Hour 1: Going Pro

Summary

Matt & Myron (ESPN Radio): "Hour 1: Going Pro"

Date: August 6, 2026
Hosts: Matt Jones & Myron Medcalf

Overview

In this lively hour, Matt Jones and Myron Medcalf explore the theme of "Going Pro"—from unconventional broadcasting debuts, to NFL preseason intrigue, international games, and the ever-present fantasy of ordinary people breaking into elite sports. With humor and relatability, they break down trending sports stories, invite listener participation, and debate what it really takes to go pro—whether it’s on the baseball mic, the football field, or even the roller derby track.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Unlikely Journeys to Sports Broadcasting

(Expansive discussion starts at 04:23)

• Matt opens with the story of Lewis Kolb, a Phillies fan who won a charity auction to call an inning in the broadcast booth.
  • [06:28] Audio is played from Kolb’s in-game play-by-play debut, with both hosts marveling at his natural delivery.
  • Matt:

    “What a start, right? ...This is one of the most amazing talents I've ever seen for someone who's never done it.” (07:24)

  • Myron:

    “You feel like he was playing a joke on you. ...That can't be some fan you just pulled off the street.” (07:44)

• Both agree Kolb should get another chance, and Matt challenges producer James to track down Kolb for a future show.

2. How Real People Break Into Sports Media

• Matt and Myron compare their own unlikely career paths: Myron with journalism school at Mankato, Matt a lawyer-turned-blogger. (04:59)
• They note how some people get on air despite seeming unqualified, humorously underlining the unique and unpredictable nature of sports media.
• Quote (Matt):

  "Everybody has a different path... But it is very rare to win an auction and end up with a career.” (04:48)

3. The Fantasy of 'Going Pro' for Everyday People

(Recurring theme from 36:14 onward)

• Discussion of the open tryout for the Detroit Pistons’ G-League affiliate, where regular fans can pay $250 to test their skills.
  • Myron:

    "So many assume they could play at a very high level... much higher than what they could have done." (39:15)

  • Self-deprecating asides about personal delusions of athletic grandeur—Matt claims he could win a service game in professional tennis “in [his] prime,” Myron claims roller derby or ping pong prowess. (40:31)
  • Listeners call in with their own pro dreams—long-snapping, striking out an MLB player, etc. (42:30-44:29).

4. NFL Preseason Excitement & Under-the-Radar Storylines

• The NFL Hall of Fame game (Cardinals vs Panthers) marks the season’s return, with the hosts debating reasons to care.
  • Myron builds hype for underdogs and player depth battles:

    "There are going to be a bunch of guys who play tonight who may not get on an NFL field ever again. ...I love these moments—it’s the start of football.” (13:11)

  • Debate over starting quarterbacks (Carson Beck, Kenny Pickett) and their redemption arcs.
  • Matt questions Beck’s public perception:

    "He won at Georgia, took the U back to the national championship...yet falls in the draft. Feels relatively disrespected." (15:13)

5. NFL International Games—Strategy and Skepticism

• Discuss the Rams & 49ers opening the season in Australia, with logistical differences: Rams arrive just before the game, 49ers a week early. (25:09-28:43)
  • Matt frames it as a “science experiment” on jet lag and performance.
  • Myron:

    "I've never heard of anyone trying to go the day before a game...it just doesn’t make a lot of sense." (26:58)

  • Both joke about what “cultural exchange” the US gets—“tea and crumpets”, Ronaldo, etc.—for sending NFL games abroad. (29:19-30:35)
  • Listener from Australia suggests the Rams’ strategy is smart; Myron disagrees, citing physical toll.

6. Aaron Donald’s 'Tryout' for the Rams and NFL Workarounds

• Sean McVay calls Donald’s workout a “tryout” for procedural reasons, poking fun at NFL technicalities.
  • Matt:

    "I like when coaches admit to cheating—We just wanted to have him work out so we called it a tryout. That’s brilliant." (31:35)

• Brief discussion: Impact of Donald's return on the Rams’ prospects, expectation management for star athletes post-comeback.
  • Myron:

    "You don’t need him for 17 games—just get him ready for the playoffs and you'll be fine." (31:59, 32:45)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Lewis Kolb’s Audition:

• “He even does...he knows how to fill the time in between the pitches.” (Matt, 07:58)
• “He sounds like all those pre-Jackie Robinson calls...when they show you those on TV, that’s how he sounds.” (Myron, 08:15)

On Everyday People Going Pro:

• “In my prime, I could have won one service game against a professional tennis player.” (Matt, 40:55)
• "Very, very good roller skater. ...I think I'd be competitive in ping pong." (Myron, 40:28, 40:33)
• Caller Justin:

  "Not a thing, my man. ...If I got hit right now, right after I got done crying on the ground, you'd have to call the paramedic." (43:58)

• On long snappers:

  "The problem isn't the long snap...it's the 6 foot 7, 280 pound dude who's about to knock you." (Myron, 43:33)

Cultural Exchange Quips:

• “Do we get Ronaldo? ...I figured we should get free tea and crumpets or whatever they eat over there.” (Myron, 29:25-30:24)
• “It's not even the same continent.” (Matt, correcting Myron about Australia/England/Portugal, 30:35)

Producer James' Confidence:

• “How did you sound less confident the second time?” (Myron, ribbing James, 11:22)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Lewis Kolb Phillies call & analysis: 04:23–11:42
• NFL Hall of Fame game preview & QB storylines: 12:26–18:49
• International NFL games (Australia logistics): 25:09–30:47
• Aaron Donald “tryout” strategy: 30:59–32:45
• Detroit Pistons G-League open tryout & ‘I could go pro if…’: 36:14–44:29

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Listener Participation & Show Tone

• Show is participatory and interactive, with listeners calling in to share their sports dreams and join debates.
• The mood is light, self-deprecating, and good-natured, balancing humor with genuine sports curiosity:
  • “That whole segment for you was just wanting to tell everybody you're six four.” (Myron, 42:08)
  • “Very niche skill.” (Matt, responding to Myron's roller skating, 40:31)

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Takeaways

• Talent can emerge from unexpected places, but the pro sports path is rarely typical.
• NFL preseason and international expansion spark debates on strategy and broader meaning—both on-field and off.
• Most of us think we could go pro (at something)—but reality (and a 6'7" defender) quickly intervenes.
• The show’s warmth, humor, and audience engagement make even ‘going pro’ seem, for an hour, not so far-fetched.

Transcript

[Matt Myron]

This message is brought to you by Apple Card. Shave ice by the beach, a trip to the state fair, and a throwback flick at the local drive in. They're more than just items to check off the summer bucket list. They're also opportunities to earn 2% daily cash back when you use your Apple Card with Apple Pay. Apply for Apple Card now and use in minutes with Apple Pay. Subject to credit approval. Apple Card is issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City branch terms and [e-mail] this is Matt and Myron on ESPN Radio.

[Matt Jones]

And at Dart64 from Kentucky, Matt Jones.

[Myron Metcalf]

So I did an event with Mike Tomlin. I did an event with him. I opened for Mike Tomlin and he was competent. Like, he's careful.

[Unidentified Speaker 1]

Aha.

[Unidentified Speaker 2]

Club.

[Matt Jones]

What do you mean you opened?

[Myron Metcalf]

No, no, I was at, I was at a conference and I was the first speaker. He was following me.

[Matt Jones]

What, what was the topic that had you opening and then Mike Tumblr.

[Myron Metcalf]

Myron Metcalf. You don't think I'm good at anything? I don't think, but I'm, I'm known in some circles, man. In some circle. That's all I'll say. People know me. I get into places.

[Matt Jones]

Matt Myron on ESPN Radio and on the ESPN app. He's known in some circles and that means you. It's exciting to be with him. It's Matt Myron. Presented by Progressive Insurance. Matt Jones. Myron Metcalf. You can give us a shout. 888 say ESPN. We love hearing from our listeners all across the country. This is a participatory show. So 888 say ESPN. Myron, you, you also can find us on Disney Plus, ESPN Plus X, Sirius XM radio, or on the ESPN app. Myron, we were talking before the show and you, you know, you never know what the topic is going to be and you were having sort of an existential crisis because you don't know what to do. And so this might be a good thing to ask the listeners. You found some keys, am I correct?

[Myron Metcalf]

Yeah, I found a set of keys, knocked on some doors and eventually I just grabbed them because I know how trustworthy I am. So I always think that's the best way to go in that situation.

[Matt Jones]

So you found some keys, like, outside your house?

[Myron Metcalf]

Yep.

[Matt Jones]

Okay. And your thought process is that if you, if you keep them there, people will come to get them. Am I right?

[Myron Metcalf]

Yeah. And I'm not a burglar.

[Matt Myron]

Right.

[Myron Metcalf]

Like, I know, I know that you don't have. I don't have to worry about me doing anything. I don't. Can't speak to everybody else, but I grabbed them.

[Matt Jones]

Is it possible a burglar that was coming to your house dropped the keys outside of your house and you may now have actually caught the person that did it?

[Myron Metcalf]

It's possible, yes. It certainly is possible. But I grabbed them and put them on my pocket just to. Just to be sure, because I think that's the best way to do it.

[Matt Jones]

Well, I am. I'm glad. So for those of you, if you're in the Minneapolis area and you have lost a key, go on to Myron Metcalf's house. He probably has.

[Myron Metcalf]

No, don't come to my house. Don't do that, man.

[Matt Jones]

Glad to do that. Give me the key because you are trustworthy.

[Myron Metcalf]

I'm gonna get spocked or whatever they call. What do they call that thing where they, like, go to people's houses and. Do you mean. Is that what it means?

[Matt Jones]

Well, there's docs. That's where somebody puts your address and your phone number.

[Myron Metcalf]

The kids do it to people. The spotted.

[Matt Jones]

Swatted. Is that right? Swatted?

[Myron Metcalf]

Swatted. Oh, yeah, swatted. That's not spot.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, not spot that. That's what happens when you're a Star Trek fan at the convention.

[Myron Metcalf]

I just meet up at his local Dairy Queen. It's so popular, everyone.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, by the way, the local Dairy Queen. Did you end up going to the Savannah Bananas event?

[Myron Metcalf]

No, but I drove around it. And how many people were chaos?

[Matt Jones]

How many people were there?

[Myron Metcalf]

I don't know, but it was a big crowd. It was a big. You couldn't just get in. You can't just walk into my Dairy Queen like a normal Dairy Queen. It doesn't work like that. It's too busy.

[Matt Jones]

Allegedly. Allegedly the busiest Dairy Queen in the United States. There's no visual proof, but that's okay. Matt Myron is presented by Progressive Insurance. It's easy to bundle your homes and car [e-mail]. what are we thinking about?

[James (Producer)]

Trying to think.

[Matt Jones]

But nothing happens. Nothing happens.

[Myron Metcalf]

Time to find out. This is off the Top.

[Matt Jones]

Flash off the Top with Matt and Myron. All right, so here's the thing. If you're like me, you probably. Maybe you were when you were younger or even now, you go around and you go, where do these people come from that do sports radio? How do you end up getting a career in this? Because sometimes you'll turn on the radio or television and go, this person sounds like they don't know anything. So how in the world did they get to do it? Maybe you have that opinion when you're listening to us from 3 to 5 o' clock every day. But everybody has a different path, you know. Myron, you went to journalism school, am I correct?

[Myron Metcalf]

Yeah, Mankato, Minnesota.

[Matt Jones]

I was a lawyer who just happened to start a blog and it ended up getting popular and next thing you know, your career starts. So everybody has a different path. But I will tell you, it is very rare to have the path where you win an auction and you end up making a career with that. I think that is going to happen for Lewis Kolb. Now you may say who is Lewis called? He is a fan of the Philadelphia Phillies. And he went, Myron, to an auction. And as part of an auction, his friends chipped in to pay for him to get to do play by play for one inning, the Philadelphia Phillies. A really nice gift if you think about it, for your friend, to be able to let him do that.

[Myron Metcalf]

Yeah, I mean, they believed in them and I understand why.

[Matt Jones]

Well, I didn't understand why. I will tell you, when I saw that this clip had occurred, my initial instinct was Lewis Cal is going to be terrible. Because there are a lot of people, Myron, who think they can do this, right? They think, yeah, well, of course I can sit there. And it is very hard to just sit and fill time. So when I heard Lewis Kalb was going to be calling the game, I thought this is a disaster. But then he did it. Now we are going to play for you his entire first at bat call. Now remember, this is a man who is not a professional broadcaster. He won an auction to get to do this for the Phillies. And here was his call.

[Commercial/Ad Voice]

We are headed to the third inning, Phillies on top two to one. And we're pleased to welcome Lewis Kalb from Medford Lake, New Jersey. He is our Phillies fantastic auction winner. He outbid the competition to spend an inning and do some play by play in the booth. And Louis, welcome. Glad to have you here. Thank you, Scott. It's a thrill to be here. It's a lifelong dream to be in the Phillies broadcast booth. So here we go. Painter with the first pitch. Duartes, it's in there for strike one call. Phil's with two in the bottom of the second to take the lead as we start the top of the third. Now Painter delivers. It's bounced foul towards the Phillies dugout. And they count one and one Phillies in the first two games of this series. One more to go tomorrow night. And then a three game set with the Blue Jays over the weekend.

[Matt Jones]

Now let's pause it right there. Pause it right there. Okay. What a start, right? Am I correct? First of all, he's got the voice. Welcome, everybody. Like, he's got it. What? Immediately I'm thinking this is one of the most amazing talents I've ever seen for someone who's never done it.

[Myron Metcalf]

I mean, you feel like he was playing a joke on you. Almost like this can't be. This can't be some fan that you just pulled off the street. And he's that good. That's incredible.

[Matt Jones]

And then he sounds like an old timey baseball announcer. It's like, you know.

[Unidentified Speaker 2]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Sparky Anderson, like. Like he sounds like one of those guys you would hear on like old newsreels, like prime Vin Scully. Yeah, he sounds. He's got the nasally voice and he even does. He knows how to fill the time in between the. In between the pitches.

[Myron Metcalf]

Yeah, he sound like all those pre Jackie Robinson calls. You know, I mean, like that's like when they. When they show you those on tv. That's how he sounds.

[Matt Jones]

You know, Shipwreck Kelly just came back from the war and he's playing second base. Like that's kind of what sounded like

[Myron Metcalf]

Stoney Johnson, you know, with the hit. Yeah, that's how, you know, in the

[Matt Jones]

off season, he's a dentist in Scranton and now he's playing and. Yeah, that's what he sounds like. All right, well, but then let's. Let's finish the at bat.

[Commercial/Ad Voice]

It's a check swing. It's a called strike three. He got him. So. Or Tay's down. And Lewis, you spent your life as a what, firefighter? Police officer. Neither of those things. Just guessing.

[Matt Jones]

So unfortunately, his cohorts maybe didn't do the research they should have. Myron, he says you spent as a firefighter. Policeman and. No, neither of those things. And he finishes the inning. Six and a half minutes of glory. You can look it up online. Lewis Kalb, in my opinion, is my MVP of the week.

[Myron Metcalf]

You have to hire him. I think if you're like a minor league team or something. I don't have a major league baseball team, but somebody. If you're in a minor league team and you just want to draw attention to your team, you got to hire this dude. Because that's amazing that to just step into the booth if that really is his first time and. And be that good.

[Matt Jones]

Let me go even further. Okay. I think the Phillies. I'm not saying fire, whoever they have. I'm sure It's a legendary person that's been doing it a long time. Yeah, but I think they have to use him again. Right. Later this year. Maybe he just does the third inning of every home game or something. But you can't just let a talent like that rest, can you?

[Myron Metcalf]

Yeah, but you can't come to me if I'm the longtime announcer and say all of a sudden this guy gets to do the third inning because then I'm going to assume that he's going to do the fourth and fifth.

[Matt Jones]

So you're pushing back on that in your job.

[Myron Metcalf]

Yeah. If he was that good and that was me, I'm sabotaging the whole thing. Like, I'd be talking over him. I would be disruptive. He was too good to be that comfortable in this.

[Matt Jones]

All right, so now I have a challenge for our producer, James. James has worked with us for a long time on Sunday mornings and James is a great producer. He understands how to work with us. He's very patient. James, every Friday we are going to take a random person in the world of sports and we are going to ask them to be our celebrity guest picker to pick games on the weekend. James, I want you to find Lewis, see if you can get him and see if he can be our celebrity guest picker tomorrow. Do you. Are you up for that challenge?

[James (Producer)]

I'll.

[Myron Metcalf]

I'll do everything that I can to find him.

[Matt Jones]

That's not the excitement. I like to go get him. I like to hear you say, James, Yes, I will find Lewis and we will get him. Can you do that, James?

[Matt Myron]

Yes.

[Myron Metcalf]

How did you sound less confident the second time?

[Matt Jones]

Okay, so here's the thing. I think a lot of our listeners want to cheer our producer on if you know how to get in touch with Louis. Eight, eight, eight, say espn. I want James to succeed Byron on his first challenge. I hope he is able to find. Louis called tomorrow.

[James (Producer)]

Yeah.

[Myron Metcalf]

Get your confidence up, James. We can do this. We did this on Sunday morning all the time.

[Matt Jones]

You can do this. I think you could do it. Dennis is in California. Go ahead, Dennis.

[James (Producer)]

Hey, guys, thanks for taking my call. I had the pleasure of having Vince Gulley actually do my commencement speech from university and that guy sounds exactly like him.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, wow. What, what university did he. Did you go to?

[James (Producer)]

Pepperdine.

[Matt Jones]

Huh?

[Myron Metcalf]

Wow.

[Matt Jones]

That would be a good. That is a beautiful campus. Well, he does sound a little bit like him. That's actually a really good call.

[Myron Metcalf]

I mean, you gotta hire him to your point, Matt, like somebody, somebody has to hire this dude right now. And just put them to work, because that's fascinating.

[Matt Jones]

And the first thing that has to happen is James has got to find him. Now, football comes back tonight. The hall of Fame game from Canton, Ohio. It is the Cardinals versus the Panthers. I would say, Myron, not necessarily the best matchup in terms of excitement. Are you looking forward, however, to having football back in your life?

[Myron Metcalf]

Absolutely. The drought is over. We survived the dark days of June and July to get back to this point in football. I mean, we're. We're not going to be without football, I think, until sometime in late February from now until then.

[Matt Jones]

So there's like eight. There's like eight days or seven days before the next game, but you do get this game, and then it starts the process of all the games happening.

[Myron Metcalf]

Yeah, I love these games in these moments, because this is where the underdogs shot. And then here's the thing about. There are going to be a bunch of guys who play tonight who may not get on an NFL field ever again. Yes. I don't know. I think. I love these moments. It's the start of football. You got to sell.

[Matt Jones]

All right, so do me a favor. One of the things we used to do a lot on Sundays is that I would get you to try to sell me as if you were the broadcast person on why I should care about the game tonight. My initial reaction is to be skeptical about caring about Cardinals. Panthers. Explain to me why I should care about the game tonight.

[Myron Metcalf]

Do you like fun?

[Matt Jones]

I like fun. I do like competition, yes.

[Myron Metcalf]

Okay, then I think Panthers. Cardinals is for you. Matt Carson Beck, remember him? The University of Miami star, led his team to the national championship game. He's going to have a chance to prove for the Cardinals tonight that maybe he's their backup quarterback behind Jacoby Brissette. Like, maybe this is a guy who has a future in this league. On the other side, if you're Kenny Pickett, you have a chance to prove that you're the guy behind Bryce Young. Also at the receiver battle, Xavier Leggette. Everybody knows him. The South Carolina native with all of the fun interviews, he's trying to prove that he deserves a spot on this franchise. And he's more than just a viral star. That's why you want to watch this game tonight.

[Matt Jones]

Are those the two starters? Is it Carson Beck and Kenny Pickett?

[Myron Metcalf]

Kenny Pickett, yeah.

[Caller/Listener]

All right.

[Matt Jones]

Now, Mike, if I'm correct, Mike Tomlin is on the game tonight. Is that right? I. I'm actually going to be listening to see what Mike Tomlin Says about Kenny Pickett, that's kind of an interesting. You know, he coached him for a long time with his widdle bitty hands. I'd be. I'm going to be interested to see what he says. Aren't you? And do you think Tomlin's going to be good at that?

[Myron Metcalf]

I don't know. I mean, I think he's got some personality. You know, I had an interaction with Tomlin where we at the same event and I told you that before.

[Matt Jones]

I've heard about. Yeah, I was on the intro just a few minutes ago. Yeah, yeah.

[Myron Metcalf]

Incredible. Incredible speaker. You did not respond, however, to my pitch and how well I did. You just sort of skipped over that element of it, so it was okay.

[Matt Jones]

The Carson Beck thing is interesting to me because Carson Beck is someone, I think that college football, and I wonder if NFL fans will be the same way. They've always kind of taken this guy for granted, even going back to Georgia. He won at Georgia, then he goes to Miami, he takes the U back to the national championship game, something they hadn't been to in 20 years, and yet falls in the draft. Feels relatively disrespected, at least in my opinion, in the entire process. I know that draft gurus find things to pick out, but I've often wondered if Carson Beck might be the kind of player that has more success than people think because he's been so highly scrutinized, playing for two very powerful historic programs and he won and yet it felt like he was never given his due.

[Unidentified Speaker 2]

Yeah.

[Myron Metcalf]

Yeah. I mean, it's been up and down in terms of how we've seen him. At one point, the phenom then obviously took a step back, then goes to Miami. To. To your point, it also feels like he's been playing since 2011 or something, right?

[Matt Jones]

Yes.

[Myron Metcalf]

Feels like he played 14 seasons in college football.

[Matt Jones]

He's one of those college players. You get that in sports. These guys who. It just feels like they played. I mean, I think, you know, Grayson Allen, I think he was at Duke for 17 years. Perry Ellis at Kansas, still, that played for years. Carson Beck has a little bit of that. I feel like he went up against Vinnie Testaverde and took his job.

[Myron Metcalf]

He did. He's. He's been in all the quarterback battles at Miami and Georgia. I don't think a lot of people take him seriously the way that they should. There was all that off the field stuff. Remember when he said he's not going to go to class at Miami?

[Matt Jones]

He wasn't he just being honest I mean, none of these guys are going to class, right? I mean, I, I, there's a college I know, not, not Kentucky, but a different college I know where I, I talked to their athletes once and every single one of them told me all their classes were online. I feel like Carson Beck just admitted what everyone else does.

[Myron Metcalf]

Yeah, but like you don't, you save that for the group chat. You don't say that on a microphone at one of your first press conferences. So I, I think people see him as kind of as arrogant. Like that's kind of the narrative that's followed Carson Beck and now let's see if he can back it up at this level. He's going to get a shot tonight if he plays well.

[Matt Jones]

Cardinals and Panthers, what's your outlook for those two teams going into the 2026 season?

[Myron Metcalf]

It's not great for the Cardinals. I mean, Jacoby Brissette, they had to restructure his deal to bring him back. He wanted a lot more money. They figured it out. You know, you have a situation with them where, yes, you lose Kyler Murray and they played better without him last year, but you don't have an elite talent like that on this team. And I think you have to wonder if Jacoby Brissette can be that full time starter for them. Defensive issues, I don't know what to make of this team, but I think the bar is fairly low. Whereas the Panthers in that division, you can be a playoff team. My question, Matt, is can they be more than that? I think that's the question about the Panthers.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. I'm hesitant to think that Bryce Young, to me this is, I mean, last year was a year where he did prove himself to be worthy of being a starter in the NFL. Now the question is, how good is he? Is he a guy that you can actually win with? I think there's, I mean, Jacoby Brissette is another guy that's always sort of forgotten. He, I believe, is 33 years old and has kept a career in the NFL for 11 seasons, which is actually quite an accomplishment for a historic backup.

[Myron Metcalf]

Yeah, I mean, he's 33 and he's played for 37 teams. That's exactly right. Name a team. Jacoby Brissett has played for them at some point and for him, this is his one chance maybe to prove that he can be a full time start in this league. I met there aren't a lot of stories of guys who are mostly backups who suddenly become elite quarterbacks or solid starting quarterbacks. So, so we'll see if he can change that narrative.

[Matt Jones]

888 say ESPN. We want to know if you, if you're a Cardinals or Panthers fan, are you excited about the game tonight? And then can we find Lewis Kolb? James, are we making headway already on finding this guy for tomorrow?

[James (Producer)]

I'm.

[Myron Metcalf]

I'm searching.

[Matt Jones]

That doesn't sound very confident. My hope is over the course of the two hours we will become his name.

[Myron Metcalf]

James put his name in Google and said he searched. Sitting here looking for people that I can contact to try to get him on.

[Matt Jones]

He's on Facebook.

[Myron Metcalf]

He was a fan three days ago.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, he's going fine. I've got faith. We will. We'll get into some more NFL and other stories next. There I met Meyer.

[Myron Metcalf]

Matt Myron the podcast.

[Matt Jones]

It's Matt Myron here on ESPN Radio. Shout out to my Cincinnati Reds. Those of you watching on ESPN plus or Disney plus. I'm wearing the hat. This is brand new. Just got it Tuesday night at the game. Just swept the. I guess. What? Sacramento A's. Is that the name of the team now or. Actually, they don't even say Sacramento, right? Don't they just. They just call themselves James. They just call themselves the A's or the Athletics. What do they call themselves?

[Myron Metcalf]

Sorry, I was too busy looking for Lewis called.

[James (Producer)]

What did you say?

[Matt Jones]

Oh, they call themselves the A's or the Athletics.

[Myron Metcalf]

Yeah,

[Matt Jones]

Athletics.

[Myron Metcalf]

Is that what it is? Yeah, the Athletics are the A's.

[James (Producer)]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

But they don't even Sacramento, unfortunately. I went to the game Tuesday night, Myron. There was a couple right in front of me. They made out during the entire game. And I thought, what is more romantic than A's versus Reds baseball on a Tuesday night? That's how you know it's a love.

[Myron Metcalf]

Yeah. What else you going to do, you know? I mean, you had a red A's cave.

[Matt Jones]

Can we play a game? Can we play a game? Because I will. But I will spoil and say I was not able to. Can you name an A's player? Current

[Unidentified Speaker 1]

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[Myron Metcalf]

Sure.

[Matt Jones]

All right, well give me one. No, no, no, no. Don't look it up. I want you to give me a current A's player.

[Myron Metcalf]

I don't know, I'm trying to think of many. Well, they have an awesome.

[Matt Jones]

What's the last A's player that you can remember? Go back historically and you can't say Dennis Eckerson not going back.

[Myron Metcalf]

I mean, you know, I grew up with Ricky Hennis is my favorite player of all time.

[Matt Jones]

That was a long time ago.

[Myron Metcalf]

Can you think of one? The last decade it could Seiko and all those guys. I mean that those Are my favorite ace players for sure. This Aaron, not so much.

[Matt Jones]

So I'm going to take that as no. You cannot name an ace player from the last 10 years. One person writes, matt, here's what I would tell Myron to do with the keys. Throw them into the river. Out of sight, out of mind. There you go. If you don't have it, then there's no way you can help the person

[Myron Metcalf]

throw them into the river. Yes, but they might walk by. No, there's somebody's key, their actual keys,

[Matt Jones]

like they're labeled another person. Again, the text machine is 772-774-5254 says Myron should embrace the cookie name. Imagine all the endorsements. I feel like Myron likes money. If I were to own a cookie company and offer him an endorsement, if he goes by Cookie, would he do it?

[Myron Metcalf]

We can, you can make a call to my people and we could have that conversation.

[Matt Jones]

People, don't you.

[James (Producer)]

Yeah.

[Commercial/Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Myron Metcalf]

I wouldn't. I mean, we'll. We'll see. I just. Nothing about me is cookie. My mom had a friend named Cookie. I've. No one's ever called me Cookie. So I don't think that's the name for me.

[Commercial/Ad Voice]

Me.

[Matt Jones]

Except me. Now, the 49ers and the Rams are going to start the NFL season and they are playing in Australia. Have you ever been to, have you ever been to Australia?

[Myron Metcalf]

I have not.

[Matt Jones]

It is. They call it the land down under. It is. A lot of people don't. If you look at her map, did you know Australia is essentially the same size land wise as the United States?

[Myron Metcalf]

I didn't know. I knew it was big.

[Matt Jones]

But you don't, like, you look at the map and it's just that little.

[Myron Metcalf]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Thing down there and you would think, well, that's not very big. It's actually we distort the globe to make it look like we're much more important than we are. The Australia is essentially the same size as the United States.

[Myron Metcalf]

Okay. And this National Geographic segment was brought to you by Matt Jones. You can find further PBS updates.

[Matt Jones]

I'm trying to. I'm trying to educate the people. So the 49ers and the Rams are going there to play the opening game and one of the teams has decided to go a week early and one has decided to get there the day before the game. The 49ers are going to get to Melbourne one week before the game to adjust to the time differential according to Dan Graziano. And the Rams are actually going to come the day before and essentially stay up in order. I don't know if they're, I mean, I assume they're going to sleep, but they're going to try to stay as close to their, the actual American time zones as they can and not disrupt their schedule going forward. What do you think is a better game plan? Get adjusted to the jet lag a week early or act like you're not even in a foreign country and go the day before and leave the day after.

[Myron Metcalf]

I've never heard of anyone trying to go the day before a game. Like, I know they probably have some sleep specialists who studied all this stuff, but I can't imagine that getting there before the game with the jet lag is a better strategy. And then I think the other part of it is they're turning right around and leaving. So it's not like just they're getting there early and then they're going to the game right away they're going to leave. So I don't know how that helps you down the road of a 17 game season.

[Matt Jones]

It's an interesting theory. I mean, their theory basically is if you go and get your body clock adjusted, it's going to take you two or three days and then presumably when you return, it's going to take you two or three days. The Rams are saying we are going to leave at the time of day that you. We would be sleeping in la, sleep on the plane, wake up, get our team to stay up for the regular time frame and then they will basically still be on LA time even though they're in a different country. It's almost like a science experiment playing out on an NFL field. Because I'm not really sure I understand the thought process, but I'm not really sure which one will work.

[Myron Metcalf]

Is it a science experiment or is it somebody trying to save on hotel roof? You know, because that, that's it. It could be that simple as well. You know that that might be someone

[Matt Jones]

who you think is cheap. They don't want to pay for Australia and hotel bills bills for a week.

[Myron Metcalf]

Yeah, they might have seen those hotel bills and said, wait a minute, we're gonna, we're gonna go on a day before. You know that this doesn't make a lot of sense. Why you would put your body through that and then. Can you sleep on planes? Cause I can't.

[Matt Jones]

I cannot.

[Myron Metcalf]

So the idea that everyone's gonna be rested, that doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

[Matt Jones]

And I would assume if you're flying all the way to Australia, that's a 14 hour flight. I believe the flight from the. I believe the flight from the east coast to Australia is the longest flight in the world. They're on the west coast, so it will be a little bit closer. But I mean, that is a huge. A huge difference. Are you a fan of NFL games that are played in Europe? I think they have a record amount this year, maybe nine or ten.

[Myron Metcalf]

No, we've talked about it. I don't understand what we get in return. I don't. And I get. We're trying to globalize the game, but unless you tell me what do you

[Matt Jones]

mean, what we get in return. Do you want it to be like a cultural exchange program?

[Myron Metcalf]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, you do? Okay.

[James (Producer)]

Yeah.

[Myron Metcalf]

Like I thought. Like, I don't know, do we. Do we get Ronaldo or so. I don't know. I didn't know what the trade was.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, we got the World Cup. You saw that. And that went swimmingly. It went really well.

[Commercial/Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Myron Metcalf]

But I mean, give us, give us more if we're giving you NFL games. And the weird thing to me is Roger Goodell has yet to say, okay, we're going to put a team in Europe permanently. We just keep sending them Jacksonville eight times a year and not actually having a plan.

[Matt Jones]

I mean, this is a great game presence. This is a great game. 49ers and Rams and if you're the 49ers and Rams, that there. It might be hectic to be there, but think about what's happened in London with Jackson. There's. When you go to London, which I have, you see Jacksonville Jaguars jerseys. London has kind of adopted that as their team. Maybe that happens for these west coast teams in Australia.

[Myron Metcalf]

I mean, again, did they give us tea and crumpets in return? Like, I don't know what we. Like, I figured we should get free tea and crumpets or whatever they eat

[Matt Jones]

over there, something in exchange, you know, Ronaldo is Portugal. You said tea and crumpets. That's England. This is Australia. It's not even the same continent.

[James (Producer)]

It.

[Myron Metcalf]

Man, they, they, they know each other. They do a lot of the same. They do a lot of the same stuff. One, they do a lot of the same stuff.

[Matt Jones]

So, I mean, for me, they're aware. I just.

[Myron Metcalf]

These are great games.

[James (Producer)]

Fine.

[Myron Metcalf]

But like, at what point do you just say we're going to have an international presence in the NFL and you're going to put a team or two over there? It just doesn't make sense to keep doing this unless that's the plan.

[Matt Jones]

One of the Players that will be potentially making the trip is Aaron Donald. And we've. When Aaron Donald decided to come, we all sort of placed him in the Rams locker room and in the Rams defensive line to see what kind of impact he would have. But Sean McVeigh and the Rams announced earlier today that Aaron Donald was actually, quote, trying out for the team. Here's what Sean had to say.

[Myron Metcalf]

The NFL transaction wire had Aaron Donald working out with the Rams today, which

[Matt Jones]

I guess did it come across as a tryout?

[Myron Metcalf]

It did come across as best tryout

[Matt Jones]

that we've ever had. Okay.

[Myron Metcalf]

You think he could make the team?

[Matt Jones]

I think he could make the kids got a shot.

[Matt Myron]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

That was honestly our way of being able to get a workout with him within the, you know, parameters of, of what's necessary. But Gif Smith said it's the greatest tryout he's ever had. One of the great things I like is when coaches admit to cheating and he's like, we just wanted to be able to have him work out. So we called it a tryout. I actually think that's brilliant.

[Myron Metcalf]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Michael Jordan was trying out for the Bulls in 95. I guess, like, I, I, I mean, this is, this is going to happen. Clearly, Aaron Donald wouldn't be getting in this kind of shape, being attached to the team unless he planned to come back. The crazy thing, Matt, about this Rams team is you don't need him to play 17 games. Just get it ready for the playoffs and you'll be fine. So if you're Aaron Donald, this feels like the perfect situation to make your return.

[Matt Jones]

Do you think he, what do you think his impact will be? I mean, he's been off for quite some time. Obviously we remember him as a dominant player. You do risk a little bit of how people remember you when you come back if you're not quite the same. Do you expect him to be, I mean, the Rams super bowl contender? Do you expect him to be a big part of it?

[Myron Metcalf]

Yeah, I don't think he'll be that Aaron Donald because no one, I think, comes back after a layoff and they're the same guy. But the gap between him and everybody else, I think was so wide, he'll still be elite. I just wonder how healthy he stays. Like, how many games can he give you? And if you're the Rams again, I don't think the plan will be every game on Sunday. You see Aaron Donald, I think it'll be gradually getting him ready midway through the season so he can be prepared for the postseason. And that's where I think he'll wreak havoc.

[Matt Jones]

One person writes in on the text machine again. 772-774-5254. Matt, I am actually listening in Australia, even though it seems crazy and people are mocking them, I actually think the Rams have the best strategy. If you're only going to be here for a day, just act like you're still in la. The time works because we're on the exact opposite schedule of the United States. Kudos to the Rams. They are outsmarting the 49ers. Agree.

[Myron Metcalf]

No, because when ignoring the 14 hour plane ride, like, like you traveled a ton. That takes a lot out of you. When you go four hours. So to go 14 and you're stiff and you're sitting there, it. To me, you don't have the advantage because of the flight itself.

[Matt Jones]

Well, I like it. I like anything where it's not just about sports. It's about dorkiness. And the question of who's going to win this game based on sleep schedules to me is exactly what qualifies as dorkiness. Now, Myron is wearing right now a for I think the second consecutive day, a soccer jersey. Is that right? What is that?

[Myron Metcalf]

Yeah, yeah, you know, I, it just became my thing a little bit. I have a friend of mine who is, is in the soccer world and he said, hey, you're going to wear a jersey every day. And I thought, you know what, maybe I'll try it. It's easy.

[Matt Jones]

You're going to wear a soccer jersey every single day.

[Myron Metcalf]

I'm thinking about it. I have a bunch of that kind

[Matt Jones]

of money to wear. Like, how many, how many do you own?

[Myron Metcalf]

What do you say? You don't think, you don't think they pay me for this show? You think they just.

[Matt Jones]

I mean, that's a lot of money to wear. I mean, soccer jerseys are not cheap. How many jerseys do you have?

[Myron Metcalf]

Okay, thanks, financial advisor. I would say that I have a bunch because here's what I did. This is a true story. I would watch the World cup and you know, I dabble in soccer, okay. And if I saw a jersey that I like that matched a pair of shoes I had, I would go buy the jersey. So I gotta, I got, I got jerseys that I honestly don't know. Some of them I don't even know what the country is, but I have a bunch.

[Matt Jones]

What is that country, you guys? That Spain?

[Myron Metcalf]

This is, this is Columbia, I believe.

[Matt Jones]

Columbia. Okay. All right. Well, so. So Myron's wearing a soccer jersey. So in his mind he's a soccer player. Well, he's not the only one that thinks of themselves as an athlete. The Detroit Pistons opened up their camp to people to try out to play for the Pistons and the results were spectacular. And so we're going to ask you, 888 say ESPN, is there anything in professional sports that you believe you could do today? And that's a serious question. Is there any professional sport or any sort of position in a sport that you believe listening you could play 888 say ESPN. We will tell you about the Pistons and that question next here on Matt

[Myron Metcalf]

Myron, Matt and Myron, the podcast.

[Matt Jones]

It is Matt Myron here on ESPN Radio, the smart speaker. You can play ESPN Radio.

[Myron Metcalf]

Now.

[Matt Jones]

The A lot of you have probably wondered could I play? Not me, but could you play a professional sport? Well, you get a chance if you live in Detroit because the Motor City Cruise, which is the Detroit Pistons G League affiliate, is hosting a hosted a one day open player tryout where they allowed people to try out. They're going to do it again in September. And the if someone was the best or has a chance, they could be invited to the training camp in October. It cost $250 to play and the video from the first one, Myron was immaculate. There were people of all levels, including one young man who could not seem to keep his pants up and would foul everyone on the court for $250. Would you pay to try to try out to be a piston?

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[Matt Jones]

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[James (Producer)]

Oh, oh, oh.

[Myron Metcalf]

O'Reilly Auto Parts.

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[Matt Jones]

Shohei Ohtani's interpreter was fired today. Ippei Mitsuhara ran up gambling debts to a Southern California bookmaking operation. The inside story of the biggest scandal in modern baseball.

[Unidentified Speaker 1]

He was absolutely bananas.

[Myron Metcalf]

The amount of bets he was making, I've never seen him like it.

[Matt Jones]

From 30 for 30 podcasts.

[Myron Metcalf]

This is the Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani, presented by Gusto.

[Commercial/Ad Voice]

New episodes available now. Listen, wherever you get your podcasts.

[Myron Metcalf]

Yeah, I mean, it seems like a why not kind of situation, but I saw the video. There were three brothers out there who didn't pay the entry fee. They just. They just jumped in the game, you know, so, you know, they paid the 250. Nah, they didn't sign up the proper way. They were just out there. They grabbed somebody's jersey. But it was. It was fun. It's also one of those moments, Matt, if you talk to people, so many assume that they could play at a very high level, usually especially in basketball, much higher than what they could have actually done. Like, how many basketball guys do we know that assume they could have played in the NBA if something.

[Matt Jones]

But I feel like you're one of those guys. Like, I feel like you might believe that there is something professional that you could do. I might. I know you well enough to know you have small amounts of delusion. Do. Is there something you believe that you could do?

[Myron Metcalf]

You just want me to name one? Is that what you're saying?

[Commercial/Ad Voice]

Or.

[Matt Jones]

Or one that.

[Myron Metcalf]

What is that?

[Matt Jones]

The list can start with one. Yeah.

[Myron Metcalf]

I don't know if this is an official thing or not, but like roller derby, I would have been professional in that. Like, if there was a roller skating competition, I could have.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, you just mean you're a really good roller skater.

[Myron Metcalf]

Very, very good roller skater. Very good roller skater.

[Matt Jones]

Very niche skill.

[Myron Metcalf]

Love to roller skate. I think I'd be competitive in ping pong. I'm not saying I would be.

[Matt Jones]

You've watched the Olympics. You could not play with any of those people.

[Myron Metcalf]

A dude in my neighborhood had a ping pong table, man. Like, we, we played. So a guy in my neighborhood had a ping pong table as a kid and we played. So I think I'd be.

[Matt Jones]

I think in my Prime. Okay. In my prime, I could have won one service game against a professional tennis player. One, because I really, sir, because I could serve really fast. I don't think I could have returned anyone. I think I would have had to get lucky. They would have had to have, you know, framed a couple of them. But I think if I, if I was playing not someone great, but like on the Challenger tour, I think I could have taken one game of service against a. The worst player on the professional tennis Challenge Tour.

[Myron Metcalf]

See, that's bold because I like. I mean I play college football briefly and I don't think there's any way I could have been.

[Matt Jones]

But. But tennis is different because even though they are a lot better, if, if you have a fast serve, you have a fast serve, right? And I was 6 4. And if I again, I might double fault every point and then I'm out. But if you give me a match which would give me six chances at it and I played 50 people, I think I could win one.

[Myron Metcalf]

That whole segment for you was just wanting to tell everybody you're six four. That's all you want to do. You're like, I was. I'm six four.

[Commercial/Ad Voice]

Like tall.

[Myron Metcalf]

People love telling you how tall they are, but that's a bold statement.

[Matt Jones]

All right, well let's, let's see. Eight, eight, eight. Say espn. There are other people who say that they can. Bill in Iowa. What is it? What's a professional sports thing you think you could do?

[James (Producer)]

I would want an opportunity for one time to get out long snap, punnett, get down on coverage. One time I could still do that. Played that and did in college. Had the great pop time, obviously 5, 11, 6 foot. I wasn't going to do anything after that. But long snapping, I'd want to be able to do that maybe for a whole game, but one time for sure.

[Matt Jones]

So you think that you. So you did it in college. If you don't mind me asking, on what level?

[James (Producer)]

Yep. Nai Small Nai school.

[Matt Jones]

Okay. So Myron, you played college football. Do you think at naia long snapper, I could put him in for the Bears and he could get through one one play?

[Myron Metcalf]

I think the specialists would be closer than you think. Like kickers, punters, long snappers. I think at all levels, the elite ones at least would have a better chance once you get into the running back, quarterback, wide receiver, o line. No chance, but I think he practiced for a week. Yes.

[Matt Jones]

You think you could put him in a Bears game and he would be able to. Long snap.

[Myron Metcalf]

The problem isn't the long snap, though, the problem is the 6 foot 7, 280 pound dude who's about to knock

[Matt Jones]

you but you're not allowed to hit him anymore. Right after they do it, right?

[Commercial/Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Myron Metcalf]

But the risk is still there. So I think that to me is the reality of like, could you handle what happens after that? But could they? Long snap, sure. I bet there's a bunch of guys at that level who could do it.

[Matt Jones]

Justin in New Orleans, what could you do?

[James (Producer)]

Not a thing, my man. I'm not going to lie to you. I plead college beats. And now at 44 years old, I have gym muscles. And I'm pretty sure if I got hit right now, right after I got done crying on the ground, you'd have to call the paramedic.

[Matt Jones]

You're 44, but when you were in your prime, do you think you could have struck one guy out in the major leagues?

[Myron Metcalf]

Yeah. How fast could you throw it?

[James (Producer)]

Maybe 88, 89. But there's, there's no way. I mean, those guys were incredible. I mean, the MLB players are just exceptional athletes.

[Matt Jones]

Can I say something? I'm a Reds fan. I think this season you could strike Matt McLain out.

[Myron Metcalf]

You could play.

[Matt Jones]

Right now he's hitting one. 20, I think, so I think there's a decent chance you could get him 888, say ESPN. Let me, let us know. What do you, what do you think you could do? Also, Myron has taken a strong stance about Patrick Mahomes, which I want to, I want to deal with. Plus, we have our first college football poll and for the first time in like 17 years, Alabama is not ranked in the top 10 in the preseason poll. There's that. More of your calls. You can listen on ESPN Radio. Don't forget to do the podcast. This is Matt Marino here on espn.

[Myron Metcalf]

Thanks for listening to Matt and Myron the podcast. You can listen to Matt and Myron

[Matt Jones]

live weekdays from 3 to 5pm Eastern on ESPN radio. Close your eyes.

[James (Producer)]

Exhale.

[Matt Jones]

Feel your body relax and let go of whatever you're carrying today.

[Unidentified Speaker 2]

Well, I'm letting go of the worry that I wouldn't get my new contacts in time for this class. I got them delivered free from 1-800-contacts. Oh, my gosh, they're so fast.

[Matt Jones]

And breathe.

[Myron Metcalf]

Oh, sorry.

[Unidentified Speaker 2]

I almost couldn't breathe when I saw the discount they gave me on my first order. Oh, sorry. Namaste. Visit 1-800-contacts.com today to save on your first order.

[Matt Jones]

1-800-contacts.