Embiid’s Knee “Worse Than Expected!” Have the Sixers LIED to Fans Regarding Joel Embiid’s Injury?

Embiid’s Knee “Worse Than Expected!” Have the Sixers LIED to Fans Regarding Joel Embiid’s Injury?

What up, fam? Hit that like. Hit that subscribe. This is Hud Wednesday nights. Will Jerome be ever play again? We’re going to break it all down. I mean, how silly is that, man? We talking about practice. The Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl champions. Eagles fans everywhere. This is for you. Let the celebration begin. Welcome in everybody. This is A2D Wednesday nights. It’s only on H2D radio. For Wednesday, we are brought to you by our good friend Dr. Paul Vidal. Specialized physical therapy. Okay. What was that? Okay. This is in Cherry Hill, Burlington, New Jersey. You find him on the web, specialized physical theapy.com. As always, packed house here on A2D Wednesday nights. Got Ryan Elisa, Noah E, and Mikey Buckets. Greg Malakovic, Luke Brown back in because we’re talking his neck of the woods. We’re up in his neck of the woods with this conversation tonight. I’m Tom Arnone. Everybody out there, welcome in. Let’s go over what’s on the docket. Eagles preseason game one. If you give a rat’s ass, um, you know, if you care, like you want to break that down. We’re we’re we’re gonna break it down. We’re gonna we’ll do this later. All right. I I think it’s the biggest dryer sheet sheet events of all time. Phillies O’s series recap, you know, was at one of the games, so it be it’ll be fun to break down another series win. And that’s what they’ve been doing. Oh, hom, right. So, you know, that’s it’s all you want to do. You trust in the Sixers front office is something that’s not hoo. I don’t know. We’re going to dissect it. And our main topic at hand, will Joel Embiid play this season? Right. Our poll question, Joel Embiid will miss the entire upcoming season due to his knee injury. Do you agree? Disagree? Let us know. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, that’s where we’re live. Everywhere you get your podcast, we’re there as well. Hit the like, subscribe, follow. Most importantly, jump in the conversation. Put your toes in a little bit. Let me know how they feel. All right, listen. I Yeah, he’s not gonna No, he’s not going to miss the entire season. I I disagree with I I like I don’t even know. This This is so redundant because this is the 10,000th time that on A2D radio since Job’s been drafted here that we’ve talked about him not being able to play or possibly missing time in the season coming up. So many times either pre like before the season or during the season. This has been a topic of conversation way too much. way too much, right? It’s not anybody’s fault, right? It’s nobody’s fault besides the basketball gods that just don’t want to allow the guy that they give him a healthy two-year run, you know what I mean? And see what he can do and then take the legs away, right? Never let him walk again. I don’t care. But allow this guy, somebody out there, you know what I mean? I don’t know who to ask anymore. The talent’s there. Can you give him a year at least? I mean, goodness gracious. Can you give him 70 in the playoffs, 65 in the playoffs? Can you give him one year of just the best version of himself? Like, why can’t he get that? Why does every year he had to be the top of the conversation with injury after injury after injury for a guy that like isn’t a bad dude? Wants to win, right? You can always find things about a guy, right? But I’m saying he wants to win. Like, we’ve seen the tears. You don’t cry if you don’t care. Sorry, I I hate to break the news, everybody. Okay? You don’t cry if you don’t care. But the injuries have absolutely taken a toll. We’ve heard things come out from former teammates on what he was going through having to play on a nightly basis, right? So, we have that information. So, now that we have it, we know he’s a competitor. Can somebody out there help this guy get him right, please? Because it’s unfair not only to a fan base, but the to the player. Goodness gracious. We’re in the baseball world. To the player, to the sports world. It’s about the player. Give him a run, man. Cuz he’s the best player in the league if he’s healthy. I I’ll stand by that to the day I die. He’s the best player in the league when he was healthy. And he still can be because he keep he got he gets better at stuff. He’s a weirdo. He’s that good. He’ll get better at stuff. So, but I disagree that he’s going to miss the entire season to it. I know there’s been rumblings and reports and and I don’t even know him. So, you guys are going to enlighten me on them, right? But I don’t even know him and I don’t care about you. I mean, I don’t care something in August. I can give I end in July. We got to write something up. I don’t care. I let me We’ll find out. Make sense? We’re going to find out. But I disagree to it because there would have been way more sooner. I feel like there would have been way more like two months after surgery, three months after surgery than like right now saying, “Oh, it’s a whole mess. It’s all the whole knee is shot.” You know what I mean? Like that. We didn’t know. We didn’t know that in in February, March. No. And nobody Nobody checked in on that. Come on. So, he’ll play this year. Disagree. Yeah, I’ll agree with you. I’mma go disagree, but I’ll I’ll say he plays under 35 games. Great. And the reason I say that is because I mean it’s inevitable, but it’s also all summer what’s really been telling according to him has been the stuff where they don’t have any clue. Luke’s gone. Oh wow. I don’t know what happened. He called a 30 second timeout. Yeah. He said time out. Time out. 30 second. 30 seconds. I got crazy echo. You don’t get He got back. He’s back. T we need a 30 second TO. All right. My fault. All right. Yeah. No, I’m going to say I’m going to say under 35 games. And the reason I say is because the stuff that’s come out in the summer has been that they don’t know what is wrong with his knee. So, in years past, the problem has been not them not knowing what’s going on, but their management with his injuries. So, when an article comes out, which is a great article, but in terms of like the right now, it showed you that Daryl my clue of what surgery he even got, and we were supposed to be um updated with his status six weeks after, and you’re talking about that being in like May. So that’s way behind us. They don’t know what’s going on. They don’t even know what his injury is. So I’m going to bank on them not managing an injury that they don’t know about. So because of that, I will say that something’s there. They’re going to manage it horribly and he will play under 35 games. Yeah, I uh I agree with that. Sorry. I agree with that, Greg. I agree with the 35 games. Yep. and and minute restrictions and the whole kitten kaboodleoodle that we’re used to. So, go ahead. Sorry. No, no, it’s fine because it was funny, too. I was thinking of going Christmas, right? Won’t play until at least Christmas, right? Which, you know, would have been but I just felt like that was too easy of a of a complete agree. So, I’ll disagree or I’ll agree with the poll. I I think he will miss the entire year. Uh, I I think although the reports coming out are are probably not entirely a shock to anybody here recently, I just feel like, like you said, Luke, I don’t think the Sixers have any idea what’s going on, right? So, according to Daryl, a couple weeks ago, he was supposed to be ready for training camp, right? He was supposed to be ready for training camp. Whether he actually participated or not, he was supposed to be ready, right? And now he’s not ready. Now he’s coming out. Paul George won’t be ready for training camp. Uh, not that this is about Paul, but I’m just, you know, the Sixers organization is is just becoming a cluster F with these two guys. And I just I have a feeling that he is going to miss this year. I mean, some of the things you’re seeing, you’re hearing it’s worse than than, you know, than expected. You know, some of the like no one’s ever come back fully from this, you know, two two injur you know, two surgeries on the same leg and same knee. So it just it it doesn’t look good. Uh so I’ll I’ll agree to the poll. I don’t think he plays this year. This year you you you because of a report. No, I I don’t think it’s more than report though. You also got to remember too, he’s not a small child, right? You know what I mean? He’s a 72 300lb guy on on a you know a 3D printed knee. You know what I mean? That’s not easy that’s not easy to maneuver around. You know what I mean? I hear you. Yeah. But we’re I I feel like we’re going off the report. Like what factual evidence do we have that he’s not going to be ready for training camp? I’m asking you. I’m that’s been that’s been reported around that he’s not ready for training camp. A lot of people like like who? I don’t know cuz they asked him. I I can’t pull off. I mean I can pull it up. Well, no. Because this jackass doesn’t tell anybody anything, Luke. So when we’re talking about the president of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers and Daryl my he gives you zero zero because he knows zero. I believe that no stuff out the wrong. This has been the CIA for a decade plus now. That’s what we’re trying that’s it’s a whole different world than I’m talking about right now. This has been we don’t tell them nothing for over a decade. That’s been organizationally from the top. Whoever’s been at top they haven’t told anybody anything when it comes to injuries. when it was Ben Simmons, when it was Embiid, anybody buying them, they they they botched them all. They kept it to themselves. It was a joke. It’s been a joke. And unlike like when you talk about Andy Reid and he gave you nothing impressors that this is that on steroids. I don’t have much information they like to keep. So, go ahead. I got one from Brett from Brett Seagull NBA. Joel beats knee is reportedly in bad shape. He’s likely to miss a start of training camp. Some around the league believe the Sixers regret extending him. Quotes, Embiid has struggled to get back on the court this all season and there’s a growing concern that he will not be ready for the start of training camp. League sources told Clutch Point. Uh the common word associated with Embiid and his health this all season and things are bad. Several rival teams in Eastern Conference who spoke with Clutch Points a couple weeks ago at the summer league confirmed mixed signals coming from the Sixers. There you go. to your point right regarding Embiid’s knee health with one executive state the 76ers are regretting their decision to extend him. Yeah. I mean that’s well Greg you got the you got the birds you got the birds hat on. So I’ll just enlighten you. Us spending all this money on Embiid and Paul George. Josh Harris can’t pay Terry McLaren. So it’s great is a good one. He’s not getting paid. So this is fantastic. Um, I don’t know. Like, okay. I mean, that’s a report, right? But again, that’s no there’s no factual to it, right? I think a lot of things though because they’re coming from other league sources. A lot of these are going to be anonymous, right? Or or they’re just going to be the league sources because they don’t want they don’t want to attach their name to it or their rivals, right? Or an executive told an executive. Sure. That like we wish we didn’t do it, but he don’t know [ __ ] Like that’s how I look at that. Like he don’t know [ __ ] He just knows he hasn’t been healthy and they’re wasting money. That’s how he probably looks at it, right? Which is fine. I don’t I’m not saying I disagree with it. Uh I’m not I’m not arguing Joel and Be’s health here. I’m arguing more the fact that like how they know he’s not going to get back on the court. It’s it’s August, right? We’re not even we’re not even there yet. We’re not there to October. So what are like you know what I’m saying? We’re we’re two months away from that stuff. So, to me, it’s like, what are we what are we talking about? How do you know he’s not gonna be ready? How do you know he’s not the type of guy that just that that doesn’t like you don’t see him in videos, but doesn’t mean he doesn’t show up limited participant at the beginning of camp, right? You know what I mean? And maybe maybe and maybe I’m just hope hopeful, right? Maybe I’m hopeful, wishful thinking, but I just don’t want to believe that that kind of [ __ ] report right there. Sorry. It’s not against you. I’m just I I it’s more attacking the the reporter who I’ve never heard his name, so I don’t know who he is. Um and it’s not a shot. Again, it might be might be an awesome guy. It probably is. I think that’s a [ __ ] article on what date was that released? Two days ago. No, August 4th. Yeah. August 4th. Yeah. Yeah. Two days ago. Yeah. No, it’s dog days. The dog days. True. Yeah. No. And it probably is right. I mean, the most likely it’s probably right. Like, you know, I mean, I I hate even debating it. I I just hate I hate 95% of beat writers. So, you know, I that’s that’s where I go. Especially summertime. The summertime typers I’m not a fan of. Unless you’re typing about baseball, you’re just hunting to try to ruin somebody’s life. That’s all you’re trying to do. You know what I mean? So, I’m I’m I’m Gucci, please. I have an idea. Yeah. Yeah. I don’t know if we’re going clockwise or counterclockwise, but you got to I’m up. We got uh over complicate things tonight. Yeah. I’m going to I’m going to disagree. I think he’s going to play at least you’re going to you’re going to watch him the show pony is going to go out there for a game or two and then limp his way out. He’s going to play at least one game. He’s going to try to do it. The only thing I find sketchy is that this long like it took like 45 minutes to read and I don’t read, but it took like 45 minutes to read. I read the whole thing of this report that like he let this guy in his house and like I don’t know who the reporter was. It was weird. Like to me it was like a feel bad for you like heck of a career. I feel bad for you now. It was like a he was looking for sympathy. It was very weird for Embiid. It was very weird for that to come out now. There’s a bunch of Embiid quotes. Like it wasn’t just a guy that wrote an article. It was a guy who like interviewed him and he was giving quotes for this article. It was just It was You got to read. Can No. Can you Can Can you amuse me, Mike? Were you able to amuse me with with a couple quotes? I mean, I I I read it, too, and I kind of disagree. I think definitely it catered towards him a little bit, but I also think that there was something in there, like an entire part of the article that to me was like very anti-mbb. And he admitted a lot of stuff. like the whole part of him like growing up and developing so late and he’s like, “Oh my god, I I’m gonna play five years in college and then he plays one year, plays like [ __ ] and Bill Self’s like, “What do you mean you’re going to be a top three pick in the NBA?” Gets drafted. He’s like, “All right, it’s going to take me a few years to get my feet under me, get my feet wet in NBA.” He turns into an MVP talent. Now he’s a franchise player of an NBA team. like he just wasn’t ready to take on any of that responsibility and he said I would have gone back and taken more accountability probably have joined this like NBA fraternity a bit differently like guys like Jimmy don’t walk out the door if you do stuff like that so it’s just stuff like that he admitted to that in that article which I thought was kind of cool but it definitely goes to show you that he just doesn’t trust the team or the organization at when it comes to his injuries. Yeah. Yeah. And my but my thing is like why now? Like Kansas and Jimmy Butler like that [ __ ] was seven years ago. He’s been working on this for a long time. He was he’s been at he’s from what I took from it, he’s been doing this for a long time. But yeah, he talked about like Harden how he left and now they don’t speak. And it was very weird that he left because he had the assist title and he had the scoring title and they instead of just blowing it up they should have just built slowly around that and like you know instead of every year having to have a new team and how he blames himself still to this day for his brother passing and him leaving him behind and it was it was very like you know and you do feel bad for the guy. Not that you don’t have emotions but it’s like it was very like poor me. That’s how I read it. You should just read it Tom. It was very like poor me. This is all I’ve had to go through. I didn’t ask for this like this, that, and the fifth. And he has been a warrior. He’s played with a paralyzed face. It was like how he was embarrassed to play with the paralyzed face. He’s saying everything I just said, and I didn’t even read the damn thing. So that that’s my point. Like how I opened the show is really what he saying. Like hello. Yeah, it was it was just kind of a why me which is fine. Can I No. No. Can I get a break? Can I get a break? That’s what he’s asking for. that that I read that read it right. I hear that more as can Can I have a year? Can I have two years? Can Can I have a couple years just being healthy and not dealing with the extra? Then I can be more of a better teammate. I can be more on the court more. I can feel better when I’m on the court more and not hurting. Like it’s not it’s not asking for a lot. Yeah. But I think that’s why it’s like why now? because it comes out. Luke just said it’s been being written for a for a while. Yeah, it seems like I agree though. It does sound like it might have been something to where like he might retire and then this stuff comes out. So, it was kind of weird like why now? Okay. Like you you say like like poor me and I’m reading it and I’m literally saying like okay, I see where you’re coming from, but I’m saying yeah, poor you. Like let’s let’s be real. This guy’s coming from Africa and Cameroon. He comes over and every year in his life, he’s been just tasked with some like elevated responsibility that he’s not prepared for. When in reality, all he was was one chip in an entire failure worth of chips. Like that worked out. He was the one guy that worked out that the decisions that they made. He was the one right decision that they made. And now he has to face all these problems because the team just has screwed up time in and time out over the past decade plus. Yeah. So we agree like it is it is poor him but you can still but I see it as like yeah like poor you like I’m with you. Like yeah we can agree well on that but that’s the article is like you know where I’m at on the whole like because I feel like you’re I don’t like buckets. I don’t like where you’re going with this and I’ll and I’ll tell you why. in the NBA world where these guys jump around like it’s a goddamn trampoline park. All right, for more money and and this guy and this guy hasn’t left either and could have left. I’ve always respected him for that. So like I mean we gota we got to factor that in in a world where nobody has loyalty and he does and the organization does to him, don’t get me wrong, right? But my point is when he was healthy, he could have signed somewhere else. He didn’t have to. He didn’t. My thing is the timing. I’m not saying poor me is bad. I’m just saying you’re coming out with a poor me feel good story. Well, maybe he retires then. Maybe he retires. Maybe maybe it is. Maybe it is this bad. I have Listen, I have no idea. I’m not saying anything he said was wrong. I’m not saying we should be wrong for thinking poor me. I’m just saying to come out with this now and then two weeks later there’s reports saying his knee is very bad and he’s going to miss training camp and like it just looks like a downward spiral spiral from here and he he wanted it out before he gets all this backlash again cuz he knows it’s coming. If if we if you there was no article and it was just Joel Embiid to miss the entire season, we’d be on here cursing him out. No matter how much he’s done for us, I’d be I know I would. I’d be cursing him out. Half Philly would be. Why’ we extend this guy? He can’t even play. He doesn’t show up to work. So, it came out with a poor me story and now all of a sudden his knee’s very bad, which again, poor him. I like I feel bad for him. He’s been through a lot. He’s been loyal. But like I said, it’s the timing for me. That is the only thing I’m trying to say. That’s the big thing is the timing of all this cuz like you said, it’s August. Like what do we know in August? Like why now? Like why now? I don’t understand. But yeah, that’s all that’s where I’m at. Um I don’t know. He’s going to play a few games, guys. I I I’d say he plays 25 30 games. I mean, he’s obviously not healthy enough to withstand a full NBA season. He obviously has injury history throughout much of his career. And, you know, some of it is his inability to take care of his body and some of it is just downright bad luck, right? But, you know, the bottom line is the Sixers have shown the lack of ability to manage any of this and uh which it makes it 10 times worse. I mean, you would think your most prized asset in the organization you would take care of, right? and you would make sure you do everything possible to make sure that he’s ready to withstand an NBA season and their inability to do that really has well it’s it’s [ __ ] everything up from the outset. So, and that’s the reason why we’ve never gotten out of the second round. And that’s the rioffs last year, and I see no reason why that would change this season. I mean, maybe we contend for a playin game. But other than that, I without a fully healthy Embiid, which we obviously won’t see, uh the future looks pretty bleak right now. And as far I mean I I disagree to the poll where yeah I think he’ll play a few games. Well what’s a few games? Five 25. I mean it it’s not going to be 65 or 70 which you need them to play. I don’t know. I don’t think you need him to play 65 or 70 if you had healthy George. But I don’t think the future looks bleak because you know you got the number three pick that you use on BJ. You have Tyrese Maxi, you have McCain, you have some young guys. So, it’s like, you know, you’re you’re starting to build over. Well, at least the outlook for this season’s not great. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It’ll it’ll get better once, you know, his contract is off the books. That’s a long time away. Long way for that. Five more years. Hang on. Yeah. Um there there’s no way he misses the entire season, right? It’s not going to happen. That would be crazy. It’s not going to happen. Do I want him to? No. Do I realistically think that if you if you were to tell me right now, regardless of us not having our own draft pick this year, not having a first round draft pick, right? If we if you could tell me right now that if Joel Embiid sat out this season that he’d be able to play next season at, you know, he played 65 games at 100%. I would trade that in a heartbeat. Okay. I know that how open that like the East is this year and how realistically like there’s a bunch of, you know, moving parts going on right now, but is a 31year-old Embiid really that much different from a 32-y old Embiid, right? Like with the guy with the knee injuries and all the different stuff that he’s had? Because if it’s realistically that bad, right, which we we we saw in the article that we’ve mentioned, he’s had a string of injuries through his career. You know, we like like we’ve said, we’ve talked about this could countless times, right? If we can, you know, for whatever reason, the Sixers somehow, which they haven’t been able to prove, can find a way to make sure that like, hey, if this guy sits out, they figure out whatever’s wrong with him and he’s healthy next year, you absolutely make that trade. You absolutely do it. Now, do I trust them to be able to do that? No, I don’t because they’ve been since the Iverson era, I don’t know if I trust this organization to be able to keep anybody healthy, right? Or at least be transparent about what injuries are, right? Um, but ultimately, like I love this dude, man. I love Joel Embiid. I’ve I’ve loved him since we drafted him. He’s won an MVP. He should probably have multiple MVPs. Um, and you know, the only thing that we we haven’t seen is them get as deep as possible in the playoffs, right? The guy’s giving you everything else. Regardless of you, if you think he’s a, you know, he doesn’t play as much as he should, he doesn’t get his body’s healthy, whatever your opinion of him is, the dude’s a grinder, right? He wants to be out there. He wants to win, right? Like we’ve talked about this in the past and I I find it very very hard to believe that he doesn’t want to be out there and based off you know reports that we’ve had with him playing through pain and other things. Um I I want this dude to be able to play. I really really do. and if he needs to sit out this year for him to have a chance at being healthy for the ne for next year and giving us that good of a chance of an MVP level guy having an opportunity to go and win a championship. I absolutely make that trade 100%. Yeah. And I don’t think it would be bad for the kids to just play together. No. And get some chemistry together and you grow as an NBA player by some of the lumps, etc. But even with Ty Tyres Maxi, the way the East is set up, you know, they could still be an eight seed. You know what I mean? They can still be, you know, they can absolutely make I think they I’m I’m saying I’m saying right now they’re going to be a top six seed. And I just I think it beats definitely playing under 35 games. They will be a top six seed. Well, Paul reality. Yeah. If Paul George gives you anything like even without him too, the East is so bad. It’s I know. Well, you what? Like, however bad you think it is, it’s worse. That’s how bad it is. They’re so bad in like in like a legit going to win a championship bad because there’s not a lot of teams that will, but there’s like sneaky teams like Detroit. It’s not like I don’t I don’t consider them like a threat to win at all, but they’re going to be good. Like Atlanta, like I think they’re going to stink technically, but they could be better than us with no George and Embiid. They’ll probably be I I would say that they’re probably one of the teams better than us. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that’s why I say if you have a if you have like a George for 65 games, 60 games. Yeah, they’re a top probably a top 16 seed because you need two you need two scorers like you know we don’t know what VJ is going to bring on nightly basis you know regular season wise nor do we know really McCain right now. We gota we got to see you know we got to see him again. We think he can score a little bit but we got to see it. He missed missed a lot of time. So you need the second score to be a threat. And I know the East is open, but I’m saying like to be a top six. I think you just need one of those two guys healthy. I’ve been saying that. Yeah. Since we got since we got George that, you know, he’s a he can give you 20 something a night. We know what Maxi can give you. Maxi needs a sidekick. And I think that’s where George will come in. Um and I think we I think we’d be good, right? We relax size a little bit obviously. Um but you know, VJ can go get 15 boards. Yeah, we’re going to get crushed on the boards. And what drives me nuts too is why did we wait so long for MB to get surgery? That’s another like mishap of the medical staff. Like if this guy this guy missed like the whole year last year and he’s been hurt since the Olympics. Like what what made him wait six months to get surgery? The Celtics game. That’s what changed everything. They I mean we did too. I was a banner. It was a banner night and it was a banner season. But that we did raise a banner. It changed everything. We were 10 and 17 and we didn’t know how to act. Yeah. Monster win. Monster win. You beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat beat the Celtics on Christmas change and because of So you’re saying because of that win it the latest I really believe that. I really do believe that. It’s crazy. Until the deadline, they thought that they were going to be good until they made the move. Which honestly, if you look at how bad things look now, imagine they didn’t make that trade for Grimes and they still had Oh my god. Uh K. Oh my god. Like they we’d be even worse of a situation. Not cuz Grimes is going to be like an all-star, but even with his contract and his age, he’s an great trade asset. Even if it doesn’t work out. Yeah, that’s crazy. He’s not even signed, is he? Not yet, but I mean he’s definitely I think he’s definitely your starting two guard which then DJ Yeah. Yeah. DJ McCain DJ McCain is already the most entertaining fun bench that we’ve had in the Embiid era by far by a wide margin. Easily. That’s another thing I saw. Jeff Dton Jr. is playing in like Hong Kong now. Yeah. And it was it was it was some tweet and it was like how many dudes has Embiid played with that aren’t even in the league anymore. Like and then and then under that was his longest tenure teammates. His number one is Furcon Corkm. Oh my boy Kurt Fork. It was like Furkcon Corkm, Shake Milton, Robert Coington, Ben Simmons, and Tyresese Maxi. Those are his longest tenure teammates. Like that list is sickening. How many trades did Furcon Corkm ask for? Two. Yeah, we traded them to the Pacers and they just said see you. They can’t even they can’t even stay in the league. Like what’s Shards done? Like what’s Cington done since he left here? Like these were starters for us. Like what’s Simmons done? I can go get my t-shirt. It’s got What’s Seth Curry done? Seth Curry can’t even play for his dad’s team. He can’t even play for the Hornets. They went they win five games a year. He can’t sniff minutes. Like it’s crazy. Like all these guys we had as starters. Josh Richardson like in the Embiid era we’ve had so many stiffs start for us. PJ Tucker. PJ Tucker’s begging for minutes. Like, it’s actually sickening how many starters we’ve had that can’t sniff NBA minutes. It’s It’s crazy. Soon as they leave, they’re just nowhere to be found. Like, they they were only starting here. Yeah. George Deang just got traded. He did. Yeah. For the seventh time. Yeah. Yeah. So, they can sign Chrisard. Yeah. I don’t know. That That fires me up. Boston’s a mess. Yeah. Because they just had to unload everybody. I mean, they’re terrible. They’re really bad. Yeah, that’s I don’t know. I could just say it over and over again, but that’s that’s astonishing to me. Like how many starters we’ve had like Simmons, Richardson, Curry, Charich, Coington, PJ Tucker, like they don’t start anywhere. Like of those though, like Simmons is really like the one that hurts the most, right? Because like he was the highest drafted. was the most, you know, anticipated, you know, drafty coming in. S was what a gau lottery pick. So, all right. But everybody else was just coming in in trades. So, like you kind of you kind I mean the the points there. I 100% agree. But like the only one that like you really get fired up on is Simmons to me cuz that I mean we had that and even we always go back to that Hawk series and it was and it was that pass too, right? Like Yeah. Yeah, but that’s what I’m saying. Was everything, but we always go back to that Hawk series and that past and that definitely changed his career. But like we were, were we a one seed that year? Am I Am I not mistaken? Yeah, I think so. Yeah, we were a one seed that year. We had Seth Curry starting. Can’t sniff minutes anywhere else. Like we had Furcon, Corkmas, and Matise Thyel flip-flopping in the starting lineup for offense defense. Literally flip-floppy and Corkmas and we were the one seed with Seth Curry, Thyel, and Corkm playing like pivotal minutes. Like, think about that. And then you had Simmons and Dwight Howard who couldn’t shoot on the court at the same time together like and we were still the one seed and took that team to seven games almost away from a conference final. That’s how great. You know what’s funny about Embiid? Yeah, Doc Rivers. You’re up 3-1 in that series, right? Atlanta. No, we were 61 and N at home that like the last 70 games we were 61 and N at home and then we lost three home games to the Hawks in that playoff series. Top Rivers didn’t know Tyrese Maxi was until the playoffs started. It was un because he doesn’t play anyone unless you’re above the age of like 26, 27. You’re ineligible to play and then he played in the playoffs. If you played longer than that, who knows incredible. Absolutely incredible. It really is. No, it’s it’s you can rehash all this all you want, right? The fact that you have two former number one overall picks that were with the team for what a combined six years, seven years. It absolutely insane. Absolutely insane. It only happens to the [ __ ] person. This is why I would always trade picks for proven talent or prospects for proven talent. These are the reasons because it’s like, dude, it Simmons was consensus number one overall to everybody. Yeah. Right. I mean, Folultz was a reach, right? But Simmons was consensus. That’s LeBron’s cousin. You do that again. That’s his lookalike. I mean, I think he’s the biggest pussycat to ever step on a in in a sports arena, stadium, anything. Yeah. He wanted he wanted nothing to do with the basketball. No. But that being said, after he got paid though. He did before. Oh yeah. You still had to pick him there. Yeah. I would do it again. You absolutely do it again. Yeah. But why why us? So like this is what I don’t understand. Because we can’t have nice things. That’s why. What what curse do we have as we were crazy? It’s a hanky curse. We were still the number one team. You can’t It can’t be a Hinky curse when when No, I’m saying it’s it’s since the NBA took over for Hinky. Yeah, but you can’t get punished for the NBA doing something to your franchise. You’re There’s certain things here that if we really want to dissect this, you can’t be punished for that. Like, if they did it in internally, it’s different conversation. But if the NBA’s coming in and say, “Oh, we don’t like this. We’re going to put a guy in place.” That’s not really the Sixers doing. We don’t deserve that as fans. No, we don’t deserve it. But it happened. But it’s just crazy also how much his career changes if you have a better cast around him. Like they still were a game away from the conference finals twice. Like if you don’t have Curry and and Corkm and Thyel starting and Shake Milton like do do you win? It’s a bunch of whatifs. But [ __ ] it. That that Toronto that Toronto series has to be won. Yeah. Oh, that’s where this the whole conversation ends. That’s the best overall team that he’s played with. And there was no bench, but that starting five was the was the best starting five in basketball that year. Covers third game and a bounce away. Yeah. Yeah. Crazy. That and that changes everyone’s career. It changes the the knack on Embiid. It changes the everything on a Simmons like because at least they took you to conference finals. Yeah. Simmons Jimmy leave. Yeah. A lot of things go differently there because if you win, you start to like guys. You understand? If you lose, it’s easy to hate guys. But if you win, it’s easy to like guys. I don’t know. And I was I was fortunate enough to be at every home game that we played the Raptors that year in the playoffs. Kawhi Leonard was Michael Jordan. Like he was the greatest player ever. Like ever. Like that that stretch was the greatest player in the history of basketball. to ever step on a basketball court ever. That shot that shot alone is the most ridiculous shot. One is the most it’s a ridiculous shot. Like on a Fisher Price net, I don’t know if you I don’t know if if and I’m a I’m a sharpshooter, right? I would hope Buckets is with the nickname, but I’m a sharpshooter. So, you know, I feel like that’s a tough shot there, you know, on on a four-year-old and I got high ceilings, so I can get that shot off, but like you you know what I mean? Like I don’t like I I’ve watched that shot a thousand and and and three times and it drives me nuts that they switched. Like why didn’t Simmons just keep running with Leonard? Like they just stopped. They ran into each other and Simmons just stopped and then and Embiid followed him to the corner. They should have just trapped him in the corner that you knew was going. So he’s a step behind, right? And because of that, right? And he traveled, but it’s actually No, they don’t call that in the NBA. They were never calling that. They were never. But it just sucks that they stopped cuz if you watch that again, Simmons just stops because switches. It was on the other night. Yeah. Is the Sixers medical team is garbage? And has did Joel do enough off the court to prepare himself to withstand an Well, the American the American food thing is a real thing. You saw what happened to Don? Don was the skinniest, most athletic dude for the first two years. coming for everybody this year, too. Fat and slow. Look at Embiid’s rookie year, like where he actually played his first two or three years. He was skinny and he was flying around. And he got that American food little Chick-fil-A twice a week, three times a week. And I’m telling you, it catches up to you. It’s no joke. Yeah. Yeah. There you go. Now you’re picture perfect. Heyo. Walking endorsement. I don’t know. A walking endorsement maybe for athletes not to do. You know, don’t do that. Don’t do me. Yeah. 100%. That’s Look at Mitchell Robinson. Like he can’t even fit through a door frame anymore. That dude was skinny as hell. Yeah. I mean, listen, it does it to us all. I mean, it’s not just not just these guys. I feel it. You know what I mean? I feel it. But I like to dabble. I like to treat I like to I like to treat the body, per se, to something a little greasy. But I mean I mean as an athlete, dude, if I’m making that kind of money, like I’m I’m getting somebody to cook me good stuff. Like I’m not even worried about that as an NBA player. Yeah. You kidding me? Are you kidding me? This is why these guys make me laugh. If if anybody would ever dare give me that kind of money and make me that good at something, oh baby, I’ll play for 42 years. You know what I Like I’ll be like LeBron just sticking around because I’m only I’m I’m going to I’m going to treat my body like it’s the greatest thing of all time and I’ll live the 95 and especially in and be be you know from Africa. I feel like you know they people live a long time over there. I don’t know why some don’t obviously it’s Africa but you know like they’re known for some some long lives over there. Just saying. Just Yeah, Habib, you’re right, Habib. Zion. Zion’s a walking endorsement. Yo, on on strippers and fast food. Yeah. And, you know, just looks like a guy who’s probably blown a line off a chest. Just saying. I mean, I’m not here to I’m not here to be a beat writer, but but just looks the part. Some guys just looked apart like that guy would write off right off. Probably probably sniffed a nipple by accident. You know, if I was a beat writer on the dog days, I’m sure I could find some I just sniffed a nipple off. Sure, I can find some evidence. I mean, guys out six to eight with a nipple lodge up his no up his nostril. I can see that that report coming out soon. He’s another one. He’s always out with something, you know, ever since the shoe fell off, he he’s he’s never been that good anyway. Like everybody’s like, “Oh, he’s Oh, he jumps out the gym.” Everybody jumps out the damn gym. You know what I mean? Like the whole country jumps out the gym. Like if you really went and went courtside NBA game, the whole the whole 10 guys out there are jumping out the gym, right? Zy Smith, Jaden Springer, they’ll jump right out the gym. Guys jump right into the Euro League. Yeah, guys can jump high. Like you don’t even need to do the measurements on draft day. Stay away from peanuts, you know, like in in the pre-draft stuff. You don’t even have to do like how high can a guy jump. Well, everyone can jump to this moon except our backup center. He can’t jump over a curb, so Yeah, but he’s go looks like a good player though. Yeah, he does. I was teasing. He does. No, sometimes Listen, we talk about it. That could be a little bit of a steal because I think he’s a guy who can play eight to 10 years in this league and just be good. You know what I mean? Like, yeah, I’m not talking all-star games. We’re not talking that kind of stuff. But just be a good player. Like, he’s got good instincts. He passes the basketball really well, which I’m a big fan of of bigger guys. Three-point shot can be hot, can be cold, but he can do it. If he does that, he’s going to play every night. Like, that’s that’s the key. Yeah, he’s going to play every night. Every night. Yeah. He’s going to play every night. But I don’t trust it. And defensively, he’s going to be a cone. But other than that, he’s welcome to the party. He can rebound though. We’ve been begging for that for years. So, at least Well, him and VJ will get dirty for sure. Yeah. I think VJ is going to start by the end of the season. But Maxi beefed up, too. You guys took a peekaboo. It grew a little bit too power forward. I’m just saying. These are small ball five. Yeah. Oh, god. Right up Daryl’s alley. Yeah. You know what I mean? They’ll run the 62 and then Kyle Lowry be on the low block. Yeah. Gota be posting up all summer. I heard he’s 66 now. Could you imagine Larry Could you imagine Larry posting up Joker, right? You know, posting up a big man. There’s Larry. I’m thinking I’m thinking it other way around. I think he’s going to be on defense at the low. Oh, well, he’ll do that, too. Well, he’ll like that because he likes to get in your in your grundle a little bit. You know what I mean? He likes to he likes to get up in you. He’s known to being an [ __ ] or two, Kyle. So, I What happens if he retires? Do we owe him money? I don’t know, Mike. I don’t follow this [ __ ] No, I do. Yeah, I don’t think you do. I think it’s the uh same thing with Binham, right? Didn’t he retire before? Oh god. Yeah, it’d be crazy if that’s how it starts and that’s how it ends. It started with Binham and ended with Embiid and they both just retired. That was the process. Yeah. And then it’ll be VJ probably. My god. One. No. These are Yeah, we’ll have What? With a goddamn pinky. Are we talking about index fingers now? Yeah. A hangail or something. I just won’t be able to play for a year. No, we’re good. I’m I’m VJ a pimp. Yeah, I agree. I like him a lot more than I did before the draft. I don’t even need to watch VJ. I said this is the one night you weren’t on, Luke. I think I never need to see him touch a basketball in the summer league after they said he was out. I’m like, I seen enough the first game because it was against a guy that, you know, a lot of people wanted, some didn’t. Yeah. And he outplayed him. And there was a couple plays in that game where you’re like, “Yep, I see it. I see what it can be.” Couple fadeaways, couple baseline jumpers right there. You’re like, “Oh, that’s what the I see a little I I do see a little Anthony Edwards in them.” Yep. Um I don’t see the Jimmy Butler because Jimmy never had that that athleticism. It’s Jimmy’s attitude. It’s not the right like the energy. It’s Edward’s play style, but it’s Butler mindset. No. Fair, fair, fair, fair. That makes more sense. It’s just Jimmy’s game, it’s no resemblance, but the physicality I’m I’m right there with you. Like I I love the kid, man. And I’m not trying to overhype a guy that we haven’t seen play an NBA game yet, but you know, I I don’t know. I feel like I’ve been doing it a long time just like a lot of you guys probably do. Hopefully all of you that you can watch a guy once and be like, “Yep, that’s the part I even said about the other guy. I mean, he shot a three early on in the game and he might have missed it. I can’t remember.” Um, and but it was just clean, right? You know what I’m saying? It was a eighth B shot a three and it was like, “Oh, that’s actually that’s clean. I ain’t mad at you.” You know what I mean? And I was like, “Oh, did we miss?” You know what I mean? Did we miss? Like I thought I said, “Oh my god, we missed.” And then I let it play out and I’m like, “No, we did not miss. We did not miss.” But yeah, that’s what I thought about Ace Bailey. I thought that [ __ ] was clean. Like he looks the part, you know what I mean? I think he’s another guy. I think it’s a really good draft class. There’s a lot There’s gonna be a lot of good players. I think some draft classes stink and some are loaded. We were lucky enough to be in a loaded one and I think we got the the right guy for us. Even though, you know, we don’t need we don’t need character issues right now. If we’re trying to change a culture, right, you can’t have character issues to try to change that culture. You have Tyrese Maxi who doesn’t have character issues. You have another guy loves nail polish, right? And then and then who’s who then now I need a junkyard dog. Yeah. And now I need somebody that doesn’t have character issues that was generator had to pump the generator, right? You know what I mean? Like I need I need somebody that was pumping their own goddamn generator and got off the island. Make sense? Like we Where’s Pump at? Where’s Pump? Because you know that’s what you want, Pump. You begging for the Phillies. Now we got a guy off the island in the Bahamas part of the US. But we aren’t aren’t they isn’t Bland part of US or Virgin Islands? No. No. Virgin Islands US islands. Yeah. Yeah. Virgin Islands is not part of the me. That’s all me. That’s all me. Bahamas have their own. Exact guys. I don’t need the whole We don’t need the whole the whole session. 2,000 nautical miles. It’s 11:12 at night. I made I made a simple mistake. I’m more was thinking Hawaii. I don’t know where I was going. Um but yes, Bahamas is not part of the US. That’s on me. Full accountability. That being said, got off the island. All right, let’s stick with what the facts were here. Got off the goddamn island. That’s why I wanted to confirm it had no US connections because he’s off the island. pump. And you wanted the guy that’s on the island, right? Or was on this island, the big one. All right. You wanted the big island guy. And And that guy’s a punk. He’s a punk. All right. Because if he was that good right away, and he wasn’t a punk, Ruckers wins 25 games. All right. And you guys can come after me all you want. I don’t care who was around him. If if he’s that good, because we know Harper is. And if he’s that good, they’re that good. We got the right guy. Let’s go. Anybody? How did What’s his face play? The other guy like from uh from Texas. Anybody? Oh, he I mean he looked like he could hoop for sure. The ball’s going to the basket. No doubt about that. Yeah, I just want to confirm. I like I like Yeah, the ball’s going to the basket. Cool. Anybody look like [ __ ] Luke? Anybody? Anybody? Uh Cooper looked pretty I mean, he’s fine. Let’s be real. He looked fine, but he he didn’t live up neither did Wendy in any of those summer league games either to be fair, but he didn’t Yeah, but he’s also he’s also the size of an oak tree. Yeah. So, I mean, it’s a a little I’ll say something about I don’t want to be a guy do this, but unless that dude’s Larry Bird, right? Like I don’t know. I got my I have my own I have my own personal issues with the with I’ll just say I don’t care. We get We’re looking to get cancelled. Mike, don’t turn your camera off like you’re not here. You better turn You better turn the camera back on. I don’t know where you’re going, babe. I I’m not gonna go that wrong. I’m going with this. We all got eyeballs. So, can we turn the camera back on? Right. I’m not I’m not trying to get cancelled that bad. What I’m trying to say to you guys is nobody’s concerned out there but me by the white guy going number one overall. Nobody. Like, he looks the part. Trust me. I think he’s a stunt in college, right? Sure. No concerns about that at all. Okay. No. No. It’s fine. It’s just me. That’s me how I create my guys in like 2K and stuff because Cuz to me, there was no one close second. Yeah. There was Right. If there was a debate, I I I probably buy I probably buy into what you’re talking. What I’m talking about is like if I create a player 2K, we’re not a little worried that he’s a late, you know, good but not great. Yeah. I mean I what I’m saying Well, we don’t have So do he can stink for all I care. Yeah. I don’t. But if I’m creating a player in NBA 2K, right? I’m creating a player in NBA 2K. Even if it’s my name, right? If it’s my name, the guy’s not gonna be a white guy. I mean, we just, you know what I mean? Like, I’m not I’m not You mean I’m gonna I’m gonna defy all odds. Like, you know what I mean? I’m gonna I’m gonna be the trends setter. You know what I mean? No, I’m just gonna, you know, I mean, why are you talking about it? Conanipple exceeded expectation farther than anybody. I’m very I’m very glad about that. I’m officially retracting my statements. Yeah, he because of the nipple. Yeah, he looked great. Zion sniffed off the freaking cha. sniffed off the stripper. Yeah, let’s confirm the nipple that came out here. It was Colin’s nipple. Whoa. He’s got to explain the dude, too. Dude, does No, you’re right. You’re right about him. And I’m just joking about the whole thing, too. Like, I think Cooper is a baller. So, no, but you’re totally right. I I’ve never made Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Like if you’re if you’re looking at player A is white and player B is uh American. Not uh I’m probably gonna go with player B more often than not. You put two hypothetical goddamn guns in my forehead. All right. I’m gonna take player B. All right. Every day and twice on Sunday and every backtoback he got the offer. All right. Unless Unless he’s from like Slovenia. Oh yeah. No, if it’s a European guy, I’m taking the European guy. Yeah. Like Tingis Pingis or Jokic or Yeah, you’re right. You’re right. You’re right. I’m taking the European. Give me the European guy. You’re right. You’re right. You’re right. Because you got to be You’re right. Let’s not go any further with this. But we’re we’re all It doesn’t Anybody Anybody with a vitch, that’s that’s Jack’s rule. Thank you. We’re not telling the American kid to put down the basketball. The American white kid. That’s not what we’re telling you to do. But what I’m trying to tell you to do is all right. Go be TJ McConnell. Just know your role. No, I’m Mike. That’s inapprop. That’s actually more inappropriate than anything I said. You’re Kyle Corver or you’re TJ McConnell. Get the hell out of the gym. Buckets. You got You guys already said it. There was John Stockton buckets. He made What was he war general? Or your or your a grinder? Why was Larry Why was Larry Bur so good? His fundamentals were delicious. Okay. So, what I’m saying to the American white kid with a basketball in their hand is All right. You need to be so fundamentally sound it’s not even funny. Like the nipple, the nipple is so fundamentally sound. Right? Like all the little things the nipple will do. All right? He’s got a he’s got all the little things down pat because he had to learn it. Right? So even if you’re a great athlete, right? Get all the little things down so you can be like the nipple. All right? And that’s my message to the to the to the youngsters out there. And if you’re white, you have to shoot it. Yeah. If you’re if you’re white and you can’t shoot, there’s not a lot of room for you in the week. You saw Ben Simmons, guys. That’s what we’ll tell the the white guy because he’s white. He’s white. Larry Bird, he shot it. They got that little over the head thing going on. If you could do that, there’s a room for you. Anyway, remember Ersan used to do that. The overhead. You can’t block it. If you got a little bit of this going on and it’s going into 40%, we we’ll make room for you. Joker Joker does. Luca does. All those guys shoot a sort of funky where they get, you know, they get deeper because they don’t get used to Durk was the onelegged Durk. Well, they shoot it correctly, right? I mean, that’s the way, you know, you’re taught is to get the ball over your head so you can’t get it blocked. Yeah. Dur the only guy I would see like shoot like next to his ear. It was like totally like exaggerated. I don’t know. Classic of the Sixers to get the one European guy that can’t shoot. That can’t shoot. Yeah, we’re amazing. We’re an amazing organization. Um yeah, you could say that again. So, I don’t know. I had enough Sixers. I don’t know if you guys No, I’m good. Let’s move on to uh the electric uh Johan Durant. Love that guy. Guy’s a machine. He’s got me He’s got me watching on Tuesday nights. Let’s go. He’s a machine. Love that guy. Then we got the stadium booing the Phillies in a five. Yeah, that’s amazing. We scored too many runs. We can’t go see our closer. I love it. They’re They’re booing Rob Thompson because he was going to pitch if there was four nothing. Now it’s five nothing. They sat him down. They’re booing Rob Thompson. I mean, even if they lose in the first round and he plays like [ __ ] in that series, I’m more than excited to watch him next year. I don’t even I wouldn’t care. We get over it with Yeah, we got him what? Two years of control at least. Yeah. I mean, end to 27 years of control. Yeah. Hell yeah. 103 up and in. Good morning. And it’s easy. He’s thrown one under 98 miles an hour. Greg, I threw the two fastest pitches in the history of the franchise in like a four pitch outing the other day. And like Greg said, it’s easy. He he doesn’t do a wind up or anything. It’s just a stretch and it’s so nonchalant. He just lifts and goes. So, it’s going to stay, right? I mean, I we I say that cuz it’s going to stay. It’s not like he’s gassing up and it’s something you’re going to lose that. No, that’s an easy motion. Yeah. It’s free and easy, right? And it’s not a max effort and and it’ll help them stay healthy, too. Yeah. And I’ll say it again, that was the missing piece to get this team to where they want to get to. And I think you sort of saw it them just rejuvenated a little bit or you know clubhousewise by going and getting some moves like Bader’s an underrated good move. Like he’s a good he’s a good player. He didn’t go get you went out and got a known, right? It wasn’t a wasn’t a star move, right? It’s not gonna like it’s not a star, right? But it’s a good player who’s been in the dance. He’s been around it, right? So, it’s not it’s not new for him. He didn’t go get an Austin hate like I I thought that was a good move. It’s not a great move. It’s not a wow you. It’s not, oh, that gets me over the top. Or maybe you don’t think they were ever looking for that after the first trade. An over the top guy. Yeah. Or just like anyone in like the outfield where they were just like a big but I mean after the trade that they had already made. They just weren’t giving up pants. Okay. That’s it. Right. Yep. They were knocking up Andrew Painter. So that’s look looking at like what the Padres’s did, right? Delicious for sure. The Padres’s did a ton of stuff and I think it’s really going to help them out, right? But they they did completely they gutted their farm system, right? They traded uh Leotaas Dere to get who I think was like the number three prospect in baseball, something like that, to go get Mason Miller. Okay, good move. Great win now. and then also win future move by getting a closer and like Mason Miller like that. But you trade a guy that is going to be your franchise shortstop to go and have a possibility of going winning, right? Um, do I like that? Yeah, good for them. Right now, would I have liked to see us try and maybe go and get Byron Buckton? Yeah. Would I have liked to see us maybe go and get Stephen Quan? Yeah. But like looking at what these guys had to give up and like what they really got in return, uh there there weren’t like a whole lot of blockbuster guys getting moved. Yeah, Mason Miller got moved, but like the a the average fan isn’t like, “Oh yeah, oh, Mason Miller got traded to the to the Padres’s. That’s a huge move, right?” Like not a whole lot of people knows who that is, right? Which is why I think going out and getting Bader, who needs to be playing every day, by the way. I’m I’m sick of this Max Kepler [ __ ] Um, going out and getting somebody for that for for really nothing. Really nothing. You gave up like a a a young prospect and some I don’t even know what we gave up that inconsequential for who? For Bader. For Bader, you gave up your the number 10 ranked prospect, but an outfielder, right? Your your your system is littered with outfielders. Right. So, you got a controllable closer. You got a very good defensive outfielder who’s hitting like 260 this year. Um, who can play both center and left field if you need him to or center and a corner, right? And he’s got reverse splits. So, all of this platooning BS doesn’t make any sense to me at all. Right. I don’t I don’t care that Max Kepler had a home run yesterday. Whoop-dedoo, bro. You’re hitting 200 still. Get get out of here. Right. I I said he’s a nice guy. I love that he’s a nice guy, man. He could be a nice guy on the bench. It was his first game with two extra base hits since April since No, March 31st. Oh, I apologize. March 31st. It’s freaking It’s It’s insane. Why is this dude still on the roster? Oh, I was told I was going to be a everyday starter. Okay, you suck, bro. You haven’t been good. Get off my team. He has it. He has either he has 12 homers somehow. I I don’t know how. I don’t think I’ve seen a single one. I think I’m Isn’t it crazy though? Isn’t it crazy though? He has 12 homers and 36 RBI’s like Yeah, he’s bent 204. Um but still, it’s just that’s just wild to me. I haven’t seen him. He hasn’t done anything. Like I I know people I don’t have a problem with the platoon if it works. Like the other night, it works. Sure, I get it. But like, use it use it use it once a week, right? Use it twice a week. You don’t have to use it. You don’t have to use it. It doesn’t have to be this perfect split like like okay, like you said, beter splits are better. So, like use matchups then like play him against righties that he hits that he hits better. Like don’t just use him against lefties. Like now you’re doing him a disservice. That’s why I hate the platoon. Like be a good manager and go off of fields that day. Watch BP. Who’s looking like they’re having good swings? Who’s looking like they’re focus? Who right like come on, man. I mean, I’m tired of it. I don’t You can play the guy. Nobody’s telling you not to play him. And listen, if he if he hits like he did yesterday and he does it consistently, then listen, play him every day then. Yeah. Like, nobody’s gonna argue with Play him every day until he cools off. I mean, the bottom line is we had I mean, I know the first two games against the O’s, we swung the bats pretty damn well, but all year long we have had trouble with consistency in our lineup. If you have a guy like Bader who’s swinging the bat well, keep him in there until he cools off. I mean, I look, the time is now. you know, we’re in August and it the season’s not getting any younger and you know, if we want to fend off the Mets and do something in the postseason, you need to put the best guys on the field to give you a chance to win. And yeah, as as far as Bader goes, you know, he’ll pop you he’ll get you a homer once in a while, you know, he he shows competency with the bat and he can pick it in the field and that’s what that’s what we need, you know, and I I I don’t think Kepler really gives you any of that on a consistent basis. Sit his ass on the bench. The analogy that I could think of is like when when you’re coaching a tournament and you have your best two arms, you don’t want to save them too long and drive home without using your horses, right? You don’t I don’t want my number one and number two pitcher not pitching cuz I tried to save him and I’m talking about youth baseball tournament and and I’m driving home on my horses in the car. So, same thing goes in the playoffs. Like I don’t need to platoon a guy cuz it’s a righty on the mound and Keer’s a lefty but he’s batting 2011. I’ll take the better player every day of the week. Lefty righty. Yeah. I mean that that was that was the other night. If you ain’t doing it for your stars, Greg, sorry. If you’re not doing it for your stars, and like if you got a guy who’s a good player, right, and he has good at bats, what do I care if it’s righty or lefty? Yeah. Sorry. No. Yeah, that happened twice this week, right? I mean, the Friday that bait that, you know, we get Bader, that first game, he starts Kepler because it’s a lefty. And then Saturday night, Bader hits the late home run against the righty. So you trusted him in that scenario to hit against a righty and we come out on Sunday or whatever and you don’t you know what I mean? Like you sit him again and now granted it worked out where like the other night. Yeah, it worked out because that’s the you know Kepler hit the home run and all that but like you just trusted him against the righty and then you’re going to turn around and then the other confusing one with me is how did Weston Wilson work his way into a platoon, right? Like if you would have platooned Bader and you would have platooned like Kent or Sosa and Scott, right? D three, but how did Weston Wilson work his way into platoon? I’d rather see Marsh who’s been swinging the bat really well, dude. It’s like this guy this guy is Thompson overthinks it. No, he’s a 10U travel baseball coach. Yeah, I promised the guys I was going to start. He He’s like, “Let me I promise you’re going to give this an opportunity to Yeah, he made too many relationships. He’s too friendly.” What did I say to you, Mike? I said that he has a problem. He has a problem like just leaving a guy on a bench for a week or two weeks. He He He’ll get sweaty like I got to get this guy at bats. Yeah. Gotta get this guy bats. Like, no, you don’t, dude. Like Won Wilson doesn’t need a bat. Like once in a great while, give him a may up down up big down big. These guys got to earn their at bats. Period. Cuz you know the second Noah’s back or whoever the heck comes comes over here like he’s going to be gone. You call up Crawford, Wilson’s gone. Like you’re just going to send him right back down to the minor. So why you worrying about getting him as at bat? I hope so. Yeah. I would just start Crawford and Bader in the outfield and then call it a day with Nikki. I feel like it’s a little late. I feel like you have you should have called Crawford up already. Why do it’s I I really really think that if Kepler didn’t have that game, you know what, two days ago where he had a double and a home run that this week they would have cut him. I really really believe that. Right. But like now he’s hanging on he’s hanging on by a threat. He is hanging on. He’s hanging on by a threat. If he goes like 0 for nine in like three starts, I think they caught him and they bring Carford up and they put him in center field and then you platoon Marsh and Ber. I think that’s what they’re planning on doing, right? Even what the next step is. Even if he’s here till mid to late September, there’s no guarantee that Kepler makes the postseason roster, right? But if if you’re going to do that, he shouldn’t be here, right? No, I agree. They should have cut him three weeks ago. But you should have cut him in March. Yeah. No, but I got Ryan. He walks by you tomorrow. Are you asking for an autograph? You getting a picture with him? No. Oh, how old am I, dude? You run into him a while. You’re not You’re not grabbing a selfie? No. Absolutely not. Of course, I will. That guy’s cool looking. Looks like he should be on like the 93 Phillies, not the Did you see that? Did you see that that tweet? He’s like the 93 Phillies all had a kid. Oh, baby. Yeah. Great. He was born in 94, so it does work out. That’s funny. Yeah. Hey, there there is a chance that uh one of those 93 Phillies is his dad. There’s a chance. Yeah. Well, listen, he plays the game hard, man. And I’m not like again, I’m not crowning them, but I think sometimes the lowlevel pickup and not the big one can be the bigger difference maker for you if you nail it. And we’ve seen it in 08. You can see it at times if you get the right one, the right fit. Yep. It’s all about the right fit of a guy, right? You tried with Austin Hayes, you tried with Kepler. I I think Bader’s been to a lot of places essentially. So, I think that makes it he’s more comfortable with like moving and shaking. Yeah. Uh but I think he’s his style of play is a guy that guys will like, right? Okay. So, I think when you get a guy like that, that can really help you. And then the closer just gives you juice, baby. Because now you know shit’s over. And I said that the night we got him that I think this is the move that gets the Phillies over the top or makes them make a big time contender. If we’re talking about contenders, they became a big time contender. He’s better than he’s better than Mason Miller. Well, yeah. I see Mason Miller on clutch five versus get up. Give up Bomb City. So, the Keplers of all people. So, you know, I’m not he this guy’s pitched in way more big big games than Mason Miller ever has. That matters as a closer. So, for the Padres’s to give up what they gave, buy or beware. That’s all. I’m not saying he’s not a stud. I’m not saying he’s not really good. Of course, he is. But now, pitching in a pitching in more tense moments, we find out what you really are. That’s all. And maybe we find out he really is who he is. Yeah. Or maybe we find out like, oh, puppy. Crazy. It’s crazy to think about that. It was Go to Nevada, baby. Go to Nevada. It’s crazy to think about. It’s been It was 17 years ago, but just comparing it to ’08 because you got it done in ‘ 08. Like, the big name that we needed was the closer. That was the big missing piece. So, I’m not I’m not going crazy that we didn’t get the big name outfield bat because think about the biggest hits in 08. It was Matt Stairs, Jeff Jenkins, and Pedro Feliz. Wasn’t bigname guys. It was Jeff Jenkins pinch hit that double stairs that ball didn’t land yet and Feliz delivered you the game when it run. The the big story was Brad Lig obviously was perfect. It was the closure. That was the story of08 was Lidge just staying perfect. So that Durant move is what you needed. That was huge. Staff too. You can deal with the baiter. Yeah. You got a staff that goes deep. We got a staff that’s that will go deep too. Awesome. Right. It allows you It allows you to feel even more comfortable with the move. Yeah. Right. Because you’re like, “Yo, I’m gonna get to him quicker without using a lot of guys.” And that’s night night talk. When the music starts playing and the spider starts crawling, the game’s over and salsa starts flowing. Yeah. But but as the player, look at the difference in them. Oh yeah. Look at the difference in body language. Right. We talked about that last week or the week before, right? You guys remember that one? We talked about body language. Like look at the little difference in body language. You don’t see a little more jazz. You see a little more jazz. Or is it just me? I see a little more juice. I see a little more life and a little more juice because up top went all in for you guys. As much as you can go all in without selling the farm. They went all in. They went as all in as they could this year for you. And it wasn’t just an Austin Hayes move. We went and got you one arguably one of the best closures in baseball. And and you saw what they like I know it’s not the oh bad look who’s bad cleanup tonight. I get it. The hardest three out the last three and they just went got a dominant one. Like I don’t know how you’re that hard as a rock. Like I don’t I still don’t know. I don’t know how people are all in on the Phillies. Like you ain’t got them this now. Does the lineup hit or they don’t? Do we get them hot at the right time or we don’t? That that’s going to be the the X factor. But I’ll tell you what the biggest X factor is. That Kyle Schwarber doesn’t lead off. That’s why this team’s different than any other year. Because you put the lead off guy in the lead off spot and he’s having a really good year doing it. And then you put a power guy in a power spot. Oh. And it drives me nuts that we used to get bashed for ever even bringing that up, ever making that a thought. You would get bashed when you said that last year, two years ago, like, well, look how good they are with him in the leadoff spot. Well, cuz we have a good team. Yeah. Put the lead off guy in the leadoff spot. Schworber’s having one of the best years of his career right now. just mashing home runs. And how many grand slams has he had? Yo, 40 and 94, right? So, he’s got 40 homers, 94 RBI’s. If he was in the leadoff spot, he would have 40 homers and 61 RBI’s. You know what I mean? So, look at the difference that he brings you right there on Harper on a on a I don’t want to say a down year, but you know, he’s got 17 of them, right? But he’s not going to go hit 35, right? Unless he gets scorching hot. So, a little bit. He gets hot as a pistol. Yeah, but Harper hitting behind him, you still you still got to throw to him. Yeah, because he’s healthy. So, it’s a protection. It’s a protection, you know, and your favorite term. Schwarber’s been a ball club carrier this year. Sure, we sure we’ve had contributions elsewhere, but if it wasn’t for if it wasn’t for Schwarber, we’d be five games behind the Mets. And the shame of it is I don’t think I don’t think he’s coming back. He’s going to need too much money in too many years. I was just going to ask. No, he’s he’ll be back. No, you know he’ll you know why he’ll be back and it’s sad because we almost have to. We’re chanting MVP. He’s been carrying us against so good. You like have to but they but in reality you should not cuz he’s going to get four years and a [ __ ] ton of money and you need a catcher. That’s why baseball is weird. It’s like all right it’s your money. Like who cares? It’s your money. I don’t care. You don’t need a catcher cuz I think JT’s back on a discount deal. Me too. Discount would be nice. I mean, you’re telling me J2, you’re you’re not signing them two for 25, three for 30. No, I’d love it. I’m just thinking absolutely do that. And then you bring up Tai. Oh, wait. No, I’m kidding. The only thing about JT as a catcher, I don’t know how you don’t lead your team in on base percentage. Was Chuchi doing that? No, I just stand by that. I just don’t understand how as catchers when you see everything from that angle, how you don’t, you know, your reaction to pitches isn’t better. I’ve always questioned that at the big lew level because catchers for years never were hitters. Right. Right. And now we’ve gotten more catchers that can swing it for sure. Right. But I’ve always been like, how are guy like I think I’ve been thinking about this for like 20 years now. You think it’s a timing thing because they’re seeing it late. No, because like how you not you’re seeing everything on fast all the time, right? Yeah, you’re see you’re seeing it later. Yeah, but it’s still the but but you’re you’re take out take out when you’re seeing it. You’re not seeing it that much later. You’re still seeing it crossing the plate, right? So, you’re still seeing vo movement, all that stuff from from all different guys on your own staff. So when you go see somebody else like I always thought like how you not now before it was all because they focused on being a good defender and it was almost like a pitcher. They didn’t care about hitting, right? Make sense. But it’s obviously grown into a a little bit of a power position and some other things. But I still don’t understand like to this day like how how every catcher not in like the top five on their team and all base percentage. Well, Piaza Piaza surely he sure showed some pop back in the day. Yeah. Yeah. And the funny thing is is, you know, wasn’t a good catcher. Yeah. Well, that’s the that’s the only thing I could think of is like it could be just death perception. It could just be timing. Like it’s it’s a tad later, but it’s later. Like when you’re catching it’s later when you’re hitting it might come on you quick. Yeah. I don’t think it’s that much later to make it like you’re not you’re not standing in the first row. Yeah. No, it’s I mean come on. You’re seeing it all day. I’m talking about spin rates. I’m talking about all the driver sheet [ __ ] You’re telling me you see it all the time. How are you not better at it? But it is like a common denominator though. Like all catchers aren’t great hitters. Well, JT’s a [ __ ] I’ve said this for I’ve said this for years. No, because No, he’s a me. I’m not calling the guy a real [ __ ] I’m saying he’s a baseball [ __ ] Because what he does wrong is right in front of his face. And if I can see it in live action, right, or see it in slow-mo, how does he not see it? And how he’s such a great athlete, how’s he not able to make the adjustment? His whole thing is if if his front foot doesn’t get back down straight, his hip leaks and everything leaks out on him. Like, oh, come on, babe. Come on. I mean, I’m not an expert. I mean, people think I am, but I’m I don’t You know what I mean? I just know the game. If you’re leaking, it’s over. Like, everything’s got to go towards the pitcher. You got to keep your shoulder on it. You got to keep your hip on it. I always tell kids, head, shoulders, knees, and toes. You need to keep it all on the ball. You need to keep it on the ball. I mean, I I Come on. Right. It’s the first song you ever sang. Head, shoulder, knees, and toes. Knees and toes. So, keep it on the ball. I don’t You’re a [ __ ] You’re a [ __ ] You’re a [ __ ] You’re a [ __ ] Like, come on. Like, if like I’m saying, like, somebody hire me then. I mean, I’m yelling and screaming at these guys. So, you you guys are are the best of the best. make the damn adjustment. Yeah. You want to get paid? I want you to get paid. We all get paid if you get paid. So, let’s go swing it. But, but like it’s I know it’s hard to hit the baseball. But like if you know, hey, I’m open and because I’m open, I don’t get it down right sometimes, dude. Shorten it up by like this. That makes sense. I’m saying say semiopen. Nobody’s going to tell you, “Hey, go straight line straight line.” Which all a line in the in the sand in the dirt for you. Make sure you stay on the on the line. No, I’m saying just just trim her. Take a little fat off of her. You know what I mean? And then enjoy your stage. But he would mash the ball. And if he just hit the ball, if he just focused on hitting everything the other way. Yeah. He would he that dude would bet 300 every year. He would just hit the he would hit the freaking goddamn out of town scoreboard out there, you know, a 100 times a 100 times a year, I feel like. But he’s a pool happy junkie. And we talk about how great he is defensively. My thing with him has always been going on one knee with runners on. There’s a bunch of times he gets he gets pass balls where he’s on one knee. Yeah. I listen to me. I’ve always I I think he’s a good defense. I think he’s great at controlling the run game. I think he’s a terrible framer of pitches. I think he’s one of the worst in baseball in my opinion. I think he loses pitches for guys because he gets lazy on a stick. Um, but nobody’s willing to say that [ __ ] You understand? Nobody’s willing to come out there and say, “Yo, dude, you’re you’re that good defense. You’re that great of an athlete. Stick the damn baseball. Steal a pitch.” Right. He’ll he’ll get You guys say it. Am I wrong, Greg? His metrics say you are, but I I You’ve been saying this for a while, though, so I’m I’m used to this one. Ryan goes off camera. Am I wrong? No. Am I wrong? I think as I think as a whole time I think he’s great with handling the staff but yeah no agree that at times he definitely struggles you know at times a pass ball go by and thinking oh what the [ __ ] he should have had that and you know he he’s getting a little long in the tooth but I you know I think he can still be a very serviceable catcher at the major league level for the next year or two. I would put him in first base. See if you can We have too many first baseman in D. Knock it off. Knock it off. Knock it off. Too many of them. Put the right fielder back in right field. Put the right fielder back in right field. That’s another thing with Schwber. We love Schwerber to death. No flexibility. He’s going to be the DH on a team full of DH. It’s not team full of DHS. What are you It is. If you put him back in right field and Harper’s arms hurt, you’re screwed. What are you doing? Harper’s arms hurt. Now we’re now we’re talking two Tommy Johns playing. I’m just saying I’m saying what do you do? What do you do? What do you do? Shut up. Knock it off. I I’m just saying we have a team. We have a team full of DH. We don’t have a team full of DH. You name You name one. And you’re trying to move our catcher to first. Yeah. That’s not making a DH, babe. I don’t know. I don’t know how you do a lineup card, but moving a guy to first base does not make him the DH. We can only move so many people to first base is all I’m saying. Well, how many more people am I moving? We We got Bone. We got We got Harper. Bone. Who’s at Bone’s going to first? Bone will be around. We’re good on that. All right. Who said bones going in first base? Swber tried it. Nobody’s Nobody’s told my Swber going there. Okay. Just saying. I think we have a three. It’s an interesting thought. So, who’s catching Tommy? I don’t I don’t know. Go spend money. I guess Marawn JT’s bat isn’t good enough to to stick him around just to let him play first. The bat gets better if you’re not catching all the time. You just said death perception. You death perception. Oh, now you’re on board. No, no, now he totally agrees. I’m just saying like maybe he’s not the first row, baby. I think you’re better. All of a sudden, when it applies to first base, he’s on board with That’s just the natural progression of a catcher, right? When they and they can’t be as good defensively as a catcher, they they can still swing a little bit, they move to first base. Yeah, but that at that point I tip my cap, say thanks for your service, and back to the world. What do the metrics say, Greg? You know what I mean? Like I now now you got me now you got me sheetated up, you know? Now I’m a drier sheet. Look at me. I’m I’m flying in for metrics. Like let me let me see what the nerds say about him because that’s that’s all I need to know cuz my eyes don’t matter. Yeah, but once I feel like once JT’s not catching, I don’t need him to stick around to play first. I would agree there. That’s a waste of space. No, Mike. I’m just talking. We’re talking. We’re having a conversation. I agree with you. I like I just brought it up. I was like, do you move him there? Like, do you feel like you get more out of the bat? Maybe you put him in first. I I I think Tommy, to your point, I think it’s a thing that they should be doing more often. You know what I mean? Instead of necessarily like give him full days off for when Marshon, maybe you DH him. Maybe you put him at first, right? Get get off the knees a little bit. You can’t not play, Mike. We already talked about it, Mike. Yeah, we know. We know, we know we got a team full of DH. We know this. We got 37 DH6 man roster. Yeah, everybody who has a back can potentially DH. You’re right. Oh, let me go grab one out of the garage. Please stay. But you did you did you did envision enough bad at bats. You did envision this at the end towards the end of his contract, which is where we’re at. You just didn’t think that that Harper was going to be there every day already. Well, I’m going with I’m going with a JT walk, though. Or I’m going with a JT cheaper deal. Yeah. Yeah. Stay around. I only bring them back just because there’s nothing else out there. Yeah, exactly. There’s some good free agents out there. 100%. I’m all over them. If I have one in the pipeline, which I do not he was 18 anyway. So, you know, and Marsh Marsh, but I would bring him back and but that’s where you use the flexibility of like first base sometimes with him next year because you gotta you got to develop Marine, right? You gota you got to try to develop him at the big league level and give him time, you know, you can’t go off what he had with Mar. Yeah, it’s it’s all see it’s all a trickle down effect because I I agree with you that Harper should not be 70 at bats back in Maran Moran had 70 at bats and batted yeah he b 186. Sorry I was looking at on base percentage. My bad. I thought he said 288. I was like what the hell we talking? Um but yeah I mean 70 at bats 28 games is not really letting somebody get their feet under him at the big league level. That’s all I Doesn’t mean he can’t play. Doesn’t that convince you of something real quick? So Harper to right. I agree with you. He’s not He shouldn’t be a first this early. Put the right fielder back in right field. You agree with that? Agreed. Okay. What does that do for Castian? He’s not They trade him this off season. Okay. So that’s all I’m saying. What I’m saying then? Okay. Because what I when I’m saying team full of DH’s, all I mean is somebody’s gone. There’s no scenario in which this exact team can have a DH other than JT’s and I’ll tell you who’s coming back to play first base. You’re paying Reese. No, they will watch. Cuz if you put right me to World Series so then I don’t have to care about next year. No, but they just they’re going to No, but I’m saying they’re gonna they’re gonna do it. They’re not gonna have to pay they’re not gonna have to overpay him. Trust me on this one. They’re not going to have to overpay him. You know what I think they’re going to do? That’s why they’ll do it. Derrick Hall just got released. We could bring him back. Great name. Bring Brown back, too. First we went, this guy was on our roster. So, it’s all They’re going to throw an absolute bag at Ky Kyle Tucker. They’re going to throw They’re going to be one of 75 teams throwing a bag at Kyle. Guess what? Guess what? We have a top five. We’re a top five pay. We’re a top fiverr, right? We’re a top five market. So, you know, shed some stuff, trade some stuff. If you don’t win it, if you win it, guess what? Run that [ __ ] back, baby. You know what I mean? If you go win it, if you go win it, you make little moves. You you fill the outfield a little bit better. Like you make you make you make solid moves. You make better moves. A little bit better. Maybe maybe you go a little bit better. Throw a bag at Kyle Tucker. We win the World Series. You got be No, no, no, no. Nobody’s questioning still throwing a bag around. You know what I mean? I’m just not gonna overpay that. I’ll give them a big bag and if somebody wants to overbag me, then then it then it’s your bag, right? I you know, but yeah, I I still agree because the roster’s agent. But now we’re going back. Give me a 28-year-old Kyle Tucker, please. Yeah. But now Rob, he’s gonna be sweating. Another another lefty in his We got Yeah, we got a platoon Kyle Tucker. Yeah. Give him give him 400 million to platoon. Jesus. Yeah. I I truly I they’re in a weird spot with Schwarber because I don’t think I don’t think he should be back, but I think they’re forced to. They’re they’re forced this hand to bring him back. But for the money and for the years he’s going to get, it’s I don’t think you should do it. If you put I know it’s easier said than done, but if you put money aside, don’t worry about the money. Would you still bring him back? I sure as hell would. Wait, what is he? 35. 33. 33. Yeah, but he’s Okay. So, he’s going to have what? Four years. What? So, he’ll be he’ll be 37 and no flexibility in the field. That That’s my only issue. If there was a So, you don’t need flexibility today. You got the DH5. Yeah. Are you [ __ ] 26 on a roster instead of 25? I’d take his bat back in a heartbeat. Yeah. Look, it’s the only thing the only thing I’ll I’ll cuz I I in in theory I agree with somebody that old, you don’t give him three, four years, right? In theory, I I agree with you there. But he’s gotten better the last few years. Yeah, he’s gotten better as a hitter. He’s gotten more plate dis more plate discipline, less strikeouts, and he’s [ __ ] mashing the ball. I mean, he’s in the prime of his career right now. And that’s why I know they’re going to be forced to give it to him, and he’s had a hell of a year. He’s got a legit chance of winning the MVP. Nobody’s Nobody’s disputing that. He’s playing out of his mind. Nobody’s disputing that. It’s saying the short term is affecting their long-term decision. 379 on base percentage. So that’s not short-term or long-term. That’s disgusting. Okay. At nobody’s arguing the MVP year is having. There’s not one person sitting here arguing it. I’m just saying this short-term success is going to make them sign. He’s going to want four years. Yeah, but okay. 40 years because he’s a DH. You’re not worrying about him wearing down, Mike. You’re worrying about him going hitting 40 homers a year. What? But when he doesn’t, what’s his value? Well, what does it matter at that point? Because then we’re restarting anyway, babe. So, I don’t know where he walk down the street to Infinity Mobile and come off the bench of the Sixers. He’ll be 30 what? 37. Prime’s career for them. Yeah. I just don’t know why you’re worried about three or four years from now when we have a worried about this year. We’re trying to have a parade in October. Yeah, we’ll worry about we can win. We can still win it over the next like three years. We have like a two, three year window here of like be able to win in a couple. If this guy hits 55 home runs and we let him walk, I’m going to go burn down Sis Bank. Okay, agreed. All right, that’s that’s saying for for next year would love to have him. Maybe even the year after that, but then two years after that, like he’s not he’s not hitting 40 plus every year. He’s just not like I’ll put money on it. Next year he might do it. The year the next two years after that he’s not doing it. I’ll pay him a million dollars a home run. I don’t care. That’s fine. He’s got like Otani is making $70 million to DH. He’s not pitching. I don’t know. I think they thought about this and I think they knew and that’s why he’s not extended yet, but now with the year he’s having, they’re they’re going to have to because the fan base is going to go crazy if they don’t. It’s all I’m saying. No, that’s that’s that’s inexplicably false. They’ve been trying to sign this dude since spring training. Well, it would have been done if they really tried. He’s a Boris guy. They always go to spring. They always go to free agency because he’s hitting 40 home runs a year, right? And they don’t they don’t do anything in season. Once it reaches season, they they’re talks are off. But he’s Yeah, it he would burn. The city would burn if they There’s no guy more Philadelphia than Kyle Schwarber. You could say Bryce Harper, but it’s Kyle Schwarber. That dude’s a menace. I love that guy. Yeah, he’ll be back. Just Just saying. They’re hands forced now because the city will burn. Fight it. But we’re we’re in win now. Burn, baby, burn. We’re in win now mode anyway. Buckets. Yeah, they got to go all in. No, we’re forced. They forced their hand to sign him a guy who’s having an MVP season. Imagine saying that out loud. No. All I’m saying is if he had 15 home runs and was batting 202, you you wouldn’t care if you walked this year. Max wouldn’t give a [ __ ] No [ __ ] He wouldn’t care. No [ __ ] Was you okay tonight? What did you just say out loud? Re be go do that on repeat on what you just said out loud. I said if he hit 202 and had 15 runs, no one would care my own kid. But now he’s having an MVP season. He’s not making a mill. He’s not making $25 million. like to argue he’s having an MVP season. So now the city will burn if he doesn’t get resigned. Can’t compare a guy having an MVP season to a guy who’s out of the league because if my own son bet a 202, I’d remove his ass from the roster. So don’t don’t talk about compare compare a guy that on a fringe and an MVP caliber player. Like you can’t compare them. You’re trying to make it sound like that’s that extending him is a problem. That’s what you’re making it sound like because there’s a DA for a reason and we have it so let’s utilize it. You’re making that sound like a log jam and like oh it’s gonna it’s gonna kill him at the end of it. That that’s where you’re at for a guy who plays all the time who’s always in the lineup that and is always on winning teams. Every team he’s on wins. So that’s what you’re making it sound like that that’s a that’s a problem if that guy’s back which is crazy to me. That’s where I’ve lost. That’s where I’m like I don’t know. No, I’m not. I’m saying it’s a problem if he’s not back cuz because of the because of the year he’s having. Am I going crazy? Because of the year he’s having. It’s a problem for the fans if he’s not back. I’m saying they would have they would have extended the guys on Did he not say Did he not Did he not say that it’s going to bite him long term essentially signing two years from now? Yeah. The success he’s having now is going to make him sign him longer than they would have liked to. But I think it would be a four-year deal regardless because of the DH role, right? So that’s why that’s why I believe that he was not signed yet to this four-year deal because they wanted to see how the season went. And now that he’s playing so well, they have to. They’re hands forced. Yeah. Boris wanted to, not them. Okay. You’re wrong. The Phil the Phillies wanted to sign this guy probably after the end of last offseason, right? This dude has been the se like second or third best hitter in baseball for the last three years since he’s been here, right? The only guys who have been possibly better than him are Otani and Judge. That’s it. This dude’s been like like he’s hit 40 home runs twice. He hit 38 last year. Like he he’s had 104 RBI’s the last two years, 94 the year before that. Like and that’s all out of the leadoff spot. You put this dude in like in between Trey Turner and and Bryce Harper and he’s going nuclear nuclear. He’s gonna hit 50 55 home runs. He’s going to have 140 RBI’s. He’s going insane. And if you keep these guys around because they’re not going anywhere. I It’s not going to change. He’s getting better. He’s gotten more plate discipline, right? He’s walking more. Like the dude just gets on base. It’s I don’t know, man. You you you could a good odd pitch around him out of the leadoff spot. You can’t do that now. Trey Turner’s like second in the league in hits. Bryce Harper is Bryce Harper. You got to pitch to somebody, right? I love all those people too that tried to just tried to throw it in your face that this guy has to be the lead off like that. Like you were crazy for thinking that he shouldn’t be the lead off for like four years in a row. anytime you brought it up, he got shut down. And now he’s finally not the lead off and he’s going off. Like there was a time like you if you said, “Oh, he shouldn’t be the lead off.” You would just get [ __ ] on for four years. And now look what he’s doing. He’s having the best year. Yep. Again, like it’s it’s a moot point. He’ll be back. It might cost you $35 million, $40 million, whatever. It’s not my money. I don’t really give a [ __ ] Well, I think it cost you more because of what he showed to do in like the the the three or four hole. You know what I mean? like what he’s shown in the power position to go along with like the lead off. I think that’s the separator bar that gets him a little bit more money, right? Um how much more I don’t know, but I think that I think you guys would agree with that. Like 38 homers is great, 40 homers is great, but when now you have the RBI numbers to back it, um you know, I that get you that gets you a good good amount of money. Yeah. So, I’m gonna over they’re gonna overpay air quote for them for sure. Like, you know what I mean? if you want to think, but it’s not my money. So, like when you’re when you’re making when you’re making tons of money because that ballpark sold out every night, right? Every night that ballpark sold out in the summer and you’re making a ton of money. There’s no you can’t even walk through it. Come on, man. You’re going to get a new TV deal at some point too with like cuz the Phillies the Phillies market leads baseball in like the amount of like actual like viewership, right? So, they’re selling ad time. They’re doing all this other [ __ ] right? They’re making h money hand over fist. They probably already have playoff tickets sold out even though they’re not on sale yet, right? They’re charging, I don’t know, $60 for like a hat, right? They’re making so much money right now because these guys are so good, man. Like, and if if you know they go out there and they win, they go make the World Series again, like there’s there’s no way that Middleton’s letting that dude walk out. There’s not a chance in Oh, yeah. He wins a World Series. He’s It’s a thousand%. I don’t even think he have to win. I think he can make the NL NLCS, right? Like this guy, right? They can miss they can miss the playoffs. He’s He’s going to be back now. He’s going to be back now. Not miss the playoffs, but just getting the just getting there. He’s back. Yeah, they’re not going to. But no, I I truly believe with the year he’s having, they can miss the playoffs entirely. It’s just like anybody else in any sport in a contract year. You know what I mean? Like you you risk you risk this happening, right? And do you think the Sixers when they traded for Quinton Grimes are sitting there thinking we’re going have to pay this guy $20 million, right? You just throw into a deal and then you know then you you’re like, “Holy [ __ ] he actually works out. He actually fits on this team.” You know what I mean? Like Yeah. You sit there and you move forward and and you don’t you don’t think that he’s going to be in an MVP race, you know? And you don’t think he’s going to have an MVP year. You think he’s going to have a good year, right? You think you’re going to contend as a team and then he goes and gets better. He gets better. And and I mean it’s what they do. It’s any sport, you know, we all talk about the contract year. Give me a guy on a one-year deal over that over somebody on an extension because that guy on a one-year deal is got to prove something. Yeah. Sorber’s just he’s such a good hitter, too, that it’s like that’s why him being a DH is cool, but it’s like you have no flexibility. Like if if if Harper needs Harper needs a day off, like you can’t shorper’s just not going to hit. That’s why you have the Ed Mundo Sosas of the world. If you need a day off playing first base, then you shouldn’t you shouldn’t be in the lineup anyway. Well, injuries happen. I’m not saying Well, if you get hurt, then you can’t hit. So, what does that mean? That’s not true. We watch Harper do it for freaking games at a time. Yeah, but we’re talking about that kind of injury, Mike. We’re not talking about like any lower body injury you’re not hitting. Yep. Yeah. I don’t know. Just gives you zero, boys. I gota I do next week the end of this conversation like I you keep saying you don’t know. I’m trying to tell you I do know and and the flexibility is fine. So stop worrying about it. You know what I mean? Like that’s all like calm your calm your nerves down because you keep bringing up flexibility. It’s a big word. I’m calm. It’s just like I thought Trey Turner the last couple days could have used the day off. He’s been playing like [ __ ] So then and you can’t DH the guy because Schwarber’s so good. Just give him a day off. Yeah, give him a day off. Yeah, that’s what you do, Mike. We also have a manager that’s not going to do that to his veterans. Unless they come into his office and ask for the day off unless they freak out on him like Nikki did and then he’s then he benches them, right? Like I mean we like we’ve seen it with Nikki. How many times this year, last year, the year before do we like, yo, this guy’s 0 for 75. Maybe he needs a day off. No, he won’t do it. They just won’t do it. It’s just the way Robbie is. I agree with you, Mike. There is days where you like, hey, maybe this guy needs a day off. It’s just Robbie won’t do it. Yeah, but I’m not going to go day off as a DH. No, your day off is your day off. Well, for like JT, like if you want him if you want to save his knees, that’s why you’re giving him a day off. You’ll still let him hit, but now you can’t. Well, you can just move to first base if you need to give Harper a day off if he’s playing first base. Like there’s you got options and JD doesn’t take that many days off anyway. And and this year you don’t need you don’t need the flexibility. He could play left field for a game. Yeah, I guess. I’m just saying let’s say let’s say just keeps hitting like [ __ ] He’s such a good defender. I’d rather have as much as I love Sosa, I’d rather have in there. He’s making top 10 plays. You can’t you can’t DH someone for stat. Well, you’re not this isn’t this isn’t little league. You’re not gonna use You’re not You can’t use You’re not going to use DH for a position where Yeah. We don’t have Shotani pitching, dude. Yeah. I don’t know. I just I think this this year confirms he’ll be back and it’s going to be for four or five years and the Phillies ideally would like would have liked to do two but you got ownership guy. Huh? What is that? You you own a little piece of the pie there. I don’t care about the money. I just care about the years. It’s going to suck when he’s batting 215 for his last. We’re going to suck at the end of that. Who cares? Who cares? Wheeler’s going to be gone. You’re going to be bitching about it in two years. Of course. We’re Philadelphiaians. Of course we [ __ ] It’s what we do. Yeah. So, you’re saying who cares now, but in two years you’ll care. Trust me. Shut up. You’re making this argument for four or five years from now. Shut the [ __ ] up. You That’s what we do here. What do you want to talk about? You want to talk about [ __ ] I want to talk about how Durant’s throwing [ __ ] pellets out of the bullpens. What am I talking about today? Oh, we can we can we’re good. I don’t need to talk about the college for contract that’s going to cost a lot of money and he’s going to win. He’s possibly going to win MVP this year. We can talk about the dude at 37 years old. Before the year started, there’s a chance he’s not back. That’s where I’m That’s where I’m ending this. Before the year started, there was a chance he’s not back. Now he’s playing an MVP. I don’t disagree with you there, but it was to bring him back. I disagree I disagree with him there completely. I don’t think that he’s been acting like it was a 50-50 chance he was back or not. And I I completely disagree with that statement. So, he had shows on it like not even a couple months ago. Will he be back? We didn’t even know. It was a 50. But now he’s playing he’s playing at such an MVP level. It’s no question he’ll be back. I don’t know if it was ever a 50-50 shot. I feel like he’s a guy that had to come back. Okay. I feel like he was a guy always had to come back. Like I don’t I think he’s one of the leaders of the team. Yep. Right. You don’t want to you don’t want to lose that and I think like I said everywhere he plays he wins and he always puts up the numbers. So I don’t know what makes you think like they were in wait and see mode. They saw they were this is like the first year lead. All right. They saw it so much he’s not signed. You got it all figured out. He would have been signed for four years already. I got Scott Boris figured out. Scott Boris wants to take him to free agency because he knows it’ll drive up his market price. Like I know I know business. I understand it. I have common sense. I have great street smarts. I understand how this works. I I’m going to bet on myself to get more from the Phillies. There’s nothing wrong with that. Guys do it all the time. Bet on yourself. Hit the market. Teams will give offers and now Phillies have to beat it or match it, whatever it is. And now the price dries up. They call that person back. Philly said Phillies are matching it. Okay, you got to go higher. All right, we’re going higher. Call Philly back. All right, we’ll match that. Right. And then it gets to a point where, you know, where the other team’s going to give up. So, we got to spend more than we would have liked to. Well, that’s the nature of business. Who cares? That’s the nature of business. We’re not paying their bills. We don’t care. Who cares? My my $16 beers at the bank can uh you pay for the contract. You know what I don’t care about? Eagles preseason. And we got a game coming up. We got a game coming up tomorrow. So nobody gives a rap about that cuz we’re not even going to play. I doubt it, right? I don’t know. No, I think McKe’s starting. Yeah, the new corner is a dog though. He’s good. Yeah, I heard that. Tra Howie always makes a move in August that matters. Mhm. Always. We’ll see if he gets uh some starting time, right? Because he he’s he started like 10 games for the Raiders last year, I think. Yeah, I think Given how late he’s on the team, he probably won’t start week one. But yeah, hopefully Ringo’s good because I doubt they go with Dory Jackson. Well, I think that’s why they brought him in. I think because they were a little concerned with Ringo. Not that they don’t trust him, but I don’t just don’t think they could start the year with just him, right? Yeah. I think they needed a little bit of insurance for him. And I don’t get the Justin Simmons thing either. Like, why is what’s go what’s up with that? That that was the strangeness in that move, right? Like I I would have thought that they would have signed Simmons before they signed where they traded for a uh the the corner. Yeah. Unless you’re going to put um unless you’re going to put Coupe back there in like non-nickel sets. I think that’s what they’re doing. And part of me is also maybe just hey, I’m in my 30s. I don’t want to play training camp. I know the system could Yeah. Could be that. Yeah. Because I mean like what that obviously it’s a little bit different but like last year they traded for CJ like the last week of camp, right? That was uh the first time you came. Yeah. No, but you’re right. A lot of guys a lot of older guys don’t want We’re good. I know this playbook like that for that last year. Those guys did that. Yeah. I know this defense. I’ll be in shape. I work out here. I work out here. It’s a long season. I’ll be there. I’ll meet all the guys. That chemistry will go quick. Yeah. That’s just a vet. That’s just a smart vet knowing that he’ll fit in anywhere and he’ll come to play and he’ll be ready to go. So, I agree with that. I still think that that absolutely can happen even going another corner because they learned something and how he’s learned something that that position wins you games. If you got if you have the ability to shut guys down and you have enough depth and you can you can move and shake back there a little bit, right? And go matchups with different things. Listen, right, more the the more is better, right? More is better with stuff like this. And uh I I think, you know, I’m not crowning the the move. I’m saying just in general, we have a lot back there again. Um and he really sort of replenished um losing losing a guy or two. Yeah, for sure. It’s big. But no, I mean I think that move still happens. Agree. Justin Simmons has been an Eagle since like February, right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Science feel delivered. We might have talked about him just as much as we talk about Joel’s injury. But this team’s going to If this team’s healthy, they’re going to go they’re going to go contempt for another Super Bowl. So, for sure. I mean, that’s the that’s going to be the easiest easiest prediction time of all time when we do predict predictions. I love turning on. And they gave us the toughest schedule in America, too. Oh, brutal schedule. Like if you go on if you go on ESPN like Milton Williams you would think is Jaylen Carter. Like we lost Milton Williams. We’re we’re not going to know how to act offensively because we lost Milton Williams. Can I tell you guys something? Um the schedule, right? The schedule means absolute dog [ __ ] in August. The schedule the schedule matters the week you’re playing that team. And I tell you this because injuries happen, different things happen. So it might look hard on paper, but when you get through it, it might not be as hard as we think it is. Or guys don’t get hurt, and it is hard, right? So it can go it can go one of two ways. This is that’s why I never pay attention to it. If you think your team’s that good, they’re that good, right? If you believe they’re that good, they’re that good. The schedule don’t matter. They got to play us. Yeah, when you’re when you’re the defending champs, you got the target on your back. So, they they gave us all the prime time games. They gave us all the all the good teams, the Chiefs, the Bills, the Ravens. We want that Broncos. No, I want that. Broncos. I don’t know. I don’t know how they make the schedule up, but how do we go to Kansas City again this year? Same thing with Tampa. Yeah. Why do we always have to go to Tampa? I mean, I like When are we When are we going to KC? I forget. When do we go to KC? Week two. Okay. Well, yeah, warm weather. Fine, but like why don’t we get that here? I think this is like the third straight year we’re playing in Kansas City. I like road games early anyway. I’m a big fan of road games early. I just don’t understand how the Super Bowl champion doesn’t have a back-to-back home games. Home game. That’s the one gripe I have of the schedule because normally the schedule is hard for the champion, but Oh, yeah. How do you not give us back-to-back home games throughout like once throughout the entire season? Yeah, I think you at least give them, you know, you at least Yeah, you at least I mean I always feel like you give them backto back win a Super Bowl at the end of the year, right? You know, try try to treat him well late. Give But we’re we’re we’re never we don’t have any backtoback home games. No, it’s the first time in a like every other week. Yeah. And we play like every best team in the week. Like I I’m with you though. Like you don’t know who you’re playing. Lamar Jackson could blow his knee out tomorrow. Yeah. Yeah. But but but like I’m just saying on paper it’s an issue. Yeah. On paper everybody. Like you you don’t miss a beat. You’re playing Packers, Chiefs, Bills, Ravens, Buccaneers, Lions. You’re not missing a beat. Like you’re literally you’re going it’s a gauntlet. You bringing the word back. Gauntlet. You’re playing everybody. Well, if there’s the team to go through the gauntlet, it’s them. Yeah. Not that they can’t do it. Not that they’re not capable. But we’re gonna we’re gonna have a lot of good games. 11 win team and not a 13 win team. And they get into the playoffs and they beat up on teams because um how many tough games they had in the regular season, right? So, you know, there’s a lot of it doesn’t always have to be Chiefs do it, right? Chiefs have to go through it. They get those types of tough schedules and they got to scratch and claw their way in because there’s a good football team, you know? So, I think when you’re just good, you’re good. And your schedule’s hard as [ __ ] But yeah, listen, they had sort of an easy one in terms of rest last year of being home a lot late. So, I mean, I Yeah, we also had a buy week four or whatever it was. Yeah. When’s this buy? Middle of the year, like week 10, 11, something like that. I think we’re the also like one of the first teams to win a Super Bowl with a week four buy or like before week Yeah. Well, I like the midseason buy. I do like the midseason like they I think I think it’s week nine if I’m looking this right. I think it’s week week nine. Solid. You regroup. Yeah. Right in the middle of the year. That’s fine. Yeah. Regroup it if you need to. You still can go on a run. So, I appreciate that. By um any chance by the week of the first week of November? Yeah. Is there any chance we have a home game before that and a home game after that or no? We play we play the Giants at home on the 26th and then we go to the Packers. I guess that’s Monday night on the 10th. Yeah. All right. So, you get a little more extended buy, too. Yeah. Right. They also have a Monday night game in LA. So you fly back late Monday night, win or lose, then you play all the way back home Philly in a short week flying all the way across the country. I don’t know. I just feel like they got screwed travel-wise. It’s the Raiders though. It’s okay. It’s the Raiders. Okay. But no, that that week it’s it’s December 8th, right? You’re 8:15 Monday night against the Chargers. Yeah, that’s fine. And then you come back December 14th, Sunday 1:00 against the Raiders. All right. I’m like that that week. So that So the Raiders are coming East as well and they’re the Raiders, right? Should be no problem. But that is Yeah. The week before that you’re playing Black Friday. You’re playing Black Friday. So you have extra day there. Two extra days. Well, that’s the Bears. You have a short week. You’re in You’re in Dallas the week before that. You play the Bears on Black Friday. Then he have a longer like you’re playing Monday night or or Sunday night against the Chargers which I can see him dropping that Dallas game on the road. No, it’s a 425 game. The Sun will be in Dak’s eyes. We got it. Yeah. Easy money. Easy money there. Yep. And they’re they’re they’re already in turmoil down there. They ain’t going nowhere. Oh, dude. Michael Parson signed as an Eagle next year. Can’t wait. Hell yeah. Absolutely can’t wait. Yeah, I don’t know if we have the money for that one. Who cares? Find a no versatility. Wish it was baseball. We already gave it to him. Oh my god. No versatility, right? Buckets. Look, long live Jerry Jones. Man, I I hope that man never dies cuz holy. And he double downed on it too or something like that. He said he said the other day he didn’t think that Michael would be ready for week one. like deal and then then he called him Michael. He called him by the wrong name. Did he? Oh my god. Well, I’ll tell you one thing. Jerry Jerry did Jerry was the the godfather when there was no salary cap. When when there was no salary cap, Jerry paid his guys and and treated his guys good back in the day. I’ll give Jerry that. you know, as he gotten older, he’s become a nightmare for them as an organization for sure. Right. But to give him the credit words, too, back in the 90s, that that was the dude, you know, he he knew what he was doing. He made a lot of money and he spent it. You know, he definitely spent it on players, right, Greg? Yeah, absolutely did. They were loaded. They were loaded. They were loaded. When we were growing up, there was no cap. you could just go and he had I always tell guys he had Pepsi and Coke in the same stadium bidding versus each other off of what location they get. You know what I mean? So like that’s how smart he was businesswise, you know? So you you know now you look at him and he’s a mess. But in his prime he was not a mess, right? Like before he got old and and then whatever happened, power trips happen as you get older. He was definitely not a mess. He made mistakes, but he wasn’t a mess. And his mistakes were with coaches. His his biggest mistake was Jimmy Johnson. Yeah. It was getting rid of him. Yeah. Because because of egos. But um either way, dude, you know, I hope he never wins anything ever again. Let me clarify that. Let make sure that’s clear. But back in the day, you give you give flowers after the fact. And this is enough time. Remember, I got grounded because of my hatred for the Dallas Cowboys. on a on a snap where I think it was Tommy Hutton dropped the snap and it was for the tie. He tried rolling out in Dallas and got killed. Um, and I remember I don’t know if it was Tommy Hutton, I forget. It was a long time ago, but I remember throwing throwing something down, yelling and screaming that I wasn’t going to school tomorrow. Um, I think it was a might been a Monday nighter. And yeah, that’s my hatred. And I remember crawling up the stairs and getting pulled back down by my mom because I was acting like a nightmare. Like screaming, screaming, screaming. I was like 10, 11, something like that. I was just screaming. I was so upset that that they lost that game and I had to go deal with Cowboys people like, you know what I mean? Like I I couldn’t believe it. I had such disdain for him. Yeah, at the time I met like be like, you know, at one point I met like a lot of their players too back in the day, which is pretty cool cuz my uncle owned the nightclub there, you know, so it was pretty neat. We we went in there one time, me and my cousin, we met a lot of guys and I was wearing an Eagles hat and Shante Carver, nobody would know that name besides maybe Greg. But Shante Carver turned my hat around backwards. He go not not here, man. Yeah, Shante, you stink. I got you. You stunk. But it was cool. Like I met um met EMTT, met Michael, uh Darren Woodson, like some some of their some of their dudes, man. It’s cool. It was cool. Gold jackets. Yeah. Yeah. A lot of a lot of gold jackets and you know, a lot of jelly. What the hell? What the hell was that? Michael Irvin. Yeah, I thought I thought it was Zion Williamson. Jesus Christ just fell over. But no, I mean, let’s do this early and we’ll get out of here. Early early win totals. 11. I think 11’s safe. Let me take a look. Um, I like 11. I’m going more than that. And Mororrow JO is our new stud. Remember too like this guy knows a lot about football but it’s his first time calling plays. I don’t know how much respect it’ll have. Maro is a stud. That’s why Mil Williams is so easy to let go. Right. People talk they’ll be talking about Moro Joma like Milton Williams. He was arguably better. Not even argue. He was better than Milton last year. Yeah. Milton popped in the playoffs, right? Until the end of the year they were on the same pace. No doubt. Yeah. Actually, I’ll say 12. Ry, I’m going 12. Final answer. I’m I’m going I’m going 13. 13 and four. 13 to four. I got 12. I got 12. I just feel like they’re going to get bit with the injury bug a little bit. You know, they’re due. It’s a possibility. I just think they they always drop a game that you’re like, how the hell did they lose that game? It’s the Bucks. It’s always like that one. Yeah, it’s going to be the Bucks. Of course, we know it’s going to be the Bucks. Talk about the Bucks. That’s a hell of a weekend. I wish I was rich and had a private jet cuz But we know that’s a hell of a weekend. That’s not a surprise. All right, that’s Penn State, Oregon, white out. Yeah, I’ll be there. And then that’s Eagles Tampa down here. Sure you will. As you should. And down here Saturday night, I’ll be at uh Shane Gillis. Oh, wonder why. Wonder why he booked that. That’s a good one. I know, right? He’ll be there. He’ll be in Tampa, too. He’ll be there. So, you guys you guys all went around 12, right? 11 12. I got 13. Yeah. 13. Jesus. Okay. So, I I don’t want to land on the same number. So, I’ll sell you on something else. Right. Healthy. Undefeated. Yeah. Healthy 14 win team because look at look at how they look at how they talk. Look how they go about their business. Oh, yeah. I can see it for sure. And a team that’s just hungry to get back, it would be them. That’s why I keep saying it would be them. They’re built they’re built to say, “Dude, we don’t care. We don’t care about last year. We got to get back after it. Let’s go get it again.” Like they’re they’re a type of group that’s built to go, we want we want we want four in a row, right? We we want we want more. We want to be talked about forever. They’re No, I’m not. Listen, injuries play a part of that not happening. But I, you know, I I I have a good feeling because they they got deeper a little bit offensively in weird ways, especially in the running back room, you know, that I think they’re going to they’re going to come out and they could come out a little slow in aspects, right? But I think they’re going to at some point they’re going to they’re going to hit the hit the gas in a big way and they’re going to rattle off a bunch. I love I think you’re Yeah. Yeah. Go ahead, Greg. No, say I think you’re spot on, right? I mean, hell, Jaylen ever put the world the ch Super Bowl ring on, right? He’s like, “That’s over with, right?” You know, and then you hear all the talk about then you hear all the talk about defending and we ain’t defending [ __ ] right? This is a new team. Yeah. And then even even down to, you know, what comes out this week or today or whatever that, you know, AJ took less money, you know, had more money on the table. AJ took less money to stay here cuz he wanted to, you know, he wanted to cement him his legacy here. Like, you’re right, Tommy. Like, all those things. They didn’t even look back to Devonte Smith, right? Like we got to give Devonte Smith his flowers for for taking the contract that he did and not be the diva that some of these guys are coming out to be. That’s why this team is so deep. Yeah. In certain spots because you got a guy like Devonte Smith who could be making T. Higgins money. And he was like, “No, this contract’s good enough for me. this is this sets me up for life and I get to stay here and be on this team that’s going to contend year in and year out while while I’m here. So I I I think you’re right, Tommy. If if there is a team that could like kind of go back and and kind of run the table like you know like you’re uh alluding to it, 14 wins, it’s this team. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, they have like it’s it’s all it’s all those leaders and it’s Melada and it’s it’s it’s just it’s through like when your quarterback goes about his business like that and the highest paid guy on your team goes about his business like that. We’ve been talking about this for years, it trickles down, right? We’ve been talking about this. So, how the leaders go and guys that look to be leaders go is how your group goes. So, I always believe this group is on to the next. They’re on to the next situation, the next play, the next film room. They’re always on to the next. And I think that is why they they were so successful and have been is because their quarterback stays his pulse stays the same. Yep. So, you just got a group that’s just ready to go, right? No moment’s too big. They don’t No moment’s too small, right? No team like I think it matters. It doesn’t mean they’re not gonna have off weeks. You know what I mean, guys. Nobody’s talking about undefeated, right? Or they’re not gonna have to escape a game or two. You know how this league works, right? You got to have some things go your way, too. But, but if they can take the football away, like I think they have the ability to do. That’s the difference maker. We know this. Can you get after the quarterback and can you take the football away? If you can do those two things like I believe and I know think you guys do as well then then you can beat Baltimore, you can beat Buffalo, you can beat Kansas City, you can beat everybody if you have the ability to get to the quarterback again like they did last year and I think they do right. I think they have that ability. Yep. Yeah. No, defensive line and linebacker, they’re definitely set. It’s really just the secondary that you don’t know. You feel good about the slot. Obviously feel good with Quinan. And then Green Reed back there is obviously good. You’re worried about the second. I love Makuba. I hopefully he plays and starts, but he’s a rookie so you don’t know. I like Goobs. Yep. Like the Kuba. Yeah. And and everything about Jad Gable coming out of camp is nothing but praise. Right. Stud. Well, I think I think Squan said, “Yeah, he’s going to be a problem.” You said he reminds me a lot of Micah. Yeah. Oh, he’s a problem. Yeah, we did on draft night. We stole another one. We stole another cat and Bucket’s got his alerts on again. I mean, it’s late at night and turned his alerts back on. So, we know his truth now on why on why he waxed out on us. But, no, I mean, listen, man, it’s exciting team. Like, I like that we’re all positive. I like that it wasn’t like oh like the most negativity we got was some factual stuff like from Luke um because it’s I don’t call it negativity. It’s more like hey you know the injury bug you know he’s got a he’s got a bad vibe and and what I’ll say to that is I would have that vibe Luke if we lost the Super Bowl. If we lost again we’re banged up week one we don’t even get into camp we’re missing guys in camp. guys are going down in camp and you’re like this is over. I think maybe and knock on wood, right? Which I did. Hope everybody can hear by knocking on the wood. I think that you know this is a group that it won’t happen to because they won it. Like the win the winning Super Bowl team is different than the losing Super Bowl team. Yeah. Super Bowl Super Bowl hangover isn’t from the winning one. Mhm. It’s from the losing one. They’re the ones who get off to a little bit of a slow start. They’re the ones who are a little bit like, uh, right. Sometimes it’s those ones we did. We We did the opposite the year prior. We got off to a fast start and then we said we wanted to hang over like with seven games left. We just wanted to stop playing. And people are comparing this to like the 2018 like that year. It’s so different because exponentially different. that team was older and it felt like there’s no quarterback controversy. Yeah. And it was also we were winning games but it was by the skin of our teeth and honestly it felt like we survived like the Hunger Games. Every time you made it to Monday you were like thrilled that was a once ina-lifetime Super Bowl run. Yeah. This team this team was like an all-star team. It felt like no one with us. 2018 is a movie. This team’s a dynasty. Yeah. It was SEC best college players in the country. Just Yeah. And more of them now. Yeah. Now Campbell. Yeah. Campbell in the mix. Another, you know, just another show pony. Texas. Another Yeah. Another power five or another big time school, right? You go you go to those places and you usually get ball players. I I think I love it. I I’m I’m not jacked up just for I’m jacked up for for now. I’m jacked up for three years from now. like th this shouldn’t be something that goes away. This should not be something that goes away. Um because he’s drafted so well. When he’s drafted so well, it’s the draft year in year out. You got to keep hitting. If you keep hitting, you keep rolling. Yeah. If you got the quarterback and your quarterback even keep even. So everybody you get comes in, they buy on that. Yeah. You got It’s boring, but it works. It’s boring, but it wins. It sure does win. We watch the games. The games can get boring offensively and he’ll make plays late to just find ways to win us the game. Yeah. Like 10 yard scramble for a first, right? Just little things. My favorite day is when they go on ESPN and complain about him mid-season how we can’t throw the ball because I know on Sunday he’s going to throw for 250 and three touchdowns. He does it every time. Every time. Every time. Every time. But I think that they’re going to try, like I said, I said deeper. I just meant like they’re going to give AJ Dylan a lot more carries than they were giving, let’s say, Kenny last year, right? I I do think they’re going to try to take some touches away from Saquon because now he got signed. So, it’s not like he’s trying to make more money. I just think they’re going to try, especially early. Yeah. Early. That’s all I’m saying. Yeah. Like so if if Dylan gets banged up then they’ll give him the Shipley. Like I just think that they’ll give they’re going to give other carries because of this offensive line. Why would you not? Yeah. Right. Because you can’t wear him out early. He’s got to be he’s got to be a guy December and January that’s ready to rock and roll. Yeah. Right. Mid November like Thanksgiving on. He’s got to be a guy that’s going to get a lot of touches. So September, October, I gotta and and couple weeks in November I gotta I gotta keep him down a little bit. You know what I I’m not telling you I’m not giving them 20 touches because that’s not what I’m saying. But I’ll keep it between 18 and 20 early on. And you some explosive plays in those. That’s awesome. You’re gonna you’re going to need them in those late December, January games because you go to to finish the season depending on however they go. I think there’s a drop off, but you go Washington, Buffalo, and then Washington again. Those are your last three games of the year. Yeah. So, I mean, you’re going to need him. You know, we’ll see if we’re actually gonna need that week 18 game or not. But Washington twice like that. Washington, Buffalo, Washington. Last three games of the year. Yeah, I’m not worried about Washington. I I agree. I’m not worried about Washington. I I think there’s a drop off like they’re still going to be playing for something. I mean, the whole hype about Washington was that they had all the cap space in the world and they were just an NFC title game and they used the cap space to just resign older players. like they’re now they can’t the same team and you’re you’re older. Yeah. At this point, what’s what’s good with him? He’s not I need I need Terry to Well, he already demanded a trade. I need them to not pay Terry and then Debo Samuel gives me enough so I can trade him in Dynasty. Like Zack Z, I think had like 12 receptions in that NFC. Yeah. Like good player, but come on. You’re older. Yeah. How old Zach hurts now? Like 35. 35, 36, something like that. Yeah. Listen, I I’ll say do we want to trust me going looking at ages? Yeah, we can do it. But I’m just saying I’m not I You don’t have to look at it. I trust 34. All right. Now, before before you we uh I thought Jordan I I read something Jordan Davis was like 26 years old. So we like the whole pre-draft we’re all thinking Jordan Davis is 26. Not all of us. Just you. Just me. For about for about about two weeks. Three weeks. No. You see what he looks like right now? You see what that looks like? What? Jordan Davis. Well, he looks like right now. Looks like a monster. He looks like a guy ready to get a $100 million contract. He looks like a tank. That’s That’s what that guy looks like. He looks like his best friend said, “Yo, I need you to stay around.” Yeah. I want you to be I want you to be on my side for my whole career. Get your ass in shape. Let’s go. I actually I actually agree. I think the Giants could actually be decent. Yeah. Over competitive like eight games. Yeah. Game offense, but their defense got They don’t have a quarterback. They have the best defensive line in the NFL. Well, they have 45 quarterbacks. So, they don’t have one. So, they don’t have a quarterback. Yep. Yep. Exactly. I like Dart, though. No, I think Dart can play. He’s not gonna play, but he’s not gonna play, but they’re gonna either play Russell or Jamus. Yeah, Javis will have seven picks against us. I really hope it’ll be electric, too. And Russ stinks. Russ is terrible. I mean, but I still think their defense is really good. Yeah. Where where, you know, if they run the ball and they go more runheavy that, you know, they can they could maybe maybe sneak sneak sneak eight, nine wins out. Yes. It just be better. That’s all. And Neighbors is really good. Neighbors also problem. Neighbors throw the football. Fair. Yeah. Until Darth, nobody throws can throw. Well, Jamus will. Jamus will get him 1500 yards. Um Yeah. Easily. Because Jamus can swing it. Jamus is throwing 35 40 times a game. Yeah. But he can sling it. So Yeah. But he’ll throw four picks. He’ll throw three. Yeah. He’ll throw three touchdowns, but he’s gonna throw four picks. Yep. Easily. Oh man. Well, I’m not excited for the fall. I don’t I love football, but I hate the end of the summer. Yeah. I mean, you know, I’m I’m a summer guy. Uh I know we don’t like the heat, but uh I I don’t know. Everybody’s got air conditioning. Well, depends where you work at, but everybody else got air conditioning, you know, everywhere else in the world, mostly. We’re not in a third world country, so whatever. I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about. Go Phils. Go Birds. Go to Texas. Go on the Rangers. What’s tomorrow? The Tanner McKe show. Oh yeah. Yeah. Oh yeah. I I won’t I wouldn’t watch the No. You could put the game in my backyard and I wouldn’t watch it. I I’ll close I’ll close the block. You’re just out of here. You watch these cars. I don’t want to watch it, but I know my dad my dad will want to watch it, so it’ll be on. That’s a good one. That’s great. You put it in my backyard. Watch 15 Will Shipley touches. See Luke’s See Luke’s. I would even double down on I’ll just give a finger a finger roll. You know what I mean? Just to make sure just to make sure we can’t see nothing. We don’t want We don’t want to see a speck of green. I mean, we don’t see nothing. Oh [ __ ] Oh, but no, I mean, yeah, we already did this the other night where I was like, you know, I want You could pay me to go to the game and I’d be like, “Yeah, I’m good.” Yeah. Like a pre-season game. I’m good. Yeah. Annihas Smith, first touchdown. Get your bets in right now. Uh oh. All right, we’re going to end the show on that. Been a great show. We’ll tell everybody next Wednesday night. ATD Wednesday nights. It really is. I mean, we just went 2:15 on a Wednesday night in the middle of nothing with nothing going on. Nothing going argued about flexibility the DA spot um for for an hour. We love you all. Thanks for thanks for dealing with us. We’ll see you next Wednesday.

Embiid’s Knee “Worse Than Expected!” Have the Sixers LIED to Fans Regarding Joel Embiid’s Injury?

In this explosive episode, we’re diving deep into the bombshell news surrounding Joel Embiid’s knee injury and the troubling rumors that it’s “Worse Than Expected!” Has the Philadelphia 76ers front office been completely honest with fans, or have the Sixers LIED about the severity of their franchise player’s health?

We’re breaking down all the latest Sixers news and rumors, questioning the trust in the Sixers front office, and debating the biggest question on every fan’s mind: Will Joel Play This Season? We’ll analyze the team’s official statements versus what’s being reported around the league.

But that’s not all! We’ve also got you covered on the latest from the diamond and the gridiron. We’ll give you a full Phillies vs. Orioles series recap as the Fightin’s battle for playoff positioning. Plus, we’re giving our hot takes on the Eagles preseason game 1 and how the new-look squad performed.

🤔 Poll Question of the Week: Joel Embiid will miss the entire upcoming season due to his knee injury. Drop your take in the comments with Agree or Disagree!

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