Latest / 2 Men In Black and White: An Honest Conversation / Why the New York City Positive Energy and Joyous Vibes Spell Doom For MAGA
Transcript
- Mark Hayes (00:01.176) Alright, folks, welcome back to another exciting edition of Two Men in Black and White and Honest Conversation. And settle in, folks, you're in for a wild ride. My partner Cry Broconellus joins us to tell us why he thinks the next Game 5 win in San Antonio Saturday night is the beginning of the end of MAGA. Was MAGA World even watching this thing? Brock and Ellis joins me live for the beautiful confines of the upper Hudson River Valley. Brock, what say you, my friend? Let's go. Brock Ganeles (00:38.954) Mark, it's so good to be back. I'm back from a 14-hour drive 16-hour drive from Birmingham, Alabama, where I got to watch Game 5. Finally back in my friendly confines. Yes, I got to spend two days just scrolling and watching Instagram clips of Nick Fan singing Jay-Z and Alicia Key's Anthem. and celebrating. Obviously, we're basketball fans, so we were all over every nuance of the strategy and the play and the Jalen Brunson and OG and Wemby. But I think that the Knicks' victory is actually a cultural and seminal moment in America. And I don't care if MAGA wasn't watching because it doesn't matter to me. Because The 30% of people in the country that are still MAGA, in my mind, are immovable. It's the motivation of the other 70%. The Stacey Adams the Abrams theory of you motivate the base and we will overwhelm them. So I don't care if MAGA wasn't watching because the rest of America was watching. Mark Hayes (01:38.66) Yeah. Mark Hayes (01:51.467) Right. Brock Ganeles (01:57.827) The rest of America was watching and yeah, we're New Yorkers, so we loved that the Knicks won it. It'd been fifty three years since the Knicks have won a championship, but it wasn't like just to me. And hey, I'm going overboard. Reel me in. I think that it was a cultural moment in America. I think America as a country was looking for something to have joy. And that the rest of the country is looking at New Because MAG is all about anger. Trump's all about anger and hate. And the Knicks winning was about community and friendship and shared success. And the joy of doing something together. And that's why I was driving up, I had the Philadelphia sports radio station on for two hours of the trip. And the sportscasters were bitching and complaining that their co-workers had come in on Monday excited and feeling good about the Knicks' victory. And feeling happy for New Yorkers and the sportscasters was mad. No, they're our rivals. We can't feel big about them. And my take was it wasn't about the Knicks winning, it was about how New York felt. It was about the victory of multicultural America. Mark Hayes (03:12.96) Brock Ganeles (03:22.932) It was about the fact that that Nick team was a was a microcosm of America. With Jose Alvarado from Puerto Rico and Jalen Brunson, a whole bunch of black players. And by the way, a black coach who would replace the white coach that got them over the hump. a guy from Barbados, a white guy. Mark Hayes (03:30.168) Right. Mark Hayes (03:45.891) Mm-hmm. Brock Ganeles (03:46.517) It was it was a belief that a group of people can come together. So it was reflected in a basketball team. But it's all New Yorkers started talking about was their city and how their city respects each other. And how you walk into a bodega and hear six different languages being spoken. And you love it, and everyone lives together and respects each other. And the fact that they have all these differences can actually come together. Mark Hayes (03:58.724) Right. Mark Hayes (04:06.541) And so what? Brock Ganeles (04:15.072) And create the greatest city in the world. It doesn't have to be about hate and a fear of the others. That New York is actually the city that has shown the success of all people from all over the world embracing each other and embracing each other's cultures. Mark, I'm just gonna keep going. I'm gonna pound you to submission. Do you realize the day after the Knicks won was Puerto Rican Parade Day? It's gay pride month in New York. Mark Hayes (04:17.433) Right. Mark Hayes (04:34.896) Well Mark Hayes (04:42.361) Yeah. Brock Ganeles (04:45.058) Friday's June nineteenth. Plus we have the World Cup going on and have the Brazilians taking over the city with their fans. And now there's a parade on Thursday for the Knicks. But they're not there just for the Knicks. People will not be there just for the Knicks. They're gonna be there to celebrate their city because the team reflects their city. Mark Hayes (04:53.786) Mm-hmm. Mark Hayes (04:59.876) Yeah, they're all lovely young. Mark Hayes (05:07.652) Yep. Yep. Let me let me tell you why you're making sense. Brock Ganeles (05:10.51) I'm gonna take a breather. I'm gonna take a breather, Mark, because I don't know if you get that vibe if you're not a we're not New Yorkers, we're suburban kids. But you know what? We've actually been welcome to be New Yorkers because New Yorkers said for the next week, even if you're from Poughkeepsie or Long Island or Westchester, you're all New Yorkers now because you've suffered through this fifty three years with us. We all suffered together. So we're gonna be honorary New Yorkers for the next week 'cause we're good 'cause you know what? Mark Hayes (05:23.288) Everybody. Mark Hayes (05:30.296) Right. No doubt. Brock Ganeles (05:37.204) New Yorkers are opening this up to everyone to share it with them. Mark Hayes (05:40.333) Everybody. Yep. Yep. Let me tell you why I think it makes sense. There's there's no other melting pot in the world like New York. I noticed it at the Boston Marathon, I mean the New York Marathon in twenty nineteen. Just how many different cultural backgrounds the race was run through. Starting in Staten Island, going through Brooklyn, into Queens, down through Manhattan, right? Through the Bronx, right? Ha through Harlem and down into Central Park. I mean, you're right. It is about everyone. And and you know, the Puerto Rican Day Parade, it's something that sets New York apart from every other major city. You know, the the the you're right, the bodegas, the little Italy's, the Chinatowns, the the amazing parts of New York that make it so special. And you know, for the most part, after Game Five, you saw nothing but love from New Yorkers, right? The city too busy to hate. And yeah New Yorkers are aggressive and yeah New Yorkers are face forward and yeah New Yorkers always have something to say. But the bottom line is I I see where you're going and I see why, you know, it's it's funny too because like even I was talking to a friend from Philly this weekend, and even she said, you know, I'm happy for for New Yorkers and the Knicks. You know, they deserve that, they needed that. Brock Ganeles (07:35.011) They needed it. They deserve it. This team deserves it. Everyone feel just like when the Cubs won the World Series and then when the Red Sox won the World Series. Everyone has empathy for a group of people that have been rooting something for 50 years and it's never come their way, right? So yeah, there's that. I just think this is goes a layer deeper than about sports. You're not saying Knicks fans needed that. Mark Hayes (07:39.14) Yeah. Mark Hayes (08:01.21) Right. Brock Ganeles (08:04.408) They're saying New York City needed that. But what they're what I think they're are really thinking is we needed that. We America needed that. And New York is the biggest city in the country, and the one that we brag about the most. It's New York is the Mecca, the greatest city in the world. The melting pot. You know when you're in your New York City, you know what you've never heard in your life? Mark Hayes (08:17.86) Needed that. Yeah, man. Mark Hayes (08:25.337) Right. Brock Ganeles (08:34.188) No one in New York City has ever said to someone, go back where you came from. In New York City? Like, everyone's gotta get like what? Their documents out from when their fucking family got here? Because the Statue of Liberty is right there in Ellis Island's right there. It's like, get back where you came from. You go fucking back where you came from, right? No one feels like it's their place and not somebody else's. Mark Hayes (08:38.444) Right. Right. Right. Right. Mark Hayes (08:47.28) Right. Mark Hayes (08:52.366) Exactly. Right. Right. Mark Hayes (09:00.877) Right. Brock Ganeles (09:02.046) So what you may not have seen have you seen the chant that started the the the rhyme that some crazy guy started after the game? Well I'm gonna tell it to you and for anyone listening. And it goes like this My mayor is a Muslim Mark Hayes (09:19.968) yeah. Brock Ganeles (09:21.194) My bagels are Jewish. The Pope's on our side, nick's in five. And it's soon as that guy said it, I'm listening to it and then I'm seeing derivatives of it. Because the derivative is that instead of saying the Pope's on our side, they're saying Trump ruined the vibe, nicks in five. Mark Hayes (09:36.504) Right. Mark Hayes (09:43.332) Makes a five Brock Ganeles (09:45.355) And it's become an icon. Now there's a congressman already using it as a part of his political run. I think he's running against Dan Goldman, and he because he's out there with Mandani and he's like, My mayor is Muslim, your next congressman's gonna be Jewish. Nixon 5. Like now it's become like a chant, and like and the reason it's important is. Mark Hayes (10:02.981) It's not right. Brock Ganeles (10:08.8) Mondani is getting a lot of shine for the Knicks winning. It happens to be on his watch, but it's also bringing a lot of he's the one that pushed for those street watch parties that became phenomenal and that Trump roomed for a night. So the difference of the world with Trump in it and the world with Trump not in it was so stark because game three sucked. And game f that game four, they brought the watch parties back. Mark Hayes (10:12.142) Yes. Mark Hayes (10:19.898) Right. Right. Right. Mark Hayes (10:28.08) Now that's it. Right. Right. Brock Ganeles (10:36.854) and had the great comeback and is considered maybe the g one of the greatest games in basketball history. And it and it it's not lost on anyone that the difference between the two nights was that Trump was there and is almost of a vision of what life can be like when Trump is gone. But that Mark Hayes (10:41.188) History. Right. Mark Hayes (10:52.772) Without Trump. Right. Brock Ganeles (10:55.382) That little limerick that the guy came up with just embodied New York. It's like a pride. My my mayor's Muslim. everyone else is calling him Muslim. Barack Hussein Obama. Like, no. Our mayor's Muslim. Our mayor's fucking good. He's fixing the potholes. He got the snow off the you know. He's got you know, free universal health care for two-year-olds. Holy shit, he's already gone after the landlords and he's holding down the rent. Like, yeah, our mayor's fucking Muslim. Mark Hayes (11:03.503) Yeah. Mark Hayes (11:07.684) Right. No. Mark Hayes (11:17.336) Right. Mark Hayes (11:24.033) Right. Right. And Brock Ganeles (11:25.174) Yeah, our Jew and our our bagels are Jewish. Like it was just like it was just a way of embracing everything. I want to come back to this point, Mark. We've been saying for 18 months that the Democrats don't have a message. And I think the Knicks winning and New York City has given the Democrats their message. We keep saying politicians don't lead, they follow, except in rare occasions, like a Bernie Sanders pushing universal healthcare and OALC for the most part. Mark Hayes (11:37.72) Yeah they do. Brock Ganeles (11:54.349) They wait to see which way the wind's blowing, and the wind is blowing multiculturalism, the wind is blowing pro-immigration, the wind is blowing community, the wind is blowing, let's bring joy back to America, let's respect each other, that we're better together than we are individually and apart. Mark Hayes (11:56.815) Mm-hmm. Mark Hayes (12:12.953) Yeah. Brock Ganeles (12:17.632) And that this is who we are. And the Knicks team just happened to embody it at the right place at the right time. They happened to have a six foot superstar against a seven foot five superstar. It happened to have a David and Goliath visual that came with it. Mark Hayes (12:27.984) With evil. Right. Right. And Brock, don't forget, New York is not just New York. Remember we call it the tri-state. It's New Jersey and it's Connecticut. Right? And so you have, you know, tons of folks from Jersey that are gonna be flocking into New York for this parade, that were at those watch parties, that have embraced the Knicks. Giants, jets, nets, as their own. They're all our New York teams. Whether they be in Connecticut or Nassau, like the Islanders, we are New York. The tri-state is New York. Now it depends on how far south you want to go in Jersey and how far north you want to go in Connecticut, but the tri-state all watches the same television. Brock Ganeles (13:27.328) And this team embodied the grit of New York because it wasn't obvious they were gonna win. They didn't Jalen Brunson was a second round draft pick when they s the Knicks signed him. It was like, what are they signing? Giving this guy twenty million dollars, not that good, right? He's been slighted his whole life. But it it just embodies I'll give you so many tidbits you might have you might miss if you're not in New York or like on Instagram twenty four seven like me. Mark Hayes (13:33.479) yeah. Mark Hayes (13:44.335) Right. Brock Ganeles (13:57.099) is beyond that little limerick is it's the whole idea of the friendship. That Jalen Brunson and Jason Hart and Mikhail Bridges are college friends who won a championship of college and got back together. Now Dante Di Vincentro unfortunately had to get traded to get Cal Anthony Towns, but it's also the power of friendship. And Mark Hayes (14:04.92) Yeah. And roommates. Mark Hayes (14:17.86) Yep. Brock Ganeles (14:18.678) It was a team, the Nick team really liked each other and everyone could tell how much they pulled for each other. And at the anchor of that was these three guys who like we all have our college friends that we're still in touch with and like friends for life. Mark Hayes (14:27.811) Ace. Brock Ganeles (14:33.366) And these guys got, you know, as professionals did it together, and it was just a reminder of the power of of friendship to a certain to a certain expect. And love. And these guys love each other. And so the stories underneath the story resonated with New York. Carl Anthony Towns lost his mother during COVID. Right? And he's been playing for his mom and he's living like he's had that grief throughout his career. And he's always been considered considered soft. Mark Hayes (14:39.578) Friendship and love. These guys love each other, bro. Mark Hayes (14:53.39) I remember that. Mark Hayes (15:01.176) Right, right. Brock Ganeles (15:02.102) And he comes to New York and his whole narrative changes and it's kind of a story of like how you can change your narrative in life. This is the stuff New Yorkers are talking about openly. How you can change your narrative any day you can wake up and change the storyline of your life. And Carl Anthony Towns then became wow, he's a great defender. Look at Anthony Towns, Garden Wemby. Like, after being sle you know, kind of pushed down his whole his whole career. There's Mark Hayes (15:05.32) pretty nails. Mark Hayes (15:31.473) And even during the finals, Brock, like Shaq and Chuck were giving him the business. Right? They were talking about I mean, again, earlier this season, people were writing the Knicks off saying there's no way you can win with a six-foot point guard. There's no way he's gonna lead you to a tight. He doesn't instantly make you a contender. What are you talking about? We ran through the playoffs in one of the most historic runs ever. Brock Ganeles (15:31.788) The might even during the finals. Mark Hayes (16:00.846) What was it, one lo one loss or two losses? And I mean, think about the closeout games, Brock. We won to the Spurs, right. And you the closeout game against the Hawks, they won by 50. The closeout game against the the Cavs, they won by 30. Brock, you can overcome New Yorkers believe you can overcome anything. Brock Ganeles (16:06.06) Three. They lost two to the Hawks and one to the Spurs. Brock Ganeles (16:14.733) Yeah. Brock Ganeles (16:23.328) And thus when they're down twenty nine points in game four and they come back to win, it's just a lesson in the next play and the next play. And the Wu-Tang Klang who played at halftime that game, complaining that none of the fans know their lyrics anymore. But apparently they they help change the vibe in the building. Mark Hayes (16:26.66) You pass in the verb. Or you see it. Mark Hayes (16:35.801) Yeah. Mark Hayes (16:39.94) Do Brock Ganeles (16:42.606) Because the team was getting killed, but they came out at halftime and all of a sudden they rehyped the building. So the Knicks came back out to an energized building. Who knows what made the difference? But for no New Yorkers' minds, it was all a part of a mosaic that was built. And I mean there's so many threads to it of things that I think are gonna last. And why I disagreed with my wife, I said, I think this is gonna spread, not fizzle. Mark Hayes (16:53.167) Right. Brock Ganeles (17:10.498) First of all, we have all week to the parade. Second of all, all these players are gonna go around and be on every TV talk show in the world, and they're gonna talk about friendship and perseverance and love and caring for each other. And Jalen Brunson, you think New York stars would always have to be brash. But New York gets the most humble stars. We get Eli Manning, we get Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jalen Brunson the most humble. Mark Hayes (17:21.242) Love. Mark Hayes (17:28.974) Right. Mark Hayes (17:33.445) Yeah. Now Jalen Brunson. Brock Ganeles (17:37.497) Humble superstar. He's never he's not gonna talk about what he did. All he's gonna talk about is what his team did. I get emotional talking about it. Like this is a big, big moment. The other phenomenal thing about it, like that's a lesson to the country that's going to resonate, is the Knicks had experience. They were veteran guys. Mike Brown, their coach. Had lost with LeBron in 2003, 23 years ago. He lost in the finals, and he had to take all these steps back and be an assistant coach. Then get fired by the Sacramento Kings. To get hired by the Knicks to have this narrative that now 23 y years later, where he's holding his grandkids in his arms now after the win, not his k own kids, the lessons learned and the how wise he became. Mark Hayes (18:03.342) In there. Mark Hayes (18:08.357) Yeah. Mark Hayes (18:16.684) Of all people. Brock Ganeles (18:31.99) And how much smarter and more poised he was than the Spurs Coats, who's still a rookie rookie learning on the job. Just as Vicker Wembinaya is still a rook young kid learning on the job, making mistakes, getting frustrated, and the Knicks had veteran players. And just the idea of experience and where competence matters and why it's important to hire people in jobs who know what the fuck they're doing and with experience. What a lesson for America. Mark Hayes (18:40.066) No guy. Yep. Mark Hayes (18:55.861) Experience. Mark Hayes (19:01.144) rock. The chess match that was Mike Brown versus Mitch Johnson. I mean, it was masterful. It was a master class in how to figure out what the I what the other guys were doing, what your arch enemy is doing, and come up with a game plan on the fly. He matched in move for move, especially down the stretch in game five. Every game. Brock Ganeles (19:32.214) Every game. Mark Hayes (19:34.657) every game and you know when you look at what we always talk what what am I always bitching about the death of expertise right and with expertise comes experience right with Jalen Brunson Mikael Bridges and Josh Hart came exper Hey look all j all Jalen Brunson does is win high school college pro all he does is win This award, that award, this championship, that championship, back to back at Nova. All those guys know how to do is win. I felt so bad for Mikhail when he missed that that free throw with like 30 seconds left. And I'm thinking, man, we could like put it what 20 seconds left, I think. It was it was late, late. And I'm thinking, like, we could put it away here. We'll be up by four, right? Well, it's two two more free throws. and ice it, they won't be able to catch us because they're not going to come down and hit a three. but yeah, I just knew that you know, at the end of game five, like Mike Brown was the most valuable player after Jalen Brunson. Brock Ganeles (20:48.362) And in a political realm juxtaposed against fucking Trump and Hegseth and the clown car that we have negotiating this fraudulent peace treaty with Iran. I don't want to talk about it yet, but just think about leadership that has no expertise and no experience in a chess match getting outplayed by Iran as we negotiate this absurd fucking Mark Hayes (21:08.825) Right. Brock Ganeles (21:17.574) Losing document where we went into a war, hurt the American people, and walk away with less than we started with. And just the chess game that we're losing on the international stage because we have no community, no friends anymore, America alone, juxtaposed against the Knicks that have competent leadership in Mike Brown and Jalen Brunson and guys with Mark Hayes (21:25.744) Right. Brock Ganeles (21:45.602) Who been there and had overcome adversity and knew how to make good decisions in pre high pressure moments. So yeah, it's just sports. Mark Hayes (21:45.69) Don't forget Rick don't forget Rick Brunson. Mark Hayes (21:56.078) Right. Or is it? Brock Ganeles (21:57.721) But it's there is it, right? Or it's it's a reflection of society, it's the same shit and the humbleness of Brunson, you don't have to go around beating your chest like Trump wants to do about America and put down everyone else around you. You can just go out and work hard and build a championship DNA and build something. You know, I always believe this. We all in life want to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. Mark Hayes (22:26.767) Yep. Brock Ganeles (22:27.84) And that's what the Knicks had in the collective in their little microcosm, but that's what they spread out to the city. They spread out to the city like, you know what? You all get to be a part of this. Which gets me to my next thing, which is another phenomenal element of this. Who could afford to go to these fucking games? Have you ever seen more celebrities at a game? Have you ever seen an environment with more big name people? Mark Hayes (22:50.402) No. No. Not even a liker's game. Brock Ganeles (22:58.466) That were more embraced by the 99%ers around them. No resentment. No resentment that those fuckers are there, that they're fair weather fans just helicoptering in and getting all the good shit while we're carved out. It didn't work that way. The 99%ers are like, yeah. Mark Hayes (23:04.12) Right. Mark Hayes (23:16.068) Right. Brock Ganeles (23:19.052) We want you guys there. Of course Spike Lee's been there for forty years, but like Larry David and Seinfeld and Chris Rock and Tracy Morgan and Chameley and Taylor Swift and her crew that were there. No resentment at the one percenters because they because in New York they live among us. They don't go in gated communities. Now they're on the fucking street. I bumped into Seinfeld, I played pickup basketball with Adam Sandler. Mark Hayes (23:20.56) Yeah. Mark Hayes (23:27.396) Taylor Swift. Mark Hayes (23:35.885) At all. Yep. Mark Hayes (23:42.821) Yeah. Brock Ganeles (23:47.543) Right? I fucking played with Adam Sandler. Like I you just it's just New York. Like you just see these people around and in New York you're supposed to not treat like celebrities. You give the head nod like everyone else, you let be, because that's the way the protocol here. Jimmy Fallon's outside running around hyping up the people who are outside at the watch parties. And they're not pissed that he gets to be inside and they don't. Mark Hayes (23:56.047) Yeah. Right. Right. New York is right, right. Brock Ganeles (24:14.904) You know what? They respect the fact that he's great at his craft, he makes a lot of money. You know what? He gets and deserves to get a good seat. I get it, I'm a New Yorker. Every New Yorker thinks that they're only one good idea away, right? One good rap song. One good like Mark Hayes (24:15.321) Yeah. Mark Hayes (24:21.444) Good about it. Right. Right. Brock Ganeles (24:28.962) Hook, one good idea, one good one good meatball, one good streetcart that you hello guys, that you can turn into a franchise. They all think they're gonna get could get discovered, right? That it there's not there's no difference between those guys and me. No resentment at all. Amari Stademeyer was out because the rest of the country is looking for the negative. there was one shooting. Okay, there was one fucking shooting. One person got shot the night of the celebration of 10 million people. Mark Hayes (24:29.624) Yeah. One good meatball. Right. Mark Hayes (24:53.285) Yeah. Brock Ganeles (24:57.032) News wanted to focus on that. The bus that burnt and the one shooting. They're like, Amari, aren't you upset that like these fair weather fans that jump on the bandwagon? And Amari Stoddard's mind was like, No. Times Lee Chalame. I signed an autograph for him when he was twelve years old. I was co-producing a play, Rock of Ages, like Til Mrs. Chalamet, like then he was a young actor. He's been around for years. Love Chalamet, right? Then he go they were like, Well, Taylor Swift. They're like he's like Taylor Swift. She came to a practice when I was on the team 15 years ago, and his her mother came and I Mark Hayes (25:22.404) Right. Right. Brock Ganeles (25:36.053) I boosted her up and she dunked the ball and they took a photo of it. It was like, no, Taylor's been here for the for the for years. So there was like this no resentment between the wealthiest because everyone was sharing the moment. And we didn't have it doesn't have to be fucking Zuckerberg building a bunker in Hawaii. It's not it doesn't have to be Elon Musk trying to build spaceships so he can live on fucking Mars, right? Mark Hayes (25:42.862) The long haul. Right. Mark Hayes (25:51.757) Right. Brock Ganeles (26:03.628) The people like Larry David, who just happened to have had a great idea and created the greatest show of all time and now he's the or multiple greatest shows of all time and happens to have hundreds of millions. Everyone's like, fuck yeah! They wanna watch Larry David watch the game. He was part watching him so even the nine even New York even broke down that divide. Mark Hayes (26:14.122) Right. Right. Right. Right. Mark Hayes (26:28.644) Right. Right. Brock Ganeles (26:29.794) That's why this is so much to me, so much bigger than a basketball championship and a basketball story. Mark Hayes (26:37.946) But remember, that's why Trump is not well liked in New York. Because he feels he's a better than the rest of us. He feels he's a step above all the rest of us, New Yorkers, regardless of where we come from, regardless of what kind of money we have, regardless of our lot in life, he thinks he's better than us. That's why he only got 10% of the vote. in his precinct. That's why he only got what seventeen percent of the vote in in the last election in New York. I mean nobody the people that know him best can't stand him because of that attitude. Brock Ganeles (27:21.862) so he tried to pretend in game three that the fans cheered him when we all know they booed him. They flashed him on the screen during the anthem to try to mute the booze. But what he can't hide from is the viral video of I don't know if you've seen it yet, but a portion of that crowd celebrating carved out and walked to Trump Tower. Enchanted New York hates you. Mark Hayes (27:31.534) Right. Right. Mark Hayes (27:41.976) Yes. He hates you. Yes. I saw that. I saw that. And then his granddaughter. No. Brock Ganeles (27:50.647) Like there's no nuance. There's no nuance to that. But New York is speaking for the seventy percent of the country. And I think that's what the seventy percent of the country is looking for from New York. Leadership in this moment. Everyone's been waiting. Who's gonna lead? Who's gonna lead? We said it's gonna come from the streets. It's just there's no leaders emerging, no leaders emerging. And I actually think Mark Hayes (27:58.331) Yeah. Brock Ganeles (28:17.92) This will spread from sports to politics because it already did. Because Trump came and ruped the vibe. Because right after they won, they wanted to remind Trump that they hated him. Because New York is touting the multiculturalism of its team, the unselfishness of its team, the grit of its team as a reflection of the city. Mark Hayes (28:39.226) Yeah, yeah. Brock Ganeles (28:40.48) And of the way the country wants to be reflected New York right now. That's why the Philly fans are happy for New York and those sportscasters are mad about it. The people on the streets were overwhelming. It was it looked like photos from Hungary ahead of the vote for Orban or the Albania against Jarvanka. Like we've been saying, why can't we Mark, I've been saying to you, when are the black people gonna come out on the streets and protest? Mark Hayes (28:49.591) Right, right. Mark Hayes (28:57.636) Go back. Mark Hayes (29:06.958) They were out this weekend. Brock Ganeles (29:08.898) They were out this weekend and they were delivering a message, because everyone has a phone. They were delivering a message that that a message of joy and community and acceptance and multiracial America. And this is who we are. And they took the opportunity to deliver a political message on top of just celebrating a sports victory. That's why it was so much bigger. They're singing New York, New York. Mark Hayes (29:26.959) Right. Mark Hayes (29:37.86) Right. Right. Brock Ganeles (29:38.082) The Sinatra version. Then they're singing the Jay-Z Alicia Keys version. Then they're singing New York State of Mind by Billy Joel. And then they're looping it back to the front from Sinatra to Jay-Z to Billy Joel and back again. And everyone's singing with each other. Mark Hayes (29:43.223) Right. Mark Hayes (29:50.788) Reckon. That part. Everyone is singing. Nobody is skipping one song about New York because it's not about the this is all about us. And I did see those videos. but again, Brock, you know, we talk a lot on on our show about being in the silo. The watch parties took people away from the silos. We all got out of the silos for one team. For five nights or four nights. Specifically. But we were out of those silos. And and remember we talked about the angst that Trump created with his presence. Right? The tension that followed. Right? And and that's why the difference was so palpable. There was nothing but hope. where I saw the game. low little sports bar down the street from me. And Brock Ganeles (30:28.547) Yeah. Mark Hayes (30:55.69) New York fans, we're still in this down by fifteen. Right? We're still in this. And there wasn't one victory that the Knicks did not have to come from behind by double digits to get the win. Brock Ganeles (31:11.414) Mark, did you see how many of the old time Knicks were at these games? It was like college. It was like a college atmosphere, an alumni day. It was such a it was a it was such a respect for our elders. What another message, lesson, and reflection of what America wants to be of Clyde Frasier and Bill Bradley and the multi the multiracial aspect of that. Mark Hayes (31:15.694) Larry Johnson, Patrick Ewitz, Johnny Lane. Yeah. Yeah. Mark Hayes (31:31.887) Yep. Mark Hayes (31:40.143) Yep. Brock Ganeles (31:41.461) to Latrell Sprewell, to Larry Johnson, to of course Patrick Ewing and Starks. The teams got close, but even the guys from the T to Carmelo, even to some of the teams that didn't get that, to Bernard King, my favorite Nick of all time. and there was just like a messaging in that, a such a respect. Mark Hayes (31:43.939) Re Mark Hayes (31:48.868) Darks. Mark Hayes (31:52.858) Charles Oakley. Brock Ganeles (32:06.368) And like the old guys like looking on with pride, like, hey, this younger generation is now gonna take us forward. And what a message also that could translate into our politics of hey, some there is a moment to step aside Chuck Grassley and fucking fucking McConnell who's now in the hospital is probably dying. Chuck Schumer. Hey Chuck Schumer, hand the reins to the Jalen Brunsons. I mean Mark Hayes (32:22.361) Yeah. Mark Hayes (32:25.84) They're Schumer. Schumer. Yep. Brock Ganeles (32:34.87) I go back to Mandani, he's like the big winner of all this because people are realizing how good New York is operating when they were all afraid of him as a democratic socialist and he all had trouble beating fucking Cuomo. But now that they have him, they embrace and love him, and that's in everyone loves him. And I'll throw another little sidebar aspect into this. The other guy that was invited back and embraced is Jeremy Lynn. Asian guy. Mark Hayes (32:40.654) Right. Mark Hayes (32:46.404) Right. Mark Hayes (33:01.55) Yeah, yeah. Brock Ganeles (33:01.814) And with all the black Asian rift in the community because of that shooting, New York put that to fucking bed. Asian guys are hugging black guys in the streets, and Jeremy Lynn is being homaged all over as a guy who gave us great moments. We remember the great moments he gave us in that six-week period of Linsanity. But that he's just invited back as a Nick Luminary and he's a part of the club. Mark Hayes (33:06.03) Yep, in South Carolina. Yep. Mark Hayes (33:14.543) Yeah. Mark Hayes (33:20.016) Right. Which was not Brock Ganeles (33:30.346) And Asian guys, you know, part of the culture, like Jose Alvarado will be the Puerto Rican fucking icon because he saved what he did in game for forever. These guys forever will be remembered. Cause remember the guys who didn't make it forever. New York remembers and respects. And that's like another side aspect of the Asian Jewish. I'm gonna tell you something about two things. Women are going on Instagram. Mark Hayes (33:31.95) Part of the culture. Mark Hayes (33:36.047) Yeah. Forever. Mark Hayes (33:44.962) Right, right. Brock Ganeles (33:56.543) Saying they don't even give a shit about basketball, never watched a game in their life. New York women are going on Instagram and saying, this is incredible. We're so happy to see the joy in men. Men who are always they're just angry and they're the patriarchy and the Anger and the misogyny and supposedly the loneliness, the incels, the men who can't don't know how to speak to women, so they're staying in their mother's basements, right? Men who aren't allowed to show emotions, men who are repressed. They're like, wow, we're just happy to see these men hugging each other and crying. We don't care that it's basketball. They're childlike. Mark Hayes (34:23.556) Yeah. Mark Hayes (34:29.624) It's Brock Ganeles (34:43.842) They're actually in touch with their emotions. We're happy to see men actually act this way. It's giving them hope that the men can actually be emotionally available for them someday. And they're saying it. Mark Hayes (34:50.583) Right. Mark Hayes (34:56.366) Right. Right. Right. But think about it, Brock, over the last what, twelve years, ele eleven years since Trump came down the escalator. That's what everyone has been dealing with. A terrible case of the Mopis. What have we had to be excited about? Right? Like like the kind of victories that we watched over the last two weeks. Right? I mean think about how far the Knicks have come. Since Red Holzman in 1977, when the Knicks were being called the N-Word Bachers. Right? And now look where we are. Right? We've come from a championship to a franchise low. And Red Holzman is famously quoted for saying, I'm picking the best team. He's like, What okay, so they're all black. So what? And then I think the next year Glenn Gonderzek was on the team. You know, one one they took one white guy. Brock Ganeles (35:57.923) The Nick The Knicks are the Knicks have one white guy, Taylor Coleck, rarely plays. They had they had Dante, they had to trade him. No one was like, no, you can't trade that white guy to get Carl Anthony Towns. That black guy was like, no, we got we need a big guy to pair with Brunson. It's like, it hurts to lose Dante, beloved player in New York. Mark Hayes (36:02.532) Yeah, yeah. Yep. Yeah. Mark Hayes (36:10.436) Right. Mark Hayes (36:17.102) Yep. You can decide. Brock Ganeles (36:18.168) But people understood the bus the business of it. Here's another little side note. I didn't even learn till yesterday. That's another little thing going around New York in the Instagram. Right? Because there's a black Jewish rift because of Gaza. Did why would I how would I not even know that? How could I have not known this till yesterday? Jalen Brunson is married to a Jewish woman. Mark Hayes (36:32.919) right. Mark Hayes (36:44.193) yeah, it's high school sweetheart, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. Brock Ganeles (36:45.772) His high school fucking sweetheart. First of all, it's this great love story. But second of all, he's married to a white Jewish woman. So there's this whole underground of Instagrams of like black men like making fun of or pretending of what the phone call was to their mothers. Mark Hayes (36:50.511) Yeah. Mark Hayes (37:04.465) Right. Mary and Jewish mother. Brock Ganeles (37:05.32) about the Knicks. Hey, you might not be watching the Knicks too close, but you know this Jalen Brunson that everyone's talking about is married to a Jewish woman. Mark Hayes (37:12.824) Yeah. Brock Ganeles (37:18.582) Multiculturism, right? No one's sitting around going like, that shouldn't happen. We don't want that, this and that. They're like now the fur first couple of New York. Jalen Brunson and his wife, who I'd never even seen till she hugged him after game five. Mark Hayes (37:30.35) Right. And it's got yeah. Mark Hayes (37:35.979) and and if you read about the story of those two, you know, they've been there and back and have stayed together. and and and again, you're talking about a narrative that flies in the face of the stereotype, right? Like he's he's the furthest thing you would think of as your stereotypical, you know, black pro athlete. Right? It's he's not out in the streets. He's not out, you know, wearing big gaudy jewelry. It he's not what you stereotype, you know, the hyper-sexed professional athlete with multiple kids by multiple women who's going broke. Right? This guy was raised this kid was raised in a good home with a father who was a professional basketball player who played for the Knicks. Brock Ganeles (38:26.584) Absolutely. And New York can roll with it either way. New York loved Lawrence Taylor, who was a fucking wild man. Everyone knew Lawrence Taylor was a ps a fucking psychotic, but the greatest linebacker of all time. Right? To the quiet, mellow, all-about business Derek Jeter, who would go out once in a while, but always in a back room in private, and no, you never heard anything about Jeter. To Reggie Jackson, also beloved, the most brash guy who like was born to be a New York athlete. Mark Hayes (38:30.016) You are less, yes. Mark Hayes (38:36.686) Nut job. Right. Right. Mark Hayes (38:43.994) Yeah. Mark Hayes (38:55.748) You're right. Brock Ganeles (38:56.706) To Clyde Frazier, who wears the gaudiest, craziest outfits and is known for being like a fashion icon from the 70s, to Jalen Brunson, who's just like a quiet family man married to a nice Jewish girl in New York who doesn't go out. He's got kids already, so at 26 years old or something. Also gave up a hundred million dollars in contract so that they could build a better team around him. Talk about sacrificing for success. Mark Hayes (39:02.416) Yeah. Mark Hayes (39:09.837) Right. Right. Mark Hayes (39:23.93) Right. Brock Ganeles (39:24.034) versus what we see, what juxtaposed against what we see in our political environment of all these people just getting involved to see what they can take from the system and take from everyone else versus Brunson and others on the team. Or what can I give? What can I give to the team? What can I give to this city? Mark Hayes (39:35.396) Yep. Mark Hayes (39:40.769) Mobility share. Mark Hayes (39:47.61) Yeah. Brock Ganeles (39:47.927) That's why I think the lessons of the Knicks are so much bigger and they're gonna resonate and they're not gonna go away. Cause they're being talked about. They're being talked about openly everywhere. And what t what's talked about in New York works its way out. It starts in New York. It doesn't like come to New York. This is I could be wrong. Maybe I'm overhyping even the impact of sports. Mark Hayes (39:54.446) Nope. They can't. Mark Hayes (40:00.055) Everywhere. Everywhere. Mark Hayes (40:06.864) Yeah. Mark Hayes (40:10.36) Right. Brock Ganeles (40:16.888) But I think it's going to translate from the messaging of the Knicks as a team. I think the Democratic Party is going to pick up on the themes, not the sports. They're gonna pick up on the successful themes that they're hearing on the streets. Because people aren't just talking about the Knicks as a championship. They're talking about the Knicks as representatives of. Mark Hayes (40:30.007) yeah. Brock Ganeles (40:46.846) Of New Yorkers and New Yorkers are now in turns like the megaphone was handed from the players to the fans, and the fans are now talking to the rest of America about why they're the greatest city in the country, and trying to remind the rest of the country it's because we're from we're everybody, and everyone is welcome. Mark Hayes (40:49.027) Yeah. Mark Hayes (40:57.882) Yep. Mark Hayes (41:06.424) Right. Mark Hayes (41:13.634) Right. Brock Ganeles (41:16.222) As long as you bring that right set of values and you're contributing to the broader community, you come to New York and you're tough enough to make it, God bless you'll be sitting on that front row the next time around. Cause who the fuck were those guys? Jerry Sandell was just a kid from Long Island. Chris Rock was just a kid from what? Brooklyn? Sprite Lee was just a guy from I don't know where. Bronxy starred? Mark Hayes (41:27.108) We gotcha. Right. Right. Mark Hayes (41:34.68) Yeah. Brooklyn. Yep. Somewhere in somewhere in Brooklyn, I thought. Yeah. Brock Ganeles (41:43.596) Somewhere in Brooklyn maybe also, right? And Timothy Chalamet went to like some acting school downtown, right? Just to like a white kid who grew up in the neighborhood. Mark Hayes (41:47.641) And they made it. Mark Hayes (41:56.325) Hey, but did you even see where Jordan Woods, Carl Anthony Townswife, and Kylie Jenner are their besties again? I thought I saw them hugging on the court taking pictures with Kat. And I thought I was like, I thought you guys broke up over the whole you know thing with Tristan Thompson. Yeah. I th I thought they weren't friends anymore, and there they were. Brock Ganeles (42:18.37) Ramar Odom or or Tristan Thompson? Brock Ganeles (42:34.198) When there's joy and love in the room when there's joy and love in the room, it can it can extend out. Just like when there's hate and violence in the room, it can and bitterness in the room, it it can s it can work its way out to everyone. That's why the Trump vibe. I just think the New York vibes will carry forward and New York is going to preach to the rest of the country. Mark Hayes (42:39.362) It's French. Mark Hayes (43:02.831) Yep. Brock Ganeles (43:03.244) The met and nothing like success that gives you that pedestal to stand on and other people will be listening. And it's not just listening to the celebrities or even the players, is people want to hear from that regular person on the street because they're funny and they're entertaining. And they're and they're saying important things. Mark Hayes (43:09.081) Yep. Mark Hayes (43:20.429) Right. Brock Ganeles (43:25.794) That are some so most of these people not aren't necessarily Knicks fans and basketball fans. Not everyone is a rabid basketball fan, but they love the embodiment of what they saw in front of them and they wanted to be a part of it and a part of the community that's celebrating it. And that's why I think that this has the potential to be the end of MAGA. And it Mark Hayes (43:30.862) Like Mark Hayes (43:51.961) It makes sense. Brock Ganeles (43:52.367) 'Cause the other great the other great story you may not have seen is have you seen the bromance between Jalen Brunson and Mariska Haggerty, who is the star of Mark Hayes (44:04.396) No. yeah, the star of Law and Order. Yes. Yes. Brock Ganeles (44:08.16) Law and order. Now, if you lived in New York at any time, and I was never a New Yorker, I was a suburban kid who lived in New York City for twenty years. So I was never a New Yorker. There a real New Yorker. I was someone who lived there for 20 years. Not a real New Yorker. Not born and bred there. Didn't go to elementary school on the subway. Didn't like, you know, didn't live that life. Not a tr real New Yorker. I get it. Mark Hayes (44:20.418) Right. Right. Right. Mark Hayes (44:30.274) Right. Right. Brock Ganeles (44:37.24) But if you ever lived in New York, you've walked down the street. I I'd have to say in twenty years, at least once a year I'd walk down a street or get told I had to reroute around a street because that street was shut down because they were filming Law and Order. They film it right there. It's the quintessentially New York show, right? You got Ice T now is on it, right? Think of like these great famous stars who have come through there. Almost every actor in history has been in an episode, right? Everyone gets a guest roll. Mark Hayes (44:48.598) Out order. Mark Hayes (45:02.565) Or wanted to be. Brock Ganeles (45:05.196) She was on there for the full 27-year run. She's now on Broadway for the first time in her career. She credits Jalen Brunson for helping to give her the confidence to go on Broadway just listening to an interview of his about hard work. And she would talk about, you know what? He taught me that I could do hard things. So she's now starring in a Broadway show. Mark Hayes (45:11.26) wow. Brock Ganeles (45:30.538) She sits in the front row. Everyone, for some reason, Brunson loves Law and Order, but a lot of people do. He's her favorite fan. He goes up and hugs her before and after every game, much to the jealousy of all the other bigger celebrities who think they're a bigger shot than her as a TV star. Game four, she finished her show, put on her sneakers, and sprinted from Broadway down to Madison Square Garden to be at game four. Mark Hayes (45:45.999) Right. Mark Hayes (45:55.47) That's mistake. my goodness. Brock Ganeles (45:59.211) And she was there, and of course, was the first person that Jalen Brun Brunson hugged after that comeback. And the first thing he said to her was, I will be at your show. And I'm sure it's gonna be huge hoopla when Brunson shows up with his wife and goes to see her on Broadway. But between an interracial man-woman, old-young, mutual respect, it's stories like that, they're not. Mark Hayes (46:13.264) yeah. yeah. yeah. Brock Ganeles (46:27.02) Going to die in a 24-48 hour cycle. It's being embedded into the DNA of America. And it will extend throughout the week. And I have a prediction: I think the success of the Knicks and the fandom of the Knicks is a is going to carry over to the men's World Cup team. Mark Hayes (46:41.882) Mark Hayes (46:55.308) Ooh. Brock Ganeles (46:56.49) And it's because everyone is gonna wanna want to have that feeling. And I think the men's soccer team bandwagon is about to explode. Because that can be every city and every person. That's the team we share. A, they played phenomenal in their first game and won four to one, and everyone is fucking shocked. That's like, holy shit, do we really have something? Mark Hayes (47:02.142) That moment, yes. Mark Hayes (47:13.989) Right. Mark Hayes (47:18.992) Right. We're good. You're right. Brock Ganeles (47:26.004) Second of all, have you noticed the multicultural dynamic of that team? Mark Hayes (47:31.374) Multiculturalism. Yes. We got a little bit of everything on that team. Brock Ganeles (47:37.527) We got a little bit of everything. If you remember back to the women's team from the last World Cup, they had the triple espresso, Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith, and the woman was married to the baseball player and the Chicago Cubs player. A couple of them took a year off because they've had kids, but they were three mixed race women scoring all the goals. This men's team, everyone's gonna is gonna look at it and go, holy shit. Mark Hayes (47:44.302) Yeah. Mark Hayes (47:53.54) Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Yes. Killing it. Brock Ganeles (48:06.85) Look at this US team. This US team has someone for everybody. Mark Hayes (48:08.453) Yeah. Mark Hayes (48:11.768) Everyone. Yep. And think about it, Brock. We're also not going to be a heavy favorite. So we're another underdog. Right? Just like the New Year's. Brock Ganeles (48:18.07) No. We're an underdog. We're already in a surprise. I think America's hungry for it. I think the nation watched, I think the nation watched New York. Everyone, there's a mass support for what went on in New York for bigger themes that we just covered. I think the World Cup team is about to catch fire. I think game two is gonna be game one was like subsumed by the NBA playoffs. Because all the s sports world just wanted to talk about the Knicks. Now that that's over, people are gonna be like, shit, the World Cup's here. And beyond that, I thought Trump was gonna suck the joy out of the World Cup. I think the Knicks change the whole narrative. I think the whole country now is gonna embrace all these international fans that are in their cities. I think they're gonna welcome all these people from the rest of the world and say, you know what? Mark Hayes (48:48.632) Right, right, right, right, right. Mark Hayes (49:00.302) Yeah. Not able to do it. Mark Hayes (49:05.816) Teams and the teams. Brock Ganeles (49:13.11) We are a multicultural nation. You know what? We do welcome these people. And I think every city that's hosting is going to embrace all the teams that are there while still rooting their ass off for the American team. I think the whole World Cup got a big, big boost by the Knicks, and it's gonna overwhelm Trump ruining the vibe. Like he's gonna be diminished. Mark Hayes (49:17.605) Yeah. Mark Hayes (49:37.337) Yeah. Mark Hayes (49:41.22) Yep. Brock Ganeles (49:41.389) And I think Trump is a diminished figure already. I think it's been going on all year. I think the Knicks series made him look small and small err. His UFC fight last night was an embarrassment. Him falling asleep and that asshole going up and talking shit on Michelle Obama. I think he's a diminished figure with a lot of power. And I think and I hope and it might be just wishful thinking. I literally think that a Mark Hayes (49:54.35) Good. Mark Hayes (50:00.241) Yeah. Mark Hayes (50:03.557) Yeah. Brock Ganeles (50:10.954) Sleeping giant got awoken through sports. Mark Hayes (50:14.352) Through sports. Yep. And and hey, don't forget what happened in Atlanta today, Brock. The Cape Verdians held off Spain to a draw. David versus Goli what number three versus number sixty four. yeah, that happened today. So it's anybody's cup. Anything can happen during this thing. And again, that helps suck the air out of you know Trump's. Brock Ganeles (50:28.298) I didn't see it. Mark Hayes (50:44.378) Just, you know, negativity and the venom that he's spewing. Now there's genuine excitement bubbling up because, you know, here is Spain playing to a draw. You know, maybe they took him too lightly. It doesn't matter, you didn't beat him. And Kate Verde now has life. They were celebrating like it was 1999, like they won the whole thing. Right? So. Brock Ganeles (51:09.038) Trump wanted his birthday to be a big deal, no one gave a shit. Trump wanted his UFC thing that he spent all that fucking taxpayer money building an a an arena and this and that, and it was just another racist MAGA piece of shit event that no one gave a fuck about, and no one of any renown wanted to be associated with in any way. Cause everyone wants to glom on to what's happening in New York and the excitement and the joy and the camaraderie and the friendship and the community. Mark Hayes (51:12.931) Even went. Mark Hayes (51:22.127) Yeah. Brock Ganeles (51:36.419) That's being exuded out and Trump looks tiny. And he's got this shitty little Iran deal that he's now putting on the table. He wanted to brag about this deal's gonna be signed. And he's trying to pretend like America's like locked in and like he's some conquering hero who won the war of Iran and nobody fucking cares. He can go to this G7 and stomp around Europe and try to bully everyone yet again. Mark Hayes (51:51.013) Yeah. Mark Hayes (51:55.994) Nope. Brock Ganeles (52:02.294) And the and the and the world and the y our European al ex allies just watched him start and lose a war with fucking Iran. He's a diminished old dementia ridden fucking psychopath flying to Europe and it you what? We're happy he's gonna be out of the country. Mark Hayes (52:11.32) Right. Mark Hayes (52:16.686) Well Right. Well, Brock, we now have really two contrasting choices. You have joy on one hand, and you have, you know, this decrepit, vile, you know, disgusting human being and what he's offering. Which one are Americans gonna cho which one is the 70% going to choose? Right? I mean the 30%, like you said, we can't do anything with them. But the rest of us can show up and say, you know what? We choose joy, we choose love. It's much easier than fighting with each other. Every I feel so much better that I didn't have to wake up fighting or looking for someone to start some shit with me, or looking for an argument over politics that's unwinnable. I it I mean these arguments are not you can't convince MAGA of anything. But you can show them what joy looks like. You can show them what multiculturalism looks like, and whether we do it through sports or through people celebrating the result of sport doesn't really matter. Because for one night, right, or for this one week. We forgot all about the Strait of War moves and the price of gas and the price of fucking eggs and beef and groceries and all the shit that's weighing us down. Ain't shit getting done in New York this week. I hope you don't have any business to transact in New York this week 'cause nobody picking up the phone. Brock Ganeles (53:58.127) Except that the New York local economy went ballistic. Why? Because everyone was outside, which means everybody had to buy some food from a street vendor or a deli or a bodega and the bars were packed. Mark Hayes (54:04.942) Boom. Boom. Mark Hayes (54:14.69) Yeah. Or a bruske. Brock Ganeles (54:19.38) And the beers were flowing, and the restaurants were booming. When people don't go home, they're out spending money. And the jersey sales, any memorabilia that had Nick's on it, people want to have it. I got my blue scarf on today. So the local economy boomed, and it just goes to show once again when people are happy and want to be with each other. Mark Hayes (54:21.572) No wing. Mark Hayes (54:33.304) Hehehe Mark Hayes (54:41.949) spin. Brock Ganeles (54:45.172) Spending time with each other. They're out in the world. And when they're out in the world, their dollars are circulating around and around and around. And that was a economic impetus that's going on in New York. Mark Hayes (54:58.085) What I've got it on Channel 7, ABC News, and they're talking about the parade route right now. But the first story was the economic boom that is taking over New York City with everybody buying Nick's gear, paraphernalia, any kind of championship, you know, regalia, so they can be Mayor Mandani is at the kindergarten class and they're doing a sign that says Nixon five, he's painting with the kids. And Brock, think about it. Okay, let's say let's say half of New York was outside, right, Saturday night. There's going to be at least eight million people times three that were there. So at least twenty four million people were either at the game in San Antonio or at the watch party or somewhere with something to do with the Nick Wynn and it's gonna be legendary. Brock Ganeles (56:02.296) Mark. Yeah, let's ch let's check in nine months. They said in the blackout check in nine months and see how many kids I yeah, let's check in nine months. You're worried about like we're America's not pumping out enough babies? We're gonna have a fucking fertility boom in New York. Because the matter of payments I saw I saw a couple Instagrams of women like I'm gonna find myself a man this summer because they're lo and he's gonna be loyal, cause he's gonna be a Nick fan, cause they stuck with team fifty-three years and he's gonna be joyous and he's gonna be emotional and he's gonna be caring and like they think they're gonna find Mark Hayes (56:08.57) Yeah. Right. my god, yes. Mark Hayes (56:26.414) Yeah. Brock Ganeles (56:34.646) Better men now. Here's another thing for you. Remember all those stories when Mandani became mayor about all those rich New Yorkers that were gonna leave the city? because they couldn't live in New York. the taxes? And and a Muslim mayor, and this is gonna ruin New York. And my god, I gotta get out of here. Where are they gonna go? To North Hollywood, Florida or something? Mark Hayes (56:35.876) Yeah. Mark Hayes (56:55.834) Let's stop it. Brock Ganeles (56:59.446) And you know what I said? Not a single one of those fuckers is leaving New York. And guess what? Those fuckers were who do you think who do you think populated the first three rows of that fucking Madison Square Garden for game four? None of those fuckers were it went anywhere because you can't replicate New York anywhere in the country. It was a bluff. It was bullshit. It was typical MAGA speak. It was typical Armageddon economy. I can't live in this kind of society cause it's socialist. Mark Hayes (57:02.966) At all. Still here. Mark Hayes (57:17.754) Yeah. Brock Ganeles (57:26.434) He's a socialist and I gotta go run to Florida with Ron DeSantis where there's no state taxes and that's where I need to be. Yeah, sitting on your fucking ha ass in like North Hollywood, Florida. Go ahead. Good riddance. See him, Boca. Noah because you can't have enough you can't buy the joy that those people had. Mark Hayes (57:31.896) Right. Mark Hayes (57:37.848) Good luck. Yeah. Brock Ganeles (57:46.829) Those celebrities had for game four in the garden and the love they felt from their community because they shared it with them. And you know it wasn't their Bezos and Zuckerberg and Musk and all the people who want it take. Yeah, James Dolan sucks. That we still hate the owner, but even James Dolan and accepting this soup the trophy in game five. James Dolan, who I fucking can't stand, and neither. Mark Hayes (57:53.86) Yeah. Mark Hayes (58:01.862) Yeah. Mark Hayes (58:15.257) Yeah. Brock Ganeles (58:16.002) The New Yorker actually met the moment and said the right thing and said I apologize to the Nick fans that it took this long and I won't and I promise you we won't let it be that long before we get another one of these. Right if you know he said the right thing in that moment. Mark Hayes (58:27.457) yeah. Mark Hayes (58:32.833) Yep. Yep. Mark Hayes (58:39.82) Right. Brock Ganeles (58:40.99) Even Dolem, but other than that, it's all a bluff. It's all a bluff. Trickle down and all that horseshit we've been sold. It was all a bluff. We can't have Mandani. We need to f you know, vote for fucking Andrew Cuomo? Mark Hayes (58:56.632) Yeah, I don't think so. Brock Ganeles (58:56.822) And Maddani's one of the best, most talented politicians in America. Apparently he can never be president because he wasn't born here. Fucking Muslim. All my Jewish friends, all the Jews who were so upset that he was gonna ruin New York. It was gonna be so terrible and dangerous for Jews if Mandani became mayor. That was all horseshit, also. That was just playing to one's fears and being a scare afraid of the other and not believing that other person could ever be American first and care about. Mark Hayes (59:00.278) yeah. Right. Mark Hayes (59:12.089) Right. Yep. Brock Ganeles (59:26.772) his own community and that means everyone in the community and that means it would take away from them. No, Ben Stiller didn't leave. There's a Jewish guy. Jerry Seinfeld didn't leave New York. Larry David didn't leave New York. Couple three prominent Jews didn't run for the fucking hills. Mark Hayes (59:40.004) Nate. Mark Hayes (59:44.471) And they didn't look too afraid to me at courtside at the meat game. They didn't look like they needed security. So, hey, you know, I I you look, what this has also taught us is that the threats are all hollow. Right? The threats don't mean shit. There's nothing they can do when we're winning and we're rooting for one another. Right? Brock Ganeles (59:46.358) They didn't look too afraid. No. Mark Hayes (01:00:12.314) When we start cheering for each other as Americans, we saw it after 9-11, Brock. You know, and now we just saw it again. What we can do when we're unified. Right? There's only a small sliver of this population that doesn't want to share the riches of the richest country in the world. There's only a small sliver that thinks they should be the ones to have it all. But everyone else is willing to share. Everyone else thinks there's enough to go around. Everyone else thinks we're only as strong as our bottom our bottom wrong on the ladder, the lowest. It's it's sad. It's sad. Brock Ganeles (01:00:52.568) You know, you know politicians when they're great orators like Obama and and arguably Reagan, because I I go back to Reagan and the eighties hockey team and Reagan and that era and the Cold War and tearing down the war wall and sports had a play in that 'cause it it rallied America together. In the end we don't love the outcomes, but it can play the role. And great speakers like Obama Mark Hayes (01:01:07.461) Yeah. Brock Ganeles (01:01:16.216) They're trying to generate the excitement in human beings. They're trying to, through their words, get us to be better people and bring us together and raise us up. And Obama, the greatest politician of my lifetime, was able to do so far, was able to do that. So when my wife said this is gonna go away, you know, like it's gonna fade, and I'm like. Mark Hayes (01:01:26.148) Right. Mark Hayes (01:01:30.117) Right. Mark Hayes (01:01:36.088) That's weird. Brock Ganeles (01:01:44.207) I'm like, yes, but what the Knicks did, they did tenfold what a great orator like Obama is trying to do through a speech. They did it through action. And action's more powerful than words. And they they they're even more it's more sports is even more approachable than politics is. And it's more relatable. So I that's why Mark Hayes (01:01:54.444) Right. Mark Hayes (01:01:59.439) Yeah. Mark Hayes (01:02:05.816) Yeah. Brock Ganeles (01:02:09.304) Think that this is gonna have a carryover effect because people aren't gonna want to give away this feeling and how good it feels to be to feel good about the other people around you. The selfish, great feeling it gives you. That's why I think it's gonna extend out and not fizzle away. Once again, it may be wishful thinking, but. I think the politicians are gonna throw gasoline on this socialist fire. Cause a basketball team is socialism. Sports is socialism. It's the collective good. It's it's not, you know, Jalen Brunson doesn't get necessarily more money for winning. None of them got more money for winning. What they got was a better life. They got a better they have a better life now. Mark Hayes (01:02:48.045) Right. Mark Hayes (01:02:55.119) Right. Mark Hayes (01:02:58.821) Right. Brock Ganeles (01:03:02.156) Because once you achieve a success, no one can ever take it away from you. They will have this the rest of their lives. They'll have the ring to signify it, but they'll have the success and the camaraderie and the good feeling. And the good feeling of their community towards them, they'll have that forever. You can't buy that, Elon Musk. You can't buy that, Zuckerberg. You can't buy that, Jeff Bezos. You could if you're if you're a philanthropist, maybe you could. Mark Hayes (01:03:16.032) Will last year Mark Hayes (01:03:25.87) Yep. And Brock Ganeles (01:03:30.944) If you chose to, you could buy something like that. But that those are the things you have to earn in life. But once you have them, Jose Alvarado is not only now just an icon in the Puerto Rican community, he and he's the 10th, 12th guy in the team. He is a New York legend. Mark Hayes (01:03:31.0) Right. Mark Hayes (01:03:51.908) Icon. Yep. Let me tell you something. Brock Ganeles (01:03:53.928) OG O OG's beyond legend. Mark Hayes (01:03:56.775) my God. People are walking around with that roster, checking every bar, because no one in New York is going to allow any of those guys to ever buy another beer. They will eat and drink for free forever in the New York City tri-state area. They will never be hungry. And New Yorkers will never forget the feeling of Saturday night. They were eat Brock, the fever pitch was so crazy. There was a guy on Instagram saying, I'm hearing that there's gonna be a New Yorkers parade in Atlanta. That's how fever pitch it was. And has been since this final run started. Brock Ganeles (01:04:46.786) How fantastic is it that it's gonna be the day before Juneteenth? Because I think it's actually gonna give a boost to the Juneteenth holiday. I think there's gonna be a I'm talking for you now, right? Who the fuck am I, right? Talking for you. I think there's an extra boost of pride in the black community. I'm just seeing it in New York. I'm only seeing it locally from what I'm watching in the feeds. Just the pride. Mike Brown. what do you know, NFL? You can't hire black coaches? Oops. Mark Hayes (01:04:51.492) Yeah. Jun eighteenth. Yep. Mark Hayes (01:05:05.124) Yeah. Mark Hayes (01:05:15.938) Right. Right. Brock Ganeles (01:05:17.216) you didn't want us to hire Mike Brown? well, what do you know? Got your first championship in fifty-three fucking years. I guess black people can't lead. And people are just flat out saying that. Mark Hayes (01:05:19.471) Right. Mark Hayes (01:05:23.534) Yeah, exactly. Right, right. And nobody's pulling any punches anymore. Why would you? Why would you? You know, because we're watching this underdog, we're watching this man, Jalen Brunson I'm speaking of. and by the way, if you haven't seen the clip with Jalen Brunson, his dad, and Josh Hart on the Roommates podcast, it it it'll bring tears to your eyes. Brock Ganeles (01:05:33.228) Why would you? Mark Hayes (01:05:54.543) Because they talked about the Mark Cuban you know perspective and the business deal and the trade and somebody made the comment about well as soon as his parents got involved it got ugly no. No. Rick Brunson played in the league. He understands the business side of it. He's also Jalen Brunson's father. And as his father, his job is to protect him and make sure. He gets the best possible deal available to him. So you could take off your coach's hat, Rick Brunson. You know, you and you because your daddy hat never comes off, regardless of how old your kid is and if he's up for the max or the supermax or whatever deal he's up for. Your daddy hat's not coming off. And let me tell you something, there are some amazing clips of Jalen Brunson talking about his upbringing and how his dad prepared him. For Saturday night, right? And for those NCAA championship nights. And they are absolutely for every parent should be listening to. Every kid is not going to be an NBA superstar, but every kid can be a superstar in their chosen profession, wherever their gift is. And that's the lesson that you can learn from the Brunson family if you listen to some of these clips. They are absolutely amazing. Incredible human beings. point blank period is what they are. They're not black, they're they're look, nobody cared about the white Knicks or the black Knicks. Right? Like Pete Pete Heggseth would do. Right? Because no soldier cares, you know, who's carrying them out of that foxhole when they're wounded. Right? They want to live to see tomorrow. They don't care if it's a black guy, white guy. Palestinian dude, right? They don't care where this guy's background is from. Is he on my side? Is he wearing the red, white, and blue? And that's what what the Knicks are teaching us. We're all on the same team. Even though there are 31 other teams in the NBA, we're all in this together. Especially in unison with the World Cup. Mark Hayes (01:08:17.55) Right? And now we have a chance, you know, to move our attention to Juneteenth. By the way, the last remaining survivor of the Tulsa race massacre just expired, 111 years old. Just just the other day. I meant to talk about that and forgot. But that is to say, okay, we can now turn the page and let's make sure it never happens again. Let's make sure that there is enough. For all of us to go around. Let's make sure that we can embrace the Asian-owned businesses, right? And be respected when we go inside. That's what needs to happen. And that's what the New York Knicks are showing us. You can come into my bodega and be welcome. You can come into my borough and be welcome. You don't have to worry about parking while black. You don't have to worry about jogging while black. You don't have to worry about bird watching wild black in Central Park. Because everyone is welcome here. And that's what Ellis Island tells us. Is it is isn't it written in stone on Ellis Island? Right? I mean, and that's that's what we've got to get back to as a people and as a country. And we have two stark choices. We can choose joy. Like New York Knicks fans, or we can choose whatever that shit was on the White House lawn with Donald Trump and the angst and terror he's reigning while trying to divide America at every stitch possible. Brock Ganeles (01:10:05.57) Yeah, Mark, I think we'll watch it closely this week. we'll see whether, you know, what kind of the carry-through messages are, see if it works its way into the political dynamic, see if it supercharges the World Cup, see if America acts differently, see if Americans act differently towards each other, and whether this does become, you know, a seminal sort of a transitional moment. in in like in the vibe in the vibe of the American people and and and maybe triggering action because people didn't stay in their living rooms and celebrate. They all came out because they wanted to be around each other. They wanted to watch it with each other. They wanted to celebrate it with each other. They weren't gonna want it was all about doing it with the other people and the others all you have to do is watch one clip and you see the melting pot. Mark Hayes (01:10:54.821) Yeah. Brock Ganeles (01:11:04.204) that is any of those crowds and just people hugging the person next to no matter who that person was. Mark Hayes (01:11:06.628) Yeah. Mark Hayes (01:11:10.798) Right, right. And you know, that's that's that was the beauty of it, you know, just watching New Yorkers embrace each other. You know, I went down that rabbit hole till three o'clock Sunday morning, you know, just watching the videos on the gram. And it was a sight to be seen. yeah, you know, streets shut down, people, you know, not getting home until two and three in the morning. Just 'cause you couldn't go anywhere. It was pandemonium. And it was a beautiful sight to see. And Brock Ganeles (01:11:46.863) I think it's incumbent on us though to not let things go back. To hang on to the feeling and not let like the media play its game of wanting to talk about like one shooting that happened overnight when there were five million people on the streets. Like, look, just do the math. Like something bad is gonna happen. Okay. Someone probably turned their ankle on the street corner curb, also. Like, that's not the headline story. Stop with your Mark Hayes (01:11:51.182) Right. Mark Hayes (01:12:03.45) What I Mark Hayes (01:12:10.53) Right. Right. Brock Ganeles (01:12:13.652) media messaging of always just wanting to lead with three murders, a flood and like something else negative so that you just drag it making us fear and hate each other. We can we can push back and say, you know what? No, feed us more great stories. You know? Feel as we want to be fed more stuff that brings us together and has us respect each other more and makes me feel good about my community. Mark Hayes (01:12:18.137) Yeah. Mark Hayes (01:12:24.259) Right. Mark Hayes (01:12:29.119) Right. Right. Brock Ganeles (01:12:41.41) Don't just feed me stories that make me afraid of everyone around us because you know, there was a murder three weeks ago and it could happen again. Like we're not gonna eliminate all the negatives out of society ever. But we can't spend all our time just talking about them. Mark Hayes (01:12:41.733) Right. Mark Hayes (01:12:47.332) Yeah. Yep. Mark Hayes (01:12:54.616) Right. Mark Hayes (01:12:58.468) Well, we and and what we can do is make a concerted effort to feel good, right? To stay positive. Right? It's a hell of a lot easier to get up in the morning and say, This day's gonna be amazing. I will embrace this day. I'm gonna seize the day. As opposed to, geez, I can't wait till the fuck's gonna go happen on fucking work today. fuck, fuck, fuck. You don't have to do that. Right? You can decide to choose optimism. You can desi we can decide to you know rebuke this devil, you know, occupying the the the Oval Office because he and a thirty percent. Yeah, absolutely, like those fuckers with that UFC interview at the end. W you know, why why bother? Brock Ganeles (01:13:38.186) And the thirty and the thirty percent lined up behind them. Mark Hayes (01:13:50.116) Why bother with them? You can't convince them. You can't bring along bring along. Let them sit there in their fucking misery. Wallow in it. Fuck you. You know? Let's fucking do our own thing and let's embrace the joy all day long. Mark Hayes (01:14:08.772) All right, buddy. Good place to wrap it up. Brock Ganeles (01:14:09.752) Sounds good. And it there we went long. I appreciate you giving me the time to espouse my thoughts after a couple of days off. We'll pick it up again tomorrow and let's see if in twenty four hours we're you know, we're gonna make a shift. Mark Hayes (01:14:14.319) I'm with you. Mark Hayes (01:14:24.494) Yes, sir. Sounds good. Let's stay stay optimistic. Revolution will be positive. Haha. Brock Ganeles (01:14:26.862) All right Mark. Always a pleasure.