Tomlin Is One of One, Plus Inside Giannis’s Trade Desires, Anthony Davis’s Future, and More w/ Sam Amick

Summary

The Ryen Russillo Show (Barstool Sports)

Episode: Tomlin Is One of One, Plus Inside Giannis’s Trade Desires, Anthony Davis’s Future, and More w/ Sam Amick
Airdate: January 14, 2026

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Episode Overview

Ryen Russillo returns for the first show at the podcast's new Barstool Sports home, opening with a deep dive into Mike Tomlin's legacy following his departure from the Steelers. NBA insider Sam Amick (The Athletic) joins to demystify the latest on Giannis Antetokounmpo's trade rumors, discuss Anthony Davis’ market value amid injury, handicaps the NBA trade deadline, and touches on hot topics around the league. As always, Russillo, Kyle, and Ceruti round out the episode with an extended 'Life Advice' mailbag, blending banter with sincere listener guidance.

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Mike Tomlin: "One of One" (02:16–11:21)

Tomlin’s Departure: Context and Reaction

• Tomlin stepped down as Steelers head coach after 19 years: one Super Bowl win, another Super Bowl appearance, but seven straight playoff losses in recent years.
• Russillo explores the ambiguous language of Tomlin “stepping down,” questioning whether it’s a respectful euphemism for a forced exit:

  “Are they doing this out of respect to him?...Is this possibly just a nice way of, like, 'Hey, we need to move on, because this is ridiculous now?'” (02:34)

• Tomlin’s age (53), contract status, and general coach archetype (most coaches “would rather die than not coach”) suggest he’s probably not done coaching forever.

The Unmatched Respect for Tomlin

• Russillo is fascinated by how national discourse doesn’t unanimously support moving on from a coach with seven straight playoff losses—highlighting Tomlin’s unique status.

  “I don’t think there’ll ever be a head coach who gets the chance to lose seven straight playoff games in the NFL.” (03:27)

• Tomlin’s extraordinary bond with his players is central. Russillo recounts stories to illustrate:
  • Ryan Clark vehemently defending Tomlin (and crediting him with saving his life during a sickle cell crisis in Denver, when Tomlin refused to let him play).
  • Willie Colon’s text: “All caps. With all my heart.”
• Tomlin’s ability to manage ego-heavy, unstable situations (citing the Antonio Brown saga) is considered an underappreciated coaching skill.

  “Managing all of that bullshit and being the face of this for 20 years and getting this many people that have played for you to absolutely adore you...that should really matter.” (08:55)

League Perception, Legacy, and Future

• Russillo summarizes: Tomlin’s ultimate legacy may outstrip what’s on his playoff resume; the X’s and O’s matter, but the emotional and cultural management is priceless.
• Even Aaron Rodgers went out of his way in a press conference to lavishly praise Tomlin, impressing Russillo:

  "He gave an incredible answer, super in depth...talks about the special places." (09:52)

• If Tomlin wants to coach again, Russillo asserts, he’ll be hired quickly—his rare human skills are invaluable.

  "You need to bring all that other stuff up, because when it comes to that, I don’t know that he has many peers." (11:14)

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NBA Insider Roundtable with Sam Amick (12:30–43:51)

Inside Giannis’s Trade Desires and Bucks Future

How the Story Came Together (12:55–15:19)

• Amick details his access and approach to Giannis: spontaneous postgame conversations, a longstanding rapport, and the Bucks not “orchestrating” a PR move.
• Giannis’s desire to address “false narratives” directly led to the tell-all conversation.

  "He goes, ’false narrative.’ So I was like, all right, then fine. If that's the way you're going to frame it, then let's unpack it." (14:06)

Two Key Giannis Takeaways

• (1) Giannis says he’ll never ask for a trade, “it’s not in his nature”—but contextually only for this season.
• (2) Amick pressed Giannis to acknowledge the franchise power he wields; Giannis resists, claiming he’s “not in charge,” but Amick pushes back:

  “‘Stop saying you’re not in charge of this situation. You are the franchise centerpiece. You hold almost all of the cards. Your voice matters.’” (16:31)

• Giannis uses analogies (e.g., scrambled eggs, wife as metaphor for commitment) to explain: he can’t guarantee the future.

Giannis, Loyalty, and Strategic Outs (16:41–20:09)

• Russillo picks up on Giannis’s careful phrasing—a blend of loyalty, pragmatism, and “leaving outs.”

  “Was he leaving himself these outs if he changes his mind? Because that’s basically what he’s saying, while also then being mad that anyone’s speculating...” (17:02)

• Amick’s analysis: Giannis wants both loyalty and the right to change his mind later (“no shit...that’s reality”). The real test: what will happen when his extension is eligible?

• Notably: If Giannis declines to extend (eligible for 4/$270M on Oct 1), all the pressure shifts to the Bucks, who might be forced to contemplate trading him rather than risk him leaving for nothing.

• Amick’s read: No imminent deadline trade, but “Bucks fans shouldn’t rest easy” until the offseason.

Knicks, Extensions, and Realities of Star Power (24:47–26:28)

• Amick notes summer discussions about Giannis to the Knicks were tangible, not media invention; the Knicks were reportedly frustrated by last-minute conversations.

Anthony Davis, Ja Morant, and the Trade Market

Anthony Davis’ Future (26:32–32:08)

• Russillo and Amick discuss AD’s injury and trade buzz:

  “Right out the gate when the injury news happened...it destroys his market.” (27:05)

• The injury both confirms and deepens his “fragile” reputation—and Rich Paul’s camp was frustrated as AD was being actively shopped, especially to the Mavs.
• Amick: “Everybody in the East thinks they’re an AD away.” (30:34)

Market for Ball-Dominant Guards (Ja Morant, Trae Young) (32:08–35:09)

• Ja Morant’s trade value is low, even though he’s technically worth more than Trae Young. The Grizzlies’ front office had unrealistic expectations for a return—no team appears eager for a blockbuster. Miami is the likeliest suitor if a move happens.

Kings/Kaminga/Potential Additions (35:11–41:07)

• Discussion shifts to the Kings, their various targets (Kaminga, Monk, DeRozan, Levine), and practical realities for Golden State (who won’t move Draymond or Jimmy, so big moves seem unlikely).

Miami Heat and Summer Star Chasing (37:29–39:41)

• Amick: Miami’s always lurking, thinking big, and remains a logical destination for Giannis if the extension isn’t signed.

Rumor Mill—Michael Porter Jr. (41:07–43:45)

• MPJ’s value is “cleaner” than many other rumored names, but Amick suggests much of the Bucks' name-dropping is partly performative—to show Giannis they’re “active” at the deadline.

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Notable Quotes

• On Tomlin’s impact:

  “Managing all of that bullshit and being the face of this for 20 years and getting this many people that have played for you to absolutely adore you... that should really matter.” (08:55, Russillo)

• On Giannis’s media tactics:

  “He did want to clear a few things up and at least be heard.” (15:16, Amick)

• On player power:

  “Stop saying you’re not in charge of this situation. You are the franchise centerpiece. You hold almost all of the cards.” (16:31, Amick recalling what he said to Giannis)

• Trade market reality:

  “Everybody in the East thinks they’re an AD away.” (30:34, Amick quoting an exec)

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Extended Life Advice, Listener Mail, and Banter (45:02–93:15+)

Podcast Chemistry & Banter Highlights

• Mailbag features:

  • Humorous back-and-forth about injuries, being outpaced by young NBA players, and appreciating Jamal Murray’s “ridiculous” productivity without Jokic.
  • Advice to a New York City couple debating between moving to Westchester vs. Kingston, NY—deeply informed by Kyle’s Hudson Valley insights (“If you’re concerned about being, you know, the snooty...it’s probably not the place for you.” [57:19, Guest])
  • The value of small-town living, school quality, and vibes (“I’d always choose the Hudson Valley; I’m biased.” [57:00, Kyle])

• Am I a dick?:

  • Story: listener arranges a friend’s birthday dinner—at the absent friend’s favorite spot, sending him a taunting photo—only to be met with anger when the friend returns from Europe.
  • Group consensus: The host, guest, and Kyle agree the emailer is NOT a dick. Instead, they think the offended friend is being petulant.

    "I think Kyle nailed it. And even the email nailed it. I would think this is the coolest thing ever..." (68:05, Russillo)

  • Gentle ribbing: “I would have changed this guy's name in my phone to ‘Birthday Stalin.’” (68:49, Kyle)

• On parents, phone addiction, and retirement routines:

  • Listener describes dad “doomscrolling” YouTube with headphones, alienating the family, only leaving the house to drive Uber Eats.
  • Ceruti (Guest): “Purpose is a weird thing, right? Like, you have years...when your day’s not filled, you fall into these weird habits.” (77:22)
  • Advice: Find a technology-free activity to reconnect (e.g., golf, racquetball, book club with your father).

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Other Memorable Moments

• Discussion of the importance of parents/kids reaching out as they age:
  Russillo advocates for routine check-ins and even a father-son book club as a subtle, meaningful way to keep connected.

• Listener who accidentally hit a stray cat:

  • Advice on what to bring the neighbor (edible arrangements debated, but ultimately, “think hearty—maybe a new shovel or firewood” prevails).

• Running podcast jokes

  • Frequent size/comp stats given by emailers (“Basketball comp: Boris Diaw”; 88:41), riffed by the hosts.
  • Ongoing affection for “edible arrangements,” small-town bulletin boards, and “Elks Club” membership as possible outlets for retired men.

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Important Timestamps (approximate)

• Mike Tomlin segment: 02:16–11:21
• Sam Amick interview begins: 12:30
• Giannis/Bucks specifics: 13:25–21:13
• AD/Trade market: 26:34–32:08
• Ja Morant/Trey Young market: 32:08–35:09
• Golden State/Kings: 35:11–41:07
• Life Advice (Banters/Mailbag): 45:02–end

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Tone & Style

Russillo’s tone is sharp, wry, and analytical—balancing earnest sports discussion with dry, self-aware humor. The roundtable chemistry is engaging, mixing real insight (esp. on coaching culture and NBA rumor mechanics) with bursts of group laughter and well-timed irreverence.

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Summary Takeaways

• Mike Tomlin’s Steelers exit is a prime case study of NFL respect, leadership, and the limits of judging a head coach strictly by wins and losses.
• Giannis’s future continues to be the league’s quietest powder keg: his words calm the fans, but his calculated ambiguity keeps the Bucks accountable (and the Knicks, Heat, etc., lurking).
• Star player trades (AD, Ja, Trae, etc.) are more complicated than ever: health, contract timing, and diminished market value cloud previously straightforward blockbuster formulas.
• Listener 'Life Advice' brings levity and relatability via debates about suburbia, friendship etiquette, and surviving as a parent in the digital age.

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Notable Quotes

• Russillo on Tomlin's legacy:

  “There’s just so much turnover in all this that for you to be able to manage all that stuff for like 20 years and…get this many people that have played for you to absolutely adore you…That should really matter.” (08:55)

• Amick on Giannis and NBA player agency:

  “He is a smart guy…even if in the back of his mind he’s got serious doubts about the future…he never has to ask for a trade out of Milwaukee. Then the pressure shifts to the Bucks…” (18:02)

• Ceruti (on parents’ post-retirement routines):

  "When your day's not filled, you can fall into these weird habits…It's a real test of how much willpower I have." (77:22)

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For more: Check out Sam Amick’s recent NBA trade deadline reporting on The Athletic.

Transcript

[Ryan Rosillo]

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[Brian]

This is a man that is absolutely adored by his former players. So I'll tell you a couple of those stories.

[Ryan Rosillo]

We've got Sam Amick from the Athletic, the latest on all of the trade stuff including his one on one with Giannis. And we've got a multi mega extended.

[Brian]

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[Ryan Rosillo]

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[Ryan Rosillo]

I'm going to start today's show talking about Mike Tomlin. The announcement yesterday stepping down as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers after 19 seasons. A Super Bowl. Another Super bowl appearance, but on the way out, not much playoff success. He lost seven playoff games in a row. I'll admit, when I saw the language.

[Brian]

Of this when it was first reported, like, oh, he's stepping down.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Hmm. Are they doing this out of respect to him?

[Brian]

Because what he's meant to this franchise.

[Ryan Rosillo]

For 19 years, the way the Steelers handle things, he's got two years left on the contract.

[Brian]

He's 53 years old. I've met plenty of head coaches, and they would rather die than not coach. So is this possibly just a nice way of, like, hey, we need to move on, because this is ridiculous Now?

[Ryan Rosillo]

The thing I find most interesting about this topic is the way that it's being discussed and that we're still leaving the door open that this could be the wrong thing. I've seen a lot of that, and.

[Brian]

I actually think it's a compliment to.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Tomlin that if you just said, hey, this coach in the NFL just lost his seventh straight playoff game, and we're not all emphatically on the same side of this argument. I don't think there'll ever be a head coach who gets the chance to.

[Brian]

Lose seven straight playoff games in the NFL.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And he does, and there's so much respect for him that you're like, should they actually move on from him? The quarterback situation wasn't all that great.

[Brian]

They just lose in the playoff game.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But he got up in front of the team. I guess everybody was super emotional about it, and he was ready to walk away. You know, talking to a couple different people about it, it was like.

[Brian]

It sounded like he was just a.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Bit exhausted by the entire experience. Probably not done with coaching forever, because these guys just. It's very, very hard for these guys.

[Brian]

I know Bill Coward just was kind of done and then was in coaching rumors, like, 10 straight years.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I remember, I think, like, the 10th.

[Brian]

Year was like, Kaepernick levels, where you.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Were like, I don't think Cower wants to coach.

[Brian]

So I think I think we're good. I think he's. I think he's happy in his current setup.

[Ryan Rosillo]

So as I was thinking about this a little bit more, you know, you look at the resume, he starts 8 and 5 with his playoff record, Super bowl in his second season, another Super bowl appearance in his fourth season, which.

[Brian]

Kind of gets back to something I think is just kind of like, general.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Like, do we do our best work, you know, not necessarily at a younger age, but do we do our. Our best work early on at the most important job?

[Brian]

I think there's probably a lot of people that would answer yes to that. It's like, you come in, you do all the right things, you work super hard. Look at all these college programs early on where the coaches are just revved up and raring to go, and it's like, well, if you don't have that success by year three or four, you.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Start taking it a little bit easier, started banking some money. It's like, I don't know.

[Brian]

I mean, I don't know if that's necessarily what applies to Tomlin here with.

[Ryan Rosillo]

This whole thing, but if there is one constant with Tomlin, it is that his players love him to a level that I don't know that I can even compare anything to it. Because just as somebody who watches the NFL talks about it now for years and years, I had a moment, I would say, probably after that AFC championship loss to the Patriots. The Patriots put it on him, score like 30 plus.

[Brian]

Brady's just cooking. I was like, it looks like they're just staying in the same coverage the entire time. Why? What's going on with this?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Loses the AFC title game. It felt like it was getting a.

[Brian]

Little bit stale again. This is almost like 10 years ago.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And I had said. And I think there was also another part of it, too, where if he comes out and says something where it's.

[Brian]

Like, hey, what do you think about this week's game plan? It's like, well, when the ice age.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Ended and the glaciers receded, they did.

[Brian]

Their work on the ground, and that's what we're going to do as the Steelers. We're going to attack on the ground. Not through the year.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You're like, when he's 11 and 5.

[Brian]

You'Re like, damn, that was good.

[Ryan Rosillo]

He's 8 and 8.

[Brian]

And you're like, what the fuck did he say?

[Ryan Rosillo]

What? So I was kind of looking at it through the Patriots lens, and if you listen to me long enough, you know that I'd be like, what is that? Like, what does that mean? And I was saying this on the air during a radio show at espn, and Ryan Clark heard it in the hallway, and Ryan and I were cool. Always got along, right? He was pissed, all right. It was a bit playful, but it also kind of wasn't. Like, I didn't think we were actually going to fight, but he came, like, barging in behind the glass and was, like, pretty animated.

[Brian]

And I was like, what? What is going on here?

[Ryan Rosillo]

And I'm getting through my like, is Tomlin good segment, you know, because I just had To. I was like, I don't know, you know, is this guy really all that?

[Brian]

And.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And Clark's like.

[Brian]

I was like, what do we have here? Right?

[Ryan Rosillo]

So we get to commercial break and Ryan's like, hey, I love that dude.

[Brian]

And I just hope this doesn't get aggregated into somebody trying to say that like, me and Ryan Clark are going to fight at ESPN because it's just not what was going to happen.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But he's like, look, that guy saved my life. And I'm like, and it's true. If you go back and read that story, I think it's from 2007. Like Clark played in Denver, he has sickle cell. So at that altitude, he has an awful reaction. Violently ill, loses his spleen. And then of course, because he's a football player and Clark was just a badass, he's like, I want to. They were playing in a playoff game. He's like, I'm playing. Tomlin's like, you're not playing. Like, what are you nuts? You're not playing. And though, even though Clark wanted to play, he needed Tomlin to do that. And look, that's just one story. I was texting with Willie Colon, who was just on the show, and I was like, you love Tomlin, right? And he sent me a cat eye emoji with the eyes exploding. All caps. With all my heart, I don't know how many different Steelers that I've met over the years. It's probably more than 5, less than 10. It is all the same, right? And then it was a bit of a shift for me, not only talking and having access to some of these guys, how much they just love Tomlin. Once we realized like a B, I don't really know the, like, whatever that transformation was from, hey, man, that guy's a tough matchup. Is he a top three receiver to.

[Brian]

What'S that guy's deal?

[Ryan Rosillo]

And that Tomlin was managing all this different stuff. And if you think about the job and it'd be great to be like the most brilliant game planner and the most advanced in the X and O's, but there's something to be said about like this part time job that you have as an NFL player and you're managing these 53 people well, there's probably 20% turnover in season. Different personalities, guys that expect to be playing in the league the entire time, surrounded by people being disappointed by not.

[Brian]

Being able to fulfill their dream.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Probably like an 80% roster turnover 3 to 5 years unless you're like really, really good. But there's just so much turnover in all this that for you to be able to manage all that stuff for like 20 years and it not feel like, yeah, I know the playoff losses are disappointing, but managing all of that bullshit and being the face of this for 20 years and getting this many people that have played for you to absolutely adore you and be willing to do anything for you, that should really matter. Now we could get to the football stuff. And you're like, all right, post Roethlisberger. It's a Mason Rudolph. Start in there, get some Kenny Pickett. Love that exhibition season was.

[Brian]

You remember Steelers fans, You were all the way in. Can I interest you in some Justin.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Fields, little Russell Wilson, and then Aaron Rodgers this season? I watched Rodgers post game presser. I didn't mean to, but it was just on, like switching tv, switching rooms.

[Brian]

You're like, oh, turn the TV back on.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Here's Aaron Rodgers getting pissed off at everybody who finds a way to, like, fucking hate everybody. He was so effusive in his praise about Tomlin. And I'll take Roger's side in the press conference because he was asked about Tomlin. He gave an incredible answer, super in depth. Also mentions the floor, talks about the special places.

[Brian]

I don't know how jets fans get offended by that. Like, what you guys wanted to shout out.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And then he was asked again, look, the reporter probably had another angle or something or whatever. Rogers just got his ass kicked by the Texans. He might be done. If I threw a pick six, I'd probably be like, even if I planned on retiring, I'm like, I can't go out like that.

[Brian]

So I don't know if that means Roger's going to come back or he's motivated by those dumb things again. I didn't get beat up that night.

[Ryan Rosillo]

So it's a lot easier for us.

[Brian]

To sit there at home and say those kinds of things.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But Rogers liked him so much. On top of his frustration, everything else.

[Brian]

That he just got up from the.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Presser, grabbed his bottle of water and was like, I'm out of here. He's 53 years old. The quarterback turnover thing wasn't necessarily great.

[Brian]

But I'm telling you, if he gets.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Hired again, if he wants to be.

[Brian]

Hired again, he probably will be hired again.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I think that needs to be a big part of.

[Brian]

Of the evaluation as much as it.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Is all the playoff losses and all.

[Brian]

That kind of stuff.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You need to bring all that other.

[Brian]

Stuff up because when it comes to that, I don't know that he has many pairs.

[Ryan Rosillo]

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[Ryan Rosillo]

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[Brian]

I read him, basically, I feel like every week I have to check out what he's doing.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And he had a really interesting piece back on talking to Giannis directly about where this story is going with whether or not he'd ever make a request out.

[Brian]

So he joins us now. Good to see you, man.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Thanks for doing this.

[Sam Amick]

Ryan. Great to see you. Thanks for having me. I appreciate you. Happy New Year. A little belatedly here, but good to see you.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I love it. I like to throw one around in.

[Brian]

February just to keep people on their toes.

[Ryan Rosillo]

So there was a report back from ESPN December 18th and then Giannis post that it felt maybe a little clumsy and then it. It felt like in this access that you had with him, maybe I'll even start here. Do you think that there was like real purpose in this and your relationship with him, your relationship with the Bucks? It's like, hey, let's get you with a national guy to kind of clarify everything and defiantly tell everyone that you will never ask for a trade demand because that seemed to be the message in this interview, in this piece that.

[Brian]

You had up last week.

[Sam Amick]

Yeah, I mean, to be honest, I love the question because the nuance you just hit on that I haven't been asked about is that idea that, like, was this deliberate Was this planted? And either by him or the Bucs. And so I'm happy to share. The Bucks played no part. They. They, if anything, to be honest, were probably hoping he. He just wouldn't talk because they didn't know what he was going to say. The backstory there, that's not in the piece that I think does come into play, is that when I see him in Sacramento, which is where I'm based, whenever the Bucks come West, I, for years have made a habit of trying to connect with him. And we have always had a good rapport and try to just unpack whatever his situation is. But I see him in Sack when the night they play the Kings. And I literally said after the game, like, hey, little noisy around you right now. Like, are you. Are you up for a discussion if I come see you in San Francisco in a couple days when you play the Warriors? And the response got my attention when he goes, what do you mean? And I said, oh, you're in the news, like you might have noticed. And. And he go, false narrative. False narrative was his response. So I was like, all right, then fine. If that's the way you're going to frame it, then let's unpack it. And so then fast forward a couple of days. They play the warriors, but, you know, we connect. But it was all very informal. I'm sitting there post game, you know, starting to talk to him. Thirty seconds in, in the locker room, a woman comes by asking him. So one of his people asking him to sign a Greek national team jersey and to come visit some people outside the locker room, I suddenly think, oh, I don't think this interview's gonna happen. Cause he gets pulled away. And so it was a little chaotic. And eventually we get outside the locker room and we chop it up. But once we started talking, I think it was pretty clear that he did want to clear a few things up and at least be heard.

[Ryan Rosillo]

What do you think the most important thing that you were able to get.

[Brian]

From him in that piece was? And in that conversation.

[Sam Amick]

I mean, two things, probably. I mean, the obvious headline being that he says he's never going to ask for a trade in Milwaukee. It's not in his nature. And, you know, if you look back, like, I didn't ask him to account for forever. I was asking about this season. And so he was. He makes this choice to extend, you know, the way he's going to discuss that stance, I thought that was obviously pretty revelatory. But beyond that, it's the fact that, like, I tried to Push him on. On how he keeps trying to kind of slide his way out of some of this. Whether you call it accountability or like, when he starts talking about how I'm not in charge, I'll be honest with you, I enjoyed that back and forth because I do know him well enough to just say, okay, stop. Like, stop saying you're not in charge of this situation. You are the franchise centerpiece. You hold almost all of the cards, Your voice matters. And he tried to talk about how I don't cut the checks. And. Yeah, and there's truth. I mean, obviously he. The Bucks could trade him tomorrow without him knowing, but just trying to have more of an honest conversation about the situation that is. It's just challenging to do that in a press conference setting, which is why, obviously, I always enjoy trying to get guys in this kind of way.

[Ryan Rosillo]

The thing I think you were hitting on is, and I was kind of following along as a reader, it's like he uses the wife analogy. Like, hey, my wife is great right now. She's a great mother, but who knows tomorrow? Then it was almost like, I wonder.

[Brian]

How his wife's gonna feel about that comparison.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And he goes, I may like scrambled.

[Brian]

Eggs every single day, but then tomorrow I could wake up and then want my eggs a different way.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And I do think he's such a thoughtful guy. He's really smart. I've always appreciated. I appreciate the way he plays. I appreciate so much about him. I love the nasty part of him when he's talking about, like, hey, when you watch me out on the court, like, I'm watching him in that Minnesota game where they're down like 30 at.

[Brian]

The start of the third quarter.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And he kind of boozed the crowd.

[Brian]

Back, which I was like, oh, okay, well, this doesn't seem like it's great.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But there's an edge to him that is there every single night.

[Brian]

He laces them up.

[Ryan Rosillo]

So I'm a huge fan, right? Any of us that love basketball, I.

[Brian]

Think there's so much about him that you can appreciate.

[Ryan Rosillo]

So I can't tell if that's him being just smart and open minded about the whole thing or if this whole conversation that I'm reading just became a battle of semantics. Was he leaving himself these outs if he changes his mind? Because that's basically what he's saying, while also then being mad that anyone's speculating on this. And I don't know if it's because we're all incredibly unfair and he's being pragmatic about it, but there was this kind of dance that it felt like this conversation was taking on.

[Sam Amick]

Yeah. I mean, I think he's tried to accomplish two things that are pretty tough to reconcile. Right. Which is, like, respect for the Bucks and their fans in the city and loyalty. And then the stubbornness you see in a lot of his interviews, the stubbornness that comes out is, you know what? I'm not going to come off my stance that as a human. And not to go too macro. Like, as a human, I might change my mind. John Horst might change his mind. Like, he continues to have that be the way that he discusses this. This topic. People are mixed on that approach. I. I have zero problem with it. Like, yeah, I mean, no shit, for lack of a better way of putting it. Like, there's no problem with, in my opinion of that reality, even though it's going to make Bucks fans nervous. And again, I tried to do the best I could do because at least saying to him, stopping the back and forth and saying, okay, but that's where the fans are going to say, you're leaving yourself and out. And he literally says, I don't care. So, you know, at least you know how he sees it. But what he's trying to do. Here's my thing, Ryan, is he is a smart guy, and he knows that even if in the back of his mind he's got serious doubts about the future of the Bucks, which my opinion is he definitely does, he's eligible for an extension on October 1st. Once he. I shouldn't say once. If he turns that down, then he never has to ask for a trade out of Milwaukee. Then the pressure shifts to the Bucks and ownership and John Horst, to where a lot of people would argue in that scenario that it's bad business to not move him if he's already indicated that he doesn't want a future with your team. And at that point, he. You know, he potentially could be heading out of town without having ever asked for a trade, and I think he knows that. So does this mean that Bucks fans can rest easy? No, I don't think so. I think until the off season, you know, just see what they do the rest of this year. I don't think he's getting moved before the deadline, but. But he knows that those business dynamics are a big part of this.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Do you think he gets traded before the deadline?

[Sam Amick]

No, I don't. I mean, unless the Bucks panic, I don't think it's with him pushing his way out. Sports is crazy. I mean, you referenced the Minnesota game last night, and so it's, you know, I'm watching that from. I wasn't actually watching. I'm tracking the score and. And thinking about a couple things. For one, I mean, you know, Doc's part of that, and like an ownership, I think, was at the game, and you start wondering, like, how much heat is there on Doc. But then again, if you're Giannis, you just went from, you know, okay, we. We competed with the Warriors. We lost that game, but we looked, okay, we won the next game. And he's been trying to rally the troops and get this thing in a good direction. But to lose like that to a Timberwolves team that had, you know, no Edwards and Gobert, who knows what the conversations look like. But it's. I don't think if he did get moved, it's with him pushing. And I have no reason to think the Bucks are. Are coming off their stands. Everybody around the league at this point that I talk to thinks that he's going to be there through the end of the season.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You mentioned if the Bucks panic, I would think they would panic in a different direction.

[Brian]

You know, they would. They would add maybe a name that's completely devalued, is some other desperate additive move here to this roster, because they're just. Look, they're just not a good team. Right.

[Sam Amick]

Well, and that name is. The one at the top of the list is Zach Levine. I think he's still in play from the Kings. You know, it's. It's big money for a guy who, you know, obviously got moved to Sacramento last year and. But when he was with the Bulls, he is that profile of big money, productive player. But is he a game changer? Most people say no. So whether it's Zach or somebody else, there is a lot of smoke around the Bucks in terms of trying to add something. So we'll see what they do.

[Ryan Rosillo]

When you map out the extension, that decision, what, he's eligible for four years, 270 million, October 1st. That's when they can first offer it. Is that correct?

[Sam Amick]

Correct. Yep.

[Brian]

Okay.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I thought about Bradley Beal a little bit. I would not compare Giannis to Bradley Beal ever.

[Brian]

So we can. We can get that one out of the way.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But it always felt like, hey, how.

[Brian]

Come Beal doesn't want out of Washington? How come he doesn't want to do this? And, like, some people would just straight up tell you, like, he's kind of.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Okay with it, you know, but he's also got this massive extension with that extra year, and the priority may Be.

[Brian]

That he's going to do that and then worry about the rest of it later.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Do you think Giannis.

[Brian]

Because that would take us through the.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Trade deadline timeline, that would take us.

[Brian]

Through the off season.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Do you think it might be a matter of, like, I'm still young enough. Let me get the 4 for 275. Because Milwaukee probably does it.

[Brian]

And then he's like, all right. And if it doesn't work out next season, at least I know that, because the difference on the extensions now with. With somebody forcing their way out, I haven't heard that.

[Sam Amick]

And like you said, there is precedent, certainly for guys doing that. To me, if you're him, the problem with that is, you know, if you're going to go to such great lengths to. To almost try to, you know, to salvage and save your relationship with the city and the fans, you know, that's not going to land well on the back end if people ultimately realize that that's what you did. You know, if you secured the bag and then pushed your way out, then your legacy in Milwaukee changes. So business wise makes a lot of sense. Personally, I don't see it. And on top of that, if you look at all the reporting that has been done about him potentially wanting out, and specifically this season, the stuff that Shams has put out, by no means. I mean, he might try to push back on the validity of that stuff. I am not. There is a reason that some of this stuff has been leaked by whoever has been leaking it. Now, that's been a topic of discussion is in a full throated, you know, kind of from Giannis's camp endorsement. Let's put this out there. It doesn't appear that's the case, but in some, you know, form or fashion, this stuff has gotten out. And so I don't. I don't think you apply that kind of pressure, even if it's messy, and then try to get an extension once October comes around.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, I was at the combine last year.

[Brian]

You know, it's one of my favorite events. And it was. It was really vocal about Giannis, and so I can understand his position. Like, hey, I'm not saying it. I'm not saying this, but it's like.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Well, I wouldn't say your side of.

[Brian]

It is, like, completely oblivious to, like, these discussions that are happening. And I know it drives Bucks fans crazy. It drove Cavs fans crazy because everybody kind of was like, oh, Mitchell, Like, I don't know. And then Mitchell ends up doing the extension. It was a little creative there on the back end.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But, yeah, I mean, it's gone on.

[Brian]

For a long time, so. All right, so you don't think it happens before the deadline?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Well, and really, how do you think.

[Sam Amick]

Yeah, yeah, interject. Because I keep forgetting to make sure we contextualize this thing all. You know, all the way, because I. We can't overlook the Knicks chapter in the summer. That is one thing I wish I would have asked Giannis about is, you know, how should people look at that subplot? Because nobody is really denying that late in the summer that, you know, again, in some form, he showed some interest in potentially playing for the Knicks. They talked. The Knicks were almost annoyed by the timing of it because it was so late in the summer that there was nothing they could do. They had already given Bridges an extension. They, you know, so it was almost like they're throwing their hands up, going, big fella, if you were trying to come our way, like, call us in in May or June, you know, so it didn't go anywhere, and the machinations made no sense. But in terms of the, like, we have receipts, you know, that there have been times when it was a pretty serious possibility.

[Brian]

Yeah, I'm glad you put that in there. I think that's even more valid than even all the rumblings. But it was just the stuff that was going back to the combat. It was, like, so specific, and it was like, well, you know, if we. We're not saying we would go anywhere, but if we were going to go somewhere, like, here are the priorities. And then you would hear the stuff from other teams, and you're just like, okay, well, this is like, there's some.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Real stuff here, as opposed to. I always kind of look at it.

[Brian]

This way, like, when you hear the gossipy stuff when.

[Ryan Rosillo]

When it's all very much the same, but it's never specific.

[Brian]

Like, we could be making a mistake.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Of just all repeating each other, not having anything, and there felt like there was a little bit more depth.

[Brian]

This was just something that I always reference, and I'm glad you reminded us of the Knicks thing as well.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Let's just run around the league here.

[Brian]

A little bit if you have more time with this.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I thought the Anthony Davis note that.

[Brian]

I think you had in another piece where it was basically Rich Paul and his representatives essentially said to the Mass.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Like, hey, if you want to start working a little bit harder on potential destinations for him, that's maybe the nicest way that you could ever do this. So how do you think his injury, which he has. He went at Shams, essentially. Shams saying he'd be out for the season, but now they're not going to have surgery.

[Brian]

But who knows? Like, if they're terrible at the end of the year, they may just say, like, hey, we're not even going to bring you back.

[Ryan Rosillo]

That part is the least important part right now. But the overall impact on his market before a deadline.

[Sam Amick]

Yeah, I need to get more clarity, because right out the gate when the injury news happened and then the discussion about possible surgery, you know, common sense tells you it destroys his market. And then suddenly there was reporting that, oh, there's maybe some actual talks, and I don't understand that. Like, Atlanta, for example, was already trying to minimize the, you know, the discussion around them. And AD to a lesser degree. Toronto, I think they are. Have been really looking at him. But, yeah, the injury is everything, because not only does it take him off the shelf for, you know, most of, if not all of the season, but you're talking about the continuation of. Call it a narrative or just a reputation with AD that the fact that he's. He's fragile and. And he's just not on the court enough. That's a big part of the calculus. So we'll see where it goes. Rich, I think it's safe to say, was very frustrated, understandably, in AD as well, with this development, because they. They, you know, they were trying to get him somewhere else. Like you said, they were pushing the Mavs to make that happen. I wouldn't have been surprised. And this is right up your alley, Ryan, like, if he doesn't get hurt. I think you might have been hearing Rich on his podcast, you know, chiming in about this situation. Like, that's just the age we live in. And so the pressure was coming. But now, you know, him and his camp certainly lose leverage with this development.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I want to take a step back and kind of talk marketing in general. Right. Trey moving for CJ McCollum and Corey.

[Brian]

Kispert, I think is, like, not alarming because I think these guys all know the market of their players, right? Like, whenever you hear, like, hey, there's conversations, and it just goes, well, these guys constantly monitor the value of their players around the league. They.

[Ryan Rosillo]

They love talking on the phone and.

[Brian]

Just speculating all this different stuff. They have internal debates about this stuff all the time.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But I don't think the Trey pricing makes Dallas go, oh, my gosh, our guys worth even less now. Or I read some piece that was kind of like, what does this mean for Jaws market? It's like, well, Jaws market was bad before and this is just so at the high end of some of the max guys with all the apron stuff.

[Brian]

That we've been talking about obsessively now.

[Ryan Rosillo]

For a couple of years, I wonder if teams will pivot from, like, we.

[Brian]

Can'T be locked into somebody that maybe isn't healthy enough or doesn't bring it every single night and feels like damaged goods as opposed to like the other thing that I feel like these teams do historically all the time is that.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Like, why would Toronto want an ad?

[Brian]

Right?

[Ryan Rosillo]

They go, if we have AD healthy in the Eastern Conference, like the ceiling version of what we could be with him is so much better. That for all the obvious reasons of.

[Brian]

Why this would be a bad transaction.

[Ryan Rosillo]

That ceiling doesn't exist in any version.

[Brian]

Of what our team is now.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And that's why, like, I think there are deals that a lot of us.

[Brian]

Can be like, I can't believe they did that. And I think ultimately GM goes, we.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Know we were only this good. And the whole point is, as risky as it is, it's almost like what.

[Brian]

The Clippers are doing all these years.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Like, if we just have everybody and we're ready to go, like, who cares.

[Brian]

What seed we are?

[Ryan Rosillo]

So how much do you think that impacts the balance of, hey, I don't want to be in the AD contract.

[Brian]

Extension discussions versus Yep.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But that slight window, that slight window I could possibly have is still worth.

[Brian]

It because I think so many GMs default to that and make that decision.

[Sam Amick]

Well, I mean, you had me thinking of the last line of a story that we, I think you already referenced from last week is we had an anonymous quote from an Eastern Conference executive that said that everybody in the east thinks they're an AD away. And so that parody in the East, I think could lend itself to something happening. I don't know where that might be. But generally speaking in terms of just across the board, I mean his market and guys like that, the profile, he's a two way player. But some of these one way guards who, if they don't have health problems, they have, you know, they have defensive problems on the other end, whatever weaknesses concern you, the market is down for all these guys. And with AD, I just don't see it because, you know, we've got years and years and years of evidence that the chances of that if coming to pass for your team are just pretty minimal. So even the Mavs, Ryan, like you think about their situation up until three, four weeks ago, even they were one of those teams that were trying to squint hard enough to say, if we have AD if Kyrie can come back, you know, late in the season, you know, Mark Cuban publicly said that they weren't going to trade. AD Told one of our reporters that, you know, and as you know, Mark is back in the mix now with the mav. So, you know, they were making their own calculus and then certainly pivoted once we got closer to the deadline. But the health stuff combined with age and this latest blow for AD I think is pretty brutal.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Do you think JA is worth more than Trae Young on the market or less?

[Sam Amick]

I would say more. Although, I mean, that being said, I literally just talked to a team today where it was like the same narrative of, like, if you want to give them to us, you know, and take out and take some of our money, then let's go, you know, but teams are not looking to give up picks, and the problem is that, you know, their gm, Zach Kleiman, and he's going to have to come down from this. I mean, you know, earlier in the trade season, he was telling teams that, you know, they were looking not only for draft capital, but significant draft capital. You know, you're talking about three, four firsts, and they were trying to kind of flex and. And act like, well, we have. We don't want to come off him, but if we did, this is what it would take. And obviously that has changed. We just got the update today that he's not playing and the. The game in Berlin, and we'll see if. If that's real or if he's just choosing to sit. So, yeah, the market and, you know, my conversation so far is really low, you know, and like, the Kings, for example, were mentioned. I don't see that happening again unless it's a giveaway thing. Miami, everybody knows JA would like to get to Miami. I don't know their exact level of interest, but a pretty low market.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I feel like every one of us.

[Brian]

Is just putting every one of these players on the Kings.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Which I don't know that it's necessarily wrong, but it used to be kind of like as Westbrook was coming down the other side.

[Brian]

Of the mountain there a little bit, he's like, okay, well, he still is exciting.

[Ryan Rosillo]

He puts up numbers. I think that Wizards fan base adores.

[Brian]

Westbrook for that one season, you know, where it was like, hey, we. We at least were like, kind of.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Relevant, and you put up all these numbers and we're fighting for the playoffs here.

[Brian]

And I think what they got into the playing game.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And so I think we're kind of doing that like, well, Sacramento's boring. Like maybe, maybe Ja. I could see Vivek.

[Brian]

I mean, I can see the hugs, I can see the high fives, the whole thing. But from a basketball standpoint, it would feel pretty desperate, I think you would agree.

[Sam Amick]

Yeah, I mean that's my intel for sure is that he's, you know, I actually was told, I don't think Vivek is pushing for it. I don't think Scott Perry, their GM is, is chasing it. Now everybody knows regardless of Ja or any other player they are trying to get off, you know, these long term contracts they have specifically with Zach Levine, Malik, Monk, I mean, Malik showed out the other day and I think probably helped conversations around him. I, you know, my colleague and buddy and I think yours too, John Hollinger wrote it well the other day where he just said when people talk about the Kings and Jah, it's really a case of like, maybe Vivek's crazy enough to do it. Like that's the only. There's no actual intel saying, you know, he's going to try to do this, but it does just feel like something that he might reach for. But that's the kind of stuff that they're trying to get away from in this new era.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And that would get in the way of Kaminga.

[Brian]

The greatest pursuit in the history of recent memory, at least.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I don't even know that I want to.

[Brian]

I feel like we're obligated to ask a Kaminga update. He hasn't played since December.

[Sam Amick]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

There was, there was a deal on the table there. I mean, if you're, if you're Golden State and you're getting any kind of.

[Brian]

Unprotected pick from Sacramento, maybe.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I don't know if the 30 pick.

[Brian]

That was floated out there this off season was unprotected or not, but that.

[Sam Amick]

Seems top 12 at the end of.

[Brian]

Was top 12. Okay, so that makes way more sense because I mean, if you're Sacramento, you shouldn't ever be giving up unprotected picks at this standpoint.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Like, does Sacramento try to do anything they can with Monk, Levine, DeRozan?

[Brian]

Is Sabonis available? And again, I don't know if they're still hot on the Kaminga thing, knowing that it just once again has not worked out in Golden State.

[Sam Amick]

Yeah, I mean, all those guys you mentioned are available, you know, like different variances. You know, they're not down on a guy like Sabonis, but he's got long term money and they're obviously a terrible team and they know that this, there's not really a vision with this roster anymore. They're trying to hit the reset button. Keon Ellis is the one. You know, somebody asked me yesterday what player across the league do you think will definitely get moved and I would be stunned if, if Keon doesn't get moved. And you know, your listeners and viewers might not know that name, but he's a, he's a decent 3 and D wing who's going to be a free agent and who, you know, hasn't come to terms on a deal with the Kings and is, you know, far and away the guy they get the Most calls about. DeRozan has had a productive year and so does a contender come try to grab him in a six man role. He's got 10 million guaranteed next season. 25 if you keep them on the books. I think it is. So you know, they've got guys and the Kaminga thing, yeah, they still have interests and it's. But what was there in the summer with the warriors is no longer there. The deal was Malik and that top 12 protected 2031st because the warriors have lost leverage and Kaminga is racking up DNP CDs. The, you know, the first is no longer in play. So it's now become, if it was going to happen, it would be more of a three team thing. And that part is kind of tbd.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I was watching Miami last night, I.

[Brian]

Thought that was a nice win against Phoenix. You know, bam, hitting threes and you're kind of seeing like a version of this rotation, right? Some different options. I know Mitchell went out of the game last night, but like Miami before.

[Ryan Rosillo]

The season started, I was like, hey, I know they're better and they always sort of outperform.

[Brian]

They're playing really good defense and all this different stuff. I was like, I feel like they're the most boring team in the league because I already know what it is. Like I don't need to check on them all that much.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I certainly give them more credit.

[Brian]

You know, they got off to that really terrific start overhauling the entire style.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But it still feels like a collection outside of Bam and I guess color.

[Brian]

Ware you could say as well depending on how big game hunting. But it feels like a collection of things. They'd still love to figure out how do we package up a bunch of this stuff? But are they just waiting it out?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Are they just waiting it out?

[Brian]

I imagine because of, hey, we can sit here and get proactive. But we may be moving some of these assets in front of a summer where there could be much more interesting opportunities.

[Sam Amick]

Yeah, I don't know exactly how they're approaching it. They're pretty close to the vest. But I think the discussion around JA and Giannis, you know, gives you probably both ends of that spectrum. If you want to reach and get back in the star player business right now, you can probably find a way to do that with ja, you know, but if you have any intel that, like we talked about earlier, that Giannis may and, you know, decline that extension and then Miami, you know, my understanding for sure is absolutely a place that, that, that Giannis is believed to be open to. And so even just the NBA fan side of me, like, it's, it's been a minute since the Heat, you know, did that thing where they go get the guy and they have guys and they've had a fun year, but post Jimmy Butler messiness, it's starting to feel like it's only a matter of time until they take a big swing. You know, Pat's not getting any younger and, and Eric, obviously, I mean, even just last night he talked about the, the, you know, the short Runway of coaches and how he's been the exception. But, but even Eric is not going to do this forever. So I don't know what that looks like, but, but you feel like one of these days we're going to look up and they've done something big.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Is there a move for Golden State?

[Sam Amick]

I don't know what it is because my biggest thing there is that they, unless they get off their stance of saying that they will not move Draymond or Jimmy, you can't really do much of substance, even with Kaminga's deal, which gets you to, you know, 23 million, I think it is, you know, in today's league, that's not a, I mean, that's a player. It's not a big time player. So they have said they, they don't want to move Draymond and Jimmy, which tells me they're. And even Mike Dunleavy, their gm, has predicted that there's not a Jimmy Butler type move on the horizon this time around. But there is a lot of pressure, you know what I mean? There's a lot of. They played better lately. They took care of business last night against Portland, but, man, Joe lacob has been frustrated. Steve Kerr is in the last year of his deal. Steph Curry's, you know, Mr. Patience all the time. But I don't think right now, you know, he's not getting any younger either. So, you know, who knows if the pressure changes how they move heading into February 5, but the whole Draymond Jimmy thing is that for now, that's all I had to hear, to know that they weren't necessarily swinging big. And then there's some chatter around Michael Porter Jr. That was refuted to me in terms of, like, real substance, and I don't see that happening, so we'll see.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I. I loved kind of the, like, wish list for Milwaukee because it came.

[Brian]

Out, and I'm thinking, are they. Again, who knows, how all the information travels, right? But sometimes you're like, are they just.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Saying that they're in on all these.

[Brian]

Things that seem impossible? How is that deal going to happen? What is remotely enticing on this roster? Although, again, we give them credit this off season, even though it was a really expensive thing to do for Miles Turner, but they did get creative. They, in theory, added to the team, but when I see the Michael Porter.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Jr. Stuff, who, by the way, volume.

[Brian]

Goes up by a third, essentially, and he's even more efficient. I mean, the guy's playing out of his mind.

[Ryan Rosillo]

So whatever. Whatever was like, motivate Denver to go.

[Brian]

Hey, it's time to move on, and then attach a pick. Like, it feels like in a very short amount of time, perception value of him has come back around, and he's been so good with him that it's like, hey, good luck. That's one of the cleaner trans.

[Ryan Rosillo]

That's probably pretty crazy that here we.

[Brian]

Are talking about some of the names.

[Ryan Rosillo]

We are, and Michael Porter Jr.

[Brian]

Feels like a cleaner transaction than some of these other guys that we've already discussed today.

[Sam Amick]

Yeah. I mean, especially given his. His colorful offseason on the media circuit. You know, he. He's. He's shooting the lights out. He's a good player. You know, Mark Stein, the obviously longtime NBA writer and hall of Famer, reported that. That the Nets want to wait. So, you know, we'll see if that bears out. That could just be posturing because they know that his value is up, and they. They could maybe, you know, do something of real impact there. But the Milwaukee, like, to your point, on the Bucks, it does feel a little bit performative, at least for now. Like, it. It almost feels like, all right, game plan is let's have a bunch of smoke about certain players that'll get giannis intrigued for seven to 10 days to where he at least thinks that we're active. You know, then when I was around the team, when they came through Northern California, it was a little bit like that part was kind of confirmed, not that it was performative but that they weren't necessarily like absolutely banging the doors down with every team to do something in the next week or two. They were taking their time. So it's somewhere in the middle. They are, I've heard enough to know that they are really looking at a lot of stuff. The Miles Turner thing showed us that they, you know, I mean, if there's no level of crazy or risky that they're not willing to entertain, I mean, even the Damian Lillard trade, if you go back to that, you know, that had its own risky element, you know, coming off a guy like Drew Holiday. So, you know, John is bold and he doesn't, he just, you know, come hell or high water, wants to find a way to not let the big fella go.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I really enjoyed the piece.

[Brian]

Great work on that, man, and we'll look forward to catching up again and see how it goes throughout the trade deadline. Thanks, Sam.

[Sam Amick]

Thanks, Brian. Appreciate you.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Read Sam Amick's latest stuff on all the NBA trade deadline rumors on the athletic the world moves fast. Your workday even faster. Pitching products, drafting reports, analyzing data. Microsoft 365 Copilot is your AI assistant for work built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other Microsoft 365 apps you use, helping you quickly write, analyze and create and summarize so you can cut through clutter and clear path to your best work. Learn [e-mail] M3 65 copilot.

[TGL Announcer]

Out on the course, they're the PGA Tour's best players. But in the arena, they're prime time. And season two of TGL presented by Sofi is back. With lights, cameras, action. We're talking big moments, big personalities, big names in the stands all on the big screen. Big time matchups with shot clocks, Hammer drops, timeouts, overtime and playoffs. It's city versus city, squad versus squad. This sport just hits different under the lights. It's TGL, presented by SoFi.

[Kyle]

Keep up.

[Sam Amick]

It's golf.

[TGL Announcer]

Tune in to every match only on ESPN.

[Brian]

You want details?

[Kyle]

Bye.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I drive a Ferrari 355 Cabriolet.

[Kyle]

What's up?

[Ryan Rosillo]

I have a ridiculous house in the South Fork. I have every toy you can possibly imagine. And best of all, kids, I am liquid.

[Kyle]

So now you know what's possible. Let me tell you what's required.

[Ryan Rosillo]

LifeAdvice. LifeAdvice rrmail.com that is the email. This may go deep because the way the taping Schedule worked today and a.

[Brian]

Lighter open and we had one cancellation on something. So I don't know. I don't know if everybody's ready to just buckle up and bang through a bunch of these emails, but I got it in me if you do.

[Guest]

Got nothing else to do.

[Kyle]

Always ready.

[Brian]

Okay.

[Ryan Rosillo]

One, follow up and then we'll.

[Brian]

Get to the meat of it.

[Ryan Rosillo]

The response of the volleyball player. Just a quick thought on the 30 year old volleyball player. I feel qualified to talk about this because I'm a 42 year old double A volleyball player.

[Brian]

All right.

[Ryan Rosillo]

We've already established one step below it. Right. And also a physical therapist. You have to put in the work outside of your sports to continue playing in your 30s and 40s. Earn the right to play Respect game.

[Kyle]

All right, coach.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I fucking love that. Last night I was watching the Pelicans.

[Brian]

Again and Antonio Daniels, who I think is. What's that?

[Guest]

A lot of dudes. Yeah, we talked about it in 10 good minutes, you know.

[Brian]

Yeah. And they did some sort of handoff.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Where Eve's is supposed to hand it off on a curl and instead he.

[Brian]

Just kind of delayed the handoff and then just went right to the hoop. It was just a nice little finger roll.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Antonio Daniels is like, make them guard you, make them guard you.

[Brian]

And I'm like, God, that's so good. It's just so good.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Like if you're this guy, there's never an option. You're the sixth option.

[Brian]

When there's five guys out there.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Every now and then, just go to.

[Brian]

The hoop, make them think that you could.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Don't just give up on yourself offensively.

[Brian]

Made.

[Ryan Rosillo]

So earn the right to play.

[Brian]

This is speaking me, speaking to me today. And just as a side, a whole new level of appreciation for Jamal Murray. It's. It's ridiculous what that guy's doing without Jokic, the passing part of it, and just altering his game to what needs to be done. And Peyton Watson on the ball. My God.

[Ryan Rosillo]

All right, Jamal. I didn't vote for him as a starter.

[Kyle]

Okay.

[Ryan Rosillo]

It's tough as a starter. I hope he makes the all star team. He should make the team, but I.

[Brian]

Haven'T gone through, like all of it. I know it's different this year, but I had to do my vote yesterday. I was, I was a little surprised at a couple of my votes, but we'll see.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Earn the right to play. Weights, plyos, mobility, et cetera. Not only keep you playing, but also improve performance.

[Brian]

If the goal is to keep getting.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Better, stop just playing all the Time. Yeah.

[Brian]

All right. I see what he's saying there.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I still keep the dream alive that.

[Brian]

I can keep being competitive with the young players, so I hope he does too. Love the pod.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, I didn't do a great job.

[Brian]

I basically was like, hey, I'm hurt a ton. Welcome to the part.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I kind of welcome to the party.

[Brian]

The guy that said, yeah, the old guys were like, welcome to the party.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Kyle, do you have any ailments today?

[Kyle]

I drank a Celsius a little bit too close to the taping and I'm just holding back a lot of burps. So that's what I'm dealing with today. But I wouldn't put myself on any list, you know.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Feeling it though.

[Kyle]

I'll get through it.

[Brian]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You'Re not very chatty for a.

[Brian]

Guy who just pounded a Celsius.

[Kyle]

Well, you know, I guess 32 minutes of NBA YouTube wasn't enough. We're just starting life advice off with it. So I'm just waiting until we get get going. Still some residual NBA talk.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Do you feel left out of it.

[Brian]

A good 10 minutes.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Huge.

[Kyle]

Well, no, no. It's when it spills into this segment.

[Brian]

That I'm like, all right, well just.

[Kyle]

Let me know when I should tap in.

[Guest]

No, no one is more out. No one is more bummed out. When Super Bowl's over and everything turns to NBA season, Kyle just, it goes into. It's like seasonal depression for Kyle.

[Kyle]

Well, you know, last year I was sort of just like, they're not even talking about the Johnny's. But I was just like, dude, wake up. It's like this is your thing though.

[Guest]

He would suddenly the hat would be on. Yeah.

[Brian]

He'd wear the shirt.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You can do a Johnny's minute.

[Kyle]

No, it's bad now. Now it's bad.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I wanted to talk about that Providence game.

[Brian]

That was tough.

[Kyle]

That was really bad.

[Brian]

My Saturday.

[Kyle]

Yep. My family was like, dude, you're just not even fun to be around right now.

[Brian]

I know. Zubi can't do everything, man.

[Kyle]

True.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Okay, can I just ask you this before we.

[Brian]

That was a follow up anyway, so we don't even need to answer it. Great email.

[Guest]

Thank you.

[Ryan Rosillo]

When's the last time you watched a.

[Brian]

Start to finish NBA game? Actually not.

[Kyle]

I mean, Knicks, I got buddies that are just. I got them into the DraftKings thing, you know. Cause I was excited. Moved to New York, like excited to get on the action. I was just like playing the ponies out in la, which I didn't feel very good about, but for some reason, it just marries with the dive bar. So I got some referral codes, got some nice promotional DK bucks, by the way. Thank you. And so we've been, like, going and watching, watching games, and now that guy's starting to send me tennis bets that he's not watching. And I'm like. But so I watched a couple this year, mostly Knicks.

[Guest]

Okay.

[Kyle]

But I like the Hornets, too, because a couple of guys that I watch in college are out there.

[Brian]

So. Yeah, Big Creighton guy. Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I'm not even kidding.

[Brian]

Like, you're always. You're always fun, dude.

[Kyle]

Baylor Shireman. Did you see that? They're, like, three months in Boston, and he's already got the buzz cut and the gold chain.

[Brian]

Whose car are we taking?

[Ryan Rosillo]

All right. Yeah, that was a better answer. Any afternoon OTB appearances? Have we gone there yet?

[Kyle]

It's actually gone. They bulldozed it. It was there a couple years ago. I was asking about it. Not because I wanted to go. I was like, is that still there? Because now we can do this on our phones. And they're like, yeah, I don't think so. I haven't seen it in a couple of years. So I think they knocked it down. They knocked down the whole Kmart Plaza. It's actually a little depressing, but I.

[Brian]

Always like when a movie just goes, all right, we want to try to point to where this guy is in his life. I mean, it doesn't happen a lot, but then every now and then, it's like, okay, we're 10 minutes in the movie.

[Kyle]

This guy's the OT that slips on the floo.

[Guest]

Okay.

[Kyle]

He opens the door and the sun comes beaming.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yes, I used to want it. There was a place in Brighton where.

[Brian]

They had afternoon Kino. I guess Kino is available at any time of the day, pretty much everywhere. Yeah. It wasn't just the afternoon, but it was basically a convenience store, which I don't think is that rare, but this place just reeked of whatever it is that I'm describing here. And just guys banging cans of beer.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Somehow they were allowed to. Yeah, they were just. You could buy it in there. Which seemed a little weird with some of the strictness of Steel Reserve.

[Guest]

There's no rules in here.

[Ryan Rosillo]

A lot of Steel Reserve.

[Brian]

Great call.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Great call.

[Brian]

And just filling out those slips.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And I was like, could I ever do this? I was like, why? What are you saying? Yeah, I think I was 30, and.

[Brian]

I'm thinking like, hey, maybe I'll do this once a week. Yeah, it's like, no, actually. What do you do for work?

[Guest]

Oh, wow, funny. Ask.

[Brian]

Yeah, in between jobs right now. Okay.

[Ryan Rosillo]

All right. We got a Kyle Heater here. Moving out of New York City. Westchester or mid Hudson Valley. Wow.

[Brian]

All right.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Five eleven and three quarters, 170 pounds. Player comp. J.J. barea, 42 year old male, lived in New York City for 15 years.

[Brian]

With my wife, one kid who's in seventh grade.

[Guest]

Wow.

[Brian]

One kid but seventh grade city kids. Man, that kid's like 23.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I worked in medicine, make low mid six figures.

[Brian]

All right.

[Ryan Rosillo]

We mostly enjoy living in the city.

[Brian]

But never expected to stay this long and ready to move on.

[Ryan Rosillo]

We go to indie rock concerts, Broadway.

[Brian]

Shows several times a year.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I run lots of road races.

[Brian]

We enjoy outdoor activities including hiking, biking and kayaking. But we don't do a lot given our city location. With very limited storage space and not owning a car rent when we occasionally need one due to corporate mismanagement.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I was recently laid off as part.

[Brian]

Of a mass layoff.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I'm now considering two great job offers.

[Brian]

One in Westchester, 30, 60 minutes north.

[Ryan Rosillo]

New York City and one in mid Hudson Valley in Kingston. That's 90 to 120 minutes north of New York City.

[Kyle]

George Washington slept there first capital of New York.

[Brian]

I love it. I love it.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Throw them all out. Just barge bulldoze right over me.

[Brian]

If you have more facts. This is yours. This is your email.

[Ryan Rosillo]

With a population of 24,000, it's one of the largest cities in America, mostly rural area.

[Brian]

Does that check out, Kyle?

[Kyle]

Yeah, well, close to Poughkeepsie.

[Guest]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Both jobs seem great, pay well, are well run, have great people.

[Brian]

The big difference is the communities.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Westchester has easy train and car access.

[Brian]

To New York City. It's more densely populated, higher income, has fantastic public schools. Kingston is more remote, has more economic and racial diversity, with more salt of.

[Ryan Rosillo]

The earth and artistic types.

[Kyle]

Got that right.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Decent but not amazing public schools. Decent but not amazing public schools.

[Brian]

Would you.

[Kyle]

Yeah, Kingston would be on my list if I'm. If I'm looking for schools. Kingston wouldn't be. Wouldn't crack the top four, I don't think.

[Brian]

I wonder if we'll get an email from the Department of Education.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Kingston.

[Kyle]

Hey, they're working. Everyone's doing their best.

[Brian]

Everybody's doing their best. That's right.

[Ryan Rosillo]

It also has amazing nature access, including proximity to the Catskill Mountains. True.

[Kyle]

And the guns not far from the Sean Gunks.

[Ryan Rosillo]

If you could perhaps draw a map.

[Brian]

Real quick and we could post that map to today's episode.

[Guest]

Just Give this guy Kyle's number. There we go.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Maybe with a Netflix thing, we should.

[Brian]

Really prioritize some of our visuals, Maybe some props.

[Guest]

Yeah, I thought about pitching a show and tell for the show.

[Kyle]

I liked it. You said it. And I was like, in just stuff.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I gotta be honest, I don't hate it.

[Kyle]

Ryan's got a room full of stuff he doesn't know what to do with. I mean, that'd be cool. Just trying to hand out beer koozies and shit, everyone who comes to his house. So I'd like to find that room now.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I brought a Shen beer koozie out.

[Brian]

And gave it to a guy who invited me out. He's like, good to see you, man.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I was like, yeah, you should do this more often.

[Brian]

I was like, here you go.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And everybody else was like, who is this guy?

[Kyle]

Rusillo Swag. I like it.

[Brian]

Brought a gift. There was a nice care package from the great outfitter.

[Ryan Rosillo]

So anyway, all right, back to our email here. Cost of living. One of the biggest differences is cost of living. Particularly housing costs are significantly lower in Kingston.

[Brian]

My wife, full time stay at home.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Mom, part time photographer, and I have.

[Brian]

Always rented and are excited to purchase our first home.

[Ryan Rosillo]

We're pretty chill down to earth people and don't want to live anywhere that feels too snooty.

[Brian]

That said, going from New York City.

[Ryan Rosillo]

To a fairly rural area might feel.

[Brian]

Like too big of a change. My wife in particular is worried about feeling too remote and isolated. Should we go to Westchester for easy city access, great public schools, or go.

[Ryan Rosillo]

More rural in the Kingston area for a nicer house, more relaxed vibe, and incredible nature access? We know this is a great problem to have. Feel very fortunate. Would love your takes, especially Kyle, since.

[Brian]

Poughkeepsie is not far from Kingston.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Kyle.

[Kyle]

Well, I guess this would go for Westchester too. But the nice thing about the Hudson Valley is like, if you're, if you're not opposed to a 25 minute drive to work, you don't have to live in Kingston either. Like, there's a bunch of little pockets that you can go to and there's even some other, like Beacon's pretty cool. You know, you could do that. There's a, there's a couple of like people from the city are streaming up there every weekend. There's nowhere to freaking park there because they want to go to Beacon. So, like there's, there's a bunch of places. Poughkeepsie could be on your list. You know, they're starting, they're starting from the river going, going up. So, you know, you might be able to get a nice reclamation project and totally boost your profits. But I don't. I guess it just has to be like, how often do you want to go to the city? Because it's a little bit annoying because you're taking Amtrak or Metro north and you're actually surprised that it takes about the same amount of time as it would to drive. Which is, has always been a little annoying to me. But again, I don't need to be in the city that much. I try to avoid it if I can. So I really just. It just depends on what kind of light. Like your wife doesn't have to worry about the whole traveling thing. If you're, if you're fine with taking 25, 30 minute car ride, which could be a little bit, I guess, like therapeutic, if you got a lot going on at home, you know, then I would say you don't have to live in Kingston, you're just working there. Kingston's pretty cool though.

[Brian]

I don't know.

[Kyle]

I would choose the Hudson Valley. I'm biased, but I was, I was hoping to understand what was more important to him. It sounds like he's like, these hands are even. I don't know which one matters more. So then I can't help you. But I would always choose the Hudson Valley.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I don't really, I don't know that area at all.

[Brian]

I didn't know Benderfield county stuff, but I don't, I don't know.

[Guest]

I know some people in Westchester County. Yeah. Like if you're, if you're concerned about being, you know, the snooty. The snooty thing. Like it's probably not the place for you if you want to be.

[Kyle]

Also if you want more house, probably not the place for you either. But the other thing is I've like, I was very fine with just being at Poughkeepsie all the time before I moved to la. So I'm discovering a lot about the Hudson Valley that I didn't know. Now that I've, you know, brought my wife here and we're like, we're exploring stuff. Went to a beer and wine festival. Like there's a lot of. There's a lot of stuff going on. I find myself checking bulletin boards at the grocery store when I'm on my way out. I'm like, oh my God, look at that. Hyde Park.

[Guest]

Geez, we gotta get Kyle pumpkins.

[Ryan Rosillo]

We're out of season.

[Kyle]

Roosevelt Mansion.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I'll do that.

[Kyle]

Sure. Vanderbilt.

[Guest]

How is there not Like a travel series of you just traveling around the greater potatoes.

[Kyle]

You know, these just, you know, people that barstool. Let's go figure it out.

[Brian]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Because I think there was a thought, hey, do we want someone to follow.

[Brian]

Ryan around every day and move to Manhattan Beach? And I was like, we don't need to do that.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah.

[Guest]

Camera special guy. I honestly, like, would not want that for him. That would be a. That would be a tough life. Just follow Priscilla every day.

[Ryan Rosillo]

That poor kid would be so bored.

[Brian]

He'd think, he's like, this is going.

[Ryan Rosillo]

To be such an amazing job. I get to live in. Maybe he'd live in Redondo or something.

[Brian]

And then he'd be like, what are we doing today? Like, we're not doing anything. This is what we're doing.

[Guest]

We're doing legs today.

[Kyle]

Get in the water. That's for sure.

[Brian]

But, like, we ever take the boat.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Out and be like, once these pistons slow down. Yeah, yeah.

[Brian]

Sun doesn't set at 5 o', clock, so maybe we could. I don't know, maybe we could do a temporary thing where somebody follows Kyle around and we have, like, a little Hudson Valley travel show. Yeah, I'm already excited about it.

[Kyle]

I'd love that.

[Guest]

Why am I blanking on his name, the barstool travel guy?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Don Donnie.

[Guest]

Yeah. Yeah. Has he. Has he hit the. Hit up the greater Poughkeepsie area?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Maybe we want Don.

[Guest]

Yeah. Do something with him and Kyle. You know, I think I would be. I'd watch.

[Brian]

I think you guys would hit it off big time.

[Kyle]

Well, you know, I'm really excited for Super Bowl. I really haven't, like, left this little pocket. I was supposed to make it down to the office once we signed on everything, and I kind of blew that off. Not on purpose, but. So super bowl is going to be big for me. A lot of handshaking. Mark Titus said he's going to get me to meet everyone I'm supposed to meet. So hopefully that guy is there and is on the list of people. So very excited.

[Ryan Rosillo]

We are going to go to Chicago.

[Brian]

But it was basically like, so much work to get everything started and trying to get back to where we were that, I mean, this was this kind of played out the way I figured that it was going to play out, and then we'll get to Chicago at some point. But I think a travel show for Kyle, because I'm always like, I'm looking at Argentina right now. That takes.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You're like, I'm looking at.

[Brian]

I'm looking at the Thrift store down the street do that an afternoon. Right, Exactly.

[Kyle]

The barn. But trying to get in there.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Somebody did tweet yesterday, the fastest. Like the most desire.

[Brian]

It can't be most desirable.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I don't know.

[Brian]

I didn't even believe it anyway. But it was like the fastest growing like investment in residential real estate. Guess it was number one. Hartford.

[Kyle]

Hey, may we do a home and home for the show?

[Guest]

It's good for my wife. I have seen that. I don't know that she believes that. But it's good to post on social media.

[Ryan Rosillo]

How is that even possible?

[Guest]

Because it's so low.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Maybe that there's only fastest growing show in America.

[Guest]

Yeah. There's only so much one direction to go.

[Kyle]

Maybe it's just that special order of words that you can kind of use that to suit whatever your. You're saying. Like how you could say number one. Anybody could say number one, I think.

[Brian]

Right.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Like there's a lot of places that.

[Brian]

Say they're number one that are not number one.

[Kyle]

Yeah. There's gotta be some sort of loophole that you can just say number one this and it's like guess so.

[Brian]

I've experienced it in this industry.

[Guest]

I will say speaking of Harvard took the. Took the kids try to get some culture in over the weekend before. Like a weekend of football essentially of just sitting on the couch and doing nothing. I went to the Wadsworth Museum in Hartford.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah.

[Brian]

Went there.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Grade school.

[Guest]

Kind of a cool spot. You know the.

[Kyle]

The three year old theme.

[Guest]

It's kind of everything. It's like American history. It's just like a little bit of everything. I would say. I don't know if there's like it feel. It felt like a little bit of like random just stuff that they like found over the years.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But like honestly I had show and tell. But a store.

[Guest]

Yeah. Like hey, the. The Smithsonian didn't want this but like do you guys want it? Kind of thing. But it was. I don't know, it was cool. We learned a lot, saw some cool. You know, just different things. Relics from history. And honestly the 3 year old liked it. She too much. A little too much touching. You're not supposed to touch a lot of stuff in there. And she didn't really get that memo. But so anyway, had a good time at Hartford.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Love hearing that. You know who loved Hartford? Mark Twain.

[Guest]

Mark Twain House.

[Brian]

Yeah.

[Guest]

Nathan Hale.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I don't know what happened, man. Harford had it there for a while.

[Kyle]

Nathan Hale. Was that guy hanged? Is that. Who is that him?

[Guest]

Not that I Know of his statue.

[Kyle]

I was just watching the revolution. I thought somebody got hanged.

[Guest]

Hey, how do you watch that? I was trying to.

[Kyle]

Well, if you get the PBS channel and you're paying attention, but my mom, the only thing that she donates to is pbs. So she gets pbs. Passport and.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Great call. Kyle was hung.

[Kyle]

He was hung, right?

[Guest]

Can I get a password? Because I saw it was like 40 bucks to buy on.

[Kyle]

Why don't you just fucking donate to pbs, dude?

[Brian]

Well, you know, my God, I guess.

[Guest]

I could do that.

[Brian]

Jesus.

[Kyle]

I'll give you a Netflix.

[Guest]

Now you're making me feel bad.

[Kyle]

That sounds like.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I feel like we should just give.

[Kyle]

Them a little bit of cash.

[Guest]

I think they're strapped these days for the public good.

[Brian]

You're right.

[Kyle]

You could watch baseball, you know, Ken Burns baseball. You get access to all of them. It's a good one to sleep too.

[Brian]

Yeah, Ken Burns baseball. I've never made it all the way through. I don't know that I've been.

[Guest]

Yeah, I'm good.

[Brian]

All right.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Am I a dick? This is the email fellows. Five' 10, 27 years old, £175, not too many gym stats.

[Brian]

Although I recently finished a half marathon averaging barely a sub 10 minute mile. Nothing to brag about, but I finished it. Yeah, you did man. You know. Awesome.

[Kyle]

Yeah, that's the part you brag about. That was the thing. You could also just brag that you did the marathon. You don't have to brag about. Maybe not impressive time too, I don't know.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But immediately there's things that I pick up on here in these emails and.

[Brian]

This tells me this is an accountable dude.

[Kyle]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Brian]

So who knows where the rest of it's going to go. But it starts as am I a dick? And then he's like hey, here's my time. Nothing great, but I finished it already.

[Ryan Rosillo]

This guy's way his off on is.

[Brian]

A plus right now.

[Guest]

Self awareness 99.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Here's a situation. One of my better friends, let's call him Quincy.

[Brian]

That's a weird made up name who's.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Also my coworker, recently took a two.

[Brian]

Week vacation to visit some countries in Europe with his girlfriend. The vacation was over his birthday and for the last few years we've already.

[Ryan Rosillo]

We've always celebrated his birthday by having.

[Brian]

Guy'S night with lots of world class wine at his favorite restaurant.

[Kyle]

Damn.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Since he was gone for his birthday.

[Brian]

And myself and some other guys in the group, a lot of the guys in our group work at the same company. Had to Cover for him. I thought it'd be funny to go out on his actual birthday with all the guys to his favorite restaurant, drink loads of his favorite wine, and send him a picture wishing him a happy birthday.

[Kyle]

That's awesome.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I told the guys about it and.

[Brian]

We were all in that it'd be some harmless fun since he was having the time of his life all over Europe with his lady.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But boy, were we wrong.

[Brian]

Exclamation.

[Kyle]

Go on.

[Ryan Rosillo]

He never responded to the picture we sent him. And when he came back to work, I said, hey, man, great to have you back.

[Brian]

How was the trip?

[Ryan Rosillo]

First thing he snarked at me was, quote, I don't know, how did you enjoy my birthday without me thinking he was joking, I said, quote, it was great, man. I wish you could have been there, end quote. But he was not joking and kind of laid into me as to how messed up it was that I orchestrated this whole thing. I tried to explain to him that because we all had to cover for.

[Brian]

Him at work and he was literally.

[Ryan Rosillo]

In Italy for his birthday, that he's being weird and overly sensitive. But he resonated with none of that.

[Brian]

Of what I had to say, all right?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Because he wouldn't listen to me and work was awkward, which is the last.

[Brian]

Thing I ever wanted.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I swallow my pride, bought him a hundred dollar gift card to the restaurant.

[Brian]

We went to on his birthday and apologized.

[Ryan Rosillo]

All was forgiven and we hugged it out. Although I still don't think it was too messed up. Which brings me to question, am I a dick for orchestrating this alleged diabolical birthday dinner? I'm a generally well liked person who never wants to cause harm on anyone.

[Guest]

I do too.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I have even stood up for the little guys multiple times in my life. Although I'm a 27 year old guy.

[Brian]

So therefore sometimes I like to mess with my friends. Within reason.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I even try to consider if the roles were reversed and if I was.

[Brian]

In Europe over my birthday with my beautiful girlfriend and my friends, went out.

[Ryan Rosillo]

To my favorite restaurant where they were.

[Brian]

Covering for me at work and sent.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Me a Happy birthday, bro. Hope you're enjoying Europe. We're over here enjoying your birthday picture of all my closest friends. I feel like I'd actually be honored as my friends would be celebrating my legacy in my own absence.

[Guest]

That'd be so cool. Yeah, that's almost better than you being there. Like your buddies are getting together in your honor. Kind of like what more of a compliment could you want?

[Kyle]

Yeah, I'm not that far off from 27. I mean, about five years, but dudes have been forgetting my birthday forever, and I just don't have it in me.

[Ryan Rosillo]

To be like, guys.

[Kyle]

It's like the fact that they remembered and they did something kind of cool that's almost amazing. It might be. Maybe. I think it's is categorized as amazing. That's pretty cool.

[Guest]

If we. In our friend group, if you're. If you're not on Facebook, your birthday's not getting remembered for the most part, like, it's just not happening. I don't get that reminder. Which, by the way, they just remind you of everyone's birthday, which is kind of funny. But, like, it's just like, a week ago. Passes. Wasn't Shane's birthday last week? Oh, yeah. All right. Hey, my bad. That's. That's on us.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I'll go a step further. I think when a dude hits me up that I'm not that tight with.

[Brian]

And says, happy birthday.

[Kyle]

Turn off.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Freaked out.

[Guest]

Yeah. You're like, what do you want from me?

[Kyle]

Yeah, you hit him with the thx. Thanks.

[Brian]

How do you show.

[Kyle]

How do you. How do you show that outwardly?

[Brian]

Right.

[Kyle]

What's the response you're gonna get?

[Brian]

It's usually nothing, man. It's a thanks, man.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But there's.

[Brian]

I'm becoming worse and worse.

[Guest]

Yeah, my buddies, too.

[Kyle]

It's hard to read your text, buddy. I don't know. I just assume that, like, don't read it too much. But he's just responding.

[Brian]

That's it. That's the perfect rule, Kyle. I'm just responding. He's just responding.

[Guest]

My buddies will do the thing too, where you don't want to be overly excited about someone's birthday too, but you want to say happy birthday. So there's this medium of what can you say that's kind of cool, but not, hey, dude, chill out. And HBD is a big one. One of my buddies dropped a cake and candles in there, which was pretty funny.

[Kyle]

Yeah, My New York City group guys will say anything, but it's like, happy G Day, bro.

[Brian]

Yep.

[Kyle]

It's like, you just can't say happy birthday, can you?

[Guest]

Nope.

[Kyle]

It makes you not a tough guy, huh?

[Ryan Rosillo]

All right. Not that I'm thinking about you, but.

[Brian]

Heard it was your birthday.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Anyway, let's get through the rest of.

[Brian]

This because our guy is 100% right, and this guy sucks. Sorry he's your friend.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I'm sorry he doesn't deserve friends like you. I think Kyle nailed it. And even the email nailed it. I would think this is the coolest thing ever. If I were gone on my birthday and my friends cared enough, I don't.

[Brian]

Know that I've ever had friends that would do this. That would be like, hey, let's.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Because he's not here. And we always get together like, let's do this and it'll be great. Him freaking out about this. Is he the coolest guy in the group?

[Kyle]

Yeah.

[Brian]

It's a good question.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah. Does he kind of call the shot?

[Kyle]

He certainly can't be.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah. Because a cool guy would not do this. But I'm wondering, is there some teary. Like, is he. Is he so cool that he gets away with all sorts of shit, you know?

[Brian]

I don't know, man.

[Kyle]

I don't see any possible way.

[Guest]

But our emailer was, so he obviously didn't want to break the friendship off, so he bought it.

[Kyle]

I can't believe he folded.

[Guest]

Clearly he's. I don't know, maybe bring something to the table or. Our guy. She's kind of a people pleaser.

[Kyle]

I would have changed this guy's name in my phone to like birthday Stalin or something. I don't know. I would have. I would have done something.

[Ryan Rosillo]

The other theory that I was thinking.

[Brian]

Of here, that I didn't get to. I'll just read this sentence also.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Quincy's an only child.

[Kyle]

Well, we don't make excuses in my friend group, so that wouldn't factor in. But.

[Brian]

Whoa.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Congrats on the wine venture, Ryan. I'm currently in New Zealand working a savvy bee wine harvest and might have.

[Brian]

To send you a few bottles. You may have just given yourself away with that one, but send it to Quincy.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Hey, dude, be psyched. Anybody gives a fuck about you men as we start to get older. Are you fucking serious? This is a huge compliment. Yeah.

[Kyle]

This is an open ed shut case. You're a great friend, buddy.

[Brian]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Wonder how many oldie children listen to.

[Brian]

This pod and go, Jesus, dude.

[Kyle]

Maybe they're just taking it as a chance to be better, you know? Maybe they're just being.

[Ryan Rosillo]

That's not what they would do though, like this.

[Brian]

I'm gonna go outside and play tennis again.

[Guest]

I'd want to follow up too. Like, has he done anything for your birthday?

[Brian]

Yeah.

[Guest]

What's he done for you? What's he doing in your life?

[Brian]

What's he doing with a hundred dollar gift card?

[Guest]

Yeah, maybe this is a wake up to be like, I don't need this many friends because you're gonna be all right.

[Ad Disclaimer]

Sounds like.

[Ryan Rosillo]

How about next year you just collectively.

[Brian]

Turn down Anything he wants to do, like, oh, we'll get you next year.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You got plenty left.

[Brian]

Out.

[TGL Announcer]

On the course, they're the PGA Tour's best players, but in the arena, they're prime time. And season two of TGL, presented by SoFi, is back. With lights, cameras, action. We're talking big moments, big personalities, big names in the stands, all on the big screen. Big time matchups with shot clocks, Hammer drops timeouts, overtime and playoffs. It's city versus city, squad versus squad. This sport just hits different under the lights. It's TGL, presented by SoFi.

[Kyle]

Keep up.

[Sam Amick]

It's golf.

[TGL Announcer]

Tune in to every match only on espn.

[Brian]

Okay, I told you we had time today. Let's go.

[Ryan Rosillo]

What's up, guys? Hoping y' all can offer some insight.

[Brian]

On how to deal with a dad who is glued to his phone. Jim Stats, 6 foot 175.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I'm a runner now. We got a lot of 175 pounders.

[Brian]

Checking into the show today.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Runner now after playing D3 college football hybrid space player.

[Brian]

Love this.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Five two, five, mile time.

[Brian]

Now we're cooking.

[Kyle]

That's good.

[Guest]

Now we're cooking.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, lifting is for running now. But I hit 275 for four on the bench and 405 for eight when.

[Brian]

I was playing ball.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Damn.

[Guest]

Wouldn't know about that.

[Brian]

Is that a squat? It's gotta be, right? Yeah, I think that's. I think that's what we're talking about here.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Still incredible, terrific, but NBA comp Kirk Heinrich, great perimeter defender, head of the.

[Brian]

Snake, most likely to wear Oakleys while playing basketball. I was home in Chicago from New York City for the holidays and spent some awesome time with the family media and extended. While I was home, I noticed my dad was obsessed with his phone. Beats headphones. Always on YouTube, constantly playing, spending massive amounts of time on his computer.

[Kyle]

It's got Beats headphones. A lot of times that thing is just blaring the Candy Candy Crush sound music.

[Guest]

You're like, yeah, grandma, we had an incident. I forget if it was this holiday or last holiday. My dad passed out on the couch with a reel just playing over and over again. And it was like 20 minutes. And people are like, is anyone gonna. Anyone gonna poke him? Nah, we'll just let it roll. So let's get honestly.

[Brian]

Good.

[Kyle]

Good idea. Good on this guy's dad for putting headphones in. Because when we're talking to old folks in tech, it's usually on the louder end.

[Brian]

So that's good.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, I know. Like, we're sitting there Going headphones, You're winning, dude. What was the real.

[Brian]

Do you remember what your dad was talking about?

[Guest]

No, actually, I mean, he's into like fixing cars, going hard. It might have been like, for some reason, I want to say, like the Home Depot theme, you know that.

[Brian]

Like.

[Kyle]

That a few times, which is appropriate.

[Guest]

And I wasn't mad about it.

[Brian]

All right.

[Ryan Rosillo]

So he says it was a bummer, but I'm concerned. It's actually a problem.

[Brian]

It gets so bad that he began to recap videos reels. He was watching to me verbally the day after Christmas.

[Kyle]

It's a great comic bit.

[Ryan Rosillo]

He hit me with the whatever happened.

[Brian]

To the five stars from the Class.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Of 2016 videos for two hours. Some of the videos are fun and.

[Brian]

Worth a lot of.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I. I kind of love that he's doing his research.

[Brian]

Every now and then I'll check out the rankings. Somebody. I forget who I was watching. I was watching that Bama receiver in high school.

[Guest]

I did it the other day because Juwan Jennings, like, he was like a. You know, obviously he was a quarterback, right?

[Brian]

Yeah.

[Guest]

At a high school. And I was looking at what the recruiting, Right. He like, he was ahead of Burrow. He was ahead of who else? Lamar. And I was like, damn. So then I looked back and I was like, let me just see the total rankings. And I went through it. I went through. I texted my buddies this. I went through the five stars of that year. I didn't know like any of them.

[Brian]

Do you want this guy's dad's email?

[Guest]

Dude, Yeah, I was gonna say, hey, let's chop it up.

[Kyle]

Maybe Steve can help take the edge off.

[Guest]

I would subscribe to that newsletter. Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Some are fun, worth a laugh, some esoteric. Hell yeah.

[Brian]

Ranking Napoleon's marshals.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But the majority are just junk slop.

[Brian]

Videos and not something that anyone is actually interested in. It started as a way to kill time while he was taking the family dog and walks outside. But it's gotten so bad that now he's borderline of being incapable of holding conversations. And he's seemingly watching a video scrolling.

[Ryan Rosillo]

During his entire day.

[Brian]

He frequently blows past the natural breaks in conversation that would be the cue for the other person to respond. Needless to say, my mother and brother are not stoked about this. They begun not inviting him when they make plans because he monopolizes the conversation.

[Kyle]

About dumb shit that's getting frozen out.

[Brian]

Yeah, this is likely making it worse. He just turned 68, is semi retired.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Drives Uber, eats randomly to, quote, get.

[Brian]

Out of the house and is stubborn as shit. I'm eager to get him off the.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Internet, but short of parental locks or.

[Brian]

Having a come to Jesus moment with him, I'm unsure how to reel this Internet usage in. How do I get my dad moderately less online?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, like you saying that he's being.

[Brian]

Left out of stuff because it's so annoying is then only making it worse.

[Ryan Rosillo]

So you nailed it, I would say.

[Brian]

There's certain friends in my life that I can tell their wives and children do not listen to them. They have no interest in anything they have to say. There's nothing that they can ever say where the other person. They're just in this lane of I don't want to listen to you talk anymore. And maybe it's an age thing with just your kids getting to that very.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Predictable stage of just, it doesn't matter.

[Brian]

What you're doing anymore. As a parent, it's like you're just not cool. They don't want to fucking hear anything you have to say. It doesn't matter what you say. Again, as a non parent, I think I can still understand it because I watched it firsthand. I went through it, right?

[Ryan Rosillo]

So that one's kind of tough. The UberEats thing, though. I remember one time I got picked.

[Brian]

Up in an Uber when I was still in Connecticut, and he was bringing me the airport, right? And he was asking me my whole deal and the drive from where I live to that airport, because it's basically in Western Mass, It's a long ride.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And the guy just starts right in with it.

[Brian]

And he was an older dude and.

[Ryan Rosillo]

He'S a bit like, hey, I'm retired.

[Brian]

I just kind of do this. And I was like, all right, you know, that's great. Good for you. He's like, you know, and then I'm just not talking. I'm probably looking at my phone.

[Ryan Rosillo]

He's like, I do it because I like meeting people.

[Brian]

And I'm like, oh.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I was afraid.

[Kyle]

You were going to say that.

[Brian]

Yeah, yeah, right.

[Kyle]

So there's actually the only thing I was afraid of was that you were going to say that.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But doesn't it tell, like, does it tell you guys, though, that his father. That he does it to get out of the house? That maybe no one is paying attention now?

[Guest]

I don't.

[Ryan Rosillo]

This could be a chicken or the egg thing here.

[Brian]

Is no one paying attention to him because he's watching the videos? Or do you start watching the videos because nobody's paying attention to him?

[Guest]

Right.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But the Uber eats part of it.

[Brian]

Tells me a Little bit. It's like, hey, I just need some sort of. I mean, I don't want to call.

[Ryan Rosillo]

It companionship, but just some kind of natural interaction.

[Brian]

Because your dad kind of likes just talking to people. And if it's not being reciprocated in his own home, maybe this is what's led to this. Even if now he's become so annoying that people want to talk to him even less.

[Guest]

Yeah, I was a little concerned when my parents retired and they sold their house in the hometown, moved to a different place, and they're a little bit further away from us about what are they going to do? What are you going to do now? You still need hobbies and things. I wasn't really worried about my dad ever, because he, as I said, he. He just, like, works on cars. He's really good with his hands. Like, he basically, like, redid the entire new house that they. That they now live in, so he has hobbies and stuff to do. I was more worried about my mom and. Because, yeah, like, you know, like, purpose is a weird thing, right? Like, you have, like, years. You could do this job. If you don't like this job, like, the structure of it and your day is filled, and when your day's not filled, you kind of just fall into these, like, weird habits. I've kind of found this, like, even just, like, working from home, like, you got to be way more disciplined about, like, you know, getting up at the right time and doing all these things and trying to, like, keep an orderly life because you could let it, like, let it slide really fast. And I think that's kind of the situation that's going on with your dad. What's that, Kyle?

[Kyle]

I said certainly.

[Guest]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, like, it's, It's. It's. It's a real test of, like, how much willpower do I have? And when you're that age and you're kind of done with working and like, yeah, maybe your kids aren't talking as much as you want, man, you can fall into some bad habits. So I, I would just say can you find. Can you do the opposite? Like, find some things to do with your dad, like, that don't involve the phone? Does he golf like that?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Maybe you can then let him go.

[Kyle]

Do it by himself after. See, it's not on you.

[Guest]

I'm not pickleball guy. But if you want to play pickleball, something that he could do, or he doesn't have his phone and he can meet other people, rack. Yeah, sure. Racquetball at the. Whatever, you know, hit the sauna at the Y. Whatever you want to do. But, like, because when you don't. When you're. When you have, like, when your schedule is chained like that, I think it kind of messes your life up because you can kind of go one of two ways. If you don't stay disciplined, then it's like, cool, I'll just sit here and doom scroll on Instagram for three hours. And, you know, what harm does it do? I'm like, I don't have anything else to do. And that's a scary thing.

[Sam Amick]

Yeah.

[Kyle]

I don't know how many years it's going to be before it'll be like an official surgeon general's warning that this is, like, this thing is a vice and we shouldn't be doing it. But, like, pretty much everybody who's like, an expert will tell you that. So what he's got right now is, like, a bad vice that could be replaced with something else.

[Brian]

And there's just.

[Kyle]

I think that's the only thing that you could do. I got that thing, the brick that, like, you can actually, you know, Cause screen time, you can just say, oh, thanks for letting me know I've been on my phone too long. And you swipe it away.

[Guest]

It's like, great. Wow, that number's high. Okay, I guess I'll be better next week.

[Kyle]

Think about something else. But the brick thing, actually, you get, like, a couple emergency unlocks, and then you have to, like, call the company to get back into your, you know, into your special apps that you want to use. So, like, you might be able to do that. Just get it bricked up. No pun intended.

[Guest]

And I saw something. Kyle, too. I don't know if you've seen this, and I don't know if it's like, a scam or not, but they have this, like, hey, stop doom scrolling. And it's like this geography thing you can do.

[Kyle]

I'm seeing it all the time, and.

[Guest]

I'm like, this can't be real. But it does sound kind of cool. I also don't really want to pay for it, so I guess that's a problem.

[Kyle]

But simple as that. They have to give that thing away for, like, two months for me to even think about it, especially if I got to put my old credit card number in there. But I've seen it, too. But yeah, there just has to be. But again, that's just replacing this bad vice with something that, you know, supposedly is good. So there's just got to be some sort of Like Indiana Jones switch that you guys have to pull off as a family.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, I bought a second phone on.

[Brian]

The same line that has none of the apps on it. Banking and texting.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Wow.

[Brian]

Pretty boring after a little while.

[Guest]

How often do you use that though?

[Brian]

It's kind of a flex though. Dude, I like that.

[Ryan Rosillo]

More now, more now.

[Guest]

So, like, you'll take that.

[Brian]

How do you take it to the gym? Take it in the car.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Because I never, anytime I ever spend.

[Brian]

Any time doom scrolling. I'm not like, hey, that was worth it. That was Cap.

[Guest]

Of course not.

[Brian]

Yeah, good time. Now there are like everybody else, you know, I'm guilty of it. You just start going down these holes and you're like, this is really, really funny.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I think there's. I think there's too many people reviewing food.

[Brian]

I think we got it.

[Kyle]

What about like, what about like an elk's lodge? Like that thing is dying. Those guys need people, right? How about that? One of the. I don't know.

[Brian]

When they're start watching videos, it gets kicked out after a month.

[Kyle]

Well, I don't know. I think the ranks are pretty low in these places that they probably would like. We'll see. We'll see if we can work with this guy. You know, maybe, but I don't know. Knights of Columbus doesn't sound as fun. I think Elk sounds like one of the. I mean, vfw, obviously, but if you didn't serve, do you know Columbus, I think has like a religious flair to it a little bit. Or maybe that's Rotary. I don't know. One of those is way less.

[Guest]

What are the guys that have. What are the guys that, in the parades, they just drive those little cars around. You know what I'm talking about with those. They have the high hats on. That's the Elks Club.

[Brian]

That's Elks.

[Kyle]

I think that's Elks. Yeah. Those guys I think are. I think that's the fun one. Like, that's a cool frat at school, I think if you could, you know, But I'm not sure.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Little cars, tall hats.

[Brian]

Yeah, those guys are having fun.

[Guest]

Where do I sign up?

[Kyle]

That place is almost never available to rent. You know, Rotary spot.

[Ryan Rosillo]

It was the Portuguese American Club.

[Brian]

You were like, what?

[Ryan Rosillo]

What's going on?

[Brian]

Like, what do I have to do?

[Guest]

Like, do I have to head down in Southington?

[Brian]

Oh, yeah, yeah. And then it was like, you don't have to do anything. You just pay less for beers.

[Kyle]

VFW would be the move. But I think, you know, you've Got to have a pass that allows you in there.

[Ryan Rosillo]

But maybe that's your Hudson Valley thing, is you just nail all of this stuff.

[Brian]

Rotary, Qantas Elks, vfw.

[Guest]

Yeah. What was the club Stanford Steve had?

[Brian]

Just the club.

[Ryan Rosillo]

They just called the Club Norwich.

[Guest]

Just dudes just drinking in a place.

[Brian]

That's what it was.

[Ryan Rosillo]

They paid dudes. I don't know if it was. Just covered the kegs in Ansonia.

[Guest]

But you had to be a bartender, right? Like once a month or something?

[Ryan Rosillo]

I don't know. Stanford Steve was a bartender.

[Brian]

He was a bartender like one night.

[Ryan Rosillo]

A week, I think. You know, back then, those early entry level radio ESPN gigs.

[Brian]

Fucking right. You needed another job. So he was. He was making money on the side.

[Ryan Rosillo]

With that, I think.

[Brian]

And it was just, you know, it was. It was everything you expected it to be. It was awesome.

[Ryan Rosillo]

And then I don't know what happened.

[Brian]

They were flush with cash because of dues.

[Ryan Rosillo]

They like remodeled the whole thing. It looked like a really nice Buffalo Wild Wings, like.

[Kyle]

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Get your dad into one of these. Just take the scope around. Maybe take a day where you drive around all of them. Them and it's like checking out daycares or something.

[Brian]

Okay.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I would add this.

[Brian]

This is something I've been thinking about as my father gets older.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I check in with him about random stuff instead of it always having to.

[Brian]

Be him engaging with me. Hey, did you watch that game or did you do this?

[Ryan Rosillo]

It's the simplest thing. If you have a thought.

[Brian]

You're thinking about your dad, you're thinking about your mom, and they're getting older. Just ask him a question.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Ask, hey, did you see this? Or hey, can you tell me that story again? Or hey. And. And the thing I've been doing with.

[Brian]

My father more often now is I'm buying him the book that I'm reading because he loves to read, too.

[Kyle]

Priscilla Book Club.

[Brian]

Nice. Yeah, we got a Priscilla Book Club.

[Ryan Rosillo]

There's two members. We're not accepting any other membership right at this point. And it's just fun because he'll go, oh, because we're on this Carol kick.

[Brian]

Now with this LBJ series where I can't stop reading it. I want to say shout out to my guy Mike from Indiana, Go Hoosiers. Who was, I think, a retired professor who came to Manhattan beach because he likes this podcast so much. He saw me at Equinox. He's like an ultra runner too. So I'm giving him the biggest shout out ever he comes up to me, introduces himself, and he was like, as locked in on the pod as ever. And then was like, have you read Caro on LBJ or Power Broker or on his. I was like, no, I've actually never read any of that stuff. Like, LBJ would be one of the least amount of, like, of all the people I'd want to spend time with historical figures. Like, he would be so far down the list. He's like, you got to read it. He's like, you have to read it. He bought me the book, brought it to Equinox, and.

[Kyle]

And all you gave that guy was a koozie?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Jesus, he didn't even get a koozie.

[Guest]

I'm just kidding.

[Ryan Rosillo]

He got, like. He got, like, a high five. So then I started sending the books to my father.

[Brian]

My father and I are just dying laughing, you know, catch up for 20 minutes on the phone, and we're dying laughing at LBJ. The person on. Just all these different. I'll tell you this. When he had a campaign to become a congressman in a special election, the guy put in the work. He put in the hours. He got in the car, he shook the hands. He went to every single farmer.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Although I do find some of this.

[Brian]

Stuff kind of funny that basically there's these conservative Texans. And again, he wasn't conservative, but he was more about himself, I think, than he was maybe about the cause. I think he was for the cause in his backyard, which, again, was helping people that. That didn't come for money, and he didn't come for money either. But when I'm reading about some of these programs with Roosevelt coming in first hundred days, New Deal stuff, and there's.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Like, a lot of conservative Texans that.

[Brian]

Are completely anti Roosevelt because they're big business. They want to monopolize utilities. They want to do all of this stuff. I mean, all this shit just plays out over and over again. Different locations, different time periods. And then all of a sudden, like, LBJ's like, yeah, but the Northeast are paying for all of it.

[Ryan Rosillo]

So these Texans, like, yeah, let's go. Let's build more. Let's raise wages. Let's do all these different things.

[Brian]

It's like, yeah, because, you know, it was. There was still, like, lingering even, like, Civil War mentality of. Of, like, how the south was looked at and whether or not Texas was the south or the west or how they saw themselves.

[Ryan Rosillo]

So look, again, a very simple thing.

[Brian]

I went a little deep there, but I'm just so excited about this book.

[Kyle]

Book.

[Brian]

Yeah, you are.

[Ryan Rosillo]

It's fun to send that to somebody.

[Brian]

Else who has this. And I don't know if you're fun, but, like, if there's some kind of book that your father has the same interest as you. I don't know if you have time to read, you know, but it might be projects.

[Ryan Rosillo]

There's just really simple things, you know, hey, I'm. You know that I don't know if.

[Brian]

The house project thing works, because that could be. Hey, I cut off my finger.

[Guest]

The circle. All right. Yeah.

[Kyle]

Yeah.

[Guest]

But if he's like. If he is. If that's something he's good at, just find something he's good at and see if you could tag along with.

[Brian]

With him on good at delivering food. I guess right now that's true.

[Guest]

Yeah. Imagine, like, you just. You're just riding shotgun on his Door Dash sessions. That would actually be kind of a funny show.

[Ryan Rosillo]

That would be.

[Brian]

There you go.

[Ryan Rosillo]

That's a segment, dude.

[Kyle]

We got, like, three things in the hopper here.

[Brian]

That's great.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Kyle, would you drive for Door Dash? Just have the barstool video, dude.

[Kyle]

I honestly, I thought about it. I was just like, I'm actually. I have less free time than I thought I would, but I. I was just like, is there something I could do just to, like, double this money for no reason? Just to see, like, you know, what we can do? And I haven't pulled the trigger on that, but, you know, I did think about it.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Get Tate to follow you around.

[Brian]

After three deliveries, he's like, this is a bit of a comedown.

[Kyle]

I don't know. The Forerunner.

[Brian]

Exciting.

[Kyle]

There's some things to check out. A lot of bells and whistles.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Premium package, it looks like. Do you have a lift in that?

[Kyle]

I think it was. It seems like it was higher. This one, like, had a bunch of, like, even extra stuff beyond, like, the regular premium stuff. It is, like. It's just in this one, so you have to pay for all those things, too. It's like, all right, how is that first aid kit, $70?

[Brian]

It's like, yes, it is.

[Guest]

Actually.

[Kyle]

It was in the rundown. It was like, you could have got. It's like a CVS one, but it just says Toyota on it. Probably could have got it for, like, 799, but it's like $70. It's like, yeah, you could just take that out, but they're like, no, no, that's in this car. So. So 70 bucks for that. A couple band aids and some gauze.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Last one cat.

[Brian]

Condolences.

[Ryan Rosillo]

28 years old six two, two. 50. There we go.

[Kyle]

Okay. Basketball comp just brought up the average size of this podcast.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Do you want to guess what his basketball comp is?

[Brian]

Saruti 250. 6 2.

[Guest]

250.

[Brian]

Boris Diao. Boris Diao.

[Kyle]

Wow. Wow. Dude.

[Guest]

That was amazing.

[Kyle]

That was fucking amazing. Sorry for cursing. Yep.

[Brian]

So good. I almost just want to end the pod now.

[Guest]

I don't know that I deserve that much credit. That was.

[Ryan Rosillo]

That's the.

[Kyle]

You could have said anybody. Pretty good.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah.

[Kyle]

A lot of people to choose from.

[Brian]

Surgery. I. I talked to Surudi on the phone too much. You can just read my mind now because I've brought that up a few times. Any husky guy who writes in, I don't know, this guy might not be husky. He might be just boulder on Bouldering.

[Kyle]

It Well.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Go to comp for lots of people.

[Brian]

But it's accurate in my case because.

[Ryan Rosillo]

My favorite player of all time, Boris Diaz, your favorite player of all time, bench. Do you want to come on Thursday's pod? Currently averaging12.5 and 5 in my men's league.

[Brian]

You modeled your game after him?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Was driving in my neighborhood and a stray cat ran out in front of my car.

[Brian]

I had no chance to avoid it. Sadly, the cat passed away.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I turned my car around to go.

[Brian]

Back and check on the cat, and the woman was picking it up in the road with a snow shovel. She said it was a stray cat that they fed. All right.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I told her how sorry I was.

[Brian]

She thanked me for coming back, and I left shortly after.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I feel terrible.

[Brian]

I wanted to maybe bring them a gift.

[Ryan Rosillo]

The question is, what kind of gift.

[Brian]

Do you bring someone in this scenario?

[Kyle]

Maybe they're feeding birds or something. Oh, there you go.

[Brian]

That's nice.

[Guest]

Yeah, that's always the go to, you know. Have you guys ever hit anything like that before?

[Brian]

I've taken out a couple squirrels over the years.

[Kyle]

I don't think so. Actually.

[Brian]

I didn't want to.

[Kyle]

My bug count is pretty highway. But, you know, one of my squirrel.

[Guest]

Now me and my buddy hit a raccoon in New Jersey in college. That was a bummer. Squirrels.

[Sam Amick]

Yeah.

[Guest]

But it's been a while. But, man, if I ever hit it, man, he hit a dog. That's. Yeah. I don't think I'd live the rest of my life remembering that. You know? That's got to be a pretty scarring experience. But anyway, Edible Arrangement works.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Does it?

[Kyle]

Those are pretty lame now. I don't think I'd want one of those.

[Ryan Rosillo]

That's like. That's fruit, right?

[Kyle]

That's. It's like fruit in the shape of.

[Brian]

Fruit dipped in chocolate, too.

[Sam Amick]

I guess. Yeah.

[Guest]

What's the. You don't want that. What do you mean? You don't want that?

[Kyle]

I don't know. I feel like the craze is over, you know? There was a while where there's no craze.

[Ryan Rosillo]

It's just fruit.

[Kyle]

Yeah. I feel like it was a crazy fruits out. Well, in the shape of a bouquet or something.

[Brian]

Fruit.

[Kyle]

There was a. It was a big deal. I feel like the early 2000s. It was like, dude, look at that. It was. It was like, when did that come out? Did it come out then? Edible Arrangement?

[Guest]

Admittedly, I haven't had one in a while or got one or ordered one in a while, so you could.

[Kyle]

When was it invented?

[Guest]

If someone got me one tomorrow, I'd eat the fruit and I'd be happy about it.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I don't think Kyle's wrong that I.

[Brian]

Think at some point it was a.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Little hotter, I guess.

[Kyle]

I don't want to shit all over your idea.

[Guest]

It's probably peaked, I'll give you that.

[Kyle]

I just assumed it closed when all the kmarts closed, you know, I don't. I don't. It is still around there, but I'm kicking ass.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah, right.

[Brian]

I'm sorry.

[Ryan Rosillo]

I did it once when I was.

[Brian]

In my 30s when I thought I had to do something like that.

[Kyle]

I did that as well.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah. I was like, oh, they had us locked in there for a while.

[Brian]

Edible Arrangements. I was like, oh, so look at Saru. Still big time believer. He's like, I'm not selling any of.

[Ryan Rosillo]

My, yeah, trust my sock advice.

[Brian]

I just.

[Guest]

What would you get then? Well, I mean, I don't. What else is. I don't know other than that, like, flowers are lame.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Well, if the woman shoveled a dead cat out of the road and said, hey, I fed this, but it was stray, so there's not the normal emotional.

[Brian]

Attachment of killing someone's pet.

[Kyle]

I do shovel.

[Ryan Rosillo]

What do you bring about?

[Brian]

Person. Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Wintertime new shovel.

[Kyle]

Maybe one that has like that.

[Guest]

That.

[Kyle]

That 90 degree angle.

[Ryan Rosillo]

She's a hardy person. Yeah, she's a hearty person is what I'm telling you.

[Brian]

Somebody that's willing to just be like, hey, I'm gonna go grab my shovel and shovel this deaf cat out of the road. This is a hearty person. So the only advice I can give you is think that way. Like, I don't think moisturizer is what she's looking for.

[Kyle]

Get her a poke knife or something.

[Brian]

Look, here's an antique skillet I found.

[Ryan Rosillo]

A little elbow grease, a little love.

[Brian]

You can bring this thing right back to the 1970s.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Skillet, quart of wood, maybe some pallets.

[Kyle]

People like that always want pallets.

[Ryan Rosillo]

You can't have enough pallets.

[Guest]

I got a pallet I'm trying to get rid of. Nobody wants it, so you got to.

[Kyle]

Put free pallet on the mailbox. Dude.

[Guest]

Somebody will put it in marketplace that nobody wants it. Like free palate. I guess I got to burn it.

[Kyle]

Yeah. Springs right around the corner. Dude, be nice. Fun little activity for the fan.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Bring a couple steel reserves, sit outside, burn the shit out of that thing. That'll do it for the show today. Thanks to Ceruti, thanks to Kyle, thanks to Tom and Kevin. I think I may read from Caro.

[Brian]

Book one of lbj.

[Ryan Rosillo]

There's a thing about irons and the.

[Brian]

Women from the hill country and how they. I wanted to share it with America. So I think I'm gonna. I'm gonna do too.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Open reading.

[Brian]

Yeah.

[Ryan Rosillo]

That might not even after the divisional round.

[Brian]

Monday's just me reading pages of this book.

[Ryan Rosillo]

How would that do, you think? I have a theory that I could probably better than you once.

[Guest]

Yeah?

[Ryan Rosillo]

Yeah. And it would be so ridiculous that it would do better if I did it every Monday after football. There might be a call from somebody Portland may go, hey, I know you're.

[Brian]

A little different, but what the fuck are you doing? Not really what we paid for.

[Ryan Rosillo]

Thanks, everybody. Ryan Rosillo show barstool sports.