Speaker 0 00:00:03 What's going on everybody? Welcome into Cash. It. I'm Howard Bender with me. Adam Ronis. What's going on? Adam, how you doing? Oh, yeah. Wait, I probably shouldn't ask you how you're doing. I, I don't think we've spoken to you since, uh, since the weekend games. I'm sorry to, uh, to have brought that up in such a painful memory for you.
Speaker 1 00:00:22 It's okay. Uh, my, I didn't expect Dallas to win. I did pick them here, uh, San Francisco last week, uh, to cover. It was just disappointing because of the way the game went. Uh, they had an opportunity to win. I mean, they really held down the San Francisco offense. If you would've told me before the game, Hey, they're gonna only allow 19 points. McCaffrey's not gonna go off Debos not gonna go off Purdy's not gonna throw a touch on him. I'm like, all right, Dallas probably wins. But, um, their offense was not good. Once Pollard went down, they were in big trouble cuz they only have two explosive players on offense, Pollard and CD Lamb. That's it. Um, and once Paula went down and you had to go to Mo Zeke, you knew, I knew they were fucked because you cannot, I said it before the first playoff game.
Speaker 1 00:01:08 You can't use Zeke in the playoffs as your primary back. You just can't. He's the shorty yardage back and that's it. And he's not the same player. Paula just brings a different dimension. Uh, they didn't have him, Dak did not play well. You know, they needed Dak to play to the level he did against Tampa and he didn't two bad interceptions. Um, and that was it. But I think the theme that you see with the teams that lost most of the teams that lost this round, they need more Playmakers. They're asking their quarterbacks to do too much. Even Buffalo, like Josh Allen, he co, he covered up a lot of what was wrong with that team this year. They just don't have enough. They have Stefan Diggs and that's it. I mean, Gabe Davis had their ankle injury. He was inconsistent. Some big games, some quiet.
Speaker 1 00:01:53 I mean, they brought in Kobe Beasley, same thing with Dallas. They're asking Michael Gallop, who tore his ACL the last game of the regular season last year to come back and be a number two. And he couldn't do it. You know, and Dalton Schultz is a fine tight end, but he's not George Kittle, he's not making plays down the field like Kittle. He's, he can get open but nothing deep. So they lack Playmakers, Buffalo lack Playmakers. Um, cuz when you compare it to what the teams that left like San Francisco, Dallas, who has the better personnel on offense, clearly San Fran, you look at Philly, they got AJ Brown, Devonte Smith, Dallas, Goddard. You look at Bengals, Jamar, chase, Joe Mixon, t Higgins, Tyler board, even Hayden Hurst not a bad tight end. It's like your third or fourth option in the offense. Um, the one team that doesn't I'll say is Kansas City.
Speaker 1 00:02:40 Why Damn Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott's, not Patrick. So, I mean, it's pretty clear. So Mahomes is that player that can elevate and uh, you know, he is got his best friend, Travis Kelsey. Um, I will say the rest of the personnel is iffy. Um, Juju's not the same. Canary is Tony, you know. So, uh, I, I think, think Dallas, that's the thing that kind of is crazy. And I guess it's cuz it's the Cowboys, right? And they draw so much attention. Like people are like fucking killing the Cowboys all week. Hey guys, San Francisco is fucking favorite in the game. They're the better
Speaker 0 00:03:12 Team.
Speaker 1 00:03:14 Like, I'm mad, I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed because they had an opportunity to win. This game was nine, nine after three quarters. That's the frustrating part is their defense played really well. You can say, well, what happened in the last couple drives? Yeah, the defense got worn down. Man offense didn't nothing to help them. So to me, that game, Dallas lost it on offense and I gotta put it on deck. And I'm not as harsh on deck as other cowboy fans like I've had Corey Parson is really anti-D Deck. I'm not to that level. But I have to say this game was on D he didn't do anything. And I saw some really good breakdown by Daniel Orlowski and he was saying, Dak missed t y Hilton here. He had the wrong read here, the Gallup play where Gallup was open, he made a bad throw, Dak didn't play well, there's no way to sugar coat it.
Speaker 1 00:04:00 He did not play well. And Dak Prescott is a quarterback that cannot elevate the players around him. You've gotta put talent around him. So can they win with Dak? I would say yes. A lot of people would say no, but you are gonna have to put more talent around him. You can't just do it with cd, lamb Impala. That's not enough. Dak can't take you to that level. But the defense played very well, and that was the frustrating part is they were in the game. But the bottom line is San Francisco was the better team. They were favored, they were home. They were supposed to win the game, and they, that was the most competitive game of the weekend, you know, so it
Speaker 0 00:04:36 Was, I mean, definitely the most competitive game of the weekend. I, yeah, I mean, it it like cowboys fans bring this on themselves and you know, and, and sometimes
Speaker 1 00:04:47 It's a fair point,
Speaker 0 00:04:49 You know, because what happens is, is the, the season should always start off with hope. It should always start off with hope. You should always start off being excited about it when you win the first couple of games of the season. And, and the opponents are, you know, are are a mix. You know, it's like you, you might face like one or two good teams in your first five or six games, but, you know, I don't even, I don't even remember. I know that the, the, the Cowboys schedule early on in the season,
Speaker 1 00:05:16 They opened with Tampa and Lost Remember? And then Dak got hurt in that game, so, right,
Speaker 0 00:05:21 Right. And so
Speaker 1 00:05:22 I thought they were in trouble. And then Cooper Rush played well and they won games,
Speaker 0 00:05:25 Right? But, so here it is, right? So, so you beat the Bengals in week two and that was phenomenal. Uh, you know, that's, you know, but the Bengals were, we were all talking about the fact that, you know, they were still dealing with their Super Bowl hangover and, you know, they hadn't gelled yet and, and whatever. But you guys won the game. But then it was like the Giants, the Commanders, and then the Rams. And, and what happens is, obviously, you know, I mean the Cowboys fans just go so over the top, we're gonna win it all. This is it. This is our year. This, this is our year, this is our year, this is our year that it's like every single thing. Then you lost to the Eagles. Oh, the Eagles are a tough team. We played 'em. Well, Cooper,
Speaker 1 00:06:03 Cooper Rush started that game,
Speaker 0 00:06:05 Right? Picks you throw down that you've got the backup QB there, then you beat the lines, you beat the Bears, everything's, you know, back to being hunky dory. And then all of a sudden you lose to the Packers. And then all of a sudden it's like, okay, we lost to the Packers. And, and you know, you started hearing like a a, you know, a couple of, a couple of people were like, Hmm, well, you know, this is what the team needs or whatever. Or this was just, you know, they were looking too far ahead. And then you beat the Vikings. Not only did you beat the Vikings, but you, you absolutely destroyed the Vikings. I mean, it was like a complete and total ass whooping. And, and from that point on there, and I'm not talking about you personally, I'm talking, I'm, I'm not talking like you and Corey Parson Dallas Cowboy fan.
Speaker 0 00:06:52 I'm talking more Jim Boden. Yeah. Dallas Cowboy fan, where it's, it's the, uh, the the every man who just, who, who worships their football team and they can do no wrong. And they are the, the greatest thing since sliced bread. And you know, you and I talked about all the holes that the Vikings had and how terrible their defense was, that, you know, you couldn't overblow that game. But that's why, like, I mean, and, and so now you just, you see it, the aftermath, the disappointment of, you know, losing, like you said, a game that you probably weren't even supposed to win anyway. But you know, the fact that you guys beat up Tampa so much, everybody was like, back on that Super Bowl train again. Look what we did to Tampa.
Speaker 1 00:07:36 And I even told you the Tampa sucked.
Speaker 0 00:07:38 Right, right, right. So I'm saying it's like, but like the majority of the fan base, and it's probably the same with like any team really. Well,
Speaker 1 00:07:46 I saw
Speaker 0 00:07:47 The majority of that. I
Speaker 1 00:07:48 Saw a giant fans,
Speaker 0 00:07:48 Fans
Speaker 1 00:07:49 Here. I saw what Giants fans, I'm like, are they serious? They realistically think they're gonna beat Philly. Like, come on man, like this team overachieved. Yeah, you beat Minnesota great.
Speaker 0 00:07:59 I did think they would play Philly a little tough.
Speaker 1 00:08:01 I mean, I think most saw, yeah, I mean I think people expected them to, but yeah. But there were people who thought they would win the game. Like I told you, almost every thing I heard all week was Giants. Giants, giants not to win. Not everyone said straight up, but there were pe there were Giants fans who thought they were gonna win this game. And I'm like, you guys must have forgot how good Philly is, man. I mean, and we saw it right away. I mean, they were never in that, that game was over so quick. I
Speaker 0 00:08:25 Mean, in the first five minutes
Speaker 1 00:08:26 It was over. Yeah, it was Dawn. You just saw it. You're like, yeah, this is gonna be a long day
Speaker 0 00:08:30 <laugh>. Um, but no, no, no. A long day Adam is watching that game with a Giants fan who just loves to scream at the tv.
Speaker 1 00:08:40 Well, there wasn't Musk scr screaming to be done after the first quarter. It's like all,
Speaker 0 00:08:44 I don't know. I'm not talking about the good screaming Adam. I am definitely not talking about the good screaming <laugh>.
Speaker 1 00:08:50 I mean, you could save your vocal chords after a while. Um, it was pretty easy to see that that cables gonna be lopsided. But, but let, let me tell you a good story though. So I've seen this woman in my building before several times. Never said a word. She didn't say anything to me. I think it was Monday or Tuesday. I'm walking outside and I have a, like a cowboy winner hat that I always wear. Cause it's cold out. And I walk past her, I get ready to push the door open and she goes, how about them cowboys? I turn around, she goes, I'm a 49ers fan, but I want to give you your team credit. They were pretty good <laugh> and this, that <laugh>. And we have this whole friendly conversation. And I was like, well, I know you hate the Cowboys. She's like, no, no, no.
Speaker 1 00:09:38 I don't hate the Cowboys. I hate their fans. <laugh>. She's like, but I liked having this conversation with you because I was, I was being honest. I said, look, San Francisco's better. I didn't expect Dallas to win. I was like, I think George Kittle is the best tight end in football. Um, he just doesn't get deployed like Kelsey does. So you don't see the numbers. And she was saying, oh, she loves Kelsey's, uh, kid's attitude. And I do too. I don't, I don't see how you can't like George Kittle and I hate the 49ers. That dude just has fun. He made the biggest play at the game to catch. But it goes to show that football just brings people together and you can have friendly conversations. Like, I'm realistic about my team. They, I didn't think they would win. I was hoping they did, but I thought the 49ers were better.
Speaker 1 00:10:20 I was hoping Purdy would play like a rookie quarterback. And he did at times. I mean, Dallas let 'em off the hook. Diggs dropped an interception. Uh, they had a couple other plays they could intercepted. They didn't make the play when they needed to. He did just enough to keep them in the game. But, uh, yeah, I mean, look, I'm used to this with Dallas at this point. It's the same fucking shit every year. It's like, all right, get to the playoffs. Oh, great. Now they got to the divisional round. But man, it's just, it's just frustrating because they're just not good enough to take that next step. So I wasn't really, I haven't, like, I'm not as distraught anymore when it comes to my teams. I don't know if it's the fantasy sports, the sports betting aspect of it, or just, um, getting your numb,
Speaker 0 00:11:03 You're, you're numb. That too. You've been fucked by your team so many times. It's like, let them,
Speaker 1 00:11:07 I'm used to it. I'm used to
Speaker 0 00:11:09 It <laugh>.
Speaker 1 00:11:10 Well, I just, all I need, okay, I guess I've been fortunate enough as a cowboy fan to C3 Super Bowls. I need a Mets World Series. That's what I need. That is all I ask for. Please gimme a Mets World Series soon. That's all I asked for.
Speaker 0 00:11:29 Yeah. I can't wish that for you. I'm sorry. I, I love you, but I just can't wish that for I know you
Speaker 1 00:11:33 Can't. I know you can't.
Speaker 0 00:11:35 <laugh> no way. Spoke to Aaron Boone today, uh, getting into some baseball talk. I mean, it was great cuz Boone's a uh, you know, he grew up in, in Philly cuz his dad was playing for the Phillies in the, uh, in the early to mid seventies, well, to the early eighties. Actually played 10 years there, 72 to 81. Um, and so Boey grew up, uh, an Eagles fan and everything was all about the Eagles. He said it was a great time to, to grow up in Philadelphia because the flyers were great and the Eagles were great. And, um, you know, and, and the Phillies, you know, his dad was there. I mean, it was just, it was a lot of great stuff, you know, around there. So, you know, talking to him. But, you know, obviously we, we snuck in a few, uh, Yankees questions. And I gotta tell you, I think what excites me the most, did I, I, did I mention this on the last podcast? Are we talking about, this is like the first baseball season in four years that we're walking into that. There, there's no, there's no dark cloud over our head. I actually said this at our, at our our work meeting today also. Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:12:38 Full, full spring training, free agents,
Speaker 0 00:12:40 Full
Speaker 1 00:12:41 Training. Most of the free agents are signed.
Speaker 0 00:12:44 I mean, it's like I'm doing, I'm doing Let's bet it tomorrow. And we're gonna actually talk about futures, early futures for like MVP and Cy Young.
Speaker 1 00:12:55 Yeah, I mean, last year, you know, we didn't know when we were gonna start. So yeah, this is definitely a different circumstance. We're gonna have a spring training, which is again, where a lot of times it's where I find, um, some undervalued players. You know, Carlos Rodan, a couple years ago, um, I wasn't on 'em until the spring started. I started reading some stories. So his velocity, I was like, oh yeah, I'm taking this guy late in every draft. And that obviously worked out. So there's, there are things that you can see in the spring, um, that can uncover some of these undervalued players. So I, I'm looking forward to it.
Speaker 0 00:13:27 So I, I wanna, you know, listen, we will, you know, on today's podcast, we're gonna, we're gonna break down the, the conference games. We're gonna pick our picks against the, you know, against the spread. Maybe even, you know, throw some over under there. My over under is actually, uh, I wrote up the, um, the Eagles 49ers game, the game total 46 and a half. Um, so I wrote that up
[email protected] that's available. So we're gonna talk about some football, we're gonna talk some NBA as well, Adam's article over at, uh, at, at PIs wise.com covers, uh, different props and stuff like that. So I wanna, we're recording here on Wednesday, so, you know, maybe we'll take a look at, uh, some players that, that Adam is interested in, in tracking for tomorrow night's games. Uh, and we'll see if we can't, you know, help you guys along the way there.
Speaker 0 00:14:17 But I wanna, I wanna start with some baseball because I'm super excited about us. You know, I I, I really am pretty damn pumped about this season. I feel like this is also, you know, it's, it's kind of funny. I've been so neck deep in football. This is actually like, you know, I've already started doing some baseball research here early. I mean, I was, you know, obviously using the MLB free agent tracker. Uh, we
[email protected] and, you know, keeping up with the signings. But, you know, I've started to already kind of dig through and, and start with some baseball because I really, I just, I I I wanna be, you know, more present in, and I'm excited about this season. So, um, figured we could talk, uh, we could talk about you're doing a, a draft champions. I'm, I'm super jealous already. Well, you told me you were doing a draft champions, like write then and there I was like, oh fuck man, I wanna do a draft right now. Um, so let's, uh, let's, let's kick it off here with a little, with a little MLB talk. What do you say?
Speaker 1 00:15:17 Yeah, let's do it.
Speaker 0 00:15:21 I love it, man. So I, I, I do love the fact that you're in this, uh, that you're in this draft. Um, the draft champions on the, uh, N F B C is that, it's N fbc.com, NF c.com
Speaker 1 00:15:33 Play play N fbc com. Play
Speaker 0 00:15:35 Nfc. Jesus. You know, it's, it's in my bookmarks. I can't help it. Um, but before we like dive into like this draft, which again, super jealous, should have told me you're doing it, I would've done one kind of touch on a, on on a couple of other MLB things. Number one, uh, you know, we've kind of had this topic of conversation, uh, on the fantasy alarm show with Jim Bowden. Some of the rules changes that we're seeing. Obviously, you know, the shift ban is gonna open things up for a lot of, uh, dead pull hitters, um, which I'm, I'm super excited about. But one of the things that we've kind of been touching on a little bit here, Adam, um, is the fact that stolen bases might not be at a premium this year. Like could be super abundant with the, the limited number of times a pitcher can either step off the rubber or throw to first that's now limited.
Speaker 0 00:16:29 You know, the bases being bigger. Oh, I, I feel like, I feel like everybody's, like the way they talk about the bases being bigger now, like that you're gonna have this like four foot by four foot bag <laugh>, like sitting there in the middle of the diamond in second base. Um, but they are making it a little bit, you know, the bases are gonna be a little bit bigger, which means that obviously there's less distance for the runner to go to get there. But I just feel like this is, uh, you know, a, a, a trend that we're gonna definitely have to watch moving forward this year. And that, you know, I mean, because last year we were like, you gotta draft stolen bases early. You gotta get 'em early. You gotta get a guy who's gonna steal a bunch of bags early and, and really kind of give you that base feel like it's, it might not be as imperative.
Speaker 1 00:17:16 Yeah. You would think based on these rules that there would be more steels. So it's just kind of figuring out who are the gonna be those guys. But the way you can only throw over the first two times now, um, pitch clock as well. So they are kind of pushing it for the steels to increase. So, um, again, we're never gonna know until we actually see a couple of months, but, you know, we have to do the best job of trying to anticipate what's gonna happen.
Speaker 0 00:17:42 Yeah, yeah. Yeah, definitely. Well, I mean, you're, how many rounds into your, into your draft that you're doing? The last screenshot you sent me, uh, you're like in the seventh round, are you still there?
Speaker 1 00:17:53 It's in the eighth round. So it's a 15 team league, 50 round draft. And this is your team for the entire year. No waiver wire. You set your line up each week, you could change hitters on Friday. So I always jump into these for my prep. I'm not where I need to be right now. Um, and even last year, so the first one I did last year was probably like a little earlier than this, and actually was the best draft champions one that I did. I par, uh, team up with Brian Ambos, cuz we usually do some high stakes leads together. So this is where we get our prep, you know, we kind of go back and forth, you know, on, on things that we see, things that we observe. Um, it's always good to bounce things back and forth with someone too. Yes. And um, so we kind of just jumped in here.
Speaker 1 00:18:36 Um, and we did it last year and it happened to be that the first one we did was our best one. I think it finished second. Um, we had Spencer Strider in like the 40th after the 40th round last year and our first one. And obviously that was a insane pick. Uh, extremely valuable. So yeah, it's kind of just jumping in. I know I'm not kind of ready yet, so there might be things that I see as I go through the drafting, like, oh, that's a mistake, why'd I do that? But it's, it's the way, and, and I have, uh, you know, written articles on this that'll be as part of our draft kit, this is the best way for me to prep. Uh, and I think even in your home league too, I know a lot of people are not gonna be like 50 rounds, 15 teams.
Speaker 1 00:19:14 That's a lot. But again, Spencer Schrider last year, I mean, you, as you get on, you're digging deep, you're looking at depth charts. Okay, who has a chance with injury to come up this year. So it's not often you're gonna get someone that good in the, between the 40th and 50th round, but that's where the prep begins for me. And, um, starting to learn the player pool, seeing how to construct rosters. So I just jump in and then, um, once this is done, do another one. Probably do like three to four of these. And then obviously, um, the real drafts will come around,
Speaker 0 00:19:47 Right. Uh, entrance fee for the draft champions.
Speaker 1 00:19:51 This one's 400, but there's ones of one 50 as well. And I uhhuh there might be there, I don't know if there's 50, there might be fifties too. But I think for the main overall contest, I think it's 1 5400 and then seven 50 or a thousand, something like that. But I wrote it up.
Speaker 0 00:20:11 I mean, I like the, I I I really do. I, I like the, the, the partner aspect. I mean yeah, obviously if, you know, if if you wanna split the cost there of a $400 entry, you're each playing, you know, putting in the two. Um, I, I like the idea of being able to like, bounce stuff off. What's the, uh, what's the clock per pick on this?
Speaker 1 00:20:29 This one is four hours, but they have a two hour clock. A one hour clock, and then they, you could do one obviously live if you want.
Speaker 0 00:20:37 Yeah, no, I'd, I'd probably just wanna do for me as well to do a four hour clock. I mean, I'd literally just, you know, dipping my toe into the, uh, into the research and stuff like that. So how long do you give it for, uh, you know, how much prep here? Because you're obviously, you're, you're not working off of your own rankings, are
Speaker 1 00:20:56 You? No. Cuz my rankings are not done yet.
Speaker 0 00:20:58 <laugh>. Exactly. So how are you, so how are you making picks here based on, you know, what, what, what are you looking at?
Speaker 1 00:21:05 Uh, just kind of what I feel the player's stats are gonna be. And then, you know, obviously you're looking at ADP is the guide, um, but I'm willing to push some guys up if I feel they're undervalued. Obviously it's pretty sharp room. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Um, the only person I know in here is Matt Modica, who's picking two picks away from me. Um, and he's a very good player. He's, every time I do a draft champions, I feel like he's in it. So I think he's in like every one <laugh> <laugh>. Um, but yeah, it's just, uh, it would, yeah, it would be, it'll be easier when I have my rankings obviously, but I also draft champions is a little bit different as well. Um, cuz you can't make any moves. So, uh, as you'll see is, uh, took a closer way earlier than usual.
Speaker 0 00:21:52 Yeah, I was gonna say, you know, that's definitely, we we can, we can definitely talk about that. But I mean yeah, this is, you know, because I agree with you, I think this is a fantastic way to prep and, and I'm actually, you know, it's kind of funny, I'm bringing back the mock draft army this year. I, I, you know, because for the fact of, you know, I mean, yes, it's, it's fantastic prep for me. Um, you know, there, there are people out there who are definitely dedicated to this, who, you know, aren't gonna put up the money for best ball, they're saving it for their home league entrance fee or they're not gonna do a, a, you know, a $150 entrance fee for, you know, a draft champions to, to do that. Um, and so, you know, as a result of that, because again, like you just said, your, your strategy in this one here in the draft champions where you can't make any moves is gonna be a lot different than what you're gonna do for your draft, for your home league. Like, I, I'm sorry, but Emmanuel Class A I do not see you drafting Emmanuel Class A in the second round, even if it's a, you know, a 15 team league in a, in a, in a league where you can make waiver moves and, and rosters. Like I just knowing you, um, and, and you know the direction that you like to go. Am I, am I right there?
Speaker 1 00:23:11 Yeah, I mean, part of it is we, when we've done these saves have kind of been a problem for us mm-hmm. <affirmative> like, we'll wait till like round six or seven and get a closer and that guy will get hurt or something. Um, part of it too, what was on the board at that point, so we picked third overall took Ronald Deya Jr. I think hit the powers, bouncing back. He had the ACL tear and you know, I watch him quite a bit, plays the mat. He just couldn't drive the ball. He even talked about it that his knee was bothering him, but yet he ran wild on the bass bass. So I think the power's gonna be back. Atlanta has a top line up. He already ran a lot last year. So, uh, no problem taking in. Then you come back and you're like, all right, if you're not gonna take a starting pitcher. And I didn't love the starting pitchers there. I didn't see any bats that stood out.
Speaker 0 00:23:55 Just, you just kept going off about Spencer Strider, man, he, well, he's third round. He, he didn't even come back to you.
Speaker 1 00:24:01 Yeah, I I,
Speaker 0 00:24:02 I'm kidding.
Speaker 1 00:24:03 I know. I didn't want to. And then, you know, the only other bats that I kind of, I mean none of the bats stood out, um, in, in round two. And the only bat that went after I took Lase was JT real Muto. I get the Love for Real Muto and he stole 20 bass last year, and he's a catcher. I just don't see the need to take a catch of that early. And I think there's actually a little bit more depth that captured this year, even in two capture leagues, especially near the top. So I was like, you can't take him. And then it was Linor who I wound up taking around three. Anyway, Altuve Michael Harris, who I am not taking that early, I'm sorry, 24% strike rate. 4% walk rate. Not sure if you can hit lefties. I'm not taking him round two.
Speaker 1 00:24:44 I like Randy Rosana seems kind of early, late second, uh, late second, early third. Um, I, I think I like some of the pictures a little bit better around four, five, and six. So Class A, obviously the skillset is tremendous. And Edwin Diaz was gone. He actually went, uh, with, uh, middle of the second round. So I, I mean, no closure's ever safe, but I think Class A is one of them. So decided to take that early, closer based on what was on the board. Didn't I, I don't really like what's there late second, early third when you're picking early on the draft.
Speaker 0 00:25:27 Okay. I mean, listen, I, you know, I mean, again, like I said, it, it's not a normal strategy that I, that I've seen you do. Um, and so I can understand in a league where you aren't gonna be making any moves if you lock down that elite closer, early on and you can just say, okay, you know, provided the ob obviously provider doesn't get hurt, you know, there's, there's low risk of losing the job. Like you're gonna get the benefit of the doubt. So I, I totally get that. The point I was, I was making those as far as like, um, bringing back the mock draft Army is that, you know, drafting your home league is not the same as drafting a best ball league. It's not the same as drafting a Draft Champions league. And, and I think that a lot of people kind of substitute <laugh>.
Speaker 0 00:26:16 A lot of people who lose best ball leagues are people who substitute doing a best ball draft for, you know, uh, uh, instead of like a mock draft, like really see what's going on. So I'm actually bringing that back and that's actually a big part of, you know, my own personal prep as well, because I like to try and get like a good cross section of people both from the industry and from, you know, you know, our listeners and subscribers and everybody like that, because I always feel like it's a good dedicated cross section. I know nobody's leaving that draft early. Uh, and I know that if we do enough, you know, mock drafts will at least be able to develop, you know, our own a d ADP with, you know, like legitimate, you know, numbers that you can kind of bank on. You know, I always feel like the ADP that you see on, you know, bigger sites like E S P N or Yahoo, you know, they run their mock drafts, um, and you know, people like jump into the mock draft and they'll take their first three rounds and then they'll put it on auto pick.
Speaker 0 00:27:23 So a lot of times you guys will notice that ADP for a site pretty much matches its default rankings, and that's not necessarily the way to go about it. So, uh, I'm gonna be bringing that back because I agree with you, man. I love the, uh, I love the prep work, uh, of just drafting and, and just kind of looking and seeing what, what everybody does. I, I love the Linor pick, by the way. I was very bullish on Linor going to the Mets. Um, obviously I, you know, I feel like, uh, the, the second year now that he's got that second year under his belt or that he's gonna, he's got that first year under his belt the second year that he's gonna, you know, turn around and, uh, and have himself a year. So I, I actually, I really liked that pick. And I'm not just saying that because you're a Mets fan.
Speaker 1 00:28:08 Yeah. Only Shortstops kind of deep. That's the only thing. But yeah, I kind of don't worry about it cuz there was, uh, some shortstops later on that I'm like considered, but I think it doesn't matter. I think you, if you wanna lock up your middle infielder, if you think it's the best player on the board, you can do it. Um, you know, Lindor gives you a little power, a little speed counting. Stats should be good Mets lot should be good. Again, um, average bounce back last year, um, he's a career 2 77 hitter. It's kind of been all over the place last few years. It's been 2 84, 2 58, 2 30, 2 70. I think the two 30 is an outlier. So, you know, gives you a pretty good floor. So yeah, I was, I thought that was the, the best player on the board at that time. Yeah.
Speaker 0 00:28:49 Um, for the record for everybody, you know, because we're, I guess because we're just starting out, I mean, breaking down Adam's team and the who's and the how's and the why's might not be the way to start it off. Let's, let's address the, uh, the, the elephant in the room. Uh, who is the one, one for this year? Adam and this draft here, it's Trey Turner. I'm very bullish on Trey Turner making that move to, uh, you know, to to Philadelphia. It's not, you know, I mean it's funny, the smart system, uh, that Rick Wolf and Glen Colton have always preached and, you know, it's, it's tried and true. Talk about, you know, guy, you know, not, not investing in the guy his first year of signing that big contract. I almost feel like it's a little different for Turner because he is going back to the NL East. He knows the teams, he knows a lot of the pitchers there. I mean, it's, I I feel like, um, I I feel like it's, it's still a solid move for him. Uh, you look at what he could do in Philly power and speed wise this year. Um, is, is he your number one? Who's your overall number one?
Speaker 1 00:29:51 I'm not sure yet. It could be him. I think Jose, Jose Ramirez has a strong case. Third base is really shallow. Uh, when you start to do a draft, you'll see that you got a few heavy hitters up top and then it dries up. Um, and Ramirez is just ultra consistent. I know he had a thumb surgery, I believe in the off season, but he played through it and actually was still productive. Um, the guy makes elite contact two 80 hitter last year, only a 12% strikeout rate, 13.7% strike. I rate the year before, you know, good bet for 30 home runs. I mean, look at his numbers. Last year, 2 83 55 O P five 14 slugging 90 runs, 29 Homers 126 s and 20 steals. And that was the people worry last year. Oh, that Cleveland lineup. It's not any good. Well look what he did in that lineup.
Speaker 1 00:30:38 Um, and he's consistent. Um, so I think you can make a case for him. He's been pretty durable too, you know, look at the games. Played 1 57, 1 52 58 outta 61 29, 1 57, 1 52, 1 52. So he plays all the time. Turner, I think you'll see the power should go up playing in that park. Um, I think he might hit lead off. I think that's what the projector lineup is. So that can hurt the rbis a little bit. Um, because last year was the first year I had a hundred rbis and that was always my concern with Turner. When people would draft him early. I'm like, you're not getting like elite power or top rbis out of him. His career high at rbis before last year was 77. Like, I don't want that outta my first round pick. Um, and he hit like, who do he hit? Yeah, he hit two last year with bets in front of him.
Speaker 1 00:31:24 So if he hits lead off, I think that might hurt the rbis a little bit. But the runs will be high. Only 21 Homers last year. But I think Philly will help. Um, and he is always been a pretty good average hitter, hasn't hit lower than 2 98 over the last four years. So strong case for him. Um, you could even make a case for judge. I know some people be like, oh, that was a career year. Is he gonna stay healthy? Well, even if you take a lot of what Judge did away, I mean, if you took 20% away, it's still an insane year.
Speaker 0 00:31:53 Still 40 bombs. Yeah,
Speaker 1 00:31:55 Man, <laugh>. So, and the guy just hits the ball really hard. High walk rate. Great. O B P, you know, I mean for an elite power to two, the average 2 87 and three 11. So yeah, last year was the first time he played 150 games plus since 2017, but he played won 48 in 2021. So, but I get that's why people are gonna be against it. But you can make a case for him. Um, you can make a case for a Kuna. Some people might be like, ah, I don't know, where's the power? But I, I think it was the knee. And um, I think it'll be fine. So I don't, I don't think there's a clear cut number one, so I can even say this is who it is, but I kind of won't know until I'm on the clock <laugh>. Right. And even, no, and even even before we were like, oh, if we have one who we taking, taking, and it was kind of a debate. We really didn't settle on an answer.
Speaker 0 00:32:44 Um, which I mean, listen, like you said, I mean it's definitely, it's up for, up for discussion. I mean, Turner Ramirez, they went one and two in this draft. You grabbed a Kuya three, um, you know, judge went fifth with, uh, you know, Julio Rodriguez, between 'em,
Speaker 1 00:32:57 I kind of like pick five and I'll take any one of those five.
Speaker 0 00:33:00 Yeah, I, dude, listen, look at, look at the depth of the first round then, then, then Otani, then Juan Soto, then Tucker, Bobby Whit Moki bets Vlad, Vlad 11th there, YRN on Alvarez, who I think is gonna have a, a monster year, uh, 12th Machado, Cole Burns, dude. I mean, come on man. Just, uh, just look at those first 12 picks alone. Uh, I'll be happy with any one of those guys. Um, in my, uh, in my first round. I don't know if I'm gonna put Julio Rodriguez that high at four, but I, you know, I can't really, I'm not gonna argue against him as a, as a player. He's a fantastic player. But I think that I would probably, like, I would be like, you know, I, I'd be in on Tucker or uh, or Alvarez before I would be in on Julio Rodriguez. I think
Speaker 1 00:33:52 Why close second year
Speaker 0 00:33:54 Close? Um, I, you know, I I feel like there's always gonna be, you know, I I I think that if, you know, yes, second year <laugh> not, so I'm not saying sophomore slump, I'm just saying that, you know, there, there are gonna be a lot of adjustments made to Julio Rodriguez. And granted, he played long enough last year that you would see a lot of, uh, you know, adjustments made. But, you know, he also faced a lot of like, really weak pitching in that second half of the season. And, you know, and there's, you know, so I'm just, I'm curious to see how pitchers approach him. Not that I'm, I'm not trying to take anything away from his talent, but yeah, I like to have a guy my first round pick. I like to have a guy who's a little bit more seasoned, a little more experienced, and, uh, and be able to kind of make that move. You know what I'm saying? Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:34:41 I, I think he's an elite talent special player. Uh, he struggled the first month of the year. Last year he had 2 0 5 when no home runs in North. Oh yeah, I remember. And then picked it up in May. The one concern I have is the stolen base slowdown. He had 21 in the first half, four in the second. So that would be something to keep an eye on. Did they want him to run last? I know he was, he did miss some time. I forgot what the injury was. Was it a back, I can't remember what his injury was. Finger. I don't know. Something. I don't remember. I can't remember. But yeah, I mean, I get, I mean, but I ju this guy is just, uh, he, he's an elite talent, so I don't mind taking him fifth.
Speaker 0 00:35:19 Um, yeah. Okay. I mean, listen, that's, that's the beautiful thing is that this all, I mean, there's so many guys there. I I love that. I absolutely love that. That's always, that's another reason why I love drafting in the mock draft Army and doing, you know, a bunch of drafts. I love seeing what it looks like from different spots in the draft. You know, I could sit there and just make sure that I'm like drafting in the early part of this mock draft. I can figure, okay, I like the middle now, let me, you know, let me dance around seven, eight, and nine and let me see what those are like, and, uh, you know, and just kind of getting that feel for it Nice and early here, uh, in the season, I mean, yeah. Oh, baby. Right? I'm, I'm outta my mind. Outta my mind.
Speaker 0 00:36:04 All right. So lots of great stuff here. We'll, we'll continue to cover, uh, M l b, uh, as we're kind of going through it. The Draft Guide for Fantasy Alarm that drops on February 1st. Uh, and we're gonna have a bunch of stuff that's gonna be added into the guide. You know, the guide's gonna have your basics, your sleepers, your bust, your rookies gonna have rankings. Um, and we're gonna be, you know, all nice and, and, and, and tucked away there and updating stuff. But then we're also gonna be doing, uh, a lot of our player debate articles, which we know. I mean, listen, that's, that's the, the one, the, the big question. You know, who do I draft, uh, and who do I take first? Like, that's the, those are always the ones. So a lot of our player debates are gonna be, you know, ADP related. So that way, you know, we can help you make those tough decisions that you guys are gonna have. So look for the fancy alarm draft guide to drop on February 1st. Um, all right, let's take a time out from our, uh, m l B talk here. Let's switch it to basketball.
Speaker 0 00:37:04 All right. Adam, n b a props. Oh, how's, how's, how's the, like, we, we've been so wrapped up in football these last couple of weeks that I don't even think I've talked to you about any kind of basketball. Um, how's everything going? Where are you at for the season? How's your bedding market looking
Speaker 1 00:37:21 Ice cold right now, bro, I've hit a rough Oh really? I've hit a rough patch. Yeah, it happens every year. It's unfortunate that it's happened now. Um, just a lot of things just not going my way. Um, for example, on Tuesday night, I have Macau Bridges over 19 and a half points. He's been crushing it cuz the suns have been shorthanded. He had 18 and did not play the fourth quarter because it was a blowout. I had Donovan Mitchell over 25 and a half points. He drives to the basket to tie the game and gets his shot blocked. And then, uh, the ball comes to him on the floor. He dishes it out to, I think it was Evan Mobley. This was against the necks and Mobley Mises a shot would've forced overtime. And Mitchell is like sitting on the floor kind of hurting everything. Um, so yeah, the only bet I could hit right now is like Nicholas Clarkson over two and a half blocks, which going into Wednesday has cashed 12 straight times. I am playing it again on, uh, Wednesday, uh, night. He's going up against Sixers. But yeah, it's just one of those cold spells where little things are going wrong, but, uh, I'll bounce back.
Speaker 0 00:38:25 All right. Okay. I'm so, I'm sorry to hear that <laugh>. What a disappointment. I was waiting for the odd, it's
Speaker 1 00:38:33 A long, it's a long season man, and you're going to go through periods where just you're struggling. You gotta figure out do you dial back the plays? Do you sit out a couple of days? You know? So, um, a lot of it is kind of, it feels like the right reads, but like blowouts, um, and players sitting and you know, you can't always predict that because some of these lines, even if it's a three four point line, you might get a blowout. So, um, yeah, just one of those stretches where it's been a little bit of a struggle lately.
Speaker 0 00:39:09 Okay. All right. Well, yeah, I mean, you're, you're on that horse every single day, right? So you're, you're, you're diving through it. Um, we, we need a slump buster for you. We need a slump buster. Is there? Yeah. Let me, let me look at tomorrow's, uh, n b a slate again. We're recording on Wednesday, so I'm looking at Thursday's slate. Is there a slump buster here for Adam Ronas to, uh, to dive into? Um, hmm. I, I don't really know. What do you think? Uh, Lakers, Lakers look terrible without LeBron again. No,
Speaker 1 00:39:43 They, well, LeBron's playing at an insane level right now. He, um, the Lakers,
Speaker 0 00:39:48 Is he playing tonight? Do we know he's
Speaker 1 00:39:50 Playing? I don't know yet. Only because Anthony da this is for Wednesday. Anthony Davis is supposed to return tonight. Right? Right. So I could see them sitting LeBron on a back back, although they pulled them with five minutes left, the game was starting to get outta hand. So that leads me to believe maybe LeBron does play. I mean, as bad as they have been, they're still like right there. They're like five, six games out of like the five seat. So it, it's not like they're completely done and they're getting Anthony Davis back. Um, on Wednesday night, they just traded for Rui, hot Chamara from Washington. Not a big acquisition, but someone who could help and maybe they make some other moves so they're not out of it. But LeBron James is playing at an insane level right now for a guy that's 38 years old, man. He is just lighting it up. What do you have to get 46 on Tuesday night against the Clippers?
Speaker 0 00:40:36 Do you play his props or is there a tax on his props?
Speaker 1 00:40:40 That's a huge tax now. I do sometimes, but I mean, he had, he had 46 points, Ave rebound, seven assist against Clippers. So even if, I think his points prop was 32 and a half. Um, but I mean, look at his last few games. 46, 37, 23, 32, 48. So he's been lighting it up. Him and Russell Westbrook too. Westbrook's props have been pretty good lately as well. I mean, LeBron's averaging 35 points in a month of January, 9.4, rebound 7.7 assist shooting 51.8% from the field, 38 years old man.
Speaker 0 00:41:15 38. 38. I wish I, I I wish I could turn back the clock and be 38 again. I really do. You wanna die? What's that?
Speaker 1 00:41:25 You wanna die?
Speaker 0 00:41:26 Well, yeah, but I mean, if I could go back to being 38 again, you know, I love though, had I known them what I know, know now kind of mentality, that's Oh, oh yeah.
Speaker 1 00:41:36 Jeez, that's, we all want that.
Speaker 0 00:41:37 I would've torn some shit up. Oh my lord. Oh, it would've been crazy. Um, <laugh> whole other topic of conversation. Um, alright, so, so you're not even looking at, at Thursday's slate right now though, right? Well,
Speaker 1 00:41:53 I, I put in five bets for Wednesday, so if I
Speaker 0 00:41:56 Don't too sweating those now.
Speaker 1 00:41:58 Yeah. If I don't do well tonight, then I might sit it out for a couple days.
Speaker 0 00:42:03 Okay. That makes complete sense. That makes complete sense. All right. So tell us what the bets are that you made for tonight so that, you know, come, uh, come publish time here of, uh, of this week's Cash it we'll know, uh, whether or not that we, uh, we wanna read your article on Friday.
Speaker 1 00:42:22 Yeah, <laugh> uh,
Speaker 0 00:42:25 <laugh>
Speaker 1 00:42:27 Friday's a new day. Just remember that
Speaker 0 00:42:29 Always. It's always a new day.
Speaker 1 00:42:31 I got, uh, Shane Giles Alexander over 29 and a half points. Draymond Green over 14 and a half assists and rebounds. Ja Moran over 36 and a half points in assist. That should be a fun game. Grizzly's Warriors. The game total is 2 46. Uh, the last time Draymond Green faced the war, uh, Grizzly's on Christmas, he had 13 rebounds, 13 assists. And Steven Adams, their big center is out. Um, D'Angelo Russell over 25 and a half points in assists. Um, he's been playing really well with no Carl Anthony Towns and then Nicholas Clarkston over two and a half blocks. So those are the five bets. So I better go five and oh,
Speaker 0 00:43:12 All right, well, I mean, I'll be rooting for you to go five and oh, ladies and gentlemen, those are the bets in there. Uh, when you're listening to this podcast, uh, then you'll know, you'll, you'll know if Adam's really taking the time off, uh, or if he's back baby. And then Friday's article should be fucking lit. Yes, I just said fucking lit because I'm an old man who likes to use young kid lingo. Um, all right, so let's, uh, let's, let's move it on over. Back to the grid iron here. No cowboys talk. Now we're talking conference championships.
Speaker 0 00:43:46 All right, Adam, here we go. First game Sunday, January the 29th. It's the 49ers against the Eagles. Oh, I gotta tell you, man. So, so I, all right. I wrote up the over under for this one on, on PIs wise.com. I won't tell you what it is just yet. Uh, but it's 46 and a half. I mean, listen, you're talking about two phenomenal defenses. Uh, nine ERs are the number one overall defense. Uh, Eagles, I think were rated sixth overall in defense. They bit a little soft against the run, but they did bring in Lin Val Joseph and then Dominic Sue to kind of help, you know, bolster that, that, you know, run stuffing defensive line. Uh, Hertz looked great, uh, you know, this past week. I mean, obviously the Giants just had no chance, but it was good to see that, you know, the shoulder, he felt good, he felt comfortable.
Speaker 0 00:44:38 AJ Brown, I'm told, is now off the injury report. We heard a report earlier that he was, uh, been dealing with some, you know, injury issue, like a hip thing for like the last two weeks. Thanks for telling us after the fucking divisional round games. But that's the, uh, that's, that's N f l beat writers for you again. So, um, but here you go. The Niners, they've got their own fair share of injuries right now. McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell are both banged up, but there's just so much firepower on this team. And while Brock Purdy didn't look great against, uh, Dallas, I mean, there were a couple of drives in the second half that that definitely things picked up better for him. But he definitely got a, uh, a wicked taste of what it's like to face a, a good defense here. It's two and a half points spread where you lean,
Speaker 1 00:45:28 Oh, I lean the Eagles, uh, just asking Purdy to go in to Philadelphia in this spot, it's a really tough task. Um, this team's just really good. Um, I, I know they looked better than they were because I think it was a mismatch against the Giants. Clearly the San Francisco 49ers had the tougher matchup, but, and both teams haven't really played a great schedule. I know people point that out about the for nine, it's not like the Eagles have either, um, uh, Philly's number one in D v A against the past. Um, I just think this is gonna be a tough Party's gonna have to do something in this game. You can't play like he did the last two weeks and expect this team to win McCaffrey's a little banged up with this calf. They don't lose too much bringing in Elijah Mitchell. They will in the passing game if Mcca McCafree is limited or can't go.
Speaker 1 00:46:19 Um, so I think it's a tough spot. Uh, 49ers going on the road asking a rookie quarterback to lead them against this defense. The one thing I will say is I do think Jalen Hertz is not a hundred percent. I thought he was tentative running the ball against the Giants. He went down a lot. He went outta bounds. And I, it was smart. But this is a real physical 49ers defense and, uh, you, you're probably gonna need a little bit more from him in that fashion. But I, I lean the Eagles to win this game.
Speaker 0 00:46:51 Um, I lean the Eagles to win this game as well. I'm, uh, you know, I mean, I, I don't, I don't know, there's just something about the two and a half points that's not sitting right with me. I don't know why. I don't know why
Speaker 1 00:47:05 You think, what you think they're begging you to take the, the eels and you think it should be the Niners?
Speaker 0 00:47:11 No, I think that, I think they're begging you to take the 49ers and, and take the two and a half points. Like, I mean, you know, is this a one, is this a a one point game? Is this a, a field goal game? Like, you know, kind of like which way do you lean on that? And you know, of course, you know, you, you read up on like all these like, you know, crazy different betting trends and you start looking at, you know, like, you know, host teams and number one seeds and what their conference championship, you know, uh, record is straight up, but you know, it's 20. So number one, seeds who have, who are, have been the host teams in 43 of the last 60 conference championship games and have gone 29 and 14 straight up, but only 22 and 21 against the spread.
Speaker 1 00:47:59 Yeah, but how many of your little spreads were more than two and a half?
Speaker 0 00:48:04 Um, I don't know.
Speaker 1 00:48:04 I that's something to look at too. Look, the, the Eagles are 14 and one when Jaylen Hart starts
Speaker 0 00:48:10 Very good.
Speaker 1 00:48:11 Yeah,
Speaker 0 00:48:12 They're very good. Yeah. And listen, I, you know, I, I, and, but I, but you know, there's also, there's like a piece of me that thinks like shanahan's, like playing possum with the, with like the 49ers and, oh, he's hurt and he's hurt, and are they really hurt? Are they genuinely
Speaker 1 00:48:27 Hurt? McCaffrey?
Speaker 0 00:48:29 And, and Mitchell with the groin
Speaker 1 00:48:31 McCaffrey, I think was you if you saw him on the island in the game trying to stretch it out?
Speaker 0 00:48:36 Yes, I did see him trying to stretch his calf out and
Speaker 1 00:48:38 They, and they were bringing Mitchell in a little bit more in those spots. So I do think that's legit. I don't know about Elijah Mitchell, cuz he seemed okay, but, uh, I, I don't think that changes much. But yeah, I just, and before the playoffs I was on San Francisco and then I watched Purdy in these two games. I'm like, yeah, I probably shouldn't have taken that <laugh>. I was like, yeah, I shouldn't have taken that more into count a little bit. And I was a little worried about Jalen Hertz too at the beginning of the playoffs. I'm not as worried. I do think though, if you go back and look at some of those runs, he went down way quicker than he did in the regular season, and he was going out of bounds way quicker. Yeah. Which again, I can't blame him. I mean, especially in that game, he
Speaker 0 00:49:19 Probably, yeah. Like why, why take the, why take the hit, why get why the extra wear and tear when, when you're just manhandling the giants up
Speaker 1 00:49:26 And down. He probably saw, he is like, yeah, this is gonna be pretty easy. Let me not get hurt. Yeah.
Speaker 0 00:49:30 Let me save some energy for when Fred Warner starts to fucking light me up in the middle of
Speaker 1 00:49:34 The field. Yeah. Um, and I'm not, look, and I'm not sad. Can the 49ers win this game? Absolutely. They're a really good team. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I said it all year. I'm extremely impressed with them. But like, I don't know, man, I, there were a couple balls that Purdy threw, that Cowboys dropped that I think the Eagles won't,
Speaker 0 00:49:52 You know, and that's, and that's, that's the, that's the whole ticker there for me. Like, you know, you sit there and you just, you look at the way Purdy's played the last couple of games, and again, you know, you, I'm not taking anything away. I've had to say this like over and over to a, a ton of people. I'm not taking away from anything that he's done from now until then, but it's been great. We know that it's not going to last and, and, you know, whatever, that there's nothing wrong with it. Uh, you know, but your, your experience level, uh, you know, is definitely going to be a liability to a certain extent. It is. And, and it, and it, you know, could the 49ers have put up more points on that Dallas defense with, uh, with a different quarterback? You know? I mean, if you're talking about a veteran quarterback who's, you know, a legit player, maybe, but I, I can't guarantee that.
Speaker 0 00:50:50 So I, I don't wanna take anything away from Purdy, but it's, it's been a great story and it's kind of time to move on, just like it was with the Jaguars. I love the Jaguars. And then you went and you had this big come from behind victory, uh, against the Chargers. Right. And then it's the time, time to, to go play the Chiefs. You know what, it's over here. Thank you for coming in. It's been a lot of fun. There's a lot of great possibility, there's a lot of hope on the horizon for your team, but this just isn't your time. And I kind of feel like that might be the way here for Brock Purdy too.
Speaker 1 00:51:22 Yeah. That's the way I feel as well.
Speaker 0 00:51:24 I do love that name though. I wanna be, I wanna be a sportscaster and change my name to Brock Purdy.
Speaker 1 00:51:30 Okay.
Speaker 0 00:51:30 Brock Purdy Sports
Speaker 1 00:51:32 <laugh>.
Speaker 0 00:51:34 Uh, by the way, I took the under on this game.
Speaker 1 00:51:37 Yeah, I would lean that way too. Yeah.
Speaker 0 00:51:40 Defenses are unbelievably good. Unbelievably good. Um, damn, there was another question I was gonna ask, but I can't remember what it was. So let's just pivot over to the Bengals Chiefs dude. So everybody and their grandma is on the Bengals. Everybody is on the Bengals now, obviously Mahomes, we don't know what's going on with his, uh, with his ankle. He put in a full practice on Wednesday and apparently was supposed to be, you know, he was like, okay with everything. Like, you know, there's like, you know, excitement, uh, the, um, <laugh> like, uh, chief's Twitter was like all sorts of pissed off because there were pictures posted of, uh, of Mahomes that, you know, in practice and, you know, and whatever. And they were like, you know, we don't want, we don't want the Bengals to know about what's going on in our practice. We shouldn't be posting pictures like that. I was like, yeah, okay buddy. Welcome to the information Superhighway. It's called the fucking Internet. Um, but everybody's in on the Bengals. Are you on the Bengals too?
Speaker 1 00:52:44 I am. Um,
Speaker 0 00:52:48 I am too.
Speaker 1 00:52:49 Yeah, I just, I, they, the Bengals have played well against Kansas City. They've won the last three won during the regular season. Barrow is just an assassin, man. That guy is just so cool, calm, nothing bothers him. That was a complete ass kicking that they did to Buffalo. Like Buffalo should be getting a lot of criticism and it feels like they're not. That was embarrassing. Like they were never in that game, man. I never got the feeling like my friend had the bills as part of a parlay and he was just bitching at me after the first drive and early, and I was like, oh, you know, give them time, the bills, you know, they'll turn it around. And then after like a couple more jobs, like, oh shit, they're not turning this around. This shit is fucking over. Like, they had no answer. They made no adjustments at all. Um, bagels,
Speaker 0 00:53:39 Dude, I, and I gotta be honest with you, I was fucking bummed out beyond belief.
Speaker 1 00:53:43 It was a
Speaker 0 00:53:44 Terrible game. Bummed out beyond belief. It was a terrible
Speaker 1 00:53:46 Game. Terrible. Like, they were never in it. I never got the sense they were coming back. So, and we do this right, we tend to overreact to what we just saw. I think the biggest reason why people on the bagels is cuz of my homes. They're just worried about his mobility. Now, most times a high ankle sprain is gonna keep you out. If you're a quarterback, you can play with it, but clearly his mobility is gonna be limited. Now, I mean, they showed him walking away from the podium. There was no noticeable lamp. Okay, whatever. I don't know. Then they showed him on the field half jogging, but he clearly was affected by it. Um, and, but big part of his game is his mobility and buying time and getting guys open down field, and he was off target on some of those throws. I think that will eventually be a problem in this game.
Speaker 1 00:54:37 So I'm gonna take the Bengals here to win this game. I mean, they're a team that's really focused. Nothing bothers them. I think they were clearly upset about the whole, you know, playing in Buffalo and they weren't considered, um, they talked about that a lot. Um, yeah, they have the experience of running their getting there last year. And I, I think Kansas City, I'm worried about their playmakers on offense. I have been all year and they've been able to overcome it. Yes, Kelsey's great. I gotta think Cincinnati's gonna have a game plan for him. Are is Juju, m v s and Tony gonna be able to beat these guys? I don't know.
Speaker 0 00:55:19 Yeah, that's, it's, you know, it is, it's, it's a very tough spot. Uh, you know, because I, yeah, I mean, Jamar, chase, t Higgins, Tyler Boyd, I mean, even, I gotta be honest with you, man, Hayden Hurst, his involvement, Uhhuh <affirmative> has really surprised me. Um, and, and, and then you've got a Bell Cow running back in Joe Mixon. Like, and that's, that's the thing. Like, you know, we, we talk about this all the time. The teams who win are the teams who know how to and Ken are able to run the
Speaker 1 00:55:51 Football. Biggest problem for Buffalo in the playoffs the last couple years. They can't run the,
Speaker 0 00:55:54 Can't run the football, they can't run the football. And you know, it was weird last year, they, um, they, they made that late run and Devon Singletary was getting all of these carries. And I was like, okay, so they're gearing up for the, for the, the postseason, right. And do something, basically what, what Cincinnati does, and Cincinnati's like textbook at this. Now they use the pass to set up the run. They'll light it up with Chase and Higgins and, and whoever the pass catchers are and, and Joe Burrow look great. And then you know what Joe Burrow's gonna do in the whole second half? He's gonna fucking hand the football off to Joe Mixon, chew up that clock, keep these drives rolling. Yeah. Here, I'm gonna throw some passes to my guys. But you know, overall, once, once Cincinnati gets the lead, like they are there, like it's, it's a, it's a tried and true, uh, proven strategy to do it. Just run the, if you're able to run the football at the end, it's one of the things where the, it's tough for the chiefs too. They don't, they don't have a, a ground game that you can turn around and say is like that reliable.
Speaker 1 00:56:54 Yeah, Pachecos look good, but they don't seem to rely on 'em. They don't trust them enough.
Speaker 0 00:56:59 Not enough. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:57:00 Um, Kelsey had four for 56 on six targets in the regular season. That game was in Cincinnati. Nixon didn't play that game. It was a Samage P Ryan 21 for 1 0 6. Um, chase had seven for 97, um, 27 24 games. So calls game and I, and I think it will be close. Um, it does worry me that so many people on the bed. That line has really shifted too. Chiefs opened to slight favorites, then it went to two and a half. Now I see it's one I see on a, I think it was Ben MGM a couple hours ago that the chiefs were favored by one. So this line is just keeps, and it's obviously cuz of my homes, so that's why it keeps Oh
Speaker 0 00:57:36 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well I looked on Monday morning and the chiefs were favored and then by, by one. And then I looked, uh, right before the show started, um, you know, I dunno, six, seven hours later and the line completely flipped and the Bengals were favored by a point.
Speaker 1 00:57:51 Yeah. I seen it as high as Bengals minus two and a half.
Speaker 0 00:57:54 Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:57:55 At one point.
Speaker 0 00:57:57 Oh man. Some good stuff, man. Some good stuff. All right, so we're, uh, we're both of the mindset of Eagles, Bengals, Eagles, Bengals, Eagles, Bengals. That's gonna be, you know, it's kind of interesting, you know, we had that, that meeting today for, you know, at work. And I mean, let's, let's face it, if, uh, if you're, if you're Vegas, what do you want it to be? You want it to be, or not Vegas, but I mean, if you're like, uh, if you're a sports book, you, you want Eagles Bengals, right? Ohio just got their betting. Um, and everybody, everybody, every Eagles fan's gonna be sitting in South Jersey anyway, so who gives a shit?
Speaker 1 00:58:38 I think, I think probably. But I think Kansas City or Cincinnati will be fine, only cuz you have Mahomes. Um, I guess San Francisco would be the, ah, I mean I guess they wouldn't mind cuz the whole, oh, can a rookie quarterback finally win a Super Bowl? That'll be the fucking storyline for fucking two weeks. So
Speaker 0 00:58:55 <laugh>,
Speaker 1 00:58:57 I don't, I don't think it'll, I don't think you can kind of go wrong. Um, but yeah, from the sports, yeah, Ohio definitely became legal as a January 1st, I believe, right? Uhhuh <affirmative>,
Speaker 0 00:59:07 Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:59:07 Yeah. So yeah, that'll be big. I mean, super Bowl's big for betting anyway. I mean, even though most casual, they'll find something, whether it's a national anthem, the color of the Gatorade, some something. So it's just a, a huge sports betting event, even for the most casual fan.
Speaker 0 00:59:25 It is indeed. We're gonna have you guys completely covered for everything. Listen, conference championships, all the stuff
[email protected]. Uh, go and check it out. Uh, Adams rankings are over there. We've got I'll, I'm gonna be doing the playbook, uh, and, and lineups for, uh, for the conference championships. Those will be out on Saturday. Uh, check out Adams n b, well maybe check out Adams n b picks, <laugh> I'm picks Wise on Friday. And listen, we're gonna get you guys completely covered. We got a ton of stuff coming out from fantasy alarm.com, uh, between now and the Super Bowl. You don't wanna miss it, including again, our MLB draft guide dropping on February the first. Uh, but all right, let's, uh, let's, let's cruise on outta here, Adam, uh, any parting last words for you?
Speaker 1 01:00:15 Nick Clarkston has one block in the first quarter. Let's go. We need two more
Speaker 0 01:00:20 <laugh>. All right, come on, clay. Come on. Clapton.
Speaker 1 01:00:24 Hello. Looks like he just, him and Joel and Bead both got a technical foul. They were talking trash to each other. It looked like him Bead was instigating it though, man.
Speaker 0 01:00:32 It's those dude. It's those boys from Philly. Those boys from Philly. I mean, that's just, that's the way it goes. I'll
Speaker 1 01:00:38 Say this, this N FFC championship game is absolutely horrendous for me. Cuz I can't root for either side. I hate both teams.
Speaker 0 01:00:45 I understand.
Speaker 1 01:00:46 So I will be rooting for the afc.
Speaker 0 01:00:48 Well, that's, that's perfectly fine.
Speaker 1 01:00:51 <laugh>, Joe Burrow. Let's go. Joe
Speaker 0 01:00:53 Burrow, swaggy
Speaker 1 01:00:54 Joe, how do you not like Joe Burrow,
Speaker 0 01:00:56 Though? I don't know anybody who doesn't like Joe Burrow. And they will. You go to, you go to TikTok and there's like a billion Joe Burrow things on
Speaker 1 01:01:03 There. Don't worry. They'll, they'll start hating him soon. Once he wins the Super Bowl. They'll, they'll start hating him. That's how it works in this world.
Speaker 0 01:01:09 Oh yeah. See cuz we're always jealous of somebody else's success. It's the American way. <laugh>. All right, that is gonna do it for us here at the Cash It Podcast. Big thanks to everybody. For, uh, for listening, for liking, subscribing. For Adam Ronis, I'm Howard Bender. Catch you next
Speaker 2 01:01:29 Time.
