Latest / The Tortured Fans Department / Ep. 63 - Hot Blooded (World Cup Wrap-Up, Golf Major Season is Over, Bryson's Antics, MLB Takes Center Stage, Hot Takes and The Odyssey)

Transcript

Ep. 63 - Hot Blooded (World Cup Wrap-Up, Golf Major Season is Over, Bryson's Antics, MLB Takes Center Stage, Hot Takes and The Odyssey) · The Tortured Fans Department

• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: I mean Hello everybody and welcome back to another episode of the Tortured Fans Department podcast.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Sean Boyle, and joining me today, becoming a more and more frequent guest here on the program, it's Mr.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: Mark Monero.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: Mark, how are you?
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: I am good, Sean.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_01: It's good to be home stateside, been doing doing some traveling every now and then.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_01: So now that I you know I'm in a you know the same state and in a consistent spot, I'm happy to be joining more often.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_01: So appreciate you having me.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's probably your fourth time on the program, and it's I think it's your first coming from home.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: So glad to have you back stateside.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: It's great to have a stable Wi-Fi connection with you.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: We're really we're really starting to cook.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: Mark, we got a lot to get into today.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: It's kind of an episode where we're gonna scratch the surface of several topics, but maybe not go too deep into any of them.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: It's the summer.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: We're trying to enjoy ourselves.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: There's not a ton of sports on at the moment.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: The sports we're going to talk about are mostly sports that just kind of concluded.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: We're going to talk about the World Cup.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: We'll talk about the open championship, which was the last major on the golf calendar.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: We've got a little MLB to catch the listeners up on.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: Mark, you're a good guy to talk Major League Baseball.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm excited about that.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: And then we do have a couple of hot takes, which I would encourage the listeners to stick around for because in the pre-show prep, some stuff was flying around that seems pretty enticing and worthwhile.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: So who knows what we'll let out, but there's a chance we might regret some things in the hot take section.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: Mark, let's start with the World Cup coming to an end.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: Spain obviously are the champions.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: They are the deserved champions.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: They were the best team in this tournament by a pretty wide margin, it seems.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: I as someone who is a, I would consider you a very casual soccer fan, somebody who's getting more and more into the sport.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: You lived in London for a few months.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: That had to have helped.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: Can you just sum up your experience with the World Cup being in the US and how you kind of took it in and maybe your friends and family what they thought of the event?
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think uh you know, we talked a little about it a little on the the last episode that I was on, but it it was really awesome for the U.S.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_01: And and I'm really hoping like we're just at this point, right, where you You know, I would love to have that that passion that the rest of the world has.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_01: And I think like each passing large soccer event or or World Cup gets me closer to that point.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I think the the toughest part when you think about following a club throughout, you know, your your general life is like something that you were brought up in.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_01: You kind of have to start at you know age 30 versus age five.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_01: That's kind of the hardest part.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_01: But I think there's a lot of people that want to get there.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_01: Like they they want, and I don't know what that compelling event is.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe it's it would have been the US getting to the the semis or something like that.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_01: But you know, it was awesome.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_01: The fandom was fantastic.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, even friends and family who weren't really like too die hard sports fans, like everyone was watching the games, and and that's kind of the camaraderie that you want to see.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think that's a good point.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: It would have been great if we if the US was able to go one step further and really continue to capture and maybe even grow that audience that was really rooting for the United States only.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: Because a lot of people were tuning in just because it was the U.S.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: brand, it was our national team.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: We lost some of those people after the US went out, but I do think for the people who stuck around and gave this tournament a fair shot, it seems like nothing but glowing reviews from people who were not football or soccer fans to begin with.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: It seems like everyone was like, wow, this is kind of an eye-opening thing here, and they're all at least a little bit encouraged to get into a club in some capacity for the upcoming season.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that overall is a success.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I I honestly too, I don't think this is the last time we're gonna see the World Cup and it's gonna be quick.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm seeing like, you know, think about the infrastructure that we have here.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_01: And I did see that, like, in terms of what FIFA had to put out to actually build these stadiums.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, there were some renovations on the the pitches and getting the turf out, which we can have a whole other dialogue about how NFL teams should be grass only, because I I'll I'll I'll die on that hill.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um but you know, they weren't building stadiums, they made a ton of profit on this, and the infrastructure's there, and I wouldn't be surprised in 2038 or 42 or something like that to be seeing one come here sooner rather than later.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: I'll go one step further, Mark.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: We could break the news on this program.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: This is a co-statement from the Torture fans.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: The World Cup will be back here in 2038.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: I I just have a feeling that that's gonna be what ends up happening.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: If I'm wrong, don't quote me.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: But then I'll just push it four more years and say definitely 2042.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: 2042 just sounds like an insane year.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: That sounds like a year from a movie.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: I can't believe that that's not that far away.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: But I agree with you completely.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: The World Cup will be back here soon.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: It's so much better to host it in an area that has the infrastructure already in place.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: We saw in Qatar during the last World Cup, it's an absolute shit show having these stadiums built.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: There's human rights issues all over the place, and it's just gross.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: So go to where the stadiums are, let's not build stadiums for a six-week tournament.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: We see this all the time with the Olympics as well.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: These countries that and these cities that bid to be hosts don't have anything in place, then spend a billion dollars, and then are left just absolutely decimated once the event's over because that's all they had to look forward to.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean that that that might be considered a hot take in and of itself.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_01: And the only reason why I say that about 2038 is because you're going up against FIFA.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_01: You know, this is they're the biggest wild card of them all.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_01: Like I could see the I could see the 2038 World Cup being in like Djibouti or Bahrain.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we got no idea where this money's coming from, but uh I think that yeah, I think the ones we have lined up, the next World Cup of 2030 is in a combination of Spain, Morocco, Portugal, and Argentina, I believe, actually host the kickoff matches.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: And then the fallen world cup is in Saudi Arabia.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: So I feel like we're due to be back in this hemisphere after after that.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: So I place your place small wagers responsibly on the US being hosts in 2038.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: Mark, the only other thing I wanted to talk about, World Cup related, a lot of the takeaways from people who don't live in this country is there's been some criticisms to how we Americanized the sport.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: We've had the water breaks put in, which have created, in essence, quarters to the soccer game, which does not usually have quarters, and then also the halftime show in the final, which was a grand production.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not so sure how grand the actual offering was.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: A lot went into it.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not sure we got a lot out of it, and it was a 10-minute longer halftime than normal, which also caused some concern because what should be most important in a final is the football.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: What were your thoughts on kind of the Americanization of this game?
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_01: Listen, Sean, you you know, Americanize it all you want.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_01: 62.8 million viewers a record for a World Cup final.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_01: So the numbers speak for themselves.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: And I think it was the most watched event in the US that was non-Super Bowl as well.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: Most watched sporting event, yeah.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_01: Which is incredible.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm I don't love that.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_01: The really the only thing that I can't get over is the hydration breaks.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, growing up, watching I've watched it, I watched the 2010 World Cup, the 14 World Cup, like, you know, and and football all around the world.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_01: And uh, you know, I just don't understand it.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_01: I don't even think the players like it.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: No, you could see some games completely shift after the breaks happened, and I do understand that if it's 95 degrees, there's probably a need for health and safety reasons to have a hydration break, but to build them into every game and then commercialize it in the way that only we and FIFA could do, that's where it becomes a bit gross.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_00: But overall, let's not harp on the negatives, a lot of positives to take from the World Cup.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: I had a ton of fun in terms of like sports over the summer.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: Oftentimes it's a time to switch off, just enjoy the weather, travel.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: This gave me a real reason to be more interested in sports over the summer than I've ever been, I think.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: Between hosting the football podcast, Friends on Football, and having sort of a responsibility to watch these games, so I sound a little bit educated talking about them.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: It was kind of like a whirlwind six weeks because so many teams are in it that you have to preview and you learn about.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: But I thought overall it was a great experience, and I can't wait for four years from now.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm fired up.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_01: Let's just hope uh hope we have a little bit better of a show, and hopefully these guys on Team US will uh you know perform a little bit better than they than they had previously.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, I I I know I was throwing out some incendiary takes about uh you know our our gaffer Pachettino, but if he came back, I'd be thrilled.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know who else we're gonna get at that point, but you know, in the heat of the moment, I'll I'll hand up on that one.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_01: But uh but yeah, would love to have him back or someone of the like.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, I know we've been talking about who could be that person too.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's all we ask here is a hand up.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: I toss my hand up every episode.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: I'm I'm wrong constantly, so we appreciate the accountability.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: Let's move on to golf.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_00: Mark, the major season's over.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: Ryan Fox won the open championship.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_00: Not a guy that everyone would be familiar with.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: He has been around a bit.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: He's older.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: He's I think he I think he's 39 years old.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: He's a first-time major champion.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: Blum and I would like to issue on cue some hands up.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: We did a segment where we picked five names and said one of these guys has to win.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: Ryan Fox was not on our list, safe to say.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_00: So we should have known not to do that in an open championship.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: We always seem to get some random winners in this event.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_00: I guess talk to me about Foxy.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: Did you see the manner in which he won at least?
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, this guy was just running to his ball and hitting it.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_01: It was amazing.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_01: Like his his pace of play as a guy who like normally I I and when I'm hitting terrible shots, all I want to do is get up to the the next uh you know shot of mine.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_01: So obviously he wasn't hitting terrible shots, but just as a fast pace of play guy, oh my goodness, it was great.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, dude, get these people off the green, let him go, like let him cook.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_01: I also must say I'm shocked Blum didn't have that in his models because he feels I feel like he knows every sort of like deep cut golfer on the planet.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um when we we were texting about him, I was like, who is Ryan Fox until I started like really diving into him.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_01: But you know, fun guy, uh happy for him and his family.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_01: He flew back home on a commercial flight, you know, a man of the people, and the cleric jug was in the overhead bin.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, some cool stuff.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: That is awesome.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_00: He does seem like such a down-to-earth good dude, too.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: A New Zealander, a Kiwi.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: His dad was a professional rugby player, regarded as one of the best rugby players ever, I believe, in New Zealand.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: So he comes from an athletic background.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_00: I believe his grandfather was an athlete in some sport as well, I forget which one, but seems like a generally good guy that's well liked by everybody so good for Foxy.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I don't want this to sound like an insult to Foxy, but the question I have for you is kind of twofold.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_00: But we'll start with do we have a problem in golf with a lack of superstars, especially American superstars?
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: How many people would you say, Mark?
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_00: You're a pretty decently big golf fan.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_00: How many people would you say are recognizable superstars in the sport?
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_01: I could probably count them on one hand, like for you know, the all the fans out there, like you know, somebody that's even less of a fan than than me, um, you know, watching some of these tournaments around like friends and family.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_01: I I I really think you know you're gonna have your your Scotties, um, you know, your Rory's obviously are top two.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I don't know like Ryson would it would fit into that because of his following.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: We'll get into him in a minute, but he's at least I would consider him in that level of fame.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_00: But I think that might be it.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: John Ron.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think we're in a problem where like the the names are not performing the way they should be.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_01: And and I'm I'm gonna call out your guy.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: I mean he's dead, right?
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, if he was performing the way he should be, instant star.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_01: Ricky Fowler, Dustin Johnson, all these guys that were were very, very good for some time have kind of fallen off, and then we're kind of in this this weird middle ground where it's opening the door for the likes of like the Cam Youngs of the world who's an awesome golfer but just doesn't have quite that star power or recognition or uh you know persona to him.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: And it's kind of the same for Scotty, who's an unbelievable player, but you don't think superstar when you look at Scotty Scheffler.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_00: You think a guy who looks like he's 40 but is actually 30, and for some reason he's just phenomenal at golf.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_00: He's by far the best player in the world, but I don't think he has that pop.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_00: And it's it's hard to hold him to the standard of Tiger Woods, but when his play sort of resembles Tigers over the last few years, you want the guy to have that kind of personality and pop to him as well.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_00: And Scotty just doesn't have that for whatever reason.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: He's a bit boring.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_00: That's kind of why I don't like him.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: Cam Young, I think, has that same thing.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: I I like Cam Young a lot, seems like a good dude.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: It's just kind of like, are people tuning in to see Cam Young hit golf shots?
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think the casual fans are doing that.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_00: I think there's only a few of those guys, and I wanted to bring it up too, because I think we have a similar problem at tennis, Mark.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: And in tennis, it's Carlos Alcaraz and Yannick Sinner with Djokovic still kind of holding hanging around, but there's no Americans on the men's side in the picture.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I think this is a real, it's a threat-level orange, I would say, at least, in these two kind of country club sports, tennis and golf, that the Americans are being phased out in a big way.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: The French are starting to take over basketball, and I'm worried we're losing stuff we used to be good at as well here with golf and tennis.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, I think that's a great point.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_01: And and just kind of going back to golf for a second, like if you know, bring Tiger Woods to any tournament, emphasis on bring him there.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_01: Um, don't let him drive himself, but bring him to any tournament, and he's gonna have, even if he's 60 years old, the biggest following.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_01: Everyone, like he is he's an icon.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_01: And no matter how he's playing, like he's always gonna be the biggest name in golf.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_01: And I just don't obviously he's you know a legend, and Rory kind of started to approach it, but outside of that, like I struggle to see in sort of legends that we have in the game that are that are coming up.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_01: And then tennis too.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_01: It's like you know, Alcaraz and and Center are fantastic.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_01: I I don't quite see yet them getting to that point of you know, the midalls and fetters and and jokers of the world.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_01: So we we need some we need some some life sprung back into these sports, especially from the Americans.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, the Americans just need to get better quick.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_00: And and on the women's side, we lost Serena and Venus, who were like that that was our beacon, that was our guiding light on the women's side, probably arguably one of the best tennis players ever, Serena, on either end.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_00: And since she's retired, it's been just there's been there's not been a star on top of the women's game either.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: I I mean Sabalenka's great, but we're not really relating to her as American fans.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_00: So I I just feel like it's a I wanted to bring it up as a cause for concern here.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_00: And what makes it even less tolerable is when one of those two American names we brought up as potential superstars in the sport is the most insufferable guy in the world.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_00: Bryson DeCambo once again made headlines, not for his play.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_00: Uh he missed the cut in the other three majors mark, and then what he did in this one was worse than missing the cut.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: He gets penalized two strokes for uh improving his swing path, let's say.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and he he hit the ball in the high fescue, he goes over there and he's stomping around like an elephant, just recklessly stepping near his ball.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_00: And whether you mean to intentionally or you do not, if you improve your lie or your swing path, it is a penalty.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: Well, what happened was Bryson does this, and then four or five hours later, when his round is over, they show him the tape and try to enforce the penalty.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_00: Bryson, he goes back out there, he's reenacting it, Mark.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_00: It's absolute scenes.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_00: Talk to me about Did you see this situation?
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't see it as much as I should have.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_01: I gotta, I gotta dive into it.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_01: But truthfully, Sean, that doesn't surprise me at all.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, this is the you know, unfortunately, this is why we start to hear people saying, like, shrink the game.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, what are we doing?
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_01: Where was the where's the decorum here for the game of golf?
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_01: You know, and I think that that then leads into the the YouTube fandom and then just the the crazies that are out there are you know coming to your local Muni now.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's just we can't be doing that.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_01: We we gotta you know respect the game.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I I think shrink the game might be the message here.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_00: Bryson, the incident for me, I don't think Bryson's a cheater.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_00: Like Bryson, Scotty Shuffler said it right.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_00: He said Bryson's a lot of things, but I don't expect I don't think he's a cheater.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_00: I agree.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_00: We we don't have a ton of cheating instances with Bryson.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_00: It's how he responds and interacts with people that's the problem.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_00: He is genuinely, this is me speaking, it's my opinion.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_00: I think he's my least favorite athlete, and I use that word in quotations ever.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_00: Because, first of all, there's a general there's an air about professional golfers that uh it feels a little bit hard to like them to begin with.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_00: They all sort of have that country club uh they they came up playing in, you know, well off for the most part, and they're not the most relatable guys.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Briggson takes that to the millionth degree.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_00: Uh he is genuinely detestable.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_00: Uh everything, every instance where he has a chance to save grace and make himself look like a decent human, he always goes the opposite way.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and then when he goes too far, he'll do a few months of PR and go back on YouTube and post videos for all the kids to like.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and he gets himself back in the good graces or people seem to forget just how big of an asshole he is.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_00: This guy sucks.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_00: He's like King Joffrey in Game of Thrones, uh, who's the worst television character of all time.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_00: Bryson's the worst actual character of all time.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_00: He's just a bad guy.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_00: He threatened to quit the tournament after they said they were enforcing the penalty mark.
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_00: He threatened to call President Trump as if this was a FIFA hearing.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_00: It's just, it's all gross.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_00: I would like nothing more than to never see Bryson play in a professional golf event again.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_00: Unfortunately, though, what he's doing is brilliant because he's got these uh these youngins coming from the depths in the queue.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_00: They're all Bryson guys.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_00: They're yelling for him at tournaments.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_00: The kids love Bryson.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_00: It's like an elf.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_00: The children love the books, the children love Bryson, and it's a problem.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_00: It's a real problem.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_00: This is a threat level red.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_01: You know, he's gotta, I mean, unfortunately, he sold his soul to the devil.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_01: You know, there's this, he's still whatever live golf even might be at this point.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_01: I don't even, I don't even know the state of it.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_01: But like, he could have a lot more following and good graces and whatnot, but he's on, you know, I don't even know what this what's what's the team that he's on, like maybe the crush.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_01: I don't even know what they're called.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_01: But no, that's the you know, I hear what you're saying.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um I'm actually I'm surprised, but you know, pleasantly surprised to hear that maybe someone's overtaken Vontez Perfect on your least favorite athletes of all time uh ranking, because that's certainly like that's a tough one for you as well.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_00: Uh being a doctor, Vontes Perfect was intentionally hurting my Steelers.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_00: He was just out to hurt them, and that hurt me.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, I don't I don't like Vontez Perfect.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_00: He was he was a dirty, dirty player.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: I think Bryson, I hate leaps and bounds more than Vontez Perfect.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_00: I think Vontez Berfect as a human, I could go hang out with him and we would have no problems.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_00: Bryson, I wouldn't be able to speak a word to.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_00: And what sucks about that is because I genuinely think Bryson's a pretty smart guy.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_00: What how he's built his entire career and the math he does around his swing and his golf ball and his clubs, it's all kind of interesting.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_00: But then you layer that with just the levels and levels of arrogance and unlikability and just woe is me and being a douchebag.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_00: I just I I'm so out on him.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so thankful that I only have to see him during the majors now, partially because he was part of the problem in ruining the PJ tour and I don't watch as much, and also just because he only plays in four events that anybody watches.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you're not tuned into live Adelaide in January.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I know that's like a that's a big draw of all like eight 18 people to go.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_00: No, I I've not ever watched I don't know how to find Live Golf.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_00: I wouldn't know how to put it on.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's on like the CW.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_00: There we go.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_00: That says enough.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_00: The CW.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_00: It's what it comes on right after Riverdale.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think that'll do it for golf.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_00: The major season's over.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_00: What does suck about this new golf calendar mark is we have like 260 days until the Masters, which is the first major 2027.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_00: And because of the state of the PGA tour, I almost can't care about the sport until then.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_00: So they've really made themselves like a three-month window here for us to care.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_00: And the rest is like, well, we'll see it.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_00: We'll see you when we see you, especially when it's not a rider cup year.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I don't I know that they move the PGA back to May to try to you know avoid NFL preseason and whatnot.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_01: But like I would I would love something in August to look forward to.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_01: I don't need the PGA in May.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_01: You know, there's playoffs for NBA, NHL, there's baseball.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_01: It just seems like a little bit much then.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_01: But then in August, when like the summer is dead, there's nothing really going on outside of like NFL prep and preseason.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_01: I would love a major to have to have something there.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_01: And I feel like that would ignite the rest of the year.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you're exactly right because it's the tournament ends, say, July 19th.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_00: And for some people, you're like, oh yeah, summer's getting started, it's underway.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_00: July and August are big summer months, and there's no golf that people care about to be played.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_00: So it's like, well, that seems dumb.
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I feel like we need a better common sense committee running the PJ tour.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_00: I know they're doing some restructuring, but I I don't know if it'll help.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_00: I think they're a lost cause.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_00: Mark, that does mean we have to shift our attention to baseball.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_00: Baseball's the talk of the town now.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_00: We we've cleared out the calendars.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_00: It is just enjoy the sun, watch a ball game at night is now the recipe for me.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I wanted to do a check-in with you.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_00: You're a much bigger, broader baseball fan than I am.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_00: I only watch the Phillies.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know anybody on any other team, but I do watch a good amount of Phillies games.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_00: So if they're playing the Phillies, I might pick up a note or two.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_00: But I wanted to ask you, let's start with a zoom out and say how many teams do you think can win the World Series?
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_00: Is it a big pool or is it just a few teams that we're really watching here?
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's a few teams, Sean.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's a few teams that.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: Almost are exclusively from the National League.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_01: The American League this year is abysmal.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, the wild card teams are near, uh, you know, near or or even below 500.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_01: The Red Sox just played there on an absolute heater right now, winning uh, you know, they had won 14 in a row.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they still have won 14 in a row, they haven't lost yet.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_01: You know, so they are they are getting hot, but I mean, it's really the the Rays in the American League, uh, I'm thinking.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_01: But outside of that, the Dodgers, I mean, really, let's be honest, it's one team that can win it all.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just we can let's let's be honest, but it's the Dodgers, it's the Braves, it's the Phillies.
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_01: No, I I would I would call the National League playoffs, I would call the World Series.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_01: I think that the National League wins pretty easily, and I think you're the best teams that are there, uh the Dodgers, the Phillies, the Brewers, and the Braves.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_01: I think those are kind of your four, and then maybe the Rays over in the AL or the Yankees, you know, depending on who takes that division.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_01: But I really see I don't see the AL being um you know too much of a threat.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_01: And even I was watching well, some of the all-star coverage, and even Derek Jeter was saying, like the AL has been the dominant league for years, and just it's they're not cutting it this year.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_00: That's interesting.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't realize the AL was that bad.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_00: I I did know that the Red Sox are red hot and the Yankees have only won, I believe, 10 of their last 25.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_00: I think they're 10 and 15 over the last 25.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_00: So I have a question.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_00: Would you rather be for the rest of the season?
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_00: Would you rather be the Yankees or the Red Sox?
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, the Red Sox.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, first of all, I let's, you know, they're all they're on a heater.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_01: They got nothing to lose.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, the Yankees manager, who he's Aaron Boone's always seems to be on the hot seat.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_01: Red Sox are just playing with house money.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_01: They already fired Cora.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_01: You play a Fenway Park.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you got like I went to the home run derby and watched Wilson Contreras, and I love that dude.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_01: He was pimping home runs, you know, calling the fans on.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_01: Those are the types of people you want to kind of get behind.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_01: Like they I feel like they're a fun squad.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, I'm not a I'm not the biggest Bronx Bombers fan, and you know.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, give me the Red Sox.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_01: I always refer for the Red Sox over the Yankees.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_00: Me too, and it's weird.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_00: It might be the Irish in me, the Boston, the Irish ties there.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_00: My dad growing up, he always wore a Boston Red Sox hat with just the B on it, and he always used to tell people it stood for Boyle.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_00: So that was his thing.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_00: So maybe I've just been around.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_00: The Red Sox have always kind of been a team I root for.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_00: I've all I'm a Phillies fan first and foremost, but the Red Sox and Cubs, and those two historic ballparks I think play a factor in it.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_00: They kind of remind me of European soccer stadiums where they're just amongst the community, and that's what I think sports should be.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think they should be these industrialized and big parking lots around stadiums where you sit in traffic to get in and out of.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_00: I love the fact that you can just take public transportation, walk a few feet, and you're into Wrigley, or you're into Fenway, or you could just walk from your neighborhood and you can hear the ball game as you're walking the streets.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's really cool.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm drawn to those two teams.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_00: I agree with you though, I would much rather be the Red Sox.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_00: It feels like their pitching was good all year, and then their bats were just horrible and letting them down, and now they're picking it up.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_00: And in this win streak, they're finding crazy ways to win games, which is cool to see.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_00: You like, I do always feel like every summer we get one of these long win streaks, and they're they kind of get the casual fan to tune in, like, oh, did the did they win today?
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_00: Did they win again?
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_00: And when it gets up around 20, that's when you really start gotta start to take notice.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, the old uh the old Oakland A's 20-game money ball streak back in the early 2000s.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_01: But I think we're gonna really see it was funny, like the Red Sox were sellers, they were identified as sellers for the longest time.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_01: Chapman and Contreras on the block.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think they're selling now.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_01: And it's gonna be you're gonna see in the next you know week or so who thinks that they got a chance to contend and who doesn't.
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_01: When is the trade that money?
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_01: Uh end of the month.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, okay.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_00: Well, that's yeah, that's next week.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_00: You're right.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_00: So as Phillies fans, what do you think about the Phillies prospects?
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_00: Are they as currently constructed, can they beat the Dodgers in a playoff series?
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_01: We need help.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_01: I mean we need help.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I think uh, you know, the top three starters, obviously, you know, they'll take you far in a playoff series.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_01: We need a little bit more on the the back half of the rotation, even though you really only need four guys when you get deeper in there.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_01: Um the bullpen's been struggling, as as we all know.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so that's it, that's something we gotta pick up.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_01: And then honestly, for like I I just want us to make, let's just do it.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_01: Let's just make a splash.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_01: Go get like go get the biggest name you can possibly get and throw them in the outfield and just let's push all the chips in.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_01: There's probably gonna be a lockout next year, and who knows what's gonna happen with these prospects.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_01: Everyone that comes up seems to be like a 4A player.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_01: So can we just like just put in all the chips, trade them all, and go get the best name you can get and let's go up against the Dodgers and see what happens.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_01: I lost it.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_01: That's a big week coming up for Mr.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_01: Dombrowski.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_01: I'm excited to see what he does.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_00: Might have you back on after the trade deadline to kind of recap the baseball stretch as we come towards an end of the season.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_00: It's weird.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_00: We're now shifting our focus to baseball mark, but it seems like these guys have been playing forever already, and then you realize it's only just been the all-star break, and we still have a real long way to go.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_00: So this these are kind of the dog days of summer.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_00: But I do think the trade deadline provides for some intrigue, and then hopefully we get some tight races to keep our eye on baseball until the playoffs, because playoff baseball is great.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_00: It's just sometimes the manner in which we get there can be a little bit tedious.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and I think uh, you know, we get we got about a month or so, but there will be uh, you know, before we know it, you're gonna get football training camps and preseason fantasy, and and that's that's the best time of the year.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_01: And then October, I think, might be my favorite month between the football that's going on, you know, the weather's changing a little bit, throwing a nice light jacket.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_01: I know you're you've been a fall guy your your whole life.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_01: Oh yeah.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_01: And just you know, all the all the sports that are going on.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_01: Every sport's kicking off, M OB's winding down, it's a prime time month.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_01: If we do a month draft, I'm gonna ask for the first pick and we take October from you.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_00: I think in one of the early episodes of this show, we did just like to round out the program, I think we did a quick month's draft.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_00: And I think I was hunting just anything that was a burr.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_00: I love October, November, December, because those are the best three for me.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_00: December, the weather blows, but the lead up to Christmas is just amazing.
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_00: You can't beat that.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_00: There's just cheer in the air.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_00: We have to talk about Mark, something that's not as cheerful.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_00: ESPN laid off a bunch of people, and it's tough.
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_00: It's tough out there.
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_00: First of all, let's run through the list of names that got let go.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_00: There's some big ones in here.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_00: I want you to tell me if there are any that really struck a chord with you, any wrongdoings or people you thought they got the wrong end of the deal here.
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_00: Carl Ravich, uh, long time MLB guy, did the Little League World Series.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_00: Uh he also did SEC basketball, Ryan Clark, the former Steeler, Cam Newton, former NFL MVP, Tom Pelicero, David Lloyd, the Sports Center anchor, Stefania Bell, the fantasy football injury guru, Bart Scott, admittedly didn't know Bart Scott worked at ESPN, and then Charles Davis, who I thought worked at NFL Network.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_00: Come to find out he did.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_00: I guess ESPN controls NFL Network.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know how that works.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_00: That was all news to me.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_00: What did you think of these ESPN layoffs?
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, it's tough.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's, you know, there's some some legends there, and you obviously never want to see anyone lose their job.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_01: It really is a shame.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, some of the big names that come to mind, like Carl Ravich, I mean, has been there for years.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_01: David Lloyd has been there for years.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_01: Like Carl Ravich, that iconic Sunday night baseball uh you know, pre-game show intro.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_01: Like he's he's just a legend of the game.
• 29:44
  SPEAKER_01: And hopefully, you know, hopefully Network picks him up or or somewhere like that.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_01: He's still gotta, you know, if he doesn't want to retire, he's got a great you know, couple years ahead of him.
• 29:52
  SPEAKER_01: But at the end of the day, um you know, I feel like you can't blame anyone but ESPN or whoever you know the the powers that be.
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_01: You gotta manage your funds and your talent as as best as possible.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, it it's just a sh it's a shame to see how they mismanage all that.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I don't know that there's a good way to fire people.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_00: I I think that's a pretty shitty thing to go through on both ends, even though it's obviously much worse for the person who was let go.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_00: There's still complexities to it as an employer as well.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_00: I can't imagine it's an easy thing, but to not let Carl Raverch know before it was leaked to the media as he's approaching his 34th anniversary at the company, that's just unacceptable.
• 30:34
  SPEAKER_00: And that's the kind of shit that people hate ESPN for.
• 30:37
  SPEAKER_00: It's not the first time they've done this.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_00: This is not even one of the worst layoffs they've had to do.
• 30:41
  SPEAKER_00: A few years ago, they went over 200 employees, I believe, got canned.
• 30:45
  SPEAKER_00: And it was a lot of on-air, it's a lot of off-air.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_00: It's just shitty, and you always hear about the way they go about it just not being the right way to go about it.
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that throws people the wrong way too.
• 30:54
  SPEAKER_00: That's hey, that's corporate America.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_00: And also now, what it's led to is people are blaming Pat McAfee for this because I guess his salary is pretty exorbitant.
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_00: So, like you kind of alluded to, it's really nobody's fault except the companies.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_00: You can't blame the Kansas City Chiefs for cutting a practice squad put player to save a million when they're paying Patrick Mahomes 50, you know, but people are blaming Pat McAfee.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't know if that's because Pat McAfee's kind of unlikable to some, or if it's just because of his salary and people are finding a reason to complain.
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_00: But what do you think about that?
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like that's a little bit misguided.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know, we talked about this a little bit before too.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I agree with you in the fact that you can't blame anyone for taking a check that they're handed.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_01: I will say, when we talked about this before, I did not know, and this is I just looked this up, that he's rumored to be in a contract at Senscha for 60 to 65 million dollars per year.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_01: And I don't know the numbers behind it, I don't know the viewership numbers or how much like that that you know, what he's driving in for you know all the you know, college game day and Pat McAfee show and whatnot, but that is hefty.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I think you could get 60 people at a million dollars a year versus one at 65, but who am I to say?
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_00: For sure.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_00: And I honestly, this is not a shot at Pat McPhee.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_00: He's much bigger than I'll ever be in this podcast space.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I think he's genuine, like I genuinely enjoyed him for a decent amount of years.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_00: I it I'm kind of over, I'm a little bit sick of it.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_00: It just seems like the same show every day to me.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_00: He talks a lot when asking questions.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_00: It drives me nuts sometimes where his lead up to a question just goes on and on, and then it's like AJ Hawks just sitting there nodding his head, and it's like, okay, how many times have we seen this?
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_00: But he seems like a decent guy.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_00: Honestly, he's been very helpful in the past to I know his crew, he's taken care of them when he finally got the big bag from I think it was FanDuel back in the day.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_00: He broke his crew off a lot of money.
• 32:45
  SPEAKER_00: I think he was pretty helpful with the ESPN Game Day crew when he got introduced there.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm not blaming Pat McPhee.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_00: I will say there's a Kentucky, he used to be a Kentucky reporter who wrote for The Athletic.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_00: I believe he has his own adventure now.
• 32:58
  SPEAKER_00: Kyle Tucker, I'm not sure if you're aware of him.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_00: He had a very, very gross tweet, Mark.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_00: It was unbecoming he's like all of these layoffs so that a guy in a sleeveless shirt can talk for hours into a mic.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, what good is that doing?
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_00: Like, who who are you helping with that?
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_00: Who cares what he wears?
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, I don't care if he's making 65 million.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_00: That's ESPN's choice to pay him that and not pay those other people.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_00: So exactly.
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_00: It's not McFee obviously will take as much money as he can get.
• 33:25
  SPEAKER_01: It's not coming out of your pocket or or my pocket.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, it sucks for everyone involved, but that's the decision they gotta make and ultimately live with.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, I mean, gone are the days where I I didn't even know that was uh I don't know the realm of sports broadcasting.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_01: Sean, this that's where torture fans department's gonna get, don't you worry.
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_00: I'll take a sliver, Pat, if you're offering.
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_00: I'll take I'll walk those comments right back and I'll say I've always been a fan.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_00: I love the length of your questions.
• 33:50
  SPEAKER_00: The whole the whole nine yards.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_00: I do think I should pour one out for Stefania Bell.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_00: Was always a fan of her.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_00: She's very, very descriptive with injuries and as a fantasy football player.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_00: She was very helpful in the past.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_00: I haven't watched ESPN in 10 years, probably.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_00: I watch sports on there, but I don't watch coverage of anything they're doing.
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not watching.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_00: But I do think Stefania Bell deserves a little bit of a she deserves an honorable discharge from ESPN instead of some dishonorable ones like maybe Cam Newton, who kind of just had a cup of coffee, said a few things.
• 34:22
  SPEAKER_00: Ryan Clark, who if you didn't play the sport, he kind of just outed you as somebody didn't play the sport and chirped you.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_00: Bart Scott, not sure what he did at the network, but I'm sure it was lovely.
• 34:32
  SPEAKER_00: I think there's some real, there's some real big losers in here.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_00: And Carl Ravich, David Lloyd, Stefania Bell, they deserve our best.
• 34:38
  SPEAKER_01: You know, for I love Stefania as well.
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_01: She she was a great reporter and they're always on the fantasy beat.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_01: And and maybe uh you know, suspended TTFD participant Jeremy Good might be able to add her as a co-owner because man, he he cannot pick up on the injuries for the life of him.
• 34:54
  SPEAKER_01: So um, you know, he's out there starting open spots or guys that you know like Cooper Cup against uh you know Shane when he's tanking it, kind of tank and get uh Shane's rival into the playoffs.
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_00: I forget what the scenario that was, but you know, actually let's let's dive in just for the listeners.
• 35:12
  SPEAKER_00: This is a please send us your feedback on this.
• 35:14
  SPEAKER_00: This was a scenario, and I might get some of the details wrong, but the general gist of it was Shane Douglas and Jeremy Good who have both been on this program several times.
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_00: They're cousins, they're fierce rivals, specifically in fantasy football.
• 35:26
  SPEAKER_00: There was a situation where Jeremy was playing somebody, and Shane needed Jeremy to win to make the playoffs.
• 35:31
  SPEAKER_01: I think he was playing Bloom.
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, he was playing our last guest.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_00: And Jeremy had Cooper Cup playing on Monday night football, and he needed one point from Cooper Cup, and this was in Cooper Cup's season where he was the best receiver in the sport.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_00: Jeremy decided to intentionally bench Cooper Cup and leave the spot open so that Shane would miss the playoffs.
• 35:50
  SPEAKER_00: Now, this was met with a hate.
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_00: Shane blocked his number for three months.
• 35:54
  SPEAKER_00: It was met with a hate I've never seen.
• 35:56
  SPEAKER_00: The league did there was mixed opinions on whether people thought that was fair or foul.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_00: Ultimately, I let it happen.
• 36:02
  SPEAKER_00: People are allowed to manage their own teams, make their own decisions.
• 36:05
  SPEAKER_00: Is that something, Mark, if that ever happened to you?
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_00: Would you ever forgive and forget?
• 36:09
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know how Shane did it so quickly.
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I guess blood is thicker than water, but I mean I would be, I would be with it.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_01: I as a as an outsider's perspective, and just knowing both of them, I couldn't help but just laugh because it's just it's an outrageous situation.
• 36:23
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, that's a that's a that's a tough scene.
• 36:25
  SPEAKER_01: But you know, at the same time, there's other ways to get into the playoffs.
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_01: Like you, you know, you have a whole year um to get your extra points, to get your extra wins, and I don't think it it sucks that it had to come down to that, but you know, sometimes you gotta have some accountability, and so maybe it shouldn't have come down to that, too.
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_01: So I could go both ways.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think both things are true.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_00: I think Jeremy technically could do it, but I'm also right with Shane and hating Jeremy for doing that.
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_00: If that happened to me, there would be there'd be hell to pay.
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_00: I'd be very upset.
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't know.
• 36:54
  SPEAKER_00: That happened probably five or six years ago.
• 36:55
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know if I'd still be talking to him.
• 36:57
  SPEAKER_00: It would be that long of a grudge.
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_00: Mark, we have now, we preface it at the beginning of the show, we have the hot takes section.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_00: We haven't done a hot takes section before.
• 37:07
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes hot takes creep out naturally, organically in conversation.
• 37:11
  SPEAKER_00: Uh here we have just strictly said, is there anything we want to get off our chest that feels like a hot take?
• 37:17
  SPEAKER_00: And I just want to say we're not turning into a hot take program.
• 37:20
  SPEAKER_00: These are well-measured hot takes, I would say.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_00: They come from a place of sincerity.
• 37:25
  SPEAKER_00: We're not just spitting into a microphone like we're first take, another shot of ESPN.
• 37:30
  SPEAKER_00: We we're going to come with a little bit of justification for our hot takes.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_00: At least I am.
• 37:35
  SPEAKER_00: I'm interested in what Mark Mara has to say, though.
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I got it.
• 37:39
  SPEAKER_00: I got a few.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_00: You want to alternate these?
• 37:41
  SPEAKER_00: Let's alternate.
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_00: I have two, so you go first.
• 37:43
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, perfect.
• 37:44
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, all right.
• 37:45
  SPEAKER_01: So I think the first one, and I think it's a really, really good idea, but and it's gonna address something we talked about earlier on the show, is this lull at the end of the summer.
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_01: Let's start the NBA on Christmas.
• 37:59
  SPEAKER_01: Let's get everybody fired up.
• 38:00
  SPEAKER_01: You start the NBA then, or you know, end of November, Christmas time, and have the season end in August.
• 38:08
  SPEAKER_01: So you have the NBA playoffs throughout the summer, a lot of fun stuff going on, um, and people are gonna be locked in.
• 38:14
  SPEAKER_01: And then this July and August time frame, we're talking Eastern Conference Finals, NBA Finals, right after the SPs, where there's you know, everything's dead.
• 38:21
  SPEAKER_01: Give me some NBA playoffs.
• 38:23
  SPEAKER_01: I would love it.
• 38:24
  SPEAKER_00: I don't hate that at all.
• 38:26
  SPEAKER_00: That's a pretty decent take.
• 38:27
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think that's bad.
• 38:28
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's I mean, off the top, I can't think of a single thing wrong with that.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_00: Gives us some more sports at a time when we don't have a ton of sports.
• 38:37
  SPEAKER_00: Kind of breaks up the football calendar with basketball, so they're not overlapping.
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_00: I'd be interested in that.
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_00: I would listen, I would listen to a presentation, I would glance at a brochure, I I'd sign off on that.
• 38:51
  SPEAKER_01: I I I I'm happy to hear.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_01: I think instead we're gonna get like, you know, six NBA teams in like Saskatchewan or something, like as part of the the expansive expansion plan that they have there.
• 39:01
  SPEAKER_01: But I would have rather the NBA on Christmas uh start on Christmas, but who knows what they got up their sleeve.
• 39:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I don't think that's I don't think that's crazy at all.
• 39:08
  SPEAKER_00: I like that one a lot.
• 39:09
  SPEAKER_00: Mine, I wish you went hotter.
• 39:11
  SPEAKER_00: Because yeah, you are going to heat up.
• 39:15
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like mine is I'm going after two of the most liked people in our current present day in the world.
• 39:23
  SPEAKER_00: So this could be problematic.
• 39:25
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna start with one that's top of mind.
• 39:28
  SPEAKER_00: I'm also gonna tie these into my recommendations so we don't have to end the show with that.
• 39:33
  SPEAKER_00: First of all, go see the Odyssey.
• 39:35
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely spectacular movie, one of the best I've ever seen.
• 39:39
  SPEAKER_00: Loved every second of it.
• 39:42
  SPEAKER_00: My hot take is I'm not sure that Tom Holland is a good actor.
• 39:47
  SPEAKER_00: I I don't I'm not gonna say he's a bad actor.
• 39:49
  SPEAKER_00: You're not gonna hear that.
• 39:51
  SPEAKER_00: I'm and I'm also not gonna say he's definitely not a good actor.
• 39:54
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think he's very impressive in the roles I've seen him in so far.
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_00: I think he's a really good Spider-Man.
• 40:00
  SPEAKER_00: I think that role uh suits him like a glove.
• 40:03
  SPEAKER_00: It was written for him almost.
• 40:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's perfect.
• 40:06
  SPEAKER_00: He's basically playing himself with an American accent.
• 40:09
  SPEAKER_00: It's really good.
• 40:10
  SPEAKER_00: Likeable guy.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_00: In the Odyssey, in a cast full of superstars giving us their best performances, I thought Tom Holland's performance was just not at the same level as some of the others.
• 40:25
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's because I was seeing him as a boy in Spider-Man, I couldn't believe it, but the believability in his role wasn't there for me as much as it was in the others.
• 40:33
  SPEAKER_00: He wasn't bad.
• 40:34
  SPEAKER_00: It was just a point throughout the movie where I was like, I'm just not connecting with Tom Holland's character.
• 40:39
  SPEAKER_00: And that was the only note I had from the whole film.
• 40:42
  SPEAKER_00: So I guess I had to include it in this hot take segment.
• 40:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think it's a it's an interesting take.
• 40:47
  SPEAKER_01: I admittedly haven't seen as much Tom Holland as as the next guy.
• 40:50
  SPEAKER_01: I think that one thing I I would take is that it it's kind of like that that shadow that's lurking over him of Timothy Chalomet.
• 40:58
  SPEAKER_01: Like to me, I just kind of have you know, they're they they kind of look similar, they're similar ages and and that same type of look.
• 41:05
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, obviously Chalamet is is the god right now.
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, I feel like that's just kind of he's got some big shoes to to live up to and someone that you know folks are probably comparing him to.
• 41:16
  SPEAKER_00: I do think Timothy Chalomet is a much, much better actor from what I've seen.
• 41:20
  SPEAKER_00: Haven't gone through the whole catalogs, admittedly.
• 41:22
  SPEAKER_00: I do have to also say a big apology to Taylor Briggs, my good friend.
• 41:26
  SPEAKER_00: If she's listening to this, she's she's not gonna be happy because she loves Tom Holland.
• 41:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I think it's honestly fighting words if she hears this, so hopefully she misses this episode.
• 41:37
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, just that that was my one uh lasting impression from the Odyssey, aside from loving the movie and thinking it was spectacular.
• 41:45
  SPEAKER_00: It was just Tom Holland.
• 41:46
  SPEAKER_00: I haven't blown away yet.
• 41:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I will say he's a big Tottenham fan mark.
• 41:50
  SPEAKER_00: I love that about him.
• 41:51
  SPEAKER_00: He seems genuinely like a lovely person.
• 41:53
  SPEAKER_00: I think him and Zendayas, as a couple, best of the best.
• 41:57
  SPEAKER_00: They're the best we got.
• 41:58
  SPEAKER_00: And it's just the acting is the part that I keep coming back to.
• 42:01
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, I'm just not sure that that's up to standard.
• 42:04
  SPEAKER_00: The rest of Tom Holland I'm in on.
• 42:06
  SPEAKER_01: Well, uh, he may have some poll with the uh executives and security team at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
• 42:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm hoping the next time you try to get in there, they don't just stop you at the door and say, you know, hey, Mr.
• 42:15
  SPEAKER_01: Boyle, um, you know, thanks, but no thanks.
• 42:18
  SPEAKER_00: No, like I said, Tom Holland the guy, completely in.
• 42:21
  SPEAKER_00: He's he's he's a genuinely great guy, it seems like, but the actor, we'll see.
• 42:26
  SPEAKER_00: I'm interested in your second hot take.
• 42:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, talking about a genuinely great guy, salt to the earth, love him, watch the documentary, fantastic documentary.
• 42:34
  SPEAKER_01: Uh Noah Khan.
• 42:35
  SPEAKER_01: We went to the Noah Khan concert at City Field on Sunday, and what an awesome, like, what an awesome guy and story, and he has amazing music to listen to.
• 42:44
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I I think that he is a better, you know, performer and singer than an entertainer, perhaps.
• 42:52
  SPEAKER_01: I think the concert was it was a very good concert, but I didn't leave like, you know, and I know the music is kind of a little bit on the sadder side, but I didn't leave kind of fired up, even though a lot of the songs were great and I was singing along.
• 43:03
  SPEAKER_01: I just didn't get the same feeling as I do with with other concerts where you're you know hanging around and drinking and singing with your friends.
• 43:09
  SPEAKER_01: It just seemed it's hard to put my finger on it, but just seemed like a little bit of like a downer leaving.
• 43:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and maybe that's the the goal of it, but maybe that's not for me.
• 43:17
  SPEAKER_01: But I think again, he's an incredible singer, songwriter, maybe not as much of a concert entertainer.
• 43:24
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 43:25
  SPEAKER_00: I I I see what you're saying.
• 43:27
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think I agree with this one.
• 43:29
  SPEAKER_00: I I was in on your NBA take.
• 43:30
  SPEAKER_00: I saw Noah Khan a few weeks before you did.
• 43:33
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's the kind of concert I was expecting or wanting, but I thought it fit perfectly.
• 43:39
  SPEAKER_00: I knew it wasn't this the like outer body pump up experience where the Aerostor was.
• 43:46
  SPEAKER_00: That that's something it's hard to replicate or feel again.
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_00: The general sense of Noah Khan's music is like he says it when he starts.
• 43:53
  SPEAKER_00: It's like who's ready to get sad tonight, and like who's ready to cry tonight, who's ready to be depressed.
• 43:57
  SPEAKER_00: It's like all these things.
• 43:58
  SPEAKER_00: I could do without his core.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_00: Workiness.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_00: I came on here and said that.
• 44:02
  SPEAKER_00: I thought there was a lot of parts of the show that he's like, you're trying to connect.
• 44:05
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm all for Mark, the sad, slow song that really makes you feel something outdoors.
• 44:11
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, oh, I can get behind that.
• 44:13
  SPEAKER_00: But then he does like these googly eyes in the middle of that like really sentimental moment and it just completely disconnects you from the message of the song.
• 44:21
  SPEAKER_00: And that's where I had a problem.
• 44:22
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, ooh, I didn't like that, Noah.
• 44:25
  SPEAKER_00: Or in the middle of Main or Orbiter, he just like shouts someone out.
• 44:30
  SPEAKER_00: And it just takes you away from the gentleness of that performance.
• 44:34
  SPEAKER_00: So that was my one bone to pick with Noah.
• 44:36
  SPEAKER_00: I love the concert though, and I I thought he was a I thought he sounded better live than I was expecting him to.
• 44:41
  SPEAKER_00: So I thought he was really, really good, but we both have, I guess, different notes for Noah.
• 44:45
  SPEAKER_01: I yeah, I guess I think I I should have gone in looking to get depressed instead of uh you know excited.
• 44:50
  SPEAKER_01: But I mean live is you know fantastic singer and it's a it's unbelievable nowadays where you have um you know you can't tell if someone's using auto-tune or they or they sound different at in a concert.
• 45:00
  SPEAKER_01: I mean he sounded exactly like you listened to him on Spotify.
• 45:02
  SPEAKER_01: And then one other note that I think too wasn't even talk about Corcus.
• 45:06
  SPEAKER_01: Like obviously the night one was canceled by nothing, you know, he couldn't do anything about it, and it started to get people fired up.
• 45:11
  SPEAKER_01: He said he was getting a call from someone in the area and he was gonna you know bring them in.
• 45:15
  SPEAKER_01: It was Elmo and Cookie Monster.
• 45:19
  SPEAKER_01: So here I am thinking like who could be in New York?
• 45:21
  SPEAKER_01: Like we're everyone's looking at each other, like who could be coming in for this song?
• 45:25
  SPEAKER_01: And I just like uh that was me fell flat on its face.
• 45:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that whole bit, I brought it up in the recap.
• 45:32
  SPEAKER_00: Me and Ryan did an episode.
• 45:33
  SPEAKER_00: If you haven't listened, go check it out.
• 45:35
  SPEAKER_00: If you're a fan of Goose or Noah Khan, we did a recap of our concert going experiences for the two, and I brought that up.
• 45:41
  SPEAKER_00: He did this phone bit for in Philly, and it was instead of saying, like, I think it was before she she calls me back.
• 45:47
  SPEAKER_00: Is that when he did it?
• 45:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, like he answers the he pretends to get a phone call, he answers it, and he goes, Oh, hello, Twitter.
• 45:54
  SPEAKER_00: What's that?
• 45:54
  SPEAKER_00: Noah con can't sell at stadiums?
• 45:57
  SPEAKER_00: And then he's like, Guess not, and then I hangs up and it's like, Well, did we who asked for that in the set?
• 46:03
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what are we doing?
• 46:04
  SPEAKER_00: And I get it can't just be song, song, song, song.
• 46:08
  SPEAKER_00: Noah, my guy.
• 46:10
  SPEAKER_00: We're better, we're above that, whatever that was.
• 46:13
  SPEAKER_00: If you if you're gonna if you're committed to that phone bit, you better start getting some real studs on the other line because it can't keep being whatever this is.
• 46:20
  SPEAKER_00: Elmo, what are we doing?
• 46:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that was uh it was surprising to say the least.
• 46:26
  SPEAKER_01: But I don't know.
• 46:27
  SPEAKER_01: Again, still great singer, big fan, listen to his music in the car every single day.
• 46:32
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe it was just maybe that's my expectation.
• 46:34
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe I maybe I should have went in with different expectations.
• 46:36
  SPEAKER_00: Also, though, Mark, he's not a big summer guy.
• 46:38
  SPEAKER_00: You know, his music's very synonymous with me in fall.
• 46:41
  SPEAKER_00: Leaves changing, stick season, obviously.
• 46:44
  SPEAKER_00: When it's cold out and a little bit depressing outside, that's when Noah Khan shines.
• 46:47
  SPEAKER_00: It's a little bit of a juxtaposition to see him when it's 90 degrees and sunny all day.
• 46:52
  SPEAKER_01: I wouldn't mind a happy song or two, like a happy summer song.
• 46:55
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe we maybe we mix one in the bag.
• 46:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I'm not sure he has that in his locker.
• 46:59
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna be honest with you.
• 47:00
  SPEAKER_00: If you do want happy songs, Mark, that transitions me perfectly to my next hot take.
• 47:05
  SPEAKER_00: There's a ton of good stuff on the new Gracie Abrams record, Daughter from Hell.
• 47:09
  SPEAKER_00: This is gonna again tie into my recommendations.
• 47:11
  SPEAKER_00: My two recommendations are ghost to the Odyssey and go listen to Daughter from Hell.
• 47:16
  SPEAKER_00: John Feidelberg from Barstall had a really funny tweet.
• 47:19
  SPEAKER_00: He got out of the Odyssey and tweeted something like, Oh, new Gracie album rips too, and then followed it up with, Oh, this is awesome, new Barbenheimer, because those came out in the same weekend.
• 47:29
  SPEAKER_00: This is this I felt the exact same way.
• 47:31
  SPEAKER_00: I retweeted it, couldn't have co-signed that any stronger.
• 47:34
  SPEAKER_00: Completely agree.
• 47:35
  SPEAKER_00: Right up my alley, the Odyssey is, and then right up my alley, anything Gracie Abrams does is.
• 47:41
  SPEAKER_00: I'm a huge fan of the album, and my hot take is I think at this point in my life, I enjoy Gracie Abrams more than Taylor Swift.
• 47:50
  SPEAKER_00: And that is troublesome for the name of this program.
• 47:53
  SPEAKER_01: I was just gonna say, like, so the new album is called Daughter from Hell.
• 47:57
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what how do we mix that into a podcast name or around sports?
• 48:00
  SPEAKER_01: Because the name's gonna have to change now at this point.
• 48:02
  SPEAKER_01: It's the you know Podcast from Hell.
• 48:04
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know how that sells.
• 48:06
  SPEAKER_01: July 22nd, 2026, TTFD has died, and it's now something.
• 48:11
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
• 48:12
  SPEAKER_01: Start workshopping.
• 48:13
  SPEAKER_00: We still love Taylor.
• 48:14
  SPEAKER_00: Let's not let's not get ahead of our skis.
• 48:16
  SPEAKER_00: But I do enjoy Gracie more, I think.
• 48:18
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know what it is.
• 48:19
  SPEAKER_00: It's she's selling me on her approachability.
• 48:23
  SPEAKER_00: It just seems like everything with her is way more normal, and Taylor's gotten to this point where everything's so commercialized, she's like so far because of how famous she is from being like a people's person.
• 48:33
  SPEAKER_00: And Gracie will not get to that point in her life ever, but it just seems like the music I'm finding more relatable.
• 48:39
  SPEAKER_00: I like it better than Taylor's albums in the last few years.
• 48:44
  SPEAKER_00: I will say, dating back to Folklore and Evermore, after that, everything that Gracie's put out since I've preferred to everything that Taylor's put out.
• 48:51
  SPEAKER_00: So that's kind of where this hot take comes from.
• 48:53
  SPEAKER_00: Now we go to Folklore and Evermore.
• 48:55
  SPEAKER_00: I'll ride for Taylor for always.
• 48:58
  SPEAKER_00: Like those are my two, those are hitters.
• 49:01
  SPEAKER_00: But and obviously Gracie's inspired by Taylor, so it's a weird hot take.
• 49:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's like the spawn of Taylor Swift is who I'm listening to more, but I will stand by it.
• 49:10
  SPEAKER_00: I do think right now I currently enjoy Gracie Abrams more than Taylor Swift musically.
• 49:14
  SPEAKER_01: Just on the heels for your big trip over to Red Rocks, and I'm I'm excited to hear the review after uh after you get back from that.
• 49:20
  SPEAKER_00: There you go.
• 49:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 49:22
  SPEAKER_00: What's your last one?
• 49:23
  SPEAKER_01: Completely out of the realm of sports and entertainment.
• 49:26
  SPEAKER_01: It's that if you are a person who is cold all the time, you do not get to control the temperature of the room.
• 49:32
  SPEAKER_01: Someone who is warm all the time gets to control the temperature of the room.
• 49:37
  SPEAKER_01: You can put on a sweater.
• 49:38
  SPEAKER_01: I can't take off all of my clothes.
• 49:40
  SPEAKER_01: It's like that it is what it is.
• 49:42
  SPEAKER_01: So I get to control the temperature and I'll give you a jacket.
• 49:46
  SPEAKER_00: Ooh, this is an interesting one.
• 49:47
  SPEAKER_00: I I'm with you because I do agree with the point of you could always put layers on, you can't strip naked.
• 49:54
  SPEAKER_00: But there are people who are just naturally cold-blooded and they're always cold, and you don't want them to suffer either.
• 50:00
  SPEAKER_00: This is like the this is and the people who yeah, it's tough.
• 50:03
  SPEAKER_00: It's almost like the Kerber Enthusiasm.
• 50:05
  SPEAKER_00: Leon Black, he keeps Larry's house at like 78 degrees because he's always cold, and Larry doesn't like that.
• 50:11
  SPEAKER_00: I I'm interested, Mark, if more of our audience is wanting to control the temp and keep it low or control the temperature and keep it where they're comfortably warm.
• 50:21
  SPEAKER_00: I would always rather well I can't say I'd rather always be cold than hot.
• 50:25
  SPEAKER_00: Would you rather be too cold or too hot?
• 50:28
  SPEAKER_01: Too cold.
• 50:29
  SPEAKER_01: As an Italian who sweats all the time, I'd rather bumble me out.
• 50:33
  SPEAKER_00: I I'm I it's tough though, because like extremes of too cold.
• 50:38
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
• 50:38
  SPEAKER_01: That is true.
• 50:39
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 50:39
  SPEAKER_01: Extremes of too cold.
• 50:40
  SPEAKER_01: I do hate the extreme cold.
• 50:41
  SPEAKER_01: I have I spent most of this year in warm weather.
• 50:44
  SPEAKER_00: So Yeah, you don't even know what cold feeling is.
• 50:46
  SPEAKER_01: I'm kind of contradicting myself right now.
• 50:48
  SPEAKER_00: You don't even know what cold feels like.
• 50:49
  SPEAKER_00: You don't live in any anytime it gets cold, you fly somewhere new.
• 50:52
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 50:53
  SPEAKER_00: You're like a bird.
• 50:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I don't know.
• 50:55
  SPEAKER_00: It's an interesting one.
• 50:56
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think it's a bad hot take, though, for sure.
• 50:58
  SPEAKER_00: I think the general like iron fist you came out with saying you control the temperature sounded a bit like someone else.
• 51:04
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want to name names, but that sounded a bit dictatorial.
• 51:07
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know about all that, but I think the take in general is pretty good.
• 51:12
  SPEAKER_01: I appreciate it.
• 51:13
  SPEAKER_01: I'll I'll keep bringing up, I'll keep thinking of some more.
• 51:15
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe we'll we'll drip some in in future shows.
• 51:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I don't know how many more I could load up that go after some of my favorite people.
• 51:22
  SPEAKER_00: I went after Tom Holland and Taylor Swift today.
• 51:24
  SPEAKER_00: It was not enough.
• 51:25
  SPEAKER_01: Normally people don't go after their like favorites when it comes to hot takes.
• 51:27
  SPEAKER_01: They normally go after other people like you.
• 51:29
  SPEAKER_01: It's a little friendly fire from you.
• 51:31
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't want I want to reiterate just how much I like them both.
• 51:33
  SPEAKER_00: Just maybe not.
• 51:34
  SPEAKER_01: Same with me and Noah Khan, actually.
• 51:35
  SPEAKER_01: I have really a lot of friendly fire all over the show.
• 51:37
  SPEAKER_01: A lot of friendly fire.
• 51:38
  SPEAKER_00: Hot takes turning into a friendly fire war zone.
• 51:41
  SPEAKER_00: Not not great.
• 51:42
  SPEAKER_00: Not our intention.
• 51:44
  SPEAKER_00: We did not set out to do that.
• 51:45
  SPEAKER_00: But when you start thinking, that was just top of mind.
• 51:48
  SPEAKER_00: Based on their most recent works, not the biggest Taylor Tom Holland guy at the moment.
• 51:54
  SPEAKER_00: But that there's always room to grow and change.
• 51:56
  SPEAKER_00: Mark, I gave my recommendations.
• 51:58
  SPEAKER_00: Do you have anything to recommend as we wrap up the show?
• 52:01
  SPEAKER_01: A recommendation I would have, Sean, is Silo.
• 52:04
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not sure if you watched it on Apple TV.
• 52:05
  SPEAKER_01: Very interesting show, but season two came out, and I was really into season one.
• 52:09
  SPEAKER_01: Uh basically the premise of it is that everyone is stuck in this, like literally in a silo.
• 52:16
  SPEAKER_01: And it's because there was some sort of apocalyptic apocalyptic event, and they're starting to like get fed up with being inside, and people are starting to like break their way out, but they can't tell if it's like a good thing to break out or a bad thing to break out, and they're just like really all wondering what's going on outside.
• 52:31
  SPEAKER_01: There's a lot more to it, but some a lot of drama, a lot of uh suspense.
• 52:36
  SPEAKER_01: So season one ended on a good cliffhanger, and uh I'm excited for season two, which is that just come out recently on Apple TV, but kind of like a you know, a bit of like a sci-fi type show, but highly recommend.
• 52:46
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 52:47
  SPEAKER_00: That's interesting.
• 52:48
  SPEAKER_00: I can add that down on my list.
• 52:50
  SPEAKER_00: Every time I do genuinely take these recommendations to heart because I don't watch ton TV.
• 52:55
  SPEAKER_00: So when I have guys like you and Blum come on who do recommend TV shows, I do put them on the list and eventually get to them at some point.
• 53:01
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just not by any means an early adopter.
• 53:04
  SPEAKER_00: I'm I'm a late adopter.
• 53:05
  SPEAKER_00: I wait until years behind when people are talking about these shows to watch them.
• 53:10
  SPEAKER_00: That's a problem for me.
• 53:11
  SPEAKER_00: I need to work on it, but yeah, I will I will keep Silo on the list.
• 53:16
  SPEAKER_00: And listeners, just again, if you haven't seen the Odyssey, I might do we might do an Odyssey review on here.
• 53:22
  SPEAKER_00: I might bring on an expert in the movie field and do an Odyssey deep dive because it's that good.
• 53:27
  SPEAKER_00: Not typically, I'm I don't know my ass from my elbow when I'm talking about movies, but I do appreciate a good one, and that one struck a chord with me, so maybe we'll dive deep into the Odyssey.
• 53:37
  SPEAKER_00: It's also weird because it's a story that we learned in like high school, and then you kind of forget about I'm not big into Greek mythology, and then you start to see the story happening again.
• 53:47
  SPEAKER_00: Shit, yeah, I do remember the Cyclops.
• 53:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I remember him.
• 53:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, like there's a lot of stuff that happens, right?
• 53:52
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah, I read about that.
• 53:54
  SPEAKER_00: So I thought that was good.
• 53:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um I'll check out Silo Mark.
• 53:58
  SPEAKER_00: Anything else before we head out?
• 53:59
  SPEAKER_00: I appreciate you coming on.
• 54:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, it was a pleasure, Sean.
• 54:02
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for having me on.
• 54:03
  SPEAKER_01: This was a a great discussion, just touching on a you know a handful of topics, and I think we're we'll be diving into more of them as as the summer evolves.
• 54:11
  SPEAKER_01: And uh yeah, excited to see what else comes out of this pod.
• 54:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, so we'll probably next week, listeners, we'll probably have a draft episode for you.
• 54:20
  SPEAKER_00: We we kind of covered everything.
• 54:22
  SPEAKER_00: Mark and I did the Lord's work there, just talking about sports that don't really matter at this point.
• 54:26
  SPEAKER_00: We kept you up to date, and then next week we'll probably get into a draft, maybe an album review, maybe a record club episode.
• 54:32
  SPEAKER_00: So stay on the lookout for that.
• 54:33
  SPEAKER_00: Please like, please subscribe.
• 54:35
  SPEAKER_00: If you could tell a friend to tell a friend, that'd be lovely.
• 54:38
  SPEAKER_00: We appreciate the downloads, those help.
• 54:40
  SPEAKER_00: I don't ask too often, I always forget to ask.
• 54:42
  SPEAKER_00: So there is my one ask for the month.
• 54:45
  SPEAKER_00: Please go ahead and do that.
• 54:46
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you all for listening, and until next time, take care of the ranging.