25W: Bobby Says He Would Cut His Finger Off For This One Thing + UConn Football Coach Jim Mora Jr Interviews Bobby + Is Eddie Getting Fired From Coaching His Kids Basketball Team?

Summary

Summary of "The Bobby Bones Show" Episode 25W

Release Date: June 20, 2025

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1. Introduction to the Episode

In this episode of The Bobby Bones Show, host Bobby Bones delves into a mix of sports commentary, personal anecdotes, and an insightful interview with Jim Mora Jr., the head football coach of UConn. The episode also features discussions on Drake's recent gambling activities and a lighthearted segment on the worst golf balls in the market.

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2. Interview with UConn Football Coach Jim Mora Jr. (10:58 - 34:13)

Turning Around UConn Football: Bobby Bones welcomes Jim Mora Jr. to discuss the transformation of the UConn football program. Mora reflects on his journey, emphasizing the challenges of reviving a team that hadn't seen a winning season since 2010. He shares his passion for coaching and the strategies he's implemented to foster a winning culture.

• Key Points:
  • Culture and Mindset: Mora stresses the importance of developing the right mindset and culture within the team, focusing on discipline, toughness, and accountability.
  • Recruitment and Resources: He highlights the role of effective recruitment and the support from the administration in providing necessary resources.
  • Conference Ambitions: Mora expresses his goal to elevate UConn into a Power 4 conference, comparing potential fits with the ACC and Big Ten, while prioritizing competitiveness and relevance.

Notable Quotes:

• Jim Mora Jr. (12:08): “I love hard things. I love challenges. This was just another challenge.”
• Jim Mora Jr. (15:11): “We’re getting better.”
• Jim Mora Jr. (17:17): “I want to compete and be ready to compete immediately at the highest level.”

Personal Interests and Anecdotes: Mora shares his love for outdoor activities like mountain biking, hiking, and fly fishing, painting a picture of his life outside football. He also reminisces about his time coaching with Mike Vick and the impact of athletes like Bear Riddell on his career.

• Notable Moments:
  • Discussion about fly fishing in Idaho and the humor surrounding Bobby Bones' dislike for the state.
  • Stories about former athletes transitioning into music careers, highlighting the intersection of sports and personal passions.

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3. Drake's Gambling Spree (48:00 - 10:00)

Bobby and his co-host Eddie Townsend delve into Drake's substantial losses in gambling this month, totaling $8 million. They analyze the nature of his bets, including significant wagers on Fortnite and cricket, and discuss the potential implications of such high-stakes gambling.

• Key Points:
  • Betting Habits: Drake has placed approximately $125 million in bets over the last month, with notable losses in Fortnite ($6 million) and cricket ($750,000).
  • Addiction vs. Obsession: The hosts debate whether Drake's behavior constitutes an addiction or an obsession, considering his financial capacity to sustain such losses.
  • Impact on Image: They reflect on how celebrity endorsements, like Drake's partnership with the gambling platform Stake, might influence public perception and personal behavior.

Notable Quotes:

• Bobby Bones (07:10): “It feels like boredom, betting more than just chasing something to bet.”
• Eddie Townsend (09:18): “I hate to say the word addiction if I really don't mean it.”

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4. The Worst Golf Balls Segment (48:00 - 61:07)

In a humorous and interactive segment, Bobby Bones, Eddie Townsend, and Benedict Townsend debate the worst golf ball brands on the market. They rank and discuss various brands based on performance and personal experiences, culminating in a list of the top five worst golf balls.

• Key Points:
  • Ranking Criteria: The discussions revolve around durability, performance, and brand reputation.
  • Top Picks for Worst Balls:
    1. Noodle
    2. Wilson
    3. Top Flight
    4. Max Fly
    5. Pinnacle
  • Best Golf Balls: They also touch upon preferred brands, highlighting Titleist, TaylorMade, Callaway, Bridgestone, and Strixon as top performers.

Notable Quotes:

• Bobby Bones (55:10): “There is no need to keep a noodle. No, you will play worse if you use that noodle than whatever else you got in your bag.”
• Eddie Townsend (57:02): “I like Vice. Vice is garbage.”

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5. Personal Anecdotes and Listener Interactions (34:13 - 67:00)

Bobby Bones shares heartwarming stories of his interactions with fellow coaches and artists. Notably, he recounts taking Purdue's Coach Barry Odom and his daughter to see Lainey Wilson perform at the Grand Ole Opry. This segment underscores the camaraderie and personal connections within the sports and entertainment industries.

• Key Points:
  • Building Relationships: The importance of networking and supporting friends within the industry.
  • Balancing Sports and Personal Life: Bobby discusses managing his time between coaching, attending events, and maintaining personal relationships.

Notable Moments:

• Bobby's detailed account of surprising Coach Odom and his daughter with backstage access to Lainey Wilson, highlighting the personal side of sports.
• Reflections on Jim Mora Jr.'s positive influence and mentorship.

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6. Conclusion and Final Remarks (67:00 - End)

The episode wraps up with light-hearted banter about current sports woes, particularly focusing on Arkansas athletic teams’ recent losses across various sports. The hosts express their unwavering support despite the disappointments and share plans for upcoming events like Bobby’s pickleball tournament.

• Notable Comments:
  • Bobby Bones (70:05): “We're in the SEC. We have plenty of money. It just sucks because we lose everything.”
  • Eddie Townsend (69:16): “I'm getting Thibodeau.”

The episode concludes with acknowledgments to the podcast crew and sponsors, maintaining the show's signature energetic and relatable tone.

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Key Takeaways

• Leadership and Transformation: Jim Mora Jr.'s efforts to revitalize the UConn football program emphasize the importance of leadership, culture, and strategic planning in turning around a struggling team.
• Celebrity Influence: Drake's high-profile gambling losses shed light on the responsibilities and potential pitfalls of celebrity endorsements in the gambling industry.
• Community and Camaraderie: Personal stories strengthen the sense of community among sports professionals and highlight the human side of competitive sports.
• Humor and Relatability: The segment on worst golf balls adds a layer of humor, making the discussion both entertaining and engaging for listeners.

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This episode of The Bobby Bones Show offers a blend of insightful sports analysis, personal storytelling, and entertaining discussions, making it a valuable listen for fans and newcomers alike.

Transcript

[Bobby Bones]

This is an I Heart podcast.

[George M. Johnson]

This Pride Month, we are not just celebrating. We're fighting back. I'm George M. Johnson, author of the most banned book in America. On my podcast, Fighting Words, I sit down with voices that spark resistance and inspire change.

[Bobby Bones]

This year, we are showing up and showing up. You need people being like, no, you're not. What?

[Eddie]

You tell us what to do. This regime is coming down on us.

[George M. Johnson]

And I don't want to just survive. I want to thrive. Fighting work is where courage meets conversation. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Benedict Townsend]

Do you remember Vine?

[Bobby Bones]

It changed the Internet forever, and it vanished in its prime.

[Benedict Townsend]

I'm Benedict Townsend, and this is Vine.

[Bobby Bones]

Six seconds that changed the world. The untold story of genius, betrayal, and the app that died so that TikTok could thrive.

[Benedict Townsend]

From overnight stars to the fall that.

[Bobby Bones]

No one saw coming, we're breaking down what made vine icon. Listen to vine on the iHeartRadio app.

[Eddie]

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hi, guys.

[Bobby Bones]

I'm Andrea Gunning, host of Betrayal.

[Eddie]

I'm excited to bring you all season.

[Bobby Bones]

Four, a story of a cop and his double life.

[Eddie]

I wanted to let you know that you can get access to all episodes of Betrayal, season one, two, three, and Betrayal Weekly, and every single episode of.

[Bobby Bones]

Betrayal season four ad free with an.

[Eddie]

Iheart True Crime plus subscription available exclusively.

[Bobby Bones]

On Apple Podcasts plus, you'll get access.

[Eddie]

To all episodes of Betrayal, season four.

[Bobby Bones]

One week ahead of everyone else, available.

[Eddie]

Only to I Heart True Crime plus subscribers.

[Bobby Bones]

So don't wait. Head to Apple Podcasts, search for I.

[Eddie]

Heart True Crime plus and Subscribe Today.

[Bobby Bones]

This is a podcast called 25 Whistles. Talking Sports. And they all wear a whistle. Yeah, it's stupid, but what did you expect?

[Jim Mora Jr.]

It's a podcast.

[Bobby Bones]

25 whistles. 25 whistles. Welcome and blow it. We'll start with a thunder Losing big time. I didn't even stay to watch the end of the game. It was.

[Eddie]

You didn't need to.

[Bobby Bones]

It was so out of control. But I did that on purpose because most times when I fall asleep, it's the. The alternate outcome happens.

[Eddie]

But no, dude, they were down by so much. They all their starters.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, by 25. And I'm like, I'm gonna go to sleep. Please, God, let them win. And I opened it up this morning, and they got blown out.

[Eddie]

Yeah, it was over.

[Bobby Bones]

So, yeah, that sucked. Game seven.

[Eddie]

I mean, Thunder needs to step it up.

[Bobby Bones]

That'll be a fun game. It's going to be in Oklahoma City. Halberton was hurt.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

So I think he only like 14 points. I don't have a sheet in front of me, but he was like plus 25. He played really well. That crowd was going crazy. I watched mid first quarter through, almost through halftime. Didn't come back after halftime. I just watched the score. I went to bed before the fourth quarter started, hopefully thinking me going to bed would change the outcome. It didn't. But if Oklahoma City wins, Eddie, you're safe and you're.

[Eddie]

We're safe. No thong on me.

[Bobby Bones]

But if they lose. Thong.

[Eddie]

If they lose. Thong.

[Bobby Bones]

And if they win, I get a very expensive dinner from Dr. Josie and her husband. But if they lose, then I got to pay for one.

[Eddie]

Oh, man.

[Bobby Bones]

Blowout. It was.

[Eddie]

Did you expect a seven game series?

[Bobby Bones]

Nope. I, based on the odds, expected a four game series.

[Eddie]

Right, Right. What are the odds now for okc?

[Bobby Bones]

I can look it up, but I can imagine if I were guessing, I would say it's Oklahoma City minus five.

[Eddie]

Oh, five. Do you think still?

[Bobby Bones]

I'm just guessing, man.

[Eddie]

I would think it's pretty. I would go down to maybe minus.

[Bobby Bones]

150 in Oklahoma City, though.

[Eddie]

I know, I get it. But, dude, Pacers are playing hard.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, yeah, they play great. Defense.

[Eddie]

Did you see. I mean, you're talking about defense, right?

[Bobby Bones]

I only watched a half a ball, so they played great.

[Eddie]

This might have been. This might have been early and you might have this, but McConnell on Hartenstein, I mean, dude, you're talking a giant man with a little point guard. And the point guard, like blocks him. Gets a steal even from him.

[Bobby Bones]

NBA Finals, here we go. Minus seven and a half. Whoa, Thunder. Minus seven and a half.

[Benedict Townsend]

Minus 290 there, Eddie.

[Eddie]

290 is the money line. Wow.

[Bobby Bones]

I. I wouldn't. I was just gonna stay away from it. I'm not betting it, but I do hope Thunder win.

[Eddie]

At this point, you know, it's like, who knows what's gonna happen? So, yeah, the bets are tough.

[Bobby Bones]

You know who else choked you?

[Eddie]

Oh, that's not. That was not a choke.

[Bobby Bones]

So we're going into the last hole. Well, we played golf yesterday, me, Eddie and my manager Tom. And we go and we're playing and Eddie is up on me by two strokes going into hole 17. Has a really bad. Hole 17.

[Eddie]

I doubled.

[Bobby Bones]

I parred hole 17. So we're tied going into 18, which is the par five. And I make a par putt from about 11. Oh, no. A birdie putt from about 11ft. Out.

[Benedict Townsend]

Kevin Dang pulled a JJ spawn.

[Bobby Bones]

Well, Eddie had to make up the birdie putt from even closer. Like six feet.

[Eddie]

Kevin my. My third. My. Yeah. For my shot to get on the green for my birdie putt was probably five feet away. Bobby's was probably 12ft away. He drills his birdie putt and I miss mine.

[Benedict Townsend]

Dang put the pressure on. You couldn't handle it or what?

[Eddie]

Nah, nah, nah.

[Bobby Bones]

The cookie crumbled.

[Eddie]

I know, dude. It's not. It wouldn't choke or anything. It's just. You know what, though? Was thinking into this game, like, I. I hope it's close. I hope somebody doesn't hit in the woods because that's the worst when you're going tied and then somebody hits it in the woods. And that's not the worst when it's not you. Yeah, no, I don't like that, though.

[Bobby Bones]

I just want to win.

[Eddie]

Because even if you would have hit in the woods, I would have been like, yes, I win. But I mean, it's not. It doesn't feel like a win because he went ob in this dude. We were both level even.

[Bobby Bones]

But what about 17, though? Were you really? I went bogey.

[Eddie]

I do. Honestly, I didn't even look at the score, so I thought I was way up.

[Bobby Bones]

And not only that, I didn't take the right clubs out because it's car path only. I took a hybrid out, which 3. Hybrid for me is probably like 210. Like, if I hit it right. And I was. I get out, I don't have a 160 shot. Yeah. He's like, you're only 160. And I'm like, you know what? I'm not walking back to the cart. So I take a hybrid, hit like three fours, put it on the green. It was about a 60 foot putt, but it was on the back of the green.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

And yeah, felt pretty good about that par.

[Eddie]

There's a guy that we play with that when it's car path only, he'll take his whole bag. And the ball's only this side of the fairway. He'll take his whole bag. You know what I'm talking about, Kevin?

[Bobby Bones]

Just. You gotta strap it back.

[Benedict Townsend]

Oh, yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Every time.

[Eddie]

The answer is never take your whole bag. But that's what this guy does.

[Bobby Bones]

It just.

[Benedict Townsend]

What's the max clubs that you would take?

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, I take four or five before I really need to. If it's a long track, I'll take four or five.

[Eddie]

You have an idea, right? Like wherever you park on the carpath, you know, if you're 150ish. So you got like three or four clubs to choose from.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah.

[Benedict Townsend]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Drake revealed he's lost $8 million gambling this month.

[Eddie]

This month does okay. You always talk about. What's the word you use? Where, like my one dollar is your hundred.

[Bobby Bones]

Like a ratio.

[Eddie]

Yeah. So is that his ratio in a unit?

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, no.

[Eddie]

Unit, unit, unit.

[Bobby Bones]

Got it.

[Eddie]

So is that his unit to where he's doing what I'm doing and you're doing.

[Bobby Bones]

I don't know what his unit is. I'll read you the story. Because it doesn't talk about how much he's betting on each bet. Because my unit is a hundred dollars for a bet. Yeah. My unit is.

[Eddie]

That would be equal to my $5.

[Bobby Bones]

Is that what your unit normally is?

[Eddie]

My unit on a, like a normal.

[Bobby Bones]

Bet that you just feel pretty good about?

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Yours is five bucks.

[Eddie]

Five bucks.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay, so mine's 100. And like, I bet Arkansas, I bet a thousand bucks and then win the national championship. I talk about that later. It sucks. So that was a 10 unit bet and yours would have been like a 50 big bet.

[Eddie]

Correct.

[Bobby Bones]

It doesn't say what Drake bets in each bet, but it says he lost $8 million just this month. He placed close to $125 million in bets over the last month. He also wagered significant money on Fortnite. He's down on that, too, to the new tune of nearly $6 million. Quote, got to share the other side of gambling. Drake wrote in a caption on Instagram, losses are so fried right now. I hope I can post a big win for you soon because I'm the only one that has never seen a max. These guys once a week. I don't know. That means. So yeah, that's what's up.

[Benedict Townsend]

So how do you bet on Fortnite? Like, do you play somebody?

[Eddie]

I think himself. Right. He's probably been on himself.

[Bobby Bones]

No idea. Mike, do you know how people bet on Fortnite?

[Eddie]

I don't know.

[Bobby Bones]

I don't know if you can. I wouldn't trust that because I wouldn't trust the players that I were playing against. Didn't have some of the, you know, aiming technology that they say is unfair.

[Eddie]

But maybe it's his buddies or something.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. How do you bet on Fortnite?

[Benedict Townsend]

Can you just bet on reputable esports betting site?

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, esports. Oh, I've watched esports on television before. That makes sense.

[Eddie]

Oh, so he's betting on other people playing Fortnite Yeah, that's next level, dudes. Drake. Hey, Drake. We have a friend named Reed.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, But I would say that Drake has so much money, he's just bored more than he has a problem. This feels like boredom, betting more than just chasing, like, something to bet.

[Eddie]

Well, then he needs to not get bored.

[Bobby Bones]

I don't know. It just depends, like, what. How much money you have. Like, we don't understand because we don't have that kind of money. But I don't want a pocket watch.

[Eddie]

That's right. Pocket watch. He also bets on cricket.

[Bobby Bones]

He bet $750,000 on a cricket match.

[Eddie]

Does he even know how that works?

[Bobby Bones]

Drake reportedly has an endorsement deal with the gambling platform stake that pays him 100 million annually, theoretically enough to cover his bets.

[Eddie]

Well, there.

[Bobby Bones]

He still appears to be wagering more than he's making in this month. He's deep in the red. But just because you bet it doesn't mean you lost it. So if he bet 125 and he's down 8. There was a time we were keeping up with my bets, correct. And I'd bet, like, $80,000 through a season, but that's in wins and losses. And I was down, like, 1800 bucks or something.

[Eddie]

Yeah, yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

But it's still a crazy number, which is why I brought the story up.

[Eddie]

And you don't think, though, the fact that he's betting cricket and Fortnite, there's not a little. Little issue? Not that he's in danger of losing money or anything, but there's an addiction issue?

[Bobby Bones]

I don't know that it's addiction. It could be that.

[Eddie]

I don't know, because I. I mean, dude, I'm addicted.

[Bobby Bones]

I hate to say the word addiction if I really don't mean it. I don't throw that word around lightly. So I don't know. But I would think he has so much money that if it is an obsession, there's a difference in obsession and addiction.

[Eddie]

That's true.

[Bobby Bones]

If it is an obsession or an addiction, it is not affecting him in a way that is hurting him because he makes so much money. It would be like if I were addicted or obsessed with doing squats, would that be good?

[Eddie]

You'd have great legs.

[Bobby Bones]

Unless it was. Unless all the time is all I could think about. It was ruining my marriage. Unless it was ruining my. Yes.

[Eddie]

I can't stop.

[Bobby Bones]

Really. I just want to talk about how much money that he was in the.

[Benedict Townsend]

Middle of the plane. I got eight squats.

[Eddie]

He was gambling on the aisle.

[Bobby Bones]

Mike, do we want to go to Jamora now, or do you want to come back? We can go to him now. Yeah. Okay. So here's my chat with UConn head football coach Jim Mora Jr. Coach Moore led the program to the first winning season since 2010 last year. That's crazy. They haven't won since 2010.

[Eddie]

It's a long time.

[Bobby Bones]

That is a long time. They went 904 last year, got the first bowl victory. Coach Mora was also the head coach of the Falcons when Mike Vick was on the team. So we talk about that. Big thanks to coach for coming on. Here he is. Coach Jim Mora Jr. Hey, Coach, thanks for your time. I have a lot of questions because UConn, to me, football wise, when I used to play with UConn back in NCAA football the first time, they were terrible. I never wanted to play with them because they were terrible. They're starting to get pretty good, like on NCAA 25. Pretty good. I credit you with UConn being a little better on the video game. Coach.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

We're getting better.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

I. I actually walked in. One of our guys was playing it the other day. They call it the game now. You know, I got to stay up with these young guys, but we were actually. I think we were beaten. Duke or something. I was fired up.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. UConn, honestly, before you, and even when you first started at UConn, obviously you've had a big hill to climb, but UConn, and no offense to anybody there, but UConn was, like, known as the worst, like, before you got there, like the worst football school. So my question to you, as somebody who has been in the pros and UCLA and have had all these jobs, why would you say yes to that?

[Jim Mora Jr.]

I get that question a lot, Bobby. I've been out of football for four years. I was working ESPN doing those types of things, but I just had the itch to coach. And I love. You know, I've spent 30 years in the NFL, obviously, but I love college football. And this was the first job to come open. As I said, I'd been working at espn, so I'd spent a lot of time in Connecticut. I liked it here, and I love the challenge. You know, I love to go uphill. I mean, I love hard things. And so I figured this would be a great challenge to take on. I knew if I had the support of the administration, surrounded myself with good play, good people, you know, was able to recruit some good players, and we'd have a chance to be successful. I mean, you know, we got A long ways to go, but I feel like we're on the right track, and it's been. It's been a blast. Like I said, I love hard things. I love challenges. You know, I live in the mountains when I'm not here in Connecticut, and going uphill, mountain biking, hiking, mountain climbing, skinning, those types of things would turn me on. So this was just another challenge.

[Bobby Bones]

I'm curious, and we can get as granular as you'd like, but I'm curious about turning a program around, because year one, when you're hired, that means someone had to leave, so you didn't have the same advantage of having all that time to recruit. And this is before nil. Before you could you just run. And. And so you're already coming in year one at a disadvantage with a program that is disadvantaged. So what. What's the goal? And not a wins and losses goal, but what's the goal in year one in order to create that pivot point.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

The goals, create the right mindset, you know, develop the culture that you think is conducive to winning, convince people that you're trustworthy and, you know, worthy of being followed. Be ultra demanding, consistent as can be, and really try to pull as much out of your staff and players as you can. And I walked in with at least a little bit of credibility, having been in the NFL and having some. Some success there, having success at ucla. And then we. We got off to a pretty rough start, and we kind of regrouped, and the players just kept believing. I kept stressing the same things, you know, discipline, toughness, accountability, work ethic, staying focused out, preparing our opponents, you know, all those things, you know, togetherness. It's all a bunch of coach speak, but it's all true stuff. And when your players embrace that, you have a chance. And then we had a couple of wins that were, I guess, at that time, kind of breakthrough wins. And so players, then, they believe a little bit more in what you're talking about, and you got to capitalize on it. You know, in our second year, we struggled. We went back to three and nine, and there were some things that happened. And then this past year, we kind of got it going in the right direction again. I think that second year not having a lot of nil money hurt us. As the portal was starting to open, we weren't able to really replenish our team with guys that we needed. But this year, you know, our administration's always been behind us 100%. Our president's been behind us 100%. But we've got some. We've got some resources now that are allowing us to make some real progress.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. You won nine games last year. I was kind of looking through some of the historical stuff at UConn football. I think it's the third time that's ever happened where the team has won nine games. How many of those games?

[Jim Mora Jr.]

Kind of sad, isn't it?

[Bobby Bones]

Well, except for it was last year. Right? You're right. Yeah. Like I said, the program was just known. I won't even say bad. I would say they. It seemed to me, as they just invested in other places, and that would be basketball and some of the other sports they've been really good at. And so. But it's. And you can tell me if I'm wrong here. It seems to me now you have brought in a culture where now they kind of have to invest to prove that they're invested in football in general. Because you've shown you can win.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

Yeah. So, Bobby, So our goal is to get into a Power 4 conference, and, you know, as good as our basketball has been, you know, which is. I mean, it's unprecedented, the success they've had in men's and women's basketball here. But in order to get into a Power 4 conference where we can compete, you know, with the big boys and especially the money that comes from television revenues, we need to not be an anchor as a football team. And we were a little bit of an anchor. We were holding things back. So, you know, it's our job to become relevant where conferences find us appealing, you know, and they want us to join because we add value. And I think there was a time here where, you know, the football was. Was dragging the other programs down a little bit in terms of trying to ascend to a Power 5 or Power 4 conference now. So, you know, that's on the horizon for us, we hope. I know we're working diligently, diligently to it, but football has to be relevant in order for that to happen. And our. Our people understand that. Our. Our administration understands that, and they've been really, really supportive.

[Bobby Bones]

It's interesting what power for conference UConn would fit. Is it the ACC? Is that where you think the most natural fit would be? I mean, Steph, I would say. Well, it's definitely not. It could be the Big Ten. It could be. I mean, it could be anywhere, because Stanford plays all the way across the country. But where. Where do you think the. The most natural fit? Geographically? Let's say you have a couple seasons of winning 8, 9, 10 games. Where do you think geographically it makes sense?

[Jim Mora Jr.]

Well, geographically, the ACC makes sense, but I don't think we're going to be picky. I think it's going to depend on, you know, what basketball, what the basketball situation is in the conference. And, you know, we had some discussions with the Big 12, Peter Yormax, trying to do a really good job there building that into a successful basketball conference. We know the ACC has a great basketball history. I think, you know, that'll probably be the driving force. Just because UConn is such a great basketball school. For me, I don't really care. I just want to compete for a chance to be the best. I want to compete against the best, to be the best. And, you know, we're not going to be satisfied until, you know, we're in a position where we at least know we have a chance to go win championships, whether it be conference championships or maybe eventually down the road, national championships. And we're a long ways from that. But that's. If that's not the goal, Bobby, to be the best, then why are you doing something? And that's. Our goal, is to be the best. We understand, you know, the road is. Is long and hard, but shoot, man, that's what we're after.

[Bobby Bones]

Are you finding it harder to have teams schedule you years out now that you guys are building?

[Jim Mora Jr.]

Not really. You know, we've done a good job of scheduling. You know, I think we have a good schedule. For us, we're always going to play four or five power conference teams, which is important. Typically, they're ACC teams, which maybe lends itself more to the discussion about the ACC being a future, but I don't worry about that. Our athletic director, David Benedict, does a great job with all that. I just worry about the football team being as good as we can be, as competitive as we can be, so that if that opportunity exists, then we're ready to go. You know, we don't ever want to think about going into a conference and being the doormat. So our recruiting, our process, the way we coach, the way we teach, you know, it's very NFL level. If we go into a conference, we want to go into a conference and be ready to compete immediately at the highest level, not be a doormat.

[Bobby Bones]

Convince me, coach, because I hate the cold. And I'm like, you know, UConn's really been trending up. I can't take the. I hate the cold. What do you say to somebody who's like that?

[Jim Mora Jr.]

Well, it's the spring the summer, the fall are absolutely gorgeous. I mean, you know, you hear about fall in New England. I'm a West coast guy. I think you're a west coast guy.

[Bobby Bones]

Aren't you everywhere guy? Coach, I'm all. I'm everywhere but a cold guy. I don't want any cold.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

Yeah, well, we have a. We have a beautiful indoor facility so we can stay out of the cold. And we give our warm weather guys from Georgia and Florida and Texas. We give them big old warm jackets and they don't complain. And you know, hey, that's. Listen, when I'm not here, I live in the mountains of Idaho, so I like the cold. So it's hard for me to, you know, understand people that don't want diverse environments. So now we have this beautiful indoor. So we're not out in the cold a lot.

[Bobby Bones]

And Idaho's awesome. I went up, I had a show on Nat Geo for a while and I went up and we went into. We were staying in Boise, but then we traveled out a bit. And I've said to my show many times that I like Idaho and what it provides more than I do Hawaii. And it contradicts everything I just said to you about being warm and cold. But I don't like the beach. But I think Idaho is like one of the greatest hidden treasures in America. Your thoughts, coach?

[Jim Mora Jr.]

Let's keep it hidden.

[Eddie]

Good point.

[Bobby Bones]

I hated Idaho. Idaho sucks.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

Everybody in Sun Valley, Idaho, which, you know, I'm a mountain guy. I like to. I like to fly fish, I like to hike, I like to mountain climb. I love to ski. I can go out my back door and go put my skins on. Which allows you to ski up. Skin uphill, walk uphill and ski backcountry right back into my yard. And that's what I love to do in the summers, which I'll be going out there here in a few days, mountain bike and like I said, fly fish. My buddy just sent me some pictures of some 27 inch browns he caught yesterday. So I'm excited to get back on the river a little bit, but I want to try to keep it a hidden gem, which will be hard to do now that I'm talking to Bobby Bones.

[Bobby Bones]

That's true. I've ruined it. I hate Idaho. Yeah. Yeah. So do you have a favorite fishing picture? Because I got a few myself, but mine aren't. Mine usually aren't. Trout, are you?

[Jim Mora Jr.]

So I'm a trout. I'm a fly fisherman.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. So yours are trout for the most part, right?

[Jim Mora Jr.]

Yeah. First. Always. Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay, so you have a favorite picture of you and a trout somewhere in your house?

[Jim Mora Jr.]

I do, on my phone. Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Tell me about it. How big is it? What's the deal? How'd you catch it?

[Jim Mora Jr.]

Well, this was actually in Alaska probably six or seven years ago, fishing with a buddy of mine who's a guide. I played college ball with him at University of Washington. His name's Kenny Baldwin. And we were in Alaska on a fishing trip and it's probably, it's probably 28, 29 inch rainbow. Caught it on a fly and it was just amazing. You're out there, there's grizzly bears all around. He's strapped with a gun, you know, to protect us. And he took me to some pretty interesting spots on these little river boats and we just found amazing fish. It was, it was awesome.

[Bobby Bones]

Have you had any of those days, fly fishing where that you're just catching them like crazy?

[Jim Mora Jr.]

I've had a few of those, but I also. So there's a. There's a place in Sun Valley called Silver Creek and it's a world renowned, at least nationally renowned place to fish. And it's a. It's a spring creek. And I go down there every year, several times. And then like, let's say eight years, Bobby. I have yet to land a fish. And you know, this sounds really silly, but those fish are smart down there, man. I've caught it, I've hooked several, but I've not got one to the net yet. So the goal this summer is to get one in the net and then, you know, we, we do catch and release. So that let it go gently. But I need a picture of a fish from Silver Creek. Like I said, my Buddy sent me two yesterday. 27 inch browns out of Silver Creek. So I'm. I'm jealous.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. That's the new picture on the phone. That's the goal for the new picture on the phone. What's the goal this season, coach? You won nine games last year, so, you know, you don't want to go backward. But I don't know what you're dealing with personnel wise.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

We did a good job I think upgrading our, our team in the portal. Portal's a big deal right now, as you know. You know you can kind of fill some spots, some voids in your team really quickly with experienced players. So I think, you know, it's to be better every week we play. I hate to put. I never actually ever put a record goal on paper. I mean, I might have something in my mind, but I don't I don't announce it. When I was with the Falcons out Arthur Blank, at the start of the year, we'd have board meetings, and he'd always put. Tell people, fill out what you think our record's going to be. And I'd always put one, and. Oh, and he'd get. You know, he'd get upset with me. No, I want to. I want to know what you think the record's going to be. And I said, okay, this one, we played 16 games. I'm like, Arthur, if I say 12 and four, will you be happy? And he goes, yeah, I'd be happy with 12 and 4. I said, well, then tell me what four games you'll be happy losing, you know, so. And he couldn't figure that. He's like, I don't have four. I want to lose. Because Arthur's ultra competitive, amazing person, but. So we're one of those teams that's always. Just want to know, just win this game, focus on this game. Don't think about the next game until it's time to prepare for the next game. I think that's, you know, especially with young people this. This day and age, with the social media and this instant access to information and everybody looking at everyone's highlights, it's important to try to keep the focus narrow. And that's what we do.

[Bobby Bones]

I have three final questions, and I'm going to ask about Arthur Blank. How did you feel about Arthur Blank putting himself in the hall of Honor?

[Jim Mora Jr.]

He's the owner, you know, and I think.

[Bobby Bones]

He is the owner.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

I mean, Arthur's a great guy. I know people gave him trouble about it, but who else is going to put you in the ring on or if you don't do it yourself as the owner?

[Bobby Bones]

Amen.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

You know, and he deserved. He's earned it. I don't say he deserved it. He's earned it. I mean, he. The things he's done for that city, for that program, building that stadium. He's just a great guy. He's a great guy. And I was really happy that it happened. However it happened.

[Bobby Bones]

I agree. Everybody I know that knows him loves him. And it's a weird thing. It's a weird thing because you probably don't get put in there unless you put yourself in there. But, yeah, you're gonna get some pushback. It's like if I did the Bobby Bones hall of Honor and I'm the first member, you know, do I deserve to be. Absolutely.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

But you're young. I mean, you know, Arthur's up there I mean, the only way he'd get in it if he didn't put himself in it is after he died, the next owner put him in it.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, and you don't want that. What use is that?

[Jim Mora Jr.]

What's that?

[Bobby Bones]

What use is that if you're dead? I don't want to be in the Bobby Bones Ball of Honor.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

Dead, you never get to enjoy it. So I'm happy for him.

[Bobby Bones]

All right, two questions left. Mike Vick, I got one for you.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

At the end, so save me a minute.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay, you got it. So that's okay. Now I'm scared. We got Mike Vick. As an athlete, what's it like to see a guy that just pulls away from other. I mean, other athletes? Like, what was he like?

[Jim Mora Jr.]

He was unbelievable. Number one, he was a really good person. He is a really good person. We stay in touch. I'm happy he's coaching. He's going to have a great impact on Norfolk State and all those student athletes. But every single day, every single day on practice, on the practice field, he would do something that you would just, like, go, did he just do that? I mean, the most unbelievable athlete I've ever been around. We're playing the Carolina Panthers. We win the game, I think we win the division, or, I don't know, something. And it's a fourth down and goal, and, you know, if we don't score a touchdown, the game's over. Our coordinator, we call timeout. Coordinator comes over and gives him, you know, all these instructions, like, you know, you got to look here. You got to look at this guy. You got to look at that guy. This is your number one read. Mike starts to run on the field. I bring him back, and I go, hey, Mike. I go, listen, man, if you don't like it, just frigging run. Just take off and go. And that's that. You can find it on YouTube. A picture of him diving into the end zone against Carolina's knees about an inch off the ground. And that was the kind of guy he was like, you just. Like, I tell him every. Every week, just go, be you. You know, like, we've worked hard all week. Your skill sets improving, your understanding of the concepts are improving. But at the end of the day, don't be paralyzed by trying to do things that you're not comfortable doing. Just go, be you. And he was. Man, he was fun to be around.

[Bobby Bones]

He was something just to watch, like his old YouTube, because obviously I watched it as a kid, but to watch it now and to just see the separation at almost at will. It's crazy to watch now that far removed from it, just how athletically superior he was.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

His burst.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

You know, you remember that game against the Vikings where he split the two defenders and you'd see that every day, but his arm was like a whip. I mean, there was that commercial. He was throwing it out of the stadium. And I know that was, you know, that wasn't real, but I think he could probably do that. It was. I mean, he was a cultural icon, and he made a huge impact on this league. I think he changed the direction of how people look at quarterbacks. And, yeah, he was really fun and just fun to know as a person.

[Bobby Bones]

All right, my final question for you, and then I'll take whatever shot you want to take at me. But my final. So I. And I'm curious about the new payout language and I. Language. I've read through it myself. I spend a. I would say a semi substantial amount of money in an IL with my team. And I know, like, I can pay $599 exactly. And 99 cents before it has to get reported to the clearinghouse. And then the clearinghouse, they've been very good at clearing some of the deals. Like, I feel like it's been anything I've submitted, it has come back within two days max to go. We're all clear. You can do social media with athletes. How has that been for you? Did you read all the way through it, or did someone just kind of brief you because it is so new? And then what is the school committed to you to pay out from their money?

[Jim Mora Jr.]

No, I'm pretty educated on it. I think it's important that I understand it. You know, I'm not sure exactly where we're going to be going into the 26 season, but I can tell you, going into this season, we've done a really nice job, especially where we were coming from. We. Our athletic director has found ways to say yes to me rather than say no. We've got a, you know, a great group of donors in this program led by a guy named Mike Burton who used to play here, who just, you know, they're committed to seeing the growth and when you can put improvement, you know, on. They see improvement on the field. And you go out and you play in the Fenway bowl and you beat a team like North Carolina, people get excited and they want to. They want to invest, and it's important that they do. But we'll be, you know, I saw where we're going to be close to fully funded in 2026. Like I said, our athletic director is amazing. Having a great basketball program and that brand helps us as a football team. But I'm confident that we'll have the resources we need to go compete at the highest level.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay, Coach, I'm ready for your question. Let me get. Let me set up straight.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

Number one, I was going to ask you who your team is, but I see the razor back there, so I'm assuming. Assuming it's Arkansas.

[Bobby Bones]

Yes, sir.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

That's not my question.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay, that's your question. That's it for coach. All right, coach, thank you. That's it.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

We got to wrap this up.

[Bobby Bones]

No, I'm kidding, Coach. I'm kidding. I'm kidding.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

Okay. It's really. This is really more of a story that leads into a question. So when I was at ucla, I had this kid on my team named Bear Riddell. He was a walk on linebacker, little kind of undersized guy. Tougher than hell. We're down at the Alamo bowl and we have a talent show and he jumps up on stage with his guitar and. And starts playing. And he was unbelievable. So I had a couple people in the music industry. I'm a huge music fan. That's why I'm a big fan of yours. I know who you are. I listen to your stuff. I love your. Everything you're doing. So I called a couple people and was able to make some connections. And now he is down in Nashville. His name is Bear Riddell. He's singing, he's trying to make it in that business. So I just wanted to get his name out there.

[Bobby Bones]

Spell it for me, Coach Mariucci. Hold on. Spell it for. I know. Yeah, I know Mariucci. I know him through Rich Eisen, who I'm friends with. But spell Bear Riddell real quick so I can at least put it.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

B E, A R, R E, D.

[Bobby Bones]

D E, L. Got him. I'm making a note now. I'm going to check them out. Now here's the thing. Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you the question, but I'm going to listen to this. But, coach, you know how people will be like. And this is what I am lucky enough to get to do a lot is to find artists who are great and either go, hey, I want to feature you, or, hey, you can do this to get better. But a lot of times, and not saying this is the case, you know how someone will say, coach, this guy's a great football player. And you're like, yeah, in his hometown, he's A great ballplayer, but once he gets to the big leagues, you know, he's got some learning to do. That happens a lot. And so I'm really curious to see how good old Bear Riddell is, because he was a ball player. And a lot of these artists now, like Sam Hunt, they were all former ballplayers, and they used that work ethic to actually get good at music, which has been a really interesting thing to watch over the past few years. So I'm going to check them out. Okay. Steve Mariucci.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

So the guy that used to manage Dave Matthews is a friend of mine, and so I sent him stuff to who?

[Bobby Bones]

Huh? Who's your who?

[Jim Mora Jr.]

Well, now, see, now you put me on the spot. I'm trying to remember his name.

[Bobby Bones]

Well, listen, my manager is named Corin Capshaw, who put Dave Matthews together and is still, like, owns the company they're managed under. So whoever.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

Green Light.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, I'm at Red Light. That's my management company.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

No kidding. So then you know this guy. I'll send you his name. I can't remember it right off the hook. And if he sees this, he's gonna be pissed at me for not. I'm on the spot, though. But. And then. So I was going to tell you about Mooch's son. So Steve Mariucci's son, Stevie Ray. Steven Ray is in Nashville trying to make it as well. So Mooch has a son in Nashville on the country scene. I'm a huge music fan. Huge, huge, huge music fan. And so I know. I mean, listen. I'm listening to everybody and anybody. I actually went out and bought myself, so I wanted to look like you. Hold on.

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, boy, oh, boy, oh, boy.

[Eddie]

This is good.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

No, you're gonna like this. You're like this.

[Bobby Bones]

All right.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

I went and bought the Raybone Ray Ban Metas.

[Bobby Bones]

I have those, too. Yes, sir.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

That's it right there.

[Bobby Bones]

You look good.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

People can walk into my office and they don't know that I'm listening to music.

[Bobby Bones]

That's right.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

You got the music coming through here. And I look like Bobby Bones.

[Bobby Bones]

That's right. Well, that part not as cool. I'm gonna check out your guys. I'm gonna check out Bear. I'm gonna check out Steven Ray, and I'm gonna listen. I'm invested in Yukon. I really. I hope you guys have another, I'll say, substantial season, because I think you guys deserve to be in a Power 4. And if the PAC 12 ever happens again, a Power 5 again. We'll see. Hey, would you go to the PAC 12. If they're like, hey, come to the PAC 12.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

Yeah, contract was enough. Yeah. I mean, be a hassle, travel across the country, but they'd have to travel here some, too.

[Bobby Bones]

So. Yeah.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

And I spent my, you know, I played at Washington, was at UCLA. My dad coached at Colorado, UCLA, Stanford. So I'm kind of a. Been a Pac 12 guy most of my life.

[Bobby Bones]

Coach, thank you so much for the time. It's been awesome talking with you. And we're in on Yukon. Hope you have a great season. Hope you have a great time in Idaho. Idaho sucks. Everybody. Do not go to Idaho. It is the worst. No, don't go to Idaho and coach. Hopefully we'll, we'll see. We may come to a game up there. We may just hit you up and be like, hey, we want to come watch. Come on up. Yeah, that would be awesome.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

I'd love to have you here.

[Bobby Bones]

All right, coach, take care of you. Talk to you soon. Thanks, coach.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

All right. Thanks, Bobby.

[Bobby Bones]

Thank you. To the presenting sponsor of today's episode, American Express. I'm a big American Express guy. I travel for work a lot. I'm able to use this card in an amazing way for my business expenses. You know me, I'm on the road. I feel like sometimes too much, but all the points I get makes it so much better. With the Amex Business Platinum, you earn five times membership reward points on flights and prepaid hotels. Book through amextravel.com/ you can work while you're on the go with access to more than 1400 lounges globally through the American Express Global Lounge collection, including the Centurion Lounge. That's powerful backing of American Express. Terms apply. Learn [e-mail] AmExBusiness this Pride Month, we.

[George M. Johnson]

Are not just celebrating, we're fighting back. I'm George M. Johnson, and my book All Boys aren't Blue was just named the most banned book in America. If the culture wars have taught me anything, it's that pride is protest. And on my podcast, Fighting Words, we talk to people who use their voices to resist, disrupt, and make our community stronger.

[Bobby Bones]

This year, we are showing up and showing out. You need people being like, no, you're not going to tell us what to do.

[Eddie]

This regime is coming down on us.

[George M. Johnson]

And I don't want to just survive. I want to thrive. You'll hear from trailblazers like Bob the drag Queen to freedom Angelica Ross.

[Bobby Bones]

We ready to fight? I'm ready to fight.

[George M. Johnson]

And Gabrielle Union.

[Bobby Bones]

Hi, George.

[George M. Johnson]

And storytellers with wisdom to spare, listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Dan Flores]

The American west with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Mediator Podcast Network. Hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores and brought to you by Velvet Buck, this podcast looks at a West available nowhere else. Each episode I'll be diving into some of the lesser known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation by guests such as Western historian Dr. Randall Williams and best selling author and meat eater founder Stephen Rinella.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

I'll correct my kids now and then with where they'll say when cave people were here. And I'll say it seems like the Ice age people that were here didn't have a real affinity for caves.

[Dan Flores]

So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th where we'll delve into stories of the west and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today.

[Eddie]

Listen to the American west with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your your podcasts.

[Bobby Bones]

I'm recording this on Thursday afternoon and Arkansas baseball lost last night. It was really one of the worst losses I've ever experienced.

[Eddie]

Except.

[Bobby Bones]

Except for it's one of the worst losses I've ever experienced this month.

[Benedict Townsend]

I legit feel bad for you.

[Bobby Bones]

No, it's everything.

[Benedict Townsend]

I know I just looked at this.

[Bobby Bones]

Year even and I don't want to make this all woe as me, but I do have a question for you guys when I'm done. I looked at just this year we had the worst come from behind loss in the NCAA tournament in Sweet 16 history to Texas Tech. Like the worst loss ever in history. We forget about that because it's been a while. Now. Secondly, I can go to softball. We had our first and second pitcher get food poisoning during the super regional number one and number two get food poisoning during the super regional. Before you go into the College World Series, I can go to football and I can talk about a game. I mean I can do Oklahoma State where we lost that game in terrible fashion but then we just sucked too. And it was we won just enough to like keep the coaches around is the worst. I'd rather just lose and switch out. But like that Tennessee game which we won, like that was fun for a second but we sucked all the rest of the time. So it's like well they won Tennessee keep the coaches. You're like oh this is not going to be good. And that's just this year. Basketball, baseball, football, softball, the baseball game.

[Eddie]

I don't understand.

[Bobby Bones]

I thought we won and I never think we win. And I thought we won twice.

[Eddie]

Dude, you had the game even at.

[Bobby Bones]

The very, very end. I thought so. I just want to know to you guys, is it just me or does everything I root for suck?

[Benedict Townsend]

No, that's really bad. The first thing I thought of was basketball. I was like, oh my gosh, basketball just happened like two months ago and then now there's this. There's no way there's like a curse on Arkansas. And I truly, like, I don't really feel bad for fan bases a lot, but I truly feel bad for you.

[Bobby Bones]

We're not annoying because we don't win. Like if we won a lot, then had some bad stuff happen, you're like, oh, haha. There's no reason to not feel bad for us. We don't have any over the top really arrogant fans because we have nothing to be arrogant about. But we have money like every other school does.

[Benedict Townsend]

Yep.

[Bobby Bones]

It's not like we're a poverty program for real. We're in the sec. We have plenty of money. We have the great. We have the best baseball facilities, we have B level football facilities. We have A minus basketball facilities, maybe the best arena in the sec. And all the money coming into nil. Like it just sucks because we lose everything. Even when we're really good at something, we find a way to be terrible.

[Eddie]

But does it make you feel a little better that you're so you're good enough to be that close?

[Bobby Bones]

No. Because even when we get that close, we lose it in dramatic fashion. If we were just good and we lost that game 5 to 2 and they pitched a great game, it's like that sucks. Expectations were high, but we didn't get there. But no, we three times blew that baseball game in the NCAA tournament. It was the biggest come from behind in the history of the sweet 16. Yeah, that's how we lost.

[Benedict Townsend]

Let me ask you this, is there something that we don't know as far.

[Bobby Bones]

As Did I sell my soul in 94 to win a championship?

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Benedict Townsend]

Like in 1923, did like Arkansas president like I don't know that I know. Trade Babe Ruth for something. Something.

[Bobby Bones]

Something's up. And I got more texts last night, like condolences texts.

[Eddie]

And do you like those? Do you want.

[Bobby Bones]

It depends on who it's from. So no, I don't want it. I don't want anybody texting me.

[Eddie]

Right.

[Bobby Bones]

But I got a couple softball. Ricky text me and said at 9:32pm All I said was dude, Dot, dot, dot. I'm sorry.

[Eddie]

I mean, that's nice.

[Bobby Bones]

And I said, we're just terrible at everything. Even when we're good, we end up being terrible at it.

[Eddie]

The way you say it, too. You're so defeated.

[Bobby Bones]

And I shouldn't be. I keep walking back to the stove, burning my hand and going out. What. What just happened?

[Eddie]

But that's sports, man.

[Bobby Bones]

It's not. Oh, yes, it is.

[Eddie]

We all do that.

[Benedict Townsend]

If it was just football, it's not just baseball, just basketball.

[Bobby Bones]

It's not just sports.

[Eddie]

Are you gonna bail on your team? The team that you've loved yourself and I never have.

[Bobby Bones]

I never would.

[Eddie]

But it's the stove.

[Bobby Bones]

No, it's not the stove. Is me being so disappointed over and over again when it keeps happening. Like you would think a normal person at some point would go, I'm still going to root in love. But we've been defeated so many times. Not beat, but defeated so many times. I'm not going to let it affect me as much because you don't stove the Cowboys. You give up on them halfway through the year.

[Eddie]

Yeah, but then I stove again.

[Bobby Bones]

Not really.

[Eddie]

Somewhere in the middle. It's our year. Like right now, I'm stovin. It's our year.

[Bobby Bones]

Once the season starts, you start whining like, we suck before it's even over.

[Eddie]

After we lose two games.

[Benedict Townsend]

Yeah, like five and two.

[Eddie]

I don't know, dude. The baseball team, like, they had it. Like they.

[Bobby Bones]

But so did the basketball team.

[Eddie]

I think your baseball team was better than your basketball team.

[Bobby Bones]

It was the largest come from behind Sweet 16 game ever in the NCAA tournament.

[Eddie]

I know. And the game before, though, they almost blew that one, too, in the ninth inning. Like, it's just this ninth inning problem that you guys had.

[Bobby Bones]

No, it's not. It's the Arkansas problem. Because it's every. My whole life, this has been what it was. We were one game. If we would have beat Tennessee when Sterner fumbled the ball. We're going to the national championship. He fumbles the ball. They drive down score, touchdown. They go and win the national championship. We were both undefeated. This has happened my whole life. Hey, there's a stove. Let me touch it again. It's so stupid now.

[Benedict Townsend]

How long does it take you to get over something like this?

[Bobby Bones]

Monday.

[Benedict Townsend]

Because right now is a tough time because there's no other sports, I guess.

[Bobby Bones]

Here's what sucks. Football's coming up. It's gonna get worse.

[Eddie]

Yeah, I know, but yeah, just Monday.

[Bobby Bones]

That's it.

[Eddie]

Just a little, little Weekend.

[Bobby Bones]

I've done it too many times. I don't even need to get away. What am I going to do? Matt still texts me. Why the f do I still care about this? S. That was his one text.

[Eddie]

Arkansas fan. Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

He said he sent a text from his wife because they got married in the last six months. He goes, hey, this is her to him. Why does this always happen to you guys in every sport she already knows.

[Benedict Townsend]

Not even a year in.

[Eddie]

She already understands how it works.

[Bobby Bones]

Matt Castle, send me a text. Wtf? Sorry, brother.

[Benedict Townsend]

See, I don't even text you anymore.

[Eddie]

Nah.

[Bobby Bones]

My father in law. That's tough.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Adam Hambrick. Why does every Arkansas athletic event of any consequence have to have the announcer saying something to this effect at the end of every game? This is the craziest game I've ever seen.

[Benedict Townsend]

You guys are always on the.

[Bobby Bones]

It's always us. It sucks, man.

[Benedict Townsend]

I'm sorry, dude.

[Bobby Bones]

It's my fault though, because I continue to put emotional, physical, monetary, financial, everything. Everything. It's so stupid.

[Eddie]

What are you. What are you gonna do different?

[Bobby Bones]

Nothing. That's the thing. I'm stupid.

[Eddie]

No.

[Bobby Bones]

Nothing. I've learned nothing from it. I have my expectations set for football. We're gonna be terrible.

[Eddie]

Okay.

[Bobby Bones]

Our best case scenario is being 500. What I'm doing is trying to talk. Talk it into nothing.

[Eddie]

Yeah. Yeah. And then the stove happens at some point.

[Bobby Bones]

The stove happened last year at Tennessee when we won.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Because it kept our coaches another year. Although I do like Bobby Petrino as I'd take Petrino back as head coach. Anyway, there's that. I could win a pickleball tournament. I'm playing one this weekend.

[Eddie]

Oh, there we go. That's what we're talking about.

[Benedict Townsend]

And you control that.

[Eddie]

That's true.

[Bobby Bones]

I didn't know I was playing a pickleball tournament.

[Eddie]

You didn't sign up for it.

[Bobby Bones]

It is so that we're putting this out on Friday. I signed up for like four months ago thinking I was signing up for the last one that I did actually signed up for two. And so they said, your game is at 6pm on Friday. And I was like, my game? And then I'm going to pick a ball. A singles pickleball tournament of a higher level at 6pm on Friday night.

[Eddie]

And you have not been training for that. You know it was coming.

[Bobby Bones]

It's been raining every day.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah.

[Eddie]

Okay.

[Bobby Bones]

So I mean, that could lift my spirits a little bit. It could, but not much. I think I would if someone gave me a butcher knife and said, okay, here's your hand. If you take this butcher knife and you smack and you cut off, it's very, very sharp. So it's not blunt force, but it's blade. The top part of your. The half of your pinky. For national championship football, I would do it.

[Eddie]

I mean, it's a pinky. You don't really use that one that much. I guess it would hurt.

[Benedict Townsend]

Eddie downplays it.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Eddie Downplay.

[Benedict Townsend]

That's not a big deal.

[Bobby Bones]

Well, yeah, man. What do you think?

[Eddie]

Yeah, no, I'm trying to justify, like, I guess I would.

[Bobby Bones]

You've won championships.

[Eddie]

Yeah, a long time ago, man. We're still living off those dreams you guys did, too. A long time ago.

[Bobby Bones]

Before your Cowboys wins, right?

[Eddie]

Been a bit.

[Bobby Bones]

And we have one, but they're hard to come by.

[Eddie]

You got to remember that. Not easy.

[Bobby Bones]

Our merch is embarrassing because we go into a store and it's all like 1994, all vintage, everything. No, not even. It's even new stuff.

[Eddie]

And it's still 1919 before.

[Bobby Bones]

It's terrible. It sucks. Yeah. Thank you to the presenting sponsor of today's episode, American Express. I'm a big American Express guy. I travel for work a lot. I'm able to use this card in an amazing way for my business expenses. You know me, I'm on the road. I feel like sometimes too much, but all the points I get makes it so much better. With the Amex Business Platinum, you earn five times membership reward points on flights and prepaid hotels. Book through amextravel.com/ you can work while you're on the go, with access to more than 1400 lounges globally through the American Express Global Lounge collection, including the Centurion Lounge. That's powerful backing of American Express. Terms apply. Learn [e-mail] AmExBusiness this Pride Month, we.

[George M. Johnson]

Are not just celebrating. We're fighting back. I'm George M. Johnson, and my book All Boys Aren't Blue was just named the most banned book in America. If the culture wars have taught me anything, it's that pride is protest. And on my podcast, Fighting Words, we talk to people who use their voices to resist, disrupt, and make our community stronger.

[Bobby Bones]

This year, we are showing up and showing out. You need people being like, no, you're not going to tell us what to do.

[George M. Johnson]

This regime is coming down on us, and I don't want to just survive. I want to thrive. You'll hear from trailblazers like Bob the Drag Queen to freedom Angelica Ross.

[Bobby Bones]

We ready to fight I'm ready to fight.

[George M. Johnson]

And Gabrielle Union.

[Bobby Bones]

Hi George.

[George M. Johnson]

And storytellers with wisdom to spare, listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dan Flores]

The American west with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. Hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores and brought to you by Velvet Buck, this podcast looks at a West available nowhere else. Each episode I'll be diving into some of the lesser known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation by guests such as Western historian Dr. Randall Williams and best selling author and Meat Eater founder Stephen Rinella.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

I'll correct my kids now and then where they'll say, when cave people were here. And I'll say, it seems like the ice age people that were here didn't have a real affinity for caves.

[Dan Flores]

So join me starting Tuesday, May 6, where we'll delve into stories of the west and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today.

[Eddie]

Listen to the American west with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you you get your podcasts.

[Bobby Bones]

We can talk about golf for a second. So how do you feel about them putting governors on golf balls for the pros?

[Eddie]

Ooh, I like that. I like that. Yeah, because sometimes, I mean they dude, sometimes, like if it's the wind's right and everything, that ball will go forever and ever. And then they're like chipping 80 yard chip to like get on the green sometimes. It's ridiculous.

[Bobby Bones]

So they would only do it with professional golf balls. I saw Tiger talking about this. What struck me though was I saw a guy that runs a golf course talking about it on TikTok and he, his answer was, yeah, please, because we have to keep building courses bigger.

[Eddie]

Oh.

[Bobby Bones]

And not only that, if we build them bigger, that's more land for us to have to take care of, more to mow. It costs more because we're having to make golf courses longer for the players that are hitting it longer.

[Benedict Townsend]

I didn't think about that.

[Bobby Bones]

I didn't either.

[Benedict Townsend]

Because at first I'm like, why? They're pros. Like, let them freaking swing it.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Like make the holes longer.

[Benedict Townsend]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

But those courses, this, these hundred courses that have PGA events, like, they have to keep making them longer, but it's costing more money to even keep the courses running because it's more land they have to take care of. I don't have a problem with them putting governors on pros. I don't think they should put the governors on like normal people walls.

[Eddie]

No, dude, no.

[Benedict Townsend]

I don't need one.

[Eddie]

The opposite of governors.

[Bobby Bones]

You should be able to buy the pro balls that have the governors on them. That's fine.

[Benedict Townsend]

That'd be cool.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. If you want to see. But the pros should play with some sort of regulated ball. And we should still get the balls that go as far as we hit them.

[Benedict Townsend]

We should get the pro balls, the regular balls.

[Eddie]

That's what we do. Yeah, we get the ones they hit. Now they get the governor one.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, we can get the ones.

[Benedict Townsend]

We get the hand me downs.

[Eddie]

We can the pro V ones and stuff.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, it's expensive.

[Benedict Townsend]

We just end up losing them and.

[Bobby Bones]

It'S like ah, we hit them far, far in the woods. But I think I'm okay with that. I was just thinking of that because they wouldn't do that in football. Like they wouldn't slow anybody down. They wouldn't be funny if they made the ball a lot bigger.

[Eddie]

It's harder to throw.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, it's like what a giant football. Like a rugby ball or a Nerf ball.

[Benedict Townsend]

You can't throw it as far Whistle and all.

[Eddie]

That'd be cool.

[Bobby Bones]

Basketball. Like they've talked about lifting yes. From 10 to 10 and a half and they won't because. But moving the three point line back is almost that too. That's a governor. I think that could possibly happen. Or they could like take three point line and cut it off. Like have it go into the benches where you don't really have that corner.

[Benedict Townsend]

Like into the out of bounds.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah.

[Benedict Townsend]

At an angle.

[Bobby Bones]

Like you don't have the corner anymore. And that extends the three point line a little bit, huh?

[Eddie]

What about a four pointer?

[Bobby Bones]

Well, now we're doing mtv.

[Eddie]

That'd be cool.

[Bobby Bones]

Rock and jock. Why not have a spot for a trampoline on the. In the ground.

[Eddie]

It's a bonus. It just comes out of the ground.

[Bobby Bones]

And you get a dunk off of it. For all the guys that don't get to dunk.

[Eddie]

What I did think like watching the US Open was, you know, some of these golfers are sponsored by like top flight. Right. We all know flight.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

That's the one.

[Bobby Bones]

You go to all of them top flights.

[Eddie]

The ball that you find you're like, I don't even want that one. You know. So I'm wondering like if that's your sponsorship and top lights, like you need to use our ball. Are you like, oh no, like I can't hit a top light.

[Bobby Bones]

You don't take the Deal. But secondly, Tiger had Nike golf clubs. And you forget that yellow driver that Nike had was terrible. And it made a Pong kind of sound.

[Eddie]

I remember that.

[Bobby Bones]

And even like two years ago, Reed had this driver and he still played with it. And he's left handed. So I gave him one of my nice drivers. And I saw a meme that popped up yesterday about Tiger and that driver, and I sent it to him and it said, it's a picture of Tiger swinging that old yellow Nike driver. It says winning a major with his driver is more impressive than doing it on a broken leg, which is what he did. But it reminds me of that because those clubs were thought to be not as good as other clubs, and Tigers still won with them because Nike paid him all that money. Now, ball wise, I don't know what's the ball you find, though, that you do not want? So top flight. Okay?

[Eddie]

Top flight is definitely the main one. And then there's the Kirkland Noodle. Noodle. Throw it back.

[Bobby Bones]

Noodles like the worst, right? You don't. You don't keep a noodle, do you?

[Eddie]

Noodles are so bad that one time I kept finding noodles like, so the same person that bought the box of noodles would lose it and leave it. Just don't even bother. Look for. Looking for that.

[Benedict Townsend]

For me, it's the. The range balls.

[Bobby Bones]

Well, yeah.

[Benedict Townsend]

That'S about the only ones where I'm like, okay, I'm too good for this.

[Eddie]

But I start thinking too, like, what's the difference between the practice ball and a regular ball?

[Bobby Bones]

So probably they've been used before. And I think they're just a cheaper version of that ball.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Because they do use those governor practice balls on our. At our club, you can only hit your driver with yellow practice balls, which means they kind of have that. They take off some of the distance on them.

[Eddie]

Oh, that's why I don't hit it as far. No, got it. That makes perfect sense.

[Bobby Bones]

I don't think that's really it.

[Benedict Townsend]

That was the arm.

[Bobby Bones]

So. Okay, Kirkland.

[Eddie]

Kirkland.

[Bobby Bones]

I'm probably not taking a Kirkland.

[Benedict Townsend]

Yeah, Kirkland.

[Bobby Bones]

I'm probably not keeping a top Flight. Nah, I'm definitely not keeping a noodle.

[Eddie]

And then let's see. Max fly. Throwing that one back. Yeah, throwing a Max fly back.

[Bobby Bones]

The max flies tough.

[Eddie]

Actually, I won't throw them back. I'll just keep them in a separate little bucket to give to my kids.

[Bobby Bones]

Any other balls? I'm trying to look at lists of.

[Eddie]

Like, because you know what's becoming a good one? To find where I kind of get excited other than pro V ones, man. You find Pro V ones. That's. You won the lottery. That's great.

[Bobby Bones]

Pinnacle's. Pinnacle's good and fine.

[Eddie]

I throw those back.

[Bobby Bones]

Really?

[Eddie]

I throw the Pinnacle.

[Bobby Bones]

Well, I said fine, but I think. I think if it's a good Pinnacle, I keep it. What?

[Eddie]

The vice. I like vice.

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, no, I don't take. I throw a vice at. No, no, that's a catch and release, buddy.

[Eddie]

There's something about the vice that I like.

[Benedict Townsend]

That's a catch and releasen.

[Eddie]

I like. I like.

[Bobby Bones]

I don't have enough data because I saw that one. I just googled worst golf ball brands and Strixon popped up, and I was.

[Eddie]

Like, I don't know, but see, that's what I'm saying. Like, Matsuyama hits Strixon.

[Bobby Bones]

But I would take the. I don't know how much a golf ball actually affects. I don't have the answer. But if Top flight wants to offer me 10% more money than Trixon, I'm probably gonna play top Flights.

[Eddie]

But you'll never win, ever.

[Bobby Bones]

Wilson.

[Eddie]

Wilson Pro staff.

[Bobby Bones]

Throw it back.

[Eddie]

Throw it back, Wilson.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay, that's fine.

[Eddie]

I like that.

[Bobby Bones]

Wilson Chaos Golf balls. Ever heard of those?

[Eddie]

I've seen the chaos.

[Bobby Bones]

I've not seen that.

[Eddie]

I didn't know Wilson made those, but.

[Bobby Bones]

I think Noodles Terrible is our worst. Noodle is the worst. Noodle.

[Eddie]

I would say. Yeah.

[Benedict Townsend]

I think the name alone is the worst.

[Bobby Bones]

If we're doing a backward top five. So bottom five. Yeah, Bottom five golf balls. And we'll clip this for the Internet. Here we go. Bottom five golf balls that if you find out in the wild at a golf course, you are throwing back so dead last. We're gonna put Noodle.

[Eddie]

Noodle is the worst.

[Bobby Bones]

There is no need to keep a noodle. No, you will play worse if you use that noodle than whatever else you got in your bag. Yeah. So noodle is coming in at last place. Noodle. Okay, what's next? Is Wilson next?

[Eddie]

Oh, the pro or top fly? The Wilson pro staff.

[Bobby Bones]

Dude.

[Benedict Townsend]

Kirkland's. Kirkland's pretty bad.

[Bobby Bones]

Isn't Kirkland, though, like, a brand that's supposed to be just like, one of the nicer brands?

[Benedict Townsend]

That's what they say about Kirkland. Everything. It's like Kirkland vodka is like Grey Goose.

[Eddie]

Isn't Kirkland Costco?

[Bobby Bones]

Yes.

[Eddie]

So you can buy 100 balls for, like, a nickel.

[Benedict Townsend]

Yeah, that can't be good.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay. I think we should put Top Flight.

[Eddie]

Needs to be on there.

[Bobby Bones]

Top Flight or Wilson. What's. What's the next to worst?

[Eddie]

I go Wilson.

[Benedict Townsend]

We're going to go Wilson.

[Bobby Bones]

Reverse. Okay. At Wilson. Next up. Okay.

[Eddie]

Have you ever bounced a Wilson next to, like, a Pro V1?

[Bobby Bones]

I never bounced two balls. I didn't think about it. Try it. Really?

[Eddie]

That Wilson barely comes off the ground while the probably one jumps high.

[Bobby Bones]

All right, Noodles. The worst, Wilson, Second worst at number eight. Are we doing Top Flight?

[Eddie]

Top Flight. Okay.

[Bobby Bones]

Or number eight?

[Benedict Townsend]

Number four.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah.

[Benedict Townsend]

Well, wait.

[Bobby Bones]

My list is all messed up. I'm going backwards. So number three worst ball. Okay, like this. The number three worst ball is Top Fight. Okay?

[Eddie]

And don't let the numbers fool you. Sometimes they give you two or 1,000.

[Bobby Bones]

That means 1,000 tour players said, no, thank you. Okay?

[Eddie]

And then we.

[Bobby Bones]

Wilson, Top Flight.

[Eddie]

Don't even bring up Strixon.

[Bobby Bones]

But is a Kirkland Is. Is that next?

[Benedict Townsend]

What about Mojo?

[Bobby Bones]

What's up? Oh, is that a real brand?

[Benedict Townsend]

It's a Nike. Mojo.

[Bobby Bones]

So that would be a Nike.

[Benedict Townsend]

Okay, then never mind.

[Bobby Bones]

But Nike don't even. They don't make balls anymore.

[Eddie]

One time. No, they don't. And one time I had a great round with a Mojo great round.

[Benedict Townsend]

You'll live that forever.

[Bobby Bones]

That's gotta be Vice. It's gotta be Vice.

[Eddie]

You can't put Vice on there.

[Bobby Bones]

I want to be Vice.

[Benedict Townsend]

No, Vice is. I like Vice, too.

[Bobby Bones]

You can get a full box of vice for 1999. What's a box of Kirkland's cost?

[Eddie]

That's a good question. Do what I like about those vices.

[Bobby Bones]

How much? 30. Oh, that's pretty solid.

[Eddie]

Those vices, though, they come in fluorescent colors. I saw one where it looked like.

[Bobby Bones]

This one youe can get one that looks like Iron man, too, if you want one.

[Eddie]

That's true.

[Benedict Townsend]

What about the Precept? Oh, you know, those.

[Eddie]

I don't mind Precepts.

[Benedict Townsend]

Okay.

[Eddie]

Don't mind Precepts.

[Bobby Bones]

Is that a ball?

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Benedict Townsend]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Or is it a sub off another brand?

[Benedict Townsend]

No, it's just Precept, dude. Precept, laddie.

[Bobby Bones]

Vice has got to be on the. Vice is garbage.

[Eddie]

I love Vice. I love me some Vice.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay, I'll negotiate and not put Vice next. But I think Vice has got to be at number five of worst.

[Eddie]

Okay?

[Bobby Bones]

So we got to find four. So at number four.

[Benedict Townsend]

Do we cook?

[Eddie]

Oh, have we done Pinnacle?

[Bobby Bones]

I don't mind Pinnacle. You're gonna fight for Pinnacle?

[Benedict Townsend]

I don't mind Pinnacle either.

[Eddie]

You guys are crazy. That's got to Go back in the water. The way you have to look at this is.

[Bobby Bones]

Would you Max Fly?

[Eddie]

Oh, yeah. Max Flies. Terrible.

[Bobby Bones]

Sucks.

[Eddie]

Max Flies. Terrible.

[Benedict Townsend]

Yeah. I think the name just really gets you. And then you're like. And then you realize, like, no. Actually, no.

[Eddie]

What number do we think it.

[Bobby Bones]

Max Flies. Yeah. You want to give it a chance.

[Benedict Townsend]

You see it, you're like, oh, this will go farther.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay, so Max Fly, put it on there and then Vice.

[Eddie]

No, we cannot put Vice on there.

[Bobby Bones]

So we're fighting Vice versus Pinnacle.

[Eddie]

Yes. I guarantee you pull anyone outside this room.

[Bobby Bones]

I would never play with a vice. Unless it's the only ball. One ball I had left.

[Eddie]

Like a hot pink one. Dude, you wouldn't play with a hot pink Vice.

[Bobby Bones]

Well, you're talking about language now. Kevin, you can be the decider here. Which one is worse, Vice or Pinnacle?

[Eddie]

Kevin, you know what's up?

[Bobby Bones]

It's.

[Benedict Townsend]

I think Pinnacle's worse. I gotta get my Pinnacle.

[Bobby Bones]

I'll take my loss. Okay, so here we go. Here's the list of worst golf ball brands that if we find, we ain't playing with them. Because most time we find them, we're gonna play with them if they're good. Noodle. Worst.

[Benedict Townsend]

Yep.

[Bobby Bones]

Wilson. Second worst. Top Flight, Max Fly, and Pinnacle.

[Eddie]

Who knew we were such golf ball snobs?

[Benedict Townsend]

So Kirkland didn't even make the final cut?

[Eddie]

No.

[Bobby Bones]

Dang.

[Benedict Townsend]

Good night, Vice.

[Eddie]

Dude, Vice is solid. Vice is a solid golf ball.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay, what about the best? Oh, Pro V1 titles. Pro V1 is the best. Yeah. Just Titleist in general. So that's a version. So Titleist at one.

[Eddie]

I'm gonna go with Callaway. No, Bridgestone two.

[Bobby Bones]

Over Callaway.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

No way.

[Benedict Townsend]

I like Bridgestones, actually.

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, I like Bridgestones, too, but over Calaway.

[Benedict Townsend]

I don't know about.

[Bobby Bones]

I'll go. Taylor made it to.

[Eddie]

I didn't think about. Taylor made. Yeah, those are great.

[Bobby Bones]

Taylor made it two. I didn't force Vice upon you.

[Eddie]

So.

[Benedict Townsend]

So what are you gonna bargain?

[Eddie]

Yeah, what are you talking about?

[Bobby Bones]

I think Callaway is better than Bridgestone.

[Eddie]

Kevin.

[Benedict Townsend]

Yeah? We're going Callaway. Yeah.

[Eddie]

Okay. Those Bridgestone Tour 360s. Dude, this is a solid bowl.

[Benedict Townsend]

I mean, neither are bad, obviously.

[Bobby Bones]

Then Bridgestone. Okay. Okay.

[Eddie]

And then we need one more.

[Bobby Bones]

What's the fifth best?

[Eddie]

Okay, one more.

[Bobby Bones]

Let's say it. Noodle.

[Eddie]

We bring it back for the dead.

[Benedict Townsend]

Number five on each one.

[Eddie]

Let's see. Let me think. Oh, Vice. Because Vice did not make the.

[Bobby Bones]

I can't put Vice. I can't and all. I'd rather put Strix on what I'm not even sure about over Vice. Okay. Because I think Pinnacle, we've already pxg golf balls like those kind of suck, huh?

[Eddie]

Yeah, I don't use those.

[Bobby Bones]

Kirkland.

[Eddie]

We can't put Kirkland on there.

[Bobby Bones]

Why not? It didn't make the bottom list.

[Eddie]

Man, I can't believe you're not gonna put Vice on there. But I can settle for a Strixon.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay. If I were putting Trixon.

[Eddie]

Yeah, I can settle for that.

[Bobby Bones]

There's our top five good golf balls that if we find in the woods. Titleist, Taylor made, Callaway, Bridgestone, and Strixon.

[Benedict Townsend]

Those are keepers.

[Eddie]

Trying to think. Are we forgetting anyone? No, I think that's it.

[Bobby Bones]

I do have a Captain America blue ball that I keep in my bag that I always wait for the right time to hit.

[Eddie]

Yeah, I have one of those too.

[Bobby Bones]

But I always feel like it's a cheap ball.

[Eddie]

It's like Voight. I think the brand is like Voight or something.

[Bobby Bones]

It's Bridge Vice. It's like a Bridgestone advice collab. Crappy balls.

[Eddie]

I have the same ball.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay, thank you to the presenting sponsor of today's episode, American Express. Between my shows, 25 whistles, lots to say, too much access. It's a lot of traveling for work, and I get to attend a bunch of different sporting events. And while the travel can take a toll on me, sometimes all the points I get makes it so much better. With the Amex Platinum, you earn five times membership rewards points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through amextravel.com on up to $500,000 in flight purchases per year. Plus you get access to the Centurion Lounge, making travel that much more enjoyable. That's the powerful backing of American Express. Terms apply. For more information visit www.americanexpress.com travel.

[George M. Johnson]

This Pride Month, we are not just celebrating. We're fighting back. I'm George M. Johnson, and my book All Boys aren't Blue was just named the most banned book in America. If the culture wars have taught me anything, it's that pride is protest. And on my podcast, Fighting Words, we talk to people who use their voices to resist, disrupt, and make our community stronger.

[Bobby Bones]

This year, we are showing up and showing out. You need people being like, no, you're.

[Eddie]

Not going to tell us what to do. This regime is coming down on us.

[George M. Johnson]

And I don't want to just survive. I want to thrive. You'll hear from trailblazer like Bob the Drag Queen.

[Eddie]

To freedom.

[George M. Johnson]

Angelica Ross.

[Bobby Bones]

We ready to fight. I'm ready to fight.

[George M. Johnson]

And Gabrielle Union.

[Bobby Bones]

Hi George.

[George M. Johnson]

And storytellers with wisdom to spare. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dan Flores]

The American west with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. Hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores and brought to you by Velvet Buck, this podcast looks at a West available nowhere else. Each episode I'll be diving into some of the lesser known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation by guests such as Western historian, Dr. Randall Williams and best selling author and Meat Eater founder Stephen Rinella.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

I'll correct my kids now and then where they'll say, when cave people were here. And I'll say, it seems like the Ice Age people that were here didn't have a real affinity for caves.

[Dan Flores]

So join me starting Tuesday, May 6, where we'll delve into stories of the west and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today.

[Eddie]

Listen to the American west with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Bobby Bones]

That's it. Thank you guys for listening. We'll see you guys early next week. Thanks to coach Jim Moore Jr. For coming on with us.

[Eddie]

Yeah, that was cool.

[Bobby Bones]

Big UConn fan, by the way. I went and went to the Opry with, I say, with Coach Odom, Coach Barry Odom from Purdue last night.

[Eddie]

How was that?

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, it was great. So he hit me up and he was like, hey, we're coming to town. You're gonna be around. He's now the head football coach at Purdue. And I was like, kind of. And he said it was his daughter's birthday and they were coming because Lainey Wilson was playing the opera and they tried to see her live and they've missed it a couple times. And I said, well, Laney's a friend of mine. If you guys come in, I'll just take you to meet Lainey. And he's like, really? I was like, yeah. He goes, that a big ask. I was like, no, I can literally like go backstage with Opry whenever I want. And I know Laney really well. So they were like, cool. So they came into the show, didn't tell his daughter what they were doing, just they were gonna watch the Opry and Laney was gonna play. So I go and get them and walk them back and his daughter kind of thinks it's cool that I'm walking him around because she knows me from, like, the radio show and stuff. And she's young. She's like, 10 or 11. And we're walking around, I'm showing her all the stuff, and I. That Laney, it's in a record up here. Our promotions team did that. Vinyl. Yeah. I had him office still. So I just took it with me and said, hey, I got you this birthday gift. It's a Laney vinyl. And she's like, oh, that's super cool. And so we walked, and I knew where Laney's room was, and so I had a Sharpie. I was like, here, you may need this. And she was like, okay. And then I said, hey, Lainey. And Lainey comes out, she starts crying. Not Laney.

[Eddie]

I figured.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. And so they hung out, and Lainey was super cool, signed the record, took pictures, and.

[Benedict Townsend]

So cool.

[Bobby Bones]

Coach Odom, like, loved it. And I didn't realize that Purdue is only like, an hour north of Indianapolis.

[Eddie]

Oh, really? So it's not far from.

[Bobby Bones]

Well, he was like, you guys got to come up. And I'm like, I don't like cold. And he's like, well, it gets cold. I was like, yeah, so we can always go up.

[Eddie]

That's cool.

[Bobby Bones]

But, yeah, I was with him last night. That's awesome. He's awesome.

[Benedict Townsend]

He was so cool when we went for unlv. I mean, super nice to all of us.

[Bobby Bones]

I got to know him when he was defensive coordinator in Arkansas, so that's where our relationship started. He was the defensive coordinator. He was the defensive coordinator in Missouri. Got the head coach job at Missouri. Fired at Missouri. Cayman was DC At Arkansas and kind of got a raw deal at Missouri as head coach, and then obviously quickly got the head coach job at unlv. Then turn that program around. Is now Purdue. So rooting for him. Spent some time with him last night. It was super cool. It's good to see him.

[Benedict Townsend]

That's awesome.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah.

[Benedict Townsend]

How long are they here for? The weekend?

[Bobby Bones]

No, one day.

[Benedict Townsend]

Oh, wow.

[Jim Mora Jr.]

Yeah.

[Benedict Townsend]

They came for that show.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. Because they've been trying to see Laney, and it was the only time they could see her.

[Benedict Townsend]

Oh, that's awesome.

[Eddie]

Did you sing a song while you were there?

[Bobby Bones]

I did not. I got. I was trying to watch the baseball game.

[Eddie]

Oh, yes.

[Bobby Bones]

And, yeah, don't worry.

[Benedict Townsend]

Walking her up to Laney on his phone.

[Bobby Bones]

Precisely what I was doing.

[Eddie]

You're like, you guys talk. I'm watching this.

[Benedict Townsend]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

And you know what? That's a family that understood. Yeah. So, yeah, it's good to see Coach Odom. But that's it. We will see you guys next week. Anything, Kevin?

[Eddie]

No.

[Benedict Townsend]

Still haven't watched the Red Sox. Just an update there.

[Bobby Bones]

Thanks for wondering, Eddie.

[Eddie]

Oh, man, same old. Oh, I mean, I can just tell you about my. Our games this week. We didn't. We didn't. We didn't win games anymore.

[Bobby Bones]

I thought you guys were stacked.

[Eddie]

Yeah, we were. And we're just.

[Bobby Bones]

And then you figured out the cheat.

[Benedict Townsend]

You're done now.

[Eddie]

I. Dude, I think. I think the parents want me out, honestly.

[Bobby Bones]

You're getting fired.

[Eddie]

I'm getting. What's the coach of the Knicks?

[Benedict Townsend]

Thibodeau.

[Eddie]

Yeah, I'm getting Thibodeau.

[Bobby Bones]

Dude, are you playing the same five players the whole game? Not putting any subs?

[Eddie]

It's not that. We lost one game by one point, and I can see the disappointment in the parents, and it's just like. And then the other one, we got squashed, dude. Just murder by 20.

[Bobby Bones]

So you were wrong about being stacked?

[Eddie]

Yeah. Yeah, I guess. I guess. I. I doubted. I thought the passion for the game would be a little more from the kids.

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, so you're blaming it on the kids.

[Benedict Townsend]

Here we go.

[Bobby Bones]

The coach is blaming it on the kids.

[Eddie]

The double headers, they don't like this. Once the second game comes around, they're not into it.

[Bobby Bones]

But every team has double headers.

[Eddie]

Yeah, but these other teams, they got kids that care and they want to win.

[Bobby Bones]

That's probably because they're motivated by their coach.

[Eddie]

Do you want to know what my halftime speech was in the second game?

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah.

[Eddie]

Do you guys want me to go over there and tell the other coach we quit? And they're like, no. Okay. Because I'm getting the vibe that you guys just want to quit this game. Dude. And they were like, no, no, no, Coach, don't tell them that we won't quit. And then we lost. I mean, we still.

[Benedict Townsend]

Did they come out better in the second half?

[Eddie]

Not really, but they did play harder, which I appreciate. Doesn't sound like it, but I do feel like the parents want me out, man.

[Benedict Townsend]

You hear him, like, whispering?

[Eddie]

No.

[Bobby Bones]

Has your agent given you the idea that there's some. They're talking to a new coach or anything?

[Eddie]

Nah, I just get the vibe. I get the vibe. I was. We had like an hour break between games, so I took the boys. My boys to go get dinner. And when I got back, I was a little late and some of the dads had taken over the. The warm up.

[Bobby Bones]

Oh.

[Eddie]

You know, and I was like. I was like, oh, Coach is here, guys. And they're like, yeah, yeah, we. We got it. We've already started here.

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, man.

[Eddie]

Part of me wanted to be like, all right, take the bench then, dude, Give them. Give them the clipboard.

[Bobby Bones]

Eddie's kids, give him a pep talk. Do you want to quit right now? You see that out there? Do you want to quit, or do you want to go out there and show those other dads you're the coach? Well, how many more games do you have? Just one more week, and then you're done. Will you coach again next year?

[Eddie]

Nah, I'm done. I am, officially.

[Bobby Bones]

But didn't you say this last time?

[Eddie]

Yes, but my wife's the one that signs me up for these things. And I'm like, I told her I don't want to coach anymore. Puts me in a bad mood. And then after the games, I'm like, just. I need. I pick up six pack of beer. Like, this is a problem. I don't like it.

[Bobby Bones]

It's driving you drinking.

[Eddie]

Yes.

[Bobby Bones]

All right, we'll see you guys next. Next week. All right. Blow it, Eddie. Theme song written by Bobby Bones. That's me. And performed by Brandon Ray. Follow Brandon on socials at brandonray Music. You can follow the show on Instagram at Bobby Bonesports. Thanks to our crew, co host, produce ready, segment producer at KickOffKevin and executive producer at Mike Diestro. But most importantly, thank you for listening. I'm Bobby Bones. We'll talk to you next time here on 25 with whistles.

[George M. Johnson]

This Pride Month, we are not just celebrating. We're fighting back. I'm George M. Johnson, author of the most banned book in America. On my podcast, Fighting Words, I sit down with voices that spark resistance and inspire change.

[Bobby Bones]

This year, we are showing up and showing out. You need people being like, no, you're.

[Eddie]

Not going to tell us what to do. This regime is coming down on us.

[George M. Johnson]

And I don't want to just survive. I want to thrive. Fighting Words is where courage meets conversation. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Benedict Townsend]

Do you remember Vine?

[Bobby Bones]

It changed the Internet forever, and it vanished in its prime. I'm Benedict Townsend, and this is Vine. Six seconds that changed the world. The untold story of genius, betrayal, and the outcome that died so that TikTok could thrive.

[Benedict Townsend]

From overnight stars to the fall that.

[Bobby Bones]

No one saw coming, we're breaking down.

[Eddie]

What made vine iconic.

[Bobby Bones]

Listen to vine on the iHeartRadio app.

[Eddie]

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

[George M. Johnson]

I think everything that might have dropped in 95 has been labeled the golden.

[Eddie]

Years of hip hop.

[George M. Johnson]

It's Black Music Month, and We need the Talk is tapping in.

[Bobby Bones]

I'm Nyla Simone.

[George M. Johnson]

Breaking down lyrics, amplifying voices, and digging.

[Bobby Bones]

Into the culture that shapes the soundtrack of our lives.

[Eddie]

Like, that's what's really important, and that's what stands out, is that our music changes people's lives for the better.

[George M. Johnson]

Let's talk about the music that moves us to hear this and more on.

[Eddie]

How music and culture collide. Listen to we need the Talk from.

[Bobby Bones]

The Black Effect Podcast Network on the.

[George M. Johnson]

Iheartradio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Bobby Bones]

This is an iHeart podcast.