All Episodes

May 15, 2026 40 mins

Scott Van Pelt joins Dan to talk about the PGA Championship, what kind of draw Scottie Scheffler brings to the sport and the struggles of some of the top stars on the difficult course. Rich Eisen joins Dan to talk about memories of SportsCenter and the new documentary he’s working on about the show’s history and alumni, helps to celebrate Dan’s birthday, and talks about how he was escorted out of the Mothership.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You are listening to The Dan Patrick Show on Fox
Sports Radio.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Final Hour on this Meet Friday, Birthday Friday. Everybody brought
their gifts today. Marvin did, Todd did, Paul didn't, Dylan didn't,
But everybody else did this Meet Friday. Case you're wondering,
and I know you are, Chicken leg lollipops, party ribs,
a meat cake that includes wagou brisket, pulled pork, burnt ends,

(00:28):
holopenal poppers, and chicken lollipops. Who has it better than
we do? No body staut of the day brought to
you by Panini America. The official trading cards of the
DP Show. Basketball coming up tonight for entertainment purposes only.
The Spurs now five and a half point favorites. It
was four and a half yesterday. The Pistons are getting

(00:48):
three and a half against the Cleveland Cavaliers eight seven
seven to three. DP Show Email address Dpatdanpatrick dot Com,
Twitter handle the DP Show. Rich Eisen for the Mothership.
We'll stop by in about twenty minutes from now. Scott
Van Pelt SportsCenter anchor, Monday Night Countdown host, golf host.
He's there on the call for ESPN's coverage of the

(01:09):
PGA Championship Round two starting at noon Eastern Van Pas
Good to talk to you. What's the atmosphere like there
outside of Philadelphia.

Speaker 3 (01:20):
Well, I please, if I may, from my heart, happy
birthday to you. My only gift is my presence. I
don't know that that's much of a president, but thank
you and happy birthday from Philly. It is carnage out here, man.
I am shocked. It is so much more difficult than
we thought it would be. It's much windier than I

(01:41):
think anyone projected. The whole locations are tough. Guys are
backing up great. Then it's the sports fans in the
Philadelphia area are phenomenal. They're coming out and I think
throughout the weekend it'll only get more crowded and more voluminists.
But right now it is a struggle for the best
in the world.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Give me your dream match up on Sunday. What would
you hope to see?

Speaker 3 (02:04):
I mean, when Scotty's in the mix, I think he's
the He's the the yardstick at the moment, and anyone
that from that zip code. I mean, it's hard to
stay rory now, just because he's so far out of it.
After yesterday, although if he shoots a couple under, he's
still in the mix. But I mean, look, Scotty Rory
would be fun just because we've really never seen it

(02:25):
dan at this point. And that's the thing about golf,
you know, for years we tried to manufacture, Man, how
cool would it be of Tiger and Phil? Well, there's
one hundred and fifty six guys out here and there's
four days of your life and it's all got a funnel, correctly,
But Scotty against any world class player would be fun
just because Scotty's been so consistently brilliant.

Speaker 2 (02:45):
Do you think or what has to happen for us
to root for Scotty to see his greatness the way
we did Tiger?

Speaker 3 (02:52):
Totally different people, right, I mean, it's it's not Lebron
and Jordan because those are different eras, and I guess look,
Tiger and Scotty are different areas as well. But Tiger
made people feel and there was another electricity to him.
There is a completely different feeling with Scotty. He's not emotionless,

(03:13):
but he doesn't outwardly show it a lot. And so
I think that the respect for Scotty's greatness. I don't
know how you could withhold it at this point, but
I don't know that he plays in a way that
moves people to feel passionately about man. I can't wait
to watch it. I thought Paul McGinley of The Golf
Channel did an awesome job last night of describing Scotty's

(03:35):
first round about the technical brilliance of it. Well, he
shot sixty seven, and he just thought his way around
the golf course.

Speaker 4 (03:41):
You know.

Speaker 3 (03:42):
Tiger felt like he forever had that one shot right
Dan that would just make you jump up out of
your seat, And I guess Sheffler doesn't do that quite
as much. But I would just say that really comparing
anyone to Tiger is kind of a fool's errand because
he's singular, you know, he's the only one of him
that were likely to ever see in our life.

Speaker 2 (04:00):
Scheffler is like Pete Sampras in tennis.

Speaker 3 (04:03):
Perfectly said, you know, perfectly said, and and you know
Pete was an all time great. But I mean, did
he move people in the same way that maybe a
Federer did. Probably not.

Speaker 2 (04:14):
I think Deshambo if he had Scheffler's success and was
playing on tour Scheffler moves the needle or Deshambo moves
the needle. From the standpoint of you're like, oh wow,
and he's got personality attached to that as well. I
just don't know if we're going to see that anytime,
certainly not seeing it this weekend there. But like his

(04:36):
future on the PGA tour is what in your opinion for.

Speaker 3 (04:41):
De Shambo, I don't know. I mean, the suggestion that
he could go be a YouTube player and then just
show up and play in the majors, I mean, I
don't That's just not a realistic thought. You have to
you have to be competitive, competitively sharp to come out
here and play the hardest courses in the world against
the best player the world. And you know your reference

(05:02):
to Shambeau. We saw I think the height of his
popularity when he won at Pinehurst and that was an
immensely popular victory and he hit a shot of a
lifetime to beat Rory there, and you know that that
to me was sort of his peak moment of power.
And you could do that, be an influencer, be a
YouTube player, and I'm sure you could monetize that and

(05:24):
make a pile, but ultimately you you make your bones
in this game and your legend in this game being
a major championship player. And you know, he got off
to a horrific start, didn't play well with the Masters,
and missed the cut there with a with a triple
on the last on Fridays. So you know, I think
for your popularity to continue to ascend, or at least
maintain its place, you need to be part of the

(05:45):
weekend story in the biggest tournaments of the year.

Speaker 2 (05:48):
I also wonder and watching the coverage yesterday with these greens,
that there are fast greens and then there are greens
that are punishing, and these are you know, we've played Augusta,
and yes, those are challenging greens. They're nothing like some
of these other courses around the world. If they really

(06:09):
want to dress it up and say you're going to
be three under and win, Augusta doesn't want the Masters,
doesn't want three under. They want birdies and eagles and roars.
This the US Open, like they want to humbley a
little bit here.

Speaker 3 (06:24):
Yes, but I'm shocked, I mean legitimately shocked, because for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
I wander around out here with these you know, the
best in the world, which is it's so much fun,
right you get to see them and how they're going
to play this golf course. And they had driver wedge
into these greens and I thought, yeah, the greens are
really really challenging, and they could put the whole locations

(06:44):
in spots that would make it very difficult. But I
thought low was was in the offing, and so did
everybody else. All the players, all the folks you talk
to on the range are like, yeah, this is mid
teens or you know, literally like fifteen under is going
to win. Well is blown. And they have put the
whole location through two days in some spots that are
incredibly difficult. So it feels more like, Look, the weather

(07:09):
feels like the Open Championship, the leaderboard looks like a
US Open, and normally in the PGA you see him
go low. Now the weather could change, it could get warmer,
and they could give him some more accessible whole locations,
and I would think the PGA of America would because
I don't think they want to see, you know, the
best in the world that are really not able to
hit shots that are rewarded. That's I don't know who

(07:30):
wants to see that.

Speaker 5 (07:31):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (07:31):
I always get that when somebody says, boy, I like
to see them struggle like we do, and I go,
I don't like watching you play, So why would I
want to see the great golfers play like that?

Speaker 3 (07:41):
Right? And the thing about that, Dan, you know the
six or the ten or the eighteen handicapper that wants
to sit down, pop a beer on the couch. And
I want to see Scottie Scheffler shoot seventy eight. Buddy,
if you played out here, you'd shoot one hundred and fifty.
I promise you.

Speaker 2 (07:59):
Thanks for making some time. I know that you guys
are going to start at noon Eastern. Thank you again, Scotty,
have a good weekend.

Speaker 3 (08:05):
Sincerely, man, happy birthday. Can continue success in everything. You're
an inspiration. I mean you've been in inspiration for years.
If you'll let me say something kind to you, I
just appreciate your friendship and your kindness all these years, Dan,
you're the best.

Speaker 2 (08:18):
All those years I was trying to pry you away
from the Golf channel, I kept saying, Scotty, you're wasting
your talents there. Come on and you go, I got
a great gig here, and you did. But we're grateful
that you did come to the Mothership, my man. Thank
you all right, buddy at Scott van Pelt, he's on

(08:38):
the call for the Mothership the PGA Championship Round two
beginning at noon Eastern. Yeah, I would. I was trying
to recruit him. I was trying to recruit him. He
was like, I got a great deal, man, good gig.
I'm in Orlando, I'm covering golf. Get a tan, don't shovel.
So I said, yeah, you're right about all that, but man,
we'd love to have you. Yes.

Speaker 6 (09:00):
I remember when you set it up for Van Pelt
to come up for a tryout or a test show,
and you said to somebody I don't know, don't let
him out of the building.

Speaker 2 (09:08):
I know back then, I was recruiting for the Mothership.
Oh yeah, oh, now this is a birthday gift. Here.
Pandora joins us from Nevada. Hi, Panandora, Hi dam happy birthday.
Well thank you. Do you have a present for me?

Speaker 4 (09:32):
I just wanted to sing you happy birthday.

Speaker 2 (09:34):
That's a present that's far more than Dylan and Paulie
gave me.

Speaker 5 (09:39):
Here we go, Oh, happy birthday too, and it's me
try day to who hasn't data than.

Speaker 2 (10:02):
Jenny, Happy.

Speaker 4 (10:06):
Day, Joe and many.

Speaker 2 (10:16):
Thank you, Pandora, thank you. See now that's a gift.
She didn't have to buy me anything. She just had
to give me something from the heart. That's all Dylan.

Speaker 7 (10:29):
So just singing happy birthday counts.

Speaker 2 (10:30):
I could do that. No, No, you already missed your opportunity.
She gave me that gift like you can't give me
a humidor like Todd did. You can't give me a
T shirt like Marmon did. Book of Maine Golf Course
and the Book of Maine Golf Courses at Todd gave
me the paperback. I couldn't spring for the hardcover Todd.
I couldn't find the hardcover. Scott in Oregon, Hi Scott,

(10:51):
what's on your mind today?

Speaker 8 (10:54):
Hey?

Speaker 5 (10:54):
What up?

Speaker 4 (10:54):
VP? First time? Long time?

Speaker 2 (10:56):
Five ten nice? Hey?

Speaker 4 (11:00):
Just wanted to give you a birthday shout out, and
also too, it is my birthday. That's one of the
things ever since I've joined the show, it's been one
of my claims of fame with my buddy Cameron Henshaw,
so shout out to him. Three years ago. My wife, actually,
I told her all I want for my birthday is
to call into the DP show. She has no knowledge

(11:22):
of the show really whatsoever except for having it in
the background, and I had a feeling what you might do.
But she was on hold in her class. She's a teacher,
and you ended up hanging up on her because you're like, hey, hey, hey, Jessica, Hey,
today is all about me. And then it was click
and it was the funniest. It was the funniest thing ever.
And I still have that episode saved. So anyways, happy birthday.

(11:47):
And I don't know if you want to share a
rectech grill with me for my birthday since we share.

Speaker 2 (11:52):
It, but no, I'm giving away a rectech grill coming
up here, Scott. But thank you for the phone call.
The Pursuit of Glory Hits High Gear, Thoroughbred Racing and
the Preakness Stakes Tomorrow. Coverage starts at for Eastern Live
on NBC and Peacock Fresh in Milwaukee. Hi Fresh, what's

(12:14):
on your mind?

Speaker 4 (12:15):
What's up?

Speaker 6 (12:15):
DP?

Speaker 9 (12:16):
You know, I got to give you the biggest birthday
shout out. Thank you for everything you do. Brother. Also
to another shout out to the DAN next. So I
got a good question for you for your birthday. We've
been talking a lot of basketball, a lot of football.
Is there amount rushmore for baseball?

Speaker 2 (12:38):
Not recently that I've brought up on the show. I
think it's tricky with the steroids. I think it's tricky
where you put bonds in there? Can you put bonds
in there? Feels like you might leave out a generation
of players, you know, trying to sift through and say, yeah,

(13:00):
he was clean, he wasn't he was clean and then
he wasn't. Yeah, Pauline, let's say you went with Babe Ruth.

Speaker 6 (13:06):
That's obvious. Jackie Robinson impact obvious. Then you're down to two,
and I think that's the hard two to fill. Ted
Williams and Joe Demaju and Willie Mays and Hank Aaron Well.

Speaker 2 (13:17):
Ted Williams is the greatest hitter of all time when
you factor in three years in his prime he was
at war and he was a fighter pilot. He wasn't,
you know, going laundry or mail room or meet and greets.
These were three prime years. I think he had five

(13:40):
hundred and twenty one home runs. Let's say you just go,
we're going to attach thirty five home runs and put
it on his total easily. He was, and he wasn't fast.
He was just I think the greatest hitter now. Pete
Rose has the hits Ted Williams had. He had, he

(14:00):
had average, and we took away three of his years
he was in service.

Speaker 10 (14:05):
Yes, Mark, That's the crazy thing about baseball is that
Ted Williams is regarded as the greatest hitter ever, but
he doesn't have any World Series titles. And that's not
important where you're talking about the greatest baseball players ever.
We don't know how many World Series Baby Ruth has
no bonds. Whoever, Well, we know bonds because he didn't
win any. But no one's holding that against him.

Speaker 2 (14:27):
No, No, they pulled the steroids against him. Correct, But fascinating,
fascinating player when you look at what he was to
what he became because he was like a whippet. He
looked like he was one hundred and fifty pounds, but
he was stealing bases, you know, all around great player, Yeah, PAULI.

Speaker 6 (14:50):
If you look at the baseball Mount Rushmore, the likely candidates,
it's almost all guys before nineteen seventy five for various reasons.
Shohil Tani has a chance.

Speaker 2 (15:00):
Yeah, I think if he has four or five more
of these kind of years. Aaron Judge, if he has
four of these kind of years, maybe you gotta win though, Yes, Marvin.

Speaker 10 (15:13):
Aaron Judge needs to win World Series and be on
the Mount rushmore of the Yankees. Yes, because when you're
playing for the Yankees, world series matter. We just talked
about World Series not mattering, but if if you play
for the Yankees, that matters.

Speaker 2 (15:23):
No, that's a great point of all the franchises. If
you're playing for the Yankees, I want to know how
many championships you have, yesh, Dylan, But I.

Speaker 7 (15:32):
Feel like in the same van with the Yankees, it's
like they're so rooted in their Yankee history. It's like
Aaron Judge could do a lot and no, he's not
gonna pass like Mickey Mantle and the Yankees.

Speaker 2 (15:42):
You know, well, Luke Garrett, I mean the Yankees just
have I mean they built their own park out there,
a park within a park, just so they can honor
all their great players. Anything else, Dylan.

Speaker 7 (15:56):
Uh, I was actually gonna say something about Ted Williams.
I mean he had a season where he at four
oh six and he.

Speaker 2 (16:02):
Didn't sit out, he played the doubleheader. Yeah, he could
have sat down the second half the second game in
the doubleheader to Dipple four hundred yes, and he said, no,
I'm playing Teddy ballgame. Yes he was, Uh, all right,
let me take a break. Rich Eisen said, to join
us here in the man cave. Take a break back after.

Speaker 1 (16:20):
This, be sure to catch the live edition of The
Dan Patrick Show weekdays at nine am Eastern six am
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.

Speaker 11 (16:31):
Hey, this is Jason McIntyre. Join me every weekday morning
on my podcast, Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre. This isn't
your typical sports pod pushing the same tired narratives down
your throat every day. Straight Fire gives you honest opinions
on all the biggest sports headlines, accurate stats to help
you win big at the sports book.

Speaker 2 (16:51):
And all the best guests.

Speaker 11 (16:52):
Do yourself a favor and listen to Straight Fire with
Jason McIntyre on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you get your podcasts.

Speaker 2 (17:03):
What a day, It's a Meet Friday. It's my birthday.
I can feel the love from the Danettes. They all
got me nice gifts. Paulie and Dylan came through with
an autograph picture. You're welcome, a handmade card man, Do
I feel special? And then Rich Eisen's here he is
of course NFL Game Day Morning and the Rich Eisen

(17:25):
Show on the Mothership. And now you have this was
Sports Center limited podcast series that you're doing interviews with
Sports Center anchors including me. That's right later today, later today.
What exactly is the platform here? What do we just reminiscing?
That's it?

Speaker 12 (17:44):
You and I have done this before, Yes we have,
and it's just gonna it's a fun series that it's
mostly in the can, but you're the missing piece. Wait,
how many of these interviews have you done? I've done
five already, Okay, and you are You're the lead. You're
the one who's We're coming out of the shoot on
June fifth on Disney Plus and the ESPN app and

(18:07):
my YouTube channel and wherever you get your podcasts, because
you could watch it and listen to it, okay, And
you know, I mean the nostalgia of when we did
what we did, you know, or you were doing before
I even arrived, you know, with Ko and Berman and
you know Bob Lee and Robin and Charlie. I mean,

(18:29):
I can go down the whole lane here? Who are
the other anchors that you've in. I interviewed Chris Berman
at the Super Bowl and Chris Fowler then stopped off
in my LA show studio after coming back from the
Australian Open, so I interviewed him there, Mike Greenberg in

(18:49):
New York, and then just this past week I interviewed
Linda Cone and Kilby, Lord.

Speaker 2 (18:57):
Kilby, Oh, Craig Kilbourne, Craig Gill, killer.

Speaker 12 (19:01):
Killer, he told some, he told some, He spun some
yards Dan, including I'm just but it's just fun, like
I provide the memories that I have. Obviously, you know,
you and I go way back, and you know and
how I first arrived there and and some fun stories
about that. And Craig got he He and I overlapped

(19:26):
by about three months, and I'll never forget. He took
me to dinner Yesked because we were doing a two
am sports center. He said, Spark, do you want to
go to dinner? And I'm like sure. We hopped in
his car and he took me through the Kenny Rogers
Rolling Roaster Drive three yea in Southington. Beautiful downtown Southington

(19:46):
connect That wasn't Plainville. That was South it was Southington,
and I'll never forget him. After we ordered our chicken,
he turns to me and he proceeds to tell me
that he's got another job offer and should he take it?
And I'm like, again, I'm twenty six. I just showed
up from Redding, California. This might have been like my

(20:07):
tenth sports center I ever did. I'm like, why is
he even asking me this? And he described the Daily
Show to me and I'm like, sounds great. Man, like,
let's go do it if that's what make you happy. Honestly,
I didn't know him from Adam, so to recount that
story with him now you know about thirty years later,
not about it is thirty years later. That's what the

(20:29):
show's all about.

Speaker 2 (20:30):
You know. Have you reached out to Keith Oberman?

Speaker 12 (20:32):
I have, indeed, and I try to interview him when
I was in New York recently, but schedules just didn't align.
But he'll he's up for doing it.

Speaker 2 (20:42):
Who else?

Speaker 12 (20:43):
But that's this is just for the first season. I'm
just doing six just to get this ball rolling. But
I told you this, and this is you know, no surprise.
I mean, you're the only person I'd want to be
the first guest of this because of what you've meant
to me and what you did mean to me back then,

(21:05):
what you mean to so many people, and you know,
and I appreciate.

Speaker 2 (21:10):
You doing it. The older I get, the better I
was though, Rich, is that what it is? I think so,
because you know when you're doing it. When we did
Sports Center, yeah, you're just trying to survive because it's
really really competitive. And I told people that. I tell
people that it was cutthroat. Oh yeah, like it wasn't. Hey,
we're we're rooting for you. You had people who were circling,

(21:34):
you know, the Sports Center set, waiting for somebody to
keel over so they could sit in the chair.

Speaker 12 (21:39):
Well, and this is something that I plan on talking
with you later. I mean, when when Ko left and
your seat was open, it was on. I mean it
was way on for everybody wanted that seat next to
you in.

Speaker 2 (21:52):
The worst way, at least I know I did. And
that was a bad time. It's a bad time for
me because I didn't want to pick Keith's successor. I
wanted management to do it because I wanted them to
be on the hook for that person to sit in
Keith's chair, which that's you know, almost irreplaceable, you know,

(22:15):
trying to get somebody to sit in there. And so
I turned it around to management. I said, tell me
who you want to watch at night? And I mean,
I had my thoughts, but I was worried. Were we
going to try to recreate Keith and Dan? And I
didn't want to do that because it wasn't fair whoever
sat there. And then I thought, well, Linda Cone could

(22:37):
sit in and then there won't be any comparison. And
then they came back to me. I'm on a scouting
trip with my son. I have no contact with anybody.
They say they're going to make the decision over the
next two days, and all of a sudden, I go
to a convenience store to get a six pack of
beer because I couldn't survive the scouting trip without having

(23:00):
even though they frowned upon that you could lose a
merit badge or something like that. And I see my phone.
It's got a message and it says we're gonna go
with Kenny Maine. And I called my boss and I said,
I got your message, okay, And that was it.

Speaker 12 (23:18):
Well, because we all assumed that you would be giving
two cents and and that had to be you know,
I had to be tough for you. But I mean, again,
this is the sort of stuff that this, this show,
This Was Sports Center, is all about. Like diving into
this behind the scenes. Sure, no, I can to the airport.
Can we just clip and save? But yeah, like and

(23:41):
and I think fans can't get enough of it, you know,
and when you came back and did your show with
with with Keith, you know a few years ago when
you did your show with Kilbourne, because we here and
I talked about that, that was the last time he
did Sports Center.

Speaker 2 (23:59):
Fans can think it enough of it, Dan, They really can't.

Speaker 12 (24:01):
I mean I did it twice in the last year,
and the reaction that I got was overwhelming and obviously
humbling and awesome.

Speaker 2 (24:11):
It's just a different time. And that's why I'm just
diving straight into the nostalgia. He's rich Izon joining us
here in the man Cave and the podcast This Was
Sports Center taking off. This is Sports Center campaign June
fifth on Disney Plus ESPN, the Rich Iisen Show as
well the schedule release. Yes, sir, when did it become.

Speaker 12 (24:35):
When we were starting NFL Network, and we're like, what
are we going to do in between games being played?
And you know, and how are we going to follow
through on the branding that we put out there. The
very first NFL Network Super Bowl commercial was in two

(24:58):
thousand and four after we launched in three in the
middle of the Patriots and Panthers Super Bowl, Jake Dilone
versus Tom Brady and it was right was that Jane
Jackson Sir, which mean and And this commercial was amazing
because they we got the rights to UH Tomorrow from

(25:20):
Annie and we had Jerry Jones and Bill Parcells and
Warren Sapp and uh Terrell Owens and all the stars
of the day singing tomorrow because the day after the
Super Bowl is when NFL Network you should still tune
in because everybody's O and O, all thirty two teams
are active and we're going to be all over it.

(25:41):
That was the branding of the commercial and I'll never
forget it. I found a TV in the in the
stadium in a in a suite I snuck in so
I could see. The commercial was very big for me
and everybody that worked there. And then UH it was
in the commercial pod right after halftime. Nobody saw it.

(26:01):
Not a soul saw the commercial. As a matter of fact,
it was the most rewound TiVo moment in the history
of that DVR. So nobody saw the commercial. But we
had to come We had to follow through on it, though, Dan.
We had to start coming up with things that we
had to cover, and one of the first things we
came up with was what if we eventized the schedule

(26:23):
being released, Like what if we're celebrating paperwork.

Speaker 2 (26:28):
You know what I mean, which is basically what it is.
And the same thing with the draft, that is it.

Speaker 12 (26:33):
I mean like you could do the NFL Draft like
your fantasy league and do it in two hours and
be done with it.

Speaker 2 (26:39):
But it's a show.

Speaker 12 (26:40):
And now it's something massive where it's like the super
Bowl for every team's social media group and they've been
better out of them and great at it that these
are these are fun videos to watch and now it's
a big thing. And now you know, the NFL times
it with their ten different partners and all the upfronts

(27:01):
and everybody announces a game here, in a game there,
and I think it just it just gives the NFL
a big splash in the middle of may right now.

Speaker 2 (27:10):
Is there such a thing as too much football? I
don't think so, do you? I think we will. I
think we're inching closer to are you going to watch
all the games? Well?

Speaker 12 (27:25):
I think you're You're asking a lot of people when
you know, Thanksgiving is one thing. Hey, we're all sitting around,
we don't want to talk to each other. Let's watch
a game. Or you've spoken to each other enough, Let's
watch a game. And there's three of them. Now it's
a Wednesday and a Friday with the three in the middle.
If I'm the NBA, I'm like, you're looking at that

(27:47):
Christmas Day triple header?

Speaker 2 (27:49):
Oh? They just those and the NFL.

Speaker 12 (27:52):
You could see the NFL is deciding to just keep
on raising the ante on.

Speaker 2 (27:58):
The holiday special. Yeah.

Speaker 12 (28:00):
I mean the Thanksgiving games used to be, you know,
two games, and it didn't matter who the Lions or
the Cowboys were playing. Now, you know, last year they
put the Chiefs in Dallas. Fifty seven million viewers for
that one, and the NFL is like, all right, let's
let's see if they you know, this year last year
can hold this year's beer. And they decide to put
the Eagles in Dallas after the Bears and the Lions,

(28:22):
before the Chiefs and the Bills, and that's after the
Rams and the Packers kick it off on a Wednesday,
and the Steelers and the Broncos have at it on
a Friday. So that's asking a lot of people to
watch all five.

Speaker 2 (28:35):
Well, I think we're doing a disservice to Sunday afternoon schedules,
Like I worry about that where we're kind of kicking
games to the curb, you know, like Sunday at one
and Sunday at four thirty. Sunday night is still going
to be special with NBC.

Speaker 12 (28:49):
Okay, So you're lighting a candle for Scott Hansen, is
that what you're saying?

Speaker 2 (28:52):
Right? Yeah, Scott, he's got one game, has one game.
It's a red game. It's a red game. It's not
even a zone anymore.

Speaker 12 (29:03):
All right, Well, they're on the twenty three yard line
and it's for sure.

Speaker 2 (29:09):
What happens to the NFL network?

Speaker 12 (29:12):
Oh what do you mean now? Well, the games are now,
they're still on NFL Network. There's seven of them, five International,
two others.

Speaker 2 (29:21):
Nothing changes though with the marriage.

Speaker 8 (29:24):
No.

Speaker 12 (29:24):
I have been told Sunday game day morning that I'm
hosting is the same, and so is the combine.

Speaker 2 (29:30):
In the draft.

Speaker 12 (29:31):
We're gonna We're still gonna have the combine. We're gonna
have the draft the rest of it. I mean, we
didn't have a schedule release show for the first time
in years. I don't I don't know if that's an
indication other than just you know.

Speaker 2 (29:44):
But do you want to be introduced as ESPN's Richison
or the NFL Networks rich Ion. How about you know
your your good friend here on your birthday?

Speaker 7 (29:51):
Well?

Speaker 2 (29:51):
I know, but I have to say I don't know
NFL Networks Richison, who also works for the Mother show, The.

Speaker 12 (29:57):
Rich Isison Shows, Richisen. Just still because you could say
my name twice in the same sentence. Okay, product placement there,
Oh yeah, it's all about the branding. But no, it
doesn't matter to me. But it's pretty wild to me.

Speaker 2 (30:08):
It's fuey. I'll tell this story to you.

Speaker 12 (30:10):
Uh when I went back and I did Sports Center
in Bristol, or did I tell you this one?

Speaker 2 (30:14):
I called you the Today whatever.

Speaker 12 (30:16):
I'll tell it here because you know, twenty three years ago,
I got handed a cardboard box.

Speaker 2 (30:23):
And I was remains, Yes, sir, I was escorted.

Speaker 12 (30:29):
Man, I went in and then I was escorted, and
then Pete mcconvall and Gus Ramsey.

Speaker 2 (30:35):
You know you're was I there when you got escorted?
I don't think so.

Speaker 12 (30:41):
Twenty three years ago, but I was there and they
helped me clear out my apartment after I got escorted.
So I had a cardboard box. And when I went
back this time, I wore my show gear. I wore
a Rich Eisen Show like pullover. And I did that
on purpose because I'm like.

Speaker 2 (30:57):
You know what I'm gonna do.

Speaker 12 (30:58):
I'm gonna wear my show gear because I'm a partner
of ESPN. I'm not just an employee. I'm a partner,
Damn straight, Okay, and I'm a partner. I'm gonna walk through.

Speaker 2 (31:06):
That same door with my show gear that I walked
out of with my cardboard box. I was escorted out.

Speaker 12 (31:13):
And not only could I not find that place when
I first got there, because it's a totally different spot.

Speaker 2 (31:18):
I finally found it and it's now a brick wall.

Speaker 12 (31:21):
So I'm like, Okay, I'm so glad I spent all
that energy on that, but it's just totally changed.

Speaker 2 (31:27):
It's totally changed.

Speaker 12 (31:28):
But it's wild that, you know, I have an ESPN
ID now and I am an ESPN employee again working
for the spot that I left to go start. It's
you can't make it up, you know, it's wild.

Speaker 2 (31:44):
When I went back after ten years and I was
on with Van Pelt and I showed up at the
security desk with PAULI yeah, and I didn't want to
go back. I still had bad feelings there and some
things that happened behind the scenes. But Scott said, hey, look,
I'm launching this show. Will you please come on. I
said yes, I'll do it for you. I get there
at the security desk and the guy goes, uh, I

(32:08):
d please. I said, I I helped build this place,
and then he goes, I still need an so he
gave me a Hello my name is Dan. So he
gave me a name tag, which I wore on the
show with Van Pelt. I'm like, all right, and then
I remember the producer Mike McQuaid goes, hey, can you

(32:30):
take that off? I go no, no q, I'm gonna
wear this. I you know, they don't. This guy didn't care,
didn't know, didn't matter.

Speaker 6 (32:39):
Yes, Pauli and Rich On the way out, Dan lit
up the tires and did a patch.

Speaker 2 (32:43):
Are you serious? Yeah, I had my truck boy, and
then I'm like, all right for you and I burned
my burned. Yeah.

Speaker 12 (32:52):
It's so funny because when I did the Sports Center
a few weeks ago, I showed up early and they
added they have this terrific team there for special pieces
and features involving Sports Center, and we shot a you
know of this was Sports Center kind of mock up

(33:14):
old school commercial based on my return and one of
the segments or parts of the piece was I walk
up and my card doesn't work. And so the guy
we had this guy in New York accident who was
really working behind the security desk screen, can I see
some ID? And I held up a picture of me

(33:35):
and Stuart from like thirty years ago, and the guy goes, really,
that's the sort of thing you're talking about, Like, you know,
I've been here, you know, like you did with Keith
and all of the colleagues you had in the day,
created something incredibly special, man that it still resonates today.
It's part of your fan base as you sit in

(33:57):
that chair, and it's all so part of the reason why,
you know, Van Pelt says, I want you to please
comm and why I'm physically here and appreciate your doing
this on your birthday because you know you deserve it.

Speaker 2 (34:12):
I know you don't like people talking about you, but
it's the truth, man, right you the man? Well take
a break. It's a meet Friday if you want to
join us out.

Speaker 12 (34:21):
I have already seen what's going down out there, and
I would be offended if you asked me to leave,
all right.

Speaker 2 (34:27):
To be honest, You'll be able to see this episode
June fifth on Disney Plus ESPN The Rich Eisen Show
YouTube channel wherever you get your podcast. Rich Eisen of
NFL Network, ESPN, ESPN, NFL Slash take a break back
after this. Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk

(34:48):
lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows at
Foxsports Radio dot com and within the iHeartRadio app. Search
FSR to listen live. A lot of fun today, A
lot of fun. My thanks to Rich Eisen who came in.
Also Scott van Pell who joined us from the PGA Championship,
and Albert Breer Monday Morning Quarterback. Also you as well.

(35:10):
Thank you last call for phone calls any other surprises here.

Speaker 6 (35:14):
Paul Dan right on cue I'd like to call the
big German to come in. Oh, Eric Jones, Okay, the
big German I think is on ce ready to roll
in air.

Speaker 2 (35:22):
Eric Jones and me.

Speaker 6 (35:24):
Ah A lovely, lovely cake.

Speaker 2 (35:30):
Thank you. I got a birthday cake. It says have
happy happy birthday, DP. I like to smash Todd with
this your day. I would. It's dense that that is
a heavy, heavy cake. Thank you, thank you. I guess

(35:54):
we have a meet Friday hang out, have a couple
of beers, and then I'm gonna sit down do an
interview with the Rich Eisen for ESPN. Yes, Dylan, did
you think you'd be getting two kinds of cake today? Dan, Well,
one's a meat cake and I've never seen that before.
Chef Greg rectech dot com. Who damn, that's a that's

(36:17):
a masterpiece what he created there. You're not supposed to
bring your food out here, Dylan. You're not supposed to
eat it when you're on the show.

Speaker 7 (36:24):
I'm looking at it. Yeah, it is. This is quite
the assembly of things here. It's basically a slice, so
he cut me a piece. It's a slice of pizza
with brisket wrapped in pursudo with pulled pork wrapped in
pursuda with mashed potatoes with a chicken leg and burn
ends on top.

Speaker 6 (36:41):
Yes, Bully, I got a topic for you I've been
thinking about today.

Speaker 3 (36:44):
If I told you.

Speaker 6 (36:45):
When you were twenty two working in Dayton FMDJ, trying
to get a job in sports, that you turned seventy
on national TV and radio, still doing what you love,
you would have said what.

Speaker 2 (36:58):
I don't know if I would have, I've thought that
I could hang around that long. But I got great
advice when I first started, and it's advice I give
students at my broadcasting school. Have a long shelf life,
don't be gimmicky, make sure you do it, you do
it the right way, because then you're always employable. If
you get to the point where you do a shtick,

(37:18):
then people get tired of that and your shelf life
is greatly diminished. But I had somebody, a mentor, who said,
do it the right way, you'll always have a job.
Hasn't always been hot take or anything crazy. It's more
of just I want to be consistent. Now it's open

(37:41):
to interpretation. Consistently great, consistently good, But that's always the goal.
And you know I've been fortunate to be around great people.
I think that above everything else, when you surround yourself
with great people, it's it's hard not to get better.
And I think that I've been fortunate to be able
to do that. Enough talk about me, but thank you

(38:03):
again for today and the opportunity to do this because you're,
you know, part of the reason why I want to
continue to do this for the next two years. And
then I'll get tired of you, and then that's when
I have to retire in two years. Todd, You're not
gonna get tired of us. No, I'm already talking.

Speaker 6 (38:22):
I think.

Speaker 2 (38:22):
I just say that, but deep down, there's a lot
of way did I What did I say to you today?
Would you rather if I said I didn't like you,
but you were funnier, or I said that I loved
you and you are like you are right now, not
fun And I chose being funnier and maybe you like Yeah,
maybe someday that'll happen, Todd. I think we'll get there. Yeah,

(38:43):
who knows when. Eventually we'll work towards it. As I
always say, I often say I love you, I don't
always like you. That's fair, that's very well said. Uh,
that's very accurate. I guess I want to thank Rectech
again for giving away the Rectech grill on my birthday.
Or Tim in Washington, Good morning, Tim, What do you

(39:04):
have for me?

Speaker 4 (39:05):
Hey?

Speaker 2 (39:06):
Dan?

Speaker 8 (39:06):
How are you happy birthday?

Speaker 2 (39:07):
Thank you? Dan.

Speaker 8 (39:09):
You're talking about Normandy earlier and hiring a historian. Follow
back on that, if I may. My girlfriend's grandfather died
in Strasbourg two days before the war ended. We went
back there for the seventy fifth anniversary and hired a
historian and did the Omaha Beach and he got the

(39:30):
morning letters from her, his true her from her grandfather's troop,
and he took us trekking through where his troop trek
through during the war. And the one final note is
you talked about the cemeteries and the American Cemetery, all
the crosses. You could look down any angle and it

(39:51):
was perfectly straight and up on a hill, and the
son and all that. And then you went to the
German cemetery.

Speaker 2 (39:59):
And it was Yeah, the stone that they used is
dark in the German cemetery World War two? Todd, would
you learn today? Staying with that theme, the best birthday
gift you may have ever received? Was from your wife
that trip to Normandy with a local toy guy, Dylan.
Did you learn anything?

Speaker 13 (40:17):
Todd got you the paperback edition of The Guide to
Me and God didn't have a hardcover version. Marvin, you
recruited Van Pelt the ESPN. Happy birthday, buddy, Thank you,
buddy Todd. What did I learn today?

Speaker 2 (40:27):
SVP? Agree with your Scotti cheherds like the Pete Sampras
of golf. Not a lot of personality to go with
the greatness. Again, thank you, Thank you to the audience.
Get this opportunity to continue to do something I truly love.
And the dan Nets and the back room guys as well,
have yourself a great weekend, a safe weekend, and we
look forward to talking to you on Monday.
Advertise With Us

Hosts And Creators

Todd "Fritzy" Fritz

Todd "Fritzy" Fritz

Dan Patrick

Dan Patrick

Patrick "Seton" O'Connor

Patrick "Seton" O'Connor

Paul Pabst

Paul Pabst

Marvin Prince

Marvin Prince

Popular Podcasts

The MeatEater Podcast

The MeatEater Podcast

Building on the belief that a deeper understanding of the natural world enriches all of our lives, host Steven Rinella brings an in-depth and relevant look at all outdoor topics including hunting, fishing, nature, conservation, and wild foods. Filled with humor, irreverence, and things that will surprise the hell out of you, each episode welcomes a diverse group of guests who add their own expertise to the vast world of the outdoors. Part of The MeatEater Podcast Network.

Crime Junkie

Crime Junkie

Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2026 iHeartMedia, Inc.

  • Help
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • AdChoicesAd Choices