Nothing Personal with David Samson

Today’s word of the day is ’Black Monday’ as in the worst day in the NFL to be a head coach or general manager. What happens on that day? It’s the first day after the final day of the regular season. The Denver Broncos fired Vic Fangio. The Miami Dolphins fired Brian Flores. The Minnesota Vikings fired its GM and head coach Mike Zimmer. The Chicago Bears fired its GM and head coach Matt Nagy. (6:00) What about the New York Giants and Joe Judge and Dave Gettleman? (14:30) Was firing Brian Flores and retaining Chris Grier the right move? (20:50) What about the Carolina Panthers? They’re keeping Matt Rhule and he’s fired almost all of his assistant coaches. Good! (24:15) Review: The Lost Leonardo. (30:55) The New York Yankees have made a historic hire. The Yankees hired Rachel Balkovec to be the first female manager of a minor league baseball team. (38:00) NPPOD. (41:20) Wait to see: Will Jim Harbaugh be the next head coach of the Miami Dolphins? Stephen Ross said he wouldn’t take Harbaugh away from Michigan, but what if Harbaugh wants to leave?

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Today’s word of the day is ’tie’ as in one of the wildest endings to a NFL regular season in the history of the game. The Jacksonville Jaguars eliminated the Indianapolis Colts. The Pittsburgh Steelers were in by beating the Baltimore Ravens. The Los Angles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders are both in with a tie! And the Raiders win it on a field goal with 3 seconds left in overtime! We almost had the tie! (14:40) The College Football Championship is here! Alabama vs Georgia! The SEC title game rematch! But the big story is what Nick Saban said during a press conference. He spoke about NIL and the future of college football. (24:00) A roofing company wanted its money back after sponsoring the Jacksonville Jaguars home game against the Colts. Fans dressed up as clowns. Fan chanted about firing the GM. And the Jaguars went on to upset the Colts! (34:00) Review: Nine Days. (42:00) The Golden Globes took place last night. Did you see them? No, because it was just tweets. (43:15) Wait to see update (46:45) NPPOD.

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Today’s word of the day is ’rebuttal’ as in Antonio Brown is back in the news like he never left. Bruce Arians has responded to AB. Antonio Brown tried exposing people on Twitter and Instagram. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers released him. There’s money rumors leaking about why Brown was so mad. Woof. (16:55) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me about the Denver Broncos. There is a fight like no other about the control of that team. Will it be sold? How much will it go for? The Mayor wants a sale, but how much sway do they have? (26:00) Review: The Lost Daughter. (31:00) Former Mets GM Zack Scott has been acquitted of DWI. He was fired by the New York Mets after his arrest. Now what? (36:00) Becky Hammon will be the new head coach and GM of the Las Vegas Aces. (41:55) NPPOD.

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Today’s word of the day is ‘365 days’ as in one year as in the one-year anniversary of the storming of the US Capitol building. Let’s discuss what happened that day, the details of that day, and what’s been found out since then. (19:25) Review: 4 hours at the capitol. (25:55) Antonio Brown has accused the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of some serious things. Brown alleges that the Bucs shot him up with drugs and forced him to play in the game against the Jets. He says that Bruce Arians told him he was done in Tampa on the sidelines which let to his outburst. Oh boy. (36:35) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me about MPV voters and if it should be voted on by writers and should they consider off-field issues. This comes on the heels of a writer saying he wouldn’t vote for Aaron Rodgers because of his vaccine stance. Rodgers fired back. (44:40) Australia has denied Novak Djokovic from entering the country for the Australian Open. This has become a major legal battle. Will he be let in or turned away after not being vaccinated?

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Today’s word of the day is ‘part time lover’ as in Stevie Wonder as in Kyrie Irving is back in the news with his return to court coming tonight in Indiana. Why is his first start on the road? Irving is unvaccinated so he cannot play any games in his home arena because of New York City rules against unvaccinated people. Kyrie has missed the team’s first 35 games, but he’s back. (11:35) NPPOD. (12:45) Let’s followup on the conversation again about Joe Jude, the Mara family, and the New York Giants. Is Judge safe? What will happen with Dave Gettleman? The Giants have been so bad in recent years something needs to change. (20:00) Jalen Hurt penned a letter to the Washington Football Team after what took place at FedEx Field. Never seen anything like it. (31:55) Review: The Comey Rule. (36:45) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me a question about the scenario the NFL has found itself in. There’s a way that the Los Angeles Chargers and the Las Vegas Raiders can tie and both make the playoffs. How does this happen? How does the NFL let something like this happen? TV deals. Why don’t these games start at the same time to avoid nonsense like this? (44:55) Fantatics bought Topps. Here’s why that’s important. 

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Today’s word of the day is ‘proxy’ as in doing someone else’s bidding as in Max Scherzer continues to be the mouthpiece for Scott Boras. The lockout is still locking in MLB and Scherzer spoke to the LA Times to give an update on what’s been going on. (18:30) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me about the Washington Football Team and the railing collapse at FedEx Field. This team just can’t help but stay in the news. But hey, it will announce its new team name on February 2nd. (32:55) Review: C’mon C’mon. (36:40) MLB Network decided to fire Ken Rosenthal because of his coverage of MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. MLB Network is owned by MLB. Let’s explain this situation. (43:40) NPPOD. Big Ben says goodbye. Baker Mayfield may optout of the final game of the season for surgery.

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Today’s word of the day is ‘streaking’ as in we’re going streaking through the quad and into the gymnasium as in Antonio Brown had a meltdown to remember during the Bucs-Jets game. Bruce Arians asked Brown to go back into the game and he refused… in the most Antonio Brown way. He ripped his jersey off and pads off and gloves off and he’s shirtless running in the end zone. What? (14:20) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me to followup on my 2021 New Year’s resolutions and what my 2022 ones are. (29:15) Review: Death of 2021, Squid Game. (35:40) Let’s take some time to remember John Madden and the impact he had on the NFL. (41:30) NPPOD. (44:10) Joe Judge career as head coach of the New York Giants is over. He is bad. The team is bad. Not coached well. Judge says things that are just outrageous. 

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Today’s word of the day is ‘mutual’ as in reciprocal as in connected as in bilateral as in Carlos Correa and the Chicago Cubs reportedly have mutual interest. So the Cubs didn’t want to re-sign Bryant or Baez or Rizzo, but they want to pay $300M+ for Correa. Okay, sure. (8:20) Cody Bellinger and the Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to a one-year, $17M deal. How was it announced after December 1st in a lockout? Hmmmm. (14:20) Former MLB columnist Michael Hunt has not voted for a baseball player to the Hall of Fame for the 2nd consecutive year in a row. Two years ago he only voted for Derek Jeter. Is this fair? (25:15) The Gator Bowl will go on. Rutgers has accepted the bid to play against Wake Forest. (29:45) Review: Belfast. (33:45) NPPOD. (39:20) Peloton, Chris Noth, Sex in the City update. (45:55) So You Wanna Talk to Samson!? Someone asked me about handling and dealing with insomnia. Let’s get personal to end the year.

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Today’s word of the day is ‘worry’ as in panic as in anxiety as in NFLPA president JC Tretter said the union was worried about NFL games being cancelled due to COVID. He said the union pushed for postponements, the NFL nearly cancelled 3 games, and that would have been bad news bears. (10:30) Joe Burrow is the starting QB for the Cincinnati Bengals. Joe Burrow said there’s nothing to do in Cincinnati. (22:00) Review: Clickbait. (27:30) NPPOD. (29:15) The College Football Playoff has announced new covid rules. Forfeits everywhere! (34:30) The Gator Bowl is in jeopardy right now. Texas A&M had a covid outbreak and can’t play. Wake Forest can play. The bowl is scrambling to replace Texas A&M. (39:50) The NBA is in trouble. There are now 50 players playing on 10-day contracts. What!?

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Today’s word of the day is ‘10/10’ as in the interview score given by Sandy Alderson to Buck Showalter. A perfect score! Buck did it. Cannot believe it. He’s the new Mets manager and he’s ready to be the first old dog to learn new tricks. New Mets GM Billy Eppler said he talked to everyone, but not Max Scherzer… okay. (20:00) The Buffalo Bills just announced a new fan covid policy that all fans aged 5 and older must be vaccinated to attend games. This is going to cause a firestorm. Let’s discuss this policy. (24:35) Aaron Rodgers just continues to double down on misinformation. Just stop already. (29:20) Review: Being The Ricardos (33:45) MLB luxury tax numbers are out. The Los Angeles Dodgers have a $30M+ tax bill to pay. The San Diego Padres are around $1M+. If you are going over…. Go all the way over! (40:00) NPPOD. (41:20) Let’s discuss David Blitzer and the Cleveland Guardians. 

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Today’s word of the day is ‘Christmas Break’ as in the holidays are here, the NBA usually plays, the NFL may play some games, but what about the NHL? It’s quiet time. That’s right, the NHL is shutting down for a few days. Interesting. (8:40) The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are bringing back Antonio Brown. Why? Because they stink right now. Injuries have decimated the WR group. Bruce Arians excuses are ridiculous. Tom Brady was not happy at all this weekend. He was mad about the Godwin hit. He was mad at the Saints interim coach. He was MAD! (22:45) Review: Swan Song. (27:15) Alabama is getting ready for the College Football Playoff. The last thing Nick Saban wants is his team to get covid before the games. So Saban spoke about what he is having his team do. (31:25) NPPOD. (35:10) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me a question about a lawsuit against MLB. Well, step into the courtroom with me.

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Today's words of the day are 'He's BACKKKK' as in Kyrie Irving's return to the court. NFL, NBA and NHL are having major issues with the Covid-19 spike. What will happen to these leagues? Peng Schwai says she never accused anyone of sexual assault. What does this mean for the Olympics? David reviews his top 5 time travel movies. So you want to talk to Samson? What is going on with the Tampa Bay Rays' market research results. Can Las Vegas support an MLB team? Time for the Pick of the day. Let's talk Jacksonville and the massive PR mistake that the Jaguars made. #Waittosee

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Today's word of the day is 'boiled' as in Urban Meyer is completely cooked (0:20). And it's not crazy for me to call him the worst coaching hire in the history of sports. Let's explain how the Jaguars justified the move and why they did it in the middle of the night. Roger Goodell has a problem and I have a solution (19:20). Eliminate Covid testing. It's entirely reasonable if you hear me out. Review: 'Power of the Dog' (27:48). There's no looking back with new NIL rules, so let's just call college athletics what they are now; a minor league feeding system (even more than before!) (31:05). The MLB Lockout Update took me longer than a few seconds to explain (39:45). And it's just just Pick but Pick(s) of the Day (41:40).

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Today’s word of the day is 'Obstruction' as in Dan Snyder and the Washington Football Team. The situation in Washington keeps getting worse but what will happen to Dan Snyder (0:06)? Today we review 'In the Eyes of Tammy Faye (27:10). Covid cases continue to increase in the sports world and the leagues are trying to figure out how to handle this spike in positive covid tests. Can anything be done to prevent more canceled games (34:20)? We have a quick update on the MLB Lockout (36:15). Mets are in the final stages. Buck Showalter and Joe Espada will meet with Steve Cohen and here is how owners interview managers (36:30). David closes out the show with his #WaitToSee (43:00) and his Pick of the day (44:00).

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Today’s word of the day is ‘Encore’ because Covid is back and the NFL had 37 positive tests in one day. The Bulls have postponed two games. What needs to be done to keep these leagues running (0:10)? Urban Meyer’s tenure in Jacksonville has been a disaster, but what is the solution (15:30)? Next up we discuss Succession (26:00) and my Pick of the Day (29:30). USA gymnastics and the U.S. Committee agreed to pay $380 million to survivors of former Olympic team Doctor Larry Nassar (35:15). We close out the show with a Zion Williamson 'Wait to See' (42:00).

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Another mailbag! Please listen to this first topic. Please give it a chance. Someone asked me to discuss the Supreme Court and the oral arguments that happened about abortion. (22:30) Someone asked me what the biggest PR mistake I made in my career was. Oh, boy. (25:55) Someone asked me was the lowest level of team employee I have a hand in hiring. (33:00) Top 10 Business Movies. (43:35) Top 5 Coming of Age Movies.

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It’s a mailbag! A December mailbag! You guys got to me on twitter at DavidPSamson and we have to answer these! Someone asked me about what it’s like to win the World Series and then it all ends. You hit the pinnacle of joy and it’s gone in an instance. What does that feel like to know this could be the last time your whole team is together again? (9:35) Someone asked me which commissioner in sports I think is best. Well, let’s discuss. (18:35) Someone asked me about the MLB CBA talks and why player contracts are the biggest sticking points. Length of those contracts to be exact. (25:00) Someone asked what the best way to get out of debt is. Let’s break down the different types of debt. We’ll start there. (36:55) Someone asked for my Top 5 Money/Business advice. (43:50) Someone asked about how much front offices take into consideration fan animosity when it comes to signing players. Would the Dodgers or Yankees sign him?

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Today’s word of the day is ‘censorship’ as stopping the ability to talk freely about a given subject as Mario Cristobal is the new coach of the Miami Hurricanes and the school blocked questions about the hiring process. What a shame. (9:25) 22 years ago today was my first day in baseball. Some people may love that, most will hate it! (11:25) Clint Frazier is happy to be on the Chicago Cubs. No longer a New York Yankee. Why do players prefer certain teams and why would they be happy to join a rebuild? (21:30) Review: Last Night in Soho. (24:20) There is so much drama involving the Arizona Coyotes I cannot believe it. A report came out that the city of Glendale informed the team it was going to lock the Coyotes out of the arena! What!? Glendale alleges that the Coyotes owe big money in taxes and payments. Rumors of relocation and sale, and now this! (31:30) NPPOD. (34:20) Luka Doncic admits he is out of shape. The team is losing games, he’s playing just alright. What does the front office say? The same goes for Zion Williamson who hasn’t played at all this season! Zion has missed almost 50% of his career games already. (43:30) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me about Fernando Tatis Jr getting into a motorcycle accident. He ended up with some scrapes, but this isn’t good. The person asked how the team handles this during a lockout. 

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Critics are raving about this episode of Nothing Personal with David Samson! Some say it's the best episode of a podcast in podcast history! Wow!

Today is Episode 500 of Nothing Personal with David Samson! And the Samson Sit-Down is with Matthew Coca! Coca is the producer of Nothing Personal, and he is also the person writing this description! Thank you all for your support of the show. I am a real person.

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Today’s word of the day is ‘pancake’ as in the Pancake Factory as in the University of Texas offensive line will now receive $50K each for NIL and charitable causes. How about coach buyout money? We’re close to $100M in buyouts schools are paying for coaches to no longer coach at its school. College football is now the wild Wild West. It always has been, but now we see it. Remember last year when schools were getting rid of smaller programs because of lost money due to covid? yea… (15:45) The Portland Trail Blazers are in trouble. The team just fired its GM for misconduct. The President left the team last month to take another job in Detroit. Damian Lillard hasn’t been great. The team is losing games in Chauncey Billups first season. There was a trade offer that would send CJ McCollum away. Anything else? (21:20) President Biden announced the US boycott of the Beijing Olympics. What does that mean for athletes? Nothing. Is this a major show by the US? No. (30:50) Review: The Last Duel. (35:10) So You Wanna Talk To Samson!? Someone asked me about Justin Verlander and lockout limbo. A deal was reached for 2 years, $50M for Verlander to return to the Houston Astros, but yet, he’s still a free agent. Interesting. (43:50) Median Spirit dies suddenly. 

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Today’s word of the day is ‘committee’ as in the Baseball Hall of Fame. We could have talked about the College Football Playoff Committee, but what happens in baseball is beyond ridiculous. The Golden Days Era ballot was announced… all 10 candidates are dead. Why does it take so long for us to honor people? Why can’t it happen when they’re here? (16:45) Miami Hurricanes coaching search update is hilarious. Manny Diaz is still the coach. Mario Cristobal is who they want to be the coach. Miami has offered him big money, big upgrades, the true South Beach special. (29:50) Review: House of Gucci. (34:45) Big Ben news leaked out that he was out of Pittsburgh after the season. Who do we think leaked this? It shouldn’t surprise you. (38:45) NPPOD. (42:25) LeBron James was held out because of health and safety protocols. Then he was allowed back because he tested out of protocols. What was happening?

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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!

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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.

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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. 

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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? 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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. 

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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?

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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. 

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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

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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? 

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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.

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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?

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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

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