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Episode 64: Now We Find Out

The noise is over. The brochure is over. Now we find out who these teams really are.

This week on Rice on the Mics, Ian opens with the Jets and Giants after an offseason full of big swings, new identities, and cautious optimism. The Giants look tougher under John Harbaugh, but contender talk needs to slow down. The Jets finally look like they have a plan, but Jets fans know better than to celebrate May football.

Then it’s Knicks time. New York is up 2-0 on the 76ers, Jalen Brunson keeps closing games like the adult in the room, and the bar has officially changed. Finals or disappointment? Ian says yes. But OG Anunoby’s injury adds a real cloud over the series as it shifts to Philadelphia.

In baseball, Ian pays tribute to the late John Sterling, a true voice of New York sports, before giving the Yankees their flowers for looking like a monster in the making. Across town, the Mets are giving fans just enough hope to keep watching, but not enough peace to relax.

Plus: Rangers lottery pain, weird injury news around baseball, and the bigger theme of the week: eventually, the conversation has to become real.

Episode 64 of Rice on the Mics: Now We Find Out.

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Episode 63: My Guys Are Better

The Knicks didn’t just close out Atlanta. They made Atlanta sit through the closing credits.

Ian breaks down the Knicks’ massive Game 6 blowout win over the Hawks, KAT’s triple-double on only four shots, the entire starting five showing up, and why this series may have revealed the Knicks’ real playoff identity. From there, it’s around the NBA: Philly forcing Game 7 against Boston, what that could mean for the Knicks, the Lakers/Rockets injury mess, Thunder and Spurs looking dangerous out West, and Detroit trying not to become the playoff cautionary tale.

Then it’s NFL Draft reaction. The Jets draft actually makes sense, but Jets fans have been burned before. The Giants had a clear Harbaugh-style plan, but Caleb Downs landing in Dallas deserves a side-eye. Plus, the Rams taking Ty Simpson behind Matthew Stafford might be awkward, but it also might be exactly how smart teams avoid quarterback purgatory.

Finally, it’s MLB. The Yankees are rolling behind Aaron Judge, Ben Rice, Cam Schlittler, and a pitching staff that looks scary before Cole and Rodón are fully back. The Mets, meanwhile, are a full-on mess. Ian gets into the 10-21 start, the injuries, David Stearns’ roster, Carlos Mendoza’s hot seat, Soto/Lindor optics, and why patience is no longer the answer.

Theme of the week: My guys are better.
Identity check included.

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Episode 62 of Rice on the Mics is here, and this one had a little bit of everything.

Ian dives into a wild sports night built around the theme of Selling Tomorrow — from NFL Draft hope and projection, to playoff pressure, to two very different versions of New York baseball.

On the NFL side, the Jets come away with a huge first round, landing David Bailey, Kenyon Sadiq, and trading back into round one for Omar Cooper Jr. Ian breaks down why Darren Mougey may have had himself a night, what Bailey brings right now, and how the Giants used their two first-round picks to show exactly what kind of team they want to become.

Then it’s on to the Knicks, who now find themselves in serious trouble after another brutal late-game collapse against Atlanta. Ian gets into the bad offense, the standing around, the pressure on Brunson, Towns, Bridges, and Mike Brown, and why this series is starting to feel way more dangerous than it should.

Then baseball. The Yankees are rolling, fresh off a sweep of the Red Sox, and look like one of the most complete and trustworthy teams they’ve had in years. The Mets, meanwhile, may have won two straight, but Ian is not letting them off the hook. He sounds off on the 12-game losing streak, the bullpen chaos, the clubhouse questions, the Soto/Lindor dynamic, and why this team still feels like it’s living on borrowed time even after a couple wins.

NFL Draft reaction, Knicks panic, Yankees praise, Mets frustration — it’s all here.

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