SCRAMBLE: Gov Tim Walz defends vote to pardon convicted sex offender

Summary

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Garage Logic – Weekly Scramble Podcast

Episode: SCRAMBLE: Gov Tim Walz defends vote to pardon convicted sex offender
Hosts: Chris Reavers and Mike Fratelloni
Date: July 17, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on Minnesota Governor Tim Walz's highly controversial decision to vote to pardon Thao Lu Vang, a man convicted of sexually abusing a 10-year-old child over 20 years ago. Hosts Chris Reavers and Mike Fratelloni express outrage at the pardon, critique systemic failures surrounding the case, and discuss its broader implications for Minnesota and the justice system. Later, the conversation shifts to the cost of living crisis, housing affordability, and a lighthearted segment on baseball and podcast history.

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Main Discussion: Gov. Tim Walz and the Pardon Controversy

Opening and Context

(02:08 – 02:55)

• Chris Reavers expresses reluctance but insists the podcast must discuss what he sees as a major issue: "I tried really hard to avoid bringing this story up. Trust me when I say I did... I don't think we're making nearly enough noise about this Tim Walz story."
• Reavers frames Walz's administration as a "failed administration"—citing previous fraud scandals and unsuccessful policies before focusing on the pardon.

The Facts of the Case

(03:26 – 06:04)

• Thao Lu Vang was convicted over 20 years ago of molesting a 10-year-old child (his sister-in-law) and served his sentence as supervised probation, completed in 2019.
• Last week, Vang was deported by the Trump administration, despite a pardon approved by Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Supreme Court Justice Natalie Hudson.
• Walz defended the pardon, citing the support of the victim (now in her 30s) as a factor: "look like that depends on where the victims are at" (04:17).
• Walz argued his decision didn't let Vang out of jail, and stated it was not an attempt to prevent deportation.
• Reavers emphasizes Vang is at least the third convicted felon with pending removal orders to be pardoned in Minnesota this year.

Notable Quote from Gov. Walz

(05:28)

"Did that make us any safer? Did that make the children that are left behind any more stable? Did it improve the idea that we can't all be judged by our worst day?... We can't all be judged on our worst day."
— Gov. Tim Walz (quoted and played by Chris Reavers)

Hosts’ Reactions and Analysis

(05:45 – 09:22)

• Mike Fratelloni: blunt disagreement:

  "Hmm, yeah, you actually can." (05:45)

  • Draws distinction between pardonable bad judgment (e.g., DWI) and "repeatedly sexually assaulted a 10-year-old child."
  • Dismisses any notion that this behavior was "part of the culture," referencing rhetoric in news coverage.

• Reavers:

  "...the lowering of standards that continues to happen in front of us. That's what bothers me." (09:23)

  • Expresses deep concern about leniency for severe crimes, seeing it as emblematic of a broader social decline.
  • States, "For the first time in my life... I have finally started considering not living here anymore. And it's because of what an absolute cesspool hellhole this state has become." (08:26)

• On the victim's statement: Both discuss the uncomfortable position of the now-adult victim, having to publicly oppose or support her brother-in-law, given her sister's marriage to him and their six children (07:12).

Systemic Critique and Racial Aspects

(11:02 – 12:57)

• Missed Opportunity to Deport (Systemic Failure):

  • Fratelloni expresses frustration over why Vang remained in the U.S. long after his 2006 removal order.

    "Why was he here? Why did he ever get to marry the sister? Why did he ever have six children?... Why didn't we pick him up in 2006 and say, see you later, buddy?" (09:53 – 10:31)

  • They discuss Laos’s refusal to accept deportees, but assert the U.S. should have acted regardless.

• Implied Double Standard:

  • Reavers claims Walz/Ellison would not have pardoned a white man in a similar case:

    "If this was a white guy from Forest Lake, there is zero percent chance... Walls and Ellison would have pardoned him. 0%." (11:02)

Broader Critique: Crime and Consequences

(12:57 – 13:16)

• Reavers laments a "runaway freight train of crime" in Minnesota, criticizing a culture where "no one expects consequences for actions."
• Fratelloni and Reavers question Walz's motivations for speaking on the issue at all, speculating that he feels little public accountability (13:33).

Memorable exchange:

• Fratelloni: "But when you have the clip of him saying, are people safer if this guy's deported? And the resounding answer is yes." (15:34 – 15:41)

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Second Segment: Cost of Living and Inflation

Sharp Increases at the Grocery Store

(16:10 – 19:05)

• Reavers and Fratelloni discuss an anecdote where a grocery list that cost $64.50 in 2020 now costs $158.30—a 145% increase.
• Quote:

  "What cost me $64.50 in February of 2020 cost me $158.30." (17:45, Reavers quoting an article)

• Fratelloni: "That is unbelievable... I would have never guessed it was anywhere near that amount. That’s crazy." (17:55)

Broader Economic Concerns

• The hosts discuss stagnant wages vs. exploding expenses and cutbacks families are making—specifically noting fewer vacations and less discretionary spending.
• They reference anecdotal evidence (e.g., lower traffic in northern Minnesota over July 4th) as a sign of tough economic times (20:04 – 20:38).

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Third Segment: Housing Affordability and Changing Expectations

The Disappearance of Starter Homes

(21:03 – 23:13)

• Fratelloni reflects on the now-rare concept of "starter homes"—small, affordable properties for young families, replaced by much larger and more expensive houses.
• He points out current houses, even small ones, are out of reach for many first-time buyers.

Nostalgia and Social Commentary

• "We are so lucky here in America. We're so fortunate here... but, you know, you had a starter house." (22:24, Fratelloni)
• Both joke about past experiences with small, modest homes and how expectations and prices have shifted dramatically.

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Fourth Segment: Sports—MLB All-Star Game (Lighthearted Wrap-Up)

Opinions on the All-Star Game

(24:34 – 29:47)

• Reavers admits to loving baseball, but found the recent All-Star Game "the single most boring baseball game I have ever seen in my life." (25:39)
• They discuss an incident where a player was hit by a 99mph pitch, referencing Pete Rose’s infamous aggression in past All-Star Games (26:27).

Pitch Clocks and Umpiring

• Both appreciate technological advances in baseball, like pitch review and pitch clocks, despite the growing pains and resistance from some umpires (29:25).
• They also report how professional baseball habits trickle down to little league and amateur play.

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Podcast Legacy & Banter

Remembering the "Beer Show"

(32:03 – 33:28)

• Reavers and Fratelloni reminisce about their long-running "Beer Show," noting some guest scandals and the show's strong legacy.
• They credit cross-promotion from Garage Logic for its success.

Inside Jokes and Closing Banter

• Fratelloni gives a (groan-inducing) lawyer joke:

  "What do lawyers wear to court? ...Lawsuits." (34:15)

• Reavers thanks listeners and encourages podcast reviews:

  "Please do us a favor. Rate and review the show wherever you happen to be listening the Weekly Scramble podcast." (34:26)

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Key Timestamps

• 02:08 – Intro to the Walz pardon topic
• 03:26 – Case facts recapped
• 05:28 – Walz’s notable quote; hosts react
• 07:12 – Discussion of victim and family context
• 09:23 – Broader concerns about declining standards
• 11:02 – Discussion of deportation delays and implied racial double standard
• 15:34 – Hosts sum up safety concerns
• 16:10 – Inflation and grocery cost crisis
• 21:03 – Vanishing starter homes and housing market
• 24:34 – Baseball talk and All-Star Game
• 32:03 – Reminiscing about the Beer Show
• 34:09 – Joke segment and show wrap-up

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Episode Tone and Notable Quotes

The conversation is candid, irreverent, and unfiltered, with Reavers especially showing exasperation and anger toward Minnesota’s political leadership.

"I have Wahls derangement syndrome. I’m fully aware of that. I hate what he has done to our state."
— Chris Reavers (08:26)

"Child rapist should be deported instantaneously. And I’m fine with that concept, too."
— Mike Fratelloni (12:49)

"No one expects consequences for actions. That's the other part that really bothers me about all of this."
— Chris Reavers (12:57)

"Why did he ever get to marry the sister? Why did he ever have six children?"
— Mike Fratelloni (09:53)

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Summary

This Weekly Scramble episode is an impassioned response to the Walz administration’s pardon decision, seen by the hosts as a failure of justice and leadership in Minnesota. They tie the controversy into larger themes of declining accountability and rising public frustration before shifting to relatable concerns over inflation and economic hardship. The episode closes with nostalgic and humorous banter on baseball and podcasting, maintaining the show’s signature blend of outrage, wit, and Minnesota flavor.

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Transcript

[Narrator]

As technology becomes more complex, cyber reality dominates the culture, and AI becomes an endless, anxious discussion. Simple, old human storytelling becomes all the more precious. And that's what you'll find on the Mishki Podcast. In the end, we're all just people. Folks with our brilliance and our absurdities and stories about people. Well, they never get old. The Mishke Podcast. Wherever you get your podcasts,

[Chris Reavers]

Here we go.

[Mike Fratelloni]

This is the weekly Scramble, a place where we chat about life over a cold one or two. It's time to belly up to the pod with Mike Fratelloni and your host, Chris Reavers.

[Chris Reavers]

That's right, it's time for the weekly Scramble podcast. A day late, but not a dollar short. My name is Chris Re. With me as always. His name is Mike Fratelloni.

[Narrator]

Hello, Michael.

[Mike Fratelloni]

How you doing, Reavers?

[Chris Reavers]

Doing okay. Sweating it out every single day. By the way, before we get to the first topic today, super fun time to be an asthma sufferer.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Oh, my God, seriously?

[Chris Reavers]

And again, I know Kenny always makes fun of me. I'm not outside working. I have an indoor air conditioned desk job. I absolutely get all that. And I saw guys yesterday roofing a high. Or not roofing, excuse me, working on a highway. And I thought, I'm gonna go to Costco. I'm gonna grab like, 17 cases of Gatorade for all of you guys, because I felt terrible for all of them.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I heard you say that you would be what we call Darwin out. Right? You would have been. If this was 200 years ago, you would have been long gone.

[Chris Reavers]

Oh, God, yeah.

[Mike Fratelloni]

He would have been like, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. That someone would have walked up and says, why is Jebediah Reavers wheezing like that as you're going?

[Chris Reavers]

Well, in fact, all through college, I did a lot of blue collar work and, you know, warehouse work, whatever it is. And that's when I made the realization, I ain't gonna survive doing this.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Yes. I gotta find a different job anyway.

[Chris Reavers]

So God bless each and every one of you that are out there doing real work instead of us idiots that are inside doing a podcast. I tried really hard to avoid bringing this story up. Trust me when I say I did. It's a Friday. We. We want to have fun heading into the weekend. But, Michael, I got to be honest. I don't think we're making nearly enough noise about this Tim Walls story. And I say that because it's just one more tentacle to the failed administration that Tim Walls has brought to the state of Minnesota. And in my opinion. This is one of the most egregious ones. Never mind the $10 billion in fraud that have escaped this state under his watch. Never mind all the other the new paid family. That's gonna be an utter complete disaster in this state. This story really, really is troubling and bothersome to me and we talked about it a bit on GL yesterday, but Governor Walz spoke. In fact, in the video that you're about to hear, he's actually speaking into a KSTP Channel 5 microphone. Governor Tim Walz yesterday is defending his vote to pardon a man convicted of molesting a 10 year old child more than 20 years ago. Last week, the Trump administration deported Thao Liu Vang despite a pardon approved by Walls, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Supreme Court Justice Natalie Hudson in their role on the board of pardons. Walz said the victim's advocacy for Vang factored in his decision to grant the pardon. I can tell you in these pardons one of the overriding factors that continuously influences the decision certainly of me, I can't speak for the rest of the board, but look like that depends on where the victims are at, walz said. The governor emphasized that his action didn't let this person out of jail. Vang completed his sentence, served entirely as supervised probation in 2019. Walz said his vote to pardon Vang was not an attempt to prevent him from being deported, though Vang is at least the third convicted felon with pending removal orders to be pardoned in Minnesota this year. In May, the Board of Pardons unanimously granted clemency for Rickyshande, who was convicted of second degree assault in 1993, and Xia Vang, a man who was convicted of aggravated robbery in 1994. On the same day the board considered a pardon for Vang, four others who had applied for pardons, including three who were facing deportation, were denied. Brian Evans, a spokesman for the Attorney General's office, said they lacked victim support in all cases. The Department of Homeland Security criticized the pardons as attempts to take away qualifying convictions for removal from the U.S. vang was deported anyway. Walls questioned whether Vang's removal improved outcomes in Minnesota. And I'm not gonna read the next quote because I actually wanna play it because when you hear this, ladies and gentlemen, it's infuriating. When you hear this, it's so infuriating and so insulting and I wanna play it because this is the absolute clown show that this governor has been in the state of Minnesota on so many fronts. Take a listen. Did that make us any Safer. Did that make the children that are left behind any more stable? Did it improve the idea that we can't all be judged by our worst day? And I want to be very clear, these are horrific crimes. We can't all be judged on our worst day.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Hmm, yeah, you actually can.

[Chris Reavers]

You can be judged on that especially, okay, this wasn't a guy that, you know, got a dwi. Oh, it was his worst day. You know what, he didn't hurt anybody. He just made a bad decision. This guy sexually assaulted repeatedly a 10 year old child. That's not someone having their worst day. This is a disturbed human being. And spare me with your that's part of their culture bs. I'm not buying that.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Part of the culture. That's not part of their culture.

[Chris Reavers]

But that was, that was also included in some of the rhetoric that I read about the story.

[Mike Fratelloni]

It's just not.

[Chris Reavers]

Yeah, not only a. Let's just say it is. I don't care. You're in America. That's not accept that shouldn't be acceptable anywhere, let alone this country.

[Mike Fratelloni]

So this goes all the way back to 2002. Right. He was 18 years old. The girl was 10 years old. He ended up marrying her sister, her older sister. So I think he was either dating the older sister, I don't know. But they've been married for the last two decades. They think the girl who was abused is now 34. And the wife of Tao Lu Vang, not pronouncing that correct, is roughly in her 40s. So she was 18ish when she was with Tao. Right. Back in 2002. And he was sexually abusing her younger sister. They have six children together. Six children together, the wife, he and his wife. So those poor kids, right. They're going to be missing a father if the father wasn't a demon. Because he may have been a demon to these six children. I don't know that. Right. So when they said the victim statement, the 10 year old girl who's now in her 30s, wrote a statement saying, hey, my brother in law that raped me when I was 10, I'd rather or have him not be deported. I just, it sounds like she can't be put in that situation. She can't have to look at her sister who's married to this guy and say, sis, I want him out of here. He raped me when I was 10. Remember when he raped me when I was 10 or sexually assaulted me or whatever it was. I don't know if they're different. I don't know if that's the same thing or different. But this poor girl is in her early 30s. Had to have a victim statement that said, my sister's husband, I want him to stay here because I like my six nieces and nephews. I mean, what a horrible, horrible position to be in.

[Chris Reavers]

The other problem that I think, why this bothers me so, and I fully admit I have Wahls derangement syndrome. I'm fully aware of that. I hate what he has done to our state. I have lived here my entire life. And for the first time in my life, based upon a number of factors, I have finally started considering not living here anymore. And it's because of what an absolute cesspool hellhole this state has become. And it's infuriating because there's so many great aspects of this state, of course. And Walls has been the driving force behind the deterioration of this state. And this is just icing on the cake for someone like me. I'm sorry, you're gonna pardon somebody that's convicted of this? We had a news story earlier today, and I got the eyebrow raised from Joe, and it was a sexual assault story from a completely unrelated sexual assault story. I said, geez, I wonder if Walls is gonna pardon him, Joe. I mean, why not?

[Mike Fratelloni]

Why not?

[Chris Reavers]

Why stop there? And it's the lowering, Michael. What I can't stand is the lowering of standards that continues to happen in front of us. That's what bothers me.

[Mike Fratelloni]

So in 2002, when he was abusing this 10 year old. 2002 to 2004. And he had a final order of removal in 2006. Right. It's a federal final order of removal. Rivers. How long ago was 2006?

[Chris Reavers]

20 years ago.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Why was he here? Why did he ever get to marry the sister? Why did he ever have six children? I'm sure they're lovely children. That's not what I'm talking about.

[Chris Reavers]

It's not an indictment on them. Yeah, I just don't get.

[Mike Fratelloni]

And I get that Laos had a. Refused to accept deportees from the United States in 2006. Why send him? Who cares where he came from? You can't stay here. You've been accused of this. You've been found guilty of this. You've been. You have an order of deportation to say that you need to leave. You've. He didn't do jail time. Right? He did something else. But if he would have done jail time, it was.

[Chris Reavers]

It was probation.

[Mike Fratelloni]

It was probation.

[Chris Reavers]

Probation.

[Mike Fratelloni]

If. When he was done with that, which I don't get why you get supervised probation when you're raping a 10 year old and sexual abusing, raping. I don't know if those words are synonymous. Why didn't we pick him up in 2006 and say, see you later, buddy? I'm sorry, you can't do that here. You can't do that. And I get that. Americans do that. Right? Americans do that. And they're not deported. Right. Because they're Americans. But he must have been under something that had a right for him to be deported. What are we waiting 20 years for?

[Chris Reavers]

And spare me with the, well, you just don't know the situation. If this was a white guy from Forest Lake, there is zero percent chance not to indict forsake. By the way, there is a 0% chance Walls and Ellison would have pardoned him. 0% sure. Not 0.1%. 0% chance that he would have been pardoned by Walls. Let's not kid ourselves here.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Vang entered the United States legally as a child refugee in 1994 and was granted lawful permanent residence, a green card, by the Clinton administration. Okay, we're okay with that. So far he maintained his legal status until it was stripped automatically following his 2006 felony conviction. Why wasn't he deported then?

[Chris Reavers]

Yeah.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I don't get it.

[Chris Reavers]

He should have been like, I don't get it.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I don't care that Laos doesn't want him back. You go drop him on the other side of the border and you say, good luck to you. I don't know why these things take 20 years and why we're in this position. Because I'm going to tell you, this is going to be. Not everyone is going to love this. I kind of get what Walz did. Walz said, okay, that was. You served your time for that crime here in America. Right?

[Chris Reavers]

Okay.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I'm not agreeing with the service that he had. Right. Supervised probation or whatever it is. I'm not agreeing that that was a logical thing. And trust me, I don't love this person. Right. He has six children now he's married. He spent the last 20 years potentially living free of crime. Right. I can see where an argument could be made that, hey, I served my time. I don't know if you're not going to do it in 2006. Every day past 2006 makes it harder to pull off, makes it harder to justify a deportation.

[Chris Reavers]

I don't know.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I'm sure everyone in the world will say, absolutely not, Mike. Child rapist should be deported instantaneously. And I'M fine with that concept, too.

[Chris Reavers]

And here's the other part of it, that it's because whether it's been the rampant fraud, whether it's been the. The absolute runaway freight train of crime in this city, what I'm sick of is no one expects consequences for actions. That's the other part that really bothers me about all of this.

[Mike Fratelloni]

It's a really weird thing. Why? Did Wal say anything?

[Chris Reavers]

Well, yeah, I think in a large part, I think the pressure on him to say something.

[Mike Fratelloni]

What pressure? Why does he care? Why is he saying anything?

[Chris Reavers]

Well, he is still the city. I mean, he is still the governor.

[Mike Fratelloni]

So do you think that stopped? He didn't even go to Memorial Day celebrations.

[Chris Reavers]

That's a good point.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Right? He doesn't care. He doesn't need. He doesn't need to answer to the people of Minnesota anymore. From his point of view, why would he say something?

[Chris Reavers]

His name is Mike Fratelloni. My name is Chris Reivers. This is the weekly Scramble podcast. And we will be right back. Let's talk about our friends at Harmony Spirits in Harmony, Minnesota. The best handcrafted spirits made right here in the great state of Minnesota. From grain to glass, it is the absolute best. And right now, by the way, you can get Harmony Spirits sent right to your front door when you go online. Go to harmonyspirits.net, click on the Buy Online tab and you can have it sent right to your front door. It's a wonderful, wonderful company making handcrafted cocktails. And you know what, go on their Facebook page right now. Harmony Spirits Distillery is on their Facebook page. They have so many cool photos and videos and all sorts of neat stuff. They had a wonderful car show just a couple of days ago and they have so many fun events. And it's going to be another nice, beautiful, warm weekend. Head down to the tasting room, say hi to Larry, say hi to Damon, say hi to the entire crew and grab yourself a four pack on the go. That's right, the BlackBerry lemonade. Man, oh, man, is that a huge hit for me this summer. It's wonderful stuff and it doesn't matter. Vodka, gin, rum, whiskey, bourbon. Oh, the wild oats, by the way. Ooh, man, is the wild oats good. I was splitting some of that with my brother a couple of nights ago and it's a great product. And you can have it sitting right to your door and go into your local liquor store and ask for the Harmony brand by name. That is how they're going to continue to help grow their brand harmonyspirits.net let them know you heard about them on the weekly scramble podcast. Michael, I know I got all worked up, and I shouldn't have gotten all worked up.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I heard you talk about that on GL the other day, and it is weird. You're not the only one pissed, but you're kind of like, hey, isn't anyone else mad about this?

[Chris Reavers]

This is a big deal.

[Mike Fratelloni]

This is a big deal. We should be talking about this story. That is a. I mean, Walls is not running for anything anymore. Right?

[Chris Reavers]

Right.

[Mike Fratelloni]

But when you have the clip of him saying, are people safer if this guy's deported? And the resounding answer is yes.

[Chris Reavers]

Yes.

[Mike Fratelloni]

At 18 as an adult, when he could go fight for our country. At 18 years old, you can be put into the military and go fight for our country, and you decide to criminally abuse someone like that. It's not a good person.

[Chris Reavers]

I want to switch gears a little bit here because I saw this story and I found it fascinating because, you know, those of us that are just trying to squeak by these days, man, oh, man. Whether it's at the pump or whatever else, stuff's expensive right now.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Stuff is expensive.

[Chris Reavers]

And I found this piece, and I found it fascinating. How about this, Michael? The cost of living has become suffocating for millions of Americans. For years, the people in Washington have been feeding us numbers that show that the rate of inflation is low. But it is obvious to everyone that what they are telling us is simply not true. Many of the items that are regularly purchased at grocery stores and whatever have doubled over the past decade. How about this? It's a piece done by theeconomiccollapse.com.

[Mike Fratelloni]

oh, no. Oh, no. Did you have to put your tinfoil hat on at that time?

[Chris Reavers]

Well, I only say this because I do a little bit of grocery shopping. Not a ton, sure, but I remember thinking, that's really what this costs.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I just bought a half a bag of groceries for 84 bucks.

[Chris Reavers]

My wife and I. This is from a gentleman by the name of Jeremy Banks. He writes for this particular piece. My wife and I got into it last night about the grocery bill. I pulled up a Target order from February of 2020. So shortly before the pandemic, 28 different items, okay? Grand total, $64.50. Just for fun, I added every single one back to the cart just to see what the difference was. And again, this isn't picking on Target. This isn't picking on Target. You could have replaced Target with any other company for the same 28 items, same exact store, same exact cart. What cost me $64.50 in February of 2020 cost me $158.30.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Are you kidding me?

[Chris Reavers]

$93.80 more for the exact same grocery list from just a little more than six years ago.

[Mike Fratelloni]

That is unbelievable. I would have. I would have surely thought it was much more. I would have never guessed it was anywhere near that amount. That's crazy.

[Chris Reavers]

Well, that's. That's.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Yeah.

[Chris Reavers]

Wow.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Yeah, that's.

[Chris Reavers]

What's that percentage? That's 150%.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Yeah, it's. Yeah. I mean that, That's a big, big number. Wow, that is unbelievable. I wonder what those items were. And I know there's many reasons, right, why fuel prices are up, labor prices. Right. When a city says minimum wage needs to be 1675, a corporation just turns that right back into the price of the goods. They have no choice.

[Chris Reavers]

How about this? So he added two of this in just a short five and a half, six years. In a short six years. We didn't buy anything more. We didn't upgrade anything, didn't add a single extra item. Just needed the same things that we always needed to buy for our family. They told us inflation was transitory. They told us it was under control. They told us the economy was strong. Our cart didn't get any of these memos. 145% increase in five years. Not one member of Congress has looked at a grocery seat in decades. And it shows.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Sure.

[Chris Reavers]

That is so spot on.

[Mike Fratelloni]

It's really a horrible fact. And I guarantee you his wage didn't go up 150%. Well, that's just if he stayed at the same job, right? If he had the exact same job doing the exact same thing, he might have progressed, obviously. But if he stayed at the exact same spot, no way that his wage might have gone up. Because that was some tough times. Corporations were lucky if they were given a few percent increase every year.

[Chris Reavers]

Well, and what's happening too, and I only know this just, I guess from basically firsthand personal experiences. What's happening is the sacrifices that are being made. It's not. We have to buy fewer groceries because you still have a family to feed. Sure, you're probably tightening the belt a little bit here and there, but it's not. Well, you're still going to have to find a way to drive to work. You're still going to have to find a way to feed your kids. But what aren't you doing? You're not going out to eat as much as you Normally would. You're not going on a vacation that you probably normally would. So what's cutting down? It's all the other things in life that we work so hard for.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Sure.

[Chris Reavers]

For that once a year or once every other year, family vacation. That's the stuff that's going away. Joe mentioned this the other day. I don't think he said this on the air, but I don't think he'd mind me sharing. He was up north for the fourth of July. The family has a place up there. And he mentioned to me he saw the least amount of traffic he has ever seen in years just in that transit. And he said it may be just I was going on a different days than everybody else. But he says it was noticeable the, the. The lowered amount of traffic going in and out of northern Minnesota.

[Narrator]

Wow.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Okay. I would be surprised because you think cabin owners might be a little bit Reese, not recession proof, but say, hey, you know, instead of 50 bucks in gas, we're going to spend 100 bucks in gas. We're still going up.

[Chris Reavers]

But wouldn't that then explain like the likes of me that I don't have a cabin, but if I had a buddy that did.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Yeah, or you're not going to rent something.

[Chris Reavers]

Yeah. Or I'd pack the crew up and then let's head up north. Right.

[Mike Fratelloni]

You know what an interesting thing is, Reivers, I didn't mean to interrupt you,

[Chris Reavers]

but go ahead, please.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Remember when starter houses I grew up, I didn't grow up, but I used to live in Highland and some of the houses in Highlands in St. Paul were 900 square feet. They were little box smaller than a garage. Nowadays at a normal house, Remember that concept of starter homes, that whole thing where somebody could go out somewhere and buy a house in Today's dollars for 193,000 bucks and it's 1100 square feet with a one car garage and that's your starter home and you and your wife live there and then you have one baby and then you're like, okay, we got to figure out how to get something a little bit bigger. That's not happening anymore. No, they don't. No one builds. When was the last time someone built a 900 square foot house in the state of Minnesota? I bet you that doesn't happen anymore.

[Chris Reavers]

I was having this very conversation with someone very close to me not that long ago and how she has become fascinated with the tiny homes. I said, are you out of your mind? I can't even stand up in one of these things. Why would you Want this to be your dwelling.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I know, but that's what people did to start. Right. That's what all inflation hits. Everything but size inflation, where people just expect more. Right. People are buying cars that are $45,000 and they make 45,000 bucks. Well, a car back in the 70s could have been 3,000 and you made 9,000. So it was a 30 year income, not equal to your income in a year.

[Narrator]

Right.

[Mike Fratelloni]

And it's just we are so lucky here in America. We're so fortunate here in America that I think we're kind of put some blinders on that. I'm not saying I want people to go backwards, but, you know, you had a starter house. Your first starter house was not. I bet you it was 1800 square feet or 2000 square feet.

[Chris Reavers]

It was. I could tell you the exact dimensions of it. It was 1360 square feet.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Okay, so not huge. But it was for you and your wife, right?

[Chris Reavers]

Yep. And then what happened? We had a baby. And then you moved on and we were okay for a little bit. And then along came. All of a sudden, here comes number two. Like, all right, we gotta move. We can't.

[Mike Fratelloni]

No one's buying those little. Or people are buying. They would buy them, but no one's building that. There's not a builder out in Carver that says, you know, every new house in Carver's 649,000 bucks. There's no $200,000 houses in Carver anymore.

[Chris Reavers]

Well, there's just no $200,000 houses period, right now.

[Mike Fratelloni]

But wouldn't a little thousand square foot House be 300,000, 150, 180 or 280?

[Chris Reavers]

I don't know.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I don't know what it cost to build a house. It's probably not much more than a couple hundred bucks a square foot.

[Chris Reavers]

His name is Mike Fratelloni. My name is Chris Reivers. This is the weekly Scramble podcast. We will be right back. Let's talk about North American banking company banking done differently since 1998. Back then, they made a promise to deliver a better banking experience for their customers where you get to know your banker and they also get to know you. You know what, a lot has changed since then. However, this commitment to being a true community bank in the Twin Cities, that has not changed, nor will it ever change. And you get that feeling anytime that you walk into any one of their six Twin Cities locations, 50th in France, Woodbury, Hastings, Shoreview, Maple Grove, and also in Roseville, they offer you the same updated online and mobile banking tools as all of those other big national banks, whether you're looking to buy a home, perhaps finance a new home renovation project, or get that new car that you've been thinking about, their experts make it so easy and also convenient. But you have to see it for yourself. Check them out online today. It's nabankco.com to learn more. Once again, it's banking done differently. North American Banking company member FDIC is an equal housing lender. I have a confession to make.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Uh.

[Chris Reavers]

Oh.

[Mike Fratelloni]

What did you do?

[Chris Reavers]

I didn't do anything, actually. No, I did something and I. I did a thing. I. I hate saying this. I really, really do. I love the grand old game. I love baseball. Oh, no. My favorite sport. In fact, my son just had his final baseball game of the season on Wednesday night, a week after his younger brother.

[Mike Fratelloni]

We can't talk about baseball all the way till next year.

[Chris Reavers]

Nope. We're gonna kiss up for that. But one of the things that I love is the Tuesday night standalone Major League Baseball All Star Game. It's kind of fun, right? All the fanfare and I don't know if I don't know how much you watch or if any.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I watched a lot.

[Chris Reavers]

You're lying.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I. I am lying. I didn't watch one second. I didn't even know it was on.

[Chris Reavers]

It was kind of cool. So they did. It was in Philadelphia, 250th celebration of our great country. When they introduced the lineups, they had the podium with the feather pen so all the players wrote their name, which I thought that was. That was freaking cool. Patti LaBelle, God bless her. Even though she sounded a little bit old, she did a wonderful job singing the national anthem.

[Mike Fratelloni]

She's 250.

[Chris Reavers]

I think it was the single most boring baseball game I have ever seen in my life.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I thought. I thought there was a little controversy. Wasn't there a little controversy? No. Maybe there wasn't.

[Chris Reavers]

I guess I.

[Mike Fratelloni]

No one got hit by a pitch. Am I making that up?

[Chris Reavers]

Oh, well, yeah. The race star, superstar third baseman. I forget how to pronounce his name is Jaime Camillero. I need my fortune.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Let me ask you one thing.

[Chris Reavers]

Go ahead.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I'm a pitcher in the All Star game.

[Chris Reavers]

Yep.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I accidentally let a 99 mile per hour fastball, I think, get away from me. Hit another man in the hand.

[Chris Reavers]

Yes.

[Mike Fratelloni]

This is a game for fun. You might have just ruined a guy's career.

[Chris Reavers]

Yep.

[Mike Fratelloni]

As a pitcher, do you not say,

[Chris Reavers]

oh, my God, and the kid that.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I am sorry he did the kid. Okay.

[Chris Reavers]

That him was just Cuz he's not

[Mike Fratelloni]

trying to push the guy back. He's not trying. He's like, oh my God, I just might have ruined a guy's career. I am so sorry.

[Chris Reavers]

This is why everyone started to hate Pete Rose. Because in the LSTR game, remember, he mowed over Fosse, Ray Fosse and, and basically ended his career. I was like, what are you doing, dude? This is, this is the All Star game.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Why they let him back into potential hall of Fame.

[Chris Reavers]

I don't know why he died he of his sentence. He had a lifetime ban.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Yeah, but why? Yeah, he gambled, he cheated.

[Chris Reavers]

Okay, whatever. We're getting off topic here.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Keep going.

[Chris Reavers]

But I sat there just kind of waiting for something to happen. And again, I get why the pitching is just so, so good now. Like the top of the end pitching in baseball, it's the best it's ever been, right? So I get all that. But at the same time here you have your baseball, right? You get a brief window in time from the end of the basketball and the hockey seasons to when football starts. And yeah, granted, you still got World cup right now, but normally we'd have nothing. We just have baseball. And this is that standalone showcase event. And they're interviewing the pitcher while he's on the mound throwing and the catcher and he's got his mask on. So he's like, yeah, Joe, that's really good. It was really bad.

[Mike Fratelloni]

It was okay.

[Chris Reavers]

And it was. And I don't want to be that guy. I don't want to complain for the sake of complaining, but, oh, it was a tough watch. It really was.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Are numbers down for baseball this year? Because it seems like it's having a little bit of a renaissance.

[Chris Reavers]

I think they have been better than they have previously and they've done a good job of instituting things like the pitch clock, which I think has helped to kind of increase the rate of play, which has helped a lot. But again, it's for the casual fan. You know, I was watching with a group of people like, this is boring. And I go, I actually agree with you.

[Mike Fratelloni]

You know what that is Hitting. My baseball algorithm is with the pitches now with reviews of a pitching.

[Chris Reavers]

Oh, sure, yeah.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I'm not kidding. Reavers. I probably watch 10 shorts a day of an umpire calling a ball on a strike that was four inches in. Who's Jen? What's her name? The female umpire? Jen somebody?

[Chris Reavers]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Mike Fratelloni]

She had a. Did you see when she called a balk, then called a strike on the play? I Was like, what is going on? She's got to maybe not be an umpire anymore.

[Chris Reavers]

Get it together, right?

[Mike Fratelloni]

Yeah, it was really. She. She really had a story. If you're not. If you don't know what I'm talking about. A pitcher didn't do anything balk related, kind of. He threw a pitch. She throws her arm out, calling a bach, right?

[Chris Reavers]

Yep.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Then throws the hand up saying strike. The pitcher or the batter finally like can't figure out what's going on. Starts waving to the third baseman to come in or not the man on third to come in because it was a bach with the bases loaded. It's like, you can't have that happen in baseball. You can't have that happen. But I love, love this new pitch where they can tell you that is just caught the corner.

[Chris Reavers]

I got to tell you, the one thing I do love because some of the umpires in baseball have. Tend to have a bit of an ego to them. And one of the things I love because I consume. Well, let's just be my Twins consumption up to this point now. Because like I said, I'm literally in the car every night driving a kid to a baseball game. I consume it via radio.

[Mike Fratelloni]

This is the best way to.

[Chris Reavers]

And so they'll play the audio on the radio call. And what I love is the emperor going, well, I guess that's a strike. Or you could tell the disdain in their voice because they're being challenged where they don't like that. And they're still. There's some umpires that don't have a problem with it. But then there's other ones that really take it personal.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Yeah. You gotta be real quiet if you're an umpire. Right. Otherwise they're gonna say, you're not worth it. I do love when a batter backs up, looks at and says, that's a ball. And then reaches to the head.

[Chris Reavers]

Yeah.

[Mike Fratelloni]

And then the umpire says, I'm sorry it wasn't fast enough. It's like I. I just heard you call a ball or just heard you call a strike. It's a fraction of a second later I'm touching my head. That's a little frustrating.

[Chris Reavers]

The only problem though with that is that is no trickle down.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Oh, our kids doing it.

[Chris Reavers]

Not only kids, but Tomball guys.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Really.

[Chris Reavers]

Well, if they don't agree with something, they'll. They'll tap their head. Wow.

[Mike Fratelloni]

You wait.

[Chris Reavers]

Hey, we don't have that system, B. All you're doing is making the guy mad. You know, I would just call them out next time. Trust Me. They do.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Oh, that's too funny. I love how that stuff trickles down like those stupid sliding gloves. When you see a fourth grader wearing sliding gloves, like, I'm not kidding you, every one of them.

[Chris Reavers]

There's a. There's a. There's a kid that I know, and he's got. He's got a slide.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Okay. Yeah.

[Chris Reavers]

And when he gets to first base, he puts it.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Puts it on. Yeah, sure.

[Chris Reavers]

Sticks out like six inches from his

[Mike Fratelloni]

other hand, which is kind of smart.

[Chris Reavers]

That's the whole. That's what I think. The whole purpose behind it.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Oh, to get to the base a little faster.

[Chris Reavers]

Because you're not supposed to slide head first to begin with because that's how your hand gets stepped on.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Sure, sure.

[Chris Reavers]

You're not supposed to do that.

[Narrator]

Right.

[Mike Fratelloni]

All right.

[Chris Reavers]

And so it was. It was kind of.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I mean, we're teaching kids. Okay. So they. But sometimes you have to slide at first.

[Chris Reavers]

Well, yes, but it was great. Cause there was this, you know, you were talking about social media, the great meme of, you know, travel, baseball, kids in 2026. And the kids got the eye black and the different $800 bat and the sliding mitts of both. And it's like me in 1986 playing baseball. And it's like a ratted old baseball glove and one bat. Right. That was it.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I'm really starting to get back into baseball. I don't know if you're rubbing off on me.

[Chris Reavers]

13 years.

[Mike Fratelloni]

13 years it took.

[Chris Reavers]

You know what?

[Mike Fratelloni]

I know we haven't talked about our anniversary yet, but we plan one of those shows.

[Chris Reavers]

We gotta do that next week.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Maybe we need to have somebody come in. I was, okay, so Reavers. I went back to our old beer shows.

[Chris Reavers]

Okay.

[Mike Fratelloni]

And tried to listen to them. When I say. Tried to listen to my. I listened to them, but they were really beer related. Right. And many of our guests are imprisoned. There's a handful of them that are imprisoned that I are kidding. Yeah.

[Narrator]

No.

[Mike Fratelloni]

And I was kind of going through. I'm like, oh, that one. That one had a scandal. A couple. There was a couple scandals.

[Chris Reavers]

I know exactly who you're talking about.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Yeah, there's a couple of them. But I still remember Tom and Ryan from Elevated. Obviously, they're great dudes. Great dudes. And we had a thing going because Ryan and Tom would get a guest from maybe the biggest brewery in the United States or some big breweries from around the world. And all of a sudden we're talking to, you know, the guy who runs Kingfisher Right. And he's like, what? Like how we had the best guests on. And I thought that was the power of AM 1500, giving us two hours a week. And we became the most successful beer show in the United States.

[Chris Reavers]

What helped was the added promotion basically every day from garagelogic, when Joe would always say, is the beer show tonight? And you would say that every day. No, it's Thursday.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Thursday night. That was his nice way.

[Chris Reavers]

And I remember Mary, our former office manager. Mary, who has since retired. But Mary said, does he not know when I go? No, that's his way of helping promote my show.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Does he promote this show at all?

[Chris Reavers]

Oh, once in a while.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Has he ever said the Weekly Scramble?

[Chris Reavers]

What does he say? Are you in frat working today?

[Mike Fratelloni]

Okay.

[Chris Reavers]

That's basically what he'll say.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Really?

[Chris Reavers]

Yeah.

[Mike Fratelloni]

I think you should throw. I mean, this is just notes that I have for you. Because when they say Kenny from the Abbey Coffee Shop. Yeah, but they say Reavers. What, a producer or whatever they call you.

[Chris Reavers]

No, I am the production coordinator. Something like that.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Something like that. You don't listen to it anymore because you don't.

[Chris Reavers]

I don't even hear.

[Mike Fratelloni]

You don't even hear it.

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Mike Fratelloni]

You need to throw in to star of the Weekly Scramble and. And producer of the grassy.

[Chris Reavers]

I think I'm in technology corner. Maybe that's my.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Oh, yeah, that's what I am. You are not in technology corner.

[Chris Reavers]

Sure.

[Mike Fratelloni]

You need to be the star of the Weekly Scramble. Get that in there. If Kenny can say the Krabby Coffee Shop, that's true. Right. We should do it reverse. What do lawyers wear to court?

[Chris Reavers]

Oh, Jesus. Well, I don't know. Mike. What do lawyers wear to court?

[Mike Fratelloni]

Lawsuits.

[Chris Reavers]

Oh, my God.

[Mike Fratelloni]

Brilliant.

[Chris Reavers]

How did I not get that?

[Mike Fratelloni]

If you're watching this, you are the best. If you're listening, you are the best. And reverse. You are the best.

[Chris Reavers]

Thank you, Michael. Please do us a favor. Rate and review the show wherever you happen to be listening the Weekly Scramble podcast. It helps others find the show. It helps us out as well, and we appreciate each and every single one of you. His name is Mike Fratelloni. My name is Chris Rivers. Thank you so very much for listening to the Weekly Scramble podcast. Have a fantastic weekend. We'll talk to you next week. Until then, cheers.