LeBron, Brady, Ryan and The Greatest Uncs Of All-Time Plus Jordan and the GOAT Clutch Performers

Summary

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Throwbacks with Matt Leinart & Jerry Ferrara:

Episode: “LeBron, Brady, Ryan and The Greatest Uncs Of All-Time Plus Jordan and the GOAT Clutch Performers”
Date: May 7, 2026

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OVERVIEW

This episode is a high-energy, nostalgia-fueled discussion about what it really means to be “clutch” in sports, pop culture, and beyond. Matt Leinart (Heisman Trophy-winning QB) and Jerry Ferrara (Entourage star and die-hard Knicks fan) dig deep into:

• The nature of clutch performances: what sets those special athletes and moments apart.
• Celebrating sports “Uncs” (veteran greats still performing at an elite level).
• Debating the true GOAT clutch performers across sports history (with passionate crossfire over Jordan vs. LeBron, Brady vs. Montana, and more).
• Fun detours into pop culture “unc” energy, including actors like Keanu Reeves, McConaughey, and Adam Sandler (“the LeBron of acting uncs”).
• Personal stories about heartbreak, behind-the-scenes tales from sports and Hollywood.
• Practical wisdom on how top athletes handle pressure.

The tone is lively, humorous, honest, and packed with the kind of one-of-a-kind perspectives only longtime teammates—and sports/popup culture diehards—can provide.

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KEY DISCUSSION POINTS & INSIGHTS

1. What Makes an Athlete "Clutch"?

(00:00, 57:40, 58:04)

• Definition: Clutch performers “embrace the moment... they're not afraid of the moment. They don’t think about what happens. They live in the now and they want the ball.” — Matt Leinart (00:00)
• The greatest embrace high-pressure situations—be it a 4th quarter drive, bottom of the ninth, or final possession—they want responsibility when the stakes are highest.
• It’s not just skill: “Consistency under pressure...the moment never changes for a clutch player.” — Matt Leinart (58:04)
• Fearlessness, mental focus, and a willingness to fail, all separate clutch players from the rest.

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2. NBA Playoffs & Fandom Stress

(01:01–02:19)

• Jerry details the anxiety of being a Knicks fan, superstitions around media hype, and his aversion to “jinxing.” Clashes with Matt’s more philosophical, laid-back “just enjoy the ride” approach.
• “You get yourself all stressed out. You're like a ball of, like, just like, like, dude, let it go, bro.” — Matt Leinart (02:05)

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3. Remembering Legendary Clutch Moments

(03:09–05:32, 31:09–39:44)

• Reggie Miller’s 8 points in 9 seconds (“could be the greatest clutch performance of all time in sports...in a matter of eight seconds.”—Matt, 03:09).
• Michael Jordan’s iconic shot over Craig Ehlo seen as his “origin story,” with Jerry wanting to find and recreate the exact spot—now a cornfield in Ohio (04:09–05:32).
• Discussing how modern NBA leads aren’t safe, referencing Lakers/Rockets comebacks (03:30–03:57).
• In-depth look at Jordan’s legacy, especially “Game 6” of the ’98 Finals vs. the Jazz: “Not as athletic...the Jazz had the game...he goes around the corner and strips Carmelo ...The reason why it's like the coolest clutch performance...he never played in a game seven in the finals.” — Jerry (38:13–39:05)
• “He's the greatest dude. He's the goat in every damn category.” — Matt (39:44)

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4. All-Time “Unc” Squad: Sports Legends Aging Like Fine Wine

(05:54–16:46)

• The “Unc” criteria: generally age 40+, continued excellence, and the aura of experience.
• Matt’s List:
  • Jaromir Jagr: Still scoring hockey goals at 52! (07:17–08:14)
  • Tom Brady: “King of Unc,” Super Bowl winner at 43 (08:25–08:43)
  • Randy Couture: UFC champ, winning belts into his late 40s; Matt trained with him and recounts tough training stories (08:51–10:00).
  • Nolan Ryan: Pitched no-hitters and beat up batters in his 40s; “There wasn’t the access that you have now [for recovery]...It’s a lot harder back then to have that sort of longevity.” — Matt (11:06)
• Jerry’s Additions:
  • George Foreman: Won heavyweight championship at 45 (11:41–12:44).
  • Chris Chelios (hockey), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (NBA), Kelly Slater (surfing), Phil Mickelson (golf), John Elway (NFL).
  • A wide-ranging discussion on what kind of leadership and wisdom old heads bring to teams, and why not all “Uncs” are created equal.

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5. “Unc” Energy in Hollywood: Who’s the acting LeBron?

(17:07–23:32)

• Acting Uncs: Keanu Reeves ("aura about him...no negative stories"), Matthew McConaughey (from rom-coms to OG Oscar roles), Adam Sandler (“Is Adam Sandler the acting version of LeBron?”).
• “No one’s, like, made more money...His movies are like LeBron…But then he pops up in those movies…like a vintage LeBron performance.” – Jerry (20:24)
• Matt’s cameo in a Sandler movie = career highlight (21:47–23:36).

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6. Clutch Sports Performances: The Ultimate Moments

(31:09-onwards)

Football:

• Tom Brady’s 28–3 Super Bowl comeback vs. Atlanta:
  “It’s the greatest second half performance maybe in the history of sports.” — Matt (31:37–32:46)
• Joe Montana: The original “Joe Cool.” Never lost a Super Bowl. “He’s the original Mr. Clutch.” — Matt (33:19)
• Mahomes: Already being debated as the potential #2 GOAT QB based on his playoff heroics (36:36–37:29).

Basketball:

• Michael Jordan’s “flu game,” “the shot” vs. Ehlo, and especially the ‘98 Jazz steal-and-shot: “He’s the greatest dude. He’s the goat in every damn category.” — Matt (39:44)
• Steph Curry: “If the game’s on the line, who do you want shooting the three? …that dude puts the fear of God into everything” — Jerry (50:01–50:23)
• Kobe Bryant: Honorable mention as perennial clutch icon.

Baseball:

• Derek Jeter’s flip play against the A’s, “Mr. November.”
• Freddie Freeman: “Most walk-off home runs in World Series history.” — Matt (44:03–45:28)
• Madison Bumgarner, Big Papi, Kirk Gibson, Eli Manning (football's “Freddie Freeman”), Kurt Schilling (bloody sock game).

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7. Fun & Personal Moments

• Jerry recounts “the most clutch acting performance ever”—Entourage castmate Kevin Dillon broke his wrist right before a major magazine cover shoot and toughed it out to be present for the big day: "That dude missed like a half a day of work and was back. Yeah, bro, shout outs." (29:48–30:59)
• Matt’s most devastating loss: the 2006 Rose Bowl USC vs. Texas. “We were up 12...five something left...all we had to do is get a fourth down conversion. That one hurts.” (52:02–52:28)
• Jerry’s worst heartbreak: Knicks losing Game 7 in the 1994 NBA Finals. “I legitimately went in my room...and I cried. I a hundred percent cried, real tears.” (56:31)
• Clutch mentality: Matt details the “in the zone” feeling from his own 4th and 9 vs. Notre Dame as a QB. “You don’t think about what’s at stake…the great ones want it.” (59:34–60:31)

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TIMESTAMPED MEMORABLE QUOTES

• On Clutch:

  “Clutch players embrace the moment...they’re not afraid of the moment. They don’t think about what happens. They live in the now and they want the ball.” — Matt Leinart (00:00)

• On Tom Brady’s Super Bowl LI:

  “It's the greatest second half performance maybe in the history of sports, dude.” — Matt Leinart (32:46)

• On George Foreman:

  “No one gave him a chance...that was shocking...back then you had many 40 year old anythings playing and those are the days where like if you blew out your Achilles, your career was over.” — Jerry (11:41–12:30)

• On LeBron:

  “You gotta respect the ones that just don't come around. They come around once every 30, 40 years, man. And he's one of those, dude.” — Matt (42:54)

• On Adam Sandler:

  “Sandler is to unk movies as LeBron is to unk basketball.” — Jerry (21:24)

• On Jeter:

  “I think he's Mr. November, bro.” — Jerry (47:41)

• On heartbreak:

  “I legitimately went in my room. I was 13 years old and I cried. I a hundred percent cried, real tears.” — Jerry (56:31)

• On the “invisible” side of clutch:

  “Can, I think consistency under pressure. I think the moment. A clutch player. The moment never changes for them, right?” — Matt Leinart (58:04) “You don't think you just…this is my moment…have to execute this play. Let's go.” — Matt, on 4th-and-9 vs. Notre Dame (60:00)

• On mental approach:

  “You're so dialed in like it doesn't matter. And you're not afraid to lose, right? You're not afraid to miss the shot...That's the mindset you got to have.” — Matt (61:32–62:42)

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STRUCTURED BREAKDOWN — THE EPISODE AT A GLANCE

I. Intro & Fandoms

• Knicks playoff journey and sports superstitions (01:01–02:31)

II. Clutch Moments in History

• Reggie Miller, "the shot," Google Maps in a cornfield (03:09–05:32)
• Clutch NBA comebacks and changing nature of late-game leads (03:30–03:57)

III. The “Unc” Phenomenon

• Legendary 40+ athletes, age and longevity in sports, Matt/Jerry’s all-time “unches" (05:54–16:46)
• “Unc” energy in entertainment (17:07–23:32)

IV. Clutch Performances—By the Numbers

• Deep dives on Brady, Montana, Mahomes, Jordan, Freeman, Jeter, Curry, Kobe, Schilling, Eli, etc. (31:09–51:27)

V. Personal Stories & Heartbreak

• Most crushing defeats in sports/fandom (52:02–57:13)
• Matt and Jerry’s own tears and lessons learned (56:31–57:13)

VI. Clutch Mentality: The X-Factor

• What really separates the best from the rest (57:40–62:42)

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FINAL TAKEAWAYS

• Being clutch isn’t just about talent—it’s about unshakable poise, mental toughness, fearlessness, and the drive to own the defining moments.
• Age, even in sports, can be a source of strength—experience and “unc” wisdom can tilt the game.
• Greatness in any field (sports or pop culture) has a real and relatable presence, whether you’re a World Series slugger or a comedic icon.
• Even former champions and stars are still impassioned fans—and sometimes, fans tear up too.
• Some moments—both glory and agony—stick for a lifetime; how you process them, and how you step up when you’re “up at bat,” defines who you are.

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For listeners:
This episode brings together hilarious banter, emotional candor, and hotly contested hot takes. If you love clutch moments, sports/entertainment crossovers, and hearing two friends dissect greatness, this is can't-miss listening.

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Transcript

[Matt Leinert]

Clutch players embrace the moment. They want the moment. They're not afraid of the moment. They don't think about what happens. They live in the now and they want the ball. They want the fourth quarter drive. They want the ball in their hand, dribbling up. They want to be up at bat. They want to be on the mound. When the moment is at its, like, apex, it's like, man, that's where we thrive the most.

[Co-host]

All right, welcome to another episode of Throwbacks. Please do us the solid. Go over to the YouTube Throwback Show. Give us a subscribe there at throwback show on all social platforms. We like having fun with you online.

[Matt Leinert]

Matt, what up, baby?

[Co-host]

How we doing, man? We are in the throes of, like, NBA playoffs. Super good early baseball. I'm struggling with my Knicks because I.

[Matt Leinert]

Why?

[Co-host]

I just like. I.

[Matt Leinert]

Well, you. You are the funniest.

[Co-host]

Too much pressure.

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah. You're the funniest follow on social media during the next. You're unhinged and you're like. It's. It's. There's so much, like, reverse psychology going on and there's so much I want. I want this media head. Keep talking, Colin Coward, keep talking. I'm like. Part of me's like, jerry, no one really gives two, bro. Like, no one. But you're like, feeding the machine because it makes you feel.

[Co-host]

It's.

[Matt Leinert]

So.

[Co-host]

Here's what I don't. Dude, here's what I don't want, because I cannot take, like, I respect Colin Cowherd. I think having you in a mic for three hours a day alone for a hundred years, that is hard. And he does it at the highest level. And I get. You got a fish for things to talk about. I don't want him all of a sudden waking up one day, hey, you know who has a real shot at winning the title is the next?

[Matt Leinert]

And so.

[Co-host]

And you think.

[Matt Leinert]

And you think that's the reason why the Knicks are going to lose because. Yeah, exactly.

[Co-host]

That's why I want them waking up on first take going, you not. You gotta even. No, no, I don't want any of that.

[Matt Leinert]

That's not how the universe works, dude. Just sit back and enjoy it. This is the thing. You get yourself all stressed out. You get. You're like a ball of like, just like, like, dude, let it go, bro. Just enjoy the ride.

[Co-host]

I barely survived.

[Matt Leinert]

They're playing great basketball.

[Co-host]

That makes me so nervous. That makes. And you hate.

[Matt Leinert]

You hate Philly more than anybody. So they. Yeah, it's like, it's good, dude. I'm rooting for your Knicks, bro. I'm rooting for your Knicks. Well, my Lakers don't have a shot, but it's okay.

[Co-host]

We're going to talk a little bit about your Lakers later, but in a, in a interesting way because, you know, I, Even though they are not going to win that series unless something wild absolutely happens, but we have to talk about what LeBron has done and is doing. But also today we are going to get into clutch performances. We started talking about this in an NBA way where, you know, we're on the anniversary of Reggie Miller. That was a clutch performance, even though it broke my heart, Michael Jordan with the shot, all that stuff. So we really wanted to do it in a throwback sense. We're going to get into some, not only NBA, but clutch performances and performers across the entire sports landscape.

[Matt Leinert]

If you, if you think about what Reggie Miller did, just, just take a step back and be like, just in all sports could be the greatest clutch performance of all time in sports. In a matter of eight seconds.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Leinert]

Whether you like it or not or all that like, obviously like he, like, it's just. But it's like you really think about what he did in that moment.

[Co-host]

It's pretty ridiculous nowadays too, Matt. Like, no lead is safe. We've seen that with NBA playoffs, especially with like the Pacers and Halberton did last year, the Knicks coming back from twice from 20 down. So like I, I think when teams are like up nine with a minute and a half left, no, you're not really chilling. You're, you're happy.

[Matt Leinert]

The Lakers had that against the Rockets last year.

[Co-host]

Lakers had, they were down 7 or

[Matt Leinert]

8 with like 40 seconds left or whatever.

[Co-host]

Then when you had like an 8, 9 point lead with a minute or less to go. It's a wrap, bro. No, one shot there. It's a wrap.

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah, it was. It's. That's, that's a pretty. Yeah, sorry, buddy. I know that.

[Co-host]

No, so that obviously lives on. And the other thing I wanted to point out before we fully dive in is, you know, I'm obsessed with that Michael Jordan Craig Elo shot. Right. If you think about it like a Marvel movie, that really was like the, the Big Bang moment for everything we were going to see with Michael Jordan going forward. Right. That's like his, his, you know, his creation story in some ways. But what bugs me out, Matt, is, you know, I live in Cleveland now and the Cavs used to play at the Richfield Coliseum. So for those of you don't know, like Downtown Cleveland is where everything is. It's a great layout for sports. Everything's near each other. But they decided back in the day to put this Coliseum in between Cleveland and Akron in the middle of nowhere, where there was like, two restaurants and it was a while. So it's gone, obviously, but I drive that route quite often, and there's even, like an ice cream shop along that route. Matt. On. I drive, and then on Google Maps, it pops up. The historic Richfield Coliseum. And I look to the left where Google Maps is telling me it is, and it's a cornfield. So I want to go out there with a film crew and I want to. With the blueprints of the old coliseum in the cornfield, and I want to find the exact spot where Michael Jordan hit that shot over Craig Elo. And I want to bring out a mini hoop, and I want to make a shot on that spot.

[Matt Leinert]

The only difference is you're not gonna be able to jump.

[Co-host]

I'm not gonna be able to jump

[Matt Leinert]

after I make it. You're gonna be cemented to the cornfield. That'd be.

[Co-host]

Do you think I make it on the first attempt? Is also. Yeah.

[Matt Leinert]

Is this a Jordan jammer hoop? Is this like 8ft or.

[Co-host]

It's like, by the way, Jordan jammer heavily.

[Matt Leinert]

Greatest, greatest Christmas gift of all time outside of an Xbox.

[Co-host]

All right, so we're gonna dive in. You mentioned your Lakers. What LeBron is doing is obviously historic and unbelievable. And it really got us talking the other day offline about, you know, he's Unk, Right. Who are some of the greatest unks? Obviously, LeBron's one of the greatest players. So he's almost overqualified for the Unk. But we started then talking, let's make our all time throwback unk team. All right. This is a guy or girl, whatever, could be auntie that you want on your squad. Even though he's. What do you think the age limit is? It's kind of like, what, like 37 and up.

[Matt Leinert]

I mean, I went. I just went 40 and up. Because.

[Co-host]

40 and up.

[Matt Leinert]

I mean, because. Because I think if you get into the 30s, the list gets bigger and bigger and you can just. Yeah, because, like, I mean, you could even. Like, there's tons of quarterbacks right now in the league that's over 35, playing really well. Stafford, Roger. Like, there's so many guys, right? So I think 40s, I think. Because once you hit 40, we both you and I know, everything just starts breaking down. So the fact that these athletes can Just almost be at their best in their 40s is just ridiculous. So yeah, I. I went just 40 and up.

[Co-host]

All right, well, let's get into our all time throwback unk squad. We'll call it. Do you. Would you like to go ring the bell first?

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah, I'll just give. I'm just going to give my list of guys you want me give my all my full list.

[Co-host]

Yep.

[Matt Leinert]

So one of them. Yarmer Jagger. Yarmier Yagur.

[Co-host]

Like it.

[Matt Leinert]

At 44. He led his team in scoring at 44. In the NHL. In the NHL.

[Co-host]

Older than you, bro.

[Matt Leinert]

But I had to look this up. Listen to this dude. At post 40, he played in 282 games in the NHL. He just recently scored a goal for his team that he currently owns, Cladno, a Czech team. At 52 years old.

[Co-host]

That's crazy.

[Matt Leinert]

So he's still playing professional. I think he's done now. He's still playing professional hockey, not in the NHL. 38 professional seasons as a hockey player. 38. That's almost my entire age.

[Co-host]

You think he's on Peptides?

[Matt Leinert]

He's got to be on Peptides something, dude. But he scored a professional hockey goal at 52. 52, dude.

[Co-host]

Think about that. I'm old enough to remember we talk about the NHL video games all the time. I remember like rookie is playing with Mario Lemieux.

[Matt Leinert]

Mario, yeah, Mario still playing. So he's. He's up there. I'm not going to spend a lot of time on Tom Brady, but Tom Brady is probably the king of Unk. I right. Like won a Super bowl at 43. I think 44 with Tampa Bay. Everybody. What is. Everybody said he was going to fall off a cliff at some point.

[Co-host]

And he just unc. Go.

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah, he's on. Go. LeBron's uncle. This is the. I got two left. This one. This one I love and you're going to love this one.

[Co-host]

Randy Couture, you talk about 42. Was he 42 when he won the title?

[Matt Leinert]

One of two fighters over 40 to ever win a UFC title.

[Co-host]

Wild.

[Matt Leinert]

He did it four times. The only fighter to win a title after being put in the hall of Fame. And he retired at 47. And I also trained with him. One off season. I went to his place. I trained with Randy Couture. Awesome. Dude, think about. Think about this, dude. Think about you. What are you? 44? You're 45?

[Co-host]

46.

[Matt Leinert]

You're 46, bro. Going into the Octagon and trying to beat the out of Seth Green or somebody at 46 years old.

[Co-host]

I mean, that would happen. That. That was a bad example, what you just said.

[Matt Leinert]

Well, I know.

[Co-host]

I love Seth Green. That's my boy. But he ain't Matt. I have a problem, like, wrestling with my two kids. I have to be like, yo, yo, chill, chill, chill, chill. Stop.

[Matt Leinert]

Imagine being 47 years old, going in the octagon and just waiting like. Like, hey, let's just get the kick out of us.

[Co-host]

I'm gonna post my video of me and Randy Couture in the octagon just doing a little MIT work and you could just see how nervous I was.

[Matt Leinert]

So I was at his place in Vegas and I was. I will never forget, I was playing catch with Vitor Belfor. Remember him? We were playing football. And his son. This is years ago. His son is a quarterback, I believe in high school or college now. It was kind of. He. It was pretty funny. All right. My last one, I think he's Mount Rushmore goat. Where do you think I'm going with this?

[Co-host]

I feel like you're gonna go another individual sport.

[Matt Leinert]

No. Okay. Nolan Ryan. Oh, Oldest pitcher ever to lead the league in strikeouts. He was in his 40s. At 44, he threw a seventh no hitter. At 44 years old, he threw a no hitter. And at 46 years old, maybe the greatest baseball fight of all time. Robin Ventura charges him and he just

[Co-host]

beats the bricks off.

[Matt Leinert]

At 40 years old. And then you watch that doc with Nolan Ryan, you're just like, man, this guy is just. Just one of those dudes. So Nolan Ryan is up there. LeBron Brady, I put Randy Couture, I thought that was pretty cool. And Yar Yager, I feel like Nolan

[Co-host]

Ryan threw out the first pitch a few years back and it still was like low 80s.

[Matt Leinert]

I just, I just, like, at 46 years old, like, to be, to be, especially back then, dude, like, back then you didn't have like, like LeBron and Brady. Like, you can take care of your body. You have all of this stuff now. But like Nolan ryan in the 80s or whatever, like, you don't have. You didn't. You just like, these guys are just getting up, smoking cigs, drinking alcohol, going, you know, going to pitch a no hitter and then going back and doing it again. Like there wasn't. There wasn't the access that you have now to be able to take your body. So it's a lot harder back then, I think, to have that sort of longevity.

[Co-host]

So it's a great list.

[Matt Leinert]

That's ox, bro.

[Co-host]

We had some overlap, buddy. I Have I? Well, I'm gonna go. This is like my number one. It's an individual sport similar to couture and everything you just said, but again a little more. You see Randy couture do it in your 40s, you're blown away. But like you said, he's able to take care of his body in such a different way. George Foreman, bro. Yeah, George Foreman winning the heavy weight title at what, four? I think he was my age, he was 45 and like two months, like two months to go before his 46th birthday. I remember where I was when I watched that fight. No one gave him a chance. Michael Moore, young lefty and I don't know that to me was shocking. I don't think back then you had many 40 year old anythings playing and those are the days where like if you blew out your Achilles, your career was over.

[Matt Leinert]

I think he's the oldest and like what, Bernard Hopkins was 50 and then Bernard Hopkins is the other one.

[Co-host]

He's like the highest end boxing person who ever took such good care of himself. And also he was so good defensively, he never really got hit.

[Matt Leinert]

The George Foreman grill got me through college, bro.

[Co-host]

Well, you think about that. Fought Muhammad Ali and now he's like winning the belt years later.

[Matt Leinert]

Like Muhammad Ali like 1980 and then fought someone in 2002.

[Co-host]

I just think that's the most insane I and I think he would have been a cool, he's just a cool unc to me. I think Chelios winning the cup at 46 years old. And I think there's a lot of

[Matt Leinert]

hockey guys on this list, which is crazy.

[Co-host]

Football, hockey and boxing. It's crazy because those are the sports where you could literally die. I mean you could die in any sport, but literally those are the sports where wrong things.

[Matt Leinert]

You put Chelios on your squad.

[Co-host]

I'm putting Shelley on there, man, because I, I liked your yogurt call. I feel like I had a follow up. I think, I think we gotta put Kareem on there. I would be remiss to like talk about, you know, Kareem was pretty old. He happened to have the most unstoppable shot ever. And he just kind of kept that going. And then like I tried to get my head around Kelly Slater. I don't know anything about surfing. That dude still wins massive surfing competitions.

[Matt Leinert]

Did you really just go Slater? Oh, you did research.

[Co-host]

I can't, I can't get that.

[Matt Leinert]

He's the greatest. Yeah. I mean

[Co-host]

you have to give shout outs to, to Phil, Mickelson winning a major at 50 years old. And then I ended it with, like, John Elway kind of unkish. I just also look at Unk is like, you want him to still be good, but you also want it to be like, hey, Unk, tell us what this was like. You want the young guys to be like, tell us what it was like when you played Joe Montana, you know?

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah, I know. I know. There's. I think, the thing with Elway, like, he. He is Mr. On because he's just. He's just a badass. But it's like, you see all these quarterbacks doing it more and more, like Stafford, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco. So that's why outside of Brady winning a Super bowl at 43 and already being the goat and just kind of saying F you to the like, like, leaving the Patriots, like, that's why I didn't put any of those other quarterbacks on the list, because we're seeing it more and more now. Like, Brett Favre was 41 or 2, I think, when he retired and he was still playing at a high level.

[Co-host]

I like to do, like, he doesn't make UNK2 because, like, Brett Favre of, like. I feel like you're like, hey, Brett, tell us what it was like. And he'd be like, I don't know. I feel like Brett would be like, you get away from me. We got practice. You know, I. I want Unk to be someone that the young people.

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah. Like, when you walk. When you walk in a room and you see. And you're a UFC fighter and you see Randy Couture, you're like, holy. That's. That's the og.

[Co-host]

Yeah. I gotta get. I gotta get a tidbit from this guy.

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah, like, that's. That's Randy Couture. I think when you walk in a room and it's football, you see Tom Brady, like, you know, you're just like, holy, that's Tom Brady. You might not feel that. Which with some of the hockey guys, just because, like, Shelly, like, Chelios is a G man. Like, I can name that whole. That whole Detroit Red Wing squad back in the day when I was.

[Co-host]

And I've hung out with him, that's someone you definitely will be like, hey, oh, give me. Ask him a question.

[Matt Leinert]

You're gonna get an answer. Different dude. Hockey guys are built different, man.

[Co-host]

You know, who was kind of Unk. It just. Football's so bizarre too. But this would have been my Whitworth had un vibes when he won that Last super bowl with the Rams. You know, like, he had.

[Matt Leinert]

He's got, like, grandpa vibes. This my dog.

[Co-host]

He.

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah.

[Co-host]

Oldest lineman to win us. Like, he had, by the way, vibes from.

[Matt Leinert]

To be a lineman and play that. The. The longevity. Not missing games. To play at a high level. Yeah, I mean, that's hard to do. There's so many guys.

[Co-host]

Well, I see Eddie put Kurt Warner in there. I don't know. Matt, you played with him. Would you have described Warner as, like, unk material? I don't know. He's more unknown to me. The way he wants to, like, talk to the younger guys.

[Matt Leinert]

I. I mean, I used to call Kurt Warner pops. He was pops, man. Because he was old as. When I was 23,

[Co-host]

he was 30, 34, 35.

[Matt Leinert]

No, he was like, 38 or 39.

[Co-host]

Oh, yeah, that's right.

[Matt Leinert]

When I was 20, when I was a rookie. Yeah, he was. He played. I don't know if he got to 40. We could maybe look that up, but he was right there. He definitely had. He had grandpa pop vibe because he had, like, five kids. I'm like, dude, we. We couldn't have been more polar opposite when I first came in. And then we. Then we got real tight, obviously, as the years got by.

[Co-host]

Can I pitch you some acting un. Because I feel like these days, whenever I do get on a set, which is not as often these days, but I feel like I got unk vibes. I'm not like the LeBron UNC, where I was, like, some great actor, but, like, you know, you could. I'm approachable. I could still get the job done. But you want to come up and ask me about a story about, hey, what was it like to work with Clint Eastwood? All right, come here, kid. So I was trying to figure out what actors would be good uncs, right? And I was trying to. The criteria was, like, they were, like, big in their 20s, maybe cooled off for a minute and then resurged a little bit, and now you just want them around. I think Keanu is, like, all time dude.

[Matt Leinert]

All time, right?

[Co-host]

Like, he's. What this aura about that and there.

[Matt Leinert]

Well, that's what I was gonna say. Like, Keanu's done great movies. He's also never been like. Like. Like, he's like. He's probably never winning an Oscar, right? Like, he's kind of always like.

[Co-host]

But yeah, but it's like, no negative stories about that anywhere.

[Matt Leinert]

Like, he's got this aura around him. It's like, you never hear about him unless he's Driving. He's. He's in this New York subway. Like, you see those giving someone money or like hanging out.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Leinert]

He kind of always looks disheveled. Yeah. And he. But he's like, he's got this aura. Like, but that's like, that's John Wick dude. Like, that's Matrix. Yeah. That's like, like. And then I go back to like speed and like the Replacements.

[Co-host]

Point break.

[Matt Leinert]

Point break. And you. And you look at like, like the dude. The dudes. The dudes. God, Ankh vibes.

[Co-host]

Like has that for me as well a little bit. Because like someone. You could watch the game way also. Good actor still.

[Matt Leinert]

Is there not a. Is there not a bigger turnaround of genres than Matthew McConaughey? You start out and you go the rom com king, right? Like all the rom coms he did, he did whatever. The one Kate Hudson, he had. The one JLO had multiple. And then he sort of switched gear and he wins an Oscar for what? Dallas Buyers Club.

[Co-host]

Dallas Buyers Club.

[Matt Leinert]

He's in Wolf of Wall Street Detective and Detective Interstellar. Like, he, like, he just did this full like. Or you know this better than me. Like, you get typecast as a certain type of role and it's hard to get out of that. But he goes from rom com to like just an og, like sports guy who can just go in and do anything. Like, here's another one. I want to give you another one before you give me a story.

[Co-host]

No, I got a few. I love this.

[Matt Leinert]

This one's. This one. How about Adam Sandler? Because you look at.

[Co-host]

Think about this. Interesting. Think about this.

[Matt Leinert]

Adam Sandler is awesome. He's Adam Sandler, Happy Madison. He don't give two shits. He makes all these funny movies, but all of a sudden he does uncut gems. And all of a sudden he does Hustle. And it's like, it puts him. It's like when you're watching, you're like, man, I'm just used to Adam Sandler doing Happy Gilmore and all this sort of like. But yeah, water. I mean, all of them. You name it. He's done 100 funny ass movies. And then you like, interesting.

[Co-host]

Matt, this is interesting.

[Matt Leinert]

You're like, so like, is it Unk like Sandler's Mount Rushmore of comedy. Unk, like, whatever, right? But it's like the dude just said, screw it. I'm gonna do some of these crazy. And. And they're great. Like, Hustle's awesome. Uncut gems is great. And you're like, that's Sandler Damn.

[Co-host]

Let me push right back a little. Let me push this a little further. I love this.

[Matt Leinert]

This is what I love you do.

[Co-host]

Is Adam Sandler the acting version of LeBron? Hear me out. Hear me out. I mean, no one's, like, made more money. No one's movies real. Like, he's. His movies have made tons of. If you go back to his late 20s, 30s, his movies in the theater made millions and millions of dollars. Then he kind of. So that's almost like his Cleveland run. Then he starts, like, the Netflix stuff where he's getting giant deals. And you're right. Every now and then, like, you see Adam Sandler now, like, in a comedy, you're like, all right, that's a Sandler movie. Like LeBron. All right, that's LeBron. He's kind of going through the motions a little bit. We see it, he's having fun. But then he pops up in those movies, like you said, and it's like, oh, it's like a vintage LeBron performance. Holy. Do you see Sandler in the clooney movie?

[Matt Leinert]

Right?

[Co-host]

LeBron looked out for Bronnie. Sandler's daughter has a movie on Netflix right now and always hires his friends. Always.

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah, he always hires his friends.

[Co-host]

Sandler is to unk movies as LeBron is to unk basket. I love it, Matt.

[Matt Leinert]

I like that, dude.

[Co-host]

What a great. What a great.

[Matt Leinert]

That's interesting. And Sandler, who. And Sandler hoops, too.

[Co-host]

He hoops. That's.

[Matt Leinert]

And.

[Co-host]

And a guy that I feel like is approachable enough. If you're in a Sandler movie, I feel like you're gonna get some stories.

[Matt Leinert]

You're gonna get. I got in a Sandler movie. It's like, one of my best.

[Co-host]

That's right.

[Matt Leinert]

How's Bunny?

[Co-host]

Was your. Did you. How much interaction did you have with Sandler?

[Matt Leinert]

Oh, dude, it was. I, I. I don't remember how it all came out, but.

[Co-host]

Maddie, come here. Throw the ball around.

[Matt Leinert]

No, dude, it's the greatest. I should. The greatest thing is, like, I get asked to go in, and it was Anna Faris.

[Co-host]

Anna Faris, Entourage.

[Matt Leinert]

Alone.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah. So we. So the one day I'm there, I do one scene, and of course, it's a pool scene, dude, where I'm. I shirt off and all this. I'm like, damn, dude. Like, I'm gonna have to work out for this. I think it was my rookie year. It was early. It was my rookie year or something. And somehow, some way, like, he's like, he wants me in it. So I'm in it. I'm in it. My scene is with Sean Salisbury. It's me, Sean. Anna is in the scene and maybe one other, like, kind of extra, right? Like one of her friends in the extra Someone. And we're just shooting a pool scene, a pool party scene. And. And I walk in and Sandler's there. And, you know, it's a movie set, and there's tons of people, and I'm like, just in my board shorts. And he's like, maddie, looks like you've been working out, buddy. Like, you know, I was like. I was like. I was, like, looking okay, you know? Like, I'm not. I wasn't, like, too confident in my body, but I was like, whatever, dude. And, yeah. So that. And then I do the scene. I had a line and I had to throw a football at a someone in the pool. It was all. It was great. But I walked by and I'm like. And the best story about that is my mom is there with Cole. Cole's like, one or two at the time. And my mom, Demi Moore, because I think Rumor was in the movie Demi, my mom and Cole were all kind of hanging in the front yard, like, babysit. Like, just babysitting Cole or, you know, like, hanging out. Like. It's a movie set. Like, you're. And it's at the Playboy Mansion. So it was just massive. So it's a really cool. My claim to fame. I still get residual checks on that. Usually they're about, like. They're like pennies, you know, like a nickel a quarter. But it's pretty cool. So I wasn't at. I was in a Sandler movie. Claim to fame.

[Co-host]

Yeah, I think. I think that's the order. I think it's. I think it's Sandler 1, Keanu 1A. And then A. McConaughey. Just look at you.

[Matt Leinert]

Look at Sandler. There's never been, like. Like, Sandler's just Sandler. There's never been, like, a dip. There's never been, like, oh, a crazy story that, like, he's just Sandlers. He just produces and does all these great comedies, and then all of a sudden, he's like, it. I'm gonna go do some serious. And you're like. And you take it serious, right? Like, that's one thing. It's like. And that's just acting. McConaughey the same way. It's like, maybe corny in the beginning and was like, whatever, but, like, he's a G. And now he's turned it around and like he's. Yeah.

[Co-host]

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[Matt Leinert]

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[Co-host]

I'm gonna set the table now for some clutch performance talk that we're gonna do in sports. But before I do that again, I'm gonna tie a bow on the actor stuff. By the way, shout outs to Downey Jr too in terms of like comeback player of the year award. Like he would get that. And if that was a acting Award for, you know, sports comparison. But you don't really ever think of actors in a clutch way like you do with sports. But I do have a quick little story. This is the most clutch performance I've ever seen an actor give under, I would say, extreme circumstances. So I think this is maybe like season two or three of Entourage. We're still finding our way. We're starting to do well. We were asked to be on the COVID of Entertainment Weekly, which back then was a big deal. You're on the COVID Entertainment Weekly, that's a big deal. We were all super psyched, but we were still shooting the show. So they set up the. The photo shoot for the COVID on like a Saturday when we weren't working. It's Thursday now. We're shooting the show. We're doing this scene outside of one of the mansions. There was a basketball hoop up, right? And the whole. The scene's easy. It's me, Dylan and Adrian shooting around. We're waiting for Connelly's character to come in where we give him about Sloan, whatever, right? So we're shooting around. Dylan always loved in, like, any sport, things to always look awesome on camera, right? Like he dunks on me in the pilot on a six foot rim. So he's playing Adrian, like one on one in basketball. And there was these pavers in the courtyard in the house where they're shooting around. There was this big fountain, so they call cut. They never wanted us to keep playing, but Adrian and Dylan continue to play. And Adrian is not, as we know, not an athlete. Yeah, Dylan's, like, going for a drive. Adrian steps.

[Matt Leinert]

Dylan would remind me of, like, fucking Dennis Rodman. Just a little flaily, but physical.

[Co-host]

Yeah. Yes. Yes. Good. Matt, you're dialed in today, bro. You're dialed it. Adrian, like, steps on Dylan's foot. Dylan loses his balance, but his foot's still trapped. All of Dylan falls. All of his weight goes on his wrist. Like, he breaks his fall with his hand and his wrist snaps and he gets up and he's like. Instantly, he's like, broken arm, guys. Broken arm, broken arm. I remember he took his watch off and he was in so much pain, he stuck his hand in the. The fountain of the courtyar. He's looking for something cold. He was freaking out. We go look, Matt, his wrist, the bones sticking. It was gnarly. I remember Connolly calls Doug Allen. He's like, bro, show's over, kid. Dylan broke his arm. We're done. So they rush Dylan to the hospital. He has to have emergency surgery. All this stuff, we're all super concerned. And once we know, like, all right, he's going to be okay, but this is going to be. We're going to be out of business for a while. We start hearing, oh, the photo shoot. Entertainment Weekly surely not gonna like, they want all of us. It's probably done. Dylan gets surgery on a Friday morning on his wrist and then that Saturday shows up to the photo shoot. I don't know what they shot him up with and hopped him up. Full cast on his arm, eyes.

[Matt Leinert]

He wasn't missing that cover, bro.

[Co-host]

And if you. He continued through the 12 hour photo shoot. And if you go look at those pictures, I'll post them on our social. I am strategically placed in front of Dylan's arm in every picture because he. His hand was so bad. He looked like Chubbs from Happy Gilmore. It looked like he had a wooden hand. That's how bad. So to me, actors don't really have a reputation of being tough. Yeah, that is a clutch performance because we would have lost the Entertainment Weekly cover. So. Shout outs.

[Matt Leinert]

What a beast. That's a great story. We got to pull that. We got to find that online.

[Co-host]

Also, like, he just like, his daughter was born.

[Matt Leinert]

So was he. Was he in a cat? Was it for the. Was he. I mean, he probably was like the cash.

[Co-host]

But then like, yeah, there's one funny scene and I'll find it too and try to get it on our social because, you know, like every kitchen scene, Johnny Drama is cooking breakfast for us, right? But he has one arm. There's one scene where he's like, he's like squeezing oranges for orange juice and like a thing he's got. Got his hand, bro. He's like. You could just tell he has no use. His hand is limp. He's trying to like squeeze an orange. But yeah, that dude missed like a half a day of work and was back. Yeah, bro, shout outs.

[Matt Leinert]

Some people are just built different, man.

[Co-host]

Yeah, not me, bro. I would have took two months off and said entertainment Weekly, we ain't doing it. I'm taking some time off.

[Matt Leinert]

All right.

[Co-host]

Clutch performances ever. We know. Reggie Miller, 8 points, 9 seconds. Michael Jordan, the shot over Craig Eloise. So, Matt, we're gonna save clutch players for our. Our throwback three performance.

[Matt Leinert]

But I mean, I got a lot of overlap here.

[Co-host]

We have a few. We'll. We'll keep it to it first. Let's just go with. Do you have your most. Your clutch game, like, game performance. Not clutch player, clutch game performance.

[Matt Leinert]

Tom Brady, Super bowl which one? Atlanta.

[Co-host]

The comeback.

[Matt Leinert]

I mean, dude, 28, three halftime. I've been in NFL games, it is really, really hard to score 25 points in a game, let alone a half, let alone in the second half of the biggest game in the world. And this dude. And again, you have like Julian Edelman's catch was, was just, you know, things have to bounce your way. But to me, in that moment, knowing how hard that is, playing against a really great team, to be able to will your team back to one of the greatest Super Bowls of all time, and the way it turned out, it's just unbelievable, dude. And like, you know, Brady's like, Jordan, you could pick a million different ones, right? And you could. I could, I could pick Kobe, I could pick a million Kobe. But like to be on the super bowl in that stage, everybody kind of rooting against you at that point and just to come back like, dude, it's the greatest second half performance maybe in the history of sports, dude.

[Co-host]

And it led to what I still believe is the most freezing cold take of all time. Our guy who we mentioned earlier, I guess you could say he lives rent free in my head. Colin Cowherd. At halftime, I screenshotted, tweet. I look at it every couple of months. He tweeted at halftime like, you sure you want to get, get off Garoppolo here?

[Matt Leinert]

Patriots.

[Co-host]

I don't know.

[Matt Leinert]

And I'll say one, let me give one more. I'm gonna stay in football. Joe Montana.

[Co-host]

And another, like, which one? Question.

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah, but like, you know the, the drive, right? The 92 year drive that everybody knows he won the Super Bowl. I just leave it at this. The nickname's Joe Cool. Like cool under pressure. One of the greatest clutch performers of all time and the biggest stage. And did it back in the day, right? It was like, I mean, just Joe Cool Montana outside of Tom Brady. I know my homes and all that, but like, like, Joe Montana was so cool under pressure, man, and so cool in the clutch.

[Co-host]

And you know, I think I heard an interesting take. I think it was Lawrence Taylor. I'm sorry if I'm getting the person wrong. Like, look, Tom Brady's the goat. We're not ever going to debate that. But for a second, if you were just going to stack up, I guess this kind of question. Obviously Brady has some super bowl losses. Like Joe Montana made every play in every big moment that he was healthy for. Never lost in the Super Bowl. In an era too where you could fucking behead the quarterback, right?

[Matt Leinert]

You could, you could absolutely, very it's very Jordan, it's very like Jordan never lost in the finals.

[Co-host]

Right.

[Matt Leinert]

Jordan played in an era where you could clothesline people and not get a foul. And yeah, there's something about Joe Montana, like again, Tom Brady surpassed because he has seven. Like you just, it doesn't matter. Like, you can't some point and how he's done. Like the comeback, greatest career. But there, but there is something to be said that you could debate. I think you could debate Joe Montana and Patrick Mahomes. I think a lot of people would say if Patrick Mahomes retired today, he's the second greatest quarterback of all time. I think people would say that, right? The talent and all that. I don't know, man. I think, I think, I think it's, I think Joe Montana is still, I think it's kind of how people maybe I would guess Kobe. People don't put Kobe. A lot of people don't put Kobe in the top two or three. A lot of people do, but a lot of people don't. I don't know. You could debate the second greatest quarterback of all time being Joe Montana. And I don't, I don't like. It's hard to argue against it. It's time to bring on the blooms at the Home Depot with Spring Garden deals.

[Co-host]

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[Matt Leinert]

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[Co-host]

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[Matt Leinert]

Oh, no doubt.

[Co-host]

Yeah. So he could continue to write this story. But I will say, look, I was at the super bowl where. What was he down, like 10 in the fourth? And then he. He had basically three straight touchdown drives in the fourth quarter. Yeah, I mean, it's the Niners. It's like, whoa, man, that's big time, dude. And that was. It was all him.

[Matt Leinert]

He was out there, homes.

[Co-host]

Is.

[Matt Leinert]

Mahomes is on his own island. Mahomes is. I mean, yeah. The fourth quarter, it's unbelievable what he's been able to do when the game is on the line. I just think we kind of forget Joe Montana and. And he was. He was the. He was the. He's the original Mr. Clutch. He's the original Joe Cool 4. No, and Super Bowls, the drives, like. Like you forget about that. So I just think he's one of the most clutch athletes we've ever seen. And he's. And it's. It's. There's not a blemish on the resume.

[Co-host]

Know what I mean? And look, I. As much as I look, I respect all the Super Bowls. Tom Brady's won too, of course, but like. Yeah, I remember too, those Niners were going through like the Cowboys, you know, and then they were go like, dude, the 90s were crazy. The Giants always had something knocked the Ners out in 1990. They literally knocked Montana out of the game or else he might have got another one. Okay, I have, like, we have to talk about Michael Jordan. Obviously. He's the most clutch player. Moments. I think the fun part of the conversation with Jordan right now is picking which one. Okay, so I'm picking my clutch moment with Jordan, ironically, like the ELO shot. Of course. And there's a million.

[Matt Leinert]

Jazz Game six.

[Co-host]

Jazz. That's where I. My mind goes to the. And here's why Jazz game six. Because it's a little older Michael Jordan, right. Maybe not as athletic on the road. And the Jazz had the game. It's the shot is what we all remember, of course. And that's one of the coolest pictures ever. But what preceded the shot was he goes around the corner and strips Carmelo.

[Matt Leinert]

I know, the steel, maybe.

[Co-host]

And he was, you know, hitting that midi. He probably was going to not ice the game, but put a real stranglehold on the game.

[Matt Leinert]

And he Script him. Yeah.

[Co-host]

And came down. And the reason why, it's like the coolest clutch performance to me, obviously, the ELO one. He was still so young, but this was even to say, holy, Michael Jordan might be in a game seven in the fight. In a weird way, his own clutch shot robbed us of seeing Michael Jordan. Did he? He Never played in the game seven in the finals.

[Matt Leinert]

No, that's crazy.

[Co-host]

It never went past six.

[Matt Leinert]

Six super. Six rings.

[Co-host]

Six rings, six rings. Never a game seven, Never a game seven in the finals. You could argue six.

[Matt Leinert]

What? Seattle took him to game six, Utah took him to game six.

[Co-host]

I think Knicks might have taken him to game six. The Lakers. I don't remember if the Lakers. The first one was five or six. I know the Lakers won the first game in that 90s. Yeah, Portland, they just up. That's the one he took personal when everyone was trying to say Clyde Drexler's as good.

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah, I remember.

[Co-host]

That's the one. He was like, oh, yeah, he's the greatest.

[Matt Leinert]

I mean, he's the greatest dude. He's. He's the goat in every damn category.

[Co-host]

You could think that that clutch shot against the Jazz, which I iced the championship and was his last game as a bull, robbed us of maybe seeing another clutch game seven. That he might have done something else. Ridiculous.

[Matt Leinert]

Can you name the starting five for the Utah Jazz in that Finals?

[Co-host]

Carl Malone, John Stockton. Byron Russell was. It wasn't Shannon Anderson? Nope.

[Matt Leinert]

Come on, bro.

[Co-host]

What do you mean, come on, bro? Oster tag.

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah. And.

[Co-host]

Oh, horn a sec.

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah, there you go.

[Co-host]

Yeah. Yeah. Sorry, it took me a second. I always get like. I try to go. So not obvious, by the way.

[Matt Leinert]

That's like we gotta. We have to do an episode where we just start naming rant like, this

[Co-host]

is, like this is love this the greatest game ever. Especially if you're doing 90s, early 2000s.

[Matt Leinert]

90s. Can you name the starting five for the Utah Jazz? Hold up.

[Co-host]

Yeah, let's see. Both Utah series were in six, Sonics were six, Portland was a sweep. Lakers was in five. In my defense, Shannon Anderson.

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah. But he was never a starter. Jeff Hornacek, bro. He always did this at the free throw line for his. I think for his daughter.

[Co-host]

That'll be another good category. Like weird free throw. Like Jason Kidd used to blow the kiss.

[Matt Leinert]

Always. I think.

[Co-host]

I don't know.

[Matt Leinert]

I think he did. He always like wiped his stomach or something. I don't know.

[Co-host]

So that's my. My Jordan one.

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah. I mean, dude, he's Jordan's. Yeah. It's ridiculous.

[Co-host]

I can't convince one person under the age of 30 that Michael Jordan is the go. And I've done. I'm done trying to prove it. Forget about under 25.

[Matt Leinert]

It's impossible. Dude, who's is. It's LeBron.

[Co-host]

It's LeBron for sure. 100 out of a hundred. Yeah. And that's why, too, like, I almost pick clutch performances like game seven versus the Warriors. Let the Iguodala block and what. Yeah, like that. But, like, Kyrie still did have the biggest shot of game 70. I. He won. That was the game winning shot in the biggest moment of the game. But LeBron was unbelievable.

[Matt Leinert]

I think we. We can. Talking about LeBron, whether you like him or not or whatever, it doesn't matter. You have. I. I think I tweeted this out the other day. Like, you have to sit back and as a sports fan, like, I. I think I tweeted this right after he threw a lob to his son in the. In a playoff game, bro. And you could think whatever you want about that whole situation. The fact that we witnessed that in our lifetime in professional sports. It's like, you gotta just. You gotta like, be like, holy shit, dude. We're witnessing something we probably will never witness again. That part. And then also, just LeBron being LeBron, at 41 years old, still, he could average a triple double if you want, like, if you really, really wanted to. You know what I mean? It's just. You gotta. You gotta respect greatness. You gotta respect the one of ones that just don't come around. They come around once every 30, 40 years, man. And he's one of those, dude, like,

[Co-host]

Matt, there's a world where if you had some more health, you played in the NFL till in your 40s, and if Cole was a receiver, you could be like, hey, I might get to throw a touchdown.

[Matt Leinert]

My greatest. My greatest. The most fun I get is playing rec league hoops, dude, on Tuesday night. And Cole's like, dad, I want you on my team. Like, hell yeah, bro. I'll set you screens. Let me facilitate, because I ain't getting around anybody.

[Co-host]

I'm just so scared to do anything physical at this point. I'm just so.

[Matt Leinert]

You got to get off that, dude. I'm just gonna.

[Co-host]

I just don't want to pop my Achilles is really what I'm getting. I know. Just don't want to pop that.

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah, dude, it's. Yeah. I mean, it's incredible, man, what he's been able to do. I'm curious of what people say. There's so. I mean, there's. So you can do it. There's a thousand different clutch.

[Co-host]

I can't get a kid under 30 years old, though, to say, oh, yeah, Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan's the goat. I can't get someone under the age of 30. So someone teach me How. All right, now we are going to switch from performances to just our goal. Top three A throwback three greatest clutch players. Money on the line. Who are you taking? Throwback three. And it's okay if we overlap here because we have to play it, we have to play it fair.

[Matt Leinert]

You're gonna think I'm crazy on this. And again, I, I could go 25 deep by number three, Freddy Freeman.

[Co-host]

Listen, let's go homer. Let's go home.

[Matt Leinert]

No, it's not.

[Co-host]

Listen to this World Series performer.

[Matt Leinert]

He is the most walk off home runs in World Series history.

[Co-host]

That's a crazy stat.

[Matt Leinert]

Think about, just think about that. That's like, that's like, that's like, that's like saying Jordan, like, you have the most, you know, like points in NBA Finals history. The most champion, like, you could, you could multiple World Series rings. Think about it. I almost went Kirk Gibson because of one. But, but, but Freddie Freeman, multiple rings once. Yeah, and he's done like in the World Series. You could argue he's one of the greatest clutch hitters in the history of baseball. I think that's, I think you can argue that in when the, when the moment matters. You could argue Tony Gwynn, the greatest hitter of all time. Pete Rose, you could argue Big Poppy is one of those right there. Like, but he's done it multiple times in the World Series and then won the World Series. So he's number three. Number two. I put, I put Tiger. I just think, I think it goes without saying, I think he's the greatest golfer of all time in his prime. The shots, the championships, and then to go through all of the, what he did and then to come back and win that Masters again was like insane. The greatest, one of the greatest comeback stories of all time. But just one of the clutch performances. And then I got MJ's number one.

[Co-host]

MJ's number one.

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah, he's number one. And I'm not even gonna like, yeah, he's number one. Brady. I mean, Brady could, I could have easily put out there, but for, for

[Co-host]

the sake of just some Super Bowls, bro, we could, we could. If whoever. We can't knock him in anything. If that's the one knock we could see. Say, like, by the way, you get to the Super Bowl a hundred times, you're gonna lose.

[Matt Leinert]

Freddy Freeman is the greatest World Series clutch player of all time. And by the way, he's a, I mean, he's the first ballot hall of Famer. He's one of the greatest hitters of all time. Like when it's all said and done. I know it's laughable. I know it's laughable.

[Co-host]

It's not. No, it's not laughable. I'm gonna give you a homer pick, too. But I'll also go as far as to say, you know what?

[Matt Leinert]

Well, your homer pick's gonna be the captain.

[Co-host]

Yeah. But I almost go as far as to say I almost put Yamamoto as the most clutch performance of all time. Like what he did last year in the World Series.

[Matt Leinert]

Madison. Bum Gardner.

[Co-host]

Bum Gardner, too, has.

[Matt Leinert]

I mean, there's so many.

[Co-host]

Dude, I was floored by Yamamoto coming back, like, the next night and just slamming the door shut. I thought that was. That's as clutch as you could get as a pitcher.

[Matt Leinert]

I. I just say, I think being clutch, you have to. You. You've had to do it multiple times on the biggest stage.

[Co-host]

I agree.

[Matt Leinert]

When. When everything's on the line, I think that's what separates, like, one performance from multiple. And, you know, for me, I mean. Yeah. I just think when it's all said and done, the guy's a Hall of Famer. Multiple World Series rings, maybe more, hopefully. And when. The moment. And by the way, the first one, I mean, he had a broken ankle.

[Co-host]

Dude.

[Matt Leinert]

He had a broken ankle. And just, just, just.

[Co-host]

All right, my list is going to be controversial. I think I'll just make three mix players. No, I'm gonna put number three as Jeter. Okay. That's my homer pick.

[Matt Leinert]

I mean, that's.

[Co-host]

But, like, it all. Like, by the way, it's not a reach. Like, the numbers support it. He's been in a million playoff games. To me, you sum up Derek Jeter by one play. The play in against the Oakland A's in the first round when there was, like, a weird sleepy thing, like they were sleepwalking through that series. Would have gone down, like, two. Like that play where he cuts off the Aaron throw and flips it to home to Posada to tag out the Giambi brother. Like. Like, that sums up who that guy is. And I have a question for you. After I give the rest of mine. That's related to that.

[Matt Leinert]

I just think. I think he's.

[Co-host]

He's.

[Matt Leinert]

He's Jeter. But that, like. Yeah, No, I agree. I just think.

[Co-host]

I think he's Mr. November, bro. He's.

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah. No, I know. Yeah, he. Yeah, you're right. Yo, he's there. He's there.

[Co-host]

Thank you. And Michael Jordan's my number one.

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah.

[Co-host]

Sorry. But it just is what it is. So, for My number two.

[Matt Leinert]

Oh, God.

[Co-host]

I, I want to say Joe Montana, but I'm gonna make mine like the all time homer. It's Eli, bro. How do we have. How are we not. How have we gone this long? And not if you're gonna mention Freddy Freeman and World Series numbers. How have we gone this far? Eli is the Freddy Freeman of quarterbacks. Like, good player. I don't know about by the way.

[Matt Leinert]

By the way, Freeman's like a lifetime.320 hitter for 12 years and now he has two World Series rings in the like. Yeah, agree. But he's also.

[Co-host]

All right. He's also like on arguably the. One of the best rosters baseball's ever put together.

[Matt Leinert]

He was doing it in Atlanta for 10 years too prior.

[Co-host]

I, I agree. Listen, I agree.

[Matt Leinert]

Can we pull up Freddie Freeman's lifetime? I love Freddie Freeman.

[Co-host]

This isn't a knock. It's more so you like.

[Matt Leinert]

By the way, I don't hate on Eli Manning, but like in when the playoffs were on the line.

[Co-host]

Yes.

[Matt Leinert]

By far one two Super Bowls with average football teams and went on the greatest playoff run that we've seen.

[Co-host]

You go look at his.07 playoff numbers. It's ridiculous. And by the way, he on the road, went into Green Bay, into Dallas, into San Francisco, and then won a Super 300.

[Matt Leinert]

300 hitter.

[Co-host]

I love Freddie Freeman. Matt. I was not. To me, that's a compliment. By saying Eli's like the Freddie Freeman.

[Matt Leinert]

In your opinion, is Eli Manning? Should he. Is he a first ballot hall of Famer?

[Co-host]

Not because he didn't get the cut this year. I would have put him in, but I'm not. I'm the worst audience for that because I, I don't know. To me, I think you're.

[Matt Leinert]

Oh, we got a lot of comparisons on this show today.

[Co-host]

So. All right. Since we can't. Michael Jordan is all our number ones. You want to know my number two for basketball?

[Matt Leinert]

Let me guess, Eastern Conference or Western Conference?

[Co-host]

Western Conference.

[Matt Leinert]

It's not Kobe, it's no. 1 on the Lakers. I mean Steph maybe Steph Curry. Yeah.

[Co-host]

And I judge it by this. If the game's on the line, greatest if you're down three, who the do you want to have the ball shooting the three? But like that dude puts the fear of God into everything.

[Matt Leinert]

If you have one shot left in a game seven, who would you rather have the ball? Steph Curry or Michael Jordan?

[Co-host]

Oh, Michael Jordan. That's why he's number one line. I say my number two is Steph Curry. Just. I feel Good. If he has a shot.

[Matt Leinert]

I probably put Kobe as my number three.

[Co-host]

All good. But what really did it for me too with Steph was like that Olympic run was just incredible. When he put them to sleep. Dude, that's.

[Matt Leinert]

He's another one, man. He's another one that.

[Co-host]

We're gonna miss him.

[Matt Leinert]

Boy, his career. I mean, dude, he's on the tail end.

[Co-host]

I had it and you know, I couldn't put on because I. This is my. This is my biggest enemy. Clutch performer like, oh, I can't believe was Kurt Schilling, Man. 11 and 2 in postseason baseball.

[Matt Leinert]

So many. Yeah.

[Co-host]

Bloody sock comeback. The Diamondbacks win against the Yankees in 2001.

[Matt Leinert]

Like Shilling Big poppies. One of the greatest clutch playoff hitters of all time.

[Co-host]

It's so fun. It's so fun. All right. We're gonna end. We're gonna end.

[Matt Leinert]

Listen, we got LeBron and Adam Sandler. We got fucking Freddie.

[Co-host]

This might be our weirdest show we've ever done. We are going to end on a bitter note. Sorry, we gotta do it. On the other side of clutch performances, there usually is a heartbreaking loss. Now, Matt, whether it's your fandom or even a game you've played in, you've played in big time games across college and pro football, or it could be your fandom. What was the most heartbreaking loss for you?

[Matt Leinert]

Oh, for me personally.

[Co-host]

But by the way, it doesn't have to be something you play. It could be a fandom thing.

[Matt Leinert]

I mean, but.

[Co-host]

Or you can use something.

[Matt Leinert]

The Rose Bowl. Texas is by far the most heartbreaking loss I've ever been.

[Co-host]

Have you ever watched that game since it happened?

[Matt Leinert]

I don't watch the last. I turn it off with five minutes and something left because we were up 12 points. 12 points with how much time was left?

[Co-host]

Five.

[Matt Leinert]

Five something. Five and change. 12 points.

[Co-host]

With a great defense too, with a

[Matt Leinert]

great two touchdowns and they scored a three peat, right? Never been done pro and never will be done. Especially now in this era. It's too much parody. Never been done before and we were one yard away from. All we had to do is get a fourth down conversion. Yeah, that one hurts.

[Co-host]

Still fandom though. Give me fandom then.

[Matt Leinert]

Well, fan fandom. I mean, I haven't had. I mean, yeah, being an LA fan, bro. I haven't had a lot of Lakers win a lot of titles. The LA games win a lot of titles. I will say this. And this is. And this is. This isn't this. I'm gonna bring up the Yankees and This isn't just me being it, but I witnessed the greatest meltdown of an inning all time.

[Co-host]

You did.

[Matt Leinert]

No, I'm serious.

[Co-host]

I know.

[Matt Leinert]

The greatest.

[Co-host]

You asked Anthony Rizzo about it.

[Matt Leinert]

The greatest meltdown in the history of maybe sports with what's on the line. And you could talk about, like, Yankees, right? The Yankees are like the Dodgers. It's like the Cowboys. It's like, it's the Yankees. It's the fucking New York Yankees, right? Like, they should always be in it. Their payroll.

[Co-host]

Like.

[Matt Leinert]

Like great players, great team, great organization. In that inning. What transpired is what transpires with my 6U Casings Little League team. It's literally. That's what happens.

[Co-host]

Booting the ball all over the place.

[Matt Leinert]

You go through the leg, you. You miss the throw. Like, it's just like. It has to be one of the most devastating losses and moments in the history of Yankees baseball. No doubt. And I was there to witness it in the stands and then to see my team win. That's not a homework pick. That is just like, how on earth does that happen? It would never happen again.

[Co-host]

And then, you know who I watched that game with? This is because I had tickets. I had tickets to the suite of a Cavs game, right? And I had the choice of, like, I gotta watch this Game five. Yeah, Game five. But, like, my boys were so excited to go sit in, like, a suite for basketball. I'm like, I gotta go. I'll. I'll watch the game on the phone. Or maybe they have it on their tv. I get into the suite. You know who's in the suite? Miles Garrett, Cleveland zone. So I'm like, celebrate. Cavs are blowing them out. I'm like, celebrating Yankee. All right. There's gonna be a game six. This is great. And then me and Miles Gary are watching. And the wheel start, he just went like, oh, Miles Garrett. Even with football, he looked at what was going on in the tv. He's literally, I think, only things he said. He went, oh, yeah. And that. But the biggest collapse is the Yankees 3, 0 up on Boston. That's the biggest.

[Matt Leinert]

That's a huge collapse.

[Co-host]

Like a decade of Boston wins that we have never seen before. That was like, yeah.

[Matt Leinert]

I mean, the Falcons losing that super bowl is the biggest collapse in the history of a football game.

[Co-host]

And another good collapse, which is my heartbreaking loss of all time. Knicks were up to 32 in 1994 against the Houston Rockets to win the title. This was back in the two, three, two days. So Knicks went up. They win game Five to go up three, two, that. I gotta go back to Houston for two. And Matt, I once remember like Hardwood Classics on NBA channel. I was on the JetBlue flight. They have the DirecTV one summer. This is like years ago. And I'm flipping through the DirecTV channels and on Hardwood Classics is Knicks Rockets. And it was the first quarter, game seven. I'm like, you know what? I have not watched this game since. Let's watch it. Let's see what went wrong, buddy. The Knicks had like a five point lead with like a minute and a half, two minutes. It was right. There was like a loose ball Oakley could have got. There was a few bounces where it just did not have to go that way. That. I remember watching that as a kid and I, I'm not gonna. I legitimately went in my room. I was 13 years old and I cried. I a hundred percent cried, real tears. And I was just devastated because they had it.

[Matt Leinert]

I've never cried as a fan for a sport.

[Co-host]

That's the only time I cry.

[Matt Leinert]

I cried as a player, but I've never cried as a fan for a sport.

[Co-host]

I think it was the only time I, I ever cried as a fan. When did you cry as a player? Was it.

[Matt Leinert]

I cried my last. No, my last high school game. I cried. I'll never forget college. I didn't. Texas, I was like, I was like, nah, I was bummed, really bummed. But I was NFL. I was just going, you know, but like high school. I'll never forget. We lost to Eisenhower in the quarterfinal. They were low, they were good. We were up, we were higher ranked and we just, we fizzled in the second half. Dude. I'll never forget. And it was like my last high school game, right? That was the only time never in the NFL.

[Co-host]

Well, let's end with this then, because you mentioned you were playing against. You were a powerhouse in high school, your team, would you say, or not?

[Matt Leinert]

Yeah, yeah, we were.

[Co-host]

You lost.

[Matt Leinert]

I mean, modern day is a. Modern day is powerhouse now. We were a powerhouse then before. You know, there's recruiting now with everybody and stuff, but like they were national champions in 94, national champions in 96. I was there in 97, so we won a title in 99 and then we lost in 01.

[Co-host]

So Matt Leinert and maybe we'll break this out for social. Matt Leinert, you've played at the highest levels from high school to college to the pros. What makes a clutch player, the stuff that we can't see. The invisible magic the lightning in the bottle. What makes a player clutch?

[Matt Leinert]

I think that's a great question. I think can, I think consistency under pressure. I think the moment. A clutch player. The moment never changes for them, right? It's. It's that the moment never changes whether it's the first quarter or whether it's fourth, fourth and goal and the game's on the line. And the moment's big, right? The moment never changes for a clutch player. And clutch players embrace the moment. They want the moment. They're not afraid of the moment. Right. They're not afraid to fail. I think that's the biggest thing is they're not afraid. What. They don't think about what happens. They live in the now and they want the ball. They want the. They want. They want the fourth quarter drive. They want the ball in their hand, dribbling up. They want. They want to be up at bat. They want to be on the mound and they never. And they're so. I think the. The biggest thing is, dude, in those moments, you're so mentally focused and tough on what's exactly happening and what needs to be done that you don't think about all of the what if and you don't let that get to you. Right? That's the. The greatest. The Kobe, mj, Tiger. I mean, so many, like, when the moment is at its, like, apex, it's like, man, that's where we thrive the most. Right? Because they just don't let anything else creep in your mind. I mean, that's the only way I can explain. The only time I really felt that was. I mean, I felt that. You know, obviously I've had moments of opposite, but like 4th and 9 against Notre Dame.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[Matt Leinert]

Just. You don't. You don't think about anything else other than you have to go out and you have to execute the play. Jordan takes the last shot, he has to go out and execute the last play. It doesn't matter what it is, right? So you just go out there and you don't let the moment be bigger than it is.

[Co-host]

And what. What's going.

[Matt Leinert]

The great Stewart over and over and over and over again.

[Co-host]

What do you remember what was going through your mind and your heart rate on 4th and 9?

[Matt Leinert]

I remember like it was yesterday. I remember the play. I remember what I had to audible to. I remember the moment. And I didn't think. You don't. I don't. You don't think about 80, 000 people screaming. You don't think about not hearing yourself in your, you know, like it's like putting headphones on, right? And you're in a huddle, and you can't hear anyone else because it's so freaking loud. You don't think any of that. You just heard, like, this is my moment. This is what we have to do. We have to go execute this play. Let's go. You don't. You don't let. You don't let yourself think about what's at stake. Right?

[Co-host]

Like, oh, if we don't get this, we lose. And, yeah.

[Matt Leinert]

Like. Yeah, that's not even a thought. In the huddle after the fact, you don't execute. Yeah. Then you're like, but the great ones want it. They want that ball, man. They want that ball. They want the ball with a minute left. Like, that's where they thrive the most. And it's a mental toughness that very, very few people have.

[Co-host]

So, yeah, the only. I. I. Look, I don't know anything about being clutch athletically. The only thing, like, watching the Jeters make, like, that kind of crazy play and, like, stuff like that is like, I. I almost just think, like, maybe. I just think they're so, like, dialed in that they're just running situations through their mind, like, days before. Like, you don't make that Jeter play if you haven't thought about. Yeah. You know, one day, like, it could have been in the middle of July, he's like, yeah, if there's ever, like, a bad cutoff throwing a home, what if I just get it and flip it? Like, he must have thought about that at some point in his career, and then it just becomes muscle memory.

[Matt Leinert]

It's just like, they're. They're so. Like, everybody in. In professional sports is super talented, right? Everyone's different. Everyone has their own unique talent. Some are more talented than others. Right. Like, you could define that however you want. Like, the difference is just the mental. The mental toughness, the IQ of a Jeter, the. The IQ of a LeBron, right? Like. Like, there's just this mental toughness that you just don't allow anything else to matter other than what the moment is like. And it's just. It's hard to explain unless you're in it. And the people that can do it over and over and over again, like Freddie Freeman, it's. It's, you know, like, we laugh, but it's like. Like, think about it. Like, you're bottom of the ninth, you're down, and you're up to, like. Like, I have goosebumps just talking about it. And he's just. You're just so. You're just so dialed in like it doesn't matter. And you're not afraid to lose, right? You're not afraid to miss the shot. Like, that's also the difference. Like, what was the old thing, Jordan, right? Like, what was that old quote? Like, you can't. The shot that you don't make or something that you don't take. Right, Whatever. Like, yeah, whatever the whole. That whole saying was. That's the mindset you got to have. So.

[Co-host]

Wow. This was a very clutch episode of Throwbacks. Yeah.

[Matt Leinert]

Shots you don't take. Yep.

[Co-host]

Yes. And you miss 100 of the podcast you don't listen to. So make sure you listen to this one like you did like, and subscribe all that good stuff. We are back next week. I hope my Knicks are still in control about that time.

[Matt Leinert]

We'll see.

[Co-host]

And maybe hopefully your Lakers are still around and we get to see some. Some more unk performances from LeBron. All right, catch you guys next week.