The Best Of Covino & Rich

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd – "The Best Of Covino & Rich"

Release Date: May 21, 2025

"The Herd with Colin Cowherd" hosted by iHeartPodcasts and The Volume delivers a dynamic and opinionated exploration of the day's top sports stories. In the episode titled "The Best Of Covino & Rich," hosts Covino and Rich Davis delve into various topics, from generational shifts in youth experiences to high-profile athlete performances and reputation management. The episode also features engaging interactions with guest Shaquille O'Neal, adding a playful trivia segment to the mix.

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1. Generational Shifts: Youth Experiences in Sports Events

(00:28 – 03:01)

Covino and Rich kick off the conversation reflecting on how today's youth have unique opportunities at sports events that were once mere dreams for previous generations.

• Rich Davis (00:28) shares his envy: "Don't you feel like our kids get to do things that we would have only dreamt of and they don't appreciate it?"

• Covino (00:35) agrees emphatically: "I mean, yes. The answer is absolutely yes."

They discuss events like children walking the bases at Dodger Stadium and being on the field at iconic venues like Fenway and Yankee Stadium—experiences they reminisce their parents' generation would have cherished.

• Rich Davis (01:17): "Imagine being on the field at Yankee Stadium or Shea Stadium in New York as a little boy."

The hosts contrast their modest field trip memories, involving educational but less glamorous activities, with the extravagant experiences available to children today.

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2. Juan Soto: Performance Under Scrutiny

(05:04 – 18:09)

A significant portion of the episode centers on New York Mets' star Juan Soto, analyzing his performance, contract, and public perception.

• Rich Davis (05:04): "Don't you think Juan Soto's body language is off? It's not even the batting average or lack of production. It's the body language. Dude."

Covino and Rich express concerns about Soto's hustle and demeanor on the field, especially considering his substantial $765 million contract.

• Covino (05:20): "Juan Soto is giving us plenty of ammunition. That's the problem here. But I think we're just piling on this story because it's a juicy one."

They debate whether Soto's performance metrics are lacking or if the real issue lies in his intangible contributions and leadership, which are expected at his level of compensation.

• Rich Davis (08:07): "When Juan Soto is ripping, and he has a month in June or July where he's doing the Soto Shuffle in the batter's box."

The discussion highlights the pressure on high-paid athletes to consistently deliver and maintain positive attitudes, contrasting Soto's current struggles with other players like Francisco Lindor who had slow starts but eventually thrived.

• Covino (09:22): "But we can't worry about Juan Soto. You know, he's a professional."

Despite criticisms, both hosts believe Soto has the talent to turn his performance around, emphasizing his professional capabilities and past achievements.

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3. Image Shifts in Sports: Brett Favre & Bill Belichick

(18:09 – 31:28)

Covino and Rich shift focus to how prominent sports figures manage their public images, particularly in light of recent revelations and scandals.

Brett Favre: From Hero to Controversy

• Rich Davis (23:32): "Brett Favre's sort of a piece of trash. From being terrible to women to...linked to fraud."

They discuss the Netflix documentary "The Fall of Favre," which exposes Favre's off-field misconduct, including fraudulent activities in Mississippi and his mistreatment of women.

• Covino (21:58): "A welfare fraud scheme that he was a part of. And you learn all about that when you go home later tonight."

The hosts lament how Favre's athletic legacy is overshadowed by his personal failings, questioning the extent to which sports heroes are vilified or forgiven based on their on-field performances.

Bill Belichick: Reputation Reimagined

• Rich Davis (28:35): "My image changed when he was doing yoga moves with her on the beach... I'm like, you know what? I don't hate him."

Belichick's rumored engagement to a significantly younger woman and his relaxed public demeanor have altered perceptions of the traditionally stoic and disciplined coach.

• Covino (27:49): "We don't want to double talk like me. If it was my daughter and she was 24 years old dating a 74-year-old, yeah, you better believe I would care."

The conversation explores societal double standards and the evolving narratives around age and relationships in the sports world, questioning how these personal aspects influence professional reputations.

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4. Interactive Segment: Shaquille O'Neal Joins for Trivia and Banter

(31:28 – 56:15)

Adding a touch of levity, Shaquille O'Neal participates in a sports trivia game with the hosts, fostering engaging and humorous interactions.

Trivia Contest Highlights

• Shaq (48:03): "First team to lose three straight NBA Finals."

  • Rich Davis (48:20): Guesses "Lakers," but the correct answer is the "Knicks."

• Shaq (49:17): "What was I once quoted saying about my habits?"

  • Covino and Rich attempt answers, with the correct response being:
    • Shaq (49:18): "Excellence is not a singular act, but a habit. You are what you repeatedly do."

• Additional Questions:

  • Who defeated the Celtics at Boston Garden in the 1985-86 season? (Answer: Portland Trail Blazers)

  • How many children does Anthony Edwards have? (Answer: 4)

The segment is filled with playful teasing, friendly competition, and camaraderie, showcasing the hosts' chemistry and Shaq's charismatic presence.

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5. Closing Discussions and Listener Engagement

(56:15 – End)

The episode wraps up with ongoing conversations about image transformations in sports, emphasizing how personal actions significantly impact public perception.

• Rich Davis (55:18): "It's the part where... you share a love of art, but why are we pretending that's not the real part of this?"

The hosts encourage listeners to reflect on the complexities of athlete personas, balancing admiration for their talents with accountability for their actions. They also touch upon upcoming sports events, DraftKings promotions, and call for listener participation through trivia and contests.

• Rich Davis (56:15): "Hit us up at Covino and Ritual. See you guys back here tomorrow."

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Rich Davis (00:28): "Don't you feel like our kids get to do things that we would have only dreamt of and they don't appreciate it?"

• Covino (05:20): "Juan Soto is giving us plenty of ammunition. That's the problem here."

• Rich Davis (23:32): "Brett Favre's sort of a piece of trash. From being terrible to women to... linked to fraud."

• Shaquille O'Neal (49:18): "Excellence is not a singular act, but a habit. You are what you repeatedly do."

• Covino (27:49): "If it was my daughter and she was 24 years old dating a 74-year-old, yeah, you better believe I would care."

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Conclusion

In "The Best Of Covino & Rich," The Herd delivers a compelling mix of thoughtful analysis, candid opinions, and entertaining segments. Covino and Rich engage deeply with current sports narratives, scrutinizing athlete performances and personal lives while maintaining an engaging rapport with guests like Shaquille O'Neal. This episode offers listeners both critical insights into the sports industry's inner workings and lighthearted moments, making it a must-listen for dedicated sports fans and casual listeners alike.

Transcript

[Spot]

You're listening to an iHeart podcast.

[Rich Davis]

Hey, thanks for listening to the Best of Cavino and Rich podcast. Be sure to catch us live every day from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific, on Fox Sports Radio.

[Covino]

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

[Rich Davis]

Don't you feel like our kids get to do things that we would have only dreamt of and they don't appreciate it?

[Covino]

I mean, yes. The answer is absolutely yes.

[Rich Davis]

I only bring this up. It'll be real quick, because I do want to fight you about Juan Soto, but I never mentioned yesterday, that Sunday at Dodger Stadium, they do a really cool thing where the kids get to walk around the field, run the bases. Like, it's a really beautiful event for the kids. Little League, ponyball, softball. The kids are invited. You got to show up way early, like 10:30, 11am for the 1pm game. But you get to go on the field. And I see my kids, and I'm like, guys, take this in. Your dad would have dreamt of this when I was a kid. Imagine being on the field at Yankee Stadium or Shea Stadium in New York as a little boy.

[Covino]

I have dreams about that. Now as an adult, Imagine stepping foot.

[Rich Davis]

On Wrigley or walking past the Green Monster at Fenway. That's something you thought. I could never do that.

[Covino]

You're right. My daughter, who's 15 now in junior high, went on an east coast road trip with her classmates.

[Rich Davis]

Yeah.

[Covino]

They actually got to be on the field at Fenway. And inside the scoreboard, I'm like, you spoiled bratz. We went nowhere. I saw, like, Ben Franklin's bedroom room or something. I went to some miserable museum when I was a kid.

[Rich Davis]

I made a broom at some old. Wait, you know, where they stay in character. Yeah, like some.

[Covino]

Where Billy Madison went.

[Rich Davis]

Yeah, like some old town where they're like, yeah, we. We churned butter and we're gonna make a broom today. That was my field trip.

[Covino]

We went to the Edison Museum or something. That was the fun we had. You got to go to Fenway in D.C. and New York City, and you were there where they changed a scoreboard.

[Rich Davis]

This legendary field.

[Covino]

Like, who ate all these lunches?

[Rich Davis]

I'm dad. I'll tell you.

[Covino]

Who was that Dang Sasquatch. Ye.

[Rich Davis]

Where we went.

[Covino]

I mean, listen, Turn this bus around.

[Rich Davis]

That'll end your precious field trip. I'm done bitching and complaining. I don't Want. I don't want the show to be complaino and bitch. But I will say, but I will say, I'll end it by saying this. Our field trips were making brooms at old timey times. And like you said, like, here's Thomas Jefferson's chair. Our kids are walking on the field at stadiums. I joke with my wife. I know we live in Southern California, but my kids have been to Disney multiple times. I went to Disney World for the first time when I was like 17.

[Covino]

Yeah, Disney World's like a fantasy thought, like someday I'll go. Meanwhile, you grew up in la, especially your kids been there before they were out of diapers.

[Rich Davis]

No doubt.

[Covino]

And you're right, Rich. Just to make it clear though, Rich and I have been working in sports for a minute. And it took us to get a TV show on the Mets network in New York City. Sny. We had our own TV show. Covino and Rich, home of all things New York sports. And that's the only way we got on the field ever. And we were just there, like looking around. It's not like we threw a first pitch or anything cool. We didn't take a jog around the outfield. We were just there and grateful and like, thankful. These little nose pickers are there and they don't even know how to wipe their own butts. And they're on the field. Talk about spoiled, man. But you can only be happy for them. I'm not mad at them. It's just wild to see the difference.

[Rich Davis]

Well, we're done sounding like Boomers and Karens.

[Covino]

It's not. It's just an observation, but. And I really do feel bad for any Boomer out there who thought they had a cool nickname.

[Rich Davis]

Man, you're so right. There's gotta be a couple out there, you know, when there's like some like.

[Covino]

Michael Bolton was a cool name until that no talent ass clown came and ruined it.

[Rich Davis]

You know, I feel that way when there's like some serial killer and you know, there's other people with that name.

[Covino]

Oh yeah, that sucks.

[Rich Davis]

Oh man, Mike Myers. Had to be Mike Myers, not Michael Myers.

[Danny G]

Right?

[Covino]

The comedian was like, why?

[Rich Davis]

How do you think us Sooners fans feel? They can't say Boomer Sooner.

[Covino]

Right?

[Spot]

Because it's not cool.

[Rich Davis]

No, I'm just kidding. Boomers. There is a couple out there, I will say where the guy, he's Boomer and his wife is Karen and they hate life.

[Covino]

Dude, the story fizzled down, but it really didn't go away. But that kid Carmelo Anthony the killer. That track star, not the basketball player. If I was actual Carmelo Anthony, I'd be like, yo, has nothing to do with me. Just to make it clear. But that was a big story.

[Rich Davis]

Give him a middle name like most murderers.

[Covino]

Like, yeah, I mean, that was an unfortunate story, but again, yeah, that. That could happen to anybody. Unfortunately, it's a boomer whose name is sort of ruined. Well, you ready?

[Rich Davis]

Ready to put your dukes up?

[Covino]

Sure.

[Rich Davis]

And I. And I say that because I know where you're headed with this Juan Soto thing. Because I just saw the headline on the Daily News today.

[Covino]

It's a growing story, bro.

[Rich Davis]

You know what the headline was?

[Covino]

What?

[Rich Davis]

Juan Slo Mo.

[Covino]

Wow.

[Rich Davis]

Not so.

[Covino]

So it's getting bad. You know what it's turning into, like, a snowball effect. Right. It's just one of those things that people are starting to pile onto. But I think Juan Sosoto. So. So Juan Soto is giving us plenty of ammunition. That's the problem here. But I think we're just piling on this story because it's a juicy one. When you're paid $765 million, there' expectation. And the least you could do is that. Dance by Van McCoy. The least you could do is hustle.

[Rich Davis]

Do the hustle. Come on, Juan Soto.

[Covino]

Do I need to explain to you what it is? Can I tell you something? When I was eight years old, I played in a soccer league. Union. Soccer league. Union. New Jersey. Right. I was on the Rockets.

[Rich Davis]

Yeah. Little kid, regular Ronaldo over here.

[Covino]

And I remember, like, you know, mosey in after the ball, and I'll never forget this.

[Rich Davis]

Oh, Kavino Messi. Yeah.

[Covino]

No, but I was like, mosey in. And I remember my mom screaming the top of her lungs because she's a crazy Mexican woman.

[Rich Davis]

Stephen. Hustle.

[Spot]

Hustle.

[Covino]

I was so little, I didn't know what the word meant. I'm like.

[Rich Davis]

I started dancing.

[Covino]

I started dancing. I was like. I knew the song. I didn't know what the word meant. But all the parents were yelling at me. My mom kept screaming this word. I knew. I think I knew aggressive. I didn't know hustle. But if I didn't know, maybe there's a lot. Maybe Soto needs to be explained. You would think that comes naturally. It costs nothing. It's the least he could do. I know. And he's getting paid plentiful to run out of ball that goes off the wall. We're watching the replay now as we speak. Right off of Fenway, where my little nose pick and spoiled daughter Was off the wall. He's sitting there watching it. What is going on? You don't need to be a baseball expert to have two eyeballs to notice the body language. The body language is off now and it shouldn't be.

[Rich Davis]

I don't.

[Covino]

That's the one thing that should be on par. It's not even the. The batting average or lack of production. It's the body language. Dude.

[Rich Davis]

I.

[Covino]

Okay, so how is it not a story then?

[Rich Davis]

I don't disagree that Juan Soto has had a Juan. So. So start as a New York Met. I'm a big Mets fan. The biggest Mets fan, you know?

[Covino]

Yep.

[Rich Davis]

But to judge a man based on 60 days into a 15 year contract would be like starting a new job and on your first week being like, man, I don't know if I like this place. The coffee machine doesn't have the coffee brew I like. And, man, I gotta get accustomed to this commute.

[Covino]

You're getting paid that much money. You're getting paid to set the tone.

[Rich Davis]

I know. And I think we're gonna hit June, July, August. There's gonna come a time where Juan Soto. Ooh.

[Covino]

I'm taking a picture of this.

[Rich Davis]

Picture of CBS Sports. I have a graphic of Juan spot.

[Covino]

I'm gonna miss it. I think I got it.

[Rich Davis]

Okay.

[Covino]

Because where he was last year with the Yankees and where he was or where he is now with the Mets, night and day. This time through 47 games with the Yankees.317. He's 246 now. 11 home runs last year, eight home runs this year, 37 RBIs last year, 20 this year, slugging 561 to.439. Not too shabby as far as slugging and on base percentage. But again, it's. It's the hustle, it's the intangibles that he should be leaning into. Yeah. If he's trying to find a swing or even his confidence, the least he could do is lead by example with a positive attitude. Not this whole hum attitude of, yeah, I hustle, I play hard. No, he's not, bro. Anyone could see he's not.

[Rich Davis]

I. As a Mets fan, I'm not going to overreact like the local New York media and the national media on podcasting, tv, radio.

[Covino]

Overreact. When you're the highest paid player in sports, almost 765. That's. That's a pretty large number.

[Rich Davis]

I see you wrote it down.

[Covino]

Highest paid player in baseball. It's not overreacting. That's the thing.

[Rich Davis]

I will, I will Say when Juan Soto is ripping, and he has a month in June or July where he's doing the Soto Shuffle in the batter's box.

[Covino]

I haven't seen it yet.

[Rich Davis]

47 games in and everyone's saying, there he is, there's the Soto we know.

[Covino]

Is he waiting to turn it on? I sometimes, you know, the fight's getting late, early. We're into the, you know, before you know it, you're 80 games in. You're like, where's the shuffle?

[Rich Davis]

I think part of the reason why, I'll give you this, I think part of the reason why it's a news story now because two things lined up. Three things. Pardon me. One, they lost two out of three against the Crosstown Yankees. And that was symbolic of, oh, they're both really good this year. But, ooh, the Yankees got the best of him in the first series, right.

[Covino]

But there was also speculation, number two.

[Rich Davis]

Okay, yeah, in that series, yes, he did show a big lack of hustle. And his body language was not of the almost cocky fun to watch, like nodding at the pitcher, doing that. Like I said, the Soto Shuffle, all that was non existent. So body language. Mets lost. And simultaneously take a look at the standings. The Phillies now have the best record in baseball. So because the Phillies are so hot, they're now a half a game ahead of the Mets.

[Covino]

So, and lack of hustle.

[Rich Davis]

What did I say? I said, the minute the Mets are no longer cruising in first place, all eyes on Soto. And now you're going to see people say, well, the Phillies, where I do.

[Covino]

Agree with Rich, and I want to make this clear, where I do agree with Rich, is that Soto will turn it on because he's too good not to. He's just too good. Unless. Unless, of course, this pressure is too big for him, which I don't believe, because he's a big game type of player, I think he will turn it around. Off the air on our Patreon, you were saying how, yeah, Francisco Lindor had a slow start his first year, too.

[Rich Davis]

Think of the weapons.

[Covino]

I get it.

[Rich Davis]

Think of the guys on your team. Danny G. Put your thinking cap on. As a Raiders fan, a Lakers fan, a Dodgers fan, thinking cap has a Raiders logo on Danny's got a Travis Matthew thinking cap on Danny. Think of a player. And my example would be Francisco Lindor when the Mets acquired him from Cleveland.

[Covino]

It'S a great example.

[Rich Davis]

When he was on the Indians, now the Guardians, he was a big game playoff player. Lindor was a big Met signing, you know, his first year he had 20 home runs and batted.230. And met fans were like, yo, Lindor stinks. We hate him. Get him out of here now. The last couple of years, he's an MVP candidate, second only to Ohtani in the nl. The Mets want to make him captain.

[Covino]

Unofficial captain of the team for sure.

[Rich Davis]

Let's, let's, you know, let's not overreact.

[Covino]

I do agree, Rich. Yeah, but it's not an overreaction because of what he's paid and who he is and what's expected. And again, we're almost 50 games into the season, dude. So I don't think it's an overreaction. I just think do believe he will turn it around. I don't like his attitude. I don't. And then when he's called out, you're forgetting this part of the story, he defends it and it's like, what do you think we're done. We could see it. And I hate to agree with Danny G's boy because I rarely do. I love Ben Maller's show and I love Ben Maller as a broadcaster, but I don't always agree with what he's talking about. I find him to be fun and funny and entertaining.

[Rich Davis]

Good broadcaster. Weak ass, takes.

[Covino]

Oh, I love Ben Maller. And I'm not saying that for the record. Rich said that.

[Rich Davis]

Pull that clip for him, Danny. Give that to him. Ben Maller, great guy. Weak ass, takes, but he's right.

[Covino]

Wow.

[Spot]

I bar with him every weekend on the microphones.

[Covino]

Okay, well, do you agree or disagree when a big league manager addresses a player publicly? You know, it didn't happen overnight. It had to be going on for a month or two. Had to be going on for a minute. It has to be something that a manager has been aware of and has to be an issue because they're always going to defend their players. This is Managerial Manager 101. So when Carlos Mendoza, who teaches that, teaches that class.

[Rich Davis]

Classy. Freddie Blassi or Jimmy Hart, Mr. Fuji, Bobby the Brain Heenan. Managers 101.

[Covino]

Tony LaRusso teaches it. Yeah, but Carlos Mendoza, when asked about Hustle, said, look, he has to address it. And if you missed it, take a listen.

[Rich Davis]

He thought he had it, you know.

[Covino]

But with the wind and all that.

[Danny G]

And in this ballpark or anywhere, but.

[Rich Davis]

In particular in this one without that.

[Danny G]

Wall right there, you got to get.

[Spot]

Out of the box.

[Rich Davis]

So.

[Danny G]

Yeah, well, we'll discuss that.

[Rich Davis]

Okay.

[Covino]

Hello? Hello?

[Rich Davis]

We'll discuss.

[Covino]

Hold on. No, he says he wasn't getting out of the box. Any manager, if that was a first time thing, a one time thing, not a thing at all. You know, he always puts his heart into it. That was a moment. Whatever. We don't worry about Juan Soto. You know, he's a professional.

[Rich Davis]

Can I. Can I give you issue, dude?

[Covino]

Can I give you the one if Carlos Mendoza, if it wasn't an issue, he would have squashed. It's not an issue. And then Soto has the nerve. Hold on. I got to give you the follow up. Soto has the nerve to defend it. We all saw him not getting out of the box in Fenway.

[Rich Davis]

Last couple of nights, you've had a couple of plays where you were slow getting out of the box.

[Danny G]

Is that something you have to be more aware of?

[Rich Davis]

No, I think being hustling pretty hard.

[Spot]

If you see it today, you could tell.

[Covino]

He says, no, hustling pretty hard. If you saw it today, you could tell.

[Rich Davis]

I think what you're. What you've seen.

[Covino]

Right.

[Rich Davis]

And I'm going to. I'll be Juan Soto's defender. Yo, Juan, I'm your boy, Rich Davis. Remember this when you get hot and everyone's on your huevos. I'm the guy that got your back when you were. When things were down. To me, Juan Soto.

[Covino]

Yeah.

[Rich Davis]

There were two plays that are so terribly clear. He hit a hard shot to the second baseman, LeMayhue and the Yankees, and he jogged down to first. When if Lemahou misplays that a little bit, you're like, ooh, bad luck.

[Covino]

Yep.

[Rich Davis]

And he showboated on what he thought was a ball that got over the green monster, and it didn't. And then he had a steel second to almost mentally make up for it. And as Gary Cohen, the Mets announcer said, he stole second. You know why, Keith? Because he knows he should have been there.

[Covino]

Right.

[Rich Davis]

I think Juan Soto, where we're looking at a couple plays where he's frustrated. He's frustrated because I don't think he's lacking hustle. I think he's frustrated that it's not clicking yet. And he knows because I said, other than Aaron Judge, who is, as you said, Herman Munster and baseball pants, by the way.

[Covino]

Do you know the reference when I say that?

[Rich Davis]

Yeah.

[Covino]

Do you remember the episode where Herman Munster played baseball and then he would hit the ball, it just launch out and explode? Yeah.

[Rich Davis]

Other than. Other than Aaron Judge, who looks like Herman Munster. Juan Soto leads the league in exit velocity, which means he's putting good wood on the ball, as they say. He's getting good Contact it just. He's hitting it at people, not hitting the gaps.

[Covino]

Yeah, but dude. So the least he could do until he finds a stroke is hustle.

[Rich Davis]

I think there's a lot of frustration and he will turn around. But I do, I do think that this is the downfall of being the highest paid player.

[Covino]

It is. And that pressure is getting bigger and bigger. And I think we're experiencing a snowball effect of people piling on. Ben Maller also pointed out something that I noticed, too. The only time I saw him smile was when he was, as Ben Maller said, playing slap ass or grab ass with Aaron Boone and Judge and his former Yankee teammates when he was in the Bronx. Where has that attitude been with the Mets? I know it's a lot.

[Rich Davis]

All they're doing now, boneheads like you are doing these side by side. They're doing the side by sides. Like, look at him.

[Covino]

Well, of course, look at him.

[Rich Davis]

Doing a handshake with Aaron Judge and they're like, bro, hugging, grabbing each other's butts. And then it's like him and Lindor, they're like shaking hands like strangers. I get it. Pile on all you want, but I have one message to everyone. Leave Soto alone.

[Covino]

Leave Soto alone. Okay? Rich is saying, leave Soto alone.

[Rich Davis]

He'll be fine.

[Covino]

But guess what? Are you team. Leave Soto alone or hey, you're getting paid $765 million, dude. You better deliver.

[Rich Davis]

Now, I'm, I'm, I'm telling you right.

[Covino]

Now, people didn't, didn't pile on Francisco Lindor because he wasn't the highest paid player in baseball.

[Rich Davis]

Can I tell you, Lindor? And remember when the Mets had Javi Bias for a second, they did that thumbs down thing.

[Covino]

Yeah.

[Rich Davis]

And the fans like, get these guys out of here.

[Covino]

Yeah.

[Rich Davis]

Listen, man, people rebound. I'll, I'll finish.

[Covino]

I agree with you on that. I'll finish by saying too good not to. I'll, I'll always and forever agree with you on that. I'd be very surprised if he didn't turn it around.

[Rich Davis]

I'm going to finish by saying this.

[Covino]

But right now, this is the facts.

[Rich Davis]

DraftKings, pick six. I can't get recode because then we got to do the whole disclaimer and everything. But let me just say this. I've been playing the DraftKings pick six. I'm going to get lucky tonight because here's two guys that are going to hit a bomb tonight.

[Covino]

Go ahead, Daft Punk. Let's hear it.

[Rich Davis]

Juan Soto.

[Covino]

Yeah.

[Rich Davis]

And Aaron Judge tonight. Aaron Judge hasn't hit a home run in days. He's due.

[Covino]

Herman Munster's on fire.

[Rich Davis]

And I think Juan Soto yanks one down the right field. Short. Short right field at Fenway. So I'm going. I'm going to try to think of a third guy to put in that mix. But as of right now, I feel like those prop bets, Soto and Judge home runs tonight. Maybe throw Bryce. Bryce Harper in there, too.

[Covino]

One last. One last little Dino nugget to think about before we get some feedback going. 8, 7, 7, 99 on Fox. What a selfish attitude for a superstar to have.

[Rich Davis]

I want to talk a little Brett Favre and Bill Belichick. And what do they have in common?

[Covino]

Wow.

[Rich Davis]

What's up, db?

[Danny G]

Guys, there is some Bill Belichick News did. If we're on the same same train. New York Daily News.

[Rich Davis]

What do we got?

[Spot]

I don't know.

[Covino]

We'll see.

[Danny G]

New York Daily News is saying that Jordan Hudson has told at least one person that she is engaged. That's.

[Rich Davis]

I don't have anything to add to it.

[Danny G]

That could just be rumor shall see.

[Spot]

She's really going to be calling the shots now.

[Rich Davis]

Damn.

[Danny G]

But nothing official as of yet.

[Rich Davis]

I was going to say tickets are sold out for UNC football. Did you see that?

[Danny G]

Wow.

[Rich Davis]

They quickest or whatever. I don't know if they sell out every year, but ticket sales through the roof just to get a glimpse of Bill and perhaps Jordan on the sideline doing something.

[Danny G]

Well, then it's. Then it's worked so far for the Tar Heels. We'll see if it works on the field. The NFL. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announcing today that the owners did approve the move that would allow their players to play in the Summer Olympics in 2028.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Players. We think it's a tremendous opportunity for them to represent their country, to compete for a gold medal, which is the pinnacle of global sports.

[Rich Davis]

Has anyone watched any episode of Bad Thoughts with Tom Segura?

[Spot]

Now watch the trailer. And it was intriguing. We, me and my wife looked at each other. We're like, that looks kind of cool.

[Rich Davis]

It is the. Danny. Watch episode one with your wife and please report back tomorrow. It is the dirtiest, most sexual, filthy. Like, he is pushing every envelope that's ever been pushed.

[Covino]

Yeah, but Rich told me he didn't like it, so. Rich, you're the biggest culprit of this. Tastes like booty. Taste it. It's like, no, thanks. You just told me it sucks. You know. Hey, man, this. This smells bad. Here, take a sniff. No, thanks.

[Rich Davis]

Hey, is this milk bed?

[Covino]

I'll take your word for it. You told me it sucked. Why do you pass it on?

[Spot]

Well, you do have the Brett Favre documentary to watch.

[Rich Davis]

That is something to watch tonight. And thank you for the transition. Transition Jones. Because if you do watch the beginning of that, honestly, I do want to know what you think. Bad thoughts, Tom Segura. It gets weird. But you know what else will get.

[Covino]

Weird Tonight that isn't a sizzling endorsement. I have other things to do, like Brett Favre.

[Spot]

And I actually watched the Favre documentary right before work.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Oh.

[Spot]

And it. You guys are gonna love it. It is really good.

[Covino]

You know what I didn't know. I mean, we knew the story from a personal, firsthand experience.

[Spot]

Yeah. I was gonna say you guys are involved in the story and we know.

[Covino]

A lot about it. But what I didn't know is that it was part of the untold series on Netflix.

[Rich Davis]

I didn't know that you thought it was a standalone.

[Covino]

I thought it was a standalone Brett Favre documentary. But I love those untold documentaries and part of that series. So.

[Rich Davis]

Yeah.

[Covino]

The Brett Favre documentary debuted today is titled the Fall of Favre. And of course, we all know Brett Favre is a great quarterback. He did great things on the field, but off the field, it's sort of like he did a lot of shady things and questionable things and yet got away with it sort of unscathed until now. And we're going to talk about people whose image change for the worse or maybe the better. But Rich said he has a number one answer.

[Rich Davis]

Yeah, I do. I do. It's not far if it's not Belichick. But first we got to tell you guys about the tyrack play of the day. The Marlins walked it off against the Cubbies yesterday.

[Covino]

And the two one going to rip.

[Rich Davis]

Down the first baseline.

[Covino]

That's in for a base set.

[Rich Davis]

This could win it. It's rolling all the way to the wall. Hill in to tie it. So no high into Winnett. And it's a walk off two run double for Jesus Sanchez. Man, the Marlins magic continues in Miami. Jesus. Actually, thank you, Jesus. It was Jesus Sanchez.

[Covino]

Jesus Sanchez. And that's courtesy of Fox Sports. 940 wins, W I n Z Marlins radio network. And that's our tire rack play of the day.

[Rich Davis]

Now in this documentary that we're all probably going to watch, you learn that Brett Favre's sort of a piece of garbage. From being terrible to women to, you know, allegedly tampering with money of Poor people. Two things.

[Spot]

Not allegedly. He took money.

[Rich Davis]

I mean, two for two. I mean, talk about trash.

[Covino]

Behavior became part of the largest case of public fraud in state history in Mississippi.

[Rich Davis]

So tied to fraud and tied to being a perv. Way to go, Brett Favre. And your acting was terrible. And something about Mary.

[Covino]

And he wears Wranglers. Hello.

[Rich Davis]

Hey, guys. 0 for 4. Yeah. So Brett Favre went from beloved quarterback to.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

What's Brett Favre doing here?

[Rich Davis]

Trying to find redemption because everyone hates the guy now. So Brett Favre went from lovable quarterback to piece of trash.

[Covino]

Especially after today. Like, because everybody's known the story but has sort of ignored the story. But now it's right there in your face on Netflix, and Danny G. Just said he saw it. So you're gonna leave feeling like, yeah, man, buckle up.

[Rich Davis]

Buckle up, buttercup.

[Spot]

Not to spoil anything, but for this conversation, Sturger, Jen Sturger, says in it, even after watching this documentary, some people will still ignore all of this because he was a football guy.

[Rich Davis]

Of course they will.

[Covino]

Right? And the crazy part of that side of the story involving Jen Sturger, who we've known personally for years, is that if it happened now, she would have been the victim. But back then, she was not viewed as the victim at all. If anything, Rich, you said it sort of ruined her reputation.

[Rich Davis]

It ruined her reputation and, you know, far really, you know, effed up her path.

[Covino]

Put it in perspective. If any other superstar of today did that, oh, forget about it. Imagine if Patrick Mahomes did that. If anyone else did that. Yeah. No way.

[Rich Davis]

The fact that she never met Brett Favre is something we learn. I mean, I knew that you knew that, but there's a lot. So you'll find out he's a real piece of trash. And we learned something about Belichick today. Not making him trash at all, but Belichick, your image may have changed. So we'll get to that. And I still have the number one answer of image changers in the world of sports. Whose image has changed the most in your mind when it comes to sports and entertainment?

[Covino]

Because Brett Favre, our producer, Spot, our associate producer, our video producer, Spot, he.

[Rich Davis]

Has changed a lot.

[Covino]

Yeah, yeah. Because when we first met him, Rich. Rich always says that he had, like, a Jonah Hill vibe about him.

[Rich Davis]

I used to say, if you met Spot and you didn't immediately love him, something was wrong with you.

[Covino]

Now Spot walks around with a tank top like he's an Adonis.

[Rich Davis]

Now it's like, if you like Spot, I'm curious why I'm kidding.

[Covino]

I've ever heard my entire life. Right? He's not the same guy. That's evolution, baby. Look, you can't stay the same. And I got to say, look, respectfully, when it comes to Bill Belichick, I'm not mad at the guy. I don't care at all.

[Rich Davis]

He's just dating a young hottie. Leave him alone.

[Covino]

But it is the story.

[Rich Davis]

It's a hot story.

[Covino]

Can't ignore the story.

[Rich Davis]

And you know what amped it up. The interview where she's like, we're not talking about that. That to me was the. This was like a little flame in a. In a forest. That interview clip to me, poured a tub of Gasolina on it. It really did to me.

[Covino]

Hold on though, Rich. I don't want to sound like a double talking hypocrite. Double talking Davis? Yeah, like Chatterbox Davis. I don't want to double talk like me.

[Rich Davis]

Okay.

[Covino]

If it was my daughter and she was 24 year old dating a 74 old, yeah, you better believe I would care. But no, Esme problema, you know, makes them happy for sure. But I mean, we'd be doing a disservice to not acknowledge the story.

[Rich Davis]

It's a hot story.

[Covino]

And not only is it a hot story, but the story grows. Did you hear the other story today?

[Rich Davis]

I did. There's. There's layers.

[Covino]

Brett Favre got a new boat.

[Rich Davis]

No, not Brett Favre.

[Covino]

I mean, Bill Belichick got a new.

[Rich Davis]

Well, Brett Favre's. Brett Favre is trying to get a new boat so he could just sail away and never be seen again.

[Spot]

Mississippi paid for a new boat. That's weird.

[Rich Davis]

He got a new boat based off he stole the people's money.

[Covino]

Beyer insinuated that there is a rumor of Belichick being engaged.

[Rich Davis]

Yeah.

[Covino]

And hey, I wish him all the best.

[Rich Davis]

You saw that. Well, the headline with the boat, right?

[Covino]

The boat is the other side of the story. Not, not far. Belichick, where he got a new paint job on his boat.

[Rich Davis]

They go to Mako.

[Covino]

And I believe he used to read like eight Rings or something, right? That was the name of the boat. Eight Rings. Yeah, something like that. And now it's repainted as one plus eight rings.

[Rich Davis]

Oh, man.

[Covino]

So where's the other ring? That adds fuel to the engagement fire. And of course, you wished them all the best. Who really gives a diddly squat, right, about their relationship? But it is front and center. And you have changed or maybe have made some sort of different assessment, because here's A leader of men, the most alpha men in all the land. And it appears he's being bossed around by a young woman, which is odd to see. Is that the facts? Is that the case? Maybe that's what he likes. We don't know, but that's what we're led to believe. But you definitely have a different image of the guy. You would have never pictured Bill Belichick the type of guy to be hanging around a 24 year old woman. So his image has changed.

[Rich Davis]

My image changed when he was doing yoga moves with her on the beach. I was like, wow, he's up there. He was doing like the fly like Superman that you do with your kid with her, right? And from that moment on, I'm like, you know what? I don't hate him. You know, to me, my stance all along has been, if Bill Belichick is a guy that dedicated 50 years of his life to football, and now that he's like 70, he has a single guy, 74. If Bill Belichick's the type of guy that's like, you know what? I'm gonna tap some young ass before it's all over, God bless him. I'm not. I'm not that girl's father, but still. And you know what?

[Covino]

You don't look at him the same way.

[Rich Davis]

I don't.

[Covino]

And that's what we're talking about. So it's not from a judgy place. We're just telling you the story as it is, and we'll keep you posted on the rumors. And then, of course, the other story today involves Brett Favre. We all knew the story. We all knew the shady side of Brett Favre, but no one really ever talked about it.

[Rich Davis]

It's like he got as much coverage as you thought. It's like he got by unscathed because he was such a hero on the field that the fact that he was a piece of trash with women and Jen Sturger, among others, in that jets organization, and the fact that, you know, there was the money in Mississippi. Like Brett Favre, his true colors are being shown today. And I think moving forward, everyone's gonna just hate Brit.

[Covino]

Well, if you just joined us again, we bring him up specifically because after today, you're gonna know the untold story. The Fall of Farve debuted on Netflix and people are buzzing about it. Like, damn, Danny G came in today and Danny G knew the stories. But hearing it firsthand on this documentary, you're like, yo, man, he was a piece of truth. What did you say? I don't want to misquote you.

[Spot]

I just think that half the people are still gonna ignore this, though.

[Covino]

Wow.

[Spot]

Yeah. That's what it.

[Covino]

You said it was legit. Like, it did not make.

[Spot]

Yeah. Like, when. When Sturgis was talking. I believed her.

[Covino]

Yeah.

[Spot]

You know, and. And I don't think there's any reason anybody probably shouldn't with the story in the. The facts. Like, she has proof of what happened through text messages, emails, everything else. And then there were witnesses to her.

[Rich Davis]

Side of things, including people in this room.

[Spot]

Right.

[Rich Davis]

And then, I mean, like, facts.

[Spot]

But then the second. The second half of the do money, it's for the underserved. The money is supposed to go to the underprivileged in that state. And so that probably will bother you even more.

[Covino]

Yeah. A welfare fraud scheme that he was a part of. And you learn all about that when you go home later tonight. You're probably gonna have a different opinion of Brett Favre. Your friends are gonna be talking about it. But Rich says despite these two stories that are big and front and center today, there's still a number one image change in the world of sports.

[Rich Davis]

It's undeniable. And, you know, no matter what happens, no matter what athlete goes heel or gets arrested or does something dumb or anything, nothing will ever trump. No one will ever trump the perception of O.J. simpson or Renthal James.

[Covino]

And I still think, yeah, that is the number one. It will always be the number one.

[Rich Davis]

I mean, we're talking about a guy that was the most loved player, broadcaster, as they say in many of the documentaries. He was an African American man that racist white guys liked.

[Covino]

Like, he.

[Rich Davis]

He. He crossed every demographic, age, sex, race, everything people loved.

[Covino]

Yeah.

[Rich Davis]

O.J. simpson, he was a naked gun.

[Covino]

He was broadcasting to people.

[Rich Davis]

The Hurts commercial.

[Covino]

My girlfriend, who's slightly younger than me, when I try to explain to her the importance and significance of O.J. simpson, I always have to say, like, imagine Shaquille O' Neal or Strahan was the other Michael Strahan. Like, beloved, but even more loved than them, arguably. You know, imagine they went on a murder spree.

[Rich Davis]

When you say younger girlfriend, Jordan, like, no Belichick. Right?

[Covino]

No Belichick.

[Rich Davis]

Okay.

[Covino]

Yeah, I have to. Yeah, no Belichick.

[Spot]

You just said murder spree. So Aaron Hernandez would have to be way up there on the list because it's multiple kills.

[Covino]

Yeah, definitely.

[Rich Davis]

But he was always known as a.

[Covino]

Bit of a weirdo, right?

[Rich Davis]

As. As an outcast.

[Spot]

But we all heard that he had cleaned up his act. It was the Belichick and Patriots way and the effect of their organization. And so we thought he was like one of those great stories.

[Covino]

And as a casual fan, you didn't know the backstory. You just knew this dude was tearing it up. He was a great tight end. And all of a sudden you're like, he killed people.

[Rich Davis]

Danny, I don't discount your answer. It's in the top. It's in. It's on the list, without a doubt. But I just think that Aaron Hernandez was always like, yo, that guy's a little rough around the edge because of.

[Spot]

Where he was from and his friends and all that. But what I. What my point, Rich, was we were all told that this was this great American story about how he got a second chance and he totally cleaned up his life.

[Covino]

Yeah. Not the case. And you know, it doesn't have to be all negative. Right. Cause I could throw Tom Brady into that conversation. Um, I think that after his retirement, I have a totally different understanding of who Tom Brady is and what he's about. And he became a hell of a lot more likable to me after retirement once he got away from the whole Patriots way and. And again, we started to see a different side of the guy image shift completely. Cause I thought he was like a stiff, boring, sort of vanilla guy. Really funny, personable dude. So it doesn't have to be all doom and gloom.

[Rich Davis]

Yeah. So image changes in the world of sports and entertainment. Who did you go from loving to hating? Hating to loving. I just think after you watch his Favre documentary, if there was still a party that's like, yeah, man. Hero Brett Favre. I think you're going to think differently. And I don't judge Belichick, but to say that it's not a different impression than the hard nose. My life is football. Bill Belichick. Now when you're. You're seeing him being all cutesy with his 20 something year old girlfriend, he's.

[Spot]

I.

[Rich Davis]

You may not be offended. I'm not offended. But I do look at him differently. Like, in my mind, I thought he only cared about football. Now I'm like, yo, he cares about booty.

[Covino]

Yeah, I know. Yeah, it's definitely.

[Rich Davis]

Why else would he.

[Covino]

Different look? Yeah.

[Rich Davis]

Like, I think that's the funny part. Sports is ignoring. Because sports doesn't like to, you know.

[Covino]

But you know what, Rich?

[Rich Davis]

Sexual stuff. But let's be honest, sports people don't like to dive into the sexual part of things as it's a little taboo. But why are we ignoring the fact that There's a reason you get with a hot young woman when you're a powerful older man. If you don't think sex is a motivator. You think they're hanging out because she's cool.

[Covino]

We have a lot in common.

[Rich Davis]

You think, because, oh, well, we share a love of art. No. What do you think about the Vietnam War? Bill Belichick? I lived through it. You didn't build Belichick. He's grabbing a hold of some young hot bod that he probably thought he would never do again. Why are we pretending that's not the real part of this?

[Covino]

And the other weird part about it is, not only do we look at him different, you don't think his young players look at him in a different way?

[Rich Davis]

Probably both.

[Covino]

Yeah. Like, oh, man, hey, well, you know what he's into. And that's not the kind of look you want for a guy in a leadership position.

[Spot]

Our society has always kind of glorified it, though. Look at Hugh Hefner.

[Covino]

Yeah, I was going to say life crisis.

[Rich Davis]

Buying a sports car.

[Covino]

It's weird. And you know what, though? If he wins, though, it's all forgiven and it's all good. So that cures and fixes everything a la Brett Favre. Look how long we ignored the Brett Favre thing. Cause he's a superstar. So image shift the ruse. Let's get back to it.

[Rich Davis]

Let's go to Josh in Ohio, and then we'll go around the room here. What's up, Josh? Hey, guys.

[Spot]

Mid. Mid weight.

[Rich Davis]

I actually changed my answer.

[Covino]

Originally, I was going to go with.

[Rich Davis]

Vince McMahon, but you inspired me to go from positive to negative back to positive. And that's Michael Vick. We started out, we loved him as a college quarterback. The pit bull thing happened, and now he's back to being a commentator. So he's changed his image from positive to negative back to positive. And I think he needs a lot of flowers for that.

[Covino]

Speaking of. And I think that's a great answer. Isn't he in this documentary?

[Spot]

Contributor?

[Covino]

Yeah, he's part of this Brett Favre documentary because he's all over the trailer.

[Rich Davis]

Michael Vick was hated more for messing with animals than people are for murdering humans. There are people that are like, I will never forgive my daughter. The details of that story are awful.

[Covino]

Yeah, let's not downplay. I know, I know. I totally good for him.

[Rich Davis]

The simple fact is, if he was, quote, rehabilitated and now fights for animal rights and does stuff, and he's a positive force. Totally. Then what a What a great turnaround. And that's a great answer.

[Covino]

It is a great answer because you saw all different sides of it.

[Rich Davis]

What did Josh say his original answer was? Vince McMahon.

[Covino]

That's a great one.

[Rich Davis]

Because Vince McMahon was a man, a business genius that took wrestling from sweaty, you know, hairy guys grappling to a billion dollar sports entertainment world. And then you find out, oh, man, he's into weird stuff, Vince.

[Danny G]

Here's the tough part. That and why I think the Michael Vick answer is magnificent. Nobody here thinks that guy seems like he could be a murderer. So when you're talking about image and the OJ Thing, I just don't think that you can. Because nobody would think that if it was like, oh, this guy went and slept with a bunch of different women or whatever. Like, oh, it didn't seem like he was a fan. But when you get to the murder part of it, I don't think anybody could see that at all. I think it's more of an extreme. And that's what makes the Vic so good. And what I think that the, like, my recommendation was Tiger woods for. Of loved, for everything that we thought that he was, not knowing who they are behind the scenes and then has the scandal with all the different women and then comes back and is re loved again as he wins in the 40s and is then looked at as a dad, you know, of his two kids.

[Covino]

Like, the really great answer, too.

[Danny G]

I just think when you have like a murder or the Hernandez situation, same thing. And how he ultimately, you know.

[Covino]

Yeah, murder, shocking, animal cruelty, though. That's really what it comes down to, like, man. Yeah.

[Danny G]

Yeah. That's the part where.

[Covino]

And then Tiger woods. You know, what I always picture. Do you guys remember the SNL bit where Tim Meadows played like a goofy Tiger Woods? Do you remember that bit with Tim Meadows? He's like, you know, being all goofy because Tiger was like a real goofball, all shucks kind of guy. When you hear these stories about what a womanizer he was, you're like, what Tiger Woods?

[Rich Davis]

Listen, I'm not trying to defend Tiger woods, but.

[Covino]

And then again, he's beloved.

[Rich Davis]

I look at Tiger woods and Bill Belichick, I'm not saying the same, but when you're so dedicated to something, the way Tiger woods was so disciplined with golf, the way Bill Belichick dedicated 50 years to, you know, I'm going to win at every level, football assistant coach, coach, most super bowl rings. I think there's a party that forgets men's downfall so many times. Is women. And like it wasn't shocking to me that Tiger woods mixed in with emotional championships and injuries in life. You don't think Tiger woods, like every other man had a soft spot for a good looking woman. It sounds ridiculous and so juvenile, but look at politics, look at sports. So many downfalls revolve around women.

[Danny G]

Sure, it was the extent of what Tiger was doing as well with so many different women at different times.

[Rich Davis]

18, I don't know, 18 holes of golf, not 18.

[Covino]

I think it was. I think it was, man. I think it was. But you're right, Dan. And then totally reinvented himself again. So it's sort of on that Michael Vick era of we saw how the image changed twice or three times.

[Rich Davis]

What I mean, again, we forget that with great power and success and money, a man could very well fall into a world of women that may not be there for the right reasons. And trust me, Tiger woods, when you look back now you're like, dude, since he was a little boy, golfing success, greatest of all time, injuries take place. Like everything has the equation to fall and women is a great reason. Yeah. So let's say hi to Mark and the Cuse, have some dinosaur barbecue. What's up, buddy?

[Covino]

Hey, Mark.

[Rich Davis]

We got Mark. There we go.

[Covino]

Mark. Hey, buddy.

[Rich Davis]

Buddy, what's up? Hey, how you doing? What's up, bud? Tiger.

[Spot]

Tiger woods was great.

[Danny G]

I didn't even think of him. But the one I was came to.

[Spot]

Mind was Ryan Leaf.

[Rich Davis]

I mean that's pales in comparison to Tiger, but yeah, Ryan Leaf was one of those guys that he also self.

[Covino]

Admittedly had, you know, his demons. But what a great guy he is every time we see him. He's always been cool with us.

[Rich Davis]

So Ryan Leaf is a guy that high hopes ended up in prison.

[Covino]

Right.

[Rich Davis]

Now we see Ryan Leaf at sports events. Totally turned the balls, media rows. Ryan Leaf is the first guy to stop and have a great conversation with you. Really good guy.

[Covino]

Health a big priority. Like he's fit and looks great. So yeah, he's definitely turned it around.

[Rich Davis]

Delaware. What's up, Jimmy?

[Covino]

Hey, Adrian Peterson.

[Rich Davis]

Yeah, I mean AP with the whole. Remember the switch and hitting the kid. Right. That was the thing.

[Covino]

Like that was a big moment. Yeah. That was a big debate.

[Rich Davis]

His son.

[Spot]

Yeah.

[Rich Davis]

And now he's having.

[Spot]

He's in some serious financial deep waters.

[Covino]

Yeah. And the story of you know how to discipline your own kid.

[Rich Davis]

And he got a DUI recently too.

[Covino]

What was common for certain cultures, not common for everybody. It opened up a lot of eyes and yeah, he's, he's one of those that deal with that.

[Danny G]

What about, I think Alex Rodriguez is quite the turnaround.

[Rich Davis]

Yeah.

[Danny G]

What about Roger Clemens?

[Rich Davis]

Well, that's a good one.

[Danny G]

Kind of an under the radar. And the reason I bring it up is here's a guy, when you think of back when we were growing up, I mean, you would think that he would just be a legendary Red Sox player, right? And so then he goes plays for the Yankees and the, and the Blue Jays and Astros and all those teams. And then, then with the, you know, PED scandal and now like when you're looking back at like those eight, like, it's just like it wasn't Rocket Roger.

[Covino]

Yeah, you know what's crazy about that too, Dan, is how, yeah, he won Cy Youngs with a lot of those teams and the Yankees even turned their back on the guy. And you never saw him in any highlight videos until recently. He was brought to spring training or whatever, but that's the first we saw him, I think even this year was the first we saw him there. So as a guy who you believed was all about baseball and all about the Red Sox, like you said, ended up being viewed as not the guy we remembered for sure. Rest in peace. George went 76 years old. Norm from Cheers died peacefully in his sleep. That's the update there, by the way.

[Rich Davis]

Just to put in perspective, you know how we talk about how for some reason back in the day, you look at your parents yearbook and everyone looks like they're 30.

[Covino]

In high school, dudes had full on mutton chops. 50 years old.

[Rich Davis]

In high school, TV dads of the 80s, you're like, how old are they? According to the stats, the cast of Cheers, when you're, when you're looking at the group shot they've labeled the ages. George Went was supposed to be 34. Ted Danson as the bar owner, 35. Who was the guy that played the male mailman with the mustache? What was his character again?

[Covino]

Cliff.

[Rich Davis]

Yeah, Cliff. 35. And yeah, Cliff Clavin and the women on that show were both 33 years old.

[Covino]

33.

[Rich Davis]

So George went was actually like in his mid to late 30s, though. And he. But I'm saying it's like they looked. They do. Like, I would say I'm, I would say I'm. I'm guessing your grandparents are no longer with us. I lost my last grandparents in March. I have a theory, but let me just tell everyone right now, if you want to call the win, let's get the phones going. 87799 on Fox.

[Covino]

Oh yeah. We're going to play our game. Shaq Diesel trivia. It's real easy to play. And we're giving away a swiggy to the winner. Stainless steel, stainless. The other one's stains. This one. Stainless, stainless. Stainless steel water bottle. It's midnight black. It's real nice. And your chance to win is now 87799 on Fox.

[Rich Davis]

Now back to my grandparent theory. And I bring that up, Sam because I feel like most of us have lost our grandparents, right? You think of your old grandma and grandpa and the people that help raise us. You'd be at grandma's house. My grandmother wore a moomoo. My grandfather was a World War II veteran who like brushed his hair back and washed his hands with like Lava soap. After he worked on his car in the driveway.

[Covino]

My grandpa washed his face with Lava soap.

[Rich Davis]

They looked like they were 80 when they were 55. Let's do it. I was Sam. Shaq Diesel trivia.

[Spot]

Whenever we say not to name drop, that means we're about to name drop.

[Rich Davis]

I'll name drop.

[Covino]

Oh my goodness.

[Rich Davis]

Not only are CNR friends with Tyson and Mahomes.

[Covino]

Hey man.

[Rich Davis]

They're also buddies with a big Aristotle.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

What's up? It's big Shaq Diesel. AKA Shaq Fu, AKA Shaq Daddy, AKA the big Aristotle. Guess what? It's time to win some C and our prizes.

[Covino]

Time for some basketball trivia.

[Spot]

What he said.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Great bad boys now breaking records for FSR ratings.

[Covino]

Shaq Diesel basketball trivia.

[Spot]

All right, FSR security walking our broke Shaq Fu into the main studio. Are you ready to get this great two guys, the semifinals to go in tonight.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Out of breath.

[Rich Davis]

So draft lottery rig check or what?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Yeah, you know, allegedly, David's starting to ask me, but you already told the story, so carry on. I will tell you this though. Rest in peace. George Wendt. He's my third favorite George on tv.

[Rich Davis]

Who's your first two?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Well, George Jefferson. Number one, George Jefferson. And I'm not talking about Stephen A. Smith. George Jefferson and then George Jetson. And then George went rest in peace.

[Rich Davis]

Jets. Jetsons fan, huh?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Big Jetsons fan.

[Spot]

Who do you got tonight for game one of the Western Conference finals?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Easy. He already said NBA is rigged. Allegedly. So tonight is going to be the Timberwolves. But the Knicks are definitely in.

[Spot]

All right, you heard it from Shaq. Let's meet the contestants. 10 time winner, Rich Davis right over there.

[Rich Davis]

Here we go.

[Covino]

Shaq.

[Spot]

Four time winner. Spotty boy to see you.

[Covino]

Let's do this.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

All right, let's go.

[Spot]

Five leader in the clubhouse, 13 time winner, Dan Byer.

[Danny G]

Hello.

[Spot]

And looking to win a CNR stainless steel Swiggy on our studio lines. The first one through was Neil in lacrosse Wisconsin.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Neil.

[Rich Davis]

Yo, Neil. What's up, man?

[Covino]

All right, let's go.

[Spot]

All right, Neil, what you do really quick for living there in lacrosse?

[Covino]

Come with, cheese. What was that?

[Spot]

What do you do for a living in Wisconsin there?

[Covino]

Oh, I deliver.

[Rich Davis]

Just deliver.

[Covino]

Good.

[Spot]

Oh.

[Danny G]

Delivering goods to the coolie region is what he does.

[Spot]

Here are the rules for Shaq Diesel Trivia. The first contestant with two correct answers is the champ. If there's a tie, we do have a tiebreaker question. Your name is your buzzer, but you do have to wait until all three possible answers are read. If there's two wrong answers in a row, we move on to the next question. Are you ready?

[Rich Davis]

Yeah. Let's go.

[Spot]

Let's get it on.

[Covino]

Let's do the same.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Who was the first team to lose three straight NBA Finals? Was it A, the Lakers, B, the Celtics, or C, the Knicks? Shaq Diesel, who you got?

[Rich Davis]

Come on, I'm giving you a chance. Neil, who you got?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

First team to lose three straight NBA Finals.

[Rich Davis]

Neil.

[Spot]

Yeah. No penalty if you're wrong.

[Rich Davis]

Rich.

[Spot]

Rich.

[Rich Davis]

Lakers.

[Spot]

Oh, rich. You say Lakers.

[Rich Davis]

Yeah, it's Lakers.

[Spot]

No, it's not.

[Rich Davis]

Oh, it's not Lakers.

[Spot]

It's not.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

No, but that was nice. Nice try.

[Spot]

Yes. He's so confident.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

You were so confident.

[Rich Davis]

Neil.

[Danny G]

Shout your name.

[Covino]

Neil. What did.

[Spot]

Yeah, Neil. You gotta shout your name out.

[Covino]

Yep.

[Rich Davis]

Celtic. His name's Yep.

[Spot]

And you're both losers. It was the Knicks.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Knicks lost to the Rochester Royals in 51. And the Minneapolis Lakers 52 and 53.

[Spot]

It's the Lakers. All right. Nobody on the board. Line.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Way to be wrong.

[Rich Davis]

Hold on. Ask clown. You know why the Lakers were? An obvious good answer. Because you know how many years they lost to the Celtics back in the day?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

This guy's always justifying.

[Spot]

He's.

[Covino]

I love what he's saying.

[Rich Davis]

Are you talking to Shaq like that?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Every time he loses.

[Covino]

But so wrong. He's talking to Covino like that.

[Spot]

You can't talk to Shaq.

[Rich Davis]

I gotta stick my foot up your ass.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

You better relax.

[Spot]

All right, nobody on the board yet. Let's go to round two.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

What was I once quoted saying about my habits?

[Covino]

Oh, yeah, here we go.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

A, excellence is not a singular act, but a habit. What are you? Repeat. You are what you repeatedly do. B, I've had three Habits I've dealt with cars, women, and collecting businesses. Or C, a lot of bad habits finally get broken when they break your bank account. Oh, what have I said about my habits?

[Covino]

Spot, Spot. I'm gonna go with C. No.

[Spot]

Ah, man.

[Rich Davis]

Neil, you gonna jump in or what? I'll go with B. You'd be wrong.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

You'd be wrong. Hey. Excellence is not a singular act, but a habit. You are what you repeatedly do, Neil.

[Rich Davis]

You're like Shaq at the free throw line. I'm sorry.

[Spot]

All strikes so far. No one on the board as we go to round three. Yeah, Neil, Just buzz in by saying your name.

[Rich Davis]

Okay?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Remember, your name is Neil.

[Rich Davis]

Round three, my name's.

[Covino]

Yep.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Round three. I felt bad for Jason Tatum. Let's get a question in about the C's glory days. Who is the only team to defeat the Celtics at the infamous Boston garden during the 1985-86 season? A, the Washington Bullets, B, the Portland Trail Blazers, or C, the New York Knicks.

[Spot]

Dan Byer.

[Danny G]

Let's say the Blazers came to town and got a win.

[Spot]

You are correct. Yes.

[Covino]

Thanks, dan.

[Rich Davis]

Yep.

[Spot]

Yeah. December 6th, 1985. The only loss at Boston Garden. They finished 37 and one that season.

[Rich Davis]

That's amazing. That's insane.

[Spot]

All right, Buyer on the board. We go to round four.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

That's right. Shaq Diesel, Round four. I was a busy boy back in my day as well. How many children does the T Wolves, Anthony Edwards have? Is it A, 8, B, 6, or C, 4? Now, Neil, if you don't get this right, take my shoe off and hit you over the head. You say your name first.

[Spot]

Neil, you gotta buzz in by saying your name. Okay, his name's Now.

[Rich Davis]

Yeah.

[Spot]

Shout out Neil.

[Covino]

Yep. Neil.

[Spot]

B, B6.

[Rich Davis]

No, no, he just put it away. Dan, Buyer, just put it away.

[Spot]

Fire for the steal and the win.

[Danny G]

Oh, gosh. Six was.

[Spot]

Yes. All right.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Anthony Edwards has four kids. Look at this. Four kids by four different women. So he's off to a good start. He's only 23 years old.

[Rich Davis]

All right, thank you.

[Spot]

Thank you. Byer gets his 14th win.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

My God, that was painful.

[Danny G]

Had to save Wisconsin's pride.

[Spot]

I know.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Come on now, recipes. George went.

[Spot]

Now, usually Byer's a no brainer for you to still mail the swiggy out.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

No, I want to interject and say we have to set a standard. That guy was, as my. My good friend Charles would say, terrible.

[Danny G]

It's Shaq's game.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

He was terrible. He loved it.

[Covino]

We love you, though.

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Neil gets a slap in the Head. That's what he gets.

[Spot]

We still love you though, Neil. Thank you for listening.

[Rich Davis]

Goodbye.

[Covino]

Thanks.

[Rich Davis]

Yep. I got a bet for you. A little wager. DraftKings pick six. But I'm not going six because I like my odds. I got a $10 wins 80. Danny G. You want to hear this bad boy?

[Spot]

Let's go.

[Covino]

Let's hear it, Rich.

[Rich Davis]

Here's what I like now. A lot of times DraftKings does this cool thing where they sort of give you a gimme. You ever see these things where it's like Anthony Edwards more than 0.5 points because they want you to, you know, want you to play?

[Spot]

Sure.

[Rich Davis]

I'm taking advantage of the sweet offerings from DraftKings. So here's what I'm doing. It's Anthony Edwards more than half a point. It was 25 and a half. But they're giving that to you as like the little bonus. So I'm going more than Anthony. More than 0.5 for Anthony Edwards. And for also Minnesota, Julius Randall more than 19 and a half. He scored 20 or more in I think five of the last six games. So Julius Randall needs to hit 20 or more. Now Alex Caruso, on the other side of things, okc, he's had double digit games, I think also like six of the last seven years.

[Spot]

He bald out in that game. Seven.

[Rich Davis]

So eight and a half. Yeah, you just need Crusoe to get nine. I like that. And the one risky one I did because he has proven to just be a big game player. You're likely MVP SGA, more than 31 and a half. So you need 32 from SGA, 20 from Randall. Double digits for Caruso and Anthony Edwards just to score a point. And that's 10 bucks wins you 80, 10 buckaroos. Yeah, 10 bucks when you. Why not, Right?

[Covino]

Yeah. By the way, I'm thinking about what Shaquille o' Neal said when he was here.

[Spot]

Broke Shaq and said I'm never coming back.

[Covino]

He did say, you know, Rich talks too much and that guy sucked as a contestant, but glad he played. And he said he was very busy. He also said that the NBA is rigged, allegedly. Right?

[Rich Davis]

Yeah, he suddenly did.

[Covino]

Based on David Stern saying, hey, where do you want to play? Whereas cold or where it's hot. And then Orlando gets the first pick and they pick Shaq. If it comes down to ratings. And we already alluded that the NBA has to want the Knicks because that equals ratings. Who, what would be the better ratings grab the Knicks, Timberwolves or the Thunder?

[Rich Davis]

SGA is your likely mvp. But then again, Anthony Edwards, right. They're both like, would you broke Shaq.

[Covino]

Did say Knicks, Timberwolves.

[Spot]

Edwards has the bigger star power.

[Covino]

Yeah, that's what I think too. Yeah. Is that the answer though?

[Rich Davis]

You know Danny, I'll compare it to the NFL. When we said Brock Purdy sitting with a similar salary to TUA and Goff and other guys were like, yeah, it so doesn't make sense. I think, I think the T Wolves and the Thunder in that same level of like, yo, young exciting team but not they don't have the star power of the Lakers, the Warriors.

[Spot]

And it stinks that they're a small market team because when they're clicking they're really fun to watch. They play a fun brand of basketball.

[Rich Davis]

Who do you rather say you would rather see? Minnesota because they'll make our boss happy, right?

[Danny G]

Yeah.

[Covino]

No, I agree with Danny G. The Anthony Edwards storyline is probably a bigger story for the casual guy because they all know him by now. With the Jordan comparisons, the young superstars on the Thunder people aren't that familiar with maybe Caruso and sga, but again not as exciting as Anthony Edwards.

[Rich Davis]

But I do wonder, is this the beginning of like SGA's first of many? And then we'll look back and be like, why do we downplay this? This kid like, you know, so what.

[Covino]

Is the finals that you would want to see or that the networks would want to see?

[Rich Davis]

Hit us up at Covino and Ritual. See you guys back here tomorrow. Thank you Danny G. And I with Sam and Spotty until then are even there she baby.

[Covino]

See you in the promised land.

[Spot]

You're listening to an I heart podcast.