It’s that time again. Fred and the Fantastics on BLEAV and on PodClips. Anything and everything in sports, and a whole lot more with Art, Laura, and Mark Mancini, Paul Skenes’ PR director and the Skenes, as we speak; his ERA is like, 3.9 something, but we’ll talk about that and a whole lot more. You can email us again, [email protected], [email protected]. All right, earlier this week the Lakers were sold, and then they weren’t. And then they were, then they weren’t. Laura, what’s going to happen with the Lakers? Jeanie says under no circumstances she’s selling her part 17, well, 3% of the 17% she is not selling the team. Your comments, Laura Snoke.

You know, um, I got into a fight with my husband, husband the other day because he asked me a question about a legal document. And I started to tell him that I thought it didn’t make any sense. And he got mad at me. And he said, I always make things too complicated. So I, you know, if you’re going to ask me a question about legal issues, it’s hard not to make it complicated. But the bottom line is there’s a trust agreement between the Bushes, between the Busses. And, and then there’s a decision that apparently there was a lawsuit among them or something, and there’s a court order that seems to contradict the trust. So, in my view, that is ripe for litigation and/or for settlement. And we’ll see what happens. But Jeanie Buss does not want to sell her shares in the team. And it’s not, I don’t think it’s going to affect the Iger-Kushner sale, or it shouldn’t legally. But, you know, the, the, the, the other guys, they want to cash out, you know. All the Busses and they’re all named, all their names begin with J.

My math, Fred. Hey, Fred,

Go ahead.

According to my math, in 10 months, in 10 months, Jeanie Buss has a, has a stake in this thing worth $375 million, and she made $75 million in, in basically 10 months with her share of the, of the Lakers. So why would you want to sell the team? I mean, that’s- how do you make that kind of money in 10 months? That’s, you know, like Laura and I were talking about the fact that, you know, the team was a 10 million, $10 billion franchise. Then Mark Walters, who’s on line three, he wants to know if he can put up some property now, cause he has a lot of problems going on. But no, seriously, I just don’t, I don’t get it. You know what I mean? I don’t know why anybody would want to sell any of these franchises where they’re exponentially going up in value.

Hang on. There’s somebody else who has 4%. So it’s not just the Busses that have the 17. There is somebody else that says he’s not selling his 4%, which makes it even more complicated. Mark. What were you going to say?

Well, I’ve, now I’ve figured out where the Saints and Cowboys skirmish started. It started at Laura’s house with her and her husband and escalated out to Thousand Oaks. But besides that, you know, when I look at Jeanie Buss, she’s on the Mount Rushmore, too. Phil Jackson, as much of a good coach as he was, he wanted to go back to Montana, but he never took her. And those Buss brothers, I mean, I know you went to their wedding, Fred, but they’re complete clowns. So I love Jeanie. She’s standing pat. She doesn’t want to give in; she’s a smart lady. And I don’t blame her. Hold on to your thing and, you know, the heck with everybody else.

Let me say this: 40-something years ago, I knew Janie Buss at the Forum all the time. I met her. She was just, just a gem. I knew Janie better, more than Jeanie. I was surprised, and Art, maybe you say this, first, she voted no, and then she voted with her, her brothers. Art, any comments about that?

I’m talking about Jeanie. Well, you know, when you’ve got, there’s five of them, right?

Six.

Five, six siblings.

I only count two.

So that’s where the 18% comes into focus. Okay. I think getting the six people together, and anybody that’s gone through it with their parents passing away, if you’ve got five siblings, it’s a real tough situation. And I’m sure, as a litigator, Laura, you know more about it than I do, but getting, getting six people is like herding cats. It’s hard to get people to come to the same place. It’s hard to get people to come in the same direction and believe in the same thing. So I can understand where that all comes from. But more importantly, what about Mark Walters in this situation? It reminds me a little of the Bruce McNall situation 30 years ago with the Kings, where he put up different collateral to buy all these different things, but it was the same collateral for different loans. And I’m wondering if there’s not a problem coming down the pipeline and how that’s going to affect the Dodgers because of the contracts with Freeman, and Ohtani, and Yamamoto all tied to the fact that they want to keep all the principals together. There’s a lot of things that are going to be coming out in the wash here in the next few months.

All right, let me throw this out, and you can take it any way you want to take it. With what’s going on in DC, how can we wonder and worry about anybody else committing fraud? I mean that in all sincerity. How can anybody go to prison or be judged with what’s going on?

Fred, that’s on both sides of the aisle.

I don’t think that Walters is going to have any problems. He made a deal. This is a deal. What Trump does is he makes deals with people. He doesn’t govern; he just makes deals. And whatever the deal he wants,

And the Democrats never make any deals, Laura?

Well, that’s not what we’re talking about. I don’t think. You heard it.

But my point is it works on both sides of the aisle. None of those people will ever go to jail. They can rob us blind, and they’ll never go to jail. Look at Fauci. Look at all of them. Both sides. They’ve all got their hands in the cookie jar, and nobody’s going to ever do anything to any of them, because power begets power.

Art, you’re saying that Trump’s not the worst?

No, I’m not saying he’s not the worst. I’m saying they’re all crooks. I sound like Richard Nixon.

I think that’s, with due respect, kind of a cop out. There were always a few around the edges. Nobody has,

Money controls politics, Laura. These political action committees control everything. These political action committees,

No other president has made two billion dollars in their in their term. Two billion dollars.

Oh please. The Clintons are worth 400 million. Obama’s worth two billion now.

He didn’t make it during his presidency.

He had not a nickel to his name. He couldn’t make a Buffalo fart between his jeans. Come on, you guys. Let’s not get,

But he didn’t make it in his eight years in the White House. He made it since then.

Now, Trump did make four billion dollars last year.

He made two billion.

Trump did make four billion dollars for his family last year. I can’t, I, you know, I can’t deny that. That’s a fact.

That’s just, that’s all. Just two billion.

Well, if he says two billion, that means four.

Meanwhile,

Read Maggie Haberman’s book, which he has not denied one allegation in that book.

All right. Meanwhile,

Open your eyes.

Meanwhile, I mean, meanwhile, it came up on one of the sites, either Instagram or Facebook. Are you ready for this? The Lakers and the Nuggets were discussing the Joker, trading Jokic to the Lakers. Now, I wonder, if not, the league would love this to make us forget what’s going on in the background. Art, could that be a reason that they’re talking about? Maybe forcing the Nuggets to sell the Joker to the Lakers? Because right now, the Lakers aren’t going to win anything.

It would sure take the; yeah, that makes sense. I mean, let’s, I’ll tell you, the other NBA problem they have is this WNBA. You guys, you know, they own the WNBA. And somebody better step up and say, OK, what is a woman? Can we figure this out? Because I don’t want to see guys running up and down the court with women in the WNBA. Personally, if they’re good enough to play in the NBA, bring them on. They can play, like I actually think she could play. Caitlin could play in the NBA in a very limited role. But to have men who are basketball players playing in the, in the Women’s Basketball Association, that bothers me. And I think the NBA needs to step up. I mean, what is a woman? Is that that hard to describe?

Actually,

They’ve been around now for 50,000 years.

Actually, it is hard to describe because it’s not; you can’t define it by one thing. So there are chromosomes. There are genetics, their genes. There are genitalia. Some people are born with multiple genitalia. So in certain respects,

That is true. That is true.

It’s a spectrum. It’s a spectrum. And most people are, it’s like, it’s like the typical,

But if you have an X and Y chromosome, aren’t you a woman?

Not necessarily. It depends on you, what your genitals. You can have X and Y chromosomes. And actually, that would, be, make you a man, I think, right? And then you would have different genitalia. So it’s not that simple. It really isn’t. But I think the more I think the more, I think the more interesting story coming out is the vitriol that’s being exposed by the fans against the NBA, the WNBA, by throwing these green dildos onto the court during the games.

That’s what we wanted to talk about.

And our friend,

Tell me about this. I have never heard this yet.

Our friend Donald Trump Jr. decided to post a meme with his father on the roof of the White House throwing a green dildo onto a basketball court full of women players. Now, this is what we’ve come down to in our country. I ask you, does this make any sense? I mean, it’s horrible. I mean, I don’t know. The point that Art’s raising, it’s a legitimate point to be discussed, you know, whether people should take chromosome tests. Whether they should take hormone tests. I mean, there’s a lot of issues there, and they’re real issues; there’s no question about it. But to do, for that to be the solution, is absolutely unacceptable.

Let me throw you a,

Laura, I once met a doctor in Trinidad, Colorado, which is the, the sex change operation place in the world. At one time, it was the foremost hospital. And he said the same thing you did. He said, what people don’t realize is there’s not just males and females. There’s people who are born with, with, like you said, both outfits, I guess you could put it.

Ambiguity. Let’s just say ambiguity.

Yeah. There you go. Ambiguity is beautiful. And I never knew that. I never knew that. They never taught that, at least to me, in school. So I, you know, I was taken aback. So I hear where you’re coming from on that.

Well, if you’re getting schooled in a red state, you’ll never hear about it, because it’s banned from the curriculum.

Let’s take a break and come back with more on Fred and the Fantastics on BLEAV and on PodClips right after this.

Hey, welcome back, everybody. Fred and the Fantastics. You can email us: [email protected]. I don’t follow the WNBA that close, closely, but let me throw something out that we were talking about in our last segment. All right. So we’ve got two members of the Dallas Wings, both from the University of Connecticut, who are lovers? And off the cuff, you’d say, so what? That’s great. Happy they’re happy. And whatever the case might be. But on this show, we talk all the time about wagering, sports wagering. So, Art, let me, since you bet a shekel or two now and then, let me just throw you this thought. So let’s say they break up and nobody knows it except Art. Art, then, is going to go to a particular gambling situation, and maybe wager a few shekels,

Be a Lefty Rosenthal.

Something like that. Now, Art, I’m serious about this now, because I was listening a couple of nights ago to a talk show and they didn’t talk about this. But betting is everywhere. Gambling is everything. People are trying to make money. If somebody knew some group, some two people were breaking up, probably they wouldn’t play as well. I mean, that’s not for sure. But you’d be the favorite. They’re not playing well. Your thoughts, Art?

I think people actually do have that kind of inside information now. I mean, when you look at some of these poly markets, these Kalshi deals, these people are not just throwing numbers around. They’ve done their due diligence. One thing you can tell if you look at the odds sheets of who’s going to win the NFL Championship: you see the Rams at five to one. The reason they’re at five to one is because they’ve got a great coach. They got a great defensive end now. And if Aaron Donald comes back with Stafford, they’re going to be the favorites to win it. Now, whether they do or not, I don’t know. But the bottom line is, information in gambling is as important as blood to a human being.

Laura, what do you think about information for gambling on gambling? If two members of a team, in this case, the Dallas Club in the WNBA, are lovers, what if they break up and you’re the only person that knows it?

You know, it might affect their performance, right? But, I mean, there’s a lot. Everybody has a lot of relationships that might affect their performance. I don’t, I think that the pervasiveness of betting is, is just corrosive to our country.

100% agree.

I mean, I was reading that people were betting during the Palisades fires as to how many houses would burn down. And I mean, this is just, it’s,

It’s absolutely sick.

It is, it’s sick. And, and I, just to throw out something else. You know, Donald Trump is now giving people who pay him a million dollars inside access to his information. You can have first dibs on my next tweet if you pay me a million dollars. I mean, that’s where we are.

I haven’t heard that one. Wow.

Mark, your thoughts about the Dallas,

It’s not a secret. That’s what’s different about the old days. In the old days, people that committed fraud, they tried to keep it a secret. But these people, they’re not. They’re glorifying in it. It’s not a secret. It’s like an asset, you know?

Mark, any comments about the Dallas Wings or, or Mr. Trump doing his thing? Your comments.

Well, I think, you know, I don’t really pay attention to outside noise. The Pirates taught me that one. But as far as, you know, with, with everything going on with the gambling, I’m not a big fan of it. I mean, it’s funny how they push the gambling, and then if you have a gambling problem, right under it, it’s call one eight hundred, so and so.

Yeah.

So, I mean, it’s just it’s almost like,

So, what’s that you’re saying, don’t gamble anymore?

Yeah, double it. Well, if you have a gambling problem after you gamble with us, then call the number. So it just seems like a double-edged sword. I mean, it’s just, I don’t know.

And all the ads are from the betting services. All the ads, they’re paying for the broadcast.

Yeah, no question. Art, before we go,

Have you guys,

Hang on,

You were gonna ask me a question.

All right.

You go, you go, you go.

Before we go, I want to throw this out.

I just wanted to ask you who you thought was the best NFL player heading into the 2026 season?

The best player? The best player.

Voted,

Aaron Rodgers.

Voted by the fans and the players and the coaches. Who do you think they voted for?

Aaron Rodgers.

Running back or wide receiver? Who is it?

Matt Stafford, followed by Miles Garrett.

Matt Stafford? At 38 years of age, Stafford? Voted number one? Really?

Yeah.

All right. Here’s my question about the Rams. And here’s my question about the Rams. Puka Nakua, what was it?

Puka Nakua.

Puka Nakua.

OK. He’s in big trouble. That’s all I can tell you.

One of the, one of the top two wide receivers in football with Mr. Smith up in Seattle. But in the offseason, he bit a woman. In the offseason, he made all kinds of outrageous comments. Yet the league has not suspended him at this point, where in past experiences they have. Is it because it’s the Rams? And if it is the Rams, aren’t you in trouble as far as your wager is concerned, because they could rule him out for the whole season, Art?

Reminds me a little bit of a guy named Shohei Ohtani with his gambling. I mean, although biting someone’s ass might be a little more stringent than betting on a football game or a baseball game. But I don’t, I don’t understand it. I think you have to have rules. You have to have rules. And whoever breaks the rule, I don’t care if you’re the president or the garbage man, or whatever you are. The rules are there. The laws are there. And that’s what the problem is in our whole society. Everything has become a gray area. And I don’t like gray areas. I want, I want. I mean, there is such a thing as a little gray area. But the whole world is a gray area now.

There are lines that shouldn’t be crossed.

Well, you tell me the difference between,

Right.

Nakua and Julio Urias?

Yeah.

And we haven’t seen Julio Urias any time soon.

No, he’s going to be with the Dodger,

Urias won 25 games and had a 1.39. I don’t think, they probably wouldn’t have gotten rid of him.

Yeah.

And I mean, that other Dodger pitcher,

Trevor Bauer.

Trevor Bauer.

Trevor Bauer, who, it really was consensual. I mean,

He got dogged in the end. I think he got dogged in the end. She lied.

I mean, people should be able to do whatever they want if it’s consensual.

You know what? I think it’s going to come down to, and I remember when I was in Marriott, right? I think I told you, I think I told you this one when I got to meet Justin Bieber. He would say, Anytime I’m going to have a relationship with somebody upstairs, everybody at the bar or everybody will know that I’m going up there, and then I’m making them sign something. I think that’s what it’s going to come down to in the near future, maybe, just so we don’t have any more trouble,

You’re going to have a prenuptial or pre-sexual agreement before you can have a good time. I love it.

You’ll have to sign NDAs for everything.

Let me get it documented and notarized.

Art, let’s just say,

Don’t bite me.

Let’s say, let’s say Nakua is an average player on an average team. And forget the biting.

Six-game suspension.

They don’t believe that. His comments in the offseason; average players would be suspended. He has not been suspended by the league. Roger Goodell makes seventy-five million bucks a year. He’s not doing his job. Your thoughts about that? Wouldn’t an average player be suspended by now?

I 100 percent agree with you.

Yeah.

But we’ve always talked about it. The three things that pervade in sports: greed, OK; your ability supersedes whatever you do wrong. And the third thing is, we’re going to go back to the first one: greed. More money, more money, more money.

Fred, before we go,

Federal diplomas and dead American presidents.

The Pirates are in town. But can you send me the number of the Seattle Mariners? Because I think I can at least keep the shutout at 22 to nothing against the Milwaukee Brewers if I start pitching.

How about the center fielder? How about the center fielder throwing the ball in the bleachers, with one out? And he looked down, and he goes, Oh my God. It’s hard to count to three, though. I mean, that’s,

Laura, in 30, in 30 seconds, wind the week up.

It’s kind of been a crazy week, hasn’t it? I was really happy about seeing the Raiders come back yesterday. I thought it was a great comeback, and looking forward to football returning. All my friends were all talking about it. And hopefully we’ll get some of our normal, beautiful Southern California weather soon, because it’s been not fun.

All I know is it’s supposed to be 96 on Monday of next week here in the Valley. Laura lives in Venice. She doesn’t have to worry about that. Art has to worry sometimes about the weather. Mark has to worry about the weather. We’re going forward on Fred and the Fantastics, so we’ll see you around the corner, everybody. Bye.