East Meets West Sports with Rick Garcia and Corey Nathan

See Ball. Hit Ball. (And Other Things the Mets Have Forgotten) w/ Rick Garcia and Corey Nathan

34 min · 22. apr. 2026
episode See Ball. Hit Ball. (And Other Things the Mets Have Forgotten) w/ Rick Garcia and Corey Nathan cover

Description

Rick Garcia and Corey Nathan dig into an NBA playoffs already full of surprises, break down a Mets losing streak that's historic in the worst possible way, preview an NFL Draft with the Giants holding two top-10 picks, and close out with canceled TV shows, The Pitt, and Santa Clarita's most famous cannibals. Find Us On Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/east-meets-west-sports/id1851251950] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3pNPxTUwBrwbqiVVxiyTMK?si=408967d2dc7a4e0c] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@eastmeetswestsports] Follow Rick Garcia: @RickGarciaNews on X (Twitter) [https://x.com/RickGarciaNews] Follow Corey Nathan: @coreysnathan on Substack, Threads, Instagram, X & more [https://coreysnathan.substack.com/] Key Takeaways 1. NBA Playoffs: OKC and Boston Are Still the Pick A few games in and neither host is changing their finals prediction: Thunder vs. Celtics. Cleveland won't get past Boston. The Knicks took game one by a mile, then sleepwalked through game two. Corey's concern isn't the record — it's KAT on defense, Mikal Bridges taking the wrong shots at the wrong moments, and a dangerous tendency to stop playing until it's almost too late. 2. The Lakers Are More Interesting Without Their Stars Luka and Austin Reaves both shelved, and Rick is making the case that the Lakers are actually leaning into it. LeBron operating as facilitator with Kennard and Hachimura stepping up is working, at least for now. Corey isn't counting them out, even if OKC looms in round two. The bigger concern is the hamstring — the one injury that doesn't heal on anyone's schedule. 3. The Mets' 11-Game Skid Is Historic, Not Terminal They haven't lost this many in a row in over 20 years. But Corey's not panicking, and he's got receipts: this same team was 11 games under .500 around Memorial Day 2024 and pushed the Dodgers to six games in the NLCS. The bats are cold across the board, which is actually a more encouraging sign than one or two guys being broken — when everyone's slumping at once, the correction can come fast. Soto's return should help. Carlos Mendoza may not be around to see it. 4. The Mets' Real Problem Is a Brainiac Coaching Staff Corey's theory: over-coaching is strangling the offense. A room full of 30-year-old analytics guys telling hitters about launch angles and hot zones doesn't work in the batter's box. You need a grizzled vet — a Girardi, a Beltran — who's been through a slump and can say I tied my shoe the other way and it worked. Rick agrees the application is the issue, not the data itself. But Mendoza can't be the skipper. 5. NFL Draft: Giants Sitting Pretty at Five and Ten Trading Dexter Lawrence to Cincinnati for the number 10 pick was a win for both teams, but the edge goes to New York. Dexy had half a sack in 2025, he's 28, and the Giants aren't building for this year. Corey would love to see Jeremiyah Love at five — a running back who's as dangerous as a receiver and could make Jaxson Dart's life a lot easier. Also worth noting: no Alabama players in the top 20 of most draft boards, possibly for the first time in 25 years. 6. The Pitt Is the Best Show on TV and It's Not Close The pop culture segment starts with a wave of network cancellations — Colbert, Watson, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, Access Hollywood — and ends up as a full-on appreciation of The Pitt. Both hosts love it. Both also cover part of the screen during the rough scenes. Rick can watch Michael Myers all day and flinches here. That's how real it is. The playoffs are just getting started. So is the Mets' season — one way or another.

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32 episodes

episode LeBron's Lakers Exit, World Cup Chaos & the Mets Move On From Mendoza w/ Rick Garcia & Corey Nathan artwork

LeBron's Lakers Exit, World Cup Chaos & the Mets Move On From Mendoza w/ Rick Garcia & Corey Nathan

Rick Garcia and Corey Nathan break down LeBron James telling the Lakers he's done, weigh where he lands next, react to the Clippers sending Kawhi Leonard to Toronto, cover the USMNT's upset loss to Turkey and the road ahead at the World Cup, dig into the Mets finally firing Carlos Mendoza, unpack the Ohtani-Rushing catcher tension in Dodgers land, and close with a Pop That Culture look at a viral video of a young Mets fan begging to switch to the Yankees. Find Us On Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/east-meets-west-sports-with-rick-garcia-and-corey-nathan/id1851251950] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3pNPxTUwBrwbqiVVxiyTMK?si=845a378ae6924aeb] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@eastmeetswestsports] Follow Rick Garcia: @RickGarciaNews on X (Twitter) Follow Corey Nathan: @coreysnathan on Substack, Threads, Instagram, X & more Key Takeaways 1. LeBron Tells the Lakers He's Moving On 2. Where Does LeBron Fit? Miami, Golden State and Cleveland in the Mix 3. Clippers Send Kawhi Leonard Back to Toronto 4. Lakers' Center Search: Jalen Duren, Mitchell Robinson and What's Left 5. USMNT Falls to Turkey, But the Bracket Picture Barely Changes 6. World Cup Shockers: Germany and the Netherlands Both Go Home Early 7. Mets Finally Fire Carlos Mendoza 8. Ohtani and Rushing Aren't on the Same Page Behind the Plate 9. Pop That Culture: A Five-Year-Old Wants Out of Mets Fandom LeBron's out in LA, Kawhi's out in Toronto, and Mendoza's out in Queens. Somebody had a rough week.

1. juli 202633 min
episode Messi the GOAT, Giannis to Miami, and Golf Gets Rowdy w/ Rick Garcia & Corey Nathan artwork

Messi the GOAT, Giannis to Miami, and Golf Gets Rowdy w/ Rick Garcia & Corey Nathan

Rick Garcia and Corey Nathan break down Messi's claim to the GOAT throne after a record-setting World Cup run, the USMNT's surge on home soil, the Giannis blockbuster that lands him in Miami, a tour around the MLB standings, and a Pop That Culture segment on the rowdy New York fans who heckled Wyndham Clark all the way to a US Open title. Find Us On Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Follow Rick Garcia: @RickGarciaNews on X (Twitter) Follow Corey Nathan: @coreysnathan on Substack, Threads, Instagram, X & more Key Takeaways 1. Messi Crowned: 18 World Cup Goals and the GOAT Debate 2. World Cup on Home Soil: USMNT Wins Its Pool 3. Rest or Risk It? The Pulisic Decision 4. Giannis to the Heat: Miami Pays Three First-Rounders 5. The Bucks' Rebuild: Stockpiling Picks Until 2030 6. The East Race: Boston, the Knicks, and the Heat 7. MLB Check-In: Yankees Lead, Dodgers Roll, Mets in the Cellar 8. Pop That Culture: Wyndham Clark, Rowdy Fans and "Violent Golf" The GOAT's been crowned and Giannis is South Beach-bound. Summer just got loud.

24. juni 202624 min
episode New York Knicks Are NBA Champions! OG's Tip-In, USMNT & Aiyuk Drama w/ Rick Garcia & Corey Nathan artwork

New York Knicks Are NBA Champions! OG's Tip-In, USMNT & Aiyuk Drama w/ Rick Garcia & Corey Nathan

Rick Garcia and Corey Nathan break down the New York Knicks' first NBA championship since 1973, OG Anunoby's instant-classic tip-in, the USMNT's 4-1 statement over Paraguay, the Brandon Aiyuk standoff in San Francisco, and a tour around the MLB standings, before closing with the big question: would you take a shot to reverse aging? Find Us On Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Follow Rick Garcia: @RickGarciaNews on X (Twitter) Follow Corey Nathan: @coreysnathan on Substack, Threads, Instagram, X & more Key Takeaways 1. Knicks Win It All: First NBA Title Since 1973 2. OG Anunoby's Tip-In: An Instant New York Classic 3. Wembanyama: Generational Talent, Still Growing Up 4. Are the Knicks Built to Last? Mike Brown and a Deep Bench 5. USMNT Routs Paraguay 4-1 at the World Cup 6. Brandon Aiyuk, the 49ers and Going Septic 7. SoFi Showdown: Turf vs. Grass, Chargers vs. Rams 8. MLB Check-In: Yankees, the Brewers' Wiz Kid and the Mets 9. Pop That Culture: Would You Take the Anti-Aging Shot? Fifty-three years later, New York wears the crown again. The bragging starts now.

17. juni 202644 min
episode Myles to Go, Knicks Show || w/ Rick Garcia & Corey Nathan artwork

Myles to Go, Knicks Show || w/ Rick Garcia & Corey Nathan

Rick Garcia and Corey Nathan break down the blockbuster Myles Garrett trade to the Rams, the AJ Brown and OBJ moves shaking up the NFL, the Knicks vs. Spurs NBA Finals matchup, a Mets check-in, and close out with the $640,000 question: is the Ferrari Luce worth it? Find Us On Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/east-meets-west-sports/id1851251950] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3pNPxTUwBrwbqiVVxiyTMK?si=408967d2dc7a4e0c] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@eastmeetswestsports] Follow Rick Garcia: @RickGarciaNews on X (Twitter) [https://x.com/RickGarciaNews] Follow Corey Nathan: @coreysnathan on Substack, Threads, Instagram, X & more [https://coreysnathan.substack.com/] Key Takeaways   1. Myles Garrett to the Rams: Super Bowl or Bust 2. AJ Brown to New England: Weapon or Time Bomb for Drake May? 3. OBJ Returns to the Giants: Nostalgia Trip or Genuine Factor? 4. Knicks vs. Spurs: Fresh Legs, Deep Bench, Long Series 5. Mets Check-In: Steady in May, Now Turn It On 6. Pop That Culture: The $640,000 Ferrari Nobody's Buying The NBA Finals are set. The arguments are just getting started.

3. juni 202630 min
episode What Is GRISTLE? Ask the Knicks! artwork

What Is GRISTLE? Ask the Knicks!

Rick Garcia and Corey Nathan break down a Knicks team that's running through the East on pure gristle, take stock of an MLB landscape where the Mets are in full crisis mode, weigh in on Aaron Rodgers' Pittsburgh swan song, and close out with a Pop That Culture segment on celebrity courtside culture — and why the real stars are the ones who've been there all along. Find Us On Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/east-meets-west-sports/id1851251950] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3pNPxTUwBrwbqiVVxiyTMK?si=408967d2dc7a4e0c] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@eastmeetswestsports] Follow Rick Garcia: @RickGarciaNews on X (Twitter) [https://x.com/RickGarciaNews] Follow Corey Nathan: @coreysnathan on Substack, Threads, Instagram, X & more [https://coreysnathan.substack.com/] Key Takeaways 1. Knicks to the Finals: Gristle Over Talent 2. Mike Brown: The Most Underrated Coach in the Playoffs 3. MLB Mid-Season Check-In: Tampa Rolls, Mets Spiral 4. Fire Mendoza? The Case for a Real Baseball Man 5. Aaron Rodgers: Retirement Tour or Distraction? 6. Pop That Culture: Spike Lee, Martha Stewart, and the Celebrities Who Actually Show Up The Knicks are going to the Finals. The arguments are just getting started.

29. maj 202630 min