Latest / The Tortured Fans Department / Ep. 60 - Cruel Summer (The USMNT is Eliminated, Taylor Swift is Married, NBA Offseason Moves, Wimbledon Experience and the MLB All-Star Game in Philly)

Transcript

Ep. 60 - Cruel Summer (The USMNT is Eliminated, Taylor Swift is Married, NBA Offseason Moves, Wimbledon Experience and the MLB All-Star Game in Philly) · The Tortured Fans Department

0:22
SPEAKER_02: Hello, everybody, and welcome back to another episode of the Tortured Fans Department podcast.
0:27
SPEAKER_02: I'm your host, Sean Boyle, and making his second ever appearance today, it's a good friend.
0:32
SPEAKER_02: It's one of my best friends.
0:33
SPEAKER_02: It is Mr.
0:34
SPEAKER_02: Mark Monero.
0:35
SPEAKER_02: Mark, welcome back to the program.
0:36
SPEAKER_00: You know what?
0:37
SPEAKER_00: It's great to be back.
0:38
SPEAKER_00: And for those who listened to my last appearance, I'm happy to say that my Wi-Fi is a tad bit stronger this time, so we should be all right.
0:44
SPEAKER_00: Um hopefully we shouldn't lose too much audio and Sean won't have to make up for it.
0:47
SPEAKER_00: But excited to be here, excited to talk current events.
0:50
SPEAKER_00: Sean's got a great agenda for us today.
0:52
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, a lot going on in the sports world.
0:54
SPEAKER_02: Mark, you mentioned your debut appearance.
0:56
SPEAKER_02: It was going smoothly.
0:58
SPEAKER_02: It was the, I believe it was the baseball stadium draft, the ballpark draft.
1:02
SPEAKER_02: It was going well.
1:03
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, the first pick, you had hot dog, you got cold beer on your board, I think, and all of a sudden the Wi-Fi shit the bed.
1:09
SPEAKER_02: Not the best for a software sales tech guy, but we're hoping for a strong response in episode two for you.
1:16
SPEAKER_02: That's that's what the expectation is, and I think you're gonna deliver.
1:19
SPEAKER_02: You mentioned a lot on the agenda.
1:21
SPEAKER_02: We've got some World Cup to talk about.
1:22
SPEAKER_02: We have the Royal Wedding, we have a crazy NBA summer, we've got a little bit of Wimbledon.
1:28
SPEAKER_02: Mark, you're a little bit of a tennis guy.
1:30
SPEAKER_02: We also have the MLB All-Star Game, so there's a lot going on at the moment.
1:35
SPEAKER_02: We we need to jump right in.
1:37
SPEAKER_02: Mark, let's start with the disaster that was the United States playing Belgium in the World Cup.
1:42
SPEAKER_02: The US MNT lost 4-1, and they are out of the tournament as we head towards the quarterfinals.
1:49
SPEAKER_02: I know you watched the match.
1:50
SPEAKER_02: Just give me your instant takeaways to the United States being eliminated.
1:55
SPEAKER_00: You know, Sean, um, I saw on Twitter, I I can't take credit for this, but I I saw someone, you know, that Vince McMahon meme where he's like saying, like he's like crying and tearing up, and it was like when someone's uh grandson or granddaughter says, Tell me about the 16 seconds that you saw when we tied it up um to Belgium, because that was really the only amount of happiness I had that entire game.
2:18
SPEAKER_00: Um you know, it was tough.
2:20
SPEAKER_00: And I think I really think that we probably would have played better without Balogun.
2:26
SPEAKER_00: I think that that pissed him off.
2:28
SPEAKER_00: I I mean, between the appeals going back and forth like ping pong balls.
2:32
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I don't I think that fired him up.
2:35
SPEAKER_00: And it was just another classic USA World Cup performance, unfortunately.
2:40
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that's the thing.
2:41
SPEAKER_02: We're gonna talk more about it on the Friends on Football.
2:43
SPEAKER_02: So if you want some more US deep dive, go over there.
2:46
SPEAKER_02: But yeah, the thing with the United States, they just played horrible.
2:50
SPEAKER_02: They were dog shit the whole match.
2:52
SPEAKER_02: And and the worst part of it is is that was the most watched match in United States soccer history.
2:57
SPEAKER_02: Everybody was gearing up to it.
2:58
SPEAKER_02: It was it got to a point where all casuals or not even soccer fans were tuning in.
3:03
SPEAKER_02: And then for them to watch that as potentially their first match or one of their only reflection points for for this United States team, it's bad showing, it's gonna leave a bad taste in their mouth.
3:13
SPEAKER_02: Not many people are gonna be rushing back to watch these guys play after just getting played off the pitch for 90 straight minutes last night.
3:19
SPEAKER_02: Not great.
3:20
SPEAKER_02: Like you said, the the time in between us equalizing and Belgium once again taking a two-on lead.
3:26
SPEAKER_02: That was the only couple moments of happiness.
3:28
SPEAKER_02: I don't even think we got to two full minutes.
3:30
SPEAKER_02: I think it was like a minute 10.
3:31
SPEAKER_02: It was bleak.
3:32
SPEAKER_02: Uh I do think the United States made strides this World Cup in terms of we have not won back-to-back games in a World Cup in 90 years.
3:40
SPEAKER_02: We had never controlled those meaningful games in the manner in which we did in this World Cup under Mauricio Pachuccino.
3:46
SPEAKER_02: So I think there was a lot of good built up, uh, and then it all came crumbling down in this match against Belgium.
3:53
SPEAKER_02: So I hope we didn't lose all of the good faith that we built up with the casual fan.
3:58
SPEAKER_02: We might have.
3:58
SPEAKER_02: You mentioned the Balogun thing.
4:00
SPEAKER_02: I think I'm with you.
4:02
SPEAKER_02: That was such an unneeded distraction.
4:04
SPEAKER_02: Like this group went from being these lovely kind of underdogs who, even countries who don't like the United States, were kind of saying, Oh, that United States seems pretty fun, they're good.
4:13
SPEAKER_02: They went from being that lovable bunch to villains overnight, and it wasn't any of their own doing.
4:18
SPEAKER_02: So I think heavy is the head that wears the crown, and we wore the crown for about an hour when we knew Balogun was gonna play before the game, and it got immediately kicked off our head.
4:30
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you know, I I completely agree.
4:33
SPEAKER_00: Now there's rumors floating out that there might be some political figures getting involved with FIFA, trying to get lawyers involved.
4:40
SPEAKER_00: Like, it just didn't bode well for our reputation.
4:43
SPEAKER_00: Shout out Taylor Swift, we'll talk about that later.
4:45
SPEAKER_00: But I think too, like, Potch really, I think, inspired a lot of fans, like just the way that this team played.
4:54
SPEAKER_00: I certainly appreciated it.
4:56
SPEAKER_00: It got you fired up about the the way they were playing football.
5:00
SPEAKER_00: Um, and then, you know, at the same time, too, like a little bit, not even a little bit, like just a disappointing run from Captain America.
5:07
SPEAKER_00: You know, I feel like if you have the shield, you gotta, you gotta use it.
5:11
SPEAKER_00: And, you know, just really, really tough performance.
5:15
SPEAKER_00: I really thought, like, especially if Alleghen was out, like it was gonna fall on him to put something in the back of the net, and just unfortunately came up short.
5:24
SPEAKER_00: And I don't know, we might have to be finding a new one soon.
5:27
SPEAKER_02: Oh, yesterday we need to find a new one.
5:29
SPEAKER_02: I have a lot of apologizing to do on the Friends on Football program.
5:33
SPEAKER_02: I went way above and beyond saying how the United States was going to, I think I used the word dominate Belgium.
5:38
SPEAKER_02: I was so wrong, hand up.
5:40
SPEAKER_02: I also said how good Christian Polisic was going to be in this match, and I kept just betting him to score a goal.
5:46
SPEAKER_02: I just thought it was coming.
5:47
SPEAKER_02: I didn't think his performances were that bad in this World Cup.
5:49
SPEAKER_02: He was just kind of always close to having something come off for him.
5:52
SPEAKER_02: He obviously missed some time with injury, which what else is new?
5:55
SPEAKER_02: That was another big storyline in the defeat yesterday.
5:58
SPEAKER_02: It's just more of the same with this guy, and I would like to take, I would like to ask a waiter for my check on Christian Polisic.
6:05
SPEAKER_02: I'm done.
6:05
SPEAKER_02: I can't anymore.
6:07
SPEAKER_02: He seems like a nice enough guy.
6:09
SPEAKER_02: He's quiet.
6:10
SPEAKER_02: He's not a leader.
6:11
SPEAKER_02: He's he's not a good enough leader, and if he is any sort of leader, because we were headless chickens on that pitch last night for the whole game, and there was no one around to compose us.
6:21
SPEAKER_02: We had the water breaks where we got a little bit better after, where I guess Pachino got in the rear, but it looked like a team without answers, and it starts with exactly like you said, Captain America.
6:29
SPEAKER_02: That's the joke of a nickname.
6:31
SPEAKER_02: Get rid of that nickname.
6:32
SPEAKER_02: We need a new one.
6:33
SPEAKER_02: There's one Captain America, it's Chris Evans.
6:35
SPEAKER_02: Anything else?
6:36
SPEAKER_02: Anything else, please, please spare me the details.
6:39
SPEAKER_02: Let's talk about just zooming out the World Cup at large.
6:43
SPEAKER_02: Have you been enjoying having it in the US here?
6:45
SPEAKER_02: Have you been watching a decent amount of matches?
6:47
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
6:48
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I think it's just, you know, you people are are fired up about this.
6:51
SPEAKER_00: It's really cool.
6:52
SPEAKER_00: You know, we were together in Philadelphia, you know, I didn't believe it was last weekend or whenever, you know, a few weeks ago.
6:58
SPEAKER_00: And just seeing the way that fans came together, seeing people in their kits.
7:02
SPEAKER_00: I mean, Croatia took over Cam Murphy's bar, which is right outside my old apartment in Philly.
7:07
SPEAKER_00: Like, I mean, we couldn't even move.
7:09
SPEAKER_00: It was shoulder to shoulder.
7:10
SPEAKER_00: My wife worked at the at the game and just said like the entire stadium.
7:14
SPEAKER_00: Like, it was not casual fans, it was not people just like, you know, having having a day.
7:20
SPEAKER_00: It was diehards in their Croatia kits, their Ghana kits.
7:24
SPEAKER_00: Like, and that's just it's really cool to see.
7:26
SPEAKER_00: And everyone's getting into it and being in an environment where people are watching.
7:30
SPEAKER_00: And, you know, I wish we had more team USA games to watch, unfortunately.
7:35
SPEAKER_00: Um, but there's still a lot of great football.
7:36
SPEAKER_00: And then we just watched an absolute classic in Argentina and Egypt.
7:40
SPEAKER_00: Like they the games just keep getting better.
7:42
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, really the only bad game was the one the United States played.
7:46
SPEAKER_02: It's the only bad game I can remember in the last like 10 days of games.
7:49
SPEAKER_02: It seems like every game's a banger, and then we we had our boys just completely shit to bed on hope soil.
7:55
SPEAKER_02: I couldn't agree more.
7:56
SPEAKER_02: When you're in one of those host cities, especially, you feel that vibe.
7:59
SPEAKER_02: I'm sure in different parts of the country as well, there's a ton of different watch parties going on.
8:04
SPEAKER_02: It just seems like an open invitation for anybody to express their soccer fandom.
8:08
SPEAKER_02: Put your kid on God's side, you're in a safe space while the World Cup's going on.
8:12
SPEAKER_02: We love to see that.
8:13
SPEAKER_02: Uh I will say, Mark, there's been quite a few teams that have fallen.
8:18
SPEAKER_02: A lot of my dark horse favorites that I was rooting for, the Tartan Army, which we talked about on this show, and how those Scotland fans came over and dominated storylines.
8:27
SPEAKER_02: It's unfortunate that their team was just complete shit because their fans are the best of the best.
8:34
SPEAKER_02: There are several other fan groups that we've lost along the way now, and we're getting to only eight teams left.
8:40
SPEAKER_02: Do you have any teams you're still circling?
8:42
SPEAKER_02: Is there anybody you like watching?
8:43
SPEAKER_02: Who are you rooting for now that the United States is out of this?
8:46
SPEAKER_00: You know what?
8:47
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna kind of throw a a bit of a wild card just because I I watched them the other day.
8:51
SPEAKER_00: I love their fans, they're a passionate group.
8:53
SPEAKER_00: I've been there once before.
8:55
SPEAKER_00: Um give me Columbia.
8:57
SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's just like and they uh people have been saying they're they're a bit of a dark horse here.
9:02
SPEAKER_00: Um I mean, watching Messi is he's he's the GOAT.
9:05
SPEAKER_00: I mean, he's undisputed.
9:07
SPEAKER_00: A part of me kind of wants to see some some upsets, some fresh blood, because we got the all the classics are back, you know, between France and England and and Belgium.
9:16
SPEAKER_00: I let let the Colombians go make some noise.
9:19
SPEAKER_00: Spain, yeah.
9:20
SPEAKER_00: I'm excited to go watch them at the way their game's coming up here shortly, so gonna be locked in for that.
9:25
SPEAKER_00: What about you, Sean?
9:27
SPEAKER_02: I I I'm on Argentina.
9:29
SPEAKER_02: I've talked about on this program, I'm just a big Argentina, Argentina football fan.
9:33
SPEAKER_02: I love the culture and and everything that goes into the game there.
9:37
SPEAKER_02: All of the Argentinian players would rather play for their country than their club.
9:41
SPEAKER_02: And I think that's a very rare, rare thing in today's football, especially with how much these guys are paid at club level.
9:47
SPEAKER_02: So while you'll see guys like Christian Pool is it, Captain America, prioritize playing for or getting healthy to play for AC Milan over the summer instead of participating in the Gold Cup last year and really galvanizing this group ahead of the World Cup, you'll never see an Argentinian do that, or a Brazilian for that matter, but their team was abysmal too.
10:08
SPEAKER_02: I have some apologizing to do on that front as well in the other program.
10:11
SPEAKER_02: But yeah, I just I'm caught up in the messy mania.
10:14
SPEAKER_02: He's absolutely magic.
10:16
SPEAKER_02: We just saw that come back.
10:17
SPEAKER_02: It's hard not to root for them.
10:18
SPEAKER_02: I don't think they're going to be able to defend as champions.
10:21
SPEAKER_02: It's just very hard to do, and they have not looked really good the last couple of matches, and they had a pretty easy group.
10:28
SPEAKER_02: So I'm not exactly confident in the Argentinians, but that's where my heart lies.
10:33
SPEAKER_02: It's tough to pick anybody other than the French right now.
10:35
SPEAKER_02: They are just absolutely mowing down teams.
10:38
SPEAKER_02: And then they got into a back alley street fight with the Paraguayans, and they came out on top of that too.
10:43
SPEAKER_02: And so that was on the 4th of July in Philly.
10:46
SPEAKER_02: I think that was a special occasion.
10:47
SPEAKER_02: It's just been, like you said, really good to see all these different fan bases make their way across our country.
10:52
SPEAKER_02: And it seems like everybody's having a good time until somebody stepped in and tried to get Balican's red card removed.
10:58
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
10:59
SPEAKER_00: I mean, and you you know, you bring up a great point about the the French, right?
11:03
SPEAKER_00: Like they they are a wagon right now.
11:05
SPEAKER_00: I'll tell you what, if they do win, one place I will not be is Paris.
11:10
SPEAKER_02: Talk to me about that story.
11:11
SPEAKER_02: You were caught in you were caught in some Parisian celebrations once.
11:14
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
11:14
SPEAKER_00: My last time in Paris, I got tear gassed as PSG won the Champions League.
11:19
SPEAKER_00: You know, we were out having a having a time, having a picnic, a baguette, and some cheese and some champagne right by the Eiffel Tower.
11:29
SPEAKER_00: You know, you hear the cheers, PSG wins.
11:33
SPEAKER_00: You know, the game was kind of on some TVs around the area, so I got to see it all happen.
11:38
SPEAKER_00: You know, everyone, we actually took the train in from our hotel where we were about 45 minutes out because Disneyland, Paris the next day had to spend some time there at the greatest place on earth.
11:49
SPEAKER_00: And we're walking back toward the train, to our our dismay.
11:53
SPEAKER_00: We were walking into the fire per se.
11:56
SPEAKER_00: Tear gas flying all around, people running around, uh, didn't really understand what's happening, got to the train station and were met with a wall of riot shields and armed guards telling us the train station was closed.
12:07
SPEAKER_00: And had to uh pivot.
12:09
SPEAKER_00: Took about three hours to get into an Uber, and right before we left the city, we ran into a giant flaming ball of bicycles, cars, and there was somebody that just guided us through when we got out, thank goodness.
12:21
SPEAKER_00: But yeah, it was quite the time.
12:23
SPEAKER_00: So that I'm not gonna be having that on my list anytime soon, should they win the World Cup, and I wish everyone well if they do.
12:30
SPEAKER_02: That's good stuff.
12:31
SPEAKER_02: See, that's boots on the ground experience that we that we look for here.
12:34
SPEAKER_02: Good good job by you.
12:35
SPEAKER_02: I wish we had some boots on the ground experience in our next topic, Mark.
12:40
SPEAKER_02: And I thought for a second I had missed something.
12:42
SPEAKER_02: I I I was seeing so many people pour into this little affair at Madison Square Garden that I thought maybe we had missed our invitation.
12:50
SPEAKER_02: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelsey are officially married.
12:53
SPEAKER_02: It appears Adam Sandler was the ordained minister on the occasion.
12:57
SPEAKER_02: He wedded them.
12:58
SPEAKER_02: What I can't get over is just what kind of wedding was this.
13:04
SPEAKER_02: It's almost, I don't want to say Mickey Mouse.
13:07
SPEAKER_02: We use that term a lot around here.
13:09
SPEAKER_02: It does seem a bit Mickey Mouse how many people were invited to this thing.
13:12
SPEAKER_02: It seems like if you had ever met Taylor Swift one time, you were on the guest list.
13:17
SPEAKER_02: And you'd think a podcast with our name would have at least gotten an honorable mention or something.
13:21
SPEAKER_02: Maybe, you know, you're not quite invited, but come for the celebrations after.
13:25
SPEAKER_02: We got nothing, and I feel a bit slighted after seeing Dean Blandino in attendance.
13:30
SPEAKER_02: Let's start, let's start the conversation here on a wedding at Madison Square Garden.
13:34
SPEAKER_02: Even if you could afford it, what would your thoughts be on that?
13:37
SPEAKER_00: You know, it's very interesting, right?
13:39
SPEAKER_00: Like a part of me is like, first of all, it it was the hottest day of the year in New York City, the concrete jungle.
13:46
SPEAKER_00: These guys are in black tie.
13:47
SPEAKER_00: I've been to a black tie wedding in the summer, and I'm Italian.
13:50
SPEAKER_00: Like, it's tough.
13:51
SPEAKER_00: I mean, there had to be sweat all around.
13:54
SPEAKER_00: So thank God it was in a nice air conditioned environment.
13:56
SPEAKER_00: We shouldn't have it outside.
13:57
SPEAKER_00: You know, I think for for her, maybe around the the security part of it, being able to kind of bring in whatever you want.
14:04
SPEAKER_00: I mean, she's used to performing in stadiums, obviously, but has performed in arenas in her past, and like that's it seems to be a home game for her, you know.
14:12
SPEAKER_00: True.
14:12
SPEAKER_02: It's a home game.
14:13
SPEAKER_02: You mentioned Dean Blade model when you're just at a venue you've played before.
14:17
SPEAKER_02: I also think you're 100% right on that security concern, because that's gotta be the reason.
14:23
SPEAKER_02: I guess early in the wedding planning process, I think there was some speculation of where it would be, and maybe the Rhode Island house was thrown out there.
14:29
SPEAKER_02: But when you're just surrounded by coastline and then susceptible to drones and just people gathering all around the streets, it's just it's out of control.
14:39
SPEAKER_02: So I think the controlled environment of MSG is probably why they ended up getting married there.
14:44
SPEAKER_02: It just seems a bit tacky, if I'm honest.
14:47
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and to your point, you know, you mentioned some of the names coming out of this, and you had to, and nowadays in 2026, it's like, is this real or AI?
14:56
SPEAKER_00: And I saw a photo that I had to thought it was AI, and it still might be of someone going into the wedding, and none other than Dr.
15:03
SPEAKER_00: Anthony Fauci, which that to me really threw me for one.
15:07
SPEAKER_00: I was like, you know, believe whatever you want about him, but like what is he doing there?
15:13
SPEAKER_00: I like you said, Sean, like if he's there, like I'm surprised I gotta check my spam folder.
15:17
SPEAKER_00: There might be an invite in there that I missed because I that one threw me, truthfully.
15:22
SPEAKER_02: I have a little game I wanted to do with you.
15:25
SPEAKER_02: It it's were they there or was it AI?
15:29
SPEAKER_02: If we saw them there.
15:30
SPEAKER_02: Because, like you said, Fauci, well, you have to say with Mr.
15:33
SPEAKER_02: Fauci, Mr.
15:34
SPEAKER_02: Pfizer was the the groom on the occasion.
15:37
SPEAKER_02: Travis is Mr.
15:38
SPEAKER_02: Pfizer.
15:38
SPEAKER_02: So I think those two are hand in hand.
15:41
SPEAKER_02: Those guys worked well together.
15:43
SPEAKER_02: They were pumping product.
15:45
SPEAKER_02: Now, I do I do think that it's just a shocking amount of people that I never in a million years would have expected to be there.
15:54
SPEAKER_02: And then one big omission, which we'll get to in a second as well.
15:57
SPEAKER_02: But were they at the wedding or were they not?
15:59
SPEAKER_02: Machine gun Kelly.
16:02
SPEAKER_00: Yes, believe us all that.
16:04
SPEAKER_02: Now, where where have they crossed paths?
16:05
SPEAKER_02: Who could say?
16:06
SPEAKER_02: What about Dean Blandino?
16:09
SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna say yes.
16:10
SPEAKER_02: NFL community.
16:11
SPEAKER_02: Dean Blandino, a former NFL referee, was at the wedding.
16:15
SPEAKER_02: Try to keep the refs in his pocket.
16:18
SPEAKER_02: That's not the worst.
16:18
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that's not the worst, actually.
16:20
SPEAKER_02: How about Joe Buck, legendary play-by-play guy Joe Buck?
16:25
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna say no.
16:27
SPEAKER_02: He was there too.
16:27
SPEAKER_02: You're setting a common theme.
16:29
SPEAKER_02: All these people were there.
16:30
SPEAKER_02: I'm genuinely stunned.
16:32
SPEAKER_02: Kyle Uzek and his wife.
16:35
SPEAKER_02: I guess his wife maybe was the one who was invited because of the Aerostour jackets that she was pumping out.
16:40
SPEAKER_02: I think, or the NFL, I don't know.
16:42
SPEAKER_02: She did something with jackets and Taylor's life.
16:44
SPEAKER_02: Maybe she was the one who received the invitation and Kyle was a plus one.
16:47
SPEAKER_02: That was a bit crazy.
16:48
SPEAKER_02: I saw Will Compton say he on uh Wake Up Barstall that he was he was feeling a bit snubbed because he was friends with Travis and he kept bringing up Dean Blandino.
16:57
SPEAKER_02: So that it's just wild to me that those sorts of people have made the guest list that Taylor either doesn't know or has not spoken more than 10 words to in her whole life.
17:08
SPEAKER_00: Speaking of the folks that were invited, Sean, have you seen the invitations that have leaked on Twitter and the little trick that Taylor put into the invitations?
17:16
SPEAKER_02: No, I have not seen this.
17:19
SPEAKER_00: So there's rumors that the invitations were painted by Taylor because it looks like her painting style, but there is a watermark in the invitations with the individual's name.
17:29
SPEAKER_00: So you can tell who leaked the invitation because it's all across the entire invitation is that's this person's name.
17:36
SPEAKER_02: Oh, that's so good.
17:38
SPEAKER_02: Only her.
17:38
SPEAKER_02: You know, she's just she's operating on a completely different level than the rest of us.
17:42
SPEAKER_02: That's great.
17:43
SPEAKER_02: And I have to say, too, all the leaks and the people that spent like the day outside hoping to stalk down or somehow get a word in with any of those celebrities on that day.
17:54
SPEAKER_02: Get get a life, please.
17:56
SPEAKER_02: What are what are we doing here?
17:57
SPEAKER_02: I mean, TMZ, I I saw that they had like a record-breaking day in terms of how much ad revenue they generated just by posting about Taylor Swift's wedding.
18:07
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, and that's exactly why you have it inside MSG.
18:11
SPEAKER_00: The tents to block the vehicles.
18:14
SPEAKER_00: No one even had a shot.
18:15
SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's that's like, you know, me trying to score on Kawhi Leonard, which we've talked about many times.
18:22
SPEAKER_00: Like, no shot.
18:23
SPEAKER_00: We know that.
18:24
SPEAKER_00: Not one in 10,000 tries.
18:27
SPEAKER_02: Now, I have a couple final thoughts on the wedding.
18:29
SPEAKER_02: Uh, just a couple other names that were there.
18:31
SPEAKER_02: Eric Stone Street, Cam from Modern Family.
18:33
SPEAKER_02: I I guess the Chiefs connection.
18:35
SPEAKER_02: I go, another chief, I guess.
18:36
SPEAKER_02: I don't I don't know, but Mike Vrabel was in attendance.
18:40
SPEAKER_02: I just can't I just can't believe it.
18:43
SPEAKER_02: Julian Edelman.
18:44
SPEAKER_02: I don't know what he's doing running around there.
18:45
SPEAKER_02: It just seems like if you played in the NFL, you got an invite.
18:48
SPEAKER_02: I guess pretty cool.
18:49
SPEAKER_02: Maybe I'm a bit salty.
18:50
SPEAKER_02: Let's talk about somebody who wasn't there, though.
18:52
SPEAKER_02: And that's one of Taylor's former best friends, Blake Lively.
18:56
SPEAKER_02: She was uninvited to this affair.
18:58
SPEAKER_02: I think that's pretty telling, don't you?
19:00
SPEAKER_02: I think it just might be Blake Lively's just not a nice person, is what my official stance is going to be.
19:04
SPEAKER_02: Some videos leak of her on the red carpet just bossing people around.
19:08
SPEAKER_02: It's a total unsubscribe for me on the Blake Lively and therefore Ryan Reynolds household.
19:13
SPEAKER_02: I just take it all away.
19:15
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you know, that is that was some big news.
19:18
SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's a quite the interesting relationship that they have.
19:21
SPEAKER_00: And, you know, Taylor Swift says that she likes her friends canceled, but she actually just canceled one of her friends.
19:28
SPEAKER_00: So very interesting uh perspective there.
19:30
SPEAKER_00: And yeah, I wonder how this is gonna affect uh, you know, Wrexham FC as well with Ryan Reynolds.
19:36
SPEAKER_00: Like maybe they'll lose some fans, they'll lose some Swifties, maybe the ratings will go down, maybe they won't make the Prem.
19:41
SPEAKER_00: You just never know how these things can pan out.
19:43
SPEAKER_02: That that would be true if the Swifties staged a coup against Wrexham.
19:46
SPEAKER_02: You never you can't rule them out.
19:48
SPEAKER_02: They're they're what they're an active bunch.
19:50
SPEAKER_02: The final thing, who do you think maybe got the drunkest at this wedding?
19:54
SPEAKER_02: Because I have Britney Mahomes minus 800.
19:57
SPEAKER_00: Ooh, that's a good one.
19:58
SPEAKER_00: I think, I mean, Jason Kelsey, best man, then the guy just puts down drinks.
20:03
SPEAKER_00: I mean, went from the Eagles event in CIO or out CIO to there.
20:09
SPEAKER_00: I mean, the guy's just a machine.
20:10
SPEAKER_00: So that's that would be my bet.
20:12
SPEAKER_00: But that's a great call by you, like a little wine drunk, too.
20:15
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
20:16
SPEAKER_02: I think the answer to who drank the most is definitely Jason.
20:18
SPEAKER_02: The answer to who maybe got the drunkest might be Britney, but I think we covered both there.
20:22
SPEAKER_02: Mark, that that wedding, I I don't even know if I could say I would have been dying to be at it just in the middle of.
20:28
SPEAKER_02: I mean, it would be obviously cool, but I would feel so incredibly out of place.
20:31
SPEAKER_02: It just seemed like a who's who, and like everybody has to be rich and famous to come.
20:35
SPEAKER_02: I'm not so sure how many friends outside the industry are there.
20:38
SPEAKER_02: Maybe they just weren't highlighted as much.
20:40
SPEAKER_02: I know Abigail made the list.
20:41
SPEAKER_02: She was she was involved, best friend named Abigail.
20:44
SPEAKER_02: Love that.
20:45
SPEAKER_02: Taylor's stand true to her roots there, but aside from that, we kind of lost the plot a little bit between the New York, downtown New York City, mid-Manhattan, 104 degrees on the pavement, wedding right before the fourth, with all these guys in attendance.
21:00
SPEAKER_02: It's just it was a kind of a a little bit more tacky than I was expecting.
21:04
SPEAKER_02: And as someone you you yourself had a very extravagant classic affair for your wedding.
21:10
SPEAKER_02: So I think I would much prefer the Monero wedding to this one.
21:14
SPEAKER_00: That's a very high compliment.
21:15
SPEAKER_00: And listen, if oh, I I appreciate it.
21:17
SPEAKER_00: And I'll tell you what, I'm gonna riot if I find out there were any other podcasters at official Taylor Slip Podcasters at the wedding, because that's just wrong.
21:26
SPEAKER_00: This this pod should have had a number one invite.
21:28
SPEAKER_00: And they maybe check spam, Sean.
21:30
SPEAKER_00: You never know.
21:31
SPEAKER_00: You never know.
21:32
SPEAKER_00: Go through the files.
21:33
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and I might have said some things in the past about Travis's intellectual level, which could have found me on a list somewhere that would be definitely a don't let in.
21:43
SPEAKER_02: But let bygones be bygones.
21:45
SPEAKER_02: They're married now.
21:45
SPEAKER_02: I didn't think they were gonna last.
21:46
SPEAKER_02: That was old Sean talking.
21:47
SPEAKER_02: Now that he's in it for forever, I'm I'm in too.
21:50
SPEAKER_02: So let's move on to some more sports related stuff.
21:53
SPEAKER_02: There's a lot going on, Mark, in the association.
21:55
SPEAKER_02: It's the only league in the world that is way more exciting.
22:00
SPEAKER_02: I would say in the offseason than it is when they're actually playing games.
22:03
SPEAKER_02: This league, I can't be bothered to watch one regular season basketball game.
22:07
SPEAKER_02: I think they're entirely meaningless.
22:08
SPEAKER_02: I think it's a pretty redundant, dumb product until the playoffs.
22:12
SPEAKER_02: But boy oh boy, do they get the summers right.
22:15
SPEAKER_02: The summers are excellent.
22:16
SPEAKER_02: We have Jalen Brown coming to Philadelphia.
22:19
SPEAKER_02: We'll start here.
22:20
SPEAKER_02: I'll just ask you the question.
22:22
SPEAKER_02: As a Sixers fan, are we back?
22:25
SPEAKER_00: Well, I'll tell you what, Sean, to your earlier point, the NBA nails summers as a as a trust the process guy like myself and Michael Baum, another regular on this pod.
22:34
SPEAKER_00: Like we lived through the summers.
22:36
SPEAKER_00: Forget about October 28th when the season kicks off.
22:39
SPEAKER_00: Give me the NBA draft lottery.
22:41
SPEAKER_00: Give me the moratorium ending.
22:44
SPEAKER_00: Give me all the this is the good stuff right here.
22:46
SPEAKER_00: So I mean, because you're back.
22:50
SPEAKER_00: If you Joel could sit out 71 out of 82 games, that's fine.
22:55
SPEAKER_00: If the man's healthy, figure out a way to work him into the playoff lineup.
22:59
SPEAKER_00: But Jalen Brown, Ive Reese, the franchise Maxi, DJ Edgecomb, Anthony Simons, and LeBaron Phylon Jr.
23:09
SPEAKER_00: off the bench.
23:10
SPEAKER_00: I mean, there is just there's fireworks everywhere.
23:14
SPEAKER_00: And I I for the for once in my life, I can't wait for October 24th or whenever opening night is.
23:20
SPEAKER_00: I'll catch you there.
23:21
SPEAKER_02: You're not gonna catch me there.
23:22
SPEAKER_02: I'm just gonna caution you and all Philly fans that are listening to this.
23:27
SPEAKER_02: We are not back until we get rid of the sentence.
23:30
SPEAKER_02: As long as Joel is healthy, we have a chance.
23:32
SPEAKER_02: That until that sentence is no longer part of our discourse, we we're not back.
23:38
SPEAKER_02: And I hate saying it, it's sad, whatever.
23:40
SPEAKER_02: We start every conversation as Sixers fans with, well, if Joel's healthy in May and can stay healthy for an entire playoff run, we might be able to win something.
23:49
SPEAKER_02: He won't be.
23:50
SPEAKER_02: He never has been and never will be.
23:51
SPEAKER_02: And the sooner you and Michael Bloom take that harsh dose of reality, the better off you'll be.
23:56
SPEAKER_02: Unfortunately, I've known you guys both a long, long time, and you're never going to swallow that pill.
24:00
SPEAKER_02: You guys will do this instead every single summer.
24:03
SPEAKER_02: And it's sad to see.
24:04
SPEAKER_02: It really is.
24:05
SPEAKER_02: I just wanted to get you on the pod and say, Mark, I'm warning you, don't drink the Kool-Aid.
24:10
SPEAKER_00: This is the definition of insanity, Sean.
24:12
SPEAKER_00: And I've done it every year, and I I just can't get myself to go past it.
24:16
SPEAKER_00: And I'm really, I'm gonna probably book a hotel for mid-June in Philadelphia.
24:23
SPEAKER_00: Start planning out my trip to Broad Street.
24:25
SPEAKER_00: Like it's it the its writing's on the wall.
24:28
SPEAKER_00: And don't get me starved.
24:29
SPEAKER_00: We'll we're gonna blow out the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics.
24:33
SPEAKER_00: And I mean, it's I'll, you know, see you in June.
24:37
SPEAKER_00: That's all I have to say.
24:38
SPEAKER_00: And mark this down, July 7th, 2026.
24:41
SPEAKER_02: Calling a shot 11 months early.
24:44
SPEAKER_02: I I just want to be the voice of reason again on this program because we had Jeremy on here spewing his nonsense after the Knicks won the title, saying how it was like an undeserved title and they didn't beat anybody, and it was just it was gross.
24:57
SPEAKER_02: It was a sad little it was stuff of a sad little man.
24:59
SPEAKER_02: We hate to see that elsewhere in the NBA Mark.
25:02
SPEAKER_02: There's been some other splash moves.
25:04
SPEAKER_02: I might even be forgetting a few.
25:05
SPEAKER_02: So if you have any that come to mind, feel free to bring them up.
25:07
SPEAKER_02: But we didn't touch on Giannis joining the Miami Heat.
25:10
SPEAKER_02: Uh and the flip side of the Jalen Brown deal was the fact that they had tried to get Giannis in Boston.
25:17
SPEAKER_02: They came up just a bit short, seemingly, and then they ended settled for the next best thing.
25:22
SPEAKER_02: I think we could all agree.
25:23
SPEAKER_02: Paul George and a couple couple picks.
25:26
SPEAKER_02: I think those are two pieces in a pot.
25:27
SPEAKER_02: So talk to me about Paul George in Boston and Giannis in Miami.
25:32
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, uh uh some are saying the Sixers got Joe and Brown for free because they needed to attach a first to get rid of Paul George's contract and did that plus one first, really, and and ended up with a uh two-time all NBA and fifth or sixth in MVP voting players.
25:48
SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, I think Paul George and he actually performed very well against Boston in the playoffs.
25:55
SPEAKER_00: I'll give him give credit where credit is due.
25:57
SPEAKER_00: I think he was part of the reason we won that series.
25:59
SPEAKER_00: Probably a better fit.
26:01
SPEAKER_00: Giannis is fantastic, but I'm I'm struggling to really get the fit of like him, Bam, Davion Mitchell.
26:07
SPEAKER_00: Like, I don't love the construction there.
26:08
SPEAKER_00: And then now they're talking about adding LeBron, and I just I just I don't know how that's all gonna work out.
26:13
SPEAKER_00: I don't know where LeBron's gonna go.
26:14
SPEAKER_00: I think that's the biggest domino yet to fall.
26:16
SPEAKER_00: The guy's 40-something years old and still the biggest storyline in the league.
26:20
SPEAKER_00: So that should be interesting.
26:21
SPEAKER_00: I bet that domino is gonna fall any day now.
26:23
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I'm with you on the LeBron thing.
26:25
SPEAKER_02: I'm also with you on the Giannis and the Heat thing.
26:27
SPEAKER_02: I feel like they need to still make several moves to be taken seriously because the way they're currently constructed, it's just a whole lot of pretty skilled bigs in the paint and not a whole bunch else going on.
26:39
SPEAKER_02: So they definitely need some shooting.
26:40
SPEAKER_02: I I'm interested to see what they do there.
26:42
SPEAKER_02: I do think Pat Riley and Spulstra are uh good enough to trust to figure that out.
26:47
SPEAKER_02: So I think maybe we'll see some more from them in the next few weeks and months.
26:50
SPEAKER_02: Uh in terms of LeBron, I think Cleveland are the favorite, they're the betting favorite right now of where he'll end up.
26:55
SPEAKER_02: Uh to me, that makes sense.
26:57
SPEAKER_02: I think it uh is uh paramount for him to uh go to a situation where he can just be a really good, useful piece on a championship caliber team or take a team that's right on the fringe of being a championship caliber team to that level.
27:11
SPEAKER_02: Uh the San Antonio Spurs for me would be the number one fit because uh if he's able to just like settle them down, because they were just so over-ambunctious in the playoffs, specifically against the Knicks in that final series, it was just like they hadn't they had not acted like they'd been there before because they have not been there before.
27:30
SPEAKER_02: So getting somebody like LeBron that has done it a bunch of times, I think that would be an awesome move for both his career and the Spurs.
27:38
SPEAKER_02: I also don't think Cleveland's a bad shout either.
27:40
SPEAKER_02: They're one of those teams that's been really good in the regular season that are still struggling to get over that final hurdle in the playoffs.
27:45
SPEAKER_02: I think they become a lot more serious if LeBron's in the picture.
27:48
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, I would love to see how long he lasts with James Harden.
27:51
SPEAKER_00: I don't give it more than a lot of people.
27:52
SPEAKER_00: I forgot about James Harden.
27:53
SPEAKER_00: A couple months.
27:54
SPEAKER_02: I forgot about James Harden.
27:55
SPEAKER_00: And to your your point on the Spurs, I agree it would be a fantastic fit.
27:59
SPEAKER_00: There are rumors of it.
28:00
SPEAKER_00: They might not be able to afford him because they signed Tobias Harris to a contract.
28:05
SPEAKER_00: So stubborn if you've ever heard that before, that uh team signed Tobias Harris to and then effectively ended their pursuit of LeBron James.
28:13
SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, it's it's tough sledding out there in the great state of Texas for the San Antonio Spurs.
28:18
SPEAKER_02: If that's truly the case, like LeBron was ready to say yes to San Antonio, and they were like, you know what?
28:23
SPEAKER_02: I think I think a couple 15-20 million of Tobias sounds pretty good.
28:27
SPEAKER_02: That would be a disaster.
28:30
SPEAKER_02: Tobias is not my cup of tea.
28:31
SPEAKER_02: I I know he has a role in this league.
28:33
SPEAKER_02: He's been decent, I guess, with the Pistons.
28:35
SPEAKER_02: He's another guy.
28:36
SPEAKER_02: Just I if I never get to see him play basketball again, it'd be too soon.
28:40
SPEAKER_02: So I just don't want any part of Tobias near me.
28:43
SPEAKER_02: I am interested though to see where Rebron ends up.
28:45
SPEAKER_02: Call your shot right now.
28:46
SPEAKER_02: I'll I'll officially I'll say a return to Akron to Cleveland will be what I expect from him.
28:51
SPEAKER_02: It's not going out on a limb.
28:53
SPEAKER_02: I'm going with what the favorites are saying.
28:55
SPEAKER_02: What do you think?
28:57
SPEAKER_00: I unfortunately probably agree with you, but for the the sake of you know playing devil's advocate here, I think he's gonna take his talents to South Street and join our 76ers.
29:09
SPEAKER_00: Why not?
29:10
SPEAKER_00: Why not us, as Mauricio Pachettino says, except for last night where we dug ourselves our own grave.
29:15
SPEAKER_00: But why not us?
29:17
SPEAKER_02: That would be super cool for LeBron to experience him coming in and being the best player in the NBA, and then his final couple years play with the best player in the NBA in Tyrese, that'd be really cool.
29:26
SPEAKER_00: Clutch client, only man on that, and Rich Paul Whiteboard with a star next to him.
29:31
SPEAKER_00: Just reading the tea leaves.
29:34
SPEAKER_00: Just waiting for it to happen.
29:35
SPEAKER_02: He honestly fits well with the current construction of the team, too.
29:38
SPEAKER_02: It's it's pretty seamless.
29:40
SPEAKER_00: Most talent, best fit, but I think he's gonna go back to Cleveland.
29:43
SPEAKER_00: I'd be surprised.
29:45
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
29:46
SPEAKER_02: So that's our NBA discourse.
29:48
SPEAKER_02: We might not talk about the NBA again until next June, to be quite honest.
29:50
SPEAKER_02: That's about our timeline in terms of covering the NBA.
29:53
SPEAKER_02: We really talk about like big roster moves and we talk about playoff games.
29:56
SPEAKER_02: We don't do much in between unless the Sixers are back, which we will be monitoring that situation.
30:02
SPEAKER_02: Mark, you are well traveled, as the listeners might know, but one of the uh places you've been that I'm very jealous of, and I have never been for the tournament, is Wimbledon.
30:13
SPEAKER_02: Wimbledon's going on, we're in the midst of it.
30:16
SPEAKER_02: It's actually pretty interesting.
30:17
SPEAKER_02: There's been some upsets on both sides.
30:19
SPEAKER_02: Naomi Osaka beats Sabalenka on the women's side.
30:22
SPEAKER_02: Coco Goff is into the semifinals there.
30:25
SPEAKER_02: On the men's side, we have the American Taylor Fritz into the quarters, along with the Italian Yannick Sinner, the cheater, allegedly, and the aging Novak Djokovic.
30:36
SPEAKER_02: Talk to me about what the Wimbledon going fan going experience is like.
30:41
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, I'll walk you through it.
30:43
SPEAKER_00: So I'll I'll tell you this, and I would love to compare notes in a second because you've been to the masters, but this is what I imagine being the tennis masters.
30:50
SPEAKER_00: Like it was bliss.
30:52
SPEAKER_00: Um, and there are many folks that win the lottery or they pay a lot of money to get uh debid insure tickets to be able to just walk right in the front door.
31:01
SPEAKER_00: That was not me.
31:02
SPEAKER_00: I was part of the group uh of 10,000.
31:04
SPEAKER_00: I believe I was like 10,201 uh queuing at seven in the morning and ended up getting in um around 2, 3 p.m.
31:13
SPEAKER_00: uh on the hottest day of the summer last year in London.
31:16
SPEAKER_00: But the queue is a great time.
31:18
SPEAKER_00: It's the world's largest picnic slash align slash party.
31:23
SPEAKER_00: You can bring in some pins and champagne.
31:25
SPEAKER_00: You actually can bring in a bottle into Wimbledon to the grounds, whatever you'd like.
31:30
SPEAKER_00: Imagine that happening in the United States.
31:32
SPEAKER_00: I can't.
31:33
SPEAKER_00: Um you're hanging out, everyone's having a good time, they're getting pumped, people are watching the matches.
31:38
SPEAKER_00: Um, and then when you walk in there, it is just like the greens are so manicured so perfectly.
31:44
SPEAKER_00: There's not corporate slop or sponsors everywhere.
31:47
SPEAKER_00: Like it is just just pure tennis.
31:49
SPEAKER_00: Um, and just a really, really great experience.
31:52
SPEAKER_00: Being able to jump around all the different courts.
31:54
SPEAKER_00: Going early is really, really cool too because you get to see everyone play.
31:57
SPEAKER_00: There's always tennis going on from sunup to sundown.
32:00
SPEAKER_00: So yeah, it's it's fantastic.
32:02
SPEAKER_00: I highly recommend being a bucket list item.
32:04
SPEAKER_00: And and the crazy part is that anyone can go.
32:07
SPEAKER_00: It's just waiting.
32:08
SPEAKER_00: If you get there at 5 30 in the morning, you can end up with queue number 2,000, 5,000, and get in pretty quickly.
32:14
SPEAKER_00: So it's the people's uh, you know, major as well.
32:18
SPEAKER_00: You don't have to pay$3,000 to get in like you would at the US Open.
32:22
SPEAKER_00: So if you can ever get over to London around that time of year, I highly recommend.
32:25
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, honestly, I wish I wish I was able to get over there.
32:29
SPEAKER_02: The comparison of the Masters, I do think is pretty spot on, just in terms of it feels like an elevated event to anything you've been to.
32:37
SPEAKER_02: It feels important.
32:38
SPEAKER_02: The the attention to detail is superb.
32:41
SPEAKER_02: Augusta is immaculate in that regard.
32:43
SPEAKER_02: It's just there's nothing out of place.
32:45
SPEAKER_02: Every it honestly it honestly seems fake.
32:47
SPEAKER_02: It seems like they painted the grass this color green that it is, because I hadn't seen it before and I haven't seen it since.
32:53
SPEAKER_02: But Wimbledon gives me that same air.
32:55
SPEAKER_02: So I'm glad you kind of touched on that note.
32:58
SPEAKER_02: And also, you were a little bit late to the queue, 7 a.m.
33:00
SPEAKER_02: I mean, some of these grinders could have been there at 4:35 o'clock.
33:03
SPEAKER_02: They might have got in to see a full day.
33:05
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it was uh it was a bit of like a last-minute decision.
33:08
SPEAKER_00: So our our flat in in London when uh my wife and I lived there for two months last year.
33:14
SPEAKER_00: Uh it was in uh Fulham.
33:17
SPEAKER_00: So only about like two or three tube stops away from the Southfield station.
33:21
SPEAKER_00: So it was just kind of a last minute uh decision.
33:23
SPEAKER_00: But you know, you yeah, you're here again, being 10,000 at 7 a.m., like the those minutes matter.
33:28
SPEAKER_00: Even 30 minutes could have you um, you know, lower by like 2,000 people.
33:33
SPEAKER_00: So um next time, 100% would just wake up early, grab myself a you know, a nice black coffee, and just head over there, enjoy the morning, watch the sunrise, and uh and get in a lot earlier to be able to experience tennis earlier.
33:47
SPEAKER_00: So that would be my uh tip to the listeners here.
33:50
SPEAKER_02: That it's on the list for me for sure, and I would follow that exact that exact tip to try to see as much as possible.
33:57
SPEAKER_02: We'll move back stateside here, Mark, for our final sports-related topic.
34:01
SPEAKER_02: It's another thing, this guy, I'm telling you, listeners, he's he's everywhere all at once.
34:07
SPEAKER_02: This guy will be in attendance for the MLB All-Star Weekend in Philadelphia.
34:11
SPEAKER_02: I knew Philadelphia was hosting, Mark, but I can't even tell you when the All-Star Game is.
34:15
SPEAKER_02: I can't tell you when the home run derby is.
34:17
SPEAKER_02: First of all, give the listeners those details.
34:19
SPEAKER_02: What's coming up and why should they look for forward to it?
34:23
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, this is this is something I've had.
34:25
SPEAKER_00: They actually announced it in 2019, so um took uh to coincide with the 250th anniversary.
34:31
SPEAKER_00: So it's been on my calendar for a long time.
34:34
SPEAKER_00: And uh I'm gonna be heading to the uh to the home run derby um in in Wright Field, take a look for me uh out there.
34:41
SPEAKER_00: And uh so that's gonna be on Monday.
34:44
SPEAKER_00: Um, you're gonna have the futures game and the all-star uh celebrity softball game on Sunday.
34:49
SPEAKER_00: Uh fanfest, Capital One Fan Fest over.
34:52
SPEAKER_00: I can't be imagining uh what's it called?
34:54
SPEAKER_00: No corporate sponsors here.
34:55
SPEAKER_00: Maybe restart.
34:57
SPEAKER_02: We can do corporate sponsors.
34:58
SPEAKER_02: Come on board as a sponsor.
35:00
SPEAKER_00: Capital One?
35:01
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, Capital One.
35:02
SPEAKER_02: Come join the party.
35:04
SPEAKER_00: Torture Fans Department presented by Capital One.
35:06
SPEAKER_02: Would be sick.
35:07
SPEAKER_02: They could take care of a couple bills.
35:08
SPEAKER_02: I have a couple accounts with you guys.
35:11
SPEAKER_00: That'd be good.
35:11
SPEAKER_00: I mean if they just wipe those out, that's fine too.
35:13
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
35:14
SPEAKER_00: Um so anyway, Capital One Fan Fest on Sunday at the convention center, which if you do have a Capital One card, free to go.
35:22
SPEAKER_00: Um, so if you're in the area, you can jump in there.
35:24
SPEAKER_00: But then you head into uh yeah, home run derby on Monday, all-star game on Tuesday.
35:29
SPEAKER_00: Uh, I did hear that Ben Rice of the New York Yankees is, I think, one of the first to uh confirm.
35:35
SPEAKER_00: Really, I mean, it has to be one of, if not both, of Harper or Schwarber.
35:40
SPEAKER_00: That's why that's why I bought the ticket.
35:43
SPEAKER_00: I will be devastated if neither of the tickets it's a must.
35:48
SPEAKER_00: Really gonna have to pay attention being like in right field a couple rows up if Harper's gonna take my head off of a line drive.
35:55
SPEAKER_00: But yeah, I think it's it's gonna be really, really fun just to come off the hype of all that great hosting that uh Philadelphia has done for the World Cup, going right into the All-Star game.
36:06
SPEAKER_00: Like it's it's the summer of Philly right now.
36:07
SPEAKER_00: Great time to be there, great time to be around, and really excited for it.
36:10
SPEAKER_00: So yeah, coming up uh in about a week or so.
36:13
SPEAKER_02: Awesome.
36:13
SPEAKER_02: So yeah, you're safe when Bryce is up if if he's batting.
36:17
SPEAKER_02: He doesn't take it deep too often.
36:18
SPEAKER_02: I will say I w I don't want Schwarber to do it.
36:21
SPEAKER_02: I don't want to ruin your experience, but I feel like the All-Star or the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby, it kind of sometimes has some weird omens down the stretch for guys, and I want Schwarber to heat up and not cool down.
36:31
SPEAKER_02: He's been great.
36:32
SPEAKER_02: I think he's still leading the league in home runs.
36:34
SPEAKER_02: I don't really want to mess with that.
36:36
SPEAKER_02: So we'll give you Bryce, but I just am not so sure he's gonna be able to put Philly on his back and provide the showing that the home fans are gonna want to see.
36:45
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, he's um, you know, he said that he is really trying to find a pitcher because his dad, I guess, hasn't thrown in a while.
36:53
SPEAKER_02: What's normal?
36:54
SPEAKER_00: Summer suggests I Yeah, there you go.
36:57
SPEAKER_02: I mean, if you want to take the ball out, we've got just the guy.
37:01
SPEAKER_02: And he'll do it free of charge.
37:03
SPEAKER_02: It's actually in his contract.
37:06
SPEAKER_00: So yeah, we'll see, man.
37:08
SPEAKER_00: Uh it's gonna be it's gonna be exciting.
37:11
SPEAKER_00: And this is having more people come to to see Philadelphia and experience Philadelphia.
37:18
SPEAKER_00: I always say too.
37:20
SPEAKER_00: Anytime I talk to someone about Philly, I say, you have no idea how good the food scene is in Philadelphia.
37:24
SPEAKER_00: So underrated of all kinds.
37:26
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, we have great cheesesteaks, great Italian food.
37:29
SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, thinking about like Thai food, Vietnamese food, Indian food, Lebanese food, Mediterranean, of all sorts.
37:35
SPEAKER_00: I mean, if it's Philly's a fantastic food city, just get our first three restaurants with Michelin stallers.
37:40
SPEAKER_00: Excited for the folks from around the world and the United States to be able to see all the great food Philly has to offer.
37:46
SPEAKER_02: That's a good shout as well.
37:47
SPEAKER_02: I'm glad you brought that up.
37:49
SPEAKER_02: On a similar note, as we kind of wrap up the show here, this was a beautiful little quick hit.
37:53
SPEAKER_02: We touched on a lot of topics, got a lot done.
37:54
SPEAKER_02: It was felt productive.
37:56
SPEAKER_02: On that note of kind of good restaurants in the Philly area, what are maybe a restaurant you've been to in Philly that you would specifically recommend?
38:04
SPEAKER_02: And then any other recommendations for things you've been up to, maybe a TV show.
38:08
SPEAKER_02: I know you're you and your wife, you get through a lot of TV series.
38:12
SPEAKER_02: So I'm interested to see what you've been watching.
38:14
SPEAKER_02: Kind of give me any recommendations you have cooking.
38:17
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
38:17
SPEAKER_00: Um, so thinking about Philly, uh, there's a couple of new players on the scene, and was really lucky enough.
38:22
SPEAKER_00: They sold out in about one to two minutes to get a reservation um in in about a month or so to a place called Sao.
38:29
SPEAKER_00: Um, it's a sister restaurant, so a place called Mon, which is like a Cambodian Vietnamese Thai uh type noodle house.
38:36
SPEAKER_00: Both are on Pastion Gav.
38:38
SPEAKER_00: New players on the scene, but I mean, they're absolutely taking the Philly food world by storm.
38:43
SPEAKER_00: Had an incredible time at Mawn, some of the best food I've had in Philly.
38:46
SPEAKER_00: So excited to go to their sister restaurant, which is a little bit more like seafood focused, but I've heard really, really great things.
38:54
SPEAKER_00: Uh so that's great.
38:55
SPEAKER_00: And you know, happy to happy to chat Philly restaurants whenever uh, you know, the listeners are up for an episode.
39:01
SPEAKER_00: And then jumping into uh well, do you have anything yeah, anything you've been to, um, Sean, I know that there's a couple that we've been to together in Philly that are just absolute home runs every time.
39:12
SPEAKER_00: Uh, we'd love to get your thoughts on the Philly food scene.
39:14
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I love Philly.
39:16
SPEAKER_02: I mean, the cuisine, like you said, there's plenty in terms of variety, but it's hard to go away from those South Philly Italian staples and also just the the classics that we go to, the BYO establishments, where you know, it's just it's just great.
39:30
SPEAKER_02: The guy, the owner, is usually walking around.
39:32
SPEAKER_02: He's usually in his 80s, usually not the nicest, but that's part of the charm.
39:36
SPEAKER_02: And Giorgio Onpine, that would be my shout-out.
39:39
SPEAKER_02: That's probably my favorite restaurant in the city.
39:41
SPEAKER_02: It has a homey feel.
39:42
SPEAKER_02: There's Giorgio on pine too, because they sell out the gaff almost every night.
39:46
SPEAKER_02: Giorgio himself strutting around that shop, working, making sure things are going smoothly, but he fits that mold of somebody who, you know, might be a little abrasive if you're a first-timer and you don't know your way about.
39:58
SPEAKER_02: So that I just love everything about that spot.
40:00
SPEAKER_02: That would be my instant shout-out.
40:02
SPEAKER_02: And then, yeah, kind of like you mentioned, I think running terminal is something that if you've never been to Philly before, you should go do and see.
40:08
SPEAKER_02: It's kind of more the experience of running terminal, maybe getting a snack in there than it is a sit-down type of cuisine.
40:15
SPEAKER_02: But that gives you kind of an amalgamation of all different foods, different cultures, different things all in one spot.
40:23
SPEAKER_02: So it's also a very central location.
40:25
SPEAKER_02: So I think I would recommend people checking that out as well.
40:28
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
40:31
SPEAKER_00: Fantastic spot.
40:31
SPEAKER_00: And yeah, to your point.
40:32
SPEAKER_00: Like, I mean, we just went there a couple weeks ago on our that same trip to Philly we were talking about earlier in the in the pod, and uh, we went to a place I had never been before.
40:41
SPEAKER_00: Pretty much just walked by every time um at that Dutch market with the uh with the breakfast sandwiches, and just a fantastic break sample breakfast sandwich.
40:49
SPEAKER_00: You're like, there's you may have been a Reading Terminal and have no idea what you just walk by without even thinking.
40:55
SPEAKER_00: Um have to hit there a couple times to really get the full experience.
40:59
SPEAKER_02: For sure.
40:59
SPEAKER_02: Now talk to me about TV, movies, anything of the sort.
41:03
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, a couple, I've got a couple for you guys.
41:06
SPEAKER_00: So one just came out of nowhere for for myself.
41:09
SPEAKER_00: So um, you know, in in our travels, you know, and I will watch something, I'll watch something on, you know, on our individual iPads on the plane.
41:16
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we'll watch things together.
41:17
SPEAKER_00: But um, so the one thing we watch together, which is a fantastic show on Apple TV, is your friends and neighbors with John Hamm.
41:23
SPEAKER_00: John Hamm is just a marksman of an actor.
41:25
SPEAKER_00: He's pure class in some absolute classics and just a really, really good show and good plot.
41:32
SPEAKER_00: So highly recommend watching that if you have not.
41:33
SPEAKER_00: Um, and then I have myself just finished up Homeland, which listen, if you're looking to spike your cortisol or just be absolutely stressed out for nine straight seasons or eight straight seasons, highly recommend Homeland.
41:46
SPEAKER_00: But I did hear from a former CIA agent, apparently, uh, that that is the most accurate type of like CIA government crime show, uh, which inspired me to watch it.
41:56
SPEAKER_00: And it was very good.
41:57
SPEAKER_00: And I was addicted to it.
41:59
SPEAKER_00: But yeah, had some uh it was stressful, but a great show, no matter.
42:03
SPEAKER_02: Young young Timothy Chalamet in Homeland, no?
42:07
SPEAKER_00: He is, yes.
42:08
SPEAKER_00: Great call out, Sean.
42:09
SPEAKER_00: That is that's a fantastic call out.
42:11
SPEAKER_02: I've heard I've heard the show is very good, and I'm obviously a big T Mow guy, so I my that one's on my list of maybe to get to.
42:18
SPEAKER_02: I'm just not I just can't find time for TV ever, and it kills me because there's a lot that I want to watch.
42:23
SPEAKER_02: In terms of your friends and neighbors, that's the one I only know the meme, I think, of John Hamm seemingly like dancing.
42:31
SPEAKER_02: Is that that show?
42:33
SPEAKER_01: Yes, it is, yeah.
42:34
SPEAKER_02: He's kind of just walking, and it's like a trippy meme that's gone viral several times.
42:39
SPEAKER_02: So I do appreciate that.
42:40
SPEAKER_02: Also, apparently this kid's show, but apparently John Ham has an absolute wrench on him.
42:45
SPEAKER_02: They've been calling him John Hammer.
42:46
SPEAKER_02: So I mean, I don't know if that's uncon that's unconfirmed, but that's John Hamm.
42:52
SPEAKER_02: You said he's a great actor.
42:53
SPEAKER_02: I think he has a lot going for him, and he's aging like a line.
42:56
SPEAKER_00: Yes, and I believe so.
42:58
SPEAKER_00: John Ham, linking us back to more pop culture, is a massive Bad Bunny fan.
43:03
SPEAKER_00: Oh, he is actually in Bad Bunny's little casito during the concerts, and they call him Juan Jamon, aka John Hamm.
43:11
SPEAKER_00: So just another fun fact about Mr.
43:12
SPEAKER_00: Ham.
43:13
SPEAKER_02: That is funny.
43:14
SPEAKER_02: Now, how about Mark?
43:16
SPEAKER_02: You're we we talked about your travel.
43:18
SPEAKER_02: Any trips coming up this summer, aside from this lakehouse adventure, me and you are gonna be going on this weekend.
43:24
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, you know, we're gonna be joining another pod father, founding father of uh Torture Fans Apartment, Jeremy Good of his family's lakehouse.
43:32
SPEAKER_00: They were um you know nice enough to welcome us and get the place all cleaned up and ready to go for leaps and bounds.
43:39
SPEAKER_00: They've really taken the extra steps, which is just it warms my heart, and I'm really excited to spend some quality time there with you all.
43:47
SPEAKER_00: So um, so that's coming up.
43:49
SPEAKER_00: In terms of trips, my uh we currently don't have much throughout the summer, but our anniversary is November 15th.
43:55
SPEAKER_00: So currently planning on uh going to Mexico City.
43:58
SPEAKER_00: Uh maybe we'll stop by the Azteca, maybe we'll still we'll see that.
44:01
SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah, I'm gonna have to uh you know get used to the altitude, but apparently another great place with uh an awesome food scene and cultural scene.
44:10
SPEAKER_00: So excited to check that out and definitely report back after that trip.
44:13
SPEAKER_00: Laying low for the summer after some uh some long travels throughout the first half of the year.
44:17
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, we need to do a debrief one day.
44:19
SPEAKER_02: Maybe we'll sit down and do like a whole recap of your time in Italy because I I think that would be fascinating for the listeners.
44:25
SPEAKER_02: You you are kind of an expert on that topic, so we could dive into that on a at a later date on a future episode.
44:32
SPEAKER_02: So, Mark, thank you for joining me.
44:34
SPEAKER_02: Before we head out, I just wanted to just shout out again if you want some more US-related soccer content, if you want some more World Cup content, head over to Friends on Football.
44:43
SPEAKER_02: A lot of work going into that today, and it will be coming your way tomorrow.
44:48
SPEAKER_02: Also, the record club, we had a busy week last week and into this week, we recorded a lot of episodes.
44:53
SPEAKER_02: We broke down Olivia Rodrigo, we broke down the boss, Bruce Springsteen, and then we recapped some recent concerts that we've been to between Goose and Noah Khan.
45:01
SPEAKER_02: So go ahead and check those out.
45:03
SPEAKER_02: That's all the housekeeping items.
45:04
SPEAKER_02: Mark, a great second appearance, no tech issues.
45:08
SPEAKER_02: Loved having you on.
45:10
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it was it was great and excited to be on uh more episodes here in in the future.
45:14
SPEAKER_00: You're a great host, and um, you know, back to the Friends On Football podcast as well for the for the listeners here.
45:20
SPEAKER_00: Like they, Sean, Brandon, they listened to your feedback.
45:24
SPEAKER_00: Um, they listened to my feedback about an emergency pod for uh one of the USA games, and even made sure to mention that on the pod.
45:31
SPEAKER_00: So you're heard, you're listened to.
45:33
SPEAKER_00: Um, and just uh, you know, props to you, Sean.
45:36
SPEAKER_00: Appreciate you uh taking the feedback into account and uh and it was a great episode as well.
45:41
SPEAKER_02: Mark, you keep those compliments coming.
45:42
SPEAKER_02: You might be a regular chair on this program, so I appreciate it as well.
45:46
SPEAKER_00: I carve out my little niece.
45:48
SPEAKER_02: That's right.
45:49
SPEAKER_02: Listeners, thank you all for tuning in, and until next time, take care of the money.