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The Pat McAfee Show
PMS 2.0 1323 - Masters Overreaction Monday, Chris Solomon of No Laying Up, Ian Rapoport, Josh Pate, Alexander Ovechkin, Western Michigan Head Hockey Coach Pat Ferschweiler, Darius Butler, & AJ Hawk
02:39:57
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- [00:01]
Pat McAfee
Welcome to the Pat McAfee Show. I'm obviously not Pat McAfee. He joins us via Sacramento. Cannot wait for that. Monday, April 14, starts now. Sports.
- [00:15]
AJ Hawk
Nailed it. You nailed it. You absolutely nailed it, A.J. well, feels like the timing was good. Feels like the boys look good. Feels like sports are awesome. Especially on this magical post. Masters overreaction Monday. AJ Golf was fantastic this weekend. I assume you spent the weekend like the rest of us, either gathering your children or your family and then peeking up at the television and realizing that the Masters leaderboard was that of legends, was that of dreams. Everything we could have hoped for the Masters to be this past weekend, it was AJ Hawkins. I am live here in Sacramento, California. Beautiful arena. Brand new arena. Brand new arena. The road to Wrestlemania continues tonight on Raw. But nonetheless, the Masters this weekend was spectacular. Aj, I assume you watched it, as.
- [01:04]
Pat McAfee
Did I. Yeah, I think everybody had to be. I mean, even if you're not a golf fan, you kind of had to be captivated by this whole situation. I'm sitting there watching, like you said. I had all my kids rounded around. They're sitting there and we're watching, and they just didn't understand, I guess, the magnitude of every single putt. They'd see like a three foot putt, like, what do you mean? That's easy putt. Anyone can make that. And I'm saying, this is not. Guys. You guys do not understand golf. Like, like people do. This place is Augusta. That looks like there was glass. Like, every single green seemed like, how do you ever hold a ball? How does anything ever stop? And I feel like, Todd, what'd you think when Rory hit that ball? What was it where he hit the ball that they called it, like an egregious mistake, I guess, when he hit it in the water, when he. On a short little chip shot on the back nine. He hits in the water, and people think this is the one thing you can't do. And somehow Rory finds a way. Yeah, I mean, I think everyone just thought, like, here we go again, you know, like, that a lot of people really like Rory. But it's also kind of. I don't want to say it's fun to watch someone who clearly, like, has issues at a gut.
- [02:01]
AJ Hawk
I haven't spoke into the mic in.
- [02:03]
Pat McAfee
Program, but, like, it just. I mean, I. I think you just assumed, like, here we go again. He's. He's gon. He had such a massive lead. Thought he was just gonna, you know, kind of wither away. A couple other people behind him were starting to come on hot. And then it was just like, I don't know, it was crazy. He hit some of the. Maybe the worst shots of his career down. This right here is the all time shots. Yeah. Followed by maybe like the four best shots of his career. So, yeah, I mean, it was an incredible weekend all around. Con man, when you watch Rory, are you. Do you have any vested interest when you watch any kind of golf?
- [02:32]
AJ Hawk
Con man, I think.
- [02:33]
Pat McAfee
Pat, we finally got you back in here. As we watched this, this shot on 15th that, that Rory hit, I think captivated everyone. Pat, this thing was unbelievable. Absolutely.
- [02:41]
AJ Hawk
I have no idea if you can.
- [02:42]
Pat McAfee
Hear me at all. We're picking you up in the background.
- [02:46]
AJ Hawk
Can you hear me now?
- [02:48]
Pat McAfee
Here we go.
- [02:48]
AJ Hawk
Okay, that's 100 on me. Okay, so 13th. Whenever he goes into water, all hell breaks up loose. Oh, my God. Here's Rory McElroy doing Rory McElroy again. Oh. Anybody that's followed golf for, you know, an extended period of time since Rory has kind of come into this entire thing, we saw him come in to the golf world. Incredibly hot. Holy hell. This is the new guy. He had sweet hair, you know, he was in a relationship. He breaks up, gets out of his relationship, becomes single, goes on to become the number one golfer in the world. This is going to be the next guy. Then a drought came. Oh, my God. This guy can't win it. Including one at the Masters over a decade ago. We're on the 10th tee. He had the lead, and he shanked it so bad into a house directly to the left that whatever you tee off there, even if it's not during the tournament, they go. You can't hit it worse than Rory hit it here. Whenever he was going to win the Masters, and everybody just thought Rory was maybe going to crumble. There's no way Rory is going to be able to finish it. Even though it felt like a different Rory McElroy, it felt like Rory McIlroy could possibly. Rory McIlroy at any given moment. Every single tee box, every single chip, even the short putt that he missed on 18. Oh, no, here it is. He. This is going to be how it all ends for Rory. Instead, he steps on it in extra holes. He ends. Yeah, this one. Oh, no. Oh, no. This is. It's going to happen. Rory McElroy is going to blow it again. Justin Rose just buried a massive putt. Justin Rose is hot going into overtime. Rory McElroy's ice cold. Rory chips that thing to about three feet, cements himself as a grand Slam champion with that shot right there. And I think we're all incredibly happy for him. We'll be talking to Solly of no laying up here in a matter of moments about how the golf world has responded to this. But whenever you see him react that way, it was very evident that about a billion pounds of pressure was lifted off of his shoulders. This guy was never going to be able to win the Masters, maybe never even win a big one again. And whenever he pulls it off in extra holes and everybody celebrates with him, it's a beautiful thing. Now I will say shout out to. To D. Sham bro, representing for most of the weekend now, not on Sunday, but through Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Absolutely doing his thing. And let's go to our live golf super fan, Darius J. Butler. What were your thoughts on what happened on Sunday, and what are your thoughts on Rory McIlroy finally conquering a mountain that nobody thought he'd be able to conquer?
- [05:14]
Pat McAfee
I mean, it was absolute cinema. You mentioned, Liv. Everybody thought coming into it, it was going to be a battle between those two guys at the top, Rory and Bryson. Like you said, Bryson had a tough Sunday, but to see Rory and, like, the mental toughness he had, like, not only Sunday, but throughout the whole tournament. I think he's the first Masters winner that had four double bogeys throughout the weekend, throughout the week, week in total. So that was incredible. Then, obviously we talked about the missed punt on 18. For him to sit there and wait on the 18th hole for Justin Ro and then have to play it all over and then get it done. Like that second shot to put it for that tap in. That was incredible. So, like, the mental toughness, the bounce back. So it was just rose, that long birdie putt he made on 18 to get him in the playoff. Patrick Reed made a run. Scotty had a decent. He almost got in there. So it was just absolute cinema. The whole Sunday, the Masters kind of never. I'm pissed off. I haven't been watching this shit my whole life. This is only like, my third. I think I saw Ron winner. I saw Scottie win it. And now seeing Rory and you mentioned, like, the emotions, you know, I'm not the biggest Rory guy, especially once Liv came how he was. But he's kind of got back out of that. Guess a little more of my good graces, but just see the emotions, the weight lifted off him. Enjoying it with his friends, with his family, and just kind of the whole sports world coming together and kind of just congratulating him, patting on the back to get this career Grand Slam, which is he's like the sixth golfer ever, right, to get on this list. So just absolutely incredible stuff from. From the Masters. And obviously for Rory, that's where he.
- [06:44]
AJ Hawk
Was supposed to be, you know, on the list of six greatest golfers of all time, especially, you know, in tone, you might know a little better than me, but it feels like Rory was supposed to be a guy that he couldn't keep up, you know, and then Spieth was supposed to be a guy and then couldn't keep up with the pace. Brooks was going to be the guy, but then Brooks only really started caring only about majors. And, you know, then he disappears ever to live taking a couple hundred million dollars. You do what you got to do. Rambo was supposed to be the guy. Same situation Tiger was really the guy for. So everybody was trying to see who was next, who was next, who was next. Then the original Rory Nike commercials were like him as a kid, practicing the fist pumps as if he wanted to be Tiger coming out of Northern Ireland. This is going to be a lad of the lads. He's going to be the one. And for him to finally get on this list that I assume he has thought about on a very regular basis, him walking through the champions locker room after getting the win and just, you know, kind of eyeballing all the different winners. And I assume there's a lot of golfers on there that he thinks are crop golfers that have won the Masters, like snuck. And by crop, you know what I mean, in comparison to what Rory is. But finally his name is etched where it's supposed to be as a Grand Slam champion, obviously going to be one of the goats no matter what. But him being able to say that he won the Masters and then he finally got this, you know, this orangutan off of his back tone felt good for Rory. What were the odds on him all weekend? And how many people you think hammered Rory McIlroy to fail yesterday like he had done so many times in the past?
- [08:16]
Pat McAfee
The odds. Scotty was the favorite, and Rory was the second odds on favorite to win this tournament. Now, after the opening round, Rory and Scotty were basically the same. Rory, I believe was -220 coming into Sunday to win that one with the lead that he had. So the odds makers believed he could get it done. But I assume there were a lot of people sprinkling bets on other guys to get this done because of Rory's history in the last 10 years. And like you said, yeah, after Tiger, Rory was supposed to be Tiger now, that's almost. It's incredibly impossible to live up to. But for the first, for the beginning of his career, he did like those first four majors. He was so young. I looked it up yesterday. So Tiger in the early 2000s, there was only one other guy that was ranked number one in the world during that time, and it was Vijay Singh. And then in the 2010s, after Tiger, Rory led the most weeks at number one.
- [09:06]
AJ Hawk
So he kind of.
- [09:06]
Pat McAfee
He was the guy after Tiger. But. But, you know, after those first four majors and he had his. He had the Rory video game. After Tiger had the video game, there's only two guys that have done that. So he did have the torch. But then you talked about it where he just had all these second place finishes and heartbreak at all these majors, especially the Masters, and all those other guys up there on the list that have won the Grand Slam. No other guy took more than three times to add an event to finally get the Grand Slam. It took Rory 11 times. So just like all that heartbreak and all that waiting over years and years and years, and you talked about the weight, it just kept getting more and more and after. But so to finally see it get done yesterday was. It was really cool to see.
- [09:44]
AJ Hawk
Scary. When he bogeys. Oh, my 18. I mean, I was so worried for him. I'm like, oh, no.
- [09:51]
Pat McAfee
How about when he saw his daughter and his wife Pat, after? They're standing there ready to celebrate. Hey, we just won the Masters and he has to go hit another. He knows he's going to a playoff hole and he's like, oh, hey, how about this one right here? Quick little hugging kiss here.
- [10:05]
AJ Hawk
How about this one right here? I mean, this is what, a foot and a half? I mean, I didn't feel like 45. You know, let's focus in here. Roy. You know, he gave a little speech to himself because there was somebody earlier in the week that missed the cut, I believe, from missing a two foot tap in that kind of powered it through. So him being able to regather himself to get to the playoff hole to do this. Ty Schmidt, to do this right in front of Justin Rose. Justin Rose had a great shot in. I mean, that was a great shot. Yeah, both of them had stupendous drives as well. That's a tight gallery there on that particular hole. I mean, it is long and tight in there. And both of them hit magnetic draws. I'm sorry, a little fade there and then for him to be able to put it home and win. Good For Rory, just to make himself go through a little. Rory McIlroy One last time, Ty.
- [10:57]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, without a doubt. And we talk like, you talk about the mental toughness like that he said, I think he had 2 yards fewer than his shot on 18, and, like, trying not to replay that in your head. Like, hey, on 18, initially, all he had to do was hit it on the green. You hit it on the green, and you. You know, you two putt from there, and he wins. And inexplicably, you know, he dunk. He goes into the bunker, and then it's like, okay, here we go again. And then for him to stick it in there that close, and then on top of it, it's just. It's so cool to watch him, because everyone knows about Rory's talent, obviously, if you've been watching golf for a long time. But over the last several years, with the PGA and live stuff, when. Whether he wanted it or not, the PGA kind of, like, almost made him, like, a figurehead and a politician. It's like, hey, we need you to kind of be the torch bearer. And, you know, I think that kind of turned a lot of people away from Rory, and it kind of, you know, it made people want to see Rory, you know, play like.
- [11:49]
AJ Hawk
And.
- [11:49]
Pat McAfee
And ultimately maybe, like, lose something like this. But it's just like the. The. The roller coaster that he takes you on and around. Like, I. I just. There are so few guys left like that anymore, and he. To win this year when he. He arguably did it against, you know, what, maybe the toughest field in, like, the history of the Masters, like, these guys are just getting better and better. And for him, you know, I mean, to have the mental toughness to. Because he could have. He could have just absolutely crumbled, especially the way Justin times. Yeah, he could have packed it. And then when Justin Rose played the way he did down the stretch, it's like this guy's got all the momentum and then Ferrari to stick it in there from, you know, two feet on. On the. The first playoff hole. It was just. It was incredible.
- [12:31]
AJ Hawk
Yeah, I. I thank Augusta and the Masters for just providing something. It feels like the whole world watches but is impossible to find. You know, they'll be golfing. I'll see some highlights on social media of something happening. And it's like, well, where is this? Where's this at? Oh, it's. It's on Paramount plus it's on the ESPN plus it is. Where the hell is this thing? And then even on Sunday, it didn't even start until like 2:00 or something. But though a lot of these channels do, you know, interesting little moves like the Golf Channel or even espn, they'll show, like other Masters stuff, and they'll keep the sound in the background as if it is the Masters, so they can kind of steal kind of your view. And then when you look up, it's like, well, what? We're not on the map. This isn't the Master. Where's the master? And then you start scanning through and it's like, well, it's not on TV for. Until 3:00. 3:00. Where am I supposed to go to? Well, you got to download the Paramount plus. The Paramount. What is it? The Masters app. Does my TV do that? Does my. Can my. I don't. Maybe my TV isn't as smart as everybody else's tv. It was hard to find for a little bit, but, boy, whenever that thing came on, it was must watch. Thank you to the golfers for the electrifying weekend, and thank you to Augusta for the whole no cell phone thing. Still being a thing that's so cool to see. It's like you're watching like a documentary on something that happened 100 years ago. Whenever you see that crowd, that big crowd was huge, gigantic crowds. Weather was beautiful. Remember in years past, there'd been some rain maybe, so maybe that scared some people away. Feels like the weather was perfect down in Augusta, Georgia all weekend. So the crowds were gigantic. Not a single cell phone in the sky. Everybody taking it in. Celebrities acting just as everybody else has. Regular ass patrons. It's like. Like it's one. Look at that in the background. Just. It feels like you're watching something from the 1920s, the 1910s, and everybody just clapping and enjoying the moment. And obviously it was Rory's moment, but I think we should get down there someday to the Master. I don't know. How did you buy your way into that?
- [14:44]
Pat McAfee
Or how do you think we can broadcast down there? Maybe pick up maybe a Thursday, Friday round?
- [14:48]
AJ Hawk
Chance I'll tell you this, A.J. it felt like ESPN had a pretty good batch of land down there in Augusta. I don't know if we're ever cracking into any of that, brother. I don't know. I don't know. Bro culture, you know, the bro culture. Not that, you know, bros like sports or anything like that, but I think we would potentially have to be fully suited and booted if we went down there. And we definitely do that hopefully next year before we get back to golf conversation with a Man who knows golf much better than we do. An old Solly Solomon from no Laying up couple big NFL news. Obviously there was a couple big deals that took place. Congrats to the lads. Signing massive deals. But there was one deal that wasn't done that we haven't talked about yet. TJ Watt chucking the deuces up on his IG story. AJ have we got any update? Have you heard any update on what the hell is going on over in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania?
- [15:48]
Pat McAfee
Tone, I'd love to hear what you have heard from your insiders, but from everything we know, they're at a standstill. That's all I've heard. I've heard that word standstill a few times, Tone. What does that mean? Yeah, I mean, everything I have seen on the Internet is that TJ in the contract talks is not going great right now. He wants more. Have they ever been close? Like, do we know even the parameters are. Have they, well, potentially anything? The rumor is he wants more than. Than Miles Garrett. And it feels like the Steelers, you know, potentially don't want to go. They didn't think it would be that high. But that's kind of what you get for. For waiting on these deals. Because if, you know, if it would have got done earlier, maybe the number wouldn't have been 40. But no, this was concerning it. Like, last time, you know, TJ had his contract talks and he kicked the door down. He said, hey, agents, I'm getting this done. I need to play football. There was none of this that happened. So it feels. It feels different this time. It's a bit worrisome. I don't know what the future is going to be. I don't know if they. They are going to get a deal done. He's got. I mean, he's got one year left. Would he. What do you hold out that last time he got a contract, he didn't go to training camp or he didn't participate in training camp until he got his contract done. So it's definitely something to watch right now. It's interesting and I don't love it. I don't love it, if we're being honest.
- [16:55]
AJ Hawk
Okay, so let's talk about another Pittsburgh Steeler. Ben Roethlisberger, last week on his Footballin with Ben podcast that I was very lucky to be a guest of. Whee. Wheat. Hey. Hi. Yeah, we filmed that in his basement. Ben Roethlisberger's basement. Nicest house I've ever been in in my entire life. Nicest house.
- [17:17]
Pat McAfee
I've heard some crazy Amazing. Like, not only big, but like, just really cool features too that like, you would love.
- [17:23]
AJ Hawk
Oh, secret passages, tunnels underneath.
- [17:28]
Pat McAfee
Yeah. Connecting places.
- [17:29]
AJ Hawk
I don't, I don't know about any of that. A.J.
- [17:32]
Pat McAfee
That you could put his family in or something.
- [17:35]
AJ Hawk
I assume he has a bunker. I think there's a. A horse farm there. But he, he had these stairs. It felt like we're in a castle. We go down and there's a, like a cigar room that has a Braveheart sword and axe up on the wall, little candle fire. Like, I mean, it was huge space too. They had to dig into a hole. I. I don't have gigantic. Then we go and do the entire podcast. He was chit chatting about the Aaron Rodgers situation and he said, how come nobody's mentioned this little tidbit or I.
- [18:07]
Pat McAfee
Think there might be. Is there a wild card team out.
- [18:09]
AJ Hawk
There that nobody's talking?
- [18:10]
Pat McAfee
Is there a wild card team out there that's like, oh, wow. Like, maybe there's a quarterback out there and I'm gonna mention any names who maybe has a subtle injury that people don't know about. A starting quarterback on a team out there that has an injury that people don't know about. And maybe he's waiting.
- [18:26]
AJ Hawk
Okay. Okay. So Big Ben Roethlisberger says maybe I don't want to mention any names. Feels like he might have knew. Then over the weekend, we get the news. Derek Carr, quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. He's dealing with a shoulder injury that threatens his availability for this season. Sources say we'll be talking to rapoport in about 10 minutes or so. Are the New Orleans Saints in conversations with Aaron Rodgers? And first of all, Derek Carr. Godspeed, brother. So sorry to hear that. That absolutely sucks. It feels like the Saints had decided Derek Carr was going to be their quarterback. Maybe now they're looking in to this rookie draft class. But an injury to his shoulder is potentially going to keep him out of next season. This is something like, I arrived at training camp and I was called down to the training room. I got down there, Peyton Manning had a bunch of wires out of his neck. Okay. Peyton's neck has not been healed. He's going to need more surgery or more procedure, whatever the case is. And I immediately knew I did not prepare enough to punt. As many times as we were going to punt that season, we would then almost go completely defeated, but nobody really knew how severe that injury was. Off season injuries don't have to be reported. Are the Saints I and Aaron Rodgers, A.J. hawk. Is that something that's happening right now.
- [19:48]
Pat McAfee
When I first heard this whole thing with Carr getting hurt, that's what I thought. I'm like, would the. Do the Saints want Aaron? Would Aaron want to go there? And I don't know. I don't have any answers for you, but I think any place like this to where a quarterback job becomes open because a veteran guy goes down, you're going to have to ask if Aaron's not signed somewhere, like, is this the team that would go after Aaron and would he want to be there? It wouldn't be a terrible situation. They got some good players. Yeah, they got. What do you think? Got Kamara back there. You got Rashid Shahid. Obviously Chris Olave is a dynamic weapon when he's healthy and he's out there, but this is a wild, wild situation. Obviously Big Ben knew for sure. But then you also look at the quarterback position for Aaron Rodgers. Okay. NFC south or AFC north, you know, we're all expecting this Pittsburgh or possibly New Orleans Saints. So what's the best path to the playoffs? And then obviously this makes the draft and where the Saints are picking at number nine much, much more interesting, especially for those teams up at the top. Maybe they can trade back the teams that don't need a quarterback and the Saints jump up. So this was wild though. You mentioned Peyton. We kind of had a similar situation with Andrew Luck coming in and that's always a shock kind of to the locker room, to the fan base when you're going into a season at this offseason point in time when teams report and you get a big news like that, especially from your franchise quarterback or the guy you're expecting to be your starting quarterback for that season. So this is huge, huge NFL news right now.
- [21:11]
AJ Hawk
Oh, oh.
- [21:14]
Pat McAfee
They might have muted you. Oh, look, we think we could read his lips. Think we could do it? There's videos in the Internet. Try to figure it out, see what he's saying. The thing is here, like you guys talked about it with the. The draft now the Saints are now the favorite to take Shadur at 9. Yeah. How long did the Saints know that Derek was been hurt?
- [21:33]
AJ Hawk
Like did.
- [21:33]
Pat McAfee
Did this. Do you think something popped up in a workout or is this something he's been thought he could get get through probably a while. Like if Pat mentioned it, you don't have to be. Yeah, exactly. If you don't have report, you know, offseason injuries, I think you can make the assumption they've known for quite some time and I feel like they've kind of been in most of the quarterback conversations when it comes to, you know, the rookie class, not so much like Rogers and Russell Wilson and stuff like that, but you can make the assumption they've always known like, hey, we need to address the QB situation. And they're, you know, still what, 50, how many million dead in. In the cap or whatever. Like their cap situation has been shit for so long that it feels like it's inevitable that they were eventually going to have to take quarterback. Yeah. Because they weren't gung ho on. On car going into this season anyway. Like, we were, we were talking about like, hey, are they going to get rid of him with Kellen Moore coming in? And then it was like, no, they're going to stick with him. So I'm sure they've been kicking the tires on, on everyone. But you also wonder. I mean, I don't think it's a guarantee that they would be picking at the top. But like, if you're going to draft the quarterback at nine this year, if Carr is out for the whole year and you have to start, you know, Spencer Rattler or whatever, like there's a chance you get the first overall pick next year, you know. So is it like. It's one of those things where. How do you balance that? Yeah, that's another good point too, with. I kind of completely forgot about Kelly Moe being the head coach now. So now do you. You probably. My preference would be if I'm Kelly Moe, probably to go and get my own young quarterback. Exactly. Like you mentioned, either this year or next year in the draft. Maybe it's his arch. Maybe he goes, I don't think his grandpa's let him go play for the Saints just based on how it went for old Archie. But I mean, there's a boy who loves GATA in that area. I think that they kind of look to good old Jackson Dart. I think he's got a lot of fans down there in that area. I mean, Ole Miss boy. Right. I assume a lot of Mississippi, you know, people are fans of the New Orleans Saints just because, you know, of course it's close to it, but also there isn't a professional team in Mississippi. So Jackson Dart feels like the guy that's been climbing while Shedeur is the one that's been maybe dropping a little bit. Even though Shador has said, you know, don't believe what the media says. Yeah. Who do we. We can't believe. We can't believe anything that's happening right now. But I guess it does really change. It's Amazing. What I mean, anything else like this thing comes up between now, today and the draft. Any other bombshell, injuries or trades or something? Not trades, but I think on the draft, I don't know about. Yeah, because like the Patriots, like Debug mentioned, if they're going to trade up, like, I don't think the Patriots are going to make a draft trade today because let's say they do trade the four and then all of a sudden two quarterbacks go one, two, and then Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter are there at four and all, you know, they're standing there looking like idiots because they traded out too early. So it feels like maybe leading up to the draft might not be as electrifying, but then maybe actual draft day, like it kind of feels like the, you know, whole entire thing with Trey Lance when that draft day, everything kind of changed for the niners at that 3 overall pick where they're supposed to take Mac Jones and then hold on, they're going to take Trey Lance. Like, it feels like something like that might happen where out of nowhere is some team and maybe it's not even the Saints. Maybe the Saints do do like a Rattler type move, but maybe the jets fall in love with someone and all of a sudden they want a quarterback. Or the Steelers, because the Steelers get, get a little nervous about the Saints taking the guy that they want and they trade up with TJ Watt, you know, maybe, maybe doesn't have his contract figured out. Maybe T.J. watt, George Pickens, and you know, a first round pick next year to the number four pick. I just have to think about, I mean, yeah, I guess who in the top five or ten. Who in the top ten do we know? Is there a team that is pretty much locked in on certain player? You think of anyone right now? Just a touch. Look at the top 10. Look at the top 10. You feel like these guys, this is who they're taking, taking. I mean, cam Ward at 1. I feel that though. Do we know anything? No, because I feel like it's bounced back and forth between Abdul Carter and Travis Hunter at number two. We really don't know what those teams are thinking and who they truly like. We, we know what like the pundits are saying no. And then one day Shador Sanders, you know, he might be going three to the Giants. And then the next day it's like, well, he actually might be a fourth round pick this year. So it's kind of like outside of, of Cam Ward at number one, I really don't think there's like clear cut. Where's Jackson Darwin start going? He's intriguing me. Whatever his whole what he, what's going on. I feel like he's going to be the talk of the draft. It's super intriguing. And originally, you know, there was a lot of mocks having go 21 to the Steelers. But then a few weeks ago I was listening to Phil Yates and Mel Kuiper's show. I think it's called, I think it's called First Draft hosted by Mike Greenberg. And I don't care if it was it was Kuiper or Field, but one of them had Jackson Dart at nine just as something to watch because it made sense, you know, because he could sit for a year behind Derek Carr. I don't think at this time anyone had any idea about the injury because when you were looking at the teams, you know, that are, that need a quarterback or whatever, like the Raiders got their quarterback, the jets potentially got their quarterback. But then like the next spot was that had a big question mark about their future was nine at the Saints and then there was kind of the gap until 21 at the Steelers for Jackson Darton. Even people said, you know, maybe the Rams poke around it taking Jackson Dartford to be Stafford's replacement. They thought that might be a good fit. But no, as as far as now, like it doesn't feel like he's going to go two or three obviously, but you know, nine, 21 and then maybe potentially the Rams later. But anything could happen at this point. Yeah, I'm on, I'm, I think I'm on an island here. But I still think Tridur goes to the Browns at 2. Yeah, I think it's, I think I just definitely, definitely go take a look at that after the show even after flacking. But yeah, I know, I know. Look, we got, they got Smoking Joe back there, Flacco back in Cleveland. That's obviously a big deal. But I don't think you go into the season with Kenny Picket and Joe Flacco as your quarterbacks. You obviously have to figure that situation out. So I think Shador goes too. And then the question is obviously, you know, where do those two blue Chippers go with Abdul Carter and Travis Hunter? Well, in footsteps Flacco, I mean, I feel like there's nobody better got some magic left, a mentor when it comes to a guy who knows the game, who knows how to win a Super Bowl. And Shador, you know, I don't know about you guys, but he does remind me a little bit of Flacco I think he does have a little bit of. A little bit in him, but it does feel like. I don't see it. Art, pal, you're gonna have to keep watching the tape. I gotta go grind the tape. But it does feel like Shadora, too. Like the. The entire thing before. And Schefter, I think, had said this on the show, like, hey, the Browns are going to take a quarterback. They need a quarterback. The whole Miles Garrett thing. And maybe this was it. Maybe the Browns, before they paid Myles Garrett $40 million a year, and the plan they told them at quarterback was, hey, we're going to get Flacco. And Miles Garrett said, give me the pen. I need to sign my name. Now if Joey Flack is back, because last time he was here, we went to the playoffs. But also, maybe there's a chance that this entire time the Browns have been locked in at 2 with Shador. And instead of just kind of revealing their hands, maybe they have kind of thought, hey, we could possibly trade back if we kind of go with the smoke screen. Hey, we're not going to take Shador. We're going to take someone else who everyone loves, Travis Hunter. If we drive up the price of these other two guys, Hunter and Carter, maybe they could move back to like a five or. Or a six and still end up with Shador and, you know, get high value for that pick if those two guys are available. And even with New England, like, if. If the New England Patriots obviously, you know, wanted to take. Should or, excuse me, Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter and they didn't want to take a left tackle, the best way to get them to move to two would be like, hey, yeah, we're locked in on Travis Hunter or, you know, Abdul Carter. If you. If you want him, you're going to have to really come up and get him. Then they still get their guy at 4. But I agree with Darius. I think the. The Browns still need a quarterback bad. Yeah, they do. And we don't want to keep this guy waiting any longer. We'll get back to football. But this guy's been polite and hanging on the line waiting for us. Obviously, he the co founder of the no Lane Lane up podcast. He was glued to his television yesterday. I don't think he was there in person. I don't know, guys. We'll see in a second. But ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Chris Sully. Solomon. Were you out there walking the hills yesterday? I was there from Sunday to Friday. I came home Saturday morning to watch the end on tv and to help out on the home front. It's a demanding week. Week on the home front. But I was, I was going through all the emotions in front of a tv, watching from different parts of my office, moving around in different rooms when it wasn't going very well. It was an emotional journey that really only Roy McElroy can take us on. Because that was one of the wildest Sundays I've ever seen. Yeah, I mean, absolutely watching that, it was an absolute.
- [30:09]
AJ Hawk
Yeah.
- [30:10]
Pat McAfee
People, I'm sure they had some heart, heart issues for that when you're actually rooting for Rory in those situations. But was it. I know he kind of mentioned this afterwards. You think it's. Is it relief? Is it joy? Is it a mixture of both? And where do you see Rory going from here? I feel like this could just springboard him and his confidence into a new stratosphere. Well, I think the relief is. It has multiple layers to it. One, in that it's a burden that he's carried for at least a decade in terms of trying to complete the career Grand Slam. But as far as winning a green jacket, you go all the way back to 2011. He held a big league going to the final round. Shot 80, you know, a historic collapse. Everyone's seen the images of that and him chipping out from behind a cabin on the 10th hole in the second nine there. And it's, it's been a golf course that has been in his head. It's undeniable. I think he would admit that if he has had a mental block about the golf's biggest championship, its biggest stage, and trying to get it done. And the career Grand Slam only added another layer to that. And then on top of that, you have the way in which this got really close at the end. You want to talk about relief at the end? If he did not close this out, we'd be sitting here talking today about one of the great all time collapses in golf history. The shot you're showing on the screen there is the wedge into 13 was truly. I know this is probably recency bias. I'm struggling to come up with a more inexplicable golf shot I've ever seen a professional golfer hit in a big moment. Because not only does he miss a wedge right into the water, he had a slope to use left of the, of the pin that he should have been aiming for. And I, I truly don't know what happened on that shot. But every time his back was against the wall, every time he had a disaster that just continued to reach Higher levels, he would come up with a golf shot that I've never seen before. In terms of, on the positive side, I mean, the, the, the seven iron he hit into the 15th hole after that disaster on 13 is what's going to get replayed, you know, for, for forever, for history. And we'll, we'll remember it fondly now because of how the final result worked out and, and not remember it as one of great golf's all time collapses. Thank God.
- [32:05]
AJ Hawk
Solly, let's talk about that. Do you think having to hit a ridiculous draw, like, I don't want to say it's a trick shot, but it's a harder shot, was good for him. It's just like an ah, to hell with it type shot. And then whenever he hits a queen, he thinks to himself, okay, we're back. And then whenever he gets the 18th and he misses that putt, are you doing what we're all doing? Like, oh, no, it is gonna happen. Rory is gonna blow it yet again.
- [32:31]
Pat McAfee
100%. I think it, it's not a. Can't be a coincidence that every time he kind of took his foot off the gas yesterday was playing smart. Like, the approach he took into 13 was like, hey, this is disaster proof roof, three wood, little layup wedge on the green. Only way I can get myself in trouble here is if I dunk, you know, maybe lose my second ball or hit it in the water. I'm playing it smart. And gripped the steering wheel too tight and had a, you know, a choke and made double bogey. Whereas when he gets to 15, he can go back into superpower superhero mode and hit the shot that is his superpower, which is to shoot that seven iron way up in the air. That green was so firm we saw all week guys struggling to hold this green and watch where this ball lands like it lands. Hands not very far onto that green and still barely holds the back of that. I mean, I can't even describe how good this shot was, especially with what he had been through. It can't be a coincidence, though, that, you know, when he needed to, he tried to hit a hero shot, a shot that's really difficult sometimes in pressure situations. That's easier for players at this level because they're not worried about, you know, what could go wrong here or, what if I blow this? It's, it's. You're trying to achieve versus trying not to screw up. There's a big difference. Difference. Yeah.
- [33:36]
AJ Hawk
So for me, just hold on one second. Just for me, as a, as a kicker, Punter, similar situation. You have a bad ball, a couple bad balls in a row, and then you get to one that you're not supposed to make, like, not supposed to hit. And then all of a sudden it kind of lets you free, you know, kind of let you free yourself. He sees that ball turning. He, he. It's almost a nice reminder that he is a golf God. You know, like, hey, let's, let's remember who the hell we are and why we're here. So shout out to the golf gods for blessing him for that. Go ahead. Sorry, A.J.
- [34:08]
Pat McAfee
Nah, shout out to the golf gods for sure for blessing all of us this Sunday. But, you know, these golf shots were incredible. But I like to talk about a little bit of the drama, you know, the PGA and the live. And we expected a big Bryson Rory showdown. And then after the match, I believe Bryce was interviewed and talked about how, you know, Rory didn't talk to him all day. Is that pretty normal on a Sunday? Because I know, I've heard Tiger stories. Tony Finau spoke about how they played one Sunday and Tiger didn't say a word to him. So is that normal? Is that kind of, I guess, athlete by athlete, tournament by tournament type of thing? So I'll say this, I think, to give Bryson the benefit of the doubt in this situation. I mean, Rory, after Bryson won the US Open and Rory kind of collapsed there on the back end, Rory famously sped off, did not speak to media, did not answer questions. So I want to give Bryson credit for when the, when the scenario was flipped. He's speaking to media in an immediate time period after a very emotional week that he's had. Probably exhausted, probably very frustrated that he had a, you know, came up short of a life changing moment of winning the green jacket. So I'll say that to say, you know, maybe the tone of how he's reflecting on things maybe came across in a certain way, especially when it's going to get clipped on social media. That's the benefit of the doubt. The other side, I'd say he should absolutely not expect Roy McElroy to talk to him while trying to conquer all the demons of Augusta National. Like you said, the example Tony Fee now gave of, you know, he tried to talk to Tiger in 2019 around the seventh hole. Hey, Tiger, how the kids? Kids? And Tiger just said they're good. And never said another word to him the rest of the round. And Fee now got the hint of like, okay, this is locked in Sunday, Tiger at Augusta. Maybe, maybe we talk after the round. Maybe we Talk on Monday. I'm sure Bryson and Rory have each other's phone numbers. If they want to talk a lot, they have that opportunity, probably not the opportunity for that to happen. And so I'm not surprised that they. That they did not talk or we're not talking to each other. A little surprised that Bryson kind of presented in that way. But like I said, that could. That could be a reflection of exhaustion. Bryson hit like a thousand range balls this week. They had a counter on range balls. He was number. Number one in the field, I think on range balls. I think the guy just needed a little bit of sleep.
- [36:07]
AJ Hawk
Yeah, I. I think certainly Bryson DeChambeau football is to outwork everybody all the time. Him on the range late at night is seemingly becoming a custom. You know, a thing that happens at all these. And you talked about Tony Fenow talking about Tiger, and Bryson should have known that with Rory, I had a chance. Adam Venatori was a kicker, you know, and I was a holder for him. And as a holder for a kicker, you're acting as a caddy almost. You know, you're like kind of a caddy. Like, hey, this where we're at. Aim this. This is what we think. Yada, yada, yada. For most of the time, whenever we jug on the field, it'd be very jovial. You know, I'd be trying to keep him loose. I'd say something, you know, end up calling him an old man. I pointed somebody, hey, let's aim at this guy. Let's go ahead and try to draw it in here, around a little bit of the cubby fellow there, you know, like that type of stuff. Then we get to the first one where it was a game winner and I turned around and he was an actual. Just zombie. Nothing. Nothing at all. Locked in. More so than I've ever seen a human being locked in. I don't even think he blinked for the entire time we jogged out there. And it's like those guys that have the capability and women that have the capability to get into that zone are normally the ones who get up to the top. If Rory was able to find that, which I assume he's had in the past, but, like, those are the different animals up there that are able. That's the mamba mentality that everybody talks about being able to. To kind of lock in, I'm happy to hear that that's how Rory was. And I do love that. Bryson DeChambeau was. He went and talked to me, you know, I like that. It was a little. Little Dramatic there. I liked it. It was a little dramatic. Go ahead, con man.
- [37:38]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, so take us through while you were at the Masters. More specifically, this living PGA thing. While you were there Thursday and Friday, are you eating pimento cheese sandwiches, drinking whatever fancy drinks they're selling, Some pulled pork barbecue, perhaps? And are you trying to listen to people talking, kind of the higher ups, the big wigs, if you will, about what is going on with PGA and Liv? Because it feels like we're in year 10 of, hey, they're going to merge, and then, boom, they don't. Because some BS we heard about a board seat that wasn't given to the PIF chairman or something along those lines. Is there something that's going to happen here? Because, you know, I feel like all the majors is such a great reminder, hey, when all the best golfers in the world are playing against each other, it is electrifying. But we only get it, you know, a few times a year, and that kind of stinks now. It's a great question because honestly, I'm, I'm so relieved when these weeks roll around and I can take my brain off of the live and, and, and PGA Tour kind of civil war and I focus on a great championship. However, especially in person at Augusta. I mean, it's famous, famous meeting spot for a lot of the green jackets, past champions, media people, executives of different companies, executives of tours is under the big oak tree right next to the clubhouse. And I, I did spend a fair amount of time. It's funny that you asked that, just hanging around that spot, looking for people to talk to, get kind of up to date news on some of this and seeing who's. Who else is talking to each other. I was actually quite surprised, I believe it was on Friday to see the chairman of the Saudi public investment fund, Yasser Albermayan, who's kind of the person that has headed up Live Golf. He was standing up under the tree and talking to Scott O'Neill, who's the CEO of Live Golf, and talking to another member of Augusta national as well. So, so just the fact that he was there is, is, is something that I don't think has happened in previous versions of the Masters. That being said, I have not heard good things about the status of the conversation between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour. The rejection of the, of the recent proposal from LIV Golf makes sense to me in that, in that I, I don't think there's a world that, where LIV Golf can continue in its current form and a deal be made because it, it, like you said, it makes the most sense when all these guys are playing thing all together on the same courses in the same tournaments. And Live continuing in its current form with 14 events would mean that we don't get that happening very often. So the PGA Tour, right or wrong, believes they're in a position where they can, you know, they don't, they're not, they don't feel like they're in a position where they need to cave in to live's demands or Saudi's demands at this point. We'll see how that all plays out. From what I've heard about the status of the negotiation, I don't blame them for reaching that conclusion because, you know, Live continue, like I said, Live continuing its current form and, and giving a board seat as well, where terms they degree they, they determined to not be acceptable. And I don't know if that means a deal is off the table now, but we're getting into the late days and, and things have not trended in a good direction.
- [40:35]
AJ Hawk
I will say if somebody invests $1.5 billion into a company, they're gonna probably think they've earned a board seat. So that obviously not something that I think is a risk. Real part of the convo. I think it's all the other stuff that you mentioned there, the live season. All the other stuff. And I'm okay with the live season not happening anymore strictly because I don't see it anyways. So it would be something that didn't happen. Yeah, it would be. Yeah, something didn't happen. Being removed from my life, that feels like an easy concession. Hopefully they're able to make it happen. We appreciate the hell out of you, Solly. Thank you so much. The founder of the no Laying up podcast, also a scratch golfer. We haven't said that yet. Guys who stick. Chris Solly Solomon.
- [41:18]
Pat McAfee
Thank you, buddy.
- [41:22]
AJ Hawk
Had to make a quick run down to the bus from the upper level. I'll tell you what. A little winded, little tired, but thank God I got back in time to talk to Solly. Hey, him chit chatting about Rory. Obviously a big deal. Him saying that the Saudi Arabia guy was on the grounds and Augusta is a big deal. That's a big deal. You know, where's business get done, boys.
- [41:43]
Pat McAfee
On a golf course.
- [41:47]
AJ Hawk
They're probably golfing today. I, I think the way the Masters goes, especially for these high level partners or whatever the case is, you kind of go and then you either golf, I think the day after or two days after the Master, so you can Play the same course. You know, it's like one of those types of things. So maybe they get a deal done at the Masters to bring everybody together. Because watching D Sham Brooks in McElroy, you know, just the thought of even DeChambeau saying, I love the James Bond movies. I'll probably stay up late tonight and I'll wake up probably around 10:30. And then you got Rory McElroy talking about how I'TREATED the same way I treated today. You know, recover. I'll go to bed. I'll probably watch Zootopia with the daughter, and then I'll wake up early, get here three and a half hours. Like just two such contrasting styles of players. And DeChambeau is clearly in his primary now. And it's like we talk about wanting to see Brooks take on everybody and Rombo because Rombo was on there. This D Shambro fella might be playing better golf than he's ever played. We remember as the long ball whacker guy, we know him as a YouTuber, but he had some chips and some hands throughout the evening. He chipped, I mean, his long putt on 18 on Friday night to bring him or Saturday night to bring him with it, too. It's like we're missing out on DeChambeau competing against all these people, too. So we hope they figure it out. Joining us now, ladies and gentlemen, is a man who walks a golf course and still shoots at 95.
- [43:14]
Pat McAfee
No way.
- [43:15]
AJ Hawk
Senior NFL Insider for NFL Network, ladies and gentlemen, friend of the program, Ian Rapaport.
- [43:22]
Pat McAfee
What's going on, Rap?
- [43:24]
AJ Hawk
How you doing? I'm trying to get all these lights out of the back so it doesn't, you know, shine in your face. But the looks are always shouting, ian Rapaport's around. Thank you, buddy. Hey, Rap, couple things we need to clear up here since big night out, because we haven't been on. First, first of all, we love you. Second of all, T.J. wall. We talked about this early in the hour. We don't know what it means. Conan said that he has heard that TJ wants more than Myles Garrett, which is like 4.8 million a year. And if you're TJ, I think that would certainly be a competition piece between Miles Garrett and yourself, which has obviously been defensive mvp, yada, yada, set all that stuff for like, the better part of the last decade here. What do you know about this situation? Deal not getting done between TJ in the Steelers? Ian, is that. Is that a potential reality at this point? Well, that's. It's hard to imagine that's a potential reality, because when the Steelers have wanted to sign a player and the Steelers have wanted to commit to a guy, generally they have got it done. Now, it's not always on the timeline.
- [44:25]
Pat McAfee
We all want, right?
- [44:26]
AJ Hawk
Like, it's not always on the tagline of, like, right now, where I could just hit send on the tweet and just kind of move on from there. There. A lot of times these deals happen right before training camps because, remember, the Steelers have a policy of not negotiating into the season. So right before training camp is a time, and then right before the season is the time. Like, there have been deals that have gotten done in Pittsburgh, I think, like the Saturday night before the season. So there is time. Now, if T.J. watt wants to be paid more than Myles Garrett, I would say that makes sense. I mean, you could argue who's better. You could argue if you were fielding a team, who would you rather have? But you really can't argue that the statistics are that much different. I mean, there are two premium elite.
- [45:09]
Pat McAfee
Pass rushers, you know, still in their.
- [45:11]
AJ Hawk
Prime, even though both are a little bit older than, you know, the early 20s or whatever. You know, I would imagine that's what he's shooting for. Will he get it? I don't know, because that's more of a decision like. Like, at some point in the process, does he go, all right, I have enough, and we're okay, but I wouldn't be surprised if that's what he's aiming for.
- [45:33]
Pat McAfee
And that's kind of what this offseason.
- [45:34]
AJ Hawk
Has been about, because, you know, Micah Parsons is aiming for the same. Well, the interesting thing here is Jimmy Haslam yet again, is putting other teams ownerships in a bind with wild contracts. Did it with desean Watson, and I thought it was maybe like, he was trying to big bank take little bank convo now with Miles Garrett, knowing that there's a bunch of defensive ends that need to be paid, like, all right, I'll pay them quarterback money. See if everybody else could keep up, we might suck. Hey, we might suck, but everybody else won't be able to keep up. We can ruin other people's teams, too. Let's talk about two deals that did get done recently. Go ahead, bb.
- [46:11]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, Two big deals in the slot, Specifically Kyler Gordon out in Chicago and Jalen Petrie down in Houston. Both side. Two pretty big deals. I didn't expect these type of deals to be done at this point in the game. Should we expect any more that are in the pipeline? And what do you know about the actual details of these deals?
- [46:30]
AJ Hawk
First of all, these deals are related. Right. So Petri is interesting because he's more of a safety, but he's become like, I think it's like 66% of the slot or something. It's a lot. Right.
- [46:42]
Pat McAfee
And so you could sort of call.
- [46:43]
AJ Hawk
Him whatever you want. And I called him a safety in my. In my tweet, but he's really like a.
- [46:48]
Pat McAfee
An awesome nickel.
- [46:50]
AJ Hawk
Yeah. And I would say Kyle Gordon's kind of the same.
- [46:53]
Pat McAfee
So one gets done.
- [46:54]
AJ Hawk
And then if you're Kyle Gordon, you're fighting for this money. And again, really good money for a really good player. You know, it's easier to say, like, all right, this contract that I said I deserved, this guy who does similar to me, he got it. So, like, I should be right there. And I think the Bears were kind of like, all right, that's where the market is.
- [47:13]
Pat McAfee
I would also say for the Bears, I mean, actually for both of these.
- [47:17]
AJ Hawk
Teams, it's like a really good draft pick, pretty high, who does everything right.
- [47:22]
Pat McAfee
Is a good person, makes a ton.
- [47:24]
AJ Hawk
Of plays, and gets paid. Like, as an organization, these are the guys you are dying to pay. And, like, you can see the comments from Ryan polls the last couple weeks. Like, he has wanted to pay Kyler.
- [47:35]
Pat McAfee
Gordon, and I'm happy that this deal.
- [47:37]
AJ Hawk
Got done for him. Do we want the insiders to start reporting them as nickel? Do we want that or what do we want?
- [47:43]
Pat McAfee
Good question. Actually, these guys are football players, slot defenders. Derwin James. James is another guy who's a safety but play, you know, majority of his snaps in the slot. A lot of guys, you know, you just add value. I'm happy to see these guys finally getting paid like this. Kenny Moore is a guy Jordan Lewis got paid in Dallas that reported that he was, you know, the highest deal. So now to see Kyler and Jalen get their money, but these guys can move around. They can impact and help a football team. Tyron Matthew has done this for a long time. Jalen Ramsey, all these guys can move around and just add tremendous value. Value when they can go in that. But slot, defender, safety, they're great football players overall.
- [48:18]
AJ Hawk
Yeah. But, like, should we start building that brand a little bit here? Should. Should, whenever it gets reported by Rapoport, say, hey to whatever you want this to be called. Position. Because I believe you played this position, obviously, amongst many other positions. It is a high. It's. It's the nickel, you know, it's the safety, the secondary member. That's coming in for the linebacker. Has to be able to tackle, has to be able to read, has to be able to put inside. It needs a better name.
- [48:43]
Pat McAfee
I mean, I agree.
- [48:45]
AJ Hawk
Better branding.
- [48:45]
Pat McAfee
It does, it does. I mean, they're slot. They're slot defenders. Some guys are full time players. So they're going to be on the field. Like I said, Derwin James is never going to come off the field. Petrie pretty much isn't going to come off the field. And then you have other guys who just come in and substitute. Maybe play 70, 70% of the snaps, depending on the team. Like a team like the Buffalo Bills with Terry Johnson. They play almost every snap in nickel. So, hey, leave. It's a different year. This isn't the NFL that, that we came into now. You know, nickel and slot defenders are pretty much starters on the defensive side of the ball. You play with five DBs. You know most of the time how the NFL has been.
- [49:25]
AJ Hawk
That's what I'm saying. But we need a name.
- [49:26]
Pat McAfee
I mean, that's like, like colleges call it like star or rover.
- [49:30]
AJ Hawk
Star. Yeah, that's like a Nick Saban thing.
- [49:32]
Pat McAfee
What are they all pro leagues? Are they. Are they just slot? Just slot. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, that's. I guess that's where we are. Slot defenders.
- [49:38]
AJ Hawk
All right. Slots. Hey, those are good slots out there.
- [49:41]
Pat McAfee
Getting paid.
- [49:42]
AJ Hawk
I'm happy for them. I am very, very happy that they're getting paid. Now. There's other stuff happening around the NFL. Bond, man. Your question for Rap.
- [49:51]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, Rap sheet. Other big news, Derek Carr questionable now for this season with the shoulder injury. He might be done. Is there a chance the Saints now look to move up in the draft to kind of get a younger guy who kind of fit their cap space as well? Do you think that's a possibility or do you think they're probably going to stay at 9 or even possibly get in on the Aaron Rodgers sweepstakes?
- [50:17]
AJ Hawk
All right, we'll hit the Rogers one first. I would imagine if you're the Saints. First of all, this, you know, hurts them cap wise, if only because it's $40 million allocated to a guy who is. May not end up playing for you. Right. Like there is a possibility that Derek Carr does not play the season. That is real. That is. That is real. He may have surgery. He has a decision to make. That is all real. What happened?
- [50:43]
Pat McAfee
Yeah. And how long have we known? Rap.
- [50:45]
AJ Hawk
Okay. This has been a. Just being totally honest. This has been a difficult one for me to figure out. Like, I know the Status of his shoulder. Now he is currently deciding, seeking medical opinion, opinions, seeing if he needs to have surgery. I have heard varying views, reports, facts, whatever you want to call it about when this actually happened. Was it something that he had been dealing with that worsened? Was it something that he hurt when he broke his left hand late in the season, whenever that was and just, you know, still is bothering him? Is it just wear and tear and just can't go forward? Like, like they're just to be totally honest, like, there are a lot of questions that I don't really have right now. And I think the Saints, I believe, knew, but a lot of their players, a lot of their players did not know. And so when this news happened, like.
- [51:38]
Pat McAfee
I think for a lot of people.
- [51:40]
AJ Hawk
Who either are with the Saints or closest, we're kind of like, hold on.
- [51:43]
Pat McAfee
What?
- [51:44]
AJ Hawk
Like, wait, what? Like that's how this news felt. And so like, like you talk about the impact on the draft, like pretty real, like rarely do you get an injury like this that really does dramatically impact the draft. But if you're the Saints, like, if you were debating do we take this guy at nine or take him in.
- [52:02]
Pat McAfee
The second round, like, might this make you move it forward?
- [52:05]
AJ Hawk
I think possibly it could. Go ahead. A.J.
- [52:09]
Pat McAfee
What about the Aaron Rodgers situation? You didn't really mention that too much. Like, is he a possibility? Is he in play here for. Kellen Moore is a first year head coach.
- [52:17]
AJ Hawk
I meant to mention that, but then my brain got sidetracked. That was on me because I said, what happened? What happened? What happened? Team effort. If you're Aaron Rodgers and you have the option and look, I believe it would be an option, he wouldn't, he.
- [52:35]
Pat McAfee
Couldn'T make a lot of money there.
- [52:37]
AJ Hawk
But I believe they could work something out if they wanted to. If you're Aaron Rodgers, would you rather join the Saints, who obviously do have a quarterback needs, or join the Steelers? I think that's kind of where it is to me. Like, are the Saints. I think the Saints are going to be better than people believe if they do get a quarterback. But if you're Aaron Rodgers, doesn't the Steelers make more sense to you than the Saints do? I don't know.
- [53:03]
Pat McAfee
I don't know. We're asking you.
- [53:05]
AJ Hawk
Division's a lot. So Steelers definitely. So prideful city. Great city. You were, we were in it last week. We absolutely love the Pittsburgh area and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ben Roth. Yeah, yeah. Division very different down there in the NFC south and also not to knock on anybody in the NFC South. But Saints fans, like, if Aaron would come in and do good, you know, like, very pumped probably. And I think like, him coming down, they're probably very pumped all. You know what I mean?
- [53:36]
Pat McAfee
Governor Jeff Landry, his Gator.
- [53:40]
AJ Hawk
I mean, like, I think, you know, they celebrate down there too, you know, from what we've found out. That's like, I don't know, interesting. I don't know if Aaron's. AJ would know. AJ asking you that question is probably the best part of this whole thing because AJ's trying to see what, you know, that he already knows in the back. But we will continue to keep an eye on all those situations. Talk about the NFL saying you ain't just going to be terrible at your job anymore and do it anymore. Ty has a question for you.
- [54:10]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, Rap we that three officials have been fired or I guess demoted to power conferences in what's been called an accountability crackdown. Do you know more about this situation? Should we expect more of this to happen leading up to the season? Or did they just basically find three people and say, like, hey, you guys suck at your jobs, get the hell out and never come back.
- [54:32]
AJ Hawk
I can't confirm the language that was used in these. Sorry, I got flies going on here. It's fine. I can't confirm the language, nor do I have knowledge of that. But, you know, this. This goes on a lot where the NFL grades these officials. And like, a lot of times we don't. You know, the only way we can really tell how an official is graded is, is who gets to be in the playoffs. But I think this does happen. It's just we don't really hear about it. Like, there's. I'm not sure who reported this, but.
- [55:02]
Pat McAfee
There'S like a couple pretty good websites.
- [55:05]
AJ Hawk
Twitter accounts that follow the refs really, really closely. And sometimes, like, they're the only ones who notice, but there are officials who are just not cutting it. And sometimes they lead the business, sometimes they get reassigned.
- [55:17]
Pat McAfee
So it, like, I noticed this, it.
- [55:19]
AJ Hawk
Was noteworthy, but I don't think think it's that rare.
- [55:25]
Pat McAfee
Interesting rap sheet. Where are you? That looks like the most peaceful, like your first off. Your audio sounds amazing. And where are you? Is that your house? New house?
- [55:34]
AJ Hawk
No, I wish it was my house.
- [55:36]
Pat McAfee
No, I'm in Mississippi with my wife.
- [55:39]
AJ Hawk
And our kids and her family. It's spring break, so I came down here for like two days to hang out, see all the relatives, eat some chicken and dumplings and some amazing food. And then I'm flying out this afternoon.
- [55:52]
Pat McAfee
To get back to work.
- [55:54]
AJ Hawk
Well, thank you for joining us live from Mississippi Queen. That state is a beautiful one. You know they. I mean this is right. Like this is awesome. My kids have been fishing all day. It's great. It's great. Oh, really? They learned that out of camp in the summer when you birds. That's among the many things that help them grow as people. They do work.
- [56:16]
Pat McAfee
Oh yeah. They learn more than just when is.
- [56:18]
AJ Hawk
That summer camp that you take your kids out of your house for four weeks or eight weeks. I'm sorry.
- [56:23]
Pat McAfee
Twelve.
- [56:23]
AJ Hawk
Not soon enough.
- [56:34]
Pat McAfee
Dad of the year.
- [56:35]
AJ Hawk
We love rap sheet. Absolutely love something crash in the backpack here. That's why I had to get up and move in the middle of so I apologize for that. What a first hour, boys. What a good conversation. I've been in two different spots. I'm gonna head back up to the other set, I believe for the next hour. But I feel like we got a lot of good info there. How to rap. He said the teammates. Yeah, hell yeah. They know the teammates had no idea about the shoulder. So rap puts that sweet out. I assume a lot of okay. All right, see you then.
- [57:09]
Pat McAfee
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- [57:33]
AJ Hawk
As the the league's best fight for playoff positioning.
- [57:35]
Pat McAfee
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- [59:15]
AJ Hawk
Sports, Sports. Oh yeah. Boys, it is great to be back. I am in the Sacramento Kings arena and it is obviously getting prepared for a massive night on Netflix. I will be able to tell you the exact ins and outs of this particular arena by the time the show is over. I have been sprinting through it. There is a fantastic group of people from the concessions to the production to the people that are hanging from the ceiling. Just moments ago I had a chance to chat with them two to three minutes before they got kind of sent up there. So I feel like I know this city and this arena at a very, very high rate. But what I also do know is that AJ Hawk, you traveling to Indianapolis is such a cool thing. Boys get so jacked up over there. Talk about sports. Hour two here, AJ should be a big one, brother. Yeah.
- [60:06]
Pat McAfee
So we got Josh Pate joining us in about 13 minutes and I don't know, I don't know about the next couple guests. I don't want to. If there's nothing's confirmed, I don't want to throw anything out there.
- [60:15]
AJ Hawk
Pat, what are you talking about?
- [60:17]
Pat McAfee
I don't know if we have anybody else after Josh Pay. I'm not sure if we have anyone.
- [60:20]
AJ Hawk
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Alexander Ovechkin will join us 1:30 Eastern. Yeah. Ov Ovi will be joining us at 1:30 Eastern to chit chat. You know about just being the greatest goal scorer in the history of hockey. Now, the great chase is obviously something that has captivated the world world throughout this season for the NHL. Now that that's been accomplished, all eyes are looking ahead to the playoffs and this Capitals team can win another Lordo if they piece it together, which they have certainly been doing. There's Wayne Gretzky looking on at Alexander Ovechkin I believe the FBI has represented Ann Bettman, the commissioner of the NHL. Ovechkin's lady, I do believe, and family, they're celebrating it in this historical moment. But we'll get a chance to chit chat with him, AJ And I'm pretty pumped up about it, to be clear.
- [61:09]
Pat McAfee
How could you not be pumped up? I mean, this guy's taken over the world. I do want to ask him if he had a celebration or a planned celebration, you know, when he jumped and, you know, kind of swan dive on the ice. I wonder if that's just. That had to just be organic in the moment. Right.
- [61:22]
AJ Hawk
It felt good for me. That Boston Conor, I think that's one of the best celebrations I've seen because the entire team was involved. I think we chit chatted about it immediately upon it happening. And I think that's kind of the hockey way, you know, try to never be about one person. Even though Ovechkin is very confident lad and obviously understands who he is, and I assume he didn't love the fact that there was an ISO camera on him full time through a lot of these games because it is a team, team, team event. But just like in soccer, that type of slide, that's a welcoming to the entire team. Now, I would never want to be on the bottom of that ever in a million years, but I love the celebration of choice. And I like that the entire team came out there and said, we love this guy and we appreciate this guy. Con Man.
- [62:04]
Pat McAfee
Yeah. Awesome. And, like, you see all the clips of him before they go out, he's singing Bands of Maker Dance, which is hilarious. I believe Juicy J was in the arena yesterday or this weekend for one of their games. But, yeah, I mean, especially when you look at what the Capitals have been, you know, this year, they're great, but they weren't fantastic last year. And it feels like, especially when guys get to, you know, Alexander the Great's age, sometimes, you know, they can get moved or sometimes they can say, hey, I'm going to call it a career. But he kind of stuck with it. And they're unbelievable. Once again, going for another Lordo. It feels like he kind of. All the stars are aligning for the Capitals. And, you know, also, hats off to the Islanders, because I didn't realize this. I realized that after the fact, you know, they stopped the entire game in the middle of it. They rolled out the carpet and then, you know, they had to keep going. You know, this wasn't just, hey, once the game, you know, Ends. We can do the whole ceremony. The Islanders, you know, they got on the ice, they stood, they sat on the bench, they acknowledged the greatness of this entire thing. But I mean, what an honor it is for to speak with Alexander Ovechkin. This is kind of like, I won't say LeBron esque, LeBron versation, but talking about Alexander the Great here, he's the greatest goal scorer in the history of hockey, so I am jacked up for this. Andy lays the wood. Cannot forget that he is not afraid to throw the body around.
- [63:26]
AJ Hawk
Yeah, he's a tough guy too, not just a goal scorer. And yeah, shout out to the ESPN NHL relationship for making this possible. Cannot wait to talk to ovi. Ty. Ty Schmidt.
- [63:40]
Pat McAfee
Yeah.
- [63:42]
AJ Hawk
Hey, I want to let you know, I watched Big Night out on Hulu last night.
- [63:46]
Pat McAfee
Hell yeah.
- [63:47]
AJ Hawk
Okay.
- [63:47]
Pat McAfee
Incredible.
- [63:49]
AJ Hawk
There is a moment where you're yelling at the sumo wrestlers that I know you meant it. And you were like, let's. What the hell are we doing there? I know you're talking about you and your. You and your guy. Boston Connor should feel very proud of yourselves for what you guys did at that thing. I just want to let you know that.
- [64:03]
Pat McAfee
Thank you. Thank you very much, man. No, it's going back and watching everything. It's still surreal to think that we were doing that the other night, you know, like the show, sure. But like, that's what, you know, like a lot of people saying like, holy shit. Like Pat actually flew in in two 600 pound sumo wrestlers from Japan. And these guys were on the stage and, you know, getting to do it with. With Connor and Cole up there. And then obviously, you know, like Shane Gillis not really being able to hear us. Kind of being able to hear us was just the cherry on top. Like, it. It was just. It's so cool, man. And, and going back and being able to watch it and kind of relive it like that.
- [64:40]
AJ Hawk
What.
- [64:40]
Pat McAfee
What a fun night. That was. Like, thank you so much for letting us be a part of that. It was so cool.
- [64:46]
AJ Hawk
Yeah, no problem. Ichi just got a win there for, you know, And. And to be clear, I'm. I might be getting into sumo wrestling. I might. I might become a sumo wrestling fan. I might try to figure out if there's sumo wrestling leagues that I can watch. That man right there, Andrew in the all black suit, who was the translator for Shane to the sumo wrestlers. He was the knower of sumo, of all things, for us throughout the entire day. He runs USA Sumo. But those three guys right There, there need to be commentating more sumo wrestling. And we will certainly be trying to make that happen. Aj, I enjoy. How about the crowd, okay, Slowly getting behind their guys, like slowly. Like not. And by slowly I mean within a matter of minutes. But it's like whenever they would pump fake each other, like, no, the mental war games would continue to happen. To hear the fans instead of boo them out of the arena. The complete opposite. Yeah. Like excited for Hiroki and excited for Ichi. I felt like, I hope more people watch sumo wrestling. We need more sumo wrestling in our lives. And those guys are so large. So big. Ichi's so, so big.
- [65:53]
Pat McAfee
So big. So I was a Hiroki guy. I'm cheering for Hiroki, you know, at big night out. And I'm sitting here. These guys, first off, they're showmen as well. They know like this is. They're competing at the highest level, but they are performing at the same time. And you're right, every time they kept pump faking us. Any, anyone else would have like any crowd would have got pissed and started booing, but these guys, like it was an honorable Ty did it definitely. I definitely was booed guys a few times, I think. But then when Shane, not exactly knowing what was going on, like this whole, this whole seg really hit well with me. I really love this whole situation.
- [66:25]
AJ Hawk
I did not expect it to be as long as it did, you know, sumo wrestling matches. We hooked up, I think like 10, 15 seconds, you know, best of three, let's see how it goes. But Ichi and Hiroki brought out the best in each other. We're currently, we're currently suspended from Tik Tok because I, I do believe it was Mr. Hiroki's, you know, bag.
- [66:49]
Pat McAfee
Right. Nut that's gonna happen.
- [66:51]
AJ Hawk
Yeah, that's what you can't be doing that. But to be clear, when you talk about showman, I would, I would book Heroki for anything.
- [66:59]
Pat McAfee
Oh my God.
- [66:59]
AJ Hawk
Anybody that's thinking about booking anything. I had no idea what to expect. Obviously they don't speak any English, you know, so a lot of, lot of battles they could kind of understand what I was trying to do. There's some behind the scenes clips of me trying to move these dudes and catering like my actual head on their chest and getting a chance to chit chat with them was, was fantastic. But I had no idea what to expect from these guys. Hard to read them. Yeah, hard to read them. Whenever you're talking to Andrew and Andrew is so, so Electrifying.
- [67:26]
Pat McAfee
Wire. A lot of moxie.
- [67:28]
AJ Hawk
Yeah, he needs to be. They need to do a Netflix drive to survive on him. Just. Just him too, Pat. Like, what's that, pal?
- [67:38]
Pat McAfee
He did like a full character flip too. Cuz in rehearsal he was like dead serious. Like, it felt like dead serious. And like. And then. But like during the actual show, you could see him in the background smiling and laughing and like, I did not expect his character flip, which made it so much better for the show.
- [67:51]
AJ Hawk
Oh yeah, I think so too. Yeah. There's clips now that we have on the Hulu version which Foxy didn't sleep for like two days. Hell yeah, boys. It's a great show. Big night out. You got to search for it on Hulu. But there's behind the scenes kind of woven through the entirety of the show and it showcases some parts and the rehearsals for the sumo wrestling with Shane and. And this guy, just Andrew from USA Sumo, who loves sumo wrestling and knows everything about it. Loves it.
- [68:24]
Pat McAfee
Lives it. Yeah. Loves it. His.
- [68:26]
AJ Hawk
His one true love, maybe legitimately, this guy. I hope. I hope that everything that exists has a supporter and a believer and a lover and an. And a knower of it, like Andrew does of sumo wrestling.
- [68:43]
Pat McAfee
Amen.
- [68:45]
AJ Hawk
Him speaking Japanese to these guys, just so smooth. Just in the middle of it, bang, bang, completely different language. And then he'll turn a little bit of moxie with us. Ha ha. Then he's back into it. Like he. I get your drift. It's like, do you. I don't know. Is that the message I want to send? Yeah, it is the message you want to send. This guy was just dialing it all up. And then he told Shane. What do you tell Shane? 20 years of training in 20 minutes or something like that.
- [69:11]
Pat McAfee
Two minutes.
- [69:12]
AJ Hawk
How many years?
- [69:12]
Pat McAfee
Two years. He said, Ray, we're going to give you two years of sumo. And you know, two minutes, maybe 30 seconds because I don't know how much you're going to retain.
- [69:20]
AJ Hawk
Yeah. And Shane was like, I'm not a ref, dude. I'm trying. So him trying to learn, it was just. It was spectacular. And I thought you guys did a great job. And I hope sumo wrestling is something that more people will give it a go. Aj I think they need NFL teams, you know, and we saw it when Micah and CJ traveled over to Japan with Bleacher Report and they did some clips with some sumo wrestlers. And we saw the mica one, you know, and it's like, like Ichi, I think, could play tackle. Yeah, I think Ichi, I Think Ichi could play tackle? I I He's the one in the red here. He's £540 build. 550. 540 maybe. D tackle, nose tackle, whatever the case. I mean, these dudes are.
- [70:02]
Pat McAfee
I mean, think of the run. If you had a full five. If you had five of these guys on your offensive line path, think of the run blocking these guys would do. I don't know if they're kick sliding and, and doing much pass protection. You got to teach them that. But they could drive block all day long. I don't know how much they're driving downfield. And maybe they make those. No, big guys like that can usually can't bend that.
- [70:22]
AJ Hawk
This is how you stop the tush push.
- [70:24]
Pat McAfee
Bingo.
- [70:25]
AJ Hawk
Okay, you want to stop the tush push? Bring in the tush push specialist. Who's that? A sumo wrestler? Have them line up right over the center.
- [70:34]
Pat McAfee
Yeah.
- [70:34]
AJ Hawk
And just say, hey, don't move. Put both hands down. Don't move. They walt so much more nimble than I thought. Yeah. Is that, is that how you guys felt?
- [70:43]
Pat McAfee
Oh, yeah. Hoki. When Hoki came out for his entrance, he. He went side shuffle pump, like Elvis. He reminded me of Elvis. He took his robe off, he was kicking his leg. He was crazy. I mean, he was pumping up his entire side of the arena while he was going down the catwalk. It was incredible. Yeah, I needed a little more fight here at the end from Hoki.
- [71:04]
AJ Hawk
They were out there for 30 minutes.
- [71:05]
Pat McAfee
Look, it was 250 on the line. All right?
- [71:07]
AJ Hawk
On my side.
- [71:08]
Pat McAfee
On our side. That's where we were. Right here. Yeah, those. Here come the humps. Here it is.
- [71:17]
AJ Hawk
That's when he knew he had him. He knew he had him.
- [71:19]
Pat McAfee
Hoki also felt his nut fall out of his moachi. So he was like, all right, I. I gotta just tuck this thing in and get out of here.
- [71:26]
AJ Hawk
Big thank you to Ichi and shopping. Zoom. Amazing shout out to Sidney Crosby. That guy might be the next quarterback. The Saints need a quarterback. You know, obviously, he's never going to leave the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. But Sidney Crosby, who said got years to come with the Pittsburgh Penguins, I heard it right. He was right here. He was right. He was two feet in front of me whenever he said it. He might be the next quarterback in the NFL that the world needs to see this guy for a million dollars steps up, spins that thing right into it. Now, the night before, obviously, they beat The Chicago Blackhawks 5 nothing. Boy, they're a terrible hockey team. Yeah, boy.
- [72:04]
Pat McAfee
Blackhawks are really. Yeah, it's not looking good, bad.
- [72:08]
AJ Hawk
We were there, and I'm only saying this because we were there. I think the Pens. Connor, when we got there, we sat down. The Pens kept possession of the puck without the Blackhawk stock touching it. This was not a power play. This was five on five or whatever. Two and a half minutes, I think, wasn't it like two and a half minutes?
- [72:23]
Pat McAfee
It was three different shifts. So like, they. They had the puck with the. With the first unit that was out there, kept the puck down there. They changed. They. They go off, still have the puck, and then again, they continue to cycle, you know, cycle. The puck, puck's on that. You know, everyone knows the terms. But then even that line changed like it was insane. The Chicago Blackhawks, I mean, for. For a team that's in a big market like that, the NHL is going to have to rig the next five drafts for them to be good because, boy, they stink out loud right now.
- [72:53]
AJ Hawk
It was tough to watch. And we had great seats. Shout out to PPG Paints Arena. The seats that we were in were awesome. We were right on the ice after getting a chance to watch skiings over at PNC Park. Nonetheless, Sidney Crosby, still doing it on the ice, having one of his best years. Now, granted, they're not making the playoffs this year, but he talked about how we're going to do that in the future if Denny Malkin, Chris Latang comes out. Those guys have been teammates longer than anybody else. Three, the three longest tenured teammates in the history of professional sports. Those three. And for what they've done with the Pittsburgh Penguins and everything. So when they come out and Tanger tells me, the night before, after they just beat the hell out of the black, I mean, just smash the Chicago Blackhawks, I mean, there wasn't even a question about a. Tanger goes, sidney Crosby will throw and Sidney Crosby will make it. And I'm like, you don't even know how far it is. He goes, it doesn't matter. Sidney Crosby will make it. That's just. That's just how it goes. So when I walk up to Sid the night before and I go, hey, would you want to throw for a million bucks or whatever? And he goes, yeah, I'll throw. Wasn't even a question. I think Tanger probably told him. And I was like, do you want to know what it is? He goes, it's going to be in the arena, right? And I'm like, yes. He goes, okay. I go, you'll be throwing like 25 yard throw. Probably 25, 30 yard throw, 10 by 10 hoop will be hanging from a stage about 10, 10ft in high, 15ft high or whatever, whatever. And he goes, okay, yeah, I'll do it. I go, how do you feel about it? He goes, I'll figure it out, I'll figure it out. And then whenever he walks out there, grabs that ball and I was standing next to him, it's like, this guy's gonna make it. Then there's a still shot of him throwing like this. His form's perfect. I have no idea how this guy's form. He's a hockey player. Hockey players are like wrestlers, you know, when it comes to ball sports that it is a. It was wild to watch. And I guess that's just like. That's the most Sidney Crosby thing of all time, they say. So. Shout out to Sid. Shout out to Ben. Shout out to Evgenie Malkin. Shout out to Chris Letang. Shout out to Paul Skeens. There it is. Look at him coming up over the top, this guy.
- [74:48]
Pat McAfee
Perfect. It's not an easy throw either. If you were in the arena, like, that is not an easy toss.
- [74:54]
AJ Hawk
I saw a couple of people say it looks easy or whatever. It's like, no, it's not. No, that's not. Especially with the people that were just sitting on top of you, hammered drunk at that point. Three hours into a show, Paul Skeens was there. Shout out to Paul Skeens. We love Paul Skeens. He had a sweet David Allen jacket on. That's a da camo jacket that Paul Skeens has on. Paul Skeens didn't make it because Paul Skeens wanted to let people know that it might look like it's going in, but then it's going to miss. That's his baby. You think you got it. You don't. He's a baseball thrower, not a football thrower. He missed two of those things. And then Sid makes it. But to the Pittsburgh Pirates, more specifically, Andrew McCarthy, who put a tweet out that said he wasn't invited. It was like, I think you were. At least from our end you were. And if it was a miscommunication, I should have followed up more. But McCutcheon tweeted that he wasn't invited. We gave an entire suite to the Pittsburgh Pirates legitimately because we understood it was middle of the season. So that's probably on us for not following up more. But McCutch, we love you, buddy. Thank you for everything you've done for Pittsburgh. Would have Loved to have you in the next time whenever we do it, hopefully and everything else like that, like Wiz being there, Snoop being there. Just every.
- [76:06]
Pat McAfee
It was jelly, the big jelly Deli roll.
- [76:10]
AJ Hawk
Holy singing renegade to start this entire thing. It was like come on, Ernest. Yeah, I mean it was an awesome night and I can't thank everybody enough that came through. How about whenever, you know, whiz comes out to black and yellow, place goes banana. Shout out to DJ Bonix. Then he goes, hey, I think I got something pretty cool for you guys. And then all of a sudden Snoop Dogg walks on the place went absolutely ape. Snoop Dogg resonates with everybody. You know, literally everybody. 85 year old Yinzers all the way down to I think probably 10 year olds know who Snoop Dogg is. So the fact that he came whiz came through, just everybody Iceberg obviously representing. And then Shane Gillis celebrity officiating a sumo wrestling match. Just awesome night. Can't thank everybody enough. And everybody that came, the crowd made that place electrifying for three plus hours. A lot of money obviously given away. Shout out to Aaron and Mara, I believe are their names. Philadelphia Eagles.
- [77:08]
Pat McAfee
Oh yeah.
- [77:09]
AJ Hawk
Philly fans who won a million bucks at the end of the night from the random mcmoney maker. Great ending, great ending. Just like you know, everybody together and then money donated to charity. Shout out to the ax that said I don't want money. Shout out to Shane and Jelly Roll who actually paid to actually come do the show because they're done donating money to local charities.
- [77:26]
Pat McAfee
Oh, this is electric.
- [77:27]
AJ Hawk
I was the Mentalist.
- [77:28]
Pat McAfee
Main event came through. Oh yeah, yeah.
- [77:30]
AJ Hawk
Parker, Parker, we forgot about J. Did you, did you lose me there for a second?
- [77:35]
Pat McAfee
Yeah.
- [77:36]
AJ Hawk
No.
- [77:37]
Pat McAfee
Okay, good now. All right, you're good, you're good.
- [77:39]
AJ Hawk
I was flexing over here. You know, I'm getting these muscles. I'm getting back in shape. I feel like I might have been too electric. You know, talking about the show could potentially be doing that through the microphone. But to everybody that participated was part of this, including the wwe. People that helped put this together together. Thank you so, so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you so, so, so, so much. Okay. This weekend there was a big storyline around college football that I think we were potentially staring down without realizing we were staring down. This particular thing happens in professional sports, happens in the NFL. But for the first time in college football, it's happened in a massive way. It includes millions of dollars. It includes a star quarterback, it includes a, a team that was in the college football playoff last Year and ladies and gentlemen, break it all down from Pate State. Josh Pay. Josh, how are you, man?
- [78:31]
Pat McAfee
I'm happy to be here. Yeah. Just under the wrong circumstances. I saw you in a soup kitchen like, 15 minutes ago. Are you back on set?
- [78:38]
AJ Hawk
Yeah, dude. There's been some things going on. There's a. There's a microphone thing. There's another thing. But the people here figured it out quicker than ever. I probably ruined it, Josh. It was probably on me. But you're right, it wasn't a soup kitchen. It was certainly a very nice place, and I will certainly return to that now. Josh. This weekend was a crazy situation for college football. I have been very fortunate and lucky to be a part of the college football landscape for the last few years, baptized with college game day into the biggest moments, the biggest traditions, and probably the most hardcore fans every single week. Very lucky to have done as such. Growing up in Pittsburgh, obviously not the biggest college football place on earth. Whenever this Nil thing started happening, it was very evident there was one worry. It's going to ruin the game. It's going to ruin the sport. It's going to ruin what college football is as a whole. This past weekend with Nico Iemalava, quarterback for the University of Tennessee, holding out of sports spring ball and basically saying, I want a new contract before I come back. This is the first time this has happened. Everybody fears, I assume, that this is going to happen a lot. And is this one of the things that everybody was worried about potentially being the downfall of college football? Mr. Pate?
- [79:52]
Pat McAfee
Yeah. I mean, you sit next to a guy every Saturday morning who just got out of this business and into the media business and warned about all this. But notice, whether it's Nick Saban, whether it's planning or Ryan, Daniel Day or Steve Sarkeesian, whoever, I've not heard any of them say, man, I'm worried about nil ruining this sport. What they've said is, I'm worried about zero structure ruining this sport. Like, zero guardrails. No one knows what's legal. I was down in Athens two weeks ago. Kirby Smart said, you know what my wish is? My wish is when I'm in spring practice, to know who's going to be on my roster in the fall. Like, I've. I've already disillusioned myself to all the other stuff. I just kind of want to know. Know who's on our team. But here's the. Here's the part that sucks. Okay? So Nico I. Amaliaba is the face of all this Right. And then you get down to the nuts and bolts of the story, and it's not Nico I. Amaliava really representing himself. It's people representing him. Now, when you guys talk about the NFL, that means a certified agent. They don't even know what the word certification means in college football. I can go represent someone today. My cousin can go represent someone, someone today. And they're the least equipped people on planet earth to do it. But yet, because they happen to share the last name or they happen to have grown up in the same cul de sac, they're. They're actually going to collectives before the playoff, saying, hey, my client got you to the playoff. We want to renegotiate now. And then you're in the middle of spring, hey, we want to renegotiate now. And I'm telling you, Pat, this thing got made public because of Nico. Dozens of other examples of this going on, including with other playoff teams this past cycle. And so the big fear for college football, to me, has always been the slow erosion of what really makes it great. Because, like, you're out on the road every Saturday, so you feel this stuff emanating from campuses, or camp I, which is the plural of camp Nice. It is.
- [81:41]
AJ Hawk
Hey, man, good work.
- [81:42]
Pat McAfee
There's a. There's a different layer, like several layers. Pageantry, tradition. But at the very, very core, there's something about that power. T as infantile as rainbow and unicorn as that sounds, it means something to those folks. And the big fear is it doesn't mean as much to the players anymore one day as it does to me. And that's kind of what makes me check out a little bit. You've got to have that stuff, man. You've got to have that, or else you don't really have college football as you and I have known it our whole lives.
- [82:12]
AJ Hawk
Yeah. And I think the turnover, obviously, of teams every single year. I mean, the higher quarterback situation won the Ohio State Buckeyes a national championship with Will Howard. I mean, you can go through a lot of the teams where the NIL actually helped them and made their school bigger and better, but the thought of potentially, you know, everybody leaving and everybody disrespecting a brand is certainly one that will piss off the old college football heads. I'm so torn on at all they. I don't understand it. I don't know how there isn't any guard rails. Like, I don't know how this got passed without there being any kind of, hey, this is how it has to be run. Though. So you're saying there's no certified agents that have to kind of come in there. There's no actual contracts either because guys are, you know, signing like two times in the same year with different people. I mean, so what, is rent real? I guess in all of it at this point, Peyton, how does it get fixed?
- [83:11]
Pat McAfee
All right, let me tell you what's real. What's real is for a long time, college football was great and it was really profitable. And when things are going good, that's when you let your guard down. That's when anyone can walk in and put their hands on the wheel. And so this is not a month or years long problem that's been brewing. It's been decades in the making. And you had really pissed poor leadership. You had those, those beautiful bureaucratic academic types that climb the ladder of academia or this also exists in the federal government. People who don't really have the talent to do something themselves. So they kind of get in charge of something else someone else built and they're not. They're not really equipped to do it. Okay, so 10, 20 years ago, they had an opportunity. The NCAA university presidents, don't let them escape culpability. They had the opportunity to create a world where, where Nil, as it really should be stated, was legal. They did, man, they dug their heels in and they just kicked the can down the road. And then you get to a point where your rules aren't enforceable. They don't stand up against, you know, the law and stuff like that. So then judges come in and just whack you with their gavel. And so you get to this world where, dude, over the span of like 24 months a few years ago, coaches just got the Nil and Portal dropped in their lap and they're being asked, hey, cast a vision, like, build a program for the next five, seven years. And they're like, we don't even know what's legal. We don't even know what we're able to do. They're still saying that they don't even know what's legal this fall. We don't even know what the structure of the playoff's going to be this fall, by the way. So long story short, lack of leadership created a big vacuum and you've got a mess now. And it's up to your Greg Sankeys and your Tony Petitis, but also league presidents and university presidents presidents to probably get Congress to pull some levers to help them. I'm the last dude who ever wanted federal intervention in College athletics. But I've grown in more and more convinced that given the state of affairs, that's probably your best shot to get a set of rules that are actually enforceable.
- [85:12]
AJ Hawk
Yeah, I concur with you. I. I think they need some sort of something, because if not, how do you ever have a season like Guy? I'm dealing with it with West Virginia right now because Rich Rodriguez is obviously back. We're trying to get. He's trying to bring his guys in, do it all. So I've been paying close attention to it all. That first transfer portal, obviously, in December, whatever middle college football playoffs that it could have been. You could bring Guy in, then say, pay them, have to pay him, because that's a deal. And then they can leave in April. There's another transfer portal coming in April, and they literally didn't even play a season. They just did the offseason and then the same exact thing. They got to figure it out, Josh. They got to figure it out. Okay, let's go back to Nico Diggs has the last question for you here, pal.
- [85:52]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, do we know.
- [85:53]
AJ Hawk
Do we have any idea where Nico.
- [85:55]
Pat McAfee
Is going to go? I know SEC bylaws. If you transfer in the spring, you cannot go to an SEC school and be eligible to play that season. So it's going to be somewhere outside the sec. I don't know if this is a screenshot or an altered screenshot. Saw247, crystal ball maybe saying, UNC, is there a chance he goes and partners up with Bill Belichick? Well, first tone, don't just assume because something's written as a bylaw that it's enforceable. That's the first thing I'd say. The second thing is. Yeah, I've. I've heard the North Carolina thing. I've heard tane. To be honest with you, it makes me feel gross. This entire time of year makes me feel gross. So I kind of sit back and let, let the other guys break the news. But here's the question. Is he the bad guy wherever he goes? Like, it's my opinion the people who screwed this up for him, his represent, his representation probably should do the first dignified thing they've done and step up and take the arrows for him and. And fess up. Hey, it's us, man. We screwed it up. He was just trying to play. We're the ones who got him into this mess. Cuz right now he goes to Tulane. He goes wherever he goes. He's like a heel, man. He's treated like a legit bad guy within college football. And yes, he's a legal adult. Like, yes, he bears some responsibility. Dude, he's not the one who got himself into this mess.
- [87:09]
AJ Hawk
Yeah, if he goes to unc, that would be. That'd be a wild move by old Bill and Lambo. Welcome to college football. Here we are. Go ahead, Connor.
- [87:20]
Pat McAfee
No, just the. The entire thing. But you would assume with, you know how big the big ten kind of rolls. Maybe he goes over to Ohio State. You know who says that Ohio State. State doesn't just play the. The transfer portal game.
- [87:31]
AJ Hawk
Is Ryan Day the one behind all this right now? Is that. Is it? So who do you. So you talk about the representation. You talk about the representation. So they're talking to people. They obviously know that there's that amount of money somewhere else. Is that what we're all assuming?
- [87:44]
Pat McAfee
I don't think that's the problem. A legit agent would. I think they just decided, oh man, we can. We can leverage. You know, none of these college programs actually talk to each other behind the scenes. They're all interested idiots. So we can just play them for fools and we can just tell Tennessee we got 4 mil on the table somewhere else. And hypo's like, you don't. I know you don't. Now here's a hot rumor. I'm gonna give you the hot rumor, okay? I have not confirmed it.
- [88:07]
AJ Hawk
Yes, rumor. Allegedly. Rumors.
- [88:10]
Pat McAfee
Allegedly. Allegedly. It's. It's all caps word these days around here. Allegedly. Certain front of the program out on the west coast, maybe up near Eugene, may have sent up a flare. Flare to let Tennessee know that this was happening behind the scenes. Imagine that. Other head coaches sending up the flair to let their fellow peers know there's some. There's some shadiness going on behind the scenes here. Might they be looking out for each other's best interest for. For a change. Allegedly. Pretty shady.
- [88:39]
AJ Hawk
Well, I think the coaches. Now who knows if that's real or not. I like. I like a good rumor and I assume that'll get an answer or a non answer. But I like the fact that the coaches are probably a part of feeling ownership and having to get some guidelines around this entire thing too. It's like, hey, there's always going to be the haves and have nots whenever it comes to money. Ohio State's always going to be loaded. Penn State, now we know, is always going to be loaded. But at least if we could have some sort of. You scratch my back, I scratch your type rules. We can all kind of keep this thing going ahead. We appreciate the hell out of your coverage and your time today, my brother.
- [89:11]
Pat McAfee
Appreciate it, brother. Hey, tell Ovechkin I said hey or tell Alex I said hey.
- [89:16]
AJ Hawk
Oh, you call him out first name?
- [89:18]
Pat McAfee
Well, that's, that's how I've referred to him. He'll. He'll understand. Just let him know, he'll understand.
- [89:23]
AJ Hawk
Do you do full dap up or is it a handshake? Where you at with him? Or a hog? Is it a hog with you and him?
- [89:28]
Pat McAfee
It's mainly been a head nod for me and then he just walks on by cuz he has no clue who I am. It's been that sort of vibe.
- [89:34]
AJ Hawk
Oh, one of these. One of these in a hotel. Got it. Yeah, he's up with Josh Pay sounds like there needs to be guardrails. AJ Sounds like that's what everybody's saying.
- [89:46]
Pat McAfee
Sounds like you better know who's speaking for you too. Like if you're a player, like anybody could say they're speaking for you, right? And go to other teams, can't they? If you don't have any, like official people.
- [89:55]
AJ Hawk
What do you think, D. Bud, of the whole entire situation? I. I think somebody in his team.
- [89:59]
Pat McAfee
Yeah.
- [90:00]
AJ Hawk
Probably heard from some team like, hey, we have this amount of money or there's this amount of money on the table for somebody, and maybe it's a Carson Beck deal that he heard about and thought, if Carson Beck's getting that, I deserve more. But somebody on the team heard it, then they pitch it. You think? Or how do you think that kind of comes to be the decision?
- [90:15]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, that's what I think. I mean, I, I hate it. The whole, like you said, I've been talking about the whole non guard rails and it's coming up during the playoffs, even potentially. But yeah, I think as you see another guy get a deal or getting paid, that you think you're either on that level or higher and then you go to your people and say, I want that. Or they come to you and say, hey, you should be getting this. You know how it is when you're in college or you're going to a different level and the people around you think they have all the answers. But at the end of the day, I think this is an example because, you know, he may go and be the bad guy, but whatever, he goes and plays well, gets drafted, it all works out, nobody cares. But it does, it does fall on you, you know, as the athlete, as the person, as the quarterback, as the cornerback, whatever you are Ultimately, it falls on you. You got to take that responsibility and hopefully he figures it out and it all works out for him and all the other parties involved. And like Dan La. Oh, my bad.
- [91:04]
AJ Hawk
Go ahead, Connor.
- [91:05]
Pat McAfee
With. With Oregon and Dan Lanning, like, I feel like there hasn't really been a line. And if what he says is true, and who knows, again, he said it was a rumor, but like, if Dan Laning and other coaches are even saying, like, okay, now we're going too far. Like, if, if we are hearing from, you know, representation from a player where that team doesn't know that this is happening. Like the amount of shady behind the scenes stuff that happens in college football and has happened for years, but for it to get to a point where the coach who might be benefiting, like, we're talking about Oregon getting Nico, like, Nico is unbelievable. We sung his praises after the Ohio State playoff game. Like, he's a tough son of a bitch. He makes all the throws, he can move. He's awesome. And for the team that would possibly be getting him, that needs a quarterback, allegedly might need. Need a quarterback, depending on who they still have, but who just lost, you know, Dylan Gabriel, who could possibly, you know, get a player like Nico to get them over the hump for that team to be like, okay, we can't go this far. Like, hey, we want to win a national championship. We would love it to have a guy like this. But even this feels, you know, dark and kind of messed up in the sense of like, hey, we're screwing over another school so bad, bad here that, that even. That says a lot about the situation.
- [92:24]
AJ Hawk
Well, I think every coach knows that it would probably happen to them too, you know, if we, you know, that that's like, like a, hey, we have to have some sort of, like, if you're going to out recruit somebody, outpay somebody, like, that's, That's, I think, fair game. But if it's like this type of stuff taking place, especially when it comes to Nico, Nico, I thought Nico was a dog, you know, Against Ohio State, he got up. He got up, got up, like a lot. Cracked two helmets. Two helmets get cracked because it was so cold. And then he was getting hit so hard. So him getting up, standing through all that, I had massive respect for. Now he's just like, I see Carson Beck at 3 million bucks. I don't know. I don't know if we're playing the same game anymore. And then Hypo goes, bet I'll see you later. And he hits a transfer portal where does he end up if it's Unc, Like, I guess he's being reported. I didn't know that was being. Being rumored out there. Tone, is that real? Tennessee is moving. Tennessee Coach. Okay. I am here. Malayava miss meetings. Okay. So, Tone, where were you hearing UNC?
- [93:21]
Pat McAfee
I. So I saw a screenshot. So two247Sports does a. Like when someone's in the transfer portal, they do a crystal ball of where they're gonna go. And I saw a screenshot of it on there saying unc. Now, I didn't. I don't know if that was doctored. I saw it twice during the break. But that was the place where I saw.
- [93:39]
AJ Hawk
Oh, no.
- [93:40]
Pat McAfee
And it makes sense because, you know, they're not paying. They potentially need a quarterback. Can you sign incentive deals? Can you get incentive laden, like nil deals? Because there's no way they're going to give him two. You can do anything as long as the Trinity clears it. Yeah.
- [93:54]
AJ Hawk
Yeah, exactly. That's what I've heard. Yeah. Right. Isn't it kind of like if is because they said it'll be maxed out, everything will be maxed. You know, like basically that's what had to happen.
- [94:03]
Pat McAfee
Right.
- [94:03]
AJ Hawk
If we listen to what Lombardi was saying and Belichick was saying leading up, it's like, yeah, there were certain things and if we knew that was possible, we felt like we could compete. You know, we're going to do our thing. Did you hear about their spring practice? I read about that.
- [94:15]
Pat McAfee
I did.
- [94:16]
AJ Hawk
Yeah.
- [94:16]
Pat McAfee
Not spring game. Not a spring practice. Kind of in between. They don't really know. Showcase.
- [94:21]
AJ Hawk
Yeah, it was a pro showcase, I think. Yeah. D. But did you. Did you see what happen? I guess. I guess Bill wasn't doing a lot. Me. They.
- [94:29]
Pat McAfee
They thought Bill was going to do a. Like a halftime performance and he didn't do that. So they were disappointed or. I don't know.
- [94:35]
AJ Hawk
His players. His players got no numbers on. We can't. We don't know who's. Yeah, he didn't talk to us. He. He. He walked off the field.
- [94:43]
Pat McAfee
They want to be able to take the mic, like for the PA over the whole crowd and thank everybody for coming. I don't know how many people was there? 80, 000 people there.
- [94:50]
AJ Hawk
I didn't.
- [94:50]
Pat McAfee
Tom Curran is grinning like the butcher's dog.
- [94:53]
AJ Hawk
Like.
- [94:54]
Pat McAfee
I told you. I told you. Chapel Hill. This is Bill, baby. But I mean, they did say in one of those articles that, you know, maybe the miked up Belichick will give a Little bit more into the entire thing. We saw him getting Mike. It would be like for like an in house production that they were doing. Yeah, exactly. So if like you got some, you know, college Belichick clips coming out, that would be sweet too. The guy also ripped on Lambo's playlist and basically said like, Jesus Christ. He was putting everybody to sleep playing Springsteen, you know, what are you doing? Let's get some bops in here. Come on, Mike Van Halen.
- [95:27]
AJ Hawk
I think in Springsteen, the players, the players weren't excited and neither were we is what the guy said. Players weren't jacked up about the music and neither were we. They got a win down there. I guess getting a quarterback would be good. On the complete flip side of that, I think Rich Rodriguez for our spring showcase was actually in the crowd letting fans called plays.
- [95:48]
Pat McAfee
Hell yeah.
- [95:49]
AJ Hawk
So a little bit different. Little bit. A little bit. A little bit different operation. Out of those two, who has the money at this stage? I guess Ohio State would be a. Do you guys have a quarterback at Ohio State?
- [95:58]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, they have a legit QB battle going on. Both guys look good. Even the third guy, young kid that just graduated high school, came in the spring game and threw a touchdown and played pretty well because it's hard for.
- [96:08]
AJ Hawk
Me to get upset about the whole Nil destroying the sport thing because Vanderbilt loves it. You know, Diego goes in there, turns their entire thing around. Oregon enjoyed it because Dylan Gabriel went in there. They had an undefeated year or whatever until they didn't in the Rose Bowl. Ohio State loves it. They got Will Howard in there. Just like Penn State obviously is going to use it more than anybody else going forward. And I don't think anybody's ready for that. Penn State is about to go. I don't know if they have Uncle Phil at Oregon type money at Penn State, but it feels like that's how they're operating. Feels like that's how they're operating. So, like when something like this pops up and Michigan so much money they got. Yeah, they got the Cook hall debut. They got Ellison jumping in too. The richest guy. I'm trying to recruit billionaires to West Virginia, by the way. I'm trying to recruit billionaires to adopt West Virginia. But let's say this. You know, we've heard Brandon Bean talk about how if there's a rumor on the Internet about a player being disgruntled or a team being disgruntled with a guy, they're like, go ahead and snoop around. Hey, is there anything open you guys want to make a move. Boom. They get Stefan digs up there. I wonder, for colleges, you hear something about Nico going around? Do they start snooping around with like the friends and family and they say, hey, there's a chance that this is available. If you're able to do that, then whenever he gets into the transporter, it's already a done deal. How long do you have to remain in the transportation transit portal? Can you hop in there for half a second and then hop right out of there? Is there a 24 hour period? Is there a grace period? I don't think I fully understand it, but all those schools here that Nico is available, then they're just immediately calling all their boosters. That's what they're doing, AJ Is that how that works?
- [97:50]
Pat McAfee
Trying to secure enough. Do they keep, like, how much do you have, like in a slush fund for Nio, in a situation like this, when a quarterback might become available at a time that you wouldn't think he would like? Yeah, I don't know. Or they got to go instantly get some donors to probably promised a couple mil. So you bring them in. I don't know. Then these coaches gotta hit the phones.
- [98:07]
AJ Hawk
Gotta hit the phones. They're thinking, be terrible.
- [98:09]
Pat McAfee
And once. Once the Nico news came out, I know he. Peyton talked about the smoke signal, but I found it interesting. Mario crystal ball down in Miami, he kind of came out kind of like, yeah, this is kind of how we're going to start doing things. Because as coaches, even though you're competing for these players, you do want some type of standard or set some, you know, some type of precedent. Like, hey, if you try to optimize out midseason or in the middle of your deal or something like that, then maybe it will be tougher for you to find a spot. But ultimately, we know it comes down to winning. Yeah, you can get a guy that can come in and help you win. You look at all the top quarterbacks in the last however many years they've been transferred. So once again, hopefully, it all works out for the players.
- [98:48]
AJ Hawk
Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, greatness has arrived. Now, granted, his nickname had the word great in it for a very long time. He has showcased that he has been great for a very long time in the NHL. I assume throughout his entire life, ladies and gentlemen, he'll be remembered as the greatest goal scorer in the history of the NHL. From the Washington Capitals, Stanley cup champion, ladies and gentlemen, Alexander Ovechkin.
- [99:20]
Pat McAfee
What's up, guys? Guys?
- [99:22]
AJ Hawk
Ov. Thank you so much for Taking time to join us. We are massive fans of yours, brother. Yeah, thank you very much, guys. All the boys watching right now.
- [99:32]
Pat McAfee
So let.
- [99:33]
AJ Hawk
Let me introduce to everybody.
- [99:36]
Pat McAfee
Oh, yeah.
- [99:37]
AJ Hawk
Oh, yeah. I like that.
- [99:38]
Pat McAfee
Big.
- [99:38]
AJ Hawk
Big M. Big Mac.
- [99:40]
Pat McAfee
Roy Doobie. Little Kid Leno.
- [99:46]
AJ Hawk
Hey, little kid. Son of a. They call you.
- [99:57]
Pat McAfee
Hey, we. We have. We have another guy. What's up?
- [100:01]
AJ Hawk
Yeah. What's up, guys? Jesus. Hey, guys.
- [100:05]
Pat McAfee
Frankenstein. Big Al.
- [100:08]
AJ Hawk
Hey, what's up, son? Big Al. What up?
- [100:10]
Pat McAfee
Ch. Yeah. Bull. What?
- [100:13]
AJ Hawk
The pilot. What's up, Bull?
- [100:16]
Pat McAfee
Ready?
- [100:17]
AJ Hawk
Oh, good doggy. Hey, doggy. Captain. Captain America. John Carlson. Right here. Usa.
- [100:27]
Pat McAfee
Usa. Usa. They screaming usa. Usa.
- [100:32]
AJ Hawk
What about that?
- [100:33]
Pat McAfee
Canada. Canada. Okay, okay. And always on his phone. Businessman.
- [100:42]
AJ Hawk
Love.
- [100:43]
Pat McAfee
Ella.
- [100:45]
AJ Hawk
Hey, what's up, Businessman. Good to see you, handsome.
- [100:47]
Pat McAfee
The boys.
- [100:51]
AJ Hawk
That's the one.
- [100:51]
Pat McAfee
Here we go, boys. What's up, guys? What's up, guys?
- [100:56]
AJ Hawk
Ov. Thank you for introducing us to your team. You guys are really good. You guys are a really good team this year. Let's talk about your team. This year has been a lot of focus on you with what you just did there, where you immediately introduced your entire team to us. Was it uncomfortable at moments when all focus was on whether or not you were going to score and how many you were going to score?
- [101:19]
Pat McAfee
Well, be honestly, like before the season and obviously last year, like no one thought like it can be happened, you know, because 894, it's a huge number, right? But as soon as I get like closer and closer, closer and closer, like.
- [101:42]
AJ Hawk
I have so much attention and it's.
- [101:46]
Pat McAfee
It's been crazy to be honest with you, because attentions, media, fans, like, yeah, it was.
- [101:56]
AJ Hawk
It was something nuts.
- [101:58]
Pat McAfee
But overall it was. It was great for hockey because everybody's.
- [102:05]
AJ Hawk
Talking about hockey, about Wayne Gretzky, the greatest player to play hockey, and.
- [102:14]
Pat McAfee
And it was great. So I mean, I started believe like when it was a three or four goals and I was like, okay, like.
- [102:24]
AJ Hawk
Maybe it can happen.
- [102:26]
Pat McAfee
And obviously I break my leg during.
- [102:28]
AJ Hawk
The year and I was kind of.
- [102:30]
Pat McAfee
Like, okay, maybe, maybe next year. Maybe one more year. But overall, that's why I introduced my team.
- [102:41]
AJ Hawk
Because those guys, without them, like, I would never reach that milestone and I.
- [102:48]
Pat McAfee
Would never reach that. Greatly accomplished. And obviously without my family as well.
- [102:54]
AJ Hawk
My wife, my mom, and obviously support from my friends. Yeah, shout out to the whole support system. Obviously everybody needs that around them. The better the system, the better anybody could potentially be. And you mentioned a lot in there. You talked about the attention. You talked about it being great for hockey. We agree Completely. Everybody was watching the great chase. And whenever you bring up Wayne Gretzky, a lot of people learned of Wayne Gretzky's greatness, I believe that maybe didn't know beforehand. A lot of people maybe learned that this goal scoring record was considered unattainable because of how great it was. I think you grew the game massively. I think you were great for the sport. You should take a lot of pride in that. Now when it comes to Wayne Gretzky, he said that he was going to be the first person to congratulate the person that broke that record or whatever. And he came through for that. Showed up at the last couple games, knew you were going to break it. Have you always had a great relationship with him and how has that kind of friendship, peerness kind of gone?
- [103:49]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, he's such a great person. First time I met him in the draft, 2000, I think five or six. And you know, we have a dinner with him in LA when we have a All Star Game and, and I met with his wife.
- [104:07]
AJ Hawk
You know, we spend such a great time together.
- [104:11]
Pat McAfee
Like, you know, like as a kid.
- [104:13]
AJ Hawk
Like it's a dream to meet the legend.
- [104:16]
Pat McAfee
And I'm lucky enough to have a meeting with Mario. You.
- [104:22]
AJ Hawk
I played against him my first year. Wayne Gretzky, German Ginla over Nolan.
- [104:29]
Pat McAfee
Like all those guys.
- [104:31]
AJ Hawk
Sergey Federlov.
- [104:33]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, it's like I'm lucky guy because, you know, it's.
- [104:37]
AJ Hawk
It's like in basketball you have a.
- [104:39]
Pat McAfee
Dinner with Michael Jordan. You know, I never have a chance to meet Michael.
- [104:44]
AJ Hawk
Michael Jordan, but it's one of my dream. And I have his Simon jersey.
- [104:49]
Pat McAfee
But yeah, it's one of my dream.
- [104:52]
AJ Hawk
To meet, uh, the greatest player, uh.
- [104:55]
Pat McAfee
To play busy home.
- [104:57]
AJ Hawk
Well, let's make that happen. Obviously, I think that will immediately now, but whatever. You talk about meeting with all those guys. Yeah, when you talk about meeting all those guys, they're all saying they sat with you, brother. You're Alexander Ovechkin. That is awesome. And, and I'm happy to hear how humble you are about how much everybody has given to you. Go ahead, aj.
- [105:16]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, ovi, can you take us, take us back to how you felt right after you made that goal and your, your celebration. You're on the ice, you're sleeping, sliding through there. We see the iconic picture, but then instantly you are pummeled by your whole team. It had to feel amazing. Like, what was it like? Were you expecting this? Did you plan to do this little celebration or how did this all come about? No, like, I just I was so excited. I. I just felt probably my, my skate like my, my trainer Brock probably.
- [105:45]
AJ Hawk
Didn'T shut my skater like before.
- [105:48]
Pat McAfee
I also. That's why, that's why I felt. But yeah, like that moment gonna live.
- [105:55]
AJ Hawk
Forever and it's, it's unbelievable.
- [105:58]
Pat McAfee
So yeah, I'm like, you know how, how I said I can't still like I still can't believe like it's happening. And you know what we did and what, what, what we did and New York calendar, it's.
- [106:14]
AJ Hawk
It's gonna stay forever.
- [106:15]
Pat McAfee
So.
- [106:16]
AJ Hawk
Yeah, I'm very happy. That's an awesome poster right there. Forever. What a moment. Legendary. Only more to come. Ty has a question for you.
- [106:26]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, OVI Just curious. Are you still drinking like pop like Coke or Pepsi on the bench? I know that was a big thing during your career and at what point?
- [106:35]
AJ Hawk
Oh yeah, I still, I still have.
- [106:37]
Pat McAfee
Like we're in a plane and I.
- [106:39]
AJ Hawk
Have my Cheetah, my Subway and Coke for sure.
- [106:44]
Pat McAfee
And on the bench I always have a Coke.
- [106:46]
AJ Hawk
So if you see me drinking bottle, it's a Coke.
- [106:49]
Pat McAfee
That's awesome. God, that's awesome.
- [106:51]
AJ Hawk
That's a legendary. So with that being said, a lot has talked about how you're incredibly jacked and how good a shape you're in. And now you're in record breaking season.
- [107:01]
Pat McAfee
Are you sure? I'm gonna shave.
- [107:03]
AJ Hawk
Yeah. I see pictures of you with no shirt more than I see a lot of other people with no shirt on. And this the st.
- [107:10]
Pat McAfee
In the summer. No.
- [107:11]
AJ Hawk
No good.
- [107:11]
Pat McAfee
In the summer. No good.
- [107:13]
AJ Hawk
No, all the time good. You're. You're one of the OGs, man. You're like the old thing. Do you think about, you know how much longer the body can go can do you like. And have you had to make an adjustment in your game as you've gotten older on the ice? Well, I have one more year and we'll see what's going to happen.
- [107:31]
Pat McAfee
I'll be honest with you, like I love the team.
- [107:33]
AJ Hawk
I love be around the boys and as long as I can, I will, I will try to stick around and with my great buddy how you said in NHL. So we'll see. Have you had to change up because it looks like you're playing the same way. You're sitting in the office over there. Puck's coming and it's going right to the back of the net. You're still hitting people. Okay. Still a dog. Okay. Which is never talked about. Best goal scorer in the history of the game. Also willing to fight you if he has to. Have you had to change up as you. Do you feel your game changing or do you still think you play the same way?
- [108:07]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, yeah, of course you have to.
- [108:10]
AJ Hawk
Adjust a little bit, but.
- [108:14]
Pat McAfee
Like, soon the season over, like, you know how.
- [108:16]
AJ Hawk
Many times you have to prepare your.
- [108:19]
Pat McAfee
Body to prepare your mind for next year. So I. I mean, like, when you're.
- [108:27]
AJ Hawk
Young, like, it's one thing, but when.
- [108:29]
Pat McAfee
You get older, it's a different thing. But overall, sometimes you have to start.
- [108:35]
AJ Hawk
Training a little bit earlier. Sometimes you have to change a little bit later.
- [108:41]
Pat McAfee
Because. Because it's. It depends when you season it all it.
- [108:46]
AJ Hawk
Yeah. Less vodka. Sometimes, you know, you got to get going there. You have vodka guy.
- [108:51]
Pat McAfee
No beer, guys.
- [108:53]
AJ Hawk
Beer. Strictly beers. Yeah, we see you after every single game. Crack open a beer. Doesn't matter what type of beer.
- [109:03]
Pat McAfee
I like Stella and Sapporo.
- [109:07]
AJ Hawk
I like that. Every arena will make sure they have them going forward. DBut has a question for you.
- [109:12]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, Congrats again. Oh, it was great watching the great Chase. I gotta ask you about a question. So. So popped up on my timeline a couple weeks ago, three six mafia bands that make her dance. That being kind of your song. When did that start and what was it like having the guys in the arena? Yeah, we signed cheeky Jacob Chickren and.
- [109:35]
AJ Hawk
He wears, you know, that's Ben and John Carlson Banza. Like, he called him Banzai. And I'm like, okay, Banza, make a dance. And we like start, start that kind of stuff.
- [109:51]
Pat McAfee
And yeah, it's wires. It's lots of kids, lots of, like.
- [109:57]
AJ Hawk
Lots of NBA players doing that kind of stuff. And yeah, it's pretty cool to see those guys to support us. And obviously, you know, it's.
- [110:05]
Pat McAfee
It's pretty cool. Like how I said it's.
- [110:07]
AJ Hawk
It's great for hockey. Like, you know, it's. It's great.
- [110:11]
Pat McAfee
Great.
- [110:12]
AJ Hawk
Yeah, it feels like the more we learn about you, Ovie, the more we love about you. And that's coming from a guy who grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as a Penguins fan, obviously. Old school rivalry there. Tone has a question for you, ovi.
- [110:25]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, I do. O. It's kind of. It's kind of about that rivalry because I watched you at ppg, you know, going against Sid, and then obviously you break Wayne's record this year for scoring.
- [110:34]
AJ Hawk
And then Sid breaks Wayne's record for.
- [110:36]
Pat McAfee
20 seasons of record row, averaging at least a point per game. How cool is like that? You guys came into the lead together, you know, after the lockout, and you guys have basically been carrying the NHL for the last 20 years.
- [110:46]
AJ Hawk
And how.
- [110:46]
Pat McAfee
What is your relationship with Sid like these days? Yeah, obviously, me and Sid, beyond you.
- [110:52]
AJ Hawk
Like, first couple years was not that good.
- [110:54]
Pat McAfee
But right now we.
- [110:57]
AJ Hawk
We. We talk like, congrats each other if we hit some milestones and, you know, like, those relationships is, you know, from the battle to outside, like in hockey and outside of hockey, it's a total different thing. So we're gonna have a last game in three days between us and Pittsburgh. And yeah, I'm pretty sure it's gonna be a battle because, like, you know, it's still.
- [111:27]
Pat McAfee
It's still the right race.
- [111:28]
AJ Hawk
But after the game, like, we're always hard, we're always chatting and. Yeah, well, we have respect to each other. And you're right. Like, what we did to NHL, it's tremendous thing. Like, you know, me and him, it's what we do all those years, it's.
- [111:51]
Pat McAfee
It's great for us, you know, like.
- [111:55]
AJ Hawk
People gonna talk about Kurosbinovich and Pittsburgh and Washington sport maybe 20 or 50 more years, and it's great. So it's.
- [112:09]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, it's.
- [112:11]
AJ Hawk
It's a battle, but it's a friendship right now, so it's all good. I'm happy to hear that. You both were incredible to watch all those years and can't wait to see. To see how you both finish these legendary careers. You're the man, the greatest goal scorer of all time, Alexander Ovette.
- [112:29]
Pat McAfee
Thank you.
- [112:31]
AJ Hawk
We met his whole team there. That was awesome. We'll be back tomorrow. We'll see you then. Be a friend. Tell a friend something nice. Might change their life. I think I got it in. Shout out to the screen here.
- [112:40]
Pat McAfee
Yep.
- [112:40]
AJ Hawk
Shout out to the screen here. How about him introducing us to his entire team? That was awesome. Awesome.
- [112:44]
Pat McAfee
That's hockey. Yeah. That is hot. You're right.
- [112:49]
AJ Hawk
Here's Judy. Here's. Hey, here's dog. Say hello, dog. They're saying, hello, good cat. Oh, America. Carlson. America. They're chanting, USA. USA. That was awesome.
- [113:03]
Pat McAfee
Yeah.
- [113:04]
AJ Hawk
Whole plane. A.J. what you say? Hey, who's flying it? Didn't you say that?
- [113:08]
Pat McAfee
I thought, yeah, someone who's flying this plane. I was hoping he's gonna go see the cockpit. We were introduced to the pilots. Imagine, like, how many years he's been there.
- [113:15]
AJ Hawk
20.
- [113:15]
Pat McAfee
20. Yeah.
- [113:16]
AJ Hawk
I mean, yeah.
- [113:16]
Pat McAfee
Ovi is like, he is that organization. That's him. Like, I. Yeah. It's gonna be so weird when he's not there. When he's not there, it's gonna be without a Doubt won't be the same.
- [113:24]
AJ Hawk
He's like a woman. Your left. I love the boys, you know, I love the boys. Like such a. Such a moment there. Whenever he shows up on the screen, then I immediately start thinking to myself, I don't know if I've ever heard OVI just like ch. Chill and talk. Nick. Does that happen often?
- [113:42]
Pat McAfee
Very rare. And you could tell like throughout the 20 years he's gotten much more comfortable with his English and he speaks pretty, pretty damn well, all things considered. To come to a different country, dominate a sport and try and learn a second language, you can tell like he's just got a great personality. And it's one of those things that people complained about with the NHL for years. It's like, we need more guys like this who are open minded and willing to talk. And sometimes it makes a little bit of tough when they speak a different language primarily. But O's been one of the guys to try and break down that barrier. He's just an awesome personality, super cool dude.
- [114:12]
AJ Hawk
And they've been there this whole time. We talked to Sid now at a big night out. Cool. We talked to Ovie. Coolest dudes of all time. They've been here the whole time. Can we get a mic front in these guys face at some point? Could we have, could we have met these guys? You know, cuz I guess hockey. So like, it's not about me, it's about we literally.
- [114:31]
Pat McAfee
School. Yeah. For real. Like they've been there almost too long. Like, think about the guys he mentioned when he came in. Like Fedorov, Lemieux. Yeah. Wayne. Like, he's almost been in the league so long that he's like so far removed from like the time now. Like Tkachuk, you could say, like, Matthew Kachuk's great. He comes on all the time. But that, that's kind of that new era. Whereas Ovechkin and Crosby, like, they came up in the. Hey, team, team, team. Like, if you get asked to do an interview, you better shut your mouth. If you go do it like now. It's cool that they're at the point in their careers though, where it's like, hey, we are like part of Mount Rushmore of our generation. Like, we can do whatever the hell we want.
- [115:10]
AJ Hawk
Debot. Ov's different brother. That guy's just awesome dog since day one. Can tell by talking to him.
- [115:16]
Pat McAfee
Yeah. Watching his highlights over the years is crazy. Just his physicality, obviously he's an unbelievable goal scorer, but watching his physical physicality, how he just pummels guys out there. And it is crazy to hear what the question Ty asked him. Is he still drinking coke on the sideline? For him to still. And I guess, you know, especially old school guys, they are who they are, to kind of stick to. To who they are and how they go about their business. But that's insane that he's been able to have this type of longevity in this game. And then breaking the record is obviously awesome. Him saying, I'm coming back, I got one more year. We'll see how it goes. But to the culture thing, like the. The personality is great. Hearing these guys talk. I got an opportunity to go kind of in the change room with you after the Penguins game. Like, obviously they're all cool as behind the closed doors, but once they get in front of mics, like, they don't want the spotlight just on them. It's just team, team, team. And I still kind of love that. But from a marketing, from a brand thing, from a money making thing, I'm sure Gary Bettman, I would think somebody's gonna promote him. He would want it to kind of change a little bit, open up and learn more about, you know, the athletes. You talk about it sometimes times with the NBA, like, the more we can get to know these guys and see them behind the scenes, I think the more, you know, likable they become, more relatable they become and, you know, people tend to like the league more.
- [116:26]
AJ Hawk
People like humans these days, you know, that's like the. They follow. That's, you know, social media, these streamers.
- [116:32]
Pat McAfee
Yeah.
- [116:32]
AJ Hawk
I mean, the. Just think about all of it. Like, I think people have to be invested in the person more now. Yes. Than ever before to be a fan of said thing. Like, I think that is just kind of of the way the world is because we know so much about so many and I think them not wanting to have any attention on them is one of the traits that people would love about hockey if they knew about hockey, you know, but it kind of works against them because they don't want anybody to know they exist because they don't want to do interviews. And people know that they're awesome. So nobody fucking knows about them. So they don't know about the game. So it's like, you know, it's a big. It's a big one of these. But hockey is awesome and so is Ovi. TaxAct knows filing your taxes can be complicated. And that's why we have live experts to help you with any questions. They can hold your hand through the process beginning to end metaphorically, of course.
- [117:24]
Pat McAfee
I mean, they can't actually hold your hand in person.
- [117:27]
AJ Hawk
I suppose you could hold your computer mouse while you chat with the expert about capital gains or whatever, which is sort of like holding hands. Sorry. Point is, our tax experts can make fun filing easier taxact.
- [117:40]
Pat McAfee
Let's get them over with. If you want tools that stand the test of time without testing your wallet, Harbor Freight is the place for you. Expert engineers design and rigorously test Harbor Freight tools to bring you top quality. Whether your next project is big or small, Harbor Freight carries a wide selection, from hand tools to power tools to automotive tools and welding equipment. And with prices lower than other top brands, but with the same top quality, you're getting more for your money at Harbor Freight Freight. There are over 1, 500 Harbor Freight stores in the U.S. so come see for yourself. Whatever you do, do it for less at Harbor Freight. Sports are the best. Pat, what's happening over there in Sacramento? I see him still. I mean, there's wwe. Sorry, WWE production people. Everyone with the WWE has always impressed me, but, man, watching them for Big Night out and watching them build everything from scratch was just awesome. Everything about what they do blows my mind.
- [118:43]
AJ Hawk
Yeah, the WWE production crew are second to none. Always have been, always will be. The creative team, the way they go about doing it is phenomenal. Every single Monday, I get to see it obviously in Raw arenas, and then there's Smackdown arenas, then there's some house shows. They're doing it three, four times a week. So them adding Big Night out last week was incredibly kind of all parties that worked on that. Shout out to the WWE team and shout out to the Sacramento Kings. Ace brought me jersey. I'm on team. I'm on team.
- [119:12]
Pat McAfee
You ought to be on that team. Well, they got a big game coming up, right? Yeah, that's cool. That's cool. What are we. We handing out participation trophies? All right, well, I don't.
- [119:24]
AJ Hawk
I don't know if I like the number 25 either, but if I was given a 10 day, I think I would. I would take it for sure, you know, if I had to. But, yeah, they're the ones that drafted Halliburton, right. And they traded him to the Indiana Pacer. So I'm very thankful for the Sacramento Kings. And I'm also appreciative of the jersey that a man named James, who's very handsome and also understands the city layout a little bit, he told me Ada's Stadium is right over there too, if you want to go take a block we kind of run that place too, if you want to go walk around a little bit, get a tour, see something. Maybe for one of the last times I said, absolutely, James. Good guy. Thank you for the jersey. Thank you for the time. But also, we get a chance to chat with a national champion. Ladies and gentlemen, you should have been paying attention. I only saw it on social. Should have been watching it on tv. I do apologize, but there was a frozen four of sorts. A national championship of college hockey, which is obviously fantastic, and a team that you've heard of. For sure. Boston was being represented. A lot of hockey there, A lot of hockey there. And then there was a team that was in its 50th season. The Western Michigan boys were on the ice. And the Western Michigan team would win 6 to 2 to win their first ever national championship. Joining us now, ladies and gentlemen, head coach of the Western Michigan Broncos, Ladies and gentlemen, coach Pat Fershwaller.
- [120:44]
Pat McAfee
Guys, I'm excited.
- [120:45]
AJ Hawk
I'm a huge fan of yours.
- [120:46]
Pat McAfee
I could not be more pumped to.
- [120:47]
AJ Hawk
Be on this show. Coach. I just want to have you know that I didn't know enough about your team before you guys took on Boston. I was watching these highlights roll in and I was watching the moxie of your team. And then I was learning about your team, about how this is the first national championship and its 50 year run up there in Western Michigan. And then I learned about your story. Being a former player, an absolute Doe on the ice, and I couldn't help but fall in love with your team over the last 24 or 48 hours. Tell me about the experience. Tell me about winning the national championship. What was it like in that moment, realizing that you guys have accomplished something that no other team in your school's history has been able to accomplish bad? This is a special group of young men. It's a team that with your energy.
- [121:31]
Pat McAfee
You'D love to be a part of. I think we kind of came in there and bullied Boston University a little bit with our will. And, you know, I just happy and proud for these young men.
- [121:42]
AJ Hawk
Bullied him a little bit. Boston. Connor has a question for you, actually.
- [121:45]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, Coach. Bullied him. You know, it's incredible. First of all that happened, but can you also talk about the fans? Because word on the street is the fans really show it out. They bullied the BU fans as well. Can you talk about them all season? Because I know they were massive for you guys all year. Yeah, I mean, we have an electric.
- [122:03]
AJ Hawk
Atmosphere here at our home rink.
- [122:05]
Pat McAfee
And they're called The Lawson Lunatics. And they're, they've earned that name for sure. They have their own website, they have their own gear. They're ready to go. So the support from the community.
- [122:13]
AJ Hawk
Community, the support from the school is outstanding.
- [122:16]
Pat McAfee
And I felt like half of Kalamazoo was in St. Louis that day. You could feel it on the streets, honestly.
- [122:23]
AJ Hawk
Okay, so let's talk about college hockey as a whole. We know college sports are incredibly, you know, passionate and pageantry and tradition, and we learn about it through football. You know, we very rarely get a chance to chit chat about college hockey except for when the Frozen 4 takes place. How many arenas, how many schools have a Western Michigan fan base? Like, how many college schools in hockey are like. I don't want to say top tier passion schools, but you understand what I'm saying? I think you're right.
- [122:51]
Pat McAfee
I do, I do.
- [122:53]
AJ Hawk
I mean, there's a good number of schools with.
- [122:55]
Pat McAfee
Hockey is a sport that breeds passion.
- [122:57]
AJ Hawk
And I think the fans that are there are all in.
- [123:00]
Pat McAfee
Obviously, it's a little more niche sport than football, but when you like hockey, you love hockey and you're there and.
- [123:06]
AJ Hawk
You'Re cheering and you're all in on hockey.
- [123:08]
Pat McAfee
So I think a number of them have that, but our student section is generally rated number one in the country and, and I think they've earned that right.
- [123:16]
AJ Hawk
Who are these guys that are playing for these colleges? Are they kids that have been drafted in the past? Are they kids from overseas? Is it. Who. High school, junior B, I think was something I remember that was chatting about whenever I was coming through high school. What is the. Who are.
- [123:29]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, generally kids, honestly, from all over.
- [123:32]
AJ Hawk
We have about four.
- [123:32]
Pat McAfee
We have two Fins, two Swedes on our team.
- [123:35]
AJ Hawk
It's an international game.
- [123:36]
Pat McAfee
Hockey is. There's no doubt. But this is.
- [123:38]
AJ Hawk
One third of the National Hockey League.
- [123:40]
Pat McAfee
Comes out of college hockey.
- [123:41]
AJ Hawk
I don't know if everybody knows that.
- [123:42]
Pat McAfee
At all times, but Superstars in the NHL have played in college hockey. You know, the 1 overall draft pick, Macklin Celebrini, played for BU the year before he stepped in with San Jose.
- [123:53]
AJ Hawk
He's a star.
- [123:54]
Pat McAfee
There's stars all over the NHL that.
- [123:56]
AJ Hawk
Play in the, you know, from college hockey.
- [123:58]
Pat McAfee
And again, it's about two. It's about one third of the league that comes out of our league.
- [124:02]
AJ Hawk
That's awesome. And you guys are national champs of that whole damn thing. AJ Has a question for you. Coach.
- [124:07]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, Coach, you mentioned it's such an international, international game. What's recruiting like, like what is now that your season's over, you guys win and all. Now what do you do? How do you go to the corners of the earth and find these guys?
- [124:16]
AJ Hawk
Yeah, as you know, college sports is.
- [124:18]
Pat McAfee
Is a fluid situation. So one who's returning and. And I say that more, if not because they don't want to return, but.
- [124:23]
AJ Hawk
Who'S going to sign in the NHL? I think our captain is going to sign this morning.
- [124:27]
Pat McAfee
He'll play probably Wednesday in the NHL game.
- [124:31]
AJ Hawk
We met one or two other players.
- [124:32]
Pat McAfee
That may do the same.
- [124:33]
AJ Hawk
So it's a pretty fluid situation.
- [124:35]
Pat McAfee
Who's going to return? Who's going to enter the portal? Probably the guys that didn't get as.
- [124:38]
AJ Hawk
Much ice time, but.
- [124:40]
Pat McAfee
And then who are we going to recruit? Obviously, this helps recruiting in a massive way, but real unique as far as international players. You have to recruit off video and hope they turn out. Ours have all panned out in a great way. So fluid, interesting environment in all of college sports, but, you know, we lean into it and we enjoy it.
- [124:59]
AJ Hawk
Coach, look out for these AI editors. They can make anything happen. They can make any. You think you're getting ov. You're getting no V, pal. How many games in a season in college hockey? How. How. What's similar is the game to the NHL?
- [125:17]
Pat McAfee
Well, we play about half the amount of games, so we played 42 NHL plays, 82. But, you know, it's great for us because it allows development, allows practice time. It allows us to really, you know, get our hands on these players. Players and help their improvement on the.
- [125:32]
AJ Hawk
Ice, but also help them, you know.
- [125:33]
Pat McAfee
Grow up as young men and develop to be successful in life.
- [125:37]
AJ Hawk
Ty has a question for you, Coach.
- [125:39]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, Coach, I know you coached as an assistant with the Red Wings for a few years. What, in your opinion, what's the biggest difference between coaching college kids? I mean, you mentioned it. You know, a couple of these kids obviously are studs and will go play in the NHL. But what's the biggest difference coaching NHL guys versus college kids? Well, I think I'll start with the similarities, is they all want to be great.
- [126:00]
AJ Hawk
And, you know, our kids want to be great.
- [126:02]
Pat McAfee
NHLs want to be great.
- [126:03]
AJ Hawk
And so the passion is there on.
- [126:05]
Pat McAfee
Both sides of it. But, you know, the NHL is just.
- [126:07]
AJ Hawk
A more mature game.
- [126:08]
Pat McAfee
They've learned how to be repeatable.
- [126:10]
AJ Hawk
And I think the repeatability is the magic of pro sports.
- [126:14]
Pat McAfee
And can you perform every time?
- [126:16]
AJ Hawk
Not just once, not just have a great game. But as I coach Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel De Azuk, I learned they're either.
- [126:22]
Pat McAfee
Great or they're really, really, really good every single night.
- [126:26]
AJ Hawk
It's incredible how repeatable performances are in.
- [126:28]
Pat McAfee
The pro hockey world.
- [126:30]
AJ Hawk
Consistency is the difference between good and great. I believe that is literally the difference between having a full time career and just being a guy who has a cup of coffee. DBut has a question for you. Coach.
- [126:41]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, coach. You play. You know, coaching at your album mod, I'm sure you probably dreamt about the moment where you were the number one team in the country. You were, you had that target on your back and you were playing for a national championship. What was it like actually before going out there, what was the nerves like and what was it like getting the boys ready to go to battle? Well, I mean our group's prepared and.
- [127:01]
AJ Hawk
I always say the nerve nerves are for the unprepared. Our group was felt fully prepared.
- [127:06]
Pat McAfee
They believed in themselves, they believed in.
- [127:08]
AJ Hawk
Each other and they believed in our plan for success and they followed through in a big time way. Hey, I, I just got a text from. We have our, our cfo. His name is Phil. I went to elementary school with him, junior high with him and high school with him. He played high school hockey, played for the junior Pens. I do believe he would go on to play at Pitt and then coach at Pitt. Loves hockey. He just texted, he's got a little boy too that we're looking to get him to Western Michigan whenever he comes. Love it. You know, of age, you guys are building a 300 million dollar arena up there in Western Michigan right now. Is that real?
- [127:46]
Pat McAfee
That's an old headline.
- [127:47]
AJ Hawk
It's $515 million.
- [127:50]
Pat McAfee
Oh yeah.
- [127:52]
AJ Hawk
So we, we've got one guy's gonna.
- [127:54]
Pat McAfee
Build it, he's gonna donate, donate it to university.
- [127:56]
AJ Hawk
He said, coach, I want you to think big. And I said I'm your guy, let's go.
- [128:00]
Pat McAfee
And so I've added over $100 million to that building myself. Every possible amenity could ever have.
- [128:06]
AJ Hawk
He said, I want it to be.
- [128:07]
Pat McAfee
The best arena in college hockey and.
- [128:08]
AJ Hawk
I want it to be the best.
- [128:09]
Pat McAfee
Performance center gym in college hockey. And I think we're going to have both. We're going to give the players everything.
- [128:14]
AJ Hawk
They could possibly want for success. Wow. Okay, so you talk about recruiting and winning a national championship, obviously helping and having your captain play, you know, national championship on a weekend and then in an NHL game on Wednesday. And obviously people know you for being a guy that can take their, you know, their boys to turn them to men. Whenever it comes to recruiting, having a $500 million arena. Is that. Is that abnormal? I assume that's abnormal in college hockey or.
- [128:39]
Pat McAfee
No, I think it's abnormal everywhere.
- [128:40]
AJ Hawk
And the whole situation is it's.
- [128:42]
Pat McAfee
It's a we. They haven't said no to me in two years. This is arena built with an imagination, not a budget. It is the best of everything.
- [128:50]
AJ Hawk
It's a.
- [128:51]
Pat McAfee
It's honestly a dream. And the support we have here again.
- [128:54]
AJ Hawk
In the community is outrageous.
- [128:56]
Pat McAfee
And we're going to lean into it and enjoy.
- [128:57]
AJ Hawk
Enjoy it. When's the season start?
- [129:01]
Pat McAfee
Right? It's school year, so in September, but we start practicing regular first regular season games in October, start of October. So, you know, we got a few.
- [129:13]
AJ Hawk
Months here to kind of regroup, enjoy.
- [129:15]
Pat McAfee
This for a hot second, and then lean into recruiting and preparation.
- [129:20]
AJ Hawk
Congratulations. They'll never be able to take that trophy over your right shoulder. Is that what that is?
- [129:25]
Pat McAfee
It is. Well, that's a little mini personal version. The other ones had our celebratory deal.
- [129:32]
AJ Hawk
We'Re going to do tonight. Okay, well, enjoy the little ones and the big ones and the $500 million investment into an arena. Little Phil Maines. He's a goal scorer, this guy. We will expect him to be a Western Michigan Bronco hopefully someday. And we appreciate your time. Time. You're the best. Ladies and gentlemen, national champion coach Pat Firstweiler. Thank you, Coach AJ Is that str.
- [130:01]
Pat McAfee
Who the. Is that donor? Yeah, we need to find out who that donor. It said basketball, I think is. He's got to play basketball, too, right? But, yeah, who is that donor? He. I'm sure he. He's not anonymous, right, Jeets?
- [130:10]
AJ Hawk
Yeah, this is. This is. This has been built with an imagination, not a budget.
- [130:15]
Pat McAfee
It's awesome.
- [130:17]
AJ Hawk
What a line. What a line. That's like, literally like Roethlisberger's house. I don't want to come back to the same thing, but, yeah, that seems like what that is. College hockey, Connor. You might follow it more. I don't know who would follow it in our. Maybe Gumps. Gumps, can you bet on college hockey?
- [130:33]
Pat McAfee
Oh, yeah, I'm sure I just looked it up. Tim Allen, I believe, went. Now the Internet's telling me, went to Western Michigan, I assume Tim the Tool Man.
- [130:41]
AJ Hawk
He's probably.
- [130:45]
Pat McAfee
Not. He's not.
- [130:46]
AJ Hawk
He's building Buzz Lightyear.
- [130:48]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, I do. I think Tim's probably got that covered. Yeah, Pat, The Frozen Four, though, every year is, like, electrifying. Like before they played Denver. I actually watched the Denver game because I missed the national championship, but they played Denver in the semis. And they beat them, too. Like, it is incredible anytime it gets down to it. And I know bc he talked about, you know, a captain playing in an NHL game right after. Excuse me, Leonard. Ryan Leonard was the captain of B.C. they lost. And he was in that little video, Ovechkin, just showing everybody of the team. He was on that plane. He was one of the guys on there. So it is one of those things where as soon as that season ends, they go to the NHL. And then sometimes, too, like, if they. They get on a good team and they go on a little. Little run in the playoffs, like, they can make a name for their. Themselves pretty quickly. Like, I assume Leonard is going to have some massive goal for the Capitals, and then all of a sudden they're going to be talking about how he was playing at B.C. they won all these games. Now he's, you know, in the playoffs this year starting next week, Sunday.
- [131:52]
AJ Hawk
The hockey life is crazy. They move in high school.
- [131:56]
Pat McAfee
Yeah.
- [131:56]
AJ Hawk
Like, most of them, they go live in different houses in high school. And, you know, there's like, different training grounds. Almost like Michigan, Minnesota, I think, is the. Nick we had, what, RJ Umberger and Sergio Soma out of our high school that basically went and did this. I think. Nick, is that accurate? And where do they move to? Junior B? Is that what it's called? I forget.
- [132:15]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, there's. There's a couple junior leagues. There's. Junior B is very popular in the United States. And then I think you might be talking about the United States National Team Development Camp. And I know Foxy had an uncle that actually coached up there that ran that program for a couple guys. It's based out of Michigan and they travel around and they play a bunch of the good junior teams, a bunch of good college teams. And, you know, it's un. Unreal experience. And most of those guys are the guys you'll see in the World Junior Champions and eventually one day in the Olympics.
- [132:43]
AJ Hawk
They live there, though, right? Don't they live in, like, houses, People's houses and.
- [132:50]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, a lot of players go to juniors and live with billet families, families that sign up the host players and kind of, you know, what's Shadic? You know what shadic is? Shadic. St. Mary's the prep school. Yeah. Okay, so that's Mighty Ducks, too. They were. They went to, like, a Shadic, right? 3.
- [133:02]
AJ Hawk
3. What did Jack do?
- [133:04]
Pat McAfee
Jack went to Shadock. He was there with Sid. So that's why. That's why I know about it, like, but that's where you. It's like a boarding school for hockey players, right? Or everything. I don't know.
- [133:12]
AJ Hawk
And they're moving in there like when they're 14, right?
- [133:14]
Pat McAfee
I think when he's 14 or something. Yeah, 14. That's like. We went to high school. It's like IMG made it popular, but it was happening in hockey forever. But it was only just hockey.
- [133:24]
AJ Hawk
Umberger, our guy Umberger, disappeared. He was like gone. Like, he went to our high school. We heard about him. Like, we got a guy in Plum. And now I go to like a Plum high school hockey game. He's like a freshman, I think Dyson. And then the next year, gone. It's like, where'd he go? Oh, he's living with another family. It's like doing what? Why? Is everything okay? Like, no, it's better than okay. It's like, yeah, he's on a fast track. And then he would have like a 12, 13 year career in the NHL and he, you know, he lived. Hockey's a full commitment. Yeah, the, the skating too. Like, did you see Sid's quads? D butt? Did you see those things?
- [134:01]
Pat McAfee
Yes. Yeah, on that throw, that was the first thing I saw that popped out. Obviously had perfect form, but the lower body on, on these hocker places, obviously, you know, because they skate so much. But yeah, he built like a tank.
- [134:14]
AJ Hawk
Yeah, you got to be a dog in hockey. Like, have to be. Even the softest hockey players are the biggest dogs, you know, Let alone, alone let alone the amount of like face wiping that's just happening. That's just like you're, you're just getting punched in the face, slapped in the face just casually during the game. Let alone these sticks banging off your wrists and your shins and everything. I mean, it's just. You're getting your ass beat the whole time. And then skating is so hard and they're just full sprints. Full sprints. 5am because that's when you can get ice time. 4am they're out there doing it late night, midnight. It's just their, their gear smells like ass and they're just strapping themselves into it. It's. Hockey is a, that's a dogs only sport.
- [134:58]
Pat McAfee
They're getting a dogs only a light workout in. Like we were in there, the team was, you know, it wasn't like a, you know, hard ass workout, but a light workout. You know, after a game, pretty much the whole team coming in. Then they're going in shooting shots, like for the long. How many games? 82 games 82. Yeah. And then obviously their playoffs start this Sunday. I believe. Believe as well. Like the respect I have for those guys. It's incredible. Basketball too. Like basketball gets all the, hey, one and done. But he, he just mentioned it. Coach did like Cel Briny was in college last year and then he's going and playing in the NHL and a lot of times, you know, like those camps, sometimes I don't even go to college. Like these guys are playing in the HL at 18 years old. Like Jackie Aces. Jackie Aces did a one and done at BU and then he went right to the league and I think, what was he the number two overall pick?
- [135:42]
AJ Hawk
What's that called? The Western Ontario? Is that it? The Western. I've heard biz talk about it. It's like a junior league.
- [135:51]
Pat McAfee
The whl? Yeah, the. The playoffs are happening right now and Gavin McKenna is supposed to be the next number one pick next year. He just lit up a fucking tremendous goal last night.
- [136:01]
AJ Hawk
He's. But that high schoolers go to that or no.
- [136:04]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, they're high school age kids and like young college age kids, it's like an alternative. Instead of going to university up north a Gumps, they go play junior hockey.
- [136:14]
AJ Hawk
Yeah. So this WHL is the same thing? I guess it is. It is a real deal. I guess from what I've been told, they say whl.
- [136:21]
Pat McAfee
Oh. So how old are these guys? That was nasty.
- [136:26]
AJ Hawk
Who McKenna's gonna be? A Penguin or what? How's this work?
- [136:29]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, if we stink bad enough next year, he's the guy. I mean, you don't want to do that.
- [136:33]
AJ Hawk
Big wants to win one.
- [136:34]
Pat McAfee
What's the percentage of it? Because I feel like whatever their, their route is and the scouting, it pays off. And coaches talking about recruiting online only. That's wild. But I feel like every top guy who's supposed to be the guy at like a 90% clip in hockey hits as opposed to like NBA. It's almost like, you know, 50, 50, 60, you know, 40. Like why, like, is it always. Has it always kind of been like that with hockey? It's not every year, though. You know what I mean? Like, usually they say someone's going to be great like every five years. Years. Okay.
- [137:01]
AJ Hawk
You know what I mean?
- [137:02]
Pat McAfee
Like every other year, someone's not saying he's the next Crosby, he's the next. This like Bedard was the first one that's really been built up since MC Jesus. Right. Okay.
- [137:11]
AJ Hawk
And there's not a lot of depth, right. In hockey in the draft. It's normally like top two guys.
- [137:15]
Pat McAfee
Yeah. There's not much after the time.
- [137:17]
AJ Hawk
And you might draft a guy and.
- [137:18]
Pat McAfee
He goes to college for two years too, right?
- [137:20]
AJ Hawk
That happens. Yeah. Might opt to go do that. Yeah. It's. Hockey's interesting, man, when you get labeled like that.
- [137:27]
Pat McAfee
Like new. Nugent Hopkins got drafted before McDavid by the Oilers. He was supposed to be the next one. He's an unbelievable two way hockey player, but he never lived up to the hype. But now he's. He's like one of the Oilers best players. Two way player. Okay, got it.
- [137:42]
AJ Hawk
Anytime you're with, go ahead. I'm sorry.
- [137:44]
Pat McAfee
No, I just remember asking. I think it was Austin Matthews like, hey, what was your welcome to the league moment? He's my first game. I scored six goals. Yeah. Oh, okay, you guys. They say that's the guy. That's usually the guy, but. Okay. It makes more sense if it's kind of spread out every few years.
- [138:02]
AJ Hawk
Well, Connor Bard. I don't know if it's the Blackhawks or which it might be. I'm telling you, when these eyes.
- [138:11]
Pat McAfee
I've never. My whole life I kept looking up. I thought the Penguins were on the power play. I never seen anything like that. It was pretty absurd.
- [138:17]
AJ Hawk
I'm not kid.
- [138:18]
Pat McAfee
I'm not exaggerating. I've never seen a dead team keep the puck in someone's head that long. Five on five.
- [138:24]
AJ Hawk
Hey, the Pengs weren't even trying to score. At some point it felt like they were just trying to keep it away from in their end. In the Blackhawks end. They were just pass. I mean it was, it was. It was a big off night for us for sure.
- [138:35]
Pat McAfee
Yeah. Yeah.
- [138:37]
AJ Hawk
Five zip. Big night for the Pens. That was good. I'm happy they won there off year for the Pens as well. This is the first time in how long? Pens, Bruins, Rangers.
- [138:46]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, first time.
- [138:47]
AJ Hawk
First time ever. Ever.
- [138:48]
Pat McAfee
That game was sad yesterday. Just knowing that watching that game and knowing those two teams weren't going to the playoffs. It was weird. It was weird.
- [138:54]
AJ Hawk
Yeah. I wonder how the playoffs will do. No Boston, no New York and no Pittsburgh players.
- [139:02]
Pat McAfee
Money counts on that. They got that escrow account that depending on how the playoffs do, like with ratings and all that, however much they get back.
- [139:09]
AJ Hawk
Islanders. Islanders in no, no, no.
- [139:13]
Pat McAfee
New York team. Devils. Texas hockey. Devils are in Texas hockey. Colorado in the first round is diabolical. Those are two of the best teams in hockey playing in the first round. Yeah, this might be the first time. Oh, my bad.
- [139:25]
AJ Hawk
No, I'm Just thinking about you. You could definitely. I'm just thinking strictly about like hockey towns that give ratings.
- [139:32]
Pat McAfee
Yeah. This is the first time you mentioned those three teams, but this is also the first time all four of the US Based original six teams are not going to be in the playoffs. So you're talking Detroit, the Rangers, the Bruins and the Blackhawks. Those are, those are pretty big markets. Get it together, boys. Doing.
- [139:49]
AJ Hawk
I'm saying it's like who's going to need a national audience? It's now obviously each individual team that is still left has a massive fan base. We are not knocking that at all. But whenever we're talking about like, you know, brands, those are, those are, those are hockey towns. Those are hockey towns, you know, and a lot of stars there. But I think this Capitals team has become beloved so much to that people want to follow along. Go ahead, Connor. Sorry I cut you off there.
- [140:14]
Pat McAfee
No, not at all. I was, I was just going to say like this might be the first time where the first round of the NBA is kind of like outweighing the first round of the NHL just because of that. Like, obviously, we all know the NHL playoffs start to finish is probably the only sport where an eight seed can go on and win the entire thing in the playoffs. But when it comes to like matchups that we're talking about like brands and names, the NBA playoffs are looking unbelievable. You know, the warriors are either going to play the Rockets or the Thunder. Hopefully they end up playing the Thunder, which would be a great matchup. But then, you know, the Grizzlies get in. They play the Rockets of the Thunder as well. So those are all teams with superstars. Nuggets, Clippers. KAWHI Leonard played 47 minutes. Yeah. The other night. So like we're talking about finally a team that has, you know, the guy that we've been hoping they've had for the last damn near five years with the Clippers. And they're playing the Nuggets, who, you know, they fired their coach, Mike Malone last year. Not the magician, the head coach of the.
- [141:12]
AJ Hawk
That was wild.
- [141:13]
Pat McAfee
Yeah. Kind of out of left fields. And then a lot of people are pointing to how like he lost a locker room and he said some stuff about their players not watching the film and all those types of things. Then you got Ant and the Timberwolves playing LeBron, Luca, JJ Redick and the Lakers. That's a massive matchup. And then on the east to Pacers and the Bucks, that's kind of been their biggest rival is the Bucks with You know, the whole entire thing with Giannis grabbing the basketball from the Pacers after that game last year and they've had beef for a while. And then the Knicks, Pistons, everyone, the Pistons have turned into like America's favorite pick as of late this last month. Nobody's really, or at least being talked about as, hey, no one wants to play the Pistons. I don't know about that, but still got the Celtics and Cavs there as well. So the NBA playoffs, it feels as though is going to be incredible too. We always talk about how when the football season ends, we have like March Madness and the Masters is a good reminder how awesome the, you know, the golf majors can be. But this is also this next two week span where the NBA and the NHL playoffs, we got two games, four games every single night. It is an incredible, incredible time up until, you know, like the conference finals where it starts to slow down again.
- [142:26]
AJ Hawk
Let's enjoy it all, boys. Let's enjoy it all. Especially as tonight's Monday Night Raw will be live from Sacramento. AJ they're piecing some together behind me that I, yeah, I'm getting captivated by. I'm trying to figure out what the.
- [142:39]
Pat McAfee
They're doing a lot of screws.
- [142:41]
AJ Hawk
How about how many people were there for Big, big Night Out.
- [142:44]
Pat McAfee
Crazy, incredible. Everywhere you looked. And they all felt like they were on the same page too. Like just every. You look up, you look down for 10, 10 minutes you look up and there's like a whole another section of stage built people hanging from wires on the roof like it was nuts.
- [142:58]
AJ Hawk
We haven't got a chance to chat about this as a group. So if you're watching and this bores you out, I completely understand. We'll see you in manana. How about the catering at Big Night? We haven't really got a chance to catch up on all this. Okay. Foxy and I didn't. Foxy didn't sleep. I passed out for a few hours. We alongside Bill and Gumpy on Thursday had to battle against file uploading, exporting, and basically doing it four or five times because certain file type either didn't work with our computer or the sending computer, or we got to change something whenever something's at 70% exported. So Thursday was a tedious day. Foxy, is that a good way to describe Thursday? Yeah, spot on. I. I always thought I had a really powerful computer. Actually Zito ordered for me and it's always been so fast, but first time ever in our company's history that we had a three and a half Hour video to render out. So that thing crashed three or four times. Thank you. Thank Dunk, Thank Bill. Thank you guys for hanging out with me literally the entire day trying to get that thing up. We actually ended up leaving the office late at night and just letting it export and letting it upload, and that was risky. That was certainly risky. But it all worked out. I appreciate you guys. Yeah, there was a lot of decisions made that maybe weren't based in reaction. Reality. That show went home, brother. Geez Louise, that show was long. Did you expect it to be that long, aj? I. I'll tell you, I did not. Okay. I did not expect it to go that long.
- [144:22]
Pat McAfee
I wasn't exactly sure how long it was going to be, but it felt like I. I wasn't asking for it to stop. I was like, yeah, who else is coming out? I was getting surprised with everybody else. Like, I don't. He may have some other people coming out. I don't know. It was. It was great. It was crazy. Going back to the catering started to cut you off, but I had to. I mean, I think I ate there four times within, like, five hours. The food, they. Yeah. I don't know how to describe it. If you just saw me in there and there's a coffee. Making these crazy coffees and everything. Yeah, I just. Ice sculpture top. Yeah, I think was amazing. Everything about it, top notch, 10 out of 10. And we've been hearing you talk about it and, you know, obviously, one thing for you to dream it up and then actually for it to come to life. And I know a bunch of people I talked to kind of behind the scenes, like, yeah, there's no way anybody else could have fucking done this. So hats off you for actually putting that shit together. And we talked about how long it was. Like, it didn't really feel like any low points, you know, in the show. So even would it been that long, there's so many moments that kind of like when the fucking mcmoney maker came out, and that's like. That shit was, like, captivating. And my brothers were there, and they were hitting me and texting me after, like, bro, this is the most amazing live shit I've ever been to in my life. When's the next. That was the. The first question I had from pretty much everybody. But, yeah, obviously things change, and it's just like a game, you know, everything doesn't go perfectly. But that was an incredible experience. And then obviously, you know, fly, eagles, fly. Winning at the end, that was kind.
- [145:42]
AJ Hawk
Of the end is a great Way to end it. They're. I don't want to tell their story. They're expecting their first child in July, you know, so congrats to them. He goes, I get a chance to meet him afterwards. And there's the clip on the Hulu Vers. He just said right there, he's like, in shock. And then I say, philadelphia Eagles fans. Everybody starts booing them. They go, yo, birds in everybody's face. But get a chance to chat with them afterwards, it was like, just so cool. And I thank you for saying that. D butt.
- [146:11]
Pat McAfee
That's real.
- [146:12]
AJ Hawk
And from your family and friends that watched it, there was quite an audible that was made in the middle of it that nobody would hopefully know, but just. It was insane. It was absolutely insane. It was quite, quite an audible that took place. So as Hiroki was backing out, I was pretty pumped up about it. I'm like, take your time, Hiroki. We gotta figure some shit out.
- [146:34]
Pat McAfee
Slow down.
- [146:36]
AJ Hawk
So as I. He didn't have any ears in, obviously I couldn't get to him. But every time there was. Every time there was a little bit of a delay, I'd hear a crowd go, gah. Or whatever. I'm like, okay, that buys us an extra at least 15 seconds. But massive shout out to everybody. The catering, though, I felt very. I felt very impelled, compelled to make the catering very good because I think the catering is a place where people hang out. I think the catering can, like, set the tone on if somebody's, like, thankful to be there. If you get some shitty food, you're just going to be like, this sucks. Like, that's just how everybody feels and everybody's going to have to eat. So I wanted to get good food, food in the catering and shout out to the WWE folks piecing together the contracts with the local companies too. There's local restaurants that were represented in there. There's some down south pizza there, some meat in there, some, you know, some. Some seafood out there. There was. There was a lot.
- [147:31]
Pat McAfee
Everything.
- [147:31]
AJ Hawk
There was a lot in there. And that guy right there on the camera, Stu, shout out to him, wearing that camera for like 10 hours. Shout out to Wiz and Snoop, obviously showing up in Bonnet's in the back. But it was like, it was a long night. And then we had a delay and obviously, I think there was a lot of upbeats as well throughout. I mean, Sid throwing a ball for a million bucks is absolutely awesome. We had to delay the doors early, boys. You guys saw that take place. You saw that didn't you see that con man. Did you expect that whenever you were watching rehearsals unfold?
- [148:03]
Pat McAfee
I think just because of the PPG from the night before, like that it was such an ass beating. I believe everybody who was kind of watching that Penguins game, Blackhawks was kind of just enjoying it after the fact. So the entire transition from, you know, the ice to then that entire stage, which was incredible, is massive. The fact that they do that we were talking about before, I didn't think.
- [148:25]
AJ Hawk
It was going to be that big.
- [148:26]
Pat McAfee
It's huge. Like the fact that WWE people can put together, you know, have been doing that twice a week, sometimes three times a week, over and over again for I don't know how 30 plus years. It is insane. But once you like walked in and. Because we got there around noon and saw like the spectacle of what they were building, I think that was always a possibility. But then once we were kind of going through everything, because you also had to make a lot of like organizational changes just to like the things that were popping up. Because a lot of people probably don't know. Like you also produce the entire thing of when everything's coming up and when people are doing what and you know, exactly, exactly to a tee, what everyone was doing. Which was wicked cool to see you working and doing that entire thing. But it felt around like 6:00 that, okay, there's a chance that this might get pushed back a little because we didn't get done with like our entire run through until like 6. Like me and Ty had to go back to the hotel to get ready because we were, we still weren't, you know, showered or at least I still wasn't showered in the entire thing. I had to cut out the pants. The ass was chaps in my pants still. And that was until, well, tailoring, yeah, tailoring till like 6. You have to return that rental today until like 6, 6:30. So it was just one of those things where, where it didn't really matter though. It felt like like these people are going to be, you know, having fun. Of course, in the moment, if you're lined up out there, I'm sure that did suck and you know, we apologize, but we also like knew on the other side of that weight, like what you're going to experience is going to be well worth it. It's a beautiful day too. Yeah, it was, it was, yeah, it wasn't raining or anything, you know, I mean, so. But also like, you know, it. You people had to wait a half an hour. But I'm sure most people thought that the show was only going to be two hours or, you know, so it's like, yeah, you had to wait a little bit. But then they got the extra bang for their buck on the back end, you know, where it's like, oh, okay, like, I'll wait a half an hour if I'm going to get an additional hour on top of what I thought I was paying for. So it was. It was sweet.
- [150:22]
AJ Hawk
I listen. I listen to Mikey and Big Bob. They did Big Morning after their podcast. Did I listen to a little bit of them talking about it. And at one point they were like, okay, sumo's coming out here. Because Pat saw sumo wrestling one time in Japan. And I think if you watch the Big Night Out Hulu version that is currently available to now, I. I think. And my wife said this, like, that show's so ridiculous that. That's such a ridiculous collection of. And it. It. It didn't really. Because when a minute, I'm just kind of like, how do we get to the next part? Do we got to stretch a little bit? Because we have something going on with the big money makers ladder, potentially. The ladder is potentially not connecting. Need that. Because you got to be able to get up there. Need to stretch a little bit, need to fill a little bit. And that's, like, why the WWE people are so great. Great. Like, there's a guy named Fathom and Marty obviously in the truck that are doing their thing. Just constant communication with me about how. How it all kind of goes there. But if you were to watch it, it's, like, very obvious that I have maybe the most ADD of all time is. You think the most. Is it the biggest. The mostest ADHD of all time? Foxy put together a clip where I'm like. And the fact that everybody was able to kind of understand what the hell I was trying to say and be patient with me through it all was so cool. But what a ridiculous show, aj. What an. Absolutely. That's all. While I was watching it back, I was like, this is the most ridiculous thing ever pieced together. I see Hiroki's cheeks right there in my face as he and Ichi are just battling. It was so ridiculous, but I enjoyed all of it, and I can't thank everybody enough. You included AJ on a hot mic.
- [152:00]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, well, it was. That was fun as well. The show was shifting and changing, so I may have spoken to that hot mic a few times before that even. Not really sure if you could hear me or not. Yeah, it was.
- [152:11]
AJ Hawk
Oh, really? You have to Watch back. See what's all.
- [152:13]
Pat McAfee
I don't know. But it was, it was Parker. I mean Parker McCollum plays right next to us. Like, yeah, that dude's amazing too. Seeing him earlier in the day, seeing him go through what was going on, hitting like he even said, like he said to me, he's like, we're like, he, he's like agent we're with and greatness like this. There's nobody in the world can do this but Pat. I was like, yeah, I know absolutely. From when you talked about it to, to it all like executing everything. Yeah, it was just the sumo thing. I got a text from my wife during the sumo thing and she said the kids are loving the sumo bit. Everything about. They love Shane's comment. They loved everything about the sumo situation. So that was a huge sake for our house. Shane post shame. Shane Elite.
- [152:54]
AJ Hawk
Shane Elite. Yeah. I think that's the only way to describe that. There's a reason he's the best in the world, folks. How about him when he gets up on top of the thing, on top of the McMutty maker.
- [153:04]
Pat McAfee
He ruined Chicago. Yeah. Yeah.
- [153:07]
AJ Hawk
Felt like he got real comfortable in there. And if you, I think in the arena because some of the audio not as easy to hear. I think if you watch it back, the thing Shane is saying during the matches.
- [153:19]
Pat McAfee
Yeah, awesome.
- [153:20]
AJ Hawk
You can't really hear it in the arena but whenever you watch it back, just, just like Ty and Connor like the things they were saying, you can't really. It's. I think because the echo maybe and with all the energy that was going on and maybe somebody next to you is yelling, you couldn't really hear the exact words that were being said. It's like you guys were the right commentary team. You guys and Michael Cole were the right people to be up.
- [153:40]
Pat McAfee
Appreciate it. Shane. At one point I was going to say something. I heard him like I was mid or I was about to say something. And so like while he was finishing his moment, like I, I went to talk and I popped so hard I could barely speak into the mic from what he was saying. Then even the end where he's like, it's so funny.
- [154:06]
AJ Hawk
Oh man. Yeah, it was a wild night. Thank you to everybody for making that possible. And also. Hey, Parker McCall. Go ahead.
- [154:13]
Pat McAfee
Okay. Still maybe the craziest thing of all is you wearing your cowboy boots with no socks for a five hour show. Like, do you have 55 blisters? That had to be. I cannot imagine that.
- [154:23]
AJ Hawk
Left foot's in a bad spot, the right Foot is okay for some reason. So Connor talked about 6:00, his rehearsal wrapping up, having to get back into a shower and everything like that. I needed a shower as well. I'd been there all day. And the rehearsals ran all the way up until, you know, basically the door opened. So then I had to go backstage, chit chat with everybody about what we had just rehearsal maybe an hour ago, maybe two hours ago, to make sure everybody's on the same page. Obviously, there's some stage agents of vitamins bouncing around, you know, so there's a, hey, how you doing? How you doing? How you doing? One thing leads to another. Need to shake this hand. Need to shake this handy. Thank this person. Thank you for doing this catering. You guys have crushed it. Okay. Boom, bam. 22 minutes until showtime. Okay, so now I got a sprint to bus. I'm like, all right, I'm gonna shower. Can't shower, though. Because on bus, I am told about a potential situation that could be broken brewing. Okay. Nothing bad, but just something that could pop off. Okay, cool. No big deal. Let's do that. We'll move forward now. We got 17 minutes till the delayed start time. So I go with no shower. I just. I turn on my shower, dunk my head, basically towel it, get dressed, and then I go to find socks. I don't have any socks in the place that's normally in. We got eight minutes. So I just shove the cowboy boots on with no socks because I run out of time. Sprint over there, get underneath the ring, and then underneath the stage, and then come up there. And it was 14 seconds in where I was like, man, this is. My left foot's gonna be in some real pain here. And it was. It certainly was. I got blisters on the pinky, blisters on the big toe, you know, the whole thing. But, hey, it's the least. It's the least I could go through for all the people that came out and hung out with us. There's one fight I saw that was reported. Other than that, I feel like it was a pretty solid evening of happiness. Feels like everybody was kind of enjoying the vibe.
- [156:14]
Pat McAfee
You're always gonna get one of those in Pittsburgh. That's just standard. It wouldn't be a Pittsburgh show if you didn't.
- [156:18]
AJ Hawk
Yeah, I saw some people responding. Like, of course, a Pat McAfee event. This douchebag. There's a fight or whatever. There's chaos, and it's like. I'll tell you what, I don't think I thought about whether or not There was going to be a fight but if I was to be asked, I probably would assumed that there would have been at least a hand thrown in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at a three hour event instead. Hopefully everybody's okay. Hopefully everybody's healthy. And I feel like everybody had a good time. I feel like everybody had a good time. Everyone. We're gonna try to provide more of that. Once again want to be an additive, not a negative. Aj, thank you for traveling to Indianapolis, boys. Thank you for everything. I will see you tomorrow back into Thunderdam. Remember it's Wrestlemania any week.
- [156:58]
Pat McAfee
Hell yeah. Let's go.
- [157:00]
AJ Hawk
Friday. Friday we have a massive couple guests.
- [157:04]
Pat McAfee
Massive.
- [157:07]
AJ Hawk
Massive. From WWE World, Big Bob Backlin.
- [157:15]
Pat McAfee
Okay.
- [157:17]
AJ Hawk
How, how big this is just like when people are pushing Aaron for the big night out.
- [157:21]
Pat McAfee
You're right.
- [157:21]
AJ Hawk
Oh, you got big surprises, huh? Aaron Rogers saying he's done the Steelers. He better be. And it's like, no, we got other shit though. I hope you're. You're okay with. I hope you're okay with. And Aaron did not sign with the Steelers. A big night out falsely reported by a few people. Never mind. Parker McCollum will be in Pittsburgh May 31st with George Strait. Can't wait for people to go watch him at Acrisure. Thank you to him doing that Kush and orange juice. Two cushion. OJ2 coming out April 18th with Wiz Khalifa obviously getting gone of Snoop Dogg and Earnest is now available. We had the world premiere on Wednesday night. And Oz the Mentalist guessing my pin code made me change my pin code for first time. Long time made me a better person. What a night, what a time, what a life. We appreciate you all for allowing us to do this for a living. Be a friend. Tell a friend something nice. It might change their life. We're interested in together. Team on me. Team on three. This was pretty cool at PPG too.
- [158:20]
Pat McAfee
Yeah. Yeah, it was. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Great end.
- [158:22]
AJ Hawk
Sweet. Yeah. Seems like they all. They all do. I wonder if people do it at home whenever we do this on a daily basis. It's an interesting thing.
- [158:28]
Pat McAfee
I think so. I think they do.
- [158:30]
AJ Hawk
All right. Team on me. Team on three. I appreciate you all. Love you all. One, two, three, Goodbye. Rapper Sean Diddy Combs was a kingmaker.
- [158:42]
Pat McAfee
He had wealth, fame and power.
- [158:47]
AJ Hawk
Until it all came crashing down.
- [158:49]
Pat McAfee
Federal investigators raiding two homes owned by hip hop mogul Sean Diddy Combs. I'm Brian Buckmire, an ABC News legal contributor.
- [158:57]
AJ Hawk
As Diddy heads to trial, we trace his remarkable rise and fall.
- [159:02]
Pat McAfee
And what could be next.
- [159:03]
AJ Hawk
Listen to Bad Rap the Case Against Diddy, a new series from ABC Audience Audio. Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts.
- [159:16]
Pat McAfee
Hey, I'm Brad Milke. You may know me as the host of ABC Audio's daily news podcast, Start Here. But I'd like to add aspiring true crime expert to my resume, and here's how I'm going to make it happen. Every week, I'm going to unpack the biggest true crime story that everyone is talking about. ABC's got some unique access here, so I'll talk to the reporters and producers who have followed these cases for months, sometimes years. We'll bring you the latest developments and the larger context on the true crime stories you've been hearing about. Follow the crime scene for special access to the people who know these stories best.