In short
College football “portal” loophole after a Louisiana judge ruling on five-year eligibility; SEC bans former NFL/NBA/WNBA players returning to college via new penalties. Also covers MLB trade/October pitching, MVP debate (Ohtani vs Pete Crow-Armstrong), and baseball labor/salary-cap negotiations. Rams “4-downs” season preview.
Guests/backgrounds
Bob Costas (legendary broadcaster; discusses baseball, labor economics, MVP). Adam Ray (comedian; Seahawks fan). Rich Eisen hosts; includes phone calls and news commentary.
Key claims
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey gets full enforcement authority; penalties include half-season coach suspension and fines tied to 50% of sport budget. LSU/Lane Kiffin says recruiting returning fifth-year players is justified by judge rulings. CBS Sports report claims LSU reached out to NFL-roster players to encourage lawsuits. Costas argues MLB’s economic inequities persist but short series can still produce any winner; owners/player negotiations may appeal to rank-and-file.
Notable examples
LSU recruiting via Louisiana lawsuit; Kirby Smart says Georgia isn’t evaluating NFL-roster players. Dodgers acquiring Tarik Skubal; Brewers’ “why not” strategy. MVP: Ohtani pitching vs Pete Crow-Armstrong’s best season. Rams: questions about Stafford/backup QB and Miles Garrett’s impact.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VORich Eisen Previews the Show
1:32 to 2:13
Rich Eisen discusses the topics and guests for this episode.
“Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles.”
College Sports and NFL Dynamics
2:13 to 2:58
Exploration of the evolving relationship between college football and the NFL.
“It's almost like unruly because, listen, at the end of the day, at the end of the day, I understand it's tough for us to wrap our arms around how quickly things are changing and how they're changing.”
Judicial Rulings and College Player Eligibility
2:58 to 4:25
Discussion about a recent court ruling affecting college football players' eligibility.
“It's always the other way around for good reason because that's what happens when people get older.”
SEC's Stance on Former NFL Players
4:25 to 6:33
Analysis of the SEC's new rules regarding the recruitment of former NFL players.
“And LSU is with Lane Kiffin, one of the schools.”
Lane Kiffin's Recruitment Strategy
6:33 to 10:35
Lane Kiffin discusses his approach to recruiting former NFL players amidst new rules.
“And if you feel that you can get better, you know, and not upset your culture, sit right there, sit right there, then more power to them.”
Recruiting and Legal Loopholes
10:35 to 14:00
Discussion on the implications of legal loopholes in college sports recruitment.
“Would you feel differently if this CBS Sports report I'm about to read from is true?”
Lane Kiffin's College Football Insights
14:00 to 18:00
Learn about Lane Kiffin's views on college football and player transfers.
“And then, you know, the minute you think Lane is talking out of one side of his mouth and then there's the other side of the mouth, he dropped this about Todd Munkin mentioning that Lane called him.”
Bob Costas on College Sports Corruption
21:36 to 23:24
Bob Costas discusses the impact of financial incentives on college athletes.
“and what I've seen advanced congressional initiatives, perhaps it's more to put a cap on it, almost like to have some kind of salary cap that smooths out the chaos.”
Discussion on MLB Trades and Strategies
23:24 to 28:00
Explore the implications of recent MLB trades and team strategies with Bob Costas.
“Maybe it happens in October at the end of the day anyway.”
MLB Playoff Dynamics and Team Challenges
28:00 to 42:01
A deep dive into the challenges facing MLB teams and dynamics of the playoffs.
“wringing their hands over the pen stinks.”
Show all 13 chapters
Transition to Segment
42:45 to 43:41
The hosts discuss the previous segment and tease what’s coming next.
“If high interest credit card debt is grinding you down, it might be time to call an audible with a SoFi personal loan.”
Four Downs on the Rams
43:44 to 47:41
An in-depth four-down analysis of the Los Angeles Rams for the season.
“Loans originated by SoFi Bank and a member FDIC terms and conditions apply.”
Upcoming Guest Preview
47:41 to 48:08
Announcing guest Adam Ray for the next hour.
“Thanks for listening to The Rich Eisen Show podcast.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:01Low energy, unfocused, foggy, you might be dehydrated. Whether it's hot yoga, over 100 degree weather, or too much sun. Gatorlite, with a specialized blend of five electrolytes, was scientifically designed to help move fluids into the body faster for rapid rehydration. Shop now at retailers nationwide. Gatorlite hydrates faster than water. Is it in you? Symptoms noted are signs of mild to moderate dehydration. Consult a healthcare professional if symptoms persist.
0:29Rich Eisen:Sierra has all the best active and outdoor brands you need. From athletic stuff, like a full-court pick-up game, SWISH! To athletic stuff, like a half-mile stroll. Get those steps in! And for morning hikes up the mountain trail, good pace! To nighttime ghost stories from the camping chair. What a twist! Whatever level of active, Sierra loves it all. Head to Sierra or Sierra.com for the brands you want at the prices that let you do it all. From athletic to athletic-ish, Sierra's got it. 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.
1:08Rich Eisen:Watch us weekdays on Disney Plus from noon to 3 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.
1:31Rich Eisen:This is the Rich Eisen Show. It's real with the Cowboys. Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. There's something real going on. It takes time. We'll see what happens when home meets mom with the Cowboys. Today's guests, legendary broadcaster Bob Costas, comedian Adam Ray, plus your phone calls, latest news, and more. And now, it's Rich Eisen. For two of the Rich Eisen Show is on the air. Bob Costas will join us shortly, talk some baseball with Bob. And I will ask him if he has a fifth year of eligibility at Syracuse remaining. I checked on my year at Michigan. You know, I might sue my way back in.
2:14Rich Eisen:I don't know. College sports is off the hook. It's totally off the hook. It's almost like unruly because, listen, at the end of the day, at the end of the day, I understand it's tough for us to wrap our arms around how quickly things are changing and how they're changing. but none of us even on the craziest of days could see coming the NFL as feeder system to college football. The NFL preseason. It's always the other way around for good reason because that's what happens when people get older. They move from college into professional ranks. Now, I understand that colleges run like professional football with general managers now and contracts, but no unions.
3:18Rich Eisen:And some rules, but not really. You know, portals, they open, they close. Really? Portals open and close. That's what portals do. And currently, there is a group of players in portals now. once they're cut by NFL teams, able to come back and sit in a portal because a judge in Louisiana ruled that a new rule that college football instituted for players to get five years of eligibility in five years, a five-year period of five years of eligibility. You can't have five years of eligibility over eight years. I believe this is what it is. I haven't read the fine print. But then a judge in Louisiana then comes in and says, well, for players in the 22-23 season that are not eligible to now get this new rule to benefit them, it now benefits them.
4:19Rich Eisen:And now those players were allowed to enter a portal after they've turned pro to take advantage of this. And LSU is with Lane Kiffin, one of the schools. They're not the only ones. I mean, Texas took one. There's other schools that are out trying to take players that are now entering a portal back after a brief dalliance with the national football. Ever so brief. And so I was saying yesterday that the people I felt for the most in all of this were the players currently at the schools who have been promised playing time, have earned playing time, have been told about playing time. Now having their falls potentially up in the air because some players from the NFL are coming back to college.
5:25Rich Eisen:And kudos to Kirby Smart, who said this yesterday before the SEC made any actions, which we'll talk about in a second, about whether he was asked if Georgia was going to start diving into the portal to take a look at some players coming back to college from the NFL. No, we're not currently evaluating anybody that's on NFL rosters. And, you know, my thought is just to each his own is my thought. I'm worried about our team, our organization, how we do things. The opportunities presented to the guys on our team is important to me. They've earned those opportunities through an offseason, through a summer program, through a really tough fall camp.
6:08And you have to decide each and every person if that's valuable enough to warrant replacing your players that, you know, have worked with your team with others. You know, hey, they might be better. So our job is to upgrade and try to get better as much as we can and win games. So some people feel like that gives them an opportunity to be better and doesn't change their culture, then more power to them. I go.
6:33Rich Eisen:I love that answer. It's like we got guys here. I promise playing time. And if you feel that you can get better, you know, and not upset your culture, sit right there, sit right there, then more power to them. Well, the SEC, after that press conference on Tuesday, joined the Big Ten and said, nah, ain't happening. As a matter of fact, the SEC came out and said, according to Greg Sankey, they're going to pass new conference rules that gives commissioner Greg Sankey full authority to enforce it with penalties. Unanimous opposition, the SEC had. 16-0. League presidents, chancellors, and athletic directors in the SEC all got together and voted to give Sankey full enforcing with penalties.
7:24And we have on the screen here, according to Pat Forty of Sports Illustrated,
7:28Rich Eisen:what the penalties are. Half-season suspension for a head coach, a fine commensurate with 50 % of the budget of the sport that takes a player. The SEC voting privilege is revoked on business matters and the commissioner is at latitude to slap more on them. And that's if you take a player that has been made free to return from the NFL, the NBA, or the WNBA, which means we are going to take the highest revenue sports, football and men's and women's college basketball, and institute this. Now, what does that mean for the kids that are in the portal who are supposed to be joining Lane Kiffin? Well, LSU is one of the 16-nothings, right?
8:17Rich Eisen:LSU voted for this. So is what's happening with the football and basketball programs not in concert with school president or athletic director or chancellor or whatever, I find that hard to believe because they hired Lane Kiffin to suddenly go ahead and do what he's doing with LSU. And what he's doing is truly nothing, I guess, illegal. And you're wondering how LSU might take it. The only way you can is to listen to how Lane Kiffin described why his program is taking this path. Give a listen to this and then get ready for a CBS sports report about LSU's involvement with these lawsuits. We have made a decision to recruit some kids around the country.
9:18And through these multiple injunctions around the country, which this is not a first time. They've been in college sports for a while. a group of players were granted a fifth year of eligibility around the country in multiple sports. And through them winning their injunction and entry into the portal, they're available to recruit. And so ourselves, like many places around the country, are recruiting them. And at the end of the day, you know, because of these rulings, they're either going to play for you or they're going to play somewhere else around the country. So we've made a decision to recruit them like probably most people are.
10:03In my opinion, knowing the information, I think it's really wrong to be critical of these kids. They were granted a fifth year by a judge saying that they were wronged by the NCAA and that they should have had the fifth year all along like all the kids moving forward will have a fifth year. So I think there's a lot of misinformation that people don't understand why these are getting them. It's not because of some other reasons that people may think. It's simply that a judge decided that they should have had the fifth year like everyone moving forward will have.
10:35Rich Eisen:Makes sense, right? Wouldn't you say? It does. Would you feel differently if this CBS Sports report I'm about to read from is true? Okay. Double byline. John Talti and Chris Hammer writing for CBS Sports. I quote, Kiffin and the Tigers reached out to multiple players on NFL rosters or their representation in an effort to get them to bring a lawsuit against the NCAA and return to school. This includes some of the players who ended up in the Louisiana lawsuit, which sources have pointed out wasn't tried in Baton Rouge by accident.
11:17Rich Eisen:so lsu sees according to this report that this new five and five rule happens but what about the kids in this bucket that had this ruling come out too late for them to make an informed decision about whether to return to school or go into the NCAA draft. Let's reach out to those players. Let's reach out to their representation to let them know, hey, we see a legal loophole that if you're willing to drive through it, we're willing to take your kid to play. Am I picking up what I'm reading here? That's how I'm taking it. My question is, is LSU paying their legal bills also? I have no idea. But all I know is now there is a transfer portal way of getting from school to school.
12:21There is now a transfer portal way for you to enter it with the legal portal.
12:28Rich Eisen:And if you find the right judges and you have the smart legal people on your staff to realize this and you're like, OK, I don't care about messing with my culture by telling kids who have been working hard. that you no longer have snaps because we recognize this legal loophole and we started calling people to say if you want to file a lawsuit just let us know you're doing it am i reading this right am i reading this right thank you tarik you know and lane in this same press conference was saying i I wouldn't like to be my boss that hired me and then come and say, hey, here's these guys going around the country playing, making teams better.
13:21Rich Eisen:Why aren't we recruiting them? Because we may end up playing against them. That's the way I'm thinking about it, and I don't think that's unique. And you could say, you're right. He's probably right. But are you the one who told these kids, hey. Right. Hey, you should think about doing this. Sue everybody. Suddenly he sounds like a jerky boy. So Rosemar. Get your shoes and your glasses and come to LSU and play some football. I'll come over the air joint. Sizzle chest. It's the truth. It's crazy, man. It's not funny, but it's crazy. It's crazy. But now here's the SEC saying, great idea, but maybe you don't want to coach half the season if you take the kid.
13:57Rich Eisen:Unless there's another lawsuit coming. And then, you know, the minute you think Lane is talking out of one side of his mouth and then there's the other side of the mouth, he dropped this about Todd Munkin mentioning that Lane called him. Like, now I know why Lane's calling me about my tight end that I'm not dressing because the medical staff says he's not healthy. This is what Lane had to say about that. There's some inaccuracies in that story, but I don't know. Maybe someone else called him and said they were me. I actually don't know Todd. so I guess somebody left him a text or called that was me because I don't know where I have his number okay so they went running to Todd Munkin in Cleveland and Munkin's like my bad did you hear this?
14:51Rich Eisen:no yeah hit it one of our staff had said that's when I said us not me okay I said that Lane Kiffin One of our staff had said that they'd gotten a text. I should have followed through with it. Maybe they meant someone from their staff, right? That's on me. Should not throw someone's name out there without what? Following through with it, right? I was just making light of it. I was really not trying to make a big thing of it. It was just like, man, what this world we've come to. And I shouldn't have thrown that out there, right? Like, to me, hey, I can't control this, right? I was just, it was almost silliness and goofiness.
15:31And it's like, really?
15:33Rich Eisen:This is what we've come to where guys can be here and go back to college? It's really not a big deal other than I probably shouldn't have without knowing for sure. You know? So it is what it is. When did you know that they go on? I knew it when it got on social media. How the hell would I know? I mean, I've never had to deal with it. Like, who's had to deal with, like, oh. And that happens in college with everybody. Like, they catch word of something, right? You have players on your own team. You're like catching word from so-and-so that he might be entering the portal. It's just word of mouth.
16:07Rich Eisen:They're not going to come to you. It's not like you're going to stop at it. Hey, you know what? I'm thinking about going back to college. No. So it was a weird situation. He got hurt. He's going back to college. It is what it is. Good luck to him. He's a good kid. And they're going to do a great job at LSU. That's what they should do. Their job is to get the best players they can to win games. I'm not mad at anybody. I was actually, like I said, shouldn't have taken what I'd heard and ran with it. Wow. It's just nuts. I think Sean McVay summed it all up when he was asked about it. Do you hear that sound bite, that quote?
16:46Rich Eisen:He was asked about NFL players going back to college, quote, I feel like I took a freaking gummy. Gummy, yeah, I saw that. End quote. I saw that. I guess now if your football program you got to have um you got to have a general manager right yeah you got to have somebody in charge of the NIL you got to have somebody who's you know also recruiting you got to have uh facilities you've got to have now a great legal team to try and find a loophole so you can tell some kids why don't you sue your way onto our team according to CBS Sports is this really what we want to be doing and then the adults in in the conference leadership are like yeah no this ain't happening and lsu is one of the schools that unanimously said yeah this isn't happening yet the coach of both the basketball and football programs are are saying yeah this is happening because you want us to win right
17:51Rich Eisen:wild let's take a break when we come back we'll ask bob if he's got a fifth year of eligibility in syracuse everybody oh yeah we didn't even mention pete golding apparently of all miss sweeping for bugs once lane left let's take a break bob zoomed in this is the rich eisen show here on a very busy wednesday our friends at linkedin would like you to know before we take a break that they know that running a small business is not simple to do because every hire matters and a bad hire costs time and money. The right one helps your business grow. The challenge is finding that person without sorting through resumes.
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21:35And to the chaos, I think there are a lot of people that are okay with corruption, but not okay with the subsequent chaos. and what I've seen advanced congressional initiatives, perhaps it's more to put a cap on it, almost like to have some kind of salary cap that smooths out the chaos. But no one that I can think of, maybe somebody out there, is saying this. It is fundamentally perverse to pay a kid beyond the cost of education to come to your university. Fundamentally perverse. And another thing that always bothered me was during the conversations for a decade or more about this, a standard trope was everybody's getting rich off this except for the athletes who are being exploited.
22:22That says implicitly that the education is worth nothing. So if this athlete attends class, and you've got to believe under these circumstances, many of them aren't even attending class. And if you play at four or five different universities, do the credits transfer if you have any credits at all. But in theory, that kid could be sitting next to another student. He's a student athlete, theoretically, another student whose parents worked multiple jobs to put him and perhaps his siblings through college, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars if he gets a scholarship. And we all know there are studies that say if you have a college degree, you're likely to make much more over the course of your life than if you don't.
23:05So the idea that nothing matters here, the education doesn't matter, that's fundamentally perverse. And all of this is an affront to not just common sense, but any principle that should prevail at a university.
23:19Rich Eisen:For the radio audience that just joined, that's the voice, as you know, of the 29-time Emmy Award winner Bob Costas here on the Rich Eisen show let's jump into the subject matter of the last time we spoke Tarek Skubal destroying baseball and the Dodgers doing the same thing and you know I guess this is baseball Bob at the end of the day in the interim the guy has just one win that's it for the Dodgers and I know that that might that's not the only telling statistic but But it hasn't tilted the playing field just yet. Maybe it happens in October at the end of the day anyway. His last outing against the Pirates, he got nicked for a few runs in the first inning.
24:01And then he settled in and had like six strong innings after that. And he's coming off minor elbow surgery in the middle of this season. He wasn't having a season with the Tigers equal to his Cy Young back-to-backs in the two previous seasons. But something else about that trade before we get into the larger issue of baseball's economic structure. You said to yourself when we heard before Scuba wound up being dealt to the Dodgers that a number of other teams were in the mix. Let's say you're Milwaukee, which has a strong farm system. And I understand I've spoken with people. They made what they thought was a very strong offer to the Tigers.
24:43But why wouldn't you, if you were the Brewers, go a step farther? Why wouldn't you say to yourself that it's very likely that we meet the Dodgers at some point in October in a division series or in an LCS? In a division series, in four of the five games, because they build in extra off days for television, we could, in theory, throw Mizorowski and Skubal at the Dodgers, no matter how much better they might be over 162. And in truth, the Brewers have a better record than the Dodgers right now. But we know what happened last October when they had a better record that wound up being swept by the Dodgers in the LCS.
25:21Why wouldn't you look at a scenario where Mizorowski and Scoble could pitch potentially four or at least three of a best of five, pitch at least four, maybe five, if they combined in a game seven in a best of seven LCS. Why wouldn't you push all the available chips into the middle of the table to do that. Now, I know that teams have a general model, and that model for the Rays or the Guardians or the Brewers is different than the Yankees or the Dodgers. But aren't there circumstances in which you say, wait a minute, we're going outside that model right now. We've been a consistent contender. We make great use of our limited resources, but we haven't been to the World Series since 1982, and we've never won the World Series.
Read the full transcript
26:03What would it mean to our brand and to our fan base if we could get to the World Series?
26:11Rich Eisen:I guess at the end of the day, why not? Indeed. Yeah. Right? I mean, and the Rays, too, at this point in time. You know, another thought is the Dodgers. And last time I was on with you, people misinterpreted, I guess, or some people did, when we were talking about how smart the Dodgers are as an organization. How they have overwhelming resources, yes. And we'll find out. I don't know all the particulars. None of us do yet. We'll find out if the financial circumstances of the Dodgers change as everything is being looked into in Mark Walter's empire. But we can't deny that they have made very intelligent and effective use of their overwhelming resources.
26:54And part of what they might have been thinking about is not so much acquiring Scoobble, who's a definite plus, but keeping him away from a team like the Brewers. The Dodgers are playing a long game. Last year, they slow walked to 93 wins, which was the third best division winner. And it could happen to them again. They could have to play in the wildcard round again. but all their planning is pushing toward October, getting that deep pitching staff completely healthy and all ready for October. They're going to have a half dozen guys, any one of whom would have been either the ACE or no worse than the number two pitcher on any other team.
27:31And so if Edwin Diaz craps out as so far he has, okay, one of these starters is going to be our closer. Robleski was an all-star. Maybe he's our left-handed piece coming out of the bullpen in combination with somebody else. It is, it's overwhelming the advantages they have. But by adding Scubal and keeping him away from the Brewers, that's another good chess move.
27:55Rich Eisen:Well, I mean, that's what the Dodgers do every year, right? Is that they, certainly folks around here in Los Angeles wringing their hands over the pen stinks. It's terrible. Oh, let's just throw Sasaki out there, you know? And let's get him in a role out of the blue. Kershaw at one point, as you all know, came in out of the pen first time in his life, you know, and then it all works out because Roberts pushes the right buttons knowing when. But, you know, you do take a look at the Central with the Cubs and the Brewers. Would you say that that's where the biggest challenge might be? I know the Padres have come on a little bit.
28:33Rich Eisen:There's the Braves in the mix as well. The Phillies, you know, with the Diamondbacks. I mean, you got them up on the screen right here. This is basically your playoff picture in the NL. Or you just were penciling the Dodgers in for October again right now. Yeah. Look, I know that some people don't want to hear this. And it doesn't justify the inequities in baseball's present economic system. But almost any team could win any given short series in October. The Dodgers, now granted it was pre-Yamamoto and Otani, but the Dodgers lost back-to-back to the Padres in 22 and to the Diamondbacks from their own division in 23 in the division series.
29:19And as an aside, I think baseball ought to put in a rule that says in the first round, in the wildcard round, you can't meet a team from your own division. Right now, when you looked at those standings, the Padres would be playing the Dodgers, assuming that the Padres finish ahead of the Diamondbacks and the Dodgers wind up. Well, that's not true. The Braves have a lesser record than the Dodgers. But let's say the Dodgers wound up with the third best division record. You'd wind up playing a team that you just sprinted past for 162 games. You wind up playing them in a best two out of three roll of the dice.
29:56That doesn't make much sense. I think you should keep divisional foes away from each other as long as possible when you get to the postseason.
30:04Rich Eisen:Yeah, I mean, the Braves in the Phillies, that might be a more feasible scenario as we're seeing it play out right now. Where do you stand on the PCA versus Otani conversation for the MVP in the NL right now, Bob? Obviously, Otani is the greater player. No disrespect to PCA. But I think even though some of the way people view this has changed over time, the idea of most valuable in the minds of most voters, at least historically, was somewhat different than player of the year. Player of the year is somewhat different than most valuable. Pete Crow Armstrong likely has a number of great seasons still ahead of him.
30:51But this, to this point, is his greatest season. And the impact he's had with his bat, with his defense in center field, and with his base running. You know, Otani was once a 50s steel guy. He doesn't run the bases quite the way he used to. For obvious reasons, they've got to be cautious. And just as obviously, Otani, unicorn that he is, contributes as a pitcher. I think a lot of voters say Otani is in the mix. He's going to be first or second every single year, barring injury. He's going to be first or second in the MVP voting every single year. And this is PCA's best year. And he's certainly elevated his team.
31:29And the Dodgers, without Otani, certainly that would be a huge blow to lose him. But the Dodgers have a lot more going for them besides Otani. So if we're interpreting it as this is PCA's career year and his value to the Cubs might be in this one year marginally better than Ohtani, if we have an excuse to vote for someone other than Ohtani, this year we have a good excuse.
31:51Rich Eisen:Yeah, I'm with you on that. Do you think Ohtani should stop pitching, Bob? What do you think? He doesn't want to stop pitching. He doesn't want to. Then that's it. I mean, because it's Ohtani's world and we're paying rent and you just got to keep him happy. Yeah, that's right. And the Dodgers want him to pitch in October. Why not? I guess the American League mosh pit who emerges could be anybody. Obviously, the Rays have hit a rough patch. The Red Sox have cooled off since they're 35 and five. The White Sox are starting to, you know, perform very well again. There's always the Guardians, which is a difficult team to get past.
32:30Rich Eisen:Any other any thoughts on this? This mosh pit, as I mentioned? Well, again, as we're talking about the haves and the have-nots, no one wants to hear this, but the Yankees are where they are. And if the postseason would start tomorrow, they would have home field in a best two out of three against the Red Sox, which is a marquee matchup for television. But they've done this largely without Aaron Judge. Max Fried is only now coming back. Carlos Rodon is only now coming back. They were without Bellinger for a while. Well, he came back and homered either last night or the night before. So when they get to full strain.
33:08Rich Eisen:And Stanton, I think, has run out of calves to strain. I think he's got, you know, there's only two of them, and he's now got both of them. Which is a shame because no matter how many games he misses during the regular season, he's always been a tremendous October performer. He has, like, all-time stats in the postseason. But even without Stanton, when you look at the depth of the Yankees pitching, and if Judge is back and their lineup is at full strength, then you have to give the Yankees a pretty good chance to get to the World Series. Yankees-Dodgers again would be something else. That would be...
33:41You know, it would work for television and a good portion of the baseball world would be up in arms and with good reason. With good reason. There has not been a team in the bottom half of MLB payrolls to win the World Series since 2015. and that was Kansas City. Fans in general, all the surveys indicate this, fans in general feel that the deck is stacked against most teams. The Dodgers paid more in luxury tax last year than 16 MLB teams paid in payroll. But maybe the most telling comparison is this. In the last decade, the Pittsburgh Penguins have won the Stanley Cup. Are they in the same economic circumstance as the Pirates?
34:26The Lightning has won the Stanley Cup. Are they in the same economic circumstance as the Rays? The Panthers have won the Stanley Cup. Are they in the same economic circumstance as the Marlins? And in the NFL, are the Chiefs, who've won the Super Bowl three times in the past decade, are they in the same economic circumstance as the Royals? The NHL has a hard cap, so there's that. The NBA, you need a PhD five times over to figure out what their cap is, but it exists, and here's a key point about the NBA. In the last two finals, you've got the Pacers against OKC, and you've got the Spurs against the Knicks.
35:06So you take the Knicks out. Three of those four teams not only would be small market teams in MLB, they would never even have a team. They're too small a market to have a team in Major League Baseball. Now, in the NFL, they have a cap, yes, but the problem was solved back in Pete Roselle days when they decided to share the massive and ever-growing television revenues equally, which is why the Green Bay Packers are not in the same circumstance as the Milwaukee Brewers. They can compete equally with good management and a little luck with New York, Chicago, Los Angeles. Somehow, without getting into all the granular aspects of this, the average baseball fan understands that even if with three wild cards and three separate divisions and the two central divisions generally grouping teams that are in like economic circumstances, with the possible exception of the Cubs, they understand that there's a way to sneak in there and anything can happen.
36:02But that in the big picture, it is not fair.
36:05Rich Eisen:Well, and we could spend the next hour and 20 minutes finishing my show if you had the time and I didn't have other guests with you telling me stories about Marvin Miller and Donald Fear and the history of the union. You know, that's a nonstarter. The whole everything that you just said is right. There's no question about that. And you also know the history of labor disputes in other sports. you know the owners aren't really going to sit down and try to figure it out themselves and then come with a reasoned proposal to the players they're just going to throw it on the players and say you figure it out like that's well and that's the way we get a nuclear winner and even worse potentially bob right like so what what's the answer you know i i know you're a little short on time no no go for it i think i think the approach of the owners this time is going to be to appeal as much as they can to the rank and file.
36:56Look, we want a salary cap, but that's not a cap necessarily on any individual salary. It's a cap on overall team payrolls. But we will absolutely offer a payroll floor, so every team has to pay up to that floor. We will also share all of the local media revenues. Now, it doesn't match the NFL, but since the collapse of the regional sports networks A lot of teams really took a hit, but the Dodgers didn't. The Yankees didn't. The Red Sox didn't. The Mets didn't, no matter how they may squander their resources.
37:32Rich Eisen:So if we can centralize our media revenues that way, that will have a leavening effect. They could offer the players free agency after five years rather than after six. They could increase the minimum salary. They could say, look, we'll improve pensions, which are already very generous in baseball, but we'll improve the pension program. All these things designed to appeal to the rank and file. The last time there was a potential stoppage, it didn't cost any games, like five years ago, the issues that were on the table were slightly different. But this is revealing. There's an executive council of the Major League Players Association.
38:23All eight of them, disproportionately very high-salary guys, Scott Boris guys, not a criticism of Boris. He does his job very, very well. They voted 8-0 to reject the owner's proposal. But the players overall, through their player representatives, voted 26-4 out of the 30 teams to accept it. So I think the approach, I don't know all the particulars, but the approach is going to be, hey, we're going to make this better for 90 percent of you. Half of you are consigned to teams that don't have a really good chance to compete anyway. So why don't we change the overall landscape? And the result is not going to be any one of you standing on a corner rattling a tin cup asking for spare change.
39:09Rich Eisen:as succinct as you could possibly make it man let's you know we're going to clip and save that and hopefully keep replaying it if if the two sides don't uh listen to each other when it all last thing less less than a minute this gets lost on people look the players were right in every way right on principle going back to marvin miller and all the rest and the owners didn't help by being duplicitous and they were caught colluding in the 1980s, all that stuff. But the idea that this always has to be a holy war and that a salary cap is just a principle that we cannot even talk about doesn't take into account this simple fact.
39:47A league is a business in which the competitors must simultaneously be partners. The Dodgers can't play an inter-squad game and get the same television ratings. Half the league is responsible for every competition. You know, that should be obvious. You can run a diner down the street under different business principles than a five-star restaurant on the other side of the street, and they can both be successful on their own terms. But that doesn't work in a league. Why does no one get upset back in the day with whatever Mike Tyson's purse was or whatever someone won in a golf tournament? or tennis, because those are individual things for either prize money or what Tyson got or any other boxer got is what the business calculation said their worth was when they stepped into the ring.
40:36In baseball and any other sport that has a league, yes, players should be handsomely compensated, and they are, but the league itself has to function. And recognizing that, recognizing the stepping back and recognizing what should be obvious, the definition of what the league is, as opposed to almost any other business, then there have to be devices in place so that the league runs in not just a more efficient way, but in a way that better serves its customers who are the fans.
41:05Rich Eisen:Love it. Well said, Bob, as always. And I'm with you. I totally hear you and agree with you. Although I would pay good hard earned American dollars to watch the Mets play the Savannah Bananas once. Like that would be great. And then when they lost to the bananas. I know. Can you imagine the back page of the New York Post? Oh my God. Yes. That's bananas! Exclamation point. That's better than what I was going to say. Slipping on a banana peel. Ladies and gentlemen, Bob Costas right here on the program. Great to see you, Bob. We'll chat again soon. The one and only Bob Costas. And then Soto would get on stilts, right?
41:39Rich Eisen:You don't see the Savannah Bananas? You don't have to help them catch. We would crush them. Hey, listen, I hope What he said, man, I hope what he said is just like, let's get the rank and file, the rank and file, tell the gajillionaires, let's figure this thing out. Right. Let's figure this thing out. But, you know, when you tell the kids you can be a gajillionaire under the system, it'll be tough. Yeah. Awesome stuff with Bob. We're back with more in a moment. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.
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43:30Rich Eisen:Walk the tightrope of your finances with one low fixed rate monthly payment, no fees required, and as soon as the same day funding. That's right. Pull off your own debt-defying stunt with a SoFi personal loan. Visit SoFi.com slash trick to learn more. Loans originated by SoFi Bank and a member FDIC terms and conditions apply. NMLS 696891. All right. It's four downs time with the Los Angeles Rams. This one's easy. This one was very, this one was like the simplest one. I have to do much research. Hit it.
44:08Rich Eisen:season preview of the los angeles rams four down style this one was easy this one was real simple you know what first down is first down is he back yet is he back yet no he's not i get it i get it i think it's inevitable still but the fact that it's still now they were in the last Wednesday of August, you're thinking maybe not, but who cares? They'll take him whenever the hell he wants to be taken. And if he doesn't, well, they've got a pretty hell of a great of a roster to fall back on. So, but he comes back. Oh, boy. Is he back yet? It's first down. Second down here for the Rams. And this, again, just goes to show you how good they are and how few questions there are that I'm asking as a legitimate second down question.
45:11Rich Eisen:Who's the backup quarterback? That's a legit question. I know that. Because everything else is ready to roll. And again, Matthew Stafford, last year, one year ago at this time, is like, is he going to be able to stand up, right, let alone take a snap? And then he has an MVP season. So let's knock on this that this is not even going to be an issue. But would they be able to win the Super Bowl if they have to go a significant amount of time with either Stetson Bennett or Ty Simpson? Or Jimmy Garoppolo. I don't know. He's not. I mean, I really believe the Rams are, and I go on high register, would go into the season with either one of these kids.
45:52Rich Eisen:Maybe I'm wrong. Third down. You could say this about any team, but again, I'm grasping at straws here. How healthy can they stay? You're just basically saying if they stay healthy and they keep playing football at full strength, they're going to win the Super Bowl, or they're going to go to the Super Bowl, or they're going to win their division, and then who knows any given Sunday, blah, blah, blah. You could say this about any, this could be a down for any of the 32 teams in the NFL. But this one is truly, what am I going to sit here and wonder about their running back room, their receiver room, their line.
46:34Rich Eisen:Come on. Fourth down. Fourth down. No, really, is he back yet? I mean. Is he back yet? Where is A-Raw right now? No, really. I mean. Where are you? All right, I'll give you. Okay, I thought that was really fourth down. It could have been, though. All right, I'll give you another fourth down. How off the hook can Miles Garrett be? Yeah. Okay? Like, that's the question, is seeing him on a winning team with a quarterback that can put points on the board and let him hunt in a way, which is frightening to say, that he's never really been able to do, with a lead to protect a fourth-quarter lead over and over again.
47:18Rich Eisen:A down and distance where he can go hunt all the time. The scoreboard helps. The down and distance helps. The pressure the offense puts on the defense of the opposition helps. How off the hook can this guy be? Certainly if A.A. Ron comes back. And that's my four downs on the Los Angeles Rams. Adam Ray, diehard Seahawk fan, to be fair and balanced, coming up in studio in our third hour. Thanks for listening to The Rich Eisen Show podcast. You can watch and listen to The Rich Eisen Show live weekdays from noon to 3 Eastern on ESPN Radio, Disney Plus, and on the ESPN app. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.
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From the publisher
Rich weighs in on the SEC voting to ban former professional players from returning to play college sports in the conference. NBC Sports’ Bob Costas and Rich discuss the chaotic state of college sports in the NIL era, what Tarik Skubal will mean for the Dodgers’ (and Brewers’) playoffs outlook, how he would change the baseball’s postseason, if Shohei Ohtani or Pete Crow-Armstrong will win the NL MVP Award, the Yankees’ chance to reach the World Series, and the reasons behind a possible MLB work stoppage that interrupts the 2027 season.
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