A Clippers Rebrand, an NFL Mini-Mailbag, and Best MLB Story Lines With Rob Mahoney, Anthony Dabbundo, and Billy Gil

Summary of A Clippers Rebrand, an NFL Mini-Mailbag, and Best MLB Story Lines With Rob Mahoney, Anthony Dabbundo, and Billy Gil

by The Ringer

2h 11m•September 16, 2026
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Overview of The Bill Simmons Podcast: A Clippers Rebrand, an NFL Mini-Mailbag, and Best MLB Story Lines With Rob Mahoney, Anthony Dabbundo, and Billy Gil

This episode is a three-part sports roundup: Bill Simmons and Rob Mahoney dive into the NBA fallout around the Clippers’ punishment and what the franchise should do next, Bill answers a mini NFL mailbag after Week 1, and then Billy Gil and Anthony Dabbundo join for a wide-ranging MLB conversation about the season’s biggest story lines, award races, and playoff outlook.

Clippers Fallout and NBA Reset Ideas with Rob Mahoney

What happened with the Clippers

  • Bill and Rob react to the Clippers’ penalties and the long-term damage to the franchise.
  • They discuss whether the team should consider a full rebrand as a way to “start over.”
  • Rob’s takeaway: the Clippers’ history is already so bleak that a reset would not really erase much.

Kawhi trade reaction

  • They talk through the Kawhi Leonard trade and how surprising it was that Toronto got such a strong return given:
    • Leonard’s injury history
    • the off-court scandal
    • the awkward leverage for both teams
  • Bill notes that the deal felt like a minor miracle for the Clippers under the circumstances.

Where the Clippers go from here

  • The discussion turns to the team’s remaining assets, including:
    • expensive veteran contracts
    • young players like Keaton Wagler
    • the possibility of flipping contracts for picks
  • Bill pitches a few hypothetical trades, including:
    • taking on unwanted contracts for draft compensation
    • using expiring deals to chase bigger names later
  • The core concern: the Clippers may be stuck in a long rebuild with limited draft capital and little franchise appeal.

Biggest NBA storyline to watch

  • Rob says the 76ers are the most fascinating team heading into the season because of their new star-heavy roster and uncertain health situation.
  • Bill also highlights the Timberwolves as one of the most exciting West teams because of their constantly changing, high-upside roster construction.
  • They briefly discuss the Celtics’ new direction and whether fans are still carrying scar tissue from last season.

NFL Mini-Mailbag: Week 1 Reactions and Early Overreactions

Liar-liar games from Week 1

Bill runs through the biggest “false signal” games from opening week:

  • Chiefs-Broncos: possible overreaction game, but Kansas City still looked dangerous.
  • Cardinals-Chargers: Arizona may actually be more legit than people thought.
  • Bengals-Buccaneers: Tampa looked sloppy, Cincinnati looked better than expected.

Mahomes, the Chiefs, and Denver

  • Bill says he didn’t come away thinking Patrick Mahomes looked fully “back,” despite the win.
  • He also jokes that the Chiefs benefited from a few favorable calls and that Denver may have been more unprepared than people realized.

Tomlin on NBC

  • Bill is impressed with Mike Tomlin’s media presence and praises NBC for using him well in pregame and halftime roles.
  • He thinks Tomlin could become one of the best studio personalities in football.

Other notable NFL mailbag topics

  • Deshaun Watson/Cleveland: more dysfunction and fan frustration around the Browns.
  • Giants: Bill says the team looked disciplined and more coherent under new leadership.
  • Aaron Rodgers: one listener suggests a provocative nickname, which Bill quickly moves past.
  • Drake Maye, Justin Herbert, Jordan Love, LaMelo Ball analogies: lots of listener comparisons between NFL and NBA archetypes.
  • RedZone complaints: Bill argues for a better “best games only” viewing option.
  • Celebrity integration in broadcasts: Bill says TV execs too often default to gimmicks like guest pickers and celebrity cameos.

MLB Conversation with Billy Gil and Anthony Dabbundo

Biggest season storylines

They frame this as one of the more entertaining MLB seasons in recent memory, with several major themes:

  • a crowded award race
  • the introduction of ABS challenge systems
  • the rise and fall of surprise teams
  • a messy but compelling playoff picture

Pete Crow-Armstrong’s breakout

  • Dabbundo argues that Pete Crow-Armstrong is having one of the best seasons of the century.
  • He points out that PCA is in a very small class of players to post a 10+ FanGraphs WAR season.
  • Billy says the Cubs star still doesn’t yet feel like a full mainstream must-watch player, but the performance is impossible to ignore.

ABS and umpiring changes

  • Billy says ABS challenge implementation has been one of the defining stories of the year.
  • They discuss:
    • how teams manage challenges
    • how fans react live in the stadium
    • how umpires seem to tighten their zones after being challenged
  • Their view: the system has generally worked well and made games more interactive.

The AL West disaster zone

  • Bill and the guests spend a lot of time on the bizarre weakness of the American League West.
  • Key point: there may be no truly dominant team in the division.
  • They discuss:
    • the Mariners’ collapse
    • the Astros’ aging core
    • the Rangers underperforming
    • the Angels being a mess again
    • the A’s/“Sacramento” having weirdly entertaining games despite the struggles

Jordan Alvarez and the triple crown

  • Dabbundo makes the case that Jordan Alvarez is the best pure hitter in baseball right now.
  • They discuss his quiet triple-crown chase and whether old-school MVP logic should matter again.
  • Billy notes that Alvarez is still far above the league at the plate, even without traditional counting stats.

Joe Adell, the Angels, and weird baseball moments

  • Billy brings up the unforgettable Joe Adell three-homer robbery game and the Angels’ bizarre commitment to commemorating it even after Adell moved on.
  • That leads into a broader conversation about the weird, fun, and chaotic moments that have defined the season.

Brewers, Dodgers, Padres, and playoff skepticism

  • The Brewers are viewed as a really strong team, but one that still has to prove it in October.
  • The Dodgers are treated as baseball’s supervillains:
    • huge payroll
    • all-in ownership
    • multiple stars
    • yet still real flaws in the roster
  • The Padres are again the popular “sleeper” pick, but Bill and the guests remain skeptical.
  • They also note that playoff narratives could hinge on matchups with teams like Atlanta and Philadelphia.

Knuckleballs and baseball’s pitch evolution

  • The group jokes about whether the knuckleball could make a comeback in an era of hard-throwing pitchers.
  • Dabbundo explains why it’s unlikely:
    • it’s hard to teach
    • hard to control
    • and teams have little incentive to develop one specialist pitch type
  • They compare it to other old-school baseball tools that have nearly disappeared.

MLB playoff outlook

  • Bill, Billy, and Dabbundo make their World Series picks:
    • Billy leans Cubs vs. Yankees
    • Dabbundo leans toward Dodgers-based options, though reluctantly
    • Bill settles on Yankees vs. Phillies
  • They agree the Yankees may be set up very well if their stars are healthy.
  • They also debate whether the Brewers can finally break through in October.

Key Takeaways

NBA

  • The Clippers’ punishment could trigger one of the hardest franchise rebuilds in the league.
  • Bill and Rob both think a rebrand would symbolize a fresh start, though it wouldn’t fix the underlying problems.
  • The 76ers and Timberwolves are two of the most compelling teams to watch entering the season.

NFL

  • Week 1 gave several “liar-liar” games that may not mean what they seemed to mean.
  • The Chiefs remain dangerous, but there are still questions about Mahomes and Denver’s preparation.
  • Mike Tomlin is quickly becoming one of the smartest and most effective media personalities in football coverage.

MLB

  • PCA’s season and the ABS challenge system are two of the biggest baseball stories of the year.
  • The AL West is unusually weak, making the playoff bracket feel wide open.
  • The Dodgers remain the most powerful team on paper, but the guests are skeptical that the October path will be easy.

Notable Quotes and Ideas

A few recurring themes

  • The Clippers are in “death penalty” territory as a franchise.
  • Tomlin is being used like a star analyst, not just a coach.
  • PCA is having a historically great season.
  • The Dodgers are the league’s supervillain, but still not invincible.
  • The Brewers are a one-seed that people still don’t fully trust.

Bottom Line

This episode blends sharp NBA front-office analysis, quick-hit NFL reaction, and a very fun MLB roundtable. The strongest throughline is uncertainty: the Clippers are stuck in a mess, early NFL results may be misleading, and the baseball playoff picture feels both chaotic and oddly open.