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Most vehicles, most locations. This is the down labor part show with this got Sparkasse. The thing that happened in that game, Christine Lesedi, just gave you the nuts and bolts, but there are some things that happened around the nuts and bolts that are kind of unbelievable and feel like they are out of satire. Now, got Hank Azaria is our friend. We'll have Stan Van Gundy on at 10 30 to give you some basketball stuff. But Hank Azaria is our friend.

He's got a great show on Hulu Brockmeyer in which he impersonates a broadcaster because from a very young age, he's always thought it funny that broadcasters and baseball talk with this affect and they go and talk the way human beings don't really talk. And he's always enjoyed from the very first episode of Brockmeyer, what he's always enjoyed is having chaos around and then having to stop and say the two one like no matter what is happening. That's one of the things that Hank Azaria has found funny.

This is a guy from The Simpsons is a guy who really knows comedy. I don't believe that the people who wrote Eastbound and Down, I don't believe that the people who wrote Brockmeyer and Brockmeier is exceptionally well written, could have created fiction as funny and dangerous as what happened yesterday during this game. So if you do not have this story because it happened at night and I understand if many of you missed it, Thom Brennaman is a read broadcaster, comes from a family of broadcasters, the Brennaman name in broadcasting.

He's also a national broadcaster, does Fox football. There are doubleheaders, live mikes, no fans, he didn't apparently know that he was near a live mic and when he came back, it was clear he was talking to someone else. And he spent a homosexual slur in a way that was a little too easy for him, it came out too easy. And in the apology, he tells you, this is not who I am, but the way that that was spit.

That word only exists inside you if it somehow is a part of who you are or how you think when those mikes aren't live because it was just too easy. And so the Reds, instead of firing him on the spot, you know, I'm not the guy that fires people and you know that media people often to because they look at this through their own prism, we don't want our careers ruined over one word. The Brennaman family has just had its name tarnished over one war.

But there are only a few words that you cannot say that are fireable offense is. And he said one of them and a live mike and he deserves to be fired. And if you don't understand the pain that he can cause with that one word, because we're about to laugh some at this story and it's a dangerous story to laugh at, but the way that it played out was kind of unbelievable and was funny for its awkwardness. But if you want to know the pain this causes, Izzy Gutierrez is one of the few sports media members who are out as gay still in twenty twenty.

There are not that many. And he is a voice for this and he has been a face for this. And he did a podcast with some of our fans. What is the name of that podcast, LOUR after hours.

That's the one that's an entirely made by fans podcast. Yes, it's fans of the show and they talk to Izzy Gutierrez about something that he's just been through recently, losing the man who helped him come out. And if you want to understand the pain that can be caused by even just that one word. Go listen to what it is that is a Gutierrez had to say, but there is some stuff around this, even though it's dangerous to Godse, there is some stuff that is funny because the construct of baseball, while he's giving his apology, he feels the need to stop.

As you're watching live on television, possibly the end of a man's distinguished career, he feels the need to stop and describe the action in a Royals' Reds game because it was happening in the middle of his apology.

Bastiano to lead things off. Jebb Day is going to be taking us the rest of the way through this game as Holland takes over on the mound. I made a comment earlier tonight that I just went out over the year that I am deeply ashamed of. If I have hurt anyone out there. I can't tell you how much I say from the bottom of my heart. I'm so very, very sorry. I pride myself and think of myself as a man of faith.

Those is are driving a deep left field by Castellanos that will be a home run. And so that'll make it a four nothing ball game. I don't know if I be putting on this headset again. I don't know if it's going to be for the Reds. I don't know if it's going to be for my bosses at Fox somewhere. Will apologize for the people who signed my paycheck, for the Reds, for Fox Sports, Ohio, for the people I work with, for anybody that I've offended here tonight, I can't begin to tell you how deeply sorry I am.

That is not who I am and never has been. And I'd like to think maybe I could have some people that they could back that up. I am very, very sorry and I beg for your forgiveness. Jim Dale take you the rest of the way home.

There are people who back them up. Unfortunately, one of them was Curt Schilling. The credit on that sound goes to Fox Sports, Ohio. I don't think they want credit on that.

So that's some really bad timing on the home run there. I mean, terrible timing. Yes, that's the time he chose to be professional while apologizing for the moment that was unprofessional. It landed in a sponsored literal judgment free zone, which you can't make up, like you can't make up that they had sponsorship in the outfield at a game between the Royals and the Reds. That is simply being played for money. The sponsorship in the outfield is judgment free zone.

And those people can not be happy with the way their dollars were spent today because that apologist who got while the tone of it. Seemed sincere, sounded properly somber, also make it represent this poll question. We'll put it on the poll at Leadbeater Show is that the most somber call of a home run that you have ever heard, the saddest single call of a home run that you have ever heard?

Because again, Mike, I just want the front end of this and the apology. A lot of people are parsing the apology. I want to go through the logistics of just what happened in that ballpark because there's no one there. Where do they even find another announcer? You know what I mean? Like, there's no one allowed near anything. And so as this is spreading from the first game of a doubleheader to the second game of a doubleheader because the apology was at night.

But but what happened was during the day, like as this spread, I'd be fascinated to know what was going on behind the scenes on how do we handle this. They thought the way to handle this was someone thought the way to handle this was putting Brenham in again in front of a live mic and having him do the apology at a time really not a lot could have gone worse than what it is that happened, because if it had been a single, he wouldn't have felt the need to stop a double, a triple.

He wouldn't have felt the need. I do not believe I believe he only stopped because it was a home run.

Could have possibly even been a home run, but it's a home team, home run that needed to be called. The rare Walcoff apology. I mean, yes, put it on the pole Gilmore laboratory. Yes, that's it. That's a career ender. He just ended his career the opposite of the way that Michael Jordan could have if he'd retired right after the Utah game. It's the opposite. Like you can't do it worse than this, but just play the front end, Mike, so that people can hear again the juxtaposition of a somber apology.

Broadcaster was horrified and in pain. And you know that damn Castellanos.

I pride myself and think of myself as a a man of faith as here's a drive in a deep love field by Castellanos knows it will be a home run. It's unbelievable.

Like you can't make that up. Like a fiction writer can't make that up. A home run by Cassiano heads into the judgment free zone is the only way it would have been better if he had just said it's a judgment free sign. Playoff B has been proven to work in the regular season for those who have struggled with moderate to severe post season disappointment. It is not recommended as a first option. Do not take playoff while on Granger. Side effects include choking, heaving, not finishing constipation, finishing early and all around disappointment, playoff P is not for everyone.

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So we've got a couple of guests today. You sound so bad stewards. Mike is cringing. He is wincing as he hears how bad.

I mean, Billy says I sound exactly the same. Chris says I sound exactly the same. Quite frankly, I'm getting tired of the daily conversation. And I'm sleeping with a Zepa, a mouthpiece that makes your mouth and tongue sore for a couple of days. So why would you suggest that you guys deal with it like enough critique about every single syllable that comes out of my mouth and man, your phlegmy there.

OK, so we got an expletive mouthpiece. All right. So we got an explanation there. But you're explaining why you sound different while denying that you sound different. You've got a sore tongue. Cool. OK, man. But it's noticeable that you are don't jump down my like you've sounded bad my entire life, OK? This is just one of those bad days. Just explain that you're sleeping with the mouthpiece and we'll move on. All right.

I did during the break. How did you guys become the victim of a New Orleans bullying through God? I don't quite understand what bullying is unbelievable, this bullying. So he can't get through a sentence without it being covered in flame. And here's the thing. If this is the thing and I don't understand how Billy doesn't understand this while just rushing to the offensive student, to the defensive student, if I don't say anything, everyone else is going to be saying it and waiting for us to provide a voice for how terrible his voice sounds.

I don't want to put people's business out there, but I've been reached out to more than one by more than one colleague asking me, is Scott slurring? So rather than people expect the worst when it comes to you, I'm giving you a platform to explain why it is OK.

Thank you. I think explains.

I think it's just funny that even the sentences where you're explaining it and thinking people are like soaked in phlegm. So I'm sorry, your tongue is sore. You're the guy who Ntaganda is very worried about you. A lot of people are worried. You just sound bad. You're deteriorating into CODI territory where people are worried about you.

So probably not as this list of people that a word he just gave you one gave you one hour.

Besides Kevin, regarding God, I appreciate it. I'm fine. I'm a snoring issue. I'm not sleeping well, so I try to mouthpiece. That makes your mouth and tongue sore for a couple of days. But thank you for your concern.

Is there anyone besides Kevin, the guy I feel like you're also experiencing shortness of breath now.

I'm fine. No shortness of breath. I'm good. Any loss of Oladipo. Have you had any loss of Oladipo. Let's get back to the story. Stan Van Gundy is going to join us here in a little bit and we're going to talk to Reese Davis as well. But I don't think we're going to move off of the subject of this story that was dropped into our lap by the Brennaman family because I don't know if he survives this. I really don't know if and I just mean his job.

I don't mean, you know, the poison and scorn that he is going to get here as a Hall of Fame broadcast career that was passed down from his Hall of Fame broadcasting father has been tarnished with a word at a live mic that he didn't know was live and is a word that would get most other people who have ever broadcast immediately fired.

And I'm guessing that he's only got a job today because of what the Brennaman family name means in Cincinnati. If they're, in fact, who got. If if he can't survive that there, I don't know that there's an example I can give you of someone who could survive that slur in this day and age, like if if he can't survive it, I believe the only reason he's still employed right now is because of the history that that family has with that franchise.

But give me the guy that you think that could survive something like that as a career, because do we have to play this game?

Well, no, because I'm wondering because because if you're looking and wondering why they haven't already fired him, why didn't they immediately fire him? Why did they give him a live mike again to apologize during a home run call that made all of this worse?

Yeah, I don't know if I want to do the segment. Like, what if Tony Romo had said it and it's not a great game. I want to play. You understand? I think I made you interested in that game. Yes, I am interested in that game. Unfortunately, we've got Stan Van Gundy coming up next. But I do want to talk about this story all show long, even though we're in the middle of the NBA playoffs.

So we're going to stay right here.

Unfortunately, we have no time in this segment to talk about it, because, as you've noticed, we are corporate shilling, paid that man his money and we're just as frustrated by it as some of you are.

Three hours of spots.

I feel like it's four hours of spots now and not the best way to go into it. All right. Let's set up our guest, who is a basketball expert who pass on Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell. Before we get to stand Van Gundy, we've got to talk here to Christine Lacy and get an end finally from her that you are not allowed to have in the sacred cathedral. That is the sports update.

And finally, Sam's Club just revealed an exclusive product that will allow you to make anything cinnamon toast Crunch flavored the cinnamon toast crunch. Dust is expected to be a must have for French toast connoisseurs. How about that?

Wow, you made my wife want to do that at the end. Yes. How about that? Yes. Whenever you want to do a tribute to God. Also, I want to know, Christine, before you go, did you delight in hearing the Dr. Seuss in Cardale Jones when he said drop the ball this fall, dropped the ball overall? I did.

I did enjoy that almost as much as Yosemite Sam's real name. Yes. OK.

Thank you for being on with us, Christine. We will talk to you later. Stan Van Gundy with us now. He's the star of the Bubbles to guide to everyone's noticing. Everyone sees how good he is at broadcasting basketball games and he's been walking around the bubble. He's bored with his brother, he and Jeff on long walks. What are you most likely to talk, basketball or politics? Then when you go on those long walks with your brother in a bored bubble?

A little bit of everything.

Yeah, basketball, politics, family. Oh, yeah. I mean, you know, we walk about an hour and a half every morning and you know what we talk about whatever whatever is out there.

Well, what have you seen so far in the level of play that you have noticed that the bubble has altered? Well, the level of plays, the very high, particularly on the offensive end, it just seems like it's impossible to stop anybody. I don't know if it's the shooting background. I don't know if it's the fact that these guys are not nearly as fatigued because there's no travel. But the sense of place has been incredible. The level of flow, I think, is much higher than I expected it to be this early on.

I thought the ceiling games would be, you know, pretty sloppy. I thought we'd start to get a little better in the first round. And by the second, maybe we'd be seeing really good basketball. But it's been good right off the bat. Well, that's one of the things I'm surprised.

One of the things I would say, Stan and I really had not accounted for what kind of dilution traveling and leg weariness would do to the sport. What I think I'm watching right now, Stan, is the most beautiful offensive basketball I've ever seen. The skill level on the four seed in the West. I don't know how you stop any of that with Jokic. I have no idea.

No you're absolutely right. I mean and these guys are making shots and they've got their lives on the rim. I mean it's just incredible. But look, one of the coaches said to us, you know, I'm one of those pregame interviews, he said OK, I mean you just play basketball and then the game's over. 30 minutes later, you're got in the room. You didn't want to get them solved. The problem is getting ready for the next day.

I mean, it's just a totally different deal and probably for the only time in their professional careers. All of them I mean, they literally both for good and bad. There are some bad things that go with it, but they're totally just focused on basketball right now. There's nobody here in the bubble with them. There's no family. So even when you're at home, you know, you go to practice and then you head home and there's responsibilities, you know, with your family in your house.

And there's none of that now. You know, it is play basketball, take care of yourself and get ready for the next day. That's it. And so. Right, we are in basketball, maybe at its school and certainly at the highest level we've seen in a long time.

What's the bad you're talking about there? What bad? Well, I think, you know, as time goes on, I mean, we are starting to hear some reports that, you know, guys are getting a little grumpier, a little testier. I mean, you know, to go for up to three months for some of these guys with no escape from it. I mean, you guys, if you think about it and you know, the guys you work with right there, as great as they are on your show, that those were the only people you got to interact with 24 hours a day for three months.

You know, I've only been in your studio once, but I can say pretty close it up when we go out of your mind.

Stan Van Gundy with us here at ESPN Radio Standards. I feel like the NBA playoffs to you. Does it feel like the NBA playoffs that we've become accustomed to to you? Well, what's interesting to because I'm watching all the games on TV, like we don't have teams today and I'll watch on TV, watching on TV. It'll feel like the NBA playoffs when you go in, go to the facility in person. There's just no balls like, you know.

I mean, you didn't just walk into the building for a playoff. Like, you feel you feel the juice in the building. And there's none of that. I mean, you feel like you're walking into a scrimmage to a practice. So it really is different when you do broadcast them. But I do think the NBA has done a great job in terms of their set for TV. And I'm not saying that for the games we're doing because I don't see those.

But when I'm sitting here watching the games, I feel like it's like every other thing I've ever watched.

Well, help us understand. Stan Van Gundy is the star of the bubble. People are noticing how good this guy is at broadcasting these games. It's hard to do what he does, which is funny and, you know, making fun of himself while also in these small windows, giving you basketball analysis in a way that you simply haven't heard it before in real time. He's exceptional at it. The thing that you're talking about with the bubble feeling like practice, LeBron James in the Lakers have not looked right in that bubble and they've been bad offensively.

Do you think the idea that LeBron would be at a higher energy level because everyone in a building is watching him and hating him and loving him and that that might be affecting the play of the Lakers? Or do you have a tangible reason because you like the tangible reasons more than the intangible one? Yeah, well, first of all, I think some of the intangible ones, which some people are probably valid, but I don't see when I watch the Lakers, I don't see a lack of energy and intensity on LeBron or on the Browns father or anyone else.

I think they are they're playing really, really hard. I think what we might be witnessing with the Lakers, we'll see how it plays out is that this is a team that overachieved in the regular season. I mean, they've got two good players in LeBron and Anthony Davis, but the rest of the roster, quite honestly, doesn't even come close to matching up with, like, the Clippers. I mean, if you just go down position by position, there's not a lot of offensive talent on the latest team.

And if you could get them in the half court and throw off some you know, some teams have time to prepare. And now in the bubble, with no distractions, even more time to prepare. I think you saw it with Milwaukee the other night to those teams aren't necessarily loaded with a lot of options to score in the half court. And so if you can do a good job and take care of the ball and limit their chances in transition, you can make it tough on them.

I mean, look, the Lakers did a good job defensively in Portland, not like Portland went off. The Lakers couldn't score 100 points, which in today's game is pretty low in Portland. As good as they are offensively, not as good as the not a good defensive team at all. The places are going to struggle in the half court, I think will prevail in the series because I think the defenses are good and I think they will get chances in transition.

I think the second round comes to the Houston or Oklahoma City becomes more problematic. And I would be shocked, absolutely shocked if they could believe the pope was in a seven game series. Wow.

Stan Van Gundy bringing fire opinion. Check him out on Twitter. He's an insane person tweeting at a higher level than any of the teenage girls in your life.

Let's go there right now. It's very exciting.

We've come back with Stan Van Gundy next. So here is Stan Van Gundy, because I want to get to a lot of different stuff from a talent standpoint and a team standpoint, would Kawhi have been better off staying where he was? I don't know, he's got a lot of talent in Oklahoma City, I think there. I mean, I'm sorry, Oklahoma City in L.A., I think they've got the best, deepest, most complete team in the NBA there with the Clippers.

Their problem is they just can't get everybody together for long enough. And so I think other teams are maybe ahead of them on on the chemistry side of things. But I don't even think it's close with anybody else on a talent standpoint, Milwaukee. What do you make of not the first loss, but the bad play in the bubble? And they don't look, is it the half court stuff you're talking about that it is a place where they are weak, even with Giannis.

Well I'm not going to say they're weak, but it's certainly not their strength. I think if you can get back and you know and get your defense set, which Orlando did a fabulous job of the other day, then they're, they're a little bit limited in what they're able to do offensively. You know, I thought Orlando realized that Middleton was probably the best offensive player in the half court, you know, and they they trapped him on every pick and roll, made it a little bit tougher.

He had a bad night. And if so, they're going to struggle. The issue with them is, can you generate enough offense and take care of the ball? So you've got to make shots. They're not going to be easy. They're not going to give you anything around the rim. So if you're not shooting the ball, well, it's going to be a long night. But offensively, they're not as good as some of these other teams either.

Stay, a few years ago, we were talking about Jimmy Butler. And I agree with you at the time where we were saying if he's your best player, your team's not very good. If you're third best player, then you're on to something really, really good. He's the Heat's best player. He's playing well and the heat appear to be pretty good. Do we need to kind of revisit the way we view Jimmy Butler here?

Well, I would say this. Jimmy Butler is their best player. Well, maybe he is. It's either here Bam! Adebayo So he's good enough with that team. I think the way the Heat are built, Jimmy Butler isn't having to carry that team. Like compare it to the Lakers. LeBron and Anthony Davis have to carry that team. So let's say we've got LeBron and Anthony Davis and now we've got Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. Who are you giving the edge there to?

You're going to give the edge to the Lakers for sure. But now your third best player like to see you're choosing from Goran Dragic, Kendrick Johnson, Duncan Robinson, Tyler Harrell again Kyle Kuzma and it doesn't go Dad there's really nobody else after that. The Heat are a talented team. They've got a lot of people around him and I think Jimmy Butler is a good best player on that team because he's unselfish. He helps other guys be better and they're able to win because they've got a lot of guys to contribute.

If he had to carry a team offensively like LeBron and Anthony Davis, did they in my opinion, he wouldn't be good enough. But the things that Jimmy Butler does are perfect for the heat. You know, I mean, he's a great defender. He's going to get to the free throw line. He's going to get the ball to other people. He can initiate your offense. He's definitely a star and perfect for that group, but they've got a lot of talent.

Quickly, Stan, because we've got a minute left here. Barkley's contention that James Harden is the best one on one scorer ever. Under these rules, maybe see that that's the thing like Tim Hardaway say to me all the time, Hey Stan, you imagine if I got to play in an era where nobody could put their hands on me? I mean, you just can't take that away that, you know, 20 years ago, people would have been up on James Harden with a forearm into him and riding him over screens and those weren't fouls.

So in today's era, yeah, he looks absolutely unstoppable, more so maybe than anybody we've had on the perimeter. But he's playing by a totally different set of rules.

Less than 30 seconds. We've got no time left. Lillard how do you guard him. Do you send two guys as soon as he gets the half court. You almost have to I mean, you've got to get him as early as you can. I mean, where he shoots the ball from, the problem is if you're going to come up that high with your big guy on a pick and roll is going to go by your big guy, there's just not a good way to to play him.

I mean, if he and Steph Curry are the only two guys restudy Mr. Wang from the Cleveland, there is not be on ESPN Radio.