And we continue on Fred Rogan Rodney Pete seven LA Sports. Don't forget. It's really one of the events of the season, and it'll be happening later this hour. For years you've wanted to hear from this man. It wasn't easy, but we've tracked him down. He will go down as one of the most memorable athletes in the history of Los Angeles Sports. Build. Well, when you can get this guy on the show, all bets are off. Yes, legendary Clipper center Banoyd Benjamin will be on the program later this
hour. It's one of the highlights of us doing this show together. No one's hearned from him because ruling nobody's wanted to, but we have and we found him and he will be on the show. All right, here's a man that we must hear from the conscience of the paper, the voice of the people, from the LA Times. It is Bill Plashky. Build, good afternoon. You didn't track that boy, Benjamin. He was handed to you by his agent. But what are you talking about? Getting Bill that's
not true? Giving Bill that there is no truth. He will be a better guess than I'll be. Benjamin was one caught by Dick mattal a disgrace in the game of basketball. He's gonna be a better guess than me. Come on the best. And by the way, it was not his agent, Bill, It was a guy doing a documentary and semantics, semantics. He was hand delivered. Now track him down, good lord? Well you know what, you have no idea how long I've been looking for him?
There, Yeah, you're the only one in the ladies is looking for him. All right, what are you gonna ask him? Wow, I'm gonna ask him about when he took two left shoes to Sacramento. I dare make that the first question. I dare to make it at the first question you want to do? He just dared you, rerad what are you talking about? Of course he was. I want to hear it, but I will. I'm always listening. Is coming on that damn show? But no it is not listening. He's eating chicken, and uh, I will. I
will ask that the first question. I will ask that. Yes, I will bring that up. Well, we'll see, we'll see before he hangs up on you, Oh, he'll be fine. And if he hangs up then it was a brief interview, but at least I got to ask my question. All right, Belle, you track him down, you at to get a journalists you so two topics, uh, I want to do Lakers and Dodgers. Start with Lakers, I have said, the coaching search, the drama surrounding it. Does it really matter they are what they are?
What do you think? I totally agree with you. No matter who they get the coaches team, they're going to fight to get it. Being the playing game. As long as Lebron's there, he he weighs him down. It's salary, weigs him down. They're not gonna they can't win with with him there, and they won't with him there. Well, what worries me is some of the names coming up there. What do you have about JJ
Reddick? I don't think much of them? Why not before he ever got Lincolage livelfore that's a that's a that's a. But again, it really doesn't matter. You're right, I really doesn't matter whoever they take. You're gonna take one of Lebron's buddies, which will probably be JJ Reddick, and he'll shepherd the team to Lebron's last two seasons. Lebron to retire just like Byron Scott shepherd of the team to Kobe's last few seasons. Kobe retired, Byron
got fired. This guy's gonna get fired in two years anyway. So he just never really doesn't matter. Oh wow, just to paint that picture like as bleak as you can, Bill Plaski, So you don't think, you don't think that they could find a way to work a trade or get another to say a Donovan Mitchell, that they could bring him in and and and win a title. Donavan Mitchell's game will be restrained when he plays next to Lebron, like everybody's game is restrained. Mitchell will have to give up the
ball, to give up space. It's not his game, and he won't. He doesn't fit it takes. That's the hard the harder to play with Lebron. And you can pay off the ball, he can play off the ball. Bill, he can shoot, and he can create his own shot. He just he's the space, he's just his touches. He won't get that with Lebron. So I don't see I don't see anybody that can bring in there that's gonna help it. At this point, I just don't see it. I see it. I think y'uring for a long, slow,
dreary whole. Now, maybe if they traded a D and Lebron left burn to the ground, starting to scratch and leaves to be interesting. But I'm I'm not all all interested right now. It's it's it's a boring future for them. See, I agree with you, but here's the problem. And Rodney pointed it out, and Adam pointed it out earlier on the show, and I have to agree. Uh, let's say you go from the building again, start from the beginning. They're gonna be awful. How long are
people gonna sit through that? Yeah? I think they would. I think people are so tired of it right now though. But no, you're right. That's what and that's what's guiding him everybody in Princeville is that Laker fans want to compete every year. They want to be completely entertained every year, and they and they like the legacy of Lebron and Lebron to retire Laker. I would let Lebron that of his contract, and if you got to ask for a multi deal, I let him walk. I'd call his bluff.
But they won't. They'll give him multi deal and they'll probably draft Brian they'll probably to draft Bronni which is even which is even more insane. I can't I can't sign off on that one either. I gotta be honest with you. I know you sound like the guys that come on after us just hate the stars in this town, you guys, Well wait a minute. I love the stars. I love the stars, but Lebron is houlding them back. Roy, do you know Lebron hold him back? You know he's holding
him back. All I know is that he uh whatever he says, I'm gonna bring you a title. He brought a title to him team he's played for, every team he's played for, Run them a title. What more do you want? I mean, the guy, the guy would Adam pointed this out as well. Do you remember the Lakers before Lebron came, you know, when they were winning twenty to twenty five games a season? Remember that? Remember that stretch? Remember that stretch you had? Yeah? Yeah,
Well soon we forget. Wherever he goes, he brings a title with him. He won a title an abbreviated year in a bubble season. Don't want to hear it. Don't want to hear it. And let's go to the night seasons of eighty seven. Let's go all the way back and talk about Oh yeah, we can't have that one because that was there was conflicts with steroids that season. Oh man, the greatest player ever. I believe he's a great I believe he's better than Jordan's the best player in history.
Why now, hold on, now, Bill, hold on, now over Now you've overstaid. He just doesn't. Hey, hey, Plasky, you stop it right there. I get you, Okay, you know this and that and I'm Lebron. Don't you dare talk about him being better than Jordan? How dare you you know it? Not knowing Rodney, Look at the numbers, Look at the seasons, look at the titles, numbers, numbers. I can make the numbers. Look anyway I want to do. This is such an old argument. Don' get start on this argument. Such a
tired argument. No, it is a tired argument. Because you're wrong, Bill, you're wrong. Jordan one with one coaching, one system, Lebron one with three coaches, stree different systems. Lebron' score more points, more sists, more rebounds played, longer done, more Lebron's de gress. Never see, I knew I could get Plasky to start liking Lebron. I know it, but he doesn't. He doesn't Lakers doesn't fit the Laker. Hey, hey, Jordan's the best of all time, plasking you know what.
I know what. Everybody knows it. I don't know why people keeps starting no disgrace or no nothing against Lebron because he is. He is the second best, but a different level, right, settle dis argument Jordan on a different level. Yeah, I think Lebron and honestly I love Michael Jordan. But if you look at everything, Lebron's a guy. Just what are you
talking about? Everything? Six straight titles? No, he's different teams, three different You can't go backwards on your initial argument where he said he's brought the titles every team he's ever been in. He didn't make it better than Jordan. Don't that don't make it better than Jordan. I think he's better. I do. Bill. I agree with you, But let me ask you this, Bill, would you give Lebron a statue outside the crypt? That's a great question. Now you know who George the next statue? Right,
Jerry? Doctor Buss? Need a statue of doctor Bus out there? Yes? Yeah, Girlfriends he needs a statute and after I don't think, I don't know if I do Lebron. I don't feel like he's I don't feel like he's a Laker. I agree, But Lakers have statuds out there now, Green Magic, Shack, Kobe, that's it. That's the chick Hern chick Hern, Jerry West and that went out there. Huh what about him? Yeah? He does? Does he? Jerry West got one? Yeah? Okay? Good? How about former Laker guard Oscar de la Hoya.
He has one? Yeahevable because he fought into e g and brought into the the arena. That's unbelievable. Fact when when Alton dela hoy one was unveiled, I wrote it the fad sculptures looked nothn't like him, and the guy who get in the sculpture emailed me for a year. Didn't been criticized as full life. He was sitting there at a pottery barn and he and he he for a year try and track me down who for freshing him? Did he really? Yeah? He was, he was really mad at me.
Sculpture another All right, Bill, Bill, would you retire Lebron's jersey? Is a Laker no, I would, I would. I just don't feel like he's he's not one of them. He's not he's not Cooper. He's not worthy. He's not he's not worthy quite suspiratively and literally, he's just not. I just know I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't do it. And but but I got guaranteed it's gonna do it, of course, and they're gonna keep him around for the want to retire as a Lakers,
right. They'll probably give a nine year deal now too. Hey, Bill, Bill, get off that terrible argument that you guys can't win when it comes to Jordan and Lebron. Okay, let's move on. Hey, I asked bred this question about the Dodgers. Bill, what what's the Dodgers identity right now? I'm not sure, but you guys have heard earlier today you made a great point. Something's wrong with Freddy Freeman. Something's going on in
there. He's not the same and that that really hurts him. I wonder if he if he felt like he was this this was his team and it was taken from him my show hate I mean, it's weird, but he was I don't hear the pretty you hear the Freddy chance at very much anymore. And I hear the Freddy chances seem like he smiles as much either. And he had great smile and everybody loved talking to him at first base,
you know, and just cheesing and laughing and having a good time. It doesn't look like he's having as much fun, no, and that, and that hurts him. And I think the bottom of the order hurts him a little bit. And I think the starting fishing is still it's been good, but a lot of youth and a lot of injury from guys there. I'd say we you know, the litter wins division. They've already clinched the West Division or probably it seems like so going to the playoffs, I'm not gonna
push your patty button yet. I think you have time to established identity. I think it's gonna be great with leaf pishing and great top of the order hitting, and that's what's gonna win it for him. And I think that I think they have both. I shouldn't did a winning World Series. I said they didn't win a championship, but it's it's important not to push the panting bunt because this team is so good and I'm sure sometimes they get bored.
And last night they're coming off of a series of San Francisco where it always takes the emotion out of them. They're always drained to they play the Giants, so last night was non surprise. Why why would they be bored playing the Giants. I mean it was like a home game for the Dodgers. Well a lot of them of those games and they get drained. They get drained playing the Giants. They always the twenty twenty one they played at Giants and they wipe them out to the Braves. So I just don't I
don't think they have an identity yet. And I'd like for Freddy Freeman to be part of that now. They he need for him to be part of that. I think that's the big thing that's visiting right now. Are you all listening to me? No, we're listening. Yeah. I thought you're gonna continue, Bill. I don't want to cut you off. I don't want. I don't want, you know. I thought you were gonna make some grandiose statement and then you're gonna start yelling at me for cutting you off.
All right, you do an email when I'm talking to you, guys, all right, I do want to ask you. I stop right right, I'm right, hey, heyasky spot on, all right, I do want to ask you about this. You're you have had this affinity for now is it more so for the w n b A and the Sparks given Caitlin Clark's appearance in the league. I love w b A. I love this Spark. I wish they were better. I think you know me better. It is Cameron Briks gonna be a hell hell of a player. She's really
good, and Rakia Jackson's gonna be good. The Sparks gonna be good and I'm it's gonna be huge next Friday night at Crypto when Kaitlyn Clark comes in. But we all watch kating so far this year? Yeah, yeah, what do you think? Yeah? And I And first of all, I think that it's twofold. I think that that you know, obviously, she's finding out that college is much different than the pros. Uh and and everybody's pretty good and in the pros and she's not going up against you know,
eighteen nineteen year old you know, girls from Central Idaho. So it's it's a different game. It's a different game, and she's got a target on her back. So the thing she got away with at IOWA, she's not gonna get away with in the w NBA, And she's getting that wake up call right now. The question is can she come out of that and be this player that everybody thinks that she was gonna be when she first entered the
league. Do you think that where she's gonna be? Is she gonna be a ordinary you know, just another player because Brianna Stewart is special, it's special. She was unbelievable yesterday. Yeah. Yeah. I think she's getting down muscled a lot, and I feel bad for her. All the pressure on this kid, and the kid didn't have it all seasons in the IOWA, the fever. I feel bad for her, but I think she's overwhelmed, and I worry that she's not big enough. I think women's basketball needs
her to be great, and I don't know if that's gonna happen. I think it's curious. I think there's an adjustment period for her. I think she absolutely had an impact to transcend and bring people that aren't really interested in the women's game into watch and when that happened, for how long though? Okay, well that's here and here's the thing, and you tell me, all right, let's say she struggles. That doesn't mean people are still not
becoming exposed to the game. And maybe in that way Bill they start to like it more. I think, yes, I think you'll get some college fans starting to watch the ob A. But I worry that it's going to go back to the previously levels. We'll soon have these sponsorships. See what happens with TV rights. We'll see what happens with the big money. If the big money follows the sports, and that's good. So far it happens, so we'll see. I mean, I'm concerned that this is more like
Kaitlan Clark thing, the w n b A things. I'm concerned that people who are following them because of hers, not because they're anybody else. I feel like it's going to fall off. I think she went to the to the worst team possible for her to go to the terrible Oh there's such a terrible team. And the Las Vegas Acis are so fun to watch. The New York Liberty is watch the great super teams are good, Blood are blast, the players are great, they're great with the media. It's a great
league. I love I love the w n b A. But I don't know if anybody a lot like I do. After Kayln Clark starts to keep struggling, I think that's important. All right, Well, you know what, she's got to go around one time. Everybody gets to see her once and then we'll see what happens. Yeah, it's a good point out there right night. Yeah, Fred, you're going out there Friday night. No, I'm not going. Are you going running? I am not going. That will be out uptown. Well, it's gonna be a great game.
I'm gonna miss you guys. I'll tell you all about it, all right. Well, wait a minute, I'm sure we'll read all about it if you're going Yeah, yeah, that's true. I ain't gonna be writing a column by that night. That that is true. I think it'll be a great event. It'll be sold down. Yeah. Well, and it's in you know l A. I I I again, I'm I'm rooting for like like a lot of people are. I know there are a lot of haters out there that are rooting against her, but I am. I'm with you,
Bill. If she doesn't if she continues to struggle and struggles this year, fred I don't I don't know if that's gonna I don't know if it's gonna last. I think people are gonna fall off, and some of those haters out there are gonna say, see, see, just like we said, when she gets to the w n B, A is different than playing in college and that entry level. Because if she doesn't dominate or she's not spectacular, I think people are are gonna slowly stop watching. Unfortunately. Yeah,
I think so too. And I think it's because w A A doesn't play above the room and how people don't like that, they don't appreciate. John Wood loves loves w B. It was his very favorite sport with women's basketball. If it's good for john Wood, it's good enough for me. There you go, Rodney, put that in your pipe and smoke it. Be quick, don't hurry about, be quick, don't hurry All right, Bill, thank you very much for coming on today. This was quite insightful.
It wasn't Freda right now, Let's see what what what what Benja has to say. Let's see if he well, you know, we're gonna hold him to his first question. Bill. Let's see if he see if he's got the you know what to ask him that as first, be quick, but don't hurry ask that question, Bred, just to ask that question, Uh, you know what, I'm gonna come out of the blocks with it, all right, I'll see it all right, listening, take care? All right, there goes our buddy Bill Plaque. Why is that such an
awful question to ask somebody? Seriously? Do you remember? It's not awful. It's not awful, Fred, It's just you know, you the first question out of the gate. He might be touching a nerve with the cat. I don't know. All he wanted was chicken. Might be just touching a nerve with him. He wanted the guy doing the documentary, he goes, hey, can you take me for chicken? It's all he wanted. It's all he wants. I'm sure it'll be fine too. Left shoes.
That's right, right out of the blocks. I'll phrase it properly. Don't worry about it. I'll say. You know, our producer, sugarcoated Fred noir, producer Kevin asked me to ask you this question. Oh of course you would. And producer Kevin will jump on the air and say that is absolutely a lie. I did not say that, right, and I'll say that's absolutely correct. He did not say it. He was covering for Rodney. Oh we laughed at that. That's exactly what you're gonna do too.
Yeah, of course, who cares? All right? Who Lets go to the Dodgers and Reds tonight tonight? Come on eight six six nine seven two five seventy one pair of tickets to give away for that game right now? Eight six six nine eighty seven two five seventy. Rodney would call her number you want, I like number eight for it, number eight. Don't be late, get in here right now. Oh you know what. And if you are late, whatever you do, don't drive over the median and drag
a police officer. That's gonna be a problem. We'll talk about it. Come oh, we love it on a Friday for it, We just love it. On. Come on now, let's keep it moving, come on, all right. So you know, Scotty Scheffler, I think you could make the argument he may be the best player in the game right now. Oh he is. He's definitely the hottest player in the game right now.
Fundamentally, Son makes few mistakes, just sort of mechanical, robotic, just gets it done, just makes a tough shot when he needs it, doesn't really wilt with pressure. He's good. He's really good. You know, I do watch golf on the weekend sometimes. And he is a guy. Does he have the charisma of Tiger Woods? No, no, no, no, no, ry mckall right, No, this is a guy that shows up, does his job. And I'll tell you if you're a guy like Scotti Scheffler, the most important thing for you is to be on time.
This is a guy that does not want to be late. Don't you dare be late, under no circumstance be late. He's got a routine, the routine works. He's focused, He's not going to be late. So this morning he's driving to the PGA Championship in Kentucky and it's very early in the morning. But you know's a guy that wants to be there on time. He will do what needs to be done. He will get there on time. And as he's driving to the course of Valhalla, there's a long
line of cars. Something has happened. Emergency vehicles are out there. Well, he doesn't know it at the time, but the reason traffic is stopped and emergency vehicles are out there is because a car actually ran into somebody and killed them. He doesn't know that at the time, but he does know there's a long line of cars and this is going to be a problem and he is absolutely going to be delayed. So he comes up with a plan because he can't be delayed. He's got to get there. Well, it's
a routine, as you mentioned, fed. If you're you know, anybody had played any kind of golf, you know that it is about routine and it is about schedule, and you don't perform well if that is thrown off by any shape or any type of distraction, you don't play well. So what he does He says, Look, I got a plan. I'm just gonna drive up here on the median. I'm gonna cut around this line. I'm gonna get to the course, and I'm gonna be ready to go.
Yeah. So he drives on the median and again he doesn't know what's happened. No, he doesn't know, but he does know you probably shouldn't do that. Well, it's really no harm, no foul. Really, I mean, I'm just trying to go to some police. I'm trying to get there on time, all right. Well, as he quickly learns he shouldn't be doing that. As a matter of fact, he learns this because police come up to him and give him to stop. Stop, why are you driving up here? Stop? But he's got to get there, Rodney,
You've got to get there. As a matter of fact, the windows rolled down to the car. I believe the police officer leans in or you know, kind of puts his hands on the car and says, okay, you know, hold on here. That's not going to stop Scotti Scheffler. He's got to be where he's got to be. Of course, course, so he continues to drive. No, he's not going one hundred and fifty miles an hour, but the car is moving. The police officer is now holding
onto the car, and the car is moving. Okay, so that's probably that's probably not a good recipe for success. You're holding onto the car, the car is moving. Down goes the police officer down. He's down. He suffered some scrapes he went down, but that didn't stop him either, because I mean, this guy, he's got to get out to the range. Well, they finally stopped him. When the police officer went down and the car kept moving, they figured out a way to stop him. And
then they gave him one of these out of the car. Come with me, sir. Yeah, you don't want to hear that. Out of the car, Come with me, sir. And he went with them. He went to jail. So he goes to jail, and he explains what happened. And this is early in the morning, correct, Yeah, it's like five thirty in the morning. This happened. Yeah, he goes to jail. He explains what happened, and it really you know, I can understand why you would be confused given what his explanation was. Well, I just
misunderstood what they were telling me. I misunderstood. I misunderstood stop, don't drive on the median, you know what. Yeah, that just I don't know what I thought I heard. I thought I heard that. I didn't hear that. No, you know what I thought I heard, You're good, keep going, hit the gas and get up there. That's what I thought I heard. But I misunderstood. And what they said was stop and all of these other cars that are stopped, they don't know what they're doing.
Well, those cars aren't they're not driven by Scotty Schffler, who's got to get there. Yeah, yeah, you know, I I drove past him. I didn't see Rory McElroy in line, so I figured he was already there. Yeah, Xander Schoffley, he's there. I gotta get there. These other people aren't playing. They're coming to watch, but there's nobody to watch if I don't get there, So I've got to get there. So anyway, then they release them, they release them, and he goes
to play. So they they take him in. They took him, They took him in, you know, Miranda rights or did they did they did he go behind bars for a minute or did he just get processed? Or did did he go into a cell? There's a booking photo for Rodney absolutely, so he was handcuffed and taken in. Yes, yeah, okay, okay, so he got booked. Book them, Dane got booked. Well when they when they took the picture, don't they always tell you? And I have not had one of these pictures taken, so I don't know.
Come on, Fred, come on, but no I haven't. But don't they always tell you, Detroit, come on, you respect us to believe that, Hey, I was loving. Tell me something I can believe, Fred, I did my business low on the low. Don't they always tell you to start the right, turn to the left. You never did that, Fred, Come on, no fingerprinted Fred. No, But oh my god, you want to hear the story of the lineup. I knew there was one. I knew there was one. He knew it was coming.
You want to hear the story, all right? So growing up in Detroit, my parents owned a drug store, Carl Family Drugs, and everybody loved my parents. And one night, coming out of the store, and by the way, they had a liquor license, so you get your medicine like a little shopping store. Long ago you could buy one stop shop. One stop shop. Yeah, yeah, get medicine by the cigarettes. Coming back
in the day. So my parents own the store. They come out of the store, they close at like ten o'clock one night and they get jumped, Well my father does, and he breaks his shoulder. Now they don't get anything, but they jumped them. And that's why my parents they were locking up, okay, And that's why my parents decided that's only they could. They would keep a hammer and a screwdriver behind the counter, and if anybody came back in for that, they were going to get it. And
I said, really, and I was like a little kid. So I wasn't even ten years old, maybe I was five or six. So now they've arrested people. They've arrested people, right, and you have to go to the lineup. I said, I will go to the lineup. I will go with you to the lineup. And my father had his arm, I mean a huge cast. His arm was elevated over his head. He really got screwed up. He's fine, had one of those things where it's depended and it's straight and the and the like the it had like a like
a like a kickstand. Yes, that's what he had. Wow, Okay, so it was messed up. So anyway, we go to the lineup and I'm a little kid. And the way they did it is they put these people on a stage, right kind of a stage, and they asked you to stand in the back because they really didn't want the people to see you looking at them. And I guess in those days, it wasn't behind you. It wasn't the twa back then. It wasn't that way back then. Back then, it was like they bring them up and you're in the
room, but you're staying pardon me, and they see you. Well, see this is the issue. So you're in the dark. You're in the dark, so they can't really see you, but you can see them because it's like playing at Crypto dot Com Arena with the Lakers. The court is lit, but everybody else that watching is in the dark. So I'm standing there that people walk out. My parents are there, the police are there. I don't really know what's going on, but I know that we're there
for a reason and somebody did something wrong. So as no one is watching, I swear this happened. I walk right up. I walk right up to where the lineup is, to where the stage is. Now they don't see me go up there because they're all talking to each other. I walk right up. The people on the stage can now see me, and I look at that, and you're how old right now? Five? Six? Okay, okay, right? I look up at them, and now I realize we have to identify someone that I understand. I walk up there,
don't you say it. I look at the people and I turn around and I go, he did it. He did it? And my parents go, what the hell? Get back here, and I went back. I swear to god, I did it, And they said what are you doing Why would you do that? Why did you go up to the stage and yell he did it? Because he looks like he did. He looks like he did. I was out of there. They took me out. I did that? Wait wait, so did you identify was it the right guy? No? I don't know who wasn't he was just you said, because
he looked like he did it. That's the only reason. Because when I walked up there, they all looked at me, and this guy had to look like, oh that was just looked to me like, oh, your parents must have been oh now see what happened to you after that, because my mom would have grabbed my dad's belt and took me right there, not even take me outside or anywhere private, right there, pulled my pants down and whoop the you know what out of make and at a heartbeat, boy
are you crazy? Get over here? Wow, wop wop wop, wop wop wop. And that could have been the plate for me, except my father's arm was broken, and then this giant sling the kicker would have been. She would have been like, you want to end up like them? Keep that way, just like them right there? Exactly? Oh yeah, I did do that. Wow, Fred you man, Wow wow you were you were I don't even know the other way to put you were an idiot at five? Yeah? Oh yeah, white sugar quoted why even sugarcoated?
O my god. Okay, so that was a nice interlude. So finish the Scottie Scheffer's store. Oh I forgot that. Oh no. Anyway, anyway, the thing is, don't they tell you when you get photographed there, you're supposed to smile real big you should smile. Remember Tom Lebonge, the city councilman. He was arrested for some stupid thing and they showed his booking photo and he was like the happiest guy in the world. IM telling you to smile. Huh. I don't remember them telling you to smile.
Well, no, I think people know you keep a straight face. Tell you they some people choose to smile. That's what I'm saying. That's what I meant, Kevin. Some people choose to smile, right. No, they don't want you to. But if that's your picture, that's your picture. Yeah, And I've seen people do that. They just smile because they don't ever want that picture of them sullen, emotionless to be shown. So they just smile. Listen. I'm not suggesting anything if you get booked.
I'm just saying some people do that. Tomson. All right, and you've we've been in that situation. Pardon me, you've never been in that situation? What you're saying? No, you've told us no, No, I don't know anything about it quite. I know Rodney set to put a bowl on Scheffler. By the way, he was released. He didn't return to the US Open and he is competing. So there you go. Okay, so enough time to get a practice, couple of balls in yep, hit
the driving range and got back out there. All right, are we ready for the Interview of the year, because but nooy, Benjamin is next hold a very special place in LA sports history. The man, the myth, the legend will join us after the break. Oh yeah, here we go. Let's go, let's go, let's go Rodney Pete fred Rogan on a Friday, and you know Fridays we say we don't care. Right well, Freddy take it away, all right. We were looking forward to this for
some time. Drafted third overall by the Clippers of nineteen eighty five, played for nine NBA teams famously wore the number double zero. If you have lived in Los Angeles or have followed the Clippers for any years, you remember the name Beanoit. Benjamin and Banoit, the subject of a new documentary, joins us. Now, so Beanoit. How are you good day? How you doing? I'm fine? How'd you guys doing? Wait? You're supposed to wait for us to ask you how you doing before you say you're fine?
Okay, okay, right, how you doing? You act me how I was doing? How you doing? Right? Man? Oh? Good, good, good good? Thanks for joining us? Man, Thanks all right, But I have a question that I want to start with. Okay, yes, all right, during your days with the CLIP, I believe there was an exhibition game in Sacramento. Uh yeah, okay, now all right did you were you unable to play in that game because mistakenly you actually packed two left shoes and could not play in the game. Is that true?
Yes, that is true, Yeah, the two left shoes. But NOI okay, Freddie, okay, proud of you. Fred. A lot of debate whether or not he was gonna ask you that question, but no, it so now that he did ask you the question, but no it. First off, it's you know what happens, right, it happens. You know, you're you're rushing, you're packing, you know, you mistakenly take two left shoes instead of the right and the left. But that wasn't how it had Okay, good, I knew there was some more to the story.
Go ahead, go ahead, I know there's more to the store. I was running late and at the time we was flying commercial and I had left my sneakers. I had a bunch of sneakers in the in the trunk of my car. So I just reached in there and grabbed two shoes. And then when I got there, it just happened to be that there were two left shoes for me, just not looking, just grabbing shoes out of my trunk. So that's that's the that's the truth about that story. So
I didn't pack them. I just grabbed two shoes out of my trunk and they just so happened to be two left shoes, two left shoes. Okay, So you yes again, you said you know this is the time when you're playing for the Clippers, correct, yes, yeah, so flying commercial, it wasn't in shac of Mio. It was in Bakersfield, California, that bield. Yeah, it was in Bakersfield, Okay, flying commercial with the Clippers at the time, and you could not play in the game or
did you find other shoes that allowed you to play during that game? I well, I was there. I was there at a time, you know, in the league where we did where the trainers didn't carry extra shoes for my size, so I didn't have any shoes. And of course it wasn't nobody gonna give me no shoes. So you know, my foot was the sixteen to seventeen. I didn't have any shoes to wear. So the organization made it made a choice for me not to play because they might have ruined
my feet enough. I would have tried to pay for two. I don't know how I could have did that, no way, you know what I mean? Yeah, because okay, this curve, Yeah, go ahead, I said, I say, the foot the left and right. The left and right feet are structure different, you know, with the curves and the
and the way the foot turns, so I couldn't. I couldn't effectively, you know, do anything sports wise with two left shoes on right, not to try to put on that right foot so they decided that that they just give me a D N T C D you do not play coaches decision, right yeah, wow wow, that's actually documented in the book that way. Oh yeah, absolutely so. So so you get on the plane. What were you wearing on the plane to Bakersfield? Probably was this casual? Probably
was this well, because you where is it? I don't think it was a shoe shue maybe, you know, but back then we didn't have a dress code. I probably had on some shirts and some shoes and some slacks coming like that. You know, we did have to no, no, no chance or option of wearing what you wore on the plane on the court. No, not at all, no, sir. Right. The great Benjamin Clipper legend is whether it's on the show. But when you look back at your time with the Clippers, how would you on that up? What
challenging and interesting? Well, you know, I came in the league. You know, I had to catch like Ceddrick Maxwell and Norman Nixon jeans. But I had a bunch of old heads on the team. Marcus Johnson, you know, Franklin Edwards. You know, they had been around the league for a while. So I came in. You know, bright eyes and bushetaire, you know, thinking that that playing professional sports was just a game, when they really they really pounded me about being a professional, you know,
and you know, you had to be on time. You can't take nothing for granted. Got work on your body, got work on your skills, you know, so on and so forth. But I had a u I had since Kareem my dude, Jabaw was my idol. I had he. He he was. He was on me harder than than than than than than than average, because he, I guess I had to represent the big men he was being in LA and he did offer me some advice that stuck
with me throughout my career. I ended up playing seventeen years. But he told me, he said, young fella, I'm gonna tell you one thing. The name of the game ain't being in the league. The name of the game is staying in the league. So he did take some time out with me and teach me how to stretch and you know, take care of my my my leigaments and colleges and keep them strong and keep my body flexible, which you know I didn't. I never was injured. I played my
time, you know, through injury. Tree I never had any surgeries or anything, you know, as long as I played. And uh, you know that's a tribute to Kareem because he really spent some time with me and showed me what I need to do to have a long active career in the
league. So you know that one of the bright spots you know about being in Los Angeles and uh, you know, I said, well, because they were only so hard when I first came in there, you know, all this promise on and so forth, But I didn't have the talent. I didn't have the talent to compete, you know, uh uh decently, not at first, you know when I when I first started playing with the Cripps. But you know I did my best. No, of course you did. And let's be honest. I mean, you did play for nine
teams. You had a very good career. But what the Clippers. Oh yeah, uh, you know, there was a lot and you just admitted maybe you weren't really ready for that role. That's right. So you get drafted by the Clippers, they come here, you have to be ready for the role. You have to be ready for it. Here They're gonna throw here at the five period, that's right. And that's kind of what happened.
But you kind of got thrown in the fire. And and it is if we look back, the Clippers weren't very good, right, I mean no, no, we weren't. We were we weren't. No work at a lot of people back then said, well, you were the number one pick, you were the big man. You were going to turn it around. But noyon that one's on you. Did you ever feel like people were
saying it? Well, well, I mean it's just certain things that come along with the turf, you know, being the number one pick, third player pick, you know, it's a lot of expectations, and you know, you have to live up. You have to live up to the expectations. And if you don't, being in a city like Los Angeles is they're gonna ease your live And uh, I came to the concluiser early. Well, I don't want to read the papers, I don't want to listen to
the news or whatever. I'm just gonna go and try to do what I can do and uh and be the best that I could be. So, you know, a lot of distractions, you know, a lot of different elements came into the l a thing. But you know, I lasted and l A l A l A l A the LA media. They made me strong, strong emotionally, you know, to where I'll figure with hell. If I can deal with LA media head, I can deal with any any any other kind of media, you know, period, You know what I
mean. So it was all either make me break me and and I steward surf. So you know I was. I was okay, absolutely, absolutely and eeriously to play that long. It is it is a success man. And uh, because there's a lot of people out there that that that play and on the old man one year in and they're one and done or two years in and they you know, nobody hearing from them again. But you were able to play and have a long, long career. What were some
of your fondest memory of playing? But NOI give me some memories that you remember that that that stand out to you as you look back on your career. Well, well, I shot playing against Jordan, and uh, of course we knew that we were gonna have fel as being and I wanted to make sure I was that my a game and I just can't I can remember just just allowing him to steals in the sports arena so he could rock the
crowd. You know, wait wait wait wait wait wait wait man, you said you you allowed Jordan to have two steals he can rocked the crowd. I threw that. I threw the ball right right in it, right right in the lane, so that he could get it. So then so he could rock the towd. But you know I was I don't know what I was thinking, but the hell I wanted to see what he's gonna do myself. You know, he was such a such an icon, and you know he could fly and all this old stuff. So hell, I want to
see what he can do myself. You know. It was it was Jordan. It was Jordan. You want to see him. He didn't disappointment. He didn't disappoint at all. No, right, yeah, and then another else more memories that I remember how me and me and a logah one used to go at it, you know, basally I remember those games as well, you know, and and you know we really we had some wars men hakm and uh. I remember you know back then we was rally on we
was rally on national TV. So when we was on National TV, I was gonna make sure that the people could see you know what I could do. So I always had games on nas I always had good games on national TV. Uh like like like like when the pressent was really really there, I would perform. You know, some people would say how he performs you know sometime and so on and so forth. But you know when the when the bright lights came on, I was ready. You know I was ready.
So so remember that, you know what was the issue? Then if you think about it, when the bright lights came on, you were ready. But for the majority of time with the Clippers, the lights weren't bright enough. I mean, would that be yeah, well yeah, yeah, that could be fair to stay. But I still I still had the tattoo
to adhead to a degrill professional lism, you know. But the writers wanted to make say, okay, well we know he's gonna play tonight because then on nasal TV or he got somebody repletible that he's playing against, so we know he don't want to be embarrassed, which I really did want to be embarrassed. But but you know, uh, today's game is different from the game when we play, you know what I mean. Hell, they these these little little these little touch files and all that we almost killed each other
when we was playing. You know. Hell, I'm still hurting now for some of them licks he and did. I was known as a banger anyway, so I would I would bang your body, you know, But I ain't no thirty forty years date up the road, I was gonna be getting it back to where hell I can get to bed. I'd be I oh E. I told my mother, they damn almost found older you you know. So you know the league, the League took its toe. It took its toe. You know, it took if it did take its toe.
But I'm fine. That's good, all right, You're fine now. Benoy the Greatnoy, Benjamin Clipper Legend is our guest. Let me ask you this. Since you left basketball, how is your wife? Then? What have you been doing well? I was doing home here, boy. My grandmother was When I retired, I came back to Monroe and we have a family
owned business here, Supreme Home Health. And uh. I worked up at Supreme Home Health for about twenty something years before my grandmother passed, and then once she passed, it was tough for me going up in there without her. So I've just been kind of doing different things since I retired like, uh, I'm a general contractor now now vision Contact a couple of years ago. Had to get that thirst, had to get that thirst back for you
know, uh being in corporate America so on and so forth. And it actually enjoyed, enjoyed getting back out there working, you know, doing some things after after you know, sitting around for some time. Uh, you know it. It was very pleasure pleasurable for me to get back you know in the in the active corporate world. So so that was good. But I worked. I worked for our family owned business, you know, the home held business. I did uh de coding and building for Medicaid, mad
Cat so on and so forth. And you know, that was that was good for me. So that was the thing that I that I really that that I really you know, stood with till my grandmother passed and then I guess I going on hiatus. Yeah. But so now you know you've got a documentary, I understand, right, So what made you what you decide to do a documentary? Well, they wanted to know about what I was doing, so you know, I said, they called me and said, well we like to do it. They fan no problem, you know,
he said, you know what you want me to do? And uh, I think, well, I say, well, goddamn, this is about time. And somebody gave me some credit for some of the stuff that I did. Yeah. Hell, hell, I know I was a bad I know I was considered a bad boy. And you know, LA turned l a upside down. Hell you know, rightne you with the U s C. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Well but La is a hell of a city, man, you know. I mean, you know, it'll suck you up and said, spit you out to street times over. But I
lasted in that city. I lasted, and uh, you know it was a good thing about you know, being in l A playing for the Clippers as well as adding the Lakers as well. You know, it was a good pleasure for me, uh to be in that city. And I still be back and forth to to the l A area, you know, I still be back up. But this has been a treat. Thank you for doing today. We really appreciate it. Oh well, the pleasure was man, Rodney, Rodney, what you're doing? None, just chilling, Yeah,
I'm just chilling. Man. Trying to keep Fred straight. You know, Fred is always you know, doing something crazy, so I got to keep him in line. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I would tell you the guy here. I say, hell, Fred gave me more damn griefs lived That's okay. I survived you, Fred, I survived you. What everybody else I was hoping? All? Yeah? Yeah, this was a nightmare I had. I ain't want to look at TV. I want to look at TV. I won't read the papers. I wouldn't do
nothing. I was like, God, damn, this should have been my ass. But Fred was an equal opportunity dogg man. He was on every we all got it, we all got it. Yeah, but he was. He was more on the Clippers because we were the domatic. This was the do man of the league. I mean, you know, so of course he was. He was gonna he was gonna do what he needed to do because he had to keep that he had to keep that news going, you know what I mean? Yeah, Oh absolutely, I ain't ever forgetting
all of that stuff. Man. Yeah, I told you y'all, y'all made me. Y'all made me. Yeah he he he. I was gonna he I was gonna stay here, I was gonna go, so I told to stay and that's what I did, right. So it was a good time though, but no, I thank you for doing it, man, We really truly appreciate it. All right, Well, I appreciate y'all, cosmy man, thank you pleasures. Man, there he goes the grin. But Benjamin, yeah, come on, be honest. That was actually fun.
That that was real. That was a real treat. That was better than expected. That was good. Yes, all right, Mike di Giovanna. At the times, we'll talk some Dodgers and we'll have spirituality as we continue.