US Open Drama, Utah Unicorns, and Why the WNBA is Amazing | with Jenny Hagel

Summary

Podcast Summary: Casuals with Katie Nolan

Episode: US Open Drama, Utah Unicorns, and Why the WNBA is Amazing | with Jenny Hagel
Date: August 28, 2025
Host: Katie Nolan
Guest: Jenny Hagel (Late Night with Seth Meyers, Amber Ruffin Show, WNBA & women’s sports superfan)

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Episode Theme & Purpose

This episode is an energetic, wide-ranging celebration of women’s sports and sports fandom, blending humor, cultural commentary, and sports news. Katie Nolan and guest Jenny Hagel—with the casual cast in tow—navigate topics from the US Open tennis drama to the joys of WNBA fandom and the future of women’s pro baseball, all with inclusivity and irreverent wit.

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Episode Breakdown

1. Podcast & Fantasy League Housekeeping

Timestamps: 02:34–08:00

• Katie thanks listeners for their overwhelming response to the Casuals Fantasy League; only nine could be picked from “hundreds and hundreds” of emails.
• Inside jokes abound—pictures of listeners’ dogs are received (“Thank you to Pebbles, Cashew, Wilma, Hannibal, and Matt’s nameless husky.” – Isabella, 05:28).
• Matthew Berry’s appearance and fantasy football instructions are moved to a bonus episode.

Notable Quote:

“Maybe in the future we can figure out a way to accommodate more people in more leagues. I don’t know. We’re flying by the seat of our pants here.” – Katie (04:09)

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2. Sports News Recap & Banter

Timestamps: 08:00–30:28

Pop Culture & Sports Crossovers

• Amusing aside about Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson’s (untrue) dating rumors and the heartbreak of fabricated celebrity narratives.
• Quick comments on Tom Brady's media role with FOX and the business of trademarks in sports (e.g., Bill Belichick’s partner filing for “Trail of Salty Tears,” “Gold Digger”).

Notable Quote:

“We’re losing the recipes as a society...maybe people don’t know what the Trail of Tears is, but it isn’t something I think we’re gonna be parodying with merch anytime soon.” – Katie (13:38)

Ryder Cup Golf News

• Keegan Bradley, as captain, does not pick himself for the Ryder Cup—a minor theme of self-selection versus humility.

Cute Sports Moments

• Trinity Rodman (soccer star) asks a teasing question to boyfriend Ben Shelton at the US Open presser; the show delights in their chemistry and laments when media fixate on her being “Dennis Rodman’s daughter.”

Notable Quote:

“They’re so cute...I like the way they flirt with each other...And every time I see her posted somewhere mainstream and people...go ‘Dennis Rodman’s daughter,’ I go, ‘No, she’s her own person!’” – Katie (20:50)

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3. US Open Tennis Drama

Timestamps: 33:00–39:35

Ostapenko vs. Townsend Incident

• Recap of the heated handshake drama:
  • Ostapenko accuses Taylor Townsend of poor sportsmanship and repeatedly says “You have no education” after losing.
  • Katie and Jenny provide cultural context, connecting to respectability politics and the undercurrent of racism in tennis.

Notable Exchanges:

“The only time you ever hear the phrase, ‘I’ve never been racist in my life,’ is immediately before or after a racist thing.” – Jenny (37:23)
“They react like it’s the first time they’re thinking of it. And I immediately go, ‘That’s how you become one, by never checking.’” – Katie (37:35)

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4. US Open Highlights & Tennis Fandom

Timestamps: 39:35–43:53

• Coco Gauff’s close call; Naomi Osaka’s strong return and stunning appearance; Medvedev’s $42,500 fine for on-court tantrum.
• Jenny admits she “can’t get into men’s sports” and only follows the women’s side, highlighting the importance of representation and relatability for sports fandom.

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5. Body Image and Serena Williams' GLP-1 Endorsement

Timestamps: 43:53–47:00

• Deep dive (with humor and empathy) into Serena Williams’ body image discourse, her partnership with a weight loss drug company, and scrutiny women face.

Notable Quote:

“Imagine that there was a woman who was so exceptional at athletics...And then imagine if that person didn’t feel good about how they looked. What have we done as a society if we’ve gotten to the point where that person felt like they had to take a drug to alter their body?” – Jenny (44:40)

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6. The Joy of WNBA and Women’s Sports Fandom

Timestamps: 47:00–56:30

Path to Sports Fanhood

• Jenny shares her journey from feeling “not sporty” to all-in WNBA (and women’s soccer) fan:

“Sports to me was watching men do things, and watching men watch those men do things, and then watching men talk about watching those men... But with women’s sports, you walk in, and everyone’s just pumped to be there and to help you get on board.” (48:50–49:38)

• WNBA as an inclusive space; stands out for lack of gatekeeping, enthusiastic teaching, and emotional resonance.

Notable Moments:

• Little boys in Stewie and Sabrina Ionescu jerseys.
• Black fans wearing white players’ jerseys (and vice versa); 10,000+ cheering for queer athletes.

On WNBA Relationships, Drama & Greatness

• “Men are playing checkers, women are playing chess.” – Jenny (56:05)
• Comparing the extra drama of player relationships and exes (with World Cup examples) to the limited narrative drama in the men’s leagues.
• Stud Buds moments, authenticity, and how WNBA players’ openness makes the league special.

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7. WNBA, Expansion, and Team Branding

Timestamps: 56:30–66:36

• Katie declares her fandom for the Utah Valkyries as a “day one” fan.
• Discussion of team branding—call for more creative, plural team names.

“The Connecticut Sun sounds like a newspaper. I’ve always said I hate the name.” – Katie (64:28)

• Pitch: Teams like the Philly Hoagies, Texas Tacos, Utah Unicorns—embracing fun and merch potential.

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8. Women’s Pro Baseball League Launch

Timestamps: 71:14–76:06

• Excitement about the upcoming Women’s Professional Baseball League (WPBL) and what it means for women who love baseball.

“The second this women’s professional baseball league kicks off, I will never remember that the Cubs existed. I cannot wait.” – Jenny (72:03)

• League’s barnstorming model for its inaugural season, reminiscent of musicals on tour.
• Jenny and Katie vow to attend a game together, “legally required to own a Subaru” joke and all.

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9. Lightning Round: “Jenny Hagel Gives Sports Advice”

Timestamps: 77:24–81:46

• Jenny gives rapid-fire “advice” to fake audience questions, all playful roasts:
  • “Travis from Kansas City” (KillaTrav IG handle) is told to stay true to himself, but “you should be troubled if that’s what’s in your heart.”
  • “Sophie from Indiana” (Sophie Cunningham, WNBA star) is told to stop talking about work on her podcast and “worry less about your podcast and more about...broadening your worldviews.”
  • “J.D. from New York City” (James Dolan) is told he should have hired Dawn Staley and that if he goes back, needs to offer her more money than her male predecessor.

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Tone & Standout Moments

• Warm, inclusive, uproariously funny and openly nerdy about women’s sports.
• Frequent self-deprecating asides and open invitations for all listeners (“We’ll welcome you back...Not you, Ostapenko.” – Katie, 40:06).
• Sincere celebration of the relational and community aspects of women’s sports fandom.
• Calls to action mixed with improv-level bits about mascots and team names (“Utah Unicorns,” “Philly Hoagies,” “Connecticut Rest Stops”).
• Guest Jenny Hagel brings both heartfelt appreciation and killer jokes; brilliant at highlighting the ways women’s sports bring something new and better to the table.

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Notable Quotes

• “Women’s sports—it’s not about hiding who they are to have a product. The product is their authenticity.” – Jenny (54:53)
• “Men are playing checkers. Women are playing chess. Are you in two dimensions or in three? Because I’m in three.” – Jenny (56:05, 56:34)
• “If that person [Serena Williams] didn’t feel good about how they looked...what have we done as a society?” – Jenny (44:40)
• “The Connecticut Sun sounds like a newspaper...but one that’s about to fold.” – Katie (64:28)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Topic | Start | End | |----------------------------------------|---------|---------| | Fantasy League Housekeeping | 02:34 | 08:00 | | Sports News, Tennis, F1, Tom Brady | 08:00 | 13:59 | | Celebrity Dating Rumors | 21:47 | 25:45 | | US Open Fight & Race in Tennis | 33:00 | 39:35 | | WNBA/Men’s Sports Fandom | 47:00 | 56:30 | | Team Branding/Mascots | 64:10 | 66:36 | | Women’s Pro Baseball Launch | 71:14 | 76:06 | | Sports Advice Game | 77:24 | 81:46 |

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For New Listeners: Why This Episode Works

• Educational and accessible: Explains inside jokes, tennis terms, cultural context.
• Community-driven: Shares and responds to listener input and feedback.
• Fandom as celebration: Elevates personal stories and humor over dry stats.
• Takes women’s sports seriously—but not itself: Heartfelt and hilarious in equal parts.

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For more on Jenny Hagel:
See her live show, “Jenny Hagel Gives Advice” (dates in LA and Chicago); find her on Late Night with Seth Meyers’ “Jokes Seth Can’t Tell.”

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“We love you. We mean it.” – Katie (83:33)

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

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Sign up. But hurry. Labor Day doorbuster deals won't last long. Lowe's we help you Save valid through 9.1While supplies last program subject to terms and conditions. Details@lowe's.com Terms subject to change. Hey, Isabella, did you see that JLO refuses to hire Virgos to be her backup business? No, that's actually a really bad decision because Virgos are known to be, like, organized, practical. I feel like you would want a Virgo backup dancer. Yeah, I mean, like, you know that they'll be on time. What are the negative aspects of being a Virgo? I don't know. I only look at the positive things because I am a Virgo Rising. And I don't need to know about the negatives. You're. I didn't realize I was. This was a personal attack from JLo. I'm. It's. This is not my sun sign. This is my rising sign. Okay. Okay. Which means that it rules over your emo. No, not your. No, that's. Moon Rising is more. So it's like how you. How you present to people. Okay. Overthink a lot. Picky. Analytical. Hard working, Stubborn. Pessimistic. Geez. Judgmental. These are kind of me. They said these are the positives. No. Oh, okay. No, you said that. Worried about things being done correctly. Not really. And easily annoyed. Yeah. But attention to detail. That's huge. Yeah. Yeah. For choreography. Exactly. That's why I'm like, why wouldn't she. Why wouldn't she want that? What's jlo herself. Leo. I knew it. Hello. They said I could yell. They were like, go ahead and yell, girl. We don't care. So yellow. Welcome to Casuals, the sports podcast that aims to keep you entertained, but also informed on everything happening in sports. I'm Katie. Katie Nolan. I'm your host, joined today in person with my girl, Isabella.

[A]

Hi.

[B]

We've got the. The casualties. Brady and Chris are on Zoom. They're not gonna. I mean, I guess you are gonna talk a little so you guys can say hi. Who goes first? Chris. Hi. That's Chris. And then this is Brady.

[A]

We got the hint, but hi.

[B]

What is that? What hint?

[A]

You guys are gonna talk much, right?

[B]

We gotta. Today we've got a guest. You don't talk much. Okay. Brady kind of spoiled it, but coming up in a little bit, we're gonna be joined by a guest. Jenny Hagel is here. She's a writer for Late Night with Seth Meyer. She has. She's a host of a live show called Jenny Hagel gives advice. She's a huge women's sports fan. It's our first time meeting. I was so excited to finally meet her. So we're going to get to that in a little bit. First, got to give you our contact information. If you want to send us an email, it's [e-mail]. our voicemail box is 646-810043. On IG and tick tock, we are at Casuals, the podcast. We've got a little bit of housekeeping to get to up top here. If you're here just for the sports news, check the description of this episode. There'll be a time stamp. You can skip right to that. But we want to thank everybody who's listening for emailing. In trying to join our fantasy league, we mentioned last episode that we're making a fantasy league so that Isabella can have a team. So that Isabella can draft our podcasts. Fantasy team. Very excited about it. We are full. The response was overwhelming. By telling you, first of all, can we all make fun of me that I forgot to. I was so focused on what was going in the subject to the email that I never got to the part where I was supposed to tell them what to put in the body. And I didn't realize until it went out. I was supposed to say, give us your best team, fantasy team names for this season. And I don't think I said anything. I think I just kept saying, make sure it says fantasy in the subject line.

[A]

Yeah, lots of people just said, I don't know what to put in the body, but fantasy.

[B]

So funny. I texted Brady. I was like, all right, pick. Based off of who had the best puns. He's like, well, Katie, I don't think you said that part, which, oops. But even still, even without proper rules, you guys showed up in droves. Brady at one point was like, I'm going to respond to the ones that aren't going to be in the league. And then it got to be to the point where he was like, I can't. We have hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of emails, so. Wow. Hello. We love you. Maybe in the future we can figure out a way to accommodate more people in more leagues. I don't know. We're flying by the seat of our pants here. If you have not heard back, you're unfortunately out. I hate doing this. I really don't feel good about that. But we could only take nine people and I had to outsource this to Brady. I don't. I had nothing to do with any of it, so don't come to me. She didn't. If you have an issue, you can always blame Brady for that. I will not stop you.

[A]

I want to thank the five people, though, that unsolicited sent pictures of their dog.

[B]

Oh, you legally have to forward that to me. That happened. Forward those to me.

[A]

Sending them across. Thank you to Pebbles, Cashew, Wilma, Hannibal, and Matt's nameless husky, Matt.

[B]

Name your husky. What the heck do you just call him? Husky number one. I would if that implies the existence of a husky number two. And then I would say, where's that picture? Mm. We also teased last episode that Matthew Berry was going to join us. He is. He didn't flake. I just realized that, like, teaching a fantasy draft to somebody getting into sports, like, at the beginning of it, there's a lot to unpack to Isabella, and I want to make sure that you feel properly prepared for this draft on Monday. So we are splitting off the Matthew Berry and fantasy prep into a standalone bonus episode that's going to drop tomorrow. So if you were here for that and that's what you're looking for, you've got to wait one more day. Hopefully your draft isn't tonight. But it just was too much to try to fit into one episode. And guys, I'm learning, you know, trying not to make these things two hours long. So that will be dropping tomorrow. Matthew Berry and a comprehensive but 101 level introduction to fantasy football. Another in house update. I know a couple episodes ago we had Karen Feehan, a comic on, and I said that I think that she should be cast as Karen Reed in any upcoming docu series. Unfortunately, Elizabeth Banks was just cast and I just wanted to say publicly, boo. Yeah, I don't see the results. Sorry, I just don't see it. So, yeah, it's like, not really for me. But then I told Karen, don't worry, they make two of everything now. So, like when they make the docu movie, like the documentary instead of a series. We'll get you cast in that. We'll let them make their little series, and then we'll go make the movie. And really, it'll be 24. Like, it's gonna be, like, super serious. Yeah, yeah. We're gonna take it super seriously. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then, last one, a lot of comments on Isabella experiencing the Randy Johnson bird pitch for the first time. Number one, I learned something I did not know that the guy at bat. Brady, did you know this, Chris? That the guy at bat for that is Kyler Murray's uncle?

[A]

Yeah, I knew he played for the Giants. I didn't realize he was at bat for that. Piece of history.

[B]

Yeah, literal. A piece of bird piece of history.

[A]

He got to watch lump of bird body roll by.

[B]

He sure did. And, like, didn't swing. I feel like I would have swung just instinctively at the. Just the big explosion. He's a quarterback for the Cardinals. You'll know by. You'll know tomorrow. Kyler Murray's uncle was the guy that was in the. Oh, I was. Kyler Murray is a court. Is a quarterback. Okay, okay. I was like, damn, baseball and basketball.

[A]

That's cool.

[B]

What? Wait, what are you saying? You said baseball and basketball. Oh, sorry. Football. Yeah, that's all right. We got it. We figured it out. You know what? But I love that you looked at me like you're saying it. You said it. I was like, what did I say wrong? We got dozens of emails. We don't have a lot of time to get into all of them, but I guess Chris butt ass, that little thing that happened at the end is like a. Is a whole thing that we didn't know anything about.

[A]

Yeah. So Valtteri bot ass, apparently. I didn't realize this, but he has sort of taken ownership of the whole bot ass butt ass thing. And we got an email from John from Chicago who explained this. He said I couldn't not say something about your little note on F1 and my favorite driver, whose name became a topic of conversation at the end of your podcast, Valtteri Bottas. I think it's important I shed light on bodas, because I'm confident you will all appreciate him as much as I do and perhaps cheer for him next year when he returns to F1 with Cadillac. First of all, this man fully embraces his last name, exactly how Katie and Isabella heard it. In 2024, he released a calendar with 13 pictures of his bare bottom, with proceeds going to prostate cancer research. The pictures are hilarious, and I fully encourage the casualties to Check them out. He's also a Finn who has fully embraced an Australian outback lifestyle. Who needs a real Aussie Chris when you have.

[B]

Damn.

[A]

He has a blonde mullet and mustache and has been known to walk around the grid in a Victoria bidder VB Fitting perfectly with his initials, tank and flip flops. And I will also note here that he's also dating an Australian cyclist, Tiffany Cromwell. Another fun facts from John from Chicago. He also set a record for eating 51 tacos at a Colorado restaurant in one hour. It's also his birthday today.

[B]

Wait, John. John from Chicago did. Or the. Or butt Ass.

[A]

I assume John from Chicago is explaining that, but ass set a record for eating 51 tacos at the Colorado restaurant.

[B]

Yeah. Well, you got the email. I thought. I thought you said the other that I was just. Happy birthday, butt ass.

[A]

36.

[B]

Happy birthday. Yeah, sick.

[A]

51'S a lot of tacos.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Lot of tacos.

[B]

Okay. 13's a lot of pictures of your ass. How many?

[A]

You'll find 12 for a calendar.

[B]

I was gonna say, why 13? The COVID They needed to put one on the COVID I. He's not showing whole. Right. This is just cheek. I don't think he's spreading it. Katie, 13 pictures of your butt. How by the 11th, you're like, should I pull him apart? You want to see?

[A]

Congratulations, you made it to November.

[B]

Here's your rewards. You want to see a little more? Happy holidays. I just don't think I can take 13 interesting pictures of my ass cheeks. I just. How many different angles? Okay, a little bit of news now before we get to Jenny's and the news, because I. These are just. Let me just be frank with you. These are things I forgot to say when Jenny was here. Number one, Bill Belichick and Jordan Hudson. We've been a little bit following their relationship. Belichick's in his early 70s, and Jordan is in her late 20s. Um, they have been doing a lot of weird stuff. And one of those things is that Jordan keeps filing for trademarks for certain terms. I think we've here told you about her filing for Chapel Bill. Chapel Hill. Bill's version, as Bill is about to embark on his first season as the head coach of the UNC football team. Um, new news about trademarks being filed from her from Darren Revel. They filed for the. They filed to trademark the term gold digger. Okay. Just feel like, can you trademark a common phrase? I don't think. I mean, has it been approved? Because then that would answer. All we know is that they filed. That's all we know. I don't. We haven't gotten the update yet. They've also filed for Bella Straighter and no days off and the Belichick Way and Trail of Salty Tears. I'm seeing a lot of reporting about the Gold Digger, and I know a lot of people zoom in on what the fuck is going on with Trail of Salty Tears. What's the salty reference? And how could it possibly. Possibly undo the weight and tragedy embarrassing for America. Tragedy associated with the Trail of Tears. Enough that you go, yeah, this is good. We're gonna probably put this on a shirt eventually. We're probably gonna have a shirt reference this eventually. So I should probably file this trademark.

[A]

That is terrible.

[B]

Does anyone know what the salt. What she's. Does anyone know what the point is of that? I don't. I'm trying to figure out, like. But I'm saying, Brady, is there like a. Is there a Unc Salt something?

[A]

No.

[B]

Okay, so what is everything.

[A]

The only SEO for this is just Googling it back to exactly this.

[B]

Yeah. It's really alarming. I don't know if maybe we're losing the recipes as a society and maybe people don't know what the Trail of Tears is, but it isn't something I think we're gonna be parodying with merch anytime soon.

[A]

Bill. Read about it in a newspaper. It is. It is not. There's no excuse here like this. Oh, God.

[B]

From 1830 to 1850, just to help Brady's joke land there. I just.

[A]

Yeah. I'm saying.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. And I'm. He was. I wouldn't say he participated, but he's. Obviously. This happened before he was born. It was the forced relocation of Native American tribes, primarily the Cherokee, from their ancestral lands in the southeastern United States to designated Indian territory, present day Oklahoma. It was tragic. It displaced thousands of people. Significant loss of life due to disease, starvation, and exposure. And you can pretty soon buy it on a T shirt in UNC colors. Go Tar Heels. I don't get it. Me neither. Tom Brady, We've talked about this before and the fact that he is an NFL analyst now, but because he is part of an. Of the ownership of the. I almost said Oakland Raiders, the Las Vegas Raiders. He was not allowed to participate in a lot of the parts of his job that many would have called requirements previously. We're finding out that now the NFL is going to relax some of its restrictions surrounding Tom Brady in his role as a Fox broadcaster, allowing him to attend production meetings this season. So I can't tell if that's good news or bad news for Tom Brady to have to go to a meeting. He had an excuse to have it be an email and the NFL was like, all right, we'll let you go to the meeting. And I bet he's like, damn it, I didn't want to go to the meeting. I was gonna say, why would you want to go to the meeting? I wasn't trying to go to that. I was just trying to go to the fun part. So now he has to do that. So that's his second year. We're entering his second year on a 10 year, $375 million contract that he orig agreed to in 2022 to be a Fox broadcaster for football games. So he'll be on the Giants Commanders game for week one and then he's got the super bowl rematch of Eagles at Chiefs week two. So best of luck in your second year. Tom Brady. Yeah, that's pretty much all I have to say to him. I feel like I just talked about him recently also. Keegan Bradley. Brad Brady had told us that Keegan Bradley was in the rare position of being being as the captain and could potentially have picked himself for the Ryder Cup. He didn't. We gave that really convincing great speech about how the only way to not be a pick me is to pick yourself. And he didn't do it. He was like, no. So he opted not to select himself as one of his six captain picks. That finalized the 12 man squad. They're going to compete at Bethpage Black just outside of New York City September 26th to 28th. He said it was a really tough decision. I would say there was a point this year where I was playing a while ago and all these guys stepped up in a major way and played their way onto this team. Brad Bradley, Bradley. It's so hard to. Brady and Bradley. It's just too. And we've just talked about Tom Brady. My job's really hard, you guys. Bradley's six captain picks were Justin Thomas. Oh, why would I even sign myself up to read a bunch of names I hadn't made sure I can pronounce. Justin Thomas, Colin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns.

[A]

Oh.

[B]

They join automatic qualifiers Scotty Scheffler, J.J. sponge, Andrew Schoffley, Russell, Henley Harris English and Bryson DeChambeau in making up the U.S. team. They will face off next month and apparently decision not to pick himself was made a while ago. So that's just him covering his ass. So he's like, doesn't make it seem like this podcast told him to do it, and he didn't listen. It's like, I made the decision a really long time ago. Okay, well, thanks. Too much responsibility.

[A]

Did you check in with your dad on it?

[B]

No. Should I have?

[A]

It's a very strong dad take if.

[B]

He should have picked himself.

[A]

Mm.

[B]

Okay. I can text him, I think. Oh, you know what? Today is actually my dad's playoffs of his golf league, so he's in the zone. I can't be texting him about anything right now. He's. My dad's in two separate golf leagues. What does that mean? He. He leaves the house two days a week for the full day and then comes home and gives us a download on how he did. So he. They've got to. He's going, okay, Okay. I thought, like, a fantasy thing going on. No, no, no, no. This is real. He uses his body for this, not his mind. And he gets the little outfits. My dad's got the best little golf outfit. He's. There's this company called Loudmouth, and it's John Daly. He's a golfer who's known for being, like. He was in Happy Gilmore 2, which you watched. He was the, like, uncle or whatever, the character. Oh, yeah. That, like, lived in the garage. Yes. So that my dad is obsessed with his clothing line. So he wears these, like, bright shirts, golf shirts with martinis on them. And then he'll get, like, the bright green shorts that match the green in the shirt. When he comes out in his golf fit, he'll come into the room and go, like, all right, I'm off to golf. And then just stand there for a minute, and you'll be like, hey, dad, nice fit. Dad's throwing fits. And he'll go, oh, do you like this? You know, I can also wear it with purple shorts, but today I went with the cre. He's just so proud of his little outfit. That's so cute. Very cute.

[A]

Did that have his own caddy? Like, what are these sort of toys? Do you bring your own caddy? Do you just carry your own?

[B]

I think he carries his own. They have carts. I don't know. Truly, the less I know about this experience, the more I can enjoy it. He just tells me the important stuff, and I go, numbers, numbers, numbers, numbers, numbers. And you did good. And you feel good about that? And he was like, yeah, I feel good. So I hope he's doing well. Everybody, fingers crossed. For my dad and his championships. I don't even know how they work. So I guess I'll let you know.

[A]

Good luck with the Nolan.

[B]

And then we don't really have time to talk about the rest of this, but I did want to get in that. Trinity Rodman asked her boyfriend Ben Shelton a question at the. At his US Open press conference after his win last night, which. What, Wednesday night. Did you see this, Isabella? No. But you were. You were saying that she. She asked a question in the press conference. Yeah. So they. You could see the look on his face when it's like. They go to her for the question and he, like, looks over and he's shocked. Like you could. It's very cute. And she said, so how did it feel not being able to serve faster than 1:35 today? Aw, that's so funny. And he was like, why did you give her a question? And she goes, I just know you like to serve big. And it wasn't breaking 140 today. And then he goes, yeah, it was cold outside. So I think that was the main reason. Which meant. How many times Amendment has said that? Quite a bit.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

He said, I was focused on hitting spots, and I didn't hit those spots, so maybe I should just serve bigger. But it's something that I'll definitely work on next time.

[A]

This just all sounds like repartee.

[B]

Like, this is. It's so cute. And then as he got up to leave, he goes, they'll let anyone in the room at this point. So funny. So funny.

[A]

Shelves at that point.

[B]

Yeah. Obsessed. I just think they're so cute. I think they're like. I don't know. I like the way they flirt with each other. And I'm also, like, getting attached to her in a way that every time I see her posted somewhere mainstream and people get in the comments and go, dennis Rodman's daughter. I go, no, that's not. No, she's her own person. Yeah. Stop bringing him up. It's like, okay, lady, she's. You got to calm down. She's not a friend of yours. Of course, when people see the name, it's the first thing they think. But I really am like. And stop bringing that up. You got to be a mod, like, in her comments. Yeah. So I'm like. And please take this somewhere else. Okay. We're talking about Trinity here. But anyway, shout out to the two of them when they break up. It's going to rock me probably as hard as this. Pamela Anderson. Liam Neeson. I'm still upset. I'm still upset. I don't think I talked about this. In the podcast. Wait, can you just, like, quickly say. So someone said that they confirmed that they weren't dating, so they. Yeah, they. During the press run for Lethal Weapon, whatever they were calling it, the sequel.

[A]

Naked Gun.

[B]

Sorry, that's what I meant. The movie. I don't want to give it any press.

[A]

During.

[B]

During the press for Naked Gun.

[A]

Lethal Weapon was the Mel Gibson one. I'm not even. Like, they don't even deserve that.

[B]

My bad. During press for the Naked Gun, they said that they were dating. And, you know, he lost his wife tragically, and she has been put through the wringer by men. And the way that she's been treated as, like, you know, our property, you know, that's a nightmare. She's been through a lot. And they were like, these two. You know, Liam has previously said he would never date again after the death of his wife, but that he's completely head over heels, smitten for Pam. And then Pam was like, I also feel alive when I'm with Liam Neeson. And people were like, yo, this better not be pressed for this movie. This is. This would be crazy. And that move, they met that with, like, no, no, this is a real thing. They are really falling for each other. This could really be something to the point where his. What's the nice way to say dead wife? He's a widow. No, but her. Talking about her, I don't want to say. I don't think there's a word for that. Okay, so his dead wife's sister commented on Pamela Anderson, like, a picture of the two of them on Pamela Anderson's Instagram. She commented with a heart, and people were like, oh, that's so sweet. It's like she's giving that her blessing for, like, my sister would have loved. Been happy to see you happy like this again. And then two days ago, there's an article that's like, Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson no longer dating, but there was no breakup. And I read the article, and the article's like, the moments on the red carpet that fans interpreted to be romantic were just press for the film. There was real chemistry on camera, but off camera is a very different place. You. No, I'm not stupid. I know that. I'm not even talking about on camera. I didn't see your stupid movie, and now I won't. And now I'll never see your movie. How dare you? Two old people. You can't. This isn't two starlets. This isn't even like Travis and Taylor. This is like, older people who Deserve love and happiness. It doesn't have to come in the form of a marriage or heterosexual love. But you told us it did. It was. This wasn't us getting ahead of ourselves. This was like, people are desperate for hope, for anything that goes like, oh, yay. And like, they. And we're jaded. So when we saw this, people were like, I'm not letting. I'm not gonna fall for this. And they were like, guys, we would never do that to you. And then they did that to us, and I'm mad about that.

[A]

And then as a professional wrestling fan, I'm offended as hell.

[B]

What?

[A]

Like, I'm cool with suspending disbelief. And, like, I can buy into the bit if I know it's a bit, but if I believe it and it's not real, then, like, now I'm offended by it.

[B]

Right? Don't tell me it's not kayfabe when it is like, don't tell me. Hey, guys, I know a lot of what we do is fake, but this time it's real. And then when I fall for it, go like, wow, that's really embarrassing. You fell for it. Yes. You're incentivizing, like, not believing you. Why would I? Yeah. I don't want to feel guilty for having believed that love could exist between.

[A]

Two people who deserve it.

[B]

I don't like this. I don't like this. And I actually think it's worse if his sorry dead wife's sister wasn't in on it. I think it's worse if she wasn't in on. I think it's worse if she also was like, we give you our blessing. And then she finds out in a press release that, like, oh, there was just a movie, you dumb. Is basically what they said. Yeah. In this story. It was a movie, you idiot. It. And I'm like, what do you mean? I don't know, man.

[A]

I just don't know who his wife's.

[B]

Mother is, by the way. No, his. Wait, like, Natasha. Natasha Richardson's mother?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Who?

[A]

Vanessa Redgrave. Liam Neeson's mother in law.

[B]

I didn't know that.

[A]

I know. Crazy, right? What a family.

[B]

Prettier. So funny. Crazy, right?

[A]

I get excited.

[B]

What a family. Yeah. That's. Wow. I didn't know that. So you guys are saying I should have just said Natasha Richardson instead of dead wife? You think that's probably what would have been best? You think maybe when I asked what I should call her instead of dead wife, you guys could have said Natasha Richardson.

[A]

Oh, you didn't know her Name. Your terminology is the least offensive part of the story.

[B]

Okay, I just don't want to. There should be like a his. Because it's not his former wife, but it's not widowist. His.

[A]

No.

[B]

Why?

[A]

There's not a word here.

[B]

I know. Yeah, there's only a word for when you lost your spouse, right?

[A]

I'm pretty sure Google like word for dead wife.

[B]

Okay, good luck and let me know if it says anything.

[A]

Late. Late. Late wife.

[B]

Late. Wow. There was a word the whole time. Do we have to go back and do this whole thing again? Three brains other than mine. We didn't come up with late wife. Just say late wife at different volumes and then Chris can. Late wife. Late wife. Late. His late wife. His late wife. Sister. There you go. Chris, you can actually also just leave these at the end here and let everybody be in.

[A]

I'm definitely just not editing any of this.

[B]

Crazy that we didn't think, oh, there's too much going on today, you guys. We're recording two episodes and we only signed up to record one. You know what I'm saying? So we got a lot going on. I'm really sorry. To his late. To his late wife, Natasha Richardson. Should we take a quick break and then when we come back we'll talk to Jenny Hagel? Sounds good to me. Okay. Man, life can get packed, huh? Just so much stuff to do all the time. You gotta clean the bathrooms, you gotta read the news, you gotta watch the sports. You gotta drop your kids off at school. Not me. But I'm sure that's something that takes up a lot of time. Life just gets in the way. Well, when life is full and time is tight, Instacart helps you stay on track. Instacart is more than a grocery app. It's a care company that works around your schedule. Get groceries and household essentials delivered in as fast as 30 minutes. Whether you're hosting a barbecue or getting back from a trip or just juggling back to school chaos, it helps save so much time to open your phone and scroll through and pick out the things you need. That's why I love Instacart. Download the Instacart app and use code CASUITS20 to get $20 off your first order of $80 or more. That's code CASUITS20 to get$20 off your first order of $80 or more. Which is great because that means you can add that to the tip. Offer valid excludes restaurants and additional terms apply. Hey, I don't know about you guys, but I love learning I love in my old age gathering information in any way that I can. There's just nothing like gaining a fresh perspective, especially when it comes from experts who've seen it all and have the wisdom to prove it. And that's why I love Masterclass. With Masterclass, you can learn from the best to become your best. Apply improv to your daily life with Amy Poehler, develop your singular voice with Mindy Kaling, and learn to tell a story that persuades people with Michael Lewis. With plans starting at $10 a month build annually. You get unlimited access to over 200 classes taught by the world's best business leaders, writers, chefs, and more. I just started a master class with Helen Mirren. She's teaching acting and I assume by the end of it I'm going to be able to act like Helen Mirren, which is pretty exciting. Right now, our listeners get an additional 15% off of any annual [e-mail] casuals. That's 15% [e-mail] casuals.

[A]

I don't mean to interrupt your meal, but I saw you from across a cafe and you're the Geico Gecko, right? In the flesh. Oh my goodness. This is huge. To finally meet you. I love Geico's fast and friendly claim service.

[B]

Well, that's how Geico gets 97 customer satisfaction. Anyway, that's all.

[A]

Enjoy the rest of your food.

[B]

No worries.

[A]

So are you just gonna watch me eat? Oh, sorry. Just a little starstruck. I'll be on my way. If you're going to stick around, just.

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Pull up a chair.

[A]

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[A]

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At losing we help you Save ballot through 93 soil offer excludes Alaska and Hawaii. Selection varies by location. Select locations only While supplies/seelows.com for more details. Okay, our guest today is Jenny Hagel. She is an Emmy nominated TV writer on Late Night with Seth Meyers where she created the recurring segment that you may know her from jokes Seth can't tell. She also served as writer and executive producer on the Amber Ruffin show, who you may also know from jokes that Seth can't tell. Other writing credits include the Golden Globe Awards, Impractical Jokers, the Big Gay Sketch show. She's been nominated for two GLAAD Awards for her work addressing LGBTQ issues on tv. Jenny Hagel, thank you so much for being here.

[A]

Thank you for having me.

[B]

It's so nice to meet you. I feel like I've been trying to do this for a while, so I'm excited that we're able to do it now.

[A]

I'm so excited to be here.

[B]

This is you watching how the sausage is made. I forgot to even start that we were starting, so that's there. We have to start where the big news is.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And the big news is Taylor and Travis are engaged. Are you a swiftie? I do not identify as one, but I know I have many friends who are.

[A]

That's okay. I'm not a swiftie, but I'm also not a Taylor Swift hater. I think she is a person in the world who makes lovely, catchy music, and I wish only good things for her.

[B]

And this is a big good thing.

[A]

This is. I mean, if she wants it. I'm also not of the mind that becoming engaged is an accomplishment for women.

[B]

Oh, man.

[A]

So I think that if she has found true love and that is a thing she wants, then great. If she likes that ring, that's great. But we all know she has enough money to acquire any piece of jewelry she wants.

[B]

Do we think that she. She had no say in the making of the ring? Do we think that she was surprised by the engagement?

[A]

I don't know. I think I just am not steeped enough in straight marriage culture to know. But I have a hard time believing that any woman who is like a multi bajillionaire is going to wear a piece of jewelry every day for the rest of their lives that they don't like.

[B]

Yes. I like.

[A]

Seems like it's unique, it's pretty.

[B]

It's a. It's a way to do a big diamond without it being like, hey, big diamond. Which I feel like everybody's doing. Right. I don't know if you saw Cristiano Ronaldo, the ring that he put on his longtime girlfriend.

[A]

I didn't, but I also feel like we don't need a ring. Like, we know every. We know they're rich.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So also, I think it doesn't serve the same function that it might for people at a lower income bracket where it's like, letting you know. Like, we know.

[B]

Yeah, we're aware. We saw the flowers, the floral, the arrangement. Dress. Thoughts on what her dress is going to be?

[A]

I have none. And I'm sorry that's okay. I'm the wrong lady for this.

[B]

As I'm saying. And you were, like, not steeped in straight wedding culture, so that makes me think you are steeped in gay wedding culture. And if I could know from you the top three things I should know about gay wedding culture. Where is it at?

[A]

Okay, here's what I love about queer weddings. We haven't had them long enough for there to be any rules.

[B]

So. Great.

[A]

So the best thing about. Yeah, no, no. Yeah. Like. Like, I got gay married a million years ago, and I think, like, the best thing about it was it was, like, hot off of marriage legalization.

[B]

Great.

[A]

So nobody knew what the rules were. So my friends would be like, ugh. My mom is. Has all these opinions about flowers. I'd be like, nobody has any opinions because everybody's like, this is the first one we're going to. So I think the best thing about a queer wedding is no one knows what the rules are. So anything you do, people are like, I love it.

[B]

That's amazing.

[A]

And they kind of have to.

[B]

Yeah. Because we're here and we're getting married.

[A]

Right. What are you gonna do, Roll into a wedding that someone had to march on Washington for and be like, I don't like the centerpieces.

[B]

Nobody's gonna do that. Oh, you have notes. Where were you at, Stonewall?

[A]

That's right. That's right.

[B]

Okay, so that's Taylor and Travis by us. Do, do, do, do, do, do. Check the US Open. Are you a tennis gal?

[A]

Okay, so I feel guilty that I'm not more of a tennis gal. I do feel like this is where I need to let you know that I did let her in tennis in high school.

[B]

Excuse me.

[A]

So now were we the worst team in our district? Yes. Was I the worst player on that team? Yes.

[B]

Whatever.

[A]

Did I get on the team because my best friend was Captain Shout out to Amy Ellis? Yes. But I got a letter.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And my parents were so shocked that I was playing a sport of any kind that my dad just looked at me dumbfounded and said, if you let her, I'll buy the jacket. Jacket. Because he couldn't.

[B]

Those jackets were crazy.

[A]

Right. And then the 80s, they were so big and shouldery. So anyway, this is not about me, but I. I only follow tennis minimally. But I did see the fight.

[B]

You did?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Do you have thoughts on the fight?

[A]

I can't imagine a world where you put a finger in another woman's face.

[B]

Just. There's a lot of. It was a lot of weird respectability politics. And I'm not necessarily steeped in tennis culture well enough to know their unwritten rules and how they and expect each other to move, but I have a funny feeling that any of them that exist, those unwritten rules in tennis came from a place I wouldn't probably be cool with anyway. And so it just felt like a really strange moment. Let me give a quick summary for anybody who didn't see what happened. So is it Yelena is her first name? I believe you were like, I don't fucking know, which you shouldn't. Yelena Ostapenko appeared to tell Taylor Townsend that she has no education after losing to the American in the second round of the US Open on Wednesday. Losing after losing, that's an important detail. So Townsend's the women's doubles world number one. She sealed the win, approached the Latvian world number 26 for the customary handshake at the net after, and then an altercation ensued with Ostapenko telling Townsend that she should have said sorry for a shot that clipped the top of the net but stayed in play, known as a net cord. So that was her initial complaint when they went to shake hands. Then Townsend said she did not have to say sorry, and the altercation continued. Toward the end, Ostapenko appeared to repeat the phrase you have no education three times before Townsend told her that she could learn how to take a loss better. Hey, you could probably stand to learn how to take a loss better. Oenko later suggested she had received messages on social media saying that she was raised racist. I wonder why. Wow, how many message I have received that that I have that I am racist? She wrote. I was weird way to phrase this, and I know it's a language barrier, but I was never racist in my life and I respect all nations of people in the world. For me, it doesn't matter where you come from. There are some rules in tennis and unfortunately, when the crowd is with you, you can't use it in a disrespectful way to your opponent. She brings up a lot of times in this because there's other stories that she posted on her Instagram about like playing in front of your in your home nation. And I don't get to have that and you do. And she brings so much that I'm like, what are you trying to say?

[A]

She's trying to deflect in any possible way from her loss and from her racist behavior.

[B]

It was just so strange to see someone go like a lot of people calling me racist. It's like You.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. This was real textbook racism. And I also. I feel like it has to be said that the only time you ever hear the phrase I've never been racist in my life is immediately before or after a racist thing.

[B]

Isn't that funny?

[A]

No one's just. Just been reading a book quietly by the fire and then looked up and said it and then gone back to their book. Everyone's always.

[B]

That's true. Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. It's always immediately connected to a racist thing.

[B]

Isn't that interesting? Never in their lives have they ever. What's interesting to me is they always say that as if it like they had never once in their life checked themselves down to see if they were racist. This is the first anyone's ever introduced into their mind the idea that they might have even a subconscious bias in any way that has been culturally given to them. They react like it's the first they're thinking of it. And I immediately go, well, that's how you become one. That's by never ever checking. So the fact that this never even occurred to you, that yelling at a woman who just beat your ass, that she seems like she has no education and I believe she also said no class to not understand while also talking to her about how lucky she is to play in her own country. Completely not understanding the relationship that she has with her country and that black women in this sport have had with crowds. This is like so ignorant of so many things except the things that matter to this lady.

[A]

Yeah. You say ignorant. I would almost say it's as if she's not educated.

[B]

Interesting. I did like that the commentators after I was watching it at night and they like went to an update to talk about this and they went back to the action and the commentators were like, well, Yelena Ostapenko not. Not well liked among other women in that. That play tennis. She's. And then they would like laugh a little. Then some. The of somebody was like, kind of grumpy. Yeah.

[A]

Also, is there any better focus group in the world than knowing there's a woman that other women don't like? To me, that is a foolproof.

[B]

Yeah. Check on someone unfortunately complicated by the Internet because I have started to see the easiest thing to rally people around and like let Fester is a subreddit. That's like a snark against open woman. You will get other women together and it will get to a. It can get to a rather toxic place very quickly.

[A]

For sure.

[B]

For sure. Just based off of not anything having to do with.

[A]

I just Mean in general, when someone's like, yeah, she's like one of those women who, like, has no female friends and women don't like her. I'm like, well, I have all the information I need. Thank you.

[B]

I just. It's easier to hang out with guys. You're like, okay, is it?

[A]

You met guys.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You googled guys.

[B]

Is it because they don't talk in that sense? Yeah. No feelings come up. Yeah, yeah. Look, people, you can go through a phase of that. You can go. If you're going through a phase of that right now, Mrs. Pick me. There's hope for you yet.

[A]

We support you on your way.

[B]

We welcome back. We'll welcome you back. Not. Not you, Elena Ostapenko. You got some other stuff to think about before we can talk about that. Yeah, okay. That happened. Other tennis things that happened. Coco Gauff barely survived the first round, but she did. Naomi Osaka cruised in straight sets. Love that. She's. I love Naomi Osaka. She's been going through a lot and she. I don't know if you saw her look from this weekend, but I did with the roses.

[A]

I loved it, man. She looked great.

[B]

So cool.

[A]

She is cool. She's just 100% cool.

[B]

She's cool. And I just always am like, I hope. Hope you're doing good. You know, Is that normal? I don't think so, but it is a thought I have, and it's my job to share that. Did you see the Daniil Medvedev outburst?

[A]

No.

[B]

Okay, tell me about it. I mean, it's passed. It's not even as interesting as it was before, but he kind of flipped out when a cameraman moved a little early and a judge then awarded somebody another chance at a serve that Medvedev didn't think he deserved. And so he was like, that's that one. And through like a six minute little tirade. And the update on the story is that he's been fined $42,500 for that. So that's quite a. Quite a fee.

[A]

It is.

[B]

But to him, probably not.

[A]

No, it's like 1/100th of a tailor ring.

[B]

Is that what it is? I didn't even look up. I'm just.

[A]

I don't know. I made that up.

[B]

I don't want to know. I don't know anything about carrots. Carlos Alcaraz, now bald, he breezed through to the second round. So that's exciting.

[A]

The only thing I know about this because I don't follow men's sports, but.

[B]

I like, as a As a rule, just.

[A]

I can't get into it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But I. You know, like, when people are like, when men are like, I don't. I don't watch chip clicks. They're not for me. It's just like, I can't.

[B]

Not everything's for everybody. I can't.

[A]

I can't identify with the protagonist. That's my approach to men's sports. That's literally. And I'm not even saying that I just can't. But he let his brother cut his hair. Is that the bottom line of that.

[B]

Story right over the US Open?

[A]

I gotta respect the cavalier approach to your appearance. I'll never have that level of freedom. I will never. Five minutes before walking into a thing where a lot of people are looking at me. Me, hand my siblings some scissors, and be like, man, do what you got to do. Never, ever. And I really respect that.

[B]

Okay. But I. As you were saying that, I realized I did once I got so sick of my hair, I let it get to a point where I'm like, I need to cut this now. I'm getting close to it right now. But that's what I always. It's a consistent thing for me. So one time, Dan and I went to a wedding in New Orleans, and I was trying to do my hair for this wedding, and I was like, I can't with this anymore. And so I gave myself legs.

[A]

That's the bravest.

[B]

It was the dumbest thing I've ever done. I went to a good in. I thought. I didn't even have. I couldn't even see the back of my head.

[A]

I didn't even have mirrors. You did it without looking at the back of your head?

[B]

Just the front. And so I did it. I thought it looked fine. I went. I look at the pictures from that wedding, and I'm like, oh, my God. You could just see these, like, jagged shelves of hair. Yes. It's awful. But I walked in being like, I did this myself. Isn't that crazy?

[A]

Honestly, that's brave. And I like it delusional. I like it delusional. Didn't Winona Ryder give herself the haircut for Reality Bites?

[B]

I would. I feel that sounds familiar.

[A]

It's shaggy as hell. It's cool. It's, like, jagged.

[B]

It's not like it was less of that type of a moment.

[A]

Well, I'm imagine it was that. And I'm going to really. I'm mentally high fiving it, and I'm.

[B]

Actually going to let that imprint on my memory so that I remember it as going that way. And now we both have matching memories about it.

[A]

I love it.

[B]

Did you see any of the discourse surrounding Serena Williams coming out and saying she's on a GLP one Did. Do you have any thoughts or opinions on this? I tried to get mine out on the podcast earlier this week and it's. I have so many disparate thoughts on this that I. I really don't think I did a great job. You go.

[A]

All right, well, I do think a good thing to do is comment in a public forum about another woman's body. This can't possibly go wrong. Here's what I think. I think I, I don't want to be in the business about commenting on a woman and, and, and what she does with her body because I feel like every woman in America is watching walking the most insane emotional health gauntlet of on their way to attempt body acceptance. So I think like we are all out here under constant fire with bad input about what a woman's body should be, should not be, should look like, should not look like what we should be doing, what we should not doing. And it's impossible to be 100, I think at peace with your body as a woman in America. If there's someone out there who is at peace with their body, please contact me and let me know how you got there and how I can get there.

[B]

Talking slowly about how it feels. Right.

[A]

But what I will say, pulling back in the aggregate, is imagine, if you will, that there was a person who had a body that was the most successful at being a body in the world. Imagine that there was a woman who was so exceptional at athletics. Like, it's like if a body is a thing, it's a machine, not a thing to be lifted at. It was the best at being the machine. And then imagine if that person didn't feel good about how they looked. What have we done as a society if we've gotten the point where that person felt like they had to take a drug to alter their body. Wow, we've really done something, haven't we, as a people. But I cannot fault anybody for any choice they make in this weird soup of bad input.

[B]

Do you have any thoughts on the angle of it being in service of a. At least her conversation about using these drugs is in service of a paid partnership with a company that her husband is on the right.

[A]

I'm not business savvy enough for that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

As someone who half the time can't even locate her own debit card, I don't.

[B]

It's like, you're in my brain. I lost my credit card today. I shouldn't say that here, but by the time this airs, I'll have found it.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

Fingers crossed.

[A]

Or. Or you'll have had it replaced by your. By your bank. And then you'll be in the interminable process of changing your preloaded card number.

[B]

On every service, and I'll forget one, and it'll be my, like, HOA fee. And then they'll be like, oh, we charged you an exorbitant fee on top of the random fee, and we'll send.

[A]

You to collections for some 8.99.

[B]

Why can't this all be easier?

[A]

Well, yeah, it's everything.

[B]

So hard.

[A]

Yeah. So as that person, I feel like I can't. I. I shouldn't be in the business of. Of commenting on other people's finances because I can't get my own house. But, yeah, I think the body stuff is so hard. I think it's like, you know, there were years ago, maybe 10, 15 years ago, everybody was like, oh, my God, Renee Zellweger got plastic surgery. I'm like, well, I don't know. Everybody's told every woman her face is wrong since time began.

[B]

So if you go out there without the plastic surgery, they go, ew. Oh, my God. Age is happening on her face.

[A]

Right. I just felt like, okay, okay, so this lady succumbed to some pressures that you, the person on Twitter, put on her.

[B]

Right. You're mad at her either way. What do you want her to.

[A]

So I don't. Yeah. So I think that's. That's where I am on the Serena Williams of it all is just like, I don't know, man. Everybody's just doing their best to get through it.

[B]

That's so true. For as long as we have left to get through it.

[A]

Right.

[B]

But while we're here on Earth together, the wnba, let's talk about it forever. This is what I love you are. I'm, like, hesitating to think if I should let you say the thing you always say or if I should say it to you.

[A]

Please. No, please.

[B]

Which is that you thought you couldn't be a sports fan, and then the liberty happened, which is, like, such a beautiful sentiment that I think a lot of people share.

[A]

Oh, that's really nice. I'm glad that I'm not alone in that. I think for years, I thought I wasn't a sports person really, for my whole life, and then, like, the 2019 Women's World cup happened, and I was so obsessed, and I was like, well, I'm just into this because there's a good storyline. Like, there's the Trump and Megan Rapinoe of it all and the, you know, and I just thought like, oh, that's what this is. I'm just into this storyline. But then it ended and then I was like watching NWSL games on TV and I was like, you know, following players and reading about them and reading about aspects of like the contract negotiation. And I was like, oh, okay, well, maybe I'm just into like women's soccer. And then I went to a WNBA game and I was like, oh, oh, okay, well then maybe just these two things. And then I was like, the next thing I know, like, I have an 11 year old and then we get up every Morning and watch SportsCenter. I was like, maybe I'm a sports person. And maybe what was happening was kind of what I was saying before about male protagonists. Like, I said it like a joke, but really, like you hear all the time, you're like, where you're like, hey, we need like women to see themselves reflected in the things they read. We need, you know, queer people, people of color to, to have like, like a school curriculum has to reflect them so that they can be engaged and they see themselves in it. And maybe that's just what was happening with me is like sports to me was watching men do things and watching men watch those men do things and then watching men talk about the men do things. And every once while you try to pipe up and be like, that was a good pitch. And like, oh, was it how many pitches? Maybe 10,000 pictures. Right, exactly that. So define a slider and then pitch. Yes, exactly.

[B]

Pitching to you right now.

[A]

So I think I just thought like, oh, I don't know enough to say I'm a sports fan. And then because I think part of it is that women's sports, to me at least any women's sporting event I've ever been to doesn't have that vibe. Women, people aren't watching it that way. And also, women's sports has only been around for so long, so people can't be like, oh, yeah, well, do you know about the cubs picture from 1908 named Dusty Bottoms who had three fingers? It's like, no, because there's only like 20 years of women's sports to even be caught up on. So nobody is walking around like high and mighty. There's only so many stats you can pull out. And most of it's not televised, has not been televised. People only have access to A certain amount of archives of information. So people. I just don't experience people competing in that way. People are glad to be here now.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And if you don't know something about a team, people are so pumped out, they want to tell you about it. They. They want to help you get on board. So I just don't find it to be a gatekeepy experience. And, like, there are sometimes where I'll just, like, there'll be a foul and people will be freaking out, and I'll be like, I don't really get what just happened.

[B]

I don't really get it. But if you tell me if it's really bad, I'll go, that's egregious, ref. That's egregious.

[A]

I have more than once turned to somebody next to me at a Liberty game and been like, hey, I'm so sorry. I don't get what's going on. And they'll be like, oh, great. No problem. So what happened was she kind of threw an elbow, but the ref didn't see it, and blah, blah, blah. And now people are mad because of this, and I'm like, great.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

Thank you. And there's no, like, condescension in it. There's no shittiness. It's just lovely. Everybody's like, hey, we're having a party, and if you want to come, welcome.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I. So I just love that vibe. And then on top of that, not to really get sentimental, but, like, you go to a Liberty game, there's men cheering loudly for women. You go to a Liberty game, there are little boys wearing Sabrina Unescu and Stewie jerseys. And I'm sorry, but that's incredible.

[B]

It rocked me when I saw. It was such an out of. I had such a. A. Like, these little boys are playing at.

[A]

This, and they're serious.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Fucking serious about it.

[B]

I was. I don't. It shouldn't make. Like, emotionally, I started being like, it is.

[A]

And then you. You have black fans wearing white players jerseys. You have white fans wearing black players jerseys. You have white straight bros with backwards baseball caps on wearing a Jonquil Jones jersey that I know because I've been to the gift shop, costs $130.

[B]

Crazy.

[A]

And, like, screaming, pass it to JJ. And she is a black queer woman. And they're like, oh, my God, yes. Like, I can't. And then you have, not for nothing, over 10,000 people cheering for queer people.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I'm just old enough to remember that five minutes ago, like, when I was in my 20s, I had friends who were closeted at work. And so, like, I just can't. It's so many layers of inspiring. Like, you have Courtney Williams dad showing up to every game and proudly saying, that's my daughter. Like, how many queer people are kicked out of their homes by their parents? Like, I can't. It's in a positive environment on so many levels that I get goosebumps every time I go. And then on top of that, there's excellent basketball. Like, I haven't even talked about basketball yet. I've had 12,000 feelings. We haven't even gotten to the sports. So, yeah, I'm a season ticket holder for the first time in my life of anything amazing, and it's been the best experience. And I go to every game with my son. We have the best time. He screams himself with horse. And I took him to a Nets game one time because I thought, okay, well, maybe I'm overcorrecting. I should let him know that men can play sports, too.

[B]

Nets was a choice, I feel like. Could have took him to a Knicks game.

[A]

It was Nets. Knicks.

[B]

Oh, okay. All right. I. I immediately reversed.

[A]

No, that's okay. And you know what the man said to me? Bottom of the second quarter, he goes, should we leave at halftime because he was bored? And so just.

[B]

It is funny, like, the. The. The customs and the rhythms of a. Of a sports game that to. To somebody who's been to a lot of men's sports, live events, that rhythm that we take as, like, how it goes. A WNBA game, it's different. The rhythm just feels different. The vibe feels different. And to consider that there are people who are coming up with that as the norm. And then they go to a. And they go, what's. I don't like this.

[A]

It feels. All that's happening is basketball. And also, that's not great, right?

[B]

The basketball. And then they hide a ball. Oh, I was thinking of baseball. But, like, they do those, like, little. Hide a ball under a hat and move the hat around. Which hat's the ball under?

[A]

Yeah, it's too late, man. I've seen Ellie twerk. You gotta work harder.

[B]

Now, the baseline has been. Entertain me.

[A]

The baseline has been raised.

[B]

Please.

[A]

Just the mere existence of Ellie should make everyone work harder.

[B]

Just, I mean, top tier mascot out the gate, like, just immediately was like, this is what's up. I'm the gold standard for mascots.

[A]

Makes gritty look like Mr. Met on a day off.

[B]

So, as a Liberty fan, you must be excited about Stewie being back I'm.

[A]

Excited about Stewie being back and Sabrina being back. I'm nervous that we are infinite fifth place. I am nervous. Okay. I was at the game on Monday. I am nervous that it was as close as it was, given that it was the Connecticut sun. So let's see. Man, I hope we really, like gel. I hope we really click into place.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, you did win, so, like, maybe you're not gonna win again, you know, like, you already. You just did it, so like, wouldn't be the world's worst thing, you know, like, other people exist.

[A]

I mean, I guess. I mean, it's. Minnesota is so exciting to watch.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I don't know who. I mean, who beats Minnesota right in this moment in time, it's hard to imagine who could beat Minnesota.

[B]

I know.

[A]

Please. I'm sorry. If you're a liberal fan, please pretend I didn't say that.

[B]

No, she's not saying it because she wants. She's rooting for them. She's just saying it because she's acknowledging reality. Something that you've got to do. Confront reality as a sports fan all the time. Stud buds were a big story from. From All Star.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

What. Did you. Did you watch any of it?

[A]

I did, of course.

[B]

Such a fun.

[A]

They're the best.

[B]

No, this is, to me, where women's sports separates itself from men's sports in a big way.

[A]

It's.

[B]

Is this access, the access they'll give to themselves, being themselves.

[A]

That's it right there.

[B]

Without getting walking into. I feel like in an athlete, anytime. We've had stories about male athletes recording at times, like, in locker rooms and stuff, somebody gets caught doing something they're not supposed to do. They're trash people, some of them. Yes. And so I feel like the stud buds, it was so fascinating to just be able to authentically meet these people and spend all of this time with them and also never feel like at any moment, anything bad was gonna happen.

[A]

Right. Well, I just think that wnb, NBA is a place, for whatever reason, it has evolved into a place because we know it didn't start there. A place where people can be themselves, and it's so cool. And then it's like you have a league full of a lot of marginalized people who are marginalized in different ways, who can be themselves. And it's not about hiding who they are to have a product. The product is their authenticity. And again, like, it's just, man, it's so cool to see. It's really. It's really something that. That can Be that the league is like these cool personalities who, like you said, they're not. They're not trash people. They're like these really lovely, genuine, fun, funny, inspiring, authentic people.

[B]

Yeah, it's amazing. Paige and Az seem to be like a very popular couple among fans, ushering in a new era of WNBA power couples. Are there any other? Because another interesting thing that you're not seeing in men's sports is relationships between the athletes. Like this. Yes.

[A]

This is what I like to say. I think that when it comes to this, this is a thing that men's sports just is not offering. I think you've got people playing sports at the most elite level, and then on top of that, they're playing them either with their partner or with their ex or against their ex. That's. Men are playing checkers, women are playing chess.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Imagine you have to perform on the most elite level possible. And also maybe you're like, oh, man, I hope number seven on the team notices me. Right. Or. Or you're playing against your ex. And like, we have to win this not for sports reasons, but because I can't let her have this. Like, I'm sorry. That's wild.

[B]

It is an added layer that I think needs to be. We need to be leaning into.

[A]

Yeah. Yes. It's like the difference between playing Mario and playing Call of Duty.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Are you in two dimensions or are you in three dimensions? Because I'm over here in three dimensions. Yes, I'm thinking about that. You know, Dijonay Carrington just got traded away from her girlfriend. Is she okay? This is her first game with the new team. Is she doing all right? Like, that's what I'm thinking about. Like, man, it's just a different. Like I said, it's two dimensions or three dimensions. I don't. This is the story's from a few years ago, but the last Women's World Cup. Did you see the whole thing where one, the player on the Irish team refused to shake the hand of the player on the Australian team right before the game.

[B]

Oh, I must have. But I'm like trying to pull it out of my brain.

[A]

I promise I'll be as short as possible. But so before, this is what we're here for.

[B]

Okay, great. So you don't have to be short.

[A]

Because this is what. Why I met women's sports. So right before the game, all the players line up to do their little handshakes. I'm sure there's a sports word for that term for it. But they all line up and Everybody's like, shaking hands. Shaking hands. And then this one player on the Irish team won't shake the hand on the player of the Australian team. And everybody's like, Most people are like, don't notice. But of course, lesbian sports fans are like, all become private detectives immediately. They're like, what's going on? And what happened is you had two players on the Irish team who'd been dating for like seven years and they'd recently broken up. And one of those players had started dating that woman on Australia. And that's how the world found out. So you have your ex from a seven year relationship. You're in the World cup, big deal.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And you're playing against the new person that she's boning. That is the technical term.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

And you have to do all of that at the same time. This is what I'm talking about. Men's sports, they just have to put a ball into a hoop.

[B]

Yeah. It's like, oh, you had to focus because the ball had to go in the hoop. It's not. The ball had to go in the hoop while. While with all this other added weight.

[A]

To it, you're going through the biggest breakup of your life. And also the whole world is watching.

[B]

And I'll just say, men's sports, we're not discriminating against you. You could have it like this.

[A]

You should.

[B]

You could have it like this.

[A]

You could have it like this.

[B]

You could have it like this.

[A]

But that's what I'm saying. Men are playing checkers, women are playing chess.

[B]

Yeah, it's. It sure is something. And I just feel like people should know about it. It's like, lean in. It's crazy.

[A]

It's the best part.

[B]

Drama, it's so.

[A]

It's so fun. Fun.

[B]

The drama.

[A]

It's so fun.

[B]

Caitlyn Clark got a logo. Did you see that?

[A]

She did. That's fine. It's a corporate logo. It probably went through 3,000 hundred meetings and people.

[B]

I know. And it's, I think the reason. I actually saw somebody explain the reason they do this now. And I'm quoting a tick tock. So we're in dangerous territory. I could be making this American journalism right now. I know. And then we'll cut it if it's wrong. But the, the guy said that the reason that they do this is because otherwise if you file a trademark or whatever for you, whatever you have to. You know, I'm not business savvy either, but all the things you have to do to get a logo made, somebody Will see that you filed that and then they'll write a news story about it. And you won't get the push when the actual stuff. So what they do is they release the logo first. So it gets like a bunch of. And then they release the product after. I don't. That kind of made me go like, oh, I get why we do. Because otherwise I'm like, why are we always talking about athlete logos? I don't give a shit. They're all the same.

[A]

Couldn't care less.

[B]

And that's no offense to the designers. I'm sure that's very difficult. There's not. You're not working with much. Most of them, it's just their initials. And then what you can do with that.

[A]

Right. There's only so excited I can get.

[B]

About fonts like, cool logo, sick. Is that Helvetica?

[A]

Yeah. Oh, sans serif.

[B]

Yeah. I don't know what.

[A]

I thought you were gonna go, Sarah.

[B]

But I guess that means that she's got stuff coming. Clothes coming. Which people have been screaming for.

[A]

Sure. People want the merch. People want merch.

[B]

And she's getting a signature shoe in 2026.

[A]

Amazing. She doesn't already have one.

[B]

It is amazing. But I'm also fine with it. It's like maybe that's because she couldn't decide what she wanted it to look like. Sometimes you just want to sit with.

[A]

It for a little. WNBA salaries are what they are. We know. We all know about them. So if these people can make money, have a shoe, have a salad dressing, have a line of dog collars, salad dressing. God bless them.

[B]

I use Clark's, Clarks Thousand Island. Well, anything else on wnba? I'm a Valkyries fan.

[A]

As you should be.

[B]

So. Because I. Natalie Nakase came and she was one of our first guests on this podcast. She was so great. She brought merch. These are the ways to win me over. And I was like, listen, I don't have a WNBA team cuz I'm from Boston. All my teams are from Boston. I've always wanted to root for a New York team, but the Liberty just won. It would feel really weird for me to be like, I'm a huge Liberty fan.

[A]

Would you feel like bandwagoning? Yes.

[B]

And so. And I know nobody would make me feel that way. It would be a personal thing. So I. And also I'm just like, Boston versus New York. I've never rooted for a New York team. So I. And she was like, just root for us. We're new, we're starting right now, so you're in at the ground floor.

[A]

This is what I'm saying.

[B]

And so people can.

[A]

You can be like, I'm a Day one Valkyrie fan. If anybody comes to you, you can be like, I've been there since day one. Where were you?

[B]

I know this is.

[A]

You can be the gatekeeper now.

[B]

And I wouldn't. I wouldn't. Unless you're a man.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And everybody thought they were going to have a bad season.

[A]

Sure. And no. What a lovely surprise to have this expansion team come right out of the gate.

[B]

I'm obsessed with it. I love so much. The only problem is if they do well enough, they're not going to be able to have games. They're like playoff games at their home stadium.

[A]

Oh, I didn't realize that. Is it too small?

[B]

They know. I think they had entered into some sort of a contract agreement with, like, letting somebody else have the space.

[A]

Nobody thought they were going to do this. Well, exactly.

[B]

And so I just think that's funny that someone's got to scramble to find a place to put a player too good, which is, you know, but also a bummer because Ballhalla is.

[A]

So let me ask you, as. Then as somebody from Boston, how do you feel about the possible relocation of the Suns?

[B]

It is so complicated. Complicated. They have everything I've read about it or listened to about it. Trying to understand what's happening is, like, making me more confused. Yeah.

[A]

You get into, like, the business of it all, and I don't understand, like.

[B]

Why does he get to make that bid when I thought they were in an exclusive negotiating period and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. So I'm gonna wait till somebody tells me what the fuck's going on. As for. I got very excited at the thought of Boston getting a team. I thought that that would be. I mean, Boston's a great sports market. I would like to see Boston be a great women's sports market.

[A]

And a Boston New York rivalry is always fun. No?

[B]

Right. And Boston just got. We just got a NWSL franchise. Like, we're doing it. We're coming into the women's sports space. We have a PWHL hockey team.

[A]

I love the pwhl, by the way.

[B]

God, they're so good.

[A]

So, so good.

[B]

And they're so. I love the way they chirp at each other.

[A]

Those fans are so serious. I know the last Sirens game I went to, there were two women sitting in front of me who were season ticket holders for Montreal. And they had woken up that morning and one of them texted the Other and was like, do you want to go to the gate game? And they got in the car and drove to the game that day to see that game. They drove from another country. PWHL fans are. They are the best. But sorry. Yeah. So I hope for you. I hope for you that you get a Boston.

[B]

But then I also am like, I feel bad. I liked Connecticut. Having a team is kind of cool. I think they deserve to have it sometimes.

[A]

What's cool about. Who has ever gotten pumped about Connecticut?

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Concept. Nobody. Imagine people on their feet because being like, yeah, Connecticut. I can't even get a mental picture of Connecticut other than, like, khaki pants and a string of pearls.

[B]

It's people hitting, stepping on the brake on the highway. That's Connecticut. It's people. When you're like, why are you breaking? There's literally no reason to break. We could just go the same speed the whole time straight. Why are you breaking?

[A]

There's nothing to grab onto. Like, at least like, Like, Maryland is a small state. But I'm like, you guys have.

[B]

Oh, no, they crab right?

[A]

See? Obey. See. We both know, like, there's something to get connected.

[B]

Has no identity. And. And that's because it has cursed itself. Because when you stop at all of the Connecticut is one big rest stop on the highway. When you stop at them, you. You could buy both Boston Red Sox merch and New York Yankees merch. And that should never.

[A]

They don't have enough confidence to choose a. Pick a side. Pick a side.

[B]

Pick one. Stand in it.

[A]

Honestly. And here's another thing I really firmly believe. I think that the. The about the WNBA is. It is fun. It's fun in a way other leagues aren't. And I think teams should have fun names. Like, if there is like, if Connecticut should be the Connecticut rest stops. Yeah.

[B]

Okay. The Connecticut sun sounds like a newspaper. I have always said I hate the name. It's brutal.

[A]

But one that, like, is about to fold.

[B]

Yes. The Connecticut's Courier Sun. And you're like, oh, that one's on its way out.

[A]

Yes, exactly.

[B]

Times Tribune.

[A]

That's it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I think it should be like, the Connecticut Rest Stop.

[B]

The Connecticut. Connecticut. Literally struggling to think of a second thing you guys would be known for.

[A]

The Connecticut khakis Beach house. Yes, the Connecticut. The Connecticut generational wealth.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But I think, like, like, if Philly gets a team, like, they're like, Philly is getting a team, right? Like, like, please give me the Philly hoagies. Give me insane merch. Give me ridiculous shit.

[B]

Yeah. It's like, why not?

[A]

No, I. Yeah. I mean, like, let's have a good time.

[B]

Yeah, let's have a good time. And to make a point that I know, our producer Brady, is screaming in silence off camera. Bring the. The s. The plural back to the WNBA names. Most of the. They're always like the sun. It's like everything's becoming singular.

[A]

That is true.

[B]

Instead of being, like, a multiple, like.

[A]

I heard somebody say, like, at a Liberty game, they were, like, welcoming some player back who was. Had been traded and was coming back on an opposing team. And they were, like, once a Liberty. Also a Liberty. And I'm like, oh, a Liberty doesn't.

[B]

Doesn't work. Doesn't work.

[A]

Yeah. Let's not root for concepts. Right?

[B]

Just give us a nice s. Give me, like, a Unicorns. Give me. How do we not have a. Like, you know, give me, like, a.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

I don't know. Fantastic beast.

[A]

That's it. Oh, yeah, I know. That's the cheesesteaks, the Philly cheese steaks. I want to root for them.

[B]

I would.

[A]

Great.

[B]

Imagine the mascot.

[A]

That's what I'm saying. The merch option. The. The. The condiments. You could sell alone. We're not even into jerseys.

[B]

Make your own signature sauce. Bottle it. Remember when that lady on Tik Tok did that?

[A]

No.

[B]

Did you see the pink sauce debacle? Am I alone on this? This lady made up a sauce and then sold it to people, but she was just shipping it in, like, an envelope, Right? Like putting the pot in an envelope. And it was getting to them, and they were like, it's spoiled. It's chunky. And mine's orange. I. I don't think this is the right thing. It was crazy.

[A]

This is so shout out to that woman for her ingenuity, and I hope.

[B]

Sometimes you just gotta go for it, lady. And she did.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

She's like, it's a good sauce. I'm gonna put it in a bag.

[A]

I think you and I need to own a WNBA team. I think we need to be in charge of naming it Merch.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Mascot.

[B]

Okay. I have a lot of work to do on finances to get up to the level.

[A]

That's our only obstacle.

[B]

We should have thought of this a little.

[A]

We should have decided to be rich.

[B]

If we had. Yes. And if we had bought a team before everybody wanted to buy. I mean, I never would have thought I'd see the day where, like, Dave Portnoy wants to be invested in it. I'm like, excuse me.

[A]

We could have you can't come in. We could have bought a team in. In 98 for the change we had in our couch.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

But now. Yeah, well, that's okay. I feel like if you and I ever have a win.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I want us.

[B]

I think one's coming.

[A]

Great. I want us to meet back here city and just merch the shit out of it.

[B]

We're. We'll just have a big, long creative meeting where we're like, yes. To every idea.

[A]

To everything. To everything. Hot dogs.

[B]

Yeah. It's like me putting stuff in my cart on a website that I know I'm not going to check out of. And I've got 95 things in a cart. I'm like, well, that's somebody else's problem.

[A]

That's it. That's it. The Louisiana laser tags. I can't wait. I can't wait.

[B]

Strong laser tag culture down in Louisiana. Down on the bayou. Okay. We got another different sport we've got in golf. Do you give any shits about golf?

[A]

I couldn't care less. And I can't believe people care about it. When I watch SportsCenter, every golf highlight looks like they're replaying the same highlight. I'm like, oh, that guy putted from that number of feet. That's the highlight. I just watched yesterday. Just a different hat on the same guy. It's not even. I can't even say it's a different guy with any confidence.

[B]

I'm getting into it.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

I talked about getting.

[A]

What is the appeal for you?

[B]

Not. There's not enough. I'm gonna have to come back to you when I'm more in. I'm too. I'm like, don't bother. But I can't say that on the podcast, you know? So it's like, we're get. I'm getting into it. This will be the story that would hook you. So Barb Moxness.

[A]

I'm already in at the name Barb. I know I'm already in. You should have led with Barb.

[B]

Barb moxness. She is 72 years old.

[A]

I'm. Now I'm really in.

[B]

She shot 71, which is really good. She shot her age. They say she becomes the oldest golfer ever to make the cut at women's senior US Open.

[A]

I love this. Now I'm a golf fan, but. Well, I know I'm a Barb fan.

[B]

Barb Moxness fan. Yeah. She's the oldest player in the field at the Senior Open. She broke her own record for oldest to make the cut because she's 72 years old. She previously held the record at seven. At 69, three months and 16 days. That was in 2022. She has broken her age twice this week at San Diego country club, firing a two under 71 in both the first and third rounds. And then she shot nine around two.

[A]

All right, I'm in. I'm Team Barb.

[B]

Amazing.

[A]

But I also will say this, no disrespect to Barb. How hard is a sport if someone can play it that well?

[B]

At 72, I was gonna say it is the only sport, I'd go, yeah, golf. This must be a golf headline at that point. A sport where you're like. And she's doing what at 72? It's like a.

[A]

So, yeah, I mean, but Barb. But, Barb, I'm into it.

[B]

I'm not going to be doing this at 72. You couldn't even pay me to do this right now.

[A]

No. Barb gets a million. A million? A million points. What? My son says a million. Aura points A million or points to Barb.

[B]

Oh, does he do this thing? See it?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

They're all skibidi toilet. Yeah.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

Ohio's bad, right?

[A]

Yeah. He sings popular songs, but changes, but puts the word Rizz in them.

[B]

Good.

[A]

Yeah. I spent last week hearing, never gonna Riz you up. Never gonna Rizz you down.

[B]

Okay, you got Rizz rolled. That's what they call like it.

[A]

God damn, that's great. Yeah. I got Rizz rolled.

[B]

Oh, man, I didn't know. I'm glad kids still know that song. Shout out to. Yeah, Shout out to Music Making it. I don't know, man. Everything's falling apart. Sometimes I watch. I stumble into a corner of the Internet that isn't mine, and I get in the comment section and I'm like, huh, huh? What are they talking about?

[A]

Yeah. That is sus.

[B]

We're old, but I'm embracing it. I enjoy it. I'd much rather be old right now.

[A]

Than young barbing it.

[B]

Yeah. I'm barbing the out of my life. I could shoot my age. I could do 38 shots.

[A]

What did you say before she broke her age?

[B]

It's that. I think so. Brady kept using the words to describe this, and I was really picking a. I was nitpicking about it because he said he shot her age and that she's 72 and she shot 71. I was like, well, then she didn't shoot her age. She shot below. But he's like, but below is better. So it is Actually. And it was like. No, I know, but. So I don't know.

[A]

Okay. So we don't know if broke her age. We don't know if broke her age is the thing.

[B]

It said she had broken her age this week. Yeah.

[A]

That's what I'm gonna say next time I go on a date with a woman younger than me.

[B]

I'm breaking my age right now, guys.

[A]

I broke my age on Friday. That's disgusting. I sound like a lecherous old man.

[B]

No. Kind of. But, like, I was fine with it.

[A]

Okay. Like, one year younger. I'm not trying to.

[B]

Not, not crazy.

[A]

No.

[B]

No. There's a women's professional baseball league.

[A]

Yes. I'm so pumped about this.

[B]

Hell, yeah. I haven't heard anybody talking about.

[A]

Baseball is my favorite sport to watch.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And it's the one. I don't have. Women. I can't watch women do it. I am so excited because what this will do is this will. Watching the MLB is my last toehold in men's sports.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then I can.

[B]

They're going to lose. You're going to let it go completely.

[A]

Yes. You're going to just let them go.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

I went to a Brooklyn Cyclones game earlier this summer, and I just. I realized I couldn't get into it. I've been to so much. So many women's sporting events in the last couple years. I. I used to enjoy watching the Cyclones and I was like, I can't even focus on this.

[B]

Isabella just threw out a first pitch at the. I did.

[A]

Congratulations.

[B]

Thank you. It was a lot of fun.

[A]

That's pretty exciting.

[B]

It was so cute. Oh, so cute.

[A]

Don't doubt it. That's great.

[B]

But then. Okay. So now we can be done with them. Now that she got that out of the way. Now I'm comfortable with you.

[A]

And I'm a lifelong Cubs fan. I used to live walking distance from Wrigley Field. That's cool. I love the Cubs. The second this women's professional baseball league kicks off, I will never remember that the Cubs existed. I can't. I cannot wait. I cannot wait.

[B]

They start in May. They have six teams playing an eight game regular season, not including an all star contest and playoffs.

[A]

Do we know yet the. We don't know the six cities, though. Right?

[B]

I don't.

[A]

Northeast focused, but not.

[B]

Oh, wait. Actually, let me read through this. Please learn together. So the WPBL aims to make the most significant impact on women's baseball since the All American Girls Professional Baseball League, which was from 1943 to 1954. And inspired a league of their own. All the games we played in two or three neutral sites, likely Hartford, Connecticut, Manchester, New Hampshire and possibly a third city. This reminds me of the Athletes Unlimited Softball league that just started, which was basically like they had these teams and then the teams would go to cities that were underserved but had the demand and then people will come out to the games before. I assume this is like pre day dating moving every having like teams that stay like baseball started this.

[A]

It's like when a Broadway show goes on tour.

[B]

Yes. It's like barnstorming back in the day.

[A]

Sure, sure. Exactly.

[B]

So I think that's. Imagine how this is going.

[A]

Hartford and Manchester is two tough locations.

[B]

For you specifically, I feel.

[A]

I mean, look, we just got into Connecticut.

[B]

Other parts of New England. Ish.

[A]

Great. Now another reason to go to Connecticut.

[B]

Yeah. All right.

[A]

Okay. Okay.

[B]

To park the car.

[A]

But. But to support. To support women. A women's baseball league. I will go.

[B]

It's close enough. You know, getting to Hartford is close enough.

[A]

I'll go.

[B]

Seven inning games played on regulation 90 foot diamonds with aluminum bats. Oh, interesting.

[A]

That's interesting. Why do we think that is?

[B]

I imagine just for the power. Added power, high power to offense to.

[A]

Get people excited about home runs.

[B]

Maybe. The league has partnered with Fremantle, the production company best known for the Got Talent and Idol franchises, to produce content and show games. Brilliant idea. Interested to see how that goes? Have once. Have you watched any of those shows recently?

[A]

No.

[B]

I stumbled into an episode of America's Got Talent the other day and I.

[A]

Was like, does America have talent?

[B]

No. Shocking. No. But it was just so strange watching the audience shots they have and these people being like, yes. You're like, really? Okay, sure. And then they cut to like the judges who like, if it is bad, the judges are all like, that was pretty good. And you're like, no it wasn't. No, it wasn't. No, it wasn't. Give them honest feedback. It's what you're here for. Yeah, I'm getting sidetracked. Former Little League World Series icon Monetis was among hundreds of women who shuttled around the diamonds and batting cages over the weekend at Washington Nationals Youth Academy before they staged games Monday at Nationals Park. Monet said, when I found out about the league, family and friends encouraged me to just go out there. Why not give it a chance? I just never wanted to have a regret of not trying. She was the 2014 Associated Press female Athlete of the Year. She got a master's degree in sports management. From Columbia last year.

[A]

That's who we're calling when we buy our team.

[B]

Yeah. Okay.

[A]

She will manage the team. Katie. Look, it's all falling into place.

[B]

Just don't sign any contracts. Long term, we're coming for you, okay? Stay busy, stay booked. But in the future, we're coming for you.

[A]

She will help us manage the Utah Unicorns.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

I will not stop floating possible team names.

[B]

Utah.

[A]

Yeah. I don't know.

[B]

They're kind of doing their own thing.

[A]

They are. And we're not going to make a lot of money on alcohol sales at the venue. And that's real.

[B]

And we need that. We really do need that soda sales, though.

[A]

Through the roof. Diet Coke is the sponsor.

[B]

Davis. Oh, I just said that. Happily turned the page on sports before deciding to give America's pastime another shot. So I love that. I love the idea of her coming back. I love baseball for women.

[A]

I'm so genuinely excited about this.

[B]

I really, really am.

[A]

I cannot wait.

[B]

All right. Maybe we should go to a game together there in Hartford. That would be fun.

[A]

Yes. I'll drive.

[B]

Yes. Yes. That's the way to convince me to do anything, because I don't have a car.

[A]

I do. As a lesbian, I'm legally required to own a Subaru, and so I will pick you up.

[B]

Really?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

When you bought it and, like, when you signed for it, where you're like, I know. I'm a stereotype.

[A]

Yes. I felt like a stereotype. And every time I drive it, I'm like, God damn it, this is the best car.

[B]

What is it about a Subaru that appeals to a lesbian?

[A]

I. I think it's practical. And if that is one thing that lesbians are genetically every. It's practicality. When people talk about, like, the values of that. That in certain cultures. Yeah. That is. I think the lesbian value above all is practicality. I love that, like, you get a lesbian in a room that, like, this is messy. We could do this. This better. Lesbians, big clipboard energy.

[B]

Hell, yeah.

[A]

And so I think that's it. It's like, I think a Subaru is a practical car, and lesbians are like, yes, thank you.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

You've done this efficiently. Great.

[B]

I can get on board efficiently.

[A]

But, yes. I. I'm so. I. I honestly did think for a second about going to watch those tryout games in D.C. really, I did.

[B]

That'd be so fun. That would have been fun. But I think we'll just. We'll go to a game.

[A]

Great. I'm not doing this. I'm not saying this for the podcast.

[B]

Yeah, me neither.

[A]

I mean this from my heart.

[B]

I'm saying this so that I'm helping to it so that if I forget, you can go remember, and I'll go, oh, my God. There was video evidence.

[A]

I was like, katie, I'm. Beep, beep. I'm outside.

[B]

Get downstairs now.

[A]

Get downstairs. I have packed snacks for the drive.

[B]

Okay, Jenny, before we let you go, we have a little game here. I know you host a live show called Jenny Hagel Gives Advice. Where you give advice. This is Jenny Hagel gives sports Advice. So you usually take questions from your audience. We have some questions from audience members who you may know.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And was hoping you could give them advice. I can't wait. Hi, this is Travis from Kansas City. Okay. I recently got engaged. Thank you. And we made a big deal about it on social media. My fiance has a pretty substantial following, and people seemed to pay attention, so I was cool with it. And a lot of people saw it. Her IG handle is just her name. Mine is the same one I've had since college at Killa trav. We're both 36 years old. Is it time to change my Instagram user username?

[A]

Look, Travis, here's what I'd say. I mean, you don't want to lose yourself in a marriage. You should still stay. You're. You're. You're. You're entering into a marriage, but you should still retain who you are in your own individual identity. So if Kill a Trav is what's in your heart, stay with it.

[B]

That's very sweet.

[A]

Thank you.

[B]

Wrong, but very sweet.

[A]

I mean, you should be troubled that that's what's in your heart, but that's its own question and journey.

[B]

I knew he was trouble when he walked in.

[A]

You did it. You did it.

[B]

You're supposed to do in sports is you're supposed to say one of her songs and then look at the camera, and then they make you famous. Okay. Hi. Sophie from Indiana here. I have this podcast, and every time I do a new episode and talk about my job, I get fined by my bosses. The more I talk about my job, the more people listen. But the fines are also getting bigger and bigger. I got fined for each of the first three episodes of my podcast, and then I have an seen my boss since we've dropped the last two. Guy hurt myself at work, and I've been working at home. Should I keep talking about work on my podcast?

[A]

I think, Sophie, I think you should stop talking and then I think you should talk to a therapist about seeing how you could change your worldviews and personality.

[B]

Also, sorry, Sophie, had a little second question. There seems to be this disconnect about my co host, West Wilson, where people keep calling him a reality TV star, but I am just a WNBA player. How come everybody on reality TV gets to be a star?

[A]

Because you're not a star.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

And you never will be.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

I don't know, man. I just. Man, I think, Sophie, I think you should worry less about your podcast and more about maybe doing some type of training program to learn about your worldviews and how maybe they can be broadened and changed.

[B]

Good advice.

[A]

Thank you.

[B]

Solid advice. To this random woman.

[A]

To this random woman who I've never heard of.

[B]

Hey, Jenny, My name is J.D. from New York City. I don't know if this is going to be obvious enough. It's James Dolan. I own the New York Knicks. Okay, the next sentence is, I own the New York Knicks.

[A]

Love this.

[B]

Okay, I own the New York Knicks. We met with Dawn Staley about becoming our next head coach, but ultimately didn't make an offer and went with Mike Brown instead. She said this week that she. She would have accepted an offer. Should we have hired Dawn Staley instead? I'm gonna look bad. Am I gonna look bad for not making her an offer when I eventually fire Mike Brown? What should I say to dawn to get her to accept an offer that she didn't get the first time?

[A]

Okay, well, there's a lot of questions in there. Number one, yes, you should have hired Don Staley because she has a proven track record of winning, and she is inspiring to people both on and off the court. So you really fumbled that to mixed sports metaphors, and that's, look, that ship has sailed. And so now you're gonna go with this new guy. He's not going to be good, or he'll be like a B minus, B plus at best, and you'll regret it. And I think the only thing you can do is go back to Don when you eventually move on from Mike Brown and say, and you'll just have to eat shit. You'll have to say, listen, I made a really big mistake. Please, will you come back?

[B]

Get on your knees.

[A]

And then you'll have to make her an offer. And this is real. You'll have to make her a salary offer that's higher than what you were paying Mike Brown.

[B]

Oop.

[A]

And that's the only way to not have it be disrespectful.

[B]

So I'm sure James Dolan will follow sound reasonable advice that seems like something he's done in the past and will continue to do in the future.

[A]

From a woman who's never played a full game of basketball.

[B]

He seems to really care and be invested, you know, so I think he'll be. I think this is going to get right to the top. That's our last one. Okay. Yeah.

[A]

All right. I feel good about that.

[B]

That's me, too. I feel like you gave a lot of advice here that a lot of people needed. Jenny, thank you so much for being here. Where can people find you if they want to find you?

[A]

Thank you so much for asking. I do a live show called Jenny Hagel Gives Advice, and I'm gonna be doing it in Los Angeles on September 6th and in Chicago on September 11th. It's a really fun show. What happens is, as audience members come in, they get a couple blank index cards and a pen, and on stage are some buckets that say, like, job advice, financial advice, love advice. And people write down questions they have. They drop them in the buckets, and then me and a guest will pull. We pull questions at random out of the buckets. We give people advice, and at the end of the show, a random real human therapist comes on stage and tells us if we did a good job or not. In Los Angeles, my guest will be Joel Kim, Booster. And in. Right. And in Chicago, my guest will be Chris Kattan.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

So please come out. We would love to have you there. It's honestly a really fun time. Like, it's funny and it's silly, but also, people put really lovely, vulnerable, real questions in the bucket. We have some really lovely, real conversations. And I think in a world where so many of us are on zoom, working from home, whatever, it just ends up feeling like a really nice night of being in community, community with people. And then at the end, you can hear a therapist rag on me and tell me I did a bad job, which is like.

[B]

I know it's a funny bit, but it's also, like, great to have so that before we leave this room. This was bad advice. Don't follow this. But this was good advice.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

Like, that way, make sure we didn't, like, give out any terrible mistakes.

[A]

One night, the therapist was like, you did tell three different people to get a divorce.

[B]

Well, they needed to.

[A]

Honestly, their friends aren't gonna tell them.

[B]

Could have got to them before they got married. I would have told them to not to do it.

[A]

That's right.

[B]

And it's their fault for waiting this long to come get advice from me. Jenny, thank you so much. This has been so fun.

[A]

Katie, this is a delight. And I can't wait to go to a professional women's baseball game with you.

[B]

Go Unicorns, go.

[A]

I can't wait to go Root for the Texas tacos.

[B]

Hell yeah. Hell yeah. Okay, you guys, that is it for your Thursday episode of Casuals. Thank you so much for tuning in. Thank you to Jenny Hayle for being here. Um, tomorrow, keep an eye out on your feed for bonus episode where we're gonna teach Isabella how to draft a fantasy football team and also how football works and also what football is. Yay. So that's gonna be fun. And Matthew Berry's gonna swing by. Crazy cuz. He's incredibly busy right now but he's stopping by for us, so hopefully you do too. We'll see you tomorrow. If not, we'll see you back here on Tuesday. We love you. We mean it.

[A]

Bye.

[B]

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[A]

Well, I don't mean to interrupt your meal, but I love Geico's fast and friendly claim service.

[B]

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[A]

Yeah, I'll let you get back to your food. So are you just going to watch me eat?

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