Travis Hunter Is One Of One

0:00We all know Saturday's game time can get a little messy. Your crew just came over to watch. Snacks on the table, drinks in hand, and somebody's celebrating like they just won the whole season and beyond. And when that energy gets going, your walls can end up taking the hit. Whether it's a big spill or a noticeable scuff, that's where Behr Ultra Interior Paint comes in. It adds an extra durable, stain-blocking finish that helps your walls hold up for the whole season. It also delivers outstanding coverage and hide in fewer coats. with easy application and a smooth, even finish that goes on clean from the first pass.

0:34Plus, that easy, clean finish helps walls stay looking new longer. So before the next kickoff, give your space game-ready defense and coverage that goes the distance. Bear Ultra, only at The Home Depot. This episode is brought to you by Facebook. So you were scrolling on Marketplace, and there it was, the bike you'd been searching for. You sent a message, and it turned out the seller was super chatty, kind of funny, and an avid cyclist. The next thing you know, you're in a cycling crew. Well, a community cycling group. The thing about Facebook, you might find more than what you're looking for.

1:11From a browse to a bike ride, this summer, find more on Facebook. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Brian Weber with you. hop aboard at 844-204-7424 or if you want to lurk in the shadows of social media you can hit me up on the x platform that is bw weber weberwood2bs you can tell it is a holiday even the band took the week off but we are fired up and feeling good as we jump right in if you are new to my approach Now the egoist in me would say, how dare you not know who a guest host is? And that's why we have search engines after all. But if you are stumbling across me in this time slot for the very first time, let me be fully transparent.

2:01Although I will read the phone number over and over and over again, we don't take a ton of phone calls. Would you like to know why? Most of you don't call a substitute host. I fully get it. So if you're inclined to make this more of a passive experience, that is all good, as you kids say. And if you want to jot down the number and wait for Rich's return on Monday, have at it. 844-204-7424. I do check the X account frequently. So if you want to throw opinions around on social media, that is probably your best way to chime in. I also do my best to have about four to four and a half hours of content ready that we plow through together in three hours because it remains a career highlight to have the opportunity to contribute to the show that has the intersection of sports and entertainment better than anybody else in our industry.

3:05And to put that into focus, Rich enjoying his vacation, but it's going to be a working holiday because coming up on Friday, you can see Rich competing in the premier celebrity golf tournament. All of them all, there is actually a circuit these days, but the granddaddy of them all, as I'm talking college football later in the program, is the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship in beautiful South Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Rich can be seen on national television Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It's no cut. So my friend is guaranteed of making it through all three rounds. And that is significant because today we're going to add a third guest.

3:50Normally, I think I am delusional enough to believe I'm just that fascinating. I try to maximize your interaction opportunities with only a pair of guests. Today, we're going to add a third because he's a former all-star pitcher and he's an outstanding golfer, three-time champion of the American century. championship coming up on Friday. Looking forward to a conversation with Mark Mulder to start the final hour of the program at 2 p.m. Eastern. Mark will never remember this, but I covered his major league debut for the then Oakland A's. And if you're of a certain age, you'll recall, yes, the A's played in Oakland and they had the best core of young pitching in all of baseball.

4:37Their big three, Tim Hudson, Barry Zito with his quirky curveball and personality, and Mark Mulder. We'll get there coming up in the last hour of the program. Going to jump right in talking NBA. There are some significant developments that have occurred over the last 24 hours, including this morning from my vantage point here in Southern California. Our first guest comes your way in the second hour of the program. In addition to the NBA analysis I'm about to offer, always good to check in with you. with Brian Kalbroski, who covers hoops for USA Today, and college football is back. Now, it's only dudes talking at a podium in Texas, but with the kickoff of Big 12 Media Days yesterday, I'm using that as license to focus heavily on college football because if I'm going to be thoroughly up front with you, I love college football more than the NFL.

5:33Now, even though they continue to make it more and more challenging for fans to wrap their head around the current state of the sport, because we're already now virtually guaranteed of a 16-team playoff as soon as next season. But I'm going to concentrate on matters on the field. We'll try to handicap who has the best chance of dethroning Ohio State as the reigning national champ. So coming up also in the final hour of the program, we'll get you the view from Vegas when we check in with Tim Murray of VEASAN, who shares my passion for the college game. I'm Brian Weber, in for Rich, 844-204-7424, or slide over to the X platform.

6:18You can also submit your resume. They're looking for a new CEO as of today. My handle is BWWeber, Weber with two Bs. Now, if you are somebody who has brushed across me in the past, and I will not read my full resume, if you have any idea who I am, who am I? Why am I here? Why am I clutching the microphone? It's probably because of my tenure at NFL Network, where I worked with Rich, got to know him, and that created this magnificent chance to contribute to his brand. And I'm also a veteran of holidays. So I've done this week before. And the key, in my estimation, as a successful guest host, that is not a paradox.

7:01It's not jumbo shrimp. You have to know what you're in store for. This is not the busiest week on the sports calendar. There's a reason why the American Century Championship is scheduled for this week, because it coincides with baseball's all-star break kicking off a mini pause on baseball's calendar. So once the games wind down on Sunday, Home Run Derby Monday, the Midsummer Classic on Tuesday, and the folks not playing in the all-star game get a break. So if you know what is the challenge, if you have a little bit of intellectual curiosity and creativity and want to work, it's not that hard.

7:48It's not really a slow week. I think as you scan the dial, you're tolerating slow-witted hosts. So as I was driving into work today and I flip around not to steal from the competition, I'm the person who tries to give as much attribution as possible. If you've been dealing with my act this week, how many times have I said Brian Wintour is the preeminent NBA insider, deserves much more airtime on ESPN, and I learned something. I get smarter every time I hear his analysis. So as I'm scanning the dial, I did notice other shows leading with things like Patrick Mahomes body shaming. Yeah, knucklehead in our industry in Kansas City is taking shots at the best quarterback of his generation.

8:40Now, we all have eyes. We know Mahomes is not a sculptured Adonis. Last time I checked, this was not a bodybuilding competition. and more to the point nobody in sports media should be pointing out that others might be a bit corpulent there's a reason why if you go to my twitter avatar bw weber weber with two b's one photo is circa 1977 the other i'm patrolling the sidelines for fox on an nfl broadcast at the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum in 2001. Let's just say none of us are going to be running the Ironman anytime soon. So for a hack in Kansas City to be taking shots at Patrick Mahomes just reflects there's not much going on.

9:33And for national platforms to jump on it, also I find a bit intellectually lazy. The other thing I heard today was, dun, dun, dun! Nikola Jokic has not signed his extension. What does it mean? Is the Joker not happy with the flurry of moves the Nuggets made to appease him and get him more depth after back-to-back Game 7 losses in the postseason in the last two years coming off their run to the championship. Well, the people disseminating that information didn't take the time even to click on the story because if you scanned down to paragraph two, every NBA journalist that I follow made it clear that this was the right business decision by the Joker because if he waits another year, he can make substantially more money.

10:29So I don't want to say everything is clickbait and I don't want to go negative. There's too much of that in our industry, but it is at least curious to me. And maybe now I'm just trying to pat myself on the back and I reach over. A lot of people, I believe, do not necessarily approach this week with enough preparation, understanding that the marquee performer's not here, and you're not going to get the same level of interaction, nor, as much as I'm looking forward to chatting with Mark Mulder, I'm not talking to Larry David or Jon Hamm this week. So I come with a satchel filled with sizzling hot takes.

11:12Among them, let me get to Draymond Green, who's not going to be pleased by the development today in the NBA. Not a surprise, but further confirmation that OKC isn't going anywhere. As expected, Chet Holmgren agreed to a five-year max contract extension. Following SGA, next up is Jalen Williams. So what does that mean? The Thunder are keeping the core intact, as they should. This is the second youngest team in the Shot Clock era to win it all. Not only do they have their big three, really a big two and a half right now because Holmgren needs to fill in his physique. Now I'm body shaming as well, but we all watched at least the NBA finals.

12:00What do you think that guy weighs? Now he's young. He's been hurt. Remember, he missed the majority of last year, what should have been his rookie season. And so as he gets older, as he focuses more on nutrition, as he spends more time in the weight room, his body will fill out. My only challenge with Chet, and I love college basketball as much as I love the NBA. You're getting the trend that I've been a big supporter of college sports for decades. A lot of that now going to be past tense. I made a business decision to step away once the Pac-12 was killed. I'm not saying I'm closing the door on future work in the college space.

12:39I just don't have the same passion for it professionally. And if you're not fully emotionally committed to calling a soccer game by yourself in Arizona when it's 112 degrees and you're in a press box made entirely of metal, you shouldn't be there. And I realize I reached that point, and I want younger broadcasters to have the opportunity. But if you follow Holmgren back to his time at Gonzaga, you know this guy is the total package. He is the representation of where the NBA is presently because he can knock down threes, because he's long beyond being tall. He's got the wingspan. My only issue is I have not seen a big dude miss more layups than Chet Holmgren.

13:23And I don't know if it's finesse. I'm not going to be the shot doctor. But think about even in the NBA Finals, how many point blank opportunities either he failed to throw it down, big man, channeling the late great Bill Walton, or he just blew a buddy. So OKC, with the understanding we have had seven different NBA champions consecutively for the first time in league history for a reason. A lot of it comes down to the CBA, which we'll talk about and connect to Draymond Green momentarily. I'm Brian Weber in for Rich. You can let me know what you think about what's going on in sports. Take it any direction you want.

14:05B.W. Weber. Weber with two B's on the X platform. In 30 minutes, we'll get to the NFL. How are the Jaguars going to try to use Travis Hunter as the first legitimate two-way player in the NFL? Put aside Deion dabbling on both sides of the football since Chuck Bednarik of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1960s. We'll talk about that coming up with college football also on the horizon in less than 20 minutes. The entire point of the new CBA was to legislate parity, just ripping a page out of the NFL playbook because the NFL is king primarily due to gambling and fantasy football, which is an offshoot.

14:54But the other unspoken truth is no league has more of a turnover in the standings than the NFL. 21 of the last 22 years, something like that. Somebody's gone from worse to first. So even if you're enduring a miserable year, there's the possibility it gets better next year. And that's what the NBA wanted in the new collective bargaining agreement. And the owners wanted to protect themselves from themselves. They legislated essentially a hard cap so they wouldn't be able to spend more because they didn't trust themselves. Or the small market teams got tired of the massive disparity between the haves and have-nots and said, this has to change.

15:38They had the votes to get that done. So why am I bullish on OKC if I just told you that we're going to continue to have the current state of parity for as long as the CBA runs in the foreseeable future? because the Thunder are so young and because they're so well run. Sam Presti is a basketball savant. I will not go through all the particulars of the Paul George trade once more, but remember, SGA was not in the first sentence of that deal because the headline was Paul George goes from OKC to the Clippers. In return, the Thunder get five number ones and two pick swaps. Who did that become? guys like Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.

16:27And they have incredible depth, only matched this year by Indiana, and clearly everything's going to change for the Pacers with the confirmation of what we presume to be true yesterday or the night before. Tyrese Halliburton, unfortunately, will not play at all as he rehabs the ruptured Achilles he suffered in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. And because the Bucs got creative in their attempt to appease Giannis, They went all in from an accounting standpoint to get Miles Turner in the process saying, thanks, but no thanks to Damian Lillard. Here's$113 million to go away. So if you couple what OKC has on the roster, what they have in the future when it comes to the draft, and the guy calling the shots, I have a lot of confidence that this team is going to be here for years to come.

17:21Although I try to be up front with you. I might have said the same thing about the Bucs because I was blinded by the brilliance of Giannis. I probably said the same thing about the Nuggets, but it's an acknowledgement by Denver based on what they did over the last 10 days. And I know a lot of you, including Draymond Green, are longing for the old days of the legitimate free Asian frenzy. Well, I miss the 1980s and 90s as well. I mentioned rotary phones yesterday. I'm older than my enthusiastic delivery would suggest. We can go through nostalgia as much as we want. What's the line from the Sopranos?

18:03It's the lowest form of conversation, but we have confirmation that these facts are not going to change. So why did Denver make it a priority to move Michael Porter Jr., who was instrumental in their championship run, and showed his commitment to the team playing through injuries and all of his back issues? Well, they wanted a more dynamic player in Cam Johnson. They also prioritized depth, bringing back Bruce Brown. Not an earth-shattering move, but a glue guy from the championship team. Picking up Tim Hardaway Jr. And despite those reports, he's going to Greece. It looks like it's a done deal.

18:45Jonas Valanciunas is going to be a nugget, giving them finally a legitimate backup to the Joker. I am going to just concede the point one more time because the audience is always changing, especially with a fill-in hack. I am aware those are not sexy names. But you don't necessarily win in team sports, especially in the NBA. Look at the quick demise of the super team that never was in Phoenix just with star power. You need other dudes, and that's what the CBA change has prioritized. So Draymond Green, and I'll get back to this later in the program because I filibustered to start as I jumped right in, is not my favorite person nor player.

19:33Now, if you care about my background, I'm the biggest warrior honk you're going to find. before the team had the transformation and became one of the most coveted franchises in all of sports, thanks to Steph Curry being a generational talent, when I was their TV sideline reporter in the era of Chris Gatling and Victor Alexander, they were the Clippers of Northern California. They were atrocious. So I am a huge, well, I don't root for teams. I root for stories to talk about, a huge supporter of the franchise. And I understand what Draymond means to that team specifically. I just don't find his analysis to be that thoughtful, nor do I think, and this is my own bias, so I will be up front with it.

20:20I just don't think he's likable on television. But I understand as a longtime professional wrestling fan that he's playing a heel. I get it. Here's Draymond's thoughts on what he believes to be the death of NBA free agency. I'll read it quickly, what he posted on social media. The level of anticipation leading up to July 1st used to be as exciting as fireworks on the 4th. Yet, only a week after watching a team spray champagne and ride on floats, nothing is going on currently. I'm paraphrasing here. One can only point to the new CBA and the second apron hard cap for absolutely putting an end to free agency as we once knew it, close quote.

21:04He goes on to say, I should have been the Players Association president, but he did throw an LOL in, at least have a degree of self-awareness. I could have helped a lot. We're going to leave it there because there's a lot to unpack. We'll pick it up when we're joined in the next hour of the program by Brian Kalbroski of USA Today. But here's a preview. And because I believe in attribution, I will mention I got this from Bobby Marks, the former NBA executive and that works for ESPN. He pointed out on social media, this really isn't about the second apron. It's about the part of the CBA that prioritized contract extensions.

21:45That's why no one is going anywhere as a free agent. You re-up with your current team to get more. And if you are going to depart, it's going to be through a trade. as we saw with Kevin Durant, as we saw in other circumstances. So I'm not here just to bash Draymond. I gave you my perspective. I'm not an enormous fan. He lost me when he punched Jordan Poole in the face. I understand tempers run hot at a practice setting. Why do you think that video leaked? Because somebody in the organization was just worn out by Draymond, and they wanted to embarrass him and they hoped he would change his actions.

22:29Well, how many more dudes is he going to hit in the man zone and say that was incidental contact before we realize that he is beyond just being a repeat offender breaking NBA rules between the lines? He's largely out of control. We'll hit pause on that and get back to the NBA coming up in the next hour of the program. I'm Brian Weber in for Rich. I will check your thoughts out on social media coming up. It's B.W. Weber. Weber would, too, be straight ahead. We'll connect hoops to football. We could get an announcement, according to reports, as soon as today the NCAA tournament is expanding. I mentioned it's virtually a done deal.

23:11The college football playoff will be growing next year. How is that impacting your fandom? Is anybody considering what you, the paying customer on the college level, an alum who has emotion invested as well? Is anybody thinking about you and what you truly want? That is coming up. I'm Brian Weber. Quick break to tell you some game time tips. When you're hosting during football season, you've got to be ready for every kind of craving. Somebody wants fresh pizza. Somebody wants crispy wings. Somebody's asking if there's sliders. That's when you need more than one call in the playbook. Frigidaire offers ranges and wall ovens with over 15 cooking modes, so you can tackle hosting with confidence.

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25:03You can have at it on social media. I appreciate the positivity, the negativity, but I don't think you can respond if you just feel like it's all mundane on a big word Wednesday. So my job is to elicit a response, and I appreciate those of you taking the time to weigh in. B.W. Weber, Weber with two Bs. I had somebody asking for my analysis of the Atlanta Braves. I could say they're wretched. I could say they're abysmal. That's not really perspective. What's the old line? That's baseball. It's flipping a coin 162 times. I know injury is a benefactor. I know they've been gutted by one-run games, but when you get a superstar like Ronald Acuna Jr.

25:51back, that team has to be better than what we're seeing on the Diamond in Georgia. And there's your baseball update. Who says I don't talk baseball? I'm aware Shohei Otani went deep again. the most home runs by an LA Dodger at the All-Star break, but LA lost again. They're mortal. Make it five consecutive losses now by the boys in blue. Still, because it's 162 game season, even when you're scuffling, you can't overreact to anything. And I realize that is in direct opposition to everything we do in sports talk radio. So for example, you could say, well, the Yankees will be just fine. And I think with time, they will figure it out.

26:40But it's just this simple. When you watch the Yankees play or just have an idea of how things are coming together, if Aaron Judge isn't locked in, they just don't have a chance these days, which is bizarre, considering the size of the payroll. And now I've talked more baseball than I wanted to, but But if we're comparing and contrasting, for example, the Yankees have more substantial issues they have to deal with, namely the bullpen, than the Dodgers. The Dodgers, for whatever reason, just can't stay healthy on the mound. But because they have unlimited willingness to spend and they have the benefit of Otani, who's the face of the league now, the international face of baseball, willing to defer money, they have even more options to spend whatever it takes.

27:28like they did last year when they picked up Jack Flaherty prior to the deadline. Then he went back to Detroit. Oh, by the way, Tigers, the story in baseball, but no one wants to talk about them because they're in Detroit. Let's make the move to college sports. I mentioned as I was forward promoting what was coming up in this content block, beyond my passion for the college space in general, I love college basketball. It was my entree to broadcasting, and I like basketball more than football. It's just my aesthetic. However, and I'm glad that the leading basketball journalists who cover the college game are all lining up uniformly to let fans know.

28:10Now, unfortunately, there's not much we can do because we're addicted to sports. It's not like we're going to boycott the NCAA tournament when it goes to 76 teams. But, for example, Matt Norlander, who does an outstanding job covering college basketball for CBS, Yes, he threw out a poll, and I'm inclined to believe if you're following him on the X platform, and you can follow me, it's B.W. Weber, Weber with two Bs, you like college basketball. You're not a casual. He threw out a simple question with the reporting that he's been doing at Pat 40 of Sports Illustrated that as soon as later today, maybe tomorrow, but most likely before the end of the week, We'll get official confirmation the tournament is expanding beyond the current field of 68, which nobody talks about because we all ignore the first four.

29:03Don't call it the play-in, but it feels like it's going to happen. We're just waiting for the particulars, and 76 seems to be the number. And you can certainly hazard a guess that the branding will be the spirit of 76. We'll tap into nostalgia. you hey happy birthday america next year with another milestone coming up do not believe the branding or the hype and you're gonna hear this is about access more teams deserve a shot at the tournament because division one has expanded well rob and matt norlander had a poll together rob doster also does a terrific job of covering college basketball i'm reading from matt's account 94 % of the respondents to the question, do you want NCAA tournament expansion, said no.

29:57We can't agree to the tune of 94 % on anything in this nation. So it's clear, if you enjoy college basketball, we don't want to see this because we're not inane. We go through Selection Sunday. We see what happens every year. You notice when you look at the bubble teams, the vast majority are from the Big Ten. Even the SEC had a bubble team or two where they got everybody from the conference in this year. It's a sport that's controlled by the cartel of the Power Four conferences. That is still relevant in basketball because of the depth of the Big 12. We just saw Houston make a run to the national title game.