Rice on the Mics

Season One Finale

• Ian • Season 1 • Episode 52

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Season one closes on a week where the Super Bowl crowns grit over flash, the Knicks turn chaos into a calling card, and baseball reminds us that hope shares a locker with injuries. We lock in on identity, structure, and how fast a league flips to tomorrow.

• Seattle’s suffocating Super Bowl plan and Walker’s metronome MVP
• Drake May context vs consequences under pressure
• Awards night takeaways and a Hall of Fame salute
• Betting recap with one long-shot save and what’s next
• Who becomes next season’s surprise team and why
• Knicks’ whiplash week and building a mean identity
• Giannis and prediction markets blurring integrity lines
• Mets camp vibes, Lindor surgery, Soto in left
• Yankees’ Goldschmidt vs Ben Rice development puzzle
• League-wide injuries and new MLB rules to watch
• Olympic hockey headlines and early tournament signals

Make sure you’re following me on the socials. That’s where the conversation lives during the week before the episode. Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, all of it. Just search Rice on the radio. Make sure you vote on the mic check polls, send me your takes, give me your predictions, tell me what you want more of. Tell me what you want less of. Spread some good energy in this world. Check in on your people, tell somebody you love them.


SPEAKER_00:

Si on se mulle fine, si t'as filmé. Well, the Super Bowl is done, the confetti has been swept off the field. Everybody wakes up the next morning, and the first thing you hear is, so what's next? And that's the beauty of this whole sports thing. The season ends, and within like six hours, somebody's already talking about free agency, the draft, futures odds, who needs a new coach, who needs a new quarterback, who needs a whole new identity. Nobody just sits with the results, nobody grieves, nobody even celebrates too long. We just move on. And for me, this week hits a little different because this is episode 52. That's a full year of episodes. That's season one in the books. And not in a give me a trophy way either, more in like a yo man, we we showed up every week kind of way. Look, some episodes I was on fire, some episodes I was a little stressed, some episodes I was probably talking like a man who just watched his team fumble a season way in real time, because I probably did. But at the end of the day, we did it. One year of episodes. That matters. So the theme today, which we've been doing as of late, is Final Whistle New Playbook. The whistle blew, the seasons ended, and now everybody's grabbing a clipboard. Teams, fans, front offices, and yeah, even me. So we're gonna start this with the NFL, obviously. I mean, we got the Super Bowl first to cover, but we're actually gonna talk through it, not just do a little scoreboard recap, yada yada. We're gonna talk about why it started slow, how it got flipped, and how Seattle turned it into a grown man game. We'll touch on the MVP angle, we'll touch some dynasty chatter without turning it into a full debate, and then we're gonna go right into the receipts. We got the awards, we got Hall of Fame, we got the immediate off-season shuffle where the league just feels like it's already back to work. After NFL, we're going right into the Knicks because the Knicks gave us whiplash this week. They got embarrassed, then they had a statement win, then they got embarrassed, then they had another huge statement win. So we'll talk about all that, we'll talk about identity, and you can feel Leon Rose building something that it might have been missing. And we'll do a quick little league lap, some stuff with Giannis and the prediction market, and how that kind of skirts the line when there shouldn't be a line to skirt. And then after that, we got baseball, because it's right around the corner. I can feel the sunshine already. We're opening up with the Mets, some camp vibes, the Lindor drama, the whole mood, a little Yankees conversation, too, because you brought back Goldschmann. So, what does that mean for Ben Rice? We'll touch on some other injuries around the league, some rule changes, and a little touch of hockey. The Olympics are going on, so we'll cover it a little bit. And I also got a story, a local story that started off terrible, and then once everything kind of got settled, it gave you a breath of fresh air. Season finale, one year in, final whistle, new playbook, episode 52, let's do it to it. Super Bowl 60, Seattle 29, Patriots 13. Uh nobody's putting that one in the cinema folder. I mean, it started off pretty sleepy, honestly. It felt like both teams were coaching not to lose instead of coaching to win, just feeling each other out. You could tell early it was going to be one of those games where the first big mistake was going to feel like a car accident, and both teams were just waiting on the other team to make that first big mistake. Everybody played it safe. Everybody tried to just stay clean. Everybody tried to keep the game from getting weird. And then Seattle made it weird, but on their terms. They turned it into this heavy, annoying game where every Patriots drive felt like it took effort just to breathe. There were pressure looks, disguises, hard physical tackling, no free money, no free lunch today. And New England just kept having to solve a new problem every single series. And that's what get that's what great defenses do, right? They don't just be you. They make you think, they make you hesitate, and then they hit you for hesitating. Kenneth Walker winning Super Bowl MVP makes perfect sense to me. A lot of people talked about giving it to the kicker, this that and the other. Now, this wasn't a QB throws for 380 and five touchdowns kind of night. No, this this was the other kind of championship game. The one where somebody just keeps leaning on you until you fold. And that was Walker. Walker was the heartbeat. Four yards, five yards, keep the chains honest, make linebackers tackle all game, bring the pain, keep your own defense fresh, keep them off the field. People love the fireworks MVP kind of night, but the truth is the metronome MVP, that's how you win the last game when it's ugly. That's how you bring the championship home. Grinding it out, beating him up. So I get I get him getting the he deserves it. You know, he deserves the MVP. Now, for the Patriots side, well, this is where everybody turns into a prosecutor. Okay. Drake may have the shoulder and shoulder injection before the game, and then after the game, you get the follow-up that there's no surgery needed, just rest and recovery. Here's how I'm looking at it, right? It's context. It's not a permission slip, but it's context. And the mic check, which if you don't know what the mic check is, if this is your first time listening to the podcast, every Wednesday on the Instagram, I roll a weekly mic check with polls out for you guys to vote on and make your way into the show. So this week, one of our polls was Does the shoulder injury change your view on how Drake Make performed? And it was 15 votes to five. 75% saying everybody's hurt, welcome to February. And I love that, honestly. I mean, that's that's kind of the perfect split for sports fans. More than half of us are like, get up, you'll be fine. And there's like 25% of us or so that says it's eh, it's okay, we're compassionate. Well, you know, you did a good job. Both things can be true, though. I mean, injuries are part of it, and Seattle still made his life miserable. The timing looked off at points, the game got sped up for him, I think. And then once Seattle started throwing different looks at him, I mean, Will Campbell got bullied all night. It felt like he was just trying to do math while somebody's shaking the desk. That's not even a May diss either. I still do think he can be a good quarterback. That's just more on Seattle doing the damn thing and doing what champions do. And probably all week you've been hearing about dynasty talk. It's already flying around. So I'll touch on it quick and keep it moving. Dynasty is a word that you earn. Okay. Nobody nobody predicts their way into it. New England found their quarterback, maybe. Seattle's defense is young. Both of those things are real. The rest of it is the hard part. Building the adult roster, protecting both teams, both quarterbacks, giving Drake May answers. I I don't know. It seems like just everybody is pronouncing the Patriots to be back. And I'm not gonna say that they're not back. I mean, Drake May is a good quarterback. The offensive line is good. They do have some good running backs. Who knows what's going on at receiver? Hunter Henry is a good tight end. Mike Vrabel is a stud of a coach. But to claim that they're immediately back with the easiest, softest, uh, softest schedule now going into next year with a hard schedule, I'd be hard pressed to label them as all the way Tom Brady back. And for Seattle as a dynasty, yeah, listen, defense travels. That's how they went to back-to-back Super Bowls with that Legion of Boom defense. So we'll see if this quote unquote dark side defense can hold up and maybe they can be back where they're at, but the Rams are nothing to sneeze at. San Francisco's gonna get healthy, they're nothing to sneeze at. I mean, the division is not easy. So Seattle doesn't exactly have their work cut out for them when it comes to being a dynasty and repeat contenders. Now, before we jump into the awards and the receipt printing portion of this season, rolling the dice with rice, Super Bowl card. And we got to be a little bit honest about it because we didn't do too great. But if you took one of my plays, you might have came out even like I did. So, first off, we took Patriots plus seven and a half, we brought it up from four and a half. Well, that didn't matter. The under 50.5, that one cashed. I felt right early. It looked like it couldn't miss. He had you sweating a little bit, but it looked alright. The parlay that I gave you guys was just pure pain. Hunter Henry touchdown, no good. JSN, well, he went out with an injury, quote unquote. So JSN receiving yards was no good. Kenneth Walker, 60 plus yards. Well, he had 126 by the third quarter, so I think that was a no-brainer. We didn't get totally erased, but I don't know. The parlay was no good. As for the fun stuff that I gave out, I gave out five prop bets. Well, we called the coin toss, we said tails, it was heads. Overtime, which was a fun little one, that was never in play. Uh the no runs in the first inning, the nerfy for both teams, so both teams to not score on their first possession, Seattle went right down the field and scored a field goal. But the one that did pull you out was Seattle defense slash special teams anytime touchdown. And that was going off at plus 550. So if you put 20 bucks on it, 25 bucks on it, that was uh that was 100 bucks, that was 125 bucks. That was enough to cover your bar tab, that was enough to cover the wings that you probably bought to your Super Bowl party. So I don't know, that's the kind of bet that makes you kind of feel like you stole something, but you can get off the table right away. You don't hate it. Sometimes all it takes is one crazy bet to pull you out of the hole, right? Uh going forward with the rolling the dice with rice segment. Well, there's no more NFL. So we're gonna get it a little bit tighter. I'll have some picks for you. I know they come out weekly, so maybe we'll start doing a little bit more on the Instagram here and there. Uh we're gonna do a little NBA, some stretch spots, some targeted futures maybe, and things when they actually make sense. And then once MLB starts rolling around, once we get closer to opening day, I mean, call me Pete Rose. I love betting on some baseball. So we'll have some better clean plays for you there. Alright. Awards time. And this is the week where the league hands you the receipts and tells you to go argue with your mother, right? So Miles Garrett, unanimous defensive player of the year. That one's easy. Broke the sack record, and you can bring up whoever you want, but every single protection plan starts with where is Garrett? That's enough to give him award. That's dominance. It's not just numbers, that's that's the gravity of the situation. The MVP of the league goes to Matthew Stafford in a tight vote. And MVP debate debates are always kind of messy because people sometimes aren't arguing stats. They're arguing about what the award means, so to speak. Like the best player, the most valuable to his team, who had the best season, who's got the best story. Everybody kind of has their own definition of what the MVP means when it comes to the league. But Stafford wins it. And then he wins it, brings his four or five daughters up on stage, and says, I'm coming back. Cool. I love it. The bigger takeaway for me is Drake May being right there in the conversation as early in his young career as he is. Kind of tells you how fast he arrived. And again, I'm a Jet fan, hate to see it, but I was all over Drake May when he came out of high school. Excuse me, college, high school, Jesus Christ. When he came out of college, I hate that he's in my division, but I think he's only gonna get better and better, especially under Mike Verable. As for the Hall of Fame class, uh quick quick salute. Breeze, Fitzgerald, Keegley, Vinateri, Roger Craig. And the name that sticks out to me most there, honestly, Vinateri. I love Larry Fitzgerald, but Vinateri is one of those names where you forget how many seasons he decided until you actually say it out loud. I mean, one kick and a city's entire mood changes for the year in the snow. 60 yards when guys weren't hitting 60 yarders. You got you gotta give credit where credit's due. It is what it is. A kicker. Kind of headline this class. I mean, Breeze, God bless him, probably got robbed of another playoff run, Super Bowl run late in his career. Fitz, he was the man. I mean, third and five, you need that first down. Fitz will catch it. Keekly was easily one of the best middle linebackers of all time. But something about Vinateri, man, it just you need the job done, he'll give you the points. And it sucks for Eli Manning because this is another year where I think he could have been a first battle. Listen, you win two Super Bowl rings, your first battle hall of famer, in my book. This is another year that he's left out, and then next year's class is already sitting there waiting for it too. You got Adrian Peterson, you got Gronkowski, you got Big Ben. This is where those debates start loading right now. We're hoping for Eli, but it's gonna be tough for him to get in. Uh a couple coaching and league movement notes, quick montage, no long speeches, no what do I think that's gonna happen, why this is a good fit, and yada yada yada. We can go over that way later. Raiders go kubiak official. Kingsbury pops up with the Rams. Uh Adam Gase, fucking out of nowhere, coach in high school, pops up with the Chargers, which okay, I guess, sure. Giants had Brian Callahan as a quarterback coach and passing game coordinator, or whatever that means. Patriots defensive staff gets a little bit of a shakeup. They're moving their DC, they're changing his position. And of course, players moving all around, teams reshuffling, front offices sprinting the second that the season ends, trying to find that next genius move. That's the that's the whole thing that we're talking about this episode. That's the whole new playbook part. And the last couple things from around the league uh Cousins is probably gonna get cut. Pickens is probably gonna get tagged. And Joku is saying he's gonna leave Cleveland. And Mike Vrabel immediately shutting down any talk about his rookie left tackle, Will Campbell, moving positions. That's that's the stuff that the league is telling you. They're telling you the same thing. Nobody's waiting, nobody's taking a week off. There is no offseason. Everybody's already trying to get ahead of the next problem. Which brings me to a team that hasn't seen the postseason in 15 years. The New York Jets. And there was an article that came out earlier this week about Harrison Phillips talking about how the culture in the locker room was cancerous. Cancerous is a big word to throw around on record, on the mic. That's not just like a cute little throw-around quote. Players don't talk like that unless it's been living in the building for a long time. So it goes to show what Aaron Glenn has inherited as a roster and the atmosphere that he has to change here. Again, we go back to the mic check here. Mic check was ice cold on that. The question was, uh, are you still buying the Aaron Glenn rebuild? And 82% of you said, We don't trust him. It's hard to trust him. 82% of you basically said, Stop talking about the garbage and show me the change. Jets fans are done. They don't believe on credit anymore. It's receipts only. No more promise, no more, we're turning it around. Show me the proof, show me the money. Now, let's uh let's zoom out a little bit. Let's zoom out around the league. And here's the question that I like more than can Seattle repeat next year? The question that I like is who can be the next Seattle next year? Meaning, who can be the team that surprises you and wrecks everybody's preseason choices? Not the obvious favorites, not the teams that win in February. The team you look up on Thanksgiving and you're like, wait, what? What are they doing here? Since when are they a problem? The mic check on Seattle repeating was basically a coin flip. It was 53% said defense carries over, 47% said take the field. And that's the truth, man. People respect Seattle, but nobody trusts the league to let anybody stay comfortable for too long. So if we're hunting surprise teams, I'm looking for a few signs here. First, I'm looking for a defense that isn't fake, a run game or a physical identity that you can lean on when your QB's having a normal human day, a quarterback situation that's either stable or about to level up to that next tier, and coaching that actually adjusts, not just vibes and quotes and podium talk. First on the list, I hate to say it, Vegas. They're interesting. Man, they're interesting for that reason. They got a new staff, they got a bunch of new resour big resources, a lot of cap space, and oh yeah, they got the number one overall pick with Fernando Mendoza, more than likely. Now I know they got a little trouble with Crosby asking out, but if Crosby stays, and if the QB plan is real, and with Ash and Janti and maybe a rebuilt line, that's that's the kind of team that can go from messy to uh oh, they might be a problem fast. The next team on the list is Chicago. And the Bears, man, the Bears are one of those teams where the talent is just always right there. It's just always teasing you. The city is starving for some competence. And one year of stability, which they kind of just had, can turn them into a real problem, turn, give them some confidence to start chasing that big thing. Defense travels in that division. So if you're serious about it, if the coaching is steady, and again the QB play becomes consistent instead of chaotic and last-minute comebacks, that's a team that can sneak up on some people quick. Surprise teams usually aren't brand new. They're the teams that were close to being functional last year, and then they finally stopped tripping over themselves and take that next step. And last on the list, uh, you know, delusional fan time, but the Jets. The Jets are the emotional candidate. And this one falls on the I'm not looking for them to be good this year. I'm more looking more looking for them to make the right draft and free agency moves to set themselves up for next year where they might be able to make a play. The question is whether they can act like a real organization for ten straight months, no infolinks, no bullshit drama, buying into the process and showing the fans that there actually is some change coming down the pipe. That's why the Jet fans are giving Glenn the cold shoulder right now. But still, if if the culture actually changes, that's exactly how surprise seasons happen. Not so much with talent, but with structure. So that's the lane. That's the last big NFL portion of the show for a little while here. The Super Bowl ends, the final whistle blew, and the league is already flipping the page. But if you think NFL fans are dramatic, wait until we get to the Knicks. New York basketball took a whole month of emotions and Crammed it into one week. We had embarrassment, a statement win that actually matters, a look ahead game that turned into somebody else's championship, and then Philly getting handled like they owed us money. Jose Alvarado turned into GTA 5, and the identity conversation with Pat is gonna get real, real fast. NBA up next. Well, we kick uh we kicked today's NBA business with the Knicks. And Knicks basketball this week was like living with somebody who's emotionally unpredictable, but you love them anyway. So you stay. One night you're staring at the ceiling like, what are we doing? And then the next night you're sending the group chat, we are so back, baby. And then you wake up the next morning and you're mad again. That's the Knicks right now. That's the vibe that they give out. So you started off with Detroit because I'm not skipping the embarrassment you had. And Detroit's an angry team, and they they wanted to get back at shit from knocking them out last year. 1180. That's not a loss, though. That's that's a public service announcement. Now, you had no cat, you had no OG, I get it, and then Josh Hart played, but then he went out early, like mid-third quarter, I guess. But still, that's the kind of score where you're out and you're checking your phone. Like, is this real? Did my app break? Like, what's going on here? Brunson goes ice cold, everything looks slow, and Detroit is treating it just like they won something historic. They're they're relishing every minute that they're kicking your ass, not taking their foot off the gas. So you do what you can and you eat it, right? Well, now you got Boston a day later in the garden. And what happens? They turn around, they beat him 111.89. That's why this team drives you insane. One night you're getting absolutely embarrassed, and then the next night you're punching the Celtics in the mouth in their building. Brunson gives you 31, defense travels, Boston can't hit a three to save their life, and you're sitting there thinking, okay, so the ceiling is real. The question, the question now is consistency. The Celtics win is big too. It's not some random regular season game in February, even though it is. The Celtics are a team that weren't supposed to be anywhere and they're playing really well, and they're fighting for you for the two seed. So going into their building, that's a that's a week and show up in a serious place and play a serious game and take it to you. Those are the ones that you remember. Follow that up two days later. Pacers game. At the garden, at home, where the Knicks have been great at home. And we're talking about a Pacers team that has 13 wins on the year. And what happens? You let them hang around and you end up going to overtime and you end up losing 137, 134. I mean, Brunson dropped 40, Josh Hart does Josh Hart things yet again, has a triple-double, pure chaos, and you still lose. That game felt like Indiana's championship. You knew it was a look-ahead game. You knew they were gonna bring you their all, and they were looking at 13 wins, they look like 14 wins looks good. They circled that one. They played like it too. And New York, New York played like it would be fine no matter what happened. And that's how you end up losing a game you probably should have closed. That's gonna maybe count later in the standings. And cat big cat fouled out again, and and that's part of the details conversation that Knicks fans have been kind of having out loud, kind of spewing out to the media, kind of discussing amongst themselves. Look, cat can be soft, right? Not every night, not always, but it pops up, and it pops up in the worst possible times. I mean, the foul trouble, the frustration, the emotional swings, the moments where the game gets physical and he looks like he's thinking instead of imposing his seven foot will, he's just not doing it. He's talented, obviously. But the edge is inconsistent. He's one of those guys on your team that when things are going well, he's unstoppable. But when things go bad, you don't want him anywhere near your team. The thing is, though, all that being said, I'm not exactly panicking about it because our Lord and Savior, Leon Rose, sees that and he's been building the antidote. He's bringing in guys who are mean, right? Not dirty, not sloppy for sloppy's sake. Mean. The kind of guys who make playoff basketball feel uncomfortable for the other team. The kind of guys who aren't asking the ref for permission to compete and go hard. Josh Hart is the face of that on this team, right? Hart is effort, heart is annoyance, heart is you're not getting a comfortable night. Some nights he looks like your favorite player. Some nights you're yelling at him, but he's never hiding. He is who he is. He's always giving 100% effort. That matters. So the Philly game, 138-89, that's not just a win. That's a message, man. Philly, Philly again, Philly is a team that matters, rivalry aside, conference aside. It's just a real opponent, right? They've been playing better as of late, and Bede has shown he can still kind of hang, but Embiid ducked out of the game because he doesn't want to play against Mitchell Robinson. That's a different story for a different day. New York didn't just beat him, man. New York embarrassed him. They had a season high 41 assist. The ball was popping, everybody was eating. And this is where the Jose Alvarado, Leon Rose stuff that I was talking about comes into effect. Jose Alvarado with this one game becomes a full-on New York folk hero in one night. 26 points, hits eight threes, five steals. He turned the whole game into chaos. Every pass felt rushed. Every dribble felt like it might get picked. That's why people call him Grand Theft Alvarado. That's why GTA 5 in a Knicks jersey, the garden loves guys like that. They feed off guys like that. That's why they love DiVincenzo. That's why they loved Harkenstein. It feels like you're watching effort become a weapon. Mikhail Bridges chips in, Kat still gives you 21 and 11 because things are going right, so he's playing good. And Philly's sitting there in their own building like they want to hit the emergency exit. That's what a real beatdown looks like. No drama, no oh, we escaped that one, just pure dominance. Identity is the whole thing with this team. You can survive some cat soft moments if the overall personality of the roster is mean. You can survive some cold shooting nights if you're gonna defend and rebound and make the game feel like work. That's playoff basketball. That's what we're looking for. That's what's gonna carry over. Not perfect every night, but consistent every night. Not to mention, Sochan's signing fits the same ideal. I mean, he's an annoying wing, he's versatile, he's always in the airspace. He's another one of the kind of guys that you really don't fully appreciate until you're watching a playoff series and you go, wait, why is this dude always in the way? That's the useful player. That's the grit that this team needs and that this team got that are getting the Knicks fans fired up. You love to see it. Now, zooming out, let's do a little lap around the league. Let's do a little uh, you know, a little what's what else is going on besides the New York area? First and foremost, the King LeBron, you know, coming out after the OKC loss and uh saying we're not a championship team. I I don't know. I'm I'm not doing this sympathetic face for him here, man. I don't care. It's a little whiny to me, to be honest. I mean, you're LeBron, dude. You got Luka Doncic next to you. You set the standard. You either raise the level or stop acting like you're surprised. And the whole all NBA streak ends because of the 65 game rule. That's another thing that's also pretty simple. You don't play, you don't get postseason awards. That's it. Awards are for the season you actually participated in. The rule exists for a reason. Fans pay, networks pay, teammates grind, and you don't get to skip a chunk of the year and then still collect the same trophies at the end of the season. Look, you miss games, you miss the award, clean and simple. Uh there was a big fight over the weekend, if you missed it too, over the week, I should say. Piston Pistons and Hornets, they had a huge brawl and a bunch of big suspensions got handed down. Look, the league is trying not to have another mouse in the palace, and I get it, and it looked I don't know, soft as start and then it escalated quick because guys jumped off the bench. It's not the story of the week, it's just a reminder that the NBA will step in and try and handle things when things get messy, which they should do. The real story of the week to me is Giannis. And I hate to keep harping on him. I talked about them all, trade deadline, whatever, but this is where this is where I actually have to get serious here. So he doesn't get traded, right? And then immediately Giannis announces that he's partnering with a prediction market like Calchi. I think it is Calchi, actually. And it's a massive workaround from whatever rules they have in place, just like Calchi is. And honestly, it feels like kind of the beginning of the end of the league if the league doesn't jump in and handle it immediately. Sports betting has already changed the ecosystem of the entire landscape of sports. Prediction markets get away with not being quote unquote sports books by acting as like a stock trading thing of prediction, but being able to do it with quick sales of games, right? So the optics here are terrible and dangerous and league killing almost. Like here, here's the nightmare scenario, right? It's not even a crazy one to be honest. Let's say Giannis comes back, right? And he's partnered with Calci and is overunder on points for whatever game he comes back in, 27 and a half. Just throwing out a number. And surprise, surprise, he finishes the game with 27 points. The second that that happens, half of the internet is gonna be like, wait, wait a minute. Was this real? Was that real? Did he did he know his line? I mean, people are gonna question the legitimacy of his performance immediately. And it's not because he did something wrong, but because the situation invites suspicion. And this is also from a guy that on the market of Calchi, you could trade of whether Giannis would be traded at the deadline or not, and said all the right things of I want to be a Buck and uh and my agent said this, I didn't say this, and the Bucks trying to shop him, but not taking a move. And you know, the market was I think when I saw it, it was like 75% that Giannis would be traded, and then doesn't get traded. So those 25% of people that maybe had a little inside information made out like a bandit, then immediately comes out and partners with that market. I'm not saying that was on purpose or anything, but like that's the point. Even if he's completely clean, the perception gets poisoned. The league has to regulate that immediately. I and I know it probably wasn't something they expected because it is a workaround, but once players are financially tied to companies that profit off of outcomes, you're you're begging people to doubt the product. You can't build a league on trust and send people away for gambling and have the FBI, you know, subpoena you and this, that, and the other, and then all of a sudden act shocked when fans start asking if the scoreboard is real, if the players are actually playing, or they're just trying to make a buck for a couple of their friends. So, yeah, that's I'm sure there will be more for that story, but that's kind of what it is for the NBA right now. The the Knicks week in one sentence was embarrassment, statement, gut punch loss, and then a beatdown that reminds you what their ceiling actually looks like. And the big question isn't talent, the big question is their identity. So, are you gonna be the team that gets punked and shrugs and gets bullied on the court, or are you gonna be the team that actually responds every time and punches back? Shows you got some fight in you, shows some fire, shows you're willing to go to battle for the man next to you in the huddle. With all that being said, the spring is almost here. Sunshine is almost here, the snow is gonna melt soon, I promise. So we got some baseball news to touch on because spring training is already trying to ruin people's moods. And the Mets opened up camp like they're already in the middle of the season with injuries. We got Diamond talking next. Keep it right here. Can you feel it, Mr. Krabs? Can you feel it? Baseball season is almost back, boys and girls. Which means one thing. Everybody's happy for ten minutes, and then the injury notifications start hitting your phone, and you start remembering that this sport is basically a slow motion stress test. And we start with the Mets because camp opened up and it immediately felt like April. No warm-up, no easing in. The headline is Lindor and that hammate. First off, shout out to the mic check because y'all were not trying to play games with this poll either. The poll was surgery now or ride it out, and 91% of you basically said stop messing around, don't gamble the season. And that is MetFan PTSD. That's the I've seen this movie before, and I hate this ending. So came out that he might need surgery, he might not, he's gonna go get it looked at by a specialist, and now it turns out that Lindor does get the surgery. Timeline is what it is. So now it becomes a vibes thing in camp. It's not are we doomed or is this terrible to start the season? I mean it is, but it's more like how do we keep the ship steady until he's back? You can talk yourself into the options, you can talk yourself into Mauricio, you can talk yourself into patchwork, and you know, the infield is four shortstops, so maybe Beshet gets work there and blah, blah, blah. You can talk yourself into surviving. Unfortunately, though, none of it is Lindor, and that's the point. You don't replace him here, you just absorb it with the depth that you got and you keep moving. The camp vibes, though, they are up, and that's the part that I like to see. You've got a little you got the little moments that remind you the season is actually alive again, right? I mean, you got Francisco Alvarez doing weird catching drills with a frisbee, and uh, that's the most baseball thing I've ever heard as a catcher. You got Freddie Peralta, our new ace, already building chemistry with him, which is what you want. You know, so they're talking about communication and pitch calling and what they like to call here and there, and like that's the good stuff because it it's not about changing guys up, it's about syncing the new guys up. It's about syncing the team together. One band, one sound, right? And pitchers and catchers are basically a relationship in front of everybody. If it's weird, everybody can tell right away. Another bit of Mets news, Juan Soto moving to left field. People are gonna act like it's the end of the world. It's not. He came up with the Nationals playing left. He played left when he went to the Padres. It's a choice, man. If the Mets are looking at the roster and they're saying, where do we get the best version of this overall? It's Soto and left. Left field is easier to play in city field than it is in right. It's also it's spring. I mean, this is the time to experiment without it costing you a game in the standings. And he's gonna be playing some high-level baseball in the World Baseball Classic in left field. So I'm not worried about that at all. I I think it got overblown way more than it should have. So let's just zoom out for a second here and get a feel for the Mets vibe. Okay, and this is what I'm getting. Okay. They're trying to build something more adult. Less of an emotional roller coaster, more structure, more we can push through the injuries with depth that we have. We can figure things out. Not if one guy goes down, what the hell are we gonna do? Unfortunately, though, baseball is baseball, right? I mean, that guy sneezes and he throws his back out. So baseball will always remind you what the deal is. They throw a hamate in your face in February. It's okay. I got high hopes for the Mets this year. Early little prediction, little futures will do futures for rolling the dice with rice. Juan Soto MVP this year. And that's not me being a homer. I really think it's possible. Anyway, we'll get to that later. The other team in town, right across the train here, right across the bridge, the Yankees. The team that we're not running it back, we're not doing that. We're we got a whole new group of guys. Well, guess what? They just signed Paul Goldschmidt to a one-year deal. This is where the conversation gets spicy yet again. On the mic check poll, I put out, does Goldie become your everyday first baseman? Just feeling it out. Obviously not, but just feeling it out. 68% of you said no shot. Ben Rice needs everyday at bats. But 32% of you did say that he is the better glove defensively. Look, man, here's the truth. Both sides are right. I mean, it's annoying, but both sides are right. Goldie can still help you, especially defensively, and especially in some certain matchups. But Ben Rice, shout out Rice on the mics, also needs reps. If he's going to become something real, become this player that you think he's going to be, that he showed a lot of flashes of last year. And you know what? You don't get those reps by staring at the dugout rail with a hoodie on. That's how you end up in July saying, why don't we have young bats? Where's the spark? Yeah, but you didn't feed them. So you better. This is the whole Yankee tension right now. Every move is win now. And also every move comes with that little voice in the back of your head asking, are we just running it back with different fonts? I mean, if the plan is same vibe, new outcome, fans are gonna be ready to boo by the third week of April if things go bad. That's how it goes. I mean, how many more years of Judge's career are you gonna waste? Is Giancarlo Santon still that guy? Yeah, I'm sure he's in the playoffs, but he literally can't run. So he's a DH only. Is Jazz gonna do anything? You got Ryan McMahon at third. Is Volpe gonna take the next step? Are you bringing up Spencer Jones anytime soon? What is Jason Dominguez gonna do? The Yankees are if it wasn't for their pitching, the Yankees would be in big trouble.

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I don't want to mean to sound like a bitter mitt fan or anything like that. Or you know, I'm not just shitting on the Yankees. I'm just trying to say what I'm seeing as an independent baseball observer looking from the outside in. The rotation is rock solid when Cole gets back. And if Schlitler does well, and Luis Hill does well, and Rodon doesn't implode, and Max Fried doesn't implode. And the closing situation figures itself out. But the the the starting rotation looks great. And Judge is gonna be judge. I mean, he's 34, I think, right? But he's still good for 50 home runs a year at least. Can guys be on base in front of him? I don't know. Both Mets and Yankees got a lot of questions to answer this year. But that's why we love the game, right? 162 games, long season, dog days of summer. And I personally cannot wait for baseball. And now, believe it or not, there are other teams besides the Mets and the Yankees. So let's talk about the part that's hitting the whole league, and it's the injuries. The hammaid bone alone is brutal. Okay, it seems to be the injury of the year going around here. You got Lindor, obviously, which I talked about already. You got Corbin Carroll. He's got he has hammaid surgery, and he's gonna miss the WBC because of it. You got Jackson Holiday also having ham aid surgery and already confirmed he's gonna miss opening day. That's three different teams, three big names on those teams with the same annoying hand injury. What what changed, right? What what caused this? I mean, everything always seems small until it messes with timing and power. How are they gonna come back from this? As far as pitching-wise, I mean it's the same old story. Somebody always tells you, oh, it's minor, it's good, I feel okay. And then you look up and it's June. I mean, Burns is targeting around all-star break. Schwallenbach on the Braves has a 60-day IL stint already. Josh Hader, one of the best closers in the league, is dealing with inflammation in his elbow. That's not what you want to see. And Toronto, who got way better. Dave got a whole medical chart going. I mean, Santander has surgery, he's out at least three months. Bieber's got fatigue already. Bowden Francis is out for the year. This is this is why spring training is basically a triage unit every single year. Guys come in in the offseason, oh, I'm good, I'm good. And then they throw one pitch and they go, oh, never mind, my arm is killing me. Baseball is a sport where you can be excited and stress out at the same time, and it always makes perfect sense, and it sucks, but we love it. Couple other things come into the game, too. We got rule changes, which fits right into the new playbook theme vibe this week. ABS challenges are coming. Whether the umpires like it or not, this is gonna be a thing. Whether fans like it or not, this is gonna be a thing. I think the fans are actually gonna like it more than they think they are. So it's gonna be very interesting, interesting to watch. I mean, we're about to have some managers and catchers looking like they're playing blackjack behind the plate. Do I challenge it now? Do I save it for later? What do I do? And the rules are still kind of unclear. I mean, they will unfold as the season goes, but fans are gonna love it for about a week. And then it's gonna start arguments, and then they're gonna love it again, and then there's gonna be more arguments. I mean, that's just the way every new rule change goes. Remember when the pitch clock came in, people couldn't stand it. It's gonna it's gonna show who can uh who can pitch, who can't. Also, uh coaches, third base coaches and first base coaches, are now required to stay in their little box that they have by the plate, uh by the base, excuse me, until the pitch is thrown. So this is another thing for the league, basically telling everybody stop trying to steal edges in weird ways, stop trying to be weird and steal signs. I don't know, it's not that dramatic. It's just baseball, right? It's baseball doing what baseball always does. Somebody finds a loophole, the league patches it, and everybody ends up complaining that the game is changing, but don't see that it's actually changing for the better. And quickly, since we've been talking about betting and markets and other segments, baseball's got its own integrity headlines sitting in the background, too, that everybody kind of forgot about. That Emmanuel Class A stuff is starting to expand and it's starting to get really ugly. You got Yassi Alphuy getting convicted, too. All of it is just a reminder that sports are getting closer and closer to money and leagues have to stay ahead of it, or they're gonna end up chasing suspicion all season. I mean, baseball has been the sport that started the gambling controversy with, you know, the White Sox or the Black Sox and then Pete Rose and this, that, and the other. I mean, nobody wants that cloud hanging over games when it's mid-July and there's not much to talk about. So they start digging up stories. Couple more baseball notes that I have here about uh spring training and getting there and what you should be looking for if you're a diehard fan. Maybe you know this already, what to watch for. It's the fun part of the season. There's position battles, there's young guys forcing the issue, there's teams trying out new roles and guys in new spots, everybody's pretending that they're in the best shape of their life. But this is also the time where you see which teams kind of feel sharp or feel strong and connected, and which teams kind of look like they're trying to wake up or trying to find a spark, you know. Spring training games get a bad rap, but you can definitely see a lot about your team early in the season. And lastly, one little quick little note about the Phillies. Well, they cut Nick Kessy on us, or they let him go, right? They were trying to trade him, they couldn't, and he ends up getting released. And then the story comes out about beer in the dugout. That's peak baseball soap opera, right? I mean, the days of yesteryear have gone of uh the Red Sox with chicken and beer, but it boils down to one guy thinks that he's making a statement and trying to bring the guys together, and it's turns out the team thinks that he's breaking rules, and now it's just a headline. That stuff is always happening. We just don't get to see it. And I hate to be the finger pointer here, but if I had to take a guess on who snitched, I would say Bryce Harbour. Just because of his whole how he is. You know, look, he's a hell of a player, but he definitely kind of seems like not the person I would want to have a beer with. Never mind have a beer in the dugout with. But anyway, that's where I'm at with the MLB right now. We got a lot more common. The WBC is gonna be great to watch. If you don't like baseball or you're on the fence about baseball, do yourself a favor, tune into the WBC. The Dominican team is unreal. The Venezuelan team is unreal. The American team has all the best pitchers in the league. I mean, you're talking Scoobyl, Skeens, Joe Ryan, monsters. Okay. Do yourself a favor, tune into that. But until then, I mean, Mets can't Mets open camp, and we're just trying to avoid some injuries and hoping that the vibes pan out. The Yankees open camp with lineup math and existential questions for Boone. And the rest of the league is just, again, filling out injury reports and baseball's trying to add new rules while pretending it's the same old game. Next up, though, we've we've got to keep it moving with hockey. The Olympics are going on, man. The NHL's on all-star break, but really it's Olympic hockey break, and these teams are not exactly not kicking the shit out of each other. So they gave us some stuff to chew on. I mean, USA came out swinging, Canada looks like a cheat code, and Finland already got punched in the mouth. Hockey talk up next. Keep it ready. Listen, I know, I know. If you made it this far already, you're thinking this guy's gonna talk about hockey now. I gotta sit through hockey. But it's not NHL. Not exactly. It's the Olympics, man. Have some pride for your country. Okay? And the hockey fans, don't disrespect the hockey fans out there. They might they might come over the boards and punch you. So we're gonna do a quick hockey pit stop because the Olympics are giving us real juice right out of the gate. And this isn't one of those wake me up when the metal round starts tournaments. I mean, we got statements early. We got our we already got a punch in the mouth upset, and we got Canada looking like they were made in a lab. The first headline I want to touch on is Austin Matthews being the captain for Team USA. It feels good, man. Feels right. That's the face, right? That's that's the we're not here to be cute pick. And then you look at the alternates, you got McAvoy, you got Tichuk, and you're like, alright, so this is not a soft roster. That's leadership plus edge plus grit. That's a team that wants to play grown-up hockey and drag you into the deep end. Now, let's get into what actually happened on the ice, right? So USA opens up 5-1 over Latvia, and the best part is the score almost undersells how in control they were. Shots were 38 to 18. That's not a tight game. That's USA basically owning the remote. And Latvia had its moments to give him credit, sure, but it felt like the USA was just dictating the pace the entire time. Brock Nelson scores twice, I'll flying around, Quinn Hughes is doing that thing where the puck's basically attached to him. Jack Hughes is creating chaos. T'Chuck is T'Chuck. You got the weird Olympic twist already where a goal gets waved off because of challenges. I mean, imagine scoring an Olympic goal for your country. You're celebrating with your boys, and somebody's like, ah, actually, nope, that didn't happen. That's brutal. But that being said, I like that the U.S. didn't get rattled by it. No whining, no panicking. They just kept playing. That's a good sign early in a tournament. The teams that do well in these short formats are the teams that don't get emotional when weird happens, because weird is guaranteed to happen, right? So now let's zoom out one inch to see the bigger theme already. Team USA's identity is pretty clear. They're trying to be fast, structured, and annoying. Not highlight real annoying, more like you're gonna earn everything and you're gonna hate the process annoying. That's the kind of annoying and game style that travels. That wins games when legs get tired later in the tournament. Now, on to Canada because Canada did whatever they wanted to. Canada, Canada wins 5-0. It just it really looked unfair immediately, right? You know how some teams play early, like they're they're just trying to figure it out. It's the first game, get the nerves out, you know, we'll feel each other out. No, no. Canada didn't do any of that. They showed up like it was already the semis. Celebrini scores Canada's first Olympic goal of the tournament. That's cool. But everybody's talking about the clip of the power play sequence where it was Crosby, McDavid, and McKinnon. That trio, those three names together should be illegal. That trio on the same line together, it's like putting three G codes on the same line. I mean, it's it's getting the game shark out. McDavid ends up with three assists, Bennington gets the shutout, and Canada just looks like the tournament's final boss in the first week. That's the scary part about Canada, man. It's it's not just star power, it's the this looks organized factor. I mean, when Canada is talented and structured like this, you start thinking about gold early. It's annoying and it's inevitable, but it is fair to talk about. Now, the best part of the Olympics is always the team that comes out of nowhere and humbles somebody. And it happened early. Slovakia beats Finland 4-1. Finland was the third favorite to win uh gold medal. That's the upset already. That's the welcome to the tournament moment. Finland out shoots him, but it doesn't even matter because goaltending shows up and the game turns into one of those nights of like, how are we losing this right now? But that's been Finland's thing. They have a couple decent players, but their goaltending is terrible, which is what we talked about last episode when uh our boy Ethan gave us all the hockey knowledge and said that a lot of the goalies can be beat this year. Finland, I think, has the 31st and 30th goalie on their team. So Slavovski scores twice in the headline there, and Finland's already doing the uh no panic quotes, which is kind of hilarious because that's exactly what you say when you're trying not to panic in these kind of short-form tournaments. But this is where you remember the Olympics are a full-on sprint. One bad night can mess with the whole bracket. You don't get the luxury of a seven-game series to just figure it out next time and oh, we'll figure it out on the road or whatever. We can steal a game. You better win or you're out. Sweden had their own little don't get comfortable moment, too. I mean, Sweden beats Italy five to two, but Italy actually made them sweat for longer than you expect. Sweden put 60 shots on neck. 60 shots on neck. That's not a stat, that's a hostage situation. I mean, Italy's goalie Clara was standing on his head until he started to cramp, and once that happened, Sweden finally pulled away. But I mean, can you blame him? Five goals let in for 60 shots. That game is a good reminder of the Olympic dynamic, right? Sometimes a team that has no business hanging around will hang around just because the goalie turns into a brick wall for two periods. Usually the town eventually wins, but the pressure is real while you're living in it. And that's why the medal rounds get weird. A hot goalie will always be the equalizer. Uh Switzerland. Switzerland took care of France 4-0. My air scores twice. Genoa gets the shutout, not as dramatic, but it sets up a fun thing to watch, which is Switzerland getting their shot at Canada. That's one of those matchups where Switzerland is gonna try to slow the pace down, limit the mistakes, try and frustrating them, but Canada's gonna do Canada and they're just gonna try and turn it into a track meet. I mean, Styles make fights, right? Even in hockey. Now, one quick serious note, not too long, just acknowledging what's going on out there. If you haven't heard, uh Gavin McKenna, young phenom rookie player, probably gonna be the number one overall draft pick. There was some uh something that came out over the weekend or during the week, he got into a fight at a team thing or whatever. Some guy was there, and long of the short, was harassing him, harassing him. The guy got thrown out, and then he was waiting for him outside. So then when McKenna went outside, the guy kept going, and McKenna's a hockey player, man. He does what he does. He probably he won, two jabbed him, and he was out, but then the guy filed charges, and then it looked like McKenna was gonna get like first degree felony assault, which is like 20 years or something. Eventually, uh the charges got dropped, but the case is still gonna continue on a lower level. I look, I'm not here to play courtroom radio with it, okay? I'm just noting it because it's a big name and it's part of the news cycle. So facts first, noise last. All I know is if the rumors are true that this guy was out here calling my mother a whore in front of her face, guy probably deserved to get what he got. Anyway, back to the fun. Uh, the early takeaway for the Olympics so far, USA looked serious, not flashy, serious. Canada, while they look like a cheat code. Finland got tested. Sweden got a little bit of a scare, but still handed some business. Slovakia reminded everybody that medals don't care about your reputation. And that's that's kind of the whole five vibe. Uh if you want the thing that I'm watching the most, it's who handles adversity in-game without spiraling. A bad call, a goal waved off, a weird bounce, high goalie, early deficit. The teams that stay emotionally flat are the teams that end up playing for medals late. Talent matters, obviously, but the mental side is huge in short tournaments. Next games are where we learn if this was opening night energy or if these teams actually have tournament legs. Canada's got the Switzerland matchup, USA is going to keep building momentum. Is Finland going to respond like a proud team or are they gonna press and make it worse? But yeah, that's the Olympics so far. That's the Olympic hockey so far. It's real hockey, man. It's real stakes, it's real anything can happen, kind of chaos. But let's keep it moving. Season finale episode, man. Final whistle, new playbook. The whole sports world is already turning the page. We are about to too. Let's land this play and we'll get you out of here. Thanks for sticking around. And before we get out of here, I just want to bring it back to the theme because it really did show up in everything we kind of talked about today. Final whistle, new playbook. That's the whole week. The Super Bowl ends, and the league instantly turns into a planning meeting. Teams are handed out awards, putting guys in canton, changing staffs, moving pieces around, rewriting identities. Nobody gets to sit with the result for too long. You either learn from it or you get left behind. Same thing with the Knicks too, man. You get embarrassed, you respond. You get punched, you punch back. That's the difference between a team that's just talented and a team that actually has something to it. Same thing with baseball too. You open up camp, the vibes are great, and then reality hits you in the face with injuries and lineup debates and new rules. You don't get to complain about it. You gotta adjust. And it's the same thing in real life. That final whistle blows on stuff all the time. A job ends, a relationship shifts, a plan doesn't work out, a week goes sideways. People hear final whistle and they think it means failure. Sometimes, sometimes it just means the chapter ended. That's it. The whistle isn't always a punishment, sometimes it's a reset. The new playbook part is the important part. That's where you decide who you're gonna be next. Not with the big speeches, but with the small moves. With showing up again tomorrow. Even when you don't feel like it, man. I mean, it gets easier every day. The hard part is doing it every day, right? You gotta do the boring stuff when nobody's watching. That's how things actually change. Which brings me to this. I mean, episode 52. One full year of Rice on the Mics. Season one is in the books officially. And I'm not I'm not gonna get all sentimental on you. But I do I do want to say thank you. Seriously. If you listened once, if you shared an episode, if you if you voted on a mic check, if you sent it to your group chat just to argue with your boys, you helped build this. You made it real. A lot of people talk about doing stuff, a lot of people love the idea of it. You guys helped me live the consistency part. And that's the part that actually matters. So season two is gonna be bigger. Not because I'm promising fireworks every week or any of that, but because I'm committed to improving the product here. Cleaner segments, maybe better pacing, more stuff that feels like us, right? More moments where it feels like you're sitting right there with me at the bar having a conversation, talking sports like it's supposed to be talked about. So, if you're rocking with the show, keep rocking with it, man. If you're new, welcome. Go back and run a couple other episodes, see how we got here. Either way, we're building, and I'm happy to have you here. Make sure you're following me on the socials. That's where the conversation lives during the week before the episode. Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, all of it. Just search Rice on the radio. Make sure you vote on the mic check polls, send me your takes, give me your predictions, tell me what you want more of. Tell me what you want less of. I'm not uh, you're not gonna hurt my feelings, man. The ultimate game plan is to get better and better every week. And lastly, you know how we end every episode around here. Spread some good energy in this world. Check in on your people, tell somebody you love them. Text that friend that you've been meeting attacks but putting off. Call your parents if you still got them. Give someone a little extra grace this week. Hell, give yourself a little extra grace this week. You know, it's okay to take pat yourself on the back every now and then. Keep writing your own playbook. Keep showing up. Season one is officially done, and season two officially starts right now. And I can't wait to take you guys on this journey with me. I am Ian Rice. This has been episode 52 of Rice on the Mics, and I'll catch you on the next one. Same time, same place.