Hour 1: World Baseball Classic, plus ESPN College Basketball Analyst Seth Greenberg

0:00Rich Eisen:So good, so good, so good. Spring styles are at Nordstrom Rack stores now, and they're up to 60 % off. Stock up and save on Rag & Bone, Madewell, Vince, All Saints, and more of your favorites. How did I not know Rack has Adidas? Why do we rack? For the hottest deals. Just so many good brands. Join the Nordiclub to unlock exclusive discounts, shop new arrivals first, and more. Plus, buy online and pick up at your favorite Rack store for free. Great brands, great prices. That's why you rack. The world moves fast. Your workday? Even faster. Pitching products, drafting reports, analyzing data. Microsoft 365 Copilot is your AI assistant for work.

0:42Built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Microsoft 365 apps you use. Helping you quickly write, analyze, create, and summarize. So you can cut through clutter and clear a path to your best work. Learn more at microsoft.com slash m365 copilot.

1:00Rich Eisen:This is The Rich Eisen Show. Hey, everybody. Can't get enough of The Rich Eisen Show? You're in luck. You can find us everywhere. Watch us weekdays on Disney Plus from noon to three Eastern. Miss the show? We've got a podcast so you can listen anytime. But here's the best part. Our YouTube channel. Subscribe at youtube.com slash richeisenshow and you'll never miss a moment. Now, on with the show. Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. This kid has been on fire today. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Lawyers step back three, right wing. Yes! And pulls the upset. The Rich Eisen Show. Today's guests.

1:46ESPN college basketball analyst Seth Greenberg.

1:50Rich Eisen:Comedian Derek Stroop. Plus, latest news and more. And now, it's Rich Eisen.

2:25Rich Eisen:channel 80 844-204-RICH is the number to dial whether you're Dominican or American. Give us a ring here on this program talking about March Madness. We have brackets. If we didn't have brackets, why am I holding one? Right here. Men's and women's brackets. We've got them. We're going to start looking at the brackets. Who's in, who's out, bubbles popping and all that sort of stuff. Seth Greenberg's going to be joining us on this program in less than 20 minutes time because there's not enough bald Jewish men on the program. And so on top of all that, what that's the truth uh derek stroop the comedian is going to be joining us in studio in our number three he's a very very funny man don't miss that we'll have some laughs and again 844-204-RICH is the number to don what's up christopher how are you i'm bald i'm not jewish but uh it's all good i'm happy to be part of the we're the tennessee titans of broadcasting absolutely jason feller how are you sir good all the jewish checking in that's it tj jefferson the candle appears to be not lit what's going on over there i think it's time for this one to hit the track Oh, it's over.

3:26Rich Eisen:John Wick 5? John Wick is out. I'm not bald. I'm thinning, and I'm Baptist, not Jewish. Ladies and gentlemen, we're all up to speed. Happy 316 Day. Oh, yeah. Happy 316 Day to you, sir. Crack a beer mid-show. Stone cold. Stone on it. Steve Austin Day. It's 316. Give me a hell of a hell of a hell of a hell of a hell of a hell of a hell. All right. Fantastic. Again, 844-204-RICH is the number to dial right here on the program. Listen, March Madness is beginning. Men's and women's tournament. it's awesome it's just one after another after another after another and one of the many things we love about March Madness is yes unpredictability yes the stories and the journeys and everything like that but once again what we love as sports fans is to watch an event where it means as much to the competitors as it does to us at home it is like we are connected matrix style we are connected sitting at home.

4:24Rich Eisen:We are connected sitting in a bar. We are connected watching from an airport backseat on a plane or an airport terminal on our phones. We are connected as a one unit of sports fans and sports competitors together. And that is why also the World Baseball Classic is awesome. I love it. I cannot wait for Italy and Venezuela to play tonight for the right to take on Team USA. It has been electric. It has been October baseball in March, and it is for love of game, love of country, love of heritage, just love, period. And it is awesome. I have loved myself every single second of it. Just great. And every now and then, it does just also remind you of just how great the players who play Major League Baseball are.

5:22Rich Eisen:They are as athletic and as terrific athletes, you know, as you possibly can see in any sport. And then, you know, you got the Alejandro Kirks of the world who've already got that October gut working. You know what I mean? Like, it's awesome to see how many stars of the game are playing. You see prospects out there. Just great. And it was also a reminder that the season's coming. And you see who's out there for your team and dominating or not doing well. And what does that mean for the season? What does that mean for your team? You're reading into all of this stuff. And then a game like last night happens.

6:02Rich Eisen:Paul Skeens is used to not getting run support, as we all know, as a Pittsburgh pirate. And he gives up the first blow of last night's game to one of the best in the business. Cooper loves him some Caminero. He's so good. He just absolutely loves this kid. Oh, I know. And the blast puts the Dominican Republic up one to nothing. And it looks like, you know, Luis Severino, he's touching 100. And it's not looking great. Like, certainly when Skeens is not hitting the zone as much as he does that you're used to seeing. A little off. Right? Getting hit a little bit. But that Dominican Republic lineup is insane.

6:55Rich Eisen:And it's tough to beat a team that has love of the game coursing through their veins uh a chip on their shoulder a manager who may be the best player on the team you know if he grabs a bat and albert pool holes with all due respect to everyone else right good one um and then you know somebody decides to hit a baseball to Aaron Judge and he hoses another guy out at third base Can you stop trying to run on that, dude? And, you know, again, the way I'm viewing it as a Yankee fan, I'm like, last year, Judge had something going on with his elbow and his throw an arm, and it's like, okay, he's ready for 2026.

7:40Rich Eisen:Hosing people out, giving an opportunity to his teammates to start taking a lead, and then Gunnar Henderson and the Roman Empire of Boston that is rising as Roman Anthony gives the United States a 2-1 lead with two solo shots um cooper turns to me again we root for the yankees in our household he goes dad this guy's gonna be a problem for a long time he's right and i'm like uh yes my uh my youngest son you are correct until we don't until we decide to not pay him and he goes to the dot i i think you already paid him though which is smart right now early on in his career before he's really even done very much other than show that he's incredible so 2-1 and the uh dominican republic starts putting guys on base and one after another relievers come out of the pen mark de rosa is pushing buttons it all works out yada yada yada mason miller comes on to protect a one-run lead in the ninth and with a runner on third and two outs and the game on the line a clear ball four on a 3-2 pitch is called strike three looking and that's the end of the game i mean this was a call that home plate umpire cory blazer he's been a he's been a major league baseball umpire since uh yeah this will be his 16th season coming up yeah well it just goes to show you that even the most veteran umpires if they're calling a ball a strike in a certain spot that's not a strike all night long and it's not a strike on any night of the week except this one you should take the bat off your shoulder and Perdomo did not in the end of the day this was ball four and the usa moves on the dominican republic goes home or back to their respective spring training facilities and it's a bitter pill to swallow for fans who wanted to see a game where it's not marred by a called strike three that was ball four um and also i don't know just wanted to see more baseball to be honest with you but i don't know if team usa would have won a game going in extra innings that's for sure mark de rosa was breathing a massive sigh of relief while giving his pen some kudos that was high level baseball at its finest i mean for our bullpen to come in and do the job they did dominican never stopped it was like constant traffic never relaxed just uh just a game we'll remember forever right um i think for me tyler rogers coming in getting the double play david bednar having traffic griffin jacks on down the line just getting it to mason gary whitlock is absolutely nasty so yeah just a and on their side as well.

10:46They held us in check. It was three solo shots decided the game, so

10:53Rich Eisen:proud to be a part of it. And that's a nice sigh of relief for this manager who sat Bregman and played Gunnar Henderson, and that's a button nicely pushed, with all due respect to Bregman. And USA moves on, and Albert Pujols had this to say about the called strike three that should have been runners on the corners. and Fernando Tatis Jr. up at the plate? I don't want to focus on that last pitch. Obviously, it didn't go our way. Disappointed about the way that the game ends, but I don't want to criticize any of that. It just wasn't meant to be for us. I think both teams pitched well, played well.

11:40Our bullpen really did an outstanding job. They did a great job as well. So I'm not really going to focus the whole game, especially a great game like it was tonight, on that last pitch.

11:52Rich Eisen:You know, that's Pujols being classy, also a guy I think that wants to be a manager in the Major League Baseball world. And I think he showed the stuff and turning down an opportunity to appropriately light up this home plate umpire. Because Soto got called out on a called strike three in the same spot earlier in the game. Yeah, he was calling the low strike. which is why Perdomo might have – it probably is a good idea to take your bat off the shoulder, but that's ball four. When the catcher looks shocked that it's a strike, then you kind of go – I mean, Will Smith, phenomenal frame job. But again, two – and by the way, Will Smith in for Cal Raleigh as well.

12:35Rich Eisen:You take a look at the opportunities that – because I always say play better than the ref's ref. the Dominican Republic had opportunities throughout the game they had runners in scoring position I believe in the fourth inning Austin Wells flied out to left to end that inning Juan Soto hit into a double play when Travis Rogers another guy that was added to the roster and then inserted in a very tough spot Rogers got Soto to ground into a double play in the fifth in the seventh inning great play by Bobby Witt Bednar had traffic on the base paths as DeRosa have pointed out Tatis Jr. and Marte's back-to-back strikeouts.

13:11Rich Eisen:And then obviously there was a runner on second in the ninth inning with one out. And those moments in the fourth, fifth, seventh, and ninth opportunities with, except in the fourth inning, less than two out runner or runners in scoring position, and they could not get it done. And that's the way that you wind up in a position to have a home plate umpire kind of blow the call and ruin your night and end it. And just like in the last World Baseball Classic, we're about to have a new rule change where the World Baseball Classic shows off how it might affect things. Now, if you recall the way the World Baseball Classic ended the last time, it was when Shohei Ohtani faced off with Mike Trout with two outs in Japan versus Team USA.

14:10Rich Eisen:This is way back when Ohtani was a player that we were wondering what he would look like if he ever made the postseason here in Southern California. Okay. And way back when, when Mike Trout was insurable for the World Baseball Classic. Oh, hey now. let's call it the way it is otherwise you'd think Trout would be out there if he could get insurance but I came on this show and I'm like the pitch clock is coming and the World Baseball Classic didn't use the pitch clock and man this moment won't be the same when Major League Baseball institutes the pitch clock because the drama won't build as much and they'll quick pitch because they'll have to because the clock's ticking.

15:03Rich Eisen:I was wrong, okay? Because the ticking clock does not destroy the building drama in between pitches. It just doesn't. But I came on this show, I'm like, hopefully this moment won't go away. Now I'm kind of flipping the script saying this moment's about to go away because there is going to be a challenge system in Major League Baseball where a player, pitcher, or hitter taps the top of their head and the ABS, the Automatic Balls and Strikes System, will chime in to see if that's really a ball or not. And you could bet that if the Dominican Republic still had a challenge remaining because Soto would have gotten his right in that at-bat where he was called out on strikes on the same low strike that really was a ball, Perdomo would have touched the top of his head and there'd have been runners on the corners for Fernando Tatis Jr.

16:04Rich Eisen:with Mason Miller deep into his pitch count and having trouble with an off-speed pitch over the plate. He was throwing smoke, though. 102. He was. Man. But as Smoltz was pointing out, he did not have the feel. That's true. He did not have the feel. So that moment last night in October, somebody's going to touch the top of his head and we're going to see players jumping out of a dugout, celebrating the end of a game, only to say, hold on a second. Here comes ABS and the old Hawkeye system, ball four. You go back to your dugout. You, sir, who's been called out, you're on first, and we're continuing a baseball game.

16:49Rich Eisen:That day is coming, and it's coming the day after Tuesday because Tuesday's World Baseball Classic finale will be the last played without ABS because there was a pitch clock this year. And I don't know why baseball decided not use ABS in the World Baseball Classic because we're already using it and we're already getting used to it. Get ready, folks, because that day is coming. Could you imagine a game this big in October called Strike 3? Hold on. Hold on. Hold your horses. Don't jump out of the dugout celebrating just yet. Imagine that run from the dugout, from the bullpen. You better not leave the bullpen just yet.

17:33Yes, I kind of can. The World Series was almost ended on a review at the plate.

17:38Rich Eisen:That's true. True. We almost had it. That was out. That was out. Had Isaiah Conner-Falefa been called safe, everyone would have spilled out of the dugout, and then they would have had to go back. He was called out, which meant the game was not over. This was a situation where the game was over. It could have been overturned, and then Toronto wins the series. Right. After further review, here's your piece of metal. What? Right. World Baseball Classic. Amazing. All right, let's take a break. Seth Greenberg, kind enough to join us as we will hit our brackets for the first time with him next. The March Madness season is underway.

18:15Rich Eisen:Seth Greenberg will join us next. Next.

18:21Rich Eisen:The Rich Eisen Show Podcast.

18:47Rich Eisen:the Ioniq 5 or Ioniq 9. So get down to your local Hyundai dealer and get away with a deal you'll love during the Hyundai Getaway Sales Event. Visit HyundaiUSA.com for details. In my line of work, I'm fortunate enough to travel quite a bit covering the biggest moments through the football season. While I'm on the road, I sometimes miss the comforts of home, which is why when I travel with my family, we always check Airbnb for places to stay. It's our home away from home, providing the comfort and safety that allows us to wind down and relax. Families like mine are looking for homes that fit their needs to make new memories in, and your home may be exactly what they're looking for.

19:27Rich Eisen:If you're looking to save up for a new addition to your house or a once-in-a-lifetime trip to see your favorite band in another country, for instance, hosting your house on Airbnb could help you reach those goals. It's easy to list your home for short trips or extended periods of time, allowing your house to earn you some extra money. Make your home work for you while you're away and enjoy the benefits of hosting on Airbnb. Your home may be worth more than you think. Find out how much at Airbnb.com slash host. Partner with Amazon Hub Delivery to earn extra income for your business with your business.

20:03Rich Eisen:Assist with local Amazon deliveries and get paid for each package you deliver. When you become a partner, you and your staff will deliver packages to customers in your area on a schedule that works for you. Gain extra income, increase exposure for your business, and connect with neighbors. It's easy to get started with no delivery experience, long-term contracts, or startup costs required. Interested in learning more? Visit amazon.com slash hub delivery. That's amazon.com slash H-U-B delivery.

20:31Rich Eisen:Seth Greenberg from ESPN is on the Zoom line right here on our Disney Plus ESPN radio feed, joining us here on the program uh taking a look at the south bracket florida got the one seed there with houston illinois nebraska and vanderbilt which uh had a a nice run towards the end of the season as the uh two through five in the south region and then arizona in the west being the other one seed because we just discussed michigan duke in our tv only segment but we'll circle back there in a second for our radio audience. Purdue, which just won the Big Ten tournament, playing four games in four days, no less.

21:13Rich Eisen:Gonzaga, Arkansas, and Wisconsin, the two through five there. So at the end of the day, you do think Duke got the toughest region. Right, Seth? Yeah, I really do. So Arizona, they get BYU, but they get BYU without Richie Saunders. As good as DeBonce is, that's a loss. Gonzaga's not like yours or mine, Gonzaga, when it's knocking down shots They're more of a defensive team with Graham Ike, who's a legitimate low post scorer and hard to match up with. But they really turn you over. They turn you over about 20 percent of their possessions. They're not the shot making team. Purdue is the one that I would worry about because if they can rebound that Arizona team, I mean, they are so relentless.

21:53I like Arkansas, but the one thing Arkansas doesn't do well is they don't defend the post well and they don't rebound the defensive end at times well. But Darius Acuff Jr., he's worth the price of admission.

22:06Rich Eisen:Would you say he's the hottest player entering the tournament with all due respect to everybody else right now, Seth? You know, Rich, here's my thing on him. Yeah, he is the hottest player. He's got a little Damian Lillard in his game. He's so good at the end of games. I said this to a friend of mine the other day. He's a great starter and a great closer, and he's just got to make sure those guys that are in the middle innings do their job. But he made three plays at the end of that game. And look, he had 30 points. I mean, the shot he made falling out of bounds in the first half was ridiculous.

22:37His ability to kind of level people up and shoot that step back like Lillard is ridiculous. But down the stretch, he made three plays in a row where he deferred. He didn't defer in terms of not being aggressive. He deferred in terms of drawing a second defender, kicked it out to Brazil twice for threes, and I think made another pass for a layup. That, like, high basketball IQ. All he was doing is he was taking what the defense gave him. He wasn't forcing it and making hard plays. He's the best layup shooter in college basketball. He shoots over 40 % from the three-point line, and he's unflappable.

23:11It's the second time. He struggled at one point in the first half a little bit. Cal takes him out, kind of let him take a step back, and then he just went out and hooped.

23:20Rich Eisen:He sure did. Seth Greenberg here on the Rich Eisen Show. Seth, I go way back to my first Bristol days. 1996 was when I started doing SportsCenter and one of my first SportsCenters was in March right around now I I Chris I this this may be my anniversary on this day I don't know I got to look up the exact very first one pretty much I got to look this up as I talk about it uh but in 1996 John Calipari led UMass to the final four Rick Pitino won it all with Kentucky and they're back in the tournament as conference tournament champions for respectively Arkansas and St. John's. I can't believe it, man, their longevity and what they're doing in their current spots.

24:04Rich Eisen:I'll give you the floor on that. Yeah, like I grew up with those guys through the five star camp. And, you know, I grew up in New York. Obviously, Rick's from New York. What Rick's done is incredible. I mean, he really has. And he just has that ability. I mean, he has the ability to just energize people. He has the ability to challenge guys and get them to buy and not feel like they're being demeaned, but really kind of he's kind of ushering them along and building a bridge for them to cross to reach the potential. We always know he's been creative. What he did with Providence, the three point line and the pressing was was unique in its time.

24:36Well, ahead of its time. So you got Rick, who's passionate as ever been and just taken over New York, making Madison Square Garden a place to be for college basketball, which it hasn't been in 20 years. and then you got John Calipari who said well he lost his fastball and he struggled at the end of Kentucky well he and his AD weren't aligned that's just the way it is and when you're not aligned with your AD you're not the best version of yourself as a coach I can I'm speaking from experience but John Calipari he is re-energized I mean it's it's it's fun to see him back and I don't mean like the swag and the crazy interviews and the what you know the stuff he does I'm talking about coaching his team.

25:13He is enjoying this move to Arkansas. He's enjoying being aligned with his AD. He's enjoying the players on his team. He loves his Kentucky players, but that place can be suffocating. It's nice to be appreciated. We all want to be appreciated. No matter whatever we do, we want to be appreciated. Arkansas is appreciating him. He's pouring into the kids. The kids are pouring into the community. It's two great, great stories. It's two great coaches, two great guys that changed a lot of people's lives, and two guys when they first got in it, there was no money in coaching. But they made a lot of money, Rich.

25:52Rich Eisen:I bet they have. I bet they have. Seth Greenberg here on the Rich Eisen Show. All right, let's make people's brackets sing. Let's give them some help here, Seth. You got some upset specials that you're eyeing that you think are happening? The 5-12, the dreaded 5-12 matchup, others. What do you got for me? Yeah, I think Akron's got a shot. A shot at Texas Tech is no JT top. And Akron's a team that can really score the ball. I mean, they only do score the ball. I hate when people say that, and I just said it. But they can really shoot the three. They play at an incredibly fast pace. 37 % of their shots come to the three-point line.