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- [00:00]
Danny Parkins
This is an iHeart podcast.
- [00:04]
Colin Cowherd
Banking with Capital One helps you keep more money in your wallet with no fees or minimums on checking accounts and no overdraft fees. Just ask the Capital One Bank Guy. It's pretty much all he talks about in a good way. He'd also tell you that this podcast is his favorite podcast too. Oh really? Thanks Capital One Bank Guy. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See CapitalOne.com Bank Capital One NA Member FDIC the herd is brought to you by Grainger. If you work as a maintenance manager, your facility is your home turf and your home field advantage is having a partner like Grainger. They offer trusted professional grade products for every industry from lighting and electrical to safety and everything in between. Plus fast dependable delivery which which is why they always come through in the clutch. Just like you. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done. Wasabi Technologies is purpose built to free businesses from skyrocketing storage costs and unpredictable egress fees from those old and top heavy legacy providers. You know, the big guys. Wasabi is the go to provider for professional and collegiate sports teams around the world. From Wasabi's AI enabled intelligent media storage, Wasabi Air to the industry's only cloud storage service with triple protection against cybercriminals. Wasabi is driving innovation in data storage. All for up to 80% less than the other guys. Triumph for free@wasabi.com Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage proud partner of the Volume Podcast Network hi, it's Colin. I've been around long enough to know quality when I see it, or in this case, when I taste it. Tito's Handmade vodka. Good stuff. No flash, no gimmicks. Smooth, clean, tasting, made the right way. Tito's made in Austin, Texas. Real attention to detail. I like to keep it simple. Tito's Soda, one lime, lot of ice. Refreshing easy. Summer, winter, spring. Totally versatile. Always works. Listen. Baseball season's here. The perfect time to kick back with some Tito's. It's what I pour. You should too. Distilled and bottled by 5th Generation Inc. Austin, Texas. 40% alcohol by volume. Savor responsibly. Thanks for listening to the Herd podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports radio at noon to 3 Eastern, 9am to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd@foxsportsradio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.
- [02:49]
Chris Broussard
Now let's get this party started.
- [02:51]
Danny Parkins
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. All right, welcome in. Let's do this. It is the Herd. No Colin Cowherd. I am Danny Parkins from FS1's First Things first, soon to be expanded. First Things first. It's a thrill to be out here in Los Angeles for the legend that is Colin Cowherd. We got a great show for you today. On this Monday. My guy Cole Komet from the Bears will join us in about 30 minutes to explain why everyone is completely correct to panic about every interception around Caleb Williams. Though I think Cole might have a different take on that. Bruce Steman joins the show. My new teammate at First Things First, Chris Broussard. Later on the Bear. Tons of football because we made it. There's a football game this week kind of in the hall of Fame game. But we've got a lot of NFL to get over the course of today's show. But somehow, some way, even though it is game week in the NFL, LeBron James still finds himself in the center of the news. Because I did not expect to land in Los Angeles to an Instagram post from a guy I had never heard of who was Nikola Jokic's agent on a yacht in France with LeBron James and Maverick Carter. I was like, oh, okay, LeBron, world's traveler, who. Who among us hasn't been on a yacht in the south of France with the greatest offensive player in 20 years as agent? Right. I mean, it's a thing that could happen to anybody. And I. That's nice. They bumped into each other while vacationing, having some fine wine. And then you read the caption on Nikola Jokic, his agent's Instagram post. The summer of 2025 is the perfect time to make big plans for the fall of 2026. Summer of 2025, that's now perfect time to make big plans for the fall of 2026. Yeah, that's gonna have some reverberations around the NBA because everybody seems to be convinced because the Lakers invited Luca to dinner and didn't invite him because they are not willing to trade the last first round pick that they control to go out and make a bigger move for this offseason to try to be all in quote unquote to win now with LeBron. That LeBron is somehow unhappy with the Lakers. And Lebron, by the way, has done some things to fan fuel to that flames. Because I like to say about LeBron, we're similar in age. We're elder millennials. We grew up with the Internet, we understand what it's like, oh, I'm going to unfollow my employer. I'm going to tweak this thing. I'm going to troll a little bit. LeBron and his camp is very good at controlling the message and nothing that they do is without intent. And he drives the 247 sports talk industrial complex more than any modern athlete or arguably more than any athlete ever. So he's vacationing, he's on a yacht. This guy puts out a post and now it becomes a story. But I don't think LeBron is leaving L. A. And it is for no better reason than say it out loud. LeBron James, Denver Nugget. I just don't believe it. I have a very hard time believing the guy who is now on his third franchise, who, who has delivered LA a championship, who just got Luka Doncic as a teammate, who they drafted his son. He's building his forever home out here. He has all of his business ventures out here. I have a hard time believe believing on that yacht they were talking about LeBron James going to Denver. And for the life of me, I have struggled with understanding why we talk about Jokic and his future in Denver so different than we talk about Giannis and his future in Milwaukee. And this was Joker's agent talking about big plans for next summer. Well, Y is under contract for this year and he's under contract for next year, but then he's got a player option the year after that. And it's not that long ago when Josh Kroenke, the owner of the Nuggets for some unknown reason, floated the idea of trading Joker. You remember, for us as an organization, going into that second apron is not necessarily something that we're scared of. I think that there are rules around it that we needed to be very careful of with our injury history. The wrong person gets injured and very quickly you're into a scenario where that I never want to have to contemplate and that's training number 15. Odd choice. Think we could all agree to unprompted bring up trading Nicola Jokic. But Giannis can't do anything without a hundred headlines and hot take people being like Giannis has to leave Milwaukee when Giannis was an international pick to a small market team who's won an MVP and delivered a championship and has signed multiple extensions to stay with the team that drafted him. Nikola Jokic has won multiple MVPs, has one championship was a late round, you know, second round pick, international player drafted by a Small market team. There are way more similarities to Giannis and Jokic, but no one ever talks about Jokic being unhappy in Denver. What if Jokic's agent is making big plans for for next year when for all intents and purposes, it is an expiring contract for Jokic? Because the year after is a player option for Jokic to leave Denver to go to Los Angeles to play with his longtime friend Luka Doncic. That feels to me way more likely what the big plans could be than LeBron James being a Denver Nugget than for one year. I have no idea how many more years LeBron James is playing. We say Father Time is undefeated. LeBron James is trying to shatter expectations on that cliche, but the say it out loud test tells me it is more likely that they're just trolling, frankly, but that if I had to say Y in LA and they figure out a way to make that work. Or LeBron just straight signs in Denver for a year. Which granted is simpler given LeBron is not under contract beyond this year, as we all know, I'll still take the more difficult path and believe that it's much more likely that LeBron is figuring out a way to team up with Jokic, pair him with Luka, make one more run at a championship two years from now, and then sail off into the sunsets, leaving the Lakers set up to be successful after him and having that be a part of his Lakers legacy. I won you the title in the bubble, maybe I won you a second title. And oh yeah, by the way, I set you up to have the best duo in the NBA going forward with Luca and the Joker. So we don't know where Yic or LeBron's going. I think I got a pretty good idea how this next story's gonna end, but it still doesn't change any of the drama. Micah Parsons is gonna stay in Dallas, but it's lovely to see that there's 31 teams in the NFL and then there's just a television producer. Because as a content guy who loves the NFL year round, I feel like all of us, everyone who sits behind a microphone, should have to write a handwritten thank you letter to Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys. Because love them or hate them, we all have an opinion of of how they do business and why they are just still so relevant and compelling despite it being 30 years without a championship. And so over the weekend, Micah Parsons, who doesn't have a contract, apparently has a little back tightness but is there at training camp just not really participating. Jerry Jones, because for some reason the owner of the team needs to face the fans at training camp with a bunch of cheerleaders behind him, had to come out and say whatever he was saying about the new and improved team. And he was greeted with chants of pay Micah, pay Micah. And then he talked to the media afterwards and he was like, wow. Well, the chance for paying CD were louder last year. And you know, we paid Mike, we paid Dak Prescott, and then he got hurt. He can't help himself because this is what he does. And Dak Prescott last year said, you know, I just kind of stopped listening to Jerry. Which is a bold thing for a quarterback to say about the guy who signs his check. But that was last year. CD Lamb just last week, when talking about Micah Parsons and these contract negotiations that are playing out as publicly as any contract negotiations in the NFL, he was like, yeah, we just don't play in those waters with the media. And Jerry Jones, obviously playing this media.
- [12:07]
Micah Parsons
Game with Jerry is not the best. It's not fun, it's not recommended.
- [12:11]
Danny Parkins
But as for micro, he knows what.
- [12:14]
Micah Parsons
He brings to this table, honestly, for this team, for himself, and he should get what he deserve. And I'm not indulging in any other.
- [12:21]
Chris Broussard
Craziness that they got going, but I.
- [12:23]
Danny Parkins
Do want Micah to get paid soon and he will get paid soon. We all know how this ends. This is just noise. Last year Nick Bosa got paid and then Max Crosby got paid. And for a moment in time, oh my God, Miles Garrett was going to be traded from the Cleveland Browns. He wrote a nice letter and everything. And then Miles Garrett became the highest paid non quarterback in football. And he wants to be a Brown for life and for a while. I mean, I'm old enough to remember three weeks ago when TJ Watt was really unhappy with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Oh man, they were far apart. They weren't going to get it done. And then voila. It's amazing what $41 million per year to rush the quarterback and lose wild card weekend can do to a guy's mood. And all of a sudden, TJ Watt back with the Steelers. Thrilled. Micah Parsons will be a Dallas Cowboy. He will get another contract. He will top T.J. watts. 41 million per year. My guess is by a decent amount. Actually, just given the age difference, I don't think it's going to be 41.2 or 42 million. He'll probably try to get to 44, 45 million a year. 20, put some distance between him and the other pass Rushers. And I'm sure that's the sticking point in the negotiations right now. But I think we would be called a media literacy test here. I think we would all be served to actually pay attention to Jerry Jones. And I know it's a bold strategy. And CD Lamb and Dak Prescott have said they're trying to do different things, but I don't play quarterback for the Cowboys. Jerry Jones saw how this country was enamored with the Last Dance and he said, I gotta get me one of those. And he struck a deal with Netflix to produce a multi part story of the Cowboys. And it's coming soon and we'll see what America's appetite is for a long form documentary on America's team. It will not be as popular as the Last Dance because we're not in the middle of a pandemic. But they were popular in the 90s. The Bulls were popular in the 90s. I'm sure it will do quite well. But when the trailer came out, there was a little snippet from Jerry Jones that I actually was like, ah, there it is. Thank you. This is a soap opera 365 days a year. That is his business model. That is why they're not in the biggest market, but they're the most valuable franchise. They don't have the most wins or the most Super Bowls, but they're the most valuable, most talked about franchise. He believes, and frankly has been proven right, that the soap opera is what sells. He's the owner, but he's also the general manager. But they absolutely have a general manager. And Will McClay, like nobody believes that Jerry Jones is scouring Senior bowl tape, but he wants to call himself the general manager. No owner in the NFL calls into local radio every week. No other owner in the NFL does a post game press conference every week. They played it out with Dak Prescott. They played it out with CD Lam. They played it out with Micah Parsons. What does that do? Back in the day, we would say it filled column inches. Now it fills airtime because then Micah Parsons has a podcast and he weighs in. CD Lamb gets asked about it. That makes a news cycle story. The fans chant something at him. That's a news cycle story. And on and on and on. Jerry Jones is competitive. Jerry Jones wants to win. He just also wants to be the most talked about. You don't hear the Rooneys or the Maras or the McCaskeys or anyone else doing it the way that Jerry Jones does. But Jerry Jones's team is worth more money. So he probably looks at it like this might cost me a few million bucks. And that stinks for a Cowboys fan who wants to maximize the salary cap. But he's like the column inches and the airtime more than makes up for it because people are talking about the Dallas Cowboys. It's a soap opera 365 days a year. Those are his words. Not mine again. 31 teams and and a television producer, and it's been the highest rated TV show in the NFL for the last 30 years. Coming up next on the Herd, the guy who has the most to gain, I would say by far if he won a Super Bowl. He got philosophical over the weekend and I absolutely loved it. Danny Parkinson for Colin. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.
- [17:28]
Covino
Hey, we're Covino and Rich, FOX Sports radio every day 5 to 7pm Eastern. But here's the thing. We never have enough time to get to everything we want to get to.
- [17:37]
Chris Broussard
And that's why we have a brand new podcast called Over Promised. You see, we're having so much fun in our two hour show. We never get to everything honestly, because this guy is over promising things we never have time for.
- [17:50]
Danny Parkins
Yeah, you blubber lips blaming me.
- [17:51]
Covino
Well, you know what? It's called Over Promise. You should be good at it because you've been over promising women for years.
- [17:55]
Chris Broussard
Well, it's a Covino and Rich after show and we want you to be a part of it. We're going to be talking sports, of course, but. But we're also gonna talk life and relationships. And if Rich and I are arguing about something or we didn't have enough time, it will continue on our after show called Over Promised.
- [18:09]
Covino
Well, if you don't get enough, Covino and Rich, make sure you check out Over Promised and also uncensored, by the way, so maybe we'll go at it even a little harder. It's gonna be the best after show podcast of all time.
- [18:20]
Chris Broussard
There you go. Over Promising. And remember, you could see it on YouTube, but definitely. Join us. Listen to Over Promise with Cavino and rich on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [18:31]
Colin Cowherd
What does feeling safe at home really mean to you? For a long time I thought it was enough to have good locks and maybe an alarm that would, you know, make a lot of noise if somebody actually broke in. But after people close to me were broken into, I've realized that true security takes more a system that works to prevent the break in, that violation of your space from ever happening in the first place. That's why you should trust SimpliSafe to protect your family. It's about securing that is proactive, not just reactive. Setting up my Simplisafe system was very simple and seamless, taking less than an hour. The system itself is easy to use and fits our specific household needs, such as the motion sensors and indoor and outdoor cameras. The SimpliSafe camera quality is picture perfect, even at night. With the 24. 7 professional alarm monitoring, I know our house is always going to be safe when we're home or when we're on the road. No contracts, no hidden fees. Four million plus Americans trusted it's a buck a day. That's all it is. Ranked number one in customer service by Newsweek and USA Today. Visit simplisafe.com herd to claim 50% off a new system with a professional monitoring plan and get your first month free. That's simplisafe.com herd there's no safe like Simplisafe. If you're an inventory specialist in a warehouse, Grainger knows you've probably faced a situation like this before. Your forklift, your facility's workhorse, is leaking hydraulic fluid, and with a full schedule of shipments on the docket, this has the potential to cause a major delay of game. But you're not worried. You're prepared for this type of situation, and you have an ace in the hole. Grainger Grainger offers professional grade products for every industry, from hydraulic oils and hoses, so much more, plus next day delivery, so you can be confident that you'll have the product you need on hand to fix that forklift and get it back in the game. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done. Balancing work, family and education isn't easy, but American Public University makes it possible with online courses, monthly start dates and flexible schedules. APU is designed for busy professionals who need education that fits their lives. And Affordability matters too. APU offers the opportunity grant, giving students 10% off undergraduate and master's level tuition, helping you reach your goals without breaking the bank. Plus, they provide career services and 24. 7 mental health support at no extra cost. Visit Apu Apus Edu to learn more. That's Apu Apus Edu. Imagine never buying gas again. EVs are as easy to charge as your phone and perfect for everyday life. Drive daily with confidence everywhere you go. Most Americans drive 40 miles a day. Most EVs are equipped with 200 to 400 miles of range. They've got fewer parts, fewer repairs, and fewer headaches. With hundreds of new and used EV models available today, there's an EV to fit every lifestyle and every budget. I love my electric vehicle. It's easy. No more gas stations. The way forward is electric. Learn more atelectric for all.org okay, I'll.
- [21:56]
Danny Parkins
Find about Colin Cowherd, who isn't here, who lets me sit in his seat. All right, well, speaking of coming at each other, I know you have a lot of practice going at Nick's list, but I feel like you really dislike my quarterback rankings. Brew, I feel I. Parsons peak par. We call it Parkins Peak on FtF. They asked me to do my top 10 here. I was like, I'll just bring it on over. It was an easy transfer. Here, I look at that and I see a perfect, indisputable top 10. You see something different.
- [22:28]
Micah Parsons
Yeah. Well, first of all, look, you got the number one, right.
- [22:32]
Rich Davis
I'll start positive.
- [22:34]
Micah Parsons
All right. You got the number one guy.
- [22:35]
Colin Cowherd
Right.
- [22:36]
Micah Parsons
And you can. I would put Lamar, too, but Josh Allen's fine. He's been better in the playoffs, so I'll give you that. But I have to put Lamar ahead of Joe Burrow. Joe Burrow. Some of his injuries, but hasn't been in the playoffs since 2022. He, I, I, and I love Burrow, but I've never seen a player ride so much off of one playoff victory over Patrick Mahomes. You know, he's riding off of that. So I would have to switch Lamar and Burrow. I have Burrow at 4. And, and then this is where it gets crazy. Is that the Justin Herbert that threw the four interceptions the last time we saw him in the playoff game?
- [23:14]
Danny Parkins
Two.
- [23:14]
Micah Parsons
Is that the one?
- [23:16]
Danny Parkins
Two of them were off this guy's hands. In fairness, two of them were off his guy's hands.
- [23:21]
Chris Broussard
Okay.
- [23:21]
Danny Parkins
Yeah.
- [23:22]
Micah Parsons
Okay. Still, when I look at Pro Football Reference, it still says four interceptions.
- [23:28]
Danny Parkins
It does.
- [23:29]
Micah Parsons
And so, so look, I am with you. And like, everybody loves Herbert's talent, I assume. And he was great early in his career his first few years. I assume you're saying, look, he's got a very good coach, even though he kind of took the ball out of his hands, he's going to start winning. He's going to be, you know, throw fewer picks and things like that with hardball. So you're projecting. And he does have top five talent. But right now, I can't put him there. I will put Jaden Daniels. You know, my, my MO. 5 to 12. ISH is fluid. But right now the Tide is pushing Jaden Daniels to number five. We'll see if he holds on. Jalen hurts. I got to have above Justin Herbert. Matthew Stafford, I think. Look, he's 37. We know now the end the back is bothering him. He's not going to practice this week. That's really been his problem since the super bowl win a few years ago. Injuries have lessened his impact, even kept him out of some games. So I think Stafford just might be. He feels like an old 37 and that's old enough as it is just by itself. So I think Stafford is probably on decline. I think you got Jared Goff a tad bit high, but you know the list. Main thing is Justin Herbert is too high. And I don't understand it for the life of me.
- [24:54]
Danny Parkins
Let's just say the trade was offered Herbert for Hertz. Who says no?
- [25:02]
Covino
Philly?
- [25:03]
Danny Parkins
No. They would not.
- [25:04]
Micah Parsons
Now, A.J. brown might not say no or Devontae Smith, but I think Philly says no. How you doing? The tush push with Justin Herbert.
- [25:15]
Danny Parkins
You're handing it to Saquon Barkley and you're throwing the ball to Devontae Smith and AJ Brown. We could get rid of the tush push.
- [25:24]
Micah Parsons
Look, Herbert, I love Herbert. Not as much as you.
- [25:27]
Danny Parkins
Thank you.
- [25:28]
Micah Parsons
But I do like Herbert. Two things can be true. All the talent in the world and it's tough, right? Physically tough, played through injury. But you have to be a bit taken aback and have to give pause because of the way he's played in these playoffs. He wasn't horrible in the first game when they let Trevor Lawrence and Jacksonville come back. He didn't like, throw a bunch of picks, but he just didn't do anything in the second half. But he really hasn't been great in the biggest games in the playoffs, at least. So you do have to admit that.
- [26:01]
Danny Parkins
No. I mean, yeah. Oh, and two with a terrible collapse in one and four interceptions with the other. I cannot. I cannot argue that point there.
- [26:10]
Micah Parsons
Those two sentences you just said. And number fifth best quarterback in the world don't jibe.
- [26:18]
Danny Parkins
It's a team.
- [26:18]
Micah Parsons
They just don't. I'm sorry.
- [26:20]
Danny Parkins
It's a team game.
- [26:23]
Micah Parsons
That's right. It was Will Disley that threw those four interceptions. Not just. That's what Jim Harbaugh said. Right. The other team, the other players got to pick it up.
- [26:33]
Danny Parkins
They got to catch up. They got to catch up to get on. Just now you're seeing it. Me and Harbaugh is that next Level football thinking. I said earlier in the show, brewing 31 NFL teams and a television producer. I think Jerry Jones gave away the plot in the Netflix documentary when he said it's a soap opera 365 days a year. And when we are trying to be like, why would they handle CD Lamb this way? Why would they handle Micah Parsons this way? I feel like that four second clip in the trailer explained everything. What about you?
- [27:10]
Micah Parsons
You're right on the money. Look, you know, think of your favorite sports movies. I like loving basketball. Bull Durham. That's maybe before your time, but these are movies. They're sports movies, right? Yeah, but they're not really about sports. They're just in a sports setting. That's the Dallas Cowboys under Jerry Jones, at least since they won their last Super Bowl. They are a drama. They are. I've used that term to describe them. Soap opera. That's in a football setting. They're not really a football franchise. The New England Patriots, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Los Angeles Chargers, those are football franchises. The Dallas Cowboys are a soap opera, a drama. An entertainment factory like that just happens to be in a football setting. And what I would say to Jerry, because you, you put it out. I thought you spelled it out well in your last segment. That's what this thing is with Micah. He might pay Micah. He's going to make him the highest paid non quarterback ever. But he might go well above T.J. watts, $41 million per because he likes having that reputation. It will help him among other players. Right. On other teams and say, man, Jerry went way above, you know, making Micah the highest paid non qb. But I would say this to Jerry, making another dollar on the Cowboys is not going to change anything for him. But winning another super bowl would. And I really think the entertainment value, the value of the franchise, keeping the Cowboys on talk shows like this and ours and the other networks is most important to Jerry. But they already have a sky high value as the Cowboys. What would change his world would be winning another Super Bowl. And I don't think he sees it that way, unfortunately, because, you know, make. How much more money does he need and how much more valuable do they need to get? They're going to keep rising in value no matter what. So I just think he's approaching it the wrong way.
- [29:27]
Danny Parkins
Chris Broussard, First Things First. We'll be watching later. Thank you, sir.
- [29:31]
Micah Parsons
All right, man. Later.
- [29:33]
Danny Parkins
All right, talk to you soon. That's Chris Broussard from First Things first. Coming up. It's a shame I don't have a bet yet for the Heisman Trophy. I got a lot of futures bets already placed for football. I need a little bit more on my college football card. The Bear helps me fill that void. Plus, never too early to bet Texas and Ohio State. The Bear next I'm Danny Parkins. This the Hurt Be sure to catch.
- [29:59]
Colin Cowherd
Live editions of the Herd, weekdays at.
- [30:01]
Danny Parkins
Noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.
- [30:03]
Colin Cowherd
If you're an inventory specialist in a warehouse, Granger knows you've probably faced a situation like this before. Your forklift, your facility's workhorse, is leaking hydraulic fluid, and with a full schedule of shipments on the docket, this has the potential to cause a major delay of game. But you're not worried. You're prepared for this type of situation, and you have an ace in the hole. Grainger Grainger offers professional grade products for every industry, from hydraulic oils and hoses. So much more. Plus fast, dependable delivery so you can be confident that you'll have the product you need on hand to fix that forklift and get it back in the game. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done. Balancing work, family and education isn't easy, but American Public University makes it possible with online courses, monthly start dates, and flexible schedules. APU is designed for busy professionals who need education that fits their lives. And Affordability matters, too. APU offers the Opportunity Grant, giving students 10% off undergraduate and master's level tuition, helping you reach your goals without breaking the bank. Plus, they provide career services and 24. 7 mental health support at no extra cost. Visit Apu Apus Edu to learn more. That's Apu Apus Edu. Imagine never buying gas again. EVs are as easy to charge as your phone and perfect for everyday life. Drive daily with confidence everywhere you go. Most Americans drive 40 miles a day. Most EVs are equipped with 200 to 400 miles of range. They've got fewer parts, fewer repairs, and fewer headaches. With hundreds of new and used EV models available today, there's an EV to fit every lifestyle and every budget. I love my electric vehicle. It's easy. No more gas stations. The way forward is electric. Learn more atelectric for all.org there's nothing.
- [32:13]
Danny Parkins
Like sinking into luxury. At washablesofas.com you'll find the Annabe Sofa, which combines ultimate comfort and design at an affordable price. And get this, it's the only sofa that's fully machine washable from top to bottom, starting at only $699. The stain resistant performance fabric slipcovers and cloud like frame duvet can go straight into your wash. Perfect for anyone with kids, pets or anyone who loves an easy to clean spotless sofa. With a modular design and changeable slip covers, you can customize your sofa to fit any space and style. Whether you need a single chair, love seat or a luxuriously large sectional, Annabe has you covered. Visit washablesofas.com to upgrade your home. Right now you can shop up to 60% off store wide with a 30 day money back guarantee. Shop now@washablesofas.com Add a little to your life. Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply. Welcome back in to the Herd. I'm Danny Parkins or Colin Cowherd. Coming up in a little bit, we'll get to a quarterback from last year who probably deserves a little bit more hype heading into this year, but he's a victim of circumstance. But right now let's go around the NFL. Our next guest covers the league for the athletic National NFL writer Mike Jones with us on the Herds cover the NFL for the last 15 years. Mike, thank you so much for the time. I began today's show reacting to Jimmy Haslam's comments about Arch Manning because he says he's probably going to stay in college for two years. It's very rare that we have a college prospect talked about as the number one pick before he's really accomplished anything in college. I get it, the last name on the jersey, Heisman Trophy favorite, second best team in the country. But I'm curious, how do you think the league at this point views Arch Manning, the NFL prospects?
- [34:08]
Rich Davis
I mean, they've only seen a little flashes here and there of him. You haven't seen him in a full time basis. So I don't think that anybody's getting overly exciting. Obviously there's intrigue there because of the name and the athleticism and ability that you see. But let's wait until we see him, you know, as a full time starter and you know, then I think that we'll have a better idea. Obviously people have been taking notes. They have the body of work that he's shown even though it's limited. But I haven't talked to any scouts or anybody that's like overly excited about him this early.
- [34:43]
Danny Parkins
So a guy who people were overly excited about and I would say for good reason was Travis Hunter. And I think he's going to break the record for most snaps played in a season as a rookie. He if he just did what he did last year in college, in the pros, he would shatter it. And he did that in 13 games. The Jaguars seem to be like very committed to playing him both ways, but everyone on the outside is like, are they really going to play him both ways? How do you think this is going to go?
- [35:09]
Rich Davis
You know, it's going to be a real interesting experiment as we see them go out there because look, you've got to see what his effectiveness is going to be. Obviously in training camp and the practices he probably looks good. You know, he's got good conditioning. We've seen him play multiple seasons this way. But the NFL is just another level up, the physicality, the speed and everything. So I think there's going to be maybe a snap count that they have on him early on as they try to figure out what he can handle, how he's able to be effective as a wide receiver, as a defensive back. I talked to scouts who feel like he is an elite level defensive back and probably a pretty decent wide receiver. Did talk to one that thought he might be a better receiver with his ball skills than a cornerback. But he is really excited to see how they handle this and what his ability to handle the workload and play at a high level is going to be like.
- [36:06]
Danny Parkins
My theory on it is we are all former athletes, regular people like you and may media, we are behind in understanding the full impacts of sports science and how amazing the modern athletes are. The example I use was like back in the day, oh, running back hits 27, they're falling off a cliff. Now we've got Derek Henry at 30, approaching 2000 yard seasons like it's nothing, right? Athletes have just gotten better. We see in Green Bay, they're working out Bo Melton, trying to maybe turn him into a two way player because of some injuries that they had at corner. I feel like if Travis Hunter works, it could open the floodgates for these elite athletes and we could start seeing more guys try to do it. Or do you think I'm insane?
- [36:50]
Rich Davis
No, I don't think you're insane. I do think that everybody's going to be watching. I think there are kids in college and coaches in college who are going to be watching. And as you see more guys come out and more guys able to execute at an elite level, if there is a two way player, then sure there will be a ripple effect throughout the NFL and you're definitely right. Like the science behind all of this has changed. These guys have chips on their uniforms, in their pads that they can look and see how many miles per hour he's running in the first part of practice compared to the last part of practice in the first quarter of game as opposed to the fourth quarter of a game. So they're going to have all of the science. Even if he's saying, I feel good, they'll be able to tell if he's slowing down, if there's a drop off or anything like that. And so all of that science is going to go into the decision on how much of a workload they give him. And it's going to be fascinating.
- [37:42]
Danny Parkins
Mike Jones from the Athletic is our guest. So Trey Hendrickson reports to camp. Terry McLaurin reports to camp. They don't have new contracts yet. My theory is basically in a post levy on Bell World. It's an endangered species, like the true holdout of missing games. I know Chris Jones did it, I know Jonathan Taylor did it. But it's, it's way less now than back in the day because the money is just so insane. It's so hard for these guys to really turn it down. So I view off season contract consternation as just media filler like, oh, Trey Hendrickson's upset with his contract. Yeah, it's July, he's supposed to be, or it was May, he was supposed to be. And I think that these are inevitable that they are going to get done. What about you?
- [38:25]
Rich Davis
I do think they get done. It's unfortunate for the players that in the last CBA they negotiated and so the teams can find them $50,000 a day. And so that adds up. You hang out for three days and you're like, okay, that's $150 fine. And then it starts really getting a little painful and you decide to come back and we'll see more hold ins rather than hold outs. It's, you know. Yes. I think that eventually these two sides are talking in Cincinnati, the two sides are talking in Washington. They'll eventually get something done because obviously the pressure is there for these coaches to win. They need these marquee players and so these owners will drag their feet, drag their feet, but eventually everybody's going to come to the point and get it all done and all this would have been for nothing.
- [39:13]
Danny Parkins
What do you think about the reputation that Dallas is stacking up now about how they handle their star players contracts?
- [39:20]
Rich Davis
It's the Cowboy way. It's Jerry Jones and I think that he loves this because what does he love is the Cowboys being on the forefront of everybody's mind and talking about them Any press is good press for him. And so we've seen him do it again and again and again, drag his feet on paying a top level player, a guy who has proven himself to be very valuable, and then the last minute he finally winds up opening the checkbook, even though it cost him tens of thousands and, you know, millions of dollars more, rather than have taken care of the guy way earlier. And then every time somebody at the position signs a new contract, the price tag goes up. And so Micah Parsons is going to wind up surpassing TJ Watt as far as the highest paid pass rusher. It's just a matter of time.
- [40:12]
Danny Parkins
All right, let me devil's advocate that one though. Micah Parsons should make more money than T.J. watt. He's younger and Dak Prescott had a no tag clause and a no trade clause. So he wanted Jordan Love to sign first. He wanted to to sign for CD Lam, wanted to see what Justin Jefferson would do to set the market. Micah Parsons wants to wait for Miles Garrett and TJ Watt. Like when you have truly elite Tier one players at their position with leverage, the player probably wants to wait too for the Cowboys to get these deals done.
- [40:50]
Rich Davis
I'm sure there's part of them that would just like to get it out of the way, but at the same time, I think that's probably part of the reason why Michael Parsons like, hey, look, I'm coming to work. I owe this to my teammates. I want to be in the best position to be able to help us win. Because he knows, hey, eventually it's going to get done. And as like you said, more guys in my position get paid, my price tag keeps going up and Jerry's going to wind up doing what Jerry does and make me the highest paid player in the league at my position. And so, yes, it's probably annoying having it hanging over, but they know eventually it's all going to work out for them.
- [41:23]
Danny Parkins
Is there anything that could happen in Pittsburgh this year where we would even say that forget Hot Seat, that the seat was lukewarm for Mike Tomlin?
- [41:34]
Rich Davis
I think so. I think this has really the potential to be disastrously bad. You know, I mean, this Aaron Rodgers that we see right here is not the same guy that we're thinking of from Green Bay. We did see him look a little better down the stretch of the season with the jets last year. But if he and Arthur Smith don't gel just right, if the offense isn't clicking, what does Aaron Rodgers do when things aren't going well? He starts pointing fingers. He'll pull back the curtain on the ineffectiveness of the organization. People have said for a while that as great a leader as Mike Tomlin is, he has not evolved the practices of that organization and that coaching staff and the way they do things. And so if Aaron Rodgers, if things don't go well and there's finger pointing and things like that that he is known for as of late, then yeah, things will look bad and go poorly. And you know, that seat for Mike Tomlin could heat up because they basically just pushed all their chips into the middle this year. Very un Pittsburgh Steelers like off season. And if it doesn't plan out well, then, you know, then we could be asking questions.
- [42:46]
Danny Parkins
All right, I want to get your take on my guy, Justin Herbert. I the guy is the ultimate eye test quarterback. Four interceptions even though a couple were off his guy's hands and his interior offensive line was collapsing around him. Still bad playoff game. Oh and two in the playoffs. But I am just convinced from watching the guy play football that he's a star and he's going to do great things. Where do you come out on I test versus actual results for the team for Justin Herbert?
- [43:13]
Rich Davis
I agree with you that he is as talented as they come. His ceiling is very high. My question is everything around him. I do think that Harbaugh was good for him last year. I think another season with him would be good for him. The questions are just, okay, does he have enough as far as weapons around him? Do they really improve the line significantly enough? You know, they got Makai Becton, but you know, he was really good last year with Philadelphia, which is an offensive line factory and they work together so well. Is he going to be as effective in a new surroundings? You know, does Justin Herbert have the wide receivers to go to enough weapons? Because the thing is they're in this division with the Chiefs and until somebody proves they can knock off the Chiefs, you know, I will take them every time. So yes, he's super talented. He gives you everything you could ask for in a quarterback, but everything around him is the big question mark.
- [44:10]
Danny Parkins
The guy who has everything around him is Jalen Hurts. And Philly fans get mad at me because I say Jalen Hurts is a top 10 quarterback who benefits tremendously from having guys that are better at their jobs than he is at his. Around him he's clutch, he's a leader, he's smart. But for example, like Saquon Barkley is a better running back than Jalen Hurts as a quarterback.
- [44:33]
Chris Broussard
A.J.
- [44:33]
Danny Parkins
Brown is a better receiver than Hurts as A quarterback. Lane, Johnson, Jordan, my Lotta, Jalen, Carter, et cetera. I don't see that as a knock on Hertz. Anyone would benefit from being in that situation. And then you add, he's clutch, he's a gamer, he's a leader, he's smart. And that's what leads you to bludgeoning teams on the way to the Super Bowl. How do you evaluate Hertz individually amidst the super team that's around him?
- [45:00]
Rich Davis
I think he's super underrated. I mean, the dude just makes the plays that he has to make when you need them the most. He's got an accurate deep ball. He can extend plays. He's a strong, powerful runner. He's got good instincts. He doesn't force things. He just really basically is disciplined and says, okay, I'm going to take what the defense gives to me. He doesn't care what his stats look like if it means that they're winning. And he's got the best mindset that you could ask for in a quarterback. And so I don't get the, you know, the lack of love for him because he just proved this past year what he was able to do. And he just, you know, he kept doing it again and again. Yes, he's got a lot to work with. He's got a great offensive line, great weapons, you know, running back at receiver, great defense, but still he makes the big plays when they need them the most. And so I think that he is one of the top at his position.
- [45:57]
Danny Parkins
One of the top. So the top, like, behind the big four. You would put him right next, right behind Lamar Burrow, Allen Mahomes. Is he. He's. You said you put him right there.
- [46:05]
Rich Davis
I think he's got to be right there. Yeah. You know, after that, that those guys. I mean, he's got the super bowl ring, he's got the production. You know, he's.
- [46:14]
Danny Parkins
Again, he's got the club. Well, well, hey, he was 22nd in the league in pass attempts, and he had less than 20 passing touchdowns.
- [46:24]
Rich Davis
But that's not his fault that they have Saquon Barkley. I would hand it off to him, too, but when you ask him to put the ball in the air and to make the plays, he makes the plays. So, I mean, who's. Whose fault is that that he's not passing more? I mean, he could pass more, you know, A.J. brown.
- [46:40]
Danny Parkins
A.J.
- [46:41]
Rich Davis
Brown'S frustrated because they're not throwing more, but they just know that, hey, like you said, we've got an elite running back. We've Got an elite offensive line. We believe in balance, and it's working. So.
- [46:50]
Danny Parkins
So first four games of last year, they were 2 and 2 when he was throwing the ball 32, 33 times a game. And they're like, we're going to start running more. And again, he's really good. But they won all those playoff games without throwing more than 28 times in a game because they just bludgeon people and then play from a lead. It's. It's a. It's a super team. And it. He benefits from it. And I feel like that's an okay thing to say. He runs their system perfectly.
- [47:14]
Rich Davis
He does. And also, I really am waiting for the year that we can see him in a system, consecutive years, instead of changing offensive coordinators every single year, because then I think we'll really see him go to another level. Fortunately, their offensive coordinator this year has been there for a while, so hopefully he has a little more continuity. But again, the guy makes the plays when you need them. He gets the job done. I'm not complaining about him.
- [47:39]
Danny Parkins
Mike Jones covers the NFL for the Athletic. Thank you, sir.
- [47:43]
Rich Davis
All right. Have a good one. Thanks for having me.
- [47:45]
Danny Parkins
Absolutely. It was our pleasure. Thank you. That's. Mike Jones covers the NFL for the Athletic. Now, that's the craziest. Jalen hurts that of all of them going back to college, it's like nine offensive coordinators in nine years. That is ridiculous. And again, it's why I always lead with unbelievably smart, unbelievable leader. But coming up next, last year's quarterback class was historic. And frankly, I think there's one guy who probably should be looking around and be like, why am I not getting a little bit more love? Tell you who it is. Next, Danny Parkinson for Colin on the Hurt. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific, on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the iHeartRadio app.
- [48:27]
Chris Broussard
Yo, you ready?
- [48:29]
Covino
Friday with Kavino and Rich in for Colin on the Herd.
- [48:34]
Chris Broussard
I mean, am I ready?
- [48:36]
Danny Parkins
I stay ready.
- [48:38]
Chris Broussard
I've been ready since his first call, by the way. Friday, Friday, Friday. Is it too early for that?
- [48:46]
Covino
I've been ready since first call roll. What movie? I mean, I know.
- [48:51]
Chris Broussard
You know? Do you know?
- [48:54]
Danny Parkins
Can I just say it?
- [48:55]
Covino
Say it.
- [48:56]
Chris Broussard
Peewee's big adventure. That was Wayne Arnold who said that.
- [49:03]
Covino
Didn't he play a nun?
- [49:04]
Chris Broussard
Yeah. Jason Hervey's major line. So flashing it back already on a Friday pump for the weekend. Covino and Rich. We're on Monday through Friday, 5 to 7 on the east, 2 to 4 on the west. Just search Covino and Rich wherever you get your podcasts. And we have our bonus show on fox Sports Radio's YouTube page. Over. Promised new episode. Dropped yesterday. But always a pleasure to be here. Now, every Friday on our show, we do something called Weekend Hobnobbin. So we'll do that before the end of the day. That's everything you need to watch in the world of sports and entertainment, so you know what's going on come Monday when everyone's hobnobbing at work. All right, so we'll keep you posted on that. Plus, we do something called Chipotle worker or WNBA player, and we give away prizes.
- [49:51]
Danny Parkins
Yeah.
- [49:51]
Covino
Is the woman a WNBA player or Chipotle worker? If everyone claims to know the WNBA so well, this should be easy.
- [49:58]
Chris Broussard
It's our way to familiarize our ourself with wnba. But at the same time, give props to Chipotle workers because they do a hell of a job.
- [50:07]
Covino
And who doesn't love a burrito bowl?
- [50:09]
Chris Broussard
Yeah, we gotta get you hyped for Naked Gun weekend and the first of the month.
- [50:14]
Covino
And by the way, there's a big story and a lot of chatter about. Actually quite the opposite. Cam Ward. Maybe not a lot of chatter. And is that a good thing? So we're going to get to a lot of NFL today, but before I get into what won the day yesterday, why do they hide the straws at Starbucks? Is that. Is that just out here in Los Angeles?
- [50:35]
Chris Broussard
The turtles? Yeah. They don't want people just taking them and dumping them into the ocean.
- [50:39]
Covino
I hate the whole. I feel like such an ass every time you guys got a straw. I just put them out.
- [50:45]
Chris Broussard
No. Yeah, they hide them behind the counter.
- [50:46]
Covino
Do you think if they put them out, then, like, people are gonna, like, abuse the straws?
- [50:51]
Chris Broussard
It's true. A lot of people wondering why you would even want a straw with your coffee.
- [50:55]
Covino
It's a nice coffee. What am I gonna.
- [50:56]
Chris Broussard
I don't. Everybody sips out of a little swirly straw, a little silly straw like you do. It's not very. It's not very manly.
- [51:03]
Danny Parkins
Rich also uses a straw for his.
- [51:05]
Covino
Alcohol at a bar.
- [51:06]
Chris Broussard
Yeah, so they do. They do keep them behind the counter, I think, honestly, just to conserve them and just so people don't waste them. For people like you who go to Chipotle, speaking of Chipotle, and steal all the forks and knives all the time, you have the right.
- [51:19]
Covino
They have good silverware. And with two burrito bowls, when two burrito bowls are $40. Then I'm stealing forks.
- [51:25]
Chris Broussard
That doesn't mean you should take three handfuls. So people probably take a ridiculous amount of straws. So just hand them out if and when you need them. So, anyway, I'm Steve Cavino. If you know the answer to that, let us know. The number is 8, 7, 7, 4, the herd. 8, 7, 7, 4,. That's 8, 7, 7, 484-3437. We love taking phone calls, so let's get involved. Let's stay interactive. And that's Rich Davis, who posed the question.
- [51:51]
Covino
And Rich, Yes.
- [51:52]
Chris Broussard
Before we talk about who won last night, I just want to say I hope you had. Well, not an Astros sort of night. Screw them. Hope you had a Trey Lance sort of night.
- [52:04]
Covino
Doesn't even matter.
- [52:05]
Chris Broussard
No, it does because you were dumping on him yesterday. Hope you had a trade. If we're going to talk about how he's such a bust when he goes 13 for 20, 120 yards, 2 tutties and they went 34. 7. Hope you had a Trey Lance store tonight might be the only. It might be the only time I.
- [52:22]
Danny Parkins
Say it all year.
- [52:22]
Covino
You know what? Fair point.
- [52:24]
Chris Broussard
So give him props.
- [52:25]
Covino
Props to Trey Lance and props to the people that hide straws. I honestly, I just. Is it feminine, not masculine, to sip out of a straw? Who knows? But know what I want to talk about to start the show today? In for the Herd, cnr, how baseball popping. Baseball is doing everything it should be doing.
- [52:46]
Chris Broussard
They're marketing their stars better. They got young kids interested again. There are a lot of young stars. That also helps. There's a lot of big, familiar names.
- [52:55]
Covino
Baseball'S doing, to quote Charlie sheen in the 2000s, winning, winning. Baseball should be winning on August 1st. Today we flipped the calendar and we should be talking about pennant races. We should be talking about how great baseball is right now. You know, over the last five to 10 years, I get it. Football still king. I love football. But we were a little obsessed with football to the point where it was August and we were talking about preseason antics and all this when we really should be talking about baseball. And that was baseball's fail. Now that baseball's back, it's very clear that this should be baseball time.
- [53:33]
Chris Broussard
There's so many reasons as to why, and we've been speculating that for a long time. But they made all the. Yeah, we always talked football because baseball was moving slow as the world was changing and moving faster. And you're scrolling on TikTok and you're so easily disinterested. Baseball was boring, but they made the right changes. They made the game quicker. That really did help. The fact that we had more than one superstar in Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge and Tatis and Harper and like, goes on and on and on. Now, can I tell you the fact that. The fact that we had the major market teams in the playoffs last year and it was exciting as hell. You heard it in our voices last year. The Mets, the Yankees, the Dodgers. Like, it made it that much more fun, and it set up for a really exciting season this year.
- [54:26]
Covino
Well, major markets, part of it. But it also proves that if you're a small market and play your cards right, you could win. The brewers have the best record in baseball.
- [54:36]
Chris Broussard
Yeah. When you got the Dodgers and the Yankees battling in the World Series, when you got some other cool teams in the mix in the playoffs, and it seems like there's a lot of teams still in it to win it, it makes things exciting. That's why we saw a lot of big moves. Even our guy Tim Kirkjean, who's been reporting on baseball for 150 years, said yesterday's trade deadline may have been the craziest, most exciting he's ever been a part of in his career.
- [55:02]
Covino
And then did he say, I'm Tim Kirchian.
- [55:05]
Chris Broussard
I'm Tim Kirchian, espn. So, yeah, everybody knows it. We were all on the edge of our seat, even on this show yesterday.
- [55:13]
Covino
Oh, my God.
- [55:14]
Chris Broussard
Well, who's going to get who? What moves are going to be made? Are your teams going to win this deadline? And it was exciting, man. And there wasn't really that many Giant names but, like, that were traded, but some important, impactful moves were made.
- [55:29]
Covino
Yeah, the moves for the teams that needed to make moves, we're going to see if they make sense. We're going to go over some of them.
- [55:35]
Chris Broussard
But are you saying baseball one yesterday?
- [55:37]
Covino
Baseball won the day. Baseball is popping. They outshine to me, your first preseason game. Look at it this way. There's Terry McLaurin news. There's, you know, Micah Parsons. Is cowboy activity going on? This story's in the NFL. But to me, the baseball trade deadline and the excitement with about what, 50, 60 games to go.
- [56:01]
Chris Broussard
Hey, speaking of Tim Kirkshen and ESPN, that's a bad time for them to lose their deal with the mlb.
- [56:08]
Covino
I don't know if that's official.
- [56:09]
Chris Broussard
Is that not official anymore? Well, it is popping again. And you got to invest now, buy now, because baseball's back. It's back In a big way. And Rich is absolutely right. If you go back a few years, we'd be talking football right now, without a doubt. Because people would be tired and bored of baseball. In fact, in radio, pull you behind the velvet rope, when you lead with baseball and you talk baseball, you lose most of the audience because it's sort of a boring old guy conversation. Not anymore. And that's what we lead with today. Baseball is back. Baseball's winning. Baseball won yesterday. It's August 1st and we're talking baseball. We're not ready and eager to turn the page. Are we excited about football? Of course. But are we still hanging on to see where this season goes?
- [56:55]
Covino
Absolutely.
- [56:56]
Chris Broussard
More than ever. More than we have in the past 10 plus years.
- [57:00]
Covino
I said it yesterday. September and October are going to be overstimulating if you're a baseball fan. And now, you know, on the heels of football coming back, you may very well be completely overstimulated with football. Starting pennant races, playoff baseball, the early part of the NFL season, the next few months are going to be pretty sweet. Know what I want to say that contributes to baseball popping and coming back?
- [57:28]
Chris Broussard
I think baseball cards have something to do with it, believe it or not, because these kids are going wild about it.
- [57:32]
Covino
So let's talk about all the little things adding up. Because sometimes it could be a relationship, it could be a job, it could be something where you're like, what do you love about it? It's like there's not one big thing, like multiple factors. Yesterday with the trade deadline, there wasn't one big star other than Suarez to the Mariners. There wasn't really like a top tier guy in my opinion. Back to the Astros, you might say a couple of the closers, Johan Duran to the Phillies. But I'm saying it wasn't like a year where like Piazza was on the.
- [58:05]
Chris Broussard
Move or Soto was on the move.
- [58:07]
Covino
Or, you know, like it wasn't one of those. No, I think we, we could add up all the little things and say all the little things together. Baseball cards. That's a really good one, Cavino. I really think embracing the celebrating instead of being all tight butt about it. Like when the Dodgers get a double and they do their silly little dance on second base. Yeah. Or when my Mets get a hit, they do that little rolling of the arms, hand up. Or all these teams, when they score a home run, they wear a funny helmet in the dugout, they take like a selfie, they do their little celebrations.
- [58:40]
Chris Broussard
To me, I got another one that.
- [58:43]
Covino
Is also a contributing factor about the.
- [58:45]
Chris Broussard
Hey, I know it's baseball and only 80 year old guys really love us and talk about us, but we're going to do something called City Connect. Jerseys and you know, maybe that'll help bring some excitement. People want to represent a little bit. I think that's great.
- [58:59]
Covino
Without a doubt.
- [59:00]
Chris Broussard
It's moving so fast. The Yankees changed their beard policy, their facial hair policy, so jerseys, these little things mattered. Merch. Yeah.
- [59:09]
Covino
Baseball cards, celebrations stood out to the weenies. Can I tell you something I saw and Colin loves to point out baseball's Poppins are on the same page with the guy we're filling in for, the legendary Colin Cowherd. I can't help but say when you go to a game, now I'm not a, I'm not a bird brain. Well, maybe a little, but I don't need to be completely entertained. But when I tell you the entrances for the closers, the walk up music, all the in stadium stuff is even at a, at another level. Like when Edwin Diaz comes in for the Mets and Timmy Trumpets is blaring. Citi Field now has a light show when Duran, who just got traded to.
- [59:50]
Chris Broussard
You know, maybe you got to thank the Savannah Bananas for that.
- [59:53]
Covino
I mean maybe seriously, add them to the list.
- [59:55]
Chris Broussard
They've stepped up the entertainment factor so much that I'm sure baseball said, hey, why are we shying away from family fun?
- [60:03]
Covino
But you remember like a year ago, who you remember a year ago, the guy that's now a Philly, Johan Duran. We talked about how his entrance for the Minnesota Twins was unbelievable. Like the stadium shuts down and those, the lights go crazy. Those type of things are, are right on the right track. So I think we nailed it here. Baseball's back and each team has stars.
- [60:28]
Chris Broussard
Again and big events like tomorrow, Bristol Motor Speedway. Dude, that's going to be sick.
- [60:36]
Covino
Did you see the overhead of what it looks like when you fit a baseball stadium on a racetrack? It looks insane.
- [60:41]
Chris Broussard
It's the first ever game in the state so that's extra excitement for all the kids out there.
- [60:49]
Covino
The Field of Dreams game.
- [60:51]
Chris Broussard
Feel the dreams.
- [60:52]
Covino
The Field of Dreams game. They do the international play once in a while now. So international stars.
- [60:59]
Chris Broussard
But you know what, Rich, I mentioned in passing, Savannah Bananas, I do believe that opened the door to, hey, baseball's fun and exciting for little kids and families and that could be a stepping stone to watching the big leaguers do their thing. And in related news, I don't know if you saw this yesterday, but sources say the Yankees traded Anthony Volpe to the Savannah Bananas in exchange for 10 foot 9 pitcher and DH Dakota stilts. Albatron, have you seen that?
- [61:29]
Danny Parkins
Yes.
- [61:29]
Covino
It's a good one for you guys.
- [61:30]
Chris Broussard
They got rid of Volpe. We got the guy on the stilts.
- [61:32]
Covino
I know it's gonna be. It's gonna be big time for you.
- [61:34]
Chris Broussard
I can't wait to see this, man. I wasn't sure if it was official, but I saw the meme, so it has to be real Cove.
- [61:40]
Covino
I don't want to discount the Savannah Bananas. Some love it, some roll their eyes at it. But I'm not saying it changed baseball. But you know what?
- [61:49]
Chris Broussard
You don't think it's a nice gateway.
- [61:51]
Covino
For a little kid if you don't think in stadium production crews. And there was. There's been marketing and PR boardroom meetings where it's like, hey, listen, walk with the Savannah Bananas are doing. We need to incorporate some of that stadiums. You know, they have the sausage race.
- [62:06]
Chris Broussard
We need fun Johnson fun.
- [62:08]
Covino
You know they have the sausage race in Millywalke.
- [62:11]
Chris Broussard
Yeah.
- [62:11]
Covino
Every stadium is now sort of doing their own version of stuff like that. I know they got the president's one in D.C. for the nationals, but every stadium now has some type of race. It's no longer just the fifth inning. Guess which hat the ball's under on the scoreboard.
- [62:27]
Chris Broussard
The great city subway race. By the way, I got one. I know you didn't think of. What Rich is doing is compiling a list to figure out why and how we've come so far with baseball in such a short period of time. Just two years ago, we would be talking about NFL, no doubt. No diggity.
- [62:45]
Covino
But you got to ask yourself, you and I are big baseball fans. We grew up playing and loving baseball. And then as we got older, football became king. And baseball was more of a. I wouldn't say niche sport, but more of something where like. Yeah, and I love baseball, but now baseball is popping star power. And I'm even more intrigued being that.
- [63:04]
Chris Broussard
I coach faster pace.
- [63:05]
Covino
I coach baseball now. And these kids are interested, interested.
- [63:08]
Chris Broussard
And again, I give baseball cards a lot of credit because they came back with the. All these special cards and all these cool unboxings you see on social media. You can thank Covid for that. Yeah, maybe. But here's one I know Rich isn't going to bring up, but that is when collectors. That is when a lot of card collectors came back. Oh, you know what, man, there's so many great cards and I'm a big fan. You remember how exciting that was just to get a great card when you were a kid. Imagine how they feel now with all the options, the food. Baseball parks have stepped up the food next level to the point where it's ridiculous. And every year they're releasing new menu items at the ballpark. When you're spending that much money to go, you want to have a good time. I think that also added to the fun. Don't we find ourselves talking about all the stadium items? How stupid is that?
- [63:59]
Covino
The only generic food I ever have at a ballpark is a Dodger Dog because you feel like you have to. But other than that, if I go.
- [64:07]
Chris Broussard
To a stadium, you got so many fun options.
- [64:09]
Covino
We just came back from Atlanta. They have barbecue restaurants within the stadium. They have Chick Fil A's in the stadium.
- [64:15]
Chris Broussard
All the stadiums are personalized to that city. Yeah, there's so many great fun and goofy options. It adds to the fun. You know, baseball lost its way. It became old and boring. It's a game, it's supposed to be fun and exciting and they're leaning more toward that.
- [64:29]
Covino
And you know, boss man hit us up and he said, did you guys, you, you named all that? And you didn't even mention pitch, clock, pace of play, length of game, you know, bad flips, 10th inning guy starts on second base and extra innings, they are moving the game along.
- [64:46]
Chris Broussard
Yeah, I like, I like it and hate it all at the same time. Because when your team has someone at second base automatically in extra innings, you're like, yes. And but when it's the other team, like, no, I hate this.
- [64:56]
Covino
And while we do love the added, while we do love the human element of sports, I'm telling you, the next big one is going to be those, as Danny said yesterday, the two ball strike challenges. And then if you get them right, you get the third one. Because I think even some of these umpire fights and the stare downs and all that, that's good. And the feuds, Danny, your Dodgers and Padres, the rivalry each other, that helps. Mets, Phillies.
- [65:28]
Chris Broussard
You know what I think helps too though? I think again, having the Yankees, Dodgers, Mets, those teams in it, yet still having big market teams competing, like Rich said, that helps. But I think it helps that even though your Dodgers won Danny G. Last year, they're not a hateable team. Shohei, Mookie, Betts, Freeman, they, these guys make that ridiculous team that you have of All Stars, not hateable. So it gets people tuned in. You want to beat the Dodgers, but you don't hate the superstars. There's so Many superstars that you could root for that aren't even on your team, that are likable, and Shohei's one of them. Well, I think that helps.
- [66:06]
Covino
I want to, I want to point out that right now, let's, let's, let's do the math.
- [66:12]
Chris Broussard
I'm a mathematician here, guys. We just came back from Atlanta. Even that derby we were at, the All Star Game, everything about it, the way it ended, in dramatic fashion. The swing off. Yeah, you know, the swing off was ridiculous. The bombs, these monster circus shots, these guys are hitting the exit velocity. When you see guys like o' Neil Cruz just teeing off, you're like, my God. You know, kids love that, man. So it's, it's back in a big way, guys. And the proof is today. That's why we bring it up. Yesterday was the trade deadline and a lot of moves were made. We'll speculate on that, but without a doubt, we'd normally be talking about the Chargers Lions game yesterday. Because you're so quick to move on.
- [66:56]
Covino
You're so right that. Danny. We've been here at Fox sports radio, what, four or five years now?
- [67:01]
Danny Parkins
Almost right about that feels like 10 working with you.
- [67:06]
Covino
We've been doing our show together for, like decades now. I promise you. What is it, 20, 25? Since 2010? I'd say every year until now if you told me. The preseason kicked off in the NFL and there were some, you know, stories about stars like McLaurin and Micah Parsons and Aaron Rodgers, and we were leading with baseball. This is the first, this is the only year baseball's that back in a big way. And right now, there's 50ish games left in baseball. 50ish? Most teams have about 53, 54 games left on the schedule. So with 54 games left.
- [67:46]
Rich Davis
Right now.
- [67:46]
Covino
The Mets and the Phillies are within a half a game of each other. The brewers have a one game lead on the Cubs. The Padres only trail the Dodgers by three. And they just added Mason Miller in the National League. You're looking at that. That's insane. You go to the American League if you think the Yankees are going to roll over. I hate to say it because Kavino's a Yanks guy.
- [68:10]
Chris Broussard
Oh, they beefed up their bullpen.
- [68:12]
Covino
If you think they're going to roll over and just give this division to the Blue Jays. They're three and a half games only.
- [68:17]
Chris Broussard
And Giancarlo Stanton's back, bro.
- [68:20]
Covino
The only division. Which is bunk. I apologize, Twins fans, because she sort of just sold everything yesterday. You just had a yard sale. That's the only division where the Tigers got it. And then the West. You don't think the Mariners, four games.
- [68:36]
Chris Broussard
They made the biggest offensive moves.
- [68:38]
Covino
So, yeah, there's people, there's people that say over the last 50 games, they think the Mariners might be the best team.
- [68:43]
Chris Broussard
Well, that's the other reason, too. You got other fans holding on longer than they've had in previous years. Way more teams have a chance deeper into the season now with the extra wild card and everything else. So, yeah, these are all the reasons. I mean, we went from the fun excitement to baseball cards to the food at the stadium, speeding up the game. That's. That's obvious, man. That definitely helped. People were against it, but they made the move, we reaped the benefits, and now we're talking about it now, dude, the next 50 games, it's going to be electric. And by the way, if you're not a fan of our show Monday through Friday, what's wrong with you? You should be. But Rich and I have a bet of who has has the best record, the Yankees or the mets. And it's $1,000 bet, which isn't going to make or break anybody. But you think I want to lose $1,000 to this guy? Until the Mets get.
- [69:38]
Covino
Until the Mets got cold. I was loving the bet more because the Mets are two games better than the Yanks. Now. Last week when it was like five.
- [69:44]
Chris Broussard
Games, but we raised the stakes. $100 for every extra game that they won by.
- [69:51]
Covino
Yeah.
- [69:51]
Chris Broussard
So, you know, every day on there include. And that's another thing, too, Rich. I think people put an action on games that also helps, you know, so many factors as to why baseball is just way more exciting in the past few years. And we.
- [70:06]
Covino
The proof is today, and this is no ad, but for real, I've been doing. We would do the reads for the DraftKings pick six. Every so often I'll throw ten bucks on like, oh, a Mookie home run with, you know, a Juan Soto, more than one and a half bases, and, oh, Mike Trout with a double. Like, I'll do those, you know, quick little bets. And I think there's so many layers as to why baseball's back. And I think we just named like 10 of them.
- [70:29]
Chris Broussard
I should point out that our afternoon drive show is 80% NFL. So for you guys to lead with baseball. It does point out that that baseball.
- [70:40]
Danny Parkins
Is thriving right now, but the real.
- [70:42]
Chris Broussard
Test is going to be when there are some real NFL games to compete.
- [70:46]
Danny Parkins
With because Rich, it's easy for you to brush over that hall of Fame game last night.
- [70:51]
Chris Broussard
Yeah.
- [70:51]
Danny Parkins
I'm guessing you didn't watch much of it. No, I watched. I watched a half. How much did you watch?
- [70:56]
Covino
I watched, like, 0.0, like, background. I watched. I watched highlights, and I was like. I looked at Trey Lance's box score, and that's it. But you know what? You're right, Danny. If it was Thursday night kickoff, that is by far what we're all watching. It just. It might be more of a reflection that baseball was struggling so much that a preseason football game over the last decade got our interest more. But not. Not right now.
- [71:20]
Chris Broussard
I think everything really started to shift when the postseason started to pop last year.
- [71:27]
Covino
It's the Wild Cards, man.
- [71:28]
Chris Broussard
I. Postseason was so electric last year. So many big moments. That's when it all started to come to fruition and come together. Of course, all the little changes were in place, but that playoff series, that postseason last year really set us up for all this excitement this year.
- [71:43]
Covino
That Padres, Dodgers, first round, the Mets making their ridiculous run. That. That Alonzo home run in the ninth inning.
- [71:51]
Chris Broussard
All those moments.
- [71:52]
Covino
Soto doing the little stare for the Yankees, then hitting a home run. Like everything about the postseason was fantastic.
- [71:59]
Colin Cowherd
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- [74:31]
Rich Davis
This is an iHeart podcast.