Hey, it’s that time again, BLEAV and on PodClips, Fred and the Fantastics with Art Sorce, Mark Mancini, and Laura’s off this afternoon. We’re taping this at about 1 o’clock on Friday afternoon. You can email us at [email protected], [email protected]. Mark, of course, will be at the nation’s capital come Sunday. You’ll be watching that UFC match because you’re big into that. How much you’re gonna pay for, you don’t have to pay for a ticket? How much you gonna pay for a room or whatever?

I don’t know, but they’ve opened up the West Wing, the left wing. Everybody’s gonna be like, it’s.

So, it sounds to me like it’s a little bit more important than this Iranian,

Yeah, Dana White.

I think I would think it’d be important to fly to Paris and maybe get this thing taken care of.

Maybe, maybe MMA is more important.

Yeah. Yeah, they’re saying, How can you put something in the White House? But I guess the judge okayed it.

Well, I mean,

Speaking of judges, Fred. What’s going on with Brendan Scores, Sorsby, quarterback at Texas Tech?

Okay, we talked about that on Sports Overnight America. Yeah, if you look at the judge that ruled in his favor, he’s from Lubbock, Texas, and, of course, that’s the home of Texas Tech. And if you go up the judicial rankings, the next four judges are also graduates of Texas Tech and Lubbock, Texas, so they’re not gonna lose.

Are all the ADs pretty, pretty solidified in being against this gambling situation?

Yeah.

I mean, do you think it could eventually end professional college football? Could one of these teams say, No, we’re not gonna play?

Yes, I firmly believe that’s a possibility. I mean, it can’t be these different rules for different people.

Thank you.

Bottom line is, money pays the rent, and the bottom line is they’re only paying them six million dollars. I mean, I’m, that’s,

Only.

But, I mean, I realize when you were at USC, you were only making five and a half million, but it’s only six million bucks. So it’s not a big deal for Texas Tech to go out there and pay for another quarterback and end this thing. What do you think? Or, why not?

You know, the thing that really bothers me more than anything else is, you know, I see both, both sides of the coin on this one. You know, the kid did go, and he got the help he needed.

Let me,

But I think he should have to sit out one year, seriously, for what he did. And, and, you know, and I can understand why the athletic directors in the Big 12 are a little upset about it. But, you know, this whole college football situation right now, you guys, you know, I make a joke about it that they let the horses out of the barn, and now they’re trying to put them back in the barn. I mean, Mark, what are your thoughts? I mean, are we ever gonna be, is it not just pro football, but in college?

You know, you know who controls college football, really?

Who?

It’s the boosters. The boosters control college football, and a lot of people don’t realize it.

The guys with the money again. Yeah.

I don’t want to say they’re the loan sharks, but they control the sport.

Well, you know, it’s like,

Fred,

I mean, Texas Tech had nowhere. Then, all of a sudden, this alumni comes in, and, you know, USC just built a 300 million dollar football complex.

Yeah, I mean,

It’s like, you know,

All right, let’s talk about the National Basketball Association.

Wow,

If you know, the Knicks are up three games to one. When I watched that game on Wednesday, and the Knicks came back from a 29-point deficit, my first thought, Art, was that UCLA’s Mick Cronin is coaching San Antonio. Your comments?

Well, I said this to you in an email earlier, you know, if Steve Popovich was on the bench, that would have never happened. And I mean nothing against what’s going on. But, you know, a 29-point lead in the third quarter, you know? And I gotta say one thing for the NBA, it’s been a great comeback for them. To get 25 million people to watch this game, you know, based on where they were the last 10, 12, 14 years and the amount of defense that they played, the excitement. But I’ll tell you what. I don’t like. I think the game’s getting a little too physical and the referees are losing a little bit of control, I mean, the, when guys start bumping guys and knocking guys down and hitting them with elbows, like Wemby did. You know, isn’t that a point where maybe you got to think about, you know, a possible suspension, Fred? What are your thoughts on that?

My thoughts would be, you’re not gonna believe this; maybe you are. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Company; one of the, no, one of the nights this week they opened talking about the bad officiating in the playoffs, and this is a,

Terrible. Absolutely terrible.

For them before them to open with that, it really had to be terrible.

Well,

Mark, you have a funny feeling that you think that the, New York is going to win the series, because they want New York to win the series.

Somewhere along, somewhere around the bend is Don King, or a clone of Don King, because I saw this in the heavyweight boxing, I’ve seen it in horse racing, and now I’m seeing at The NBA with the New York Knicks. And furthermore, where are all these bandwagon actors and actresses coming out? The only one I used to see through thick and thin was Spike Lee. You know, the real people, guys, and I know you, you agree with this is the people that pay for the nosebleed seats. They’re the real fans that are there through thick and thin. They should be moved down to the lower bowl, and the actors should be up there that come once every five years.

This whole society is based on stardom, for whatever reason, you guys. Okay, go ahead.

We’re talking about past history. Knicks up three games to one. Next game Saturday night, folks, we’re taping this on Friday, next game Saturday night. I think I looked and saw San Antonio five and a half point favorite at home. Art. Tell us how the scenario is going to go the rest of the way.

Well, I think, I think that San Antonio is gonna actually blow the Knicks out in Game Five.

Yeah.

I think they’ll win by ten or more. I also think that the Knicks are gonna come home and they’re gonna win, win the series in the game. I said the Knicks in the game, in six games. But, you know, the sad part is this, this, this Spurs team’s gonna be around for a long time. They’ve got a lot of talent, and Wemby is an amazing man as he gets stronger and stronger. And these other young kids that they have on this team, which are phenomenal, you know, there, I think they’re gonna be right there. You’re gonna have, The Western Conference is tough, though, Fred. So, I mean, I know how down they must have been walking out of the Garden after that game. But I just hope New York City’s gonna be okay if the Knicks win it in Game Six at Madison Square Garden.

Mark Mancini, the world’s worst sports handicapper, we’re putting you on the spot. Art’s got San Antonio minus five and a half on Saturday night, Mark. Who do you have? Remember now, I’m gonna go on my bookie right now based on what you’re saying here. Who do you like Saturday night?

I like San Antonio to win Saturday night. I’m hoping they can take the next three. I know it’s a long shot, but I’ve seen these things unfold before, you know? So who knows?

What was that, Fred?

No, you just heard what, what Mark said, right? You’re gonna change your tune now.

All I’m gonna tell you is there’s gotta be 25 or 30 to 1 odds on them winning the next three games. I mean, you know, if you got ten bucks to throw on to win 350, that makes a little sense. But, but, yeah, I just, I just have a funny, funny feeling that the Spurs are gonna come out like the last Roman candle and they’re gonna play a great game for their home crowd, then they’re gonna get back to New York, and, and, I think the, the Knicks, you know, and I gotta tell you, OG was playing out of his mind. That kid, I knew he was a good player. But, but, to be able to make that play. I was really upset at the fact, you know when he, when he pulls up to take a 35-foot, three-point shot, I mean, I was like saying, whoa, and he’s a great guard, but then that just blew my mind. Absolutely.

Yeah. Did you guys, did you get invited to Travis Kelce’s wedding yet? Andy Reid is going.

You know, the funny thing is, a lot of people are giving her a lot of trouble on that.

Yeah,

But she’s been a Knicks fan for many, many years. I mean, going back to when she was a youngster. But, I mean, it was just you made a point about the stars and the stuff like that. But, but, you know, they, they pumped it up. Mike Breen, the announcer for ABC, talked a little bit about, you know, The Madison Square Garden, Sinatra, Muhammad Ali.

Yeah,

All the great, you know, things that have happened there. And you know, it’s been a long time between sips of the champagne in New York. So, I mean,

Well,

Let me, let me throw you this. Taylor Swift and Kelsey getting married at MSG. That’s Point A. Point.

Yeah,

Point B. You just mentioned the game again. I want to go back to something. I can imagine Larry David doing one of his next shows on The Playoff Series right now. Art. Can’t you see him doing something on the, the Knicks, especially if they lose?

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, I mean, Larry David, Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, I think, walking out of walking out of the, the arena. And you know, we’ve got all these problems in our country now with this anti-semitism, and which is the stupidest thing of all time. But some hamburger comes up to Jerry Seinfeld: What do you think of Palestine? He goes, They don’t exist. I thought that was a great answer.

Well, the point is, most of the time when you see Free Palestine, they’re saying, Blank you, Jew. That’s their easy way around it, by saying Free Palestine.

Yeah, that’s not right.

I think that’s what Gary, Jerry Seinfeld was basically saying. We’ll take a break right here on Fred and the Fantastics, BLEAV, and on PodClips. Back right after this.

Welcome back, everybody. It is Fred and the Fantastics on BLEAV and on Pod Clips with Art, with Mark, and yours truly, Fred. [email protected]. All right, I read some stuff on Facebook that Mike Breen is, favors the, the Knicks doing things on ABC. Well, of course, he does the Knicks in the regular season. But then Joe Davis does the Dodgers, and he does the World Series for Fox. They shouldn’t lose the opportunity to do a national show just because they do the local stuff. But, Art? You’ve done a lot of games for a lot of different people. These, I mean, obviously he’s pro-Knicks, but I think Mike Breen does a very good job.

Oh, he’s a consummate pro. Got put in the Hall of Fame a couple years ago, out in Connecticut there. He does a great job, but it’s tough. It’d be like Chick Hearn doing a Celtics-Lakers game, you know, on CBS in the ’80s. It’d be real hard for Chickie to stay, you know, or Johnny Most, for a, for another one. But, you know, Fred, the one thing I do notice about sportscasters recently, especially in the local Games, is there is a lot of homerism. And, and I wonder if that’s just, you know. Whether it’s geographic, you know, anticipation, or whatever you want to call it, you know, we were brought up, you know, when I, when I listened to Vin Sculley at USC talk about broadcasting and doing play-by-play, he always talked about being the broadcaster who described the action without being, you know, favored on one side or the other. Those times, I think, are gone now.

Well, let me say this, when I was doing Dodger Talk, the players were not reasonable with me, in that I tried to be objective,

And that got you in trouble, probably more times than not.

Yeah,

Yeah, they tried to get me fired. I’ve mentioned this story many times.

Yeah, especially, was it Steve Sachs?

Steve Sachs and Mike Scioscia, and I, you know, and of course, Peter O’Malley saved my job. He said, Get those guys out of here. The bottom line is, most of the time, you have to be a homer to save your job. I mean, you really do, you cannot be, and if it’s, you cannot be 100%. You can’t be 50-50, you got to be 60-40, you know, at a lower and lower,

Your audience is your audience. It’s like Bob Uecker in Milwaukee on WJR. Yeah, I see that a little bit, you know? But hey, how about those Chicago White Sox, you guys? I mean, what a turnaround that’s been in the American League.

Well,

Steve Stone has hung with him for a few years now, so good for Steve. And yeah, I agree with you. Mark. Have you seen the White Sox play this year?

Yeah, they’re, I think, a couple games over .500, and the last time I seen the White Sox on top of a division, Ozzie Guillén was running around in 2005.

Who was my favorite manager in those days. Ozzie Guillén was a laugh-a-minute, man. He was funny.

And then he, did he last longer than, I want to know the fastest firing by a manager, whether it’s basketball, I know it’s like,

I think it happened in Philadelphia this year.

Tarkanian lasted nine games in San Antonio. But I think Ozzie Guillén must have lasted a week in Miami.

How about Don Mattingly, what he’s done with the Philadelphia?

He’s a great, great guy.

I think the guys love him. And I think, you know, we always talk about like, great managers, and I think, what great managers like Jerry Reasons, who was talking to us earlier. You’re talking about culture, talking about all these things that matter a lot. You know, one thing that great managers do is they have a tendency to be able to motivate a player individually. Some guys like to be patted on the back, some guys need to be, you know, kind of like, get on their ass a little. But I mean, it just seems to be. And I’m getting a lot more respect for Dave Roberts. I think Roberts has actually grown into being a darn good manager.

Well,

Hang on, Mark, let me respond to it. Yeah, um,

One more time. You’ve got an outfielder, Ryan Ward, a young guy, who’s got a lot of power. Hits a grand slam on Wednesday night,

Right.

The next time up, the Pirates have a left-handed pitcher.

Remember now, Ryan hit a grand slam at the time at bat before. He pinches them with Alex Call, which is fine, except why? I mean, Alex Call’s hit under .200,

Over-managing. It’s, it’s called over-managing. That’s what it is. How about the year that this, this Dodgers centerfielder’s having, Pages?

Yeah,

He was on the trading block.

They were gonna get rid of him. And this guy, I’m telling you, I looked at his numbers. His numbers are phenomenal. I mean, he leads the league in runs. He’s right there in RBIs and home runs. Wow, I mean,

Well, there was another kid the Dodgers got rid of, and he’s resurrecting the Sox, is Miguel Vargas. I like Miguel Vargas.

He’s doing very well.

I think he’s leading the entire league in hitting, if I’m not mistaken.

I always loved that kid. But they don’t give you a shot out there.

Have you guys seen Jung-ho Lee with the things he’s doing up in San Francisco?

With the Giants.

Yeah,

The Giants, but you know what, the Dodgers have made a lot of good moves, but let’s think about this. Jordan Alvarez for Houston.

Oh boy. Willie Stargell Jr., I call him.

Mike, Mike Bush for the Cubs, Mike Bush for the Cubbies.

Oneil Cruz, Oneil Cruz.

And you just indicated Vargas, I mean, they’ve made some boo-boos.

How about Lowe playing second base?

Oh, yes.

I mean, what a tremendous year, not very good defensively. But he can hit.

All right, Art, 30 seconds. The world of sports in 2026?

You know, it’s really, it’s been amazing, you guys. The World Cup’s come to the United States. I watched, well, not just the United States, but pretty much the Western Hemisphere, and watching, you know, Mexico play at home and at Azteca Stadium last night, 125,000 people. I pray that eventually the World Cup can kind of like, get back to, like, Mario was talking to us off the air earlier. He said, Listen, guys, when I went to the World Cup, it was $30 in Germany, you know, many, many years ago, not that many years ago. But, I mean, the ticket prices in both Madison Square Garden for the NBA Finals and the World Cup is just too much, you guys

And wait, but hang on. FIFA says they have to keep the prices high because if they sell it low, the tickets will be resold at a higher price. What did that even mean? He’s saying,

What is that, either? It makes no sense at all. I mean, okay, down. Here’s what I heard, The Pirate. Here’s the Steelers. Did you guys see this about Rooney?

No,

He’s gonna have one game a year where they’re gonna have $11 tickets.

Oh, wow,

And I’m looking around, I’m trying to find out proof of this. Because, you know, when you look down the internet, half the stuff you read is like, nah,

Is that against the Baltimore Ravens? I can get in for $11?

Yeah, they’re gonna do that on the Raven game. I don’t think so. I think that’ll be,

Mark, give us a 30-second recap.

Well, I’ll tell you, I went to my middle granddaughter’s graduation on Tuesday. She won an award for perfect attendance. She had to get up there and speak. She just said, Thank you. I said, You got to talk more. She goes, Papa. I think you do a great job of doing that every day.

Is she a Pirate fan?

No, she’s a Dodger fan.

Of course she is.

Gosh, she’s smart. All right, 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.