- 2 months ago
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00:00Ah, yes, happy Monday.
00:02It's a very happy Monday in Los Angeles,
00:05where Aaron Donald is out of retirement
00:07and back on the field with the Rams.
00:09USC looks strong in their opener,
00:12even if not many fans were there to see it in person.
00:14I've got something to say about that.
00:16My Yankees take three or four from the Red Sox to the Bronx,
00:20but not without controversy.
00:23Was this a catch?
00:24We'll discuss.
00:27And the King of New York turns 30 today.
00:30Steph Bondi joins me to shed a light
00:32on his exclusive sit-down with Jalen Brunson.
00:36Plus, Odell is back.
00:37Belichick wins.
00:38PCA for MVP.
00:40And did we witness the end of an era in tennis?
00:43Shine Time starts right now.
00:45Don't stop.
00:46Keep it coming, baby.
00:49Don't stop.
00:50Just wanted to take my time and make the right decision, right?
00:53Because once you choose to come back,
00:55you're all the way back in, can't be halfway in.
00:57You've got to be all the way in it.
00:58So I had to get to that point where I felt like
01:01I will feel like I'm 100% committed to playing football again,
01:05you know, because the last two years have been amazing.
01:08He's earned the right where he doesn't have to do this.
01:10You know, I mean, what he's done throughout the 10 years,
01:12and I watched that he poured every ounce of his soul
01:15into this game, into his teammates.
01:17And when you care as much and when you pour as much into it,
01:21that's where you can say,
01:22hey, I'm full and I'm complete after 10 years.
01:24I already thought it was a stack D-line with verse.
01:27Obviously, things transpiring happen,
01:29and then you bring a guy like Miles Garrett,
01:31a generational talent, and it's like,
01:35that can be fun.
01:36He is the epitome of a man's man,
01:38and he's not going to make decisions
01:40unless he feels like he's able to do it at the standards
01:43that only he has for himself
01:44that are just different than anybody can relate to.
01:46If the wife wasn't happy, it wasn't going to get done.
01:48He's one of one.
01:50Do I feel like I can play at a high level?
01:52Yes.
01:53Do I feel like I can still be myself?
01:55A hundred percent.
01:56If I didn't feel like that, I wouldn't be here.
01:57So, you know, from everything I did,
02:00you know, from training with just conditioning
02:03to the football transition
02:05and doing football drills and things in that nature,
02:07I recorded everything.
02:08I studied myself to a T,
02:10watched every movement, every cut, every hit flip.
02:14In my opinion, I don't see no difference.
02:16If not, it looked a little cleaner than me.
02:19Ah, yes.
02:20How about it?
02:21Two words.
02:22I'm back.
02:23Aaron Donald, officially out of retirement.
02:27The Los Angeles Rams just added, in my opinion,
02:30the greatest defensive player in the history of the NFL
02:32to pair with their other blockbuster offseason addition,
02:36Miles Garrett.
02:37Aaron Donald out of retirement, back in the NFL,
02:40one-year, $20 million deal,
02:42could be worth up to $30 million based upon incentives.
02:45The L.A. Rams are unequivocally the favorite
02:48to win the Super Bowl on Valentine's Day
02:53at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles at home.
02:58This is right out of Central Casting for Hollywood.
03:01If you're a fan of sports, if you're a fan of the L.A. Rams,
03:04you gotta love it.
03:06We've been talking about this as a likelihood for quite some time here on Shine Time.
03:11We had the Rams' outstanding general manager, Les Snead, on Shine Time.
03:16And he painted a picture where he felt like Aaron Donald would come out of retirement
03:20and play for his L.A. Rams.
03:22I think this team is going to be absolutely dynamite.
03:28I think, and you heard Aaron Donald say, he's only playing football, and I've said as much over the last
03:34few weeks on Shine Time.
03:36He's only going to come out of retirement if he feels like he could play at the level that we're
03:41accustomed to seeing.
03:42And when you look at Aaron Donald's resume, we are talking about player one through four in the history of
03:49the NFL on defense.
03:50The resume speaks for itself.
03:53The work ethic for Aaron Donald is unbelievable.
03:56I mean, look at this.
03:57And for Donald to say he thinks he's going to play at the level that we have previously seen,
04:02we're talking about three-time NFL defensive player of the year.
04:07That's tied for the most with J.J. Watt ever for that specific award.
04:11Eight times first-team All-Pro.
04:13We are talking about the single greatest defensive tackle in the history of the sport.
04:20He didn't retire because he was old.
04:22He retired because he thought he was done and didn't want to play anymore.
04:26And his body was, he just needed a mental break.
04:29And his wife wanted him home.
04:31So he retires for a couple of years, and now he's back to be Aaron Donald.
04:36And when you think about the Rams, look at what they've done in the offseason on defense.
04:41It's kind of amazing when you consider the quality of talent and caliber of player
04:47they have added this offseason.
04:48I want you to look at this for a second.
04:51Aaron Donald, Miles Garrett.
04:53We're talking about arguably the two best defensive players in the NFL over the last 20 years.
04:59Like, one and two on the Rams offseason acquisition list.
05:03One and two on the list of best defensive players in the sport over the last 20 years.
05:08Like, that's what we're talking about.
05:11Aaron Donald is a megastar.
05:13Miles Garrett, just one defensive player of the year.
05:18And I believe Miles Garrett is going to have the best season of his life because of what
05:23Les Nees said on our show, where for the first time ever, he's going to be able to be a
05:27starting
05:27pitcher and a closer.
05:29My words, not Les's.
05:31I mean, the Browns never had the lead.
05:32The Rams are going to have the lead all the time.
05:34So now he can pin his ears back and go get the quarterback.
05:37And who are you going to double?
05:38I mean, the whole line is tremendous.
05:40And go back to the list, guys, if you can, of the notable offseason acquisitions.
05:45Because I made the point on Shine Time that the Rams were already the favorite when you
05:51take a look at the Super Bowl after they got Trent McDuffie.
05:55Trent McDuffie is unbelievable.
05:58You can make the case he's the best corner in the NFL.
06:01So this means the Rams have acquired an NFL record, three former first-team All-Pros in
06:09one offseason.
06:10Donald Garrett McDuffie.
06:12It's unbelievable.
06:14And I want you to think about seeing a problem and fixing a problem.
06:17Last year, two games, regular season, postseason, in Seattle, the Rams went 0-2 in Seattle, giving
06:26up 831 passing yards.
06:29Matthew Stafford was brilliant in both those games, and it didn't matter.
06:34The Rams should have won the Super Bowl last year.
06:37They should have beat Seattle last year.
06:39It didn't happen.
06:40They were terrible down the stretch of the season on defense, specifically the pass defense.
06:46You look at what they did, and it was just absolutely awful in their final 11 games, including on
06:53Championship Sunday.
06:54Jackson Smith and Jigba tore them apart.
06:56So they bring in a couple of new starters in the defensive backfield.
06:59They bring in Miles Garrett.
07:01They bring in Aaron Donald.
07:04This is unbelievable, not to mention Young, Turner, the rest of that defensive line.
07:09It's absolutely incredible.
07:11So what are we betting before the season starts on the Rams?
07:15The Rams, everything.
07:16This team is absolutely going to win a minimum, if everything's wrong, minimum of 14 games.
07:22They will win the division.
07:24They will win the conference, and they are monster-heavy favorites here when you take
07:29a look at the ability to go out and to win a Super Bowl.
07:33It is absolutely incredible when you take a look at what the L.A. Rams are doing and how,
07:39at the end of the day, they are going to be so fired up to ultimately have the ability
07:43to win a championship.
07:45Now, I think Sean McVay is absolutely part of this when you start looking at the beauty
07:50here of this team, because Sean McVay does an unbelievable job when it comes to getting
07:57the eye on the next game, keeping the main thing the main thing.
08:01Sean McVay, to me, is the second-best coach in the NFL.
08:04Andy Reid's number one.
08:05Sean McVay's number two.
08:06And there are a lot of terrific coaches, a lot of coaches who have won Super Bowls.
08:09You give me Sean McVay over anyone else other than Andy Reid.
08:14And I think McVay is a gem, his X's and O's, bringing a staff together.
08:19And I think that he will make sure that this team has the requisite chemistry and the singular
08:24focus to be able to handle expectations.
08:27I honestly can't wait to see the Rams do their thing.
08:31Now, I think the schedule is tough, and the first five weeks of the season, genuinely
08:37difficult.
08:38When you look at the 49ers in Australia coming up next week, then the Giants are going to
08:44be a vastly improved team.
08:45Then that Broncos defense is going to be very difficult.
08:49That's a Sunday night game in Denver.
08:51Listen, they lost in Philly last year, and that Philly defense is going to be great.
08:55And listen, that could be the Shine Time Super Bowl when we make our picks for the upcoming
08:59season, when you look at that Monday Night Football game with the Buffalo Bills taking
09:04on the L.A. Ramps.
09:06But all these teams are going to have to play Los Angeles.
09:10And here's the thing, when you look at this roster, right, you already have four guys on
09:15it that are already going to the Hall of Fame.
09:18Matthew Stafford, Hall of Fame.
09:19Devontae Adams, Hall of Fame.
09:21Aaron Donald, Hall of Fame.
09:23Miles Garrett, Hall of Fame.
09:25Not to mention a guy like Puka Nakua is unbelievable, and Sean McVay is carving out a Hall of Fame
09:30career.
09:31Matthew Stafford has got to be foaming at the mouth seeing all these moves.
09:35Because if you're Matthew Stafford, you're coming off this unbelievable MVP season, I
09:40mean, it's unbelievable when you consider Adams and Puka Nakua and a strong line and, you
09:46know, a couple of big-time running backs, and Kyron Williams is great.
09:49And I love what McVay's done with the emphasis on the tight end position over the last few
09:54years.
09:55That has been incredibly strong when it comes to Stafford doing his thing.
09:59And here's the deal when it comes to the Rams this year.
10:02The L.A. Rams will have, when it's all said and done, a top-four offense and a top-four
10:11defense with the number-two head coach behind Andy Reid, Sean McVay, in the NFL.
10:16So, this team is set up to ultimately dominate.
10:21I also think when it comes to these Rams, the likability is off the charts.
10:26I'm obsessed with this team.
10:27I can't get enough.
10:29I look at the Rams and I say, this team can't fail, it won't fail.
10:33It's not some random group of players put together.
10:37They're all there to win.
10:38They're all there with a purpose.
10:40They all understand the sense of urgency.
10:42And I want to make sure we give the Rams organization all the credit in the world because last year
10:50was a failure.
10:51They did not make the Super Bowl.
10:53It was all there for them to make the Super Bowl, win the Super Bowl.
10:56Whoever won the NFC was going to win a championship.
10:59They saw a problem on defense.
11:01They not only fixed it, they brought in a galaxy of superstars.
11:06I'm obsessed with this team that can now win any style of fight.
11:10Aaron Donald, to me, is the greatest defensive player in the history of the sport.
11:14To add him to this incredible group, man, we're California dreaming.
11:19Speaking of back, Odell Beckham Jr. has officially made the Giants' 53-man roster.
11:26Following the Giants' preseason finale, he spoke about what it would mean to make the team
11:31in his return.
11:32It's time for my Monday Musings.
11:40What would it mean to make this team?
11:43Everything, brother.
11:44Everything.
11:46Seeing my son at the game, yelling, just looking at me.
11:53He told one of his friends, he's like, yeah, people always want to take a picture with my
11:57dad.
11:57He must be the best.
11:59You know, and it just made me laugh because I'm like, I just want to show him.
12:03I want to lead the way.
12:07I want to be a good example for him, a good man.
12:10I've grown so much, and it would mean everything to me if I made it.
12:16That soundbite's really cool.
12:17I'm very happy for Odell Beckham Jr.
12:19He makes the Giants.
12:21And listen, I did not think he would make this team.
12:24So I think that for Odell to come full circle, this after the trade, and Dave Gettleman sent
12:30him packing years ago, you could tell how much this means to Odell, to his family, and
12:37that's great stuff.
12:38Now, how Odell Beckham Jr. performs, where he is on the depth chart, I'm not here to be
12:45any kind of hater.
12:46That, I think, remains to be seen.
12:49Calvin Austin III, when he got hurt, that was obviously a huge deal in terms of a signature
12:57offseason acquisition, getting hurt, and paving the way for Beckham to make the team.
13:01And Odell, to his credit, played well in the aftermath of that injury.
13:07When you look at the Giants' depth chart at the wide receiver position, I think that slotting
13:13Odell five is fair.
13:15Now, Braxton Berrios was released on Sunday, reportedly could return.
13:20He could certainly help on special teams.
13:22Berrios is not a great wide receiver in any way, shape, or form.
13:25Malik Nabors' health is obviously everything when it comes to the New York football Giants
13:30at the receiver position.
13:31Look, I think Mooney's a really good player.
13:34If he's your number three, you'd feel pretty good about that.
13:38I'm a big fan of Malachi Fields, love them at Notre Dame, love what I've seen in the preseason.
13:42I think he has a lot of potential and upside.
13:45I think if you're banking on Beckham to be the guy that you saw when he was doing amazing
13:53things and he was a fan favorite after he was drafted, that's not going to be the case.
13:59I think if Beckham can take a breath and he can do the little things that can help the Giants,
14:06yeah, then I think he can stick for the duration.
14:10But I give John Harbaugh a lot of credit.
14:13You know, he didn't make any promises.
14:15You know, these, you know, one-handed grabs and moments where, you know,
14:18everyone in the NFL is buzzing about Beckham.
14:20We got to remember, this guy was a street-free agent in the offseason.
14:25But I'm thrilled he made the team.
14:27My expectations are certainly very limited when it comes to Odell.
14:32Age, where he is on the depth chart, where he is right now talent-wise.
14:37But I just love that soundbite and the appreciation and the joy for Beckham at this stage of his life
14:44and this stage of his career.
14:45Congrats to Odell Beckham Jr. on making the New York football Giants.
14:49It's an amazing full-circle moments.
14:52But to expect this, this time around in Big Blue,
14:58I think that would be illogical on the part of anyone who's a Giants fan.
15:02From guys on rosters to guys not on rosters.
15:05Packers star running back Josh Jacobs has been placed on the commissioner exempt list on Sunday.
15:10The move comes after Jacobs was charged with two misdemeanors
15:14stemming from an incident with a woman in May.
15:16Jacobs will not be on the Packers' 53-man roster and cannot practice or attend games.
15:22He will be paid, is allowed to be at the facility for meetings and workouts and medical treatments
15:26and other non-football activities.
15:29So, is head coach Matt LaFleur planning for a season without him?
15:34Matt, with what came out about Josh yesterday, are you guys going to keep him on the team
15:38regardless of how this situation pans out?
15:40Well, I fully anticipate him being a member of our team.
15:43For the, throughout the duration of the court process and all that stuff?
15:48Well, I think you gotta, you gotta let everything play out,
15:50but I, I anticipate him being a member of our football team.
15:54So, this situation is not good for the Green Bay Packers.
16:01And we were ahead of this on Shine Time because the allegations are disgusting, disturbing, alarming.
16:09And obviously, we've expected that Josh Jacobs would not be there for the start of the season,
16:15which is why we've been screaming on Shine Time that the Green Bay Packers will finish in last place in
16:21their division.
16:22I want you to look at the schedule for the Green Bay Packers.
16:24And I said one and five in their first six games.
16:28And Packers fans who watched the show, they were going nuts.
16:31Well, now we know Josh Jacobs isn't going to be there.
16:34Micah Parsons is on the Pup List, and he's going to miss at least the first four weeks.
16:39So, I'm going to say it again.
16:41They're going to lose in Minnesota.
16:43They're going to lose at the Jets.
16:45The Jets are vastly improved.
16:47And the Jets, I think, could take advantage of a Packer team that will not have Josh Jacobs
16:52and will not have Micah Parsons.
16:55I have them beating the Falcons.
16:56I have them losing against Tampa Bay.
16:58And I have them losing against Chicago and losing against Dallas.
17:02And if you want to move past that, I don't think they're going to beat Detroit.
17:07Carolina at home, and that's not going to be a cupcake.
17:09I'll give them a win.
17:10And then I have them losing against the New England Patriots.
17:13And, you know, let's say they split with Minnesota.
17:17We're talking about three wins going into a bye week.
17:20And then after the bye, what do you know?
17:23Taron Donald, Miles Garrett, and the Rams.
17:25I don't think this team has what it takes.
17:29I don't think Jordan Love is a big-time quarterback.
17:31I don't think that he can take this roster, which is flawed, and just elevate it to a different level.
17:38I don't think he's elite.
17:40I don't think he's an MVP candidate.
17:43I think he's okay.
17:45I don't think he's a top-16 quarterback in the National Football League.
17:48I think he's in the 17-20 range.
17:51I know everyone tried to make it out like, oh, it's Favre to Rodgers to Love.
17:55Why would you say that?
17:57Why would you think that?
17:58Where's the evidence?
18:00Where's the body of work?
18:01It just doesn't exist.
18:03Josh Jacobs is so important to the team's success.
18:06And now you take a look at the Packers running back depth chart.
18:09I mean, Marshawn Lloyd?
18:14Chris Brooks?
18:15They trade for Steelers bust Caleb Johnson?
18:19I mean, this is like the scene from Major League.
18:23This guy's dead.
18:24Well, cross him off then.
18:26If I told a Packers fan, an honest and objective Packer fan, that their week one in Minnesota running back
18:32depth chart would include Marshawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks, and Caleb Johnson, you would have left.
18:39There's nothing funny about this situation.
18:41There's nothing funny about the Green Bay Packers in terms of how they're going to start the season.
18:47The fact that you're not going to have Jacobs on the field.
18:50The fact that Micah Parsons is not going to be out there.
18:52That tight end Croft is going to be on a pitch count.
18:55The cornerback position is paper thin.
18:59I feel bad for Matt LaFleur.
19:01I think he is a hell of a coach.
19:03I think the Green Bay Packers will finish in last place in the NFC North from the Green Bay to
19:11the Emerald Isle.
19:12Bill Belichick took his Tar Heels to Dublin and got a much needed season opening win against TCU.
19:19Yeah, well, I mean, it's a good feeling to win the game.
19:21You know, we worked hard.
19:22I put a lot into it.
19:23I mean, this goes all the way back to, you know, preseason workouts, spring practice, summer workouts, training camp.
19:32You know, it's all pointed to getting ready for the season, not necessarily just one game, but getting ready for
19:35the season.
19:36And then the last, you know, eight to nine days, we poured a lot in the TCU.
19:41Certainly, you know, we didn't play competitively enough last year.
19:44But, you know, this year, I mean, these guys came out with a whole different attitude.
19:48And, you know, they were going to fight for 60 minutes, and they did.
19:51So, look, as someone who has talked about Belichick's year last year as a complete debacle and a flop and
19:58a failure,
19:58and Josh Pate and I got into this last week on Shine Time, I love the Belichick hire.
20:04And, obviously, I was dead wrong.
20:06I thought he would get fringe players to be good, good players to be great, great players to be stars,
20:11just like he did as the single greatest coach in the history of the NFL.
20:14It was a complete mess on the field, off the field, everything that transpired.
20:19This counts as something.
20:22This is a deal.
20:24TCU did not score in the second half of this game.
20:27They didn't score in the final three quarters.
20:29TCU's got a new quarterback, and he transferred from Harvard.
20:33Facing a Belichick defense was even tougher than taking calculus in arguably the greatest academic school in the country.
20:40I really think this is a really nice moment for Belichick.
20:44Now, I'm not making any kind of grand promises here, but can they go .500?
20:50Can they make a ballgame?
20:52Can they not be a punchline for people like me and for other people and the Twitter tough guys,
20:58everyone online for the foreseeable future?
21:01Yeah, I think that's possible.
21:03And, by the way, Bill smiled.
21:06That made me happy.
21:07I don't want Bill Belichick to be miserable.
21:09He still is the GOAT in the history of the NFL.
21:12I don't want him to go out like this, so I thought that was a heck of a start to
21:17Bill Belichick
21:18when you look at North Carolina football for this season.
21:21The other headline game of Week Zero in college football, number 14, USC, taking on San Jose State at the
21:28Coliseum.
21:29And senior quarterback, Jada Maiava, looked the part and then some.
21:33Maiava was incredible.
21:3525-29.
21:36This is the equivalent of pitching the perfect game.
21:39A couple of touchdowns looked the part.
21:42286 passing yards.
21:44I was impressed.
21:45Honestly, I love what I saw from USC.
21:49And I know it's quote-unquote just San Jose State.
21:53Please.
21:54I thought this was remarkable and a harbinger of things to come.
21:58I love Lincoln Riley.
21:59I think Lincoln Riley's a terrific coach.
22:01I said last week on Shine Time that I think Maiava is going to be in the mix for the
22:07Heisman Trophy.
22:08I have USC going to the college football playoffs.
22:11I think you look at the true freshmen on this team, the young players on defense, the wide receiver position,
22:18a big-time quarterback.
22:20I expect USC to make the college football playoffs, to navigate the choppy waters of their difficult schedule.
22:28And I think that USC football, unequivocally back.
22:33Listen, for week zero, I thought this was anything but a negative or neutral storyline.
22:39I thought this was an incredible, incredible thing watching USC do their thing, especially the aerial assault.
22:46Now, the subplot to this game, no one was there.
22:51I mean, if you saw the pictures from this weekend, there was nobody at the Coliseum.
22:56They announced 51,000-plus, but honestly, the optics were bad.
23:02USC issued a statement, and honestly, at the end of the day, I could appreciate why they had to release
23:11this statement.
23:11But let me say this.
23:16If I was a sports fan in L.A. on Saturday, it's week zero.
23:26There is a heat wave of epic proportions right now in Los Angeles.
23:31The thermometer on Saturday afternoon read 94 degrees.
23:35With the heat index, it was 104, 105, if you look at AccuWeather.
23:43I mean, I don't rip the people who aren't in the stands.
23:47I wonder aloud, and I love sports, why you would even go to that game?
23:52If you want to be some kind of look-at-me guy in the press, oh, no one cares about
23:59USC.
24:01Nobody cares in L.A.
24:02It's a bad sports town.
24:05Nonsense.
24:06You know what I would have done if I was a diehard USC fan on Saturday?
24:11I would have gone to the beach.
24:12I would have been in the pool.
24:14I would have been in the Pacific Ocean.
24:16That's what I would have done.
24:17Why would I sit in the Coliseum to watch San Jose State when it's 105 degrees on field?
24:27That is insane.
24:29That's amateur hour.
24:30So, now you have all these people, oh, L.A. is a bad sports town.
24:34By the way, not true.
24:36And anyone who understands anything about USC, I mean, USC is pro football in Los Angeles.
24:44It always has been, always will be.
24:47And I love the Rams.
24:48I love the Chargers.
24:50USC is football team number one.
24:52Let's be clear.
24:53So, if you're saying that there's a USC fan problem, you don't know anything about L.A. sports
24:58and L.A. sports history.
25:00Not to mention, the Rams and their fans and their fan base and what this unbelievable organization
25:07does to get people to go to SoFi, it's incredible.
25:11By the way, the Dodgers go look at Major League Baseball attendance.
25:14Number one in attendance.
25:17Number one.
25:19Not to mention USC football.
25:20You have to deal with the beach.
25:22You got to deal with the pool.
25:23There's so much stuff going on in L.A. in terms of entertainment.
25:26You have UCLA down the road.
25:29The Chargers.
25:30You have the Lakers.
25:31You can't tell me that people don't care about the Lakers.
25:33Everyone just needs to chill the hell out.
25:36Seriously.
25:37I will always defend the L.A. sports fan.
25:40The history is unbelievable.
25:42They do an excellent job supporting their teams.
25:45Anyone who says anything else, bag it.
25:49That's pathetic.
25:50I think USC football fans are great.
25:52I would never in a million years would have gone to that game.
25:58I mean, I wonder aloud why people actually attended and there are more than two people
26:02in the stands.
26:03Seriously.
26:04I mean, go to the beach.
26:05Listen on your Sirius XM app.
26:09Watch the game indoors in air conditioning.
26:12Come on.
26:13What are we doing here?
26:14Coming up, Steph Bondi is going to join us to talk about his exclusive sit down with Jalen Brunson.
26:18But first, my Yankees take three or four from the Red Sox in the Bronx, but not without controversy.
26:24Catch or no catch.
26:26Next on Shine Time.
26:29Welcome back to Shine Time.
26:31The Yankees took three or four from Boston this weekend.
26:35Schlittler gem on Friday.
26:36Splitting a doubleheader on Saturday.
26:38And a 16-1 ass kicking on Sunday.
26:43The floodgates opens after a controversial play.
26:47How about what transpired on the no-catch call against center fielder Zidane Raffaella?
26:53Suffice to say, Mr. Raffaella did not agree with the call.
26:57I didn't have to even watch it.
26:59I know I made the catch.
27:00I know when a ball drop and the ball don't drop.
27:04And I know I made the catch.
27:09All right.
27:10Let's start at the beginning here just for the record.
27:13On that particular play, the Red Sox got hosed.
27:17The Red Sox got screwed.
27:20Unequivocally, that was a catch.
27:23And it should have been a double play.
27:25And that was a big moment in the game.
27:28Baseball has an umpire problem.
27:30That was clearly a catch on the field.
27:31Baseball has a replay problem.
27:33How you don't overturn that, I'll never know.
27:36That was a terrible job on the field, not calling it a catch.
27:40Then looking in on a replay, not calling it a catch.
27:43A terrible job.
27:45Next sentence.
27:47Hey, Boston.
27:49Chill out.
27:5016-1 was the final score.
27:52There's no turning point in a 16-1 game.
27:56You got destroyed.
27:58You got your asses kicked.
28:00Simple as that.
28:01I don't want to hear that you lost the game.
28:03And as a result, you lost the series instead of splitting.
28:06Season series is lost because of what happened on that call.
28:09Call was bad.
28:10I acknowledge it.
28:11Replay was terrible.
28:13I acknowledge it.
28:14But come on.
28:15The whole series was all Yankees.
28:17You take a look at what transpired on Friday with Schlittler.
28:20Ballinger throwing out Raffaella.
28:22Why, at the end of the day, the third base coach even sent them.
28:25I have no idea.
28:25We'll take it.
28:26Yankees splits on Saturday.
28:29Freed bouncing back after the injury and his first start after the injured list.
28:34Yankees offense was cooking.
28:36And then, hey, it's one thing to have a bad call.
28:39Then, to take advantage of it, that's a different story.
28:42And what the Yankees were able to do was awesome.
28:44Will Warren had his best performance ever as a Yankee.
28:50Seven innings.
28:51Absolutely dominant.
28:53Incredible stuff.
28:54Seven strikeouts.
28:55Told the Post after the game, he felt just incredible joy and appreciation and emotion
29:01getting that kind of ovation from the amazing Yankees fans.
29:06And this is the point if you're a Red Sox fan and you're bitching and moaning about the call.
29:11Hit Will Warren.
29:12Everybody hits Will Warren.
29:14The Yankees scored 16 runs.
29:17There's no such thing as a turning point in a game where you score 16 runs.
29:23Simple as that.
29:25So, the call was bad.
29:26But look, in the standings right there, if you're a Yankees fan, you got to love that
29:31they won the series three out of four.
29:33As we said on Shine Time on Friday, Yankees would take three out of four.
29:37Plus, in a lot of ways, Yankees buried Boston.
29:41Because there's a four-game gap when you look at it between the Yankees and the Red Sox.
29:46Not to mention the Yankees now take the season series, which if it comes down to it for a tiebreaker
29:52in the four or the five,
29:54and who gets home field for the wild card round, it's as simple as that that the Yankees will now
30:00get home field.
30:01I mean, I'd like as a Yankee fan, you know, if the Rays would start losing some games, I mean,
30:08you can't make that up.
30:09Give Tampa a lot of credit.
30:11I think that they are right now excellent and charmed.
30:16They won a couple of games.
30:17They swept the Padres, won a couple of games this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, that were nail biters.
30:22One where, you know, they got an outfielder for the Padres.
30:25It looked like he caught the ball for an out.
30:27It said carry it over the fence and dropped it for a home run.
30:30I mean, unbelievable.
30:32So, you know, I still want to win the division.
30:35I'm still looking at, at the end of the day, the New York Yankees getting that one seed.
30:40Aaron Judge is going to be on this West Coast swing with the team.
30:46Where he's hopefully going to swing the bat even more and be back at some point around the 9th, the
30:5110th, the 11th, the 12th,
30:53and hopefully round into shape come playoff time because that Yankees need judge to hits in order to ultimately get
31:01to the World Series,
31:02which is how we're going to find success for the New York Yankees.
31:05But I couldn't get enough of what happened this weekend.
31:09Winning a series against the Red Sox, that is an amazing feat.
31:15The Yankees, the last couple weeks, have played inspiring baseball, getting freed off the injured list.
31:23Amazing.
31:24And taking advantage of what transpired after the Raffaella play, sacrifice bunt, a goalie hit, a belly hit,
31:34and then Elliott Ramos earning the pinstripes with a three-run jack.
31:39It's one thing if there's a bad call.
31:42Then it's incumbent upon the team to take advantage.
31:46So that was absolutely incredible stuff by the New York Yankees.
31:50And if you're a Red Sox fan complaining about the bad call, cry, and then cry again.
31:57We saw some history made in Chicago this weekend as Pete Crow Armstrong bolstered his MVP case with a home
32:04-run derby of his own.
32:05Here's what the Cubs star had to say Saturday night, hearing MVP chants from the Wrigley crowd.
32:10Yeah, all the MVP chants are cool, but it's cooler when we sing the song after a win like today.
32:18Man, that is unbelievable stuff if you are a fan of the Chicago Cubs.
32:24So PCA, five homers in two days, has 14 home runs in the month of August.
32:32You've got to love sports.
32:34This, this is the ultimate weekend.
32:37How was your weekend, Mr. Crow Armstrong?
32:40Look at these nuggets of domination on the screen.
32:43And, and by the way, baseball needs to make a rule where position players can no longer pitch.
32:53I went nuts when I saw a former Yankee catcher, now Cincinnati Red, Jose Trevino on the mound, a catcher
33:00to try to pitch.
33:02It's, it's amateur hour, okay?
33:04Because that's a non-competitive joke situation.
33:07And PCA ended up hitting a ground ball.
33:09He's going for history, a fourth home run.
33:11He didn't even run out of the batter's box.
33:13If you're not going to try, he's not going to try.
33:17Because he had an opportunity to make the best weekend ever even better.
33:21So, baseball needs to make a rule.
33:23I don't, you have 27 outs.
33:25You can't run out of clock in baseball.
33:27That's a terrible job anytime you throw a position player.
33:30It just cheapens the sport.
33:32It's an embarrassment.
33:33Baseball is about history and moments and records.
33:36That's crap.
33:38That's pure nonsense.
33:40You look at the MVP odds, and honestly, I don't see how Shohei Otani is even in consideration.
33:47And listen, I'll tell you when I'm right, and I'll tell you when I'm wrong.
33:50I was the first person in all of sports media to tell you that PCA was going to be the
33:55MVP.
33:55We were ahead of the curve on Shine Time.
33:58Go to our YouTube page at Shine Time.
34:00Go through the archives.
34:01You can see the show that we were first ahead of the curve on this.
34:05You look at his numbers.
34:06You look at his stolen bases.
34:07You look at his home run total.
34:08You look at his war.
34:09You look at his defense.
34:11You look at where the Cubs are in the standings.
34:13And Shohei Otani is not pitching.
34:15He had a setback in terms of getting to the mound.
34:18The Dodgers are still going to be fine.
34:20Not worried about the Dodgers.
34:22Otani's still hitting.
34:23Otani's still unbelievable.
34:24But it doesn't look like he's going to be on a mound anytime soon.
34:28And even if he is, and I hope for the Dodgers, because I love baseball,
34:31that he will be sooner rather than later, he's not the MVP.
34:35This is no longer the Shohei Otani Invitational
34:38when it comes to the Most Valuable Player Award.
34:40Pete Crowe Armstrong has been tough.
34:43He's been clutch.
34:44He hits leadoff home runs.
34:46He sets the tone and the tempo for games.
34:48I am just obsessed.
34:50By every single measuring stick,
34:53you can't spell MVP without PCA.
34:57Up next, happy birthday, Jalen Brunson.
35:00The king of New York turns 30 today,
35:02and he sat down with her own Steph Bondi
35:04to talk about life as he enters his next decade.
35:07Steph joins us next to break it all down
35:09right here on Shine Time.
35:14Time now for some New York Minutes.
35:16In a Post Sports Plus exclusive,
35:18Our Guy, the great Knicks beat writer,
35:20Steph Bondi sat down with Jalen Brunson
35:23as he enters his next decade,
35:26coming off his greatest accomplishment
35:27as an NBA player,
35:29leading the Knicks to their first championship
35:31in 53 years.
35:33For more on what the Finals MVP had to say,
35:35we welcome the man who wrote the piece,
35:37which you can check out right now
35:38on Post Sports Plus.
35:41Steph, welcome back to Shine Time.
35:43Thank you for having me again.
35:45I love coming on.
35:46Listen, Steph, you're fantastic,
35:47and you know how much I love Jalen Brunson,
35:49and I love his entire family,
35:52so this whole thing is pretty awesome.
35:54And it's his birthday today.
35:56He turns 30.
35:57You had unbelievable quotes from him.
35:59It was written incredibly well.
36:01The perspective's great.
36:02You opened the piece
36:03with that great da-da-da-da moment
36:05outside the press conference.
36:07What did that moment tell you
36:09about Jalen Brunson
36:10that you wanted to establish
36:11right away in the story?
36:12Well, a couple things.
36:13One is, I didn't get into it
36:16as much in the story,
36:17but his face, when he heard her voice lit up,
36:21and I'm a father,
36:22and anybody who's a father
36:24understands that face.
36:26And when you hear your child's voice like that,
36:28he captured it.
36:29And then he was a professional.
36:31You know, a lot of these athletes
36:32bring their kid to the podium.
36:34That's not what happened here.
36:35In this situation,
36:37his daughter was just screaming for him,
36:39basically, from outside the room.
36:40And he just kept his press conference going
36:43for another four minutes.
36:44And as soon as that last question was over,
36:46he just beelined right to his daughter,
36:48who at the time was one-year-old Jordan Brunson.
36:51And, you know, I talked to him
36:53about being a father.
36:54And he said, it changed my life.
36:55It changed my perspective.
36:56He said he's always considered himself
36:58a patient person,
36:58but now I'm even more patient.
37:01And he said he just,
37:02it's made his life happier.
37:04And it's even when she cries, it's cute.
37:07So I feel like fathers around the world
37:10can understand that.
37:11Without question.
37:12I mean, I felt the same way reading it,
37:14and it was just amazing stuff.
37:16And you described Brunson's life
37:17looking like almost the ultimate American dream.
37:20But, and I think this was interesting,
37:23Brunson pushes back on that idea
37:25that it was, quote-unquote, cookie cutter.
37:27What did you take away from that conversation?
37:31Because Jalen's made so many sacrifices
37:34to get to this point.
37:36Yeah.
37:37I mean, I use the word cookie cutter,
37:38which was a mistake by me.
37:41He just immediately pushed back
37:42because the, the implication from cookie cutter,
37:45it's just generic,
37:46and it just happens to everybody.
37:48His point was, no, I, this,
37:50you don't understand,
37:51and people don't understand
37:52how hard I work for this.
37:54And it had the sacrifices I made
37:56from high school to college.
37:59I didn't have the typical college life
38:01because I was out shooting in the gym all the time.
38:03And we, I've written about it before,
38:05and people probably know the story a little bit
38:06about how much his father pushed him
38:08ever since he was little.
38:10He was developed for this moment
38:12since he was a little kid.
38:13His father put a basketball,
38:16a little tykes basketball in his left hand
38:18and made him a lefty.
38:19He's a natural righty.
38:20He writes righty, he eats righty,
38:22he shoots basketball with his left hand.
38:24So, you know, I, I think people don't understand
38:27how much work he put into this,
38:29and that's what he wanted to come across,
38:31is no, none of this was given to me.
38:34I had to earn every single part of this,
38:35and I had to make a lot of sacrifices.
38:38So Jalen Brunson turns 30 today,
38:40and he's entering his 30s
38:41having already accomplished
38:42virtually everything he could have dreamed of, right?
38:46And he was doubted along the way.
38:47Championships at Villanova,
38:49NBA career, Knicks, finals, MVP, NBA title.
38:54What struck you the most about Jalen Brunson
38:57in terms of the mindset, Steph,
38:59and what's left for him to prove?
39:02So I asked him,
39:03he makes goals before every season,
39:06and I, and he doesn't reveal them.
39:07He never does, even when the season's over.
39:09But I said, did you accomplish every one?
39:11I assume you accomplished the main one,
39:12but did you accomplish every one?
39:14And he said, no, I didn't.
39:15And I said, oh, so you want to be MVP, huh?
39:18And he laughed.
39:19He said, that's not, there were more than one.
39:21So there was a list of things
39:23that he still wants to accomplish.
39:24And I assume on top of that
39:26is repeating his champion.
39:28And then there's still individual stuff
39:31that Jalen Brunson feels like he left on the table.
39:35And that's the way he's wired.
39:36I mean, I've said this story before.
39:37I probably said on this show,
39:38when he was in high school,
39:39what motivated him from losing his junior year
39:42to winning his senior year
39:43was the picture of him being devastated,
39:47losing his junior year.
39:48He left that as a screensaver on his phone
39:50for a whole year.
39:51His motivation is never really a problem with him.
39:55I think, though, as the captain,
39:57he's going to have to compel his teammates
39:59to think like that, too.
40:00I think that's part of what's driving him right now.
40:02So I want to tap into that
40:04because, look, for Knicks fans
40:07who literally never thought they'd see a championship,
40:10right, of a certain age,
40:13there's a house's money quotient
40:14to what's going to come up this season.
40:16I would never say that to Jalen Brunson's face
40:18because I know the way he's wired.
40:20And, look, I even think, Steph,
40:22and you could tell me,
40:23a guy like Mikel Bridges,
40:25I think he should have a more even season
40:27in the regular campaign.
40:29Same with Carl Anthony Towns.
40:30I think the weight is off the shoulders, so to say.
40:33They won a championship.
40:34The trades are worth it.
40:36Take us through the part of the interview
40:37where you talked to Brunson
40:39about after winning the championship
40:42and now doing it again.
40:45He said, as soon as I, I mean,
40:47obviously there was the celebration,
40:49which lasted through the parade
40:52and a couple weeks after.
40:54But he said, as soon as I got my surgery,
40:55I turned the page.
40:57And I think that's where his mind went.
40:59And, you know,
41:01he didn't want to think too far ahead.
41:02That's not the,
41:03I think his quote was,
41:06wherever my feet are laying,
41:07that's what I got to think about.
41:09But, you know, this is a guy,
41:11like I said, like he's not,
41:13he's not going to have a problem being motivated.
41:15And I do think,
41:16now I don't know how this is going to,
41:18you know, the rest of the roster
41:19is going to react to this.
41:20And you mentioned,
41:20you kind of brought it up.
41:22There's less pressure on this team.
41:23Yeah.
41:24And I don't know what that means.
41:26Does that mean that they're going to come out
41:28and just be lackadaisical
41:30or they're going to come out,
41:32be relaxed and play better?
41:34It's hard for me to tell.
41:36I do think Jalen Brunson,
41:38though you don't have to worry
41:39about his motivation factor.
41:40I think that's an interesting hypothetical.
41:43And I've thought a lot about that
41:44because I do think there'll be less pressure,
41:46but Brunson won't let him rest.
41:49So I'm fascinated to see
41:51how that ultimately comes together.
41:53And in terms of Brunson,
41:55who I thought did a great job
41:56talking to you in a candid fashion
41:58about recognizing that his role
42:00is going to change as he gets older,
42:03you know, and specifically
42:04not letting his ego control
42:06how he's ultimately going to form that role.
42:10How unusual is that level of self-awareness
42:15from a superstar, Steph, entering his prime?
42:18Yeah, it is unusual.
42:20And I think he was actually,
42:22the way that came up is I said,
42:24listen, I don't know if you heard,
42:26but I'm sure you have.
42:27Your friend Josh Hart has said,
42:29on the record,
42:30I want to retire at 34, 35.
42:33I got one more contract extension in me
42:35and then that's it.
42:36So I said, hey, I brought up that scenario.
42:39And he said, well, you know,
42:40I'm not as definitive as that,
42:42but the key for me is just my mentality
42:46and whether I can accept the lesser role
42:49because he knows it's going to come.
42:51And he doesn't know yet.
42:53He doesn't know if he's going to be able
42:54to accept it.
42:54There are some stars.
42:55I mean, Carmelo Anthony refused
42:57to go to the bench famously.
42:59He didn't age as gracefully
43:01and he was out of the league
43:02probably before he should have been.
43:03A guy like Chris Paul stayed in the league
43:05a lot longer because he understood
43:08he had to adapt to a different role.
43:10So Jalen does not know how he's going to age
43:13in terms of the mentality,
43:14in terms of accepting that lesser role.
43:17But it's not something he has to worry about
43:19for a while.
43:20I mean, he's in his prime, right?
43:21I mean, he just won a championship.
43:23He's got very good years left.
43:26And another aspect to that,
43:27which I didn't actually get into the article,
43:29I asked him,
43:29what are you going to do when you retire?
43:31Is it going to be media?
43:32Is it going to be coaching?
43:33And he said, well, listen,
43:35you know, I've been pretty successful
43:37with this podcast with Josh Hart,
43:39so maybe it's media.
43:40And I always wanted to be a coach,
43:41but I do not want to coach college.
43:43So he wants no part of that NIL stuff.
43:45Listen, I think that podcast is terrific.
43:48I think he would be incredible in media.
43:50But as you said, we're a long ways off here.
43:53I mean, Knicks could absolutely win
43:54another championship or two
43:56when it's all said and done.
43:57Final one for you, Steph.
43:59What's the biggest thing you learned
44:00about Brunson in your conversation with him?
44:03And you've been covering him,
44:04obviously, since he's been a Knick,
44:06and you saw everything this past year.
44:09But give us something from this conversation
44:11that maybe Knicks fans might not fully appreciate
44:14just by simply watching him play basketball.
44:17Give us a take or a nugget that you unearthed
44:21from this conversation.
44:22So I'm not going to do it.
44:24Nothing from the conversation
44:26is going to come to mind this quickly.
44:27But I will tell you something
44:28that I noticed almost immediately
44:30when I started covering him.
44:33I was in a lot of NBA locker rooms.
44:36I covered a lot of bad teams.
44:38When Jalen Brunson came into the Knicks locker room
44:40and I saw the way he worked
44:42and I saw the way he operated
44:43and I saw the way he handled the media
44:45and I saw the way he prepared,
44:47I said, oh, that is what a leader
44:50is supposed to look like.
44:51Like immediately, it clicked.
44:52Like I had never seen it before.
44:54And he leads, it's more by example.
44:57But getting to see that almost immediately
45:00was really striking for me
45:02because I had not seen that before.
45:03Like I said, I was covering him.
45:04By the time I saw him,
45:06I had already been covering the lead for 12 years.
45:08I had never been in a locker room
45:10with a leader like that.
45:12Steph, you're the best.
45:13We encourage everyone to check out Steph's article
45:15right now on Post Sports Plus
45:17and follow Steph on X at SBondiNBA
45:21for all his latest reports
45:22as we near the start of the season
45:24with the Knicks as the reigning champions.
45:26Steph, as always, we appreciate it.
45:28Great read.
45:29Great job with the interview
45:30and we'll talk to you again real soon.
45:32All right.
45:32Thanks a lot.
45:39Novak Djokovic, out of the U.S. Open.
45:42Bounced in the first round.
45:44Wow.
45:44The 24-time Grand Slam champion
45:46brought to tears after his body betrayed him
45:49in a stunning first-round upset
45:51at the hands of Mariano Navone.
45:54Now, after a heartbreaking exit in New York,
45:58the question has to be asked,
46:01is this it?
46:02Is this the last we've seen of Novak Djokovic
46:04at the U.S. Open?
46:06So, Father Time is undefeated.
46:09And Novak Djokovic has been absolutely brilliant
46:13when it comes to punching Father Time in the face
46:16time after time after time.
46:19And I am of the opinion,
46:21and I will back this up forever,
46:24Novak Djokovic is the GOAT.
46:26He is the greatest men's tennis player
46:28in the history of the sport.
46:30And when you look at this resume,
46:33I don't even know how you could argue against it.
46:36And I think that, you know,
46:37we could talk about Nadal,
46:39we could talk about Federer,
46:40we could talk about Sampras,
46:42we could talk about anybody else you want.
46:44Djokovic is the greatest I've ever seen,
46:47the greatest of all time.
46:48I think that watching him play,
46:52and I watched basically this entire match last night,
46:56the fact that he's going to drop out of the top 10
46:58for the first time in ages,
47:02watching him cry because his body failed him,
47:07and he's throwing up, and he was dehydrated,
47:10and a no-name was running him all over the court,
47:15I was sad.
47:16Because when Djokovic was moved to tears,
47:19I just said to myself,
47:21I think he knows.
47:23And I'm not going to be the one who counts him out
47:26because he's an all-time amazing athlete,
47:29an all-time favorite of mine,
47:31just an absolute joy to watch,
47:33and his power and his grace all rolled into one,
47:37his perseverance,
47:38the way he's always able to survive these kind of matches,
47:41even if there's some kind of potential upset brewing at any stage,
47:45bam, Djokovic finds a way to win
47:47and just be mentally tougher and physically stronger
47:50than anyone he's going up against.
47:53You got to wonder.
47:54You got to wonder if this is it.
47:56You got to wonder if we just witnessed the end for an all-timer.
47:59I think if we're making a fair, educated guess,
48:04I don't think we're going to see him play at the U.S. Open over again.
48:08Wouldn't be surprised if this was the beginning of the end
48:11for Novak Djokovic as a tennis player.
48:14And if it is,
48:15let me be first to say thank you.
48:18Thank you for just everything that you meant to the sport.
48:21Thank you for everything that you meant to sports
48:24over the last couple of decades.
48:26I think he's the greatest to ever do it.
48:28And I don't think we'll ever see Novak Djokovic play
48:31at the U.S. Open ever again.
48:34That right there.
48:35It's a show.
48:35If you miss any portion of the show,
48:37just do what I do and re-watch the show
48:38over and over and over again.
48:40Just go to our new YouTube page.
48:42Like.
48:43Subscribe.
48:45Subscribe.
48:46Like.
48:47I'll see you tomorrow on Shine Time.