Hey, welcome everybody, it’s that time again. Fred and the Fantastics, BLEAV and PodClips and anything and everything in sports, along with Art, at 127 years of age, along with Laura, attorney, and along with Mark, the world’s worst sports handicapper. But we’ll do our best to talk about things that maybe nobody else will talk about right here on Fred and the Fantastics. You can email us – [email protected], [email protected]. All right, let’s talk about a few games in the National Football League. And on Thursday, we’re taping this on Friday afternoon, folks. So we’ll talk about,

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.

Wednesday afternoon, folks. So we’ll talk about how about Thursday and Friday’s games in the National Football League. Art, do you have any winners for Thursday morning or Thursday afternoon evening?

I actually do. I picked all three games. I want Detroit in the opener. I think they’re, they’re given two and a half to Green Bay, so I’m gonna go that way. Then I’m gonna come back with Dallas after that great comeback they had last week, down 21 – nothing in, in, against Philly. And I mean, wow, that one really surprised me. And then in the nightcap, I don’t think Joe Burrow is ready to go after Baltimore yet, so I’m gonna take Baltimore and lay the touchdown in that one, but you know what else this weekend is, Fred? It’s rivalry week.

Yes,

There’s 15 to 20 great old rivalries: SC at UCLA here in L.A.; Iowa, Nebraska; Indiana and Purdue. You know, you go down the list. ASU in Arizona. There’s really a troop of plethora of big rivalries. And I look forward,

Let me let me throw this out, let me throw this out. Last Saturday night, SNL was preempted for UCLA football against Washington. I said at the time, that’s okay because UCLA’s offense is funnier than SNL anyways. Laura, any comments about SNL versus UCLA football?

I disagree with you, I think SNL has been pretty funny this season.

They actually have, surprisingly, but that’s a great call by you, Fred.

No, I was surprised by,

What do you think of the Washington quarterback, though, both of you guys?

Williams. Williams is unbelievable.

Ah, yeah. He has the quickest feet.

Laura, did you watch that game last Saturday night?

I only watched the part when I watch the SNL recorded show because I record SNL, so I turned on my recording. It was like, Oh, why is football on here?

Hey Fred, what’s going on a UCLA with their athletic program?

They’re destroying it piece by piece, moving to the Big Ten, leaving the Rose Bowl, hiring DeShaun Foster. Thinking about, thinking that Mick, Mick Cronin will ever win a key game? I mean, all these things, they add up. They’ve got a soccer coach who’s now leaving UCLA for greener pastures. So what are we talking about here? Maybe women’s basketball?

So you’re talking about the foremost athletic program in the history of intercollegiate athletics?

Yeah, I think more,

Yeah, 125 National Championships.

More than any other school, yeah.

Yeah, and now they’re, they’re relegated to, to really what’s going on.

Well, the worst thing was that the breakup of the PAC-12 and their stupid refusal to let people watch the games.

Yeah,

When they, when they wouldn’t sign a contract with DirecTV, which was always marketed as being the premium sports network.

Who was the commissioner, Fred, that we blamed on all that? He was terrible.

Terrible.

Well, look what Rob Manfred’s doing to baseball now, he’s taking the Home Run Derby and putting it on Netflix or something.

You know, I was thinking, since last week they played Presbyterian, I think, rated as the worst Division One college basketball school in the ratings for Presbyterian.

Wow,

That’s at the bottom, right? How about Yeshiva? How about Yeshiva next year? What do you think?

Speaking of Netflix, Mark, Elle Duncan is gonna be a broadcaster on ESPN, the ESPN gal just got hired by Netflix.

I didn’t know that, wow.

Hey, but by the way, I don’t know if you guys watched it, there’s a fine documentary on. HBO – Alex vs A-Rod, the story of Alex Rodriguez and the, and the drugs. I don’t know if you guys have had an opportunity to watch it, but I think it was a three-part series. I thought it was great. Mark, did you have an opportunity to watch it?

I haven’t, I haven’t seen it, but you know, when I think about the whole thing with the steroids and everything, I mean, we can knock Manfred for what he’s done with this baseball, these last, you know, since he’s been commissioner. But Bud Selig ruined the game too, and the only good thing Bud Selig did that I thought, was it was admirable was getting the Interleague, but the traditionalists didn’t like the whole Interleague, but other than that, Bud Selig threw all his players under the bus that saved the game in ’94.

But people don’t realize that Bonds, and McGwire, and Sosa,

They saved the game,

They were big parts of saving the game, too.

Yeah.

And if you look at history now, and Clemens was playing then, some of those guys will never, ever, be in the Hall of Fame. You know, Pete Rose is gonna get in because he died, and they’re gonna be like, you know, kind, and put him in, but I mean, this is really an interesting,

It’s a double-edged sword.

It is a double-edged sword, and it scares the hell out of me, you know.

And, I know, Fred, you look at it, they vote guys like Bud Selig in, and they don’t look at his past, at what he’s done to the game.

He allowed it to happen; there’s no question about that. Let’s go back to,

It’s like when Rob Manfred’s gonna get in the Hall of Fame someday.

Laura had something to say.

No, what I was going to say that what was so great about the World Series, you would think that Manfred would – Manfred? Manfreddie?

I think you said it right the second time, just drop the E.

The third time.

You know, I mean, look at what, the World Series ratings were through the roof, I mean, they were the best ratings in years,

And worldwide too.

And, and, yeah, and yet, you know, he’s gonna keep these ridiculous, this ridiculous ghost runner, which I think out of all the changes, that is the absolute worst. I mean, that just ruined, it just ruins the excitement of the extra innings of the game.

I gotta say something else, Laura. How many times in baseball recently have you seen the guy sliding into a base, and because the pizza boxes are only two inches tall, they go flying off the other side of the base, and they get tagged out?

So if they were trying to increase stolen bases, they’ve actually decreased them?

Decreased them because the guys come off the bag. I’ve seen it all year long.

You know what? I just thought, Fred, now that the Dodgers went back-to-back and all this remarkable comeback, hot dogs are gonna cost us $250 at Dodger Stadium.

You’ll need a MasterCard Gold Card to get a hot dog.

All right. Let’s take a break,

We’re going to have the gondola,

Let’s take a break and come back with more of Fred and the Fantastics across America, around the world on BLEAV and on PodClips.

Hey folks, we’re back on Fred and the Fantastics with Laura, with Art, with Mark. And you can email us at [email protected], [email protected]. Hey, before we move on about the National Football League this weekend, folks, we’re taping this again, Wednesday afternoon, before Thanksgiving. Art. I’m gonna make USC a 27-point favorite versus UCLA at the Coliseum on Saturday. Who do you like?

I’ll take, I’ll take the Bruins in the 27, but I was, I got 21-and-a-half, and I laid that. So, I think, I think SC is gonna win 38 to 14, 24 points.

Okay, we’ll see. Laura.

In my other three picks for college football. I got to give it to you because a lot of people want to know.

I don’t know about the points. But UCLA does not have a chance.

Ole Miss, Pitt, and Oregon.

What’s the number in Oregon?

Oregon’s getting, giving six-and-a-half at Washington.

Wait a minute, you know I, I’m gonna turn the tide here. As much as I like USC, this reminds me of that one year when UCLA played USC, and they were completely out of it, and they stunned the Trojans. I’m going with the Bruins, so I don’t want the 27, I want straight up.

You gotta go straight up. You know what you’ll get? On the money line, that’s $1500, 15 to 1.

Yeah, make some money on that one.

Yeah, just drop 50 bucks for $750.

I got UCLA straight up the beat them.

Hang on, I gotta dial the bookie here, hang on. Mr. Bookie, we’re taking USC for $1,000. Mark is the world’s worst sports handicapper. Mark, the deal is,

My life savings,

You guys will be thinking about me tomorrow night.

I’m ready to go down and put at least $10 on it, at those odds for $150, what the hell.

Mark, if you win one out of three times, you’re not a winner, gambling-wise, you do understand that?

Yeah,

Unless you hit a 15 to one shot every once in a while.

Yeah,

All right, let’s talk a little bit about the National Football League. Interesting games, I think, on Sunday, San Francisco at Cleveland, Shedeur Sanders played better in his first start, second game, as he, better than he played in the first game. SF, the interceptions from Purdy, we’ll see if 20 yards on the ground is possible.

Mac ‘n’ Cheese, get it heated up.

So what? San Francisco’s a six-and-a-half point favorite on the road? Is that the case, Art?

Yeah,

Who do you like?

That’s a lot of points to me, but, but I think they’re gonna cover it, I think they’ll win 31-21. But, you know, I gotta tell you, we discussed it on Sports Overnight America. When a guy’s making a million, two million a year, he plays really hard. Now that Brock Purdy’s making 50 million dollars a year, he had four interceptions his last time out and,

He’s rusty, he’s rusty.

He’s rusty, I think, I think it’s cuz he just got married, but we’re not gonna go there.

That’s true, too.

Yeah.

All right, let’s talk about the Rams at Charlotte, Carolina, I think it’s Carolina, Rams are about as,

It’s a trap game.

Let me say this, though. I, I’m not a big Sean McVay fan. Even in the game last time out, last week against Baker Mayfield, who got hurt and didn’t play the second half. As soon as they had the lead, Sean McVay tightened up. Now, I don’t care. In the last seven or eight minutes, the game was over. He can do what he wants, kept on the ground. He didn’t want to embarrass, he didn’t want to embarrass. But the bottom line is, even before that, he tightened up the offense. And there’s no reason to do so, considering that Stafford has now thrown 27 consecutive touchdown passes and no interceptions. Art. What do you think? As a former Ram player?

You know, I gotta tell you, I kind of agree with you a little bit about that. But, but there’s something about the NFL coaches; we saw it with Sirianni last week. When they get a lead, they have a tendency to, it’s an old Bill Cowher trick. Take the air out of the football.

Yeah, yeah,

You know, and I’ve always believed that, you know, without being kind of, you know, overbearing. You want to keep going, you want to keep the momentum, play hard. Now it’s like you said, there’s eight minutes left in the game and you’re up by three scores. Hey, let a guy put a touchdown on the board, not a big deal. But this thing here, the Rams at the Panthers, the spread up into ten, I think it’s down to seven-and-a-half. A lot of people see Carolina playing real tough at home, and they have won, I believe, six games this year so far. This could be a trap game for the Rams, but I think they’re gonna win 30 to 20, and the spread’s 10, so I’m gonna try to sneak nine-and-a-half somewhere.

All right. The big game of the year for Laura, the Chargers versus the Raiders, Laura’s favorite club?

Oh gosh,

Laura, what do you think, Chargers versus the Raiders?

You know, this is the first time in probably, I don’t know how many years, that I, I’ve not gone to the Raider game. It’s too painful. I mean, I don’t want to go and watch them lose to the Chargers, who I really don’t like. So I’m hoping it’s a rebuilding year. You know, they just got rid of Chip Kelly, which I think is a good thing. So, you know, well, it can’t get any worse.

How many times has Kelly been fired, you guys?

A lot.

You know what? Fred, I’m not a big L.A. guy, but I love, I love, I’ve been saying the Rams, you gotta watch out for these guys since the start. I’m a big Sean McVay; he could be one of the best coaches in Rams history.

The Rams look good.

Now, you know, Sean McVay, you know, and when you look at McVay, he, they don’t rebuild,

Better than Tommy Prothro?

They retool, they retool, he retools in LA. He doesn’t rebuild, and

Yeah, but, you know, less need, less need is a very good talent evaluator. They got some guys in that front office, they always have, that are real good, and they got some coaches, they can coach him up. I think Shula’s done a good job with the defense, Fred. They play hard-nosed defense. I wouldn’t want to play quarterback against them. The reverse coming off the one side. I mean, they got some big studs up front. They’re a good football team.

Let me tell you, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if it’s the Rams and Patriots in the Super Bowl.

Could be. Let me just throw this out to you guys. Last week, Detroit was playing the Giants, and I know Art and Fred both thought that Detroit was gonna score at least 40 points. But under no logical thought did I think that the Giants would score 34. Art, do you have any comments about the Lions giving up third? And again, folks, we’re taping this Wednesday. We’ll find out what happened on Thursday.

You know my old joke about an enigma in a conundrum? That’s a perfect example of the Detroit Lions. And we’ve talked about this, Fred. The modern-day athlete, compared to the athletes of the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, even the ’90s, their consistency of performance is lacking in so many different ways. You will see a superstar performance for a flow of maybe a game or two or three, and then they’ll disappear. My witness protection program has just found A.J., the wide receiver for, A.J. Brown, for the Eagles. He finally came out of witness relocation. I mean, it happens all the time, you guys, and it’s fascinating. You’ll see a pitcher go out and just dominate, and next time out, he’s just.

Can I throw a prediction out there?

Please, go ahead.

Because I think this fella will be the coach of the year? I think he’ll be the coach of the year, considering that Oklahoma and Detroit have run roughshod in the NBA. I love J.J. Reddick, man. What he’s done with that team to get the Lakers to where they are now. J.J. Reddick, coach of the year.

Laura?

The Lakers look really good. I mean, I watched the game last night, I guess.

Yeah, J.J. Reddick, the next Pat Riley.

And speaking of taking your foot off the gas, although I don’t, you know, we have an EV, I’m not quite sure how that works. But they didn’t last night. I mean, they kept, they were, they were up by 10, I think, with eight minutes, six minutes left, something like that, and they just powered through and won that game. So they had a little trouble with Oklahoma City, you know, but LeBron didn’t play, so we’ll see.

But let me ask you, let me ask you a question. You watched the game last night, correct?

I did.

Okay, did you watch it on the Clippers station,

No.

The Lakers Station, or NBC?

It wasn’t on the Lakers. I watched it wherever it was on, but it wasn’t the Clippers station.

I watched it on all three. It was on all three last night.

Was it the same feed?

I watched,

No, no, no different announcers, of course. NBC,

No, but I mean, was it the same, the same Susan Stratton feed from the truck?

No, usually it’s blacked out on the Lakers station if it’s on NBC.

Not last night, it wasn’t.

It wasn’t?

Wow.

Wow.

I watched it on the Lakers station. I didn’t even know it was on NBC.

What time did the game end?

I watched Minnesota and two minutes of the UCLA loss.

What time did the game end?

All right, final thoughts on Fred and the Fantastics. Art, very quickly, final thoughts.

Just a wonderful weekend in sports. Everybody’s gonna really be thankful for what a great country we have, and we’re all trying to come together and do the best we can. So I just want to wish everybody the best of family and Thanksgiving and, and keep it light.

Mark, very quickly, final thoughts.

Well, the Steelers will beat the Bills. And Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. It just seems to get neglected because right after Halloween, we get the Christmas trees up. Why is that?

Laura, do you put a Christmas tree up?

Speaking as somebody who doesn’t have a Christmas tree, and never will, I just want to wish everybody Happy Thanksgiving. I recommend everybody read Bret Stephens’ New York Times column today about Thanksgiving, about national renewal, which is what Thanksgiving is about, also. We have so much to be thankful for. All of us here, we’re all still here. So, and I’ll, to all of you, Happy Thanksgiving.

I expect, any minute now, Donald Trump to take credit for Thanksgiving. All right for Laura. For Mark. For Art. For Mario.

Two turkeys liked him.

Thank you from Fred and the Fantastics. Bye everybody.