Nothing Personal with David Samson

Adam Silver talked about the NBA All-Star Game and guess what? The format has changed again! The game will be on NBC and next season the network has the Winter Olympics! (5:00) Our Thursday guest this week is Pablo Torre and he has joined the show! (27:00) FIFA is slashing prices for the Club World Cup already. Who could have seen this coming? Not even Messi could pull this many fans. Is it the stadium size? (38:00) The Chicago Fire have lapped the Bears and the White Sox for a new stadium! What!? How did this happen!? (46:00) The French Open is going on! Are you watching? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘McOverrated’ as in Connor McDavid as in the Edmonton Oilers as in NOT overrated. The Panthers jumped out to a 3-1 lead and blew it! Leon Draisaitl had the game-winner, McDavid had two assists. And Edmonton has the 1-0 series lead. Who doesn’t love playoff overtime? We will also break down taxes! Who doesn’t love taxes!? (16:00) Rob Manfred met the media yesterday. He had a whole lot to say about some major things. ABS is coming to baseball. Robot umps? Kind of! Automated Ball-Strike System is here in 2026. (22:00) Rob Manfred also spoke on the TV contracts. Where is the next media deal? Could be coming this July. He also had to comment on Pete Rose, Donald Trump, and the impact of the tariffs. (33:05) Review: 500 Days of Summer. (38:00) What is going on with the MLB salary cap? Is it happening? Will it happen? Should it happen? (44:00) NBA Finals are here! Are you excited? (51:00) NPPOD. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Call our So You Wanna Talk to Samson Hotline at 631-377-4869! It’s So You Wanna Talk to Samson hour! You asked the questions, and we have the answers! First question was about thanking the fans! I forgot to do it! OOOOOF! (5:10) Someone asked me about Canadian teams and how much harder it is to win because of currency change. Is this a real thing? Let’s discuss! (16:00) What’s happening with MLB broadcasts? The Arizona Diamondbacks local broadcast was taken over by MLB and it’s been seamless. Nice. But what happens when MLB makes new TV deals. (26:30) Someone asked me if I could cover gambling and the moves by gambling companies. Or if I have to bow down to the powers that be. (35:00) What happens if the Rays and A’s make the playoffs? Where would they play home games? Can’t be where they both currently play! (43:00) Will the Pirates trade Paul Skenes? NO! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘canned’ as in Thibs as in the Knicks as in James Dolan as in Leon Rose as in Jalen Brunson. After just 5 seasons Tom Thibodeau is out in New York. Eastern Conference Finals appearance? Who cares! Back-to-back 50-win seasons? Who cares! That’s what went down. (15:15) What is happening with the Rays? Are they staying or leaving? Is the Trop being fixed or not? Is Florida giving the Rays money or not? Ron DeSantis is all over it! (23:00) The Orioles are in a bad spot. The team is bad, but on a nice run right now. Disappointing team. Fans aren’t showing up like they have in the past few seasons. (32:50) Review: Luckiest Man in America. (38:00) Wake Forest had to apologize for its head baseball coach after the team was eliminated from the College World Series. Tom Walter was caught on camera yelling an anti-gay slur at a Tennessee player. Uh oh. Consequences? Haven’t seen them. (48:00) NPPOD. Let’s talk the Stanley Cup! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We start Hour 2 with your first guest! Dan Le Batard is here! (22:10) Inside the NBA is not going away. Why is everyone saying it? The show goes on! Even if Sir Charles he’s leaving… he won’t! (32:45) Texas Tech is head to the Women’s College World Series all because of NIL money. $1 million. That’s what it took to get NiJaree Canady. And she delivered and took down a dynasty! (39:30) Livvy Dunne Tok to TikTok and had some choice words for autograph chasers. It’s a bad situation for everyone. (46:00) Seattle Sounders want a bigger share of money from FIFA. The clubs are getting huge money. The leagues are getting huge money. But what about the players playing extra games? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘preview’ as in Dodgers as in Mets as in baseball as in playoffs. Let’s talk about the 4-game series in June and what it could say for both teams moving forward. Will we see a rematch of last season’s NLCS? I’d also like to talk about Lou Gehrig Day in MLB and what an awful disease ALS is. (10:30) Fredi Gonzalez is back! Our guy! He’s back with the Braves! (18:00) When will we know where MLB games where MLB games will be played next year? Is it ESPN? Is it Apple? Is it NBC? Is it somewhere else!? (31:20) Review: Hacks Season 4. (35:10) Let’s talk about ratings! Everyone is obsessed with ratings. From press releases to cover stories to talking fans. Why are we so into the ratings? (42:30) NPPOD. (47:40) The FBI is investigation the MLBPA and NFLPA. Uh oh! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Corbin Burnes is hurt. Felt a pop in his elbow. This is bad bad bad news for the Diamondbacks! (5:26) A Yankees fan was hit by a piece of concrete during a Dodgers game this past weekend. How can that happen? What happens next? (15:00) Cooper Flagg reportedly made some huge money at Duke. New Balance paid up. Fanatics paid up. NIL money is something serious. (24:00) NPPOD. (29:40) Zion Williamson is in some trouble. He’s been accused of rape, abuse, mental abuse, you name it. It stems from a previous relationship he was in. What a bad career he’s had to this point. True or not here. Just a disappointment. (93:00) Jackie Caglianone is getting called up. Big time prospect. Is this smart for the team’s future? Should they have waited? (39:00) The online abuse needs to stop. Fans need to stop. We’ve reach a point where enough has to be enough. We cannot accept all the threats being sent player’s, or people’s, way. (51:00) The Marlins DFA’d a player after a 3-error game. Woof. Let’s explain what happened here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘52’ as in welcome to the new NPDS as in new graphics as in new music. The Pacers have eliminated the Knicks once again. Pascal Siakam won the MVP. Haliburton had another great game. And the Knicks will go home losers again. (11:00) What happened in May in baseball? It’s time for the Good and the Bad! We start with the Detroit Tigers and the insane season they’re having! The Minnesota Twins had an incredible May to get them back into the season. Season was saved! (18:40) The St. Louis Cardinals won the most games in all of baseball in May. Who!? Yes, the Cardinal Way was back… at least for a month! (21:40) The Washington Nationals continue to surprise us all. How? Young players outperforming! That’s what a team like the Nationals needs. (23:40) Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani are just so much better than everyone else. (31:00) Review: Deaf President Now. (37:15) Now let’s get into the bad in May. We start with Juan Soto. He had such a bad month. What’s wrong? Will it change? (41:10) The Athletics are bad again. Damn. But not as bad as the Rockies. How can a team be as bad as the Rockies are? (45:00) Let’s go over my predictions from May and the predictions for June Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘Lloyd Christmas’ as in Dumb and Dumber as in so you’re saying there’s a chance as in the Knicks as in Jalen Brunson as in Game 6. The Knicks got it done on Thursday night! Tyrese Haliburton had a poor game. Can they do it? Can the Knicks really do it? (8:50) The Dallas Stars got eliminated from the Western Conference Finals for the 3rd straight season. Peter DeBoer pulled his goalie Jake Oettinger 7 minutes into the game! And then after the game he threw him under the bus! (17:50) Is Alex Ovechkin returning next season? Maybe! The Capitals say an email was sent out by mistake saying Ovi was coming back! (31:30) Review: Sirens. (37:00) MLB is investing into a women’s pro softball league. It’s a major investment that also includes TV rights and marketing. Why now? (46:00) NPPOD. (49:00) Braves pitchers had a great and bad day yesterday. Chris Sale got 2,500 K’s in his career. And the team lost AJ Smith-Shawver to an elbow injury. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

SO YOU WANNA TALK TO SAMSON HOTLINE: 631-377-4869 Today’s word of the day is ‘announcement’ as in Nothing Personal is going to 2 hours! Starting next week we move to 2 hours a day! (7:17) The Florida Panthers are headed back to the Stanley Cup Final! That’s three straight years! How have they been able to do it? (13:33) Sandy Alcantara is having a miserable, no good, very bad season. This is not good for the Marlins who knew they’d want to trade him. What now? How can they fix him? (22:30) What happened to the Red Sox? They were everyone’s (including mine) dark horse to win the World Series. And now it’s injuries. Now it’s drama. And now it’s almost last place in the AL East. (36:30) Review: Bugsy. (39:45) The Oklahoma City Thunder are a machine. They are back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012. And they destroyed the Timberwolves in 5 games. Young and hungry team. (44:50) NPPOD. (48:10) Trump’s new bill has a small line that sports owners are not going to like. Let me explain what’s happening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘immaculate’ as in perfect as in overrated as in Tyrese Haliburton as in no turnovers as in big win. Haliburton and the Pacers are now just one win away from the NBA Finals. Haliburton made history with a 30/15/10/0 stat line. The Knicks just have no answer for that. (10:35) Kendrick Perkins had some thoughts on why Anthony Edwards can’t be the face of the league. Well… (20:00) We have another update on the Athletics of wherever they are from these days. A huge update. A concessionaire is going to invest in the club and the Athletics desperately need that money. (32:30) Review: Survivor Season 48. (43:00) Terry Bradshaw is not happy with the Steelers. Not happy with Aaron Rodgers. Not happy with the handling of Kenny Pickett. Woooo buddy! (47:45) NPPOD Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘Memorial Day’ as in the holiday as in MLB as in standing as in playoffs. What? Well, most people think that what the standings look like now will be the standings when the season ends. (5:15) Shohei Ohtani has taken to the mound for the first time in over 600 days. He threw live BP before the Mets game on Sunday at Citi Field and he’s starting to look good. (14:48) Tarik Skubal might just do it again. He is a full blown ace and showed it. (20:30) When will the Royals call up Jac Caglianone? He is crushing it in the minor leagues right now. Power bat. Record-setting. And the Royals could definitely use him! (33:10) Review: The Last of Us Season 2. (36:20) Caitlin Clark is hurt and this is big business. Uh oh. (44:10) NPPOD. Let’s talk about the playoffs. Knicks have life for now. Timberwolves had life. And now the Hurricanes have some life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Paul Rabil joins the show today. One of the greatest lacrosse players of all-time went from playing professionally to playing AND owning a professional league to now just running the PLL! He stops by to break down all things business related to the league including what you can expect this season! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘diminished’ as in quality as in performance as in the Colorado Rockies as in Denver as in lawsuits. How can those all be connected? The Rockies are off to the worst start by a Major League Baseball team in over 100 years. A full century! And now the team is being sued by a fan for being bad! (13:30) We have another lawsuit! This time a former player is suing the Cincinnati Reds over an unpadded tarp that took out his knee. He never played again. (23:00) The Denver Nuggets have a new coach! It’s the interim! Still no GM though, but it’s all about putting a team around Jokic. (32:20) Review: The Studio. (35:20) Donald Trump is trying to pass a new bill. Donald Trump is at war with universities around the country. Let’s talk about it all. (46:00) Bill Belichick story is not going away. And Pablo Torre is all over it. (49:20) NPPOD. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘deflated’ as in heartbreaking as in PTSD as in choke job as in the Knicks as in the Pacers. What a disaster. What a performance. Haliuburton and Nesmith and Reggie Miller. I was there. I saw it live. It was remarkable for both teams. (15:30) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won MVP last night. His first. It’s the 7th straight international winner of the award! Wow. And now SGA can sign a MEGA deal. (24:10) So You Wanna Talk to Samson!? Someone asked me about NBC and the reported offer the company made for MLB rights. Hmm. (35:50) Review: The Way. (38:00) Colts owner Jim Irsay died at the age of 65. On the day of the Owners Meetings. Sad end. The Tush Push is here to stay, as voted on by those same owners. (46:05) NPPOD. (47:10) Enhanced Games? How is this a thing? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘rolling thunder’ as in Oklahoma City as in SGA as in NBA Playoffs as in basketball. The Thunder crushed the Timberwolves in Game with a huge 2nd half. Stop shooting so many 3s! The Timberwolves were ice cold. SGA was red hot. Not a great recipe! (9:30) The Florida Panthers are GOOD. Road warriors. The Carolina Hurricanes have been so bad in the Conference Finals. (14:00) NPPOD. (22:45) Walker Buehler and Alex Cora were ejected in the 3rd inning yesterday after arguing with an ump. That’s fine. It happens. But the comments after the game are what stand out by the ump. (35:30) Review: Bob Trevino Likes It. (42:40) Is MLB about to add even more reviews? On checked swings? Really? (49:30) The NFL voted to allow players to participate in the Olympics. Nice! Flag football! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘caveat emptor’ as in buyer beware as in Juan Soto as in the Mets as in hustle as in the media. Let’s talk about Juan Soto and what we’ve seen through 48 games so far in his Mets career. The hustle? Not quite there. The private plane to games? Horse hockey. The expectations? You signed that contract! (16:45) Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese conversation is in a gross place. We have turned what should be great basketball into nonsense. (33:30) Review: SNL 50 - Beyond Saturday Night. (45:00) NPPOD. (48:40) Is the NFL going to allow players into the Olympics? It could happen today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘nerves’ as in nervous as in collapse as in performance as in sweat. What am I talking about? Well, this weekend was full of nerves. Game 7s, PGA Championship final round. And we heard from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who could be the MVP, go out and be his best self and then after the game talked about how nervous he was. Nikola Jokic on the other hand was honest about his thoughts about this current Nuggets team. (16:30) The Florida Panthers smoked the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7. Woof. The Maple Leafs still haven’t won a title since 1967! (20:40) Brandon Hyde was fired by the Baltimore Orioles. It came just 2 weeks after his GM, Mike Elias, gave him the kiss of death… a vote of confidence. (34:10) Review: Elton John - Never Too Late. (36:20) The Phillies are in some trouble. Jose Alvarado has been suspended for 80 games for a weight-loss drug. No postseason for him. (47:00) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘brilliant’ as in basketball IQ as in Nikola Jokic as in the Denver Nuggets as in the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Nuggets got it done at home on Thursday night and it’s all thanks to Nikola Jokic and his play. The game had so many fouls. So many runs of missed and made baskets. And now we’re off to OKC on Sunday. MVP vs MVP. (12:00) NPPOD. (20:08) Juan Soto is returning to Yankee Stadium for the first time as a Met. He was asked about his expectations and he said they are going to boo and they are allowed to boo. (30:32) Review: The Ballad of Wallis Island. (39:30) So You Wanna Talk to Samson!? Someone asked me about Javy Baez and how he’s been able to turn things around. (46:30) The price of teams are going up and up and up and up! The 49ers are selling for a valuation of $8.5 billion! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today’s word of the day is ‘resilience’ as in Celtics as in White as in Brown as in Mazzulla as in Kornet as in the Boston Celtics. They did it without Tatum. So many great shots made. Jalen Brunson picked up 5 fouls in one quarter! And now we go onto Game 6 back in MSG. Could the Celtics really do it? (8:30) The Warriors are done. Playoff Jimmy did not show up. Steph Curry was hurt. And now Anthony Edwards is back into the Western Conference Finals. (18:15) The NFL schedule release was yesterday. The NFL owned the day again. I can’t believe it. Leaks. Madness. Hype videos. Social videos. Full on productions! (35:00) Review: Dead Poet’s Society. (40:45) The Portland Trail Blazers are finally for sale. It’s been 7 years since the death of owner Paul Allen and the team has not sold yet. Until now. Except Phil Knight does not want it. (46:00) NPPOD. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices