Hey, it’s that time again, folks, Fred and the Fantastics on BLEAV and on PodClips. Fred and the Fantastics include attorney Laura Snoke, grandpa Mark Mancini, and 127-year-old Art Sorce. And we’ll discuss this, that, and everything in sports and even more, and you can email us at [email protected], [email protected]. We are taping this Friday afternoon, so tonight at Dodger Stadium, the first-place Padres face the second-place Dodgers. Mark Mancini, you’re thrilled, no?

I am. It’s the first time the Dodgers have been out of first since April 28th. They’ve blown a nine-game lead. If you added five more on that, we’d be looking at 1978, when the Red Sox blew a 14-game lead against the Yankees. But the thing that they didn’t address last year, they got away with, and that was the pitch-in. This year, I guarantee, if I bet my last dollar on it, the Padres will win the National League West, because if you don’t address the Yankees,

Where’s Fred, Fred? We gotta load up. It’s time to put all our money on the Dodgers.

The elephant in the room will definitely be addressed this offseason.

Now, Mark, you have to understand Laura is a longtime Dodger fan,

I know.

And she’s not far away from you. So, Laura, what do you think?

She’s gonna come in with that shirt on?

Laura? What do you think?

Well, I have to say I have been disappointed in the Dodgers lately. I was disappointed that they didn’t do more at the trade deadline to get more bullpen help. I’m really kind of puzzled by the fact that they don’t; they have a pattern. They get an early lead, then they get a lot of opportunities, they get a lot of guys on base, and then they just don’t get them over the plate. And I think that’s gonna be the, if Mark’s right, which I’m not gonna concede, of course, but if Mark’s right, I think that’s gonna be the problem. Their bullpen is not supposed to lose games and the fact that they just don’t seem to be able to take advantage of the opportunities that they create. So we’ll see. I still think they’re gonna pull. They got so much talent, Mookie’s finally starting to hit, Freeman’s starting to hit. They got some guys in the bullpen that are coming at it back from injury, like Kopech.

Right, they’re starting to get healthy,

Yeah, they’re starting to get healthy.

And I think you hit the key. The key is Mookie. And of course, Muncy is basically carrying them right now, and he got off to a terrible start this year.

Except right now we don’t know if he’s playing because he missed the game on Wednesday,

Well,

And he has another hip strain or something.

I think what San Diego has done, guys, and if you look really into this, they have shortened the game on you. After the fifth inning, if they got that lead, they could bring in four or five guys that could just strangle you. And that’s gonna be the key in the pickups.

You know, Mark, that race is gonna go down to, I think, probably the last weekend. And what you said about them not playing in September, that’s a real problem, the Major League Baseball, that was stupid of them. But you gotta love the fact that you know you’ve got the Padres and the Dodgers fighting for it. I mean, who would have thought that Milwaukee would have an eight-game lead over the Cubs right now? I mean, that’s ridiculous, you guys, and you look at that Milwaukee ballclub. I look at them and I say, they do things the way National League teams did things in the ’60s and ’70s. They’re a bunch of guys that play good defense, they’ve got a great starting rotation. They’ve got timely hitting, they’ve got Yelich, you know, and Contreras.

The thing is, it seems like the Dodgers are in a panic mode. And if you hear it with the broadcasters, you hear it with Dave Roberts saying the season’s going to start tonight, then when they lose, the season starts tomorrow night. I mean, it just seems like they’re pressing it.

What is it like? How do you look at everything through this Padre cadre of colors?

Well, I think what the Padres did was they basically signified to themselves and everybody else that we’ve got to shore up the back end of the bullpen and also the lineup, seven through nine. Them guys they picked up from the Orioles and the Royals,

So you like A.J. Preller better than Friedman?

Well, he’s got more money than Preller, and he hasn’t done nothing. And pitching is 95% of the game.

How many world titles?

It’s only 82.7% of the game.

We’ll see what happens with these next couple of series.

Sometimes, if you stand pat, like the Pistons did years ago, then you get old in a hurry, and then the league really catches up on you. I don’t think anybody’s afraid of the Dodgers, to be honest.

Mark, Mark, let me say something,

One professional world title in San Diego, and that was Sid Gillman when I was four years old.

Yeah, but Artie, you can’t compare that team with L.A. L.A.’s a big market,

Why not?

San Diego’s not a big,

They’ve got the old ownership people, they’re spending big money. You think Tatis comes cheap? Do you think Machado’s inexpensive? Do you think Darvish is cheap? Check and look at their payroll, their payroll is not.

Two comments to Mark. The Padres, I think, were contemplating trading Dylan Cease, they didn’t,

Yeah,

They’re fortunate that they didn’t. Secondly, Mark, I remember when the schedule came out a couple of years ago, and they changed it from more games against division teams and fewer games.

Eighteen, right.

And now they split it among all the teams. But you said that there’s a problem with not facing each other in September. Well, if they were playing another six games, they would be playing in September. So you still like the idea of splitting the number of games and not pushing your own division?

Well, if the purist in baseball doesn’t want to change, and they want to have the top four teams and everybody else is going to play to try to overtake them four teams, to save baseball, in my opinion, and one man’s opinion is, you need to add more teams. And I think we’re going to see it before our lifetime. The way money is being spread out in all these sports and bringing more teams in, I can guarantee you within the next five years, we’ll see more teams being added in baseball.

Did you ever think that a franchise, the Dallas Cowboys, would be worth $12.8 billion?

No.

You know, speaking of the Dallas Cowboys, and I do not have Netflix, but America’s Team on Netflix, and they come to the fifth episode. We’ve discovered that for 15 years. Jerry Jones has been battling melanoma stage four. Three types of skin cancer, folks, squamous, which I’ve had, basal cell, which I’ve had, and melanoma, where my cousin passed away 20 years ago from melanoma. And Jerry Jones has been battling melanoma stage four, which is the worst possible stage,

What are the symptoms?

Well, it’s his skin, I mean, the skin has got cancer, and it’s cancerous, and if you don’t take care of it, he’s had two lung operations, he’s had two lymph node operations, so his stage four means it’s everywhere across the body. And so it’s all of us, or many of us, went to the beach when we were kids and may not have worn a hat or a shirt or something like that. Folks, right here on the Fantastics,

Protect yourself,

Protect yourself because you never know. And you can say that Jerry Jones hasn’t won a title in 30 years. More importantly, he’s still alive, battling cancer for 15. Laura, you live at the beach. Do you protect yourself down there? Do you cover yourself?

Oh, now I do, but not as a kid. We used to go to the beach and lie on towels and put baby oil on, and stay out there for eight hours.

My father, the Sicilian, used to put olive oil on.

Coppertone.

I mean, the UV rays weren’t as strong then either,

I loved those old Coppertone commercials.

But I mean, I battled sunburns, but yeah, now I don’t go out of the house without,

I played so many games of basketball at Main Beach in Laguna, you know, just playing and playing. And now I gotta be honest with you guys, I have these little white spots, you know, and I talked to the dermatologist, and he goes, well, they’re okay, as long as they’re white when they start getting dark, you gotta come see me. So, you know, I’ve been saying my prayers, but I don’t think the sun is the same as it was 40, 50 years ago, you guys.

Did anybody lose any sleep when the NBA schedule came out? I didn’t really even notice.

Well, you know what? We’re going to talk about that when we do come back on Fred and the Fantastics.

Hey folks, we’re back on Fred and the Fantastics with Mark, with Laura, and Art, and I’m Fred. You can email us at [email protected], [email protected]. Mark has indicated that the NBA schedule has come out. And national games include 34 games for the champion Oklahoma City Thunder, 34 games on national TV for the Lakers, 34 for the Warriors, 34 games for the Knicks, not 34 games for the Celtics. Art, do you have any comments about how the national games are going to go?

What if I told you I really don’t give a crap? But you guys can talk about it. I’d rather talk about my old coach, Lionel Taylor, who passed away at 89 years of age. The first offensive coordinator on our Rams team in the early ’80s. Great wide receiver for the Denver Broncos and just a wonderful man who did a lot of great things for a lot of great Black athletes.

Laura, you follow the NBA closer than Fred does or Art does. Thirty-four times the Lakers on national TV. Did they deserve it because of LeBron?

I think it’s just because of what they perceive as who people want to watch.

Yeah.

So it’s based on advertising. The Chinese market demands LeBron.

Yeah. I mean, they want to see the stars and they want to see the legends, and everybody. You guys, I know you have a lot of, you’re always bad-mouthing LeBron. LeBron is probably the best player who ever played basketball.

He’s a great basketball player, but he’s the first one that’ll tell you that.

Laura, I’ve never seen you play basketball, but you tell me you did. I’m betting he can’t guard you.

Wow, guarantee you he can guard me.

Give him that head fake, go the other way, you’ll be fine.

I can’t. I’m a dirty player, but I don’t think he can.

Let me ask you a question,

Because I’m not very tall, so I have to be a dirty player.

Let me ask you a question. Could he live on $40 million instead of $50 million?

Of course he could.

Then why didn’t he take it so the Lakers can get, spend some more money on some talented players?

To surround him with talent, thank you.

Right? How come he didn’t do it?

He’s going to finish his career in the Golden State.

I’m not questioning, commenting on his character, I’m just commenting on his basketball skills.

And that’s like the 15th-best quarterback in the NFL is making $55 million, Dak Prescott. How does that work?

And you’ve got to say to yourself, when you look at the NBA, I think more so than anything, characters kind of turn people off with this sport, you know? I mean, it’s just the way they handle themselves and everything.

You mean, hang on, you’re saying character doesn’t matter?

I don’t think anybody thinks. I mean, nobody’s,

Well, I mean,

Hang on, Mark, Mark doesn’t think character matters. Laura, what’s your t-shirt say? What does your sweater say?

My t-shirt says This, This Is The Only Orange Monarch I Want. A monarch butterfly.

Mark, Laura seems to say that character doesn’t matter. Come on.

Character does matter, and I think what’s happening when we watch the NBA when we were growing up, and we’d get excited. I’m seeing, I think there’s more people in the NBA that get turned off watching it because of the lack of discipline, the character issues, and I don’t know. It’s just, it’s just my opinion on it. But why isn’t it promoted as much as all the other sports are promoted? You know, lookit, they’re pushing the Knicks, the Lakers, and the two teams that were pretty much upper, you know, teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Orlando Magic are a good team. How come the Atlanta Hawks ain’t being pushed to the forefront of games?

Because Los Angeles is a big market, New York’s a big market.

Yeah, when was the last time the Knicks have been relevant?

Last year.

Yeah, actually won something?

Last year.

They were fairly relevant, I think they got to the semifinals of the NBA.

All right, final comment here, final thoughts here. I want to just throw this out. I’ve never seen a UFC match. I never spent $79.95 to watch a UFC match. But the UFC is now moving where they’re not going to do any pay-per-views, they’re going to Paramount and CBS. Now, Mark, you used to get in the middle and,

$7.7 billion Fred.

Mark, I challenge you. Tell me what’s going on in the UFC.

Well, they’re trying to make more money, man, and taking it wherever they can.

Did you spend $79 to watch any of the pay-per-views?

No, if we’re going to spend $79, we’re going to go in a time machine when we had On, or, remember On? It was like $49.95, and you brought 10 people over, and everybody paid $10?

Yeah,

Yeah,

At least you got a show, at least you got a show, though. If you’re paying that money for Mike Tyson, you were done in 35 seconds.

Yeah, exactly.

I worked for Select TV, the competitor,

Select TV,

I love Select TV, I really. Laura, I know, I’m betting you never spent $79 for UFC, but any comments about going to Paramount and to CBS Television?

That’s on network, right? I mean, it’s not pay-per-view, Paramount, and CBS.

Advertisers are going to pay the bill.

You know, I’ve got to tell you something this weekend. It’s going to kinda feel like a honeymoon to me because,

Why?

My wife’s a big Padres fan, and I kind of like the Padres to beat the Dodgers, so we’ll get along real well this weekend.

Okay, I’m taking the Dodgers. I’m taking the Dodgers; you say the Padres are going to win that series, I’m taking the Dodgers, and I’m going the other way.

Me too, I’m with Art.

Folks, you know, we call Mark the world’s worst sports handicapper, so at 1:15 on Friday afternoon, I would advise as many of you as possible to call your local bookie and jump on the Dodgers. Now, I don’t have any thoughts really, because the Dodgers could lose them all. But Mark says he’s strong on those Padres.

Yeah.

The stronger he is, the better shots you have folks out there, so dial up your bookie right about now and we’ll see how that works out.

How much are tickets?

I’m so glad you didn’t say that, Mark.

By the way, I want to let everybody know that we’ve got some great match-ups this weekend. I mean, I don’t know if you watch the U.S. Amateur, you’ve got Little John Daly who’s in the semifinals, you’ve got Giants and Jets at East Rutherford, you’ve got the Chargers and the Rams at SoFi. Kind of some old-time games. And the 49ers are coming to Allegiant to take on the Raiders. So, I mean, it could be a lot of fun this weekend. There’s a lot of great sports on TV, the Little League World Series, you’ve got some great stuff going on.

Laura. Any final comments?

I’m looking forward to that. Sorry, I’m looking forward to that Raider game. I think it’ll be interesting to see how they play after they played that great second half, the last game. And I’m really glad that Mark said he’s rooting for the Padres, or he thinks the Padres are going to win, because that means the Dodgers are probably going to win.

I want to make a final comment here. I saw a headline in USA Today earlier this week, I think on Thursday, and the headline says, Dodgers offer $1 million for 1,000 homes in immigration rates, as you know, the Dodgers have not been very strong anti- those rates. And so when I saw $1 million, I thought they were going to give each family that’s been attacked by the ICE group $1 million. It ends up they’re giving each family $1,000. Now I’m sorry, that’s not a big deal. And it doesn’t make up for the Dodgers’ lack of caring for these people who’ve been attacked unceremoniously, with no reason, and beyond belief in the United States of America in the year 2025. So shame on you, Dodgers.

So, too little, too little, too late is what you’re basically saying.

Yeah, I mean, they fool people. I swear I saw $1 million, I thought they were going to give each family $1 million. What if one of these persons was sent to El Salvador? Is $1,000 going to make up for that?

Fred, what about,

That prison is scary looking, there’s no doubt about it,

Fred. How much would this pay-per-view tread water, Trump versus Newsom?

Or Trump versus Elon Schmuck?

All right, for Laura,

Who would you root for in that one, Fred?

Vote for the referendum.

I would buy that one on pay-per-view. For Laura, for Mark, for Art, for Mario. Thank you guys and gals for listening to Fred and the Fantastics on BLEAV and on PodClips. Bye, everybody.