 Aren't you going to Detroit tomorrow, Rob? I am. I don't know if I was supposed to put that out there. That's all right. Everybody will be like, oh, you didn't let me know. Oh, okay, you're sneaking into town. That's what I'm going to do. Well, no, then you say, well, we talked about it on The Odd Couple. If you were listening, it wouldn't be an issue.  What is an issue for Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is this sore arm, apparently, as he took little part in practice today. And because of this, now his status for Saturday's preseason game is all of a sudden hitting that uncertain moniker.  Patriots head coach Gerard Mayo hinting that he's going to finalize a week-one starting quarterback by Monday. He wants one more look-see in Sunday's exhibition contest of his two top signal callers and what they can do in that game, Jacoby Brissett and Drake May. Steelers QB Russell Wilson says he is going to play in the team's last preseason game, which is, of course, this weekend. Wilson played five series in the last exhibition game.  Didn't do too well, to put it plainly, as he got moved around and thrown around the field, and that offense didn't come up with any points. Speaking of coming up with runs, Jesse Winker did it as he hit the game-clinching home run on the bottom of the ninth as the Mets devised a plan to beat the Orioles 4-3. The Red Sox take care of the Astros 4-1. And lastly, Aaron and Rob, Joey Votto has announced his retirement. The big slugger spent...  Ten plus years. I think it was 17 years with the Cincinnati Reds. Says he's done. And Aaron and Rob, as I get it back to you, potentially.  chance at making the Hall of Fame, or at least he's in the conversation. Do I have a vote? I have a vote. You do. I don't think so. You don't think so? I know there's a lot for him. His on-base percentage and all that. I just... If I have to debate or argue your stats, probably you're not a Hall of Famer. All right. B. Finn, thank you. Appreciate it. It is The Odd Couple. Coming to you live from the TireRack.com studios. Rob Parker, Aaron Torres, and for...  Chris Broussard. And, man, Aaron Torres, go ahead. You're going to get people in trouble. You know, the Connecticut Sun, you're from Connecticut. And they played in Boston, the first WNBA game in Boston, right? Had a sellout crowd, 19,000-plus. Was it $100 a night? I was trying to figure out. Was it what? $100 a night at the game. For every fan, you get $100 if you come. I'm just saying.  Come on, Rob. It's a growing league. Have some respect. So this is what happened. So, yes, the Connecticut Sun played in Boston on Tuesday, okay? And so, basically, obviously, the Connecticut Sun are based out of Connecticut. This was the first time that they have played in Boston's TD Garden. That's obviously where the Celtics play. The game was announced in December. As you said, drew a crowd of 19,125 people.  But here's the problem. Wasn't on TV, maybe that's not the problem. But according to one player, Dajanae Carrington, she was not happy with the promotion of this game. I think that there could have been a lot more publicity or promo from the top, you know. Connecticut had announced that we were having this game probably almost a year ago, maybe. I don't know. Sometime right after last season, so...  It was ample time to do what needed to be done. But it didn't matter anyway, because they showed up and it was sold out. We got the dub, so I guess my tweet worked. And the game should have been on a national television broadcast. You shouldn't have to pay for any type of subscription to see a game that's this historic, in my opinion.  What do you think, Rob? First, I want to say this. I'm so old, okay, that I used to cover when I covered the New Jersey Nets. I don't know if you even know this, Aaron.  The Celtics used to play four games a year in Hartford. Of course. Yes, at the old Hartford Civic Center, which was in the mall in downtown Hartford. But people would never believe that, that the Celtics would give up four home games at the Boston Garden to play in Hartford, Connecticut. That's how long ago I was covering the NBA. This is in the 80s. You'd have to ask my mom about this, but I was a big...  I kind of came as a fan. I hate to age you here, but early 90s, and I forget if it was Shaq in his rookie year or Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson, those Charlotte Hornets teams. One of the two, if not both, came to Hartford to play the Celtics, and I vividly remember going to one game. I really liked the Hornets, but I seem to remember the Shaq and the Magic. So, yes, I'm very familiar. By the way, fun fact.  the Hartford Civic Center, now called the Excel Center, going through a major renovation right now. It's still home of the UConn Huskies. So the place is still open. It probably should have been knocked down 25 years ago, but that's neither here nor there. Yeah, I don't know what her belly aching is about. They sold out the game. It wasn't like they had the game in Boston. Nobody knew it was going to be played, and 4,000 people showed up. Then I could see, like, the criticism of it sold out. What, what?  And why would it be a national game? I mean, just because it was in Boston? It was historic because it was in Boston? Is that what she's saying? What was the historic part of it?  Well, no, and that – I guess because it was the first game ever in Boston. Okay, cool. Like if the – you know, it's like the – like you said, different teams play in different places. The Lakers play, you know, in Vegas a couple times a year. Like it doesn't mean that it has to be a nationally televised game. This also, by the way, is the young lady who –  You know, had a couple hard fouls on Kaitlyn Clark when she came to town when she played the Connecticut Sun a few weeks ago. She's had some very interesting tweets about the state of Kaitlyn Clark. You know, she was one that she gave a pretty hard foul to Kaitlyn Clark. So this is...  a young lady that it feels to me, uh, certainly listen, she certainly, she was the one also that mocked Caitlin Clark with the whole, you know, the fake head, the head knock, you know, the head pullback or whatever. And, you know, I, I think, you know, two things can be true, right? Is, is we can appreciate the growth of the sport and,  Does feel like an awful lot of bellyaching, though. And this goes back to the beginning of the season, all the Kate and Clark stuff. But this young lady, it feels like every single time something comes up, she's complaining a lot. And I hate to say it, Rob, it's all the stuff that a lot of people have talked about, is that there's more exposure than there's ever been already. There's only so many national TV games. And it's like I'm just tired of everybody in the WNBA thinking they are owed everything, when in reality, if I'm going to be honest, and maybe you disagree,  I don't think anybody really cared about WNBA until Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese showed up.  I'm with you. It still doesn't move me. I've seen the highlights, but I haven't watched a full WNBA game. I'm just not into it, and it's no disrespect to people who want to watch women's basketball. It just doesn't do anything for me. I hate to break it to you. During the summer, guess what I watch? I watch baseball every night. Well, you're a Hall of Famer. No, that's what I watch. It has nothing to do with the WNBA.  This might actually make me sound even worse than you saying you don't watch at all. The only game I tuned into was the follow-up game. If you remember, early in the year, Caitlin Clark and Indiana played Angel Reese and the Sky, Chicago. And Angel Reese had a really hard following Caitlin Clark. And then it was the, you know, Angel Reese had the big thing about the media is out to get us. And, you know, so, you know, so.  certain players get all the calls, and so there was like a week of discourse, and then they played a week later, and I tuned in to see if anything crazy happened, and then, of course, nothing happened, and it was just another women's battle. WPHM now presents Detroit Tigers Baseball. You can continue to listen to our regularly scheduled programming online at WPHM.net. This is 1380 WPHM. Port Huron.  The game was a sellout, wasn't it? I just don't like, oh, they didn't promote it. They knew about it for a year. Obviously, people knew about it for a year because they bought tickets. The Sun, they play in the casino. They do. Right? What do they get, 8,000 people? It's not a big arena, is it? No, it's not. And that's what I'm having trouble figuring out is, like you said, first of all, 19,000 people.  That's a big crowd. It's a great crowd, but what was it about the game that warranted more coverage? By the way, let me ask you a question.  Isn't it sort of insulting to say, well, because it was a sellout, it deserved more coverage? So you're basically acknowledging that one of these crowds is essentially, I don't want to say never existed because it's the third biggest crowd of the WNBA season. But if it warranted more coverage, it kind of makes you feel like, well, if it's already sold out, then we're going to make a big deal out of something that maybe we should just be expecting rather than celebrating. You know what I mean? 100%.  I just don't get the criticism here. All right. There's an epidemic running through Major League Baseball. That's right. And we'll tell you about it next. It is the odd couple. Rob Parker, Aaron Torres, in for Chris Bouchard right here on Fox Sports Radio. Stick and stay in the U.S. of A.  Sometimes you miss something. Or sometimes you may want to hear it again. As soon as this show is over, you can podcast it. Yeah, baby! Just search The Odd Couple with Rob Parker and Chris Brewstock. Wherever you get your podcasts. Again, just search The Odd Couple with Rob Parker and Chris Brewstock. Wherever you get your podcasts. Rate, review, and most importantly, follow.  Hey, it's the iCouple. You know our trusted partner, TireRack.com, for their fast, free shipping, free road hazard protection, convenient installation options, and their great selection of the best tires, like the highly consumer-rated Goodyear Assurance Weather Ready. But did you know they sell other automotive products? Wheels, brakes, suspension, just to name a few. Everything you need to elevate your drive. Go to TireRack.com slash sports. TireRack.com, the way tire buying should be.  Hey, checking in? This is not just your flu shot appointment at Walgreens. Yes. This is getting your entire family vaccinated in one trip. Hey, Mom? And a snack on the way out. Get flu shots for everyone in your family, together. Schedule appointments online today. This is wellness made easy. Walgreens. Vaccines subject to availability and for ages 3+. State and health-related restrictions may apply.  Hey guys. Jason Smith and Mike Harmon are dropping knowledge like this.  Now that we've seen them play and you've seen the offense, and more importantly, you've seen some other things that have happened, not only do I think that Justin Fields is going to play by week five, he may actually break camp as the starting quarterback for the Steelers. And it may be Russell Wilson's going to back up Justin Fields and they're going to figure out some crazy way to make it work so Russell Wilson just doesn't go, oh, what do I do? Is my career over? Because the first thing is this. Watching them play the last couple of weeks, right, and seeing Russ play last year,  and seeing Justin Fields play. They're no longer as similar as you think. In fact, they haven't been the same for a while. Justin Fields is a guy that recently ran for a thousand yards in the NFL, right? He's a guy that can make some dynamic plays, right? Russell Wilson does not do that. His yards per attempt is down to under seven, which is in the bottom quarter of the NFL. It's been a three-year decline for Russell Wilson in pushing the ball downfield.  You watch Wilson now, he's more of a plotter. He's not a guy that gets outside the tackles and runs. Yes, he has a little bit of escapability, but that's what it is. This is not Russell Wilson of 10 years ago where I'm going to drop back, I'm going to drop back further, and then I'll drop back another 10 yards. I'm 30 yards behind the line of scrimmage, and Pete Carroll is chomping gum so bad he's chewing through it and chewing through his teeth. But then he finds a way to get back towards the line of scrimmage and then throw a 15-yard pass to Doug Baldwin.  Like, that's not Russell Wilson anymore. He gets sacked a lot. He can't get out of trouble like he used to be able to. This is just part of him being older. Not that Justin Fields has lit the world on fire, but you watch both these guys play, and I ask you, Mike, which guy... To get the rest of what Jason Smith and Mike Harmon said, podcast it by searching The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon. And as always, you can hear The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon weeknights at 10 p.m. Eastern, 7 p.m.  7 p.m. Pacific right here on Fox Sports Radio. This is The Herd. Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. With Colin Cowherd. Yeah!  Steelers good god are they awful offensively again so listen if Belichick can get fired if Andy Reid can get fired and Pete Carroll can get fired I know he got an extension but we can be critical of Mike Tomlin I mean Russell Wilson had five drives and one first down pass protection was awful he and Justin Fields and their mobile 10 quarterback hits four sacks and these guys run well they can't run the football now they've tried that the last several years last year middle of the pack  So in the last five years, Pittsburgh is 30th, 30th in total yards per game.  And by the way, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields the last two years are the most sacked quarterbacks in the league. So if you're wondering why Justin Fields looks skittish and Russell is captain check down this weekend, they don't want to get hit. This is The Herd with Colin Cowherd. Wow. Weekdays at noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Love it. Embrace it. Right now. The Dan Patrick Show. Dan Patrick.  But you're right, this is entertainment. No, we won't be running with pads on, but hey, I don't have a problem laying down a track in the middle of a football stadium and saying, hey, let's pack this place out. Noah Lyles joining us on the program. I brought this up to Usain Bolt when Tyreek Hill wanted a piece of Usain Bolt. And I said, would you be willing to put up one of your gold medals? And you would not put up your gold medal in 100 meters versus Tyreek Hill.  What does he earn to deserve that status? He plays football, and he's a great football player. But you don't get to jump the line just because you think you're best. There's tons of those people out there. What if you got his Super Bowl ring? I don't want his Super Bowl ring. I'm very, very content with my Olympic medals. The Dan Patrick Show. Dan and the Danettes. And you. Weekdays, 9 a.m. Eastern, 6 Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio.  Here's a statement you can take away. When it comes to talking, we can't shut up. We believe in real talk. Are we talking about it? Shut up! Yeah! We won't shut up. It's loud. I know what the hell I'm talking about. As a matter of fact, we do more than talk. Ladies and gentlemen. We sing. It's raining dogs. Hallelujah. We yell. Whose roster's better? We gotta keep our composure. Relax. This is baloney. We are Fox Sports Radio. The premier sports lineup in the nation.  The most fearless voice in sports is on FS1. The one and only Colin Cowherd is bold, unique, and outspoken. Wow. You can see him on The Herd weekdays at noon Eastern on FS1 in the Fox Sports app. Come on, come on. We lift our hands in the sanctuary. We lift our hands to give you the glory. We lift our hands to give you the praise.  on a Worship Wednesday.  And we're coming to you live from the TireRack.com studios. Our thanks to Rapid Radios, the official communication device of Fox Sports Radio. Rapid Radios are instant push-to-talk walkie-talkies offering national LTE coverage and no subscription or monthly fees. Business owners can keep in touch with up to 200 staff members at one time. Go to RapidRadios.com now for up to 60% off.  and free shipping. Rob Parker and Aaron Torres in for Chris Broussard. And Aaron, it's time for Sheckle City. Welcome to Sheckle City. The home base for Rob Parker's daily picks against the Sprat. All right, here we go, Aaron. Let's do it, Sheckle City. Let's start with... Okay, I thought I had it here. Oh.  All right, let's start here. Sheckle City, Dodgers and the Mariners again tonight in Los Angeles. Let's start it with that game. And I'm going to take the Dodgers, who beat the Mariners last night. Let's do the Dodgers. Minus one and a half runs against Seattle tonight in L.A. That's my best bet. Also, I'm taking Oakland. Plus one and a half runs. They're at home hosting the Tampa Bay Rays tonight.  And I'm going to take Kansas City, the Royals, minus one and a half at home, taking on the Angels. So the Royals minus one and a half at home against the Angels. Oakland getting a run and a half against the Tampa Bay Rays. And the Dodgers, who beat the Mariners last night, I got them one and a half runs down against Seattle in Los Angeles. And remember, I'm not telling you who to bet on, Aaron. I'm telling you who I bet on.  All right, let's stick to baseball. Tarek Skubal, right, who is the star pitcher for the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers have already basically said he's having a great year.  14-4, 2.49 ERA. Rob G., they're already saying what? That they're going to shut him down, right? Well, they're not going to shut him down, but what they are going to do is he's scheduled to make, with the calendar breaking this way, six to seven starts the rest of the way. They've already said that's not going to happen. He's going to get longer rest now because they're worried about his innings count. He's already at a career high, and...  the dreaded 200 innings is within play if he makes every start, and they don't want that to happen, which is a big deal, Rob and Aaron, because he is right now the AL triple crown for pitchers.  Looking for a dealership that truly cares about its local community? Look no further than family-owned and operated St. Clair Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, your We Care dealership. To say thank you for being a part of their St. Clair family, join them on August 22nd from 3 to 7 for their second annual customer appreciation event. Enjoy a car show, DJ, fun.  food, drinks, raffles, and more. The friendly and knowledgeable staff at St. Clair Chrysler is always striving to improve your experience with no appointment needed for all your service and maintenance needs, plus a fleet of service loaners to enhance your visit. With a wide selection of new and used certified vehicles, your satisfaction is their priority. Whether you're in the market for a reliable family SUV, a rugged Jeep for your off-road adventures, or powerful Ram trucks for your toughest tasks, you'll find it all at St. Clair Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram.  Visit WeCareStClair.com today and don't miss St. Clair Chrysler's second annual customer appreciation event Thursday, August 22nd from 3 to 7. What? He's having a historic season. Rob G. talked about it. Triple crown of pitching? He's had 25 starts so far. He's got about six left.  If he gets knocked around or he doesn't feel well or his arm twinge, take him out. But if he's healthy, why are we babying everybody and just automatically? We see this in the NBA. It drives you crazy. Let's rest these players and all this load management. And we still have injuries, right? Kawhi Leonard is the king of load management. He is. And he still gets hurt. So how does that justify anything?  Well, and here's the other thing with load management specifically, I know we're talking about baseball, is there's no actual proof that it helps prevent injuries. And, you know, listen, all these guys have been pitching all their lives, you know, high leverage games, whatever. I'm just against – I'm against this as well, Rob. And I just think, you know, like you just look at it and one, first of all, he has a chance at history. He's fully healthy. And I just go back to what I said a minute ago is that when you try to –  for lack of a better term, it's not the perfect term, but when you try to play God with these situations, it never works out. And these guys are highly trained athletes. They've been training their whole life for this exact situation, and you just never know when you're going to have an opportunity to do something like this again. I mean, you go back, and I know it was different because they were in first place, but remember the year 2012 when Steven Stroudsburg got shut down and the Nats were in first place and the favorite to win the NL?  And they shut him down, and of course from there they ended up losing early in the playoffs, and they never sniffed another World Series title when he was with the team. So if he's healthy, if he can play, just let him play. He's young. His body is used to it. And again, I think when you start playing God with stuff, that's when injuries start to happen when you're in that start-stop mindset more than anything else.  Yeah, I'm with you. I know it's a different day and age, and people don't look at things the same way, but Dwight Gooden with the Mets, you remember when he broke onto the scene, started 31 games his rookie year. Yep. Was 17-9. Do you know what I mean? I'm looking at it going...  Why not? Why stop the guy if a guy's having a historic season like that? None of it makes sense. And the other thing, too, is I know this shouldn't be a reason, but the Tigers are obviously not very good. I think we all know that. You're obviously very plugged in in Detroit.  Gives a reason for people to tune in, people to be excited about the team, people to show up to the ballpark. And again, neither of us is saying if his arm is falling off or he has pain to keep running him out there. But, you know, the fans are paying fans and they deserve to have something to be excited about in an otherwise kind of forgettable season.  100%. Anytime somebody's playing well, why would you take them out of their own rhythm, take this guy's dominating, he's having a tremendous year, let it finish out, play out. Maybe he does win the Triple Crown of pitching. It's not something that happens all the time. It would be a great honor. All right, our number two, speaking of Triple Crowns, maybe Ohtani can't win it in the National League. We'll talk about that and much more. It's the Odd Couple. We are.  At Lowe's, save big every day when you buy in bulk. Save 10% when you buy one pallet or more of select shingles. Plus save 10% when you buy 68 or more select OSB sheathing. And if you find a lower price in-store or online, we'll match it. Because Lowe's knows savings. Lowe's knows pros. Selection varies by location. While supplies last. Discount taken at time of purchase. See sales associate for details. Exclusions and terms apply. Learn how we'll match price at Lowe's.com slash lowest price guarantee.  eBay Motors is here for the ride. Go ahead, feel your engine. Admire that perfectly installed exhaust. Your vehicle's moving along this freeway like it was made from fresh installs and a whole lot of love. With eBay Motors, you get over 122 million parts to keep it running. And with eBay Guaranteed Fit, they'll be the perfect fit every time. Plus, at these prices, well, we're burning rubber, not cash. Keep your ride or die alive at ebaymotors.com. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.  WWE Friday Night Smackdown is live on Fox. Catch the high-flying superstars as they compete for supremacy in the ring. It's Friday Night Smackdown at 8 Eastern on Fox and the Fox Sports app.  I like the morning show. They're really funny in the morning. This is the show that has two pros and a cup of Joe. Who is Joe? LeVar Arrington, Brady Quinn, and Jonas Knox. Yesterday, we discussed some comments recently from Mike Gundy, the head coach at Oklahoma State. Let's take a listen to those. We talked about this yesterday.  That's what I told the players. There's no negotiating now. Portal's over. All negotiation's history. Now we're playing football. You know, the business side of what we do now is we have to have those conversations with them. You know, tell your agent to quit calling us and asking for more money. It's non-negotiable now. You know, start again in December.  Oklahoma State announced yesterday that players will be wearing a QR code on their helmets, linking a donation page to the school's NIL fund this season. Jeez. I mean, he goes from saying that to then, yeah, we hate it. By the way, did we get those QR codes put on the back of the helmets? I'm just making sure so we can, you know, make sure we get these players paid, you know.  It does feel a little bit odd. I just wonder how many players are like, hold on, dude. You just told us. Tell our agents, stop calling. Get back to me in December. But here's a QR code you can link and donate to our NIL fund. I just... Yeah. Whole thing's kind of wild, man. Talk about price on your head, huh? I just think...  I just think that it's a tad bit. I don't know. I want to say it's innovative. I mean, I saw it yesterday, saw it pretty early. No one's going to be more endearing to the fans than the players. So I guess there's that element of it.  to get the rest of LeVar Arrington, Brady Quinn, and Jonas Knox. Podcast by searching Two Pros and a Cup of Joe. Listen to Two Pros and a Cup of Joe weekdays from 6 a.m. Eastern, 3 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio.  Now I know what I am most afraid of. Here's my biggest fear. Because this is what it is. The Jets and Aaron, all this. If the Jets start out slow, by that I mean they lose to the 49ers.  Okay, but you lose the 49ers, and then you're getting into the middle out of September at 1-3. It's going to get bad fast. This is going to get bad with Rodgers and Sala.  fast no but the rest of your september's in theory winnable right so even if you lose to the 49ers in theory yeah you've got the titans yes you've got the patriots and you've got the broncos yes you're listening to jason smith with mike harman weeknights at 10 p.m eastern 7 p.m pacific on fox sports radio let's make the complicated stuff colin cowherd  colin cowherd well you know how this works right the most interesting man in sports we're confusing interesting with great because when he's right he's right a sports and entertainment prodigy and when he's wrong he's also right new information equals new opinion it's the herd with colin cowherd  Making your mornings right. Weekdays at 12 p.m. Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. The most fearless voice in sports is on FS1. The one and only Colin Cowherd is bold, unique, and outspoken. Wow. You can see him on The Herd. Weekdays at noon Eastern on FS1 in the Fox Sports app.  Batter up Bo Nix. He is going to be the guy to be the starting quarterback week one for the Denver Broncos, according to head coach Sean Payton. Browns QB Deshaun Watson did very little at practice today, and that was because of a sore arm, which now means that the Saturday preseason game that he was supposed to play in, that is definitely in peril as far as his status for that.  Major League Baseball, games happening all over the place right now. The Padres just gave up seven runs in the top of the fourth inning. They're down 8-0, batting in the bottom of the fourth against the Twins. Meantime, you've got another game involving this Yankees-Guardians matchup, and they have a 4-0 lead. That would be the Yanks' fourth inning there, 46th home run of the season for Aaron Judge.  Jesse Winker hits a pinch-hit walk-off home run for the Mets, and they stick it to the Orioles 4-3. Justin Verlander served an L and a Red Sox win over the Astros. I'm Brian Fenley.  Box Sports Radio's Odd Couple.  The other spends it throwing money at the pole. Can these two sports writers share a radio show without driving each other crazy? Live from the TireRack.com studios of Fox Sports Radio. And now with Aaron Torres sitting in for Chris Broussard, here's Rob Parker. Welcome in to hour number two of The Odd Couple right here on Fox Sports Radio.