Tiger’s Tarik Skubal, World Chess Number 1 Magnus Carlsen, Panthers Dominate Game 3, Plus Guys On Chicks

Summary

Podcast Summary: Pardon My Take – Episode: "Tiger’s Tarik Skubal, World Chess Number 1 Magnus Carlsen, Panthers Dominate Game 3, Plus Guys On Chicks"

Release Date: June 11, 2025

"Pardon My Take," hosted by Big Cat and PFT Commenter from Barstool Sports, delivers a dynamic blend of sports analysis, interviews with prominent athletes, and engaging listener interactions. In this episode, the hosts delve into notable performances in baseball and hockey, engage with world chess champion Magnus Carlsen, and address listener-submitted questions in the "Guys On Chicks" segment.

1. NHL Spotlight: Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers ([00:00]–[08:51])

The episode opens with Big Cat highlighting the Florida Panthers' dominant performance in Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers. He emphasizes the Panthers' historical significance by comparing their current playoff run to the legendary 1981 and 1983 New York Islanders dynasties.

• Big Cat ([04:50]): "He's out of control. Marshawn still, he started the scoring like he's, he's just scored in every single game."

PFT Commenter adds humor and strategic insights, discussing the Oilers' aggressive tactics, including five fights lost to the Panthers, and speculates on pivotal moments that could influence the series outcome.

• PFT Commenter ([04:26]): "Why didn't Skinner fight Bob? It would have changed everything."

The hosts analyze the psychological and tactical aspects of being down 3-0 in a series, debating whether it's more challenging than being down 3-1.

• Big Cat ([07:00]): "It's a must win. I would agree because you just, it will sound stupid, but Deb being down if the Panthers win... you have to win this."

2. NBA Finals Analysis: Pacers vs. Thunder ([08:51]–[19:44])

Transitioning to basketball, Big Cat and PFT Commenter discuss the upcoming Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. They critique recent administrative decisions, such as the Pacers renaming streets for their players, and debate the likelihood of the series extending to a Game 7.

• Big Cat ([09:25]): "They have game seven at home this year. Which Whitney. I gotta say I love Whitney so much."

The hosts express optimism about the Thunder's chances while acknowledging the Pacers' recent performance swings.

3. Hot Seat Chill Throne Segment ([24:14]–[37:25])

In this interactive segment, listeners submit their "chill throne" preferences—guests they admire or find intriguing. Topics range from Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds to discussions about sports team ownership and ethics.

• PFT Commenter ([26:53]): "He's gonna be commander, guaranteed."

The conversation evolves into a passionate discourse on sports management, suggesting reforms like mandatory team sales if owners fail to make playoffs within a set timeframe.

4. Exclusive Interview with Tarek Skubal, Cy Young Winner ([49:13]–[98:58])

Introduction ([49:13]–[49:19])

Big Cat introduces Tarek Skubal, Detroit Tigers' Cy Young Award-winning pitcher, praising his exceptional performance and sportsmanship.

• Big Cat ([49:13]): "Great interviewing with you. Awesome to see you."

Pitching Insights ([49:19]–[55:12])

Tarek discusses his recent complete game shutout, reflecting on the adrenaline rush and strategic decisions made under pressure.

• Tarek Skubal ([50:29]): "Winning cures everything. You just kind of go play baseball."

Team Dynamics and Personal Reflections ([55:12]–[82:10])

The conversation delves into team morale, handling losing streaks, and maintaining a positive clubhouse environment. Tarek emphasizes the importance of camaraderie and mental resilience.

• Tarek Skubal ([57:25]): "We just kind of keep that same vibe."

Contract Negotiations and Personal Anecdotes ([82:10]–[98:58])

Big Cat and PFT Commenter humorously negotiate Tarek's contract, blending playful banter with admiration for his pitching prowess. Tarek shares anecdotes about his interactions with teammates and his disciplined approach to the game.

• Tarek Skubal ([74:00]): "And I'm ready to go."

Notable Quotes:

• Big Cat ([51:05]): "It's a big moment, you know, and then we get the next out."
• Tarek Skubal ([52:10]): "So I need something to go to my arm side. So that way they're not just the ball just consistently coming into them."

5. Chess with Magnus Carlsen, World Number 1 ([100:30]–[157:57])

Introduction and Status as the GOAT ([100:30]–[101:00])

Big Cat welcomes Magnus Carlsen, lauding him as the greatest chess player of all time.

• Big Cat ([101:00]): "Magnus, am I allowed to say you're the greatest chess player of all time or can we."
• Magnus Carlsen ([101:00]): "I'm not sure I'm the right person to ask, really, but I don't mind."

Evolution of Chess and Competitive Edge ([101:00]–[115:21])

Magnus discusses the challenges of maintaining dominance in an era where computer-assisted analysis has leveled the playing field. He reflects on his journey to becoming world number one and the mental aspects of competitive chess.

• Magnus Carlsen ([103:56]): "Preparation has kind of become less important because everybody kind of agrees these days that the engines sort of know everything."

Handling Losses and Mental Resilience ([115:21]–[127:08])

Magnus opens up about the emotional impact of losses, contrasting them with the satisfaction of winning. He shares strategies for maintaining focus and composure during high-stakes games.

• Magnus Carlsen ([117:00]): "Winning is a band-aid that, you know, it doesn't matter if it's a bullet hole, you know, it cures everything."

Future of Chess and Innovations ([127:08]–[137:56])

The conversation shifts to the future of chess, including Magnus's interest in alternative formats like freestyle chess, which eliminates traditional openings to focus solely on middle-game strategies.

• Magnus Carlsen ([135:01]): "I love playing. And to me, the next tournament is the most important."

Notable Quotes:

• Magnus Carlsen ([110:32]): "I don't ignore those things and then it is just a good old fashioned meltdown."
• Big Cat ([117:27]): "You can lose a million dollars, but they can't take your soul. That's why you're the GOAT."

6. Guys On Chicks: Listener Questions ([142:07]–[157:57])

In the final segment, listeners submit personal dilemmas related to relationships and sports, seeking advice from the hosts.

• Hank ([142:36]–[145:55]): "I bought him new clubs for his birthday, assuming he would want to play golf with me. But he has an addiction..."
• Hank ([145:49]–[147:57]): "My boyfriend handled booking the flights for us, and I just logged on to Delta to confirm everything was put in correctly. I was shocked to discover he booked himself in business class and me in economy..."

Advice Given:

Big Cat and PFT Commenter offer humorous and practical solutions to the submitted problems, emphasizing communication and setting boundaries in relationships.

• Big Cat ([155:25]): "Here's what's not to do."
• PFT Commenter ([155:50]–[157:57]): "If he doesn't give you the seat, you break up with him."

7. Conclusion and Final Remarks ([157:57]–End)

The hosts wrap up the episode with light-hearted banter, reinforcing their camaraderie and commitment to providing entertaining sports commentary.

• Big Cat ([157:57]–[158:00]): "We got to melt layers off your jacket. Nah, that's another topic."

Overall Insights and Takeaways

• Dominance in Sports: Both Tarek Skubal and Magnus Carlsen exemplify sustained excellence in their respective fields, emphasizing dedication, strategic thinking, and mental fortitude.

• Adaptation and Strategy: The discussions highlight the importance of adapting strategies, whether in baseball pitching techniques or navigating high-pressure chess tournaments.

• Mental Health and Resilience: The hosts and guests underline the significance of maintaining mental resilience, handling losses gracefully, and fostering positive team dynamics.

• Listener Engagement: "Guys On Chicks" showcases the podcast's interactive nature, addressing real-life issues with a blend of humor and practical advice.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Big Cat ([04:50]): "He's insane."
• PFT Commenter ([07:25]): "This is fair, so perfectly."
• Tarek Skubal ([55:28]): "Winning cures everything."
• Magnus Carlsen ([101:00]): "I feel like I'm getting there, so."
• PFT Commenter ([155:50]): "If he doesn't give you the seat, you break up with him."
• Big Cat ([117:27]): "Winning is a band-aid that, you know, it doesn't matter if it's a bullet hole."

---

This episode of "Pardon My Take" masterfully blends in-depth sports analysis with engaging interviews and relatable listener interactions, offering a comprehensive look into the worlds of professional baseball, hockey, and chess.

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. Folks, it's the foreplay guys. Let's talk Truly Unruly. When you spend every day following the countless laws of golf like us, it's refreshing to get a little unruly. Whether that means using the old hand wedge to escape the bunker or just cracking open a hard seltzer that breaks all the rules, few things feel better. Truly Unruly is the first high alk seltzer that actually tastes good. It's hard hitting, but still light and refreshing, making it perfect for everything from the front nine to the clubhouse. Find it near you at trulyhardselter.com Locations. That's trulyhardselter.com Locations Hard Seltzer Beverage Co. Boston, MA Please drink responsibly on today's part. In my take we have a twofer for the people. We have two geniuses at their craft. Tarek Skubal Al Cy Young Winner Detroit Tigers in studio. Awesome interview with him. He's a great dude. And then we have Grandmaster Number one in the world, chess genius Magnus Carlsen.

[PFT Commenter]

The Goat.

[Big Cat]

The Goat. Great interview with him. We're going to talk some hockey. We have we're getting ready for Game 3 of the NBA Finals. We have some hot seat Chill throne and we finish up with listener submitted FA or sorry guys on Chicks. We did guys on chicks and it's all brought to you by our friends at DraftKings. The NBA Finals are finally here and this is your last shot to win some real cash before the season ends. The simplest way to get in on the action downloading the pick six app from DraftKings. It's crazy simple. Just pick more or less on the stats for two or more of your favorite players and boom, you're in the mix for big cash prizes. No gimmicks, no weird rules. Just ball. Nail your picks and you're heating up. Pick 6 brings upside with payouts up to 500 times ready to make your finals run. Pick 6 is live in a ton of states. Texas, Cali, Georgia, Missouri and lots more. And get this all new Pick 6 customers will instantly get 50 in bonus picks on just a five dollar entry. So don't miss your last shot to win some cash this NBA season. Download the DraftKings Pick Six app right now. Use code TAKE. That's code TAKE new customers play $5. Get 50 in bonus picks instantly ride the upside only on DraftKings. The crown is yours. Gambling problem call 1-800- gambler help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org in Connecticut. Must be 18 and over. Age and eligibility restrictions vary by jurisdiction. Pick Six none available everywhere, including New York and Ontario. VO prohibited one per new customer bonus awarded as non withdrawable. Pick six bonus picks that expire in 14 days limited time. Offer terms at pick6.draftkings.com promos okay, let's go. Welcome to part of my take presented by DraftKings. Don't miss your last shot to win some cash this NBA season. Download the DraftKings pick six app right now. Use code TAKE. That's code TAKE new customers play $5 get 50 in bonus picks instantly ride the upside. Only on DraftKings. Pick six the crown is yours. Today is Wednesday, June 11th, and the Florida Panthers are a major, major problem. After not only beating the Oilers on the ice in go in terms of goals, but beating the out of them in fights. This feels like the Oilers are on some dangerous, dangerous territory.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, I, I was happy that the Oilers in theory fought against the Panthers at the end of the game. That as a hockey expert, my plan whenever you're getting your ass kicked in a series and you want to shift it around, just get into a massive line brawl at the end of that game and just try to change the energy up somehow. I'm glad that theoretically they did that. But then they kind of all got their ass beat. They lost all five fights by the Panthers. Now, there was one move that they should have done that they did not do. Why didn't Skinner fight Bob?

[Big Cat]

Would have changed everything.

[PFT Commenter]

It would have changed everything. If you lose five fights but your goalie beats up their goalie, that's, that's a wash. Yeah, that's like, that's even as far as I'm concerned. But both goalies kind of chose to stay out of it at the end. But on the ice, there was nothing that the Oilers could do. Sam Bennett, Shift of the year. Oh, shift of the year for that one shift where he knocked the fuck out of McDavid, then scored a goal.

[Big Cat]

He's insane.

[PFT Commenter]

That might have, that might be the best shift I've ever seen.

[Big Cat]

He has, I think he has like 10, 10 plus playoff goals right now. He's, he's out of the, out of control Marshawn still, he started the scoring like he's, he's just scored in every single game. The, the Panthers too, they're in some pretty crazy territory. They teams in NHL history to have four plus goal victories against four different opponents in a single playoff run. It is the 1981 Islanders that was a dynasty. The 1983 Islanders dynasty. They won four in a row. And the 2025 Panthers pretty so every single round they've just been kicking the shit out of their opponent at least once, once a series, sometimes more. And I don't know, I, I listen, I, I, I believe Whitney and that there's gonna be a long series. But game four, I'm gonna say it must win, must win for the Oilers. But then I was thinking about it because I was like, oh, this is a must win. The Oilers did come back from down three oh last year to force a game seven. So there's something in there, but I feel like this is the way that game went and we said if Bob is going to get locked in, he was locked in. It feels like it's going to be a big, a tall task for the Oilers if they lose on Thursday night.

[PFT Commenter]

I'm trying to see what the, what were the scores of the first two games last year? Last first three games. So game one, Panthers three, Oilers zero. Game two, four to one and then four to three in game three. Game four is where it all flipped. The series flipped. Yeah, it ended up flipping back again. But the pan. The Oilers won game four last year eight to one.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

So, so yeah, I, I would say it's a must win.

[Big Cat]

It's a must win. I would agree because you just, it, it will sound stupid, but Deb being down if the Panthers win, especially like they did on Monday night, if they do the same thing on Thursday night, I would say that it feels different than being down three zero. And I know that's crazy, but three oh three. Oh. Always you have the, like the game after three, the game four where it's like the, the team that's up three zero is probably not going to, there's no urgency. Yeah. And then they got into that like going back to Edmonton, dragging them back and all that stuff off. I don't know. But you're also got to win this.

[PFT Commenter]

We're also talking about the, what they did last year after they were down 3 0. They did end up losing that series.

[Big Cat]

Correct.

[PFT Commenter]

So that's why you don't want to be down.

[Big Cat]

They do have game seven at home this year.

[PFT Commenter]

That's true.

[Big Cat]

Which Whitney. I, I gotta say I love Whitney so much. What a genius move by him. Because I, I opened my eyes on Monday morning and the first like three tweets I Saw was Whitney gives you guys so much, and you guys won't go to game seven with him. And it was just. I don't know if he did that on purpose, but a genius, genius move by.

[PFT Commenter]

There was a lot of. A lot of guilt tripping.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

It's all fair.

[Big Cat]

This is fair so perfectly.

[PFT Commenter]

This is good. This is good stuff. I. I want to see this go seven. I still do. And I don't think that the Oilers are done. And that was a great mathematical breakdown that we did right there, which is like. You'd rather be down. I'd rather three oh. Than three one, or would you rather be down three one than three zero?

[Big Cat]

I'd rather be down three zero than three one.

[PFT Commenter]

What about you, Hank?

[Hank]

Three one.

[Big Cat]

You'd rather be down three one?

[Hank]

Yeah. I think statistically more teams probably.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, you're right. You're right. It does sound stupid, but I just think, vibes wise, I know what you're saying. Kind of sneak up on them 3 1. You can't. Again, they did lose the series.

[PFT Commenter]

You're down three zero. You're. You're probably gonna like game four. That's a gimme, right? You're gonna win that one, right?

[Big Cat]

And then it's like, all right, now we're just.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

And also when you're down three zero, if you can win game four and five, all the pressure flips back. Whereas if you're down three one, it's not like it's never happened where, yeah, you know, 3:1 lead has been like. You know that balance of pressure where it's like, holy, are they gonna blow a 30 lead?

[PFT Commenter]

You don't want to be tied 33 because you're going to lose that. Game seven.

[Big Cat]

Correct.

[PFT Commenter]

That's what we've learned.

[Big Cat]

Correct. Yeah.

[Hank]

Except for last year.

[Big Cat]

No, they.

[PFT Commenter]

The Oilers lost game.

[Hank]

Oh, I thought. I'm on the Panthers.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, the Pez are a problem.

[PFT Commenter]

They are really good.

[Big Cat]

So, so good. And they just. Like I said, it's one thing to. To win by five goals, to then win five fights. You can't have a better. You can't annihilate a team more than that.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, I. I would have liked to see Skinner throw Chuck some knocks out there. Drop the gloves. They're not sponsored by super glue.

[Big Cat]

I agree with you. I agree with you. Goalie fight. Something. Something like goalie fight just hits perfectly. All right, so game three of the NBA playoffs is tonight. Do we have any thoughts? I have one bad thought for the Pacers. The Pacers Indianapolis. They have renamed some of the streets for some of the players on the Pacers. Okay, that feels like a, like you, we just went through this. Why, why would you do this?

[PFT Commenter]

What are they named again?

[Big Cat]

It's, it's. I'm not blaming Pacers fans or the Pacers. I'm blaming the, you know, politicians who try to get involved in sports. Top and Ave. Turner Lane.

[PFT Commenter]

Top and Ave actually sounds like a pretty cool spot.

[Big Cat]

That sounds like an awesome slot. Halberton Road, I don't know. This feels, feels ominous.

[PFT Commenter]

Halberton Road doesn't really roll off the tongue. We tried that in Iraq.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, that's true. That's true. Toppen Ave is. That's a keeper.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. Top, leave that street sign up no matter what.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, that is absolutely a keeper.

[Hank]

I'm not changing my take. Even though if I was thinking this in the middle of game one, which the Pacers that came back to win, but it just seems like this is going to be a blowout series. Oh, four one. But again, I was thinking that in the, the first half of the first game and I was like, the Pacers don't stand a chance. They obviously won that game. But after game two, I, I'm sticking with it.

[PFT Commenter]

What are we thinking the court's going to look like? Has Silver told us anything about the, the Indy court?

[Big Cat]

I don't know. They had time. They have time. They could easily make a fix.

[PFT Commenter]

I think I'm gonna stay with four two Thunder.

[Big Cat]

Okay. I, I feel, I feel confident in that as well. I'll piggyback with you. Do we want to put together a parlay which we haven't been able to hit, but we're gonna hit one.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Can we all just, can we all just agree to just hit it?

[PFT Commenter]

Why don't we just take a beat just to make sure that we feel good with our bets?

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Hank]

Love my, my pick.

[PFT Commenter]

All right.

[Big Cat]

Three. Take a beat.

[PFT Commenter]

Three, two, one. Beat. I feel great about my pick.

[Big Cat]

I don't feel great about my pick. But that's usually a good thing. Okay, the NBA finals are finally here and it's about time to get wild. High, high stakes drama, insane buzzer beaters, jaw dropping dunks and the excitement you live for. And guess what? DraftKings sportsbook and official sports betting partner, the NBA is giving you a chance to boost your winnings every single game during the final. That's right, every game all finals long. DraftKings is rolling out a special NBA profit boost. So what are you waiting for? Download the draftkings Sportsbook app. Now use Code Take that to claim your profit. That's right. Code Take to get your boost for every single NBA Finals game, don't miss your shot at big wins. This is the moment you've been waiting for. Only on DraftKings. The Crown is yours. Gambling problem. Call 1-800- gambler in New York. Call 877-8-HOPE and wire text hope and why 467-369 in Connecticut. Help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org Please play responsibly on behalf of Boot Hill Casino and Resort in Kansas. 21 and over. Age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Boyden, Ontario. Get one NBA boost per game after opt in boost expires at the end of each game. Boosts, bet criteria and maximum bet limits vary. See [e-mail] promos okay, boys, what do we got? What do we got?

[Hank]

I'm keeping it simple. Thunder minus five and a half.

[Big Cat]

Thunder minus five and a half. Okay, should I do an alternate? Or is that because we just gotta. We gotta win.

[PFT Commenter]

We gotta see one going.

[Big Cat]

We gotta win one. All right, throw in. But then. Then Jackie Tables always screws us. Aaron Neesmith.

[Hank]

What'S your pick? You love pft.

[Big Cat]

Give us your pick. You love pft.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay. My pick that I love. I'm actually. I've got two that I love, so I got to sort it out.

[Big Cat]

I'm gonna do Aaron Neese with over 20 or. Sorry, over 19 and a half points, rebounds and assists.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay.

[Big Cat]

I haven't done a Pacer yet in this series. Time for me to get involved with the Pacer.

[PFT Commenter]

I love this one. This is also a Pacer.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[PFT Commenter]

Nimhard, 12 plus points. Okay, let's get Nimhard in here.

[Big Cat]

That's good. Because when Neesmith and Nemhard, like, you can get them confused on the court and. Yeah, like, oh, yeah, at least we get something.

[PFT Commenter]

Yep. Yeah, let's get them harder. Which one did you say?

[Zach]

How many points?

[Big Cat]

BFD.

[PFT Commenter]

12 plus.

[Big Cat]

12 plus. Let's get it.

[Zach]

I am doing Lou Dort.

[Big Cat]

Oh, 8 plus. Wow. Going reverse. Reverse of what he did. He scored three the other night.

[Zach]

Yep. I will say this. Six to one odds aren't great on this one, but you know what? We need to see one go through the hoop.

[Big Cat]

Exactly. We got to see one go through the hoop. Who's screwing up the odds?

[PFT Commenter]

Mine was minus 125.

[Big Cat]

Okay, that's fine. Mine was minus minus 165. Oh.

[PFT Commenter]

Huh.

[Zach]

12 plus points.

[PFT Commenter]

I got nimhard.

[Big Cat]

Oh, I said neesmith. 20 points, rebounds.

[Zach]

Hold on, hold on.

[PFT Commenter]

Come on. Check that. Zach, this is why we got you back there.

[Big Cat]

You should be.

[Zach]

Well, I'm trying to come up with a pick and do that at the same time.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, because we didn't know we're gonna do this. Zach, you should have been controlling this.

[Zach]

You. I also gotta find it like I am learning your guys picks on the spot. And you have to navigate the DraftKings.

[PFT Commenter]

App exact as Max and do it at the same.

[Big Cat]

Max, are you excited for the new what did you. What did you pick Neesmith over? Points, rebounds, assist. 20.

[Zach]

Oh, I keep doing NeeSmith for PFT and Nemhard are confusing. You know this.

[Big Cat]

I do. We just said that. That it's great that we have both of them. Max.

[Zach]

13 to 1. We're back.

[Big Cat]

Oh, let's go. Great.

[PFT Commenter]

Love it.

[Big Cat]

Max, are you excited for the new Philly stadiums being built by the guy who built the sphere? Maybe he'll build a sphere. Did you.

[Zach]

I did not know that.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Pretty cool, right? I. I thought you guys had new stadiums.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, the bank.

[Zach]

No, we're just getting.

[PFT Commenter]

We're getting a new basketball.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Is it basketball hockey?

[Zach]

No, I think it's gonna be separate.

[Big Cat]

Which is where the Flyers going.

[Zach]

I think they're staying.

[Big Cat]

Oh.

[PFT Commenter]

So Josh Harris.

[Big Cat]

I am not 100% New Jersey thing.

[Zach]

No, that was. That was a thing. Now that's no longer.

[Big Cat]

So they building New Jersey basketball arena right next to the old basketball arena and keeping the old basketball aren.

[Zach]

I don't know. They change like literally every 15 minutes. First, first it was going to Center City, like in the middle of Center City, Philadelphia. Then it was going to Jersey, Then it was going back back to where it originally was.

[Big Cat]

I agree with you. I feel like going forward, every new sports arena that gets built don't fucking tell us anything until the ground is in the shovel. I'm so sick of it. Arlington Heights, Soldier Field, like all this back.

[Zach]

It's hard to keep up with when.

[Big Cat]

You put a shovel into the ground. I will pay attention. Yeah, it's just. It's all dates that are just so far out there. It's just.

[PFT Commenter]

How long does it take to make a stadium?

[Big Cat]

It's like two or three. Well, football, I think it's like two or three years. Two years.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay.

[Big Cat]

I also don't know.

[PFT Commenter]

It probably.

[Big Cat]

I. I got caught right there in a. Let me just try to say something confident.

[PFT Commenter]

I. I would guess it matters what part of the country it's in too, because some parts of the country you can't build. You can't.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Permits. And also you might have to sell the parking lot rights to uae and then that takes some time to get the deal done.

[Big Cat]

Okay. Sofi took four years. Okay.

[PFT Commenter]

So I think that's also good weather.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

So, like, if it's up north, what?

[Big Cat]

Maybe. And also they did weird with it.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. They left the roof kind of open.

[Big Cat]

They built that, like.

[Zach]

Go ahead, 2031 is when. Like that. Why do I care about 2031?

[Big Cat]

Agreed.

[Zach]

And it is still going to be shared with the Flyers.

[Big Cat]

Oh, okay. So you were long. How long does it. All right, so how long does it take to build a NBA arena?

[PFT Commenter]

Three years?

[Big Cat]

I'm gonna say that's probably two. Yeah. 18 to 30 months.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay, so that's.

[Big Cat]

That's about. That's about two years.

[PFT Commenter]

And the sphere guy's doing this one.

[Big Cat]

The sphere guy's doing it.

[PFT Commenter]

That's kind of cool.

[Big Cat]

Of sphere fame.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

So that means that Josh Harris has the sphere guy on speed dial. So maybe my stadium might get done by the sphere guy, too.

[Big Cat]

You get. You're gonna get sphered up.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

NFL stadiums are usually two to four years. U S Bank Stadium. I think that's Minnesota, right? Yep. That was two and a half years. So so far I did some weird. Yeah, they definitely tried to make it all la.

[PFT Commenter]

Well, Rich Eisen was personally approving each blueprint, so they had to go back and forth.

[Big Cat]

And they also were like, let's make sure we build an indoor stadium that could be delayed by thunder and lightning.

[Hank]

We were at the first game ever at U S Bank.

[Big Cat]

We were.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, that's right.

[Big Cat]

Holy. That was a preseason game. Jeff Fiser.

[PFT Commenter]

Yep.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Good call, Hank. Oh, my God. That Minnesota State Fair was a lot of fun. That was our milk chugging days.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

We were just chugging milk all the time. And cha. She's like, oh, here's a video, but let us add some chaw and milk. We should. We should do that. We should do that again once.

[PFT Commenter]

Just 10 year anniversary.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, just like. Yeah, like a throwback. Like just one day. Do all of our.

[PFT Commenter]

The Milk Mile.

[Big Cat]

Get a goldfish for one day kill. Would probably die on its own because we're. We have a bad history with it. All right. Do we have other sports stories?

[PFT Commenter]

You have a CJ Stroud update. Oh, so CJ Stroud, we're very concerned about his shoulder because he wasn't throwing because he was dealing with general soreness, and he spoke to the media today, and he said, I'm fine, man. So he's fine, man. Oh, he's fine, man. Man, I'm fine, man. He said, also, I did not have surgery. Oh, I did not get surgery or anything like that. So just to go out there and say, like, it's the my I did not get surgery T shirt has people asking a lot of questions that are already answered by my T shirt.

[Big Cat]

Yes. Yes. Okay. So he did not get surgery and he's fine. Stop asking. Okay. Also, we saw Aaron Rodgers in a Steelers uniform.

[PFT Commenter]

What do you think?

[Big Cat]

Helmet's still weird.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

He said about playing in 2025, I don't. I don't need it for my ego. I don't need it to keep playing. This was a decision that was best for my soul.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay.

[Big Cat]

Huh. That feels like he does need it for.

[PFT Commenter]

His ego.

[Big Cat]

Not maybe not ego, but it. He said, I don't need it to keep playing. That does. That feels like you do because your soul needs you to play. Yeah, also.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, I would say so.

[Big Cat]

Also, Jerry Alexander got cut. Mark Murphy just probably the meanest quote ever when he said, we're used to not having him.

[PFT Commenter]

What kind of facts?

[Big Cat]

Yeah, very big facts.

[PFT Commenter]

And then they asked Miles Garrett about Aaron Rodgers in the division. He said, I think it's a good opportunity to put him in the graveyard. Oh, so I like this.

[Big Cat]

Oh, also, Aaron Rodgers has been married for a couple months.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, apparently. Apparently he's got.

[Big Cat]

He confirmed it's a wedding ring on his finger. How long has he been married? Been a couple months.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay, good for him.

[Big Cat]

Is he married to the game or is he married to another human being?

[PFT Commenter]

Love is love.

[Big Cat]

Love is love.

[PFT Commenter]

I personally go with the no girls aspect for my quarterbacks.

[Big Cat]

The Jared Kravis married to the game.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

He wore a ring for a while. I also got a little excited because they did announce the first game day. So that was. It was just like, hey, week one's coming soon. Lee Corso. It's gonna be Ohio State and Columb and in Columbus against Texas. But it's just like, oh, yeah, football is. I'm not wishing away to. Some people get mad when I. When I. When I do countdowns for football.

[PFT Commenter]

No, I love it. You can. You can appreciate the summer while also being like, I can't wait for football. Which is kind of a part of the summer.

[Big Cat]

Right. I can't wait for football. I'm sorry.

[Hank]

It's okay.

[Big Cat]

I've been kind of daydreaming about it whenever I tweet. I can't wait for college football. That is literally that's the only thought in my head at that moment when I tweet it, that's what that pops in my head randomly. It's usually like it's nice outside. Just driving like, man, you know, could be better football.

[PFT Commenter]

I'll tell you who looks good in Steelers uniform is dk. DK does DK looks like he was like he was born a Steeler.

[Big Cat]

He looks fierce. Zach, do you have a college football team?

[Memes]

So I didn't go to a university big enough that would have a team that would play. I do. As a child, we would root for Miami Hurricanes. But I would like to say any team coming out of the state of Florida, when they progress, I do like to see the state win.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay, root for the state.

[Big Cat]

That was a tough year a couple years ago. Remember they lost like there was that first weekend ever that all the Florida teams lost.

[Memes]

There's quite a few of those.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, yeah.

[Memes]

Catch a pop.

[PFT Commenter]

Let's do an all time ranking of Florida football teams.

[Memes]

Okay, one, one. I'm going to Tim Tebow Gators.

[PFT Commenter]

No, I mean just like the schools.

[Big Cat]

Oh, that was good. You're ready to go. Okay, we're stress testing you.

[Memes]

All right, so one, I'm just going to go. I like my Miami Hurricanes. As of recently, they're pretty sure they had the most NFL athletes to league ever for quite a long time there. Then second, I'm going to go with the Florida Gators. Or no, I go second. Florida State shot my brother graduate Big D. Re shout to him. Florida Gators third. And then I'll go Florida Gulf coast fourth.

[PFT Commenter]

Fgcu. FGCU Dunk City.

[Big Cat]

Wow. All right. UCF Blake portals.

[Memes]

Ucf. Cool Campus shout Blake.

[Big Cat]

Okay, nice. All right, let's. Let's do Hot Seat Chill Throne then. We got two unbelievable interviews coming up and we'll finish up with guys on checks. Okay. Before we get to Hot Seat Chill Throne, listen guys, you got to watch the new show Stick on Apple. I watched it. It is awesome. There's three episodes out right now. They say it's never too late for a comeback, even if it's a long shot. From the home of Ted Lasso come Stick, a new Apple original series starring Owen Wilson as a has been golf pro and up and coming prodigy teaming up for one last swing at glory. Stick tells the story of Price Cahill, a former legend with no career, no prospects and nothing left to lose until he meets a hot headed 17 year old golf phenom named Santi, who's all talent but no discipline. With nothing to lose, Price offers his experience. But does Santi want it? Joined by Price's old caddy Mitts and Santi's mom, Elena, the unlikely crew set their sights on the US Amateurs and the only thing in their way, themselves. It's a journey filled with a few blow ups, a few breakthroughs, and a whole lot of mulligans. Don't miss this comedy about life and other hazards. Starring Owen Wilson, Peter Dagger, Mark Baron, Mariana Trevino, Lily K, Judy Greer and Timothy Oliphant. It is awesome. I watched the first three episodes. It's perfect. Golf. It's like golf is hot right now and Owen Wilson is the best. It's good to have Owen Wilson back out there. So stick stream the new series June 4th on Apple TV Plus. And we're also brought to you by our friends at Body Armor Body Armor. Listen, it is Hot Seat Chill Throne. Presented by Body Armor Body Armor sports drink this summer. Cool off with Body Armor Chill, a bold new way to hydrate with no artificial dyes, flavors or sweeteners. Enjoy a new refreshing, cooling sensation in three impossibly cold flavors. Frozen berry, frozen cherry, and frozen orange. Available for a limited time. Grab yours at 711 or a store near you. Look at this. Bang Chill frozen orange. Oh, so good. I'm a frozen cherry guy. That's just me. Okay. Hot Seat Chill Throne.

[Hank]

Henry, My hot seat's Terry McLaurin.

[Big Cat]

Oh, was that.

[Hank]

I just. I don't understand. You know, the.

[Big Cat]

The.

[Hank]

The Commanders had such a great year. They got a young quarterback. You would think they'd be excited to return and go after that Super Bowl. And I'm just hearing rumors from everyone, Steelers fans, Jets fans. It seems like they all think they're getting Terry McLaurin. And I can't figure out why.

[PFT Commenter]

Are the Steelers and Jets fans. Are they in this room you right now?

[Hank]

Well, I spent. I spent about five hours with Jersey Jerry yesterday.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay.

[Hank]

And then today before we recorded memes just like Terror McLaren jet. But okay, why would they even think he. Like, how is that even possible?

[PFT Commenter]

Okay, Hank, this is. I know it's your first season watching football. Sometimes receivers, they get. They want more money because if you play really well, you get paid more money.

[Hank]

And so why would the Commanders give that to them?

[PFT Commenter]

I think they're going to give him that money. Let me just do. Let's do a visualization. Put yourself in Terry McLaurin shoes, okay? You've been in the NFL for a long time. You are Terry McLaurin right now. Been the NFL for a long time. You've. You just played last season with the only good quarterback you've ever had in your entire life. Do you want to leave and then go somewhere else with not so great a quarterback?

[Big Cat]

Right? You don't?

[Hank]

No, I don't. You don't?

[PFT Commenter]

You don't.

[Hank]

I don't.

[PFT Commenter]

So Terry wants to stay. The commanders want to keep him. You just want the most money you can get. That's what's happened. It's called a holdout in, in sports.

[Big Cat]

He wants money.

[Hank]

So he's coming back.

[PFT Commenter]

He's coming. He's coming back.

[Big Cat]

He's got to pay him. He wants his money.

[PFT Commenter]

He'll be back. If he, if Terry McLaurin is not a commander next year, I. Oh, I was about to say something. Yeah, I was about to say something dumb.

[Big Cat]

They gotta pay him.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, they gotta pay him.

[Big Cat]

That's all. They gotta pay.

[PFT Commenter]

They're gonna pay him. I don't think. I think the Trey Hendrickson situation is a little bit different.

[Hank]

Yeah, they gotta pay him, but they're going to.

[Big Cat]

They're gonna pay him.

[PFT Commenter]

He's gonna be commander, guaranteed.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Yeah, we have. Yeah. This is just part of. This is just part of, you know, the spring, late spring.

[Hank]

Do you think he's mad about Debo or he should be excited about Tebow?

[PFT Commenter]

I think he's excited about.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, he's excited about Tebow. I think he's mad that he wants to get paid more. It's not, it's nothing.

[PFT Commenter]

It's nothing.

[Hank]

But he's personal.

[Big Cat]

It's busy.

[PFT Commenter]

This is sad. You trying to find drama.

[Big Cat]

It's business.

[Hank]

No, I, I, I, I've been hearing like I made no sense to me when Jerry was saying it made no sense of memes were saying. So I came to the source to figure it out. But that makes sense. He'll be a commander.

[PFT Commenter]

He wants more money.

[Hank]

No doubt.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Guaranteed, guaranteed money.

[Big Cat]

Wait. Guaranteed, guaranteed money.

[PFT Commenter]

I personally guarantee that they're going to pay him more guaranteed money, and he's going to be a commander next year, and that's a guarantee.

[Big Cat]

Okay. What's your chill throne?

[Hank]

My chill throne is Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. Oh, we talked about it a lot on this show. The, the loss, tons and all that. I remember a couple shows. Yeah, we did two times in a row.

[Big Cat]

We talked about it.

[PFT Commenter]

If they're okay, right? The two of them.

[Hank]

Yeah, they got the suit, got thrown Out. A judge threw the suit out.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay.

[Hank]

Threw out the lawsuits, dealing a huge blow to the Baldoni camp.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay.

[Hank]

So the suit is over.

[Big Cat]

So they're back.

[Hank]

They're back.

[PFT Commenter]

Blake of the year.

[Big Cat]

They're back.

[Hank]

Blake of the year.

[Big Cat]

Okay. I still don't fully understand the whole thing.

[Hank]

I don't know. I. I'm not a lawyer guy, but I feel like they probably just had better lawyers.

[Big Cat]

I'm gonna. You know what? I'm gonna release a statement. Just be. Be nicer. Be nicer to each other. And that's just for. That's not talking to one side or the other. That's just blanket. Hey, guys, cut it out. Be nicer.

[PFT Commenter]

Be a nice person.

[Hank]

That's my take on be a decent human.

[PFT Commenter]

It costs zero dollars to be nice.

[Big Cat]

That's true.

[PFT Commenter]

I hope they learned a valuable lesson.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Be better.

[PFT Commenter]

Be better.

[Big Cat]

Be better.

[PFT Commenter]

We can all be better.

[Big Cat]

I expected more out of them. I'm just gonna leave that out there. I expected both sides. I just said them.

[Hank]

Them.

[Big Cat]

You don't know who them is? It could be. Talking about this could be. I just expected more out of them.

[Hank]

Same.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[PFT Commenter]

I'm not taking aside.

[Big Cat]

I have not. I. No, I'm not. I was gonna say I think I have, but I don't. I don't have.

[PFT Commenter]

Wait, so are Blake and Ryan, are they on the same side?

[Big Cat]

Yeah, they're buried.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay.

[Big Cat]

So you'd hope so. Otherwise, that would be an awesome betrayal. I.

[PFT Commenter]

That's what I'm rooting for.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

I'm rooting for one of them to flip over to the baldoni camp and then turn on their spouse. Yeah, that would rob.

[Big Cat]

Sick. Love is dead kind of moment, but.

[PFT Commenter]

That would be nice.

[Big Cat]

Hank, did you get your Sydney Sweeney soap yet?

[Hank]

I did not.

[Big Cat]

Oh, this must be in the mail.

[Hank]

It's on the way.

[PFT Commenter]

Did you get some?

[Big Cat]

Yeah, he did. You know he did.

[PFT Commenter]

First of all, you know, he did love that.

[Big Cat]

Pft.

[PFT Commenter]

I got Napoleon's hair.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

That's on the way.

[Big Cat]

Sick.

[PFT Commenter]

Do you think I could implant Napoleon's hair into my face?

[Hank]

Yes.

[PFT Commenter]

As, like, a beard strand. That would rock. My hot seat is golfers. Oh, golfers are on the hot seat because I saw we're starting to get the content that we predicted would happen from the US Open of, like, holy. This course is going to be impossible. One was just a picture of a 289 yard par 3, which is awesome.

[Big Cat]

Insane.

[PFT Commenter]

Can we bet on the winning golfer to have a score that's over par?

[Big Cat]

Yes. Yeah. You can you. Can. There's gonna be. Listen, DraftKings. There will be, like, a winning score.

[PFT Commenter]

I want to. I want to bet on winning score over par. I think this U.S. open is going to the course officially. I've seen enough of the content where now I fear this course.

[Big Cat]

I. Is it bad that I'm, you know, you don't root for favorites? Obviously. I would love to see our guy Brooks do.

[PFT Commenter]

Well.

[Big Cat]

I'm going to bet on him, but I kind of want to see Scotty just dominate again. Like, I'm in this. I'm in Scotty zone, where it's like, if he just keeps just kicking the. Out of everyone. That would be awesome. What are you looking at, Hank?

[Hank]

I don't. Any player to be bogey free through 72 holes. What do you think the odds are for that? I think this is plus 150,000.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, I mean, that's. That's. Yeah. Bad bet.

[Hank]

$2 to win 3,000.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, that's an impossible bad bet. That will be. That bet will be done by, like, halfway through Thursday. But I am. I am rooting for Scotty. Does that make me lame? I don't know. I just. I'm kind of in the greatness mode.

[PFT Commenter]

I like rooting for greatness.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

But I also like rooting to see greatness fail at the last second.

[Big Cat]

Who would you. Who would be your second pick? Because, like, the. The. I think the. Tell me if I'm wrong, Hank. You're looking at right now, the odds are Scotty's a favorite, then it's Bryson, then it's Rory, and I don't want to root for Rory or Bryce.

[Hank]

Rory's giving up. He doesn't care anymore.

[Big Cat]

Oh, really?

[Hank]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Is that a fact?

[Hank]

He said it after the. When he was doing media last week, he was like. Yeah, I just.

[Big Cat]

It's.

[Hank]

After I won the. The Grand Slam, it's harder to, you know, practice as hard.

[Big Cat]

Oh, man.

[Hank]

Which is fair. But also, it's like he's.

[Big Cat]

He's me. I win the Grand Slam, I'm going even harder.

[Hank]

Scotty Bryson, John Rom, Rory, Xander.

[Big Cat]

Okay. All right. Xander. Xander would be awesome.

[PFT Commenter]

Brooks would be nice.

[Big Cat]

Brooks would be awesome.

[Hank]

Brooks would be awesome.

[PFT Commenter]

If Max was in, he would win.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, but absolutely, he's ran out of time.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. If Jake Knapp was in, he'd probably win, too.

[Big Cat]

That's a fact. All right. Yeah. So I'm excited to watch golf.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, me too.

[Big Cat]

And also, we get the Father's Day U.S. open, which is great, because I'm Just gonna be like my Father's Day gift is I want to watch the US Open.

[Tarek Skubal]

Open.

[PFT Commenter]

Yep.

[Big Cat]

That's it.

[PFT Commenter]

Then my cool throne is TJ's who have a love hate relationship with Pittsburgh. So TJ Watt is one of them. I think he's gone. I'm hearing he's gonna be a commander.

[Big Cat]

Oh, yeah, you're gonna. Hank, are you listening?

[PFT Commenter]

T.J. watt. So check this out. He's been. He's been a great player on the Steelers. Haven't really accomplished that much besides making the playoffs recently. Every year he's going to cost a lot of money. I think he's unhappy and I think he wants to go.

[Hank]

Who's going to pay him?

[PFT Commenter]

I think. I think the Commanders. The commanders have money.

[Hank]

They're already paying Terry.

[Big Cat]

So, yeah, T.J. watt. It was T.J. watt, Terry McLaurin, and then there was one other holdout, Trey Hendrickson. Trey Hendrickson, which that one is. He's been holding out forever.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, that. That one, to me seems fractured. I do think that TJ is going to go back to Pittsburgh. He. The only other place I could imagine. Jersey guy, I could imagine TJ Watt wearing a Green Bay packers dress.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, we said that a couple weeks ago. It feels like that would be the only one that would make sense. Oh, also Jalen Ramsey, who.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay, he might get traded too. Yeah, yeah. And then the other tj. TJ Oshi, who has had some ups and downs with Pittsburgh as a Washington capital. He retired yesterday and he retired at the fountain in Georgetown where he went for a swim after the Stanley Cup. Now, Captain America, I think Captain America go back and watch the highlights of him competing against Russia in those Olympics 2014. I think the best where it was, it was the Penguins coach, and he just. He brought TJ because he's like, one of these games is going to go into shootouts, and I'm just going to run Tjoshi out there against Bob. And it was just TJ dominating Bob to win that game over and over and over, which was, again, yeah, it was great to watch, but TJ didn't play this year.

[Memes]

He.

[PFT Commenter]

I thought that he was probably going to retire like two years ago, actually.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

But he finally made it official, so. Great player, Captain America. Thank you for your service, tj.

[Big Cat]

Okay, and then your chill throw.

[PFT Commenter]

That was my chill throw.

[Big Cat]

Oh, that was your chill chill. Throne was TJ.

[PFT Commenter]

TJ's who have a love hate relationship.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

With Pittsburgh.

[Big Cat]

All right. My hot seat is the Washington Wizards.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay, you ready for this?

[Big Cat]

Oh, Wait. Yeah, yeah, yeah. The Washington Wizards.

[PFT Commenter]

All right, you ready for this?

[Big Cat]

So this actually is kind of a combo hot seat for the. For the Pacers. So the game three is Wednesday night. Did you know that a former Wizards player has won each of the last eight championships? And there is one singular with X Wizard in these finals. On the Pacers, Thomas Bryant. So they are now the Wizards are on the hot seat. They got to win this to keep the streak alive. So 2017, Sean Livingston and Javal Javale McGee. 2018, Livingston and McGee. 2019, Raptors. Jody Meeks. 2020, Dwight Howard McGee and Marquis Morris. 2021, Bobby Portis. 2022, Gary Payton. The second, Otto Porter Jr. And Chris Chiozza. And then 2023, the Nuggets had KCP Jeff Green, Ish Smith and Thomas Bryant. In 2024, Hank, Chris stops. So now you're on the hot you championship DNA in Washington.

[PFT Commenter]

It's like the. The NBA's farm system.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

That's where you go to learn how to win.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Because first you have to learn how not to lose.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[PFT Commenter]

And then the Lakers, when they almost beat the Nuggets that one year and they would have won the championship when they lost four to one, except they lost four to one in the series. They had Rui Hachimura.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, that's true.

[PFT Commenter]

So, like, these are great. All the greatest teams of the last, what, six years, seven years.

[Big Cat]

This is a fun little wrinkle, you know, streak that we, you know, the Pacers are. The Pacers and the Wizards are on the hot seat. So.

[PFT Commenter]

But if the Thunder win no one. No dice.

[Big Cat]

No one.

[PFT Commenter]

No dice with them. And then that means maybe Chris Paul championship Loading. For next year's legend.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, well, no, it would break the streak. It's a Thunder.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, that's true.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. So we'd have to start a new streak. My cool throne is the Detroit Tigers because they're really good at baseball. We're going to have Tarek Scubal on in a minute, which was awesome in studio, but the Tigers are averaging over 26,000 fans per game. 40% jump from this time last season. It's more, it's, it's partially credit, you know, Tigers fans showing up, but also a reminder that anytime a baseball owner says no one shows up, if you put a good product on the field, fans will show up. And I hate that when that happens in sports where an owner will be like, well, we got to move because the fans don't support us. No, you've been like gutting the team and gutting the, you know, the city for. For years and years and years.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. Because you can make money as an owner with a bad team.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

And so a lot of owners are just like, I want to. I want to see my investment increase. I don't really give a shit about the product. That's always bullshit.

[Big Cat]

Did we talk about it on this show? I can't remember if the. I think they should have a new rule in, in, in all sports that if. What, call it five years. If you don't make the playoffs in five years, automatic sale.

[PFT Commenter]

I like that.

[Big Cat]

Like whatever the threshold is, that would be awesome. Because relegation is never going to come to American sports. But if you could relegate owners, that would be sick.

[PFT Commenter]

That's probably for the same reason, not going to come too much.

[Big Cat]

Of course it's not. But I'm just talking about, you know, dumb rules that I'm going to start, you know, next time we have a commissioner on, I'm going to start saying it to him. But like, maybe not playoffs, maybe it's. You have to be. You have to be over 500 because obviously playoffs are tough to get to in certain sports. But some, some type of rule that if you don't field a competent team once at least every five years, you automatically have to sell. And maybe, you know what we, we say that you get, you have to sell like 15 off or you get.

[PFT Commenter]

You get suspended as an owner, whatever it may be, you don't get to hang out, you have to pay for. If you're an owner and your team doesn't make the playoffs in the first five years, you have to sit in the stands.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[PFT Commenter]

You're not allowed to sit away from.

[Big Cat]

The people because like baseball does the, the floor, the spending floor now. But that still doesn't incentivize them to, to be good. It just incentivizes them that they have to spend a certain amount of money. So I don't know, just a rule out there, gonna throw it out there, gonna pitch to people.

[PFT Commenter]

What are you looking up the seller Cap floor.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, I know baseball has one now. I can't remember what it is. Zach, are you Googling?

[PFT Commenter]

I don't. I think they're talking about it.

[Big Cat]

I thought there was one.

[PFT Commenter]

No, because in order to have a floor, you have to have a cap.

[Big Cat]

Oh, that's what they're. Oh, that's right.

[PFT Commenter]

That's what they're negotiating right now. And I do think the celery cap floor has a possibility to pass. I think that there's a good chance it could pass because of this problem that we have.

[Big Cat]

So we need the floor. But right now it was NBA is the one.

[PFT Commenter]

Yes.

[Big Cat]

Right now has a floor.

[PFT Commenter]

Right now in baseball, the owners don't have to spend anything if they don't want to.

[Big Cat]

That's right.

[PFT Commenter]

Which is why you get teams like the spending nothing. The Oakland A's.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. The baseball one that I was thinking of is they have changed it so that you can't tank every year and get the first pick.

[PFT Commenter]

Yes.

[Big Cat]

They. They move where you are in the order. But the NBA salary floor is. Does exist. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

So we might.

[Big Cat]

How about it should just be owners if you don't. If your team. If your team sucks every single year, you have to sell the team.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

And we. And. And we get to decide the price. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

And don't make your money back.

[Big Cat]

Don't make your money back. That would be sick. Because then you buy a team and you're just like, I have to. I have to do it. There's pressure.

[PFT Commenter]

If you don't make the playoffs within the first five years of buying a team, you have to sell the team. And the max you can get is exactly what you paid for the team. And that means that all the money, which is probably not that much if your team sucks, all the money that you've spent in the interim, that's all just lost money.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

I kind of like that.

[Big Cat]

And also think about how thrilling it would be if you root for like a Colorado Rockies and you're on year five and you haven't been to the playoffs or say be over 500. Like that's a. Now that season becomes very interesting because you might be rooting. You're rooting for your team to maybe win some games, but you're also rooting for the automatic sale to take place.

[PFT Commenter]

And then all of a sudden some shitty teams will become massive, massive buyers.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

At the trade deadline and get like one year rentals. And then they could go back to being shitty out. But still though.

[Big Cat]

But at least they'd be good for a little bit.

[PFT Commenter]

It'd be interesting to watch.

[Big Cat]

I think we need this rule. We're gonna pitch it to Adam Silver when he comes. When he comes on again. Rob Manfred, just forget salary cap floor, ownership, ownership, relegation. Maybe they have to go own like a Triple A team.

[PFT Commenter]

I like that would also bump you just.

[Big Cat]

You just relegate the owners.

[PFT Commenter]

I do think making them sit in the stands with the fans would be. That would go a long way. Have them face the music every Single game. Yep.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Okay. Zach, you have a hot seat. Cool throne.

[Memes]

Yes, sir. I can do that for you. Yeah, I got one for you.

[PFT Commenter]

Let's go.

[Big Cat]

Hit us.

[Memes]

And so, hot seat. I do have a Tim Cook from Apples in the hot seat today.

[Big Cat]

Oh.

[Memes]

IOS 26 previews are coming out, and it looks atrocious. So I don't know if you guys have seen any of the.

[Big Cat]

No. What's going on with it?

[Memes]

So it looks like. It looks like finger painting and a little bit of, like, abstract art everywhere. It's a. The themes is like. It looks like painting glass. Stacking the notifications up over. You can't see anything.

[Big Cat]

Oh, yeah.

[Memes]

All the notifications are clear.

[Big Cat]

That's weird.

[Memes]

They're stacking clear notifications on clear wallpapers.

[Big Cat]

I'm also in the zone where I'm just. My phone is just breaking because the new phone's coming out.

[PFT Commenter]

What are they trying to get you? What are they trying to condition us to do here? Why are they. Why are they doing this new thing?

[Big Cat]

What is this?

[Memes]

I just think they're. It's too far of a reach. They're like, oh, the people are going to love this. We need to be more innovative. And they're just taking away all. All things. You can see, it's just clear. It's just unusable. It's very frustrating.

[PFT Commenter]

Are they trying to make us.

[Memes]

Tim Cook should go.

[PFT Commenter]

Are they trying to make us go. The iPhone. So that will be more likely to get a chip implanted in our brain.

[Memes]

An Apple chip in the brain.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Memes]

I mean, it's coming, you guys. Now for a chip.

[Big Cat]

No, I don't want it, but it's gonna happen, and I'm gonna have to get.

[PFT Commenter]

And then when I chip up, then when I get it, I'll be like, how did I ever live without this chip?

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Chip to death.

[Memes]

So it's chip or be left behind. Correct choice. We just have to chip.

[PFT Commenter]

Correct. Everybody chips in. Would you get the chip?

[Memes]

I'd have to get the chip.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Well, you'd make.

[Memes]

I wouldn't want to.

[Big Cat]

Okay. Yeah, we'd probably make you get the chip first to see how it goes. Chip? Yeah. You're a guinea pig.

[Memes]

Yeah, I can do that.

[Big Cat]

That's a good hot seat, though. I didn't even know they were doing the iOS. So is this automatically updating our phones overnight?

[Memes]

If you have auto updates on, maybe. If you have storage, yes. If you don't have storage, probably not. If you don't have auto updates on, no. What Was the pan opt out?

[PFT Commenter]

What was the reaction like when they. They unveiled this? Because I love, I love watching the Apple conferences where they like unveil. They show like a pair of glasses on the screen and then everyone like claps and they're like, oh my God. Oh my. They clap for products like little seals.

[Memes]

So, you know, room. They're all going crazy for Tim Cook and Apple. But the response online is just like, we don't know about this, Tim. Okay, we got a bully too.

[Tarek Skubal]

Good.

[Big Cat]

Listen, we're going to have to bully. It's facts.

[Memes]

What's your chill throne, my children for today is DDG, who's a YouTuber, former Flex rapper, current Twitch streamer.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay, I know what all those words mean, but I looked at Hank and he was like, what's. What are those? So can. What's a. What's a flex rapper?

[Big Cat]

Yeah, sort of flex for Hank.

[Memes]

Flex rapper would be YouTube rapper. So the flex position. Not always rapping, sometimes rapping.

[Big Cat]

Oh, flex. Like.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, like okay.

[Memes]

YouTuber one day might go in a.

[Hank]

Booth, do content creator that does rap.

[PFT Commenter]

Slash.

[Big Cat]

Got it. Yeah, Slash.

[Memes]

Perfect. That would have made more sense.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

The Cordell Stewart.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Memes]

Okay, so now he reported, gave us a little peek behind his analytics recently reporting 12.3 million for the month of May between ad revenue, AdSense, Twitch prime subs, Spotify streams, etc. And he's also been spotted quite a few times with Instagram sweetheart India Love recently.

[PFT Commenter]

Oh, okay.

[Memes]

Which is all time.

[PFT Commenter]

It is all.

[Big Cat]

That is all. That's an all time dog move by him.

[Memes]

All time.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Memes]

Certified stamp it.

[Big Cat]

Are we living vicariously through him A little bit?

[Magnus Carlsen]

Yeah, yeah.

[Memes]

Like certainly. Massive dub, ddg, all caps, wdg, shout out India Love.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Is India Love on your list?

[Memes]

She's like first round, second pick probably.

[Big Cat]

First round, second pick.

[PFT Commenter]

Who's won one?

[Big Cat]

Yeah, who's won one? One, one?

[Memes]

Probably Tay Money J Texas based rap woman.

[Big Cat]

Oh, is this. Is this hot rappers or hot.

[Memes]

That's hot women.

[Big Cat]

Hot women.

[Memes]

That's hot women.

[Big Cat]

And what's. What would your third pick be?

[Memes]

I don't have a theory off the top of my head. They're a little bit. They'd be interchanging.

[PFT Commenter]

Who's on your Mount Rushmore of women all time in what.

[Memes]

What facet?

[PFT Commenter]

Just women. Just women.

[Big Cat]

Top.

[PFT Commenter]

Top four women. Not open ended in that.

[Memes]

Yeah, yeah, I understand. Kind of open ended.

[PFT Commenter]

Top four women of all time.

[Big Cat]

This is. This is it. We're. Listen, we're about to build Mount Rushmore season, so we got to stress test.

[Memes]

You all four women. Top four women of all time in any capacity.

[PFT Commenter]

Any capacity.

[Big Cat]

There's.

[Memes]

There's a lot.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, there's a lot of women.

[Memes]

Is there any. We want to pigeonhole this at all or just straight?

[Big Cat]

There's one that you got to make. There's one pick you got to make.

[Memes]

There's one I have to make?

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Your own mom. You have to pick your own mom.

[Memes]

Can she go in the mountain?

[Big Cat]

Yes, yes, yes.

[Memes]

Mom's 1 1.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, there you go.

[Memes]

We're getting a little personal there. Mom's one one.

[PFT Commenter]

Yep.

[Big Cat]

Every.

[Memes]

Every. And even if you guys pick mom, take a mom as well.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[Memes]

Sorry to overstep. So we'll do mom one one. We'll go take money. Not on the rush.

[Big Cat]

Where? I don't know.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, but you can mix it up like it's open ended.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, I had too much respect.

[Memes]

My mother put tay money next to her on the Mount Rush.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[PFT Commenter]

Would your mom get along with tay money?

[Memes]

I'm not sure.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[Tarek Skubal]

Not really sure.

[Memes]

Don't know her well enough. No, my mom well enough. Not tay money.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Memes]

So yeah, Mom's up. Up top one one other women. We got other one. There's. There's tons of other women, but. Yeah, but on Mount Worshmore.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Are you Catholic?

[Memes]

No, I don't practice the Catholic religion.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay.

[Big Cat]

All right. Okay.

[Memes]

So you were thinking maybe Mary.

[PFT Commenter]

I was maybe married. Trying to save you with God.

[Memes]

I appreciate that. Shout out to. I think Mary does great for. Think religion is great for a lot of people. You know what I'm saying? So shout out to Mary. She's a good guide. So we can throw Mary on there. So my mom Mary, I think.

[Big Cat]

I think you know, mom Mary, Tay money, Susan B. Anthony. Done.

[Memes]

We'll swap that for Michelle Obama and we're done.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[PFT Commenter]

Which one?

[Memes]

Now we'll go Susan B. Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Susan B.

[PFT Commenter]

Well, I thought you were gonna swap tay money for Michelle.

[Big Cat]

That's a good Mount Rushmore. Your mom Tay money. Susan B. Mary.

[PFT Commenter]

And then if one of them does something to get canceled, we could replace them with Michelle.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Like if your mom said something. But then Michelle Obama goes on there.

[Memes]

We'll take Michelle out of the. Out of the flex spot. We'll put the little Debbie woman up there because I love those.

[PFT Commenter]

Oh, okay. Yeah. Good pick.

[Big Cat]

Okay. Good job. That feels good. Stress testing Mount Rushmore.

[PFT Commenter]

Wendy's gonna be upset.

[Big Cat]

The. Let's get to our interviews. We got Tarek, Scubal and Then the goat chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen. Okay, before we get to our awesome interview with Tarek Skuble in studio Shady Rays. You know that moment, the one where you realize you left your favorite sunglasses at the beach or on the roof of your car at a gas station three states away? Well, I've been there too. But then I found Shady Rays and it changed the game. These sunglasses are made for real life. Seriously good looking, polarized, durable, and not stupidly expensive. And here's the wild part. If you lose or break them even on day one, Shady Rays will send you a brand new pair. No guilt trip, just replacements. So now I actually wear my sunglasses without fear. On hikes, at concerts, on the boat, whatever. It's about to be summer. You need your Shady Rays. Shady Rays is eyewear that has your back. We've teamed up with Shady Rays to bring you an exclusive offer. Head to shadyraze.com, use code PMT for 35% off polarized sunglasses. Try for yourself the shades rated five stars by over 300,000 people. Go right now and get some Shady Rays and use that code pmt. We're also brought to you by our friends at Morgan and Morgan. Ever stood at the top of a towering water slide, heart pounding, and asked yourself, what's the worst that could happen? One visitor found out the hard way. What was supposed to be a thrilling day at a popular Florida water attraction ended in a life altering injury while riding one of the park's fastest slides. He was violently thrown from his tube, landing hard and suffering injuries that still affect him nearly four years later. That's when he turned to a law firm known for standing up to the biggest names in the business. The suit claims the slides design, coupled with a lack of clear safety, communication oversight, created a hazardous environment, especially for guests outside certain body specifications. Now this guest is living with permanent pain, scarring, and a drastically diminished quality of life. All from what was supposed to be a routine thrill ride. Because when safety isn't the top priority, fun can turn into something else entirely. Listen, there's a lot of things that we like to do outside. There's a lot of things we like to do that might be thrill seeking. There's a lot of things we like to do in our day to day life. And if you get hurt, Morgan and Morgan is there for you. Morgan and Morgan is America's largest injury law firm with over $25 billion recovered. They've been fighting for the people for over 35 years, helping over 500,000 clients get the compensation they deserve. Hiring the wrong firm can be disastrous. Hiring the right firm could substantially increase your settlement with Morgan. To Morgan. It's easy to get started and their fee is free. Unless they win. Just Visit for the people.com pmt or dial pound law pound 529 that's for the people.com pmt, or dial pound law pound 529. This is a paid advertisement. Okay, here he is, Tarek Skubel. Okay. We now welcome on a very, very, very, very special guest recurring guest. It is Alci Young winner Tarek Skubel Haas, number one pitcher in baseball. Can I say that right now?

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah, you can say it. I won't say it.

[Big Cat]

Okay, I'm gonna say it.

[PFT Commenter]

Cy Young winner.

[Big Cat]

Cy Young winners. That's.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah, like that.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. And you're also doing it again this year, like, crushing it. So in studio. Awesome to see you. I actually, let's start with just pitching. Let's just go straight to pitching because we. Last time you were on, after you won the Cy Young, you were saying something, I think PFT asked a question about, like, getting it, like, fat going faster than, like, 102. And it's like you're like, I'm kind of topped out at that. That's kind of what it is. You had a game this year where you had a complete game shutout where you went 103 in the ninth. How did that happen?

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah, I don't know. I. I mean, I don't know, but I think, you know, when I took the mound for the ninth inning and I'm going back out there, the whole stadium's kind of chanting your name, and you don't really think that, like, when you're young, you don't think that that's a possibility to have that happen. So I just kind of took a moment and enjoyed it. And then the adrenaline, like, spiked big time. And then I got into an O2 count and I knew a fastball was coming, and I'm like, this is either going to be the hardest pitch of my life and be nowhere near the zone, and then I have to make another one or this game's over. And it just so happened. He swung. I mean, it wasn't really close to the zone, but he swung over it. And it just kind of. That is what it is.

[Big Cat]

It was. It was an awesome moment. Also, I did I read correctly, the pitchcom, like, didn't work in the ninth inning because it was so loud.

[Tarek Skubal]

It was loud. Yeah. So I had it. I have it on, like, so it goes up to like 20 or whatever. And I have it on like 14 for most games. And then if you're in a dome, you turn it up a little bit because it's just naturally louder. But I had it on 14. Couldn't hear a thing with two strikes there. And then I was, you know, putting my glove over. Still couldn't hear, turn it up to 20. And then it got quiet when that whole thing happened. And now I'm like, dude, I think he can hear what pitch is coming.

[Big Cat]

Because it's so loud.

[Tarek Skubal]

But yeah, I mean, it was. It was going to be a fastball, I think, no doubt. And then you just kind of let it rip, and that's what happens.

[PFT Commenter]

I think everybody knew what pitch was coming. It was like, you're going to reach back, you're gonna. You're gonna throw as hard. That was the last pitch of the game, right?

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

You hit 100. 103.

[Tarek Skubal]

Is that 102.6? So do you round up?

[Big Cat]

No, it's 103.

[PFT Commenter]

Do we count that as 103?

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah, I don't.

[PFT Commenter]

But you guys can I count that as 103?

[Big Cat]

It showed 103 on the broadcast.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah, it always rounds up for us, which is sweet.

[Big Cat]

Done 103. It's pretty great. You've been throwing less fastballs, though. Has that been like a conscious. I mean, obviously less since when you first came in. I think you were throwing like half your pitches for fastballs. Now it's your change up. Was that something in the off season? You're like, this is just a way I'm going to get even better.

[Tarek Skubal]

Those. Those are good questions for our catchers.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[Tarek Skubal]

Because I'm like, I, you know, I. I don't shake a ton. And we go over game planning stuff and you have a plan of what you want to do, and then the game tells you what you need to do. The lineup tells you that bats dictate what pitch is thrown. And our catchers do a great job. And if the changeup's working, it's. And they're swinging and missing, and I'm getting a lot of positive results. I'm going to keep throwing it, and I think that's kind of where the uptick in usage is. And I get. Get nine righties a game damn near every time.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[Tarek Skubal]

So I need something to go to my arm side. So that way they're not just the ball just consistently coming into them, so.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

That's kind of the point of it.

[PFT Commenter]

I saw in the last Pitch of the game, it looked like the leg kick was just as high as it normally is. Do they have advanced stats to show how high you're getting the leg?

[Tarek Skubal]

I bet I could pull some Hawkeye data. It was at home, so I bet I could pull something to see. But, yeah, I mean, that was. That's as hard as I can throw a baseball. No matter I said. You know how I said that last year? I actually think that that's as hard as I can throw a baseball.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Next year, you're gonna come in and we're like, hey, remember when you throw 104 in the playoffs? You're like, oh, yeah, I guess that's the hardest I can throw.

[Tarek Skubal]

Well, if I'm in the ninth inning in a playoff game, then that's something different. Yeah, I bet that would actually be harder than that. But you were feeling.

[PFT Commenter]

It was the. The adrenaline from the crowd.

[Tarek Skubal]

No doubt.

[PFT Commenter]

You're in the ninth inning, so you just need the crowd to be exactly that loud. And you can keep dialing it up.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah, I guess so. Yeah, you're right. I mean, there's 36, 000. It's an 1135 game. So, like, the fact that the fans showed up for an 11:35 game, I got a ton of, you know, respect for. And then, you know, you're doing something like that, and we're. We just lost three to Cleveland in a row, and we're kind of trying to salvage a series, and there's a lot of. Kind of emotions that went into that game that made it special.

[Big Cat]

Sounds like you love Detroit.

[Tarek Skubal]

I love Detroit. Yeah. Yeah, I do. Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Like, for the rest of your life, love Detroit.

[Tarek Skubal]

Sure.

[Big Cat]

Like, we could sign a contract right now. We'll only take 5%, I think. Scott Boris, We've met him. We've been to his offices.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Pft.

[Tarek Skubal]

Beautiful.

[PFT Commenter]

I took a big. In his office.

[Tarek Skubal]

That's awesome.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

I mean, I'm drinking a coffee right now. I think I might take a. Here. If I'm being honest, it's about that time.

[PFT Commenter]

No, but that's. That's a sign of dominance. I. I waltz into his office, I took a dump, and I feel. I feel like now.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Scott, Boris looks up to me as a man.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

He respects you, for sure.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. So we could get this done today.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

You guys walk in and see all the baseballs?

[Big Cat]

Oh, yeah. It's a. He's like a Darth Vader of baseball. When you walk in, you're just like, holy shit, this office is impressive. So Real question. And then we'll do the negotiation. Is it difficult sometimes to be playing in a season like this, being like there's a lot of money coming? Like, it's like it's. You. You're human. You know what I mean? You can't not think about it at all. But are you able to, like, compartmentalize?

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah, I think when you're. When our team's doing what we're doing, I mean, we got 40 wins or whatever. It's the whole contract and money stuff kind of goes to the side because we're winning so much. And that's. That's the ultimate goal, is to win. You know, you want to be the last team winning, you know, with a win in the season. So it makes it easier in that aspect, you know, and last year when we traded away guys, it did become a little bit more difficult to pitch because I knew that I was chasing down an award and stuff. And then we went on that run and it kind of took all that shit away. So winning, I. I say this a lot. Winning cures everything. You know, winning is. It's a band aid that, you know, it doesn't matter if it's a bullet hole, whatever, you know, it cures everything. And you just kind of go play baseball. So that's kind of the. Yeah, I think winning is. It takes a lot of that stuff off your mind as a player.

[Big Cat]

Dumb question, maybe, but when? Because the season is so long in baseball. When does losing. When is. What's a losing streak that, like, okay, it becomes a bummer because obviously you can lose two games in a row. You can lose three games in a row. That's just baseball. Is there a number where you're like, well, this fucking sucks?

[Tarek Skubal]

I was actually joking around this year when we got swept by the Dodgers to start the season. I was like. I walked to A.J. i go, hey, Skip, are we ever going to win again? Three is a long. A long time. But, like, I mean, three happens. You know, we just did it to Cleveland, and then we rattled off five straight wins. So the game, the ebbs and flows of baseball are a little bit different. But, I mean, if you're losing four in a row, if you get swept by a team for four games, that's like, that was a long series, you know, and it's half a week of games playing, you know, four or five. I've been on teams that have lost 13 in a row, and that is like. That is legitimately miserable.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

You know, you don't even want to go to the yard anymore. You're like, when's the last bus? When's the first bus out of here? Can I get treatment during the game so I don't have to watch us lose again? There's. Yeah, there's losing socks.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Is that.

[PFT Commenter]

Is there always some guy that's, like, trying to lighten the mood in the clubhouse? And they try it in different ways if it's a losing streak. And at some point, you just have to, like, stop trying to, like, joke your way out of it.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

What is that like?

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah, I think sometimes it's like, when you start losing, guys tend to try a little bit harder, and then you realize, like, that's probably the wrong thing to do. Maybe try a little bit less and just play the game of baseball. No stress. And I. I think that we have guys in our clubhouse that keep it light. You know, Jake Rogers is like, that guy, you know, where our team is. Funny, too. You know, Torque's one of those guys, too, where he can have a horrible at bat, you know, like, horrible at bat, and come in and be like, I saw him. Well, you know, like, that's like. That's who he is. Like, Greeny, yesterday in the first inning, I think we hit, like, two homers or whatever, but he's the one who struck out in between the homers. And he comes in and he's, like, as happy as anyone. And he's like, yeah, I saw him well, too, but I'm like, dude, you struck out. Yeah, he's like, no, but I saw him well, yeah, you know, so like, that's like. That's that running joke, you know, or when our team has a horrible swing, you know, we'll scream to the umpires, like, check them. No. Like, ask for help, you know?

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

Like, no, he's not even close to hitting it. So our team does a good job of keeping it pretty light, and we enjoy it.

[PFT Commenter]

I feel like that's important in baseball, too, is even if you have a batted bat and you say, like, I saw. Well, even if you're joking and you're lying about just saying it out loud, like, there's a part of you that might believe it, and it's such a mental thing where it's like, okay, I'm still in a positive mindset, so next time I go up, I'm not going to be bummed out thinking about all the negative things that could happen.

[Tarek Skubal]

No doubt, no doubt. I think it's. It's funny as pitchers, you know, we'll throw a pitch that's 40ft, right? And I bet everyone watching is like, how does a professional athlete do that? And then our dugout is probably screaming like, hey, you can't get beat there. You know, great pitch. You can't get beat there. They can't swing or you throw a fastball to the back of the, you know, off the netting over them, it's like, hey, can't get beat there, man. Yeah, yeah, you can't get beat. They can't put the bat on it.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, whatever.

[Tarek Skubal]

On to the next bit.

[Big Cat]

I feel like I get my ass kicked right away because I just, someone would strike out and be like, that was a great cut. Like, just keep saying that over and over. Great cut.

[Tarek Skubal]

No, it's hilarious. I mean, there's moments where maybe bigger moments, this, these things kind of tend to happen earlier in the games, later in the games. It's a little bit, you know, you kind of pick and choose when you're going to mess around, but. And then score of the game kind of dictates that, you know, if we're getting our ass beat, like, there's, I'm not going to, when our guy. Check. Swings and it's a bad swing, I'm not going to yell out like, hey, check, you know, the umpire or whatever. But I think that's our team's fun in that aspect too.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[Tarek Skubal]

We just, we're young, we have fun, we enjoy it. You know, you have a bad swinging bunt that's like, goes five feet foul. You'll, you know, you'll hear someone from the dugout, like, straighten it out. You know, I think that that's, that's hilarious to me, and we just kind of keep that same vibe.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, I, I, I heard a nasty rumor about you. Well, first, I, I'm going to give you some credit because in your last 10 games, you're 5. 0. Your ERA is 1.66.

[Tarek Skubal]

You've got 0.03 from being really good.

[PFT Commenter]

0.03 from being really, really nice.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

89 strikeouts and three walks.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

In your last 10 games, 89 strikeouts and three walks. That's crazy. I, we want to give you all the cred the world again. We want to build you up. We want to see you get this massive contract. Hopefully stay in Detroit for a while. But I came across something very concerning about you.

[Tarek Skubal]

Oh, no.

[PFT Commenter]

You cheat at crossword puzzles.

[Tarek Skubal]

Oh, dude, they're hard.

[Big Cat]

We got a guy here who just got exposed for cheating at crossword puzzles, so a big deal.

[Tarek Skubal]

It's a big Deal.

[PFT Commenter]

But do you feel accomplished? Do you feel like you. You did something if you cheat at the crossword puzzle?

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah, I. I try my best to do it by myself every day. Right. I try my best to do it.

[Big Cat]

How fast do you cheat? Like, what point are you going to cheating?

[Tarek Skubal]

Okay. Yeah. So if I, you know, I'll go through every single clue, Right. And then, you know, you go through the crossword, sometimes they flow, you know, like, you'll have the top left, and it'll flow to the middle, and you get some letters, and it'll flow to the bottom right. And then you kind of got to start taking some shots in the dark on the bottom left or top right.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

And once I get to a point where I literally don't know how to do anything. I've read every clue twice. I've done it all twice. That's when I usually call Jake Rogers. I'm like, hey, Jake, like, can you change one of these clues? Look at what I have. What's the most important word for me to go forward? You know what's going to give me the most? Usually it's like a. It'll be like, something down because it'll give you the start for, like. Like five other words.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

And he'll just, like, change the clue for me, and then I'm like, oh, yeah, way better clue for me. And I'll write it in, you know, and then. Then I'll go, and if I get stuck again, then, you know, I'll ask again. But that's kind of the.

[Big Cat]

Oh, so you don't. You don't Google it? You just ask him?

[Tarek Skubal]

Well, some. Yeah. I mean, sometimes I have to. If he's not around. Yeah, if he's not around, I have to, like, if I can't find him.

[Big Cat]

And is he the best.

[Tarek Skubal]

It's crosswords on our team. Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. So he's the worst. Torkelson.

[Tarek Skubal]

I don't even think torque could start it.

[Big Cat]

No. Right. That's what I'm saying.

[Magnus Carlsen]

Jackson Joe.

[Tarek Skubal]

Jackson Joe couldn't do it either.

[Big Cat]

Circles. He would look at it just being like, what is this? What is this witchcraft? He's like, yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Is this algebra?

[Magnus Carlsen]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah. I think there's a lot of guys that. That couldn't do it because you got to know the. You got to know the lingo and the jargon. You know, there's a lot of words that repeat every day.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

You know, if they ever talk about a cookie, it's an Oreo. You know, if they ever have a. A Lake in there. It's eerie. Just because there's thousands. So wait, are we talking about the.

[PFT Commenter]

Full crossword or we talk about the mini?

[Tarek Skubal]

Well, the crossword mini is pretty easy.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. Okay. I just want to make sure that we're not sure.

[Tarek Skubal]

We're talking about New York Times.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Is it USA Today?

[Tarek Skubal]

New York? The New York one I think is really hard. And the LA one is like. That one is impossible.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[Tarek Skubal]

Like you can't do it. You can't do it.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, well, I can't do any of them.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah. But I think it's USA Today. I think that's the one that.

[PFT Commenter]

That one I think has pictures in it. Yeah, it's pretty easy.

[Big Cat]

It's like a. It's like an IHOP menu. What is this?

[Tarek Skubal]

I have it on my phone.

[Big Cat]

It's a picture of pancake.

[Tarek Skubal]

So that way on off days I can do it.

[PFT Commenter]

You gotta get a newspaper and just USA Today.

[Tarek Skubal]

There's no.

[Big Cat]

There's no pictures. Yeah, no, there's pictures that we're looking at right now.

[Tarek Skubal]

This is not pictures.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, look.

[PFT Commenter]

What is this? It's a picture of Snoopy.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, look.

[Tarek Skubal]

This is USA Today.

[Big Cat]

It's like this color.

[PFT Commenter]

Three letter word.

[Tarek Skubal]

We need to print it out and I want to see how far you guys can get.

[Big Cat]

You're literally just coloring a Cheesecake Factory menu every day. Yeah. Being like, wow, Jake Rogers, I need your help.

[PFT Commenter]

We got to get a newspaper in Detroit on. On game like days that you're starting to make the world's easiest crossword puzzle and put it out just. Just so that you can get in, get out. Do you do it just on days that you're starting or do you do it every day?

[Tarek Skubal]

I try to do it every day. Sometimes schedule dictates if I can do it before my day starts versus after my day starts. But I usually try to carve out, you know, 20 or 30 minutes to do it. But that's, you know, sometimes if I can't get it in 20 minutes, I'm. I mean, you're pissed off too.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

It's like this isn't even worth it.

[Big Cat]

Anymore, but probably sharpens your mind. Probably kind of wakes you up a little.

[Tarek Skubal]

I don't, I don't. You'd think I'd have a sharper mind, but I don't think that there's much.

[Big Cat]

I was trying to give you a compliment. Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

Going on for me.

[Big Cat]

You should actually. All right, so let's talk about the contract. Maybe start doing the LA crossword and then Throw that in that big Boris binder being like, this guy's actually the smartest pitcher that's ever been created. Look at how many times he's done the crossword post.

[Tarek Skubal]

I, I. We could get four guys that do the crossword every day, the USA Today one. And we could all sit on a table and try to do the LA one, and we won't get it.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay, so what you're saying is the bright lights of LA and New York are too bright for you.

[Tarek Skubal]

Are too big for me.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Okay.

[Tarek Skubal]

That's exactly what that was.

[Big Cat]

Okay. 10 years. 425.

[Tarek Skubal]

That sounds good, doesn't it?

[Big Cat]

That sounds good.

[Tarek Skubal]

That sounds good.

[Big Cat]

I feel like if you get anything over that, you should probably kick a little piece to us.

[Tarek Skubal]

If, if you guys are, have, yeah.

[Big Cat]

We'Ll tweetable when your contract's up. Like, we'll tweet about you non stop being like this guy. We could just say he, he needs 12, 700. Yeah, we anchor the negotiation there.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah, we could, we could, we could negotiate some stuff. You'd have to talk to Boris about it.

[PFT Commenter]

But let's be honest. What we can do is after every single good pitch you throw, after every single quality start you have, we will get, we'll be your propaganda department and just raise awareness of how incredible the season that you're having truly is. And then I think you already said 10 years. 445. 425 would make you happy.

[Big Cat]

Good.

[PFT Commenter]

So anything beyond that, it's. You're just being greedy.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, you are. So you got to give it back.

[PFT Commenter]

It's all expendable that you can cut.

[Tarek Skubal]

If I get above 425, then you guys can have the.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, okay. Deal.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, I think we need to go.

[Big Cat]

To Boris's office and just like, sit down with him and be like, listen, Scott, we've taken a. In your office somewhere. We didn't flush. We're not going to tell you until next time.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, I will upper deck him if he doesn't cut me.

[Big Cat]

There are multiple shits in your office right now. Now, none of them been flushed.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

If you want, if you want us to leave, get us in on this deal.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

So back to your complete game. It's been a story this year. You haven't. You've been pulled a bunch before. A hundred pitches. You did. I should. I did a bad job of saying the complete game. It was, it was technically a Maddox, which is one of the coolest things when you pitch a complete game under 100 pitches. I think that's like the height of efficiency. Maybe cooler than a no hitter. Just going to throw that out there. So you did it under 100. No, no. I mean no hit. Everyone throws a no hitter.

[Tarek Skubal]

No, no, that, that's not true.

[Big Cat]

There's so many no hitters. Yes, there are.

[PFT Commenter]

There was a no hitter in the World Series a couple years ago.

[Big Cat]

Non stop.

[Tarek Skubal]

Isn't that Roy Holiday?

[PFT Commenter]

It was a. Max, you remember that game?

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Max who threw the nose.

[PFT Commenter]

Wasn't there no hitter in the World Series a few years ago?

[Tarek Skubal]

I think my Holiday did it in the post.

[Big Cat]

It was the.

[PFT Commenter]

This was. I forget who's playing.

[Big Cat]

Your mic's not on.

[PFT Commenter]

Max knows that didn't count.

[Big Cat]

No. Well, did you get any hits? The Phillies get any hits?

[Zach]

That didn't count?

[Big Cat]

Did the Phillies get a hit?

[Zach]

Combined no hitters do not count.

[PFT Commenter]

Does it combine no hitter count?

[Tarek Skubal]

Those aren't as cool as doing it.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, that's fine.

[PFT Commenter]

But it's no hitter.

[Big Cat]

Right. But he asked Max question. Did the Philly ask Max if the Phillies got any hits in the game?

[Tarek Skubal]

He's got no hit in a World Series game.

[Zach]

It was. It didn't count. Combined no hitters don't count.

[PFT Commenter]

Didn't count. No hitters don't count.

[Big Cat]

He's saying combined no hitters don't count. But ask him again. Did. Did they get hit in the game?

[PFT Commenter]

When was this in the World Series?

[Big Cat]

What year was it, Max?

[Zach]

It was the year against the Astros.

[Big Cat]

I don't know. Astros? Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Let's see.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. They had no hits in the game.

[Zach]

Well, that's because. That's because it was a combined no hitter. No one cares about combined no hitters.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah, combined on hitters aren't as cool.

[Big Cat]

But still if instead did they get a hit?

[Zach]

This is like a perfect example of why it doesn't count.

[Big Cat]

But is it November? It's a no hitter.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah. I mean, I guess it's a no.

[Big Cat]

Hitter because he got. They got no hits.

[Tarek Skubal]

No. Yeah. I mean you're right.

[Big Cat]

Right, right. It's pretty.

[Tarek Skubal]

It's not as cool as a starter doing it himself.

[Big Cat]

That's fine. We never did. We never disagreed with that. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

But the fact is no hits. Max calls it a zero hitter. Which is just insane levels of cope.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Zach]

All right, so I think that makes sense either way.

[Big Cat]

The Maddox was awesome. So did you talk to AJ Hinch after when you pitcher complete game, did he say like, hey, if you had gone over 100, we would had to pull you?

[Tarek Skubal]

No, I. I Mean, sometimes when you walk. When you're walking off, and his thing's the handshake. Right. And when you get the handshake, you're done.

[Big Cat]

Have you ever just not done? Like, what if you just don't shake his hand?

[Tarek Skubal]

I've never done that.

[Big Cat]

You should try that. He can't pull you.

[Tarek Skubal]

It doesn't really go over well. I've shook his hand and then argued it a little bit. And then that's straight to the tunnel. Well, that's straight to the tunnel. And then you hash it out down there.

[Big Cat]

Give them a little of this next time.

[Tarek Skubal]

It's not going to go over well.

[PFT Commenter]

He makes a good point, though, because if you do the handshake, that's sealing the deal. Yeah, he's like. There's no conversation after the handshake. You're agreeing with a man, you're giving him your word. But if you don't shake the hand, then no agreement has been made, and it's all up for negotiation.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah, I. I probably won't. He's got. He's. He's so smart. AJ's. I mean, he's the best manager in the game. So wherever he wants to take the game or whatever he wants to do, the matchups that he wants to create from the bullpen coming in, I'm never gonna doubt that. Like, I'm never. I'm never gonna doubt that. And during that game where it was a complete game, I didn't think I gave him a reason to take me out of the game. And most times you can give him a reason to take. Like, if you watch the last couple innings, maybe you're spraying a little bit. You're not getting as much weak contact. It's getting a little loud. Okay, we're going to the bullpen, right? So he's very smart about that, and he does a ton of research. You know, you walk by his office, he's got his laptop up, and. And if you just walk in to just talk about whatever, he'll be going over matchups of. Of pockets he wants to create for relievers that come in to face this certain part of the lineup, and then they're going to pinch it for these guys. And then I. I want. Actually want this guy to get the pinch hit for. It's like. It's insane. He's really good at his job, sticking plays ahead. No doubt. It feels like we're always. It feels like every move that is made during the game, pinch hit, bullpen move. Whatever happens, it feels like it's Always in our advantage, which I love.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

And at the end of the day, I'm trying to win. So if he' the handshake, it's like one. I probably gave him a reason to take me out of the game. Maybe I'm walking guys or my velocity is starting to decline or it's getting a little loud. You know, maybe the quality of contact, it went from being, you know, pretty low exit vlos to now they're getting to the hundreds or 104 and there's maybe a play at the, at the fence and. And he always protects his guys too. He always protects his starters. He doesn't ever want to start. Like if his starter is pitching really well, he doesn't ever want the starter to kind of pitch himself into a loss after a really good day just because it puts a sour taste in your mouth. So I trust him a ton in that. But going back to the complete game thing, they hadn't hit the ball really hard at all. I felt like I was in complete control of the game. I had 11 strikeouts at the time. Through eight I was at 80 something pitches. I knew who was coming up in the lineup. I think Jose Ramirez was. I just. Or he had just like hit 109 to left field single. And I'm like, thank God. Great. Great at bat for me. Like, he's one of the best hitters ever. And I knew I was kind of in control of the game. So if there was going to be a handshake there, I. That would have been maybe one of the few times I would have strongly disagreed with it.

[Big Cat]

But don't give him the handshake.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah, but there. I don't think there was a doubt in, in anybody's mind. I didn't. It didn't even cross my mind that I was coming out of the game. I kind of knew I was at least gonna go out there and then I didn't.

[Big Cat]

There.

[Tarek Skubal]

At no point was there ever a reliever warming up. So I knew I was in control of that game.

[Big Cat]

I. I got a really dumb question. I don't know why. This is the first time in 40 years of my life that I've had this pop my head. But you're a lefty. Is it weird shaking hands with your right hand?

[Tarek Skubal]

No. No.

[PFT Commenter]

We've just beaten you.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

It's just.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, you just. We just have forced all of you.

[Tarek Skubal]

Lefties to do that society. Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

You just kind of. It's always right handed. If I were to walk up to you today and been like what the hell?

[Big Cat]

I would think, I would think you're injured or something with your right hand.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah, exactly.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

I go home just. You know, the biggest thing being left handed is growing up. The scissors are for right handed people to cut scissors.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

And they don't fit the same for lefties. Like they're not like ambidextrous scissors.

[Big Cat]

My son's a lefty so he's going.

[Tarek Skubal]

To have buy him left handed scissors. He'll think thank you for that.

[Big Cat]

Okay, wait, let. Let me try a left handed handshake with you.

[PFT Commenter]

It's gonna, it's gonna mess you up.

[Big Cat]

Okay. You can stay sitted.

[Tarek Skubal]

It's gonna mess you up this up.

[Big Cat]

If scubal shakes my hand, then he's gonna give us 10 of his new contract. Oh, you hate that.

[PFT Commenter]

That's a deal.

[Tarek Skubal]

You hate that.

[Big Cat]

Oh, that is weird.

[PFT Commenter]

Are left handed handshakes enforceable in court?

[Big Cat]

Yeah, I don't know. That might think they're more enforceable. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Because you had to go out of your way.

[Big Cat]

Sound mind and body. Like no one would ever do this with their left.

[PFT Commenter]

It's not an auto pin. That's a left handed. Like I have intent behind this right.

[Big Cat]

Now I got a question about. You had a very funny interaction with Alex Bregman earlier this year where he was, he was beating you up.

[Tarek Skubal]

Someone in here loved it.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, Hank loved it. He. He was beating you up this year. I think he had three hits off you. And you just told him in between innings, take the first pitch. And he actually did.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

And then he got a hit. Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

So he went first pitch, 107 to the center fielder. It may have been a double or something, a single. And I was like, oh, okay. Swing at the first pitch. That's nothing new to me. Everybody swings at the first pitch. So he does it. Second pitch, homer. And I get back in the dugout and like I, I have fun when I'm playing, you know, you're competing. But like I also enjoy just the game. And I like Bregman. I like the way he plays the game. I love everything about him. He's a, he's a grinder. I've heard great things in the clubhouse about him. And, and so I go down to the, the other side of the dugout and I'm like, hey, take one. Can you please take one? Your next at bat. And then he steps in the box for his third at bat and I kind of give him the hands like, hey, just take one.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

And I threw a strike and he Took it and I go. I started laughing because he did it.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

And then the next pitch. Single.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

Well, I go. And then he gets the first. I go. Maybe take two next time.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, right, right.

[Tarek Skubal]

You just take. Maybe I'll just walk you. How about that?

[Big Cat]

Do you think you. Maybe I. I actually talked to Bregman about this because I wanted to get like. Figure out what you were throwing. He said that the split up splitter, that was what. That's what he can hit off you, so.

[PFT Commenter]

Splitter.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah, I don't even throw or.

[Big Cat]

What is it? What? No, maybe it wasn't the splitter. What do you say, Hank?

[Tarek Skubal]

Well, that. Yeah, I mean, if they.

[Big Cat]

What did you throw? What'd you throw there? It wasn't the four seam. Maybe it was sinker.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

City hit one off the wall in the playoffs last year off you. And he. He feels like that gave him a little confidence, so.

[Tarek Skubal]

Well, if you watch the rest of that game, I don't think there was go.

[PFT Commenter]

You should.

[Big Cat]

There you go.

[PFT Commenter]

You should not have said that. You don't throw a splitter because now everybody's gonna be like, like.

[Tarek Skubal]

Well, I used to split. I used to throw a splitter and it was horrible. So I had to stop throwing it.

[PFT Commenter]

Maybe just.

[Tarek Skubal]

I would have been sent back to Toledo if I kept throwing that.

[PFT Commenter]

Just tell people that you're bringing it back, then they'll. That's one more pitch they get to look for.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah, I got it in my back pocket.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, you do.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah, yeah, I throw a sweeper. Gyro. Hey, I'll throw an efis.

[Big Cat]

Have you ever thought about throwing an efis? You should do it once, just for us.

[Tarek Skubal]

I've. I've thought about it, but in. The reason I don't think I'll ever do it is the slim chance that it gets just destroyed.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

It'd also be funny though.

[Tarek Skubal]

I would have no answer to anybody if I give up a homer on a 65 mile an hour pitch.

[Big Cat]

Cranky, I think threw one.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah. But Granky's weird.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, he is weird. I think he threw it a couple.

[Tarek Skubal]

Times, but it's like that's part of his game though.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

You know, the EFIS is not part of my game.

[PFT Commenter]

Have you ever thought about the gyro ball?

[Tarek Skubal]

The gyro ball? Yeah, like slider.

[PFT Commenter]

I don't know. The gyro ball. That's when Dice K came over and was like, it's. It's a pitch that no one's ever seen.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah. They just all call. I mean it's the fork ball now. It's like it's a different splitter. You know, that's kind of what it is. But you know, gyro now is called, those are called sliders. So that's like the gyro slider. You're looking for bullet spin. That's what gyro means, is, is bullet spin.

[PFT Commenter]

Which bullet spin?

[Tarek Skubal]

So like the ball is literally, you know, the axis is through the baseball this way and it's spinning.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

So a right handed gyro is going to spin this way. A left handed gyro is going to spin that way. And you're basically just trying to kill vert and kill horizontal. It's gonna like gravity is going to pull this ball down.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

And the nose will get pulled down. And then, I mean there's a whole. I could get about as nerded out about it as if you want, but.

[PFT Commenter]

We were talking to Paul Skeens a couple months ago and he still carries around a baseball with, with him and he just, you know, does like different grips on it. Always trying to figure out what a new pitch that he could throw is or do we have a new pitch that's coming out of the arsenal soon.

[Tarek Skubal]

I try to throw a sweeper like once in between every start. I try to get a sweeper grip that I like and it doesn't work. I, I can't, I can't, I can't throw it. But I, I keep trying because it's like, oh, well, maybe if I put my finger here or maybe if I put this finger here. You know, you constantly are tinkering with things, but it, what about, what about a knuckle ball? I, I have a tough time spiking my. I don't have the most mobile fingers.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[Tarek Skubal]

And for a knuckle ball you kind of. I can't really spike anything. Like, guys will throw like spiked curveballs where their knuckles like this and it hurts my knuckles to like do that. I don't have very mobile fingers. I don't think so. I don't know if that'll ever come.

[PFT Commenter]

How many changeups do you have?

[Tarek Skubal]

One.

[PFT Commenter]

Just one.

[Tarek Skubal]

Just one grip and then counts dictate if I want to throw it a little bit harder, a little bit slower at bats dictate that too.

[Big Cat]

But good change up is awesome.

[PFT Commenter]

I feel like Greg throwing it more.

[Big Cat]

I think it's your most thrown pitch right now. Yeah, Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

I think Greg Maddox had like five different kinds of change ups that he would throw. And at Some point, you're like, dude, it's just pick like maybe one, maybe two if you're feeling frisky.

[Tarek Skubal]

Well, yeah, I mean, if you. If you want to throw change ups like that like he did. I mean, he's throwing like cut change ups on purpose. He's throwing like straight change ups. He's throwing change ups that sink. He's throwing changeups that go straight down. I mean, Hendrick kind of does this too. He'll throw like cut changeups, cut change up, cut change up. And then like he throws cut change ups to righties and then later into council throw like the back door sinking change up. And you think it's going to cut off, so you take it and then it runs back on. So I think you got to have a ton of feel to do that, you know, to really do that with changeups.

[PFT Commenter]

You just Talking about a 109 mile per hour hit that you gave up a single, and you're like, I was okay with that. That's fine. He's a great batter. I can live with that one.

[Tarek Skubal]

It wasn't a homer.

[PFT Commenter]

Do you have a. Do you have a favorite hit that you've given up, like, in a bat that you worked really hard on? We've act. We've asked quarterbacks this, like, do you have a favorite interception that you've ever thrown, but do you have a favorite hit that you've given up where you feel like, okay, that was a massive win after that, at that.

[Tarek Skubal]

I mean, anytime you keep, like, the best players in the yard, you know, like Aaron Judge, Jose Ramirez, Otani, Mookie Freddy, like, like anytime you just give up a single to those guys, you're.

[Big Cat]

Like, you can live with it.

[Tarek Skubal]

Great, great at bat. Yeah, great at bat. You know, even if, I mean, with runners and scoring position, maybe a little bit different. But, like, I gave up a single to Aaron Judge, I think maybe in Williamsport last year, and you hit it like 114 on the ground. And I was. He got to first base and I was like, hey, nice job, man. Yeah, thank you. It wasn't a homer, so thank you. Yeah, but, yeah, you try to keep, you know, really good players. Just if you keep them in the yard and if, especially if they're not like, you know, trying to steal bags like that where they're not running a ton, it's almost. It's kind of a advantage for the pitcher because, you know, you can get a ground ball and get a double play and, you know, get two outs for the price of one, especially when those guys are so good.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

What about a favorite strikeout?

[Tarek Skubal]

Favorite strikeout. I mean, that one to end the complete game is probably. That's pretty good. I mean, the hardest fastball I've ever thrown. There was one in that game in the seventh inning to Manzardo that was a sinker, like, down and away, kind of off to back on. And that was 102. And that one felt good out of the hand, too.

[Big Cat]

Was the. Was you swearing, walking off the field and your mom getting mad? Was that off of a strikeout in the playoffs?

[Tarek Skubal]

That was off a double play.

[Big Cat]

Okay. All right. That was maybe the best double play.

[Tarek Skubal]

It was a big moment, you know, and then, I mean, I don't. I don't know what happened that day. I think.

[Big Cat]

Think.

[Tarek Skubal]

I mean, the Cleveland fans were great, too. I. I like going there. It's fun. And then the playoff series was. That's like. That's playoff baseball.

[Big Cat]

You actually have a big time hater in this office that I know.

[Tarek Skubal]

I was wondering if I was gonna see.

[Big Cat]

You'll see him. Yeah. Yeah. Tate is a big Guardians fan, and he. He just writes blogs constantly. Like, he had an entire campaign that Clause A should have won the Cy Young last year.

[Tarek Skubal]

You can't keep my name out of his mouth.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. And then he.

[Tarek Skubal]

That's a good.

[Big Cat]

And then he's writing like, the Tiger should trade you right now because you're not going to resign.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

So, yeah, you'll get to meet him. Here's a question. This might be insider trading, but we're just going to do it anyway because we're. We're. We're basically part of your agent team now. I think that was clear. Do you have, like, a very good friend, starting pitcher on another team?

[Tarek Skubal]

Like, who's your closest friend on another team?

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

See, I've. I've had a cool opportunity to just play on, like, one team my whole career.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

Like, no trade. I've been drafted by the Tigers. Play with the Tigers. So, like, on the team is. Is Casey Mice.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[Tarek Skubal]

Me and him have come up together, but on another team, it's probably. It's probably Matt Boyd.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

So he's a pitcher, and he can. So here's what we need to do. We need to figure out, whenever you play him, he needs to. You need to be like, hey, Skip, I'm ready to bat today. And you go up, he throws you a meatball, you hit a home run. And then when we get that big binder from Scott Boris, we're like, tarek Skubal. If you actually did the math, he would have 450 home runs if you gave him the show. Hey, you know, full treatment of it.

[Tarek Skubal]

Pats, I always say. Yeah, I like that.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. But it's a good idea, right?

[Tarek Skubal]

There's no chance I could hit first off.

[Big Cat]

What do you mean?

[Tarek Skubal]

I. Dude, I can't hit. Go pull up the table.

[Big Cat]

We're going to cut this.

[PFT Commenter]

Not with that attitude.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, we're going to cut this part.

[Tarek Skubal]

At the end of his career, I mean, great player, right? But he was throwing 84, 86, and I thought it was like, 102. Like, I can't. I can't see the ball. And then.

[Big Cat]

This is bad.

[Tarek Skubal]

I do say this, though. I do say I'm the best bunner in major league history.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay.

[Tarek Skubal]

Bryce Wilson, I faced him in Pittsburgh, and I got. I went, you know, 040. Got my sack bunt down, and I have one bun attempt. Got it down. So that's big situations. I always say I'm the best bunner in major league history. You ready to take that away from me? I'm one for one.

[PFT Commenter]

Never. How are you at base? Run running.

[Tarek Skubal]

Well, I. I was out. You know, I. I sacrificed myself because I'm a team guy.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

So I got my bun down. I'm a big team guy. I ran to first base. I was out by, you know, 10 steps.

[PFT Commenter]

Did you run it out?

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah, I run it out.

[Big Cat]

So you're slow?

[Tarek Skubal]

No, I. I was pitching. So, you know, you kind of. It's a courtesy. Yeah, once I. Once I knew he fielded it, I was like, well, the only way I'm safe is if he, you know, yips it up the line. But, yeah, so I got out of the box. All right. Made him think that I maybe could be fast and then shut it down.

[PFT Commenter]

But are you fast?

[Tarek Skubal]

I wouldn't claim that I'm fast, but I'm not. I don't think I'm.

[Big Cat]

You should. Yeah, I mean, you're a hoss. Horses can't be fast.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah, you.

[Big Cat]

Like, if you wanted to be fast, you'd have to give up, Hoss. I'd rather be a horse than fast.

[Tarek Skubal]

No doubt. No doubt. But I'm not slow. I don't think I'm slow. Yeah, I think I can run. I don't think I could run the bases, but I think, like, it takes me a little bit to get going.

[Big Cat]

It takes me a little bit to.

[Tarek Skubal]

Get going, but once I get to my, you know, my stride kind of opens up. I Think I run decent?

[PFT Commenter]

You run for power.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, I like that.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah. I'm not built for the 100 meter dash, but I'm not built for the 400 or the 1600 or any of those other ones, but maybe like a 250 meter. Maybe if you only counted from 75 to the. The rest of the race. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Big Cat]

How fun is Javi Bias? I'm. I'm pumped for Javi. I love Javi forever. Him having kind of a resurgence this year and also like playing center field has that. That like your defense obviously very important. Like, is Javi just a guy? He seems like a very fun guy in the locker room.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah, I love him. I love him. He's always taking care of us, you know, no matter what the results are on the field. He's the same guy in the clubhouse, and he's taken care of us ever since he came over. You know, he was the first. I mean, he's. He's great too. But, you know, what goes under, you know, overlooked. Not under overlooked was he's playing center field for Parker when Parker gets hurt.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[Tarek Skubal]

In spring training, Parker comes back. He plays his first game at shortstop last night for the first time. It felt like in. I don't know when was the last time he played shortstop. And he makes an insane play up the middle to save two runs. You know, one run scores, but he picks the ball, throws it from his. His knees. We get an out, and then we get the next out. So he saves two runs in that aspect too. And that's like such an under appreciated aspect of his game is he'll go from center to third to short to second, and we move him all around and he doesn't complain about anything. You know, he just wants to play baseball. And. And I love that about him.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Back in 2016, when we started this podcast, Big Cat took me to a Cubs game and he was like, watch Javi Baez. Watch how he tags.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

And I was like, this guy is the best tagger in the history of Major League Baseball. I didn't know that was a skill.

[Big Cat]

Tags and slides.

[Tarek Skubal]

Tagging. No, tagging's like a legit thing.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

If you're really good at tagging guys out, it makes a huge difference.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

For your catcher for games. Like, he's so good at that.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. And his slides are also like, he'll, you know, over a course of a. Of a. You know, there's some times where Javi will have some weird things happen on the base path, but he Will have like, you know, I would say call it once a month where it's like that slide. There's no one else can make that slide.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Really?

[PFT Commenter]

Yes.

[Tarek Skubal]

He looks, when he slide, like he slid in the home. There wasn't even a play at the plate. But he slid in the home yesterday. Well, it wasn't, I mean, it kind of was. The throw was like, you know, 15ft up the line, so there really wasn't a play at the plate. But, but he slid and just like, as he slid and just kind of smacks his hand on home and I'm like, dude, you're really cool.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

I think him and, and Trey Turner have the best slides in, in baseball.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah, Trey. Yeah, Trey. I mean, he just like, he does. There's no, he just like glides on the ground.

[PFT Commenter]

He glides and then stands up in one motion. It's like a Michael Jackson music video. Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

I don't know how he does that.

[PFT Commenter]

It's crazy. And also, I love Jav's tattoo. The MLB tattoo.

[Tarek Skubal]

Sweet.

[PFT Commenter]

Have you thought about getting an MLB tattoo? Maybe on your neck, like the front of your neck.

[Big Cat]

It would show that you love the game.

[Tarek Skubal]

Cross my mind.

[Big Cat]

Might be something we could.

[Tarek Skubal]

It looks great on him.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

I don't know if it'd look good on me.

[PFT Commenter]

I, I, I went to a Cubs game on Saturday and they employed an interesting strategy with their starting pitcher. So they had their starter for a one inning and then they brought in the other guy.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Ben Brown, who historically doesn't pitch that well in the first innings, then he pitches after that. Do you think that, that baseball managers are ever going to get into a phase where they have, have, you know, some of their best pitchers pitching everything or as, as much as possible?

[Tarek Skubal]

What do you mean? Like, like that's like an opener situation?

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, yeah, an opener. But like, if, if you're the best pitcher by far having an opener, you're not going to have an opener. But wouldn't it be nice to have you go out there every single game for a few innings?

[Big Cat]

He's saying, like, if you, like you're off day throwing, when you're ramping it up, like, instead of off day throwing in the bullpen, you just are an opener one day?

[Tarek Skubal]

I don't know. I mean, I would love to. Right. Like, I have a bullpen today at the field. I would love to just throw it in the game, open it.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

Opener. That's like college ball.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

You know, where it's like, oh, you're starting Friday. Okay. Well, if we're winning on Tuesday, why, this is small. A mid major guy was where I went to school, but if we were like playing UW or something on a Tuesday, our coach would be like, hey, don't throw your bullpen today yet. If we're winning in the eighth inning, you're gonna throw it in the ninth. And I'm like, well, that's not really a bullpen. That's. This is game high leverage. It's like I'm letting it rip. Yeah, but yeah, it's. I don't think that'll ever happen just with like arm injuries and the risk of. Of all that stuff. But I get your point. I think it would be fun to throw a lot. But then you're just a reliever, and I'm pretty sure everyone wants to be the starting coach.

[PFT Commenter]

Everybody does want to be the starter. Yeah, but you're right. I think if there was one injury that happened, then whoever that manager was, you're staking your career on that decision if you got your best guy going out there.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah. And like, I think historically, you know, you see it in the postseason where guys will jump back on short rest or whatever. I think, I mean, I'd be curious to see the numbers, but I don't think it's like, as good as you'd think. Like, you want your best pitcher out there, but you want your best pitcher out there on five days rest. But on four days rest or three days rest, like, I think the numbers would probably say that your best pitcher doesn't. Isn't your best pitcher on three days of rest.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

You know what I mean? Yeah. So I think the numbers kind of back that too. But everyone wants, you know, like the bum garner thing in the World Series where it's like this guy threw one three, you know, seven. Like all these games, right? Yeah. I mean, he's one of the best. He's probably the best postseason pitcher of all time. Maybe if you looked at the numbers. But like, that is such a rare case because there's also guys that have bounced back on short rests that haven't been very good.

[PFT Commenter]

So can you feel a difference in your arm? Like, what's the difference between four days rest and five days rest? Just waking up in the morning.

[Big Cat]

Morning.

[Tarek Skubal]

It's a big difference. It's a big difference. Just having that extra day, you know, I think even from five days to six days, you know, seven days, I think is always too much. Like, if you're throwing once a week, I think you almost feel too good. So you don't want to feel that because then your arm, you just don't even know where the ball's coming out. Yeah, but for. Even from 5 to 6 is a difference, you know, I think in just the stuff that comes out of your hand. And then if you go backwards the other way. Like last year, my last start was, you know, before the All Star break was whatever. And then the game was on. Four days rest. And I was trying to. I mean, I'm pitching my first All Star game. I'm thinking it's going to come out hot. My first heater was like 94. 7. And I'm like, what the hell? Like, I don't throw 94. And yeah, I just didn't have much with me that day. And that game was a little bit unique, too. Like, nothing matters. So your adrenaline doesn't flow the same. You know, you're like, I don't care if I get rocked or if I, you know, this game doesn't really matter. I mean, there's a little bit of incentive, but.

[Big Cat]

But.

[Tarek Skubal]

So maybe that's why the adrenaline was suppressed. But even then, I think I would have fed off the crowd a little bit better. And I was letting it rip, and it was like 95. And I'm like, oh, this isn't. This isn't normal.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. When does the adrenaline start to, like, when can you feel it? Like, where it's like, game day? Is it 20 minutes before? Is it right before? Because that's got to be like, the best drug to be like, holy, I'm just ready to go.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah. It's insane. You get addicted to it. Yeah, like, you get addicted addicted to it. It's probably, you know, on days I go, on days I'm pitching, I'm pretty, you know, relaxed, and I like to enjoy it and have fun. And then once I start my routine and I've had, you know, coffee, probably my, you know, I drink three shots of espresso, like, three hours before the game. That's kind of my dosage to where I know I'm awake, you know, for the game, and I'm ready to go. Probably an hour and 15 minutes before the game. That's kind of when I'm like, okay, you start to feel it. You get the nerves. You're not. You don't get, like, shaky, but you get like, you're ready to go. And then you get out there and you start playing catch, and then it starts to kind of like, go down. And then you hear the anthem, and then that's for me, once I hear the anthem, then it's like, okay, okay, it's ready to go. My next four or five pitches in the bullpen, or I, you know, I do a batter and whether I walk and I don't really care what happens, but I just, like, go through some sequencing, and then, you know, once you throw that last pitch, you know you're ready to go.

[PFT Commenter]

Did you have to tinker with that caffeine regimen? Was there a time when you were like, I'm going to try five, six shots?

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah, I didn't drink caffeine until 23. I didn't ever really have caffeine.

[Big Cat]

That's crazy.

[Tarek Skubal]

And then it's like, one of the best drugs for performance enhancing, like, to make you better. There's a lot of research about it, you know, to make you, like, your brain stimulus, all that stuff better. And, yeah, I didn't start drinking caffeine until I went on rehab assignment, and I started tinkering it with it on days I pitch. And I figured four is too much three hours before the game, but three is good and two's not enough. So it's always like, three.

[Big Cat]

I'm just gonna slap a Stella Blue logo on that entire speech right there.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah, four's too much. Two's not enough. Three is kind of perfect for me.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, it's like Martinez.

[Tarek Skubal]

And now I'm like, now I'm addicted to coffee.

[Big Cat]

That's how we're gonna do it. We're gonna do. I'm gonna get, like, paid Instagram ads of school saying all that stuff, and we're gonna. Cat. We're gonna. We're gonna basically reel in Boris where he's gonna try to sue me, and I'm like, hey, listen, buddy, let's talk. Now that we're at the table together, let's.

[Tarek Skubal]

I need to get some. I need to get some beans.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, I'll give you some on the way out, and I'll send you some. All right, I got a couple last questions. First is I need you to address something. I was looking at your name on Twitter and just seeing what the buzz is, and I found this one. This is from at Detroit Vers. Everyone 29. He said, hey, Tigers, I'd love to watch my favorite team play with my kids, but I won't let them watch when Tarek Skubel starts because his pants are too tight. Can this be addressed?

[Tarek Skubal]

Has a bad take. That's a bad take.

[Big Cat]

You do wear tight pants. Do you think that you're. Maybe you're Too tight for the kids?

[Tarek Skubal]

I don't think so.

[Big Cat]

Okay. I made that tweet up, by the way.

[PFT Commenter]

I like tight pants.

[Tarek Skubal]

I like my pants tight.

[Big Cat]

I don't.

[Tarek Skubal]

I've never been like a baggy pant. I mean, I'm wearing joggers right now, and this is kind of how I like my pants. Chance to fit.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

I mean, I won't let my. My son Chris watch you pitch anymore after you told the. The guardians to shut the up. That was bad. Your mom was right about that.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, she was.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

But I was impressed this season. You apologized for pimping a strikeout, which.

[Tarek Skubal]

Which. What are you talking.

[PFT Commenter]

Wasn't that against Neto?

[Tarek Skubal]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, that was. There was some stuff going on there, and, you know, you kind of handle it on the line. I'm never gonna hit anybody for anything. Like, I just don't think that's in the game anymore. And, yeah, there was some stuff, and I just didn't want. I didn't want retaliation against our guys, too, you know, for me, acting like that on the mound, you know, so that was kind of like, hey, I'm. The moment happened. We're all good. You know, I don't need anybody getting hit on our side either, so.

[Big Cat]

Great teammate.

[Memes]

Great teammate.

[Tarek Skubal]

Kind of. Yeah. Great teammate.

[PFT Commenter]

Saved lives that day.

[Tarek Skubal]

Self proclaimed great teammate. Those are the best guys. Everyone knows that.

[Big Cat]

Great teammate.

[Tarek Skubal]

But, yeah, I think that that was. That moment was, you know, I think. I mean, he's a great player, too. He's. He's. He's doing a hell of a job this year, but, yeah, yeah, you kind of.

[Big Cat]

Other Twitter's question, Scuba is God, you actually responded to him. That's the guy who gave me. The kid who gave me the envelopes, John. Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

Okay.

[Big Cat]

So have you. We got to get him out to a game. He loves you so much. He sent you a bunch of. He sent you a dm, and I think you responded to it a couple months later being like, yeah, we're friends now. Know. Very cool story. It's like, you don't have to do that. You're the Cy Young winner and you're responding to a random guy on Twitter. I love that.

[Tarek Skubal]

Well, I said I would. Yeah, I would to you guys. And he's messaged me a couple different times, and I've kind of got back to him a couple times, but I haven't gone over the whole ticket situation.

[Big Cat]

Okay, we got to get into a game.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah, let's get him out there.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Because he's your number one. I mean, the fact that you gave me that envelope is still. It will go down as one of the best bets I've ever made just because of the story behind it.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah. That is cool.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Yeah. All right, last question. Roback question. Rhobac.com promo code, take 20 off your first purchase. Q zips, polos, hoodies, joggers, shorts. Roback.com promo code take. This isn't even a question. This is just. Hank has a story he wants to tell you because Hank's a huge fan of yours. We're all huge fans. Yours, you are a hoss. But Hank, he told us his story a couple days ago. Go ahead, Hank.

[Hank]

Yeah. Huge fan. Obviously I was a lefty pitcher. Threw a little bit slower, but same.

[Tarek Skubal]

Sir game.

[Hank]

Love, love watching you play. And I was in Grand Rapids, Michigan last weekend. I was in an absolute dive bar. I think it's called Anchor Bar. Carpeted floors, dim lights. The TVs were the size of this TV that's above us. Like just tiny little monitors. It was like midnight 1am and they just had Tarek School highlights on a loop.

[Big Cat]

I was like that.

[Hank]

That's what you want in a, in a hometown bar.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Hank]

And that's what Grand Rapids is, Mickey.

[Tarek Skubal]

A really cool city, by the way.

[Hank]

I had a great time.

[Tarek Skubal]

High A team is. That's where West Michigan White Caps are. And I, I played there for a little bit. I, I loved it there. I think that's our best city for any affiliate we have in the minor leagues. Like, it was, it was awesome.

[Hank]

And that's a great sign of like, you know, you're the, the. The city loves you.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, they're just.

[Hank]

We're just gonna throw on like, what should we put on this tv? Like just throw on scuba highlights.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, just have it. Yeah, it's a 15 minute YouTube. Just have it play all night.

[PFT Commenter]

You know how nasty you have to be as a pitcher to have like a, A long highlight light? Makes that people want to watch at a bar while they're drunk. You have to be really good for that.

[Tarek Skubal]

That's awesome. Yeah. Anchor Bar. Yeah, I got some buddies that live in Grand Rapids. I'll have them go check it out.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

What do you, what do you plan on doing against the Cubs on Friday? Just tearing them apart.

[Tarek Skubal]

I mean, ideally.

[Big Cat]

Got some lefties. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

So wait, you said earlier you hardly ever pitch against lefties. Is that an anomaly for your division?

[Tarek Skubal]

Well, it's just no one likes the left on left matchup.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

Really. And so you're not used to it. Can stack a bunch of righties. They will. And then the lefties you get are dogs, you know, like Kyle Tucker, Schwarber, Harper, Otani. Like, you're getting those lefties that are like superstars.

[Big Cat]

Alvarez didn't say PC. That's bullets. Important material.

[PFT Commenter]

Not a dog.

[Big Cat]

On you.

[PFT Commenter]

He says a kitty.

[Tarek Skubal]

No, but, I mean, they're a good team. It'll be a fun. You know, it'll be a fun weekend. And, you know, our crowd. I think we've already. I've seen some stuff about how it's going to be a sellout pretty much all three games. So. Yeah, it'll be fun. It'll be fun. And, you know, you look forward to throwing at home in front of your own crowd and going out there and competing. It'll be. It'll be a good game for sure. Well, who's starting?

[Big Cat]

I don't know. I mean, our. Our. We might have an opener again. Let's see.

[Tarek Skubal]

Not Boido.

[Big Cat]

Taiyo pitched on Sunday, so maybe. Yeah, yeah. Or. Or Ben Brown, if they did the opener. He pitched on Saturday.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay, wait, Matt.

[Big Cat]

We're also going to run this the next week, so.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay. Yeah.

[Big Cat]

How'd it go?

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, How'd that game go?

[Big Cat]

Yeah, the game go, which is. We're run this on like.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I went. I went. Seven shot. Yeah, that's what happened.

[PFT Commenter]

Seven shot. I love it. Max, have you been doing the crossword in there? Or is that memes?

[Zach]

That would have. That would be.

[Hank]

Disrespectful.

[Big Cat]

I'm like, that's actually the most disrespectful thing. This is bad for you that Hank's doing this. Hank didn't go to college.

[PFT Commenter]

That's why Hank got it.

[Tarek Skubal]

The question is, I gotta stop looking.

[PFT Commenter]

What company do you work for?

[Hank]

No, yeah.

[Big Cat]

I was.

[Hank]

I was just like, you know, we pulled it up. I talked about it. I'm actually pretty proud of mine.

[Big Cat]

You can't look at that.

[Tarek Skubal]

Is that today's?

[Big Cat]

Is that today's? Yeah, don't look.

[PFT Commenter]

Just get. Give him one clue.

[Big Cat]

Give him one clue that you haven't got it.

[Hank]

Jerry Oconnell is obsessed with Tiffany Goss's feet. And he calls him this, well, child's word for foot.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, Give him. Which one? Across. You guys haven't gotten one across?

[Hank]

No.

[PFT Commenter]

Do one across.

[Hank]

Vicinity. Close.

[Tarek Skubal]

How many letters?

[Hank]

Four.

[Tarek Skubal]

Area, probably.

[Big Cat]

Ooh.

[Tarek Skubal]

That's what I would guess.

[Big Cat]

This is bad, though. If Hank can do this crossword, you might have to go to New York Times or la. Oh, yeah, there we go.

[Tarek Skubal]

All right, now you go. One down. What's down?

[Big Cat]

One down.

[Hank]

Seek permission, ask.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, there we go.

[Tarek Skubal]

Down. Starts with an R. Two down.

[Hank]

R. Insecure actress Issa Ray.

[Tarek Skubal]

I don't. I don't know who that is.

[Big Cat]

Oh, you got it. Oh.

[Tarek Skubal]

Three down. Starts with an E. Lamb's mother. You ewe.

[Hank]

Ewe.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yep. Nope. Four down. What's four down? Starts with a.

[Big Cat]

Characteristic attribute.

[Tarek Skubal]

How many letters?

[Big Cat]

No, it ends with CT and it's. Well, as long as you got that. Oh, aspect.

[Tarek Skubal]

Characteristic. Yeah, maybe try to get two across or three.

[Hank]

We got aspect. That's right.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[Hank]

Five down.

[Magnus Carlsen]

Bad.

[Hank]

It's a 2021 Ed Shereen song.

[Tarek Skubal]

I don't think that's how you say his name. I don't know though.

[Big Cat]

I just love that Hank used said E W e and Hank put E U E and he goes, nope. Oh, all right. Tarek, you're the man. Keep. Keep crushing it. And we're big fans and let us know when you need us to negotiate. We're ready to go.

[Tarek Skubal]

All right. A year and year and some change.

[Big Cat]

Okay. All right.

[PFT Commenter]

Just put us in. Put the ball in our hand.

[Tarek Skubal]

I appreciate it. Yeah. Thank you guys.

[PFT Commenter]

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[Magnus Carlsen]

And now for something completely different.

[Big Cat]

Okay, we now welcome on a very, very, very, very, very special guest. First ever grandmaster chess player on this show, I believe. So it is Magnus Carlson, the greatest chess player of all time. And I'll start with that. Magnus, am I allowed to say you're the greatest chess player of all time or can we. Is it. The goat debate is settled. You are the goat.

[Magnus Carlsen]

I'm not sure I'm the right person to ask, really, but I don't mind. That's completely fine by me.

[PFT Commenter]

I am the right person to ask, so I'll just say you are the goat. Undisputed goat. Who else would be in that conversation?

[Magnus Carlsen]

Well, there's Garry Kasparov, who has a very good, good pace, I think. And then there's Fisher as well, who Bobby Fischer kind of had, I would say, the highest peak in terms of the difference between, between him and his competitors, at least in recent times. The problem with Fisher is that he kind of stopped playing right after he became world champion. He had like that three year peak from, from 70 to, to 72. So it's, it's, it's hard to say, but I feel like I'm, I'm getting there, so. Okay, that's all I can ask for.

[Big Cat]

Let, let's make the case for you because that is what we, we, we want to come out of this interview being like, Magnus is our goat. We'll fight anyone who, who goes after him. The case I would make for you is. So you have been world number one for what, 14, 15 years, is that correct?

[Magnus Carlsen]

Yeah, I think continuously now since, since 2011.

[Big Cat]

Love that 15 years. You also are playing in the most difficult era of chess. I would assume you can correct me because the computer assist, the computer analysis has gotten so smart that I think I heard a quote that you said in the past. You know, 20 years ago, to learn an opening in chess would take you a month. Now people are able to learn it in five hours because they have the computers helping them. So I would say that you're playing in the most difficult era because people are able to get up to a top level faster than they were 20, 30 years ago.

[Magnus Carlsen]

I agree to some extent that it's kind of harder to set yourself apart these days. Preparation has kind of become less important because everybody kind of agrees these days that the engines sort of know everything and your phone can pretty much come up with the same result as, as somebody could come up with with days and days of, of research. So, yeah, that part has become a lot easier. As you said, it's so much easier to attain information and to get to a certain level. So I think, I think, yeah, in many ways it's, it's harder to set yourself apart in, in these days. And honestly, if you're talking about normal chess as well, the best openings are kind of unplayable these days. And if you look at just Gary's area, he was way ahead of his competitors when it came to opening analysis. And he would win a lot of games purely based based on that. And you just, you just cannot really do that anymore.

[Big Cat]

Go confirm Gary was playing against plumbers.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, it was a different era and also I think more people are playing these days. Right? He was playing against plumbers. He was playing against construction workers. Yeah, the gate. The rules have changed too. It's harder to succeed in this era. But when you're talking about the, the opening, I'm always interested to hear chess players talk about it, because the opening for me would be like if I learned four moves, it's like, okay, I know this opening. At what point does the opening stop and, and the middle of the game commence?

[Magnus Carlsen]

Yeah, the, the openings are very different. Different, of course, because the openings that we play, the openings that we're worried about, or not necessarily at the, the same as that we would be on amateur level. Right. On most recreational level, people learn like a certain setup and they don't necessarily want to play the most sterile lines where you're just going for, for a draw with the, with, with the black pieces. I would say, I would say the, the opening these days, this end often ends a little bit earlier than it and it, than it used to because we're going out of kind of the charted, most charted territory a bit earlier. So I would say these days, maybe on after 12, 13 moves on average, we can, we can say that the opening is over and the middle game starts. I will say, though, that this is one of the reasons why I've been pushing, I've been pushing to play a different form of, of chess, call it fish around them or freestyle or whatever, where you actually sort of eliminate the opening completely and start, and start from the, the middle game. But yeah, we'll see what the, what the future holds on that.

[PFT Commenter]

So that, that style of chess that's where you randomize the back row, right?

[Magnus Carlsen]

Yeah, you randomize the back row. There are a couple of rules, like the king has to be in between the rooks, so you can castle on both sides, and the bishops still are in opposite colors. But the idea is basically that you use the same skill set that you're, that you have in. In chess to a. To a large degree. But it's supposed to be kind of harder to mask your weaknesses because you, you cannot like, count on a certain amount of, of setups that you use because it's more complicated than that if the major pieces start on different squares. But for now, that is more of a game for professionals than amateurs really, because at most levels, when people ask for advice for openings and such want, I said like, play whatever. Play whatever you want. Right? And anything, anything works as long as you've. As. As long as it suits you. And you got practice there.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. What, what A little bit about your, your history. At what age were you like, I. I can do this.

[Tarek Skubal]

I'm.

[Big Cat]

I have a mind for this that is different than everyone else. Was there an aha moment? And when did you start playing chess us?

[Magnus Carlsen]

I've never looked at myself that way that I, That I am necessarily that much different. Like, I've understood at some point that, yes, I can understand the game better than others, but I, I don't really know why. I don't feel like I'm, like, I've necessarily got a better mind, better memory and. And so on. So I started relatively late in chess terms. I would say I played my first tournament when I was. Was eight and a half. And at that point I, I would say I had had roughly half a year of quite significant chess training on. On my own. And I would say, so I played the Norwegian championship under 11. I finished in middle of the field, which, you know, I didn't have any expectations. I thought that was, that was good. And then the next year I won it. And I thought, well, I've now beaten a lot of the kids that started a few years earlier than I did who are a couple of years older, and I've sort of gotten there in one year. Then I started thinking, well, maybe at least. At least I was doing it a different way than the others. Like, you know, how we go to, to soccer practice or whatever other ever other sport you're doing. Like most kids, if they do that, they do it once or twice a week and then maybe you have a match at the weekends or something. And this is what kids would do with Chess as well. There were very often this kids tournaments in the Oslo area. I wasn't doing that. I was studying on my own a lot apart from that, like I was, I wasn't merely playing chess. Like I was already living chess to a large degree back, back then. And so it was in that sense it wasn't a surprise that I surpassed the others. But that's when I felt like, yeah, I could actually be quite good at this.

[Big Cat]

And what was the moment? What. How old were you when the world started noticing, like, oh man, this guy. When did you go world number one?

[Memes]

That.

[Big Cat]

Were you still a teenager?

[Magnus Carlsen]

The first time I was world number one was only for. That was for about a week, but that was late 2008, so it was a little before my 18th birthday.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[Magnus Carlsen]

And that was pretty cool. Like that was about nine years after I played my first tournament. So the progress until then have been. Have been pretty good.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. That's insane.

[PFT Commenter]

So yeah, you were talking about how you live it, how it's part of your life more so than it is like an activity or recreational. When you're playing, do you do get the same joy out of winning as you used to or is it more about the process for you?

[Magnus Carlsen]

Unfortunately the, like, the sad thing about chess as in life is that negative feelings are kind of. They're enhanced a bit. So like a really painful loss. Else as people have may have seen from my last tournament, like, it hits a lot harder.

[PFT Commenter]

You hate losing.

[Magnus Carlsen]

Yeah, it hits a lot harder than, than the wins. So I'll have like, I'll be very satisfied often when I, when I win, I may not always show it, but it like the reaction to losing is unfortunately stronger still.

[PFT Commenter]

But I saw how you lost and I said that I like that, that because you show me a good loser, I'll show you a loser. Like, you're gonna get back in the lab and you're gonna be stronger.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Magnus Carlsen]

But I don't know, part of me honestly when I had that loss recently, just felt it was so dumb and so unnecessary and it just made me feel so kind of washed and useless that my, my, my thought for a few days was just. I. I'm not sure, like why, why am I doing this? When I, when I win, it's, it's good, but it's, it feels kind of normal. And then when I lose, it's just, you know, for, for a moment the world's, the world just falls apart.

[PFT Commenter]

It was so funny when people were like, yeah, he's the bad boy of chess. I Love. I love that nickname. Like, you just get mad after a loss and you're like, wow, what a bad boy. Look at this rebel.

[Big Cat]

Well, you also wear jeans.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, true. Yeah, Jeans. It's a big one.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. So you are the bad boy. Are you the bad boy, Chess?

[Magnus Carlsen]

I don't inspire to. Sorry. I don't aspire to be, to be, to be a bad boy. I just sometimes, sometimes I think I'm in a position compared to some of my, my peers. I'm in a position where I can afford not to take shit.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Magnus Carlsen]

So I think that's when, but honestly, like, those moments I had, like, banging the table, like, I, I'm generally not gonna apologize for outbursts in the moment, as long as you kind of, you realize afterwards, well, you show your opponent the proper respect and, and, and so on. I, I, I obviously, like, I wish I could, could have avoided that by winning the game, but I honestly think that there should be room for.

[Tarek Skubal]

For.

[Magnus Carlsen]

That in, in, in, in chess as well. It's a little bit like mashing your racket in, in, in tennis, like, it is such an uptight sport to begin with that I think it's okay.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Human emotion is, is good for the game. It's growing the game. Now you, you said something there that you, you had moments afterwards where you're like, am I washed? I want to come clean. I'm not a big chess fan. I saw two clips that week, and both of them were your losses. So I was like, I think I made the comment on this podcast, like, all this dude does is lose. And so, and then everyone corrected me, was like, he is literally the best chess player of all time. He's been world number one for a decade and a half. So I'm gonna come clean on that. That's on me. You're now my goat. But like, what, when you lose a game, do you have those thoughts of like, hey, chess is a young, young, young guy's game. It's a young kid's game. You see the child prodigies. Are you worried about, you know, how much longer you can go?

[Magnus Carlsen]

It has to be said though, the way that I lose, it depends. That particular loss felt so bad and so unnecessary. And I guess part of it was, well, this guy is young and he's, he's the official world champion. And I know that, that, you know, this is going to be a big thing. But there was another game in the last round where I was losing for parts of the game, but it was a very interesting game, and I Still had chances to come back. And in that game, I was very comfortable with the thought that I. I might lose because, yeah, it's. It's. It's a good fight. It can. It's. It. It can happen. And, yeah, you know, I managed to pull through, but if I'd lost, well, that would have. That would have sucked, but it wouldn't have been. Wouldn't have been the end of the world. You know, the time. The time when the kids surpassed me. It's gonna come for sure, but it's not there yet.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, I love that. Wait, so you're saying it was the way you lost and also by the way, you won the tournament. You ended up winning the tournament. So, like, that should be stated, as.

[Magnus Carlsen]

You said, the cliffs that. You see, I said it before as well, that if people stop caring when I lose, then that's not a good thing.

[PFT Commenter]

That's true.

[Big Cat]

They don't boo nobodies. That's a famous saying in American sports. Reggie Jackson. So, wait, so it was how you lost that you were more mad about than losing? Because losing happens in chess. How did you lose? Is it a specific tactical error that you made that you're like. Like, how did I miss that? Or was it overthinking?

[Magnus Carlsen]

Yeah, it was. It was a combination of. It was a combination of a few things. Basically, I dominated that game. Most of the game I had. I was basically just juicing between the most comfortable ways to win. And then he started, like, digging in, really fighting back, and I. It's one of those where my time starts ticking down and. And I. I could feel that, you know, my blood sugar was dropping a bit as well, so that. That didn't help either. I got short of time, and by. By the end, I had completely, completely lost my mind, which is. Which is why I. I felt so. So. So washed. Because I felt that that kind of thing wouldn't have happened to me. 5. I can definitely. I can accept it if. If somebody plays a great game and beats me like, that's. That. That. That's. That's fine. Like, it's still gonna suck, but I'm. I'm fine with it. If somebody, like, in that game just kind of gets outplayed with the white pieces and then I just, like, implodes. Implode in. In that way. That was. Yeah, pretty bad.

[PFT Commenter]

It's fascinating to read about what. What chess players go through during a tournament, because I feel like a lot of people that don't follow chess don't realize how. How much stress these Guys are under over the course of a tournament. I read, I think it was in the New York Times it said that, that you, you can lose like £15 over the course of a tournament just from anxiety and sweating. Do you go through that at all or are you able to, to kind of like keep a level mindset?

[Magnus Carlsen]

I don't know, it depends on the tournament. But I, what I will say is that I got to where I am now, which is at my, my in laws summer house with, with my wife. I got here a couple of days ago and like my appetite since I've been here has just, I've just been eating non stop.

[PFT Commenter]

So probably, I love that.

[Magnus Carlsen]

Yeah, probably had some energy to, to recover after that tournament.

[PFT Commenter]

Can you get a snack if your blood sugar drops? What are the rules about that?

[Magnus Carlsen]

No, you can definitely get snacks. And I usually, I usually am quite good at regulating that during games. And I mean that particular day, I mean, okay, the excuse train starts.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Magnus Carlsen]

But that particular day I had walked to the city which is about a 45 minute walk because the lot of roads were closed because of a bike ride. And then because of that. Well also I'd be golfing earlier in the day with my coach.

[Big Cat]

You gotta golf? You gotta golf?

[Magnus Carlsen]

Yeah, you gotta golf. Like let me start at five o' clock block. So yeah, why not?

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Magnus Carlsen]

I was, everything was delayed so I, I only had time to, to get some Chinese takeout. Like that was right by the playing hole. I brought it into the playing hole and started eating it during the game. So I was kind of, I was kind of fine, but my body was like a little bit more stressed than, than usual. And so I felt that, that I needed to be a bit more vigilant. And the thing is, as I said, I'm usually very, very conscious about those things if I know that I have a winning position. But it might go on for another, another half an hour. I will regulate based on, on that. Get an extra snack or something. But you know, sometimes when the brain just malfunctions, you forget about problems, you forget about those things and then it is just a good old fashioned meltdown.

[Big Cat]

It sounds like you beat yourself.

[PFT Commenter]

And also you got to have a snack, coach. You got to have a guy that's, that's at your side with a suitcase filled with pretzels, ice cream. We can learn, we can improve from this.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, yeah, that's my go to. You beat yourself and we get to get you.

[Magnus Carlsen]

I know. I mean usually I have to give my opponent credit. Like it doesn't come out of nowhere. If he doesn't start fighting like a lion in a lost position, then we don't, then we don't, don't get there. Like he could have laid down, but he, he didn't. But yeah, of course I, I large. That's the game. I win 98 of the time. Yeah, it is what it is.

[PFT Commenter]

I've got a couple dumb questions for you. Are there, Is there such a thing as like a fantasy chess league league where I can, I can draft, I guess not players, but you know how, like if you play. I, I know you play fancy soccer or fancy football, but you know how you can get the team and you can get like certain players on the team. What if I were able to draft like your knights on my fantasy chess team?

[Magnus Carlsen]

The, the funny thing is we're actually, we're actually working on that. We, we. There's a company called Take Take which does like a little bit of, of chess app. It was like a watch zone for, for chess and we do a lot of YouTube stuff as well. And we are working on exactly that thing you're talking about in that if you think about it as a normal fantasy team, that the chess players are sort of the teams and then the pieces are the players that you draft. Yeah, so, so yeah, we're, we're, we're, we're definitely working on that. And other kind of like simpler fantasy games as well that are more based on predictions. But yeah, there definitely is something to be said for that in chess and we want to give people an extra incentive to watch. Let's say you got my H. Pawn and there's some kind of end game where, you know, like if that pawn becomes, becomes a queen, you win your. When you win your mini league and, and so on.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, yeah. So like, what would be, what would be the big board if you were to look across the chess landscape? Would it be your pawns, Magnus's pawns, ranked number one? Would it be. What's his name, Hikaru? His, his queen? Or would it be like Neiman's anal beads? Which one would be one? One?

[Magnus Carlsen]

That's a good question. There's a guy, we've done a few tests and there's a guy called Alireza Ferusha from France. His queen does. He just plays like wild, complicated games. So his queen should be the, you know, the number one draft pick in any.

[Big Cat]

His queen work is insane.

[PFT Commenter]

The best queen. Yes. Yeah.

[Big Cat]

What's your, what's your number one piece?

[Magnus Carlsen]

Honestly? Probably, probably my queen Queen as well. Although I do feel like my flank pawns, like if you want to get in cheap on something, that's, those are, those often live very long and important lives.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. My games, the pawns are the offensive linemen of chess.

[PFT Commenter]

They are what would be, what would be your worst piece?

[Magnus Carlsen]

Somehow my light squared bishop does worse than my dark square bishop. And I don't understand, it's just something about the way that I play. It was known about Bobby Fischer that he like much preferred his light squared bishop to his dark square bishop with playing with the white, white pieces. But I, I don't know from, from me, it's for some reason the opposite.

[Tarek Skubal]

It.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. You, you, you solved a 50 piece puzzle when you were two years old. What? Do you remember what that puzzle was?

[Magnus Carlsen]

No, no, I don't remember it. But what I do know is that my, my four year old nephew hits me. He's better than I am. He's been better than I am for a couple of years already.

[PFT Commenter]

So is he next?

[Magnus Carlsen]

We got, we definitely got some, some talent in our, in our bloods.

[Big Cat]

Do you know how when it comes to that. Yeah. Do you know how long that puzzle took you when you were two years old?

[Magnus Carlsen]

I don't know.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[Magnus Carlsen]

I have very few memories.

[Big Cat]

All right. I'm just trying to figure out because I did a 50, a 50 piece puzzle with my son like maybe a few weeks ago and it took me about like 35 minutes. So I'm thinking you were smarter than you as a 2 year old, are smarter than me as a 40 year old year old.

[Magnus Carlsen]

I don't know. Honestly. I think the last time I did, I did a 200 puzzle piece with my, my nephew. I think that took a couple of hours.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[Magnus Carlsen]

That was embarrassing.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[Magnus Carlsen]

I, I, I, I think, I probably think that I was better at, at 2 or 3, but I am now.

[Big Cat]

That's crazy.

[PFT Commenter]

Is your, is your nephew, he's playing chess?

[Magnus Carlsen]

No, I don't think he's, I don't think he started with, with that yet.

[PFT Commenter]

What's the youngest you can be to, to actually learn the game and to get good.

[Big Cat]

Good.

[Magnus Carlsen]

So there, there's, there's an Indian kid who's 3 years old and who's rated 1600.

[Big Cat]

What does that mean? What does that mean for us? Because we have no idea what that means.

[Magnus Carlsen]

Yeah, that means you're a very decent amateur player. You beat three, you're, you're, you're like middle of the pipe player in like a normal chess club anywhere.

[Big Cat]

That's Crazy.

[Magnus Carlsen]

And like, I've seen him play. He. He can, he can definitely move the. Move the pieces around if, let's say.

[Big Cat]

And I think you're. You're the goat. You're our goat. You're going to be the goat for a long time. But let's say 10 years from now you get passed up. Would you rather get passed up by like a. Like a 5 year old or maybe someone who's in his 20s? Because I think you'd be. I think you'd want to get passed up by a five year old in like the most hilarious fashion.

[Magnus Carlsen]

I don't think it's possible to get to that level at 5.

[Big Cat]

That's why you're the goat.

[Magnus Carlsen]

But, you know, I want to see somebody. I want to see somebody among the kids, like really stand out and be a serious threat, to be that new number one guy who can actually dominate, because that has been the norm. And in chess that there's. There's always kind of been that one guy who's. Who's been better than the others. And with the kids right now, I don't. I don't see it. Like, there are. A lot of them are really talented, but it's not obvious that some one of them is gonna. Is gonna dominate. So. Yeah, I would. I would love for that to happen. And then I probably, you know.

[Big Cat]

Try.

[Magnus Carlsen]

My very best to. To hang on for another few years.

[PFT Commenter]

That would be so funny. If me or Big Cat were playing against this three year old. There's. There's a good chance he would just absolutely destroy us. And then he would.

[Magnus Carlsen]

100.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

And then he'd have to get his diaper change. Like that's a possibility that that could happen.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Like he's peeing himself and just ruining us mentally. So. So for you, I know that being number one for so long.

[Big Cat]

Long for a lot of this.

[PFT Commenter]

The longest.

[Big Cat]

The longest of anyone in chess history.

[PFT Commenter]

Ever born in the history of the world.

[Magnus Carlsen]

Actually, Kasparov was. He was about 20 years and I'm 15 years. I don't want to be hurting my case here.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[PFT Commenter]

All right.

[Big Cat]

That was also. Listen, that's. Let's just throw this in there.

[Magnus Carlsen]

The plumber area.

[Big Cat]

That's the plumber. And also USSR Geopolitical. I don't know.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, they were cheating. They were doping. That's why they're not in the Olympics.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Tarek Skubal]

Actually.

[Big Cat]

Oh, no, here's. Here's what we'll go with. Kasparov had two different times is he wasn't number one for 20 years, because he was. Kasparov. USSR. Kasparov, Russia.

[PFT Commenter]

Different guy.

[Big Cat]

Two different guys.

[PFT Commenter]

Different guy. Yeah. The flag changed.

[Big Cat]

The flag didn't change. I'm looking right now. The flag had changed head to head.

[Magnus Carlsen]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

You versus him. Who won?

[Magnus Carlsen]

I only played him a couple of times, you know, 21 years ago. I managed one draw.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[Magnus Carlsen]

And then we're actually working together back in 2009, which was extremely. After he'd retired, so he was my coach for a bit, which is extremely helpful for me. But then we played a few training games. We didn't play too many. Many because it got too competitive. And, you know, I love that. It would kind of ruin the whole vibe.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Magnus Carlsen]

But I think then it was barely even. Like, I had slight edge, but it wasn't. There wasn't a huge, huge difference.

[PFT Commenter]

So. So as you've been so good.

[Magnus Carlsen]

He's really good.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. As you've been so good for so long, do you have to find new ways to keep yourself engaged, or are you ever like. I. I've played all the chess. I've thought about every possible combination of moves. Like, how do you. How do you stay at the top if you've been that dominant for that long?

[Big Cat]

Easy.

[Magnus Carlsen]

Easy. Answer is that I love. I love playing. And to me, the. The next. The next tournament is the most important. Right. The next game is what I'm. What I'm concerned with. So I. There's nothing particular that I would. That I would love to. To win, except for. Except for the next game. So I'm, you know, I'm still living and breathing when I'm at tournaments, but honestly, I've. I don't have a lot yet to. To achieve, so I just. Yeah. I just love playing.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Have you thought about maybe trying checkers?

[Magnus Carlsen]

Honestly, I don't even know. Even know the rules of. Of checkers.

[PFT Commenter]

So I could. I could.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Beat you at checkers.

[Big Cat]

You're a bum.

[Tarek Skubal]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

I didn't mean. That's very funny. I mean, and also, we definitely couldn't.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, you would. You would sit down at the board and immediately you'd say, okay, two seconds.

[Big Cat]

To figure it out. What? What? What? Can you explain the jeans thing? The fact that you got. You got fined most ridiculous thing ever is that just the chess has to figure out a way to kind of get with the times because you. You actually got fined for wearing jeans to a tournament.

[Magnus Carlsen]

Yeah. The thing was that there was a. A dress code and a general dress code was, I don't know, business casual or smart casual. Something like that. But the thing is I was, I was in a, in a lunch that ran a little bit late and I went back to the hotel, got changed. I just forgot to change my jeans. It was an honest mistake. These were decent jeans. Like I had a nice shirt, I had a jacket. I definitely met the general criteria for the vibe that you wanted for that tournament. And the most ridiculous part was that chinos were allowed jeans for not. And players were checked for pants that well, these looks look like jeans but they're actually chinos. So it's okay.

[PFT Commenter]

So it's about the material. Somebody came up and had to.

[Big Cat]

They.

[Magnus Carlsen]

When, when it's, it's, it's like a 200 player tournament. It in a big hall and most people like, they, they don't make a ton of money from, from chess. Like they cannot necessarily afford to have nice, nice suits and, and so on. But in my case it was a, was an honest mistake and I, I was told that I was going to get fined and if I don't change for the next game then I will be forfeited. Which I thought was, was so insane that I thought there was no way they were going to enforce that seeing as I looked, I looked perfectly presentable and well then it turns out they did. And then I was like, yeah, fine, whatever. Yeah, I don't, like, I didn't. I understand that, you know, they have certain rules and they wanna want to enforce them. But I think the, the, the, you know, I, I still think it was absolutely ridiculous. But yeah.

[Big Cat]

Bad boy.

[Magnus Carlsen]

I, I'm not sure if I'm the best ambassador for, for the whole jeans thing because you know, I like wearing jeans. But as I said, it was an honest mistake. But it's, it's become a thing now. So now I'm obviously wearing jeans to everything.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, I like that.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Can you wear shorts?

[Magnus Carlsen]

No. One player was actually forfeited for wearing, for wearing shorts.

[Big Cat]

That's crazy.

[Magnus Carlsen]

And his, his explanation was that well, this is a knockout tournament. And honestly I expected to get knocked out in the first couple of rounds I did. I don't have any more clothes to, to use. This is all I, this is all I got. You see, like this is the level we're at. Yeah. At chess tournaments. But I, that's why I, I loved playing from home online tournaments during the pandemic. Like you can be sure that I was rocking shorts under the table in a lot of those online events.

[PFT Commenter]

Would you play better if you're wearing shorts?

[Magnus Carlsen]

Yeah. So I was, I was Living, like, by. By the sea. So a lot of times I would use the brakes in between games, like, go for a little swim. I would come back with, you know, my hair all wet and with my bathing shorts dripping and just sitting down on the towel and playing the games.

[Big Cat]

Love that.

[Magnus Carlsen]

Good times.

[Big Cat]

Love that.

[PFT Commenter]

Do you think that your hair gives you an edge? Like, can you. Can you tell that your opponent gets mesmerized sometimes?

[Big Cat]

Yeah, I don't know.

[Magnus Carlsen]

I. I just. I'm too lazy to do anything about it, unfortunately. But that has also become a thing now, so whenever I actually make my hair, people just get freaked out.

[Big Cat]

Well, you're a heartthrob as well. Your bad boy. Heartthrob. Goats. One last thing about the goat. And I have one last question after that, because I know you get a run, but you're being humble by saying, you know, Kasparov and everyone else. There's no one who can touch you right now, though, right? Like, no one in a. In a. In a full tournament setting can touch you right now.

[Magnus Carlsen]

No, I. I mean, I will lose a game here and there and a tournament here and there, but at the moment, I would say that I. I'm definitely the best at every. At every format that we. We play. And honestly, my closest competitors are still the. The old guys, guys around my age.

[Big Cat]

Mm.

[Magnus Carlsen]

So, yeah, the kids, they're good, but they're. They're not quite quite there yet.

[PFT Commenter]

I love talk that.

[Big Cat]

I love that. Yeah, we gotta start talking more shit. Can we talk shit on your behalf? You did. You did post a. Omar from the wire post. You know, that was. That was kind of talking some shit. I like that.

[Magnus Carlsen]

Can I. Is it wrong if I admit that that was not me and that was my social media guy, and I probably wouldn't have done that myself?

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[PFT Commenter]

Are we allowed to post clips from the wire on your behalf?

[Magnus Carlsen]

Yeah, for sure.

[PFT Commenter]

Like, you make a great move with your light squared bishop, and then we do the we bay where he's, like, looking around like, holy.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, that one.

[PFT Commenter]

This one.

[Magnus Carlsen]

Sure.

[PFT Commenter]

One.

[Big Cat]

Sure.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay.

[Big Cat]

We allowed to tell people that you'd. You'd a up with your. Your light squared bishop any day of the week.

[Magnus Carlsen]

Dark square.

[Big Cat]

Dark square bishop. I knew that. All right. I gotta tighten that up. I gotta tighten.

[PFT Commenter]

But we're working on the light square.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, we're working on it. No, that's actually. No, I. I said it. Right. It's your. You'd fuck them up with your off bishop, even the one you're not even good at.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's true.

[Big Cat]

You'll beat their ass. You know, left handed. I don't know what, what dominant hand you are, but. Yeah, that's how you handed.

[Magnus Carlsen]

Yes, I'm less footed, though.

[Big Cat]

Oh, that's weird. All right, Magnus, I got one last question. We really appreciate it, man. It's been awesome. Roback question. Rhobac.com promo code take 20 off off your first purchase. Q, zips, polos, hoodies, joggers, shorts. Roback.com promo code take. So my last question is. So in the future of chess and where you're going, how. Oh, actually I have a different question because I heard this about you and I find it very interesting. There's a timer for chess, right? So what is the timer in a tournament setting or does it vary tournament to tournament?

[Magnus Carlsen]

It varies tournament to tournament, but you can say that classical chess is usually about two hours per game. And then you have rapid chess, which is like 15, 20 minutes, and you have blitz chest, which is five minutes or less.

[Big Cat]

Okay, so I was listening to an interview and it was really interesting to me that you said that basically there are, there are times when, like someone who you're playing, they will take forever to make a decision. And you know, in your heart of hearts, like, if you go past about 10, 15 minutes, you're. You're not going to find something that wasn't there. And I feel like that's, that's a good way to live life where it's like people overthink everything now and you're like, in chess, I will have, I will know. Like, I will go through my list of what strategies I want within the first 10 minutes. If it's not there, you got to just make a move.

[Magnus Carlsen]

No, that's true. For sure. And that is something that chess teaches you as well. Exactly that. That you have to make decisions constantly and they're not going to be based on perfect information. But how much better is it, Is it going to get if you, if you procrastinate? That's. That's uncertain. Before we go, one last thing that I will say because I'm going to get in trouble after otherwise.

[Big Cat]

What's that?

[Magnus Carlsen]

It's that my wife loves the pizza reviews.

[PFT Commenter]

Oh, okay.

[Big Cat]

Okay. One bite. We gotta get you. Listen, are. Do you come to. To America for tournaments?

[Magnus Carlsen]

I'm coming to Vegas for a freestyle tournament and in July.

[Big Cat]

What is a free. Does a freestyle tournament get crazy?

[PFT Commenter]

No, freestyle, that's the. Is that the Bobby Fischer one with the randomized.

[Magnus Carlsen]

That's where you randomize the story position. Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Okay. We'll. We'll exchange contact information. Maybe we get you on a pizza review. That would be fun.

[Magnus Carlsen]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. She'd love that. For sure.

[Big Cat]

Okay. Awesome. Well. Awesome. Thank you so much, Magnus. You are our goat. We will defend you. Now, who's your biggest rival?

[PFT Commenter]

Like, who should me and Big Cat set our sights on and. And make sure that they know that they're not the goat?

[Magnus Carlsen]

Well, I. I would say it's yet to come. Yeah, there's nobody.

[PFT Commenter]

Right.

[Big Cat]

You know, actually, the real answer to who your biggest rival rival is is you not eating Chinese food during a game after playing 18 holes of golf. That's the problem. That's the only way you're going to lose.

[Magnus Carlsen]

Yeah. Sadly, yeah.

[Big Cat]

All right. Thank you so much, Magnus. We appreciate it.

[Magnus Carlsen]

Thanks.

[PFT Commenter]

Magnus Carlsen was brought to you by State Farm. In basketball, the great players don't just do it alone. They have teammates, coaches, and a solid support system behind them. It's kind of like insurance, because, let's face it, a lot of us probably aren't great at doing that alone either. That's where State Farm comes in. State Farm is a teammate, always ready to assist to help you find the coverage that you need and to help you recover from the unexpected, from fender benders to storm damage, or even just a question about your policy. State Farm is there to help provide an assist when you need it. All through the State Farm mobile app, a network of 19,000 local agents, and online@state farm.com. so don't just go at it alone. When you need help protecting what matters most. State Farm is there. State Farm with the assist. Coverage options are selected by the customer. Availability and eligibility vary by state. Magnus Carlson was also brought to you by Experian. We're going to take a moment to talk about BFFs. Zach, who is your BFF?

[Tarek Skubal]

Memes.

[PFT Commenter]

Memes. I love that memes. Who's your BFF? Big Cat.

[Big Cat]

Nice.

[PFT Commenter]

Oh, nice. Big Cat. Who's your BFF?

[Big Cat]

You. Pft.

[PFT Commenter]

Hank, who's your BFF? Zach, everybody's getting love. I like that. Did you miss it, Hank? Hank didn't get asked me. Who my bff.

[Big Cat]

Who's your bff?

[PFT Commenter]

It's you, Big Cat.

[Big Cat]

Nice.

[PFT Commenter]

There's one BFF who always looks out for you. Hank and I, we have a business relationship.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

That's not personal. There's one BFF who will always look out for you in the financial space, and that is Experian. They are your big financial friend. Your bff. Bff. Experian has a bunch of legit ways to help you save. And get this. The Experian app helps. It lets you check your FICO score, and it does a bunch of more totally BFF kind of things to help you manage your finances. Bet your other BFFs can't do all that. Experian is here to support you in making smart financial decisions and maximize your financial potential. Get started by downloading the Experian app at no cost. Let your big financial friend help you take control of your financial future. If you'd asked me, what's one one change I would have made in my early mid twenties, I would have gotten a better hold on my finances. Never too early to start. The earlier you start, the better it is. And what better way to get started than by downloading the Experian app? Let them be your big financial friend. Download the Experian app today. And now. Here's guys on chicks.

[Big Cat]

Okay, let's wrap up. We got guys on chicks. Hank. Yeah. Let's do it.

[Hank]

My boyfriend cannot stop golfing. I bought him new clubs for his birthday, assuming he would want to play golf with me. But he has an addiction. He has played seven days in a row, only watches YouTube golf videos and claim he's going to break 90 this year. What is a way to get him away from the course or to be able to get me involved in golfing with him? He takes practice swings constantly at home and claims if he did it full time, he could become pro or make a cool YouTube channel.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay, so you bought him the clubs, though?

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

So this is. You bought him the clubs with an understanding that he would golf with you. Do you have clubs? Does this lady have clubs?

[Hank]

Probably not.

[PFT Commenter]

I. I honestly think if she just said, hey, can we golf together? He'd probably be like, okay.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. And this is also. We've talked about this lesson a million times, but before you start dating, you have to have all your hobbies set, because you can't just add golf. You can add golf, but you can't add golf. Add addict. No, there's a difference. There's a. You could be a golfer, but if this guy's playing seven days a week and YouTube tutorials and practicing swing in the living room, that's gonna. You're gonna need to ease into that one.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Hank, are you addicted like that? No. You're not even. You're actually. I wouldn't say you're a golf addict like that.

[Hank]

No, I. That. That described me pretty well.

[Big Cat]

Oh, okay.

[Hank]

I like, I, I like, I watch, I just watch golf. Like I'll put it on a TV show and watch like an episode and then just like it.

[PFT Commenter]

Throw.

[Hank]

Throwing YouTube Golf.

[PFT Commenter]

Do you practice your swing?

[Hank]

Not really. I mean, I mess around here. I had some putts, like a little putting green.

[Big Cat]

Oh, nice. Okay.

[Hank]

But yeah, I mean, every, every guy just wants to be Ryan Whitney after he stopped playing hockey.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Hank]

That was like the greatest statement I've ever heard in my life.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

The problem, my problem with golf is it's not four hours.

[Big Cat]

No.

[Hank]

No.

[PFT Commenter]

If you're playing around a golf in, in most urban locations, if you have to, you know, go for a drive to get to the course, you're looking at probably, I'd say six and a half to eight hour investment.

[Big Cat]

That's my thing is 12 holes make 12 hole golf courses. 12 hole golf courses would be perfect. You'd be in and out in 2, 215. Done.

[Hank]

Yeah. Or yeah, like you said, it really is that you can't pick it up after the fact because all the free time they want to be golfing. You want to be doing whatever it else it is, it's just going to come to a head.

[PFT Commenter]

Had. You can't even, you can't even substitute a golf addiction for a former addiction that you had.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Like, you have to, you have to start the relationship being like, just so you know, I've got really 19 holes in my life and I spend a lot more time with the first 18 than the last one.

[Big Cat]

Or.

[Hank]

And that's where it's like, also, it's, it's.

[PFT Commenter]

No, I was talking about the butt.

[Big Cat]

Oh.

[PFT Commenter]

Exclusively.

[Hank]

But it's not really feasible because like it's an. It's actually insane like how expensive country club memberships are. But like if you, you are at a country club that has a pool and like a restaurant and stuff.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Hank]

Like, oh, yeah. Like, you know, just let's hang out at the club.

[Big Cat]

But I'm thinking about it now. The move, now that we're talking it out, is for any single guys out there and you're not addicted to golf, pretend you're addicted to golf and then you can slowly ease it back and.

[PFT Commenter]

Look like a hero ahead of time.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. Because you think one day you might get a golf addiction.

[Big Cat]

Right. Or, or even if you don't get a golf addiction being like, yeah, I play golf seven days a week. Week. But for you, I'm gonna do five.

[PFT Commenter]

I'm gonna quit.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. And then just use that time to go to the Bar and watch games.

[Hank]

My fiance is starting a new job and now is telling me he can't take a day on day or two off for a trip we had pre planned for my birthday, which is in his third week. I've told him the trip was pre planned and his job will understand, but he's insisting he can't go because it's a bad look for his new job, which has turned into a big fight. Am I crazier? Is he right? You gotta try.

[Big Cat]

No, he's.

[Hank]

He's a. Yeah, you gotta try.

[Big Cat]

He should have.

[Hank]

They tell him no.

[Big Cat]

He should have said when he was applying for the job, hey, I have a vacation in three weeks.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Like, is that cool?

[Hank]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

He just was a about it.

[Hank]

And now I also think that's one of those things. It's smart and I guess I haven't really ever started a new job. But you. When you start a new job, that's.

[Big Cat]

A great statement to have. I've never started a new job.

[PFT Commenter]

Are you. You're a one Jersey guy.

[Hank]

One Jersey guy just go in and say, I have a pre planned vacation two weeks or three weeks in. Because that's always. Yes. You as an employer like you. You have to be such an. To be like. Yeah, no, it happens all the time.

[PFT Commenter]

They're not going to say, we're not going to hire you because you have. You're taking a Friday off next.

[Big Cat]

Right, Right.

[PFT Commenter]

But as you're going through the application process, you might think that in the back of your head, you got to make sure that they. They want you. You more than you need them.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. This guy. Yeah. To this woman. You gotta just tell. You tell your boyfriend to nut up. What do you say, Max?

[Zach]

My first week at barstool. My brother was getting married that weekend and I missed the rehearsal dinner because I was too scared to tell Dave.

[Big Cat]

Well, it's rehearsal.

[Zach]

I know, but my brother was mad.

[PFT Commenter]

How'd you do?

[Magnus Carlsen]

Huh?

[PFT Commenter]

How'd you do at the wedding?

[Zach]

Had I. I was good.

[Big Cat]

You have to rehearse, practice.

[Zach]

Oh, oh, rehearsal dinner isn't like rehearsal.

[PFT Commenter]

No. That's where the game plan. That's where the install goes in.

[Zach]

But it was also around the same time of like the.

[Magnus Carlsen]

This is.

[Zach]

This will be real. Real ones will remember this like the, the. The golf guy that was missing work for golfing and then Dave fired him.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[Zach]

So is that the. You remember that?

[Hank]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Well, this is why whenever you apply.

[Hank]

For a job, you tell gambling intern.

[PFT Commenter]

You tell the employer. Like I have a golf addiction. Even if you don't.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

And then you can just be like, I'm leaving for a golf trip.

[Hank]

But I feel jobs is. No, no, real jobs is different. I didn't. I mean, I didn't. I didn't do any. I was scared to do anything for, like, five years with Dave. That's a little different. But I feel like now we're a real company. When we interview people, they say that it's like, yeah, no problem.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. I've had that happen, like, multiple times in the last year where someone says, oh, yeah, by the way, like, four weeks, I have a vacation. Okay. Great.

[PFT Commenter]

Happened with Pug when he first started.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Happened with Dom, my assistant. He was like, hey, I have a wedding. He's like, yeah, no problem.

[Hank]

Just say that.

[Big Cat]

No.

[Hank]

Even if you don't.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, we're just. We're just teaching everyone how to just kind of skirt around.

[PFT Commenter]

You take your first two weeks, the second you start.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

That's how you really. Honeymoon.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, honeymoon.

[Hank]

Sup, Big Cat? Pft. And Hank. I've been dating my boyfriend for six months now. We both love to travel, and we go into Italy at the end of the month.

[Magnus Carlsen]

Month.

[Hank]

My boyfriend handled booking the flights for us, and I just logged on to Delta to confirm everything was put in correctly.

[Big Cat]

Oh.

[Hank]

I was shocked to discover he booked himself in business class and me an economy. I'm a teacher, and he does very well at his job. What do I tell?

[Magnus Carlsen]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Insane.

[PFT Commenter]

You know what?

[Big Cat]

He's diabolical.

[PFT Commenter]

He sounds like a good guy. Sounds like. This will work out.

[Big Cat]

Dude, why? Basically just setting up for a fight in Italy.

[PFT Commenter]

He might.

[Big Cat]

He's basically going to a boxing match in Italy.

[PFT Commenter]

I'm going to read this the best possible way and say. He's going to say when you get to the airport that he's in business, you're in economy, and at the last second, switch and let you go in business. No, and if that doesn't happen, you need to just not get on that flight.

[Big Cat]

Wow.

[PFT Commenter]

You need to say, like, something's off about this flight. I don't feel good. I'm going home.

[Big Cat]

That. That motherfucker's not real. Yeah, something like that.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Zach]

There's. There's one thing that I. Oh, if he has. What if he has, like, points this stat, like, a certain status that he can sit anywhere on the flight for free.

[Big Cat]

You got to let her know, though.

[Zach]

Yeah. I've had this fight.

[PFT Commenter]

Wait, you've done this?

[Big Cat]

You both. Not.

[Zach]

No, it's both economy. But I get.

[Big Cat]

Get.

[Zach]

I Can sit. I can sit like, like six aisle. And then she. And then my girlfriend's like 30 aisle or 30 window. And then I have to go back to 30, 30 aisle. And I'm like, I had six, I had six aisle with more, with more leg room and, and the first off the plane. But it's cuz I'm, I have, I can sit wherever I want on the plane.

[Big Cat]

Right? You all right? So. Oh man, this is a brutal one. If, if the guy's listening, here's what you got to do. You got to be like, hey, I thought that like at least one of us should have some sleep on this flight. I'll handle everything when I get there, but you're screwed.

[Zach]

Or he also, he could play the. Well, I thought that we could split it when one of us is sleeping. We can go up to business or. And, and the other person can go back.

[PFT Commenter]

Or maybe it's like, I'll take business on the way there. You get business on the way back.

[Hank]

This guy's a moron.

[Big Cat]

Here's what not to do.

[Hank]

The second you book those flights.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Hank]

You know what's coming.

[Big Cat]

You know it. Here. Here's what's not to do. And because I've tried this in varying points in my life where I'm like, I'm, I'm taller, I need, I need this. You don't. That's a bad idea. Tried that doesn't work.

[Hank]

I've done the reverse because I don't really care that much. And it's a great power move.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. What a crazy move though. You. He, he basically just signed and sealed his vacation to be a knockdown drag out fight for at least two days.

[PFT Commenter]

This is, it's such a weird move to do. He can't possibly be like, I'm gonna sit in first. You sit back there.

[Big Cat]

But he would be comfortable.

[Zach]

He's gonna move.

[PFT Commenter]

He's gonna let her.

[Zach]

I. You lose the fight every time. You gotta lose.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

I mean there's no way to win the fight either.

[Zach]

No way to win the fight.

[PFT Commenter]

Even if you get to stay in your seat. Like, like you're going to lose. She should leave him.

[Zach]

He had to have gotten that.

[Tarek Skubal]

That.

[PFT Commenter]

They've been dat for how long?

[Big Cat]

Had to have gotten that six months.

[PFT Commenter]

If he doesn't give you the seat, you break up with him.

[Zach]

If he spent extra, like if he spent five grand like out of his own pocket to move up to that seat. Said he does well and not also move, then this is the worst guy on the. In the world.

[PFT Commenter]

You know what?

[Zach]

I'm like, choosing to believe that this guy isn't that much of an ass.

[PFT Commenter]

You know, Big cat makes a good point. The guy, he does well. He works hard.

[Big Cat]

He Work. He does well. She's. She's.

[PFT Commenter]

She's a teacher.

[Big Cat]

He.

[PFT Commenter]

He does very well financially. She. She should not get your cash up. She probably wouldn't even like it. This is.

[Big Cat]

No, this guy's the one.

[PFT Commenter]

She'd probably be like, what. What is this? Bubbly water? Yeah, that's champagne. Come on.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Maybe what you should do is go back in the middle of the flight and give her, like, a eighth of a piece of pizza and a little sip of, like, a diet Pepsi.

[PFT Commenter]

I'll give you.

[Big Cat]

Here you go. Pizza party.

[PFT Commenter]

I'll give you the crackers that they give me. You get all my snacks.

[Big Cat]

Oh. Or is that a Hank.

[Hank]

One more.

[Big Cat]

One more. What happened?

[PFT Commenter]

Lost it. Wait, is he a troop?

[Big Cat]

He might be a true.

[PFT Commenter]

If he's a troop. That's his seat.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Respect.

[Hank]

Could big cat eat an entire machine of ice cream? Genuine question. After seeing him down numerous cups of milkshakes during the duck duck challenge, what.

[Big Cat]

Would be the amount of time? I mean, that's.

[PFT Commenter]

What.

[Big Cat]

That's gallons.

[PFT Commenter]

How much ice cream There's.

[Big Cat]

Zach, what does. It goes. What goes in there?

[Tarek Skubal]

There?

[Big Cat]

Don't take off your headphones. Zach. Zach, how many gallons hold in there in the machine?

[Memes]

So it's 20 quarts each side. 40 quarts total. Four quarts in a gallon. 40 divided by 10 gallons.

[Big Cat]

10 gallons?

[PFT Commenter]

No, four.

[Big Cat]

Right, four gallons. How many gallons in the whole thing?

[Memes]

One take. Super. My bad.

[PFT Commenter]

Super calculated.

[Big Cat]

He's got the calculator out. 40 quarts.

[Memes]

Yeah. So there's so 10 gallons of mix, but each gallon of mix makes 1.5 gallons of soft serve.

[Big Cat]

Oh, my gosh. So it's even more. Yeah.

[Memes]

15 gallons of soft serve ice cream would be our max if we filled it all the way up.

[PFT Commenter]

There's no way.

[Big Cat]

No chance. It would take me. It would take me a month. So much ice cream. Yeah. I drown in ice cream. All right, let's wrap up the show. Zach, I have a question for you.

[Tarek Skubal]

You.

[Big Cat]

Yes, sir. I drove you home on Sunday night. Had a great time.

[Memes]

I appreciate the ride very much.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. What. What floor do you live on in your.

[Memes]

It's. I'm on the 14th floor.

[Big Cat]

Oh, 14th. Okay, 14th. How long? Pft. And, Hank, how long do you think? 14th floor. He lives on the 14th floor. How long did you avoid standing Next to the windows.

[Memes]

Roughly between one and a half to two weeks.

[Big Cat]

Okay. You just didn't go even close?

[Memes]

I didn't want to go through them.

[Big Cat]

Them? Yeah. What do you mean?

[Memes]

Like, I didn't want to get close enough. Like, I didn't want to get close enough to the window. Like, say, God forbid. I asked the leasing lady, she said this double pane, thick glass, but, like, if you were to go through a window at the 14th floor, you're finito. You're done.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[Memes]

So I just stayed a little bit back.

[PFT Commenter]

Are these. Are these, like, floor to ceiling windows?

[Memes]

Yeah, they start at the ground, so you can kind of like peek and see. Like, ooh. You know, like. Oh, like, if I go down there. Yeah, it's over.

[Big Cat]

But you have. You live in a studio. Yes. So you. You. You took, like, a quarter of your apartment away. I did.

[Memes]

I did avoid, like, a decent amount of the square footage because the window's right there. But I'm more comfortable with it now. I've got reassurance.

[Big Cat]

And then.

[Memes]

Okay, how much people let me know I was an idiot and I should just get to the window.

[PFT Commenter]

How much room would you give yourself between, you know, where the window was and where you had to stand?

[Memes]

Just like, a good foot. And then I made sure I wasn't, like, putting pants on or anything close to it, getting dressed in the morning. So I would. I would avoid things that. That I would have to balance for near the windows, too.

[PFT Commenter]

So, like, are you a fall risk?

[Memes]

Not a fall risk, no. But a window avoider that high sometimes.

[PFT Commenter]

Window avoider.

[Big Cat]

I think those windows are built that they could take you.

[Memes]

I. They say, yeah, sure, always. Until.

[Big Cat]

I just like the idea of you being in, what. How many square feet is your apartment?

[Memes]

I think it's like 399.

[Big Cat]

And you were just. You just cut off.

[PFT Commenter]

Just say 400.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, 399. Yeah. You just.

[Memes]

Oh, yeah.

[Big Cat]

You just cut off a portion of your apartment because you're like, I can't get near these windows. But it's.

[Memes]

It's on the wall, so you just. It's not like it was. It was easy. Easily avoidable. Yeah, very easily avoidable. We're comfortable near the windows now, pretty much. For the most part.

[PFT Commenter]

Pretty much now. Are you afraid of heights?

[Memes]

I don't. It's the. It's the fear of falling that gets me. So I guess, yes. Heights. Little ify on.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, I hear you.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Terrified.

[PFT Commenter]

Terrified. Although I went down the Brewer slide last night.

[Big Cat]

Oh, no.

[PFT Commenter]

And they warned me they said, bernie, slide. If you're afraid of heights, it's a very tough, tough thing to do. No problem. I've been working on myself.

[Big Cat]

Love that.

[PFT Commenter]

Been working on myself.

[Big Cat]

That's impressive.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, you can do it, too. You can.

[Hank]

You can get yourself. Kids at the playground, but slides are scary. Good job.

[Big Cat]

No, I mean, they're. No, they're good.

[PFT Commenter]

There was a moment where the kids love slides. The lady that worked for the brewers is like, you were so brave. Oh, I was like, thank you. I was. I was a brave boy today.

[Big Cat]

All right, Good show, number 13. Three. Oh, wow. Memes, guys, come on.

[Hank]

Sick.

[Big Cat]

You think today's the day? Memes.

[PFT Commenter]

60.

[Big Cat]

Could be. What's your backup number? 6.

[Tarek Skubal]

Backup number?

[Big Cat]

92. 92. I'll go 92.

[Zach]

I'll go 6.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[Hank]

I'm 60.

[PFT Commenter]

I'll go 55.

[Big Cat]

99.

[Memes]

You go 14.

[Tarek Skubal]

63.

[Big Cat]

21.

[PFT Commenter]

Good luck, Zach.

[Memes]

Usual.

[PFT Commenter]

What was your number, Zach?

[Big Cat]

14.

[Magnus Carlsen]

Oh.

[Big Cat]

94. Oh, that would have been so good if it was 92.

[PFT Commenter]

Love you guys.

[Big Cat]

SA.