Chapter 1: What is the controversy surrounding WrestleMania 42 coverage?
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Chapter 2: How are the Mets coping with their 11-game losing streak?
Like, they're going to present you. Here's your ticket. Here's where you're staying. And it's like we don't ā sometimes being on your phone, you have to go here, you have to go there.
They're going to hit the broad stuff, and that's why I watch it, too.
And I'm 100% with Covino. When I tuned in Saturday night, I, like, went away for 15 minutes to a different channel. I'm like, I don't want to watch this. And they're breaking it down like it's, like, a sporting event. Like, it's all to be determined. It's not. I was like, am I the only guy that doesn't want to see this?
No, you're not. You're not. Because I know everybody loves wrestling. I wanted to see NBA highlights, and I had to wait for them.
That's exactly how I felt. I'd rather see a wrestling highlight. Really? Well, Iā Because guess where I saw the NBA highlights? I think you're alone, dude. On my phone. So guess where I can see wrestling highlights? On my phone. I feel like it's out of place. I don't watch either way. Well, that's why I don't think that you understand what I'm trying to get across here. I do watch every day.
And I'm not saying it doesn't belong. It's Entertainment and Sports Network. So, yeah, I get it. But there's other channels. ESPN2, The Ocho, like I said, jokingly. It just feels like it takes getting used to, and that's all. So there was a lot this weekend between NBA playoffs and WrestleManias, your Mets, and more. Well, you know what I do wonder? Forget that it's ESPN.
I just wonder how many people could watch because who even has the cable on or anything? Bro, a lot of people watch. Not the way they used to, but a lot of people still watch. Especially people that are listening to rich sports radio. You have ESPN, don't you? I don't know. You don't know? I have Hulu Live.
So you have it.
So if you have YouTube TV, you have ESPN. So that just shows you. It's like saying you don't have ESPN. It's Monday Night Football.
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Chapter 3: What are the latest updates on the NBA playoffs?
Me with Kermit the Frog was like Stephen A. talking to some dude with face paint on the set of First Take. Yeah, you're now ā You're now expecting these ESPN anchors and hosts to step it up and pretend and act like they care about this stuff. Hey, Camino, you got another question for Kermit? Yeah, and I rolled with it. I was like, Kermit, man, what an honor to have you here.
Rich was flicking his earlobes because he was so distracted and nervous. Nervous in the situation.
Oh, man, your ADD must have been blazing.
Rich could not... Get off the fact that it was like a man there pretending to be Kermit with the puppet. Pay no mind to the hand of the keister. You've got to look at the Muppet and interact with it. I just couldn't get over it. It really was. The same way Trevor Scales, who I love, by the way. This is not a knock. I love all these guys. They're great to work with.
They're consummate professionals as well. You don't have to listen to Triple H talking about who got the belt and why. I'm not saying it's bad. I like wrestling, and I do like what they do at ESPN. My point is simple. I'm just not used to that yet, or it feels a little out of place for me or forced. But I'll get used to it. There's a picture of it 10-plus years ago.
Just know there's a man there, and Rich is hating every second of it. Where's Rich's hand at? Because Kermit's right in front of him, but there's no hand. Why do you think Kermit's smiling, bro? There's two grown men kneeling in front of us.
How weird is that?
Look at that. Little puppets. I was so proud of that, though. I was like, I interviewed Kermit the Frog. Yes. So anyway, I don't feel like I'm alone. I can't be alone in noticing that because it's a big weekend of sports. That's why. You know, I didn't catch all the basketball that I wanted to catch. I caught bits and pieces and games here and there.
And I'm like, all right, let me go to the highlights. And of course I could see it on my phone, Rich. I get that. But when I put on ESPN, I'm pointing out the obvious and noticeable change. And I'm like, oh, we're going through wrestling highlights, but I also understand it was a big WrestleMania weekend. That's all just making an observation. Moving along. That's it. An obvious-ervation.
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Chapter 4: How does LeBron's performance impact his team's chances?
Every single year. They dragged their feet on the year before, and he proved that he should stay on the team. He had a monster season after they acted like they didn't even want him last year. I'll be honest. Guilty as a Met fan, so I want to say shame on me. And F you to Mets management for making fans think they were doing something. Because you let a fan favorite in Pete Alonzo go.
You get a vibe setter and one of the best closers in baseball go. You trade away a respectable guy that's been an all-star a couple times, always good for 20-something homers, good on defense. Brandon Nimmo, you traded him for an older, washed-up player. But honestly, did it all start with overpaying for Juan Soto and revolving everything around him?
No, because Juan Soto's the only good thing on this team. No, as a player, for sure. But he's not fitting in. I like Juan Soto.
Juan Soto's fitting in.
Maybe Francisco Lindor's not fitting in. But Lindor, yeah, that's... Well, that's a question in itself, right? It was Lindor's team at first. Juan Soto's the new guy. And people are saying that he needs to take more leadership, but that's not who Juan Soto is. Like, this is really bad, guys. This is like a sickness, and that's the...
Well, I guess the downside of the beauty of sports, because when a team is clicking, you could visibly see the chemistry and how beautiful baseball is when it's played the right way or when a team is gelling like Magellan, when a team's winning and they're having fun. When the opposite starts to happen and the chemistry's gone, it's like the love of a relationship gone.
Like you can't get it back. It's when that chemistry dies between man and woman or whoever you love or whatever. It's like you try so hard to get it back, but you just can't. That's what happens to a team. And when you see that happen, it's like a sickness, an illness. It takes on a life of its own. And it's almost impossible to get back unless you make a drastic change.
And let me give you this one, too. The Mets... Sold to their fan base this narrative that it's all about run prevention and analytics and David Stearns is the guy. Look what he did in Milwaukee. You know, Steve Cohen put this guy in charge and everyone had to like, and he gets very smug, this guy, David Stearns. Oh, the smug look on his face. Everyone was like, I guess we got to trust this guy.
He's a baseball genius. Run prevention. You know what run preventionāthey miss out on Kyle Tucker, then they go get Bo Bichette, and they put him in a position he's never played before. Yeah. Everything they're sayingāyou know, it's like someone breaking up with you. It's like breaking up with a girl and saying, like, you know, it's our morals just don't match up.
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Chapter 5: What are the implications of the Pistons' recent loss?
P-P-P, pouty personality problem. Do you really think that firing Carlos Mendoza and putting Carlos Beltran or someone like that in there, who they're saying, does that fix the problem?
No, no. This is the players need to take accountability, come together. We've laughed in the past a little bit, Rich. Remember, it was just a few weeks back where a team had a players-only meeting. We're like, is this going to fix anything? But then they went on a win streak. I can't, off the top of my mind, remember who it was. But they got to take onus for this.
The one good thing out of this, Rich, and I do hope your team digs themselves out of this, but the smaller payrolls like the Rays, the Guardians, the A's, the Reds, they're going well for the beginning of the season here.
And so this proves you cannot buy chemistry. No. It's all that, Danny G. It's chemistry, and like I said, that's why I brought it up into relationships. When you lose that chemistry, it takes on a life of its own, and it's hard to get back no matter how hard you try. So imagine trying to do that with a team of adults. How many players on the Mets get along and don't get along?
I don't know, but they say divided... every time I hear the Mets. So what's really going on there? And if they're divided, there's no way they could win and have fun and be professionals. You need to play as a team, and that's why those other teams are winning and your Mets are losing.
Ah, it was another New York team. It was Jalen Brunson and the players only meeting the Knicks had, remember? Then they reeled off all those wins in a row.
You can't force it. When things aren't working and the vibe just isn't there, it might be over, man. You have to start fresh. So, Rich, your entire season hinges on tomorrow night against the Twins. If they lose 12 in a row, it's done. No team has ever made the postseason after losing 12 games in a row. It's hard to lose that many games in a row.
It is.
It's your professional athletes. You've got to pull one out. 7-15 after starting 7-4. But then again, our buddy Steve Gelbs at SNY in New York said that when, do you remember Mickey Calloway was the manager of the Mets for a couple years? Yeah. They started 11-1 one year, and these teams were all under .500.
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Chapter 6: What factors contribute to the Mets' current struggles?
Tell Lindor that. Poor guy. I feel bad for him. Studying the trends and making the necessary adjustments to reach the ultimate goal. Frank, the tanks get out. I have a heart attack, that guy. Frank the Tank, man. Oh, poor guy. Investing deserves the same approach.
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Webull Financial LLC, member SIPC FINRA. Investing involves risk. For more information, visit webull.com slash disclosures. The NFL Draft is where it all starts.
This is crazy. I can't believe it. From the picks to the breakdowns, we're covering all of it.
Because in the NFL, I put myself in a position to be here. One pick can change everything.
It's Draft Night Live.
Join Jenny Taft, Jake Lazor, LeVar Arrington, and former Falcons GM Terry Fonda. April 23rd at 5 p.m. Pacific.
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Chapter 7: How do team dynamics affect player performance?
I play that every Tuesday for Covino. The Mets, who haven't won Jack Diddley squat since 1986, when, you know, your dad had a mustache and a mullet, and you were eating Fruity Pebbles on a Saturday morning. Mets haven't won anything since 86, and Steve Cohen very much came out in the beginning and said, I bought this team.
The Mets are going to win a couple World Series in the first five years of me owning the team. Saying that, I felt like, why are you saying that? And here we are. The end. Win tomorrow, please. Thank you, Mets. All right, let's go to DB for an update. And then we're going to talk some stoners in sports. It is 420. Think about who comes to mind.
What's up, DB? I also think that Mets are one of those teams in baseball where opening day is ā there's more than opening day. I think that there are some fan bases that love opening day, and then they're like, we'll reengage with our team in June, see where they are, and then we'll decide. But you guys are there from day one, and how last season ended, it's got to be tough.
Yeah, and then you wonder if the Mets have had the worst record ā one of the worst records from the midway point of last year until now ā Mendoza, they're really sticking by their guy. A lot of managers would have been fired.
For now, we shall see. Guys, a couple of notes from the NBA. Deep tendon bruise in the knee of Kevin Durant, according to ESPN. Was able to practice. The team is optimistic that Durant plays in tomorrow's game two against the Lakers. Rockets forward already missed game one of the series on Saturday night. Raptors and Cavs start the action tonight in Game 2 of their series in Cleveland.
In New York, it's the Hawks and Knicks at 8 Eastern. Timberwolves and Nuggets play in Denver, 10.30 Eastern time. Anthony Edwards is questionable what he's going to start for Minnesota this evening. Nets gave head coach Jordy Fernandez and his staff contract extensions. UConn guard Solo Ball is going to miss all of next season because of a wrist injury that requires surgery.
Red Sox top the Tigers today 8-6. Two-time defending French Open champ Carlos Alcaraz says he's doubtful to play in the French Open next month as he deals with a wrist injury. He's not playing in the Madrid Open this week. Some news from the NFL. Rams and Matthew Stafford close to terms on a contract extension. That's according to the NFL Network.
Puka Nakua, who entered a rehab facility earlier this year, was present for OTAs. Free agent quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo considering retirement, according to ESPN. They're all the same now anyway. 49ers gave left tackle Trent Williams a two-year extension worth $50 million. There's some good news. $37 million guaranteed. There you go.
Brandon Aubrey, the highest-paid kicker in the NFL on a deal that pays him $7 million a year. Aubrey gets four years, $28 million the whole deal, $20 million guaranteed. Former Raiders linebacker Rod Martin passed away at the age of 72. I know Danny was a fan of his back in the day. Free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. had a workout with the New York Giants and a physical. Guys, back to you.
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Chapter 8: What lessons can be learned from the Mets' management decisions?
We all kept our eye on every game this weekend.
They could win another one. You would think the Pistons are going to bounce back in game two, but we'll see.
Nick's Jalen Brunson, not his best game, and they win. That's a good sign. When your best player is sort of not his usual self and you win, that's a good sign. The Knicks should be okay in the first years. And, Danny, you talked about it. How about the legends coming out for the Spurs? I thought that was cool seeing David Robinson and Duncan and seeing Wemby blocking shots doing his thing, man.
35 points to, what was that, the highest debut, playoff debut for a Spur? Props to him, man. And Danny, you got to be happy. We talked the other day about how the importance of game one in this Lakers series. And then, you know what? LeBron, as you and Kavino were saying, in his Magic Johnson era.
Yeah, dude, he came out facilitating. Whole team was dialed in.
A lot of us thought, is LeBron going to try to do too much and, you know, take on everything and the scoring by himself? But no, he was dishing the ball. And of course, Kennard came up huge five for five from the three point line. And it was fun to watch, man, especially missing, you know, two of the three big stars.
What is the injury health update on Luka and Austin Reeves?
I mean, they'll have to go deep in the series against the Rockets for Luka to even have aā Luka before Reeves. Exactly.
So Luka first.
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