Speaker 1: All right, let's get a drivetime Wednesday afternoon, seven minutes
Speaker 1: past the hour of two o'clock. Beautiful day, lovely day.
Speaker 1: We've had such a great week of weather. It's about
Speaker 1: seventy degrees, flat and sunny here in downtown Slid City, Utah.
Speaker 1: Not too warm at all, not too cold. Feels more
Speaker 1: like spring, even though it's June time now, and as
Speaker 1: it is every single day, it's going to have you
Speaker 1: along for the ride. Spence checket's beyond my porter Larson
Speaker 1: behind the glass. Happy Wednesday to you. You are halfway
Speaker 1: through your work week, you're one day closer to the weekends.
Speaker 1: And we got a lot to do. We got a
Speaker 1: busy show, got a good guest list with a bunch
Speaker 1: of different topics. The NBA Finals get rolling tomorrow on
Speaker 1: ABC six thirty Mountain Time, and of course you can
Speaker 1: hear it on our radio station. The Indiana Pacers and
Speaker 1: the Oklahoma City thunder will do battle. Tonight is Game
Speaker 1: one of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Battle for Lord
Speaker 1: Stanley's Cup gets rolled tonight between Edmonton and Florida, a
Speaker 1: rematch of the Stanley Cup Finals a year ago. It
Speaker 1: is such a grueling tournament that you just don't see
Speaker 1: very many Stanley Cup rematches, but we have it starting tonight.
Speaker 1: A seven games Stanley Cup finals last year saw Florida
Speaker 1: win the first three games, Edmonton rolled back to win
Speaker 1: three straight, and then Florida be able to grab that
Speaker 1: game seven. So we'll see if we get another unbelievable
Speaker 1: Stanley Cup final starting tonight. Hopefully we get seven games.
Speaker 1: I don't think we're getting seven games. On the basketball
Speaker 1: side of things, we'll talk about it today is the
Speaker 1: Pacers are just up against a juggernaut. Shay reigning MVP
Speaker 1: has elevated his game to the points where.
Speaker 2: He can kind of dictate.
Speaker 1: Things in a way that really nobody on Indiana can,
Speaker 1: even though Tyree Saliburton is an excellent, excellent league guard.
Speaker 1: So some interesting storylines and topics surrounding the NBA Finals
Speaker 1: we'll get to today. The world of the professional golf,
Speaker 1: as far as the PGA Tour goes. The RBC Canadian
Speaker 1: opens this weekend, and then I speeded to the US Open,
Speaker 1: where Phil Mickelson will try to complete his Grand Slam,
Speaker 1: potentially for the final top Phil has a five year
Speaker 1: exemption after he won the tournament five years ago became
Speaker 1: the oldest winner of the tournaments, and so this will
Speaker 1: be his last chance to win that Grand Slam. It's
Speaker 1: the only major championship Phil Mickelson does not have. Rory
Speaker 1: mcelroyd continues to be grumpy despite his incredible year, so
Speaker 1: little golf.
Speaker 2: Of course.
Speaker 1: Top of mind this time of year is the summer
Speaker 1: is upon us RSL with an interesting June. They only
Speaker 1: have two games. They're off until June the fourteenth. The
Speaker 1: LA Galaxy game will be moved. I believe that's because
Speaker 1: of Leake's Cup stuff. It's only two games for RSEL
Speaker 1: this month, not a lot of opportunities for Raal saw
Speaker 1: Lake to get points that they badly, badly need. The
Speaker 1: summer window opens next month and that's the next opportunity
Speaker 1: for OURSEL to add some talent to this roster. Offseason
Speaker 1: college football converercetion continues to be pretty interesting. Ryan Day,
Speaker 1: of course, comes out today and says the Big Ten
Speaker 1: deserves four automatic spots in the CFP Color me shocks.
Speaker 1: I still think we're moving ahead to the five plus
Speaker 1: eleven model. University of Utah continues to piece together their
Speaker 1: twenty twenty six recruiting class doesn't look like Andre Miller
Speaker 1: is on his way to join Alex Jensen's staff. Speaking
Speaker 1: of former You to our coaches, what's next for Johnny Bryant?
Speaker 1: The Phoenix Suns decided on Jared Ott today. Jared Ott,
Speaker 1: an assistant coach for Kenny Atkinson coaching alongside Johnny Bryant
Speaker 1: last year, takes over the Phoenix Suns after they moved.
Speaker 2: On from Mike Budenholzer.
Speaker 1: Devin Booker has now had seven coaches in his career
Speaker 1: with the Phoenix Suns. Pretty whild, of course. Ladies with
Speaker 1: the Necks fire in Tom Thibodeau after the best run
Speaker 1: in franchise, well not in franchise history. They actually have
Speaker 1: won championships. Just very few of us were alive when
Speaker 1: that happened.
Speaker 2: So what's next in New York? Is that a stop
Speaker 2: for Johnny?
Speaker 3: Right?
Speaker 1: We'll get into it a lot of and this is
Speaker 1: kind of how these things go. When a coach gets
Speaker 1: fired or a player gets traded. It's like a relationship
Speaker 1: with friends of yours, right, Like you don't really know
Speaker 1: what actually happened until the breakup, and then everybody wants
Speaker 1: to dish and spill.
Speaker 2: So now that Tom Thibodau has been fired. There are
Speaker 2: rumors this was player driven.
Speaker 1: Miquel Bridges apparently doesn't like playing a lot of minutes.
Speaker 1: I hate it when players bitch and moan about playing, man,
Speaker 1: it's so exhausting. And Karl Anthony Towns apparently does not
Speaker 1: want to play for Tom Thibodeau anymore either.
Speaker 2: This is such a player's driven league.
Speaker 1: And of course the Utah Jazz are in a scenario
Speaker 1: where their coaching staff in front office appears to be
Speaker 1: solidified and solid but the problem is they do not
Speaker 1: have good basketball players. So we'll get into it on
Speaker 1: the show today. A lot of different topics going on
Speaker 1: on the program. Our first guest will be Josh Furlong.
Speaker 1: Josh covers the University of Utah for our friends at KSL.
Speaker 1: We'll do some Utah football and some Utah basketball with Josh.
Speaker 1: Right out of the gates. Neil Smith stops by on
Speaker 1: this Wednesday afternoon to preview the Stanley Cup Finals which
Speaker 1: begins tonight, and of course we're high speed ahead to
Speaker 1: the NHL Draft. Neil was one of the best pro
Speaker 1: hockey roster constructors in the nineties, so we'll get his
Speaker 1: take on some Utah Mammoth offseason and get a preview
Speaker 1: of the Stanley Cup Finals tonight. Andy Larson stops by
Speaker 1: a little bit later on as well. We'll look forward
Speaker 1: to catching up with Andy about the Utah Jazz, the
Speaker 1: Austin Ange news, some NBA draft stuff, and maybe a
Speaker 1: little RSL with Andy. Of time allows, but again, only
Speaker 1: two matches for oursel this month and not a lot
Speaker 1: of momentum at least in the positive direction, and then
Speaker 1: we'll go from there. We got some other guests at
Speaker 1: a little bit fluid on the show today. We'll kind
Speaker 1: of keep you in the loop. But it is a
Speaker 1: Wednesday edition of the radio show and we appreciate you
Speaker 1: making us a part of your day. Josh fur Long,
Speaker 1: Neil Smith, Andy Larson, he spends check ats all of
Speaker 1: you the great listeners, and that guy Porter Larson. We
Speaker 1: have two Larsons, Andy and Order on the show today. Porter, Hello,
Speaker 1: Happy Wednesday.
Speaker 2: How are you good?
Speaker 4: How are you?
Speaker 2: I'm good.
Speaker 1: I always go through this weird playoff withdrawal where for
Speaker 1: weeks and weeks and weeks we have well, first we
Speaker 1: have multiple games every night and then we move over
Speaker 1: to the conference finals, which is every other night. So
Speaker 1: or at least we have our game every other night.
Speaker 1: And yeah, for the past I'm all cut up on
Speaker 1: our friends and neighbors, Apple TV, John Hamm, great television show.
Speaker 1: I've basically just been binging television shows waiting for the
Speaker 1: finals to start.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I've just been like outside, wandering around aimlessly, which
Speaker 5: is you know, fine with me, to be perfectly clear.
Speaker 5: But yeah, when the break kind of starts and you
Speaker 5: realize that sports are slowing down, especially if you're like us,
Speaker 5: you're a little what probably football, basketball centric, some soccer, hockey.
Speaker 5: We'll throw our guys in there. But yeah, man, it
Speaker 5: really starts to seep in when you have several days
Speaker 5: off in between games. When going back months now, if
Speaker 5: you're a college hoops watcher, you had games every night,
Speaker 5: you had multiple games going on at the same time.
Speaker 5: You basically were overdosing on basketball for two months, and
Speaker 5: then you have this come down. To use that analogy,
Speaker 5: I will say Spence. Also, it is technically still spring.
Speaker 1: Yeah, but it's June and it feels like April. I'm
Speaker 1: here for it.
Speaker 4: I'm here.
Speaker 1: Last last weekend, it was I was playing golf and
Speaker 1: it was ninety two degrees.
Speaker 5: It was it was much. It was a bit much.
Speaker 5: But yeah, the solstice is I think the twentieth.
Speaker 1: Okay, mary Anne Williamson, nobody's impressed with your knowledge of
Speaker 1: the stars.
Speaker 2: We've been over this.
Speaker 4: Oh no, I know.
Speaker 5: I'm just keeping you in the loop. Is do you
Speaker 5: see the northern lights this weekend?
Speaker 2: Is mercury and retrograde?
Speaker 6: Yet?
Speaker 4: Really pretty?
Speaker 2: Is it in retrograde yet?
Speaker 4: I don't know about that one.
Speaker 1: Okay, because if it is, if it is, white women
Speaker 1: are about to make a bunch of different decisions that
Speaker 1: will badly affect their relationship.
Speaker 4: I have seen like to get way down this rabbit hole.
Speaker 2: How deep are we going here?
Speaker 5: We've gott like there's certain guys that think the tilt
Speaker 5: of the earth is about to like shift and change everything.
Speaker 2: You got to stop listening to Joe Rogan podcast.
Speaker 5: Bro, you know it's entertaining, just to be clear, okay,
Speaker 5: not informational, all right?
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, uh Joe Rogan somehow five years ago
Speaker 1: his job was to convince humans to eat animal uh
Speaker 1: FECs on television, and now he's where people go to
Speaker 1: get like a legitimate medical and signs.
Speaker 4: And also where'd fear factor go?
Speaker 5: Just because Joe Rogan's not doing it can't doesn't mean
Speaker 5: we can't make people do that on television anymore.
Speaker 2: That's that's fair. That's fair. You could do it, Okay,
Speaker 2: all right, Hey.
Speaker 1: I'll host Fear Factor, and then in five years maybe
Speaker 1: I'll have a podcast where I.
Speaker 2: Give people horrible medical advice.
Speaker 4: What's your podcast? Uh check? Reality check?
Speaker 2: There you go, may rest in peace.
Speaker 4: We could bring it back.
Speaker 1: We could bring it back, and I'll have irresponsible people
Speaker 1: on my podcast to spread misinformation and conspiracy.
Speaker 4: You should bring me up for like five hours.
Speaker 7: I should.
Speaker 1: Well, apparently that's how people are making their way through
Speaker 1: the world.
Speaker 8: Now.
Speaker 1: It doesn't matter what you say, whether it's it's true
Speaker 1: or not is irrelevant.
Speaker 2: As long as people are engaged.
Speaker 1: The problem is then they listen, then they spread the
Speaker 1: information of their friends, and suddenly nobody knows which way
Speaker 1: is up and which way is down.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I'm I mean, if you're interested, I'm here.
Speaker 1: Okay, I appreciate it. But in the meantime, you can
Speaker 1: participate in the show that we do every day. Want
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Speaker 1: Josh Verlong our first guest right out of the gates.
Speaker 1: But before you get to Josh, courtesy of our friends
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Speaker 9: number one sports talk Now into the studios of ESPN
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Speaker 1: So friend of the program, co creator of the program,
Speaker 1: original producer of the program JP John Paul Schangar, a
Speaker 1: guy who joins the show at the time to time,
Speaker 1: had a chance to sit down with Austin Ah after
Speaker 1: Austin's press conference that we played on the show and
Speaker 1: has made the rounds with local media both TV and radio.
Speaker 1: I would encourage you and of course we support our
Speaker 1: guy jpus Now over with the Utah Jazz and voice
Speaker 1: of the Stars and Voice of the Royals.
Speaker 2: Very busy young man.
Speaker 1: I would encourage you to go listen to JP's latest
Speaker 1: episode of Roundball Roundups, sitting down with Austin Age, who
Speaker 1: by all accounts is now the lead decision maker and
Speaker 1: loudest voice in the Utah Jazz front office. So, of
Speaker 1: course the SoundBite that has made the rounds not just
Speaker 1: locally but nationally. A lot of our NBA guys actually
Speaker 1: that are on the show. Dave mcmanmon sent Porter and
Speaker 1: I a text with that sound bite. He's like, oh interesting,
Speaker 1: Like it resonated with a lot of people. So our
Speaker 1: very own Sean O'Connell, as you guys know by now,
Speaker 1: asked Austin the question about his philosophy on manipulating minutes
Speaker 1: in tanking, and Austin simply said it was a great SoundBite.
Speaker 1: You will not see that this year. Well, he went
Speaker 1: on JP's pod and elaborated essentially on what he meant,
Speaker 1: and instead of trying to accurately represent those comments, I'll
Speaker 1: encourage you to go to the Utah Jazz podcast page
Speaker 1: and find JP's interview with Austin Ahe essentially the gist
Speaker 1: of it was, yes, I mean what he said continues
Speaker 1: to be true. But basically, what you won't see this
Speaker 1: year if Austin is being forthcoming and fourth ride with
Speaker 1: his comments, and if, by the way, if he is
Speaker 1: the loudest voice in the front office, If Justin Zanik
Speaker 1: and his father Danny, and Will Hardy and everybody else,
Speaker 1: if they're reporting to Austin, okay, If Austin is calling
Speaker 1: the shots, and if we take Ryan Smith at his words,
Speaker 1: he very much is, then the edict to how this
Speaker 1: will transpire will come from Austin himself. And if that's
Speaker 1: a direct line between Austin and Will Hardy, who worked
Speaker 1: together in Boston when Austin was there and Will was
Speaker 1: Emi Udoka's lead assistant coach. If it's a direct line
Speaker 1: from Austin to Will, and Will has to essentially follow
Speaker 1: marching orders from Austin ange What we won't see this
Speaker 1: year are the lengthy injury reports that we all see
Speaker 1: on social media every single Jazz, every single time the
Speaker 1: Jazz played game. What we won't see this year is
Speaker 1: a healthy Walker Kessler sitting on the sidelines. What we
Speaker 1: won't see this year is a healthy lowry market and
Speaker 1: sitting on the sidelines or an invented injury for Colin
Speaker 1: Sexton or John Collins or Jordan Clarkson, et cetera, et cetera,
Speaker 1: et cetera. Okay, and so as we've discussed and will
Speaker 1: continue to discuss throughout the course of what is shaping
Speaker 1: up to be a very fascinating offseason in pro basketball,
Speaker 1: what does that look like? What does it look like
Speaker 1: for the Utah Jazz as they're presently constituted now side note,
Speaker 1: I do not believe the way they're presently constituted will
Speaker 1: be the way that they are constituted come fall.
Speaker 2: But only time will tell, because.
Speaker 1: There is part of me that does believe some of
Speaker 1: the veteran players you have on the rost are actually
Speaker 1: perfect fits for a team that should not be serious
Speaker 1: about winning this year, should not be serious about putting
Speaker 1: their best foot forward as far as trying to win games.
Speaker 2: Now you can be.
Speaker 1: Serious about competing, and you can actually approach the thing
Speaker 1: with integrity in a way that they didn't last year
Speaker 1: and still lose a lot of basketball games. Certainly with
Speaker 1: the current landscape of the Western Conference, where you know,
Speaker 1: it's interesting the walking line is thirteen teams in the
Speaker 1: West next year believe that their at least playoff or
Speaker 1: playing teams. I don't know how many believe their top
Speaker 1: four for that home court advantage. But when you look
Speaker 1: at the way the Blazers kind of evolved this year,
Speaker 1: like Portland did a really good job of actual player
Speaker 1: development this year, not fake player development like that. Like
Speaker 1: the Jazz did not lean into player development this year.
Speaker 1: They're going to tell you they did, but they didn't
Speaker 1: because they were unseerious about competing, they were unseious about winning.
Speaker 1: They did not approach this thing with integrity as it
Speaker 1: pertains to the way you should treat the game and
Speaker 1: the sport and this league where you're lucky to be
Speaker 1: a part of it, and part of being a professional
Speaker 1: is showing up up and doing your job to the
Speaker 1: best of your ability every single day. And yes, sometimes
Speaker 1: when you're a little bit injured, I still, you know,
Speaker 1: I still will die on.
Speaker 2: The hill that way.
Speaker 1: Too many NBA players don't play basketball even when they're
Speaker 1: healthy enough to do it.
Speaker 2: I don't love the load management. I never will.
Speaker 1: And by the way, there's no data that indicate indicates
Speaker 1: it works.
Speaker 2: Did you watch the playoffs this year?
Speaker 1: It was it was a bloodbath of injuries for some
Speaker 1: of the best players in the game, and some of
Speaker 1: the best players in the game that actually do take
Speaker 1: time off were hurt in the postseason that allowed the
Speaker 1: pathway forward for certain teams to continue to play on,
Speaker 1: namely the Indiana Pacers, who ran into a Cleveland Cavalier
Speaker 1: team whose health was compromised. The Golden State Warriors lost
Speaker 1: Stephen Curry obviously, the Blazers had to compromise Dame Lillard.
Speaker 1: The Boston Celtics lost Jason Tatum. There's no Dubta and
Speaker 1: Tatum play. By the way, I should be clear, Tatum
Speaker 1: is not one of these guys that wants to sit.
Speaker 1: There's no data that indicates sitting players actually helps them
Speaker 1: stay healthy throughout the course of the year. This is
Speaker 1: a initiative that has always been driven by powerful agents
Speaker 1: behind the scenes that want their young clients to get
Speaker 1: to their second contract as fully healthy as possible so
Speaker 1: they can make a bunch of money. That's what load
Speaker 1: management is not about teams and players and the league
Speaker 1: trying to protect the health of these guys for the
Speaker 1: sanctity of anything. It's money driven, like everything else in
Speaker 1: this league right now, it's why so many great coaches
Speaker 1: continue to lose jobs because this is a player driven league,
Speaker 1: has been for a while, and Lebron is kind of
Speaker 1: the guy that started this player empowerment movement, which is
Speaker 1: why a lot of people are anti Lebron right, And
Speaker 1: I understand that because it has jumped the shark a
Speaker 1: little bit. When great head coaches like Michael Malone who
Speaker 1: won a championship just two years ago, and Tom Thibodeau
Speaker 1: who took the next to the Eastern Conference Finals for
Speaker 1: the first time in thirty years, back to back fifty
Speaker 1: fifty win seasons for the first time since the mid nineties.
Speaker 1: Taylor Jenkins, excellent young coach that did a great job
Speaker 1: in Memphis.
Speaker 2: These guys lose their jobs.
Speaker 1: Mike Butenholzer is a champion, an NBA Coach of the
Speaker 1: Year multiple times out of a job, and it's because
Speaker 1: the league is player driven and the players deserve their compensation,
Speaker 1: their share of the basketball related income and the revenue
Speaker 1: that comes their way because they're the product. But it
Speaker 1: really has kind of gone overboard just a little bit
Speaker 1: as it pertains how much power they have. But ultimately,
Speaker 1: back to the point, before we catch a break, it
Speaker 1: is going to be fascinating to see what this offseason
Speaker 1: looks like for the Jazz, because if we take Austin
Speaker 1: at his word and he says they will be serious
Speaker 1: about competing again, the Western Conference is deep enough and
Speaker 1: talented enough and good enough that the Jazz could put
Speaker 1: their best foot forward and.
Speaker 2: Still only win eighteen to twenty games.
Speaker 1: And I'm here to tell you that's okay, because to me,
Speaker 1: the number one priority for a team that is this young,
Speaker 1: and for a team that, if we're honest, is this
Speaker 1: bad and this far behind everybody else in their peer group,
Speaker 1: that first round pick next year is something you cannot
Speaker 1: convey to Oklahoma City. You have to keep it in
Speaker 1: your back pockets. And then finally, there's this starting in
Speaker 1: just a few weeks for the NBA Draft. This front office. Okay,
Speaker 1: if we're expected to believe that Justin Zanik and Danny
Speaker 1: Ainge and Austin Age and the talent evaluators over there
Speaker 1: are good at their job, they need to start hitting
Speaker 1: on their draft picks in a way that they haven't
Speaker 1: so far. This is the fourth year since the Mitchell
Speaker 1: Gobert Quinn Sider Dennis Lindsay teardown and there's some things
Speaker 1: to like about Kyle Philipalskip, There's some things to kind
Speaker 1: of like about Isaiah Collier. There's really not a lot
Speaker 1: to like about Cody Williams right now. And we need
Speaker 1: to see Taylor Hendrick Selty and I am not a
Speaker 1: huge keyante George guy. The draft picks they've made so
Speaker 1: far have been mixed at best, and if we're honest,
Speaker 1: they have not hit on them. They've got a top
Speaker 1: five pick. You got to hit on that pick, or
Speaker 1: you got to utilize it to make some sort of
Speaker 1: maneuver to add a legitimately talented player to the roster
Speaker 1: that can play right away.
Speaker 2: They can step in and play right away.
Speaker 1: Because I do think we will see player movement with
Speaker 1: some of the veteran pieces. Now that Collins and Sexton
Speaker 1: and Clarkson are on expiring deals John Collins too, they
Speaker 1: will be easier to move than they have been over
Speaker 1: the past couple of years. And there is part of
Speaker 1: me that believes we are going to simply see what
Speaker 1: Washington did last year. Washington actually tried to win games.
Speaker 1: They just played all young players, like all young players.
Speaker 1: They had very few veteran players, even on the roster
Speaker 1: and almost zero veteran players in the rotation. So when
Speaker 1: Austin Ainge says we will be serious about competing, and
Speaker 1: we all understand that, yes, okay, that's great, but on
Speaker 1: the back end of next season you still have to
Speaker 1: maintain your draft capital. It probably means both on the
Speaker 1: roster and in Will's rotation is maybe entirely comprised of
Speaker 1: the young players they have now and two or potentially
Speaker 1: four young players that are gonna add coming up on
Speaker 1: June the twenty fifth. And if you just have a
Speaker 1: grip of young players that are unproven, you can approach
Speaker 1: this thing with some integrity and you can't actually be
Speaker 1: serious about competing and still lose enough games to hold
Speaker 1: onto your draft pick.
Speaker 2: Which has to be the name of the game this
Speaker 2: year for the Utah Jazz.
Speaker 8: In a preview.
Speaker 1: Tonight's Stanley Cup final game one Edmonton taking on Florida.
Speaker 1: It is a rematch which we do not see very often.
Speaker 1: It's such a grueling tournament. Soneil Smith, former general manager
Speaker 1: of the Rangers and the Islanders, high level scout for
Speaker 1: the Detroit Red Wings, a Stanley Cup champion himself, will
Speaker 1: stop by gonna bring in Andy Larson from the Salt
Speaker 1: Lake Tribune, and how about Eric Weddle will join the program.
Speaker 1: Potential Hall of Famer guy, Eric Weddle's gonna stop by
Speaker 1: but on a Wednesday, starting things out. Josh for Long
Speaker 1: covers the Utes board, KSL Josh, Happy Wednesday.
Speaker 10: Man.
Speaker 2: How we doing.
Speaker 11: I'm doing well. How about yourself, Fence.
Speaker 2: I'm good, man, I'm good.
Speaker 1: So, since we're gonna have you at on your reaction
Speaker 1: to the College Football Hall of Fame news, I think
Speaker 1: that dropped about a week ago or so.
Speaker 11: Yeah, yeah, well no, I was actually I think.
Speaker 2: Monday, Monday gotcha. So what do you think?
Speaker 11: I mean? I think this is a no brainer.
Speaker 12: Quite honestly, I'm I'm part of that committee that helps
Speaker 12: select some of these guys, and he was a no
Speaker 12: brainer to me as I was looking at some of
Speaker 12: these these individuals who are the greats of college football
Speaker 12: and then there's you know, no question that the Alex Smith,
Speaker 12: the Eric Weddles are the greats of U tough football.
Speaker 12: I was I was not in the state during the
Speaker 12: time that Eric Weddle played, so I don't I wasn't
Speaker 12: familiar with his college game, but just watching kind of
Speaker 12: the ambassador of the DAS to the program as.
Speaker 11: Well as kind of what he did in the NFL, Like,
Speaker 11: this is a guy.
Speaker 12: That truly cares about football being played the right way,
Speaker 12: play the physical, but also more just trying to help
Speaker 12: people grow. So I think there's there's no better person
Speaker 12: to be kind of a candidate for that. Knowing kind
Speaker 12: of who he is on and off the field, that
Speaker 12: really kind of specifies like the types of people that
Speaker 12: the Hall of Fame wants to represent and bring forward.
Speaker 12: So I think it's a great opportunity for him.
Speaker 2: I didn't know that you were a part of that
Speaker 2: that committee. That's really cool.
Speaker 1: Illuminate us on the process, like how did these things
Speaker 1: kind of work and ultimately how did it end with
Speaker 1: Eric Weddle on the ballot.
Speaker 11: So it's I'm only a part of it.
Speaker 12: So what happens is is they have different regions and
Speaker 12: you have to select a certain number of players from
Speaker 12: each region that get brought up to the larger committee,
Speaker 12: which I'm not a part of, but you basically rank
Speaker 12: the number of players that you think should be presented
Speaker 12: to that larger committee from your region. This is dating
Speaker 12: back to guys you know, well before I was even born.
Speaker 12: But it's it's looking at a bunch of these guys
Speaker 12: that you know, have had great careers. They look at
Speaker 12: their on the field, you know how they did, you know,
Speaker 12: what they did at the NFL, if that's what they
Speaker 12: were able to do, as well as.
Speaker 11: Kind of what they do now nowadays.
Speaker 12: And kind of like the service that they provide and
Speaker 12: other stuff like that. So it's kind of cool to
Speaker 12: kind of put these names that you've seen forever and
Speaker 12: compare them to one another. I mean, for example, like
Speaker 12: Eric the Enemy, you know, obviously a great coach out there,
Speaker 12: he's involved in that kind of situations and being presented
Speaker 12: as somebody. So you get a wide range of college
Speaker 12: football players and trying to see, you know, if it's
Speaker 12: their time to be in the Hall of Fame. And
Speaker 12: you know, some of them are on this list for
Speaker 12: quite a while. Others are on their for a shorter time,
Speaker 12: and I think Eric's going to be on their first
Speaker 12: shorter time quite honestly.
Speaker 1: All right, Well, good for our guy. It'd be fun
Speaker 1: to catch up with him today. All right, let's do
Speaker 1: some off season college football storyline. Since you and I
Speaker 1: last spoke, certain things have kind of come down the
Speaker 1: straight ced So we'll start with what's in front of us,
Speaker 1: and then we'll get to the expanded sixteen team CFP,
Speaker 1: but that's not until next year. The straight seating seemed
Speaker 1: to be one of those things that was such common
Speaker 1: sense that I have no clue why they didn't do
Speaker 1: it to begin with. So now we do have straight
Speaker 1: seeding coming up for the twelve team expanded CFP coming
Speaker 1: up just simply this year. Do you agree with this
Speaker 1: endeavor and do you think it's probably something they should
Speaker 1: have done right out the gates.
Speaker 11: Yeah, I honestly don't know why they wanted to do
Speaker 11: it the other way.
Speaker 12: I mean, I get it from the standpoint they're trying
Speaker 12: to do whatever they can to eliminate the selection committee
Speaker 12: really having full control over it. But I think you
Speaker 12: look at a lot of people seeing Boise State and
Speaker 12: Arizona State being a three and four seed and not
Speaker 12: being that highly ranked compared to some of the other peers,
Speaker 12: what it could do to Oregon, that.
Speaker 11: Kind of stuff.
Speaker 12: I mean, I think there's just a lot of unintended
Speaker 12: consequences as part of it, and just you know, a
Speaker 12: straight seating seems to be the easiest. This is the
Speaker 12: thing that everybody's familiar with, whether you're playing you know,
Speaker 12: Little League baseball all the way up to you know football,
Speaker 12: whatever it may be. That's how tournaments are, you know,
Speaker 12: one play sixteen or whatever it may be, and you're
Speaker 12: used to that. So I think this seemed like the
Speaker 12: easiest way. But college football obviously have to try to
Speaker 12: overcomplicate things and make things a little bit more complex
Speaker 12: and entertaining. So we'll see. I think this will be
Speaker 12: a better system.
Speaker 1: So now we move over to what's on the table
Speaker 1: for twenty twenty six, which is an expanded sixteen team CFP.
Speaker 2: And it depends on who you talk to.
Speaker 1: I think, well, most people out this way with the
Speaker 1: big twelve foot print, we'll say the eleven plus five
Speaker 1: or whatever model is the way to go. I also
Speaker 1: think it's probably difficult to deny that the SEC and
Speaker 1: the Big ten, you know, Josh, in any negotiation, it's
Speaker 1: pretty simple, whoever has the leverage is going to come
Speaker 1: out on top. And I think it would be a
Speaker 1: fool's errand to pretend the SEC and the Big ten
Speaker 1: don't have some leverage. I don't know how much, but
Speaker 1: probably enough to push this for AQ for each conference
Speaker 1: thing through. Of course, Ryan Day comes out with his
Speaker 1: comments today when the dust settles. Two part question, what
Speaker 1: do you think the sixteen team model will look like?
Speaker 2: And what do you want it Josh to look like?
Speaker 12: Ooh, those are two really interesting questions.
Speaker 11: You know.
Speaker 12: I've gone back and forth on this five plus eleven
Speaker 12: versus the four four two two one plan. I can
Speaker 12: see benefits and consequences of each. Honestly, though, like I
Speaker 12: think there's some undercurrent of all of this right where
Speaker 12: I think it's it's more political play where you have
Speaker 12: the ACC and the Big twelve saying hey, we want
Speaker 12: to earn it on the field, which kind of is
Speaker 12: a nod to the Big or the Big ten, and
Speaker 12: the SEC kind of saying hey, look we're going to
Speaker 12: give you that, and we may take less because of it,
Speaker 12: but we don't want to give you all the power,
Speaker 12: you know, getting four automatic bids. But then on the
Speaker 12: other hand, like you're giving up two straight guarantees that
Speaker 12: you're going to get plus a potential maybe third if
Speaker 12: you managed to get in that high. You know, I
Speaker 12: think this is a really tricky situation. I think it's
Speaker 12: probably going to land somewhere closer to the five versus
Speaker 12: eleven guarantee the top five conferences a spot and then
Speaker 12: straight seed from there. I just, you know, I don't know,
Speaker 12: this is hard.
Speaker 11: I feel like we're over complicating it for something that
Speaker 11: doesn't need to be that way.
Speaker 12: If you want to say it's sixteen teams, just the
Speaker 12: best sixteen teams are in there. If you're really that
Speaker 12: worried about a selection committee that you've put together, you know,
Speaker 12: that's that's the bigger problem.
Speaker 11: But the reality is is they all complain about the.
Speaker 12: Selection committee when these are former coaches and these are
Speaker 12: former administrators. These are people that understand this at a
Speaker 12: high level. This isn't just like you and I going
Speaker 12: out there and trying to select the sixteen best teams.
Speaker 12: These are people with well intentioned, you know, reasons behind
Speaker 12: all this stuff. And we're doing everything we can to
Speaker 12: kind of avoid the selection committee, and we're going to
Speaker 12: try to give certain conferences a number just the sixteen
Speaker 12: best teams need to go in there. Like, to me,
Speaker 12: that would be the best approach. I think that's what
Speaker 12: it is. You see disparity between one versus sixteen. Can
Speaker 12: a sixteen seed? You know make a run or upset. Sure,
Speaker 12: you know, any given days something can happen, But I
Speaker 12: think it gets really tricky trying to maneuver and finagle
Speaker 12: certain things to try to get a certain number of
Speaker 12: teams in there. And I just don't love that approach,
Speaker 12: even if it is a guarantee just straight seated go
Speaker 12: from there.
Speaker 1: So it's been a really wild news cycle over the
Speaker 1: past couple of months.
Speaker 2: As we all were awaiting the.
Speaker 1: House the NCAA settlement to simply provide guidelines and guardrails,
Speaker 1: and just we kind of all thought that would be
Speaker 1: across the line, and there have been a tremendous amount
Speaker 1: of things that have stopped the progress, a lot of
Speaker 1: red tape, roster number restrictions, and then what nobody saw coming.
Speaker 2: I certainly didn't. I don't think anybody.
Speaker 1: The Ross Dellingers of the world didn't seem to see
Speaker 1: this coming. Are a couple of states, including Tennessee and others,
Speaker 1: actually passing legislation telling their member institutions that reside in
Speaker 1: their state, like, hey, just so you know, you don't
Speaker 1: have to adhere to what the NCUBA House Settlement Act
Speaker 1: actually tells you to do with nil funds.
Speaker 2: And distributions. So good news.
Speaker 1: If you're in our state, you do not have to
Speaker 1: adhere to the guidelines that you will receive from this settlement.
Speaker 1: And then the P four conferences draft contracts and disseminate
Speaker 1: those contracts to all their member institutions, saying, hey, regardless
Speaker 1: of what your state law says, if you want to
Speaker 1: be in one of our conferences, you do have to
Speaker 1: adhere to what the House VNCAA settlement says about nil
Speaker 1: distributions and such. And you know, Josh, at this point,
Speaker 1: I just wonder if it's time for all of us
Speaker 1: that love this sport, cover this sport, and consume this
Speaker 1: sport just to say like this is the new normal,
Speaker 1: and it's just going to be a scenario where every
Speaker 1: off season essentially the only people that are enjoying it
Speaker 1: are the attorneys because they're going to make the money.
Speaker 1: And I don't know if we're still high speed ahead
Speaker 1: to this pro football model hybrid AF the NFC two
Speaker 1: conference college football reality anymore. I just think we're kind
Speaker 1: of in this space, and we'll be in the space
Speaker 1: where quite some time where it's just kind of continued
Speaker 1: chaos and lawsuits and filings and state legislation, and I
Speaker 1: don't really see an endgame. I've just kind of accepted
Speaker 1: that from the standpoint of people to do the job
Speaker 1: that you and I do. We're just in for these
Speaker 1: lawsuits to be filed and then ultimately, you know, you
Speaker 1: have these lawyers over here deciding they want to look
Speaker 1: at this, and then they're going to push back on that,
Speaker 1: and I just think we're kind of in for reshuffling
Speaker 1: deck chairs and the Titanic in college football for the
Speaker 1: foreseeable future. I don't know that I really see an
Speaker 1: endgame anymore, based off the chaos we've seen this offseason.
Speaker 11: No, I completely agree with that.
Speaker 12: I mean, I think that's the frustration about a sport
Speaker 12: that everybody loves because it seemed more pure, right It
Speaker 12: seemed like you had your agencies based on you know,
Speaker 12: whether it be your family has always been you know
Speaker 12: this this fan or you went to that school. There
Speaker 12: was a lot of pride that went into that more
Speaker 12: than just a professional team, right, Like, there's different types
Speaker 12: of pride for that, And now that's really chipping away
Speaker 12: at the core of what college sports is. And I
Speaker 12: think that's you know, you're getting more of the hardcore fans,
Speaker 12: the ones that are paying attention to it every single day.
Speaker 12: They're the ones getting riled up, especially because they're the
Speaker 12: ones that understand the nuances. They're the ones that don't
Speaker 12: tune in suddenly in August and wonder, Okay, what's happening.
Speaker 12: Who's on the roster. These are the people that are
Speaker 12: looking every single day. These are the ones that are
Speaker 12: paying attention. These are the ones generally probably maybe the boosters,
Speaker 12: the ones that are putting in the money. When you
Speaker 12: start disenfranchising that group, I think you lose the effect
Speaker 12: of what college sports can be, especially in college football.
Speaker 12: We all understand that it did shift it away, especially
Speaker 12: from an amateur model. It was always a mass amateur model.
Speaker 12: There was always a lot of different things that the
Speaker 12: NCAA screwed up. But now we're sitting in a quasi
Speaker 12: professional realm where there's no you know, no straight understanding
Speaker 12: of how it's supposed to be. There's no collective bargaining agreement. There's,
Speaker 12: like you said, state laws that are trumping the NCAA,
Speaker 12: which really doesn't have any legal power anyway, and it's
Speaker 12: just this big cluster that doesn't really make sense for anything.
Speaker 12: And I think that, you know, I don't know what
Speaker 12: the endgame here is, right like, unless there's some sort
Speaker 12: of binding contracts, which will still get challenged in court.
Speaker 12: But unless there's some sort of binding contracts or certain
Speaker 12: things that kind of pull everyone together, this is going
Speaker 12: to continue to be the cycle every single year. And
Speaker 12: it's frustrating because most people, they just want to tune
Speaker 12: into the games. They want to show up on a Saturday,
Speaker 12: kind of relax from all the stresses of the regular
Speaker 12: work week and just.
Speaker 11: Enjoy their team.
Speaker 12: And now it's becoming much more professionalized, much more complicated,
Speaker 12: and it just doesn't feel like the sport that we
Speaker 12: used to know.
Speaker 11: I mean, it's still fun, don't get me wrong.
Speaker 12: Ratings are still high, everybody's still excited to watch it,
Speaker 12: and come August September, you know, we're all going to
Speaker 12: forget what's happening in the summer. But there's still that
Speaker 12: in the background that frustrates people, that makes them not
Speaker 12: want to, you know, donate to the programs or or
Speaker 12: invest in in the same way, because one, you don't
Speaker 12: know if the players are going to be there, you
Speaker 12: don't know what it's going to look like. Your team
Speaker 12: may be relegated suddenly and you have no clue, and
Speaker 12: so it's just kind of this complicated system and nobody
Speaker 12: really has any standing to be able to make it work.
Speaker 1: One follow up here, because you're plugged into this stuff
Speaker 1: in a way that I probably am not, because we've
Speaker 1: been pretty basketball and hockey centric with the Stanley Cup
Speaker 1: and NBA Finals draft coming up. But in twenty seven days,
Speaker 1: D one athletic departments are scheduled to begin paying out
Speaker 1: more than one billion dollars to athletes. And as of now,
Speaker 1: without housing the NCUBA being settled, there are no rules,
Speaker 1: there's no enforcement because the nc DOUBLEA has been told,
Speaker 1: oh hey, by the way, you.
Speaker 2: Can't enforce anything.
Speaker 1: So there's conference by conference enforcement and very little regulation
Speaker 1: and we're all all waiting for this settlement to take place,
Speaker 1: and they have twenty seven days before the more than
Speaker 1: one billion dollars is set to be distributed to these
Speaker 1: young people that play sports at schools.
Speaker 2: Are you hearing.
Speaker 1: Anything about a finished line in sight? I can't believe
Speaker 1: it's June fourth and we're still talking about this thing
Speaker 1: not being done.
Speaker 11: Yeah, I mean, everything has to be settled by July fifth.
Speaker 11: If there is a settlement.
Speaker 12: Obviously Claudia Wilkins could extend it beyond that, but July
Speaker 12: first was the date that everybody has given that everything
Speaker 12: has to be in. July first is the date that
Speaker 12: schools have to say, hey, are you in the settlement
Speaker 12: or not? And if you opt out, you don't have
Speaker 12: to pay athletes. There's a lot of other rules, but
Speaker 12: you know you're not tied to it. But most of
Speaker 12: these schools, especially at the powerflow level, have prepared for
Speaker 12: the last year plus to opt in.
Speaker 11: They're ready.
Speaker 12: Most of them at the very least are throwing one
Speaker 12: year's worth of cash into this program to see how
Speaker 12: it works, to try to make sure that they can
Speaker 12: pay players, remain competitive in this landscape that nobody really understands,
Speaker 12: and then kind of go from And so I think
Speaker 12: whether the settlement passes or not, I really think most
Speaker 12: schools are probably going to be moving forward that way
Speaker 12: because to that point, the NCAA has nothing to do
Speaker 12: with it, right, Like, they can't say no because what
Speaker 12: are you gonna how are you going to stop them?
Speaker 12: Right And at the end of the day, the NCAA
Speaker 12: is there to do the bidding of the NCAA pre
Speaker 12: or the college presidents and kind of put it all together.
Speaker 12: But when there's no framework and nothing there, it's going
Speaker 12: to be chaos. So I don't know that there's going
Speaker 12: to be a ton of change. I think the real
Speaker 12: problem though, comes with roster limits and scholarships, because there's
Speaker 12: always been this this other end where Okay, you can
Speaker 12: offer walk ons and you can still have your scholarships. Well,
Speaker 12: now everybody essentially is a scholarship player proportionally, and you
Speaker 12: have to be able to have a certain roster limit,
Speaker 12: you have to have certain things that's not going.
Speaker 11: To be equal if this settlement doesn't pass.
Speaker 12: So there's so much to go into this, and obviously
Speaker 12: I don't want to get into the weeds of it,
Speaker 12: but I think there's going to be mass chaos. But
Speaker 12: at the same time, I don't think it's gonna be
Speaker 12: To me. As I'm saying this, it reminds me of
Speaker 12: like if you remember, like when Y two K was
Speaker 12: coming and everybody's like and your milk is going into
Speaker 12: explode and everything, Like, I feel like we're kind of
Speaker 12: getting to that level where no, it'll be fine. You know,
Speaker 12: we'll figure it out. But I think it's kind of
Speaker 12: getting to that mass hysteria, to a certain settle, like
Speaker 12: we don't know what's going to happen, and so you
Speaker 12: kind of start going down to the worst case scenario situation.
Speaker 1: All right, Josh, let's move off of it and talk
Speaker 1: about some storyline surrounding Utah football. And of course the
Speaker 1: storyline that everybody loves every year is the schedule release
Speaker 1: when we actually get kick times. Let's start with the opener.
Speaker 1: It's at UCLA. It's nine pm Mountain time on Fox.
Speaker 1: I'll look, I'm single, I'm chilling, you know, like I've
Speaker 1: got one son. He's twenty four. He lives in New York,
Speaker 1: so it doesn't really affect somebody like me. But I
Speaker 1: can't imagine very many people out there with kids or
Speaker 1: deadlines or actual lives in a way that I don't
Speaker 1: are thrilled about a nine pm kickoff for the opener.
Speaker 2: Let's start there. Your thoughts, you'd tell you sala nine pm.
Speaker 12: Yeah, I mean it's not ideal, especially for a game
Speaker 12: that a lot of people thought could have at least
Speaker 12: a little bit more national relevance just with Nikolayamilavia.
Speaker 11: But I think, look that.
Speaker 12: First day of college football people are so excited to
Speaker 12: have it back that I think you're still going to
Speaker 12: get a lot of people tune into this game. It's
Speaker 12: going to be on network TV, and so it's going
Speaker 12: to be something that people can find readily. You know,
Speaker 12: maybe you've heard about this Tennessee quarterback that went to
Speaker 12: UCLA and you want to check it out. So you know,
Speaker 12: I still think you're going to get the die hards.
Speaker 12: The hard part here is I mean, like even here
Speaker 12: in Utah, that's a nine o'clock game, right, I mean,
Speaker 12: that's really hard for a lot of people to stay
Speaker 12: up for. You know, some of these people are going
Speaker 12: to church in the morning. Some of these people, you know,
Speaker 12: have different things on Sunday that they do. That becomes
Speaker 12: a really difficult thing. And so it's not the best.
Speaker 11: But at the end of the.
Speaker 12: Day, it's college football and we're going to watch it
Speaker 12: whenever it is. I mean, if the game is at
Speaker 12: two AM, I guarantee you people would tune in and
Speaker 12: watch it. So I you know, I don't get too
Speaker 12: caught up on it. I do like earlier games, and
Speaker 12: I think for a team like Utah, they want to
Speaker 12: be more on the national spotlight. But the last two
Speaker 12: years haven't afford to them that, and so I think
Speaker 12: you get the break where you are on Fox, you
Speaker 12: get that national line, but you're not going to get
Speaker 12: it in the exact prime time that you were thinking of.
Speaker 11: So it still works.
Speaker 12: It's still something that people are going to be excited
Speaker 12: for most you know, a lot of fans are going
Speaker 12: to go out to the Rose Bowl and check this
Speaker 12: game out and have fun.
Speaker 11: So it'll still be a good time.
Speaker 2: I'm opener cal Poly four o'clock.
Speaker 1: That feels like a really really solid time then at
Speaker 1: Wyoming six o'clock CBS Sports Network. But I'll ask you
Speaker 1: about the final game of the regular season at least
Speaker 1: and will you be spending Thanksgiving in Kansas, as it's
Speaker 1: the day after Thanksgiving and it is a ten to
Speaker 1: a m kick, which is aggressively early.
Speaker 2: Your thoughts on that, Yeah, the ten AM one.
Speaker 12: That one I'm more frustrated with because nobody likes that game.
Speaker 12: I mean, it's nice in the sense that it's it's early,
Speaker 12: and it's it's one of those things that people can
Speaker 12: wake up after Thanksgiving and enjoy. But you know, covering
Speaker 12: games like that, it's tough. Last year, I had to
Speaker 12: travel on Thanksgiving, miss you know, spending time with my
Speaker 12: family to go out to UCF to be able to
Speaker 12: have the Black Friday game, and that was a little
Speaker 12: later in the night. But you know, you have to
Speaker 12: take them the flights you're given this one. You know
Speaker 12: this is tough. I mean, you know, I'm gonna be
Speaker 12: once again on a plane on Thanksgiving ready for a
Speaker 12: ten am game. For me, I don't love it just
Speaker 12: because of the travel, but I'm not going to have
Speaker 12: anybody worry about me.
Speaker 11: That's not my issue. I just think ten.
Speaker 12: Am games are just a real testing, right Like I
Speaker 12: think you don't want to have that at the end
Speaker 12: of the day. If this is on ABC, I think
Speaker 12: fans will be happy. If not, it's on ESPN, which
Speaker 12: is still good. But I think, you know, if you
Speaker 12: can get that ABC Utah's doing well, suddenly that becomes
Speaker 12: a great showing for your program and maybe you're in
Speaker 12: a position to be able to be in the Big
Speaker 12: twelve Championship. I don't know, We'll see how this team goes,
Speaker 12: but there's there's ten there where it could be good.
Speaker 12: You're gonna have a lot of eyeballs on you, but
Speaker 12: at the same time. That's usually the rivalry weekend, and
Speaker 12: a lot of other teams are going to be paying
Speaker 12: attention to that week more than Utah Kansas.
Speaker 1: Tell our listeners, Josh, you guys have been covering this
Speaker 1: and I obviously read the stuff you write about, you know,
Speaker 1: anything pertaining to the you it's the twenty twenty six
Speaker 1: visits in the twenty twenty six recruiting class. Obviously that's
Speaker 1: not top of mind right now. We have a season
Speaker 1: prior to. But how that's kind of the main you know,
Speaker 1: you know, point of emphasis for this program currently, in
Speaker 1: this coaching staff currently. Any insight on how these visits
Speaker 1: went and any names you want to throw out there
Speaker 1: commits that our listeners should know about.
Speaker 12: Yeah, so Utah has two commits right now, Preston Pitts
Speaker 12: and Lagary Mitchell, two two good guys that I think
Speaker 12: are more of the underrated guys that Utah tried to
Speaker 12: go for and hope that they can be stars. But
Speaker 12: you know, starting last weekend, there's a you know, a
Speaker 12: large group I think it was twelve players that came
Speaker 12: in for an official visit. This begins a one month
Speaker 12: period where there's going to be something like forty five
Speaker 12: or more athletes coming through Utah on official visits where
Speaker 12: they whine and dynam really try to show how it
Speaker 12: is one of the prospective, you know, recruits. He showed
Speaker 12: video of the Utah offensive line really working through plays
Speaker 12: with him so that they could kind of get a
Speaker 12: vibe with it. So this is this is really Utah
Speaker 12: trying to showcase themselves to all of these kids that
Speaker 12: have a lot of talent, that have a lot of buyers,
Speaker 12: that are going to be visiting a lot of other places.
Speaker 12: The biggest name there, at least locally, is Celesi Mooa.
Speaker 12: This is an athlete who can play both sides of
Speaker 12: the ball. I mean, he is probably the closest that
Speaker 12: we've seen in a while to probably like a Travis
Speaker 12: Hunter style where he can play wide receiver, he can
Speaker 12: be on the other sides of the dB. Really talented kid,
Speaker 12: number one kid in the state of Utah, and so
Speaker 12: there's a lot of emphasis to try to get him
Speaker 12: to Utah. The other kid that I'll mentioned is Kelvin Obot.
Speaker 12: This is the number one recruit out of Idaho, you know,
Speaker 12: with Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu potentially moving on to
Speaker 12: the NFL this next year as potential first round pigs.
Speaker 12: This becomes a great opportunity to get a new offensive tackled.
Speaker 12: And Utah has shown that they're willing to put freshmen
Speaker 12: in there, just like they did with Spencer Fanos, So
Speaker 12: that's that's the big selling point for for those And
Speaker 12: if you can get those two guys alone, I think
Speaker 12: that really improves your chances on what this recruiting class
Speaker 12: can be. So this next month is going to be
Speaker 12: really busy for Utah. There's gonna be a lot of
Speaker 12: kids coming in and out of the state of Utah
Speaker 12: to try to kind of see what they're all about.
Speaker 12: And you're gonna start seeing a lot more commits here
Speaker 12: coming soon.
Speaker 1: Since you and I last spoke, Bill Conley released his
Speaker 1: post Spring sp plus for ESPN dot Com, and I
Speaker 1: like Bill and this model seems to make a lot
Speaker 1: of sense to me. And of course, a post Spring
Speaker 1: sp plus ranking certainly will not tell the entire story
Speaker 1: what we could see come fall, and we still have
Speaker 1: a number of months until we actually see these teams play.
Speaker 1: But when you look at the post Spring sp plus ranking,
Speaker 1: the highest rated Big twelve team is Case State at eighteen,
Speaker 1: and then it goes like this, Arizona State is twenty
Speaker 1: two BYU ere exeated Texas Texas twenty six BYU IS
Speaker 1: twenty seven, and we'll see what the rets last stuffed,
Speaker 1: you know, as far as how that plays out. Then
Speaker 1: it is TCU twenty nine in Utah thirty one, and
Speaker 1: Utah's right ahead of Iowa State, who's at thirty two.
Speaker 1: So that puts Utah at five in the Big twelve
Speaker 1: on Bill Conley's sp plus Vegas over under a seven
Speaker 1: point five, and that also puts Utah about five six seven.
Speaker 1: It seems like most everything I read for Big twelve
Speaker 1: predictions and previews has Utah kind of middle of the
Speaker 1: pack as opposed at the top of the pack this year.
Speaker 2: Does that drive with your understanding?
Speaker 11: Yeah, no for sure.
Speaker 12: And I think you know, Bill Conley does a great
Speaker 12: job of being able to put those things together. He
Speaker 12: fine tunes his data to really make sure that it
Speaker 12: fits with the current you know, ages of the transit
Speaker 12: portal stuff like that. But I think that's that's really
Speaker 12: where Utah is going to fit, right. I think based
Speaker 12: on their potential on paper, they have what it takes
Speaker 12: to kind of be in the mix right, and I
Speaker 12: think you're going to see them, you know, at least
Speaker 12: be competitive, and people think that they can be competitive,
Speaker 12: but the real question is just canad all come together
Speaker 12: with so many players coming over from the transfer portal
Speaker 12: on the offensive side, especially, you know, it takes.
Speaker 10: Time to jail.
Speaker 12: I mean, I think there's there's you know, positions that
Speaker 12: help Utah in the sense that the offensive line.
Speaker 11: Works together, they've played together.
Speaker 12: That one's going to be connected, and then you've got
Speaker 12: a quarterback that has seemingly done really well at Jason
Speaker 12: Beck's offense. I think those things can work well, but
Speaker 12: it's still unsure how that will go against, you know,
Speaker 12: teams in the Big twelve.
Speaker 11: So I think it's a good spot for Utah.
Speaker 12: You know, you're not going to get this preseason polled
Speaker 12: where you're a top twenty five team, but you're lurking,
Speaker 12: we'll say.
Speaker 11: And so I think whether you're you know, the second.
Speaker 12: Tier, third tier type team and the Big twelve, I
Speaker 12: think that's good for Utah and I think they can
Speaker 12: do some damage if they live up to the potential
Speaker 12: that they have for themselves.
Speaker 1: I hate to make the rets last off a football
Speaker 1: story I really do. But this is a sports talk
Speaker 1: radio show, and so I will ask you while we're
Speaker 1: all kind of a waiting word about how this is
Speaker 1: going to play out.
Speaker 2: Brian Santiago made his first comments.
Speaker 1: I think to you, guys, is where I saw that
Speaker 1: since taking over as a d and he said, what
Speaker 1: you would expect, They're going to let the process play out.
Speaker 1: He has confidence it will work out. Blah blah blah
Speaker 1: blah blah. If if the rets last stuff comes to
Speaker 1: the point where they just have decided they've got to
Speaker 1: move on from him, what does that make BYU's football
Speaker 1: season look like?
Speaker 2: And do they have good depth in that room?
Speaker 12: Yeah? That one that was the real tricky question there
Speaker 12: because coming into spring camp they had three quarterbacks including
Speaker 12: rets Lass and you have experienced the k Hills, did
Speaker 12: you know it was up at Utah State had obviously
Speaker 12: started for them and had some success, but they're you know,
Speaker 12: it would be a definite drop off from that. They
Speaker 12: didn't get some in the transfer portal and stuff that way.
Speaker 12: But I think that becomes probably the biggest worry for
Speaker 12: this team, where they're predicted that seven and a half
Speaker 12: wins as well, and obviously coming off the season that
Speaker 12: they had. There's a lot of expectations for this team
Speaker 12: to be good. But if you don't get a good
Speaker 12: quarterback that knows the system and has that chemistry, you know,
Speaker 12: especially if there is this off the field drama with
Speaker 12: you know, I don't know if players are frustrated with this,
Speaker 12: you know what their feelings are, it has a real
Speaker 12: chance to distract, even if you have a good quarterback
Speaker 12: in place, to distract from kind of what you built
Speaker 12: last year, right, And I think coming into lat from
Speaker 12: last year, this is a team that was overlooked. They
Speaker 12: kind of believed in themselves, They rallied around themselves and
Speaker 12: really just kind of insulated themselves from the world.
Speaker 11: And when it started to work, things gibed.
Speaker 12: Right Now, you've got this huge off season hurdle that
Speaker 12: you have to manage, and whether you have red left
Speaker 12: back or not, that becomes a real distraction to just
Speaker 12: what you're trying to.
Speaker 11: Do as a team. Right.
Speaker 12: Obviously, the things that are being alleged are way more serious.
Speaker 11: Of what football is. But at the same time time, when.
Speaker 12: We're just speaking about the football, that becomes a very
Speaker 12: massive distraction, as it should, right, I mean, I think
Speaker 12: if there's something serious that happens like that, it should
Speaker 12: be a distraction. But I think that's unfortunate to these
Speaker 12: guys that have put in their hard work and effort
Speaker 12: to be able to get there, to suddenly have something
Speaker 12: that didn't even impact them now distract them from kind
Speaker 12: of the success that they were hoping to build.
Speaker 1: All right, Josh, before I set you loose, Look, I
Speaker 1: don't know if the narrative, a narrative of alex Is
Speaker 1: going to hire Andre Miller was just something that we
Speaker 1: created out of thin air, or maybe it was people
Speaker 1: pining for Utah basketball the past and believing that one
Speaker 1: two punch would be really dynamic. And I maintain, as
Speaker 1: somebody who was there in the nineties that Andre has
Speaker 1: a level of cachet for my generation that is hard
Speaker 1: to find. But it looks like it's not going to
Speaker 1: be anything that we'll see, at least not anytime soon.
Speaker 2: Do you have any insight here?
Speaker 1: Do you know whether or not it was ever really discussed,
Speaker 1: or it was ever really close And maybe is there
Speaker 1: a chance that could happen at some point even though
Speaker 1: it doesn't look like it's gonna happen now.
Speaker 12: Yeah, there was definitely some real conversations about that. I mean,
Speaker 12: there was mutual interest between Alex and Andrea to be
Speaker 12: able to bring him on staff. I think with what
Speaker 12: Alex was trying to build for his first year and
Speaker 12: just kind of the output that he was expecting, I
Speaker 12: just don't know that there was a you know, the
Speaker 12: right fit right. Obviously, andre is a great ambassador of
Speaker 12: the program, he was going to be a great salesman.
Speaker 10: For the you.
Speaker 12: He was going to bring a lot of excitement. Those
Speaker 12: weren't the questions. I think it was more just with
Speaker 12: what Alex was trying to do this year, what kind
Speaker 12: of commitment level it would take, And I just don't
Speaker 12: think they were able to agree on that. So you know,
Speaker 12: whether that whether he's able to circle back to that
Speaker 12: in the future time, you know, remains to be seen.
Speaker 12: I think, you know, there's definitely not a door closed there,
Speaker 12: but I think there, you know, Alex is trying to
Speaker 12: do the best that he can to bring his model
Speaker 12: and not necessarily bring back.
Speaker 11: The Vick and Jarris era. He's still going to play.
Speaker 12: Homage to it, try to bring in that kind of
Speaker 12: era and kind of get people excited.
Speaker 11: But at the end of the day.
Speaker 12: This is the Alex Smith or Alex Jenson era, excuse me,
Speaker 12: and you know he's got to do what he can
Speaker 12: to be able to be the guy and not live
Speaker 12: off the cotails of somebody else.
Speaker 1: All right, Josh, good to catch up. Man, Appreciate the
Speaker 1: time is always have a great week and we'll chat soon.
Speaker 11: That great.
Speaker 2: Appreciate it, Josh for a long.
Speaker 1: Stops by today courtesy of our good friends at IFA
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Speaker 2: We are your home of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Speaker 1: Here in Salt Lake City, Utah and the surrounding areas.
Speaker 1: We have a rematch of the Stanley Cup Final from
Speaker 1: a year ago that went seven games. Florida won the
Speaker 1: first three, Edmonton came back and nearly pulled off one
Speaker 1: of the greatest comebacks in Stanley Cup history, and then
Speaker 1: Florida was able to get it done. Game seven, so
Speaker 1: tonight you can hear game one on our radio station.
Speaker 1: And Neil Smith stops by to talk some hockey on
Speaker 1: a Wednesday. Neil, Happy Wednesday, sir.
Speaker 2: How are you?
Speaker 3: I'm very good spence about yourself.
Speaker 1: I'm great, appreciate the time. First question, randomly, did you
Speaker 1: ever work for Jim Dolan?
Speaker 3: Oh?
Speaker 13: Yeah, I did.
Speaker 2: Okay, Okay, that's what I thought.
Speaker 1: I think I thought that you did, so I as
Speaker 1: somebody who worked for the current, you know, still the
Speaker 1: guy that owns the Rangers and the Knicks. We exchanged
Speaker 1: a few texts, and I exchanged a few texts with
Speaker 1: some other people as well. And I'm biased because you know,
Speaker 1: Tom Thibodeau was Jeff's assistant and we got to know him.
Speaker 1: And oh also, by the way, he's a great coach
Speaker 1: that just did something for you that nobody's done in
Speaker 1: thirty years. And look, you you handle it however you want.
Speaker 1: You know, you're a very nice guy. You're a gentleman.
Speaker 1: I'm sure not asking you to rip anybody to shreds,
Speaker 1: But what was it like working for him? Shed some
Speaker 1: insight into you know, listeners that maybe don't really have
Speaker 1: a full picture and your thoughts on him moving on
Speaker 1: from coach Sibida.
Speaker 3: Well, you know, Jim is his own guy. I mean,
Speaker 3: he's different than all the other people that I've run
Speaker 3: into in that kind of position. He obviously inherited a
Speaker 3: good deal of his wealth from Cable Vision, who was
Speaker 3: able to buy the Madison Square Garden from Paramount and
Speaker 3: they've had it ever since. Jim was he was a
Speaker 3: little bit unpredictable when I was there, and you really,
Speaker 3: you know, you weren't sure what you were going to
Speaker 3: get from day to day or how he was going
Speaker 3: to feel about certain things. And sometimes the view that
Speaker 3: he took of things were a view that you hadn't
Speaker 3: heard of before. So it was difficult, let me say,
Speaker 3: it was very difficult.
Speaker 1: One follow up question, we'll move away from Dolan specifically
Speaker 1: because you know, as my mother off and says, if
Speaker 1: you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all,
Speaker 1: advice that I probably should hear to you more. But
Speaker 1: just how and this is going to sound like a
Speaker 1: simp question, and maybe it is, But just how important
Speaker 1: is viable, balanced, consistent ownership when it comes to the
Speaker 1: success of a professional sports team.
Speaker 3: There's nothing more valuable than that You can have all
Speaker 3: the great players, all the great coaches, all the great gms,
Speaker 3: all the great everything. But if you have somebody at
Speaker 3: the very top who owns it and who you ultimately
Speaker 3: everybody reports to, that's unstable or that you that doesn't
Speaker 3: let the people below, who are knowledgeable and have been
Speaker 3: doing the sport their whole life, if they don't let
Speaker 3: them run that business, that's sports business, You've got no
Speaker 3: chance none whatsoever. You've got to allow your people to
Speaker 3: do it. They do, and if you don't, you won't
Speaker 3: get the result you want.
Speaker 1: What have been your early impressions with the Smith Entertainment
Speaker 1: Group and Ryan and Ashley in the way they've kind
Speaker 1: of been able to conduct their business to support Bill
Speaker 1: Armstrong his staff, Coach Torny, coach Torny and his staff
Speaker 1: after only one year here in Salt Lake.
Speaker 3: Well, the one thing that I can say from a
Speaker 3: long ways away is that the Smith family stays out
Speaker 3: of the limelight. They stay out of the They seem
Speaker 3: to stay out of the operational part of it. You
Speaker 3: don't hear their name coming up saying that, well, you know,
Speaker 3: they wanted to do this or wanted to do that.
Speaker 3: They're very much in the background, which is what a
Speaker 3: really smart owner does. They stay in the background. They
Speaker 3: oversee the professional people that have got a background in
Speaker 3: the sport, but they stay in the background and just
Speaker 3: have leadership skills to lead those people that know the
Speaker 3: sport really well and know how to work in the environment,
Speaker 3: but they don't interfere with the way they've got to
Speaker 3: work in the environment. And I think that the Smiths,
Speaker 3: from what I understand, have done really good, really well
Speaker 3: at that and a point to one thing. You know,
Speaker 3: would have been easy for the new owner to fire
Speaker 3: everybody coming from Phoenix. You'd had no success there, What
Speaker 3: makes you think they're going to have any success here.
Speaker 3: Let's get a whole new management group. But he didn't
Speaker 3: do that. He gave them all a chance to prove themselves.
Speaker 3: Obviously to this point, he likes what he's seen and
Speaker 3: he's staying steadfast with Bill Armstrong and his group. And
Speaker 3: I think I really believe that's the way you lead.
Speaker 3: You make your observations, you give people enough time, you
Speaker 3: see how they work, and then you make your decision
Speaker 3: from there.
Speaker 1: Were you ever strongly encouraged or straight up forced to
Speaker 1: go see a JD in the straight shot show.
Speaker 2: In New York.
Speaker 3: No, that never happened back then.
Speaker 1: Okay, fair enough, fair enough, all right, Macro thirty thousand
Speaker 1: foot view question.
Speaker 2: Neil's a proud Canadian.
Speaker 1: Look, you know, whether it's Edmonton or any other Canadian team,
Speaker 1: But what would it mean thirty two years since the
Speaker 1: Stanley Cup was won by a Canadian team, which is
Speaker 1: pretty wild because y'all are the best hockey country and
Speaker 1: have been for quite some time. What would it mean
Speaker 1: to just the country of Canada for Edmonton to pull
Speaker 1: this off?
Speaker 3: You know, I think it would mean a lot only
Speaker 3: because Canada is, you know, compared to the United States,
Speaker 3: is a very small population wise, compared to the US,
Speaker 3: and they've got the big elephants sitting next door being
Speaker 3: the US that seems to be good at everything and
Speaker 3: win everything, and you know, Hollywood and all the rest
Speaker 3: of it. So for a Canadian team to win the
Speaker 3: Cup after all these years, and it does mean a
Speaker 3: lot to a lot of Canadians. Now, the people in
Speaker 3: Calgary aren't cheering for Edmonton because that's their bitter rivalry.
Speaker 3: So Jessica, as you know, there wasn't a lot of
Speaker 3: Toronto maype Leafs fans hoping that Montreal would win in
Speaker 3: ninety three against La that's the last Stanley Cup they got.
Speaker 3: But for the majority of Canadians, I do think that
Speaker 3: you know, if it's Edmonton versus Florida and you're living
Speaker 3: in Manitoba or you're living in Ontario, I think you're
Speaker 3: probably going to cheer for the Canadian based team over
Speaker 3: the American based team only because it's in Canada. But
Speaker 3: you know what makes me laugh about the whole thing
Speaker 3: is all of the all of all of these teams
Speaker 3: in the NHL are divided up amongst many nationalities, Canadian
Speaker 3: and American being two of them. And so you might
Speaker 3: be cheering for Edmonton, but you might be cheering for
Speaker 3: a lot of American players and a lot of Russian
Speaker 3: players and so on. So it's you know, you cheer
Speaker 3: for your city where you're from, and then I guess
Speaker 3: once your city's gone if you're in Canada, And again
Speaker 3: I stressed it's a smaller country each year for the country.
Speaker 1: Before we get to the game tonight, excuse me and
Speaker 1: this iteration of the series. What are your memories of
Speaker 1: this seven game barn burner from last year?
Speaker 2: Between these two.
Speaker 3: Well, I had predicted Florida to win since the regular
Speaker 3: season last year, and so when they got after that
Speaker 3: three nothing lead on Edmonton, it didn't surprise me. But
Speaker 3: when Edmonton came roaring back and won three straight, that
Speaker 3: did surprise me. And that's set up for a Game
Speaker 3: seven that was spectacular. Florida, of course, as you mentioned
Speaker 3: in the open winning it. I think it was two
Speaker 3: to one. You know, they're both great teams, they're both
Speaker 3: a notch above everybody else, and they're deserving it being
Speaker 3: in the final. And this is a great final for
Speaker 3: the National Hockey League because you don't have a Cinderella
Speaker 3: team going in against a favorite. That happened sometimes some
Speaker 3: team that has a wild card spot ends up, you know,
Speaker 3: by hooker by crook, getting all the way to the
Speaker 3: final and then they face the you know, the best
Speaker 3: team from the other conference. And so this year you've
Speaker 3: got the two teams that as the playoffs went on,
Speaker 3: you could clearly see that Florida was a notch above
Speaker 3: the rest of the East and Edmonton a notch above
Speaker 3: the rest of the West. Now one could point out, well,
Speaker 3: they both ended in third place in their division. Yeah,
Speaker 3: that happens, you know it does happen. Not everybody that
Speaker 3: wins the President's Trophy, which is the first overall which
Speaker 3: Winnipeg won, ends up in the final. In fact, very
Speaker 3: few do. So you know, they've gotten healthy at the
Speaker 3: right time, They've got all their their their gears in
Speaker 3: order at the right time, and I'm really excited about
Speaker 3: this series.
Speaker 1: So let's let's attack this individually before we get to
Speaker 1: the matchup, and let's start with Edmonton. You know, they
Speaker 1: just have been able to respond to adversity throughout this
Speaker 1: run in a very impressive way, comebacks left and right,
Speaker 1: like they almost pulled off last year in the Stanley
Speaker 1: Cup Final. But they lose the first two games of
Speaker 1: their first series against the Kings, they win four straight.
Speaker 1: They opened game one of the second round series against
Speaker 1: the Golden Knights by giving up the first two goals
Speaker 1: before setting in a Stanley Cup playoff record where their
Speaker 1: fifth consecutive comeback victory. And then against the Stars, the
Speaker 1: Stars scores six straight goals to take game one, and
Speaker 1: then they gave up five goals total over the next
Speaker 1: four games to advance to the final. So it's this
Speaker 1: interesting thing where all of their series they don't start
Speaker 1: out all that well, but then they figure something out
Speaker 1: and then they're just ruthless. So let's start with the
Speaker 1: Oilers' takeaways and then we'll get to the Panthers and
Speaker 1: we'll talk about the matchup. What stands out most about
Speaker 1: this run from Edmonton, Neil.
Speaker 3: Well, the obvious is the most important thing, and that's
Speaker 3: Connor McDavid number ninety seven. I mean, he leads the
Speaker 3: playoffs again this year, scoring and when he gets the opportunity,
Speaker 3: which she won't get a lot of them against Florida,
Speaker 3: but when he gets the opportunity to dance and go
Speaker 3: at that high speed, he can go at and he
Speaker 3: is marvelous to watch and can do crazy good things
Speaker 3: for the Oilers. So you know, he plays on the
Speaker 3: line with NuGen Hopkins, who's having the best playoff of
Speaker 3: his life, and then forty year old Corey Perry is
Speaker 3: on his other side that won the MVP of the
Speaker 3: league way back when he was with the Ducks in
Speaker 3: seven or eight and and so, and that's a formidable
Speaker 3: line because Corey Perry takes no prisoners physically and and
Speaker 3: NuGen Hopkins is a first overall pick, and Connor McDavid
Speaker 3: is McDavid there's nobody else even like him. And then
Speaker 3: on the second line, this is your second line has
Speaker 3: Drive Cydle in the middle, who's you know, leading the
Speaker 3: league and goals again this year. And you've got again
Speaker 3: a tough guy with him and Evander Kaine and then
Speaker 3: Casbury Cappening on his other side. So their first two
Speaker 3: lines are really good. They've got a bomb of a
Speaker 3: shot on the point on the power plane, Evan Bouchard.
Speaker 3: Mattias Ekolm, who plays on his left side, is a
Speaker 3: really good defenseman, puck moving defenseman. And then I'll just
Speaker 3: skip the goal. And the goal is the one place
Speaker 3: where they definitely take a back seat to Florida because
Speaker 3: Stuart Skinner all always played really well in these playoffs,
Speaker 3: and so is Kelvin Pickard his backup. He's always going
Speaker 3: to be a question mark until he can get it done.
Speaker 3: Is he going to be able to play to the
Speaker 3: Paprowski level that he needs to play at to be
Speaker 3: able to beat the Panthers.
Speaker 2: Now over to the Panthers.
Speaker 1: What stands out most to me, Neils, I'm kind of
Speaker 1: looking at some of these numbers here, Nineteen different players
Speaker 1: have lit the lamp this postseason, so clearly tremendous depth.
Speaker 1: They're averaging more goals per game than they were last year,
Speaker 1: they're giving up fewer goals per game than they did
Speaker 1: last year as well. Their power play has been better,
Speaker 1: and their penalty killer is the best in the playoffs.
Speaker 1: So clearly there's a lot to like and there's not
Speaker 1: a lot to nitpick about the Panthers.
Speaker 2: What we know about them prior to Game one tonight.
Speaker 3: Well, what's really going to be interesting and may be
Speaker 3: on the first base off if the two coaches, or
Speaker 3: let's say the visitors have to put their lineup in
Speaker 3: first and if they put in Barkoff's line Barkoff, Reinhart
Speaker 3: and Rodriguez, maybe it's amazing is they'll go up against
Speaker 3: Connor McDavid and Nuten, Hopkins and Perry. But Barkoff won
Speaker 3: this year for the second year in a row, the
Speaker 3: Selke Trophy, which is the best defensive forward in the league,
Speaker 3: and he's he is terrific at that, so he'll go
Speaker 3: head to head against McDavid to try to shut him down.
Speaker 3: But here's the other part. Out of the three finalists
Speaker 3: for the Selky Trophy, Sam Reinhart was the other one
Speaker 3: and he plays on that line. And then you've got
Speaker 3: Evan Rodriguez, who did a lot of damage in last
Speaker 3: year's playoffs and score. Their second line can score with
Speaker 3: their Hagi and Bennett and Kachuck, and of course Bennett
Speaker 3: and Kachuck are most known for irritating the living heck
Speaker 3: out of the visiting team and whoever they play against.
Speaker 3: That we haven't even mentioned Brad marsha On yet, the
Speaker 3: former captain of the Bruins, who plays on the line
Speaker 3: with Lundell and Listerina. They got a terrific top three
Speaker 3: lines there, and maybe not the star studded McDavid dry
Speaker 3: Sidle type of name that everybody's heard of, but guys
Speaker 3: that can all put the puck in the net. And
Speaker 3: that's why you say so many different players have scored
Speaker 3: for the Panthers, and I like their defense. Aaron Actlat
Speaker 3: has been good offensively this playoff and Forestling was great
Speaker 3: last year. But Seth Jones that they got into trade
Speaker 3: from Chicago before the deadline has really added some great
Speaker 3: one B depth. So if Aaron Ecklad is one A
Speaker 3: Seth Jones is at least one B, and then you've
Speaker 3: got Pubrowski, who pretty much a household name now if
Speaker 3: you watch hockey, because they he won it all for
Speaker 3: them last year.
Speaker 1: All right, now that we've learned about both these teams individually,
Speaker 1: right now, the money as far as betting goes on
Speaker 1: sportsbooks going towards Edmonton pretty overwhelmingly. How do they match
Speaker 1: up and X factors for both sides as far as
Speaker 1: how you think this thing is going to go, you.
Speaker 3: Know, they match up extremely well. I think that the
Speaker 3: Oilers are not going to get the opportunities that they
Speaker 3: got against Dallas Vegas or in the first round against
Speaker 3: the La Kings. They're not going to get those because
Speaker 3: they're going to be Florida is a very good shutdown team.
Speaker 3: Florida is going to have to capitalize on a few
Speaker 3: chances they get. And again I think it goes back
Speaker 3: Spence to Stuart Skinner versus Sergey Brabrovski. If one of
Speaker 3: them let's in a bad goal, it's going to be huge.
Speaker 3: And when I say a bad goal, it doesn't mean
Speaker 3: they should score from center. Means a shot that they
Speaker 3: should have had that they somehow didn't get and the
Speaker 3: other team takes a lead. So I would expect tonight
Speaker 3: that Edmonton would start out slow. They seem to always
Speaker 3: do that at home for some reason. And Florida. Florida's
Speaker 3: ready for them. I mean, they've had more rest. Both
Speaker 3: teams are very well rested. The other thing I should
Speaker 3: mention is that Zach Hyman dislocated his wrist against Mason
Speaker 3: Marchmont on the Dallas Stars in that series, and he's
Speaker 3: a huge part of the Edmonton oilers. If he was playing,
Speaker 3: he would have been one of the names I would
Speaker 3: have brought up when we talked about Edmonton. But he's
Speaker 3: out of the lineup. That's a bit of a blow.
Speaker 10: You know.
Speaker 3: If you asked me to pick a peck of winter,
Speaker 3: and we do it on our podcast all the time,
Speaker 3: I don't know where which way to go. I've been
Speaker 3: calling Florida for a lot of long time now, so
Speaker 3: I would stick with that. But nothing would surprise me
Speaker 3: in this series.
Speaker 10: Nothing.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I was going to ask you because based off.
Speaker 1: Of everything that I've been reading and watching, I've heard
Speaker 1: a lot of people straight up say this is a
Speaker 1: pick them and it could go one way or the other.
Speaker 1: Are you surprised that the majority of the public money
Speaker 1: is going the way of the Edmonton Oilers.
Speaker 3: I am, and I think that they might, you know
Speaker 3: that they might just be in love with the Connor
Speaker 3: McDavid factor and the Leon dry Sidle factor and the
Speaker 3: new guys on the block. And this is a revenge
Speaker 3: Cup and that has favored the team that didn't win
Speaker 3: the year before in a lot of times. I can
Speaker 3: tell you that for sure, Florida is not as sexy
Speaker 3: as Edmonton because they don't have Connor McDavid and Leon
Speaker 3: Drye Sidle on these guys, so they're not as sexy,
Speaker 3: but they're boy, they're a hard working team. You should
Speaker 3: compare to two great coaches. Chris knob Block for the
Speaker 3: Edmonton Oilers has done a fantastic job. He came in
Speaker 3: part way through last season, led them to the final,
Speaker 3: and now he's leading them to the Final again. And
Speaker 3: then of course Paul Maurice Shu's in his fourth year
Speaker 3: with the Florida Panthers and has done a terrific job there.
Speaker 3: Their first year, the upset the record breaking Boston Bruins
Speaker 3: in the first round, and then last year we know
Speaker 3: what they did and now here they are again this year,
Speaker 3: so they're terrific well prepared teams. The coaches are going
Speaker 3: to have them really going hard. And again I think
Speaker 3: it is a Pickham thing. I don't know why all
Speaker 3: the money would be going towards Edmonton other than if people,
Speaker 3: just as I said, just think, well, it's their turn,
Speaker 3: so I'm going with them.
Speaker 1: Fourteen of the twenty three quote unquote experts AUDIESPN dot
Speaker 1: COM's hockey page as Edmonton winning the series. Tell me
Speaker 1: about these two coaches, Neil and then Attendant to that question. Oftentimes,
Speaker 1: when you get this late into the season in and
Speaker 1: you're playing for a trophy, yeah you do make adjustments
Speaker 1: here there game to game, but more often than not,
Speaker 1: you kind of are who you are this late in
Speaker 1: the season and we're just going to do what we do.
Speaker 1: But tell me about these two coaches and what sort
Speaker 1: of adjustments you think will be necessary for one or the.
Speaker 2: Other to come out on top.
Speaker 3: Well, Chris Knoblock with the Oilers has to get that
Speaker 3: power play going. Their power play hasn't been nearly what
Speaker 3: it was last year and their penalty killing either, but
Speaker 3: especially their power play. He's got to get when when
Speaker 3: the Panthers take up that penalty or take a penalty.
Speaker 3: They've got to be able to threaten to take advantage
Speaker 3: of that, because one of the things about the Panthers
Speaker 3: is they play that dirty, grimy game where they want
Speaker 3: to get in your face all the time. On the
Speaker 3: other side, you know they're they're going to have to
Speaker 3: lock down McDavid and dry Sidle and that's a hard job.
Speaker 3: But they've got two of the best guys for that
Speaker 3: in Barkoff and Ryan Hard and as I said, backed
Speaker 3: up by two guys Bennett and Kachuk. But Paul Maurice
Speaker 3: has been around for a long, long long time, a
Speaker 3: really good coach, and I don't think they'll be a
Speaker 3: better prepared team than the Florida Panthers. But Chris Knoblock,
Speaker 3: who's assistant that, by the way, is Paul Coffee, the
Speaker 3: great Paul Coffee. He runs a defense for them, and
Speaker 3: he's won a few Stanley Cups, So they're going to
Speaker 3: be well prepared too. It's hard to you might hear
Speaker 3: it in my voice. I can't give the edge to anybody.
Speaker 3: They're both great and they're both deserving.
Speaker 1: Is there kind of a mini rivalry budding here? I mean,
Speaker 1: you reference Bennett and Kachuk, who are just irritants no
Speaker 1: matter what. And maybe it's because Mick David is Canadian
Speaker 1: and you're nicer than we are. But I listened to
Speaker 1: interview with him and he didn't indicate there was very
Speaker 1: much bad blood. But these two teams saw each other
Speaker 1: year ago in a seven game series. Does it feel
Speaker 1: like there's an underlying dislike sports hatred kind of brewing.
Speaker 1: Here are these two teams that are maybe not necessarily
Speaker 1: in a space where they have bad feelings for one another,
Speaker 1: even though this is the second straight Stanley Cup final
Speaker 1: they'll be battling for.
Speaker 3: I think if they don't have bad feelings for each other,
Speaker 3: they will have about ten minutes into the game, because
Speaker 3: that's how intense this thing will be. Yeah, and they do.
Speaker 3: They do have negative feelings. I mean, one team walked
Speaker 3: off with the cup, the other team walked off in tears.
Speaker 3: And so Connor McDavid wants to cement his legacy by
Speaker 3: winning a Stanley Cup. It's one thing to be the
Speaker 3: greatest player in the league's that's all good and well,
Speaker 3: but you've got to win a cup to really cement
Speaker 3: how good you are. And that's what Connor McDavid really
Speaker 3: wants to do. At the other end, they're going to
Speaker 3: try to stop them from they want to win their
Speaker 3: second in a row as their cross state rival that
Speaker 3: Tampa Bay Lightning did just not too long ago. So
Speaker 3: it's again it's going to be a battle. And you know,
Speaker 3: I think that dry Cidle and McDavid are going to
Speaker 3: want the one thing they have never had and that
Speaker 3: is a Stanley Cup. And we'll see, I mean, you'll
Speaker 3: know some stuff. Five to ten minutes into the game,
Speaker 3: you're already gonna see some things happening. And as I said,
Speaker 3: you sit down right from the opening face, I don't
Speaker 3: miss a minute of this one.
Speaker 1: So before I do have one more Utah man with
Speaker 1: a question for you before I set you loose.
Speaker 2: But it sounds like, based off.
Speaker 1: Of the way you've been breaking down the potential of
Speaker 1: this series and everything I'm kind of reading and watching,
Speaker 1: you know, there's nothing better than a Game seven and
Speaker 1: the Stanley Cup playoffs and we didn't get one of
Speaker 1: the conference finals.
Speaker 2: Does it feel like this has a good chance to
Speaker 2: go the distance?
Speaker 3: Absolutely? Absolutely. And I've always said, and you could hear
Speaker 3: me say this on the podcast. Sometimes when i'm picking
Speaker 3: projecting who's going to win the series. I say I
Speaker 3: go full chicken leaning, I go game seven, because I
Speaker 3: feel that's the chicken chicken's way out is to say
Speaker 3: it will go seven. You're really hedging your bets. But
Speaker 3: in this one, just from watching them last year, just
Speaker 3: from watching how great they are this year, just from
Speaker 3: knowing the type of you know, thirst and hunger that
Speaker 3: these two teams have to win the Cup. They know
Speaker 3: they are four wins away from, you know, the great
Speaker 3: trophy of the Stanley Cups. So I would not at
Speaker 3: all be surprised if it didn't go seven. And as fact,
Speaker 3: if you made me name how many games is going
Speaker 3: to go, that's the only one I would say is seven.
Speaker 1: Let's move over to a couple of offseason initiatives and
Speaker 1: potentials for the Utah Mammoth dads and pieces, and we'll
Speaker 1: start with the draft where the Utah Mammoth jumped from
Speaker 1: fourteen to four.
Speaker 2: Here's my question.
Speaker 1: It's just more of a big picture, general type question
Speaker 1: because I've seen a bunch of mock drafts. I think
Speaker 1: a lot of people believe the Mammoth need dad to
Speaker 1: the defensive portion of their team. But for according to
Speaker 1: what I've read feels like a stretch for even the
Speaker 1: best defensive players in this draft. How often, and look,
Speaker 1: they're all unicorns and there are always opportunities that sometimes
Speaker 1: we don't see. But how often are these young kids
Speaker 1: ready to play right away?
Speaker 2: When you're drafting at four that's very high?
Speaker 1: Is it realistic for Bill Armstrong and his staff to
Speaker 1: bring an instant help to the hockey club? Or will
Speaker 1: be a situation where they draft a young prospect and
Speaker 1: watch them grow Internashley or and juniors and such.
Speaker 3: It will probably be a case of drafting a young
Speaker 3: player and watching him get better in junior. Right now,
Speaker 3: Jcobrien has rated number four in the draft, who's a
Speaker 3: six' to two center playing In, Branford. Ontario and right
Speaker 3: behind him Is Raddick, murca who's a six foot five
Speaker 3: defenseman playing In. Seattle so you, KNOW i don't know
Speaker 3: how close those two guys are on The mammoths rating
Speaker 3: of their, scouts but you know you've probably fall in around,
Speaker 3: there and who, knows maybe they could Play defenceman usually
Speaker 3: don't play the first year because defense is a much
Speaker 3: harder position to, learn because one mistake and it could
Speaker 3: be in your net so a defenseman is it takes
Speaker 3: more time than a. Forward but it's possible the kid
Speaker 3: could play this. Year more than likely they'll put him
Speaker 3: back to give him more time to.
Speaker 1: Develop let me ask you about your former, club The
Speaker 1: New York, islanders as the lottery delivered a franchise altering
Speaker 1: opportunity to them with the number one overall, pick and
Speaker 1: it seems like people debate The Matthew schaeffer kid against
Speaker 1: The Michael misa. Kid i'm not going to sit, Here
Speaker 1: neil tell. You i've been grinding tape on either of
Speaker 1: these two. PLAYERS i don't know anything about. Them do
Speaker 1: you have a? Preference and who do you think The
Speaker 1: islanders land on and?
Speaker 3: Why, well first of, all there's a kid From Long
Speaker 3: island in this, draft rated THIRD i Think James haygenes
Speaker 3: and plays At Boston, college and so it'll be interesting
Speaker 3: to see if The islanders are swayed at all by
Speaker 3: the fact that he's From Long island that they would
Speaker 3: go that. Direction but you, KNOW i Just shafer And
Speaker 3: mesa are not that far, APART i. GUESS i, MEAN
Speaker 3: i would think that usually the guy that was ranked
Speaker 3: number one in the middle of the season Was Matthew
Speaker 3: shafer and he's still ranked number one at the end
Speaker 3: of the. Season that tells me that he's probably going
Speaker 3: to be number. One but, AGAIN i haven't been grinding tape.
Speaker 3: Either spend a few how he's, playing all?
Speaker 1: Right BEFORE i say you, lose you, know last week
Speaker 1: we went over the free agent. List we will not
Speaker 1: do that again this. Week i'll just ask you this
Speaker 1: before set you. Lose the projected cap space for The
Speaker 1: Utah mammoth is about twenty one. Mili they have all
Speaker 1: their picks and so they have. Optionality is that's the
Speaker 1: new buzzword in roster construction and pro sports these. Days
Speaker 1: prior to the start of the, season what would you
Speaker 1: say to the fan base about what you'd like to
Speaker 1: See bill and the staff, do just generally, speaking whether
Speaker 1: it is a continued brick by brick build or maybe
Speaker 1: expedite the growth of the young players with some veteran.
Speaker 2: Pieces what do you what do you think the.
Speaker 1: Boxes that need to be checked for this hockey team
Speaker 1: next year to take that proverbial next step and maybe
Speaker 1: even make the.
Speaker 3: Playoffs, well two Things i'd really like to see them
Speaker 3: get a player that has a lot of experience maybe
Speaker 3: a little bit longer in the tooth than the people
Speaker 3: that they've got there right, now but can bring some
Speaker 3: pedigree that had been. Winning not a forty year, old
Speaker 3: BUT i mean certainly somebody that has been around is
Speaker 3: one and that can help younger. Players eddie And cole
Speaker 3: there for that very reason. Already So i'd love to
Speaker 3: see it if they could do. That and then if
Speaker 3: if they, could and if it fits with their, program
Speaker 3: AND i know they have the money to get one
Speaker 3: of these top, guys you, know if they can A,
Speaker 3: marner A, Besser Nikolai eelers that played In, winnipeg those
Speaker 3: three seem to be the top three. NAMES i, mean
Speaker 3: that would give some star power also to The mammoth
Speaker 3: and perhaps raise them up another notch in the another
Speaker 3: notch up in the standings and be able to get
Speaker 3: into the playoffs next.
Speaker 1: Year is there like a Cool Neil Smith Stanley cup
Speaker 1: final watch party THAT i did get invited?
Speaker 2: To how are you going to be watching the?
Speaker 3: Game, No i'm going to be. Swell the watch party
Speaker 3: is going to be. Me my eight month old yellow
Speaker 3: Lab sammy will be sitting on one side of, me
Speaker 3: and my twelve year old chocolate. LAB aj will be
Speaker 3: sitting on the other side of. Me we will be
Speaker 3: staring at an eighty six inch screen THAT i have
Speaker 3: above my, mantle and we might even have a few beverages.
Speaker 3: Together i'll bring out their bowl and pour some butt
Speaker 3: light in their.
Speaker 1: Bowl dogs, welcome people. Tolerated neil is my personal. Philosophy
Speaker 1: that sounds like a good. Time, hey BEFORE i say
Speaker 1: you lose our, listeners where they can? Go get that
Speaker 1: podcast to?
Speaker 2: Yours?
Speaker 7: Well.
Speaker 3: Apple Apple podcasts platform is. Great you can get it On,
Speaker 3: spotify you can watch us on. YouTube it's on every
Speaker 3: platform you can think. Of so whatever platform you use for,
Speaker 3: podcasts we're on there AT Nhl Wrap, Around and As
Speaker 3: i've said every, WEEK i think that anybody that listens
Speaker 3: or watches will learn. Something we've always got entertaining guests
Speaker 3: and we have a lot.
Speaker 11: Of fun doing.
Speaker 2: It, neil thank, you my. FRIEND i appreciate.
Speaker 1: It excited to get going, tonight so enjoy it with
Speaker 1: the doggos and we'll chat.
Speaker 3: Soon, Okay, hey did you tell your DAD i was
Speaker 3: on last? Week remember he was in. TOWN i think
Speaker 3: WHEN i talked to, YOU i.
Speaker 1: Did, Yeah, NO i let him know AND i sent
Speaker 1: him the link to our listening to the, interview so
Speaker 1: hopefully he. Did But i'm gonna let you check in
Speaker 1: with him on that because he'll lie to me and
Speaker 1: says he listens every, Day so that's gonna.
Speaker 2: Be up to, you.
Speaker 3: All, Right stay.
Speaker 2: Here thank, You, Neil.
Speaker 1: Neil, smith The Great Neil, smith helping us learn about
Speaker 1: this pro sport that we now have in this.
Speaker 2: Market always appreciate his.
Speaker 1: Time stops by today courtesy of our friends AT Ifa Country.
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Speaker 1: dot co op About Andy larson on the program. Today
Speaker 1: Saw Lake tribune covers the jazz.
Speaker 4: And it's a.
Speaker 2: Data column for.
Speaker 1: Them we'll do some jazz and SOME nba, drafts SOME
Speaker 1: nba finals With. Andy Eric Weddle College Football Future hall
Speaker 1: of famers on the ballot this.
Speaker 2: Year you legend rolls.
Speaker 1: By we'll get to the five o'clock hour of the
Speaker 1: show before we Say united six in time for The
Speaker 1: Stanley cup. Playoffs it's your favorite. Nut it's the best.
Speaker 1: NUT i shout out In nicole in our. Office Love.
Speaker 1: Nicole she has a lovely basket of. Snacks so if
Speaker 1: you're not in the mood to spend seven bucks on
Speaker 1: snickers in our little canteen or whatever the hell it,
Speaker 1: is you can always walk back and say hello To.
Speaker 2: Nicole she's got some.
Speaker 1: Pistachios she's got some cereal bars and some oatmeal if
Speaker 1: you'd like, SO i grab some. Pistachios. Pistachios that's got
Speaker 1: to be on the short list of the best.
Speaker 2: Nut it.
Speaker 4: Does it might be the best.
Speaker 5: Nut but the the caveat on that is that to
Speaker 5: get to it unless.
Speaker 1: You're, no these are. Shellless that's the, thing you. Know
Speaker 1: if you're a shellless pistaschio, guy.
Speaker 2: You call me.
Speaker 1: Lazy, no it's just, uh it's it's a it's a.
Speaker 1: Privilege what are you talking?
Speaker 4: About you, know?
Speaker 1: Peanuts are you SAYING i have white privilege Because i'm eating?
Speaker 1: Pistachios without. Shows you have pistachio PRIVILEGE a new, thing you.
Speaker 1: KNOW i like a good CASHIW i like a good salted.
Speaker 1: Peanut almonds are almonds are? Underrated like smoked. Almonds have
Speaker 1: you ever tried the wasabi?
Speaker 2: Almonds those are? Good are.
Speaker 5: Lovely i'm a big nut. GUY i LIKE i. Like
Speaker 5: i'm a trail. Mix it doesn't surprise. YOU a lot
Speaker 5: of oats and nuts and granola bars and such.
Speaker 2: Best. Nuts shelled pistachios usually.
Speaker 1: Text in eight seven seven three five three. Zero see
Speaker 1: here's this is a really interesting radio. LESSON i could
Speaker 1: ask our listeners, like text in who's gonna Win edmonton Or?
Speaker 2: Florida we get two.
Speaker 1: TEXTS i bet right now eight seven seven three five
Speaker 1: three zero seven hundred texts in your favorite, Nut we're
Speaker 1: about to get fifty.
Speaker 2: Texts you're probably.
Speaker 1: Right that's just how kind of sports talk radio. Works Eric,
Speaker 1: Weddle College Football hall Of. Famer he's a. Nut he
Speaker 1: is a nut in a good. Way just to be,
Speaker 1: clear in a good. WAY i mean this feels, like you,
Speaker 1: know brainer interesting here From Josh furlong with his breakdout
Speaker 1: of that.
Speaker 2: EARLIER i did not Know josh was involved with that. Committee.
Speaker 1: Uh, anyway he does not get the votes he needs
Speaker 1: to make The College Football hall Of.
Speaker 4: Fame there is a.
Speaker 5: Way there's a lot of, ways just because of how
Speaker 5: it's set up and how many people there are kind of.
Speaker 5: Eligible you, know he's one of a bunch of different,
Speaker 5: candidates and some of these, guys Like josh, mentioned are
Speaker 5: candidates that have been on the ballot for like one hundred. Years,
Speaker 5: Right so there's quite a few scenarios Which eric doesn't
Speaker 5: land on The College Football hall Of. Fame BUT i
Speaker 5: think he's a guy who very much should be. There
Speaker 5: i'll be, Honest and maybe this is a hot take
Speaker 5: until you really dive into the. Numbers Eric weddle may
Speaker 5: have as good or better a case for The Pro
Speaker 5: Football hall Of fame than he does for the one
Speaker 5: he just got. Nominated for a guy, that let's be,
Speaker 5: clear was really good in college played both sides of the,
Speaker 5: ball but he did leave early and went and started
Speaker 5: HIS nfl career and is one of like five defensive
Speaker 5: backs to reach the amount of tackles. Interceptions it's just
Speaker 5: a remarkable career for a guy, who you, KNOW i
Speaker 5: think is A hall Of Famer college Pro whichever way you.
Speaker 1: Slice, it we'll get to you at coming up in
Speaker 1: the four o'clock, hour random, question non secut are you
Speaker 1: ready for?
Speaker 2: It and the answer may be, simply it's THE.
Speaker 1: Nfl the answer may be, simply it's, football And america loves.
Speaker 1: Football but it's an interesting dynamic all the. Time for
Speaker 1: me WHEN i hear people break down AT Nba finals
Speaker 1: between two teams that play in small. Markets if The
Speaker 1: Super bowl this year was The steelers and The, packers
Speaker 1: it would not affect viewership a single. Iota and you
Speaker 1: don't hear people, say, well The steelers play In pittsburgh
Speaker 1: and The packers are In Green. Bay yet every time
Speaker 1: there's AN Nba, finals it doesn't feature The lakers or
Speaker 1: The celtic Or i'll say the next even though it's been.
Speaker 1: Years i, mean, hell they almost got there and they
Speaker 1: fired their coach or the heat or The bulls or.
Speaker 1: Whatever every time there's AN Nba finals that feature two
Speaker 1: teams that aren't in big, markets all of the debate
Speaker 1: shows just hammer. It and you, know we've had some
Speaker 1: fun with OUR espn, guests guys like mcminnimon and, McMahon
Speaker 1: those dudes about you, know the fact that they've got
Speaker 1: to spend the next couple of weeks in Either Oklahoma
Speaker 1: city Or. Indianapolis by the, Way indianapolis is a very nice.
Speaker 1: City i've been there several. Times, okay see not so.
Speaker 1: Much but you never hear this discourse when THE nfl
Speaker 1: has A Super bowl with two teams that play in smaller.
Speaker 1: Markets is the answer simply because football is? Football is
Speaker 1: there something deeper?
Speaker 5: There there's a few ways you can cut that, up
Speaker 5: because THE nfl is, different. Right number, one when you
Speaker 5: talk about a small, market Green bay And pittsburgh are
Speaker 5: not huge, markets but those are also like two of
Speaker 5: the most historical team like those that's The lakers And.
Speaker 5: Celtics when you TALK nfl, right when you're talking about historical,
Speaker 5: relevance when you're talking about it's almost flipped where even
Speaker 5: though they're not in huge markets In Green bay and In,
Speaker 5: pittsburgh they kind of flip the script on who's. Notable
Speaker 5: AND i think there's some truth to the fact that
Speaker 5: it is THE. Nfl you, know you play sixteen to
Speaker 5: twenty games every year and you really don't have any
Speaker 5: trouble selling those games on site ON. Tv there's really
Speaker 5: there's nothing that's going to hold you back in that.
Speaker 5: REGARD I i don't, know, MAN i just think that
Speaker 5: there is there's a little bit more paid attention to number.
Speaker 5: One the Super bowl is always on its own, place,
Speaker 5: Right it's always a neutral, Event.
Speaker 4: So that's a, different different. Scenario BUT.
Speaker 14: I don't.
Speaker 5: Know for, me that's that's something THAT i think that
Speaker 5: they you just got to get. Over in the sports,
Speaker 5: world these are all we're talking about small. Markets they're
Speaker 5: still like when you're talking about global. Scale these are,
Speaker 5: huge giant cities that are more than capable of putting
Speaker 5: on an, event putting on a. Showcase and you know
Speaker 5: when THE nba starts to have players that are not
Speaker 5: excited to go to certain cities and not excited to
Speaker 5: play here and there there's media members covering. IT i
Speaker 5: think there's kind of a culture around. Basketball maybe, that
Speaker 5: as you, mentioned is something, deeper because to, me it's
Speaker 5: it doesn't hit the, radar but it does seem to
Speaker 5: be a conversation on basketball spheres really.
Speaker 1: Often and there are the there's a little apples and oranges.
Speaker 2: Here the Super bowl is a one. Off it's a.
Speaker 1: Game it's one, game, right and so these media members
Speaker 1: and by the, way AND i don't mean this disrespectfully
Speaker 1: To Green.
Speaker 2: Bay i've never been To. Lambeau it's on my bucket.
Speaker 1: List don't mean this disrespectfully To pittsburgh Or buffalo or.
Speaker 1: Wherever the conversation might sound different if media, members fans or.
Speaker 1: Whatever and The Super bowl changes, venues and oftentimes the
Speaker 1: venues in the cities are cool cities and destination. Places
Speaker 1: so you're not necessarily going to live In Green bay
Speaker 1: for the next two weeks to Watch Green bay Play.
Speaker 1: Pittsburgh you're not going to live In buffalo respectfully In,
Speaker 1: February january And, february where it is miserable in Western
Speaker 1: New york to watch The bills play. Whoever for the
Speaker 1: course of it really probably does boil down to.
Speaker 2: The Super bowls a one. Off it's one.
Speaker 1: Game it is an event where people that oftentimes don't
Speaker 1: know anything about football or THE nfl go To Super
Speaker 1: bowl parties or have people at their house and you
Speaker 1: have dinner and you play the square, game and you
Speaker 1: have some fun side things going, on and the kids
Speaker 1: are out like it's an event in the way THE
Speaker 1: Nba finals is. Not and if this thing goes seven,
Speaker 1: Games Oklahoma city And indianapolis if it goes seven, games
Speaker 1: media members and. Fans if you're AN nba fan and
Speaker 1: you have the means and the time on your hands
Speaker 1: to go to THE Nba, finals you will exist In
Speaker 1: Oklahoma city In indiana for the better part of two.
Speaker 2: Weeks that's a different.
Speaker 1: Ask so maybe it's as reductive as The Super bowl
Speaker 1: is one, game it's one. Day it's IN la it's In,
Speaker 1: glendale it's In, florida it's wherever In New york one,
Speaker 1: year so you only have to go there for one.
Speaker 1: Day you don't have to go exist in the city
Speaker 1: or in the cities that you don't necessarily necessarily want
Speaker 1: to be in for longer than just a few.
Speaker 2: Hours so there's probably something.
Speaker 1: There and it is interesting when it comes to viewership and.
Speaker 1: Eyeballs nothing adversely affects in THE.
Speaker 2: Nfl.
Speaker 1: Nothing sunday night football is the highest watched television show
Speaker 1: period in The United. States there's not a higher watched,
Speaker 1: show not an award, show not a finale of. Whatever
Speaker 1: like more people sit down on A sunday night to
Speaker 1: WATCH nfl football than any other television experience that we
Speaker 1: have in the, country, period and THE Nba finals draws healthy.
Speaker 1: Ratings but when you and this goes into the market
Speaker 1: conversation that we just don't have when we're talking about.
Speaker 1: Football Nicks pacers ratings FOR tnt through the, Roof Oklahoma, City,
Speaker 1: Minnesota Western Conference finals ratings FOR espn on that side
Speaker 1: of things lower than it's BEEN i think since twenty.
Speaker 1: Sixteen and The timberwolves are awesome And Oklahoma city is
Speaker 1: like historically.
Speaker 2: Special but because it wasn't.
Speaker 1: The lakers against The mavericks or whatever it, Was Western
Speaker 1: Conference finals ratings. Down and it has zero to do
Speaker 1: with whether or not these are good. Teams it has
Speaker 1: nothing to do with the. Product The timberwolves in The
Speaker 1: thunder are both really. Good they're both probably better than The.
Speaker 1: Knicks Nicks, pacers of, course features a team that exists
Speaker 1: In New, york the number one media market in the,
Speaker 1: country and the ratings for that series through the roof
Speaker 1: just kind of interested and, considered because nothing adversely affects
Speaker 1: ratings for pro. Football all, RIGHT i want to tell
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Speaker 1: Zero Stanley Cup Finals game One Tonight Oilers panthers rematch
Speaker 1: of The Stanley Cup finals from a year ago will
Speaker 1: be heard on this little old radio station beginning at six.
Speaker 1: O'clock after we say good, Night Eric weddle is going
Speaker 1: to join. US e wed is a finals for The
Speaker 1: College Football hall Of fame Former Youth, legend so stay
Speaker 1: tuned for. That but we'll start out the four o'clock
Speaker 1: hour of the program With Andy, Larson Salt Lake.
Speaker 2: Tribune, Andy Happy. Wednesday how are we?
Speaker 8: Doing i'm good, Man how are you?
Speaker 2: Good give me.
Speaker 1: A bucket list destination geographically somewhere in the world that
Speaker 1: you've never been to that you'd like to.
Speaker 14: VISIT i sell them Into italy AND i need to do.
Speaker 14: That and then Like i've been trying to figure out
Speaker 14: like where and how to do A japan Or korea
Speaker 14: or something like that trip.
Speaker 8: Given the language.
Speaker 14: Barrier LIKE i don't know if it's a tour guide
Speaker 14: situation or, what but Probably italy is my nuber one.
Speaker 1: Answer solf can highly Recommend. Tokyo i've decided my next
Speaker 1: stop is going to Be. Australia i've never been To.
Speaker 1: Australia have you?
Speaker 14: BEEN i Have in twenty, nineteen right before the world set,
Speaker 14: DOWN i did as around The world, tour which was.
Speaker 14: Awesome spent two weeks, there bounced around different, cities went
Speaker 14: to The Great Barrier. Reefs it was truly. Awesome you Won't,
Speaker 14: yeah you need to go as through as you.
Speaker 2: Can what's your? Favorite what's your favorite?
Speaker 1: NUT i WAS i was munching on some pistachios. EARLIER
Speaker 1: i feel like pistachios has to be high on anyone's.
Speaker 11: List that's a good.
Speaker 14: Question i've been feeling Like cashew's.
Speaker 8: Right right recently was really really. Good, Nice So i'll
Speaker 8: go with.
Speaker 2: That where do you get your Frid, Rise? Sandy?
Speaker 14: SO i used to get it from this place called
Speaker 14: My tie on thirteenth and Third, west but it just
Speaker 14: closed about a month, ago So i'm kind of on
Speaker 14: the lookout for new. Spots you, know that place was
Speaker 14: right by the jazz practice, facility so it's, perfect you,
Speaker 14: know after, practice go and get Some Frida rice and
Speaker 14: it was. Awesome and they the owner retired after seventeen
Speaker 14: years just you, know she was time and so, YEAH
Speaker 14: i got to, Say i'm certain if you haven't good,
Speaker 14: ideas let.
Speaker 2: Me, know watching ANY tv shows these?
Speaker 8: Days, Andy, OH i don't think.
Speaker 14: So i'm watching the. Sports i'm, sorry it's it's important.
Speaker 14: Sports then you dating?
Speaker 4: Anyone uh, no.
Speaker 7: All?
Speaker 11: Right?
Speaker 1: Movie oh, yeah you gotta be. Careful you gotta be, Careful.
Speaker 1: Andy all, right we can move. ON i, mean kind
Speaker 1: of a weird mood on A. Wednesday several reasons, why
Speaker 1: but let's move.
Speaker 2: On all.
Speaker 1: Right let me ask you. This did you catch wind
Speaker 1: of This Austin ange? Situation did you know this was
Speaker 1: in the pipeline or did it catch you off guard
Speaker 1: the way that it seems to have got everybody off?
Speaker 8: Guard, YEAH i, mean, yeah it caught me off. GUARD
Speaker 8: i did not.
Speaker 14: KNOW i knew that there were changes in the front,
Speaker 14: office AND i knew that and we reported some of, them,
Speaker 14: right like The Carlos boozer. Thing there are a couple
Speaker 14: of Other jazz staffers who are no longer going to
Speaker 14: be with the team moving, forward and now in the
Speaker 14: wake Of Austin ange being, hired looking like maybe there
Speaker 14: could be more. CHANGES i, truly you, KNOW i don't
Speaker 14: want to say anything without having that confirmed for multiple,
Speaker 14: sources because obviously this is people's. Livelihoods BUT i knew
Speaker 14: that there were changes being. MADE i thought they were
Speaker 14: happening at lower, levels, Right LIKE i thought essentially the
Speaker 14: team was upset with kind of their scouting and player player,
Speaker 14: development not player development player scouting, setup so that you,
Speaker 14: know they made SOME i think some kind of weird
Speaker 14: draft choices of the last couple of. Years they haven't
Speaker 14: really identified that star and so just talent RECOGNITION i
Speaker 14: think was kind of lacking Since Dennis lindsay was let,
Speaker 14: go and SO i do think there was room to hire.
Speaker 14: Someone But i'm surprised that it was at the president
Speaker 14: of basketball operations. Level i'm Surprised Austin angel is the
Speaker 14: number one. Guy and, YEAH i had no idea that
Speaker 14: it was going to be often moving moving over.
Speaker 2: Here what other changes AND i may have missed.
Speaker 1: Something so for our, Listeners Carlos boozer has been added
Speaker 1: to the staff as a. Scout AND i know you
Speaker 1: said you did not want to pontificate on, possibilities AND
Speaker 1: i respect that because people's jobs are important to. Them
Speaker 1: but what other changes are you alluding to THAT i
Speaker 1: may have missed?
Speaker 14: Changes so, Again i'm trying to not use names here
Speaker 14: and until it's, announced until they find new jobs and
Speaker 14: stuff like. That but, yeah it seems like in the
Speaker 14: fourth or fifth level of the organization maybe names that
Speaker 14: aren't familiar to fans but are names more familiar TO
Speaker 14: jevb writers and you, know obviously people my people in
Speaker 14: the day to day workings of THE.
Speaker 2: Orc all, right ten ten?
Speaker 1: Four how do you THINK I i asked a couple
Speaker 1: of guests, this And i'll preface.
Speaker 2: It with you the same WAY i have with.
Speaker 1: Them there are THIRTY nba general manager jobs and if
Speaker 1: you have, one you are very happy to have one
Speaker 1: despite these circumstances around. You And Justin zander is coming
Speaker 1: off a very trying year where he had some serious health,
Speaker 1: complications and you, Know i've seen him a couple of
Speaker 1: times since and seeing him interviewed since seems like he's doing.
Speaker 1: Well So i'm not implying anything at all with the,
Speaker 1: question nor AM i leading the. WITNESS i am wondering
Speaker 1: what you believe to be Jay z's reaction to kind
Speaker 1: of the changes around him in his place in this new, ecosystem.
Speaker 8: Look publicly and privately from all.
Speaker 14: All reports That i've heard about, THIS i haven't talked
Speaker 14: to JAY z about, it but like.
Speaker 8: Is that he is taking this positively right like he,
Speaker 8: is you, know saying all the right. Things he, is you, know.
Speaker 14: Saying, hey, look you know That austin will be added
Speaker 14: it to our, department and you know what's best for
Speaker 14: The jazz is what's best for, me and all that
Speaker 14: kind of good. STUFF i also know how general managers,
Speaker 14: think AND i know how executives, think AND i know
Speaker 14: how does people. Think and the truth, is if you
Speaker 14: were general manager a, team you if they go to
Speaker 14: somebody else to hire the president of basketball, operations and
Speaker 14: not only just another teams general, manager but another team's
Speaker 14: assistant general, manager a person lower on the totem pole
Speaker 14: than you, are then you probably don't feel great about.
Speaker 14: It and it is probably the kind of thing that
Speaker 14: makes you want to look. Around, now look Like justin
Speaker 14: has a, contract and you, KNOW i think is well
Speaker 14: respected AND i think does have a lot to add
Speaker 14: to this. Organization BUT i did think it was interesting
Speaker 14: That Ryan smith made it extremely clear who was in
Speaker 14: charge when he did not do that in The Danny aingecrest.
Speaker 8: Conference AND i.
Speaker 14: Think it was interesting that he drew such a dividing
Speaker 14: line Between austening just skills And Justin vennox, skills where you,
Speaker 14: know he, said, hey, Look justin's you, know came up
Speaker 14: through the agency, space and as good as that is
Speaker 14: good at dealing with players and that sort of, Thing
Speaker 14: whereas they feel That austin came up through the scouting and,
Speaker 14: coaching it has that experience and so we'll be able
Speaker 14: to add kind of those, again, players valuation and talent
Speaker 14: and scout talent scouting to the. Organization and kind of
Speaker 14: the implicit statement there is they don't feel Like justin
Speaker 14: has done a great job of. That, now, look you,
Speaker 14: Know justin hasn't been totally in charge over the last three.
Speaker 14: Years it's Been Danny ainge, too and Mostly Danny. Inge
Speaker 14: there was a period of time Where justin was the
Speaker 14: number one guy after they've Fired Dennis lindsay and you
Speaker 14: ended up with The Rudy gay, summer, Right so it
Speaker 14: wasn't like a unadulterated. Success BUT i do think you,
Speaker 14: Know justin sent some good things as well and made
Speaker 14: them smart. MOVES i think fIF year's trade, deadline, frankly
Speaker 14: was really well, handled and so you want that kind
Speaker 14: of guy. Around it's just whether or not he wants
Speaker 14: to be, around AND i think, that's you, know still
Speaker 14: kind of an open. Question if he can get another
Speaker 14: better job from ANOTHER nba, team it wouldn't be super
Speaker 14: surprising to see him take it so.
Speaker 1: Andy as a nineteen year, old between my freshman and
Speaker 1: sophomore year at The university of You tai did an
Speaker 1: internship At Madison Square.
Speaker 2: Garden WHERE i had a connection, loosely.
Speaker 1: And my internship that summer was in the customer relations,
Speaker 1: department where my job was to answer phone calls from
Speaker 1: Angry New yorkers that didn't Enjoy Billy joel the night
Speaker 1: before or.
Speaker 2: Whatever it was very, interesting AND.
Speaker 1: I worked in a department of people and a lot
Speaker 1: of them were almost nervous to have me around and
Speaker 1: didn't really like to talk to.
Speaker 7: Me very.
Speaker 1: MUCH i really had one. Friend his name Was Dave.
Speaker 1: Snowden ironically, enough he's still. There he founded The wheelchair
Speaker 1: next and he's the sweetest. Guy and went to dinner one,
Speaker 1: night And i'm, like, dude why don't these people just
Speaker 1: feel like they. Can i'm a normal. Person you can
Speaker 1: come talk to me And i'll talk to. You and
Speaker 1: he'd laid a line on me at the age of
Speaker 1: nineteen THAT i still talk about and think about to this.
Speaker 1: Day and he, Said, spence it's important that at this
Speaker 1: point in your life you understand one very simple, truth
Speaker 1: and that is nobody cheers for the son of a famous.
Speaker 2: Father so thank. You, okay there you.
Speaker 1: Go so we move into this space WHERE i feel
Speaker 1: like it's easy to have a conversation where two things
Speaker 1: can be. True That austin benefited greatly from his last
Speaker 1: name and who his father, was And austin has put
Speaker 1: in the groundwork and as the resume to qualify himself
Speaker 1: for a hire such as, this is that fair to?
Speaker 2: Say?
Speaker 8: Yeah he, LOOKED i think.
Speaker 10: SO i.
Speaker 14: Think you, know if you look at another team and
Speaker 14: they higher off, nnge it's a little bit of a
Speaker 14: stretch because he's an ASSISTANT, gm not A, gm, right,
Speaker 14: like but given The celtics success over the last, decade,
Speaker 14: like it does make, sense, Right and so that's the
Speaker 14: thing that The jazz can stand on on this is
Speaker 14: that look, like, hey it's you, know he does have
Speaker 14: he is well, respected he does have a ton of.
Speaker 14: Success and it's hard to, know you know, exactly you,
Speaker 14: know who Drafted Jason tatum instead Of Markel, foltz and
Speaker 14: who Drafted Jalen brown and who you, know but like
Speaker 14: Clearly austin was at least a round during those times
Speaker 14: and helped make good. Choices so you, know it's hard to, say, like,
Speaker 14: hey this is a. Catastrophe BUT i do think you,
Speaker 14: know like this is kind of a nepotism, thing is you,
Speaker 14: know maybe it prevents you from opening up the job
Speaker 14: to other. Names AND i think that's WHERE i think
Speaker 14: you can have some real criticism for The. Jazz is,
Speaker 14: like if you are trying to compete in a thirty TEAM,
Speaker 14: mba you want to know as much about your competition as,
Speaker 14: possible and one of the easiest ways to do that
Speaker 14: is by having a round of significant and serious interviews
Speaker 14: for A president Of Basketball OPERATION, slot, right like learn
Speaker 14: how these guys, think learn what they would do with your,
Speaker 14: roster get some free, consulting frankly, right and for them
Speaker 14: to kind of have bypass that in order to, hire you,
Speaker 14: know the son of THE ceo and the guy who's
Speaker 14: friends with the. Owner, like, look it, is it's, sketchy
Speaker 14: it's it's not. Great it's a really bad. Look AND
Speaker 14: i think the rest of THE nba was talking all
Speaker 14: about it this. Week SO i think that's WHERE i
Speaker 14: think you can have significant. Criticism is, like, look if
Speaker 14: you do it an overall search of the whole market and, say,
Speaker 14: Hey Austin ange is the best. Guy, cool but you
Speaker 14: should really have again serious and significant interviews with other
Speaker 14: candidates in order to make that in order to make that,
Speaker 14: determination rather than, Well danny Thinks Atin age is. Great
Speaker 14: Ryan smith Says Austin age is. Great Will hardy Says
Speaker 14: Austin ange is. Great it's, like, well you, know, yes for,
Speaker 14: Sure LIKE i think the reality is probably The Atome
Speaker 14: ange is. Great and yet also there are a gazillion
Speaker 14: other very smart men and, WOMEN i, guess covering and
Speaker 14: LEADING nba franchises right now that you also could have
Speaker 14: talked to for this. Role and chose not. To AND
Speaker 14: i think that's the disappointing part of. IT i think
Speaker 14: from a jazz, perspective.
Speaker 2: Did it feel like to?
Speaker 1: You AND i guess i'll use a gen z, saying
Speaker 1: as the kids would, say doing too much or extra or.
Speaker 1: Whatever did it feel like to you in the statements
Speaker 1: that were released and the comments mainly By ryan that
Speaker 1: they just overcooked the qualifications That austin, has that they
Speaker 1: just overcooked the whole like without really saying the quiet
Speaker 1: part out, loud Like danny wasn't even, quoted and it
Speaker 1: was never even acknowledging any of the. Statements did it
Speaker 1: feel like to you that they were making a little
Speaker 1: bit too much of an, effort being a little extra
Speaker 1: when it came to just pointing out all of the
Speaker 1: Things austin has done in the? Statements and were you
Speaker 1: surprised That danny was not quoted nor was he available
Speaker 1: at the media?
Speaker 2: Availability?
Speaker 14: No AND i, MEAN i GUESS i don't think they're
Speaker 14: doing like you kind of have to if you're if
Speaker 14: you are The Pierre department of The jazz and you're
Speaker 14: put in this position right like that's the thing you
Speaker 14: have to. Do you have to Say, hey you, know
Speaker 14: this Is.
Speaker 8: Danny ings hiring his. Son it's, like look at all
Speaker 8: the things off the names of.
Speaker 14: Son you have to give the fans the reason to,
Speaker 14: believe because if you do, that the fans are gonna
Speaker 14: believe because they're. FANS i.
Speaker 8: DID i was skeptical with.
Speaker 14: The idea That ryan just Told danny Called danny up
Speaker 14: One dan said HE i want to hire your son
Speaker 14: to be president of basketball, operations, right you, KNOW i
Speaker 14: Think bryan And danny talk more often than that for
Speaker 14: it to have just been, like, hey.
Speaker 8: Got some bad or weird news That i'm hiring your, kid.
Speaker 14: You, Know LIKE I i just am skeptical that that's
Speaker 14: how that went. Down but, yeah, LOOK i, mean if
Speaker 14: you are if you're trying to spend as any if
Speaker 14: you are at all, professional you're trying to spend it
Speaker 14: at least a little, bit and the only way to
Speaker 14: spend it is by saying That austen is, qualified you.
Speaker 14: Know but you know in terms of he is going
Speaker 14: to be a relatively young general manager OR i guess
Speaker 14: relatively young professional president of basketball, operations and you, know
Speaker 14: like while he does have fourteen years of experience in
Speaker 14: The Boston celtics organization or whatever it, is. Seventeen, like you,
Speaker 14: know it's not all that has been as assistant general.
Speaker 14: Manager it's also been at like the scouting level and
Speaker 14: stuff like. That, Right, like so, again it's a reasonable
Speaker 14: resume and a relatively good, one especially given how good
Speaker 14: The celtics has. Been but that's what you had to.
Speaker 14: Do if you're The. Jazz you can't just, say, well
Speaker 14: there's A Danny angels kid and and try to spend
Speaker 14: it that.
Speaker 1: Way skeptical That ryan didn't talk to there's no shot
Speaker 1: in hell are you? Kidding that was the most insulting
Speaker 1: part of the entire, Scenario, like, Hey danny's been completely
Speaker 1: kept out of The he had no IDEA i was doing.
Speaker 1: THIS i just told him like, dude, like what do you, Mean,
Speaker 1: Andy there's no chance that was the. Case almost insulting
Speaker 1: that that was said out.
Speaker 14: Loud, yeah, LOOK i Mean ryan likes to tell a
Speaker 14: yarn that's probably not super based in.
Speaker 11: Reality Sometimes i've.
Speaker 8: Done it at press conferences.
Speaker 14: BEFORE i, mean even Katz to copied like the Old
Speaker 14: Greg miller gas station, story, right, LIKE i am you
Speaker 14: know that's That's Ryan.
Speaker 1: Smith yes it, Is, yes it is and you, KNOW
Speaker 1: i guess if it's working for, you just keep rolling with.
Speaker 2: It but, yeah there's no.
Speaker 1: Shot but when it comes to The danny angle, Here
Speaker 1: i've always been skeptical personally of really just how for
Speaker 1: lack of a better, term invested in the day to
Speaker 1: day process That danny is with the entire. Thing, NOW
Speaker 1: i want to be very, Fair danny retired when he
Speaker 1: left The. Celtics he. Retired he didn't move out here
Speaker 1: to work for The. Jazz, okay that wasn't the reason
Speaker 1: he moved To. Utah he moved To utah to be
Speaker 1: around his. Family And i've never believed, now, look he's
Speaker 1: at the. GAMES i see him at, GAMES i see
Speaker 1: him at. Events i'm not saying he's never. There but
Speaker 1: you reference kind of the original ambiguity When danny was
Speaker 1: hired in the messaging From jazz ownership about Like i've
Speaker 1: always drawn the parallel between The Jim, Halpert Michael scott
Speaker 1: off his, stuff big picture of day to day and
Speaker 1: was kind of, like who's doing what all? Right and
Speaker 1: it's kind of get you, know does this to you
Speaker 1: indicate That danny might even be a little bit further
Speaker 1: removed in valuing his riverside tea times and hanging out
Speaker 1: with his. Grandkids now That austin is in place and
Speaker 1: will be in place for a, while do you Think
Speaker 1: danny's going to be even a little bit further removed
Speaker 1: from the.
Speaker 14: Scenario i'll say, this like over the last couple of,
Speaker 14: years If danny was truly, removed like he was way
Speaker 14: more involved THAN i thought he would be from that press,
Speaker 14: conference right like he was at random stars games THAT
Speaker 14: i was at that you, know THE G League College City,
Speaker 14: stars but he had no reason to be at, whatsoever,
Speaker 14: Right like you can successfully delegate the tense man role
Speaker 14: on The Coalege City stars and feel pretty good about
Speaker 14: it if You're Danny, inge and he, didn't like he
Speaker 14: was involved in that kind of weird stuff like and
Speaker 14: so and was involved like was that morning shoot arounds
Speaker 14: again for games that did not matter and just was
Speaker 14: was around again more than it did scouting trips to
Speaker 14: the middle of the country on the for. Players you
Speaker 14: wouldn't think That Danny ainge if he were truly you,
Speaker 14: know like just doing the golf tea time thing that
Speaker 14: he would have been involved. IN i think he. Was
Speaker 14: that being, SAID i also had that same thought that you,
Speaker 14: did like, That, hey maybe this is a way to
Speaker 14: Get danny to where he wants to, be where he
Speaker 14: feels comfortable golfing more and being with his grandkids more
Speaker 14: and all.
Speaker 11: That kind of.
Speaker 14: STUFF i could absolutely. See, hey that's why the jazz
Speaker 14: decided to add another the louder voice of the. Room
Speaker 14: and of course you can Get danny on board by
Speaker 14: making It. Austin, so you, KNOW i think that's it's
Speaker 14: very plausible that that's what. Happened but we'll see over
Speaker 14: the next course a couple of. Years you, know LIKE
Speaker 14: i was surprised at how involved he was, before now
Speaker 14: it could be surprised, again all.
Speaker 1: Right in the spirit of listening to what these people
Speaker 1: say and then trying to understand what actually is. Real
Speaker 1: let's move over to the response That austin gave to
Speaker 1: the question that our very Own SEAN i'llcdda asked about
Speaker 1: his personal philosophy on tanking and manipulating, lineups to Which austin,
Speaker 1: responded you will not see that this. Year austin went
Speaker 1: on our Guy John paul's, PODCAST i would encourage people
Speaker 1: to go check Out Roundball roundup and expanded on the
Speaker 1: Answer so, Look, andy we know the deal. Here it's
Speaker 1: a top eight protected pick that goes To Oklahoma, city
Speaker 1: who most likely is about to win A world, championship
Speaker 1: and then over the next week or, so AND i
Speaker 1: would view it as an epic failure if that pick
Speaker 1: had to be conveyed TO. Okc if The jazz win
Speaker 1: thirty four to thirty five games and end up drafting
Speaker 1: ninth in the lottery and that goes To Oklahoma, CITY
Speaker 1: i view holding on to that asset as important as
Speaker 1: anything else this. Year so if we Take austin at
Speaker 1: his word that they will approach this season with more
Speaker 1: integrity than they did in years past and front facing
Speaker 1: about injuries and availability and not wait to get fined
Speaker 1: and then Have walker shoot seven threes a game and
Speaker 1: we actually see a serious basketball team this. Year can
Speaker 1: they do that while also maintaining the spot they need
Speaker 1: to maintain to hold onto their draft.
Speaker 14: Capital it becomes, really really, hard even if you trade the, Veterans,
Speaker 14: like that's the tricky spot for. Me so you, know
Speaker 14: you can trade lowerry, marketing you could probably trade Toll in,
Speaker 14: zests and you can probably Trade John. COLLINS i don't
Speaker 14: think you can Trade Jordan, clarkson unless it's packaged in
Speaker 14: a deal where you're giving up. VALUES i don't think
Speaker 14: they're going to get a lot for those, guys BUT
Speaker 14: i think you can move them if you'd. Like but
Speaker 14: how whoever you get back is at least going to
Speaker 14: have salaries and at least it's going to be on the,
Speaker 14: roster and you, know like you'll have to play those guys.
Speaker 8: Too you can't get you know.
Speaker 14: What's got a combined eighty million dollars in money off
Speaker 14: your books without taking some veteran contract. Back who, then,
Speaker 14: yes under kind of the often names we won't tank,
Speaker 14: rule that you would have to. Play and if you
Speaker 14: look at the bottom eight of last Year's Draft pree,
Speaker 14: lottery all of those teams tanked to some. Degree none
Speaker 14: were as you know extreme as The, jazz but Like
Speaker 14: washington definitely thinks at the end of the Year New
Speaker 14: orleans Did brooklyn tank from the beginning of the, year
Speaker 14: Trading Dennis ruder a year in.
Speaker 8: A month into the.
Speaker 14: Season you, know let's, See philadelphia definitely thanks at the
Speaker 14: end of the. Year The spurs even tanked Once Webben
Speaker 14: yama got. Hurt like everyone actually was tanking.
Speaker 8: By the end of the.
Speaker 14: Year SO i find it difficult to imagine that the
Speaker 14: Jazz i won't have to do that to some degree
Speaker 14: In march And april in order to stay quote unquote
Speaker 14: competitive or really anti. Competitive, Right, like there's a real
Speaker 14: chance that if they try their hardest in all eighty
Speaker 14: two games next, year that they end up, with, yeah
Speaker 14: that ninth pick and then you just give it away.
Speaker 8: To The Olahoma City.
Speaker 11: Thunder SO.
Speaker 14: I think you have to be really careful about how
Speaker 14: that plays, out and you, know and then if you
Speaker 14: do keep one Of lowry Or Collin sexton Or John,
Speaker 14: collins then all of a sudden you add more wins
Speaker 14: and get even closer to that. Line so it's a
Speaker 14: really fine line that they're kind of dropt to. Get
Speaker 14: AND i think ultimately what's gonna end up happening is you, say, hey,
Speaker 14: no we're not going to tank it all this, year
Speaker 14: and then you, know you end up just tanking In, March,
Speaker 14: rapril or maybe somebody gets.
Speaker 8: Hurt and you get a little bit luck that.
Speaker 14: Way but from WHAT i, hear it is much more
Speaker 14: likely that the jazz are bad next year and kind
Speaker 14: of embrace that from just a player talent point of
Speaker 14: view than that they like try to be good and
Speaker 14: trade for three stars or something like.
Speaker 1: That so The washington model is something That i've been
Speaker 1: considering over the past twenty four or forty eight hours or, whatever.
Speaker 2: Because washington actually did.
Speaker 1: Try but what they Did Billel kolabali Bub carrington And
Speaker 1: Jordan poole is just a perfect vet to tank on your.
Speaker 1: Roster they traded, kus they Played Alex, sar they Played Kaishawan,
Speaker 1: george they Played Corey. Kisbert so What washington did, is,
Speaker 1: yeah technically they traded For, middleton but he didn't really
Speaker 1: play much for, them neither Did Malcolm, brogden and they
Speaker 1: moved on From kuzma and, Again pools the type of
Speaker 1: vet you want on your team if you're trying to,
Speaker 1: lose because he doesn't necessarily play winning basketball when he's
Speaker 1: a main. Cog so they essentially played all young guys
Speaker 1: And Jordan. Poole so is there a world where the
Speaker 1: Jazz as Jettison lowry and maybe Even walker And collins
Speaker 1: And section or whoever they, can and they add the
Speaker 1: two first rounders this year and maybe even the two
Speaker 1: second rounders to the group of young players and we
Speaker 1: see something LIKE i don't, Know John collins playing the
Speaker 1: role Of Jordan, poole surrounded by a bunch of, kids
Speaker 1: and then they do go try and play, hard but
Speaker 1: they're not good enough and they win twenty.
Speaker 2: Games, again is that a scenario you could?
Speaker 14: See, YEAH i think that's the most likely. SCENARIO i
Speaker 14: would just also say that That washington team is, tanked
Speaker 14: like they you pointed out they didn't Play Chris middleton
Speaker 14: at the end of the, year like they didn't Play
Speaker 14: Marcus marit very. Much you, know like they were making
Speaker 14: decisions in the fourth quarter of games that meant that
Speaker 14: they were trying to lose, them, Right LIKE i watched
Speaker 14: The wizards BECAUSE i cared about whether or not The
Speaker 14: jazz got the first or second seat in THE nba draft,
Speaker 14: Standings like they were trying to lose. Games, now, look
Speaker 14: they probably would have finished bottom eight kind of, regardless, Right,
Speaker 14: like they probably end up in that bottom five. Spot
Speaker 14: but if you, again you want to actually compete in
Speaker 14: the in the tank rates to be a bottom eight,
Speaker 14: TEAM i do think you have to tank even to
Speaker 14: like That wizard's degree of you, know, yeah sitting In,
Speaker 14: middleton for, example so, look, YEAH i think that is
Speaker 14: probably the most likely outcome for The jazz this, year
Speaker 14: which is not going to be super fun, basketball but
Speaker 14: at least we'll like feel a little bit less gross opening.
Speaker 2: Night which vets on the roster now are on the.
Speaker 2: Roster THEN.
Speaker 14: I don't, KNOW i, MEAN i, YEAH i don't.
Speaker 8: Know they're going to try to trade all of, THEM.
Speaker 10: I.
Speaker 8: Think, SO i, mean, look you you at least have
Speaker 8: to have the.
Speaker 14: Conversation you if you Bring lowery in with the you,
Speaker 14: know and LET'S i don't Think Walker caster is a vet.
Speaker 14: Yet so if you Bring lowry And walker into the,
Speaker 14: season AND i think that's like a twenty five win,
Speaker 14: team you, know, like AND i think that is again
Speaker 14: really close to that eighth spot where you're giving up
Speaker 14: giving up the pick of The Oclaba City. Thunder so
Speaker 14: you at least have to have the. Conversations and our
Speaker 14: Guy Tony jones is On twitter today telling everyone That
Speaker 14: lowry has remained retained.
Speaker 8: All of his.
Speaker 14: Value So i've never been more convinced that The jazz
Speaker 14: are going to try.
Speaker 1: To Trade oh, dear oh, dear what would be? Okay,
Speaker 1: so AND i tend to agree with, you what would
Speaker 1: be the type of return you, Think, WELL i Guess
Speaker 1: i'll Say, Austin, now what sort of return does An
Speaker 1: Austin ainge look for while shopping lowry?
Speaker 2: Marketing is it?
Speaker 1: STRAIGHT i, mean there are rules, here and The jazz
Speaker 1: don't have cap. Space they can't just absorb, contracts so
Speaker 1: you do have to match money Unless John collins shocks
Speaker 1: us all and walks away from the player option and
Speaker 1: we have a different. Conversation but when you get there
Speaker 1: and if you get a, release if we all get a, release, like,
Speaker 1: hey The jazz have traded of lowry market and what
Speaker 1: type of return you Think austin's looking?
Speaker 8: For, YEAH i.
Speaker 14: Mean you're you're looking for salary, Release you're hoping for
Speaker 14: an interesting young, player and then you're hoping for a
Speaker 14: pick or. TWO i, MEAN i think last.
Speaker 8: Year that was essentially The warriors, trade.
Speaker 14: Right like was a couple of first round picks And
Speaker 14: jonathan cominga was kind of the, hope and you, know
Speaker 14: you're kind of hoping for that same thing as last.
Speaker 14: YEAR i made fun Of tony in the last, answer,
Speaker 14: LIKE i do think you can get something semi similar
Speaker 14: to what you were. OFFERED i just think that it
Speaker 14: can come from fewer. Teams it's it's tricky because you,
Speaker 14: know The, WARRIORS i think you can worry about them
Speaker 14: in the long, term but they also have so much
Speaker 14: money that they can kind of play it like The
Speaker 14: lakers a little bit and just kind of stay in
Speaker 14: that seventh to tenth spot for a. While so you
Speaker 14: don't love getting their. Picks but it's hard to, know you,
Speaker 14: KNOW i don't know that there's a team that you're
Speaker 14: really excited on betting on their picks that are going
Speaker 14: to be trading for lowry. Either SO i do anticipate
Speaker 14: a ton of player movement this, year AND i think
Speaker 14: just like being part of a three or fourteen trade
Speaker 14: could be the outcome. Here and that's you know where
Speaker 14: like a guy Like Justin zanik is actually really useful
Speaker 14: because he does have those connections around the. League so,
Speaker 14: YEAH i, MEAN i don't know exactly how that plays,
Speaker 14: out but that's my guess is like some salary release
Speaker 14: pick or two and an interesting young, player.
Speaker 1: All, right we're going to revisit it every. Week can
Speaker 1: tell the. Draft luckily it's only a couple of. Weeks
Speaker 1: but BEFORE i, set you loose the Current Andy larson
Speaker 1: opinion of best case scenario at five for The jazz
Speaker 1: is who and?
Speaker 14: Why probably V jay income right, now AND i don't know.
Speaker 14: THAT i think it's unlikely that he falls to, five
Speaker 14: but if he, DOES i think that's probably best case
Speaker 14: BECAUSE i LIKE i like his, TOOLS i like his
Speaker 14: production as a. Freshman his stats are actually better THAN
Speaker 14: i think he's given credit. FOR i thought he measured
Speaker 14: out well at the combine AND i think he's the
Speaker 14: kind of tough minded defensive. Type the off name said
Speaker 14: that he was interested in right, LIKE i think that
Speaker 14: you can question that with other guys at the top
Speaker 14: of this, Draft Ace, Bailey i'm just going to say the,
Speaker 14: name AND i don't think you have to worry about
Speaker 14: that very much with, me Jas.
Speaker 1: Come we don't have time to talk about oursel and,
Speaker 1: HONESTLY i don't want To, Andy So i'm going to
Speaker 1: set you loose on A wednesday and we'll chat.
Speaker 2: Soon but, okay sounds.
Speaker 7: Good.
Speaker 8: Thanks then get to the five o'clock.
Speaker 1: Hour the program tonight and get you ready For game
Speaker 1: one of The Stanley Cup finals With edmonton And, florida
Speaker 1: rematch of last Year's Stanley cup matchup to win seven
Speaker 1: Games Neil smith will roll. By good stuff From Josh
Speaker 1: furlong And Andy larson so far, today but let's bring
Speaker 1: in our, Guy Youte legends and Future hall Of Famer
Speaker 1: Eric weddle on A wednesday. Afternoon, Ewent Happy, wednesday, man
Speaker 1: how you doing doing?
Speaker 10: Amazing thanks for having me.
Speaker 7: On we can't say Future all Of famer yet because
Speaker 7: we don't, know you, know voting can get, crazy so
Speaker 7: we'll say maybe soon to Be hall Of famer would
Speaker 7: have a nice ring to.
Speaker 1: It, okay fair, enough fair, Enough i'm, optimistic you, wed
Speaker 1: BUT i am not. You SO i will ask you
Speaker 1: where were you when you found out this news and
Speaker 1: what was your? Reaction BECAUSE i always find it interesting
Speaker 1: talking to people like you that have achieved something like,
Speaker 1: this and you, know you hear a lot of musicians
Speaker 1: or athletes or the people that have achieved say things
Speaker 1: like my dreams never got, There LIKE i never really
Speaker 1: dreamed to be A hall Of.
Speaker 2: Famer was this a goal of?
Speaker 1: Yours or is this one of those things like a
Speaker 1: potential accomplishment that you didn't even allow your mind to get.
Speaker 7: To, YEAH i MEAN i don't think.
Speaker 13: You're playing a team.
Speaker 7: SPORT i don't think anyone goes in thinking they want
Speaker 7: to end up A hall Of, famer it's just kind
Speaker 7: of you, KNOW i could be. Wrong maybe it's Like
Speaker 7: Deon sanders might have thought that because he was just
Speaker 7: that incredibly talented and knew that of himself early. On
Speaker 7: but for, myself it was just man living, living living
Speaker 7: it up and having an opportunity to play college ball
Speaker 7: is where few and far between get. That SO i
Speaker 7: was trying to make the most every, day and then you,
Speaker 7: know those things kind of fall into place when you're
Speaker 7: around good, people great, coaches great, university great. Teammates like
Speaker 7: it never happens by, yourself especially in. Football so if
Speaker 7: something like this ever does happen for, me it's it's
Speaker 7: definitely a group.
Speaker 2: Effort where were you when you heard the news and
Speaker 2: what was your?
Speaker 7: Reaction he, went, Well Mark harlan actually reached out to,
Speaker 7: me shot me a text, like, oh this is great
Speaker 7: first step and getting into the College Football hall Of,
Speaker 7: Fame AND i. DIDN'T i didn't know what he was talking.
Speaker 7: About SO i was doing some other things AND i
Speaker 7: didn't responded back BECAUSE i didn't know if it was
Speaker 7: meant for me or someone. Else BECAUSE i DIDN'T i
Speaker 7: didn't have like there was no news that the, time
Speaker 7: and then of course the post started coming out in
Speaker 7: the news stating THAT i was a finalist for. It
Speaker 7: SO i was just out at the high school with
Speaker 7: the football. Team we just finished up spring, ball so
Speaker 7: just coaching these kids up AND i got the, news
Speaker 7: and you, know it's, humbling, obviously it's, exciting and again
Speaker 7: it's not not ever. Done no success on the football
Speaker 7: that happens because of the. Individual it's always about the.
Speaker 7: Team SO i just think about my teammates and think
Speaker 7: about the. TEAM i think about the love Of utah
Speaker 7: THAT i have in that, university and just thankful THAT
Speaker 7: i ended up at the place THAT i was meant
Speaker 7: to be.
Speaker 1: At have you allowed yourself to think about what that
Speaker 1: phone call would be like if you hear that you
Speaker 1: have indeed been. Inducted have you allowed your mind to go?
Speaker 10: There?
Speaker 3: Nah, NAH i.
Speaker 2: DON'T i.
Speaker 7: DON'T i don't think too far.
Speaker 3: Ahead And.
Speaker 8: I'm a guy that hopes for the but.
Speaker 7: Prepared for the. Worst SO i don't let myself get
Speaker 7: too far down that road.
Speaker 11: Because it's just it's not my.
Speaker 7: Mentality when it, happens it'll, be it'll be fresh and
Speaker 7: it'll be, new And i'll enjoy it if it, happens
Speaker 7: and if, not Then i'll just go about my day
Speaker 7: LIKE i always.
Speaker 2: Do that's a great.
Speaker 1: Attitude BUT i will follow up with what would it
Speaker 1: mean to you if you do get that call and
Speaker 1: the news is you're in, man what would that mean to?
Speaker 13: You, well you, know it's it's A it means you're
Speaker 13: you're an all time, Great you're you're you less lasting.
Speaker 7: Impression on the field and off. Of very few do
Speaker 7: AND i THINK i don't. KNOW i think the numbers
Speaker 7: around thirteen hundred College Football hall Of. Famer so to
Speaker 7: be in that mix and to be said and looked
Speaker 7: at as A hall Of famer is a very very.
Speaker 11: Unique and humbling.
Speaker 7: Proposition it's to really wrap your head around it is
Speaker 7: kind of. Hard it's kind of hard to do BECAUSE i,
Speaker 7: don't you, know people know. ME i don't look at
Speaker 7: myself in that. INSTANCE i THINK i put it all out,
Speaker 7: there AND i think in the COLLEGE i said this
Speaker 7: a couple of days. AGO i think The College Football
Speaker 7: hall Of FAME i could sit there and, say, YEAH
Speaker 7: i THINK i was one of the best in that
Speaker 7: sense WHERE i could be labeled.
Speaker 11: As A hall Of.
Speaker 7: Fame, now THE nfl is a whole different, animal WHICH
Speaker 7: i don't think in my, opinion but the college, football
Speaker 7: LIKE i could sit there and, say, YEAH i belong
Speaker 7: with one of the best in those names that are,
Speaker 7: Enshrined so it would be incredible and, humbling and TRULY
Speaker 7: i would probably be lost for, words If i'm being.
Speaker 1: Honest, Okay i'm glad you said what you just, said
Speaker 1: BECAUSE i was going to follow up with, this like
Speaker 1: you do know that you are an all time, great,
Speaker 1: right like you're aware of exactly what you mean to
Speaker 1: the program around?
Speaker 6: Here, Correct, WELL i mean, YEAH i know, it And
Speaker 6: i'm loved and you know that place is a very
Speaker 6: special place in my.
Speaker 7: Heart so IT'S i. Know, now there are so many great,
Speaker 7: Players so where do you rank? THEM i kind of
Speaker 7: in the old adage Of jordan of you, know rank
Speaker 7: me where you rank, Them but you can't put me
Speaker 7: ahead of people that played twenty years before, me thirty
Speaker 7: forty fifty. Years LIKE i respect the game way too,
Speaker 7: much BUT i do Know i'm loved and. APPRECIATED i
Speaker 7: know that around the.
Speaker 1: University, okay, okay fair, enough fair, enough BECAUSE i MEAN
Speaker 1: i appreciate the. ATTITUDE i respect the, Endeavor but as a,
Speaker 1: player you were a. Killer you know you, Were SO
Speaker 1: i wonder how you balance out being such a killer
Speaker 1: on the field while maintaining more of a balanced approach
Speaker 1: just as a.
Speaker 7: Human, WELL i mean that you cross that white. Line
Speaker 7: at any point in my, career WHETHER i was a
Speaker 7: true freshman at The university Of utah or fourteenth year
Speaker 7: coming off the street two years, retired my goal in mindset,
Speaker 7: Was I'm i'm here to annihilate my. Opposition i'm not
Speaker 7: here to make. Friends i'm not here when it's my
Speaker 7: job is on the. Line, yes WHEN i get off
Speaker 7: the white, Line i'm a great, teammate AND i love
Speaker 7: my teammates and this and. That but MY i have
Speaker 7: a job to, do and it's every rep is a
Speaker 7: chance to prove THAT i belong on this, field leading this.
Speaker 7: Team so it's a very easy switch to turn on and,
Speaker 7: off AS i learned to do over the course of
Speaker 7: my college years and then in THE. Nfl but it's
Speaker 7: a doggy dog, world and if you don't have that,
Speaker 7: mindset you will get eaten up and spit. Out and
Speaker 7: So i'd rather be on the other side of eating
Speaker 7: than getting spit.
Speaker 1: OUT i WONDER i wanted to ask this today BECAUSE
Speaker 1: i come from the family eric WHERE i am the
Speaker 1: oldest of six AND i am the only one of
Speaker 1: the six that went to The university Of.
Speaker 2: Utah the other five all went TO, byu.
Speaker 1: And they all, Married they all married spouses they met
Speaker 1: AT byu and they, all, sure.
Speaker 7: You're you're, outnumbered my.
Speaker 2: Friend OH i y, ah my chose. Truth ewett is
Speaker 2: HOW i like to put.
Speaker 1: It, uh you, know OBVIOUSLY i like to rid, them
Speaker 1: AND i, mean, look it's all, love it's all. Good
Speaker 1: and you, know a lot of the coaches down there
Speaker 1: and they are all of my, brothers they went TO.
Speaker 1: Byu they always say you're the ute that they wish
Speaker 1: was a, cougar and you're the ute that they just
Speaker 1: cannot say anything negative.
Speaker 2: About does that jive with your?
Speaker 1: Experience does it feel like you have that universal respect
Speaker 1: from both these fan bases up.
Speaker 7: Here, WELL i think it's it's you, know to hear
Speaker 7: that is really it makes me.
Speaker 8: Smile it makes ME.
Speaker 7: I don't like to say it like and moments where
Speaker 7: you're proud of, yourself BUT i truly am proud of
Speaker 7: HOW i try to represent myself and my family and my,
Speaker 7: name my last, name and even more so in the
Speaker 7: grand scheme of. Things we're all here for a, purpose
Speaker 7: and we can get all riled, up and at the
Speaker 7: end of the, day it's about respecting your opponent no matter,
Speaker 7: what and speaking and treating your opponent in that type of.
Speaker 7: FASHION i want to be treated as how others treat,
Speaker 7: me and so to hear THAT i do smile AND
Speaker 7: i am proud of that BECAUSE i tried to represent
Speaker 7: myself in a way that most people will be proud
Speaker 7: to have me on their, team regardless of the. Rivalry and,
Speaker 7: SHOOT i am so close with coaches on both, sides
Speaker 7: even AT byu talk to those guys right just as.
Speaker 7: Much and those men that are in those leadership roles mentoring.
Speaker 7: ROLES i tip my hat to all of, them especially
Speaker 7: the one THAT i love and care, for because they
Speaker 7: are men THAT i look up to and that are
Speaker 7: changing the trajectory of these young. Men and so both
Speaker 7: programs have great men that are lead them and women
Speaker 7: that are in within the facility and doing all the
Speaker 7: great things like they're really top notch programs THAT i
Speaker 7: am awesome to be affiliated with through friendships and.
Speaker 1: FAMILY i wonder if you feel comfortable because the relationships
Speaker 1: you have with your former coaches and, teammates, that's you,
Speaker 1: know that's a sacred. Space AND i have been close
Speaker 1: enough in in locker rooms and around teams THAT i
Speaker 1: respect that. Space BUT i wonder if you'd feel comfortable
Speaker 1: sharing whether or not you heard From morgan Or Coach
Speaker 1: witt Or klani when the news came down that you're
Speaker 1: on The hall Of fame.
Speaker 2: Ballot what other phone calls did you? Receive.
Speaker 7: You, Yeah Coach wit of course reached out and congratulated,
Speaker 7: me and on both, sides anyone that knows me or
Speaker 7: or is close with me reached. Out but they also
Speaker 7: know me as well that it's not a done, deal
Speaker 7: so they'll probably want to save the congratulateary the congratulations
Speaker 7: to when it's a final set and. Done so they
Speaker 7: know me as well That i'm probably not missing a
Speaker 7: beat until it becomes.
Speaker 2: Final tell me how the coaching stuff is.
Speaker 1: Going last time we talked to, you, you you, know
Speaker 1: you kind of outlined the early returns of this new
Speaker 1: endeavor of. Yours AND i wonder if any of these
Speaker 1: young men who you are coaching have any idea what
Speaker 1: sort of killer you really were as a.
Speaker 7: PLAYER i think the younger, generation each year that goes,
Speaker 7: BY i could care less about who their head coaches
Speaker 7: and what he used to. Be and SOMETIMES i have
Speaker 7: to remind them in a positive way That i'm here
Speaker 7: to help them and guys them and take it for
Speaker 7: what it's worth some, pole some of them goes one
Speaker 7: year out the. Other but the few that actually take
Speaker 7: it and will be better from, it and those are
Speaker 7: the those are the ones that you're really gonna. Impact
Speaker 7: can't impact them, all you try, to but the few
Speaker 7: that want it on and off the, field and and
Speaker 7: try to build these young men into future fathers and
Speaker 7: husbands of the. Future that's really the ultimate. Goal and,
Speaker 7: uh you, know these these kids, nowadays they got so
Speaker 7: much going on that football and or the history of
Speaker 7: who their coach maybe is way down the list of prioritizing.
Speaker 1: Things your your boy Is, gauge, correct that's your, Son, yes,
Speaker 1: sir you still have him in the.
Speaker 2: Program and if, so how's that.
Speaker 7: Going, yeah he's, uh he's gonna be a sophomore coming.
Speaker 2: Up oh he's only a.
Speaker 7: Sofa, yeah, yeah he's, uh he is a, fun fun
Speaker 7: kid to be, around his, passion his work, ethic how he,
Speaker 7: leads he's, uh he's got a chance to be, special
Speaker 7: And i'm just along for the ride and trying to
Speaker 7: help guide him as BEST i, can and excited for
Speaker 7: this year to lead our. Team and he's put in
Speaker 7: the work on and off the field and really put
Speaker 7: his best foot foot forward to have a great.
Speaker 8: Year on offensive.
Speaker 7: Defense so, uh we got we got a good group
Speaker 7: coming back in the, uh connected. Unit gotta stay, healthy,
Speaker 7: obviously but we have a chance to be really good
Speaker 7: and we'll see where his, uh his journey takes him
Speaker 7: over the next few.
Speaker 2: Years you play like his dad at.
Speaker 7: All he's better than me WHEN i was at this
Speaker 7: point in high. School so, uh he's a, bigger probably
Speaker 7: more physical verse. Myself you, know he's he's six to,
Speaker 7: two he's one hundred and eighty five pounds now and
Speaker 7: getting big and. Strong so.
Speaker 11: He's.
Speaker 7: UH i can only hope and dream that he'll have
Speaker 7: a better high school college and if he could ever
Speaker 7: make it better career THAN i ever, did.
Speaker 1: What sort of, see it's such a delicate. BALANCE i,
Speaker 1: mean what sort of advice do you give? Him what
Speaker 1: sort OF i, mean Because i'm a parent, too and
Speaker 1: you really learn as they grow the best thing you
Speaker 1: can do is be. Guardrails and you, know it's like
Speaker 1: bumper lanes and bowling and they're the. Ball you're there
Speaker 1: to make sure they kind of stay in the, lane
Speaker 1: but you can't roll the ball down the middle for.
Speaker 1: Them so what's it been like to watch this young
Speaker 1: man grow and evolve as a, Player and how do
Speaker 1: you balance that as somebody that played and won at
Speaker 1: the highest of. Levels when it comes to the advice
Speaker 1: you dispensed to, him.
Speaker 7: WELL i just try to remind them that no matter,
Speaker 7: what if you don't have fun and you don't love
Speaker 7: the game and everything that, entails and what's the. Point
Speaker 7: the game is beautiful when it's purest. Form so trying
Speaker 7: to remind him, that AND i think he does a
Speaker 7: good job of, that but he just he wants to
Speaker 7: be so good AND i think he puts a lot
Speaker 7: of pressure on himself That reminding him that it's it's
Speaker 7: about managing the, misapps the negative plays and how you
Speaker 7: rebound from that and how you control your emotions from
Speaker 7: a play to play basis is something THAT i think
Speaker 7: he's going to grow to be able to handle and
Speaker 7: really make that. Strength but you, know he's it's just,
Speaker 7: that you, know last year was a delicate situation being
Speaker 7: a freshman and being the head. Coach But i'm not
Speaker 7: going to be apologetic for one of my best, players
Speaker 7: and it just so happens to be my. Son, Like
Speaker 7: i'm not gonna sit here and not give him positive
Speaker 7: feedback or be excited when he makes a great play
Speaker 7: on the, field or do this and that because of the.
Speaker 7: Optics i'm not doing that. Anymore So i'm gonna be.
Speaker 7: Proud AND i only get to coach him three more,
Speaker 7: years And i'm gonna enjoy every second of it Because
Speaker 7: i'm not doing this for anything other than trying to
Speaker 7: get back to the. Kids and he just happens to
Speaker 7: be one of our better players that does everything. RIGHT
Speaker 7: i shouldn't have to apologize for.
Speaker 2: That, no you.
Speaker 1: Shouldn't you should never have Put you should revel in,
Speaker 1: it you should be proud of. It you should enjoy
Speaker 1: the entire. Situation i've got his socials, up AND i
Speaker 1: see as a, freshman he was your starting quarterback and
Speaker 1: also starting, safety and he has schools calling. Already, right
Speaker 1: looks like he's got some offers in his back pocket,
Speaker 1: already even only as a.
Speaker 7: Freshman, YEAH i, mean it's it's it kind of came
Speaker 7: came at a. Whirlwind you. Know the recruiting starts way early.
Speaker 7: Nowadays especially if you know if you're a freshman playing
Speaker 7: on varsity and then you play, well schools are gonna
Speaker 7: find you and they're gonna they're gonna start getting their
Speaker 7: feelers out and let you know that that you're on
Speaker 7: their on their. Radar so he's got a long ways to,
Speaker 7: go and he understands that that this these offers are
Speaker 7: basically saying, like we're interested in, you and if you
Speaker 7: keep developing and keep getting better and improving over the
Speaker 7: next couple of, years then these this could be a.
Speaker 7: Reality but oftentimes the attention comes with these young, kids
Speaker 7: they go the other way and they they don't stay,
Speaker 7: humble and they don't stay, hungry and they become entitled
Speaker 7: and they feel like they've arrived when that's not. Reality
Speaker 7: you have a bullseeye in your. Back even more so
Speaker 7: for him for who his dad, is that he's got
Speaker 7: to outwork and outplay everyone every. Day you can't ever
Speaker 7: let up because that'll be the opportunity that that someone
Speaker 7: comes and takes your, job or takes your takes your playing,
Speaker 7: time and or takes that. Scholarship so, oh he has
Speaker 7: a good sense of, that and he appreciates the love per,
Speaker 7: se but he knows he has a long way to go.
Speaker 9: To make it a.
Speaker 1: REALITY i noticed, EARLIER, ewd you recently turned, forty so
Speaker 1: welcome to our. CLUB i, am, again a little more
Speaker 1: advanced than you, are But i'm still in the forties,
Speaker 1: Area so welcome to the. Forties and it's been a
Speaker 1: minute since you went through the recruiting. STUFF i wonder
Speaker 1: what the main differences are that you've, noticed because college
Speaker 1: football is much different now than it was in two
Speaker 1: thousand and, one two thousand and two when you were being.
Speaker 1: Recruited what are the main differences between what you See
Speaker 1: gauge and his teammates going through and what you went through.
Speaker 2: Back in the.
Speaker 7: Day, YEAH i, mean that's a great. QUESTION i crce
Speaker 7: s been quite an hour talking about the differences and
Speaker 7: trying to navigate the landscape of recruiting. NOW i, MEAN
Speaker 7: i took my official visit to The university Of utah
Speaker 7: and descend and ended up committing that week a month
Speaker 7: before signing, day where now a lot of times these these,
Speaker 7: players depending on, positions depending on, need et, cetera et,
Speaker 7: cetera can be committing sophomore junior. Season so it's it's definitely.
Speaker 7: Changed and with THE, nil you, know the programs that
Speaker 7: emphasize culture and loyalty and being a part of the
Speaker 7: community and the university is much more appealing to me
Speaker 7: Because i'm a little old. School but you, know some
Speaker 7: schools aren't that. Way so it's it's, hey we need,
Speaker 7: you we want, you how much CAN i pay?
Speaker 14: You?
Speaker 7: Where in the grand scheme of, things this is a
Speaker 7: huge decision on not only what happens on the, field
Speaker 7: but the relationships and connections you make off the field
Speaker 7: and how you represent. Yourself and it goes both, ways
Speaker 7: right like your year the school may tell you that
Speaker 7: you're never going to play, it so you want to
Speaker 7: hit the, portal and then other cases that you want
Speaker 7: more money and this and. That so it's just so
Speaker 7: many different. DYNAMICS i just try to remind all my
Speaker 7: kids engage when he gets to that. Point it's just
Speaker 7: the connection and where do you see yourself for four? Years, Right,
Speaker 7: like where do you want to build the relationships and
Speaker 7: build a legacy on this, endeavor, Right, like it's not
Speaker 7: about the, money it's not about WHERE i can get,
Speaker 7: this so that obviously it's it's it's about the you,
Speaker 7: know DEXes and o's and systems and offense and defense
Speaker 7: and the staff and who's going to be coaching me
Speaker 7: and the culture and this and that blah blah. Blah
Speaker 7: but outside, that it's what do you? Want what is
Speaker 7: your last impression on? You, like what do you want
Speaker 7: to be represented? By and what do you want to
Speaker 7: be remembered? By you want to be a remembered by
Speaker 7: chasing the next best thing or staying where your feet
Speaker 7: are and growing and dealing with adversity and dealing with
Speaker 7: competition and maybe falling, down are you going to get back?
Speaker 7: Up or are you going to run to the next best? Thing,
Speaker 7: Like so those are the things THAT i try to
Speaker 7: look at and try to educate our. Kids and it's
Speaker 7: not me, though It's gauge's decision and his. Journey i'm
Speaker 7: just trying to help. Him at the end of the,
Speaker 7: day it's going to be him and what he. Wants
Speaker 7: BUT i know deep down that whatever, decision when if
Speaker 7: it comes to that if he's fortunate enough to have a,
Speaker 7: decision then he'll do it for the right.
Speaker 2: Reasons i'm quite sure.
Speaker 1: That are you fans listening after they heard you Say
Speaker 1: gage is a, bigger stronger version of, me are waiting
Speaker 1: for me to ask you if that's the. Case is
Speaker 1: there any chance this young man plays his college ball
Speaker 1: In Salt Lake?
Speaker 2: City and if, so what would that mean to?
Speaker 10: You?
Speaker 7: YEAH i Mean gade is a gauge is he's a
Speaker 7: big thinker in the sense that he wants to be
Speaker 7: better THAN i, was and he he wants to make
Speaker 7: his own. Mark, now he obviously has a deep love For,
Speaker 7: Utah BUT i would be, HONESTLY i would be happy
Speaker 7: if he gets to play college. Football i'm not really
Speaker 7: pigeonholed on Where i'm more just would be so proud
Speaker 7: if he even gets a, chance because it's it's, tough.
Speaker 7: Man there's amazing players across the board that do things
Speaker 7: the right, way and sometimes it just is. Luck sometimes
Speaker 7: it's staying injury. Free sometimes it's just seeing a coach
Speaker 7: that believes in. You like there's so many different. Factors so,
Speaker 7: YES i would be honored and proud if he went
Speaker 7: to THE. U but he's gonna carve out his own,
Speaker 7: journey and obviously he will when he gets to that
Speaker 7: if he has. Choices but there's gonna be there's a
Speaker 7: lot of great schools out there that have showed that
Speaker 7: they like, him and if he continues on the trajectory, that,
Speaker 7: well he'll have his, choice which was just pretty insane
Speaker 7: to even think.
Speaker 2: ABOUT i think it's. AWESOME i think it's.
Speaker 1: Great as a father of his, SON i know what
Speaker 1: that must feel like for. You BEFORE i set, You Lucy,
Speaker 1: wed we all know that you're one of The Big.
Speaker 1: Twelve was not what we were hoping for any of
Speaker 1: us expected at.
Speaker 2: All some new, coaches some new.
Speaker 1: Transfers what's your confidence level The utah football year two
Speaker 1: in The big twelve will look better than it did year?
Speaker 7: One, well, YEAH i Mean i've Been i've been fortunate
Speaker 7: enough That Coach wit And scally and Even Coach lued
Speaker 7: before he, left allowed myself and some coaches to come
Speaker 7: out for two three days at a. Time being all the,
Speaker 7: meetings position, meetings coaches meetings obviously be at the, practices
Speaker 7: So i'm pretty intimate with what's going on and seeing
Speaker 7: the guys And I'm i'm, optimistic, ecstatic excited for the.
Speaker 7: TEAM i think it's a it's a more connected. UNIT
Speaker 7: i believe with the change, offensively change is good if you're.
Speaker 7: Willing and obviously we need to stay, healthy we know,
Speaker 7: that but the groundwork is, there AND i think the
Speaker 7: changes offensively are going to bring a fresh new, start
Speaker 7: a fresh new vibe and energy and. BELIEF i think
Speaker 7: with our offensive, line with those tackles and in the
Speaker 7: guards and just the whole unit is going to be
Speaker 7: the best in the country potentially two first round picks
Speaker 7: on the edges tackle. Wise SO i, mean we got
Speaker 7: a lot of great things that are that are coming
Speaker 7: out for this season that, yes our last year was not,
Speaker 7: us but, hey that that stuff, happens, Right and how
Speaker 7: are we going to? Rebound how are we going to
Speaker 7: come back from? That with Coach wit leading the leading
Speaker 7: the charge And scalley on, defense and you, know with
Speaker 7: the new, offense you, Know i'm drawing a blink of
Speaker 7: the offensive, coordinator Which I'm i'll have to apologize. For,
Speaker 7: Yes Coach beck who was obviously gracius enough to let
Speaker 7: me be in the meetings and whatnot learn from, them
Speaker 7: and you, KNOW i. AM i think we could be
Speaker 7: an outstanding team and as long as we. Can it
Speaker 7: just comes back to team, football, right protect the, football
Speaker 7: be explosive on. OFFENSE i think that's going to happen
Speaker 7: naturally with the quarterback with the element of running but
Speaker 7: also extending, plays but just making sure that we're no matter,
Speaker 7: what we protect the, football we score in the red.
Speaker 7: Zone and we played great, defense which we. Will we
Speaker 7: were going to be better than we were last year
Speaker 7: on defense With scalley and the system and the guys
Speaker 7: playing together and being. Healthy so, listen nobody on the
Speaker 7: on the on the on the schedule worries me and
Speaker 7: or tells and we can't beat if we go play great.
Speaker 7: Football is there great teams on our, Schedule, yes but
Speaker 7: we go play our style of, football we should be
Speaker 7: able to be anyone on.
Speaker 1: There all, right my, Guy, well thrilled for you and
Speaker 1: we are optimistic about your chances and when that goes,
Speaker 1: down we'd love to get you back on if not,
Speaker 1: Sooner so enjoy the rest of the.
Speaker 2: Week, Eric thanks for the, time, buddy be, well, okay
Speaker 2: you got it.
Speaker 7: Anytime thanks for having me, on.
Speaker 1: Brother all, Right Eric Weddle Future hall Of, famer not
Speaker 1: just in. COLLEGE i didn't offer the follow up when
Speaker 1: he Said i'm not sure that THE nfl thing is a.
Speaker 1: POSSIBILITY i felt like he was getting uncomfortable with my effusive.
Speaker 1: Praise but he's got a shot at some point to
Speaker 1: be In canton as, WELL i would.
Speaker 2: Imagine.
Speaker 5: YEAH i, Mean eric's a guy, that despite you, know
Speaker 5: how good he was here At, utah and despite having
Speaker 5: A Super bowl ring all of the, above you, know
Speaker 5: doesn't like to toot his horn too. MUCH a stat for, You.
Speaker 5: Spence five guys IN nfl storry nine hundred tackles in
Speaker 5: twenty nine career. Interceptions It's Eric, Weddle Brian, Dawkins Rodney,
Speaker 5: Harrison Ronde barbara And Ronde barber And Charles. Woodson that's
Speaker 5: the entire.
Speaker 1: List, jeez that's. Impressive, yeah at some point our guy
Speaker 1: is gonna get a. Look IF i was.
Speaker 2: A hall Of, Famer i'd never take the jacket. Off
Speaker 2: let's be. Clear i'm wearing the gold jacket all, day every.
Speaker 5: Day, oh IF i reached the pinnacle of any sport
Speaker 5: of any, kind the, ring the, jacket the you, know
Speaker 5: the green, jacket the gold. Jacket Super bowl, ring it's
Speaker 5: it's on me forever at that, point.
Speaker 1: Or being the best dish provider in the. Nation speaking
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Speaker 7: On?
Speaker 10: Ryan, definitely you, know and we're we're right there at
Speaker 10: the top of not A hall Of, famer but we
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Speaker 1: All, right wrapping it, up final segment of the program
Speaker 1: for This wednesday. AFTERNOON i am just seeing. THIS i
Speaker 1: guess it was announced a little bit.
Speaker 2: Earlier.
Speaker 1: Uh The Salt Lake City Police department has charged A
Speaker 1: university Of utah tennis player with. Rape according to a
Speaker 1: probable cause statement filed, today twenty one year Old Burke
Speaker 1: ugaric no. Clue i've never heard of this. Person that
Speaker 1: is a unique spell of a last. Name he's facing
Speaker 1: three counts of, rape two counts of forcible, sodomy and
Speaker 1: one count of object. Rape the alleged assault took Place
Speaker 1: november sixteenth of last. Year the victim in the case
Speaker 1: told police that she And bugaric that's How i'm gonna roll.
Speaker 1: With we're at a bar with a group of. Friends
Speaker 1: they went to his. House she did not want to
Speaker 1: do the things that he. Initiated he has been. Suspended was.
Speaker 1: Suspended so here's a statement from the athletic department at
Speaker 1: THE u, quote we are aware of the criminal charges
Speaker 1: filed against a men's tennis student. Athlete upon initially learning
Speaker 1: In november of twenty twenty four of an accusation against
Speaker 1: the student, athlete the athletics department immediately suspended the student.
Speaker 1: Athlete In january of twenty twenty. Five when no charges
Speaker 1: have been filed against the student, athlete the suspension was,
Speaker 1: lifted with the condition that it would be reapplied should
Speaker 1: the charges be. Filed in the, case we treat allegations
Speaker 1: of significant misconduct very, seriously and the student athlete has been.
Speaker 2: Suspended there you.
Speaker 1: GO i guess was something that was public knowledge, earlier
Speaker 1: But i'm just seeing it as we're wrapping up the.
Speaker 1: Program All, right we got a Little Stanley cup playoffs
Speaker 1: coming your way With edmonton And, florida a rematch of
Speaker 1: last year's. Series if you are new to sport of,
Speaker 1: hockey let me encourage you to, watch, listen. CONSUME i
Speaker 1: think it's the best playoffs format that we. Have the
Speaker 1: intensity is something that simply just is. Unmatched And i'm
Speaker 1: hoping for a long, series And i'm hoping for some
Speaker 1: game sevens because we didn't get many at, all in
Speaker 1: fact zero in the conference finals Of pro basketball And pro.
Speaker 1: Hockey would you Trade Karl Anthony towns For Kevin durant.
Speaker 5: In twenty twenty, five twenty, Six, no almost any other
Speaker 5: situation if you would have asked, me like last year.
Speaker 4: Year or the year, before or the year before or
Speaker 4: the year, before the year before the year.
Speaker 5: Before, yes BUT i JUST i love me SOME. KD
Speaker 5: i think he may have some good basketball. Left but
Speaker 5: As Karl Anthony town, showed he's still a really good
Speaker 5: piece on a really good. Team there are things about
Speaker 5: his game that make him prone to match up issue
Speaker 5: sometimes mainly on the defensive side of the.
Speaker 2: Ball he doesn't guard at.
Speaker 5: All, yeah it's, bad But Kevin durant's also not the
Speaker 5: let's be, clear the kind of Defensive player of The
Speaker 5: year candidate he was back In Golden.
Speaker 2: State you know, what MAN i might do, THAT i
Speaker 2: might Trade Ken cat For.
Speaker 5: Durant, listen if you think you have one year to
Speaker 5: go for, it like go for a, title go for.
Speaker 5: IT i don't know that the roster The knicks have right,
Speaker 5: now ADDING kd to, it you, know you probably make
Speaker 5: a run next, year but that's. It it's over after,
Speaker 5: that at least is that core is is, constructed and
Speaker 5: then you're probably dealing with A kdi that maybe wants
Speaker 5: another year or two on that, deal wants to drag it.
Speaker 5: Out it seems and feels like to, me If Kevin
Speaker 5: durant was with The, knicks he'd want an, extension and
Speaker 5: then you're in a situation that's not just a you,
Speaker 5: know one year rental to try to make a.
Speaker 2: Run this is shaping up to be a wild off
Speaker 2: season in THE. Nba, Dude, yes wild off. Season, yes
Speaker 2: it is all. Right let's get out of.
Speaker 1: Here hockey coming, Up Stanley cup finals coming, up don't
Speaker 1: FORGET Nba finals, Tomorrow, porter what comes our way on
Speaker 1: A thursday edition of the.
Speaker 5: Show as you, mentioned we got some hockey coming up
Speaker 5: on the show. Next we'll recap that tomorrow with our
Speaker 5: Friend Belle, frasier talk a Little Utah mammoth offseason as,
Speaker 5: well of, course the the top five pick in THE
Speaker 5: Nhl draft.
Speaker 2: And, more.
Speaker 5: AND Nba Daily assist With dave. Mcminnimon we may double
Speaker 5: up on OUR Nba Daily assist, tomorrow STILL tbd on
Speaker 5: One Tim Bond. Temps hoping to chat with your guy
Speaker 5: Mad Dog russo as. Well that may happen, Tomorrow that
Speaker 5: may Happen. Friday some still some things in the works.
Speaker 5: There we'll Have Sports court. Tomorrow Busy, thursday.
Speaker 1: So join us for. That we'll say good night for
Speaker 1: A wednesday. Show get out of the way for Some
Speaker 1: Stanley Cup finals hockey. Special thank you today To Josh,
Speaker 1: Furlong Andy, Larson Eric. Weddle you'd fans if you missed
Speaker 1: THE ewb, interview it was really. Fun definitely check that
Speaker 1: out and of course the Great Neil smith if you
Speaker 1: missed any of the sound from the. SHOW espn seven
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Speaker 1: Reporter I'm spencing AND i enjoy Your wednesday, Evening enjoy
Speaker 1: a Little Stanley Cup finals coming up on the other.
Speaker 1: Side right here ON espn seven hundred and ninety TO,
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