#4520 Kings Of Deion

Summary

Podcast Summary: TBTL: Too Beautiful To Live - Episode #4520 "Kings Of Deion"

Release Date: July 29, 2025
Hosts: Luke Burbank and Andrew Walsh
Description: TBTL is a daily show hosted by two longtime friends navigating the world with humor and candid conversations.

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1. Opening Anecdote: Luke’s Perfect Crime Story [00:00 - 00:43]

The episode kicks off with Luke Burbank sharing an imaginative and humorous monologue about his "perfect crime." He describes breaking into Tiffany's at midnight, not to steal the vault, but a priceless chandelier. The plot thickens with an unexpected romantic encounter and a clever escape involving a police uniform. This playful storytelling sets a lighthearted tone for the show.

Notable Quote:

Luke Burbank [00:00]: "What is my perfect crime? I break into Tiffany's at midnight... We make love all night. In the morning, the cops come and I escape in one of their uniforms."

2. Jeopardy Hot Take: Contestants' Answer Formats [05:00 - 09:00]

Andrew Walsh introduces a critical discussion about "Jeopardy!" contestants often only stating last names in their answers. Ryan Sandberg elaborates on how this tactic, while strategic, can sometimes create awkward or less engaging interactions on the show. They dissect specific examples from recent "Jeopardy!" episodes to underscore their points.

Notable Quote:

Ryan Sandberg [05:04]: "When [contestants] are guessing and only say the last name... I just think it creates a weird energy."

3. Sports Segment: Deion Sanders’ Health Announcement [04:38 - 06:17]

The hosts delve into Deion Sanders' recent press conference announcing his battle with bladder cancer and his subsequent recovery. Ryan Sandberg plays a clip of Sanderson discussing his diagnosis and treatment, highlighting the emotional and human aspects behind the public figure's struggle. They commend Sanders for his openness and resilience.

Notable Quote:

Deion Sanders [57:10]: "I can't control my bladder anymore... So if you see a porta potty on the sidelines, it's real."

4. TV Shows and Sitcoms: Evolution and Preferences [10:00 - 16:45]

Luke and Andrew discuss the evolution of television intros, particularly focusing on sitcoms and mockumentary styles. They compare classic shows like "Blossom" to modern counterparts such as "The Office," "Parks and Recreation," and "Abbott Elementary." The conversation touches on how intros have become more concise and visually complex, often embedding clues about the show's direction.

Notable Quote:

Ryan Sandberg [15:35]: "Prestige cinematic television... we’re putting clues as to what's coming up in the show in these intro packages."

5. Personal Anecdotes: Anxiety and Sports Seasons [24:00 - 33:19]

Andrew shares a personal reflection on his anxiety surrounding the end of the baseball season and the impending football season. He expresses a deep connection to sports as a coping mechanism in a tumultuous world, highlighting his reliance on baseball as a "good distraction." Ryan reciprocates with his own sentiments about missing the laid-back summer pace when football returns.

Notable Quote:

Andrew Walsh [25:30]: "I realized I'm clinging to it more than I think I have in the past."

6. Picnic Story: Friendship and Shared Moments [31:29 - 43:37]

The hosts recount their recent picnic in Friendship, detailing the camaraderie and unexpected interactions. Andrew narrates a heartfelt story about feeling overwhelmed while purchasing charcoal, only to be comforted by a park staff member's reassuring words, "It's going to be okay." This moment serves as a metaphor for handling personal anxieties and finding unexpected support.

Notable Quote:

Andrew Walsh [38:24]: "Somebody gave me that because I want my son to focus on making the team and not focused on that bad..."

7. Deion Sanders’ Press Conference: Vulnerability and Strength [43:35 - 65:53]

A substantial portion of the episode is dedicated to discussing Deion Sanders' candid press conference about his bladder cancer. Ryan Sandberg provides an in-depth analysis of Sanders' openness regarding his health struggles, emphasizing the importance of vulnerability and the positive message it sends to listeners facing similar challenges.

Notable Quotes:

Ryan Sandberg [59:55]: "He is telling you right now. You're gonna see it. It's real."

Deion Sanders [59:32]: "Get yourself checked out. Especially African American men... get checked out."

8. Conflict with Aaron Rodgers and Terry Bradshaw’s Commentary [73:00 - 79:10]

The conversation shifts to a heated discussion about Aaron Rodgers and criticisms from Terry Bradshaw. Andrew Walsh expresses his disdain for Rodgers, citing his controversial political and social stances. They analyze Bradshaw's remarks urging Rodgers to "stay in California" and how Rodgers responded with grace, highlighting personal growth and humility.

Notable Quote:

Ryan Sandberg [73:08]: "He feels like the danger witch... He knows more about the vaccine than Anthony Fauci does."

9. Tech Glitches and AI Misreporting [86:00 - 93:58]

The hosts address recent issues with AI misreporting facts on their show. Ryan Sandberg admits to presenting incorrect information about the Trojan Nuclear Plant due to his AI glasses' hallucinations. They emphasize the importance of fact-checking and express gratitude to listeners like Anya who help correct these mistakes.

Notable Quote:

Ryan Sandberg [91:05]: "I just took it as gospel truth... I apologize."

Conclusion: Embracing Honesty and Vulnerability

Throughout the episode, Luke and Andrew navigate a blend of humor, personal anecdotes, and serious discussions. They highlight the importance of transparency, both in dealing with personal health struggles and in their media practices. The episode concludes with a reminder to listeners to stay positive and take care of themselves.

Notable Quote:

Ryan Sandberg [93:15]: "Let’s talk about Ryan Sandberg, Spokane, Washington native and personal baseball hero of mine..."

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Key Insights:

• Vulnerability as Strength: Deion Sanders' openness about his health struggles serves as an inspiring example of how vulnerability can foster connection and support.

• Media Responsibility: The hosts highlight the critical need for fact-checking in the age of advanced AI to maintain credibility and trust with their audience.

• Balancing Humor and Seriousness: Luke and Andrew adeptly balance lighthearted storytelling with deeper, meaningful conversations, creating an engaging and relatable podcast experience.

Final Thoughts:

Episode #4520 of TBTL: Too Beautiful To Live offers listeners a rich tapestry of humor, personal reflections, and insightful discussions on sports, television, and personal well-being. With engaging dialogues and candid moments, Luke Burbank and Andrew Walsh deliver an episode that's both entertaining and thought-provoking.

Transcript

[Luke Burbank]

What is my perfect crime? I break into Tiffany's at midnight. Do I go for the vault? No. I go for the chandelier. It's priceless. As I'm taking it down, a woman catches me. She tells me to stop. It's her father's business. She's Tiffany. I say no. We make love all night. In the morning, the cops come and I escape in one of their uniforms. I tell her to meet me in Mexico, but I go to Canada. I don't trust her. Besides, I like the cold. Thirty years later, I get a postcard. I have a son, and he's the chief of police. This is where the story gets interesting. I tell Tiffany to meet me in Paris by the Trocadero. She's been waiting for me all these years. She's never taken another lover. I don't care. I don't show up. I go to Berlin. That's where I stash the chandelier.

[Andrew Walsh]

TBTL Are you all right? No. No. I'm confused.

[Deion Sanders]

Nothing makes sense to me anymore.

[Terry Bradshaw]

This face is not my.

[Ryan Sandberg]

If my consonants sound weird, it's because.

[Andrew Walsh]

I have imbibed liquor. Can you say a. Apple?

[Ryan Sandberg]

Apple.

[Andrew Walsh]

Can you say banana?

[Ryan Sandberg]

Hooray for you. Stay patient, people. Stay patient.

[Andrew Walsh]

This is gonna be worth it. I promise. Maybe not.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Maybe not.

[Andrew Walsh]

But it's worth it to me.

[Ryan Sandberg]

All right. Hello, good morning, and welcome, everyone, to a Tuesday edition of tbtl, the show that just might be too beautiful to live. Oh, and the adventure begins again. My name is Luke Burbank. I'm your host.

[Andrew Walsh]

Everything you're about to see is my real voice.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Coming to you from the Madrona Hill studio, perched high above the mighty Columbia.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, Ma. Pa.

[Ryan Sandberg]

It's just beautiful. Had Laker. Truly beautiful moment this morning, having my coffee, my iced coffee at that. It's my new personality. And there was like a regatta of sailboats, just a bunch of them making their way down the river. And then a float plane came zooming in over them and then landed on the river near where they were. I thought we have almost every mode of transportation being represented here. It was a cool little visual. This is going to be a cool little audio. It's episode 4000, 520 in a collector series.

[Andrew Walsh]

Let the fun begin.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Deion Sanders, the coach of the University of Colorado Buffaloes and, of course, former star athlete, has announced that he had bladder cancer and is now cancer free. His press conference, I have to admit, it kind of shocked me. And when he said that, that shocked me, like, in a good way. I'm gonna play some of the tape and talk about it. Also, here's something shocking. I have a quibble with Jeopardy. I have a Jeopardy. Hot take that I think is long overdue. Never let me slip. Cause if I slip, then I'm slipping. That might be of interest to our listeners. Cause I know we have a lot of Jeopardy. Heads out there also people that have even been on Jeopardy. Who are listeners to the show. So we'll get into that, time permitting. And we will say hello to this young man as well. Longest running cobra of the show. Maybe best known for his depictions of the talk. Top tall ships. Not the middle kind of shelf ships, not the lower level ships. The top tall ships. Those are the ones that he's known for his depictions of. He's already got his dinner plans figured out for the night.

[Andrew Walsh]

Hey, cheer up. It's Taco Tuesday.

[Ryan Sandberg]

He's Andrew Walsh and he's joining me right now. Good morning, my friend.

[Andrew Walsh]

Good morning, Luke. Do not tell me if I'm right about this. We will find out later. I don't want to spoil the flow of the show, but I think I know or can predict what your Jeopardy. Hot take is. I'm gonna tell you what I think it is now. You will tell me later whether or not I'm right. Your hot take is that you think they should have stuck with Mike Richards as the host.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Can you make your guess in the form of a question? Otherwise I can't count it.

[Andrew Walsh]

Is it Mike Richards should have been the host?

[Ryan Sandberg]

It is not that.

[Andrew Walsh]

Ah, wait. You were supposed to tell me later.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Oh, shoot. I'm sorry.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, shoot.

[Ryan Sandberg]

I'll answer it.

[Andrew Walsh]

Dang. That.

[Ryan Sandberg]

I'm supposed to create a little dramatic tens for the listeners, and I ruined it.

[Andrew Walsh]

I'm out of guesses. I'm out of guesses. Then. Now I'm. Now you got me. Hook, line, and sinker. Hey, you didn't.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Let's just do. Let's just do this right now.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, sure, sure. If you want to. Although there was something on the show sheet that you did.

[Ryan Sandberg]

We can talk about that later.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, okay. We could.

[Ryan Sandberg]

We could.

[Andrew Walsh]

We could.

[Ryan Sandberg]

You know what? Let's do the top story segment.

[Andrew Walsh]

Will.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Will revolve around sports stories. But as I like to say, not so much the actual sports themselves, the X's and O's, but the people involved in the sports who are of interest today.

[Andrew Walsh]

I think something caught my eye that I have no context for at all. But it sounds like it hit you pretty, pretty deeply based on some text conversations. I was Privy to yesterday.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Here's my Jeopardy. Hot take. I find it annoying when the contestants only say the last name of the.

[Andrew Walsh]

Of the.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Well, okay, the question. Right, whatever.

[Andrew Walsh]

Sure.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Question is the answer and the answer.

[Andrew Walsh]

You know what I mean? Sure, yeah.

[Ryan Sandberg]

When they, when they are. When they are guessing, when they're answering the question and they only say the last name. Now this has been the rule forever on the show. And of course, smart Jeopardy. Players know that you're better off being general. Why would you add. Why would you include the first name if you don't have to when the first name could trip you up? I mean, it's. I understand the strategy. I don't really begrudge the players, but I just think it creates a weird. I don't know, I don't like the energy around just saying the last name. Let me play you an example. This was a category recently on Jeopardy. And this is a guy who pretty much just is only using the last name. Convention Stand Up Specialists. Stand up specialists for 1200. This bupkis star's Netflix specials include Alive from New York and the Best Friends. Scott, who's Davidson? Right. Stand up specialists1600 famously the voice of a charming rat on film. He was talking for clapping in a 2016 stand up special. Who do you think that is, Andrew?

[Andrew Walsh]

You can't back it up and play it again, can you? It's so hard. I can't get this. When I can't see the text like that. The answers are given in such a weird way that I still don't even know what the first one was. I mean, they said Davidson, which makes me think that it was Pete Davidson. Davidson.

[Ryan Sandberg]

But I could have been John Davidson, the one time host of that's incredible. But it's probably Pete Davidson.

[Andrew Walsh]

I literally did not understand what that. I mean, it was also just kind of coming in hot. But it was just like. Wait, what did you just say? What was the clue there?

[Ryan Sandberg]

It was something about some shows that Pete Davidson has been in. So the category is about Stand up comics.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, I got that much.

[Ryan Sandberg]

That's what they're trying to. But they're trying to get to the answer or get to the, you know, the person's name by way of like other things that they've done. So the guy says Davidson. That means Pete Davidson.

[Andrew Walsh]

I got that. Okay.

[Ryan Sandberg]

This one is talking about somebody who played a cartoon rat and also had a Stand up special at one point that was called Talking for Clapping. Here we go. Once again. Famously the voice of a charming rat on Film. He was talking for clapping in a 2016 stand up special.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, he's hilarious dog. Who is Rick Moranis?

[Ryan Sandberg]

God, that's such a good guess. It's incorrect, sir. That, of course is Patton Oswalt.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, Patton Oswalt. Right. He played the rat because he was Ratatouille. Right.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Here's the answer from the guy.

[Andrew Walsh]

Scott, who's Oswalt?

[Ryan Sandberg]

Oswalt, stand up specialist 2000. His stand up specials include It's Pimpin, Pimpin and Cat Pocalypse. Scott, who's Williams? Cat Williams.

[Andrew Walsh]

Right, Cat Williams.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Famous head bonker, Pimpin Pimpin and Cat Pocalypse. Who is the Smothers Brothers.

[Andrew Walsh]

Mom always liked you best. Standup Specialists 800.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Amy Lau on the miniseries Beef. By the way, here he finally actually gets both names.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay.

[Ryan Sandberg]

She stood out on specials. Hard knock Wife and baby Cobra. Scott, who is Ali Wong? You got it. I just think you should have to say both names because you're supposed to know the answer to the question. I don't know how it got started. I mean, honestly, I don't know how it ever became the case that you didn't have to give the first name.

[Andrew Walsh]

You could say William. It makes sense. The smart move if you're the contestant because like, if you just have a brain fart, which I can't associate with, but I assume that lesser humans do have that happen to them. Like if you say, I'm trying to think, what would you say Charles Schultz might be the answer to? This person made a Bird and a dog famous. Weird.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Sure.

[Andrew Walsh]

I don't write for Jeopardy. I'm not on trial here.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Actually, I don't think that that's a terrible clue.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, sure, but what like you and. And you accidentally say, like, Robert Schultz, like all you've done, all you've done is, you know, harmed your own chances of winning for no reason. Sure.

[Ryan Sandberg]

So I don't really blame the contestants.

[Andrew Walsh]

No.

[Ryan Sandberg]

But I blame the rules. I don't understand how it was ever considered okay to not have to have the first name. Yeah, because that's part of the answer. Like think about how general of a last name Williams is it?

[Andrew Walsh]

It's. You know what it is? It's the category. I think that. Have you had this thought for a long time? I think it makes sense that this category made it stand out to you because if it was presidents of the United States, you wouldn't think twice about it.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

Lincoln, Taft. Exactly.

[Ryan Sandberg]

You know what? You're probably right. I don't Think. I think this category brought this to light for me. But now that I have, now that the scales have fallen from my eyes, now that I've been Jeopardy. Pilled, I feel like, you know, I don't understand how when they were making the rules for this game up, when Merv Griffin and his wife were coming up with this game, which is a true story, they were, I think they were on a flight and he was talking to her about his latest game show and she said, well, you should. Oh, you know what it was. There it was, this was not too long after the quiz show scandals, I think. And I think his wife said somewhat drolly, well, you should just give him the, give him the answers and ask him the questions or where, you know, like. And, and then he said, oh, okay. And then he started sort of practicing this on the flight, like trying it out. And they enjoyed this very much.

[Andrew Walsh]

But.

[Ryan Sandberg]

So I don't know if they came up with the original rules or what, but I don't. Or what. But I just don't get how it was ever the case that you didn't need the first name. Because I think the first name is part of the answer.

[Andrew Walsh]

You mentioned that or I mentioned, I guess. And I think we're in agreement that it stands out. Like politics. You don't notice as much when you start getting into pop culture like stand up comedians. It stands out. I think the funniest category would be cartoon characters. It'd be like this main character or this main character works with his friend at the quarry. Who is Flintstone? This, this pun loving burger flipper runs his own diner. Who is Belcher?

[Ryan Sandberg]

Who is Burgers?

[Andrew Walsh]

Who is Burgers? Who is Belcher? I don't know. That would be, that would stand out.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Way too much formality. I think what it is is it adds weirdly a layer of. You're exactly right with presidents.

[Andrew Walsh]

Who.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Well, generally speaking, we think of it as a very respected high office. Just using the last name only feels totally normal. But, but the further down you get in terms of the who is entertainment. Cheese.

[Andrew Walsh]

Who is bunny comma, bugs.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Yes. So anyway, just. I may drop that in Ken Jen's ear later. He's on a media blitz, by the way.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, he's got that new book out. It's a smart book tour too. He's turning him into trivia nights. Right. He's not just doing your usual book readings. Isn't he going around doing trivia nights?

[Ryan Sandberg]

Yeah. And I think he played the puzzle with Aisha Roscoe and Will Shorts. Oh, that on Sunday Morning, which is actually quite fitting because I think it's a book of puzzles.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's great. Yeah, I think. I think it has a quiz element to it. That's. That's pretty good. But I don't think he makes the rules. Right. And also, is he still on, like, probationary status there? How long has he been knowing he's.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Off of probationary status?

[Andrew Walsh]

Really? He's not on a pip?

[Ryan Sandberg]

No, no, no. He's. I mean, honestly, his P is IP'd.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sandberg]

I think he's very good at the job.

[Andrew Walsh]

Like, it's.

[Ryan Sandberg]

It's. It's working. In the words of Coolio. Yeah. There was that moment, it was well documented on this show where it was kind of like, what was the other guy? It was Mike Richards.

[Andrew Walsh]

And then it was Richards. And then it was Richards.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Who is Richards? Who is Bialik?

[Andrew Walsh]

Who is Bialik? Exactly.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Who is. In my opinionation the sun is gonna surely shine. I believe that's the Blossom theme song. Is that sung by Leon Redbone or is that just. Am I. Have I Mandelaed? Oh, the Blossom Red. Because.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, well, because he.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Because he, of course, does the Mr. Belvedere. Right.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes, exactly. Which would move. I would be surprised if the Blossom.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Is it maybe Dr. John.

[Andrew Walsh]

Let me see. Blossom opening. In my opinionation. That's right. I didn't. I couldn't even get this in my head. But yeah, all I had to see was in my opinionation, it's like, yeah, that's the song. Let's see here. The song's name. The song's name has no official title. Many fans just call it in my opinionation. But. But they're not.

[Ryan Sandberg]

I'm waiting for a. Like a. Some sort of a eyeglasses commercial to finish up here on YouTube before I can play this for.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, okay.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Will this get us pulled down in certain parts of Eastern Europe? Do you know what the rules are on theme songs for us?

[Andrew Walsh]

I. Oh, here we go. Don't know about the future that's anybody's guess. Ain't no good reason for getting all depress.

[Ryan Sandberg]

That might be Dr. J. I think.

[Andrew Walsh]

You are right about that. I'm looking this up now, but I am quite sure give you a piece of my mind.

[Ryan Sandberg]

In my opinionation the sun is gonna surely shine.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, that's right. Dr. John's white. I always forget that. I'm just like. I just looked up because I don't know anything.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Dr. Johnson, enter the discourse.

[Andrew Walsh]

I don't know. You know, I'm not a Dr. John Head or anything. And so, I don't know, every five to 10 years, I look it up, I'm like, oh, yeah, that guy's white.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Yeah, there he is. But, you know, it's you also. It's just amazing how big of a deal TV theme songs used to be. And I feel like they've gotten less so. Although, I don't know, you know, the Sopranos, that was very iconic. Maybe that's not tv, that's hbo. But, like, there's a whole second verse to this thing.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah. Stop all your fusses Slap on a smile Come out and walk in the.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Sun for a while don't try to find me.

[Andrew Walsh]

You know you want to have a good time. And in my opinion, the sun is gonna surely shine.

[Ryan Sandberg]

I mean, that kind of slaps. That's right up there with the Mountain Dew.

[Andrew Walsh]

There's no Mountain Dew radio jingle, that's for damn sure. No, you're. I'm with you on that. Although I feel like. And I'm just. I'm just exploring something here. I'm not arguing. So let's all. Let's all just stay cool. It's hot outside. I. I feel like we definitely went through, like, you mention Sopranos, but the Sopranos is really old now. Like, that's one thing that you and I have to remember. Like, that's an oldie.

[Ryan Sandberg]

You're totally right. Like, my.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's late.

[Ryan Sandberg]

My evidence to the contrary is very dated in and of itself.

[Andrew Walsh]

But then we definitely went to the period where people were like, why are we sitting through this intro? Right? And they got super, super short, right? A cold open, then a very quick intro. But I do feel like shows like the White Lotus, I might even throw Severance in there. But the White Lotus, especially because of the song. But then the really intriguing imagery. I feel like, at least for kind of Premier Television or whatever you call that. Whatever people call that layer.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Prestige.

[Andrew Walsh]

Prestige cinematic television. I feel like there has been more of an embracing of, like. We're also putting clues, especially now. I'm hung up on Severance, but we're putting kind of clues as to what's coming up in the show in these intro packages. So people are examining them, and I think they've instead kind of found ways to get people to watch them.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Yeah, I guess the closest the analog would be a sitcom in this day and age. Like, what does the intro of a sitcom look like versus the intro of, like, Blossom? But then, Andrew, what I had to try to remember was, are there sitcoms anymore?

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, I think of Abbott elementary right away. That exists. Okay, right.

[Ryan Sandberg]

It does exist.

[Andrew Walsh]

And I wonder. I don't know. I haven't seen enough of that show to know what the intro is like. But I'll bet you. You're right. I'll bet you it's pretty compact.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Are there any. I mean, I guess I'll know the answer to this when football season starts again. Yeah, because that's, that's when I. When I log back into the like network television kind of frequency.

[Andrew Walsh]

Find out what American dads are watching.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Exactly.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sandberg]

I mean, that's. But like, I'm just thinking it's been a long time since you and even Abbott Elementary. I don't think of that as a sitcom.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, really?

[Ryan Sandberg]

Well, I think of it okay. When I say. When I say. I think I've watched a couple others. I really enjoyed it, by the way.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, me too.

[Ryan Sandberg]

But like, I think it's more like the Office. Isn't it like a quasi or, or. Or like Community? Do you think of Community as a sitcom? Yes.

[Andrew Walsh]

And the Office. I consider both of those to be situational comedies.

[Ryan Sandberg]

That's. That's edgy.

[Andrew Walsh]

Really?

[Ryan Sandberg]

Well, I mean to situation comedy, right?

[Andrew Walsh]

Like, what is the. It's like a half hour, like short form weekly comedy.

[Ryan Sandberg]

I guess when I say sitcom, I'm thinking the kind of like more traditional, you know, that sort of multi camera shoot. It's mostly happening in the living room of the family that's experiencing the situations that are comedic. I don't know if I'm right about this, by the way, but I'm just saying in my mind, when I think of a sit. When I say sitcom, I think Archie Bunker. I think one of those things, as opposed to a single camera shoot where you're following people around or they're spiking the camera. Like in the Office, which is sort of quasi documentary.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, I just was curious. Not that the Wikipedia is the end all be all, but I was curious what they call it. And they do call it a mockumentary sitcom. So that's. That's kind of that. That's right. But I would also like is. I would say that Parks and Rec is in that category too. And there's like. I would definitely call that a sitcom. Oh, Abbott elementary, also a mockumentary sitcom. So I guess everything we're. I guess all the sitcoms that you and I like enough to consider for this conversation. Exactly. What, what is. What are the Sheldons doing these days? Like, is there a medium Sheldon? I think you told Me, there's a medium Sheldon or something.

[Ryan Sandberg]

I think I need an old Sheldon and a young Sheldon and boil some water. I mean, those are the ones that I can kind of call to mind that I. I'm pretty sure exist. There's a. The. There's a spin off from that show now that's like the somebody else in the kind of Sheldon universe and kind of what happens to their life, like George and Abby or something. And I think there's another one in development, too, that I saw a little mention of from one of the Big Bang Theory guys that's going to have their own show on cbs. But like a sitcom where it's like a Tim Allen type of dad is, you know, is. Has his family where that he doesn't exactly understand what, you know, what it is that's driving his children's behaviors. And he and his wife kind of are, you know, or like a King of Queens type of situation. Like, are they making those kinds of shows anymore? Do those shows exist where, like, most of it is in the living room of the house where the family lives. And it's. And if it gets popular enough, when one of the kids comes down the stairs, the audience applauds. Cause they now like that character. Like, is that happening on network television anymore? I don't know the answer.

[Andrew Walsh]

This is already probably pretty old. But I remember getting a glimpse into that world watching football several seasons ago. And you cleaned this up for me the last time I tried to describe it, but it was a long time ago. It's like a. It's either called the. I think it's called the Neighborhood, and it's about two neighbors and two dad types. And that seemed like the type of.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Show that's got like, Cedric the Entertainer.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah. Is that what I'm thinking?

[Ryan Sandberg]

And a guy from like, New Girl.

[Andrew Walsh]

Is it called the Neighborhood? Did I actually get that right?

[Ryan Sandberg]

I think it might be called the Neighborhood. That one feels very much like a throwback. Like, that's exactly what I'm talking about.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, and that's from 2018. So that's not even seven years ago.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Is it still on?

[Andrew Walsh]

That's what I'm looking at here. I'm looking for the Is or Was on Wikipedia. Is or Was. The name that would be such a good quiz. Is or Was. And you look things up on Wikipedia and the person has to guess if it's is or was. The Neighborhood is an American television sitcom created by Jim Reynolds. But Jim Reynolds is not clickable here. So I'm so. So this is it's created by somebody that doesn't have enough of a presence on Wikipedia to have their own page. That surprises me. There's another CBS joint, Luke.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Oh, yeah, sure. My beloved network.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes, exactly.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Fox News doesn't seem to do any of this kind of stuff. Or did I say Fox News? I mean.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, no, they do their form of comedy.

[Ryan Sandberg]

They are creating comedy. Yeah, it's dark intentionally.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's very dark.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Fox Network. Because again, for me, it just toggles pretty much between two things. CBS if that's where the Seahawks are, or Fox, if that's where the Seahawks are. And it seems like all the Fox programming is like. It's like first responders doing something. Yeah, that's. All of their shows are like bloods, too. It's a lot. I think that's.

[Andrew Walsh]

CBS is. Oh, you're saying Fox. Right, right. Sorry. Yeah. This genre. Yeah, Fox.

[Ryan Sandberg]

I don't. I feel like Fox doesn't do. Fox doesn't do any comedies with live humans. They just do animated. Their animation domination. All of their. All of their attempts at comedy are pretty much animated, which is kind of interesting to think about. And then over on the CBS side. Yeah, I don't know. It's mostly Sheldon related, it would seem.

[Andrew Walsh]

Does Fox not make any sitcoms or do we just not know about it? I'm looking this up. Okay. Modern Family is not a modern reference, right?

[Ryan Sandberg]

No, that's a was.

[Andrew Walsh]

I'll take. That's a was for 200, Andrew. Yeah, I guess they are not big in that, but I guess. I guess that genre is just sort of maybe kind of dying out. I can't. This is my struggle here. Is it dying out or do you and I just not. They've got to play in these spaces. You know, I think it's.

[Ryan Sandberg]

I think it is both. It is both, in the words of that one guy. Well, first of all, Seattle native Joel McHale, he's got a show on there called Animal Control, and that's an. Is Andrew is an American television sitcom.

[Andrew Walsh]

Somebody told me, and I think I'm remembering who it is, but I should give few details to protect their. Protect their anonymity. But there was somebody who works in media who I think was booking Joel or something for, like, an interview. And I think. I think the news broke that. That sitcom that he landed, that sitcom, Animal Control, or that it got the green light or something. That news broke during the interview. And then afterwards, this person I know, I think said to him, hey, Animal Control got greenlit. That's great news. And his response allegedly was. Is it.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Props?

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, exactly. I think that person might listen to this show, so I hope.

[Ryan Sandberg]

I love the honesty.

[Andrew Walsh]

Tell any tales out of school?

[Ryan Sandberg]

Yeah, I'm trying to figure out. Let's see if it's still. It's listed as an is, so I'm going to say that it's still happening. And again, we'll be fine. We'll find out this fall. Andrew, when we. When our eyes turn. When a nation turns its lonely eyes to the major networks to watch football and then also find out, you know, what they're doing when it's not football time.

[Andrew Walsh]

I am, and this is seriously not a conversation about baseball or what's going on in the baseball landscape. I'm saving that for the next quarter hour. I sweep it, baby. I have found myself, like, more than naturally anxious about the end of the baseball season. And I don't mean I'm anxious about the Mariners not making the playoffs or not winning the World Series. I think I said this on the show recently. It all occurred to me the other day. I'm like, oh, I've never expected that I'll see the Mariners win the World Series. There's something about my fandom that I've never seen. With the exception of the Seahawks, I've never seen my team reach, you know, whatever the ultimate goal of their sport is. And it's like, oh, yeah, no, I can't imagine the Mariners winning the World Series. That's not why I watch baseball, though. And I always talk about how I love baseball, how it sort of sets a rhythm to the summer, and how in, like, during the All Star break, you find yourself a little bit lost. But I think because of everything else that's going on in the world, and the world being such an incredibly kind of scary and upsetting place right now, I realize I'm clinging to it more than I think I have in the past. And maybe not in ways that are obvious, like, it's just fandom. It's the same conversations I'm having with friends and text chains and following it on Blue Sky. I always do that. But a couple of times recently I've had this thought of, like, I know football, football's fun, but it doesn't. It's not as much a part of my life, especially these days, now that my Sundays are kind of taken up and there's going to be this where I'm listening to, like, the last Mariners game. I hope it's in October, but I'm gonna be listening to the last game and Then I don't know, what is the line? I think you just quoted it or maybe came close to quoting it. A nation turns its lonely eyes to you. Where do I turn my lonely eyes when baseball season ends? Because it's a day from fantasy baseball that I'm playing. It's just this constant low level good distraction for me. And when that goes away, I'm gonna have to start thinking again.

[Ryan Sandberg]

No, no, no, I wouldn't recommend that.

[Andrew Walsh]

No. I gotta find a podcast or something.

[Ryan Sandberg]

My feeling that I've been having about the. Not so much the end of the baseball season, the beginning of the football times, because, you know, we're starting to see, like in the Seattle Times, starting to write up the fact, you know, the various Seahawks and what they're doing and what folks are looking like in preseason. Starting to think about things like hard knocks. And then I get very sad because I don't want the summer to be over. We've talked about this before. I'm a big, big summer guy. It also represents, generally for me a little bit of a less hectic work life, which I really kind of crave in a way. Not so much that I make different decisions ever so as to ensure that happening. But, you know, I really, really do enjoy the summertime and enjoy the pace of life slowing down a bit. And the fall actually kind of stresses me out because, like, livewire ramps back up. There's a lot of CBS travel, et cetera. But I also love football so much. Again, with all of the asterisks and caveats and the things about football that are obviously bad. I just, like, there's something about, for me, a Sunday when the Seahawks are going to play, and maybe I'm making up a big pot of veggie chili and stuff. And, like, that's such a good feeling for me that, like, I both want it to be that time of year, but I also feel kind of wistful if I think about it being that time of year, because it means it's no longer this time of year. I would like to just drop a few fall Sundays right into the middle of the summer. Can we just drop the temp by about 40 degrees, brown those leaves up, put them down on the ground, have an unexpectedly hot start for my Seahawks. The Sam Darnold experiment is working, and I've got a big pot of chili going. The house smells great and it's a Sunday and just everything in the world is aligned for me. But then it's. But then the next day is July 7th.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, right.

[Ryan Sandberg]

And then it's just we're Back to it's 85 degrees and, yeah, we're in the middle of summer. Why can't that be my life, Andrew?

[Andrew Walsh]

You know, it just occurred to me, we didn't address something on the show today that we need to address. And this is not football or baseball or anything sport related. It's a total change in the conversation. I'll tell you, the reason I'm interjecting it now is because you said something about Sam Darnold, and I started to think, oh, is there a pun there? That we could name the show after today? But then instead of pursuing that thought, I realized what happened with yesterday's show title. Did you understand what was going on when Phyllis texted us yesterday?

[Ryan Sandberg]

Minimally.

[Andrew Walsh]

We got a text message.

[Ryan Sandberg]

I'm going to the show. I'm going to the show title right now.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay. Ah.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Okay.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yesterday we talked about Todd's a lot. We started with some Todd Glass tape. And then what was the other Todd? I can't remember. But we talked about Todd's, and. And I. We had. We said something else that was a good show title. But then after the show, I'm like, oh, and you don't believe in a Todd would be a funny show title? It builds on an ongoing joke on this show until Phyllis. But I even googled it. I'm like, should I? Should I? Did we use this before? So I typed in TBTL and then in quotes, and you don't believe in a Todd. Nothing came up. So I was like, okay, we're good. And then after the show was posted for a couple of hours, we got a text from our friend Phyllis Fletcher, who took a screen cap of an episode. Like, what? Like a thousand ago. Was it less than a thousand ago that we had already used that title? Really think this has happened, Phyllis? I know it's always fun when this happens. This is the first time that I remember this happening, or at least being conscious of it happening. And I kind of don't know what to do. Like, do we just have to. I mean, it's bound to happen. What we're at, we've done. This is our 4520th.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Yeah. There are only so many more in the English language.

[Andrew Walsh]

Exactly. It's just going to be blurs, blurs, blurs, blurs, blurs eventually. But, like, I don't know. I'm not comfortable with this knowledge. I was fine when I didn't have the knowledge. It's like the Garden of Eden all over again, right? I ate from the apple. The apple from the truth tree or whatever. I didn't.

[Ryan Sandberg]

The Tree of Life. Right. The forbidden fruit.

[Andrew Walsh]

The forbidden fruit. I thought there was something about the. The Tree of Knowledge, though. I thought it was.

[Ryan Sandberg]

I think it's a Tree of Knowledge.

[Andrew Walsh]

Tree of knowledge. There, I got there. So anyway, I don't know.

[Ryan Sandberg]

We haven't eaten any of that fruit in a long time.

[Andrew Walsh]

We have. We've eate the apples that are starting to ferment a little bit.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Fallen fruit.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah. We're like those animals that get drunk on the ripening fruit. So what do we do now that you have eaten from the Tree of Knowledge?

[Ryan Sandberg]

And that's the only example that we know of that I know of. It's completely been a duplicate, I think. You know what, Andrew?

[Andrew Walsh]

You just let it go.

[Ryan Sandberg]

I've been really. You'll be shocked to hear that I've been really leaning into some kind of, I don't know, radical acceptance and trying to manage my anxiety through aphorisms as I'm want to do, and a couple of them that have been clanking around in my head. One is, and I'm paraphrasing here, but it's something to the effect of nobody has ever added a second to their life by worrying. You know, like I'm trying to remember that when I start to be consumed by worry that that's not extending my life, that's not adding to it. That's just my big fat brain looking for big fat problems to chew on. Another one that I saw recently that I thought was kind of interesting was somebody was saying basically we should be working on trying to remember that our current reality is actually beyond our wildest dreams. Meaning even though things are not great, certainly things are not great nationally, internationally, there's a lot of really bad stuff going on. It's important for me to remember that in certain ways my current reality is still beyond my wildest dreams. And the more that I work on remembering that for myself, the more gratitude I can have and maybe the less consumed by worry and sadness I will be. Because there are just so many things about my life that I'm just so incredibly lucky and grateful for. My daughter is healthy and an awesome person. I have, you know, great girlfriend who loves me. I have this job with you, you know, so I'm trying to remind myself of that. But back to the worrying thing. I just think we should just like, let's just. Bro, you got to keep living, man. L I V I N let's just. Let's just let it Roll.

[Andrew Walsh]

He's pulling out some bongos. He's taking off his shirt.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Hold on, let me.

[Andrew Walsh]

Pulling out some bongos. This is.

[Ryan Sandberg]

This shirt has really been changing.

[Andrew Walsh]

Interesting. Hey, I am going to tell you a story that you already know, but so I'm just going to tell it for the sake of the listeners. Sure. And it's relevant to what we're talking about here. Lovely, lovely time at the picnic last Friday. We didn't talk about it that much. You gave a quick shout out to it yesterday. And it's kind of funny. I think that it in some ways like that we just got back from Wisconsin, but it felt like such a different world that yesterday I think I had trouble, like, sort of like recapping or like kind of maybe even processing the week. And so we didn't talk or I didn't talk too much about what a great time we had at the picnic and friendship on Friday to wrap up the TBT elephant. How many people would you say came out? About 50, maybe.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Probably about 50.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, probably 50. And wonderful.

[Ryan Sandberg]

It was. It was fun, though, because there was a lot of cars parked there and people were commenting on it. Like people that worked at the.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sandberg]

At the little. The park. They were like, somebody came up to me said, is there somebody here from Missouri? Because we had some folks, I think, that came in from the Kansas City area.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Yeah.

[Andrew Walsh]

There was a draw. Like all these cars. Somebody from Missouri must be here. Drawing all these people in.

[Ryan Sandberg]

It just. It made us look like. It made me feel like last week really was a series of events that made me feel like, hey, this is a real thing.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sandberg]

You know, stuff like people driving from Missouri to come be a part of the picnic.

[Andrew Walsh]

So we were there. We're setting up. God bless John Sklaroff for taking over grilling responsibilities there. Like I. Yeoman. Yeoman's work, hard work. He's good at it. But it's also like he's. The smoke is chasing him around the grill. I see. He's like, he's. It's hot as hell as he's. It's human. And he's grilling and he's did. He did a really, really great job.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Yes.

[Andrew Walsh]

His hands were obviously very full. And at one point he said, hey, we're running low on charcoal. Could you go grab some? I'm like, yeah, it was pretty early on, too. And I'm like, should I get. You know, I assumed I was gonna be driving somewhere. He's like, well, there is a little store at the little. Like there's like a little building, a little, small, little building that you have to pass through when you come into the park. And it's got one of those slidey windows and they greet you. In our case, they gave us the. That we needed for the pavilion or whatever. And he said, you know, there's a little store in that building. They might have some charcoal there. So I'm like, yeah, I'll go. And, you know, it was right nearby, so just walk over there. And I kind of sheepishly go in and I see not only the young woman there who had handed us the key through the window, but there's probably like. I was kind of surprised. It was like I felt like I had a bit of an audience. There were like four or five mostly young people wearing these green uniforms. So they were like. I don't know if you'd call them rangers or whatever, but they worked for the park.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Yeah, it was unclear to me. Is that a county operation?

[Andrew Walsh]

I don't know.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Is that a privately run park? I never quite understood what was going on there, but it was well staffed.

[Andrew Walsh]

But do you ever have that sort of kind of weird performance anxiety? I can pause here if you want to make a sex joke or just move on. Okay. Do you ever have that weird performance anxiety where you're talking to like one person at the cash register, but you kind of realize all of their colleagues are sort of hanging around and you're like kind of talking all of them at once? You don't know where to sort of shift your attention. I don't know how much this is a personal Andrew anxiety or what, but anyway, so I'm like, hey, do you guys have charcoal? And the young woman who helped us through the window turns around and says, oh, yeah, there's some over there. And the bags are kind of small. And I was like, I'm quite sure we only need two of these bags, but they had a total of three bags. And I'm like, I don't want to buy two bags and then run out. And then us have meat that is uncooked, but then come back here later for the third bag and some other camper bought it, right? And I said to them, I said to kind of all of the people, I'm like, you have three bags here. Do you have more in the back or is this all you have? And they're like, this is all we have. I'm like, okay. So I'm trying to do this math, like, do I get all three or not? And I'm also kind of In a hurry. I'm not trying to abdicate my responsibilities back at the picnic. And so I'm like, I'll just grab all three. So I put all three on the counter, and they're kind of ringing it up for me. I asked. I thought it was gonna be like, five bucks a bag. And they're like, it's $13. I don't know. Why do I think It's. It's the 1950s. Why did I think it was going to be five bucks a bag? So I'm a little flustered at. I don't even know why I offered a guess as to what it was going to be called. I'm playing Price is Right with these people for some reason. Then I'm just sort of a little bit flustered. And I'm like, I feel. And I say out loud, mostly to the woman who's kind of working the cash register, but kind of to everybody, I said, I just feel bad. I'm buying all three of these, and I don't know if I need the third one. And somebody else is going to come in here, and you guys aren't going to have any charcoal for them. And a voice, somebody I was not talking to, like a. I can't explain this to you. A very strong voice who, when I looked, was coming from a very casual, very handsome young man with a beard sitting kind of. Very kind of leaning back in his chair, looking at me. And he just says, it's going to be okay. And I look. I'm just like. I said what? He said, it's going to be okay. And I just said. I was astounded. It was like, to me, in that moment, it felt like a scene from a movie. I was just like, can you just follow me around and say that to me all the time? And then they did kind of laugh at. They did kind of laugh at that, which I was glad of. And then we just sort of moved on. But it was like.

[Ryan Sandberg]

It was really.

[Andrew Walsh]

Didn't you used to have, like, some sort of piece of, like, embroidery, but in, like, kind of cool, like, kind of splashy colors that said that?

[Ryan Sandberg]

Yeah, I had a. Like a print that said, everything is going to be okay. Made by a listener, by the way.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, really? I didn't know that. It was, like, blue. It was red on blue.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Yeah, it was a red frame. And I think, like. Yeah, it was. I think he used to be up in the TBTL studio.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sandberg]

For that exact reason. Just reminding myself that everything was gonna be okay.

[Andrew Walsh]

This. This felt like A voice. This felt like an otherworldly voice. There was something about it. Cause I wasn't really paying attention to him. I was talking to the woman who was like, you know, kind of taking my credit card or whatever, and it's going to be okay. And it just. And I don't know, when you're saying.

[Ryan Sandberg]

It that way, it sounds like. Because we talked about this before, and I had it as this idea that it was like a. A very calming, like, hey, man, it's going to be okay. But it sounds. The way you're saying it now, it was almost a little bit more like. I don't think stern is the word, but, like, what was the energy behind? It was like, going to be.

[Andrew Walsh]

It was like, definitive, and it was. It was confident. It was like a strong. And it wasn't like, hey, buddy. Hey, buddy. It's going to be okay. It was just like, it's going to be okay. Like, it was almost like, you don't have to be doing this, buddy. And it was just a little edge of the sternness. But he wasn't stern. He was being polite and kind. And again, just. He had the. I think I just saw a man that contained all of the elements of life that I don't have. Confidence, charm, looks, a job at the park. I don't know, There was just something about it that this guy was like the opposite of me in, like, every way. But like, he just sort of like, he was just off this moment of like. Yeah, sort of stern affirmation almost. Although stern is too strong of a word. But definitely it was like. And the reason he sort of yelled it was because he's not near me. He's sitting in the back of this area set up sort of strange. So, like, he wasn't part of my conversation. It sort of like came from afar.

[Ryan Sandberg]

But he could sort of tell that you were kind of spinning out a little bit.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, and I wasn't even spinning out that much. I just was saying, oh, I kind of feel bad buying this third bag. I don't know if I need this. I feel bad for the other campers who are gonna come in here. I don't like doing that. I think about that all the time when I. And I'm buying this special food for Professor Bananas, our cat, who's quite sick now. And she can only eat this certain kind of food. Like, it's very soft texture y kind of food. And she only likes certain flavors. She doesn't really like fish flavored stuff. And so the stuff she likes the best is just plain chicken flavored. Boy, she really is my cat. And they have all kinds.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Does this have mayo in it?

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, exactly. They have all kinds of like, weird, wacky, different combinations of fish and this or whatever. But I'm like, if I can just get the straight chicken, that's good. But what I end up doing is I go to the. And it's not at, like a boutique pet store. I go to, like, I don't know, petsmart or whatever it's called up there on Aurora. And I usually, like, clean them out of whatever they have on the shelf. And I'm always, I always feel bad about it or I'll do this thing where I'll like, I want them all, but I'll leave like three behind because I'm like, somebody else is going to come in here and they're not going to have any. And it's like, well, well, my cat's dying of cancer. Like, she deserves this. You know what I mean? Like, why, why do I feel the need as the consumer to leave some behind? But I'm also. They had a different style stuff that we were feeding her that she loved, and then suddenly the store stopped stocking it, like, out of the blue. And I asked them about it, like, yeah, we're not stocking that anymore. So now I'm also always living on the edge of this. Like, bananas can eat fewer and fewer things. And so, like, I feel a little bit hoardy about it, but I also still have this conscientious, like, sort of voice in my head saying, like, well, don't take them all. Or, you know, don't, don't, don't screw the next person in line. But also, I'm hoping that they see that this is a popular item and so they, they keep buying it and stocking it.

[Ryan Sandberg]

That is really thoughtful of you. I have never in my life made that consideration of, oh, am I buying the last of this? Oh, and then does that mean someone else? I mean, I wish I was more wired that way to some degree because, yeah, I have the exact opposite thing. As we know, as has been well documented, it's like, like, if there's a thing that I like, I'm like, well, let me just have multiples of that. Or if, you know, let me just. I'll buy the entire stock of whatever the. Oh, this is. The, you know, this tomato sauce is, is, is, is relatively low carb and whatever. That's two for one. Okay, I'll get six jars of it. Does that mean there's Any left on the shelf for anyone else? No, but I just figure the store will get some more of it or something.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, I think because it's a regular occurrence with me. I can't explain it. It's like. It's not like if I were in, you know, at that. What was that little country store. The grocery store that we were going to wasn't called like the. The country store or something. In friendship, wherever we were shopping, you know, I would have. No, if they only had one thing of hummus left and I grabbed it, you know, like, I didn't think about that. I just wish they had more hummus. Yeah, I know. You know what? I have to go to confession. It's not. But in. Or even if I needed all the hummus, it's like, well, or if we're throwing this big picnic in a. In friendship where we don't live and we just clean them out of all of their plastic cutlery, I'm kinda like, well, they can deal with that. But I think there's something especially about going into this particular pet store. Cause I'm there once or twice a week and I just keep grabbing a dozen of these envelopes of food. Because they're not like. I don't think about it when they're cans of food. They move those things by the palate. Right. But these are sort of specialty foods. And I'm just grabbing the whole thing and basically turning it upside down into my basket and then making them ring them up all individually. And then I shove them in my pants.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Running out of the store, I shove.

[Andrew Walsh]

Them in my pants and sometimes they break. Sometimes the envelopes pop as I'm running out of the store. And it looks like I've had an accident. It's a whole thing anyway. But I'm just like, I gotta show my face here again. I'm hoping that I'm not. There's this weird feeling of not screwing myself in the future as well. I don't know. It's not rational. But I think because I'm a regular there, I have these weird feelings about it. And so far, Luke, nobody at Petco has either either wagged their finger at me, nor told me it's going to be okay.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Yeah, that would be nice if you could get that guy to follow you around, maybe just get a recording of it. Maybe if we're back in friendship, we'll just get him to say that. And then you can make it your ringtone.

[Andrew Walsh]

Every time you call me, it just says, I'll just go down to friendship and be like, has anybody seen a handsome ranger? Has anybody seen a hand? Just stop. Every stranger on the street.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Sure.

[Andrew Walsh]

Hello, and welcome to Top Story.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Let's talk about Ryan Sandberg, Spokane, Washington native and personal baseball hero of mine growing up, who very sadly passed away of cancer. He was 65 years old. He was a Hall of Famer for the Chicago Cubs. I was obsessed with this guy growing up because I knew he was from Spokane, and he played second base, which was the position I played because my arm wasn't really strong enough. In Little Little League, I was on, like, third base and shortstop. But then as we started playing on a bigger and bigger field and there was kids with a stronger arm than me, I. I got migrated over to second base because you didn't have to throw it as far to first. And I had a Ryan Sandberg mitt that I got from you, like, big five or something. So, like, this guy was extremely on my radar. Like, he was also just like a very kind of classically handsome guy. And, you know, he just was sort of like, in the football world, it was Steve Largent, the Seahawks wide receiver. And. And in baseball, it was this guy, Ryan Sandberg. And. And, I mean, the fact he was only 65, which is not old, and the fact that, you know, again, he loomed very large in my mind as a baseball kid, it was a sad thing to see that he passed away.

[Andrew Walsh]

You know, this name didn't mean much to me. I saw the headline that somebody had passed away and that he was a native. And then. I think it's okay to say this. You were. You texted. I think. I don't know if you texted me and Chris. I think about this, and you guys both had a quick moment that I found very touching of just, like, how much this player meant to you. And I was surprised by it because I still didn't know the background. And I'm like, why did this player mean something to both Luke and Chris? Because, you know, I thought of. I thought this player was a Mariner or something, because I figured you followed the Mariners. And also, watching sports wasn't quite as global of an experience. I mean, obviously there were the star players in baseball, and you didn't have to only follow the players in your own city. But this was not a name. And again, it's been well documented. I did not grow up watching baseball. I'm sort of like, kind of learning about it and trying to learn about the history as an adult. But this isn't one of the names from the 80s or 90s that I remember hearing about much, but famous enough that he was a non mariner. That was your hero. And also his own line of gloves.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Yeah, I mean part of the whole story on him was that he was famously a very sort of low key and humble guy. Like I was watching his hall of Fame induction speech and he said, now granted, this is a little bit, you know, it's sort of a thing that gets said a lot. So it wasn't the most original thought, but he said, you know, basically when, when, when he would hit a home run, he would just kind of put his head down and round the bases because he said, said the name on the front of the jersey is more important than the name on the back of the jersey. That was sort of his whole thing. And so, you know, he was, he was well known for being a very low key guy and not a person who was particularly flashy or asking for attention and was just sort of quietly building up these pretty incredible career stats, but was a really a team first guy and there wasn't anybody who had anything bad to say about this guy who had ever played on a, on a team with him.

[Andrew Walsh]

Him.

[Ryan Sandberg]

But that would also explain why, you know, you haven't heard maybe about him the way that you might have heard of some other guys from that era. He again, I was very obsessed with. If there was somebody who was in either major league baseball, the NBA or, or pro football who was from the state of Washington, I was, I would figure that out and then I would follow them pretty obsessively because it increased the chances in my mind that I could become a pro athlete because I was from Washington State. The way, the way you look at.

[Andrew Walsh]

Players now and you clock their age and you're just like, well, yes, this person. Yeah, I'm pretty sure, pretty sure. 48, 49 or whatever it is. I, I think we're out of it.

[Ryan Sandberg]

But unless, unless you're Jamie Moyer probably. But I was like, if Ryan Sandberg who plays second base, which I also do, and, and, and Ryan Sandberg is from Spokane, Washington, a place that I have been to, well then this lines up pretty nicely for me becoming a major league second baseman.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, it's a self fulfilling prophecy.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Yeah, the comedy speaks for itself. The comedy of me thinking that speaks for itself.

[Andrew Walsh]

Absolutely.

[Ryan Sandberg]

And so yeah, he, and you know, the Mariners at that time, well, I guess Harold Reynolds would have been our second baseman. And I did think Harold Reynolds was really cool, but like maybe some of it was because I was a white kid. And Ryan Sandberg was a. Was a white guy. So I just. The analog seemed. Seemed closer to me. Like I could grow up to be that person.

[Andrew Walsh]

Like Dr. John.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Well, exactly. So my musical hero was Dr. John, my baseball hero was Ryan Sanford, and my basketball hero was Jack Sickmart.

[Andrew Walsh]

I don't know who that is.

[Ryan Sandberg]

A tall white who plays for the Sonic. Not just my order at Starbucks, but how I orient my basketball fandom. But. But, yeah, you know, I. Yeah, I really. I just. I just really looked up to the guy, and I don't know how closely, because, again, this is, you know, before the Internet. So, like, me saying that I followed Ryan Sandberg probably just meant. I don't know, I saw his name in the box score in the Seattle Times. There was no ESPN of that. We think of it now. There was no Internet. Like, I don't know how I was even following the news of this guy, but I had his mitt, and somehow I knew he was really good.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's interesting, because that's what I wanted to hear, because I was like, maybe you watched. Was Sunday night baseball more of a thing for you? Because I even get a feeling about Sunday night baseball now because it's, like, always the last game of the week, and maybe playing fantasy baseball puts extra import on that. But we live in an age where I have an app, and I can watch, with the exception of the Mariners because they're blacked out in their own city, I have an app that will show me literally any baseball game.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Wait, you don't have the Grifter sports app? That's what they're showing. Tonight's camera.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, right. Grifter with no E. Just. But, you know, so, like, I have the ability to, for the most part, until they shift things around or whatever. But, like, for the most part, the idea is I can pretty much watch any baseball game at any time during the week, and there's so many games to watch. But you get to a point at the very, very end of the week. I know Sunday technically is the beginning of the next week, but we're not getting into that argument. I don't know if we should argue that at some point, save it for another day, but you're at the very, very end of the baseball week, and the baseball world is all quiet except for one game that is being played, and I can just turn on the radio and listen to that because it's on ESPN and it's on all. Did you have that sort of moment with Sunday night baseball growing up?

[Ryan Sandberg]

I don't Think Sunday Night baseball was a thing when I was a little kid. I think it came along maybe in my teenage years or maybe late teens. I remember. I think it was Johnny Miller and Joe Morgan were the announcers for it. Johnny Miller, who I think his day job was with the San Francisco Giants.

[Andrew Walsh]

I love.

[Ryan Sandberg]

I hope he's still working. I love that guy's call, but I don't remember that. It certainly wasn't the way that now, like, Sunday Night Football is a thing.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sandberg]

And that's also weird. Like, I hope this isn't getting too sporty, but my relationship with baseball is kind of. It's different than my relationship with football in that I will. If I am home and I'm not doing anything, I will absolutely watch Sunday Night Football regardless of who the teams are.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

[Ryan Sandberg]

And I have almost no interest in watching a baseball game that doesn't involve the Seattle Mariners. I don't do the fantasy stuff, so maybe that's part of it. I just don't have thoughts about baseball teams, unless maybe it's like the Astros are playing someone and I want them to lose for the Mariner sake. So then it feels like it's connected to the Mariners.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, Yeah. I think, sort of. I think that's probably how. Because I kind of really enjoy it now. But I think that's maybe where things started to slip in for me a little bit. It's like, well, yeah, why would I watch a Rangers Angels game? Well, it has implications for the Mariners. Then you start watching Always the implication. Yeah, yeah.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Speaking of sports, did you see any of the clips from Deion Sanders press conference talking about his health stuff?

[Andrew Walsh]

No, I'm very interested in this. I had heard some, just like a news headline on the radio station I was listening to saying that he held this press conference and he's in the clear now as far as health is concerned. Do I have that right?

[Ryan Sandberg]

That's what he and his doctors are saying. So it was him. It was, I believe, his cancer doctor who treated him. And then it was somebody associated with the University of Colorado who had. I think maybe she's the. One of the head sports information people. But it sounds like she was also very involved in his care and helping him, like, you know, even in sort of his private life, like when he was as. He's been recovering from this. So the doctors found a tumor on his bladder, and the recommendation for the best, best course of care was to remove not only the tumor, but his entire bladder. And he's been recovering from that. And What I found now, the backstory on Deion Sanders, for people that don't know, he was his nickname. He played both pro football and baseball. He was really good at both of them. His nickname was Prime Time. I think he's still the only person who's ever won a Super bowl and a World Series.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, really?

[Ryan Sandberg]

Yeah, Yeah, I think. I think so. I was. He had some. He had some really interesting stats. There was a game. There was a day that he played a football game, I think, for the Atlanta Falcons in the morning, and then flew to. I want to say it was wherever the Yankees were playing. I think he might have been a Yankee at the time so that he could be on the active roster. He didn't end up getting in that baseball game that night, but that was also. It was the first time in history, American history, somebody had played pro football and pro baseball on the same day. And. And his nickname was Prime Time. He was seen as a pretty flashy player. He, you know, he. He was incredibly athletically talented, and he was a. He was a cornerback. He was a defensive back. So he would make these interceptions, then he'd have these incredible returns, and he'd kind of high step at the end or. He was also a punt returner, a kick returner. He had lots of touchdowns that way. Just a guy who was seen as very flashy, and then he ends up as the head coach at the University of Colorado. And I will be totally honest, I just kind of have always perceived him to be somebody who's a little bit on my last nerve.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yes.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Like, he felt like he was part of a sort of new wave of college football where, again, there's so much. I. I think college athletes should absolutely be paid. I think it's ridiculous if they weren't being paid above the table. But regardless, there was something about Deion Sanders, kind of the way that he was sort of kicking people out of press conferences. There was something that felt almost trumpy.

[Andrew Walsh]

About him to me. Oh, absolutely. He. I, I can't remember who Porter was. That was the person who learned this the hard way, but, like, he would not respond to any reporters or interact with anybody who did not call him Coach Prime. He insisted. Not only did he have this nickname, he insisted, like, you could not say Coach Sanders. You could not say Deion. You had to call him Coach Prime. And if I were a journalist, I'd chafe at that. Somebody forcing you to call them or address them in some sort of honorific that isn't a real honorific like that. That to me summarizes how I felt about him. And also, like, sort of just saying, like, yeah, I'm going to buy a bunch of players essentially, and bring them.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Here and bring his son Shadour Sanders there, who, you know, is obviously super talented player, but was kind of part of this whole, you know, like, situation where he didn't get drafted as, as. As soon as some people thought he would. And it became kind of this sort of embarrassment, which at the time I remember thinking, that's kind of delicious. It's kind of like this, like, basically, Deion Sanders sort of struck me. And maybe he still maybe is this to a degree, but it was kind of like a reality show. It was kind of a rolling reality show, like, almost like a sort of Kardashian type of situation. He's got his son, Deion Sanders Jr. Who's just obsessively documenting all of it for his media company and all of their channels and streams. And then he's got his other son, Shador, playing for the team. And I don't know if. I don't know anything about, you know, if he got preferential treatment or not. Who knows? But just the whole thing of Deion Sanders just kind of bugged me. And then I have to say, this press conference, I found it to be really, really interesting. Like, he was so, I thought, vulnerable and honest about the particular impact of this on his body. One thing was. And he mentioned this, this is just kind of briefly, that when that whole Shador Sanders thing was going down, when his son was going undrafted, he knew. Deion Sanders knew that he had this bladder cancer that was very serious. And he's gonna have to go in for this major surgery and have his bladder removed. And he didn't tell any of his sons. He didn't tell them about it. So basically, the. A certain section of America, I guess, me included, is kind of laughing at this. What's seen as a certain of comeuppance for a guy who's really flashy, Deion Sanders and his family, and he's dealing privately with this health crisis, which would have really kind of sucked, you know, whatever. Again, if whether I agree with his media management style, that's just a terrible. You know, here's what he said about that.

[Deion Sanders]

It was some scenes that you saw all the bull junk that's transpired, by.

[Ryan Sandberg]

The way he said, bull junk. Which I don't like it. I don't like it when Billy Bob Thorton said says, whoop up. But I do think bull junk is pretty funny.

[Deion Sanders]

All the bull junk that's transpired on draft day. It wasn't just that. It was just. I knew as well I had a surgery coming up. My sons to this day don't know what transpired. I just told him something with my foot again, because I wanted them to focus on making the team and not focused on that bad.

[Ryan Sandberg]

So he told him he was having a foot surgery, like, so that they wouldn't be stressed. I think I feel like what is also emerging just from this press conference, because Deion Sanders goes really out of his way to really thank his. Well, he's very appreciative of his doctor and the advice that she gave him. So his doctor's up there. He's very appreciative of this other Colorado staffer who also really helped with him, his recovery. He's very appreciative of his son, Deion Sanders Jr. Who he said had not left his side for one minute since this process began. And the feeling I got from it was, oh, and then he's, like, not telling his other son, Shador, and did he have another son in the draft, too? He said sons, plural. But he's not telling his son Shadour about the cancer because he wants him to be able to focus on the draft. I. I'm kind of getting the feeling they're a real family, if that makes sense. Like, they're obviously very famous and very wealthy at this point, but also it sounds like they're actually a real family family, you know, And I don't know why I find that very humanizing, but I just do like this idea that he actually didn't want to tell his son because he didn't want to mess up his son's state of mind as his son is going off to do this big thing. I think one of the things about somebody like Deion Sanders that. That tends to chafe for me is the sense that he has this massive ego, this huge ego and saying, call me, Coach prime and stuff. But also the fact that he's, like, worried about messing up his son's state of mind. So he does. He tells him he's having a foot surgery that feels. That feels less ego driven to me, that feels like somebody who really loves his son and really wants good things to happen for his son, which I kind of appreciate. This was the part that I thought was really kind of pretty remarkable. He's talking about the fact that he cannot control his bladder anymore, that he can't, you know, he can't control basically when he pees and, and, and he's basically saying, he says if you, if you see a porta potty on the sidelines during Colorado games, that's what that's about because it's going to happen, happen. And like there was some something about the way that he's just talking about that I felt was so humanizing for him. It was such a great message for other people that are going through this or something else that causes them to have this particular physical situation going on. Like, this wasn't your standard. You know, I've been going through a health crisis. I'm going to step away. I mean, he's coaching, by the way, so this was the announcement that he's going to keep coaching. But you know, there's a standard way that sometimes this kind of news is disseminated. And this didn't feel like that exactly. This is Deion Sanders talking about what's going on with his body these days.

[Deion Sanders]

But please get yourself checked out.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Especially, oh, by the way, that was another thing obviously that he was big on. He has some sort of vascular thing pre existing that they have to check him for every year. You know, the doctors, very carefully and in the process of checking for this other thing, which he was fine with, this vascular thing, they noticed this other thing, this, this tumor on his bladder which they probably wouldn't have caught otherwise. So he kind of giving this message to everybody, get checked out, but please.

[Deion Sanders]

Get, get yourself checked out. Especially African American men. We don't like going to the doctors. We don't like nothing to do with a doctor. You know that. So I'm not just talking to the brothers. I'm talking to my Caucasian brothers, my Hispanic brothers, my Asian brothers, my everybody and my sisters. And that's all y' all get checked out. Because it could have been a whole nother gathering if I had that. I'm thankful. It's been a tremendous journey. It, it, it's been tough. I think I dropped 25 pounds. I was like, Atlanta Falcon prime at one point.

[Ryan Sandberg]

No, I think he means he was at his playing weight when he was in Atlanta Falcon. He did call himself prime in the third person. I don't know how I feel about that. We'll let the guy have this today.

[Andrew Walsh]

I think so.

[Deion Sanders]

And just dealing with the catheter, dealing with all this stuff that I had to deal with. And right now I'm still dealing with going to the bathroom like it's a whole life change. Like I can't. And I'm gonna be transparent, I can't pee Like, I used to pee. It's totally different. And I depend on. Depend, you know, if you know what I mean? I truly depend on depend. Like, I, I, I cannot control my bladder, so I get up and go to the bathroom already four or five times a night. But then I'm sitting up there waking up, you know, like my grandson. We. We're in the same thing. We're in the same. We got the same problem right now. We going through the same trials and tribulations. We're trying to see who. Who has the heaviest bag at the end of the night. Like, this is ridiculous, but I'm, I'm making a joke out of it, but it's real. Like, it's. It is real. It is real. It is real. So if you see Porta Potty on the sideline, it's real. Okay? I'm just telling you right now. You're gonna see it. You're gonna see the practice. You're gonna see one. Because it is. Is unbelievable. Like, dozing off and waking up on first thing, I'm grabbing my crotch to see if, If, If I peed on myself. And it's just totally different. And I know there's a lot of people out there going through. Through what I'm going through and dealing with what I'm dealing with, and let's stop being ashamed of it, and let's deal with it. And let's deal with it head on.

[Ryan Sandberg]

I thought that was such a cool way for this guy whose whole image. Again, his image is prime time. It's. I'm the most. I'm the most athletic. My body works the best of everybody's. I'm flashy, I got sunglasses on. I got, you know, I just, like, his entire image is about basically saying, I got this. I'm the coolest guy in the room. And now he's saying, when I doze off and I wake up, the first thing I do is grab my crotch to see if I peed myself. It just feels totally like a complete personality shift from that other image of himself. And again, I'm not. I don't want to make too much out of this. Like, act like the guy has had, you know, like, a transformation. But this was not how I expected him to be talking about it. And I thought it was really cool, particularly for anybody else out there who's, you know, going through something like this. I just thought this was an incredibly vulnerable way for him to handle it.

[Andrew Walsh]

I agree. This is the first time hearing that tape, and I think it's really Amazing. When you were telling me the story, when you were kind of setting up that tape and you said he had his bladder removed, I immediately started Googling over here, how. How do you live without a bladder? What does that look like? You know what I mean? What is your. What is the mechanism that you would use to, you know, process your waste or get rid of it or whatever? And I was just sort of looking at some various things, and there are various, like he says, bags and various things that you have to keep clean. And I just sort of was, like, thinking about living like that. And I'm sure there are people within the sound of our voice right now who do live like that or have similar things. You know, life can get tougher when you get older, and sometimes not even when you get older. That's one thing that I think about a lot, too. You know, I had a scare with my own health. Not anything even near this, but a scare with just, like, my mobility last summer, that while I was in the midst of it, I was thinking at how lucky I was that I hadn't had some sort of chronic pain or something like that my whole life. I knew kids, you know what I mean? Like, it's not just age, it's just your lot in life sometimes. And I'm a very shy person. I'm a person who's filled with shame at all times. I think we hit on that earlier in the show. And so while you're telling me this, I'm just sort of thinking sympathetically about him and about, well, what does that look like? What does life look like? And I actually just sort of had a moment of thinking, like, what if this is. What if I go into the doctor tomorrow? And I learned that I might be in, you know, like, how do I handle that? How do I. How do I sort of keep that private? And, like, I immediately was sort of, like, thinking about what. How awful that would be and how I would be. And I don't think I had this word for it. Again, these are just thoughts I was having while you were talking. But just, like, I immediately was sort of picturing myself in, like, a public bathroom or something. Like, fumbling around, right? And feeling shame or something. Something. And the fact that he just addressed literally what I subconsciously went to immediately and did so with humor and grace and then even said, listen, this is a serious conversation. I'm not trying to laugh at all away, but also to say, how am I going to deal with this as a man who's deeply proud, I mean, who makes People call me prime whether they want to or not, who's deeply, deeply proud. How does he handle something like this? He uses it as a message to help other people, and he uses it to say, like, this is my reality now. And he's not opening. He's not starting a reality TV show or trying to capitalize on it. But he's also just saying, the way I handle this is by being honest about it and not being shame. And then he brings up shame. He says we shouldn't stigma. I don't know if he said stigmatize or shame, but he says exactly what I was thinking. He almost made me feel bad for immediately thinking what I was thinking. Actually, I'm really moved by that. For real?

[Ryan Sandberg]

Yeah. It was totally shocking to me that this was how he talked about it and that, you know, I mean, listen, we all have to just. We all have to sort of process things the way that we're able to. And I'm not saying that everybody has to be such an open book, because maybe that's just not something people are comfortable with. But what I would say is, like, there's two ways this could have gone down for Deion Sanders. One way would be how he's handling it, and then the other would be he hopes nobody finds out that he needs to have ready access to a bathroom. And so there's some whole crazy thing going on where there's, like, you know, there's one staffer who knows, and there's some sort of a porter potty, but it's, like, hidden in the tunnel. And it's like. And he has got to constantly be making sure he's wearing dark pants, so that if there is any kind of, you know, an issue, it's less like he could go into this, like, image management mode, where everything is about trying to make sure nobody could ever find out that he's, in fact, a human being with frailties and that he does not control every aspect of his body. You know, or he could just do this. And this is so obviously the better approach. Yeah, like, that's the life lesson, I think, for a lot of us. And again, I'm not telling anyone that they have to be as confessional as Deion Sanders was, or as we sort of tend to be on the show sometimes. But I guess what I can say from personal experiences, keeping things secret almost always, in my experience, makes things harder and is anxiety producing. And usually when I'm open and honest about things with the people I love or maybe even listeners of this show, it's the amount, the weight that that takes off of you. Like, I'm imagining Deion Sanders going through the whole, you know, next football season trying to. Again, trying to keep all of this secretive and a secret and like what a just absolute millstone around his neck that would be instead of everyone just being like rooting for him and like him just being like, yeah, man, this is the deal for me. This is what my body's doing and this is how I'm working through it. And yeah, it was just a. It was a level of humility and honesty that I did not see coming from Coach prime there.

[Andrew Walsh]

It's not as good as this, but as soon as you promoted this story at the beginning of the show, I started thinking about something else I heard on the radio yesterday and I'm looking to see if I can find it now, unfortunately, I can't seem to find the isolated audio on the fly. But this regards another person, another very famous, very talented athlete that I hold in low regard and it doesn't even compare to Coach Prime. Like, I have a little bit of irritation with him just based on his. Again, I love that we have now.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Started calling him Coach Prime.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, that's a really good point. I'm like googling and talking at the same time. So I sort of. I'm only half listening to what I'm saying, which hopefully the listeners are as well.

[Ryan Sandberg]

But you're right.

[Andrew Walsh]

Right. I just. Because instead of, I guess, thinking of Deion Sanders, I just went with Coach prime there.

[Ryan Sandberg]

I did it too, by the way.

[Andrew Walsh]

I'm looking for the isolated. Oh, it looks like TikTok may save the day here. But a little bit of background. I'm going to talk here about Aaron Rodgers, a man who to this day have, you know, I have almost zero.

[Ryan Sandberg]

You're on the cutting edge of disliking Aaron Rodgers. I want to. I want to.

[Andrew Walsh]

I mean, all the signs were there. If you weren't seeing it, it was because you were a fan. Fan. Um, but I. And oh, I was thinking about him earlier too because I almost brought him up during the Jeopardy. Talk because I remember how close we came to having this man. Oh, yeah, I don't think that was ever going to be a reality for he was never going to leave football to be the full time Jeopardy. Host, I guess. But my gosh, we held him up as like an intellectual in some ways or some people did. Anyway, did you see any of this yesterday? Do you know what I'm getting at here?

[Ryan Sandberg]

I saw a clip of him talking About. He's a Pittsburgh Steeler now.

[Andrew Walsh]

He's a Pittsburgh Steeler now.

[Ryan Sandberg]

He was celebrating the fact that they have to live in the dorms together and share a bathroom.

[Andrew Walsh]

No, no, I didn't see anything.

[Ryan Sandberg]

That's what I saw.

[Andrew Walsh]

But Terry Bradshaw, who's obviously, you would know better than me, obviously, he's now.

[Ryan Sandberg]

The leading bald blonde American with Hulk Hogan dead.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's a really good point.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Jerry Bradshaw steps into the void as America's number one bald guy who has blonde hair around the spirit.

[Andrew Walsh]

And Terry Bradshaw is the most famous. One of the most famous Steelers of all time. Right? Sure. By the way, how do you feel. Super Bowl. How do you feel about Terry Bradshaw? What are your feelings about him? I don't really have feelings about him. He's just kind of always been there. And I think I always knew him as a talking head before I kind of realized that he is a legendary football player.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Well, speaking of the baldness, I remember, I think he was known as the man of Steel. And I remember pictures of him as a kid and thinking, they let bald guys play football.

[Andrew Walsh]

So he was bald back then, huh? I didn't know. Yeah.

[Ryan Sandberg]

And for some reason, that's, like. Because it was just very. It was pretty uncommon. You know, I was like. Because I. In my mind at that time, I associated that with being kind of, like, older and stuff. You know what I mean? Like, just. It was. It was like, oh, okay, that can. All that. Okay, that guy can play football. Cool. And then, you know, I sort of enjoy him. I enjoy Terry Bradshaw because Terry Bradshaw, as we were saying earlier in the show, like, a perfect Sunday for me in the fall is like, you know, there's football on TV and something kind of tasty is being cooked up for later and stuff. He's part of that milieu.

[Andrew Walsh]

Sure. Yeah.

[Ryan Sandberg]

So. So I feel generally positive towards him. I don't think I want to probably ask too much about his politics.

[Andrew Walsh]

Sure. Yeah, exactly. But he's not out there. He doesn't have, like.

[Ryan Sandberg]

I haven't seen him. I didn't. Haven't seen him at the inauguration or anything.

[Andrew Walsh]

Right.

[Ryan Sandberg]

But I'm guessing he probably. Probably, you know, is. I would imagine he's. He tends to skew more conservative, but. But, like, I find him to be generally a positive element of American life.

[Andrew Walsh]

He's like a big goofball. Makes fun of himself a lot. And, you know, I just don't know that much about him. But he's not like, in the sports world. He's not like somebody who's even having controversial sports takes usually, right? Like he's honest, but he's not like Stephen A. Smith looking for hot takes. But you know, obviously as, as the kind of the face of the Steeler franchise emeritus or whatever. I guess he was weighing in a few months ago about the Steelers going after Aaron Rodgers. And I don't even think I have to explain to people why Aaron Rodgers is so distasteful to a lot of people, myself included, these days. And just the things that he has said in the realm of politics and culture and who he's aligned himself with and some of the just really kind of at times offensive or just at least ridiculous things that he has said, but also that he's sort of like, like slipped into this sort of rogany woo woo world of like darkness retreats. And you know, I don't know what if he's out there chewing on what's the desert drug? I'm thinking of ayahuasca or whatever. Oh sure, that's kind of all part of his thing too. And so all of that is to say, Terry Bradshaw a couple of months ago, and I'm looking at this quote here, says that guy needs to stay in California. So he's criticizing the Steelers for taking on, taking on Aaron Rodgers. And he says that guy needs to stay out in California, go somewhere and chew on bark and whisper to the gods out there is what Bradshaw said. Now, first of all, I love that. I love that. I think that's a great insult and I love that he's sticking his neck up.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Okay, it is a great insult because you don't like Aaron Rodgers.

[Andrew Walsh]

Exactly.

[Ryan Sandberg]

But imagine it's applied to a non Aaron Rodgers.

[Andrew Walsh]

But I can't imagine rooting for anybody whose whole thing is darkness retreats. I mean, listen, I think that you and I are relatively fair with our fandoms even when there are some distasteful people or people that just have some characteristics or traits that we don't like. I think that we rooted for Russell Wilson but also pointed out his flaws as a human being. A lot we did the same thing with. I mean, not to get too far into this, but I think you and I mentioned this when we were hanging out last week. Even Robbie Ray, he was a star pitcher for the Mariners that they brought over, but he was a vaccine denier and he couldn't travel with the team up in Canada during some really important times. Like, I hated that guy. I did not like him being a Mariner. Like, I don't think that you and I are the danger, which.

[Ryan Sandberg]

And it's dangerously good.

[Andrew Walsh]

I mean, I'm sure that I soften my criticism, you know, reactively towards people that I root for. But I don't think that you and I really are going around completely defending or ignoring the fl. I mean, we'll look at me and the problematic relationship that I had with the Browns and some of the people that they signed even. Even before they went overboard with that. So all that is to give you and I a little bit of COVID on that. I think I've seen other fans who are totally blind to the either awfulness or quirkiness or whatever of the people on the teams that they root for having said all of that. So Bradshaw throws this. What I think is kind of a funny line at a guy that I don't like, says, go out and eat bark and pray to the. Whisper to the gods out there. I like that Aaron Rodgers, though, had. If not you. I can't break down the sincerity in his heart, but he had a really good response to that. And maybe it's just because he's smart enough, maybe he should host Jeopardy. To know what he cannot. He's. I mean, that's a pretty. That's a pretty personal insult that this man has thrown at you. And you're another man who has pride, like, in that position. And to have that record that you have and to have the reputation that you have, at least in the football world, like Aaron Rodgers is not going to just sit there and take slings and arrows usually. And I'm going to try. I think this is the tape. If TikTok. If TikTok doesn't let me down here, but it's a. And again, this. In his heart, he might be seething, and I don't know if this is true, but he said what he needed to say to somebody who looms so large in, you know, Steelers history in California. Chew on bark. Whisper to the gods. So this is somebody. I don't know who this is, giving him the quote. And now he's gonna respond. I think.

[Terry Bradshaw]

I whisper to the gods every single day.

[Andrew Walsh]

Damn right.

[Terry Bradshaw]

I've known Terry for a long time, being a part of Fox. Terry's a legend. He's an absolute legend. He won four Super Bowls. He's had a legendary career in the media. But Terry, like a lot of people, doesn't know me. And so he's got an idea of what he thinks about me based on what I've done, the documentary, what I've said, darkness, retreat, whatever the hell you want to talk?

[Andrew Walsh]

I mean, basically everything that I've done. Yeah, he doesn't know me, except I put my life out there on Broadway. Listening to the second time, I don't like this as much as I did the first time.

[Ryan Sandberg]

I'll be honest with you. I do think it's funny that Aaron Rodgers is doing. It sounds like an Obama impression. Can you go back?

[Andrew Walsh]

He is a little bit. His sort of the rhythm problem is.

[Ryan Sandberg]

He still know me.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah. That's kind of interesting, actually. I'm wondering if I don't. I think I hate him so much that I always expect the absolute worst from him. So when I heard this yesterday, I was like, oh, that's kind of a mature answer. Listening back again now. And he's like, he doesn't know me. But then he lists all the ways we know him because he puts his life on Front Street. And I'm actually based on my behaviors, based on everything I've said and done that people have witnessed with their eyes and ears. Anyway, so now maybe I'm falling down on. Maybe I'm falling down on my argument here. But let's. Let's let it play out. It's about another minute here.

[Terry Bradshaw]

I think for a long time, being a part of Fox. Terry's a legend. He's an absolute legend. He won four Super Bowls. He's had a legendary career in the media. But Terry, like a lot of people, doesn't know me, and so he's got an idea of what he thinks about me based on.

[Andrew Walsh]

You can talk to Sasha, talk to.

[Terry Bradshaw]

Malia, what I've done, the documentary, what I've said, Darkness, Retreat, whatever the hell you want to talk about. I'd love to get to know Terry on a deeper level, and I feel like if he gave me a chance to get to know him, that we'd have a good friendship. Because for me, I have nothing but the utmost amount of respect and deference for what the greats have done, because they laid the foundation for us to be able to play in this great game, to be paid like kings, and to carry on the tradition of excellence that guys like the Bradshaws of the world in the 70s and Bart Starr in the 60s, and Lombardi and Joe Montana and Steve Young and Troy Aikman and Brett Favre and all the greats that have been over Tom Brady, you know, we're standing on the. On the backs of those guys, and it's because of how they played and how they carried themselves that we're able to have this Opportunity to still play this great game, to get paid really well, to set ourselves up for our future. So I'd love to get to know Terry on a deeper level, if he's open to it, and maybe we can go chew some bark or whatever the hell he's talking about.

[Andrew Walsh]

Like, not bad, right? I'm glad we let it roll, because the back half of that is. I mean, again, when somebody insults me, I get really defensive, you know, and him just kind of saying, no, no, he's a. He's one of the greats. And I appreciate what he and his brethren did to get us to where we are today, bringing in the big boys, bucks.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Yeah. Could have left Brett Favre off the list.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, I was gonna say.

[Ryan Sandberg]

All the greats. Jeff Epstein, the. The New York financier, then.

[Andrew Walsh]

Talk about the financier.

[Ryan Sandberg]

The financier.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, my gosh. I know. Yeah.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Well, that's the thing about Aaron Rodgers that. That drives me a little bit crazy is I've certainly come way over to your side of things in terms of, like. Like, really being very bothered by. By him and how he is in the world and the people that he aligns himself with and his anti vaxx stuff. All of it, it feels. Feels like the danger witch. It feels dangerous to me because he's, you know, he's one of those people. He knows. He's one of those people that doesn't know anything about anything, but is supremely confident in his knowledge of, like. Like, he knows more about the vaccine than. Than Anthony Fauci does, that. I. I find that to be really dangerous. But then there's also these moments where, like, he is actually pretty affable and kind of likable. Like, I saw a clip of him yesterday. It might have been from the same interview. I'm not sure, but he was talking about the fact that, like, the way that the Steelers training camp works is, like, he has a roommate. He's got something like they're in a hotel room, but it's got, like, two queen beds and a shared bathroom or whatever. Or he's in a dormitory, actually, I think. And. And then he loves that, that it reminds him of. I think that was maybe for some period of time how Green Bay did it, too. And it just was kind of one of those things that was just kind of nice to hear him talking about how even though the accommodations were, you know, pretty. Pretty humble, that that was kind of something that he was, you know, he enjoyed, he appreciated. Got him in the mode. Then later, I saw him, like, Throw a bomb to DK Metcalf. DK Metcalf, who made a diving catch and something inside of me died.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's right.

[Ryan Sandberg]

That's gonna be something like seeing.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's gonna be DK Metcalf with a.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Different uniform on, making a catch. It's like.

[Andrew Walsh]

Even though I hate. Even though I hate the thought of that. You just said the first thing. So far this preseason, that has gotten me a little bit interested in the football narratives. It's really hard for me to get interested in football during the summertime. And unfortunately, football is what drives so much of the media that I listen to. If I'm listening to sports media, even when there's. Even when you're as far away from the football calendar as you can possibly be at whatever time that is football, baseball conversations still take up more time on sports radio than baseball, at least here in this market. And that kind of bums me out because there's so much to talk about with baseball, and I'd rather hear that. I don't. I don't like turning on my radio and, you know, when it's. The sun is beating down and hearing them talk about, like, full pads, which I think, yeah. Yesterday, for the first time, I'm just like, I don't care. Maybe it reminds me too much of when I thought I wanted to be in high school football. And I have these memories of, like, suddenly, like, it's the middle of summer and I have to report for practice, and I'm jogging around the outside of a football field, and my lungs taste like 9 volt batteries.

[Ryan Sandberg]

I know that feeling.

[Andrew Walsh]

And I'm just like, why am I. And I'm the last. I'm just like, why am I here? Why am I running on dead grass in August or July or whatever? Like, I don't know. I don't want to be thinking about. About that stuff right now.

[Ryan Sandberg]

That's really funny. Yeah, I had that with football, and then I didn't play football anymore because the school I went to didn't have it. And so then it was soccer, but same kind of thing. There'd be, like, a few weeks of practice before school started, and it would just be brutally hot. And it was all conditioning.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah.

[Ryan Sandberg]

So it's just like. It's just running in the sun. It was so unbelievably miserable.

[Andrew Walsh]

It really was. And you're like. And it's cutting into your summer, too.

[Ryan Sandberg]

I. I was watching some podcast that was like. It was actually Greg Olson.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, yeah.

[Ryan Sandberg]

The old one time, briefly. One time Seattle Seahawk. And now, you know, color commentator. He who was unseated by Tom Brady, apparently. And he was being interviewed. I think it's called the Busin podcast. This guy, Taylor Lewins, and another. It's a couple of ex pro football players, and they have a lot of. They were, by the way, sitting next to me at the ufc, which was kind of slightly surreal, but. But they were talking to Ben Olson because I guess Ben Olson also coaches football now. And they were asking, like, what kind of drills you can and can't do anymore? And he was. They were like, can you do bull in the ring? And he was like, yeah, no, bull in the ring is out. And that was the. That was the drilled under glass. Care to expand on that for the listeners?

[Andrew Walsh]

That's just a little bit. Little. It's a little insertion for you.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Google Bob Odenkirk, Pheasant, Undergrass.

[Andrew Walsh]

See what happens.

[Ryan Sandberg]

He was like, oh, no, we can't do bull in the ring anymore. And that was the drill that I broke my arm doing.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, what is football?

[Ryan Sandberg]

It's, if I remember right, it's like. It's like one guy has the ball, and then one guy is the assigned blocker for him, and then two guys are in trying to tackle the guy with the ball. So you're like, so. So like. And I think it, you know, just has a sort of a kind of a Lord of the Flies ish way of playing out.

[Andrew Walsh]

Like, basically two on two.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Essentially, it's two on two. I was. If I remember right, in this particular drill, I was the blocker, which is also comical.

[Andrew Walsh]

Yeah, that doesn't seem about 5, 2.

[Ryan Sandberg]

At the time, but I was one of those kids that just loved contact. I really did. I mean, that's why the coaches kind of liked me, because I was undersized. But I. I was probably good that I ended up going to a school that didn't have football because I frigging loved playing football. And I was into contact. I was not shy about it. And so of course, I was probably trying to prove myself by just going after these bigger guys that were coming in to tackle the ball carrier in this drill. And somehow, I don't know, we went down in a heap and my arm hit the ground funny, and then a real big guy fell right on my arm and wasn't good. Was not good.

[Andrew Walsh]

I do not like that. What's it called?

[Ryan Sandberg]

Bull in the ring is Bull in the ring was the name of the drill.

[Andrew Walsh]

I. For some reason, I was picturing even more Lord of The flies. I'm not even sure.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Yeah, it didn't sound that bad on paper.

[Andrew Walsh]

The idea of the ring, I'm picturing, like, all the team, like, gets together in a ring and two people are in there and one has the ball and the other one has a knife, has a broken pool cue for some reason. Yeah, that would.

[Ryan Sandberg]

That one's also illegal now. You can't do anything anymore.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, no, I got Odoron. No, not Odoron. Who's the. Who's the Mountain from Game of Thrones. Yeah, Oberon was the handsome Oberon.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Yeah, Oberon. That was when we first learned about a little guy named Pedro Pascal.

[Andrew Walsh]

That's right. That's right.

[Ryan Sandberg]

No, you wanted eventually coming to be in every single film in American life.

[Andrew Walsh]

Exactly. Here I go once again with the email. Every week, I hope that it's from a female. Oh, man. It's not from a female.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Can I just kick things off with a correction, please? Email. There's actually a couple of them, a couple of corrections, a couple things that I messed up. One is off of Blueski, where I noticed that our friend Lynn Pham was pointing out. I don't know if I can actually get back to this. I don't know how to find it now, but basically I got the. When I talk about that dog from the cartoon who laughs into his mouth.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, right. That's different.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Yeah, I. I always apparently get this wrong because I said it was. Whatever I said it was. Here's what. Here's. Let me see if I can find this. This post by our friend Lynn. It involved correcting the record on.

[Andrew Walsh]

Wow.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Very active on the blue ski is Lynn. Lynn said, every time Luke Burbank says that Mutley was from Clutch Cargo, I can hear the tens of tens screaming out in pain. Clutch Cargo's dog is Paddle Foot Mutley. The laughing, snickering dog is the sidekick to Dick Dastardly. Here's the thing.

[Andrew Walsh]

I am not questioning Lynn's knowledge on this topic.

[Ryan Sandberg]

I won't get in the ring with his knowledge. Broken pool cue called information. He will run you through.

[Andrew Walsh]

He's holding half of a Nintendo Switch. But the thing is, I am questioning gently and respectfully, with respect, the setup that other tens are aware of this knowledge and that it frustrates them. Read that sentence again about all of the cartoon characters.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Because I swear, each time Luke Burbank says that Mutley was from Clutch Cargo, I can hear the tens of tens screaming out in pain. Pain. Clutch Cargo's dog is Paddlefoot. Mutley the laughing slash snickering dog is the sidekick to Dick Dastardly.

[Andrew Walsh]

Of course, I. Lynn, that would be.

[Ryan Sandberg]

My porno name if I had to. Dick Dastardly.

[Andrew Walsh]

Pretty good. Yeah, but no, that's funny. He's screaming out in pain just like. Yeah, it's a light touch. No, I. I wonder how many people. I mean, could Lynn be the only person in the audience who.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Well, let's find out. Email us. Email me lukebtl.net if you also knew that I was misnaming the dog in that situation.

[Andrew Walsh]

I mean, what else do we know about any of these cartoons? So you have. I would have never known there was something called Dick Dastardly at all. Although I do like that name. I would have. Did you. Does that ring a bell to you? Okay.

[Ryan Sandberg]

No. And in fact, I feel like I knew a little bit about this dog, Mutley, a little bit from maybe from seeing it on TV as a kid, but mostly from Duck Hunt.

[Andrew Walsh]

So what's Clutch Cargo? Right there's the Duck Hunt dog, and that's different. He goes and I was kind of.

[Ryan Sandberg]

It feels like he's.

[Andrew Walsh]

He's.

[Ryan Sandberg]

He's spiritually connected to that other dog. I don't know if he literally is, but I feel like they're kind of. They're cousins or something.

[Andrew Walsh]

But now I'm trying to figure out what Clutch Cargo is, because you.

[Ryan Sandberg]

I think Clutch Cargo is the name was Clutch. Oh, God, it is something.

[Andrew Walsh]

Here it is.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Clutch Cargo. Was Clutch Cargo the name of the entire cartoon, or was it the name of the character in a larger cartoon cartoon?

[Andrew Walsh]

It says Clutch Cargo. An American is, by the way. Oh, really? Is. Really?

[Ryan Sandberg]

Well, old cartoons never die.

[Andrew Walsh]

You sure about that? That's why Clutch Cargo is an American animated television series created by Clark Haas. Oh, look at that. Maybe pronounced has like Genevieve and all. It is. It started a syndication in 1959. It doesn't say that it ever ended, so maybe it is still going. But it's that here it's centered on the adventurer of Clutch Cargo, an adventurer who was sent around the world on dangerous assignments. Accompanying him on the assignments were his young ward Spinner and his pet dachshund. Dachshund. Am I saying that right? Dachshund. Yeah, Paddlefoot. Live action footage of a 1929 C27 Airbus was used. And I guess the series creator was previously a D jet pilot, which is why. So I don't think I've ever seen. I mean, this sort of looks like my style, but I've never seen this before.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Dick Dastardly. Meanwhile, Andrew is a fictional character and the main antagonist who's appeared in various animated series by Hanna Barbera. Dastardly's most famous appearance are in the series Wacky Races and its spin off. Dastardly and Mutley in their flying machines. He is partially based on the English actor Terry Thomas. Oh, Terry Thomas. This guy, I recognize this guy. He has a significant gap in his teeth and I forget who he played, but he was in something that I remember from being a kid. But anyway, okay, so that's. The record is corrected on that. And then something else I need to correct and this one I blame on Mark Zuckerberg. Remember yesterday I was talking about putting those glasses on and then looking around and then asking it questions about the things in my field of vision. And I said that across the river from me is this the what. What used to be the Trojan nuclear plant. And I said, when I asked the glasses about like the history of that place, it told me that it was actually never operational. It basically said it was built, but then because of particular problems and whatever complications that then was, it was implod. And I was surprised by the news that it never actually was in operation. And the reason I was surprised by that news is because it was a hallucination, I think, from the glasses.

[Andrew Walsh]

Oh, the fact that it didn't exist. The fact that it didn't open, rather sorry.

[Ryan Sandberg]

It exists because Anya, listener, Anya, who used to live right down the road from where I'm at, said, hey, Luke, it's Anya who grew up in your neighborhood. I think your AI glasses got something wrong about the Trojan nuclear plant. It did operate for 17 years. Years. My childhood nanny's husband worked there. So I just wanted to correct the record on that too. Anya, I'm sorry that my glasses lied to me and then I lied to the TBTL listeners.

[Andrew Walsh]

It is a real bummer that you cannot trust. What did you say before about Aaron Rodgers? He just says wrong things confidently and like, that is basically what AI is doing and we're not questioning it enough. I'm not trying to put you on front street. I've fallen for this myself. Of course. It's really, really. It's really frustrating to have all this technology that is so cool and whiz bang, but wrong. Patently and demonstrably wrong about shit.

[Ryan Sandberg]

Yes. And I just. And you know what? This might have been. This is the first example I can think of. And it's only because I said this into a microphone and Anya heard it. This is the first Example, I can think of of where I got information from, basically AI. I didn't fact check it. And then I went out and spread it into the world. And by the way, thank you, Anya, for catching this, because I promise you, I would have told any person who came over to my house that same wrong information going forward. We would have been standing on the deck, I would have been saying, over there is what used to be the Trojan nuclear plant. But guess what? It was never even operational. I think I made a joke yesterday. Something like, that's government efficiency at work, you know, which is like, again, right into the. It plays right into this whole kind of idea of. Of like, you know, the government being incapable of doing things, et cetera. It's like. And again, that was because that information came from the computer glasses. And I just took it as gospel truth. And I shouldn't have done that and I apologize.

[Andrew Walsh]

Well, you know what, Luke? I'm actually changing my mind. I do believe in AI. I believe in Anya Intelligence. How about that?

[Ryan Sandberg]

Anya on your official intelligence. That's very right show title.

[Andrew Walsh]

Maybe I don't have anything. I don't have anything better.

[Ryan Sandberg]

I gotta go. Andrew. There's something floating in the river and I don't know what it is. And it might be a Loch Ness monster. We might have big news on tomorrow's show. It's definitely not a boat.

[Andrew Walsh]

Okay?

[Ryan Sandberg]

It also might just be a dead headed log. But my. My binoculars are in the house. I gotta run in there and get. I gotta get eyes on this. This is my life out here, Andrew. Mowing dandelions and getting eyes on things that are in the river.

[Andrew Walsh]

Hope we don't have a river's edge situation. Oh, yeah, that would be. That would be dark.

[Ryan Sandberg]

All right, thank you everyone for listening. We're coming back here tomorrow, same bat time, same bat channel, with more TBTL for you. So please do join us for that. In the meantime, have a great Tuesday. Take care of yourselves and please remember, no mountain too tall.

[Andrew Walsh]

And good luck to all. Power out.