Dunks, Daytona, and Gay Twitter’s Love of Hockey | with Jay Jurden

Summary

Podcast Summary: Casuals with Katie Nolan – "Dunks, Daytona, and Gay Twitter’s Love of Hockey | with Jay Jerden"

Release Date: February 18, 2025
Host: Katie Nolan
Guest: Jay Jerden

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1. Introduction and Guest Overview

In this episode of Casuals with Katie Nolan, host Katie Nolan welcomes Jay Jerden, a stand-up comedian and former writer for The Tonight Show and The Problem with Jon Stewart. Jay, an alumnus of two SEC schools, brings a unique blend of humor and sports insight to the conversation.

---

2. Jon Martin and Richie Incognito: Revisiting "Bullygate"

Katie Nolan initiates a passionate discussion about the infamous 2013 "Bullygate" scandal involving Miami Dolphins' Jonathan Martin and Richie Incognito. She provides context for newer listeners, explaining how the scandal unfolded and the subsequent Wells Report that exposed a toxic work environment fueled by racial slurs and bullying.

• Katie Nolan (05:45):
  "Jonathan Martin in the article specifically says that he doesn't classify it as bullying... that's clearly what he's saying in this article."

The conversation delves into the recent ESPN article where Jonathan Martin claims he was never bullied, challenging the longstanding narrative. Katie criticizes media outlets for misinterpreting Martin's statements, emphasizing the importance of reading full articles for accurate understanding.

• Katie Nolan (10:15):
  "When you read the article, you're not capturing what he's trying to say. Jonathan Martin... he's taking issue with the fact that we use the word bullying and label him a victim because that has been an impossible moniker for him."

Jay Jerden adds to the discourse by highlighting Richie Incognito's history of behavioral issues, questioning the media's inclination to shift narratives without substantial evidence.

• Jay Jerden (13:50):
  "Richie Incognito was never just... someone who showed up to practice because he loves the game. He's been annoying, destructive... it's not a hammering narrative supported by evidence."

---

3. NHL Four Nations Game: USA vs. Canada

Transitioning to hockey, Jay and Katie discuss the intense rivalry showcased in the NHL's Four Nations game between the USA and Canada. The game is noted for its high-stakes atmosphere and frequent fights, setting the tone for an electrifying championship.

• Jay Jerden (20:10):
  "There were three fights in the first nine seconds of the game. Not the final tonight, but it sure feels like the stakes are high before it even starts."

They reflect on how fighting is ingrained in hockey culture, contrasting it with other American sports where such actions are swiftly penalized.

• Katie Nolan (22:25):
  "All that stuff was on top of the piano. So, how are they setting the line for the over under if we know exactly how long this goes?"

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4. NBA All-Star Weekend and the Dunk Contest

A significant portion of the episode focuses on the NBA All-Star Weekend, particularly the dunk contest. Jay expresses frustration over Mack McClung winning the dunk contest for the third consecutive year, questioning the competition's standards.

• Jay Jerden (33:27):
  "For Mack McClung to win the dunk contest for a third year in a row... we can't have nothing!"

Katie and Jay brainstorm creative ways to rejuvenate All-Star Weekend, suggesting ideas like incorporating comedy roasts to make the event more engaging and entertaining.

• Jay Jerden (37:00):
  "We could have a roast All-Star Weekend. That would be fun... ESPN would want to be the ones to do it, and it would be awful."

They also discuss the controversy surrounding NBA players like Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul being disqualified from the skills contest for technically adhering to the rules without showcasing true skill.

• Jay Jerden (41:02):
  "Everyone is trying to gamify and perfect the system. Instead of being really good, they're trying to find the most effective, efficient route."

---

5. NASCAR and the Daytona 500

The conversation shifts to NASCAR, highlighting Donald Trump's role in leading the pace car at the Daytona 500. Jay and Katie critique the ceremonial aspects, finding them disconnecting from the sport's essence.

• Jay Jerden (56:22):
  "Donald Trump became the first president to lead the pace car ahead of the Daytona 500. It's just a boring car for president, stop calling it the Beast."

They humorously discuss the integration of politics into sports events, questioning the appropriateness and safety of such roles.

• Katie Nolan (58:45):
  "How you do this at the Daytona 500? That's something I would say. I have nothing against you people."

---

6. SNL All-Star Weekend Reflections

Reflecting on the SNL All-Star Weekend, Katie and Jay reminisce about the show's nostalgic elements and memorable performances, including appearances by celebrities like Lil Wayne and Colin Quinn.

• Jay Jerden (45:19):
  "It was amazing to see the SNL writers outside in the rain. That's perfect. It was just so cool to see everybody's faces together."

They appreciate the blend of comedy and live performances, drawing parallels to award shows and emphasizing the chaotic yet entertaining nature of SNL.

• Katie Nolan (47:11):
  "It felt like the best parts of an award show, even having Tina Fey and Amy Poehler do things that were hilarious."

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7. Additional Sports and Pop Culture Discussions

The episode also touches on various other topics:

• Race Between Tyreek Hill and Noah Lyles:
  Jay and Katie discuss the proposed race between NFL receiver Tyreek Hill and Olympic sprinter Noah Lyles, debating its relevance and practicality.

  • Jay Jerden (51:21):
    "They have now agreed to race each other this spring or summer. It's very elementary school to me."

• Darts and Emerging Sports:
  Jay introduces darts as an emerging sport, highlighting its growing popularity and the excitement surrounding upcoming competitions.

  • Producer Chris (75:16):
    "Professional Darts is getting really big in Australia as well. There's a new prize for the nine-dart finish worth £30,000 per set."

• Malcolm in the Middle and Pop Culture Nostalgia:
  They briefly reminisce about the sitcom Malcolm in the Middle, discussing its impact and comparing it to other shows like Arrested Development.

  • Chris (62:10):
    "It's a precursor to the comedic elements of Arrested Development, where dysfunctional families create hilarious antics."

---

8. Conclusion and Upcoming Recommendations

As the episode wraps up, Jay and Chris provide listeners with recommendations on upcoming sports events to watch:

• Four Nations Face-Off Championship:
  USA vs. Canada on ESPN.

  • Jay Jerden (70:20):
    "Don't miss another game that starts off with three fights in nine seconds."

• Women's College Basketball:
  Sixth-ranked South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt on the SEC Network.

  • Producer Chris (70:22):
    "Vanderbilt's Mikaela Blakes scored a freshman record 55 points... Everyone should watch her performance."

• Premier League Darts:
  Featuring top players like Luke Humphries and Michael van Gerwen.

  • Producer Chris (75:33):
    "Darts is always a lot of fun at this time of year with some of the biggest names playing."

Katie concludes by encouraging listeners to stay engaged, rate and review the podcast, and tune in for future episodes.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Katie Nolan (05:45):
  "Jonathan Martin in the article specifically says that he doesn't classify it as bullying... that's clearly what he's saying in this article."

• Jay Jerden (13:50):
  "Richie Incognito was never just... someone who showed up to practice because he loves the game. He's been annoying, destructive... it's not a hammering narrative supported by evidence."

• Jay Jerden (33:27):
  "For Mack McClung to win the dunk contest for a third year in a row... we can't have nothing!"

• Jay Jerden (41:02):
  "Everyone is trying to gamify and perfect the system. Instead of being really good, they're trying to find the most effective, efficient route."

• Jay Jerden (56:22):
  "Donald Trump became the first president to lead the pace car ahead of the Daytona 500. It's just a boring car for president, stop calling it the Beast."

• Jay Jerden (70:20):
  "Don't miss another game that starts off with three fights in nine seconds."

---

This episode of Casuals with Katie Nolan offers a mix of insightful sports analysis, humor, and candid discussions on both historical and contemporary sports events. Jay Jerden's comedic perspective adds a refreshing twist to the conversations, making complex sports topics accessible and entertaining for all listeners.

Transcript

[Katie Nolan]

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[Jay Jerden]

Hello. Welcome to Casuals. I'm your host, Katie Nolan. Oh, Casuals, the sports podcast that is like about sports but is also entertaining. I'm Katie Nolan. I'm your host today. In a little bit I'm going to be joined by Jay Jerden, a friend of mine. Very funny comedian. Actually the alum. What's the individual of alum? Not alumnus. Alumnus. He's an alumnus of two SEC schools. I didn't actually know that about Jay. And he's got very funny and interesting takes and perspectives on sports because he's, you know, a comic that loves sports and they're my favorite kind of guest to have on. So we're going to go through all of the news. We're going to talk about four nations. We're going to talk about the NBA All Star Weekend and how Jay thinks we could fix that. We're going to talk a little bit of nascar, a very small little bit of nascar. A whole bunch of stuff. We're going to get to that in a second. I always, as usual have to remind you if you want to reach out to us, which you guys have been, it's been super cool. A lot of voicemails, rolling in a lot of emails. It's exciting to see. We will do stuff with it eventually, I promise. But in the meantime, if you want to reach out? Our email is Casuals with Katie nolan gmail dot com. The voicemail number 646-800-10043. And on socials, we are at Casuals, the podcast that's Ig and Tik Tok. Now, of course, before we get to Jay, it's time for a yap. In today's yap, you guys, you're gonna have to like, talk me off a ledge because I got really fired up about this today already. So this is going to be my like third time being fired up about it and hopefully I'm still able to communicate my points clearly because, you know, sometimes I let my emotions get the best of me. So if you're a newer sports fan, you may not be familiar with the name Jonathan Martin or the name Richie Incognito. And I don't. If you are an older sports fan, you are. And I don't want to spend too much time recapping the original skill scandal, but for the sake of listeners who are new here to sports, if the premise of this podcast holds, I should give you a little bit of context for the new thing that has happened. So back in 2013, which is right around when I started working in sports, there was a scandal called Bullygate that happened with the Miami Dolphins. A player, an offensive lineman, Jonathan Martin had left. I believe he like left a practice facility and there were reports that he had stormed out or he had snapped because he was being picked on in the lunchroom. And then it, the story evolved very quickly and we learned that basically Richie Incognito and others were accused of bullying Jonathan Martin and others. I believe it involved a member of the staff, was also being bullied by Richie Incognito and others and, and another player. And so then there was this giant report, like 170 something pages, the Wells Report, that came out on Valentine's Day. I remember that. And, and I'm new to sports media, so I'm like re, I like read a bunch of it. And basically the whole thing boiled down to the way that it was covered was it was called Bullygate and it was just about Jonathan Martin's treatment by Richie Incognito. What the Wells Report found was that there was racial slurs used. There were, it was kind of confusing. It was like sexual, quote unquote, sexual comments about members of his family. We eventually heard a voicemail in which Richie Incognito called Jonathan Martin a half nword, you know, full blown. He wasn't editing himself the way I'm editing myself. Basically. We received a mountain of evidence that this was, if nothing else, a toxic work environment for Jonathan Martin. But here we are in 2025, right? And there was a story in ESPN, on ESPN a couple days ago about talking to Jonathan Martin, who has not been around since this happened, really, and basically catching up with him to see what he's up to now. The way I first encountered this story was by seeing people sitting say, wow, Jonathan Martin admitted he was never bullied. Jonathan Martin came out and said he wasn't bullied and this never happened. And then, oh, wow, that he really ruined Richie Incognito's career because he lied about being bullied. And then I saw a lot of people saying, well, oh, the media really needs to take accountability for having reported that it was. That they were. That it was bullying. And so I'm like, let me read the article. God, do I hate to have to do it. I'm just like you. I too wish I could just read a headline and then form my takes and move on because reading's hard. I have add. It's difficult to stay focused and read an entire article. But if you're going to be out here sharing opinions like that, you have to read the article. And when you read the article, you're not capturing what he's trying to say. Jonathan Martin in the article specifically says that he doesn't classify it as bullying. He says his. He says, quote, my mother had her own read on the situation, which to sounded like to me, he went home and would complain or maybe was talking to his parents and were complaining about how miserable it was for him to go play for this team because of this on his team, who won't leave him alone, who's just being a dick to him for no reason. And his mom was like, you're being bullied. You were being bullied. And that's where the term bullying got attached to it. Clearly in this article, what Jonathan Martin is taking issue with is not that Ricky Richie Incognito was classified as a guy who would do this to somebody. In fact, Jonathan Martin says that that is what happened to him. He's not denying or going back on any of the things he alleged happened to him. He's taking issue with the fact that we use the word bullying and we labeled him a victim of bullying because he says that has been an impossible moniker and impossible label for him to shake in his life. And also, if I'm listening to him, what he says in this article is basically, yeah, it made it difficult for me to be. It made me feel like I didn't belong in a space that I was existing in. He was being treated poorly, but he was showing up. He was showing up and he was doing the work in spite of the fact that this guy was like this. And, yeah, it sucked. But for some reason, Jonathan Martin felt like he had to endure that to prove that he was a man and that he was valuable to be in this agro male space. And when his mom labeled it bullying and he became this poster boy for being the victim of bullying. You don't understand. You can't understand how that would make somebody go, like, well, I mean, I put up with it for all that time just for you guys to say that I cried bully to my. It's. That's not his experience of the situation. That's clearly what he's saying in this article. Like, it was so immediately obvious to me. One of the quotes from the article, he describes himself as an alpha and wants to ensure you he wasn't a fully formed person in his 20s. He worries over retaining agency of his story. It's a story that I've been trying to fix for 10 years. After Bullygate broke, Martin became the martyred face of bullying, a role he says he didn't want to play. He didn't excuse what Incognito and the others did. It angered him, but he saw himself as a football player who had earned his spot on the team. Quote, I was an NFL starter. He said I was getting paid millions of dollars. He saw the world of football as intensely competitive, and he saw himself as someone strong enough to be there. You read that article, and the quote that you pull out of it is, quote, I never believed for a second I was being bullied. And you take that quote and you write your headline to say that Jonathan Martin admits he was never bullied. That's, like, really low reading comprehension to me. I'm not trying to bully the media. But, like, that's your take away from that whole article. A very long article. Okay. And, yeah, I read it in, like, two or three different. I took breaks. It's a long article. It's a lot of reading. But, like, the takeaway is not Jonathan Martin admits he lied and was. Nobody was ever mean to him. We have the voicemail. We've heard the voicemail. Richie Incognito, then, of course, quote, tweets one of these headlines about Richie Incognito is vindicated. Bullygate was a lie, quote, tweets it and basically says, like, yeah, and you Guys ruined my lives over this at espn, at Adam Schefter, at Pro Football Talk. Richie, buddy, do you forget that we know you again? For a newer sports fan who didn't know Richie Incognito, this wasn't like, wow, out of nowhere, out of the blue, the nicest guy you thought you liked is actually a bully. Richie Incognito started his college football career at Nebraska, and they made him go to anger management because of how difficult he was on the field. I believe he was. There was an incident of spitting on some players. He kept getting suspended, and when it was clear to him that he wasn't going to be able to play on this team because they weren't putting up with his shit like fights at practices anymore, he withdrew from Nebraska, tried to go to Oregon. Well, when he got to Oregon, he was there for about a week because he refused or failed to meet the conditions that they agreed upon by before letting him play on the team. Many alleged that that might have included some sort of an anger management course that he just didn't want to take. So they didn't let him play. Then at the combine in 2005, scouts, people associated with who tend to take problematic players, people who don't normally shy away from guys with checkered pasts, even those guys were like, yeah, we weren't. We're not even thinking about him. The ESPN scouts, like the official scouting report on him, said that, quote, his inability to control his emotions both on and off the field is such a significant concern, end quote, that people were not drafting him. They knew he would drop in the draft. Tony Dungey said later of that year that the Colts had him on their DNDC list, which is the do not draft, because of character. In 2008, he was fined a total of $35,000 in one game versus Washington for three different things he did in that game. A chop block, an egregious face mask, and then berating a referee. In 2009, after he headbutted. Is it headbutt or headbutted? In the past, he headbutt two members of the Tennessee Titans in a game, in the first half of a game. So his coach at the time, Steve Spagnolo, benched him for the second half, and then he got on a into a heated confrontation on the sidelines with his coach. Richie Incognito was never just, hey, I'm just a guy out here showing up to practice. I'm just here to play ball. I'm just here because I love the game. Richie Incognito has been annoying. He's been destructive. I'm not saying the guy doesn't maybe deserve more chances in his life. I'm just saying, saying it was very scary for me reading people's reactions to this article and being like, this isn't. We're not letting this narrative go, right? We're not. We're not now going to say that Bullygate was entirely a lie and Richie Incognito is the victim of a media conspiracy against him. That's not the evidence does not support that being the narrative. And so I just wanted to come here on my podcast because if I can't do it here, where can I? I just wanted to say the other evidence. I get it. We're in the part of time now where bullies are up. Bullies are way the up. And that's great. I'm so happy for them. I'm so happy that bullies are winning. Great. Congratulations to you. I have nothing to say about that because I don't want to get shoved in a locker. I'm very happy that bullies are up right now. But can we not do this? Can we not look at facts and go, well, that's not probably the case there, right? And whether you want to call that bullying or you don't want to call that bullying, it happened.

[Katie Nolan]

If you have a locked AT&T phone, we're here with bolt cutters. T Mobile will help pay off your locked phone and give you a new 5G phone for free. All on America's largest 5G network. Visit t mobile.com carrierfreedom via virtual prepaid MasterCard in 15 days. Free phone up to 830 via 24 monthly bill credits plus tax and a $10 device connection charge. Qualifying port and trade and service on Go5G next and credit required. Contact us before canceling entire account to continue bill credits or credit stop and balance on required finance agreement as do bill credits and if you pay off devices early Are you still quoting 30 year old movies? Have you said cool beans in the past 90 days? Do you think Discover isn't widely accepted? If this sounds like you, you're stuck in the past. Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide and every time you make a purchase with your card, you automatically earn cash back. Welcome to the Now It Pays to Discover. Learn more at discover.com creditcard Based on the February 2024 Nelson report Where'd you get those shoes? DSW has all the shoes you need for whatever you're into. You know like running shoes that give new meaning to personal best or everyday sneakers that make coffee runs look cool. Basically, DSW has all the best styles from the brands that always get it right, like Nike, Brooks, Timberland, and more.

[Jay Jerden]

Oh, yeah.

[Katie Nolan]

Did we mention they also happen to be the perfect price.

[Jay Jerden]

Find a shoe for every you at.

[Katie Nolan]

Your DSW store and DSW.com.

[Jay Jerden]

Let'S go ahead and bring in our guest guys. I'm not kidding. I love Jay Jardin. Jay Jordan is so funny. He's a standup comic currently on the road. He also was a writer for the Tonight Show. He was a writer for the Problem with Jon Stewart. This is Jay Jarrettin who's all over my algorithm. I don't know. Or you're like. Or you're just having a moment right now.

[Chris]

I think. I think it's a little bit of both. But, yeah, thank you for saying that. I like to be all over people's algorithm in a world where it's just a bunch of other evil stuff.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah. A lot of bad. But then a good Jay Jordan clip. And then back to the bad, mostly. But you came in here hot. You said you have so much stuff that we need to talk about. I didn't know that you went to Bama.

[Chris]

Yeah, yeah, I went. I went to Ole Miss for undergrad. I went to Bama for grad school. And this just so you know, this is how different those schools felt from a football standpoint. When I was at Ole Miss, we went Ogeron Houston Nut, Hugh Freeze, the Christian who did nothing wrong in Tampa. And then I left and I was at Bama for grad school. Saban the whole time. And just truly a different. Truly a different experience when getting ready to either celebrate or commiserate on a Saturday.

[Jay Jerden]

Why?

[Chris]

Because those. The teams.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah.

[Chris]

Like, Ole Miss was truly so up and down the entire time. We'd be like, oh, my gosh, Dexter McCluster, he's so fast. We'd be like, oh, we're terrible. And then. And at Bama, they were upset if they didn't win a championship. It wasn't even. I think we got. Every time they won a championship as a grad student, we got a pay bump too. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jay Jerden]

They really incentivized.

[Chris]

Yeah. School. The entire school was so football centered. But there. This is. It's the only time trickle dog economics has worked because if the football team won, we ended up getting a little everybody up.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah, yeah.

[Chris]

And Nick Saban came like two or three shows. I was a grad student for theater. Nick Saban came to two or three theater productions.

[Jay Jerden]

Really?

[Chris]

Yeah. Yeah. This is what's funny. So. So when I saw Hamilton, the Timberwolves were in town, and I was like, what? The Timberwolves are here? And then I was mad because we ended up sitting behind them. I was behind Carl Anthony Towns at the time, and I was like, carl Anthony Towns, you're here at Hamilton? And he turns around, he's like, we can't appreciate the arts. And I was like, you're right. I'm sorry. My bad. I didn't mean to judge you. My bad, cat.

[Jay Jerden]

But maybe you could appreciate the arts from the back.

[Chris]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jay Jerden]

You.

[Chris]

You can see from any point.

[Jay Jerden]

Perhaps you could sit further back.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Jay Jerden]

Rude. I want to talk to you about what's going on in sports news. That's the point of the podcast. If we talk about a sport you don't watch. Right. I think you'll be even funnier about it.

[Chris]

Yes.

[Jay Jerden]

Where do you stand on hockey?

[Chris]

Hockey.

[Katie Nolan]

Ooh.

[Chris]

When I found out that there was a hot black hockey player for the Rangers, Keandre. Am I getting that right?

[Jay Jerden]

I think. I don't know. I'm not. I don't know the team rosters top to bottom like that. But looking at Brady, he'll look up. Can you Google hot black guy on the Rangers?

[Chris]

Keandra. Yes. Keandra Miller.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah.

[Chris]

Yeah. When I found out he was on the Rangers, I said, I like hockey. I said, let me get a jersey. Let me get a jersey. Right now. It's the. We're having the.

[Jay Jerden]

The four nations.

[Chris]

Four nations?

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah. So have you. You've heard of it?

[Chris]

Yes. They were on Twitter a couple. A couple of weeks ago. They were having, like, a thick off. They were. They were like. They were comparing who was the thickest hockey player.

[Jay Jerden]

God, I wish I got any of this.

[Chris]

Gay. Twitter was all about hockey for a couple days, but it's over. It's over right now. So once the game start, they were.

[Jay Jerden]

Like, okay, no, no, this is too much. Okay, so the four nations. It's Finland, Sweden, usa, Canada.

[Chris]

Wait a second. Why is Russia not involved? Is something going on politically?

[Jay Jerden]

I actually do think they picked the top four international teams allowed to be.

[Chris]

Okay.

[Jay Jerden]

I don't know if Russia was in that, actually. But anyway, don't ask complicated questions. It's four nations. They take the NHL and they, like, reorganize them based off of where they're from, and then those teams play in a round robin. And then now we're at the championship game, which is going to be usa, Canada. But USA played Canada the other day, the other night, and they have not played against each other like NHL players on the international stage in a while. Obviously a storied rivalry. Obviously a lot of heat currently right now.

[Chris]

Yes.

[Jay Jerden]

Between Canada and usa. Did you happen to see how the game started?

[Chris]

Fight.

[Jay Jerden]

There were three fights in the first nine seconds of the game. Not the final tonight, but it sure feels like the stakes. That's the crowd before it even starts. Hope it's a precursor to be a dynamic final. Let's finally drop this puck, get the action going. The Tachuk brothers are on the ice flanking Jack Eichel and John Cooper. Look out.

[Katie Nolan]

They're gonna drop the gloves right away.

[Chris]

Matthew, drop the gloves right away.

[Jay Jerden]

Right off the hop. They let him go. Let him go for a good amount of time. Listen to that crowd. Okay, fight number one.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Jay Jerden]

Crowds going nuts. Then they're like, okay, guys, let's play a hockey game. Wait, fight two. Yeah. Watch. I don't think we're done. No, I don't think so either. Ferraco's just waiting and.

[Chris]

Yep.

[Jay Jerden]

Sam Bennett, Brady K. So the Ks both get involved early. Sam Bennett's not going to back down, even though he's outweighed. Okay, that's two. And those are actually brothers on the US Team, so they're now in the penalty box together.

[Chris]

What I love this.

[Jay Jerden]

Is that cute.

[Chris]

Listen, K them. Use this. I went to public school. This is right up my alley.

[Jay Jerden]

All right. And then this is la. Later. Once they finally started to play a little hockey, this happened. Well, we're gonna play on here.

[Katie Nolan]

As the puck fired in by McEvoy.

[Jay Jerden]

Binnington gets a touch, and we might have more. Paro and Miller. And Miller dropped the glove. The Pero's going to answer and Paro's going to answer in a big way. That one kind of fizzles out.

[Chris]

I. I love that. I love that Hockey refs are like your friends, dads. They go, no, no, let them get out of their system. Let them finish. Let them learn.

[Jay Jerden]

The boys need to get through this.

[Chris]

Yeah, let them. Let them. Okay, all right, that's enough. I. That's beautiful to me. I mean, it's the only sport, it's the only popular American sport where they really kind of go, go, go for it. NBA. They. They stop the fights fast.

[Jay Jerden]

Well, I mean, they'll stop like a. Like they'll call things a foul.

[Chris]

I mean, you can point, you can curse. They'll be like, he's out. And. But let them Swing a little bit.

[Jay Jerden]

I mean, they got to put it somewhere the tiniest amount.

[Chris]

Speaking of fights, guess who was at a show at the Cellar a couple weeks ago who met a world peace, huh? And I said nothing. I said nothing. Nothing. Well, here's why. The crowd. I don't know if this is a crowd that knew about the malice at the Palace. I don't know if this is a crowd who would have actually had a little bit of fun. Because if you. If you say meta world pieces here, I'm gonna let these. Some of these white people who don't watch basketball. Oh, that's a person. You know what I mean?

[Jay Jerden]

I'm gonna have to be like, it's not a sentence. I'm saying it's not a company. That's a guy.

[Chris]

And then at that point, I'm gonna make fun of this man who's known for kicking ass's name in front of these people when he came to see comedy show.

[Jay Jerden]

Nah, that's. That's good. That's smart of you. Yeah.

[Chris]

Every now and then you go, what am I gonna get out of this?

[Jay Jerden]

Right?

[Chris]

I. I could be like, you know.

[Jay Jerden]

Does that happen a lot with comedy where you're like. Especially with sports? I feel like. Where, like, I can't really make a reference. Cause it's not really gonna land well with me.

[Chris]

And this is particularly with my comedy style, because I'm, like, a queer comedian, but I also have, like, a lot of sports references. I'm usually trying to, like, bring together two audiences that maybe would've been like, how are we in the same room at the same time? So I have a fun joke where I say, I downloaded this new male dating app. It's called Bleacher Report. I've been looking at it, and I say that because every. For the past year, whenever my straight friends will open up Bleacher Report, I was like, it's a dating app, right? Because all of them, every week were like, well, Aaron Rodgers, me again. I was like, who is he? I was like, he tested. Then he doesn't, like. He doesn't like vaccines. So I, like, have all of these, like, fun sports jokes. But what I try to do is put them through a queer lens. So any of my straight male fans or straight comedy goers who are seeing me are like, holy shit, this guy knows ball a little bit, but also very funny. Also, I'm laughing at this pretty progressive gay joke. Wait a minute. So with sports, it is, like, sometimes high risk, high reward. High reward. I said, I went to Ole Miss on stage a couple weeks ago, I got said boo. I said, why'd you boo? He said, oh, I went to lsu. Now I'm mad cause they beat us this year. But also, I have to, like, really, like, be like, nah, I'm not about to let you boo me at my show.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah.

[Chris]

So I said, so I have some choice words for this man. I called him bayou trash. But it's just one of those things where, like, sports can divide the room. It can bring a room together. It's a. It's a fun little. It's almost as divisive as politics, but then you can always kind of get out of it.

[Jay Jerden]

It's like a fun politics.

[Producer]

Yeah.

[Chris]

And for some people, politics is sports.

[Jay Jerden]

It's like what it should. Where that energy is there should be. This is the more healthy place to put it, I think. And then that should be boring. Policy make. This is where you're supposed to get rabid.

[Chris]

Exactly.

[Jay Jerden]

Are you into. Does that clip make you like hockey more?

[Chris]

It does make me like hockey more, only because that was very Real Housewives of them.

[Jay Jerden]

Yes.

[Chris]

Yes. They have three different fights. Throw the gloves down.

[Jay Jerden]

Yes.

[Chris]

First game. It's. That's that. I mean, that. That was a reunion special, everyone. All that was missing was Andy Cohen. That was it.

[Jay Jerden]

Just sitting in.

[Chris]

Canada versus the U.S. there's a whole bunch of drama. Whoever wins the fights has to pay less on the tariffs. There was a lot of stake. There was a. I think Justin Trudeau was there in brownface. No.

[Jay Jerden]

Is he still in charge? What? I thought he was.

[Chris]

I thought you were gonna be like, is he still in brownface? I was like, yes. They got an Indian president before we did. We tried.

[Jay Jerden]

The. There's been at hockey games in general before four nations at NHL games. A lot of Canadian audiences have been booing the American national anthem before the game.

[Chris]

Well, I've done that, but only if the girl can't sing. Saying that's.

[Jay Jerden]

She needs to know.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Jay Jerden]

Clearly her mother's not telling her.

[Chris]

What you think of John Baptiste. Baptiste's anthem.

[Jay Jerden]

It was long.

[Chris]

He. He put. He put a little razzle down. I was like, wait a minute.

[Jay Jerden]

Whatever. All that stuff was on top of the piano. I was like, so this is pre recorded. Which means how are they setting the line for the over under, for the betters if we know exactly how long this goes? A lot, but very talented. He was great. Yeah, it was long.

[Chris]

Yes. It was very long. I felt the same way. I was like, it's like.

[Jay Jerden]

And then. And the home of the brave.

[Chris]

I was like, the home of the brave. Yeah. Red glare.

[Jay Jerden]

I heard about it.

[Chris]

Come on.

[Jay Jerden]

So booing the national anthem.

[Chris]

How funny. A Canadian booing our national anthem. That's the way it should be. That's fine. As is their right.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah.

[Chris]

Oh, Canada. Not that much better.

[Jay Jerden]

Kind of a banger. Low camp.

[Chris]

Oh, really?

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah, it's just. I mean, it's. Luke loses points with us, I think, because it's got some French in it, and I don't think we handle that well. But song wise, I don't know. Maybe I'm just a hockey fan who's listened to that song a lot in my life. I just think bar for bar I.

[Chris]

There is like, a kind of fun, drunken nature to that song. Oh, Canada.

[Jay Jerden]

It, like, swings.

[Chris]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jay Jerden]

It's a good. Ours is all about, like, fireworks and stuff.

[Chris]

Yeah. And really, ours was both perfected and ruined by Whitney Houston.

[Jay Jerden]

Fergie.

[Chris]

I thought you were gonna say, no, Whitney.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah, that should be. That should be it.

[Chris]

That's the standard. We should just be like, everyone. We're gonna hold a microphone to a recording of Whitney doing it again. Or you actually. You know what I say? Have people lip sync to Whitney for their life.

[Jay Jerden]

Right. Perfect.

[Chris]

At the beginning of every spring.

[Jay Jerden]

Perfect. That's how you fix it. Fer. I.

[Chris]

For. I almost forgot about the Fergie. Was that All Star Weekend? That was All Star Weekend. Fergie. Fergie. Fergie.

[Jay Jerden]

To do it at All Star Weekend and ensure that there's a cutaway of every famous person in the NBA. Because if it were a regular, you know, if it were like the finals, it's only the people who made it to the fin. But the All Star Game is like, everybody's favorite player from every team reacting to you singing the worst anthem.

[Chris]

There's that. There's a video where it's like, cut to Steph. It's just trying not.

[Jay Jerden]

And then they're like. Everybody's just like.

[Chris]

That.

[Jay Jerden]

Really bad.

[Chris]

That probably would be one of the hardest parts about being an NBA player would be if someone does sing the anthem poorly. You have to be like, are we.

[Jay Jerden]

Oh, is everybody.

[Chris]

Do you want me to. I can't. I took coral in high school. Come on, please.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah, I think this anthem thing. I do think I get why they're booing us. I agree with you that that's how it should be. You feel that way. Get your feelings out.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Jay Jerden]

Big feelings. You gotta let em out. But I do think at the rematch on Thursday, which is now in our home turf.

[Chris]

Okay.

[Jay Jerden]

I imagine that the United States fans will boo Canada's anthem, don't you think?

[Chris]

Yeah. That is when I become probably my most conserv. It's international play. It happened with the Olympics.

[Jay Jerden]

Yep. I think I'm with you on this.

[Chris]

Leading up to the Olympics, I'm like, America has a lot of issues. We have to make sure that we're helping the most downtrodden. The minute the Olympics start and I saw Lebron with that flag, I was like, if you don't like it, you can leave.

[Jay Jerden]

All right, try that in a small town.

[Chris]

Try that in a small town.

[Jay Jerden]

I'm with you on that. I'm with you. Like, there were some players on the women's national soccer team that had, like, old, like, anti LGBTQ tweets that came up, and we were. Everybody was like, loudly anti this girl. But as soon as they go to the national stage, I'm like, well, now she's on our team.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Jay Jerden]

Now she represents us. We cheer.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Jay Jerden]

Like, it's just what it is. I think when you leave your house, you have to present a united front of your country.

[Chris]

We'll have this conversation when we get back in the car. That's.

[Jay Jerden]

That's basically what they'll talk when we get home. Let's not have this out in front of company.

[Chris]

It is. It is hilarious that that was my experience this summer, watching the Olympics, because a very stressful year, a presidential election year. Like, it's hard to be like, oh, I love this country so much. It has done no wrong. But if it's LeBron against France, you know exactly who I'm rooting for.

[Jay Jerden]

Like, are you seeing Steph? Are you watching Steph shoot these three? You think I don't love my country?

[Chris]

Of course. The best country in the world, at least for these two weeks.

[Jay Jerden]

And we're not. We're just not very good at de. Escalating, I think.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Jay Jerden]

I think once you like, my stance on it has a bunch of nuance, and Lord knows that can't exist on the Internet.

[Chris]

Not at all.

[Jay Jerden]

But I feel like the. I understand the Canadians booing the anthem. I get it. They're pissed off at us. We're talking about making them the 51st state, which is wildly disrespectful to them as a country.

[Chris]

The math doesn't even work out. I don't know why people think that they'd be the biggest state. They would control Congress and the Senate, that it would not.

[Jay Jerden]

They'd have to Break it up.

[Chris]

They would.

[Jay Jerden]

We would have to be 51, 52, 53.

[Chris]

They already have provinces, right? I don't think anyone has said, oh, Donald, they have provinces already. He'd be like, no, he must know the whole thing.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah.

[Chris]

Oh, you think he knows?

[Jay Jerden]

I don't.

[Chris]

You think he knows where the province is?

[Jay Jerden]

I've found a province.

[Chris]

No, no, no, no.

[Jay Jerden]

Do you think he. Do you think he. No, I think he knows they exist, but would call them, well, states. But then he wouldn't have said 51st.

[Chris]

Exactly.

[Jay Jerden]

It's not worth deciphering is where I'm at. It's not worth zooming in on the man and trying to parse what he knows and what he doesn't. Just assume. Just assume. And also the fun part is assume it doesn't matter anymore. I guess you can know nothing and just go through that.

[Chris]

You don't have to know anything.

[Jay Jerden]

And then it happens.

[Chris]

There was when he. When he said. When he lied and kind of got the timeline so inaccurate. When he was like, yeah, Tommy Tuberville. He coached Patrick Mahomes. And then everyone was like, no, I mean, he was at Texas Tech right before Patrick Mahomes got there. But also he, like, maybe helped recruit him early on, but never coached him. Never had the one on one. And then Tommy Tuberville, the idiot, by the way, had to. I'm saying that as a person who went to Ole Miss, too. He's an idiot. He's an idiot. He coached at Auburn. He's also an idiot. He coached at Ole Miss. He left them boys. He's an idiot and a bad senator. Then he had to go on that podcast and be like, yeah, well, I know of Patrick Mahomes. And I was like, yeah, we all do. You got to carry this bucket of water now.

[Jay Jerden]

How dare. Okay, so the anthem's gonna get booed. All Star weekend. It's what you came in hot about and what we need to talk about. There's a couple aspects to it. You wanna start with the dunk contest. Gets you fired up.

[Chris]

Let's start with the dunk contest.

[Jay Jerden]

Mack McClung.

[Chris]

Matt McClung. For Matt McClung to win the dunk contest for a third year in a row, once again in February. We can't have nothing.

[Jay Jerden]

Oh, my God.

[Chris]

We can't have anything.

[Jay Jerden]

Oh, my God.

[Chris]

Mack McClung. I text two of my white friends. I said, y'all have no excuse. Now get to work. I'll show you. I'll show you a text. I text my friend Henrik by the way, his name is Henrik.

[Jay Jerden]

I said you need to get your.

[Chris]

Dunk with a K at the end. Henrik. I said, you need to get to Duncan now.

[Jay Jerden]

He really is setting an unreasonable standard.

[Chris]

It's so. It's so funny also, because if you would have said the name Mac McClung, I would have been like, I don't want to know how he voted. But look at that. Just to see that man flying over cars, doing crazy windmills in between the legs. Shit.

[Jay Jerden]

And when he says that man, he's referring to Mack McClung. From the G League. From the G. From the G League. At All Star Weekend, it's G league superstar Mac McClung.

[Chris]

What does that text message say?

[Jay Jerden]

You white ass had no excuse. Now you gotta start dunking. Not wrong. Confirmed.

[Chris]

No, I'm happy. I'm happy that. I mean, we're kind of breaking stereotypes. Mack McClung breaking a stereotype a little bit earlier this month. Cooper Dejon.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah.

[Chris]

White corner. Usually when white guys backpedal is because they said something offensive, but look at him. Look at him. Look at that bald hawk. Look at him. Look at that man. Just. That's crazy for him for a white guy to pick off Patrick Mahomes. He should be president, right?

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah, right.

[Chris]

Give him something.

[Jay Jerden]

Something.

[Chris]

What else? What else? Okay. Kevin Hart just kind of taking over the All Star Game. The NBA All Star Game is now just the Kevin Hart special, right?

[Jay Jerden]

So the NBA stopped action in Sunday night's All Star Game so that Kevin Hart could do intermittent commentary over the pa and it was weird.

[Chris]

I think that, like, we have to have. We have to kind of, like, put Kevin Hart in the right comedic situations at All Star Games, but you want to have him interacting with LeBron, like, kind of in a funny capacity. You don't necessarily want him calling the whole game, you know, you don't want him on the. On the mic the entire time.

[Jay Jerden]

It is a lot.

[Chris]

First of all, he's a comedian, and so we are known to sometimes say things that we're like, get State. Okay, make sure there's a delay on what I'm about to say just for those purposes. And secondly, I think NBA players going back and forth with Kevin is just as funny as him by himself. I want someone to, like, put him in his place.

[Jay Jerden]

You need somebody that, like, LeBron is not going to give me the comedic space that he'll give to Kevin Hart. He knows Kevin Hart. Like, you get to make fun of and joke with LeBron. Go do that. Yeah, definitely do that.

[Katie Nolan]

Please.

[Chris]

I think. I mean, they're trying to make people watch. They want the All Star Game to be popular. They want the All Star Weekend to be popular. I. I get why they did it. I think one thing that they could do is if they. And this is dangerous, they could bring. They could have a roast. They could have a roast All Star Weekend. That would be fun. If there was like, a roast of LeBron.

[Jay Jerden]

That's not a bad idea.

[Chris]

Netflix just had roasted. Tom Brady was the most viewed Netflix thing all of. I want to say last year. Yeah. Most of you, Netflix comedy thing. Yeah, it's not a bad idea.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah.

[Chris]

You probably aren't going to have a good roast every year, but that's an idea.

[Jay Jerden]

I think you could pick one person every year, and before you run out of superstars, you could do it. Yeah, I think that's absolutely doable. I'm like, my brain immediately went to, like, ESPN would want to be the ones to do it, and it would be awful.

[Chris]

It would be sanitized.

[Jay Jerden]

Awful.

[Chris]

Well, I mean, that's. That's the hard part about it is to say the stuff you actually want to say, right? Yeah.

[Jay Jerden]

You gotta put it on Netflix. And then that doesn't save. Well, because sports media, the week of the All Star Game, especially. Especially this year with like, four nations being the reinvented All Star Game for hockey and it going so well and having such, like, a good response to then go to this NBA All Star Weekend, which was kind of.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Jay Jerden]

Lackluster.

[Chris]

Okay.

[Jay Jerden]

The conversation is, obviously, how do you fix the All Star Game? And I feel like pundits always have these, like, we gotta do this or that. But I think comedians always have the best ideas.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Jay Jerden]

So I feel like a roast. You kind of already answered, but I will. Do you have any other ideas we can milk you for on how to fix broken NBA All Star Weekend?

[Chris]

Well, I think people are. And there's no hate to Mack McClung.

[Jay Jerden]

I think, because a little hate to MacLung.

[Chris]

This is no hate. This is no hate to Mack McClunk. I think people keep saying, oh, I'm gonna do. I'm gonna do a dunk contest next year. Zach lavine might come back. Aaron Gordon might come back. I think having big, big names in the dunk contest is the thing that everyone wants. Having LeBron, having Giannis, having anyone who jersey sells well in the dunk contest is usually the thing that indicates All Star Weekend is going to be good. And I mean, like, that's the one thing that everyone keeps Saying that's what I would want to see.

[Jay Jerden]

But do you understand why they don't want to. I used to. And now I'm like, get out there and dunk that damn ball.

[Chris]

I mean, we saw, we saw Zion like go away for however long, come back, do one, 360 dunk, and then never play basketball again. That just happened.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah.

[Chris]

I mean, I think, think that's part of it, is the dunk contest used to be it was going to be you versus people who were just as famous as you. So even if you lost, all the eyes were on you. Now I think because so many sort of like, you know, less famous names are in a dunk contest. You don't want to get. You don't want to.

[Jay Jerden]

You want to lose to Mac McClung.

[Chris]

Yeah, you don't want to lose Mac McClung. But you also, if it's. If your homeboys aren't there, if everyone's just on the sidelines watching you go, oh, I want to go over there. I want to have to participate. I want to go. So I don't know, I don't know how we make it. I don't want. It's not, it's voluntary. That's the other thing.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah, you don't have to do it.

[Chris]

Yeah, you don't have to do.

[Jay Jerden]

But I feel like it used to be like a honor or it used to be like a. I'm doing a dunk contest.

[Chris]

I don't even think it's reflective of the game changing that much because the three point contest is still very popular. People still want to do that. We talk about car. Anthony Towns, he wanted to do it a couple years ago. Like, everyone's like, okay, do it. Like, I think the dunk contest is the real indicator to me, it's the indicator of how well All Star weekend is going to go.

[Jay Jerden]

The dunk contest.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah. And, and what did it tell you this year?

[Chris]

It, it told me that if the dunk contest is the groundhog of like the year. Yeah. White boys are up six more weeks of winner. Six more weeks to win.

[Jay Jerden]

Did you see this has been a topic of debate among our staff? Did you see Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul?

[Chris]

They got DQ'd.

[Jay Jerden]

Yes.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Jay Jerden]

So you saw this controversy of. They basically read the rules of the skills contest and found that if you follow it to the letter of the law, you don't really have to take these shots. You can just kinda toss em towards the net and keep going. And then obviously we're told, oh, There it was, it was down at the bottom of this page. They were DQ'd from the skills competition. So do you think they were. Were they right?

[Chris]

Were they right? Were they.

[Jay Jerden]

Was it correct to disqualify them or not?

[Chris]

It's the kind of like, I'm gonna expand and go a little bit bigger. It's the whole kind of like, Doge aspect of the world.

[Jay Jerden]

Here we go.

[Chris]

Everyone is trying to gamify and perfect the system. Instead of like being really good, they're trying to find the most effective, efficient route. It's like, it's like if someone would be like, oh, that's, that's. It's a. It's an ugly way to play the game, but a very smart basketball play. It's. It's like one of those things, right? Oh, I know all the rules. I know the ins and outs. Technically I don't have to do these things. And I think it is reflective of being like, how do I gamify this system? How can I get the most reward out of like the least amount of work? Or like the smartest thing? And sometimes that's fine. I don't love it and I don't love it. From Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama. Right.

[Jay Jerden]

On All Star Weekend.

[Chris]

Yeah. Two people who, in my head, I go, no, showcase that you're such good genetic freaks. Victor Wembanyama, you are literally from Space Jam. You're a monster. Please show these people how good you are at all of these things. We don't expect people who are 711 to be good at.

[Jay Jerden]

You know, we've gathered here for a competition of skills.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Jay Jerden]

So perhaps show me one, two or three of them.

[Chris]

It's when people try to like, gamify the system where I go, oh, my God. It's also like. And I do a lot of like, sports to comedy analogy. It's a little bit like that. Like right now, if you see someone who in my opinion is like, oh, yeah, I'm so good at this one thing. And this one thing is like every week on TikTok, they show a baby eating a lemon. You're going to do numbers, but I don't know if you actually are like showing your skills.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah.

[Chris]

You just hack the system.

[Jay Jerden]

You baby eating a lemon. Yeah.

[Chris]

And people are going to be like, this is so interesting.

[Jay Jerden]

This is the cutest baby in a lemon I've ever seen.

[Chris]

But that's what it feels like. It feels a little bit like that. Like anyone who says, oh, I don't have to do Good. Let me just cheat this system a little bit.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah, yeah. Like, I think metaphorically, I'm trying to understand how Brady, our producer, was like, I'm on their side on this. And I think metaphorically, the idea of if all that's expected of you is what's written on the paper, then you owe it. You do not owe it to your overlords to do more than what is asked of you. Yes, I'm with that. Yes, I vibe with that. This isn't that to me because this is All Star Weekend. Everybody has gathered to watch the competition of your skills. So, yes, maybe the guy who wrote the rules down for this didn't specifically write. Please make sure you are trying participate in the skill.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Jay Jerden]

You on the three point. You maybe try to shoot a three pointer. Like it's. They assumed the unwritten part. And you. I don't think that the NBA All Star should be going. Well, it doesn't say technically that we.

[Chris]

Have to shoot it, because isn't that the worst person in school?

[Jay Jerden]

Yes. Yes.

[Chris]

Well, technically.

[Jay Jerden]

Technically, it's like when you read to the end of the test and then you realize that they had said, read all the instructions. And the last instruction was, do not complete this test. But somebody would hand in the paper and you were filling yours out. And I'm like, how is she done? And then you get in trouble for doing the work.

[Chris]

It'd be like, if you're reading this, you can skip to the last question. The last question is, what are you gonna do this summer? And you just write it in. And the teacher's like, yeah, the people who actually read, they all got a 100.

[Jay Jerden]

You're supposed to read all the instructions. And I'm like, ma'am, I have an undiagnosed learning disability. I need to get to work. I can't read all the questions. I'm going run out of time. Okay. SNL 50.

[Chris]

Yes.

[Jay Jerden]

Okay. So I don't know your thoughts yet, but I really want to talk to you about it because to me it felt like, if I'm brutally honest and embarrassed by this, I kind of tuned in, being like, well, this is going to stink. And it didn't. I really liked it. Yeah.

[Chris]

Yeah. Well, I think it had. It had all of the factors. It was hyped up. It was very well marketed. We kept. We kept hearing about it. We knew it was coming, and they really brought back everyone and gave every person there a moment.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah.

[Chris]

And I think we had the. Both the. The benefits of nostalgia and surprise and those two Things kind of really work well. We also had people saying things that we were ex. We were excited to see people's takes. We were excited to hear from people that might have been controversial. We were excited to. I mean, getting to see Eddie do Tracy Morgan that. You know what I mean? That's hilarious. Getting to see Black Jeopardy. Come back. Getting to. I mean, when Steve Martin said. We love. When Steve Martin shouted out the writers. And then it just showed the SNL writers outside in the rain.

[Jay Jerden]

That's perfect.

[Chris]

That's perfect. That's amazing.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah, it's very funny.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Jay Jerden]

I thought it was like a fun little. I don't know. Not that I think I'm, like, immune to nostalgia, but I like to think of myself as, like, well, they can't get me that way, and, boy, did they get me that way. There were so many times, like, seeing Mike Myers come out and say that he was veklempt. I was like, oh, my God, this was. It, like, reminded me of when it was too late to be awake when I was, like, a kid and I was, like, not supposed to be watching this.

[Chris]

It reminded me also of when, before streaming existed, the only way to see old SNL. Do you remember this? Was on VH1.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah.

[Chris]

You would go to VH1 or E.

[Jay Jerden]

Or VH1 at, like, 11 and 12 in the morning.

[Chris]

So many old, kind of old episodes of snl. That's what I was, like, introduced to. The episodes that happened before. I was, like, watching it regularly. That's like, kind of how I was like, oh, Sherry O'Terry's hilarious. I was like, you know what I mean?

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah. It was just so cool, I think, to see everybody's faces together to see who made who break. Yeah. To see, like, Meryl Streep maybe forget a line. And you were like, oh, my God. Like, it was. It was, like, chaotic good. And it made me feel like. It makes me even nauseous to say, like. Like hope and happiness. It was such a strange feeling.

[Chris]

I felt like all the best parts of an award show.

[Jay Jerden]

Yes.

[Chris]

Even having. I mean, very shrewd to even have, like, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, like. Yeah. Basically do things that we were like this. Okay. This would have been great at the Golden Globes. Not I. That sort of. That sort of kind of feeling around that show. And it felt important. It felt big. They did the musical show before the actual show. So it felt like there was a whole weekend. It felt like SNL All Star Weekend.

[Jay Jerden]

Which was crazy because nothing happened on Saturday. You're like, they have a concert Friday show something. Like it's in the name. It's like, the only thing if you know nothing about it, you know it's live and it's on Saturday. But, yeah, I thought it was great. I thought Colin Quinn got robbed in the ranking of Weekend Update hosts.

[Chris]

Bill Murray's. Bill Murray's black Weekend Update host joke was hilarious. Oh, okay.

[Jay Jerden]

I just like Colin Quinn. I like Colin Quinn. I think I would have put him. At least. I would have put him at, like, 8.

[Chris]

I wouldn't have put Colin Quinn at the bottom. Yeah, that was silly to me. Yeah, I would have ranked him higher. I mean, he's one of the few people who. Yeah, yeah.

[Jay Jerden]

I love Colin Quinn. I just like to speak out in defense of Colin Quinn anytime that I can. I'm trying to think if there was anything else that really got me from SNL that I was like, oh, I liked seeing Lil Wayne. I like seeing Lil Wayne perform. Because there was, like, all this conversation around the super bowl, will he bring out Lil Wayne? And then there was all the people being like, lil Wayne's not the Lil Wayne you're remembering. It's not gonna go well. And I think, like, seeing him perform at SNL and, like, edit himself.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Jay Jerden]

Took all the words he wasn't supposed to say. Had no mistakes in that regard. Like, I. He was.

[Chris]

I.

[Jay Jerden]

It was good to see him.

[Chris]

I thought that Wayne. I liked it. I wasn't. I was never of the camp that he couldn't have done the Super Bowl. I know a lot of people were like, oh, he can't do it. He doesn't have the stage presence, the person, the, like, performance quality, and, like, he's forgotten all the words and he's gonna curse accidentally. I was never in that camp. I always would have thought, that's great. It's New Orleans. It would have been great. Master P was there at the beginning of the Super Bowl. I would have loved Wayne. I think that the whole kind of debacle about Kendrick and Wayne also was connected to the fact that, like, Drake is a Wayne protege. And, like, that was a whole kind of thing that some people talked about explicitly. And some people just kind of were like, well, no, it's not going to happen because of this.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah.

[Chris]

People were saying Wayne could have been a guest for Kendrick, but then that probably would have, like, you know, made his relationship with Drake a bit more tenuous. So I think. I think that, like, I'm happy Wayne performed. I would love to see him get his flower and get to perform, like, a medley of his greatest hits soon. That would make me happy. I mean, also, if he keeps doing stuff like this, people are going to be like, oh, he does have the performance.

[Jay Jerden]

Not. We weren't. We were just besmirching him for no reason. It was good. I thought it was good.

[Chris]

There also were so many times where one of my. One of my friends was like, There were a lot of times where I had to be like, oh, yeah, Lorne Michaels knows, like, every rock star over 60.

[Jay Jerden]

Yes.

[Chris]

Like. Like all of them. Like, and they would come in for a bit, like, the tiniest amount.

[Jay Jerden]

And also, it's. It's no disrespect to music legends, but they're. They're. I. I've heard enough from a couple of them. You know, I've heard enough from a couple of them. Is that fair to say?

[Chris]

It is. You're not wrong.

[Jay Jerden]

I've just heard enough from a couple of them.

[Chris]

You're not wrong.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah.

[Chris]

At a certain age, you can't sit down.

[Jay Jerden]

It's just like, we get it.

[Chris]

We heard.

[Jay Jerden]

We get it. Somehow, some way, someone will find an issue with that, and I'll stand by it. Have you followed this? Noah Lyle's Tyreek Hill. The race rivalry. Yeah.

[Chris]

Where they keep saying they're gonna race.

[Jay Jerden]

But they don't race. So for those who don't know, Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill, he's 30 years old, and Olympic champion Noah Lyles, he's 27. They have now agreed to race each other this spring or summer. They told People magazine in a joint interview.

[Chris]

You know who I think is the fastest between the two of them? Noah Lyles, Tyreek Hill's sperm. That's who's fastest.

[Jay Jerden]

They are efficient. They certainly get to where they're going to. They don't miss. They don't have a history of missing.

[Chris]

Not at all. Yeah, That's. Who's the fastest.

[Jay Jerden]

This has been an ongoing thing for quite some time now. This is a quote, and I mean, everybody's seen the back and forth on social media. Tyreek Hill said, quote, I've been very adamant to show people what real, true speed looks like. Hill believes he will showcase the NFL, that NFL athletes are multi dimensional and that, quote, we can come and take over your sport at any minute if we really wanted to.

[Chris]

Well, no, because you're training for your specific sport, your niche sport. All right? We're talking about change of direction. We're talking about route running. We're talking about fighting for a ball versus point, a To point B. As fast as possible. As fast as the world.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah.

[Chris]

Like, I just don't think. I don't think they need to compete. I don't think they need to race. It's very elementary school to me. They'd be like, nuh.

[Jay Jerden]

I don't understand, because I believe this was all started by Tyrique. I don't think Noah threw the first stone. I think Tyreek started being like, I'm faster than that guy. And I feel like it comes from a very basic, easy to understand place of, like, everyone's talking about the world's fastest man because of the Olympics and Tyreek sitting there with his arms crossed. Like, I'm fast.

[Chris]

Yeah. But I don't. None of the no receivers used to do this. They never used to be like, I'm fasting Michael Johnson. They never used to think.

[Jay Jerden]

Because it's absurd.

[Chris]

It's crazy. No. No NFL receiver. Okay. No. Like, no one was like, I'm faster than Usain Ball. Like, it just wasn't.

[Jay Jerden]

Because it's absurd.

[Chris]

They just.

[Jay Jerden]

If you want to say if Noah Lyles matched up against me, if he played corner against me, I could beat him to the ball. That's fair to say. Because that's not a foot race. No. Lyle's literal sport that he trains for is just running.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Jay Jerden]

Pure running.

[Chris]

It's also, like, this is very popular right now. I think I show speed at. Maybe it was one of the. It was. Was it the flag football Pro Bowl?

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah.

[Chris]

I show speed. Like, the TikTok streamer. He, like, asked to race Sha'carri Richardson, and she was like, I don't do that. I don't do that for free.

[Jay Jerden]

Right.

[Chris]

Number one. Number two, that's, like, my job. You're, with all respect, a fast TikToker and a YouTuber, but you're. You're just asking people to race on the street. That's not what I do. Yeah, a lot of people are kind of, like, getting to the viral aspect of it. Like, a lot of people, like, they want this clip of them kind of like in the same frame as this person going kind of fast because he. I think I should be one of the race. Noel Isles, too. I think he did, and I think.

[Jay Jerden]

He lost doing that. It's so dumb.

[Chris]

I don't think. I don't think these people understand what it means to, like, they dedicate their lives to just running in one direction.

[Jay Jerden]

And we only care about him for, like, five minutes every couple years.

[Chris]

They're not more famous.

[Jay Jerden]

Right. You're Tyree kill. What are you doing?

[Chris]

They're not. They're not getting paid that much more than you like. I don't know. It's weird.

[Jay Jerden]

It's very weird. Date and location for the race still to be determined, but the plan is for the speedsters to face off before Lyles competes in the U.S. championships in July.

[Chris]

Okay. All right.

[Jay Jerden]

So race distance is also TBD. Hill says he prefers to be closer to 40 yards.

[Chris]

No.

[Jay Jerden]

And Lyles favors 100 meters. What? That's. Someone do the conversion. What is that? What are those matched up against each other? 40 yards is a yard, is three feet.

[Chris]

Yeah. Meters and meters.

[Producer]

40 yards is 36 meters.

[Jay Jerden]

40 yards is 36 meters. So he wants it even shorter than 100 meter.

[Chris]

Yeah, yeah, that's. Well, the thing that I'm hearing is you want to do the combine against Noah Lyles.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Chris]

If you want to just do the thing you've already done. And he wants to do the thing he regularly does. Like, once again, this is why it's not gonna work. They're both like, I wanna do my thing. Do your thing.

[Jay Jerden]

He's like, right. And your things aren't the same thing. And that's kinda our point.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Jay Jerden]

Stop talking about doing your things better than each other's things. Well, I'm sure it'll be on Netflix. And I'm looking forward to seeing you on the roast right before it leading up to it.

[Chris]

The roast of Tyreek Hill. It's gonna be me in the Miami.

[Jay Jerden]

Let me say less about Tyreek Hill than I want to. Daytona 500. I'm sure you watched this past weekend.

[Chris]

I can't get enough of that stuff. Turning left. I haven't done it before. I love it politically. That's what. That's. That we need to change that race politically. It's too much turning left in this country. Make it a real race. Make them turn right.

[Jay Jerden]

I mean, how has no one made this point before?

[Chris]

Make them turn correct.

[Jay Jerden]

You guys love it so much. Turn right. Donald Trump became the first president to lead the pace car ahead of the Daytona 500 on Sunday afternoon.

[Chris]

And he did it in the. In the Beast. In. Yeah, in the presidential vehicle.

[Jay Jerden]

Yes. Thank you for calling it what it should be, which is just like, boring car for president. Stop calling it the Beast. It's not the Green Monster. It's a car.

[Chris]

Sunday, Sunday. Sunday.

[Jay Jerden]

The Beast.

[Chris]

The Beast. I grew up in the south, so I heard those monster truck ads all the time.

[Jay Jerden]

All the time. Did you go truck kids?

[Chris]

I Never. I never went to monster truck rallies. The.

[Jay Jerden]

The.

[Chris]

The crazy that I was into. I was really. If you would have taken me to any WWE match when I was younger, I. I would have cried. I would have been so happy. I would have been over. That was my trashy. That was my trashy thing. I love wrestling.

[Jay Jerden]

Are you. And. Have you and Dan talked about this.

[Chris]

About wrestling at all? Yeah, we've talked about a little bit.

[Jay Jerden]

Because, I mean, he's still.

[Chris]

He's still. He's a wrestling historian.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah.

[Chris]

In my opinion, he's.

[Jay Jerden]

There's a way to say it. He's. He's historic. About. About WWE on the radio, like the. That the drivers listened to before the race. President Trump spoke to them and said, this is your favorite president. Presumptive, I guess. Yeah. I'm a big fan. I am a really big fan of you people.

[Chris]

No, you people. How you do this at the Daytona 500? Kind of funny. That's something I would say. I go, I have nothing against you people. Listen, I love casserole. I love sunscreen. I know what y'all like. I know what y'all need. Shout out to Mack McClung. He just look at y'all, your people. I don't wanna be stereotypical, but you people, you jump high, you can jump in high, you jump high, and you run fast. That's the stereotype about you people at the Daytona 500.

[Jay Jerden]

How you do this, I don't know. He's talking about driving a car. But I just want you to be safe. You're talented people, great people and great Americans. Have a good day. Have a lot of fun, and I'll see you later.

[Chris]

Funny. That's what sucks about someone being so unqualified for their job. Every now and then, you're gonna make me giggle. You're gonna make me giggle because of the incongruity of the situation. I'm a big fan of you people. Guess what? Guess what? He's gonna play that same recording for the NBA All Star Game. I'm a big fan of you people.

[Jay Jerden]

I don't know how you do it.

[Chris]

I don't know.

[Jay Jerden]

I just want you to be safe.

[Chris]

In regards to. In regards to Draymond. I love you people.

[Jay Jerden]

This is your favorite president. I'm a big fan. Name three who's in the pole position? Trump.

[Chris]

That can't you know what would happen. I really feel like they just, like, aied words he had already said.

[Jay Jerden]

It sounded like, I hate to go down this path, but it sounded. It sounded like listening to him, you're like, oh, he sounds digital. He doesn't sound with us.

[Chris]

Those words together in post.

[Jay Jerden]

They also. He's also. They. They say a prayer before Daytona 500.

[Chris]

All right.

[Jay Jerden]

I think it's called, like an invocation.

[Chris]

Do opposing religions get taboo?

[Jay Jerden]

Good question. I don't think they're there.

[Chris]

Okay.

[Jay Jerden]

I don't think they let them in the building.

[Chris]

It's not a lot. See, they told him 500. There could be.

[Jay Jerden]

There could be. There could be. So they. In the prayer, they. They prayed for Donald Trump to do what I think be okay.

[Chris]

He'S not. So.

[Jay Jerden]

And then pray. And then they had a. And then they had a car race.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Jay Jerden]

The whole thing feels. Air Force One flew over it. Did a flyover with Air Force One. Not a. Not like a fighter jet. Not a. Cool. The Air Force One.

[Chris]

Wow. The real plane.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah. That's unsafe. I feel. I thought we were trying not to.

[Chris]

I've never seen anyone really be like, listen, I know where. I know what side my bread is buttered on. I'm going to a place.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah.

[Chris]

Where I'm gonna get a 15 minute standing ovation minimum.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah.

[Chris]

And I'm not even gonna know these people's names. You people. I'm a big fan of you people.

[Jay Jerden]

Love what you do. You disgusting people.

[Chris]

Whoever Daytona is, I'm so happy that you're 500 now. Happy birthday, Daytona. Happy birthday, Daytona. I love that. I've heard it's a big number. You look great for 500.

[Jay Jerden]

Oh, God. Brutal. Oh, and this is very exciting news that I don't know if you know. A former child star placed 10th in the NASCAR Truck Series at Daytona. You don't know. Okay, good.

[Chris]

So we're. I know who it is.

[Jay Jerden]

Oh, you do?

[Chris]

It's Frankie Muniz.

[Jay Jerden]

Oh, man. You knew.

[Chris]

Yeah, I've been watching.

[Jay Jerden]

We would guess. How did you know that?

[Chris]

Well, because whenever I see Frankie Muniz on the timeline, I go, please, not this time. Don't take Frankie. And it wasn't.

[Jay Jerden]

Thank God.

[Chris]

He was racing.

[Jay Jerden]

Thank God. 10. 10th place is good.

[Chris]

That's huge.

[Jay Jerden]

That's huge.

[Chris]

Hell, yeah.

[Jay Jerden]

In a NASCAR developmental league. So are you. Did you watch Malcolm in the Middle?

[Chris]

I watched Malcolm in the Middle.

[Jay Jerden]

You didn't. Is that bad? No.

[Chris]

It's fun to laugh of poor people. I. That's what the show was. That's what the show was. Brian Cranston was. He was poor and people were like, stop having kids. And he did it. And Frankie Muniz was. Was on it. With his four, three other. With his three brothers and his black asthmatic friend. And they just kind of went through stuff.

[Jay Jerden]

It was fun.

[Chris]

It was.

[Jay Jerden]

I don't remember what. I don't know if it, like, didn't time out with me or I was watching something else. What was. It's like what ran at the same time.

[Chris]

Were you popular in school?

[Jay Jerden]

No.

[Chris]

Okay, well, then you should have been watching it. Yeah, it was. It was that era of Fox comedies where it was kind of a dark comedy. I would say it pre. What kind of is in the same lineage of.

[Jay Jerden]

Ooh.

[Chris]

It was. I would say it's a precursor to. Precursor to a lot of the comedic elements of an Arrested development.

[Jay Jerden]

Right.

[Chris]

Where Arrested Development was a dysfunctional rich family. Yeah. Are the producers agreeing this? Okay. Yeah. Arrest development, Dysfunctional rich family, Malcolm and Middle. Dysfunctional poor family and kind of antics and hilarity ensues.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah, that sounds right. That feels spiritually correct. I watched Arrested Development. I think I just was too young maybe to grasp the nuance of Malcolm in the Middle.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Jay Jerden]

Or am I making excuses for myself? What year was Malcolm in the middle? 2000.

[Chris]

It was 2000. I want to say 2000.

[Jay Jerden]

2000 to 2006. Okay. I was in high school. That was firmly high school. I probably should have understood it and watched it.

[Chris]

I mean, I thought. I thought it was funny because it was naughty. There were, like, elements of it that when you're a high school boy, you're like, oh, what can I get away with watching? What can I be bad about?

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah. Well, now he drives for nascar. Okay, so are we gonna watch nascar?

[Chris]

If there was an entire league of former child stars racing.

[Jay Jerden]

Ok, let's talk about this.

[Chris]

That I would watch that Wacky Races, but with people.

[Jay Jerden]

We aren't doing enough, like, celebrity reality show, but making it sport. We aren't doing enough, like, making them live together. So we can observe that but also perform tasks. Sport tasks.

[Chris]

Well, it's. It's like MTV Rock Jock. Now I get to Celebrity All Star Game. I would love to see an entire, like, range of child stars and people who were famous from the late 90s, early 2000s.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah.

[Chris]

Race in vehicles.

[Jay Jerden]

Great. Name some of your favorites.

[Chris]

Okay, well, we have to put Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie in a car, obviously.

[Jay Jerden]

Same car.

[Chris]

Same car. Same car together.

[Jay Jerden]

You can't split the brain into two different cars.

[Chris]

What would they do now? We have. We have Frankie Muniz easily.

[Jay Jerden]

Right.

[Chris]

That's easy to do. I think we could also. We. Jalil White wants some Attention. Right now, put Jaleel White in the Urkel mobile.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah.

[Chris]

Okay, perfect. We have all these different people. Who else could we do? Who would you want to see?

[Jay Jerden]

I'm thinking like, maybe we do. Maybe we pull like somebody from maybe a Mary Kate and Ashley.

[Chris]

Okay. Okay. In just the skinniest car in a.

[Jay Jerden]

In a tiny thimble. Racing. Who else, child? Well, I mean, how far back do we go? Like, do we go to the like troubled child?

[Chris]

Yes.

[Jay Jerden]

Stars that have survived. Which Cory do we still have with us?

[Chris]

Corey Fellman.

[Jay Jerden]

And what if it's. Maybe he gets in there.

[Chris]

Yeah, he's gonna be in that car. Yeah. With. Put a fedora on the car so we know it's his car.

[Jay Jerden]

You gotta know. You have to let us know. It's almost like you have to let us know when you move to the neighborhood. And then I want.

[Chris]

I want some one hit wonders too. I want some singers.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah. Like a Tatiana Ali.

[Chris]

Oh, you know who Ivan said. Yes. I would love that. I would even put. I would put a. I would put. Do we have Milli Vanilli? Either of the Millies left?

[Jay Jerden]

Okay. I don't know. Did they do anything after Milling and Vanilling? Did they continue to.

[Chris]

Well, I mean, Katie, they didn't even really. Milli or Vanilling.

[Jay Jerden]

You're kidding.

[Chris]

They just. Breaking news.

[Jay Jerden]

Wait, what? That's it. That's what happened in sports this week. I don't know if you had anything else that you noticed that you wanted to talk about because you have the opportunity to be as sportsy as you want to here.

[Chris]

All Star Game. That was the big sports thing for me. That's the big thing that I was kind of interested in.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah.

[Chris]

I love the NBA. I grew up watching the NBA. I. I have thoughts about where the game is headed.

[Jay Jerden]

What's. What. Like what Commish, I think.

[Chris]

And this is so wild to me, I think that we were talking about gamifying the game.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah.

[Chris]

And because everyone's recent argument is the reason it's hard to watch. The reason it's like a 3 and D game is because people have perfected the game.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah.

[Chris]

I think we need people to be bad. We need some bad NBA players because now everyone's too good. Everyone shows a reverse layup highlight now and they'll go, michael Jordan did this and we lost our minds. Now people are doing it and it's not even in. It's not even making Sports center top 10.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah.

[Chris]

We need to put some average Joes back on the NBA. Stage. We need some. We need some people who are just. Okay. I also understand that nostalgia is a big part of what I'm missing, too.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah.

[Chris]

Like, that's what a lot of people kind of whenever they go, oh, it's different, I go, of course it's different.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah. It has to evolve.

[Chris]

Yeah. Even when Charles. Even when Charles Barkley is talking about how terrible teams are now, I'm like, but also, the reason we let you say this is because it's funny for old men to shit on young kids.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah.

[Chris]

That's why we're letting you say these things, Chuckster. Like that. That's why. You know what I mean? It's never like. I love this expert analysis.

[Jay Jerden]

This is really helpful stuff. No, you're talking about kids. Yeah.

[Chris]

I want to hear you call the women from San Antonio fat. Come on, say. You know what I mean? It's like when. Speaking of sitcoms. It's a 90s sitcom. Charles comes in, the crowd goes, is he going to say it? Say it. Say it. It's a big old woman down in San Antonio. They are big.

[Jay Jerden]

Jerdon, thank you so much for being here. Where can. Where can people find you? Are you on the road?

[Chris]

Yes, I'm on the road. I'm touring all over. You can find tickets on my website. You can also follow me on all socials. It's just J Jordan, J, Y, J, U, R, D, E, N. On all socials? That's Instagram. That's TikTok. That's also Twitter. Yes, I'm still on Twitter. I'm on Twitter because I like mess. I like drama. Okay.

[Jay Jerden]

The bots, though. The bots are fucking with it.

[Chris]

You wanna know why I'm on Twitter? I'm on Twitter because every now and then, something tied to this world happens. Every now and then. You know what you see on Twitter? You see a picture of Blake Griffin in tiny red shorts. And all of my gay friends say, please crush my head. That's what you see. You don't get that on Instagram. Instagram. You don't get that on Facebook. You don't get it on Tick Tock. You get it on Twitter.

[Jay Jerden]

It's not on Blue sky, folks.

[Chris]

Not. Well, it's on Blue Sky a little bit. Yeah. That's what I love. I love a. I love the fact that on Twitter everyone was like, this guy apparently is in the super bowl. And it's a picture of Saquon Barkley from the Bodies Issue. And all of my friends are like, I'm gonna watch this basketball Game, whatever's happening.

[Jay Jerden]

Oh, that was fun. Oh, what a fun. What a fun little treat on a Tuesday before we let you go. You know what it is. You already know. You're not new here. We tell you what to watch if you want to watch some sports this week. And we do that with the help of our producer, Chris. Now, before you start, Chris, I have to apologize to the audience and I have to say totally my bad for the Four nations thing. My bad for not letting you know that was coming up. I am doing a lot, and it's not a lot in the grand scheme of life, but it's a lot in the grand scheme of the life of a lady who hasn't been doing nothing for a little bit. So my bad, my oversight. But we will not be making mistakes like that again, which is why. What's the first thing we're watching if we want to watch sports this week? Chris?

[Producer]

The Four nations face off championship.

[Jay Jerden]

Ever heard of it?

[Producer]

USA versus Canada. That's at 8:00pm Eastern on Thursday. And you can watch that one on espn. Don't miss another game that starts off with three fights in nine seconds.

[Jay Jerden]

Just don't do it. I mean, what if this one's four fights? What if it's five fights? Like, I do not know know the critical mass of fights in hockey. I've obviously aware that they're allowed. I'm obviously aware of their existence, which is fun because we found out today Isabella did not know that. She got to find that out in front of us today. Isabella, share with our listeners a little bit of what went through your head when we showed you the beginning of that hockey game.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Jay Jerden]

I had no idea that hockey was, like, genuinely a part of the game. Like, I thought it was just like fighting. Did I say hockey is a part of the game? Yeah. And it is. It was a part of this game. Barely. I just realized that I didn't know that fighting was. Was a part of hockey like that. I knew it happened, but I didn't know, like, when I said that, like, are there fines? You were like, no, no. So they just let them fight. Like, that's genuinely. Yeah. In most. I mean.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Jay Jerden]

In most cases, if you. If you bring them to the ground, that's when you'll notice the ref, like, will blow a whistle. Obviously, if there's, like, anything crazy that happens. I think if you pull a jersey over a head, I don't think you can do that anymore. And I also. Helmet used to. You're not supposed to take your own. I don't think you can take off someone else's or maybe your own. I don't know. I could brush up on this, but what a boring thing to brush up on. There's like little rules for the most part. They're like, let them get it out. Let them just have it out. Interesting. And I realized that hockey was that much of like a, like had a performance aspect. Yeah, that's why it's kind of sick. Did you hear that crowd? Like, it rules it. Look, tensions bubbling over. And I think I've already said before, but I will state again, ideologically, maybe I'm not necessarily aligned with the side that I'm rooting for, but this is how international sports works. You have to root for your country. Like, those are our guys. We, we can't spend too much time litigating those guys and who their guys are. Let's deal with that at home. But while we're out here in the world, it's, you know, usa. I think you got. Can I. Actually, I think some of you will watch this. Producers, I feel like two of you might even tune into this. Am I way off base?

[Producer]

I'll tune in.

[Chris]

Yeah, sure.

[Producer]

I haven't. Yeah, I haven't caught any of the other games yet, but this is the championship. This is the big deal. This is the. Yeah, this is, this is the big one. So I'm gonna, I'm gonna check it out. I'm gonna root for some fights. We'll see what happens. I'm excited.

[Jay Jerden]

The fascinating thing to me is while we're having this conversation about the NBA needing to fix their All Star game, some NHL players speaking about that first USA Canada game that wasn't even the final, the one that they played in the round robin. They were like, this is like the biggest game I've played in my career. That's crazy. You're not hearing that from, from NBA All Star Weekend. So to imagine that now that's turned up even higher. It's in our house, it's in Boston, so it's on our soil. The last game was in Canada, 8pm on Thursday on ESPN. Sorry, Chris, you had more things you wanted us to watch. What's the next one?

[Producer]

The second thing I want you all to watch is women's college basketball. On Sunday we have sixth ranked South Carolina against Vanderbilt. That's at 3pm on Sunday. You can watch that game on the SEC Network, ESPN. The reason why I wanted to bring up this game, Katie, is because Vanderbilt's Mikaela Blakes scored A freshman record 55 points. And they went against Auburn on Sunday, so I wanted to highlight her performance. She also scored 53 points last month against Florida. So in the last few weeks, Michaela Blakes is on an absolute tear. She's playing against one of the best teams in the country. Everyone should shoot in, not just to watch South Carolina, but to watch Vanderbilt's Michaela Blakes.

[Jay Jerden]

Two games of 50 or more points. That's a record, right, For a freshman. So good for her. That's amazing. Also, I mean, South Carolina, a fan favorite, so that'll be a good game to tune in. I always get surprised by how early I'm supposed to start caring about college basketball.

[Producer]

Super Bowl's over. Well, really, it should be January 1st once they start conference play. That's when everyone should get into it. But I'm gonna allow some leeway for people.

[Jay Jerden]

Oh, he'll allow it.

[Producer]

I'll allow it.

[Jay Jerden]

He'll allow it. Yeah, I'm gonna. I usually wait until the. Until it's that. That month of craziness. I usually wait, and then I go, oh, it's March, so that's the time I'm gonna start caring. And then usually then it's not even till, like, the second. I think the less information I go into March Madness with, the better I do, so.

[Producer]

But this for your bracket at least.

[Jay Jerden]

Yes, exactly.

[Producer]

I'll sprinkle in some stuff every now and then. Once we get to champ week especially, I'll stop bringing in.

[Jay Jerden]

Chris is gonna keep us in the now. But this is. This actually sounds like a really good and interesting game. And I will say, I don't know if it's on all of their broadcasts, but I like the team that ESPN puts together for women's basketball stuff, so that should be fun. And then there's one more. A little bit of a wild card.

[Producer]

Yeah. I've wanted to bring this up for the last few weeks, and I feel like now is the right time to do that.

[Jay Jerden]

Sorry for holding you back.

[Producer]

It's all good. It's premier league darts. I don't know how much y'all watch darts, how much you care about darts.

[Jay Jerden]

Darts is, in case you're wondering, like, is that man saying darts? He is. It's. It's okay. Keep going.

[Producer]

Thank you for just helping ya. Clarifying there.

[Jay Jerden]

Just helping ya.

[Producer]

This is at 2:15pm Eastern on Thursday. You know, when you're home, you're gonna have to get PDC tv. That's professional darts. There is a subscription. It's only, like, a few bucks, but it's worth it because darts is so much fun. I've been watching darts for, on and off for probably the last 10, 15 years, something like that. It's always a lot of fun at this time of year. We've got some of the biggest names in darts playing at the moment. This kid, Luke Littler is an up and coming superstar. He is the face of darts at the moment. Sort of taking over Michael van Gerwen, who's. It's funny. So as I was going through the world rankings, right, because they, they list the matchup. So we've got like number one, Luke Humphreys, against number five, Steve Bunting. We got number three, Michael Van Gogh and against number eight, Chris Dobie. They're not called world rankings. They are called. That is the order of merit.

[Jay Jerden]

Sick.

[Producer]

It's very official. It's very like prestigious. So Michael Van Gerwin is third in the order of merit and Luke Humphries is number one in the order of merit. So these are the guys to watch out for. Luke Litler is number two in the order of merit. So these are the guys to watch. Darts is firstly, the crowd is always nuts. The crowd's always up and about chanting. It sounds like a soccer atmosphere, but in like a small hall, watching these guys throw darts at a board. Whenever you get a nine dart finish, which is like when you just. It takes nine darts to get to that 501. Because the aim of darts, you start off with 501 and you have to hit the dartboard.

[Jay Jerden]

Until we all knew that.

[Producer]

Yeah, until you get to that 501 mark.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah.

[Producer]

So nine darts finish is when you. We get that 501 within nine darts. And the crowd always goes ballistic. The commentators always go off. It is so much fun. And this year, especially at. There's added incentive for players to actually get a 9 data. Because whoever throws a 9 data this season will receive a gold set of darts worth £30,000 per set.

[Jay Jerden]

Whoa.

[Producer]

So that's gonna be a lot of fun.

[Jay Jerden]

That's it.

[Chris]

That's.

[Jay Jerden]

And that's just starting this year.

[Producer]

Yeah, it's just a new added incentive.

[Jay Jerden]

They played for nothing. It was just the, it was just the love of the game.

[Producer]

Well, it helps you win the game.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Producer]

But it's just, it's, it's.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah, it's just like if they, if, you know, they haven't been around that long and now that they're, you know, they're finally having a pro, it's just like an interesting time to introduce a new prize Look, I don't know. I'm nitpicking. I'm in. I'm in. I just can't believe they have their own streaming service that I can't find this on, like, a Fubo.

[Producer]

Huge. Like, in the uk. In Australia, it's getting really big as well.

[Jay Jerden]

I know.

[Producer]

They're having a competition at Madison Square Garden later this year.

[Jay Jerden]

When.

[Producer]

Which we should go to in June. The US Darts Masters.

[Jay Jerden]

Will you remind me? Because I'm gonna forget.

[Producer]

Yeah, we'll go. We should organize something as a team.

[Jay Jerden]

Okay. I mean, are we gonna get super into darts?

[Producer]

We should.

[Jay Jerden]

I. And I'm. And I. And it's just a couple dollars to stream this. You're saying I don't want to have this? I got so many streaming services, Chris. This is PDC tv. There's nobody that has it that. They don't show it on the Ocho or anything.

[Producer]

No, but I think the more we talk about it here, maybe we could get it brought across. We can get someone smart. Yeah, we gotta grow it. We've gotta help grow.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah, we gotta show the audience exists. That's totally right.

[Producer]

Exactly.

[Jay Jerden]

And then maybe we can get starts here.

[Producer]

It starts with this podcast.

[Jay Jerden]

And maybe we can get Luke Littler over here. Maybe he can. Maybe he'll chat with us. Maybe.

[Producer]

That'd be great. Michael Van Gogh and I met Michael Van Gerwen a few years ago. Very nice fella. He can help us out. Get him on the pod.

[Jay Jerden]

Context. Did you meet him?

[Producer]

I was a producer in radio in Melbourne, and we were, like, the sponsors of the darts competition that was going on in Melbourne. So they came through the studio.

[Jay Jerden]

I pictured that you ran into him out somewhere and said, michael Van Gerwin. And I just was picturing the look on his face, as if he'd be like, yes, that is me. I. Do you like darts? But no, he knew that you were gonna. You were mean. Okay, so it's not as interesting based.

[Producer]

On the amount of people that went to those darts matchups in Melbourne. When I went, what have we been, like, 2016, maybe? There was a lot of people and everyone was very excited.

[Jay Jerden]

I'm not trying to besmirch. I am just new to the darts community. So let me go ahead and dive in a little. It seems fun. I think they should be allowed to drink. I assume they aren't.

[Producer]

Oh, they are. Yeah. Everyone in the crowd is drunk. They're dressed up. No, I mean the signs that they run.

[Jay Jerden]

The darters.

[Producer]

Oh, the players. I don't know Maybe.

[Jay Jerden]

Oh, I mean, like, they should be.

[Producer]

Able to have a beer during the matchup. Interesting.

[Jay Jerden]

Yeah. Yes. It's a pub sport. It's same thing. I feel the same way about Cornhole, which I'm sure we'll get into eventually because that's on the rise. Cornhole's out here. Really doing it. All right, I think these are three good examples of things we could watch this week if we wanted to watch sports. So make sure you tune into espn, SEC Network, ESPN and pdctv, folks, for these hard hitting sports. All right, that's it for casuals. Thank you guys for listening to episode, what, nine now? Man, it's only been nine. We're not even at 10 yet, and I already feel like we're starting to figure out who we are. We love you guys. We really appreciate you listening. Be sure to rate us, review us, tell your friends about us. Oh, this is. This had nowhere to go in the show. But I do need to say I'm watching the Penguin on hbo. I know I'm behind. I know it came out a while ago, but I just got to episode four and Kristen Milioti, you're a goddess. You're like the most incredible actress I've ever seen in my life, and I'm obsessed with you. And if anybody in your life, listeners, has told you to listen to, to go watch the Penguin, I really think you should. It's really good. And she's just amazing. And I'm pretty sure she might have kissed my husband in a movie. I never watched it. They were in like a little rom com together and I didn't watch it because I. I'm not built that way. I'm not built to watch the person I love kiss other people. I. I don't enjoy that at all. And so I stayed away from it for my own mental health. And now I'm like, God damn it, did she kiss him? She's cool. Anyway, that's it for the podcast. I love you. Thank you for listening. We'll see you next week. No, we'll see you on Thursday. We have to do two of these every single week. Send us emails and voicemails and stuff. We love you. We mean it. Bye.