Rise n Shine

back at it after a week hiatus. More on that in a future podcast. But it is the fifth Hour, because four hours or not enough, eight days a week. This our Friday podcast, And if you looked at who's coming on, you know this is an interview podcast. So we will welcome in here chef it in, a colleague of ours, a friend of ours, a big TV guy, radio guy, the whole thing in a second. But David Gascon is back. He's actually been away for almost a

month and no one's complained at all. But none of the panels that go your way, no, not at all. I know people were very a lot of direct messages and a lot of emails. It was very encouraging to see and hear how shitty it was last week. I would I would argue that you can argue but talk about this coming up. But we found a new star here, a new breakout some my Ryan Smith of all people. Yeah, a wrestler who I think he body slammed you is

what he did. It was wonderful to hear and uh so that Well, we'll get more to that on the Saturday podcast. But today is all about Rob Parker, my man Rob Parker. No, I love Rob, I've admired like this is like a mutual admiration thing because I've always enjoyed Rob's work because we have similar east in radio and broadcasting, where you have to go full weaponized when you when you do and you don't want to go halfway. You don't want to just put your toe on the water.

You want to go all the way in the deep end. You don't want to go into kiddie pool. You want to go in the deep end. And Rob's always done that, very passionate. He backs up what he says, and he makes some people uncomfortable because a lot of the media these days and Mr Softies and uh and I love it. So you know Rob from Fox Sports Radio and he's been doing a great job him and and Chris Broussard on The Odd Couple, and he's on TV. He's regularly on with Skipping Shannon on Fox Sports One. He's a

professor at USC. He's got my old producer wrong button, Bob Gara, who's working on his show. So let's welcome in now the great Rob Parker and Rob. Why don't we start with the fact now Gascon has been busting my balls here because we are both following the company mandate of working from home. We have home studios and doing these shows during the apocalypse. So I actually kind of wasn't that into it at first. I've kind of come around to it. Where are you at, Rob Parker?

Are you are you settling now to working from home? You know, it's crazy, Ben, It's it's at first I was like, this is great. You don't have to go anywhere, you know what I mean, like like you could. I got my sweats on and my slippers and I'm just turning on, cranking on, and I'm ready to go and there's no commute home afterwards. So you think it's cool, But after a while you just realize you mr camaraderie

and being around some other people. And I don't know if you're married or have a house full of people, it might be different. But as a single guy, you know what I mean, it's it's kind of tired after a while, you know. So, yeah, I liked it in the beginning. I don't think I like it as much now.

You know. It's I'm actually the opposite because when I when I started, I remember I had a lengthy conversation with our boss and when Scott chap here and I was like, you know, I want to keep going to the station, and he was like, no, he wants you to do the show from home for a while until this gets settled. And I was like, no, no, I got in the radio. I like going to the radio station. But I got it's weird, Rob, I'm used to it now,

like it's my routine. I have my whole my routine's changed, and because we don't have to drive anywhere and do all that kind of stuff. But it's I'm really I'm used to I'm sure I'll get used to it and when eventually this ends it we'll go back to the studio. But it is much different when you're sitting in your home studio compared to being at the radio stage. I mean, the whole the vibe is just it's you can't and

for you. For you as different too, because you're doing you know, you're one man that you know what I mean, You're not playing off of anybody. I think for for Chris and I, it's just you know how it is when you're in the when you have a partner and you're in the studio and and you can be ready to jump in and you can see the guy's expression, do you know what I mean, it's just a little different. Yeah, I haven't seen Christen's march. I mean we're almost we're

coming upon what's the I haven't seen Chris. Yeah, you need that eye contact right when you know you just kind of get that que. You don't even need the verbal que. You can just look at them and know it's your your time to bail them out, right because exactly you already know that's like a full time job bailing out, Uh, Chris Broussard, that's the prisoner at the moment. You know what I'm saying. The show is kicking ask but I mean, you guys have been doing great, right,

what's the secret? What's the secret? Sauce there? Because that's like the talk of I Heart Media and Fox Sports Radio and everyone's been saying how great the show is doing, and the downloads and the the whole thing has been going, well, what's the secrets? I need that? I need the secret. You don't need the secret. You're you're doing just fine, You're doing great. But I'll tell you the download is amazing. Band one point one million. You know, we're already into

this is just started out third year. That's pretty incredible number. Uh So we're proud of that. We work at it. But the big thing, Ben, I just think that the radio show has to be two things, fun and informative. That's it. Fun and informative. Can't be all fun, can't be just all numbers and information. It's got to be

a combination. Because if I'm making your laugh or whatever, or I'm you know, making you react negatively positively, but you do walk away with something and you say, man, I didn't know that, you know, Chris dropped the nugget on me that I could drop, you know, talk to my friends at worker or you know, your friends that you text with or you you get a beer with it every so often, you know what I mean, Like people want to bring away something from the show. So

that's really what it's all about. Fun and informative. And if you can put those two off, I think people will listen. And I've told you this before, Rob, but when I was moonlighting at w EI and it was a slow day and you had said something to Skip and Chain it on TV about Tom Brady, you know, just just it's something, you know, a mild comment. You know, you you've shown some haymakers at Brady over the years, but just like a mild comment and that that would

cultivate like tons of reaction. I can't believe Rob said this about Tom Brady. How there you you know? And and uh, I know you're aware of it because we've talked about it before. But uh, you know, the the Boston Market, they they're so protective. Now I guess not anymore because Brady's gone. But you were the punching bag when it came to Tom Brady for probably ten years at least, maybe longer than that. I mean that what Ben the thing that really got me and told me

that that I didn't I did you know? Shake the bear is that when if you remember, I predicted that Kansas City would be the Patriots in the a f C Championship game and the Patriots one, and the Patriots on their Twitter to social media they have four point four million followers. They put a video together and they spliced in my comments between the highlights of Brady thrown

touchdowns and winning. And I have just thought to myself seriously, like, if you didn't matter, Ben, and you were just some hack and nobody respected your opinion, they wouldn't do it. Am I Right? Yeah? And the other thing I've heard about Belichick is that, you know, the Patriots during that run, like no one criticized them other than the cheating stuff, but as far as like the football stuff, you were one of the few guys Rob that would do that.

So I imagine that, you know, inside the Patriot facility, they're like, hey, Tom Robbing and Bob Parker said this, that and the other thing. I don't think that's out of balance that that could have happened. Uh. And when the Patriots were playing, because they were looking for that kind of motivation and you were inspired. You inspired the Patriot run Rob, How does that make you feel? That doesn't make me feel good since they won and with those lucky super bowls. But it is what it is.

But I just, uh, there are no sacred cows and sports. I'm sorry, Ben, you know, and I'm not one of these guys. I'm not gonna say because this is they got this narrative and stuff that they just are going to recite. It's just like going to a team fan a team's website. Really are you gonna read when you're gonna read the column Ben that the Clippers should fire Doc Rivers on Clippers dot com. You'll never read that column. I'm all right, Okay, When are you gonna read the

story about how bad a player is? And the Players Tribune? Okay, that's that website. Uh, from the player's perspective, this is what I'm telling you. So for people who are really honest and want the real stuff, you can't go to

those sources. And you can't go to these guys who are fami boys who want to take pictures with everybody, and and and and you know what I mean, in glad hand everybody, And I'm not talking about been ripping everybody just to rip people but call it like you see the Kyler Murray is not that guy, say it. We had Martin Wiss on our show. Martin Wiss comes on. You know these young guys, uh like Gascon, you know, with the brim and they're gonna rewrite sportswriters and they're

gonna tell us all this stuff. And and he was making the case that Kyler Murray is gonna be the m v P because Lamar wanted his second year and so did Patrick Mahomes, you know, a second year in the league. They both wanted it. Now this is Kyler Murray's turn. So so Chris and I both said, oh is that's right? Okay, good, So let's make a bet and we bet them three pair of Jordan's, two pair of Jordans each to one, two to one, So you win four Clare Jordan's. Had he Kyler Murray wanted at

of was? He backed down because he because he didn't have a case, you know what I mean, he couldn't really make that case. And now as we look Kyler Murray, I'm not he's a talent. I'm not saying he can't play, but let's let's pump the brakes on all his fandom. That's all pump the brakes and robbed. On that note with Luke Panella, did you ever get into a verbal altercation with an editor regarding a specific story that you either did or didn't want to to publish. Um, yeah,

it was. There was stuff pushed back on some stuff, but for the most part, you know, they want to know, like who your sources are, you know what I mean, and as long as you could clear it, uh, and they have a feel for who it is, uh you're talking about or whatever, you know what I mean, just to cover themselves. Remember that's the difference between working for a newspaper and writing a blog from your you know,

grandmother's basement. Is that where when you're wrong or when somebody comes to sue you, they could sue the newspaper and get money. You can't get you know, money from your grandmother's basement. So those are just the thing that you have to be able to uh identify and and and be clear about, you know what I mean, where

you're getting the information from that you're writing. Yeah. The other thing, Rob kind of following the train of thought here about the fans and the media and all that, it seems like a lot of fans these days have been programmed to they don't want to hear anything negative about their team. They can't handle it, like they I don't know if it's because how they were raised or whatever. I hear that all the time. It's like tribalism is

the word here. Nobody wants to I say nobody, But it seems like a higher percentage now than than years ago. Can handle the criticism. But you're a New York guy. That's how you did it when you were going up right, Robbie heard you were robbsolutely absolutely, and you're right though. I think they're all just people don't want to hear or anything negative or the truth is just is shocking. I can still remember, and this one of the greatest columns I've ever read. I hate it. I hated it

made me furious, I was so kissed. But but I I carried that column with me my whole life. And it was by Dick Young, the late great Dick Young, who was a columnist for a long time for the Daily News in New York and then the Post and I get on the train and Dwight Goodness coming back from drug we have and Dick Young, the lead of his column was stand up and Boo, and he basically wrote a column that people should boo Dwight Gooden his first time back. He's a DRUGGI you know, like like

win in on him. And it just got me, you know, and I thought, wow, I could you write this about Dwight Gooden? Blah blah blah. But those are the columns that that you to write like. It's not milk toast, middle of the road. He put it out there, and and I always think of that column and I still remember the lead. And this is a true story too. People ask me all the time about, you know, how, well, how did I get to be this the columnists that I am and and the takes that I have or whatever.

And I went to Columbia J School and I had a teacher, joint Lee, and she called me into her office. Not at the time I was going to Columbia J School. I was uh. I was covering the nets in New Jersey nets for the daily News This is night. And she called me in and she said, Robert, you know, like you're way ahead of your classmates. People here are trying to learn about journalism. You're already working for a major daily. You know where the story is, you know

how to write lead. She says, You're way advanced from everybody else. To j school, she said, but you're not. I'm not gonna let you walk out of here and cruise, you know, to a master's degree. I'm not. She said, I want more from you. And she was a small Asian woman and she walks up to me, and I say this just to say, you know, to the imagery of it. She walks up to me. Here, I am a six ft four black guy, small five ft something

Asian woman. She walks up to me. She acts like she has an imaginary knife in her hand, and she sticks it in my back and she says, I want you to take the knife, stick it in, turn it and draw blood. That's what I want from you. That unbelievable, that's the message she gave me. Yeah, but you know, I mean, you want to get a reaction, you want to have something classionate. I mean, as you said milk

Toads just kind of playing it down the middle. I mean that you know that's there's nothing that anybody can do that ben you just even if it's if I learned this from Skip Payless, either you're all the way in or you're all the way out. That's that's all. Do you know what I mean? Like, if you're gonna be in on to after you're in Ben and you think Mookie Betts is the greatest thing since light spread, be all the way in on Mookie Bets. If you don't think Mookie Betts is good or Kyler Murray's good,

you should be all the way out. That's just playing the commas and of uh, you know, trying to soft soak it or soft sell it. Just just go for it and make your case as strong as you can in favor of somebody or against somebody. Yeah, don't just tip your toe in the water. You gotta jump in there and do a belly whopper, is no doubt. Yeah, all right. We did have a big NBA trade the other day this week. Here, Russell Westbrook is on the mover Rob, so I guess we should do some hard

oh sports stuff. But where where are you at on Westbrook? This is a guy either love him or you hate him, But where you at on the Westbrook trade? If I'm Westbrook, I'm I'm pissed because I didn't even think that the NBA could make trades to the Washington generals. I didn't even believe that that was possible, But here he is. I mean, you want to talk about NBA Siberia, that's

what the Wizards are. I mean I would feel like I was dumped and now don't have a chance to win, you know, like before he was on some teams that haven't had a chance. I'm not saying a great chance. He went from having a chance to no chance with that franchise and that organization. So if I'm him and then your numbers start to be diminished now, like even if you get the triple doubles and you're not winning.

But the one thing I've admired about him when he was an okay, see you couldn't rip him, was that those numbers when he when he had a triple double thing used to win. They wanted a high clip. So it wasn't just you know, being doing stat Patford un filling your statue. I mean he actually was hoping the team win. So I wouldn't like it if I was him. Well now, but he can do whatever he wants in Washington. And that was the problem him and Harden they had.

They were both ball dominant guys, and now he can go to Washington, although Bradley Beale's there and he's going to demand the ball a fair amount. But that's how much winning will they do? With a question that's that's a big thing. I say they make the playoffs. I need they're the Eastern Conference, the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

I see my problem with Westbrook. He's he's like the guy that runs the New York Marathon and goes great for five miles and then the last, you know, last one point two miles, he pulls a hammy and he can't finish the race. Because he's what Westbrook gets you to the finish line. But those last two mus You've seen it rob over the years, those last two minutes, the bad decisions. He can't shoot from the outside. Guys leave him open. Remember the Lakers in the playoffs in

the bubble, they were leaving him wide open. He kept shooting three point shots. It was it was terrible, but that it was definitely embarrassing. But I gotta wager for you. Let's do let's bet twenty wingstop wings. I want all flat farmer, John Garlic and the diet coke, get whatever and a drink I'm betting that the Wizards do not n O TAM make the playoffs. I think I think you're not thinking about what Atlanta has done in the off season. I don't see the Wizards making the playoffs.

All right, I'm in. I mean, I'll take that bet. I'm gonna bet on and you're gonna make me bet on Westbrook. I'm not even a big fan of his game, but I'm gonna bet on Westbrook. And the other thing that Rob, I I haven't talked to you in in a while, so last week spoke you were making decrees about the Brooklyn Nets. We're gonna win the NBA Championship. Did you come off that position? Rob? Are you sticking by this? This upcoming NBA season, which is about to start, is

the year of the Brooklyn Net. I'm all in on the Brooklyn Nets. They definitely will get to the finals. I don't know who they'll play. You want to bet on that as well? I'm gonna say Brooklyn does not get to the Uh, this is gonna be Um. How should I describe the relationship like oil and water? Like I can't Durant and Kyrie and and you've got the New York tabloids. And this is not this is not gonna be a great situation. Let's do it. Because let's do it. We'll do two for one, We'll do two.

I got the Wizards bet and we got the Nets bet. So I'm all in. I can't wait, you know, I mean I might have to put on an extra ten pounds after hanging out with you. So but it's okay. Remember we're doing our service. What are these chickens supposed to do, you know, Like they don't go to college, they don't get married, they don't find a house. They're here for us to maunch on. So let's do it.

Of course, assuming that this bet actually gets paid out, that means you, too, gentlemen, will actually have to leave your your mansions, you guys, I have to leave your palaces that actually meet people and consume. And well we got it'smistic, guest, We've got a vaccine. Come in, come on, man, I'm planning on going to Russia come August. Russia. I'm optimistic. I'm optimistic. You can say hi to my family, my relatives in Russia. I think it's Romania now it used

to be Russia. But yeah, there you go. Nice there you go. Most people do not know this, but I will disclose you've been to all seven continents in this wide world of ours guests. Absolutely. It was one year ago, December three, that I landed or not landed, but cruised into Antarctica, and that was the seventh and final continent. Been all over. I love it. I'd love to travel, I'd love to see new things. Just an unbelievable experience. I mean I left that place feeling like, um, like

I could accomplish anything here. I am a kid from Jamaica, Queens from the neighborhood. You know, can you imagine dreaming about going to Antarctica and then actually going there? You know how few people actually get to make that journey to the to the bottom of the Earth and to touch land there and see how untouched and how natural it still is and and man had The air was was unbelievably clear and clean. In the water unbelievable clean as well. It's just it was a different place. I

felt like a different world. And uh, it's been a year since I since I went there, but I hold onto that feeling. It was. It was an unbelievable feeling. And to celebrate that trip you actually topped it off by going on a golden girl's cruise, right, which was unbelievable. Man, don't laugh. Don't let that gray hair fool you. Man. I had a great time on that cruise and all the cheesecake decay. It was pretty amazing. I love the show. Was one of the all time great sitcoms. I don't know, Ben,

do you have you watched it? I'm sure you've seen it. Yeah, you see, I did back in the day. Yeah, when it was on the nineties and back when it was on it was kidding. I've been watching it. It's been off, it's been on. It was thirty five years old recently, I think, and i've watched it. I still watched it any chance I get. And some of the writing and the delivery as is as good as it gets. So, as you know, Blanche was like the tramp of the group, and he was one of my my two favorite lines

from the show. So Blanche is in the kitchen with Dorothy and it's raining outside, and she said, lah, she says, the rain reminds me of my first kiss. And Dorothy says, how romantic you had your first kiss in the rain? And blance says, no, in the shower. That's a great line. And once Sophia, she's slipping the TV set to Sophia with the mother that you know, Strothy's mother who lived with them. She's flipping the set around and and uh, this is this is like, this is not connected to anything.

It's not set up. It's like out of nowhere. Okay, just a line that's just left out there. And she's she's clicking the TV and she goes, hey, look there's a black guy anchor in the news and it isn't even the weekend. Hey, Rob if If who's the guy that runs Elon Musk, that runs Teslaft. He said, you know what, I like you on TV. I want you to go into one of my spaceships and go out into the cosmos. Would you would you sign up for that? Rob?

Would you be willing to go to outer space? If the people said we want you to do a test program and go out in outer space. I'm there. I'm absolutely there. I have no doubt about it. I would take the chance. And uh, we'll see. I mean why not. I mean I feel blessed. I said this earlier, but I feel like I've done just about everything. I ever wanted to do in life, and and that's a great feeling. So yeah, I would be up for trying something new.

Definitely outstanding. You're a professor, you're a podcaster, radio, TV, You've covered all all forms of media and life as far as that's concerned. So continued success. Thanks. I will have you on again. Man. I appreciate it, Thank you, no doubt it. Alright. Hey Ben, David Man, thank you man. You guys are the best. You know that two of my favorite people, not just that Fox Sports Radio, but just in general. My man, good looking out. Thanks for Robin.

Be sure to catch live editions of The Ben Maller Show weekdays at two am Eastern eleven p m Pacific.