Hey, welcome, everybody. It’s Fred and the Fantastics on BLEAV and on PodClips. We’ll talk this, that, and anything in sports. You can email us at [email protected], along with Art, Laura, and Mark. And again, you can email us, [email protected]. We are taping this Friday afternoon about 1:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time. By the way, not this, next week, you turn the clock back, which just makes it very, very rough on some of us. But, okay. Anyways, I want to go back to last Saturday. Curt Cignetti in Indiana against Ryan Day in Ohio State. By one foot, Ohio State gets the victory. But Art, and you played football, you followed football. I’m going to take Cignetti against Ryan Day, every day, any night, any week; I don’t care what it is. Cignetti was unlucky. The wide receiver was one foot out of bounds. But he was supposed to lose that game. Ohio State was supposed to lose that game. Day played, and Cignetti. Art, your comments?

Well, I’m going to tell you what. Ohio State looked pretty poor when they brought their backup quarterback back in to replace Julian Sayin. He looked like he was a freshman from Michigan VAO High School, which he is. And they have two weeks now to get themselves prepared. And I think the Ohio State-USC game in the Coliseum in 12 days or eight days is going to be incredible. And we’ll be interested to see who actually plays quarterback. But I agree with you, Fred. Cignetti is a far better head football coach than Ryan Day. Ryan Day reminds me of Sean McVay in so many ways. He has a great group of talented players, but he does something along the way to, kind of like, steal defeat from the jaws of victory, is how I’m gonna put it.

Oh, come on. I love McVay.

Mark, let’s go back quickly. You were going to intervene. You have any comments about Indiana, Cignetti, Ryan Day, Ohio State?

Yeah, I would have loved to see the streak continue. Indiana was about ready to tie it and break it this week. But, you know, the interesting thing with college football that, you know, turns me off is that I don’t really take September seriously because it’s the bottom feeders playing these powerhouses. But then the thing that drops on our front door now is 24 teams next year. That means a team with nine losses is going to say, we deserve to be in this thing. It’s crazy.

Yeah, it’s,

It still hasn’t been ratified yet. We’ll see what really happens. Because, you know, the conferences are going to really start screaming about it when they take away that conference championship game. Because that’s a lot of money going directly to the conference. So,

Laura, let me ask you.

Go ahead.

No, Laura, I want to ask you a question, Laura. On a usual Saturday during the college football season, if you look at the LA Times or Daily News, I will see 50 to 60 college football games on television. You are a sports fanatic. Of those 60, how many does Laura Snoke actually view and watch on a Saturday afternoon?

Well, this is a sports show, so I’m probably going to lie and say three or two. But if you want, if you want the truth. I don’t always watch college football. I do watch pro football, though. But I watch the big games, you know, I watch UCLA, I watch SC, and I’ll watch that Ohio State, Ohio State-USC game, of course. But, yeah, I mean, it’s, it’s kind of crazy having, you know, there’s, there’s like 50 games listed.

Did you guys get a chance to watch the end of the Miami game last week?

Oh, that was Florida State.

Did you?

Yeah.

Did you? Did you see, like, what I saw? I mean, to me, that was the ACC protecting their position with the number one team in the country. I hate to be that way, you guys. But two consecutive plays like that,

Pitt’s going in there tomorrow and beating them.

Are they?

I think so.

Then I can, I’m loading up on Miami then, baby.

Pitt did it a couple of years ago when they took on West Virginia, but I don’t know.

But Fred, it’s going to be a great day of college football. I mean, I looked down the roster. You’ve got a game that, that nobody’s really talking about. SC going into Camp Randall and playing against Colton Joseph, who has really come along for Wisconsin, who’s a four-and-two ball club. And USC, you know, after the 114,000 people at the whiteout at Penn State, we’ll see what they got. You know, as you look around, you see a lot of good games. And, you know, I also see this, this No.20 Florida and number five Georgia the Saturday after – that’s gonna be a heck of a football game.

I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if Michigan State goes in there and pulls a stunner on UCLA.

Ooh, upset alert.

Why do you say that?

I don’t know, because, you know that UCLA’s taken out Wisconsin and Oregon, but I don’t know. Something about Michigan State could come in there. And, you know.

That’s a big upset, 14 and a half points. I mean, but I will say this. Pat Fitzgerald plays physical football.

Yeah, yeah.

And, you know, if these guys get fired up and, you know, you got to remember, it’s still the Rose Bowl.

Right.

And the Rose Bowl, to a lot of football players who grew up as kids,

The Granddaddy of them all.

You know, you, you start getting dressed in that stadium, and funny things happen to you. Because, you know, if you’re a football fan, you’re looking at a historical monument. And, you know, anything can happen in college football. But it’s going to be up to Chesney to keep those guys level-headed. Because they’ve got a hell of a schedule ahead of them.

Switching gears here,

I don’t know. Do you think the Rose Bowl is the most beautiful stadium?

Oh, yeah.

It, with the mountains in the background. Just so beautiful.

Absolutely.

Fred.

Go ahead, Mark.

They’re, they’re protecting LeBron James. That game yesterday, if you watched that Cleveland game. I mean, the calls going down the thing. I mean, you know, LeBron’s a hell of a basketball player, but he’s going to be the first guy to chase titles in five cities.

Is he going to play till he’s 50?

Okay, before we go to a break.

Probably taking Prevagen.

Okay, before you, before we go to a break, Mark, you brought up the NBA. Yesterday, Sports Weekly rated the top 100 NBA players. They have Luka of the Lakers at number four. Dončić of the Lakers at number four. Now, I would have him at No. 44, but Art, how highly would you rate Dončić?

Who’s the other?

Are we talking about, are we talking about being able to run your mouth or play basketball?

What do you, would you rate him fourth, the fourth in the NBA?

I would have him, I would have him probably 74th. Because I think he’s out of shape. I think he’s fat. And aside from that, I think he’s a one-person player. He just, all he can do is shoot.

Laura, would you have him at number four among 100 top NBA players?

I would not have him at number four, but he’s not fat anymore.

He’s thinned down.

He’s in pretty good shape right now. And he did shoot a ball from beyond the half-court line in that game.

Oh, he can shoot. There’s no doubt about that.

No, I don’t even think I’d rank him in the top 10.

Mark, where would, Mark, would you have him in the top four?

I wouldn’t have him in the top four. I think there’s a lot of other better players. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. I mean, when you look around the league.

The Greek Freak in Miami.

All-time, though, right? Not just current players. I mean, current players, I think.

Is this current players?

It’s current players.

By the way, you guys, did you hear what happened at the Garden the other night, when they, when the Knicks got their rings?

Oh, well, they, some employees thought they were going to get some rings, too.

Yeah, they got an empty box. Half the assistant coaches didn’t even get their rings. They’re like, opening it up, going, Oh my God, did they fire me?

So what’s Dolan doing? Explain that. I didn’t understand.

Supposedly, supposedly, they were supposed to get their, their measurements for the rings. And something happened, and they blew it off. And, you know, Dolan obviously came out and said, they’re going to, you know, rectify the situation. But can you imagine these people who are really key, key members of the ball club? I mean, your assistant coaches, your, your trainers, you know, they come out, and their people are clapping for them. And they got their ring, and they open it up, and there’s nothing in there.

Wow.

Let’s take a break. We’ll talk about the National Football League this weekend. Mark, Laura, and Art, and we’ll take a break right now. On Fred and the Fantastics, on BLEAV and on PodClips. Back after this.

The great thing is I can get up early and watch the Steelers and Saints from Spain.

6:30 A.M. on the West Coast, baby.

From Paris.

All right, three, two, and,

Laura, you look great there. Hold that.

Three, two, and one.

They’re playing in Paris.

Welcome back to Fred and the Fantastics on BLEAV and on PodClips with Mark, Laura, and Art. And you can email us at [email protected]. Of course, the biggest game in the National Football League, Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas, Nevada, Rams versus the Raiders. Raiders’ biggest fan that I know of, Laura Snoke, are you going to be there with Ed? Or are you going to not be there? And what do you think? The Raiders, Raiders have now lost three in a row after they won three. And the Rams just can’t beat anybody. Your comments?

Well, I’m not going to be there, but I am going to watch it. And I think the Raiders played really well in their last against the Bills. I mean, they, they played so much better than, better than they played the previous week. So I think the Raiders are going to win this game. I, apart from what, what I desire, I really do, because I don’t think the Rams are playing that well. And I think the Raiders are playing really well. They, they almost won that game against Buffalo. And so we’ll see. But I think I, I take the Raiders in that game.

Art, how many touchdown passes for Kirk Cousins?

He’s gonna, he’s gonna throw three, and the Raiders are gonna win 27 to 20. Because I’m a little worried as to who Matty Stafford’s gonna be able to throw to. Because the latest I heard is, uh, Puka Nacua has got a bad calf. Davante Adams has a hamstring. Tutu Atwell’s got a lower back problem. I really don’t know, unless they get a real good dose of Kyron Williams and Blake Corum. I don’t know what the, what the Rams really can do in this game, Fred. I think the Raider, go ahead, go ahead.

All right. So, so, Mark; both Art and Laura like the Raiders. I’m sure you’re gonna like the Rams, correct?

I like those guys. I love my fellow co-hosts and you, but these guys are absolutely crazy. The Rams are going in there and beating them. No way is McVay going two-and-five.

Who’s, who are they gonna throw the ball to, though?

Well, they’re gonna, McVay will figure out a way to get this thing done and rectify it. Then they get the Chargers.

And then the guy’s gonna drop a punt in the fourth quarter and they lose the game? Is that how it’s gonna work out?

I think the Rams are gonna come out of the NFC this year. Believe it or not, they will get to the Super Bowl.

Hey, by the way, who’s kicking for the Rams this week? Are they gonna,

You are.

Are they gonna bring another 150-pounder in there?

No, they got a good kick, they did pick up a good kicker.

They just signed the guy from Indianapolis, right? McManus?

McManus. He’s been a fine kicker for many years.

McManus. Oh, yeah. The Florida State guy. Yeah, I’ve always liked him.

I think he’s, he can kick 60 yards. So I think he might help them. I don’t know who’s gonna win the game, but.

Little Blake Grupe, is he okay, at 150 pounds?

He’s out for the season. Because he tried to tackle a guy. He’s out for the season.

150 pounds, Fred.

Folks, he’s a tough kid. He wanted to prove he’s part of the team.

He must be a tough kid. Yeah. God bless him.

Hey, Fred, the Clippers had $20 tickets the other day and free parking. Is that gonna be the norm of Clippers games?

Too expensive.

And they still couldn’t sell the tickets.

Way too expensive. Ballmer can’t even get in. All right.

Let me ask you a question, you guys. We’re talking football here, all right?

Yeah.

Now, we talked a little bit about the Monday Night Football game. I think we need to talk about this situation going on in Philadelphia with a, with a, with a franchise quarterback like Jalen Hurts, and the situation that, that transpired on the trip to London with the, with the, the, you know, the. It’s just, it breaks my heart. Are, are they complicit? Or is Roger Goodell just blowing smoke up everybody?

Well, hasn’t he done it for $85 million a year for a long time? I mean, why would you? Why would you? It’s like a politician. Why would you believe anything he says? He’s protecting his own.

Lips moving – they’re lying.

What did they, what did they tell you? Art, in our show, Sports Overnight America; what did they tell you when you wanted to, uh, fix the, the field to make it safer for the players? They, didn’t they use the term, uh?

They said, We cannot show, we cannot show, we can’t. Right, we, we would be, we cannot show that we actually believe that this is why these guys are hurt. Because that opens up, you know?

Can you imagine?

But, you know, under, under California law, if, if you undertake protective measures to correct a defect, it is not admissible to show liability. So I don’t know what, if that’s true in other states, because I don’t know the laws in other states, but I know the law in California. So that is a hollow excuse. Because my guess would be that most states would have that sort of law, because they want people to protect and, and remediate problems to avoid injuries. So, you know? I don’t know. That sounds like a hollow excuse to me.

I think California is way ahead of most states when it comes to protecting the actual citizens of the state. I mean, whether it be in disability, a lot of different things. I, I just have that feeling.

I agree with you about that. No, I agree with you on that.

All right, our last couple of minutes. Mark, you wanted to talk about the very early Pacific time game, 6:30 A.M. Pacific, 9:30 in the East from France. Mark, who do you like in the game?

Oh, I like my Steelers. I like Aaron Rodgers, the drama Queen. I like the Steeler offense getting on track. Hey, the Saints are gonna be, the Saints are a tough little squad there, man. I don’t put anything past that team, but.

You saw what they did to the Giants.

Yeah, I, I liked them. You know, they, they’ve been snake-bitten in a couple of games this year, early on. But it’s gonna be a good one. But I, I think the Steelers pull this out. And it’s nice to see, at least, you can get up a little early and watch your game. And then, you know, do anything else you want and don’t have to worry about it.

I’d go back to sleep. Art, who do you like? Early Sunday morning. That is early for you.

I’m gonna, I’m gonna, I’m gonna go, I’m gonna go with the, the Steelers to the over. I think it’s gonna be 30 to 24, Pittsburgh. But, but I gotta tell you, I’m, I’m very impressed with New Orleans and what the young coach has been able to do with that ball club. What they did in New York last week showed me a lot. And they do have the fleur-de-lis on their helmet. So maybe the people of Paris will be pulling for them.

Yeah.

But I do have a question to ask all of you guys. Do we really need to play a football game in Paris while they’re having all these,

Yeah.

Problems they’re having right now? I mean, I, I kinda, I. I wonder how much the French really love American football. I know the Germans love it. I know the, the, the Spanish love it. I, I know the. The British love it. The Irish love it. But the French? I just don’t see them being big NFL fans, you guys.

Laura, what do you think? You gonna watch the riots or watch the football game early Sunday morning?

Yeah, that’s gonna be.

I think, I think there’s the riot, the riots. I mean, there’s only a few people that are really, you know, causing the looting and everything. They’re, they’re pretty much gonna get under control for the game. I think it’s gonna be a good game. I agree with Art, though. I’m not sure how it’s gonna fly, you know, if American football is gonna fly in, in France. But I do. I do think it’s gonna be a good game. I think Pittsburgh’s gonna pull it out, though. I agree with Art and Mark.

Art, before we go, let’s talk Pacific time here. And again, you’re in the East, so it doesn’t matter. 6:30 Pacific till the last game is probably 8:30 Pacific, so we’re talking, what, 14 hours? At 129 years of age, Art Source, can you watch all the games for 14 consecutive hours? Must know that, Art.

No, I, I, I try, I try to get through that, that, that early morning game. I kind of pick it up at, at like, halftime, but of course, being a Steeler fan, I’ll watch the whole game this week. At least it’s on a normal time here, 9:30 in the East. But when it comes to the late game, Sunday Night Football, that comes on at 8:15; by the time we get to the second half,

You’re done.

Me and my buddy, Buddy, my kitty cat, we’re, we’re, we’re cashed in on the couch with one eye open and, you know, the other eye closed. And, you know, if, if I hear, you know, someone’s voice, you know, like Trico’s voice go up, I’ll go, Oh, what happened? You know, but yeah, it’s too long; 14 hours, plus Red, Red Channel or Red Zone. I can only watch like about an hour of Red Zone between, before my head starts spinning. You know, it’s just too much going on.

Laura, Laura, you’re camp Sirianni, and you’re gonna watch 14 hours of football on Sunday?

Uh, you know, I usually do watch all the pro games, but that early game, that’s a bit much. I’ll probably tune into the, I’ll probably tune into that game, because just because I like the Steelers. And I think it’s gonna be a good game. I haven’t really been watching the early games, because, you know, there are other things in life, despite this being a sports show.

Like, what?

Like, what? Hey, we got a great weekend. What a great weekend of sports, though, you guys.

Yeah.

The World Series, NBA basketball, NFL football, college football. I mean, my God, my eyes are gonna be spinning come, come Sunday night, about 10 o’clock, after watching. I mean, there’s, there’s so many great matchups in all sports this weekend. I mean, I, I get the, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and they have a great television page on Fridays. And I was looking at it, and I’m like, I gotta check that. I gotta check that. I’m like, what about, what else am I gonna get done this weekend? Nothing!

And the most important thing, again, we mentioned it before, the Chargers will not lose this weekend. All right.

Are they on a bye, Fred?

Bye.

They’re on a bye. With Art, with Laura, with Mark, and with Mario. Thank you, guys and gals, for listening to Friend the Fantastic. Back later and a whole lot more. Bye, everybody.