Olympics recap, MMA analysis, Galaxy insider, MLB trip, NBA talk

Oh yes, it's Sunday once again. And you're in the sports booth. My name is Moises Linares. And let's get this started. Right off the bat, the Olympics have come to an end. Whether you saw it, whether you did or you didn't, you probably were part of history or you were probably part of the percentage of the world that missed some of the greatest events in this Olympics. The U.S. basketball team went from being the redeemed team to the back-to-back gold medal team defeating Spain 107-100. Incredible match. Spain dug it out. They stuck in there. They proved that they are the number two team. Still number two. Fighting till the end. Giving the U.S. a little bit of... They probably never imagined they were going to have a match that was going to go all the way to the end because for three quarters, Spain stuck in there. Trolled by one point, two points. Till the end when the U.S. had simply too many weapons. Kevin Thornberry. Durant was unstoppable. A monster. A person that has proven that he is one of the best athletes, best NBA players in the world. 30 points. Clutch when it mattered. Importing three-pointers in the third quarter that gave the U.S. team that edge they needed. They kept going. They kept fighting. But Spain stuck there. Fighting back with Pau Gasol who... Had 24 points of his own. Leading the Spanish team to believe that they could fight till the end. And they did. You got to give it to them. It was a silver medal worth the fight. They know they gave it all they had. But the U.S. simply too much. Simply too much. Kobe Bryant said this is indeed his last Olympic Games. Coach K also announced that he will also leave Team USA. Well, it leaves a lot of questions for the future. What's going to happen? What is going... What's going to happen? The U.S. has proven that they are too much in the basketball world. They have too many weapons. They have too much to fight with. So there's rumors. Sources are saying that a World Cup for basketball is imminent. What will happen if there's no more NBA players or not old over 23 players in the NBA tournament in the Olympics? It's going to be a drastic move. A big change. Something that's going to hit hard because the NBA supplies a lot of these star players, not only from Team USA, but from around the world. So to leave a handicapped team, it's going to decline. Those ratings are going to go down. If you follow the Olympic tournament today, it has a lot to do with the fact that you want to watch Kobe Bryant. You want to watch LeBron James take over. You want to see some of these big superstars. You want to see some of these big superstars. Do what they do in the NBA. But if the World Cup happens, there won't be any more NBA stars. David Stern is all in. That means more money for NBA teams. NBA owners, GMs are all in as well. If this happens, the Olympics are going to change for good. Are you ready to see a World Cup for basketball? We have a World Cup for soccer. It is the World Cup. It is the most dominant sport. The biggest sport. So we're going to have to wait and see what's going to happen. But keeping on the Olympic subject, the U.S. obtained a silver medal in the 4x100 race. It's better than what they had in the past few Olympics, in the past world competitions, where Team Jamaica has proven they're still the number one team. Usain Bolt has won his third medal. And that's not any gold medal. That's his sixth gold medal. Usain Bolt has become the best sprinter in history. The best. Number one. No doubt. He's won the 100-meter, the 200-meter race. And now the Olympic relay with Team Jamaica. Because could anybody stop this guy? He's announced that he will compete in Rio in 2016. That's four years from now. The closing ceremony was this evening, Sunday. It's over. We lived it. We enjoyed it. But now it's time to move on. So what's next for some of these people? The NBA will take off. We will have a new player with the Lakers. Yeah, you might know him. He goes by the name of Dwight Howard. A.K.A. Superman. But we're going to talk about that later when we have some of our insiders call in. But for now, for now, for now, we keep talking and remembering what a great Olympics this was. London put on a show that we haven't seen in a while. Yeah, China had good moments, historic moments. Some of those moments that we remember. But wow, what a closing ceremony by London. Great Britain came together, put on a show. And they won. They came together, put on a good show. You saw the fans go behind their athletes like never before. It was an amazing competition, an amazing way of showing the world another face of sports. And a lot of people are wondering, what? What do you take? What are you going to take when these Olympics are done and over? What's going to happen? If you haven't noticed, if you haven't seen TV, one of the things a lot of people are saying is, Hey, did you see those English, those Brits, those Irish? People get into it. Did you see that? Wow, I've never seen anything like that before. But let me tell you something. That's nothing new. If you've been on that side of the world, I had the privilege of seeing a few soccer matches. But over there is football. It is a different world. They do go. They do get in. They take pride in their sport. It's a way that we don't live sports here in the United States or in even many countries here in the United States. It's a way that we don't live sports here in the United States or in even many countries here in the United States. It's a way that we don't live sports here in the United States or in even many countries here in the United States. The way we see things is not the way they see it. For them, it's do or die. It's a crusades. Ireland and England, it's a war. And we had a boxing match that had just that, a lot of matches that had that, a lot of matches that we're not used to seeing here. When you go to a local Laker game, you might enjoy it. You might talk about it for that day or that week. But when you go to Europe, it's a whole different world. It's something that stays with people for centuries. Stories that grandparents tell their kids when they grow up. I was there at that match. I was there at those Olympics. I was there. I saw that. I saw Andy Murray win the gold. Yes, those kind of stories. The ones we're not used to. Other memorable moments. You might remember Missy Franklin winning the 200-meter backstroke swimming. 17 years old. Yeah. Nothing big, you know. Just 17. I don't remember what I was doing at 17. Where was I at when I was 17? Let me think. Maybe at a party. Trying to dance. Trying to be cool. This girl swimming 200-meter and winning gold. Historic. We had a lot of young kids in these Olympics. Have you? I'm going to notice. Another memorable moment. One of those memorable moments you're going to remember forever. The U.S. women's soccer team avenging Japan for the gold medal. A 2-1 victory. A victory that really hurt Japan. It was one of those, we're going to get you back. Yes, when you talk about male competition and female competition, you might not pay a lot of attention to the women's side, but these Olympics were a little bit different. 88,000 at Wembley. 88,000. Wow. That's a big number. The U.S. came from behind a few times. And they won. Overtime. Yeah, there was a few shaky calls, but at the end, the U.S. proves they're still number one. Always have. Always probably will be. It's a team that's made to succeed every time. Those girls don't know how to lose. And if you haven't seen them play, I suggest you do. Because it's nothing like it. That Olympic spirit only comes around every four years. So if you miss some of these things, you better start YouTubing them. Well, the DVD is going to come out. It's actually already out. You can order it already. That quick. Another great win. And this one goes out for all my Mexican friends. The Mexican soccer team made history. Gold medal. When they weren't able to win. They weren't expected to win a medal at all. Great team at all. Great team. Mexico has some of the best athletes when it comes to soccer in the region. But when you compare them to Spain, Uruguay, Brazil, Great Britain itself, a lot of people, a lot of experts did not give them the benefit of the doubt that they could even win a bronze medal. And that's why this is a historic moment, because sometimes you got to make history. You got to pave it yourself. You got to be a trailblazer. And the Mexican national team did just that. Winning gold unexpectedly. Taking names. Beating some of the best teams in the tournament. Putting an asterisk where it mattered. Saying we are the champions. First time winning a medal. The last time they had an opportunity to even win a medal was in 1968. Very long time ago. They hosted the competition back then. 1968 Olympics in Mexico. So when we talk about all these things, we do wonder, what do we get? And you think back and you say, wow. Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps. Back to back gold medals. Twenty two gold medals in the swimming pool. Six medals up to this point for. Usain Bolt. And let's remember that they don't compete in the same amount of competitions yet. Usain Bolt is an artist. He's an entertainer, an actor. He makes you laugh. You see him doing push ups, throwing up his hand sign saying I'm number one. When you ask him, are you going to be able to do this again? He tells you, I'm going to do it again. I'm going to win this. And he does it with fashion, with style. Usain Bolt. What could I tell you about that guy? One of the best athletes. I've had the opportunity to observe. To see. I'm blessed to live in a generation where I had the privilege of seeing Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps compete in the same Olympics back to back. Incredible. So what now? What now? Now we have other competitions to worry about because the Olympics, we're not going to have to worry about those until 2016 when they head back to Rio de Janeiro. Those are going to be spectacular because. We can't wait to see Brazil. Great country. Paulo, you're in the sports booth. You're in the sports booth. Who's this? This is Romulo Pereja. How you doing, Romulo? How's it going, my friend? I'm doing good. I'm actually. I'm actually. I'm actually been reading a couple of your articles and I actually have. Great. Great. Great. What do you want to talk about today? I want to talk about the Mexico Brazil game. Mexico Brazil historic. Are you Mexican? No, I'm not Mexican, but I mean, I'm Central American and I thought it'd take great soccer, but I just want. What was your favorite part? Are you a soccer fan? Do you play soccer? I play soccer and I'm a fan too. Brazil, but I just think Mexico. I'll play them. What was the key point? What was the what was that key play for you in the game that changed it? The game Mexico the edge because the first goal was a mistake. If you saw the game, that first goal was a mistake, but that's being smart. Sometimes you got a cherry pick and that's what they did for you. Was that the changing factor in the game? I think we lost Romulo. Anyway. Yes, Brazil like I like you see a lot of people very, very, very interested in in that Mexican victory. National holiday for Mexico. Now it was the national holiday for Honduras a few weeks when they took out Spain. Now, you know, it's going to be a national holiday. National heroes golden for eternity. Incredible win for Mexico. That makes me send a shout out for one of my great friends, Ricardo, one of the biggest Mexican fans that I know. Always rooting for Mexico. He was there tweeting me yesterday, texting me, talking about the game. A lot of my Mexican friends were everybody jumped out of joy. I've never seen so many Mexican flags. I didn't even know that we had so many Mexicans in this country until yesterday when they won. Golden. Now the press, you know, they're heroes and that's what happens when you win big. We have another caller. If you want to call me, give you the number once again is 1-800-893-9562. Caller, you're in the air. Yes, sir. Spencer. Spencer. We have my boy Spencer, the MMA insider. How's it going, Spencer? Doing good, man. Just on my way home from the beach. Beautiful day out here in sunny California. It's sunny in Southern California and that's what happens. Great. I was just about to call you and put you on the line, my friend. MMA UFC 150. What's going on, my friend? Did you see that? I know you did. What kind of question is that? Of course. I didn't make it out there to Denver for it, but it was a good night of fights. I watched it there and good stuff. I didn't really fully agree with the decision on the main event, but I'm not a judge. Give me a second, Spencer. For all of you who are listening, this is my friend Spencer Lazaro, my MMA insider, who has MMA experience. He's a professional. He has MMAinterviews.tv. What's your Twitter account, Spencer? Yeah, we have at MMAinterviews and at Spencer Lazaro as well. I got my own and one for MMAinterviews as well. Spencer, one of the things that I saw blowing up yesterday was that decision. Ben Henderson over Frankie Edgar. I was seeing the reactions. A lot of people thought that Henderson never took it, that Edgar was robbed once again because second time they face each other. Yeah, I mean, the first fight I'd say was, you know, it was tough to call as well. I mean, both decisions. I thought Frankie did enough to win round two, four, and five. Round three was really close, I thought. You know, but I thought if anything it would be closer to 49-46 in Frankie's favor as opposed to 48-47 for Ben Henderson. But, you know, I had a lot of judgment there. I thought it was a close fight. I was kind of shocked. I thought that Edgar had it as well. But sometimes you know you're a big analyst in the sport. You do this. This is your job. You're a reporter for MMA.TV. That's the thing you're running out there. Can you agree at the fact that in order to beat the champ and to take that title, you really got to take it to him? Do you think Edgar did enough to take it to him? In a way, it's a hard thing to say in this fight because that's what people said after the first fight. Because Ben Henderson took the title from Frankie Edgar. And I was saying you have to take it. He didn't really take it. So, you know, in terms of this argument, it's almost like the belt's just there for whoever fights better. I mean, I thought Frankie is just too small for a guy like Ben. Ben's a big lightweight and Frankie's a small one. And it just, although Frankie I feel like landed more shots, they weren't quite doing the same damage as those leg kicks that, you know, Ben Henderson would leg kick Frankie. It wouldn't do a whole lot. And, you know, Frankie would land some leg kicks and they wouldn't do a lot, if I should say. And when Bendo did, they really, you know, dropped actually Frankie to the floor a couple times. So, it just goes to show you the size difference. I think there's a good chance you'll see Frankie Edgar drop down another weight now against Jose Aldo, another alpha-count kingpin. Yeah. We'll have to see how it plays out or if he'll stay lightweight and try to get another fight and get his way back up there to a title shot. You know, one of the things that really surprised me was the fact that Dana White's always talking, always, you know, commenting on some of the controversial results. And on this occasion, he simply said, you know what, it's one of those controversial decisions. I'm not a judge. I'm not going to really say much on the topic. What do you make of that? Yeah, I mean, sometimes he's more outspoken than others. I think, genuinely. Usually in these really close fights that it's just kind of hard to call on people who have different opinions. He tends not to kind of just agree with the judges and go with what was decided, generally speaking. If he thinks something was a terrible decision, he'll usually say so. He's pretty outspoken. So, he probably didn't think it was, you know, worth... He probably thought the decision was just enough that it, you know, he was okay with that. Or that he was going to be able to eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty eighty those hits were not as damaging as the one Henderson was putting on Edgar himself. Yeah. I'll tell you, though, he didn't take as much damage that we've seen in any of his recent fights, really. His face was pretty beat up after the last one, as it was in the fights with Gray Maynard. But this last fight, yesterday, he really didn't get that beat up. And that really was a telling sign to me that I thought he would get the decision because he obviously didn't get hit that much as the last time. And it was a close decision last time. I thought he was going to get the nod, man. But no, Benson's a great champion. And to tell you the truth, the good thing that comes out of this is a fight between Nate Diaz and Ben Henderson, which is something that I think will be a better fight for the fans than Frank. I think the Edgar versus Nate Diaz would have been. Yes. So in that sense, I think the fans win. I'm really looking forward to seeing Nate Diaz in there with Benson Henderson. That should be a pretty great fight. Yeah, I saw that Nate Diaz had a little bit of comments. He had a little bit to say about the fight and the result. His opinion was the fact that Edgar had won the fight. Henderson simply said, you know what? God bless you. And I guess now we're going to see that fight. It's going to be an interesting fight to see. We know that Nate Diaz is a good fighter. Henderson is the champion. He wants to remain the champ. You know, he wants to remain the champ. So let's wait and see what happens regarding that, which will be coming soon. But the next immediate big fight, Jon Jones versus Henderson. How do you see that? Is Jon Jones the next big fighter or is he just, you know, right now? Oh, yeah. He's definitely an excellent fighter. I'm a huge Dan Henderson fan. He's a great guy. I've spent a lot of time with him down there in Temecula, interviewing him and hanging out with him. And he's just a down to earth. Despite being a legend of the sport, he's just a down to earth, humble, kind individual. And I really love being around him. You know, a lot of people talk about Jon Jones, don't like Jon Jones things like now. I mean, you either love him or you hate him. He's getting that rap. Yes. But he's a great fighter, no doubt about it. Not many people are giving Dan much of a chance to win this fight, including I have a pro stick video coming out, probably released in a little over a week with a bunch of big names. I don't know. I don't know if they're pros, including Shogun, Leoto Machida, choosing who they thought, who they think will win. And pretty much, you know, to give you a sneak peek, pretty much everybody thinks Jon Jones will win. People aren't saying, hey, of course, Anderson has a chance, got the great right hand. But nobody's really given him much of a chance there. And so it'll be interesting to see if he can come, you know, bring a fight to Jon Jones and make it happen. It's going to be a great fight to watch as well. Hey, there's some rumors that you tried out for K-1. Is that true? I went out to these K-1 tryouts, and Alistair Overeem kind of challenged me to try out. I said, sure. I wasn't going to do it anyway for fun. So that was made for a good video. We got a hilarious video of the tryouts in general that we put together with some funny quotes or some... Where could people see that? Random. You can check it out at MMAinterviews.tv. Type in K-1 in the search bar there. It'll pop up because it's probably buried a couple pages deep in the videos. But, yeah, I mean, we're putting out constant video content. We've been really releasing a lot this last month, a lot of good stuff, including a long in-depth interview with Ronda Rousey, who fights Saturday in San Diego for Strikeforce. She's just... She's everywhere. She was on Conan the other night. She's a huge star, a huge budding star. So we had her on our little show. That was good. And, you know, we're constantly putting out video content. So if you like that kind of stuff, there's no place better to go than MMAinterviews.tv. Awesome, man. Hey, I look forward to having you in the studio one of these days when you're not so busy going to the beach in sunny California. So let me know when you're free. Thank you for calling. I know that you're a busy man nowadays. So hopefully next time you're free, you'll call in again and school us a little bit on this MMA stuff. Yeah, anytime, man. It's, you know, the fastest growing sport in the world. And I'd love to see a lot of little... You know, the crowd getting into it as well and noticing it, which is great, I think, for the growth of the sport. And hopefully the UFC can get down to Mexico at some point in the next year or two. All right, man. Take care. Beautiful. All right, Moises. Talk to you soon, brother. Talk to you soon, my man. Bye. That was Spencer Lassera, MMAinterviews.tv. In case you want to check it out, if you're into the MMA, this is the guy you want to follow on Twitter. He has a Facebook page for MMAinterviews.tv. He knows his stuff. Let me tell you. When it comes to MMA, that's the guy you want to follow because you want to follow the person who knows what he's talking about. He lives MMA. When we come back after the break, we're going to talk NFL, Major League Soccer, a little bit of more soccer. We have the Galaxy Insider calling in soon. So stay tuned and we'll talk about what's going on in the NFL now that the preseason has ended. We'll be back after this break. We'll be right back. 8 New York City It's cold and it's damp And all the people dress like monkeys Let's leave Chicago to the Eskimos That town's a little bit too rugged You and me, it's bad good Rolling down the Pearl Highway The big nasty wind at my side Santa and the winds blowing hot from the north We were born to ride Roll down the window Put down the top Crank up the beach for us, baby Don't let the music stop We're going to ride it till we Just can't ride it no more From the side, baby To the valley From the west side To the east side Everybody's very happy Cause the sun is shining all the time It's like another perfect day I love L.A. We love it I love L.A. We love it We love it We love L.A. We love L.A. We love L.A. We love L.A. We love L.A. We love L.A. We love L.A. I'm Moises Linares. You're listening to www.skidrollstudios.com. The number to call is 1-800-893-9562. Let's talk a little bit about NFL breaking news. Chad Johnson released from the Dolphins. Wow. Wow, that's a big wow. Chad Johnson, come on. You know, great guy. Some of the fans who've met him always say what a great guy he is. Nice guy. They didn't work out for him out in New England. And he was going to start for the Dolphins. He was going to be a key player, a key role player. And he's been released today. Just now I just found out. Chad Johnson went to jail. In case you don't know why he went to jail, he had a little incident with his wife, his newlywed wife. I think they've been married five weeks. I don't really like to talk about these things because they really have nothing to do with social media. They don't talk about sports. But the fact is that, you know, they have a consequence. And the consequence is that he's been released. What did he do? Well, he headbutted his wife. Allegedly headbutted his wife. That's what the report says. That's what she says. He says that he didn't headbutt her. She did. I think headbutting is in style nowadays. Another famous guy headbutted another athlete. A guy by the name of Seneidine Sidan. 2006 World Cup. Final. Decided to, you know what? He needed to rock the game a little bit. Shake it up a little bit, you know? And you know what he did? He went rocky on them. Rocky. How do you headbutt people? How do you headbutt your wife? Do you really get that angry? You know what? You know, look, baby. I'm not, I'm not. Headbutt. Seriously. Man. That's what I call. A big no-no headbutt, right? How about, you know, just walk out, take a walk. You've been released. You not only went to jail for the night, you lost your job. You lost your job and what are you going to do now? Not the first time he has incidents with domestic violence. He was released today, but he was also let out. He was released from jail and he was told to stay away from his wife. The end of the NFL preseason. Has begun preseason in the NFL. It's time for all the NFL nuts to go crazy. So what's going to happen? What's going on in the NFL? Andrew Luck threw a touchdown pass in his first NFL pass as the code. It was like 63 yards, I believe. Wow. The guy has talent. You got to give it up to him. He has talent. Whether you want to admit it or not, the guy is very talented. He's going to be very successful. Maybe not this season, but in the future, near future, he will be one of the biggest stars in the NFL. Adrian Peterson was removed from the injury list and he was at a practice this Sunday for the Vikings. That's a good sign for them. That's a very good sign for the Vikings. What's going to happen now is that as long as he stays healthy, he will have a great season. But that's been his thing, injury prone. Every season, every other season, always something, an injury, a hamstring, a knee injury. It sucks. It's really sad to know that you're injury prone and you can't stay healthy for a whole season. Sounds like Andrew Bynum is going to the 76ers. Aiden Manning was probably one of the biggest stories this preseason up to this point. Everybody wanted to see that first snap with the Broncos. Is he going to last? Is he going to get clobbered by somebody? He wasn't. He had a great preseason. Manning went 4 for 7, 44 yards. He threw a pick. Yeah, it's normal. That's what preseason is for. You got to build rhythm. You got to get that rhythm going. You got to get that momentum. You got to build momentum for Manning. And that's exactly what he did. He went out there. He looked good, sharp. He never left the game. He was never hurt. It didn't seem like he had neck surgery. Good thing for Manning. You know? He's got to try the best. After a neck surgery, it's really hard to get back on your feet. We have a caller. Is this my friend Adam Serrano? How's it going, Mojtis? How's it going? Caller, what's your name? This is Adam. This is Adam. Adam who? Adam Serrano. Where do you work, Adam? I'm working with the LA Galaxy. Adam, you sound a lot like this guy that fooled me last week, so I had to question you. They didn't quite give me the details and said, hey, hey, hey. They just said, hey, you have a caller. I didn't say, hey, it's Adam Serrano, because last guy had a guy talking about Dandang and the trampoline. I still can't get over that, man. Adam, my friend, how's it going, dude? Hey, big game tonight. Galaxy, Chivas. What do you make of it, man? I'm going to go with the LA Galaxy. I'm going to go with the LA Galaxy. I'm going to go with the LA Galaxy. I'm going to go with the LA Galaxy. I'm going to go with the LA Galaxy. I'm going to go with the LA Galaxy. I'm going to go with the LA Galaxy. I'm going to go with the LA Galaxy. I'm going to go with the LA Galaxy. I'm going to go with the LA Galaxy. I'm going to go with the LA Galaxy. I'm going to go with the LA Galaxy. I'm going to go with the LA Galaxy. I'm going to go with the LA Galaxy. I'm going to go with the LA Galaxy. I'm going to go with the LA Galaxy. I'm going to go with the LA Galaxy. I'm going to go with the LA Galaxy. I'm going to go with the LA Galaxy. I'm going to go with the LA Galaxy. I'm going to go with the LA Galaxy. I'm going to go with the LA Galaxy. I'm going to go with the LA Galaxy. really close in the playoff chase. You know, Chivas is just a few points behind the Galaxy with four games in hand. So this game is a pretty big one for Chivas to try to, you know, catch up to the Galaxy. But it's huge for the Galaxy because they need to put some distance in Chivas and start to move up that playoff ladder. So this is a huge game with a lot of playoff implications. We have Adam Serrano on the air right now. Adam Serrano is the insider for the Galaxy. In case you haven't read or followed the Galaxy, now you could go into the MLS.com and you're going to see his name right there. Adam Serrano, one of the insiders who follows the Galaxy, who knows everything that's going on in that team. Adam, let me ask you about tonight's game. You know what? I'm a big soccer fan. You know, you and I have worked several games together, you know, different companies. But let me tell you, in my opinion, they say it's a Classico, but I don't really see it that way. I think it has a lot missing. I would say Classico is a D.C. United Galaxy game. What do you think about that? Well, you know, the tough thing about it is, you know, the results haven't gone Chivas' way for it to be, you know, a fiercely competitive game in that sense. You know, they haven't won many of these Classico games. But, you know, this is one of the most heated games in MLS. You know, it means something for the supporters. It means something for everyone involved. And, you know, you're going to get a lot of emotion in this game. These games are always very physical, very intense. So. I mean, it is a Classico because I believe, you know, these two teams see each other every single day. They do not want to lose to one another. They share the same home. They share the same home, you know. They sleep in the same place. And so every time you have a team lose, they get to see those guys the next morning at training. And they get to leave in the parking lot. I mean, you don't get that with a D.C. United versus the Galaxy. So it's a pretty intense thing, and it's unique. So, I mean, it is a Classico. The results aren't there for Chivas. You know, the Galaxy is dominating. In that sense. But this is very much a very emotional game. One of the interesting things about this match today is the fact that the Galaxy is sitting fifth. And Chivas, I think, is seventh in the conference, which makes it very interesting. Chivas is a little bit further down than the Galaxy. The Galaxy could still reach that third spot. What do you think? Is this a do or die for Chivas? Are they out? Do they still have a playoff chance or hope? I know the Galaxy does, but they're still just hanging tight. It's very interesting. It's pretty much a big game for Chivas in terms of playoff implications because they need this victory to move ahead. They have four games at hand, but as Dan Kennedy said today, said yesterday, rather, in the Super Classico press conference, those games mean nothing if they don't win. And there's no bigger game for Chivas USA than playing in the Galaxy. It's just the way it is. And I know they're currently in sixth place. I think there's seven games back. So with a win today, they'll move to within four games, four points. And that's right there on that cusp of that playoff berth, which Chivas want to be. So it's a very interesting one for them. And it's going to be interesting to see new addition, Shalry Joseph, what he does for the midfield for Chivas USA. And if he can really create that attacking mix that they've really been lacking so far this season. So it's going to be a very exciting game. I know that I have on my notes here that I think, if I'm not mistaken, I know David Beckham's not going to be here tonight. I think he's in England, right? The closing ceremony. Yeah, he's in England for the closing ceremony. I know his wife, Victoria, performed there today. I know you can't see that on the West Coast. What does that mean for the Galaxy? Not having Beckham. It's going to be, it means two things. First, you're going to see a midfield combination of Marcelo Sarvas and Janinho, the two Brazilians. That's a little bit more of an energetic midfield. Those guys are quicker. They're not as strong on the ball. But they don't lose anything passing-wise. Second, with Beckham out, you're probably going to see Hector Jimenez coming in on the right-hand side, Mike McGee on the left. And Jimenez, you know, Huntington Park, Bell Gardens high school guy, has been fantastic for the Galaxy so far this season. Because he can get up and down the flank. And I don't think that the Galaxy has had a true winger since Kobe Jones. And Hector Jimenez provides that. Right. Right. Right. Right. Right. He's up and down the flank. He crosses in a fantastic ball. And he's going to have to have a major impact going up against the likes of James Riley and Ante Jacek today. So that's going to be a really key factor. So, I mean, they're losing the things that Beckham provides in terms of the leadership, in terms of the dead ball situation. But I think with Jimenez, they're going to be very dangerous. The Galaxy has been very inconsistent this season. You know, last year they won the title, dominated, you know, very great, solid. They were a very good team. But this team, this season has been, you know, it has a lot of inconsistencies. You know, they started off bad, then picked it up. Then they've won a few games and they lose a few games. I don't know if you were there for the Real Madrid game. It was a, you know, it's a friendly game. But still, you know, it says a lot about recent matches, you know, they've had against Real Madrid or a European team. And then they come the following week and lose to Seattle. You know, they got to pick it up now or it's going to be pretty much done in the first round. Exactly. You know, much of that inconsistency stems from the defense, which, you know, all falls back to Omar Gonzalez. Omar Gonzalez getting injured was the major thing that happened to the Galaxy. And, you know, they really tried to downplay it at the beginning of the season. But Omar Gonzalez is essential to this team. And he makes them go. And tonight, what you're most likely going to see, because I'm not, I don't expect to see David Junior Lopez. He had a very poor game against Seattle. And with Todd Donovan coming back from the game, I don't expect to see David Junior Lopez. You're going to see that 2011 championship back four with Sean Franklin on the right, AJ LaGarza and Omar Gonzalez in the center, and Todd Donovan on the left with Josh Saunders in goal. And that was such a key group. They started 17 games together last season, including all four playoff games. That was a key group to sort of establish that consistency with this team. Because it all begins from the back. Last season, we had the Galaxy being one of the favorites to win it, if not the favorite. This season, who do you think is the favorite to win it? I know San Jose, solid on top. Number one in the league, I believe. You know, San Jose is just fantastic. You know, they just, they don't know how to say die. They win all these games in the last second. They did so late yesterday against Seattle. So San Jose is a team you have to look for. You also got to look for the Houston Dynamo finalists last season. Doing well so far. They just picked up Ricardo Clark, one of their old players. Good player. They lost to Canada. But Clark is a very good player. Very good backup. A lot of experience. Oh yeah, totally. They also have the talent of New York Red Bulls. But, you know, it falls back to the Galaxy. Because the Galaxy have as much talent as any team in MLS. If not more talent, they have Donovan, Keane, Beckham, who, I mean, is not as young as he was, as he once was. But he still has skills that many of the players will never have in Major League Soccer. Definitely. Definitely. With that kind of talent, you know, if the Galaxy get on the run, you know, with a positive start, they've got a big game tonight, another big game on Wednesday. This is a team that can definitely do some damage. And it's a team that every club in MLS, top to bottom, thinks about and worries about. So that's a big, huge part of that. Before I let you go, I know that you've been watching the Olympics. What did you think about that in Mexico? Victory over Brazil. Historic? It was. And it was amazing. You know, you have to tip your hat to what Mexico has been doing in terms of youth development. You know, winning the U-17 World Cup last year, finishing third in the U-20 World Cup. You know, this U-23 team, you know, we saw them here at the Home Depot Center back in the spring. And they were, they're an incredibly talented group. And it's just a testament to how far the Mexicans have kind of grown their youth programs. And I'm sorry to see some fruit. Very advanced. Yes, I agree with you 100% on that. Also, you've got to put a shout out to our American boy on that team, Miguel Alfonso. You know, Sacramento born. Yes. Player for Chihuahua, for La Jada. You know, he gets a lot of flack from the U.S. fans. But, you know, I always got to give respect to an American player doing so well, like we did with Giuseppe Rossi when he played in play-to-league. Yes. That's one of the issues with the U.S. players. You know, players that are born in the U.S. That you would think. They're going to represent the U.S. But they decide to play for their parents' home country. But at the same time, you've had Mexican players that now are playing here. Castillo, you know. We have Gringo Torres also as well. You know, they were really followed. You know, Mexicans wanted them to play for the Mexican national team. And they chose the U.S. Exactly. You know, you're going to win some. You're going to lose some. And, I mean, it all comes down to it's all individual cases. Every case is different. You know, with Miguel, you know, he moved to Mexico when he was a little kid. You know, that's his home. That's where his loyalties lie. You know, regardless of whether or not you were born in a country. You know, it's dependent on how you feel and what your emotions like. So, I mean, it's nothing you can change with a team being better. It's always going to be that individual preference that ranks above everything. Great. I know that that gold medal, it's a great accomplishment for Mexico. It's a great accomplishment for the CONCACAF who took both male and female medals in gold. Great step for this side of the world in soccer. Adam, I want to thank you for the call. Talk to you soon, my friend. Thank you so much for having me on, Marcus. I appreciate it. That was Adam Serrano, Galaxy Insider. You might see his name around the MajorLeagueSoccer.com. If you want to call, the number is 1-800-893-9562. We have another caller. Caller, you're on the line. Caller, you're on the line. Caller, you're on the line. Caller, you're on the air in the sports booth. All mistaken. No call. Empty call. I lost it. I thought I had one. I guess he was waiting too long. Talking too much soccer, he decided to go away. Let's move a little bit towards the Major League Baseball. Baseball season. You know you have a lot of baseball fans. Got to give them a fix of what's going on. The Dodgers are half a game behind San Francisco. This division is driving people crazy. San Francisco. The Dodgers. Arizona. Really close. Fighting for that spot. That number one spot. And that playoff spot. That one game series is going to take you to the playoffs. I think we... Oh, he's back. Let's see. You're in the sports booth. All right. No problem. You're in the sports booth. Hello. Who's this? This is Victor. This is Victor. I know. Hey, what's going on, man? Victor. Hey, this is the Major League Baseball insider, Victor Corona. How you doing? Ah, man. Just glad to be on the air. What part of the world are you in, man? I'm in Pittsburgh, right outside the Greyhound station right now. I don't know if you can hear, but the bus is right behind me. For those of you who follow the show... Victor is a Major League Baseball guy. He's on a project to visit every ballpark in the country. And that's exactly what he's doing right now. What's going on? How's the trip going? Ah, pretty good. I got a little held up in Cleveland earlier, but all good so far, man. No complaints. What parks have you visited this vacation journey you had? I started out in Detroit on Thursday morning. And I went to Comerica Park. I watched the Tigers and the Yankees. And then actually, since I had an extra day in between Cleveland, I went to go check out the Lions preseason game against the Browns. And then today I went to go check out Cleveland against the Red Sox. And then I just got here three hours, four hours later, I'm here in Pittsburgh. You're going to go see the Pirates? Yeah, and the Dodgers tomorrow. So that should be... That should be good. Following the home team away. Nice. Yes. What's been the best park you visited in this trip right now? Oh, wow. You know what? Each one has its own thing. I don't think I did... I mean, the atmosphere at Comerica Park is one of a kind. I mean, it was a day game. It was raining. It was still packed. And the way that park is designed, it's like right next to Fort Peel where the Lions play. So it's riding downtown. It's a beautiful ballpark. They have so many statues. You know, it's one of... It's right up there. And then Cleveland today at Progressive was really nice. One of the things that I was really impressed with their stadium was the Hall of Fame statues that they have. They have like this little area called Hedrich Park. And they have all these players that used to play for them. That made it into the Hall of Fame for them. So they have all these flags. I mean, I took a couple of pictures. They have Manny Ramirez there when he was there before the... Great. Victor. I've been hearing great things about PNC Park, which I'm visiting tomorrow. I can't wait to go visit that because one of my idols growing up played here, Roberto Clemente. He has his own statue. And his own bridge. So I'm going to go and check that out tomorrow. Great. Victor, let's talk a little about baseball. Dodgers went to... They went today. Big. 5-0 against the Marlins. Capuano allowed only two hits. He was flirting with a no-no. Yeah. I was checking on that. I was at the game today for the Red Sox and the Indians. And I was checking on that. And then I got an alert saying that Capuano... Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I have a Major League Baseball insider. Then I have an NBA insider in the same call. And I only have 10 minutes left. So I'm going to just mix this up because we have Ruben Arias, Mr. NBA. What's going on, man? I'm doing pretty good. Good to be with you. I have Ruben on one side. I have Victor in Ohio and Pittsburgh. Oh, all right. Let's get this going, guys. We have about 10 minutes to talk Major League Baseball. We have 10 minutes to talk about NBA. Well, not NBA. You know basketball. Just the U.S. They won the gold today. Nothing big. Any questions, let me know. What do you guys want to know? Hey, Victor, let's start off with you. The Dodgers are half a game behind. Is it going to happen? Are they going to pass the Giants? Well, they still have a lot of games left against the Giants. So I don't know. I think they will. You know, they just have to keep playing. This is a big stretch for them. They're on a 10-game road trip right now. They went 2-1. They took the series in Miami. So, you know, that's big. They just got to keep it going against Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is going to be tough. I think they have a four-game series against Pittsburgh. And they're leading. They're right up there in the wild card. Good Pittsburgh team. It's going to be a tough series for them. Okay. I see what you mean. Yes. Yeah. Pittsburgh is good. That's going to be a good series for the Dodgers because Pittsburgh is doing really good at this. This point of the season. Since, let's leave that team and let's go to the other side, the American League. The Angels. Eight games behind. Eight games. That's a lot of games. Even, we do have a lot of seasons to be played. But if you're not making a statement now, what's going to happen? These Angels look weak with a lot of money. Yeah. They spent a lot of money. And the bad part about it is that they're not putting it out on the field. I mean, they're losing to one of the worst teams in the league in Seattle. And you can't do that. You can't do that. And it's tough. Like, I always tell people, you know, you can't build teams on paper. And that's what they did this year. They need time to, you know, gel and everything. So, you know, they're just going through their growing phase right now. They have perhaps the MVP of the AL and Mike Trout. But they still can't get over. It's going to be a tough road. You know, the worst thing is the fact that the Angels are not second. They're not trailing Texas. Bro, that's exactly what I was just about to get into is that, you know, it's hard, you know, just to jump one team. You know, they're looking behind at some other teams, too, like the Orioles and other teams. And the wild card, like we've discussed before, that wild card, it's not going to be an easy thing, you know, because it's just a one-game play-in. So that's going to be the tough part for them. One more thing. We've talked about this before. The Nationals are in first place. They have the best record in the majors. What's going to happen with Steven Strasburg? Is he going to make it to the playoffs? Are we going to see the end before? You know what? If Johnson keeps his word and so does the manager, I mean the manager and the general manager keep their word, because they did that with Jordan Zimmerman last year. And so, you know what? I've been listening and hearing that they've been skipping some of his games. I've been listening and hearing that they've been skipping some of his games. I've been listening and hearing that they've been skipping some of his games. I've been listening and hearing that they've been skipping some of his games. And so I think they're going to try to stretch them out as much as they can. This is the thing about the Nationals, Victor. I don't know if you agree. Before we move on, the Nationals are not a contender every season. You're not the Yankees. You don't win championships every two to three years. No. You're doing great this season. Do you play it out? Do you take advantage of the opportunity? Because you might not be here next season. And you know what? You know what's tough with this? With this team is that when they were the Montreal Expos in 94, they had the best record before the strike happened and they cut their season. I mean, they were on a record pace that year. And to see this again, I mean, it's a tough decision to not be able to go for it. But you know what? You have young guys there. I think you have to guard against your future, especially offensively. A pitcher like Strasburg, who's a power pitcher, you have to preserve those guys. They don't come along very often. And so I would probably, you know, I would be okay if they shut him down. But you have other pitchers there. You got Joe Gonzalez. You got Jordan Zimmerman. So I think they'll be okay. But I honestly think that they'll probably try to find a way to stretch him out. Great. Moving on to Ruben Arias, Mr. NBA Insider. Ruben, did you see that win by the USA team today? I know you did. Oh, I was up at 7 o'clock this morning to watch it. I watched all of it. I had to go to work a little bit, but I streamed it on my iPhone, and I called the ending, and that was a great game. 107-100, really close. People thought, you know what? Team USA is going to blow them out. They're going to prove they are great. They have all these weapons, but not so fast. Team Spain with Pogosol coming in and being a monster. They're in the paint. Putting 24 points, you know, led Spain to really a defeat that was sold really expensive. You know, he dominated the third quarter. He had 15 points in that third quarter, and he kept them in the game right there. His brother, Marc Gasol, was in foul trouble the first half. He had four fouls in the first half, and he was limited. He couldn't play the third quarter. He just kind of took it over. He kept Spain in the game. USA tried to go up. They went up nine, even in the fourth quarter, and they stayed right there with them. I got to give them credit, you know. I expected maybe a 10-point win by the USA, but it was close. And USA found a way to win. They played defense in the fourth quarter. LeBron stepped it up. He had a foul trouble, too, and he stepped it up at the end, like I said. And Durant, he went off for 30 points the whole game. He took over the first three quarters. He took a jump shot. He took three. Gold medal for the U.S. Now we have another team going gold as well, but not a gold medal. A golden player by the name of Dwight Howard, who's going to move to the Lakers after all the talk, after all the rumors, after all the gossip of, you know, I'm coming, I'm not coming. Yes, he's a Laker now. Where does that put the Lakers? Are they the favorite to win the title this season? You have to put them at the top now. You have to kind of put them up there. It finally happened. And they're a clear. They're a favorite. They just elevated over. He's the best center in the league. They elevated top notch over Bynum. And they have a guy that brings it every night. He's going to show up every night and get you 20 rebounds, 15 to 20 rebounds. He's going to bring it every night. He's not going to show up and play lackadaisical and just take three-point shots, bad shots, say it's easy to close out games. He's going to work hard, and he's going to follow Kobe's lead. They talked, and Kobe's ecstatic to have him. And he's going to. He wants to win, and he's going to see the winning ways with the Lakers organization. So now you have Steve Nash. You have Antoine Jamison. You have Dwight Howard. You have Kobe Bryant. You have Metal World Peace. You have Paul Gasol. Wow. Is this team going to come? Well, now you have. You know, you're in the mix with OKC. You're in the mix with Miami. And I think up to this point, those are three contenders we're going to see for that title, fighting for that title. And it's going to be a fine NBA season. You're going to have Miami and the Heat. You know, they're the favorite out there. And it's going to be a little bit of a dom fight, too. Who's going to keep jockeying for a position for all-court advantage throughout the playoffs for the finals? How much Kobe Bryant do we have left? I'm going to give him two or three years. I think this rejuvenates him. And he's ready to go. He wants to win. He's got that hunger. It's always there. He's designed to win another championship. It's there. It's even there even more now. That just excited him. And let's go out and win. Let's go win these two to three championships. We saw a decline in Kobe's game during the Olympics. Was that really a decline? Or was that a sign that told Dwight Howard, look, I'm willing to step back a little bit, you know, give you a little piece of the cake, you know, come to LA? Was that it? Or is he simply conserving energies for the upcoming season? I think he's conserving energy. They really need him. He's saving his legs. The first five games, seven games, they were, you know, he just stepped back and let Melo and LeBron use their young legs. And he stepped up today. He stepped up against Argentina. He really stepped up. He brought it against Australia. And he had a nice 17 points today against Spain. And he got a clutch shot in the fourth quarter. Got a rebound. Got a nice jump shot in there. And he's ready to go. I think he's coming. He's ready for the season. He conserves energy, as we said. But he's going to bring it for the NBA season. He's one of the hardest working players in the NBA. That sounds like a plan. That sounds like the Lakers are really going to have the media world in LA looking at everything, at every move that happens. Guys, we're out of time. I want to thank you, Reuben, for calling in. Like always with that, you know, that analysis you bring in that NBA scene. Victor, thank you for calling with that Major League Baseball. I know. You're on your trip. You know, part of your journey. Hopefully, everything turns out great. See you here soon. Have a great rest of the week. And a great upcoming Monday. See you guys next week. This is In the Sports Booth. I'm Moises Linares. Until next Sunday. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.