Cowboys Camp Concerns, Tom Brady’s WWE Circus & Rangers Collapse | Just Wondering with Norm

Hi. I'm Norm Hitskas, and welcome again to Just Wondering. On this week's episode, we go to the Cowboys training camp and offer you lots of opinions about some of the stuff going on right now and that'll be going on in the near future. Then why would Tom Brady do something that makes him look so silly in public? And finally, just when things started looking up for the Rangers as the trade deadline approached, they went belly up. And the reason? The same thing that's bugged them all year long. And now a word from our title sponsor. Eying retirement? We aim to turn your nest egg into a paycheck with half the amount you've been led to believe. Fluent Financial combines in house portfolio design risk management with income generating investments designed to aid your financial independence. Our goal is to develop an effective portfolio strategy to help you retire sooner and have a better lifestyle. Fluent Financial can also implement a program that allows business owners to install a cash balance plan, which may potentially reduce income tax payments. You've worked hard to become successful. Let us help develop an effective portfolio strategy that works for you. Learn more today about Fluent Financial. Retire sooner, better lifestyle. For more information or to schedule a meeting, visit fluentfinancial.com or call (972) 852-4800. I thought I'd begin with several takes on the Dallas Cowboys as they approach their first exhibition game of the year. And a few of these opinions are gonna differ greatly from what you've been reading or hearing in camp reports. Let's begin at left tackle. I simply don't have confidence in Tyler Guy, the former number one draft choice. Dallas has been waiting and waiting for guidance to develop for two years now. In those two years, he started only 21 of 37 games. And they handed him the job the first day. I believe Dallas should start their five best players on the offensive line. What a concept. Start your five best players. And I don't believe that Guyton is better than backup guard TJ Bass. So I moved Tyler Smith out to left tackle where he will be very good. He's fantastic guard, but I think that line with Smith at left tackle and Bass at left guard will be better than a line with Guyton in it. Now, the club has already lost veteran center guard, Matt Hennessy for the year. So they'd be very thin and interior backup offensive lineman. But, know, you can always slide Smith back inside if you have to. Right now, I think the key here is put your best five out on the field. And for me right now, the best five does not include Tyler Geithen. Now, it's up to him. Beat T. J. Bass out for a spot in training camp, and he gets to keep the left tackle job. Next, as for backups, there is not in my mind any competition at backup quarterback. The job belongs to Sam Howell, the free agent signee. Dallas wasted a sixth round draft pick to acquire Joel Milton from New England last year. And what they saw of Milton was so modest that they felt they had to go out in the market and sign Sam Howell to be the backup. Now, Milton still dirt cheap salary wise. So for at least another year, he can hold down the number three quarterback job. Next, besides left tackle, the position I am most concerned about is cornerback and hardly anybody's talking about that. Oh, yes. The rookie Caleb Downs who played the Nickelback. He's gonna be terrific. He's a wonderful player, but I'm concerned about the outside cornerbacks. There's Doron Bland. Three years ago, he was terrific. Three years ago. But the last couple of years, he's just been average when he's been available because he's had foot problems that required surgery. I've I've gotta be shown that Duron Bland is a quality player again. And the other starter is free agent Sinee Kobe Bryant. He seems like a solid dude, but it bothers me just a bit that as a free agent, and it's such an important position. And it's still a young age. The best offer he could get was one year for $5,500,000 from the Cowboys. The other competitors, Siobhan Ravelle, the rookie from last year who was hurt and activated midseason and was oh, jeez. He wasn't good at all. And Kalen Carson, he play? We're not sure at all. And then there's the rookie fourth round draft choice, Devin Moore. I'm sorry, but this group, other than Downs the Nickel, does not impress me. Next, I think Kevante Turpin has lost the job as the third wide receiver to Ryan Flournoy. Turpin's a good gadget player and a good return return man, but Flournoy is a flatly better receiver. There are also some veterans on this team who are much in danger of losing their roster spots, not just jobs, roster spots. Former second round pick Luke Schoonmaker's dropped to number three on the depth chart at tight end, and Dallas has signed two interesting undrafted free agents in the offseason. And if Schoonmaker isn't really clearly beating them out, you still might be able to get a a very late draft pick in trade for him. Wide receiver Jonathan Mingo, the Dallas wasted a fourth round pick on a couple of years ago. Unless there are multiple injuries at wide receiver, he's gone. Sam Williams, the former second round draft choice begins the year as a third string outside linebacker. And the very same thing is true of a former third round pick, Maris Liufa, who's being converted from linebacker to edge rusher, and he also begins the year as a third stringer. Next, the Pope seem pretty anxious to get star defensive tackle Quinnon Williams to sign an extension. Williams is 29 and a powerful inside presence. But what about Williams may have been contemplating signing for has gone up? Williams is now making $24,000,000 a season on a contract he signed with the Jets. But if Dallas was hoping to save a little money, not down from 24, but save a little money in the extension they offered him, and that's so certain that's gonna happen because Tennessee just gave their fine defensive tackle Jeremy Jeffrey Simmons, a deal worth 35,000,000 a year. And then just a couple weeks ago, Philadelphia gave star tackle Jalen Carter a whopping $38,000,000 a season. So what might Williams ask for? Who knows? But in the last fourteen days, the price has gone up and maybe up again. And finally, Dak Prescott's not shying away from talk that this must be thought of as a kind of Super Bowl or bust season. And the look of the Cowboys contract table going forward, supports that idea that this should be a make it or break it year because at least seven Cowboys starters and several key backups will all be free agents after this season, including on the defensive side, five starters, the safety hooker, the linebackers over shown in Winters, the cornerback Durant, and the defensive tackle Ogbonia, and a handful of key reserves like Williams. And then their safety PJ Lock and defensive end James Houston. On on the other side of the ball. Pickens and Flournoy, the second and third best receivers on this team or one a and number three, their due contract as is that valuable offensive lineman Bass and Span Ford. And then there's Howell, a backup quarterback, and the cap already has some huge contracts on it from Prescott and Lam and soon Quentin Williams and Tyler Smith and others. Given their cap challenges next year, Dallas would ensure look at this as a win now season because their roster is certainly going to look very different next year. Next. Why does Tom Brady seem to enjoy making a fool of himself? What do you want from your favorite restaurant? Fantastic personal service? A cheery, welcoming, spotless atmosphere, and of course, food. The primest of beef, Wagyu and lamb, incredibly fresh seafood, lobster, salmon, shrimp, hall of fame food from a hall of fame restaurant, two locations of Bob's Steak and Chop House, the original Bob's on Lemon Avenue, and the gorgeous new Bob's at Craig Ranch McKinney. Do you bet on football? I'm Norm Hitskas, and I've been handicapping sports for the last five decades. And what an incredible last two years we've had picking games. For all of our college and pro football selections, plus the NCAA basketball tournament, We've posted a wonderful five twenty seven winners and four thirty four losers. 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Gently massage a very small amount into the skin, and within a day, the blotches begin to fade. See now, purpura usually takes weeks to disappear. But this bomb cuts the timeline to about a week. And ordering's so easy. Just go to the website, fullmoonhealingco.com. Is Tom Brady the greatest quarterback ever? Well, there's certainly no question he's the winningest seven Super Bowl rings. He's got the looks of a Hollywood leading man. The Raiders so badly wanted his positive vibe around their much maligned team that they made him a sweet deal to be a minority owner. Fox TV gave him a whopping ten year, $375,000,000 contract, the most ever given to any announcer in any sport. And he takes in millions and millions more every year in endorsements and TV commercials. It's widely reported he has his own private jet, or at least he has access to one whenever he wants it. And oh, yes, he owns a yacht. And the women? Well, I leave you to contemplate that one. But apparently, that's just not enough for Tom. In order to hear even more of the crowd cheers or jeers, he'll soon be getting even more big money to make a fool of himself as part of another of the WWE's silly fake fights. As cringe worthy as some of those scripted events are, one can see why certain athletes would agree to sell their reputations and identities to be part of them. Lawrence Taylor needed the money. William refrigerator Perry wanted cash and to stay in the limelight. Plus, he needed to eat. Floyd Merriweather's being chased by the IRS. The Paul brothers, Jake and Logan, have made an art out of fleecing sports fans out of their money. And and as you've heard in previous episodes here about these two, the Paul brothers, You know exactly how I feel about them and their bogus events. But, you know, they found a stick. And as long as people don't mind throwing their hard earned money at them to see such junk, well, so be it. I wish I could find a stick like that. But Tom Brady, three weeks ago at the Fanatics Fest in New York, Brady reached around behind Knicks star forward, Karl Anthony Towns, and slapped Logan Paul in the face. Logan, by the way, is the poorer of the two Paul brothers. Why did he do it? Paul claims because he, Paul, had been needling Brady over losing a flag football game to him in Saudi Arabia. Right. Tom Brady is PO'd about losing a flag football exhibition game in Saudi Arabia. Who dreams up crap like this? But back to our plot. Jake Paul, he's the richer of the two Paul boys, then vowed revenge on Tom Brady. And conveniently, those two were spotted exchanging, throwing the finger at each other at the World Cup final. Classy Tom, really classy. So what are these scriptwriters building up to? But of course, some kind of D level athletic theater at the World Wrestling Entertainment's event later this year. Brady agrees to fight Logan Paul. And when he begins to get the upper hand, Jake Paul then rushes into the ring and begins pummeling Tom Brady. But then, out of nowhere, here comes Brady's old tight end buddy and Fox broadcaster Rob Brundkowski out of nowhere to save the day. Immediately afterward, the beaten Paul brothers demand a rematch. Hey, I could write this stuff, but then so could your seven year old son or daughter. Why would Fox let their lead analyst step down into the sports muck to do this? Well, tell you the truth. I'm really not certain what Fox is thinking about anything these days. By the way, Fox did televise the World Cup final, where the cameras just happened to catch Paul and Brady giving each other the middle finger salute. But why would Brady do it? Why sully the extraordinary reputation he's built up over decades? He doesn't need the money. He's probably worth estimates are at least a $500,000,000. Or maybe that is the reason. When you already have $500,000,000, maybe the goal, no matter how you get it, is to get to 500,000,001. Stolen Water Media is making a move. After two plus years, it's time to change and keep up with our growth. You can continue to view all eight of our podcasts on our Patreon pages. But now you can get all episodes at www.stolenwatermedia.com. This is a developing story, but you can begin by watching and listening right now at www.stolenwatermedia.com. Continue to find all audio wherever you find your favorite podcasts, and some you may not have heard of, but I think will enjoy. Are you just wondering where your next spectacular vacation will be? Relax. Feel the sun on your body. Let your cares melt away at the all inclusive Cerenian Bay Resort in Southern Belize. It's literally built right on the sand. The ocean, your ocean, is just a few barefoot steps away. 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They would go out and get themselves a right hand hitting outfielder to platoon with Evan Carter. They would go get lots of bullpen help, maybe a starting pitcher. And even even a catcher. A regular catcher? Yeah. And the names that were floating around. The rangers were linked and thought to be maybe at the top of the list of a team that would add former batting champion Louis Arias from San Francisco. And good bullpen pictures like Luke Weaver or Adrian Motorjone. And then there's Adley Roachman, the Baltimore catcher. Baltimore was blessed with two catchers, which is two more than the Rangers have going forward. And the thought is that they would deal Richmond, and Texas was at the top of that possible acquisition list also. And and then more good news. The shortstop Corey Seager was going to be coming back to the active roster late in the week. And not long after that, the injured third baseman Josh Young. And then and then Texas folded like a cheap sheet. They lost five in a row. The last three of those, they were swept by their arch rival, the Houston Astros. In those five losses, Texas scored a total of 11 runs. In the three losses to Houston, they allowed 23. The Astros won three in a row against Texas. When the Rangers started the cream of their pitching staff. Nathan Uvalde, followed by Jacob deGrom, and then Kumar Rocker. And Texas lost them all, and never surrendered less than five runs in a game. Though, the bullpen crashed and burned during that series also. You know, the starting pitching on this team is not as good as it was supposed to be. DeGrom and Uvalde are wonderful veterans, but they're having in their terms and their careers, mediocre years. And the bullpen, well, the closure Jake Latts has been a revelation, and everything else has been pretty much a mess. But Texas real problem, it can't score. The Rangers can't score. Now that this is going to sound crazy to you. I don't want to drown you in numbers, but I'm going give you four numbers that don't make sense. Here's the first three. The Rangers in the major leagues have the fourteenth best team batting average. Not bad, not great, but not bad. They're sixteenth and homers. Okay, especially since they play in a park that doesn't give up a lot of homers. And they're fourteenth in on base percentage. Also not bad. So fourteen, sixteen, 14 are the rankings. And then they're twenty fifth in runs scored. How's that possible? Well, it's possible because this team cannot hit with runners in scoring position. Oh, oh, they get the runners there. But they're in the bottom four in baseball, in runs produced once they've got runners in scoring position. And by the way, they are dead last in baseball when they're hitting with the bases loaded. In fact, you want to make it worse? It's fourteen years since the team was that bad, batting with the bases loaded. You see the Rangers get runners. They just can't turn them into runs. That fizzle before the trade deadline conceivably changed the front office approach to trading, and how they would go about it. Oh, they, they made a couple of minor deals, nothing significant. They may have tried to trade the veteran starting pitcher Jacob deGrom, but there are reports he exercised the no trade clause in his contract, preferring to stay here, which by the way, is fully his right. He negotiated that clause when he signed with Texas. But still, through all this, the much shakier than thought starting pitching, the team that can't hit with runners in scoring position. Texas began this week, just two and a half games out of first place. First place, of course, being held by Houston. And the rangers are, when you really think of it, maybe no more than that one good week like Houston just had away from being back in first place. But you know, the vibe here simply doesn't feel that good. Maybe the Rangers still in the off season can trade some of the vets, the older guys with big names and big contracts, and they can maybe sort of start to start over. But you know, baseball may well be headed for a strike. And very conceivably, nobody's gonna make gonna wanna make deals until they know the parameters of the latest baseball labor agreement. But besides all that, there's something about the Rangers feel right now. They've got these aging stars, DeGrom and Uvalde and Seeger, all of whom you would have to say are performing somewhat well below what was expected of them. They still have very little real depth. They have no regular catcher of any kind for next season. Jock Peterson, who last year was such a bust, has become a revelation this year. And and not as a middle of the lineup hitter as a leadoff man. But he's a free agent after this year ends. And the farm system? Oh heavens, don't get me started there. It's it's still very poor. And to think that just a week ago, Ranger fans were starting to feel pretty good. And now a word from our title sponsor. Today's episode has been brought to you by Fluent Financial, retire earlier, live better. And by Bob's Steak and Chophouse on Lemon in Dallas and in Craig Ranch in McKinney. Bob's, a Dallas tradition for more than thirty years. If you've enjoyed just wondering, please hit follow and a fresh new episode will land in your mailbox early every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning. Should you know a sports fan who might like our work? Please share our contact information with that person. Thanks for listening to today's episode of Just Wondering. I'm Norm Hitschkes, and know that every day I'll be just wondering about something. And I'm Mary Hitchgis, and I'll just be wondering too. This is a Stolen Water Media production.