Hour 1 - The Torpedo Bat

Summary

The Herd with Colin Cowherd: Episode Summary - Hour 1: The Torpedo Bat Release Date: April 1, 2025

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1. Introduction to Baseball Innovations

[00:03] Colin Cowherd:
Colin opens the discussion by highlighting the current favorable conditions in various sports, specifically pointing out innovations in baseball, such as the introduction of Torpedo bats, and noting the robust state of college basketball and shifts in NFL overtime rules.

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2. The Torpedo Bat Revolution

[03:50] Colin Cowherd:
Colin delves deep into the impact of Torpedo bats in Major League Baseball (MLB). He cites Ellie De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds as a prime example, noting his significant performance improvement with the new bat:

“Ellie De La Cruz, one of the great players in baseball that doesn't play for the Yankees or the Mets, used the Torpedo bat last night...”
[03:50]

He further discusses the Minnesota Twins' recent sweep using Torpedo bats, drawing an analogy to Harry Potter's wand choosing its wizard, emphasizing the seemingly magical enhancement these bats provide:

“It’s like Harry Potter, the wand is choosing the Wizard...”
[03:50]

Impact Analysis:

• Offensive Surge: Ten teams are now averaging six runs per game, reversing previous trends where pitchers dominated hitters.
• Game Duration: Games have become longer with increased offense, posing scheduling challenges for teams with tight travel times.
• Comparison to Steroids: Colin contrasts Torpedo bats with the historical use of steroids, highlighting that Torpedo bats legally enhance player performance without the negative repercussions associated with performance-enhancing drugs.

Ellie De La Cruz's Performance:

“Ellie De La Cruz is amazing. Like now he's amazing...”
[09:00]

Terry Francona's Take: After discussing player performances, Colin shares insights from Terry Francona, who emphasizes the importance of embracing innovations like Torpedo bats:

“I think it's more of the player than the bat. ... You better embrace it.”
[10:28]

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3. Los Angeles Lakers: Defensive Strategies and Performance

[10:13] JJ Redick:
JJ Redick comments on the Lakers’ recent defensive performance, reflecting a playoff-like intensity:

“The competitive spirit and togetherness, we had to play really hard tonight...”
[10:13]

Key Points Discussed:

• Defensive Efficiency: The Lakers showcased improved defense in recent games, holding teams like Houston to under 100 points.
• Home vs. Road Performance: Highlighting the Lakers' strong home record (29-9) versus their struggles on the road, Colin stresses the importance of securing home court advantages in the playoffs.
• Leadership and Player Dynamics: The conversation touches on LeBron James' evolving role, seeking players like Luka Doncic who can share offensive responsibilities, thereby prolonging the team's competitiveness.

JJ Redick's Insights:

“It was fantastic. ... It was one of those games where guys aren't humming at the top. We got to play defense.”
[10:28]

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4. NFL Overtime Rule Changes

[30:07] J. Mac:
J. Mac brings up the NFL's recent overhaul of overtime rules, moving away from sudden death to a more structured format where both teams receive possession:

“Regular season overtime will be like playoff overtime. 10 minutes and in length still. But both teams will get a chance to possess the ball.”
[31:35]

Colin Cowherd's Concerns:

“What if I do a 10-minute drive and I score with no time on the clock? Do you get the ball?”
[31:59]

He questions the practicality of the new rules, fearing extended playtime could lead to increased player fatigue and injuries, especially during high-stakes regular season games.

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5. DeSean Watson’s Contract Controversy with the Cleveland Browns

[24:32] J. Mac:
The discussion shifts to DeSean Watson and his tumultuous tenure with the Cleveland Browns. Jimmy Haslam, the Browns' owner, openly admits the signing was a mistake:

“We took a big swing and miss with DeSean. We thought we had the quarterback. We didn’t.”
[24:38]

Colin's Analysis: He critiques the Browns’ front office for poor scouting and decision-making, drawing parallels to other teams like the Washington Commanders and Los Angeles Clippers, where ownership changes led to immediate team improvements.

“The difference is not the employees. ... It’s the ownership. Bad ownership ruins the temperature in the room.”
[23:47]

DeSean Watson’s Decline: Colin laments Watson's fall from grace, noting his successful stint with the Texans juxtaposed with his failed contract in Cleveland:

“I've never, I can't think of an athlete who's fallen this far without like getting arrested and really being incarcerated.”
[27:19]

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6. Leadership and Team Dynamics: LeBron James and Luka Doncic

[27:39] J. Mac:
The conversation returns to the Lakers, focusing on the leadership styles of LeBron James and the emerging influence of Austin Reeves.

Colin Cowherd on Leadership:

“LeBron has just given him a little bit of a hall pass on possessions.”
[28:28]

Player Development: Discussing Austin Reeves, Colin notes how his role has expanded thanks to LeBron’s leadership, allowing him more opportunities to excel without bearing the entire offensive burden:

“Austin Reeves is getting great looks. He has been unbelievable.”
[31:19]

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7. MLB Owners’ Ratings and Organizational Health

[14:14] Colin Cowherd:
Colin reviews the annual NFLPA survey ratings for team owners, noting a general improvement except for four teams, including the New York Jets.

“The only problem is the pitchers are dominating hitters...”
[00:03]

He criticizes poor ownership as the root cause of organizational failures, referencing Dan Snyder of the Washington Commanders as a prime example of detrimental ownership leading to team decline.

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8. Closing Discussions and Future Segments

Upcoming Topics: Colin teases future discussions, including an interview with the FIFA President Gianni Infantino about the growth of soccer in the United States and the upcoming Club World Cup.

“We are going to be the centerpiece of the world's greatest soccer... The Club World Cup is on our soil.”
[43:04]

He also mentions upcoming episodes and encourages listeners to tune into various segments such as betting strategies and analysis of upcoming NFL games.

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Notable Quotes:

• Ellie De La Cruz on Torpedo Bats:

  “Ellie De La Cruz is amazing. Like now he's amazing.”
  [09:00]

• Terry Francona on Embracing Innovations:

  “I think it's more of the player than the bat. ... You better embrace it.”
  [10:28]

• Colin on Ownership Impact:

  “Bad ownership ruins the temperature in the room. It creates anxiety.”
  [23:47]

• JJ Redick on Lakers’ Defense:

  “The competitive spirit and togetherness, we had to play really hard tonight...”
  [10:13]

• Colin on NFL Overtime:

  “What you don't want as an NFL fan are injuries. That's what you don't want.”
  [32:52]

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Conclusion

This episode of "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" provides an in-depth analysis of significant changes and trends across major sports leagues. From the transformative impact of Torpedo bats in baseball to the strategic defensive plays of the Lakers and the controversial decisions surrounding NFL contracts, Colin offers a comprehensive look at the evolving sports landscape. Listeners are encouraged to stay tuned for upcoming discussions on soccer's growth in the U.S. and other pivotal sports topics.

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Note: All timestamps correspond to the provided transcript and are intended to reference specific moments within the discussion for clarity.

Transcript

[Colin Cowherd]

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[J. Mac]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

So Ellie De La Cruz plays for the Cincinnati Reds and he's one of the great players in baseball that doesn't play for the Yankees or the Mets or the Dodgers or the Phillies or the Atlanta Braves or the Houston Astros. Ellie De La Cruz, couple of home runs, seven RBIs. Last night he used the Torpedo bat. And now listen, the Minnesota Twins use the Torpedo bat this weekend and got swept and scored six runs. So it's like Harry Potter, the wand is choosing the Wizard. All right, but it's another win for baseball. More runs, more action, more baserunners. Ten teams now are averaging six runs. So last week I had Rob man for the commissioner of baseball on and I said, you've got parity. The only problem is the pitchers are dominating hitters. You have too many teams hitting.240 like half the league. This morning you got seven teams hitting over.290 and it's not slowing the game down. Last night Cincinnati scored 14 runs. It took 2 hours and 25 minutes. So unlike when pitching dominates and pitching changes and you go to the bullpen and you bring on the fifth guy, those games get into three hours and 15 minutes. It's a Tuesday, Wednesday night. Nobody has that time. Takes you 40 minutes to get to the ballpark, 55 minutes to get home. People have lives. 81 home games. You got to create urgency. So we're now getting more offense, more hitting. And again, not everybody is using the bats. And you know, steroids was different. This is like legal hgh. Steroids would take guys that were non home run hitters. And I don't even need to mention names. And suddenly they were in the race for the American League mvp. Now, it also helped guys like Barry Bonds, allegedly, right. Or other guys. But you felt like a lot of times you were taking like AAA players and they were making the big leagues because of hgh. This is totally legal. And it's amazing when you embrace innovation and don't fight it as a sport. And baseball, man, baseball is on a heater. Increase the size of the bases, you know, end extra inning games faster, speed the game up, defensive shift, torpedo bats, more offense, more guys stealing bases, more action. And, you know, it's like grandpa got a sports car. Baseball decided, you know what we're going to get, we're going to join a Pilates class and be hip. And of all the sports, baseball now is doing more stuff, right? And again, Ellie De La Cruz is great, but if you give Gordon Ramsey fresher seafood and better ingredients, you get a five star meal and that's what you're getting here. So, I mean, I, Aaron Judge and Ohtani are not using it yet and I'm not sure they have to. But this, this is not creating greatness. That was the illegal stuff, you know, this is just kind of enhancing greatness. Ellie De La Cruz is amazing. Like now he's amazing. Plus, and the Yankees led baseball last year in home runs and they're going to lead it with home runs. Plus, they're not making something again. There is clear magic in these bats, but it's helping Gordon Ramsay more than the guy at Applebee's. It's not making the Applebee's guy, you know, a Michelin chef. But it's taken the really good players and they are just harder to get out. But it's not extending the length of the game so far. And here's Terry Francona after. I think it's more of the player than the bat. I really meant that before the game. I still do. Yeah, yeah, I know it is, but it's for real and you better embrace it. I don't care if it's the one and done. The transfer portal, I don't care if it's three point shots. Don't get rigid on this stuff. It works. Order the bats now. So the Lakers won last night, but it was very unconventional. So the Lakers don't play defense a lot. Luke is not good at it. Austin reeves is okay. LeBron picks and chooses ones he wants to play defense. So the Lakers last night, they beat Memphis the other night and the reason it's a big deal is they just beat Houston last night. A two seed and they beat Memphis, a five seed. And why that's a big deal, because the Lakers really pick and choose one. They want to play defense. LeBron's old Luca doesn't like it, and Austin Reeves is limited. So they pick and choose when they play defense. And here comes Houston last night, and Houston is fast. They're young, they're twitchy, and they're the kind of team that would give the Lakers fits. And the Lakers held him under 100 points. And this Laker team, when they decide to play defense is good. They're 10 and 1. They just don't play it a lot. And when you watch this game last night, Dorian Finney Smith is on the floor and you only got 36 points total from LeBron and Luca. So this was one of those games where guys, the guys aren't humming at the top. We got to play defense. And I will say this about the Lakers is they need home court advantage. So The Lakers are 29 and 9 at home. They're a very good home team. They're not the best in the league, but they're very good. They're surprisingly awful on the road. They're sub 500. Generally, top six or seven teams in the NBA can be.500 or better on the road. Boston Celtics, by the way, often play better on the road than at home. That's when the warriors were great. Remember when they went into that final against the Celtics? They played their best game in Boston. Cross country, tired, older players. So the Lakers are not. Not a very good road team. I'm not exactly sure why, but this is the way it's sizing up. So the Lakers need a few things. They need to be. They need to have a home court series in the playoffs. They are also, and they know it. These games against Houston, like last night in Memphis, are important because it'll give them a week off with an older RO. LeBron is an older player. It'll give them a week off to watch the playing stuff. But when they play defense, it's a real team they've got now. And I've been very critical of the Lakers front office. But right now, offensively, they can match out with anybody in the league, maybe, except Boston. That's probably about it. Boston is so deep, so many shooters, but the Lakers have three playmakers, I think four guys I would trust to take a big shot, two defensive specialists and an excellent coach. And last night, when you watch them play defense, and this is probably the effort you will get in the playoffs. Pretty good team. Here's JJ Redick after, I think the.

[JJ Redick]

The competitive spirit and togetherness, we had.

[Colin Cowherd]

To play really hard tonight to put.

[JJ Redick]

Ourselves in a position to win the basketball game. You know, we weathered some missed shots, did a good job of taking care of the basketball, empty the tank on the defensive end.

[Colin Cowherd]

It was fantastic. For the record, just for fun, we're going to make some assumptions here, but the playoffs, if they were to end today and we're making a couple of playing assumptions, kind of work in the Lakers favor. Okay, so there are teams that match up with the Lakers. Clippers are actually a pretty good matchup with. They've got a legit big. They've got a great coach. Well, the Clippers would open up with a Thunder that series. That's not going to work for them. Also, Lakers would open up with the Grizzlies, a team that's got kind of a mess right now. The coaching staff, they just fired their coach. You don't trust. I mean, John Morant's not having a good year shooting Memphis right now. You want to peak at the end of a year. They're a mess at the end of the year. That's great for the Lakers, Nuggets, Warriors. Nuggets going to win that series. That's a bad matchup for the Warriors. But you know what? I wouldn't want to face Steph and Jimmy Butler either. That would be one of the few teams the Lakers could face that has as much playoff experience. The warriors are going to get knocked out by the Nuggets. They cannot stop Jokic. They just do not match up at all. Draymond Green's great. He acknowledges it. We can't do anything. And then Rockets and T Wolves. I don't know who I would take there. That's a go either. I may take the T Wolves. That's a close one. That's a go either way. Series based on health, but it works out. You get the Clippers out, they've got experience. You get the warriors out, they've got experience. And then it's potentially the young Rockets, young okc and a Denver team, which, by the way, the Lakers have beaten this year. They've always played even when Denver was clearly better pre Luca. The Lakers always played Denver close. Now they have the offensive firepower. So just some assumptions here, but that defensive effort last night felt a little bit like a playoff game. Dorian Finney Smith playing a real defense. You know, you're not getting a perfect night from Luke and LeBron, although they gave you 36 points. Austin Reeves was Good. But you needed other elements. They were at home. Close game held the team under 100. Very playoff feel for the Lakers. I can't get over the torpedo batch. J. Mac. I can't get over it. The whole thing's crazy. It's just. It is.

[J. Mac]

Could we get one on set this week? Can you put a special order in? I'd love to feel it and swing it just to see what it's like.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, it's, you know, people are. I've said this. If the Twins or Orioles were using them and that was it, nobody would care. Some of this is the Yankees. It's like the tush push. If Jacksonville was doing the tush push, nobody would really care. It's the Eagles. They're dominating. Nobody can stop it. There's, you know, we all know this. Everybody roots against Duke, yet everybody watches Duke. Everybody hates the tush push. But the ratings for the super bowl set a record. We know how the world works. Sports fans in America work. But it is. It is crazy what it's doing.

[J. Mac]

Well, it's weird. There is a gambling parallel. You know, sometimes you'll find a slight edge in gambling for a little while and you'll beat the market. And then everybody will piggyback. For instance, Lakers first quarter bets. Well, guess what? Then the teams adjust. I'm curious how the pitchers will adjust to the torpedo bats if this keeps up. Like, are there radical adjustments to be made? I don't know.

[Colin Cowherd]

All right, next hour at the top of the hour. You know, I love over and unders in Vegas, so I'll take the entire NFL. There are three teams that are going to hit the over and three teams that are going to hit the under. This is my favorite part. I know, it's weird. I love the NFL schedule release. I'm obsessed. Even though I know who everybody plays next year already, I love. I like to see when it's in order. And the over unders. Last year we hit big on Denver, the Rams and Washington. Those were the three teams I thought. Those are the overs. So there's a couple obvious overs and there's a couple obvious unders. You don't want to be a sucker and just take the optimism route. There's a couple of obvious unders as well. That's going to come up in 50 minutes. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. FS1 and the iHeartRadio app, Omaha Steaks delivers the world's best steak experience. And it brings people together with more than 100 years of family owned expertise as America's original butcher, Omaha Steaks legendary filet mignons are extra aged to maximize tenderness and are tested to the highest standards to maintain the coveted distinction of USDA certified tender. And now during their semi annual sale, you can get 50% off site wide at Omaha steaks.com plus our listeners get an extra $30 off with the promo code herdherd at checkout. This weekend was a great time to bust open my Omaha Steaks assortment. Pack air Chilled boneless chicken breasts, ribeye and steak burgers. Gourmet jumbo franks. They're great butcher's cut top sirloins and for dessert, caramel apple tartlets. It doesn't get better than this. From legendary steaks to classic comfort food, bring home that exceptional handcrafted flavor and convenience of Omaha Steaks. Every steak perfectly aged. Five generations of uncompromising quality. Omaha Steaks has been America's original butcher since 1917. Don't miss the semiannual sale at Omaha Steaks. Visit OmahaSteaks.com for 50% off site wide and for an extra $30 off use the promo code herdherd at checkout. That's 50% off at Omaha Steaks.com and an extra $30 off with a promo code herd at checkout. The finals are here and the only thing for sure, it's the last time to bet on college basketball. This season been an amazing ride full of unexpected happenings. Maybe there'll be more. So get in on the action expected and unexpected with DraftKings sportsbook. Live betting promos, exclusive content parlays. I love those. DraftKings is the ultimate college basketball destination for March. So are you ready to make your first bet? Check out the matchups and pick a team to win. It's that simple. First time here's something special just for you. New DraftKings customers bet 5 bucks to get 150 bucks in bonus bets instantly. So bet the unexpected with DraftKings sportsbook. You download the Sportsbook app. The code is heard. That's me. H E R D for new customers, get 150 bucks in bonus bets. All you have to do is bet five bucks. That's it. Only on draft. The crown is yours. Gambling problem. Call 1-800-GAMBLER in New York. Call 877-8-HOPE NY or text Hopeny 467-369 in Connecticut. Help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org Please play responsibly on behalf of Boot Hill Casino and resort in Kansas. 21 plus. Age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Void. In Ontario, new customers only. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. For additional terms and responsible gaming resources, see DKNG Co Audio.

[Jeremy Hobson]

We live in a divided country.

[Colin Cowherd]

I am a lifelong Republican with all.

[Jeremy Hobson]

Kinds of different people.

[Colin Cowherd]

You know, I'm a mother, I'm a grandmother.

[Jeremy Hobson]

That's why we started the Middle with Jeremy Hobson. It's about bringing voices not from the extremes, but from the vast middle into the national conversation.

[J. Mac]

Anna, I'm calling from Las Vegas.

[Jeremy Hobson]

Each week we bring together an all star panel. Mark Cuban, so great to have you on the Middle.

[Colin Cowherd]

Thanks for having me.

[Jeremy Hobson]

Jeremy, Neil Degrasse Tyson, welcome to the Middle.

[Bob Pittman]

Thanks for having me.

[Jeremy Hobson]

And hear from ordinary Americans from all over the country on the most important issues.

[Colin Cowherd]

Hi, my name is Venkat. I'm calling you from Atlanta, Georgia.

[Jeremy Hobson]

And when you subscribe to the Middle, you also get an episode each week called One Thing Trump did that focuses on just one item from the avalanche of news.

[Colin Cowherd]

We should be examining what our government spends its money on and are these jobs necessary and what are we doing here? But that doesn't seem to be what we're doing in this situation.

[Jeremy Hobson]

Listen to the Middle with Jeremy Hobson on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Bob Pittman]

Hi, I'm Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia. I'm excited to introduce a brand new season of my podcast Math and Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing. I'm having conversations with some interesting folks across across a wide range of industries to hear how they reach the top of their fields and the lessons they learned along the way that everyone can use. I'll be joined by innovative leaders like chairman and CEO of Health Beauty, Tarang Amin.

[J. Mac]

The way I approach risk is constantly try things and actually make it okay to fail.

[Bob Pittman]

I'm sitting down with legendary singer, songwriter and philanthropist Jewel.

[Colin Cowherd]

I wanted a way to do something that I loved for the rest of my life.

[Bob Pittman]

We're also hearing how leaders brought their businesses out of unprecedented times like Stephane Bonsell, CEO of Moderna.

[Colin Cowherd]

It becomes a human decision to decide to throw by the window your business strategy and to do what you think is the right thing for the world.

[Bob Pittman]

Join me as we uncover innovations in data and analytics, the math and the ever important creative spark, the magic. Listen to math and magic stories from the frontiers of marketing on the iHeartRadio app. Apple Podcasts are wherever you get your podcast.

[Colin Cowherd]

So NFL owners on average are pretty well liked by their players. How do I know that? Because they have an anonymous NFL PA survey every year. And the grades went up and up and up. You know, except for four teams. One of the teams that graded very poorly on virtually everything was the New York jets, who got an F in ownership and a C to a C minus to a C plus. They were like 24th or worse on virtually everything. Now, Woody Johnson fired back at the owner's meetings. We're going to Albert brear in about 45 minutes from now. And that Woody Johnson said, I love this quote. He said, you know, this is a bunch of hooey. The whole process, you know how they collected the information. It's supposed to be a process where we have representatives, they have them. So we know it's an honest survey. Here are the four teams that got really bad grades. Arizona, Michael Bidwell, historically cheap. The jets and Woody Johnson. Cleveland and Jimmy Haslam and Carolina. And the very impulsive David Tepper. I don't know any of the men, but it kind of checks out, right? You know who used to do really bad at this? Dan Snyder. Washington. Yeah, he got forced out of the league, so. And the jets, by the way, have the longest drought. This is true in North American sports. Largest, longest playoff drought. We're talking all the sports in North America, Canadian teams, our teams. No. So the jets have also. They're doing a doge on their front office. They've offered to buy out roughly 170 of the 250 employees. What does that tell you? So ask yourself, how did the Washington Commanders turn around immediately? They'd run through GMs and coaches and players. They got rid of the owner. And how do the Clippers go from a laughing stock to viable almost overnight? They got a new owner, the Dodgers, since they got rid of cheap skate Frank McCord. Two World Series titles, 11 division titles. He was an awful owner. They got rid of him. I think he still owns the parking lot. Bad owner left, team immediately got better. The market didn't change, the stadium didn't change, the owner left. So you see a pretty common thread. I mean, I've worked in my life, I've worked for six different corporations. Two, Radio, Intercom and iHeart. And I've worked for four different television corporations. One of them smaller, Sunbelt, Fox, Disney, Belo was Texas based. I think it's got gobbled up. So I've worked for six different corporations and I've worked for some great ones. I'm in A very good spot right now. And. And I've said that multiple times. And I've worked for some stinkers. And let me tell you, the difference is not the employees. I've worked with great employees my entire life. The difference is the ownership. Bad ownership. You know, what do they say? The fish rots head first. Like, it's bad ownership. Ruins the temperature in the room. It creates anxiety. So, you know, you start looking around. Look at the Dallas Mavericks. Mark Cuban leaves, protests, trade off Luca for. For just not enough. It matters. So Woody Johnson can point fingers on this stuff. But overall, if you look at all players voting on this stuff, it was really an encouraging NLP NFLPA survey. Like, almost all the teams went up, you know, except for the jets and Carolina and Cleveland and Arizona. And it's. And you start looking at these individual rankings, it's. It's C plus down. I mean, the only thing the jets did well was nutritionist. I mean, you would think in New York, Louisiana, San Francisco, some of the hip markets, the nutritionist would be kind of a guaranteed a. No, I don't even have a nutritionist. I would give mine a B plus. I don't even have one. Like, you got to be able to get smoothies, right? Sorry. But they did everything poorly. Weight room ownership, how you treat families, meals. Come on. I don't think it's a lack of honesty because everybody else in the league, except, like, four teams, everybody was like, yeah, things are good. Things are better. We had T.J. hirschman's auto on this show, you know, telling the story that used to be with, like, the Cincinnati Bengals. They all threw their jock straps in the middle of the room and washed them. Linebacker has it one day, slot corner has it the next. I mean, come on, J. Mac with the news. No, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the Herd line news. A jock strap reference.

[J. Mac]

You got to get that in the.

[Colin Cowherd]

First 30 minutes he saw, he told some story about it. Just not clean, not good. Remember, they. For years and years, like, they had water. They couldn't get Gatorade. And then he went from Cincinnati to Baltimore. He's like, whoa, this is the National Football League. So everybody thinks all these owners, they're rich, they treat players well. No, they don't. Yeah. Like, it's interesting, the Dodgers have a very old stadium, the third oldest in baseball behind Wrigley and Fenway, but they're constantly updating it. I mean, they just put 450 million to it this year. They're constantly up. If you go to a Dodger game. And you want to spend big money and you want to go and get some good food options. It's unbelievable how good the food is. So you can have an old stadium but put money into it?

[J. Mac]

Yes, for sure. And speaking of old and getting stale, that's desean Watson, Colin. His contract, the worst in sports.

[Colin Cowherd]

Sports.

[J. Mac]

And Browns owner Jimmy Haslam spoke this week, admitting that the signing was terrible. Here's his exact quote to the media. We took a big swing and miss with desean. We thought we had the quarterback. We didn't. And we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him. So we've got to dig ourselves out of that hole. A rare admission from an owner that Watson has been a failure. Now, Colin, I spoke with somebody yesterday that is kind of sort of plugged in, and I'm saying, well, based on this Watson stuff, doesn't that mean Shador's a lock to go second? When they said keep an eye on Kirk Cousins, it sounds like when Miles Garrett took the podium, I didn't notice this. Apparently Miles Garrett was like, yeah, I know the game plan at quarterback. The Browns had to lure him back. Remember, Garrett's like, get me out of here. Apparently, the Browns had to lure him back and tell him their plans. And it seems like people are starting to think that those plans are Kirk Cousins as opposed to Shador Sanders.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, you know, Cleveland put itself in this situation. Here's two teams that draft well, the Rams and the Eagles. Go look at the size of their scouting departments on both Johnny Manziel and DeShawn Watson. They just didn't do their homework. I made one or two calls on Johnny Manziel and was told, stay away. Skip Bayless came on the air at one point and said, hey, I'm hearing things. I was hearing the same stuff. And we didn't have the same sources, I imagine. So deshaun Watson, I mean, you had the civil case that was out there, like, well, he wasn't yet. Stay away. You don't guarantee stuff. So, like in both the Johnny Manziel and the DeSean Watson situation, two different issues, warning signs, Make a few phone calls. I'd be interested at the depth of their scouting department. How many people do they have? Because it just seems to me that teams that draft well, like Green Bay, consistently drafts well. They do their homework. The Rams, with Stan Kroenke's ownership, they do their homework. The Eagles do their homework. I've said to you about the New York Giants on some of their Dave Gettleman And Joe Shane. Like, I'm not sure they're doing all their homework. I'm not sure the size of their scouting department. But Cleveland's issues are self created.

[J. Mac]

Yeah, they're, they're a mess. They got to figure out how to move on from Watson. His career with the Browns if he never plays another game. He went 9 and 10, Colin and made 230 million for nine wins.

[Colin Cowherd]

Can you imagine if the Browns had signed him and you and I came out and said he'll play less than 20 games. It's a disaster. Every Cleveland fan would have said hot take. Stuff happens in sports. I didn't like when this move happened. I wouldn't have made it. I thought it was ridiculous. I didn't think it would be this.

[J. Mac]

So, so much bad has happened for Watson. We forget how good he was with the Texans. Colin, I mean he led that team to the playoffs every year. He was incredible at Clemson. I've never, I can't think of an athlete who's fallen this far without like getting arrested and really being like incarcerated. Like this is a calamitous fall for him.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yep, it's over.

[J. Mac]

Next up, Colin, let's talk about Everybody's favorite podcaster, LeBron James. His mind the Game podcast relaunched, this time with Steve Nash as the co host. And here's Luka talking about his new BFF or, sorry, LeBron talking about his new BFF, Luka Doncic.

[Colin Cowherd]

I've always loved the players that breathe so much confidence into his teammates that make them believe that they're actually better than what they really are. Yeah, I think LeBron's done that his entire career. And by the way, coaches have that gift too. Steve Kerr, Phil Jackson have that gift. Almost everybody had their best years with Phil Jackson. Like, like if you, if you played well and you had a three or four year run with Phil Jackson, that's the best you ever played. Coaches can do that and players can do that.

[J. Mac]

So there are, you know this as a leader. There are ways to galvanize the squad. LeBron has mostly been positive. Luka, as he says right here, breathes confidence. Is this a subtle jab at Michael Jordan, who famously would berate his teammates, punch them in practice, treated them like garbage. I'm sorry I had to put that out there.

[Colin Cowherd]

I don't think that's what it was. I think LeBron is really happy because there with Anthony Davis, as much as he loved him, LeBron still had to carry the team offensively every night. You could never trust AD offensively, although I think AD Is an unbelievable player. There are going to be nights in the playoffs where Luka is going to drop 41 and LeBron can be like, Dude, I. I played 30 minutes. We were ahead by 13 in the second quarter. And I also think Austin Reaves. I thought when Anthony Davis left, I'm like, oh, Austin's not going to touch the ball as much. It's the opposite. It's that the pace of the Lakers now, now they're not as consistently good defensively. They're not. When AD Was on his game, they were an excellent defensive team. He and Jarred, Vanderbilt, Rui, they had size. But Austin now is flourishing because the tempo is faster. And I, I think Luca and. And this is not a selfish thing by LeBron, but as he ages, he's looking for players that can give him possessions off and he doesn't have to carry the offense. With AD it was still always LeBron's offense. Always. So I, I think Luke has just given him a little bit of a hall pass on possessions.

[J. Mac]

Did you see last night late in the game?

[Colin Cowherd]

So.

[J. Mac]

L. Amen Thompson is a very good defender. That kid is freakish, man. And Dylan Brooks is still a pest and an irritant. Yeah, they were kind of focused on Luka and LeBron. LeBron would just defer to Austin Reeves, who's cooking Fred Van Vleet or whoever. And Austin Reeves got to the bucket, made a lot of good plays. That's a good point, that he's their third option, but he's also facing a weak defender.

[Colin Cowherd]

That's right.

[J. Mac]

Whereas they want to put their best. We got to stop LeBron.

[Colin Cowherd]

Luka. Luka has forced teams. Austin does not face the same level of defender or attention that he did. I mean, it used to be. I mean, if LeBron was off the floor with AD Austin was getting the first or second best defender. He was getting the best wing defender. Well, your best wing defender now is not only on Luca, but probably a second choice is LeBron. So Austin Reeves is getting great looks. He has been unbelievable. You know, we always say this when you. When you bring in a second good receiver. So the Rams bring in Devonte Adams to Puka. Oh, yeah. Well, that's going to help the third receiver in the tight ends. So. Because nobody in the NFL. The jets had two good tight ends, now they lost one. Nobody's got three corners. Nobody has three good corners in the NFL.

[J. Mac]

You can't.

[Colin Cowherd]

You can't find them. If you have two, you're the Jets. Like, that's it. So it's.

[Bob Pittman]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

I mean Austin Reaves has been a huge beneficiary of the Luke acquisition.

[J. Mac]

Not to look too far ahead to the Thunder, but I'm just telling you right now they will not be able to match up with the Lakers playing two bigs. They're going to have to play Caruso down the stretch and he's, he's not a great shooter. I'm, I, I know Thunder fans don't.

[Colin Cowherd]

Want to hear it.

[J. Mac]

The Lakers are a brutal matchup for okc. It's just not very good for the Thunder. Final story Colin as the NFL coaches meetings are happening right now, we're getting a lot of rule changes. One big one that passed is regular season overtime will be like playoff overtime. 10 minutes and in length still. But both teams will get a chance to possess the ball. Your thoughts as opposed with sudden death now out the window.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well what if I do a 10 minute drive and I score with no time on the clock? Do you get the ball? I mean that's my when I saw that. My question because you want overtime to be as fast as possible. You do because remember it's like skiing. When do you have your accidents on your last run. Right. You're tired, you're fatigued. You do not want overtime. You guys are all worried about fairness. Get it over fast. You do not want 16 more plays for your defensive backs.

[J. Mac]

That is the flaws over to the next week too.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yes, it does. So it's like I just don't understand like regular season. Don't worry about it if you have a tie. Oh yeah. I just, I think you're. What you don't want as an NFL fan are injuries. That's what you don't want. You can take a tire a loss. Right. Kansas City lost several games before the Super Bowl. Losses are not. I mean Washington lost several before they made a run.

[JJ Redick]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

You get to overtime and your defense on the field for another 12 play drive, that's when players start falling. J. Mack with the news. Well that's the news and thanks for stopping by the herd line. I was watching the Celtics beat Memphis last night. Again, Memphis is a bit of a mess but this the Celtics are really taking. I think the Celtics are going to win and I think Cleveland will push back a little but I just think they're too deep and too good. But it's very much a Golden State warrior path. They've been building this thing with Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens. They have been constructing this roster for seven years and it's A dribble, pass, shoot roster. If you can't dribble, pass and shoot, you're done. Not everybody's a great defender, but they got five, six different guys. I would trust in a big shot shooting a three. And, and this is, it's, it's, it's not just about the culture. It is the roster construction. And they're, they, they're not just collecting talent. They have like you'll watch college basketball and you'll see some teams. Michigan State doesn't have one elite shooter. Celtics have six. Al Horford can hit a jumper. So. And you'll also watch college basketball and a good college basketball team like Florida or Auburn will have five minutes of wasted possessions like they're, they don't run their offense. Boston has been building this roster and so now they can, they can put in a Drew Holiday and move off of Marcus Smart. And it's, it's all good. But when you watch them play, it's not something you can duplicate. For years and years, Golden State's been running that kind of pass and react, cash and react offense. Young players struggle with it like D'Angelo Russell did not work. James Wiseman didn't work. They've got a style in Golden State and, and the Celtics have not only copied it because they don't, you know, they don't have a KD Steph combo yet. Jalen Brown, Jason Tatum are good. They're not Katie and Stephen, they're prime, but they're really good. But this offense is past dribble and shoot and they'd prefer you defend, but that's really the key. And most of their best players do defend, but they also, I was reading this morning, they average the fewest turnovers yet. Their pace is fast, so they, they're very intentional when they come down. College basketball, you've seen it for the last three weeks. You just get wasted possession after wasted possession from good teams like he just, like we just didn't get a good shot. You almost never see the Celtics get a wasted possession. Somebody's getting a Good look at three point last night they shot how many three pointers they shoot last night? 62. And they again, they didn't shoot a great percentage, but they're mostly good looks. And so there was no really copying the Warriors. Remember they started small ball and everybody's like, ah, we'll get, let's, let's get smaller. It didn't work for anybody else. And I don't think there's really any copying the Celtics, they're A roster full of switchable defenders. Everybody can pass, dribble and hit a three. And there's just. I mean, it's. There was Joe Missoula last night. They are ready for the playoffs. I would venture to say that our guys are good everywhere. It's more about just playing consistent basketball. But I think each year you develop different kind of strengths, especially with the same team. And this year it just happened to. To be just kind of our road mentality. The other thing about them, they always say this about having a great defense in football. It travels well. Like an offense doesn't necessarily always travel well. If you're throwing the ball downfield like the Miami Dolphins and you go into a windy, cold environment, the offense doesn't travel. So you always want a good, solid defense. Defense is good regardless of the temperature. The Celtics are a great road team. Why? Past triple shoot travels well. It's young, in their prime. Switchable defenders, deep roster, past triple shoot and warriors were a great road team in their prime. Celtics are a great road team. So, you know, you start watching this team play as they're ready. I know everybody loves Cleveland and okc. I don't see it. I don't see anybody beating this team. All right, we have good stuff coming up. We have the FIFA president. No, not this summer, but the following summer, the World cup comes to the United States. This summer in the U.S. we've got the Club World cup, which is, you know, Real Madrid, Barcelona coming to the United States. So this is going to be centerpiece for soccer globally for the next year and a half. And the FIFA president joins us next live in la, it's the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific. Hey, it's Steve Covino. And I'm Rich Davis. And together we're Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific, on Fox Sports Radio. And of course, the iHeartRadio app. Why should you listen to convenience? We talk about everything. Life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world. We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved, too. Take your phone calls, chop it up, as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio, maybe the most interactive show on planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on Fox Sports radio and the iHeartradio app from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Covino and Rich wherever you get your podcast. And of course, on social media, that's Covino and Rich.

[Jeremy Hobson]

We live in a divided country.

[Colin Cowherd]

I am a lifelong Republican with all.

[Jeremy Hobson]

Kinds of different people.

[Colin Cowherd]

You know, I'm a mother, I'm a grandmother.

[Jeremy Hobson]

That's why we started the Middle with Jeremy Hobson. It's about bringing voices not from the extremes, but from the vast middle into the national conversation.

[J. Mac]

Anna, I'm calling from Las Vegas.

[Jeremy Hobson]

Each week we bring together an all star panel. Mark Cuban, so great to have you on the Middle.

[Colin Cowherd]

Thanks for having me.

[Bob Pittman]

Jeremy.

[Jeremy Hobson]

Neil Degrasse Tyson, welcome to the Middle.

[Colin Cowherd]

Thanks for having me.

[Jeremy Hobson]

And hear from ordinary Americans from all over the country on the most important issues.

[Colin Cowherd]

Hi, my name is Venkat. I'm calling you from Atlanta, Georgia.

[Jeremy Hobson]

And when you subscribe to the Middle, you also get an episode each week called One Thing Trump did that focuses on just one item from the avalanche of news.

[Colin Cowherd]

We should be examining what our government spends its money on and are these jobs necessary and what are we doing here? But that doesn't seem to be what we're doing in this situation.

[Jeremy Hobson]

Listen to the Middle with Jeremy Hobson on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Bob Pittman]

Hi, I'm Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia. I'm excited to introduce a brand new season of my podcast, Math and Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing. I'm having conversations with some interesting folks across a wide range of industries to hear how they reach the top of their fields and the lessons they learned along the way that everyone can use. I'll be joined by innovative leaders like chairman and CEO of Health Beauty, Tarang Amin.

[J. Mac]

The way I approach risk is constantly try things and actually make it okay to fail.

[Bob Pittman]

I'm sitting down with legendary singer, songwriter and philanthropist Jewel.

[Colin Cowherd]

I wanted a way to do something that I love, loved for the rest of my life.

[Bob Pittman]

We're also hearing how leaders brought their businesses out of unprecedented times, like Stefan Bonsell, CEO of Moderna.

[Colin Cowherd]

It becomes a human decision to decide to throw by the window your business strategy and to do what you think is the right thing for the world.

[Bob Pittman]

Join me as we uncover innovations in data and analytics, the math and the ever important creative spark the magic Listen to math and magic stories, stories from the frontiers of Marketing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Colin Cowherd]

I'm Camila Ramon Peloton's first Spanish speaking cycling and tread instructor. I'm an athlete, entrepreneur, and almost most importantly, a Perreo enthusiast. And I'm Liz Ortiz, former pro soccer player and Olympian. And like, call me a Perrero enthusiast. Come on, who is it? Our podcast hastavajo is where spirit, sports, music and fitness collide. And we cover it all, the Arriva Hasta sit downs with real game changers in the sports world like Miami Dolphins CMO Priscilla Shumate, who is redefining what it means to be a Latina leader.

[Jeremy Hobson]

It all changed when I had this.

[Colin Cowherd]

Guy come to me. He said to me, you know, you're not Latina enough. First of all, what is that? My mouth is wide open. Yeah. History makers like the Sukar family, who became the first Peruvians to win a Grammy. It was a very special moment for us. It's been 15 years for me in this career.

[Jeremy Hobson]

Finally, things are starting to shift into a different level.

[Colin Cowherd]

Listen to Astavajo on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. You have to be very careful with tradition because sometimes tradition is just dead people's baggage.

[J. Mac]

I'm Jemele Hill, host of the sports.

[Colin Cowherd]

And politics podcast Spolitics.

[J. Mac]

On this week's episode, I talk with.

[Colin Cowherd]

Comedian and CNN host Roy Wood Jr. About the lack of African American star power in Major League Baseball. Baseball needs an Anthony Edwards and I don't know who that could be. Mookie Betts is Steph Curry. He's exceptional and likable. Million dollar smile, that's important. But you also need chaos, Negro. You need. So you think Anthony Edwards is a chaos. He told he talked that. You saw the clip of him talking to Obama. He was talking to Obama like that was his little brother. Oh, yeah, you what you did. You killed bin Laden. That's what's up. Listen to Politics on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Well, the next year and a half in the United States, we are going to be the centerpiece of the world's greatest soccer. Gianni Infantino is the President since 2016 of FIFA. Not only a global citizen, seven different languages, a world traveler. I am jealous, I will admit. And you are joining us. So now it's called The Club World Cup. So not this summer. The following summer is the World Cup.

[JJ Redick]

Correct.

[Colin Cowherd]

We know about that. Harry Kane, Mbappe, our best players. The Club World cup is on our soil. We're lucky enough. Explain who will be involved in that. Do I get the best of the best?

[JJ Redick]

You get the best of the best. Well, Harry Kane Mbappe will be there as well. So Leo Messi and many, many others, the 32 best club teams in the world.

[Colin Cowherd]

Now, what's at stake? What kind of money are we talking about?

[JJ Redick]

Well, first of all, what is at stake is this incredible trophy here, which is beautiful, but the money we are talking about is one billion US dollar prize money which is there for grab for the winning team. First time we organize an event like that, first time there will be a club truly crowned world Champion by FIFA.

[Colin Cowherd]

So we are seeing in Major League Baseball and we've seen it over the course of my life. Latin America has furnished us with great players. Now Asian players coming over. The Dodgers have a pipeline to it and it's absolutely helped the game. Ohtani is our biggest star. How is the United States viewed globally in soccer? Because I always felt, I remember The Kyle wrote Junior Days in the 70s. My mom was. I went over there when Netherlands and England in the 70s were dominating Johan Cruyth and the great British teams. And you know, we were kind of clunky and our players weren't as aesthetically pleasing. How are we viewed now in the States?

[JJ Redick]

Well, I think what is, what is seen from outside of the United States is that of course in America, other sports are more important than soccer, which is the most important sport all over the world, in every other country. However, I think that the two World Cups, the one this summer of the team of the clubs and the next one of the countries next year, will change fundamentally.

[Colin Cowherd]

Since you have been the president, what do the numbers say about the growth in the country? Because generally when a World cup is hosted by us, even if it's not, but if it is, there tends to be exponential growth. So have you seen growth in your run as the FIFA president, United States wise?

[JJ Redick]

Oh, definitely. We basically double the revenues when it comes to FIFA and the World cup by organizing it here. But what is important is that what happens here in America has an impact all over the world. So the growth figures cannot just be measured in the United States, but all over the world. And when it comes to most women's football, actually a men's football, whenever we do something here, it has such an important global impact that, you know, is just Incredible for the game.

[Colin Cowherd]

When you look right now, I think I've said this before, I think this is the most talented group of players we've ever had. Now we're young. When we got beat by Netherlands, clearly they had older, more senior players. We weren't at that level. That was almost aspirational a goal. I look at our team, it's kind of a golden age of soccer. The academy system. We have many players over in Europe. Are we viewed in the world now as a serious soccer country?

[JJ Redick]

Well, definitely. I think that the work that has been done with the MLS in the United States and Canada, the work with the academies that has been put forward is really impressive. You have a good team, you have good players. You have a great coach as well, Mauricio, who is really fantastic. And these players, they play now for the best teams in the world or in Europe, if you want. And the world can see that. Combine this with the fact of playing a World cup at home. Well, it's quite an explosive combination, isn't it?

[Colin Cowherd]

Is it harder? I mean, because of security reasons, among others, and technology. Is it harder to put on a World cup than it was eight years ago?

[JJ Redick]

Well, to put on a World cup is obviously always quite a challenge. Especially the next World cup will be 48 countries participating instead of 32.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yes.

[JJ Redick]

So we increase the number by 50%. Yeah, we'll have, you know, 10 million people coming to the U.S. it's. These are incredible things. We'll have 6 billion people watching it all over the world. This requires a lot of organization and we are here for that. And we team up with you for that as well.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, that doesn't hurt. Where is soccer now? It's growing. I looked at a number this morning which was amazing. According to Forbes, the number of United States people who have been soccer fans for five years or fewer. So this is our newest. Fans has gone up 57% year to year and over. And the number of first time fans is up 400% year over year. So over five years it's 57%. So something has happened in the last year where there's been an explosion in the United States. So when I think of soccer, I think of Spain and I think of Germany and I think of the Netherlands and I think of Italy and France. France. And I do think of the United States selfishly. Where is this game growing? That would surprise me. Is it growing everywhere?

[JJ Redick]

It is. It is growing everywhere. It's growing in the Middle east, it's growing in East Asia. But I think the big Surprise will be the growth here in North America. When you see every child, girl or boy, now plays soccer, what happens then is that the most talented players, they go to other American sports. Right? Because they maybe don't see a path to glory through soccer, but they will see it now. This year with the club, World cup with the best teams in the world. Next year with the World cup with the best countries in the world. They will see that there is a path to glory, a path to something incredible. And this will make a big difference. When the US organized the 94 World Cup, 85% of the Americans a couple of months before didn't know that the World cup was happening.

[Colin Cowherd]

Wow.

[JJ Redick]

Today, it's the other way around. 85% of Americans, they know that the World cup is coming already one year ahead. So these are signs that things are changing. Plus, one more thing, if I may. You know you are the United States of America, right? The greatest country in the world. You are number one in kind of everything you do.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah.

[JJ Redick]

You cannot be satisfied to be number 20 in the number one sport.

[Colin Cowherd]

That's right.

[JJ Redick]

You want to be number one in the number one sport. So let's go for it.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. No, you're. You're listening. You're. You're preaching to the choir here, believe me. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest. My mom was British, so when I was a kid, I went to England. At the time, the English team was battling for the World cup, like 1972, 73, and again, Netherlands was great. So I, when I was a kid, I was introduced to it. Then I moved to the Pacific Northwest, which Seattle and Portland are great, great soccer market. So I think I, I got an advantage. My, my, my. Seattle Sounders made the NASL championship game against the New York Cosmos. Of all the great players you've dealt with over your. Not just at FIFA, but you're a global citizen. There is something special about soccer players there is there. I like the global feel to it. There's a graciousness and a gratitude for what soccer presents. It's the happiest sport and nothing against football players and baseball guys. But is that something you within FIFA that you talk about? That it's the world's game and it's very welcoming?

[JJ Redick]

It is. You're absolutely right. It is the world's game. It brings happiness. I mean, look at this, what we brought for you. You can see this. This is yours. Yeah, A gift. Can I give it to you?

[Colin Cowherd]

Absolutely. By the way, he has a small ownership and a small soccer team.

[JJ Redick]

It has your name. Look at that. And now this is the official match ball of the FIFA Club World Cup. Now look at your face. You're smiling. You see why? Because this ball is a magic object. It's much more than just a ball. It is magic. It brings smiles to faces of children of girls all over the world. It's a very simple sport. It's the world number one sport for that. And that's why we are investing all over the world the revenues we generate. We invest them in Africa, in Asia, in Americas, everywhere in the world to make sure that the game can go.

[Colin Cowherd]

If American soccer, if you could say. And Gianni Infantino is joining us, the president of FIFA. He has been since 2016. If you could, if I may, I'll put you on the hot seat. If you could make one change to U.S. soccer and just nudge him to do something there. Is there anything that you're frustrated a little with USA Soccer?

[JJ Redick]

Yes.

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay.

[JJ Redick]

They should listen to me.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yes.

[JJ Redick]

And then they become number one league in the world.

[Colin Cowherd]

But anything in particular that you would.

[JJ Redick]

Push, they are a little bit too, how shall I say? Too communist. Can I say that word? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Too much regulation, too much limits. You know, be America, all open up, bring the best, invest money. And the return of investment will be just incredible.

[Colin Cowherd]

Because it's interesting, our other pro leagues are global and spend nothing but money. But you think we could open up the pocketbook a little bit more, 100%.

[JJ Redick]

And the impact will be global because your other leagues, I mean, look at the super bowl, which is fantastic, right? It has what, 120, 130 million viewers. Right. The World cup has 6 billion viewers.

[Colin Cowherd]

Crazy.

[JJ Redick]

So a World cup is 104 Super Bowls in one month. It's three Super Bowls a day. And this can. This happens from here. And this can happen every week. If you have the best league in.

[Colin Cowherd]

The world, you know, you travel, you travel the globe. Give me something about America that you really love of. You live in Switzerland and it's Italy. If I could choose two places that would be close to it. World offices in Zurich. You have a Miami office now. So obviously United States soccer is growing. You now have a Miami office. What's something when you travel the globe that you love about America?

[JJ Redick]

Can I say burger?

[Colin Cowherd]

Yes.

[JJ Redick]

You can say no, but I would say burger, definitely. But what I think as well here, and this is really. It's not to flatter anyone, but it is really the land of opportunity. I mean, there are so many opportunities here for so many people. Which is why I still don't understand why soccer has not become the number one here.

[Colin Cowherd]

400%, year to year, of new soccer fans. Gianni Infantino, a pleasure. Thank you so much.

[JJ Redick]

Thank you so much.

[Colin Cowherd]

How are you? Next.

[Jeremy Hobson]

We live in a divided country, and our media couldn't be more polarizing. That's why we started the Middle with Jeremy Hobson. It's about bringing voices not from the extremes, but from the vast middle into the national conversation. Each week, we hear from ordinary Americans from all over the country. And when you subscribe to the Middle, you also get an episode each week called One Thing Trump did that focuses on just one item from the avalanche of news. Listen to the Middle with Jeremy Hobson on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Colin Cowherd]

Are your ears bored? Yeah. Are you looking for a new podcast that will make you laugh, learn, and say, que? Yeah. Then tune in to locatora radio season 10 today. Okay.

[J. Mac]

Now that's what I call a podcast.

[JJ Redick]

I'm Tiosa.

[Colin Cowherd]

I'm Mala, the host of Locatora Radio, a radiophonic novella, which is just a very extra way of saying a podcast. Listen to Locatora Radio Season 10 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everyone? Julie Switbinks here, along with former NHL player Nate Thompson. We're doing a new podcast together. Here we go. The name Energy Line with Nate and jsb. Each week we'll get together and talk about hockey life. All topics are fine. Fair game, right? Exactly. And you'll never know who will drop by to join us. Julie is pretty well connected. She has text threads going that you wouldn't believe. Listen to Energy Line with Nate and JSB on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You have to be very careful with tradition, because sometimes tradition is just dead people's baggage.

[J. Mac]

I'm Jamel Hill, host of the sports.

[Colin Cowherd]

And politics podcast Spolitics. On this week's episode, I talked with comedian Roy Wood Jr. About the lack of African American star power in Major League Baseball. Baseball needs an Anthony Edwards, and I don't know who that could be. Mookie Betts is Steph Curry. He's exceptional and likable. Million Dollar Smile. But you also need Chaos Negro. Listen to Spolitics on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.