Best of The Ben Maller Show

0:00This is an I Heart Podcast. Guaranteed Human Ready for a different take on Formula One, look no further than NoGrip, a new podcast tackling the culture of motor racing's most coveted series. Join me, Lily Herman, as we dive into the under-explored pockets of F1. Including the astrology of the current grid, the story of the sports' most consequential driver's strike, and plenty of other mishaps, scandals, and sagas that have made Formula One a delightful, decadent, dumpster fire for more than 75 years. Listen to NoGrip on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. I'm Daniel Alarcon, and this is my friend is much more famous than I am. I wouldn't go that far, but I'm John Green, co-host of the podcast The Away End with my old friend Daniel. On our podcast The Away End, we'll share with you the magic of international football. All leading up to the 2026 World Cup. Together we'll find out why of all the unimportant things football, soccer is the most important. Listen to The Away End with Daniel Alarcon and John Green on the I Heart Radio app, Apple

1:01Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. How much do you weigh, Juan? Right now. About 130. Am I 183? Who's your race? No, I want to leave here with my original hit. On the podcast to match up with the Leah, I pair prominent female athletes with unexpected guests. On a recent episode, I sat down with undisputed boxing champ Clarissa Shields and comedian Wanda Sykes to talk about Wanda's new movie, Undercard. The art of trash talk and what it really means to be ladylike. Open your free I Heart Radio app, search the match up with the Leah and listen now. Brought to you by Novartis, founding partner of I Heart Women's Sports Network. On the scene of show podcast, each episode invites you into a raw, unfiltered conversations about recovery, resilience and redemption. On a recent episode, I sat down with actor, cultural icon Danny Trail, talk about addiction, transformation and the power of second chances, the entire season 2 is now available to bench featuring powerful conversations with the guests like Tiffany Addis, Johnny Knoxville, and more. I'm an alcohol, and without this proof, I'm a die. Listen to the Sino Show on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get

2:04your podcasts. On paper, the three hosts of the Nick Dickenpole show are geniuses. We can explain how AI works, data centers, but there are certain things that we don't necessarily understand. A better version of Play, Stupid Games, When Stupid Brises, which, by the way, wasn't Taylor Swift who said that for the first time. I actually thought it was. I got that wrong. But hey, no one's perfect. We're pretty close though. Listen to the Nick Dickenpole show on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to the best of the Ben Mallor Show podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight from 2 to 6 Eastern 11 PM to 3 AM Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and to find your local station for the Ben Mallor Show at Fox SportsRadio.com. You can find it there or stream us live every night on the I Heart Radio app by searching FSR. This is the best of the Ben Mallor Show on Fox Sports Radio.

3:08We begin a new and a lot of NFL stuff, a lot of NFL stuff going on by the way. We are scheduled to have it. I don't know. I don't think the person's arrived yet. There's supposed to be somebody here in 25 minutes or so. We'll see if they show up on time or not. I don't know. In rare in studio appearance, a rare in studio appearance, more on that coming up later. They may not show up. They might might fly. Who knows. But our lead this hour is from LA via the NFL owner's meetings. A lot of good content coming out of the Valley of the Sun adjacent at a luxury resort. So Sean McVeigh. The top coach in the NFL today, no one would disagree with that. So Sean McVeigh spoke about the party hardy pass catcher who's been making headlines in the tabloids for the last couple of months. That would be Puka Nakua. McVeigh had a lot to say among the comments from Sean McVeigh. He said that he did have a talk. He had a talk with Puka Nakua this year about the activity being responsible.

4:14And essentially the Stan Lee quote with a great responsibility comes blah, blah, blah, blah, give that whole thing as he's representing the Rams organization and he said McVeigh. He trust Puka Nakua and say good human being and he's not going to rush to judgment. He said and he says McVeigh said he trusts the kids heart. He said among other things and he's going to continue to help him grow. McVeigh also mentioned the quote, expectations for his receiver Puka Nakua said that this is a opportunity for him to learn and grow. All right. There you go. Okay. It says that he thinks Puka will be a ram for a really long time. What does that mean? Really long time. Your definition of really long time and my definition of really long time. Two different things. So that's a good jumping off point. Let us discuss the question. What's the meaning? If any that you're pulling out of Rams coach Sean McVeigh as we parse the words of his

5:16comments about Puka Nakua on the future and what's been going on here in Ram land in Ram land. So I've got algebra, evil twin and velvet curtain and we will combine all of these things together. And we're going to make some chicken parm chicken parmesan. That's what we're going to make with a little fettuccine on the side. So hey, the takeaway on this one is rather obvious. The takeaway from Sean McVeigh's comments is the classic. It's a classical exercise in what's known as situational ethics is what it is. We know what's going on here. We learned this from a former Fox sports radio contributor. I don't know if the guys worked here or not. I know he did a couple years ago. Steve Kaim, the general manager of the Cardinals for a while and they brought him in to speak with cliches during the draft is very good at that. However, Steve Kaim gave one of the all time great quotes when he was with the Arizona Cardinals years ago and he famously said, if Hannibal Lecter ran a four or four, the

6:19teams would call it just an eating disorder as they prepared to draft him. And that's it. And so the Rams, I know what they're doing here. It's obvious what they're doing. Puka Nakua is good. So they're doing the back of the napkin, what we call malar algebra, which is PKT equals SM2 squared. It's a spin off of Einstein's theory. And what is this? Well, production, productivity, productivity keeps talent as long as Sean McVeigh's ego can square the talent as long as that happens. We're good. Now in the NFL, when you hear character concerns and quote, I think we know this by now. It's a refresher course. So if you hear character concerns, that is often just a synonym for not talented enough yet. Right. If you're talented enough, then it's, it's a different, it's the production buffer. As long as Puka Nakua continues to put up top five numbers for a wide receiver, historical

7:23numbers for a player drafted in the middle rounds like he was. These off the field, fat boy antics are going to be categorized as growing pains. It's just growing pains. The moment those hundred yard games with one or two touchdowns turned into 40 yard games with no touchdowns, when that happens, Abracadabra, suddenly the same teachable moments will be cited as the reason that he has has to be shipped out of town. We cannot have them anymore. You know that. I know that every man, woman and child knows that's how it works. So different in any business, people get all worked up about football. I work in radio. There were some people that worked at places I've been that were complete losers, but they got ratings and they made the company money. So they put up with it. When the ratings weren't there and they stopped making money for the company, they're doing podcasts. That's how that works. That's the game right there. That's the game. And so Sean McVeigh, it's pretty simple here. McVeigh isn't managing the player, Pukinakua.

8:26He's not. He's managing the asset, Pukinakua, as are the ramps. In this case, he will tolerate the distraction as long as the ROI, the return on investment is high. And it's not about being a mentor and like that. It's like just wins and losses, wins and blank and he blank losses and who gets you closer to that, that point. And we're going to have to pay Pukinakua a ton, a ton of money. That would be the highest paid receiver in the NFL shortly. Now meanwhile, to the Niners, NFC West, we stay in the NFC West where we have a, he said he said situation, not exactly on the same pace. Now this involves Kyle Shanahan, who regurgitated essentially the same talking points that John Lynch, the general manager, had said regarding Brandon and I, up to wide receiver, who walked away from the 49ers and did, didn't want to play. And the consensus between Shanahan and Lynch is that Brandon, Iocus played his last snap

9:28with the 49ers at the same time. They're not in any kind of hurry. They're not looking to get read of anyone any, anytime soon, meaning there's this holding pattern, which is going on. There's like a holding pattern going on right now. And Shanahan gave a long, winded response, he said, I don't have a date on this. He said, however, he said, but I know eventually, it'll be resolved, it'll resolve itself. He said, well, I'd bring this up and said it's a, he said, he said situation. So a couple hours later, walking in, just dropping money because, you know, he's a rich guy that inherited the money. 49ers owner, Jen York, who was born on, not just third base, he was born halfway to home plate. So Jen York, singing a much different tune, the aristocrat owner of the 49ers, even going as far as to imply that there is a possibility that Brandon, Ioc, will remain in the Bay

10:34area for another NFL season, York said, quote, I think anything, anything's possible. Right? And he said, we want to make sure that we have as talented a roster as possible, first and foremost, York said he, meaning Ioc needs to get healthy and be able to reform blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. He's a really good football player. All right. Question. Here it is. How do you decode the, he said, he said situation mixed messages between Kyle Shanahan and the owner. And regarding wide receiver, Brandon, Ioc in his future there in the Northern California region. So on this one, this is a classic case of right hand versus invisible hand. And the owner talking out of his took us, you got Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch, who are in lockstep, right? They're just regurgitating the same talking points, which means they're in agreement on

11:34this. You've got the owner coming in here and he's like, oh, no, no, no, no, I mean, I'm going to go with Shanahan and Lynch, because they're the ones that are in the, the fox hole, if you will. And they've pretty much acted throughout this off season, like morticians who are already measuring the pine box for Ioc with the 49ers, that that's how that's going. And we've seen enough, we can't handle anymore, all that stuff. He played his last snap, all that rigamarore. And they're just waiting for the NFL draft, which is still about a month away. And then at that point, unload cargo, unload cargo at that point. And so you've got that, and I just love if I, that yet York is acting like a total jack wagon in this tossing out a word salad, and clearly not, either not paying attention

12:34to what Shanahan and Lynch have said, or just completely oblivious, either way, it's the same thing. And so, so there you go. And give me a break. This is the tail. It's the tail of the twins. We've got Brandon Ioch, who's become Casper's evil twin, CRISPR, you know, the unfriendly ghost haunting the franchise and all that. And the guy was a QQ, not Qbert, QQ, quiet quid on the 49ers, ghosting almost everyone, which I, what do I know? I just do the overnight show. I'm generally speaking, that's not something that goes over very well. Am I wrong on that? Okay. I don't think I am. I don't think I am. He failed to meet the, even the minimum standards of professional lism, you know, that's it. And, and the main reason that Brandon will not be back, he's not going to renegotiate

13:35his country. So he's already lost millions of dollars for this power play, Brandon Ioch. And you look about it. You look, you look around and you're like, well, okay. So he's got a $25 million or something like that roster bonus through September first. So there's a better chance that I get $25 million from the 49ers and that Ernesto is there to take a picture of me while I get the check, the oversized check for $25 million from the Niners while wearing a Rams hat. There's a better chance of all that happening than Brandon Ioch getting that roster bonus from the 49ers. So forget about it, forget about it, not going to have now Brandon who is on the naughty list. So we expect him to finally be set free. Now there's a shot that he gets traded for a conditional late round keynote card. It is more likely than not though that he will be just let go and then sign one of those prove it one year contracts with some horny, desperate wide receiver team like the chargers

14:39of the commanders or somebody like that or a mystery team, the mystery team, cause he ain't going back to the Niners. All right. Now the last word here, the last word on this as we go to the bending of the rules, the bending of the rules is where we go here. So we're told that the NFL, which has been steadfast on we have all these guard rails off to protect players and all this stuff where the NFL now is considering a special exemption to let certain teams, certain teams play more than two short weekends. You know those games where you play on a Sunday and then boom, right back at it on a Thursday, back at it. All right. So they're going to supposedly expand that and allow more teams to play. Now the question is why, why would Roger Goodell and the big boss is there at the end of these the biggest boss, but he's just a conduit, a messenger pigeon, a useful idiot

15:40for the owners. So why would Roger Goodell's NFL bend the short week schedule rules give exemptions to certain teams? So this is the old Abracadabra magic set is what this is. It's street magic right there on park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan where all of the major heads of the industrial sports complex have offices within a couple of blocks. I did that walk. I walked past the baseball headquarters. Then I went over to the NBA and the NFL. They're all within a couple of blocks of each other on either fifth avenue or park avenue there in the concrete jungle of Manhattan. So anyway, the point is publicly the NFL puts on the white lab coat and they do that very well. They talk about concussion protocol and player longevity and independent medical professionals and all that safety first like they're running some kind of monastery right there really into it. And then it's a master class on what we call corporate flim flam is what it is.

16:44They'll look you right in the eye and right straight there right in the eye, lie to your face is what they will do. And they'll say the shield is a suit of armor for the players and all this and of course not the crash test dummies. You know it. I know it. We all know it. That's the way it is. And privately behind the velvet curtain, if you will, the story is the player, the players like the disposable paper plate at the billionaires barbeque in the Hamptons, you know, the billionaire buffet there at the barbecue buffet in the Hamptons and all that. He got Jeff Bezos over there like he's looking at that flea bitten week 14 schedule matchup and he's like, well, why are we broadcasting a garage sale? We're like the largest company in the world. Why are we broadcasting this trek? What is that? He wants theater like they haven't spent a lot of money. They want Lamar Jackson. They would like the Canon arm Josh Allen.

17:46They would like to see magic man Patrick Mahome and all that. And they want to see it and they're limited on how many games they can play. So why don't we get more of them? And what sugar daddy wants sugar daddy gets the NFL is treating the player long jeopardy like stale brand and of course they have to just keep Amazon happy because they want more of Amazon's money. So Amazon can raise prices. I got an email from a guy complaining. He said netflix is raising prices. And I guess YouTube had raised prices. I'm like, yeah, this is what happens. Professional sports gets involved and the price of everything goes up. One of the main reasons I was told years ago, one of the reasons I was just in Vegas this week and one of the reasons they started charging for parking is because of the hockey team. The arena they put behind New York, New York. They got to make some money from parking. And so, hey, let's just charge everyone $35 to park. We'll screw everybody. Wait till the A start playing. They'll raise the price of parking right there in the strip.

18:46In Las Vegas and everything gets more expensive and it just gets trickled down to the owners and sports and the teams and that's how that works. Be sure to catch live editions of the Ben Mallor Show weekdays at 2 a.m. Eastern 11 p.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the I Heart Radio app. Hi, this is Jay. I'm the producer of the Paul and Tony Fusco show. Usually in these promos, they ask you to listen to the show. I'm here to ask you, please don't listen to the show. The hosts are two absolute morons who have the dumbest takes on sports imaginable. Don't listen to the show so it can get canceled. Whoa, whoa, what the hell are you doing in the studio? Get him, Paul. Ignore that fool. Listen to the Paul and Tony Fusco show on the I Heart Radio app or wherever you get your podcast. He's still moving. Ready for a different take on Formula One? Look no further than no grip, a new podcast tackling the culture of motor racing's most coveted series. We need Lily Herman as we dive into the under-explored pockets of F1, including the astrology

19:49of the current grid. Louis Hamilton, Crapacorn Sun, Cancer Moon. Wouldn't you know it? Michael Schumacher is also a Capricorn Sun, Cancer Moon. The story of the sports' most consequential driver's strike. We have one man who upon hearing that he was going to be fired, freaked out, and apparently climbed out the window of the bathroom. And was Daniel Ricardo's illustrious F1 career a success story, a cautionary tale, or some combination of both. He started getting all this attention, and he may be started to think, I'm bigger than this. I'm better. And plenty of other mishaps, scandals, and sagas that have made Formula One a delightful, decadent dumpster fire for more than 75 years. Listen to no grip on the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. When you listen to podcasts about AI and tech and the future of humanity, the hosts always act like they know what they're talking about, and they are experts at everything. Here, the Nick Dick and Paul show, we're not afraid to make mistakes. What Kugler did that I think was so unique, he's the right-of-rector.

20:52Who do you think he is? I don't know. You mean the president? You think it goes to president? The candidate has a president. You think China has a president? Let's walk through that. God, I love that thing. I use it all the time. I wrap it in a blanket and sing to it. It's like the old Polish saying, not my monkeys, not my circus. Yep. There's a good one. I like that song. It's an actual Polish saying. Yeah. It is an actual Polish. Yeah. Better version of Play, Stupid Games, When Stupid Prizes. Yes. Which, by the way, wasn't Taylor Swift who said that for the first time? I actually thought it was. I got that wrong. Listen to the Nick Dick and Paul show on the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm John Green. You may know me as the author of The Fault in Our Stars. And now, I guess also is the co-host of The Away End, a brand new world soccer podcast. I'm Daniel Alargon, a writer and journalist, and John and I have known each other since we were kids. My first World Cup was Mexico 86. I was 9 years old.

21:53I watched every game, and I fell in love. On our new podcast The Away End, we'll share with you the magic of international football, all leading up to the 2026 World Cup. For us, soccer, football is a story we've shared for over 30 years. Since Daniel was the star player on our high school soccer team, very debatable. And I was their most loyal and sometimes only fan. I love this game. I love its history, its hope, its heartbreak, and above all, its beauty. Together, we'll find out why of all the unimportant things football, soccer, is the most important. Listen to The Away End with Daniel Alargon and John Green on the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Conkey, his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 Podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers.

22:53We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest story lines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to The 1021 Podcast on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We'll Ferrell's Big Money Players and I Heart Podcast presents Soccer Moms. So I'm Leanne. Yeah, this is my best friend Janet. Hey. And we have been joined at the hips in high school. Absolutely. Now a redacted amount of years later, we're still joined at the hip, just a little bit bigger hips, wider. This is a podcast where recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my life. With all the snacks and drinks, side bark. Why did you get heart cells or instead of beer? Well, they had a bogey. Well, then you got them. Do you want a white collar or something here? What are y'all doing? Microphones are you making a rap album? I would buy it. I would buy it. Cuts through the deep bits like a hot knife through sponge cake.

23:54That sounds delicious. Oh, you're lucky. I'm not a drug addict. You're lucky. You're lucky. You're lucky. I'm not a killer. I love this team and I'm really trying to be a figure in their lives that they can rely on. Oh. Oh. Listen to soccer moms on the iHeartRadio app Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. So early this hour is from baseball, the feeling out process or process here early in the baseball season. And one of these storylines, which was very, very easy to read. You know, this reading the future and the tarot cards and all that stuff. It's a bit of a hustle, right? It's a bit of a hustle. You play the odds. You play the odds. Like, do you have someone in your family that has a name that starts with the letter A? Well, most people do. Most people do. I bring this up because the New York Mets went out and horn swaddled the fillies to get bobe shit.

24:54So they got the shit. He was supposed to go to Philadelphia, end up going to the Mets instead. And he had a terrible opening weekend in New York. Now the Mets played again on Monday night, but heading into Monday, Boba shed the season opening series had 14 at bats, only one hit. And the fans decided to boo. They booed. They showed their displeasure for the former blue J who was asked about the experience of getting that New York welcome. And getting booed by the hometown fans there, just a couple games into his Mets career. And his response, he said, quote, if anything, there's a quote from Boba shed. He said, if anything, I thought it took too long. I get it. I thought my at bats were terrible to close quote. Alright, so that is a good jumping off point. Let us discuss the question. How did your scorecard read on Boba shed's handling of the Mets boobards?

26:02So I've got my reservation list. I got H bomb. We've got Uber Eats and Toddler. And we'll combine all of these things together and put on a happy face. Let me get something straight right now. Boba shed did not just handle the opening weekend boobards. He gave them a master class on psychological warfare in the industrial complex of professional sports. I'm not saying you're saying Boba shed's going to be amazing. I thought he was a good player in Toronto. I like them. And I'm, you know, I'm happy that he's on the meds because the meds will find a way to screw this up. They don't have good enough pitching to be a real threat. So there's that. But here's the thing. Alright, this was textbook with a capital T. A plus, plus, plus on the Mallor scorecard, extra credit. You hear the noise at city field.

27:03Like the fans throwing the verbal raspberries at you, right? That was not the Bronx cheer because it wasn't the Bronx. This was the queen's sneer is what it was. The queen's sneer and the whole peanut gallery, and given in the business and all that stuff. And but shit, he didn't bark back. There was no bark back. He didn't shirt. He just, he didn't go full tough guy. He's not a douche canoe like Anthony Rendon or something like that. You know, he's making that kind of money. Not that he, what he did was he deflated the balloon. And he used an H bomb humor. He used humor. He admitted. He sucked. Right? That's the way to do it. You admit it. And then you have deescalated the situation. That is how you handle the boob words. And then he did it. There's this cat and mouse game. And it's more fun when the players do not know how to handle it. Then we can goof on them. But shit. Based on what I saw, he handled this pretty well.

28:05And it's not that difficult to cat and mouse game. If you play well, you were living up to the contract. And that's it. You don't get extra credit until the playoffs. And then when you start getting big hits in the playoffs, you become immortalized and all that. And if you don't hit, you are then public enemy number one. That's the game. That's the game. It's the fine print. What was it? $126 million contract. AAV. The average annual value, $42 million. You think that doesn't paint a bull's eye on your back? You think that, please. Come on. Now, that is New York professional baseball, which is the way it's supposed to be. Although even the New York, I got an email from a guy who was out in the Long Island. He's like, wow, it's not the same. They're trying to make it seem like it's the same. It's not the same. Well, nothing stays the same. And I'd say there's less of a safe space than in some other places. And hopefully the med fans don't go soft like in Philadelphia and buy a billboard saying, we support you way to go.

29:08You know, all that dopey, hokey stuff and all that. And so far, but shit, there's only been a few games. He's been cool, calm and calculated and all that. And for that, he won the weekend, even though he didn't play well at one hit. He followed that up at a couple of ribbies. The meds beat the Cardinals, the Redbirds on a Monday night to kick off a road series. And so one, one base hit, not great for the money. They're paying them at better than the weekend, better than the weekend. All right. Now, two mil walkie we go, the crew, how about the crew? So the Milwaukee Brewers, we're going to talk about something that has been yapped about by all the baseball gurus who think this is like the smartest thing in the world. The greatest thing since sliced brand. Since sliced brand. So the Brewers have a shortstop prospect named Cooper Pratt. Who the hell is that Cooper Pratt? Well, I bring this up because he agreed to a contract for eight years

30:08and 50.7 million. A guy no one's ever heard of, 50.7 million. Pratt is 21. He is said to be a promising young player in the Brewers organization. So the report says and the Brewers being celebrated for locking this guy up. A la the Atlanta Braves, couple years back with Ronald LeCuna Jr. Locked him up, although not this not nearly as much as that. And Jackson Churrio also got one of these type of contracts in the Brewers. And so essentially it's been nothing but compliments for Milwaukee and all that. He's not very good as a hitter. He's a defensive player at age 21, not much of a hitter. So the question, give me the word. Give me the word for Milwaukee signing Prospect Cooper Pratt to an eight-year contract extension. Eight years. So my, I'm gonna give you two words. My words are fuzzy dice.

31:09Those are my words fuzzy dice. And you can hang it from the rear view mirror and pray that the engine does not fall out somewhere out on the highway. In Barstow, just hope that it doesn't fall. The Brewers are acting like they just found a Bitcoin as the gift in the cracker jack box. And I'm pretty sure that this is not a Bitcoin situation. The industry term for this is hope. That's it. You're selling hope. You hope this guy figures out how to hit Milwaukee is hoping the bat shows up. I think it's like an Uber eats and Femi, the Uber eats driver in Minnesota. Stop by said I made a long distance drive here and well that but the food keeps getting delayed. What's up? Oh, I don't understand. Why is the food delayed? Your hitter is on the way. Your hitter is on the way and all that. And it's like, well, no, he's not. He's stuck in double a traffic in this that and the other thing. Now Pratt, again, the sky report from what I read.

32:09I haven't seen the guy play other some YouTube clips. The guy they say has outstanding love and quote developing bat. They say developing bat. That's the claim. The two most dangerous words in baseball lexicon translation. We have no effing idea. We have no effing idea. Majorly baseball's pipeline, which is propaganda from big baseball says that. He's the 60 second ranked minor league player, which means he's not in the top 10, top 20, top 30, top 40, top 50, not even top 60. That is not elite, at least not where I come. So if he hits and he's a good defensive player and it's okay. This is a steal for the brewers and all that stuff. You lock in the price. If he doesn't hit, this turns out to be a boondoggle, a boondoggle brewers, boondoggle. And so it's not so much confidence.

33:09It's essentially crossing your fingers and calling that a strategy. We don't think that's a strategy. We don't. We don't think that's a strategy. All right. Turn the page on that. The final point from listeners Steve, who listens on a nightly basis in. He says he's not in Toronto, but he's close enough. He goes to Blue Jays game. So he's somewhere in Ontario there. I think he's in Hamilton, which is not. I don't think that's far away. I have to get out my map on my phone, but I don't think it's that far away. Anyway, he pointed out that the Blue Jays over the weekend set a franchise record, a 50 in their 50th season, starting their 50th season. The Blue Jays struck out 50 batters in their opening series against the athletics. And that's set the record for strikeouts in the first three games of the season. Kevin Gossman, who's seemingly been around forever. He said he Blue Jay opening day record had 11 strikeouts. And then Dylan Seese, who just came over from the Padres, he had 12.

34:12And then Eric Lauer struck out nine on Sunday as Toronto. And so the question, are you impressed to our friend? And again, I think it's in Hamilton. Are you impressed with the Blue Jays overpowering pitching staff after coming this close to winning the world series, setting the tone early? All right. You have to understand. I look at this thing through the eyes of a cynical talk show host. So I look at this, and I know the stat geeks are all aroused, and they're all, oh, this is great. Oh, man, I'm all horned up here with all these strikeouts and all that stuff. This is not the great wall of Toronto, all of a sudden. We're not recreating the Atlanta Braves of the 90s. We're not doing that here. The story is, really, to me, it's not about the Blue Jays. The better story is in the losing locker room, the athletics. That's where the story is. They are not even a major league team. It's like a traveling variety act.

35:12It's like a freak show, the athletics. And the baseball scraps. Oh, look at all the young talent they have and all that. They're an embarrassment. The athletics are a blight on the baseball landscape. They just are. And they will be until they relocate to Vegas. They should be back in Oakland. That's not going to happen. And their stadium is rising up from the middle of the strip there in Vegas. So that's going to happen. But they're not a major league team. They're like a traveling circus. And they get to refuel in Sacramento. And then they move on and go go elsewhere. They like the Blue Jays. I give you old, you know, back in the day. They had amazing pitching with Jack Morris. One really good year, then one terrible year in Toronto. And they were winning World Series. Jimmy Key, Pat Henken, guys like that. Juan Guzman. Those were some of the great pitchers in that era for the Blue Jays. Those guys were assassins. Absolute assassins. These guys. They're not bad.

36:13Again, I think it was more about the athletics. And it was anything that these guys did. They're really not athletic. So the Sacramento orphans. They're traveling orphans. And just kind of hanging out there and Brent Rucker and Nick Kurtz and those guys were swinging away. Swing about a swing about us all. And like they were trying to hit the moon while blindfolded with a pool need a noodle. Not a good strategy there. And so I wouldn't brag about that. It's kind of like a bragging about beating a toddler in a foot race. I wouldn't brag about that either. I wouldn't really brag about that. And so these teams. It's not just the athletics across baseball. They refuse to choke up the bat. And they refuse to adjust. That's your your a boomer if you want to do that. And so I think that's pathetic. Yet two strikes put the ball in play. Make somebody make a play. They don't do that anymore. So this was a gift from the baseball gods to make Toronto starts to really special.

37:16For five minutes to start the year. And then that's it. And they did go back to reality as the Colorado Rockies who will lose a hundred games yet again. Beat up Toronto. Fourteen to five in a game that was not even that close on a random random. You know what? Yeah. Rockies put up a seven spot. When you give up seven runs in one inning. That is embarrassing. Anyway, it is the Ben Mallor Show. If you were listening last hour, old buddy Eddie Garcia is hanging out with us here. You're rare and probably serious Sean is in here as well. Not paying any attention. I could literally say the worst things in the world about serious Sean. He is not paying any attention. He's having a private conversation right now with Koopa loop. He is not he's locked in. He has no care in the world. Anything I say right now, I could give the winning numbers to the lottery, which would make serious Sean a very rich man. And he would not hear them. And if I gave them out and I talked slowly, he would still not hear them. He would he would not make any money on that.

38:17He's so focused on what he's doing. It's fascinating this serious Sean. He also gave me a guilt trip. Yeah, he gave me a guilt trip. Be sure to catch live editions of the Ben Mallor Show weekdays at 2 a.m. Eastern 11 p.m. Pacific. Ready for a different take on Formula One? Look no further than no grip. A new podcast tackling the culture of motor racing's most coveted series. Join me, Lily Herman, as we dive into the under-explored pockets of F1, including the astrology of the current grid. Louis Hamilton, Crapacorn Sun, Cancer Moon. Wouldn't you know it? Michael Schumacher is also a Capricorn Sun, Cancer Moon. The story of the sports' most consequential driver's strike. We have one man who upon hearing that he was going to be fired, freaked out, and apparently climbed out the window of the bathroom. And was Daniel Ricardo's illustrious F1 career a success story, a cautionary tale, or some combination of both. He started getting all this attention. And he may be started to think, I'm bigger than this. I'm better.

39:17And plenty of other mishaps, scandals, and sagas that have made Formula One a delightful, decadent dumpster fire for more than 75 years. Listen to no grip on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. When you listen to podcasts about AI and tech and the future of humanity, the hosts always act like they know what they're talking about, and they are experts at everything. Here, the Nick Dick and Paul show, we're not afraid to make mistakes. What Kugler did that I think was so unique, he's the writer's director. Who do you think he is? I don't know. You mean the president? You think it was the president? The candidate has a president. You think China has a president? Let's walk through that. God, I love that thing. I use it all the time. I wrap it in a blanket and sing to it. It's like the old Polish saying, not my monkeys, not my circus. Yep. It's a good one. I like that song. It's an actual Polish saying. Yeah. It is an actual Polish.

40:17Yeah. Better version of Play, Stupid Games, When Stupid Prizes. Yes. Which, by the way, wasn't Taylor Swift who said that for the first time. I actually thought it was. I got that wrong. Listen to the Nick Dick and Paul show on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm John Green. You may know me as the author of the Faulkner stars. And now, I guess also is the co-host of The Away End, a brand new world soccer podcast. I'm Daniel Alargone, a writer and journalist, and John and I have known each other since we were kids. My first world cup was Mexico 86. I was nine years old. I watched every game, and I fell in love. On our new podcast The Away End, we'll share with you the magic of international football, all leading up to the 2026 World Cup. For us, soccer, football is a story we've shared for over 30 years. Since Daniel was the star player on our high school soccer team, very debatable. And I was their most loyal and sometimes only fan. I love this game. I love its history, its hope, its heartbreak, and above all, its beauty.

41:18Together, we'll find out why of all the unimportant things football, soccer, is the most important. Listen to The Away End with Daniel Alargone and John Green on the iHeart Radio App, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Conkey, his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 Podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to The 1021 Podcasts on the iHeart Radio App, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, I'm Austin. And I'm Brianna Stewart. And our podcast, Game Recognized Game, has never been done before.

42:18Two active players giving you a real look at our lives and what we actually think on and off the court. Nothing's off lift. We talk tray requests. What's the vibe of that when it's like your star player is like, well, I want to leave. And then actually now I'm going to stick. We talk tanking. I mean, honestly, like, I might get in trouble for this answer, but I think it's like definitely happening in the WWE. And yeah, we talked about our mistakes, too. They pulled me to the side and was like, hey, man, we got a call last night. And you can't be rolling around the city like this tonight for games. No, you know, doing this, doing whatever. And of course, family stories. It'll be like, mommy, why did you miss that? Mommy, do you play basketball? Check out Game Recognized Game with Stuy and Miles on the iHeart Radio App, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's Mallor. How about that? To the third degree. Rapid fire. Rapid fire. It's one big fan.

43:18It's real. John Harbob was fired from the Ravens, but he said in an interview over the weekend that he thinks the Baltimore coaching staff actually did its best job last season. Then what do you think? Well, the best is, you know, Coop means as good as all the rest. So when you say the best, he means as good as all the rest. I would say no. I would say no. That is a lie by John Harbob. Otherwise, he'd still be coaching the Ravens. Next. Jetscoach Aaron Glenn announced on Sunday that Geno Smith will be the team starter saying no doubt about it. He's our guy. Ben, assuming he stays healthy, do you think Geno stays the starter all season long? No, hell no. Does Aaron Glenn have a death wish? Does he want to go back to be a coordinator or work at the NFL network? What are you doing? Seriously, Geno Smith is the, what is the mission statement of the Jets? He's not going to be the starter all year. Next. We learned yesterday that Rick Patino signed a new deal with St. John's that tax on an additional year to his contract and gives him a significant pay raise. Ben, do you think this is the last stop for Patino? In college, yeah. And he's not going to get an NBA job.

44:19I just seems like a good fit. He loves New York that whole thing. He's got good players. Yes. How do we do? You pass it. That is a win. Put it on the board. I won the game. Winner, winner, winner. Chicken dinner. Next talk. Line up in the nation. Catch all of our shows at FoxSportsRadio.com. And within the IHARDS radio app, search F-S-R to listen live. Now. Mellers, mountain of money. Have a lot of that's a lot of money. Do you have what it takes to get to the top? Probably not. Let's get to it. Let's welcome in our contestants. We've got, what do we have here? Sam is in Rhode Island. Sam, hello. Welcome, Sam. Who do you want to partner up with? He's in here still. Everybody. Eddie Garcia. Visiting a special night. You can pick Eddie, me, Ben, or cool. I want to play Eddie's pile of paper. Yeah. Well, that's not the name of it. It is. It's not the name. It's false advertising. Woo-hoo. I want to play dollars not on a money with Eddie.

45:19All right. That's great. All right. We have one, two or three. One, three. I don't know. I'm not feeling well, Sam. Let's say hello, too. Who do we have here? Let's go to Jordan. Who's in Kansas City. Hello, Jordan. Welcome. Hey, Ben. Welcome back, Eddie. Thank you. All right. Jordan, who do you want to partner up with, Jordan? Well, I do want to say, last time I played, I was the last person to win with Eddie. I hate that he's already fixed. Well, thank you, Ben. Let's go. All right. Classic match. You can just knock him out of it. All right. Let's play the game here. All right, gentlemen. It's the Eric Clapton edition. He turns 81 years old today. Categories are cocaine forever, man. My father's eyes and sweet home Chicago. Sam, which category would you like? cocaine. All right. That's a lot. Good choice. Jordan, which category would you like? My father's eyes. All right. What do you pick? My father's eyes. Okay. All right. All right.

46:19Sam and Eddie are first. Your category is cocaine. All right. All these athletes were known to have cocaine problems. All right. What? 45 seconds on the clock. You're on your way and go. The playmaker, number 88, wide receiver of the Cowboys. Sam. That's right. That's right. No farther than that. I'm back in the day with Emmett Smith and Trey Ackman. Wow. All right. One of the all-time great linebackers, number 56, for the New York Giants. One failure. Yes. He was a baseball player for the New York Metz and Yankees. An outfielder and his last name was a fruit. Yes. His nickname was rock. He was a baseball player for the Montreal Expo, Chicago White Sox. Great base stealer. In the 80s. Path. Okay. How about a Michael? Michael. Oh, did not get that in, unfortunately. I think he did get Michael Irvin in there. Oh, did he?

47:19Yeah, right at the end. He said Michael. He did not say Irvin. All right, Sam. It does not count. I could give you points. At the special. At the end he did that. Tim Reigns. Tim Reigns. Rocker Reigns. And wasn't the rock nickname because he had to cocaine as supposedly. Yes. So he would have crushed the vile. All right. That's all right. Well, the second round will come through. Jordan and Ben, my father's eyes. All right. These athletes all have pro-athlete fathers. Are you ready, Jordan? Yeah, let's do it. All right. We're going to go. A running back star for the 49ers is dad playing for the Broncos. Yeah, that's great. Star guard for the New York Nicarbockers. He came over from the Dallas Maverick's point guard scoring guy. For the next. Scoring. No. No. All time home run, King's steroid cheat for the Giants in San Francisco.

48:19Very good. That is correct. His father was minute, very tall basketball player from Africa. Yes, that is right. Good job by you. I love you for that. All right, that's all we needed right there. All right, Sam, do you want forever man or sweet home Chicago? Sweet home Chicago. All right, go. All right. He won championships with the heat and with LeBron James and he's a guard. You're a guard. No, it's all hurt. He said it. I won the game. I won the game and he know I won the game. Ready for a different take on Formula One? Look no further than no grip. A new podcast tackling the culture of motor racing's most coveted series. Join me, Lily Herman, as we dive into the under-explored pockets of F1, including the astrology of the current grid, the story of the sport's most consequential driver's strike, and plenty of other mishaps, scandals, and sagas that have made Formula One a delightful, decadent dumpster

49:21fire for more than 75 years. Listen to no grip on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm going to weigh one. Right now, I'm about 1.30. I'm at 183, which race? No, I don't want to leave here with my original hit. On the podcast to match up with the Leah, I pair prominent female athletes with unexpected guests. On a recent episode, I sat down with undisputed boxing champ Clarissa Shields and comedian Wanda Sykes to talk about Wanda's new movie, Undercard. The art of trash talk and what it really means to be ladylike. Open your free I Heart Radio app. Search the match up with the Leah and listen now. Brought to you by Novartis, founding partner of I Heart Women's Sports Network. On the scene of show podcast, each episode invites you into a raw, unfiltered conversations about recovery, resilience, and redemption. On a recent episode, I sat down with actor, cultural icon Danny Trail, talk about addiction, transformation and the power of second chances. The entire season two is now available to bench, featuring powerful conversations with the guests like Tiffany Addis, Johnny Knoxville, and more. I'm an alcohol, and without this truth, I'm a die.

50:23Listen to the scene of show on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. On paper, the three hosts of the Nick Dickenpole show are geniuses. We can explain how AI works, data centers, but there are certain things that we don't necessarily understand. A better version of Play, Stupid Games, when Stupid Brises. Yes, which, by the way, wasn't Taylor Swift, who said that for the first time. I actually, I thought it was. I got that wrong. But hey, no one's perfect. We're pretty close, though. Listen to the Nick Dickenpole show on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Daniel Alarcone, and this is my friend who's much more famous than I am. I wouldn't go that far, but I'm John Green, co-host of the podcast The Away End, with my old friend Daniel, honored podcast The Away End. We'll share with you the magic of international football, all leading up to the 2026 World Cup. Together, we'll find out why of all the unimportant things, football, soccer is the most important. Listen to The Away End with Daniel Alarcone,

51:24and John Green on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an I Heart Podcast. Guaranteed Human.