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