Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is the best of two pros and a couple
Joe with Lamar Arings had rating win and Jonas Knox
on Fox four Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
We continue the conversation here in the waiting game for
the NBA Finals, because the NBA Finals tip off tomorrow night,
and apparently the NBA Finals and the NBA itself couldn't wait.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
They couldn't wait any longer.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
They had to get some news out there, and that
news was Tom Thibodeau. He gone as the head coach
of the New York Knicks. That is a rap for
his time as a New York Knicks coach, even though
despite the fact the New York Knicks did something they
hadn't done in twenty five years and he was the
head coach in charge of the team as they did it,
(00:54):
Tom Thibodeaux finds himself on the outside looking in with
the Knicks now moving on and looking for a brand
new head coach there to take over the reins at
Madison Square Garden.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
You know, Uh Brunson was very very offended when he
was asked about if Tibadeaux, what's the right guy for
the job? You want to hear it?
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Yeah, oh yeah, yeah, let's hear there is a little
Jalen Brunson talking about coach Tibbs following their loss.
Speaker 4 (01:25):
You talked about the confidence. Obviously, I feel like nobody
takes more criticism than Tom and this team obviously has
turned around during his tenure. Do you kind of feel
that going forward he's the same guy if t you
guys the rest of the way that next level this is?
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Is that a real question right now? You just asked
me him. I believe that if he's the right guy. Yes,
thanks guys.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Fun probably should ask James Dolean that maybe he would
have been the better guy to asked about that question. Look,
I think it's a clown show. I think it's disguised
as an Eastern Conference Finals team. But I think if
you just looked hard enough, Madison Square Gardens not actually
(02:12):
an arena. I think it's a circus tent. I think
you got people juggling bowling pins. I think there's tigers
flying through hula hoops with flames coming off the sides
of them. I think the entire thing is a circus.
And this whole idea that the Knicks should be taken
seriously as a legitimate franchise. When you see the behavior
(02:35):
of their fan base after just getting past the second round.
This is part for the course. I mean, it would
like we could do an entire show on just the
fan base and their behavior and all that being said.
But I feel like this was already in the works,
and Tom Thibodeau, barring an NBA Finals appearance, was probably
(02:58):
going to lose his job because there's no other explanation
for why exactly he would you would move on from
the guy other than you had this in your mind
and he needed to get to an NBA Finals or eutes.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
He was going to get cleft. You know, there's already
people throwing their hat into the ring to become the
new head coach of the New York Knickerbockers. Who's that?
Let me read it for you. I want every bit
of the smoke in New York, NYC. I'm one hundred
ready to head coach the great New York Knicks. Queen's
(03:30):
Brad dominated my high school era three championships at the
Rucker and never lost one at the Rucker three championships
at the real Gershwin when there was no security. Lots
more on the NYC front. Had a Nick practice shirt
and short on at nineteen ninety nine draft NBA accolades
(03:56):
speak for themselves. I basically locked up tons of Hall
of famers. Sorry, but light work Meta is ready for
the city. Let's look. I mean, why not listen? And
I'm not saying this to be you know kind of
(04:17):
yeah I am. I am saying it to be funny.
Thibodeaux is not. That was the firing was in my estimation.
That's a bad move. It's a bad move. Your you're
one series away from from playing in the NBA finals.
They have been, they have been competitive and seemingly very
(04:41):
close to taking that next step. So if you feel like, ah,
we've done pretty good with you, you have. You have
done well for us, but we just don't feel like
you could get us over the hump. I feel like
that really only comes if the players have lost faith
(05:03):
and belief in you. You know what this firing does,
Jonas makes players lose faith and trust in what's going
on with the New York Knicks. So now you run
the potential of by firing Thibodeaux as the head coach,
knowing how those players feel about them, knowing the success
(05:25):
that they've been able to have, and it's been sustainable
success since he's been there. You now disrupt the culture.
It's the funniest thing. I look at our So I
look at the social media. I read social media. People
are so gullible. And I hate to do it. I hate,
I hate to say it, but people really are very,
(05:48):
very gullible. And I say that to say when when
when I posted about the Brian Schottenheimer and how he
handled things, and and that possibly him doing what he
did with the lockers could possibly create discord and could
create dissension, and and and maybe you know, start start
(06:13):
a bad culture. Start start off with bringing your culture in,
and it could create a toxic culture. It's possible people
were losing their ass, especially if they were Dallas fans, right,
So I'll say the same thing could possibly exist here.
I don't know for certain how how New York Knicks
fans will react to the firing, but I would also
(06:37):
I would urge, and I would caution that when you're
looking at a culture being built, it takes time. When
that culture, it takes time to be built, and it
takes hold to the point of where you had one
of the premiere you know, strong point guards in Jalen Brunson.
(06:58):
You have you bring a guy that you feel is
though can can really maybe be the difference maker if
he would just play a little bit more physically, you know,
physically driven versus just being a set shooter. Well, Anthony
(07:21):
Towns and hey, I mean listen, a lot of people
have been piling on him. He's a he's a fine
ball player. In fact, he was fine enough for them
to knock out the defending champions, right they knocked out
the Celtics. They they get to the game the series
prior to the finals, and and a lot of it
(07:43):
had to do with the way Carl Anthony Towns played.
So it's it's it's strange that people lose their s
to go after him when in a series where they lost,
when he's been actually a catalyst with Jalen Brunson to
be able to get as far as they did. Now,
that's what comes with success. But I think when you're
(08:06):
one game away from the NBA Finals, you would have
to say the coach has you in the right direction.
You're closer to success than you are the failure. Yeah,
I mean, I don't know, I don't know why this
would be the decision that they would make is there
a coaching candidate other than metal World Peace album better,
a better, better recipient, a better prospect than than him? Like,
(08:32):
what are they? What are they doing from here?
Speaker 2 (08:34):
So Mike Malone, his name is out there. The guy
who uh coach the Denver Nuggets to a title was fired.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
And he probably I mean, but he It sounds as
though there was some mixed feelings on him in the
locker room. He would and by the way, they kind
of recovered, you know, after they he left. It seemed
as though they may have wanted him out. But that
was a fine coach. They were winning.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
And and so so Mike Malone's name's been thrown out there.
I've seen Jay Wright, the Villanova coach because of the
Villanova connection out there. I don't know how believable that is.
But you know, Mike Malone, for that market would be
a good time. He does not hold back, especially if
he's drinking at a championship parade. If he's been in
the elbow a little bit, he will fire off. But
(09:20):
you won't have to worry about that because they're not
going to win a title. But I just I don't
know why anybody would want any part of a job
that is NBA head coach because we laid out during
the course of the season, even after Mike Malone was fired.
And this goes you know, Adrian, whether it was Mike Budenholzer,
Adrian Griffin and Milwaukee like just you see all of
(09:46):
these guys, Frank Vogel, like, all these guys get clipped
after just winning a title not that long ago. If
you're Joe Mizoula of the Celtics, you're probably looking around
going uh oh uh oh if that could happen to him,
I mean, like, what could happen to me? Based on
what's happened in the postseas I just I don't know
(10:07):
why anybody would want.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
Any part of that job.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
You are, ultimately, as Chris Carter said it best, the
fall guy when something goes wrong and it's all about
the superstars. And if you have one issue with the
superstar or you get an owner who feels like, well,
we underperformed, even though some would say you probably overperformed
based on the fact you haven't done it in a
quarter century like they did. You're on your ass and
you're looking for a new gig because they decide, well,
(10:32):
you know, we'll go in a different direction and see
if somebody else can get us over the hump.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
Okay, good luck with that. Good good luck. Why would
you want any parts of it? I got on average
annual eleven million reasons.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
So that's why Doc Rivers always comes back.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
You can fire me, Doc comes back. Let's see Doc
Rivers eleven million finally annual average salary. You know, it's
great about Thibodeaux getting fired.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
They just gave him an extension last last summer, so
he just got an extension. He then overachieves the following
year after just getting an extension, and they fire him.
Yeah all right, man, yeah, okay.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
You know, when I talked to everybody, I don't want
to put people out there, but you know, one of
my close friends was a head coach. I never thought
i'd have a super super close friend, like a best friend,
become a head coach, and he did. And when I
heard of the perks and all the things that are
connected to being a head coach, it's like you have
(11:48):
to deal with, Yeah, you have to deal with you
have to deal with something you don't like to deal
with as a competitor, which is you you didn't win
enough to your job, and you lost enough to lose
your job, but dang the compensation. When he told me
(12:09):
what he was getting compensated for as long as he
just you know, laid back and didn't do anything, It's crazy.
It's crazy you could get at It's like a heist.
That's why you coach, and that's probably why it's so hard.
It's so hard to get it. And if you do
have longevity, then the perks that go along with that crazy,
(12:34):
The benefits that are connected to being a head coach,
a long tenured head coach, crazy, it's crazy. When he
started breaking it down for me, I said, I looked
in the mirror later on that evening. I didn't do
it in front of him because I didn't want to
embarrass myself, Like I didn't want to sit there and
be like, are you being serious? I looked at my
mirror when I was brushing my teeth. Later on, I
(12:55):
was like, damn, I should have just kept going, Like
I should have just kept I broke off. You know.
He got me into coaching shots out, Shots Out. You know.
I went to Long Beach Polly, we did well. It
led to him going to ASU. I went and coached
(13:19):
a private in here, in La in Pasadena, we were successful.
I should have just kept going. In my mind, I
should have because because once he became a head coach,
radio stopped.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
Radio is too much fun. You have you can play
grab ass so much more on the radio.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
Radio is fun, man, Radio is fun. But God dang, Like,
can can radio give us a fraction? Can they give
us a fraction of what these coaches are making? God dang,
I mean listen, I mean, there's less of us than
it is to them. Can we get a fraction? I
(13:58):
like to talk about all them coaches. I'd like to
think that you are.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
You've got a little bit of that radio scumbag in
you like the rest of us. And it was just
too enticing, just too enticing. You know, there's nothing wrong
with being a radio guy until you see the paychecks
as some of these coaches are get for just not
coaching anymore.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
Look at mine, I'm like, wait, I'm not even the
point part of it. Eight point nine point, I'm not
even the number after the decimal point. Hey man, that's
all good man. You don't have to put in the
(14:39):
type of time that they do either. I mean, that's
a lot of time. It's a lot of things that
you have to manage, and that's why I got out
of coaching, And that's something to be said about all
of this too. Imagine you're paying someone to come in
and have to deal with being a coach in the
New York market, especially for one of the more popular teams.
(15:01):
That's tough, man. You got to pay them to be
able to be just as good of a facilitator in
the community and with the businesses and with the people
that are in and around that sports community as much
as you have to be that person to the team
and those that sometimes is the biggest downfall for some
of these guys. You know, it's it's it's a very
(15:24):
very rewarding job when you can be a head coach
because of the impact that you can have on young men,
older men, and you know even I mean obviously with
other sports you could be that to women. But it's
also a very unforgiving job in terms of how you're treated,
(15:47):
how you're measured, how you're judged. There is no as
you mentioned earlier, there is no comfort zone, There is
no pocket of peace. It is a very very turbulent
and chaotic industry and job. You know, a job to have,
so I don't I think they earned their money because
(16:11):
it's it's it's not for long. You know, you are
destined to get fired, which what coach has never been fired?
Has has pat Phil? Did Phil Jackson walk away or
did he get fired? I think he might have walked
walk He might have walked away. Did pat Riley walk
away or did he get fired?
Speaker 2 (16:30):
I think they because what's interesting about it is pat Riley.
I was listening to an interview with Mark Kriegel. He
was on with Ariel hawanis my guy, and Mark Mark
Kriegel was making the point that he thinks the Knicks
franchise took a turn for the worst when they decided
to move on from pat Riley, because afterwards you see
what pat Riley did with Miami, and that's one of
the more stable organizations. And by stability, I mean man
(16:54):
Eric Spolster hasn't won a title in a long ass time.
You don't hear any conversations about that movie it off
from him because there's stability there, Like it feels like
a high functioning operation there as opposed to some of
these other places that are just turn and burn on
these guys. I mean if you're coach Tims, do you
just whatever money you're making from the Knicks, do you
just reinvest it in some season tickets. You imagine him
(17:16):
court side next year. Just take the year off and
sit courtside and watch the circus.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
I mean, or he could just go sit on the
couch or at a you know, cigar bar or whatever
with Big Oak, you know what I mean. Yeah, they
still ain't made things right with Big Oak, you know
what I mean. So maybe you go hang out with
Charles Oakley and you know, watch the Knicks be the Knicks.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
I mean, now we know why Tracy Morgan was blowing
chunks on the court.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
Now we know because he needs his old spice. Now
we know why because he needs spice, my old spice,
Lee Lee. You said pat Riley retired via fax.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Yeah, well from he resigned from the Knicks via fax.
Speaker 3 (18:09):
Yeah, via fax. Yeah, they stand up.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
You know, it seems like an honest way to do it,
the old Fax machine.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
Be sure to catch live editions of Two Pros and
a Cup of Joe with Brady Quinn, LeVar Errington, and
Jonas Knox weekdays at six am Eastern three am Pacific
on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
It's been a big week for Saquon Barkley. Tell us why, Well,
first and foremost, he's on the Madden cover. That is true,
So he is on the Madden cover. Congratulations of Saquon too.
Was there the steak che Steak plays what are they
called steak won Kwon boy, that's cool.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
Kwon Yeah out at Geno's right. Yeah, that's like where
the legendary ones are. That's that's a legendary spot. And
they like came in and decked it out and oh there. Yeah,
but they like cheese whiz. That's a weird. It's a
weird deal for me, Like, I can't get into a
(19:17):
cheese whiz. Philly cheese.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
Steak and cheese was used to be that I remember,
gets so unhealthy to think about, but that was one
of the sandwiches my mom would make us when we
were kids. Is we would do uh miracle whipping cheese whiz.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
That sound.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
You'd think it was. I'm telling you it ain't bad.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
The consistency of what that would create with yeah, I would.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
I'm sure it took years off our lives like that.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
That's I'm not I'm not talking about the health aspects
of it. I'm just saying, cheese whiz comes out of
of a can, and then and sometimes didn't cheese whiz
come out of a jar? Sometimes? Maybe? Yeah, was there
a charge?
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Like you might be thinking of the cheese that you
spray out of the can, that's cheese.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
But cheese whiz comes out of a can.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
Yeah, we edit out of the jar like it was
out of the jar.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
And you that understand on a say, all I'm gonna
say is that's disgusting. That's just it comes in a can.
It comes like it comes in a spray can, aerosol,
whatever kind of can it comes out of like a
(20:44):
like a miracle whip or what's the what's the whipped cream?
Whipped cream type of container. It's different containers. All I
know is yeah, it's it's disgusting. Yeah, it's a different container.
It's disgusting. Bruh, like like mayonnaise, mayo and and cheese.
Wi did you miracle? Did you toast the did you
(21:07):
toast the bread?
Speaker 2 (21:09):
I don't.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
If you the bread, there's a possibility I could get
on board with you. There's a possibility I would say
I would have added baloney like coming up, because I
know what what you're getting at with a cheese whiz
and miracle whip sandwich, like like, that's a that's what
you call a humble beginning sandwich, right. I would have
(21:34):
added blooney, I don't know, baloney seemed like or even
spamtros for all I know back then that was just
was what it was. And there would have had to
have been toasted bread. We we did do the we
did do.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
The baloney was the boloneyan cheese, and uh there would
be mayo and mustard.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
Yeah I could do that. Yeah, I could do that.
And if you even added a tomato and some let
us to it, like if you had it, Yeah I
could you could do that. Yeah, I'm okay with that.
Did you ever did you ever fry your bologna before
you put it on yourself? God? No, no, I never.
I used to fry to BOLOGNAE we do.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
We just trusted whatever the supermarket gave to us. No,
I didn't need to be cooked, even though even though
you had it and it was like, huh, what does
why does the inside of my mouth feel like weird?
You know what, What's what's going on there? So you
just you just trusted whatever the expiration.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
Date was on the on the blowney packaging. You got
so well anyways, shouts out to Saquan. Yes, he did
get honored and in one of the most historical areas
in Philadelphia. Well deserved a lot of a lot of
adversity that he's overcome. Couldn't be happier for him as
as an alumni and and obviously a fellow letterman and
(22:52):
and all American. Couldn't be happier for him. He is.
He has what any of us would, what dream of
or hope for, is to find yourself in a situation
before it's too late to be able to have success.
And you know, so I'm happy for him, and I'm glad,
(23:14):
you know it's this kind of cool he's getting the cover.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
I got a couple of questions about Well want A
concern first being can the giants get a break? I mean,
can can we like, can the giants just stop being
reminded of what they what they lost? Can they can
they stop be I mean? The guy went from I
want to be here, I gotta be here. I'm a giant.
(23:37):
I love this place too. In what feels like less
than a year, two thousand yard rusher, Super Bowl Champion
on the cover of Madden name on a Philly Cheese
steak restaurant, like should have been the VP and a
new contract. Yeah so, I mean, and.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
Beloved by the ownership and by the community. Obviously being
a Penn Stater, I mean, he's in his market. But
and he had a fellow Penn State or walking him
around when he was at the Philly Cheese steak spot.
Did you see that? Yeah, Big Dom was walking him around.
Of course he was. That was pretty cool. Yeah, of
course he was.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
So you know what, you know, can the Giants ever
catch a break? The other thing I have the other
question I have when it comes to the Madden cover,
and I think this is the kind of a general
question when it comes to posters. Is Jerry and Jones?
Who is the guy who is being leaped over backwards
on the Jaguars, which is the picture being used on
(24:40):
the cover of Madden. Does he get any sort of
residuals for also being on the cover of Madden? Like,
does he get any sort of is there any sort
of paid lead? Does this guy get any sort of
cash for this?
Speaker 3 (24:51):
No, he doesn't.
Speaker 5 (24:52):
And note this sa one doesn't get any cash either.
EA Sports plays it pays the nfl PA for licensing agreement,
so it's all name, image, image and likeness. Has to
basically go do these photo shoots on his own, doesn't
get any payment for it.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
Okay, So what about the guys in posters that are
getting dunked on? That's not the actual guy doing the dunking,
but the guy getting dunked on. Does he get any
sort of does he get anything other than just the
embarrassment of getting getting posterized and being on some kid's
bedroom wall growing up, it feels like if I'm going
(25:29):
to be involved in this, it's like a you know,
a guy that loses a fight. He still gets paid.
It's not like he's you know, you lose and you
lose everything. He still gets some sort of a paycheck.
Speaker 6 (25:38):
From what I'm seeing.
Speaker 5 (25:39):
No, the people who are quote unquote poster ized do
not get it paid.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
Yeah, that sucks. I'm certain Saquon gets paid for the
appearances that he makes though, like he probably got a
grip to go down into Philly and do what he did.
He didn't do that. That's not for free. That's like
the promotional deals that are created out of him getting
on the cover. That's not that's not in the collective
(26:05):
bargaining agreement. They got to pay him for that. Yet
that that promo dip, that promo dip surely hit.
Speaker 5 (26:13):
Can you guys guess the one player who's turned down
being a Madden cover Deshaun Watson?
Speaker 3 (26:20):
Dang?
Speaker 5 (26:21):
Okay, I don't think he turned it down.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
Okay, fine, I'm fine, Aaron Hernandez, Sorry, it's actually La
Danian Tomlinson.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
Turned it down. Yea, you know there was a yeah,
well there was.
Speaker 5 (26:34):
There was a curse, but he said it wasn't because
of that.
Speaker 3 (26:36):
He said they didn't.
Speaker 5 (26:37):
Value him and they weren't going to be paying him,
so he said it wasn't worth his time to go
to those those photo shoots and what really?
Speaker 2 (26:42):
Yeah, I mean, I don't know how you pass up
a man that that's like, that's a cool honor to.
Speaker 3 (26:49):
The value him and they weren't going to be paying
him to go do all that stuff. I can't. I
cannot believe that they would not be paying them for
their time. That makes app That makes that makes absolutely
zero sense. Well, who got the cover if it wasn't
La Danian Tomlinson. Hmmm, I'm trying. I'm trying to think
(27:12):
what year that would be.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
He said it was oh seven, but he wasn't sure.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
It might have been Shawn Alexander.
Speaker 5 (27:17):
That might have been the Shawn Alexander here and oh seven, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:23):
I don't know. Yeah, that seems late for Shawn Alexander,
doesn't it.
Speaker 5 (27:27):
Well that that was yeah, and then the year after
that was Vince Young O eight, wow.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
And uh, you know what Vince Young did with whatever
money he made there, He took it all to uh cheesecakes, yeah,
and Applebee's. So the other aspect of Saquon Barkley's big
week is his appearance that he made on The Green
Light with Chris Long, in which he talked about, you know,
maybe while they're celebrating me at this at the Philly
(27:57):
Cheese Steak Spots and I'm on the cover of the
video game and I'm a super Bowl champion and I
got this new contract, maybe I won't be around here
all that long.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
One of my favorite players of all time is probably
my favorit play all time, is Barry Sanders, So probably
similar to that, maybe one day, like he'll be out
of nowhere I'll probably balling and just be like, yeah,
call it.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
Quits, all right, you know, Saquan is that the move
he just kind of does. He send the picture like
Marshawn Lynch did where he throws the sneakers up on
the telephone wires and just says, I'm out.
Speaker 3 (28:28):
And that's around. I mean, Barry Sanders is a very
very differently wired dude. Like he is. He is so
like he's just gotten comfortable with getting attention, like and
it still kind of pains him to get attention. I
(28:49):
think Saquon enjoys the attention, but at the same time,
he is one of them. Like when I say, and
I'm not saying it's just because he went to Penn State,
I'm saying because I've been around him since he was
a kid, like like early days, since his freshman year
of college. He's just always been a good dude. Like
(29:14):
you know, how you walk away from somebody, you'd be like,
that's just a good person, Like that is just a really,
really really good person. Yeah. In general, yeah, I'll tell you,
I'll be fanboying out sometimes. Like so, I was on
a visit with with man Man and at Penn State,
he was going on his official We were on his
(29:35):
official and Sakua was there. He was there to talk
to talk to the guys, and he gave the whole
entire team his signature sneaker the year before, and I
was like, dang, I saw the sneakers in like a
presentation dip you know, around the facility. I said, y'all
(29:55):
got any of them left? So just so happens coincidentally,
I get my sneakers, like, I get some Saquon Barkley
sneakers right and then he's there. So I was like, man,
you gotta sign these for me. And that's last year.
So I got a pair of Saquon Barkley signed sneakers
(30:16):
the year before. He goes and has basically an MVP
season in the National Football League. But a lot of
guys would like one. They'd be like, you know, like
I don't want to sign you know, I don't want
to sign autographs. A lot of guys would do that.
A lot of guys would not be as humble when
(30:36):
they meet older guys, you know, when they're around. It's
just like it just all depends on, you know, just
the personality makeup of the person. But he's always engaging.
I've always said one of the best skills and best
qualities a person can possess is the ability to make
(30:58):
somebody that you don't even know like they've known you
your entire life. And that's how Saquon is. And to
anyone who's ever met him, you feel like you're important
to him, and I really appreciate. I appreciate that more
about Saquon Barkley than I do anything he's ever done
on the football field, because there's always going to be
(31:19):
guys that can do phenomenal things on the football field.
So to answer your question, he's such a good dude,
and he has positioned himself so well, and there are
so many people that think so highly of him that
if he ever decided to just walk away from the game,
it's not like he's just walking away to not have
any other opportunities. There will be a plethora of things
(31:42):
for him to be able to do and people that
will want to be associated with him and attach their
brands to Saquon if he were to decide to walk away.
So if he did it, it's possible he could. But
I'll say this, while this team is constructed the way
(32:02):
that they are, if all things given, if they don't
change anything about what they got going on, there would
be no reason for him to retire early, because go ahead,
just keep enjoying it.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
Because the Barry Sanders decision to retire was because the
organization was a mess, and he was like.
Speaker 3 (32:20):
Man, they couldn't win it, and they were close. He
was getting him close. They were getting closed. They just
couldn't get over to home.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
And so if you're sa Kuon Barkley, you're looking at
this going man, I could just keep stacking up, you know,
fifteen hundred yard seasons for as long as my body
can do it, or you know, a thousand yard season,
just keep you know, putting the stats together. To your
point on him being said, which is why you go
back to the decision by the Giants not to retain
(32:47):
him even though he wanted to be there.
Speaker 3 (32:50):
He said it.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
He fits the bill of everything you would want to build.
Speaker 3 (32:54):
Around with your organization.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
You drafted him, he had success.
Speaker 3 (33:00):
He's a good dude.
Speaker 2 (33:01):
He represents the organization well, and you let him walk
it to.
Speaker 3 (33:06):
Your our tribal and I'm going to have trouble sleeping
if one of our most beloved and well liked players
goes to Philly.
Speaker 6 (33:19):
So.
Speaker 3 (33:21):
And he did.
Speaker 2 (33:22):
It's crazy, and he won a Super Bowl.
Speaker 3 (33:25):
Yeah, and he should have been the MVP. And if
you compare stats to him and his historic run, let
this past season to Eric Dickerson's historic run when he
broke the record, it's I think sa Quon had a
better season. Man. He didn't have more he didn't have
more rushing yards. But I think if you look at
(33:45):
the comparisons of what their numbers were down the line,
like I think I think Eric Dickerson had like eleven
or thirteen fumbles that year, like Saquan had like two
or three, you know what I mean. Like that was
the most glaring of the stats. And I you know,
I love ed to death, so I ain't I ain't
gonna say too much more on that, But Sakwon Barkley
(34:09):
may have solidified a Hall of Fame campaign in one season. Yeah,
the one season.
Speaker 2 (34:17):
It's and unfortunately it's one of those moves. Like Seth Greenberg,
who's the college basketball analyst for ESPN, he coached at
Virginia Tech. What he's going to be known for in
his coaching career is the fact that he didn't offer
Steph Curry a scholarship, even though Steph Curry's dad went
to Virginia Tech. Joe Shane, the GM of the Giants,
(34:40):
is going to be known.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
For the fact that he lets sa Quon Barkley walk.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
And what made it worse is that as you pointed
out Jones and paid Daniel Jones, and on top of that,
it was featured one like we got to see it
all on time.
Speaker 3 (34:54):
We got to see it. Man. That's that's the worst part.
And at least the owner gets to say, dang, like
I really said it, like I really like, how do
you move forward with positive trust in the person making
decisions for you at the GM position when you knew
(35:15):
in your gut this is the wrong decision. Just pay
the man and let's move on. Sad thing about it
is this is how this plays out, Jonas, and it
plays out way too often. More often than not, the
owner does break down and pay that player. But he
was getting tore out the frame because they didn't have
(35:39):
the type of players that they have in Philadelphia. So
you would have saw Saquon continue to work his ass
off the other teams beat the hell out of him
because that's really all they had and their quarterback wasn't
doing as for them to pull the defenses off of Saquon,
he would have probably kept getting injured and you know what,
he would have dead Jonas retire early. It would have
(36:01):
taken It's like Verry sad.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
Yes, and it would have taken him two years to
accomplish what he did in Philly in one year. From
a yard you would endpoint. From a production standpoint, yeah,
you would have never had the comps. Like, it's crazy
how that exposes.
Speaker 3 (36:16):
The comp right, Like in terms of when a really
really gifted player goes to a wasteland of an organization
and people are like, oh, he's a bus. You're a bus.
You're a bus. He's a bus, You're a bus. You're
just mad that you didn't have a great career, la
la lah lah lah lah. Like the point is is
that more often than not, if you're as gifted and
as talented as Saquon Barkley is, you're going to a
(36:40):
crappy organization. You don't get to choose. So if he were,
if this was like college and you get recruited and
it's like yeah, I'm gonna take visits here, here, here,
and here I'm gonna go play for this team. I'm
gonna go play for that team. Imagine if Saquon Barkley
was able to choose what team he was going to
play for and he goes to the Kansas City Chiefs
or he goes to the Baltimore Ravens. Like, that's not
(37:04):
how it works. So you're up, You're You're at the
expense of whatever organization is going to take you, like
cam Ward this year, like you got to go to
a seller dweller team and on a bad team, you
got to be the one that makes it better. I
just I'm happy that for once, justice was served in
(37:25):
the right way, where a guy gets out of a
crappy situation and goes into an ideal situation and it
actually played out the way that it was supposed to
play out. I'm loving the fact that Sakwon Barkley represents
the comp of what so many of us have had
to deal with and have to live with in our lives.
(37:45):
That he was able to show that it does indeed
make a difference where you go and who you're playing for.
Speaker 1 (37:52):
Be sure to catch live editions of Two Pros and
a Cup of Joe with Brady Quinn LeVar Errington and
Jonas Knox weekdays It's Am Eastern three am Pacific.
Speaker 2 (38:02):
He is the great Petro Spopaegas. He is the co
host of the Petros and Money Show, which you can
hear on the Blowtorch AM five to seven, the LA
Sports Fox College football Analysts, and you can get him
on X at the Old p P.
Speaker 3 (38:15):
Good morning, how are we feeling?
Speaker 6 (38:16):
Good morning, guys, Good morning, great to hear from everybody. Hello, Hello, Hello.
Speaker 2 (38:21):
So Petro's another walk off win for the LA Dodgers
last night.
Speaker 6 (38:26):
Well, last night, you know, they didn't walk it off.
They were at home and they lost. It's hard to
walk it off on the road.
Speaker 3 (38:32):
What do you mean, It's.
Speaker 6 (38:34):
Just really hard to walk it off on the road.
Speaker 2 (38:36):
Well, I'm saying yeah, but they walked it off last
night last night.
Speaker 3 (38:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (38:40):
It just reminds me of a question that a reporter
asked Dave Roberts. Oh years, what's the question they asked
Dave Roberts because it was after like another Dodger walk
off and they were having a real exciting season. I
think this year's Dodger team is really a droit at
coming back in games that they were down and They
almost in it two nights ago against the Mets, who
(39:03):
are in town with Juan Soto who's not doing his
special dance because he's bummed out in his family. He's
like Freddie Freeman when he left Atlanta. He's like super
bummed out. But anyway, yeah, it's uh, what were we
talking about?
Speaker 1 (39:20):
Right?
Speaker 6 (39:21):
This guy asked Dave Roberts, like, Hey, how come all
your walk offs are at home? Is there something about
this home crowd that really gets you going? That really
gets his team going? And Dave Roberts had a very
nice answer. He said, well, he's very difficult to walk
it off on the road.
Speaker 3 (39:43):
So who asked the question best?
Speaker 6 (39:45):
I don't remember. It was something No, it was like
a younger reporter, so everybody was trying to be cool
about it. It wasn't like a kid though, But yeah,
you can't walk it off on the road. Dodgers are
at home and they walked it off last night against
the Mets and show spectacular. He's still not pitching. They
have a lot of bullpen problems. They paid Tanner Scott,
(40:06):
this guy who was supposed to be like a baseball assassin,
as the number one closer, and I think He's already
blown six saves and it's early June, so that's a problem.
They have some bullpen issues, but the Dodger problems are
first world problems. They're doing quite well, and they won
last night against the Mets, and I did stay up
to watch it. Hell yeah, which is why I forgot
(40:28):
my points. Short term memory loss from.
Speaker 2 (40:30):
Blackout from a bull in the ring back in the day.
Speaker 6 (40:34):
Well that yeah, that too. I've aggravated a lot of
old football injuries every time somebody just taps my forehead
with a pencil.
Speaker 3 (40:41):
Damn. Speaking of bull in the ring, Petros, how many
like when you played how many different locker rooms did
you play in? In terms of like I guess, high level,
like whether it was did you have the same coach
the entire time when you were he was okay, so
(41:01):
you had a different coach. Now.
Speaker 6 (41:02):
When I arrived at SC, it was John Robinson, and
then Paul Hackett took over Paul Hackett, and then it
was Pete Carroll, who I did not play for. A
lot of the guys I played for played for Pete Carroll.
And the year two thousand and one was Pete Carroll's
first year, and that was my first year in the media,
and I kind of got to know Pete and USC
(41:25):
took off and Pete Carroll took off, and I kind
of was hanging on for the ride, starting out doing
radio and TV here in town. So that's kind of
my story. But it is interesting, you know because back
in my time and our time, I should say that
when there was a coaching change, which I don't believe
you experienced at the college level, I did not know
(41:48):
spring football was a bloodbath like spring football, you know,
where we really put on pads and really got after
each other and really had like thirty to forty play
run drills every day. That was like you have to
show out for the new coaching staff. One thing that
was very interesting that a lot of people didn't realize
and maybe they don't realize it now, was that Ed
(42:09):
Ojeron was on the Paul Hackett staff. He was not
hired by Pete Carrell. Well, he was re hired by
Pete Carroll, but he was already at SC when Pete
Carroll took over and had that very important piece already
in his defensive room. But yeah, that was my experience.
I was in kind of two different locker rooms. John
(42:32):
Robinson a much more player friendly coach.
Speaker 3 (42:36):
I guess you'd say.
Speaker 6 (42:37):
With a lot more lenient, especially with star players. Paul Hackett,
on the other hand, miss a class, get up at
five in the morning and roll like a long to
you barf kind of coach. Well, you know, both of
those coaching styles have their benefits.
Speaker 3 (42:55):
Well, so that's why I was I was asking in
terms of culture speaking because again I don't feel like
in a lot of ways the regular workforce people tend
to look at how an employer versus an employee, what
that relationship looks like, and the dynamic of it, and
(43:17):
how the culture plays a part. And while I say
in regular society, culture in the business place is everything,
but it's different than the culture being everything. And sports,
especially at higher levels college pro, it's it's very the
culture has to have a very unique mix and the
(43:39):
blend of like what the respect factor is, the understanding
of what the coach wants versus what the collective feelings
of what the players want. We just saw Tim Thibodeau,
you know, get get fired from Tom. Tom, Yeah, Tom,
get fired from the mix.
Speaker 6 (43:57):
The Christian better looking version of Tom Thibodeau. Tim Tibadeau.
Speaker 3 (44:01):
Tim Tibadeau, Yeah, you like that. That's funny, my bet. Anyway,
It's interesting because I'm curious. I feel like when you
have players that love the coach, which it seems like
all the players are really into Thibodeaux and they yet
they get rid of them. You know, how does that
play a part? Because when you have a coaching change,
(44:21):
just like you got to impress the coaches, like you said,
in those practices, those coaches have to impress the players
as well, because there has to be a belief in winning.
Like what's your what's your kind of you know, your
perspective on culture.
Speaker 6 (44:34):
When I played college football, as you know, there was
not the same kind of boundary yeah today right like
we we we couldn't go anywhere if I transferred in
college football, and that was a terrible stigma that I
still carry today that I signed a letter of intent
(44:54):
and wasn't able to complete it, wasn't able to honor
the contract. And that bothers me. It really does. But
it's a very different it's a very different time in
college and pro athletics. That being said, the dynamics of
a pro basketball team is hard for me to understand.
(45:15):
I mean, we're talking about guys that have really, really
proven it at the highest level. I mean, it's one
thing to make an NFL team. It's one thing to
make an MLB Baseball team or have a cup of
coffee in the major leagues. It's a whole other thing
to make an NBA team consistently. I mean, because there's
so few guys, so that dynamic has always been fascinating,
(45:41):
and it's very difficult, I think, to be a head
coach at any level of any kind of sport. But
the NBA has got to be the toughest because and
you know, football is like this now too. It didn't
really used to be when we were younger, and everybody
had the same football coach who looked a hundred years
old for like fifteen years, thirty years yea, yeah, Chuck Knock,
(46:04):
Bud Grant, Yeah, you know, Chuck Nole, Marv Levy. You know,
it goes on and on. All the coaches kind of
look like that. And now the coaches are the first
guy on the chopping block, unless you know John Harbaugh
or Jim Harbaugh or somebody more celebrated like that, Generally
(46:25):
your coach is the first guy to get fired at
the NFL or NBA level, and it proved out with
the Tim Tebadeaux situation even though he ran a sweet option.
Tom Thibodeau known as a great defensive coach and a
lot of people love him. I think the X factor
with the Knick situation that I'm not super familiar with
other than the fact that you know, I watched all
(46:46):
the New Yorkers freak out in the NBA freak out
hoping that the Knicks were going to make it into
the final and they could play the concrete Jungle where
dreams were made of song over and over and over
again until your brain MUSHes and bleeds out of your ears.
But I think it's a more a more delicate situation. Also,
(47:08):
their owner is like a legit crazy man JB in
the Straight jd in the Straight Shot, Jim Dolan. That's
the name of his sweet ass band, his blues band,
where he hired like a bunch of really really famous
or reputable studio musicians and tours around with him like
he belongs on stage. So it's a whole it's a
(47:30):
whole wild situation. But look, I mean, but you look
at like Mi Alma mater and these and these different
stories that are unfolding over the years in modern sports,
and at USC it's like they'd fire Lincoln Riley if
he didn't have such a big buyout and and at
a certain point the money does matter, and maybe not
(47:53):
for JD in the straight shop. But I don't know,
I don't know what direction you go in from there,
like who you hire from there to to ignite the team.
Was it Thibodeau that was really fueling their success or
was he holding them back and holding back their star players?
Obviously somebody thought that. But a sad situation for the
(48:17):
guy with not a lot of hair who kind of looks.
Speaker 3 (48:20):
Like the penguin.
Speaker 6 (48:21):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (48:22):
Petros Pamadegus joined us.
Speaker 6 (48:24):
I've been compared to the penguin in the past too, Jonas.
Speaker 3 (48:27):
Look, I don't think so. I would.
Speaker 2 (48:29):
I would disagree with that comparison.
Speaker 6 (48:31):
I mean, how many times do you say that Fox
Sports Radio, Jonas. I know I'm on the radio right.
Speaker 2 (48:35):
I am resetting it for them, trying to be a
broadcast professional. But it is when you mentioned sort of
what direction you go in here, and was it Tom
Thibodeau's fault and all that that's why whenever there.
Speaker 6 (48:50):
Was people that call them TIBs like they're friends with him. Yeah, like, oh,
you know how TIBs is, It's like, you know what, Actually, no,
I don't.
Speaker 3 (48:57):
I don't not at all.
Speaker 6 (48:59):
I live on another.
Speaker 3 (49:00):
Side of a little bit.
Speaker 2 (49:00):
Well, it's like we've even been in Madison, scar it's
like golf blowhards who called the golfers by the first name.
Speaker 6 (49:06):
Hey, Scotty.
Speaker 2 (49:08):
Do you see what Scotty did on the seventeen? No,
what a douche do on the seventeenth. But when that's
why whenever the conversation was being had about Dave Roberts
when the Dodgers would come off short in the postseason,
and it was like, well, Dave Roberts should be fired,
And my thought on it.
Speaker 3 (49:26):
The whole time was, yeah, but is he the one that's,
you know.
Speaker 2 (49:30):
Going one for eighteen like Mookie Bets and Freddie Freeman
in the playoffs?
Speaker 3 (49:35):
Is that him? Like at some point, don't players up
here accountable?
Speaker 6 (49:38):
But you can't get rid of those guys, right, you
can get rid of Dave Roberts and it's cheaper, and
it's even worse. I mean, I've seen this over the
years and you can track it. There's like baseball or
football franchises that aren't doing well and they don't really
know what to do to make a change, so they
like fire the play by play guy. That happened to
(50:01):
Steve PHISIOK, with the Angels, I mean that really, yeah,
I mean that, you know that, well, let's change it up,
will fire the play by play guy. And it's like,
you know, obviously it has to be somebody that I
don't know, maybe they don't care as much about. That's
not fair to say about Steve because he's such a
wonderful guy.
Speaker 3 (50:15):
I thought you were going to say Roger Lodge.
Speaker 6 (50:17):
Well, you know, I mean sometimes they pull the trigger
on a guy's just just for a breath of fresh
air because the team's not doing well and that guy
has nothing to do with the lack of success of
the team, but the other people are getting paid too
much to touch them. Same situation with the USC and
the GM. You know, they can't fire the head coach,
but they made him fire his good old boy bff
(50:39):
who was the GM at USC that wasn't really doing
GM work, and they went and hired a real GM,
and now that's their big talking point for the offseason
and a recruiting class that may or may not come
in twenty twenty six. I'm sorry to keep harkening back
to USC but you did ask me about the culture
cheages when I was there, so it's always it's always
(51:00):
a unique situation. It's always interesting. The chemistry of a
team is one of the more complex things. I mean,
just going back to thinking about how you prepare for
a bowl game at the college level with young people.
After you've been playing weekly for months and months, suddenly
(51:21):
you're not playing games and you have to find a
way to play your best game after not playing for
two or three weeks or four weeks in some occasions.
That's crazy too, Like the chemistry of a football team
is a mystery that cannot be solved by the wisest
scientists that ever lived. Basketball, where there's fewer people. You know,
(51:42):
maybe you do pull one little string and things change.
But I think anybody trusting Jim Dolan and his Blues
Band to make the right decision with his basketball team,
one of the most recognized franchises in the history of sport,
is I mean, very in trouble.
Speaker 3 (52:01):
I would say my last question for you I know
we're up against the breaker last. I mean, you know
it is what it is. We just do radio you
we you mentioned.
Speaker 6 (52:19):
He got it.
Speaker 3 (52:20):
I could dig it.
Speaker 1 (52:20):
Bro.
Speaker 3 (52:22):
You guys have a top five recruiting class for twenty
six right now.
Speaker 6 (52:25):
I can't wait to see them freshman in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 3 (52:28):
I mean you mentioned if you know, if the coach
is still there, do you think he will survive to
see the top five class come in? And do you
think that maybe it is just he just needs a
little bit more time, because I mean that that's a
very highly you know, that's a highly rated I think
(52:50):
five I saw was what they were, were rated four
or five. I mean, that's that's a pretty high high
mark in today's recruiting. Uh, you know, climate it's very
difficult to get in the top five where we are
right now in the NIL space.
Speaker 6 (53:06):
It's something, Yeah, it is something to consider. But I
would I would rebut by asking you this in today's
day and age, with NIL being what it is, and
the transfer portal being wide open, and teams being generally
older because of that, and we see it in college
basketball too, how many freshmen do you think can contribute
(53:29):
even on a normal team, even on a team like
you and I would have played on back in the day.
Like even if you have a great recruiting class, so
maybe question, maybe two or three of those guys help
you that year, maybe seven.
Speaker 3 (53:42):
Or that's what. But when'd you say that's why having
such a highly recruited class is all that really matters.
Speaker 6 (53:49):
It's really it's a stalling technique for pr because you
don't really know if they're coming or not. I mean,
they're just.
Speaker 3 (53:57):
Verbally that's true, that's true.
Speaker 6 (53:59):
I mean that's like saying, this girl said she was
going to go to the problem with me next year.
I can't wait. You know, women are fickle, and so
are college football players.
Speaker 3 (54:08):
I would say they look at the stars, which I
don't know how much people should put into how many
stars a guy has, but that is what these these
universities do as well, I would say, to the point
of older guys being taken into portal and transfers that way.
I still think that when you see a four star,
five star come into your program, they have the opportunity
(54:32):
to make an immediate impact.
Speaker 6 (54:35):
Yeah, you're right, you know, you know they're supposed to.
And if they don't make it usually if they don't
make an immediate impact, if they're that big of a recruit,
usually you find them in.
Speaker 3 (54:44):
The transfer portal into portal.
Speaker 6 (54:46):
A little bit later. And we've seen a lot of
that too. I would say this LeVar to answer all
of it. I think us he's finally doing, recruiting wise,
what they should have been doing for years under Lincoln
Riley or Clay Helton or anybody, which is build a
very very serious and very very formidable fence around the area,
(55:06):
recruit it and live and die with it. And that's
what the new GM, Chad Boden that they hired was
kind of tasked to do. I don't have faith in
Lincoln Riley's ability to develop those guys anyway. He hasn't
proven it to me and I've not seen it so
and I don't know if they're coming. It's just if
(55:29):
us he's standing on the twenty twenty six recruiting class
for hey, don't worry about us, then they're standing on
jello in my opinion. But it's better than not having
a great twenty twenty six recruiting class, I suppose. But
it is something like people stop me in the street
and they're like can you believe this class right, you
(55:49):
know in twenty twenty six that may or may not
come that could you know half of them could verbally
decommit when one of them goes sure, but you're standing
on You're standing on Jello. I did find some interesting
fact that I came across the other day in regards
to the Knicks that I think you guys might enjoy.
Oh yeah, are you ready?
Speaker 3 (56:08):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (56:08):
Do you know the etymology of the name Knickerbocker?
Speaker 3 (56:13):
N We did, no, No, well, yes we do. It
was they said it was something about like clothing or
something like that.
Speaker 6 (56:21):
Yeah, well, yes, you're right. It's because of the way
that Yeah, we talked about it the other week. Yeah,
the pants style. But the reason that came out, the
reason that word became popular was Washington Irving, who's a
really famous writer and the guy that really kind of
wrote and put New York on the map as a writer,
same guy that wrote Sleepy Hollow, you know, with Thinkabod
(56:44):
Crane and the Headless Horse. Yeah, Washington Irving wrote a
very very significant book called The History of New York,
which he wrote under a pseudonym of a guy named
Dietrich Knickerbocker. Which is popularized. The name knickerbocker used to
be the way that a Dutch guy would dress, you know,
(57:06):
with his pants way up walking around New York and
a lot of Dutch immigrants there in that time, and
that's how they would wear their pants, so they got
called knickerbocker's. And then this guy wrote the History of
New York with the with the Dietrich Knickerbocker name, and
that popularized the name knickerbocker in relation to New York
(57:28):
and anybody from New York after a while, no matter
how you wore your pants, cross colors, Ze Cavariici's, those
tight jeans, skinny jeans, you're you're a knickerbocker regardless. Now,
Damn Washington.
Speaker 2 (57:42):
Irving and all these years later Tracy Morgan throwing up
on the floor there.
Speaker 6 (57:46):
At mass right that all these years later, Kylie Jenner
swallowing Timothy Shaumet's little pebble head.
Speaker 2 (57:54):
By the way, how big, how big is Timothy Champagne
or whatever that guy's name is.
Speaker 3 (57:59):
How big is he's? Is he smaller than her? Is
he shorter than.
Speaker 6 (58:03):
Yeah, she's a big horse. And I think she just
mounts him and just rides him into oblivion.
Speaker 3 (58:09):
Right, the Belmont Stakes. You're supposed to ride the.
Speaker 6 (58:13):
Longer race too. You know she's been with a lot
of guys. There's an extra furlong in that race.
Speaker 3 (58:22):
Could you imagine a horse ride Jackie and he's like
a little jockey.
Speaker 6 (58:29):
He's like, he's like, he's like shoemaker. He jumps on
that big boy, Bob.
Speaker 2 (58:38):
Baff got her, got her on the gas like she's
a wash the milkshake.
Speaker 6 (58:45):
Yes, Larry David's ground.
Speaker 3 (58:48):
Yeah, that's right, Petros, we appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (58:54):
You can get him on the old p He's the
cost of the Petros Money Show, which you can hear
on at the Blow or a M. Five seventy l
a sports later on this afternoon, also a Fox College
football analyst and a Wednesday tradition here on the show.
Speaker 6 (59:09):
We are so listen. Yeah, you know.
Speaker 2 (59:14):
You start, you start with the Dodgers, you end with
Kylie Jenner as a as a horse. That's how goes
bar So we do here a whole damn all right
coming up next here though, on two Crows and a
Cup of Joe