This is the Dan Levatore Show with the Stugats podcast. It is time for-I mean.
To share his game notes.
No one in the media will tell you what happened better than my voice. I mean.
Weekend Observations is brought to you by Miller Lite. Legendary moments start with a light.
Dave. We ridiculed this man for years, called him a homer, called him a doddering fool, called him disrespectful. But I think it's time. We all owe Greg Cody an apology. Connor McOverated. Connor McChoker. I went to a watch party in Old Town Scottsdale at 6: 00 AM and got full-blown PTSD hearing the penalty sounder. Someone got sent to that, I'm like, No! I'm like, Oh, wait, no, I'm not on the show. I'm not on the show. It's okay. It's okay. That was Nam. Boldy juggling the puck en route to score. That was nasty. We haven't talked about that once. You guys keep sucking off Jack Hughes. This dude juggled a hockey puck going full speed ahead and knocked it past.
He should have gotten the assist and the goal. He passed it to himself.
It was easily one of the sickest hockey moments I've ever witnessed in my life. Second to the 2010 gold medal game where the entire crowd, every single person in the crowd, wore the official Canada red jersey. Nobody had their own T-shirt that they made at home. Nobody had like, Oh, I'm going to wear my favorite hockey team. I'm a pinguish. Everyone had the team hockey jersey on. 20,000 people at GM plays. I've never seen anything like that before in sports. How do you blow a five on three? Hockey people, explain this one to me.
No Crosby. Okay. Also, the US killed off every single penalty in the tournament. So they were 100%.
My favorite baseball is spring training baseball. Let me tell you something. Don't talk to me about no grapefruits. Cactus League. Underway this weekend. It was 82 degrees yesterday. Guys, what are you doing?
I love spring training baseball.
It's so much better than regular baseball. It's so much better. Other than playouts.
Other than playouts. And outside of the fact that you're getting guys wearing 92 playing the game.
That's the best part.
I like when the guys run laps in the outfield while the game is actually going on.
It's the best. Running polls. Running polls. By the way, that should be the punishment when we're talking about things in baseball, but we'll have that conversation another day.
By the way, do you guys have this in the Grapefruit League? The seating where it's not even seats, it's just a grassy knoll that people sit on?
Yeah, that exists at different ballparts. Like the Little League World Series?
It's awesome. Cactus League, baby. Nothing like it. Don't look Well, here come the Spurs on eight straight, nine of their last 10. Celtics started Baylor Sheyermann for the 10th time last night versus the Lakers. And you, Jamokes, are sitting around wondering if Jason Tatum should come back. Are you out of your mind? Baylor Sheyermann. Hey, guys, we got Jason Tatum. No, no, no, no. Baylor has been on a hot streak. Get out of here, man. Having said that, Joe Mizzula has to stop being coy at press conferences. He's got practice has just today. Did he practice? He does a little Cash Patel, too. I don't know if you guys notice that. Joe Mizzula. He's got a little Cash Patel in him.
I was sorry you missed Cash Patel. He was just here. You'll be at 11: 00. It seems like you're never in the same... Starting to get fishy.
Well, I'll go to 11: 00 and track him down there. Okay, good. All right. New season of Bar Rescue. It's a great time to remind everyone about Here's the Science, A Bar Rescue podcast. Here's the logo for the Here's the Science, A Bar Rescue podcast. It's hosted by real-life bar and restaurant consultant Chelsea Reynolds, commercial kitchen and food truck vet Colin Casser, and two people who have visited a bar or several in their day, Zack Harper and myself. Wherever you get podcasts. Wnba sent a counter proposal to the WNBPA. In it, they proposed the same salary cap and same rev share. Heady play. You guys ever do that in negotiation? They're like, What if we counter with this? And you're like, What if I counter with this, and your counter is basically the same thing that you offered to begin with.
Flat as the new race.
I love it, man. Because sometimes people don't read and they're like, Yeah, this is a lot better. Okay.
Do people do that money slide the piece of paper across the table thing in real life? That's happened in real life?
Have I never told you my favorite slide the money on a piece of paper story ever? No. Alan Houston plays for the Knicks. They're playing great. They go to the finals. The second year, they lose in the conference finals. He's been awesome. He's outperformed his contract. He opts out. His agent is like, Hey, let's go in aggressive and ask $77 million on the next deal. They said they sat down and the Knicks slid the paper over and it said 100 million. They just got up and said, Let me see that pen. They never negotiated. They never said anything. They were going to start at 77. It worked their way down at 74. The next started at 100. So let me see your pen.
Why are you eating that piece of paper, Alan Houston? None of your business. I missed breakfast.
Don't look now. Here come the Bulls, losers of nine straight and nine of their last 10. Guys, it's going to be a hell of a tank season. Congrats to Pat Reilly. Getting a statue outside of crypto. Your move, Miami.
I mean, he'll have one.
Why? Why are we waiting? He's still active. He's still doing it. He should have been there before Wade. Oh, okay. Disrespectful, if you ask me.
I mean, the court is named after him.
He's a statue.
Does that mean they're not going to give him a statue because they gave him the court? You get the court and a statue?
Yes, of course. I mean, he's the most important figure in the history of this franchise. And maybe a banner.
But when you give him the court, is the court not You can only ever do one court. You never talk about the court, though. You can give multiple statues.
You never talk about the court. It's a statue. When NBC or ABC have the shot, they've got to do the panning shot. You got to have the statue right out there. Oh, look at that.
You can only do one court.
The court is patronizing. If the arena is named after somebody else and all I get is the court, I feel like you're marginalizing my deeds.
What about Coach K?
Nobody calls it the Coach K Court. Nobody calls it that. I didn't even know that until right now, Miss Connection. You were the caramel skin stunner with pretty eyes waiting for your car at the valet stand. I was the guy who rear-ended it. Team Canada. Still the best jersey in the Olympics. Fight me. That red with the black maple leaf? Bad intentions. Fight me, Roy.
Not bad enough, I guess.
Jersey can't win the game, man. Jersey can't score in a five on three. You got to do that.
There was no '87 Jersey out there.
History will remember. '97 wasn't going to do it. It was a big game.
Miracle on Ice. Overrated. Cinevo, episode 300. Crossover. The movie was so unintentionally hilarious, we made it a two-part episode. One of the characters is a high school phenom. Tony, stay with me on this one because I need your expertise on this. I'm following. One of the characters is a high school phenom who has his full ride scholarship to medical school revoked. So rather than going to the NBA, he opts to go to community college where he graduates with honors. Who writes these? Someone who has never been to college.
So full ride to medical school gets denied.
So he's a high school player. He plays in an underground game that apparently some people got paid to play in. He didn't take any money, but it gets out and he loses his full ride to medical school, not to college. To play basketball at the medical school? To play basketball, but also to go to medical school.
Okay, I'm following.
And because he loses it, this agent is like, Yo, you go to NBA, I'll get you placed. He says, No, that ain't my dream. He goes to community college instead, and he graduates with honors. I didn't even know community college had honors.
I went, they didn't.
Sinema, wherever you got a podcast.
Why wouldn't junior college have honors?
Because it's junior.
Because we're all here in junior college. We didn't make it to regular college. There's no honors.
Exactly right. Proud shark.
Is my camera right here? Hey, Team Canada, our Connor is better than your Connor. Hey, Team USA, Connor Hillebuck is your MVP. Not Jack Hughes. Connor Hillebuck. Speaking of hell, Art Bryals, those are the weekend observations.
Mike, you know I have one rule to live by, right?
Don't place parlays on multiple long shots. Don't say a game is one when it hasn't hit triple zero.
Always drink your Jägermeister ice cold. That's the rule. Everything else is It's really a suggestion.
Everything else?
Everything else.
Wearing clean underwear every day?
Well, that's just a personal decision.
Brushing your teeth?
Obviously smart, but not a rule.
Never PP on an electric fence.
Okay, maybe there are two rules, but the one that is 100% that I insist on completely, Jägermeister must be drunk ice cold. Or don't drink it at all. Damn, that's cold. Exactly. You're finally starting to get it.
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Yeah, but you're-Not today. I think that was what he was adding. Yeah, that would have been so much better. I'm telling you, the response I got from this guy, what I said was amazing. He got him. Cheaters never prosper. This guy yelled as angry as he could, I ain't cheating.
This is the Dan Levatard show with the Stugats. The fact that Jack Hughes' face is plastered everywhere, and no one's talking about this dude who's stopping shit left and right. I was talking about him.
No, I'm not talking- Roy was talking about him. I'm not talking about him.
I'm talking about nationally.
Anyone that watched that game left that game was like, We only won that because of a hell of buck.
No, they were all talking about Jack Hughes. I've been watching first taking all these things on the screen. All I said, Jack Hughes' bloody mouth every five seconds. I didn't see one still of him. My man doing this right here.
There was a save that he made.
A slow motion with the stick.
Yeah, that was, I guess, the play of the game, really, right?
They should have carried him out.
Or McAvoy blocking him with his chest.
They should have been like they did in the 20CB, for Here's a jolly good fellow. Just throwing him up in there.
Do we still have those things? That's actually what they did for Jack Hughes.
Still have those things that they used.
It's like a sheet, right?
Like a big sheet, a trampoline.
Mcavoy really spared Canada a moral conundrum because even Canadians didn't want to see Tom Wilson score the big goal, right?
We can all agree, universally, that no one wants to see Tom Wilson well, right? Even in our nation's capital, where they pretend to care about hockey. You just reminded me of something- Before you move on, I just want to point out one more time.
One more time. I cannot believe they're making such a big deal on all the shows about Jack Hughes. When Connor- He scored the game-winning goal.
He won the gold medal.
You know why it's been Hughes?
Because they control the media.
By the way, Zack Warensky's play is... You know what? I don't know the last time I said Zack Warensky out loud, but that's a real hard one. It's almost as hard for me to say as unfathomable. I have a really hard time saying that one.
Smith and Waleensky is a hard one to say. I was trying to tell my dad about that steakhouse, and I couldn't say it.
Zack Warensky made a great play to chase that puck down. Then really, McKinnon is a ragdolls him before he makes the great pass.
Go ahead. How about Amin saying initiative?
You should take a private jet there.
Initiative.
Yeah, there you go. That's the word.
Go back. Amine, when you mentioned the Bulls, it occurs to me, I've never really thought about them in these terms, are they now turning into the Cleveland Browns for people my age? When I found out as a child, the Browns were actually good. They used to win world championships. I was like, Why? How long ago could that have been? Are the Bulls now that for people who are 25 or younger? Wait, the Bulls? The Bulls used to be real... Multiple titles? Really? Wow. Wouldn't have expected that.
You know what? That's a very good analogy. Yeah, because they had this guy named Jim Brown.
Or the Islanders in Hockey. I'm trying to think of who those teams would be.
The run they had with Derrick Rose being in the conversation, I don't know.
That was only a couple of years.
Derrick Rose was... They were fringe. They were very fringe. I mean, Brian Sip and Bernie Cossar were good for a couple of years, too. That doesn't change the reality.
It wasn't that long. The Derrick Rose part wasn't that long. It wasn't that long. That's the crazy part.
He was probably the second most marketable guy in that league. You'd go over to other parts of the world, and he was the face of the Dimas basketball.
Who was it? And then the Tyson Chandler. And who was the other guy that was supposed- Eddie Curry? Eddie Curry. That was supposed to be the big turnaround for the Bulls. The new era begins now.
The Baby Bulls is what they called them. Jamal Crawford was on that team. A young Jimmy Butler. No, Jimmy Butler is later. He's talking about Tyson Chandler.
They're the ones that ended the Shaq and Wade heat.
That was Jerry Kraus's. That was his big comeback, right? Was Now I'll show you who the straw that stirs the drink is here in Chicago.
We're doing another soft launch of my favorite future segment on the show, which is Hot Take Time Machine, which is we go back to 1998. Fun idea. Yeah, we're back in 1998, and everyone's like, I can't believe Jerry Kraus did this. And I'm going to be the guy like, Guys, you don't understand. He's clearing cab space. You guys are looking ahead. The year 2000, it's a smorgasborder of fee agents. We got Kevin Garnett coming up. We've got Grant Hill. We've We've got Tim Duncan. We've got Tracy McGrady. Chicago is synonymous with success. We are the Championship organization. These guys are going to be fighting over each other to sign with the Bulls to be the heir apparent to Michael Jordan. And that's what Jerry Kraus what he's doing. By the way, also, we'll have a number one overall pick along with it. Oh, my God. This guy, he thinks Jerry Kraus doesn't know what he's doing. You'll see. We'll laugh five years from now when we're running the league. We'll laugh.
What do you sound like shock Rest in peace.
We were talking about that on Friday. Maybe I misspoke a little bit, and I heard about it from people on social media. I said, is two of the biggest bust of all time, which isn't exactly the way I meant to Couch it. I mean, from the time- Tim Couch.
Oh, sorry.
Yeah, not Tim Couch, but that's another guy on the shortlist. That's a great call there. By the way, I want to ask Matt Ryan, in his MVP year, why do you Could wear the number 2. Of all the numbers that a quarterback could wear, two. It's unbecoming for obvious reasons. And he said, because my favorite player growing up were, and I said, Who was that? Tim Couch. How many people can rightly say that they ended up being better at the sport than their idol.
Kevin Garnett wore 21 because Malik Sealy was his favorite player.
There you go. That's a nice little- Probably a lot of good pro athletes, right? That end up being better? Well, what I meant to say about Tua was, when we first became aware of this guy, that this Tua is going to be a phenom, he just threw the national title winning pass there. So clearly, we're right about that. He's destined for the stars. And then for him to not achieve that, is he the number one in that regard? I think along those lines about your hot takes, your hot take time machine that's fascinating to me, is what if somebody traveled back to 1988 and told you, Darryl Daryl Strabury and Dwight Gooden, neither of them is going to wind up in the Hall of Fame? It's not going to work out. Neither one of them gets into the hall. Why? It's impossible.
We're back here on W-N-N-N-N- We got an interesting theory about- Get this, Bob. Dwight Goodman and Dale Strabe, neither one of them is going to the Hall of Fame.
It's not crazy. Not for you. Not for you, fellows. You're the bee's knees now.
Guys, this is- What is happening to my brand? This is 1988, not 1928.
But we're doing radio, all time in radio. We've got enough- You'll be doing it in New York. In Time Machine. In Queens. Yeah, that's right. That's how we talk in Queens, see? Hey, I tell you what, both those fellows going to run the Mets for years. We're going to run 17 pennets Twenty-five World Series. I don't do the math that well.
I mean, I hope we'll have time to tap into this over the course of the next four days while we're all together here. But I am curious. People are trying. It feels to me as somebody who is just now no jive. I have a no jive policy, and I'm not going to jive you.
No one's calling anyone a JT.
No, I'm not here to jive. Not myself, not you, not anybody. I feel like as Mike Ryan volunteered his interest in the Cleveland Cavaliers, boosted by James Harden, classic playoff performer, I think people are trying to talk themselves into who is going to compete with the Celtics come springtime in the playoffs. Is Is it a foregone conclusion in your expert analysis that the Celts represent the East?
No, not a foregone conclusion. I think that's who I'm betting on in my mind. I think they're going to win the East. Really? I think they're going to win the East. Really? I don't even think it's dependent on whether the Tatum comes back or not.
I assume he's coming back, but the discussion that it's going to be hard to reintegrate him is- That's the most foolish discussion I've ever heard on this program. I agree with that. I mean, you and I park our cars in the same garage on that. I don't like that.
Man, I don't like that phrase.
I think it's my favorite Daveism.
That's my hate.
I think it's only natural to anticipate them having a strange acclamation point in which they struggle for a couple of games?
I think the reason why is because you guys are assuming Jason Tatum is going to come back and he's like, Good as new. Let's run all the play. He's like, He's coming back from an Achilles tail in less than 12 months. He's not going to be anywhere near 100%. He won't be able to demand usage and touches and all those things. He has to be a supporting player because physically, that's all he can do. He's going to be on crazy minutes restrictions. He'll probably be off, certainly not back to back, but you don't have those in the playoffs. He's not going to be able to play a role that even comes close to like, I need the ball in my hands all the time. He's got to fit in.
I don't know. I'm just looking at a guy who is used to being option 1A, who who may be able to put his ego aside and say, No, I don't need the ball.
That's who he is, though, right, Tashay? Jason Tatum? He is not type A personality that you would associate with NBA superstar, right?
I mean, I don't know about- Demand the ball and all that. I don't know about type A personality, but he wanted to take the most shots on a team that's had a bunch of other really good players. He's been the guy. He's been the guy closing at the end of games while you got Jalen Brown literally yesterday saying, I'm the best two-way player in the game.
But that's That's a function also of how the organization is built. That wasn't him demanding it. This is the choice by the coach, the choice by the GM who was his former coach. That's how they built the team. Now, Jalen Brown has shown something now that maybe they weren't comfortable before. Remember, we were joking about him not having a left hand two years ago, and now that seems to have gone away, right? That's part of it. But the other part of it, again, is just the reality of his physical capability. Even if he doesn't play well, him being on the floor will force.
It opens things up for everybody else.
You have to respect it.
Missoula Coach of the Year? With the job that he's done with the Ross that they have?
He's- With Shireman playing how many games?
Look, man, there's a lot. Look, Johnson. Did anyone have San Antonio being even close to being this good? No, true. And like, Wemby's good. But remember, Wemby missed a bunch of time. It's everybody else. And they won more. I think Mitch Johnson has done a great job. I think-JB? Jb has absolutely done a great job. I think you're discounting Detroit, big time in the East. You know why I'm discounting them? Because I see all the makings of playoff failure. Not like perennial playoff failure, but right now, here's the thing. Number one, you have one playmaker. So we've seen this time and time again. We're going to double and trap the hell out of him and force someone else to make a play. I don't know if they have someone else who can make plays.
Duncan Robinson would like a word.
There you go. Number two, one of the worst three-point shooting teams, both in accuracy and attempts and makes. Duck and Robinson would like a word. They don't shoot well, they don't shoot often. You got to be able to make threes in the NBA in the playoffs in order to keep defenses honest, especially when, again, we've established, they're trapping the hell out of your best player who's your only playmaker. Number three, and this one is big, one of the worst free throw shooting teams in the NBA. You got to be able to make free throws. If you don't make free throws, it comes back to bite you. Then number four, this one's a little not as as extreme as the other ones. They turn it over a lot, which makes sense because they only have one guy who makes plays. So all those things to me are the things that right now, as constructed with this level of experience, they're going to run into a team that's more experienced less talented, and is going to beat them. And by the way, let me be the first to say this on air, anywhere, as everyone has beaten the drum, Oh, they own them or whatever.
If the Knicks and the Pistons meet in the playoffs, I got the Knicks winning. Really?
I like that call, and more so than in the other three major sports. I think this is true. Broadly speaking, the Pacers are a fluke who got to the finals because the Celtics went away. It is a progressive, Listen to my largest- I'm sorry.
No, I was reacting to something dumb that- I asked if the Knicks should be trying to get the four seat then.
I hate that. Rather than the two or the three, so that they don't have to play Boston or Cleveland in the second round. They could play Detroit, who Amin says they're going to be.
Well, Choosing your fo... Oh, that's a good discussion for another day, too, is getting to choose who you play in the playoff's higher seat. I would love to explore that.
We've had this conversation before.
It's my favorite. The NBA, if you look through the last 25 years or so, it is a progressive ascent in the sense that you don't, generally speaking, come out of nowhere as a team and go to the finals. You make the playoffs, you get some experience, then the next year, maybe you make a deep run, and then finally you're mature and ready to do that. We use that and apply that same standard to the NFL, which is not true. No. Oh, this guy, the moment was too big For Dreg May. Dreg May had a bum shoulder is what I think as a matter of fact. But sometimes guys shrink in the big spot and other guys don't. But it is not a matter of that guy has been in a number of playoff wars and now he's ready win. Not true in the NFL. Definitely not true in the NHL. Give me the young skill over the grizzled vet leadership in the NHL. Nba, though, it does matter, right? The Pistons are not going to make, aren't going to the finals based on exactly what I'm describing.
There's such a vast difference between playoff basketball and regular season basketball because basketball is such a free flow state game. There are things you get away with in the regular season by virtue of I'm playing against... Like I always say, your season averages, while important, are also built on the corps of all these horrible teams that you play. So there's a little inflation there. Then number two is who I'm playing. They're coming off a to back? Is this the last game of a long trip? What's happening? There's all sorts of flux there. When we get to the playoffs, it's so different. That's the difference in NFL and NBA. In the NFL, a payoff game, the difference in a payoff game in a regular season game is you have guys are a little bit more locked in. Other than that, it's the same amount of preparation time as from week to week in a regular season.
They somehow will tell you that they hit harder. But I take your bigger point. Sure.
But it's effort. It's like effort and focus is ratcheted up. In the NBA, effort and focus is wrapped it up. But then also, we are in a position where we are given a luxury that we don't have during regular season, which is A, I'm in one place for a few days, B, I'm not worried about anybody else but you. But you. So typically, if we're playing Cleveland next week, my scout is on it, my one coach is on it, and then everyone else is worried about the rest of their lives. The other coaches on whatever their scout teams are, the players on what we're playing the night, head coach, etc. When we get to the playoffs, everybody, five assistant coaches, all the scouts, everyone's just scouting you, our next opponent for the next 4-7 games. And so that brings a level of preparation for a payoff game that you typically don't get for a regular season game. The NFL, the preparation is pretty much the same because unless you have a buy, you get a two week. But for the most part, it's the same amount of preparation. Don Levatard. If Daniel Day-Lewis did it, you'd be jerking off all over yourself.
Oh, come on.
Yeah, I would be. Aggressive description.
I mean, what is it? What is that? I'm just saying.
You know what? That's me. You're just saying what?
That's me. That was something Bruce from yesterday. I see that photo of Daniel Day-Lewis looking like Lincoln before he's about to start filming Lincoln. And you know what I do? I mean, Stugatz. I jerk off all over myself. That's what I do. Lincoln, who you outed the other day. Don't make this a rejoin. This is the Dan Levatard show with the Stugatz.
Nba feels like the most of the major sports, like the regular season, is treated as a rehearsal. It is an ongoing rehearsal outside of 6 to 10 minutes per game in combined minutes over the course of the '48. Everything is just about like, We're working on our stuff. We have the luxury to get Jason Tatum back up into the rotation. We're just working on our stuff for the next 20 games. That doesn't exist in the other three major sports.
We are practicing for the postseason. It's a live practice. It's not like going through the motions practice. But in essence, all of it is... This is the reason why one of my jobs when I was a video coordinator was, Any game that ended within two possessions in the last two minutes, I had to cut up all of that and put it into a database. So that when we would play that team, I could show you every close game, defensive scheme and offensive set that our opponent has run. That's why when you see in the NBA game at the end of the playoff game, they're in a timeout, guys are huddled around an iPad behind the... They're pulling up the video and they're trying to basically predict, Hey, this is what they like to run when they're down three with under 30 seconds on the clock and this personnel out there. That's why you always see one of the assistant coaches looking over here to try and see who are the guys who are getting up off the bench. A lot of that is, yeah, it's built in the regular season. That doesn't mean regular season is less important or not fun or any of those things.
It just means that we are gearing up for something else. It's also why, for instance, Steve Kerr, when they had, they said, Oh, you have this death lineup with Andre Godala in the starting lineup, whatever. Why don't you just run all the time?
I was like, No, that's not a regular season thing where I just wear my guys out. That's something I'll hold in my pocket and wait until the right moment in the playoff. I mean, clever OCs will do the same thing in the NFL. But Tashay in baseball, It's interesting that playoff baseball informed the way the regular season is now approached with relief pitchers and with your pitching staff in general. That's only really been true for about the last 8, 10 years, right? That you would come close to it and like, Yeah, we're just going to buy committee at every game.
We were talking about it back here that playoff baseball now reflects what the regular season was like. But the first team that I can really remember going to and winning a World Series, almost solely based off their bullpen, was the Kansas City Royals. I think that was in '15 or in '16.
Giants did it, too. Maybe even before.
Yeah, and the bullpins mattered. But those Giants teams had several starters who would go deep into games. They would have Bumgarner, and Matt Caine, and Tim Lindsaygum. They had all of these guys who would pitch heavy innings. And Bumgarner was a guy who came back, similar to what actually you saw with the Dodgers this year.
Yeah, the Royals were also like a station-to-station baseball team, too. It was weird because baseball had already started shifting. They were like a holdover. They were bullpen first, no doubt.
Yeah, and it was like Wade Davis had national Fame because of the season that he had in those playoffs. But that is where the game doesn't really change the same way. But at the same time, that hook will be even quicker in the postseason with a starting pitcher than it will be otherwise. And you might actually see teams try to lay down a bunt in the postseason to try to get a guy over and get that one extra run in in a way that you would never see during the regular season anymore.
Jeremy, you said that you said that it was 2016 when the Royals won?
It might have been 2015, right?
2015. It's been over 10 years since we heard this. They are the champions. Who Gloria. Gloria. Gloria. I think I got your number.
Gloria. That's Brett Hall.
He had the colors I got the colors wrong.
So the Royal Blue. Two different colors.
Missouri, though, right?
I'm not going to lie, you in my ear were like, Give me Gloria. And I was like, I don't know why he wants this, but I'll get it for him. Different part of Missouri.
Okay. Kansas City and-Wait a second. You went Royals when you meant to honor the St. Blues.
You got the colors wrong. That's embarrassed.
Not even me. I can't remember what movie it is, where the guy says it's not the same ballpark. It's not even the same sport.
All right.
Was that... And you say that was Brett Hall or was that already Lange? I assumed that was Artie Lange.
Brett Hall wasn't seen for a good year and a half after that, though.
What year was that?
I want to say 2018.
Okay, I was all about- I think '19. That's when our clip was saved. June of '19. That's right there.
You're in the neighborhood.
You know what?
Got a little yellow in that, by the way.
Hit the button. Go ahead.
Gloria for the It's just a city royal. Penalty box.
Penalty box me.
Oh, yeah. How do I do the penalty box? That's definitely right.
It's on your computer right there on your computer. First of all, take your time and try to figure it out. Because Miami buttons on there.
You got to see a lot of... Wait, hold on. Let me just find this one thing while I hold on.
Avoid anything labeled Correio.
Please don't... Just forgive me for one second as well. I'll say, Hold on.
I don't know.
Just for one second.
My eyes are bad, so I'm going to hit.
Just go ahead and I'm like, Oh, forgive me just one moment as I find one.
I'm just going to hit one here, and it's this one? White woman. A white, white, white, white, white. Nailing Gloria. Hey, so now that the K'Chuck, Matthew K'Chuck, brought glory back to the Florida Panthers.
It's a hell of a run for Matty Kachuk.
In a reflected way. What are people in Miami, sports fans in Miami, or for the entire state, what's next now? The U had its nice little moment, came up a little short. A little short. I just want to say again, I just want to say on behalf of everybody from Indiana University, rooting for the Hoosiers. I I just want to tell you that I do still think about you guys and how close you got to that. And my heart goes out to you guys. And sorry about what happened. And better luck next time. I just don't want you to hang your head about anything. You have a lot to be proud of with the last season. But what are you... So what now? What do you turn your gaze to? I got something. Not the heat, right?
This Marlins team. Make a little noise. The Marlins? Really? It's a fun little team. Fun little team. I'm telling you, you don't know the names yet, but you will.
I won't. Strong rotation.
Peter Bendek's really good bullpen.
Player? No. That's the President of Base operations.
Chase it? So legitimate wild card aspirations?
Yeah, they'll be in the wild card chase. Or they should be, at least. Based off of the season that they had last year and the young guys who are on that team right now, I heard who's on the team.
They have two stud aces.
Sandy Zara. I know Sandy Zara.
They have Sandy, they have Yuri Perez, both at the top of that rotation. But going down, you also We have a couple of top prospects in all of baseball.
Could we caucus, though? Because he's asking who's our best shot here.
They're about to start in a month.
Well, not the Dolphins.
I would favor the actual Panthers' chances better than the Marlins.
Of making the postseason?
Yeah. 25 games left.
The best team in the state right now is what? The Tampa Bay Lightning, easily? No, the whole state, I'm giving it to.
Pros?
Yeah. I'm doing the whole thing. I'm covering all. We're going pros.
I'm covering all. It's got to be UN football.
The best state for the rest of this year. You can only watch one team for the next 12 months. Keynes football. Keynes football, I think it's very easy. You have the most optimism about that. A hundred %. Keynes football. Let me ask you this, Because we came up the other day, and I don't know that we gave a satisfying answer. Tua, Kyler Murray, Malik Willis, Kirk Cousins. Choose. Those are your four best-Kyler.
Malik Willis. Hold on. What does Hold on, what does my team look like? Let's ask some basic questions.
Well, there's nobody left. They have Jalen Waddle on it. They have Devon H. N, and that's about it.
Maybe Darren Waller, if he wants to come back.
They have Aaron Brewer and Paul, okay? They have two good offensive When you consider the staff's experience with Malik Willis in Green Bay, having a feeling like they know how to put him in positions where he can succeed, front office alignment.
I think for all those factors, you'd probably give Malik Willis an edge over Kyler Murray, who's more of a finished product. I think the hope of Malik Willis, the fact that he probably has a higher ceiling because we haven't seen the depths yet, and the fact that there's alignment would probably talk you into Malik Willis a little bit more specific to this franchise. I think in a vacuum, you'd probably go Kyler Murray.
I've heard rumors of the Anthony Richardson Swap. Oh, God. I was going to say, if you want to throw names out there. He's throwing names out.
He said, Kirk Cousins has been terrible.
A hundred years old. Oh, no.
See, I disagree with you, Tony, about Kirk Cousins. Nobody's a bigger Kirk Cousins guy than I am. I don't know if you know that. He was lousy, no doubt, coming back from the Achilles.
Full of blouse.
But then he was real good when he came in at the end of last year. It wasn't for a game and a half stint either. He was good, and they beat some good teams. I think Kirk Cousins still has something left.
Anthony Richardson, 8-7 career record.
I'll go so far as to say this one to you. This may seem like a hot take. I would rather have Kirk Cousins as the starting quarterback in Pittsburgh than Aaron Rodgers. How say you to that one?
I don't hate it. We park our car in different garages on that one.
I mean, the guy's going to be 43, and you already saw what he's capable of doing. He's not going to get better from last year to this year. So you are announcing to the other 31 teams, We have no intention of competing for the Super Bowl. Maybe the playoffs, once again, maybe this year we'll get over the pump and win a wild card round game, but we have no intention of really trying to compete for the Lombardi, which is a weird position to take. Malik Willis, at least, we don't know what's going to happen. Why would you run back what you know the ceiling of is not reaching the Super Bowl?
Kirk Cousins or Nine?
I absolutely think that that's in play.
Why did you say that that way? I think Nine's done.
I disagree with that.
Just say who Nine is.
We're doing a football thing, guys. Don't worry about it.
We all know who Nine is.
Come on, Chris. You don't know who Nine is?
Jj McCarthy.
That's right. That's a nine. You got it?
Is that actually who it is? Yeah, man.
Self-appointed nickname. I got to say. That's the biggest red flag going on that guy. Nobody needed that. That's not what happened last year.
I was making a joke. I didn't even know that was really him.
Listen, I think Nine, I think KOC, professionally, is now on the hook, obviously, for JJ McCarthy. I wouldn't be surprised if he wants to red shirt him a little bit with Kirk. She coaches football now?
We don't like her, but that video.
I like Kirk. I like Kirk to Minnesota. Me, too. Really? I mean, specifically They are with KOC. Yeah. And I like, by the way, I would not be surprised. Oh, how ridiculous you sound. Just as ridiculous as anybody saying, the Patriots and Seahawks are going to go to the Super Bowl in February of 2026. You would have been laughed out of any room. Beware the Minnesota Vikings, if they can get this right. That roster is ready to roll. They just need maybe Kirk Cousins, but I also wouldn't be surprised if JJ McCarthy in year three, which is essentially his second year, and the first one this past year was injury plagued. Wouldn't be surprised if he turns the corner and the Vikes, even in the mighty NFC North, makes him noise.
We can both agree Kyler Murray stinks.
I don't know. I think you can still resurrect that. At what?
Football. I was going to say it's Call of Duty. He's nice. He's nice at Call of Duty.
Is he, though? He also has that in case of emergency baseball career.
What's the Statute of Limitation? Let's go, Royals. Gloria, Gloria. I think I got your number.
"Missed connection: you were the caramel-skinned stunner with the pretty eyes waiting for your car at the valet stand, I was the guy who rear-ended it."
Amin delivers his Weekend Observations before the crew visits the Hot Take Time Machine, Dameshek and Tony say football things, and Amin thinks he knows something about the 2015 Kansas City Royals.
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