Nothing Personal with David Samson

Today’s word of the day is ‘cheers’ as in everybody knows your name as in Jalen Brunson as in the Knicks as in clutch. Brunson stepped up and hit a HUGE three for the win against the Pistons. And now they have to play the Boston Celtics. Are they ready for that? (6:50) John Haliburton has been ban from attending Pacers games moving forward. Welp. (13:20) The Texas Rangers are down bad right now. A promotion for the fans that a home win streak would see them get free tickets lasted just 1 game. The team can’t score runs. The team can’t hit. Can’t stay healthy. Bad. (24:23) What are the Athletics up to? You can now go to an interactive pop-up in the Fall. But only if you have an appointment. For what you may ask? To look at a stadium that has yet to exist. (34:15) Review: Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing. (40:02) May predictions for baseball! (41:45) NPPOD. (46:00) The Lakers end of season presser was all about LeBron James and his future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We start things off today with what happened at PNC ballpark yesterday in Pittsburgh. A fan fell from the right field wall onto to the field. It was an ugly scene. The fan is reportedly in critical condition. Just a nightmare scenario. Today’s word of the day is ‘First A’ as in the first A of the baseball season is over with as in April ball is done as in the good as in the bad as in the other. We start with the GOOD of April… it’s Aaron Judge. That’s it. He’s on a different planet! (12:00) Here’s what was bad through April… the Rockies. (14:00) Remember torpedo bats? Remember the Rays? (16:40) What in the world is going on with Bill Belichick? (32:45) Review: Sideways. (37:50) NPPOD. Let’s talk about the Lakers. Not great! (46:45) The Falcons were fined big money for the Jax Ulbrich incident. DC Jeff Ulbrich was also fined big money. Woof. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Try Huel with 15% OFF + Free Gift for New Customers today using my code SAMSON at https://huel.com/SAMSON. Fuel your best performance with Huel today! Today’s word of the day is ‘disrespect’ as in Giannis as in the Bucks as in the Pacers as in Haliburton as in NBA playoffs! What a moment after the Bucks blew a 7-point lead! Bucks eliminated. And then after the game a very heated Giannis was seen arguing with Tyrese Haliburton’s dad? WHAT! (12:00) The Knicks lost to the Pistons in a crucial Game 5 at MSG. Brunson couldn’t hit shots. The Pistons just out hustled them. Now back to Detroit they go. (18:20) So You Wanna Talk to Samson!? Someone asked me about MSG Network and if it goes away would that really hurt the Knicks and Rangers? (27:16) What is the future of SNY? The Mets don’t own it. The Wilpon Family does and it could be up for sale! (36:50) Review: Ex-Husbands. (39:22) NPPOD. What is going on with Sandy Alcantara? Is his trade value plummeting? (43:15) What is going on with the Orioles? Everything is bad right now. High expectations and low results. (49:30) What are the Cubs going to offer Kyle Tucker? Well, it looks like whatever he wants! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘Huey lewis’ as in Miami Heat as in Heat Culture as in it’s over as in it’s done. It’s time for Pat Riley to make changes. Erik Spoelstra has to make changes. The Cleveland Cavaliers finished them in a way we’ve never seen before. Embarrassing. (15:00) The Milwaukee Bucks are next up on the chopping block. One game away from being finished by the Pacers. Damian Lillard is done with a ruptured achilles. Giannis is playing out of his mind and it’s not going to be enough. It’s bad. (22:45) The Eagles made their visit to the White House yesterday. President Trump welcomed them with talks of Tush Push and begging the Giants not to get rid of Saquon. (33:50) Review: We Will Dance Again. (39:00) Rob Manfred met with Donald Trump to talk baseball issues. Like visas and Pete Rose? (47:00) NPPOD. (50:50) The Commanders have a stadium deal, but not a done deal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘free fall’ as in NFL Draft as in Shedeur Sanders as in prank calls as in collusion as in crazy. Shedeur Sanders was a top QB prospect and he fell to the 5th round. People lost their minds. Experts lost their minds. Analysts lost their minds. Why? Another part of the Sanders story was a prank call he received… from the son of the Falcons defensive coordinator! (18:50) Devin Williams is no longer the Yankees closer. We are one month into the season. Woof. (27:10) A Guardians fan was removed from the stadium on Sunday after horrific comment made to Red Sox LF Jarren Duran. Just awful stuff. (36:50) Review: The Assessment. (39:10) What is the purpose of replay in sports if in the most critical moments you miss things and can’t review? (45:32) NPPOD. (47:05) Tyler Glasnow is hurt again. Before it was cramps and now it’s his shoulder. He joins a long list of Dodgers pitchers that are all hurt. Why is this happening? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘tomorrow’ as in NFL Draft as in first round as in Shedeur Sanders as in not selected. That’s right, Shedeur dropped out of the first round. Wow. The Jaguars traded up for Travis Hunter and gave the Browns a massive trade haul. The Browns need to rebuild. (14:00) The Knicks got to escape with the win over the Pistons in Game 3. They take a 2-1 series lead and regain the home-court advantage. (19:20) Another update on the NBA in Europe. The Euroleague is not too thrilled about the NBA trying to step on its European toes. (29:50) Review: North of North. (33:30) So You Wanna Talk to Samson!? Someone asked me about the Padres manager Mike Shildt saying he wants two bags at first base. Hmmm. (42:40) NPPOD. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘amazin’ as in Mets as in Pete Alonso as in Francisco Lindor as in Juan Soto as in Steve Cohen as in best record in baseball. Can you believe how hot the Mets have been? Soto has struggled at the plate. But Lindor and Alonso are on fire! And let’s talk about this pitching! (19:20) Blake Snell had a setback. Uh oh. But the Dodgers say they are NOT worried about it. (31:00) NPPOD. (36:00) Review: Curious Case of Benjamin Button. (39:20) What is with the Shedeur Sanders hate right now? Every draft there is a player that falls. Every year there’s a player that gets ripped right before the draft. Why? (46:10) Why are the Angels playing at 6:29 PT tonight? Why such a weird number? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘commissioner’ as in Rob Manfred as in Adam Silver as in MLB as in NBA. Let’s start with baseball and what Rob had to say. He brought up expansion and salary caps and softball. What does it all mean? (15:50) Adam Silver then took the stage and he had some things to say: expansion, NBA Europe. (34:07) Review: Number One on the Call Sheet. (39:10) NBA playoffs are in full swing. The Lakers bounced back! Luka and LeBron were not going down 0-2. The Thunder and Grizzlies series is not a fair matchup. The Pacers and Bucks do not like each other and it shows. (41:40) Anthony Edwards keeps getting fined. He’s up to $370,000 in fines this year. Is this form of punishment just not working? (44:30) NPPOD. (46:00) The NFL draft is tomorrow from Green Bay! But we’ll focus on the Dallas Cowboys. Jerry Jones teased a trade, but that was it. What does that mean? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘flop’ as in flail as in faking as in Knicks as in Pistons as in Jalen Brunson as in Mikel Bridges as in Karl-Anthony Towns. The Knicks lost a close one last night to the Pistons at The Garden. The internet is all over Brunson for flopping. Bridges and Towns were bad. The Pistons got its first playoff win since 2008! (12:45) Kawhi Leonard is healthy and the Clippers have a chance. This was the plan. The only way they could contend against the Nuggets and Jokic is Leonard. (16:00) NPPOD. (20:02) Nico Harrison sat in front of the cameras yesterday and had to talk. The things he said were just mind boggling. The miscalculation of the Luka trade by he and Patrick Dumont was… something. (36:45) Review: Becoming Led-Zeppelin. (40:01) The Academy announced a change to voting. All voters must watch the movies. How about that? (47:00) So You Wanna Talk to Samson!? Someone asked me about Spencer Strider and his hamstring injury and what will happen to the Braves now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We start today with the sudden death of Pope Francis at the age of 88. Just yesterday he sat down with Vice President J.D. Vance, made appearances on Easter Sunday. Today’s word of the day is ‘drubbing’ as in blowout as in huge win as in NBA Playoffs. The Thunder won by 51. The Nuggets won by 2. 7 of the 8 Game 1s were double-digits. Woof! (19:45) Jazz Chisholm found himself in some trouble for tweeting from the clubhouse after an ejection. He was suspended a game and is now appealing. (24:25) Ronald Acuna is hurt. Ronald Acuna took to social media and called out the Braves for not disciplining Jared Kelenic for something he did 6 years earlier. (35:15) Review: Eephus. (37:20) The Commanders return to DC could be coming soon. But, there is a catch. (43:45) Portland wants a Major League Baseball team. The state of Oregon just voted on a “jock tax” that would increase amount of possible income tax state would receive from MLB players. (50:00) NPPOD. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘42’ as in Jackie Robinson Day as in MLB as in honor. Let’s talk about what MLB does for Jackie Robinson Day. Let’s talk about what the White House has been trying to do. (5:03) Nico Harrison defended his trade of Luka Doncic yesterday. He also said Sorry, Dirk, I’ll do what I want. The fans are furious. The team doesn’t care. And there’s still a game left to play! (24:10) Does MLB have attendance problem right now? Numbers are down across the board. Rob Manfred thought it’d be up. (37:25) Review: The Last Five Years. (41:00) NPPOD. (46:00) The Baltimore Orioles do not look good. The pitching is bad. There was no replacement for Corbin Burnes. The young players haven’t been given extensions. They’re in last place. Panic? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘fourth’ as in the fourth month as in the fourth coach as in the Suns as in Mat Ishbia as in Mike Budenholzer. One season and he’s gone. Just like Frank Vogel. Most expensive team in the NBA and Durant, Booker, and Beal couldn’t make the play-in. Ishbia can’t help himself! (14:50) The Pelicans have fired David Griffin. He put all his eggs in the Zion Williamson basket and it failed. (23:15) World Baseball Classic time is here. Well, it’s next year, but Aaron Judge was just announced as captain of Team USA. This will be his debut! (35:00) Review: Princess Cyd. (38:00) NPPOD. (45:20) Messi is MLS. MLS needs Messi. US Soccer needs Messi. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘bags’ as in under the eyes as in money bags as in the East Coasters trying to watch the NL West. It is a gauntlet. 4 teams are over .500 right now. The Padres haven’t lost at home. The Dodgers are losing games. The Giants are surprising. The Diamondbacks are hot. The Rockies are… existing. (8:40) The Chicago Cubs got some bad, bad news. Justin Steele is done for the season. Counsell thought it was short-term and it’s not. Now what do the Cubs do? (14:05) Mike Trout got into a little situation with a fan on a play for a fly ball right on the edge of the stands. Interference or not? Doesn’t matter because Trout made the best of it and acknowledge he didn’t know the rules and then met with the fan after the game! (18:45) What just went down between Tennessee and Nico Iamaleava is exactly what the NCAA has created. A world of a mess. A QB wants more money. The school says no. And now he’s out of a job (?) and Tennessee is out of a QB. (35:50) Review: Novocaine. (38:30) Rory McIlroy finally got his green jacket. Almost was the same story as always with him, but he did it. (43:41) The NBA Play-in and Playoffs are here! A wild Sunday saw a bunch of teams change positions. The Warriors down to the play-in. Western Conference was wild. (50:00) NPPOD. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘groundbreaking’ as in Vegas as in the Athletics as in permits as in documents as in construction. What am I talking about? The Athletics said they are ready to break ground come June. For a stadium to open in 2028. Can it happen? What about the tariffs? (12:10) So You Wanna Talk to Samson!? Someone asked me about having a renewed interest in baseball, but none of the games are on national TV. Where can we watch that doesn’t cost extra? How can MLB grow the game this way? (20:10) What is going on with MLB TV though? Why are they looking to license it? (30:05) Review: Liza. (37:35) The NBA on TNT held a sendoff last night. Inside The NBA said goodbye to the regular season. Next season games move to Amazon and NBC. (40:40) NPPOD. (43:10) let’s talk about what happened at Pat McAfee’s live show. Just another bad moment for the Pirates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘$325 million’ as in Vlad Jr as in signing bonus as in Blue Jays as in MLB as in anger. Canada has to be conflicted by this deal. Why? Because Vlad’s signing bonus is taxed by Florida… where there’s no income tax. How will other owner’s and the MLBPA feel about this? (19:20) Luka Doncic went off in his return to Dallas. It was emotional. It was tough. And Nico Harrison was booed the whole time. (30:10) Review: True Romance. (33:15) The Phoenix Suns are done. Toast. Lights out. Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, Devin Booker. Max money and no playoffs. WOOF! (41:38) NPPOD. (44:00) Let’s talk about tariffs. Trump reversed course some and announced a 90-day pause on everyone but China. Jumps and dives and volatility is off the charts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘no pleasure’ as in fired as in Denver as in Nuggets as in Mike Malone as in winning. The Denver Nuggets decided to fire the head coach and GM with 3 games left in the regular season! WHAT!? The Nuggets president came out and released a statement and then went on TV and made a different statement! (16:01) Luka got ejected for trash talking a fan in the Lakers game last night. The ref took it personal. Why is this always happening? Why can’t refs get together and say “hey, we made a mistake here?” And now Luka returns to Dallas. (22:20) Tragedy struck in the Dominican Republic yesterday. At least 70 people died when the roof collapsed at a nightclub. Former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel died. Former MLB player Tony Blanco died. Nelson Cruz’s sister died. Just a horrible, horrible tragedy. (34:35) Review: October 8. (41:30) NPPOD. (44:30) Skenes Day in Pittsburgh was not great. He got shelled. And no fans were there. Under 9,000! (49:22) Caitlin Clark Effect is real. We have seen it. It continues. Are the residual effects happening? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WARNING: Today's show features a topic about suicide. If you or anyone you know are struggling please call or text 988 to speak with someone who can help! Today’s word of the day is ‘inflammation’ as in the Dodgers as in Blake Snell as in the White House as in big money as in replacements. Blake Snell said he’s been trying to tough it out through shoulder soreness but could not make it through a bullpen. First year of $182 million deal. Yikes. Except the Dodgers were all smiles at the White House, because their roster is stacked. (11:30) The Mayor of Anaheim wants the Angels to be from Anaheim. That’s what she said in a letter if the team wants to stay there with a new stadium. (18:00) Jarren Duran of the Boston Red Sox opened up about his struggles in a new documentary on Netflix. He spoke about his mental health troubles and a time where tried to take his own life. So many people and so many athletes struggle. Please call or text 988 if you need to talk. (30:15) Review: Black Bag. (34:20) The Detroit Tigers tried to fire an Assistant GM last week and he resigned before that. Why? He was sending lewd photos to female staffers. Rising star no more. (42:40) NPPOD. (47:40) Is Ted Leonsis primed to buy the Nationals? He owns the Wizards and the Capitals and he owns the local RSN. But the only way the Nationals get on his station… is if he owns them! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘astounding’ as in Blue Jays as in Vladimir Guerrero Jr as in new deal as in $500 million. Wow. The Blue Jays did it. Guerrero Jr gets his wish with a new deal with no deferrals and $500 million. (11:15) The Pirates messed up big time. They replaced a decal honoring Roberto Clemente with an advertisement for a vodka drink. Wow. (22:40) Rob Manfred spoke again about myriad of baseball items: torpedo bats, spending, broadcast deals, expansion, robot umps. (35:00) Review: White Lotus Season 3. (39:40) Alex Ovechkin is now the all-time leader in goals in the NHL. Wow. Never thought we’d see the day. (45:10) Ja Morant was fined by the NBA for his gun gesture celebration. (48:00) NPPOD. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘embarrassing’ as in winless as in Atlanta as in the Braves as in disappointing. What happened to the Braves? 0-7 to start the season. Last winless team. No team to start 0-7 has EVER made the postseason! (12:40) Alex Ovechkin is so close to making NHL history. He’s 3 goals away from passing Gretzky for most all time. Networks are doing everything to get the game that breaks it. 7 games to go! (19:30) The NHL just signed a huge deal with Rogers in Canada. 12 years for $7.7 billion! (32:40) Review: Companion. (35:00) What is going on with Ja Morant? Warned on Thursday about gun gestures during games and what does he do Thursday night? (48:00) We have another Tropicana Field update! Roof fixing is here. Is this just prolonging the inevitable? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘certainty’ as in tariffs as in money as in salary as in players as in Jackson Merrill as in Kristian Campbell as in many others. (7:30) The Padres gave Jackson Merrill a massive deal. They didn’t need to! They’ve been trying to shed payroll and now they are adding and now they have a core locked through 2033! Can they sustain that payroll? (17:20) The Red Sox gave Kristian Campbell a longterm deal. 5 games into his big league career. They did the same thing last year! (24:00) The Arizona Diamondbacks did something that I’m not sure why they did it. Ketel Marte got another extension. He was under contract for 2 more years and the team extended him! (34:15) Review: The Princess Bride. (38:40) Shohei Ohtani bobblehead night ended with a bang! Walk off homer! Let’s talk bobbles! (43:15) Timberwolves sale is now complete. Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore are now the owners. Just waiting on a vote. $1.5 billion and lawyers later, we have a deal. (50:00) NPPOD. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices