The Office Memes, Steve Carell Emmy Losses, Golf vs. The Entourage Cast and More with Brian Baumgartner

Summary

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Throwbacks with Matt Leinart & Jerry Ferrara

Episode: The Office Memes, Steve Carell Emmy Losses, Golf vs. The Entourage Cast and More with Brian Baumgartner
Date: May 14, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Matt Leinart and Jerry Ferrara welcome The Office star Brian Baumgartner (Kevin Malone) for a lively throwback session. The trio dives into:

• Behind-the-scenes stories from The Office
• The rise of Office memes (especially chili)
• Steve Carell’s legendary Emmy snubs
• Comparing the athletic prowess of Entourage and The Office casts, especially on the golf course
• Baumgartner’s love for golf and his podcast “We Need a Fourth”
• A nostalgic fictional basketball player draft inspired by The Office’s famed “Basketball” episode

The conversation moves fluidly between sports talk, TV nostalgia, set hijinks, and plenty of laughs.

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Key Topics & Highlights

1. Golf Throwdown: Entourage vs. The Office (00:00–02:29, 41:14–43:39)

• Matt proposes a 3-on-3 golf match: Entourage cast vs. The Office cast.
• Brian: “I don’t mean to profile, but I just... I look at the people who are on your show, and I have a strong feeling there’s a few that golf, at least.” (00:10)
• Jerry confirms the Entourage crew were regulars on their set golf simulator.

Memorable moment:

• Brian admits: “If it was 2v2, we have a chance... Andy Buckley (David Wallace) played at Stanford in college, the same school as Tiger Woods!” (42:30)

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2. Brian Baumgartner: The SMU & Georgia Sports Connection (07:03–11:19)

• Matt and Brian bond over their SMU connections and reminisce on college football glory days.
• Brian discusses being an SMU grad but also a lifelong Georgia Bulldogs fan.
• On SMU’s rise: “SMU is doing now legally what USC did before illegally.” (08:12)

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3. The Office Audition & Early Days (12:22–14:55)

• Jerry asks Brian to throw it back to his Office audition experience.
• Brian recounts moving to LA, being new to Hollywood, and auditioning for Stanley but playing it with Kevin’s spirit.
• “I had a character in my mind and, yeah, it just... it worked out.” (15:29)

Notable Quote:

• “Greg Daniels fought the network so hard to not do the test in a theater... it’s about the looks to the camera, the subtle comedy.” (12:22)

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4. When Did You Know The Office Was Special? (15:35–17:36)

• Brian pinpoints “Diversity Day” (S1E2) as the first moment realizing the show’s uniqueness:

  • “Even at the time, it was like, ‘You can’t do this on television.’ ...If people give this a chance, what we’re doing is really cool.” (16:03)

• The cast almost got canceled multiple times but survived due to some network advocates.

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5. Set Life: Madden, Chill, and Conference Room Chaos (18:45–29:00)

• The Office's schedule: “All of us, like 15, 16 of us, was all like, we were number one on the call sheet... 60, 70 hours, like every day, every week.” (18:45)
• Brian and John Krasinski played Madden daily at lunch.
• “It was really John and I, and we would do the thing where... random teams. Sometimes it’d be the Patriots against the Browns...” (20:11)
• Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer, and Angela Kinsey also gamed or hung out.
• Conference room scenes: hot, cramped, and led to everyone getting “punchy”—just like schoolkids. (25:47)
• Discusses how cast backgrounds in theater, improv, and standup created a sports-team chemistry, “just knew where each other were going to be.” (28:00)

Notable quote:

• “Eventually, it becoming like... the Oklahoma City Thunder now... when they just knew where each other were going to be.” (28:25)

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6. The Chili Meme & Cultural Impact (29:55–32:33)

• Jerry confides in Brian about having a scene memed to death; Brian shares that the chili cold open (“Kevin’s Famous Chili”) became an internet phenomenon.
• “Did I think that I was gonna have a chili cookbook? No, not at all.” (30:31)
• “Half the people come up and are like, that is hilarious. And then half the people are like, I can’t watch it. I feel so bad.” (31:30)
• Brian now has a chili cookbook with 177 recipes.

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7. Top 3 Office Scenes (Throwback 3) (32:16–34:23)

• Brian’s picks:
  • Stress Relief (Super Bowl episode): Iconic cold open with Dwight’s fake fire drill.
  • Dinner Party: Jan and Michael’s cringeworthy dinner.
  • Yankee Swap (First Christmas episode): Set the standard for the show’s heart and humor.

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8. Golf Podcasting and Passion (35:26–40:52)

• Brian talks about his podcast We Need a Fourth with Kenny Mayne & Cooper Manning.
• How the trio came together is a mystery even to Brian, but the chemistry is real.
• Kenny Mayne’s notorious golf shot: “Kenny hit a car on his second shot [on the Old Course at St Andrews]… the Royal and Ancient didn’t think was possible.” (40:25)
• Big-name athlete guests, golf “vibes,” and the fun of not actually being that good.

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9. The Celebrity Golf Experience (43:19–46:12)

• American Century Championship in Tahoe:
  • “This will be my 19th year.” (44:35)
  • Brian on nerves: “There were years... that I was concerned about getting the ball on the tee to stay there, just the hands... just a little.” (44:37)

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10. Award Shows, Emmys, and Steve Carell’s Legendary Losses (46:27–48:46)

• The Office and Entourage collectively went 1–23 in Best Comedy categories—Jerry is still bitter.
• “To me, if you—oh man—I don’t want to make the Academy mad either, but I’ll just state a fact: Steve Carell never won [an Emmy]. That doesn’t make any sense.” (48:39, Brian)

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11. Fictional Basketball Players Draft (50:48–63:00+)

• Inspired by The Office's “Basketball” episode, Matt and Jerry draft their favorite fictional hoopers from TV/movies.
• Picks include: Jesus Shuttlesworth (He Got Game), Billy Hoyle (White Men Can't Jump), Neon Boudeaux (Blue Chips), Shep (Above the Rim), Stefan Urquelle (Family Matters), Uncle Drew, Jackie Moon (Semi-Pro), Scott Howard (Teen Wolf), The Fresh Prince (Will Smith), and more.
• Debate over picking for skill, comedy, or cult status.
• Self-deprecating humor about their own TV or sports history:
  • “I have way more comedy on my team.” (59:00, Jerry)
  • “I don’t know, man. I have way more economy on my team.” (59:00, Jerry)
  • “I’ve got a wolf on my team, are you kidding me?”—Matt on picking Teen Wolf (57:13)

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12. Golf Bets & Upcoming Events (64:06–66:31)

• Matt is entering a PGA event and setting honest betting lines:
  • “I don’t think I can break 90... 99 is a great score on that course... with the amount of golf I’m gonna have, I’m gonna bogey a lot.” (65:00)
• Discussion on filming content while playing, realistic goals for casuals on tough courses.
• Playful ribbing on who’s Manhattan’s best swinging Entourage member.

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Notable Quotes

• Brian on memes:
  “You type into... it doesn’t matter. The giggling or the chili thing... Did I think that I was gonna have a chili cookbook? No, not at all.” (30:12)

• On The Office set dynamics:
  “All of that time together, all of those hours that we had to be there, did have a purpose later on because we... all knew what everybody’s strength was and how to, you know, maybe improv something to give somebody a layup.” (28:50)

• On Steve Carell’s Emmy snub:
  “Steve Carell never won. That doesn’t make any sense.” (48:44, Brian)

• On auditioning for The Office:
  “I went in and I read the role of Stanley as though it was Kevin, and just got lucky. They just saw it.” (14:01)

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Timestamped Highlights

| Timestamp | Segment / Quote | |-------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:10 | Brian: “I look at the people who are on your show, and there’s a few that golf at least.” | | 07:05 | Brian: “I have organic reasons to root for two really good teams right now.” | | 12:22 | Brian: "Greg Daniels...fought the network...to not do the [casting] test in a theater." | | 16:03 | Brian: “Even at the time, it was like, ‘You can’t do this on television.’” | | 18:45 | Brian: "All of us...were number one on the call sheet...60, 70 hours every week." | | 31:30 | Brian: "Half the people [about chili meme] come up and are like, that is hilarious..." | | 32:33 | Throwback 3: Brian’s favorite Office scenes | | 40:25 | Brian: “Kenny [Mayne] hit a car on his second shot [at St Andrews]...” | | 44:37 | Brian: “...concerned about getting the ball on the tee to stay there, just the hands...” | | 48:39 | Brian: “Steve Carell never won. That doesn’t make any sense.” | | 50:48–63:00 | Fictional basketball player draft |

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Tone and Style

The episode balances humorous banter, sports nerding-out, and honest nostalgia. Brian’s dry wit, Jerry’s self-deprecating humor, and Matt’s storytelling create a relatable, fast-flowing, and engaging conversation, packed with quotable moments and deep-cut sports and pop culture references.

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For More

• Listen to “We Need a Fourth” (Brian’s golf podcast)
• Check out Brian’s “Seriously Good Chili Cookbook”
• Vote on social for who’d win: Entourage cast or The Office cast in a golf 3v3?

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This summary omits ad reads, intros, and outros per request.

Transcript

[Matt]

Entourage cast, office cast, like a 3v3. Jerry, you get two of your guys versus Brian, you get two of your guys from the office. Who are you picking?

[Brian Baumgartner]

I don't mean to profile, but I just. I look at the people who are on your show, and I have a strong feeling that there's a few that golf at least.

[Jerry]

There was a lot of golf on our actual show. Our in between takes, we were like hitting on a golf simulator.

[Brian Baumgartner]

We probably lose regardless.

[Jerry]

All right, welcome to another episode of Throwbacks. Please do us the solid. Go to the YouTube Throwback Show. Subscribe, like, leave some comments. Same thing with all the socials at Throwback Show. Been having a lot of fun. They put us in like a Met gala outfit the other day. Matt thought that was by the way.

[Matt]

We're everywhere, buddy. We're everywhere.

[Jerry]

Yeah, the Michael. Shockingly enough, if you haven't listened to the Michael Redd episode, go fire that one up if you want some really good basketball combo. But also, like, you just never know. He told that 2K story about his son. Million views, like four days. It's crazy.

[Matt]

Michael's great, man.

[Jerry]

Michael Red's great. But you know who else is great? I don't know if you were a big Office fan. I was a big fan of the show. I really became a bigger fan when it started airing on Netflix. It's one of those shows I caught up with in full later. We have the great Brian Baumgartner joining us. Played the role of Kevin. We talk all stuff. The Office, obviously. He has a great, great golf podcast with Cooper Manning and Kenny Maine called we need the fourth. You can get that on YouTube and wherever you get your podcast. Awesome chili cookbook based. Probably off the episode with him, his character cooking.

[Matt]

One of the greatest me of all time. I got a chance. I got a chance to golf with him last year. Met him last year. Saw him up at Tahoe. Saw him up in Scotland with Travis Matthew, SMU grad. So he and I have connected so big.

[Jerry]

Coal liner.

[Matt]

He and I have connected kind of through that as well. But yeah, just a great dude. Excited to have him on.

[Jerry]

That's just so funny when you think about it, dude, because, like, you've met him now. We just had him on the pod and like, you know, he like whenever Cole firmly supplants himself. Yeah, some snipes. He's gonna be screaming coal liner.

[Matt]

I fully expect him to donating to the SMU Nil fund as well. So we'll see.

[Jerry]

You should text them on the side and Pressure. So, yes, we got Brian coming on also, too. One of my favorite episodes of the Office. I think a lot of people's favorite episodes is the basketball episode, Right? So it got you and I talking, Matt, after Brian's interview, we are going to draft. Because we love drafts on this show.

[Matt]

Love drafts.

[Jerry]

We're going to draft our favorite. We'll just label it favorite fictional basketball players. Do with that what you may.

[Matt]

Movies, shows, whatever.

[Jerry]

Yes, yes. You can go any direction. You can go comedy. You could go actual skill level, whatever you want to do. So stick around after Brian's episode for that. We're going to get to it in a second. And before we do, we're going to do our NHTSA segment. And this one is entitled Nitza Muscle Memory. Okay. Muscle memory. Click it. Don't risk it. Paid for by nhtsa. So what we're going to do here is we're going to try to figure out times where you had to rely on some muscle memory. Okay? I am not an athlete like you, so I will have a question for you that involves athleticism. For me, I've been getting asked a ton now since we did that April Fool's joke about the Entourage reboot, and it got me thinking. If it does get announced that we're doing the Entourage reboot and I gotta step into the Air Force ones and the backward Yankees fitted again, can I

[Matt]

even juke it back?

[Jerry]

Like, what's the. What's the muscle memory like since I've last played that character? I've had a million kids and I've been married and I've moved coat. Like, so much has happened. I genuinely think, Matt, it would take me quite a while till that muscle memory kicked back in and I was in the flow. I'm just a different. I know it's a character and it's not me, but also, like, I'm in such a different place, and I like some of those lines now that Turtle would say as a dad, as an older guy, like, I would have to really get used to the timing. You know, he was very much speaking in a relevant way to that generation. And now I'm like, I feel like the old head. So I. It would. My muscle memory would need to really, really snap.

[Matt]

I think you would. I think you would snap in, especially being around those guys. I think it would be. But Also, you're like 80 pounds lighter, too. You don't even feel. You don't even look like Turtle anymore. So good for you. I think. I think. I think you'd snap Back into it, though.

[Jerry]

All right? So I'm gonna tee you up here and feel free to take this in any direction you want. But for you, right, Obviously you've had the double hip replacements, you've had your share of injuries. You are as well. You know, you're a dad now. You're running around town if you got the call, okay. And I'm not even gonna say you need a touchdown to win the game. It, it's, it's 4th and 8 and you have to get a first down or else the ball game's over. Which part of your muscle memory are you relying on to get that first down? What's the play?

[Matt]

Listen, I'll throw a fade all day. I don't have to move my arm. My every part about my arm, the motion, the strength. It's probably not, it wasn't never really strong. It's probably not as strong. Could. Could flick the ball out there.

[Jerry]

30 yards, that thing that spirals tight.

[Matt]

He's easy. The, the kicker is I never was a run. I haven't fully ran like run probably opened up in probably 20 years. Nor could I. Yeah. So as long as I'm in shotgun and I'm taking a little quick three step and I'm just throwing a fade out to Andre Johnson or Larry Fitzgerald or Anquan Bolden, three of my boys. Yeah, I, I think I could, I could complete a ball for sure.

[Jerry]

Could you hit a, you could hit a quick slant right now?

[Matt]

Yeah, I could hit a quick slant. I could hit a curl route.

[Jerry]

What do you think is the route you would have the most like.

[Matt]

Oh, gosh, I got throwing a freaking an out or a comeback on the outside, but I was getting pick six the other way.

[Jerry]

That's the pick six rounds.

[Matt]

Yeah, the pick six or some. A deep post over the middle. I'm, I'm hitting about 45 yards, probably.

[Jerry]

Wow. Shout outs again. Remember, muscle memory. Click it, don't risk it. Paid for by Nitza. Let's bring on the great Brian Baumgartner. All right, enough time has gone by. Brian, thank you for joining the show. First of all, we were just doing a little. I love when we do the off air podcast stuff right before you roll.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yeah.

[Jerry]

You guys took out football helmets. I wish we were rolling for this. But show, if you can show the listeners and viewers.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Well, listen, I, I, Yeah, well, I don't know about.

[Matt]

Yours is better than mine, dude.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Mine is better than yours right now for sure. We got the signed Coach Lashley helmet here that was delivered from smu. I know your son is. Is there working hard. I did a little work on. On you. That sounds awkward. 37 and 2. You were. If we throw it back to your. So I'm expecting. I'm expecting Cole to be dad. Two national championships. 37 and two.

[Matt]

I would. I would love nothing more than SMU to win a national championship when Cole's there in the next couple years. That would be like the coolest thing of all time, by the way, Rhett. I mean, you know as well as I do they have that place rolling right now with ni. With NIL and just the parody in college football and kind of their run the last couple years. There's this. I actually asked Cole this the other day. I'm like. He's like, dad, this is the year. I think this is the year we can make a run, like we can win a title. I'm like, you think you could be George on those teams? You know, just mess. He's like, yeah, I think so. But they got a good team, man. Rhett's done a great job up there.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Well, here's the thing. SMU is doing now legally, what USC did before illegally. So, I mean, I feel like, shocker that.

[Matt]

The shocker that you brought that up.

[Brian Baumgartner]

I feel. Well, listen, let me. Let you. Has its own history, by the way. I mean, they had history and the illegalities.

[Matt]

Eric Dickerson's walking around campus with the 1970, you know, pimped out Chevy. Whatever. Are you. Well, speaking of nil, are you donating to the NIL fund of SMU and. And perhaps maybe donating to my son's wallet?

[Brian Baumgartner]

I don't know. You know, I'm gonna. I'm gonna.

[Matt]

What?

[Brian Baumgartner]

What is it? I'm gonna. On the advice of council, I'm going to plead the fifth. I think that's what they say. No, look, I. I'm very, very lucky and I. So I. I do want to bring. Because of course, you brought up Georgia. I'm from Atlanta originally. My first sports love was actually. Was actually the Georgia Bulldogs of any team of any sport, Georgia football. I grew up in Atlanta and that's. That was when they were really good, you know, and then it took 40 years or whatever for them to get really good again. So I am conflicted. I've. I've often wondered. And. And Josh Brooks, the athletic director down at Georgia, has become a great friend. And. But now we've got smu, and that's. That's where I went to school. And. And my heart resides there. So I'm, I'm very lucky. I have, I have, I have organic reasons to root for two really good teams right now.

[Jerry]

And I will say I'm not a SMU fan. I'm now rooting for Cole. And, and I, I, I don't have a college football team. I grew up in New York, didn't really go to a big time college, so I never, I watch college sports all the time. I just never. My, my allegiance is up for grabs. And I will say the SMU uniforms, colorways, that helmet you've shown, I think I really do. I'm not even saying this because Cole's there, because you're on Brian. I think they are crushing that part of, of the game which to me matters because I like, I like swag 100%. I like to wear a good SMU shirt that Matt's got.

[Brian Baumgartner]

It's. Well, they, they said, hey, we want to send you. I, you know, I actually, I think the last time I saw Matt there was in. Was in San Diego for the Holiday bowl, which SMU crushed on. I went on the field and saw co actually dump eggnog on Coach Lashley after the victory. Weird tradition. And so they said, hey, we want to send you a thing. We want to send you a helmet. Getting back to your point. And they sent like four options. And I was like, they're all awesome. Like, they're all so cool. They've got the Dallas, you know, they've got the Dallas identity there with the big D and the pony and. Yeah, it's, it's really fun. The stadium's great. I'm going back. Well, I'll. Maybe I'll see you.

[Matt]

Are you going to the first game, the Monday night game in Florida?

[Brian Baumgartner]

I'm not, I'm not Florida State. I should have done this research. I, I believe it's homecoming. I'm going. I don't remember which game. I, I don't. But I am officially on the schedule to be there.

[Matt]

Yes. It's gonna be funnier.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Do a coin toss or something. Yeah, it's gonna be fun.

[Jerry]

So we got a lot to talk to you about today. I'm a huge golf fan player. Matt. I've done a lot of work with Matt. Not about his swing, about him just catching the golf bug that we've all caught. I love your pod. We need a fourth. We're going to get into that because I got a lot of questions and I got a few pitches for you of things we could do with golf that I just are on my mind. And I can't get them out. But what we like to do on throwbacks, we always like to throw it back. In the beginning. I've told on this show my kind of Entourage audition story. This is back when you used to do network tests in a theater. Super awkward, nerve wracking. Throw it back for a minute and take us back to your audition process for the Office. What was that like for you?

[Brian Baumgartner]

Well, it was, it was, it was very unique in a way that Greg Daniels, actually, Greg Daniels, who was the creator of, of the Office, he fought the network really, really hard at that time to not do what you're talking about, to not do the, the, the test in the theater. Because of the documentary style, he felt like it would only, it would only force people to be bigger, right? Like, like, because you're performing in front of these people and you want to get the laughs from the executives. And he was like, no, no, it's really, it's about, you know, the looks to the camera, the sort of subtle comedy. So he recorded them all on the set of, that they had built of, of the Office and so, and then showed the tapes from there. So in that way it was, it was unique. It was different in terms of how they did it. Myself specifically was unique because I was brand new to town. I had lived in Los Angeles like, I don't know, three months or something like that, and had done very little work, but ultimately worked for me because they were looking for, for unknown people at the time. So I knew this show, the Office, the Ricky Gervais version, and I had seen it and I was like, man, I have got, like, this is like, I get this, I get this comedy. I know what it's about. So I, like, fought to get an audition and Allison Jones, genius casting director, brought me in actually for Stanley, the role of Stanley. And I was like, God, fuck, man. Like, this is not the role. Like, because I knew the, the character was called Kevin, was called Keith in the British version. I was like, that's really, that's the one. So, you know, you hear these stories all the time and it doesn't feel, you know, about actors going in and, you know, playing a jerk and just acting like an. To the people in the room, you know, like doing some weird methody thing. It didn't feel like such a huge risk at the time, probably because I was new to town. Like, if I don't know that I would have had the balls to do it later on. I would have been like, well, whatever they think is good. But I went in and I read the role of Stanley as though it was Kevin, and just got lucky. I mean, they just saw it. And so I left the room and was walking out, and Allison Jones ran after me and said, hey, you know, know, we have this other role. And I had not seen the sides. I hadn't seen the work. I sat down for, like, 15 or 20 minutes and looked at it, but I. I was prepared because I knew,

[Jerry]

like, I knew you had a character in your mind.

[Brian Baumgartner]

I had a character in my mind, and, yeah, it just. It. It worked out.

[Matt]

Dude, that has. At what point I. I always ask. Ask Jerry this with Entourage, right? Because Entourage was such a classic and iconic show and obviously the Office as well. At what point are you shooting that show? At what point are you like, wow, this is something special that we have.

[Brian Baumgartner]

You know, it was really the. The first episode after the pilot. I mean, we almost didn't get picked up, and then we got picked up, and we came back in that first year. We only did six episodes, but the first one that we did was called Diversity Day, and that was. That was, like, right out of the gate. And as we were filming that episode, I remember, like, while they're setting up for lighting or whatever, I was like, man, this is so, like. I mean, even at the time, it was like, you can't do this on television. And it was really the first show since, like, all in the Family that was dealing with, like, race issue, like, issues that are kind of hot button issues in the country. Everything had sort of avoided it, you know, for those, like, 30 years in between. All in the Family, in the Office. And I was like, man, if people give this a chance, what we're doing is really cool. Like, this is. This is cool. This is. I. I love this. And, you know, it. It took some time for the. For the rest of the country to kind of figure out that it was cool. You know, we were almost canceled, like, four times the first year, but thankfully, we had some. Some. Some people who were looking out. Out for us at the network and. And liked it and kept it going. So I thought really early it was something special. It was really not until the Christmas episode of season two, where it. The first Christmas episode that we did where it was like, oh, we're. We're gonna be around for a while.

[Matt]

How many seasons you guys did? What, nine, ten seasons?

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yeah, nine. Ten years. Nine seasons.

[Matt]

Because I think. Jerry. Jerry, you said what it was like episode two or three for you with Entourage that you had a feeling. It was like, oh, we might have stumbled on a pretty cool show.

[Jerry]

Well, yeah, we didn't know if anyone was watching, but I think create like we did the third episode, which involved Jimmy Kimmel, where it was kind of like, oh, this is what the show is. First two episodes. Like not a whole lot happened. You know, there was some funny moments and. But I remember that third episode, the actors, even our showrunner was like, oh, this is what. This is what the show is. It's so funny because, like when I look at the office, I can't not turn. I have like the actor brain to me. And there's so many scenes because you have that big set piece and you have to be in the back of people's shots, even if it's not a big day for you. So I imagine you had a lot of downtime on some days where it's like Kevin's in the back of everyone's shot today. And I read some of the stuff you've talked about in the past, like used to pay bills on the working computer. I know you guys play Madden, so I mean, first off, as a huge gamer, the Madden thing really happened. Who was getting the most wins playing Madden in between setups.

[Brian Baumgartner]

I mean, there were, There was a. There were years where every. And yes to your point. All right, so number one. Yeah. I mean, now that I know more at the time, again, I was pretty new to la. Like, I didn't realize so much that this was not usual. But now I know we were all. Our schedule, all of us, like 15, 16 of us was all like, we were number one on the call sheet, like the show. We were there 60, 70 hours, like every day, every week. And so, yeah, so we were all there. So because we were all there, there were years that John Krasinski and I, every single day at lunch we played Madden. Like we would get a game or two in over lunch. Rainn Wilson was a. Was a regular participant as well. But it was really John and I and we would do the thing where, I mean, it's been so long since I played, it's like I still buy it sometimes and then I never play it anymore where you take the, the joystick. God, I'm probably sounding old. And you push it down and toggle spins. The toggle.

[Jerry]

Random. You do the random. Random three shots.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yeah, random teams. And they would come up and then sometimes it would be like, I don't know, the Patriots against the Browns or something. And it be like, okay, no, we got. Let's. We're going to do. We're going to do, we're going to do that again, weirdly because I've ended up now in Southern. Southern California. My team was the Chargers. I didn't really have, I didn't. It wasn't like I loved them or whatever, but, man, we called it the Gates. I called it the Gates play. But like, yeah, Gates running the seam was almost unstoppable. And then, you know, John was a homer. He was Patriots guy.

[Matt]

How was John as a Madden player?

[Brian Baumgartner]

It was good. I mean, I, I honestly, I feel like I would, I feel like you'd

[Matt]

be a good Madden player.

[Brian Baumgartner]

I feel like I, I feel like we were kind of the same. Like, like it, it went back and forth. That's my memory. And I, and I'm saying that not. I love that because I kicked his ass and not because I got my ass kicked. Like, that was. Right. Rain was definitely not as seasoned. But yeah, I mean, we would have, we would have the girls in there sometime, like Jenna Fisher and Angela Kinsey. Sometimes they would come in and watch. I remember that. I think. I don't remember them ever playing, but they would just kind of be in there while we were playing. I don'.

[Jerry]

70 hour work weeks. You'll do anything for some entertainment while you're waiting for something set up for your time.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Exactly.

[Matt]

We, I gotta, we, I gotta send you. You gotta buy. The new NCAA is coming out in fall and because Cole is gonna be in it, which he's really excited about. So he's like, dad, are you gonna play with me? And I'm like, hell yeah, I'm gonna play with you. Even though you're gonna be the backup, I'm gonna put you in there. He's really excited about it, though. It's giving me something to now play for. You know, as we get older, dude, you know, we don't play as many video games.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yeah.

[Jerry]

You know what's tough this time of year? Trying to keep any kind of routine when you're constantly on the move. Whether it's early flights, long days, or bouncing between things, it's really easy for the stuff, you know, makes you feel good to fall off. For me, I try to stay consistent with just one thing every day. Something simple that keeps me feeling on track. And that's where Caciava's new travel packs have really been. Close. Clutch. They make it ridiculously easy. You just toss a couple of packs in your bag and you're good. No scooping, no mess, no thinking twice about it. And it's not just convenience. It's actually doing something for you. You're getting plant based protein, fiber, greens, probiotics, all in one shake. I've noticed better energy throughout the day and it keeps everything balanced even when my schedule is not. It's clean too. No artificial flavors or sweeteners. Non gmo, no soy, no gluten. Just real ingredients that actually taste good. And having that consistency even when everything else is moving around makes a big difference. Take your daily ritual with you. Go to kachava.com use code throwbacks for 15% off your first order. That's Kachava K A C H A V A dot com code throwbacks I'm US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. We all seem to be in a rush these days, from work to driving our kids around. But when you're behind the wheel, please do not speed.

[Brian Baumgartner]

A few minutes saved by going faster is never worth the risk.

[Jerry]

So follow the speed limit, enjoy the

[Brian Baumgartner]

drive, maybe bring some snacks for the kids.

[Jerry]

And know that along the way you're getting quality time with your family, paid for by nhtsa. You might think the worst part about not wearing your seat belt is getting a ticket. The fine, the inconvenience, maybe even the embarrassment of being pulled over. But the truth is, the ticket isn't the real problem.

[Matt]

Yeah, the real cost comes in a crash. Without your seat belt, you're far more likely to be badly hurt or even worse. That can mean serious injuries, long hospital stays, months of recovery, and missing out on the moments that matter most. Compared to that, a ticket is nothing.

[Jerry]

That's why law enforcement is paying attention. If they see you driving or riding without your seatbelt, you could expect to be pulled over. And you can expect the ticket because that ticket is meant to remind you to buckle up before it's too late. Seat belts save lives, so take the

[Matt]

extra second to buckle in. Click it, don't risk it. Paid for by nhtsa. I love, like hearing set stories because I, I've, I just ask Jerry all the time about Entourage. What, what else? Like, what are some funny moments from set? Because you guys are sitting in there all day, right? And you just like, I know it's the Madden stuff, but I imagine being surrounded with so many funny, talented people. There's got to be just some fun stuff that you look back and like, damn, that was fun.

[Jerry]

Yeah.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Not that you're asking this directly. We used to get all the time because there was the, you know, the beginning of our shows, there was a lot of pranks. You know, like the gym and Dwight pranks and people Would say, like the pranks. And what do you guys do to prank? I don't know. I guess we were kind of boring. Like, there wasn't a whole lot of, like that kind of. Of, you know, like actual pranks and stuff that happened. But yeah, I mean, because we were all trapped in that room. I mean, the. There was no open wall. You know, as Jerry know, it's very different. I mean, it's, you know, sort of like you're shooting on location. Although it's a set that's built in the. In the, you know, middle of a sound stage, but the doors closed.

[Jerry]

You're like on a ship, essentially.

[Brian Baumgartner]

We were on a ship. Exactly. Like, we were stuck in there. So, yeah, we would just. So much laughing and, you know, we. We talk about now some of our favorite times. The. The conference room scenes, right? Those kind of became a big deal. But, like, they were. It was small. Like, this was not a large room. And it wasn't extended, you know, for the cameras or for sound guys. So it was, you know, the 15 people or whatever that you saw two cameras, two sound guys, like. And I mean, pressed into the corner, hot as balls. Just like so hot and cramped. And. And so you get punchy, right? I mean, it's like when you think about when you're in school, right, and you just. Something makes you laugh and then you laugh and then you can't stop laughing

[Jerry]

and then the crew gets maxed and then.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Exactly. Because it's like, come on, guys, get it together. But those scenes, you know, which might be, you know, eight minutes or whatever in the episode, I mean, that would be a full day. Like a full, you know, like 12, 14 hour day that you're stuck in that room. And it's like they would call cut and we would get out of there, just walk out of the room for a couple of seconds and try to cool it down. But though there's a lot of memories in that, and us just like, you know, we were so lucky. And I. No one's admitted to this exactly, but I know that Greg is a genius. Allison Jones, the casting director is a genius. You know, all the actors, or not all, but there. There were groups, right, that came. Had different backgrounds, right? So, for example, like Rain Wilson and myself, we came from theater. Like, we were theater actors. And then you had like, Oscar Nunez and Steve Carell and, you know, I'm not gonna name everybody that was. Were like improv people, like Second City and all of that. And then you had Craig Robinson, genius. One of the funniest guys you will ever see doing stand up. BJ Novak, Stand up. So we had all of these people from all of these backgrounds that sort of. This is not a great way to say, but, like, approached comedy in a different way or had a different history. So all of us there and figuring out what that dynamic was, and then to bring it back to sports, it eventually becoming like a. Well, the Oklahoma City Thunder now, or, you know, we always talk, you know, like Golden State warriors back in the day when they just knew where each other were going to be. You could deliver the ball exactly. Exactly how people wanted it delivered and would ultimately lead to success. And so all of that time together, all of those hours that we had to be there, did have a. A purpose later on because we. We all knew what everybody's strength was and how to, you know, maybe improv something to. To give somebody a layup.

[Jerry]

I. I always say television because I always try to make sports references. Television shows on the inside are very much like a sports franchise, you know, from, like, the front office and management and ownership, which is the network, and then the players and then each department. It's like your special teams unit. It always functions like that. Last few things on this before we get on to the real meat and potatoes, which is golf, that I'm dying to talk to you about. You. You've had so many classic scenes. All of you on the show have. But, like, obviously the chili scene. I always. Because, look, I've been memed once before. I did a scene with 50 cent that is now gone on. I see it probably 10 times a day when I'm on social media. It's him laughing at me, and he drives away the chili sea. Like, for. I guess, take me through when you were shooting that. Because I remember with the 50 Cent scene, I'm like, scene's kind of funny. I did not think. And I said this off the air. I wish. I wish we could get residuals on the memes. That would solve a lot of union problems.

[Matt]

Right?

[Brian Baumgartner]

You and I are speaking the same. I'm like, wait, how is this just fine now? What is this like? Yeah, I mean, you. You type into the.

[Matt]

It is a great meme.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yeah, yeah. Kevin, you don't even have to. It doesn't matter.

[Matt]

You're famous, buddy.

[Brian Baumgartner]

It's like. It's all of that. The giggling or the chili thing.

[Matt]

Yeah.

[Brian Baumgartner]

I mean, look, I did. Did I think that I was gonna have a cook?

[Jerry]

You have a cookbook.

[Brian Baumgartner]

I'm looking to see if it's here, right Now. Yeah.

[Jerry]

Which, by the way, I just purchased knowing you were coming on the show.

[Brian Baumgartner]

77 chili recipes that I have. No, I mean, no, not at all. I thought it was. I thought it was funny. And, you know, it was. It was very different for the show. Like, and not to get too nerdy, but, like, you know, if you watch the whole thing is. Has a voiceover. That wasn't something that we did. You know, it was just me. That wasn't something that we, you know, so that was one instance where a few hours, everybody else got to go home. And so it was different in that way, but in terms of, like, you know, being able to do something with physical comedy and that also, like, I think, you know, I hope has a heart to it as well. You know, I mean, I get. Half the people come up and are like, that is hilarious. And then half people are like, I can't watch it. I feel so bad.

[Jerry]

So bad.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yeah.

[Jerry]

So you killed it.

[Brian Baumgartner]

That's. So. That's the mark of something cool. So I. Yeah, I. I am shocked that we're. That you brought it up, that it was still talked about, but it's. Yeah, it's.

[Jerry]

We don't get residuals anymore. It'd be nice.

[Matt]

I'll say it's a gift that's nice on giving, but it's not giving you any residuals.

[Jerry]

But nice if we did solve a lot of problems.

[Matt]

No, it's not.

[Brian Baumgartner]

But seriously, Good chili cookbook is available. There's 177.

[Jerry]

I just bought it as a big chili guy. I just bought crock pots. Ready? Are you a chili guy? I'm a big chili in the winter. In the winter. Football Chile. It's like the greatest.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Fantastic.

[Jerry]

But I think that's better than, like, a hot dog at a ball game. I like chili in a football game.

[Brian Baumgartner]

There you go.

[Matt]

Chili in the winter. Okay, last thing. Before golf, we do a Throwback 3 segment every week. Your Throwback 3 favorite office scenes.

[Jerry]

You don't have to be in them. If you don't. You don't have to be in them or not.

[Matt]

Looking back, your three favorite scenes from the show.

[Brian Baumgartner]

My three favorite. Well, I'll keep it in sports a little bit. I, you know, people always say, like, what. You know, what is your favorite episode? And I usually retort like, well, what's yours? Doesn't really matter what mine is, but, you know, so here's where Netflix Peacock. You know, watching the show streaming that you don't. You wouldn't know this unless you were watching at the time. But the episode stress relief. We had the opportunity. We were. We aired after the super bowl when that was the first year that I went to the Super Bowl. And that opening scene of that, which is referred to as like the fake fire drill. Dwight, it does the fake fire drill. Angela throws the cat up into the ceiling and I bust the vending machine and Stanley has a heart attack. And like all of that and it was big, right? So it was. It was big, big because it was like the super bowl just ended. We gotta start this show with a bang. And goes into, you know, the CPR dummy and all of that. All those moments that, you know, stayed around online. That's definitely one I think in terms of it's easy that I wasn't in which is the dinner party scene. Jan and Michael having the dinner party at their house, which Kevin was not invited to. But that was that. I think that episode is genius. And number three, I'll just say again because, you know, because of what it. It sort of meant for the show. The. That Yankee swap first Christmas episode that we did was pretty freaking.

[Matt]

Yes.

[Jerry]

That's ins.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Your summer starts now with Memorial Day deals at the Home Depot. It's time to fire up summer cookouts with the next grill 4 burner gas grill on special. Buy for only $199 and entertain all season with the Hampton bay West Grove 7 piece outdoor dining set for only $499. This Memorial Day, get low prices guaranteed at the Home Depot while supplies last price invalid makes May 14 through May 27. US only exclusions apply. Seehomedepot.com Pricematch for details.

[Matt]

You thought this was your run club era. Turns out it was more of a thinking about run club era. The good news, Someone's marathon training is about to start. Sell your workout gear on Depop. Just snap a few photos and we'll take care of the rest. They get their race day fit and you get a payout for trying. Someone on Depop wants what you've got. Start selling now.

[Jerry]

Depop.

[Matt]

Where taste recognizes taste.

[Jerry]

We thank you for going back in time a little bit and talking about that. But now we're moving on to what I. First of all, I am a golf freak, right? My whole objective. And my wife. I don't think my wife listens to the pod. I hope she doesn't hear this. What she does not know is I'm always plotting and planning. If she only knew how many golf rounds I've planned that I actually didn't go on because we just had our third Baby. But I'm always plotting and planning.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yeah.

[Jerry]

You have a great podcast, Winnie the Fourth. It's you, Kenny Maine, Cooper Manning. Matt. You saw then you guys, didn't you?

[Matt]

Yeah.

[Jerry]

So, yeah. What was that?

[Matt]

We were in. Me and Brian met in Scotland last summer, and that's when. Right when you guys launched.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Right?

[Matt]

Was that like the first. Did you do your first shows out there?

[Brian Baumgartner]

We did not, but that was sort of our. We had recorded shows prior to that, but that was sort of our big launch shot material. How do.

[Matt]

How do the three of you come together to do this?

[Brian Baumgartner]

Dude, that is a great question. That is.

[Matt]

Kenny Maine is legendary.

[Brian Baumgartner]

I will tell you. Kenny Maine is insane. Literally. So I was approached about doing this. I don't know how long, maybe years they had been talking about it. And I don't know how the two of them, but I know that it was the two of them because someone. Well, not someone, the folks at Smartless behind the Smartless podcast came to me, and the document that I got describing the show wasn't. Wasn't edited to be sent to me. It was like our hosts, Cooper Manning and Kenny Maine, and then describe the show, and I'm like, well, I guess these two guys are doing it. And I was like. I was like, I don't. Like, why?

[Jerry]

Who.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Why? Like, how are we together? And so I started, like, doing due diligence and I started talking to people and specifically Cooper Manning. It was bizarre in the golf world. And I'll. I'll reference one because I specifically remember having the conversation and it. And their reunion just happened. Charlie Hoffman, who's a neighbor of mine, you know, PGA Tour, 20 plus years, which is incredibly hard to do. He. I was talking to him. I'm like, yeah. I mean, I've been. I've been approached about this golf podcast, Cooper Manning. And he goes, oh, oh, he is 100% the best Manning. And I was like, what? And they were like, no, no, no, no. It's not even. It's not even close. And I'm like, how do you know? And he's like, well, we have the. Whatever, the thing that you have, the partners down in New Orleans, you know, And Cooper's like, king of New Orleans.

[Jerry]

Yeah.

[Brian Baumgartner]

And he hosts a big dinner, and he. Everybody go, you want an invite to this Cooper Manning dinner in New Orleans? And he and Charlie become friends. And I kept hearing it over and over, and I was like, oh, okay. I mean, I know the other two a little. Like, if he's the best, like, okay. And Kenny Maine is just like. Yeah, I mean, I, I. It sounds weird now, but, like, I grew up watching. We all did.

[Matt]

Yeah.

[Brian Baumgartner]

I'm sure people say that about me now, too, but I. Yeah. So I don't know really how it happened. And I was like, well, I'll give this a try. It's been so much fun. I have. So I'm sure you guys are. Are the same. I don't know how you guys got together. You sure you've told your story before, too? But I. It was just like that. It was just like, I'm having so much fun doing it. The guests that we've had. Incredible.

[Jerry]

Just had Larry Fitz, too. Right liner, former target in Arizona.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Love. Love him. Getting a lot of golf people are now coming to us and wanting to be on.

[Matt]

That's awesome.

[Brian Baumgartner]

So it's been. It's been a lot of fun. It's been a lot of fun.

[Matt]

So Kenny made last in Scotland. He's. I hadn't seen Kenny since probably, like, like an ESPYS party like, in 2008 or so.

[Jerry]

Those used to be fun.

[Matt]

Oh, they were so fun.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yeah.

[Matt]

Kenny. Kenny's. And Cooper is just an awesome dude. He's so funny, man. It's such a great pod, dude. It's so fun.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Well, thank you. And here's the other thing. It. I mean, it goes to show you, you don't have to be great at golf. I mean, Kenny is not. And I mean, like, he's working hard. He's not.

[Jerry]

But I loves it.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Telling you, he loves it so much more than I do, and I like golf a lot. I play a lot of golf. He loves it so much. But, yeah, like, I think he's the. He's the only person in the history of the old course. The 18th hole famously, is along a road.

[Jerry]

Yeah, the road.

[Brian Baumgartner]

And then. And then there's cars that are parked, and it's like, park at your own risk. Kenny hit a car on his second shot.

[Matt]

I think he told that at dinner that night.

[Brian Baumgartner]

A very short par 4, which I. I think everyone. The. The. The royal and Ancients didn't think was possible. But, yeah, he's. He's. He's a. He's a. He's a beauty.

[Matt]

So I want to ask this question to you, put you both on the spot, since we all love golf here and you two, especially Entourage. Cast. Office cast. I don't know if any of your office guys play golf, but like, a 3v3. We talking or like 3v3, Jerry, you get two of your guys versus Brian you get two of your guys from the office.

[Jerry]

I know who I'm picking. Who are you?

[Matt]

Who are you picking? 3.

[Brian Baumgartner]

3. 3v3. We lose. We lose. Cause I just you know, I don't athlete on that. I don't mean to Johnson. I don't mean to profile but I just, I look at the people who are on your show and I have a strong feeling that there's a few that golf at least there's a lot of golf.

[Jerry]

On our actual show we had a golf sim. We were like hitting on a golf simulator.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yeah.

[Matt]

So looking at your show regardless, I

[Brian Baumgartner]

will tell you this. If it was 2v2, we have a chance. The only other person that record. Well, Corell and I played a couple of times in Los Angeles. I'm going to stop there. I don't want to say anything that he doesn't want me to say but I think the only time he ever played was with me and he's an athlete, man. Like he was an old hockey player.

[Jerry]

Yeah.

[Brian Baumgartner]

And this is now the second time I've told this fairly recently and I don't know if he would be mad but he was during the office he was playing in a hockey rec league. That's awesome. LA And I don't. He didn't really talk about it publicly so I don't know. I must say he doesn't do it anymore but. So he has a swing but hockey

[Jerry]

players always have a golf always have a swing.

[Brian Baumgartner]

But he, he, he doesn't really play. The only person that played who is doesn't play a lot anymore and is you know, I think his handicap is But Andy Buckley who played David Wallace, the, the CEO he played at Stanford in college. He claims it was the like he was the 13th player but I'm like dude, if you played at the same school that Tiger woods and like the two most iconic players ever, men's and women's, you probably were pretty damn good. And he's, he's good. So yeah, we'd have a chance to be to any more than that. We're done.

[Matt]

Let me ask you a question because I saw, I don't think I, I not sure I saw you in Tahoe, but I was there and I know you played. I played the practice round.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Okay.

[Matt]

And I remember I was playing with actually playing with Chad mom and, and Wells and Austin.

[Jerry]

That's a podcast. We don't want to challenge to a

[Matt]

golf and anyway I, I think it's 17A17. The one the par 3 on the water right there. Right and that was our first. That was our first hole. We played the practice round. You play that, that tournament, and it's so fun. I was there, I think, on Friday. How nervous are you? Just the first shot of the day. Because I'm always like, golf with a gallery. And all of that is just a different experience.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yeah. I mean, here's the good news. The good news is, and because, you know, I. I've been fortunate enough to play with a bunch of golfers also. You're talking about on the podcast. It seems like even for professionals, they feel it on their first tee shot of any tournament. And they're very clear when they're teeing it up at Augusta or the U.S. open. Like, that first tee shot is nerve wracking. And I would say the same is true for me. I mean, I've been lucky enough. It. It is. It means so much to me. The American Century Championship there in Lake Tahoe. This will be my 19th year.

[Jerry]

That's good for you, man.

[Brian Baumgartner]

19th year. And there, I don't know about anymore, but there were years on the first tee that I was concerned about getting the ball on the tee to stay there, because just the hands. I feel you just a little and just like. Yeah. And there's a lot of people around. And here's the thing. To anyone who wants to venture out to Lake Tahoe and take it in one, I encourage you to do it. They get more fans, literally more fans every single year than the year before. I encourage you to come out. You need to remember, these are not professional golfers. And they line up on the fairway as though we are like, as though there's no chance for them to get hit. And I'm just like on that for that first tee shot. Now 17.

[Matt]

17's a lot of pressure, man.

[Brian Baumgartner]

17. I. I love, like when I'm walking and there are so many people, you scary it. You can't even like, I mean, at the tee box, you know, there's the. There's this stands behind, but even on the sides there, well, you've got the beach. The beach is totally full. And on the other side now, it's like 15 or 20 deep going back that I love. My problem. My problem is I find a way to get up for those holes. But then when I'm playing like hole four in the very back of the

[Jerry]

golf and no one's really there.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yeah, I'm like, we got through that double, double bogey. It is.

[Matt]

It is.

[Jerry]

You're a pressure guy, Ryan.

[Matt]

You're a pressure Guy, It's a really special weekend.

[Brian Baumgartner]

I love it, man.

[Jerry]

I did find something interesting in some of them. I wouldn't call it research, but I was just knowing we were having you on, because I also remember fortunate enough to go every year almost with Entourage to the Emmys and the Golden Globes, but the Office and Entourage collectively, not counting, like, the acting awards. Like, Piven won three in a row. But best comedy in both Golden Globes and Emmys, dude, we're like, collectively 1 and 23. I think you guys won. The Office won best comedy its first year, I think, out of the gate.

[Brian Baumgartner]

That's right.

[Jerry]

And then you went over entre.

[Matt]

We went, oh, Jerry's so bitter about this.

[Jerry]

It's not even.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Like,

[Jerry]

they never won Emmys and Golden Globes over best comedy over never.

[Brian Baumgartner]

We were. I don't remember. I mean, the gold.

[Jerry]

Remember the year you won? Well, because people would have this habit. They would sometimes call Entourage the Entourage. Right. So I remember. Gosh, it was some legendary. Like, Carol. Like, I forget who announced, but they literally went, the winner is the. And I thought for a minute, like, oh, fuck, they're gonna say the Entourage, the Office. So it's. Yeah, we got a terrible record collectively.

[Brian Baumgartner]

You and I re really bad. I mean, the Golden Globes, let's be honest, with all. With all due future respect to the Hollywood Foreign Press association, they. They like new shows. So it's sort of like Steve won when. When we were on the cusp of being cancelled. Like, you know, it was. It was like, you know, Christmas time. Well, right around when the crit. Right when we exploded. He won. Wasn't expected to. If you don't win that one early, that one's done. So I'm not saying it doesn't count, but that one just. Yeah, it. That one they like different. And. And then. Yeah, the. The Emmys, too. I mean, the. To me, if you. Oh, man. I don't want to make the Academy mad either, but I'll just state a fact. Steve Carell never won.

[Jerry]

Tough.

[Brian Baumgartner]

I mean, that's like.

[Jerry]

That's tough.

[Brian Baumgartner]

I mean, it just. That doesn't make any sense.

[Matt]

Correct.

[Brian Baumgartner]

That doesn't make any sense.

[Jerry]

And last fun fact of the show. I don't think Matt watched that episode that aired after the super bowl because that was the Cardinals versus Steelers.

[Brian Baumgartner]

That's right.

[Jerry]

He was right. The actual super bowl as well.

[Matt]

We should have won that, man.

[Jerry]

You were going to call for that fun fact.

[Matt]

San Antonio Holmes.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Antonio Holmes and

[Matt]

Larry. Larry had. Well, right before James Harrison, the Pitch Harrison just.

[Brian Baumgartner]

That was that.

[Matt]

I will never forget. Larry took that. It was an under route. Took it, split the safeties, took it like 70. And me and Brian St. Pierre, who's the other quarterback, I'll never forget, we're just running down the sideline.

[Jerry]

Let's go.

[Matt]

That was the moment where I'm like, I'm getting goosebumps. I was like, holy, dude, we're gonna win the Super Bowl. It just felt it right? Like we were down. It was. It was a great game. And then Big Ben does what Big Ben does, man. It was incredible.

[Brian Baumgartner]

It was crazy.

[Matt]

Yeah.

[Jerry]

Well, dude, we can't thank you enough, everybody. We need a fourth go down to subscribe, like, wherever you get your podcast. Also, you got me feeling hungry for a little chili. Seriously good chili cookbook. 177 of the best recipes in the world. And, dude, I'm going to be listening for my segments that I pitched you. Hopefully they make it onto the show. And yeah, I'll let you know what Matt's score is.

[Matt]

Are you. Are you going to Scotland? Are you going. Are you going again? Are you still?

[Brian Baumgartner]

It's very possible.

[Matt]

Yeah, I'm. I'm on the fence still, but I'll.

[Jerry]

Well, maybe we'll get our podcast match play event in Scotland.

[Brian Baumgartner]

There you go. And Jerry, maybe you come on the show.

[Jerry]

I would love to.

[Brian Baumgartner]

And you, and you, and you pitch these two ideas. I. I mean, I may beat you to it, but that's always possible as well.

[Matt]

Jerry is die hard.

[Jerry]

If you need someone to eat up some innings, you hit me up anytime.

[Brian Baumgartner]

I'll see you in Dallas. Hail to the red and the blue, Matt. Let's go, baby pony Mustangs of smu.

[Jerry]

All right, Matty. In honor of the Office's infamous Season 1, Episode 5 titled Basketball, which is one of the best episodes of television, I think you could come across. We are going to do a fictional basketball player. I guess you could say athlete, basketball character from either film or tv. There's been some great one offs in the T TV world. Any basketball character, again, remember, fictional. So, yeah, if you want to go Michael Jordan Space Jam. That's a little class fictional, but it's. Is it. So I. Full disclosure, I messed up a little bit and I went off into some other sports.

[Matt]

So just put a list next to you on the. On the screen.

[Jerry]

I got several screens.

[Matt]

There's not that many.

[Jerry]

I got several screens up. That's the problem. There's not that many, but there's enough, I guess. In honor of this so basically, we did.

[Matt]

We did our draft. We did a draft, a lefty draft.

[Jerry]

And you're saying you won based on that scene?

[Matt]

We're still. We're still debating. I mean, you're a huge James Harden guy, but again, I can have James Harden coming off the bench like he did in okc. I'll gladly put Tayshawn Prince in my starting five. Gladly. All right, here we go. I'm going to. I'm going to. I'm going to call the. I'm going to flip the coin here. You give me a heads or tails because I feel bad for you, because you're. You're.

[Jerry]

You're.

[Brian Baumgartner]

You're.

[Matt]

You're dealing with a lot of emotions today. Okay. You ready to call it?

[Jerry]

Yes.

[Matt]

Okay.

[Jerry]

I never get it. I never get the coin flip. The show's after me. All right, all right, Go ahead.

[Matt]

Listen, I'm gonna go number one. I'm gonna go. Jesus Shuttlesworth. I'm not even basing this draft on, like, talent, all that, but he is the greatest fictional player of all time, I think, in all of basketball, played by Ray Allen. One of my favorite basketball movies of all time. Just an absolute student. Playing opposite Denzel Washington, too, is pretty amazing.

[Jerry]

There's a few ways you can go about this draft. You could draft off of, you know, that's a character that is actually great at basketball, or you can go a little more comedic, or you could do what I'm about to do.

[Matt]

And do I have a good mix of both? Dude, I'm just. I'm just starting off knowing that my team now is going to win no matter what, because I have. Jesus Shuttlesworth.

[Jerry]

I have a really great basketball player who also is one of the great characters in a sports movie of all time. I'm going with Billy Hoyle. Billy Ho. White man can't jump.

[Matt]

You would take my white boy? You know how I feel about my white basketball players.

[Jerry]

Come on. I just think that, you know, we walk into the playground and you see me and him, and you're like, oh, we'll beat these guys. And then he just lights you up in a game, the 21, and we walk away with the money.

[Matt]

He's. He's by far. He was definitely my starting shooting guard, my top five, and you took him, so that's a good one. Listen, at the end of the day, I'm gonna fill out my team with. You know, I have other people here, but I am just going to go with the second best basketball fiction basketball player of all time, Neon Bidot. From blue Chips played by Shaquille o'. Neal.

[Jerry]

See, now, if you don't need to say anything else.

[Matt]

Now I have Ray Allen and Shaq as my two guys.

[Jerry]

I counter with Butch McCray.

[Matt]

It's such a. Butch McCray and Billy Hoyle. I'll take Shaq.

[Jerry]

And the question is, you still got one white boy left in Ricky Rowe. You could go with Ricky Row.

[Matt]

Yeah, I'm not. I'm over Ricky Row.

[Jerry]

He took the money, Matt. He took the money.

[Matt]

He did take the.

[Jerry]

Got a new tractor. All right, Butch McRae, you're on the clock.

[Matt]

You went Butch McCray.

[Jerry]

Yeah, I went Butch McRae.

[Matt]

Butch McRae.

[Jerry]

I'm building a dynasty here.

[Matt]

I mean, I. Listen, I want to go. I want to go another NBA player, but I'm going to save this guy for you because I want to now go into a little deeper into tv. I'm going with Shep from above the rim. Remember Shep? Shep was a baller. He was a security guard. Comes off the court, just starts banging dudes. In that game, above the rim is literally outside of blue Chips, probably. It's right up there is like my. And white man can't jump. It's like, right up there is my favorite basketball movie. So I'm gonna go, shep, man, you just.

[Jerry]

So you need a little.

[Matt]

You need a little Shep on your squad.

[Jerry]

Shep played by the great Leon, who also, famously, you could see at almost every Knicks game. And I've sat next to him at a lot of Knicks games, and I just could never, in the back of my mind, get rid of that character. That character. Whether you love the movie or not. And there's a lot of good things about that movie, obviously. Tupac, Bernie Mac, a lot of cool stuff. But Shep stays with you after that movie. Good pick. I like that pick, man.

[Matt]

Thank you. Yeah, I, I, you know, I didn't want to, I mean, build my whole team with NBA guys, so it's just a different strategy.

[Jerry]

All right. I almost wanted to go with a coach here, but I'm not going with coach. I am going with Stefan or Cal, also known as Steve Urkel. When you take, I mean, one of the nasties. What are you crossovers. Go re. Watch the tape.

[Matt]

I can't wait to watch this highlight,

[Jerry]

AKA Steve Urkel is and was a bucket. That's such a great basketball.

[Matt]

But Jaleel. Shout out to. Shout out to Jaleel White.

[Jerry]

Love, Jaleel White.

[Matt]

God, I don't know which way to go with This. I mean, I could go. The greatest TV basketball player of all time, hailing from North Carolina. I don't know who you're talking about exactly.

[Jerry]

Who the heck are you talking about?

[Matt]

Should I do it?

[Jerry]

I legitimately don't know who you're talking about.

[Matt]

Should I do Nathan Scott from One Tree Hill?

[Jerry]

Yes. If you want your team to fall off of a cliff, you should.

[Matt]

No, I'm not doing Nathan Scott. I'm going with Uncle Drew, number four.

[Jerry]

I'm stashing them. I was stashing them. It's great.

[Matt]

That's what I thought. That was the other one. I thought you might go. Uncle Drew played by Kyrie Irving. I mean, my team is so good,

[Jerry]

I thought I could get him in the next round. So you kind of force my hand Now. I am going with a vibes guy, maybe one of the greatest.

[Matt]

Who you're going with? Sydney from White Men Can. Joe.

[Jerry]

No going. Jackie Moon.

[Matt]

Yeah, Jackie Moon. That was my next one.

[Jerry]

Jackie Moon for the vibes, the fit, the fro, the headband. Just a good overall, by the way, one of the best basketball performances. I just think Will Ferrell in a sports movie completely works all the time.

[Matt]

It does. He's the greatest. All right, I'm gonna round out my starting five with Scott Howard, Teen Wolf.

[Jerry]

You went Teen Wolf over Airwood?

[Matt]

I mean, air buds could be my six, man, if you don't take them. Scott. Yeah. I mean, dude, I got a wolf on my team. Are you kidding me? I mean, let's be honest. Jackie Moon versus Scott Howard is.

[Jerry]

Is Teen Wolf as much I. Look, I love Michael J. I really like that Scott Howard.

[Matt]

It's a fictional basketball.

[Jerry]

No, no, What I'm saying is, is that is Teen Wolf a good movie in hindsight. I know. As a kid, I loved it. I loved it as a kid. Loved it.

[Matt]

But, yeah, I think Teen Wolf. I think Teen Wolf.

[Jerry]

I wanted to surf on the van. Styles was, like, a cool guy.

[Matt]

The girl was a great movie for that decade, for sure. I mean, have I watched it in 30 years? No. Will I introduce it to my kids? Probably not. But I do want Scott Howard on my basketball team. With those fangs and that long ass hair and just dunk it on people.

[Jerry]

All right, My last pick. Rounding it out, a few. Look, obviously, I'm leaving out Sidney Dean. I didn't like that Sydney Dean set up Billy Hoyle in that first. Like, I really didn't.

[Matt]

I don't think Sydney was that.

[Jerry]

And famously the player, you know, famously. With Wesley Snipes. I think this is true. I'd read all the rumors, but if you notice his performances in major league and white man can't jump, he. His stuff, his act might not be a great. It's always in slow motion. It's always in slow. Like the slow motion in major league they say say is because he was not blindingly fast. Which is crazy because Wesley Snipes looks like a sick athlete. And similarly with basketball. I don't.

[Matt]

Why does he look like a sick athlete?

[Jerry]

Does Wesley Snipes not look like an athlete?

[Matt]

Yeah, he does. He looks.

[Jerry]

He's jacked, bro. He's r. I'm talking about fitness. Like he's jacked. He doesn't look like an athlete in a uniform.

[Matt]

I'm just trying to get on your skin because my draft is better than yours again.

[Jerry]

I don't know, man. I have way more economy on my team. I'm going to round it out with another ridiculous pick.

[Matt]

You are funny.

[Jerry]

You give me Will Smith in the Bel Air jersey on a nine foot hoop where he was dunking all over everybody and the rim was clearly like 8 1/2ft tall. You give me the Fresh Prince on an 8 and a half foot Jordan Jammer in his world. And that's how I'm rounding his world, by the way.

[Matt]

Jordan jammer, probably the greatest Christmas gift you could have gotten received.

[Jerry]

I think my mom still has my jammer.

[Matt]

I have my five, this is my bench. Listen, there's air bud. You could do the dog route. You could go Sydney. I'm not going to do that. You can go Calvin Cambridge from like Mike with the magic shoes and all that. I'm going with Nathan Scott. I'm sticking with my gut. One Tree Hill's a great television show. Nathan Scott's a high school all American. He is, he is North Carolina legend and he will round out. He can play the one, he can play the two, maybe play the three. Especially if he's going up against some of the guys on your team. So I'm going to round out Nathan Scott One Tree Hill's finest. And I cannot wait to post those highlights of him. And he didn't look that bad either.

[Jerry]

See? And for me, I'm not going with a sixth man at all. I'm just going with a coach. And give me Gene Hackman from Hoosiers greatest inspirational speech of all time. You keep your sixth man. I'm choosing a good hard nosed basketball. I'm not picking Jimmy Chitwood. I'm picking. Give me the coach. We need someone to run this team. It makes me think, though, Matt in

[Matt]

this, but I might just. Give me Nick. Give me Nick Nolte.

[Jerry]

Did you take the money? Tony, did you take the money? God, the mo. Like now with nil. Re watching blue chips and. Oh, it's like a ridiculous move.

[Matt]

Such a great. Yeah, it is. It's such a great movie because the

[Jerry]

whole thing was about, like, will his character pay a player? He doesn't want to know about it. Tony took Ricky Rose showing up in the tractor.

[Matt]

Do we miss. Who do we miss?

[Jerry]

Lamar Allen from the Gambler. Yeah, we missed that one. Sydney Dean didn't get drafted.

[Matt]

I had. Sydney Dean didn't get drafted. Calvin.

[Jerry]

Ricky Row didn't get drafted. I think we hit most of, like, the. The bigger names. I don't think there's, like, you could. Did some of like, the. The bad guys in above the Rim, like, Wood Harris's character, I guess.

[Matt]

Yeah.

[Jerry]

Along came like, Philip Seymour Hoffman wins the basketball award.

[Matt]

You know who we missed freaking Jim Carrey in

[Brian Baumgartner]

God.

[Matt]

What movie?

[Jerry]

Basketball movie.

[Matt]

No, he plays basketball. Oh, you guys play here, too? Weird. Just in town for a little game of pickup. What's the. What's the movie called when he plays, like, oh, cable guy. Yeah, cable guy. With Matthew Broderick, when he just starts just. Just setting screens and all that. That was a good one.

[Jerry]

Now, in my accidental exercise where I did all sport characters for this, that's why Matt and I talked. Matt's like, he had like eight. I'm like, I have 35. Like, how do you have 35? I. I did look at. Oh, Bo Cruz from Hustle would have been a good actual baller or even Anthony Edwards character in Hustle.

[Matt]

I thought about that too. Yeah.

[Jerry]

Good honorable mention. And then it's hard not to get into, like, who are some of the worst sports performances? Whether even just as a moment, we

[Matt]

got to do that one time. The worst looking sport performances.

[Jerry]

Yes.

[Matt]

Because I haven't in big movies as well because there's some bad ones.

[Jerry]

But I do know my. My worst sports storyline from arguably the greatest television show of all time. And it's not basketball. The Sopranos doing like a year and a half of AJ Being a stud nose tackle slash middle linebacker in high school, which makes Tony, like, the happiest guy ever. And his, like, Tony had lines like, your football career is over. It's like, never really started. That to me, is the best show of all time. The one storyline that I'm like, you guys asked too much of us to buy that Robert Eiler is a stud middle linebacker in high school football. It was just too much for me to get past. Couldn't get past it.

[Matt]

That'll be a fun one. There's some bad. There's some bad performances out there.

[Jerry]

Yeah, but shout outs to the office. That basketball episode was insane.

[Matt]

And Brian Baumgartner, man, what a fun

[Jerry]

shout outs to Brian again. We need a fourth. Is his podcast. I can't get enough. Any golf.

[Matt]

Also, let's propose it. Who wins? Entourage cast versus the Office cast in golf. That's going to be an interesting one.

[Jerry]

I think Entourage got it. I think. I think we. I think we. Kevin Dillon has a little more. We Oil him up a little bit. Get him again.

[Matt]

I think. I think you're probably the best. Brian's pretty good. Brian's not bad, but you're probably the best of. Of the group, I would say.

[Jerry]

No, Dylan's pr.

[Matt]

Oh, Dylan's better than you.

[Jerry]

I just don't know how much Dylan's playing right now. Dylan taught me golf, and Dylan has been a single digit handicap. And I could always use Wahlberg.

[Matt]

By the way. Next time you and I speak, bro, I'll be playing. I'm playing in Philly pga.

[Jerry]

You need to go on their pod, too.

[Matt]

I'm cooked, bro. Oh, I'm gonna go on the pod for sure. Oh, I'm gonna. Let's place a bet right now.

[Jerry]

Okay.

[Matt]

You're playing 18 a plane.

[Jerry]

18. Okay.

[Matt]

At Ironimic. I'm trying. This is me, and this is knowing my game. I'm. I'm hoping to break a hundred. I know that sounds bad, but this is a PGA level. Hard hardcores. I. I'm gonna have. I'm gonna have all this stuff. Like, I can. I know I can put together holes,

[Jerry]

but, like, you have like a caddy or. Is your coach with you?

[Matt]

No, I think I'll have a caddy. I don't have. I don't think I can break 90. That's. That's tough, dude. That's. That's bogey golf and a PGA course, which I'm gonna double bogey.

[Jerry]

A lot. You're not breaking. Well, here's the thing that always.

[Matt]

That's what I'm saying. I don't think I'll break 90.

[Jerry]

There's. There's versions of that course. Right. If the greens are fast and the rough is high, then I think.

[Matt]

And I'm pretty sure I'm playing. I'm playing every stroke, too.

[Jerry]

Of course you are, bro. That's got. Yes. That's golf, man. You gotta every. There's no mulligan.

[Matt]

Yeah. But you know, this is. This is also for fun, too content. It's all cut. Yeah. If. If the rough is 105.

[Jerry]

Yeah.

[Matt]

I think, I think 100, 105, I think I get. I. 100 is.

[Jerry]

99 is a great score on that course. With the amount of golf I'm gonna have, I'm gonna.

[Matt]

I'm gonna bogey a lot and I'm gonna probably par two or three. Like, I. I leave the things that

[Jerry]

will get you on that place are going to be.

[Matt]

The sand is gonna kill.

[Jerry]

Well, like, yeah, like the holes where

[Matt]

you make the beach is gonna go eight.

[Jerry]

And if you are playing stroke play, like you could make intense. No, like, hey, so you think I'm gonna.

[Matt]

You think 105, you're gonna set that?

[Jerry]

If I were you and you broke 105 and shot a 103, I would be very, very happy. I'm a cap. I'd be a course like that, not ever playing it. If I shot like a 95, I'd be like, that's a good gutty round on a course like that that you've never seen before too. Like you've never played.

[Matt]

Yeah. All right.

[Jerry]

And you're gonna be posting content of this on your socials down the road.

[Matt]

I will, yeah. I'll be. I'm playing 18 holes Monday.

[Jerry]

Is it like live streamed or. No. You're gonna post.

[Matt]

No, no, no, I don't think. Well, go live.

[Jerry]

Can you go live for a hole? Get someone out. You have your team with you. Do go live for one hole on Instagram.

[Matt]

Go live. I'll go live for Twitter. Instagram.

[Brian Baumgartner]

Yes.

[Jerry]

Yes.

[Matt]

Oh, that'll be good.

[Jerry]

All right, thanks again to Brian and we'll be back next week.