Tim Murray: The Big 12 Conference Is Unpredictable

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1:07Check responses set up required. Compatibility and availability varies 18+. I'm living my best life. Yeah, yeah. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Here's the other surprising part. With guest host, Brian Weber. Yeah, big shoes to fill. Eisen's a legend. Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. The Rich Eisen Show. Do you know who I am? I'm a guy on television. I have my own show. And now, sitting in for Rich, here's Brian Weber. It is the final hour of the program. Always a delight to keep the chair warm for Rich and the guys. Do my best to not destroy the magnificent brand the Rich has worked so hard to establish.

1:49you can let me know what you're thinking about anything in the world of sports i am just that pliable i'm flexible they call me easy bry especially on social media bw weber weber with two b's in 20 minutes we continue our college football conversation we'll check in with tim murray who covers college sports very closely for v-sin he's part of the weekday lineup you can You can catch them on V-CIN primetime tonight and every weekday night at 7 Eastern, in addition to hosting the college football betting podcast. And as we think about where we stand now on the sports calendar, we're about to go all in on the NFL with the Chargers rookies reporting to camp on Saturday.

2:41but the highlight of this weekend undeniably will be played in gorgeous South Lake Tahoe, Nevada. I'm talking about the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship and we are pleased to be joined by a three-time former champion, Mark Mulder. You remember him from his outstanding career in Major League Baseball, nine years in the bigs on the mound for the A's and Cardinals, two-time All-Star. Mark, it's Brian Weber in for Rich. How are you? I'm doing great. How are you? I'm doing really well. And before we talk golf, I want to spend some time on your career. And there's no way you'll remember this.

3:20I'm not that self-important. But I was a TV sportscaster for Fox Sports Bay Area. We carried the A's game. So I remember your Major League debut. And I remember the excitement surrounding that staff highlighted by you, Barry Zito and Tim Hudson. Mark, what memories have stayed with you from those days? it's it's the it's the that's my teammates i mean i know we had some great teams i know we had a lot of uh fun times uh on the field but man it was it was that group of guys um for whatever reason we were all just we all kind of came up together um there was a handful of guys that were older but for the most part man we were just a young team and so we all grew up together and so you know a lot of that just it remains today i mean we have a big group text it's me hudson zito giambi menichino chavez jermaine die jason isringhausen like we have this group text that i can't even begin to tell you what flies on those messages i mean it's it's just hilarious and guys throw that they'll find some picture and throw it on there you know the other day uh frank menichino was at tim hudson's property uh that has some fishing and hunting and stuff and And apparently there, Frankie is holding a fish.

4:38Huddy takes a picture from far away and responds with, hey, we found something Frankie's bigger than. You know, so, I mean, it's just that kind of stuff, man. It just never ends. And those are just my boys for life, you know. And having said that, what did it mean to you to find out that you, Barry, and Tim are going to be inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame together as the Big Three coming up in September? Well, it was definitely surprising, I guess. When I got the email, I was honored. I was thrilled. My wife and kids were excited. We're all going to be there for it, obviously, in mid-September.

5:23I think it's maybe September 14th or whatever when they're going to do it. A little bit sad that it's not in Oakland. and it'll happen in Sacramento, but that's where it is right now. But it was still a huge honor. Those were some fun years, man, and I found a lot of success because of Tim Hudson and Barry Zito. They pushed me to be better as I would hope I pushed them. We always said back in the day, none of us wanted to be the weak link. and so that drove you each and every day to get better. If Tim went out and threw a four-hit shutout, I wanted to throw a three-hit shutout, and then Barry wanted to throw a two-hit shutout.

6:06You know, it just rolled like that, and obviously with some of those rotations that we had, Corey Lytle, who's not with us anymore, I mean, one of those years, it might have been 0-2. I mean, we had four guys with Corey in the top 10 of ERA. You know, I mean, that's pretty – you don't see that today. Up and down our rotation with Rich Harden or a few other guys, Ted Lilly, I mean, we had some really good staffs, and it was a lot of fun for a lot of those years. I'm Brian Weber, enjoying the conversation with Mark Mulder. You'll recall a two-time All-Star led the American League in wins in 2001, three-time winner of the American Century Championship that gets underway on Friday.

6:52Full coverage on NBC, Golf Channel, and Peacock. Mark, one more thought about baseball before we move to golf, and I appreciate your transparency about the mixed emotions of the current state of the franchise. So what do you make of the team now playing in West Sacramento on their way to Vegas? Well, I love that finally they broke ground in Vegas because I think there were some question marks there for a while. So it was nice to see that happen. I'm very mixed on it. I'm excited on one hand for them to get to Vegas. I'm not thrilled with them playing in a AAA ballpark. I think that never should have gotten here.

7:36In 2001 or 2002, I remember the A's announcing, we're going to have a new stadium in a few years. And here we are. You know, the city of Oakland, it's just not good. It's not a good place. Nobody wants to take their kids on the BART for quite a few years now to go see games. So attendance has always been lacking, for lack of a better word. The stadium was somewhat falling apart. You know, it's been bad for a long time. And I just feel like Major League Baseball failed the A's. and it just never should have come to this. I understand the Rays are in a AAA ballpark as well. I think those circumstances are slightly different.

8:22But, you know, that's what it is. And I think the team I was in spring training for, I went down a couple days with my youngest son. The team's making the most of it. It is what it is. And that's where they're at right now. I personally don't love it, but hopefully, you know, it'll fix all when they move into a nice new stadium in Vegas. I appreciate that answer. Let's talk golf. I mentioned you've won the American Century Championship three times. In fact, you three-peated three in a row, 2015 to 2017. Mark, what do you enjoy the most about competing at this event? Oh, it's the fans that show up.

8:59I mean, if anybody's watched this thing on TV, I mean, the Omaha fans that show up to this is absolutely incredible. You can't create this location. I mean, right now I'm sitting on the patio of the tent next to the 18th green talking to you while I'm watching Pro-Am teams finish the hole and Lake Tahoe's on the other side. I mean, it is, and it's 75 degrees right now. I mean, it is absolutely beautiful. You know, right now it's the first – tomorrow's the big pro-am. I mean, I bet you – I mean, right now I'm staring at a few thousand people. Just here and by the clubhouse, the people that show up for this event is awesome.

9:43And American Century does an incredible job of putting this tournament on along with NBC. And it is – it's just a special place. It's special. My family, it's their favorite trip that we ever do. My kids, my oldest son is going to be on the bag for me again this year. He's 17. He plays golf. So it's just a special place for our family. And later in life, for my kids, this will be some of their favorite memories. That's outstanding to hear. As we wrap it up, as you know, you can wager on everything in Nevada. There are odds of winning this weekend. I just checked. You're posted at 6.5-1, six best odds on the board.

10:26What's your reaction to that and how you hit them these days? What's the current state of your game? I'm hitting it good right now. I'm excited to get it going. I like those odds. There's a good chance my wife will be making her way over to the sportsbook. Well, you can bet on yourself. It's like Wimbledon. John McEnroe used to bet on himself there. Yeah, that's exactly right. So we'll be making our way over there. And, you know, I'm hitting it good right now. But you know how it goes, man. I can play well for these pro-am days like yesterday. We played yesterday morning. First hole, first hole, I hit it to a foot, make birdie.

11:03Second hole, I hit it to three feet, make birdie. I was like, oh, no, this has got to stop right now. Because you can't do it in the practice or in the pro-am days. You've got to save it a little bit for the tournament. But everything changes Friday. You know, none of us are professional golfers for a reason. So we're all amateurs. We all enjoy this game. Some of us are decent golfers, but it's still different when the lights come on and the tournament starts. Mark, because you're in such a beautiful setting, I do not want to monopolize your time. I greatly appreciate you taking the time. And not that it matters, I'm not much older than you.

11:35I was a very young broadcaster. You were always gracious with guys like me when you got to the big. So thanks 25 years later and look forward to watching you this weekend at this great event. I appreciate it. Thank you very much for having me. Mark Mulder, not just happy to show up a three-time winner of the American Century Championship and beyond the brilliance of the tournament, there's a connection to this show. The host is playing, Rich Eisen. We can get an assessment of his game. Now I have the odds in front of me. We'll get there coming up. I'm Brian Weber, in for Rich. Mark Mulder, all class.

12:15And it was a different time. And I have strong thoughts about the state of that franchise that I will share momentarily, understanding it's not the Brian Weber show. Three of those have been canceled because the audience is never wrong. But Mark, you could tell when he got there, he was ready for the magnitude of the moment. And think about the what-if scenarios. Zito, Hudson, and Mulder, it is still a reflection of the bizarre nature of postseason baseball. It's the most random playoffs of them all that that team never even made a World Series. In fact, I didn't want to bring it up in Mark because we were having a pleasant conversation.

12:58I was standing directly behind home plate, 2001, Yankees versus the A's, And here comes Giambi out of nowhere. He's rounding third. Jeter somehow gets the foul ground with the flip like he's running an option in the SEC. Giambi out the plate. Heartbreak in Oakland. And unfortunately, Oakland fans have gotten used to that losing. In order, the Raiders, the Warriors, and the A's. Remember, the Raiders didn't show up until 1995, but they lost them first years and years ago. I'm Brian Weber, in for Rich. Hit me up on social media, B.W. Weber. Weber with two Bs in 10 minutes. We'll spotlight college football.

13:42Big 12 Media Days continuing. That gets us set for the SEC taking over next week. We use that as a catalyst to focus on what's going to happen on the field when we check in with Tim Murray. You can catch him on V-SIM Primetime coming up tonight and every weeknight at 7 Eastern. Also, the host of the V-SIM College Football Betting Podcast. So, if you're thinking about what you might see when you check out the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship, starting on Friday in beautiful South Lake Tahoe, Nevada. I didn't want to waste Mark's time, but I mentioned last hour, at a now-defunct national network that used to be the home of the Brian Weber Show.

14:28So, not only did I kill another show, I killed an entire network. I hosted my weekend show there in back-to-back years, situated on the driving range. And half the reason why I enjoy now watching it is just to conjure up those memories. And the vistas just pop off the screen. All the boats showing up. All of the energy. People having a good time. So you can check it out starting on Friday. Full coverage across the NBC family of networks. Golf Channel, Peacock, and network coverage on NBC. when they take over on the weekend with the tournament starting on Friday. Rich is going to be part of the field.

15:0690 players, now no cuts, so Rich is assured, unless something happens physically, he's going to play all weekend long. I mentioned, because you can bet on everything in Nevada, you can bet on everything now just about everywhere, there are odds for this celebrity championship. Marks a good value. Six and a half to one, number six on the board. Co-favorites, Steph Curry, and he can swing it. How do we know that? He won the championship two years ago, and somehow, as much as I've tried to escape tennis after working for Tennis Channel for 20 years and resigning in dramatic fashion a couple years ago, I still love the sport, and Marty Fish is a dynamic golfer, defending champion, two-time winner.

15:53He and Steph, the co-favorites. Now, you got to go a little bit further down the board to get to my guy, Rich Eisen. His odds, not as scintillating as the top of the board. Rich is listed at 500-1. Still, if you want context, better than Baker Mayfield. Pretty good. Think about that. Better than a former number one overall pick in the NFL. Better than Devontae Adams. They're listed at 1 ,000 to 1. I'm going to continue to look through the list for names you would know. Friend of the program, Brian Baumgartner, Kevin from the office. Now, he might be slowed down by that big pot of chili. It's hard when you have a heaping helping of chili in one hand, and you're trying to keep it on the fairway.

16:48If you haven't seen this event over the years, and I am not doing this under any obligation. There was no transaction that was necessitated other than letting you know what's coming up. And I'm biased because I've covered it in person. It's a good watch. Candidly, what else are you watching this weekend? If you care about golf, we're a week away from the Open Championship. Baseball, yes, is culminating heading into the All-Star break, but they play it every day, 162 games. I am a WNBA fan, understanding Caitlin Clark has made her return. after missing five games due to injury. To me, if you're flipping around, this is worth spending some time on your couch watching.

17:28So we'll be tracking Rich every step of the way. And I give him props for not being in that group of eight golfers at 1 ,000-1. That's essentially the bottom of the board. Every year the question is, what is the state of Charles Barkley's game? because you get these wide, huge changes in his swing. One year it's compact. Next year, widens his stance. Then he takes it back. I just love watching it because I gave up golf years ago for two reasons. I know you'll find this stunning as a broadcaster. I had no innate athletic ability. Secondly, I don't want to spend four hours with anybody unless I'm hosting a radio show and they're in a different room on the other side of the glass.

18:15I have some social anxiety, and that's why the Brian Weber Show has been killed repeatedly. A footnote to the situation for the athletics. And now you know my background as I covered Mark and those teams that had so much young talent 25 years ago. As he alluded to, the A's are playing in West Sacramento. Capacity, 14 ,000. I've been looking at their attendance out of morbid curiosity, routinely now getting 8 ,000 folks. They're stuck there the rest of this year, next year, and the following year. Here's one other thing to think about. It's 118 degrees. I've been to Sacramento in July. You feel like you're on the Mars rover, and you're just melting.

19:04So none of this is good. And my last question is, why did baseball allow this owner to move to Las Vegas when they could have waited for expansion and then chop up that money, which would be billions of dollars in expansion fee amongst themselves? It just makes no sense. But then again, the business of baseball routinely makes no sense. The game thrives because it's indestructible and a better watch with the addition of the pitch clock and the star power of Otani and Judge and my guy, Cal Raleigh. I saw things melting on the internet when the broadcast last night, as the Mariners were taking on the Yankees, were trying to explain the nickname as to why he's the big dumper, and the TV director did an ultra close-up of his posterior.

20:00There are many great things going on in baseball. Unfortunately, the A's are not among them. Coming up, more college football. We will let you know how the Sharpies in Vegas view what's going to happen in the race for the national championship. And we'll go beyond the usual suspects. Who's a second tier team? With a legitimate chance to win it all, we'll find out when we check in with Tim Murray from VEASAN. I'm Brian Weber. Always having a good time with you when I'm in for Rich as we continue on the Rich Eisen Show. The greats don't shy away from change. They attack it head-on with confidence, preparation, and a clear strategy.

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21:54DeWalt. Guaranteed tough. Available at the Home Depot. How doers get more done. You can hit me up on the X platform during or after the program. B.W. Weber. Weber with two B's. We're using the kickoff yesterday and continuation today of Big 12 Media Days as a catalyst to talk college football. And nice to reconnect with Tim Murray, you can catch him on V-CIN Primetime, weeknight, 7 Eastern. Also host a very listenable and entertaining and informative podcast, the V-CIN College Football Betting Podcast. Tim, I don't expect you to remember this, but anytime we talk when I'm filling in for Rich during the summer, I bring up the fact I used to fill in for you on NBC Sports Radio.

22:43In fact, I'm sitting in the very building that used to house the late great NBC Sports Radio. Yeah, the last voice on NBC Sports Radio. So I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I closed it down. I believe it was the final day of March of 2020. But yeah, it was a fun run. And yeah, it was a fond memory, certainly, of NBC Sports Radio. And I'll say this real quickly. This weekend is the American-centric championship up in Tahoe. And I'll say top three coolest thing I've done in being in this profession was sitting on the driving range doing live shows for NBC Sports Radio, talking to all of the celebrities that were walking by with the backdrop of Lake Tahoe in the background.

23:34So certainly fond memories of good old NBC Sports Radio. Well, Tim, excellent synergy because we just had a conversation with Mark Mulder who joined us live from Lake Tahoe, as you know, a three-time champion of the event. And when we used to have weekend content, the Brian Weber Show on NBC Sports Radio was hosted there twice. So I'm with you. And not just to be a shill for the event, Rich is playing in it this year. So there's a lot of connectivity. But as you mentioned, it is a terrific tournament. Let's get to your specialty amongst all the things you cover on Visa. And I know you have a passion for college football.

24:09I alluded to the fact that Big 12 media days are going on, so let's focus on matters on the field. I know it's harder now to come up with firm conclusions on teams before we see them because of the roster turnover and all the realities of the transfer portal. But a year ago, Arizona State came out of nowhere. They were picked to finish last and won the conference. How do you see the top of the conference this year as we get closer to the start of the season? Well, I think we should just pick whoever we expect to be last and fully anticipate them to win it. So congratulations to the West Virginia Mountaineers in year one of the return of Rich Rodriguez.

24:50No, all kidding aside, I love this conference because of the unpredictability. And it's not just last year. I think it's going to be this year as well. And, you know, obviously BYU gets Delta a unique blow with Jake Retzlaff leaving the program after what unfolded off the field there. So they're kind of a wild card right now. We saw a pretty significant shift in their odds to make the college football playoff to win this conference as well. I want to start with a team that certainly had an underwhelming year last year, and that's Utah. This is a program that has been kind of the epitome of sustained success there at Salt Lake City.

25:34And last year for them to go under.500 was rather surprising. When I look at Utah, and this is a team that, based off of the odds, is around the third or fourth shot to win this conference. But when I look at them at the quarterback position, I get really excited. You know, Devin Dampier is a guy that I don't know if many folks saw him because he was playing for New Mexico a year ago, but he's an electric athlete. And also he brings his offensive coordinator with him to Utah. So Jason Beck comes from New Mexico along with Devin Zampier. You've got a great offensive line in front of them. So I think I start with Utah.

26:13That's a team that I believe certainly has a chance to bounce back here and what you would imagine is one of the final years of Kyle Whittingham there as the head coach of the Utes. And as you go a little bit further down, you know, I think we talk so much nationally about the quarterbacks this year. It starts with Arch Manning and certainly Drew Aller at Penn State and Cade Klobnik at Clemson. I look at the Big 12 and I say this is the best conference, in my opinion, from top to bottom of quarterbacks, because in the middle of it, you've got some really strong quarterback play. You know, you look at Avery Johnson, a guy who had a ton of hype a year ago at Kansas State.

26:53I think he's going to have a bounce back type of season. Incredible athleticism there for him at the quarterback position. Sam Levitt last year blew up as one of the top quarterbacks in the country. How is he going to be without his go-to guy in Camp Skadaboo as his running back? But if you go a little bit further down, I think Sawyer Robertson at Baylor is a guy that, to me, is not getting enough attention. You look at some of the numbers that he put up. This is a guy that wasn't expected to be the starter last year. Daquan Finn, the transfer from Toledo, was a guy that they fully anticipated to get this job.

27:29And then Sawyer Robinson took it and ran with it just a year ago. Look at Josh Hoover and the numbers that he's put up at TCU over his time there in Fort Worth. And he's got an opportunity on Monday of Labor Day weekend to go on the road against UNC at Chapel Hill and put up some significant numbers. Rocco Beck has been the starter at Iowa State for a number of years. I mean, even if you look at a team like Colorado, they get a three-year starter in Caden Salter from Liberty to come out to Boulder. So the quarterback play is absolutely loaded in this conference. I do think if I had to pick a winner today, I would go with Utah to win this conference.

28:07But I certainly think a Baylor has an opportunity to win this conference. And I think TCU, a team just a couple years ago who made the magical run to the national championship game, I think they could make some noise right away on that Monday night in Chapel Hill with an exceptional quarterback play with Josh Hoover. That is the comprehensive analysis you're going to get from Tim when you catch him on V-CIN primetime, 7 Eastern tonight, every week. They also check out the V-CIN college football betting podcast. Footnote to the Utah observations, and I'm with you every step of the way. Just amazing, Cam Rising did not have another year of eligibility?