Rice on the Mics
Welcome to "Rice on the Mics", where sports talk comes with no script, no filter, and just the right amount of chaos. Hosted by Ian Rice, this is the spot for real fans who love the game but aren’t afraid to call out the bad takes, blown calls, and overpaid benchwarmers. Whether it's a legendary performance, a brutal choke job, or your fantasy team crashing and burning, we’re here to break it down like it’s last call at the bar. No corporate PR spin, no forced debates—just unfiltered sports talk with passion, personality, and maybe a little trash talk along the way. If you’re looking for stats read off a teleprompter, you’re in the wrong place. But if you want bold opinions, real conversations, and the kind of debates that might get a drink thrown at you, pull up a mic and let’s go.
Rice on the Mics
Therapy Required: How New York Teams Keep Us Hooked
When the pressure mounts in New York sports, true character emerges. Tonight at Madison Square Garden, we witnessed the resilient spirit that defines this Knicks team and this city.
Down 3-1 against Indiana after Tyrese Haliburton's historic, turnover-free triple-double in Game 4, many counted the Knicks out. Instead, they responded with a defensive masterclass, holding the high-scoring Pacers to just 45 first-half points. Jalen Brunson, the undisputed King of New York, tallied 32 points and set a franchise record with his 21st 30+ point playoff game. This wasn't just a win – it was a statement that this team doesn't quit.
The series now shifts back to Indiana for Game 6, but the pressure has dramatically flipped. The Pacers haven't lost three straight all season, but they now face the specter of a potential Game 7 at the Garden – perhaps the most intimidating environment in basketball.
Meanwhile, baseball offers its own fascinating narratives. The Yankees have thrived without Juan Soto, finding balance with additions like Goldschmidt and Freed while Judge flirts with .400. The Mets are quietly 12 games over .500 despite struggling with runners in scoring position, leading the league in rotation ERA and poised to capitalize on a favorable upcoming schedule.
As we hit Memorial Day – baseball's first true checkpoint – both New York teams find themselves well-positioned, though taking different paths to success. Across town, Jets fans have reason for optimism with Justin Fields impressing coaches at OTAs, while Dolphins fans watch their team conduct what appears to be a complete teardown.
Whether you're backing the Knicks, Yankees, Mets, or Jets, it's a rare moment when hope springs eternal across New York sports. Share your thoughts on our hotline at 732-588-6869 and follow us @riceontheradio on Instagram for more unfiltered New York sports talk.
I guess there's only one way to find out. Let's do it to it right 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0. All engines running Liftoff. We have a liftoff, all right? Oh, I hope you got your therapist on speed dial. This team lives to stress us out. Huh.
Speaker 1:One night they're rallying back down from 20. The next night they're rolling over and handing Halliburton a triple-double. It's do or die at the Garden. And because of course it is, why wouldn't it be? Meanwhile Mets fans, are we feeling all right now? Are we good? A few weeks ago the sky was falling. But. But then you take the series from the Dodgers, take the series from the White Sox, as you should, and now all of a sudden you're looking at the horizon, a bunch of teams you get real fat on. Take the division lead back here.
Speaker 1:We got game five tonight at the Garden. Yankees are cruising right along the Thunder in the finals already and the Soto Slander is still going on. This is the kind of week where you don't rush it, you don't force it, you just ride the wave and you speak your truth. So grab your coffee, grab your whiskey, headphones on volume up, whether you're riding into the subway, you're stuck in traffic or you're hiding from your boss at work, this one's for you. This is rice on the mics. Let's talk about it. Old and young, rich and poor, boys and girls, welcome, welcome to the mecca of basketball. But the lights don't just shine, they blind. The Knicks are still alive, so let's set the scene.
Speaker 1:Game four in Indiana this was supposed to be New York's response. They go down 2-1. They drop both games at home, backs against the wall. This is where the resilient team shows their mettle and they get what they gave back at home. But instead we got a goddamn nightmare. Hallie, he's got the historic game. He's got the game of his life. Drops a historic 32 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds, all while not having a single goddamn turnover all night. He's the first player to ever do that in playoff history.
Speaker 1:God, I'm getting fucking getting Reggie Miller flashbacks, and not that Reggie ever did anything like that, but I just I can't stand him. He knows how to play the villain and he's good at it. Oh, all right, not to mention on two. Uh, not to mention on top of it too, that, uh, siakam, who's been a thorn in the nick's side forever, dropped up 30. Just they look lost and frustrated and outmatched, 17 turnovers on the night. That that's unexcusable and that speaks even more to like the rattled narrative that was going around this all the while, by the way, brunson towns and og all had 20, but it clearly it wasn't enough.
Speaker 1:And big cat hate to say it. He looks soft again in spots and that's been a knock on him his whole career. He looks soft banged. His knee looked. He was crying on the sideline and I get it. You know. Look, I don't know what the injury is, whatever, but it's not a good look. And then after the game, in the interview, they go oh, I guess they just wanted it more. We have to. We have to be more prepared. Way to throw Thibs under the bus on that, by the way.
Speaker 1:Final score Pacers 130, knicks 121, and a 3-1 series deficit. And Knicks fans could. Just. They felt this magical season. You could feel it in the city. They just felt this season start to slip away. But and there is a big old but here's the beauty of playoff basketball. Every game is its own universe and this team has proven time and time and time again that they do not quit. So let's fast forward to game five. You could cut the tension in the air with a knife. So many knicks fans were nervous and counting them out already. But something, something, something was different in the air. You felt it right from the tip off the garden crowd, the real garden crowd, the real garden crowd, not the business seats, not the bullshit, the real garden crowd showed up tonight. They showed they were nervous and they backed their boys. They were defiant, electric, loud Any more adjectives you got. They put this heart in this team, the way this team has put their heart in the game all season. And the crowd showed up for him tonight and it showed.
Speaker 1:Brunson came out. Oh god, he not even bullet, not even hot. Brunson came out blazing three for four right away 14 first quarter, first quarter points, excuse me, towns, battling that bruised knee. And again, when he went down crying on the sideline, there was a grumman of oh shit, here there was a. There was a mix between oh shit, now what? And come on, this guy is soft but he gutted through it, played through the pain, like every champion does, and they kept indiana at bay. They played great defense, destroyed it in the pain. After starting a 43 point first quarter game, the knicks locked down defensively and only gave up 45 points in the entire first half. 43 points points in the first game. Game four 45 in the half.
Speaker 1:This is a Pacer team that scores relentlessly, that scores like nobody's playing. Their defense is oh, you scored, okay, we'll go down and score faster. And Howie Howie was a shadow himself. His game four performance I look, I give him full credit. That is a historic one for the books performance. But tonight, 8.6 assist and he's known for that. He's known for a huge game and then like a big stinker afterwards.
Speaker 1:But the next events were swarming. They were relentless, relentless. Shit. The bench yes, the bench on a Tibbs coach team. The bench Got well well involved. Fucking Benedict drops 23 and Indiana shot 40% from the field. That's well below their season average. Shit, it's well below their postseason average where they've been on fire and that speaks even more than a defense play tonight.
Speaker 1:And like any good team that knows the job's not done, brunson wasn't done came out of halftime and he fucking exploded. Eight straight points from brunson coming out of halftime pushed the knicks to a 20 point lead. 20 point lead. We blew a 20 point lead, said not tonight. You would have thought there was a goddamn earthquake in the garden. Indiana did try to claw back halfway. But then Brunson comes down to court showing why he's the king of New York and he slams it shut with a four-point play, going on a 12-0 run. I mean Brunson finished with 32 points and hits the franchise record 21 playoff games scoring over 30 points. Brunson, he's been on this team for two years, three years. He's got the franchise record for most 30-point games. Knicks bring it home like they're supposed to. Final score Knicks 111, pacers 94.
Speaker 1:This wasn't just a win tonight, guys, it was a statement. It was like oh, it was the fuck. You message the Knicks aren't done yet and we're not going anywhere. And now the series headed back to Indiana for game six. Oh, oh, that pressure starting to loom on the Pacers, isn't it man? It's starting to boil in and I'm like shit, we better close now. We better close at home because, god forbid, you got to go into that death pit back in MSG for a game seven in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 99.
Speaker 1:You want to talk about a hot ticket? You want to talk about a hot ticket. You want to talk about a hot crowd, the pressure. Here's the thing about pressure. It's a funny beast and it's a dangerous beast. Suddenly now Indiana's the one on the ropes, indiana's the one receiving end of it.
Speaker 1:If the Knicks bring that same defensive intensity and that Brunson bravado in game six, this game seven might be one for the ages. I mean, do you want electric? You want loud? How about 20,000 people screaming at you Knicks in seven? I mean, seventh day might as well have been a riot. The hardwood is going to be shaking. Absolutely anything can happen in game 7. So if you're not hyped up now as a Knicks fan, you're probably dead in the grave, to be totally honest with you. But first things first. You got to go win game six in Indy. And look, it's not an easy ask, especially against a Pacers team. They didn't lose three games in a row all year. That's a quiet stat for them. But these Knicks man, they thrive on tough ass. They embrace impossible. Because New York, the way this city is built, impossible is just another game night. All right, shake that out.
Speaker 1:Now that the adrenaline in me has calmed down a little bit from the Knicks, let's do a quick little check-in elsewhere in the NBA. The Oklahoma City Thunder are headed to the finals for the first time since 2012. Yes, that 2012. With KD, with Russ and Harden yes, that conference finals against the Spurs with Tim Duncan, manu and fresh out of the womb baby Kawhi Leonard, only for them to win that series and then go up against the original big three of Wade, braun and Bosh and give Braun his first ring. And that team was good Shit. They might have had three Hall of Famers on that team and that's not including Serge Ibaka and the post-career number one Knicks fan, number one Knicks supporter, building all the bridges and burning all the ones in Boston, kendrick Perkins.
Speaker 1:But that team isn't this team. That team had a little diva-ism to it. Katie and Russ had egos battling back and forth and they were friendly, but you know, one was worried about more shots than the other and Harden was in the background sitting there claiming like I'm the best point guard man. Remember when he moved to Houston after that, it was like chaos and then he put up 28 free throws a night. I mean, this team, this OKC team, that's not them.
Speaker 1:They're young and they kind of all came up together. They have this like real deal, family style camaraderie that like that gms would, by the way, absolutely they would kill, they would cut their pinky off to have the kind of camaraderie that this nba, this basketball team, has to to quote a great, great baseball movie for the love of the game. They're just young enough and just cocky enough to not understand the magnitude of the situation. So what do they do? They go on to dismantle the Timberwolves in Game 5. 1-24-94. Sga drops 34 and took home the Western Conference Finals MVP Great addition to his trophy case Next to it, by the way, his league MVP trophy. Oh, and Chet Holmgren and Jay Williams, they had their fingerprint to the game too. They just do whatever they want. This team is young, they're deep, they're hungry. Oh, and on top of it, they got home court in the finals. It doesn't matter who they play Knicks or Pacers, no small task. Who they beat either.
Speaker 1:It wasn't like just a Wolves team that they kind of like limped into the finals. They were the second hottest team all year, behind OKC, and it looked like Randall and Edwards and Gobert, like it looked like that combo was really like clicking and they could get it done, and Ant-Man was going to be the man and Randall was putting up his 28 and 10, but OKC cut through them like Swiss cheese. It look. It was a heavyweight fight and any boxing fan out there knows styles make fights. The big reason OKC had to handle on the series, the whole series. The Wolves all year had turnover issues. I mean no surprise there with Julius Randle I'm kidding, I'm kidding, I'm just taking a shot, take a shot. But the Wolves had bad turnover issues all year and OKC all season led the league on turnover points. So it was just the plank of wood meets the buzzsaw. It was just a bad matchup for the Wolves. So we'll see how they end up next year.
Speaker 1:But that leads me into my next point. This offseason is going to be wild. It's going to be a wild one in the NBA is going to be wild. It's going to be a wild one in the NBA. Look, I'm, I'm predicting most teams won't even be recognizable by September. I'll go down the list. First of all, all right, lebron has a player option and he opted out because of course he wants money. But you know, let's be real, he's not gonna. He's not gonna not play with Luka, but it's at least not worth mentioning. Just, you know, if anything does happen Probably won't, but whatever. Kyrie has a player option, but injured most of the year, but I don't think he's going to pass up the opportunity to do a pick and roll with AD and Cooper Flagg Tatum's going to be injured for most of the year.
Speaker 1:So does Boston just roll over and take their lumps, or do they move some guys and make the money work? Because, not to mention money, they're going to be so far over the soft cap it would make the dodgers blush. That's how much money they have tied up. Harden, player option. Julius randall, player option. Clint capella, free agent. Damonis sabonis, player option. Caris lavert, free agent, dennis schroeder, free agent. Steven adams, free agent, not to mention, giannis is going to be the hot ticket trade item for every team and then, once he falls, it's going to be katie and kevin uh, devin booker more than likely they're the next trade items because the Suns don't know what the fuck they're doing. There's even some rumblings already about Drew Holiday getting moved out of Boston and the draft's coming around. Guys move all over the place in the draft.
Speaker 1:It feels like this year is the year to really capitalize on winning the title, because moving forward, the landscape of the nba is going to be radically different. So when opportunity comes knocking, make sure you open the door. So, so, after all that, let's talk some baseball, because both teams in New York are giving us plenty to chew on, just in some different flavors of sunflower seeds. So let's start uptown huh Yankees. They're rolling, they're doing exactly what good teams do, and that's handling business.
Speaker 1:Judges out here nearly hitting 400, and that's apparently on him on an off day. I mean, come on, he's just doing it while casually reminding us all what an MVP looks like. He threw that line that, like I don't even feel great at the play line. Get the hell out of here. I mean, he's leading the league in basically everything and Judge isn't just carrying like a dead roster. Okay, and Judge isn't just carrying like a dead roster, okay. You got Goldschmidt giving professional solid, proving why he's an all-time first ballot at-bats. Okay, he's hitting
Speaker 1:.347. .347. I had said anything other than Rizzo would be better. But you got two guys flirting with with 400 average in your lineup. And the other bats in the lineup are staying consistent too. I mean Volpe is quietly starting to realize that he's not a home run hitter. Guy ran into 20 home runs and he tried to swing his ass out of the ball. No, you're a fast contact shortstop. That's what you need to be and if he starts to learn that, he's got potential to really grow into something special. Not to mention ben rice, not to mention dominguez belly starting to come around. Everybody's doing their jobs and they're learning how to hit behind one of one of, if not the best hitter in the league in Judge. Like people talk about the Soto effect and guys get better because of him. Well, guys get better because of Judge too. This team is balanced, man, and they're doing it on both sides of
Speaker 1:the ball. You got Rodon being a straight-up ace which who had that Ten strikeouts the other night against the Angels. He's being the 1A that he was signed to be behind cole. When they signed him and for a little while there looked a little shaky the first year or so, you know, you didn't think he was going to live up to that. You, you were worried about him and he's been holding it down with authority at the front of the rotation. And speaking of ace Max Freed, who has always been good, I will sing praises by seeing him in the NL for so long against the Mets. He has always been good, he's always had nasty stuff and he does have that thing going for him, that like when you transfer from league to league, from NAL to AL or
Speaker 1:whatever that. This is probably that batter's first time ever seeing you, and it doesn't help that Max Freed has some nasty stuff, but he's been lights out. He hasn't just been good, he's been lights out, and that's what being a real ace is Like stopping the bleeding. They call him the stop gap. Did you know? After a yankees loss? And he pitches his era is a 0.79, that's a 0.79. That's that's what you're looking at. And again, you know god forbid, cole was there too. They might not just have the best record in the AL, they might be running away with it. And they don't have the best record in the AL right now because of what Detroit's doing, that craziness going on
Speaker 1:in Detroit. All of a sudden, javi Baez went from swinging that shit in the other batter's box and now he's hitting 330 playing center field. That okay, sure. But the Yankees, they finally feel like a team again. And you know what? I hate to say it, but I got to give props where props are due. Man, you don't hear that Cashman narrative anymore. That Cashman doesn't know what he's doing and he can't build a team. And he's been here for too long and you need to change your voice in the upper. You don't hear any of that shit anymore. None of it. Funny how winning fixes
Speaker 1:everything right. But let's not act like this is happening in a vacuum either, because what if they did sign Soto? None of this looks the same. You don't have Goldie, you don't have freed, you don't have bellinger and you're probably still throwing kark schmidt in big spots. Shit, maybe dj is playing third or he's playing second, or he's playing first. Again on a leg and a prayer. And, by the way, he only just came back up for the. He missed the first few months. He only only just came back up for the. He missed the first two months. He only like, just came back up like a couple weeks ago. So you'd be patching things together. You sure as hell weren't getting the breakout from oswaldo cabrera if he's buried
Speaker 1:behind soto. Uh, I, that's the twist here and I hate to say it and Yankee fans don't want to hear me say it, but you needed Soto to walk that decision, whether it was mutual or not, or whatever happened in discussions, it's what opened the door for this current version of the Yankee teams. And as a Met fan listen, I'm not I wouldn't change a thing. Thank you. Actually, I'm so happy. I want Soto on my team more than anything in the world and thanks for having him. I'm so happy I'm with him for the next 15 years. So let me tell you why. Let's flip the
Speaker 1:jersey, okay. The Mets look. I know, I know it hasn't been perfect, but listen, hear me out, hear me out. They just took the series from the defending champion with Dodgers Yankee fans and then they walked off the White Sox on Memorial Day. That's another series. Sango looks great. Shit. The whole rotation looks great. Pete is breaking out of that home run drought. He's starting to look better. Lindor is always great. Mcneil is good. Marte, marte. If it was Thanksgiving and Marte had a bat in one hand and a turkey leg in the other, I know Marte would get a hit. Beatty's
Speaker 1:coming alive. Look Soto, yeah, he's been struggling a little bit, but he comes through when he's needed and he's always on base. He's always getting the walk. He's always doing what he has to do. He finally punched back with a nice bases loaded double to win the game not too long ago. Look, I'm not ignoring the runners in scoring position thing. That's all everybody wants to talk about. They're bottom five in the league in runners, in scoring position, but they're 12 games over 500. The Mets are leading the league in rotation ERA. They're creating traffic and, ready for this, the Mets schedule is about to get real, real friendly. You got three against the Rockies and then, okay, a little four-gamer at the Dodgers. That's not easy, sure, but then you got another Rockies set, then the Nationals and then
Speaker 1:the Rays. This is the stretch to build the cushion. This is the stretch to take the division league back. It's not panic time in Queens, guys. It's time to bank some wins and assert your dominance. And look, if the worst thing that you can say about soto right now is that he's not meeting these impossible expectations that fans set, then you know what that means. This guy still has another gear to hit. Batting 224 isn't great, of course, we all know that, but his ops is still through the roof. So
Speaker 1:let's relax. Remember lindor's first season in queens? You don't, but it was fucking worse than this. It was terrible. Everybody wanted to run him out of town. Year two, a little more of the same. But then he figured it out and he flipped the switch and now every med fan can't wait to crown him captain at the david wright ceremony when they retire his number. They're hoping that david wright says and now on to my future captain of the team, francisco lindor which Soto, soto is too good to not figure
Speaker 1:this out. He's barreling balls up and he's just, he's finding gloves. It just it sucks. He's gonna come around. This is baseball. Anybody who's ever played the game knows that sometimes it's just, it's just brutal luck and he's catching heat that he wouldn't be catching
Speaker 1:in pinstripes. That's what bothers me the most. If he stayed with the Yankees and struggled like this, we'd be calling it a slow start, or he just needs a little correction, or it's a little bit of a World Series hangover. Yada, yada, yada, yada, all that garbage. But because he chose the Mets now. Now it's a bad attitude. Now the contract, he's overpaid, it wasn't worth it. Now he can't handle the pressure. Now he's not gelling with the team. Spare me all that bullshit. It's so stupid. I get it. It's okay to be jilted. You don't think I was mad that DeGrom went for more money, went to Texas. It is what it is, man. It's a business. He's still Juan Soto. He's going to
Speaker 1:still deliver. So I think the better question is. Would the Yankees be where they are right now if they kept him? Because, if we're being honest, they're lucky that the division, and the league for that matter in general, is hot garbage. Tampa always chokes. The Red Sox are more worried about Devers not playing first than they are actually about hitting the goddamn ball and the Orioles. They don't know their fucking ass from the elbow. They got all the talent in the world and the managers don't know what they're doing and a new owner doesn't know. You got to buy some pitching every now and then, so the Yankees would have no Freed, no Goldie, no Bellinger, no Cole or Gill to fall back on when the injuries did hit. It's a different world, and I'm not sure it's a better one if you did
Speaker 1:have Soto. So look whether you're back in the Bronx or, believe it, in Queens. Take a second, okay. Keep some perspective. Appreciate the path your team took and that they are exactly where they're supposed to be. Both are building something. They're just doing it in their own way. Both teams are chasing October birds and the bottom line is if you like baseball, it's a great time to be a New York fan, no matter what side of the aisle you sit on. So let's take a breath and
Speaker 1:zoom out. Memorial Day isn't just about burgers and bunts. It's the real first checkpoint in the MLB season. Memorial Day, 4th of July, trade deadline, labor Day those are the big four and we're 50 games in, 50 plus games in, and that's enough of a sample size to separate the real from the mirages. So let's check some of the standings, the big names and some of those preseason betting slips that I gave you guys if you've been listening from
Speaker 1:the jump. First things first. Division leaders AL East Yankees no surprise, it's a 7-8 game lead, but it might as well be a it's 7-8 game lead, but it might as well be a 30-game lead. You know, they got a cyborg in right field hitting .397. The Central the Tigers, are backed by a monster pitcher and a good enough bullpen, and they got some hitters finding some new life, which is good for them. Best record in baseball, by the way. Al West Mariners on paper they have the best potential pitching in the league, but they couldn't hit water if they fell out of a goddamn boat, and now the Shrews are only a game behind them. So I wouldn't I wouldn't get comfy if I were them. Nl east the phillies have taken the lead in the division but they were currently playing the stretch that now the mets are playing. They went on this good run from the Rockies and the White Sox and this, that and the other. So you know Mets are two games behind and Acuna and the Braves Acuna back
Speaker 1:with the Braves. Things are about to get pretty interesting in the NL East, the Central. The Cubs are on paper. They're not running away with it, but they're running away with it in my opinion. I mean, pca might be winning them more than just games. He's building some faith back in this Cubs team, which that Cubs fan base is wild and that kind of hurts, to be honest, as a Mets fan, since that's who we put in that trade for Javi Baez. So you love that. And the NLS. The Dodgers are leading right now, despite their IL looking like a fucking triage tent. But they continue to plug along and it's actually a lot closer than most people had it. They only have a two-game lead on the Padres and a three-game lead on the Giants. So everybody thought the Dodgers were going to run away cleanly with the division. They didn't have it as right as they
Speaker 1:thought they would. Early favorites for MVP and Cy Young. I mean judge, al MVP, it's judge, and then it's a big, long gap in the list and then it's everybody else and NL MVP. It's kind of between Golden Boy Otani, who, by the way, has 20, 20 home runs already. They've only played 56 games. He's got 20 home runs and I don't know, maybe a pitcher, maybe Pete PCA I don't know, we'll see. Nl MVP is kind of up in the air, but Otani is probably going to run away with it. Pca I don't know, we'll see. Nl MVP is kind of up in the air, but Otani is probably going to run
Speaker 1:away with it. Al Cy Young, scoogle, he's definitely running away with it. As of right now, 92 strikeouts already, four straight 10 plus Ks. Guy's a legit ace. And NL Cy Young, you know, looking not to be a homer, but Sanga, getting no love. He's my pick at least. He's quietly one of the most consistent arms in the league. Yeah, he's on a six-man rotation, but when he's good no one can touch him. So while we're doing benchmarks, we'll check on some of the player prop bets that I gave you earlier in the year, before
Speaker 1:the season started. Just to keep everybody honest here you know, pete Alonzo, the number was 40. We took the over. He's at 11, still within pace. He needs a heater a little bit, but I expect him to go on one. Tucker he's got 12 right now. The number was 30. Number looks solid as long as the wind doesn't get him too bad at home. Tucker is a monster. And belly cody bellinger he's at eight right now, but the number was 21, which I thought was really low. The short porch in yankee stadium I expect him to get a couple cheap shots. He should hit that number, no problem. Uh, strikeouts wise on the year hunter brown
Speaker 1:is at 79. We took over 164. He should be feeling pretty good. As long as he can stay healthy, he should hit about 200. To be honest with you, same thing with scooble scoobles at 92 right now and probably gonna win this, not young, as long as he stays healthy. The number was 197, so he's way ahead of schedule. The only one that should worry a little bit is zach gallon. He's at 66 strikeouts. The number was 163, so he's way ahead of schedule. The only one that should worry a little bit is Zach Gallen. He's at 66 strikeouts. The number was 163, so he's kind of on pace. You're just hoping Arizona stays hot enough and he stays upright, but the stuff is ace. So he's got he. He should be
Speaker 1:all right too. So what does it all mean, right? Well, here's what it means you don't win the division in may, but you can lose them. So if you're sitting top of the standings right now the bar's been raised and the bar's been set you hope for the best. You hope the teams do well, and we'll see where we're at come july 4th. That's when the ball starts flying and you start relying on your pitcher's arms a little more, and that's where the contenders start separating themselves from the pretenders. Listen, I know we're running a little long on time here, but I like to think you guys want to hear my voice and enjoy my take. So let's talk some football real quick, because, man, if you're a jets fan right now, you're pretty, you're feeling pretty good. Well, at least I am, and
Speaker 1:that's rare folks. Justin fields walked into florham park for voluntary otas, like he owned the place, and that, oh, that's so nice to see, instead of a QB missing it because of a trip to Egypt. Look, I know it's all hype and every coach is gonna say I have the best player in the league and I have. But the new Jets OC. He really seems to be connecting with fields. I mean, he's calling him phenomenal, phenomenal. Okay, look, it's nice to hear he's saying he's mentally sharp, fully immersed. It's fine. It's finally looking like the guy we thought he would be when Chicago drafted him in 21. And he's got a big chip on his shoulder. Man, that's what you want. He's now on his third team in four years. It's time to put up a shut-up for him and he knows that. And Aaron Glenn's squad
Speaker 1:believes in him. Fields is out here saying the sky's the limit. And week one versus Steelers his old team, no extra emotion. That's the right thing to say. But come on, kid, you know you're going to have some trouble sleeping the night before. Imagine throwing three touchdowns and running in two for yourself. You ain't fooling anyone. You are circling that game in bright red ink. So jet fans, look, I think, I think. I think I'm ready to go ahead and say it. Go ahead and buy the fields jersey, maybe skip the tattoo for now. But I would say go ahead and buy the jersey, man, I think we might be on
Speaker 1:to something here. And while the judges dream about having a quarterback, dolphins fans oh boy, definitely some nightmares going on over in Miami. They are cleaning house, not quietly, loudly and aggressively, and, however they want to frame it, it's a fucking fire sale. Joe New Smith, one of their best offensive weapons gone, traded to Pittsburgh. I don't even know what they got back, to be honest with you, but he's now back with his old offensive coordinator, arthur Smith, who loves him and knows how to use him. And then, not to mention, he just came off a Pro Bowl season, so he's hitting his stride and going back to his old offensive coordinator. The offensive fans are going to be sick when they see, I don't know, I guess maybe the Juggs machine throwing the ball to him, because Steelers still don't have a quarterback and they're still doing that dance with Rodgers, but that's a story for
Speaker 1:a different day. Suddenly, miami's offense that was this juggernaut high power run the ball like crazy Tyreek Hill, tua Tungvalu. It's looking real thin man and that's bad, especially for a coach who is kind of fighting back some allegations of these. Can he, can he, can, he, can't? He coach a team Like he's a player's coach, but is he getting too wrapped up in it? And he's not a defensive coach, he's an offensive coach. So now you're taking a Pro Bowl weapon away from him. That's not good. Tyreek had a terrible year last year and not terrible, but terrible by his standards and he's making more noise off the field than he is on the field these days. They're shopping jalen ramsey. They already kicked out claise campbell, their terror, and armstead's
Speaker 1:gone, armstead's gone. This is, uh, this isn't like a retool man, this isn't like a we had to cut some salary caps. This, this is a full-on teardown man. Look, I'm not going to shed any tears for you because it's Go Jets all day, but this is going to get a lot worse before it gets better. So, dolphin fans, buckle up and, honestly, maybe find another sport for a little while while this tough transition year for you guys happens. And hey, speaking of transitions, see what I did there. Here's one well two actually that I just couldn't leave out of my maybe we'll get to pile while I'm building my notes. All week will get to pile while I'm building my
Speaker 1:notes all week. Surprise, p rose now that he's dead is officially off the baseball's permanently banned list. Yeah, too little, too late guy, and honestly, that's kind of a sentence that I thought I'd never say. I thought even that maybe when he died they might just still be dicks about it. But hey, the path to cooper sound might finally be clear for charlie hustle here. Oh and uh, shoeless joe jackson too, because if you, if you do one, you got to do the other right. So I don't know, manfred, he was like, oh, he said it was time and blah, blah, but I don't know, it's kind of a cop-out because everyone in smart baseball circles knew that once he died he'd probably get eligible posthumously. In my opinion that's garbage. But look, I can understand why it was done like that, but
Speaker 1:it's still garbage. Look, pete Rose, say what you want about Barry. Say what you want about any of the steroid guys. Whatever, pete Rose wasn't that guy. He just did the ultimate no, no and gambled on the sport. And that's the one thing baseball players know not to do. You can never gamble on your sport. But he's forgotten. He's forgotten more hitting than any one of us combined will ever learn in our life. So look not to say that he wasn't like a. He wasn't a hard ass, because he was. He was a tough son of a bitch and maybe you know, look to to be an athlete, especially, not even just a professional athlete. A professional athlete at the level that Pete Rose was, you have to be an asshole, you have to have that big ego. I mean, he's got one of the best lines
Speaker 1:of all time. When Ichiro hit 3,000 for MLB hits, some colonist somewhere had said like, oh you know, if you his, uh, japan hits too, he would be over 5 000 hits and rose not missing a beat. He goes oh, should we start counting my, uh, my high school hits too? I mean that that sentence alone sums it up as how pete rose was. I don't look. It took him long enough, but I don't know, will the Hall of Fame follow through? Will the voters follow through? They're fucking pain in the ass. But 2027 man
Speaker 1:mark it down. And, speaking of rare occurrences, we are going to get a Stanley Cup Finals rematch. Folks, yeah, hockey fans, I know you're out there, I know I don't cover you much. I'll jump on the Rangers or the Islanders here and there, but you know it's Stanley Cup Finals. Time they get their due and we're getting a good one. The best hockey player on the planet, connor McDavid, and yes, the best hockey player on the planet, connor McDavid, and yes, the best hockey player on the planet. Put it in baseball terms if McDavid and Judge both played the same sport, mcdavid would be one and Judge would be 1A. That's how good McDavid is, but I just don't think a lot of people watch him. He's in Edmonton Games. Come on, people don't Hockey's. You're either into hockey or you're not into hockey. It's tough, but look the Oilers. They go back. They get another shot at fucking Bobrowski
Speaker 1:and the Panthers. God, I hate Florida, but we got some deja vu going on in the NHL, man. So place your bets, buckle your helmets and let's get ready to get drunk out of the world's most prestigious cup here. Okay, folks, guess it's about time to land this plane. A lot of miles today, but a lot of ground cover too. That's the whole point of this, though, isn't it? Knicks fans job
Speaker 1:ain't finished yet. Game 6 at Indy, then game 7 at the Garden. Are you kidding me? We're talking legacy, folks. This is why you put up with the pain, the heartache, For the nights like that. Mets and Yankee fans look, we're both sitting pretty Mets time to get fat against bad teams and start believing in Juan Soto, because I promise you he is coming. Yankee fans, enjoy the pivot, the flexibility you have Shit. Enjoy Aaron Judge chasing history again. Just be grateful. Soto isn't your problem, okay? Jet fans smile, dolphin fans deep breaths. Got Oilers Panthers running it back for the Stanley Cup. That's going to be a good one. And Pete Rose back in baseball conversation. Shit, that proves anything can happen. We got plenty more on tap next week
Speaker 1:and forever weeks. Make sure you hit me up on the Instagram. That's at Bryce on the radio R-I-C-E-O-N-T-H-E-r-a-d-i-o. Slide into them. Dms, like I know you want to get involved. Rate the podcast if you enjoy. The content really helps build the show and we do a wednesday mic check every week. The hotline is always there to call into. I got every facet. You want 732-588-6869. You guys know the drill by now. Until next time, stay safe, tell someone you love them and spread good energy in this world. This is Rice on the Mics and I'm out.