Nothing Personal with David Samson

*DISCLAIMER* We are sorry about the audio quality. Our recording setup in the dinghy took on some water.

Today’s word of the day is ’Oliver Stone’ as in the American film maker as in it’s time for a movie as in Pete Alonso has conspiracy about MLB that we need to talk about. Alonso says that MLB is messing with the baseballs based on what the free agency class looks like.(13:26) Gerrit Cole squared off against Josh Donaldson on Wednesday night. The Yankees vs Twins. The story was that Donaldson wants to expose pitchers and Cole is America’s most wanted right now. (20:32) Review: Riders of Justice. (23:55) Montez Sweat made some alarming comments about the COVID-19 vaccine. He answered a question about the vaccine saying he doesn’t have enough information on it yet… he doesn’t trust it… what information is he waiting for? (31:20) Starling Martels is going to be a free agent at the end of the season. He said he wants to remain a Marlin for life. Not going to happen. Why do players say this when it’s time to be a free agent? (36:10) NPPOD. (37:10) Signing young players to long-term deals can be a great thing to do. Sometimes it’s an awful investment. Let’s talk about what the Philadelphia Phillies did with Scott Kingery. (43:00) I will not be appearing on the Local Hour of Dan Le Batard’s show this week. Sorry. But it’s……..

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Today’s word of the day is ’spider tack’ as in foreign substances as in a new kind of sticky paste used by bodybuilders that MLB pitchers are apparently using. Gerrit Cole was asked about his use and his answer is now an all-time great one…. NOT. (13:50) Let’s talk about this new book that just came out by Andy Martino about the Astros scandal. It goes into detail about Jose Altuve and how he tried to fight back against the sign-stealing. Do we believe this? (19:40) Kevin Durant was not very happy with Jay Williams of ESPN. Williams claimed that Durant had said something and Williams said that something on the air, and Durant called him out for it. Let’s discuss this sort of dilemma and why it’s happening more. (30:45) Review: The Dry. (34:40) NPPOD. (36:32) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me about the College Football Playoff and the possible expansion to 12 schools as opposed to four schools. Interesting. Why would the committee want to expand?

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Today’s word of the day is ’39’ as in 0-for-39 as in Jarred Kelenic is currently hitless in his last 39 at bats. The all-time record is Chris Davis who went hitless in 54 straight at bats. So what did the Seattle Mariners do with their top prospect? Sent him back down to the minor leagues. Did the Mariners bring him up too soon? (13:40) Do you want to be an owner? Now you can! You can buy a piece of Manchester United! Let me explain. (22:25) Review: Four Good Days (26:20) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me about Aaron Rodgers not showing up to mandatory minicamp. They wanted to know if I’d fine him if I were part of Green Bay Packers front office. (34:45) NPPOD. (35:12) Jeff Bezos is going to space. He’s out of here. Taking a flight on Blue Origin to space because he wants people to experience that trip so he’s testing it out himself. (41:05) Daryl Morey was fined again. This time for a tweet on Steph Curry. Guy can’t help himself.

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Today’s word of the day is ‘gotcha’ as in you’re caught as in it’s all over as in MLB says it is going to start cracking down on foreign substances used by pitchers. What does that even mean? (15:55) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? (18:30) John Rahm was leading the field by 6 strokes at the Memorial Tournament and as he walked off the 18th green he was told he tested positive for COVID. Whoa. PGA immediately told him he had to withdraw. (27:19) Review: Together Together. (31:30 NPPOD. (37:10) Is there parity in the NBA now? No LeBron and no Steph Curry. Are we at a point where teams are this close in terms of competition? (40:42) The Portland Trailblazers fired Terry Stotts over the weekend and Dame Lillard is said to be highly sought after. Portland wants Dame to be involved in the search. Jason Kidd turned down an interview. What will happen here?

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Today’s word of the day is ‘gnome’ as in Le Batard called me that. Can you believe it? How dare he? First it was the poster.. didn’t care. Then another poster… didn’t care. And now a gnome? The dinghy is coming for the ship. (4:12) LeBron James and the Lakers have been eliminated from the NBA Playoffs. First time in his careers he’s lost in the first round. Anthony Davis could only play five minutes through injury. LeBron was the latest person to come out when he said he was just burnt out. Let’s discuss. (14:35) Players always want to be scouts. It’s their favorite thing to do. They all want to sign a guy they saw or a guy they played with. Tom Brady is the latest on this list as the Buccaneers used him to help scout WR during the NFL Draft. (23:24) Review: Bo Burnham’s Inside (30:15) Johnny Manziel was recently on a podcast where he talked about all the money he made in college. Cash money. Would NIL have helped curb this? (37:45) NPPOD. (43:05) Who will be the first manager fired in MLB this season? I’ve got a list of four because it’s bound to happen soon. 

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Today’s word of the day is ‘du-rag’ as in a wave cap as in the hair covering mostly worn by African-American people. Why are we bringing it up? Bob Brenly is an analyst for the Arizona Diamondbacks and commented on Marcus Stroman of the Mets du-rag. Stroman called him out for using “racist undertones” in his comments. Sensitivity training. That’s the new thing. What even is that? (9:46) What is race norming? It assumed that Black players started with lower cognitive functioning and made it harder for them to be eligible in the billion dollar lawsuit against the NFL. More than 2,000 NFL retirees have filed dementia claims, but fewer than 600 have received compensation. (18:55) Danny Ainge officially resigned yesterday and met with the media. He said he was tired and it was time. Brad Stevens was tired after the bubble. Everyone in Boston is tired. The pandemic has tired us all out. The strain on mental health has been significant to us all. (27:28) Review: Frances Ferguson. (30:40) NPPOD. (32:57) Four minor league baseball players have been suspended for doctoring baseballs. Big deal? No. MLB owners are now meeting to discuss what’s happening in the big leagues. What are they trying to prove? (40:20) Bob Baffert has been suspended by Churchill Downs for two years. Medina Spirit tested positive again, but Churchill Downs says, “Hey! Even if you bet against that horse you’re still as loser. Sorry!”

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Today’s word of the day is ‘prison’ as in prison food as in that’s what everyone is saying the Oakland Athletics minor league teams are eating. Picture surfaced and the food looks like a mix of Fyre Fest and something a 1st grader would make if you gave them keys to the kitchen. This is a big problem because the Athletics run the minor league affiliates now and team president Dave Kaval addressed the situation… but was he being honest? (10:55) BREAKING NEWS: The Boston Celtics will have massive turnover now. Head coach Brad Stevens will now become the new head of basketball ops and longtime executive Danny Ainge will step down. This is what happens when you’re the Boston Celtics and you don’t get results. (14:30) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me about Ben Roethlisberger telling reporters he was the one who asked the Steelers for a pay cut… HA! (23:20) Review: The Kominsky Method. (26:11) The Utah Jazz are giving courtside tickets to Ja Morant’s family after what happened earlier in the season. Why is this a big deal? (33:20) NPPOD (36:40) Atlanta small business will have its lawsuits dismissed, not settled against MLB and MLBPA. What are we even talking about?

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Today’s word of the day is ‘withdrawal’ as in Naomi Osaka has withdrew from the French Open, one of the four tennis majors, citing mental health reasons. She released a statement about why she would withdraw. This came after she said she would not be doing press conferences because of the anxiety she deals with during those events. Let’s have a discussion about mental health, pressure in sports on young athletes, and the “job”. (22:50) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Another night of NBA playoff action and another night where a fan was arrested and ban from the arena. This time the fan actually ran out onto the court and was tackled. Someone asked me what rule changes I’d make to make sure this doesn’t happen anymore. (36:10) Review: Mare of Easttown. (39:20) NPPOD. 

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Today’s word of the day is ‘grateful’ as in it’s Memorial Day as in day to remember all those who have sacrificed their lives for us to have our freedom to live in this country. (1:28) Fans are out of control right now. Another NBA Playoff game and another situation where a fan was arrested. This time a Boston fan threw a water bottle at Kyrie Irving as he was leaving the court. This has become disgraceful. (9:25) Marcell Ozuna was arrested for domestic violence over the weekend. He was caught in the act by the police in Georgia. This is serious. MLB will suspend him for a long time. (27:00) Review: I am All Girls (31:00) NPPOD. (34:15) Naomi Osaka won her first match at the French Open. The Open has responded with a fine of $15K. (39:00) Inter Miami has made history. Not the good kind. Largest penalty in MLS-history ($2M), allocation money forfeited, owner fined, former sporting director suspended through the 2022 season. Woof. 

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Today’s word of the day is ‘catalog’ as in an organized collection of things as in Josh Donaldson says he’s going to put together a catalog of how every pitcher cheats. Why would he do this? Who’s he going to expose? The Houston Astros? Trevor Bauer? (9:40) The worst play in MLB history happened yesterday. The Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman’s brain absolutely melted. Cubs Javy Baez made a play that broke first baseman Will Craig’s brain. Unreal. (17:22) NPPOD. (24:20) Review: Friends Reunion. (28:40) Let’s talk about the Super League. The disaster that was. This weekend is the Champion’s League final in Lisbon. Manchester City vs Chelsea. It looks like UEFA want to ban Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Juventus for next season’s competition. Uh oh. (34:20) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Noah Syndergaard has had a setback in his attempt to return from Tommy John surgery. The problem with not only his current health is the timing of it… Syndergaard is a free agent this offseason. (43:40) Naomi Osaka penned an open letter about why she won’t be meeting the media during the French Open. She spoke about her mental health and the pain the she goes through during these media sessions, and the questions they ask. 

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