Casuals with Katie Nolan

Episode: Buzzer Beaters, Tiger Woods, and Hitting Our National Jelly Roll Limit
Release Date: March 31, 2026
Host: Katie Nolan
Guests: Isabella (Sports Newbie), Chris (Editor/Basketball Guy), Brady (Research/Production)
Produced by: SiriusXM

Episode Overview

This lively episode of Casuals embodies its ethos: making sports talk accessible, irreverent, and welcoming—no yelling men in suits here. Katie Nolan and her SiriusXM crew tackle a wild set of headlines that had everyone second-guessing whether it was early for April Fool’s, break down the best March Madness buzzer-beaters, react to Tiger Woods’s latest troubles, and serve up a healthy dose of soccer weirdness (plus a Jelly Roll World Cup anthem). The tone is banter-heavy, comedic, and cynical with a dash of genuine sports love.

Main Segments & Timestamps

I. Did That Really Happen, or Is It April Fool’s? (03:05–26:44)

Wild Sports Headlines That Seem Fake—But Are Real

• Vegas Golden Knights fire Bruce Cassidy for John Tortorella (05:00)
  • With only 8 games left, Vegas makes a wild coaching swap for the infamous Tortorella. Katie details Tortorella’s history of hockey hijinks and suspensions, painting him as NHL’s ultimate hothead.
  • Quote: “He would come in and be like ‘looks good,’ and then leave and let his assistants do the rest.” – Katie (06:35)
  • Group jokes about the GM threatening to hire Tortorella as motivation.
• Phillies player Alec Bohm suing his parents for $3 million (09:00)
  • Discussion of the lawsuit over alleged mishandling of his money and Katie’s anecdote about her accountant dad as a cautionary counterpoint.
  • Quote: “If I could give Alec Bohm any advice… just pay somebody to do your taxes.” – Katie (09:57)
• LSU adds rapper Toosii, age 26, to its football roster (11:10)
  • “First multi-platinum recording artist to go back to school and play Division 1 football”—Katie and crew question how this is possible, landing on “publicity stunt.”
• Donald Trump “wants to move Madison Square Garden to make room for Trump Station” (13:10)
  • Absurdity is the point. “Where are you putting it? There is no space in New York.” – Katie
• Dana White’s AI art controversy (UFC promo posters) (16:04)
  • Plays clip: Dana dismisses concerns about using AI over real artists. Katie and crew roast his belligerence.
  • Quote, Dana White (16:09): “If we’re using AI, who gives a shit?... How about this, shut the fuck up and watch the fights.”
  • Katie: “Yes, you should also pay your fighters, bro.”
• Connecticut Sun move to Houston for less money than Boston offered; New England left with no WNBA team (17:52–24:32)
  • Anger and sadness as Sun’s sale for $300M to Houston’s Fertitta family is dissected; Boston group would have paid $325M.
  • Reads email from outraged listener L: “The real ‘C word’ is Kathy Engelbert.” (21:06)
  • Discussion of league’s dubious role in blocking the Boston bid, implications for New England fans, and the ongoing WNBA expansion drama.

II. March Madness: The Greatest Buzzer Beater? (31:00–41:55)

UConn-Duke Elite Eight Stunner

• Katie recounts missing the live drama of UConn’s Braylon Mullins hitting a 35-foot 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left to beat Duke and erase a 19-point deficit.
  • Quote: “I missed the one—maybe the greatest shot of all time in March Madness history.” – Katie (31:23)
• Plays the hilariously understated Duke radio call of the moment (34:32–34:43)
  • Quote, Duke student broadcaster: “Oh. He hit it.”
• Chris (basketball expert) ranks top 5 all-time March Madness buzzer-beaters (36:39):
  1. Lorenzo Charles, NC State vs. Houston, 1983 (dunk on airball, title game)
  2. Chris Jenkins, Villanova vs. UNC, 2016 (title game)
  3. Braylon Mullins, UConn vs. Duke, 2026 (this play)
  4. Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga vs. UCLA, 2021 (semis)
  5. Christian Laettner, Duke vs. Kentucky, 1992 (Elite Eight)
• Quick laughs: Could Isabella, self-proclaimed non-athlete, dunk on the crew? Resounding mockery.
• Shout-out: Jordan’s Furniture’s infamous NCAA promo—may owe tons of refunds if UConn men’s AND women’s teams make finals.
• Consolation for Duke fans: their women’s softball team overcame a 14-8 deficit in the seventh to beat Stanford 17-14 (42:00).

III. Tournament Updates (44:11–47:05)

• Tommy Lloyd (Arizona coach) gives suspiciously definitive statement about Arizona having “another good coach” after him—fueling UNC rumors (44:11)
  • Quote, Tommy Lloyd: “Arizona’s gonna have another good coach after me…I promise you.” (43:45)
• Women’s NCAA: Updates on UConn and UCLA; Casuals bracket pool alive (barely), with one listener nearly perfect through the Elite Eight.

IV. Women’s Sports, Trans Bans & Bad Takes (48:14–56:22)

• Kim Mulkey retirement rumors: LSU coach roundly rejects (48:14)
  • Quote, Kim Mulkey (47:05): “I’m not retiring, do I look that bad?...I’m only 63.”
• 2028 Olympics: Women’s events limited to ‘assigned female at birth’ athletes
  • Katie strongly criticizes ban, framing it as thinly veiled transphobia rather than actual concern for women’s sports.
  • Plays Bob Costas’s CNN remarks, and collectively critiques his bad faith “common sense” argument and misgendering of Lia Thomas (50:46–56:22).

V. Tiger Woods: Same Old Story (56:22–63:11)

• Tiger involved in another car accident near Jupiter, FL—refuses urinalysis, faces DUI with property damage charge. Not first similar incident.
  • Quote, Brady (60:35): “Every now and then, I gotta stop getting excited for this because I am going to get disappointed by this man.”
  • Katie: “Tiger? Hire a driver. It doesn’t seem to be a strength of yours…”
  • Dan Hicks (NBC) apologizes for running the wrong Tiger car crash footage—because he’s had so many.
  • “Shouldn’t have to do this for a 50-year-old man”—Brady, on updating Tiger’s obituary content.

VI. World Cup Date: Soccer’s Strangest Updates & the Jelly Roll Anthem (63:30–73:16)

1. USA plays Belgium in matching white kits during friendly; confusion on the field, no backup uniforms (64:00)
   • Quote, Katie: “Like girls at prom who are embarrassed they showed up in the same outfit.”
2. How to pronounce Christian Pulisic—crew phones in a SiriusXM soccer boss to settle the debate: “Puh-liss-ick.”
3. Tragedy at Mexico’s Bonorte Stadium—VIP fan dies trying to jump from box to box (66:24)
4. MetLife bans tailgating for 2026 Cup (68:53)
5. Boston’s T Train to Foxboro will be $75+ for World Cup, gouging visitors (69:03)
6. Official US World Cup song: Jelly Roll’s “Lighter,” possibly the least soccer-y track yet (70:56)
   • Read-aloud of lyrics: “Chains don’t rattle no more, Good Lord I’m feeling lighter…”
   • Group (disgusted): “That’s your World Cup Song. Not even about soccer.” (72:10)

VII. NWSL Attendance Record (74:09–79:00)

• Denver Summit FC’s inaugural home game draws 63,004 at Empower Field (largest US domestic women’s club attendance ever)
  • Highlights:
    • Listener voicemails from Shelly and Sean in Denver (“Go Summit!”), and Rob, who chides Chris for giving the wrong date last week.
    • “60 plus fans!” (Listener Shelly’s adorable slip)—Katie: “There were more than 60 people there.”
    • Katie applauds sustainable women’s sports fandom and the emotional power of such crowds.

VIII. What to Watch & Streaming Rants (81:58–89:53)

• Chris’s Picks:
  • Mo Salah’s final Liverpool FA Cup match (April 4, 7:45am ET, ESPN)—“So few more opportunities to watch.”
  • Men's NCAA Final Four: UConn vs. Illinois and Michigan vs. Arizona (April 4, 6:09/8:49pm ET, TBS)
  • Listener Suggestion: WNFC (Women’s National Football Conference) on Victory Plus streaming; women’s full-contact tackle football, Seattle Majestics at Oregon Ravens (April 4, 10pm ET)
• Gripes:
  • Sunday Night Baseball now on Peacock, not ESPN—it “just feels wrong” (85:31)
  • “Where’s my Eduardo Perez?”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Dana White and AI art:
  “Yes, you should also pay your fighters, bro. What world do you live in where you’re just like, ‘It’s coming whether you like it or not, fuck you.’” – Katie Nolan (16:10)
• On the NCAA Buzzer Beater:
  “That is the greatest no-sell of a shot I’ve ever—‘Oh, he hit it.’” – Katie (34:32)
• On the WNBA franchise move:
  Listener email: “The real C word is Kathy Engelbert.” – L (21:19)
• Tiger Woods woes:
  “Tiger? Hire a driver. Because it doesn’t seem to be a strength of yours.” – Katie (62:01)
• On US World Cup anthem:
  “They’re dropping on a hardwood floor—it’s soccer! They don’t play it on hardwood!” – Katie on Jelly Roll’s “Lighter” (72:10)
• On women’s sports records:
  “I love setting new attendance records and the energy in the video from the Denver fans. It's awesome...nothing about that is negative.” – Katie (79:00)

Final Thoughts

This episode is a whirlwind through some of the sports world’s weirdest, most frustrating, and most exuberant stories of the week. There’s plenty of snark and skepticism, but plenty of passion too—especially for women’s sports and March Madness magic. Whether you care about turmoil in the NHL, problematic sports execs, soccer governance, or the importance of fair play and inclusion, there’s something in Casuals’ blend of deep cuts, listener engagement, and playful (occasionally gleeful) savagery for everyone.

Next episode: Sarah Wilson (Swilly) of Jomboy Media guests for baseball talk later this week.

Contact:
Email: Casualswithkatienolan@gmail.com
Voicemail: 646-810-0043
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