Greatest Ever NBA Finals Shots, Caitlin Clark Controversy & Hanging Out with Joey Mulinaro

Summary

Throwbacks with Matt Leinart & Jerry Ferrara Episode: Greatest Ever NBA Finals Shots, Caitlin Clark Controversy & Hanging Out with Joey Molinaro
Release Date: June 19, 2025

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1. Introduction and Guest Spotlight

The episode kicks off with Matt Leinart and Jerry Ferrara discussing their latest merch ideas, specifically testing out new "Throwbacks" hats. Amid the playful banter about hat sizes and styles, they introduce their guest, comedian and impressionist Joey Molinaro. Joey is praised for his versatile impressions and creative sketches, notably his renditions of characters from "Entourage" and his satirical takes on sports media personalities like Colin Cowherd and Nick Wright.

Matt Leinart [02:27]: "If you don't know much about Joey, you should definitely check him out on Instagram. He does amazing impressions and writes his own sketches, covering everything from Seinfeld to Entourage."

2. The NBA Finals' Greatest Shots

The hosts delve into a passionate discussion about some of the most iconic shots in NBA Finals history. They highlight Ray Allen’s game-tying three-pointer in Game 6 of the 2013 Finals, emphasizing its pivotal role in salvaging the game for the Miami Heat against the San Antonio Spurs. Joey adds humor by impersonating Mel Kiper, delivering a satirical analysis of Matt Leinart’s athletic prowess.

Joey Molinaro [40:21]: "Here’s a guy that wants to play quarterback but he just can’t find himself off the buffet line. He’s got the size, certainly the width, maybe not the height."

Matt and Jerry share their favorites, including Steve Kerr's clutch shots and Kyrie Irving’s performances in Game 7, discussing how these moments have defined their careers and the teams they support.

3. Knicks-Pacers Rivalry and Key Players

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to the intense rivalry between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers. Matt expresses his desire for a seven-game series, longing for the excitement it would bring to the fans. They analyze player performances, particularly focusing on T.J. McConnell's work ethic and Obi Toppin's emerging talent.

Matt Leinart [06:12]: "I really want to see the Pacers win because I want to see this go seven. I’m dying for an NBA Finals Game 7, which we haven’t had since that crazy LeBron versus the Warriors season."

Joey commends T.J. McConnell's dedication, describing him as the "perfect bench player" who seamlessly integrates into the game without needing to warm up.

Joey Molinaro [09:04]: "TJ McConnell has grinded 10 years in the NBA by just outworking everybody. He’s an undersized point guard, but he has a role and he’s a beast."

The discussion also touches on the strategic moves and coaching decisions that have shaped the current standings, including recent trades and player injuries like Halberton’s strained calf.

4. Caitlin Clark Controversy in the WNBA

Transitioning from the men's game, Matt and Jerry address the recent controversies surrounding WNBA star Caitlin Clark. They express concern over the physicality she's been subjected to during games, particularly an incident where Sophie Cunningham executed an uncalled body check.

Matt Leinart [59:25]: "Caitlin Clark is just continuing to get treated this way, and it's blatant. You can’t even defend it."

The hosts debate the implications of such actions on Clark's career and the broader perception of the WNBA. They compare the lack of protective measures for women athletes to the stringent rules in the NBA that safeguard star players like LeBron James.

Matt Leinart [64:34]: "The WNBA does not protect their star. Caitlin Clark is the reason people are watching, and you’re not protecting her."

Joey emphasizes the importance of supporting Clark, highlighting her role in elevating the league's visibility and inspiring a new generation of fans.

5. Hanging Out with Joey Molinaro: Impressions and Personal Stories

Joey Molinaro takes center stage as he shares insights into his creative process for impressions and sketches. He discusses his approach to mimicking personalities like Colin Cowherd and Nick Wright, emphasizing the blend of distinctiveness and authentic writing in his work.

Joey Molinaro [35:55]: "With my impressions, it's not so much about the impressions themselves as it is the scene and the writing together."

The conversation veers into personal anecdotes, including Joey's experiences at Pacers games and Matt's time auditioning for "Entourage," where Mark Wahlberg provided pivotal feedback that boosted Matt's confidence.

Matt Leinart [70:13]: "Wahlberg was always a super positive presence and woke me up out of essentially blowing my final audition for Entourage."

Joey humorously recounts his fluctuating relationship with invitations to suite games, reflecting on the challenges of balancing fandom and personal life.

6. Mailbag: Fan Questions and Reflections

In the mailbag segment, Matt and Joey address listeners' questions about their toughest sporting losses and memorable career moments. Matt reflects on significant losses, including setbacks during his time with the New York Giants and experiences in Hollywood acting roles.

Matt Leinart [66:35]: "I would say, well, we lost the Super Bowl... that was pretty tough."

Joey shares his own challenges, narrating a memorable first start in the NFL and the impact of near-trades on his career trajectory.

7. Closing Thoughts and Future Episodes

As the episode winds down, Matt and Joey recap the highlights, expressing enthusiasm for future topics and deepening their camaraderie. They tease upcoming discussions on sports history, cheating scandals, and athlete transitions into music and acting, promising listeners a blend of humor, insight, and behind-the-scenes stories.

Joey Molinaro [56:31]: "This is a tough 'Matty Ice' episode. Next one will be a lot easier."

The hosts encourage fans to engage with their content, fostering a sense of community and anticipation for forthcoming episodes.

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Notable Quotes:

• Joey Molinaro [40:21]: "Here’s a guy that wants to play quarterback but he just can’t find himself off the buffet line..."

• Matt Leinart [06:12]: "I really want to see the Pacers win because I want to see this go seven."

• Joey Molinaro [09:04]: "TJ McConnell has grinded 10 years in the NBA by just outworking everybody."

• Matt Leinart [59:25]: "Caitlin Clark is just continuing to get treated this way, and it's blatant."

• Joey Molinaro [35:55]: "With my impressions, it's not so much about the impressions themselves as it is the scene and the writing together."

• Matt Leinart [70:13]: "Wahlberg was always a super positive presence and woke me up out of blowing my audition."

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This episode of "Throwbacks with Matt Leinart & Jerry Ferrara" offers a compelling mix of sports analysis, personal anecdotes, and comedic impressions, making it a must-listen for fans of sports, pop culture, and engaging conversation.

Transcript

[Joey Molinaro]

Take what you look at the young Matt Leiter right there. A lot of potential as a left. Tackles, two red flags. He's been stuffing his face few too many times on Thanksgiving. Dinner plate, too many desserts. Red flag there. Here's a guy that wants to play quarterback but he just can't find himself off the buffet line. He's got the size, certainly the width, maybe not the height.

[Matt Leinart]

Welcome to the show, everybod. Thank you for being here. However you're taking in the show today, Matt and I appreciate it. Subscribe on YouTube, follow on Apple and Spotify. Hit us up at throwback show all over social. We will respond. Matty Ice, how we doing today?

[Unknown Speaker]

By the way, you always got something.

[Matt Leinart]

For me on the top of the show.

[Unknown Speaker]

I'm saying we're just, hey, we're just, we're toying with, with some merch ideas. Okay, so put. So anybody that's watching, let us know what you think about this throwbacks hat. Got a couple, a couple ideas going. Okay, we're gonna start.

[Matt Leinart]

Oh, a little rope hat. Yeah, if you're listening.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah, we got stuff going on, you.

[Matt Leinart]

Know, I mean, if you're on audio only. Matt just threw up some nice throwbacks merch, some hats that he's been messing with and I gotta get, how do I get that white and black one? You got an extra one for your boy? Not yet, not yet.

[Unknown Speaker]

I gotta get some more hats made, bro. I got you though. This is just the test run. This is just the test run.

[Matt Leinart]

Do people like fitteds anymore? I mean, I still like a fitted, but I'm a seven and an eighth. I got a small ass head by the way.

[Unknown Speaker]

I'm seven and five. Eight. Dude, I'm still. Although my, I think my head circumference is shrinking as I get older, which is sad.

[Matt Leinart]

Well, I, I went to go buy the boys T ball helmets and stuff and my 4 year old has a bigger head than a 6 year old. He has a bigger helmet.

[Unknown Speaker]

Oh, that's all right. Yeah, dude, some merch. What's up, buddy? How was it? How's they, how's it going?

[Matt Leinart]

Well, I want to tee up our guest today because this is someone who we've been chatting with for a while, Joey Molinaro. If you don't know much about Joey, you should definitely check him out on Instagram at. Joey Molinaro. He does amazing. I don't just call him impressions because there's so much more to it because he actually writes sketches. But yeah, impressions, sketches. I mean, everyone from some of My favorites, obviously. He did the Seinfeld one. He did do a good entourage 1. Go check that one out. And then I like, he goes after the. The cult, the freezing cold takers like Colin Cowherd, Nick Wright. Those are.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah, he's got some strong takes on, on some of these media personalities that are pretty funny. Yeah, I remember. I remember he kind of blew up in like that when the Tick tock started storming.

[Matt Leinart]

Right?

[Unknown Speaker]

And he just started.

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah, yeah.

[Unknown Speaker]

And I remember I did an old podcast. He's got a new podcast now, but I did his old podcast with Brady Quinn like eight or nine, like, gosh, six or seven years ago at least, because I was in studio still before big noon kickoff and just absolutely taken off, just tearing it up. Has just fun. Super creative. And yeah, he's a great writer. I think that was something that we learned from him. But yeah, Joey's awesome, man.

[Matt Leinart]

We love the people who are doing good sports content. That's not just the X's and O's. Those are always the guys and girls who get me when you're given us something that's relevant to what's going on today, but is not just like, hey, he's got to get off the block here, you know, and we even have a fun surprise.

[Unknown Speaker]

So you don't want to see me breaking down a shallow crossroad.

[Matt Leinart]

No, but we're going to give a little teaser. He does break down something about you and your career in a voice that is not his own.

[Unknown Speaker]

And also, let me paint this picture. I won't give it away, but let me paint this picture. This was a real, real low time in my life. This is a low time. Okay. This was a younger version of myself. And Joey just absolutely knocks it out.

[Matt Leinart]

It's almost a road. And also he does have, by the.

[Unknown Speaker]

Way, twice, two times in the episode.

[Matt Leinart]

Well, one time he even called for the picture to come back up. So, yeah, I think the picture.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah, the picture. The picture will live on Social. And I gosh, once it goes on, Social never goes away, which is.

[Matt Leinart]

And he's got a brand new show too, that I'm excited about. Just premiered on Vice last night. It's called Sports Gone Wrong. And even another one of my favorite comic buddies, Paul Ver, is on there where they kind of highlight all these crazy sports clips. So Joey's great. You're gonna love him. If you don't know about him already, we're happy to introduce you to him. And the other thing with Joey is he's a big pacers fan and it's a big night for him as we set up for game six. Now, I will point out we did the interview with Joey a little earlier and then right as we wrapped in typical fashion and the Halliburton news broke, similar to the Thibodeau firing for us. So we talked a little bit about it, but we had not known at that point that Halliburton. Have you ever had the strained calf, that Halliburton. You've had a lot of injuries in your career. You played a rough sport. Have you ever had the strained calf?

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah, I've had it twice in the past two months.

[Matt Leinart]

Oh, wait, is that what you hurt when we played.

[Unknown Speaker]

Oh, when you came out in LA and we played on that Monday night or Tuesday night with Cole Strain calf just. It just balled up, right. Like the left side balled up. And then it happened to my right side probably two weeks later and it was a little lower towards the Achilles. That one actually like made me a little nerd. It wasn't the Achilles, but it made me a little nervous that the thing about a strain. And again, I am not a high level athlete anymore like Halliburton, so. But I have like just pulling a calf. I know how it feels and it is, it's not fun whether it's a grade one strain, a two or three, like whatever. My, I mean, my guess is is you can do as much as you can to make sure that thing is feeling right to go give it your best. But it is not like to, to push off and like to lift and to like you need your calf. You're like.

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah, you're just dragging your foot around.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah, like, especially for like he's a very explosive, athletic. He's a point guard.

[Matt Leinart]

Fast twitch.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah, it'll be, it'll be interesting to see. I'm actually honestly more interested to see if Joey got the call. Is he, is he. If he's going to the game, is.

[Matt Leinart]

It because he was at, he was at an earlier game and he was a part of those. I think a part of the Knicks Pacers series. I really want to see the Pacers win.

[Unknown Speaker]

And I was going to ask you, what do you think?

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah, well, I'm not, I'm supposed to hate them because I'm a Knicks fan.

[Unknown Speaker]

It's hard to hate the Pacer.

[Matt Leinart]

I don't hate the Pacers. They are, they are definitely. Now we talked a lot about on the show about rivalry and stuff. I could now say the Knicks Pacers, at least in the east for sure is a real thing. They own us. We can't say anything about. But I just really wanted a 7 game series more than anything. As a fan, I would. First time I'll ever say is too. I will be happy when basketball's done. To just be done. Like, okay, I don't have to stay up till midnight watching a game. I could use the couple of months off.

[Unknown Speaker]

Three days in between games. Like, what are we doing?

[Matt Leinart]

It is hard to keep track, but I would like to see a. A game seven for sure. I really think that the Pacers Lew that game. First four, that was the one they had at home. Even though they would have went up 3:1, which would have been almost insurmountable. I think the Thunder could have had the team to do it. And now we're seeing a lot of the, you know, the Jalen Williams game. It's like, yeah, I have a take for you, Matt. And the. There was some bad takes about Halberton. I won't call the person out. I won't call the person out particularly. But saying Halberton's selfish for playing injured. It's like, isn't that what you want from your all NBA best player to just leave it all out on the court? But also with like the, oh, this is the Jalen Williams game. He dropped 40. It's like, can you say that about a team's first or second player? Like, oh, this is the game that they arrive. I feel like that should be reserved for the random, like the OB toppin game. This is the OB topping game. Not like Jalen Williams is a stud easily.

[Unknown Speaker]

He's very.

[Matt Leinart]

Almost a top 10, 12 player in the NBA. And after the Finals he might be. And he might be finals mvp.

[Unknown Speaker]

Well, it was, I mean, it was a moment for him right, to kind of. I mean, I think a lot of people know who he was. But in the finals, to have a game like that, because even, I mean, to be honest with you, I actually asked Cole the other day. I was like, I was like, is Jalen Williams good? Like, where do you go to? I was, you know what? I, you know what? I asked Cole. I said, we played the game. Where do these guys go to college?

[Matt Leinart]

Game. Yeah.

[Unknown Speaker]

I couldn't name any of the players on the Pacers where they went to College outside of TJ McConnell. And no. And then like, even Jalen Williams, like, where'd he go to college? I think Cole's like, oh, he went to Santa Clara or something. Yeah. I was like, what? So. But it was a moment for him. I, I, it was like, for me, I was like, holy. Like, this kid is. This kid's the real deal. You know who we're gonna see a lot more of, though, probably in this game?

[Matt Leinart]

Tell me.

[Unknown Speaker]

T.J. mcConnell.

[Matt Leinart]

T.J. mcConnell. Yeah. He, he really is the perfect. Ben, Is there any other bench player? Obviously there's better bench players, but just in terms of a guy who understands their role. And when he gets in, he doesn't need time to find the flow. He gets in and it's on.

[Unknown Speaker]

It's just any. And he impacts the game in a positive way. Like, he doesn't like. It's.

[Matt Leinart]

You could tell he was a coach's son, right? I think his dad is a coach. You could tell.

[Unknown Speaker]

Well, he's got some great. He has some great. Let's spend two minutes on TJ McConnell. He's got some great clips on Social talking about how he's grinded 10 years in the NBA by just outworking everybody. Like you have to, because he's not a great athlete. Some. I mean, he's a great athlete, but to some of those guys, he's an undersized point guard. And I mean, dude, the dude has a role there and he's a beast. And he's gonna let us see a lot of him tonight.

[Matt Leinart]

Let us not for. And here's why. As much as T.J. mcConnell has tortured me as a Knicks fan, let us not forget. And Andrew, our esteemed producer, will probably shiver at this thought. He was the point guard for these. Trust the process. Sixers, when they were winning 12 games and just outright tanking and, and just not even trying to win intentionally, that was the guard. Like, that guy was kicked around early in his career. Being on those teams that they wanted to lose, they were designed to lose.

[Unknown Speaker]

Is there outside of Lob City and the Clippers, is there. Is there more of an underachieving organization with stars than the Philadelphia.

[Matt Leinart]

See, this is what I'm here for, man.

[Unknown Speaker]

No, honestly.

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah. Yeah. 100. You're, you're.

[Unknown Speaker]

What you're saying like the Clippers, the built. They built the team and they just sucked. The Sixers continue to build and get players they just can't win.

[Matt Leinart]

I think I love to piss off Sixers fans, but again, I stick to what I said last year when the Knicks were playing the Sixers. No fan base has ever hurt my feelings more than the Sixers. They just say some real.

[Unknown Speaker]

They're just nasty. They're.

[Matt Leinart]

They just really know. It's not even trash talk. They know how to cut into your soul. That being said, yeah, it's. It's. It's definitely disappointing. You know what I saw that got me thinking before we bring Joey in, it's yesterday when this airs. Yesterday would have been the anniversary of the Ray Allen shot, which I know well. I remember watching those games. Ironically, we were shooting Think Like a Man too, with Gabrielle Union. So I was watching D. Wade playing the finals with his wife, which was bizarre. She was freaking out the whole time I did. I just had to reminisce watching that clip, just how truly the Heat were in that scenario. That was like, they're basically. Their only out was either LeBron hits that pull up three he took, which did not go in, or the exact sequence that happened. They were. There was 18 seconds left.

[Unknown Speaker]

He doesn't make that. It's. It's one of those things where. Listen, if Vince Young. If his knees. If they call it Vince Young, we want a 3P. It's never been done before. If Drew. The biggest what if is Drew Brees, Miami doll. I think he was supposed to go to Miami. Going to Miami, they wouldn't pass him for a shoulder. Goes to Sandy. Goes to. I think then he went to the Chargers at that time, right?

[Matt Leinart]

Yep.

[Unknown Speaker]

And became a Hall of Famer. Like, the biggest. What if the Dolphins. If they would assign him. What if Ray Allen doesn't make that shot? Like, LeBron's legacy is completely probably different than it is now, which is crazy.

[Matt Leinart]

Just dropped the podcast with Steve Nash talking about, why are we doing the ring culture stuff? Like, why. So if a player doesn't have a great. A ring? And look, I do think the ring culture stuff is a little messed up because that's a team accomplishment. I don't know how you put it on Barkley that he doesn't have a ring. Yeah, he takes a lot of the heat because he was the best player on the team. But, you know, there's so.

[Unknown Speaker]

There's so much.

[Matt Leinart]

If you put Barkley in the Jordan spot, does he get a ring? Probably one of those six.

[Unknown Speaker]

But also. But also a lot of these. A lot of these guys getting rings are on super teams.

[Matt Leinart]

True.

[Unknown Speaker]

Barkley. What? Barkley was never on a super team. Barkley had good.

[Matt Leinart]

They tried it in, like, Houston, but those guys were already too old. Yeah.

[Unknown Speaker]

I mean, but, like, all of these teams, like, I mean, outside of Golden State, I mean, I know they got Kitty, but building through Clay and Draymond like that obviously, like, that's a. Like, they had some great teams. Like, Miami with like, it's just, it's just a different era, you know?

[Matt Leinart]

Well, what got me really thinking about seeing that Ray Allen shot with which is, was what are some of the best finals. Specific, not playoffs, finals shots. And I went through, all right, we have like the Steve Kerr shot, which was huge. John Paxton huge. The Jordan, Byron Russell. However, I would like to think even if Jordan misses that shot, and I think that was Game 6, there's no way the Bulls are losing Game 7 at home to the Jazz. Right? That's just the not happening. I, I, I feel like. I know, I, but still huge shot. I really just boiled it down to the two shots. I think it's gotta be that Ray Allen shot. And it's Kyrie, isn't it? Like, what else did I miss? Did I miss what game was. Well, Kyrie was game seven.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah. Yeah. That was ridiculous.

[Matt Leinart]

I know. It was a tie game. So we were talking to Andrew off the air, like, all right, if he misses, it's still a tie game. But you got Golden State with the ball and a chance to win the championship. I don't like that spot.

[Unknown Speaker]

Was that the year they were down?

[Matt Leinart]

Down three. One.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah.

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah.

[Unknown Speaker]

So I would say, I mean, yeah, I mean, go back like Magic's hook shot against Boston, I think. When was that the game that Kareem I think, didn't play or something, Something.

[Matt Leinart]

Happened where he, your, your Laker lore. Our test has a huge 3. Kobe.

[Unknown Speaker]

I was saying, as the Laker, cuz. Yeah, Kobe actually, like, Kobe had any. I don't know if Kobe ever had like a. He might have. I would have, I might not be right on this, but like a game winner in the NBA, in the NBA Finals, right? Like, or, or one that put him up with 30.

[Matt Leinart]

I'm, I'm sure was a big one, I think, but they were never going to lose that series.

[Unknown Speaker]

But the one where he passed to Ron Artest on the wing from deep. I was in Europe watching that. And that was against the Celtics freaking squad. And that was just, that was one that like, sealed the game. And that was incredible. And I think Kobe just went up like, like this. And our test, that was when our test afterward, like, thank his doctor and he thanked his therapist.

[Matt Leinart]

I keep saying Kobe passive because I think when he walked to his presser, as he's walking in, he's screaming like, he never passes me the ball. Kobe passed me the ball. And it's true. That was not a guy you would have said, hey, I want him to take the biggest Championship deciding shot in the game. So.

[Unknown Speaker]

God, that was a big. That was a big shot.

[Matt Leinart]

Go. Go rewatch it. The anniversary was yesterday. Go check out that Ray Allen shot. But. And then if you just do. Overall playoffs, of course, we got. There's so many. Too many going through. But your boy Robert or is big.

[Unknown Speaker]

Shot Bob against Sacramento Kings. I think Vlade Diva pushed the ball out or Shaq. They were going up for it. Just patted it out. Those Lakers King series back in the day. I was 8, 17, 18 years old, man. Those were that Chris Weber. Vade.

[Matt Leinart]

Do you feel. Are you on the conspiracy theory with the foul situate? You do or do you. I never really asked a Laker fan. I talked a lot of my basketball. Well, there was, like, the game. I think The Lakers had 170 free throws. I never. I guess Laker fans.

[Unknown Speaker]

I mean, we're still talking about ref conspiracies to this day, so.

[Matt Leinart]

True.

[Unknown Speaker]

I'll take those rings.

[Matt Leinart]

All right. Well, I don't even know. I'm gonna be happy for basketball to wind down. I will. Before we bring on John, I'm just gonna leave. You know, I have to get my Knicks talking real fast. Everyone's panicking. And I get it.

[Unknown Speaker]

Nicks have been in Cancun for two weeks.

[Matt Leinart]

Dude. No, no. But, like, the. The coaching stuff is certainly a bizarre thing. I'm only going to just say I feel like the Knicks have been moving so smartly for years now. I think all the stuff you're hearing, I don't buy for one second. Matt. Oh, let's. Let's talk to Jason Kidd. Let's call this team. I think that's all smoke. What. What do you think those teams are going to say? They're going to tell you to go yourself. How it's got to be intense. Leon Rose is not dumb enough to say, like, all right, let's go talk to every coach who's under contract. Have them publicly dismiss us. And. And then I guess our strategy.

[Unknown Speaker]

But what is the strategy? Why? Why?

[Matt Leinart]

I just think the why is, number one, stoke a little discourse amongst the league. Get people maybe make someone unhappy in a situation. And then two, I just think, look, hey, we did an extensive search. We did an extensive search. Here's Johnny Bryant or here's Mike Malone or here's Taylor Jenkins. We exhausted all options. We did a extensive coaching search.

[Unknown Speaker]

You're gonna get. You're gonna get Mike Malone.

[Matt Leinart]

Mike Malone or I do. Taylor. Taylor Jenkins. Taylor Jenkins. All right, you're gonna hear a little more Indiana Pacers. Basketball at the top here. But the Joey Moler interview is a good one. Lots of impressions even. So here's our boy Joey. If you love Wendy's Classic Frosty flavors, we have some big news for you. There are all new Frosty Swirl and Frosty Fusion flavors. So it's the same creamy treat you've always loved now with the flavor refresh.

[Unknown Speaker]

So what are these new flavors? Well, thanks for asking. There are a lot, so I'm just gonna list them. Okay, we've got the Frosty Swirls strawberry brownie batter and caramel. Then we've got the blended Frosty Fusions Caramel Crunch Oreo brownie with swirled thick brownie batter sauce and crunchy Oreo cookie pieces and pop Tarts strawberry with a sweet strawberry sauce and chunks of crazy good pop tarts pieces. Not to mention that yes, you can still get your classic vanilla.

[Matt Leinart]

Try them all to find your favorite. Are you going to be a Strawberry Swirl girl? A caramel I said caramel Crazed Fanatic Brownie batter Buff Pop Tart Strawberry Fanatic Oreo Brownie stand. Anyway, whatever flavor you're craving, odds are we've got a Frosty for it.

[Unknown Speaker]

So clock in for sweet treat time with Wendy's all new Frosty flavors. A refresh on a classic. It's gotta be Wendy's.

[Matt Leinart]

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[Unknown Speaker]

Jerry, this car is an absolute beast. Whether I'm going to the mountains on a ski trip or whether I'm going to the lake, the towing capacity holds up to £8,500, but probably more importantly, all the sports gear, the kids, all the stuff that I can fit in my car. There's nothing out of reach with a Nissan armada.

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah, and some of that sports stuff will weigh 8,500 pounds by the time you're done with it. For me, you know, my wife loves the beach, so we're always kind of throwing the boys in the back of the car with a lot of beach stuff. But my little secret with the Armada too, is I love it for the golf trips. I. I like to drive. So get my buddies in there, throw a few different clubs in the back, bunch of shoes. That's where I really like my off roading. My off roading is also going to the golf course, to the parking lot, and then just opening up that trunk and getting ready for a great day. So the other thing is, it's also got twin turbo V6 engine. So it is good for basically all these things we just said and whatever you throw at it.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah, the power, the performance, and just overall rugged toughness. It's like being behind the wheel of your own offensive line, Jerry.

[Matt Leinart]

It's the closest I'll ever get to being behind an offensive line, but either way, I'm telling you, this is the one. Get ready to adventure bigger in the all new Nissan Armada.

[Unknown Speaker]

Let's go.

[Matt Leinart]

Let's go. All right, we got the great Joey Molinaro joining Us. Joey, first of all, look, we've been circling each other for a while now via. Well, via dms, like, joey, we want to get you on the show. We love what you do. We're gonna get into all of it. But first of all, show us the T shirt, right? Stand up a little bit. We got Pacers T shirt on there.

[Joey Molinaro]

Oh, it's Indy 500.

[Matt Leinart]

Oh, Indianapolis 500. Oh, okay. I saw Indy. And that's a Pacer's hat, correct?

[Joey Molinaro]

Of course. Yeah. The Finals Edition 2025 Finals Edition, right there.

[Matt Leinart]

I know you've been going, will you be in the building for game six?

[Joey Molinaro]

Fingers crossed, man. I. I'm sure you both have had situations like this. Probably not to this level because you guys are way cooler than me and just get the invite. But I had a company reach out before the finals even happened. They were like, hey, I'd love to have you in our suite. I know you're a big Pacers fan. This would be great. I was like, I'm there. Tell me when and where. Game three or four. Let's go. Then all of a sudden, we get after the Pacers won Game one, and they ghosted me for a couple days. And then they were like, we've actually allocated everything for game three and four, but if game six comes around, we'll be in touch. And now I'm still waiting to hear back.

[Unknown Speaker]

Oh, no.

[Joey Molinaro]

Fingers crossed. Yeah.

[Matt Leinart]

I feel like you gotta be in the building, man. I feel like you have to be in that building. Similarly, I'm a Knicks fan, as you probably know, and I got the invite live on air to go to game two, Knicks, Pacers, in New York, and, like, my face. So I'm hoping maybe the same thing happens. Like, I want you to get that text, be like, hey, Joey, we got room for you in the suite Thursday night. Will you be there?

[Joey Molinaro]

Man, I tell you, it's a real hit to the ego. I'm not gonna lie. Like, you're really. You go from the highest of highs. You're like, damn, I'm good. The invite to go in the suite. This is so sick. Oh, I'm really doing it. And then all of a sudden, they're like, actually, yeah, you're not that cool or famous or well known, so we're booting you for both the games. It's tough.

[Unknown Speaker]

What. What. What's it like watching a Pacers game with you?

[Joey Molinaro]

Depends on what audience I'm with. I. I know. I know when to. I know when to keep it in check a little bit. However, I did watch game six against the Knicks and a Tennessee cabin with my grandmother or with my wife's grandmother and grandfather, and I was throwing all sorts of nonsense out there. So I guess, I guess the scenario is definitely a factor. But the crowd, typically. I know when to rein it in. But yeah, Game six against the Knicks, probably tonight. Game six doesn't really matter who I'm with. I could be with Pope Leo, I could be with, with, with, with Mother Teresa, and I'm letting all sorts of.

[Matt Leinart]

Crazy things fly, regardless of the result. Is this one of your favorite Pacer teams of all time? Regardless of, like, if they, if they go on to win the championship, of course it's going to be. But if for some reason even they fall short, is this just high water mark for the Pacers fandom? Right?

[Joey Molinaro]

Absolutely, bro. I mean, you kidding me?

[Matt Leinart]

Such an annoying team on the other end, like, it's so annoying. Just know on the other end it is so anno. Like, you have so many guys on that team that annoy me in a good way. Meaning, like, they're good, they're tough, they play hard, they. They hit these incredible shots. Even going back to last year at Nemhard's 30 Foot Bomb. And I found myself being swayed now, like, I, I want the Pacers to win because I want to see this go seven. I'm dying for a NBA Finals game seven, which we haven't had since that crazy LeBron versus the warriors season.

[Joey Molinaro]

And hey, who is the road team coming back in that one? Right.

[Matt Leinart]

It's true.

[Joey Molinaro]

One is on the road and in a situation that they. Yeah, a lot of people were down that it could happen. Right. You're a bigger man than I, Jerry, though, because I would never root for now. I would never hope the Knicks win ever. And anything at any time. So. Good for you. I appreciate that. Yeah, man, this is. I mean, I was six years old the last time we were in the finals.

[Matt Leinart]

6.

[Joey Molinaro]

It's going into first grade. I had no idea what was going on.

[Unknown Speaker]

That was against my Lakers.

[Joey Molinaro]

Yeah, my dad was just pissed about Shaquille o' Neal the whole time.

[Unknown Speaker]

Rick Smith's baby.

[Joey Molinaro]

Yep, yep. Rick Smith and those guys have been at all the games, so it's been super cool. But yeah, it was six years old and we've been waiting so long. I honestly never thought there's. I mean, really, I never thought that I would see the day that the Pacers were even in the NBA Finals again. Because you had those Paul George teams that you thought maybe you had the. Or late Reggie days that you thought maybe. And it didn't happen then. It didn't happen then. And you're just kind of looking at the landscape. You're like, man, this is not how the NBA works. Having a team like Indiana go to the Finals, man, so absolutely easily a top two favorite team of mine, regardless of what happens tonight or. Or in game seven. And I've really just been trying to drink in that journey, man. Everybody always talks about, you know, the old cliche, but it's not the. It's not the destination, it's the journey. And I surely have been drinking in my fare of all sorts of stuff in downtown Indianapolis leading up to these games. And I'm just enjoying that.

[Matt Leinart]

It looks bananas down there. Is the vibes in the city downtown are. Seem like they're incredible.

[Unknown Speaker]

Game sick is tonight's game in Indy? Yeah, it is, right? That's when you're Mike be. You're still waiting.

[Joey Molinaro]

Okay, yeah, I'm still waiting to get that. That.

[Unknown Speaker]

That place is gonna be nuts.

[Joey Molinaro]

I hope so, man. It's gonna need to be because it was nuts in game four when I was in the building. And then all of a sudden, you know, my friend, he's a DJ, he was DJing at the bar right across the street from the field house right after game four. And so we're sitting there and we're up 10 late in the third quarter, we're up seven to start the fourth quarter. And we're like, this has potential to be an all time night. Like, I'm getting ready to text my wife, like, see you tomorrow morning. Home cam's DJing. We're gonna be up three one night.

[Matt Leinart]

DJing.

[Joey Molinaro]

It's Father's Day weekend. Like, you're the DJ booth, I'm in the DJ booth. He already said that I was gonna have to crowd surf if we won. Like, these thoughts are going through our head, you know what I mean? And then all of a sudden, the air just completely went out of the building and you know, I just like, Eeyore walked my way home from. Because I live downtown Indy. And I was just dragging my feet so depressed.

[Matt Leinart]

You're welcome for ob. You're welcome for Obie Toppin for two second round picks that I think we sold for cash. That one still hurts. As a Knicks fan, I. I miss Obi every day.

[Joey Molinaro]

What's so funny is I don't know if this is how it is in New York or for Knicks fans, but I swear Obie Toppin is every mom's favorite player here in New York.

[Matt Leinart]

It was like that in New York? Very much so, yes.

[Unknown Speaker]

Why?

[Joey Molinaro]

I don't know. I don't know. My mom, she randomly. Her birthday's coming up. My dad texts me. He's like, hey, your mom, she really like an OBI topic. Can you get some obi popping gear? I was watching with my neighbors across the street. They're, I think, like, 10 years older than me. But, yeah, the. The. The. The wife, she's just like, gosh, I tell you what, obi's definitely just my favorite. I'm like, what is going on with this? Are you guys not TJ McConnell?

[Unknown Speaker]

Not McConnell.

[Joey Molinaro]

Thing is, it's. But it's. It's. It's Obi. And then McConnell is definitely. McConnell is all the grandma's favorites. The moms all love Obi. The grandmas all love TJ McConnell here in Indiana.

[Matt Leinart]

I. I truly hate TJ McConnell because he's good and he's. He's a nick killer. But. However, being an undersized point guard myself back in the day, if I was to describe my pickup game, it was tj Matt. That's how I play. I used to have to try to get.

[Unknown Speaker]

Did you.

[Matt Leinart]

That's how you play steals? Yeah, because we're all not six' five, Like. Like Maddie ISO, I would have thought.

[Unknown Speaker]

I thought you more like J.J. berea.

[Matt Leinart]

I. There were J.J. berea comparisons there.

[Joey Molinaro]

That. That is a poll.

[Matt Leinart]

Well, last thing on the Pacers. Can you give us. We like to play this game. I can give you one. Give me your favorite random Pacer. I'm gonna go. I'll go first. That I used to love. I used to really enjoy Danny Granger.

[Joey Molinaro]

Oh, yeah.

[Matt Leinart]

Yes. Or Paul George. Before Paul George. Then they had a good. And he just, like, as fast as Granger came in, he kind of came out really quick.

[Joey Molinaro]

Those are some dark, dark days, brother. For. For the Indiana Pacers is coming off. Reggie's retirement is coming off the brawl. You're just trying to figure everything out. You get this guy to New Mexico, and he was your lone bright spot for. Yeah, like, six years before Paul George and everybody came in. I mean, these teams were, like, 30, you know, 30 and. And 52 or whatever.

[Matt Leinart]

Oh, yeah.

[Joey Molinaro]

Bad, bad stuff. But Danny Granger was making all star teams, so we're like, hey, you know, we got that. And then, yeah, it kind of ended. It ended really weird with him because he was hurt. And then they traded him to Philadelphia for Evan Turner, trying to make, like, the final move.

[Unknown Speaker]

Oh, I remember that. Oh, yeah, that's right.

[Joey Molinaro]

Yeah. To get over the. The heat. And then Evan Turner was just a disaster, dude. Oh, man, he was so bad here in Indiana, so it really ended weirdly for him. But Danny, he was at a game, I think maybe one of the Knicks Games or Game 3 of the Finals or something. He's been in the building, so that's cool to see. Good poll. Good poll.

[Unknown Speaker]

I was gonna say this. I'm gonna give you guys a hint.

[Matt Leinart]

For your random pacer.

[Unknown Speaker]

For my random pacer, Because I thought about this. I'm about to be on the same team with him coming up here in Manhattan beach in about six weeks. Dual sport phenom. Tall, white.

[Joey Molinaro]

Yeah, that's gonna. That's gonna be Austin Crochier.

[Matt Leinart]

Good pull. I feel like I know who it is. No, he's. You know what he's talking about. Joey, come on. He's talking about beach volleyball.

[Joey Molinaro]

Oh, Chase. Buddinger Chase.

[Matt Leinart]

Good, Paul.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yes, good. I'm on a text chain with him. We play in this Manhattan Beach 6, man, which I don't know if you've heard of. It's. It's like Christmas for volleyball on the beach here in August, and we don't get that. Yeah, you don't get that in the Midwest. You guys are playing hockey right now or something. But Austin Crosher, I just thought. We're just screaming a bunch of white.

[Joey Molinaro]

I mean, hey, he's another Southern cow guy.

[Unknown Speaker]

Hey, Tyler Hansborough, let's go.

[Joey Molinaro]

We had his brother Ben Handsborough, too.

[Matt Leinart]

That's. That might be the most random pacer of all time.

[Joey Molinaro]

Ben Hands were. Dude, at one point, we had a plumly. We had both the Hansborough brothers. I mean, it's like, hey, I was looking around.

[Unknown Speaker]

T.J. mcConnell is a rookie.

[Matt Leinart]

That's like the Looney Tunes team in Space Jam before Michael Jordan teamed up with them.

[Joey Molinaro]

Oh, my gosh. Yeah. Not to mention we drafted TJ Leaf over OG Anunoby, so there you go. Jerry, I know he didn't start with New York, but we.

[Matt Leinart]

Is that your random Pacer? Because that could be. That you could win, right, with TJ Leaf.

[Unknown Speaker]

By the way, he's a cla kid.

[Joey Molinaro]

I remember that, but you said your favorite random pacer.

[Matt Leinart]

Your favorite random pacer. Yeah.

[Joey Molinaro]

Another Knicks tie here. Man, the place went crazy here when we signed Chris Copeland.

[Matt Leinart]

I thought Chris Copeland was going to save New York. Joey, let's. Let's not get it twisted. I thought Chris Copeland was the. Was the savior. That's how Crazy. I am.

[Joey Molinaro]

Well, yeah, because that. That 2012. In the 2012 series, Copeland was that guy who had come in and he was like, wiggins right now for okc. Like, everything he threw up from beyond the ark was going in. We're like this Copeland guy, dude. And then he signs with us in 2013, going into that next year where we're like, all in. We need a three point shooter off the bench. Boom, Chris Copeland's here. Everybody loved Chris Copeland. Didn't do squat for us, but we. We loved the signing in the summer going into the season. So there you go.

[Matt Leinart]

Well, hopefully we're going to get a Game 7 for you, but I want to talk about how I. Look. I. I was very aware of your comedy and your impressions and the stuff you were doing, but really, like, where my phone blew up is when you did the Entourage impression, right? You dropped that on the gram. Like 400 messages on my phone. Like, okay, who's dead? That usually means someone died. And I'm looking. It's like, have you seen this? Have you. Everyone I know sent it to me. And then I'm like, okay, look, I've seen some Entourage impressions over the years. Some good.

[Joey Molinaro]

Yeah.

[Matt Leinart]

Some not so good. To me, the secret to an Entourage impression, I want your take on it because you're the professional. I feel like you gotta. You gotta land Johnny Drama. If you could land Johnny Drama, you could get over with an E with the Turtle. Vince is a little tricky too. You gotta land Johnny Drama.

[Joey Molinaro]

Well, I appreciate you saying I'm the professional, considering you're Turtle, so you're the one.

[Matt Leinart]

It was spot on.

[Joey Molinaro]

I wanna.

[Matt Leinart]

I didn't hear it.

[Unknown Speaker]

I want to hear. I want. Who did you do?

[Matt Leinart]

Well, he did everyone.

[Unknown Speaker]

He did a whole.

[Joey Molinaro]

I did a. I did appreciate you following. Yeah, that was. That was Last Follower, by the way. Huh?

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah. Okay.

[Matt Leinart]

I sent it to him a hundred times too.

[Unknown Speaker]

That's not true.

[Joey Molinaro]

No. So I do, you know a lot of. A bunch of the ones I've had success with, you know, the modern Seinfelds, the modern Office. And so I was just like, you know what I mean? I think I was on my second or third rewatch of Entourage at the time, and so I was like, let me try this out. I think there's something there. You know, it's such an iconic show, one that, you know, like I said, I've watched many, many times. I was like, I think I know these characters well enough to do a modern. You know what I mean? A modern spoof. Like I do those other shows. And you have a great point about Drama, because. And that's something that. With my impressions too, people ask me, like, how do you come up? Who do you try to. It's distinctiveness. So, yeah, the drama is the distinctness and a little bit of the Ari, too, in an Ari, just because you can say such off the wal. All like, crude, ridiculous, that I was like, okay, Drama and Ari and then fill in the blanks with E and. And Turtle. Turtle obviously had such a east coast New York accent and feel. And I was like, you get the backwards hat going. Everybody will know who that is. But then again, like with everything else, with all those other sketches that I do, whether it be the Office or Seinfeld, it's not so much about the impressions themselves as it is, in my opinion, like, the scene and the writing, the writings together. You know what I mean?

[Matt Leinart]

Absolutely.

[Joey Molinaro]

Because it's like, when I do the Office and I do Seinfeld, like, I have a pretty good Kramer. I have a pretty good Kevin from the Office. Those are all ones that people are like, I knew exactly who that was. Jim too. But so much of it is just, like, it's the writing of it and what is going on in the scene, not what the impression of the character is. And so that's why I really tried to encapsulate there. And I. I am a huge Star wars fan, so I was like, star wars is constantly going today. There's always series and rumors and stuff happening. It's like, drop that right into the Entourage world. And there you go.

[Matt Leinart]

And, yeah, that was good, because Drama would be a hundred percent against Vince doing a Star wars movie.

[Joey Molinaro]

And. But it's like. Because he's, like, jealous that he. You know what I mean? There's always that, like, undertone of, like.

[Matt Leinart]

He'S deep down, he might be trying to steal the part. Right, Exactly. Exactly.

[Unknown Speaker]

What. What is. What Jerry and I were talking about. What does. When you're doing an impersonation or when you're like, you know, you're dissecting a scene from Entourage or these characters, or just in general, what does a rehearsal process look like for you? Because Jerry was like. Like, do you, like. Do you put it on camera?

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah. Like, what's the final. Like the. Or is it a person that you do it for? Or do you just put it on camera and say, when do you know? All right, this one's ready.

[Unknown Speaker]

This is. This is Instagram approved fully.

[Matt Leinart]

It's.

[Joey Molinaro]

It's. It's. It's a Weird balance because. And I do, I, I, I. If there's something that I want to try, whether it be a voice or when it comes to the Office and Entourage and Seinfeld, like I said, as long as I feel good about the script, I'm like, I don't really care how it sounds because the script's going to carry it. Like, the writing of it's going to carry it. But with an impression 100, like, put it on film, I record myself. I tinker around with things. I play it back. I just listen to it with not looking at it or anything. I'm like, okay, do I feel like it's close? Do I feel like I can, you know, drop down a level? Do I feel like I can hit this word particular a little bit more? And then, like I said, that's where it's a. It's an interesting. There's not like a quantifiable way that can be like, yeah, this is exactly what I know, guys. Because it's just like a when, you know, you know, type of thing.

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah.

[Joey Molinaro]

When I feel good about it in my gut, and I'm like, okay, if I were watching somebody else do that, I'd be like, damn, that's pretty good. You know, Dan, that's solid. And then that's where I feel good enough to go.

[Matt Leinart]

Have you ever had to not scrap one, but just, like, one you were working on and you're like, you know, it's good. Not great. Like, I. Did you ever have to walk away from some.

[Joey Molinaro]

Yeah, I've walked away from a bunch. And then there's also some that I play out that I put out there. That. Because, like, you know, I always talk about, like, you know, when I did the first Sabin that I did, it was just an experiment. I just threw it out there as, like, I thought that the bit was funny. And I think the impression is, like, pretty close, like, passable. And then it just took off. And so, like, from there, I kind of learned that I'm like, hey, you know, sometimes, if you feel okay about it sometimes just put it out there. And if it flops, who cares? It flops.

[Unknown Speaker]

Who cares?

[Joey Molinaro]

Thing. Yeah. Go to the next thing and. And. And come out with something better next time. So that's just always been my approach for, like, six years, ongoing now. And then, like, the, you know, I do, like, the. The Manning cast. You know, I'll do, like, sketches of that with the Manning cast, where it's Peyton and Eli and, like, they'll be talking to Collinsworth. Or Gronk or something. And usually I try to have the guests come in and like really carry. But then even then it's like there's enough there with Peyton and Eli both that you can make a parody of something like kind of two. I look at it, I'm like, it. Can I see this living on like an SNL right to where you watch. You're like, oh, that's funny. It may not be like a nail on dead on impression, but like you get the gist and it's a funny spoof.

[Unknown Speaker]

Andrew, can you put, can you put up this photo really quick? All right, dude.

[Matt Leinart]

So that's not me, by the way.

[Unknown Speaker]

So by the way, I know that is. That is me, Joe. That is. That is big boy over there. And apparently we all were, we all, we might have all been a little overweight on this video. I don't know. Someone told me, Joey, you lost a lot of weight. Turtles was fat as back in the day. I was obviously fat. I would love to, to hear your analysis of this kid. I want to say in your Mel Kiper voice, I know. I think you can do a Mel Kuiper because there's no way in hell this kid was going to play in the NFL.

[Matt Leinart]

So the Heisman.

[Unknown Speaker]

Just, just, just, just give me what you got here for, for Mel Kuiper and a young Matt Lert.

[Joey Molinaro]

Yeah, sure. I think when you look at the young Matt Ler right there, the law potential as a left tackles. Philip Beefy may move it inside the left guard. However, he's been stuffed in his face few too many times at Thanksgiving dinner plate too many, too many desserts. Red flag there. He's not going to be a quarterback. Not a skill position type of guy. But he's got to come in, snap the ball as a center, maybe kick out the left tackle if he works on his feet enough. Should be a number one overall player overall.

[Matt Leinart]

Listen what I love about that Joey, so many first off, right? And this something I wanted to get to. But my favorite Mel Kuiper quote of all time is when he was analyzing Lamar Jackson and he basically said this guy has no future in the NFL if he does not switch to wide receiver or cornerback. We could have said the same about liner. Like this kid thinks he could play quarterback. But let me tell you, that's your left tackle right there.

[Unknown Speaker]

I was on the line at flag football, man, in fifth and sixth grade. How was it? I was a quarterback and o line.

[Matt Leinart]

I was that you in fourth grade, right? What'd you say? You were like five eight, one sixty.

[Unknown Speaker]

That was sixth grade.

[Matt Leinart]

You're my exact size now. Yeah, that.

[Unknown Speaker]

It was rough for a couple years, boys. It was rough.

[Joey Molinaro]

No, I remember Matt. I. I remember that because it's so funny because my mom, she always like, she would reference you when I was like in middle school and she really Matt. Yeah, she'd be like, matt Leiner. He was. She would be like, look at him. He was, he was not. He did not have it all going on when he was in middle school because those stories about you would be.

[Unknown Speaker]

On like, yeah, you know what?

[Joey Molinaro]

And you had glasses and then all of a sudden you blossom to the handsome Heisman winner.

[Unknown Speaker]

I was, I was born cross eyed, dude. So I had strabismus. So I was.

[Matt Leinart]

Did not know that.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah, so I wore these big Joey's, right? They did a couple stories. I got these big ass bifocals. So I had surgery as a baby. I had surgery in eighth grade. But also in that. You saw the picture. There's about three years there where I was just. I was just ginormous with bicycle bifocals. It was like the worst combination of all time. The only thing I had, I was good in sports. I was still a good athlete.

[Joey Molinaro]

I was.

[Unknown Speaker]

Is big. So like that was like my whole. That was like my whole story was like sports saved me and all this kind of stuff. But yeah, it's a movie.

[Matt Leinart]

It's like the modern version of she's all that. We could have remade she's all that.

[Unknown Speaker]

But my mom, my mom, my mom, God bless her, she used to always say, my brother, my. My brother used to tell me, he goes, dude, I used to cry to mom, be like, why is my little brother so fat?

[Matt Leinart]

Is he gonna be fat his whole life?

[Unknown Speaker]

All this. My brother's kind of an ass. And so my mom was like, he's.

[Matt Leinart]

Bad his whole life.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah. He's like, no, he'll grow. He'll grow. I promise you he'll have a growing. My mom was so sweet and sure enough I did. So.

[Joey Molinaro]

Yeah, dude, and you don't got to worry, my mom listens. She's one of those moms, I'm sure like your mom like everything that I'm ever on, ever have ever done. Like, oh yeah, she'll be listening to this today.

[Unknown Speaker]

So shout out to your mom.

[Matt Leinart]

Shout out. Yes. Did she get like my mom? To this day, I've been in the entertainment business since I was like. While trying to be. Since I was 19. Even to this day, if I do Something if I go on to promote or if I do a spot on another podcast, like, why didn't you tell me that that was dropping today? I'm like, mom, oh yeah, it's been 25 years. Do I still need to tell you when there's like a little blurb about me and some low. She's like, yes, you still need. She's like saved every magazine or anything I've ever been mentioned in. She has boxes and stacks of just random stuff that I've been in over the years. And that's why you gotta. You love moms to always support you.

[Joey Molinaro]

Now the Entourage episode where Vince brings all the moms out. The mom, your mom.

[Matt Leinart]

No, that is not my mom. And if you ask my mom about that, she's going to say they should have cast me, meaning her. She's still mad to this day. I actually did a fake audition with her. I have this video somewhere. And let's just say I did not get my acting ability from her. It did not come from her. I was like, mom, you can't act wet in the pool. You're terrible. You're horrible. She was like trying to like drop her accent. I'm like, the accent is the best part of you. Why are you. Don't lose the accent.

[Joey Molinaro]

That's the character. Yeah. My mom in that situation, she would have been offended that it didn't happen, but she wouldn't have wanted to do it. Like, she just would have wanted, she.

[Matt Leinart]

Wanted the offer to say no.

[Joey Molinaro]

Very. My mom is very like Larry David Costanza esque to where like she, she would not want anything to do with it, but at least wants to be.

[Matt Leinart]

Invited to the party, but would never set foot through the door 100%. Here's something I, I, I wanted to tell you, similar to how you just did your Kuiper spot on and you had a take on that picture of Matt. My favorite of your. I mean, I love Seinfeld because, like, there absolutely would be a fantasy episode, like fantasy league episode with those guys. But my obsession, because I do. I used to enjoy first take back in the skip days. I've been on that show a bunch of times, but now I really think there should be some. And we're going to talk about your vice show in a minute, which is not this, but like, I think there should be some bad take show, like a freezing cold. Someone who keeps track of the freezing cold takes that these wonderful people give us that you have now impersonated. So you're Colin Cowherd and you're Nick Wright are not only good because they're good impressions and they're what your takes are actually better than their takes in, in life. Like the Yankee losing the beards. Like your, your takes are more smartly written than whatever their takes are for that day. So cheers to you. Because those guys, I lose it sometimes when I see some of the stuff they say. I can't control myself that they are saying this stuff into a mic in front of millions of people.

[Joey Molinaro]

I know it is, it's the worst of them though is McIntyre. He's definitely on my shit list.

[Unknown Speaker]

We just talked about FaceTime him right now because we're on a Monday night basketball league together.

[Matt Leinart]

You know, he had a rough one last week. He had a rough one last week. I retweeted and oh, I think his.

[Unknown Speaker]

Takes are, his takes are terrible. I tell him all the time. I said, what are you talking about, dude? Like, seriously, what the are you talking about?

[Joey Molinaro]

That's what pisses me off though is like, I know what you're doing, dude. Like I, I, that's what I just want to see him in person to be like, look, I know, I know what game you're playing here, okay? But like it nonetheless, it is really, really mind numbing. Listen to him talk about the Steelers, listen to him talk about the Pacers, etc. But yeah, that, that was always my goal is like I would for a while there when I didn't have two kids and like, you know, just a bunch of different going on and it was just me and maybe my wife, like that would be my goal is I would try to beat Cowherd to the cowherd take. So like I would, I would try, I would try to get the video and his take granted a spoof and like going over the top with it. But I would try to get as close as I could of what I thought he was gonna do and make fun of him before his show went live, noon eastern time just because I, I just like to stick it to him a little bit. But I met Colin out in LA a handful of years ago and he was, he was super cool. That's another question that I get a lot is like, have you ever met anybody that you do impressions of? And yeah, I met Cowherd and he.

[Matt Leinart]

Has he, has he seen the impressions? Was he like, you did good?

[Joey Molinaro]

Yeah, yeah, he did a, he did way long ago. He did like one of those when he's coming back from break and he was like, so Joy, there's this guy does this in person of me on the Internet. It's pretty good, not gonna lie. And he. So he did that, and then I saw him, and he turned the corner, and I went up to him. I was just like, hey, man, I just want to apologize. Like, I hope you know it's all just in good fun. He just goes, oh, impressions are the most sincere form of flattery.

[Matt Leinart]

And I was like, yeah, I think he's right.

[Joey Molinaro]

That's coward. That's coward. Yep. So it was great.

[Unknown Speaker]

Is. Is there. Is there someone that you, like, you just. You want to get down? Like, is there, like. Like, how do you. Like, how do you go about picking people or picking guys or.

[Joey Molinaro]

I always try to do, like I said, about, like, drama. Just try to pick, like, some distinctiveness, you know? Like, there's got to be a distinctiveness. There's got to be a mix of, like, are they around right now? Like, are they topical? You know what I mean? That's why, like, I don't really do orgeron anymore. I don't really do luck anymore because.

[Unknown Speaker]

They'Re not around so good, though.

[Joey Molinaro]

And I miss. I miss doing Coacho videos. I miss doing luck videos. But, yeah, you just. You can't really do them because what do you. You know, Gator bait.

[Unknown Speaker]

Gator bait.

[Joey Molinaro]

He did. I'm sure you guys. Yeah, that guy said roll Tide to him recently.

[Unknown Speaker]

Oh, yeah.

[Joey Molinaro]

He's run on the beach, and he did not take kindly to that.

[Matt Leinart]

Did not love it.

[Joey Molinaro]

No, did not love it. But, yeah, that's where it's like, Mahomes has been, like, such a saving grace for me because I'm like. I mean, that guy, like, who. Who doesn't know his voice, you know, who doesn't know his voice, right? So that's been great. I don't think he really cares for me too much, from what I understand. May have. May have made a joke about his wife on Twitter.

[Unknown Speaker]

Did. You're just. You're just burning a lot of bridges over here, dude.

[Joey Molinaro]

Throw that picture up there again. I'll make fun of that a little bit more and beyond. Oh, now here's a guy that wants to play quarterback, but he just can't find himself off the buffet line. Yeah. You look at him and say, there's some potential there. He's got the size, certainly the width, maybe not the height. And I think if we whittle him down a little bit, a promising young player that Matt Leiner could be. There is no doubt about it. There we go.

[Matt Leinart]

Fat liner. I never thought in a million years.

[Unknown Speaker]

That Liner's getting a lot of burn today. Can't wait for that one to go online.

[Matt Leinart]

You just had a new show drop on Vice Sports Gone wrong, which I have to say is. It's the idea. You know, when you have those ideas, you're like, I hope someone does this. Not that I had the idea, but I always thought, like, there's so much going on in sports, and I know we all kind of go through Twitter, which can break your brain at some point, but can we get some talented people together to talk about this in the right way? And I feel. And I know a few people involved on the project. So how does that come to you? Because the first episode just. Just dropped pretty much. And you got 10 total, right?

[Joey Molinaro]

Yeah. Yeah. I love how you're kind of, like, trying to. You're so dad now, Jerry, that, like, you're trying to say that you came up with the idea for this show. My. My dad. My dad says he came up with the idea for Red Zone with Scott Hansen. Yeah, he's like, every day.

[Matt Leinart]

Witching Hour was mine.

[Joey Molinaro]

He says that my dad. My grandpa said he came up with the idea for mobile grocery shopping. So this is just, like. You're fitting right into my world.

[Unknown Speaker]

There you go.

[Joey Molinaro]

They've all thought of every idea, no matter what. Yes. No, man. It's so. It's. It's. It's. Yeah, it's super great. It's just this hilarious hodgepodge of sports history and all sorts of sports. You know, it goes through. We have, like, an episode about cheating scandals. We have an episode about athletes who have gone into music, athletes who have gone into acting. There's one about the. The mouse at the palace, the brawl, like, fights that have happened in sports. And, yeah, it's just like you said. Like, I narrate it, and so I'm in and out and setting the scene and doing the voiceover for everything and getting from scene to scene. So I narrate all. Every. Every episode. And like you said, there's 10 episodes and they air every Wednesday, 9pm Eastern on Vice TV. And then, yeah, you got John Sally, you got Jesse Matana. Yeah.

[Matt Leinart]

My boy Paul Versi.

[Joey Molinaro]

You got God Free God. It's just a loaded, loaded cast and a lot of stuff that, like, you've heard about, right? Like, you know, there's stuff about, like, streaking, right? And you're like, yeah, obviously streaking. But then it kind of goes into the origins and, like, the first people who did it. And so you're. You're. You're getting a chuckle, you're getting a laugh out of it. But then you're like, oh, damn. Okay. Like I didn't know that. That I learned something here too. So it's a fun mix of that, man. And it's. Yeah, it's just a super high energy, fun, easy to watch show. And you pick up a few things along the way too.

[Matt Leinart]

Since I came up with the idea for the show, can I pitch you a few that maybe could find its way into season two?

[Joey Molinaro]

Absolutely. Yeah. Let's do it.

[Matt Leinart]

First of all, you gotta do your boy. Probably one of the biggest stars in Indiana right now, John Halliburton talking to Giannis, I feel like needs to make its way in there. Right.

[Joey Molinaro]

You could do a whole one on sports. Parents, dude. Yeah.

[Unknown Speaker]

Todd Marinovich.

[Joey Molinaro]

Todd Marinovich, yeah. Like I said, I don't know, it's a pretty local one here. But Jeff George, like his mom running on the field when he got hurt back in the day, a personal one.

[Matt Leinart]

For me because we talk and Matt knows him well. We talk about Orlovsky on the show, who's had some pretty polarizing takes. But him running out of the back of the end zone, I feel like that could coincide with any football player that spikes or drops the ball before crossing the goal line. We've had about.

[Joey Molinaro]

Oh my God, that happens. That happens. That happens.

[Unknown Speaker]

Like it's like three times a year now.

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah.

[Joey Molinaro]

It's unbelievable.

[Unknown Speaker]

There's gotta be the two of the. Two of the worst kind of those things to her. Two of my buddies, Orlovsky out of the end zone. It's just like the gift that keeps on giving.

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah.

[Unknown Speaker]

And the butt fumble with.

[Matt Leinart]

Oh, I love. That's my personal favorite. I love.

[Unknown Speaker]

Those are like the two. I think when you look at quarterbacks just the all time, like just. You're going to be a meme for the rest of your life. Like those two.

[Joey Molinaro]

And that's crazy is because that was before memes even really existed.

[Matt Leinart]

Right.

[Joey Molinaro]

You knew you were just done for. Oh, yeah, Matt, how does that happen? How does that happen with football players where they like you're watching yourself on the screen, you know where the goal line is and like they're still just drop. I mean, do you just black out when you're about to score? Is that what happens?

[Unknown Speaker]

What are you talking about? Orlovsky or.

[Matt Leinart]

No, dropping the ball before the drop.

[Unknown Speaker]

The drop in the ball is the dumbest, most bonehead play. I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't understand that. I think you see the goal line and everyone. And then a lot of times when these guys. I've never. I wasn't a runner, so I never really had the opportunity.

[Joey Molinaro]

But show the picture. We know.

[Unknown Speaker]

I know. I was in my. I was in my stance like this growing up. I was, I was two stepping at the right guard.

[Joey Molinaro]

You were in a bed sheet for a shirt there or what's the. That's.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah, that's.

[Joey Molinaro]

Sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

[Unknown Speaker]

That might be from Gap at the time.

[Matt Leinart]

Gap Large Nana Republic, dude.

[Unknown Speaker]

I shopped at Big and Tall dude for two years for kids. Honestly, it's fucking crazy.

[Matt Leinart]

Dude, you're. You're like far as gum. You've had so many different things. You shot the big.

[Unknown Speaker]

And by the way, but by the way, great flow. Look at that hair. That was.

[Matt Leinart]

The hair is solid. That's one thing we could highlight. I mean, potential was there still.

[Unknown Speaker]

I'm still keeping it together for the most part. At 42, Matt.

[Joey Molinaro]

I don't know. Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry.

[Unknown Speaker]

Keep them coming, Joe. Keep them coming.

[Joey Molinaro]

This is so mean.

[Unknown Speaker]

The crossing the goal line thing, I never, I never understood the Orlovsky thing. Honestly, it sucks. But like, I get it, dude. Like, that's when you're on your own one yard line as a quarterback and shot running for your life. It's, it's, it's nerve wracking and it sucks because you can't move, you got guys chasing you. Then when you're running, you lose track of where you're at. Like, I get it. Like that one. Just like I get it, you know.

[Matt Leinart]

And maybe do the Houston Astros briefly. Having a hill in center field, which I don't know why on earth. I don't know if you might have been young for that. There used to be a hill. Like, who thought that was a good idea?

[Joey Molinaro]

Speaking of Houston Astros. That's. I texted you, I said the role that you need to play.

[Matt Leinart]

Texted me. Yes, Jerry, I need you for a role. So do you have something cooking that you need me to do? Altuve? Do you start working on it when the.

[Joey Molinaro]

When the. When the inevitable fx Houston Astros cheating trash.

[Matt Leinart]

The Clipper Show.

[Joey Molinaro]

But the Astros version, I mean, yeah, dude, get your glove and head out to second base because. Yeah, work on your accent because you're, you're, you're all duve.

[Matt Leinart]

Well, dude, thank you so much. Good luck with sports Gone wrong. And also, I mean, I know you got the pod going. These guys podcast, which so good.

[Unknown Speaker]

Dude, I love it.

[Matt Leinart]

I love it because you could drop in on any one of them. You could just drop in. You pick right up. You're up to speed. And obviously, if you. If you don't know, go check out all of Joey's impersonations and impressions and sketches that we just talked about.

[Unknown Speaker]

Congrats on everything, man.

[Joey Molinaro]

Yeah, thank you so much. Good to see you. Yeah, it's good to talk to you guys. And thank you so much for having me. And I've been a fan of you guys for so long and truly just insane to be talking to you guys here. So thank you.

[Matt Leinart]

Well, you've made two fans with us, so keep going.

[Joey Molinaro]

All right, man.

[Matt Leinart]

All right. Summer is here. Seasonal businesses are hiring everything from caddies. Wait, caddies? You could hire caddies? That's incredible. Everything from caddies to camp leaders. This means people with these specific skills are in high demand and it's not easy to find them. So whether you're hiring for one of these roles or any other role, how do you find top talent before the competition gets to them? ZipRecruiter. And right now you could try ZipRecruiter for free at ZipRecruiter.com Throwbacks is it.

[Unknown Speaker]

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[Matt Leinart]

So gear up for summer with ZipRecruiter's high speed hiring tools. See why 4 out of every 5 employer who posts on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. Just go to this exclusive web address right now to try ZipRecruiter for free. Ziprecruiter.com throwbacks Again, that's ZipRecruiter.com throwbacks. ZipRecruiter the smartest way to hire with.

[D]

A Venmo debit card. You can Venmo more than just your friends. You can use your balance in so many ways. You can Venmo everything. Need gas? You can Venmo this. How about snacks? You can Venmo that. Your favorite band's merch. You can Venmo this or their next show. You can Venmo that. Visit Venmo me debit to learn more.

[Unknown Speaker]

You can Venmo this or you can Venmo that. Yeah, you can Venmo this or you can Venmo that.

[Matt Leinart]

You can venture.

[D]

The Venmo MasterCard is issued by the Bancorp bank and a pursuant to license by MasterCard International Incorporated, card may be used everywhere. MasterCard is accepted. Venmo purchase restrictions apply. After Zumi's at the dog park, it's time for drive up at Target.

[Matt Leinart]

In goes a big bag of kibble.

[D]

And one squeaky chicken toy for the good boy.

[Matt Leinart]

Drive up.

[Unknown Speaker]

That's ready when you are.

[D]

Only in the Target app, just tap Target.

[Matt Leinart]

All right. While Matt winds down from getting roasted a little bit by Joey Joey Molinaro, it's time for flavor of the week, presented by Wendy's. Yes, you have come a long way. Find your new favorite Frosty Fusions flavor today with choices like Oreo Brownie Caramel crunch and Pop Tarts Strawberry. Possible flavor of the week topic, I was thinking. And then was confirmed by your amazing tweet that you released with one letter. Matt tweeted something with one letter. Everybody that has gotten a million views at this point, which was G. In response to everyone just wanting to beat Caitlin Clark up.

[Unknown Speaker]

Well, it was. It was in. In response to Sophie Cunningham just coming down with the hammer in response to how Caitlin Clark was literally just body checked for no reason. So, yeah, Indiana Fever posted something on their ex account, and it was just a picture of her. Whatever. And I just literally put, like, g, like gangster. Like, hell yeah. Like, you want to see that. Because Caitlin Clark is just continuing to get just absolutely destroyed in the wnba. And I just, like, we've talked about her a lot. And. And again, this is like, this is just. It's. It's kind of becoming the same narrative, but it was just nice to see one of her teammates finally show up and just say, it's like, it's like when you throw at someone in baseball, my pitcher's gonna go out and throw the next inning, right? The first hitter doesn't matter. Like, hey, like, we're sending a message. Don't. Don't mess with my girl. Don't mess with my teammate. I'm just completely. I just continue, Jerry, to be astonished with the way she is being treated. And, like, everyone can talk about all these different things, like the. Just the jealousy or like, the hatred that people have for her. And it's blatant. Like, you can't even. You can't even defend it. I didn't have a problem with the eye poke. Like, that happens. Caitlin pushed her back. They kind of shoved, like, that's, that's sports. That's fine. But then the body check out of nowhere and by the way, didn't even get a technical foul. Like didn't even get a foul. So for Sophie Cunningham to one of the girls was on a breakaway and she just completely bear hugged her and just threw to the ground which by the way, like you can't do. That's not a basketball move either. But at some point like you got to defend your girl. So I thought it was, I thought it was pretty fascinating. It was fun to watch. I like when there's some scuffles and people get into it. But the fact that like this is the face your league. She is the reason why people are watching this and she continues to get treated this way is just mind boggling to me.

[Matt Leinart]

Couple. And I, I, I do love like you, you've definitely. I've, I've always watched the WNBA and obviously I watch Caitlyn Clark and I've if anything too this, this sort of treatment and things that are happening are making me watch even more. So there is a result to it that I don't know if it's intended or unintended. I don't even want to say Michael Jordan because then you get brought up, oh, you think Kate and Clark's Michael Jordan? I was just trying to think of a player who's been physically targeted similarly like and whatever. Again, it's part of the game in some, some respects and a lot not. And like what the Pistons were doing to Jordan seems different because that was designed to like, hey, we don't want that. We, we want this guy almost hurt. We want him by the end of the game to be in so much physical pain that he can't score. It's the Jordan rules. Right. Like every time he comes in the lane, knock him on his ass. It's not quite what's going on because this doesn't feel like it's a strategic physical play. It feels like it's just like this.

[Unknown Speaker]

Girl, like personal for whatever reason.

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah. So I, I.

[Unknown Speaker]

Can you imagine? Could you imagine? Could you imagine like she is one of the biggest stars on the planet in sports. Like she just is. And she's one of those where even if you don't like women's basketball, even if you don't watch the wnba, even if you don't know half the players, like she's becoming so big in my, in my opinion that you don't need to watch to know, oh, I know who Caitlin Clark is. She's the she's like. Like, she's becoming household name.

[Matt Leinart]

Household. She's.

[Unknown Speaker]

Can you imagine, like. Like, I don't know, LeBron. I mean, LeBron step. Like some of the biggest names in our sport, right? Mahomes and like, getting like this type of, like. Just try, like, could you imagine if. If football players try to intentionally hurt. Because there's late hits in football. I've been a part of them. Like, you're trying to intentionally hurt Patrick Mahomes just because you don't like him, because he's the face. Could you imagine, like, what Goodell would. What they would do to those players? That player would be fined millions. He would be out of the league. Like, they just would. Because you protect your stars, and the WNBA does not protect their star. They have great. Asia Wilson's fantastic. They have great players in this league. They really do. And I've become a big fan. But she is the reason why people are watching and you're not protecting her.

[Matt Leinart]

So tiny sidebar. I don't even know that she hit.

[Unknown Speaker]

A three in her face and just got him fired up, which I love.

[Matt Leinart]

But also, you know, I've never played sports on that level. And I've learned this from. This was a professional head coach in the NBA. I'm not going to say their name, but there's just people that you don't do that to because it doesn't help. And I think doing this to her, like, I don't think it gives you a competitive advantage. I think if anything, you fire her up more and it's probably gonna backfire. And the player this coach was talking about at the time that I got a little insight to was like, don't talk to Russell Westbrook back then. It was like, just don't, like, if he's kind of like going through the game and doesn't have his usual intensity. Lee, don't.

[Unknown Speaker]

Right.

[Matt Leinart]

Even if you're up 10, 12, don't say, just leave him alone. Let him. If he's sleepwalking, let him sleepwalk. And I feel like you're not even getting a competitive advantage from doing this kind of stuff, because it's only further awakening, you know, a beast. So I just don't. I would just cut it out for that reason. It's not helping you win the game whatsoever.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah, I mean, look, I think it's. It's. It's very.

[Matt Leinart]

It's not intimidated. She's not. It's not affecting her.

[Unknown Speaker]

It's very simple. The WNBA has been around for a while. There's Been absolutely unbelievable players. Diana Taurasi, Lisa. I mean just the list goes on super. Like there's phenomenal players, but Caitlin Clark has brought as elevated this game to a stratosphere that they would. They. They were never at. And they were never going to get to. Let's just be honest. They were.

[Matt Leinart]

They.

[Unknown Speaker]

She's selling out arenas and that's. That's okay. Like, she's.

[Matt Leinart]

She.

[Unknown Speaker]

She's the reason. And. And all these other women are like, embrace this. The competitive, like competitive being competitive and hard fouls and talking shit. Hell yeah. But like when it's blatantly because you're just like, you're probably tired of like someone like me or people talking about, oh, she's the reason why, but she just is. Like, she just is. If. If Caitlin Clark isn't playing basketball, if she just leaves the W, you think, like, could you imagine what the numbers are going to be even when she's not playing a game? She's sparked an interest in millions of people around this country to watch the, to watch that game of basketball. And I don't know, man. She like.

[Matt Leinart]

I was only gonna wrap it up with you. You. You. You tweeted one word about a clip involving her shout out to million views.

[Unknown Speaker]

Cunningham, who's the G?

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah, but that's kind of the point. Like that. That one letter got a million views because it was a issue and topic that people care about. So we'll see where it goes. We keep monitoring the situation. We are gonna do a little. A little mailbag. I don't. I don't know if this is like a dickish question for me to ask because I don't know. I wonder because you probably have been asked this in your career before. We're. Okay, we're gonna go Keith in Wisconsin, shout outs to Green Bay. We were not. We were there not long ago. Matt. I assume that the Rose bowl, first Texas was the toughest loss of your career. Probably a good assumption. So removing that from the equation, that game doesn't count. What would you say was your toughest loss after that?

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah, I would say, well, we lost the Super Bowl. I didn't play in. I was a backup, but that was pretty tough.

[Matt Leinart]

Ring is a ring. We like ring.

[Unknown Speaker]

I would say this. I would say Monday Night Football, Chicago Bears rookie year, the one Benny Green. I had a good game. Denny Green. The we are who they thought they are or whatever that game. And the reason why I think that is my first start was against Kansas City Chiefs the week before. Good team. We we hit a. We missed a field goal to lose. We could have won in last second. So that was my first ever start. My second start was against Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football the next week. And the only reason why I look back now, because I didn't lose a lot of games in college, fortunately, is that game was a. A game where it was kind of a coming out party for me. It was on Monday Night Football. Kornheiser was doing the game back then. I just wonder, I always wonder if we would have won that game. Like, shifts like football, like, it's just. Football is so funny, man. It's. It's a difference of two or three plays in a game. Like the Chiefs before that, we make a field goal, were probably 3 and 3, or we're 2 and 3 at the time we beat the Bears. We're 3 and 3. All of a sudden you just kind of create momentum, right?

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah.

[Unknown Speaker]

And so I always, like, tough. It was tough, but I always wonder if we would have won that game, like, how we would, because we only won five games that year. We're 5 and 11, and at that point, we were 1 and 4.

[Matt Leinart]

So 3 and 3 and 1 and 4 are two very different scenarios.

[Unknown Speaker]

3 and 3 and 3 and 3, you're. You're out. You're in the playoff hunt. Like 1 and 4, you're. You're screwed. Like, you know, you're going home early. So I just always wonder, like, that game was tough. And then looking back, you know, as looking back on my career, like, oh, maybe that would have helped shift some things. So. And then obviously, the Cal game in. In USC was the only other game I lost that game. That game stings, too, but not as much as Texas. By far the toughest game. Thank you, Keith.

[Matt Leinart]

In Wisconsin, we like to rip open wounds with the mail.

[Unknown Speaker]

And this episode is just taking daggers at me right now.

[Matt Leinart]

This is a tough Maddie Ice episode. Next one will be a lot easier. Well, we'll. We'll turn to an uplifting one for me. C.J. in Maryland. Jerry, was ever an actor out there who served as a mentor to you under their wing in some way?

[Unknown Speaker]

I don't know that answer.

[Matt Leinart]

I can't point to one person, but I'll point to a few quick scenarios. One is when of when Entourage came around. I was the baby of the group, right? Not only age, but experience. You had Dylan and Piven, who've been acting since they were teenagers and were in Oscar movies, Platoon, the Doors, Piven with all his stuff, and Connolly, who's not that much older than me, but Connolly's been acting since he was seven years old. He actually. Yeah, if you go on his Instagram, he went through a weak run where he's getting access to all his old commercials. Conley did, like, a hundred commercials before he was 10 years old. And all the ones you grew up with, like the Nerf commercial.

[Unknown Speaker]

What a beast.

[Matt Leinart]

And like, the, you know, power wheels, like, unbelievable he was. He and Seth Green were in every commercial at that age. So I would say just watching those guys in terms of how to be a professional actor helped and how to conduct yourself. But then I just had a lot of good. You know, Wahlberg was always a super positive presence and woke me up out of. You know, I was essentially blowing my final audition for Entourage until he came out and told me I was blowing it and said, you need, like, you know that. He said to me, because he wanted.

[Unknown Speaker]

Because he knew he saw talent in you, or else he came up to.

[Matt Leinart]

Me at the network test, like, halfway through, and I don't think the decision was still even made. And he basically pulled me over, and I hadn't even met him at this point. I didn't even know he was pointing at me. And he pulled me over and he said, you know that moment where everyone, like, says, I knew in that moment, this is the moment, and you're blowing it. So for you, the story will be, yeah, I had my moment, but I blew it. So there's still time. Do something.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah, I mean, he gave you the. I mean, think about. Go back to that moment. That's crazy. If. If he doesn't go out and say that your whole life is completely.

[Matt Leinart]

It could be a.

[Unknown Speaker]

We're probably not. We're probably not doing this show.

[Matt Leinart]

It could be, like you said, if you go three and three and have some momentum, and maybe for me, if he doesn't come out there and snap me out, maybe I just stay because I was just very nervous, and I was trying to play it cool. And he basically was like, don't play it cool. Go. Just die if you have to. Like, go. Leave it all in there. And I did.

[Unknown Speaker]

It's telling me life, it, like, sports, life, anything. It's about opportunity. And then when that opportunity comes, what do you do with it?

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah.

[Unknown Speaker]

One way or another.

[Matt Leinart]

I've had quite a few people, though, just over the years who have done that. So good questions. Certainly appreciate it. And next week, we'll make sure the question is not nearly as, you know, ripping open some Opal open wounds.

[Unknown Speaker]

There oh, it's fine.

[Matt Leinart]

Okay. It is now time for all time adventures driven by Nissan. Take adventures to new heights in the all new 2025 Nissan Armada. Go to Nissan USA.com Armada to learn more. Obviously. Big talk in the MLB world with the Devers trade. I, you know, I don't quite know what the Red Sox are doing, nor do I really.

[Unknown Speaker]

I'm not worried. I'm not worried about the Giants. My Dodgers are just fine.

[Matt Leinart]

Dodgers are just fine. But it did bring a question for me when I was thinking about an all time adventure. You know how I like to relate things in sports to things with like acting and entertainment and I have a fun story before I dive in though for you. Trade wise, was there ever a teammate, someone you were close with or a surprising trade? Were you ever in rumors?

[Unknown Speaker]

So I was in a rumor once. And we, I've never told you this, so I never was a part of a team where like we had a blockbuster trade in the NFL, like an off season. Maybe there was, but I just, I don't remember ever being like, like, holy. We. I can't believe we just traded him. Like free agents walk and stuff, you know. But 2000, the, the camp that I got cut from Arizona, I knew I was gone. They brought in Derek Anderson from Cleveland, who's my boy. Like we competed. I thought I, at this point I was just, I was out of favor with the coaching staff. They wanted me out. They were just figuring out there were rumors because I remember going up into coach Wizen Hunt's office. They were trying to trade me to the New York football. Football Giants.

[Matt Leinart]

Stop. You serious?

[Unknown Speaker]

I, I just remember this to back up eli. This was 2000.

[Matt Leinart]

This is a whole different show. If this happened.

[Unknown Speaker]

6, 7, 8, 9, 2009 or 1010. Now I ended up getting cut and I signed with the Texans like two days later, three days later, that's when I went to Houston. But there were conversations and I'm almost positive about this, that he was like, hey, we've been talking to the Giants about potentially trading you, which the better for the organization is just releasing me and then me signing with, signing with it.

[Matt Leinart]

Right.

[Unknown Speaker]

I mean that for the team. That makes sense too. So. But yeah, it was the Giants. They, they, my agent was like, they liked me. You know, they were interested because I was, I, I might be making this up now, but like Eli, you know, we're similar. Quarterbacks drop back, quarterbacks didn't move. You know, like it was, it was that type of deal at the point I wanted Just to be released so that I could go anywhere or, you know, have options. So that almost happened. It's. I was almost traded to the Giants instead. Two days later, I got a call. Actually, this is another good story. Same type of thing. In that same period of time, Kyle Shanahan called me. Kyle Shanahan was with the Redskins, and I was on the phone with him. He was. He was with the Redskins, and I think he was the OC at the time. And he wanted me to come, that they had, like, five or six quarterbacks. But he's like, you know, he again, thought I fit well in that system. He's like, dude, come out. You know, you compete, whatever. And then Houston, which was basically Mike Shanahan and Kubiak, like, Kubiak system. The same system. It was much better. And that's when I signed with Shab and Dan Orlovsky, and then Orlovsky left, and I became the backup for a couple years. But that's how that all went down.

[Matt Leinart]

Interesting playing behind Eli because he played so many games in a row. So that must, like, I guess, signing with the team pick the Giants. It could have been only because, like, Eli doesn't really miss games.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah. But I could have been back up there for, like, eight years.

[Matt Leinart]

And in New York as a backup. How do you. You would have probably had a good time in New York as a backup and a ring in 2011.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah. See that, Right? Never know, man.

[Matt Leinart]

The only thing I could think of that rivals this in Hollywood is especially a part of a TV show, you know, that was similar to Game of Thrones with Power in the sense where so many main characters at any time can get killed. So I want to say it was like season five of Power. I'm living in New York. I'm a regular on the show. There was, like, two episodes I wasn't in in like, five years. Right. How you get killed off in Power, you don't really ever know what's coming. Similar like Hard Knocks. Courtney Kemp will call you up and say, can you come to my office real quick? Bring your script.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah.

[Matt Leinart]

And you walk in there, and she's like, so. And you immediately know what she's about to say. And you. You're like, holy. I cannot believe it's happening. The table readings at Power were always a very big deal. Like, you had to go. You had to give it up. Like, 50 would always come, all the cast, everything. And every time a character would get killed off you, they get to see a speech, and you'd clap them off and show them love. So I had one episode off and when you don't. When you're not in that episode, you don't get that script because that's how, you know, mysterious they wanted it to be. And so I had my week off and I show up to the next table, read the episode after, and, like, four main characters were killed off. I won't even say Lala Anthony, I think, was one of them.

[Unknown Speaker]

Are they reacting in real. Are they reacting in real time? Like, I remember in the Game of Thrones, that famous clip where they're reading the script and they're like, like. Or do they know they're being written off before the table?

[Matt Leinart]

I think at this point, the person. No, the Courtney always would call the person in and have a long talk with them of, like, the. Why it's happening. And it got to be a place with the show because, like, you always think it's cool to watch an episode where a main character gets killed off, but that person is losing.

[Unknown Speaker]

I was about to say, that's got to be a shitty feeling going into that.

[Matt Leinart]

You're getting cut, you're getting. You're getting cut. And it's not because you weren't good. It's just. It's the best thing. So, yeah, I showed up to the table and I was like, where's. Where's Junior? They're like, oh, you didn't read the. No, I didn't get the script. Where's JR? JR's dead. Like, what? Oh, where's Lala? Where's LA? Oh, you didn't know. Lala's gone too. So you don't even get to say goodbye. So I assume that's what surprising trade is like.

[Unknown Speaker]

And then, oh, for sure.

[Matt Leinart]

I do remember, spoiler alert. When I. My run on Power ended, I always said, like. Like, I'm going to treat it like business and I'm not going to get all emotional and do this, but when they gave me my speech at the table reading, I got emotional.

[Unknown Speaker]

You have to, man.

[Matt Leinart]

I said. I said I wasn't. And everyone stands up and claps for you. But then also, you know, you, like, leave the show and the show does go on.

[Unknown Speaker]

So when you get. When you. When you found out you were getting killed off, like, when you're done, do you call Brie? And you're just like, brie, got bad news.

[Matt Leinart]

Pack up, pack up.

[Unknown Speaker]

Proctor's dead. I don't know what's next. It has to be. Yeah, it's a great. That's a great Comparison to like or getting. Getting cut in football, the final cut or surprise. Oh, man, like, what next?

[Matt Leinart]

Yeah, because the other thing too is it happened to so many main characters on that show. Really wasn't knocked what your performance was or whatever. I think it's almost a credit. Like, the more the audience loved your character, I. I do think it was, the more enjoy. Enjoyable it was to kill you off.

[Unknown Speaker]

Because it got such people favorite, that's for sure.

[Matt Leinart]

Well, there's people to this day who still come up to me, that's like, man, when you got it on that show and again, go watch it even if you haven't seen it, they're like, we cried.

[Unknown Speaker]

Well, you're, You're. You speak to multiple generations because you're ever. When I've been with you, I would say. I want to say almost the majority is like Proctor. It's weird. It all depends on where you're at. Yeah, but like, yeah, because Turtle is way more iconic, I think, but older, whereas Proctor, like, Like, even guys we've had on the show are like, oh, Proctor, man. Like, they love Power. Like, it.

[Matt Leinart]

You know, like, and power's still going on. There's still all the spin offs, so it's like the universe entourage now. I feel like it's more just like a real nostalgia play for people, you know, Whereas I think Power and Proctor, it's all still going on. So that's it for this week, buddy. We'll see. Are you gonna watch. Are you gonna watch game six tonight? Be honest.

[Unknown Speaker]

What am I doing? Yeah, I mean, look, I got. My. My oldest got football practice, so Cole's got a little football. Probably gonna make a.

[Matt Leinart]

You'll check in at halftime. If it's a close game, you'll throw it on.

[Unknown Speaker]

I'm gonna make a little Costco run today. I mean, yeah, just, you know, just another day. Just another day at the liner.

[Matt Leinart]

That's a very dad. That was the most. One of the most dad things.

[Unknown Speaker]

But I'm not lying. I actually gotta go to Costco for a trip coming up. But no, man, I will watch this game. I'm hoping Hal Burton has enough. If not, we'll see. We'll see the mighty TJ McConnell step in.

[Matt Leinart]

Selfish player, that Halberton. Selfish player.

[Unknown Speaker]

How dare you do that?

[Matt Leinart]

All right, we will. I think we might be off for some time, but we got. We got some more coming out for you guys. Thanks. Everybody watching, listening. We'll see you soon.