Then we continue on Fred Rogan, Rodney Pete on a five to seventy LA Sports. Don't forget if you missed any of the show. Net Colletti was on during the noon hour. He was terrific. Download the app, the pre iHeart Radio App, and listen to the podcast. Kevin puts it up the minute we get off the air. You can miss You can check out anything that we did that you missed, and if you have the app, you can stream the show live wherever you go. We'll always be with you.
Just get the pre iHeartRadio App. Okay. A couple of days off of the Salta Adam Austlin and we welcome home to the show. Adam. What's up? What's up? Guys? How we doing? Adam felt like it was got a little bit contentious there with that last game. Nobody was happy. You know, well, you got a bad official like Fred. That's what happened. Fred's up to his old trick, Adam. You know how that goes the Tim Donahey of game show hosts. There he is wait
a minute to defend that point. If you didn't hear it, We did go to the tape several times and Kevin even you agreed that it sounded like Sam got in madness? He did? Am? I wrong? Yeah, but it's right point. Why did I have to get drug into this? Yeah? Because I couldn't make a decision. Well, he said, dude, you get a call him back up, Fred, say it with the chest. I said it with your flat ass chest, Adam, Adam, I wasn't sure who did it. Who did it? Well, I did
it, but he did it too. No, that's not what happened. I wanted to make sure I admitted I you know, I thought it was Sam, but then it was close. So that's why we went back and listened to it like six times. But that was the contentious part of the contest. Adam, all right, fine, let's give a let's let's go with this grades Lakers and Clippers to this point in the season. Go jeez, I'll go with the Clippers getting an A plus on their report card,
Fred, and the Lakers a sea minus at the moment. How about that? Is that fair and balanced for you? The Lakers are starting to turn things around. They won six of seven, but the Clippers I believe, have won thirty three of their last forty three games here, So do those grades work for you, Freddy, and you want to play the grade game. Uh, let's see what I gave the the Lakers a C. I think I gave them a SN went. Yeah, we're not that far apart.
That's all right there. That's a little bit of the salt for the C minus. Yeah, And what did you give B? I gave him a B because I looked at it in totality, because I had to give in the N season tournament. I had to give him some love for that, So I gave him a B. And the run that they're on right now, this this latest run that they're on, so that picked them up. Otherwise they would have been a C or C plus. But you know, you know this stretch that they went on before the All Star Break.
I had to give them some love for that. And I gave the Clippers a W. I give it clippers B plus. That's fair. They're still a room to grow. I don't hate that. Yeah, and that's what I gave the Clippers too. Would B plus you just cheat off of Rodney's papers? No? I did not. Pretty much, pretty much, Adam pretty much did. Hey hey, Adam, is it is it now? Uh that we've you know made it to the All Star Break and they are
with it. It feels like they've settled in, meaning the Clippers. Is it a matter of them just now staying healthy and continuing to play, because I do believe that. It is to me clear that they are the best team in the league. You can say what you want people and say what they want about Boston whatever, Denver, whatever, but I think the Clippers
are the best team in the league right now. Well, nobody's been hotter the last two and a half months now, and they do have the number one offense since November seventeenth, since they made that decision to bring Russell Westbrook off the bench, James Harden, the fit has been perfect. I thought it would be. I didn't know they'd start off zero to five with him, but I was never that concerned. I always felt like they'd be able to turn it around. And it comes down to coach lou putting guys in
a position to succeed. He has done that. They're figuring out rotations and lineups. But I still think they have room to grow. They can still get better because as you mentioned, they can still build up more chemistry. You gotta be healthy to do that, but as long as health is on their side, of course, they can beat anyone. I don't know if they're the best team in the league. I don't know if there's that big of a difference between them and the Denver Nuggets when they're fully locked in,
or the Boston Celtics. I don't think there's as much separation with the top four in the West versus the bottom four right now, or the Lakers being
in ninth or tenth. I think the talent disparity isn't as large of a gap as some people believe it to be because when you got teams like the Dallas Mavericks, who I thought made some really good moves with the trade that deadline, the Lakers, the Sacramento Kings, the New Orleans Pelicans, those are six through ten I believe right now, and those are all tough first
round opponents. So as good as the Clippers have been in a first round series against one of those squads, it could still go six or seven games. So they still have a lot of work to do, and I think, you know, seventeen games coming up in March could help with that, or it could wear them down right before the playoffs. But they're gonna get a lot of reps in as long as they are healthy. And it comes down to that with this team. We've known that for years. Kawhi Leonard
missed the last game. We'll see what he does at the All Star break if he's able to play in that game on Sunday or not. But they need him back immediately because next Thursday they are taking on the OKC Thunder. So it's two of the top three teams in the West right now that are all separated by about a game and a half facing off. Anyway you look at it, the Clippers are fine. Now let's talk Lakers that Kevin, we need to add the promo for Bob Jesus. Well, that's true.
I mean Fred really trying to ingratiate himself with the fanili Finally, now we just suppose that with when the Clippers lost five in a row at first, with what Fred was saying about them, you know what, I forgot what that was? All right, It's like you say, folks that were saying James Harden is the is the worst move the Clippers could have made. He's not gonna even come close to working. That wasn't me And people will run for cover now because of their players. So well, I didn't say that.
Nobody said that. What we're talking about. There have been some all time U turns, asked and the furious like U turns on this Clippers team the last couple of months. And I think Fred's been a part of it. But we'll see. I know, I never said it was a bad move to bring James Harden. And if you both remember that correctly, now
what I never said that. I said it was the right move, it was the only And then when they started zering five with him, what'd you say, Fred, I said, he's the system and everybody has to learn the system. M Is that right? Is that right? No? And if you remember, I said they're gonna be okay, and Rodney said why, I said, because I have to be. They have to be. There's no alternative. They have to win. How many times did I come on and all you said about James Harden was he just looks so big out
there at him and win with him, win with him. No, I didn't say that. I did say he was out of shape in the beginning. I did, and he was so there all right. Oh, by the way, Tyler got fined UH for ragging on the officials and saying the game was fixed. We should point that out as well. We're happy to start the kickstarter Clipper Nation. I'll put him one hundred dollars right now because that was righteous anger from coach Liu, who they were calling coach Loup Panela.
With how hot he got on the court side. He hasn't been kicked out of a game since I think he was a player back in two thousand and five when he got into a fight on the court. This is not what he does. So for him to get that upset to that degree, something went horribly wrong, and it was Draymond Green getting away with some ridiculous fouls out there, and coach Lou had enough. We stand with coach Lou. All right, let's go to the Lakers. Where do you see them
finishing. I think they have a chance to get out of the plan in it's It's not gonna be easy, but if they have look this roster right now with the Lakers, you can make the argument on paper is better than they were last year going into the All Star break where they then turn things around. They made those moves of the trade deadline, they got hot.
They were I think the second hottest team going into the playoffs. This team right now because of the way Delo is playing, because Ruy Hachi Mora is finally in the starting lineup, which should have happened a long time ago, but this different story for a different day, and because look, they're building up some of that continuity just by knowing the fact that these are the guys we have. Is the guy this is the roster we're going to war with.
This is the team we're gonna have in the fox hole. The rest of the way, Lebron has accepted it and they're playing much better. They have won six of seven. They've been about a top five offense during that stretch. Their defense has still been good enough. Austin Reeves is shooting almost fifty percent from three over this hot stretch by the Lakers. He's starting to put things together again. I mentioned Ruy Hotching Moore and Spencer, didn't we
he that's a great pickup for them. I told you guys last week it was gonna happen. I think Jason Smith was in that day and he said, no, he's going to the Dallas Mavericks instead. I was like, I think he's coming to the Lakers. That's a sweet Lou Williams type of player, somebody who gives you instant offense off the bench, who's also really good in the pick and roll. His advanced numbers in the pick and roll,
even on a down year for him, were really good. You got a guy like that playing with Anthony Davis and even Jackson Hayes, who has had his moments over the last couple of weeks. That's big for them. That is a big shot in the arm and a big boost for a team that was already getting much better performances out of Dlo, Austin Reeves and Ruby hot Chimas. So it feels like they've gotten better internally by some of the
guys that you expected to make that leap this season. With Ruey. Now, if he's turning things around and he just went for his career high of having thirty six points, that feels like a trade acquisition. They're using him the right way. Now, him in the starting lineup next to Austin Reeves, Delo, Lebron James, and Anthony Davis, they look formidable. That's tough, and they've gotten some gritty, tough wins lately. You look at
the Boston game, that may have been the turnaround for this team. They had no business winning that ball game without their big two, and then they went in New York after that with them, they beat the Pelicans. Recently, they're getting quality wins along the way and showing what Lebron James has said. Look, we could lose to anybody, but we could also beat anybody any given night. That's what this Lakers team looks like. They're dangerous.
You would not want to face them in a first round series. I don't care who you are. Yeah, I agree with you with Den Wittie. I think you're right. He's instant offense. He gives him a spark, he can create his own shot. I think it's a you know, I wouldn't say quietly, but I think it's a very very good pickup for the
Lakers. Back to Clippers, I forgot to ask you about PJ. Tucker in that situation, Adam, what's the story there, Well, he's obviously a disgruntled player right now that got sent home along with Bones Highland because they couldn't get over the fact that they were not moved, they were not shipped out, they were not traded at the deadline when they obviously weren't getting reps,
they weren't getting time on the court. And while Bones who was at one point in the starting lineup at the beginning of the season, once you get to James, once you get James Harden in there, obviously with him and Russell Westbrook, there just aren't minutes to be had at the point guard position. It's unfortunate for a young player like that who was developing, but
they're trying to win a championship right now. As for PJ. Tucker, you know, he comes in and there's a reason the Clippers had to take on his salary, and he is a player alike, but he was included in the James Harden trade because Philly was trying to get his salary off the books so they can go big game hunting this offseason with Daryl Morey, they're gonna do that. So he's still making I think eleven million dollars next season. He's thirty eight years of age. The only guy older than him is
Lebron James. He had opportunities when they first brought him in. He got playing time right away. The minutes weren't great. I still think he has utility on this team situationally against the right matchups. The Clippers are undersized. They could use him against a guy like Jokic, he has had a good history guarding him, believe it or not. They could use him against Zion Williamson in a seven game series, maybe Anthony Davis here and there, just
spot minutes five to ten minutes. Because defensively it's still there for him. He's still physical. He keeps you from getting to your spots. But the problem is right now, I mean earlier today he instagrams something else out there, something like game plan number one, learn to fly number two, fly away. So I'm not sure he's getting the message yet that, hey, this is a situation where you're on a team that is on this good of a run. It's gonna be hard to get minutes. And the guys playing
in front of him are younger and currently better and more serviceable. Right now, I still think there's a place for him. I still think he can help this team in a seven game series, but he has to buy in otherwise if he gets more contentious. And to his credit, he and Bones Highland have been great on the bench, cheering on their teammates. There's no
quarrel between players on the team. I want to make that clear. It's between these guys and the coaching staff and management whether or not they get playing time. But none of them have said I should be starting over this guy, I should be playing over this guy. They are all being cheerleaders for their team. If that changes, then at some point you just got to send him home, because it's not like they're just gonna cut him and pay
all that salary. I don't think that's gonna happen with PJ. Tucker. So I'm not sure why it's taken this long for a vet like him to understand where he's at in his career. A roder you can speak to this, but your basketball mortality, your sports mortality, it's hard for some guys to come to grips with that. And I think that's what we're seeing right now with PJ. Tucker. He's the second oldest player in the league. He's been on competitive teams the last couple of seasons. He's won a championship
recently with the Milwaukee Bucks. He feels like he could still I think in his mind he could still be a starter, because that's what he was doing in Philadelphia. So I understand to a degree where he's coming from going from being a starter to getting no minutes whatsoever. That's a drastic shift, but it's what it is on this Clippers team, and you can't rock the boat
when they're playing this damn well right now. So I hope eventually he understands, Look, I'm gonna be a good vet, I'm gonna help guys out, and when my number is called, I will be ready, stay ready, so you don't have to get ready. That's where PJ. Tucker needs to be. Seems kind of selfish what he's doing. Yeah, I understand that point. I am. I couldn't believe the Instagram earlier today because I just felt like, okay, they were sent home. It's a time to
reflect, get mentally right. You got the All Star break here, and then come back with a new mindset next week. They got seventeen games coming up in March. I mentioned that earlier. There is a good chance they're gonna need both of them at some point in the month of March. When you're playing seventeen games in thirty one days, you can't ride the starters too
much. You can't overplay guys right before the playoffs start in mid April, So they got to stay prepared, They got to have their head in the game. Still, to some degree, it's a little bit perplexing that they haven't been able to figure out that. Look, this team has been too good right now. It's not a reflection upon us. The team's just playing great. What can you do. There's a minutes crunch, there's a numbers
crunch when it comes to get into the ball game right now. So I think at some point, Look, I've been talking about Clippers culture for a long time and how underrated it is because you haven't had a lot of toxic things going on in the locker room, a lot of drama or anything like that. And Paul George came out after their comeback win against the Golden State Warriors and said, hey, they handled it like man. We talked about it, and there's no issue between the players at all. They're all rooting
for each other. That's the main thing right now. But coach Lou had to make it clear. Look, PJ. Tucker is seventy five years old. He's an older player in this league. He joked about it like that he could ride off into the sunset with the money he has come in the next couple of years. It's also, though, a good thing, when guys want to compete, when guys are still competitive, when they still have an edge to them. You just got to reel it in a little bit
right now. And I'm hoping PJA gets the message here. All right, Adam, let's shift over to the All Star Game. I said earlier they should just cancel it, give everybody a couple of days off and get ready for the second hockey. I didn't. No, you mean stopping. It's for the kids, Fred, Say that again. Say that again, Adam, Say it again. It's for the children. Fred. It's awful.
Your kids are probably twenty five now, they're adults. It's not the same thing when we were kids and we saw those funky uniforms and the David Stern jersey logos that were all cartoonish in the mid nineties. That's all marketing for the kids. I look, I understand the All Star Game. You know, I'm not in old head a guy who is shaking his fist at clouds. When it comes to the NBA, for the most part, it's never been there's never been more talent. There's never been more skill in the NBA
Victor women Yama. It's the ninth or eighth wonder of the world. But the one thing that I do go after is how bad the All Star Game has gotten. We've probably gotten I want to say, about five good games the last twenty years, something like that. The last good one was in twenty twenty when they first made that rule change to the elum rule and the untimed clock in the fourth quarter. It worked. It worked one time. Since then, it hasn't. The playground schoolyard picking your own squad. That
hasn't worked either. They're trying to make it more traditional again. They're going back East versus West, but they have to get back to just playing hard. Because my point is, even when you see all these crazy dunks, if they're not being defended in the All Star Game, it just doesn't mean as much. If there's no defense whatsoever being played. All these highlight plays, we've kind of already seen them before. It just feels like a scrimmage
and less than that. At times, it's been somewhat embarrassing, and I think Adam Silver's trying to fix that. But you need a game that's competitive in the fourth quarter, because if it's close on the fourth guys will start to play hard. That is the key to this. But I don't hate the fact that, Look, Fred, I know who you're coming from. I don't think they should cancel it. It's still a celebration of the game over this weekend and I want to see the dunk contest. I want to
see the three point contest Steph Curry going up against the WNBA player. That's going to be amazing. There are still things to like about it, but yeah, they need to make some tweeks. They need to figure it out, and guys have to give a damn period period real quick, Adam. Paul George is gonna get his extension. I believe so. I mean when because of the Kawhi Leonard gets his extension that night post game, he said
something to the effect of, yeah, pretty much everyone's coming back. It sounded like part of that was he knew that they're going after James Harden, who's gonna be a free agent this summer, and they're gonna get the contract extension done with Paul George. Things could change, anything could happen. I'm surprised a little bit surprised it hasn't happened by now, But these things happen
on their own time. Who knows, maybe it happens in the next couple of weeks, and they got to keep the two one three connection together. They've been too darn good this season. Obviously, they've been great whenever they're healthy. Guys, they've been winning at a seven hundred win percentage. Whenever those two are on the floor. It has worked when they're out there. It just hasn't because they've been missing so much time together. But overall this
season, I think they've combined to miss just seven games so far. They've been available, they've been healthy. And I want to see Paul George, who grew up a Clippers fan. I know Kobe was his favorite player, but he also loved the Clippers. I want to see him retire a Clipper. I want to see him and Kawhi Leonard finished this thing, see it through, and hopefully with James Harden too, because they're opening into it home
next season. You need stars there. Kawhi Leonard's already coming back. I'm sure part of the reason that he signed that contract extension was knowing that, yeah, the rest of the team is going to be very competitive with top line stars next to him, and Paul George should be included in that. Good job, Adam, appreciate you coming in. So we had a body of you today. Ready, what else is put you in the grinder? Baby? I still love you. I still love you. Yeah, two
days ago, did you get the flowers from me? No? I didn't, but thanks. That's because I didn't send him exactly. All right, k Adam Uselin and Adam, thanks for hanging man. All right, there's an idea that will make baseball better. Now they're not going to do it, but there's an idea that will make baseball better. And we'll talk about that next Uh huh, that's right. It is Friday, and you know, as you can already tail on Fridays. We absolutely but don't care.
No, we don't. Roddy p. Fred Brogan, come on. All right. So when we look at the landscape of baseball and the free Asians still available, there are a few big names available, Cody Bellinger, Blake Snell. I guess you could also say Matt Chapman is one that is still available at this time. And if you want to add to that list, Jordan Montgomery, the pitcher. They're all Scott Boris clients. Every one of
them. It's a Scott Bors client. So now teams are underway, they are in camp, they are getting going, and these guys are still sitting out there looking for a job. We wondered how long it would take for them to sign. Was the market soft? But they're Scott Bors clients and Scott looks at it a certain way. He always wants to get the most value for his players that he can. So you say to yourself, well,
in that and that's his job. You know. Two teams that don't really sign his guys to long term deals are the Dodgers and the Braves. They don't. Atlanta, for example, they would prefer to trade for a guy and sign them to an extension, not a free agent. Yeah. But is that a Scott Bors thing or is that an Atlanta Dodger thing? This is an Atlanta Dodger thing. Yeah, yeah, But we're throwing it out there like it's a Scott Boris. They don't want to sign Scott Boris
clients to a long term deal. And that's just that's just not true. It is just the way the Dodgers and the Braves do business correct, correct, and the Dodgers obviously try to build from within. Now, they did sign Freddie Freeman, and they signed O'tani, and they signed Yamamoto and they traded for bets and then they extended him. But aside from that, it's not as if they are always throwing gobs of money people on the free agent
market for long term deals. Well, that's what Boris wants, and that's why I think you don't see a lot of his free agent clients end up with the Dodgers and the Braves. Yes, the Dodgers took a run at Garrett Cole and offered him a lot of money. Yankees offered him a bit more, and it looks like now Cole will opt out and then resign with the Yankees, so he'll get a little more over there. But that led the commissioner Rob Manfred and he was asked about it and he said it before,
so it's not new. He would like a deadline for free agent signing, preferably in December. So everything is heating up at the winter meetings. People have things to talk about. As we break the meetings, we go to camp in February and off and running we go and everybody is signed. He'd like that. They've talked to the players' Association about it in the past, and the players Association is not in favor of that. He said it will be revisited. But Scott Bores doesn't like it either, and his position
is it's not about a deadline. It's about what a player is worth. And if there is a deadline, and then that's it, you gotta squeeze it in. He's more on the side of, well, what's the player worth, and we'll get to that point. Rodney, do you think MLB should have a deadline for free agent signings? No, because it's certainly in the club's favor, it's not in the players favor. It's not in the player's best interest. So I'm with the players Association. Scott Boris, that
is not a good deal for the players. Certainly, it is a good deal for the clubs because they can put a deadline on it. Squeeze the players that you better signed by December thirty first, otherwise you're not gonna have a deal, or any kind of deal you might get. It's not even gonna be close to what you're asking for. So it's a bad deal for the players. I'm with him, Okay, bad deal for the players. But from a fan perspective, I don't know. I think i'd like to
see everybody signed by a certain point get excited about the season. I'm sure you would. I'm sure you would like everybody to play for the same amount of money. I bet you would like this. See that. You know, every team has a chance to win the World Series every single year, and let's give some team to, you know, some extra wins if they fall behind during the regular season before the All Star break. Let's just add ten more wins to certain teams that are below five hundred so they could be
competitive in the second half of the season. Yeah, let's do that. Let's do that. Let's let Jimmy play too. Let's make it so every player has to play two innings like it is in Little league baseball. What are we talking about? What are we talking about? For this? Oh? What I'm talking about is basically one of the show places for baseball to winter meetings, and that's where you pretty much get excited for the upcoming year.
And when nothing really happens at the winter meetings, it doesn't generate the kind of interest. Let's say the NFL does if everybody had to be signed at a certain point, I think it would create a flory of activity. I think it would generate a lot of interest and people would get pretty excited.
The ownership would sit on there hands until the deadline. You better sign it or else it would It may work for a couple of players here and there, a few players, but for the most part, the ownerships are gonna sit there going, okay, December twenty eighth, this is what we're offering December twenty ninth, take it or leave it. Okay, deadline's coming around, And as a player, you're sitting there going, dang now, and now I'm forced to sign because there's a deadline, you know. So
I don't agree with it at all. Well, I think it's interesting because things happen during the course of even happened during the course of spring training. Guys get hurt, the team makeup may not be what you thought it was
going to be, or a team may struggle to start the season. All of a sudden, you know your value if you're a pitcher, or you happen to be and right hitting, right hand hitting outfielder, that a team absolutely needs you because five guys got hurt or in spring training on your team.
Oh yeah, but the deadline was December thirty. First. Nah, Well, I think if there was a deadline, though, it would prevent what we're seeing now, which is where really, aside from Yamamoto and Otani, who are the biggest names in the free agent market, is Blake Snell and Bellinger. I think it would prevent this two guys. Two guys. Yeah, granted it wasn't a huge class to begin with, but two guys, but they are the story. You still don't know where they're gonna go
change change the rules for two guys. No, I think it would change for everybody. No, I'm saying because you just do have Blake Snell and Cody Bellinger. They haven't signed yet, so we got to change the rules. Not. What I'm saying is those two are the story, and I think I basically think that the opportunity to trumpet that story was missed because they're still out there. They're still out there, and I'm curious to see when they're going to sign. Now. I mean, there was a thought it
was do you think they will sign? But honest to god, I have no idea if they'll sign before the start of the season now, But do you think it will sign eventually? Yeah, because that's how they get paid. Yeah, I do. That's how they make a living. So I think they'll sign. But there you go, instead of being forced to sign in December. True, but that doesn't help the game a lot. It helps them agree to go to somewhere where they don't want to really go.
So yeah, how does it? Yeah? So we are we player side, you know, from a fan standpoint, what about the player that wants to get the best deal possible for himself? I know, But at what point does that occur? That's what I'm saying. I mean, what is it No one's offering anything they like, or it occurs when it occurs. You know, Like I said, the ownership can sit on their hands and and not really do anything and force the guy to sign right now. They
can't because Cody doesn't have to do anything right now. Either's Blake Snell, Well, Scott Boris is the best in the business. But I think it's a bit of a disservice not to have these guys somewhere. I mean, not to them, but to the game. At this point, fans get excited. That's part of it as well. So I'm just surprised. I mean, how much better of a deal can they get out to fans. I don't know what's the deal they've been offered, fright, I don't know.
But obviously he's not good enough obviously, so that's why they haven't signed. So who are we to sit there and negotiate for them and say, oh, you should take this. That's not our business. And and how is it hurting the game that two guys aren't signed? I don't understand that. Well. I think because those two guys will help sell tickets, generate a lot of interest in the markets they go to. I think people in Chicago would be very excited to have Cody back. I'm sure they would.
Cody's not going back for what he doesn't believe is he's worth, and he shouldn't me almost saying that he should go back just for sake of going back, because the fans want him back, so he could just he should just sign a deal. Well, what if he never gets what he wants? Does he just set out the season now? They eventually will come a time where he signs a deal, and it may not be the deal that he wants. But is now the time to give in to that? Apparently not,
and May is at the time. Maybe it will be April, maybe it will be, But right now it's not the time to do that, and he s didn't be forced too. Today through Sunday, the PGA Tour returns to Los Angeles and greatness will be unleashed on the green. See tournament host Tiger Woods playing welcome in elite field to compete at the iconic Riviera Country Club. Tickets on sale now with Genesis Invitational dot com. Keep listening for
your chance to win. Sold out tickets to Saturday and tickets for Sunday. Okay, when we come back to Kings won last night, but it's what happened during the game that we need to talk about. Oh, sorry, it was just a Friday. Had to let it roll, Fred, let's go. I want to mention this real quick. What do you do if you're the commissioner of a conference where there are only two teams in the conference? What happens if you're the commissioner of the PAC twelve and your conference has
two teams? You know what happens? You're done. That's basically what happens, and George Klavikov is done as commissioner of the PAC twelve on February twenty ninth, that will be his final day. The only two schools remaining are Oregon State and Washington State. And you really don't need a commissioner for that because what are they in charge of? So he's done, and now I believe the PAC twelve has until twenty twenty six to satisfy NCAA regulations in essence
becoming a conference again, or they will be decertified. And if that happens, it looks like Oregon State and Washington State will move on to the Mountain West Conference. And what will that mean for those schools? I think you looked it up. At one point, Kevin, I was thinking a reduction in rights fees, but it could be pretty close to what they got in the pack. It was a significant reduction, for sure, wasn't Yeah, pretty significant? So if if that happen, what are they doing now?
The PAC twelve? The Oregon State in Washington State? All right? Now, they're still technically under the PAC twelve conference, and I know going into next year for football purposes, they have an alliance with the Mounta in the West, and they're going to place you know, scheduled games between all those schools. And in basketball they have an alliance as well. Are they're temporarily I believe they're temporarily for basketball going to join the WCC. I believe that's
the case. Temporarily, they're still going to try to maintain the Pac twelve as a conference and bring schools in to keep the Pac twelve together eventually. Yeah, but what that does as they basically downgrade at this point and there's less revenue coming into them, it changes their athletic programs. But that's why Jonathan Smith left their their head coach from Oregon State, and they probably were
relieved that he left because they couldn't afford to pay him. Yeah, and that's sad because he had built I was going to say that, yes, they were a good football team last year and building a good program, and to see this happen, it's just, man, it's so sad. Sad State I did back twelve get to this point. Well, they didn't see the future. Two people, Larry Scott and George Klaioffkoff. Yeah, they didn't. They didn't see the they didn't see the future. That's what happened.
They were playing their own game. Everything was going on around them, and they were living in a bubble, and all of a sudden, the bubble burst. They looked around and went, oh my god, what happened? How did we get here? Well, that's exactly what do we do now? Oh yeah, it's yeah, terrible terror. All right. So the Kings beat lost in Buffalo the other night. They looked horrific. Last night, they come back and they beat New Jersey, which was great news.
Now Victor Arvidson has just returned. He'd been hurt most of the year, so he's now playing again, and he gets into a little scrum with Jack Hughes, who was a star for the Devils in one of the faces of the league. Anyway, they get into a little scrum and they end up going to the penalty box, you know, And I understand trash talk. I get it, you know, because it's professional athletics, and we used to have seats by the penalty box, and trust me, you can
hear everything. But what Hughes said, and you could readily see it on the video. His trash talk was basically, what are you doing? And people pay to watch me play. That's what I can't. You know, I don't have time for this. People pay to watch me play, so I can't be here. I mean, I just don't have time for your shenanigans. Now I'm sitting in a penalty box and that's not the goal here. I thought of all the trash talk, and maybe Rodney, you know
you played, you've heard it all. I thought that that was pretty funny that you know, you could say anything. What are you an idiot? People are here to watch me. I can't be in a penalty box. What do you think of that? That was good. That's a good one. And they're not here to watch you. What are you doing putting us into penalty box and not nobody cares about you what they care about me?
That is pretty good as hockey goes. That's pretty good. They don't normally look at hockey guys being trash talkers, but yeah, that was pretty good. In the NFL, did guys trash talk you as the quarterback? No? Never, not really, right, of course they did. Of course they did. Trash Tall goes on every play during the play, before the play, after the play. It is constant, whether it's defensive backs talking
to receivers. Receivers talking to dbs, safeties and linebackers, running backs and tight ends, I mean offensive defensive linemen and everybody's talking to the QB. Yeah, of course it goes on, and it's it's continuous. It's continuous. So yeah, you deal with it. And some guys do it just to try to get up under your scan and get you distracted. But yeah, it definitely happens in all sports. Can you remember the best one you ever heard? Nah, not off the top of my head. I mean,
it's just it. I mean, you know, guys again, they just try to get under your skin basically as much as they can. And most of the time it never got ninety nine percent of time it doesn't go personal personal, but there are a few times I think that it's gone personal.
I do remember Shannon Sharpen and the late Derek Thomas got into it a few times, and one of them was really I think memorable because they really got into it, and Derek Thomas ended up getting a couple of fifteen yard penalties and then eventually got kicked out of the game, I believe, and I think it was over a mutual girlfriend that they both had and that's where it kind of got chippy and ugly that that was brought up during the game. Yes, yes, yes, that was brought up, and that happens.
Yeah, I remember that. The girl that you're dating right now, I used to date and it wasn't that cordial friend. Next timeur Wick will be along with our spirituality, the high Coup and his musings. When we come back, it's NBA All Star weekend. Who's fire it up? We'll figure that out.