Today’s word of the day is ‘struggle’ as in what a struggle as in everybody struggles as in Rob Manfred did a press conference on Thursday and it was a struggle. It’s now Day 2 of the MLB Lockout and we have a few items we need to discuss from that press conference. But first let’s chat about some of the differences between the owners and players that we’ve seen. What is going on with CBA talks? Why aren’t players faces on MLB dot com? What happens to players who are doing rehab? (8:15) Here is what Rob Manfred said and why it was such a struggle to listen to. Who is Rob Manfred addressing with his comments? Who is Tony Clark addressing with his comments? (21:15) What does the bargaining table look like? Is it Godfather style: Manfred and Clark face-off? No. The room is full of players, owners, lawyers, Clark, and Manfred. (27:00) Review: Old Henry. (29:35) What happened with the Peng Shuai saga in China? The WTA has announced its pulling events out of China. The IOC came out and said everything is okay! Interesting. (34:35) NPPOD. (37:40) Antonio Brown is back in the news. Why? He used fake vaccine cards and gave them to the Buccaneers and NFLPA! Wonderful! Great teammate! (43:50) NBA has punished the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls for tampering. Big time! They will lose 2nd round picks… Ha! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘lockout’ as in it is December 2nd and Major League Baseball has announced a lockout. Stay with us here at Nothing Personal and we’ll talk through all the details of this. How did it get to this point? (9:30) The updated MLB dot com. MLB pulled all highlights and player information. Fun! (13:55) Rob Manfred released a letter to the fans. Ha. Let’s break this thing down. (29:10) What did the MLBPA have to say? The Union released its own letter to fans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘balls’ as in baseballs as in sticky substances as in MLB used different baseballs this season!? Did they? Is it true!? A report came out about MLB using multiple baseballs this season without telling players. This is another thing that the union and owners are going to fight about. Let’s discuss. (11:45) A lockout is looming. Union reps and owners met in Dallas and presented their sides. They left the meeting. They returned to the meeting. They left the meeting. They returned to the meeting. They left the meeting. (24:48) Review: Bergman Island. (28:55) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me about the Yankees and not spending money. They wanted to know if there was any truth to this. (38:40) Non-tender deadline was here. It was moved to November 30th because of the possibility of the lockout.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘Chuck Norris’ as in Walker, Texas Ranger as in the Texas Rangers now have the most expensive middle infield in the history of baseball. That’s right. Corey Seager, 10-year, $325M… Marcus Semien, 7-year, $175M. Holy! The team just opened up a new stadium last season, but now they’re spending like they want fans there. The Tigers gave $140M to Javy Baez. Teams are spending spending spending! Being afraid of the lockout have caused a craze in the market from ownership like we’ve never seen before. (11:55) Robbie Ray is headed to the Seattle Mariners. The Toronto Blue Jays replaced him with Kevin Gausman. Why would the Blue Jays want this swap? Was this Toronto telling us something? (16:30) Yankees fans are FURIOUS with Brian Cashman right now. The team has yet to pay big money for a free agent yet. Why not? Is it a smart business move? Is it fear of the market? (18:50) The negotiations are ongoing. The deadline is tomorrow night. What are they arguing about? Is there going to be a joint lockout announcement? Do the players get paid? Do they get an extra year on their deal? (30:20) Review: True Story. (33:20) Tiger Woods has returned to the camera life. He spoke openly for the first time since his February accident. Let’s discuss what he said. (37:40) NPPOD. (39:20) Marcell Ozuna only gets a retroactive 20-game suspension for domestic abuse. Ridiculous. Rob Manfred can now use this for when Trevor Bauer’s time comes up. Extremely disappointing. (42:50) MLB expanded playoffs are the new talking points. It leaked yesterday that this crazy idea of teams picking opponents and more teams making and so on. What is happening here?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Max Scherzer to the New York Mets! Steve Cohen said he was ready to spend money and he is. This deal is reported as a 3-year, $130M, which would be around $43M per year. The richest AAV of all time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘scared money’ as in scared money don’t no money as in you have to risk it for the biscuit as in MLB teams are spending out of control money right now to land players. With the lockout looming… this is insanity. Scherzer to the Mets? Gausman to the Blue Jays! Semien to the Rangers! Buxton staying with the Twins! All getting over $100M deals. Why is this happening!? (13:20) The Mets are spending money. Steve Cohen has opened the bank. Mets fans should be happy about this. The Blue Jays signed Kevin Gausman for a huge deal. Toronto wants to win so they’re paying big money. (18:50) What is Rob Manfred doing today? Negotiating! There’s only a few days left before the potential lockout. (33:25) NPPOD. (36:00) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me about my pal Scott Boras. They wanted to know what Scott Boras had to do with Bruce Meyer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘grateful’ as in yesterday was Thanksgiving and let’s talk about what we appreciate in our lives. Yes, we’re getting sentimental, deal with it. (12:20) The Detroit Lions are a bad football team. Dan Campbell was fired up as his introductory press conference talking about knee caps and all this nonsense. Now what? Winless. What about the Bears? Matt Nagy was supposedly getting fired. The chairman said, not that’s not happening. The Bears beat the winless Lions on a last-second FG. Okay. (18:00) Stan Kroenke has to pay the city of St. Louis $790M. That was the settlement price. It could have been in the billions! Well, where does this money go? How is this money paid? (29:05) Review: Maid. (35:15) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me if I, or my teams, were ever late to a game like the Minnesota Wild were on Wednesday night in New Jersey. (42:45) NPPOD. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘Mon dieux’ as in MY GOD as in the Tampa Bay Rays have signed Wander Franco to a massive 12-year contract! 11 years and $182M guaranteed! He’s played 70 games in his young career. This is not very Rays-like so what is happening here? (16:20) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me about Steve Cohen eating dinner with Javy Baez. They wanted to know if this meant it was a LOCK for the Mets to sign Baez. (21:20) MLB tender deadline was moved up to November 30. MLB and MLBPA made this joint announcement. Why would they do this with the CBA ending on December 1? (28:30) Review: Tick, Tick… Boom! (33:00) Steven Matz decided to snub the New York Mets for the St. Louis Cardinals. That happened early this morning, but the big news is that Cohen is having a meltdown on Twitter about it right now. Uh oh. (39:00) NPPOD. (45:00) The Giants fired Jason Garrett on Tuesday after 26 games as the team’s offensive coordinator. The fall guy. Someone had to be it and it wasn’t going to be Joe Judge… yet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘encore’ as in running it back as in trying to hit the jackpot again as in what we tried to do with the Marlins after the 2003 season when we won the World Series. Every front office wants to try and do this at the end of the season: “We’ve got the group. We’re so close to getting it done.” This is what we’re seeing this year with a team like the San Francisco Giants. (11:00) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me about the new MLB Hall of Fame ballot. Alex Rodriguez is on the ballot! This person wanted to know if A-Rod will make the Hall of Fame. Well, let’s take a look. (22:00) Review: King Richard. (26:45) LeBron James was suspended by the league for his hand to the face of Isaiah Stewart over the weekend. That means LeBron will miss the national TV game against the New York Knicks. (29:10) Baker Mayfield skipped out on a media session after the Browns game. Not great! Especially on a team that has backed Baker against all the talk of dysfunction with his wide receivers. (33:55) The NFL and Congress are still going at it. Let’s dig a little deeper into this and explain what’s happening. (42:55) The Oakland Athletics are still threatening to move. What did they do now? The team made an offer to buy land in Las Vegas. Uh oh. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘nostalgia’ as in we traveled to Austin, Texas and saw The Rolling Stones. It was time to get out of work mode and just live a little. (7:35) Another travesty occurred yesterday. Someone drove a SUV through a holiday parade in Wisconsin. As of the recording of this, 5 are dead, and over 40 are injured. Why? For what? What is wrong with us? (15:30) MLB commissioner Rob Manfred met the media last Thursday and he just can’t ever say the right thing. He spoke about a possible lockout. He spoke about housing for minor leaguers. But he the way he spoke did nothing to help calm things down. (22:50) Noah Syndergaard was in a war of words on Twitter with Mike Francesa this weekend. We need more of this from players. Own your narrative. Own your story. (27:40) Review: The Morning Show S2. (29:20) Let’s talk about what’s going on with China, Peng Shaui, and Enes Kanter. The IOC has now gotten involved and that means… nothing. (40:15) NPPOD Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Author and sports writer Dan Shaughnessy joins Nothing Personal for a Samson Sit-Down. Dan’s newest book ‘Wish It Lasted Forever’ chronicles the Larry Bird era of the Boston Celtics. We talk the Celtics, Larry Bird, Celtics-Lakers rivalry, best stories from the Bird era, and more! You can buy Dan's new book here: https://www.amazon.com/Wish-Lasted-Forever-Larry-Celtics/dp/1982169974/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=larry+bird+wish+it&qid=1637278813&sr=8-1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘West Palm Beach’ as in area of south Florida as in the home of the Houston Astros Spring Training facility as in Justin Verlander has signed a 1-year, $25M deal with the Astros with a $25M player-option. WHAT?! Verlander will be 39 years old; Verlander has not pitched since ONE GAME in July, 2020. Did I miss something? (11:45) The MLB owners meetings in Chicago have been taking place. What goes on at these meetings? Are they just a big snooze fest? The Tampa Bay Rays are still trying. Trying their best to get the two city path finished. Why is the Montreal/Tampa idea still happening? (32:20) Review: Titane. (35:10) The Fenway Sports Group is ready to buy the Pittsburgh Penguins. What is FSG? John Henry, owner of the Boston Red Sox, is a large-market hawk. FSG owns the Red Sox, Liverpool FC, Roush Racing, and NESN. (39:55) NPPOD. (44:10) Chinese Peng Shuai is missing in China. Technically, Chinese authorities say she is not missing, but she hasn’t been seen. What is happening here? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘desperation’ as in rash or extreme behavior as Arte Moreno is throwing money at anything because he’s desperate. The Los Angeles Angels gave Noah Syndergaard a $21.5M deal. Thor has threw 26 pitches last year! That’s it. Was it Ohtani’s comments? Was it making one postseason game with Trout? (10:05) The Toronto Blue Jays paid big money for Jose Berrios. A 7-year, $131M deal. That’s a lot of money, but the Blue Jays are trying to separate themselves in the AL East. (20:05) The Ben Simmons saga with the Philadelphia 76ers has gotten to the point where we have no idea what will happen. Simmons hasn’t played, Simmons is claiming mental health, Simmons is being fined by the team, Simmons is mad about the fines. Where is the truth in all this? (30:55) Review: Shang-Chi & The Legend of the 10 Rings. (35:50) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me about the Green Bay Packers sale. They wanted to know if they should buy some stock! Let’s own a team! (44:45) NPPOD. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘82’ as in Happy 82nd Birthday to my dad. This is the first one without him, and I’m not sure how to feel. (3:00) The Minnesota Timberwolves were fined $250K. Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore held a team dinner and that broke some rules. Let’s explain why this simple mistake is part of the problem. (15:50) The New York Mets have offered Billy Eppler its GM job. Who is Eppler? Where did he come from? Did Steve Cohen panic? (22:30) So what about Billy Eppler’s old team? The Los Angeles Angels have a problem again because Shohei Ohtani is tired of losing. Uh oh. Mike Trout chose to stay in the mess. Ohtani shouldn’t have too. (30:15) Review: Love Hard (34:15) The Cleveland Guardians are a step closer to being complete. But the whole lead up has been a mess. Now the owner wants to sell part of the team, the store wasn’t ready to sell merchandise, but at least the settlement was reached for the team name. (45:30) NPPOD. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘justification’ as in justified as in Jon Gurden is suing the NFL after being fired by the Las Vegas Raiders for emails that were leaked. The statement released by Gruden’s attorney alleges that there was no explanation or justification for why Gruden’s emails were the only of the 650,000 emails leaked. Did we think this was going to happen? Nope. Is it a major surprise? Yup. Let’s talk about what happens next. (18:45) Stan Kroenke is the owner of the Los Angeles Rams and he’s going to need to open up his check book for St. Louis. He offered $100M to settle. They said no. What about $150M? No. What about $200M? Maybe. (29:15) Review: Red Notice. (31:45) The Detroit Tigers have landed Eduardo Rodriguez on a 5-year, $77M deal. The Boston Red Sox offered him the qualifying offer and he turned it down. Was this a mistake by the Red Sox? (38:40) Why would players sign before a lockout? Are we going to see the run of shortstops sign big deals in the next few weeks? The CBA is about to expire! (44:15) NPPOD (45:50) Rookie of the Year picks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘WAR’ as in what is it good for? As in Wins Above Replacement as in the what in the world is MLB trying to say by recommending that arbitration prices be set from a players WAR on fangraphs. (26:55) Review: No Time to Die. (33:14) What is going on with the New York Knicks? After a week they were the talk of the town. First place in the eastern conference. Now? They can’t win at The Garden! Tom Thibodeau actually benched his entire starting unit against the Bucks in the 4th quarter. It’s what Thibodeau said after the game that we need to discuss. (40:50) NPPOD. (43:20) More and more details have been released in the Henry Ruggs case. Yesterday his lawyer tried to blame first responders for not getting to the scene quick enough. It’s such a BS claim, it’s a shame, and it just adds to more of the tragedy this was. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Happy Veteran’s Day. Every day we should be thinking about them. Every day we should be supporting them. Not just on Veteran’s Day. Today’s word of the day is ‘rotten eggs’ as in the Easter Bunny delivering rotten eggs as in what in the world has Scott Boras said now. Boras held his media scrum at the MLB Winter Meetings and he felt like giving Nothing Personal quotes. He talked tanking, World Series tanking, tanking for draft picks, tanking and trading, tanking tanking tanking. Perfect. (25:20) Andrew Heaney is the biggest move being made so far at the Winter Meetings. The Dodgers gave him $8.5M… what? Asked the Yankees how worked out. (30:15) Review: Coming Home. (32:40) Let’s discuss the Dalvin Cook situation. There are two sides of this story… leaks are happening… rumors are swirling. What should the Vikings do? (42:35) NPPOD. (44:50) Let’s end today talking about Boras again. We have to. He had some things to say about JD Martinez and the Boston Red Sox.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘reluctance’ as in the New York Mets still have no president of baseball ops, they still have no GM, but Sandy Alderson knows why… family reasons or the ‘reticence’ to work on the big stage of New York City. I mean… what are we doing? (11:15) The Green Bay Packers were fined $300K, Aaron Rodgers and Allen Lazard were fined $15K each. The NFL investigated the Packers and finally had to admit they broke COVID protocols. Interesting. The NFL said it was over a Halloween party, but Twitter investigators saw more and more instances of Rodgers breaking protocols. (17:15) Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver is under investigation for workplace misconduct and his wife has his back. Penny Sarver has decided to text employees, which they claim to have taken as threats. This is exactly what Robert Sarver does not need. (29:55) Review: Fitch. (32:10) NPPOD. (33:15) The Oakland Athletics are having a fire sale right now. GM David Forst said the Athletics are cash-strapped and need to cut payroll. Fans are not going to be happy about this. (40:15) MLB announced finalists for the awards. Let’s take a look at the awards and let’s tell some stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘resources’ as in the Las Vegas Raiders are a walking Human Resources violation as in the Raiders resources are not in a great place right now. We know about Jon Gruden getting fired over his emails. We know about Henry Ruggs III being released for his road accident that killed a young woman. Now the Raiders have Damon Anette who was released after a video of him making death threats with a machine gun. Disaster. (13:10) The Portland Trailblazers acknowledged that the NBA would be conducting an investigation into president of basketball ops Neil Olshey for misconduct. This is the 2nd investigation that is being conducted in the NBA for workplace misconduct. What is going on? (22:55) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me about players publicly asking to stay with a team when they become a free agent. They wanted to know if this were a positive move. (35:15) Review: Who Killed Garrett Philips. (44:15) NPPOD.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘adrenaline’ as in running the New York City Marathon as in that’s what was done yesterday as in a runner’s high as in I normally can’t go to sleep, but last night I really couldn’t sleep. (12:00) Gold Glove winners were announced by MLB. Did you see it? Probably not because MLB decided Sunday night during NFL game was the best time for it. Just baseball being baseball. (16:20) MLB qualifying offers are out there. The list is full of some premier talents like Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander, Jon Gray, Alex Wood, Noah Syndergaard, Marcus Semien, and Carlos Correa. (28:20) Review: Superstar. (30:55) Carlos Correa was offered a deal by the Houston Astros. It was a 5-year, $160M deal. Is this something that Correa would accept? No chance. (38:20) NPPOD. (40:15) Aaron Rodgers went on the Pat McAfee show and expressed his feelings. Aaron Rodgers said some things that just didn’t make a whole lot of sense. The Packers looked bad news bears against the Chiefs with Jordan Love at QB. Now what? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Roy Wood Jr. joins Nothing Personal for a Samson Sit-Down! Roy has a new special out called Imperfect Messenger that you can catch on Comedy Central. Wood Jr. joined The Daily Show in 2015. He joins to talk about his comedy special, Dave Chappelle outrage, planning a stand up, and more! He’s the host of Roy’s Job Fair podcast and you can follow him on Twitter @roywoodjr.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ’hot potato’ as in it’s too hot to hold as in the scandals going around in sports just never end as in which one is next as in Urban Meyer? Nope. Jon Gruden? Nope! What about Robert Sarver of the Phoenix Suns? Hot potato! Sarver has been accused of running a racist and misogynistic workplace environment. The NBA is now going to investigate. Could this lead to Sarver having to sell the Suns? (17:10) Ben Simmons has still not played for the Philadelphia 76ers. First he didn’t report then he had a back issue and now it’s his mental health. If he has problems then it’s a good thing he’s getting help. If it’s not true and he’s using it to not get fined… wow. The Sixers have been public about Simmons unwillingness to speak with team doctors. (26:00) Review: Army of Thieves. (29:55) During a high school hockey game a bunch of students yelled profanities at a female goaltender. It was horrible to hear and see. It’s a shame that she had to go through this. Something needs to be done to stop this. (36:10) NPPOD - Let’s talk about the Odell Beckham and Baker Mayfield beef. (42:30) Wait to see updates Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ’shameful’ as in Aaron Rodgers decision to not be vaccinated as in his attempt to work around the NFL protocols as in being one of the faces of the NFL and not being under the same protocols as other players. How has Rodgers been able to speak without a mask during pressers? How has Rodgers been attending parties? How has Rodgers been able to travel with all the team? Why is he treated any different? (19:40) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me if Buster Posey will make it to the Hall of Fame. This is an interesting case. Let’s take a look. (28:10) Review: Lanksy.(32:00) What is going on with the Boston Celtics? After losing to the Bulls Marcus Smart was very vocal about his thoughts on Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. He basically called them out for being selfish. A day later and the Celtics needed a players only meeting! (42:05) NPPOD. (43:15) NFL Trade Deadline passes and Deshaun Watson is still a Houston Texan. What happened? Stephen Ross wanted Watson, but did not want him unless he understood that he could play with no more court. That didn’t happen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ’that’s all folks’ as in the season is over as in the Atlanta Braves are your World Series champions as in Freddie Freeman gets a ring as in Max Fried pitched a gem as in Jorge Soler wins MVP as in Dusty Baker and the Houston Astros can’t get it done at home. Let’s talk about some of these storylines. (15:30) Let’s discuss the Atlanta Braves. Where was Alex Anthopoulos? The president of baseball operations tested positive for COVID and couldn’t travel with the team. Heartbreaking. (17:45) What do you pay Freddie Freeman? Do you pay Jorge Soler or Joc Pederson? Do the Astros bring back Carlos Correa now that they lost? (20:25) What’s next for MLB? The offseason is here and it’s time to talk what will happen in 2022. Let’s do a Top 5 of offseason questions. (29:15) Review: Dazed & Confused. (39:05) NPPOD. (41:00) The Las Vegas Raiders released Henry Ruggs III after being charged with a DUI that resulted in the death of another driver. Another avoidable tragedy for what? What reason do you have to drink and drive? NONE.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘denouement’ as in the climax of a chain of events as in tonight is Game 6 of the World Series and the Atlanta Braves will have to win in Houston to avoid the dreaded Game 7. Who has the upper hand? The Braves already one a game against the Astros in Houston. The Braves have looked like the better team most of the series. #waittosee. (9:55) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me about a relocation survey from the Oakland Athletics that was sent to its Triple-A season ticket holders. Why would I know about this? Well, one of you sent me the survey! (24:15) Review: Birds of Paradise. (28:40) The NHL is still in trouble. This time it’s the Union’s leader Donald Fehr who is under pressure to step down. Players want to know why Kyle Beach wasn’t fully protected by the union. (36:55) The New York Mets have fired GM Zack Scott. They had previously fired GM Jared Porter. The New York Mets now have no GM and basically no president of baseball operations. The New York Mets are who they are. Raquel Ferreira, from the Boston Red Sox, is the name being floated around for the Mets job. It likely won’t happen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘BBQ’ as in Texas-style BBQ as in the Houston Astros smoked the Atlanta Braves after falling behind 4-0 in the first inning. Atlanta was ready to go wild. The fans were packing around the stadium. It was time to celebrate! And then the Astros bats came alive. Never rattled. Never out of it. Now down 3-2, the Astros get to go home. (11:05) Former President Donald Trump was in attendance for Game 4 of the World Series in Atlanta. What goes into the planning of something like this? (20:15) Review: The Guilty. (23:10) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me if the Deshaun Watson trade is finally going to happen. The Houston Texans have until tomorrow at 4pm ET to make it happen.(30:10) What is the update with the NHL in regards to Kyle Beach? We’ve had two people lose their jobs. We should’ve had a third in Winnipeg that didn’t happen. Now Gary Bettman and Donald Fehr say they met with Beach. EYEWASH! (33:50) NPPOD. (35:20) The talk of the NFL town over the weekend was that Jon Gruden was going to sue the NFL or the Raiders. Does he have any case? (42:20) Kyle Seager was sent an email that his option would not be picked up by the Seattle Mariners. Is this the right move for the team? Sending an email?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘mutually beneficial’ as in Bob Melvin in the new manager of the San Diego Padres as in Bob Melvin had his deal picked up by the Athletics in June as in what changed? Melvin gets to go work for a team that really needs his guidance. The Athletics are about to tear everything down. A good deal for both. (11:45). PETA is back in the news again. PETA wants baseball to start calling the bullpen the arm barn. This is a serious topic. (19:55) Review: Together (22:10) Joel Quenneville was fired. They say resigned, it was fired. It’s a shame, and devastating, what Kyle Beach had to go through. Now hockey needs to clear house. Winnipeg is going to be looking for a new GM soon because Kevin Cheveldayoff is going to be fired next. (33:50) The NAACP sent letters to the player’s unions from across the sports world telling them not to sign with teams in Texas. Good luck with that. (38:40) NPPOD. (40:15) Stan Kroenke managed to piss off the city of St. Louis and now the rest of the NFL owners. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘homonym’ as a word that is either spelled or sounds the same, but has different meanings. Right, Right - Plain or Plane - Address or Address - Match or Match - Red or Read - you get the point. Today it’s Fried is Fried as in the Astros teed off on the Braves last night and have tied things up in the World Series at 1-1. (12:35) NPPOD. (13:55) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me about the Cleveland Guardians vs the Cleveland Guardians situations. How would Cleveland (MLB) not know and clear up that Cleveland (Roller derby) team already had the team name Guardians? Woof. (30:15) Review: Snow Angels. (33:50) The Florida Panthers are undefeated. The Florida Panthers are now in the middle the Chicago Blackhawks scandal because of their coach. Joel Quenneville was the Blackhawks coach when a sexual assault took place and was ignored. (40:50) Mets president of baseball operations search is a nightmare for fans. Every day it’s a new set of names that are getting crossed off, getting denied, or getting turned down. What is happening here? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘fibula’ as in a fractured fibula as in a broken leg as in Braves starter Charlie Morton suffered one and still managed to get 3 outs in an inning. He’s done for the series, but Atlanta leads 1-0. The Houston Astros dropped the first game at home so now what? (9:40) What did Rob Manfred have to say before Game 1 of the World Series? The commissioner of baseball talked about the Atlanta Braves ‘chop’, the CBA, moving the All-Star Game from Atlanta. Oh boy. (26:00) Review: Bad Sport. (30:00) The NFL owners meetings took place and things happened. Roger Goodell was questioned about the WFT emails. Roger Goodell was questioned about Deshaun Watson. Roger Goodell says nothing that is believable. Stephen Ross wants answers about Watson. Mark Davis wants answers on WFT emails. Jerry Jones just wants to party. (41:00) The Chicago Blackhawks were fined $2M by the NHL, the GM stepped down, and it’s not getting better. A scandal of sexual harassment was brought down on the organization accused by players and the team did nothing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘queasy’ as in nervous as in nauseous as in being worried as in it’s Game 1 of the World Series today. Atlanta Braves vs Houston Astros. Let’s talk about what Game 1 was like for me in 2003. Not the game itself, but the day, the ride to the stadium, the clubhouse before the game. Then we’ll get into some keys to the game and picks. (19:25) MLB work stoppage leaks have started. The CBA is set to expire on 12/1/21 and negotiations have been going on for over a year now. Things aren’t close. Why are the leaks happening right now? (30:58) Review: Blue Bayou. (33:48) NPPOD (40:20) Suns owner Robert Sarver got word that a story about him was being released and he went on the offensive. He released a statement, had the president and GM release statements… everyone had to say something nice.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘calculated risk’ as in the Los Angeles Dodgers made a decision in the NLDS that hurt them in the NLCS. Max Scherzer pitched in relief of Game 5 of the NLDS and was only able to get 4 innings in the NLCS. The season was a failure. All the trades. All the big money. For nothing. (12:35) The World Series is set. Atlanta Braves vs Houston Astros. Let’s talk about what’s happening today. (25:20) Review: Dune. (28:20) The St. Louis Cardinals went out and got themselves a new manager straight from the clubhouse. This was always going to be the case. 35-year old Oli Marmol is the new sheriff in town! Younger than Yadi Molina! (31:00) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me about Tom Brady’s 600th TD pass being given to a fan and then taken back. The fan was given a new ball and $1,000 to the team store. Woof! (40:00) NPPOD (42:00) Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard got into a little physical shoving match on the bench. Veterans!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘Denver’ as in John Denver as in Leaving on a Jet Plane as in the Los Angeles Dodgers have pushed the series against the Atlanta Braves to 6 games. Dodgers hero of Game 5 was Chris Taylor, who homered three times. Wow. So what happens next? Down 3-2 in the series, both teams struggling to pitch, both teams going hot and cold at the plate. (9:55) MLB partnered with GLAAD so what could go wrong? Let’s ask the Texas Rangers. (20:20) We have another situation brewing in the NFL. Congress has called on the NFL to hand over its emails concerning the investigation of the Washington Football Team. Let’s discuss what, if any, power Congress has here. (32:15) Review: Today’s will be different. We’re going to talk about the incident on the set of the filming of Alec Baldwin’s new movie. Baldwin fired a prop gun and somehow two people on set were shot. One, Halyna Hutchins, was killed. (41:15) NPPOD. (43:20) Haralabos Voulgaris was a former data guy for the Dallas Mavericks who got too much power, too quickly. He went on Pablo Torre’s show and decided to air out all his grievances against the Mavericks. Woo buddy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘momentum’ as in who has the momentum, who lost the momentum, where’d it go!? The Red Sox had the momentum after three games of the ALCS against the Astros… how’s that going? Did the Astros steal the momentum now? Houston’s bats are alive, Valdez pitched a gem, and now the Astros are one game away from the World Series. (9:48) The Atlanta Braves are one game away from the World Series. Pitcher scratched late and it doesn’t matter. Eddie Rosario is making his name known. Freddie Freeman is back to hitting long balls. And the highest paid team in MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers, are on the ropes. (18:50) NPPOD. (21:35) Review: Lorelei. (25:48) The Sacramento Kings are in a big fight with former No. 2 pick Marvin Bagley. Bagley’s agent just went nuclear on the Kings. Uh Oh. (31:30) Deshaun Watson trade could be happening. Stephen Ross, owner of the Miami Dolphins, wants to make the trade happen. The GM and coach don’t want it done. We know about the allegations against Watson and him not playing for the Texans — but he has yet to be suspended. (39:55) NFL settlement is taking place on concussions and it’s major news. The NFL agreed to end race-based adjustments in dementia testing.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘5 outs’ as in the Atlanta Braves were 5 outs away from burying the Los Angeles Dodgers as in one pitch changed the game and may change the series. Cody Bellinger hit a 3-run shot. The rest is history. (7:55) The Houston Astros stole a game! From close to being down 3-1 in the series to the Boston Red Sox, the Astros got an Altuve game-tying home run in the 8th and then 7 in the top of the 9th. Boston fans are furious with the umps — should they be? (17:10) Ben Simmons is a problem. The 76ers allowed this problem to get to this point. The players on the team don’t deserve this and Embiid has had enough. (28:20) Review: Only Murders in the Building. (31:10) NPPOD. (36:30) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me what I thought about Scott Boras’ recent comments on roster expansion in the playoffs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘crushing’ as in the Boston Red Sox have crushed the Houston Astros souls over the past two games. You want a grand slam? Well, order up. Grand Slam Schwarber. The Astros have no pitching. The Red Sox are hanging on with big runs. (17:55) A report came out yesterday that Fernando Tatis Jr won’t be getting shoulder surgery. What an absolute mess. The San Diego Padres were supposed to be THAT team and they were a MASSIVE letdown. Why is this happening? (23:55) Aaron Boone is getting an extension. 3 year deal. Not the most surprising move, unless you’re a Yankees fan. (30:55) Review: Imperfect - The Roy Halladay Story (35:45) The NBA is back, but Kyrie Irving still isn’t. Commissioner Adam Silver made comments about the Irving/Nets situation, and they were perfect. LeBron James is trying to win ring No. 5. Giannis is trying to go back-to-back. (44:55) Washington State has fired its head coach Nick Rolovich for not getting vaccinated. See ya. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘final four’ as in there are only four teams left in Major League Baseball as in the Dodgers are down two games to none against the Braves, the Astros and Red Sox are tied at one game apiece. What’s the problem though? The games are too long. Pitchers have pitched so much these past two seasons that their arms are just what Max Scherzer said… dead. (14:10) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me about the release that MLB would begin paying for Minor League Baseball players housing. They wanted to know if this was something MLB did because of the upcoming CBA negotiations. (31:40) Review: Goliath Season 5. (35:25) NFL says it found no other current personnel have sent bad emails. Do you believe them? (39:45) NPPOD. (44:25) The Washington Football Team held its jersey retirement on Sunday for Sean Taylor. Gave fans 3 days to get ready. Let VIPs stand on the painted sideline logo. Owner of the team wore a hoodie and baggy khakis. Just another day for WFT.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome in to the special edition of Nothing Personal with David Samson! We have you covered with everything you need to know about the MLB postseason! This is from our YouTube Live postgame show following Game 5 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants! (12:15) When will Max Scherzer pitch again? He came in and got his first save of his career to send the Dodgers to the NLCS! (14:55) Lance McCullers is likely to miss the rest of the postseason with a forearm injury. How can this happen? (17:20) We take questions from you! Talking Cardinals firing Mike Shildt, will Trevor Bauer get a ring, TV revenue splits, why there are still local blackouts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HAPPY TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY TO NOTHING PERSONAL! Today’s word of the day is ‘Dench’ as in Dame Judi Dench as in it’s too late, too late as in Mark Davis spoke and he aid absolutely nothing. But also, everything. The NFL right now is trying to figure out how to get the public away from this email scandal. What are they going to do? What did Mark David and the Raiders do? (6:10) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me about the Schefter response to the email leaks. They wanted to know if Schefter went too far. (16:45) 2-year anniversary of Nothing Personal! (18:30) Review: Justin Bieber - Our World. (22:35) Kyrie Irving has finally spoken. What did he say that was so profound? He won’t retire. He won’t get vaccinated. He knows he’ll lose money. But what is he saying? What is his point? Who is this voiceless? (31:56) The Giants and Dodgers are playing in an elimination game tonight. Winner takes on the Atlanta Braves. How will this play out? (35:40) NPPOD: Weekend Picks. (42:20) Wait to see updates! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘avalanche’ as in it starts with a little bit and then, WOOSH! The whole mountain is coming down. This is what’s happening with the Washington Football Team and the NFL. John Gruden lost his job. Jay Gruden lost his job. Bruce Allen lost his job. But, Daniel Snyder still remains. 650,000 emails, but only a handful have been leaked. Interesting. Wonder what Roger Goodell is doing in New York? (18:55) The Houston Astros took down the Chicago White Sox. Easy money. Dusty Baker gets the edge over Tony LaRussa. 5th consecutive ALCS for the Astros. (25:10) Review: Scenes From a Marriage. (27:20) The Atlanta Braves are headed to the NLCS. Pretty great run as Freddie Freeman does the unthinkable… homers off Josh Hader. (33:35) The Los Angeles Dodgers tied up the series against the San Francisco Giants. Did Gabe Kapler over-manage this game? The Giants used 8 different pitchers! (37:20) What is going on with Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets? Brooklyn told Kyrie that he can’t play or practice unless he’s vaccinated. Kyrie Irving reportedly won’t get vaccinated because he’s against mandates. It’s a fun mess.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘IT’ as in information technology as in Jon Gruden was caught sending racist, homophobic, sexist emails to then Washington Redskins president Bruce Allen. Washington was being investigated by the NFL for a completely different incident and in discovery of over 650K emails, Allen used his work email to communicate with Gruden. Are you keeping up with this? Did the Raiders handle this right? Did the NFL leak this? (16:20) The Boston Red Sox have defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in 4 games. I cannot believe it. Boston’s bats were alive. Tampa’s pitching let them down. Should we talk about Game 3? (24:00) The Houston Astros are looking to close things out against the Chicago White Sox. The Astros were accused by White Sox players of sign-stealing again. This is a bad look for the players. (29:55) Review: Ted Lasso Season 2. (32:45) The San Francisco Giants had 3 hits and struck out 14 times and won the game 1-0 over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Unbelievable. (37:30) The Milwaukee Brewers cannot score. The Atlanta Braves can score. That’s the series, folks. (38:20) NPPOD. (40:55) Kyrie Irving is still unvaccinated and will still miss all home games for the Brooklyn Nets. Not great! Ben Simmons showed up at the Sixers practice facility and no one knew he was coming! What is happening?! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mailbag! It’s a mailbag day for Nothing Personal! We know it’s MLB postseason time, but we had to take our talents to the Boston Marathon. Let’s start this off with someone asking me about Wild Card celebrations. They wanted to know why champagne celebrations happen prior to the World Series. (20:55) Someone asked me if Devin Williams would still be getting his postseason shares now that he has been sent away by the Milwaukee Brewers for a self-inflicted injury. (33:25) Someone asked me about the Yankees clubhouse over the next few weeks. How are decisions made about Boone and Cashman? Is Steinbrenner consulting with outside experts or just himself? Let’s discuss. (42:40) Someone asked about how MLB postseason games get the time slot they are in and whether or not this is impacted by event scheduling at arenas.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘Mark Harmon’ as in stealing home as in Randy Arozarena became the first player in MLB history to hit a home run and steal home in the same game. How about Rays? Do you know any of those pitchers? Do you know any of those batters? All they do is win games. (13:20) Did you watch the other game? The Houston Astros are a great team. The Chicago White Sox couldn’t get to Lance McCullers, and Lance Lynn got beat up early. Not a great combo for the White Sox. The one thing you should look out for is that Dusty Baker let McCullers throw 104 pitches…. That’s not good. (19:30) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me about Jack Eichel and what happens when a player’s medical staff and a team’s medical staff have different opinions on injury treatment. (27:30) NPPOD. (33:30) Review: Billions Season 5. (36:20) 18 former NBA players were charged with healthcare fraud. This is a big story. This happens too often and it’s hurting your pockets. (41:55) The Washington Football Team had its facility raided by the FBI and arrested the team’s head trainer! What!? This team just can’t stop making headlines.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘lights’ as in journey as in when the lights go down in the city and the sun shines on the bay as in Los Angeles Dodgers are headed to San Francisco to take on the Giants. Two teams that won more than 105 regular season games. Two teams that have been unbelievable all year. Chris Taylor with a walk-off 2-run homer and we’ve got ourselves a series. Let’s talk about how each team got here. (12:15) Someone asked me about a comment from our YouTube live show last night. This person wanted me to explain my comments on the Dodgers being bullies and disliked by all other teams. (17:20) The San Diego Padres fired Jayce Tingler after two seasons. Expectations through the roof. Team was supposed to challenge the Dodgers and they finished under .500! (26:25) Review: Come From Away. (29:55) Theo Epstein is not going to join the New York Mets front office. Reports, sources, the streets; all said that Theo and Cohen had a nice talk, but it wasn’t the right fit. Okay. (35:30) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me about the Houston Astros and the offer they previously made to Carlos Correa. They wanted to know how the front office decides on why to move on or keep a player like Carlos Correa. (41:40) Let’s do our ALDS preview and picks. Chicago White Sox vs Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘sweet Caroline’ as in the Boston Red Sox did it as in your AL Wild Card winners took down Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees. What happened in the game? Just a $300M man only lasting 2 innings as the Yanks starting pitcher. Xander and Schwarber went deep for the Red Sox. Now Boston will travel to Tampa and face the Rays. (11:00) What goes on during a postseason game in the clubhouse? Let’s talk about the behind-the-scenes with the front office while the game is going on. (15:30) Dodgers take on the Cardinals in the NL Wild Card. One of the hottest teams all year vs the hottest team to end the regular season. Dodgers bring money. Cardinals bring hustle. What are the big storylines from this game? (26:55) WTH is wrong with Trevor Bauer? Obviously something. He posted a video on Twitter that he wants to do content during the postseason… I mean… (30:40) Review: Welcome to Collinwood. (32:40) Devin Williams has been sent to Arizona for rehab. The Milwaukee Brewers are not playing in Arizona. He was been banished! (34:40) Urban Meyer update! Urban Meyer update! He talked with his team and reports are the players laughed. The owner released a statement. Urban apologized again to his team. It’s too much! (39:55) Jon Gruden hates SoFi Stadium. Hates the locker room. Hates the design. Uhm, does he remember the Oakland Coliseum!?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘dance floor’ as it get your booty on the dance floor as in Urban Meyer was having a little fun at his own restaurant and he was caught in HD with women dancing on him… his excuse was all time! His press conference was a disaster. The Jaguars have been a disaster. (14:20) It’s Wild Card time! New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox! Let’s break it down. (28:50) Review: Queenpins. (31:30) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me what I thought about the Baltimore Ravens going for a record on the final play of a game. Broncos coach Vic Fangio was furious. Harbaugh fired back. Who was right?! (40:45) The New York Mets have fired Luis Rojas. The New York Mets have no real GM, no real team president. What is the plan? What are GMs and presidents doing? What do they even do? (43:30) The Los Angeles Angels need starting pitching. So does every team in baseball. Get a real plan! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘tiebreaker’ as in Game 163 as in inputing the formulas as in MLB media was going nuts telling us about all these scenarios… None of it was needed. The Yankees and Red Sox both won and they were in. Nothing else mattered and it didn’t. Let’s talk about the Wild Card. So it’s set. We’re getting the Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, Giants, Astros, Cardinals, Rays, Braves, Brewers, and White Sox. Beautiful. (14:50) What are the top 3 surprising teams of 2021? Giants, Rays, Astros. Easy. (15:20) Top 4 disappointments? Mets, Phillies, Twins… and the best team in baseball for a week, the San Diego Padres. (24:55) Review: Free Guy. (27:00) Update on the NWSL fallout; commissioner Lisa Baird stepped down on Friday; games were canceled for the weekend… a mess. (30:55) NPPOD. (31:50) The Ben Simmons saga with the Philadelphia 76ers has gotten crazier. The Sixers are withholding his money and every day he doesn’t show up he is fined, which the team is taking out of money owed. Uh oh. (38:20) Wait to see updates from the MLB season; NL west, Kluber, HR rate, divisional winners — accountability in this industry is important!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Former #1 US men's tennis player Mardy Fish joins David for a Samson Sit-Down. Fish joins to talk about his new documentary Untold: Breaking Point on Netflix. The two discuss mental health, Naomi Osaka & Simone Biles, how social media has changed sports, the dominance of Novak, Federer, and Nadal, and much more! You can follow Mardy Fish on Twitter @MardyFish Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘courage’ as in the North Carolina Courage as in having the courage as in two women (Mana Shim, Sinead Farrelly) came forward and had to go scorched earth on the leadership of the league. History of abuse, coercion, cover ups — all by manager Paul Riley. He was fired by Portland for allegations then hired by North Carolina, now fired again. All while NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird knew about these allegations. Wow. (17:55) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me if the Sixers organization told Joel Embiid what to say about Ben Simmons. Hmmm. Simmons wants out of Philadelphia, Embiid said the team has done enough for Simmons. (26:50) Review: The Card Counter. (29:59) The president of the University of Miami, Julio Frenk, sent a letter because of the negative attention the Hurricanes have gotten. The football team hasn’t been good for years. The fans aren’t happy. Let’s discuss what Frenk said. (37:45) NPPOD. (42:30) Wait to see: Get ready for a Game 163. (43:59) Sandy Alderson had some comment about the Mets future. He talked about the team, the manager, the president, the GM — comments Cohen must not like to hear. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices