Covino & Rich - Pros & All Us Joes

Summary

Podcast Summary: Covino & Rich - Pros & All Us Joes

Title: Covino & Rich - Pros & All Us Joes
Podcast: The Herd with Colin Cowherd
Host/Authors: Steve Covino and Rich Davis
Release Date: June 13, 2025

---

1. Introduction and Current Weekend Vibes (00:54 - 02:15)

Steve Covino and Rich Davis kick off the episode by welcoming listeners to the start of Father's Day weekend. They share light-hearted banter about not "busting each other's chops," reflecting the relaxed yet engaging tone of the show. The hosts emphasize the live broadcast aspect, highlighting their presence on Fox Sports Radio and encouraging listeners to tune in via the iHeartRadio app.

---

2. Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Playoff Series (02:15 - 07:10)

The primary focus of the episode centers on the Indiana Pacers' recent performance in the playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

• Game Analysis: Steve Covino remarks, "Halliburton addressed a few weeks ago how they've just become masters at problem solving. They're able to see what the issue is and resolve it" [02:15]. This strategic adjustment led to the Pacers overcoming a deficit to win the game 116-107 [02:38].

• Jay Z's Betting Woes: Rich Davis introduces a lighter segment discussing Jay Z's unfortunate bet, saying, "Who's the saddest guy in all the land today? Jay Z" [02:50]. The hosts express no sympathy for Jay Z's loss, emphasizing their focus on the Pacers' success.

• Series Momentum: Steve Covino notes the back-and-forth nature of the series, predicting, "Based on this pattern... OKC wins the next game" [03:18]. However, both hosts acknowledge the unpredictability of the playoffs and remain optimistic about the Pacers' chances.

---

3. The Realities of Being a Professional Athlete (07:10 - 33:57)

A substantial portion of the discussion delves into the challenges and misconceptions surrounding the life of professional athletes, inspired by a recent article from The Athletic.

a. Sacrifices and Personal Struggles

• Missing Milestones: Steve Covino highlights the emotional toll of frequent travel, stating, "They missed 17 birthdays in a row" [17:13]. This points to the personal sacrifices athletes make, including missing family events like weddings and birthdays [19:11].

• Travel-Related Strain: The hosts discuss the physical and mental exhaustion from constant travel. Rich Davis mentions, "A baseball player has a Monday or Thursday off, but spent on a plane" [24:13], emphasizing the relentless schedule athletes maintain.

b. Physical and Mental Health

• Injury Concerns: Dan Buyer informs about pitcher Kodai Senga's hamstring strain, underscoring the physical demands athletes face [08:04]. The conversation transitions into broader mental health issues, with Rich Davis aiming "to destigmatize mental health treatment" [00:12].

• Pressure and Performance: The hosts explore how high expectations and constant performance pressure affect athletes, comparing their experiences to other high-stress professions like the presidency [15:25].

c. Privacy and Celebrity Challenges

• Lack of Privacy: Steve Covino and Rich Davis touch upon the impact of fame on personal lives. Covino speculates, "Apparently, some superstars can't even leave their hotel rooms" [36:12], highlighting the isolating aspects of celebrity.

• Public Perception vs. Reality: The conversation acknowledges that while athletes appear to "have it all" with fame and fortune, the reality includes significant personal and professional challenges [33:02].

d. Comparisons to Other Professions

• Broader Work Struggles: Rich Davis draws parallels between athletes and other professionals who travel extensively, such as CEOs and salespeople, noting that athletes receive more compensation but endure similar or greater strains [23:34].

• Longevity and Career Choices: The hosts discuss how athletes, unlike many professionals, retire in their 40s or earlier, facing the challenge of balancing career sacrifices with post-retirement life [22:59].

---

4. Recent Sports News Updates (33:57 - 35:46)

Dan Buyer provides a concise roundup of recent sports events:

• Golf: JJ Spaun leads the US Open with Sungjae Im and others trailing.
• Hockey: Florida leads the Stanley Cup Finals 2-1 against the New York Rangers.
• Baseball: The Mets secure a win against the Nationals; pitcher Kodai Senga faces an injury.
• NFL: Steelers’ coach Mike Tomlin remains optimistic about a contract deal with TJ Watt.
• NBA: Speculations arise around a potential Kevin Durant trade from the Phoenix Suns ahead of the NBA draft.

---

5. Audience Engagement and Interactive Segments (37:10 - 39:45)

The hosts encourage listener participation through interactive segments:

• Old School Memories: They introduce a "when 50 hits" segment, inviting listeners to reminisce about school days in the '80s and '90s. Rich Davis humorously recalls the cumbersome VCRs, while Steve Covino points out the transition from chalkboards to dry-erase boards [40:09].

• Call-In Challenges: Due to technical issues, only one phone line is operational. The hosts challenge listeners to participate despite the limited connectivity, adding humor about the situation [37:24].

---

6. Final Thoughts and Upcoming Topics (35:46 - 42:05)

Steve Covino and Rich Davis wrap up the episode by reiterating the dual nature of professional sports—glamour and significant personal sacrifices. They emphasize the importance of understanding the real challenges athletes face beyond their public personas.

• Sympathy and Empathy: Rich Davis shares, "I do have sympathy... But being away from your family, that's a price tag of its own" [22:36], highlighting the delicate balance between appreciation for athletes and recognition of their struggles.

• Upcoming Content: The hosts tease upcoming segments, including a nostalgic look at school memories and further discussions on the NBA Finals, baseball, and football [36:52].

---

7. Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Steve Covino [02:15]: "Halliburton addressed a few weeks ago how they've just become masters at problem solving. They're able to see what the issue is and resolve it."

• Rich Davis [02:50]: "Who's the saddest guy in all the land today? Jay Z."

• Steve Covino [16:19]: "Podcasters do that, too."

• Rich Davis [22:36]: "I think the unsung heroes are the guys that travel with these teams that aren't paid that way."

• Steve Covino [33:02]: "But we really are living the dream. They really are."

---

8. Conclusions and Takeaways

The episode provides a balanced view of the lives of professional athletes, juxtaposing their public success with the private challenges they endure. Steve Covino and Rich Davis effectively use personal anecdotes, sports analysis, and audience engagement to delve deep into the topic, offering listeners a comprehensive understanding of the often overlooked aspects of athletic careers. The hosts advocate for greater empathy and recognition of the sacrifices made by athletes, challenging the glorified perception commonly held by the public.

---

This summary captures the essence of the "Covino & Rich - Pros & All Us Joes" episode, highlighting key discussions and insights while omitting non-content segments such as advertisements and intros.

Transcript

[Steve Covino]

This is an I Heart Podcast.

[Rich Davis]

Hear insightful, entertaining discussions on today's important health and wellness topics on the Health.

[Dan Buyer]

Discovered podcast from WebMD.

[Rich Davis]

Through in depth conversations with experts, Health Discovered covers everything from tips for healthier living to the latest on therapy and mental health. My goal is to really destigmatize mental health treatment and looking at it from a whole health perspective, physical health and mental health can be intertwined.

[Iowa Sam]

Listen to WebMD Health Discovery on the.

[Rich Davis]

Iheartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Steve Covino]

Hey, thanks for listening to the Covino Enrich podcast.

[Rich Davis]

Be sure to catch us live every.

[Steve Covino]

Weekday from 5 to 7 Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio.

[Rich Davis]

Find your local station for Kavito and [e-mail] or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.

[Steve Covino]

Aw yeah. Welcome to the show. Hey, Thursday, the new Friday bro weekend begins. Father's Day weekend begins as of now. Which means don't go busting Dad's chops. As my dad would say.

[Rich Davis]

Don't go busting my chops.

[Steve Covino]

Don't go busting my chops.

[Rich Davis]

Yeah, that's all dad wants. Honestly. Does dad want a present?

[Steve Covino]

Dad wants a macaroni tie. No. Yeah, he does.

[Rich Davis]

Dad just wants. Dad just wants. No one fighting.

[Steve Covino]

A hug maybe. So the weekend begins Thursday night. Hope you're having a great one. Hey, Zaddy.

[Rich Davis]

What's up, Big Daddy?

[Steve Covino]

Big Daddy Iowa. Sam, he's on the buttons. We got Danny G. Super producing spot on the videos at Covino. And Rich DB Is here. Fathers, we be rocking out. Let's go.

[Rich Davis]

He's the daddy.

[Steve Covino]

Broadcasting live from the Fox Sports Radio studio. Remember to stream our show actually streaming live on fox Sports Radio's YouTube channel now. And our bonus pod debuts after the show today on Fox Sports Radio's YouTube channel. So two hours from now over promised episode 96. But thank you for checking it out. And the new and improved iHeartRadio app. Remember, preset us, don't forget us, preset us just like you do in the car. Fox Sports radio number one on your preset. I'm Steve Covino. That is Rich Davis.

[Rich Davis]

That number one in your hearts.

[Steve Covino]

87799 on Fox is the number everything Ovino and Rich, hope you had a pacer sort of night. I thought the coolest thing that Halliburton addressed a few weeks ago was that how they've just become masters at problem solving. They're able to see what the issue is, resolve it. If there is A problem? Yo, he'll solve it.

[Rich Davis]

Check out the hook. Well, Halliburton.

[Steve Covino]

So they make adjustments, turn it around in the fourth quarter, and bam. Your Pacers are up two games to one. 116, 107.

[Rich Davis]

Now, who's the saddest guy in all the land today?

[Steve Covino]

Who?

[Rich Davis]

Jay Z. I don't care.

[Steve Covino]

Lost one deadly squat about that guy.

[Rich Davis]

Oh, but he bet a million.

[Steve Covino]

Yeah, but you keep talking about it. Couldn't care. I'm not saying it's not news. I'm just saying I feel zero sympathy at all for that guy.

[Rich Davis]

I didn't say. I didn't say you should be all bent about it, but I'm saying Jay Z was so good. Cocksure.

[Steve Covino]

You want to bet? Yeah. You want to bet a million dollars? Beat it. I'm glad he's losing.

[Iowa Sam]

And it's like you dropping 100, you.

[Rich Davis]

Know, you're so confident that you bet a million on Thunder and five, and then just like that, three games in your bets, done.

[Steve Covino]

And it's such a battle. Like I said, it came down to the fourth quarter, very close game. The Pacers, problem solved, figured it out, made their shots, played good D, turned it around, pulled away with it in the fourth quarter. It's been so back and forth that every time a team loses, the next team wins. So based on this pattern, and it's been the same for both teams throughout the postseason, throughout the playoffs, OKC wins the next game. You follow that pattern, Indiana Pacers win this, and maybe Danny G. Is right all along. We'll see what happens.

[Rich Davis]

Let me throw this out. I had written down first hour, our Jay Z sympathies.

[Steve Covino]

No, no, it's. It's a fun tidbit of information, but if you think I care at all, and I'm a Jay Z fan, I'm not saying that he stinks or anything like that, but you want to blow money and risk money like that, you deserve to lose.

[Rich Davis]

Yeah. Hov. Losing that bet is like betting the under. And if you're a football gambler, you know this feeling. You bet the under, and it's like 21:10 in the first quarter, and you're like, yeah, this ain't gonna work.

[Iowa Sam]

You know the. The secret weapon for the Pacers? Iowa, Sam, you're going to like this stat. The Pacers playoff record with Caitlin Clark in attendance, eight. No.

[Rich Davis]

They finally won a game three, too.

[Steve Covino]

Yeah. Lost game three in each of their series, finally won one. So maybe she is the good luck charm. Iowa, Sam, you're onto something. There? I think so, man. So a big night for the Pacers. And man, just OKC was so dominant all season long. SGA mvp. You're thinking that they got this easy and it doesn't look that way as of now, but hey, we'll see.

[Rich Davis]

Please, if you don't think that OKC comes back in game four, ties it up. Listen, there might be.

[Steve Covino]

I think they will.

[Rich Davis]

There might be all these jabronis that are like swole market team. This is going to go seven and we are going to get some thrills. There's no way one of these teams just closes it out because if anything, you imagine that the Thunder will find a way. SGA didn't have a great game. They did. And the Bench won that game for the Pacers.

[Steve Covino]

So, and we said it from the start, yes, small market team might equal bad ratings for the NBA, but it doesn't mean we're not going to have a battle for the real fans actually care and want to tune in. So that's what we're getting so far. I'm digging it.

[Rich Davis]

And that's the misconception. I saw someone hit us up on Twitter yesterday with that same dumb debate saying that we were insinuating it's not a good finals because of the small market teams. No, no, we've never said that. What we've said is the networks don't like it, but the true NBA basketball fans are going to get a great series.

[Iowa Sam]

Before the Finals started, we pointed out it was a great matchup.

[Rich Davis]

Yeah, it's.

[Iowa Sam]

I was and I thought it was going to be fast paced and a lot of energy on the floor and that's what we've got.

[Rich Davis]

And you're absolutely right. I just pointed out that who cares about the networks but they're the ones that are like, oh no. I do agree with Oklahoma.

[Steve Covino]

One thing Jason McInty said on the Herd, it's the lack of star power where the casual fans sort of tune out therefore and small market, therefore, the ratings will be down. But we're really great NBA Finals.

[Rich Davis]

You could argue that SGA doesn't appear to be the guy that carries that LeBron Steph Curry torch because if he were, then we'd be excited about the beginning of a, of a dynasty right now. Damn buyer.

[Dan Buyer]

And guys, just a heads up with that. Cavino could have referenced me saying it on his own show yesterday, but he chose to use Jason McIntyre on a completely different show on Fox Sports Radio.

[Rich Davis]

You know what? You're a Camino guy. Yeah, I don't know.

[Dan Buyer]

We'll see. Not too sure, Dan.

[Steve Covino]

Consider it me keeping you on your toes. I wasn't sure you were paying attention.

[Rich Davis]

Is that what it is?

[Iowa Sam]

Oh, man.

[Dan Buyer]

You know, I remember Mike Harmon always telling me how his dad always said, stop kissing us.

[Steve Covino]

What do you mean?

[Dan Buyer]

I said, jason Smith show with Mike Harmon, weeknights on FOX Sports Radio 7 Pacific.

[Steve Covino]

What the hell? I just making sure you were listening. That's.

[Rich Davis]

That's okay. He's testing you, Dan. He's testing you.

[Steve Covino]

You're right, it is. It's a lack of star power, but guys like Halliburton are stepping up. There are bench players, like you said, that are stepping up. You're still going to get a battle, so don't be sleeping on it. And again, hope you had a Pacers night. They're up two to one. And then you got your game four on Friday and game four, NHL tonight.

[Rich Davis]

Well, Stanley cup again, another series that could be tied up at the end of tonight. That's 2:1 right now. We'll see what happens. I do have to selfishly check in with my guy, Dan Buyer. He's slowly becoming a rich Davis guy. I can tell. How's my. How's my dude? Cody sang his hamstring.

[Dan Buyer]

So this is all that we know. MRI scheduled for tomorrow after injuring it today in a game that they almost gave away after his injury.

[Rich Davis]

I know the Mets are hot. They won six in a row. Best record in baseball.

[Steve Covino]

And I hate Soto. Heating up. I hate it. I can see it.

[Rich Davis]

Soto, he's got that look in his eye.

[Steve Covino]

I hate him.

[Rich Davis]

I hate him. I hate Kavito. Hate Soto so.

[Steve Covino]

Because you could feel it happening as a Yankees fan sitting there watching like, oh, no, here it goes.

[Rich Davis]

I'll tell you, he's doing for the Mets that thing he did that I admired so much when he was on your Yankees, where he swings through a pitch, looks at the pitcher and he.

[Steve Covino]

Gives him a okay, like, I figured you out.

[Rich Davis]

And then the next pitch hits a rocket. I remember him doing that on the Yankees in the postseason last year, saying, yo, that is ridiculous. But you know what?

[Steve Covino]

That ties into what we're saying about the Pacers and the magic that they're finding, able to figure it out, like, oh, okay, I got you now. And that's what Soto's saying to the pitcher in that moment. And that's what the Pacers are able to do. They're able to adjust and make the changes to be like, you know what? We figured it out. We got it now. We're going to win. And we've seen that, man. That's been the difference. And it's working for your boy Juan Soto, too, right now. Well, you see, it's clicking. It's clicking.

[Rich Davis]

I'm going to credit our very own Dan Buyer. I'm not going to, you know, shout out another show like you because I, I respect Dan Buyer, thank you very much. But it was just Dan yesterday who said, rich, a plethora of starting pitching cannot be a bad thing for your team. Because I said the Mets got guys like Frankie Montas and Mania coming back. Where are they going to make room? Hey, listen, if Senga, knock on wood, hopefully has like a mild hamstring, hamstring strain, you miss a starter, too, you put in Blackburn or Montes when he comes back. So I think this is where you, you see that depth is never a bad thing, especially in starting.

[Dan Buyer]

It will be an stint for sure, but just how long, we don't know yet.

[Rich Davis]

It's two weeks and he misses two to three starts. Hey, listen, he has a league leading 1.47 ERA. So sang his health down the line, way more important than rushing him back, especially when the Mets have again, a pretty decent depth at the starting pitching position. And you know what, Cavino, on top of all that, there are rumors that come trade deadline, it could be your Yankees or my Mets that bring Jacob deGrom back to New York. Have you seen those rumors?

[Steve Covino]

Yeah. I mean, it could happen.

[Rich Davis]

I'll say this, as much as I want to hate on your Yankees in a playoff series, if you had Max Freed and Jacob deGrom, one, two punch, you know what?

[Steve Covino]

I give that a James Hetfield. Ooh. Yeah.

[Rich Davis]

And imagine if you had Garrett Cole, too. But then again, he's not a big playoff guy. He has stumbled in the playoffs.

[Steve Covino]

But this might be his chance to show that he's got it. He could earn that reign. Because Rich's biggest criticism about deGrom is he left the Mets to win with the Rangers, but he really didn't play with the Rangers.

[Rich Davis]

No, I'm saying deGrom's a big game pitcher. Garrett Cole.

[Steve Covino]

Oh, Cole.

[Rich Davis]

Yeah, he hasn't been. So I'm saying when you lost Cole, a lot of people said, well, how can the Yankees, they're going to win 90 games, they'll make the playoffs. But the Yankees got to do something to make the fact that they lost Garrett Cole.

[Steve Covino]

Except big moves don't come cheap. So you might have to lose a Jason Dominguez or something like That a high young prospect or player?

[Rich Davis]

Well, if you don't know what I'm talking about, I'll wrap up the baseball talk quick with. Earlier today, the Mets continued their their winning ways and on a ground ball to first base code Senga, Mets ace Cy Young level candidate this year runs over to first base to cover Pete Alonzo, who's been errant with his throws here and there. You saw it against your Yankees. Yeah, he tosses the ball a little high to Senga and you see him overextend the leg and he comes down and starts rolling on the floor and it's like, oh, no. Scary. Come on. He walks off the field. So they're hoping it's just mild, but yet happens all the time in sports. You just hope you have depth. All right. Hey, the number 87799 on Fox. I don't know if it's working right now, so give it a shot later if you want, we'll play a game. Maybe we'll do something to give away some prizes. We got a lot doing today.

[Steve Covino]

Yeah. Speaking of baseball, and it's not just baseball. This applies to all of sports, but especially baseball because baseball is the longest schedule. There was an article from the athletic New York times.com Athletic about how 130 ballplayers were interviewed and surveyed and they went over the misconceptions. That's the real pronunciation.

[Rich Davis]

I never get surveyed. Have you ever been surveyed?

[Steve Covino]

Never.

[Rich Davis]

Has anyone ever come up to you.

[Steve Covino]

And said survey says, minus Rich Davis.

[Rich Davis]

Family Feud, ratings, tv, radio. Has anyone ever surveyed you politics? You know, they'd be like, this guy's leading in the political polls. No one's ever asked me crap.

[Dan Buyer]

I only skipped surveys. Would you like to skip survey? Yes. If I knew it was for Family Feud, I'd be like, sign me up.

[Steve Covino]

You know that's true, right? You, you do skip it. So that's probably it. You probably are asked Rich.

[Rich Davis]

But anyway, the athlete, that's what all.

[Dan Buyer]

Those Netflix and YouTube things, they're actually for Family Feud and we're just skipping them.

[Rich Davis]

Damn. Yeah, man. I never. Surveys. Survey says what?

[Steve Covino]

Kavino survey says there's a lot of ballplayers out there that are saying there's a lot of misconceptions of what it's like to be a big leaguer. Now again, if you're not a baseball fan, it doesn't matter because this applies to all professional sports. And my question right off the gate is, do you feel bad for the.

[Rich Davis]

Hold on.

[Steve Covino]

It's kind of hard to have sympathy goes back to the Jay Z thing, when these guys are making millions of dollars and living the dream.

[Rich Davis]

Hold on. When you say all professional sports, you include hot dog eating or.

[Steve Covino]

No, of course I do. Yes.

[Rich Davis]

Make sure I could put Joey Chestnut in this conversation.

[Steve Covino]

I mean, of course it's the tough side of sports. That's basically what they're talking about in this new article. The challenges and the misconceptions of what it's like to be a big leaguer. Many baseball players can recognize the privilege that they have of playing the sport for a living. But every job, your job, people in the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB has its share of challenges. Our life is awesome, but it's not as easy as people think it is. Yeah, money and celebrity and hitting home runs and playing a kids game, it's fun, but it's not all it's cut out to be. That's what they're saying. And they go over some of the things that some people sometimes forget about. And I'm wondering again, do you feel bad? Do you keep these things in mind or do you not care at all? Get out there and play and get out there and win because you're compensated fairly for it.

[Rich Davis]

Look at it this way. The other day I forgot what the conversation was because we talk about a million things every day. We're the most, not only interactive, but we cover so much in this two hour span. The other day we were just talking about how no matter what your job is, you're going to have moments where it sucks. Remember, I even referenced like, you could be an adult film star. Be like, man, today I got to go. It's a me and four women. There's even dudes in the adult industry that are like, man, I hate my job. Today, no matter what you do, you could be a starting quarterback in the NFL. And there's days where like, man, this stinks. And dude, you're a quarterback.

[Steve Covino]

Hey, that's life, right? But their life is not all sunshine and rainbows, as the great Rocky Balboa said.

[Rich Davis]

I mean, dude, think about presidents of the United States. You talk about, is there any more of an honor than being the president? And you always see those before and after pictures of Obama, Clinton, Bush and Trump. Like you age thankless.

[Steve Covino]

Yeah, four years later, you look like old man Clements anytime. They always, they often compare like manager of the Yankees the same way too. I mean, any coach or big league manager, it's highly stressful. You're putting wear and tear and age on your body. Dealing with the Media dealing with the day to day grind. So the athletic covers MLB players and the biggest misconceptions about travel and missing family events. Now, Danny G, Sam Beyer, Rich. This whole thing was done anonymously, though. I don't know how you feel about that.

[Rich Davis]

I like that. I like it because people will not be scared to give a real answer. Because if, let's say Bryce Harper or Mike Trout or Pete Alonzo or some big star said something, you might be like, oh, yeah, okay. Crybaby.

[Steve Covino]

I bet you Juan Soto said all of this stuff. That's my guess.

[Rich Davis]

You love Juan Soto.

[Steve Covino]

I could be here, but I miss my family. I bet you Soto said all this.

[Rich Davis]

I.

[Steve Covino]

That's my guess.

[Rich Davis]

I feel like before we even get into this, yeah, I'm gonna have way more sympathy. Okay, so you're a like, work, work, work type of guy.

[Steve Covino]

I'll give you some of the examples. Well, you got to keep in mind, Rich, they're playing a kid's game. They're living the dream. These are the players blessed from the gods that actually made it. Every young boy all over the world, especially here in America, you pick up a bat and like, you know what? Even before you have the stupid thought of, I'm gonna be an astronaut, you're like, I'm gonna play in the big leagues.

[Rich Davis]

I'm gonna be a fireman.

[Steve Covino]

I'm gonna play in the NFL. They're living the dream.

[Rich Davis]

Yeah.

[Steve Covino]

And they're getting paid millions of dollars. Women, celebrity mansions, fast cars, they got it all. But they're saying there is a tough side. And one of the things that comes up is, dude, I missed my mom. I missed 17 birthdays in a row. I didn't even get to celebrate with my mom. Missed his family's birthday. Seventeen years in a row was one of the stories. And forget about your mom. Even though time with your mom and dad is limited, and that's important. Part of that is missing your own kids birthdays and missing them grow up. So that's. That's a big, big factor for all professional sports because you're traveling all the time. And that's another thing, the travel. There seems to be a giant misconception of, yeah, they got on a plane, whoop dee doo. But the wear and tear that it takes on your body to recover, the packing up every week that no one ever factors in. And when you think about what a drag it is to pack up, like, even if you're going to the sweetest destination, you know, you put off packing to the last minute. Because it sucks. They have to do that every. Basically every other week.

[Rich Davis]

Yep.

[Steve Covino]

If not every week. So traveling, packing up, missing birthdays, the feeling of they're letting people down. This was another big one too. They see their time is so limited. It's like they got to get out there, take some batting practice. They see these kids and they want to sign autographs and everything. But you know what? They got to get out. They got to get ready. They got to pack, they got to get on a flight. They got to get into the clubhouse and get ready. They don't have time for all that. So they feel like they're letting kids down all the time. They come across as arrogant and that's never how they want to be perceived, but that's how they are left feeling. And that's how people talk about them on social media, which is a whole other aspect of the misconceptions and downside of everything that we seem to glorify.

[Rich Davis]

I saw something in this athletic article that hit me which was, yeah, you missed some birthdays and events for your kids. One of the anonymous players said he hasn't been to the wedding of a family member or friend in a decade. Because weddings are always, usually what, spring and summer or fall weekends. And if you're playing and your team makes the postseason, you're not. You're not going to a wedding. You. You are missing every wedding unless it's in a little couple month window because.

[Iowa Sam]

It might be a good thing. Been to some weddings where you didn't want to be there.

[Rich Davis]

Danny, I don't want to do the.

[Steve Covino]

Conga to bust your poind.

[Iowa Sam]

No, thank you.

[Rich Davis]

I'm a huge wedding fan. I love going to wedd.

[Iowa Sam]

Does not surprise me.

[Steve Covino]

I love Rich shows off his electric slide.

[Rich Davis]

I love drinking. I love dancing. I love seeing love. I love a wedding.

[Steve Covino]

Well, speaking of summers, Rich, when these weddings go down anonymously, of course. I haven't had a summer since I was 8 or 9 years old. Think about that conga line now.

[Rich Davis]

Okay, say that one again. That's a big one.

[Steve Covino]

You haven't had a summer since you were 8 or 9.

[Rich Davis]

But you know what?

[Steve Covino]

You have probably some sort of built in pool, some sort of grotto probably in your own backyard that you don't diving off of. I'm sure you're able to use it from here, here and there.

[Iowa Sam]

I mean, can we go back to the travel really quick?

[Steve Covino]

Yeah. They're saying it's way more of a grind than we could ever imagine.

[Iowa Sam]

I understand that it takes some out of you to travel. But I feel bad for players way back in the day who traveled commercial, who traveled on broken down buses. Nowadays they are in the of luxury. These teams really take good care of them. And in your life as a famous athlete, you have a lot of people trying to help you. Like if you watch the starting five on Netflix, Anthony Edwards, his uncle did all of his packing for him for every trip and Anthony Edwards threw him some money. He said every other week he gave him some money for helping out. These guys are not doing this on their own. Some of them might be, but a lot of them have the family support. Do their wives have to grind and do a 9 to 5 like our wives do? I'm sure they're there to support that.

[Steve Covino]

Well, Dan, I'm glad you brought that up too. And you're right, there's a flip side, right? Hey, man, you got the money to make all these things happen. But think of the, think of the pressure you're putting on your significant other who signed up for this lifestyle, right? But that puts a major strain on your relationship. So not only are you missing out on time with your kids, major strain on any relationship in your life. That's why, hate to quote him, but he did it all, right? He did everything.

[Iowa Sam]

There's more strain not having money to pay your bills and your significant other having that sort of stress.

[Steve Covino]

You know, a lot of people say absence makes the heart grow fonder. It sometimes makes the heart grow colder. And that wife, that significant other starts getting bitter towards you not being there and she's picking up all the slack while you're hitting home runs.

[Rich Davis]

I agree being broke is worse than missing someone in so many cases.

[Steve Covino]

But you know the guy who had the greatest blueprint to life, Derek Jeter, didn't get married, didn't have kids, didn't do any of these things until his career was over.

[Iowa Sam]

And that's why, if I was a professional athlete, I think I would wait as well.

[Steve Covino]

There's still other things to get to the downside because we do, we glorify, glorify it every day. What are some of those other things that maybe we have a misconception of? It's all in this article from the Athletic and we'll get to it.

[Rich Davis]

Next, I, I think about it and I'm going to read our feedback at Covino and Rich.

[Steve Covino]

Well, the question is, do you have any sympathy?

[Rich Davis]

I do, I do, I do. I listen because I know it's a big thing to say, well, put money aside because money's such a big part of it. It's like, it's telling you to put the biggest element aside, you know, put aside the $50 million you're making in the NBA. That's hard to put aside. But being away from your family, that's a price tag of its own, right?

[Steve Covino]

It is. And it's a sacrifice.

[Rich Davis]

I think, you know, the unsung heroes are the guys that travel with these teams that aren't paid that way.

[Steve Covino]

Podcasters do that, too.

[Rich Davis]

I think about it all the time.

[Steve Covino]

Like, don't you wonder how Michael guys like Michael K have a life?

[Rich Davis]

My. We have, we have a buddy that works with the wwe. We have friends that work for the NBA or like baseball, like Steve Gelbs and Gary Cohen and these guys that they're going on every road trip. To me, some of those jobs seem so cool. Like, oh, man, that must be awesome. I don't think I would ever want to do it.

[Steve Covino]

Yeah. You're sacrificing a lot.

[Dan Buyer]

Yeah. And I don't think that ball players are the only profession that travels.

[Steve Covino]

No.

[Dan Buyer]

So, like, there's others where CEOs and people are flying across country and doing.

[Iowa Sam]

This and people in sales.

[Dan Buyer]

Yeah.

[Rich Davis]

And they're making a fraction of the money, right?

[Dan Buyer]

Absolutely.

[Rich Davis]

And they're not playing a kid's game.

[Dan Buyer]

And they're doing it year round. And that's the one place where I have, like, sympathy and empathy is where you just, you don't get a day, like, very rare. Like, you get a day off, but that day off maybe like, hey, we're traveling to Baltimore because we got to start a three game set at that point to, to sit there and always have to be there and in baseball player mode for five straight months or waiting up at least to the All Star break.

[Rich Davis]

I think the All Star break is in the All Star breaks, like three days.

[Dan Buyer]

Yes.

[Rich Davis]

And we make it seem like they got a month off. Dan Byer, again, amazing point. And I'll tell you why.

[Steve Covino]

Why you kissing a.

[Rich Davis]

Because Dan's right.

[Steve Covino]

Yes.

[Rich Davis]

We, we do our show here on Fox Sports Radio on Friday. We don't do our other podcast on Fridays. We have so sort of like a half day. We just do this show. Then we have Friday night, Saturday, Sunday. And we sometimes be like, man, that wasn't enough to refresh. Dan Byers.

[Steve Covino]

Right.

[Rich Davis]

A baseball player has a Monday or Thursday off, but, you know, spent on a plane.

[Steve Covino]

There's a flip side, like Danny G. Pointed out before, they also have youth on their side. So tell me when you were in your early 20s and early 30s, in the prime of your career. You weren't putting in the extra work, the extra hours, the extra grind. It's kind of what they're doing for the rest of their life because they have the rest of their adult life to sort of chill. Their career's over.

[Dan Buyer]

At 40, I traveled for college football early at my time here at Fox Sports Radio. It was every weekend at a different game and usually on the other side of the country, you were grinding. It was, but it was every weekend. So I'd come back, fly back on a Sunday, leave again on a Thursday. And it was the same way circle through the one week where they're like, we don't, we're not going to a game that week and we're not covering. It was amazing. It was like it was worth the world to not just go on a plane that one weekend after doing it for 10 straight weeks.

[Rich Davis]

I don't know if you've noticed because of our industry, Dan Byer, I'm sure you follow a lot of broadcasters and you're, you know, acquaintances with folks that work for fox, espn, NBC. You do notice that once the season ends, they all go on like three week vacation with, with their family. Like you always see, like, oh, there's Kevin Burkhardt on a, you know, on a vacation for three weeks or hey, there's this guy, you know, why Cavino? Because they put so much time in that when that season ends, it's, it's, you know, they have the only time of the year to do what they want to do.

[Steve Covino]

Exactly. And there's more reasons that you might feel a little bad for them or not at all. Are you hearing waaaaaah? Is that what you're hearing or are you saying, you know what, never thought of it that way. I kind of understand. Again, this is from the athletic. We'll discuss it even further. Plus, we got Dodgers news and more on the Cavino enriched and more. Look at that and more.

[Rich Davis]

I can't wait for the more. All right. Hey, Travis Matthew, we're going to be in Vegas next week, see our new.

[Steve Covino]

Little Travis Matthew Father's Day commercial. It's on the Fox Sports Radio Instagram.

[Rich Davis]

I would go there right now and check it out.

[Steve Covino]

FOX Sports Radio, you want to see.

[Iowa Sam]

Some cool gear, nice shirts, ugly logos. Hey, not the TM logo, the team logos you guys have.

[Rich Davis]

Well, I have my sweet Met shirt on in one of the videos. And listen, you can get your team, they have the sports collection. They got those featherweight Jeans, they got polo shirts, they got shoes. They got everything. So if you're trying to gear up, spring is ending, summer's here. You got to get some new summer stuff. No better place than travismathieu.com also, because if you sign up for the email, you're going to get 20% off.

[Steve Covino]

And the footwear. Oh, boy. Unparalleled comfort, style, and performance, whether you're hitting the gym, playing around, or exploring the city. Perfect pair of shoes for you this summer to elevate your look and your step. Again, 20% off your first order when you sign up for email. All at Travismathieu. Look at Sam rocking out. He knows a traveling man. Denny's boy, LeBron James. He be traveling Iowa. Sam on the ones and twos. Danny G's on the phones at 877-99-FOX. I usually say meager, like Bob Seeger, but this one's the jam right here.

[Iowa Sam]

Am I really on the phones right now, though?

[Rich Davis]

Is he really? The phones are broken.

[Iowa Sam]

Yeah. We'll explain in a. Not broken all the way. There's one line open right now, right?

[Steve Covino]

There's one line open. DB's got your updates in about five minutes. We're Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. Again, congrats to the Pacers taking the game last night. 116, 107. Ran away with it in the fourth. Talked about that. And in the world of professional sports, it's a glorified business. They get paid like rock stars. They're living the life. But in a recent article from the Athletic, they anonymously interviewed about 130 big leaguers. And, man, they were all talking about the dark side, the downside of how tough it is to be a professional athlete, especially in the world of baseball. And we can't really fault them. Like, it does sound like waa. Because life's tough, and no one has it really that much better than them. And are we gonna fault grown men for opening up when they were asked? And how often do people say, why can't men have feelings, too?

[Rich Davis]

Men have, right?

[Steve Covino]

Like, we're gonna. We're gonna crucify these guys for opening up for once. It's not like they complain all the time. That's what this article was about. You know what?

[Rich Davis]

Danny G has great thoughts. He's on the phones on our one phone line that's working. So you're gonna be. You better be good if you call today. But you said. I was saying was rocking out. I have to bring this up because.

[Steve Covino]

I. I thought he was training for the air guitar championship.

[Rich Davis]

Because I have ADD to the fullest.

[Steve Covino]

Why don't you take care of that? Because I was about to say something. Today's show or yesterday's show or both.

[Rich Davis]

I'm saying every show. Yeah, you said you were rocking out. Today's the anniversary of the movie Dirty work with Norm MacDonald and I know you're a big Norm fan.

[Dan Buyer]

Love that movie.

[Rich Davis]

One of my favorite scenes ever is when the late Chris Farley goes up to the jukebox when they're about to have a big bar fight. And he's like, yeah, let's rock out G7. And he hits the wrong song.

[Steve Covino]

But there was a specific, like, fight song that he wanted to cue up. I forget which one it was. Is he the guy who had that Saigon wife who bit his. No, I'm using the wife but bit his nose off? Yes. That was Chris Farley.

[Rich Davis]

Yeah.

[Steve Covino]

In the Dirty Work classic.

[Rich Davis]

Just. Hey, that was on this day in 98.

[Steve Covino]

If you're not catching it, he hit the wrong song on the jukebox. So they have a full on brawl at the bar to this song.

[Rich Davis]

Pina Colada song. Rupert Holmes.

[Steve Covino]

Now, Rich, I was about to say to give this story some more juice.

[Iowa Sam]

Yeah.

[Steve Covino]

It's missing your kids growing up. It's the traveling. It's not being there. But they also express that even when your family's in town, they're there to support you, but you don't have time for them because you're obligated to be there at practice. Like your schedule doesn't align with everything they're doing. Your hours are always off. And we can't forget the struggle that they all put in just to be there with the minor league salaries and things like that.

[Rich Davis]

Can I give you the weakest mild comparison?

[Steve Covino]

Sure.

[Rich Davis]

Next weekend we're going to be having a big event in Vegas. The head count is getting a little out of control. Keep them coming. I'm excited. This could be our biggest party we've ever had. My wife's coming, bro.

[Iowa Sam]

All seven of my kids are coming.

[Rich Davis]

Danny. I already told my wife, like, I'm probably not going to talk to you much.

[Steve Covino]

Yeah, we all have to divide, conquer.

[Rich Davis]

Because we're going to be schmoozing and being thankful for the listeners and support. So I said, honey. And so it's like a wedding that's like a small microcosm, but you still.

[Iowa Sam]

They still get to give you a hug. What about our military?

[Rich Davis]

That's true.

[Steve Covino]

Oh, yeah. See, when you put it you don't.

[Iowa Sam]

Get to go visit your, your mom or dad when they're in the military.

[Rich Davis]

That's also chosen. There's no draft. They choose that life.

[Iowa Sam]

You chose the professional sports life as well.

[Steve Covino]

How many people in this country are check to check, right? So a lot of people reading this.

[Iowa Sam]

And like 75% of us.

[Steve Covino]

Yeah. So a lot of people like, oh, you didn't get to go to the wedding. And I do sympathize with a lot of their schedule and a lot of the struggles. It's gotta be tough. But like Danny G. Said, they made that choice. They're living that life. But please keep in mind too, the flip side here is these dudes are done at 40 something years old. They got the rest of their life to do everything else. That's not the case for the average American person.

[Rich Davis]

But you keep saying it like, the rest of your life is guaranteed and oh, you're gonna live to 90 and have a healthy, long life.

[Steve Covino]

But Rich, that's a better you w. This is a better lottery draw grab than what regular people have, you know.

[Rich Davis]

To compare it to a celebrity couple. That's why it was very talked about when Travis Kelsey and Taylor Swift seemed to go above and beyond to be there for each other, which got a lot of eye rolls, but a lot of attention because, you know, he's going to Japan. Showing up to a game. She in between her tour stops were like, you know, I don't. I love this dude. She's thinking, I gotta go see him. And when you really think about those two, easy to mock. But that's what made them such an interesting story last year. Right.

[Steve Covino]

I think the takeaway here is, yes, these guys are living the life in all professional sports. They really are. They're living the dream.

[Rich Davis]

And they were asked, by the way, what the, what the setback is.

[Steve Covino]

But it's not all fun. It's not all sunshine and rainbows. Not to repeat myself, but it's just not all glamour and glitz. There's a lot of downside, I would say.

[Iowa Sam]

It's like a movie set, Covino. Like we put actors and actresses up on a pedestal.

[Steve Covino]

Yeah.

[Iowa Sam]

But there's so much downtime, you know.

[Steve Covino]

Just to hurry up and wait life.

[Iowa Sam]

Exactly.

[Steve Covino]

They're sitting around on time with the fans.

[Iowa Sam]

Yes. Their lives are very interesting. We see the finished product.

[Steve Covino]

Right.

[Iowa Sam]

But we're not there during the grind of it all, so.

[Steve Covino]

And truthfully, we don't care. So they have to deal with that too. Nobody cares that, you know, we play 162 games a year. We don't. We really don't. But this article is trying to express that. Hey, man, it's not as easy as we think.

[Rich Davis]

Yeah, let's go to my favorite news anchor. Maybe not Cavinos. Dan Buyer. What's going on, man?

[Dan Buyer]

When? Monty's here in an hour. I know that answer may change, but since he's not here, I'll take it right now.

[Rich Davis]

What's up, buddy?

[Dan Buyer]

Right now at the US Open, there is a lead at four under par and it's held by JJ Spawn. Sungjae Im got it to five under at one point, but has dropped a couple of shots. He's now in a group that's at three under par. That includes Sam Burns and Tristan Lawrence, who's in the clubhouse after a round of 67. John Roms at two under par, as is Cameron Young and Siwu Cam. As for world number one, Scotty Scheffler, he's on the course right now, but two over par through 13 holes. Couple of other notables. Jordan Spieth is one under par through 14 holes and currently three shots back of the lead. Brooks Koepka even par through 15. Bryson DeChambeau shot 73 today, puts him at plus three. Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson each shoot 74. They are at plus four. Stanley Cup Final game four tonight. Oilers and Panthers, 8 o' clock Eastern Time. Florida's up in the series two games to one. New York Rangers traded Chris Crider to the Anaheim Ducks today while in baseball. Mets got that win against the Nationals 4 3, but pitcher Kodai Senga likely heading to the injured list because of a hamstring strain. Met say he'll get an MRI tomorrow. Rangers routed the Twins 16 to 3. Rockies trying to come back against the Giants, but running out of time. Seven to five right now in the bottom of the eighth inning in favor of San Francisco. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said today that he's optimistic they get a deal done. TJ Watt, who was sitting out mandatory minicamp because he wants a new deal. And ESPN reports that there's some traction on a possible Kevin Durant trade from the Phoenix Suns. In fact, Shams Sharania says that teams are motivated to get a deal done prior to the NBA draft, which is less than two weeks away. Guys, back to you.

[Steve Covino]

Thank you, Dan. Again, we're Cavino and Rich and I thought of one more thing. Rich, recently on over promised, you remember we discussed something that Aaron Judge said that he'd never said before. That he never leaves his hotel room when he's on the road. So something else we don't think about is the fame and celebrity that they're sort of prisoner to. A lot of these guys can't even go out and live life. Some of the superstars can't.

[Rich Davis]

It's Frankenstein. Oh, wait, no. It's Aaron Judge.

[Steve Covino]

No. But it could be a lonely sort of existence when you're there and you can't even leave your hotel. So the point is, sometimes, according to this athletic article, sports aren't always professional. Sports aren't always what they're cut out to be.

[Rich Davis]

But you're going to get sympathy from very few. No one will care at all. Well, listen, coming up, we're going to go old school when 50 hits. Start thinking about this very funny meme. Things that were in your classroom in the 80s and 90s that are just not there anymore. Something you would find in schools back in the day.

[Steve Covino]

You know when you realize this, when your kid has like an open house and you go to visit and you're.

[Rich Davis]

Like, what the hell, Try erase sports. Yeah, going on here. So we'll get to that. We'll go old school, talk some NBA finals, baseball, football, all your fun here on Covino and Rich.

[Steve Covino]

Yeah. Live from the FOX Sports radio studio, it's time. You guys ready for the Tyra play of the day?

[Rich Davis]

Bring it.

[Steve Covino]

Indiana got it going in the fourth quarter last night. Take a listen.

[Dan Buyer]

He's got the ball now.

[Rich Davis]

Right edge of the arc. Here comes a three.

[Dan Buyer]

Halberton with 22 points.

[Rich Davis]

Timeouts, Oklahoma City. Hey, Pacers take a 21 lead in the finals. That's courtesy of Pacers radio network. That's your tire rack play of the day. For over 40 years, Tire Rack has been helping customers find the right tires for how, what and where you drive ship fast and free. Backed by free road hazard protection and the convenience of installation options like mobile tire installation. So head to tirerack.com right now. The way tire buying should be. Hey, look at the clock. It's time. When 50 hits. Let's go.

[Steve Covino]

There's a search.

[Rich Davis]

Yeah.

[Steve Covino]

What we gonna do right here is.

[Rich Davis]

Go back.

[Steve Covino]

Into time.

[Iowa Sam]

Throwing it back for a Thursday old.

[Steve Covino]

School when 50 hits.

[Iowa Sam]

At 50 after C R give you the time capsule topic and we reminisce together.

[Steve Covino]

Yeah, we reminisce and we get you involved every Thursday, old school and 50 hits on the clock. But Danny G. This Thursday, it's like one line at a time, right?

[Iowa Sam]

Yeah, for sure. So your call is really going to matter this afternoon. Slash this. And even got to make it count because they're working on our phone system right now. Only one of the lines is functioning at the moment.

[Steve Covino]

Can we give incentive though? Like if you completely unlock a memory and we're all like, no. Oh man, I forgot about that. How about we'll give you a Swiggy if you're able to do that.

[Iowa Sam]

All right, I got the mailing list right in front of me.

[Steve Covino]

Perfect. 877-99-FOX is the number. Now you gotta realize that this week out here in California. Yeah, lots of protests and lots of craziness, right? But school also wrapped up this week here in la.

[Rich Davis]

We're fools, look at me.

[Steve Covino]

And school is pretty much winding down for everyone else in this country.

[Iowa Sam]

So Friday, the first official day of summer.

[Steve Covino]

Yeah, kids are graduating out here in la. So we're starting to think about school time, the end of school and something that you would find in schools in the 80s and 90s that you wouldn't find today. That's the question. So think back. Put yourself in your grade school, high school classroom. Something that you used to see there then that you don't see now that your kids are like, I don't know what you're talking about.

[Rich Davis]

So many things come to mind.

[Steve Covino]

So many things.

[Rich Davis]

I'm going to give you one. I'll get the obvious one out the gate, out the way.

[Steve Covino]

You think there's a number one answer.

[Rich Davis]

I mean one that you know you're just not seeing anymore. You know what that is? That old ass TV with the VCR on that roller and it was like, had like a rope around it.

[Steve Covino]

They always call this genius from the A.V. club in there. And it has, yeah, it has that stupid rope or that stupid heart.

[Rich Davis]

It's like a harness to keep it on the, the stand.

[Steve Covino]

Stand.

[Rich Davis]

It had wheels on it.

[Steve Covino]

No one knows how to really use it ever.

[Iowa Sam]

Or the teacher would pick two studios, students to go wheel it in.

[Steve Covino]

Yeah, that's so funny. But I don't think that's the number one answer. I think that's a great answer that we all remember.

[Rich Davis]

And unfortunately that's how a lot of us saw the Challenger and some other, you know, pivotal moments. 9, 11. For some younger kids.

[Steve Covino]

Someone wheeled it in that old ass.

[Rich Davis]

TV wheeled in with the vcr and again there was that like harness rope that kept it all together. I don't know what you're talking about, man.

[Steve Covino]

I think the number one answer on the board is the shock you feel when you go to your kids classroom for open house or whatever and you realize that there's no more chalkboards. There's no more chalk or chalkboards. You're like, it's messy. You have dry erase boards. What is this?

[Rich Davis]

So what kid, what kid gets to go bang out the erasers? That feeling on your fingers.

[Iowa Sam]

One your dad wouldn't appreciate. At the beginning of the school year, we got an email from the district saying no more vending machines on campus.

[Steve Covino]

Oh, wow.

[Iowa Sam]

Yeah, something we all lived off the vending machine for sure.

[Steve Covino]

So things that you saw in schools in the classroom, 80s, 90s that aren't there anymore. I'll give you another one. I don't want to steal anyone else's answer, but you know what? I'll tell you next. How about that? Hear insightful, entertaining discussions on today's important.

[Rich Davis]

Health and wellness topics on the Health discovered podcast from WebMD. Through in depth conversations with experts, Health Discovered covers everything from tips for healthier living to the latest on therapy and mental health. My goal is to really destigmatize mental health treatment and looking at it from a whole health perspective. Physical health and mental health can be intertwined.

[Iowa Sam]

Listen to WebMD Health discovered on the.

[Rich Davis]

Iheartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Steve Covino]

This is an iHeart podcast.