B (3:56)

Dave, Good morning. Thank you for having me.

A (3:58)

Thank you. You've been up for how many hours now?

B (4:01)

Oh, just a clean 10 hours, probably 10 hours. And that was about an hour of rest. Cause I did work at the old restaurant last night. Oh, David run it on fumes, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

A (4:15)

And yet you volunteered to come help out on the show today because Andrew has gone. What a mensch. What a guy. So you got between Lago Cafe Lago, your other job. Cause producing morning radio in Seattle pays too well. You did your restaurant job and then you went home and you slept for about an hour as your beautiful daughter turned exactly one year of age.

B (4:37)

That's right. At 2:06am okay.

A (4:40)

Were you awake at 2:06am or were you still catching your last few winks? No. You're not? No, no.

B (4:44)

I mean, I was on the way to the radio station.

A (4:47)

You're already out of the house. At 2:06am?

B (4:48)

Oh, yeah. I'm out at like 30 generally.

A (4:51)

Gosh, that's. Well, that's. That's rough, my friend. Now, did Alicia do like, has Gemma had a break, like a birthday breakfast or anything today? What's going on back at the homestead?

B (5:03)

I mean, it's. It looks like quite the party, which I'm not there for yet, but again, yeah, Alicia's been sending me photos.

A (5:11)

She.

B (5:12)

She's been working all this week making party hats for all of the Gemma stuffed animals.

A (5:18)

Oh, I thought you meant for everyone coming to the birthday party on Saturday.

B (5:21)

Well, yes, I think they're a little small for everyone coming to the party, but. But she also bought a ball pit for Gemma. So I have pictures of Gemma in a ball pit. I can show you guys here over the camera.

A (5:32)

But what is this other thing that she has that's like some kind of a weird baby couch that. Oh my God, that's ridiculous. Will you send that to me? What's that?

B (5:41)

I will.

A (5:41)

Are we allowed to use her as a show pick today? Do you need to check in with Alicia about that? I think.

B (5:47)

I don't think many people see the show pick probably anyways.

A (5:51)

Well, I mean, the baby, it's not like the baby is not on the Internet. You know what I mean?

B (5:56)

Yeah.

A (5:57)

All I see on the Internet are pictures of this adorable baby. But what is this like nugget couch or something that you guys.

B (6:04)

Yeah, well, I was unfamiliar with it up until a couple weeks ago, but apparently it's a couch that's basically like kind of like a modular couch where you can take all the parts apart and build forts and things. So she's not quite old enough to really get, you know, the, all the cool aspects of it, but all I know is it takes up a lot of room in our.

A (6:27)

Oh my gosh, this is so awesome. The Nugget Sea monster. Well, that's one that's sold at The Nugget website, nuggetcomfort.com by the way. Not a sponsor, but we wouldn't turn it.

B (6:37)

I'll be totally truthful with you, it is a dupe of a nugget couch because Nugget dupe. Yeah. We weren't going to pay for full price, but. But it is still pretty cool. And I'm excited for when I can build forts with her and crawl around and play nightcrawlers and things.

A (6:51)

We are. You will you do like we when we were kids. Although again, you and I grew up in such different eras of the. Of The Burbank household. So many years between us, as you.

B (7:00)

Like to remind me.

A (7:02)

Well, I just mean I can't assume that you had the exact same experience I did. Did you guys do Tickle Monster? Did that exist when you were a kid? That was a very fun game when we were definitely.

B (7:12)

Well, and I think you helped carry on the legacy because play it with me and Sam and Addie, but dad would also play it with us.

A (7:20)

And this for folks that don't know, this was a game where basically my dad would be under a blanket and down on all fours in the living room, and we, the kids, would stand around in far corners of the living room and try to walk around very quietly so that the Tickle Monster did not reach out from under the blanket and snag you by the ankle and tickle you. And it was.

B (7:41)

It was so fun.

A (7:42)

We have many a Friday night. We wiled away many a Friday night playing that game. Anyway, you know what? I mentioned that Nugget Couches, they're not a sponsor. Although if there's anybody who could maybe work that out for us, it's my colleague John Sklarov, who is TBTL employee numero uno.

B (7:57)

Are you sure?

A (7:58)

Okay. And he's also joining us right now. Hello, John.

C (8:01)

Hey, Luke. I'll call the Nugget people and see what I can work out.

A (8:06)

I also felt like I really needed to explain Tickle Monster because that's just in this day and age. Need some explaining. You don't hear Tickle Monster in a good context very much in the. In 2026. Did you, like. I mean, did you. You have siblings, right, John, you got a sister?

C (8:22)

Two older sisters.

A (8:24)

How. What was the age difference?

C (8:26)

I'm the baby. Baby boy, which people that know me. That tracks for a lot of folks.

A (8:31)

Were they nice to you? Like, were they the kind of sisters that included you in things or were they mean to you?

C (8:36)

You know, it depended on what age we were. So my eldest sister is five years older than me, and then the one directly above me is 20 months. And so, like, when we were. She and I were young, like, we were doing everything together just because we were similar ages. And then obviously, as we got into, like, middle school and high school, that kind of stopped. And as we got became adults, like, we got closer again. But yeah, yeah, we're close, the three of us. I think we.

A (9:00)

Did you guys play anything called Tickle Monster as a kid? Is where I'm really trying to find.

C (9:04)

Out, I don't think.

A (9:04)

And were you upset when I said those words.

C (9:07)

Well, normally you're saying them to me and Andrew in a TV meeting.

A (9:10)

Yeah, you've asked me, and that's, you've formally asked me to stop doing that.

C (9:15)

Our stand opening weekly meetings, it's not allowed, but I don't think we played anything deliberately called tickle monster. But there was like tickling and like, we were definitely like a very affectionate household in appropriate ways. Yeah.

B (9:28)

Yes.

A (9:28)

Okay. So, David, I just want to, I don't want to jump right into football talk because I don't know how many of the listeners. Actually, I think a surprising number of listeners do care about, including our brother in law, Josh, who DM'd me yesterday and said, are we getting a no point this week or not?

B (9:42)

Sick.

A (9:42)

So. So, Josh, this is for you when we get to it. But before we get into the, the, the footballness of it later, I just want to say you, my brother, you were playing with fire this week by scheduling your daughter's birthday at almost the exact same time as the Seattle Seahawks playoff game. I don't know how, I don't know. I don't know how you knew three months ago.

B (10:03)

Yeah, yeah. So that is, that is the whole issue. This is actually.

A (10:07)

Well, what time? Wait, what time's the party though?

B (10:09)

We're not gonna dox you, so it's supposedly gonna be from 3pm to 6pm.

A (10:15)

Okay, that's plenty of time.

B (10:17)

So, yeah, that's the hope. Here's the deal. This is a, this is an item of hot contention is both our mother, our beloved mother, and Alicia's mom are huge Seahawks fans. And so I think if they had their druthers, I think if they had their druthers, we would be, we would have the game on in the back. You know, we would have the kind of pregame on in the background. We'd be talking about the game. Alicia does not play with any of that.

A (10:48)

She, I don't blame her because vehemently.

B (10:51)

And actively dislikes football. And like the energy, the nervous energy that her mom has around football, that I have around football, that she saw during the, the Christmas holidays that our mom has around football, she doesn't want any part of any of that.

A (11:08)

So I don't blame her. I don't blame her on that because like when we had that get together at my house that was supposed to be like family Christmas and a little Seahawks in the background, it ended up becoming like a seriously intense family obsession. And I can see how she would not want, after she's made all these Hats. I could see how she would not want her child's first birthday party to turn into that. That's actually fair.

B (11:31)

Hey David, can I. Yeah.

C (11:33)

Can I just ask you two questions please, as a non biased person here in this conversation around planning around this stuff? One, I think the tens really need. If Luke ends up in one of these tiny hats on Saturday, please send me a picture that needs garners. Oh yeah, that's number one. Absolutely. Number two, I think I can. I think what I'm picking up from Luke and maybe from your own mother and your mother in law if you, if you do have like another child, say just like a year before the Seahawks could potentially be in the playoffs and maybe nine months before that can be considering planning like around when you're.

A (12:07)

Gonna have a March.

B (12:08)

Yeah, Aim for March.

A (12:09)

Just. Yeah. I think like our parents did use family planning like our mom and dad did, which is why she gave birth to. You know, mom has dropped the bomb.

B (12:20)

On me before that she was actually using birth control. I know this and somehow I persisted.

A (12:27)

Good for you. Oh, I know this because I would. How do I. Oh no, we started with tickle Monster and we're going somewhere worse. I. Let's just say there was evidence around the home environment of the fact that our parents were not ideologically or morally opposed to birth control. Just very bad at it. Very, very. That's the thing people always ask, and you probably get this too, Davey, when you say you're from seven kids, they go like, oh, your parents must have been like Mormon or Catholic or not believed in birth control. And it's like, no, they did. They were just terrible at it. So. Yeah. But anyway, I'm okay. Well, this is good though. It could have been worse because if they would have, it would have been the one o' clock game.

B (13:07)

So what we're talking about here, that was the big thing was is it going to be the 130 game? If it's the 130 game, there was going to be some tough conversations.

A (13:16)

Yeah, but, but I am actually I'm with Alicia on this very much so I think it's reasonable to not want the whole thing to turn into some sort of. Yeah. Like insane Seahawks swear fest or.

B (13:28)

Well, in the way, you know, hope the listeners can all keep this secret. The way I'm framing it to both Alicia's family and to mom is this is not Alicia's decision. This is my decision. Because yes, for one thing I become. I am. Thank you. Also I get so stressed out during these games. That it is conceivable that I would just want to not have any interaction with the game at all during Gemma's part. So that's what I'm going with. I'm kind of running with that now.

A (13:59)

Can you see yourself checking once it's seven and everybody's cleared out and it's probably halftime. Are you going to. Will you watch the second half of the game?

B (14:07)

I mean, probably. I don't know. Like, that's the. It's a delicate dance with my wonderful, beautiful, perfect wife. Is like, yes, what do I want? If. If she's in the afterglow of a. Of an awesome party and she's very, you know, happy that I might be kind of checking in on my phone.

A (14:26)

But do you want me to share my YouTube TV password with you so that you can very low key check it on your phone like you're in a commercial about a guy being a guy, bro.

B (14:38)

That's the way I watch most of these games is I've got the, you know, whatever the app, I'm not going to give them any free press, but I have the app that you can watch basically all the games on your phone for like a pretty modest price. And. And that is how I'm watching.

C (14:52)

You should also.

B (14:53)

I'm never watching it on a real tv.

A (14:55)

Gotcha.

C (14:56)

David, you should also plan to like, clean as the party goes kind of thing.

A (15:00)

Like just sit on top of all the stuff. Like seriously, like, like, you know, make.

C (15:02)

Sure like to do some dishes or whatever.

A (15:04)

Because Alicia, listen, John, I've been married mult. She'll know. I am the expert on ways that you can anger your partner without thinking you are going to. I think if there's a sense that David is trying to like, David's like sweeping people out of the party at 5:29. I'm not super great. Oh, so great to see you. He's putting everything away constantly as the party's going on. Someone eats a cracker and he takes the napkin out of their hand and places it in a garbage can. I think that will be noted and I don't think that'll go over very well.

B (15:37)

Yeah, also I kind of. I think the cleaning up afterwards is the perfect venue to like, I'm just doing the dishes. Oh, what's my phone. What am I watching on my phone? Perched on the countertop or nothing. Exactly. You don't need to worry about that.

A (15:51)

Yeah, you don't need to.

B (15:51)

That's kind of. That's how I generally will watch my football is. While I'm doing dishes.

A (15:57)

Yeah, no, that's actually very smart. Like, you kind of. You're doing something that's beneficial to the home environment.

B (16:01)

Exactly, exactly.

A (16:02)

And then you're also watching the game. Yeah, I do this kind of a similar thing around here, except I'm in the hot tub watching it on my iPad, but then also watching it in the house while. Oh, so you're drinking an NA beer.

B (16:15)

Fun version.

C (16:16)

I don't know how that's similar.

A (16:18)

No, it's the opposite. That's the point. That's the point. The point is that I'm a desperately lonely person who gets to just. Who's built this weird castle that I could just do whatever the hell I want, which involves.

C (16:31)

I was.

A (16:31)

That's how I was watching one of the playoff games on Saturday. I was like. It was. It was like. It was visual hedonism at the highest order because it was like I had the game on in the house, but then it was a nice night, so I wanted to go sit in the little hot tub. But then I couldn't quite see the game or hear it. So then I had it on the iPad. But then sometimes I was bored because the teams weren't playing well. So sometimes I was looking at TikTok on my phone. It was like. I honestly was like, if a meteor strikes me right now, I will understand. Like, I shouldn't. This is a sin against nature. What's happening currently. Have you guys. When. So Gemma is turning one, as we've already established. Have you seen in the airport, David, while traveling or just about town, this whole move of the, like, luggage that kids can also ride as a scooter in some form or fashion. This is actually something you guys should talk about on your show. This is probably very relevant to your.

B (17:24)

It is interesting that you bring this up because. No, I mean, we haven't done any major airport traveling and, you know, a couple years now, but I just. On my phone while scrolling TikToks or reels, I saw Chris Fleming, the comedian.

A (17:40)

Oh, my God, that bit that he does. That's one of the funniest things, which.

B (17:43)

Obviously so many of his bits, like the physicality that he. He brings is hilarious. But he did a bit about that. And. And yeah, I saw it, like, yesterday and I thought it was so funny. And so when I saw this on the show sheet, I was like, I have some tangential experience with what you're talking about.

A (17:59)

I've noticed it because I do obviously spend a lot of time in airports and I see it all the time. And I have to be honest with you, it freaking delights me. I just love seeing a kid having fun now. I guess I have the privilege of still pretty decent mobility at this age, so I don't feel endangered by them. But I guess this is an article in the Washington Post today from Andrea Sachs, basically talking about how this is a sort of a growing trend of all these. By the way, the names of these luggage for kids that you can also ride on are ridiculous. Trunky Younglings, Jet Kids, Kitty, Totes, Adwin. But those all sound like names that you would actually name a kid now, too, by the way, Advwin. Don't name your second child Advwin, David, please. But so basically you had this family that's, you know, they're a family that I guess is sort of. Sort of influencers of some kind, but they've got kids and they travel a lot. And so they were showing these videos of their kids bombing through an airport on these little scooters. And this is what they wrote. They're called the Hendricks Tribe. That's the name of this family. Because once upon a time, this is what the. Underneath the Instagram post of their kids scooting about in the airport. Because once upon a time, we used to stress about every stare, every noise, every burst of energy our kids brought into, quote, quiet spaces. But somewhere between security lines and delayed flights, we realized something. This is their adventure, too. Actually, as I read this, I'm becoming more angry, actually. These parents, I'm changing my position in real time. They're not misbehaving. They're exploring. They're not too much. They're curious, growing and full of life. Why we film instead of stopping them. Well, because you're trying to get the clicks, lady. Let's be honest. Because one day they'll be too big to scoot beside us. I don't know about that. Honestly, I see a lot of people on a lot of scooters at all kinds of. Particularly in Portland. Like, everywhere Becca and I go, there are people of all ages scooting around on things. And we will miss these wild, joyful airport moments more than words can say. Raising tiny travelers, not perfect passengers. I have really. You guys are getting to observe in real time. Me going from being like, how delightful when you. Actually, I stand by my assertion. I think it's pretty cute when kids are. As long as they're not bashing into people or being, you know, super annoying. As long as they're just kind of having fun. Generally speaking, in my Experience. Airport. You know, like, walkways and stuff are, generally speaking, wide enough. I know Chris Fleming doesn't like it. David. I thought that bit was tremendous, and I would play it if it wasn't so visual because it's so funny. But, like, in my experience, I think it is, generally speaking, a joyful thing. I don't have. I don't have a problem with it. I do. Now that I've read the caption from the Hendricks tribe, I do not like their approach to it because it sounds like they're saying, if our kids are screaming and really making your time in the airport worse, that's your problem. Because they're tiny adventurers. I don't like that idea of framing it as tiny adventurers. That being said, I don't have a problem. I don't have a problem with kids scooting on their luggage.

B (21:02)

I would agree. I have no problem with it. I have no problem with kids doing whatever fun thing. Especially in an airport where it's, like. It's kind of a boring and crazy place, but also a giant place with really smooth floors. Like, I get it. I would want to roll on the airport. I think my issue is I'm tired of people trying to, like, narrative eyes, their whole experience and their family and, like, post. This is our. Yeah, once upon a time, we met by, you know, on Tinder or whatever, and then we had this huge family. Like, it's just like, you don't have a story to tell. I'm sorry. Right?

A (21:41)

You're telling it as this story of, like, you're. Well, it's actually, in a way, it's a thing that happens a lot online that I'm kind of not a fan of, which is people. And, like, look, we're all insecure. We're all kind of dealing with what we're dealing with. I get it. I do a ton of annoying things to try to make myself feel slightly better about myself. But there is this move where people do a lot of, like, either bragging about their partner as a way of saying, look how good I look, how much. Look how I am, because I have this partner that's really awesome, you know, and it's not even really. It's not even really about the partner. It's not even. It's about, like, find yourself. If he wanted to, he would. This guy just worked it. In fact, Alicia could put some of these posts up about you, David, and I would support it because you do work. You do sleep one hour a day to support your family. But, you know, What I mean, or like, talking about their kids in a way that's almost like it would be fine if it was just saying, hey, I really love my kid. I'm proud of my kid. But it's this weird, humble brag about themselves by way of their kid that I always kind of get a little bit, like, put off by as far as the. And then, like you said, David, the. Like making a narrative out of it. Like, it really. What it is, is like these kids, these Hendrix tribe kids were running around the airport having fun, whatever, and probably someone gave them a look. And then whichever parent wrote this post, and I don't know which one did, they then turn it into this story of triumph about how they just learned to let go and allow their kids to just be total assholes.

B (23:07)

Right.

C (23:07)

You know, it's funny, Luke, I think Jess does the opposite with me on social media. She's like, look, look at this schlub. The charity work I'm doing.

A (23:17)

No, no, exactly. Well, that's, you know, there's a. I think that there's a balance, right?

B (23:22)

There's a.

A (23:23)

There's somewhere in between. Becca's version of it is she will, when she comes to Livewire, she always takes a picture of the marquee that has my name on it. But then she just says, like, another night of Livewire. It's a kind of. It's a very subtle. I feel like I'll allow it. It's like a little bit of a flex, but it's not like, it's not overly doing it, but. But yeah, there is. Like, because I am so terminally online, I have developed so many theories about the hyper specific ways that people talk about themselves and their lives and their families online and all the different ways that it can be annoying to me.

B (23:57)

Because I think it's really. Well, I was just gonna say I think it's really warped all of our senses of, like, self and, like, how much people should care about what we have to say. And, you know, we should all just probably be a little more quiet and present. I mean, I'm not saying anything new or groundbreaking on this podcast as we.

A (24:19)

All three of us talk in the microphone and distribute it to up to thousands of people. But. Yes, no, I know what you mean. And that's why, by the way, when Andrew and I get into this on the show, it's always very fraught because it's like, I'm with you. Like, like we all have main character energy now. You know, like, we all just like. And yet, like, Our job, me and Andrew's job and John's job with this is like, it is kind of, I guess, having main character energy or at least assuming that what I want to say about my most recent flight experience is on some level interesting. So I kind of feel like I. I both think that we all need to calm down a little bit and stop being the main characters. And I also have to do it for my job, at least for now.

C (25:00)

I think there are some differences though, because, like, maybe I'm making excuses because this is how I. How I pay my bills, but, like, I think the people can choose to engage with TBTL or not. People in the airport can't choose to engage with somebody who.

A (25:16)

Good point.

C (25:17)

And I'm with you guys on like the whimsy and kids having fun in public spaces. I'm all for it. Just like adults, like, as long as they're being respectful and the parents are like keeping an eye on things, like, that's fine. Like, let the kids have fun. Just like an adult. Like, I don't care if an adult's riding a scooter down, you know, but like, yeah, like, whatever if you're not.

A (25:33)

I've done that before when I'm being a cool guy.

C (25:35)

But. Yeah, but I think like a lot of the things you guys are touching on is like influencer culture, number one. It's like you are using this public space to prop up your brand. And then specifically, and I know a lot of parents personally who have issue of this stuff is the family influencer, where it's like you are using your children and their adorable activities or whatever as an accessory and to create content and to like and monetize it. Like, and in 20 years is that kid can be thrilled that there's like videos of them scooting around the airport. I don't know, maybe. But like, they also have no say in it. And so it's. Yeah, it's like that kind of thing too. Is also kind of. I don't have kids, but, like, I know friends that do have kids think that's kind of icky, you know, that kind of thing.

A (26:17)

Yeah.

C (26:18)

But as far as the kids having fun. Yeah, let them have fun as long as they're not getting in the way and like, you know, the parents are paying attention.

A (26:24)

The thing that I really do. This is my big move on an airplane, if a baby is crying, I'm being totally serious. I will. If I can get direct eye contact with the parents, I will give them the biggest smile I can possibly give Them, like, I will try to send a message psychically to them that I am so fine with their kid. In this case, being a kid, in other words, you know, like, famously, like, kids inner ears are more sensitive than adults. And so when planes take off and land, it hurts their ears and causes them to cry. Like, there's no one I feel worse for than a parent who is just doing their absolute best, but they just have a small child on the flight with them, and the small child is having a tough time. And it's like, I want to. Like, I want to go up to first class and get one of those blankets and bring it back and wrap it around the parent and the child and just go, it's going to be okay. And I want you to know that I am the one. I didn't want you taking any stress from thinking about how I'm feeling about this, how I'm feeling about this, because how I'm feeling about this is like, I totally get it. I used to have a small child. I am not mad at you right now. Other people on this flight might be, but I am not mad at you, like, because I've flown with Addie when she was little and stuff. And it's like, I want to. Like, if I can, I want to come help take some of the burden of the stress of being a parent on an airplane when your kid is crying.

C (27:40)

It takes a village, Luke.

A (27:42)

It sure does. It sure does. Speaking of flights, by the way, I crossed a bright line this morning that I don't know. I feel bad because I feel like I'm being part of the problem. This is the most unrelatable content that I will present on the show. And what it has to do with is I'm flying to Chicago tomorrow to do. Wait, wait. I have a very early morning flight. It's actually on American, which is not my preferred carrier, but they were the only ones that were flying at the right time for me. And so I was. I had. My ticket was booked on Alaska, but they were able to rebook me on American because they're all part of the same club or something. And so I was going in. And the thing is, when I'm flying on American, I don't have quite all the bells and whistles because it's not my little domain. And I saw that. So I was going to be, like, in the way back of the plane, and when I went to pick my seat, they just said, well, do you want to be in first class for $100 more? And I was like, yeah, like, first of all, I mean, $100 is $100, but also that's like $20 per hour of flight time. And like at a, on a 6am flight, the difference between being in first class and being able to just like conk out or being in like a non reclining back middle seat, that is such a game changer. Now the reason this makes me mad is because this is. And again, this is not, this is only relatable content to my friend Broadcast Barry, who he and I probably text four times a week about Alaska Airlines policy. But what the airlines are doing now is it's harder and harder to get upgraded to first class if you're somebody like me or Barry who's like obsessively like lives in the world of this particular mileage club. It used to be if they didn't sell all the seats in first class, then they would start just like giving them to the road warriors like us based on who had the most miles or something. But now what they're doing is they're just gonna sell that first class seat for. They'll start it at like, hey, do you want to pay $1,000 to be in first class? Like, absolutely not. And then they'll be like, well, how about $500? No way. How about $200? How about $100? I mean, I get a free smoked salmon breakfast, which I'm not holding my breath on, by the way. Although I might literally need to hold my breath.

B (29:48)

I was looking moist, warm towelettes, right? Do they do that in first class? I've never been in first class, so.

A (29:54)

Well, here's the thing with first class. It's very, very. It is, I don't want to say hit and miss, but it's. It. There's. I can't figure out the exact rules and policies. I think it depends on the airline. If they bring out a moist towelette. I've had that occasionally. If on international travel, that's a biggie. They're very big with that. Not so much on domestic, but sometimes you'll be in first class and it'll be pretty much like being in coach, except you have a little more leg room. And then sometimes you'll be in first class and it's like the person, they're bringing you out this like three course meal and it's on like nice, like china and stuff. And you're like, what the heck? But I can't ever predict when it's going to be that kind of flight or something else. But all I'm Saying is, like, I did buy. I paid out of my own pocket. So I'm paying money essentially to go beyond. Wait, wait, don't tell me tomorrow. But I just thought, like, I could. I could just sign up. I could be way in the back of the plane, or I could spend a hundred dollars again, which is not nothing. But that will radically change my experience on the flight. But it also means.

B (30:55)

Are you part of the problem?

A (30:56)

I'm now part of the problem. I'm also part of the problem with Clear, which Andrew never lets me forget. And because basically that whole Clear thing is it's making the line worse for everyone else. Therefore, more people are incentivized to buy Clear. So I'm essentially making the entire travel experience worse for everybody involved.

C (31:17)

I also think it should be illegal for Clear to solicit at the airport. Like, you're staying in line. Like, oh, like, seriously? It's a. It's a federal, you know, I mean, it's a. It's a. It's a government institution entity. And this private company is just allowed to go in there and harangue people who are, like, waiting on this line, I think. I really. I don't like that.

A (31:35)

Well, you're getting people potentially in an absolute moment.

C (31:38)

Oh, yeah, absolutely.

A (31:39)

You know what I mean? Like, in fact, that sort of happened with me and Becca this summer. We were flying. We're flying to England and some cr. It was the craziest thing. Like, we tried to go through. She had signed up for a trial account some years ago for Clear, because basically what happened was she was late for a flight some time ago, maybe before we even met. And that's what happened. They snatched her because they were like. She was looking at the real line. She's like, well, I'm not gonna get to my flight. And they were like, or you could sign up for a trial membership for Clear. And it's like something out of a Disney movie. It's like a scroll that just keeps going. It's cartoonish. And you sign it, and then you turn into a small worm that lives in, like, Ursula's sea domain. But so she had, like, signed up for it, but then had tried to cancel it, but then they wouldn't let her sign up for a new one, a new trial one, because she'd already done one. And then. But. But I had already gone through. So now we were like. It was a whole debacle. But I do, you know, I do. I do tend to avail myself of these little travel conveniences because of the amount of time that, you know, I'm spending in these airports and trying to spend the minimum amount of time. I also heard this interesting analogy about the strategy for air travel, which is if you are a person. And by the way, I should really be having this conversation with Andrew, although I know it will get absolutely zero traction with him. It'll be interesting tomorrow to find out when he made Genevieve show up to the airport for their trip to Vegas and when they're getting to the airport to fly home, because Genevieve is much more wired the way that I am, I think. And you know, and Andrew would get to the airport four hours early if he could. And the sort of like, I don't know, you could call it like a market efficiency or the Malcolm Gladwell sort of approach to it is that if you are someone, there's like kind of three. There's sort of three sorts of people. There's a person who gets to the airport like three hours in advance. There's the person who gets to the airport like, you know, an hour in advance or 45 minutes in advance and sometimes misses their flight. So the person who gets there three hours early never misses their flight. And the person who gets there 45 minutes early, they sometimes miss their flight, but not a lot. Mostly they make their flight and then there's someone who gets there like 20 minutes before the flight and they miss their flight semi frequently. And you don't want to be that person because just the time cost to missing your flights and having to wait is expensive and time consuming. But you also don't want to be the three hour early person because if you're in that middle range, even if you miss like one flight a year, this is, I guess, based on the idea that you fly kind of a lot. Even if you miss like one flight a year, you have, you've saved yourself many hours over that person who's getting to the airport three hours early. You know, even though they're never missing their flight, they're actually doing it less efficiently according to this thing that I. And of course I like this because I'm the person who shows up at the airport 45.

B (34:21)

But what is, what are you saving? Like, it's relative. Right? Like if you're just hanging out in a coffee shop or a airport bar. Right. Working on your laptop like I know Andrew likes to do, or. Yeah. On your laptop doing whatever. It's like, how is that any different than being at the hotel for another hour or two?

A (34:38)

Yeah, no, that's actually a good point. You should write Them a letter. You should. We should write a letter to the. Wherever I saw that The Atlantic or Volkswagen.

B (34:45)

I do like imagining Andrew and Genevieve at the airport really early at the Las Vegas airport after.

A (34:51)

Oh, my God.

B (34:52)

You know, a couple of bender nights.

A (34:55)

Oh, my gosh.

B (34:56)

And Andrew's just pulling Genevieve and Genevieve's. Like, we can have a couple extra hours. And Andrews, this is. No, no, no.

A (35:02)

This is how I know that I'm. That I'm fundamentally changing as a person. Because when I was young and I would go to Las Vegas a lot with, like, Camaro, Kev and those guys or I. I used to always say, like, I. There's absolutely nothing more depressed. Like, there's not a more different experience of arriving at Las Vegas Airport versus leaving Las Vegas Airport. Right. I think it's called Harry Reid now. Used to be called McCarran. I'm sure they'll change it to Melania Allegiance soon.

B (35:31)

Yeah, but bitcoin.

A (35:34)

Max Crosby. Max Crosby. Bitcoin airport. But, like, I was next to Max Crosby at some UFC events recently or when I was in Vegas doing that Dana White thing, and the guy is massive. Yeah, absolutely massive. No, but, like, because I used to love going to Vegas so much, and I hated leaving Vegas so much that I just felt this, like. Like, incredibly strong pole when I landed and incredibly sort of deep, emotional cratering when I left. And when I tell you that when I am on my way to the airport in Vegas, I feel so relieved now. I am so ready to get out of there. Like, I guess the last time I was there was when I was doing that TV story. But it's just, like. It is so funny how, like, I just think Vegas is a young person's game, at least because I am, like, when I'm in the airport leaving Las Vegas, I'm like, literally, my thought is. And I said this to Becca some time ago when we were there for one of her siblings birthdays, I was like, I think this maybe is the last time I ever need to be in this city for the rest of my life. Yeah. I just don't have it in me anymore.

B (36:37)

It's funny. I've never been. Alicia and I have never been to Vegas ever. And we were in Tulalip, which is, you know, kind of the Vegas of.

A (36:48)

North, just for the fun of it.

B (36:49)

Fugia sound area. Well, we were seeing this, like, Christmas light display thing, but we were walking through the Tulalip Casino, and we were like, this casino thing's pretty cool. And now realizing we're hitting our Gambling curiosity at kind of the exact worst time.

A (37:09)

Well, here's what I would.

B (37:10)

Amount of money and time.

A (37:12)

Well, here's what I would say, actually, right now is not the worst time to potentially go to Las Vegas because nobody's going. It's like really suffering. And so there are tons of vacancies in the hotel rooms. There's a lot of promotions going on. There's a lot of cheaper flights. Like, I mean, on the one hand, the problem for Vegas is that everything has gotten more expensive because they're not getting as much business. So when they do get business, they have to charge more for it. For, like the buffets and things. I mean, famously, you could get, you know, like a super cheap buffet and that you could play blackjack for $2.50 at O' Shea's or whatever. A lot of that has gone away. But also they're in a very. Or. Or. It's just the fact that, like, over the course of my life I've donked off so much money there that, like, they are just. I mean, the Cosmopolitan has pretty much offered to drive someone to my house, pick me up and personally chauffeur me to that hotel for however long I want to be there. They're like, I get these unhinged emails from the Cosmopolitan, Hey, Luke, would you want to come down for a week free? I will give you $200 a day of gambling money.

B (38:13)

They know their ROI.

A (38:15)

It's WOR. No, definitely. And I'm. That's why I'm not going back there. But I'm just saying, like, you know, again, I'll be very curious to hear what Andrew sort of thought of Vegas because it is on this one, on the one hand, it is a completely artificial place that should not exist. Like from a sort of environmental standpoint, from a moral standpoint. I don't mean that about the morality of, of, of, you know, Sin City. I just mean, like, it's bad for people to go in there and, and lose a bunch of money and whatever. So on the one hand, it's this sort of awful place, but also it is very warm. They have a lot of nice swimming pools. If you do it right, it can be cheap. Like, it can be a fun, cheap vacation if you don't have a gambling problem and if you only go to BBC comedy nights and other things that are. That are reasonably priced. Another day without Andrew. Another day without the proper donor music. So I figured, I don't know, we're talking about football in a minute here. Why not go with A little bit of classic.

B (39:20)

Do they even use this anymore?

A (39:22)

I don't think so. I mean, this is some mashup of.

B (39:26)

In the Air Tonight or something like that, right?

A (39:28)

Oh, God. Oh.

B (39:28)

Some Phil Collins, Snoop Dogg mashup.

A (39:31)

But like, is it also like Chris Stapleton? Yeah, it's a country guy.

B (39:37)

Yeah, it's Chris Stapleton singing In the Air Tonight by.

A (39:40)

And isn't he. Is he. Is Chris Stapleton one of the ones that's actually kind of good?

B (39:46)

I mean, I think he's got a pretty good.

A (39:49)

There's like, there's no. There's one of those dudes that like actually has good politics. Who's a country guy.

C (39:55)

There's a few of them.

B (39:56)

Yeah. I think Chris Stapleton's at least not terrible politics.

A (40:00)

He's not Morgan Wallen or whatever.

B (40:01)

No, Morgan Wallen's the, you know, enemy.

A (40:05)

But like that just like the psycho. Not psychology, but the, like the decision making process for what they decide to do for these national football broadcast theme songs. I've been waiting all day for Sunday night, which is a reworking of I hate myself for loving you by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. It's like, what in the frack were you even thinking with that? Like, it's so. And then. Yeah. And then they decide to go. I mean, I love Phil Collins and I love that song, but like. And then Snoop is rapping over it. It's just. It's so utterly insane. But. But no, we are here to thank the donors who are supporting tbt. We don't have that Nugget money yet. So. John, any, any updates? Any progress on the Nugget account?

C (40:51)

I've emailed their entire team. I haven't heard anything yet.

A (40:55)

Okay, thank you. Helpugget.

C (41:00)

Money, please.

A (41:02)

Money please, for us Nugget. Well, in the meantime, the business model here is we are supported by fine folks who donate to the program, including my own brother, David. Thank you. But today we're thanking Eric Jose of Longmont, Colorado. What up, Eric? I was in Longmont, Colorado not that long mont ago. Lovely out there. We also want to thank David Younk who's in Golden Valley, Minnesota. How far is Golden Valley, Minnesota from where you are, John? Do you know?

C (41:30)

Super close. It's like 15, 20 minutes. It's a, it's a first tier, first ring suburb of Twin Cities right outside Minneapolis, right next to Minneapolis.

A (41:40)

Nice.

B (41:40)

Yeah.

A (41:41)

Thank you, David. Thanks to Andrea Dennison who's in Lake Forest, Illinois. But we've got a strong kind of Midwest contingent going on Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois.

C (41:51)

Wait, you call Colorado the Midwest?

A (41:53)

I don't know. I think I have. Yeah, that's the. I have an overly expansive definition. I'm a coastal elite. I'm the walking version. A walking version of that New Yorker cartoon which basically shows like Manhattan and then kind of nothing. And then I think the beach in Los Angeles.

C (42:09)

Yes. It has Chicago as a dot in the middle and that's it.

A (42:12)

Yeah. Yeah. Thank you, Andrea. Or Andrea. Thanks to Stephen Kitchpanich who's in Tacoma, Washington. Beautiful Tacoma, Washington. Steven, thank you so much for supporting the show. Katherine Dennett is in St. Louis, Missouri. That's Midwest. Right? We can agree. Would you say St. Louis is the Midwest or Missouri is the Midwest?

C (42:34)

Yeah, I think that is. Okay. So speaking of this from somebody who lives in the upper Midwest, there is some contention if you're like asking a true miss. So in Wisconsin, Michiganite, Illinois person. Maybe not. I think it is. I know.

B (42:49)

Well, the problem is the south though. No, well, problem. It's kind of.

A (42:54)

I mean, I think there are parts of Missouri that you would definitely feel pretty, pretty Southern in hanging out in there, depending. But like, I mean, part of the problem too is the definition of the Midwest probably has changed. It changed a few times over the course of the expansion of this country. Right. So there was period of time where Missouri was the East, I guess, and then was the Midwest and now is maybe not, you know, the Midwest because.

C (43:18)

I don't know what to really classify it as. So I think it has to be Midwest. Midwest. I just think it's, it's, it's more culturally aligned to like, I want to say like the Deep south, but more.

A (43:29)

I see. So you think of Midwesternness as also being a kind of a bit of a political affiliation or just not just politics, a mentality.

C (43:36)

Yeah, I think, I mean culturally it's.

A (43:37)

Like, like it involves a lot more hot dish than they maybe do in St. Louis.

C (43:41)

Yeah, like what peoples settled in these places and migrated to these places over the years and, and I, I don' a ton about what Missouri's is specifically, but I don't again, I would count this Midwest, but I think a lot of people up around where I am there from here would not.

A (43:58)

What I know about Missouri is that Andrew and I were in Springfield and we did that trip down the Mississippi and ended up in, in Mississippi at Jamie's house. And I think I brought this up on the show the other day, but what we were struck by was in Springfield, Missouri, which I'll mention is Couldn't be more landlocked. I don't know if there's a more landlocked part of America. Love the all you can eat seafood buffet. And it was an interesting place to find five to six seafood buffets within walking distance of our hotel. It didn't feel to me like the place that I would go to for that, but people seem to be enjoying it and I guess we have refrigerated shipping for that. So there you go. And then we want to thank Mattie Palmer who's in Salt Lake City, Utah. This is the. Either, either. This is the second Palmer. This in the last few days that we have thanked.

C (44:51)

Yes.

A (44:52)

On the program.

C (44:53)

There is a. To borrow a family term, we a tribe of Palmers out there. I think that.

A (45:00)

Well, I know I saw that tribe of Palmers at the. I waved to them at the Wait Wait show when we were in Salt Lake City, but I didn't realize that we had multiple Palmers all supporting the show.

C (45:11)

Oh, yeah.

A (45:12)

On their own and independently. They're not just sending in one family donation. They're all helping out. And boy, do I ever appreciate that.

C (45:19)

Thank you so much. That is the TBTL business model. Just the kids. David, is Gemma of donating age yet?

B (45:26)

Not quite. We'll see how she does in Vegas next. Yeah, I may be putting those funds towards.

A (45:32)

Or maybe Uncle Luke will just get her a. I'll donate to TBTL in her name.

C (45:38)

Yeah.

A (45:38)

Can you imagine how bummed she's like, oh, happy birthday to me.

C (45:42)

Great.

A (45:44)

Donating coupons.

C (45:46)

It's like George Costanza handing out donations to the Human Fund as Christmas gifts.

A (45:51)

Exactly.

C (45:51)

Can you donate to your own podcast for my birthday? Thanks.

A (45:55)

Yeah, I know. Like, imagine the disappointment on her face. Is she talking yet? David? What is she?

B (46:01)

She's babbling quite a bit. She's not, you know, she says mama, she says baba. She's not saying Dada yet, much to my chagrin, but we'll get on that. We're getting there. We're trying.

A (46:14)

Well, listen, thank you to all of our donors for making TPTL possible. We absolutely could not do this without you, that's for sure.

C (46:20)

Yeah.

A (46:24)

This is also a special request to our brother in law, Josh. And let's be honest, all sports loving people who tune into the show. I'm not playing. I'm not playing. This is Seahawks fixed bass. That's the Seahawks fixed bass rap song K Dude is what this is called.

D (46:43)

You know you rock when you roll with the Seahawks. Marshawn Lynch Beast Mo with his Dreadlocks Wilson passes the ball to the end zone. Touchdown. You know we're gonna get the crown in Super Bowl 24. Team, we get the ring to bling. Listen to the crowd. Seahawks, Seahawks, Seahawks. We block that offense. To say we'll lose such an offense and nonsense. We got the best defense. Being the other quarterback comes with the expense of the. After being sacked, I hope the Broncos have enough time to react to the level of game. The Hawks are bringing that evening a Super Bowl Sunday. Cause they're gonna go all the way for the win, starting when the game begins, all the way to the end of the game. And to go down in fame as the super bowl championship this year. This team should be feared. You better saddle up when you roll.

A (47:29)

I mentioned to Andrew when we played this last week that there is the chance that the Seahawks could play the Broncos in the super bowl, which would make this song as relevant today as it was when K Dude and little Hoagie wrote it. He didn't seem that impressed with it. And I also realized something. This is not the song that our brother in law Josh requested. He mentioned that he. All he can hear in his head is the San Francisco is Booty Cheeks song. You know that one, right, David?

B (47:56)

Is that. I feel like. Did Durg send that one at some point or.

A (48:00)

Well, I guess it's so good. Well, it's actually. It's f. The 49ers. Okay. I'm sorry. There's good. Oh, yeah, there's gonna be a swear.

B (48:07)

Oh, there's some Jimmy Neutron line. I feel like in this.

A (48:10)

Sorry. This is Niners.

C (48:11)

Yeah, fuck the 49ers. Yeah, the 49.

A (48:13)

Sorry about the swears.

C (48:14)

Sorry ass team. The 49ers. Sorry. I hate the 49ers. I hate y'.

D (48:18)

All.

C (48:18)

I hate the 49ers, y'.

A (48:19)

All.

C (48:19)

Bow, bow, bow, bow, bow Y' all.

A (48:21)

Some booty jams hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.

C (48:24)

Y' all are bow bo bow, bow Y' all some booty cheeks.

B (48:28)

Hey, hey, hey, hey.

C (48:29)

Super bowl losing streak.

A (48:31)

Yeah, that was. There you go, Josh.

B (48:34)

That's pretty fire.

A (48:35)

We lost a lot of. Just lost a lot of listeners under the age of 10. Or at least their parents have stopped donating. But. Okay, let's talk a little bit about this. The Seahawks are playing the. The. The 49ers on Saturday, and. And they. I wouldn't. What I find deeply upsetting about it is that. Is that everywhere I look, the pundits are saying that the Seahawks are basically the favorite to advance to the super bowl. And I do not like that. That is a bad feeling for me. I don't know why I think that actually impacts things, because if I. Here's what I'm trying to say. On paper, the Seahawks, they won more games than any other team in the nfc. They're playing at home for the next two games. They. Their defense is really, really good. Their offense is pretty effective. Like, they actually probably, on paper, should be the most likely team to go to the Super Bowl. But I'm deeply uncomfortable with that being the narrative.

B (49:35)

I keep having to kind of talk myself down in terms of, like, trying to put things in perspective, trying to think back on in 2013 and 2014 during those super bowl years, kind of thinking back on, like, well, that's right. The Seahawks didn't blow teams out all the time. They won close games. They fell, you know, behind to bad teams and then came back and barely won games. Russell Wilson wasn't always amazing. Every single game, he would, you know, throw turnovers and stuff. So, like, I'm trying to keep it in context. And also, and to add to that, I think most of the pundits back then were also saying the Seahawks were going to at least advance to the Super Bowl.

A (50:22)

Well, I mean, yeah, the stat is.

B (50:24)

So, you know, who's to say that it's not the same this time around?

A (50:27)

Well, yeah, the three times that the Seahawks have been the number one seed in the nfc, they've gone to the Super Bowl. And so it's. And I mean, I'll turn to the wisdom of Tom Brady. He said the other day, he was like. Because somebody was asking him, like, do you want to have, like. Like, if you're playing pretty well, like, if you've been winning games as a Seahawks who are. Do you want to take a week off for a buy? And he's like, yeah, of course you do, because you're not. Not playing football. You don't all just go to Hawaii for a week and drink my ties. Like, you spend that entire week practicing and scheming and, like, getting ready for the game. And like, for instance, you know, the Niners, they're not going to have George Kittle anymore because of the fact that they had to play again. So, like, you are, you know, you're endangering your team with every game that you play. And not having to play a game, I think is. I still think is a. Is a net benefit. I did. I will say that George Kittle, he's a tight end for the 49ers. People that don't know from football. He's from Iowa, or at least he played at Iowa. And I have to say, he is one of the most likable dudes in football. Like, there was something that happened where the Seahawks. When the Seahawks beat the Niners, I think just the most recent game that they played, by the way. That's another weird quirk. I want to say this is maybe the second or third time in NFL history that a team has played another team two games in a row. That never happens unless there's a weird playoff quirk like this.

B (51:50)

Well, and also weird that the Seahawks are playing the Niners two games in a row, but the Niners are not playing the Seahawks two games.

A (51:57)

Oh, right. Good point.

B (51:58)

It's also kind of an extra bizarre fold.

A (52:01)

But basically, after the Seahawks won against the Niners, they were super celebratory, and somebody asked George Kittle about it, and then we could tell in the post game, and you could tell it was like they were trying to bait him into saying something. And I forget his exact answer, but it was basically like, yeah, that's what I would be doing. I would be celebrating. Like, they're probably super stoked they won a game. That was hard. And, like, he's just so. He's the opposite of this guy, Joanne Jennings, who's just like, constantly, like, if you want to talk about some locker room material, this guy that's a receiver for the Niners named Joanne Jennings, he's always getting into it with other players constantly. And when they asked him about, you know, playing the Seahawks, he was, like, banging the lectern, going like, I can't wait. I can't wait. It's like, put that video on a loop at the vmac, please. But anyway, George Kittle is so not that way, as far as I can tell. I don't know anything about his politics. I don't know anything about whatever. But, like, he just seems to be kind of a. He just seems like, I have a big chill, Marmaduke. And like, he's just pretty psyched. And he had this terrible injury in the Niners game against the Eagles. He tore his acl. And it was just like, you know, that's. In football terms, I mean, that's an entire year off of just aggressively rehabbing, and you may never be the same again. Like, it really is, like, pretty much the most. One of the most catastrophic injuries you can suffer. And he maintained his equanimity. Apparently people talked about the other players, said that when they came in the locker room at halftime, he was telling them, look, it'll be fine. You know, I'll be back at it at some point. Go out there, win the game. The other thing is the owner of The San Francisco 49ers went down. Jed York went down to the locker room at halftime and asked if he could do anything for George Kittle. And George Kittle said, could you get me a bottle of tequila? And apparently the bottle of tequila was empty by the end of the game. And by the. Now, it's unclear if George Kittle personally consumed all of it, or maybe he passed it around after the game. But the Casamigos. No, it wasn't. It was Patron. I think the Patron tequila was apparently consumed. And again, you know, that's. I just. For some reason, I just love this George Kittle guy. Like, I feel like that would also maybe be. My response was like, my season's over. I've got a year of rehabilitation in front of me. And again, real questions as to, like, if I'll ever be the same player. Can you get me a bottle of Patron out of the luxury box, please, Mr. Jed York? Which is like, exactly. He literally went. Somebody went to the luxury box, a bottle of tequila and brought it to George Kittle.

C (54:23)

I think you guys can protest salary cap circumvention. Like, I don't know if the owner is allowed to hand gifts to players. I think the 49ers are cheating. They should be disqualified.

A (54:34)

It's a real Steve Ballmer move, right?

C (54:35)

Just disqualify the team.

A (54:37)

Yeah, exactly. Well, that's the thing. I mean, the Niners are like. This is where I feel like, on the one hand, sort of some sense of confidence about the game, but also, like, I. I just am so in my head about it, about these weird, like, counter narratives that I make up in my head. And so these are. This is the reason that I feel somewhat confident is because the Niners continue to lose critical players. Like, they lost this guy Nick Bosa, which, by the way, couldn't happen to a nicer guy. Super MAGA dude. Then they lose Fred Warner, who's like, it's incredible defensive player. They haven't had Brandon Ayuk all season. They had Ricky Piersol was out against us. Now George Kittle is down. Like, it just keeps being this thing where it's like, you can't lose every single. Brock Purdy was out for weeks. Like, that's their quarterback. They lost everyone at one point, and now it's like Kittle is, like, gone, gone. And that should, on paper, mean that the Seahawks chances are getting better and better. But it's like, I don't know. I really hate the idea of the narrative being like, can you believe the 49ers beat the Seahawks when they were starting the waterboy, they were literally starting an Adam Sandler esque character. Like, you know what I mean?

B (55:43)

I worry less about that weird, okay, narrative thing. Like reverse with. Right. With football games. Because it felt like that was kind of. It felt like a lot of the odds were against the Seahawks going into the final game of the season. They're going down to Santa Clara. The 49ers are just coming off this massive offensive explosion. Purdy looked just like other world scores, six touchdowns or whatever.

A (56:08)

Like they were.

B (56:09)

They were the beloved team for that week. And then it's all on the line. They can win. Despite all their injuries, they can still win the division and get the one seed by just beating the Seahawks, taking care of.

A (56:20)

And they never have to leave San Francisco again.

B (56:22)

Right? That whole narrative. And then it's like Seahawks come in and the San Francisco offense, which is supposed to be their strong suit, gets three yards or, sorry, three points and like 100 yards or something crazy like that. So. So, you know, I'm not. I'm not really worried about this defense getting caught up in a trap game or anything like that because it seems like, you know, aside from the Rams game, which was obviously just offensive explosion on kind of both sides, and then that Buccaneers game back, you know, for me that was back during Mariners season. Still, besides those two games. And I think in the Buccaneers game there were a bunch of defenders who were out injured and stuff. The Seahawks defense has not disappointed like they are. They do not miss tackles, generally speaking. They. They're not going to get fooled by, you know, Mike Shanahan's clever offense or Kyle Shanahan's clever offense, like, I think whatever happens in this game, I don't think it's going to be like the 49ers come out swinging and just pull up a bunch of points and they might. I think it will be our offense shooting ourselves in the foot, which could.

A (57:38)

Very well happen as long as Sam Darnold continues to just game manage, you know, and not. And not try to do too much. It's not the most fun. Like, you know, Russell Wilson moon ball. By the way, all I get on TikTok, it's so crazy how those algorithms work and how just they have me dialed and all I'm getting on TikTok this week is just greatest moments in Seahawk recent Seahawk history. So just kind of like, it's just a ton of like, you know, when the Seahawks came back against the packers in the NFC Championship game or like Beast the Beast Quake Run or like just keep showing me these like moments from five. It's also weird, by the way, that the Seahawks have not played a home playoff game in front of a crowd in like a lot of years because they played a home game in the playoffs when there was no crowd because of COVID Which I mean that's the thing with COVID is it's like you, it was, it was so incredibly impactful to all of our lives and some more than others. And. And then because I'm somebody who's lucky enough to not suffer like lingering health effects from anything like that, like I had Covid a few times but like I just forget about it for long stretches. And then you hear about like you are reminded of the Seahawks playing a full on playoff game at whatever it was called then Century Link Field in front of no people and you're like, oh yeah, we were doing that. We were paying people were paying money to put up printed out versions of themselves in the stands at baseball games. Like what a crazy ass time that was. But yeah, I also think, I don't want to over index for the twelves, but I think that that feels is going to be unreal that stadium. I think it is going to be like, it is going to be like the rivets are going to be coming out of the like metal work in the stadium because it is going to be shaking with people. Like the fact that we're good again, the fact that we have a defense that good, that is good, which is really hypes the crowd because you can scream on defense. I think that place is going to be shockingly loud to play and I do think that does help us obviously. Obviously.

B (59:46)

Yeah. And I think this whole like in past years there's been a narrative that like oh, Century Linker now Lumen isn't the same kind of home field advantage as it used to be. You know, you can, opposing fans can come and take over, you know, the Seahawks field and make their voices heard. That's not gonna happen on a primetime playoff game. Like it's gonna be.

A (60:13)

Yeah, this is going to be like.

B (60:14)

You said, we haven't had a home playoff game with, you know, a full crowd in almost 10 years and a really good team.

A (60:23)

Like a team that you can get pretty hyped about. And again it's like, like I could See a world in which, you know, the Seahawks, you know, win the toss and elect to kick and like the first drive for the Niners just kind of doesn't really go anywhere. And like, I mean, you see like Nick Imm and worry shooting through the G to tackle Christian McCaffrey behind the line on like second and eight and just the place coming completely unhinged. You know, it could be a pretty. It could be a pretty hostile environment. Now Kyle Shanahan, the coach of the Niners, is, I think, going to maintain his focus through smelling salts because they keep catching him on the sideline just friggin doing fat lines of smelling salt. That's not really how that works, but like I said. So smelling salts. Are you guys familiar with the concept of smelling salts?

B (61:15)

Yes.

C (61:15)

Yeah.

A (61:16)

Have you ever smelled them?

C (61:17)

No, I don't think so.

A (61:19)

They're wild, absolutely wild. I mean, I've never smelled a popper or done a popper, but I have. But for some reason I think when I was a kid, I think we had a first aid kit or some. There was a first aid kit or some at someone's house and in the first aid kit was smelling salt, which is basically.

B (61:38)

It's supposed to bring someone to or something like that.

A (61:41)

Yes, it's an ammonia inhalant, but it is. So it's this little capsule. You break it open and it releases this like ammonia that is like. It is a sense memory that I have not lost in the 45 years plus since I did it, because that's how intense it is. Like, I remember as a kid breaking this little thing and taking a smell and thinking that like my head was gonna fly off. Like it's the most insane thing ever. And the NFL has actually banned it on the sidelines because part of it, I think. Well, one of the things is this is what the NFL said. They sent out a memo banning the substance on the. Let's see. They said basically that there was no the. Let's see. According to the fda, the manufacturer of ammonia inhalants have not demonstrated these products to be safe or effective for their intended uses. It's basically like creating ammonia. Yeah. Chemicals putting a chemical spill in your nose so that you will wake up and lock in. But it's obvious. So you're. Here's the thing though. You're a. You're not banned from having them, but the NFL no longer, like the team is not allowed to provide them or something. So it's like the way that the rules were with like cannabis for a long time like it was, it was illegal to sell it, but it like wasn't illegal to have it. So like if you just magically possessed it, like you weren't in trouble, but if you were buying it, you were in trouble. So there's some weird rules around it. So it's not purely illegal, but they caught Kyle Shanahan just doing four full on sniffs on the sideline of this of these smelling salts. And apparently this is very big for the San Francisco 49ers. Everyone on the team is really big on smelling salts, including George Kittle, although I guess he doesn't need them now.

B (63:28)

Maybe that's why they're getting injured, because they're, you wonder, putting all their senses to the high off of their gourds.

A (63:35)

Well, this is the thing I couldn't believe in this article. By the way, this is San Francisco great Alex, San Francisco gate. Rather Alex Simon writing in the San Francisco Gate about this smelling salt situation. One of the things that this guy mentions is let's see that the Niners, that they, of course they. Let's see. The ban clearly hasn't stopped the 49ers from using them. The San Francisco Chronicle did a deep dive during the season on how the Niners continued to use the product and the systems they created among the players to make sure everyone has smelling salts. Among the people that they say use them include 49ers general manager John Lynch.

B (64:10)

Oh boy.

C (64:11)

I mean, it makes sense, but does it? Well, because it's John lynch who like I think was a juicer back in the day.

A (64:18)

Right. I'm, I would be unsurprised. Every, every white linebacker was juicing and was out of their minds. But yeah, he was a strong safety. Bill Romanowski, I guess I'm thinking of Bill Romanowski, but like, but like those guys were all juicing. But like here's my question. Why does John lynch need to lock in this hard as the general manager at this point on the sideline? You know what I mean? Like, it's done. His general managing is done. He doesn't call the plays. He was in charge of getting the players to sign on the team like months ago. Why does John lynch need to be doing smelling salts during the game? That to me speaks of an addiction problem. Yes. So I don't know what the Seahawks policy is on this. I McDonald, to me seems, I don't know. I think there's an old school football ness to it that would make me think maybe he does do it, but I've never seen him doing it. And he also seems like. I mean, he does have. Isn't it true that McDonald has the biggest biceps of any coach? Is that true?

B (65:13)

I think, supposedly, yeah, that's. That's what they say. And I mean, from looking at him, yeah, they're pretty. He's.

A (65:18)

Yeah, he's a big boy. So I feel like he might be, you know, he might be one of those guys that's like, meal prepping and doing all this stuff and not like wanting to just huff ammonia on the sideline to lock it. It just seems again, I can't get over my one memory of smelling them as a kid and how unpleasant it was. Like, it was like you jumped into a swimming pool and all of the chlorine in every swimming pool in the world went up your nose at the same time. That was what it smelled like.

B (65:46)

So if George Kittle offered you some smelling salts, I probably would, right?

A (65:51)

I would because I want to be. I want to be a fun hang. I want to be a fun hang. I like. I kind of like George Kittle. I like his vibe and I would want to be cool. I wouldn't want him to think I was a nerd. Who doesn't do smelling salts?

C (66:01)

Just ask for tequila instead. Be like, pass on the smelling salts. Give me some tequila.

A (66:06)

Yeah, well, maybe like a little tequila, a little smelling salts, and you've got yourself a wild Friday night with George Kittle. So what do you think, David? Are they going to win? Seahawks, that is.

B (66:16)

I think so. Yeah. I think it'll probably be a bit of a messy game, similar to, you know, two weeks ago, but, yeah, I think they'll end up winning, especially it being at home. The crowd's gonna really be in it. I think they're gonna be running the ball hardcore. And the, you know, they've been running the ball pretty well recently, so I think they'll do just enough. Jason Myers will kick a bunch of field goals and they'll. They'll end up winning.

A (66:43)

Yeah, I'm gonna try to stay calm even if the game doesn't start off super great, because I think the thing about the Seahawks defense is that, that it's. It can be, you know, teams will still get a playoff here or there, and you'll think like, you know, I mean, they'll throw a 25 yard pass and you'll be like, ah, shit. But it's like, it's this just sort of like repetitive grinding down that the defense does to you over time and kind of the Seahawks defense, that is. And like, we just Sort of. It seems. I mean, I think that this is part of why, like, McDonald punts the least. Or, sorry, McDonald goes for it on 4th, I think maybe almost the least of anyone in the NFL, because I think his strategy is like, look, we're not going to give you the ball in the 50 yard line. We're not even going to give you the ball in the 45 yard line. We're going to punt it a lot, which is unfun and unsexy in football now, but we're going to make you go like 90 yards every single time. Because we just think that our defense is going to eventually stop you somewhere in that process. And that's probably true. It has been true. So I do think we're going to win. But I am trying to. I'm trying to prepare myself for having a lot of feelings around this. Unlike you, I will not be missing the game. I will probably be in my car parked outside of your daughter's birthday, screaming into the void.

B (67:53)

You're allowed. Just don't bring that nonsense.

A (67:55)

I will not bring. No, I know I won't. David, I got you. I got you, bro. I'm not. I am not gonna mess this up for you, I promise.

C (68:00)

Hey, Luke, can I. Since we're in the Badlands talking about.

B (68:03)

Yes, sir.

C (68:04)

Can I break some NFL news? Tbtl. Breaking news.

B (68:08)

Oh.

A (68:10)

I gotta fire the theme if we're doing the Badlands.

B (68:12)

Yeah, yeah.

C (68:17)

El Rose, I just got this in a group chat with somebody's. Mike Tomlin resigned.

A (68:27)

Whoa.

C (68:28)

The longest tenured NFL coach, like 19 years. I saw.

A (68:33)

We'll be seeing him on TV, I think, next week. That's crazy.

B (68:36)

He still is, you know, kind of young in comparison to a lot of NFL coaches. So I think that's surprised if he didn't go for another team at some point.

A (68:46)

I think that's a big mistake from the Steelers. Personally. I don't know. I guess it comes down to the question of, do you want to be always be sort of relevant for the playoffs, but not elite? I mean, granted they have five Super Bowls, including one that I unfortunately attended when they beat the Seahawks. So it's like they've got a great track record as a team and he's never had a losing season, which is unbelievable in the modern NFL. And yet he's always been doing it with like some crazy smoke and mirrors where it's like they're always like. It's like, oh, this is going to be the years that they fall off and then they just, like they somehow like, you know, 9 and 7 their way into the playoffs, like every single year. So I guess they just decided they didn't want that anymore. Yeah, well, or he resigned. Maybe the writing was on the wall. It's also, I mean, what a grind to be an NFL coach. Like that just is such a time consuming job and when you've done it for a million years. And again, I think that they're already talking about trying, you know, one of the networks wants to just hire him to come in and be a commentator. I don't know. I mean, that must just be something appealing to him. I think that, I mean, I think he's obviously a really, really good coach in that he's been able to always make that Pittsburgh team competitive. And my guess is, and I'm usually wrong about these things, Pittsburgh and maybe even the Ravens are about to go into the wilderness because I think they both lost good coaches. And like it's, you know, where are.

B (70:13)

The other good coaches out there?

A (70:14)

Like, yes, exactly.

B (70:15)

Who are they going to replace them with? That's going to be.

A (70:17)

And like sometimes you get lucky. Like we got so lucky with McDonald that he. Because for every, every McDonald, you have a McDaniel in Miami, who, by the way, I love that guy.

B (70:28)

Like, I wouldn't say no if he wants to come be the OC next year.

A (70:32)

Oh my God, that would be amazing.

B (70:34)

McDonald McDaniel.

A (70:35)

That would be. That would be crazy. That would be. I mean, do we, do we have.

B (70:41)

I mean, coining it right now?

A (70:42)

I love it. Do we have the, like, do we have the horses for that? Like, I mean, does it. I feel like he needs, I don't know what he needs exactly, but his offenses are so much fun, but they're so trick trickerated and like they're so out the box that it would be.

B (70:56)

Interesting something with Shahid and jsx.

A (70:59)

Sure. But yeah, I feel like in the NFL it's such a crapshoot with the coach. Like, particularly if they're not a known quantity. And also it's also so funny to see a guy like Belichick or even Pete Carroll. How about like Pete Carroll is a better example. Like, even a coach who's good can just become unfortunately a not very effective coach if the personnel doesn't work out for them where they are. So it's like, I think if you've got somebody like Mike Tomlin and my guess is that if he resigns, I wonder if that was because they told him, yeah, you can resign or we can go ahead and part Company and we'll. Yeah, out of respect, we'd like to let you resign. I don't know if that was the conversation, but like with Harbaugh, I think that with the Ravens getting. I know everybody in Baltimore wanted it, but like, I don't know, I just, I think the guy's a pretty good coach. Those Harbaugh boys can really coach. You look at, they're always in the playoffs with their teams. So.

C (71:50)

Anyway, your point about his age, David? That though he's 53 years old and I'm looking at the all time leaders.

A (71:57)

Mike Tomlin is three years older than me.

C (71:59)

Yeah. And Luke, he's. Dude, he's 10th all time in wins for a head coach. So like if he coached like 50, another 10, 15 years, he could be top five all time in wins if he, you know, assuming he has sustained success.

B (72:13)

Right.

A (72:14)

I don't want to live in a world where Mike Tomlin is only three years older than me. He seems like a, he's a grown ass man who's been having, living who's had a 20 year head coaching career and we've been the same, practically the same age the whole time.

C (72:28)

If it makes you feel better, I'm looking now very specifically 53 years and 304 days.

A (72:33)

Okay. Okay.

C (72:34)

So March, he'll be 54.

A (72:36)

He's almost 54. Okay. I feel better. I've. I feel like my, my head coaching career still has a chance.

C (72:41)

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You could catch him in the wins total.

A (72:44)

Yeah.

C (72:46)

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.

A (72:54)

All right, just one quick email that I want to talk about with you both again because Andrew has, he's very intentionally and very assiduously avoided engaging with me on this topic because he thinks it's politically too hot to touch. And this is the question of him. Of course I can't, I don't think I can get into my Gmail account here, the TBTL Gmail account that I need. But basically I've been saying on the show for many years and, and I stand by this, that if I think that backing your car into park it is Republican coded. And I say this as a person who lives in red America and I see it all the, all the time, everywhere I go. And it's, it's, it's primarily big trucks, although it can be regular cars too.

C (73:41)

It.

A (73:41)

And I started noticing it, by the way, by the way, I never saw anyone do this 15 years ago, it was a non event, unless maybe it was like a delivery truck or something. But this was absolutely not a thing anyone did. And then all of a sudden everybody started doing it. And the everybody who started doing it, at least where I live, were people who, it's pretty clear to me, were, if not full on maga, at least much more sympathetic to the, let's just say conservative ideology. And listener Dan is fully supporting me on this. He says, I 100% agree with you on the backing in the parking space is nonsense. Case in point is when you have some person backing their oversized rigged into a compact space and holding up three other cars or more that are waiting while they take extra time, well, they could have just pulled into the spot and everybody could have went along on their day. I could sort of understand back in the day when cars did not have backup cameras, how it would be advantageous to back into the spot because you can kind of control the situation. But even when you're doing that, you're blocking other people from moving along. Nowadays, every vehicle has a freaking backup camera. So it's not that hard to back out of these spaces even if you have a big oversized rig. Yes, maybe you have to wait until there's a clear path for you to go, but you're not blocking the parking spot for several other cars that have to wait. While you maneuver your car into its spot, you're doing the waiting, backing in your oversized car over, using your camera and waiting for your turn. I don't understand how that email ends, but what I know is that Dan agrees with me and that's all I care about.

B (75:07)

I think part of maybe what they're saying is when you're another car in the parking lot, you're used to maybe waiting for people to back out of a spot, but hopefully the reward is you then get to take that spot as opposed to having to wait for someone to back into the spot. And then it's like, well, okay, now you're just in the spot. Right, Right. That feels like a less generous, you know, movement to do. If you're in a large, crowded parking.

C (75:35)

Lot, it's like, are you inconveniencing everyone else or are you the only one who's inconvenienced?

A (75:40)

Exactly. And that is, to me, an inherently conservative political ideology, which is like, my needs matter. My needs I'm not disagreeing with. You are prioritized over everyone else's needs. If I feel like I need to carry this gun on my hip in Home Depot so I can be Safe. I'm going to prioritize that. If I feel like I do think that there is one worldview that is like, hey, let's all try to make everyone's life a little bit better. And then there's a worldview of, like, I got mine, you get yours. And, like, I do think that that's. You know, I think that that's part of this. And I also just. It feels to me like, again, what you're hearing in my voice is a person who shadow boxes a lot with some of the residents or some of the people in the general areas that I live in now, because it's. It's. This is new for me still to live out in an area where I'm in a deeply red part of the state of Washington. Whereas, like, Andrew A. He's just walking or taking the E line most places, like, he's not in the trenches the way I. He can never understand me. He doesn't know what it's like out here in real America.

C (76:38)

Drive a mile in your shoes.

A (76:40)

That's what I'm saying. Park a mile in my shoes at the Walmart. Park at the Walmart in Longview. And you will. You will see some things and you will experience some stuff that is, you know, is very. Actually, Walmart is not. To be honest with you. Walmart is not the worst for this. It's more like the Home Depot. But.

B (76:57)

Well, I do also wonder if part of it is people who tend to back into spaces are, like you said, maybe driving a big truck and they're used to backing into places anyways, because then they let down the hatch and their pickup and their haul, and, like, they're real men usually. Right? Unlike.

A (77:16)

Well, I mean, define masculinity.

B (77:20)

I'm. I'm being, you know, extra. But, like, it does feel like maybe there's a correlation between, like, you're used to backing it, backing up to a place, backing up to the dump, letting down the hatch in the back of your giant pickup and throwing stuff out. So you're just more comfortable with, like, I'm gonna take my time, I'm gonna get.

A (77:38)

I guess. But I think it also arguably, like, in the Home Depot part, you know who never does that? Our dad, Walt B. Because. Because think about this. If you park your car, and if you like his truck, he's got a Toyota truck, if you pull the nose in to the parking spot, then where's your, like, lift gate? You know, the back of the truck, the access point is out in the open area, which is where you want it to be.

B (78:00)

Right.

A (78:01)

If you back your truck in, then you can't get to the bed of your truck as easily because there's very likely another car that's the nose of that car. Or maybe the back of that other truck is abutting where the back of your truck is. Which also gets to this other thing too, which is like. And truthfully out here it's probably 50, 50, but like the number of lifted trucks that are mostly driving people to volleyball practice as opposed to now there's your rings. You were talking, John, about Golden Valley, Minnesota being the closest suburban ring to maybe the Twin Cities or Minneapolis.

B (78:34)

Yeah.

A (78:35)

You can track this stuff by the rings. Like, David, where you live is probably the hottest zip for this because you live kind of on maybe the first big ring of Seattle, of north Seattle, where there is probably truck culture. But a lot of those.

B (78:50)

There's enough space for trucks, you can park trucks.

A (78:53)

But a lot of those people are still working at Microsoft or have jobs in Seattle or have jobs that are not like where I am. A lot of the guys really are just like construction dudes. Like these big dumb trucks. Presumably they do put stuff in their big dumb trucks. So there's at least that. But like you get to like in downtown Seattle, you're not gonna have a bunch of big dump trucks. It makes no sense. You can't park them. It's a hassle. Hassle. But then you get just where there's enough room, there's enough driveways and enough two car garages where a guy, and it's usually a guy can get his big dumb truck, but his job does not need a big dumb truck. That to me is the. That's the, that's the silliest.

C (79:30)

I think a lot of this is contextual. Like it's all context based. And so like right. If you're in the Home Depot in. In. In Longview or whatever. I think if you're like parking far enough away where you're not like blocking things like whatever, back in, you might inconvenience one person.

A (79:47)

I mean, honestly, back in anywhere you want. I'm just going to judge you.

C (79:49)

Sure.

A (79:50)

That's how free speech works. But.

C (79:51)

Yes, but, but the one that really gets, you know, grinds my gears and. Luke, parking etiquette is a real hot spot for me. A real spot for me.

A (80:00)

So a Chris Sullivan pain point.

C (80:02)

It is. I have documented years of my frustration people parking. But like I'm 0.8 miles. I know that very specifically from the Trader Joe's from my house. And, like, in those we know have a print, and their parking lots are small and so. And I live in very blue St. Paul. Although, you know, everyone's politics may vary. And, like, when I see someone backing in their Subaru in the. In that. And I drive a Subaru, just for the record, but, like, when I see someone backing in their Outback, I am like, you monster. Like, there is a line of people waiting in this. Or, like, what are you doing? That, to me, is, like, so much more egregious than, like, someone in, like, a Home Depot parking lot where.

B (80:46)

Right.

A (80:46)

Cause it's like we're at Trader Joe's like you and. Yes. That's the other thing is just if you're going to do that, park far away and give everybody a little bit of a break. Okay, good. Well, I feel like we've really done some good work here today, boys. We've solved some problems that Andrew's unwilling or too afraid to help me solve. I don't even know if we want him back tomorrow, but anyway. All right, well, listen, both of you, thank you so much for being here. David, go home and get some sleep.

B (81:15)

We're actually going to the aquarium today for her birthday, so that's gonna be really fun.

A (81:19)

If you're going to the aquarium on one hour's sleep, you should be allowed to watch a little bit of Seahawks.

C (81:24)

And you should get some smudge, bring some Seahawks.

A (81:27)

Be allowed to watch a little bit. Yeah, yeah, just a little bit of Seahawks. TIM ROBINSON voice Anyway. All right, bro, well, I guess have a fun birthday with your daughter.

B (81:37)

Thank you, John. It's a pleasure.

A (81:39)

Have a great rest of your Tuesday, John, as well. Thanks for being here here. Andrew, the prodigal son will return tomorrow, so we will be able to talk to him. I'll be in Chicago, though, Lord willing, and the creeks don't rise, so please do join us for that. In the meantime, everybody, have a great Tuesday. Take care of yourselves, and please remember, no mountain too tall. David left. There you go.

B (81:59)

Oh, no.

A (82:00)

In honor of Gemma's birthday.

C (82:08)

Sam.