John Fanta Talking Final Four, NFL Coach's Picture And Tush Push Being Banned, The Yankees Might Be Cheating, Impractical Jokers Down Bad + Monday Reading

Summary

Podcast Summary: Pardon My Take – March 31, 2025

Hosts: Big Cat & PFT Commenter
Guest: John Fanta
Release Date: March 31, 2025

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1. Introduction

In this episode of "Pardon My Take," hosts Big Cat and PFT Commenter dive into a variety of hot topics spanning college basketball, the NFL, MLB, and even some pop culture updates. Joined by special guest John Fanta, the trio promises a lively discussion filled with humor, insightful analysis, and memorable banter.

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2. College Basketball Final Four Breakdown

Final Four Overview: Big Cat kicks off the conversation by highlighting the unusual occurrence of all four number one seeds advancing to the Final Four, raising questions about the state of college basketball.

• Big Cat [00:00]: "We have all four number one seeds heading to San Antonio. Is college basketball broken?"

Notable Games: The hosts reflect on the weekend's games, particularly praising the thrilling matchups between Houston vs. Purdue and Florida vs. Texas Tech.

• Big Cat [03:41]: "We had two great games over the weekend. The Houston Purdue game was fantastic with that incredible play ending the game."
• PFT Commenter [04:00]: "Walter Clayton seems like he can check out of a game and then come back to make a clutch shot."

Cinderella Team Analysis: The discussion shifts to the concept of "Cinderella" teams, with a consensus that Houston stands out as the most surprising contender among the top seeds.

• PFT Commenter [05:03]: "Houston is definitely the number one Cinderella."
• Big Cat [05:14]: "Houston's been close so many times and have been snake-bitten in the past."

Interview with John Fanta: John Fanta joins the conversation to provide expert insights into the Final Four dynamics, emphasizing the strength and strategy of the remaining teams.

• Big Cat [63:06]: "We now welcome John Fanta. Let's talk Final Four positivity despite a mediocre start to the tournament."
• John Fanta [63:47]: "These four teams—Auburn, Duke, Florida, and Houston—are built tough and are poised for a heavyweight clash."

Duke's Dominance: A heated discussion ensues about Duke's formidable presence in the tournament and whether their current team lives up to their legacy.

• Big Cat [05:34]: "I think Duke can't be considered a Cinderella anymore."
• PFT Commenter [06:06]: "Cooper Flag is a man, not a boy. Duke could face real competition."

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3. NFL News: Tush Push Proposal

Turning to the NFL, Big Cat and PFT Commenter discuss the league's consideration to ban the "Tush Push," a popular play among teams like the Philadelphia Eagles.

• Big Cat [41:07]: "There's been a proposal to ban the Tush Push in the NFL."
• PFT Commenter [42:22]: "We need to keep our hands to ourselves. It might be banned this year or in the future."

Club Reactions: The hosts share their opinions, suggesting that the ban could be beneficial for teams struggling with physical playstyles.

• Big Cat [42:39]: "Stephen Jones of the Cowboys echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing consistency."
• PFT Commenter [43:32]: "This feels Patriots-esque, wanting to regulate overly aggressive plays."

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4. Yankees Potential Cheating: Illegal Bats

Big Cat raises concerns about the New York Yankees possibly using illegal bats, igniting a debate on fair play and integrity in baseball.

• Big Cat [45:35]: "Why do we have to ruin something? Yankees using illegal bats is a problem."
• PFT Commenter [46:22]: "If every team uses these bats, pitching would also escalate their strategies. Yankees are the main ones doing it, which is why it's problematic."

Discussion Points: The hosts debate the implications of such actions, weighing the desire for higher-scoring games against the necessity of maintaining fair competition.

• Max [46:28]: "More runs are good for baseball. If everyone cheated like the Yankees, it'd be more fun to watch."
• Big Cat [47:02]: "But since only the Yankees are doing it, it undermines the integrity of the game."

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5. NBA Brawl: Timberwolves vs. Pistons

A notable brawl between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons becomes a focal point, with Dante DiVincenzo at the center of the chaos.

• Big Cat [28:51]: "There was a brawl between the Timberwolves and Pistons, and Dante got really involved."
• PFT Commenter [29:27]: "Dante was stepping up, showing he's willing to defend his team."

Analysis: The hosts analyze the potential reasons behind the brawl, discussing team dynamics and the roles of key players like Isaiah Stewart.

• Big Cat [29:34]: "Isaiah Stewart has been a hothead for years. Seeing him in the middle of this was expected."
• PFT Commenter [29:55]: "Nas Reed terrifies me. He seems like a very scary guy."

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6. Impractical Jokers Update

The conversation shifts to the "Impractical Jokers," where recent allegations against members Joe and Murr cast a shadow over the popular group.

• PFT Commenter [57:33]: "Joe and Murr are allegedly involved in inappropriate behavior. This is a tough week for Staten Island."
• Big Cat [58:01]: "They've taken down old episodes following these allegations. It's just not good."

Host Reactions: The hosts express disappointment and discuss the impact of these revelations on fans and the show’s legacy.

• Big Cat [59:23]: "The downfall of Impractical Jokers is here."
• PFT Commenter [59:56]: "It's sad that someone your son admires is involved in this."

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7. Monday Reading: Coaching Crime Rankings

Closing the episode, the hosts present a "Monday Reading" featuring a user-generated graph that satirizes how sports fans forgive or condemn coaches based on their personal failures versus professional success.

• Big Cat [108:51]: "Here's the coaching crime rankings graph from our message boards."
• PFT Commenter [110:05]: "It's amazing how fans prioritize tournament success over moral integrity."

Key Highlights: The graph mockingly ranks coaches by their professional achievements against their personal misdemeanors, illustrating the double standards often seen in sports fandom.

• Big Cat [112:56]: "Kevin Willard should have been eliminated from consideration due to his 2004 DUI and Sweet 16 performance."
• PFT Commenter [113:05]: "This graph exposes the truth about how fans overlook serious issues if the coach is successful."

Discussion: The hosts critique the biased nature of fan support, highlighting how stellar performance can overshadow significant personal faults.

• Big Cat [114:10]: "This graph is a wake-up call for how we evaluate our sports figures."
• PFT Commenter [114:27]: "It's necessary to address these double standards for the integrity of the sport."

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Conclusion

Throughout the episode, Big Cat, PFT Commenter, and John Fanta offer a blend of humor, insightful analysis, and candid opinions on the latest happenings in sports. From the unprecedented Final Four lineup to controversial moves in the NFL and MLB, the hosts engage listeners with their trademark banter and sharp perspectives. The inclusion of a thoughtful yet humorous Monday Reading underscores the show's commitment to addressing both the lighter and more serious aspects of the sports world.

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Notable Quotes:

• Big Cat [00:00]: "We have all four number one seeds heading to San Antonio. Is college basketball broken?"
• PFT Commenter [05:03]: "Houston is definitely the number one Cinderella."
• John Fanta [63:47]: "These four teams—Auburn, Duke, Florida, and Houston—are built tough and are poised for a heavyweight clash."
• PFT Commenter [42:22]: "We need to keep our hands to ourselves. It might be banned this year or in the future."
• Big Cat [45:35]: "Why do we have to ruin something? Yankees using illegal bats is a problem."
• PFT Commenter [57:33]: "Joe and Murr are allegedly involved in inappropriate behavior. This is a tough week for Staten Island."
• PFT Commenter [110:05]: "It's amazing how fans prioritize tournament success over moral integrity."

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Timestamp Highlights:

• [00:00] – Introduction to Final Four and upcoming topics
• [05:03] – Discussion on Houston as a Cinderella team
• [28:51] – NBA brawl analysis
• [57:33] – Impractical Jokers allegations
• [108:51] – Monday Reading: Coaching Crime Rankings

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Final Thoughts:

"Pardon My Take" continues to deliver its signature blend of sports analysis and irreverent humor. This episode stands out with its in-depth discussion of the Final Four, critical analysis of controversial sports actions, and a sharp commentary on fan biases. Whether you're a die-hard sports enthusiast or a casual listener, this episode offers plenty of engaging content to keep you hooked until the next show.

Transcript

[Big Cat]

Hey, pardon my take, listeners. You can find every episode on Apple podcasts, Spotify or YouTube Prime. Members can listen ad free on Amazon Music. On today's part of my take, we have our good friend John Fanta on talking final four. We are set. Maybe not the best weekend of hoops. Couple great games, but we are ready for San Antonio. We have all four number one seeds heading there. We are going to break down anything else we missed on the weekend. A little more baseball. Yankees maybe using illegal bats. We had a brawl in the NBA.

[PFT Commenter]

A brawl.

[Big Cat]

It was pretty sick. We're going to break that down. We have who's back of the week and then we have a Monday reading from the message boards where they always should be from. So we're brought to you by our friends at DraftKings. The great rewards hunt is on. So join the adventure with DraftKings Casino. For fun seekers, follow the trail to huge jackpots, weekly bonuses and exclusive games. Plus, new players can get their losses back up to $1,000 in casino credits on their first day. Just sign up with code take and start playing to get up to $1,000 in casino credits back with a minimum $5 net loss only on DraftKings Casino. The crown is yours.

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Hours up to 1000 in non withdrawable casino credits that expire in 168 hours [e-mail] promos okay, let's go. Yeah. Welcome to part of my take presented by DraftKings. Sign up now with code take and start playing to get up to $1,000 in casino credits back with a minimum five dollar net loss only on DraftKings Casino. The crown is yours. Today is Monday, March 31st and we have our final four. And it says Chalkly. Chalky is chalk. Could get all four number one seeds are heading to San Antonio. Is college basketball broken?

[PFT Commenter]

Pfd Bigot. I was gonna say it's college basketball. A Ponzi scheme because the tournament starts just wait. Did not great matchups. Round of 32 gonna be great. Round of 32 is not great. Just wait. Good sweet 16. Sweet 16 happens. Oh, that sucked. But just wait. This is the best Elite 8 you've ever seen. The Lead 8 sucks. But just wait. The Final Four. We're kicking the can down the road.

[Big Cat]

We're going to. We're going to have a bad Final Four and then the greatest championship game of all time.

[PFT Commenter]

And then nobody will remember the tournament. They'll just remember the championship game and they'll be like, college basketball. So back.

[Big Cat]

Correct.

[PFT Commenter]

I mean, people are watching. The games have been great. The Florida game, that was.

[Big Cat]

We had two great games over the weekend. We had the Houston Purdue game, which was great. If you miss it on Friday night, the. The blob that Kelvin Sampson drew up to beat Purdue with point with two seconds left was. It was erotic, as our friend says. It was an incredible play. Purdue also kind of got screwed because it was an offensive foul on the possession before. Say something nice about Purdue. They were in that game, and that was. I think everyone thought Purdue was going to get smoked and outmanned by Houston, and they were every. Every second of the way in that game. And then we had the Florida Texas Tech game on Saturday, which was phenomenal.

[PFT Commenter]

That was great.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

And the. The Purdue Houston game. The end of that, I stuck around on the channel. I watched the postgame.

[Big Cat]

Oh, yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

I wanted to see Jay Wright and Candace Barker argue for two hours about that play.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Just breaking down that play as granularly as you possibly can because it was awesome.

[Big Cat]

Sexiest blobbups I've ever seen.

[PFT Commenter]

It was a super sexy blob.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. But the game's not great. The Florida one was crazy and chaotic at the end. Clayton, he seems like he can check out of a game and then come back and just make a shot on a whim.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

People were saying it was Curry. Like Curry would have switched it. That's the difference. It was an ugly make.

[Big Cat]

It was an ugly make. But that the. The Curry like, play that he had was when he was basically. He drove the lane and then he was standing, I don' eight feet from the basket and then slowly backpedaled while no one really closed out with urgency. He's like, all right, I'm here now shoot three.

[PFT Commenter]

Hit it down two. Yeah, he did that. Down two.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. And it was. That was an ultimate. You got to make your free throws game because Texas Tech had that game. They had that game one. They were up nine points with three minutes left, and they missed two front ends of one and ones. And both of them go directly to Florida threes. That's how you bring back, like, they literally went front end miss three, front end miss three. And then Walter Clayton hitting a three to take the lead.

[PFT Commenter]

I have a question for you, big Cat. If we're doing Cinderella power rankings of these final four teams of the four one seeds.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Who's the most Cinderella?

[Big Cat]

Houston.

[PFT Commenter]

Houston. I agree with you. I had Houston one, then I had Florida two. I think Auburn's two because, I mean, you think Auburn's too. Auburn was ranked number one for most of the season.

[Big Cat]

Of course. I know that. I'm saying because they've never won a national title. They don't have any legacy in basketball outside of Charles Barkley. And obviously what Bruce Pearl's done, I think they would be the second Cinderella Florida still has. You know, they. They back to back national titles well.

[PFT Commenter]

So I, I actually more. I think I might have Duke number three in my Cinderella power rankings.

[Big Cat]

Duke.

[PFT Commenter]

Duke might be the third Cinderella.

[Big Cat]

I don't think they can. I think that's taking a little too far. I have, I have some thoughts on Duke that I'd like to share, but I, I think you can't say that.

[PFT Commenter]

Houston is definitely the number one, though. Yeah, we both agree on that. I, I find myself rooting for Houston because they've been so close so many times in the past and they've been the most snake bitten team in the past. It's always been a big injury. Was it shed last year? Yep, shed with that ankle injury last year. That was tough because that team looked like they could have competed.

[Big Cat]

This team, they would have beaten. They would have beaten Duke.

[PFT Commenter]

This team is awesome to watch, and I feel like they could possibly frustrate Duke.

[Big Cat]

It's men versus boys. Yeah, it could be men versus boys because the Duke does have three incredible freshmen, but Houston has men. Yeah. So the Duke thing, I've been struggling with this. I'm basically landed on the fact that I think my hate for Duke is now just the fact that I don't hate this Duke team.

[PFT Commenter]

Like, do something to make me hate you.

[Big Cat]

Like, I'm. Hey, I, I hate that I don't hate them.

[PFT Commenter]

You know what? The issue.

[Big Cat]

That's what's making me mad.

[PFT Commenter]

All right, here's. Here's what I think the issue is. Knipple.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Nipple should be the guy that you hate on the Stu team.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

But because Flag's better than him and Flag is a bigger part of their offense, he takes away some of the hatability that can would have if he was the main guy that you could focus your attention on.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Right. Like he is drawn up in a lab where you're like, I. This is the guy.

[Big Cat]

Why I hate Duke and he's from Wisconsin. And like, normally I would hate a guy who went from Wisconsin somewhere out of state to play basketball, but he's too good for the Badgers. So it's like I can't even be mad about it. It's like we would never get him anyway.

[PFT Commenter]

And the way that they have it is like Cooper Flag is their main guy. I like watching Cooper Flag play, so I don't hate him. And then with Knipple as a second guy, he's not hateable because he's a second guy. So I end up actually liking Knipple, a guy that I would have hated if he was the guy.

[Big Cat]

And John Shire is just a really good coach.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

And that's the part that like he, he listening to Nate Oates press conference after the game. He had Nate Oats in hell. He was basically like, we had no chance. They just had a counter move to all of our moves. Our guys looked, I mean, Mark Sears looked so short. No offense to Mark Sears, but yeah. So I'm, I think I'm blended in. I, I, I'm just, I'm just going to hate Duke for the fact that I don't hate them.

[PFT Commenter]

Naturally, you know what we need.

[Big Cat]

So I'm just mad that they're not doing something to piss me off.

[PFT Commenter]

Here's what America needs in this week between the Elite Eight and the Final Four. We need Jay Billis to get on TV and say something so insufferable.

[Big Cat]

Might have him on the show. You might have to have him on the show.

[PFT Commenter]

Have him on the show so that we can give us. Just say something that will make, that will remind America why we should hate Duke.

[Big Cat]

We should do that, we should do that on Wednesday. We should just have J. Billis on.

[PFT Commenter]

And just be like talk until we hate you.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Just say things that make us hate you. Say things that will make us mad.

[PFT Commenter]

Talk about your.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, he did actually make me gpa. He actually did make me a little mad today because the Kevin Willard thing, which we'll get into. Have you noticed that there are some analysts across the country that are still doing the argument from like five years ago where they're like, see, coaches can see, a coach can leave, but a player like no players, players can leave any time they want now.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

No, they don't even have to play. They can just get the nil money and not play.

[PFT Commenter]

You're high stepping from the 20 yard line on a race you already won.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, right.

[PFT Commenter]

We, we agree that players should be allowed to transfer they can.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Just like coaches is knee jerk reaction. They're reminding everybody that they were right.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, right, exactly.

[PFT Commenter]

We were right. But we don't feel the need to remind everybody of why we're right.

[Big Cat]

All right, so we got to have Jay Billis on because it is, it's, it's a problem for me because I do not like Duke as an institution. I don't like their fans. But the team as it's constituted. I, I'm being genuinely, I'm genuinely saying I don't like have hate for them and I don't have hate for John Shire. I think I just had so much hate for Coach K. So I think I just hate the fact that I don't hate him. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

This is why the Yankees are doing a great job right now of stepping into this void and reminding us why we should all hate them.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, yeah, we need that. It's just, it's not enough. I need, I need more hate. I need more hate to go that way. But yeah, so the. Yeah, Duke killed Alabama because I, I.

[PFT Commenter]

Do think that this could be. If you look at the history of Duke basketball, it's interesting because the team right now, as they stand like in Kinpom, in those type ratings, they're I think the second best Duke team of all time.

[Big Cat]

So, so Ken Palm ratings, the. They go back to 9,697. So we don't get, we don't get the latener. The latener back to back years. But according to Ken Palm, the. There's the 10 best teams since 1996-97. Four of them are in this final four. All four of them are in this final four dot So 10, four out of the top 10 teams, best 10 teams in the last 30 years of college basketball. It's crazy. And I think Duke's number. So this year's Duke is number two only to the 98, 99 Duke team.

[PFT Commenter]

The Jay Williams team that did lose.

[Big Cat]

No, the, the one. Yeah.

[Hank]

No, that was.

[Big Cat]

No, that one won the year after they lost.

[PFT Commenter]

Elton Br.

[Big Cat]

Which year did they lose to Arizona.

[Hank]

They beat Arizona.

[Big Cat]

They beat Arizona.

[Hank]

They lost in 98, I think to Arkansas.

[Big Cat]

No, to Yukon.

[Hank]

Maybe to Yukon. Oh, they lost in like 94 to Yukon. No, I mean to Arkansas.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, I can't.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, that's when Bill Clinton was at the game.

[John Fanta]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Okay, but keep going. What are you saying?

[PFT Commenter]

No, I was just going to say that like if this Duke team wins, they will be looked at as one of the best Duke teams of all time.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Oh, 20002001 was the third. So it's all three of these teams on the chem palm. The best teams in the last 30 years are. The top three are Duke teams.

[PFT Commenter]

What was it that's making me hate them more?

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. The 2001 team.

[Hank]

That was the Jay Williams, Shane Battier, Mike Dunleavy. They beat Arizona.

[Big Cat]

They beat Arizona. And then the best team on this list. 98. 99. I feel like they lost.

[Hank]

They did.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Who do they lose to? To Yukon, I think.

[Hank]

To Yukon.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. That's our. That's our.

[John Fanta]

Quick.

[Big Cat]

We gotta just. J. Billis. That's a good call. We just got to get Jay Billis on.

[Hank]

That was Corey McGetty.

[Big Cat]

And we gotta. We gotta.

[John Fanta]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

They lost to UConn. Yeah. In Arizona, one in between. Jay Williams. Credit to him. Great bracket, dude.

[PFT Commenter]

Perfect bracket.

[Big Cat]

Great bracket.

[PFT Commenter]

I love it.

[Big Cat]

Great bracket.

[PFT Commenter]

I mean, we have. It's the best looking Final Four.

[Big Cat]

No name calling. Yeah. It is the best looking Final Four.

[PFT Commenter]

It's a great final. It's a perfect bracket. If you're a pussy.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Yeah. If you don't take any risks. There's so many people who walk around with just perfect. Brad. I know.

[PFT Commenter]

It's. It's so right.

[Big Cat]

Did you see there's a woman out there who has a perfect bracket in the women's bracket, which is. I know it's less variance, but still.

[PFT Commenter]

That'S still very impressive.

[Big Cat]

Insane. They're in the Final Four now. All right. So, yeah. Duke killed Alabama. Duke's the best team in the country. I. They. They. It was all. It was clinical what they did to Alabama. The Texas Tech, Florida game was great. Walter Clayton, I love watching him play. And then today, Houston, Tennessee was over in the first four minutes and I like. They just suffocated. Tennessee. Tennessee is still Never been to a Final Four. Great. Another great year for Rick Barnes, but came up short.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

And I. I don't know what, like, today was the day where, like, Houston was just going to win that game every single time they played.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. So they were used to having Chaz Lanier get like a little bit of daylight on their three pointers and get into rhythm and they got no rhythm.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

It was just suffocating defense the entire time from Houston. They couldn't get anything in the paint. It was. Yeah. What was the score? Like 22 to 5 at one point.

[Big Cat]

I think halftime was what, 34, 15 or something?

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, it was. It was ugly. It was ugly early and then.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

What does Tennessee do? Because They're a good basketball team. Tennessee is consistently under Rick Barnes, a very good basketball team. I, They've never been to a Final Four. Yeah, they used to have the NIT banners hanging up inside their basketball stadium. I think they took those down. But do they have Elite 8 banners hanging up or is there just nothing reminding them of the basketball team?

[Big Cat]

I don't know. It's, it's, it's, it's just, it sucks for them because they've had, they've been a very consistently good basketball team for this stretch here, like specifically last three to four years, and they can't get over the hump. And unfortunately for them, it's like you gotta, if you're gonna win a national title, you probably, unless you're a Yukon of the last two years, you're gonna have to win a game that you might not be favored or a game that you might not have your best stuff. And it just, just keeps happening.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, they got Purdue last year and then it's just like you, that's the one year with the Zach Eaty whistles.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. And then, and then the Michigan State Auburn game was so frustrating to watch because it felt like watching that game. Auburn was better, but Michigan State, I feel like had 10 to 15 chances to hit one big shot, to put real game pressure on Auburn and they just never could hit a big shot.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, they just couldn't hit it from the outside and when they tried to go in the lane, they were getting swatted.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. But it was like, did it feel, didn't you guys have the same feeling that it was just teetering on that edge the entire time where it was like a nine point game, a ten point game. If Michigan State could hit one three in a stop or you know, one big dunk and then a three, we'd have a real game.

[Hank]

Layups.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. We just couldn't get to it. They could not get over that initial hump to then put on actual game pressure on Auburn and Auburn's Auburn, I mean, they, they finished the regular season poorly, but they are, they were the number one seed and they had an incredible regular season and they, they're awesome again. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

And Janai Broom coming back in the game after it looked like he up his elbow bad. It was one of those things where he, he was on the ground and he was just looking at his elbow like there was something wrong with it that didn't hurt, but that he knew was like fucked up. He goes in the locker room after telling his mom, like, I'm done And then the X ray comes back in. And then he proceeds to play the end of the game with one arm.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

And he's still pretty good. He's still like blocking shots and getting rebounds.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, he, it was. I mean, he's, he's a stud. He's. He's also a man. That's like the, that's. That would be your only thing. If you're not, if you're rooting against Duke is like, will it, will it matter if they end up having to play against men? Yeah, probably not. Cooper Flag is. He's a boy, but he's a man.

[PFT Commenter]

If I was Cooper Flag, I would sit out.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

And don't get hurt. You're gonna be playing against grown ass men. Sit out and then just wait to enter the NBA draft. I'm making money.

[Big Cat]

It's gonna be a great Final four. Better be a great final four. Has to be. Has to be, Hank.

[PFT Commenter]

The game owes it to us.

[Big Cat]

Hank, what are your thoughts on the weekend?

[Hank]

I just nil ruined college basketball. I don't want to be a hater, but.

[Big Cat]

No, we need that. Listen, I'm. I've been of the mindset that I'm not gonna. I think what happens a lot of times when these things happen is the people who don't like college basketball are usually the loudest to be like, it's over, it's broken. Because they didn't like it in the first place or they only liked the tournament. You know what I mean? They show up for the tournament. So there'll be some talking heads. Be like, there's a major problem in college basketball. And then there's some people who on the other side will say, there's no problem, there's just an anomalous year. I think there could be a problem, but I would like to see more. Well, that's where I stand.

[Hank]

I just want madness.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Hank]

No, I don't care if the games are good. I wouldn't care.

[Big Cat]

But yeah, I want good games.

[PFT Commenter]

The very clear issue has been if you're not making your three pointers.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

If you don't make your three pointers, you're going to lose. And not only are you going to lose, but you're going to get the shit kicked out of you. It is very saw in several games in the elite.

[Big Cat]

It is very funny when we're watching these games and we have an NBA game on as well and just every shot goes in.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

When you're watching the NBA, it's like anytime anyone has a little bit of daylight from three. It's a swish. And then you're watching Michigan State. I think they had a possession, I think they had a 60 second stretch today where they were like 0 for 6 from 3.

[PFT Commenter]

It was, it was unreal.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

What 15 points in the first half from Tennessee.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

And then on Thursday night, the Indiana Pacers scored 162 points against the Wizards and took shot clock violations intentionally in the last three possessions.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

It's a different sport.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Hey, how would you fix college basketball?

[Hank]

I mean it's tough. Like they, it's, it's, it's one of those things where I believe that players should get paid. I don't want to sound like an old man young at Clouds, but I think they've went about it. They kind of said okay, players should get paid. Then just turn to a free for.

[Big Cat]

There's no guard rails.

[Hank]

Yeah, it just turned to a free for all which has, has hurt. And like the Amir Khan thing, it's great fun story, but he made 100k. And now for next year, like that was the biggest story of the tournament. Next year there's going to be a million student managers like trying to go viral so they can make money. But like that's not what nil is for. And then when they show the graphic of. I think it was like five years ago, the final four roster and like where they started their college career.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Hank]

There was maybe one or two or three transfers.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Hank]

Now you look at it and you know the, the players from this year were on completely different teams last year. There's no continuity. But I don't. The answer is continuity and not transferring.

[PFT Commenter]

But, and no viral student managers.

[Big Cat]

You know, in Amir Khan.

[PFT Commenter]

That's the main one.

[Hank]

No, it's just like that, that was.

[PFT Commenter]

The first one you said.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, it's that it seems like your whole thing was just pretty much just a mere con.

[Hank]

I will see next year. I think, I think the, I think I like Amir Khan, but I just, I think it's gonna spawn a million like spin offs of, of and that's not what it's called. Basketball.

[PFT Commenter]

Make sure to follow sister gene on Tick Tock.

[Hank]

Right.

[Big Cat]

So agreed with you on the transfer thing. They have to figure it out.

[PFT Commenter]

Multi year contracts.

[Big Cat]

Multi year contracts. I, I've also thrown out the idea that, you know, we're going to talk with Fanta about it, but schools are, are about on the precipice of being able to pay directly to players. And I, I, I've said this idea before, but a freshman gets 50k from the school, a sophomore gets 75, a junior gets 100. If you transfer, you go back to freshman salary. So like there is a. You could still transfer, you still do whatever you want, but you don't get to climb the ladders of, of what the school can pay you.

[Hank]

Yeah, I like that.

[Big Cat]

Which would be interesting. But yeah, I, I, I. It's a weird time and I think they'll hopefully figure it out because I love college sports very, very much. And this. Listen, it wasn't the best tournament, but we do have a great Final Four. And for people who are like this has never happened before. Stat Hole sent me this. In 2007, we had two ones and two twos. In 2008 we had four ones. All four ones made it to the final four. And in 2009 it was two ones, a two and a three. So we had a stretch where it was a lot of chalk.

[PFT Commenter]

What was that in 2008, Hank?

[Hank]

That was Titus.

[PFT Commenter]

That was the Titus year.

[Hank]

Ohio State, Florida.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Where was that?

[Hank]

Where, where, what city was that in ucla?

[PFT Commenter]

It was in San Antonio. Oh, nice.

[Big Cat]

That's wild.

[PFT Commenter]

I also appreciate this guy, Steve Berkowitz, for some reason he just spent like five hours tweeting out all the bonuses that coaches got. Oh, this year Bruce Pearl got a hundred thousand dollar bonus for making the Final Four.

[Big Cat]

That's it?

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. He's gotten450,000 bonuses this season. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo finished the season with 200000 bonuses. Kelvin Sampson picks up 300, 000 bonus. And then Tennessee, if they finish in the top 10 in the media poll, which they will, Rick Barnes will get a million dollars in bonuses. Million bucks. Ricky Barnes, he's consistent.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, he is consistent. Speaking of coaches, Max, that scumbag Kevin Willard is now your new coach. Congratulations.

[Max]

Thanks.

[Big Cat]

Anything you want to say? Apologies to Maryland fans? No, he, he said he did it over a zoom call. He told his team. Told his team over a zoom call. That's tough, Max.

[Max]

Obviously there's bad blood between Kevin Willard and the athletic department at the University of Maryland.

[Big Cat]

But the players things players to players.

[Max]

We'll see.

[Hank]

He didn't address them?

[Max]

No, but we'll see. We'll see if any of the players come with him.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[Max]

It's a player. If the players come with them, then, then we'll see.

[PFT Commenter]

Do you think that Julian Reese.

[Hank]

What if they don't?

[Big Cat]

You think Julian Reese? I'll bet you Julian Reese doesn't come with him.

[Max]

He has no more eligibility.

[Big Cat]

I thought I could get you.

[PFT Commenter]

I bet you. I bet you Queen doesn' He's going to the draft. Okay. It have the last like two weeks giving you any pause about Kevin Willard as a man of integrity?

[Max]

No. There's coaches out there that kill people. There's coaches out there that you defend.

[PFT Commenter]

Wait.

[Max]

That help cover up murders.

[Big Cat]

Who do we defend?

[PFT Commenter]

Jim Beheim retired.

[Big Cat]

Who do we defend?

[Max]

You don't defend him.

[Big Cat]

But who do we defend?

[Max]

I mean, you say. Everyone. Everyone says that. These. There's way worse coaches that do worse.

[Big Cat]

Why are you pointing at us?

[PFT Commenter]

Who killed someone? Max.

[Max]

He didn't kill anyone. But.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[Max]

There was allegations that he was actually.

[Big Cat]

Tune into our Monday reading. We have. We have more on that.

[Max]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, we have. We have a graph that someone.

[Max]

What did Kevin Willard do?

[Big Cat]

He.

[Max]

He went on. He went into the media and said that he.

[Big Cat]

No, he's just. He just. He's just a dick. Did you see the. Hank.

[Max]

So is Danny Hurley.

[John Fanta]

If Danny Hurley was in the same situation.

[Big Cat]

Had like a stroke as Max 6.8. Just goes. Oh.

[PFT Commenter]

Watching the sun's Rocket.

[Big Cat]

Sun's Rockets game.

[Hank]

Almost just died.

[Max]

Dylan Brooks also just went nuts and got kicked out of the game. That was interesting.

[Big Cat]

That was interesting.

[Max]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Did you see the clip of him leaving Seton hall doing the exact same thing? It was very funny.

[PFT Commenter]

No, that. Yeah, we talked about that on Friday where he said like the exact same.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, I saw. I finally saw the videos back to back and it was. Yeah, he's just a scumbag.

[Max]

Well, now he's going to get support.

[Big Cat]

He's only been one. Only been to 1 Street 16 in 18 years.

[Max]

Yeah, he was at Seton Hall.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[Hank]

I'm just saying say that without the president around.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, yeah, say that when Pugs around.

[Max]

Not. Not necessarily a school that gets great resources.

[Big Cat]

Do you think he was a. He's a great hire.

[Max]

I think he's a good hire.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[Max]

I wouldn't.

[PFT Commenter]

Who would have been a great hire?

[John Fanta]

Jay.

[Big Cat]

Right?

[John Fanta]

Yeah.

[Max]

Jay Wright.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. There wasn't like golden.

[Max]

There wasn't like guys out there.

[Hank]

This.

[Max]

This cycle for there to be like.

[PFT Commenter]

There are no great plus plus hires.

[Max]

So I'm excited for the next. Next chapter. We're going to be competitive again.

[Big Cat]

You got the crown.

[Max]

We got the crown coming up.

[PFT Commenter]

Build some momentum.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Max]

College basketball is a wild west right now. People do whatever the fuck they want.

[Big Cat]

It is true.

[Max]

And that. That's just the nature of the game. And Kevin Willard went to Villanova to get a better job. And to be in a better situation for his family.

[PFT Commenter]

Also, just shout out the southeastern portion of the United States.

[Max]

All the teams shout out to southeastern portions.

[PFT Commenter]

You get everyone. You get everyone this time.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, I don't.

[PFT Commenter]

I didn't get the Duke, Florida, Auburn. Oh, yeah.

[Max]

Got it. I thought I was, like, trying to relate that to.

[PFT Commenter]

No, whatever. Not this. No. Not about Villanova. Just about.

[Max]

That's what we were talking about.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. You guys are not in the Southeast.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Max]

Correct. Shout out to Southeast.

[Big Cat]

Does it means more down there?

[Max]

Incorrect.

[John Fanta]

But.

[Big Cat]

Well, what is the SEC's actual tagline for football?

[Max]

It means more.

[PFT Commenter]

No, I think that's for football.

[Big Cat]

Literally means.

[Max]

It means more in football.

[Big Cat]

They said it first. They got dibs on. It means more. That's just a fact.

[PFT Commenter]

What does the Big east say?

[Max]

Ballers.

[Big Cat]

I do want my rule to be. I. The Kevin Willard, should have to go play at Maryland until he beats Maryland.

[Max]

Deal. I would. See, that's another thing.

[Hank]

That.

[Max]

That'll be. One day Maryland will face off against Villanova in something, and that'll be awesome to watch.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

No matter what sport. Yeah.

[Big Cat]

But it should happen next year. It should happen next year.

[Max]

No, I would love that. I would absolutely love that.

[PFT Commenter]

Maryland trying to rehire Gary Williams or the next. The next incarnation. They've been lost ever since Gary Williams left and he was a great coach and then. Was he. Now that. I think they are a basketball school, firmly.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Maryland not.

[Big Cat]

Definitely not a football.

[PFT Commenter]

They're not a football school. Basketball school.

[Big Cat]

Hire.

[PFT Commenter]

Hire some big sweaty guy that screams at people and fires assistants during games.

[Big Cat]

Get back. Put his. His name in there. He tweeted. He's like. Yeah. He's like, I'm. I'm available.

[PFT Commenter]

I mean, that's. The next step is get. Get him. Juan Dixon. Lonnie Baxter. Have those guys come back.

[Big Cat]

Juan Dixon. Did he do something? Wasn't there. Wasn't he a coach somewhere?

[PFT Commenter]

Was it.

[Big Cat]

My thing is someone else.

[Max]

Jamie Dixon.

[Big Cat]

No, no, no.

[PFT Commenter]

Chris Wilcox. Get all those guys back. Just coach the team.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Yeah. No, it would be sick at that. At this point. If it's. If it's not going well, you might as well just, you know, bring back the glory days. Sell people on that.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

What was the Juan Dixon thing? Or am I. I might have just made that up.

[PFT Commenter]

Juan Dixon always seemed like a good guy to me.

[Big Cat]

One dick.

[PFT Commenter]

What's he up to, Coach?

[Big Cat]

What is Juan Dixon up to? Oh. Judge dismisses Coppin State from lawsuit that alleges sexual assault blackmail by basketball staffer that's pretty good. So they dismissed it.

[PFT Commenter]

Oh, that was against him.

[Max]

Oh, I'm seeing him on Housewives Coaches.

[Big Cat]

A former basketball player accuses Lucian Brownlee, an assistant on former coach Juan Dixon's team, of blackmailing sexually assaulting him. The player identified. All right, I just remember there's a story. So I was right about the story. I don't remember how much Juan Dixon was involved.

[PFT Commenter]

It sounds like. Yeah, a guy on his staff.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Possibly alleged which was thrown out.

[Big Cat]

Coppin State informer Coach Juan Dixon dismissed from sexual assault Black male lawsuit.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay, what was the record this year, Max?

[Max]

Whose record?

[PFT Commenter]

Coppin State.

[Big Cat]

Well, this was a couple years ago that he was coach there and got dismissed, so I don't know what their record was this year. They're pretty bad.

[PFT Commenter]

Not good.

[Max]

Wait, no. This was 2023.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, that was when he was last coach.

[PFT Commenter]

I say it. Bring him back anyways.

[Big Cat]

Figure out what. Figure out what's going on with that lawsuit and then bring him back.

[PFT Commenter]

Or maybe Buzz.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, maybe Buzz Williams. Okay, let's talk some other sports before we do that. Game time. Hank, can you look up.

[PFT Commenter]

Let's.

[Big Cat]

Let's look up Cubs opening day on Friday, home opener. The best part about. Actually no, let's look up the games in San Antonio because the best part about college basketball is here. We know you're as excited as we are to watch some big upsets throughout the tournament while we're streaming the cave. You can get out to see the action in person with game Time, the official ticketing partner. Barstool sports. Game Time makes getting tickets faster and easier. Price on the app actually go down the closer it gets to showtime. Plus the Game Time picks feature makes it even easier to find the great deals on the seats you want. You can even find last minute tickets for the tournament for up to 60% off quickly and easily. Just pull up your chosen event, turn on the GT pick setting at the top of the screen or browse the best local game time picks deal near you on your GameTime app homepage. We're looking at tickets right now. What are the tickets for the games in San Antonio?

[Hank]

You could go to both games for 550 bucks or if you wanted to just go to the Florida, you could get in for 295.

[Big Cat]

Okay, go to both. They're going to be great games. So go to gametime app right now. Buy your tickets. They've got great curated deals for all tiers of tickets and you know you're getting the top option when you see the super deal icon. What are you waiting for? Buy those tickets to San Antonio. See Florida, Houston, Duke and Auburn play. Take the guesswork out of buying tickets with game tie. Download the Game Time app. Create an account, use code PMT for 20 off. Your first purchase terms. Apply again. Create an account, redeem code PMT for $20 off. Download the game Time app today. What time is it? Game time. Okay. Other things. There was a brawl in the NBA. It was awesome. Dante DiVincenzo, about that life first guy and.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, support this guy.

[Big Cat]

Could you pull up the video? Because I saw it. So it's Timberwolves, Pistons. I like that the Pistons are the Pistons. Getting into meaningful brawls again is like, that's the last step in the rebuild. They're a playoff team, but that's the last step in their rebuild of being like their swaggers all the way back. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

I think it's good for the sport, just seeing those jerseys.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Throwing some hands.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Look at Dante right in the middle of it.

[Big Cat]

Dante was all. He had no problem with that. I think there was some dick grabbing.

[Hank]

Isaiah Stewart's been, like, the biggest fight guy the last few years.

[John Fanta]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

He's the famous clip where he was being held back, bloody and just like going through the whole. Basically every single person trying to hold him back. Was he the one who was.

[Hank]

He was in the middle of it.

[Big Cat]

I saw possibly grabbing Dante DiVincenzo.

[Hank]

That's him right there.

[Big Cat]

Okay. I like this. So we haven't had a brawl. We haven't had a brawl like this in a long time.

[PFT Commenter]

I like that Dante was sitting down and then got up to get back in the fight.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

He's like, tap me in.

[Big Cat]

And then a bunch of dudes coming with Q zips just trying to break everything up.

[PFT Commenter]

So it started. Was it Nas Reed? Somebody fouled Nas Reed. Then Nas got in his face. I. Nas Reed terrifies me.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

He seems like a very scary guy.

[Big Cat]

I also. I like. I. I wonder if we can get. When we find out more about this brawl. My favorite is whenever there's a personal security guard that also gets involved from, like, the baseline.

[PFT Commenter]

And you have to communicate with the actual security guards from the arena. Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. So, yeah, it was finger wag.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Nazride. Finger pointing. Then DiVincenzo just jumped like he wasn't part of this. And then he became the main character of this.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. Stand up for his guy.

[Big Cat]

Nova. Boys, Italians.

[PFT Commenter]

I remember I heard a story about this big Timberwolves fan that loved Nas Reed so much that he got a Nas Reed tattoo. Like the words Nas Reed.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[PFT Commenter]

When you're getting that tattoo and they write the. In the A and the Z, how quickly do you. Do you say to that tattoo guy, you probably actually make them write read first?

[Big Cat]

No, they probably go backwards.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, they probably do Z. Yeah, you can't just pause after the Z.

[Big Cat]

Correct. Correct.

[PFT Commenter]

Be some bad footage out there, I would agree.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Look at this. Little kids with their cameras out looking for. For brawl footage. This is. This part of the NBA season is. Is so. I'll say boring because it's just everyone. I feel like every night half the teams aren't even trying or tanking, and a lot of the teams are already set with their. Like, we have no drama in the West. Who's gonna get the one seed?

[PFT Commenter]

JJ actually put a study together complaining about some stuff.

[Big Cat]

What'd he say?

[PFT Commenter]

He said that no matter how much the league is sitting their guys out, he had his guy look at the numbers, and I think it's 80 per.86% of the starting fives play against the Lakers when they get a chance to play the Lakers. So nobody sits their guys against la. Oh, so that's actually. Makes me hate Duke.

[Big Cat]

Wait, and. Yeah, that makes you hate Duke. And also. Hey, dude, you got Luca for free.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. So you can't complain.

[Big Cat]

That's a pretty good. Pretty good trade off. But yeah, the. The. The. The Thunder have had the west locked up for like a month and a.

[Hank]

Half and with the plans, it like kind of ruined. Like, if there was drama for the eight seed, it'd be one thing, but.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[Hank]

Fighting to get to the play in, to maybe get to the playoffs. Like, it's not.

[Big Cat]

I hate the plan. It sucks.

[PFT Commenter]

Has there been a more overlooked, disrespected, brushed aside two seed overall than the Houston Rockets?

[Hank]

No, they're playing well.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, but you can always just go with the Rockets are too young.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

They're the Thunder of last year.

[PFT Commenter]

They got to learn how to win.

[Big Cat]

They got to learn how to win first.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

And then we'll. And then next year they'll be for real.

[Hank]

The Grizzlies being a playoff team and firing their coaches is wild, crazy, wild story that I don't understand at all.

[PFT Commenter]

And then John Morant comes back.

[John Fanta]

Right.

[PFT Commenter]

When they get their interim head coach.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Well, they were playing. They were playing poorly. They haven't been good for the last couple weeks, but yeah, to just playoff. I. The problem might be if you're gonna fire if. If you hate your coach. Right. If you're a GM and you hate your coach and he's the 4 seed. He gets in the playoffs. What if he wins two playoff series? You can't fire him anymore.

[Big Cat]

Right. You gotta do it now.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, but.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, it's. It's. Yeah, I agree. I agree. I think the plan. I think the plan sucks. I wish they would take. Get rid of it because it's not only. It's not only there's no drama for the eight seed, but it's what I've always. When they originally announced the play in, I was like, this is going to be for franchises like the Bulls. Jerry Reinserve is going to use this as like, we almost made the playoffs every single year. And they're exactly in that spot again. You get the playing fun back basketball. But they're not a play. Like, they shouldn't be a playoff.

[PFT Commenter]

You get to play and win.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

And then you're like, oh, we want a playoff series.

[Big Cat]

Right? It's. It's. It's just more teams that the owners can basically sell. Like, hey, we're right there. Yeah. But yeah, so the NBA. So. So we had a brawl which was cool. And then we're just waiting for the playoffs. And you're. Hank, you already conceded the one seed to the Cavs. I asked you that. And you're like, yeah, it's over. Yeah.

[Hank]

Unless the Cavs would have to lose out. We'd have to win out maybe a couple games here or there, but up, it's the Cavs. Got it.

[Big Cat]

Okay. So you've conceded.

[Hank]

Concede.

[Big Cat]

The concession has been made. So if you get the one seed, will you take it back? Will you give it back? You'll officially say, I don't want the one seed. And try and talk to Adam Silver and be like, can we get this reversed?

[Hank]

Yes.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[PFT Commenter]

Good man. That's Amanda Prince.

[Big Cat]

Coach might not.

[PFT Commenter]

I believe you.

[Hank]

No, he doesn't care. Whoever gets put in front of them, they'll play.

[Big Cat]

No, but Coach Missoula would.

[PFT Commenter]

He would want this to. He'd be like, we don't deserve the one.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, but if they deserve. If they win enough games to get the one to then give it up.

[PFT Commenter]

No, I think Coach Missoula will be.

[Hank]

Like, well, it's not in the Celtics control. That's the thing.

[Big Cat]

What do you mean?

[Hank]

Like, the Celtics would win out and knock at the one seed, Right?

[PFT Commenter]

I think Coach Missoula would say, well.

[Big Cat]

No, they could give us.

[PFT Commenter]

Give us the eight seed.

[Big Cat]

They could get the one seed and not get the one Seed, according to you. Because you'd have to give it back. Yeah.

[Hank]

It's one thing if it's. If you control your own destiny, it's one thing to. To, you know, give it up. But they don't, so.

[Big Cat]

Well, no, they.

[Hank]

We're focusing.

[Big Cat]

Healthy.

[Hank]

It doesn't matter.

[Big Cat]

Before the 1, you're not allowed to take it.

[Hank]

3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. We just need to be healthy, and we're gonna run through the east.

[PFT Commenter]

So what you're saying is Mickey Mouse championship. If you guys win the championship as the 1 seed. Yeah, because it wasn't a quarter cure.

[Big Cat]

Okay, got it.

[Hank]

We're not gonna be the one seat, so you can say whatever you want, and I'll say yes.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay.

[Big Cat]

But if you are, you're gonna give it up.

[PFT Commenter]

Will you shave your head if you get the one seat?

[Hank]

Yes.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay. Now I'm go sell and beard.

[Big Cat]

Okay. Will you make Max get a soul patch? Yes, if you get the ones. Okay. Perfect. Awesome.

[Hank]

Like, Max put himself out of the running for Cooper flag and now is back in. I would never do that.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, you would never do that.

[PFT Commenter]

It is disgusting that he's back. I. In fact, great point. I think that Max, you should have to get a soul patch. If you somehow luck your ass way into the number one overall.

[Max]

I'm not getting a soul patch.

[PFT Commenter]

And you get.

[Hank]

Not even for Cooper flag.

[PFT Commenter]

Yourself out of that.

[Big Cat]

Yes. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Yes.

[Big Cat]

No.

[Max]

Would you get it for. For NBA championship?

[Big Cat]

Yes.

[Hank]

For Cooper flag. Nope.

[Max]

You just said yes to an NBA championship. You just said yes to an NBA championship.

[Big Cat]

You should get a soul patch for the NBA championship. All three of us should get one. If we. Neither of us get any of us get a Cooper flag.

[Hank]

I'm not doing so.

[Big Cat]

I will get a soul patch.

[Max]

I'm also not getting. I'm also not getting a soul.

[Big Cat]

I will get one if. If the bulls get Cooper flag.

[PFT Commenter]

I will get one if the wizards get Cooper flag. But then when I get. When people are like, yo, pft. That looks kind of normal. Hank did say. Max, you heard the same thing I did.

[Max]

He did say.

[PFT Commenter]

He said he would get a soul patch if the Celtics won the championship.

[Hank]

I'm not doing that. Cooper flag. Yes.

[PFT Commenter]

Your word used to mean something on this show.

[Hank]

If Celtics get Cooper flag. Soul patch.

[Big Cat]

Okay. We also have the owner's meeting in Orlando right now, and they're deciding. So they had the. The annual coaches picture. I blogged it. Go check it out. They did it inside this year.

[PFT Commenter]

It sucks.

[Big Cat]

Sucks. Credit to you. Pft. Dan Quinn was a monster.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, he's looking good.

[Big Cat]

He looked awesome.

[PFT Commenter]

The head looked super shiny.

[Big Cat]

I said he looked like a guy who's got a smoking hot wife and four smoking hot daughters. And he's just always angry because everyone.

[PFT Commenter]

In his family's hot.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

He's having to protect him all the time. Yeah, that checks out.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. And he's just a manly man who just will break your hand if you give him a handshake. Yeah. Aaron Glenn won the Aaron Glenn award because I have nothing. Nothing to say about it. Glenn. Completely unremarkable.

[PFT Commenter]

I spent about five minutes looking at Brian Callahan.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

To figure out who Brian Callahan was.

[Big Cat]

Oh, I, I did it with Brian Schonheimer. My.

[PFT Commenter]

Oh, I remembered him.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Well, my Brian Schonheimer award was just. This has to be Brian Schottenheimer. I knew who Brian Callahan was. Brian Callahan doesn't know where the camera is.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, he's. He's often like a LSD fog somewhere.

[Big Cat]

Our guys, though, look like. If, like, I don't know which guys we can would technically say are our guys. I would say Leflore is one of our guys. I say Stefanski.

[PFT Commenter]

Shanahan.

[Big Cat]

I would say Shanahan looks thousand yards stare. He needs to win a Super bowl so bad. Stefanski looks good in the pink. He does need to do a couple push ups because that right tit is just sagging a little floor.

[PFT Commenter]

You know what I loved in this was that Andy Reid, famous for wearing shorts no matter what the weather is.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Inside, he's wearing pants.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

He zigzagged on you.

[Big Cat]

Also zoom in. Annie Reid. I, I said this, but Andy Reid. If you've never had a look at Andy Reid's cankles. Andy Reid's cankles. If they, if, if, if the World Trade Centers were reinforced with Andy Reid's cankles instead of steel. Still up.

[PFT Commenter]

I respect that.

[Big Cat]

100. Those things will never bend. Those things. Could they. He's never had a turned ankle in his life.

[PFT Commenter]

Jet fuel can't melt. Read femurs.

[Big Cat]

Yes, exactly. And also Dan. Dan Campbell. I, I don't know if you guys imagine the same thing when you looked at this picture, but I, I think his polo is down to his shins. If you, if you see the polo, he's wearing a comically large polo, so. Which I don't think he cares because he's the type of guy, he'll wear a dress and just hope you talk.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. I fed the picture into that new. What's the new chat GPT AI Image simulator. Is it like the, the Ghibli. Ghibli. What the is that?

[Big Cat]

It's just chat. Gbt.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. So I fed it in there. It did a terrible job. You can't recognize any of these guys.

[Big Cat]

The 4k. Load it in 4k. Max. Why are you struggling with this so bad?

[Max]

Because it doesn't work on any of these websites. They're all, they're all shitty quality.

[Big Cat]

Go on Twitter and go to the NFL.

[Max]

Twitter?

[Big Cat]

Yes, yes.

[Max]

You want to look.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[Max]

Zoom in.

[Hank]

Command.

[Max]

Plus it just goes right back to what it was.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[PFT Commenter]

Mike Tomlin should always be wearing a hat. Weird without hat.

[Big Cat]

Are they gonna get Aaron Rodgers or what?

[PFT Commenter]

The new article today said they don't know. Okay, so they're, they don't have a plan A, a plan B or a plan C. Got it. They're just moving forward right now.

[Big Cat]

Okay, so no plan A, no plan B. No plan C. Max, you wanna. I mean, Sirianni, he's not wearing, he's not wearing pants.

[Max]

He looks like a little boy.

[Big Cat]

He looks like a little boy and he. I think you can do it though. When you win the super bowl and you show up in anything, you want to wear that, that you, you, you get to do that.

[PFT Commenter]

Was Dable in the same spot last year?

[Big Cat]

Dable. So Dable is all the way. I think Dable didn't even want to be in the picture. And I also think that Dable's wearing, I think he's the only one in the picture who is wearing team issued gear.

[PFT Commenter]

So that kind of move.

[Big Cat]

Well, no, I think it's more that. Otherwise people would think like, he was fired. Yeah, like he's wearing it to, to remind everyone, oh, I'm actually not fired.

[PFT Commenter]

I think he's doing it so the mayor's see him and they're like, that's a team player right there. Always, always promoting the brand.

[Big Cat]

But he like got, he got the awkward conversation out of the way because if someone ran into him like, oh, what are you up to these days? They see the Giants, they're like, oh, yeah, that's right. He didn't get fired.

[PFT Commenter]

How's that going?

[Big Cat]

Because you know how there's always like one or two coaches that get talked about being fired so much and then they don't get fired. Oh, that's all Max's. And you're like, how the did that happen? Like, I half expected Doug Peterson to be in this photo. Yeah. You know, where it just didn't end up happening. It's fine. Max, it's fine. You're the producer. You had, like, five hours to set this up. It's fine.

[Max]

The thing doesn't work.

[Big Cat]

All right.

[PFT Commenter]

So I like that they put the outside of the hotel in a giant picture behind the guys.

[Big Cat]

Crazy. I'm so sad they weren't outside. That you gotta have this outside.

[PFT Commenter]

It was.

[Big Cat]

Put them in the rain. Put him in the rain. You'll see Dan Campbell. If you zoom in his. His. His shirt. You can't see the bottom of his shirt. Oh, yeah, See that?

[PFT Commenter]

That is. That is right out of, like, 2001.

[Big Cat]

That's the longest shirt ever. He just shouts the Big and Tall store. It doesn't give a.

[PFT Commenter]

It is sad, though, that Mike Tomlins, he's got the sunglasses in the shirt. Yeah, this should be outside. He came ready.

[Big Cat]

He came ready. So the big news right now at the NFL League meeting is the Tush Push Band. So there's been a proposal to ban the Tush Push. It has support with the competition committee. During the football operations Sunday session, Howie Roseman and the assistant GM, John Ferrara, had an animated conversation with Sean McVeigh and Sean McDermott in a side hallway outside the ballroom. So animated conversation. Two Italians. Philadelphia. You can imagine what that was like. After the meeting, Cowboys co owner Stephen Jones said, we don't allow pushing, and we're trying to be consistent with our rules. That is verbatim, basically, what I say in my house, like, every weekend to my kids. We don't allow pushing, and we're trying to be consistent with our rules. I can't believe this is a real thing the NFL's talking about.

[PFT Commenter]

We need to keep our hands to ourselves, and we need to use safe arms indoors. It's honestly, Max. It's going to be banned. I think at some point. If it's not this year in the future, we'll be banned. I do not want it to be banned, but you should look at this as a win. This would be such a massive win.

[Big Cat]

Oh, yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

For the Philadelphia Eagles. If you're just so much better at being strong than every other football team that they make you being strong against.

[Max]

The rules, it feels Patriots esque.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Max]

Hank. Thoughts?

[PFT Commenter]

They hate us because they ain't us.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

It's like I said, a in us for the Tush, but yeah, Anus, that's good.

[Big Cat]

That's good.

[Hank]

I just don't think they should ban it. Like, I feel like the bit like the. The Bills couldn't even run it in.

[Big Cat]

The playoffs, so they weren't pushing the.

[PFT Commenter]

Bills are also very good at that play in the regular season. But not.

[Big Cat]

Did. Did you guys also see Sirianni's quote, which was fire. Like it was pretty. He's feeling himself. Siri showing up in. In shorts. He said, we'll see how it goes. All I'll say is Jonathan Gannon, Shane Steichen and Kellen Moore better vote for it. They're in the head. They're in their position right now because of that play.

[PFT Commenter]

I like that.

[Big Cat]

That play. Their. Their career.

[PFT Commenter]

Your tush merchant. Yeah. Oh, there's another big story coming out of the NFL League meetings. Big Cat, did you see the rules report? They changed a rule. They added something to.

[Big Cat]

Wait, wait, I'm gonna guess.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay.

[Big Cat]

All right. Give me a. Give me a vague. Because I love this. They always do it just to say they did something.

[PFT Commenter]

There's a new thing that is now a 15 yard penalty for being a violent gesture.

[Big Cat]

Is it guns?

[PFT Commenter]

It's. I think guns is already.

[Big Cat]

Guns already. You can do the throat slash was a while ago.

[PFT Commenter]

You can do the bow and arrow.

[Big Cat]

I think throat slash.

[Hank]

Nose.

[PFT Commenter]

Yes.

[Big Cat]

Wow.

[PFT Commenter]

The nose.

[Hank]

So dumb.

[PFT Commenter]

The nose. Nose wipe is now a 15 yard penalty for being a violent gesture. Rip to the Broward guys that do that after every single play.

[Big Cat]

Fuck that.

[PFT Commenter]

The slime. Can't do it anymore. Can't do. Although, I mean, that conviction was somewhat overturned.

[Big Cat]

Just this whole conversation got me juiced up for something.

[PFT Commenter]

You know what I think here.

[Big Cat]

Here's here. Just like I. We're talking about nose wipes.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. Roger.

[Big Cat]

Push pushes and. And oversized polos. And I'm like, football.

[PFT Commenter]

Roger Goodell is going to be like, we'll let you guys have the nose wipe back. You can do the nose wipe celebration in exchange for an 18 game season.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

And players are like, yes.

[Big Cat]

He absolutely will. Yeah. I think that that was it. I mean, I love the. I love that they all go into this hotel in Orlando. We should go one year. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

I've been saying that maybe spring break.

[Big Cat]

We just go down there.

[PFT Commenter]

Going to the owner's meeting would be incredible.

[Big Cat]

I don't think they would let us anywhere near. I would sneak in anywhere near any of us.

[PFT Commenter]

Act like a stewardess. I'm here to see Jerry Jones also.

[Hank]

I feel like the coach might be able to give us like a blueprint.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Hank]

On how to sneak in.

[Big Cat]

Well, that was his recap of it. He's like, they. They make us take a picture, then they send us across the street. Then they change all the rules. Then we go play Golf. They change all the rules. Or playing golf. Okay. Anything else from the wide world of sports?

[PFT Commenter]

Oh, yeah. What I was gonna say. The Yankees.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Torpedo bats.

[Hank]

Cheating.

[Big Cat]

Okay, I want to hear your guys take. My take is simple. I wish everyone would shut the up about it so we could win some money betting the over for like a couple weeks. I bet the over today. Easiest win ever. Why do we have to ruin something?

[PFT Commenter]

A billion home runs against the Brewers.

[Big Cat]

Do you like money, Hank? I don't.

[Hank]

I like. I like integrity.

[Big Cat]

Oh, God.

[PFT Commenter]

That's one thing about Hank cares about the rules of the sport. That's why you were anti deflategate that whole thing.

[Hank]

Well, that was proven to be it. Which Hunt.

[PFT Commenter]

So here's where I stand. I don't care that it's available for any team to do it. I don't care that any team could hire an MIT scientist to design their bats. I don't care that other teams have done it. The Yankees are doing it right now, which means that it must be stopped.

[Big Cat]

But can we also win some money for a little bit?

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Max]

I also have a take.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Max]

Why you watch baseball to watch homers? Why do people want less homers?

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Max]

Like everything in baseball right now is going towards the pitcher. The one time. The one time something goes towards the hitter, and now everyone wants to freak out. That's what baseball is.

[Big Cat]

Fun.

[Max]

You want to watch people hit. You want to. This is good for baseball. More runs is good for baseball.

[PFT Commenter]

But the Yankees are doing it.

[Max]

Correct. Which I get. I get that. That point.

[PFT Commenter]

That's. That's the main point.

[Max]

But if everyone starts doing this and everyone starts scoring more runs, that is more fun to watch.

[PFT Commenter]

But the problem is every team hasn't been doing it. They should be, but they're not. So that means the Yankees are the main ones doing it, which means it sucks.

[Hank]

If every team gets to use this bat, then every pitcher should be able to use the sticky stuff.

[Big Cat]

Also. Wait, hold on a second. Isn't it just two guys on the Yankees that are doing it? Like Aaron Judge hit three home runs yesterday. He's not using this.

[PFT Commenter]

Listen, me and. Me and Elon are in lockstep on this. No, no. Judge should have that much power.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Max]

I also think there's a guy from the Twins that's using one, too.

[Big Cat]

I saw too that because Dave did a rant on it and then someone responded that, like, the Red Sox were using them in. In spring training.

[Max]

I didn't see that.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, I mean, Cake's face right now. If the Bat's that much better. Every team should be doing it, right?

[Big Cat]

Yeah, there was.

[PFT Commenter]

I think there was a player on the raise that did it in a pinch hit situation. Got a hit. He's like, yeah, I'm gonna break it out for special circumstances. Dude, just everybody use this bat if it's better.

[Hank]

The Rays baseball field is a joke.

[Big Cat]

Oh, it's so bad.

[Hank]

It's a joke.

[Big Cat]

So bad. Wait, memes. You have how many. How many Yankees are doing it? Volpe's doing it. Bellinger's doing it. Jazz Chisholm's doing it. And I think there might be one more. So three. And those guys all hit home runs. Okay. I like, I was hoping that we would just be chill about this and bet the over for a couple of weeks and then they'd be like, oh, can't do it anymore.

[PFT Commenter]

If it was any other team doing it, we'd all be very chill. Every team should do it. If the Yankees are doing it, it's working.

[Big Cat]

That's all.

[PFT Commenter]

Just do it.

[Big Cat]

That's also true.

[Max]

I think they will.

[Hank]

And it'll happen with the, with the trash cans.

[PFT Commenter]

What?

[Hank]

Every team started doing it.

[PFT Commenter]

Every team started cheating. And then the Red Sox had to start using iPhones and Apple watches. The Astros made you cheat.

[Big Cat]

They also for mlb. So the two other MLB stories. One is MLB app blew it on opening day. And then I think they're still having problems. Got to figure that out. MLB tv gotta figure has it.

[PFT Commenter]

I've been Saturday.

[Big Cat]

I think Ebo was saying that he couldn't watch the Orioles.

[PFT Commenter]

That's bad, bad, bad.

[Max]

I was. I watched Phillies on Saturday.

[Big Cat]

Okay. So it's maybe better. And then they also release Phillies today.

[PFT Commenter]

Max.

[Max]

Yeah, we won the series.

[PFT Commenter]

What happened today?

[Max]

You got to keep winning series. Just Aaron Nola.

[Big Cat]

He's back to being Aaron Nola.

[Max]

He's just every. Every single game he. He starts off great. He looks like the best pitcher in baseball. And then he has one inning where he just blows up every single game.

[Big Cat]

Game.

[Hank]

Turn them into a reliever.

[Big Cat]

They released Forbes, released how much each team made in 2024 and then how much they're paying in payroll in. In 2025. And it's. So the Mets are using basically 90 of what they made. They're using on payroll. Good. That's good.

[PFT Commenter]

Good. Very good.

[Big Cat]

Dodgers 73%. That's probably all because show does or show hey's being paid $2 million a year. And then the Cubs are at 26. They're using 36% of what they made last year.

[PFT Commenter]

They're the, the third or fourth highest in terms of revenue.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Hank]

Red Sox got to be up at the bottom too, Right.

[Big Cat]

The Red Sox are 23rd. They're using 42% so they gotta get their weight up. Actually right next to the Nationals. I, I, this just needs to be shamed more. The Cubs are using. The Cubs are only ahead of these Pirates, the Rays, the White Sox and the Marlins.

[PFT Commenter]

That is.

[Big Cat]

They also just traded Cody Bellinger for money and then pocketed it.

[PFT Commenter]

That is bad. I think that in the case of the Nationals, if you're selling the team, this goes across all sports. If you're selling the team, why not put some money in some free agents right before you sell the team?

[Big Cat]

Because guys might be like, I don't want to. I mean they probably wouldn't think this way, but been like, I don't want to pay for this. If you have all these guys.

[PFT Commenter]

No, I feel like decking. That's a rounding error.

[Hank]

Work for the Celtics.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Well, they paid good players.

[Hank]

True.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Pay good free agents.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Try to make some additions.

[Hank]

But it is, it is the next owner's problem. Like after this year. It's, it's questions, hard questions have to be answered.

[Big Cat]

I just hate seeing this. It drives me insane just seeing how much money they make and how little they spend on it. It's like, dude, if you own a team, we, we need to interview every person who goes to buy a team and just be like, dude, are you a chill guy or what? Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Are you a real sports?

[Big Cat]

Like, are you down for it or no?

[PFT Commenter]

Are you real sports? Because what you can do. Here's what you can do is you can pay 100% of your revenue.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

And guess what? You're still going to make money because your team's going to get more valuable.

[Big Cat]

Correct.

[PFT Commenter]

Over the long term.

[Big Cat]

Just give me, give me five minutes with any prospective owner and I could tell you right away if they're going to be a cheap ass or they're going to actually be down for it. And just look, you got billions of dollars. Just fucking throw it around. Win some games.

[PFT Commenter]

Steve Ballmer have down.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. These type of smartest.

[PFT Commenter]

Who cares.

[Big Cat]

Doesn't matter. Just go for it.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, go for it.

[Big Cat]

Matt Ishbia not the smartest. Suns, he aren't even gonna make playoffs. He went for it.

[PFT Commenter]

Go for it.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

He should buy another team. Maybe, maybe a baseball team.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. He might buy the White Sox. I know the, Yeah. I like just the idea of just going up to rich guy Being like, are you, are you, are you gonna go for it, bro?

[PFT Commenter]

Are you cool?

[Big Cat]

Are you? Tell me right now you're gonna go for it.

[PFT Commenter]

Can you hang?

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Do you, do you like winning? How much do you like winning? I'll tell you. I could, I could sniff it out in a second.

[PFT Commenter]

Second.

[Big Cat]

Okay, let's do who's back of the week and then we will finish with the Monday reading after we get talk to John Fanta. Our good friend John Fanta who's back the week is brought to you by our friends at Truly Unruly. Truly Unruly is the first high abv hard seltzer that actually tastes good. Truly Unruly is a hard seltzer that breaks all the rules. Drinks light, parties hard with 8% ABV. It hits hard but still tastes amazing. It's the official hard seltzer. Pardon my take. Find Truly Unruly at a store near you or visit Truly Hard seltzer dot com. Okay, who's back of the week?

[Hank]

Hank, who's back of the week was going to be cheating. Shorts are back. We talked about the cheating. Hammocks are back.

[Big Cat]

How so?

[Hank]

There was, you know, we've had a lot of talks about hammocks and how much Bighead doesn't like them.

[PFT Commenter]

They're great.

[Hank]

A awl tweeted out a picture of a cell blue sticker that we sell.

[Big Cat]

Hold on, Max, hold on.

[Hank]

Big cat and Stella sitting in a hammock drinking coffee.

[Big Cat]

A cartoon. A cartoon.

[Hank]

A depiction.

[PFT Commenter]

It sounds like cartoon. Sounds like it's a brand approved logo.

[Big Cat]

A cartoon. I have some cartoons. People want to watch the YouTube. I have some cartoons I'd like to share with you guys.

[Hank]

Okay, you're ready.

[Big Cat]

First cartoon is Hank sitting on a lovely outdoor furniture seats say, and it says living the life.

[PFT Commenter]

Huh, I see that. It's a nice cartoon.

[Big Cat]

There you go, Hank. You're looking really comfortable. Okay, the next one is pft in a capitals jersey.

[PFT Commenter]

That's not.

[Big Cat]

That's burning hammocks. He's burning the hammock.

[PFT Commenter]

Am I wearing a weed hat?

[Big Cat]

Yeah. That's crazy, dude.

[PFT Commenter]

That is nuts.

[Big Cat]

That's nuts.

[PFT Commenter]

I do be doing that.

[Big Cat]

Why would you do that if he.

[Hank]

Could never grow a mustache that full.

[Big Cat]

That's a crazy visual.

[PFT Commenter]

The hammock is probably made of weed.

[Big Cat]

The next one is I think from cctv. It's just pft Burning a hammock in real life. Wow. This is great. These are all images, are we not? I do we agree. These are all images.

[PFT Commenter]

I own that Jacket.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Actually, if you zoom in, it's like. You know how the AI distorts shit?

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. It's like, what do my hands look like?

[Big Cat]

It's the most distorted old Redskins logo you've ever seen. So. Yeah, there we go. There's another.

[Hank]

Zoom in on that.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. And then. Oh, no, we can't zoom in. And then the last one is a cartoon of Hank signing a contract that says, I am never playing golf again.

[Hank]

That's just not my signature.

[Big Cat]

That's crazy.

[Hank]

That's not even an H. Yeah, cartoons.

[Big Cat]

Hank cartoons are back.

[Hank]

That one at least looks more like me, I guess.

[Big Cat]

Look how. Look how happy you are.

[Hank]

Yeah, no, it looked almost as happy as you and Stella just, you know, drinking coffee, sitting in the hammock.

[Big Cat]

I'll say I like hammocks if you say you'll never play golf again. If we're going off cartoons.

[Hank]

Well, that. That's a sold. Like, that's a.

[Big Cat]

That's a. I'll sell that.

[Hank]

That's brand.

[Big Cat]

I'll sell that. I'll sell that. That tomorrow.

[Hank]

Not my signature.

[Big Cat]

It's the. I am never playing golf against Stella Blue.

[Hank]

It's a good thing. Like, you weren't. Didn't. We weren't worried about this.

[PFT Commenter]

No, it's a good thing he's not triggered.

[Big Cat]

The one thing is, it's funny because Hank sits in the Stella Blue meetings, and he probably was there the second when that logo was put in front of me. And he knows how I react to every logo put in front of me. I go, yeah, that's good.

[Hank]

Well, not always. Depends on the letters.

[Big Cat]

What do you mean?

[Hank]

The A's, they.

[Big Cat]

Oh, well, that was good. That was more like. It was a special good. Shane's A. Still thinking about that.

[Max]

What happened with the rest?

[Big Cat]

That A from Shane was. Sometimes I'll just dream about it. That A. Yeah. But did you guys like my cartoons?

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, they were pretty good cartoons. I was actually on a hammock on Saturday and it's all that it's cracked up to be in More. More.

[Big Cat]

That's funny because I have a picture of you burning a hammer.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, I know that's true. Something from my past will have to get over.

[Big Cat]

This one is scary. The fact that Quigs made this.

[PFT Commenter]

I know it looks like I'm having a seance.

[Max]

It also. You look fatter than Nor.

[Big Cat]

I look fat.

[Max]

Real life.

[PFT Commenter]

This is like fat satanic. Pft.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. So tune into the YouTube to see all my. The cartoons that we can make.

[PFT Commenter]

Quigs is a weapon I like the cctv. That's how you know it's.

[Big Cat]

It's real.

[Hank]

Yeah, everyone.

[Big Cat]

Everyone has CCTV in their backyard. Look at. Here's. Here's the. The logo. How distorted.

[PFT Commenter]

It's up. Redskins logo.

[Big Cat]

Even the Bills won. All right, so what was your who's back?

[Hank]

And then Minwilly was my other who's back.

[Big Cat]

What happened?

[Hank]

Won his first PGA Tour event. Houston Children's Open. Beat Scotty Scheffler.

[PFT Commenter]

It was a kids event.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Beat a bunch of kids.

[Hank]

That's. That's what it's for. Public course. Always a nice touch from the PGA Tour. That is cool there. For like, 35 bucks, shout out. Is it Minwu Lee?

[Big Cat]

That's not our tracker, right?

[PFT Commenter]

No, that's Seaweed Kim.

[Big Cat]

Yep. I knew that.

[PFT Commenter]

Minwool Lee is. He's an Internet golf guy. He's huge on Tick Tock. Huge on what? Instagram? YouTube. Probably.

[Big Cat]

Cool.

[PFT Commenter]

This is his first win on the tour. He's pumped. He's from Australia.

[Big Cat]

He's from Australia.

[PFT Commenter]

Australia.

[Hank]

People's champ.

[Big Cat]

I'm very happy I didn't say congratulations to the Min.

[PFT Commenter]

Wait.

[Big Cat]

No. Siwu cam tracker. That would have been embarrassing.

[Hank]

Oi.

[Big Cat]

Good thing I didn't.

[PFT Commenter]

That was good.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Hank]

Good eye.

[Big Cat]

Okay. Pft. Who's your who's back?

[PFT Commenter]

My who's back of the week is me being right.

[Big Cat]

Oh.

[PFT Commenter]

For about six years. And I've dealt with a lot of hate for this take. Sweet Vindication is here. The impractical jokers suck ass.

[Big Cat]

Oh, yeah.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

I've been dying.

[Hank]

All that.

[Big Cat]

Wait, I was. That. That wasn't us.

[PFT Commenter]

That. No. I know. A lot of people have been like, dude, not me. They're funny.

[Big Cat]

I thought you were coming at us.

[PFT Commenter]

No.

[Big Cat]

Like, no, we're not.

[PFT Commenter]

I've been anti. I knew that something was up.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

I knew something was up, and I didn't know what it was. And the Mike Greenbergs of the world were all pumped about the practical jokers. The whole world became a big commercial for impractical jokers for about five years. Turns out two of the four creeps. Okay, sex creeps.

[Big Cat]

Which ones? Please don't tell you Sal.

[PFT Commenter]

It's not Sal. Sounds good, guy. Yes, it was Joe. And it was myrrh. Allegedly. Okay, so Joe alleged. Well, I also want to say for Joe, he has now checked himself into inpatient treatment for being a sex creep. I don't know what that.

[Big Cat]

That's like.

[PFT Commenter]

When Riley Cooper, after that video came out, he's like, I've entered therapy. Yeah, I've entered treatment. I'm seeking treatment for being racist.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Joe Gatto is seeking treatment for, I guess being a sex creep. So he's been hitting up high school girls, hanging out with them, touching their stomachs, doing weird. And then Mer was allegedly dming a bunch of underage girls. Oh, so impractical. Jokers. Not good, guys. We stand, vindicate. We get. Now we just. Now we just wait. Now we just wait. Big cat. You know who I'm waiting for? The downfall, dude perfect. Yeah. Just wait.

[Big Cat]

Not before I was offered to go see their new headquarters and bring my kids. So can I just go do that?

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. And also for the record, kids, purple hose are good guy.

[Big Cat]

I told you that. They, they basically, dude perfect. They just. It's. It's a cult that they get everyone into because my. My son did a like, fun run for his school and they gave all the kids dude perfect backpacks.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

And he got one. He was just like, I love dude perfect.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. They're youth pastors for sports.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Impractical jokers. Okay, so. So.

[PFT Commenter]

Jackass bastards. That's what. That's what they are.

[Big Cat]

Joe and Murr.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, Joe and Mer.

[Big Cat]

Sal is fat.

[PFT Commenter]

Disavowed Sal.

[Big Cat]

But that's there. That's not. Not being fat's not a crime.

[PFT Commenter]

No. And now apparently they've taken down a bunch of their old episodes where they've got Joe doing some like, weird stuff and murdering weird stuff that in retrospect doesn't look good. But at the time it was like, oh, haha, these guys are so funny.

[Big Cat]

That's not good. Tough week for Staten Island.

[PFT Commenter]

Very tough week.

[Big Cat]

Very tough week for Staten Island. Oh yeah. Enters inpatient treatment facility after sexual assault allegations. What? What is the treatment?

[PFT Commenter]

Inpatient treatment for sexual assault allegations.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, it's like when I stop doing that. It's like when a. When like a pop star or musician goes to the hospital for dehydration. It's like, yeah, they just had too many drugs. That's really what's happening. Okay, my. Who's back of the week is RICK PATINO Because R.J. luis is in the transfer portal. But Rick has said that he's going to go to the NBA. He should go to the NBA.

[PFT Commenter]

And he keeps talking him up. Get. Rick doesn't want to see him go anywhere else.

[Big Cat]

Totally, totally fine. It wasn't the hard coaching. He's an NBA guy. That definitely is how the sequence of events happened.

[PFT Commenter]

It was a mutual decision on both of their parts for him to not play the end of that game and then he was, you know, what Rick Patino was doing was saving his health.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

For the NBA.

[Big Cat]

Well, no, he was actually doing a solid because if he had shot, I think he was what, shot 2 for 17. If he had ended up shooting 2 for 25, no one would have drafted him.

[PFT Commenter]

Could have been bad. Yeah, the stock was slipping.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, it was very funny. RJ Luis hitting the transfer portal and then Rick Patino taking your Twitter being like, I hope he goes to the NBA. He's always been an NBA guy. So yeah, good luck to him. Hopefully he goes to the NBA. Okay, let's do our interview with John Fanta. Let's do talk some more college basketball. He also gives us the next Browns what he wants for the Browns. Great time with John Fanta and then we will finish the whole show with a Monday reading that's a little bit of a wild one. So here he is, John Fanta before. PFD's got a couple ads.

[PFT Commenter]

Before we get to John Fanta, the people's champ, he's brought to you by Proper 12, the original rich and smooth Proper Number 12 Irish whiskey is a delicious blend of golden grain and single malt triple distilled aged 4 years in bourbon barrels. Because anything else just wouldn't be proper. It's great straight on the rocks or in your favorite whiskey cocktail like the proper PMT. Plus, proper number 12 is the only official whiskey of the Barstool College football show. Get yours today. Proper number 12 Irish whiskey. Pour the roar. Pick up some rich and smooth Proper Number 12 Irish whiskey today to try it for yourself. John Fanta is also being brought to you by our awesome friends over at Noble. I'm wearing my Nobles right now, Max. You got your Nobles on comfy comfy ass shoes. If you're going to work out, you've got to try Noble footwear. Best shoe is the most comfortable for both in the gym and on the go with options across training and lifestyle. No Bull has options for everyone. I decided I was going to start taking Blake for runs for jogs the other day. His elbows are back to full speed. So we're ready to go out for runs in the neighborhood. Went out strapped on a pair of Nobles went out there. Great running shoes. Feet, knees, legs, hips all feel great. It was a great run. Lightweight, comfortable, great support. Noble not only are they cool looking but they also are tremendous running shoes. Great cushioning. Exclusively for part of my take listeners, noble is offering 30 off your order. Visit nobleproject.com pmt get 30 off the entire order. That's N-O-B-U-L-L-P-R-O-J-E-C-T.com pmt for 30 off your entire order. And now here he is, the voice of college basketball, John Fanta.

[Big Cat]

Okay, we now welcome on one of our favorite guests, the best. He is the best. It is John Fanta. We're talking Final Four, we're talking the crown, we're talking coaches. John, first of all, great to see you. Second, let's try to put a positive spin zone on this Final Four in this, in this tournament because it hasn't been the best. It hasn't been the best. We're, we're being honest with our listeners. I'm excited about this Final Four. The four teams remaining are incredible teams. But I think we all expected maybe some more close games this weekend. And we only got a couple. So what, what do we give us the positive outlook going forward?

[John Fanta]

The positive outlook is this. It is the best Final Four that we have ever seen. These four teams, Auburn with Janai Broom. His return spectacular. Duke with Cooper Flag. John Shire. Does he actually make them likable? There's something about him. They play so hard. And now he's trying to show that he is the man. You're talking about Florida, Walter Clayton, Mr. Clutch. Are you kidding me? And then Houston, the Cougars. Eleven years ago, Kelvin Sampson called his dad John and he said, john, Dad, I don't know what I'm doing with my life. I think I want to be an NBA head coach. His dad said Kelvin. And his dad was, was on bed rest due to some medical issues. His dad said, kelvin, I think that you are best in college basketball. I think that that's where you should be. 36 hours later, Kelvin's dad passed away. Kelvin believed it was divine intervention, that his, the last words his dad spoke to him were go and be a college coach. Go for the love of the game. Now Kelvin has put together two runs to the final four in five years. He's coming up on his 800th career victory as a head coach. And the Houston Cougars showed on Sunday afternoon that they are built tough. Tough in every single way. Ken Palm was formed in 1996. Guys, these four teams, Duke, Houston, Florida and Auburn would be in the top 10 all time in the Ken Palm metric system. Get ready for a heavyweight clash. And not between me and Rico Basco on the riverwalk.

[PFT Commenter]

He's not that fat.

[John Fanta]

San Antonio, get your cowboy hat, find a margarita. Because guys, this is going to be electric. And you've got four boxers who are entering the ring and all of them believe we're gonna be champs.

[Big Cat]

Okay, maybe feel better. I'm in. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

But I've also been saying that after every round. Yeah, I've been like, you know what? Wasn't the best opening round. But that means we're gonna get great matchups in the round of 32. Oh, we're gonna have an awesome sweet 16. Is this the best elite eight ever? Oh, it's going to be such a good final Four.

[Big Cat]

But.

[PFT Commenter]

But I, I believe it more this time, if I'm being honest. I'm looking at these matchups because you look at Duke and for the last couple weeks, I think a lot of people been thinking nobody can beat Duke. They just seem like the best all around team. And you're right, they're fun. The way that they play, it's. It doesn't seem like an old Duke team with like a scrappy little point guard that just annoys the out of you. They are a very fun team to watch. But I do think that Houston might be able to frustrate him. I think they're so physical and they're so good at rebounding. They might be able to frustrate Duke a little bit. The same way that Duke frustrated Alabama.

[John Fanta]

Pft. You're right. And to address the elephant in the room, that Cinderella's carriage was not available in this NCAA tournament. I don't know if it was at the gas station. I'm not sure what was going on, but that the carriage was nowhere to be found. It's still a pumpkin right now. I am confident in saying, and I'll apologize if I'm wrong, because accountability is everything. I'm confident in saying that that carriage will have the gas tank revved up. And you're gonna hear all these Cinderella candidates next year. You know what they've heard? They will have heard for a straight year that they can't do it. They don't have enough money. There's not enough of that in, in, in their wallet. And so that's what it comes down to. It's basketball. Colorado State's a missed shot away from being in the Sweet 16. What happens in the year that Drake and McNeese are in the same pod and both win their first round game? It's the tournament. We've only seen this one other time. It could have been easy for like an Ole Miss or a Texas Tech to be among the Final Four. Like seriously, Texas Tech should be in The Final Four, they totally unraveled the fact that we're getting this. Let's appreciate it for what it's worth. As for Houston and Duke, pft, you're right. Houston plays like a football team. They get up in you from the moment you get off the bus. They are relentless defensively, but they've always been that way. They've always been able to frustrate teams with the level at which they guard. What makes this Houston team different is this is Kelvin's best shot making team that he's had. If it's not LJ Cryer, it could be Milo Shuzan. If it's not usan, it could be Emmanuel Sharp. And how about Sharp guys? When their league gets cut to 10 against Tennessee and the vowel fans were making a lot of noise, Sharp says not happening. Closes with two daggers back to back in your eye hole. Say good night. Yeah, that's, that's the Houston difference this year that I think we haven't seen in the past.

[Big Cat]

It is crazy to put into perspective how good this Final Four is that Duke looks like the best team. Auburn is the number one seed. Florida has probably been the hottest team the way they went through the SEC championship and then you know, have, have gone to the final Four here and then Houston, which I think most casual people be like, oh, they're the fourth best team here. Houston has lost one single game in regulation this year and it was to Auburn, who's also in the Final Four. That's how good these teams are. It's, it's really, it is historic. I, you know, I. Are you worried though? Like have you been talking to people in the college basketball community that the nil and transfer portal is maybe this year is going to be more the norm going forward? Or is this an anomaly that hey look, it just happened that we had four incredible teams and there weren't those crazy upsets in the first round.

[John Fanta]

Well, I think that, that because we're in the moment, I'd be lying to say that it's, it's not concerning to look at. That being said, in 2015 and 2016 the only non high major to make the Sweet 16 was Gonzaga and they are a high major under Mark Few. For all intents and purposes they were even top 10 in Ken Palm this year even though they didn't have that great of a year. So you have to look at it from this standpoint. The revenue sharing is going to. Which, which provided that it gets passed actually on the day of the national championship game is the next you know, I'm not anywhere. My extent of legal analysis, guys, goes to like kangaroo court. And you know, Shelley Smith on Six O'Clock Sports center in like 2004, that, that's the length of my legal expertise. But April 7th is the next time that this whole thing, this is when, when the rev. Sharing can get put into place in college sports. So my, my thing is that's gonna. First off, what it's gonna do is we know what sport comes first in this world, and that's football. And all these football schools are gonna want to spend 16 or 17 million dollars of their, of their money. Of the 20 million, it's roughly 20 million that an athletic department can spend on their athletes. They're going to want to put 80% of it up to football because that's the money driving sport. In other words, there's some basketball teams out there who are legitimately concerned about what things are going to look like now, like the Big East. This was out there in the news this week. A conference like that that doesn't have football could have an advantage in the here and now. I think everything's fluid. You know, I, and I do think we need some regulation. I believe that the sooner that people acknowledge the fact that these kids are professionals, the better off everybody's going to be. They're professionals. They're not student athletes. Get out of here with that crap. They're getting paid. That's great. They should get paid. But I think there's got to be a dotted line at some point, fellas.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[John Fanta]

For both sides. Because this transfer portal stuff, I'm all for transferring, but to me, once you do it two, three times, I, I just don't, I, I don't see the value in that other than seeking out, you know, what, what you're going to look for monetarily. I don't blame somebody hunting for money. I don't blame them one bit. But there is something to be said about if you're playing for money, just like we hold pro athletes accountable, like, and there's a line here to straddle. But then you have to do something on your end to earn that money.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[John Fanta]

And I hope, I hope that we can reach a middle ground. Do I think the sport is dying? No, it's not that, that take, those takes that were flying around last week, it was the most watched first weekend of the tournament since 1993. This final four could produce. What if it produces, you know, two out of three incredible games?

[Big Cat]

Right.

[John Fanta]

I think there's got to be Some regulation. I'm, I don't think that there's, you know, an easy path, but I do think there's a path that we'll get to it. I just think we're in a very fluid state right now. And I think in my heart of hearts that in 2026, when we do see Cinderella rev up with two or three candidates in the second weekend, we're going to say, you know what, the numbers don't lie. Like again, the bounce of the ball could have led to Florida losing on Saturday night easily.

[PFT Commenter]

Right.

[John Fanta]

Janai Broom gets hurt and Michigan State wins. You know, it's, he never comes back and they unravel. You never know what can happen in a 40 minute basketball game. I think we'll get to a point in this whole realm of chaos where we see some more balance and some high competition. I just think this is a generational year and I don't think that's merely because of how much a team paid players. Right. It comes down to more than that.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. And when you look at the last, you know, last season, the year before it was UConn just steamrolling people. Right, Right. So it's not like what we have now is unique and it's different and it's great because we have four great teams. We don't have one great team. I'm just waiting for that next great round to kick in. I don't think that the final Four is going to disappoint us. And also, yeah, you're right, the numbers bear it out in the, in the ratings. People are watching it. Even though a lot of these games are blowouts and not that great at the end, people are still watching. I think the final Four is going to be great. There's one team just got done playing Auburn that I do have a question. You're plugged in as anybody, Johnny. So I'm curious what you've heard about Janai Broom. He came back in, he said he was okay and then he proceeded to get some rebounds with one arm he didn't look like, I mean, he was playing with one arm out there at the end of the game, have you heard anything about him, what the status is?

[John Fanta]

Yeah, well, what we've heard from post game on and everything that he's done is that down in the jungle Bruce Pearl's got some of that magic potion and it's somewhere in the trees and wherever that potion is that it's gonna find, you know, I don't know if it's a needle or a glass or something. And Janai Broom is going to have some of that and you're going to see Janai Broom ball out in San Antonio. Yeah, this is a situation where you'd have to amputate the leg and or the arm for him to not be on the basketball floor. And even then I think we would see him. I believe that this kid is not. Will he be at 100%? I don't know. But who is at this stage? The calendar is about to turn to April. I think we're going to see Janiyah Broom. I have no doubts if he can't. If they with control of the game well in hand of Michigan State, they would have won the game. Without Broom in the last eight minutes, they would have ended up still winning the game. I firmly believe that the fact that he went back in there and that the X rays were negative and now you got a close to a week to get ready for this Saturday night game. I think we're going to see Broom. And by the way, you just summed it up PFT very well. The last two Final Fours, UConn won 12 games by 260 points. Gotta be honest with you guys and I, I covered it closely by the end of last year. I appreciate and hail UConn's dominance and greatness and what Dan Hurley's built and couldn't agree with your takes on Hurley Moore. Fact is people love to hate. I think it's great for the sport and Gas is all talking about him and he's unapologetically himself. But by the end of last year it was like, all right, are we going to get some fresh blood in here? Like this is a little bit like they're just dominating every game. When are we going to get a great game?

[Big Cat]

Right?

[John Fanta]

What happens if we have an all time national title game? It's going to keep us ready for next March.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, that's facts. That's facts. All right. So the other thing I wanted to talk about was Kevin Willard officially to Nova, probably the messiest exit I can remember, you know, in the recent memory for a coach. How, how, when was this done? It feels like this has been done for a couple weeks and it was weird that he was coaching his team. And also how do you think Kevin Willard's going to do it, Nova, especially with just all these weird vibes and you know how he's going to do in the transfer portal being the new head coach at Villanova?

[John Fanta]

Well, for starters, here, here's what Villanova has regardless of who their coach is an unlimited amount of money that they can spend on their roster. I mean, we're talking, you know, $8 million, if not more. They're going to be able to dish it out to their players. It's. Money's not an object of Villanova. It's not. And when you've done what they have done the last decade, albeit Jay Wright defined a lot of that. No question about Jay Wright is Villanova in every way. But I think a good college basketball coach who, however you look at that, whoever that is, is going to be able to get Villanova to the NCAA tournament. Making Sweet sixteens, and then it depends on the team that you've got from there, depending on what happens. As for Willard, I think things starting to sour at Maryland long before even this season. No, I think he got through his first year and really wasn't all that comfortable. Guys, this guy lived in Jersey for 12 years and lived in the metropolitan area for more than that, being at Iona and then Seton Hall. So he was at a place for 12 years, frankly. And I, I went to Seton hall, so I was a student when, when Kevin was coaching. So I go way back with him. And you know what? He's another guy who, whether, whether you guys, whether any of us like it or not, whether, and I talk with Scott Van Pelt all week about this, throughout the past week, he's not going to pull any punches. He laid out there, this is my opinion, he laid out there. The things that he felt were bad about, about Maryland. In essence, Maryland puts football ahead of basketball. I mean, that's what this comes down to is Maryland has a plan to keep their football program, you know, on the ascent to potentially get into a, to potentially, you know, keep creating value for their brand. If we get to more and more of a super conference model in college sports, particularly college football. Well, I think that bugged him and I have it on, you know, fairly good authority here that Maryland top tier people and their coaches weren't always communicating that we're communicating rarely. So you could look at it two ways, guys. One, Willard was ripping on things to see them get fixed. I tend to look at it as, and I, I, I'm not saying I don't think I think this should have been handled differently. Yeah, I tend to think of it as he was being critical of all these things to clear a Runway for getting out now that, that strategy because they made the sweet 16, you know, let's face it, who'd they beat to get to the Sweet 16? Grand Canyon, a down Grand Canyon team at Colorado State, who, let's face it, Derek Queen and Maryland are more talented, and they, they should have lost the game. Credit to them. They found a way to win. Queen made an epic shot, but they were down 10. They were down 20 to 10 on the gates. They looked disengaged. I don't even, I don't think anybody necessarily planned on them with all that was happening behind the scenes to be there when they started that tournament, because the amount of distraction we might have had in our bracket, it. But I, I, you got the sense that it wasn't in the cards.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[John Fanta]

So it's a rough situation. But I am going to say this, guys, Maryland is going to get another coach. Whether it's Buzz Williams, I would call Chris Beard.

[Big Cat]

What about Nate Oates? What about Nate Oats?

[John Fanta]

Well, they could call Nate Oats, but if I'm Nate Oats, I'm very happy at Alabama.

[Big Cat]

Okay. Okay.

[John Fanta]

That's, that's my opinion. Maryland's going to be fine. I think what you've got here is a guy who spent a long time in the metro area kind of look, he's not for everybody. I mean, obviously the Internet community is not happy. But Kevin, Kevin is Kevin.

[Big Cat]

That is that, by the way, what you just said, that means he's an asshole. If you ever have to say someone. Someone and just say their name, that means he's an asshole. That's fine. I'll say. You don't have to say it. But saying like, Kevin's Kevin.

[PFT Commenter]

He's an like, when you say Manny being Manny, when he tries to flush down, like, hand towels into the toilet.

[Big Cat]

To say about someone, you're just like, well, yeah, no, he's him.

[PFT Commenter]

Counterpoint, we do say that's just Bobby Hurley being Bobby Hurley or Danny, Bobby Hurley is the name that I would look at.

[John Fanta]

Yeah, I didn't say that. I did not. I did. I didn't say that.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, but we also say Danny Hurley's an.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

So. But that's fine. Checks out. So it's okay. We'll, we'll just, we just editorialize there a little bit. Kevin is Kevin. That's what you said. We just said he's an asshole.

[John Fanta]

Kevin is going to speak what he thinks. And clearly some people at Maryland pissed him off to the point that he said, I'm done with this. My family liked being in the Northeast more anyways, and I'm going to take the Villanova job because when I was in the Big east, the biggest rival to Jay Wright, when Kevin was at Seton Hall. Was Kevin. Seton hall handed Villanova their last loss in 2016 before Villanova went on to win the national championship game. Remember the Powell from Trend clip? When Miles Powell hits that three and Gus Johnson goes, whoa. That was. That was against Villanova. That was Willard versus Wright. So I think it's a respect factor there. I think it's the Big east history that they have. I think that, you know, like a Mick Cronin, like a. Like a Hurley, who sometimes says it, like a patino. Who. Cronin and Willard come from the patino tree. These guys are going to say what they think whether. Whether you want to believe it or not, and that. That's what this process was. I will tell you, you know, personal story here. Kevin was at my wedding.

[Big Cat]

Oh, wow. Whoops. Well, we said it. You didn't.

[John Fanta]

Yeah, there you go.

[Big Cat]

You know, I mean, look, Max loves this. Max is. Is. Is.

[Max]

I'm not saying he's an asshole. I'm certainly not saying he's an asshole.

[Big Cat]

He's an.

[Max]

He's going to bring Villanova back to where we need to be.

[PFT Commenter]

Was he complaining about the facilities?

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

What was he doing?

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Was he like, man, I wish I was at a better wedding right now?

[John Fanta]

No, we serve good wine and we serve good alcohol. It was in. It was. It was in Clifton, New Jersey. It was a Jersey wedding where the cocktail hour is endless. I know for a fact that, you know, he enjoyed cocktail hour, and. And now he's the coach of Villanova. But, like, Max, I don't know how you feel, but. But this is my thing, too. Like, I think Maryland fans are awesome. I think Maryland has awesome potential. But, like, I don't know Maryland, like, clearly there was a falling out between the powers that be in your coach. And maybe there's something to look at there from the powers that be. Like, right now you got an interim ad. Okay. You're kind of in a state of. That goes beyond just the basketball program. Like, get. Know who you want to be.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. No.

[John Fanta]

Yeah, you know who you want to be. I'm not getting in a swimsuit model edition. You want to be. Okay, if I'm looking at a. At a Chick Fil. A and A. Just salad, you know where I'm going. Come on. This isn't hard. Yeah, well, it's just, like, a lot of these schools have this dilemma of, like, well, we want to be great at football, but you're never gonna be Georgia.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[John Fanta]

Bama or Ohio State.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[John Fanta]

The sooner that some people Figure that out and think. Let's figure it out, guys. If Maryland football has their best year and Maryland basketball has their best year, which one's going to produce national buzz, Right?

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, you're right.

[John Fanta]

So I. I'm sorry. I think Max is with me.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, no, he.

[John Fanta]

I think Max is with me. I'm not throwing a pity party. Maryland, you'll be fine. Kevin did this for him and what his family believes is the best. And he has tied to the Big East. And so he went. He went down there.

[Big Cat]

I just think it sucked for the fans and the players because it was like, that should have been an all time, you know, like, hey, they haven't been. They haven't been in sweet 16 in 10 years. Should have been a very fun run. And getting his second weekend means something in the NCAA tournament. I know it ended poorly, but it was just taken away because Kevin Willard was giving weird press conferences and acting shady. And he could have. He could have been more direct. He could have said to Will Wade like, hey, I'm the Nova coach and that's just a fact. And I'm going to coach these guys hard as I can, but I'll be coaching Villanova in a week.

[John Fanta]

Right. But I would. I would counter and say I like this debate. Who's the reason why Maryland was in their first sweet 16 since 2016?

[Big Cat]

Derrick Queen.

[John Fanta]

And who recruited him?

[Big Cat]

Probably some guy on Kevin Willard's staff. We're being honest.

[PFT Commenter]

Big paper bag.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, we're being honest. Probably not Kevin Willard himself. Yeah, no. I just thought he could have handled it better. But it is what it is. Guys are going to take jobs like that. Do you like my idea, John, that if a coach leaves in bad form like this, they should mandatory have to play at their old school until they beat them. So Kevin Willard should have to go play in a way game at Maryland every single year until he beats Maryland.

[John Fanta]

All for it.

[Big Cat]

Okay, good.

[John Fanta]

All for it. Uniform. I'm all for that rule. The more juice in the regular season, the better. Why not? Let's do it.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. And also make guys think twice. They're like, oh, shit, now I got to go. Like, if I'm leaving one place, I got to go play this. These guys every single time. And the Ed Cooley going back to Providence was great. And we. I just want that more. I want it to be just, hey, this is. You could. You could get it all. You do a whole week where it's like, here's where all the guys. You know, Darren Devries going back to West Virginia and all these guys have to go play in front of a hostile crowd for a week in November.

[John Fanta]

Yeah. Or like, I mean, then. Then you could go right down the line of, like, Will Wade has to go play at McNee.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, right, right.

[John Fanta]

Like, you could just do. You could go way down the. The deep end of different coaching scenarios and people that have leveled up to certain. You know, Ben McCollum has to go play at Drake.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[John Fanta]

They're waiting for him. I mean, Todd golden has to fly across the country and play a game at San Francisco. Like, who knows? I. Yeah, I'm with you.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Or you do like a. A protected expansion draft where the school that you go to, you get to protect, like, three or four guys in the roster, and then the other school gets to take one of those guys, be like, sorry, you got to go play at Maryland right now.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[John Fanta]

See, this is why you. You know, this is adding an extra dimension. I mean, we should have never gotten rid of bracket busters.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, yeah.

[John Fanta]

Or some version of. Of Coach Killers.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[John Fanta]

Coach busters or whatever you want to do. Like, let's. Let's make it happen in college basketball. I will if that. If we can make that happen. I'll come to the room and watch all the games with you guys on a given day, I'll watch 12 hours of hoops and we'll just. We'll just do it.

[PFT Commenter]

At the bare minimum, the outgoing coach should have to play, like, two full days of pickup basketball at the university rec center.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

The one that he's leaving.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

So Kevin Willard should have to show up.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Five on five. You know, get out there for like an hour and a half, two hours, full court run, call your own fouls and just let the student body take it out on him.

[John Fanta]

Hey.

[Big Cat]

Or she just get his ass beat once.

[John Fanta]

3 on 3. Seton hall intramural champion right here.

[PFT Commenter]

Let's go.

[Big Cat]

Oh, wow. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Hardware.

[Big Cat]

Hell yes.

[John Fanta]

Inside out basketball. Stay composed. Stay in the half court. Stay under control. Don't screw it up. Know your role that screens set. Like, don't, don't. Don't set a passive screen.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, get in there.

[PFT Commenter]

Get in there.

[Big Cat]

I'm happy you've taken a jumper. Rico will not be mad at you.

[John Fanta]

About that driving kick action slip.

[Big Cat]

By the way, John, I had a. Another question. Are we bringing back officially? Child, please. Because you did do that last week. Hadn't heard it in a very long time. What? Where did that. Where did that come from? Where? In the recesses of your brain. You're like, now I'm gonna bring back Hard Knocks. Ocho Cinco, child, please, I promise you.

[John Fanta]

And this is why I think that we've gotten along now over the past couple of years. None of this is staged or like, I don't write. I have no notes in front of me. So we're just like. I, I just, I have brought it out. I brought it out when Tony on the boat, on the spaces earlier this year, wanted to talk about Bryant being in the Big east and then started a hashtag with the pcbc, that is the Providence fan base hashtag, the interview. And you know, they, they wanted this guy called in and said, I think Brian's auditioning for the Big East. So I, I said, tony, child, please, child, please. That is not happening. I. I like the phrase. I didn't think in that rant that.

[Big Cat]

It would come out, but it just popped out.

[John Fanta]

It just. This, this brain doesn't know where it's going half the time. Do you know how much this brain has had to watch? That's just like every Sunday for me from September to December for the better part in the last 29 years has been one big.

[Big Cat]

Child, please, child, please.

[John Fanta]

I am praying to God that I find a quarterback.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[John Fanta]

Praying to God after this, after this tournament that I could tell you right now, the draft night reaction on night one. Get ready. I'm. I don't know. I don't know. I think it's going to be Abdul Carter, which is fine. Kirk Cousins was seen in the west side of Cleveland, Chipotle, this past week.

[PFT Commenter]

I was going to ask you about that. That's two, Two intersecting topics of interest for your old John Fanta, Chipotle, Kirk Cousins. What do you think about that?

[John Fanta]

Yeah, that's fascinating. It makes you wonder what his order was. I think Kirk is genuine. Like Cousins, to me is. Is another guy who's like, probably, you know, really, really intense. Like, he definitely is really, really intense and just always here, you know, that's what produced that Washington. You like that in the hallway. I would be good with that. I mean, at the end of the day, Stefanski, what did he do with Joe Flacco? Right back half of the season, the people were saying that Kirk's arm is dead and he's washed up and he's done well. Frank, let me. Let me be completely honest with you. What I watched last season was the epitome of washed up to the tune of $230 million. So I trust my coach. How about Miles Garrett on one side? Abdul Carter, on the other.

[Big Cat]

That's nice.

[John Fanta]

And let's play some AFC north football against the last play schedule. Get the dog pound going and let's. Let's get some drives going right now. And Jerry Judy finds some separation. 10 5. Touchdown cousins to Judy.

[Big Cat]

I like that. I love it.

[PFT Commenter]

I mean, you're making me buy in. I also want to give you the opportunity to address Hank, because Hank, obviously big Celtics fan. He's been very disrespectful to your Cavaliers. He doesn't think about him at all. He doesn't know a single guy on the roster. He's not worried about the Cavaliers, not afraid of you guys at all. So convince Hank. Tell him to get in line.

[John Fanta]

Hey, Hank. The hell's wrong with you? Like what? What the hell is wrong with you, Hank? Get the hell in line right now. You're not welcome to Cleveland, Ohio, just like Joe Kip Noah. So don't even think about coming in our city. I'm going to tell you right now, Donovan Mitchell is on a mission. Darius Garland has taken that next step. Evan Mobley is a defensive specimen who's evolved offensively as well. Deandre Hunter was the right addition for this basketball team. Jared Allen is Mr. Leader. Ty Jerome's supplying some complimentary shot making. The Cleveland Cavs can make a run at this thing. And I'm telling you right now, if there's an Eastern Conference finals, I will have my wine and gold ready to go and ready to talk. I'm ready. I might fly to damn Chicago, wherever this show is and talk to Hank himself in person after meeting with HR about Rico. But then I will talk to Hank. I will talk to Hank and we will have a candid conversation about why the wine and gold. The Cleveland Cavaliers, that this could be their time. How dare you not know a single player on the team. Players on your team.

[Big Cat]

If you got. If there's like a seven game series, you get this. Game seven. You have to come out and stream with Hank. That would be electric.

[John Fanta]

Got a baby doing May, but you got a deal.

[Big Cat]

Okay. All right. All right, all right. Yeah. No, Hank. Hank just is not bothered by the Cavs at all. He doesn't think that you guys have any chance.

[John Fanta]

Listen, he's got the ring.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[John Fanta]

Hey, you.

[Hank]

If you're healthy, we're not losing.

[Big Cat]

That's.

[Hank]

It's really. It's just health. It's like the Cavs are a good team, good season, sure.

[Big Cat]

But he just patted you on the head, John.

[John Fanta]

Yeah, see, I don't like that. That. That to me, that's what I got told a lot of times when trying out for sports teams growing up. Hank, I don't like you tried really hard. Not an answer that I want to hear. Like that's the, that's the. When you got called in, right? When you got. When you got called in, when you were trying out for like a. I don't know, you know, a sports team, a role. You're looking for the student council spot. And they call you in and they. And they start by saying, listen, I want to commend you. You know, I want to. You really. You know what's about to happen.

[Big Cat]

Yep.

[John Fanta]

Hank just gave me the nice pat on the head. Head up to bed because I'm staying up all night. Because we want a championship and we're going to win another this year.

[Hank]

We are.

[Big Cat]

He did that to you. He just did that to you. It's tough. Hey, John, let's talk about the crown. Who's going to win the crown? Also, Kevin Willard should have to coach in the crown.

[John Fanta]

It's going to be Mike Nardi coaching in the crown for Villanova.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[John Fanta]

And the Wildcats, they got a shot in this thing. They're facing. Colorado, is a young team. They can get by. I think Villanova, USC on the right side of the bracket would be fascinating. Must bus has his team ready to go. I think. I think USC on the right side, they're going to come out of this right side of the bracket. I just like the way that they're playing. Desmond Claude is an all out stud who transferred in from Xavier and I think next year you're going to see him parlay this into an even bigger season. But the crown should be fascinating. Here, here's what you should love about the crown. All right? You got quadruple headers on Monday and Tuesday. So you're having basketball withdrawal. You just got through a bunch of the madness, but you want more of it. You need more of it. You want more daytime hoops. The crown's going to give that to you. And you know you're going to get some absurd results. Expect the unexpected seeds. We don't need them. Show up and hoop. Boise State 24 and 10. Tyson Degenhardt, stud kid eats nails for breakfast. Get ready to learn his name. Leon Rice has done a heck of a job with the Boise State Broncos. They go up against the George Washington Revolutionaries. I don't think the country knows how hard that team plays. Fascinating matchup. Butler, they got Jamil Telford and Pierre Brooks. They can make a run in this thing with Coach Mata, we get Fred Hoiberg versus Bobby Hurley in the opening round of this thing. And if you know anything about Bobby Hurley, it's that he's not going to Vegas to show up and get embarrassed. But he's got to go through Bryce Williams, juwan Gary & Co. Georgetown. Are the Hoyas taking the next step under Ed Cooley? Because year three is going to be critical for you in the crown. Year two, if you're a first year head coach at a program, you know, like an Eric Musselman at USC, like a Chris Hultman at DePaul or if you're in year two like a coolie at Georgetown or if you're just trying to bounce back heading into next season. The 2025, 26 college hoop season for those in the crown starts right now.

[Big Cat]

Love that. Love that.

[PFT Commenter]

Can't wait.

[Big Cat]

I love that it is.

[PFT Commenter]

So the games do start at, at what, 9, 9:00am Eastern?

[Big Cat]

No, no, 2:00. Right, 2:00.

[PFT Commenter]

I'm seeing 12:00pm 12:00pm Pacific local time.

[John Fanta]

PM local time in Vegas. Like an NCAA tournament setup. Three Eastern time Monday and Tuesday on FS1 you got quarterfinals Wednesday and Thursday everybody gets off on Friday and then Saturday. You know what's fun guys and in the world that you guys are in to be watching hours of games and, and I know you know play placing your, your friendly wager on, on a ball game you get to wake up and you don't have to wait for the two final four games because the crown semis are Saturday at 1:30 and 4 Eastern Time and the championship game. So the, so the semis are before the final Four. They serve as a lead in and the championship game is Sunday after the women's championship game in its own window Sunday evening at 5:30. So that going to be fun. And by the end of the week you know what? Somebody in Vegas is going to win the inaugural crown. I think we're in for buzzer beaters. I think we're in for some heroes. I think we're in for it could make up for some of the tepidness of the early NCAA tournament with some what the heck is happening in this game? I think we're going to get some of that. I think you're going to get some fun stories. And you know what? College hoops could use a little bit of a different something different in his postseason format and this event is going to try and deliver it.

[Big Cat]

You know what you should do if you could talk to the people who Start the crown if they had it. So that the winning team of the crown gets to pick five players that play in the crown tournament to be on their team next year. So they like you're playing for players. That would be sick. That would be awesome.

[John Fanta]

Well, there's up to 500K. This is the first edition in prize money online. So these kids are going to be fighting for money to get a cut, you know, of a grand prize. And I don't. Look, I think that there's an openness to all kinds of ideas. How about if you win the crown, you get to pick any opponent in the country to host next year. You know, going along the lines of, of, of what we were talking about with the coaches who left. Like you should get a, you should get a briefcase, money in the bank style that you get to cash in next year against anybody to secure an NCAA tournament.

[Big Cat]

That.

[John Fanta]

Yeah, for ideas, man. Like let, let's have fun. This is, it's more basketball. And I don't know about you guys. I'm going to be watching it.

[Big Cat]

Oh, here's an idea. If you win the crown, you get Kevin Willard's agent and he'll find you a more higher paying job. While you currently have a job. That's pretty good, right? That's pretty good at your wedding, right?

[John Fanta]

You get an extra wedding. That's right.

[PFT Commenter]

I got, I got a question for you about the coaches that are remaining in the NCAA tournament. We got four great coaches, right? Can you power rank them?

[John Fanta]

Oh, that's a good question. Wow, good question. Because you have the mix of veterans and the, and the younger guys. You have two guys that are under the age of 40 in John Shire and Todd Golden. You've got Kelvin Sampson and you've got Bruce Pearl. I would say today Pearl would be number one because he's won everywhere he's gone. Now he hasn't won that national title, but do you remember what Auburn was before he got there? And by the same token, do you remember what, what Kelvin Sampson has done is one of the more absurd things I think that we've ever seen. Okay, so listen to this stat. From 1985 to 2013, that's 41 seasons of basketball. Houston went.04 in the NCAA tournament. They made four appearances. They didn't win a single game. Single game in 11 years under Kelvin Sampson. Since 2014, Houston is 18 and 6 in the NCAA tournament. Their 15 wins in the last five are the most in college basketball. Three Elite Eights, two Final Fours, six Sweet Sixteens. In his tenure he's made Houston a destination. When were you ever thinking about Houston basketball? Even eight years ago. Seven. Eight years ago. The answer is no. This has been a decade of excellence. He said everything that, like, a Jay Wright had on a run at Villanova, with the exception of what, winning it all. So they have to be 1, 2. Shire for me is. Is 3 with a shot to be 1 by the end of the week. I think he's a stud, big cat. I don't know if you want to hear this or not, but I think he's going to be Mike Shashevsky 2.0 in terms of the length.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. No, he's going to coach there forever.

[John Fanta]

And he's going to win 30 years. Yeah, that's. That's what he's. He's just a relentless competitor. He's got the boozers coming in next year. It's an embarrassment of riches. And then Todd Golden, I feel terrible putting him forth, but I'm only putting him forth because of. Of just the fact that, like, I think that that was a magical comeback behind Walter Clayton. He's embraced the hell out of analytics. Him and Jonathan Sapphire have done an amazing job, but he would be. He would round it out at four.

[Big Cat]

Okay, It's a great four.

[John Fanta]

It's a great four. It's a unique four.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, it is. All right, I got one last question for you, John. Thank you for doing this. Is always fun to have you on. It's a rollback question. R, H, O, B, A, C, K promo code. Take 20% off your first purchase. Q, zips, polos, hoodies, joggers, shorts. Roback.com promo code, take. My last question is San Antonio. What's our plan? To not get chipped to death. Because that's the last time the. The final four was in San Antonio. I ate so many tortilla chips, I was so. I felt so sick the entire time. Is there a plan?

[John Fanta]

Well, first and foremost, the amount of tortilla chips you ate, like, we've all been there. So you have to take a step back and probably mix. Mix it up. I'm gonna say you need to eat a balanced breakfast to start the day. Okay, I'm guilty. I'm not a breakfast guy. Yeah, probably why the subject matter says what it says.

[Big Cat]

I've.

[John Fanta]

I've gone. I'm more lenient towards, like, the fajitas. And just for me, it's not just the salsa. Where I get in trouble. Fellas on the road of Mexican restaurants is when the queso fundido comes out. Because that's a one seed in my book.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, it is.

[John Fanta]

It is a special, special type of appetizer at a Mexican restaurant.

[Big Cat]

And that just hits more chips. Because I go, salsa chips. And then they bring out, like, a guac or queso, and I'm like, oh, let me just recip it.

[John Fanta]

No. You know when you're watching, like, a college football game and they're just rushing. They're. They're just rushing down the field.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[John Fanta]

When we're halfway through the first batch of tortilla chips in San Antonio, this is me on the sidelines calling the next play.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, yeah. Like, run it, run it. Come on, let's go. Get it out here. Yeah. Patrick Mahomes. I'm doing this to the waiter.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

So give me a chips.

[PFT Commenter]

I. I lived in Austin for about 10 years.

[Big Cat]

I.

[PFT Commenter]

My game plan was similar. Here's how you don't get chipped to death is the first time the waiter comes out, you order the apps and the entrees at the same time. And you get. You get the entrees out there asap app. Because otherwise you're going to be eating chips before the entrees come out. Your ball's deep in salsa, and you haven't even seen a thing of guacamole yet. Then they bring the guacamole out. Now you're eating chips on that, and then you put in your order, and it takes another 10 minutes, and then the enchiladas come out, and by that time, you want to tap out. You want to put the order of the enchis in right when they come over the first time to get the drink order and get the appetizer order. Otherwise, you're done.

[John Fanta]

But then you better go into the restaurant sober enough to remember that whole plan.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, yeah, that's true.

[John Fanta]

That's because San Antonio, the Riverwalk, is a land of margaritas.

[PFT Commenter]

Yep.

[John Fanta]

I mean, you could just. You could just be taking a slight left turn, and you land inside of a bar, and you've got the music vibing, and you see the house mark. And by the way, if they ask you salted or unsalted next weekend. Come on, now. Yeah, like, come on.

[Big Cat]

That's not even a question.

[John Fanta]

It's. It's assaulted. And it's not even. We're not even thinking about it twice. Pft. I like your strategy. I can't say I'm always going to be practicing it because I can't get enough of some San Antonio tortilla chips. And we haven't been Back there for a final four since 2018. So let's ride big cat. I don't care how many chips we have, it's the final four. It's four one seeds and if we end up doing some damage in the riverwalk, it is what it is.

[Big Cat]

Yes. Love it. Well, John, thank you so much. Can't wait to see you there. I think we're doing two live shows and I think you're going to come stop by for one of them. You'll see bosco the best and let's get ready for a great final four.

[John Fanta]

You guys are the best. Thanks for having me. Enjoy the madness. Let's ride.

[PFT Commenter]

John Fanta was brought to you by our great friends over at taxact. Can you believe we're at the end of March and your taxes are due on April 15th? Hank, do you have any tips?

[Hank]

Yeah. It's crunch time. If you've waited this long, you've made a mistake. But thankfully the good friends over a tax act have the perfect tools to help you get your taxes done on time.

[PFT Commenter]

That's right. What's. What's that website, hank?taxact.com. it's 100 credentialed, 100 US based. They know the ins and the outs of the tax laws. You can get the answers that you need starting at 20 bucks. If you need a little help or a lot, they can answer all types of tax related questions. It's crunch time. You want to get it right. Tax act makes it easy so you can get them over with and be done for the season. Tax Act Fact.com John Fanta was also brought to you by Reese's. Reese's peanut butter cups are the perfect combo of chocolate and peanut butter. You can buy Reese's cups basically anywhere. Feed your fandom. Reese's cups are the perfect complement to the chaos of March. A drool worthy combination of chocolate and peanut butter to go wild for. Okay, so I kept track of my Reese's over the last two days. So four college basketball games. You know how many packs are of four packs of Reese's?

[Big Cat]

I had how many?

[PFT Commenter]

12.

[John Fanta]

Wow.

[PFT Commenter]

I had 12.

[Big Cat]

Love that. Did love that for you.

[PFT Commenter]

Did some damage out there boys. It was a lot of Reese's. It was awesome. I love Reese's chocolate peanut butter. It's mouthwatering. Chocolate and peanut butter Reese's cups are a winning part of the game day experience. Eat Reese's peanut butter cups. Feed your fandom.

[Max]

Wait, so you had 12 cups or 48 cups?

[PFT Commenter]

I had a total of 48, 48 cups.

[Big Cat]

Love that.

[Max]

That's awesome.

[PFT Commenter]

Some. Some of them. Some of them were from, like, handouts.

[Max]

Yep.

[PFT Commenter]

Like, you take one or you take two. Had 48 Reese's Cups.

[Big Cat]

Love that. Love that. Okay, let's wrap up. We got Monday reading. Can you pull it up, Max? Can you zoom?

[Max]

I can't zoom.

[Big Cat]

You said that in such a sad way.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, very sad.

[Big Cat]

All right, so this is. Let me just say before we get into this, we don't. We don't condone crimes.

[PFT Commenter]

It depends on. Because one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.

[Big Cat]

Right. Okay. We don't. We don't condone, like, crime. We don't. We don't think crimes are funny.

[PFT Commenter]

We don't condone bad crimes.

[John Fanta]

Right.

[PFT Commenter]

Against good people.

[Big Cat]

But there are parts of rooting for sports where every sports fans knows this. You're like, oh, well, the player I root for did something bad. What do I do? Well, a person on the Maryland message boards has broken it down in a very scientific way. And I thought it'd be a good Monday reading because he. He's kind of saying the quiet part out loud. Again, we don't condone this, but it is also a good Monday reading. So here it is. Head coach crime rankings. Important, long. Good afternoon, all. Since we are actively discussing coaching candidates, I thought it was important to publish the official crime forgiveness graph. In discussing our new coaching candidates, it's important to remember that these people represent the University of Maryland and there are off the court factors with these candidates. For as sports fans, it's part of the job to ignore. I like this part. It's. It's. As sports fans, it's part of the job to ignore or downplay what happens off the field.

[PFT Commenter]

Yep.

[Big Cat]

That is a sports fan.

[PFT Commenter]

It is a big part of. Of rooting for a team.

[Big Cat]

For sure, we've rooted for murderers, rapists, wife beaters, drunks, and criminals. But the true determining factor of who we root for is largely based on their ability relative to the severity of their crimes. This is really like. He's basically just made a graph of how every NFL team operates in terms of whether they should cut someone or not.

[PFT Commenter]

It's. Are you still good?

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

So, Justin Tucker, your job is probably in jeopardy.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. So here, here's. Here's the example he uses because it's a Maryland blog. So you use Ravens example. For example, Terrell Suggs assaulted his girlfriend in Port Bleach on her in 2009. However, he had just finished his fourth Pro bowl season and was a Major component of an outstanding Ravens defense. What did we do as fans? We cheered on our guy T sizzle ball so hard University. Conversely, Ray Rice assaulted his wife on camera after averaging just 3.1 yards per carry in 2013. This was a vicious assault. We no longer wanted to see him on the field. It's basically just mocking how all dumb fans think. And this is the truth.

[PFT Commenter]

Well, also, depending on how good he is, fans develop like, more of an understanding of the law.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[PFT Commenter]

So if he's a superstar, you get balls deep in all the penal codes and you. You become his lawyer and you figure out why on a technicality, this actually is. Isn't bad.

[Big Cat]

Right. And also.

[PFT Commenter]

And if he sucks, you're. You don't look into it all. You're just like, guilty.

[Big Cat]

Right. And you. And also fans will. Will oftentimes really heavily rely on civil cases being dropped or criminal charges being dropped and then having it be in civil court and having it being settled.

[PFT Commenter]

Yes.

[Big Cat]

And she's like, well, never charged.

[PFT Commenter]

It's got settled.

[Big Cat]

Settled in civil court, never did anything wrong.

[PFT Commenter]

And there's probably an NDA.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

So that means that he's clear.

[Big Cat]

There's many.

[PFT Commenter]

No admission of guilt.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. No admission of guilt. So stop saying alleged. Okay. So he has created a graph to demonstrate how this works. And it has all these guys on a graph where their tournament ceiling and what they potentially have done. So, like, for instance, Dwayne Sim Simpkins has been eliminated from consideration for the Maryland job due to his non existent tournament ceiling and his parking tickets from the 1990s.

[PFT Commenter]

Can't have that.

[Big Cat]

Can't have parking.

[PFT Commenter]

We're looking for integrity with our program.

[Big Cat]

Tony Skin has been eliminated from consideration due to his low tournament ceiling. And the one time I saw him cross the street in Fairfax with no crosswalk present. So this is good. This is where the graph goes that parking tickets. If you suck as a coach and you have parking tickets, morally, you cannot not hire this guy. As you see in the graph, Kevin Willard should have been eliminated from consideration due to his 2004 DUI and his Sweet 16 tournament ceiling. So they probably should never have hired Kevin Willard.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, that's, in retrospect, bad choice. This is like when Lincoln Chafee ran for president and his scandal was that he used taxpayer funds to purchase frogs for his office.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

And everybody was like, we can't have that guy leading America.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So. So this is where things get interesting. Interesting. Buzz Williams is better than Kevin Willard and would be permitted to have his job after receiving at least one DUI due to his Elite 8 ceiling. So Buzz William has an Elite 8 ceiling. If he gets a DUI, then he can stay ahead of Kevin Willard. Todd Gold.

[PFT Commenter]

Mike Gundy has done that thousands of times.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

And he still has a job.

[Big Cat]

Todd golden is likely a likely alleged sexual predator with a final four ceiling. This is a borderline case as a ceiling. Maybe in fact be a chance champion. So they're going to find out. This is how they're finding out. Their next. If Todd golden can apply for the Maryland job.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. If he wins a championship, then he is allowed to stalk.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. And then finally this person wrote, NATO can kill my mother in front of me. And he could still have the job.

[PFT Commenter]

He might. For. For a McDonald's All American, you might.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. So. Too long. Didn't read. Do not make concessions on the moral failings of a coach who is not good enough to excuse their actions. He basically just said the whole thing that every. Every fan base is going through right now. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

The. The Florida investigation was like, tell us your record again this year.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Golden. Okay.

[Big Cat]

It's the sad part of sports, but it's funny that he put it on a graph. I've never seen it on a graph before.

[PFT Commenter]

It is a. It is a good graph and it does check out.

[Big Cat]

This is also where the state of Maryland fan base right now.

[PFT Commenter]

You gotta laugh sometimes. You just gotta laugh.

[Big Cat]

You gotta laugh through it. You gotta just be like, hey, you know what? We gotta find a way to get a coach. Who are they gonna hire?

[PFT Commenter]

I want Maryland to get a great coach. I want Maryland basketball. Basketball to be great.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

There. It's good for the sport.

[Big Cat]

What are you gonna say, Max? Nothing.

[Max]

I was just laughing. I was just reading and laughing.

[Big Cat]

Do you not. What do you think about your Coach having a 2004 DUI?

[Max]

I.

[Big Cat]

Sweet 16.

[Max]

These guys. Now, these guys are biased.

[PFT Commenter]

My question is, how drunk was he?

[Big Cat]

Yeah. And also, if he hadn't gone to the sweet in 16 this year, would he have been eliminated?

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. It was an elite 0.08.

[Max]

That was so long ago.

[Big Cat]

It wasn't that long ago.

[Max]

2004. It's over 20 years.

[PFT Commenter]

His DUI could legally drink right now.

[Big Cat]

Yes. That's fact.

[PFT Commenter]

That rocks.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. So Maryland's. This is the state of Maryland basketball right now. They're not in the best place. I stand with them, though.

[PFT Commenter]

I do too. I feel bad.

[Big Cat]

Everything sucks for them. So bad right now. Like, to have this and then to also, like, the transfer portal is just about to get kicked up into gear and, like, you can't have this out happen.

[PFT Commenter]

No.

[Big Cat]

Hank. Are you going to get your old dookie fandom back for a week? They're so good. Dude. So tall.

[Hank]

I have a Houston. I have a Houston future, so.

[Big Cat]

No, they are so tall. But also, Mark Sears was just so small.

[PFT Commenter]

How tall is LJ Crier?

[Big Cat]

I don't know. Let me look it up.

[PFT Commenter]

That's going to make a big difference.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Mark Sears was so, so.

[Hank]

I also don't think the final four games were gonna be that good, but.

[PFT Commenter]

Oh, way to on everyone, Hank.

[Big Cat]

Damn, Hank.

[Hank]

I'm sorry.

[Big Cat]

Why would. Why would you say that?

[PFT Commenter]

I don't think the master's gonna be that good, Hank.

[Big Cat]

Yep, agreed. NBA playoffs are gonna suck.

[Hank]

That would just mean that the Celtics are gonna roll. I'm fine with that.

[PFT Commenter]

It's gonna be Cavs, Rockets. You're gonna hate it.

[Hank]

That would suck.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. There you go. That's what's going to happen. Cavs, Rockets.

[Hank]

I don't think so.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[PFT Commenter]

All right. Cavs, Lakers, Lakers. And four.

[Big Cat]

Oh, man.

[PFT Commenter]

What if this is the year. What if this is the year that we get. We get Duke, National Championship, Lakers, Yankees, World Series, the bats, the Cowboys, Super Bowl.

[Big Cat]

While the Cowboys part.

[PFT Commenter]

That's not going to happen. It would be Chiefs.

[Big Cat]

Did you see there was a fake rumor that the Browns were going to trade for Dak Prescott?

[PFT Commenter]

I did.

[Big Cat]

Now it's very funny.

[PFT Commenter]

You know how I found out about the fake rumor?

[John Fanta]

How?

[PFT Commenter]

I walked into the office yesterday and Jerry asked me, have you heard the news about Dak? I said, what news? He going to be traded to the Browns. I said, where'd you hear that? He's like, Internet accounts. And I was like, the aggregators. He's like, yeah, but it's everywhere. Dak Prescott has an ironclad no trade clause.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

He's not going to be traded anywhere. He's not. You're stuck with him.

[Hank]

Dallas.

[Big Cat]

That. That was one of those rumors that you just. I saw it and I didn't even. I didn't even have to look to see if the account was fake. I was like, I know this is fake.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

There's no way they're going to do that.

[PFT Commenter]

It's too. What if they. What if they got. What do they call Dak? The black Kirk Cousins. What if they got the black Kirk Cousins and the white Dak Prescott on the same team?

[Big Cat]

That'd be sick. Okay. Good show, boys. Should we do numbers? 3, 4, 1 memes? Where were you on that?

[PFT Commenter]

I was fixing the camera. I'll go 44. 65.

[Big Cat]

Max, are you done bringing your dog in every day, guy? Billy?

[Max]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

If you hate him so much as a pitcher, why'd you name your dog after Max?

[Max]

My dog's name is Billy.

[PFT Commenter]

Nola, right?

[Max]

My dog's name is Billy.

[PFT Commenter]

Noah.

[John Fanta]

Noah.

[Max]

I. I don't hate you hate.

[Big Cat]

I like seeing your dog here. Your dog is very cute.

[Max]

She's cute. She's just scared.

[Big Cat]

Scared of what?

[Max]

Of Pug, I guess, right now.

[PFT Commenter]

Does she only not like dudes? She doesn't like all the dudes that I've seen.

[Max]

She doesn't like most people. She actually likes memes, though.

[Big Cat]

Pug.

[PFT Commenter]

That's weird.

[Big Cat]

Pug. Different breeds. Different breeds. Pug. Max, talk shit about Seton hall here without you around.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, it's not a surprise.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, Willard's gonna screw him over in three years. Love that. It's what he does.

[Max]

He.

[PFT Commenter]

He does well, and then he'll screw.

[Big Cat]

You over and leave. Okay, Say the numbers again. 3, 44, 1.

[PFT Commenter]

Did I say 65? I think I did. 65.

[Big Cat]

99. Put 15, 21, 69. Speaking of. Billy. Billy. 69. Love you guys.