This one is not focused on PreGame, but rather it appears to be an Industry-wide phenomenon, which is the abuse of the phrase ...
"I gotta be honest ..." or some variation thereon ... "To be honest ..." etc...
This phrase adds nothing to any point being made, except to suggest that the person would not ordinarily be honest about what they are saying and, therefore, needs to highlight the fact that, in this exceptional circumstance, they are going to deviate from custom and practice and actually tell the Truth ...
Now ... there is a context where these phrases are typically appropriate - usually some embarrassing admission about one's past, say not losing your virginity until mid-20s or some such thing ... I mean it would be one thing if they just used this phrase in the context ... "To be honest, my GOYs win about 20% of the time ..."
But in the world of the Sports Podcast ... the only limiting context appears to be that the person is about to make a point about sports betting ... which then suggests that the default assumption should be ... that it's an Industry of Liars, who need to wave a special flag to announce that ... they are about to tell truth.
So ... the Moral of this Story is when you're in an Industry not having the best reputation for being upstanding and forthright ... probably not the best tact to incessantly draw attention to the notion that your being honest is such an exception to the rule ... you need to specifically highlight this exception when it occurs.
But that's not what I really care about ... for me it's just one more annoying trait of sports podcasts, which make them difficult to listen to. And to be fair ... most of these guys do not have any special training or aptitude for public speaking, and so it is what it is.
So if any of you podcasters take the trouble to read this ... think about dropping this annoying trait. No charge for the lesson ...