00:00Ryan Clark, who's an NFL analyst for ESPN, was let go from the network mid-show yesterday.
00:08While he was on NFL Live.
00:10While he was appearing on NFL Live yesterday.
00:13So apparently ESPN was planning to inform Clark of his termination on Tuesday morning
00:20as part of a broader round of layoffs expected that day.
00:24But after media inquiries began circulating and a story was about to break,
00:30the network feared the news would leak before they could deliver it directly to Ryan Clark.
00:36So they pulled him aside mid-broadcast and told him, reportedly in an awkward spur-of-the-moment conversation.
00:45Oh, I'm sure.
00:46And then he left.
00:48I didn't see it.
00:49Which makes sense.
00:50Was it awkward on TV?
00:51I didn't see his final segment.
00:54I think he was talking about the Cowboys.
00:57I could be wrong.
00:59But yeah, if they come into the middle of one of the NFC East position preview rankings
01:06and tell us, hey, the gig is up.
01:09The gig's up?
01:10Yeah.
01:11Yeah.
01:12I guess you could come in and finish the show, but what's your motivation at that point?
01:19When your company tells you your services are no longer wanted.
01:22Probably just going to roll out.
01:24Yeah, you're probably just going to leave.
01:25I don't blame Ryan Clark.
01:27Ryan Clark said, okay, see you later, mate.
01:30I'm out of here.
01:30The question is, why was he fired?
01:32Because Ryan Clark has been on ESPN for a long time.
01:36And I thought he's pretty good.
01:38Now, he has his podcast, The Pivot.
01:42Some people have said that he's had some incidents where there's been...
01:49He had clashes with racial animus or whatever.
01:52But there's this one back and forth, Valdez, do you have it, with Peter Schrager that some
01:57people are pointing to.
01:58That was like a year ago.
02:00Yeah.
02:00Schrager came over from the NFL Network and is a respected reporter.
02:06And he got belittled by Ryan Clark.
02:08This morning, are you feeling...
02:10Okay, you look at AJ Brown, which is this number one wide receiver who got one target all night.
02:14And then you got CeeDee Lamb.
02:15But that's the...
02:16When was the one target?
02:17That's the target, though.
02:18But I'm saying...
02:18When was the one target?
02:19I'm saying you could have it both ways.
02:2054 seconds left in the game on second and 11.
02:22It was the one target.
02:24He runs the out route.
02:25You wake up this morning saying AJ Brown had a better day than CeeDee Lamb?
02:28No.
02:28You know what you wake up saying, though?
02:30AJ Brown's team is 1-0.
02:31Of course.
02:32I get it.
02:33But the thing is this, though.
02:35And we shouldn't do this on TV.
02:39And so I apologize if people think this is rude.
02:42Dude, that's the non-player of you.
02:44Oh, stop.
02:45That's...
02:45No, that...
02:46CeeDee Lamb is...
02:46Let me tell you why.
02:48I'm not saying...
02:49I'm not looking at fantasy football.
02:51Ryan, I'm not...
02:51Don't belittle me like that.
02:53I could come in and say, as three ex-players are saying one thing, and give an alternative
02:57perspective that maybe CeeDee Lamb did play well in mid-heater.
03:00What I need for you to do is not get mad and let me finish for one.
03:03Okay, go on.
03:04It wasn't about you.
03:05It was going to be about me.
03:06Okay.
03:07As a player, I can't speak for CeeDee Lamb.
03:10I'm speaking for...
03:12Whatever.
03:13That wasn't that bad.
03:14I mean, it was mild.
03:16Yeah, but Schrager may carry some weight there.
03:17Yeah, I guess so.
03:18But I think there's been a number of little clashes during their shows.
03:23Maybe not just with Schrager.
03:25I think he comes off kind of as an angry guy sometimes.
03:27I don't know.
03:28I know he was well-liked here.
03:31He used to live right around the corner from me.
03:33Oh, he did?
03:33He was a neighbor?
03:34His son, I think his name is Jordan.
03:38Jordan Clark was a stud.
03:40Uh-huh.
03:41I'm not sure where he ended up going or where he is now, but yeah, he lived right around
03:46the corner from me.
03:46I used to see him all the time.
03:47Right.
03:49Can I switch the topic for a second?
03:51Why?
03:52So we're talking about the Chesapeake Bay Sox appearance.
03:55Yeah.
03:55It's on Thursday.
03:57Yeah.
03:58It's not a big deal, but I want to have a little fun with this.
04:01Okay.
04:01So I actually went to the Bay Sox website, and they actually have something on their front
04:08page where you can click on it.
04:10And here's the headline.
04:11The Sports Junkies to Celebrate 30th Anniversary Live from Prince George Stadium on Thursday,
04:16July 23rd.
04:17Sub-headline, fan-favorite radio crew returns to their Bowie, Maryland roots for a packed
04:22night featuring a hat giveaway, pre-game happy hour with live music, Margaritaville night,
04:29and the Bay Sox playing as the Congrejos Fantasmas de Chesapeake.
04:34So they're going to be playing as their Spanish name.
04:37Okay.
04:37All right.
04:38So then it has-
04:39We've got some nine million things going on.
04:40Yes.
04:40Hold on.
04:41We're going through all of the things?
04:42You want me to go through?
04:43That's just the sub-headline.
04:44We're wedged in there?
04:46Hat giveaway.
04:47Got a hat.
04:48All right.
04:48Well, we want a hat.
04:48Pre-game happy hour with live music.
04:50All right.
04:51We like that.
04:52Margaritaville night.
04:53All right.
04:54And the Bay Sox.
04:55They're not playing as the Bay Sox.
04:56They're playing as the Congrejos Fantasmas de Chesapeake.
04:59So it's going to be like a Spanish thing on the uniform?
05:03I guess so.
05:03Well, Margaritaville.
05:04This is all Spanish.
05:06It's not going to say Bay Sox.
05:07It's going to say whatever you just called them?
05:10All right.
05:10Congrejos are crabs.
05:13All right.
05:14Anyway, the Chesapeake Bay Sox AA affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles today announced that
05:18the Sports Junkies will celebrate their 30th anniversary at Prince George's Stadium on Thursday,
05:22July 23rd, as the Bay Sox host Erie Seawolves.
05:26All right.
05:26That's, I guess, a Detroit affiliate.
05:28Detroit Tigers, yeah.
05:29All right.
05:29For the Junkies, the celebration is a homecoming.
05:32The four lifelong friends, John Cakes-Awville, Eric E.B.
05:36Bickle, Jason Lurch Bishop, and John J.P.
05:40Flynn.
05:42J.P.
05:43Silly.
05:44J.P.
05:45Flynn.
05:45Oh, J.P.
05:46Flynn.
05:46It doesn't have John Paul.
05:49John J.P.
05:51Flynn.
05:51You got terrible name recognition.
05:55Nobody knows old J.P.
05:57Flynn.
05:57J.P.
05:57Flynn.
05:58That should be on the back of your Cangrejos jersey that they give you.
06:02Flynn.
06:03I love it.
06:04You got a terrible Q rating.
06:05You got to get your Q rating up.
06:07What are you going to do?
06:07I thought you were going to complain that they called you John Flame.
06:10I don't like that either, but John.
06:12John Flame or J.P.
06:14Flynn?
06:16It's a tough call.
06:18For him, both stinks.
06:19So I could be John Flynn or what?
06:21You're J.P.
06:22Flynn now.
06:22Or I could be John Paul Flynn.
06:23No, John Flame.
06:25I think Flynn sounds better.
06:27J.P.
06:28Yeah, it's just funny.
06:30I mean, it's been happening our whole career.
06:31Like, the very first time that we were on NBC4, when Jim Vance and Doreen Gensler did
06:40that little kicker, and Suzanne Malvo did it, I think they wrote John Paul Flame when
06:46they showed you, like, in The Crown.
06:48But that happens.
06:48I mean, it happened with Matt Damon over the weekend.
06:50They said Brad Pitt.
06:52Yeah.
06:52I mean, it's true.
06:53And I think at times you're like Eric Fickle.
06:55You compare yourself to Matt Damon right now?
06:56All right.
06:56I like it.
06:57I'm not comparing myself to Matt Damon.
06:59I know there are mistakes.
07:01So how do you go to their website?
07:02You just go to MLB.com slash chess?
07:05That's what it looks like.
07:06Yeah.
07:07All right.
07:07That's their promotions.
07:08How you doing, Mr. Flynn?
07:09The other small thing is, like, they're doing us on Thursday night, but they're heavily
07:14promoting some donk from DC 101 for Friday.
07:18Hey, man.
07:18It's always something.
07:19It's all right.
07:19What are you going to do?
07:20Minor league baseball, man.
07:21They got to have a lot of promotions in the pipeline.
07:23Yeah.
07:23It's kind of what they do.
07:24We are part of a packed night featuring a hat giveaway, pregame happy hour with live
07:30music, Margaritaville night, and the Bay Sox playing as the Congrejos Phantasmas, the
07:36Chesapeake.
07:37Well, maybe Ryan Clark will come.
07:38He's got nothing else going on.
07:39He's got nothing.
07:40He's not busy.
07:41Oh, shit.
07:42We'll share the spotlight.
07:43He's free.
07:43He can make it.
07:45All right.
07:46Thursday night.
07:46I mean, at least when we got let go from HFS, they had the dignity to do it after the
07:51show was over.
07:52Like, our show was over, and they told us at, like, 10, 15.
07:56Well, I also felt like that was special because we didn't really get let go.
07:59We had a contract.
08:00We're still with the company.
08:01Sure.
08:02They just reassigned us back to the old station.
08:05We got, like, three days off.
08:06Yeah.
08:06We got a couple days off, but they just wanted us to get out of there.
08:11And not talk to anybody.
08:12And not spill the beans.
08:13They said, leave immediately.
08:15Don't talk to anyone.
08:16Don't spill the beans.
08:17We said, okay, we can do that.
08:18Yeah.
08:19Then we went to Pizzeria Uno.
08:20Is that where we went?
08:22Yeah.
08:22A few of us went to Pizzeria Uno.
08:23I remember going somewhere.
08:24I don't remember the spot.
08:25We went to Uno, and then right before noon, we all went to our cars to listen to the end
08:30of HFS.
08:31Yeah.
08:31And then we heard the-
08:33It kicked in.
08:33All the new elements for El Zol, and they're still on the air.
08:36So I wonder if ESPN is going to replace-
08:39Clark was making about two mil.
08:41Mm-hmm.
08:41I wonder if they're going to replace him with someone cheaper.
08:43No, I think there's going to be more-
08:44They're letting go more people.
08:46Yeah.
08:47I mean-
08:47Yeah.
08:48Yeah.
08:48I don't know.
08:49I don't know ESPN's balance sheets, but I think, you know, hasn't, like, cable
08:57subscription's been going way down?
08:59Aren't they getting less revenue from all that?
09:01I think they're getting squeezed in the streaming wars somehow.
09:02I think they're getting squeezed out a little bit.
09:04Yeah.
09:06So, probably going to be a lot of people let go.
09:08I mean, it sucks for Ryan Clark.
09:10You don't want to see anybody let go.
09:12But he's definitely had some controversial incidents over the last few years.
09:29Mm-hmm.
09:30It's because, these layoffs, because they spent almost a billion and a half on the college
09:35football package.
09:36Yep.
09:37Mm-hmm.
09:37And, I think, three billion on the NFL package.
09:39And three bill.
09:39Three bill.
09:40It's a lot of cash outlay.
09:41Yeah.
09:42So, you got to-
09:42It's a lot of overhead.
09:44I guess you got to let go of an analyst that's making two mil.
09:46You don't be surprised.
09:47I think they're supposed to announce them today, right?
09:49The other layoffs?
09:51There'll probably be some big names.
09:53That you recognize.
09:54Probably.
09:55Remember, this is also on the heels of Pat McAfee signing, like, a $60 million a year
10:00deal, right, for his production.
10:04So, that's also why they're letting go of some people.
10:07Because they're giving McAfee and his crew a boatload of cash.
10:10It's a lot of coins.
10:11A big commitment.
10:12Yeah.
10:13Mm-hmm.
10:13Props to him.
10:14Yeah.
10:15So, we'll see if any big names come out today.
10:17What a freaking franchise that guy built.
10:19Oh, man.
10:19What a score.
10:20Right?
10:21Building an empire.
10:22And the guy's good.
10:23Say what you want.
10:24No, he's really good.
10:25It's not like I watch him every day, but he's a compelling guy.
10:28When you see his clips, you know, he's a compelling guy.
10:33All right.
10:33When we come back, we are going to pivot over to the Commanders and the NFL.
10:38Yesterday marked the three-year anniversary of Josh Harris and his group.
10:42At our big party.
10:43Purchasing the Commanders.
10:44The Burgundy and Sold Party happened three years ago.
10:48Right.
10:48When we come back, you can call us at 800-636-1067.
10:51We want you to grade the first three years of the Josh Harris ownership of the Washington
10:57Commanders.
10:59800-636-1067.
11:01Give us your Josh Harris ownership grades.
11:03We'll do that next here on The Fan.
11:05We'll do that next.
11:05We'll do that next.
11:05We'll do that next.
11:06We'll do that next.
11:06We'll do that next.
11:06We'll do that next.
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