Fresh off celebrating America's 250th birthday, Matt and Paul dive headfirst back into World Cup fever, breaking down the USMNT disappointing exit and if Donald Trump's intervention of the Folarin Balogun red card had anything to do with it. Which begs the question: should politicians be getting more involved in American sports? Should Gavin Newsom launch an investigation into the San Francisco Giants dismal first half? The guys also try to figure out why Erling Haaland returned to Norway with a taxidermied raccoon, because somehow that became the most American story of the World Cup. They also preview the World Cup Final. Is Spain simply too good for Argentina? Matt wonders if Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz sitting in the stands might actually be Spain's secret weapon. From there, the guys shift to Bay Area sports. Is San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello already coaching for his job? And with Golden State Warriors fans officially on LeBron James Watch, Matt and Paul debate Golden State's best recruiting pitch. Golf? Napa weekends? Partial ownership of Tosca Cafe? Nothing is off the table.

(24:01) Then Matt and Paul welcome one of the biggest personalities in sports media, radio icon Craig Carton. After turning Boomer & Carton into one of the biggest morning shows in America, life threw Craig one hell of a curveball. Now he's back on top as host of the hugely successful The Carton Show on WFAN. Craig takes us from his days at Syracuse through Buffalo, Cleveland, Denver and Philadelphia before finally conquering New York sports radio. Along the way, he relives the Knicks long awaited championship, explains why James Dolan might be the most misunderstood owner in sports, tells us what the hell happened to the Mets, whether Wally Backman deserves another shot, and if Jets fans should expect a Super Bowl... or just another expensive therapy bill. He also talks about launching his new podcast with Lil Wayne, The Joint Venture. Then the conversation turns personal as Craig opens up about the HBO documentary Wild Card, his gambling addiction, recovery, second chances, whether everything he went through ultimately made him a better radio host, why the second climb has been even more rewarding than the first, and what's still left on his bucket list. It's honest, hilarious, inspiring and completely unfiltered with one of the most fearless voices in sports media.

(1:02:57) Craig's story gets the guys thinking: who's on the Mount Rushmore of greatest sports comebacks of all time? Tiger Woods? George Foreman? Michael Jordan? Michael Vick? In Pet Peeves, Paul explains why turbulence should come with more cocktails, not fewer, while Matt unloads on this year's Emmy nominations and wonders if the Television Academy has completely lost the plot. Then, in Best Things They Saw, Matt raves about Olivia Wilde's new film The Invite, starring Edward Norton, Penélope Cruz and Seth Rogen, calling it one of the year's best movies, while Paul reviews the new Counting Crows documentary on HBO. It's another packed episode full of sports, storytelling, second chances and the random conversations that somehow only make sense on Beat LA.

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Hosts: Matt Ferrucci & Paul Ruehl

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