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- [00:00]
Memphis Bleak
This is an iHeart podcast. What up, y' all? This your main man, Memphis Bleak, right here. Host the Rock Solid podcast.
- [00:09]
Ja Rule
June is Black Music Month, so what.
- [00:11]
Memphis Bleak
Better way to celebrate than listening to.
- [00:13]
Ja Rule
My exclusive conversation with my bro, Ja Rule? The one thing they can't stop you or take away from you is knowledge. So whatever I went through while I was down in prison for two years through that process, learn, learn from it. Check out this exclusive episode with Ja Rule on Rock Solid. Open your free iHeartRadio search rock solid and listen now.
- [00:35]
Dan Flores
Why is a soap opera western like Yellowstone so wildly successful? The American west with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. 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.
- [00:58]
Memphis Bleak
Listen to the American west with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio, Apple, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [01:06]
Adam Silver
I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season one, Taser Incorporated.
- [01:22]
Memphis Bleak
I get right back there and it's bad.
- [01:25]
Adam Silver
Listen to Absolute Season 1 Taser incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [01:35]
Ja Rule
I'm Clayton English.
- [01:36]
Memphis Bleak
I'm Greg Lod.
- [01:37]
Ja Rule
And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast.
- [01:40]
Memphis Bleak
Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports.
- [01:46]
Ja Rule
This kind of star studded a little bit, man.
- [01:49]
Memphis Bleak
We met them at their homes. We met them at their recording studios. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them.
- [01:54]
Ja Rule
It makes it real.
- [01:55]
Memphis Bleak
It really does. It makes it real.
- [01:57]
Ja Rule
Listen to new episodes of the War on Drug podcast, season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
- [02:05]
Michael Kasson
I'm Michael Kasson, founder and CEO of.
- [02:07]
Chris Sims
3C Ventures, and your guide on Good.
- [02:09]
Brandle Chamblee
Company, the podcast where I sit down.
- [02:11]
Memphis Bleak
With the boldest innovators shaping what's next.
- [02:14]
Brandle Chamblee
In this episode, I'm joined by Angeli.
- [02:17]
Memphis Bleak
Sud, CEO of Tubi.
- [02:18]
Brandle Chamblee
We dive into the competitive world of streaming.
- [02:21]
Memphis Bleak
What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. There's so many stories out there, and if you can find a way to.
- [02:28]
Erica and Mila
Curate and help the right person discover.
- [02:31]
Memphis Bleak
The right content, the term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen.
- [02:36]
Brandle Chamblee
Listen to Good company on the iHeartRadio.
- [02:38]
Memphis Bleak
App, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [02:48]
Brandle Chamblee
You are listening to the Dan Patrick show on Fox Sports Radio. Let's bring in the commissioner, Adam Silver, joining us on the program. Do you have business cards?
- [02:58]
Chris Sims
Me?
- [02:58]
Brandle Chamblee
Yeah.
- [02:59]
Chris Sims
Hold on. Wait.
- [03:01]
Brandle Chamblee
What's it say?
- [03:02]
Chris Sims
It says National Basketball Association, Adam Silver, commissioner, a couple phone numbers and an address. Okay.
- [03:09]
Brandle Chamblee
How often do you hand those out?
- [03:11]
Chris Sims
You know, it's so funny, when I give them, the younger people, they go like this. What is it? But our generation still likes business cards, so I still carry them. Or I got a. I had about a thousand printed, I think, when I became commissioner. So I'm going to use them up.
- [03:27]
Brandle Chamblee
You should just hand them out, autograph them. You know, collector's items.
- [03:30]
Chris Sims
I'm impressed. You got to be impressed. I had them in my pocket.
- [03:33]
Brandle Chamblee
That's impressive.
- [03:34]
Chris Sims
Rehearse this.
- [03:35]
Brandle Chamblee
I know. That's impressive. You were at the University of Chicago, what, late 80s?
- [03:40]
Chris Sims
Yes.
- [03:41]
Brandle Chamblee
Okay. Do you remember your first Jordan Bulls game when you were in school?
- [03:46]
Chris Sims
I do, because. So I got to. Went to law school at University of Chicago. I got there in 1985. And at that time, we could just go down to. I mean, you just bought tickets literally at the ticket window at game time. I mean, I had gone to Duke, so I knew Michael from North Carolina. I mean, it wasn't secret, but they weren't selling out all the games back then. I mean, it was. People forget it. It was several years before he won his first championship. I mean, he was great, but it wasn't the Michael Jordan that he turned into.
- [04:20]
Brandle Chamblee
When. Do you remember when it was more than just a basketball game?
- [04:25]
Chris Sims
Not. Why was. Well, I remember there was an All Star game in Chicago, so it would have been, I don't know, it was like 87 or something. I remember that. What was the year when he won?
- [04:37]
Brandle Chamblee
88.
- [04:38]
Chris Sims
88, yeah. Okay. So that, you know, I think that transformed, I think, him into this global icon in a way. I just think that that iconic shot, I can picture him flying through the air. I remember, you know, I did not have great seats, but I remember I was in the arena when he did that. And I just remember that that was transformational, I think.
- [04:59]
Brandle Chamblee
How involved were you with NBC bringing in Michael Jordan?
- [05:04]
Chris Sims
Not at all. You mean just now, just this announcement, they're bringing him back? I mean, they told me they were going to try, and I said, good luck. I honestly didn't think he was going to do it. You know, it took us as, you know, decades to convince him to do the documentary, you know, the Last Dance, which came out during the pandemic and ended up still, I think, is one of the, you know, widely viewed on Netflix. But he didn't, you know, he didn't want to do that for a long time. We had the footage, and I know there were other inquiries over the years, and I think he, for whatever reason, he was ready to do it now. I think he. He has, of course, incredibly fond memories of NBC. I don't think that's lost on anyone. He has, you know, as you well know, some of the very same people are there, people like John Miller, who he had a relationship from back all those years ago. You know, Mark Lazarus was still, you know, they are just switched over to the other side of the operation. But, you know, so I think, like, he had those relationships and again, I didn't discourage them, but I was surprised he said yes.
- [06:11]
Brandle Chamblee
Yeah. Still trying to figure out what his role is going to be now. Do you follow up? Do you want. Are you curious about what role Jordan is going to play with the upcoming camp?
- [06:21]
Chris Sims
Yeah, no, I, you know, well, I, you know, I didn't know in advance, but that, you know, they told me what their idea was for him in that role, and I think that they're still working through that. I think that, you know, I spoke to Michael about it. I mean, he's excited about it. I think for him, it means he's got to stay current with the game. Obviously, he's a small owner still in Charlotte, but he's so passionate about it. I mean, we talk about it all the time. I mean, he wants the game to be played the right way. He's still got a huge business around the game with the Jordan brand. But I think more importantly, he watches a lot of basketball and, you know, he knows it's what defines him still. And so I think fans are going to enjoy hearing his take, you know, on the Modern League. I think one of the things that I'm excited about in terms of NBC coming back, and this goes back to the Dick Ebersolt days, you know, is that I remember that sign behind Dick's desk that said storytelling. I mean, I think there's still some of the best at it, you know, and I think telling stories around the game, I mean, even right now, I mean, that sort of this narrative out there about small markets, whatever else. I mean, you know, incredible stories around Shea and, you know, and Tyrese and Pascal Siakam. I mean, I. My job, too. You know, we first met when I was at NBA entertainment. But to tell those stories to fans, I think that's what draws them in. I mean, there's the lovers of pure basketball, and I think the basketball is fantastic. But you also have to show how multi dimensional these players are and, you know, explain to them the storylines, the conflict on the floor and. And nobody does that better than NBC.
- [08:06]
Brandle Chamblee
You talk about Michael staying current. There are times when Charles may not know who's even playing in a game that he's watching. Now, it's. It's funny to us, but you're the commissioner, and this is your lead broadcast team or studio show. How does that kind of settle with you when Charles may not even know who he's talking about?
- [08:28]
Chris Sims
Well, that may be a little extreme. I mean, I'm down there a fair amount at their studio at Atlanta. I mean, he's watching the games. I mean, they made a decision to take an entertainment route with that studio show. I mean, I think ESPN was always about more hardcore basketball. Maybe NBC was somewhere in the middle in the old days. But it's an entertainment show, and he's entertaining, and fans seem to love it. You know, sometimes he's a bit of the crazy uncle, I think, but even when he's. I think there's a difference when putting aside, you know, how focused he is on the game. My sense always when Charles is critical, it is a little bit like your uncle at the Thanksgiving table being critical. It's like, there's no doubt it comes from a place of love. You know, I don't feel the same way about some of the other commentators, and I think it's just, it's, you know, Charles found a lane and he does it well. And it'll be interesting to see how that converts as, you know, they're now bringing that studio show to ESPN and ABC next year. I think, you know, we'll see how that works out. I mean, I, you know, I love the fact that those guys are still going to be involved in our telecast, but, you know, I'm not sure whether it will be produced differently for them or there'll be a different expectation from ESPN and ABC fans or watchers that maybe what people are seeing late at night on tnt, he's the commissioner of.
- [09:58]
Brandle Chamblee
The NBA, Adam Silver. You know, everybody gets caught up in ratings, and I just say, either watch it or not, you know, but the role that social media plays on your priority list, because this is a global game, and people may not watch the game, but they're watching those clips, you know, you're getting views there. But as the commissioner, you gotta, you know, pay homage to the networks. But where does social media rank on your priority list?
- [10:28]
Chris Sims
Social media is high in our priority list. I mean, first of all, we've had something like a billion views so far globally on social media since the finals have started. But also, to get back to your ratings point, I think what gets lost sometimes is just like social media is global, so are the telecasts of our games. And I understand people wanting to talk about our domestic ratings. And to the extent that the ratings are down, that's a storyline. Or they're up there, it's a storyline. And there is a correlation between market size more than I'm happy about. You know, I was listening to Aaron Rodgers yesterday, and he was talking about now becoming a Steeler. And he was saying, now I've played for two of the most storied franchises, the packers and Steelers, but nobody stopped them to say, oh, those are small markets. And so maybe I'm jealous in a way from, from the NFL that that's never, you know, Steelers and Packers. The storyline is. It's unimaginable. It would be. Can you believe two small markets are meeting in the super bowl this year? Is two storied franchises. And in the NBA, I think because there was so much outsized success of certain franchises over the first several decades of the league, I mean, statistic is roughly over the first 65 years of the league, three teams won 60% of the championships. And so it's understandable that Lakers, Celtics, Bulls, still globally have these huge followings because it gets almost passed on generationally. And to make ourselves more like the NFL, I think we're. We're moving in that direction where we have a system now where Oklahoma City and Indianapolis can compete in the same way that larger markets can because of a cap system and tax and all that stuff. So it's going to take us a while to get there. But I understand why ratings are part of the story now. The last part I'll say about social media, I do think something worth thinking a lot more about and getting more sophisticated about is how do you translate social media into a desire to watch live games? I'll give you just one example. I think we may even talk about it. Last time I was on, Victor Wembanyama was in New York playing on Christmas and then played in Brooklyn a few days later. So he was staying in New York around that time. He's a chess player. He went to Washington Square park, played chess in the rain for 45 minutes. Within five days, 100 million people had viewed him playing chess. And it was just anecdotally. Anyone I would ask, because it was also on a lot of the morning shows, I said, do you see Victor? Oh, yeah, that was the guy from France. He played. Now the question is, seeing that he also plays chess and he's by definition, you could say, a multi dimensional guy. There's far more to him than ball playing. He speaks multiple languages. Even the fact that he's, you know, grew up outside of Paris, et cetera. How do we as the league use that to bring people to the set to watch live games? Because I would say looking back, we've gotten distracted at times and forgotten sort of, or I forgotten that my core responsibility is to get more people to be passionate about NBA basketball and watch our games. That's what sustains our business. I mean, it's of course ticket sales, but ticket sales are as high as they've been in the history of the league. And there's not a lot more room to grow because our buildings are roughly 95% full. We have a global following. So there's enormous opportunity, both through social media, but where the real value comes is from people watching live games. So I think we can do a better job using social media to bring people to the set to say, tonight, 8:30, ABC, you know, game three, tune in. And to be more sophisticated about understanding is it. Would people rather see more about Shea Gilgeous Alexander's background, growing up in Canada, et cetera, what the things he loves or do they want to see him, you know, working out what aspects of him are going to cause people to be more likely to be interested in watching the game tonight.
- [14:32]
Brandle Chamblee
Why does the All Star Game have to be competitive?
- [14:37]
Chris Sims
It's an interesting question because again, I was just talking about how jealous I am of aspects of the NFL. The Pro bowl at this point is flag football. And I think that fans that seem to accept that it gets a good rating and nobody suggests that that's indicative of a lack of desire or passion by NFL players for whatever reason. In the case in the NBA, when we've tried other things and thought, all right, we'll go more entertainment route or whatever else the reaction is. I can't believe your players aren't giving their all for an All Star Game. Or at least maybe they don't expect them to play like they would in the playoffs, but they're expecting a competitive game and so that's fair, then we have to respond to that. And I haven't been Successful, frankly. In the last few years, we tried some new things in San Francisco. I mean, part of it was there was a format issue. There was a huge stoppage of play in the, in the final. You know, we had this round robin where, you know, there was a celebration around Turner, which they deserve. But I think the game lost all its momentum. So something you've talked a lot about historically is this USA World concept. You know, I watch what other sports are doing. The NHL had great success with the four nation face off. So we're, we're looking now for next year. We'll be in L. A, we'll be in the Intuit Dome where the, the Olympics are going to take place in 28 and we're going to be on NBC, back to NBC for the All Star Game. And we're going to be smack in the middle of Winter Olympic coverage. So if ever a time to move to USA World, it's now. What we're toying with now and working with Andre Iguodala at the Players association is what's, what's the right format? Because I don't, I think straight up, USA World probably won't work because although the number of international players is growing and is roughly 30% of our league right now, it wouldn't be fair to pick the All Stars. 70% is one team, 30% is the other. So I think we're again playing off what the NHL did. Maybe there's multiple teams, maybe there's more than one USA team, but we can achieve that concept and I think create a sense of nationalism around it and again feel like we belong sort of on the Sunday where it's otherwise Olympic coverage. So I'm hopeful that we can create something more competitive there.
- [16:54]
Brandle Chamblee
Do you have your wish list of expansion like the cities right now?
- [16:59]
Chris Sims
There's cities worth thinking about.
- [17:01]
Brandle Chamblee
How many cities would you say are on that wish list?
- [17:03]
Chris Sims
Well, let me begin by saying it's not obvious to me we should expand. I think it's likely over time we will. And the reason I say it's not obvious is because as a global business, you know, where something like 2 billion people will connect with us on social media, over a billion people over the course of the year will watch some portion of the game. Adding another US City, arguably, it's unclear how much growth we'll get as a result of that. And when you're adding expansion franchises, you're diluting their competition. Two more, let's say we expand by two teams. Two more teams that you know are going to be competing for those same players. And you're diluting your economics to the extent that we have locked in television money now for the next decade, you have two more partners. Having said that, I do believe certain markets potentially can be additive to the NBA. And that's what we're going to look at. And I think part of it is geographic. It's a big country, you know, making sure we're represented, you know, all around the country. And then over time, maybe there's more we can do in Canada. And Mexico City is a city we've talked about before. You know, I don't want to say specific cities today just because many have reached out to us to say they're interested. And I and our reaction so far has been thank you for your interest. We haven't taken any meetings with any cities. We have a board meeting in Las Vegas around the summer league in July. I know we're going to be talking about it then. I had been saying for the last several years, let us get through collective bargaining, which we did. Let us figure out our new media relationships, which we have. And that would be the time to consider it seriously. So that's what we're going to do this summer.
- [18:42]
Brandle Chamblee
But I, I'm retiring in three years. Commissioner will, I'm retiring in three years. Will we have expansion in three years?
- [18:51]
Chris Sims
I'm honestly not sure. I whether if, even if we were to announce we're engaged in a process, it's not clear to me at what moment they would start playing. But, but look, this, I don't mean to tease people with this. This is the summer we're going to look at it seriously.
- [19:07]
Brandle Chamblee
I thought you'd be a little more emotional about my retirement. I mean, it's kind of blew right past that.
- [19:13]
Chris Sims
You're like Michael Jordan. You've retired before.
- [19:17]
Brandle Chamblee
I'm not coming.
- [19:17]
Chris Sims
Not real yet.
- [19:18]
Brandle Chamblee
I'm not coming. I'm not going to play baseball. Just going to let you know, not going to let you. But hey, thanks for joining us. Have fun tonight. And thanks again.
- [19:28]
Chris Sims
Yeah, thanks, Dan.
- [19:29]
Brandle Chamblee
That's Adam Silver, NBA commissioner.
- [19:31]
Memphis Bleak
FOX Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation.
- [19:35]
Brandle Chamblee
Catch all of our shows@foxsportsradio.com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search FSR to listen live.
- [19:43]
Memphis Bleak
Hey, it's Steve Covino. 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 iHeartRadio app. Why should you listen to Covino and Rich? 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 for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved too. Take your phone calls, chop it up, as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio. Maybe the most interactive show on planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on Fox Sports radio and the iHeartradio app from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Covino and Rich wherever you get your podcast. And of course, on social media, that's Covino and Rich. Hi Zoe Saldana. Welcome to T Mobile. Here's your new iPhone 16 Pro on us. Thanks. And here's my old phone to trade in. You don't need to trade in. When you switch to T Mobile, we'll give you a new iPhone 16 Pro. Plus we'll help you pay off your old Phone up to 800 bucks and you still get to keep it. There's always a trade in. Not right now. @ T Mobile. I feel like I have to give you something in return for karma. That's okay. I don't really have much in my purse. Oh, let's see. Hand sanitizer. It's lavender. I'm good. Seriously. Let me check this pocket. Oh, mints. Really, I'm fine. Oh, I have raisins. I'm a mom. Wait, wait one sec. I've got cupcakes in the car. It's our best iPhone offer ever. Switch to T Mobile. Get a new iPhone 16 Pro with Apple Intelligence on us.
- [21:21]
Chris Sims
No trade in needed.
- [21:22]
Memphis Bleak
We'll even pay off your phone up to 800 bucks with 24 monthly bill credits.
- [21:27]
Adam Silver
New line $100 plus a month on.
- [21:29]
Memphis Bleak
Experience beyond finance agreement.
- [21:30]
Adam Silver
$999.99 and qualifying ported for well qualified plus tax and $10 connection charge payout via virtual prepaid card. Allow 15 days credits and balance due.
- [21:37]
Memphis Bleak
If you pay off early or cancel.
- [21:38]
Erica and Mila
See t mobile.com there's nothing like sinking into luxury. Annabe sofas combine ultimate comfort and design at an affordable price. Annabe has designed the only fully machine washable sofa. From top to bottom, the stain resistant performance fabric slipcovers and cloud like frame duvet can go straight into your wash. Perfect for anyone with kids, pets or anyone who loves an easy to clean spotless sofa. With a modular design and changeable slipcovers, you can customize your sofa to fit any space and style. Whether you need a single chair, loveseat or a luxuriously large sectional, Annabe has you covered. Visit washablesofas.com to upgrade your home. Sofas start at just $699 and right now you can shop up to 60% off store wide with a 30 day money back guarantee. Shop now at washablesofas.com add a little to your life. Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.
- [22:41]
Adam Silver
I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no.
- [22:56]
Memphis Bleak
Across the country, cops called this Taser the Revolution.
- [23:00]
Adam Silver
But not everyone was convinced it was that simple.
- [23:03]
Dan Flores
Cops believed everything that Taser told them.
- [23:06]
Adam Silver
From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1 Taser Incorporated.
- [23:21]
Memphis Bleak
I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really really bad.
- [23:28]
Adam Silver
Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1 Taser incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts binge episodes 1, 2 and 3 on May 21 and episodes 4, 4, 5 and 6 on June 4 ad free at Lava for Good plus on Apple Podcasts.
- [23:50]
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.
- [24:21]
Michael Kasson
I'll correct my kids now and then.
- [24:22]
Memphis Bleak
Where they'll say when cave people were here.
- [24:24]
Michael Kasson
And I'll say it seems like the.
- [24:26]
Memphis Bleak
Ice Age people that were here didn't have a real affinity for caves.
- [24:30]
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.
- [24:42]
Memphis Bleak
Listen to the American west with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app. Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [24:50]
Ja Rule
I'm Clayton English.
- [24:51]
Memphis Bleak
I'm Greg Lodd.
- [24:52]
Ja Rule
And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Sir, we are back in a big.
- [24:56]
Memphis Bleak
Way, in a very big way. Real people, real perspectives.
- [25:00]
Ja Rule
This is kind of star studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman trophy winner.
- [25:05]
Memphis Bleak
It's just the compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osbourne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher, Brent Smith from Shinedown.
- [25:23]
Ja Rule
Got be real from Cypress Hill, NHL enforcer Riley Cote, Marine Corps vet, MMA fighter Liz Caramouche.
- [25:31]
Memphis Bleak
What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. Stories matter and it brings a face to them.
- [25:36]
Ja Rule
It makes it real.
- [25:36]
Memphis Bleak
It really does. It makes it real.
- [25:39]
Ja Rule
Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs Podcast Season 2 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good plus on Apple Podcasts.
- [26:01]
Brandle Chamblee
US Open live on NBC, USA Network and Peacock, the world's best golfers taking on one of the toughest golf courses in the world. Oakmont Country Club. U. S Open starts Thursday on USA NBC and Peacock part of the broadcast team. Randall Shamblee, Golf channel lead studio analyst, joining us from Pittsburgh. The course just outside of downtown Pittsburgh. I've been describing Oakmont. I played there, I think in 2007, and they had cleared out the trees and I just remember I wanted that round to end. I wish that, I wish that, that the golf course was like 13 holes, although I got to 18 and I loved it, but I got roughed up. It's, it's not for the meek there. What's your handicap and what would you shoot on that course?
- [26:53]
Michael Kasson
Right now I'm a plus three. If I played from the tips, I'd probably shoot 80.
- [26:59]
Brandle Chamblee
Okay.
- [27:00]
Michael Kasson
I mean, Sky Sheffield, I think is a plus 11 or 12. I think I saw recently something like that. Yeah, yeah, I, I have no doubt. I, if I played from the tips, it's not that long. It's only like seven, 300 yards long and most of that is in two really long par threes and a 650 yard par five. It's not that long. It's just, I liken it to Augusta national with 5 inch rough. You know, the fairways are slopey like Augusta National. The greens are diabolical like Augusta National. But imagine playing Augusta national with 5 inch rough and by the way, 25 yard, 30 yard wide fairways. Augusta national has far wider fairways than that.
- [27:44]
Brandle Chamblee
Yeah, you can blast it at Augusta, but here, like it, you have to put it in a fairway.
- [27:49]
Michael Kasson
You do, you know, you, you go back and look at the, at the winners here. And I mean it, it is a absolute stellar driver, stellar list of winners with, with only one exception. We don't exactly have the data on Sam Parks in 1935, but every, every other winner is, is, is, is a, is a God.
- [28:10]
Brandle Chamblee
And you know, one thing when you get to these certainly a US Open course is don't make double bogeys like you're going to make bogeys. Just don't compound it by going, you know what? I think I could get out of this rough.
- [28:23]
Michael Kasson
Exactly. You know, I think Dustin made one double en route to winning there in 2016. On Hill. Didn't make any. And again, you go back and look and I mean every one of these guys from Dustin to on Hill to Ernie Ells to Larry Nelson, and that's as far back as we have data. 1983, they were all first in greens and regulation or, you know, second. I mean, they were right there. So it's very much a control golf course, but obviously it helps from a control standpoint if you're coming in with shorter irons. So it tests everything.
- [28:54]
Brandle Chamblee
Are we to the point where it's Scotty Scheffler versus the field? Have we graduated into the Tiger category?
- [29:02]
Michael Kasson
Yes. And even at Tiger's best, though, he only won what, 30, 40% of the time, so the odds were always in favor of the field. But you wouldn't pick any one, two, three or four or five players collectively to beat Scotty Scheffler, nor would you do it to beat Tiger Woods. You know, the guys that challenged Tiger woods were usually the sort of the, the middle of the road kind of guys that weren't psychologically invested in it. I wouldn't pick any other three or four or five players as a group to beat Scotty Scheffler this week.
- [29:32]
Brandle Chamblee
Okay, so if I gave you DeChambeau, Rory Rom Shoffley and Colin Morikawa, that's a great group. And I took Scheffler. Or you took Scheffler and I took those guys.
- [29:45]
Michael Kasson
Yeah, let's do that for fun.
- [29:47]
Brandle Chamblee
You're taking Scotty and I got these gun. Okay.
- [29:50]
Michael Kasson
Yeah, let's do that for fun. I, I think that'd be a fun bet. I Think that's the only way you would have a 50, 50 chance to beat Scotty this week? Of course, he could get hugely unlucky somewhere. He could end up under a lip or a bank and make a seven or an eight. That's how crazy this course is. But it's, it's unrealistic to think that those other players aren't going to have a train wreck somewhere along the line. Scotty is. I mean, this could be his 2000 US Open. He could win by double digits. He really could.
- [30:18]
Brandle Chamblee
Wow. I was watching the broadcast last night, by the way, Golf Channel Rich Lerner is the host. It, it is great. You guys do a wonderful job.
- [30:29]
Michael Kasson
Thank you. Rich is amazing.
- [30:30]
Brandle Chamblee
And what stood out was your comments about Rory McElroy, because the number of people who said to me after he won at the Masters, oh, boy, now the pressure's off. Now you're going to see Rory go out there and just, you know, take down people and. But your commentary was, I, I text Fritzi right away. I said, see if Brando will join us. Because you were pointing out something to the Contrary with Rory McElroy. And then you brought up Ben Hogan as well. So enlighten our audience on what you said last night.
- [31:05]
Michael Kasson
Yeah, I don't think that Rory's necessarily lost his form as he's lost his focus. And there is some precedent for that. You know, Ben Hogan, mind you, he was 40 when he did it, and Rory's in his mid-30s. But Ben Hogan in 1953 had never played the Open Championship. Went over and played the Open now. He won it and completed the career Grand Slam and had the best year in the history of golf to that point in major championships. And, and the idea was, that's it. He's going to go on a torrent for the next, you know, four or five years. And he had won 25% of his golf tournaments at that point in his career, and he would play 53 times after that on the PGA Tour and win just one other golf tournament, and that was six years later, 1959. He won one time after completing the career Grand Slam. So, you know, I think there's this huge sense of accomplishment. It's not unique to golf. We see it in the arts and other sports where somebody climbs that mountain and they realize, you know, they lose their focus, they lose the sort of creativity and the inspiration that it took to, to, to achieve what they did, and they struggle to find it again. And it's a very small sample size thus far. It's Just three or four tournaments for Rory, but I've never seen him play this poorly. I've never seen him look this disorganized. He's never had a tournament where he played as bad as he did at the Canadian Open his last outing. And he said it. Dan, Dan in the media center, he says he. Yeah, it's really hard for me to get out and go hit three, you know, hit balls for three or four hours, and I'm not aiming at anything. And I don't really have any long term goals anymore. And I think I said, look, if you were a coach and you had a court heard a quarterback talking like that, you'd benchy. Yeah, you can't play if you can't find the focus to play at your best. This game is really hard to play at the high level if you are focused. Nobody is talented enough without the fire, you know, burning white hot in them to compete at the highest level.
- [32:58]
Brandle Chamblee
But you can kind of see him, and you guys discussed body language when he's meeting with the media. It. It just feels different that you're almost exhaling, whereas Tiger was inhaling like he was like, yeah, I won. Okay, what's next? And. And, you know, granted, there's nobody like him, you know, even David Duvall, he got to the mountain. He's like, I think I want to come down off the mountain.
- [33:22]
Michael Kasson
Yeah.
- [33:23]
Brandle Chamblee
But understanding. And. And Rory does what I love about. He's one of my favorite interviewer interviews because he does listen to what you're asking him. And he does. He does give you something that feels like it's not robotic there, but just watching the body language.
- [33:41]
Michael Kasson
Yeah.
- [33:41]
Brandle Chamblee
Just feels like he's kind of there to, you know, be the grand master, you know, grand marshal there. Harry. Here I am.
- [33:49]
Memphis Bleak
Yeah.
- [33:50]
Brandle Chamblee
Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. And that's about it.
- [33:53]
Michael Kasson
So true. I think he's the best interview in golf. I've asked other writers who's the best interview in golf is. They all just unanimously on the men's side, say, say Rory McElroy. Nothing sated. Tiger Woods. I mean, he wanted to name all the mountains and the rivers. I think Rory is at a point in his life where he wants to enjoy his life. You know, he wants to drink some nice wine, he wants to take some trips with his buddies, he's got his fingers in a lot of pies in the, in the business world, you know, I'm pretty sure he's worth billions or on his way to being worth billions. And he's taken a leadership role in a Lot of different ventures. So I think, you know, he's just different. And I think that's one of the reasons why he's such a great interview, is because he is insightful, he is bright, he thinks about a lot of different things. I think he's got a lot of different interests. Can he find his way back to focus? I hope so, because I was joking. I mean, he was put on this earth to play golf like Leonardo da Vinci was put on this earth to paint angels. They just don't come around like Rory very often. And I'm sure he's great at all these other things, but that man was put on this earth to play some golf.
- [35:00]
Brandle Chamblee
And then Bryson DeChambeau, all of a sudden it's like a body switching movie where all of a sudden he's somebody different. He brings the US Open trophy out, letting fans touch it. We saw the Masters where he came out and embracing the crowd is this calculated.
- [35:19]
Michael Kasson
There's a, there's a lot of people that think it is calculated, but as I used to say about Phil Mickelson, it doesn't really matter whether it's calculated or not. All that matters is that people are entertained and they get the autograph and they get the exchange because sport is really about entertainment and he's great entertainment. You'd be hard pressed to find anybody more entertaining in the game of golf than Bryson. I don't know, I feel like it's sincere. I'm kind of gullible that way, Dan. I look at him, I'm like, all right, I'm buying it. I, I, he looks like a hell of a nice guy to me. He sounds like a nice guy. Maybe he's a little awkward socially amongst his peers, but right now the most, not going to say the most devastating. Scotty Scheffler's iron play is the most devastating weapon in the game. But when I watch Bryson hit driver, it reminds me of Steph Curry hitting threes. It's just, you can't do what he's doing. Like Scotty Scheffler is the best driver in the world as far as we know, because we can't, we don't have the data on Bryson on live events, but I test wise, Bryson's the best driver of the golf ball in the world and that's obviously hugely important. This week.
- [36:29]
Brandle Chamblee
We love seeing birdies, we like the roars, but we're not going to see maybe as many birdies as people would like. And there'll be criticisms that, ah, I didn't tune in to watch somebody play like I do on Saturdays here. But your thoughts on making this, you know, over par is going to win this tournament?
- [36:51]
Michael Kasson
Well, I grew up, and I always just felt like the US Open was the. The most intimidating test in golf. You know, the rough used to be the thickest, that the players face the greens the fastest and the firmest. And it was supposed to be a place where players and as you would see somebody win shooting four or five, sometimes seven over par, it was. It was a gauntlet. And the US Open became a little bit more like everybody gets a trophy and the rough's not that thick. We got graduated rough, and we're listening to the players and they complain. We do this or we do that. I feel like this one's getting back to what the US Open, it had its own identity for a long period of time. Draconian test, and I feel like that's what this is. So if you like birdies and all that and 20 under par, you're probably not going to enjoy what you're going to see the next four days. You know, talking to some of the players, talking to some of the guys that have been out there a lot, I've heard people say that it wouldn't. It's not out of the realm of posse, the possibility that double digits over par could win this week. I don't, I don't think it's going to be that high, but it could be over par because it's going to be dry until a little bit. Saturday could rain, but otherwise it's going to be dry.
- [38:01]
Brandle Chamblee
Yeah, don't put the ball above the hole on some of those screens or.
- [38:06]
Michael Kasson
Hit it in the rough.
- [38:07]
Brandle Chamblee
Oh, my God. You know, a few months back, Tiger kind of threw it out there casually that he had a setback, that he tore his Achilles. Like, that's not a. Like, oh, by the way, I had a little setback. You know, sprained ankle is a little setback. Are we going to see Tiger ever again?
- [38:25]
Michael Kasson
Every time I'm asked that question, I always say, I hope so. He was teasing me, teasing all of us in that, you know, the, the, the simulator, you know, events. His clubhead speed was getting close to 180 miles an hour. His swing was long. He was pushing off the right foot. I, I absolutely got giddy watching him. I thought, he's coming back if he could just get around Augusta or get the right week where it's hot. But the Achilles, you know, that's about a year setback or something like that. And, you know, another year older. He's going to be 50 years of age. And so, yeah, I, I could go out on a limb and say he'll never win again. And I, I have say, you know, I would love him to prove me wrong. I'd love if he won one more time. One more time. That'd be 83. And now people say he's tired of Sam's need. I disagree. But nonetheless, people say he's tied with Sam's needed 82. I say Tiger's all alone at 82 and Sam 77. But nonetheless, if he gets one more, I think that'd be one of the coolest things that ever happened in golf.
- [39:27]
Brandle Chamblee
Yet his son Charlie might win before Tiger wins.
- [39:31]
Michael Kasson
Charlie looked really good when in that.
- [39:34]
Chris Sims
That.
- [39:34]
Michael Kasson
That tournament recently. Big tournament with a great field in it. He's got a heck of a swing, too.
- [39:39]
Brandle Chamblee
Yeah, he looks like dad.
- [39:41]
Michael Kasson
He does.
- [39:41]
Brandle Chamblee
Hey, thanks for joining us as always. And we'll be watching later on.
- [39:46]
Michael Kasson
Always a pleasure, Dan. Take care.
- [39:48]
Brandle Chamblee
Brandle Chamblee.
- [39:49]
Memphis Bleak
Be sure to catch the live edition.
- [39:51]
Brandle Chamblee
Of the Dan Patrick show, weekdays at.
- [39:53]
Memphis Bleak
9Am Eastern, 6am Pacific on Fox Sports.
- [39:56]
Brandle Chamblee
Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
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Memphis Bleak
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Chris Sims
No trade in needed.
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Memphis Bleak
We'll even pay off your Phone up to 800 bucks with 24 monthly bill credits.
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Adam Silver
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- [42:00]
Adam Silver
I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no.
- [42:15]
Memphis Bleak
Across the country, cops call this Taser the Revolution.
- [42:19]
Adam Silver
But not everyone was convinced it was that simple.
- [42:22]
Memphis Bleak
Cops believed everything that Taser told them.
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Adam Silver
From Lava For Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1 Taser Incorporated.
- [42:41]
Memphis Bleak
I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really really bad.
- [42:48]
Adam Silver
Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1 Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2 and 3 on May 21 and episodes 4, 5 and 6 on June 4 ad free at Lava for Good. Plus on Apple podcasts.
- [43:09]
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.
- [43:40]
Michael Kasson
I'll correct my kids now and then.
- [43:41]
Memphis Bleak
We're the say when cave people were.
- [43:43]
Michael Kasson
Here and I'll say it seems like.
- [43:45]
Memphis Bleak
The Ice Age people that were here didn't have a real affinity for caves.
- [43:49]
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.
- [44:01]
Memphis Bleak
Listen to the American west with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [44:09]
Ja Rule
I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lod, and this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Sir, we are back in a big.
- [44:15]
Memphis Bleak
Way, in a very big way. Real people, real perspectives.
- [44:18]
Ja Rule
This is kind of star studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner.
- [44:24]
Memphis Bleak
It's just the compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne for brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote unquote drug fans. Benny the Butcher, Brent Smith from Shinedown.
- [44:42]
Ja Rule
Got be real from Cypress Hill, NHL enforcer Riley Cote, Marine Corvette, MMA fighter Liz Caramouche.
- [44:50]
Memphis Bleak
What we're doing now isn't working and.
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Brandle Chamblee
We need to change things.
- [44:53]
Memphis Bleak
Stories matter and it brings a face to them.
- [44:55]
Ja Rule
It makes it real.
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Memphis Bleak
It really does. It makes it real.
- [44:58]
Ja Rule
Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs Podcast Season 2 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good plus on Apple Podcasts.
- [45:20]
Brandle Chamblee
Chris Sims, Pro Football Talk Live co host, Football Night in America and his unbuttoned podcast. Former legendary quarterback. Just ask him. Chris Sims joining us on the program.
- [45:31]
Memphis Bleak
Wow. You don't ask me because I'm not going to say I'm a legendary quarterback. I don't know who you're getting me confused with. Maybe a legendary mouth. All right, maybe I got that. But not a legendary quarterback.
- [45:42]
Brandle Chamblee
Sorry. Speaking of legendary quarterbacks, help me understand these ratings rankings that you have. Do you have Patrick Mahomes as the fourth best quarterback going into this season?
- [45:53]
Memphis Bleak
As of right now, I do. Yeah. I mean, it's. It's not easy. First off, I think we got to talk about, when you talk about the top four quarterbacks in football right now, I would argue it's as good as the top four as we've ever had in the history of the game. Right. All in their prime, all a similar age. Right. It's hard to find ever. I know we had like Elway, Marino, Montana, right, in the mid-80s. Okay, but who was the fourth? I'm not sure we want to throw in Jim Kelly. Jim Kelly, right. But he didn't really show up until late 80s, but yeah, I hear you. That would probably be one I'm with you there. Right. You had Aikman and Steve Young and Brett Favre in the mid-90s and that crew. That crew there. Right. And. And I'm probably missing another guy that could cross over into that.
- [46:35]
Brandle Chamblee
Warren Moon.
- [46:36]
Memphis Bleak
Warren Moon, exactly. Right. Great call by you. You know, you get to the 2000s and you go, man. Brady Breeze, Brett Favre. Right, Manning. Holy crap, that was a good four. This is a Roethlisberg. Right, so this is. It's nitpicky here, but okay, give me your four.
- [46:52]
Brandle Chamblee
Give me a number one quarterback in football going into this season is Lamar Jackson.
- [46:56]
Memphis Bleak
Lamar Jackson, number one. I think when you look at it from game by game basis, consistency, playing at an extremely high level, Lamar Jackson's done that better than, than everybody in football probably over the last two years, but especially last year. And listen, I went into this thinking I was probably going to have Josh Allen number one. I really thought that. But as I started to watch film and break it down and go through it, I just went. I mean, every game, Lamar Jackson, it's great play from the pocket, it's great decisions, it's versatile throws all over the field. When nothing's there, something good still happens, right? So that's where Lamar Jackson, to me, is separating himself. But it was hard. I mean, Joe Burrow could have won the mvp. Josh Allen did win the mvp and I voted for him, just so you know that. Right. And then Mahomes, who's maybe the greatest quarterback I've ever seen in my life, or certainly in that conversation, okay, he's mastered winning. I understand that. But winning is also not just a quarterback thing. We've got a little too carried away with just giving the quarterback winning all the time. I don't love that. Now he's mastered that and he's as clutch as can be, certainly. But I think if you sat and watched film with me, especially last year and even the year before, and we went game by game and we looked at it, you'd go, yeah, Lamar Jackson's playing the position a little bit better right now. But it is tough because Mahomes, too, knows his team. He know, oh, third down. Okay, oh, wait, I could fit it in there. Oh, no, I'll just throw it in the dirt. Incomplete. My defense is awesome. It'll keep us in the game. I don't think, like, Josh Allen and Joe Burrow had that luxury. They don't have the luxury to do that. It's like, oh, no. If you don't complete that, the other team's Gonna get the ball and go down and score on you guys right now. So you got to make it happen. And so that's where it was really tough with the top form, Dan. And damn, I still can't believe I got Mahomes number four either. I'm shocked by it.
- [48:46]
Brandle Chamblee
Chris Simms, Pro Football Talk Live co host with Mike Florio, precedes this show Monday through Friday. We have tears of pressure. So levels of pressure and level one, we had Ravens on there, had the Bills on there. Anybody else, any other team or player that you would like to put on that list? Are the Lions on that tier one, level one pressure?
- [49:13]
Memphis Bleak
I don't know if I'm going to put it there. Their expectations are high, but I think it's a little different than maybe some of the ones you just talked about. I think Miami Dolphins have some pressure. I do. You know, there's a lot of talk about they can never win tough, physical games. Are they gritty enough, all of that. Right.
- [49:30]
Brandle Chamblee
Coaches under pressure.
- [49:31]
Memphis Bleak
The coach is under pressure. I feel like two is under pressure.
- [49:34]
Brandle Chamblee
But he's still got that contract. He's got that contract.
- [49:37]
Memphis Bleak
No, I know, but at some point you got to start, you got to start putting it up. But I think that would be just another team I would throw in that conversation. Steelers, I think, probably get in that conversation now, especially with Aaron Rodgers, because the coach, the quarterback, they haven't won a playoff game and who knows how long I throw them in there with it. Dak Prescott would probably be the guy I would put in say, I don't think there's more pressure than anybody in football than Dak Prescott. In my opinion, you're the highest paid quarterback in the league. I don't think you're one of the top 10 quarterbacks in football. I don't think a lot of people would think You're a top 10 quarterback in football. Right. They haven't had playoff results there or anything as well. So I look at Dak Prescott to be one of the guys I would say is under maybe the most pressure out of anybody in football. Wow. Yeah.
- [50:19]
Brandle Chamblee
But the over under seven and a half wins, there's no expectations on them.
- [50:24]
Memphis Bleak
I, I, I, I get it, but that's what I don't understand is like sometimes, sometimes quarterbacks get expectations about who you are and what you are and you got to carry the team. And here we go, the highest paid guy and we're just like, ah, we don't expect anything from you. And that doesn't make sense, not to me. At least. And I do think the team is a little more talented than the public is giving it credit for. I do. I, I look at them and I think they're one of those teams that could be a surprise playoff team. There's not a whole lot of weakness with their roster. But again, the play has not been stellar. The results have not been stellar. The most stellar thing the last few years has been the amount of zeros on his contract. And I think some, you got to start justifying some of that, too. Trevor Lawrence, I throw in that book there, too. Dan.
- [51:05]
Brandle Chamblee
Yeah, I was going to put him second level. I would put Jordan Love in there at second level. Pressure. I put J.J. mcCarthy in there. Like, there's pressure because this a team that was great. Your quarterback is gone and they, they passed on Aaron Rodgers. You got the best receiver in football. You got a great, great head coach. So I. We want to see, we want to see what J.J. mcCarthy is all about.
- [51:34]
Memphis Bleak
Right? Right. I think so, too. I'm with you there, too. A ton of pressure on him. I think that's why they forwarded with Aaron Rodgers a little bit early in the offseason because of all the things you're talking about. They're looking at it going, I think we're kind of in the super bowl window. And I go, yeah, I agree. The team itself, when you take the other 52 guys, you go, oh, damn, the Vikings are good and they made themselves better this offseason. But the quarterback is the question mark. Right? And we'll see. I think they like him. He fits, I think what they. And how they want to play there. He has played pro style football. Right. Playing in Michigan where it's Jim Harbaugh and you might go five, eight, throw eight plays in a row where you don't throw the ball. Then all of a sudden it's like, hey, you got to make a big throw for us. We didn't get in rhythm, but now throw a bullseye 25 yards down the field. He did that consistently. But I'm with you. There is a lot of pressure on him.
- [52:22]
Brandle Chamblee
What are the Steelers getting on the field with Aaron Rodgers?
- [52:26]
Memphis Bleak
They're getting something better than I thought I was going to see. Getting back to my quarterback rankings and a little bit with Rogers. He was one of my pleasant surprises when I went back and watched, I think the second half of the year, when he finally accepted who he was and what he was capable of, I thought more times than not the games are pretty damn good. I think once he realized he can't move around. He's not going to be able to make magic happen anymore. Those days are done. You're confined to the pocket, right? And within that. Stayed in the pocket last year and was aggressive throwing the ball down the field late in the year. That, to me, was the encouraging thing because that's been my number one knock on him the last three or four years. Not aggressive enough. Not playing to win, Playing more than not to lose, instead of going to get the game and winning it and taking it by the reins. The Steelers offense has not been good for the last few years. They've been hampered by quarterback play where, yeah, defenses, they kind of know what to expect from their offense. It's not creative. They've had quarterbacks that don't know how to use the whole field with how they throw the football. I think Aaron Rodgers is going to bring that to the table. I think their whole line's in a good spot. I think the Steelers are breaking molds a little bit, bringing DK Metcalf in, paying him what they had. That's not a usual type of business type of thing from them. I think they realize that the good teams in football are aggressive right now and they got to do that. They put himself in a little bit of a bad spot with the quarterback situation with Rodgers and basically being desperate for him, but he's going to make them at least capable of winning a playoff game if they can get there.
- [53:58]
Brandle Chamblee
I think Joe Burrow's going to shoulder a little extra pressure because he went out on a limb. He went to management. He said, I gotta have these guys now. He didn't get Trey Hendrickson, at least not yet. But, you know, the Bengals reputation kind of precedes them. Yeah, you got to have some defense here because you're not going to win that many shootouts in the NFL.
- [54:21]
Memphis Bleak
No, no, it's tough to do that now. He's special enough to where I think you'd probably be with me and I know people that I do football at night. America. Jason Garrett, Devin McCourty. I mean, at the end of the year last year, we were all like, oh, my gosh, if the Bengals get in the playoffs, they might go to the Super Bowl. With how he played and did all that, I love Joe Burrow that he keeps the pressure on the organization. He has to. He's got to continue. The Bengals just can't get out of their own way. I mean, they messed up last offseason, and here they are trying to mess it all up once again, and it's just, it's incredible. They're in a window with the best player they've had in the franchise history. Joe Burrow is by far the biggest thing that's ever happened to the Cincinnati Bengals. And that's not taking anything away from awesome Boomer Esiason and everybody else that's been there. But Burrow, as you know, is a superstar. He's an international superstar. He's one of the best quarterbacks in football. That's not even close. And I love the comments he made about Trey Henderson. I hope he continues to say things like that. Them doing what they're doing with Trey Hendrickson, what they're doing with their first round pick, Shemar Stewart, who's a raw freak of nature athlete who would benefit from learning from Trey Hendrickson and getting his game because they're going to need him to play right away. They're hurting both players right now by screwing up the Shemar Stewart contract situation and not having him out there. And the Trey Hendrickson one. I just don't understand it.
- [55:43]
Brandle Chamblee
Your alma mater, Texas, of course, has Arch Manning there. And I'm wondering, the Saints right now, DraftKings has them as the team with the second fewest wins this upcoming season.
- [55:55]
Memphis Bleak
Yeah.
- [55:55]
Brandle Chamblee
Let's say they have the worst record in football. They're on the clock. And Arch Manning, that's his hometown team. And do you think that would be enough for him to leave when it felt like he was going to probably be there for two years at Texas?
- [56:12]
Memphis Bleak
I don't know. They're a smart family. They're not going to chase pipe dreams. We know that. Even though it'd be really cool to say, man, Archie Manning's playing quarterback for the same team as, you know, the other Archie Manning played for his grandfather. That would be amazing. But I also, I think they're, they're into their education, the Manning family, they're into making sure we get enough reps at the college level to make sure when we get to the NFL, we're ready to go. So I don't think they'll be rushed by any type of scenario. Right. If they feel like Arch is really ready and he's polished and ready to go, then I'm sure they'll send him out in the draft. But if they're like, hey, you only get to go to college once. There's a few things you need to work on here. You want to win a national championship? I certainly, I expect them to be there two years. I do. And I'm expecting big things from him. You know, but I do love him and I think he's in that conversation of what you're talking about. One of the top quarterbacks in football this year, along with that Nussmeier kid at lsu. I look at him and go, man, I think he's got some talent as well. It'll be interesting to see how it.
- [57:11]
Brandle Chamblee
All shakes out in two years. Will Arch Manning be the first quarterback taken?
- [57:16]
Memphis Bleak
I would say so. I would say so, yes. That's where I would. I expect them to stay this year. Get the experience. Texas dominates college football. Right. And hopefully he comes back and we dominate football one more time. On top of that, and we just remind everybody who the Longhorns are.
- [57:33]
Brandle Chamblee
Where are you in the all time list for touchdown passes at Texas?
- [57:37]
Memphis Bleak
Man, I want to say I'm top five. I don't. Quinn Ewers, I think, just passed me up in some ways or whatever.
- [57:46]
Brandle Chamblee
Major Apple White, number one on that list.
- [57:49]
Memphis Bleak
I don't know if he's number one, but I think he's a little above me as far as touchdowns are concerned.
- [57:53]
Brandle Chamblee
Yes, Paulie.
- [57:54]
Memphis Bleak
So number five is Chris Simms with 58.
- [57:56]
Michael Kasson
Number four is Major Applewhite with 60. Quinn Ewers, 68.
- [58:00]
Memphis Bleak
In the third spot, Sam Erlinger, 94 touchdown pass. Yeah, all those. Right. I think if you took my rushing touchdowns, I'd probably pass up major applewhite.
- [58:10]
Michael Kasson
Colt McCoy, 112.
- [58:11]
Memphis Bleak
Oh, yeah, that's right.
- [58:12]
Brandle Chamblee
Colt McCoy.
- [58:14]
Memphis Bleak
Well, what did Vince Young have? What did he have? I mean, 40.
- [58:18]
Brandle Chamblee
Yeah.
- [58:18]
Memphis Bleak
Damn. I felt like he had 100 touchdowns just in that one season. Holy crap.
- [58:22]
Brandle Chamblee
Against USC.
- [58:23]
Memphis Bleak
Exactly. Right. But. But yeah, it's. It's. It's one of the. Hey, listen, I'm proud of my time at Texas. We didn't win a national championship, but we had a good run and that was a damn good team we were on.
- [58:33]
Brandle Chamblee
And you got paid and you showed up in a limo the first day.
- [58:37]
Memphis Bleak
Yeah. And you're a jerk. And that's not exactly how it went down.
- [58:40]
Brandle Chamblee
Did you show up in a limo?
- [58:42]
Memphis Bleak
No, I did not. I showed up in a bus that said limo bus. Okay, but it was a bus.
- [58:47]
Brandle Chamblee
All right, so. So was it a party bus?
- [58:50]
Memphis Bleak
It was. It was like we had to rent something from the hotel and it was like one of those party buses that said limo bus on the side and just the older guys on the team just took that and ran with it. And I can never fight it off.
- [59:03]
Brandle Chamblee
For as long as I live in a stripper pole in the party bus.
- [59:07]
Memphis Bleak
It wasn't there. It wasn't there. I've seen a few of those polls in my day, but it wasn't in that bus. All right.
- [59:12]
Brandle Chamblee
Thank you, Chris, Always. And that's Chris Sims.
- [59:15]
Memphis Bleak
What up, y' all? This your main man, Memphis Bleak, right here. Host the Rock Solid Podcast.
- [59:19]
Ja Rule
June is Black Music Month, so what.
- [59:21]
Memphis Bleak
Better way to celebrate than listening to.
- [59:23]
Ja Rule
My exclusive conversation with my bro, Ja Rule? The one thing they can't stop you or take away from you is knowledge. So whatever I went to through while I was down in prison for two years through that process, learn, learn from. Check out this exclusive episode with Ja Rule on Rock Solid.
- [59:40]
Memphis Bleak
Open your free iHeartRadio app, search rock.
- [59:43]
Ja Rule
Solid and listen now.
- [59:45]
Dan Flores
Why is a soap opera western like Yellowstone so wildly successful? The American west with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. 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.
- [60:08]
Memphis Bleak
Listen to the American west with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [60:16]
Adam Silver
I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season one, Taser Incorporated.
- [60:32]
Memphis Bleak
I get right back there and it's bad.
- [60:35]
Adam Silver
Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [60:45]
Ja Rule
I'm Clayton English.
- [60:46]
Memphis Bleak
I'm Greg Lodd.
- [60:47]
Ja Rule
And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast, sir.
- [60:50]
Memphis Bleak
Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports, this kind.
- [60:57]
Ja Rule
Of star studded a little bit, man.
- [60:59]
Memphis Bleak
We met them at their homes. We met them at their recording studios. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them.
- [61:04]
Ja Rule
It makes it real.
- [61:05]
Memphis Bleak
It really does. It makes it real.
- [61:07]
Ja Rule
Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs Podcast Season 2 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
- [61:16]
Erica and Mila
The OGs of Uncensored Motherhood are back and badder than ever. I'm Erica. And I'm Mila. And we're the hosts of the Good Moms Bad Choices podcast, brought to you by the Black Effect Podcast Network every Wednesday. Yeah, we're moms, but not your mommy. Historically, men talk too much and women have quietly listened. And all that stops here. If you like witty women, then this is your choice. Listen to the Good Mom's Bad Choices podcast every Wednesday on the Black Effect podcast network, the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you go to find your podcast.
- [61:46]
Memphis Bleak
This is an iHeart podcast.