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Daily Madden: Success Off The Bench

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - Reserves have played important roles in victories for their teams over the last couple of days.

Jason Giambi hit three home runs for the Rockies Thursday. Mike Fontenot and Nate Schierholtz have stepped up for the Giants, and the Oklahoma City Thunder bench players were key in their NBA playoffs game victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Is a strong bench as important as the star players? John Madden doesn't think so.

"Give me LeBron James and those guys, and then if I have some good guys sitting on the bench that's a bonus," Maddent told the KCBS morning crew. "I think you still need the stars. That's the basis, that's your core, and then you kind of build around it."

Madden's friend Dick Ebersol announced his sudden departure Thursday as head of NBC Sports in an apparent dispute with his new bosses at Comcast.

"He really put everything into television and the sport he was covering," Madden said of Ebersol. "When he did football, he loved football. When he did the Olympics, he loved the Olympics... In Dick Ebersol's mind and the way he approached it, they really were partners."

What might he do now? "He could do whatever he wants. He's one of the brightest people I've ever met in my life." (8:05)

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