And we continue on Fred Rogan Rodney Pete on a five to seventy LA Sports
Live from Hollywood Park in Englewood. We have just given away a pair of
tickets to see the live taping of the Netflix Roast of Tom Brady that's hosted
by Jeff Ross May fifth at the key of Forum. Four pair of sweet
tickets to see the Dodgers and Braves on May fifth. Somebody will win those
this afternoon. Three more pairs of tickets for the Netflix roast, somebody when
those this afternoon, and the chef Marito gift baskets which are terrific. All
of that coming up between now and three o'clock, three o'clock, three o'clock.
All right, So, uh, the A's were playing the Yankees today,
and you know, you know the old line umpires have rabbit ears.
Well, honey, dude, Wendelstadt is a major league umpire and his father,
Harry was a long time major league father son duel Right, Okay,
right, Harry's Wendt and uh, Aaron Boone has a reputation for goating and
baiting the umpires. Hey, what you're doing about Aaron Boone for me?
I know you know him very well. So anyway, I understand, and
he was not in the wrong here. So they're playing that's true. He
got tossed a lot last year. So anyway, they're playing Oakland today,
and all of a sudden, from the direction of the Yankee bullpen, what
are the fans, somebody screams out, that's a BS call. Somebody screamed
that out. Hunter Wendelstadt, the umpire, turned to Aaron Boone and said,
you're out of the game. Aaron Boone said it wasn't even me,
it was one of the fans, and Wendelstead said, I don't care who
said it, You're out of the game. One of the fans yelled and
he threw out Aaron Boone and even after protests, they still threw him out,
threw him out. So, yeah, was the guy in the crowd
here, He goes, I don't care who it was, You're out of
the game. That's not good. They gotta be some kind of verification because
that now that that happened, Yeah, that guy's gonna be planted behind the
dugout and started yelling like throwing their voice been triloquist, you're gonna come to
the games now, throwing their voice. Oh you, and and the manager's
gonna get thrown out or a player gets thrown out, say Manny Machado,
or somebody's walking back and somebody imitates Manny's voice and he throws it back to
the umpire. Yeah, there you go. That's it for you. I
don't care who said it. He can't go off of that. That's terrible.
It is terrible us. You can't do that many Chatto is a Dodger
stadium. Yeah you can throw him out. That'd be fantastic. Yeah,
right, just throw But but did they appeal or they I mean, I
know it just happened today, but that can't they can't go on? Well,
the only appeal is this, I didn't say it. Well, they
got to go to the vid. You well, that's put the video on
him. See if he moved his lips. Well, if they have a
camera, if they have a camera, cameras everywhere, Fred, you know
that, boy, don't I Yeah, you better watch yourself there. Camera's
everywhere here as well, everywhere. How does that happen? I'm still I'm
dumbfounded on that. I know, I know, you know what when you
have a reputation professional sports? Last year your your man. Aaron Boone developed
a bit of a reputation with the umpires. Yes, uh, you know,
challenged them a few times, a little bit. I'm surprised to even
I thought he was just going to explode as a human being. I mean
last year it was so tough on him and the relationship we have with the
umpire. So this guy, here's one thing in boom. Maybe they have
past history. Maybe, but you used to be an umpire. Did you
have past the three week guys? And you're like, oh, he's got
a reputation, So I'm he's got a short least today. The only guy
I had to run was mister Laird, Mister Lair, mister Laird. I
was mister Lared. I was eleven. I was eleven, and I was
working the minor leagues in the Little League as I you know, continued my
growth to the Little League World Series. So I'm eleven, I'm working the
miners and this guy would not shut up, and he yelled at everybody,
I mean all the time. All the time he would yell, and everybody
was intimidated, and nobody would would, you know, do anything. So
I'm eleven years old now and I'm umping the plate. I mean, he's
yelling at adults and everybody's like, oh god, he's mad. So he
started yelling at me. I took off my mask. I'm eleven years old.
I looked at him. I said, were you talking to me?
And he said something else like I was. You know how he get I
go, You're gone just like that. I'm eleven year old kid runs like
a forty year old man. You're gone, and everybody got happened. Everybody
got quiet. Then you heard this gone. So that was it. Mister
l was embarrassed. Mister Lard. Yeah, he put his tail between his
legs and get out of here. Get out of here. Your story,
walking laird. That's all right. Uh well, let's see. Hopefully the
Lakers will have a better story to tell tonight after what happened in the first
game in Denver. Let's bring on our insider with the Lakers in Denver,
Dan White and Dan good afternoon to you guys. I too was a youth
umpire, and I too had a I had a catchmas well as an umpire.
They used to complain about the size of my strike zone right because it
was gigantic. Oh, you show their sankles, and whenever anybody would complain,
I would say, they don't pay me by the hour. Well,
you wanted the kids they hit, Dan, you just wanted the kids to
get Yeah, that's exactly what I did. You wanted to strikes out there,
give me, give me the all cash payment as quickly as possible.
That's what I wanted. Perfect all right, Dan? Uh? You said
before the Lakers open against Denver. Yeah, they can beat them, They
can beat the Nuggets, but everything's got to go right. They've got to
play nearly perfect. Okay, Well things did go right for a while,
and then they weren't playing nearly perfect anymore, and now they find themselves down
all one. How do you see the game tonight? Well, I mean,
I think I think you can look at it two ways, right,
I think the I do want to sort of dispel the notion that they played
a good game in Game one. I don't think they played particularly good.
I mean, they had a pretty bad second half, a disaster third quarter,
you know, in a so so second quarter. They played really well
in the first quarter. That's that's what I really did. Lebron James had
a good first half. Anthony Davis was good for some stretches, but they
scored one hundred and three points. You know, this is one of the
best offenses in basketball, and they did not execute on the offensive end.
They missed a ton of threes, they missed a bunch of layups. That
they weren't good enough on that side of the ball. And to me,
that's easy ground to make up. I think the feeling that they should feel
is that they wasted an opportunity because Denver didn't play well either. And and
I think if if you leave that game and you feel like, well we
can if the Lakers can get that out of Denver five or six times in
the series, they're gonna have a pretty good chance. I think the feeling
is though that you know, Michael Porter Junior is going to shoot the ball
better, Jamal Murray's gonna shoot the ball better. Con Davis Caball Pope will
play better. He was awesome in the third quarter, was not very good
around that, So you know, is that going to be in Nicole Jokich's
jokic So I think that's kind of was was the feeling. But I know
in talking to some players today shoot around and stuff, I mean, I
think they they think I don't want to say, are fairly confident. They
know the tests. But you know, it's not like they felt like they
threw their best punch and left Denver without a win on Saturday. That's that's
not how they feel. Yeah, and you just mentioned that, you know,
Denver didn't play particularly well, but they can afford to do that.
Denver can afford to not play well and still beat ninety nine of the teams
in the league. You know, the Lakers have to be perfect and then
and the problem is they have to be really good for four quarters because if
you're not, if you have one quarter, that's bad. Denver's gonna make
you pay. And I don't know can the Lakers sustain what they did in
the first quarter for four quarters. I don't know if they can. I
haven't seen it this year. Well, I mean, look, you do
that you win by forty, right, like they're up by ten and that
right Like, so you don't have to be that that good. But but
what you can't do is you can't you Lebron can't turn it over seven times.
He can't have turnovers that lead to Nicole jokicch one to no fast breaks
and that happened a couple of times. You know, you can't miss,
you can't miss laps, you can't miss dunks. You Dasiel Russell can't shoot
six for twenty Yeah, the team can't. Yeah, the team can't shoot
twenty five percent from three, like they will always lose. They would lose
to Memphis if you shoot like that. Like that, that is one of
the very the very real things about modern basketball. So I think I came
out of that game on Saturday like they really squandered opportunity. And then I
think watching the game, kind of studying it a little bit more again,
it was sort of like it's, you know, you don't want to overreact
to game ones. I think a really interesting stat I too this the other
day, but you know, the last road team to win in this postseason
was the Lakers in New Orleans. Since then, every home team has won.
And you know, winning on the road this time of year is difficult.
Uh, not every home team is going to win their series. So
there's still there's that old sort of adage that the series doesn't started till the
home team loses. You know, the Lakers have a chance to night,
like if they play well Denver doesn't you you you split up here, then
the narrative totally shif the pressure totally shifts, and we're feeling very different.
I just think it's it's strange because guys, I don't know about you.
I think it doesn't always feel like when when I talk to fans or hear
from fans, it doesn't feel like they're down one. Oh. It feels
like they're kind of more down nine to zero. Yeah to denver Well and
I think you touched on it. And look, it got better during the
season. It was bad in the first half. Here we are in the
playoffs again. D'Angelo Russell's got to show up and hit. I mean it's
pretty simple. Angela Russell and Austin Reeves. They've got to perform and uh
they become one of the three A d lebron and and in that first game,
Austin really one of those. One of those guys got to be the
third. Somebody's gotta be the third. And D'Angelo had a bad game.
I mean, there's no other way to look at it. He's not knocking
down those shots. That's kind of where we were last year. And it
doesn't matter if he struggled in the first half, then got hot, wasn't
traded. Now we love them. Now the money's on the line Dan and
he didn't perfor Yeah. Yeah, I mean I think, you know,
and I look up with some of this sound Anthony Davis Lebron names too.
I mean, I think the offense got really stagnant. I think credit to
Denver in the half court, a really good defense performance from them. The
Lakers forced I think the starting five for Denver had one turnover combined. I
believe that was a staid I saw, you know that that disrupts the Lakers
offense. They don't need to force a lot of turnovers, but they need
to get out and transition and get easy ones. That didn't happen after the
first quarter. I think those are types of Those are situations, you know,
where you just get easy points and that makes life easier on everybody.
But but I think, yeah, I mean, I think Delo's got to
play better. I think Austin Reeves has to be more aggressive. I think
Ruey Hachimore has to be involved more on what they're trying to do. I
think he only took three shots. I think Darmenham has to trust his bench
more and they have to perform, you know, like like like I said
to you guys last week, like I've written, a lot has to go
right for the Lakers to win. I don't think it is an insurmountable amount
of things that have to go right. But I'm just not sure how close
they were in Game one to that. You know, if if that's as
good as they're going to play in the series, oh they're gonna lose quick
Yeah, They're gonna lose quickly. You know, I think there is there
needs to be another level. I mean, to me, the thing that
I keep going back to was one hundred and three points. You know,
they lost what was it, one fourteen? One oh three? Right,
the Lakers are since the Ruy Hotchmer in the starting lunup, I think we're
the second or third most efficient offense in the NBA. They play fast,
they play with pace, they make shots. They did not do any of
that stuff after the first quarter. And uh, it feels like to me,
if you're just even a little better on that side of the ball,
that game is much much tighter. And it was still fairly tight. I
mean, it was a seven point game in the fourth quarter. D'Angel Russell
rushes three goes in and out. It doesn't go in and And this is
where you talking about playing perfect. It feels like every time you make a
mistake, Denver scores. Yeah, that's just like that's what they do.
That's the pressure they put on you. So there's a psychological element to this.
But I'd expect a pretty god effort from the Lakers tonight. I just
think Denver's can be better too. Yeah, coming back home O two and
it can't afford to do that. I hate to say must wins in a
series that you know that's still early like this, but it feels like a
must win. Yeah yeah, I mean, look, you can go down
too and win a series as possible. It's just you don't want that climb
to be that steep against the team this could. You never know what will
happen, right like, I mean, you know, ankles get sprained,
all sorts of stuff, hamstrings, you get pulled, like anything like that.
A series can change in an instant, right. The Lakers were up
to one on Phoenix a few years ago. Eight he gets hurt. They
don't win another game like that. Stuff does happen. You don't want to
count on it. I mean, I think you want to put yourself in
the best possible position, and that's goes split up there because there's no guarantee
you gonna win both back in LA either, right, Like, I mean,
you know, and I think there's an appropriate fear and I look,
I mean the team is very focused. I think they are. I don't
think they're tight. I don't really. They've been a very good back against
the wall team this season too, so I'm really curious to see how they
respond today. I feel like they've got a good game in them, but
we'll see, because I mean, we're always on the verge of some forty
five point triple double from Nikola Jokic. No, I mean, I'm not
even being hyper uper like that's no hyperbole, Like that's possible. All right,
let's flip over now talk about the Clippers and Dallas and Dallas favor going
in. No Kawhi, so no problem, no no Kauhi, no problem.
Right. So you know, the feeling was the Clippers would get smacked
right in the mouth, and they came out and they smacked the Mavericks in
the mouth. Were you surprised? I was? But I mean again,
I think you know when you watch the game, I means shop making is
so important, right, and Dallas missed everything for a half, and James
Harden got really hot, and they built themselves enough cushion, you know.
I mean, they didn't play great basketball in the second half, but look,
it's hard to play great basketball at that level when you set the bar
so high in the first half. I mean, I think this is why
you have three stars, like like legitimately three you know, Hall of Fame
can carry an offense superstars. And James Harden showed up and played great basketball
at the time he way traditionally doesn't. And and I think it was a
really good time. I mean I thought was West was good in that game.
I thought it beats the Zoobots early. Yeah, really good in that
game. And look, and you know Dallas is gonna play better again,
right, Like Kyrie and Luca are going to make shots. The thing to
be watching that series is that you've got guys you can play incredible defense on
and they can score. Luka Doncic is at the top of that list in
the league. James Harden has been there, Kyrie irving as hard as anybody
to come. Pols's a tremendous, tough shot maker, and you know they're
gonna be games in this series. You just tip your hat. And I
think there's an element of that from Dallas. You know, they're still adjust
I think we'll see where they're at with Gafford, We'll see where they're at.
I thought Lively played pretty well in that Game two for them, But
it's just, you know, I mean, the Clippers are really good guys,
they just haven't been really good for a couple of months. And it
doesn't Dan doesn't it add to the Clippers in terms of favorability because now the
pressure to play Kawhi or to rush him back, it just gets pushed back
a couple of days now because I'm not going to say they're playing with house
money, but winning that first game, the pressure to get Kawhi back in
the lineup sooner rather than later just kinda now, now we can live without
playing with Kawhi for a minute. Well, I mean, I look,
I think on one hand they know they can meet him, But on the
other, I mean, I don't think. I don't think pressure is part
of the equation as to whether or not Kawhi Leander plays right. I mean,
I think singularly, he may he may be more in control of whether
he goes or out than any other star in the league. I'll talk about
you. No, I don't I know. I mean, look, I
don't think their minds. I don't think their mindset like they I think they
know they can win without Kauai. I think they would rather obviously have him,
you know, And I think this gives them more confidence. But you
know again, I mean they've been down oh too to Dallas before and they
have come back to win that series. Like that's the thing that has happened
in the very recent past. Uh. You want to you want to get
him back on the floor. You want him to be right when he gets
there. I think, you know, had they lost Game one, like
you know, would there may have been a little bit more panicked. I
maybe I just think they're a really mature team, Ronnie, And I think
they kind of, you know, their experience. They have a very experienced
head coach, They've experienced players all over the roster. I think they they've
got big picture thinking in this and then they look and they are gonna be
teams that lose in the first round of this postseason. This will be The
really interesting thing about about this year in the West, there are teams that
are gonna lose in the first year, the first round, the playoffs that
have had great seasons, right, Teams that have won twelve, thirteen to
fourteen games more than they lost, Teams that would normally feel like they had
a successful year, that are going to be done, you know, by
the end of April, and it's gonna be interesting to see how those teams
react to You know, you can be a title contender and you could lose
in seven games or six games in the first round. That's how good the
conferences, Dan, were you surprised at Minnesota took care of Phoenix the way
they did. I'm not surprised. I think Anthony Edwards is ready for the
stage, and I mean you could really see him embrace it. I think
the Timbrols have I mean, they've been really good all year. They are
They've got a lot of size, they have a lot of defenders on the
perimeter, They've got experience with Mike Conley. I think they're really well coached.
They're deeper than the Suns. I think Phoenix will play better too,
you know, but but they really put their foot on the gas in that
game. Like I said, I mean, I don't really think there was
a result this weekend that surprised me. I mean, all the home teams
won, right, it was kind of jock. I mean, I think
the Pelicans played that the thunder tighter than a lot of people expected. But
otherwise, I mean, it kind of all went to script so far.
And I mean, you know it's the high I mean, the higher ceased
teams of if you hear players say this on them, you know they've done
what they've supposed to do. Like I said, Like, I mean,
there's the cliche, right, like the series doesn't win n till a home
team loses, and none of them lost, but you know theyvan as it
turns out. Matter did it feel like okay, see was a number one
seed though? No? I mean I mean I think they're I mean they're
so inexperienced, right, like, I mean, they're so young. But
I but I think Rodney, they're a team that's going to get stronger as
the close season goes on, Like guys, they get more experience and stuff
like that. I mean, look, they you know they had young players
miss misshots, but then you had shake Gillsess, Alexander hit huge ones,
do a stretch right like chet Holmgren miss a big free throw and stuff like
that, and they you have some pretty big offensive rebounds. But I but
I think, like you know, when it came to like money time,
like Shay was as good as anybody on the court, you know, and
he's been one of the best players in the league this year at that time,
And like, I mean, they're vulnerable, but I think they're vulnerable
in the way that everybody in the West is, maybe outside of Denver.
All Right, well, Dan, great stuff as always. Uh, have
fun tonight. Thanks should be a good one. I'm looking forward to it.
Well, I don't know if it'd be a good one, but half
fun. And I mean, you know, we'll see play get to ogen
way either way. I'll be home tomorrow either way, you know, Like
I said, it is Uh, well, we'll know a little bit more.
That's I think the most the most exciting part is liked go for a
little hike in that altitude up there. No, thank you, I'm tired
from talking. All right, there goes our buddy, Dan Wykey. Thanks
Dan. Uh, We're at Hollywood Park in Inglewood. You know, we
should do right now, give some stuff away, Freddy, Let's give some
stuff away. Who wants to go see them out the Dodgers and Braids on
May fifth and the A five seventy sweet? Who wants to go to that
game? Dodgers Braids. Oh, we got four pairs of tickets. We
will give our first pair away right now, right now. It's fred Rogan
Rodney peted a. Uh, Inglewood Park and the casino, Yes, across
the into a dome, Hollywood Park. Hollywood Park is see. I was
gonna say a five to seventy, but then we're going to do a break
and then I screwed the whole thing up, So we'll try it good.
Hollywood Parkinsino across three in two a dome down here in Inglewood, right next
to Sofi. We're here till three more pairs of sweet tickets for the Dodgers
and Braves, more tickets to see the Tom Brady Roast. We are also
giving away Chef Morito gift baskets. We invite you to come on down and
be a part of the show on a five seventy LA Sports Yes, Hollywood
Parkinson the way you are on a Monday. We welcome up, prit Yeah
we did. Huh after the weekend. You had a good weekend. Now
you had in Hollywood Parkasino Bruce Doc ground Raw. Wasn't he great? What
are you great? Last hour? What I'm talking about set a home away
from home? Yeah it is. And we'll be here a couple more times
this year, Hollywood, pot love it. We're giving away more tickets,
you know, for the Dodgers, sweet and for the Tom Brady Roast.
We'll be giving them away through three o'clock. So if you're driving around anywhere
and you'll go down by, come on down, come visit us, Come
visit us. All right. So the Dodgers are off tonight, they've flown
to Washington. The Lakers, we know, will try to fight for survival
in Denver against the Nuggets and the Kings. And I am represented today.
Yeah you. By the way, you can hear every La King game on
the La King's Audio Network on the iHeartRadio app, Go Kings, Go King's
open tonight in Edmonton, Yes, against your favorite place. All right,
let me say this, Let me just say this. Everybody here and you
know you can live your life, you can do what you want. I'm
not gonna judge you, but everybody here should hate Edmonton. Everybody here should
hate Edmonton. I'm gonna tell you why tell yeah, Freddie, enlighten our
crowd because some of them don't understand why you have this hate for our friends
up north. Okay, First of all, it's the third time the Kings
will see them in the first round. The third time, all right,
Uh, previous two years Kings knocked out trying to turn things around. Edmonton
is a very dirty hockey team. Why do you keep saying that Ford very
dirty? Because why do you keep saying that? Here's why because you well
you might remember. I don't know, I don't know how many people here
have followed hockey over the years. But there was a guy that played for
the Detroit Red Wings who Wayne Gretzky said was the greatest player of all time,
Gordie how Gordy Yeah, all right, well, Gordy Howe, and
he was number nine, the big guy played on the front line. Yep.
You never wanted to go into the corner with Gordy Howe because in the
day things were a little different, and they used to say Gordy how sharpened
his elbows. Yeah, Gordy, How you doing, Gordy, how you
doing right? And he would take you out. That's kind of Edmonton.
They're chippy, they're dirty, they try to get away with things. I
guess it's you're supposed to try the throw the other team off. There's a
question about that. But you look at this guy Nurse for Edmonton, dry
sidles this even in the way you say their names. He's just I don't
like him. He just got a hatred for him, you know. But
in that hockey being chippy, being aggressive, being trying to intimidate Connor.
Every team's got those guys, right, Yeah, but Connor McDavid, for
example, good player. You can make the argument that might be the best
player in the league. You can make that argument. Yes, you know
what, that's not a guy that should be a dirty player. That guy
should not be a dirty he's throwing him dirty. Oh he was last year.
There's no question about it. Is he a dirty player? Did he
make some dirty plays? Is there's a difference? All right? You know
what. I think he's made some dirty plays which made him a dirty player
in my mind. And the thing is this, when you're a star,
you don't do that. When you're one of the best game players in the
game. You don't do that. You have people protect you. You don't
go out there and start stuff because eventually, basically you're gonna get your asking.
So maybe a guy that didn't want to be intimidated, h, well,
now you can come at me, because usually right you go at the
stars, there's always a bully or a protector for every team has. Yes,
if you go after somebody, if you go after let's get somebody's coming
after you, right right. Maybe he said I don't need someone to come
after me. I got it myself. Yeah, I'm Conor McDavid. Yeah
he doesn't know. You want to cheap shot me, I'll cheap shot you.
Yeah. He doesn't have it himself. He does not have it himself.
And the Oilers started off very slowly. Their coach who they replaced,
looked like a twelve year old kid. So then they brought in a new
coach and the team caught fire. This is a very critical time for the
Kings. They've got to get out of the first round this year. They
have to advance. They cannot be knocked out again. You cannot use the
excuse, well it's Edmonton, because you've got to be better than they are
at this point. Maybe the tide turns, maybe things change, but they've
got to get out of this round this year or I think you are going
to see some changes. You think it's going to like a cleanhouse change.
I think you have to look at the general manager. I think you have
to look at what he's put together and say, Okay, it's good,
not good enough. Kings went through this entire rebuilding period where they were awful,
awful, aftter have won the Cups. They finally got things turned around.
They went for it, they got to the playoffs, they got to
the playoffs last year. You got to advance. Now you have to and
you can't chalk it up to bad luck of the job drawing Edmonton in the
first round. No. Pierre Luke Dubois, who has been on the show
and was a terrific guy and had a great story to tell. When he
was in Winnipeg and Columbus, people said he never played up to his potential.
He was a little soft. He never did what had to be done.
So the King's trade for him, because he has all the skill in
the world. They bring him in here and they pay him. Yeah,
I mean, this is it. Yeah, he's got a big money,
long term deal, and here with the Kings, he's as flat as a
pancake as he was in Winnipeg and Columbus. That could prove to be a
critical mistake unless he wakes up tonight. There are no indications that he will
because he hasn't, but perhaps now when the lights are a little brighter,
he will. That has been a problem for the Kings, a major problem.
They didn't so that's going to get the GM fired. That could undo
Rob Blake right there, because when you pay him all the money you paid
him, that means you have no money for anybody else. They're pressed against
the cap. It's a hard cap. There's nowhere for him to go.
So you got to go with what you got. And he didn't believe what
he saw. He thought he could change him, which a lot of GMS
do, a lot of teams do. He struggled over here. We bring
him into our building, we can change it, we can bring out the
best in him. And that didn't happen. Right Well, that's happened three
times now. Yeah, as we would say in hockey, it's the hat
trick. Three times they've tried three times, it hasn't happened. Hopefully they
turned it around tonight so the Kings again. You can hear it on the
iHeartRadio app the LA King's Audio Network YEP are tonight Wednesday in Edmonton, Friday,
Sunday back here at the Crypt and hopefully when they get back they'll have
a lead in this series because I'm telling you they desperately need it. I
just want to touch on this real quick. US see spring football, the
big spring game, big spring game. Yeah, what happened was that nobody
was there. Nobody was aware at the spring game. I was there or
how many people were there, I don't know, five thousand maybe being generous,
being generous, Yeah, but we don't do I mean, spring games
at USC has never been a thing. It's never been a thing like it
is at Ohio State or Alabama or Michigan or things like that, where it's
like a big to do and big deal. People got better things to do
in the spring in LA Then going to a college spring game, it's not
happening. I don't care if your SC's winning back to back national titles.
There was never a crowd at spring games. It's just not something that you
do. So I'm not looking at the old Ohio State at one hundred thousand
and we only had five being generous, What does that mean? A more
smirk on your face like that, I mean more people than you did.
That's what it means. That's what it means. That's what. How many
wins and loss does that mean? Well, I don't know none. How
about that you mean none for the season. Yeah, it doesn't mean anything.
Well, you'll find out. Yeah, we'll find out. Yeah,
the team that you don't win in the spring, Fred, Yeah, well
let's find out if the team that draws the most in the spring wins in
the fall. Yeah, there it is. Then we got to change our
ways. They got to change your ways. What'd you see in the game,
by the way, I didn't because I socialized the whole time. Perfect,
Yeah, let me break it down off. No, I uh,
it was like a reunion basically for Yeah, it really was. They you
know, it felt like usc is kind of going back to remember when Pete
Carroll came in. There was a bad taste with a lot of former players
alums that we weren't welcome back, that they didn't bring us down to campus.
They didn't allow us to go to practice. They didn't want us to
talk to the team or talk to the players or anything like that. After
Pete Carroll lot before Pete Carroll got there, before before he got there,
and Pete came in and said, wait a minute, I'm walking around here
at all I'm seeing you know, Marcus Dallen and Troy Polamalu and blah blah
blah, and you know Roddy Lott and all these names and pictures. Why
are these guys not hanging out. Why are these guys not talking to the
team, Because a lot of these guys went to school there because they want
to be the next whatever. And he brought everybody back, brought everybody and
you remember that time there was no NFL team in lac The UFC was the
NFL team, and it was it was like going it was like going to
the Lakers showtime Lakers going and being at the USC games on the sidelines.
It was like that. And he brought the players back. So that feeling
now it feels like it's that again. So on Saturday at spring gre game,
there were a lot of former players from different eras that were there hanging
out talking about where we need to go and moving to the Big ten because
it it is, it is the tradition of USC that we pride ourselves and
talk about all the time, but yet sometimes we don't embrace it. So
Jen Cohen, I got to give it up. She's the new ad.
She's doing a great job so far. It's really circling the wagons and bringing
back the pride of USC and we're gonna need it. We're gonna need it
going into the Big ten for it's gonna be a challenge, but it's gonna
be okay. But from what I did see and did just kind of get
the the sense is that which I love is that there is a real sense
of urgency about defense, well about the defense and where it has been the
last few years. And the defense. I mean, if you read some
of the stuff, the defense looked great that you know, several interceptions and
they did some good things and the defense outshined the offense. And people will
say, well, Miller Mass struggled in the spring game. Yeah, it's
spring game. But the emphasis and the way the players are talking about the
pride of defense, knowing where they were last year and how bad they were,
they're not running from it. They're talking about it, which is a
good thing. Now you've got to be about it. You got to be
about it on Saturdays starting in the fall. But I got a sense there
was a come to Jesus moment for this team this spring about we can't just
roll the helmet out there and think we're gonna be okay. Yeah, I
was gonna say, given that the Big Ten is going to be challenging to
be fair, to say the least, it's going to be challenging. Do
you think they have any real idea how challenging it's going to be. No,
because I think anytime you start something new, you're going to run into
things that you're not expecting or you thought you knew but you didn't. I
don't think they're going to be surprised by the Ohio State, or Michigan or
even Penn State for that matter. I think where the surprise will come in
is when they go to Iowa or they go to Wisconsin. You know,
they go to even an Illinois and see the type of intensity and support that
those schools have when there's you know, one hundred thousand people at the stadium
in Iowa, you know, rooting for Iowah haw Gys. You didn't get
that at Oregon State, right, you know, the Keezer state. You
didn't get that at Washington State. You may got you may have seen thirty
thousand people in the stands here. You go to No Northwestern, there's gonna
be a crowd. So I think that's what's going to be something that's gonna
be surprising to them. But they know how good Ohio State is, they
know how good Michigan is. They're not gonna be surprised by that. It's
just the rest of the conference is going to be a surprise. And also
I think that some of the big ten folks are gonna be surprised when they
got to go to Washington to play, or they got to go to Oregon
to play, right, because they've seen that team to come out to Oregon
and come out to Washington got the doors blown off them. So it's gonna
be a transition for everybody. Okay, when we come back, is it
karma or is he snake bit? Oh? Fred Rogan, Rodney Pete,
we are alive at Hollywood Park to see all we got stuff to give away.
Let's do it right now. We've got another pair of tickets right now.
Netflix roast of Tom Brady on Bay fifth. So somebody is gonna go,
are you roasting him? To the Netflix roast to Tom Brady on May
fifth. Get your tickets out, we'll start calling the numbers. We still
have tickets to give away to the Dodgers. Sweet all of it. As
we continue from Hollywood Park, Fred Rogan, Rodney Pete on a five seventy
l A sports. Oh yeah, we're back. We're back, Hollywood Park,
Casino, Inglewood, Inglewood, Inglewood, up to no good? That's
right, Ingle would all right. So if you remember what three years ago,
I believe Anthony Rendon was a free agent, had a very big season
with the Washington Nationales, won the title, beat our Dodgers here. He
had a great series. They didn't. And if you remember, the Dodgers
were very interested in Anthony Rendon, and it's highly unusual for them not to
get somebody they were interested in. So they made a run at him,
and as the story goes, the Dodgers put forth a very good offer,
but Rendon decided he didn't want to play in Los Angeles. He didn't want
to be in the city of Hollywood. It was scared. He didn't like
what it represented. He was scared. He's not a Hollywood guy. Now,
of course we all know, by the way a show of hands here
today in Inglewood, who lives in Hollywood? Exactly exactly? I mean,
maybe somebody lives in Glendora or Alhambra or Sherman Oates or Valencia or cama Rio
or Huntington Beachis or Whittier or Calabasas. There you go, all right,
Whittier, there you go, go, see vic and the Zendome. But
the thing is this, everybody doesn't live in Hollywood. But that was his
reasoning. So he basically walked away from whatever possible offer the Dodgers were going
to make. And they were going to make an offer, a real good
off. Yeah, they had zeroed in on him. So then he decided,
look, the place for me is Orange County. That's where I should
be. Now we've learned since that time that part of his philosophy is his
family is its priority, which it should be. Baseball is his job.
He's not going to worry too much about it, which everybody thought was pretty
odd given his injury history with the Angels. I mean, he used his
inside voice. Outside. That's what he did. And the thing is we
didn't even really remember he was on the als because he'd been hurt so much.
He's still getting paid. So this year, he's healthy and he comes
back and he gets off to the worst imaginable start. I don't think he
got a hit in his first twenty twenty nine at bats. Yeah, I
can't remember when it was. Oh, oh for nineteen, Oh for nineteen
This guy making thirty five million dollars a year that barely played finally is healthy,
comes back and he's over for nineteen. Yeah. Well, you know,
once in a while, the ball is going to hit your bat,
and when it does, you get a hit. Yeah. And it was
suggested that they give him the tray turner treatment. Oh, give him the
standing ovation, Yeah, to help to help little Owen. Yeah, to
help little Owen. So eventually the ball hit the bat, He got a
hit, got a couple of hits, And now you're looking at him and
going, Okay, maybe we've misjudged him. Maybe he's the guy everybody thought
he would be three and a half years ago before he got hurt and basically
never played, just tore his hamstring. Now he heard himself again, but
he pulled it. I don't think he tore it. Well, you know
what, it's a pool for everybody else A good point. That's a good
point, right, And you know the amount of time he's gonna be off
is like a tiar that's right. Is it ten days with him? Who
really knows if it's ten days with him? Yeah, we're not exaggerating either.
I think that, you know, we may be a little somebody you
know, might look at you feed as you've been a little harsh, a
little hard on Sure Anthony Rondeau, maybe, but you're not. I don't
think I am either. No, you're not. I don't think so either.
Uh. The Dodgers really, congratulations to Andrew Friedman. Sometimes signings are
better when they're not signed, and that was the best non sign they ever
had. But for somebody to say, I just you know, it's not
like Hollywood. I don't like to play in Hollywood. I can't handle the
Holly. I don't like it, or whatever the exact quote. I think
when people think about California, they think of the straight Hollywood glamour lifestyle,
whole bunch of flashes and some much paparazzi. But everyone said down here,
down here being Orange County. That's the complete opposite. That was his exact
quote. Yeah, so Dodgers are Hollywood paparazzi. Hey, you guys are
surrounded by paparazzi here in Englewood today. My god, wow, you know
what that says to me? He's scared of the big time. That's how
it reads to me. Yeah, that's what it says. Yeah, he's
scared. You don't want to play in a big time, then just say
I don't want to play in a big time. Yeah, just say that
and say, hey, you know what, not for me, I'm a
Kansas City guy. Conversely, Otani said, I want the big time.
That's right, this is great. I want to go with the lights of
the Brothers. That was the little Brothers down there in Orange County, and
let me play with the big boys. It probably works in his favor though,
because imagine if he was performing like this, having all these injuries,
and he had signed with the Dodgers, what he would be getting as opposed
to the Angels. That's what he couldn't handle. Correct, That's what that's
what it is. When it went bad, and Dodger fans are real,
they ain't. They're gonna let him have it a little bit. He couldn't
handle that a little bit. He gets de destroyed. Bill Platskis and Dylan
Ornandez of the world. Yeah, you would not be able to handle them.
No, no, you come up here. You gotta be ready to
go. And apparently he wasn't. So I hope he's icing his hamstring.
He's casting them checks. That's right, you find a lot of ice.
All right, here's a question, because we're down here for another hour.
Who wants to go see the Dodgers and Marlins on May sixth and the A
five seventy Yeah, yeah, yeah, hands are up, hands go up.
By the way, we have two more this plus two more pairs of
those tickets to give away. Boy, oh boy, we're giving here till
three o'clock. Come on down to Hollywood Park at Anglewood, Fred Rogan,
Rodney Pete, get your tickets out here. We go on a five seventy
l A Sports