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00:00Tuesday edition of Shine Time.
00:02We have answers and takes to the burning questions.
00:05Was last night the final game of LeBron's career?
00:09Should the Lakers want to bring him back?
00:11Can anyone beat OKC?
00:14Will the Knicks cruise to the finals?
00:17Is it just a slump or a harbinger of things to come
00:21for the Dodgers and the Yankees?
00:24Shine Time starts right now.
00:53I don't know what the future holds for me, obviously,
00:57as it stands right now tonight.
01:00I got a lot of time.
01:01I'll sit back, like I think I said, last year after we lost,
01:03I think to Minnesota to go back and recalibrate with my family
01:07and talk with them and spend some time with them.
01:10And when the time comes, obviously, you guys will know.
01:14He was the top of the scouting report all series.
01:17His size gave us issue at times.
01:20Yeah, he was impressive out there.
01:23I'm not sure we'll see anything like it again,
01:25his longevity and his greatness for this long.
01:28Luca, when you signed your extension last summer,
01:31you helped to recruit Marcus and D.A.
01:34Will you be trying to make sure you recruit LeBron, Austin, D.A.
01:37and Marcus again this summer?
01:39We'll see.
01:40I can't tell you nothing.
01:43Oh, that soundbites speaks volumes.
01:46I think there's a lot we need to really focus on and chew on and examine on today's show
01:51after the season ended last night for LeBron James and the L.A. Lakers swept out of the second round
01:58against a juggernaut OKC team.
02:00And this could be the final time LeBron James played basketball in his legendary, majestic career.
02:09LeBron James, to me, is the second-best ballplayer in the history of the NBA.
02:13Sometimes people view that like it's some kind of criticism when I have Michael Jordan draw a line
02:19LeBron James.
02:20I mean that as the ultimate compliment.
02:22And in terms of longevity and being a dominant, legendary, all-time ballplayer,
02:29nobody comes close to LeBron and what he's doing at the age of 41 years old.
02:34So I think when you watch the game, you listen to LeBron, you listen to the comments after,
02:41it's worthy of talking about and fleshing out a few different topics and a few different takes.
02:47Will LeBron call it a career?
02:49Will LeBron, if he wants to play again, re-sign with the Lakers?
02:55If it's not with the Lakers, will he go elsewhere?
02:58And I think it's a loaded one here, but we have to examine it today.
03:02Do the Lakers want LeBron James back?
03:06So let's start at the beginning.
03:09I think LeBron is absolutely going to play next year.
03:12And I thought he was pretty thoughtful after the game.
03:15He's going to recalibrate.
03:16He's going to talk with his family, talk with his friends.
03:18I honestly think, and if you watch the game, LeBron was magnificent and majestic yet again last night.
03:25Over 40 minutes of pure gold at the age of 41.
03:28And the fact that the Lakers had the lead last night going into the fourth quarter,
03:35first time OKC hasn't had a lead going into the fourth quarter of a playoff game this entire year,
03:40that's all because of the genius and the greatness of LeBron and what he left on the floor.
03:45I think LeBron absolutely can still play and still play at a high legendary level.
03:52I also think, if we're being honest, and we always are, LeBron James is one of those athletes who wants
04:01to have a retirement tour.
04:02LeBron wants you to look at him.
04:05LeBron wants to go to Sacramento and go to Detroit and go to Brooklyn.
04:10He wants the fans to be there.
04:12He wants to celebrate.
04:13He wants every arena to have a video tribute to him.
04:18I don't believe it's even in the realm of possibility for LeBron, if you have followed his career,
04:24he's not going to retire after a season quietly on social media.
04:29That's not LeBron.
04:30That's not what he does.
04:32There is a major look at me quotient when it comes to LeBron James.
04:37He will have a retirement tour.
04:40So I would be surprised.
04:41Now, I do think what James said about getting to the arena five to eight hours in advance,
04:48and he's going to be 42 next year.
04:50And think about this, and it's a credit to LeBron.
04:53In his years on the planet, he has spent more time in the NBA than not.
04:58Think about that for a second.
05:00He joined the NBA, joined the Cavs as a kid out of Akron, out of high school.
05:04He has spent more time on planet Earth as an NBA player than not.
05:10That's kind of crazy.
05:12And that's a credit to LeBron James.
05:14Still can play at a high level.
05:15And I think that he absolutely, once he takes a breath, you know, he obviously can play with his son.
05:22He's got a great family in the area.
05:25He has a great rapport with J.J. Redick.
05:28You know, he's got Hollywood right there.
05:30I think it makes too much sense for him to play another year and, frankly, to play for the Lakers.
05:37And you look at what LeBron has done as a Laker.
05:40Of all the boards we could run today on Shine Time, this, to me, is my favorite.
05:45Because I always and forever think of LeBron as a Cav.
05:50I think of LeBron James and what he did when he took his talents to South Beach.
05:55It was four years of gold.
05:57Anyone who says otherwise, that dopey dance-off with Bosh and Wade was cringe-inducing.
06:03Not one, not two, not three in terms of the championships.
06:05He played in Miami for four years.
06:08Won two titles.
06:09The other two years, he made the NBA Finals.
06:12By any description, that is a monster success.
06:16Goes to Cleveland, delivers Cleveland the championship, and then goes to the Lakers.
06:20And look at this.
06:21This is worthy of celebration.
06:23This is worthy of jubilation and appreciation.
06:27And LeBron James is not only an all-time great, he's an all-time great Laker and deserves.
06:34Now, again, you start talking about where he ranks as an all-time great Laker or how fans think of
06:40him.
06:41I mean, we could talk about Magic.
06:42We could talk about Kobe.
06:43We could talk about Kareem.
06:44Even Shaq, to a certain extent, right?
06:48You know, there are different guys, Jerry West, who obviously have that pull when it comes to the heartstrings
06:54for the fans of the L.A. Lakers.
06:57But, look, I think the Lakers should absolutely want LeBron back.
07:02I don't see LeBron retiring, and I also don't see him picking his talents elsewhere.
07:08Think about it from a few different perspectives, right?
07:11Here are some of the usual suspects, and tell me if you can see it.
07:16Golden State Warrior LeBron James.
07:20He's pretty close to his home in L.A., obviously.
07:23Steve Kerr's coming back.
07:24You still have Steph.
07:26They can't fully ever break it down to build it back up because Kerr's staying.
07:30And Curry's saying, and I get that from a business perspective, I just don't see that benefiting LeBron.
07:36Is he going to go to the Knicks after they make the NBA Finals?
07:40Is he going to take a pay cut to do that?
07:42Is he going to sign with the Clippers?
07:44Is he going back to Cleveland?
07:46Like, I'm struggling here trying to find another NBA team that for basketball or beyond would make sense.
07:54Again, he plays with Bronny.
07:56It just checks a lot of boxes.
07:58Great relationship with J.J.
08:00I think that LeBron absolutely should.
08:03First of all, he wants to.
08:04He's going to want to play again and should want to play again with the L.A. Lakers.
08:08Then it comes down to, do the Lakers want him back?
08:13Will they want to run it back?
08:15And I love the fact that we played that Luka Doncic soundbite.
08:20Because make no mistake here, the Lakers are now Luka's team.
08:26The Lakers are no longer LeBron's team.
08:29And LeBron knows that.
08:31And he's going to have to realize that if he won't.
08:34And I think he does based upon how he played in March after he came back.
08:40Remember that road trip where they started 3-0 and Doncic was unbelievable and Reeves was unbelievable?
08:45And then James came back and fit in and was that third option.
08:49And all throughout the month of March, you had people like me saying,
08:52Lakers are unbelievable.
08:54Lakers are the team that can compete with OKC.
08:56And then Doncic and Reeves get hurt on April 2nd.
08:59And poof, that concept went up in smoke.
09:02I think the Lakers are without question Doncic's team.
09:06I think that Luka, and The Athletic reported this today,
09:11wants Austin Reeves, who's also a free agent, wants him back.
09:14And I would give Austin Reeves a bag.
09:17No question about that.
09:18I don't want to hear about the playoffs with Austin Reeves.
09:21He's not even close to being 100%.
09:23And he played hard, and he played beautifully.
09:27Had an opportunity to tie that game on that three that missed last night.
09:30Reeves poured in the points, and he's clearly not 100%.
09:33He rushed to be back out there for himself, for LeBron, for J.J., for Lakers fans everywhere.
09:40So I can do nothing here but give credit to Austin Reeves.
09:44And I think LeBron knows the deal in terms of fitting in with that structure.
09:49And, look, Luka was going to be damned if he answered that question by saying,
09:55of course I'm going to recruit LeBron, because that wouldn't sound great.
09:59Now, Luka, who I love, had kind of a smug, arrogant expression on his face,
10:06and, you know, obviously kind of came across in a not positive way.
10:10But he didn't say anything incriminating there.
10:13So I'll tell you what I would do, right?
10:15And I know Lakers fans, you know, I interact with them on my Sports Talk radio show,
10:20Shine on Sports, on Mad Dog Sports Radio and SiriusXM.
10:23I get all the feedback on X and on Instagram from you guys.
10:27And right now, as you're watching live on YouTube, on the chat, we're reading all the comments.
10:32I know Lakers fans are torn on this, and I know that it's loaded, right?
10:38I think you have to run it back.
10:39I think you have to remember what March was.
10:44And it was going to be a march to the playoffs, literally and figuratively,
10:49where I thought the Lakers would hold on to that three seed,
10:52and I thought the Lakers would be the biggest challenger.
10:54They'd beat the Spurs in the second round and be the biggest challenger to OKC.
10:58And they would have an opportunity to beat them.
11:00Look, if Doncic was healthy, this series is still going on.
11:04If Doncic was healthy, the Lakers hold on to that three,
11:07and they're playing San Antonio in the second round.
11:09Let's not forget about this.
11:11So I think that they have to add more in terms of depth,
11:14add more in terms of scoring off the bench.
11:18Listen, I don't think DeAndre Ayton needs to be thrown out.
11:21I could understand why a Laker fan is kind of fed up.
11:25J.J. Reddick's kind of fed up.
11:26If you get rid of Ayton, great.
11:29Just tell me who replaces him.
11:31And here's the other thing that I think really needs to be discussed, right?
11:34We're doing 10 minutes to start the show on this topic with LeBron coming back.
11:39If the Lakers find a way to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, we will strike this from the record,
11:45and you'll never find it again on YouTube.
11:46Because if you can get Giannis, great.
11:48I just don't think that's possible.
11:50I want Jennifer Aniston to return my telephone calls.
11:53It's just not happening.
11:55Maybe I'm missing something unless Giannis forces his way to the Lakers, but, you know,
12:00they don't have enough in terms of players and draft picks, and you have to get a second team,
12:05a third team in.
12:06And I don't think that anyone really wants to help out the Lakers when it comes to this.
12:11So, I also think, and Lakers fans have been split on this all day long with me,
12:19I think this Lakers season was a success.
12:22And I know when you start talking about history of the Lakers, expectation of the Lakers,
12:29where LeBron is, you make the Luka trade so you have a window to win.
12:33And, listen, the start of the season was chaotic and frenzied and a bit of a mess.
12:39But it was in route to being one for the ages and one to remember.
12:45And the fact that James was the reason why they beat the Houston Rockets,
12:50even without Durant playing, this was all on LeBron.
12:54And he deserves so much credit, historically, in-moment, big picture,
12:59whether or not you bring him back.
13:01LeBron deserves all the credit in the world.
13:03For what he did after the injury, what he did at the end of the regular season,
13:08galvanizing the team, getting everyone together,
13:11and then having the ability to play like he did and lead this team against Houston.
13:17And if you're watching the games, you're not a box score warrior.
13:23You know that, I understand the Lakers got swept.
13:27These games are as competitive as you can have against OKC, which is a juggernaut.
13:31And the Lakers and LeBron deserve credit for that.
13:34So, I don't think James is going to retire.
13:39I would be stunned.
13:40No one loves LeBron quite like LeBron.
13:42I don't think he's leaving without a retirement tour.
13:45I think LeBron should go back and play.
13:48He should go back to the Lakers.
13:50And the Lakers should want him back.
13:53They should want him and Luka and Austin Reeves together.
13:57And, look, LeBron at 42 is not going to be LeBron at 22 or 32 or even 37 years old.
14:06But if you can get this, what you just saw from LeBron James,
14:11and you get those surrounding parts and pieces,
14:14and I think Lakers fans have now realized, I know I have this year,
14:20J.J. Redick knows what he's doing.
14:22That hire at the time always seemed like you are hiring LeBron's podcast partner and buddy.
14:28And that always seemed weird.
14:30I was wrong.
14:32J.J. Redick can coach.
14:33He can absolutely coach.
14:35So I am fascinated to see how this plays out.
14:39And remember, and this is also interesting,
14:41LeBron's a free agent, unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career.
14:44There's always been some kind of option attached to LeBron James,
14:49his option, team's option.
14:51He's free, so he can do whatever he wants.
14:54He's also not the biggest fish.
14:57This is the summer of Giannis.
14:59Now, Antetokounmpo is not a free agent,
15:01but everyone's waiting to see where he gets traded.
15:04And I think Giannis is going to get traded before the NBA draft.
15:07I mean, if I'm Milwaukee, that makes sense.
15:10It's not an absolute.
15:11You could trade him before a free agency,
15:12but why wouldn't you do it before the draft so you can help stockpile picks
15:17to help your team ultimately compete and win for the great fans of Milwaukee?
15:22So this all relates here.
15:24It's all part of the puzzle, all part of the equation.
15:27I just can't see LeBron playing for the Warriors or the Clippers or the Cavs or the Knicks next year.
15:33It just always comes back to the Lakers.
15:36I think LeBron should be celebrating as an all-time Laker great.
15:41In addition to being a top-two all-time NBA player,
15:45we're talking about next year, and I think this is important to stress,
15:50season 24, 24th season for LeBron James next year at age 42.
15:58So I can appreciate why he will take some time to think about everything,
16:03but, man, LeBron James, the way he played this postseason at age 41,
16:10I thought this was absolutely remarkable,
16:13and it should be celebrated at every single turn.
16:16And if I'm the Lakers or Lakers fans,
16:19I would never kick LeBron James to the curb.
16:24I'll tell you, when you take a look at OKC,
16:27I'd say let's not bury the lead,
16:29but James is always going to be the lead.
16:32The Thunder, simply put, don't lose.
16:35I mean, 8-0, 4-0 last round, 4-0 this round.
16:39Absolutely incredible.
16:41SGA 35, you saw Chet with the dunk laid.
16:4533 seconds left.
16:47Mitchell off the bench.
16:48He was terrific.
16:49Had 10 in the fourth, 28 on the game.
16:53McCain, who they stole from Philadelphia,
16:56just a terrific, absolutely tremendous, tremendous job.
17:01Just unbelievable when you look at it, absolutely unbelievable.
17:05I loved every single second of what we witnessed from an OKC perspective.
17:11I'm also going to add this, and I'm picking the Thunder.
17:15And I picked the Thunder last year to win a championship.
17:17I was right.
17:18I picked them this year to win a championship,
17:19and I've picked them at every single turn.
17:22If you're watching these games, and again, we'll find out who's a box score warrior and who watched.
17:30If you actually watched these games, if you're a Spurs fan,
17:36you're thinking if we're healthy, we can compete with OKC.
17:42If you're a Knicks fan, and you're watching these games in this series,
17:47you're not sitting back and saying, bring on OKC.
17:51We want OKC.
17:52But can the Knicks compete with OKC?
17:57Can they steal one of these games?
18:00Can they outplay OKC in one of these games where the Lakers were close?
18:05Absolutely, without question.
18:08And that doesn't mean I'm changing my pick on the Thunder winning the whole thing.
18:12But I'm open-minded to everything.
18:14And if you're a Spurs fan, and I'm ruling out Minnesota,
18:18I'm ruling out Cleveland, I'm ruling out Detroit,
18:20those teams can't beat OKC or take multiple games in a series.
18:27Remember, last time I checked, right, and the Thunder are unbelievable.
18:31Pacers-Thunder went the distance last year, right?
18:34I mean, why can't the Knicks or San Antonio take OKC to six or seven games?
18:43And as amazing as the Thunder have been,
18:46I think if you're truly watching the games,
18:48watching how the Spurs play at their peak,
18:51watching how the Knicks have been on the eyeball test,
18:56the best team, not the Thunder, I know their record,
18:58but the best team right now in the postseason,
19:01the most dominant team has been the Knicks.
19:03I know how they started.
19:05But the Knicks right now, the way they're playing,
19:07they can absolutely compete with OKC.
19:10I will absolutely believe that.
19:12I think we're going to get it, and I can't wait.
19:15Look, and with that all said, my goodness,
19:19whatever adjustments Donovan Mitchell made at halftime, it worked.
19:43I mean, my goodness, what a statement by our guy, Donovan Mitchell.
19:4939 points in the second half.
19:51That was incredible.
19:53He had 15 points during the 23-0 run for Cleveland.
19:59How about the fact that he had pumped in 43 in the game?
20:03This is one of those rarefied air kind of zones if you're a ball player, right?
20:10That basket looked like it was the ocean.
20:13Everything Donovan was putting up last night was splish-splash.
20:17He was on fire.
20:18He was in command, in control.
20:21This was vintage Donovan Mitchell.
20:23And let's give the Cavs some credit here.
20:26Not only was Donovan vintage, but you saw James Harden.
20:30He was terrific.
20:3124 points and 11 assists to go with Mitchell's absolutely majestic
20:36can't-miss performance in the second half.
20:39And let's give Harden credit because there were people in the media
20:44who were rightly destroying James Harden
20:47for being a playoff bust yet again in a big spot,
20:51which I regret nothing because all those games were in the past,
20:55and he was the absolute worst yet again
20:58when you take a look at an earlier portion of this series against Detroit,
21:01which is what he's done his entire career,
21:03requisite to how amazing and majestic and legendary
21:06in Hall of Fame Aske's been throughout the course of his career
21:09in the regular season.
21:10But to Harden's credit, Game 3, Game 4 at home in Cleveland,
21:14James Harden's been terrific.
21:15Absolutely terrific.
21:16Evan Mobley was terrific.
21:18Struess was terrific.
21:20Give former Nets head coach, my guy Kenny Atkinson,
21:23a ton of credit.
21:25He did a superb job.
21:27And I thought J.B. Bickerstaff, after the game last night,
21:31the coach of the Pistons embarrassed himself.
21:34And I know he's trying to talk to the refs who are humans, right?
21:38But if you are the coach of that team,
21:40and you saw Cleveland, which the Cavs,
21:44you've got to remember, down at the half, right?
21:46And they're down at halftime, and they bounce back in that kind of way,
21:50and Mitchell catches fire, and you blamed him on the refs and the disparity of free throws?
21:56That's a terrible job by J.B. Bickerstaff.
21:59It's terrible.
22:00It's erroneous.
22:01It's wrong.
22:02It's foolish.
22:04It's crazy.
22:04It's idiotic.
22:06The only player who showed up last night
22:08and was either at expectation or above expectation for Detroit was Karis LeVert.
22:14Even my guy Cade Cunningham didn't get it done last night.
22:18It's 2-2.
22:20Game 5 is coming up.
22:21And that's a home game for Detroit.
22:24And if the Pistons lose, they're going to lose the series.
22:28I'm just telling you that right now.
22:29That is the one if-then I feel comfortable in saying in this battle.
22:33You know my take.
22:34You know my pick.
22:35I picked Detroit in seven.
22:37The Cleveland Cavaliers have not lost at home this postseason.
22:41That's an important statistic.
22:43Very important statistic.
22:45If Cleveland could take Game 5, they win the series.
22:48So that, to me, Game 5 feels like everything
22:51in terms of who's ultimately going to win this series.
22:55And I'll tell you the big winner last night, my Knicks.
22:59Now, being fair, this picture is not from last night, but it could be.
23:06I mean, this was my mentality.
23:10Guys, put that picture back up if you can, please, right?
23:13I mean, Jalen Brunson with his dog on his couch.
23:17It doesn't get any better than this.
23:20I don't know if this is from Allie Brunson's Instagram.
23:23I don't know if this is AI.
23:25I don't know if this is a real photo, fake photo.
23:28I don't care.
23:29Because all I'm rooting for, well, I am rooting for Cleveland.
23:32I'd much rather, as a Knicks fan, play Cleveland than Detroit.
23:34Brian, we're going to beat it.
23:35The Knicks are going to beat whoever comes out of this series.
23:39Just chilling.
23:40I'm not worried about momentum ending.
23:43OG needs to get healthy.
23:44Listen, I thought that the big winner last night with the Cavs and the Pistons, clearly, once again, the Knicks.
23:53The Wolves and the Spurs meet tonight in Game 5.
23:56Wemby and his elbow are going to be back on the courts.
24:00And, of course, Trayvon Green is chiming in.
24:03I would say to the Minnesota Timberwolves, hey, guys, this is fair game.
24:07There's no suspension.
24:08There's no fines.
24:09This is fair game.
24:10Coming out there tomorrow night and doing it to Wemby.
24:12Who's going to elbow him in the face?
24:14That's what I would be saying.
24:15You got to get your get back.
24:16If nobody's coming back at those guys going back at Wemby, you lose the wall.
24:21Because what he just did was set a tone.
24:23And you either go full force at it or you get rolled over.
24:27Look, I've defended Drayvon Green on numerous occasions.
24:31I think Drayvon Green is a Hall of Famer.
24:34Some people say, oh, it's circumstance, maybe.
24:36But he's taken advantage of it.
24:37He's a first ballot Hall of Famer, all-time winner, all-time warrior, tough guy, tough clutch.
24:42That's the wrong advice.
24:44That is not even close to being the right advice.
24:49Let's start at the beginning.
24:50And we hit this yesterday.
24:51And then the news came out.
24:53And then I want to make sure we hit this properly
24:56for you guys on Shine Time.
24:59It is a no-brainer for the league to allow Victor Wimbaniama to play tonight.
25:04A no-brainer.
25:05Now, he deserved to be thrown out of the game
25:08for this violent, malicious, atrocious act.
25:14We have shown this video countless times.
25:17Every single time I get a pit in my stomach.
25:20That is as awful, as dreadful as it gets.
25:24An elbow in flagrant, awful fashion to the jaw of Nas Reed.
25:30That is dirty.
25:31That is disgraceful.
25:33And as a result, rightly so, Victor Wimbaniama got thrown out of the game in the second quarter
25:42with eight minutes to go in quarter number two
25:45and didn't play the second quarter, the rest of it, the third quarter, or the fourth quarter.
25:51And that is major discipline.
25:53And he earned it by his action.
25:55But for game five, of course he plays.
25:58And if that sounds like star treatment, well, in a lot of ways, it is.
26:04Because, first of all, you want the best players to be out there for competition,
26:10for sanity, for the league, for credibility on who wins, who loses, who advances.
26:16As a Knicks fan, I will never get over what happened when the Knicks got off the bench
26:20and Knicks in Miami.
26:21And that always felt wrong, like we got robbed.
26:27That's not what you want.
26:28Now, if a player puts himself in a position where it just has to happen
26:32and, you know, that force is the league's hand that you have to suspend someone,
26:37that's a different story.
26:38This is worthy.
26:40Look, if Wemby did that at the end of the game, he'd be suspended for game five.
26:46But he already missed the vast majority of a ball game that the Spurs lost in the playoffs
26:56to even up a series.
26:58That's about as stiff a punishment and penalty as you could have.
27:02That is about as bad as it gets.
27:05So, if I am a Spurs fan, at the end of the day, this is exactly what you needed.
27:11If you're a fan, at the end of the day, of anybody who is someone who is an NBA fan,
27:18you have to absolutely believe that the league got this right.
27:22I don't even understand the other side of the equation here in any way, shape, or form.
27:27I mean, this to me was Captain Obvious.
27:30I know a lot of people disagree with it.
27:32I think the Wemby ejection was right and it was tough.
27:37And I think that's major discipline.
27:39Would have been over the top and unfan friendly.
27:42And look, Draymond Green's giving advice to elbow someone else.
27:45No, if you're the Timberwolves, you're trying to win the damn game.
27:48You're trying to go up 3-2.
27:50Also, if Wemby was a thug, if he was Kelly Olenek,
27:54if he was someone like Draymond Green and there was a book on him,
27:59different, totally different.
28:01Wemby's the nicest human on earth, in addition to being a star.
28:04He deserved to get thrown out of that game.
28:07He's already paid for it.
28:09That was an awful act.
28:10Needed to be disciplined.
28:11Enough is enough here in terms of calling for more from the NBA
28:15with regards to Victor Wemby-Nyama.
28:18Let's shine on baseball with the Giants.
28:20We had the Dodgers last night and they were quite excited after the game.
28:25And they do it by scoring late.
28:29They scored two in the sixth, three in the seventh, three in the ninth.
28:35And very nicely done, Mike.
28:41Sports.
28:43You gotta love sports.
28:45How about the San Francisco Giants?
28:48They are all sorts of fired up last night.
28:51Listen, rivalries make you do wild things.
28:54I don't know what to tell you.
28:55So, here's the deal when it comes to the Dodgers.
28:59This is officially a thing.
29:01Don't misinterpret.
29:03I still think the Dodgers win the World Series.
29:07If you ask me right now, and you literally are,
29:10I still think the Dodgers are the best team in baseball
29:14and they are the most likely team to win the World Series.
29:17The Dodgers have some issues.
29:20And on a night where Mookie Betts came back,
29:23played for the first time since the first week in April,
29:25the San Francisco Giants, the blood rival,
29:29beating L.A.
29:31and how they did it is a big deal.
29:34When you look at what transpired last night,
29:38it was a 3-3 game and Vessia and Klein just gave up
29:42single after single after single after single.
29:44And the whole thing was just like a death by a thousand paper cuts.
29:51And it was another example of a bad loss for the Dodgers.
29:56And they've had a bunch of them this year.
29:58They really have.
29:59Also, when you look at it from a Shohei Ohtani standpoint,
30:05this is now a thing.
30:08He is hitting 1-11.
30:11He has zero home runs, three RBI in the month of May.
30:18The Dodgers, in a related story, are a sub-500 team this month.
30:23California Post had a couple of phenomenal articles today
30:26on why Shohei needs a day off or two.
30:31And we talked to Dylan Hernandez about this
30:33from the California Post on Friday,
30:34sizzling edition of Shine Time.
30:36Age is a thing for the Dodgers.
30:38Let's be clear about that.
30:40Now, you can spin that accurately a couple of different ways.
30:44You could say age and playoff experience
30:47will help them in September and most especially October.
30:52You could also say you're watching Teoscar Hernandez,
30:55who I love, watching him at the plate and you're saying,
30:58looks a little old.
31:00We could start getting into Betts and his injury
31:02or Freddie Freeman.
31:03I think Ohtani needs a bit of a break here.
31:07And clearly, he's put a lot and exerted a lot
31:11in terms of ultimately when you look at his pitching
31:15and he's still playing and performing and pitching
31:17at a Cy Young clip.
31:18But in terms of what's going on with regards to everything
31:22with his offense, he's pressing right now.
31:26He can't get on base.
31:27He's had too many games this season
31:29where he has been a hit list.
31:32And again, when I say bag it, Babe Ruth,
31:35and I say we've never seen anything
31:36like this unicorn and freak Ohtani, what he's doing,
31:40there's a reason why no one can do it like this.
31:42Physically, mentally, it's taxing.
31:45This feels more normal.
31:48Ohtani in a slump.
31:49Ohtani is not the favorite for MVP.
31:52Matt Olsen is clearly right now the MVP favorite.
31:54So, I'm not sounding any alarms.
31:58And by the way, with the loss,
31:59the Dodgers are now a second-place team in the division.
32:03Padres are in first.
32:05You know, there's still a lot of great stuff for the Dodgers.
32:07Betts came back, as we mentioned.
32:09Blake Snell came back over the weekend.
32:11But Dodgers are scuffling a little bit, I also think,
32:15and I'll credit our guy Dylan Hernandez for this.
32:17He was on it.
32:18We talked about it at the time.
32:19Hernandez slammed it home.
32:21When Edwin Diaz got hurt, all right, that's not great.
32:26But the Dodgers have the relief pitchers to fill in.
32:28But when you start putting different guys,
32:31a smaller number of guys,
32:33in those kind of high-pressurized situations
32:36at the back end of a game,
32:38it kind of equals a lot of energy and pitches
32:43and things that are exerted early in the season
32:46that has a domino effect on the rest of the team,
32:48the rest of the bullpen,
32:50and whether or not a guy is available
32:51or having his ace stuff day after day.
32:54So there is that slow bleed in terms of that trickle-down effect
32:59when you lose your closer for a three-month stretch.
33:02So that's something to monitor.
33:05Listen, I think if you're a Braves fan, a Cubs fan, a Yankees fan,
33:10you still think you can beat L.A.,
33:13but those right now are the four teams that I still maintain
33:15with all due respect to the Rays and the Padres or anyone else.
33:18It's an unbelievable baseball season.
33:20But this is something that at least deserves our attention here
33:24on that the Dodgers are losing,
33:28how the Dodgers are losing.
33:30Look, I still think they're unbelievable,
33:32but this is a worthy topic now of conversation.
33:36And with that said, don't look now, Yankees fans,
33:40but your squad is suddenly looking up at the Rays in the AL East,
33:44and all of a sudden the bats have gone silent.
33:48Yeah, we've got to get some guys unlocked.
33:50We've got a handful of guys that are scuffling,
33:52and we've got to get a little more competitive up and down the lineup
33:58as we hit this little rough patch here during this week.
34:02So, yeah, and, you know, had an opportunity to add a third run there.
34:10Belly gets the guy over.
34:11So, you know, we've got to execute some small things,
34:15you know, especially if some guys try and get it going.
34:17I said yesterday on Shine Time,
34:19nothing bothered me with the Yankees and Milwaukee.
34:21Sure, you get swept.
34:22I tipped the cap to Milwaukee.
34:23There are a lot of good things that happened.
34:25Rodon was healthy.
34:26Schlittler pitch grade, but all of a sudden now,
34:30that's four straight losses for the Yankees.
34:33Four straight games where the Yankees have had the lead and blew it.
34:38That's not great.
34:40Weathers was unbelievable last night,
34:42literally throwing a no-hitter into the seventh inning.
34:46I'm not going to kill Boone for taking him out
34:49because the pitch count was high.
34:51Weathers literally missed a start.
34:53He was under the weather.
34:54I mean, you've got to be able to get it done.
34:56And when Kobe Mayo hit that jack, a three-run bomb,
35:00honestly, I thought last night,
35:02worst loss of the season for the Yankees.
35:04I still love this team.
35:06I still think they're winning the American League.
35:07The Rays deserve a lot of credit.
35:09The first-place Rays deserve a lot of credit.
35:12Now, a couple of games up on the Yankees in the American League East.
35:17I still think the Yankees, this is their time to shine.
35:20This is their year to go to the World Series.
35:22This is their year to win the World Series.
35:24But at some point, I do think we have to start talking about winning these kind of games
35:32from a Yankees standpoint.
35:33And also, you heard that clip of Aaron Boone.
35:37The offense is a problem.
35:38And Jazz went over for it last night.
35:41And Austin Wells is hitting 177.
35:43And this is kind of a big deal here from a Yankee perspective.
35:47The offense has just been rough and problematic.
35:51And, listen, I think if you take a look at the World Series odds, the Yankees,
35:56you still have to feel great if you're a Yankee fan.
35:59And Garrett Cole is making the progress.
36:02And, you know, obviously, he's going to be in this rotation soon.
36:06So, I'm not in any way, shape, or form getting off my Yankee take big picture.
36:12They're clearly the team to beat in the American League.
36:15But last night was the worst loss of the season.
36:17That bugged the hell out of me.
36:19Nothing bothered me.
36:20Sometimes you tip your cap to the opposition against Milwaukee.
36:24Last night, weather's doing its thing.
36:27Got a weatherstorm now if you're a fan of the New York Yankees.
36:31Look, if you're a Knicks fan, you're fired up right now.
36:34But if you're a Knicks fan, there's also a Mets fan,
36:36you're probably upset that you don't have the Knicks
36:39to take your mind off of watching the Mets this week.
36:43Don't worry, though.
36:44Juan Soto says everything's fine.
36:46I mean, there's no issues right here.
36:48We're all professionals.
36:49We all can handle this stuff.
36:53But definitely, we're going to struggle a little bit right now.
36:58But I think it's going to pass.
37:03Sam, can you do me a favor?
37:05Just put up that Meet the Mess full screen.
37:08I would like this to actually speak to America before I speak.
37:17Look, I've said this before.
37:20We have the best crew here for Shine Time.
37:24The absolute best crew.
37:25This is a work of art.
37:28I mean, my goodness.
37:30I mean, this is the perfect, perfect way to really hit home.
37:37What an absolute disaster the New York Mets have been.
37:42There's one team quarter of a season in the books that is in route or on pace for a 100
37:49-loss season.
37:50And it's your New York Mets.
37:53Meet the Mess.
37:54This team is an unwatchable, unmitigated disaster.
37:58Honestly, we didn't even talk about the Arizona Series debacle yesterday because, honestly, it felt repetitive.
38:05It felt unfair.
38:07It just felt wrong.
38:09I mean, Mr. Mets is drunk.
38:12Mrs. Mets is aghast.
38:15I mean, this is just about as bad as it gets.
38:18I mean, look at these records, right?
38:20Worst records in Major League Baseball.
38:23I mean, when you're looking up at the Angels and the Rockies,
38:28and you spent $360 million on this payroll, and it's an embarrassment, I mean, you can't make it up.
38:40But wait, there's more.
39:11Let's go!
39:12I'm so excited for this.
39:14I can't wait.
39:16The Bills are going to open up their gorgeous new stadium.
39:19It's going to be the first game of the year of the season for Amazon.
39:23Remember, Amazon, with their package, doesn't have a week one game.
39:26They always start on Thursday night, week two.
39:28And the Bills are going to open up their gorgeous, state-of-the-art new stadium
39:32with their new head coach, with my guy, Josh Allen, playing for Joe Brady.
39:36And I can't wait for it.
39:38It's against Detroit.
39:39Detroit is always a fun team to watch with a galaxy of great players.
39:43And that new stadium, incredible.
39:47Absolutely incredible.
39:48Love the DJ Moore acquisition.
39:50Love what the Buffalo Bills bring to the table this year.
39:54Buffalo is absolutely one of the favorites when you look at it in the AFC.
39:58And also, big picture for the Super Bowl.
40:01And the fact that they're going to be on center stage Thursday night football
40:04to start the campaign, perfect.
40:07Terrific, terrific job by the NFL.
40:10Also, terrific job by the NFL with the Eagles and the Cowboys on Thanksgiving.
40:14And last year, that Chiefs and Cowboys game set a record for viewership.
40:21I mean, this is the NFL.
40:23They want to top it.
40:24And why not?
40:25I mean, big names, big brands, big markets, a rivalry.
40:29I would not be surprised if this turned out to be when they met on Thanksgiving.
40:34A situation where the winner is going to be stand-alone for first place in the division.
40:39Terrific job by the NFL going with the rivalry game of the Eagles and the Cowboys on Thanksgiving.
40:46And how about this one for Monday Night Football with the Chiefs and the Broncos?
40:52It's impossible, impossible for me to stamp this one.
40:57I think this is a weird calculation.
41:00Why would you do this?
41:02Why in the world would you go with the Chiefs and the Broncos week one
41:07if you're Monday Night Football on ESPN
41:10when you don't know about Patrick Mahomes?
41:14We could be talking about Justin Fields and the Chiefs?
41:18Why?
41:19And you already have Chiefs fatigue anyway.
41:22And I wouldn't care about that if I'm the NFL or the league partners
41:26because you're still going to want to dress your entire primetime schedule with Kansas City
41:30because they're always great for ratings and buzz and everything that goes into the equation.
41:34But, I mean, Bo Nix isn't even 100% healthy.
41:38You want to put a division rival on Monday Night Football?
41:41I would have put, and I said this last week, the Bengals and the Ravens
41:46with Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson, two of the four best quarterbacks in the NFL.
41:51So either you're not going to get Mahomes or you're going to get Mahomes
41:54where he's still feeling things out.
41:57You want to load up the Monday night, Sunday night, Thursday night's 425 schedule
42:03with Chiefs, you know, starting in late September, early October,
42:07throughout the rest of the season?
42:08Great.
42:09But week one for Kansas City and Denver in primetime?
42:14No.
42:15That right there, it's a show.
42:16If you missed any portion of the program, just do what I do.
42:19Go to YouTube, watch it over and over and over again.
42:23Comment on the show.
42:24We read all the comments.
42:26We respond to the comments.
42:27We love you.
42:29We love watching ourselves over and over and over again.
42:32They're on the Postsport's YouTube page, California Postsport's YouTube page.
42:36Just search Shine Time.
42:37We'll see you tomorrow, 2 Eastern, 11 a.m. Pacific on Shine Time.
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