← Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul
Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul
Wide-Open AFC, Holiday Thoughts, and a Surprise Phone Call
00:59:27
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- [00:00]
A
This episode is brought to you by McAfee. When it's game day, everything moves at full throttle. But McAfee's secure VPN is like your digital defensive line, always working to protect your info when you're on public wi fi. Whether you're checking fantasy scores at the Watch party or posting pics at the stadium, visit mcafee.com online protection today to get award winning online protection for just $39.99 your first year. Cancel anytime terms apply.
- [00:29]
B
Oh, we're getting ready for Christmas. Like you're already kind of like dressed for Christmas a little bit.
- [00:34]
A
You think so?
- [00:35]
B
Yeah, that's right. Max Kellerman. Rich Paul. Game over. Subscribe Listen, Rich, AFC is wide open. Wide open.
- [00:44]
A
Not for me.
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B
Not for you.
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A
My Browns, man. The thing about it is, did you.
- [00:51]
B
Think they were going to win that game?
- [00:53]
A
We look good. I'm positive about my Browns, but on the Monday after we lose, I'm not at my best, but I am positive. Go ahead.
- [01:00]
B
Yeah, I'm not so positive about your Browns, but I hear you. Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars though, that's a big win. I got something to say about that.
- [01:07]
A
Big, big win.
- [01:08]
B
I want to know what you have to say about the reaction of the fans to LeBron James saying that he would rather not play on Christmas.
- [01:19]
A
Well, I would rather not have to sit here and try to find out what am I buying on Christmas. For people. It's the worst thing. The pressure.
- [01:30]
B
The pressure of finding gifts for rich people.
- [01:33]
A
Well, I'm not saying all rich. The pressure of finding gifts, period.
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B
But the circles that you travel in. I'm not buying everybody because they already had to.
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A
I tell people, don't buy me a gift. Cause I'm not. Just don't buy me anything. That way I don't feel compelled.
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B
Oh, that'd be so nice if people didn't have.
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A
That'd be fantastic.
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B
Gifts should be for kids. Kids should do the kids. The adults with the gift. Gifts too much.
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A
I do the kids. But we could talk about that.
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B
Yeah. Also, you know what I'm into is what the Knicks just did. The players used their bonuses from the cause they made a lot of money. Half a million dollars bonuses from the. From the NBA cup to pay staff that didn't get bonuses.
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A
This is giving time of the year.
- [02:12]
B
It is.
- [02:13]
A
That was nice.
- [02:14]
B
That's very nice. Listen, we got a lot to get into. Let's do it.
- [02:17]
A
Let's do it.
- [02:19]
B
Game over is presented by fanduel. Fanduel's got it all. Same game parlays, quick bets for jumping in live and your way so you can build the bet that fits your play. Plus, don't miss out on holiday offers and surprises all month long. Download the FanDuel app or head to FanDuel.com gameover to get started 21 and over and present in select states or 18 and over and present in DC, Kentucky or Wyoming. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit rg-help.com, call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org chatinc. Man, a couple weeks ago I thought that the AFC was gonna boil down to the Bills and the Texans when the dust settled cause the way the Texans were playing defense, the Bills had just come back on the Pats. It was their second comeback in two weeks. And that's probably still my those are my two teams in the afc. But I gotta say Rich, that's a wide open conference. That is what the Jags just did with the Broncos. The way the Broncos have looked before the Jags game, the Steelers you cannot count out because you have a championship coach and the way Aaron Rodgers is playing kind of under control game manager, make a few big plays when you need them to. That conference is wide open. But for me it still comes down to when all is said and done. Like the Texans, I'm not worried about them struggling against the Raiders. That was kind of predictable. It's a trap game this time of year. Of course you're going to look past.
- [04:05]
A
The Raiders any given Sunday, right? Get the win, get the win.
- [04:08]
B
They got the win. And when I look at them still, the front seven is crazy and you have a quarterback who makes special plays when you need him to. He did it again yesterday and d' Amico Ryan's like you have the coach, you have the quarterback, you have the defense. So Texans to me are my sleeper pick to win the super bowl. And I think that stays that way and I probably still at least get there bet on the Bills over anyone in the afc.
- [04:37]
A
The thing I like about the Texans is it's one of those things where I think them just the way they lost last year. I think that continuity, the professionalism, like I said before, if they get to a place to where we're familiar with this, I think they now are understanding how to win games that may not be favored or sloppy or whatever the case in the playoffs, that experience even matters even more.
- [05:10]
B
Isn't it amazing how the Chiefs go down, Mahomes goes down and now for the cause for years now, everyone's making noise about the Bills, especially because they want Josh Allen to be the guy. You have your eyes on the Chargers, but your eye on the Chargers, but they're going to charge her the way the Clippers Clipper usually and Justin Herbert just the results weren't matching the talent. But in the end for me it was always, yeah, but I know who's going to be there in the end. The Chiefs will be in the AFC Championship game and they will probably advance to the super bowl. And that's taken away. And it's almost like when Jordan stepped away for those two years. I know he came back and lost to the magic, but he played 20 something games. His legs weren't there those two years. He really stepped away. And you could kind of see a parallel NBA universe. What if there was no Bulls? Who would have been the team of this era and it was Olajuwon and the Rockets and now it's almost. It's not quite at that level. But no Mahomes are Chiefs in the afc and now we kind of get to see a parallel universe. Who, who wants to take that? One of the guys who's stepping up right now. And it's crazy cuz we were talking about this the other day. Quarterbacks or athletes who flip the script, who write their own script where the media has a narrative about a guy and it's not with bad intentions, it's that you're trying to see what's there. You know, you're trying to tell the story of what's happening as best you can. I know that's what I do. And you know, like if a guy like James Harden suddenly caught fire in the playoffs and won a championship, that'd be incredible because he hasn't been that guy throughout his career. In the playoffs, in the moments of truth. Steph did that for me in 2022 with the, with the Warriors. I mentioned that like end of the series he's the best player on either team wins the championship. He had never done that before. He did it and great, you know, give him his due. When a guy like for example, Sam Darnold has the game he did against the Rams the other day, it's like, oh, look at this. He did everything he. Oh, here it comes. Darnold's going to turn it over. They're going to lose. The difference on these two teams is one has Stafford, the other has Darnold. No, he flipped it. Trevor Lawrence. Trevor Lawrence. Rich going into this season, it's not an exaggeration. To say he was a bust, because he.
- [07:35]
A
I don't know about a bust, Rick.
- [07:37]
B
He came out of college with more hype than anyone since Andrew Luck, maybe even more than Luck.
- [07:44]
A
Well, he played on great Clemson teams. But what I would say is guys like Trevor Lawrence, Sam Donald, and really pretty much anybody, like anybody, forget the sport of it all. Let's just talk about in life. In life, you have to be able to. It's one of my favorite songs from New Edition. You gotta be able to stand the Rain, Man. You do. Because the thing I think people don't understand is, and I try to, for the guys that I represent, there's an accountability that comes with you standing the reign. And we all have expectations as fans of what a player should be, how fast they should develop, you know, how they should be able to produce night in and night out. That's our expectation. But they're the ones obviously under center or under the gun or whatever the case may be. And in this case, I look at all these guys and when we talk about guys coming back, guys rewriting their story and things like that, it's literally just standing in the ring. I used to go to.
- [08:58]
B
Can I say one thing real quick about New Edition? Do you know, I remember when they dropped in, I was in the fifth grade. It was the fifth grade.
- [09:06]
A
You was in the fifth grade when.
- [09:08]
B
New Edition came out, Maybe fourth grade. Damn you, old man. Yeah, yeah, man. So.
- [09:12]
A
So you look good, though.
- [09:13]
B
Do you know? Do you know? Yeah, that's true. And not only that, but as you.
- [09:16]
A
Age, I wouldn't have put you on fifth grade. New edition came out in, like, 78.
- [09:21]
B
No, no, no. Early age.
- [09:22]
A
No, I know that.
- [09:22]
B
No, no early age. But as you age, the standard goes down. So as long as you don't totally fall apart, you're considered better. Look, New Edition, when they. People don't even know why they're called New Edition. They were called New Edition because it was like they were the new edition of the Jackson 5. That was the original idea, I remember. Yeah. Old, anyway.
- [09:42]
A
I didn't know that.
- [09:43]
B
Yeah.
- [09:44]
A
But one of my favorite groups. But, yeah, you have to just be able to stand the reign. And I think Trevor Lawrence is an example of that. He should actually play the song in his locker the next game because it's. It's one of those things where we're seeing it. He's always had something. You don't draft a guy number one that don't have any.
- [10:03]
B
You know what I. What, what, really, what surprised me about How? Now look, I always preach patience with quarterbacks. We want quarterbacks to be great on their first contract because people had the mistaken idea in the NFL we need to win on the rookie window because we're saving money there. When in fact, that almost never happens that you win with a quarterback in his rookie deal. It's usually by the time he gets to his second deal.
- [10:26]
A
Well, if you do, that's a big luxury, no question.
- [10:29]
B
But the point is you don't need to make that happen. Like, you need to draft the right guy, develop him and hope you have the coach quarterback for the next 10, 12 years. That's really should be the strategy. So I'm all four patience with the quarterback. In Trevor Lawrence's case, it surprised me because he wins the Natty right after Deshaun Watson. And he does it. He does it kind of more easily. He had a better team, but he didn't like, you know, they just kind of crushed everybody.
- [10:58]
A
And I mean, well, the Rollin.
- [11:00]
B
And he's a freshman, right?
- [11:01]
A
Yeah.
- [11:02]
B
Then the next year he has a little sophomore slump. But I remember that game, it was against Georgia Tech. He throws the interception and then chases the dude down in the open field and makes the tackle preventing the. And to me, that's like super Ben Roethlisberger. Like the type of stuff that you saw from Ben Roethlisberger in college, but more athletic.
- [11:25]
A
So you're talking about Trevor Lawrence. Are you.
- [11:27]
B
Yeah. No.
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A
Are you rocking with Jacksonville?
- [11:29]
B
I think I am. I think they're real.
- [11:31]
A
They replace who?
- [11:32]
B
I don't know if they refer. No, I still Texans, Bills for me. But that's why I say the conference is wide open. Jacksonville, Denver, New England.
- [11:41]
A
Because just last week he was on the Bo Knicks train.
- [11:44]
B
Yeah. I still think that they have something in Bo Knicks. Like I said, the Broncos.
- [11:51]
A
Trevor Lawrence. It's Drake May.
- [11:54]
B
Yep.
- [11:55]
A
It's Josh Allen. You still believe that the Ravens is going to get into the CJ Stroud. No, I don't know about.
- [12:02]
B
I don't know about them getting. No. Aaron Rodgers with Pittsburgh is dangerous. This is like a six dangerous teams.
- [12:07]
A
You're like stuff, stocking stuff. Excuse me, AFC team.
- [12:10]
B
Excuse me. The Chargers with Justin Herbert.
- [12:13]
A
But you just said the Chargers was the Clippers.
- [12:16]
B
That's what I'm saying. In the absence of Mahomes and the Chiefs, the script has been flipped. Like it's wide open. We're going to see who was destined in the end. Right. Like, who we're going to look back on and say, oh, when The Chiefs weren't there. This is who it was. This was the guy. This was the team. But I'm saying about Trevor Lawrence, it really could be him, because.
- [12:38]
A
No, but I just want to be clear. You think that the Jacksonville Jaguars could get to what Super Bowl?
- [12:45]
B
They could potentially win it this year. They're not my pick. I'm saying the. But they could wind up in the AFC Championship. I mean, if you can do that, you have a shot. I'm saying those. We just listed seven teams, or I did seven teams. Where it's like, that's good for everyone in the playoffs.
- [12:59]
A
For the NFL.
- [13:00]
B
It's good for the NFL. And Lawrence is a guy rich who to me, if this is sustainable and he continues to do this, has gone, for me from a bust. I'm not. I understand. You have to be patient. I'm making that point. But from a guy was like, damn, that's what Trevor Lawrence did this many years in. To a guy where it's like, oh, he's doing it now.
- [13:22]
A
You spend a lot of time on Trevor Lawrence. Yeah, this is a lot of time spent on Trevor Lawrence, dude. So I just want to make sure. Yeah, because you're spending a lot of dollars on Trevor Lawrence right now. And I'm a Trevor Lawrence fan. I like Trevor Lawrence. But you're spending a lot of dollars on Trevor Lawrence right now. You didn't even spend this much on Sam Darnold, who had an unbelievable game.
- [13:43]
B
Well, because Sam Darnold wasn't out of college. With the same level of hype.
- [13:47]
A
Yeah, but once you get. Okay, but I do think it's different.
- [13:52]
B
When a guy comes out. Like, think of the NBA. If a guy comes out with a Wemby level hype or LeBron level hype.
- [13:59]
A
Yeah, but.
- [13:59]
B
Or something like that.
- [14:01]
A
Apparently, you get no credit for the hype. LeBron surely isn't getting any credit for exceeding the hype.
- [14:07]
B
So I think it's.
- [14:08]
A
We can move on from that.
- [14:09]
B
Isn't it an interesting story? If a guy comes out with that level of hype, you're almost at the point where it's like, okay, we gotta call this what it is. That's a bust compared to the expectations. And number one overall pick. Not only that, but the best number one overall pick in at least 10 years. And this is what you get. I'm saying. Now he's rewriting the story right now. It seems to me. Okay, if what does he have to get to the AFC Championship game for that to happen?
- [14:36]
A
No, I'm just. I'M with you. I think it's good for the NFL.
- [14:39]
B
Yeah, I think so too. Your Browns we've already like. Do you care to say anything about your Browns?
- [14:45]
A
Well, here's the thing. I feel good about the effort that we're giving. Obviously we're not in the playoff hunt, which is fine. I think we'll get a good draft pick this year. But I think the NFL is better when the Browns are in the playoffs. See, you don't understand what it's like to be a Browns fan. I don't think you understand. My dad used to sing this song when Bernie Kozar was the quarterback. It was on the radio everywhere. We thought we were going to the Super Bowl. It was the. We were playing the AFC Championship game. When you get that close, you should know this. It just stays with you. And everything is. Being a Browns fan is. You're in a totally different universe. It's like being a fan of Star wars or you know, one of those legacy. Watch now like stranger things.
- [15:45]
B
The reason that the Browns even in Cleveland is because of the. Of the dog pound. Really. Like when those fans. The reason they have a franchise is when the original Browns left. There was such a grassroots.
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A
You said in 1995.
- [16:01]
B
Yeah. There was such a grassroots movement to have a Browns franchise that. That actually not an astroturf movement meaning like not a corporate sponsored movement that is made to look grassroots, an actual grassroots movement by the ticket holders who were there rain or shine to bring back a franchise. They awarded the expansion franchise to Cleveland. Not only gave them the Browns name, but the history. They got to keep the history with.
- [16:28]
A
A new French because they. But the championship that the Ravens won.
- [16:32]
B
No, I'm just agreeing with you. It's the most underrated fan base in sports might be the Browns fans.
- [16:38]
A
Yeah. And the champion, the super bowl that was won. That was supposed to be the Browns Super Bowl. And I talked to Ozzie.
- [16:47]
B
That doesn't count for.
- [16:48]
A
I talked to Ozzie Newsom a couple weeks ago. Unbelievable conversation for me because obviously one of the greatest tight ends in the history of the game and what a.
- [16:58]
B
Legacy is a GM too.
- [17:00]
A
That too. But it was just one of those surreal moments that I'm talking to Ozzie Newsom who I grew up watching and he made some of the. You know, the tight end. When they get that first down. Ozzie Newsom was. You gotta put him up there with who? Winslow and now Kelsey and Gronk. Gronk. And what's my guy from San Diego? How can I forget?
- [17:29]
B
Because he's really more of a wideout than a tight end.
- [17:32]
A
Antonio Gates.
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B
Gates.
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A
No, he was.
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B
Gates is the ultimate, like, man. That looks like a wide out to me. Yeah, yeah.
- [17:38]
A
I mean, yes, but he was a tight end. But there's so many. But Ozzie Newsom was just. And those Browns teams like you talk about the dog pound, you know, our defense that we had.
- [17:48]
B
This is.
- [17:48]
A
This is Clay Matthews, this is Carl Banks, this is Menafield and Hanford Dixon. Hard hitting Hanford Dixon. So you don't know about this stuff.
- [18:01]
B
No, I'm saying I agree with you that I am giving you. I'm giving the Browns fans their flowers.
- [18:09]
A
So you understand the culture of the.
- [18:12]
B
Browns fandom is so real that they have given the fans almost nothing to cling to. But the fans still support and watching the game.
- [18:22]
A
The Browns game. You know, my dad had the store, so the Browns game was on. And as their. The game is closer, you know, he would let people kind of just standing around and you get to see everybody's reaction and excitement to when the Browns. It just seemed like when the Browns won, everything was better for me.
- [18:43]
B
For someone, like life was better that week.
- [18:44]
A
Yeah. Because we didn't have a ton of. But for someone who didn't have much in front of you when the Browns won, it just made everything.
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B
I wonder for the average fan, I've asked this before, like on radio, what percentage of your quality of life increases when your team wins?
- [19:02]
A
A lot.
- [19:03]
B
But what would you say your whole life is 10% better, 20% better?
- [19:08]
A
This is why it matters so much in small markets. See, I said this to somebody the other day. When you're a big market team, you don't have the pressures that a small market team has. And let me tell you why. In a big market, and this is why, like Mark Walters, you really have to tip your hat to him and his staff because he's in a big market and he's still doing the details. And his, you know, when you talk about the baseball front office and analytics and the performance and using AI and doing all these things and being like ultra aggressive, going to get Shohei when he signed Mookie when he went and got Freddie Freeman and, you know, signing the other. The pitcher, like to be in a big market, to have the marquee team and to still do all the necessary.
- [19:59]
B
As though you're in a small market.
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A
As though you're in a small market to be great. Because the reality of it is this.
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B
I mean, if the Dodgers lose, right. The sun's still shining. Everyone's doing this, what they gotta do in la.
- [20:12]
A
And that's what I'm saying. It's a lot of things going on. People are at museums, you're at concerts, you're at the beach.
- [20:18]
B
If the Browns lose or the Bills lose or a team like that, the whole town is depressed. Exactly.
- [20:24]
A
And know what else happens? The economy. The economy when, when the Cavs are in the playoffs all those years and then when they go to the playoffs and you go to the finals every year the economy was going up 20%. You know how everything matters just. I think about people that are just serving drinks, the tips they get because the team is winning, because they're happy. Right. All the way up to obviously, you know, the season ticket holders that's, that's sitting on the floor, they may own a company and because they're winning, people get to go to games and sit on the floor. That probably would never got there. A good friend of mine, the Lebo family out of Cleveland, they own Majestic Steel. I watched the way my close friend Todd Lebo, I watched the way he treats everyone. They had a box, then they had the court size seats. And you know, this is a steel company. So you know, people are making X amount of dollars. They can't really afford to go sit on the floor or sit in a box. And I watched how he had to do it.
- [21:34]
B
Do you understand what you said earlier about how it's hard to get people presents on Christmas? For you see, my good friend who owns the steel company, that's why it's hard for you to get people presents. Because your friends, the circles you travel in, own steel companies.
- [21:49]
A
Yeah, but the thing about it is that's not. When we met, I didn't know that. Right. We met just, just, just two guys kind of like.
- [21:57]
B
I'm not saying you're looking to have rich friends. I'm saying that rich's friends are rich.
- [22:03]
A
And I've had some friends that are, are, are.
- [22:06]
B
And it's easier to get the poor ones.
- [22:07]
A
But here's, here's on Christmas, here's what I'll say to that. It's not about rich or poor monetarily, it's about how rich a character is. And you could be poor monetarily and have rich character.
- [22:21]
B
So, so I'm just talking about in terms of getting Christmas presents. Yeah, but it's easier to get your broke friends presents than it is your rich friends.
- [22:27]
A
You'd be surprised by that. See, you never been to see you think you're invited to the cookout match. But you never actually been at the cookout.
- [22:34]
B
Been at the cookout.
- [22:35]
A
Okay, well, you know, if you go to the cookout, if you go. If you having a barbecue in the backyard.
- [22:41]
B
Yeah.
- [22:42]
A
And then you go to the front yard of the cookout, there's people there complaining about, is it tilapia or is it orange roughy? That's a big deal at a cookout. I can't believe they didn't have no beef ribs.
- [22:54]
B
You're saying it has to be specific. The gift still.
- [22:57]
A
Well, it don't matter how rich or poor you are, you're gonna be talked about. If you got top shelf liquor or bottom shelf liquor at the cookout, you go and ask for a drink.
- [23:08]
B
Oh, I see what you're saying. You're saying because you're rich, not rich, poor, not even because you got money, you will be judged a certain way by everybody you give presents to.
- [23:18]
A
I'm saying yes, it don't matter if someone.
- [23:21]
B
Okay, I do understand that.
- [23:23]
A
Or whatever the case may be, if they high net worth or not. At the cookout.
- [23:27]
B
Yeah.
- [23:28]
A
Amongst the. Whatever class. When I was.
- [23:31]
B
Nothing you can do about it. If you're broke, you got the liquor, you got. Because that's what you can afford.
- [23:35]
A
Don't stop people from complaining.
- [23:37]
B
Talk.
- [23:37]
A
But that's. I mean, my dad on a, on a, on a. Again, from Sunday to Wednesday, my dad drank Burnetts. On Thursday through Saturday, he would drink Tanqueray, but he would have it like behind his chair. So if Max comes in and you a high paying customer and you say, rich, what you drinking? I'm having a drink. And he would say, can I have some? Depending on who it was, you might get the Tangeray or you might get the Burnett.
- [24:11]
B
So much of life is fronting it.
- [24:13]
A
Was that forever.
- [24:14]
B
I remember walking around with a beeper. No battery in the beeper, no surface in the beeper. But you still wore it on the bike.
- [24:21]
A
But did you have the, did you have the bottom on? Because, you know, the bottom of the.
- [24:26]
B
Yeah.
- [24:27]
A
And no battery in it. So it still looked like.
- [24:28]
B
It still looked like it was something. There is a battery in it. But the service isn't, you know, the service isn't paid, but you still rock the beat.
- [24:35]
A
Yeah, I mean, we've all done that, Max. But that's so much to say to you as far as buying the Christmas gift. It don't matter somebody's stature or whatnot. You could buy the most, the wealthiest person a gift that you think is nice and they will complain about it.
- [24:54]
B
But we're talking about two different things. I'm saying I have rich friends and I have broke friends. If I want to get something from my broke friend, it's easy because there's a lot of stuff that they would like that they don't have. Getting something for your rich friend is hard because anything they have, they want. This is an irrefutably logical statement.
- [25:12]
A
You're saying it's easy, but you're not there. When they open up the gift.
- [25:16]
B
Oh, that's true.
- [25:17]
A
When they open up the gift, if it's something they don't like, they're talking about you. Whether they rich or poor, you could.
- [25:22]
B
Guarantee that Game over is brought to you by fanduel Tis the season to be boosting on fanduel because this year you're getting seven straight days of holiday rewards, each one waiting in the app for you to unwrap. Every day brings a new way to play, so keep checking in to see what drops next. And it all leads to the Christmas Day special where you can get something extra special. Seven days of gifts. One big finale. Head to FanDuel.com gameover to get in the holiday spirit. FanDuel play your game must be 21 and over and present in select states or 18 and over and present in DC, Kentucky or Wyoming. Opt in required bonus issued as non withdrawable profit boost tokens. Restrictions apply including any token expiration and max wager amount. See terms@sportsbook.fanduel.com gambling problem. Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit rg-help.com call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org backslash chat in Connecticut. Now, what were we talking about before we got onto this tangent? The Browns fandom.
- [26:29]
A
Oh no.
- [26:29]
B
Yeah, that looks. You know what that reminds me of? The Knicks. Boy, I grew up a Knicks fan, but I heard something. You know, it's been reported that the Knicks that I wanted to ask you about. Because Knicks fans have to feel good about this, I imagine, right? In one way at least. So the Knicks players are taking the bonus money, some of the bonus money that they got from winning the NBA Cup. Half a million apiece.
- [26:54]
A
Little over. Yeah, a little over 533 to be exact.
- [26:57]
B
Yeah, 33 G's.
- [26:58]
A
Let's not pretend that's not 533,096.
- [27:01]
B
That's right.
- [27:01]
A
I think that was the exact number.
- [27:02]
B
You can get all your broke friends Christmas gifts with that money. Now you have to pay taxes Even your rich friends now, they're taking some of that and they're giving bonuses to staff on the Knicks that don't get bonuses. So I had two thoughts about that. I want to know, because you've seen this from every angle. On the one hand, I'm thinking James Doling. Whatever bad things I've said about him, he's known as being a generous, like NBA franchise owner. Right. I never heard him. I never heard people say, oh, Dolan played. Played us cheap that way. And yet players have to pick up the slack for the fact that there's their staff that the players feel should be compensated, who aren't being compensated a certain way, and they're kind of covering for ownership there.
- [27:48]
A
No, they're not. That is not true.
- [27:50]
B
Why don't those people get bonuses?
- [27:52]
A
That is false. You can't put. First of all, Mr. Dolan's generous.
- [27:56]
B
Just leave it at Dolan. Oh, you doing business with this dude?
- [27:59]
A
No, I'm just saying Jim Dolan is generous. Leave it at that.
- [28:04]
B
Okay.
- [28:04]
A
That has nothing to do with ownership because the. Here's the thing. There's people that work amongst the team, the players. To me, this is more of an admiration from the players to say, hey, these people are here every day with us. We see these people and we won. It also says a lot about the people as well, because when you see somebody every single day, they see these people more than they see their family. And so the players are deciding to do this because sometimes, whether you're a staff member, you may not have in your contract a certain playoff share, a certain number of tickets, you get bonus, different things like that. So that's on one occasion, if I'm.
- [28:52]
B
Dolan and I hear that the players are paying bonuses to the staff, what I'm doing is that's great. They want to do that. I'm matching all the bodies.
- [29:00]
A
He didn't.
- [29:01]
B
That's true. I don't know. But I have not read that he did.
- [29:04]
A
But this is the problem with me. You don't always have to read it. Well, there's people that do. Here's the thing. There's people that do a lot of things.
- [29:11]
B
Find out about this one.
- [29:12]
A
There's people that do a lot of nice things for other people, and you never know about it.
- [29:17]
B
That's true.
- [29:18]
A
So.
- [29:18]
B
No, no. And I. By the way, I started this by saying he's known as a generous dude.
- [29:22]
A
Yeah. But then you.
- [29:23]
B
I'm just saying, like, I noticed that if that the way Rich. The reporting is that the players are giving a part of their bonus to staff that is not getting bonuses.
- [29:35]
A
Yes, but everybody's contract doesn't come with a bonus.
- [29:38]
B
And I'm saying maybe they should take.
- [29:41]
A
Care of their own A company before.
- [29:43]
B
Not. Not like the Knicks. No.
- [29:45]
A
Okay, but what I'm saying is, when you own a company, there's contractual agreements, there's language within those agreements. And the admiration is the players play for what team?
- [29:59]
B
The Knicks.
- [30:00]
A
And the players decided to do what?
- [30:03]
B
Pay staff that don't get bonuses. Part of their own bonuses. Because ownership isn't giving a bonus.
- [30:09]
A
That is not true. See, that is not true. It has zero to do with ownership. You're taking it way.
- [30:15]
B
What are you saying? Through the gm. What are you talking about?
- [30:16]
A
No, no, you're taking it across the bridge. The players decide to do a very generous thing during the Christmas holiday time for people that they felt deserve it. Right. It's still a reflection of the Knicks organization, regardless how you look at it.
- [30:35]
B
It is a reflection of the team that the front office put together.
- [30:39]
A
Because here's the other thing. What you don't hear about is, I know for certain there's been times that people probably did deserve this and it didn't happen and ownership did give.
- [30:53]
B
Okay, but I'm not talking about those. I'm talking about this time where it appears that.
- [30:56]
A
But you can't.
- [30:57]
B
That. That the players are picking up the slack for.
- [31:00]
A
That's not true. I disagree with that.
- [31:01]
B
Well, we don't know if that's true or not. We don't know if that's true or not.
- [31:04]
A
I still disagree with that. Because you can't put everything on ownership all the time in that way.
- [31:11]
B
This is. Is this Mr. Bias coming out just.
- [31:13]
A
No, it's not Mr. Bias.
- [31:14]
B
Do you have to put. Just because you have to do business with all these teams.
- [31:17]
A
I don't have. I mean, I have one player, but I'm just being honest, you know, because, by the way, first of all, when you own a company, it used to be this time of year is when bonuses are given out. It's the most difficult thing to deal with because it don't matter what you do, people aren't happy. It don't matter how big they are.
- [31:41]
B
This is the second time that you've hit this theme on this show. So in other words, your experience has been at times, when you're in a certain position, whatever you do, the expectations, some people. It won't reach certain people's expectations.
- [31:55]
A
No. So that's true.
- [31:57]
B
I think we've all experienced that.
- [31:59]
A
So what I'm saying is, and I'm so glad we don't do bonuses around this time anymore because it's too much of a fluster and a cluster and people trying to, you got the holiday thing, like, don't even have to worry about it. Let's just punt. But I'm just disagreeing with the fact that I think we should make it about the Knicks players did a great thing.
- [32:23]
B
Let's talk about that for a second. This front office has put together a team like the Nova Knicks and everything. And you have to do the DiVincenzo and Julius Randle deal for Kat. I get that. And that broke up the Nova Knicks a little. But it's still the kind of nucleus is there. There's a certain. And we see this in the NFL when, you know, teams started drafting the quarterback's receiver from college because you have already that built in relationship in chemistry. Saw it in Cincinnati, you've seen it in a lot of places. But the Knicks kind of took that philosophy a bit, it looks like. And it's worked in terms of the cohesiveness of the team. There's good chemistry and team cohesion. And as a fan who watches that, I think, oh, this bodes well for the Knicks. This is not a, you know, in baseball they used to have an expression like 24 different cabs after the game. No one was having dinner together. They all, you know, on that kind of team. But this Knicks team is like the opposite of that, it seems to me. And when I see something like the fact that they're giving part of their bonus from winning the cup to staff, that is like the kind of. My first thing is what we already discussed. And my next thing is that looks like a team that's together because the stars have to come together, the rich ones, and be like the highest paid dudes and Kat and Brunson and OG and be like, you know what we should do? That idea has to come from somewhere and they have to agree to it and kind of all do it together. Is that a good sign for this team?
- [33:55]
A
Yeah, it's always a good sign when you have continuity and things of that nature that don't necessarily mean you're gonna win a championship. But yeah, to me, when that type of stuff happens, the way I look at it is because what we don't know is, yeah, it may have came from the top, a top player, everybody might not agree to it, but whenever. But you look like a. You can't be a class clown in that Situation when everyone's doing. Right. So that's one thing. But to answer your question, the answer is yes. And I think what that equates to is when we're on the basketball floor and I have a swing swing, do I hesitate or do I just swing that ball? Right. That matters. And so when you enjoy playing with.
- [34:41]
B
Each other, what is the hesitation about, like I want to take the shot.
- [34:43]
A
Yeah. The hesitation is equivalent to if you hesitated in terms of giving your share for the bonus, then that means you're going to hesitate on the swing swing. Interesting, right?
- [34:56]
B
Yeah. So you're saying there is a correlation between that and cohesion and all that.
- [35:00]
A
Yeah, of course. But there's also teams that have won and players didn't necessarily like each other.
- [35:06]
B
Right. There's more than one way to do it.
- [35:08]
A
Right. But I rather be cohesive and have continuity and collaborate to then bring forth winning. The possibility of winning a championship versus the other side of it.
- [35:22]
B
So let me ask you about another team right now. Not that I'm interviewing you here, but I was curious about your NBA takes about this. The Rockets. We talked last week or two weeks ago about they can win the championship this year.
- [35:35]
A
You said that the Rockets. You believe the Rockets can win?
- [35:38]
B
They could win the whole thing this year? I believe so. If they stay healthy. It's a big if. But you know, like you could say that about any team. They're not exceptionally deep, but they have a hell of a starting five. Okay, so missing Fred, but yes, right. If, if, if Van Vliet, and we don't know if he's going to come back. It doesn't look good right now.
- [35:57]
A
If. How do you know if it looks good or not?
- [35:59]
B
Because from everything I've read, it seems like he's out for the season.
- [36:01]
A
Did you see any of the guys workouts? No. Have you talked to him?
- [36:04]
B
No, I'm just like to talk to him. Van Vliet, you call him right now. Call. Call Van Vliet right now. Let's see. Cause we need to like get to the bottom of this. Cause this is the second or third time that this topic has come up.
- [36:17]
A
Yeah, I just want to see.
- [36:18]
B
You know, from what I have read, it seems that he's out for the season.
- [36:22]
A
He may be training. But let me see if he answers.
- [36:24]
B
The phone now that you did this. It's kind of a letdown if he doesn't answer the phone.
- [36:28]
A
Of course he's gonna answer the phone for me. Are you crazy? Max. Fred. Yo. We're live on Game over right now with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul, and Max Kellerman is sitting here acting as if he knows what your rehab is like.
- [36:44]
B
Hold on. I did not do that. I said, it looks like he's out for the season. That's what I'm reading.
- [36:50]
A
You know, Max know everything. See?
- [36:52]
B
See? All right, Fred, you coming back this year or not?
- [36:54]
A
That's not. No, no, no, we're not doing that. All I'm saying is, Fred, Max said it looks like you're out for the season. He said he read it, and I said, did you see any of his workouts? Have you talked to Fred? He said, no. I said, okay, well, let's call him. So we're just gonna ask, fred, how are you feeling? And are we optimistic? How about that?
- [37:15]
B
Good.
- [37:16]
A
I feel great. I'm actually in the middle of rehab right now. I knew that I had to answer.
- [37:21]
B
The phone for Richie P. But, yeah.
- [37:23]
A
I feel great, man. I'm feeling strong, and we'll just see where things go. My hopes, huh?
- [37:28]
B
Yeah, we see where we at at.
- [37:29]
A
The end of the. That's all you get, Max. That's it.
- [37:31]
B
Good enough.
- [37:32]
A
If Van.
- [37:33]
B
Fred, thank you.
- [37:34]
A
Okay, Fred, thank you. If. Hey, yo, listen, I don't know who edits y. Y clips on Instagram, but.
- [37:39]
B
They edited me out when y' all.
- [37:41]
A
Was talking about the Rockets. I seen Rich. Rich said they got Fred. They got. We can't edit Fred out on Instagram.
- [37:46]
B
Matter of fact, we were t. Fred, we were.
- [37:48]
A
That's crazy.
- [37:49]
B
We were saying that you are the key. As a matter of fact, if Van Vliet comes back, I think I might pick the Rockets.
- [37:55]
A
Yeah, I feel the same way. I appreciate y'. All. Good job. All right, Fred, now.
- [38:00]
B
Now that he's off the phone, I think I might take. I might put. Bring him off the bench, though. If he comes back, I like the way it's because Van Fleet is a sixth man.
- [38:09]
A
That's killer. There's no Van Fleet. Sixth. Here's the thing.
- [38:12]
B
But also, he. But he has to get his legs back.
- [38:14]
A
I would tell you this. I would tell you this. Fred is the type of guy that's going to do whatever he needs to do to win a championship. He is that guy.
- [38:22]
B
Yeah. Yeah.
- [38:23]
A
He is a winner by all winners and even off the floor. So when he sees you, because he will see you.
- [38:29]
B
Sure.
- [38:29]
A
And you guys can have your own conversation. But I knew that he was in rehab, and I also knew he would pick up the phone.
- [38:36]
B
I'm saying that's cool. And all. But now let's see him actually come back at the end of the season.
- [38:41]
A
We can do.
- [38:41]
B
Here's the thing. You can't. Right. You can't know if you are saying.
- [38:45]
A
He will be back and Raphael and IME will get with Fred and if there's. They're not going to jeopardize him. Of course they're going to protect him. So if he's able to come back, he'll come back. We've seen these guys. They're coming back. Right. We're seeing these guys really come back from these injuries.
- [39:06]
B
It's not like Adrian Peterson back in the day where he's the only guy to do it.
- [39:09]
A
Speaking of coming back.
- [39:10]
B
Yeah.
- [39:12]
A
Anthony Joshua.
- [39:13]
B
Oh, yeah. I was going to get the Rockets. Yeah. Yeah.
- [39:16]
A
But.
- [39:19]
B
Can I. Before you get to. Before you get to A.J. can I ask you about the. Cause I am curious about your answer about the Rockets.
- [39:24]
A
No, I like the Rockets.
- [39:25]
B
I love. But like they've lost three out of four and it seems to me I want to.
- [39:28]
A
It's just schedule.
- [39:29]
B
Right. That time of year. Road trip. First of all, three games and four nights.
- [39:33]
A
Yeah. When you're going into these cities, they come off a. A big win in Denver.
- [39:37]
B
Yeah.
- [39:38]
A
A big win in Denver.
- [39:39]
B
Which by the way, that. That makes me think you're playing three games in four nights. You're on a long road trip. But the game you really show up for is against the Nuggets. That tells me good things because it means that they can when they're. When they're, you know, they can get that done.
- [39:52]
A
And there's certain times, you know, where you go into cities and your energy's just low.
- [39:58]
B
Right.
- [39:59]
A
You know, they had they on a pretty. Not gruesome, but three games and four.
- [40:05]
B
Nights is a lot.
- [40:06]
A
And the travel. Denver.
- [40:08]
B
Yeah.
- [40:08]
A
Sacrifice. Then I think they'd come to la, play the Clippers tomorrow and play the Lakers on Christmas time.
- [40:15]
B
So in other words, you're not worried about the Rockets. It's the schedule.
- [40:17]
A
No. And look, that's all I wanted. It's the NBA. You think that. You see the game that those guys had. Russ had a great game. Russ hit a tying three. Schroeder hit the game winning shot. Demar guys play well. The Kings got, you know, they play well.
- [40:33]
B
And now maybe Van Vliet comes back at the end of the year.
- [40:37]
A
Well, I'll tell you one thing. If you were to ask the Rockets would they want Van Fleet to come back? I'm sure they would be like, absolutely. Yeah. Graded e for everyone. Includes in game purchases. Includes random Items EA Sports FC 26 is here. Play your way this holiday season with an overhaul gameplay experience powered by community feedback. Enjoy festive upgrades in Ultimate Team with Winter Wildcards. Take on holiday themed challenges and manage your career like navigating the busy Christmas period. And team up with friends and clubs with new tournaments and live events. The club is yours. Give the gift of football with EA Sports FC 26. There's a reason Chevy trucks are known for their dependability. Because they show up no matter the weather, push forward no matter the terrain and deliver. That's why Chevrolet has earned more dependability awards for trucks than any other brand in 2025 according to J.D. power, because in every Chevy truck, like every Chevy driver, dependability comes standard. Visit Chevy.com to learn more. Chevrolet received the highest total number of awards among all the trucks in the J.D. power 2025 U.S. vehicle Dependability Study Awards based on 2022 models. Newer models may be shown. Visit jdpower.com awards for more details.
- [41:45]
B
Chevrolet Together let's drive.
- [41:49]
A
When the holidays start to feel a bit repetitive, reach for a Sprite Winter Spiced Cranberry and put your twist on tradition. A bold cranberry and winter spice Flavor Fusion Sprite Winter Spice Cranberry is a.
- [42:03]
B
Refreshing way to shake things up this.
- [42:05]
A
Sipping season and only for a limited time. Sprite obey your thirst. Speaking of comebacks. Yes, the Anthony Joshua Jake. We talked about it.
- [42:15]
B
Yep.
- [42:17]
A
Did you watch the fight? Of course you did. I watched the fight too. I was at dinner while watching the fight.
- [42:24]
B
The ring walks were too early. That's why I didn't call you to come over because I knew you were out and about.
- [42:28]
A
Yeah. But we were able to watch it. Is this a comeback for do you count like, do you even count that?
- [42:36]
B
No, I mean for Anthony Joshua. No. The story is not aj other than he had. He was maybe gonna do a fight before the Tyson Fury fight and that's now. I would not recommend you fight anyone.
- [42:50]
A
Before Tyson Fury fights are fixed. Thing with Jake Paulson.
- [42:55]
B
The whole thing. First of all, with Mike Tyson, I see this online. Oh, Mike could have hit him and he didn't throw a punch. Jake boxing fans were appreciative that Jake didn't hurt Mike. It was very clear after the second or third round that Jake could have and he's like, I respect Mike Tyson. I'm not going to do that against Anthony Joshua. Jake came out like, it's incredible what he did. People are critical of him of Jake because he was Tackling his legs. He was running, he was trying to survive.
- [43:25]
A
Duh.
- [43:26]
B
Who do you think Jake Paul is? A Disney kid YouTuber who decided, as an adult, I wanna try boxing. It's not like he had a whole bunch of amateur fights as a kid. Coming up as an adult, I wanna try boxing. He's fighting other YouTubers. He's fighting retired athletes. He's fighting MMA guys who don't strike. He's fighting. He's fighting MMA guys who do strike, but they're past their prime. You know, he's fighting little boxers, he's fighting ancient boxers. And finally he was like, oh, you guys want to see me fight someone where I'm not?
- [43:56]
A
I tell you what, I tipped my ass.
- [43:57]
B
He got in the ring with a former heavyweight champ.
- [43:59]
A
I tipped my hat to him because that right, what was it, a right cross? Me or you? He would have knocked us out the ring. He would have killed us completely out the ring. We would have been sitting in the stands. I don't know if I could. People always say, would you take a punch from somebody for X amount of dollars, man? I've taken a punch for. I've taken a punch for free.
- [44:23]
B
Yeah. That's the whole thing.
- [44:24]
A
But I tip my hat to Jake.
- [44:27]
B
Anthony Joshua. Anthony Joshua is 6, 5, 2, 50, Olympic gold medalist, former heavyweight championship. And let me tell you something, the punches that Jake was landing weren't doing anything to Anthony Joshua. Before the knockout, Jake had landed more clean punches to the head than AJ had. Now I get what people even judging Jake as though he's A fighter on AJ's level is a win for him. Of course he's not gonna, like, did anyone think he was gonna beat Anthony Joshua? But the thing about this dude, about Jake is he has. So I read the best novel I've read in the last five years is a novel called Stoner, which is not about a dude who smokes weed. It's about a college professor who. And the theme is really about how an ordinary person can be a hero, right? Jake, he's athletic, he played high school football, but he's not like, oh my God, an incredible world class athlete. Never seen anything like it. He has a big imagination. He refuses to let other people put limits on him or even he limit himself. And the fact that he actually went five and a half rounds with AJ, these people who were criticizing him would not go 30 seconds with. It doesn't matter how you try to survive.
- [45:50]
A
I relate that to when you're at a blackjack table and the person sitting Next to you. I had to learn this early on. And they're just playing any type of way. They're staying on 16. They're hitting on. Sometimes you just can. You can win in a very unorthodox.
- [46:07]
B
Way or you can win even when you lose, but you really won.
- [46:10]
A
So for him to get in the ring with Anti Joshua. One and then to actually fight. Two, he took a hell of a punch. Three, and he did not have the tweety birds.
- [46:23]
B
He was still awake when the fight, when the fight ended.
- [46:25]
A
Not only that, he was. He was very coherent.
- [46:29]
B
You know what he posted on his handle, like the picture he used, Whatever that's called. What's the social media term for the picture you use on your handle is him taking that right hand on his grid? Yeah, it's him taking the right hand.
- [46:40]
A
The handle is your.
- [46:43]
B
Yeah, that's your name on the grid. Whatever the picture is called that you put on your inst. What's it called on his avatar.
- [46:50]
A
Yeah. And then there's the. If you wanted to like make a statement or. I mean, we're not the most tech savvy guys. Neither one of us.
- [46:59]
B
No. Got people for that.
- [47:00]
A
We do understand it a little bit. So I want to ask you, a guy like Max Kellerman.
- [47:05]
B
Yes.
- [47:06]
A
How do you go into the new year?
- [47:09]
B
Oh, I have a new theory about. I just came up with it the other day about New Year's resolutions. I think let's say you're trying to lose your gut, Right. You're a middle aged guy, you want to lose your. You should resolve. Your New Year's resolution would be, I'm not going to lose my gut.
- [47:27]
A
I'm going to keep it.
- [47:28]
B
Yeah. That way the next year comes at the end of the year when you're always like, damn, I didn't do my New Year's resolution. In fact, you did because you still have your gut. Now if you lose the gut, you didn't keep your New Year's resolution. But hey, I lost my gut. See what I mean? I'm.
- [47:46]
A
I don't know about that.
- [47:47]
B
That's called flipping the script. Forget about Trevor Lawrence.
- [47:50]
A
Yeah. But in the new year, I would say this also in the new year, will the Houston Texans be the super bowl champs?
- [48:01]
B
I want to say yes so bad. That's a crowded field. They could do it, man. They could do it.
- [48:10]
A
I mean, I wouldn't be mad at him if they did. I would love to see it. The Texans could do it for many reasons. I would love to see it. I'm just a big demico Ryan's fan. I think he does things the right way as a coach. I think his players actually like him.
- [48:28]
B
There's something about too having a linebacker as your coach. Like d', Ameco, Ryan's Vrabel, some dude like that.
- [48:34]
A
There's something about Tomlin. Yeah.
- [48:36]
B
Like even like Joe Burrow's dad was, he was a defensive player. I think he was a linebacker. There's something about that mentality that translates to me to the. Even if they don't win the whole thing, those linebackers who become coaches a lot of times produce the kind of team that you. That's easy to root for.
- [48:56]
A
Going into the new year for myself, you know, it's weird because I won't say it's not weird. I take that back. I would say it's challenging because my year is like off centered because there's no real calendar year. It's just.
- [49:16]
B
Just keeps going.
- [49:17]
A
Yeah, it just keeps going. But I would say I want to become a little more present.
- [49:25]
B
Present in your relationship, you mean?
- [49:27]
A
No, just, well, present overall.
- [49:30]
B
Okay.
- [49:30]
A
In every aspect of being.
- [49:33]
B
You find you're distracted.
- [49:36]
A
Well, I think I've been doing a better job and I wanna. And you know what? I gotta tip my hat to my clients because the guys I work with, for the most part, they kind of hold themselves accountable. I don't have to do a lot of babysitting, hand holding or even like.
- [49:58]
B
But that's a credit to you because of the kind of people that you associate with and that you choose to represent.
- [50:05]
A
Yeah.
- [50:05]
B
Or if you take high character people, it's lower maintenance.
- [50:08]
A
Yeah. This fake, like, oh, I gotta be there every four days for whatever reason. Like, I don't really have that. That issue.
- [50:16]
B
You mean physically present for people or you mean.
- [50:18]
A
Yeah, no, all of it. Like just be, you know, just. I'm saying for myself, just be more present in different people's lives that I should be. And then also.
- [50:33]
B
That's nice. We're doing a Hallmark thing.
- [50:35]
A
No, and then also just from a leadership perspective, I think anytime you're in a leadership role, you can get better at things. And so that's something I've been really, really thinking about and I've gotten a lot better. I've gotten a lot better.
- [50:52]
B
You addicted to your phone?
- [50:54]
A
Am I addicted to my phone?
- [50:56]
B
I am.
- [50:56]
A
It's kind of hard not to be.
- [50:58]
B
My daughter calls me a screen ager. Is. What is the term?
- [51:02]
A
A screenager.
- [51:03]
B
Yeah. In other words, instead of a teenage, like you're on your phone too much. But the problem is, it's not just your phone. It's your tv, it's your mail, it's your this, it's your that. And so, like, I'm looking at the game, I'm looking at the score. Someone's texting me. I just need to be on it a lot, you know?
- [51:18]
A
Yeah. I think just being present, I think there's a maturation to it all, too. Like, you have to think we just continuously mature, especially as men. I think women mature much faster than we do.
- [51:33]
B
Yeah. Obviously, I'll mature one of these days. I'm 52. It'll happen any second.
- [51:37]
A
You know what? I've been. I have matured a lot. I still have a long way to go, but maybe I'll ask Santa.
- [51:48]
B
This is this Adele beating you in.
- [51:50]
A
The head with this? No, no, no.
- [51:52]
B
This is separate from that.
- [51:53]
A
No, no, no. I mean, I always want to get better in that area.
- [51:55]
B
Right, sure.
- [51:56]
A
No, no. I think it's just. It's business, it's personal. It's everything. Like, you just have to continue to. To try to work on yourself in that regard. It's me, like, I don't need anything. I don't need a gift. I don't need. I don't want to. This idea of having more and all that, that's not something that I'm looking for. I just.
- [52:15]
B
You know, Rich, you bring up this point, and it's almost like you're trying to close the show with it. And it seems to me we haven't discussed one very big topic, which is we are not getting off this show till we talk about this.
- [52:27]
A
What's the topic?
- [52:28]
B
LeBron James. He doesn't want to play. The reaction to him saying he would rather not play on Christmas.
- [52:36]
A
That's not what he said. Oh, that is what he said.
- [52:38]
B
Yeah. See how I try to slip. I try to. With two people, I try to slip in as Adele and LeBron.
- [52:42]
A
Yeah. No, but he didn't say it in a way that I see. Actually. I thought that the reaction to it. Most people were very, like, understanding the way you look at it is. And this is the sacrifices that these guys make.
- [52:57]
B
Yeah.
- [52:57]
A
First of all, to be.
- [52:59]
B
And he's been doing it for 20 something years now.
- [53:02]
A
It was nuts.
- [53:02]
B
Yeah, it was nuts.
- [53:02]
A
21St Christmas Day game. 21 of them. And again, when you talk about being present, you're taking that away, but it's also your job. So what I also saw him say was, I'm looking forward to it. People Skip over that. And he also said it's something that he's honored to be able to do. But if you ask me what I would rather do, rather be with your family rather than be with my family, just like anybody else would rather be with their family. But the problem I got with that is, if that was anybody else that said that in that capacity, it would have been like, 10 years from now, you'll play that tape on somebody, or you'll see MJ say that to Ahmad Rashad. And people would be like, so. And again, I'm not. Not to make it about LeBron, but just make it about players in general. Because now we got the NFL on Christmas. There's so many days on Christmas, games on Christmas.
- [54:04]
B
And talk about captive audience. Everyone's sitting at home.
- [54:06]
A
Here's what I would say. Here's what I would say to the guys out there. Cause this is a thing about being present, especially in relationships. All right, to my guys out there, my fellows, we got a packed day on Christmas Day. There's NFL games and there's NBA games.
- [54:23]
B
It's true.
- [54:24]
A
And we have to watch.
- [54:25]
B
Yep.
- [54:26]
A
But here's what I was saying.
- [54:27]
B
I learned this incredible way to escape your family.
- [54:30]
A
This is part of my maturation. You better not do that. There's a way to do both. And here's what I'm saying. Turn the game on in the room.
- [54:39]
B
What are you, an alchemist?
- [54:40]
A
I'm just telling you, you turn the game on in the room where the kitchen is. Right. Okay, so if you.
- [54:49]
B
What do you mean in the room where the kitchen is? You mean in the kitchen, not in the.
- [54:52]
A
Yeah, it could be in the kitchen.
- [54:54]
B
Or you mean the little TV on the kitchen? Who has a TV on the kitchen counter?
- [54:58]
A
No. Or you can have. Where you can. It could be on in the.
- [55:01]
B
Yes, there's usually a TV that's visible from the kitchen. Exactly. Okay, I get you.
- [55:04]
A
I get you. So what I'm saying is, in the event there's food being prepared, okay. Don't be in another room watching a game while your better half or whomever is preparing the food. Go in the room where you can still see the game and ask, is there anything I can do? Can I wash off some potatoes? Are you taking the trash?
- [55:29]
B
How can you do that and be on social media while you're watching the game?
- [55:32]
A
No, no, no, no. Not me. I'm saying. Or not possible. You shouldn't do that. And they should.
- [55:36]
B
But you have the stats all there and everything while you're watching the game.
- [55:39]
A
If you want to have a very positive Christmas, listen to me, Max, this is what you should do, because it's a. My dad always used to. I'm going back to my dad because there's just so much wisdom, by the.
- [55:52]
B
Way, to be a Jew on Christmas. I just order Chinese food.
- [55:55]
A
I'm good. Yeah, I eat Chinese food every Sunday. Yeah, but here's what I'm telling you, by the way. Yeah, but here's what I'm telling you. If you want to have a positive Christmas, these are some. Because it's not about what you're doing, it's about the effort that you're making.
- [56:11]
B
Yes.
- [56:12]
A
Is strictly.
- [56:13]
B
You always need to see effort from.
- [56:14]
A
My dad used to always say, at.
- [56:15]
B
Least the appearance of effort.
- [56:17]
A
I never got in trouble for making an effort. What I did get in trouble for was not making an effort. So if you make the effort and it's simple things. They know we can't cook. We're not. You're not.
- [56:30]
B
You know what the problem with this is, though, Rich? The problem is all of life. You can say that effort put in effort. And that's a great message, actually, because life requires a lot of effort. And the more you put in, the better your life is going to be. But a day like Christmas that, like, there are certain days that are there so you don't have to put in an effort. So you can relax now. You got to put in an effort on Christmas.
- [56:53]
A
But it depends on the household. If it's just you and somebody else, then you. Then it's a different dynamic. If you have. If you have supporting. Yeah, if you have a team. But still, even if you have a team, you still should make a lap through the kitchen and say, hey, is there anything going on? Is there anything I could do? Let me grab a potato. It never. I'm just telling you, you have more.
- [57:19]
B
Energy than I do.
- [57:21]
A
You just gotta be smart. Fred Nance, you want to be happy or you want to be right?
- [57:27]
B
Yeah, that's a good question. That's, like, the central question of my life. I still haven't resolved that one, but we'll talk about it more for Wednesday. Yeah.
- [57:36]
A
Yeah. Okay.
- [57:37]
B
All right, Max Kellerman, Rich, Paul. This is game over.
- [57:40]
A
Spotify. Game over.
- [57:42]
B
That's right. We need, like, a Spotify going forward.
- [57:44]
A
Can we get, like a. Like a theme song? I think we need to come up with, like, a song.
- [57:49]
B
Who do we get for the theme song? Can we get someone to do a theme song?
- [57:53]
A
I'd rather just get something that's already out there just like a beat to play. I may have to call in a favor.
- [57:59]
B
Yes. See if Van Vliet knows someone.
- [58:03]
A
He definitely does. But I know some people, too, you know.
- [58:05]
B
Yeah.
- [58:06]
A
I'm in the music thing.
- [58:07]
B
I can see that. Yeah. You know a few people and you have a few numbers in your phone.
- [58:11]
A
I have a few numbers, yeah.
- [58:13]
B
See you Wednesday.
- [58:13]
A
See you Wednesday.
- [58:16]
B
Must be 21 and over in present and select states for Kansas, an affiliation with the Kansas Star Casino or 18 and over in present in D.C. kentucky or Wyoming. Gambling problem. Call 1-800- GAMBLER or visit rg-help.com, call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org chat in Connecticut or visit mdgamblinghelp.org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit gamblinghelplinema.org or call 800-327-5050 for 24. 7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-8-HOPE NY or text Hopeny in New York.