Ringer Tailgate: Offseason Grab Bag

Episode Date: March 11, 2026

Hosts: Tate Frazier, Van Lathan, Joel Anderson
Main Topics: Bam Adebayo’s 83 points, USA Baseball in crisis, Sherrone Moore legal update, college football headlines

Episode Overview

This episode of Ringer Tailgate takes a freewheeling and in-depth look at several hot-button topics from the sports world, with the typical blend of sharp analysis, personal stories, and lively banter. The squad dives into Bam Adebayo’s historic 83-point NBA game, examines the current state and discourse around USA Baseball after a disappointing World Baseball Classic, and provides thoughts and background on some major college football stories, including legal developments for Michigan's Sherrone Moore and big-money coaching hires.

Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. Bam Adebayo’s 83-Point Game: History or “Clown Shoes?”

[07:05–41:04]

Initial Reactions

• Tate set up the conversation, noting Bam Adebayo’s 83-point outburst is “the biggest story in sports.”
• Van Lathan called the feat "remarkable," but challenged the context and integrity of the performance:

  “If you tuned into the game after he had 70 points, the game was fucking clown shoes.” (08:50)

• The crew quickly draw parallels and contrasts between Bam’s performance, Kobe Bryant’s legendary 81-point game, and Wilt Chamberlain’s fabled 100.

Was Bam’s 83 as “pure” as Kobe’s 81?

• Van: “Bam had his team helping him engineer the game to get to 83 points. That is the difference to me.” (09:35)
• Joel: “Why does anybody care that Kobe got passed for second?” (10:00)
• Tate: "You had two very out there fan bases arguing—Miami Heat fans versus Kobe fans, it was a lot." (11:41)

Kobe Standom & NBA Fan Culture

• Van: “The only stand shit that I get into is the Kobe shit. That’s the only thing.” (11:47)
• Joel: “Kobe fans are real believers, man. I just don't want to—I want no problems with them.” (16:10)

Game Context—How “Real” Was It?

• They discussed the Wizards’ "tanking" and the number of free throws awarded (Bam: 43, Wilt: 32, Kobe: 27).
• Tate: “If you watch the first quarter, they were pressing to open this game... they just couldn't stop him. I actually came away more impressed…than just looking at the stat line.” (21:29)
• Van: "The Wizards are tanking, so they're not trying to win... this game will make people... expose some real issues with the competition and some of the ways that the NBA is being played right now." (22:14, 22:18)
• Joel: “The Wizards committed the crime, bro.” (28:22)

Legacy Impact?

• Van: “It won’t make Kobe not the second greatest shooting guard in NBA history, because Bam has an asterisk.” (26:43)
• The group ultimately celebrates Bam’s accomplishment but insists on recognizing the changing context of NBA records.

Notable Quote Thread

• Van: “Shout out to Bam, man. I really don’t want to because this is one of the most awesome things that could ever happen for Bam…But tanking, gaming the system, all that is not [it].” (26:11)

Memorable Sidebar

• Hosts share their own high school sports anecdotes (33:00-36:00), riffing on the nostalgia of post-game celebrations and coaches’ motivational tactics:
  • “Our coach in 10th grade told us if we won, he'd take us to Hooters, and we won…and we all got to go.” (36:10, Tate)

On Bam and A’ja Wilson’s Public Moment

• Tate: "That was a great moment, bro. He's come a long way, man." (38:52)
• Van: “All jokes aside, a really impressive feat from a guy who—by all ... never heard a bad word about him...shout out to Bam.” (39:39)

2. USA Baseball’s World Baseball Classic “Crisis”

[44:01–68:46]

The Double Standard in Sports

• Tate initiates a parallel discussion on the reactions to USA Baseball vs. USA Basketball.
• Joel: “The American baseball team is free to go out there and not even know what the stakes of the game are...if the USA basketball team lost, the sky would fall.” (45:28)

Team Makeup and Diaspora Discussion

• Van: "On the entire Italian team that beat the U.S., there are three players born in Italy. The rest are from the US." (47:34)
• The group jokes about practically all WBC teams in the US outfields being American-born.

Why Does Basketball Get Harsher Scrutiny?

• Van points to the Dream Team's legacy setting an impossible standard.
• Joel: “If you’re an American basketball player, you're being judged unfairly...people will hate you for it, or complain about it for a whole week.” (61:39)
• Tate: “Discourse is definitely poisonous.” (62:50)
• Van: “A lot of older basketball guys make this criticism about basketball—essentially acting as if they're policing their own culture.” (67:28)

Notable Quotes

• Joel: “The American men’s basketball team is the best international program in history—nothing fucks with them.” (68:25)
• Van: “If you look at MLB, there’s just so many more international players that are elite baseball players. Just so many more.” (65:56)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [44:01] Start of USA Baseball segment
• [47:34] "Italian" WBC Team breakdown
• [52:03] International comparisons & baseball's global roots
• [60:32–63:44] Deep dive on Dream Team legacy and American hoops pipeline critiques

3. College Football Grab Bag

[78:53–end]

High-Paid Coordinators & Coaching Carousel

• Tate notes: “Matt Patricia, highest paid coordinator in college football: $3.75 million for Ohio State.” (78:53)
• Van sees Patricia as "on the fast track to a head coaching job...in college or the NFL." (79:54)

Michigan & Sherrone Moore Update

• Tate: “Seems like he’s in a situation to move forward...His wife’s standing by his side.” (81:21)
• Van offers legal context on pleading “no contest” and implications for civil liability. (82:48)
• Joel: “I don't think Sharon Moore's going to get a college job anytime soon...there’s a lot of shit around his name.” (86:03)

Transfer Portal & Athlete Agency

• Tate: “Oklahoma WR Parker Livingstone: ‘If I didn’t have an agent, I’d probably still be in Austin right now.’ That kind of says where we are in college sports.” (87:06)
• Van: “Parker had to chase the bag. I also think Parker was probably a little bit unhappy with how some things were…shaking out on the field.” (87:32)

NIL & The $40 Million Roster Debate

• Tate brings up Brian Kelly’s claim that Lane Kiffin’s current LSU roster cost over $40 million.
• Van: “The expectations are a playoff run…you don’t pay $40 million to do anything less than be a serious contender to win the SEC and make the playoff.” (89:38)
• Joel walks through the upcoming LSU schedule and previews high expectations and fan pressure. (90:17–93:11)

On Coach Evaluation & Fan Culture

• Van: “Any program worth its salt, if your coach has the worst offense one year, the worst defense the next...people are going to start to say, how can this continue to happen?” (94:20)
• Joel and Van rib each other about fan expectations, coaching dissatisfaction, and the endless quest for a program identity. (96:40–98:18)

Additional Notable Quotes & Moments

• [12:19] Joel, on the Kobe conversation: "I found out that...not only hated Kobe Bryant but secretly judged him for being accused of rape once...it really came out...when Bam scored 83."
• [35:21] Joel, on sports nostalgia: “They asked him, like, what are you going to miss most? He starts crying, he’s like, ‘going to get food.’ And I totally got what…he was getting emotional about.”
• [73:02] Van describes his love for the old Target snack bar, encapsulating the show's warmth for everyday nostalgia.

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Timestamps | |------------------------------------------------|---------------------| | Bam Adebayo’s 83-point game | 07:05 – 41:04 | | Bam vs. Kobe/Wilt debate & NBA culture | 08:50 – 29:58 | | USA Baseball’s WBC fallout and double standards | 44:01 – 68:46 | | College football grab bag/headline round robin | 78:53 – end | | Sherrone Moore legal update | 81:01 – 87:06 | | NIL/$40 Million roster discussion | 89:18 – 96:26 | | Coaching hot seat culture & fan expectations | 93:27 – 98:30 |

Summary & Takeaways

• Bam Adebayo’s 83 points: Historic and electrifying, but context (tanking Wizards, free-throw parade) matters. Kobe standom leads to intense online battles and nostalgia for “purer” scoring moments.
• NBA Scoring Explosions: Reflect larger issues in the league, including defensive effort and competitive integrity during tanking.
• USA Baseball vs. Basketball: Reflects a cultural double standard. Team USA basketball is always held to the highest standards, while baseball perennially underperforms with less scrutiny, amid shifting international talent pools.
• Coaching and CFB Headlines: Massive coordinator salaries, ongoing legal uncertainty for head coaches, and ever-present transfer/NIL drama underscore the new era of college athletics.
• Fan Culture: Throughout, there’s a playful yet pointed take on how fans, media, and even insiders hold some standards ferociously while letting others slide.

Memorable Closing

Van: "Tailgate is back.” (99:52)

Tate: "Thanks everybody for tuning in to Ringer Tailgate... see you all next Wednesday." (99:55)

This summary captures the Ringer Tailgate ethos—mixing sharp takes, personal stories, and cultural observations with unfiltered banter and sports nostalgia.