Rice on the Mics

Sports Eclipse: Finding Light in the Darkness

• Ian • Season 1 • Episode 22

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Welcome to the sports eclipse – that strange mid-July period when baseball takes its All-Star break, NFL training camps haven't begun, and both the NBA and NHL hibernate in their respective off-seasons. But for true sports fans, this apparent lull offers a unique opportunity to analyze the seismic shifts happening beneath the surface across all major leagues.

The Jets made headlines by locking up their young superstars with historic contracts – Garrett Wilson securing $130 million over four years and Sauce Gardner landing $120 million, becoming the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. These moves signal a refreshing change in organizational philosophy, with the team finally recognizing and investing in homegrown talent. Meanwhile, TJ Watt reset the market for non-quarterbacks with his eye-popping $123 million extension from the Steelers, while player conduct issues continue to grab headlines with Rasheed Rice and Jordan Addison facing legal consequences.

Baseball's All-Star festivities delivered unexpected drama with Cal Riley becoming the first catcher to win the Home Run Derby and the unprecedented swing-off tiebreaker in the All-Star Game itself. The MLB's new automatic ball-strike challenge system proved embarrassingly effective for players challenging umpire calls on national television. Aaron Judge continued his historic pace by reaching home run #350 faster than any player in history, while the Mets prepare to honor David Wright by retiring his number and potentially naming Francisco Lindor the next team captain.

The NBA landscape shifted as Bradley Beal joined the Clippers' aging superstar experiment, while Damian Lillard made an emotional return to Portland with a rare no-trade clause. Commissioner Adam Silver officially confirmed expansion talks are advancing, with Seattle specifically mentioned as a potential market. Even tennis had its moment with Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner capturing Wimbledon titles in impressive fashion.

Stay tuned for my upcoming fantasy football guide in mid-August – a comprehensive breakdown that will give you everything needed to dominate your league this season. Whether you're looking for positional rankings, strength of schedule analysis, or sleeper picks that will have you hoisting the championship trophy, I've got you covered with insights you won't find anywhere else.

Speaker 1:

I guess there's only one way to find out. Let's do it to it right 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0. All engines running, liftoff. We have a liftoff. So here we are Mid-July the dead zone. No baseball games, no hockey. Nfl camps haven't even started, no NBA Hell, not even a WNBA, nada Zilch, nothing on TV.

Speaker 1:

This is the opposite of a sports equinox. This is what I like to call the sports eclipse the one week of the year where absolutely no sports are on. The one week of the year where absolutely no sports are on. But that, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly when I thrive. Hell, that's when we thrive, because even when there's no games on, there is still always a headline to dig up and some knowledge to drop to keep you informed and updated. That's why you tune in. That's what I'm here to deliver.

Speaker 1:

It's almost that time of the year and it shows the NFL has dominated headlines this week, whether you saw them or not. The Jets made a statement on who's in charge of this team. Tj Watt breaks the bank again and multiple players are either in jail or on parole. And that is just the football. Baseball gave us the first ever all-star swing-off. Cal Riley owned the home run derby while robbing Brent Brooker, and the Mets are retiring David Wright's number and possibly even naming a new captain this week. If that's not enough, Adam Silver finally cracked the door on expansion teams and we got some hometown heroes returning to their hometown teams.

Speaker 1:

Lastly, just a quick shout-out to everybody who tapped in for the Universal Jersey debate. So many good comments and answers in the comments, and that's what it's all about. Nobody even knows what that means. It doesn't matter what it means. It gets the people going. That's the kind of week it's been. Call it the calm before the storm, or if you're looking for any port in the storm. Either way, you landed in the right place and I got a lot to get into tranquility base here. The eagle has landed all right. We got a lot to cover and the nfl might not be playing, but the headlines feel like we're already in mid-season form this week.

Speaker 1:

The money is flying, players are already tanking their fantasy draft stock and the Jets, making good moves, decided to start locking up some legacy players. So let's start there. Let's kick it off with the locals, because well, one of the locals at least Because, surprisingly, with a rookie quarterback in tow sorry Giant fans there really isn't much to report, not yet at least. But with the Jets, well, the first domino fell on Tuesday. Garrett Wilson gets a four-year $130 million extension, $90 million guaranteed, 90 million guaranteed making him the first NFL receiver in history to average over 31 million a year after just three seasons. Smart move, man, locking up some serious young talent right there.

Speaker 1:

And then the talk started. They started to circle in the media. Should they pay sauce now? Should they wait for him to have a bounce back year and look and look to be honest, after his I look soft and can't tackle debacle that he had last year. I I understand why you would think that, why you would say that. But now boom, jets make another right move for once. And and they lock up Sauce he gets his own four-year $120 million deal, 85 mil guaranteed Highest paid cornerback in NFL history.

Speaker 1:

Better than Sauce, excuse me better than Sartan. Back-to-back contract bombs, man. Look, it's the first time in Jets franchise history that they handed out deals like that in one week and say what you want, man, but it's the right move. Forget the same old Jets bullshit that doesn't exist anymore. This version kept the receipts of their young star players. They are recognizing that they finally have some talent that they drafted worth signing long term. I mean shit. The offensive rookie of the year and the defensive rookie of the year in the same draft class when the fuck does that ever happen? They made the right choice to pay him and it's also. It's also paying two guys on both sides of the ball and encouraging them to step into the role of leaders of the team.

Speaker 1:

Last year was a mess. No longer now does Garrett Wilson have to get shoved to the back and patted on his head by Rodgers and forced to listen to Devontae Adams, and look, I'm not taking anything away from him. Two great players to learn from, sure. But now Wilson gets to say I Adams, and look, I'm not taking anything away from him. Two great players to learn from, sure. But now Wilson gets to say I was here before you and now I'm here after you. I'm a leader on this team and I'm a vocal point in meetings. And the same goes for Sauce. Now, no doubt he definitely has to step up and take that next step to. You know, prove that he's step to prove that he's tough and prove that he's that guy. But it's no longer having to take a backseat to CJ Mosley, or even DJ Reid, for that matter.

Speaker 1:

The defense now falls on Big Baby, which is a nickname not how he plays at all and Quinn Williams and the secondary will now look to sauce and the reports that he uh, he bulked up a little bit, which as a corner it could be a little detrimental, but he's so long and he has such good technique, he'll be fine. Oh and uh, by the way, not to mention, he gets to learn from Aaron Glenn, who was the Jets Darrell Revis before Darrell Revis. So, look, there's a lot of talk about how the Jets are in full rebuild mode and they kind of are. I guess they are, because new coach, new GM, new quarterback, whatever. But the strength of schedule as it is now isn't the worst and that Parcells mentality that's trickling down from Glenn. It's going to bring some fire. Look, call me optimistic, call me delusional which, if we're being honest, to be a Jet fan, you have to be but they have now established some of their corner pieces and there is no more doubt if they're gonna stick around or not. They are now signed in ink, not in pencil.

Speaker 1:

Now, with the locals being covered, let's, let's move on to some stuff around the league and let's dive right into Pittsburgh, because TJ want just got paid and reminded everybody that he is still that guy. Steelers gave him a three-year $123 million extension with $108 million fully guaranteed. That makes him the highest paid non-quarterback in the league yet again. That's $41 million per year, tops both jamar chase and miles garrett, who were both making a modest 40 million per year. By the way, I mean as soon as miles garrett got signed, I I wish I could have been a fly on the wall with watt and his agent, because they must have been licking their chops saying thank you, thank you, thank you for resetting the market. And, honestly, if they weren't in the same division, watt probably owes Garrett a Rolex after how he just got paid, and not like a cheap starter Rolex either, I'm talking like a Wimbledon big dog, $120,000 Rolex. So this deal getting done ends a tense standoff.

Speaker 1:

Watt skipped mandatory minicamp and he had posted a bunch of like cryptic photos and rumors swirled all over ESPN about trades for him. And well, now throw that all out the window. He's locked in. He is now flexing on instagram instead of posting cryptic images on instagram. And he said at the training camp no drama, no cloud above his head. That now marks the fifth 35 million per year deal handed out to non-quarterbacks this offseason. The money is flying in the NFL and the Watt era continues for the Steelers, who, if you forgot, by the way, also added Jalen Ramsey, dk Metcalf and Aaron Rodgers, so they are officially all in in a division that is probably one of the hardest in football.

Speaker 1:

You got to see lamar jackson and joe burrow twice a year. You got your work cut out for you, but it's not all sunshines and rainbows in the headlines this week, though. No, no, no, no, no. We got some guys that can't wait to fuck up their fantasy draft stock. That's right. Rasheed Rice, rasheed Rice Shout out, rice on the mics. Well, actually, maybe not.

Speaker 1:

He just got sentenced to 30 days in jail and five years probation for his role quote unquote in a multi-car crash in Dallas last year. He received deferred adjudication, which, for the non-lawyers listening, myself included, and I did have to look this up it means if he completes his five years probation, then the case gets dismissed, but does he still have to do 30 days in jail? Either way must be nice, but a multi-game suspension is still coming in 2025. Do not be fooled. The NFL does not mess around when it comes to the Shield, and if you slip up, even if you get acquitted, they will discipline you, detriment to the league, yada, yada, yada, yada yada. So the Chiefs get to add that to their growing off-field headaches. They may have paid their own linemen, but there is definitely some tension building in KC.

Speaker 1:

After they got embarrassed in the Super Bowl last year, and just when you thought the wide receiver headlines couldn't get any mess here, jordan Addison, your boy, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge for an apparent DUI citation. This is a strange story. He pled to wet reckless, which is, uh, is yet another example of how the rich and famous tend to get away with things. And it goes to show because, uh, this law or plea, I should say is mostly only available in California. So basically, what it means is, instead of getting a DUI, he took a plea deal and it means the defendant is pleading guilty to reckless driving, with acknowledgement that there were alcohol or drugs involved, but without the full penalties of a DUI conviction slash.

Speaker 1:

Maybe there wasn't enough evidence to prove he was over the limit. I don't know long or the short, how I'm taking it. At least it means he probably refused the breathalyzer, but he was clearly banged up, and then by the time he got to the station for the blood test he had sobered up. But he either had crashed his car or he hit something that needed to be repaired. So they couldn't just let him go and they had to book him with something, and so then meanwhile his lawyer was just able to get it reduced down.

Speaker 1:

Look, hey, good for him, good for having the right people in place, but nice to know that. Uh, if it was little old me in the same situation I'd be. I'd be getting killed with court fees, I'd be going to classes and I'd be losing my license for at least at least six months. Right, but hey, look, whatever, whatever. No sense of being cynical about things, it is what it is and hopefully he learned his lesson. He hires a driver and just has fun when he can, but make sure he's not behind the wheel, right? Look, he's a fantastic player and you don't want to see him mess up his career. I guess the important thing is you can say good luck and thank God, no one got hurt, right? And since no one got hurt, we can lighten the mood a little bit with a couple puff pieces around the league.

Speaker 1:

Mike Williams, former Jet for about six games, pulls the old switcheroo and re-signs with the Chargers and then retires after he sees how hard camp is going to be. No, no, no, I'm just kidding. Injuries, unfortunately have derailed his whole career but at one point was considered in some wide receiver circles the best 50 50 ball guy, right behind mike evans, and when he was healthy he was a deep ball red zone monster. But you know, this game is ruthless man torn acl and back-to-back seasons cut short. He retires at just 30 years old, tough man.

Speaker 1:

And speaking of the Chargers, justin Herbert, my boy Big Bird, seeing the field a little bit differently this year, literally not just because of Harbaugh, not just because of Harbaugh. Herbert shows up to camp wearing red-tinted UV protection contact lenses. Yes, he said they help reduce squinting and improve clarity on the field. He even joked with some teammates about how he looked like he was about to torch a defense with his laser vision. I don't know. Look, he's really sensitive to sunlight, apparently. And the whole reason behind this is that he was wearing a tinted visor last year, but he got distracted about how often he had to wipe it off to see the field. Look, maybe stop getting sacked. How about that? But whatever, okay. So now he's sporting some military technology, right, okay, fine, hey, forget the red zone. I guess herbert's rocking red eyes, whatever, whatever helps him get over that postseason hump.

Speaker 1:

Man, I try not to blow that 20 point lead anymore. I'm rooting for the big bird, but he's got a big hill to climb. Oh man, it's so nice. I am loving all this NFL talk. The season is around the corner. Hell, there's football this month. The NFL Hall of Fame game is getting played on July 31st it is currently July 18th Less than two weeks we'll have football. That's crazy to think about.

Speaker 1:

All right, look, I got to do my due diligence and slip a little promo in here. Don't worry, don't worry, it's not an ad, this is a me promo. This is me gearing you up for the fantasy football episode that is coming your way. It's going to give you everything you need, everything you need to know, to have you taking the championship home in your league this year. So in about three weeks let let's call it, I don't know mid-August I got an hour-long fantasy football draft extraordinaire planned for you guys, for the loyal listeners. We're going to cover every position, all the strengths of schedules, who you should let your idiot friends take in the draft and who you can grab late to bring home that championship. And on top of it, too, a little sneak peek here For all of you that are of age I got a really, really good gambling segment brewing. It's going to have you in the plus, because I'll be putting my own money up too, and if one of us eats, we all eat baby.

Speaker 1:

So anyway, with that promo out of the way, I guess this was quite a week, right? Look, if this is what the sports eclipse looks like, I can't wait for the lights to come back on. But for now, let's dive into some baseball, and there was no shortage of fun. This weekend gave us some chaos, a little history hell. There's even a retirement ceremony coming up this weekend and also maybe a new Mets captain. So stay locked in and keep listening. Okay, okay, okay, breathe Reset, because while the NFL world lit up this week, baseball didn't exactly take a backseat either. Okay, the All-Star break brought fireworks, and I'm not just talking about the Derby either Kyle Riley swinging his way into the record books and an epic swing off in extras. There was so much drama to go around, so let's take that hard turn at first and steal this extra bag for the second segment of this pod. Let's get in to the MLB all-star festivities right off the rip.

Speaker 1:

Monday night, the home run derby, cal Riley, the big dumper himself, ends up taking the crown, becomes the first catcher to ever win it. Surprising to me too. I thought maybe a guy like Piazza or somebody you know might have been in it. But Cal Riley, first catcher, okay, and of all people, he beats out Junior Common Arrow from the Rays. And full disclosure. Hold myself accountable if you listened.

Speaker 1:

Last week I had said that he was probably just the, the throwaway name, and, uh, I didn't even think he'd get out of the first round. Boy oh boy was I wrong. Kids got a great swing on them. But anyway, anyway, not to talk about me being wrong cal finishes with 54 total home runs 54. That's really funny to think about, considering last year julio rodriguez had 41 in the opening round. What? But look? Good for baseball, good for viewership. Viewership was up 5% from last year.

Speaker 1:

But I got to be that guy. I got to make a complaint here. The new format is shit. It's terrible. The clock doesn't work, the pitches's terrible. The clock doesn't work. The pitches and the ball amount doesn't work. It's too fast. You can't see the ball when it's flying out. The only the only guy that hit for serious distance was Cruz, and that's just because he's a pure freaking nature. But it needs to go back to like 10, hell, even make it 15 outs, I don't care. But let these guys sit in the box and wait for their pitch and let them do some serious damage, let them hit some serious bombs.

Speaker 1:

And also, I'm sorry. I'm sorry Yankee fans, believe it or not. I know he was a late entry, maybe he didn't even show up, but Jazz did participate in the home run derby, rounding out his round with a solid three home runs. I'm sorry. I'm not here to be mean or crush anybody, but Yankee fans, even you guys got to admit that. It's kind of funny that Schwarber, who wasn't in the home run derby, matched Jazz's home run total on the swing off versus Jazz's three home runs. Anyway, look, the derby was fun, even with Brent Rooker getting hosed, and I get it. Cal Riley's dad is pitching to him and his brother's catching, but Rooker got hosed, man. Look, apparently StatCast can get within an inch of a homer, but they still have trouble with the strike zone. So take that for what it's worth.

Speaker 1:

But the real juice of the break was the All-Star game itself. The National League wins the game, which doesn't happen often. I think they've won two out of the last 12. But they did their damnedest to give it up. I mean, first inning they broke out to a 2-0 lead against Big Bad Scooble of all people 2-0. And then fourth inning, followed by a Pete Alonso our guy, the polar bear, three-run homer, and Corbin Cowell hits another ribby in to make it 6-0. 6-0, you're cruising right along. No.

Speaker 1:

Next inning AL comes right back, scored four right away, then tied it up in the top of the ninth, dave Roberts, who couldn't manage his way out of a fucking paper bag. He decides to go to the Padres' closer instead of the best closer in baseball, edwin Diazz, and he immediately gives up a double and then another double and then Bobby Witt's on third. Edwin Diaz comes in in a slow little dribbler. No one's getting Bobby Witt. He comes home, he ties the game 6-6. Diaz closes the door, doesn't give up another run and you're thinking on to extra innings we go. So we thought right, no, no, no, no, no. We get a home run, derby style, swing off, tiebreaker, drama of drama. Oh, this is great. This is great for ratings.

Speaker 1:

Everyone at home is thinking oh man, al, we're gonna get judge, we're gonna get cal, we're gonna get vladdy, and outside, we're gonna get otani, we're gonna get schwarber alonzo. No, no, we don't get that at all. The way I call bullshit, the way the MLB is selling it to us, is that the participants for the swing-off were chosen on Monday. No, I'm calling bullshit. You can't bullshit a bullshitter. Judge and Otani were already dressed in street clothes and had some flights to catch Panamera. I don't even think Judge was there. Those are the reports. Judge left already, so now Boone had to choose some other players.

Speaker 1:

And whatever we as consumers I know it's an exhibition game and it is what it is. It doesn't mean anything. It doesn't even matter for home field advantage, like it used to Look. If you're trying to promote your game, we as consumers just got robbed of an all-time showdown and I'll be the guy to say it, I don't care. It's because some guys knew that they were starting and that they were going to be taken out of the game. So they big-timed the game. Once they got taken out, they big-timed the game. They big-timed the league and you know what. They big-timed the game Once they got taken out. They big-timed the game, they big-timed the league and you know what? They big-timed the fans too. And I don't want to hear that noise that the guys were chosen before the game because when it came down to the swing-off which I don't even think the players knew was a thing Ken Rosenthal and Adam Fox they're trying to promote drama whatever.

Speaker 1:

Ken rosenthal goes on the field with both managers and he starts with boone, and boone says his three terrible guys. The most notable name was randy at rosarena, who is a home run hitter, is the same way. I'm a bunt specialist. I mean, he's good but's not great, and it's because he knew his main guys had already left or gotten in their goddamn pajamas. So, okay, fine, he says his guys. So then they pass the mic to Dave Roberts and he goes. Well, leading off will be a guy who just found out he's in this. Three minutes ago in Kyle Stowers, everybody missed that Right. There is your proof.

Speaker 1:

This was an on-the-fly decision and all the big dogs could have been in it, but they were already showered and changed or not caring about the game or whatever it was which, by the way, I don't care if you're showered, going back to the Griffey era turning his cap backwards during the home run derby. You know how cool it would be to see Judge or Otani in shorts and a t-shirt, mashing balls. I mean, you want to talk about ratings, you want to talk about doing right for the game. That's the stuff, man. God. They dropped the ball so hard and don't feed me the lies. Your guys had other things to do that apparently were more important than the game, and I'm all for guys getting rest and I'm all for guys taking time off, which they deserve.

Speaker 1:

It's 162-game season, but you know what, if you want to be a face of this game and an ambassador in this game, sometimes you got to grit your teeth and bear it and do the shit that you don't want to do, and that's that's how it goes. Oh, I got a little worked up there over an exhibition game. I don't know. I'm sorry, I just don't like being lied to. That's all.

Speaker 1:

But besides all that, the thing that I think went under the radar the most from the all-star game is the debut of the abs challenge system. That's uh. That's pitchers, catchers or batters being able to challenge a striker a ball. On national tv four out of five were ruled the opposite way of what the umpire ruled. National tv really put the umpires in their place. Cal riley hit the first one and he got it because of course he knows what the strike's on is. But Edwin Diaz had the quintessential, most like oomph one bottom of the ninth, six, six, two strikes, two outs, throws a nasty slider. Umpire calls it a ball and Diaz immediately taps his hat, challenges a call, gets turned into a strike, laughs, points I think it was actually a Rosarena at bat laughs and points and walks back to the dugout.

Speaker 1:

I cannot wait for this to be a thing next year because it is coming. Whether the umpire union likes it or whatever the MLBPA, whether they like it or not, it's coming next year. They've been implementing this in the minors for like three years now. That's why all these kids coming up have such a great eye for a strike zone because they can challenge in the minors. So now when they come up to the majors and they get punched out on some bullshit and they can't challenge, they lose their mind. I'm telling you, hitting and runs scored in baseball everybody bitches about. Oh, the pitchers are too good. Now Nobody can hit the ball. The bullpen is too strong, they're throwing frisbee pitches. Trust me, as soon as this gets implemented, it's going to be a game changer for baseball.

Speaker 1:

Okay, now that I've said my piece about the All-Star game, there were some games and stories leading up to it that were worth mentioning, and first and foremost, the quote-unquote king of New York sports, aaron Judge, hit home run number 350. And that's groundbreaking because he's the fastest to ever do it, breaking McGuire's record. Now McGuire with the juice, whatever, whatever, but he was still a home run hitter even before the juice. Judge does it in 1,088 games. Mcguire's record was 1,280 games. He beats him by almost 200 games. That's insane. It just shows, it goes to show even more of the legendary arc that judge is on and as a fan, I can. I, I hate him, I, but I can do nothing but witness and endorse and support the greatness that he's on. And, honestly, yankee fans, you don't realize what you're witnessing right now. Now, all that being said, the Yankees still drop two out of three to the Cubs and they sit second in the division behind Toronto, all while the Red Sox go on a 10-game winning streak and they're right on the heels of the Yankees. I think the Yankees are two behind. I think the Red Sox are three behind now and Tampa is in fourth place, like four and a half behind. If you're the Yankees, it's time to really buckle down and start trying to figure out who you're going to trade to bolster this roster even more.

Speaker 1:

Side note for the Yankees too Cody Ballinger. God bless him. Good for him. He did not let his old team slide over the week. He was Steve Smith on the Ravens against the, the Panthers man. I took those boys as lunch. Cody Bellinger hits three home runs against the Cubs in one game. That wasn't, uh, over the weekend, no, that was. That was through one game. Three home runs and he and on top of it he had had a 17-game hitting streak going, but it got snapped on Sunday on his birthday of all things. Nonetheless, still hitting .406 during that stretch of that 17-game hitting streak that is exactly what the Yankees were looking for when they signed him. Is he an MVP? Is he not an MVP? Well, he ain't going to be an MVP in the AL when he's got to go against Judge. But if he can put up those goddamn numbers, you'll take that all goddamn

Speaker 1:

day. Now let's get on to my Metsies, because they shit the bit in Baltimore but looks like they got back to their winning ways against Kansas City. Friday they get an 8-3 win. Vientos hits a clutch three-run double With help from a fan in the stands yelling at him to swing the bat. It's a great video. If you haven't seen it, definitely look it up. He literally is him to swing the bat. It's a great video. If you haven't seen it, definitely look it up. He literally is like swing the bat, swing the bat. Then Vientos hits the double and as he's walking by he's like that's why you swing the bat. I don't know, just funny

Speaker 1:

video. Same game Lindor and Soto go back to back and Senga makes his return, throws four scoreless. Great Love it. Saturday 3-1 win. Soto homers again. Mann continues to rake and you get a great defensive play from. Alonzo. Bullpen gets the job done. You love to see

Speaker 1:

it. Then we're on to Sunday. They three to walk off. But Clay Holmes starts, looks good, and Sean Mania makes his return. Not only makes his return, my guy comes in, strikes out seven in three and a third. That's exactly the outing that you were hoping to see from all of your injured pitchers over the week. Mania looks great, sanger looks great. It's very promising and the rotation is starting to look like it's rounding

Speaker 1:

out. Guys are getting healthy trade deadlines right around the corner. Maybe you had some bullpen, maybe you even get a starter. There's talks of Zach Gallen. Maybe the, the pitching lab, can fix him. Look, unfortunately, in the loss it's the same story of the Mets not hitting with runners in scoring position. They stranded eight runners. They go one for seven with Risp, but I don't know, man, they definitely need one more bat. It doesn't have to be a slugger, it doesn't have to be a monster bat, just a consistent bat. Vientos is looking like he's starting to get hot. Alvarez is going to come up soon. Look, they're going to have to trade Beatty or Mauricio or one of these pitchers, or Drew Gilbert or Jet Williams. They're going to have to move one of these guys. You just hope he doesn't turn into PCA. And whoever you get, you hope you get 2015 Cespedes out of it. All

Speaker 1:

right. Well, with the locals out of the way. You guys know that I like to keep you all informed, so it's time to touch on a couple stories around the league. If you were living under a rock or didn't watch the game or didn't pay attention to anything. Tariq Scooble and Paul Skeens were named the All-Star Game starters. Scooble is a no-doubter. Skeens God bless him could have gone either way. I think Zach Wheeler had a good play, a good claim to being the starter. A good claim to being the starter. Buxton, who was in the Home Run Derby before the Derby, on his own bobblehead day which, by the way, any bettors out there, anytime a player has their bobblehead day, bet them to hit a home run. But Buxton, on his bobblehead day, hits for the cycle. It's the first cycle at Target Field and it's the 12th in Twins

Speaker 1:

history. Acuna, last minute in the 11th hour, dropped out of the home run derby, which I'm sure the fans were a little pissed about, but got replaced by Matt Olsen, a teammate. But Acuna would have been better in that home run derby. Kuna would have been better in that home run derby. And there was a little bit of controversy for rookie flamethrower Jacob Mizraowski of the Brewers. He got named as an all-star and actually pitched in the game after just five career starts. I get it. You know it snubbed out a couple guys that have been in the league a little bit longer and they might have deserved it a little bit more. But hey man, look, this is an exhibition and it's an entertainment business and he's the hot commodity and he looks exactly like Jacob deGrom. So I understand why they put him

Speaker 1:

in. And, as I mentioned before, the Red Sox, right before the break, go on a 10-game winning streak, they sweep the Rays and they jump into third for the AL East and their young rookie that just called up, raffaella. Oh God, if he's available in your fantasy leagues or fantasy baseball, you fucking should have picked him up already. He is a monster and keeping it Boston, but not Boston. Rafael Devers nursing a little bit of a disc issue in his lower back and he's avoiding the IL for now and apparently also avoiding mentorship from highly regarded players in Giants organization. Barry Bonds was going to show him some hitting and somebody else was going to teach him how to play first. He just didn't show up. Look, the man doesn't want to play first. It is what it is. But I guess that's why Boston traded him away. Right, he just won't respond to team things. I don't know. I guess we'll see how that pans

Speaker 1:

out. After the break, jose Altuve passed Jeff Bagwell For second on the Astros all-time hits list 2,300 hits. That's crazy to think about. First of all, one, altuve has amassed that many hits. I mean I know he used to beat out some infield singles here and there, but Jesus and two, he's been in the league that long and he's got 2,300 hits. He's got like a five-year deal still with the Astros. He might I think Alduve might hit 3,000 hits. The only person he's chasing now on the Astros list is Biggio, which that's

Speaker 1:

crazy. Lastly, there's a couple stories here that I just want to touch on. That might not make the headlines, but it's uh, it's a couple things that I think you should know about it, especially if you want to sound uh smart among your friends or smart at the bar or whatever. Whatever. Going to my mets this saturday, the mets are going to retire David Wright's number. I love my captain. I have nothing but respect for number five. And a little side note here too, seems like the MLB accidentally leaked out a promo video on Twitter suggesting that Francisco Lindor might be named the next team captain, which is something Real. Mad fans all thought along and we all like, joked about it, like, oh, maybe on David Wright's day, he'll pass the torch to Lindor, but the video, like it, pretty much confirmed that they're going to name Lindor the next

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captain. The Rays might end up hosting some playoff games, if they make it, at George Steinbrenner Field, which is Yankee's spring training park. Due to all the damages that happened to their field in Tropicana, the stadium only seats 10,000 people. Now it would be awesome. I would go to a fucking minor league stadium playoff game if I can get tickets, but you're losing out if you play. Somebody like the red sox or yankees or whatever, like those teams travel, you're losing out. If you played in your regular stadium that sits 40 000 people, it would sell out because it would be, you know, 60kee fans or Sox fans or whatever. So you're losing out on so much ticket value for your playoff games. And that's kind of the whole thing with the revenue share, anyway, anyway,

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anyway. Lastly, rob Manfred, the just a piece of metal trophy guy, touched on a couple things in an interview recently. He talked about how the Minnesota Twins ownership is looking to sell. He went out of his way to talk about league integrity and gambling integrity, especially after that uh story that just broke about the pitcher that got snagged for throwing balls and strikes on the first pitch and also talked about a little national TV deal, restructure, which, if you're a baseball junkie or even a sports junkie like me, watching Seattle Mariner home games at 1 o'clock in the morning maybe we'll get less blackouts, maybe we'll get less restrictions, which would be fantastic. So baseball's doing what it does, delivering chaos in the calmest voice possible. We are entering the dog days of summer, boys and girls, and baseball's being the only thing keeping us entertained until that first NFL preseason game. The all-star break is in the books and the second half is on deck. With the trade deadline looming, there's plenty more excitement on the horizon when it comes to baseball, but that's where we're going to leave it. We're going to move on to some other topics of the week, including a hometown hero going back home. Stay right where you are and keep listening. So, while the MLB caught the spotlight of this week and the NFL said, hey, don't forget about us with headlines of its own, the NBA just kept quietly reshaping itself, like it always does, with some big names moving and some even bigger questions forming. So let's kick it

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off. Bradley Beal Officially trading the Desert Sun in Phoenix for the Pacific Breeze in LA, not the Lakers, though Beal is headed to. The Clippers inks a two-year 11 million deal and the Clippers, after finalizing the buyout with the Suns, beal gave back 14 million. I mean, let's be real that that's the biggest I want out since Kyrie bought a house in Dallas. So he goes on to join Kawhi and Harden in a weird alternate timeline where I guess it's still 2017 and nobody's hurt. Norman Powell yes, that is a real NBA player is the odd man out heading to Utah in a three-team deal. So Beal's deal includes a player option and the Clippers now have a three headed star thing with injury baggage, championship hopes, I guess, and just enough stubbornness to make it interesting. I mean, kawhi is always good, harden's always good. We'll see if Beal can keep up to the task, but the big story is meanwhile

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Portland. The reunion tour is back on. Boys and girls. Damian Lillard yes, dala Dame. Three years, $42 million to return to the Blazers and he gets a no trade clause of only two in the NBA. The only other guy that has one is LeBron. So if you're keeping the score at home with Dame, dame got traded, dame got injured, dame got waived, dame got his contract stretched out and now Dame gets $141 million over the next two years, jesus Christ, all while he's rehabbing his Achilles. He's not even going to play this year and he ends up exactly where he

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started. God bless him. I'm happy for him on a business sense and hopefully a basketball sense. We'll see how it goes, but that's where he wanted to be. His quote was family in Portland mattered the most. So you know this man loves it up there and apparently the front office loves him too. So Portland's moves they now have Lillard and Drew Holiday, plus Denny Avija and Robert Williams III, I guess. So I don't know. This is either a brilliant retooling and see what we can do, or this is like the most expensive time machine you can afford. This is way more than a DeLorean. Whatever. Hey, dame, I wish you the best. You you've always been a great player in this league and I don't want to see your career come to a abrupt halt because of an Achilles

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injury. Anyway, let's zoom out from the league rosters to the league itself. Adam Silver came out. Big, big article, big interview made it official. Nba expansion talks are now in like the deep dive phase. They're not just being rumored now. There's no timeline set, there's no cities announced or

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anything. But uh, silver did confirm that they're. They're doing full market research, full financial studies. Everybody in the nba that is looking into every market is doing what they can. The seattle was mentioned. It's a good name drop. Everybody wants the supersonics back and even silver himself said it's an incredible market. Meanwhile, this is all going on while portland is like they might be selling their team, so whatever. But silver was also very, very clear in saying that not one place is getting a team until they can prove that they have a TV situation, arena infrastructure and they have the financials in place. So basically, can we market you, do you have a spot to play and do you have the money to get free agents? But the important thing is that, for the first time in years, the wheels are actually spinning here. So if you're looking for more NBA teams, that's good

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stuff. So while Adam Silver is talking long-term, I got some short-term Tennis, yes, tennis. Wimbledon Wimbledon's over. We got to cover it. Tennis gave us answers right away. Iga Swiatek, not

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Swiatek. Iga Swiatek Won her first Wimbledon and she didn't just win, she steamrolled 6-0, 6-0. It's a little unfortunate because she beat Amanda Nisimova, who is the Jersey girl straight from freehold. You know you root for Jersey, you root for the East Coast, but I root for Iga. She dominated her. It's tough for Amanda too, because she did look overmatched and she had a lot of unforced errors in the game. It looked like the moment was a little too big for her. But hey man, that's what it is when you get to, uh, center court, right. So Iga is now six and oh, in grand slam finals, which is so gnarly good for her. And she's now won a title on all three services hardcore claycore, clay and Wimbledon. And it's her 100th Grand Slam match win. So talk about doing everything all at once. Iga might not have the same celebrity shine that some past champions have, but she is a hell of a player and she is building a legacy that you know one day hopes to rival Serena. She is no slouch man. I know everybody wants to be on Sabalenka, but Iga is Iga's a

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dog. So on to the men's side, yannick Sinner. He did the damn thing. He took down Carlos Alcaraz to win his first Wimbledon, his fourth major, but first Wimbledon. It's the first Italian hi-ya-do and first Italian man to win Wimbledon too. And he unseats Alcaraz. I mean, alcaraz is almost unbeatable on grass. Alcaraz was going for a three-peat at Wimbledon and he stopped him. So for the first time in a while in men's tennis, it might be safe to say that there's a true rivalry going on between a couple of the top dogs. It's the big three era of Nadal and Djokovic and Federer. Now there's a young big three. It's

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great. And lastly, just a quick mention. You might have missed, but since it was played right here in Jersey, right at MetLife, actually, chelsea, chelsea, won the club world cup that they put on in a huge upset, by the way, dominated PSG 3-0. Cole Palmer had two goals and an assist in the first half. And look hey, we don't cover a lot of soccer around here, so if you didn't catch it, you're not alone. I didn't either, but an upset like this is worth mentioning. Chelsea looked like a team that's finally playing with some identity again, and you know, if you're a fan of them, that's. That's great to see. So that's it,

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though. That's the, uh, the sports eclipse. The all-star game is over, no NFL games yet. Nba is in pause, pause mode. We're not going to see anything for another three months. The NHL is quiet. It is, uh, it's that weird annual time of the year when all four major sports are pretty much dark. A rare calm before the chaos starts again. You know, but don't worry, I got plenty lined up to fill in the void. That's why you tune in. You listen to me, because I'll take care of you. So thanks for sticking around. Let's hit this outro and send you on your way, and just like another one is in the

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books. We had all-stars in every league this week. Tj Watt resets the market again, garrett and Sauce cashed in and the Jets are suddenly looking like a franchise with a plan here. Baseball gave us its own fireworks too. Cal Riley made history in the Derby, I got Skeens and Scooble opening up the All-Star game with some heat, and Schwarber won MVP in the first ever swing off. Meanwhile, judge hits number 350 fastest ever. Bellinger torches his old team in the Cubs and the Mets are getting healthy and becoming a real problem in the NL. Beal is headed to the Clippers, dame is headed back to Portland, adam Silver is confirming expansion talks and, yes, seattle is in the mix. Even tennis gave us some heat this week. Swiatek ran the table, sinner made history and America had its best Wimbledon in a decade, with some finalists, some semis and some top 10

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risers. Look, we're in that weird pocket of sports calendar right now no games, no playoffs, just that summer silence. But you know me by now. I'm not going out quietly. I've got fantasy previews and some betting shows that are on deck. I'm always here for the listener takes, and every week I got the Wednesday mic check up and rolling for you to participate in. I got it all for you, guys. As always, this show is nothing without you, and I cannot stress that enough. So, if you like what you heard today, leave me a rating on whatever platform you listen to. By the way, we're on youtube now, so check that out, but follow the instagram, tell your friends, look. Every bit of it helps man. Most importantly, though, tell someone you love them and spread good energy in this world. Giving good energy brings you back good energy, and we could all use that in our lives. This has been Rice on the Mic, episode 22. I am your host, ian Rice, and I'll catch you on the next one.