Why the Dodgers Trading for Skubal Is Everything RIGHT with Baseball

You know, the goal was always to win a World Series, you know, for the city, for the organization. That took a chance on me, so, yeah, it's tough. You know, I love all those guys in there. They're some of my best friends, you know, and, yeah, that'll be tough, for sure. Like you said, going to a team like the Dodgers, having a shot to be part of history, you know, how much does that mean to you? Yeah. Sorry. Yeah, it's exciting. You know, I'm excited. They got a good group. You know, you hear everything across the way. I'm excited, though. We said last week on Shine Time that our anticipation was you were going to see Tariq Scoogle traded to the L.A. Dodgers over the weekend, and that would be the lead of Monday's show, and here it is. And I got to tell you, if you're a fan of the L.A. Dodgers, you have to be absolutely positively thrilled. This was exactly what this team needed. When you look at the injuries and the rotation with Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell and Shohei Otani, and this, if you're a Dodger fan watching on NBC last night, was a thing of beauty. Scoogle goes from Detroit to L.A., meets his teammates, says hello to Dave Roberts. He's wearing Dodger blue. Clayton Kershaw was on the broadcast last night. That's right out of central casting in Hollywood. Absolutely positively perfect. So, what was the mindset for Andrew Freeman and the Dodgers playing the rich get richer game? Here's the Dodgers president of baseball operations with an explanation. Obviously, there are no guarantees in terms of other things happening. We don't know what the world's going to look like at the end of September. And so, yeah, I mean, I don't think we went into this saying this is an acute need. But as we've talked about a lot, whenever there's a starter level player that is available that can really shift championship odds, those are the moments that we'll be more aggressive. And we've tried in other instances and not lined up, and others where we have. But I think being by the backboard and doing everything we can to put ourselves in the best position with the core we have right now, with the way they go about their preparation to do everything they can to win a championship, when we can add to that and enhance our chances, we're going to be aggressive to do so. That is amazing. Andrew Freeman explaining to the critics, to the haters, to the media elite, to the Twitter tough guys, why the Dodgers go out and get schooled. And we talked about this at length last week leading up. Of course, the Dodgers were going to be the team that got schooled. Why? Because they have three pitchers when you look at Glasnow, Snell, Otani, Brewer-Hertz. The Brewers, not the Dodgers, best record when you look at it in the National League. The Dodgers only care about one thing, winning a championship for the guys in the locker room, for their amazing fans. That is the standard. The Dodgers trading for a school bowl is everything right with baseball. The Dodgers trading for a school bowl is everything right with sports. Their farm system is loaded. So they told Detroit, take your pick. And they were still able to keep their best prospects. I mean, it's kind of crazy when you stop and look at it. And honestly, when I say crazy, it's crazy that other teams didn't at the end of the day go out and do this. I mean, the Milwaukee Brewers absolutely could have done it. Absolutely should have done it. If they would have had Mizorowski and Schuble in the rotation together, they absolutely could have knocked off the Dodgers. Dodgers are always going to be my pick to win it, right? At every single turn, preseason, midway point of the season, trade deadline, Dodgers are the team that I believe has the infrastructure and the talent. I love the manager. I love the stars. I expect the Dodgers to win their third straight. But of the last three years, 2024, 2025, 2026, this season is the one they're the most vulnerable. So if the Brew crew went after it, even though we all know Schuble is going to take the most money, and by the way, could be the Dodgers, could be the Mets, could be the Blue Jays, could be the Giants, could be another big market team, right? That's what's going to happen here. So he's Scott Borer's client. All the Brewers have to do is say, we're going for the jugular. We would rather, what a concept, win a championship or be in position to win a championship than stare at Baseball America prospect rankings and see how high we are on the list. That's the difference between the Dodgers and everybody else, okay? I don't want to hear, well, you need to keep the prospects or you fill out the roster. Nonsense. The Tampa Rays could have done this. The Brewers could have and should have done this. And those are the smaller payroll teams. By the way, we're talking about the Brewers and the Rays, who right now are the leaders in the National League and the American League, respectively, in terms of winning percentage. So those teams absolutely could have made those trades. The Dodgers, there is an awesome feeling and an accountability to everyone in that clubhouse, to the history and tradition of the team, to the fan base that wants to win championships every single year. And by the way, I can't hear some of these baseball fans. Like, I'm a Yankees fan. I mean, the Yankees traded for Cecil Fielder and Danny Nagel at trade deadlines. Won a World Series one year and said, eh, we'll trade David Wells for Roger Clements. We've seen the Mets. We've seen the Red Sox. We've seen the Cubs. We've seen the Phillies. We've seen the Giants, among others, make trades at the deadline. We've seen the Angels in the past do it, when they actually cared about Major League Baseball. I mean, please. This is amazing. And you look at school ball. I mean, what are we talking about? We're talking about 2024, 2025. We're talking about back-to-back Cy Youngs. 31-10, 2-3 ERA, 469Ks against 6-62 starts. The guy's unbelievable. And then you take a look at this year, 116 strikeouts, 14 walks, and 96 innings. And this is obviously a year where you have to deal with that injury in the middle of the season. So, the Dodgers were super smart and super calculated. And I don't want to hear whether they're going to create a work stoppage. So, let me get this straight. You think that because the Dodgers traded for school ball, this means that there's going to be a work stoppage in baseball and that's going to ultimately be the tipping point? There's going to be a work stoppage in baseball if the owners and the players' association can't get on the same page. It's not about the Dodgers. If the Brewers win the World Series this year, right, there still could be a work stoppage. All right? Let's be crystal clear about that. I will never rip a team that plays within the rules and does everything they can to win a championship. That's why Freddie Freeman signed in the first place. That's why Mookie Betts signed in the first place. That's why Shohei Otani signed in the first place. Otani was languishing on the Angels where they don't give a damn about wins and losses. He wants to be somewhere where that's all they do and care about winning. That's why they signed Edwin Diaz. That's why they signed Kyle Tucker. And again, I don't want to hear it that other teams can't. Other teams won't. There's a difference. Big market teams, small market teams. And by the way, last time I checked, you know, the Brewers being in first in the National League, the Rays being in first in the American League, they're not in the top half when it comes to payroll. Look, you'd rather have money than not. I get it. Anyone see the Mets record? I mean, last time I checked, the Angels are in market number two, right? Let's be clear about that. You know, you'd rather be ahead than have not. But let's chill the hell out. The Dodgers saw injury. The Dodgers saw opportunity. The Dodgers were able to tell the Detroit Tigers and take advantage of how clueless they were. And by the way, we have to rant about this. The Tigers should have traded Scouble this past offseason and got everyone involved. It's not the Dodgers' fault that the Tigers had no idea which way it was up. And by the way, if the high-spending Blue Jays or high-spending Mets were relevant, they would have made a trade for Scouble. And no one knows if Scouble is even going to re-sign with the Dodgers. Scott Boras is aging. You think he's leaving a dollar on the table? If the San Francisco Giants decide to offer him a dollar more than the Dodgers, he'll go there. But yes, does this swing the pendulum in favor of the Dodgers? Of course. And that's wonderful. And that's amazing. But I can't get enough here when you take a look at the Dodgers doing anything and everything to win. They don't rest on their laurels. Scouble, Yamamoto, Otani, Snell, Glasnow, Wroblewski in the rotation. I mean, that's amazing. And I love that. And by the way, they just got swept over the weekend by the Boston Red Sox. This is as vulnerable a group of Dodgers as we've seen in the last few years. So what are they supposed to do? Sit on their hands? Just decide we're not going to go out and try because, you know, people with a keyboard are going to say, oh, you're killing baseball? Nonsense. The Dodgers this year, even though they're the Vegas favorites, they're not on wins and losses the best team in the game. They have injury. They have issues. They've been vulnerable. Mookie Betts has not had a great season. Pastor Hernandez has not had a great season. So this is everything. It's everything right with baseball. If you're a fan of the Dodgers, it's what you want. It's what you expect. It's what you demand. When there's one criteria we want to win the World Series, do the Brewers want to win the World Series? Do the Rays want to win the World Series? Among other teams, do the Atlanta Braves want to win the World Series? These teams absolutely could have done it. They chose not to. So that's a credit to the Dodgers, not some kind of baseball Armageddon and shame on the Dodgers. Love every single second of the Dodger way. And I hope they get rewarded with another championship. Meanwhile, the team that's trying to dethrone L.A., the Philadelphia Phillies, they made some news. Remember last week when Bryce Harper and Don Mattingly had a bit of a differing opinion on whether or not Philly needed to get involved in the trade deadline sweepstakes? Here's a refresher. I think we need some help. But I think we proved pretty much all year we've done a pretty good job. But any time you can get some help in here and reinforcements, I think it helps. Bryce said last night in the game he thinks that the team needs a little bit of help at the deadline. Do you sense maybe guys thinking about that or might that be on guys' minds as the deadline gets closer? I sense Bryce thinking about it. I don't really sense anybody else thinking about it, honestly. And you've been through this. Guys want to be GMs, what you need. Without a real understanding of where the organization is, exactly where this thing goes, not only this year but moving forward. Players like being GMs and making calls and spending other people's money. So, let's let it go at that. Pretty well documented on Shine Time, Don Mattingly is my guy. I love when Bryce Harper did that. Because certain times when stars have the ability, superstars, to speak their minds, listen. Teams listen. They pay attention. Especially when you pick and choose when to swing the hammer. Well, Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies. That's how I'm framing it. Not Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies. Not Don Mattingly and the Phillies. Not GM Don's son Preston Mattingly and the Phillies. Bryce Harper and the Phillies made a trade today for the perfect offensive ball player, Luisa Rice, who I'm obsessed with. And Luisa Rice puts the bat on the ball. Luisa Rice, the king of the batting average. Luisa Rice always plays big in big spots. Luisa Rice is exactly what the doctor ordered. What a phenomenal trade. This is absolutely amazing when you look at it from the Philadelphia Phillies perspective. If there was one guy who was available who would have fit the bill of exactly what Bryce Harper was talking about, that's it. So, everything that Harper asked for, he was able to get. And Arise has that sweet swing. Look, I'm not going to say that he's what Don Mattingly was as a player, but it's someone from Mattingly's era that I know that Donnie Baseball can appreciate in terms of a contact hitter and Wade Boggs-esque, and I'm absolutely obsessed. So, I think this is going to help Philadelphia, help turn Philadelphia around. Right guy, right time. And that's why it's a phenomenal job by someone at the end of the day like Bryce Harper seizing that moment. I still think if you're ranking teams that can win the National League, because I still believe in the Phillies' top-end pitching, I still love their power, I think it's the Dodgers draw a line, and I would put Bryce Harper and Luisa Rice and Kyle Schwarber and company second on the list in terms of being next most likely here to ultimately win the NL. Phenomenal job by the Phillies, phenomenal job by Bryce Harper. From the class of the NLEs to the dregs. New York traded a couple of top prospects to the Brewers in the offseason to get starter Freddie Peralta. And I thought this could be a terrific, tremendous move, but no. His ERA was five, he won five games, and they moved him to the class of the American League at the moment, the Tampa Rays. So when you look at it from a Rays perspective, this is absolutely terrific. First of all, if you're a Mets fan and you knew that the team was going to sell, season was over when they had their 12-game losing streak, I mean, Peralta in so many ways is the snapshot of failure, where he was supposed to be the one automatic, right? In an offseason where I hated basically everything for the Mets, I loved the Peralta deal. Loved it. I thought he was going to be terrific. He was a train wreck, which is why I think if you're a fan of the Rays or if you're a fan of the Yankees like me, now you kind of stand up a little straighter and pay more attention to Tampa. The offense is still pretty miserable, but I think Freddie Peralta needing to get the hell out of New York, go play for Kevin Cash, that incredible culture, the antithesis of the chaos and nonsense they have in New York with the Mets, I think that the Rays are now officially, if you didn't believe it, and their offense is what it is, the Rays are for real. When you have, obviously, that rotation with a real big four and you have Rasmussen and you have Chano and you have Nick Martinez, that is absolutely terrific. And now that means, and the Rays, as we speak, are better than the Yankees. They're in first place. Now they can compete with the Yankees' rotation, which is obviously as good as any in the top big three, with Schlittler and obviously Cole and Max Freed for the Yankees at the top of that rotation. So even though the Rays, and I'm critical, they didn't go all in here for Scruble, Peralta, right guy, right time for the Tampa Rays, and also it's the end of an era, E-R-R-O-R, for the Mets. I mean, the snapshot of failure when you look at David Stearns and what transpired this year really just underscores what a disaster this was for the Mets, and this is a terrific deal now with a real rotation for the Tampa Rays. And as a Yankee fan, I'm concerned. Speaking of the Yankees, I mean, my goodness, they can't hit. I mean, everybody's hurt. The offense is a mess. But I do love what they did yesterday acquiring Luis Garcia Jr. from the Nationals in exchange for a bunch of guys that no one is ever going to think about ever again, starting with Jake Byrd. Byrd, the word. Go fly to Washington. Garcia's 26 years old, and at the moment, you look at Garcia, he leads the NL in slugging percentage. Now, I am a huge Luis Garcia fan, right? He's having the best year of his career, and he's got 23 homers, 283 batting average. I wanted the Yankees to get a righty. They get a lefty, which I'm going to sign off on because he can flat out rake, and the Yankees' offense has been deplorable. They take a series against the Cubbies, winning two out of three against a really good Cubs team at Wrigley Field. They scored six runs in the series. So, I think getting someone like Garcia is absolutely terrific and absolutely tremendous. There's got to be more for the Yankees. Also, Paul Goldschmidt hitting well under the men. Those align on the 200 against righties. You know, I want Garcia playing every single day. You want to play him a little in the second, that's fine. You want to DH him on occasion, that's fine. But that was a terrific, tremendous move when you look at it from our guy Brian Cashman. So, I think that was a lefty stick who absolutely can rake, who can flat out hit, who can go out and do his thing. And I really just absolutely love what Garcia brings to the table. And I thought that was a terrific and tremendous move by the Yankees. Obviously, we still have time before the trade deadline. Would like to see some more. I would love a righty stick. I'd love a third baseman. I'd love some help in the bullpen. I would love to never see Anthony Volpe's face ever again. Just a little bit of a wish list here for the Yankees. So, the Yankees get Luis Garcia Jr. and the Boston Red Sox have made a monster trade today. And honestly, it's phenomenal. And as a Yankee fan, it makes me sick. John Hammond from the New York Post has been all over it all day and broke the story. Orioles catcher Adley Rushman traded to the Boston Red Sox. Wow. The Yankees were rumored to be in on Rushman. Hammond and Joel Sherman have been all over that for a week now. And Boston swoops in day of the baseball trade deadline and they trade for the power-hitting catcher who is perfect for Boston. And would have been perfect for the Yankees! I mean, the Yankee catching situation is awful. Austin Wells can't hit. Austin Wells can't catch. Austin Wells doesn't know when to challenge and when not to. We saw that on Sunday. And Adley Rushman goes to Boston? I mean, this is wild. And how about the Red Sox? They bust out the Brooms over the weekend. They sweep away the big bad L.A. Dodgers in three games in L.A. in what could be, let's be honest here, a World Series preview. Not to mention the fact that the Red Sox are 28-5 in their last 33 games. 28-5! June 24th, they were 32-46. The hell's going on here? I mean, it's absolutely wild. And what a credit to Chad Tracy and the guys in that clubhouse. And Boston's just been able to find a way to rally despite all the injuries and the wretched start and firing Alex Cora. And listen, they're in striking distance now. Only two and a half games behind the Yankees. Only five games behind Tampa. And now I expect Boston to make the playoffs. Their pitching has been really solid. Their offense has been ridiculously tough and incredibly clutch. And they deserve a lot of credit. And this, this has that old school kind of feel, right? Where it's the Red Sox and the Yankees vying for the same player. And the fact that Boston is able to win this sweepstakes. I mean, this is like, you know, Theo Epstein versus Brian Cashman back in the day in the mid-2000s. I mean, this has like hotel rooms and A-Rod written all over it. Man, Boston just made a fabulous trade. A fabulous trade. Great for Boston, bad for my Yankees. I mean, it's awful. As a Yankee fan watching the Red Sox win, I mean, this was the worst Red Sox season in 40 years. I mean, it was worthless. I mean, they were terrible. Sam Kennedy. Craig Breslow. Fired Cora. John Henry's giving up on baseball. Guys in this clubhouse deserve a lot of credit. They started that second half beating Tampa. They beat Baltimore. They beat Toronto. Division teams. They take this series, sweeping away the Dodgers. They gave the organization a reason to go get a bat and a catcher like this. Phenomenal job by the Boston Red Sox. Breaks my Yankee heart. Let's take a break from the diamond and shine on football now. We're going camping on Shine Time. And we begin with Cam Scattergill, who is backtracking on his backflipping. Yeah, I mean, obviously, I do some dumb things here and there, you know. But I learned from it. You know, my coach talked to me, told me how he felt. And I learned from it. And will I go do that backflip again? Probably not. So, I mean, we live and we learn. And, you know, we move on. This right here is the sound bites of the summer from any single football camp thus far. And if you're a fan of the New York football giants and you hear that, you should be absolutely jumping for joy. Look, we said it at the time. Scattergill, coming off of an injury, doing a backflip at Fanatics Fest is the theater of the absurd. Amateur hour. This can't happen. And he stumbles. That's nightmare fuel. If you're the Giants, if you're a Giants fan, if you're John Harbaugh. And that sound bite tells you all you need to know. These are John Harbaugh's Giants. These are not Brian Dayball's Giants or Pat Shurmur's Giants or Joe Judge's Giants. Finally, a real head coach coaching the New York football giants. And when Harbaugh said at the time, talking to Carl Banks and Bob Papa on their incredible podcast, that, you know, it was something where he kind of sternly said, you know, I want him to stick to landing. We made a big deal about it at the time here on Shine Time because that was Harbaugh's way of saying I will handle this internally. There's no way that John Harbaugh saw one of his injured players who's important to the success of this team. I mean, and if you're Scadaboo, you have to be absolutely out of your mind understanding you're coming off an injury. You still have Tracy. You still have Singletary. You've got a coach who's all ball all the time. Harbaugh must have been flipping out watching Scadaboo flipping around at Fanatics Fest coming off of an injury, as dumb as it gets. So, Scadaboo, by the way, I loved him in college, thought he was tough and he was aggressive, even though he got hurt last year. Right now, he is known for being Jackson Dart's best friend. He needs to really get on track for his NFL career. I mean, we're not talking about a signature running back in any way, shape, or form. We're talking about a complementary player who has the ability to do more, but he has to be smart. He has to be available. Jackson Dart, I think, is going to be a big key to this. Jackson Dart at his availability and Jackson Dart being coached by Harbaugh and Jackson Dart as Scadaboo's best friend. I want to see Dart in addition. You know, they can't just be bros together, Scadaboo and Dart. Dart needs to take on a leadership role here and follow along with Harbaugh and tell Cam Scadaboo, you need to get in line. This is not about, you know, social media. This is not about theatrics. It's about winning football games. So that sound bite was awesome with Scadaboo. And I'll tell you, everything that I'm seeing, everything I'm hearing on Malik Neighbors is off the charts. And I think it's kind of funny, right, the benefit of the late start for the NFL season this year. You know, every time I read Paul Schwartz in the New York Post, every time I see Paul do something here on the YouTube page for the New York Post with Brandon London, I get more energized by the minutes when it comes to Malik Neighbors being ready to be out there. Every sound bite from Joe Shane, every sound bite from Coach Harbaugh makes you think that Malik Neighbors is on track. And look, we've given you the schedule before here on Shine Time. I think the Giants are going to start the season 4-2. I think they could lose the first two games of the season and rattle off the next four. So Neighbors being healthy, big picture, is everything. Look, if he's not healthy for the Dallas game, they can't beat the Dallas Cowboys. Simple as that. If he is healthy, they're going to have a real shot. So there are so many great signs and examples here of this camp being all about John Harbaugh and his stamp and his imprint on the New York football Giants and why this appointment and this hire was everything for Darts, for Scataboo, for Neighbors, for Abdul Carter, for the young Giants, for Giants fans. We're raising the bar on everything. That's the genius of John Harbaugh. Eight to ten wins being in contention. And listen, Scataboo's got a lot of upside. Giants have not only been bad for a long time, they've been boring. Aesthetically unappealing. Just an eyesore of a team to watch. Scataboo needs to focus, and I love every single second of that sound bite. No more backflips. And if he does it again, you can bet your bottom dollar, Harbaugh is going to flip out. In 49ers camp, oh baby, this is a fun sight. How cool is it to see Debo Samuel back in San Francisco running routes next to new Niner Mike Evans? This is, in fact, great stuff, especially on the heels of the brutal news that Ricky Pearsall, the young, talented receiver, season-ending PCL surgery, that is, that's rough. And thankfully for San Francisco and for Brock Purdy and Kyle Shanahan, Debo Samuel was available, which I couldn't believe, as a street-free agent. Debo should have never left in the first place. Debo, look, if you want to even say he's not the player that he was during his salad days in San Francisco, I think Debo Samuel is going to have an impactful season. Should have never left in the first place. They should have paid him instead of Brandon Ayoub, who was a first guess on my part. Debo running the football, catching it. He can play every different receiver position. He's such a fun guy. Team leader, wants to win. He has an attitude and a swagger that I know everybody in San Francisco really loves and appreciates. And if you're Brock Purdy, this is such a win. Brock Purdy has loved Debo Samuel for a long time. And I just think that anything, especially with this brutal news about Pearsall, that helps out Brock Purdy, especially with Kyle Shanahan still not coaching the team after the car accident and the concussion. This is such a mental and physical win for Brock Purdy. Niners, it's a weird time to kind of figure them out, right? And I'm a big Brock Purdy fan. I'm a big Debo Samuel fan. In theory, they're better on defense with Fred Warner and Nick Bosa being healthy. Christian McCaffrey's unbelievable. I thought the Mike Evans signing was as amazing an off-season move as any team had during the month of March. In theory, the window should be wide open for San Francisco. The Shanahan complications, to me, narrows the gap a little bit. The Pearsall injury, not what you want. But Debo Samuel is energizing for this fan base. And I wanted to see the Niners beat the Chiefs at one of these two Super Bowls that they played over the last six years because they were better than Kansas City both years. Could have won if Jimmy G hit Emmanuel Sanders. Should have won the game that went to overtime. Ah, so close yet so far. I don't think this team is ultimately going to win it this year. I think they're the second or third best team in their own division. But Debo Samuel on the heels of the brutal news about Ricky Pearsall, that's energizing. And Mike Evans, by all accounts, is turning heads. Brock Purdy loves him. Excellent, excellent stuff when you look at it with Debo Samuel going back to San Francisco. To Texas, where a reunion is taking place that warrants us dusting off the old George Michael sports machine for this flashback. With the first pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans select Jadavion Clowney, defensive end, South Carolina. You don't find a young man that big, that fast, that strong every day. He's a once every 15-year talent. He's the number one player. Houston has their work cut out for him, getting him in that 3-4, pairing him with J.J. Watt, and letting him go after Andrew Luck because that's the task. Who says you can't go home again? I mean, that's amazing, flashing back to that with Clowney drafted to go after Andrew Luck. Jadavion Clowney signed by the Houston Texans who drafted him number one overall. Remember, that was the Reggie Bush draft where everyone and their mother, including mine, thought Bush was going to go number one in that draft, but instead he went number two to New Orleans. Clowney, look, didn't fully pan out first time around in Houston, but he's had a long career, constantly getting to the quarterback. Played last year with the Cowboys, had eight and a half sacks last year. And you think about the rich getting richer. I mean, my goodness, D'Amico Ryan's defense enters to me as the single best defense in the National Football League. D'Amico Ryan's is an absolute gem. I think this defense is going to be the best in the NFL. Obviously, you think about the pass rush. Will Anderson is unbelievable. You think about Danielle Hunter, unbelievable. You think about our guy Stingley on the back end. This defense is locked and loaded. I am absolutely obsessed, and I think the Houston Texans are going to be off the charts on defense. Now they just need C.J. Stroud to be able to throw the forward pass. So much excitement in Rams camp with rumors of Aaron Donald's potential return and Myles Garrett's in the house, making hits like this one in practice last week. But that was last week. Garrett has missed the past three practices, and will miss today's practice as well. And it's a sore back, right? I can't stress this enough. How smart this is and why the Rams, we say this all the time, best organization in the National Football League. And this is another example. Myles Garrett, you don't rush it with a back injury. And injury's probably strong. Soreness is what they're calling it. Myles Garrett shouldn't see the practice field again until he feels like he's limber and there's no pain and there's no soreness. He doesn't have to break a sweat to break through the offensive line week one against San Francisco and sack Brock Purdy three times on opening night for the Rams and the Niners when they're playing overseas on the first Thursday of the NFL season. Myles Garrett could just take his time and chill out, wait for Aaron Donald to sign his contract. And remember, by the way, last year at this time, remember who had a back injury and wasn't practicing? Matthew Stafford. So it doesn't matter. Sean McVay knows exactly what he's doing. And when McVay talked to the press about this, it was so vital and so important in the way that everything is just relayed in terms of the organization and everyone's on the same page from ownership to the team president to the general manager to the head coach to the defensive coordinator. It's just incredible. And by the way, you want some Rams eye candy? How about Devontae Adams, who is in year 13 in the National Football League, and he's still doing ridiculously amazing things. It's absolutely incredible to watch. And, I mean, look at this. I mean, you want some fun football practice material to start get you going if you're an NFL fan, if you start prepping for your fantasy draft, if you're a Rams fan thinking this is gonna be the year, that's great stuff. And Devontae Adams, I don't care what year he's in in the National Football League, still one of the best receivers in the NFL. He's as great as it gets as number two receiver in the NFL, especially how he and Puka Nakua compliment each other, watching Stafford throwing darts in the month of August. Thing of beauty if you're a fan of the LA Rams. The Chiefs camp, and I've been saying it for a couple weeks now, Chiefs are healthy, be wary. And Andy Reid has some positive feelings on the health of his most important player, Patrick Mahomes. Yeah, listen, he's doing a great job. He's really doing everything that he normally does and doing it well. So, we're happy with that. We know he's still progressing through it, but he sure looks sharp out here. Well, he looks sharp. I want you guys to take a look at this play, right? I mean, it's always fun when you can find an example of Patrick Mahomes doing some weird and wild and wacky things. So, he drops back to pass, surveys the scene. Oh, my goodness. Looks like our senior associate producer Tommy Cohen when he was at Sag Harbor this weekend playing a little football on the beach. I mean, show it out one more time if we can, guys. Anytime you can see Patrick Mahomes throwing the ball right into his center, I mean, my goodness. Looks like our guy Tommy. I mean, that's unreal. And it's okay showing this video and having some fun and some yuck-yucks with it because all you need to know is exactly what Andy Reid told the great Dan Graziano over at ESPN. He's healthy. Practicing 100% fully. No rest, no rep issue, no nothing in terms of what happened with the injury last year. And listen, obviously, this is a Chiefs team that is in some kind of transition. Of course, you know, you look at the defense and they've done some different things. And McDuffie gets traded to the Rams and they draft a big-time corner. They sign Kenneth Walker, who I love. You know, Travis Kelsey. I don't know if you know this. He got married in the offseason. Might have heard that. He doesn't necessarily look quite yet like he's in football Hall of Fame shape. It doesn't matter. If Patrick Mahomes is healthy, then Patrick Mahomes is ready to rock and roll. Kansas City Chiefs are going to be absolutely in the conversation for everything. Listen, we can nitpick the back end of the defense, nitpick the pass rush, nitpick Kelsey's Wade, nitpick the depth and the availability of wide receiver. Mahomes is healthy. That's all I need to know here when you take a look at it for the Kansas City Chiefs. Don't look now. Travis Hunter is back on the field. Both sides of the field, that is. I got to tell you something. This is as important and as fun a storyline in training camp as you could have. First of all, Travis Hunter did an interview on the NFL Network with our good friend, the great Judy Batista, this weekend. And I'm watching it, and Judy asks the best questions in the business. And Hunter's answers, I'm sitting there pumping my fist every single time he spoke. Travis Hunter's rookie season was a waste. There's no other way to phrase it. I mean, I don't want to spin it any other way. It was, he was supposed to be the Shohei Ohtani of the NFL. I mean, not even close. He was the Anthony Volpe of the national football league. Travis Hunter, to me, is as important a player as any in the AFC. I think, in theory, the Jacksonville Jaguars should be in the conversation for everything. When you start talking about teams that can go to the Super Bowl this year, the fact that he's catching passes from Trevor Lawrence, good! He should! He has to! This is why they gave up all those picks, including this year's first, to move up in the draft and get him. Travis Hunter on defense? Yes! We need to see it. He needs to make plays. Needs to make splash plays. Needs to impact the Jaguars' really strong defense. Needs to create turnovers. I think this is huge. Look, Liam Cohen joked over the weekend that he likes flying under the radar and, you know, he could see a million different clips on social media and on YouTube and on television about Kayla Williams' this and, you know, big market teams' that. There are expectations for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Jacksonville cannot run away from them. Not that Cohen's trying to. Travis Hunter is supposed to be a marquee guy. Center stage kind of guy. Played for Deion in Colorado. Could play offense, play defense. Nondescript, worthless, completely irrelevant rookie season. Hunter being dominant on both sides of the ball? That's fun! And it also can't just be a nice little cute camp story. That needs to be the norm when the Jacksonville Jaguars start shooting for the moon this upcoming season. But wait, there's more. What's an unpopular opinion that you have? This is going to be crazy. Babe Ruth never existed is one that I like. Really? He never existed? I heard some picture with the Mariners. What's his name? Salcedo? Remember him? Salcedo, yeah, lefty. I think he did some podcast on Zoom when he was like going down the rabbit hole with somebody about how Babe Ruth never existed. I was like, dude, that's awesome. Wow, so you're going to double down right now? We always talk about how the game's evolving. People might as well have been underhanding the ball to that guy. And he's regarded still as one of the best players ever. Might as well dive further into it and be like, well, maybe he just never existed. I love it. That's crazy. That's a good one. The moon landing picture? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Are those pictures real? Yeah, the moon landing. I don't really want to get into this. I'm all for hot takes, right? Babe Ruth never existed. PCA needs to start wearing tinfoil hats in the outfield. That is one hell of a conspiracy theory. One hell of a hot take. Also, I've read every Babe Ruth book. You know, adult books, kid books. Who is Babe Ruth books? Whatever book, you know, Babe Ruth baseball card books, any point for the whole. Now, I understand what PCA say. I just want to sit here for the record, okay? What he's trying to say is no one alive has seen Babe Ruth play. For the Babe Ruth, Shohei Otani conversation, there's no conversation. It's Bagot Babe Ruth. I have said that on numerous occasions. Babe Ruth is kind of this mythical figure and creature. The game has changed. Obviously, you know, everything has changed in baseball since when Babe Ruth played to now. I get it. I would, though, say to PCA, Babe Ruth did exist. He did play. He was a real human being. George Herman, Babe Ruth. Go look it up. You should read the book. You should watch some grainy video. I mean, that's wild stuff, man. That's crazy. Now, his point is Otani always trumps the Babe. Yes! I agree. Couldn't agree more. But Babe Ruth never existed. Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell officially married. The all-star guard tied the knot with the singer and the actress Coco Jones And Nixon Sixers players, including Jalen Brunson and Jalen Brown. And look at Brunson. First of all, he's got my dance moves on the floor. Let's just, you know, I mean, that looks like me cutting a rug. But the king of New York giving Jalen Brown that kind of glare? As if to say, okay, I see you. Giving him the eyes. All right. I mean, at first when I saw this video, whether it was the stare and the eyes or whether it was how Jalen was dancing, I was like, someone put his head on someone else's body. Because, first of all, it looks like me dancing right there, right? I mean, you know, not exactly moves like Jagger right there. But he's not dancing. He's not worried about it or feeling the beat. He just wants Jalen Brown to know. And the wedding was in Greenwich, Connecticut, which is Nick's country. Okay? Let's be crystal clear. The king of New York still runs through New York, Madison Square Garden, still Jalen Brunson, and also Jalen Brown. Nixon Sixers. Those moves from Jalen Brunson. That right there is the show. If you miss any portion of the show, just do what I do and go watch it over and over and over again. Go to our new YouTube page. Subscribe to our new YouTube page. At Shine Time. And we'll see you tomorrow on Shine Time.