leads to getting into your work. It's also.

[Guest/Reporter]

It's work wrecking as well. Home and work wrecking.

[Covino]

A reminder to don't dip your pen and company ink that, you know, not everything's like a sleazy 80s comedy where, you know, you prop her up on the photocopier. There's no sanctuary anymore. Yeah, we're home. Don't do it.

[Rich]

It's not worth the Xerox machine. Did you say don't prop her up on the photo?

[Covino]

Yeah, like it looked fun in some 80s movie that you saw, but it's not worth it. By the way, how many times has that been a plot line in, like, a stupid show or.

[Rich]

Someone took it. Someone took my success. Someone took a copy of Butt Cheeks. Oh, you know, it's not worth it. I don't care how hot she is.

[Covino]

And you know what? 90% of the time, I'm just making this. That up. 90% of the time, according to this guy that you heard on the radio, it's what we call relative proximity hot. What does that mean? She's not that hot. You're risking your career and reputation on a person. This goes both ways. This isn't towards the ladies. Ladies. This goes towards the men, too. They're relative proximity hot. They're hot for the office. They're just hot for the office. Outside of the office, they're not even that hot. And you're risking it all some. And listen, MLB doesn't need this headline, doesn't need this story. Things are good.

[Rich]

I can't say, listen, if there's money skimming, then I don't feel bad for him. But the relationship part, my goodness, how many men, and you can say women, but how many men have let their.

[Covino]

Pursuit of booty bring them down?

[Rich]

Bring them down. Politics, sports, entertainment, family members, friends. How many people do you know really let, let's be honest, ass get in the way of their whole life?

[Covino]

Like, we are just, you know, downfall of society.

[Rich]

There's something just so stupidly primal about guys sometimes where it's like, I got life. Like this guy that had. The guys are stupid. This guy had life by the nuts.

[Covino]

Tony Clark.

[Rich]

He did.

[Bowen Yang]

He.

[Rich]

He was a professional athlete that was successful.

[Covino]

And it's not easy to make that transition from MLB player to head of the mlbpa.

[Rich]

Respected, good guy. But you've seen it with politicians and athletes and important people.

[Covino]

By the way, 15 years in the league, he had a great career. How many home runs do you think Tony Clark had? Over or under 300?

[Rich]

I was going to say 247.

[Covino]

Wow.

[Guest/Reporter]

Really?

[Rich]

Yeah. I don't know. And then number five to my head.

[Covino]

You're close. 251.

[Rich]

Have you noticed I have, like, some odd knack for these little guessing games?

[Covino]

I mean, you got that giant head. At least it's filled with something.

[Rich]

Because I was like, no, but when you said Tony Clark, I'm like, probably about 300, but not quite. I'm like, yeah. 2.

[Covino]

All right, I'll put you on the spot again since you like this game so much. What was his career high?

[Danny G]

He used to perform like this on Mondays on our afternoon show.

[Rich]

I lost one.

[Danny G]

Standing.

[Covino]

I know.

[Rich]

How many career high home runs?

[Covino]

Yeah. Maybe like 28, 34.

[Rich]

Okay.

[Covino]

Yeah. I mean, you're in the ballpark.

[Rich]

And he batted like 272 years.

[Covino]

Career.

[Rich]

Yeah. Close.

[Covino]

262.

[Rich]

Okay.

[Covino]

Yeah, but he was a solid, solid ballpark in Detroit. He was a. He was a force again. He grew out that Rip Van Winkle beard and became a big dog in the mlb. So, I mean, he had a great reputation. That's what really stinks.

[Rich]

And I'm not. I'm not making excuses for dudes at all. Or women. It's just. It really is wild to think how many people really let what's in their pants control their brain.

[Covino]

What's in your pants?

[Rich]

I mean, come on. I'm pulling up our feedback on the intro chat right now, like I said.

[Covino]

If anything from this story is, you got to keep your fingers crossed for the mlb, the timing's bad.

[Rich]

Well, let's talk about.

[Covino]

Remind yourself that. Yeah, I get it. That dude in the office or that woman who's strutting her little business booty down the hallway. Yeah, she looks great and all, but it's not worth it. Get a grip. Aerosmith style. Get a grip and focus on, I don't know, work. Aren't you supposed to be working?

[Rich]

Yeah, it's not worth it, guys. Now, let's talk about the real ramifications of baseball, because this doesn't only affect the livelihood and personal life of Tony Clark. This guy, you know, made some mistakes. We're all human. So I'm not going to come down too hard on this guy, but his.

[Covino]

Wife'S sister, man, my goodness. Geez Louise. Mlb, this guy's horned up.

[Rich]

My goodness.

[Covino]

That's the other thing. There's so many people out there you had to go to. Not only someone you work with, someone in your family. Dude, calm down. Relax.

[Rich]

Formal CBA negotiations are expected to begin in the spring. If no new deal, shout out to FDR on President's Day week. If there's no new deal. If there's no new deal, reach by December 1st. My dad's birthday. What's up, dad of 2026? After the season. So we are safe for one full baseball season. But if there's no agreement reached by December 1st, I'm sure people know, but we could be looking at a lockout, a shutdown, and a possible delay of the 2027 season. And here's the big, like, elephant in the room. Salary cap. Not one player in Major League Baseball, or any sport for that matter, wants a salary cap. Salary cap just means players are going to get.

[Covino]

Bryce Harper definitely doesn't want.

[Rich]

Yeah. Remember he told the commissioner, get the F out of the locker room. And, like, tell you, I think he.

[Covino]

Gave him the old throat slit and told him to beat him. I think he gave the commissioner a wedgie. He said, don't even think about it.

[Rich]

But no player wants salary caps. He slapped him. Because what you really want is the most money possible. There's a narrative going around that this could get sticky, icky, because no player in the union is going to want a salary cap. And they're saying every owner, except maybe three or four teams.

[Covino]

So you're talking Dodgers, you're talking 30 teams. And who else?

[Rich]

They're saying maybe 25. Danny.

[Covino]

Of the 30 teams, the Yankees, I know, they're being a little stingy.

[Rich]

So the Yankees, they're saying, are back and forth. Like, the Yankees will spend, but they wouldn't be opposed to a salary cap.

[Covino]

So who's the third team?

[Rich]

It's like the Dodgers. Mets. And they're saying, Steve Cohen, just yesterday was like, yo, Dodgers, I could spend, too.

[Covino]

Yeah, I know.

[Danny G]

I don't think the Blue Jays would be down with.

[Covino]

Is that the 13?

[Rich]

They're saying the Phillies might be open to spend. But Danny, even Steve Cohen, historically, as a Mets fan, I know this, he's gone back and forth on, listen, I'm willing to spend, but just because I'm a billionaire doesn't mean I have, like, an open wallet. And it's just endless. Like, I'll spend when and how I can to make my team try to win.

[Covino]

Yeah. So the timing of this is bad for baseball because if you got Tony Clark resigning, like, that doesn't help anything. Doesn't help negotiations here.

[Rich]

What's, what's the solution here? Since Tony, Tony Gonzalez, since Tony Clark is out the mix. What, what, what do you think happens this year? Do you think, unfortunately, with baseball popping, Ohtani, Judge Soto, Bobby Witt Jr. All these young stars of the game, the schools and skeens and all the way.

[Covino]

You just named, without even thinking about it, the top four hitters projected in the World Baseball Classic this year?

[Rich]

Look at that. I'm on the pulse.

[Covino]

Those are the top four hitters, not in the correct order, but you just named them without even knowing it.

[Rich]

Look at that.

[Covino]

You want to throw the fifth out there just to see, hot shot, you're on the roll. So I said, all right, you said, you said, judge Shohei Whit Jr. And Soto the fifth. Who's the fifth top hitter in the WBC in 2026 next month?

[Rich]

That's a great question.

[Covino]

I'll give you a hint. He plays for Team usa.

[Rich]

No usa.

[Covino]

No usa.

[Rich]

Well, I know Mike Trout's not playing.

[Covino]

You got this. We talked about him all year.

[Rich]

We talked about him all year.

[Covino]

Yeah, you got this.

[Rich]

National League or American League?

[Covino]

It just proves how forgettable he is.

[Rich]

National League or American League?

[Covino]

American League. I'm not putting you on a spot because when you, when I tell you, you're like, ah, hold on. It proves to you.

[Rich]

Gunderson.

[Covino]

No, I don't know.

[Rich]

You know what I do. Who are they projecting to be talk.

[Danny G]

About him all season?

[Rich]

I know.

[Covino]

I want to talk about if we have time today. If not, you got to check us at our regular time. 5 to 7 on the east tomorrow.

[Rich]

Don't tell me. Hold on. I can tie.

[Covino]

The top hitter rankings for the WBC came out.

[Rich]

I could take 30 seconds to figure this out. All right, so I named all. I named the top four, all right? Bobby Wood, Jr. Soto, and then I'm sure the top two are Judge and Otani. You pick your poison.

[Covino]

Yeah, I got, I got an issue with how they ordered them. So if we have time, I want to talk about it. If not, tomorrow. Yeah, who's the fifth?

[Rich]

Judge Ohtani.

[Covino]

I said he plays for Team USA.

[Rich]

Soto, Whit, Jr. Team USA.

[Covino]

Team USA stacked, by the way. And if you're not pumped about the wbc, then you must not have watched the last one because Japan won and ended with Shohei striking out Mike Trout. Just as a reminder. And that was heated. It was so dope.

[Rich]

I know it's not my boy. Polar Bear Pete on the, on the Orioles. Now.

[Covino]

You'Re going to hate yourself.

[Danny G]

Come on, Rich.

[Covino]

Again, it proves how, oh, how ridiculous our conversations were last year.

[Rich]

George Springer.

[Covino]

No, I told you conversations.

[Danny G]

You're back and forth.

[Covino]

You're arguing on the air about it for like months.

[Danny G]

You took one side, but you were genuine about it. But you were on the other side.

[Covino]

Which proves he's not in the conversation.

[Danny G]

There it is, your debate about that.

[Covino]

Which proves, yeah, he had a great season last year, but was he really the mvp?

[Rich]

Can I tell you, it's. It's so far off my radar. That's. Man, I'm sorry. Great catcher, Seattle, great hitter.

[Danny G]

They have him ranked 5th our year end special. Your guys's argument about that made that special.

[Covino]

According to the WBC hitting rankings, not player rankings, rankings, hitter rankings. He's fifth. And I'm not gonna debate that. Guy hits bombs.

[Rich]

Do you guys think that unfortunately in 2027 we're gonna see a delay to the baseball season? You think they'll, you think that's, that's.

[Covino]

I guess the core of this. Even though people want to talk about the scandalous part of it.

[Rich]

Well, the scandalous part of it. The scandalous part makes you realize that without Tony Clark, who's a big cog in this, in this machine, he re.

[Bowen Yang]

He.

[Rich]

He's the rep, right? Danny G. He's like the main dude. So now when, when the union and the players talk to the owners, which is supposed. These negotiations are supposed to start. Like, I don't like now almost.

[Covino]

Did you say big conquer hog?

[Rich]

Would you say what did they interview the sister in law?

[Covino]

I mean, he's walking around like it.

[Rich]

Oh, cock. I just hope baseball, much like the I was. Sam, you're a WNBA guy because you're a Caitlin Clark fan.

[Danny G]

Sure.

[Rich]

You don't think it's counterproductive if they don't get things figured out? Like, when does that. When is that supposed to start? Oh, it definitely puts a dark cloud ye overcast cloud over.

[Covino]

And I'm not trying to be the most counterproductive thing for the momentum that baseball has right now. Just like the wnba.

[Rich]

Like WNBA and I. And I hate. I'm again, I'm not trying to be mean. If the WNBA stops playing, I feel like no one's ever going to watch it again. It might be the end of the league. Because in my mind it's like. I mean, in my mind, like we were just starting to come around to it. It's like WNBA is hot. We're finally. People get it. Trying to sign network deals, doing everything. If the WNBA stops playing, do you think people are going to. People stopped watching baseball during the strike in 94. You think they're going to go back to the WNBA? Get out of town, man.

[Covino]

I feel bad for the Expos fans. That was their season.

[Rich]

I feel bad for the WNBA if they.

[Covino]

The only guy I feel good for is Paul o' Neill because he ended up with a batting title.

[Rich]

It doesn't even count.

[Covino]

It does count. 94.

[Rich]

I don't know about that.

[Covino]

Yeah, I think Tony, wasn't it Tony Gwynn that could have batted.494 because he was. He was real hot around that time. Coulda, shoulda, would have. You don't want to deal with that kind of headache again because of the timing of this Tony Clark resignation.

[Rich]

I just. I just hope baseball figures it out. But what say you, buddies? Do you think. You think baseball comes to some type of conclusion? It's almost like Danny.

[Covino]

And by the way, doesn't it also remind you not only are people a bunch of hornbags, right?

[Rich]

Yeah, they're a bunch of horned up.

[Covino]

But like, he's apparently allegedly under federal investigation because they use licensing money and equity money for themselves. Like people are just scamming off.

[Rich]

Dude, I said it before.

[Covino]

Bottom line, for their own pockets.

[Rich]

Name a Steven Seagal movie. Did Tony Clark think he's above the law? Is now he's under siege?

[Covino]

Is he kind of disheartening? I just like, you can't trust anybody.

[Rich]

And you think. You think you know someone. I do think it would be so counterproductive. Do you think because they're so far apart, guys, that we as fans would be delusional to think there's an easy resolution. If every player on planet Earth is like, yeah, no seller cap yet. 90% of the owners are like, no, we should probably do some type of cap. I think everyone thinks there should be a floor.

[Danny G]

Yeah.

[Covino]

It becomes a debate, Danny G. Of, you know, our teams, like the Dodgers ruining the game, or are they just better at business? Right. So it's just a matter of how you look at it. And I am one of those guys that says, yo, the Dodgers are just better at business.

[Danny G]

Yeah, I'm glad you brought that up. And I'll give Colin some credit for this. I heard him talking about it a couple weeks ago, and I looked at the numbers for myself. This is what makes it complicated. The Dodgers earned around $750 million last year. They spent 75% of that profit on their roster. The Yankees around the same amount of earnings, 730 million for the season. They spent around 48% going into. For their roster. So, yeah, they're all going into this next season.

[Dan Patrick Show Announcer]

Exactly.

[Danny G]

You can't. You can't tell owners exactly what to do with their money. But a lot of this comes down to who's really invested in putting that money back into their business, back into their team.

[Covino]

You know, what Shohei Ohtani did for the Dodgers also helped them greatly. Right. Gave them a lot more to play with. Props to them. I'm not one of those guys hating on that. I think they. They figured out a loophole that works, and they're doing great business. They're not playing by different rules. So can I. That makes it fair. That makes it even, an even playing field. You're talking about a bunch of rich guys, billionaire owners. I'm not feeling sorry for that now.

[Bowen Yang]

For.

[Rich]

Can I give you, like, the basic breakdown for people that. Because, let's be honest, I feel like a lot of times with negotiation and contract stuff, whether it be free agency, arbitration, all these things, I feel like a lot of fans just like, yeah, I understand it. But deep down inside, you're like, do I really understand it?

[Covino]

Oh, good. Give us Cliff's notes.

[Rich]

By the way, how many times did you use Cliff notes?

[Covino]

Cliff bailed me out so many times throughout life.

[Rich]

I'm like to kill a mockingbird. How about.

[Covino]

How about Cliff?

[Rich]

Cliff Notes? That was the original chatgpt.

[Covino]

I need a summary of this book.

[Rich]

1984. How about Cliff Rich?

[Covino]

If we ever win an award, if we ever win a major award, just remember to thank Cliff.

[Rich]

Just want to thank Cliff and all his notes. The guy that helped me when I didn't want to read a separate piece in high school. Cliff. Here's some basics Cove on. By the way, it started calling my one friend named Cliff in my phone when you just said that.

[Covino]

Nice.

[Rich]

Sorry, Cliff. How does Rev share work in baseball?

[Covino]

Is this Rev Share for Dummies?

[Rich]

Rev Share for Dummies.

[Covino]

Perfect.

[Rich]

You know those little books with the font, the. You know, the kitty font or the yellow cover? Rev Share for Dummies. Guys, MLB does not have a hard salary cap. Instead it uses Rev Share and the competitive balance tax, which they call the luxury tax. In fact, you know what? I'm going to give you a quick I'm going to do my best one minute explanation. Perfect. Next right here, Kavino and Rich in for dp. Then we'll shift gears. We'll talk some football, give away some prizes. Have a lot of fun with Kavin on Rich in for Dan Patrick Ash Wednesday President's Day Week. Let's go.

[Dan Patrick Show Announcer]

Be sure to catch the live edition of the Dan Patrick show, weekdays at 9am Eastern, 6am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app. Fox Sports Radio is taking over YouTube and you can be a part of it. Pay attention. Just go to YouTube and search Fox Sports Sports Radio. Hit that subscribe button and smash that notification bell and catch all the videos from your favorite shows. Two pros and a cup of Joe. Dan Patrick, Colin Cowherd, Doug Gottlieb, Kavino and Rich the Odd Couple with Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington, the Jason Smith show with Mike Harmon and the Ben Maller Show. Fox sports radio on YouTube.

[Webull Advertiser]

Subscribe.

[Covino]

Hit that thumbs up icon and comment away.

[Guest/Reporter]

This month, iHeartRadio is celebrating the stars of the 2026 Winter Games. Raised in the mountains of Silverthorne, Colorado, Red Gerard is a snow.

[Covino]

Snowboarder.

[Guest/Reporter]

Snowboarder. After shocking the world with a gold medal as a teenager in 2018, he's matured into one of the most consistent riders on the mountain. Known for finding creative lines that no one else sees. He brings a smooth, effortless style to the slopestyle course. Gerard drops in at Milano Cortina, looking to climb back to the top of the Olympic podium for more Winter Games gold. Search olympics on the iHeartRadio app.

[Mind Games Narrator]

What if mind control is real?

[Rich]

If you could control the behavior of.

[Covino]

Anybody around you, what kind of life would you have?

[Mind Games Narrator]

Can you hypnotically persuade someone to buy a car?

[Covino]

Look at your car.

[Danny G]

You're going to become overwhelmed with such.

[Mind Games Narrator]

Good feelings, can you hypnotize someone into sleeping with you?

[Guest/Reporter]

I gave her some suggestions to be sexually aroused.

[Mind Games Narrator]

Can you get someone to join your cult? NLP was used on me to access my subconscious. Nlp, AKA Neuro linguistic programming, is a blend of hypnosis, linguistics, and psychology. Fans say it's like finally getting a user manual for your brain.

[Guest/Reporter]

It's about engineering consciousness.

[Mind Games Narrator]

Mind Games is the story of nlp, its crazy cast of disciples, and the fake doctor who invented it at a new age commune and sold it to guys in suits. He stood trial for murder and got acquitted. The biggest mind game of all, nlp, might actually work.

[Podcast Announcer]

This is wild.

[Mind Games Narrator]

Listen to Mind Games on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Bowen Yang]

I'm Bowen Yang.

[Rich]

And I'm Matt Rogers.

[Bowen Yang]

During this season of the Two Five Rings podcast, in the lead up to the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, we've been joined by some of our friends.

[Danny G]

Hi, Bud.

[Rich]

Hi, Matt. Hey, Elmo.

[Dan Patrick Show Announcer]

Hey, Maddie.

[Covino]

Bowen. Hi, Cookie. Hi.

[Rich]

Now the Winter Olympic Games are underway and we are in Italy to give you experiences from our hearts to your ears. Listen to Two Guys, Five Rings on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Guest/Reporter]

China's Ministry of State Security is one of the most mysterious and powerful spy agencies in the world. But in 2017, the FBI got inside.

[Covino]

This is Special Agent Riegel, Special Agent Bradley Hall.

[Bowen Yang]

This MSS officer has no idea the US Government is onto him. But the FBI has his chats, texts, emails, even his personal diary. Hear how they got it on the Sixth Bureau podcast.

[Guest/Reporter]

I now have several terabytes of an MSS officer. No doubt, no question of his life. And that's the unicorn.

[Covino]

No one had ever seen anything like that. It was unbelievable.

[Guest/Reporter]

This is a story of the inner workings of the MSS and how one man's ambition and mistakes opened its vault of secrets.

[Bowen Yang]

Listen to the 6th Bureau on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Mind Games Narrator]

Madam President, the sale at Denver Mattress.

[Covino]

It's been extended.

[Mind Games Narrator]

Walk with me. We need to get the word out. Reports are still showing. The more you buy, the more you say in English. That's 100 bucks off every thousand you spend and Doctor's Choice. Check out the Consumer Reports recommended Doctor's Choice plush and save 100 bucks. Check out the Colorado Queen for only $199.99 financing.

[Guest/Reporter]

We've got 60 months, no interest, and free Shipping.

[Mind Games Narrator]

Now we're talking. This is an all hands on deck scenario, people. But hurry. The extended President's Day super sale at Denver Mattress ends soon.

[Covino]

DJ Sammy Sweetheart on the ones and twos. In the mix with DJ Sammy Sweetheart.

[Rich]

He was the original Sammy Sweetheart. He was before the Jersey shore in the 2000s.

[Covino]

A lot of people don't know that, Iowa. Sam, the OG is our sound architect on the show. And he's got Midweek Major for you today.

[Rich]

Can't wait for that.

[Covino]

Usually Midweek Major is hosted by Spot. Spot got knee surgery, so he's home in bed manning the videos. You could watch what you hear. Watch the videos. COVINO and rich FSR COVINO and rich FSR speedy recovery to spot.

[Rich]

I just FaceTime spot.

[Covino]

Yeah.

[Rich]

To make sure all the video stuff was set up.

[Covino]

Yeah.

[Rich]

Show him some wires. He's laying there without his shirt on.

[Covino]

No.

[Rich]

Felt a little weird.

[Covino]

Did you see his pepperonis?

[Rich]

I was like, put away your nipples, dude.

[Covino]

Yeah, man. He's freaking me out. So anyway, it's Spot, it's Sam, it's super producer Danny G. On the ones and twos as well.

[Rich]

How often do you shirtless around your house?

[Covino]

Not that often.

[Rich]

Some people just love walking around their house naked.

[Covino]

Nah, I mean, I have a 16 year old daughter.

[Guest/Reporter]

Yeah.

[Rich]

I can't be doing that.

[Covino]

You can't be doing that?

[Rich]

Nope.

[Covino]

We're Covino and Rich, in for Dan Patrick and this is the show. If you dig our show, this team, we have the greatest team in all the land. Join us Monday through Friday, 5 to 7 on the east, 2 to 4 on the west. And Big Mike, who runs this place, he'll be stopping by later. We're gonna be playing a game. It's pretty simple. Let me just give you the heads up. It's called Mike's. No, I just almost forgot. I was like, who runs this place again?

[Rich]

Mike.

[Covino]

Mike. That's right.

[Danny G]

Never heard of him.

[Covino]

Mike, who runs this place. He walks around like he knows some stuff. And he does. He has a story for everything. With his shirt off, sometimes he'll slap you in the head. He runs this place. And he has wisdom, so he shares that wisdom with you. Mike's Wednesday. Words of wisdom. And if you could repeat it word for word, that's all you got to do, repeat it word for word.

[Rich]

Make it really difficult.

[Covino]

Verbatim, as they say. You win a prize, pack some mini Nerf footballs, koozies, the whole deal. All right? It's simple. The number's 87799 on Fox. So we got lots to get to. But you promised Cliff's notes.

[Rich]

Yeah, I said I would give you the, the, the one minute rundown of where the big discrepancy with salary cap salary floor baseball players and baseball owners and where all this is going to lead to with or without Tony Clark. And now without Tony Clark, who as we said is the big story on a slow sports day. That's why we're having a lot of fun talking about other stuff. The big story is Tony Clark having an affair with his sister in law, perhaps skimming money allegedly equity to enrich themselves. To me, sounds like taking money, right?

[Covino]

That's, I mean, yes. That's just the fancy way of saying it, I guess. So while Rich prepares his Cliff's notes to catch you up, I want to remind you that we're live from the Fox Sports radio studio. And for over 40 years, Tire Rack has been helping customers find the right tires for how, what and where they drive ship fast and free. Backed by free road hazard protection with convenient installation options like mobile tire installation, Tire Rack, Tire Rack.com we tire buying should be okay.

[Rich]

Remember when you were in school and they're like, all right, who read chapter four last night? And you're like, oh, no, don't, don't call on me.

[Covino]

That's when I would hide.

[Rich]

Don't call on me.

[Covino]

But I was, and I was like, no speak English.

[Rich]

I was always ready with my Cliffs Notes. So let me give you the breakdown quick. Here's what's happening December 1, 2026. Between now and then, the players, owners, everyone needs to come to an agreement of how baseball will proceed in 2027. Or we could see a work stoppage, a strike, a holdout, a lockout.

[Covino]

And the unfortunate part of that is we've seen it before in 94. And momentum is on baseball's side. Baseball has been great the past few years. So this would be really bad timing, unfortunately.

[Rich]

How many people back then said, you know what? Left a bad taste in my mouth. And it took them forever to come back to baseball. And you could argue in the last decade those people are back. You know, fool me once, can't get fooled again. Don't, don't do this again. Baseball. We saw what happened in 94. A lot of people are like, f baseball, greed, money. These guys are rich. No one wants to see an NBA, an NFL, an mlb, NHL. No one wants to see a professional lockout. Because the perception with fans is that these guys are rich, stop at play.

[Covino]

And what makes it Worse again is the Tony Clark resignation and the controversy surrounding him.

[Rich]

So here's where the big discrepancy happens. When you look forward in baseball, people love to say, oh, the Dodgers and teams like that, the Mets, Yankees, Phillies, the Blue Jays now are ruining baseball. Are they ruining baseball by spending so much money and not allowing teams like the Pirates and, you know, the A's and the Royals to compete? Here's the thing. There is no salary cap. Again, I'm giving you Cliff notes. This is for the casual. I don't get it. There's no salary cap. Meaning unlike basketball and football, one team could spend a bazillion dollars on their payroll and some other team could spend $10 million. There's no limit. There's no ceiling. There's no basement.

[Covino]

What would happen if like a Turkey Alice chic wanted to get involved in baseball?

[Rich]

I've thought about that with college. What if.

[Covino]

So why are you putting that out there? No, because think about it. That would be first. Yeah, that would be the problem. Right. It would take another guy to be like, okay, I buy team, I spend billions.

[Rich]

I've heard people speculate, endless, what if some cash supply, what if some rich guy with an endless cash supply, Sam, forget pros. What if he took the weakest ass college of all time? It was like nil money out the ass, where they just, they got every elite college athlete and all of a sudden like some weak ass school buys.

[Covino]

The Iowa Hawkeyes and they win the national championship every year. That's the issue. Right. Eyes, I put that in quotation.

[Rich]

No. No cap, no basement. And now people are saying there should be a basement and there should be a cap. People are now saying there's no basement.

[Covino]

In the Alamo and in mlb.

[Rich]

Yeah. So they're saying maybe there should be a minimum team spend and a maximum team spend. That is a salary cap and a salary basement. Here's the 32nd rundown. 48% of net local revenue is put into a pot. So whatever deals the Dodgers have with TV and radio deals, ticket sales, local sponsorship, stadium revenue is put into a pot. 48% of it. 48% of the Pittsburgh Pirates put in the pot. Mets, Dodgers, Cardinals, Brewers, Rays, you name the team. 48% of the net local stuff is put in a big pot and then divided equally by 30. So there are teams like the Dodgers and the Mets and the Phillies, Yankees that end up having to pay. Now if you go over the salary cap, there's even more of a penalty because you have to pay a luxury Tax, an additional tax. The, the, the smaller market teams will get a check for their portion where teams like your Yankees will have to pay. A team like the Pirates could be like, hey, here's a hundred million dollar check. Yankees might have to pay that. That's not good enough because they're saying these local deals and that's 48% they're saying it's just not enough. Local small market teams can't compete. Now the luxury tax, then sell the team. Luxury tax, Turkey Alashique only penalizes teams that exceed a certain payroll threshold. It doesn't prevent teams from spending. Now a team like the Dodgers could say, we'll pay Shohei Ohtani. We'll pay Shohei Ohtani a billion dollars. We'll make the money in fans around the world, in Japan, merchandise, everything. So they'll say, yeah, but please remember.

[Covino]

He deferred his money. He's getting 2 million a year. Right? 2 million a year for the best player in baseball. That rule applies to everyone in mlb. It's about getting the right player that's willing to do that for your team.

[Rich]

They're saying small business. They're saying small market teams, even if they reach that tax line, it's a stretch. Local TV revenue is the real divider here. Okay, here's what they're saying. Dodgers and Yankees TV deals like the YES Network in New York or Danny G. What did the Dodgers play out on here? What's the local spectrum? Spectrum, right. They're saying those TV deals are worth hundreds of millions of dollars a year where it's not even close for like the local Royals TV deal. So you may rev share it and put that money in a pot, but it's still substantial. Teams like the Rays and Pirates are a fraction of that. Big market teams have an easier time retaining star athletes.

[Covino]

But again, that's good business. The S Network was owned by the Yankees Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network.

[Rich]

They're saying with that 48% net local rev and the way it's set up now with the luxury tax for the high spending teams is not even close to, to erasing the gap. They're saying it reduces it just a little bit. I know the answer, I think always is, well, if you're going to be a billionaire and own a team, don't buy a team if you're not willing to spend. But they're saying it's just more than that. Uncompetitive market advantage for a team like the New York Yankees versus a team like the Pittsburgh. You know what?

[Covino]

And here's what happens. Let's say there is a cat a salary cap in baseball. It's going to change baseball as we know it. That's, that's the crazy part about it. But you know what? We, we fear change. And you know what? Life goes on and might end up being fine.

[Rich]

And you know what?

[Covino]

We talked about that recently. Anytime there's a change like oh no, I'm gonna hate it.

[Rich]

The new iPhone update.

[Covino]

No new iPhone update is terrible.

[Rich]

Let me just give you two more notes and then, and then we can move on. But it's fun to break this stuff down because I think a lot of us forget why this is even happening.

[Danny G]

Right? You brought, you brought up the Pirates really quick though, Rich and you've used them as an example before and obviously they make hundreds of millions less than the Dodgers, the Yankees, the Mets. But guess how much approximately as percentage wise they spent on their payroll last season.

[Rich]

How much?

[Danny G]

I told you. Dodgers what 70. Almost 75% of profits. Yankees almost 49%. 26% yeah that's, that's, that's what the Pirates spent on their roster.

[Rich]

Damn.

[Covino]

So, so no wonder you can't keep up Paul schemes. It's almost like you'd have to the team.

[Danny G]

Yeah you'd have to almost put. You can't put all your revenue, all your earnings back into the team but.

[Covino]

You got to put money back into your own business sometimes.

[Rich]

Here's what they're saying Danny though. They're saying that star retention is harder in a small market. They're saying the cycle of develop star compete briefly at a high level then those big stars leave is the repeat cycle these small market teams are on plus risk tolerance. They're saying the Yankees or the Mets or Dodgers or a big market team could absorb a real ass contract like if like for the Angels Rendon doesn't work out. No skin off the Angels back They're an LA California market team where if a small market team has a star bust it could ruin that franchise for years. So what the solution is hey that's above my pay grade. But these are the reasons why baseball's in big trouble. Because it seems like the players are like yeah, not our problem. We want to get paid and play and the owners are like we want a cap and the players like no no no no no. We want to. If anything the players want a floor meaning like even the bunk bottom level team should have to spend a certain amount of money like the A's wasn't did there something like like Juan Soto or Like, you know, Darren Judge or certain guys were making more than the whole roster.

[Covino]

Oh, yeah.

[Rich]

Of like the A's.

[Covino]

Yeah, for sure. But the problem is too, they MLB should have done this like 30 years ago. They really should have.

[Rich]

Well, we'll see what happens.

[Covino]

That's the issue.

[Rich]

That's, that's your breakdown, your thoughts. We'll take your feedback. Next, we'll have some more fun.

[Covino]

We'll talk about the Tony Clark timing. No bueno.

[Rich]

Yeah, that. Not a good time to sleep with your sister's wife's sister.

[Covino]

There you go. All right.

[Rich]

All right, we got more. Kavino, Rich. Next, Fox Sports Radio in for the great Dan Patrick.

[Dan Patrick Show Announcer]

Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our [e-mail] and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to listen live.

[Covino]

Covino and Rich in for DP shout out to all the people hoping to hear Dan Patrick, who listen every day.

[Rich]

Hey, you got us.

[Covino]

We appreciate you putting up with us. We really do. It's an honor to be here. But join our show five to seven on the East, Monday through Friday. Check us out. We're live from the Fox Sports Radio studio. And after the show, remember, our podcast goes up, also our live stream. So you could watch what you hear now or in the future. You can also join the live chat. But yeah, check out the podcast. Danny G. Puts a lot of hard work into that and follow for free and send it to a friend and rate it 5 stars. We appreciate it.

[Rich]

Now, speaking of watching us on the YouTube chat, the YouTube channel, who's got a more punchable face than Kavino?

[Covino]

You, maybe you think your face is not punchable. You're the most annoying guy I know.

[Rich]

Thanks, man.

[Covino]

You're welcome.

[Rich]

But, Danny, you like to point out there's a few punchable faces. Now, they can be really good dudes in real life. So don't, don't get butt hurt because I always say Nick Sirianni, and I'm like, you know what? I'd probably like the guy if I met him, right?

[Covino]

I got what I call resting D face.

[Rich]

That is true. You do look like a guy that's.

[Covino]

A resting D face.

[Danny G]

Some people say Lane Kiffin. Some people say Manny Machado.

[Rich]

Oh, I'm glad you said Manny Machado, Danny. Not just because he's a Padre and you're a Dodgers fan. We're talking about salary caps and how baseball could be, you know, in store for a. A letdown after the season. Enjoy the 2026 season. As Billy Madison would say, stay here as long as you can because, you know, we may not come up with a deal with the players, the union, and the owners because Tony Clark's out now.

[Covino]

And he also said, suntan lotion, good for me.

[Rich]

I mean, he did say that. He did say protect me. Also say chlorophyll. More like borophyll. He said, shampoo is better. Anyway, Manny Machado was with. With the punchable face. Machado, who's a Padre. And the Padres had backed off their owner, who I believe passed away.

[Covino]

Right.

[Rich]

Didn't. Padres ownership there was like a dude running everything. Well, they're still in it to win it. Padres spend money. Machado says he is in love with the Dodgers are doing. He said, I effing love it. Every team should be doing it. S is effing great for the game. I think every team has the ability to do it. They just don't.

[Covino]

That's what I said before. It's not like the Dodgers are playing by different rules. The same rules for everybody. So what did we learn, guys? Here's what we learned thanks to Tony Clark. If you're gonna sleep with your wife's sister, don't do it in the middle of a big negotiation. Right? Isn't that the moral of the story?

[Rich]

Of course. Don't sleep with your sister. I mean, your. What did I say last hour, Sam?

[Covino]

You said some gibberish.

[Rich]

I misspoke.

[Covino]

Yeah. People are like, I heard this guy on the radio talking about sleeping with his sister.

[Rich]

What? Not a good time to sleep with your sister's wife's sister.

[Covino]

There you go.

[Rich]

Don't sleep with your. Your wife's sister. Don't sleep with your sister.

[Covino]

And we also learned that it's worse unless it's your.

[Rich]

Unless it's your stepsister. And that's the category you like.

[Covino]

As far as sleeping with your sister in law. We discovered that it's worse to sleep with your brother's wife than it is your wife's sister because it's double betrayal. It's double the trouble.

[Rich]

Yeah, you follow that you betrayed your.

[Covino]

Brother and your wife because if you.

[Rich]

Sleep with your wife's sister, you're just betraying your wife. If you sleep with your brother's wife, you're betraying your wife and your brother. It's home wrecking, and it's work wrecking.

[Covino]

And by the way, dip in Company, Inc. And let's keep our fingers crossed for baseball.

[Rich]

Yeah, let's go baseball. Love it. All right. We got more Covino and Rich in for Dan Patrick. A true honor to fill in for Dan and the Danettes. We got prizes to give away next hour. We'll do midweek Major. Lots of fun. Love hanging with you guys, Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. Stay there.

[Podcast Announcer]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Covino]

Guaranteed Human.