Pardon My Take (Barstool Sports)

Episode: CBB With John Fanta, Olympic Preview Halfway Through The Olympics, QB Lists And Zac’s Alarm Clock Has Him In Deep Water
Date: February 18, 2026

Overview

This episode of Pardon My Take finds Big Cat, PFT Commenter, and crew in full Olympic fever, navigating a sparse sports week by diving deep into Winter Olympics events, NFL off-season rumors, and March Madness prospects with guest John Fanta. The show mixes goofy banter—most notably about alarm clock etiquette, QB rankings, and internet "mogging" lore—with genuinely robust Olympic and college basketball coverage.

Major Topics and Segments

Olympics Preview Roundtable

[18:36–48:01; 129:06–136:08]

With the Olympics at their midpoint, each host picked a Winter Olympic sport to research and preview. The panel’s enthusiasm and competitiveness shine, blending actual sports insight with classic PMT humor.

Highlighted Sports:

• Biathlon (Max): Combo of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. U.S. has never medaled, which shocks the crew.
  • "It's disgusting… I feel like you could take any extra from any of the Yellowstone series and they would dominate at this sport." – PFT [19:05]
• Short Track Speed Skating (Big Cat): Praised for its car-crash potential and unpredictability ("We just need crashes!"). Roots for Bucks County’s Andrew Heo (18:1 odds).
• Bobsled (Hank): Talks history from Cool Runnings to actual U.S. and German dominance. Notable that U.S. bobsled recruits are sometimes found randomly at malls.
• Ski Mountaineering (PFT): Olympics’ newest, most grueling sport; players climb mountains, then ski downhill. "You have to climb up the mountain before you earn the right to go down the mountain." [35:17]
• Pairs Figure Skating (Zach): Drama in the finals—Germany chokes, Japan sets world record, and chemistry among skating pairs is debated.
• Nordic Combined (Memes): Combo of ski jumping and cross-country. "Wouldn’t recommend watching. Just catch the highlights." [47:58]

Notable Olympic Quotes and Bits:

• “If you want to win a golf tournament, you have to get your wife pregnant.” – PFT [04:48]
• "This sport is just a car crash every single time." – Big Cat on short track speed skating [24:18]
• "Who would ever want to do this? If it's that bad, you have my respect." – Big Cat on ski mountaineering [36:00]
• "Great athletes. First, attractive. Second." – Big Cat on the Dutch speed skaters [136:05]

Olympic Brainstorming:

• Fantasize about trash talk in Olympic sports—figure skating and curling would be “electric” with chirping [129:19]
• Host arguments on which women’s events Hank, in theory, could medal in (“Not a chance,” laughs ensue) [130:41–133:41]
• Discussion on the barriers to entry for curling: “I want to say $5,000 for a set of curling stones because you have to get them from this one place.” – PFT [49:38]

College Basketball with John Fanta

[84:55–128:02]

John Fanta brings passion and insight to college hoops as March Madness approaches.

Parity and Depth in CBB

• “This could be an all time March... The top of the country is absolutely ridiculous.” – Fanta [85:42]
• Fanta claims 10–12 teams have a real shot at the title (Michigan, Duke, Arizona, Houston, Illinois, Purdue, etc.) [85:55]
• Excitement over the next week's showdowns: Michigan vs. Duke, Arizona vs. Houston—“essentially a Final Four” [89:17]

Coaches Gone Mad & Drama

• Mick Cronin’s constant headline-making, Hurley vs. Pitino’s rivalry ("vitriol and hatred") [88:37]
• Ongoing “who punched the Duke staffer” mystery: "The search continues for whatever happens” – Fanta [92:21]. PFT jokes about an "international manhunt" [93:28].

Tournament Upset Watch

• Fanta sees Cinderella potential this year: 4, 5, and 6 seeds are vulnerable [101:39].
• Potential bracket busters: Liberty Flames, Stephen F. Austin, Yale, UNC Wilmington, Austin Peay [102:09]
• Teams that could disappoint: Nebraska (“all the pressure”), maybe Carolina, Vanderbilt, but Izzo's Michigan State is "safe" [104:40].

Hot Teams & Sagging Programs

• Houston remains Fanta’s favorite: “I’m already in bed with them.” [97:09]
• Arizona’s lack of three-point shooting may doom their run [117:06].
• Reminder: Put Miami-Ohio in the NCAA tourney if they lose one game—"the optics of keeping a team that has started the season with this mark... out? You've got to put them in." – Fanta [106:24]
• Praise for Wisconsin and Villanova—both solidly “in” the tournament [110:27 & 111:00]

Fun Moments

• Wedding and bachelor party invites fly back and forth (“Kevin Willard was at your wedding”) [112:03].
• Mushrooms and the Sphere in Vegas debated as part of bachelor party plans [112:39–113:11].

Sports News, NFL, MLB & NBA

[04:39–16:16; 66:13–69:36]

NFL Rumors/Roster Moves

• Miami Dolphins: “Cleaning house... Tyreek Hill, gone. Bradley Chubb, gone. Trying to trade Tua.” [13:36]
• Tyreek Hill trade speculation: Chiefs reunion? Raiders as chaos? Big Cat and PFT discuss possible team fits [14:01–15:10]
• Kenneth Walker, Seahawks running back, not franchise tagged; discussion about RB market value [15:23]

MLB Roster Oddities

• 11-year-old Venezuelan prospect David Basabi signs $1.8 million deal with Phillies: “How is this not human trafficking?” – PFT [12:24]
• Bryce Harper “elite” debate: Is he underrated/past prime? “Bryce Harper’s been nothing but good,” argues Max [10:51]
• MLBPA union drama: Tony Clark resigns after a reported inappropriate relationship [68:21]

QB List Rant

• Bleacher Report’s “Top 99 QBs All Time” triggers: Dak Prescott at #59 sparks big eye-roll; Marino “should be higher.” [66:13–67:01, 67:26]

Miscellaneous

• World Baseball Classic excitement, Team USA “stacked,” fandom for Harper/Schwarber/Judge [07:03–08:49]
• Wendy’s closes hundreds of restaurants, calls it a “rebuilding year”—jokes about tanking for draft picks [51:53]
• Fun with “mogging,” “gesture maxing,” and other viral internet lingo (PFT’s “clavicular” observations) [58:41–63:30]

"Zac's Alarm Clock Has Him In Deep Water"

[71:10–80:15]

• Zac leaves on vacation, forgets to turn off a loud alarm clock that annoys his entire apartment building.
• Receives noise complaint (“I accidentally replied all to all my neighbors. Yeah, sure, you can go into my apartment and unplug the alarm clock. So now they all know it was me.” [72:19])
• PMT crew offers him shelter if he’s evicted ("three days each at our houses"), jokes about making the “apology” into PMTV content.
• Hank tells a hilarious story about Zac panicking at the airport and needlessly sprinting through security [76:37–80:30].

Notable Quotes & Moments

Olympics:

• “This sport is just a car crash every single time.” (Big Cat, [24:18], on short track speed skating)
• “That was just porn.” (Big Cat, [39:10], when Max tries to Google ski mountaineering and gets distracted)
• “Wouldn’t recommend watching. Just catch the highlights.” (Memes, [47:58], on Nordic Combined)
• “Who would ever want to do this? If it’s that bad, you have my respect.” (Big Cat, [36:00], on ski mountaineering)
• “The Winter Olympics suck because there are very few head to head sports, everything is a time trial.” (Hank, [134:02])

John Fanta Interview:

• “This could be an all-time March... The top of the country is absolutely ridiculous.” (Fanta, [85:42])
• “We’re going to see the return of Cinderella’s carriage.” (Fanta, [101:39])
• “[Provicence] Saturday was embarrassing, and it was a moment there where Duncan Powell does something that’s egregious… It’s almost like that became more important than winning.” (Fanta, [124:21])

Viral/Internet Culture:

• “The recaps are just like, talking about how this guy got mogged by frat king, and then somebody else stole his phone. And then this guy... now jester maxing.” (PFT, [59:32])
• “You could just say whatever you want, but it is like a WWE storyline.” (PFT, [62:01])

QB Rankings:

• “Dak Prescott is at 59. If you want to get mad about a QB rankings, he’s at 59.” (Big Cat, [66:13–66:59])

Timestamps for Key Topics

• [18:36–48:01]: Olympic Preview (each host presents a sport, in-depth explanations and jokes)
• [84:55–128:02]: John Fanta College Basketball Interview
• [04:39–16:16]: NFL offseason news, MLB/World Baseball Classic
• [66:13–69:36]: QB lists, Dak drama
• [71:10–80:15]: Zac’s alarm clock saga
• [129:06–136:08]: “Guys on Olympics” – Olympic takes, trash talk ideas, hypothetical rules

Final Thoughts

Even in a “slow” sports week, PMT keeps things lively and entertaining. The deep Olympic cuts, off-the-cuff interviews, and unique blend of sports insight and idiocy (see: “could Hank medal in women’s slalom?”) ensures there’s something for everyone. The John Fanta interview stands out for bracketologists and March Madness enthusiasts, the Olympics preview is both funny and oddly informative, and the recurring “Zac in trouble” theme brings it all together. Expect your knowledge of everything from lineup tweaks to “mogging” and alarm clocks to be maxed by the end.

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