Latest / The 3Ts: Tables, Tailgates, and Toploaders / A Brand New Chapter

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A Brand New Chapter · The 3Ts: Tables, Tailgates, and Toploaders

• TB: What's up, friends? Welcome back to a brand new chapter of the three T's tables, tailgates, and top loaders. I'm TB. Now I had a whole speech planned for you, but I'm ditching that because I just want to get right to it. I'm super excited because for the first time ever, I'm bringing aboard a co-host, and it's none other than my own daughter, Sydney. So welcome to the show. I am super excited to have you here. Can't wait to see what you bring to the podcast. But yeah, welcome aboard. How you feeling today? Sydney: I'm feeling great. Thank you for having me. This is super exciting. TB: Absolutely. Now we the three Ts taking a little bit of of a what hiatus, if you will. When was the last episode? I think it was way back in February. I think. Sydney: end of football season, so I think a month after the season ended. TB: Yeah, lot of a lot of craziness going on. I think the last show I did was talking about the Elimination Chamber. And that was my birthday weekend. So way back when. Yeah. And so I kind of took a little break. some some things were happening in life that I needed to kind of step away. And, you know, as I was taking some time away, I realized, hey, I kind of really missed this. And I know you and I had talked about it. and then I think what a month ago maybe, maybe a little longer, I I brought up the topic of what do you think we fire this back up and you come on board as a co-host. So yeah, you you you you said yes after taking some time to think about it. But I'm super excited to have you here. So why don't you go ahead and introduce yourself? Sydney: Yeah, my name is Sydney. I am twenty-three years old and I live in Jacksonville, Florida. and we'll get into that in a minute, how you know being a Bills fan kind of ties into that. But I've grown up around the the Bills my whole life and it's really cool to kind of share this passion, I think, amongst like me, you and Jackson. so just us being in our different spots in life and you know, we don't live near each other anymore. So it's kind of just a way for us to all connect and, you know, talk about the the ups and downs of the season, amongst other things. I think we all have a lot of really fond memories of not just football, but of wrestling and things that we used to do when we were younger. So it's really cool to chat about things that are coming up and exciting things that are going on within the fan base. So I'm really excited to get my thoughts out because being in Florida, there are not a lot of Bills fans around me. So I need somewhere to share my thoughts. So I'm excited. TB: Yeah, no doubt. And and for the listening audience, Jackson is your brother and he's a few years younger than you. But it's awesome to have you on the show as a co host because just being able to have that another another set of eyes on things, another opinion. I look at it like a generation gap. I'm in my late forties, forty seven. so there's a big, big Time frame. Like, and we're gonna approach things and topics from completely different perspectives. And I think that that's exciting. And I think it brings a whole new way of looking into these hobbies and the show in general. So yeah, I'm super excited to see what we got going on. And so my first question, why the heck did you agree to join me on the three Ts? Sydney: Yeah, I mean, going back to what I just said briefly, I have a lot of big opinions, I think, about the team and just about various topics in general. but especially about the sports world I've come into, you know, I would say within the past four or five years, I've really grown into enjoying a lot of different sports. So not just football, not just wrestling, but just sports in general. and that is honestly what takes up most of my life, even when I'm not working. I am here watching some sort of sport on the TV. so I just enjoy it. I love the fan base, I love, you know, doing deep dives on players and you know, not just them and like statistical things, but what they do like on the outside. so it's just all very interesting to me and I like to talk about it. so I work in the sports industry, so it's really easy for me to do that every day. but like I said, there aren't a lot of Bills fans here. So just getting to talk about our team and some different things that is, you know, going on that a lot of other people might not know about. so very, very excited to share that. Obviously with my dad is really cool. so very excited to do that. TB: Yeah. No, I I am super excited to hear your your perspective on things, to get your opinion, especially from someone obviously much younger than me, but not only that, but from a totally different geographic part of the country. So you said you're living in Jacksonville and you you have been in the sports industry for the last few years, finishing up. I mean, you could talk about it, but how how did you how did you get into the sports industry? Sydney: Yeah, I think we've always been a big sports family. As long as I can remember, like we were either playing sports or going to sporting events. and I think the fondest memories that I picture when I think about my childhood, one going to Hershey Bears games. if you're unfamiliar, it's like a minor league team in Hershey, Pennsylvania. and we would go there all the time. so that was really fun. Our introduction to hockey. and then we would go to the Harrisburg Senators games, and those were so much fun. And I just remember like seeing all the people like run onto the field, and Jackson used to do the hot dog races on the field all the time. and just as a kid, that was like some of my just fondest memories. so when I was deciding what I wanted to do professionally, I really leaned towards that. TB: Mm-hmm. Ha ha. Sydney: And so I did two internships throughout my college experience. And I was in Pittsburgh, which is also interesting because Pittsburgh is such a huge sports city. and there is so much history in the Pittsburgh sports. and the number one thing that I wanted to do when I moved there was to work for the Penguins. they're an iconic organization. whether you like them or not, they're an iconic organization. TB: Absolutely. Right. Boo. Sydney: so I ended up doing a an internship with the penguins, which was one of the coolest experiences ever. and I also worked a summer with the pirates. So, two iconic organizations that I was able to be around, and obviously being there while Sydney Crosby is still playing is super cool. so I learned a lot about the industry as a whole and what I wanted to do. TB: Yeah, that's pretty cool. Sydney: so after graduation, I got a job offer here in Jacksonville and I work for a minor league hockey team. so that's been really cool. I love hockey. Hockey is a really fast-paced sport. So even if you don't know anything about hockey, I think it's still a really interesting sport to watch. And this year has been huge for hockey, especially because the the US won. so I think you even got into hockey because TB: Yeah, absolutely. Sydney: The Buffalo Sabres were really awesome this year. So this was a really huge hockey year, in my opinion, for the US, but also like Buffalo fans. and our team that I work for here in Jacksonville was the affiliate for the Sabres. So it was really cool tie-in. but yeah, that was a long story, but long winded. TB: That's right. Yep. Yeah. No, but it's it's awesome. Yeah. And and hockey, I mean, while it's not one of the three T's, I do see us talking about it as we get into the season, you know, as as this podcast goes on down the road. you know, we we we're not gonna just a few rules for the listening folk out there. Like we're not gonna be tied to you know, just wrestling, just bills, just card collecting. We're gonna we're gonna occasionally branch out and talk about some other things going on. in the sports world in the entertainment world because what whatever it's our show and we're gonna do what we want. So this is all about, you know, hobbies and what makes us happy. And that's the whole point and why I started this show about a year ago is because we get to talk and experience and and and have memories from these hobbies that are important to us. And if we occasionally branch out from one of these thing three, then I think that's okay too. But yeah, talking about the Sabres from time to time, I think it's gonna be important and talking about other sports in general. And how they relate back to, you know, what makes us feel. Cause that's whole the whole point of this podcast. What what are these hobbies? What are these events in our life? What do they make us feel? How do they make us feel? And and we go from there. So yeah. So so tell me about living in Jacksonville as a Bills fan. What is that like? Sydney: Yeah, it's super interesting because I think when I moved here I didn't really know what to expect. Coming from Pittsburgh, they have a wildly famous fan organization. I mean, they are, you know, they travel all over the country to see their team. So moving to Jacksonville, I wasn't sure what the fan base would be like and how it would be being a a Bills fan. but honestly, I think what I pictured in my head was not anything close to how it really is here. this is a huge military city. we have the naval base super far or super close by. So there are people from all walks of life from all over the place here. and it's really cool because the the Jags have a really interesting fan base. they haven't been good the yet the vol. They have not been good the past few years. So I think their fans are, you know, waiting for, you know. TB: Do vol. Did I get that right? Sydney: They're they're coming around again, which this year was really interesting because I think this year they did really well. They have a really great coach and a really great team. so coming in as a Bills fan was cool. And I didn't expect there to be Bills backers bars everywhere here, which is awesome. But yeah, there's people from everywhere here. So you see, you know, Patriots fans, you see Steelers fans, you see just everywhere. is TB: Let's go. Yeah, that's really cool. Sydney: different fans. So it was really cool for me to to see that and it to interact with the fans. And I will say something about the Jags fan base is they're super respectful. I went to the Bills Jags playoff game this season and it was some of the most fun I've ever had. I didn't experience yeah yeah it was a great experience overall. and I think the the fans are very passionate. And I will say if TB: Yeah, we're definitely gonna dive into that. I do wanna pick your brain about that experience. Sydney: the Bills aren't on the T V, I would have absolutely no issue supporting the Jags. they're just a good team and that's that's what I care about. I care about good people and I think they have a great coach. So interesting, but it is cool to to see them do well. TB: Yeah. No, that's awesome. And we're gonna we're gonna dive more into that as we move on down the road. But I felt like, you know, right off Jump Street here, it's just get a a broad idea of of who you are and and what you know what you're bringing here. So what what else do you think is important that we need to know about you, that the audience needs to know about you before we we start diving into the three Ts? Sydney: Yeah, I would just say that I'm a passionate fan. whether that's good or bad, I think in the the time that I've been a fan, there has been a lot of sad moments. but there's also been a lot of great moments. And, you know, just getting to spend time with, you know, the people that you care about talking about games or being at games physically is just awesome. So I would say, you know. TB: Mm. Sydney: Being a Bills fan has been something that has become a big part of my life. so just that I'm a passionate fan and I'm excited for this season and I'm ready for all the other things that we talk about. TB: Yeah, that's awesome. That's awesome. So yeah, this episode's gonna be a little bit different because we're gonna be, you know, just kinda, you know, it it's like welcoming you to the one one person family here. Like so now it's it's not just me doing this. The whole we we did a whole rebrand, the the logos changed. We brought not one buffalo but two buffaloes smashing through the table. and so I'm super excited. It's gonna be awesome. But yeah, I mean, we're we're gonna get into a rhythm here as we go and This is totally new because it's the first time I've done video. I'm learning a lot on this side of it. It's it's gonna be new and crazy and challenging, but I'm super excited. Plus, you know, I got to the point doing the show by myself, I realized it for for anyone who's ever considered doing something like this, it's not easy. It takes a lot of time. I was spending a ton of time doing editing and it's hard to sit in front of a microphone or a camera for an hour and just talk by yourself. It's very weird. It's very strange feeling when no one talks back to you. So it's like it's just a very strange thing to do, especially if if you and I wasn't in the habit of like writing out scripts. I would just write outlines and kind of just go. And sometimes you kind of run out of things to say. So I'm super I'm super happy to have you here so you can at least have that back and forth. And we don't always have to agree. I I hope we don't always agree. Because like I said at the beginning, it's important to get that different perspective. And I think yeah, I I I'm excited to see where where we could take this thing. So yeah, I mean, as far as I'm I'm concerned, I'm I'm ready to jump into the Bills Mafia segment. Are are you ready? All right. So Bills Mafia, you are on the clock. How the heck are we feeling? Now I'm just gonna turn this right back over to you. How did you become a Bills fan? Sydney: Yeah. Yeah, let's do it. man. Yeah, I mean, it's been in my life since I've been little. we had a Bill's bathroom theme whenever whenever we were at home. So yeah, I think I've always been around it. me and Jackson. So our mom was a Ravens fan, so it was really hard. And like going back and forth. there was a a feud in the household of like which team to support. and honestly, I I would say that I didn't really become a big fan of sports until recently, within the last five or six years. so I guess just as my interest grew, I just hopped on. And so now here I am, and I would say I'm a I'm a pretty big fan. So yeah. TB: How do you look at football in general? I mean, y you said you watch a lot of sports. Where does football rank for you as far as like, is it your favorite? Is it towards the top? Like what do you consider football to be? How do you view it? Sydney: Yeah. I would say football is definitely number one. Football is huge in this household. down here in Jacksonville, we, you know, to celebrate the season, we it's a big deal for us. my boyfriend Mike is a a huge Commanders fan, so we just have sports on all the time. but football is definitely number one. It's a way for us to hang out with our friends. We all support different teams. but it's just a way to connect at the end of the day. TB: Yeah. Sydney: whether it's just me sitting in front of the TV or if I have an apartment full of my friends. it's just a good way to have fun. And, you know, sometimes the outcomes aren't always good. But at the end of the day, you're you're spending time with the people that you care about. So I would say football is definitely number one, but hockey season was huge here too. I would say we're not really a big baseball family. at least here. I know you guys really support baseball, but TB: Yeah. Sydney: It's just a little bit slower pace for us. So we like the fast paced sports. TB: No, I totally get it. Baseball is not for everybody. it it's just totally different. It's really hard to compare baseball to football or even hockey. it's just it there's there's no way to to do it. So how normally on a Sunday, how do you consume football? What is your routine? How do you if if the bills are on at say one o'clock or four o'clock, how do you how do you work that into your day if you're not working a hockey game? Sydney: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It takes up our entire day. I will say we form our entire day around what the football schedule is like. like I said, I'm not just s watching the Bills games, I'm also watching the Commanders games. So I sit down and I support the Commanders just as much as I support the Jaguars. but I would say those are the the three teams that we if they are on the TV, we are supporting them and watching them. so The commanders usually play a little bit earlier in the day. So from the start of the that game, we are on the couch just sitting here watching television. TB: Are you saying that commanders don't have too many primetime games? Sydney: I am not gonna confirm or deny that, but yeah, last season was rough. I want them to do well, so we'll see. but we form our whole day around football, whether that's you know, getting up and going to the grocery store early and making sure we have everything done that we need to for the week, and then we sit on this couch and watch football and we don't move until the last second of game. and if it's a bad outcome, I probably won't sleep that night. So that's usually how it goes. TB: Yeah, yeah. So you do take after me in that regard. So yeah, totally, totally get that. Well, 15 years ago, look, to be fair to the Commanders fans, 15 years ago, the Bills were on every Sunday at one o'clock. There was no such thing as primetime Bills games. So, you know, it everything kind of what goes around comes around. So I'm not gonna crap on the commanders. They got some some good players. Sydney: Yeah. TB: I like Jaden Daniels. Not really sure what's going on with him in Iuk lately, but that's a whole nother topic for for another day. but anyway, so let's get back to this Bills team. Mafia wants to know who is your favorite player? Who's your current either favorite Bills of all Bills player of all time or who's your favorite player currently on the roster? Maybe I'll I'll depending on how you want to handle that. Sydney: Yeah. So this is a sore subject for me because my favorite player is Matt Milano. I do not think he's currently on a team right now. so that is incredibly disappointing. but I would say besides him, I have a couple favorite players. I love Deion Dawkins. I think something that I look for in a my favorite player is one, they're a good player, but two, they're a good person. TB: Okay. He is not, that is correct. Yeah. Sydney: And I really TB: Right. Sydney: care a lot about that. And I know some people say you shouldn't care about that because it's a sport. But to me I do care about that. And I think Dion is an awesome person. not only at football, but he is he just has a good heart. and that's what I care about. And then I would say third would probably be Shakir. I think Shakir is awesome. I've always loved Shakir, before he even had like his his come out season, I think TB: Okay, okay. Sydney: Two or three years ago. I always thought he was cool. He's kind of an underdog because he's smaller. and he is not like a flashy wide receiver. and I think it's really cool that he's just been so consistent. And I think at the end of the day, he's a good person. So those are my top three at the moment, but that could change. TB: Yeah. Right. Are you I'm gonna I'm gonna pull this from the archive, the three T archive. Are you a big fan of the Shakir and Prey form of play calling? Sydney: Hm, see this is hard. I I think Shakir, you know, he does the best he can and I think sometimes they they don't always give him the best play calling, but we'll see and hopefully that that changes this season. TB: Yeah. Well Yeah, we'll we'll we'll get into that. obviously what training camp is less than three weeks away, but I'm really hoping game one, opening night, we don't have to see too many Shakir screens at the line of scrimmage and then just you know it was kind of a running joke towards the the end of the season that I would talk about that that's one of the only five plays Joe Brady liked to call. But We shall see what happens. So do you have any favorite games or favorite memories from the Bills thus far? Sydney: Yeah, it's hard to name just one. I have a couple in mind. I would say the snow game that we went to was iconic. I think any time that you go to a game and you just have weather like that, it sucks when you're driving home. I will say that. But when you're there in the moment, I mean there's really nothing like it. you know, I think it's a really cool environment in Buffalo already. TB: Absolutely. Sydney: When you have a snow game, people just come to life even more. so that was super iconic. And then I would say the last one that we went to with the the T Bass field goal was pretty sick as well. I mean, T Bass has had a rough past few years, I'd say. He hasn't always been super consistent. and he was dealing a lot you know, mentally, I think. So That was a really cool moment to see him and just the team embrace him and just the fan base in general. So those are top two. TB: Yeah, it'll be interesting. Those are those are awesome moments, and it'll be interesting to see T Bass whether he can bounce back after his injury last season. Obviously the kicker scenario last year was kind of up and down and all over the place. But yeah, I mean he he's supposed to be locked in ready to go, but we shall see if he can pull out any of those game winning moments in a snow globe game environment again. But we shall see what happens. So Let's talk about the end of last season and kind of the crazy off season that we've had. obviously Coach McDermott was fired and we had the whole Joe Brady hiring, and it was kind of crazy. We got a lot of range of thoughts and emotions and opinions over that. Where where do you stand? Sydney: Yeah, the end of last season was just emotional to begin with. I think the way that things happened was very just tough to deal with. and then I just remember this vividly. It wasn't that long ago, but I was sitting in this very spot. I was working from home and I was on a Zoom meeting with all of my staff, and someone had said in the meeting, Sean McDermott is fired. And my jaw dropped. Like I did not see that coming. I think it was it was definitely a shock. and in the moment, I was pissed. I think a lot of people were. but now that I've sat back on it and had some time to reflect, I think that this move could be good for us. I think the players like Joe Brady. I think he brings a different culture to the locker room. TB: Yeah. Sydney: Which is just it it needed to happen. I think we needed a shift. Sean McDermott is a big players coach. and I don't I I don't know if I've ever seen like a grit to him. so I think I'm excited to see just something new. and I think Joe Brady could have a lot of potential. So I'm excited, but TB: Are you going to are you gonna miss the clapping at all? Sydney: No, honestly I'm not. I I love Sean McDee. I think he's a great guy. He's done a lot of great things for the organization, but there are times where I was just like, I don't know. Like TB: Yeah. Yeah. No, I think I think you know, I I think you were the one that actually texted me when this whole thing went down and you I think that's how I find out I found out was was because you were pretty quick on it and then you texted me immediately and I was a little late to the party, you know, due to work and stuff. But you know, it it was a weird thing because you go through these the the whole range of emotions. First you I know you said you were you were upset about it and Sydney: Mm-hmm. Yeah. TB: And same thing, you kind of were like, what really? And then going through the whole press conferences and all that stuff, and it it didn't sit right with me at first. And it didn't seem like the whole hiring process was I don't know, as honest and open as it should have been. I know they interviewed a ton of people, but it seemed like Brady was the front runner from from the start, and I get that. Sydney: Mm. TB: My thing is I want this if if we're gonna make a change, I want this to be a legit change. I don't want it to be Sean McDermott light, you know, because look, we all know the playoff losses, heartache after heartache and mistake after mistake. We all know that. And I don't want to see that repeat itself. Obviously, the goal is Super Bowl. we we all know what's at stake here. So I wasn't exactly happy that they stayed in-house, but You know, as time goes by, the the saying time heals all wounds kinda kicked in. And so, you know, it changes to one of excitement. So I'm I'm ready to go. I'm ready to see what he brings to the table by by himself, separate from McDermott. I I really want to know if and how much his play calling was kind of reined in due to the fact that Sean was like lording over the situation. So I'm excited to see how this offense comes out. I w I I'm hoping it's like guns blazing. Like I wanna see, you know, I wanna see the ball being chucked all over the field. In my opinion, Josh Allen is the best player on the planet. And we're gonna get into the the nitty gritty of this team as we go down the road, but he he's the best player on the planet. And when you have him and he's handing the ball off so many times a game, not that James Cook isn't awesome and not deserving of all the accolades. I'm not saying that, but Sydney: Yeah. TB: You have the best player on the planet. And I feel like we kind of parked that Lamborghini in in the garage and just shut it down. And so I I I want to see this team flourish and and really put pedal to the metal. And that's what I'm excited to see. How how is the offense gonna look different now that McDermott isn't overseeing the whole operation? Like, okay, Joe, now now it's your time to go. Let's see how much you how much shine you can bring to this thing. Defense, well, that's a whole nother story. I think Sydney: Yeah. Mm-hmm. TB: And we'll talk about that as we get into training camp with stuff. Defense, I think we might be in for some rough patches for the first half of the season. But yeah, say I'm the same with you. I I have a lot of respect for for Sean, but I think it was time. And I think ultimately I think this would be a good move. And as long as the players buy in, which I think they will, I think I think we're gonna be we're gonna be okay. So I don't know. Do you have yeah. Sydney: Yeah. Yeah. I just wanna see passion. I wanna see Josh get, you know, pa passion. I just wanna see more passion and I think Sean was very he was more of a quiet coach and there's nothing wrong with that, but I think when it starts from from the top. If the coach is is not into it and he's not giving the players, you know, passion and he's not hyping them up, I what are you supposed to do? I wanna see like a Dan Campbell. I think that his approach is awesome. He hypes up the players, but he's also a players coach. I think you can do both. you can still have discipline. I think Sean McDermott did not ever show a lot of that side. Maybe he did and we just didn't see it, but I wanna see some yelling on the sideline. I wanna see, you know, the players getting hyped up, but I just want to see more of that. TB: Yeah. Yeah, it'll be interesting to see Joe Brady actually down on the field because all his play calling was from up in the booth. So yeah, I I mean he's supposed to be this fired up guy who's, you know, has has no problem getting in people's faces and he's, you know, a thousand miles an hour. So I want to see that translate to the the Sunday game day experience. When when we're there at New High Mark, I want to see him running up and down the field like a maniac. Like that's that's kind of when I what Sydney: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. TB: What I want to see. but who knows? We'll we shall see what happens. the other big story that that was kind of taking the NFL by storm was the Bills trade for DJ Moore. star wide receiver for the Chicago Bears. The Bills traded a second round pick, and there was kind of a lot of controversy around this trade. Obviously, we know the Bills had a less than stellar, let's go lackluster wide receiver crew crew. If you will, a lot of underperforming people, whether it be through injury or mistakes people were making and and not being able to play. Yeah, I see you, Keon. there's there's a lot, there was a lot going on. So the Bills knew they had to improve that wide receiver room and they did it in a big way. And a lot of people weren't happy with the cost of that transaction being a second round pick and for the fact that they were taking on such a big contract. I think. Sydney: Mm-hmm. TB: It was a additional four years. I think he's on this team through at least twenty, twenty-eight, twenty, twenty-nine, something like that. And it averages out to be almost twenty-seven and a half, twenty-eight million dollars a year, which is expensive contract. But you know, good wide receivers, you gotta pay them a crap ton of money. And people say, Well, his last year under on the Bears team, he didn't really perform that well with Caleb Williams. But if you look at that team, look at the wide receivers on that squad. I mean, they had They had a full cupboard of people and you know, it it wasn't surprising to me to see his numbers go down, but people are saying that it wasn't worth the cost we paid. So where do you sit on the the DJ Moore trade? Sydney: I'm taking the more positive route. I think that he's gonna be a great addition. he is older, so I think that he can also be a great mentor, especially to Keon. I think that Keon just needs someone like that. I think he's a great player, and I think that he could be a great piece to the offense. And I'm gonna go back and say that he's a great guy. And I think that we need more players like that in the locker room. We do have a lot of great guys, we don't have a lot of divas. We got rid of Diggs for that reason, I think, is a huge part of why. and I just think that he's gonna be a great piece. people might have their opinions say he's not worth it. I think we just need to let him show that he is. and I think using him and Keon together, i if Keon performs to the way that I know that he can, is going to be pretty good. It's not gonna be, you know, A T Higgins, Jamar Chase duo, but I think that they could be very, very good. and this is a huge year for Keon. I think that if he does not perform this year, he's not gonna be on the team much longer. so he needs someone to look up to. and I don't really think he had someone like that previously. We have a lot of good players, but I don't think we had an elite wide receiver for him to to look at. TB: Agree. Sydney: you know, for motivation, say this is what I need to do. so I think him being a mentor to him is is gonna be huge. TB: Yeah, and I think more coming in kind of elevates the floor of the whole room too. So no longer you you don't have to ask a young Keon Coleman to be your second best wide receiver on the team, you know, because your Elijah Moores and your Josh Palmers can't get on the field because they can't stay healthy. And now suddenly Keon is supposed to be your number two wide receiver. I don't think that was necessarily a fair role to put him in so early in his career. The signs were there that he was improving. But I think that was too much too soon to put on his plate. So now you bring in a DJ Moore and you make him the number one. You bump Shakir down to two and you still have Dalton Kincaid and and he's supposed to be, you know, one of your main offensive weapons. So now the the whole floor of your receiving core has has been raised exponentially. So I think it it's I think it's gonna be great. Is he gonna come in here and catch 130 balls? Probably not, but I could see him catching, you know, eighty to ninety and and putting up eleven hundred yards and and scoring some tutties. So I mean, I think he will stretch the field and make it easier for these other guys to get open and and that's the big thing. Nobody could get open last year. And that's why we had to resort to the Shakir and Prey screen pass every freaking time. And it was James, James Cook, James Cook, Shakir and Prey. And it was like, my gosh, this is maddening. And let let Josh Sydney: Mm. TB: Go crazy and these guys should be getting open because Moore is stretching the field and and actually challenging the defensive backs on these, you know, on the defensive side the the other side of the field. And so we'll we shall see what happens. But I'm I'm excited. I'm excited. Did you hear the story of him going to the local what whatever? I can't remember the story. Was a lids or a footlocker or something? Did you hear this story? Sydney: Yeah. I did. And I like I said again, I think that he just is a good guy. And that's what I look for. That's someone that I want on my team. I don't like Divas. I don't I'll be the first to say I didn't like Diggs. I think he was a good player for us, but I don't like seeing my players yell at each other on the sidelines. I think there's a healthy balance. but I think that he's just a good guy. And like I said, I think he's gonna be a great teammate. and he's he's gonna make us better. So I'm excited. TB: Yeah, and he's it seems like he's already making his mark in the community and the story I was referring to. I do you remember was it like a footlocker or some some sort of sporting goods store? Sydney: Yeah, it might have even been like a Dix or something like that. TB: Yeah, so I guess they were putting out all these more t shirts. And so he went in on his own and paid for a whole bunch of them. I think he bought I don't know what, like 70 shirts or something. And he basically paid for them all. And he told the owner, the store owner, hey, if someone comes in asking them for a DJ Moore shirt, you just say, Hey, it's it's taken care of here. It's it's yours for free, and here you go, courtesy of the the new wide receiver of the Buffalo Bills. Sydney: Mm. TB: And now I don't think that story was supposed to get out. obviously they do these stories find a way of getting out. But I think somebody who actually went in and picked one of these up was was the one who reported it. Because a lot of times, you know, you you see these stories and they they go do these charity events or these community events and they're bringing their own PR team. And to me, like that doesn't really sit too well. I I do appreciate work that these guys are doing, but it doesn't always have to be front and center. Sydney: Yeah. TB: With the camera crew at the at the ready. So the fact that we heard about this story kind of secondhand, I I do appreciate. And then that that's the kind of stuff that really kind of embeds you with the community. And I think that that stuff is important. So yeah, I I'm excited. I I can't wait to see what he brings to the table. And I'm fired up. But let's turn our attention to the stadium. I mean, we are what a couple of weeks away from the first grand opening of the new high mark. How you feeling about out with the old and with the new? What what are your thoughts on this craziness? Sydney: Yeah, I think it's gonna be awesome. but I do think there's a lot of pressure surrounding it. Like if your first year in the new stadium is crappy, then well that's not always the best. I don't think that's gonna happen. I think it's gonna be awesome. It is sad to see the old one go just because there is a lot of memories there. I know it was time and there that thing was basically falling apart. But it is really cool. I'm really excited. It looks so sick. I think what they did on the inside with the coloring of the seats and everything, it's gonna be so sweet. So I wish I could be there for for opening day. but I know it's gonna be electric there and the fans are fired up, so it's gonna be pretty sweet. TB: Yeah, absolutely. I I can't wait. What's the thing you're most excited for for the the new stadium? Sydney: Man. I think just the buffaloes. my gosh, how could I forget? I know that they just put in the last buffalo, I think like two days ago. that is so awesome. I can't wait to take a picture in front of that thing. It's gonna be sweet. TB: Yeah. Yep. Yep. Family circle, I think it's called. It's gonna be called Family Circle or something something to that effect. Yeah. Sydney: So awesome. It's gonna be pretty cool. And I know when we do have weather there, it's gonna be a lot more manageable. I don't know how much we're gonna have to shovel out snow anymore. maybe they'll still do that, I don't know, but just more high tech and won't have to worry about those little things. There will still be snow. I know everyone was saying, why don't they put a roof on the stadium? Well, that's part of the culture. TB: Yeah. Sydney: That's part of the home field advantage. They would never put a roof on that place. So I think it's gonna be really cool. TB: So you are not bothered by the fact that this is not a completely enclosed dome structure? Sydney: No, I think that that takes away from the experience that you get there. if you've never been to a game in Buffalo, that having weather like that, it's just part of it. I remember the one game that we went to, there was two feet of snow in the seats. And that's just part of the experience. and I I don't wanna go see a game in a dome. I just I think the elements that you have in each market is so important to the team. TB: Yeah. Sydney: You know, when you go to I don't know what's a good one, Miami, you're dealing with a lot of heat. It's brutal, but that's part of their home field advantage. I don't know how much it actually helps them, but it's just part of it. Yeah. Yeah, but it TB: Yeah. Well, it helped them against the Bills a couple of years ago when it was what, like a hundred and ten in the shade on the Bill side of the or actually they they weren't in the shade. They were in the blazing sun the whole the whole game. And that's why they lost that game. That was that was trash. But yeah, you no, to your point, to your point, you're right. Like, hey, play the elements and to your advantage, right? So yeah, I hear what you're saying. Sydney: Yeah. Yeah, a hundred percent. so I they will never put a dome on on the stadium and I don't think they ever should. but to me it just makes it more fun. Like I said, it's not fun to drive in, but it it makes for a really cool game day experience. TB: Yeah. Well, here's hoping that we don't have to dig two feet of snow out of our seats anymore. I'll I'll take a a little bit here and there, but hopefully with this new technology and the way the snow is supposed to melt off the roof and all kinds of stuff. And hopefully it won't be it won't be crazy. but yeah, I'm definitely looking forward to the new stadium. Have you heard this rumor of another uniform that is allegedly going to be released here soon in the next week or two? Sydney: Yeah. I haven't heard of this, but I know every uniform that we have is sick. so I'm excited if we do have a new one uniform, it's I know it's gonna be fire anyway, so I'm not worried. TB: So alleg allegedly, allegedly, we'll go with the allegedly the color scheme is supposed to be in the grays. So this is supposed to be a gray uniform. How we how you feel about that? Sydney: Okay. I love it. I think that's awesome. We need something new, something fresh. So I think I like it. TB: Well, they brought the ice ones, ice jerseys to the the table last year and people aren't so happy about those because what? We we didn't do too well when we rocked those. Of course I have two two of my own in my own personal closet. Not too happy about that. but hey, whatever. I'm still gonna wear it, even though I'll probably get yelled at and screamed at in the in the stands. People don't like seeing those 'cause we performed so badly in them, but I don't know. I I'm not sure if that one will ever come back. We'll it'll be interesting to see what happens with this new jersey, when and if it's gonna be released. But yeah. So like I said, we are a couple weeks away from training camp. And one thing I did want to ask you about, have you heard of the latest ticket controversy pertaining to the practice events at the brand new high market? Sydney: No, I have not heard about this. TB: So we're gonna get your reaction live in real time. So do you know what the blue and red scrimmage is, first of all? So you've heard of this event. So basically every training camp, they have what's called a blue and red scrimmage. They have it at the stadium, they open it up to the public. The public comes in and they essentially watch the offense in one uniform play against the defense in the other uniform. And it's it it's it's a real cool event. Sydney: Yes. Mm-hmm. TB: you know there's usually a lot of media there and this is I think this is the event that Josh came out wearing the old red helmet and the internet like blew up because the Bill's bringing this helmet back and everyone went crazy. Ultimately it's a glorified scrimmage and it's just a chance to kind of showcase the team and it it's at night and it's under the lights and it's a really cool atmosphere. So they announced that this blue and blue and red scrimmage was going to be on August eighth. Sydney: Mm-hmm. TB: In the new stadium. Well, what they did was they said, this is going to be for PSL holders only. So the people who could go to this blue and red are going to be your PSL ticket holders. So people went absolutely crazy over this. They're like, How could how could you do this? This is a practice. This is a scrimmage, and it's only available to seasoned ticket holders. Well, in response to that, The team came out, I think within the week, a couple days later, there was such a negative response that the team came out and said, Okay, well, we're gonna now have a second open practice, not the blue and red, but a practice later in camp. This is actually going to be after the first preseason game. So I think the date is like the 18th or something. They're gonna have a second practice that is also going to be in the stadium. And this is going to be open to the general public. So basically You go on to Ticketmaster, they're not going to be charging you for these tickets, but you go on to Ticketmaster just like anybody else at a certain date and time, and you're going to have access to be able to get the tickets. Well, what do you think happened there? The PSL ticket holders lost their freaking minds and now they're mad because of this second practice. So there's this weird back and forth between the PSL season ticket holders and your people who didn't get them, and they're Going to war. Like social media is going crazy. If you're listening to l local sports talk radio, I listen to a lot of WGR. People are calling in and on both sides of this argument and going absolutely crazy. One guy was so ridiculous with his take that he actually he's he claimed he was a season ticket holder and he he called anyone that wasn't a peasant. He actually used the word peasant, and it was absolutely Atrocious. He got lit up by the host, which is great. But I mean, there are two totally different sides to this argument. So I figured, hey, let's talk about it. Let's bring it up and talk about it. Where now that you have here heard this argument, where do you stand with this? Sydney: Yeah, this is really tough. I would say I see it from both sides. working in hockey, I kind of understand that when you have season ticket holders, you wanna have those more exclusive experiences to reward them for being seasoned ticket holders. and it is a really hard line to not cross there because I think on the other hand, you have a lot of families and people that can't afford to go to these games because they are so expensive. So this might be the only time that they get to see the team throughout the season in person. it's really tough. I I get both sides of it. but I think when you've done something for so many years, I feel like it's when you don't keep it consistent. you're gonna get a lot of people that are unhappy. it's tough. I think at the end of the day, like you just want the fans to be happy. You don't wanna exclude other fans. It's just a really hard situation. I don't know. TB: I yeah. I think the team, I think the team did right here by actually putting a second practice in the stadium and opening it up. A couple things here. First and foremost, I am a season ticket holder. I've gone through the whole scenario when when they were doing the transition. I talk about this all the time. Me and my buddy Mike, we share season tickets we have for the last X amount of years. And so, you know, when this stadium was announced, we went. Back and forth and talked about this and ultimately decided, yeah, we're gonna go ahead, we're gonna, we're gonna put down our money, we're gonna buy these PSLs. It's absolutely an investment. I mean, we it these things are not cheap. I am not naive to that fact. In fact, I I've said on this podcast before, I'm very blessed to be able to do the things I can do, to go to these events, to go to these games, to go to some of these wrestling shows, to be able to buy cards and things like that, you know, on the collecting side of things. I am not. ever gonna sit here and say I'm better than anybody. I am very, very blessed to be able to go to these events. Having said that, at no point when I spent my X amount of dollars on a PSL did I ever think for a second that every single event that was going to be in this stadium for the rest of time, I should be able to get first crack at. I just think that's completely ridiculous. I signed up the PSL is a contract that you are paying and and signing for 30 years of what? Football tickets. This is football tickets. Like, I there's there's argument out there that every event, no matter what, not just Bills games, but every event, whether it's soccer, whether it's whether they put like the winter classic back in there, whether they put a concert in there, there's seasoned ticket holders who think it's their right that they are at the front of the line to every single one of these events and that they should have their seat for the rest of time for everything. And I'm just like, Sydney: Mm-hmm. TB: Come on, that's ridiculous. How how can you ever think that? Your PSL signed you up and locked you in to your seat for Buffalo Bills football. That's it. And it's in the contract. If you didn't read the contract, that's on you. That that's that's your problem, clown. So I I mean, I don't know what to tell you. But the amount of backlash on both sides of this is absolutely ridiculous. There's people that are like lording over these seats, like it's their team. Well, look, I get it. You buy in. Yes, you can claim to have a part of the team. You don't own the Buffalo Bills, right? You you can go and enjoy the game. But so you know, I I actually think we should try to do more of this stuff. I think that the they should have tours, free tours that are open to the public that you can bring people in and walk them through the stadium. I I get it. You're there to see your team and you want to be able to see the team. And to your point, this is really cr freaking expensive. So to have an event where families who can't afford the tickets and the PSLs and all that. come in for free and take their kids and be able to see them. I mean, have you seen the the aftermarket prices for the preseason games? I mean, the the whole the first game, I think it's on the 15th or something of of August, there were tickets as high as like $700 for a preseason game. Who in their right mind is going to spend that money just for the right to get into the stadium for the first time? Well guess what? You're not in there for the first time. People have been in there, you know, media and and and who whomever have taken tour after tour so this idea that we should close it off to nothing but season ticket holders and those who have bought the PSLs is kind of kind of crazy. So I I don't know. The whole thing is ridiculous. I people get nuts with this stuff and I need we we just need to be better as a society. Just take a deep breath go take a walk you know smell some grass you know spend some time with Your your family and friends, like it's it's not that big a deal. And let's be honest, like this practice, the second one that they open to the public, it's what two hours? And are you really gonna watch a NFL football practice? Like you're gonna be that invested to see how many times the backup quarterback Throws to the sixth wide receiver. I mean, come out. Josh is gonna come out. He's gonna spin a couple. He's gonna throw it to Shakir and DJ Moore and everyone's gonna go crazy. And then he's gonna go sip some water and walk around and sign some autographs. I mean, what are we talking about here? So like take it easy. I just it doesn't make any sense to me. Sydney: Yeah. That's a little crazy. I don't know. I think some season ticket holders almost do feel an entitlement to the team and some of the events that the team hosts. But again, that's not universal, but it is there are people that do feel that way. I don't think that's correct at all. But to each their own, that's crazy. TB: Yeah, yeah, I hear I hear you. I'll say to each their own, but Bill's Mafia, come on, let's let's be a little bit better. Let's let's take care of each other. I mean, we're supposed to be this big family oriented community. Like we don't need to be crapping on each other if if they didn't buy a PSL because guess what? There's ten thousand less season tickets, ten thousand less seats in this stadium than there were a year ago. So I mean, that's ten thousand less people that get to go in on a weekly basis. I mean Sydney: Yeah. Yeah. TB: Not everyone's gonna have access to this thing. And if if my first experience isn't until opening night against Detroit, am I gonna lose my mind? I might not get there for a preseason game. I mean, that that might just be the way it is. I mean, it's not easy for me to get there. I'm I'm about six hours away. I would love to go, but you know, life happens and and things like that. And I'm not gonna be, I'm not gonna be. pissed about it because someone else is getting to get in there before me. there's gonna be a time and place that I'm gonna get in that stadium and it's gonna be awesome and I'm gonna enjoy it and I'm gonna absolutely look forward to the next, hopefully God willing, the next thirty years of being in that place. So, you know, yeah, the this idea that I'm gonna look down on those and call people peasants, I I could not believe this clown actually got on the ra the radio and said that about that. Thank God they like hung up on him and and cut him off because that that was crazy to me. But Sydney: Yeah. TB: I don't know. You got any anything else? Yeah, any other thoughts on the the stadium before we turn our attention to another topic? Sydney: Loser. No, I would just say I'm excited. a new era is among us, so super excited. TB: Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, I think that will wrap up the Bills portion of the program. Wrestling Marks, you are on the clock. How the heck are we feeling? I will turn the tables right back to you. Give me a rundown. Tell me. And give me complete honesty. How big of a wrestling fan are you? Sydney: At the moment, I would say I'm not a big wrestling fan. but this is something that I grew up with. I would say it's kind of different from football. I grew up a really big wrestling fan and I'm not so much of a big fan anymore. but I have a lot of really great memories. We used to sit down and watch matches multiple times a week. so this is something that we did for years. We've been to I don't even know how many events in person. TB: Okay. Sydney: so I would say it's different now just because I don't know a lot of the people. I know there's still a lot of big guys that are, you know, around now that used to be around back in the day when I would watch. there's a lot of new faces that I'm just not familiar with. So I would say I'm not a big fan as of right now. TB: No, hey, that's okay. Cause like I said, this is about different perspectives. And as we get into this, there'll be some back and forth and we'll we'll we'll talk about something coming up here. But you're gonna have a a weekly segment called Sid's Homework, where I have you go back and watch some matches and and we'll kind of fill in the details about that. But as we talk about current events and current product and current wrestlers and what's going on as we work through the calendar and different pay per views. I'm sorry, PLEs. I can't call these stupid things PLEs. They're it there will always be pay-per-views, in my opinion. But as we talk about those in the shows, and yeah, I mean, you're gonna sit here and ask me irrelevant questions about what's going on and what's important and what's not. And I think that's gonna be a good way to approach this. so yeah, I I'm I'm I'm appreciative of your honesty. do you have any moments or or memories of Something growing up that kinda sticks with you. Sydney: Yeah, there was one in particular. I could not remember where we were, but I think if I had to guess, I think we were either in Hershey again or in Philly maybe. I'm not really sure, but there was a match that me and Jackson were at and just all of the people from backstage came running out to the ring. I do you remember this? TB: Yeah, I actually do. were in DC at Verizon Center and it was I believe it was John Cena versus Brock Lesnar and there was just a a brawl, pull apart brawl, and the normal, you know, cronies couldn't really separate these two. So the whole locker room ended up dumping out and filling the ring just to try to get in between these two guys. Yeah. I think that's what I think that's what you're talking about. Sydney: DC, okay. Yeah. Yeah, that was yeah, that was pretty awesome. I would say another one that I remember is when The Rock came out. I don't even remember who he was fighting or what he was doing there, but it was so electric. I mean, his intro is just insane. Like I've never seen anything like it. He is just it's crazy how electric it got in that building. but seeing him was Pretty insane as well. TB: Yeah, that one I do remember that one too. That was in Hershey. And when when he came out, I don't think anyone was expecting him there. That place came unglued. So that was that was fire. So do you have a favorite wrestler? Sydney: Persia, okay. Yes, I do. It will has always been and will always be Randy Orton. I love I love Randy Orton and I think that he has the best intro song ever. I could sing the entire thing. I don't even think it's close. He his intro is so fire. And some people think it's cheesy. I don't. I think he is just awesome. So he'll always be my favorite. TB: The Viper. Yeah. Yeah. He's been around quite some time. Quite some time. Yeah, he is he's been around for a while. A while. any anyone else do you know, like do you have any favorites who are currently still wrestling or are you totally not sure who's who's still in the game? Sydney: It's old man. It's an old man. Yeah. Well, if Randy's still wrestling, he's still my favorite. But as of I don't know. I know Cena just retired, which is obviously iconic because we grew up watching him wrestle. that was I mean, when you think of wrestling, I think of John Cena. I mean there's a few others I could name, but as of right now, I I don't know. TB: Yeah. Right. Sydney: I'm not really familiar with the roster at this point. I mean I love Roman Reigns. He's still wrestling. TB: Yeah. yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He's he's leading probably you know, he he's he's leading the bloodline, the the OTC as they call it. He's got a huge match coming up as we approach SummerSlam here in a few weeks, August first, the weekend of August first is gonna be huge. He will be definitely in one of the main events. He is currently one of the champions and he will be going against Seth Rollins, who is one of my favorites. So those two X Shield members will finally be squaring it up, going at it for the title. That'll be exciting. and then we'll obviously break down some of this stuff as we we head on down the road. But yeah, like going back to kind of what the point of this show is, I said very very early, I think it was episode one when I debuted this thing, that I'm never gonna get on here and talk about every single show, every single Raw and SmackDown, and there's just too much going on, but We'll we'll hit some of the high marks and we'll we'll talk about what I think is important or if something funny happened or something iconic happened. And then what I used to do is fire up the DeLorean and we would we would kind of jump back in time and look about, look at things through a historical perspective and and see, you know, kind of how some of this old stuff la made a lasting impact on me, why I am such a big wrestling fan. And so that's kind of what I wanted to do with this idea of. Around the topic of Sid's homework. I thought it would be a cool segment to have you go back and watch some of these older matches that, in my opinion, are very meaningful or iconic or important in the history of wrestling and kind of get a fresh set of eyes on them from a different generation and get your thoughts in the current age in 2026. so why don't we dive into the debut, the debut of Sid's homework? and you can talk about the very first match that you had assigned to you for the this this relaunch of the three Ts. Do you know what match what what match did did you just watch? Sydney: Yeah. So this was the 2011 CM Punk versus John Cena match at Money in the Bank for the WWE Championship. and this match was it just reminded me of a match that we would sit down and watch when I was 10. Like this was just I don't know, it was nostalgic. TB: Mm-hmm. Sydney: And even just watching the intros, watching how the fans react to the the people. CM Punk, I mean, he was huge when we were kids watching this. and then he sits down and I'm like trying to remember. I'm like, what is this quote that he says when he sits down? And I'm like, before he even says it, I'm like, he says it's Clauburn time. And I was like, I don't know why that just came to my head. And then he said it and I was like, wow. Like I remember this so vividly. Anyway, so he's in Chicago and he comes out and he's from there and his fans are just backing him and his it's electric. so he gets in the ring, he's in there for pfff, I don't even know, over five minutes, and the fans are just going insane. and then John comes out, doesn't even do his normal intro because he is hated in Chicago. TB: yeah. Yeah. Sydney: And doesn't do the salute, doesn't do anything. He is right to the ring and takes off his shirt and he's like, All right, let's go. Cause he the fans hate him. And I'm like looking at all the signs and it's like, you know, Chicago hates Cena. And I'm like, Wow, because he was always a good guy. so to see him so hated is just really interesting. But getting into the match itself, I mean, yeah, go ahead. TB: Yeah. Well, first of all, can I interrupt you? How old were you in two thousand eleven when this match first happened? Eight years old. D did did you have any recollection of this prior to when you just re watched it? What when did you watch it? A couple of days ago? Sydney: was eight years old. Eight years old. No, I watched it this morning and I was trying to remember like if I would have seen this before and honestly I don't remember. It was so long ago. But like I said, it was so nostalgic. It felt like I was sitting on the couch with you and Jackson just watching this like we used to. So I could have seen this match before. I really don't know. Like I said it was fifteen years ago, so it's hard to remember. TB: Okay. Okay. Sure. Did you know CM Punk was from Chicago prior to watching this match? Sydney: I did know that he was from Chicago, just because I don't know, in in my head it makes sense. but I do remember him making that a big part of his persona, that he was from there. TB: So obviously his theme music has changed multiple times over his career. and this isn't he didn't come out to the the current one, the cult of personality that's become so iconic to him. but his music hits in this match, and how would you describe the pop he got from the crowd there? Sydney: Mm-hmm. Yeah. I mean, it was electric. It was insane. I mean, we see that a lot. I remember this vividly when I would watch matches in the past. Like when the wrestler is in their home city, it's just a different environment. So him being in Chicago for this match was was pretty iconic. I mean, there were CM Punk signs everywhere. Like CM Punk shirts, you know, people are just obsessed with him. So I really barely saw any John Cena fans. I saw a few here and there, but especially in this time period, John Cena was so big. So to see him be so hated is just really interesting. TB: Huge. So do you think now this match was 15 years ago? Almost almost to the day. So we're right right around the same time. This is July of 2011. So we're almost 15 years to the day from when we're recording this. I think it was July 11th or something like that, was when this maybe 17th. I can't remember, but we're we're we're within a week of 15 years ago. I can't remember what I was gonna say. but Do you think this yeah. Does do you think this match still holds up today, fifteen years later? Sydney: Yeah, 100%. I think if anything, it's better. I mean, to see two people that are just so putting their bodies on the line, like the stuff that they were doing is just absolutely insane. And I know every wrestler does that, but I mean, this match was long too. It was so long. TB: It was. It was. I was a a little worried that I gave you such a a long match, right, right off jump. But did you watch the promo package that went before? Okay. Sydney: Yeah, I did. And I also thought that that was interesting because, you know, this whole package, CM Punk is attacking Vince McMahon. And it's kind of funny now looking back on this because Vince McMahon is kind of a piece of crap. to put it lightly. so him he said something in the promo that was like the WWE will be so much better off once Big TB: That's yeah, to put it lightly. Yeah. Sydney: Vince McMahon is gone. And I just thought that was so interesting when he's dead, but didn't want to say that. But I just thought it was so interesting. And I did, you know, think about that there was a stint that CM Punk left the WWE. So knowing those things in retrospect and looking back at all the things that he said in this package, I'm just like, is there any truth behind any of these things that he's saying? Because you never know what's going on behind the scenes, and I don't really TB: Yeah, he actually says when when he's dead. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yep. Sydney: recall when he actually left the WWE, but it was just interesting thinking about it. TB: Now, did you had you ever heard of this promo that he cut, that big promo you just referenced? Had you ever heard of it prior to watching this match? So this was probably one of the most iconic promos that has been cut in the history of wrestling. And it this is called the CM Punk Pipe Bomb promo, because he literally takes over, hijacks the show, and everything he said was supposed to be taken as like off the cuff. Sydney: No. TB: And he was basically just speaking his mind and he didn't care because in the storyline, if you remember, the deal was that at midnight following this money in the bank show, his contract was going to expire. So he his thing was, I'm gonna say what I want. I'm gonna tell you what my my thoughts are, what my grievances are with you, Vince, with this company, with the way things have been going, with the way you've taken Cena, you've placed him on this Unapproachable pedestal that no one can can even even touch. And he calls John Cena an ask kick ass kisser and all kinds of stuff. And he says a lot of stuff. And when when this actually happened, like in live time, people were watching this like, holy cow, is this supposed to be happening? This was one of those blurred line things where you didn't know whether he was he had like approval to talk like this or whether he just completely played it. free and loose. So to hear this promo that became known as this pipe bomb and it kind of sent shockwaves through the wrestling community, through you know the fan base and was like, wow, is this is this a legit thing that's happening now? And so it it was an electric story. This this was called this period from I don't know, probably June to the end of August, it was known as the Summer of Punk. And it had him and and CM him and Cena have these iconic matches back and forth. And yeah, it was just awesome. So just a lot of a lot of stuff that that happened surrounding this match and what what what were some of your favorite parts of the match? What did you like? What did you not like? Was there a favorite spot that you Sydney: Yeah. like I said, it was a long match, but there were little things that I think stood out. them just going from I can't remember I think it was Cena that pulled CM Punk. He did like a suplex off of the ring onto the mat, onto the floor. It's just brutal. Like you hear them just hit the mat, and I'm like, holy crap, like this is crazy. And then there was another time where TB: Yep. Yeah. Sydney: Cena was on the mat outside of the ring and CM Punk just dives through the the ropes and hits him. It's just crazy. I mean, it was brutal. Like and then going towards the end of the match, when Vince comes out and coming out with freaking John Lornidas, I didn't even remember that guy existed. and then Cena just goes over and punches him in the face. TB: Suicide dive. Yeah, they call that a suicide dive, right? Yeah. Wow. Yeah. Just levels him. Sydney: And I'm like, I'm like, wow, this is wild. But I mean, the match as a whole was just it was awesome. I mean, I just remember matches like that as a kid. And I I haven't watched matches recently, but I feel like that would be hard to replicate. I mean, they're just two insane athletes that also just perform at such a high level. So It is really, really cool. And I would be interested to see how that would compare nowadays. And also just seeing the arena as a whole, no advertising. It was just so different. And I saw the people in the crowd, because I really took note of this, they all had digital cameras and were just taking photos. And I'm like, wow. And I saw flip phones. I saw like no smartphones in the in the crowd, which was just so cool. TB: Totally different. Awesome. Ha ha ha. Yeah, it's it's crazy, right? Sydney: Just more so people just living in the moment, I think more or less. enjoying it and just taking it in. So that was the takeaways that I think stood out to me the most. TB: Yeah. Enjoying it. Yeah. So I also rewatched this match. I rewatched it this morning as well. And that that spot you said when Cena suplexes him from kind of the ring apron out onto the floor, that's definitely stood out a few minutes. That's kind of the where the match really kind of takes off and then kind of really picks up speed. Cause the first I would say five to six minutes, it's kind of a a little slow. They're they're like feeling each other out and and you know. Sydney: Mm. Yeah. TB: Getting the crowd involved and invested. And then with that suplex spot, it really, it really kind of hits the gas and and they're off and running. But there was that spot. And then when Cena is inside the ring and he's kind of leaning on the ring ropes and CM Punk hits him with the knee. Do you remember this spot? He hits him with the knee and he catches Cena square in the jaw. And Cena's fit like total his whole head just kind of jerks back. And they they played the replay of this. Sydney: Yeah. The jaw. TB: It looked nasty. And I know Booker T, it's weird because the commentators were Michael Cole, Jerry the King Lawler and Booker Booker T. And Booker T, I think, is saying, John Cena's knocked out and it he falls down and he when he hits the mat, he he wakes back up, which whatever. But that that was that that was a a a hit. And then the other thing I noticed, Michael Cole on commentator commentary in this match is so Sydney: Mm-hmm. Yeah. TB: Pro John Cena. It was kind of ridiculous. They and I I get it, CM Punk in Storyline. Now not in Chicago, but in Storyline, CM Punk is the bad guy. But Michael Cole is so pro Cena when when he has Punk in the submission holds, he's screaming into the microphone for Punk to tap out. He's just going, tap out, tap out. And I'm like, holy cow, this is your main announcer. And he's going ham. for for one of the wrestlers. Aren't you supposed to be a little like down the middle with this? But no, he was not at all. I thought that was cool. And then the the one section of the match where Punk does the dive onto Cena. Cena reverses it, picks him up into the AA, goes to hit the AA. Punk reverses that into the into the GTS or the go to sleep. He goes to hit that. Cena reverses it into the STFU, which is his submission move. Punk reverses that again into the Anaconda vice. Cena reverses it again into the attitude adjustment. It was it was sick. It was a great like roll of moves, a great section, a great segment of the match. And then, yeah, to your point, when Vince comes out and and John Laurenitis come out. Sydney: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Mm-hmm. TB: And Vince is clearly trying to screw CM Punk over because he's telling John Laurenidas to go tell the ring announcer the to ring the bell. Cena has punk in a submission hold, and he's trying to replicate. I don't know if you knew this or not, he's trying to replicate the Montreal screw job involving Brett the Hitman Hart and Shawn Michaels all the way back at Survivor Series of 97. He was trying to. Sydney: Mm. TB: Which is exactly what happened there. long story short, this is like another a whole nother moment in the the the storybook of WWE. But Vince screwed Brett out of the belt way back then and he was actually trying to replicate that moment in this match by calling for the bell when punk didn't tap. So that's when you see John Cena run out of the ring and he levels. Sydney: That's crazy. TB: John Laurenitis, I mean, levels him and then walks up to Vince and he's like, no, it's not going down like that. And then Cena, what happens next? Cena gets back in the ring. He's hit with the GTS and it's one, two, three. Punk is your new champ. And holy cow, does the place come absolutely unglued at that point? Just, just wild, wild. And then it continues because the the the shenanigans, the chaos, Sydney: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. TB: Goes on. Vince is calling for the winner of the Money in the Bank ladder match, which happened an a couple hours prior to this main event. This was Alberto Del Rio. He had won the briefcase, which gives him a guaranteed contract to cash in at a championship match at any time. So Vince is calling for Del Rio to come running out to cash in on CM Punk right then and there. So to prevent Punk from winning and taking this belt. So Del Rio comes down running to the ring, he looks a little odd running to the ring. I don't know if you caught that, but it was like, this guy looks a little weird running. Maybe he doesn't have too many practice practice sessions running with a briefcase, but he looked a little strange. Anyway, he slides into the ring and CM Punk immediately hits him with a roundhouse kick, takes the belt, and then this is one of the most iconic moments. He straddles the barricade as he's entering the crowd. Sydney: Mm-hmm. TB: And he blows Vince a kiss goodbye. And that kiss goodbye has been seen timeless, you know, countless amounts of times throughout history. But and and then the show's over and he he leaves. Now this sets up craziness in the next couple of weeks. Is Punk gone? Is he really, you know, never coming back? Well, it sets up a tournament. to decide the new champion and who wins it. Lo and behold. Well, actually, Rey Mysterio wins the tournament, but John Cena is allowed to fight Rey Mysterio for the right to become this new crowned champion. Well, John Cena beats Rey Mysterio, he becomes the champion. And as John Cena is celebrating his victory and the new his his him being newly crowned champ, who comes out to spoil his parade? But none other than the real champion, CM Punk. So now you have two. Two guys who are claiming ownership of separate but the same title. And this sets up a a match at SummerSlam, which is a month, a month later, for the basically sole possession of the title. So crazy story. Like this whole run between June and August was it was awesome. And I wanted you to watch this match because this match is probably encapsulates and like This is why I'm a wrestling fan. Matches like this, the storytelling in this match, not just short term, like within the 35, 40 minutes of the match, but like this was a month plus long story that had been probably longer. And just the way it culminated with with Punk blowing that kiss to Vince and you, you, the, the screen goes black at the end of Money in the Bank 2011, and you have no idea what the hell is about to happen next. And that is what makes wrestling awesome. Sydney: Yeah. TB: Because you want to tune in the next night on Raw or you want to turn in to to SmackDown to figure it out. It's just it's just crazy. So yeah, that's why I wanted to start with this one. do you have any what how would you rate that match? So I use the scale of four turnbuckles. how do you rate that match? Sydney: Yeah, I mean, in my opinion, I don't think you can get much better than that. I think when it comes to a good wrestling match, there are a lot of different components. Storyline has to be number one. And you going into that storyline, I mean, the whole thing with Vince, the whole thing with John, I mean, his relationship with the WWE as a whole, I think played a lot into the storyline. and then the match itself was just insane. So to me, I give it a four. TB: coming out firing with the first segment here. Okay. Four, four out of four turnbuckles. That that's that's gonna be a high bar. I don't know if you can beat that high that bar. So okay. Wow. Wow. Only maybe I shouldn't have started with that match because now we have nowhere to go but down. But yeah, that that's awesome. So do you have any questions for me about that match or the context around it or anything? Maybe I can answer it, maybe I can't, but. Sydney: Yeah. That was elite. think so. I think that the the description that you gave was pretty detailed and now that I know that I think looking at the match now it just makes it even better. so no, I think it was a great match as a whole. TB: Yeah, it's like I said, it's just a framework of time that for wrestling and for for us as fans, it's it's wrestling works the best when you don't know what's gonna happen next. some so many times wrestling can become predictable. And sometimes that's good because you're like, well, this person should win the belt because such and such or whatever. But sometimes when you Sydney: Mm. TB: Finish a show and you have no idea where the story is gonna go next. That's when wrestling is, to me, in my opinion, that's when it's at its peak. And to look back at this 15 years ago, this whole story that was told over the summer between Punk and Cena, and some you had some other characters that were sprinkled in, this Del Rio thing, and he actually ends up cashing in at the end of SummerSlam, which is even crazier. but Sydney: Mm. TB: It that that didn't really matter. But to bookend, like to have this be such an iconic moment in time and a huge turning point. Like Cena talks about this match. and when he was on his retirement tour, he made a point to have a match again with CM Punk because he appreciated the story these two guys were able to tell. and he says, you know, that that match was iconic. And so I I figured Sydney: Mm-hmm. TB: There's no better place to start. so it was interesting to get your your thoughts on on that match. Sydney: Yeah. Yeah. TB: I just saw your your note. I'm still learning this program. So yeah. I mean, wow, we are rolling with this thing. We are up to an hour and twenty. Hey, hey, time f time flies when you're having fun on the relaunch episode of the three T's. so I'm not even gonna we'll we'll leave the current wrestling stuff. I was gonna use that to kind of segue into what what just happened on Monday Night Raw. but we could talk about that. Sydney: That's okay. I know. TB: the next episode and kind of use that to roll into summer slam which is three weeks away but I do want to kind of get to the cardboard portion of the program. So card enthusiast, you are on the clock. How the heck are we feeling? First question for you, new co-host, are you a collector? And if the answer is no, why the hell not? Sydney: man, well the answer is no. I don't know. I guess I just never have really gotten into it. not to say that I won't ever, but I think that it's a really cool industry as a whole. I know a lot of people that do collect cards, from their, you know, their favorite players or their favorite teams. So I do think it is really cool. To be honest, I have nowhere to really store them right now. So I think if I were to do something like that, I would need to to figure something out so I could actually display a lot of the stuff that I have. but I think, you know, never to count it out in the future. TB: yeah. No, absolutely. Absolutely. Where do you see this segment going as we move forward with the three Ts? I know that question's kind of off the cuff, but Sydney: Yeah. I think that there is a lot to learn. And being a sports fan, there's a lot of players that I think are interesting. So if I were to start collecting, it would be fun. but I think for the most part to begin, I think my questions will be directed towards you. so you can kind of talk a little bit more about that and maybe I can learn as I go. TB: No, that's awesome. And then that that's the whole point of this as I obviously neither of us are experts on any one of these three hobbies. I don't claim to be a prof, you know, a NFL insider. I don't know what the heck's going on. I'm just here giving my thoughts and opinions. The same with wrestling and the same with with collecting. So would there be anything that you would want to collect if you could? Who would it be? What would you collect? Sydney: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. TB: It doesn't even have to be cards. Could you ever see yourself in the future getting into some sort of collecting? Sydney: Yeah. Yeah, I think the some of the cards that you collect are interesting. Like especially the Disney ones and the one that you pulled yesterday with Perry from Phineas and Ferb, like little things like that. Agent P, yeah, I think that those are really cool. but I mean, like I said, I would collect players that I like. I think having a maybe a Josh Allen collection, I don't want to seem too TB: Agent P. Sydney: too basic here, but maybe if I find like a niche player that I think would be fun to collect, like a Shakir or something like that, someone that's not so big, I think that could be really cool. just talking to my coworkers who know a lot about card collecting, they always talk about like the market for cards and like who is a good person to start collecting. Someone that's maybe not so mainstream at the time, but is on the come up. So Someone like that that's not super in the public eye yet, but maybe will be in the future. TB: How long do you think and how much would it cost you to assemble the entire Matt Milano collection of football cards? 'Cause I don't even know how many there would be out there. Sydney: I don't know. I don't know if it would take me too long because his career might be over. So no, it might not. I think it would I mean it would be kind of fun to look, but I think that would be like like I said, that's a really niche person when I tell people that's my favorite player. They're like, who is that? Like I don't even know and why. but that's why I like it. I think. TB: There it might not take you long at all, is what I'm saying. There might only be a handful of cards. I'm not sure how many cards he has. Yeah. Yeah. Sydney: just, you know, everyone loves Josh Allen and I think we all love Josh Allen, but I think having a collection that's not just, you know, so you know, he's he's the best player in the whole NFL. So we we know that. But I think having a more niche collection is is cool. TB: Right. Yeah, absolutely. Now I know that we're kind of running out of time here, but a couple more things I just wanted to hit on because I don't want to leave the hobby enthusiast short on the the relaunch episode of the three T's, but a couple of the brand new products that have hit the shelf lately, and you you talked about it briefly, but Disney Chrome and Marvel Chrome have hit the shelves within the last month. And I gotta tell you, it's absolute. Sydney: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. TB: Craziness, this Disney stuff, and here I'm gonna share my screen. You can tell me if you see this, but we'll like some of this. Disney hit the shelf, I think just about a month ago. But some of these stuff, these cards are like super cool, super cool to have who who's your favorite Disney character? Sydney: Yeah. wow. Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's sick. Ooh, that's a really good question. I would say. TB: I gotta tell you, like the the Elsa market, while you think the Elsa market is ridiculous. Like these cards with these signatures on them is just Sydney: Who is signing these cards? Can I ask that? Like who TB: Okay, so yeah, there there's there's there's a little, I don't want to say controversy, but so there's two different types of autographs. They have what's called a facim facimile autograph, which is basically like a computer generated autograph that alleges to be from the actual character. So like if this is Elsa, we're looking at Elsa, obviously this is signed by a real person, but so when you get into character cards. You have a computer generated signature that's called a facimile auto that people think is crap because they're like, Well, this person really isn't doesn't exist. So oftentimes the actor, like the voice actor or actress will sign the card. So it's kind of kind of weird. So that's a very like, but then you look at a card like this, and these are going to be this is the Pirates of the Caribbean. Sydney: Yeah. TB: So you have the actors who actually played these characters. So obviously Johnny Depp signing as Jack Sparrow, you know, stuff like that. but like, yeah. I mean, look look at this one. Lewis Hamilton. to this card right here is crazy. Like to get a Lewis Hamilton auto in a Disney Chrome product is just ridiculous. But some of these cards, as so, so who's your favorite character? Sydney: Okay. That makes sense. Lewis Hamilton. Yeah. That's cool. I would say right now I would say it's Perry the Pottables, honestly. Let's roll you out, Nick. TB: Okay. Yeah, I mean I I I mean there's th so the base set in this Disney, there's two hundred characters in the base set and then you have all kinds of like image variations and and sketch cards and all kinds of things going on. but there's just the reason I like these cards and I c you know, I'm I'm They're not for everybody. I I recognize that, but I'm kind of getting more into the non-sport side of collecting because some of the artwork is just insane. Like look at this card. The artwork on this is awesome. Like this, this is called an Art of Disney insert. And it's original artwork that's tied to one of, I think, 10, yeah, 10 stories in in the Disney lore. I mean, that's just that's fire, in my opinion. And then I'm gonna I'm gonna switch to Sydney: Yeah. Yeah. TB: I'm gonna switch to Marvel that's just that just came out. Now I gotta tell you, I have opened some of this product. In my opinion, this is the coolest product I've ever opened. And I've opened football, baseball, basketball. I I collect a ton of baseball. I I opened this and I was like blown away by how awesome this product is. The quality is fantastic. The artwork on these cards is out of control. Sydney: Wow. TB: Look at this card. This is a Wolverine claw card. And it's essentially every one of the 200 base set cards will have one of these. It's a one of one. And it looks like Wolverine, who's from X-Men, took his claws. And this it actually like there's holes in the card. So you can hold the card up and see through it. And these cards are going for, you know, hundreds and hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. But the artwork on some of this stuff. Sydney: So good. wow. TB: I don't know why. I guess Aaron Judge had a cameo in a Marvel comic. So they gave him a card in the in the set. so this is what I was talking about. The facsimile facsimile auto. So here's one right here. Here's an example of that. So this is like the computer saying, Vision, sign this card. Well, no, he didn't. You know, but like some of the artwork, like, look at look at this card. Like this, this card is awesome. This card is awesome. So I had so much fun opening this. Sydney: Got it. Yeah. TB: and it it's just a freaking blast. It's a blast. And you know, that's kind of where I'm at now. I've spent probably too much money opening other sports cards and gotten like nothing. And then I look back on it and I'm like, why did I really open this? But at least with these other series, to have these Marvel Marvel cards. I wasn't a huge comic book fan growing up. I've appreciated it more as I've gotten older, but the artwork is just awesome. And to have this, to look at I'm actually flipping these cards over and reading the back of every single one of these cards just because it it like piques my interest and I want to know where this character came from and what what the deal is with with it. And it's just it it's crazy. So yeah, these these cards are are really fire right now. And I'm I'm having a blast with it. So it's Sydney: Mm-hmm. TB: It's cool. I d I don't know what to tell you. Sydney: Yeah. No, I agree. And as someone that doesn't really collect cards, that's probably something that I would collect. TB: Yeah. And so I didn't open any boxes of the Disney stuff, but what I did was I went on eBay and I went through that character list and I highlighted certain things and ones that I wanted to collect. So like that Agent P. Well, why did I get that card? Well, it's because you and your brother were huge fans of Phineas and Ferb back in the day. And I wanted to have that and the Phineas and Ferb cards in my collection. Why? Because it's it's a memory I have of something that sh was shared with you and your brother. Sydney: Mm. Yeah. TB: growing up. And so that's the stuff that we talk about the emotional connections. I look at that card. Is it cool to me? Absolutely. Is it cool to someone else? Probably not. They're like, why the hell do you collect a card with a platypus on it? And I'm like, well, it's not just a platypus. He is a detective or a special agent platypus. And like, like there's just some crazy, crazy cool cards. So I love the Muppet stuff. I I got a lot of the Muppet cards from that set. Sydney: Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. TB: And one of my new favorite movies, which I just watched well years late to the party, is Inside Out. So I went ahead and started getting all the characters from the Inside Out movies. And so no, I don't have stacks and stacks of heaps of these Disney cards. I collect very specific characters from things and you know franchises that I like. so I don't know. It no, it's not for everybody, but I think as these things go further and further, I think you're gonna see these kind of grow. I I think the possibilities are endless. And if the artwork keeps being as fire as it is on some of these l last sets, I mean, sky's the limit. Sky's the limit. But one more thing I wanted to highlight in the card community. I didn't put this on your your rundown, but this this kind of took place, took place Sydney: Yeah, absolutely. TB: It was brought to my attention a few weeks ago. There was a card show. I have you ever been to a card show, first of all? Let me tell you, card shows can be chaotic. There's people everywhere, there's tables, there's vendors, there's there's a lot of noise. It's a very like high energy, kind of chaotic, almost like stressful environment. But what I found was something called the All-Stars Card Show. And I think this is one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Sydney: Mm. TB: Pertaining to the hobby. They did an inaugural show at Villanova University, which is outside of Philly. And this was back in June. I think it was June 4th of this year. Now, this All-Stars card show was held for kids with disabilities. And it was a sensory card show. And it was by invite only. And this was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. And it was a shout out to Mean Daddy Cards. So if if all you listeners out there want to give mean daddy cards a like on Insta or whatever is going on. But this guy, I give mad props to this guy. So he set up this card show and he let all these kids and their families come in. All these things were done by donations, and he set up a legit card show where these kids could come in, have basically much calmer, toned down atmosphere and environment. And all these sellers and businesses donated product so these kids could come in and open cards and have these experiences that they normally wouldn't get to have. Fan freaking tastic, chef's kiss. This is like, this is what it's about. This is what it's about. I saw this and I was like, holy cow, this needs to be promoted more. This needs to be talked about more. This stuff needs to happen all the time. And so I follow some other channels. Shout out to Hobby Nonsense. this is another podcast and Instagram account. the owner Jesse Gibson, he runs an eBay channel as well, where he goes live and he has his own podcast and he sells a lot of these non-sports cards. Well, he did an eBay auction a couple weeks a couple weeks back in which people donated a whole bunch of products and then people would come in and the purchases from all these products. All the money went to this All-Star Cards foundation, which was just fire. So I literally sat in this room in this eBay live auction for like three hours. And what was super cool was the kids that were at this card show, they actually created their own one of ones. They actually hand drew their own trading cards and these were auctioned on the show. And they were they went for like awesome money. Like the cheapest one was like 50 bucks, but some went in the like low hundreds. It was it was awesome. So people made different sketches. One was of Patrick Mahomes, and I was like, boo, but no, like these they made like a Caitlin Clark card, which was fire, all kinds of stuff. And it was just awesome. So all the money was donated to this all-star card show. Sydney: That's crazy. Ha ha ha. TB: Look, that was amazing. It was super awesome. And I was so happy to see it. And that's the type of thing we need more of. So anyway, I just kind of wanted to to talk about that. But Sydney: Yeah, absolutely. TB: Got a hurricane. No, but we've been we've been running, we've been running a long time. So Sydney: Sorry for the background noise. Mike just got home. Look at this special delivery. TB: Special delivery. we got food on the podcast. First time ever. But I think that will probably wrap it up for the the reboot, the relaunch of the three Ts. You have any final questions or comments before we sign off? Sydney: Mukbang. No, I think it's gonna be a lot of fun just to deep dive into everything that kinda happens leading up to the season. I'm excited for training camp and to see all the media crap that unfolds because there's always some sort of something going on in the media rotating to to training camp. So I think it's gonna be really fun to have an ola to talk about and just to to to see what's gonna happen in the next few months. TB: No, awesome. I'm super excited to have you aboard. so grateful that you agreed to do this. And yeah, I'm I can't wait to see where we go next. But I think that's gonna do it for this episode of the relaunch of the 3T. So if you have enjoyed this show, make sure to follow or subscribe. Leave us with a rating or review, share this episode with anybody who loves the Buffalo Bills because they're the best team of football, who loves professional wrestling or is a fan of that chaotic cardboard world out there. Share it with somebody. Help help us out. Help your co-host out. Help your boy TB out. Because we're trying to grow this thing one episode at a time. So as always, I appreciate y'all very, very much. And we will sign off with a Go Bills. All right. See you on the next one. Later. Sydney: Go Bills. Later.