
It’s Super Bowl week, and the only thing anyone wants to talk about is…NBA trades? Sports commentator Mike Golic Jr. jumps on the show live from Radio Row to talk about the pop culture equivalent of the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade, why it’s difficult to find new narratives for this Super Bowl matchup, how Mike fared against Joey Chestnut in an eating competition, and why a piece of jewelry was the biggest takeaway from this year's Grammy Awards.
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Katie Nolan
Hello. Welcome to Casuals, the podcast that gets you all caught up on sports but isn't like boring. Uh, today on the pod, the trade winds are a blowing. We got a blockbuster NBA trade. Miles Garrett requesting a trade. Cooper cup reportedly being traded trade like tariff trade. We got a lot going on. It's super bowl week. We're talking about basketball and super bowl week. Mike Golick Jr. Is going to join us from Radio Row in just a second to talk about all of that. A Grammys recap, a lot of Taylor Swift stuff. We're gonna get into all that in just a second. But first we start this podcast as we start every podcast with Did I say my name? I'm Katie Nolan. Hi, I'm the host. Hi, I'm Katie Nolan. I host this podcast and the podcast starts with me yapping. And that's where I just sort of talk to you about something I've been thinking about. Not fully formed thoughts. These aren't typed out monologues, folks. It's just the way I'm feeling as a sports fan this week and this week the thing that stood out to me, try as I might to have it not, because God knows I don't want to get in the politics waters. I'm a hockey fan and a trend happening across sports right now. But hockey being predominantly being, you know, a largely Canadian sport, that's their national pastime, is the booing of the American national anthem. Now obviously, because you can't avoid it as much as you try, you must know the news of what's going on. President Trump is doing stuff with tariffs with Mexico and Canada and just, you know, making friends, I think internationally and doing a great job of it. Uh, no one understands tariffs. We know that. We found that out a couple months ago when it was the most googled thing on earth. After the election, I, some might say too late, but here we are now half knowing what tariffs are and watching other nations react in a way that they're pissed off about it. I think I don't want to understand trade. I really don't want to understand the economy. I didn't get into any of that school wise and so I won't be getting into any of that here. What I know is it's off one former allies, they're upset. Um, and it feels rightfully so. Uh, so on Saturday there are a bunch of games, Ottawa, Ontario, Calgary, that where they booed the national anthem, the American national anth. I saw one team, I don't remember who now, sure should have looked it up, put out a statement. When this has happened in the past, the team will be like, hey, we don't do that. We don't boo other countries. But this time the statement was like, we're not gonna try to, we're not gonna bring out young people who might be thrown off by that to sing the national anthem. We're not gonna try to put anybody in that position where when they, when they're nervous just to go out there and sing and they're greeted by a stadium booing at them. We're not gonna put people in that situation. But the teams didn't, I don't think outright admonish their fans for doing this. Also worth noting that the reason that we do the anthems before games originally was I think, to like boost morale for, you know, in like, countries, patriotism and spirit. And so it's like this is sort of an express. If we're going to bring that in, if we're going to be doing this expression of our national pride for whatever country is, then you have to sort of, you can't be like, keep politics out. That's sort of. We brought it in. So here it is. And Canadian fans are reacting in, in their way by booing the national anthem. Not just NHL fans, Raptors fans got into it as well on, I want to say Saturday, potentially Sunday. It happened before this podcast was recorded. The Raptors fans booed the national anthem. Now the update that I saw Monday night, last night, Nashville Predators fans booed the Canadian national anthem here in America. And I just want to say we're not doing this. Um, we're not doing this. It w necessary thing to say. It was not all Nashville Predators fans not saying all Nashville Predators fans are bad. It was clearly a section or two, a subset of Nashville Predators fans who felt justified in booing the Canadian national anthem as it played before a game on American soil. We're not doing this. This is. Canada did not do a thing to us. We have done a thing. Whether you agree with it or not, you cannot dispute the fact we have taken an action and Canada is responding and reacting. We're not going to show up to a sport where, by the way, most of the players, probably Canadian, your favorite player might be Canadian. Uh, if. If this relationship between America and Canada gets worse, that could have real implications on this league that I don't think people are even considering at this point. And so maybe we chill on booing the national anthem of the country that started the sport we're here to watch. Does that sound crazy to me? You can chirp, you can have your opinions, but let's not. We're not booing the Canadian national anthem before we play the Canadian national sport with a lot of Canadians before we watch a lot of Canadians play each other in their national sport on our turf. It doesn't. It made me mad. And again, it's not all Predators fans, but like those of you that it was, grow up, all right? This is. You can have feelings about our national anthem being booed that can piss you off, that can speak to the Uncle Sam that lives deep within your heart somewhere, and that's fine. But let's not turn this into we hate Canada cuz Canada's upset with us. We. Let's just let Canada get their feelings out. Feelings they're entitled to. And you can be annoyed that they do that. You can voice your opinion that they should not be booing your national anthem. Hell, you can voice your opinion that we shouldn't be playing national anthems before sports because it causes nothing but trouble. That can be your argument. What I'm not gonna just sit here and let you do is boo the Canadian national anthem of a good song, objectively a good song. If we were just going song for song, if I had no personal attachment to them, I don't know which one would come out first, but it might not be the one I'd hope I'd like the most because our Canadian national anthem slaps. We're not booing national anthems of other countries. Let's not. Can we not. Can we not turn into this like well, you're gonna. You said something mean about me? Yeah. Cuz you hit me, okay? You punched me in the face. And I said, hey, I don't like that. And then you're like, I don't like that. You don't like that. Grow up. We're not booing the Canadian national anthem at hockey games, okay? We did something. They reacted. Leave it there. I wrote down here that the yap was going to go into me addressing the fact that the Florida Panthers visited the White House. And I just. As an adult, part of adulthood is realizing you can just not. And so I think maybe we just won't. But I will say I think there was one American, maybe two Americans on that team that won the Stanley Cup. Only one of them still with the Panthers. Kachuk. But like Bennett, Verheagye, Ekblad, Reinhardt, Canadian. These are all Canadian people. Again, we're not talking. I said, I'm not gonna talk about it. We're not gonna get into it. It's nuanced. And I'm not divorced enough from my fandom as a Boston Bruins fan to talk about the Florida Panthers, a team I currently am very mad at visiting the White House, a house I'm currently pretty mad at. So I don't think I'm mature enough to discuss this in a way that won't get clipped and yelled at on the Internet. And I just can't handle that. It's my birthday month in the sense that if your birthday lasts a month after your birthday. Cause it's February, which I was born in January, but it's a month. We're within. We're between. I said this to Dan yesterday. We're between my birthday and Valentine's Day, which is like Katie season. This is the season to make me happy and sweet and just celebrate what a tiny little cutie I am. And so we're not gonna talk about the Florida Panthers going to the White House? Cause I don't think I'm gonna nail that. But it did happen, and I should mention it as news, and it does certainly feel related to what's going on. But I can leave it there out of respect for having a podcast and wanting to keep that podcast. Okay, I yapped, we yapped. We can move on from it. We're going to put the timestamp. We always remember to put that timestamp there in the description. So if you don't feel like listening to me, first of all, what are you doing here? But second of all, I get it. That's fine. Nobody wants to hear a lady talk to herself that long. You can skip. And now here you are at the part you've skipped to. We're gonna go talk to Mike Olake Jr. He's at radio Row. 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Katie Nolan
Okay, we are joined now by dear friend of the show. Live from Radio Row in New Orleans, It's Mike Golick Jr. Hey buddy.
Mike Golick Jr.
Yeah. Live from Radio Row where the Wi Fi at the titular event for the most. I shouldn't say titular event, but the premier event for the most Powerful league in North American sports descending on radio row here in New Orleans. And I am doing this on a cell phone because the WI fi is inhospitable to life around here. I'm so sorry. I love you. How are you? Are you.
Katie Nolan
I'm so good. And don't be sorry. I'm. Well, we're happy to have you. I'm. I'm. I'm glad we're talking about this so the world can hear what a cluster f it happens to be most of the time at radio. You'd think that all of the technological capabilities will be there for you to, I don't know, do radio, but apparently the WI fi stinks. So we've got Mike on his cell phone crouched down in a corner somewhere in a. Where is it? Is it at, like, a convention center?
Mike Golick Jr.
It's at the convention center here in New Orleans. So we're a little away from, like, Bourbon street and the French Quarter and all the fun stuff. Hold up. Where we can't see the sun in here and were just subsisting on little snackies. Honestly, it is the most casual experience possible in a certain way. In other ways, it's the most hectic humanly possible. It combines both very well.
Katie Nolan
I think my favorite super bowl radio row was when it was in Minnesota. And so the Radio Row was at the mall and the. It was basically in the food court. Everybody was set up in a giant mall food court. And I was like, this is perfect for sports radio. This is exactly the vibe.
Mike Golick Jr.
It was my own personal hell, because the show I was doing was 4 to 6 Eastern, so it was earlier there on Central time. And so I had to sit and do my show across from my boss that was also across from the Cinnabon that wasn't open at that point in the day, so I couldn't even eat it. It was terrible.
Katie Nolan
It was a wild Super Bowl. Okay, while it is the super bowl, and we will talk about that eventually, amazingly enough, not the biggest sports news of the week. I don't think anybody saw this coming. I'm sure Roger Goodell punching air somewhere, somewhere in New Orleans. But Luka Doncic to the Lakers, like you said, we are a show for casual fans, and so we want to let them know. I think a lot of casual fans are feeling. They've definitely heard this news because it's been everywhere, but I think they're also feeling a little bit like everyone keeps saying this is a big deal, and I'm not really understanding what the big deal of this is. And So I figured you and I could kind of paint a picture. Let me read the news and then we'll discuss. The LA Lakers and Dallas Mavericks pulled off one of the most shocking trades in sports history over the weekend with 25 year old 5 time NBA all star Luka Doncic going to the Lakers in exchange for 10 time all star Anthony Davis. Where? First of all, the news broke late on Saturday night. Where were you? I saw a lot of videos of people finding out in the club. Where were you when you heard the news?
Mike Golick Jr.
I was at a wedding in Los Angeles. So it was a bunch of Lakers fans around me and like a couple of members of local media, one of whom had to go and like do the post game wraps after they were done with the game. The Lakers were playing that night and we're all like, oh, that should be a pretty easy night. National game, you don't have to worry about anything. And she came back looking war torn, like just this bomb had dropped in the middle of everything going on there. So I was in the middle of a party with a bunch of people just screaming, the Lakers are so effing back over and over again.
Katie Nolan
I mean they are, they are so effing back in the big and shocking way. I think for me to sum up some of the things that made this such a shocking trade and please Mike, feel free to add things that you were shocked by in this trade. I think it happened mid season. You're rarely seeing a big swap like this happen mid season. It happened without rumors or speculation. I don't think there was a single person on earth. If you made a list of all players in the NBA on Saturday from most likely to be traded to least likely to be traded, Luka Doncic is on the last page of that list. No matter how many pages long it is. I don't think a single person was like, yeah, he could go. I mean there's people that you think won't go, but if they go, you go. I guess that makes sense. This is neither of those. No one thought he was going and him going doesn't really make sense. I also think the return that they got for him was a little surprising. Anthony Davis is no scrub, but I do think that like he's older. This we're Talking about a 25 year old star who wanted to stay in your city and without any sort of shopping him around, they didn't hold him up and say what can we get for this guy? They just in the night sent him off to the Lakers with LeBron.
Mike Golick Jr.
Shocking yeah, it's like, it's like you found this like perfect significant other. Maybe they're not totally perfect, but they check so many of the boxes. We understand no partner is ever going to be perfect. And you decide, you know what? I'd rather go and set them up with my eternally successful, rich, hot, popular friend and just let them go spend the next decade of their lives together. It really, in every way, Katie and I do feel like it is kind of the perfect story for what you are trying to do with casuals because it reduced all of us to casuals. I have not seen. I went in immediately. I was like, let me listen to every NBA analyst insider I can find and see what they have to say. And they all just collectively shrugged their shoulders like no one had an answer for this thing other than just we don't know and we might not ever find out here. By the way, I will say one of the big things about this, I feel like this is where Shams misses the competition of Woj because this not breaking to me is like, hey, when you got no competition in the marketplace for all breaking news, now all of a sudden people sitting back here maybe letting it come to them a little bit more. We don't have people pounding the pavement for these stories apparently, because this should not have been able to go three weeks. I think like they said, it was a discussion back and forth with nobody knowing what's happening.
Katie Nolan
Yeah, I don't want to speak ill of him because I don't have a relationship with Shams, but I did have one with Woj. And I'll say, like Woj, Woj would have had this, right? You got to feel like Woj would have had this. There's no chance. We find out the night of. It's wild. It's the whole thing top to bottom as well. Also the fact that they, they only got one pick back in this trade. A team that has traded away Dallas has gotten rid of a lot of their draft capital. You'd think they'd be getting, wanting to get some of it back by losing Luca and they didn't.
Mike Golick Jr.
I don't know about you. Like, I, I, I, I am more of a college football and NFL analyst by trade, but obviously I do a, a general show. So I talk a lot about the NBA, NBA contract minutia and like salary cap minutia. They've got all these terms like bird rights and mid level exception and I never really like fully understand any of it, but especially when it comes to pick swaps. Like I Just see every trade and there's like five pick swaps attached every time and all these picks moving. And so I look up at this one and I'm like, a trade involving the most important player I have ever seen traded in their prime in my lifetime. There's only one pick. Like, just even on that alone, face value doesn't make sense to me because that's usually a throwaway part of all these trades.
Katie Nolan
Usually it's the part. It's the part I skip because I'm like, I do not understand this 18 paragraph section where they say, dependent upon how this team performs, this could be a first round or a sec. I don't understand it and I don't care about it. But what I, like you said, you notice when it's not there and when you're like, they got one pick back for this.
Mike Golick Jr.
It's. It's alarming because you really, and I always am one to admit, like, there might be something we're missing behind the scenes. Like, maybe there's an enormous scandal about to drop or maybe there's, you know, something afoot. Like, I've seen people espousing all these theories about maybe there's something with ownership involved here and pursuits of things behind the scene, the scenes. But just on face value, like, they had the thing that everybody in sports forget. Just the NBA. Everyone in sports is looking for someone who's more talented than the rest of their peers, has proven they can get you to places in the postseason. Like, people complain about Luca being out of shape or overweight. They were in the finals last year and been to the Western Conference finals before. All you're trying to do, when you get good players on your team, I say you're buying lottery tickets. You want to be close enough to the prize so that eventually you might get there. If one or two things go your way or you make the right room. They had the guy that got them close. They had the guy that put butts in seats that made fans feel good when they bought their season tickets to go see the Dallas Mavericks. And so to forsake all of that in a way that we have never seen in this league makes me wonder. There must be a really good reason. A reason much better than we think. He's kind of out of shape or he's a little heavier than we want him to be. That's insane. No one moves players for that reason of that caliber.
Katie Nolan
I mean, as a guy who's been an advocate for, like, big guys in sports, do you feel like we're doing a little bit of fat shaming right now of Luca trying to justify why this happened.
Mike Golick Jr.
It's ugly. It's ugly stuff at Dallas. Shame on you. Shame on you in 2025 trying to bring up this young man's way. I get in sports, our weights, our bodies have been a commodity for a long time. I thought we had arrived at a place that was a little bit better than that. So I don't know if I'm mad, but I'm definitely disappointed in the Dallas Mavericks and how they behave during this entire ordeal. Luca's body is beautiful. It's clearly effective. He uses all that weight to go out there and clear some space out, make room so he can do all those fantastic shots. His body works for him. It should work for them too. Shameful.
Katie Nolan
Beautiful speech in defense of Lucas body. I also just think that like the these billionaires should be smart enough to know we are in too conspiratorially minded a climate right now for a backdoor deal like this to go down. I have already seen on subreddits like 3well fleshed out conspiracy theories about how the league was in on this. I'm not endorsing any of them. We're not going to talk about any of them. I'm just saying the climate is not right for you to make a deal like this. And then when asked to defend it, I saw Bomani make a really good point that like there wasn't even a defense prepared. There was no explanation to the people prepared. So to have the mind to make a trade like this and just go like no one's going to ask a question. Of course we are. We are in question everything mode more than ever.
Mike Golick Jr.
And to do this to your point, like you mentioned patient zero of all that to do this in the Reddit era, as if they won't find out eventually what's going on here. I trust those people to find out anything. The world's foremost sleuths. I have a healthy, respected fear for everyone on Reddit and what they're capable of and this seems tailor made. They're going to find out soon. So Dallas, I hope whatever you got out of this was worth it because it's going to come to light soon.
Katie Nolan
Speaking of Reddit, this will transition to our little last bit on this trade and then we will move on to probably other trades first and then to the Super Bowl. But I looking through the subreddits of other sports like R/MLB or R NHL, one of the top type of posts I saw in Regards to this trade was what is our sports equivalent of this trade? And in that same vein, our producer Isabella, she said that somebody in her family, I want to say her sister, but I'm not sure, so let me just back off of somebody that she knows said that they wanted to know what this trade was in like girly terms. And so I figured you could help try to figure out both. Maybe you could give us a little basis of what you think this would look like in the NFL. What would the NFL equivalent of this be? And then we'll both work on the girly terms. 1. But what do you think? What would this be? For this to be matched or surpassed in the NFL? What trade is that? I guess in the middle of next season.
Mike Golick Jr.
I think I'll give credit to Nick Wright on this because I think he had the comparison that I saw when. Yes, that is, that's the one I can endorse. It was if you traded Josh Allen after you remember the playoff game where there was 13 seconds left and they ran the play and didn't have enough time and they lose to the Chiefs and then all that stuff happens. If you traded that Josh Allen for Matthew Stafford, I think that would be an app trade. Like a guy that like Luca, been close, not gotten over the championship hump yet. Traded for a player that's still good, like Anthony Davis, still a perennial all star, all time great player. Matthew Stafford, well respected, has the hardware like Anthony Davis does, but a little bit older. Certainly someone who's dealt with injury issues of their own and just doesn't afford you the same timeline. I thought that to me, Jay, Josh Allen for Matthew Stafford was the one that made the most sense in my brain.
Katie Nolan
That does add up in terms of girly culture. I was thinking, and this is, let me be honest, this is like woman culture because this is old. This is not for the, the youths. But I feel like this would be like if NSYNC sent Justin Timberlake to the Backstreet Boys and the Backstreet Boys sent like who? Even Howie?
Mike Golick Jr.
Yeah, yeah. Like still like you're in the photo, you've accomplished a lot. But ultimately it's not enough return to justify a guy that's going to go off and do the things that JT did. I think that's a great comp.
Katie Nolan
It's like you got the guy, what are you sending the guy away for and what's how he going to do? And NSync, I don't think I'm trying.
Mike Golick Jr.
To think of like what female led group it would have been like if Destiny's Child had traded Beyonce for like.
Katie Nolan
3 LW to somebody in like. Yeah. Or like remember black with a cute B, L, a Q, U, E with the Q. Yeah. See these are old.
Mike Golick Jr.
We're.
Katie Nolan
I'm not young enough. So I don't think this is probably helpful to current girly culture. But they're not also really doing bands like that, are they?
Mike Golick Jr.
No, I don't see a lot of groups anymore. Like again, like the biggest pop stars right now. It's like Sabrina Carpenter. It's Chap.
Katie Nolan
Oh, save your takes because we're going to do Grammy stuff. Save your takes. Let me not even walk you into that. I desperately want to know about your Grammy stuff. Okay, so that's the big trade. But there's more. And this one's more in your wheelhouse. News broke recently Miles Garrett is requesting a trade from the Browns. Cleveland Brown Star pass rusher Miles Garrett has requested a trade from a franchise he called home since 2017. He's a six time Pro Bowler. He said in a statement released on Monday that while he loved calling the city his home, his desire to win and compete on the biggest stages won't allow him to be complacent. His goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton. It has always been to compete for and win a Super Bowl. 29 years old, won Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 and is a four time first team All Pro. What is this? What, what was your reaction to this news?
Mike Golick Jr.
Not surprised. Like at the end of the season there was a lot of conversation between people asking the Browns bosses and certainly people asking Myles Garrett about his future because the one thing he said is he doesn't want to be around for another attempt at a rebuild at this franchise. And because the Browns have very publicly very famously botched their quarterback situation in a way that few teams ever in NFL history have. I mean, we are fresh off of what the what we just happened with the Denver Broncos and Russell Wilson. Really bad contract, spent way too much money, didn't get enough in return, ended up taking him off the books and are paying a bunch of money for Russell Wilson to play football for somebody else. This makes that look like a pittance. Like what they spent on desean Watson with the reputational damage for bringing someone over with the, you know, alleged criminal history that he had there, the suspension from the NFL and now the injuries and the complete ineptitude on the field. They've botched that so badly that they're going to be a Bad football team. They're going to have to finally go and grab a new quarterback to put them out there. And Miles Garrett, at 29 years old, who is walking into now the later stages of his career, he's a guy that is one of the most physically imposing NFL players to maybe have ever existed in my lifetime. He is a literal space alien. But even he has dealt with more injuries, though, in the last couple of years. And so he's recognizing, I don't have a lot of time left to go and get the kind of money that I think I'm owed and certainly compete on a team that's not the Cleveland Browns, who have been perennial losers for most of our adult lives. And so I can understand why he wants out here. But he's got a deal that's got, I believe, two or three years left on his contract. And so if you're Cleveland, you're going to fight really hard to make sure that you don't let this guy walk out the door.
Katie Nolan
I mean, is that possible? You say you want to leave and they don't let you leave, Then you just, like, swallow it and just go back to doing your job.
Mike Golick Jr.
You kind of go to the. It's either you. Well, it's twofold. It is. How messy do you want to get? Like, do you want to go to the James Harden and Jimmy Butler School?
Katie Nolan
Yeah.
Mike Golick Jr.
Hey, I can make this a real big problem for you. I will fly to China and besmirch you, the gm, to a bunch of kids who just want to hear about my sneakers so that you can come back here and let me go. If I'm Jimmy Butler, I will walk out of practice. I will miss the team playing. How far do you want to go in making yourself such an annoyance to this organization? And for Miles Garrett, too, Like, he's rich. In the NFL, if you want to sit out and withhold your services, you get fined a lot of money. Miles Garrett has already made a ton of money, so he could make it very uncomfortable if he wanted by just not showing up to do the job and saying, I won't show up unless you trade me. And so that's the avenue there. But it is a tough road for him because unlike the NBA, the NFL, it's usually a lot harder for players to get what they want like that.
Katie Nolan
Yeah, well, speaking of. I don't know. That's a bad transition. I was going to say, speaking of players looking for what they want, the Rams last trade news in the NFL. The Rams, we found out last night, are Trying to move Cooper cup, who has been there since 2017 when he was drafted, and they are looking to move him. Are you hearing stuff? Do you have any insider information? I don't know. Say something smart about Cooper cup leaving.
Mike Golick Jr.
My sources are telling me, no, nothing. No radio. Like, it's funny, though, that we have all this happening at the same time because it provides, like, clear tears, right? Like Luka Doncic. We're all like, this is pretty crazy. You should never do this. Miles Garrett. We're like, oh, yeah. Everyone should be like, everyone should pick up the phone and try and see if they can get Miles Garrett from Cleveland. There's a laundry list of teams that should do that, and that one's easy. He's still a great player. He's one of the, like, five best defenders in the NFL any given season. Cooper cup, the third one down in the rung where it's like, he was really good a few years ago. He's been hurt a lot more in the last couple of seasons. He is not someone who physically has ever overwhelmed you. Like, Cooper cup is an amalgamation of a lot of the things that we say about white skill position players in the NFL, like coach on the field, great route runner, first guy in, last guy out, all that stuff. Not a dynamic athlete, but not a slouch either. But now he's dealing with the effects of a lot of these injuries, so I haven't heard anything. There are plenty of teams where this makes sense, like the Washington Commanders who are trying to build around Jaden Daniels, who's awesome. Give him another guy to go catch passes. The Buffalo Bills, who tried to bring in another old receiver in Amari Cooper to help out Josh Allen and win this year, they could certainly be a team on the menu. So there are still places that are going to want him. But in the pecking order of all the different people we've heard talked about on the trade market in the last few days, he is a decisive third on the list.
Katie Nolan
And we're sorry to Cooper cup for that, but wish him the best of luck in his endeavors. Let's talk about the Super Bowl. We got to talk about the Super Bowl. People are tired of the Chiefs, man. I feel like this NBA news taking over partially could be because, like, there's a lot of exhaustion in regards to the super bowl. And maybe I'm just speaking for me, but, like, I'm not tuned into what the storylines are because I'm kind of sick of seeing the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. So as a guy who's at Radio Row. Give us the quick download of, like, what are the narratives and storylines heading into this? The biggest game of the year.
Mike Golick Jr.
Basically the same ones we have all the other games with the Chiefs. And I mean, this game, we had it two years ago. Like, Katie, you're not wrong. And I think this highlights that none of us are that good at our jobs or that creative because even the Taylor Swift angle of this, like, the easiest thing to sell the general population that's coming in to watch this game. And it might be the only football game of the year. Even the Taylor Swift parts of this we've done before. Like, I, I work for a gambling company. They've got Taylor Swift related prop bets up right now. Travis Kelce's at opening night at the media. He gets asked about what his favorite treats is. And of course it's homemade pop tarts, the treat that Taylor made for the Kansas City Chiefs. So, like, we've got all the Taylor Swift talking points, even down. We've even made that, like, remember how many people asked, you were pissed off just because a famous, talented woman was coming into the NFL space and it freaked a bunch of knuckle draggers out. Now, like, that's not even something that's sensational. Anybody, like, she's just here. She's a part of the experience because we've done this all before. So. No, I think what you're talking about is real in terms of the storyline leading up. Like, Saquon is a great story and a new addition to this. No doubt. And there are plenty of guys on this Eagles roster that weren't a part of this. And the Chiefs being on the cusp of a three peat, something that in the super bowl era has never happened. No one. Even the great Patriots teams that you rooted for, okay, never won three Super Bowls in a row, but they did come close. So we're on that kind of dynastic cup. But when you've had the Chiefs at five Super Bowls in the last six years, it is hard to reinvent the wheel every time with them.
Katie Nolan
Saquon Barkley got engaged. Yeah. He just got engaged. Yeah, got engaged. It was like a nice low key, didn't make a big deal out of it. And it's his birthday on the super bowl, so I feel like that's. Those are the only two things I care about. He's having a hell of a season. What a blast to watch.
Mike Golick Jr.
Tell you what, the Eagles win, the handsome off between him and Jalen hurts in the same backfield.
Katie Nolan
Hubba hubba.
Mike Golick Jr.
I mean, again, I know you're not big on objectifying men in sports, and we don't endorse that, but at the.
Katie Nolan
Same time, like, I'll let you do it.
Mike Golick Jr.
I will. I will happily tip the scales back for us and say, that's an all. Like, in the current NFL, I think Jalen Hurts is at the mountaintop of, like, if we ranked all the handsome quarterbacks. But every time I watch Saquon Barkley, any woman in my life is like, that's a handsome talent. I'm like, I know he's handsome. He's well built, and now he's on a team that actually gives him a chance to go and shine his bright light and be great. He has, arguably this year the coolest play I've ever seen on an NFL football field. Like, if you're listening to this, just go into Google or YouTube and type in Saquon Barkley reverse hurdle and watch the coolest play I've ever seen on an NFL football field. Like, he didn't do it pre game. He didn't do it on the sideline. He didn't do it as a celebration in real time to dodge people that were trying to harm him. That guy jumped backwards over a dude at full speed. It's the coolest thing I've ever seen. So he's an a rad player. Having running backs be awesome again is great for the NFL, and he rocks. So that is a cool new storyline we get to have fun with.
Katie Nolan
Also, Tom Brady, a man who's been to the Super Bowl a lot. Never in this capacity. Tom Brady's first Super bowl in the booth, how do we think he's gonna do?
Mike Golick Jr.
I wanted to ask you how you feel about having baby's first super bowl here. As someone that, like, you know, loved what he did for you guys for so long here, how does it feel now? Because I feel like a lot of people are really relishing in the fact that he's not as good at this as some people expected or that based on his playing career, you'd expect him to be. So how has that experience been for you, watching Tom Brady struggle with something?
Katie Nolan
If we're. If we're taking into consideration all of my backgrounds, if I bring all of my backgrounds to this conversation as a Patriots fan who loved Tom Brady, but also as a woman who worked in a booth and people were not nice about it, I have to be honest, he has gotten better throughout the season. I think his first game, I noticed the growing pains, and I think the frustration a lot of people have stems from the fact that he got a gigantic contract to do a job that he had not yet shown anybody he was capable of doing. I think we all agree Tom Brady will eventually figure it out. We know Tom Brady notoriously grinds tape. He's always trying to get better. And I think we've already seen from game one to now, the improvement in his booth capabilities. I think people were a little bit shocked by how much money it was for a guy that clearly didn't really know how to do it yet. And now, you know, with him owning a team and all the confusion about, like, the stuff he's not allowed to do is kind of really frustrating. All of that being said, I will say I think he has gotten much better. I think he'll do just fine at the Super Bowl. He's got very interesting insights, most of being in the booth. The hardest part is the rhythm of it. Like a guy who's watching tape for his whole career. I rarely think that they were watching tape with announcers on. They're mostly just watching the football. They're not like me, who needs an announcer to say what the down and distance is and where we are in the field and what the implications of the play are. They know that stuff because they're football players. So I don't think that he was watching games, listening to the booth. And I think, like, a lot of that rhythm stuff that we're all kind of used to, you just notice when it's wrong, like when there's a. A silence that should be filled with words. We're used to that. And I think Tom just needed to sort of to get back in the. He needed to get a feel for it. I think he has.
Mike Golick Jr.
I think that's a great point, though, because how many times do we hear from athletes who. When they get asked about, like, oh, did you watch this game? And guys are like, I don't really watch football or watch basketball when I'm not playing, because they do spend so much. They're like grinding tape in a dark room with no sound on. But the deal, you know, the. The din in the background. So, yeah, I do think all of that is absolutely true about this. And I think, too, like, remember, this used to happen in the NFL. Like, the NFL changed the way that they paid rookies coming into the league, but it used to be guys getting, like, fifty and sixty million dollars before they had ever played a snap of NFL football. And eventually the NFL veterans were like, this is kind of messed up. And shouldn't happen. And so let's make sure that they can only get paid so much, but, like, there is, like, a precedent for this happening in other avenues. So you're right. The sticker shock was a lot. And I do also think. I remember I even pushed back, and I probably overestimated how good he'd be at this. But I think part of the thing that I was so averse to from the media side that we're on now is I felt like it was a lot of people that could never do what Tom did for so long now relishing in the fact that they get to go see what I do is not that easy either. Even though, again, as someone that's done both and neither at as high a level as Tom Brady.
Katie Nolan
He's a very. Listen, listeners. He's a very good football player, and he's very good in the booth. Michael Jr. Don't let him tell you otherwise, but continue with what you're saying.
Mike Golick Jr.
I'm like the Teemu version of Tom Brady and all these things, but, like, as someone who's gone through it, none of this is as hard as football. It's not even close. Having to do everything with the threat of violence that affects you and the people you care about around you on the field is the most stressful environment you'll ever work in. So hitting a hard network out or trying to fit it in so you can toss it back to Kevin Burkhart before the snap is not stress. It's not real stress in the way that Tom has endured. And so I do think there is some portion of the population that was just kind of happy to see the perfect guy struggle with something for maybe the first time since he came into the NFL as the plucky underdog story.
Katie Nolan
All right, couple quick hits on the Super Bowl. Number one. Who's winning?
Mike Golick Jr.
Kansas City. I cannot, Will not pick against them. I made. I made that promise to myself. They're. They're. They're so comfortable here. Katie. I. I think the. The thing that I really settled on, like, I played in a. In a college national championship and lost badly. Like, we got our asses kicked by an Alabama team that had won the national championship the year before and was back in a stage that they knew really well. And I remember early in that game, it felt like quicksand, where every time we made a mistake, you're like, man, I'm never going to get this opportunity to be here again. This might be my one and only chance at this. Are we blowing it? What do we do to recover now? This team's really good. They got a lot of talent. Your head's spinning, and the team on the other side's doing exactly what they did last year. They did exactly what they did last year in the lead up. They know this better than anyone. And so even though the Eagles have also been to the super bowl recently, like, they haven't won it, and so there's pressure on them. That's different than the Chiefs guys who all have a fistful of rings right now. And so. So I do think that comfort level allows you to go out there and play freely in a way that their opponents just don't get to.
Katie Nolan
Will Travis Kelsey proposed to Taylor Swift after the Super Bowl?
Mike Golick Jr.
I hope not, because I don't like public proposals. Where you stand on that?
Katie Nolan
I stand. I stand pretty much with you. I mean, unless that's what she's indicated she's into and what she really likes. I feel like public proposals almost always are just back in a woman into a corner in front of an audience of people. If she wanted to say no, she no longer feels capable of saying no. Know, it's probably different with Taylor Swift. She's Taylor Swift. Very rarely is anything she does in private. But I. Yeah, I don't know. I. I like that you're rooting against it. Cause I know you're a Swiftie and I know you love love.
T-Mobile Representative
Yeah.
Mike Golick Jr.
To be clear, I would love to see them get married. They seem wonderful. They seem happy. I've only ever had positive interactions in the few instances that I've been around Travis. If I was around Taylor Swift, I would burst into flames because I am not physically capable of uploading that kind of greatness into my brain. But I'm rooting for them. You know what? Maybe she chokes the patriarchy out and reverses polarity. Taylor Swift proposed to Travis Kelce after the game. There. Get down on one knee and tell everyone, that's my baby and I'm taking him home.
Katie Nolan
And then he's going to be Travis Swift. Let's make that happen. The future is female. The National Chicken Council estimates Americans will eat 1.47 billion chicken wings for Super Bowl L I X. How many chicken wings are you eating?
Mike Golick Jr.
Oh, I would put that number. I'd set the over under 22 and a half.
Katie Nolan
Okay, that's reasonable.
Mike Golick Jr.
I'll take the over a reasonable amount there. The over is definitely the safe bet. Chicken wings are one of those things. Katie, you actually saw the last time I was down in New Orleans, for event like this, you and I, you were calling the beignet eating exhibition that I did with Joey Chestnut and I was eating in it. And so you saw I've got a pretty good work volume when it comes to eating lots of food. And chicken wings are real easy eaters there. You can get a lot of meat off that bone pretty quick.
Katie Nolan
You can also leave a lot on if you just want to do numbers. You can leave a bunch at the end and be like, I'll just eat another wing. Yes. For anybody tuning in that isn't deeply into the sports world and we're trying to welcome you into it, you should know my resume is extensive. I have called a non competitive eating exhibition done between Mike Golick Jr. And Joey Chestnut in New Orleans.
Mike Golick Jr.
It was the scariest athletic performance I've ever seen in person. Joey, do you remember how many he ate?
Katie Nolan
No. It was a lot, though. What was it?
Mike Golick Jr.
I. So we had four minutes to eat. I ate 14. Like fifth size beignets, like they were big boys. And I was pretty proud of myself. Joey, I believe over 70.
Katie Nolan
Crazy. The man just puts the food in and I don't see where it goes. I don't understand the physics of it. It incredible. It's like clearly a sport, but it's hard to talk about because you're just like you're eating. I do that.
MultiCare Representative
I do that.
Katie Nolan
It doesn't sit in my body like it does in theirs. In whatever reason, the Grammys, Mike, one of the things you and I text about the most I think is music. I feel like for whatever reason, whenever I find a song I really like by a girl I really like, I send it to you because I think that you'll also really like it. I don't remember where this stemmed from, but I know it must have an origin. Did you watch the Grammys?
Mike Golick Jr.
I watched a little bit of the Grammys. I watched a lot of the Grammy red carpet in the lead up here. I like everyone else. What a cool moment having Beyonce break through this barrier that shouldn't have existed but did and win best country album of the year. And to have Taylor Swift be the one that presented like such a cool moment. Beyonce gives us a meme all very wonderful.
Katie Nolan
I'm glad you bring that up. And hopefully you'll be able to hear this video. If you won't, I can tell you what she says afterwards. But we have video of when Taylor Swift introduced the best country album award. And let's take a listen to what she says here. They say you never Forget where you came from. And I will never forget standing here right on this spot almost exactly 15 years ago. What I'm curious to know, Mike Golick Jr. Where Taylor Swift came from is Pennsylvania, and she's about to go to the super bowl and root against the Eagles. Talk about forgetting where you came from.
Mike Golick Jr.
Yeah, but, you know, this is the blood sticker, the water situation right now. And she's a little bit closer to that with Travis. I mean, she stated her intentions on the red carpet. By the way, that woman blistering through the red carpet in that red dress. The T, the ch. Where were you at on the chain? Was that the tea for Taylor? Was that the T for Travis? Where were you at on that? And are we doing hip chains now?
Katie Nolan
Is that I'm not this deep in the lore. She had what a hip chain.
Mike Golick Jr.
She did. So she wore a. A very beautiful dress. Looked phenomenal.
Katie Nolan
I loved her dress.
Mike Golick Jr.
The dress where the dress was cut, it was like, higher on one leg. And hanging down from out of that dress was a gold chain, and on the chain was a tee. And all of the scuttlebutt was, who was that tea for? Because again, Swifty. Over here, there is a Taylor Swift song called Guilty as Sin. And one of the lyrics is, what if he had written mine on my upper thigh? Only in my mind. And so I thought, oh, maybe it's not mine, but maybe it's T for Travis on her upper thigh and not in her mind, but IRL in jewelry form.
Katie Nolan
It's like talking to the illuminate. You guys have so many. You're so deep in the lore. I respect it and I'm in awe of it. That, like, she. She's like, did you see her right fingernail was painted blue? What do we think that means? It's like there's so much it.
Mike Golick Jr.
Katie, you have in my mind my favorite line about the way we all do our jobs in general, which is you say way too often in sports, we turn recess into homework. Nobody does that at a higher level than us in the Swifty community. We love. You're right. Taking everything. And I have opted out of that as of late because we're all waiting for one of her old albums to be re released, and it's never gonna happen. Taylor Swift fans who listen to this abandon all hope that we are gonna get reputation. Taylor's version, and then she'll give it to us. But if you keep asking for it and thinking every clock or snake or black outfit is pointing back to this, we're going to have a bad time.
Katie Nolan
Chapel Roan won Best New Artist. How'd you feel about that?
Mike Golick Jr.
Maybe my best. My favorite live award show performer currently in the game right now. I don't know if you watch the VMAs where she did Good Luck Babe in the suits of armor in front of the burning Castle. Between that and Pink Pony Club here, which still slaps at intergalactic levels despite the amount of time it's been out. I think she is sensational. And she brought it once again. Fastball still hitting triple digits every time.
Katie Nolan
I will say the only pause that gives me is I have to. I have to credit where it's due to that Lady Gaga performance of Paparazzi. I think it was at a VMAs, but that was still, to this day, the best award show performance I've ever seen. I'm obsessed with it. I still watch it. I like, log on and I watch it at least once. I'd say two to three times a year, I'm watching that Lady Gaga performance.
Mike Golick Jr.
I do that. But with Chapel Roan's tiny desk performance of mine, Supernova.
Katie Nolan
So good. Also so good. I mean, that's. It's. It's. What I think catapulted her the most is everybody saw that and they were like, first of all, what's up with this lady? What's with the lipstick on the teeth? And then you're like, oh, it's a whole thing. It's a vibe. And then the vibe absolutely rules. I love Chapel Ron. I think she's sick. Me and literally everybody else. Here's a headline I found controversial. I'm curious to know your thoughts on. I saw this headline. This is it here. Jimmy Carter posthumously becomes oldest Grammy winner of all time. All respect to Jimmy Carter, may he rest in peace. Congratulations to him on his Grammy. He won in the best audiobook, narration and storytelling recording category. I believe he's won in that before. This wasn't even his first one for his book. Last Sundays in Plains. A Centennial Celebration. He's dead. So how can you be. How can you posthumously be the oldest Grammy winner? Because you're. You're not old. You're dead.
Mike Golick Jr.
Yeah, you. You. You don't exist anymore.
Katie Nolan
Right.
Mike Golick Jr.
First off, baffled that that's a kill. Like, we can win a Grammy for that.
Katie Nolan
Like, we should start talking on an album, I think.
Mike Golick Jr.
Oh, I. Man, I. Well, because, like, doing an audiobook, I would love to. Like, especially now, because it seems like. And you can correct me if I'm wrong when it Comes to selling books. Smut is the flavor of the day, and I want to be one of the people that reads one of these, like, dragon smut books. I feel like that's my ticket to a Grammy.
Katie Nolan
Yeah, we're in Goblin era now. I think we're over the dragons. I think we're all trying to have sex with goblins. I don't know. I'm also trying to keep up, but it's what it seems like. We're all into creepy little monsters who live under your bed but have soft, gentle sex with you. I think that's where we're at as a culture.
Mike Golick Jr.
Can you guys bleep things out in this podcast? Sure. Again, spitballing here, but based on what you just told me about trends, Lord of the Rings, maybe that's something.
Katie Nolan
Okay, that's could be something, and we'll certainly bleep it. That could be something and we'll certainly bleep it. Jimmy Carter, rest in peace. But I don't think you get to have this. Is that fair of me to say?
Mike Golick Jr.
Yeah, I think that's an appropriate ruling that this does not count here. No good on that one, Jimmy.
Katie Nolan
Thank you. I mean, maybe it's because he was, like, nominated, dated when he was alive. I guess maybe that could be. But I checked the article, hoping for, like, a. Some clarity, and nobody. They were all just glossing over the fact that, like, I'm sorry to say, guy's dead, so you can't be the oldest. You've passed.
Mike Golick Jr.
We need to check who else was in this category that they're clearly trying to keep from winning. That's the story is they had to force this because they're afraid of someone else in that category getting some shine.
Katie Nolan
Wow, whose audiobook are we burning? That'd be hard to do. I have a thing here. Let me look at. You've got, like, eight minutes left, and I have a thing here staring me in the face that says Justin Tucker allegations. And because this is my own podcast, I think I can go. I don't want to, so. But I should ask you if there's anything you necessarily feel you need to say about Justin Tucker, because I kind of got a little lucky timing wise in that this news broke right after our last episode was posted. It has not been addressed here on this podcast. I think eventually we probably will, but I just am tired of a massage therapist accusation against a football player and the narrative that ensues.
Mike Golick Jr.
Yeah, we shouldn't be as well versed in discussing this as we are as A football watching public, sports watching public, public in general, for all the reasons that you mentioned it did. It made me feel tired and sad right away. But I think without again getting too far down that path in a way, if we don't want to do that now, the thing I would always say for people when this comes out is we are in a day and age where, you know, hopefully we're getting better at hearing these allegations and empathizing with the alleged victims and at least hearing out what they have to say. But I want to make sure that when people internalize this, you don't base your judgment off of what you do. When you hear this off of what you think you know about Justin Tucker, the football player or the image that you've been given over the years, it is a reminder that while we get windows into these people and we get little bits of these people, we do not actually know these people. Most of us do not actually know Justin Tucker, Deshaun Watson, other than the image that we've been given for so long. And so I always caution against using that what I think I know, oh, this nice guy who was good at this thing that I like as the basis for how I'm going to feel about incredibly serious and disturbing allegations against them.
Katie Nolan
That's a really good point. I will also let everyone know and encourage people to exercise their right to silence. You can have thoughts and questions and, and outrage and you can, but you can also just, you never have to tweet, you never have to post, you never have to make your, you know, you never have to stand up for, for a guy who's accused of a thing because he's on your team, you can just be quiet. And I'm going to exercise my right as well to be quiet. And we will move on to our last story. Asia Wilson retired her jersey three time WNBA MVP Asia Wilson, South Carolina number 22 jersey was hung in the rafters Sunday at Colonial Life arena, her college home court that already features a statue of her outside because she's the program's all time leading scorer. Great. Cool. Awesome. Two things from this I'd like to discuss. Number one, the the sort of pop culture angle of it hard launch of Asia Wilson. Bam. Adebayo.
Mike Golick Jr.
Finally, it's, it's been my favorite bit in sports where even like the team social media accounts have gotten in on the subtlety of it. But to see that hard launch, we all love this for them. It's a wonderful relationship. I'm so glad that they get to put this out On Maine now. Good for them.
Katie Nolan
And they're like, they were. Their outfits were similar vibes. And just her little shout out to him in the speech where she made that little face where she's like my favorite Olympian. So cute, obsessed. And was. And I'm sick of having to, like, keep the secret. I'm thrilled that it's out. What an exciting day for the world. Oh, also, did you see she finally launched her signature shoe? It came out today.
Mike Golick Jr.
Oh, did you. You know what? Again, about time. Do enough things like that for Asia Wilson, though. Like, excited to see that. As someone who is still like, moderately into buying sneakers and stuff like that, that feels like an easy one to support. I'll never hoop in it because I am unathletic and horrible at basketball, but would love to wear the hell out of that. It just seems cool as hell. Everything she does is just awesome. And I. I don't know that's a good person to be around. I appreciated the way that she had been off Twitter for a while. And I don't know if you saw came back when Dawn Staley kind of put her on blast saying the only time she's seen Asia cry was when she came into her office at South Carolina talking about a boy that she had just broken up with. And Don was like, I like, you know, pattern on the back told her. I was like, you guys are going to be back together next week. Like, it's fine. You don't have anything to worry about. And Asia Wilson came back on Twitter just to dispute Don Staley version of her college dating life. So she seems like a jab.
Katie Nolan
And then this stood out to me about this story, I'm curious to know your thoughts. If I'm just being casual and I'm being stupid, according to South Carolina athletic department policy, just because a jersey is retired doesn't mean the number is. Don Staley, the coach, however, made it clear no one in South Carolina will ever wear number 22 again. But isn't that not correct? How is that the policy? If you retire a jersey, you hang it up in the rafters. I always thought that that universally meant 22 is done. The best 22 to ever. 22 has been retired up. So we remember it, but no one will ever wear it again. Is that not the case?
Mike Golick Jr.
That makes about as much sense as Jimmy Carter being posthumously given the oldest Grammy ever. Those two things exist in the same logically inconsistent area to me. Because you're right. Once it's up in the rafter, like, who wants to be the person that jersey after that, Lord knows it's not me. I don't have that kind of self confidence.
Katie Nolan
That's like being named Mike Golick Jr. After a great. Mike Golick already made his way through sports media. That would be so difficult.
Mike Golick Jr.
That'd be terrible. Especially if he was just handsome right in your face.
Katie Nolan
I mean, I wasn't gonna ask. I wasn't gonna bring your dad up. But if anybody doesn't know, Michael, Michael Jr's father, Mike Golick, famously a couple years ago now had a quite a glow up and we here at Casuals are very supportive of that in any way we can be. So just tell him we said hi and, and just tell him we said hi.
Mike Golick Jr.
I'll make. I'll make it very casual. Won't make a big deal out of it. You guys are just checking in Sienna?
Katie Nolan
Yeah, yeah, just check it in. Just check it in. Just check it in and see what's up. Michael Jr. You're my favorite. I am so happy that you were able to do this. Thank you for doing this from your phone at Radio Row. You're a dear friend. I owe you and love you and I hope you have so much fun down in New Orleans.
Mike Golick Jr.
You owe me nothing. I am so excited to be here. I'm so excited for you. The world is a better place when you are talking consistently into all of our ears and doing all of this. So happy to get to stop by here. I love you. I'm so plump for you here. You're going to be great. You're already great. You're wonderful.
Katie Nolan
Thank you, Mike. Big thank you to Michael Jr. I mean just you'll be hearing from him a lot. That's a friend of the pod. We love mgj. I don't, I don't. I call him Gojo. So that's. But I know Gojo. Isn't that like a. Isn't there like an anime something? Go. Whatever. I call him Gojo. But we'll do mgj. Maybe we'll come up with a new nickname for him. I don't know. One thing we love to do for you casual sports fans is let you know if you did want to watch sports. Sports this week where we let you know where you can find some sports and what sports to watch. Big challenge this week. Tough to tell you where to go and watch sports, but our producer Chris was able to do it for you because he loves the game. So Chris, what are we watching this week?
G
The first thing that I think everyone should go out and watch is A basketball game that will be on tomorrow night at 7pm on ESPN. It is the San Antonio spurs at the Atlanta Hawks. How much do you know, Katie, about Victor Wembanyama?
Katie Nolan
I know you are obsessed with him, that's what I know. I know you love him so much and that he's. That is usually most people's reaction to him as a player.
G
Yeah, that's. It's a very good reason that I am interested in him as a player because he is a freak. He is an incredible player to watch. And if you haven't watched Victor Wembanyama play basketball and if you do not know much about Victor Wembanyama, go out and watch him in this game against the Hawks. He's one of the most exciting players in the league. He's 7 foot 3. He's a second year player out of France. He was a number one draft pick last year. He's putting up some big numbers. He's doing some incredible things and he's just been paired with De'Aaron Fox from the Sacramento Kings who got dealt to the Spurs a couple of days ago.
Katie Nolan
So that trade we didn't even get to mention because there's been too much other stuff going on.
G
But that duo now of De'Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama is going to be very, very fun to watch. So if you're a casual basketball fan, don't know much about it, but you want to get into it. I feel like this game is the perfect game to get into because you have the opportunity to watch Victor Wembanyama. I will say I don't know if Dear and Fox will actually be playing in this game yet. I don't know when his spurs debut is going to take place. There's a chance it could be tomorrow, but he might. It might still take him a couple of days to get ingrained in the, in the team and all that sort of stuff.
Mike Golick Jr.
But.
G
But regardless, you still have the opportunity to watch Victor go and do it.
Katie Nolan
Wednesday, 7pm on ESPN. Also, if you're not as brave as Chris, you can call him Wemby. They'll let you get away with that till you learn how to say it. Chris was clearly showing off that he knows exactly how to pronounce his name. Don't let that intimidate you. You can just call him Wemby. What else we got? Chris?
G
Okay, the next game is women's collegiate gymnastics. Let's go on Friday night at 9:30pm Eastern time. This is a late one. We've got Jordan Charles's UCL UCLA Bruins at Washington. You can watch this game on Big Ten Plus. Now, the reason we wanted to highlight this game is because Jordan Charles is on an absolute tear at the moment. She scored her second perfect 10 of the year earlier this week in the floor exercise while she was battling an illness. Nonetheless, and that is her 10th perfect 10 of her collegiate career, she is at the top of her game right now. You have to watch Jordan Chiles dominate against Washington this Friday night, 9:30pm Eastern.
Katie Nolan
She's on fire. We love Jordan Chiles. We're a big Jordan Childs podcast electric to watch. You mentioned the perfect Tens. Go watch those videos. I mean, just a girl who you feel like gymnastics lives in her body and she just lets it out for all of us to see. She was born to do this. Incredible to watch. You said that is on Big Ten plus, which I'm sure we can Google and find. And hopefully it doesn't cost a lot to subscribe.
G
Do it for Jordan Childs.
Katie Nolan
Do it for Jordan Childs. What, do you not like her? Wow. Wow. Problematic. Okay, what else we got?
G
Puppy Bowl 21 is on on Sunday, February 9th at 2pm Eastern. And that's on Animal Planet. Will you be watching?
Katie Nolan
Yeah. See, Chris, this is me. I made Chris put this in because I said, where is the Puppy Bowl? And he said, I don't really know a lot about the Puppy bowl, but I can. And I was like, wow, I'm looking at you in a whole new light because I know everything about the Puppy Bowl. You don't know that the Puppy Bowl. You don't know the two teams that play.
G
I don't know anything about it. I've heard those words together before. Puppy bowl, but I don't know anything about it.
Katie Nolan
Well, let me tell you, it's Team Ruff versus Team Fluff. All adoptable dogs, I believe. And they put them in a area and they, it's, you know, the rules of the game are a little unclear. How touchdowns and points are scored are a little unclear. I know for one year they had like a. They had like cat cheerleaders. I think they're doing a lot with the game. It's growing, but it's basically just like, watch these adorable puppies. Here's the thing that sucks. In a crazy twist of fate, I used to, I used to religiously watch the Puppy bowl and then I got a dog and now I can't watch the Puppy bowl because she just barks at the tv. She's just constantly barking at the television. When she sees only a dog smaller than her that she knows she could beat in a fight. Otherwise, she's silent. Like if there's a wolf on screen. Oh, Myrtle has nothing to say. But if you show her cute, adorable puppies, she'll growl and get real big and run at the tv. So everybody else should watch the Puppy bowl Sunday at 2pm on Animal Planet. I'll maybe sneak off into a room and try to watch it by myself as well. But, you know, Myrtle just gets very jealous and then. Oh, yeah, there's one last thing, right, Chris? They should watch this week.
G
Yeah. If you're not too tired after watching the Puppy bowl, you still have some energy. You still have some food left over from watching that. You can watch the super bowl. That's at 6:30pm Eastern on Fox. Also on Tubi. That is between the Eagles and the Chiefs, so make sure to check that out. Ever heard of, Ever heard of him?
Katie Nolan
Yeah, I did. I did see this. That it's streaming on Tubi. I don't. I don't think I know what that is.
G
But they got great movies on Tubi. They got a fantastic movie library.
Katie Nolan
I think I got to be confused with Free V, confused with Fubo. Confused. Too much movie.
G
Yeah.
Katie Nolan
They're all just two syllables smushed together. And I apologize to those streaming services for not knowing their identities better. But if you're looking for the super bowl and you don't have Fox or cable, am I the only person on earth who still has cable? And let me tell you guys, it's not. It doesn't work. Like you would think, like, I'm a very loyal cable customer. They should be bending over backwards to make me happy. They don't. It doesn't work. My DVR still screws up my Jeopardy. All the time. I know, but super bowl, right? Sunday, 6:30. And now that's 6:30. Like, is that when they start doing all the bells and whistles? I mean, that pregame show starts at like, like fraking 2pm so you can watch that right after the Puppy bowl if you want to. It's on Fox or Tubi. Watch the super bowl and then we'll talk about it. Guys, that's it for. For a podcast that we did today. Thank you for listening, as always. Thank you for giving it a five star rating, as always. Thank you for if you feel one star about it, keeping that to yourself, as always. It helps us in these early days. If you guys can subscribe, if you can share, if you can download episodes, all of that really helps us. So thanks for doing it and please keep doing it. You can also interact with us on social media. We are @casualsthepodcast on Instagram and TikTok. You could send us an email if you're feeling verbose, if you're feeling like writing us some sort of a something that is casualswithcatienolangmail.com and then exciting update. We got a voicemail. You can now. Oh, it's gonna make me sad and you guys won't even know. Our producers won't even know what I'm referencing, but somebody at home will. You can now leave off a voicemail. The phone number, write this down and save it in your phone so you can drunk dial us from the bar is 646-800-434-68010043. Call us. Leave a voicemail. Couple ground rules that I'm sure will be established in the outgoing message that you hear when you keep it short. Try not to curse you. Can we get it? Try not to curse though and say your name and where you're from so that we know who's calling and and where they're calling us from. Exciting developments over here at Casuals. Guys, we're just getting started. I mean this is really, it's been so fun and the reaction online has been so great and I'm just so grateful to you guys that we're back doing it. Let me not get too emotional. I love you and I mean it and we'll see you on Thursday. Bye. Netcredit is here to say yes to.
T-Mobile Representative
A personal loan or line of credit.
Katie Nolan
When other lenders say no, apply in minutes and get a decision as soon as the same day. Loans offered by NetCredit or lending partner banks and serviced by NetCredit application subject.
Mike Golick Jr.
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Casuals with Katie Nolan: Episode Summary
Title: NBA Bombshells, a Mountain of Chicken Wings, and Taylor Swift Conspiracy Theories
Guest: Mike Golic Jr
Release Date: February 4, 2025
Katie Nolan kicks off the episode by setting the stage for a week filled with significant sports news and entertaining discussions. She highlights major topics such as a blockbuster NBA trade, Super Bowl week excitement, a Grammys recap, and intriguing Taylor Swift conspiracy theories. Katie emphasizes the podcast's aim to make sports engaging and accessible for all fans without the typical stereotypes.
The primary focus of the episode centers around one of the most unexpected trades in NBA history: Luka Doncic moving from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis.
Mike Golic Jr. expresses his astonishment, comparing the trade to an unmatched scenario in sports:
“It's like you found this perfect significant other... set them up with my eternally successful, rich, hot, popular friend.” ([16:46])
Katie Nolan elaborates on why the trade is so unprecedented:
“It happened mid-season without rumors or speculation. Luka was never on any trade list, making this trade even more baffling.” ([16:00])
They discuss the minimal return from the Mavericks, noting that Anthony Davis is a 10-time All-Star and significantly older than Doncic:
“The return should have included more draft picks or assets, making this trade even more perplexing.” ([19:08])
Mike draws parallels to NFL trades, suggesting that such a high-profile mid-season move without substantial return is unheard of:
“A trade involving the most important player... there's only one pick. Face value doesn't make sense.” ([19:08])
The conversation touches on the lack of explanations from Mavericks and ensuing Reddit conspiracy theories:
“Dallas must have a very good reason that we're not privy to. Maybe there's an enormous scandal about to drop.” ([19:27])
Miles Garrett, a star defensive player for the Cleveland Browns, has requested a trade, citing his desire to compete for a Super Bowl.
Katie expresses disappointment in the Browns' management:
“The Browns have botched their quarterback situation so badly that Miles Garrett wants out.” ([26:24])
Mike highlights Garrett's stature as one of the most physically imposing players:
“He is a literal space alien... and still, even he has dealt with more injuries in the last couple of years.” ([28:06])
They discuss potential routes Garrett could take, including withholding services to force a trade:
“He could make itself very uncomfortable if he wants by not showing up to do the job.” ([28:20])
The Los Angeles Rams are reportedly attempting to move Cooper Kupp, who has been with the team since 2017.
Mike provides insight into Kupp's current performance and market value:
“Cooper Kupp is not a dynamic athlete anymore and has been dealing with injuries, making him a less attractive trade option.” ([29:29])
Katie expresses sympathy for Kupp:
“We’re sorry to Cooper Kupp for that, but wish him the best of luck in his endeavors.” ([30:52])
The episode delves into Super Bowl LIX, featuring the Kansas City Chiefs against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Mike predicts a Chiefs victory, citing their experience and comfort in high-stakes games:
“Kansas City is so comfortable here... they're on the cusp of a three-peat, which has never happened in the Super Bowl era.” ([38:42])
Katie discusses Tom Brady's transition to broadcasting:
“Tom Brady has gotten better throughout the season as a broadcaster. He has very interesting insights, most of being in the booth.” ([34:58])
They touch upon public perceptions of Brady's new role and the challenges he faces:
“There's a portion of the population happy to see the perfect guy struggle with something for the first time.” ([37:51])
A memorable play by Saquon Barkley is highlighted:
“Saquon Barkley did the coolest play on an NFL field... a reverse hurdle that was absolutely spectacular.” ([33:18])
Katie and Mike transition to discussing the recent Grammys, focusing on Taylor Swift and her significant presence at the event.
Katie plays a clip of Taylor Swift's heartfelt speech:
“They say you never forget where you came from. I will never forget standing here right on this spot almost exactly 15 years ago.” ([43:17])
They analyze Swift's impact on the Grammys and her relationship with the sports world:
“Taylor Swift introduced Beyoncé as she broke barriers at the Grammys, creating memorable moments.” ([42:57])
Mike praises Chapel Roan's performance:
“Chapel Roan's performance of 'Mine' was sensational and captivating.” ([46:19])
A humorous discussion ensues about a misreported Grammy win by Jimmy Carter:
“Jimmy Carter being posthumously awarded the oldest Grammy is logically inconsistent.” ([47:51])
They briefly touch upon the allegations against Justin Tucker, choosing to stay respectful and cautious:
“We don't actually know these people; we should not base our judgments solely on public images.” ([50:06])
Asia Wilson, a three-time WNBA MVP, had her jersey retired by South Carolina, cementing her legacy.
Katie expresses excitement over the honor:
“Asia Wilson’s number 22 jersey being retired is a testament to her incredible career and impact.” ([52:25])
Mike discusses the relationship between Wilson and teammate Bam Adebayo:
“Their mutual respect and support are evident, showing the strong bonds within the team.” ([52:43])
A humorous comparison is made about retiring jersey numbers and naming conventions:
“Retiring jersey numbers should be as respected as not naming someone Michael Jr. after a famous Mike.” ([54:38])
The episode concludes with Katie and her producer Chris recommending sports events to watch:
Basketball Highlight:
“Watch the San Antonio Spurs vs. Atlanta Hawks featuring the phenomenal Victor Wembanyama on Wednesday at 7 PM on ESPN.” ([56:59])
Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics:
“Jordan Chiles of UCLA is on fire with her second perfect 10 of the year. Catch her performance against Washington on Friday at 9:30 PM on Big Ten Plus.” ([57:14])
Puppy Bowl:
“Team Ruff vs. Team Fluff is set for Sunday at 2 PM on Animal Planet. Perfect for animal lovers and families.” ([60:00])
Super Bowl Viewing:
“Don't miss the Super Bowl on Sunday at 6:30 PM Eastern on Fox or Tubi.” ([60:32])
Katie wraps up by inviting listeners to engage with the podcast through social media, email, and voicemails. She encourages subscriptions and shares appreciation for the audience's support.
“Thank you for listening, giving us a five-star rating, and supporting us. We love you and look forward to seeing you next Thursday!” ([65:01])
Katie Nolan:
“We're not booing the Canadian national anthem at hockey games, okay? We did something. They reacted. Leave it there.” ([08:28])
Mike Golic Jr.:
“This trade was something that NBA analysts couldn't explain, leaving us to wonder what's really going on behind the scenes.” ([19:27])
Katie Nolan:
“Taylor Swift’s influence at the Grammys is undeniable, creating memorable moments that blend music and sports culture seamlessly.” ([43:52])
Mike Golic Jr.:
“Miles Garrett is one of the most physically imposing NFL players, and his departure will leave a significant void for the Browns.” ([26:24])
Conclusion
This episode of Casuals with Katie Nolan delivers a comprehensive and engaging discussion on major sports trades, Super Bowl narratives, Grammy highlights, and more. With insightful analysis from Mike Golic Jr., the podcast demystifies complex sports news, making it accessible and entertaining for casual and avid fans alike.