Hey everybody, it’s that time again. That’s right, Fred and the Fantastics here on BLEAV and on PodClips. We’ll discuss this, that, and anything in sports and maybe a little politics, too. And with Laura, with Art, with Mark, and with you. You can email us at [email protected], [email protected]. I have to open with this. Folks, we are taping this Friday afternoon. I have to open with this: Notre Dame, USC, South Bend on Saturday. Might be the last of the series of games between the two schools. Art Sorce, they’re wrecking our game. What’s going on?

I’ll tell you what, that really hurts me. I know that USC got back to Notre Dame. There’s been a little bit of a fight, though, because USC kind of poached two important people from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the new general manager they have. And this has been one of the intersectional rivalries that I got to play in four times. Like Lambeau Field, when you walk into South Bend and you play in that stadium and you see Touchdown Jesus. It’s been a great series with some superstars over the years, and I mean, from Howard Jones, you know, in the very beginning, and it really hurts me that they’re thinking about taking this great rivalry and not being around anymore. But I will say this is going to be a good game tomorrow. There’s some great games on the college football slate. You got Georgia, you know, Georgia and Tennessee. You get some real good ones, and it’s going to be a fun day Saturday. And, you know, I just hope to God that they don’t let this series, this great series that has showcased some great games over the years, go by the wayside.

I can’t believe it, to tell you. I mean, it’s like, you know, with the Pac-10 not really being what it was before. I remember the last time UCLA played Cal, or UCLA played Stanford, or USC played Stanford, like the last time, I mean, maybe in history, you got to make a big deal out of this, folks, because sports is history. I mean, sports is numbers, but sports are guys that have played,

Traditions,

As Art indicated, four times. I mean, you’re just throwing it away, and I just don’t understand it. Laura. On Saturday, four o’clock, UCLA plays Maryland, and at 4:30 USC against Notre Dame. So they have forgotten, of course, the folks in Los Angeles, Southern California, they’re playing one game against the other. Laura, talk about that.

Yeah, scheduling is terrible, you know, I just remember all those great Notre Dame-UCLA basketball Games.

Oh yeah, with Adrian Bailey, and,

It was just the best during the Wooden years. And I just hope that I hope they don’t destroy that rivalry. By the way, on Saturday, sorry to say, football fans, but I will be in the No King’s March in Venice.

I love it. Hey Fred, let me ask you this. How good is the new offensive coordinator for the UCLA Bruins?

Well, Jerry Neuheisel.

Do you think he grew up, like, watching film with dad just a little bit? What a couple of game plans he’s put together. Poor James Franklin, he got Neuheisel’d.

Well, I think the other guy, and I said it last week, that I’ve always been a fan of this guy. He’s been getting, you know, the criticism in L.A., is Lincoln Riley, and Lincoln Riley is really doing, he’s doing what he did at Oklahoma, he’s winning, man, and you see what he. Look at that. That team destroyed Michigan.

I can’t believe how physically they played. That was one of the better performances. I mean, I go back to the great years of the late ’70s, and, you know, with great, powerful defenses; 18 guys got drafted off of our senior class in 1978. And, to see them play with the kind of reckless abandon, and forced against a Michigan team that’s a physical team was just beautiful to see. But I’m telling you, as an old UCLA fan, watching what the Bruins have been able to accomplish the last two weeks, from where they were to where they are, I’m just so proud of the way these kids have responded. And I feel bad for Coach Franklin. But then again, you know, we’ve talked about what a great recruiter he is, but as an X’s and O’s coach,

Maybe you should have that team play all the state teams. Where’s Wichita State? Beat Penn State, then Michigan State.

Art, let me ask you a question. Let’s say UCLA wins, I don’t know, four of their next six. Does Tim Skipper have a shot to keep the job?

I think he does. The kids have responded to him. I mean, I would. I’ll tell you what. If this continues the way it’s going, and they win four of their next six and they get that six victories, they’re going to go to a Bowl game. And I would guarantee you that very few people who are UCLA fans, after their start, would have ever thought they had any chance to even entertain thoughts of going to a Bowl game. But what they’ve done? And I’m going to tell you something. Iamaleava, the quarterback, he has proven to me that somebody got in his ear and said, Listen, you have to be the focal leader of this team, you have to do what you have to do. Those are two of the best games I’ve seen a quarterback play in a very long time.

Hey, no question about that. We’ll take a quick break and come back with more on Fred and the Fantastics.

Welcome back, everybody, to Fred and the Fantastics with Art, Mark, and Laura, and you. You can email us at [email protected], [email protected]. In the National Football League this weekend, on Sunday, you’ve got Miami versus Atlanta, and you might say that’s a game that nobody cares about. What is historic about that game? Well, let me tell you, you have two left-handed quarterbacks going against one another, which hasn’t been done since 2006, when Michael Vick was the quarterback for Atlanta, the old dog lover,

Kenny Stabler,

Versus Chris Sims of Tampa Bay at that point. Art, I mean, I played football growing up, certainly not as high as you, when I was 13 or 14. We had one left-handed quarterback. The ball does come out differently. It really does.

Which is, for years, the reason why Bill Belichick had left-footed punters. Because when you’re out there trying to catch the ball and you’re used to catching, that spin is completely different. I’ve talked about Jim Zorn in the past, and throwing all the great passes to the Hall of Famer Steve Largent, and Largent said. It took literally two or three months for him to get adjusted to the spin of the ball, to catch the ball. And that’s going to be something else. How about the comments that Tua made about his teammates? Have you ever heard a quarterback not take the umbrage, the responsibility for being the leader on the team? And say, Well, you know, these guys, they didn’t even show up to a, you know?

Well, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, Artie.

Really?

Kirk Gibson did it in spring training with Jesse Orozco.

Yeah, he did.

You know, so I don’t think there’s anything wrong. I think there’s a little bit of frustration.

Okay. Can I ask you a straight-up question?

Yeah.

Is Mike McDaniel an NFL head coach in your opinion?

No, no.

Okay, that’s all I’m saying.

No, he’s not.

That would have never happened with proper leadership.

But, I will tell you,

Okay, but what if they have Tyreek Hill? I mean, what if he’s not injured? Maybe they win a game or two at this point or more. I mean,

All those guys that work your pre-passes are 11 and 1, 1 and 11 right now.

You know who was better than Jim Zorn, the best left-handed passer in the NFL? Kenny Stabler.

Yeah, way, way back.

No question about that.

Yeah, you got a better arm than he had. Well, folks, you can email us at [email protected], [email protected]. All right, so Aaron Rodgers has a big performance on Thursday night, they lose the game, but during the week he’s blaming the field in Pittsburgh, too many injuries. Aaron Rodgers, in my mind, Laura Snoke, and this is probably a political thing, is hardly ever right, but I think he might be right about this. The fields are too darn hard. Laura, take it away.

But they’re playing on grass, right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

What do you do? Dig it up and plant different kind of grass?

In the old days, what you do, and here’s one of my pet peeves, is that the hash marks in pro football are so tight that the field is basically, the very center of the field gets worn up. So what they do is they take the stripping out and they bring in all new grass, and they have, like, 14 days between the next home game that the Steelers play. And the Steelers share a stadium with Pittsburgh, and also the WPIL, which is where high school players get to play in Acrisure, Heinz Field, so that it does every year. But they said it was so dry. I mean, usually it’s, you know, when it gets wet, it gets torn up. But it reminded me of an old 1950s football game, which I kind of, like, miss, three yards in a, you know,

In a cloud of dust.

Exactly.

Yeah, but, you know what? When you look at, you know, and spinning it in a different direction, with, with Aaron Rogers, you know, and then you can compare it with Daniel Jones. They’re in, you know, Aaron Rogers was very successful in Green Bay and now he’s, he’s doing good in Pittsburgh, was a bust in New York. Justin Fields was okay in Pittsburgh, and he’s a bust in New York. But look at Daniel Jones, that was a bust in New York; he’s doing what he’s doing in Indianapolis.

And then look at Cam Skattebo and Jaxson Dart. Jaxson Dart has the personality to deal with that New York media.

Here’s the thing, Artie, I got to see more of that. I’m not buying the 15-minute car chase.

Okay, but here’s what I’m going to tell you. Skattebo is an animal. The press conference with Brian Daboll. When you hear the screams, the primeval, primordial screams coming from the locker room, and Daboll starts laughing. And he says, That’s every day. This guy is a throwback to, to John Riggins, you know, when he said to the Supreme Court Justice, Hey, Sandy baby. I mean, he is just a crazy dude.

I don’t know. Fall in love with you in New York real fast, and then they throw you somewhere off the, you know, the Brooklyn Bridge.

All I gotta say is, I’d like to live one week in Jaxson Dart’s shoes. I mean, he’s a great-looking kid in New York City, he’s playing great football, the fans love him, you know, I just, I think he was overlooked completely in the NFL draft.

I think you said that, I think you said that.

In the very beginning, I said, he was the guy that I liked out of all the quarterbacks.

You did say that,

Too bad he left USC, huh, Art?

Oh yeah, that’s another reason. The first game he came into at USC, they were trailing it in Washington State by 20 points. He comes in, he, he audibilizes, drops back, scrambles a little, fires a 70-yard pass right into the guy’s arms.

You like him better than May in New England? May in New England is going to be something.

Drake May’s having a great year. But I’m, I’m just telling you, all around talent. And I think they’re similar quarterbacks in a lot of ways. They both have big arms, they both can get out of trouble. See, my problem with the modern-day NFL quarterbacks. You got your Lamar Jacksons who are runners; it’s just a matter of time till they’re going to get hurt.

Let me tell you, that guy, that coach Draboll is going to be another, he’s going to be built like another Belichick. He’s going to win wherever he goes.

We hope he’s better in North Carolina than Bill. Hey, before, before we, before we talk about the games, and Mark will give you his victories against the odds in a few seconds. I gotta ask Laura, she mentioned in our Sports Overnight America Show that she’ll be walking on Saturday. Laura, are you going to get some exercise?

No Kings march.

I hope so.

Where is it going to be?

Well, they’re all over, of course.

Yeah.

They’re out here too.

It’s within walking distance.

Did you hear the end of the press conference today that Trump had, what he said?

No, I did not.

He dropped the f-bomb right on national television.

Did he really?

Yeah. With Zelinskyy. You’re going to, you’re going to see it. I couldn’t believe I heard what I heard. I went, Oh my God.

With respect to what, with respect to the No Kings marches?

No, no. With respect to, you know, Putin stepping up and saying what he said he was going to do. And he goes, you know, basically f, f-around and find out.

Wow, wow.

All right, let’s talk NFL this weekend, folks. We’re taping this Friday afternoon. Of course, Mark is our number one, top-notch handicapper, so remember to wager on the side of Mark. Colts at the Chargers. We got Indiana Jones against Justin Herbert, and Chargers, a slight favorite, I think only one-and-a-half. Colts, five and one, Chargers, four and two. Mark, take it away. I’d love your thoughts.

I, you know, it’s good, it’s a great game, but you know what, the Colts were out here a few weeks ago, and the Rams beat them. I like Harbaugh, I like the Chargers. I’m going to hang my hat on the Chargers.

Art, are you going to hang your hat on the Chargers?

No, I just doubled up my bet on the Colts.

You’re crazy. Come on, how do you not like Harbaugh?

Mark is mad.

How do you not like Harbaugh?

I’m not saying I don’t like Jim Harbaugh; I think he’s a little different for my taste. Good football coach.

What about Herbert?

Herbert hasn’t proven much to me so far.

The Colts look really good.

Yeah, it’s their defense that I like. Plus, they’re familiar with their surroundings because they’ve already been to SoFi, they know how the place is, they’re going to be in the same hotel. They’re going to be able to, I just think the Colts are going to win that game, and I think they’re going to win the game probably 27-24.

Is Burt Jones and Lydell Mitchell, Roger Carr there?

Let me ask you guys and gals a question. I don’t want good luck to happen to Jim Harbaugh for the same reason I don’t want good luck to happen to Pete Carroll. They ran out on programs before the programs on the collegiate side were about to be hit. Art, I mean, you’re a fan of UCLA and you played at SC, aren’t you upset, or, I mean, he irritates me now because Michigan’s in trouble. They got fined, and they should have been hit harder, even, but he ran out on the school.

He did, there’s no doubt about that. But they’re not the first two coaches to pull that one off.
True.

Now that I look back at that situation with Mark Sanchez and Pete Carroll, and now you see what Mark Sanchez is facing with what happened in Indianapolis. There’s a lot deeper part of that story that I think nobody ever came up with, so we’re going to see what really happens. And I also think, and I’m going to say this, I think Jim Harbaugh looked at his talent level, now that we’ve watched Michigan in the last two seasons. And I think he had built that team to win a National Championship, and he was fortunate enough to do so. And he knew it was time to get the heck out because the cheating scandal. I mean, you had all these things starting to add up. And boy, what a perfect place to run to for $10 million. The L.A. Chargers.

All right, I totally agree with you.

Well, he’s also won wherever he’s gone. Look at his track record. He’s won every place he’s been.

He’s cheated everywhere he’s played, too, I mean, everywhere he’s been, too.

Commanders at the Cowboys; Cowboys, two, three, and one; Commanders, three and two. The Washington club, a slight favorite on the road. Laura, what do you like? Cowboys at home versus the Washington Commanders?

I think the Commanders are going to win, but I think the Cowboys better win. I mean, there’s a lot of turmoil right now in Dallas.

Aren’t they getting CeeDee Lamb back?

Not yet.

They are. I hope so.

Not this week.

That’s another one where the quarterback doesn’t seem to be supporting the team, like you said about,

Yeah.

Yeah, I forgot.

Prescott, you’re talking about?

Yeah, what did he say?

I don’t know, I forgot, but he said something about,

A lot, a lot of the modern-day quarterbacks fail to understand that, you know, like Reggie said, he was the straw that stirs the drink. Well, if you’re the straw that stirs the drink, and you’re the focal point of a team, you need to take responsibility when things don’t go well. I mean, I remember listening to, you know, Roman Gabriel and, and Bart Starr and Sonny Jurgensen, and some of the great quarterbacks. Kenny Stabler, which you mentioned earlier. Mark, these guys, these guys stood up in front of the media and they said, Hey, look, we lost as a team. But I’m going to take, you know, the umbrage for that, and that’s what great leaders do. They don’t pass the buck; they take it on themselves. They say we’re going to get better, we’re going to go play. I don’t see as much of that in the modern-day athlete, just like I don’t see in the modern-day athlete the consistency of performance that I saw in prior generations of teams, of players.

Totally agree, one final game I’d like to discuss. Well, first of all, Art, what’s the over on the Washington against Dallas?

Forty-eight and a half, and I’m taking the over.

Over, over, over, over.

There’s a lot of rivalries in football. Raiders, Chiefs; Steelers, Browns.

That’s a good game this weekend.

Bears, Packers. Let me tell you, when you, when you revisit the Cowboys, and I still call them the Redskins, that’s one of the best rivalries ever.

I remember watching those games in the ‘70s, Mark.

Oh my God. The Theisman days.

Landry and Allen. And, oh yeah, you’re a hundred percent right.

One final game on Monday night, which is a biggie. Buccaneers, five and one, with the Most Valuable Player right now in Baker Mayfield. Lions dropped now to four and two. Lions, I think a slight favorite on the road, I think about six, it’s pretty high, I think. Who do you like, Art? Lions at home versus the Buccaneers?

You know, Baker, Baker Mayfield just continues to impress me. The play he made last week, where he fought for the first down and ran through three guys and reached out. I mean, the guy is a throwback to what I consider old quarterbacks and whatever it takes to win. So, as much as I love the Lions, and I love Dan Campbell, and Jared Goff. Where’s the game being played? In, in Tampa Bay?

No, that’s at Detroit.

Okay, then I got it, then I got to take the lines at home.

Laura. Two teams that will score a lot of points. So who do you like? Lions, four and two; Tampa Bay Bucs, five and one, Lions a favorite at home. Who do you like?

I, you know, I think the Lions are going to win because I think they, they’re at home. I think they’ve been kind of humiliated, if, if that may be too strong of a word, but I think they’re going to step it up, and it’s, it should be a really good game.

Mark. This is the biggie cause I’m going to wait, I’ve already wagered on this game. Mark, I’m dying to hear what you say.

I’ve always liked, I’ve always liked Baker Mayfield when he came into the league. Cleveland didn’t know how to use him. Carolina didn’t know how to use him. The Rams prepared him for Tampa. He’s a stellar star in Tampa. He’s going to go into Detroit and he’s going to beat ‘em Sunday.

All right, here it goes. I have to call my bookie. Hang on. Lions, four and a half. Mr. Bookie, double my bet.

Wow.

I like Detroit.

Go change!

Can I, can I bring up something to change the subject?

Sure.

I want to ask you guys what you think about Mookie Betts getting nominated for a Gold, for a Gold Glove. I said to my husband before I heard that, that he’s been playing so well at shortstop that I think he’s going to get a Gold Glove next year. That’s, that was, that’s an absolute quote.

That’s a great call by you.

And yeah, but we, I, I’m not sure he’s gold. What do you think? I don’t think I think he’s, I think he’s played better than Rojas, almost, but,

I’ll tell you what I think. I think playing shortstop has had an indelible effect on his offensive abilities because there’s so much to worry about as a shortstop. I think when he was out in right field and all he had to basically worry about is playing great right field and hitting, I think, so I’ll agree with you. But for some reason, the Gold Glove is tied to total performance. And, and, Trea Turner winning the batting title may preclude that from happening.

But he’s nominated, though, for the Gold Glove at shortstop, is he?

Trea Turner?

Trea Turner; is he?

Yeah,

Okay, so it’s the three of them with Rojas.

Yeah, yeah,

You know why it’s an issue?

I blame that on my husband, because I asked him if Trea Turner was nominated,

Trea who?

And he said, No. I should never listen to him about sports, ever.

You know why it’s an interesting battle? Trea Turner missed the last month of the season. And Mookie missed how many games? So, maybe, I don’t know if that would eliminate both of them, I mean, from that aspect,

You might be right. I mean, you got, you got this guy in, in New York, the Mets Lindor, who gets a lot of, a lot of votes for MVP.

They got the helicopter up around here, guys,

Mark.

Mark, what’d you do wrong?

No, they got a search. They’re looking for Ohtani here, man.

Ohtani?

Mark, you got 30 seconds in the week of sports, talk about it, 30 seconds.

Well, I kind of figured there’s something that really stinks in this series. And I think, you remember the boxing days with Don King, and they always said, the fix? Just something here in this series with the Dodgers. I don’t know if it’s the repeat 25 years that the announcers keep repeating and repeating, and it’s regurgitated. Or maybe it’s the Kershaw retirement thing, and maybe Rojas retiring too. But just something stinks in this series, and I think they got the Dodgers winning it. I hate to say it.

Maybe they have three good starters, four good starters?

Yeah, but they all forget, they all remember to pitch at the same time.

Mark, I gotta tell you. The Dodgers got healthy at the perfect time. It’s like a football team coming together at the end of December. And, when you look at what they have talent-wise,

I know, but I got the bubbly right next to the bathtub, and if they lose, I can pop it. I just want to be able to pop it like I did with the Ravens.

I have a funny feeling the Brewers are going to win Game 4, okay, and I might be completely wrong, but I know major league baseball,

Yeah,

They like their money.

Yeah, but Ohtani’s gonna pitch tonight, so,

And he’s only gonna go four innings instead of the Dodger pitchers.

You remember the,

Okay, that’s my other point I want to talk to you guys about.

You remember the old wrestling theme song with Matt DiBiase?

Yeah.

Money, Money, Money.

Money, yeah. But here’s what I’m going to say. All year long, nobody bunted over, got guys over. In the playoffs, you’re seeing bunting. In, in the regular season, you didn’t go past five or six innings. Now you’re seeing pitchers pitch into the eighth inning, right? It’s a completely different game in the playoffs. You know, they even changed the rules. Now, you don’t put a runner at second base and extra innings; it’s just really mind-boggling.

My sister-in-law’s from Canada, so I got her back.

Oh, the Blue Jays. You called the Blue Jays all season long, Mark, I gotta give you credit for that.

All right, so I like Seattle and the Dodgers for it, just based on what Mark just indicated.

Hey, LeBron will be there on Tuesday in street clothes.

Good for him. Oh, I got quickly, quickly, quickly. Okay, folks, you can’t. I can’t believe this. I love USA Today Sports, I mean, they make you think. They have Dončić as the fourth-best player in the NBA, and LeBron as the eighth-best player in the NBA.

What?

Neither of them could guard me with a broken hip. I can’t take it anymore. Laura, is LeBron the eighth-best player at this point of his life in the National Basketball Association?

Yeah, you know, I have. I am a LeBron James fan, but I don’t think he is the eighth-best player right now, although he played pretty well last year. I mean, certainly on offense. I mean,

How about the three brothers playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, the Antetokounmpo brothers? I’ve never heard of that.

How about those young guys on the Oklahoma City Thunder? I mean,

They’re unbelievable. Unbelievable.

Yeah.

Can I give props to one of the best coaches I’ve ever seen, and I’m talking about in the NBA? Pat Riley, by not firing Eric Spoelstra, and then Spoelstra being named Team USA after LeBron wanted him out of there.

I know he’s a good, he’s a good basketball coach, there’s no doubt about it.

Best in the NBA.

And, and, the Joker rated numero uno, number one by USA Today. For Art, for Mark, for Laura, who’ll be marching on Saturday. For Mario, who I don’t think will, I am Fred. Stay tuned for more later, whenever, right here on BLEAV and PodClips, and Fred and the Fantastics. Bye, everybody.