Latest / The Tortured Fans Department / Ep. 55 - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) (The Knicks are Champions, World Cup Fever, The Tartan Army, US Open at Shinnecock and Did You See This?)

Transcript

Ep. 55 - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) (The Knicks are Champions, World Cup Fever, The Tartan Army, US Open at Shinnecock and Did You See This?) · The Tortured Fans Department

• 0:20
  SPEAKER_01: Hello, everybody.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome back to another episode of the Tortured Fans Department podcast.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_01: I am your host, Sean Boyle, and joining me today is my good friend.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_01: It is our most frequent guest.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_01: It is Mr.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_01: Jeremy Good.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_01: Jeremy, how are you?
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, Sean.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: How are you?
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: Doing well.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Great to be here.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Love the script today.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, let's get into it.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, it is always a pleasure to talk to you, my friend.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_01: So we do have a busy agenda.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_01: We should jump right into it.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_01: We're going to talk, unfortunately, about the Knicks winning the NBA championship.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_01: We're going to dive into a little bit of the World Cup mania that is taking over the United States.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_01: We've got a U.S.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_01: Open to preview.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_01: And then we've got some other bits and bobs to keep you updated on to close out the show.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_01: Jeremy, let's just start with the New York basketball Knicks winning an NBA championship.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_01: Something I don't think either of us ever thought we would see.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_01: The question I have to start with, Jarr, is people are asking, are you going to issue an apology for your Spurs beatdown prediction on this very platform?
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: Sean, when I'm wrong, I'm wrong.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: That being said, I'm not apologizing.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: It's the same thing that uh that Leo said in Wolf of Wall Street.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not blanking leaving, except I'm not apologizing.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: Listen, I what I said did not happen, of course.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: But uh this Knicks team, and I've learned too throughout this playoffs, too, that how much I really root more for teams to lose than my teams to win.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: So there's there's some issue probably with that.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: That's probably an illness, a sickness on my end.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: But listen, this uh Knicks team they played great basketball throughout the last series.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: I'll give them that.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: But you beat Atlanta, you beat the Sixers, you beat Cleveland in an Eastern Conference Finals, and then a very young Spurs team that was juiced out, I guess, after going through the West, so in OKC.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: So listen, I mean, great for them.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: They won.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Congrats.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know how impressive it is.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's it's also nice too.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: They took advantage of a really down NBA.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: Well, and the NBA's been down for at least five years, but there it's just there's not many good teams, Sean.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: Let's be.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I'm I'm sorry.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: There's just like, how many good teams are there?
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: Six?
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: Seven?
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't even think it's that many.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: I just wanted to put it a six-seven joke.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I really think it's like four, maybe five, like really legit teams.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: So, there we are.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: Sad, sad for everybody, but yeah, they won.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I I said it, so there we are.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_01: So you danced all around anything but an apology there.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_01: That was that was pretty poor by you.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_01: And also, I really hate that you put me in this situation where I have to play the good cop and defend the Knicks, because I really don't want to.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_01: But the way you spoke about them was slanderous.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_01: You pretended like they didn't beat anybody, like they were kind of a dog shit team that fluked into a title.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_01: I unfortunately think they turned into a really good team in the playoffs.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_01: The way in which they dismantled the Eastern Conference, yes, maybe some of those teams aren't the strongest, but they ran through them largely sweeping or and dominating the games.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_01: None of them were really even close until the finals.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: And then in the finals, their experience just seemed to carry them.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_01: Uh Jalen Brunson, best player on the court, toughest player on the court, uh, as he has been for much of his career, and uh as Temple guys, Jeremy, that it really it's a double middle finger to us.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_01: Him choosing to go to Villanova because of whatever happened with his recruitment at Temple, and then him eventually ending up in New York and now winning a championship for the Knicks.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_01: He's one of our most hated athletes ever.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_01: Just has to be.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_01: He certainly is for me, but you have to tip your cap.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_01: I I will issue a hand up.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_01: Hey, I'm not too proud to do it.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_01: I am sorry to the Knicks for doubting them.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_01: I did pick the Spurs in seven, I thought it'd be a close series.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_01: And I don't even necessarily think the Knicks were the definitely better team, they were just definitely better at closing games.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_01: And that's basically what all you need to do when it's gonna be a tight series.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_01: They were so much tougher in those final moments.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_01: And I guess the key difference, I think you want to touch on it too.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_01: It's the difference between Jalen Brunson late in games and then the guards that the Spurs had.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_01: So that's where the series ultimately fell.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_01: Credit to New York.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_01: I hate seeing all these celebrations.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_01: Thank goodness we have other sports going on.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_01: So that this is already forgotten about.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_01: If this wasn't a World Cup year, oh my god, this would be terrible.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_01: I'm already on to I'm already on to next season.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I'm the same way with you.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: In all seriousness, I do give the Knicks credit.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: They ran through the playoffs, they ran their offense through cat, and it changed a lot, and they played great basketball.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: I give them credit for that.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: I think two and two can be equal at the same time where it helps that like you're playing great basketball, you're able to adjust, and the competition just isn't that great.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: You didn't play any really good defense besides the Spurs and the finals.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: And obviously, I think the Spurs led the series, Sean, I think 72% of the series.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's interesting.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: I give them credit for coming back.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: 20-point leads don't that big of a deal in today's NBA like they used to be 15-20 years ago.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: So obviously, that one 29-point game going into the in the third, that's a little different.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: What a comeback.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, it's uh it's tough.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: They came back, played really good basketball.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: So I do give them credit for that.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, I the numbers do speak for themselves.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: Good for them.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: They did play great basketball towards the end of the regular season and then into the playoffs.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: That was that was a bit better, Jeremy.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_01: That sounded sounded a little bit begrudging, but you definitely you definitely were at least a little bit more appreciative of the next run.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_01: How about the Spurs?
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_01: Where do they go from here?
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_01: Is it is it panic stations?
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_01: Do they need to blow anything up?
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_01: I obviously think this is just the start of something for them, with Wemby being their focal point at 22.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_01: He he's gonna be around a long time.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, you hope he performs better in finals in the future, but you can't take for granted making the finals, especially when you are seemingly going to be up against another dynasty in the Thunder, which are on a pretty similar path to you in terms of age and roster construction.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_01: So that'll be interesting, but where do you think the Spurs go from here?
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: Well, it's a Peri League 2 now, Sean, where you can't predict.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: There's no it doesn't feel like there's a dynasty.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: There's been a change in championship the last six years, I believe.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe even longer.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: So they'll be fine ultimately.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: They're young, like you said.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: Wemby, great.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: Castle, great.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: Harper, oh my god, unbelievable.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: They do have, in my opinion, a De'Aaron Fox issue.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: His extension hasn't even kicked in yet, so I don't see how you could trade him either.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you could get creative, maybe you can add another team in, three-team deal.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: It'll be tough.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, they gotta get Dylan Harper more minutes and move on from Fox.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: They also would the the key with Wemby, in my opinion, Sean, is you always have to surround him with shooters.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: He didn't really do that in his first year, which makes sense.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: Now you do.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: Harper has to get better as a shooter.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: I think he will.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: The cell, he's fine as a shooter.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think ultimately they'll be fine, but they have to uh somehow get off Fox and they need to find him a way to run offense through Wemby a lot better.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe get him lower, closer to the basket.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: He's 7'3 or whatever he is, so yeah, but good hands definitely need to make changes, but I think I think the future will be fine for them.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm with you.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_01: I I don't necessarily I love Darren Fox as a player.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_01: He's a Kentucky guy, big fan of him.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_01: See, think he seems like a good dude too.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_01: I just don't know necessarily that the fit next to Wemby, like you kind of talked about, is exactly correct, and that's where the issues could eventually come.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_01: But then again, they did make the finals, and like you said, they led 72% of the time in the finals.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_01: So I don't necessarily know that they need to blow anything up or trade him away, but they certainly do need to figure out the closing game scenario situation.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_01: If he is struggling and Wemby is struggling and can't initiate offense himself often, where do they go?
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_01: Sort of becomes the question, and I think that was their ultimately their Achilles heel.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_01: For the Knicks yeah, this I don't want to say I'm scared they can do this again and again, but I think that the core they have in place is pretty strong.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna ask you the question can they repeat next year?
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: I guess they can.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_00: Any any any any team that wins a championship the year before and returns most of their team coaching staff?
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, they'll be contenders.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_00: It is interesting.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: Will they?
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: Will they?
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: Well, no, they will not.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_00: But um That's what I wanted.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: That's what I wanted.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, bookmark that.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: I can't wait for that to easily sour milk.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: Revisit that next June.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: Next year, yeah.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um they they they after right after the finals, the odds comes out, they were fourth for next season.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: That's pretty low, from in my opinion, from other teams.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: Usually the lowest the uh team will be that wins the finals is second.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_00: I think there's something to it.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: I think that this I mean Brunson's playing great basketball, but I don't know if they can keep it up with the way they play, and if a team can defend them and just put out a little more offense in the Spurs in this series, or if the Spurs just play a little better offense, like three to five percent, they're winning these games because it's coming down to the end, and they had the leads, double-digit leads throughout these games.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll see there.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_00: But uh yeah, they're they have a shot for sure, especially with the East.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I don't see how the East maybe Giannis gets moved to the uh to the Western Conference, too.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_00: At that point, the East is only getting worse and worse.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_00: I think they can uh definitely go back to the finals pretty easily.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it was a situation where the Knicks kind of looked around the room in the Eastern Conference and didn't notice any killers, and Jalen Brunson and Kat kind of just said, okay, fine, we'll be the killers then.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_01: And it worked out pretty well for them, even though everybody expected them to be underdogs and ultimately lose to whoever came out of the West.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_01: Turns out they flipped the script and won that series convincingly.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_01: We tip our caps begrudgingly to the New York Knicks.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_01: Let's please move on and never talk about that championship again.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_01: Jeremy, the World Cup is here in the United States, and my first question to you, just quickly, do you have World Cup fever?
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: I went to the doctor last week and I do have World Cup fever, Sean.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_01: I know you do.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_01: I we've been talking, it seems like you're excited.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_01: We're gonna start with the U.S.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_01: MNT, okay, because a lot of our listeners, if you don't know, we have the Friends on Football program under the Tortured Fans Department umbrella.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_01: That's where we dive deep into the actual games.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_01: We break them down, we give previews, all that sort of stuff.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_01: But on a general note here, everybody will be aware that the United States played well and won their first World Cup game.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_01: I want to hear about your experience watching it.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, it was great.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: I went to FanFest in Philadelphia.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_00: Great environment.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't see much.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: It was funny because we went to the store at first and then it funneled you out towards uh one of the smaller areas to watch the game, and we found like two Adirondack chairs and just crashed there, walked around a little bit, made myself a little bracelet, a little free bracelet from uh Bank of America.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_00: No, it's not a sponsor.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_00: No, I won't be opening an account with them, but that was very nice of them.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_00: And it was cool.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: It was the bracelet look great.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it was uh very Philly based.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: So uh it did when I washed my hands, one of the beads turned to like a bronze, it was a gold color and a bronze color.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: So I just hope I don't get like some uh infection.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: But well, that could be a strike against the Bank of America.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_00: I will say that.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_00: Let's buy let's buy real metal, yeah.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: But it was cool, it was a great event.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_00: Very it's something it's fun because like when they announced this like eight years ago, Sean, you get excited, but it's so far away, you don't know what it's gonna look like.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_00: But it's really cool once it's actually happening, and a lot of people coming into the city.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: Ecuador uh took over Philly, and I'll get more into that a little later on.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_00: But that was awesome just seeing all the all the yellow people embracing it too, people traveling, taking pride, bringing their cultures here, trying the stuff in Philadelphia that they're thousands of miles away from.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_00: So it was great.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_00: Fanfest was great, spacious, massive, good vibes, a lot to do.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_00: It's it was cool, and it really came together well.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: These are the things where you don't, like I said, you don't know how it's gonna look ultimately and play out.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_00: And so far, I I only thought it was gonna go once, Sean.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_00: And now we're locked into one time the next week.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_00: Might go again too.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: So uh it's something where it's like I I want to return, which I didn't think necessarily would be the case, so that was awesome.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm excited.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_01: We're planning to head down for the final group stage game and watch at the fan fest for the US watch along as well.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_01: I wanted to get your thoughts on the U.S.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_01: match, Jeremy.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_01: I I know neither of us are soccer experts, but you and I I think we both can get pretty excited behind what we saw from these US boys.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, well, listen, Sean.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: Don't don't don't lump me with you.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_00: You are you are the expert.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_00: We know the deal.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_00: Friends of football podcast.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_00: Look it up.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: Get a get a view up.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um yeah, it was as as a non-soccer expert, it was great from the start.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_00: Besides the first minute where uh where Paraguay got that.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_00: And not that it was a real threat, but they definitely got a look at goal.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um they tensed up a bit.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, okay, sure.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_01: God, this could go bad.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_01: And then instantly a minute later, I was like, oh, we're fine.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, they just like you said, they just ran course and they ran offense throughout the first, I mean, definitely 45 minutes, but it was it was awesome.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_00: Passing was awesome.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_00: Chris Richards, I think, finished 83 for 83 on passes, which you could tell some of those led to goals too.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, they were just a force, I think, in the fourth or fifth minute.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_00: They came close to an opportunity, but then they took advantage a few minutes later.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: Own goal because uh Paraguay had an own goal because of their uh offensive push.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, yeah, what a performance.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: It was one of the best offensive halves I've ever seen with USA.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_00: Probably might have been uh so it was great.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_00: And defensively, I think uh we both felt that maybe this was the weakness with this team.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_00: With Chris Richards back, that was uh coming back from injury.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: Uh that was awesome.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: That really helped uh the team hold down the four, too.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_00: So um great, great game, breath of fresh air, and that it really gets you excited about the opportunities and possibilities with this team going forward.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_00: For sure.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_01: And in in football and soccer, I I think the best way to cover up a bad defense is to just have the ball.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_01: Because when you have the ball, the other team can't score.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_01: That's been a philosophy of some of the best coaches of all time that play really front foot attacking football.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_01: They they know that if we have it, you can't go score, and therefore we can't lose.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_01: So it's a good way to do it.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_01: You have to have the skill and the coach in place to want to play that way.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_01: Seems like the United States finally do.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_01: It's great to see.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_01: I'm expecting big things for them against Australia as well this Friday at 3 p.m.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_01: What a perfect day in the summer for an early afternoon US men's national team match.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_01: So we're all gonna be watching that.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_01: Uh Jeremy, uh you touched on the Ecuadorian fans coming to Philly, and that was to behold.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_01: I'll let you get more into that in a second.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_01: But the story of the tournament for me, it's not even on the pitch.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_01: It is the Tartan Army.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_01: For those that are unaware, these are the Scotland national team fans, and they are my favorite group of people in the entire world.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_01: I've heard of their reputation at these tournaments.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, being a big football fan, you always hear about the Tartan Army.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_01: I've never experienced them firsthand.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_01: I have met people from Scotland, and they've all been a delight.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_01: Get a beer with a uh Scottish person, it's it's an absolute pleasure.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_01: So I was expecting big things from them coming into this tournament.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_01: Boy oh boy, it's it's surpassed all of my wildest dreams.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_01: I mentioned it on Friends of Football, but I wanted to share here as well.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_01: If Scotland are playing near you, just go get amongst it.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_01: Do whatever you can, get on the beers, play the bagpipes, sing a song, do whatever you could.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_01: They have taken over all of Boston.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_01: Their first and second matches are in Boston, so you see videos of them marching with bagpipes in the city.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_01: You see them in Fenway singing Scottish football songs, completely ignoring the game in the concourse, just love it.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_01: They did 500 miles in the stadium, they just said, We're gonna sing the whole four-minute tune.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_01: We're not gonna do just the snippet.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_01: They're playing bagpipes at their Airbnbs in the morning, waking up the neighbors.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_01: And I think the Boston community has wrapped their arms around them.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_01: It seems like a good match, those two.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_01: But just do whatever you can to see a Scotland game, see their fans get amongst them.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_01: They're heading down to Miami for their third group game to Brazil.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_01: And boy, oh boy, what a clash of cultures there.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_01: Hey, Scottish folks, I know your your complexion is similar to mine.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_01: Bring your sunscreen, it's a different animal in Miami to Boston.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_01: So just be ready for that.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_01: But I've spoken highly of them and they've welcomed me with open arms, Chair.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_01: They're inviting me to Glasgow after they heard my comments on the Friends of Football.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_01: They they are just a special group of people.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_01: If the United States can't win this tournament, I'm a Scott, I'm a Scotland fan all the way.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_00: You mentioned, Sean, that go to them whenever there's a game close.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_00: That's true.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_00: But it's also they'll come to you.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_00: Like, like you said with the Red Sox game.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_00: Like, that's what I loved about like fans traveling here embracing our culture while bringing their culture too.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_00: Like going to a Red Sox game and doing their thing.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_00: Like, that's awesome.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_00: And we saw too my uh my end with the Ecuador fans on Sunday, just raided the city in their bright yellow, different, different, different colors seeing the masses in this city than uh midnight green or red or whatever.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_00: But uh it was cool, and you know, they you know, there's a lot to do in Philadelphia too.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_00: Very historic city.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know if people realize, but uh it was uh it was great to see them.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_00: It was great to see them around walking, just partying in the city, and uh, you know, taking advantage of the businesses, the different foods, etc.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_00: Sightseeing stuff.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_00: So firsthand Philadelphia, they were everywhere, it was it was massive.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_00: And they showed up at the at the or I guess Philadelphia Stadium.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_00: Sorry, FIFA.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_01: The FIFA, the FIFA mandate to rename every every stadium to whatever city it's in, just to make things easier.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_01: And they've gone to crazy depths to make sure that nobody's referring to as their sponsor's name.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_01: So I guess I guess that's a good job.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_01: It is a little easier.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_00: I will say that.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I'm sure I'm sure uh Gillette and Lincoln Financial love uh love that.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_00: They are not they are not fans, but uh they they Ecuador showed up at the at the at Philadelphia Stadium too.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_00: At least I would say at least 95% were Ecuador fans in the stadium, probably more.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_00: Ivory Coast, for those who showed up, they were great too.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but uh Ecuador really showed up in Brazil, like we've mentioned, coming to Philadelphia too.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: Massive or decent Brazil population in Philadelphia already to begin with.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_00: So that'll be cool.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_00: It was cool, like I said earlier, Sean.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_00: Like when they're coming to the States for the first time in I guess maybe 30-ish years, you don't realize what it's gonna look like until it happens.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and people people showed up.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like, it's awesome.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think that's a good point, Jeremy, because the World Cup, like you said, when it gets announced, it's so far away, it's like, yeah, that's exciting, but I I don't really care yet, you know, especially for most casual fans.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_01: For me, I was waiting for this moment since it was announced.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_01: I could I couldn't be more excited, but still, it was so far away that there's so much football that takes place in between them that I can't even focus on the World Cup.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_01: Now that it's here, I'm just trying to embrace every single second of it.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_01: It's been great to get that culture blend that we've talked about, where fans are traveling to different cities, learning about that city, and then bringing their own flair to it.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_01: And when you get somebody that does it as well as the Tartan Army does, that's top of the line stuff.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_01: We've also Boston has been lucky, they also have the Norwegians up there, they have really cool traveling support.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_01: I I saw Japan.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know if you saw this, Jeremy.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_01: They're fans.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_01: What a touch of class.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_01: They brought their own trash bags to the match and plan on just picking up anything they saw in the stadium, make sure their space was clean, but then also their neighbors, and that's just that's just great.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it doesn't get better than that.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_01: The Dutch, the Orange, the Oranja, they are doing their marches into stadiums, and they have this chant where they kind of go back and forth side to side, yelling loudly, and they're the tallest group of people in the world on average.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_01: So that's that might be an intimidating force rolling down your streets.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_01: So I think it's just cool overall to see all the cities embrace these teams.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_01: Also, it was funny.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_01: In Lawrence, Kansas, Algeria set up their base camp, which is Kansas University, and they are saying rock chalk Algeria.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_01: So funny.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_01: It's just it's stuff you would never be able to think of in your brain that you're seeing play out, and it's awesome.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, some of these campsites too.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_00: I forget who's in Chattanooga, and but there's some there's some small towns, like there's I forget who's in West Virginia too, but like some of these countries go to these small towns in rural rural America.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, you know, it's it's it's funny to see where they're placed.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's so funny.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_00: It's such a clash.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_01: Like, why are why are they there?
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_01: But it's great.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_01: Jared, besides the United States, do you have anybody you are rooting for?
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_01: Any teams you've picked up on and been like, Oh, they're interesting.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_01: I kinda want to root for them now.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_00: I've always had a soft spot for Spain.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know if people have heard of Spain.
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_00: They're uh They're quite good, although what a what a result they had.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_00: But on the flip side of that, I kind of root for the underdogs, at least early on to um make it interesting, maybe get a draw against uh uh a favorite to make it to make the groups a little more interesting.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_00: So with Kate Very, that was awesome.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_00: What a what a result that was.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_00: And uh even like just the smaller, smaller clubs, smaller countries, and population, especially, just because their odds and chances aren't like great just because of that, and just having seen them fight, get a draw, maybe get a win.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_00: That's sort of what I root for.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_00: And what I've noticed, and maybe maybe I'm wrong on this, Sean.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_00: It feels like even though they expanded the groups, this this uh this World Cup, I feel like the bottom of the talent has caught up in a way that it that it hasn't before.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like the bottom talent's just a lot better than what it might have been before.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_00: Not saying they're gonna win the World Cup, not saying they're gonna get out of their group, but if it just feels like the competition's stronger down there than before.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe not by a lot, but definitely like more competitive.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_00: And that's maybe maybe how you get something like Cape Verde.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_01: Jared, I think that's a fascinating point because one of the big concerns heading into this World Cup, it's the largest World Cup ever.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_01: It's 48 teams for the first time.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_01: And one of the concerns was basically that we're playing unnecessary extra games.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_01: The cream of the crop would rise to the top, they would pummel those first-time countries, the small countries that maybe quote unquote were undeserving in a normal World Cup year of getting a place in this tournament.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_01: But results like the one you mentioned, the Cape Verde, drawing Spain, it basically felt like a win.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_01: They celebrated it like a win.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_01: That is what we needed to just assure people that no, 48 teams can work, and it will help eventually to get that playing field more and more level, in my opinion.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_01: Because what you're gonna see is a soccer wave take over in countries like Curacao, Haiti, Cape Verde, Jordan, all countries that are making their first or second World Cup appearance, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we just have a bunch of these now that traditionally wouldn't have gotten in, and I think eventually it'll turn into a really good thing for soccer in their country.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_01: So I think the long-term effects of having 48 teams will be strong.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_01: I do think, like you mentioned, we haven't had too many lopsided games.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_01: Curacao got punched a bit by Germany, but they scored a goal in the World Cup, and their fans celebrated it as if they won the World Cup, which is awesome.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_01: So in that game was in Philly, it was it was 1-1 at one point.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_01: You could look up and it was Germany, the Titans of the sport, drawn level with Curacao, and I think that's cool.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_01: We'll we'll get moments like that, and there might be some more lopsided results as the tournament wears on.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_01: But I think it's important that these guys hold their own and at least create some drama for the final group stage day, because that's ultimately what FIFA's gonna want is a lot of eyes on that final group stage game, and they don't want to lose their strongest teams heading into the knockout stage.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_01: But I do think because there's an extra knockout round now, that round of 32, we might lose a couple of heavyweights just because you never know what can happen in a one-off in soccer.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_01: So overall, I think it's a good thing that we went to 48.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I agree with you.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_01: I think these underdog stories are awesome.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_01: The Cape Verde keeper, he's a 40-year-old, and he went from 40,000 Instagram followers to 8.8 million, I think, the next night.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_01: So that just shows you what this this tournament can do.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's cool.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_00: It's it feels like soccer's a sport too where it's not necessarily easy to tie, but you can kind of play for one by just defending, having guys send guys back.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, Paraguay tried that and they still gave four goals.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, it's cool.
• 25:43
  SPEAKER_00: It feels like this is a sport where like Iraq, they they tied Norway at 1-1.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_00: Now, obviously, don't look at the rest of the game because we know what happened.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_00: But like just getting that equalizer, like you said, just tying a game like that for a moment, that's massive for the fan base, that's massive for the for the country itself, in a way.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_00: So, yeah.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, so I I think that's another good point you're making.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_01: You're making some good points, Jared.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_01: Soccer is about moments.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_01: Soccer is about moments, and that's where some people hate the sport because oh, a game could end 0-0 or it could end 1-1, and you watch 90 plus minutes and you see two goals, is what people always say in when they're bashing the sport.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_01: But I think on the flip side, you you remember those moments for the rest of your life.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_01: We all Curaçao fans will remember where they were when they saw their first goal scored at the World Cup.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_01: Every fan of every club will remember iconic moments throughout their club team season.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_01: And when it's on the national level at a World Cup, you're gonna remember each of your national team's goals.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_01: Because there's not a ton of them, but they're special, special moments that you celebrate, and it's fun to watch with a group.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm all in on going out, watching, and creating these moments with friends.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_00: And correct me too if I'm wrong, Sean.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_00: Even a draw, like every result is massive.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_00: And so even a zero-zero draw, even if there's not many shots on goal, which wasn't really the case with Paraguay, uh, but not Paraguay, uh, Ecuador and uh Ivory Coast, because there was there was decent action that felt bad for Ecuador because they had a few decent chances, but like even if that ended in a draw, every result is massive in its own way.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, that's what the World Cup also is going for itself.
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_01: And also I said this on the Friends on Football that scoreboards don't show pictures.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_01: So sometimes you can get a zero-zero and it's the ugliest match you'll ever watch, where neither team really created the chance.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_01: The game was played in the middle of the field, just ugly, turgid affair.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_01: Other times you'll get a game that ends 0-0 and there's a ton of chances.
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_01: And maybe the goalies put on masterclasses or a game like you referenced, the Ivory Coast, they end up winning really late on, and it feels a bit harsh to Ecuador, who were in that game the whole time, but it was a back and that game was excellent.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_01: It was back and forth, counterattack after counterattack, end-to-end action.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_01: It was just ultimately only one goal was scored.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_01: So I I don't think there's there's not many bad games of football, in my opinion, especially at the World Cup, because even if the action on the field isn't great, you could find some kind of storyline to point to and be like, well, this is why it was actually pretty cool.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that that that look at Spain.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_00: That that that tie is massive in the worst way for them.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_01: We'll we'll keep monitoring the World Cup on this program as well.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_01: For more in-depth, obviously head over to the Friends on Football, but we'll talk more about the fans and the general level of the game here.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_01: Jeremy, another big thing, this one almost flew under the radar for me.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_01: I'm a big golf guy.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_01: You're becoming a huge golf guy every time I talk to you on the links.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's it's another major this week.
• 28:36
  SPEAKER_01: We have the U.S.
• 28:36
  SPEAKER_01: Open at Shinnecock Hills.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_01: Let me start with this, Jared.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_01: Where does the US Open rank for you in terms of major championships?
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's second for me, Sean.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_00: Masters won.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_00: And then they say 50 feet of crap underneath.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_00: Not that then probably the US Open.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_00: Like I like the British Open.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_00: I like Lynx Golf kind of play.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know what it is though, where I guess I just prefer prefer American soil in these courses, maybe.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then I guess PGA is last.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_00: Although if any of these majors, you know, US Open or PGA is in Philadelphia, that'll jump up to number two for me.
• 29:13
  SPEAKER_00: But I guess I'll do I'll say the US Open's uh my second favorite major, so this will be fun.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_00: And it falls like every Sunday, it falls on Father's Day, so you're all gathered around the TV.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_00: So that might play into a two.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um and of course, and I'll get into this too, but the US Open always, of course, is more difficult for intentional reasons, and I prefer that.
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_00: I'll get into that later.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, I think I'll have US Open at two.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_01: I think for me it's three, but I can easily hear the argument for two.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_01: I I go back and forth, honestly, with the top three.
• 29:43
  SPEAKER_01: The Masters is my probably my favorite right now.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_01: The week of the open, I feel like that turns into my favorite.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_01: I love getting up early and seeing Lynx Golf.
• 29:52
  SPEAKER_01: And what I like about that is they let the weather decide.
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes it'll be easy, sometimes it'll be hard, but Mother Nature play a real role in that tournament.
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_01: And like you said, Lynx Golf is incredible.
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_01: Now, the TV could do a better job of capturing exactly what Lynx Golf is for sure, but just seeing it when you see it done right, it's spectacular.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_01: And that's the best of best for me.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_01: So I go back and forth with the Masters in the open, but the US Open, I think there's a clear tier gap after the top three to the PGA, unfortunately.
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_01: I think the TV is closer to the players than it is the other three majors.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_01: The only thing I don't like about it, and I guess we could talk about that now, is sometimes the uh difficulty feels manufactured and not fun to watch.
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_01: So let me try to be specific.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_01: I like watching these guys struggle because it's easy for them almost every other week.
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_01: So don't get me wrong, I'm with you.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_01: Let's let's make these guys whine and complain.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_01: I don't love watching guys just hack out of rough if you miss the fairway by a foot.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_01: And then with really tight fairways, it turns into a bomb and gouge driving competition.
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_01: Whoever gets the ball the farthest wins because everybody's gonna be in the rough, the one who's the furthest up in the rough is gonna have the best chance of getting up and down.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_01: So I don't love when the US Open does that, which they've been guilty of.
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_01: What I like is what we should get at Shinnecock, which is we're a very exposed golf course.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_01: It's very it's gonna be ridiculous wins, especially on Thursday.
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_01: I'm hoping it blows them out of the park.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_01: But we're gonna see ridiculous wins.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_01: There's fast and firm fairways, greens, wide fairways, so it's not exactly just a driving competition.
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_01: Everybody should be in the short stuff.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be an approach competition to see who can handle the win and manage it.
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's what I'm looking for in the US Open.
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm all for challenging them, but I just hope you challenge them in the right ways.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_01: What do you think?
• 31:37
  SPEAKER_01: Do you like seeing them struggle or do you like seeing like a masters?
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_01: You can get some pretty good scores.
• 31:42
  SPEAKER_00: Both.
• 31:42
  SPEAKER_00: I want to see good scores, but I don't want it to be easy, I guess.
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_00: So I guess I'll tweeter between both.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_00: These guys are just too good, Sean, at golf now.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_00: They're in the technology too.
• 31:52
  SPEAKER_00: Like they have the same technology that like us regular folks can buy at a store to help our games.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_00: So they've just become too good at driving, at ball control.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_00: It's just everything's tailored to them.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_00: And then they've also just perfected their craft.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_00: So anytime they can struggle, anytime it's a challenge, I think that's better.
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_00: Like you said, with the with the drive, how everybody's just teeing up and driving as far as they can.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_00: So it was at Oakmont last year, and that's a great course.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_00: That's so in and that's where if you drop the ball in the just off the fairway in the rough, it would go like 25 feet down into the Earth's core, right?
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_01: And I think we're gonna see similar this week as well.
• 32:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so I guess I don't love, love that part, but I want there to be a little bit of a struggle for sure.
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_00: And I want there to be like consequences for missing the fairway.
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if the fairways are narrow, tough.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_00: That's that's not ideal.
• 32:45
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe a little wildfree.
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_00: I don't I but I definitely want it to be more challenging.
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_00: But uh yeah, I'm excited.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_00: This will this will be a good one.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, this should be a combination of both a really good test that challenges different parts than just driving, and also something that makes these guys complain a whole lot, which I love seeing.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_01: I love when they come off the course saying, Oh, the course was unfair or they've lost the course and things like that.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_01: Sign me up for that.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_01: It's really hard, basically.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_01: I need the wind to show up, is basically my takeaway from all these majors, because really, in my opinion, I've seen a bunch of tournaments where unless there's wind, these guys will tear it up basically no matter what.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_01: And if if that's not the case and you manufacture difficulty like the US Open has done in the past, then that's kind of golf I don't really care to see, where it's just like I said, the fairway is razor thin, so everybody's gonna miss it.
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_01: And then you're basically just rewarding the guy who hits it the furthest because everybody's missing the fairway, no matter if you hit it 250 or 350.
• 33:43
  SPEAKER_01: So obviously guys like Bryson then are at a really big advantage.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_01: So hopefully we don't get that.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think we will.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_01: In terms of the course, Jeremy, uh how I I want to hear from you, I want to hear who you want to win and then who you think is gonna win.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_01: I have to preface this are two golf experts, the the guys I rely on most.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_01: Just no-shows.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_01: Mike Collins, Mike Blum.
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_01: Two absolute no-shows.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_01: Didn't send Collins didn't even send me his pick.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, it's really it's bad stuff.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_01: They might be they might be removed of their duties as golf experts on this podcast.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_01: I I mean, we we've been through this is the third major of the year, and between the two of them, there's four unexcused absences.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_01: So I I don't know.
• 34:22
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know what the deal is, but you might be this is your audition for a golf expert.
• 34:26
  SPEAKER_01: Listen, I'm ready to slide in, Sean.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_00: Over the last few years, I've really enjoyed following the sport for the for the big ones, for the big majors, or just for the majors in general, because they're all big for the smaller ones, too.
• 34:38
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm ready.
• 34:38
  SPEAKER_00: I'm ready to fill in their spots.
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, this is your audition.
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_01: I will first give me who you're rooting for.
• 34:45
  SPEAKER_00: Well, this podcast knows the deal, Sean.
• 34:47
  SPEAKER_00: You know the deal.
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_00: We're we're rooting for the Alabama guys, of course.
• 34:51
  SPEAKER_00: Justin Thomas, Bud Cauley in this one.
• 34:53
  SPEAKER_00: We have Nick Dunlap and uh and uh Davis Riley, unfortunately, not in this one, which is disappointing.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_00: But if they if they participate later on in the season, we'll we'll get behind them too.
• 35:04
  SPEAKER_00: So those are the guys I'm rooting for now because of uh because of a runaming, because of the PJ Championship, Aaron Rye.
• 35:11
  SPEAKER_00: I I have a soft spot for him going forward.
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_00: Eagles fan too, which I knew I I should have meant, maybe I mentioned this on the pod then.
• 35:18
  SPEAKER_00: If it was Schmidt who won the PJ Championship, the German, yeah, he would have said any of these guys, smaller guys from different countries, would have said, like, the Eagles are my favorite team.
• 35:28
  SPEAKER_00: I knew that was going in.
• 35:29
  SPEAKER_00: It was scripted.
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron Rye's the guy, of course, who won.
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_00: So uh I have a soft spot for him.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_00: Love to see Scotty win too, get back on the horse.
• 35:37
  SPEAKER_00: It's it hasn't been hasn't been amazing for him recently.
• 35:42
  SPEAKER_00: I think earlier in the year, maybe, maybe not.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
• 35:45
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I guess the Americans too.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_00: The Americans who stayed with uh the PGA and didn't go to uh that other that other three-letter word that shall not be mentioned.
• 35:54
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, those are those are I think my guys.
• 35:57
  SPEAKER_00: What about you, Sean?
• 35:58
  SPEAKER_01: I'm always the same, Jar.
• 35:59
  SPEAKER_01: I'm easy.
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_01: I'm easy going.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_01: It's Jordan Steet, it's Ludwig O'Bear, and it's Victor Hovlin.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_01: We've been in the wilderness with Vic for a while now.
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_01: It seems like he's actually playing good golf the last couple weeks, which of course is that's all you need to do to talk me into it and making sure I bet on him.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_01: That's all you need to do, Vic, is just have a couple half decent starts.
• 36:19
  SPEAKER_01: Sure, I'll pop toss a few bucks down.
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, those are the three.
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_01: They won't win because I root for them and I am a tortured fan.
• 36:25
  SPEAKER_01: I am expecting, and I want to hear your pick to win.
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_01: I I this is kind of another hard pick, by the way.
• 36:31
  SPEAKER_01: I can't even get myself to make a pick with my head for this.
• 36:35
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna go as between two guys, I'm gonna go with Tommy Fleetwood.
• 36:40
  SPEAKER_01: I will get burned again.
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_01: He he loves to do that.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_01: He doesn't win often.
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_01: No, but he he's a good course fit at Shinnikok.
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_01: People will remember he shot 63 in the final round here in 2018 when the the US Open was here.
• 36:54
  SPEAKER_01: I don't need 63 everyday, Tommy, but scores in the 60s each day, we're gonna we're gonna be in good shape.
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_01: So I would love, love Tommy lad.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_01: That'll be my pick for the record.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_01: The runner-up for me will be Xander Shoffley.
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_01: So my one-two, Tommy Fleet with Xander Shoffley.
• 37:09
  SPEAKER_00: I like it.
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_00: I guess for Tommy, that would uh get the monkey off his back too.
• 37:15
  SPEAKER_00: Uh yeah, never won a major.
• 37:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that would give him his first, would be cool.
• 37:19
  SPEAKER_00: I like it.
• 37:20
  SPEAKER_01: He's usually always in the mix.
• 37:22
  SPEAKER_01: So we'll see.
• 37:24
  SPEAKER_01: Who's your pick to win, Jared?
• 37:25
  SPEAKER_01: Official pick to win.
• 37:27
  SPEAKER_00: I will go.
• 37:29
  SPEAKER_00: I have a heart pick.
• 37:30
  SPEAKER_00: I'll go, I'll go, I'll go Scotty.
• 37:32
  SPEAKER_00: But I'll I'll throw in a I'll throw in a little bit of a change up and I'll go Sahith Sagala.
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 37:39
  SPEAKER_00: That would be exciting.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_00: There's nothing really, I don't think there's really muching much backing that to be honest, but I do like your Xander pick too.
• 37:47
  SPEAKER_00: That would be cool.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_00: But uh I'll give Sahith a little bit of love.
• 37:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, Xander's resume at US Opens is insane.
• 37:53
  SPEAKER_01: His worst ever finish is tied for 14th.
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_01: So pretty good.
• 37:58
  SPEAKER_01: Pretty good.
• 37:59
  SPEAKER_01: I think we can expect him to be around the mix.
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_00: He's been around the block too, so that's that's crazy.
• 38:05
  SPEAKER_00: That's that's a that that really is a top of the list of resume for for someone.
• 38:10
  SPEAKER_00: That's crazy.
• 38:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's it's I think if he I could be wrong on this, but I think if he gets another top 10 this week at US Open, he matches Tiger Woods for career top tens at US opens.
• 38:20
  SPEAKER_01: Wow.
• 38:21
  SPEAKER_01: And he's sure 30 years old.
• 38:23
  SPEAKER_01: So that is a pretty shocking stat.
• 38:27
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 38:27
  SPEAKER_01: But I'm excited for the golf this week.
• 38:29
  SPEAKER_01: It will play second fiddle to the World Cup, of course, for me.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_01: It will not take the main stage away, but I will be monitoring the situation.
• 38:37
  SPEAKER_01: I will not be neglecting it completely.
• 38:39
  SPEAKER_01: And also that could switch if Jordan's in and around the mix on Sunday.
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_01: That'll become the forefront of my attention.
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_01: Jared, let's close out the show with Did you see this?
• 38:48
  SPEAKER_01: One of our favorite segments to do.
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_01: Just covering a few different topics.
• 38:51
  SPEAKER_01: There's not a ton going on, but there's some stuff that I think is worth talking about.
• 38:56
  SPEAKER_01: I mentioned our golf experts being AWOL.
• 39:00
  SPEAKER_01: Our tennis expert is right here.
• 39:02
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know if the listeners know this.
• 39:03
  SPEAKER_01: You you are our tennis guy.
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_01: You are the person I turn to for all news in the tennis world.
• 39:10
  SPEAKER_01: I have one big storyline that we have to dive into.
• 39:13
  SPEAKER_01: Serena and Venus are returning to play doubles at Wimbledon.
• 39:18
  SPEAKER_01: Jeremy, what are your thoughts on this?
• 39:20
  SPEAKER_00: Well, it's exciting stuff, Sean.
• 39:22
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, this is this Serea Williams is the best women's tennis player ever.
• 39:26
  SPEAKER_01: I don't see that being best American, best American tennis player ever.
• 39:31
  SPEAKER_01: How about that?
• 39:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, sure.
• 39:33
  SPEAKER_00: Definitely, definitely, definitely America.
• 39:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 39:37
  SPEAKER_00: Who do you have outside the country then?
• 39:39
  SPEAKER_00: For men or women?
• 39:41
  SPEAKER_01: Women.
• 39:41
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, oh, oh, I see what you mean.
• 39:42
  SPEAKER_01: I was saying she's the best any gender in the United States, was my point.
• 39:47
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, definitely.
• 39:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 39:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, definitely.
• 39:49
  SPEAKER_00: I do I'm a Roger guy, though.
• 39:51
  SPEAKER_00: I do.
• 39:52
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, me too.
• 39:52
  SPEAKER_00: Listen.
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_00: Roger.
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_00: Roger's a goat.
• 39:54
  SPEAKER_00: Best to do it.
• 39:55
  SPEAKER_00: Until until Carlito.
• 39:56
  SPEAKER_00: Can I do that?
• 39:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, he's he's he's Carlito guy.
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_00: He's strumming.
• 40:00
  SPEAKER_00: Gotta get him healthy.
• 40:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um yeah, this is awesome.
• 40:03
  SPEAKER_00: This is great stuff.
• 40:04
  SPEAKER_00: This is what uh it's tough when uh you have these players like we have recently with Vetter, with Nadal, with Serena retiring, it just puts a massive hole on the sport.
• 40:16
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that men's tennis, too, has been bitten by like just this there's still good talent, but not having those two horsemen and having Djokovic on the later stage at 40.
• 40:30
  SPEAKER_00: It's been weird.
• 40:31
  SPEAKER_00: But so when someone like Serena can return to the women's game, that's that's always gonna be a sell.
• 40:39
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I think she's had she's gone through several surgeries, she's had a kid since, and to do it, I think at age 44.
• 40:49
  SPEAKER_00: Like what a story.
• 40:50
  SPEAKER_00: And it's really cool just to see her, any which way you can see her get back on the court in a competitive fashion like this at Wimbledon, too.
• 40:59
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, must watch TV, must Hunden, so great for them.
• 41:03
  SPEAKER_00: What a what a treat they'll see.
• 41:05
  SPEAKER_00: And it's just anytime you can get these moments, embrace it.
• 41:08
  SPEAKER_00: Jared, can they make a run and win the doubles side?
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_01: Or probably not.
• 41:14
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 41:17
  SPEAKER_01: I was kind of under that assumption that they would struggle.
• 41:20
  SPEAKER_01: They're both in their forties, haven't played professionally in a bit.
• 41:23
  SPEAKER_01: So I kind of thought, oh, this might just be a for fun thing.
• 41:26
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know how serious they'll be, but then I was thinking about it more and I was like, well, I don't know, like Serena's serve still has to be pretty damn good.
• 41:34
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 41:35
  SPEAKER_01: Like like and it's doubles, so you don't need to cover as much ground.
• 41:37
  SPEAKER_01: So I was kind of talking myself into a little run, but then I ultimately I was like, I don't think so.
• 41:42
  SPEAKER_00: They are a good team.
• 41:44
  SPEAKER_00: They they are sisters, they are very close, they've always played well together.
• 41:48
  SPEAKER_00: Age Age makes it tough, but like you said, you cut you cut the court in half with uh doubles, which is nice.
• 41:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um some of the top talent in the women's game has gotten really, really good too, with doubles at the top, and uh having someone more youthful than those two will help.
• 42:07
  SPEAKER_00: But listen, there's there's there's something there's something about Serena.
• 42:11
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe they can make some noise for sure.
• 42:13
  SPEAKER_00: I wouldn't be surprised if they make noise.
• 42:15
  SPEAKER_00: Do Shane Douglas and I, the gruesome Tosome, stand on the Cancun rooftop against these two?
• 42:21
  SPEAKER_00: On the Cancun rooftop, absolutely.
• 42:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um ran that court.
• 42:25
  SPEAKER_00: My goodness, yeah.
• 42:26
  SPEAKER_00: There's uh if uh if the balls weren't flying off my racket outside of the outside of our resort, just sailing.
• 42:33
  SPEAKER_00: It was it was it was honestly because of uh your serve and your and your impact at net with your height and your precision for contact and putting away shots.
• 42:43
  SPEAKER_00: So fortunately for them, they don't have to face you guys uh in Cancun.
• 42:47
  SPEAKER_00: So that's a that's gonna be a plus for them.
• 42:49
  SPEAKER_01: That's that's a home game for me and Chano.
• 42:52
  SPEAKER_01: Next bit of news, Jar.
• 42:54
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just assuming, based on your musical tastes and your Alabama ties, that you're a jelly roll guy.
• 43:01
  SPEAKER_01: I could be wrong.
• 43:02
  SPEAKER_03: I like jelly roll.
• 43:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know, I knew you would.
• 43:05
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not I'm not like I like a lot of his singles.
• 43:09
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not like religious to the music.
• 43:10
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not like I'm gonna put on jelly roll.
• 43:13
  SPEAKER_00: If the song, if it comes on in the queue, because we're going through a country grind on a on a drive.
• 43:18
  SPEAKER_00: There there are several songs I like.
• 43:20
  SPEAKER_00: Not a big, big fan, but uh, but some of his stuff is good, yeah.
• 43:23
  SPEAKER_01: Can I interest you in some jelly roll news then?
• 43:26
  SPEAKER_01: We have uh an XO bunny.
• 43:28
  SPEAKER_01: Is that her name?
• 43:29
  SPEAKER_01: A divorce is in the works between Jelly Roll and his 10-year wife.
• 43:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, right before 10-year anniversary.
• 43:35
  SPEAKER_01: I see he's getting he's getting a divorce.
• 43:39
  SPEAKER_01: I just thought this would be of note to you, as like I mentioned, an Alabama guy.
• 43:43
  SPEAKER_01: I just wanted to publicly state too.
• 43:45
  SPEAKER_01: This gave me an opportunity.
• 43:46
  SPEAKER_01: I would like to opt out of Jelly Roll.
• 43:48
  SPEAKER_01: There was a time where I was like, Oh, the story's awesome.
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_01: He lost a lot of weight, looks good, it seems like he's doing a lot of good.
• 43:54
  SPEAKER_01: I I'm not so sure I'm buying it anymore.
• 43:56
  SPEAKER_01: I I'm gonna opt out and I'm gonna just let the next 10.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_01: Years play out before we revisit the jelly roll conversation.
• 44:04
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just not so sure.
• 44:05
  SPEAKER_01: I'm sold on this man's behavior.
• 44:07
  SPEAKER_01: I'd like to get your thoughts on the divorce and then him in general.
• 44:11
  SPEAKER_00: It'll be interesting what we see, what what changes after this divorce, what it what this transpires to.
• 44:16
  SPEAKER_00: Massive news, too.
• 44:18
  SPEAKER_00: This was the headline from everything from Yahoo for like every news site, too, which I wasn't even aware of his wife, yet alone they were married for almost 10 years.
• 44:27
  SPEAKER_00: So uh Yeah, we'll see.
• 44:28
  SPEAKER_00: We'll see what uh what happens after this.
• 44:31
  SPEAKER_00: If this were Taylor, we'd be getting a lot of banging music.
• 44:34
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we'll see, we'll see what uh what transpires because of this.
• 44:38
  SPEAKER_01: Uh yeah, I don't think his songwriting's gonna drastically improve now that he's going through some heartbreak.
• 44:43
  SPEAKER_01: I could be wrong.
• 44:44
  SPEAKER_01: I've been wrong before, but just not not for me.
• 44:47
  SPEAKER_01: Well, you mentioned her, Jarr.
• 44:48
  SPEAKER_01: That's the last did you see this?
• 44:50
  SPEAKER_01: Did you see that Taylor Swift becomes the youngest woman ever inducted into the songwriting hall of fame?
• 44:56
  SPEAKER_01: I just have to point out this is about 18 years too late.
• 45:00
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, this should have happened after Fearless.
• 45:02
  SPEAKER_01: This is uh this is old news is that she's one of the GOATs in terms of writing music.
• 45:06
  SPEAKER_01: I think I'm right in saying you think this award is worthy, right?
• 45:11
  SPEAKER_00: Very worthy.
• 45:12
  SPEAKER_00: The only thing that makes it unworthy, however old Taylor Swift is, she should have been giving this award a year before she was born.
• 45:21
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's it's it's a little surprising that she's getting it this late.
• 45:26
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, in all seriousness, like yeah, I know you said the 2008 stuff, don't get me wrong, but like it's 2026.
• 45:33
  SPEAKER_00: Like what like maybe maybe you have to get to a certain age, but I don't know.
• 45:36
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, yeah, it's like six years after retirement.
• 45:40
  SPEAKER_00: Right, exactly.
• 45:41
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, they uh I guess they wanted to uh double check and make sure, but uh well were they, of course.
• 45:48
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, one of the one of the one of the goats, one of the best to put pen to paper.
• 45:52
  SPEAKER_01: And also on this note, uh, we yesterday saw some video, some photos of Taylor heading into and leaving Electric Lady Studios in New York City several times.
• 46:05
  SPEAKER_01: Apparently she was there for over eight hours with at one point the Hyam sisters, Danielle and Alana at least.
• 46:12
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know about SC, but Jeremy, this this could be some big news on the new music front.
• 46:18
  SPEAKER_00: It would be something.
• 46:19
  SPEAKER_00: We got uh we have the Toy Story song, uh, and then maybe I mean maybe an album of brewing.
• 46:26
  SPEAKER_00: That would be uh that would be something.
• 46:27
  SPEAKER_00: And we know with her log when she gets when Taylor gets on a grind, she is just churning out music.
• 46:33
  SPEAKER_00: She's churning out music when we think that she's done churning out music, so that would be cool.
• 46:38
  SPEAKER_00: And boy, do we love that.
• 46:40
  SPEAKER_01: So, yes, that that's something else that we will be monitoring in the weeks to come.
• 46:45
  SPEAKER_01: Jeremy, that is it from me.
• 46:47
  SPEAKER_01: Any parting thoughts?
• 46:48
  SPEAKER_01: I'm excited to get together next week in Philadelphia.
• 46:52
  SPEAKER_01: We're gonna watch the Cote d'Ivoire versus Curacao game.
• 46:56
  SPEAKER_01: We're gonna watch the United States men's national team play Turkey.
• 46:59
  SPEAKER_01: We got a lot, a lot going on.
• 47:01
  SPEAKER_01: We got to know a con concert together on the day after.
• 47:05
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, what a summer for the boys.
• 47:08
  SPEAKER_00: This will be fun.
• 47:09
  SPEAKER_00: This will be exciting.
• 47:10
  SPEAKER_00: I've been looking forward to this for a while.
• 47:12
  SPEAKER_00: So getting this close right now, it's uh it's kind of been torturous, but I'm excited.
• 47:16
  SPEAKER_00: This is what uh anticipation's all about.
• 47:18
  SPEAKER_00: This is what this is what you embrace, this is what you want.
• 47:21
  SPEAKER_00: So it'll be it'll be fun, it'll be very exciting.
• 47:24
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I thank you as always for coming on.
• 47:26
  SPEAKER_00: It's always it's always a pleasure.
• 47:28
  SPEAKER_00: Appreciate Sean.
• 47:29
  SPEAKER_00: As always, it's great to be on, great to talk, of course, by the merch.
• 47:33
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 47:34
  SPEAKER_01: Listeners, thank you all for tuning in, and until next time, take care of a lot of people.