Takes

Forever Young has travel and track concerns heading into the Derby

Forever Young is the most accomplished Japanese horse that's ever come over here... but I've got two concerns... the travel bothered him... the other thing, the trainer seems to be borderline obsessive about keeping this horse out of this kickback spray in his face.

Ovechkin's days of being a physical force are limited

I think the days of where he's running guys through the boards, you know, a force to be reckoned with out there, those might be limited. But, you know, I think when it comes to goal scoring, he's, I think he could do it till he is 45 years old.

I like getting a single bug bite

I like a good bug bite. Just a good, just a good old fashioned bug bite. Like maybe on the top of your shin. Nice little spot. You can scratch it a little... A single bug bite on the top of your shin. Just a little itch. Not so bad.

Tyrese Maxey saved his legacy and had a double legacy game in Game 5 against the Knicks.

Tyrese Maxey basically saved. Did Tyrese Maxey save his legacy while also a legacy game for [Embiid]? It was a double legacy game.

The Knicks/76ers Game 5 defense by Nicolas Batum on Jalen Brunson was game-defining.

Shout out to your guy [Batum] with incredible, incredible defense. Both at the end of regulation and the end of OT being able to stay with Jalen Brunson as he drive to the, to the hoop. And he had two huge, I think the first one was a block... those were, those were game defining plays.

I would play in an NBA playoff Game 5 unless I got less than six hours of sleep.

I tweaked my knee. I'd play no pro. I I would, I would play, I'm just gonna say it right now. I you can't keep me outta game five with the season on the line... Unless I got less than six, six hours of sleep. Then I would probably be like, you know what Gametime decision, I'm out.

The Lakers were never winning a title because their roster was the problem, not coaching.

I still think that the roster is the problem that they just don't have enough guys. And the Nuggets were a better basketball team no matter how many minutes the Lakers led. Execution and being able to win games late is what makes the team better... They were a good team. They were never a great team.

Mike Tyson could be 90 years old and still knock someone out.

I'm pumped up. 'cause I think everybody that is, most people that are paying attention to this would just like to see another Mike Tyson knockout. Yes. Just bring us back to the glory days. Yes. And he could be 90 years old and I would still believe that he'd be able to knock somebody out.

The Minnesota Timberwolves match up better against the Denver Nuggets than anyone else in the NBA.

I think this Minnesota team probably matches up as well as anyone in the NBA versus the Denver Nuggets. I'm really fascinated by this series.

The overall talent depth in the NBA is as high as it's ever been and is spread out across more teams.

I think the overall talent depth, meaning the amount of really good players in the NBA is as high as it's ever been. And that depth of talent is spread out more than it's ever been. There's not the concentration of three really good players on one team... There's the concentration of two or three really good players on a bunch of teams.

The current NBA landscape marks the beginning of the death of the 'Super Team'.

I said at the beginning of the year... this year could be the beginning of the death of the super team. Part of that is the new second apron in the CBA... you have to build through the draft. And then be positioned... to then make an impactful trade.

The Phoenix Suns' issues are about team building and personalities meshing, not just one specific player or coach.

I would look at sort of team building in a very holistic way beyond just, oh, we gotta trade this guy... You have to look at any roster, any team, and look at how personalities mesh together and how skill sets mesh together... and you have to be willing, I think to, as an owner, you have to be willing to be patient with that.

Jalen Brunson is a 'true 1A' superstar.

They've got a true leader. And I'll say it a true one A. I agree. Jalen Brunson a true one A.

The Sixers are a better basketball team than the Knicks, the Knicks just want it more

The Sixers are a better basketball team. It's just that [the Knicks] want it more. They are just dogs. They want, it's just that they want it more.

The Rangers' status as a juggernaut is a direct result of Tom Wilson's hit on Artemi Panarin

The Rangers turned around their entire franchise a couple years ago when Tom Wilson in a horrifying act of violence threw Panarin into the ground... They fired their entire front office after that because they realized that they were a soft hockey team. Since that moment, the Rangers have turned it around.

If a team gets eliminated within one week of the playoffs starting, the playoff appearance never really happened

I have a hard and fast rule when it comes to the playoffs. If you get eliminated within a single week, it never really happened... No one's gonna remember you're in the playoffs, which is probably for the better.

The Phoenix Suns' primary problem is the lack of a lead point guard

I think they're missing a point guard. Like a lead guard. Like somebody to organize everything to take some of the pressure off these other guys... they don't have a stable force.

Caleb Williams' eccentric personality won't matter as long as he plays well

If he's good, none of it will matter... If he's not good, people will blame the nails. They'll say that like, oh, he's too crazy. He's too unique. And if he's good, no one will give a fuck because no one in that locker room will care.

The Arizona Cardinals had a home run draft and filled multiple roster needs with immediate contributors

Arizona Cardinals who had so many picks, they they hit a home run. Now they're not a sexy team. I couldn't tell you, you know, five guys that contributed on their roster last year. But like you talk around the league, everyone's like, you know, Arizona compiled a bunch of picks and they got a bunch of guys who are gonna play right away.

The Washington Commanders fleeced the Eagles by trading the pick that became Cooper DeJean

I thought the commander's trade with the Eagles in the second round was genius. We fleeced the Eagles, they gave up so much to take Cooper DeJean when Kool-Aid McKinstry was still on the board. I love that pick, I love to see that happen in the division.

Caleb Williams is the first true 'Gen Z' quarterback and his eccentricities will become more common in the NFL

I also think he, he is, he is truly just the first like true Gen Z quarterback that we have. Like I think there'll be more Caleb Williams coming up where it's like kids that are of this age that were born on the internet that are like unique personalities. I just think it will happen more.

Ryan Poles' trade with the Panthers is one of the greatest fleeces in NFL history

Ryan Poles, what he did to the Panthers... I actually feel bad for the Panthers. Like it's, it's, it's gross... DJ Moore, Darnell Wright, Tyrique Stevenson, Caleb Williams and a 2025 second rounder. And they got Bryce Young. Ryan Poles. And now Rome Odunze. David Tepper... Basically every quarterback that's ever put on a Bear's uniform has been not put in the a good situation to succeed. He's doing everything to make sure that Caleb Williams succeeds.

Bo Nicks at 12 overall is a significant reach by the Broncos

Bo Nicks, which I think Bo Nicks is also one where I'm scratching my head being like, why, why would the Broncos take him at 12? ... If you need that many tweets and that many words to say, we took a quarterback at 12, that seems like a big reach. Bo Nicks' over under was 32 and a half to be drafted. Like it was a, it was a real conversation when he dip into the second round, they took him 12.

I am officially retiring the 'Cocky Hank' persona and replacing 'Championship or Bust' with 'Series or Bust'

After the game one of the Bruins and the Celtics, I made a mistake and I'm here to admit and moving forward say that I will no longer be cocky. I've given up being cocky. ... Championship or bust is no longer. It's just win this series. ... Right now it's just series or bust. And then the next series, if we are lucky enough to advance past this round, we'll be series or bust.

Joel Embiid is one of the dirtiest players in the NBA

Joel Embiid was incredible. He also was maybe the dirtiest player I've ever seen on a basketball court. ... Joel Embiid basically did Draymond Green's career highlights in one game. The play on Mitchell Robinson, when he tried to grab him by the legs, that was, that should have been an ejection. And then he kicked Mitchell Robinson in the nuts. He kicked, he kneed Isaiah Hartenstein in the, in the nuts.

After Reggie Bush's Heisman return, we must campaign for Barry Bonds, Pete Rose, and Rick Pitino to have their honors restored

We need to now focus all of our energy because... it's like a dog chasing a car. You catch it and you're like, what do we do now? Barry Bonds Hall of Fame. ... Pete Rose Hall of Fame. ... Rick Pitino Louisville Banner back up. ... Armando Galarraga, gotta get his perfect game. ... We can do anything with mob mentality.

Nikola Jokic is one of the greatest big men of all time and plays like he's in a pool

Jokic plays basketball like he's in the pool with his kids. Like he's waiting above the water and he is like just putting it above him. Just the way he puts it back in his shot. ... He plays pool basketball... he's one of the best big men of all time. ... The Jokic family, all they wanna do is go race horses. And he just happens to be one of the greatest NBA players.

Brock Purdy is a top 5 NFL quarterback

I think he's top five. Here's the thing about Brock Purdy. I think he's, you know, talent wise, I think like actual arm speed, all that. Maybe not. He's just got this dog mentality. ... Jimmy [Garoppolo] would just take sacks. And then Brock, they were playing the Raiders and Max Crosby just came through and Brock just did this one move and sidearm it to CMC and it was like a 45 yard gain. And you're like, that was the one play where I was like, this guy can just do it.

Mike McDaniel's greatest talent is his ability to scout players

I think [McDaniel's] talent is scouting. Like, he's unbelievable. ... He told me, 'I get to tell Kyle [Shanahan] one guy in the offseason that I want.' ... He came in the first year and got Kyle Juszczyk out of Baltimore. I would say he's one of the most important 49ers of the last 20 years.

Queens of the Stone Age are the best American rock band of the last 40 years

I could argue they're the best American rock band in the last 40 years. ... And I'll go album for album with anybody. They're album because they evolve. ... You wanna see people evolve. You wanna see people try stuff that maybe sometimes doesn't work, but then you get to see 'em try stuff that does work. And you're like, yeah, this shit rules.

The 'Stone Cold Law' animated show would be a massive banger if a network produced it

I guarantee we would make a fucking banger of a show. So let's fucking go. If Peacock gave us a full season, I I have no doubt. It would be great. ... It's Stone Cold Law. Steve [Austin] is a lawyer, like trying to help out the little man in Texas.

The Phoenix Suns are officially dead

The Suns are dead. I proclaimed it. The Suns are dead. They don't look like they have any life to him whatsoever. They look anemic. Bradley Beal looks pretty bad. No trade clauses, by the way, for Bradley Beal. So yeah, I think he's like the sixth highest player in the NBA. They're gonna be stuck with that for a little bit.

The Timberwolves are legit and much better defensively than the Phoenix Suns

The Timberwolves are good and they're deep. Their two stars [Towns and Edwards] did not play great and the Timberwolves still won easily because they're just so much better defensively. And the Suns play iso ball. It's terrible basketball to watch. I think the Timberwolves are really, really good.

Therapy would make Luka Doncic a worse basketball player

My take was that Luka, I think Luka desperately needs therapy, but I also think that it would be very, very bad for him as a basketball player. I feel like that shit that he has makes him excellent, but he's just, he's always angry.

An NBA playoff series doesn't actually start until the home team loses a game

The series doesn't actually start until the home team loses a game. Yeah. Cleveand's playing great defensively and the Magic have Paolo and then a bunch of guys who are missing shots. Let's see how game three goes.

The Broncos released bad jerseys to distract fans from the Zach Wilson trade

They actually are really smart with what they did because they released Bad Jerseys and then they traded for Zach Wilson all on the same day. And you don't know which one to be mad at. They just split the vote. Like that was so smart of them to do those in basically a matter of hours with each other where they're like, which one you want to choose?

The MLB umpire who ejected Aaron Boone for a fan's comment should get a hero's welcome for doubling down

He got ejected for something a fan said. And the umpire didn't—he literally said, 'I don't care who said it. You're gone.' I love that. I love it so much when umpires double down on something that's so insane like that. He should get a fucking hero's welcome. It was a hilarious clip. I appreciate it more to just be like, 'I was wrong but I'm not gonna say it.'

The Nuggets' series win over the Lakers represents a 'handing of the torch' from LeBron James to Nikola Jokic

A lot of people think Nikola Jokic is the best player in the world, something we would describe LeBron James as for a vast majority of the 2010s. But this decade appears to belong to Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets. And I think it's telling, it's sort of a handing of the torch. It's a very painful one, but this is LeBron James's longest losing streak against any single opponent in his entire 21-year career.

The 76ers are the biggest threat to the Celtics in the East if they are healthy

Dude, if they're healthy, it's the Sixers. I mean this, right? They were 31 and 8 when Embiid played this year, they were on pace to win about 65 games. The statistical markers with Embiid on the court scream 'we're a contender.' The clear answer was the Sixers if Embiid was healthy.

The only real threat to the Denver Nuggets winning the title is the injury bug

The number one threat to the Denver Nuggets is the injury bug. Oh yeah. I think they're that good. Yeah, I really do. I think Jokic is just, they deserve that kind of dodgy, cute answer. If I have to answer... I just don't see anybody taking out Jokic in seven games, beating them four times in seven games.

The Bears should prioritize drafting another offensive stud at pick #9 over defense

When you take the quarterback number one, every decision is about making sure that pick looks right. I'd rather have one too many studs on offense and worry about fixing maybe some of the other holes on defense. Their defense was good after the Sweat trade last year. To me, I'd rather just go get a tackle or go get Rome Odunze.

There is a massive talent drop-off in this draft after the 'Big Three' wide receivers

One of the cool things about this draft class is you got three receivers at the very top in [Marvin Harrison Jr.], Malik Nabors, and also Rome Odunze... in a different draft, all three of those guys could easily be the number one wide receiver taken. There's a very, very small difference at the very top between [them]. All three of those guys are part of the blue chip group... [then there's] a drop.

Anthony Edwards is now a legitimate NBA superstar

Anthony Edwards is is a legit superstar Now. [Durant] he he couldn't do anything about it. Yeah. He was like, yeah, you're right. You're kind of, you're kind of dunking on me right now.

Joel Embiid is made of glass

I don't want to, I don't wanna be a hater, but it's like... the playoffs, if you make it to the finals, it's a long run. Like how many games do you think [Embiid] has in him? ... I don't want Embiid to get hurt. I can just look at data and history and acknowledge that he's made of glass.

LeBron James lacks the stamina to play at an elite level for four quarters

LeBron is doing at 39. He does not have the stamina to do it for four quarters. Like you saw it, he scored I think maybe two or four points in garbage time with like the under a minute left in the fourth quarter. He runs out of gas and no one else... the other guys have to do stuff and they're not able to.

Jerry Reinsdorf is the worst owner in the NBA

The Chicago Bulls are a joke of an organization. Jerry Reinsdorf is one of the worst owners, if not the worst in the NBA. He's a fucking clown... the Chicago Bulls have made the playoffs two times in the last nine seasons. Two times they've back to back nine 10 game champions and that's it.

James Harden is only elite in the playoffs when he has significant rest between games

James Harden, when he has rest, basically every game one, he's awesome. ... Guy likes rest when he gets his rest. Yeah. ... So just remember James Harden when he has rest. Bet him.

Ryan Garcia is the new face of boxing

Garcia was awesome and he, he might be the new face of boxing 'cause he is, he's crazy. He's like the perfect amount of crazy fun to watch. Was throwing bombs... he's something else.

Caleb Williams entering the Chicago Bears is the best situation for a #1 pick in a long time

Caleb comes in and you've got DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Deandre Swift... this is as good as situation as we've seen in a long time. ... You have to go back a while to say which quarterback was in this good of a situation that Caleb Williams is entering into as the number one overall pick in the draft.

The WNBA/NBA pay gap argument actually proves that NBA players are currently underpaid based on their revenue generation

NBA players obviously make way more money than WNBA players, but the league revenue is much higher. So at the same time, [people] are making the argument that NBA players should actually be paid more for what they're bringing. But their salaries are artificially deflated by the collective bargaining agreement that they have.