Bruce Pearl (2:36)

You are listening to the Dan Patrick show on Fox Sports Radio, Hour two on this Tuesday. Dan and the Dan Edge Dan Patrick show got into a heated discussion with Chris Sims last hour, talking about inflating footballs, deflating footballs. It's 10 years old. It was a random topic there. Probably didn't expect to dive into that with Chris Sims, but he was with the Patriots and spent a year there as an, as a coach. And we started joking around, socializing with Tom Brady. Did Brady invite him out when he took his teammates out and he brought up deflategate. And then I wanted to know where Chris stood on that. And then he told me that, you know, he's basically a get off my lawn. It's the rule. Don't deflate the footballs. And I said, I think it's a silly rule. Should Tom Brady have been punished? Yes, he broke a rule and he lied about it. More importantly to the commissioner. He lied to the commissioner. The rule is silly. The fact that Aaron Rodgers came on the show and said that he overinflated. So somebody went out of their way to overinflate a football. Remember, it was this clandestine way of getting the football and breaking into something or trying to do it without the officials not, you know, knowing what's going on. You had the deflator on the which was the obvious giveaway, guys nickname is the deflator. And I just think if both quarterbacks decide how they want the football, I don't have a problem with that. But that rule is still in place. But Chris Sims and I, we went back and forth. March is here. The dance is just beginning. And the Big Ten and Big east men's basketball tournaments tip off live tomorrow exclusively on Peacock. You had a couple of teams that punched their ticket, as they like to say Wofford. It's Wofford College, not the University of Wofford, but they beat Fu. Furman and Troy also got in four more berths. Coming up tonight, the Horizon League Northeast CAA and the WCC 877 3DP. Show operator Tyler sitting by. Good morning. If you're watching on Peacock, thank you for downloading the app. Bruce Pearl, head coach of the Auburn Tigers, will join us. Coming up, Lewis Riddick from the mothership a little bit later on as we continue to discuss some of the hits and misses with free agency. The jets get Justin Field, Seahawks Sam Darnold. The commanders acquire Laramie Tunsil and Josh Pause sweat goes to the Cardinals. You still have the Aaron Rodgers to the Steelers question mark. And if that's the case, then Russell Wilson maybe to the Giants question mark. But if the Steelers wanted to keep Russell Wilson, they would have already done it. Right? But they're holding out hope for Aaron Rodgers because Russell Wilson can make you 9 and 8 again. Aaron Rodgers maybe could get you 12 wins, 11 wins, maybe a first round playoff win, more importantly. But still, wait for that. Maybe that comes down by the end of the day. A poll question. Dylan is in for Seaton. Fritzi is here, the king of content. Marvin is here wearing the T shirt that I got in Santa Barbara. Brought it all the way back. Thought about him. I don't know why I did, because he's not necessarily a Bulls fan. You're a basketball fan. But the 1991 Chicago Bulls championship shirt, if you're watching on Peacock, it looks lovely.

Dan Patrick (6:12)

Thank you so much. I like Paulie and Fritzy. I live in the crates.

Bruce Pearl (6:17)

Yeah, you do. Which means you love the history, correct? Very much so. Yes, you do. Dylan, poll question from hour one. And then what are we going to go with? Hour two?

Dan Patrick (6:27)

Yeah. Dan, hour one was next season. The Steelers should go with Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers. Russell Wilson is still taking it at about 56%.

Bruce Pearl (6:37)

Wow.

Dan Patrick (6:38)

I'm inclined to agree.

Bruce Pearl (6:40)

Wow. Oh, I would go with Aaron Rodgers. I'd roll the dice. I would. I think he's done that.

Dan Patrick (6:47)

Aaron Rodgers is done.

Bruce Pearl (6:48)

Well, if he's done, then Russ is done.

Dan Patrick (6:51)

They're both done. It's which one's less done?

Bruce Pearl (6:54)

Less done. Done, done. I take Aaron Rodgers. Russ can get you 9 and 8. I had neither as an option. You could. I'd prefer you didn't. Okay. What would neither be? They don't have a quarterback.

Dan Patrick (7:12)

Just.

Bruce Pearl (7:12)

Yeah, just Ben Roethlisberger. What's the poll question for our two?

Dan Patrick (7:18)

So we got a couple options. Dan, going off the deflate gate talk, are you in favor of the rule.

Bruce Pearl (7:23)

Against playing the football?

Dan Patrick (7:24)

Yes or no?

Bruce Pearl (7:26)

I don't know if I want to go down this road today.

Dan Patrick (7:28)

We could do an alternative one.

Bruce Pearl (7:30)

Okay.

Dan Patrick (7:31)

Who is the better QB situation? The Seahawks with Darnold, Raiders with Geno Smith or Jets with Justin Fields?

Bruce Pearl (7:38)

Okay. I mean, it might be just Sam Darnold and Geno Smith. We could do just the two. Yeah.

Dan Patrick (7:44)

All right.

Bruce Pearl (7:44)

Yeah, we'll see what the People, because one happened. Because the other one happened. You know, the Raiders, you know, traded for him. Therefore, Seattle had opened up the opportunity to get Sam Darnold. All right, eight, seven, seven, three dp. Show a couple of basketball highlights. Golden State. Golden State. Here they go. And they have a. A home stand here. You know, the Lakers have a brutal stretch. They lost to the Nets, right. They don't have LeBron. And, you know, the west is so tightly compacted there that if you end up losing, like, five of your next seven, now all of a sudden, you're looking at play in territory. But with Golden State, they're 12 and 2 since February 8th, they got a game coming up. They have Seattle, New York, Denver, Milwaukee, and Toronto. So they have home games here. And what a big advantage. Jimmy. Jimmy Butler has played well, and I like the Jimmy Butler deal in the short term. I don't want him for more than two years, but it does give Steph Curry one more shot at maybe competing for a championship. Because I ended up talking to Mike Dunleavy, senior at the Super Bowl. And the reason why I bring this up is his son is the GM of the Golden State Warriors. And I said, now, I can. I can say this, but Mike Senior, I said, how desperate are they to get somebody at the trade deadline? And so we started talking about this. Now, he didn't say, it's off the record, but, you know, we spoke in generalities of, you know, can you get kd? Can you get Jimmy Butler? Like, who fits? And so he gave me a little bit of information that I'm sure that he gleaned from conversations with his son, former Duke star. But they got Jimmy Butler. You know, they were going for kd, and I think Katie's on another team next season. But they wanted kd, Kevin Durant, and Durant didn't want to revisit that. I mean, would I want to go back and play with Draymond after he made life miserable for me while we were winning titles? No, you are winning, but it comes at a cost. Like, they won, but it must have been so bad that he wanted out. Where you go? I'm tired of listening to Draymond. Oh, okay. Draymond. Yeah. Paulie.

Dan Patrick (10:09)

Losing is miserable. Winning with jerks is tolerable. Is that fair?

Bruce Pearl (10:15)

Until it's not, apparently, because, you know, but he won his titles, and they probably said, all right, I've done what I need to do. Now I can go have my own team. I mean, I think that was the flaw. I. I get to play with somebody I like in Kyrie, and let's go to Brooklyn. And okay, it didn't work out, but I don't think he wanted to revisit that. Oh, Katie's got to join Steph to win another title. You just don't want to go down that road. I don't think he needs to go down that road, but he's going to be on another team next season. But Golden State is playing. You know, you want to be quiet. You don't want anything stupid said by Draymond. You just want to play good basketball. Get your bench ready, get ready for the playoffs, and then there'll be a tough out. But, you know, the Lakers are in a trickier situation because this is the stretch in the schedule. LeBron was publicly criticizing. The most brutal stretch and their schedule. This, you know, the rest of the season is, I think, the toughest in the NBA. I've been talking about this maybe too much, but I've been talking about Joker, some of the numbers here and saying that he's not going to win the mvp, but he should. And Michael Malone, the Nuggets head coach, had this to say about the MVP race.

Chris Sims (11:37)

Obviously, Shay Gilgis Alexander is a great player, and if he wins his first mvp, you know, he's deserving of that. My thing is this, you know, if you didn't know that Nikola won three MVPs, and I put player A and.

Bruce Pearl (11:53)

Player B on paper, and you had.

Chris Sims (11:55)

No idea that the guy who's averaging a triple double, the guy who's top three in the three major statistical categories, things that no one's ever done, he wins the MVP 10 times out of 10. And if you don't think so, I think you guys are all full of.

Bruce Pearl (12:12)

All right, Michael. Don't call me Mike. I agree with him. I agree. Joker could have four MVPs. He can have five MVPs, if you include this year. He's playing at that level. But, you know, he won three. And then all of a sudden it's, we can't let that happen. LeBron James hasn't won an MVP since 2012. He was 28 years of age. I find that amazing that the best player in the game, or at least for during that period, a good portion of the period, never won an mvp. It's. He got to the point where, okay, he finished second three times, conceivably could have seven MVPs. Joker could conceivably have five. If. If you're being fair to what you see, we get caught up in, okay, Best player on the best team. Okay, well, the best player on the best team right now is Donovan Mitchell and I haven't heard his name at all. But Shea Gilgeous is a incredible score, but he's not better than Joker. He's not. You could ask Shay Gilgis. He probably in a, in a true moment, say Joker's a better player. Shay Gilge is going to say I'm a better scorer, but better all around player. It's not even close. But that's value. How you interpret it. Value. I loved voting for these awards. I felt like it was a privilege and honor and I, I had to equate what is value. I struggled mightily over Jason Kidd and Grant Hill for Rookie of the Year. I changed my vote on the last day, the last hour that you could send in your ballot. I went back and forth, but you got to have the same people watching the same amount of games, understanding what's going on. There's certain players you have to go out of your way to watch. You do because some of the other games are always on right in front of us. Then we tend to lean towards those players in those teams. But if Shea wins it and, and he's going to good, it's good for the league as well, I think. Another young player, mvp, not in your major market there. And they've done a wonderful job in building that team. So it's going to be a topic. It was a topic last year when all of a sudden Joker was going to win. Kendrick Perkins came on and all of a sudden had this barnstorming tour to tell everybody it should be Joe Ellen Bead. And I'm thinking Kendrick Perkins. You don't know what you're talking about. And I still stand by that. That Joker was better than Joel Embiid. Joel Embiid. It was his turn. It was his time. I'm like, that is silly. But he was, he's, he was a great player. Was. He'll never be a great player again. Yes.

Dan Patrick (15:22)

Paul Lebron had a five year stretch, age 24 to 28. He won four out of five MVPs. He finished top two for defensive player of the year twice. He was top five five years in a row. He never won another MVP after age 28. He's finished second place three times. Second place to Giannis Harden and Durant.

Bruce Pearl (15:45)

Lance in Vegas. Hi, Lance. What's on your mind today? Good morning, Dan. First time, long time. A hulking five. Seven and a half, 157. Hey, you were, you were talking about Josh Sweat. Yeah. And names like that. The one that's made me laugh inappropriately for years is Mark Sweeney, the former Kansas City royal. Mark Sweeney.

Dan Patrick (16:21)

We're all 12.

Bruce Pearl (16:22)

Thank you, Lance. Oh, yes. Hey, Ladies and gentlemen, Mark Sweeney. Brings me back to the name game. When I was in high school, that I can't even tell you some of the names that I grew up with. I win this. I win this competition every single time. Every single time. Yes. Paul.

Dan Patrick (16:49)

We were on the road when I first started working with you back in, like, Dayton, and the topic came up and I said, I went to school with a girl named April Shower. He was like, hold up a second, I'm going to tell you something. And you went through them. I was like, I still have that reaction.

Bruce Pearl (17:02)

When my mom was alive, I would call her sometimes it'd be all hours of the night because be out drinking and people say, oh, I knew somebody. And I go, hold on here. And I get my mom on and I'd make her pronounce the name of my priest. And you would have to look it up on YouTube. But because she, she told me, you know, a long time before she passed away to, to not do that to, to our priest at St. Susanna. And so. But I would call my mom and say, mom, what was the name of our priest? And she'd go, oh, Danny. And then she would give you the name. And people would be like, you gotta be kidding me. Nope, not kidding. All right, we'll get to more phone calls. We're gonna play the Cooper flag game coming up. I don't know what it is, but I'm excited. We'll have that. But coming up next, talk some college basketball. Bruce Pearl, Auburn head coach, will join us. Hope you'll join us after the break. Dan Patrick show. Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows@foxsportsradio.com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to listen live. Hey, Steve Covino.

Dan Patrick (18:11)

And I'm Rich Davis, and together we're Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. And of course, the. The iHeartRadio app. Why should you listen to Covino and Rich?

Bruce Pearl (18:24)

We talk about everything, life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world. We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the Fact that we've been friends.

Dan Patrick (18:38)

For the last 20 years and still.

Bruce Pearl (18:39)

Work together, I mean, that says something, right?

Dan Patrick (18:41)

So check us out. We like to get you involved, too.

Bruce Pearl (18:44)

Take your phone calls, chop it up, as they say.

Dan Patrick (18:47)

I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio, maybe the most interactive.

Bruce Pearl (18:51)

Show on planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on Fox Sports radio and.

Dan Patrick (18:54)

The iHeartradio app from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search KO Vino and Rich wherever you get your podcast. And of course, on social media, that's Covino and Rich. It's Julie Stewart Banks. I'm doing a new podcast from iHeart podcast and the National Hockey League, and I'm paired up with one of my favorite players, the always quotable Nate Thompson.

Chris Sims (19:17)

I wore nine NHL sweaters and I.

Dan Patrick (19:19)

Have story after story to share. And believe it or not, I have plenty to say. And not just about hockey. Believe me, he does. Energy Line with Nate and JSB is the name of the podcast and it's going to be, well, it's going to be quite the ride. We're officially linemates, Nate. We're the Energy Line. We'll have plenty of folks join us, current players, some of my former teammates, hall of Famers. And wait till you see some of the connections that Julie has. She has quite the Rolodex. Okay, we'll lean into Nate's playing experience and tap into our interests away from hockey and try to do what energy lines are supposed to do, provide an emotional boost. How do you feel about all that, Nate? I'm vibing Julie.

Chris Sims (19:59)

I'm ready to roll.

Dan Patrick (20:00)

Listen to Energy Line with Nate and jsb on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Bruce Pearl (20:07)

Ever wonder what it would be like.

Dan Patrick (20:09)

To be mentored by today's top business leaders? My podcast, this Is Working can help with that. Here's some adv Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase, on standing out from the leadership crowd. Develop your eq.

Chris Sims (20:21)

A lot of people have plenty of.

Dan Patrick (20:22)

Brains, but EQ is, do you trust me? Do I communicate well?

Chris Sims (20:26)

You know, when you walk in a room, do people feel good you're there?

Dan Patrick (20:29)

Are you responsive to people?

Chris Sims (20:31)

Do people know you have a heart? Develop the team, develop the people.

Bruce Pearl (20:34)

Create a system of trust.

Chris Sims (20:35)

And it works over time.

Dan Patrick (20:37)

I'm Dan Roth, LinkedIn's editor in chief. On my podcast this Is Working. Leaders like Jamie Dimon, Mark Cuban, and Richard Branson share strategies for success and the real lessons that have shaped them.

Bruce Pearl (20:49)

Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts.

Dan Patrick (20:52)

Or wherever you get your podcasts.

Chris Sims (20:54)

I'm Mark Seale.

Dan Patrick (20:56)

And I'm Nathan King. This is Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli.

Bruce Pearl (21:00)

The five families did not want us to shoot that picture.

Dan Patrick (21:03)

Leave the Gun Take the Cannoli is based on my co host Mark's best selling book of the same title. And on this show we call upon his years of research to help unpack the story behind the Godfather's birth. From start to finish, this is really.

Bruce Pearl (21:15)

The first interview I've done in bed.

Dan Patrick (21:18)

We sift through innumerable accounts. 35 pages isn't very much, many of them conflicting.

Chris Sims (21:24)

That's nonsense.

Dan Patrick (21:25)

There were 60 pages and try to get to the truth of what really happened. And they said we're finished.

Chris Sims (21:29)

This is over.

Bruce Pearl (21:30)

It only is not going to work.

Dan Patrick (21:31)

You got to get rid of those guys. It's just that Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli features new and archival interviews with Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Evans, James Caan, Talia Shire and many others.

Chris Sims (21:43)

Yes, that was a real horse's head.

Dan Patrick (21:46)

Listen and subscribe to Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, I'm Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia. I'm excited to introduce a brand new season of my podcast Math and Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing. I'm having conversations with some interesting folks across across a wide range of industries to hear how they reach the top of their fields and the lessons they learned along the way that everyone can use. I'll be joined by innovative leaders like Chairman and CEO of Health Beauty, Tarang Amin. The way I approach risk is constantly try things and actually make it okay to fail. I'm sitting down with legendary singer, songwriter and philanthropist Jewel. I wanted a way to do something that I loved for the rest of my life. We're also hearing how leaders brought their businesses out of unprecedented times like Stefan Bonsell, CEO of Moderna.

Bruce Pearl (22:41)

It becomes a human decision to decide to throw by the window your business strategy and to do what you think.

Dan Patrick (22:47)

Is the right thing for the world. Join me as we uncover innovations in data and analytics, the math and the ever important creative spark, the magic. Listen to math and magic stories from the frontiers of Marketing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. My name is Brendan Patrick Hughes, host of Divine Intervention. This is a Story about radical nuns in combat boots and wild haired priests trading blows with J. Edgar Hoover in a hell bent effort to sabotage a war. J. Edgar Hoover was furious. Somebody violated the FBI and he wanted to bring the Catholic left to its knees. The FBI went around to all their neighbors and said to them, do you think these people are good Americans? It's got heists, tragedy, a trial of the century, and the God damnedest love story you've ever heard.

Bruce Pearl (23:39)

I picked up the phone and my.

Dan Patrick (23:41)

Thought was, this is the most important phone call I'll ever make in my life. I couldn't believe it. I mean, Brendan, it was divine intervention. Listen to divine intervention on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Bruce Pearl (24:04)

DraftKings just sent me the odds to win it all. In March Madness, it's Duke, followed by Auburn, Florida, Houston and Alabama. He's the head coach of the Auburn Tigers, his 11th year there. He's Bruce Pearl. It was six years ago in Minneapolis. I had you in studio, you had your team in the final four. And I said to Paulie, I'm gonna make Bruce Pearl cry that day. And you did shed a tear, a light tear, but I got you to cry. Hi, Bruce.

Chris Sims (24:41)

Hi, Dan. How are you?

Bruce Pearl (24:43)

I'm great. I'm not gonna try to make you cry this time.

Chris Sims (24:48)

You know, of all your great accomplishments over the course of your career, I hope my shedding a tear isn't one of them.

Bruce Pearl (24:59)

It was just a goal to see if I could, you know, bring out that emotion. Because you're an emotional guy. You, you say you cry a lot. I don't know if you've cried the last two games that you lost. You know, no offense here, the timing of this, but, you know, when's the last time you cried?

Chris Sims (25:20)

Let's see, I probably cried after we beat Kentucky at RUP and won the championship. I'd say, I would say probably, you know, I'm pretty passionate. You talk about family, talk about the Lord, you know, talk about the blood, sweat and tears that go into all the things that it takes to win a championship. In other words, just like putting up with me and my expectations, my accountability, my, you know, my, my temper. I'm grateful, grateful and blessed. And did not cry after we lost to Texas A and M and Alabama because we've lost four games. We've lost to Duke and John Shire at. John Shire at Duke. We lost to Todd golden at Florida. And those, those had been the only two losses we had had for a long time. And so For a while, I could say, like, the only coaches in the country that I'm willing to lose to are Jewish coaches Don Shire and Todd Golden. Like, if you're not Jewish, I'm not losing to you. We Jews don't like to lose very often, in case you haven't noticed, with. I'm Yisrael Chai, and. But then Buzz Williams came in me ranked, you know, 14th in the country. And then, of course, we lost the Nate Oates. And I don't think either one of those guys, you know, go to Temple.

Bruce Pearl (26:37)

Fritzi, would you check and see if they're. The other two coaches are Jewish?

Dan Patrick (26:41)

I'll take a look.

Bruce Pearl (26:41)

All right, thank you. Good Yontiff. Okay, so why'd you cry after you lost or won at Kentucky at Rupp Arena?

Chris Sims (26:51)

Yeah, you know, I think just, I guess the motion of it all, the, the, the. The being, being, you know, really, really grateful. Dan, I think what we do as we work in this, this, this ministry or in this thing about coaching, we are, we are. We are built to win and compete for championships. We really, truly do. And at the end of the day, there was a championship that could be won. I didn't cry at the. When we beat. When we, when we won the Maui Invitational, you know, that, that, you know, that wasn't, that wasn't big enough. But I think because the league was so good and it was so hard and every night you had to kind of get ready and there were a lot of upsets. My basketball team did not get upset very. At all in the sense that they beat a lot of people they were supposed to be. And I probably just cried out of gratitude, gratefulness.

Bruce Pearl (27:47)

Who's the best player in college basketball this year?

Chris Sims (27:51)

Well, I think Jani Broom is that it should be the college player of the year because of all that he's accomplished and all that he's able to do for our team, leads us in scoring and rebounding and assists and obviously stepped up in the biggest games. I think Cooper Flagg at Duke is going to be, if he's not the first player drafted, is going to be one of the top players drafted. And Cooper is an amazing player who plays so hard and impacts the game so much. But what Auburn has done this year through this league to have 16 quad one wins has never been done before. That means on we had 20 games against the Quad 1. Now, when you're playing a Quad 1 game, I don't care where you're ranked 1 through 35, let's say we've got a 55, 60% chance of winning that game, even if we're 1. Playing against the team that's 20 and win 16 of those out of 20 is just unprecedented. And so therefore, I feel like our best player is the best player in college basketball.

Bruce Pearl (28:53)

Okay, let's say you're coaching Cooper Flag.

Chris Sims (28:56)

Yep.

Bruce Pearl (28:57)

And you want him to come back for another year, but you want him to realize he wants to come back for another year, not you selfishly, as a coach. How would you go about trying to convince Cooper Flag to stay one more year?

Chris Sims (29:11)

Well, first of all, I would. I would only try to convince him to do it if I truly felt like it was in his best interests, not just in mine.

Bruce Pearl (29:20)

Have you seen the Washington Wizards roster, Bruce?

Chris Sims (29:25)

Yes, I have. Here's the one factor that I would ask him to consider. Dan, you know this because you've been doing this a long time. It's not how much you make, it's how long you can make it. That's the truth. And so the question for Cooper Flagg would be, what's the best position for you to be in for your second and your third contract? And if there can be any discussion about the fact that at 18 or 19, when you are in position at age 21 maybe to have to sign that second big contract, you know, there's a difference between being rich and being wealthy. People that are wealthy have made it for a long time. And so that's the only thing I would look at as far as what might be in his best interest is would waiting another year put him in a better position to sign that second and third contract that takes him from being rich to wealthy?

Bruce Pearl (30:18)

He's only 18.

Chris Sims (30:20)

That's right.

Bruce Pearl (30:21)

Crazy, crazy.

Chris Sims (30:23)

That would be the only factor.

Bruce Pearl (30:24)

We're talking to Bruce Pearl Auburn Head Coach SEC Conference Tournament starts on Friday. We've talked about a variety of things. The NBA has, you know, face of the NBA. Could we get the non North America basketball players to play against the, you know, US Based players in the All Star game? Like, where do you see, you know, the globalization of basketball? Is the future in, in Europe and other countries more so than it is in the United States? If you consider, I could probably give you seven or eight of the top 10 players in the game and they're not from the United States.

Chris Sims (31:02)

Yeah, the game, I think the game is in great shape, Dan, in the sense that worldwide it's really, really popular. And you're right, some of these international players, European players, are playing the game better than our guys have one of the factors has been just the skill level that they are brought up through a training program that isn't like high school, aau, college, so on and so forth. At the same time, your interest in our game and the college game has never been better. Like the numbers that we're pulling for the best. This is tremendous regular season in college basketball. Just even just the sec. How many ranked teams against ranked teams and then how many of those games delivered like the last two Saturdays in the sec? Alabama, Tennessee overtime, Auburn, Alabama overtime. And the ratings are really good. I don't know. I read a little bit about what's going on with the NBA and what, what. But I couldn't tell you why some of those numbers are down. But our numbers have never been stronger.

Bruce Pearl (32:07)

But the talent level, I mean, they're young, they're, you know, these guys, I mean, Joker's what, 30 or, you know, somewhere around there. But if you put in Giannis, you put in Embiid and you put in Luca, Shea, Gilgis, you know, from Canada in. And maybe we go back to the dream team that. The dream team in 92 sort of, you know, birth this. They. They spawned all of this. I'm just curious, does the, Does U. S basketball try to model itself after, you know, instead of this aau and we've seen that basketball, it can be pretty ugly. Talented, but ugly. Feels like, you know, what Europe is doing in other countries is they get you into a system, learn how to handle the ball, learn, you know, the fundamental, be a big guy, handle the ball on the perimeter, like all of these things. Feels like the US Is missing out on that opportunity.

Chris Sims (33:01)

Well, I think there are people that are in the professional basketball and world basketball that are studying this very factor right now. They're absolutely looking at it. You know, the best explanation I can have for it is the age that they have these European kids starting to train the specialization into the one particular sport. They don't have the same, you know, rules as far as how many hours you can or can't train, whether you're a high school player and you can only practice a certain amount of time and certainly in college, so on and so forth. You know, I think the other thing too, the skill level right now is what is dominating our sport, in a sense that the men are so big and they're so strong and they're so athletic that now we are putting five guys out there on a perimeter at the three point line and spreading the floor just so that we have some space to be able to drive down the lane and make plays because nobody, hardly anybody is putting a post player on the inside because there's just no room for them. So in some ways, the size and the athleticism of the American player that may have been a dominating force in basketball is now no longer as an important a cog as the ability to spread the floor and have the skills to be able to shoot and handle, which is more akin to the European player.

Bruce Pearl (34:28)

Okay, but what would you do with Shaq if he was your center?

Chris Sims (34:33)

Oh, I'd find a way to. I have. I have Janai Broom right now and we're going to find ways to get him inside and run our offense accordingly. So no, no, you give me Shaq of his big ass is going to be on the block and good luck. The only way you're going to stop him is to hack a shack him.

Bruce Pearl (34:50)

Who's the best player you recruited? Didn't get but the best player you you recruited.

Chris Sims (34:57)

Wow. Well, you know, it's interesting. AJ Devasta was somebody that the kid is young man is going to byu. He grew up in Boston and actually grew up in Brockton, which is really a town outside of where I grew up. And we got in early on him and guy he's got a great family and he was one of the highest rated players I think I've ever not gotten. Anthony Edwards maybe in Atlanta would have been another one that we worked on but didn't get. There's probably a long list of kids I finished second on, but those are two probably pretty big names.

Bruce Pearl (35:34)

Tom Izzo said Chris Weber made him cry because he thought he was getting Chris Weber and then you lose him to Michigan. That's painful.

Chris Sims (35:46)

Oh, yeah, no, no, it's that. That definitely is. I remember when Tom was an assistant for Judd Heathcote and they were played Neil Jennison field house. And so I don't know that Michigan State's program was in position when Chris Weber was coming out out of Country Day High School in. In Detroit to pick Michigan State over Michigan. And Tom Izzo hadn't quite done what he. What he done now.

Bruce Pearl (36:14)

Yeah, but he still had the Magic Johnson era.

Chris Sims (36:18)

That's right. That's about. I don't want to speak to Michigan basketball history. Michigan State basketball history. But the perception of Michigan's program at that time was much stronger than Michigan states.

Bruce Pearl (36:28)

When. Where were you in your career when Bird and Magic arrived on the scene in college basketball?

Chris Sims (36:35)

I was just coming out of high school. I was just starting at Boston College for Dr. Tom Davis. Starting to be a manager and work in the industry.

Bruce Pearl (36:46)

You're a lifer. You're a lifer, aren't you?

Chris Sims (36:49)

I was at B.C. in 1978, before the big east was born. I saw Dave Gavitt get that thing started. Dr. Tom Davis. And the job he did at Boston College goes way under the radar because of, you know, Louis Carneseca and John Thompson, Rolly Messimino, you know, just Jim Boeheim and UConn. And we were at BC, kind of doing great in those early, early years of the Big East. They almost took Holy Cross. Boston College had to write a $50,000 check, and the athletic director, Bill Flynn, at the time wasn't sure that was going to be a good enough investment. Had to get a donor named Bernie Polanski to write that check. Otherwise, Holy Cross would have been in the Big east and now the acc, not Boston College.

Bruce Pearl (37:35)

Wow. Who do you get mistaken for in public sometimes?

Chris Sims (37:41)

Lou Ferrigno. Like the incredible. The incredible. The Green Monster. That. Back when I was. When I was a little bigger. Not anymore. Every now and then. Greg Brady. Remember Brady Bunch, when I had the Afro? A little bit of that. Hey. Hey. A really good day 30, 40 years ago. Tom Jones.

Bruce Pearl (38:03)

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, if women start throwing their underwear at you at an Auburn game, like, you know, Tom Jones in concert, I'm thinking a little bit of Jeff Garland from Curb youb Enthusiasm. Like Larry David's Good Buddy. Like. Yeah, like a smaller ver. Maybe just the face and. And your voice. You could be, you know, Jeff Garland.

Chris Sims (38:28)

I've gotten a lot. A lot greater. You know, coaches, we do age in doggy years.

Bruce Pearl (38:33)

Are you okay? Coaching seems to be the fun, easier part than the Nil. And the recruiting. That fair?

Chris Sims (38:42)

Yeah, Coach. Because coaching is still, you know, teaching and, and, and, and, and developing and, and, and the gym and the ball and. And look, I like Nil, Dan, because we're way overdue. Thank God for Nil, for you, for me and what made this country great. And obviously, the numbers that these kids are getting right now tells you how late the NCAA was recognizing the value of these student athletes. Now, listen, there's no. Right now there. There are no rules. There are no regulations. We got to find, so we got to. If we're going to have a national champion, Dan, then we truly need to be playing more by the same rules. They play more by the same rules in Major League Baseball, the NFL, and the NBA right now than we are in college. And we are trying to figure it out there. Needs to be bipartisan support in Washington, D.C. to try to find a way to bring this great college system back while we're able to compensate the student athletes. You know, wait for what they're worth, but there's gotta be some guardrails. Senator Ted Cruz has got legislation right now, but you know how Washington, D.C. is completely dysfunctional and if the Republicans want it, the Democrats won't. We got to find a way to bring it, to be able to have the intercollegiate system, what we do, and still compensate our student athletes. And I think that's the best way to doing it. Right now we're just putting band aids on it and we're all trying to navigate it.

Bruce Pearl (40:11)

Great to talk to you. Congrats on the success. Hopefully you don't run into a Jewish head coach the rest of the season, but thank you for joining us.

Chris Sims (40:20)

Always a pleasure, Dan. And thanks for not making me cry.

Bruce Pearl (40:22)

All right, this time, that's Bruce Pearl. Friday, SEC tournament. They will get underway. Opponent to be determined. We'll take a break and we'll play the Cooper flag game. Some phone calls as well right after this. Be sure to catch the live edition of the Dan Patrick show, weekdays at 9am Eastern, 6am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio Apple.

Dan Patrick (40:46)

Julie It's Julie Stewart Banks. I'm doing a new podcast from iHeart Podcasts and the National Hockey League, and I'm paired up with one of my favorite players, the always quotable Nate Thompson.

Chris Sims (40:57)

I wore nine NHL sweaters and I.

Dan Patrick (40:59)

Have story after story to share.

Chris Sims (41:01)

And believe it or not, I have.

Dan Patrick (41:02)

Plenty to say and not just about hockey. Believe me, he does Energy Line with Nate, and JSB is the name of the podcast and it's gonna be, well, it's gonna be quite the ride. We're officially line mates, Nate. We're the energy line. We'll have plenty of folks join us, current players, some of my former teammates, hall of Famers, and wait to see some of the connections that Julie has. She has quite the Rolodex. Okay. We'll lean into Nate's playing experience and tap into our interests away from hockey and try to do what energy lines are supposed to do, provide an emotional boost. How do you feel about all that, Nate? I'm vibing, Julie.

Chris Sims (41:39)

I'm ready to roll.

Dan Patrick (41:40)

Listen to EnergyLine with Nate and JSB on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Bruce Pearl (41:47)

Ever wonder what it would be like.

Dan Patrick (41:49)

To be mentored by today's top business leaders? My podcast this is working can help with that. Here's some advice from Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase, on standing out from the leadership crowd. Develop your eq.

Chris Sims (42:02)

A lot of people have plenty of.

Dan Patrick (42:03)

Brains, but EQ is do you trust me? Do I communicate well?

Chris Sims (42:07)

You know, when you walk in a room, do people feel good you're there?

Dan Patrick (42:09)

Are you responsive to people?

Chris Sims (42:11)

Do people know you have a heart? Develop the team, develop the people.

Bruce Pearl (42:14)

Create a system of trust.

Chris Sims (42:15)

And it works over time.

Dan Patrick (42:17)

I'm Dan Roth, LinkedIn's editor in chief. On my podcast this Is Working, leaders like Jamie Diamond, Mark Cuban and Richard Branson share strategies for success and the real lessons that have shaped them.

Bruce Pearl (42:29)

Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts.

Dan Patrick (42:32)

Or wherever you get your podcast.

Chris Sims (42:35)

I'm Mark Seale.

Dan Patrick (42:36)

And I'm Nathan King. This is Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli. The five families did not want us.

Bruce Pearl (42:42)

To shoot that picture.

Dan Patrick (42:43)

Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli is based on my co host Mark's best selling book of the same title. And on this show we call upon his years of research to help unpack the story behind the Godfather's birth. From start to finish, this is really the first interview I've done in bed. We sift through through innumerable accounts. 35 pages isn't very much, many of them conflicting.

Chris Sims (43:04)

That's nonsense.

Dan Patrick (43:05)

There were 60 pages and try to get to the truth of what really happened. And they said we're finished.

Chris Sims (43:09)

This is over.

Bruce Pearl (43:10)

It only is not going to work.

Dan Patrick (43:12)

You gotta get rid of those guys. This is that Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli features new and archival interviews with Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Evans, James Caan, Talia Shire and many others. Yes, that was a real horse's head. Listen and subscribe to Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. My name is Brendan Patrick Hughes, host of Divine Intervention. This is a story about radical nuns in combat boots and wild haired priests trading blows with J. Edgar Hoover in a hell bent effort to sabotage a war. J. Edgar Hoover was furious. Somebody violated the FBI and he wanted to bring the Catholic left to its knees. The FBI went around to all their neighbors and said to them, do you think these people are good Americans? It's got heists, tragedy, a trial of the century and the God damnedest love story you've ever heard.

Bruce Pearl (44:11)

I picked up the phone and my.

Dan Patrick (44:13)

Thought was this is the most important phone call I'll ever make. In my life. I couldn't believe it. I mean, Brendan, it was divine intervention. Listen to divine intervention on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, I'm Bob Pippman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia. I'm excited to introduce a brand new season of my podcast, Math and Magic Stories from the frontiers of Market. I'm having conversations with some interesting folks across a wide range of industries to hear how they reach the top of their fields and the lessons they learned along the way that everyone can use. I'll be joined by innovative leaders like chairman and CEO of Elf Beauty, Tarang Amin. The way I approach risk is constantly try things and actually make it okay to fail. I'm sitting down with legendary singer, songwriter and philanthropist jewelry. I wanted a way to do something that I loved for the rest of my life. We're also hearing how leaders brought their businesses out of unprecedented times, like Stefan Bonsell, CEO of Moderna.

Bruce Pearl (45:21)

It becomes a human decision to decide to throw by the window your business.

Dan Patrick (45:26)

Strategy and to do what you think is the right thing for the world. Join me as we uncover innovations in data and analytics, the math and the ever important creative spark, the magic. Listen to math and magic stories from the frontiers of Marketing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

Bruce Pearl (45:43)

Update the poll results. Dylan in for Seaton this week?

Dan Patrick (45:47)

Yes. Dan. Who now has the better QB situation?

Bruce Pearl (45:51)

Raiders with Geno Smith or Seahawks with Sam Darnold?

Dan Patrick (45:55)

By a hair. Sam Darnold is taking it 51%.

Bruce Pearl (45:58)

Okay, so the odds to win March Madness. It's Duke. And then closely followed by Auburn, Florida, Houston and Alabama. Three of those teams out of the sec. SEC has been great basketball. Wire to wire here. Oh, I have some over unders here. Devonte Adams over under. Touchdowns with the Rams. Paul, start with you.

Dan Patrick (46:28)

Six and a half.

Bruce Pearl (46:29)

Marvin, eight and a half. Blue, blue.

Dan Patrick (46:32)

Blue.

Bruce Pearl (46:33)

DK Metcalf over under. This according to DraftKings. Touchdown receptions in Pittsburgh. Dylan, five and a half. Todd seven and a half. Bloop, bloop, bloop. Over under. Miles Garrett. Sacks for the Cleveland Browns. Super bowl contender. Cleveland Brown. Todd over under. Sacks for Miles Garrett this year. Nine and a half.

Dan Patrick (47:03)

Paul thirteen and a half.

Bruce Pearl (47:07)

Marvin fifteen and a half. Dylan eleven. Fourteen and a half. Fourteen and a half. Oh, he's gonna be angry. He's gonna be angry this year. Ready to go. But that. And once again, I. I have more information. I can't share it with you, but I'm Giving you sort of vagaries on the periphery of some of the things that I found out on Sunday about this deal. But I do think he wanted to leave. I think the Cleveland Browns were really steadfast in saying we're not going to even entertain offers. And from what I was told, unless it was a Herschel Walker like Hall that the Cowboys got from Minnesota, it wasn't going to happen. Therefore, okay, you're not going to trade me. How are you going to compensate me for playing for this team? It's not that he thinks they're going to be a contender. There's no way you could think that you're going to be a Super bowl contender. I do think that he did want to play. He wanted to go elsewhere. Do I think he was also going to get a new deal if he went elsewhere? I do. He was going to get paid either way. It just. He's getting paid to play for a. A worst team. Yes, Ton, but I thought once you.

Dan Patrick (48:22)

Get the bag, he may not be quite as motivated, even though he's upset that he's stuck with the Cleveland Browns. So where do you weigh the two of those?

Bruce Pearl (48:28)

I don't know. Did Patrick Mahomes seem motivated when he got the bag? 500 million dollar deal.

Dan Patrick (48:34)

He's unique.

Bruce Pearl (48:36)

Ohtani seemed like he was motivated when he got the bag. I think it's an unfair, you know, blanket we throw on over athletes to say, you made your money, now you don't care. I mean, those are two of the highest profile guys, and they care as much as anybody does. Andy in Rhode Island. And then we're going to play the Cooper flag game. Hi, Andy. Welcome back.

Chris Sims (49:01)

Good morning, Dan. Dan, what's going on? Marvin and Fritzi. Dan, have you ever thought about never really retiring?

Bruce Pearl (49:08)

And I know that might be a crazy idea.

Chris Sims (49:10)

And the reason I bring it up.

Dan Patrick (49:11)

There is because I was telling Tyler.

Chris Sims (49:13)

That, you know, I'm having a hard time with it because your show is.

Bruce Pearl (49:17)

A lifestyle to us.

Dan Patrick (49:18)

We wake up, we tell the kids.

Chris Sims (49:20)

To be quiet from 9 to 12 because, you know, your word to us is something that a lot of people appeal to.

Bruce Pearl (49:27)

Wait, wait. Andy, do you want me to stay on the air so your kids stay quiet?

Chris Sims (49:33)

No, Absolutely no. No, that.

Bruce Pearl (49:36)

That's not what it.

Chris Sims (49:37)

I was just saying, in a sense, when you speak, everyone got to be quiet because, you know, you can't miss.

Dan Patrick (49:42)

Out on what Dan is saying.

Bruce Pearl (49:43)

But I was. I was thinking about the idea of.

Chris Sims (49:46)

How about using AI to, you know, preserve your broadcasting style, you know, A virtual Dan, you know, with us was.

Bruce Pearl (49:54)

Still with the Dan.

Chris Sims (49:55)

That's because, you know, I, I can't lose the ambassador of humor, Marvin. Seeing Paulie, like, we need the guys. And, you know, even if you decide to step away, I, it's gonna be.

Dan Patrick (50:05)

A hard voice for anyone to fill.

Chris Sims (50:07)

Because who does it better than you, Dan?

Bruce Pearl (50:09)

No, but thank you, Andy. Yeah, thank you. I'll look into AI Okay. I'll look into artificial intelligence with my voice, but I don't know if we can do a hologram. And, you know, I did wonder. Okay. Over the weekend, just throwing this out there. I did. This was brought to my attention by my wife. And she said, are you, are you certain you're going to retire, you know, Christmas Eve, 2027? I said, yes. And she said, well, you started your career in Atlanta at cnn. Why don't you end your career in Atlanta? The Super Bowls in Atlanta that year. And it's the only time I ever gave pause to this. And it was, I, I, I was speechless when my wife said that because I did start my career, my TV career, my sports career in Atlanta. And she said, what if you ended your career in Atlanta at the Super Bowl? And I said, you know what? I'll think about it. Yeah.

Dan Patrick (51:17)

Pauline, I thought about this before. Not because the Atlanta angle, but retiring in the home stretch of the football season would have felt a little weird for you. For us. I thought that you would extend it two months. Maybe not now, but down the road. Like, man, it's the middle of football season, we're about to go to the playoffs and we're going to stop.

Bruce Pearl (51:36)

Yeah. But usually by that time of the year, I'm tired of you guys.

Dan Patrick (51:40)

Yeah.

Bruce Pearl (51:40)

And you're tired of me. And it's a good time to just take a break and then not come back. But I, my wife brought that up to me over the weekend. We were on our romantic vineyard tour and maybe I had too much wine.

Dan Patrick (51:55)

Where's the contract?

Bruce Pearl (51:56)

What? Yeah, I don't know. That's pretty good, huh? Time to play the Cooper flag game. I don't know if we have music to play the Cooper Flag Game. Well, that's, that's kind of the football theme music. All right. That's what I had on deck. All right, so, Paul, let's play the Cooper flag game.

Dan Patrick (52:18)

Here we go. Duke Blue Devils freshman, true freshman, guard or forward, has been named both ACC Player of the Year and Rookie of the year. The 18 year old is the fourth player in ACC history to win both honors in the same season. A freshman winning player of the year. Whom? Who are the other three? Would you like hints?

Bruce Pearl (52:42)

How many of them played at Duke?

Dan Patrick (52:46)

All of them.

Bruce Pearl (52:47)

Yeah. Zion.

Dan Patrick (52:49)

Correct.

Bruce Pearl (52:51)

Johnny Dawkins.

Dan Patrick (52:53)

No, Johnny. I don't have Johnny Dawkins. Even. Winning player of the year, Jay Williams. Nope. Also a sophomore.

Bruce Pearl (53:03)

Yes. Marvin Jaleel Okaform.

Dan Patrick (53:06)

Jalil Okafor is correct in 2015. Okay, I'll give you a hint. One more. Also a dookie. I loved him going into the draft and said he should be number one overall, so it's somewhat recent history.

Bruce Pearl (53:17)

Okay.

Dan Patrick (53:21)

Oh, no. I thought he was going to be a star. Marvin Bagley III. Marvin Bagley Jr. The third 2018 freshman of the year Player of the year. Here's a couple sophomores who won David Thompson at NC State. 72. 73. He won the next two, by the way, as a junior and senior player of the year. Ralph Sampson won it as a sophomore, junior, and senior.

Bruce Pearl (53:45)

How about. Oh, I can't do it right now. I have a trivia question for Cooper. Cooper Flag. About Cooper Flag that has to do with the draft. But I'm up against the break, so that's a tease into the next hour. But you don't have to wait that long. I mean, you're going to wait maybe seven minutes and then I'll ask the question. And you know what? Marvin will probably come up with the answer. You. You live in the crates, man. You do. I sure do. You do. Final hour on this Tuesday.

Dan Patrick (54:15)

What's up, everyone? Julie Swearbinks here along with former NHL player Nate Thompson. We're doing a new podcast together. Here we go. The name Energy Line with Nate and jsb. Each week we'll get together and talk about hockey life. All topics are fair game, right? Exactly. And you'll never know who will drop by to join us. Julie is pretty well connected. She has text threads going that you wouldn't believe. Listen to Energy Line with Nate and JSB on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Are you hungry? Colleen Witt here and Eating While Broke is back for season four. Every Thursday on the Black Effect podc. This season, we've got a legendary lineup serving up broke dishes and even better stories on the menu. We have Tony Baker, Nick Cannon, Melissa Ford, October London and Carrie Harper. Howie Turning Big Macs into big moves. Catch Eating While Broke every Thursday on the Black Effect Podcast Network. IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast. Wherever you get your favorite shows. Come hungry for season four. I'm Mark Seal and I'm Nathan King. This is Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli. The five families did not want us.

Bruce Pearl (55:25)

To shoot that picture.

Dan Patrick (55:26)

This podcast is based on my co host Mark Seals best selling book of the same title. Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli features new and archival interviews with Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Evans, James Caan, Talia Shire and many others.

Chris Sims (55:39)

Yes, that was a real horse's head.

Dan Patrick (55:41)

Listen and subscribe to Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts. This is Mel Reed, LPTO winner and six time Ladies European Tour winner and Kira K. Dixon, NBC Sports Reporter and host. And we've got a new podcast, Quiet Please with Mel and Kira. We are bringing you spicy takes on sports and pop culture, some interviews with incredible people who have figured out how to make golf their superpower and I Heart Wins Sports Production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You you can find us on iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Elf Beauty, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports did you know that 70% of people get hired at companies where they already have a connection? I'm Andrew Seaman, LinkedIn's editor at large for jobs and career development and on my podcast Get Hired, I bring you all the information you need to, well, get hired. Landing a job may be tough, but Get Hired is here for you every single step of the way with advice on resumes, networking, negotiation and so much more. Listen to Get Hired with Andrew seaman on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you like to listen.