Hour 3: CFB Around the Corner!

Summary

Summary of "Hour 3: CFB Around the Corner!"
Sunday Mornings with Matt and Myron
Release Date: August 3, 2025

In this engaging episode of Sunday Mornings with Matt and Myron on ESPN Radio, hosts Matt Jones and Myron Medcalf delve into a variety of pressing topics in the sports world, with a particular focus on Major League Baseball (MLB) challenges, the evolving landscape of college football, and an intriguing exploration of cornhole as an emerging sport. Filled with insightful analysis, notable quotes, and lively discussions, this episode provides listeners with a comprehensive overview of current sports narratives.

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1. MLB Event at Bristol Motor Speedway: A Missed Opportunity

The episode kicks off with a discussion about the highly anticipated MLB event held at Bristol Motor Speedway, which ultimately did not meet expectations due to unforeseen circumstances.

• Matt Jones expresses his disappointment:
  “I don't feel like [baseball events at such venues] get enough attention on the radio.” ([00:31])

• Aaron Goldhammer provides context on the complexities of organizing large-scale baseball events:
  “This is one of the things that's sort of the intersection of baseball is the one sport where, you know, the weather is problematic and then you have these one-off events that take a lot of planning.” ([01:30])

The hosts reflect on how weather and logistical issues, such as rain delays, can significantly impact the success of such events. Myron shares his firsthand experience, lamenting the rain delay:
"I just felt bad for everyone because they've been working on this thing for a year." ([27:28])

2. MLB Team Standings and Playoff Predictions

Transitioning to current MLB standings, Matt and Aaron discuss the competitiveness of the league and the potential for various teams to reach the World Series.

• Matt Jones notes the increased openness at the top of the standings:
  “It feels like there's 10 teams that are all kind of the same.” ([04:16])

• Aaron Goldhammer agrees, highlighting baseball's unique competitiveness:
  “It's always open. It's always pretty open.” ([05:43])

The conversation touches on specific teams, with Aaron suggesting the Tigers have a better chance to advance, while Matt contemplates the narrowing gap between traditionally strong teams like the Dodgers and other contenders.

3. Bryce Harper vs. Commissioner Manfred: Player-Unions Dynamics

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to the altercation between Bryce Harper and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, exploring its implications for player-union relations.

• Aaron Goldhammer minimizes the incident's impact:
  “I don't know that that's really going to be a thing.” ([07:09])

• Matt Jones counters, emphasizing its significance:
  “I think that's a pretty big deal saying get the [blank] out of our clubhouse to the commissioner.” ([08:31])

The hosts discuss differing perspectives within the MLB community, noting that while star players like Harper may have distinct interests, the rank-and-file players might support measures like a salary floor to balance team payroll disparities.

4. MLB Payroll Disparities and Union Negotiations

Delving deeper into the financial aspects of MLB, Matt and Boog analyze the stark differences in payrolls between teams like the Dodgers and the Marlins.

• Boog Shambi explains the root of player concerns:
  “The problem is that what the Dodgers are spending is so much more than what the Marlins are spending.” ([09:38])

• Matt Jones elaborates on the varied interests within the league:
  “I think there's baseball more than any other sport. I think within the union and within the teams, there are very different interests in the way things work.” ([10:20])

This segment underscores the complexities of MLB's financial negotiations and the challenges in aligning the diverse interests of teams and players.

5. College Football: Players to Watch

Shifting gears to college football, Matt and Boog share their excitement about standout players who are poised to make significant impacts in the upcoming season.

• Boog Shambi highlights Arch Manning as a top prospect:
  “He's the Heisman Trophy favorite.” ([15:07])

• Matt Jones adds his enthusiasm for potential breakout stars:
  “If he goes into Columbus and wins, then I'll [support him].” ([16:02])

Boog also mentions Drew Aller from Penn State and Jeremiah Love from Notre Dame, discussing their potential and the narratives that make them intriguing to watch.

6. The Rise of Cornhole as a Sport

In an unexpected yet fascinating turn, the podcast explores cornhole, featuring insights from Ryan McGee of Marty and McGee.

• Myron Medcalf describes the vibrant scene at the Cornhole World Championships in Rock Hill, South Carolina:
  “It's basically a Luke Combs contest, a costume contest like literally every, everybody.” ([29:56])

• Boog Shambi questions its legitimacy as a sport:
  “Is Cornhole a sport?” ([31:05])

• Myron Medcalf defends cornhole's athleticism and competitive nature:
  “It is a sport that there are a lot of different people of ages, of varied body types.” ([31:05])

The hosts debate the merits of cornhole, acknowledging its growing popularity and the skill required to excel, while also recognizing its emerging status in the competitive sports arena.

7. WWE SummerSlam Predictions

Wrapping up with a lighter segment, Matt and Boog engage in a playful prediction game for the upcoming WWE SummerSlam event.

• Matt Jones predicts John Cena's victory:
  “Give me Cena winning the street fight tonight.” ([43:22])

• Boog Shambi anticipates strategic storytelling:
  “I think they'll let Cena win just so they can set him up for future pain a couple of weeks from now.” ([43:48])

The banter highlights the hosts' camaraderie and adds an entertaining close to the episode.

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Notable Quotes:

• “Sometimes, you take a swing and, and you screw it up.” - Aaron Goldhammer ([01:30])

• “If you give me a salary floor, if you make the Marlins spend 100, then I take limiting what the Dodgers will spend.” - Boog Shambi ([09:38])

• “It's. It's an interesting experiment where you take a world-class facility... and then you bring in an outside group to run the event.” - Myron Medcalf ([26:10])

• “Everyone down at your Munich course thinks they could make the U.S. open. They can't, but you know, they can try.” - Myron Medcalf ([32:12])

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Conclusion:

This episode of Sunday Mornings with Matt and Myron offers a thorough and dynamic exploration of current sports topics, seamlessly blending deep analysis with lighthearted commentary. From dissecting MLB's logistical challenges and financial dynamics to spotlighting promising college football talents and pondering the legitimacy of cornhole as a sport, the hosts provide listeners with valuable insights and entertaining discussions. Whether you're a baseball aficionado, a football fan, or simply interested in the evolving landscape of sports, this episode delivers a rich and engaging listening experience.

Transcript

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[Matt Jones]

This is Matt and Myron the podcast. It is Sunday morning here ESPN Radio with Matt Myron, except no Myron today, Aaron Goldhammer filling in. We are presented by Progressive Insurance. Tonight, Sunday night baseball Tigers Phillies begin at 6 Eastern and our guy Boog Shombi is the on the play by play for ESPN Radio. I'm just gonna use this a chance to talk to you about baseball because we don't, you know, I don't feel like it gets enough attention on the radio. So let's start about what happened last night. I'm a big Reds fan, very excited. We're never on national tv. We are. Last night you got the, you know, the series being in Bristol and 100,000 people could be there and then it just didn't work out. Some of it's rain, but then a lot of other stuff went wrong as well. When you look at it like what do you think? Do you think anybody made decisions that were bad or is it just one of those things that couldn't be helped?

[Aaron Goldhammer]

I mean, I wasn't there so I, it'd be hard for me to, to comment on it. I've read, you know, accounts and seen reports. Look, this is one of the things that's sort of the, you know, the intersection of baseball is the one sport where, you know, the weather is problematic and then you have these one off events that take a lot of planning. But to, to make them in a one off setting, to make them as comfortable and as normal as they are on an everyday basis is not an easy thing to pull off. And I mean it sounds like there were definitely logistical things that could have been handled better. But you know, the rain component is certainly, you know, at, at the forefront of it and you're sitting there when you're putting that event. I mean look, if, if the, if it had corded Field of Dreams as spectacular as that was the first time, you know, that would have been a mess too. So it is, it, it is one of those things that, I don't know, you know, what baseball is supposed to do about it. Sometimes, you know, you take a swing and, and you screw it up. But again, I'm sure there are aspects of what took place that I'm not. Yeah. That I'm just not aware of.

[Boog Shambi]

Boog, you've got Phillies and Tigers Sunday Night baseball tonight on ESPN Radio. Of these two teams, which do you think has a better chance to get to the World Series?

[Aaron Goldhammer]

Probably the Tigers, but it's, you know, look, once you get to the tournament, it's. It's hard, man. You know, it's. The Tigers will need scubal to be an absolute beast. They're a very good team. You know, I don't rule out that the Phillies get there, but if you, you know, you put it that directly, I would. I would say. I would say probably the. The Tigers, but I. You know, both these teams are good and both these teams to get there. Because, I mean, could this be the World Series matchup?

[Myron Metcalf]

For sure.

[Aaron Goldhammer]

I don't. I don't think there's any. There's any doubt about it.

[Myron Metcalf]

So.

[Matt Jones]

I have probably watched more baseball this year than I've watched since I was a little child for a variety of reasons. Mostly that my team is better than it usually is, but also just. It's. I don't know, it's just been kind of more interesting to me. I think the pitch clock and other things have made it more fun to watch. It does feel like, to me, though, on the peripheral level, that I've followed it in recent years, this might be the most open I can ever remember it in terms of who could win. It feels like there's 10 teams that are all kind of the same. The Dodgers seem like they should be the best, but they don't pull away in the standings. Do you feel like this is as open at the top as it's been?

[Aaron Goldhammer]

Yeah, I mean, it's a Yes, I think it probably is. But I would also say it's something that people who casually follow baseball don't like. Baseball's, you know, year in and year out, pretty open. And when you look at this format, like, again, a couple years ago, Texas and Arizona got to the World Series. And so, like, that is just, you know, the example, the proof of when you're putting 12 teams in the nature of this sport, there's less disparity in a single game setting between a great team and a bad team in baseball than there is in any other sport. In the NFL or the NBA, the great team is going to beat the bad team way more consistently, and it just doesn't happen the same way in baseball. And again, it's just fundamental to the sport. So I guess my point is, yeah, it's probably more open. I don't think that there is. I think your assessment on the Dodgers, everybody thought they'd be better, but it's, it's always open. It's always pretty open. And you know, you, you get in and you know, yes, last year we got Yankees and Dodgers, but that is not standard. I mean, over the course of the last 25 years, I mean, I think the team with the best record in baseball has won the World Series, I'm going to say three times.

[Matt Jones]

I guess what I mean by that boot, it is always open once you get in the playoffs. But put three or four teams to the side, your Colorado and the White Sox, there were a lot more teams that felt like in contention. I just feel like the gap from, say, the Dodgers to even a team like my Reds just hasn't been the gap that it has in years past that. Maybe I'm wrong, but it just feels like these games are just so much more open than they are outside of these three or four miserable teams than they have been in recent years.

[Aaron Goldhammer]

I think, again, I think that's probably true. I don't think that the, the gap between, you know, look, the brewers have the best record. I don't think the gap between the brewers and, you know, the team, the bottom team that's going to make the playoffs is as huge or as big as it is certain years.

[Boog Shambi]

Boog, you've got Phillies tonight. And what Matt is alluding to, I think is interesting because it's been a really exciting year for the sport. You had the Home Run Derby swing off. Ratings have been good, attendance has been really good. And we also have the commissioner and one of the best players in the league screaming at each other in a clubhouse. How big of a story to you is Harper versus Manfred on tonight's broadcast and what, if any, fallout do you expect from it?

[Aaron Goldhammer]

Well, I mean, I think. I don't know that there's anything beyond it. And none of us were there. And I think, you know, it's. It's something that happened in that setting. Look, personally, it's, it's an interesting one from the standpoint of necessarily why the players would agree to the meetings because, like, again, it. What the commissioner's trying to do is, you know, try to get them at least to some extent, to hold towards the middle and pull away from the union. So.

[Myron Metcalf]

But I don't.

[Aaron Goldhammer]

Again, I wasn't there, so I don't know what, what happened. I Don't. I don't really look at. I mean, I don't even know. I mean, I might mention it tonight. I don't know that that's really going to be a thing. I don't know. What do you. How do you advance that story? I don't know really how you advance that story. I mean, because if you're really boiling it down again, we weren't there. The report is how Bryce Harper talked to the commissioner, which didn't sound totally appropriate. But that aside, I mean, the real headline is Players association doesn't want salary Cap. I mean, that's not exactly a bulletin, fellows.

[Matt Jones]

Boot Shammy. ESPN's radio's major league Baseball Play by Play analyzer Announcer he will be on the call tonight. Phillies Tigers coverage begins at 6 Eastern. Enjoy the city of Philadelphia. Thank you very much for your time. All right, you guys, appreciate it. Yeah, I would disagree with him there, Aaron. I think it's a pretty big story, actually. The commissioner and the best player. I don't think it's so much the. I don't know that there's a news item, but you know what I mean? Let's put it a different way. If, you know, if you have Luca or Giannis or Jokic screaming at Adam Silver, I think it's going to be a story. I think people in baseball try not to play up that kind of stuff because baseball is considered a more congenial game. But I think that's a pretty big deal saying get the blank out of our clubhouse to the commissioner.

[Boog Shambi]

I also think it's interesting, Matt, that that's Bryce Harper speaking on behalf of Bryce Harper. I don't know that the majority rank and file of baseball players really feel that way because.

[Matt Jones]

Totally agree with you. I think that's it. Go ahead, finish your point.

[Boog Shambi]

My point is that so you've got The Dodgers spending $375 million on payroll, and then you've got the Marlins this year spending $65 million on payroll. And the problem isn't necessarily that the Dodgers are spending so much. The problem is that what the Dodgers are spending is so much more than what the Marlins are spending. So to me, I think there are rank and file players who would say, if you give me a salary floor, if you make the Marlins spend 100, then I take limiting what the Dodgers will spend at3.25 because it's going to make the average salary go up.

[Matt Jones]

That not be. It might not be what Bryce Harper wants. I mean, I think what's interesting about this, it's not. It's what's interesting about this fight is a lot of different people have a lot of different interest. I think the star players in baseball have a very different interest than the rank and file.

[Boog Shambi]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

I think the Dodgers have a very different interest than the Marlins. Right. I mean, if you're a team that can pay the most money and you make it back, you'd like to be able to pay what you can to make it to what you can do. If you're the Marlins, do you want a floor? No. But do you want to make it to where if you do things well, you have a chance against the Dodgers? Yes. So I think there's a, I think there's baseball more than any other sport. I think within the union and within the teams, there are very different interests in the way things work. And I don't know that that happens in other sports. Basketball and football owners tend to have the same goals because they have a salary cap and because they have baseball teams and baseball players, their goals are vastly different.

[Boog Shambi]

Yeah. I think that there were some middle relievers for the Phillies while Harper was yelling at Manfred that were agreeing with Manfred and not Harper.

[Matt Jones]

I totally, I totally agree with you there. Now will players, well, college football is coming, but will there be players that get you off your couch excited? Aaron's going to give you the one, the biggest ones in his mind. I'm going to give you some under the radar ones as college football. By the way, the first game is August 23rd, three weeks away. That's next here on Sunday Morning on ESPN Radio. Matt and Myron the Podcast.

[Myron Metcalf]

If you've.

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[Myron Metcalf]

Hey, guys.

[Matt Jones]

It's CD Lamb, wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys. I'm partnering with Abercrombie this season to tell you all about their viral denim. All you need to know is denim should fit like this. My jeans need to check a lot of boxes fit first, trend second. They need to go with whatever I'm feeling. An Abercrombie denim has it down whether I'm throwing on a tee or putting a whole fit together. Shop Abercrombie Denim in the app, online and in store. Don't ever play this again on this show. It's Sunday morning on Matt Myron on ESPN Radio. If you're going to play this song, you need to play the Old Crow Medicine show version. The Darius Rucker version is. This is the worst thing you could play next to Truck. Yeah. So I. I'm. Both of you. Don't, don't. Don't get me angry. All right? Okay. That was an Old Crow Medicine show song, not a Darius Rucker song. It is. He is Aaron Goldhammer. I am Matt Jones. College football is coming up, and it will be better than that song was. And I decided to have Aaron give me the three players in college football that he. Not the teams, but the players that he is most excited to watch. Not saying the three best, but the ones that are really, really good that he wants to see on a football field this year. And then I'm going to give you three that I want, not because they're necessarily the best, but because, like, their stories are interesting to me. So, Aaron, I'm going to let you do yours first. Go ahead.

[Boog Shambi]

All right, well, I'm going to start number one with the most obvious answer to this question, Matt. That there is, and that is Arch Manning, who we've been waiting for, it feels like, for seven years to play college football and play it regularly. Now, I think Texas is coming off a year where it's fair to wonder with Steve Sarkeesian whether if he'd have played Arch Moore, if they would be the defending national champions. Right now, there is so much hype. He's hardly played.

[Matt Jones]

He.

[Boog Shambi]

He's the Heisman Trophy favorite. I don't know for sure that he's really good. Other than the fact that his last name is Manning. And, oh, by the way, they start their season against the actual defending national champions at Ohio State in Columbus. And that game is. It's August 3rd. That game is 27 days away from today, so it's not that far in advance. I've got my number one. Are you surprised, Matt, that I've got him? Number one is. If his arch.

[Matt Jones]

If it was Arch Jones, you wouldn't say that it would be a good name. But because it's Arch Manning, I get it. Paul Feinbaum saying he's going to be the best quarterback in, you know, since Tebow was one of the dumbest things I've heard in sports ever. But I am excited to watch him because he's a man. Do I think that it's certain he's going to be good? I think it'd be good. But is he going to be great? What do we have to base it on? He played two games last year. Like, what is there to base on this idea that he's going to be amazing? I'm in a wait and see mode now. If he goes into Columbus and wins, then I'll. All right. Okay, let's go. But I. I'm not there yet, so I'm with you. But I am intrigued as to what he's going to do. What's number two?

[Boog Shambi]

And I think he's the player that'll drive the highest ratings in college football this year over everybody else just because of his last name, but also because of his potential. I don't mean to just list quarterbacks on this list.

[Matt Jones]

That's all I'm doing. So.

[Myron Metcalf]

But.

[Boog Shambi]

But people tell me. People tell me that Penn State could win the national title this year, which I have a hard time believing because I think James Franklin is one in 15 against top five teams in his career at Penn State. I think that stat is accurate. If it's not, it's something like that. If they're going to do this, they're going to need a quarterback who is better than the average Sean Clifford type quarterbacks that they've been playing at Penn State forever. And that's where Drew Aller comes in. Matt, everybody tells me this is an NFL player. This is a guy who has elite level traits and he's got great size. But also, the last time I saw him play, he threw a terrible interception to cost his team the game. And in the entire game, he did not complete a pass to a wide receiver in the playoff against Notre Dame. So I'm interested to see how it's going to go. I think they could lose a game or two and still make the playoff again. But I actually think expectations for Penn State are higher than that. And because of that, I've got Drew Aller as I think to me, the. One of the most interesting stories in college football this year and a player that I really want to watch. And then I'll go to number three, do I not?

[Matt Jones]

Let me comment on that one. I get excited. I get excited about Drew Aller because he's the first Penn State quarterback whose name I've known, known going into the season since Kerry Collins. I mean, this is like, like they are. This is a guy who clearly has some juice. I want to see if he can do it. Penn State quarterbacks have been hideously boring for 25 years. He has a chance to have it and I look forward to it. I'm with you, though. They're going to finish 10 and 2 and lose in the first round of the playoffs. That's just what Penn State does. What's next?

[Boog Shambi]

Number three. To me, I'm going to put the running back, but to me it's the running back and the offensive line. Notre Dame's offensive line might be so good, Matt, that just watching them block is going to be a thing of beauty this year. Marcus Freeman has built a machine. I think he's quickly moving into the upper echelon of coaches. And then I think Jeremiah Love is in the Heisman race. Even though people don't really want to vote for running backs in this day and age, I think that there's a chance he's going to have a historic season given the dynamics of his team and the schedule that they play. And so I think that really, to me, I think he's a first round pick number one. I think he could be a top 10 pick, which for a running back is pretty impressive. I know the Boise State kid Ashton Jenty did it last year, but I think that he's going to be this year's Ashton Jetty. And I am excited to watch Jeremiah Love tote the Rock on NBC week in and week out.

[Matt Jones]

So, yeah, I mean, those are my three guys. Their schedule is such that they don't. Their first six games are against teams that if you just look at the name, you go, oh, I know that team. But then they're actually not very good. So they're going to probably go 11 and 1 or 12 and oh, they.

[Boog Shambi]

Did Northern Illinois last year, remember?

[Matt Jones]

They did. They did. That's true. All right, so mine are going to be. I'm going all quarterbacks. Let's start. I'm a guy who likes goggles. I used to wear rec spec. So let's go to South Carolina. Lenora Sellers, and you've never seen a more athletic dude wearing Rex specs in your life. South Carolina was a little under the radar last year. They were good on defense. People didn't talk a lot about their offense. I can tell you this, that dude's hard to tackle. He's going to be exciting. And South Carolina will lose to a couple teams. They shouldn't because that's what Beamer does. But they'll beat somebody good. One of these good teams, whether it's Georgia or Tennessee or Clemson, they will beat one of them. And you'll know Lenora Sellers because of that. I want to see Diego Pavia. Usually when somebody comes out of nowhere, then the second one's not as good. I have some Caddyshack 2 vibes coming out of this where everybody's expecting them to be great and they'll be 4 and 8. But I like Diego Pavia's swag and I like his brothers in the crowd and their cowboy hats. So let's see if Vandy can make a second strike at it. There's nobody more fun to watch than Diego Pavia because you have no idea what what he's going to do. And then I want to see Carson Beck at Miami. They may be paid $60 million for him to come play quarterback and now I'm not even sure if he's that good. Let's see how he can do in that scenario with that pressure. Miami has a schedule where they could win the acc, but he's got to be good to do it. And then I'm going to throw in a wild card that no one's going to tell you on any of these shows. Kick returner, punt returner. Like why would you care about that? Because the best one in college football is named Barry and Brown and he's at lsu. He played at Kentucky last year and he was awesome but nobody cared because we were four and eight. So why do you care about a kid now he's at lsu and while I wish he had stayed, there will be a game where LSU is playing somebody important where he will be the difference. He is an NFL like elite level returner. Best one in college football in years and he will be at LSU this year. And Aaron, he will make a massive difference in some game during the season.

[Boog Shambi]

Look, Sellers is maybe going to be the number One pick in the draft. I don't know that it'll go that high. I'm not sure Arch Manning is going to come out. They're already NFL scouts. Matt watching his every single move. I can't believe Vanderbilt and Penn State quarterbacks each broach this list that tells you how much college football has changed. And I think Carson Beck, you know, is he was supposed to be the number one pick in the draft last year. What the heck happened? I think we're going to find out when we see him go play at.

[Matt Jones]

The U. Barry and Brown, just remember the name. You will be watching a major college football game this year and go who is that dude? Because he is that explosive. He. And just, just remember that it's been pressure. Friends, we're going to talk some cornhole and some baseball. That should be exciting. Next on ESPN Radio, Matt and Myron the podcast.

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[Matt Jones]

Not all meals are created equal. For instance, breakfast has a spicy egg McMuffin for a limited time and lunch doesn't. McDonald's breakfast comes first. Yeah, the other one should be deleted out of the system from now on. This, which should be the only one allowed to be played on the ESPN airwaves. It's Sunday morning on ESPN Radio presented by Progressive Insurance. Ryan McGee is on. I'm not going to ask him because you probably have to deal with Darius Rucker like in a south. Well, you're in South Carolina, for goodness sake, for 50 states and 50 days, so I'm not going to ask you this, but Old Crow Medicine Show Ryan, right? That's the better version of this song.

[Myron Metcalf]

Yeah. And Darius, Darius says that.

[Matt Jones]

Okay, good.

[Myron Metcalf]

He doesn't. He did. Yeah, he did. Darius doesn't make any bones about that. I, it's funny. We, we just talked to Darius, Marty and I did at the, at the, we went to the CMA Music Fest and we talked about. I, I had just seen.

[Matt Jones]

You saw me there, Ryan. Do you not remember?

[Myron Metcalf]

That's right. I do remember. I was getting there. But I saw Old Crow perform that song at a NASCAR event in May. And Darius and I talked about it, but Darius very Open about that. That's, you know, that he's the second best version, but it's, it's still pretty good. And then, and Darius Rucker singing that thing in the rain in Columbia when game day went down to South Carolina last year, that was, that was pretty odd. My daughter's a student in South Carolina. It was like a spiritual experience for her.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, that, that was cool. Let me ask you, let's start with last night because you were in Tennessee earlier in the day at Bristol for the Reds and the Braves. So it ended up, I mean I was so excited about it. You and I talked about it a couple weeks ago. You grew up a Braves fan. I'm a Reds fan. Like I thought for the area to, for East Tennessee, what an awesome opportunity for nascar. And it just kind of fell apart, the rain. You couldn't help that. But then a lot of other stuff ended up happening. They ran out. They, you know, they started the game, then they stopped it. Do you think there's anything else they could have done? And when you were there early in the day, did you see stuff that made you go, oh, I'm worried about this?

[Myron Metcalf]

No, not at all. And, and I think that what's interesting about it is, is that so the Bristol Motor Speedway is hosting the event. MLB is running the event.

[Matt Jones]

Okay.

[Myron Metcalf]

So like I did notice walking around because, because what Marty and I did sports center, like all the way up until like 2 o' clock yesterday. And what I did notice walking around was that the concession stands had MLB logos on them and had mlb like what their alcohol policy was. And that was the first thing I was like, okay, so they're running this. And so I think that it was an interesting experiment where you take a world class facility, which is. Bristol Motor Speedway has always kind of been gold standard when it comes to NASCAR facilities. And then you, you bring in an outside group to run the event and I think there's inevitably going to be communication issues. But I just, I was really surprised and I've joked, but I don't. But it's really not a joke, which is the full NASCAR experience is to have to sit through a seven hour rain delay. I have spent. I, Marty, I was just with Marty all morning at the Cornhole deal. We were talking about how much, how much, what percentage of our lives have we spent sitting in media centers because you can't run over races in the rain. And I mean it's, it's, it's a, probably a double digit percent of my professional career. And so it was really the full NASCAR experience. I just felt bad for everyone because they've been working on this thing for a year.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Myron Metcalf]

And for it to go down, you know, I did, I didn't want to become an Internet joke and it kind of did. And they don't deserve that. But, but it just was. You're right. It's just a huge, huge letdown. But they should have called it earlier. Just call it. You know, there was always a Sunday plan.

[Matt Jones]

On Saturday morning. Done that earlier.

[Boog Shambi]

Yeah, yeah, that's what I'm saying, Ryan. You know.

[Myron Metcalf]

Yeah, but, but they had the plan in place. So just make the call, play the game on Sunday and you know, maybe you don't run out of food and everybody can get back to the hotel and get dinner and come back. It just, it just, they didn't pull the trigger early enough.

[Boog Shambi]

Ryan McGee with us, of course, from Marty and McGee. Do you think they'll ever try it again?

[Myron Metcalf]

I'm not at Bristol. I mean, I think that in baseball has been very open about the fact that they, they don't go anywhere twice with these. Right. They're not going to go back to the field of dreams. They're not gonna go back to Fort Bragg. They're not going to go back to Rickwood in Birmingham. So I think this is kind of a one shot deal anyway. I don't think it's the last time we'll see the Bristol Motor Speedway attempt something like this. I mean they had that Virginia Tech Tennessee game. They had 160,000 people there nine years ago. So they'll, they'll do something. But I would be surprised if, if baseball does this again, I think it would be at like Daytona, you know, be somewhere else. But, but I think that this feels like a one shot deal. But it was, it felt like a one shot deal, you know, when I was down at Rookwood Field.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I hate, I hate they didn't get it done because I also would have loved to see Ellie get the, the national attention he deserved. And you know, it's still a cool idea. Unfortunately it just didn't work out. Now you're in South Carolina today as part of the 50 states in 50 days and you're at the cornhole world championships. I can't think of anything more country than cornhole. And the fact that there's a world championship is, is it. First of all, are there people really from all over the world there? And so tell me about the scene.

[Myron Metcalf]

All 50 states and like almost more than 10 countries represented those things. And it's it's in Rock Hill, South Carolina for folks that don't know that basically a Charlotte suburb. It's about, about 40 minutes south of Charlotte, just in South Carolina, over the state line. And it's that the American Cornhole League took what was an abandoned textile mill and has turned it into this incredible sports facility. Don't they have like all kinds of.

[Matt Jones]

Goofy sports there, Ryan? Like, isn't that where they got like Wiffle ball and all kinds of stuff?

[Myron Metcalf]

Well, they had. So the. Oh, they hosted the Ocho there, which is happening right now in ESPN too, that they hosted the Ocho there for years, which I think has moved down to Disney World. But they do like AAU basketball tournaments and college basketball tournaments and all that stuff there. But, but the eight. But this is the home of the Cornhole League and I can tell you this. It's basically a Luke Combs contest, a costume contest like literally every, everybody. And so when I first came here five years ago, they were all dressed like Rip from Yellowstone and now they're all dressed like Luke Combs. And it's, and it's, but as I, as I'm talking to you now, it's all live on espn. They're having the final four for the, for the world champion. And you know, it's a guy from Rockingham, North Carolina, where I'm from. It's like, you know, a guy from Youngstown and it's, you know, it's, and literally they all, they all literally look like they're at like, like a, like a Luke Combs Comic Con.

[Matt Jones]

I love it.

[Boog Shambi]

Ryan, I'm going to ask you the most controversial question at a Cornhole Championships. Is Cornhole a sport?

[Myron Metcalf]

Sure. I mean they, I will say this. It is a sport that there are a lot of different people of ages, of varied body types. I mean everybody can, and that's what they hang their hat on is everyone can do this. And we had a nine year old kid on Marty on SportsCenter with us about an hour ago and that kid is a national ranked cornhole player. I did a big story for E60 with a guy a few years ago that doesn't have arms and he just have like from the elbows down. And that guy was national ranked for a while. And so it's kind of open to everyone. But the reality too is you have to be really good at it. I mean the reigning world champion, this guy from Hamlet, North Carolina, Marty, y' all know Marty Smith is the Tom Cruise of espn. Like he's willing to die for our entertainment. And he believes that no one can beat him in anything. And this guy spotted him 20 points and still smoked it. Like, you still have to be good at it. And they pay a lot of money. That's all some of these people do. Wait a minute.

[Matt Jones]

Hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on. How much money can you make playing cornhole? What are we talking?

[Myron Metcalf]

You can make enough to do it for a living. I'm not saying they're going to pay you like they pay LeBron, but I'm saying that if you don't want to work at the bank or you don't want to work at the tire store, then you can travel the country living in hotels and drinking beer and make six figures playing cornhole and six figures playing cornhole.

[Matt Jones]

I'm shot. Really.

[Myron Metcalf]

That's what they do. But again, you have to be good at it. You know, you can't do. There's a lot of people that are trying to do it think they can do it. But, you know, everybody down at your Munich course thinks they could make the U.S. open. They can't, but you know, they can try. And we got a lot of that. We got a lot of 10 cups at the ACL.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, I love it. All right, well, let me ask you. We were talking, just saying go about college football. And I, we were doing our players. We were most excited to watch this year. And Aaron said, Aaron had Arch Manning, he had the Jeremiah Love and then the Penn State quarterback. I had Lenore Sellers, Diego Pavia. And I threw in a wild card. Former Cat Barium Brown now returning kicks at LSU. Ryan McGee, give me. I'm throwing you off here because we didn't tell you this before, but you got one or two people that you're really excited to watch this year in college football.

[Myron Metcalf]

I love watching Diego Pavia play because you guys know I Write the bottom 10 free espn.com 10 worst things College football rider every week. And I've covered a lot of New Mexico State football and what Diego Pavia did in his backyard, like, grew up in a tough area of New Mexico. And for him to do what he's done. And to me, the most flabbergasting statistic in college football is the fact that Diego Pavia is undefeated against Hugh Freeze. And he beat, he beat Hugh Freeze as the quarterback in New Mexico State when Hugh Freeze was at Liberty. He beat Hugh Freeze as the quarterback in New Mexico State when Hugh Freeze was at Auburn. And last year he beat Hugh Freeze as the quarterback at Vanderbilt when Hugh Freezes at Auburn.

[Matt Jones]

That is an amazing statistic.

[Myron Metcalf]

It's. It makes no sense. And you better not bring it up around Hugh Freeze. But. But it is the most fast. So Diego Pavia, to me is like, he has the potential to be. This generation is Johnny Manziel, and he loves Johnny. That could be a problem if you're a Vanderbilt administrator, but if you're a Vanderbilt fan or you're a college football fan, then you better watch that.

[Matt Jones]

I love Diego Pavia. I love watching him. I'm just telling you, Ryan, I'm a little worried there's going to be like, Caddyshack 2 vibes for Diego Pavia this year. I. I'm a little worried that he went too close to the sun last year. Do you know?

[Myron Metcalf]

Yep. Yeah. And he's also really, really enjoying being Diego Pavia. And that's great. But. But you better just. You still gotta. You still gotta show them play. They're not gonna. As. As my high school baseball coach told us in the state playoffs. I know those guys won the state championship last year, but we're not going to lay down just because they throw the jocks on the field. Right. And so if you're Darryga Poppy, you can't just go out there. I'll beat Alabama last year and I remind everybody Johnny Manziel and expect to win seven, eight games and go to a bowl game. So it's. It's going to be. It's going to be fascinating. Like Hugh Freeze. It's going to be fascinating to my watch no matter what direction it goes in, Ryan.

[Boog Shambi]

Not just scary for Vanderbilt administrators. You know me, I'm in Cleveland. It's terrifying for Cleveland Browns fans when you make that comparison.

[Myron Metcalf]

Oh, yeah, he's definitely. No, no, no. If Cleveland. If Cleveland's going to continue to hoard quarterbacks, then I got my money on Diego Pavia being in the room at some point.

[Matt Jones]

I love it. He's fun. I'll tell you. The city of Nashville. He might as well be on the billboard when you get in town, because I don't care where you go, you're going to run into him somewhere. Ryan McGee, host of Marty McGee. Thank you very much, my friend.

[Myron Metcalf]

Appreciate it, boys.

[Matt Jones]

There you go. All right, we're going to. It is our final segment. I don't know. Let me guess. Jonathan Zaslow's on after us. Is that right? Not today. He got a day off.

[ESPN Radio Producer]

Oh, yeah.

[Matt Jones]

He's at.

[ESPN Radio Producer]

He's at SummerSlam, so I don't think he'll be. I don't think he'll be doing yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Wow, it's about time. All right, so we'll there but we have one more segment before we hand off to the next group. Take your pick is next Matt and Myron. The podcast.

[Aaron Goldhammer]

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[Matt Jones]

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[ESPN Radio Producer]

So you can lose more.

[Matt Jones]

Sweat and raise your game. Gatorade is it in your make your.

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[Matt Jones]

Way too many times that this song has been played. Today on Sunday morning ESPN Radio, Matt Myron presented by Progressive Insurance. I'm sitting here looking at our producer right now on our teams call or whatever it is, and James and I just realized, you know, I made a reference earlier to Jake Fraley of the Reds. You look just like him with that headband on Google him with his little headband. You could play for the Reds today.

[ESPN Radio Producer]

Well, I might look like I can.

[Matt Jones]

You need an American flag one because he's very patriotic, that young man. I don't want American flag.

[Myron Metcalf]

Why?

[ESPN Radio Producer]

I wore it for Fourth of July.

[Matt Jones]

Well, good. Well, you could fit right in. It is. There's a lot of sporting events today. You're probably sitting at home going, who's going to win? We're going to tell you. We'll take your pick.

[Aaron Goldhammer]

Take your pick.

[Matt Jones]

You take your pick. It's time to take your pick on Sunday morning. All right, what's the first up first.

[ESPN Radio Producer]

Is your favorite team, the Reds. And the Braves are going to continue the Speedway Classic that was suspended by rain last night. Reds are up one nothing. Who do you got here, Matt?

[Matt Jones]

I'm already mad about this game because the Braves did not start their starter last night, Spencer Strider, because they didn't think the game would finish. The Reds did. Now we've lost our starter. So we're going to be pitching like people they met on the streets of Bristol. And this game matters for us and it doesn't matter for the Braves because they're not any good. So it stinks. We're up one to nothing. We got two on when we return, but I still feel like the Braves are going to win and I'm going to come away Very angry at this event I've been looking forward to for a year. Aaron.

[Boog Shambi]

See, I think the Reds feel like you feel, Matt. I think they feel done wrong, maybe by baseball, by God, by the rain. And so I think they'll be inspired and that inspiration will lead them to victory. I got Cincinnati today.

[Matt Jones]

All right, I hope you're right. What's next?

[ESPN Radio Producer]

Why didn't Francona just pitch a reliever then? I don't know.

[Matt Jones]

I think they thought the debate. I mean, when you start the game, you don't think, well, they're going to stop it. But then they did, so whatever.

[ESPN Radio Producer]

All right, let's go. Twins at Guardians. Hammer, you're going to be there today. Guardians are the favorites in this one. Minus 175 on ESPN. Bet. Hammer, who do you got here?

[Boog Shambi]

The Twins are unrecognizable as a major league baseball team. They traded like 40% of their team on deadline day back on Thursday. They haven't won since because of that. I will take the mighty Cleveland Guardians to go for the sweep today. This afternoon, I'll be at the ballpark in downtown Cleveland.

[Matt Jones]

Matt, the Twins traded so many players, they even got rid of Kent Herbeck, which I was like, come on. I what? They were just a complete fire sale of everybody. So you got to take the Guardians because I don't even know who the Twins have playing anymore. Give me the Guardians to get the victory and I hope you enjoy it. As you explain baseball to your daughter, I would say to you, don't try to teach her what a bulk is. Cause I still don't know what's next.

[ESPN Radio Producer]

Yankees are at the Marlins today. Yankees are the favorites to win that one. On ESPN Vet Hammer is very outspoken on how bad the Yankees are. So, Hammer, what do you got here?

[Boog Shambi]

Someone tell the Yankees you start at first base, then you go to second base, then you go to third base and then you come home.

[Matt Jones]

I was very defensive, by the way. Jazz Chisholm, he was like, I didn't do anything wrong. Really?

[Boog Shambi]

Well, the Yankees don't know how many outs there are. They don't know what base to run to next. Give me the upstart, Suddenly playoff contending, $65 million payroll. Miami Marlins today.

[Matt Jones]

Well, they're not playoff contending.

[Boog Shambi]

You need to slow down a couple games under.500. There's on the border fringes of the wild card race.

[Matt Jones]

I do think that Chaz Chisholm play is amazing because if people didn't see there was a pop up, he's on first. It Goes into shallow center field or shallow second base, just past second base. He then gets picked. Thrown out at first. He gets picked off at first. And after the game they were like, hey man, maybe did you take a too big a lead off? And he was like, no. So I wonder what could have made him. I mean, he got thrown out. What else? What other proof did he need that he had done the wrong thing? Nevertheless, I think they bounced back. I'll take the Yankees today because there are more Yankees fans at that game than there are Marlins fans. So I'll, I'll take the Yankees. What's next?

[ESPN Radio Producer]

Maybe just don't move off of the base whenever it's a pop up to second base.

[Matt Jones]

It's one thing to do it, it's another thing to go, what are you talking about? I didn't do anything wrong.

[ESPN Radio Producer]

One more, one more. Baseball one. Real quick. Tigers at Phillies. That's Sunday night baseball tonight. You can hear it right here in ESPN Radio. Coverage starts at 6:00pm Eastern. Matt, who do you got here?

[Matt Jones]

You know, I'll take the Phillies because, sure, I mean it feels like a good reason is any. It's baseball.

[Boog Shambi]

I'll take the Phillies. Charlie Morton, I think is making his Tigers debut tonight. He's got an ERA over five. And meanwhile Sanchez, Christopher Sanchez pitching for the Phillies who's still mad about not making the All Star game, I think, and they're still mad about it. So I'm going to take Philadelphia.

[Matt Jones]

Why are the Tigers debuting a pitcher now? Aren't they like. Right.

[Boog Shambi]

Well, they just traded for Charlie Morton.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, I thought you. I'm sorry.

[Boog Shambi]

Yeah, yeah. From the, his pitch for the Orioles for the majority, he's having a terrible year.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. Old man Morton's guy. I got you. What's next?

[ESPN Radio Producer]

All right, listen, we didn't talk about SummerSlam at all today, so let's preview a little bit tonight. Let's start with the main event which will be WWE undisputed champion John Cena in a street fight against Cody Rhodes. Matt, who do you got tonight?

[Matt Jones]

Well, first of all, Jelly Roll did better than I thought he would. I mean, all they did was have him get beat up. So I guess that's good. But I would say, you know, give me. I mean, ultimately Cena has got to end up like with one final match to do something. You always go out on your back. So he needs to go out on his back, probably needs to have the title. So give me Cena winning the street fight tonight. What do you got?

[Boog Shambi]

I think just the perception of Cena is changing. So is he a good guy? Is he a bad guy? Right. That's the big, like, storyline going into this match tonight. Because of that, I agree with you. I think they'll let Cena win just so they can set him up for future pain a couple of weeks from now.

[Matt Jones]

It's good that no one knows because that's kind of how it was his whole career. Like, half the people love him, half the people didn't love him because they thought he was overused or overhyped. So I, you know, it feels like Cena is going out right where he should be.

[ESPN Radio Producer]

All right. Big triple threat match for the women's World Championship tonight. Champion Naomi defends against Ria Ripley and EO Sky. Matt, who you got here?

[Matt Jones]

I'm going to take. I'm going to take EO sky in an upset. Let's go. She gets the victory. And you know, Rhea Ripley will end up taking it again at some point. But give me the skim. The EO tonight.

[Boog Shambi]

I feel like such a loser when I have these conversations because I don't watch much wwe. I don't know much about it, but I've always wanted to know more about it. I've just never been cool enough to learn.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Boog Shambi]

So because of that, what's the Ione sky? No, that was EO Sky. I only. Sky was an actor in the 80s. I'll take EO Sky.

[Matt Jones]

I was going to say Rhea Ripley was in OVW with us right before I got involved. So you know what? I'm. Flip it. Give me Ria Ripley. Always got to rep the OBW people. Aaron Goldhamer, thank you very much for your. For you doing it. Game night is next. It'll be Jonathan Zaslo and his brother Frank Zaslo. This has been Sunday Morning, Matt Myon on espn. Thanks for listening to Matt and Myon the podcast. You can listen to the show live every Sunday morning at 10am Eastern on ESPN radio, the ESPN app, and on Sirius XM channel 80. Matt and Myron the podcast.

[Myron Metcalf]

You've seen the headlines, heard the debates. The three point ball has created a monotonous rhythm to the game. Has the three pointer ruined basketball? And how did we get here? The rise of the three point shot can be partially traced to an eccentric.

[Boog Shambi]

Kansas genius named Martin Manley, whose story.

[Myron Metcalf]

Didn'T turn out quite the way he imagined.

[Matt Jones]

I decided I wanted to have one of the most organized goodbyes in history.

[Myron Metcalf]

30 for 30 podcast presents Chasing Basketball Heaven. Available now wherever you get your podcasts.