Rice on the Mics
Welcome to "Rice on the Mics", where sports talk comes with no script, no filter, and just the right amount of chaos. Hosted by Ian Rice, this is the spot for real fans who love the game but aren’t afraid to call out the bad takes, blown calls, and overpaid benchwarmers. Whether it's a legendary performance, a brutal choke job, or your fantasy team crashing and burning, we’re here to break it down like it’s last call at the bar. No corporate PR spin, no forced debates—just unfiltered sports talk with passion, personality, and maybe a little trash talk along the way. If you’re looking for stats read off a teleprompter, you’re in the wrong place. But if you want bold opinions, real conversations, and the kind of debates that might get a drink thrown at you, pull up a mic and let’s go.
Rice on the Mics
August Brings NFL Drama, MLB Chaos, and Fantasy Football Insights
August marks that magical moment when the sports universe reaches its boiling point – NFL training camps buzz with activity, MLB teams jockey at the trade deadline, and fantasy football draft boards take shape across the country.
The Dallas Cowboys are already feeling the pain of camp with a staggering injury report: guard Rob Jones (fractured neck), first-round pick Tyler Guyton (fractured knee), and cornerback Kalen Carson (hyperextended knee) all sidelined. Adding to Dallas's woes, defensive star Michael Parsons continues his contract "hold-in," refusing to practice without a new deal. Without him, as bluntly put, "your defense is shit."
Over in Cincinnati, Joe Burrow enters camp fully healthy for the first time in years, but questions remain about whether the Bengals defense can match their offensive firepower. Despite Burrow's career year and Ja'Marr Chase's receiving excellence last season, Cincinnati barely finished above .500, highlighting their defensive vulnerabilities.
The New York football scene presents contrasting narratives – the Giants named Russell Wilson their week one starter but rookie Jackson Dart's buzz grows louder each day, while the Jets breathe easier after Justin Fields' toe injury scare proved minor. More importantly, new Jets coach Aaron Glenn appears to be establishing a culture shift that has long eluded this franchise.
Baseball's trade deadline brought its own drama, with the Yankees adding multiple relievers who immediately surrendered runs in their debuts. Meanwhile, Aaron Judge's flexor strain sent panic through the Bronx. The Mets strategically bolstered their bullpen without sacrificing top prospects, positioning themselves for a potential playoff run.
For fantasy football enthusiasts, potential league-winners await in rookies like Tetratoa McMillan and Marvin Harrison Jr., while running backs Chase Brown and Caleb Johnson offer tremendous mid-to-late round value. These insights could give you the competitive edge needed to bring home championship hardware.
Whether you're tracking NFL injury reports, analyzing MLB playoff races, or finalizing your fantasy draft strategy, this episode provides the essential insights to keep you ahead of the curve. Subscribe, share your thoughts, and join the conversation as we navigate this electric moment in sports.
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. Well, hello, hello everybody. Time to settle in and strap up, because we have officially entered that sweet spot where the sports universe starts cooking at full boil.
Speaker 1:It's August, my friends, which means the NFL circus, excuse me. Training camps are officially in full swing. We've got contract drama, injury scares, rookie hype, trains, a whole lot of guys trying to make some noise or, at the very minimum, make a roster. Nfl camp buzz is strong right now, and I got you covered at all angles. Speaking of buzz, it ain't all sunshines and rainbows in the MLB right now. Aaron Judge has officially hit the IL with a flexor strain and was having trouble gripping a bat. Uh oh, yankee fans everywhere slide into full-blown crisis mode. And if that wasn't enough, I got Guardians all-star closer, emmanuel Classe deciding that gambling on balls and strikes was a great way to spice up the season, because I guess, apparently, throwing 100-mile-per-hour heat isn't throwing enough on his own. Mlb is definitely not happy about that one. And while we're on it, too, mlb trade deadline has officially come and gone and I've got all your favorite teams moves. Who got better, who got fleeced, who bolstered their roster enough to make a deep October run?
Speaker 1:Keep your heads on a swivel, ladies and gentlemen. There is plenty to dive into. And finally, gearing you up week by week. I've got some more fantasy football takes for you loyal listeners out there. Every week until the big show, I'll give you some gems to keep you just ahead of the pack. And this week I've got some players you absolutely need to have on your roster and others you want to steer clear of. Like airport sushi Loaded show this week. So grab yourself a beverage, kick back and let's dive right into episode 24 of Rice on the Mikes Tranquility Base. Here the Eagle has landed into episode 24 of rice on the mics. So, yeah, we are officially back in it.
Speaker 1:The nfl circus has rolled right back into town. Camps are live, the pads are thumping and reporters are practically sprinting between field tents trying to track down the next soft tissue injury or holdout whisper. So let's not waste any time. Chaos is here and I've got plenty to sift through this week and we're gonna start where you don't think we're gonna start. Down in dallas, the cowboys are dropping faster than a tony roma lead nowadays their guard, rob Jones fractured his neck day one of camp. He's out two to three months, that's great. Then first round pick, tyler Guyton. Well, he thought he had an ACL tear, nope, just turns out he fractured his knee, so he's gone four to six weeks. And the secondary doesn't escape the injury bug either. Corner Kalen Carson.
Speaker 2:Yep.
Speaker 1:Hyper extended knee. Just add him to the growing list of injured Cowboys. I, I don't know, I don't know what to do. I don't know. I don't know what the chefs are putting in the on the table for family meal. But at this rate, jerry Jones might end up calling, like DeMarco Murray and Rolando McLean, just to fill out some practice squad slots. Oh and, by the way, let's not forget to mention their prime jewel on defense. Michael Parsons still has no contract, still hasn't practiced at camp doing his hold in, and the Cowboys brass are saying that, oh, they're not worried, right, okay, yeah, until he sneezes too hard and he finds his name on the ESPN ticker. I mean, get it done, pay your boy. Without him, your defense is shit.
Speaker 1:Meanwhile, in Cincinnati, joe Burrow is finally entering training camp healthy. No limp, no brace, no limitations, just a former MVP finalist and, honestly, the true kingslayer of Patrick Mahomes, slinging spirals like it's backyard football again. And that matters because the Bengals are trying to clean up the mess that was left behind by the defense's collapse the last couple years. That's why Trey Hendrickson reporting mid-holdout is actually pretty massive for them. This man just led the league in sacks last year 17 and a half, by the way. And they don't just want him on that wall, they need him on that wall. Now, whether the Bengals pony up or not is a completely different story, but his presence alone shifts the entire tone of that defense. I mean, this is still a unit trying to find itself after getting gashed and chunked all year last year. If they don't get that side of the ball fixed, joe's clean bill of health, it won't mean squat come December. I mean, burrow played every game. Last year he had his best statistical career year. Jamar Chase had the triple crown for receiving. They averaged 28 points per game, for God's sakes, and they barely finished over 500 at 9-8. I mean, if Joe Burrow ever does get a defense, this league is going to be in some serious trouble.
Speaker 1:You think the Mahomes dynasty was building JB? Is that dude? Okay, and maybe I'm a little biased because I am an LSU fan so I do have a little skin in the game for JB, but I am a Jets fan so I can't root for another AFC team. That's just how it goes. And speaking of the locals, let's move on Starting with the Giants. And speaking of the locals, let's move on Starting with the Giants.
Speaker 1:Russell Wilson gets named the week one starter, which no surprise there. But let me tell you, right now the buzz around Jackson Dart is growing louder and louder by the day. Look the Giants. They want the Alex Smith to Patrick Mahomes handoff of the baton and he taught him everything. But honestly, this kind of feels like it's going to be more like Kurt Warner keeping the seat warm for Eli. I mean, look, with how hard the schedule this year is for the Giants, which I don't know if you know. But just for the record, here's the first eight games for the Giants okay, ready At Washington at Cowboys, chiefs at home, chargers at home at Saints, eagles at home at Broncos at Eagles.
Speaker 1:So yeah tell me where your wins are going to come from that gauntlet.
Speaker 1:And that's just the first eight games.
Speaker 1:So, realistically, if russ sputters which is going to be a tough schedule and this new and improved and touted defense that just keeps telling the giant fans, don't worry, the defense is going to be great, it's going to hold its own.
Speaker 1:Well, if it can't hold its own and let's say there are two and six by halloween, look, don't be shocked or scared, no pun intended, if dark gets tossed in early just to see what they have in the kit, I will say, though, saving grace, I think, for this team could be Cam Scadabo, the rookie coming out of Arizona State, and he I don't want to say loudest surprises at a Giants camp, but he has shown that he is that guy that can hold his own. I mean, he's got power, he's got that quick burst, he's got great vision. He's a white dude, so he's got deceptive speed, as they like to say. In all seriousness, he's a true three-down back and Dayball has always loved the three-down back. He's one of the few coaches that actually really doesn't tend to use a running back by committee approach and tyrone tracy was basically handed the job last year and he fumbled it away.
Speaker 1:So if that same trend continues and he impresses during preseason preseason, do not be surprised if scat gets this rb1 job and honestly, he could be a league winner in your fantasy leagues if you get him at the right spot. I'm actually all over Cam Scadabo. I think he's going to be a shining surprise for the Giants and I think you're going to see a lot of his Scadabo jerseys, instead of the Barkley jerseys, in the stands. Now it's time to get on my boys, though. Time to get on the gang. Green Jets fans breathe easy.
Speaker 1:Justin Fields is okay. The toe scare? Well, it's already in the rearview mirror. He's back on the field. He's got like a steel plated cleat thing that's whatever, and he's leading two minute drills like nothing happened. That's what you love to see. Look, agreed, he's not 100 yet, but you wouldn't really know. By the way, he's moving around and he's communicating with everybody. And look we. We hope that he can find his home with us, how Baker found his home in Tampa.
Speaker 1:But that's not the big story. It's not just the promise and hope of Justin Fields, it's the promise and hope of the culture that is shifting, and you can feel it If you're really paying attention. You can feel it. Head coach Aaron Glenn is putting his parcells imprint on this goddamn franchise for once. Look, the golden rule is always that leadership trickles down right. The toughness, instilling courage, holding players accountable for God's sake, these are all the same thing that every single coach always preaches when they're new, but with Glenn it feels different. It feels good, it feels right. So call me the homer, but these aren't the SOJs man, these aren't the same old Jets. It feels like they're building the right way. They paid sauce, they paid Wilson. That's what smart teams do they draft well, they develop right and then they extend those players. It's been a foreign language for this franchise for god knows how long, but Glenn seems to be speaking it fluently.
Speaker 1:So now the next question is, though who is next? Well, brees Hall crowded, running back room, and it's his walk year. Jermaine Johnson crowded dline, but he is a staple on that D-line. Elijah Vera Tucker he's a stud and he can play every spot on the line, but injury after injury after injury, and Quincy Williams brother got paid. He's an all pro, but he's turning 29 and now he's going to have to try and fill CJ Mosley's shoes.
Speaker 1:So the question is who gets the bag and who gets the boot? That's the Jets. Next big culture. Test, go out, try and compete for a wild card spot, maybe. Just don't make a fool out of yourself and get better. But for now, stability and stability. If you're a Jets fan, that alone feels like winning the super bowl in july. I'll tell you that. So buckle up.
Speaker 1:It's august 1st, the pads are popping, the injuries are piling up and the camp controversies are just getting started, to be honest. But next up, october. Baseball is starting to take shape. We got some big names hitting the IL. We got some big names getting traded and contenders are just praying that their moves weren't just noise MLB's coming up. Next let's see who really is ready to dance in October.
Speaker 1:All right, new York baseball fans, let's take a deep collective breath and ask ourselves are we doing okay? Because, let's be honest, I'm not feeling too great about things right now. The Yankees just got swept, yes, swept for the first time ever by the marlins. Let that sink in for a second. The lowly can't pitch, can barely hit. Don't pay anyone three games under 500. Well, not anymore after the sweep. Forgotten team of the nl east miami marlins. Okay that those miami marlins.
Speaker 1:The yankees went out and did exactly what brian cashman loves to do threw some bullpen arms at the problem. They snagged david bendar, camille doval, jake burn. Great right problems are fixed. No, not exactly those shiny new relievers. They made their debut and they did something that I've never seen happen before in my life, all the years I've been watching baseball. All three of them came in and all three of them gave up a crooked number back to back to back. It was a disaster. Miami hung 13 on them in game one and the errors just continued to flow in from all different positions on the field. Stanton and Grisham tried their best to salvage it, I guess with some home runs, but when your bullpen's giving up grand slams and multi-run innings, there's only so much that you can do.
Speaker 1:Game two wasn't any better either. It was a snooze fest, to be honest. Rookie Augustin Ramirez went deep twice and that was all the scoring. The Yankees get shut out and is another case of the home run or bust game from the Bronx Bombers. In game three, the triumphant and waited on return of Elise Hill finally gets on the bump, only to get lit up early.
Speaker 1:This guy was supposed to come back in May. It's August Now he's back and he's still getting killed. Kyle Stowers ends up putting the nail in the coffin and they complete the sweep. Boone calls a gut check time and, honestly, though Booney might be time to start freshening up that resume, might be soul check time for this team. Hell, even Jeter and A-Rod were piling on questioning accountability. Yikes, man, no judge, big fucking problem. And meanwhile, over in Queens, to be fair, the Mets aren't exactly rolling either. They dropped two or three to the Giants at Citi Field and they slipped back behind Philly in the division race by half a game. They're going to be doing this dance back and forth, back and forth, and they had the opportunity to pull ahead from them, but now they have such a tough schedule, it's going to be tough man Game one Dom Smith yeah, remember him, our boy, first baseman, until Pete Alonzo came up, comes back and haunts the old squad, delivers a dagger in extras.
Speaker 1:We had him too, and we just you know it's a good poke by him. Game two they bounce back. Peter lonzo has his 250th career home run which was a moon shot, by the way and now he's only three away from the all-time franchise record chasing straw. But windor showed some life too, so things are starting to turn around. I swear, every time I looked up at that game, either Nimmo or Lindor, or a combination of both, were on base for Soto and Soto and people took advantage of it. So as long as the hitting can stay good, we'll be all right.
Speaker 1:But Sunday was a different story, and it was a story that's been bothering us for a while. Devers wakes up out of his nap and he demolishes the pitching staff, which is the problem. Frankie Montas gets shelled again. What else is new? And suddenly the Mets now look vulnerable heading into August, because they didn't get their starting pitcher from the deadline that they needed. Lindor's heating up a bit and Alonzo's chasing franchise records, so he's going to be swinging out of his shoes.
Speaker 1:But the bullpen has been the revolving door, and that sets us up perfectly to talk about the deadline, because the Mets did exactly what they needed to do grabbing not one, not two, but three top-tier bullpen arms. And the Yankees? Well, they made some good bullpen moves but honestly, it might not be what they needed to address in the first place. So, to break this down even further, our usual guests, you know them very well. My brother Rob, joining us break down some trade deadline winners, trade deadline losers and all the drama in between. So, rob, let's dive in who's getting fitted for October and who's going home empty handed.
Speaker 2:It's again both teams, it's everybody around the league who's getting fitted for October, who's not. We can make fun of the yankees. What they did? They shored up the defense and somehow the defense killed them when they used the people they traded for, brought them in and it screwed them in those games. We can look at the mets. Mets started with the trade deadline. They made one of the first reliever trades they brought yeah, I really think the mets set the market too.
Speaker 1:It was good they went early and they paid a decent enough big price. I think it kind of scared everybody else into having to make a big move they did, and when everybody looked at it they were like oh my god drew gilbert oh my god, jose buto, oh my god, blade tidwell, everybody that wasn't in the mets future plans.
Speaker 2:And it's great because it's names, names that pop, names that pop. But again, gilbert wasn't going to be in center for us in the future. Buto was on the next list to become dfa'd. If we didn't dfa him, we get nothing for him.
Speaker 1:We were able to include him on the trade. It's funny you say the names too, because, like, who was the who did cash and trade? Didn't they have like some third baseman that they like everybody? They kept touting, well, we don't want to move them, don't want to move them. And then what they got back from they're like, yeah, we traded so, but he was in the max free deal, I think, wasn't he?
Speaker 1:well, we just oh no, they signed max rate. I'm sorry they, the yankees, traded some third baseman. Was it for the belly trade or the goal it might have been, oh no, it was.
Speaker 2:It was the nester cortez. They traded, uh, caleb durbin for nester cortez.
Speaker 1:They kept saying Durbin's going to take over for Torres.
Speaker 2:We don't got to resign Torres and Durbin actually started like shit and now over the past two months, he's crushing it on the Brewers, which is one of the best teams in the MLB.
Speaker 1:That's the thing that we're talking about, though. Drew Gilbert is this name that's been thrown around around in the Mets forever. It's him and Jack Williams, like who's gonna go, who's gonna stay, whatever, whatever. So by us moving Gilbert, it comes across as oh, it's this big name. Now look, does he? If he turns into PCA again, I'm gonna be fucking living. He's not.
Speaker 2:He's not gonna turn into PCA and PCA was. We drafted him like eighth overall in the first round. Gilbert we acquired for Verlander. Gilbert was the great prospect. But everybody said clifford was going to be better. And I kept saying the past two weeks you could back me up. I said, uh, gilbert is crushing triple a the one week before the deadline. Let's see what he has and what was the pushback. Well, if he comes up and he stinks, you get rid of his trade value.
Speaker 2:But the fact that we just traded him for a middle reliever. What trade value did he actually have? Could?
Speaker 1:he have actually ruined it. No, I think it was perfect. And that kid coming out, the, he was part of the trade for the righty from san francisco, right? Uh, rogers, right, he was part of that trade. So he's a monster, by the way, against philly and atlanta. Not that atlanta's really chasing us, but he's a ma. He owns philly. I look at his career stats. Then they turn around and they go get the closer at Cardinals. Who, god? When I watched him I knew he threw fast, but I'm watching him put up 102s I'm like oh shit.
Speaker 2:It's a hunter and he's laughing. A hunter is almost like the medium. Because then he threw 101, 102, and then he throws a 97 slider. 100 is the medium.
Speaker 1:So they make all those moves, which is great, and now everybody's scrambling for a bullpen. It's like when there's a run on tight ends in fantasy, and now everybody's snagging tight ends. And now I'm here just snagging Devontae Adams in the fifth round, because everybody grabs fucking Kyle Pitts, you know. So that was able to get a Cedric Mullins for dirt cheap.
Speaker 2:And again we made one of those first reliever trades. And then you look at the Phillies, which everybody's like oh, it's reactionary. We made a trade, Phillies made a trade, we made a trade, Phillies made a trade. But then the Phillies when they got Duran, who is one of the most disgusting closers in the league.
Speaker 1:He is dirty, I can't. He's disgusting. But the rest of them are both in his trash anyway.
Speaker 2:Mick Abel, who, along with Andrew Painter, they have two great starting pitchers in their developmental. You've got to give up one. And here's the thing they had to give up something for a closer. We gave up nothing for a closer. We gave up Jesus Baez, who I'm one of the biggest.
Speaker 1:Mets fans around. Never heard of him. Tidwell was the other name. He came up for spot starts, looked good, whatever. Anyway, keep going. We in that trade too, Ted. What was the other?
Speaker 2:name. He came up for spot starts, looked good, whatever. Anyway, keep going. I'm sorry we gave up Jesus Baez for Ryan Helsley. I've never heard of Jesus Baez. No, if you go through the Mets' top ten prospects, I'll tell you where they went to high school, what they had for lunch yesterday. I'll tell you everything Never heard of Jesus Baez we got is the Phillies, for Duran, had to give up Mick Abel, who's supposed to be one of their prospect starting pitchers for the next 15, 10, 10 years, whatever. Yeah, we didn't give up what the Phillies did. And then, if you want to go in, I'll lead you into this the Padres giving up the number two prospect in baseball for a closer Mason Miller. We got a closer for a prospect. I never heard of Mason Miller to the Padres.
Speaker 1:Padres, padres get number two prospect. Yeah, yeah, I mean no, the Padres. When they were getting Machado, when they were getting Bogarts, when they were getting all these guys, their owner was dying and he said I need to get a ring before I die. And then he died and they didn't get a ring. Then Soto left, Then they left. Their GM is a maniac man. He doesn't care who's, it can be God himself playing baseball. He will trade him for the right moves, for right now, what they gave up for Mason Miller. I understand Mason Miller's good, but you don't throw that hard that long for you don't throw that hard that long without your arm getting hurt, and it's it's. It's a lot to give up for a guy that might need Tommy John in about a year.
Speaker 2:And it's hilarious because everybody was saying nobody thought. I mean the athletics. They've been terrible the past three years. This year they made a decent step and you look at the athletics hitting. You know Kurtz, all them they're hitting. Nobody thought they would trade Mason Miller. I thought you would see you're hitting Nick Kurtz, tyler Solderstrom you just gave Brent Rooker an extension. I thought you would take what you had from this year and go into next year and, like whatever pitching you had, go with it because your hitting is good.
Speaker 2:Your pitching isn't great, but you go into next year and then there was there was a lot of teams saying we're gonna make mason miller starter.
Speaker 1:I'm sorry, mason miller throwing 101 he's good for an inning and two thirds. That's it. I mean, he's not a starter. God bless him. He's got a arm touched by god, but he is not a starter how the hell can this guy throw a 102 for six innings?
Speaker 2:when Aroldis Chapman got signed from the DR with the Reds, I think his first couple games were as a starter and he went like three innings. He's like, yeah, I'm going to die doing this. And then he made him a closer. He was dominant Mason Miller. They want to do the opposite. How are you going to make him a starter? Now I I get it. We had clay holmes. Clay holmes, don't throw 100 miles an hour. Clay holmes, decent, start from here as a starter. You want to make mason miller's starter?
Speaker 1:that's not fucking happening uh, we gotta dive into the yankees bullpen here. I mean, cashman loves throwing bullpen arms at other problems, but I I again. I have never seen this before in my life, where all three players that were traded for immediately come in and choke the game away um, I mean, listen, it's, it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing.
Speaker 2:Everybody said cashman went from sleeping cashman to makes the three best reliever trades. At the end it could have happened in the mets. Mets made it three great reliever trades. Didn't happen for cashman, cashman you know, bird gave up the grand slam.
Speaker 1:Devol screwed at the end yeah, I mean, I guess, but everybody said after it's, it's, it's almost.
Speaker 1:You know, the mets are always the snakebitten franchise, whatever, and I'm not calling the yankees snakebitten by any sense of the stretch, but it sure seems like in the last month or so, especially with judge going down, and now, because judge going down, even when he comes back, is he's gonna have to be a dh, he that moves, standing out of the lineup. That's this side and the other. There's just so many things that are going wrong with volby's errors, with, you know, goldschmidt having problems. He's not hitting like he was. It just seems like whatever move that could have been made was going to bite them in the ass regardless, and then it showed that straight up and cashman had to do what he did.
Speaker 2:You know he, he brought in the three relievers and, yes, game one, they gave up the lead three times and every reliever he acquired they blew it.
Speaker 1:But that next game they lose two, nothing yeah, had nothing to do with his trade deadline, so you can't kill his trade deadline I'm not gonna kill and kill it.
Speaker 1:I you know he did what he had to do. The other thing too, though, was this is now a Boone thing too of like he goes, oh no, Devin Williams is still our closer. And then immediately in that game. One doesn't bring in Devin Williams to close the game, Doesn't whatever, and it's like you're taking away conference from confidence from him too are in big trouble right now. Sometimes they fell to third in the division yeah and yeah.
Speaker 2:Somehow boston eliminates devers and becomes better yeah, right, ever those rookies. That's not on anybody's bingo card that's not even a free space, dude that's a good line?
Speaker 1:I don't know. I look, when the local teams are good, it's good for me, right, I can talk about success with them and this and the other. But when they're bad, it's also good for me, and I'm not just being a Yankee hater here. They look like they are in some serious trouble. They look like they are devoid of leadership and it's cool for Judge to be the silent leader and again, no one knows what's going on in the clubhouse or whatever. But Judge doesn't really also strike me as the guy that grabs somebody by the shirt collar. You think he's walking up to Jazz and saying what the fuck are you doing? Getting doubled off at first and I can understand that play because you are supposed to go. You know halfway he Supposed to go. You know halfway he might drop it, he might not, but fine, even if he doesn't go, even if he does drop it and you get tagged off in second, fine, you got tagged off in second.
Speaker 2:Don't fucking get doubled up at first, I would die on my rights of just saying the Mets lineup on paper looks better than the Yankees. Some of the Yankees. The Yankees still have the better like plus-minus offensive, like Plus minus offensive difference. They're plus 92. As of today, I would take the Mets. Of course it's because the AL sucks. Everybody that was good in the AL just got traded to NL. Fuck the Mets, fuck the NL.
Speaker 2:But, I would live like. If you look at the Yankees lineup, it stinks and it's still performed better than the Mets. I look at the Mets. I'm like I would be so comfortable with this and the Yankees lineup gave their deadline. People that they acquired the runs, the people they acquired stunk the Mets can't even give the pitchers we acquired a run support because we can't score runs with our lineup. How can we not score runs with our lineup?
Speaker 2:right, we have a fab four, fab four, that stinks and then vientos, now, as of today, as an 11 game hit streak yeah, and he's going one for four day, yeah.
Speaker 1:So the one thing that I will preface that with is that I I agree with you. I'm not worried about the mets um postseason time, because we have what the yankees don't have somebody that can hit in the postseason regularly. A couple guys. Francisco Lindor always turns it up in the postseason, soto is a god in the postseason. Their biggest thing is that their pitching shows up in the postseason, but they try to win games three to four because Judge can't hit, because Goldschmidt is aging out or their elder players are aging and they're not. They had a great first half and not a great second half, so I don't know uh my, my.
Speaker 2:What I look at here is now we've seen when all the playoffs ever, no matter how good your starting pitcher is in the playoffs, it goes five yeah and then you have a sixth, a seventh, an eighth and a ninth, and no matter what it is in the playoffs, you fucking burn them. They're going every day. We watched a couple years ago when Chapman went to the Cubs. He went three innings, three straight days.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and what did they come home? With Some hardware.
Speaker 2:And also let's look at it this way If the Mets want to do that, we acquired Housley, a rental.
Speaker 1:Burn him.
Speaker 2:The Submariner a rental Rodgers, burn them. Soto a rental, the pitcher Not Juan. But now here's the thing If we want to win it with them in the playoffs, burn them. And then guess what, if you burn them and you win the championship, you don't have to resign them. No, if you killed them. And that's how I feel about starting pitchers. If a starting pitcher like Mizorowski schemes throw 275 innings a year, I'm never going to re-sign you.
Speaker 1:I would never sign a pitcher.
Speaker 2:So now this is like where the main point of like. When the Cubs acquired Chapman, when the Indians now Guardians acquired Andrew Miller, they burned him because they were rentals Mets. I don't know you personally, but kill Ryan Helsley, pitch him every game. Pitch him every game. I don't care, because if you're not here next year, I don't care.
Speaker 1:Yeah, agreed, all right. Last thing we got to touch on, the Twins sold everybody except their two players that had any value at all and they ended up fucking having to call up eight minor leaguers for today's game. Eight minor leaguers, they had to call up a full roster.
Speaker 2:The Mets bring in Cedric Mullins. Only reason I love Mullins. The only thing against Mullins was Soto bats lefty. Nimmo bats lefty. Mullins bats lefty.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we're definitely lefty.
Speaker 2:I wanted Buxton to either bat lead off or bat fifth, sixth, whatever steel bases which our team is 89 out of 90, whatever and then really and then, even before the trade deadline, bucks is like I'm not going anywhere.
Speaker 2:I have a no trade, I have a no trade clause. Uh, would you have said that before, a couple days ago, where they traded 13 players? No, I don't think you're happy about being in Minnesota anymore. You didn't get traded. Everybody got traded, but you and Joe Ryan the only two people with value didn't get traded. Duval yes, of course, value.
Speaker 1:He's a hometown kid, he came up with them and he's played a great career with them. So it's almost like the Padres keeping uh whatever, excuse me when they kept tony gwen and they sold everybody else off, you know. But yeah, I, I 100% agree with you. If, like if I known you were gonna get rid of the whole goddamn team, I wouldn't have fucking been here, I would have waived my no trade and you know what. Thanks for the memories. At least I could have helped. Maybe this franchise that I stuck with forever some help in the future. I mean they weren't like.
Speaker 2:What everybody was talking about was like the twins. They weren't a like they're. They're not a good team this year, but they weren't like a a bad team with all rentals. What we were going over was they traded people years of control. Yeah, the closer had years of control. They traded four guys in their bullpen that here that had years of control. You didn't trade guys in their bullpen that had years of control. You didn't trade Joe Ryan, who had control, whatever, but you could have just sold Ty France again expiring contract. Harrison Bader expiring contract. You could have traded them, but you traded 39% of your team.
Speaker 1:It's so crazy, it's so crazy.
Speaker 2:It's not like you had to go. They went into total rebuild when last year they were a good team. This year they were okay.
Speaker 1:They went into total rebuild when they're third in their division and the Guardians stink and the Royals are nothing great either and they're like six out maybe, but that can literally change in a week.
Speaker 2:You went into total rebuild with probably a better record than the Angels decided to buy.
Speaker 1:Come on, guys, so crazy, all right, well, Rob, thanks for coming in, man. I really appreciate you bringing this down. Man, it's always good to hear from you. We are going to now get into a little bit of fantasy football. I got that big fantasy football show coming up in a little bit, so I'm going to dive into a couple guys, just for some loyal listeners here, that you're going to want to hear about, and then, once the full show comes out, you'll already be ahead.
Speaker 1:Stay tuned boys ah, there it is. Can you hear the difference? How much better does that sound? Let's wrap this week up with a little fantasy football talk, shall we? Yeah, you can smell it in the air.
Speaker 1:It's August, drafts are right around the corner and if you want to bring home some hardware this year, you better start doing your homework now. I've been digging through some depth charts this week and came across a couple, maybe a few, hidden gems that might help you crush those rivals in your league, those guys that you just can't stand. So let's start with wide receivers first, because points are sexy. Right, the first name on my board and it's a name I've been on all offseason here Tetra Toa McMillan in Carolina rookie, wide out, eighth overall pick. He's already penciled in to be Bryce Young's go-to guy, because there's nobody else really over there. He's 6'5", big catch radius, got great hands and he's a nasty route runner too. On top of it, he was a monster in college.
Speaker 1:Remember how Jamar Chase like blew things up year one. People were like, no, no way, who is this kid? Yeah, tetratoa is going to be a household name. I think he's going to do the same. And look, I know Bryce Young is no Joe Burrow, but he's got legit wide receiver. One upside and you can snag him as your wide receiver three right now. That is league winning value. Next stud on the list is Marvin Harrison Jr. Okay, dude is packed on muscle this offseason and he hasn't sacrificed any speed. The Cardinals didn't draft another receiver, they didn't sign a big name, so aka. This is the Marvin Harrison Jr show.
Speaker 1:This guy has bounce back breakout candidate written all over him this year. Teams and teams are going to keep a safety over Trey McBride, which is just going to have Marvin Harrison have one-on-one. He's going to be a target magnet in an already pass-heavy system For the locals. Garrett Wilson with the Jets Look, I know a Jets fan and I know a little bias and Jet fans are holding their breath a little bit with Justin Fields toe injury. But Wilson is literally the only proven receiving option in this entire offense. So he's got a chance to eat massive volume and he's going to be the go-to guy when the play breaks down. Considering he already has chemistry with Fields from college. Considering he already has chemistry with fields from college, it's a lot, but I'm talking. He absolutely has the potential to be a top three wide receiver if things fall correctly in this league and he's going at wide receiver 15 price. If you got the spot and it's your turn to pick, I highly recommend taking him. Now.
Speaker 1:Just a couple other quick hitter, you know, back of the pack, maybe guys here. Drake London in Atlanta finally has a stable quarterback. Michael Panik seems to love him. That's great. Brian Thomas Jr BTJ, another LSU kid. He's an absolute speedster, and as long as you can get the ball near him, he will catch it. And some older names, not to forget about Devante Adams and Mike Evans both are still cooking and they're both way undervalued. Still now, the running backs, they're a little bit different, because everybody knows the big guys, right, everybody knows the Saquons, the Der Derrick Henrys, the Jameer.
Speaker 1:Gibbs I mean those are the no-brainers. Even Ashton Janty this year. I mean he is a rookie but he is probably going to go in first round, second round of some drafts, just because the pure volume he's going to get with the Raiders. No, the player that you should be targeting in about maybe mid-round two, even early round three, chase Brown, just like Marvin Harrison, the Bengals didn't draft anybody else and he's got the receiving skills to be a three-down back. It also doesn't hurt that his backup is Samajay Pirine, so I think he'll be pretty secure, barring injury. But now, if you're looking for an even later running back to target, I got my eyes on Pittsburgh's rookie, caleb Johnson. They drafted this kid to replace Najee Harris. He's a goal line monster and the system is pretty much built for his style.
Speaker 1:Rodgers is definitely going to want to air it out all the time but Tomlin loves a good ground and pound and for a guy going that late he could have some major upside. So there you go. There you have it, little rapid-fire fantasy rundown Loaded with a couple names that you're going to want to circle on your draft sheets. We will dive way deeper in the big fantasy football special coming in a couple weeks. I'm talking strength of schedules, average yards per carry, how players do in man versus zone, what the goal line percentage is, red zone percentage, everything you can think of. But for now, you loyal listeners well, you just got the jump start on some names today. You're welcome boys. That'll do it. My friends, we are going to wrap it there for today.
Speaker 1:Episode 24 is officially in the books A little fashionably late this week, but hey, good things come to those who wait right. Big thanks once again to my guy, rob hopping, on breaking down all the MLB trade deadline chaos with me. Mic issues aside, it's always a good time diving deep on who's in, who's out, who's going to regret it all in October. Yankees and Mets listen, figure it out soon, because New York cannot take much more of this heartache seriously. We hit on a ton of NFL stuff too Camp battles are raging. Injuries and holdouts are piling up. Quick. Jet fans are finally getting a little breath of relief knowing that Justin Fields' toes are still attached and the G-men can't wait to see Jackson dart on the field.
Speaker 1:Fantasy football fans you are welcome. Gave you a few sneaky league winning gems ahead of your drafts here. But don't worry, the full fantasy extravaganza is still right around the corner, so make sure you stay locked in. For that, as always. Follow along and interact on Instagram at rice, on the radio, rate the show on whatever platform you listen to too. It really helps. It's much appreciated.
Speaker 1:Just click the little five stars. That's it Bang and you're done. I'll have the polls and questions rolling out every Wednesday. Dm me whenever you want and feel free to send me a good meme. But yeah, that's going to wrap this week. Thanks for riding with me. We'll get back on schedule next week. New episodes every friday, I promise. But to close, as always, remember to tell someone you love them and spread some good energy in this world. You'd be amazed what it'll do for you. I'm ian rice. This has been rice on Mics and I'll catch you guys next week. Thank you.